Terror in the Snowstorm Ch. 02

I said, “It sounds like Mr. Hawthorne did you a pretty big favor.”

“Absolutely, sir. One I can never properly repay. But he didn’t do it to enslave me and my wife. Quite to the contrary, sir. Mr. Hawthorne and Dr. Hawthorne are extremely generous people. They have helped many who are less fortunate than they, and my wife and I, along with many others, love them deeply. But make no mistake, sir. Mr. Hawthorne can be a fearsome adversary. Those who wrong either him or those he cares about wind up regretting it. But enough of that. I should allow you to form your own opinions. We have some time before I must escort you to the family dining room. May I give you a brief tour of the house, sir?”

“That sounds great, Lawrence. But please, stop calling me ‘sir’. Seth is just fine with me.”

“It would be improper for me to call you by your given name, sir, for two reasons. First, it is my position and duty to refer to all Mr. Hawthorne’s associates and guests as ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ or ‘miss.’ Second, and this is my personal reason, sir, I must confess that my wife and I love Miss Tara as though she were our own daughter. Mr. Hawthorne has told me something of what you two endured last night. I have the utmost respect for you, sir, for what you did to protect Miss Tara’s honor and, in fact, her very life. In my eyes, sir, and I suspect in the eyes of everyone in this household, you are a hero. It would be gravely inappropriate for me to address one who is a hero to me by anything less respectful than the term, ‘sir’.”

As we walked through the house, Lawrence pointed out the hallway to Tara’s parents’ suite of rooms, which included Mr. Hawthorne’s study which we had been in early this morning, the stairway to Tara’s part of the house (her ‘apartment’ as he called it), the great room, which could easily have served as a ballroom for about forty guests, and the recreational area which included a home theater room, a small video arcade, and a near-Olympic size indoor swimming pool. Through the glass walls we could also see an outdoor pool which was covered for the winter. Lawrence led me back to the kitchen area, which was a few steps from the neat little house he shared with his wife. Near that was a building which appeared to consist of some townhouse-type apartments, which Lawrence said housed the rest of the staff.

Lawrence then escorted me into the family dining room. Tara’s mother was already there. When she saw me, she got up and came over to me, hugging me like a long-lost close friend. “Seth, dear, did you sleep well? Has Lawrence taken care of your needs? You look extremely handsome today.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said. “Yes, I slept soundly, although I may need another night’s sleep to recover fully. Lawrence provided me with everything I could possibly want, including these wonderful clothes. He is an amazing man. He told me a little of his history, which explains his taste in clothes and his ability to choose items which fit me perfectly. He also told me of his relationship with you and your husband. He has the utmost respect for the two of you.”

“As we do for him. Lawrence and his wife, Suzette, make this house run smoothly and efficiently. My husband and I both love them deeply. Speaking of my husband, he should be here in a moment. I wonder where Tara is.”

“I’m here Mom,” Tara said as she walked into the room. She was dressed in a simple pink sweater, pleated navy skirt which stopped at the top of her knees, and sensible but dressy navy shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a large silver clasp at the back of her head. The overall impression was tasteful and beautiful. She would have looked right at home in a glamour magazine spread about casual office fashion. She went and kissed her Mom on the cheek, then came over to me and hugged me tightly, kissing me on both cheeks. “Good morning, er, afternoon, Seth. My, don’t you look great today!”

At that point, Mr. Hawthorne strode into the room and gave his wife a quick, yet heartfelt peck on the lips. He then turned to Tara. “I’m so glad you’re home, Sweetie,” he said as he hugged her. Then he came over to me and shook my hand warmly. “Hello, Seth. I’m glad to see you looking more rested. I see that Lawrence’s skill with clothing is as strong as ever. You look like a man who could set any woman’s heart ablaze and who could easily win the respect of any man. I must say, young man, that you have already won my respect. You do realize that the clothes Lawrence brought you this morning are our gift to you, the first of many ways that my wife and I hope to demonstrate our gratitude to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said. “But I want you to realize that your daughter here was, in many important ways, more instrumental in saving our lives than I was.”

