Crystal Chandeliers

He then showed me around the ranch and I had to admit to myself it was lovelier than I expected. As we drove away from the ranch house, I looked back and saw myself through the window of the large third floor bedroom, where I would finally finish my first novel. Later we wound up along side a creek under a large shade tree for lunch. The food was good and the wine nicely chilled ... and delicious!

Afterwards we lay on the blanket and necked a bit then Chuck fell asleep. I was drowsy but thoughts kept flowing through my mind, unbidden. The kissing and petting had started my engine and taking a nap wasn't what I wanted right now. I hadn't slept with a man since I'd left New York and Aaron with his predatory ways.

Thinking about him, I gave a mental shrug – Aaron got what he wanted and I got what I needed ... they just weren't the same thing. But I had a need now and Chuck was asleep. I sat up and watched him as he made the small movements and sounds of a deep sleep.

I considered what he had said about paying so much of the money from hunters to others and decided that I could help Chuck and he could do the hunting thing full time. If I could quit my teaching job I'd have plenty of time to write and still be able to help Chuck. He would be able to quit the hotel and make a lot more money.

Looking at him lying there, he seemed so sweet and innocent ... and in some ways I think he was. He was all man but yet he seemed somewhat naïve about women. Lying there on the blanket - even sound asleep - he did seem kinda sexy. I made a decision and slipped out of my clothes. It seemed quite erotic to stand there in front of him naked as a jay bird. I massaged my breasts for a moment and, deciding I'd give him a heart attack if I just jumped his bones, I quietly slipped into the water.

I looked at him with a growing fondness and finally flicked some water at him. He sat up looking confused until he saw me standing there, waist deep in water. He stood and slowly started taking his clothes off so I swam to the other side of the deep pool to shallower water under the shade of a pecan tree.

He came across to me and kissed me deeply, passionately. His hands roamed freely over my body, bringing me to a level of lust I hadn't felt for a long time. After a few minutes of this, we both turned and swam leisurely back to the other side. I got out first and stood there with my back to him for a long moment, letting the water slide off my overheated body.

I eased down to the blanket, basking in the rays of sun that found their way through the leaves of the huge tree above. I opened my arms to Chuck and relieved myself of my pent up needs.

As we drove back to the ranch house, I felt a real fondness for him and knew he would make me a good husband. I would work hard to make the hunting business a success but I couldn't help but feel a thrill as we approached the house and I saw the late afternoon sun glinting off the third story corner room that I would make my writing studio.

LOVE AND SUCCESS – CHUCK

Of course everything changed rapidly after we found love at that slice of Eden alongside the creek. That night I asked Sophie to marry me and was beyond ecstatic when she said yes. We were really happy together – the skies were clear with no clouds on the horizon.

She had some ideas for making the business full time and I had to say they made a lot of sense. She had prepared a spreadsheet showing how we could make the business work. She resigned first, saying, "It wouldn't be fair to the school to quit once the semester started."

Sophie moved out to the ranch and made what had been a formal sitting room into an office and I equipped it with new office equipment. She moved into my bedroom on the first floor with me and we made do by adding a dresser for her. By not having to pay her rent we were already saving money. We had no reservations about moving in together ... we knew we had a love for the ages.

She went through all the old receipts and put together a mailing list. We updated the brochure and added several special hunts and a note that we would try to honor special requests ... plus we raised the rates about ten percent.

We were surprised at the number of requests for snake hunts. Mostly people wanted to hunt rattlesnakes, especially the Western Diamondback but more than a few wanted the Texas Rat Snake (the most common in our area) or the Broad-Banded Copperhead. I found a guy that knew snake hunting backwards and forwards and he took care of this part of the business for me.

I was amazed at the pickup in business we gained just by sending out a monthly newsletter with photos and announcements of special hunts. One of the favorites was the Three-day Javelina hunts. A lot of people thought they were pigs or rodents but they were actually Peccaries. When cleaned and cooked properly they were quite good, very lean and flavorful.

