The House

"Shhh, baby, hush," he whispered. "You're going to make yourself sick! Just calm down, ok? Of course I still love you! Just because I got upset doesn't mean I stopped loving you! I will never stop loving you, Sunny! Not ever. I adore you. Now hush and settle down. I do need some questions answered, Sunny. What happened that day? Why couldn't I get in?"

"Plexiglass," I lied. "It was on a pulley so when the door opened it slid into place."

"And Derrick?"

"What about Derrick?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"His arm? It just broke out of nowhere."

"No... it was one of the guys applying to be a tenant. He'd come up behind him on the porch. He did it... I thought he knew that? He was questioned about it?"

"So do you really believe your house is haunted?"

"No," I half laughed, still sniffling. "But I thought I could make you believe it with the plexiglass. I sort of wish it was, that would make it a huge draw when I turn it into a bed and breakfast. So it really worked? You really didn't know it was plexiglass?"

"It didn't feel like plexiglass to me, it didn't feel like anything, just solid air."

"I mean, it was probably warm, I had the heater on, but I can't imagine it felt like nothing. I saw your handprints on it, I was sure you had to've seen them too? Maybe your mind just wanted you to believe the place was haunted? I'd taken it down when Derrick came, he came in just fine."

"Whatever," he sighed. "You're really renting rooms to a bunch of people?"

"Yeah, mostly younger people. All good kids I think. They're all quiet, a little geeky. They play D&D alot, and other board games now that they live together. They seem to like living there. They like having meals too, and I like cooking for them. I got my baker's kitchen put in! It's so rad, you need to come see it! And there was a TON of really cool antiques in the attic, even first edition books! How cool is that? I was thinking about starting to sell some baked goods soon, what do you think I should make? What's your favorite?"

"Artisan breads I think. Not because I like them, but because they'd sell well with the whole hipster crowd. Gluten free shit too, that's a big thing right now."

"Ugh, I want to make things that TASTE good! I'm not worried about money, I want to do it because it sounds fun and my mom would have loved it."

We laid there and talked until the food arrived, then we sat on the couch and talked more. I told him about my plans to buy up all the property around me and restore the original place as it was, then buy up all the surrounding land and either restore the houses or build new. Make the neighborhood nice again and make a profit on selling or renting depending on the need. He was listening and offering suggestions, even looking a little excited as we talked and I included him in all of my plans. He ate it up, even talking about how he'd always kind of wanted to have a woodshop with a lathe and make cool things one it, along with a laser engraver to make things with. I told him there was a ton of room in the basement to have a huge woodshop and I could have everything brought in as soon as I'd proven myself to him and he knew how much I loved him. We talked into the small hours of the morning, him telling me about his family and me telling him about mine. It would have been nice if he wasn't a psychopath.

I fell asleep in his arms, then woke up first in the morning. I woke him by climbing on him and grinding on his cock until it was hard, then riding him as he groaned and sighed, holding my hips as I bounced and rolled my hips. I knew what I liked and I was going for it hard, getting myself there quickly and screaming his name in ecstasy as I came around his fat cock. He came seconds later, panting and groaning as he held my hips hard on his cock as he pushed into me as deeply as he could.

Falling off of him onto the bed, I laughed. "I want to wake up like that every morning! Fuck, I love your cock!"

He laughed, still out of breath and reached over to hold my hand.

I rolled and went up on my elbow to look down at him, my face full of adoration. "Dash? Can we go to Vegas this weekend and get married?" I asked him, my eyes bright with want. That would give me four days to get away or for my tenants to find me.

He grinned and sat up as well. "We can go now if you want, baby. Right this minute."

"It has to be on a Sunday! I've been planning my wedding since I was 6, even though I never thought it would happen. Weddings are so magical! I wanted it on a Sunday in the fall with fall colors. Outside with beautiful flowers and hay bales as seats with quilts over them. Very rustic and pretty. We can have a real wedding later, renew our vows, but I want to get married sooner. Unless you want to wait? Oh... umm, I guess I'm jumping the gun a little. Do you even want to marry me? You haven't asked, I'm just taking it for granted that you want to as much as I do."