“Son,” Mr. Hawthorne said, “your modesty is refreshing, but never make the mistake of selling yourself short. Modesty is an important trait, but one should take credit when it’s due. Have a seat, everyone. Let’s have lunch.”

A young woman brought us soup, salad, entree, coffee, and a light desert in perfectly timed succession. Our conversation during lunch was light, almost superficial, with Tara’s Dad grilling me on my preference in sports teams, and his wife asking Tara about her classes and exams. After the table had been cleared, Mr. Hawthorne got down to business.

“I’ve been busy on the phone this morning,” Mr. Hawthorne said. “Let me tell you what I’ve learned and what I’ve accomplished so far.

“First, the vehicle you drove to the warehouse this morning no longer exists. All identifying paperwork and personal belongings of the owner were removed and destroyed. The vehicle itself was crushed and is, by now, in the blast furnace of a scrap metal recycler I know of. That was accomplished discretely by someone who owed me a favor. He is reliable, trustworthy, to me at least, and knows that I can and will cause him to be permanently silenced with one phone call if he has been at all careless.

“Second, the weather has cleared completely along the route you took from the university to here. I know of someone who was able to trace the route by helicopter. Although the road through the forested area where your vehicles are has not yet been cleared, he has made arrangements to have both your cars flat-bedded here at the first opportunity. He located the remains of the cabin. It was virtually destroyed in the fire. There is, at this time, no evidence that anyone has been to the scene to investigate the fire, and in fact, no one in the area seems to have noticed it.

“Third, this same individual has contacts who have made discrete inquiries about your captors. It appears that they were only seen in the town nearby about two or three times a year, so their untimely end may not be discovered for several months, giving nature further opportunity to obliterate any evidence which could be useful in investigating the cause of their deaths and the fire. Besides, it seems as though their reputation in that town would not cause anyone to go looking for them. They will not be missed.

“Fourth, I have enlisted the services of a top criminal defense practice. Their firm and mine have long professional ties, and a sizeable number of favors have been exchanged between our two practices over the past several decades. The senior partner of this firm and I have been close personal friends since our fraternity days in college. He has already contacted his most trusted private investigators to research everything that can be learned about the occupants of that cabin, and he will be immediately aware of any investigation that may be launched by the authorities into the events of last night. He also has formed a committee inside his firm to formulate any defense strategies that could be needed for either of you, in the event that any suspicions should ever be raised. He already has told me that, based on your account of the events, it would be extremely unlikely that either of you could be connected in any way to those two individuals. He said he could not envision a scenario in which anyone would ever even dream that you had met those two men.

“Fifth, and I must apologize for this, I have done some research on you, Seth. I’ve learned that you are the only son of two honest, respected, hard-working, lower-income level parents. You were an honor student throughout middle school and high school. Graduated second in your class of 356 students. Lettered in football sophomore through senior years. Co-captain senior year when your team lost by one point at the state finals. Voted MVP of every major game your team played. Lost your full-ride football scholarship in the spring of your senior year when a drunk driver plowed into your car and pretty-much ruined your knee. Also lost some small academic scholarships when your family couldn’t afford the rest of the cost to send you to several good universities. Worked essentially full-time at an auto repair business near your house all through high school, after graduation worked an average of sixty hours a week for an entire year to save enough money to enter the university you’re at now.

“No one has ever known you to touch drugs. You drink sparingly on occasion, preferring to serve as the designated driver for your friends. You had several girlfriends in high school and one fairly serious relationship in your freshman year at college. You broke up with her when you found out she cheated on you. You worked like a madman last summer to earn more money for school. You do some odd jobs around school, but you haven’t been seen much outside your dorm, the classrooms, and the library. You are carrying a perfect grade-point average and are taking extra credits. You are taking a dual-major in electronics engineering and business management. Your only social life this semester involved some light social encounters with my daughter, who shut you down like the spoiled brat she can be (sorry, honey, but you know it’s true) when she found out you weren’t a rich kid like she is.

“Do I have that about correct, Seth?” Mr. Hawthorne asked.

I sat there dumbfounded. “Yes sir, that’s about it. How did you learn all that since five o’clock this morning?”