Some of the hunts were for bow hunters and since Javelina could be hunted year round they became a popular part of our business. They were quite plentiful and we always had a Javelina grill on the last day of these hunts. They also make a really cool looking trophy mount with their long, sharp canine teeth.

It was clear that I would have to work full time. I'd enjoyed working at the hotel but I really needed focus on the hunting business. At first Sophie did the cooking but it was obvious we needed help. We talked it over and decided against hiring full time people. There were lots of women in the area that could use the extra money. There weren't a lot of jobs around. I let Sophie take care of all this and it worked out okay. Over time I introduced her to the various guides I knew and she scheduled them also.

I made sure that she had time to write each day. I fixed up a writing studio for her on the third floor. She said she didn't mind the stairs, that the corner room had great light and would be very quiet. She did start writing but didn't make the progress I think she was expecting. Sometimes she would snap at me when I'd ask about her progress. She always apologized, but I learned not to ask.

Once in a while when we had some evening entertainment – wine and cheese tasting or something like that – it would seem that sometimes she was flirting a bit. Not always, but as time went on it seemed that it was just when obviously wealthy clients were there. I worried about this some but nothing ever seemed to actually happen so I let it go.

This went on for several years, the business growing steadily with more and more repeat customers. Shortly after out fourth anniversary it all fell apart ... it became clear pretty fast that there would never be a fifth.

Occasionally we would have private planes come in. They would land at Mc-Kinley Field in Pearsall. Don Mc-Kinley was an old friend of mine and I'd invite him out to hunt with me once in a while. They were mostly smaller planes like Raytheon (Beech) or Cessna and a Lear once in a while. We had a charter coming in that would be flying a Gulfstream IV.

I asked Don about it, "Well, it starts at around thirty-six million and seats around sixteen depending on the configuration. What else do you want to know?"

I didn't really have anything else to ask ... I guess these guys would be good for the no-show fee if they didn't make it. Sophie was with me when this discussion took place. She seemed quite interested in our talk but didn't say anything. We were dropping off some venison steaks I had left over and then going into San Antone for lunch. Sophie said we had to do this once in a while so she could see someone besides guys with guns.

The trip for the Gulfstream group came in about a month later. Sophie ran a D&B on them (she never told me why) and said the main guy was an investor. His name was Joseph Jenks and, yeah, he was an investor but he really was a corporate shark. He would buy distressed companies and either put a bit of money in them and resell them and/or break them up and sell the pieces.

There were seven of them in the group and a couple of limos brought them to the ranch. They booked the place for a week and paid enough to have the entire ranch to themselves. I put six of them into the three cabins and Jenks into a large corner bedroom at the back of the house on the third floor. He wanted his privacy and had sent me an email to bill him for whatever I had to spend.

I had to have it cleaned, new carpet, some furniture with a new bed and sheets and stuff. I had to get some plumbing work done and a new toilet. He also wanted a shower so I took out the tub and had a shower built with glass bricks. Hell, it wasn't my money.

I emailed back the estimate and money was wired to my bank with no comment. What the hell, I got the room fixed up for nothing!

Jenks turned out to be a real powerhouse, although not physically intimidating. He was about four inches shorter that Sophie and the first time I saw them standing side by side I almost laughed. Later I wished I had.

The hunting went well and they all seemed happy. I caught Jenks eying Sophie a couple of times and I didn't like it. I asked Sophie to be careful around him.

"This guy is used to getting anything he wants and will either take it or spend any amount of money to get it."

"Oh, come on, Chuck. I wasn't born yesterday and I sure know how to take care of myself. Don't worry about it."

That night she was very loving and showed it in her passion when we went to bed.

The third morning of hunting Jenks twisted his ankle and I had Tomás, a hunting guide that was helping me out that week, drive him back to the house. I was worried about it but didn't see what I could do. I couldn't just leave these guys by themselves and Tomás had a heavy accent that a lot of people had trouble understanding.