He laughed, then kissed me softly. "Sunny, will you marry me? Be Mrs Dashiel Decklan?"

I smiled, then giggled and leaned into his chest, hiding my face like I was embarrassed. "Yes!" I whispered, still smiling and holding him like I was blushing. "Yes. Dash... I've been wanting this for so long! Needing this! Needing you! I love you so much!" I whispered, then started crying again as if it was making me emotional.

"No more of that now," he whispered gently. "No more tears, baby. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise? Promise you don't hate me and you're doing all of this to get my hopes up?"

"Promise. C'mon now, let's have breakfast."

I stayed close to him all morning, holding his hand and hugging his arm, smiling up at him adoringly every time he looked at me.

Just after lunch, I climbed up on his lap, straddling him again, then kissing him gently before hugging him and laying on his shoulder as I held on to him. He hugged me close, rubbing my back and I pretended to fall asleep in his arms.

I'd planned on staying there for at least an hour, but a hard knock on the door made me jerk and sit up, looking disoriented. "Dash?" I asked sleepily.

"It's ok, babe, I have to answer the door."

"Who is it? They aren't coming to take me away are they? I'll tell them I want to be here and to go away!" I whispered fearfully.

"Go wait in the room, babe, it's ok."

I hurried to the room and shut the door, then let it crack open slightly. Dash answered the door and two officers were standing there. They were in blue uniforms and not the black that Dash's department wore.

"We're here about a young lady who went missing yesterday about this time. We have a warrant to search the premises."

"This is a mistake," Dash smiled. "If you mean Sunny, she's here. She WANTS to be here. We've been planning our wedding."

I opened the door and stepped out, looking at the officers warily. I knew Dash had put a gun in the back of his waistband before he answered the door. "He's right," I told them, unable to hide the tension in my voice. "I can come sign whatever I need to, ok?"

"Babe, you don't need to do that," Dash smiled back at me.

When he turned back to the officers, I mouthed 'gun' to them and pointed at his waist.

They didn't hesitate, pulling their firearms and pointing them at Dash. "Hands up! NOW! Hands up in the air or I shoot!"

"This is a misunderstanding," Dash told them, his hands in the air.

"Turn around! Hands high!"

Dash turned, his hands up. "Don't worry babe," he called as they pulled the gun from his waistband. "Everything's going to be fine, I'll get this straightened out."

I said nothing as they cuffed him, but as soon as they had him cuffed, I walked up to him and slapped him, then kicked him between the legs as hard as I could. "You rapist ASSHOLE!" I screamed as the other officer caught my shoulders and pulled me back. "You kidnapping, rapist piece of complete shit! What is WRONG with you?"

"Sunny!" Dash groaned, his face red as he hunched.

"Shut the fuck up man, or I let her do it again," the first cop snarled. "You have the right to remain silent..."

He went through the whole thing, leading Dash out as the other officer kept a hand on my shoulder and led me out.

Going through the whole rape kit again didn't bother me as much as giving another statement to state police this time while the local police stood and glared murder at me.

Leaving the hospital, I grinned as Riley and Ben stood up off of Ben's car they were leaning on and waved at me. "Which one of you was it?" I asked, getting in the back.

"Both of us," Riley answered. "All of us, really. Kevin was about to call the cops when I suggested we call the state cops instead and explain what was going on and you being missing with your bike and everything still there. They had to wait 24 hours, but they were right there waiting to like the minute."

"Thanks. All of you."

"Who else would cook us dinner?" Ben asked, laughing.

I smiled too, but my heart wasn't in it. I just wanted to get home and stay home, I no longer felt safe at all.

"Hey Riley?" I asked softly.

"Yeah Sunny?"

"Do you like your job?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I fucking hate it, but it pays the bills, right?"

"How would you like to work for me?"

"Doing what?" he asked, turning around to face me, his expression excited.

"I need someone to look at the houses around mine and assess their state and all that. See what needs doing. Anything that needs to be done outside the house."

"I'd love to do it... but I don't know how qualified I am. Ben would actually be more suited to that than me. He does mold inspections and stuff."

"Ben, would you like to switch jobs?"