Mr. Hawthorne gave me a sly smile. “It helps to know people who know people. You’re a very interesting young man, Seth. You work hard for everything you get. You probably will go far. You also don’t hold grudges. You didn’t have to try to rescue our daughter, after she had, frankly, been such a bitch to you, but you did. I admire you. I’ve also spoken to your father on the phone. Your parents were worried sick about you, knowing how bad the blizzard was that you were driving through. When Lawrence called them this morning, they were relieved to know that you were safe, but Lawrence felt they had a lot of questions that he did not feel at liberty to answer. I called your house just before I came in here to lunch. I didn’t tell them much other than that Tara wrecked her car and that you managed to plow your way through the blizzard to bring her home to us. I’m sure they assume that you brought her here in your truck. I also told them that you were our guest here, and asked them to let you stay with us for a few days. I invited them to come here for Christmas, as a show of our gratitude for them having a son as wonderful as you. They said they would like to talk to you about it, and I promised that you would call them. Would you like to call them now, or do you want to think about all this for a while?”

“Daddy,” Tara said, “I’d like to talk to Seth alone before he calls them. Would that be OK, Seth?”

“Sure, Tara. Do you mind if we excuse ourselves, sir? Ma’am?”

“Perfectly fine with us, son,” Mr. Hawthorne said. “Take all the time you need. I have some follow-up I need to do on our ‘situation,’ anyway, and I should also do some firm-related work. Honey,” he said, turning to Tara’s mother, is that OK with you?”

Tara’s mother said, “Let’s talk about this some more at dinner, around 7:30 this evening.”

Tara and I left the dining room, and I followed her down the hall to the recreation area of the house. When we got to the pool area, we stopped, and Tara motioned for me to sit next to her on a loveseat near the pool.

“Seth, I need to know how you feel about all this.”

I asked, “What exactly are you referring to?”

“Just talk to me. First tell me how you felt last night at the cabin.”

“OK, well, terrified. I didn’t want to believe it, but I was sure those guys wanted to rape you as soon as Zeke started talking about having a ‘party.’ That’s why I stood up to him out at your car. I didn't really think I could take him in a fight, but I didn’t know what else to do. At that point, I was still mad at you for the way you treated me last semester and the way you talked to me when you were trapped in your car, but I felt a moral obligation to do whatever I could to protect you.

"When I woke up tied up in their cabin, I was desperate to do something, but couldn’t figure out what it could be. That’s why I made you tell me everything that had happened after Zeke knocked me out. I was feeling pretty hopeless, because I was sure they were going to kill us, but I couldn’t just sit there without trying to figure out some way to escape. The way you talked about Merle gave me a little hope, but when he did nothing to stop Zeke from making you strip, I figured we were doomed. I was beside myself because I just couldn’t get myself untied. I really wanted to grab that gun and put all six bullets right in Zeke’s heart. When Merle started fighting with Zeke, and you untied me, my hopes soared. I thought we could get out of there, and maybe help Merle too.

"But when Zeke murdered his own brother, I knew we in deep trouble. I shot him to disable him so we could get away, figuring that if he didn’t bleed to death, the cops would put him away for life. When you torched the cabin, I was, frankly, a little horrified at your actions, but I tried to imagine what I would have done if I had been in your place. I knew you were terrified, humiliated, and had narrowly escaped the most hideous violation a woman can experience, especially knowing that you would be killed afterward. I’m at peace now with what you did. With where your head and your heart were at the time, I’m not sure you had any choice but to do what you did.”

“Oh Seth,” Tara sobbed, “you don’t know how much that means to me. I needed to hear you say that you understood. I was in such a state of shock that I was, in some ways, unable to form rational thoughts. When Zeke rammed his fingers inside me and got ready to enter me, I sort of snapped. It was so surreal. I was almost outside of myself, experiencing the whole situation not only as a victim but also as a spectator. I don’t know how to put it into words. I guess that now I have to work on coming to grips with it, convincing myself to forgive myself for what I did. Can you ever forgive me, Seth?”