We were a little late getting back and Tomás's wife, who was cooking for this hunt, met me at the front of the house acting nervous and excited.

"Señor, La Señora is gone. She is left. She gives me this."

She handed me an envelope and ran for the kitchen. I went into Sophie's office and opened the letter.

Dearest Chuck,

I'm sorry for doing this to you but as much as I love you I have this compulsion to write. Joseph said he would help me in any way he could. He owns a publishing house and I can have all the time I need to write. I'll have access to an editor and research assistants anytime I want them.

I did go to bed with Joseph but I don't love him. I know this is hard for you to understand but it's you I love and always will. These four years we have been married will always be a precious memory to me.

I've always had a hunger for the finer things in life. Did you know that in his estate on Long Island his mansion has a ballroom with huge crystal chandeliers all along the long room. Chuck, the ballroom is larger than the one at the Sam Houston. Can you imagine that?

I'll have a maid of my own and a new car. Anytime I want I can have a limo with a driver.

Don't try to contact me, please! I'll send you a letter in a few weeks so you will know I'm okay.

Love forever, Sophie

Damn! I never saw this coming. I sat there staring out the window, not seeing anything. Something died in me then. It wasn't my love for her... that's not something you can shut off like a water tap. What died was my caring. I'd opened myself up to her completely and I gave her the same trust I'd expected – and thought I'd been getting - from her.

I struggled with the business for a while, wondering if I should just shut it down and do something else. I could sell the ranch for enough to do just about anything I might want.

But I knuckled down and persevered. I found a stubborn streak I didn't know I had. I caught myself getting short with everyone ... losing my temper all too often. I called up a buddy of mine and we went fishing down at Matagorda Bay and didn't see a woman for a week.

I came back better – but not good.

CRYSTAL CHANDELIERS - SOPHIE

I had been happy living with and being married to Chuck. I knew his love for me was true; I knew there would never be any reason for me to doubt it. We went into San Antonio for our fourth anniversary. The hotel gave him a suite for the weekend and we had a lot of fun. He showed me in many ways he still found me an exciting woman. Our sex life had never tapered off like happens in too many marriages.

I was making some progress on my writing but not enough to satisfy me. I knew Chuck needed all the help from me he could get to make the business a success ... and I had pushed him into making it full time for him. But all too often I seemed to begrudge the time the business took away from my writing. It wasn't just the time; it seemed like there were constant interruptions.

But when Joseph Jenks came on his big jet with all his flunkies, something in me changed. He wasn't all that good looking; he had a round pleasant face and was skinny and short. But there was this ... aura of power that surrounded him. I didn't think it was the money but more the kind of man it took to get the money. From talking with him I got the sense that money itself was not intrinsically important to him, just for what it could do or buy. It was one of his tools.

He seemed to know everything about me, where I'd been to school, my friends and professors; he even had copies of some of the stuff I had published. He was able to talk intelligently about what I'd written, asking me questions about why I'd written something in a certain way. I found out later he could find out anything about anyone in a few hours just by making a phone call.

When he came back early on the third day of their trip, Tomás helped him into my office. He looked at me for a moment and asked me to get him a beer and an ice bag. I remembered later that the beer seemed the more important part of the request.

I put a pillow under his leg and put the ice on his ankle. There was a bruise but it didn't look serious. It certainly wasn't a severe sprain and he didn't seem to be in any pain the beer couldn't handle.

We talked while the ice was on his ankle and after fifteen minutes or so he asked me to take it away. A bit peremptorily, I thought, he added, "Bring me another beer and one for yourself."

I rarely had anything to drink before dinner time but like Chuck had said once, half-joking, "The customer is always right." So I sat there while we drank the beers and Joseph asked me questions about my writing. What were my goals? Was I satisfied with my writing? Did I have adequate quiet time to write?

We continued to talk over several more beers and he finally came back and summarized everything I'd said, but much more concisely.

