Weapon of Desire (14 page)

Anthony is trying to contain a chuckle and I gently kick him under the table as he sits down opposite. “The swim was very relaxing - a real tonic thank you Rosie.”

I’
m famished as she removes the silver lids to reveal chicken breast wrapped in bacon with a white wine sauce and roasted vegetables. “Rosie this looks stunning.”

“Chocolate dipped fruit is on the table beside the lounger. Enjoy your meal
” Rosie exits as quickly as she has entered.

Anthony presses some buttons on a remote control and
Ella Fitzgerald’s sultry voice drifts into the pool room. The food is delicious and I hardly take a breather from eating as I savour the first mouthfuls.

“Anthony how long has your family lived here?” I watch him pour more champagne.

“My grandfather bought Sebel house when he returned from service in Germany during 1944. He wanted a family home due to the fact that he had fallen in love with a German woman called Anna and acquired a new family in the process.” Anthony resumes eating.

“So you all grew up here on this beautiful estate. Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Taking a sip of wine I rest back in my chair before tucking into more chicken.

“I did have a sister Elizabeth who would’ve been 8 years older than me but she died of diphtheria aged only 4.” Anthony sips slowly.

“How about family in Germany, does your mother visit?” I place my knife and fork together polish
ing off my last tasty mouthful.

“My grandmother would always say that she never wanted to
return and Ma talks with sadness when she recalls her German home, so we never talk of Germany.” Anthony sits back after finishing his meal. “So Darcey, are you enjoying your evening so far?”

“I feel totally spoilt, thank you.” I relax taking in Ella’s soft tones.

“Are you cold?” Anthony stands holding out a hand.

“A little.” My heart
melts as I join him pulling me close.

“Let’s get warm together
.” We move towards the lounger and then snuggle under the fur blanket. “Let’s make love under the stars.” Anthony picks up another remote from the table and the roof slides open to present a clear night sky with hundreds of stars twinkling above us.

“Wow what a spectacular view.” I curl up closer as he retrieves the tray of chocolate dipped strawberries. “This is my idea of heaven, strawberries, chocolate, champagne and of course
making love with you under the stars!”

“Open wide” Anthony feeds a plump chocolate strawberry between my lips.

“Mmm, that’s good.” I lick my lips picking another from the tray “your turn.”

Anthony grins
and obediently opens his mouth. He rolls on top, parting my legs and gyrates his hips. His hardness presses eagerly skimming over the moist excitement between my thighs. Placing both hands underneath me Anthony lifts my hips to control each movement as he penetrates into my pulsing wetness. His rotating hips get to work building pressure and pleasurable friction while plunging deep in me. I arch my back greedy for more and more.

The
bedroom door handle twists and opens flooding the room with light. Two dark silhouettes skulk through the doorway brandishing guns, pointing in my direction. My heart races as my breathing stalls. Lain silently still on the bed I consider my escape route. One of the men climbs onto the bed straddling my body. Instantly my breathing becomes erratic and I try to struggle free while wrapped under the sheets and pinned down. Screaming out loud as the man attempts to cover my mouth I toss my head from side to side trying to grab his gun. The second man holds my arms down and I know that I can’t get away as I pitifully begin to beg.

“
Please stop.” They don’t respond but continue in their efforts to cover my mouth. I scream from the bottom of my lungs, trying to fight, kick and lift upwards. Their hands endeavour to hold me down as I thrash about my pillow.

“Please….please stop” I
plead in fits of sobs

“Wake up Darcey,
wake up………….you’re dreaming.” Anthony is sitting on the edge of the bed as I bolt forward trying to escape his hold. I halt recognising Nick, Freya and Tom’s petrified faces in the doorway as I sit back on my knees. I wipe my nose and wet eyes on the sleeve of Anthony’s borrowed nightshirt and begin to shake uncontrollably, hugging my arms to feel warm and safe.

“
They’re trying to kill me.” I feel ashamed to have woken the whole household.

“I have some tablets
that will help you sleep; I’ll fetch them for you Darcey.” Freya scuttles down the stairs.

“
Would you like some tea Darcey?” I nod as Tom follows Freya.

Nick watches
anxiously as Anthony picks up the throw and wraps it around my shoulders carrying me to the sofa in the lounge. He stokes the dwindling fire in the grate and huddles under the cover with me in his arms.

“Darcey I will not let any
one harm you.” He kisses my head as Freya and Tom arrive with a mug of tea and tablets. I smile appreciatively as I am fed the hot drink and pills. I’ve no energy to talk and feel so tired that I just want to sleep.

I wake
up in bed with Anthony beside me. I feel surprisingly refreshed and smile up at him as he strokes my face.