"Hell no, I love working with mold," he teased. "Are you kidding me? Fuck yeah, I could do that."

"Riley, why don't you just focus on painting and art?" I asked distractedly.

"I wish but it doesn't pay the bills."

"I'll wave your rent. Utilities are all paid for, food is provided. All you would need is your car payment and insurance."

"You'd do that?" he asked in shock. "Wave my rent?"

"Why not? I don't need it, it's just a supplemental income so my savings isn't tapped too much. I just use it to buy the food I make for all of you anyway."

"You think I could make it? As an artist?"

"You're good, and I'd feature your art all over the house when it's a bed and breakfast. Offer it for sale."

"Where are we going to be while you rent out rooms?" Ben asked.

"Third floor," I answered. "I'd only rent out the second story rooms."

"You movin' up there too?" he asked, angling the rearview mirror to see me.

"Probably. That or maybe the basement."

"There's a basement?" Riley asked, confused.

"Yeah," I smiled, laying back in the seat.

"Where?!?"

"I've never seen a door for a basement? Is it one of those with those cellar doors that open from the outside?"

"No. I know where it is, don't worry about it," I giggled, amused that they were so interested and confused about the basement.

"It's in the library, right? The stairs down?" Ben asked. "I noticed there's windows on that back wall from the outside, but none on the inside and the footage doesn't add up. It's bigger on the outside than the library actually is. More than enough room for stairs down, and then some."

Now I was curious as hell. There was a secret room?!? Simon would show me where it was. "No," I answered Ben. "It's not in the library."

"Where else could it be?" Riley asked.

I chuckled again and looked out the window.

"You ok, Sunny?" Ben asked softly.

"Fine," I answered quickly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Riley asked.

"No thanks."

"He hurt you?" Riley asked softly.

"Not really... I was just scared mostly. I knew you guys would call the police, I just had to get through the day."

"What do you think sent him over the edge?" Ben asked.

"I guess he's always had issues with rejection. This time he refused to give up. Hopefully this time they don't let him just walk away."

"So what's for dinner?" Ben asked with a grin.

I laughed and shook my head. "Order a few pizza's, whatever y'all want. I'm going to get a shower then go to bed until tomorrow. Ben, if you really want the job, you can put your two weeks in. You can start as soon as you want."

As soon as I walked in the door, Simon barrelled into me with a hug and I laughed and hugged him back.

"I will never get used to that," Riley breathed, circling around us with wide eyes.

I could see Simon's torso and shoulders now and I wondered how long it would take before I could see all of him. He did something then that he'd never done before. Picking me up, he carried me down the hall and up the stairs.

"Fucking hell," Ben half yelped. "There's no doubt about THAT! I don't care what Brent says, there's no way she's faking THAT!"

"Sunny, you're FLOATING!" Riley cried loudly.

I laughed and laid my head on Simon's shoulder. Laying me on the bed, he climbed in next to me and held me close, stroking my face gently.

"I missed you too," I whispered sleepily. "I do want a shower before I go to bed," I told him softly.

I jerked from a falling feeling and sat up, then realized it was morning. I had slept through the night, and I was still so tired I could probably sleep through the day too. Simon rubbed my back and I turned, looking over what I could see of him. His body leaned close, then his lips were on mine in a gentle kiss. Smiling, I slid my fingers into his hair and wondered what color it was.

"I'm showering now," I told him, getting up and gathering up clothes and my bathroom basket.

For several days, it was almost peaceful in the house, with me just making plans and talking with the realtors and contractors. I was still a little terrified to leave the house. Even if Dash was in jail, his friends weren't.

I had a special project I was doing in the basement and was super careful not to let any of the tenants see or know about it. Most all of it had to be built in the basement since there was no real way to get anything big down there. In the meantime, I was also having period pieces brought in for the entire first floor, including new but vintage looking kitchen appliances. The second story bedrooms were easier and the larger bathroom was already done. Getting the huge yard done and fenced with trees brought in and a big garden was a little harder. The little parking lot was easy, but I hated how it looked. It messed up the aesthetic.