"If you had a chance to get all of this, everything you need to become to great writer, would you take it?"

"I guess I would," I answered slowly.

He stood up – the ankle seemed not to bother him in the least – and pulled me close. He kissed me with a passion I would never have expected from him and I felt my knees grow weak. If he hadn't been holding me I think I would have fallen. I guess I fell anyway ... just in a different manner.

He stepped back a bit and pulled the tee shirt I had on over my head and kissed me again. I could feel his hands reaching around to loosen my bra and suddenly it was free. He pulled me down to the sofa, not bothering to kiss me now. My shorts were a little loose and he just pulled them down, including my panties. He took me then and there in a rough manner no man had used with me before. I was pissed at him for treating me like a possession but lust took over and I have to say I was a willing participant.

When we finished, he put his clothes back on. I started to put mine back on, but he held up his hand.

"Don't! Not yet anyway. I like to look at you. You have a fine body – one of the best. I'll give you anything and everything you want for your writing. Hell, I'll give you anything you want. Go get me another beer and write Chuck a note."

I walked naked and nervous to the kitchen and got his damn beer and went back to the office and sat at the desk and wrote the note.

After reading it, he told me to get dressed with what I had on. He pushed a button on the phone and a few minutes later a limo pulled up in font. He took my hand and pulled me to the front door.

"But can't I pack a bag?"

"Naw, don't bother with the shit you got. You can get everything you want in New York."

I should have stopped right there and turned around but I had this sudden image of me on a book signing tour, the fans lined up to get my autograph. I should have known that, when you make a deal with the devil, you lose your soul.

Joseph did everything he promised and more. I did start writing and the mental anguish I was going through added a sense of reality and depth to my books. It took me three months to find out about the mistress in Manhattan and less than that to see the way when we hosted a party that Joseph would take this or that woman to our bedroom and come back down stinking of her perfume.

He was always nice and polite to me but I found out he was a cold bastard. If I complained about his womanizing, he would just stay away for a couple of weeks. Sure there were the damn crystal chandeliers and vacations in Cannes or Gstaad. He had a yacht that was like a small mansion in itself and we would take a cruise to the Bahamas or somewhere in the Caribbean. These were working trips for him but he would play too.

Once I had been in town shopping but the heat wore me down and I came back to the boat early. I didn't see Joseph so I went down to the stateroom to take a shower. He was in bed with a local girl with rich chocolate skin. He never said a word but from then on he would lock the door whenever he had "company."

He was generous to a fault and I guess he loved me in his self-centered way. For out first Valentine's Day together he brought me a diamond set of necklace, bracelet and earrings. I found out later they cost over eighty grand.

He made the divorce to Chuck just happen and the weekend after it was final we flew in his Gulfstream to Las Vegas and got married. He didn't ask, he just gave me a pre-nup to sign that said if the marriage ever ended, I could walk away with anything he had given me plus a flat two point five mil.

I got my first book published and the reviews were quite good. I did the book signing tours but I didn't get the satisfaction I'd expected. My life was flat and I was unhappy. After the second book, I couldn't write anymore. I thought about ending it all but that wasn't me. Finally I drove out to see Chuck. I knew there was no chance ... I mean, how could there be with what I'd done to him?

It was good to see him and he was more pleasant than I expected. He did seem sad and his advice to me was good. I did drive out to San Francisco and sent an email to Joseph asking for a divorce. His accountant replied back asking for my bank account number. Two days later the money listed in the pre-nup was deposited. I sold most of my jewelry, keeping only a few pieces I liked.

I bought a small house on a hill in Sausalito with a nice view of the city and Angel Island. I was able to start writing again and started doing my best work. I did my own research and used the editors from my publisher – which was a new one, not the one owned by Joseph.

I met a few men over the years but never one I loved the way I had Chuck. If life gave me a do-ove,r I would stay with Chuck and write limericks or children's books ... anything to keep the most honest, loving man I'd ever met. My success came at a cost I'd rather not have paid.