“
How are you feeling this morning?” He is dressed ready for work in a grey suit and clean shaven with fresh cologne.

“Good.” I kiss his hand as it passes my lips.

“Darcey, I’ll call the doctor to see you today. You need some medication to help you sleep. Do you want me to tell Pa that you need to rest today?” He brushes my curls behind my ear. I shake my head and frown at the thought of putting his family out after they’d planned the day for me.

“Ok,
I’ll be leaving for Dorton shortly but Nick will be straight back to join you for hunting with Pa. Have a good day, take it easy and I’ll see you later.” Anthony leans forward kissing my lips lightly and closes the door behind him.

The bath
is soothing washing away any stresses from last night. Rosie has carefully unpacked and folded my clothes in the walk in closet where I find my jeans, sweaters and quilted jacket for my outdoor walking. Carrying my riding boots I make my way downstairs.

“Good morning Darcey, how are you today?” Tom sits at the kitchen dining table reading
the newspaper.

“
I’m much better for getting some sleep, thank you.” I sit beside him at the table.

“That’s my girl, you’
ll flop into bed tonight after all the walking we’re going to do.” He winks taking a slurp of coffee.

“Hello dear, lovely to see you bright and chirpy this morning.” Freya and Marc walk in from the garden and lay some freshly cut herbs on the counter.

“I feel much better, thank you for the tablets.” I smile as two springer spaniels snout my hand to greet me. “Hello, you’re friendly.”

“This is Bonnie and Clyde, partners in crime – especially stealing my slippers!” Freya strokes their heads as they sit submissively.

“Are they coming with us?” I rub their fluffy coats as Freya delivers a steaming mug of tea to my hands.

“
They’ll sulk if they don’t.” She pats her thigh and the two of them follow her to their beds in the corner.

“Darcey, would you like some eggs, sausage
and toast for breakfast? You’ll need something hearty to keep you going until lunchtime.” Freya looks up from the breakfast counter as Nick arrives. “Nick, are you joining us for some breakfast before you set off?”

“Yes please Freya.” Nick sits at
the table and clasps his hands “Morning Tom, Darcey.”

“Morning Nick, have you
got the Beretta packed for this morning?” Tom looks over his paper and Nick nods.

“Darcey
have you shot a gun before?” Tom and Nick both glance across at me.

“No” I whisper
.

“
How do you feel about becoming confident with a handgun so that you can protect yourself?” Freya looks over nervously. “Do you understand what I mean?” Tom is stern.

I nod and Tom continues “
Darcey, these criminals aren’t reasonable people. They’ll not think twice about hurting you to get what they want.”

Nick sits back in his chair as Frey
a delivers him a coffee. “They’ll try again because as far as they’re concerned you’re now part of this family and an easy target to bargain with.”

Both Nick and Tom stare at me waiting for my reaction as I sip tea. “
All I know is Detective Stevens felt that this was the safest place for me right now.”

“Darcey
we need to prepare you so that you can look after yourself. The only way to stop those nightmares is to face it head on and change the way your brain handles the stress. When I served in Afghanistan I saw some bad stuff. What we need to do is get you confident with a handgun so that its second nature to feel it, hear it and use it.” Nick stops to heed my reaction. “Once you feel in control and tell your brain that you’ve power over your attacker then the dreams will stop and that means no more popping pills.”

“He’
s right Darcey, so how about some training this morning and we can go hunting afterwards?” Tom folds up the newspaper and puts to one side.

“That sounds good.” I nod as Freya serves up three plates of
sausages and eggs.

“Great! Y
ou’ll stop those dreams in no time.” Tom waves as a tall, broad man wearing a cap, heavy boots and green jacket enters the conservatory door.

“Morning Ian” Tom pulls out a chair beside him “Darcey this is Ian our Head Groundsman….. Ian this is Darcey – Anthony’s girlfriend.”

The announcement feels unusual, I never flinched before when Daniel introduced me but this feels formal and I suppose that is how it must appear to them. Anthony always holds my hand, cuddles me in front of them, arranges romantic meals and has moved me into their house!

Ian walks around the table to greet me
with a strong hand shake.

“Lovely to meet you Darcey, I thought Anthony seemed happier just lately.” He sit
s beside Tom.

“It’
s lovely to meet you too Ian. I hope I don’t cramp your style this morning, I’ve never been hunting before.” I slice through my sausages as Bonnie and Clyde watch with anticipation, keen for any scraps.

“You’
ll soon get the hang of it, don’t worry” He pinches a slice of toast from the rack.

“Ian would you like some breakfast?” Freya watches him nibble as she places a mug in front of him.

“No, got to watch my figure Freya. Her indoors thinks I’ve eaten far too many of your breakfasts!” He continues to chew with a wink at Freya.