I actually did take Dash's advice and make artisan breads, along with pies and cobblers. It took a while for it to pick up, but when it did, I was busy all the time. Riley's art also got a lot of attention as customers came in and he was selling more than ever.

Months passed and I was less afraid every day. All of the bad houses were torn down and cleared and some of the others were remodeled. And almost ready. Where I could, I made yards bigger with the lots next door to add value to the houses and the neighborhood, and so houses weren't stacked on top of each other. There were two people left in the neighborhood and both agreed to sell gladly. One of the houses wasn't in livable condition at all and had to be torn down, but the other was remodeled and restored easily.

Overall, I was pleased with how quickly it was all going.

I was about to step out on a beautiful fall day to look over the new glass greenhouse where I was planning on hosting weddings.

Simon stopped me as I was starting to step out the back door, an arm across my shoulders.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, a little confused. I'd been out back a few times now.

Simon took my hand and pulled me to the front of the house and opened the curtain. A moment later, a truck drove by. I'd never seen it before, but there was no mistaking who was driving.

Dash.

How was he out of jail already?

Simon pulled me to my office and a browser window opened with a news article.

"Local police officer released from jail on technicality." It went on to read that he wasn't processed correctly and his paperwork was submitted wrong.

Fucking assholes!

I turned, pacing. "I need a restraining order!" I growled.

"What?" Ben asked, coming in with paperwork for me.

"Dash! He's out! I need a restraining order against him, like, yesterday. He's already driving by here!"

"Holy shit! Ok, on it," he told me, going to his desk and picking up the phone.

In under an hour, there were officers there to escort me to the station to file an ex parte so I could get the restraining order.

The ride home was quiet as I scowled out the window, the man driving giving me sour looks. Hurrying inside, I looked out the window again and stood watching for a long time.

Sure enough, the red truck rolled by again, slowly as Dash looked over the house and the surrounding grounds. Every 45 minutes, he rolled by.

The very next day, I was hit with a code violation form and men had to come in and inspect the house where I was going to have a business, and was already running a baking business from my home.

I wasn't worried, I knew my bakery was up to code. They tried to say that the attic wasn't a bedroom and couldn't be rented out as such. I smiled as I told them Riley wasn't renting from me, he was just living with me and painting up there where the light was good. They told me the carriage house wasn't suitable to rent out or for events. I told them it was just for aesthetics and no one would be going in. The servants quarters too, though it WAS in livable condition.

They looked and looked and looked, but I'd had three different people come in to make sure everything was up to code. I even had my catering and food service license, though I didn't serve food here. They spent a long time trying to find something wrong, then ended up leaving with nothing.

The next day, a police officer showed up, telling me I had too many tenants.

"I have exactly as many tenants as I'm allowed to have," I told him with another smile. "Riley and Ben just live here, they don't rent."

The next day it was a noise complaint, supposedly, when there were several cars in the lot.

"First of all, from whom? There isn't a person living in any house in a two block radius from here. Second of all, there is no one here but me and I'm not even listening to the radio. You want to come in and look?"

He came in and looked in every single room, but they were all downstairs in the D&D themed party cave I had made them with a holographic table. The officer didn't look twice at the shelf that was a door and I knew he didn't hear anything. I had soundproofed the room so they wouldn't disturb guests while they were down there playing.

The cop scowled and told me to keep it down, then left.

In an hour, another officer showed up and tried to cite me for the expired tags on Ben's car.

"That car hasn't moved in months, he just got a new one and that one's for sale. A car doesn't have to be tagged if it's not on the road and it's hidden back on private property. Can y'all just stop with all of this and tell Dash to leave me alone? I know this is all him. Just let me live my life."

The next day, two code officers came and demanded to look over all of the property I was remodeling.

"As I understand it, until I put it up for sale or rent, I don't have to meet any codes until I am done building and renovating. Not a single one has been listed as complete."

That night, I woke up to glass breaking all over the house. I jumped up and ran downstairs, but the figures outside throwing rocks were all in black with black masks. I called the police, but every single window on the house was broken before anyone arrived.

First thing in the morning, the inspector showed up again and this time he shut me down.

Because of course he did.

Dash was not going to leave me alone.