“Tara, I already have. I’m pretty sure that what you did would not even stand up in court as a prosecutable offence. I’m not the most religious person in the world, but I know that God was there, and under the circumstances, He knows that you did what had to be done, and does not blame you for your actions. I know I now only feel gratitude to you for helping to save us. I have forgiven you completely for anything you did last night. In fact, I have forgiven you completely for anything you have ever said or done to me. You are an amazing girl, Tara, someone who should go forward with her head held high.”

Tara grabbed me hard and buried her face in my shoulder. Her wracking sobs shook me to the core. I hugged her tightly, gently stroking her beautiful blond hair, letting her break down with the emotions that had been overwhelming her. After a long time, she pulled back from me so that she could look at me. “I feel so awful for the way I’ve treated you, Seth. Daddy’s right. I can be an insufferable, miserable, bratty, spoiled bitch, and by being that way, I drove away the bravest, noblest, and most sensitive man I’ve ever met. Having you forgive me means more to me than I can tell you.”

It was at that point that she first kissed me. It was not a gentle “just friends” peck, but it was not a kiss of physical passion, either. It felt like a kiss of love, like the kiss of an angel. We kissed each other again and again, and each kiss became a little hotter than the one before. Finally, she broke from my embrace and looked at me with an expression on her face that I couldn’t read. “I remember one thing from last night that, in a different situation, I would have enjoyed,” Tara said.

“What was that?” I asked.

“The look in your eyes when I was getting undressed. I did it slowly to give you more time to untie yourself, but when I saw the way you were looking at me, I wanted to please you. Now I want to see that look in your eyes again,” Tara said.

She stood up and moved a few feet away from me, removed the clip from her hair and shook it loose. Then she started gently swaying in front of me. She slowly slipped off her shoes, and then began to move her hands gradually up and down her body. Still swaying, she turned her back to me and very slowly pulled her sweater up her body and over her head, tossing it onto a nearby chair.

When she turned back to face me, I caught the briefest glimpse of a nearly transparent pink bra before she covered the cups with her hands. She sensuously massaged her breasts through the bra for a few moments, then lowered her hands so I could see her nipples straining against the delicate fabric. Never stopping her gentle movement, she lovingly caressed her taut, flat abdomen, her sides, her perfectly proportioned arms, and her lovely shoulders. With torturously slow movements, she pulled the straps down, lowering the bra so that I could barely see the top edges of her small, pink areolas.

Then she turned her back to me again, and removed the bra, tossing it on top of her sweater. Her hands ran over her trim, shapely hips and buttocks, finally finding and lowering the zipper of her skirt. She allowed it to drop to the floor, displaying her sexy, tight ass covered by tiny boy-short panties made of the same sheer pink material. When she turned to face me again, she gave me a full view of her full, perky tits with their erect nipples. Still dancing, she worked her panties off her hips, allowing me to see the moisture already glistening between her puffy, bare labia. She kicked the skirt and panties to the side and glided to me.

“I want to undress you too, Seth. I want you to make love to me. Stand up and let me do everything for you. I don’t want you to move a muscle. I just want to make you feel good.” She kissed my lips, my eyes, everywhere on my face. She removed my jacket and tie, and then slowly unbuttoned my shirt. As each button came free, she kissed the newly exposed area of my chest and stomach. After my shirt was off, she carefully draped my clothes over the chair that held hers. Then she knelt in front of me, lifting my one leg and then the other to remove my shoes and socks. She slowly worked her hands up my legs, lightly caressing them as she went. When she reached my waist, she began kissing my stomach and licking my navel. She palmed my obvious erection through my trousers as she kissed and licked my torso, and then deftly opened my belt, unbuttoned and unzipped my pants and removed them, tossing them with the rest of our clothes. When she worked my briefs off my hips, freeing my cock, it sprang up and hit her in the chin. “Seth, you moved a muscle. And what a muscle it is!”

Lightly fondling my balls, she licked the underside of my shaft until a drop of pre-cum appeared. She smiled at me and said, “I want to have you in my mouth for a little while. I don’t want you to cum there this time, though, because I need you inside me. If I get carried away, please stop me, because the first time you cum with me I want it do be deep in my pussy. OK, baby?”