We travel in a
Range Rover Discovery across fields until we reach an isolated barn. Ian takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the padlock on the double doors. Inside he flicks the switches for the overhead lighting to reveal a shooting range with 3 targets hanging at the far end.

Nick approaches
reaching for a gun lodged in a holster just inside his jacket.

“Ok Darcey, let’s get you familiar with this Beretta M9
.” He pulls a magazine from another pocket. “First of all you need to know how to load the magazine safely, can you see the red dot here? That is the safety switch. Flip the cover down, safety is now on.” Nick hands me the magazine. “Darcey slide the magazine into the well” I feel shaky as Nick watches closely. “Can you hear that click?” I nod “It is now locked. Feel this serrated area, slide it back and then release.”

Although I am tense handling the gun
, it feels sexy to touch and immediately generates a sensation of power.

“Ok Darcey,
let’s take out the magazine to dry-fire practice, ready?” Nick smiles reassuringly.

“Yup” I
reply enthusiastically.

Nick stands behind me positioning my body and arms then indicating the importance of a crystal clear vision and not jerking the trigger. He places a
coin on the top of the slide on the gun. “Press the trigger to the rear but try not to disturb the front sight.” I fire and the coin drops to the floor. “Ok let’s keep going until you can master it.”

After an hour or more
I am able to fire without the coin falling. They seem pleased with my progress. Nick takes the coin from the top of the gun and firmly places it in the palm of my hand.

“Darcey
you must keep hold of your lucky coin.” He pulls a coin from his pocket. “Here’s mine.”

Rosie drops
by with flasks of coffee and warm chocolate brownies before we set out walking over the fields with Bonnie and Clyde. Ian and Tom carry shot guns on their shoulders as the dogs’ snouts down flushing out pheasants from the hedgerow and forest edge. It is great walking and watching them at work as the frosty morning air revitalises, blowing away all those stresses that had built over the past two days.

Tom tries
his best to teach me how to fire the shot gun with his shielding arms around my shoulders reminding me again of my father. He hugs me close when I fail miserably as I whine about the recoil slamming into my shoulder. Ian laughs at my wimpish effort, stowing away his gun as he hangs the pheasants from hooks on his belt.

I
feel so relaxed and happy with renewed confidence in myself as we return to the warmth of Sebel House. Freya sits in the cinema room watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on the large screen. She is completely absorbed by the music and waves to acknowledge us. Ginger looks stunning in her shimmering gown and fur shawl. Tom breaks into song grabbing Freya’s hands and whisking her up and around the room.

“There may be trouble ahead but while there’s music and moonlight and love and romance, le
t’s face the music and dance.” He whirls her around and then turns his attention to me pulling me up from my chair as I sit happily tapping my feet to the music. Tom guides me into a quick step and then sways me side to side before lunging me backwards still singing loudly.

Freya laugh
s as I spot Anthony leaning against the door frame smirking at our dancing. I grin in my upside down position. Nick stands behind him and applauds our performance. Tom continues drawing me upright and twirling around and around before he finally makes himself dizzy and has to take a seat.

“That was tiring.” Tom
commences to remove his boots and Freya shoots him a disapproving look.

“Tom please go to the boot room.” Freya s
hakes her head. “I suppose you’re all ready for lunch after your busy morning?” She makes her way through to the kitchen where Marc is constructing another wonderful dish. Tom follows her like a scolded puppy.

As soon as we are alone
Anthony pulls me close with a kiss as we linger in the cinema while Fred and Ginger waltz on the big screen behind us. I scare myself how much I feel for this man after just one week. He has me smitten; ready to do whatever he wants me to do. There is a mystery about him that intrigues and excites me. My body constantly yearns for his intimate touch and my brain is tuned permanently to Anthony airwaves.

“I hear you’
re not bad with a Beretta?” Anthony’s eyes twinkle noticeably pleased that I’d taken up the offer of training.

“
Yes, I quite enjoyed the power in my hands.” I grin to highlight my revived cheeky, confident self.

“
Good. Oh I have arranged for Doctor Roberts to see you after Lunch.” Anthony tugs me closer as I inhale his scented body aroma. “I missed you this morning.” He stares down at me and then changes the subject “Are you hungry?”

Anthony’s
romantic announcement pleasantly surprises me however he seems to be trying to distance himself, not giving away too much emotion. Perhaps he is still raw from tragically losing Joanna.

“Yes starving!”
I reply as we join everyone in the kitchen.

Lunch is an asparagus and cheese quiche wi
th a minted new potato salad. I’ll end up double my size eating this well every day. Anthony eats with one hand placed on my thigh while I move my hand gradually up his leg longing to be alone with him.