Chapter 8

The school was a calm oasis in the hectic life that had claimed Dana since she left the convent. Mr. and Mrs. Hobner, the directors of the private academy, welcomed her warmly and accepted her excuse of car trouble without question. They explained her teaching duties and helped her settle in a pleasant and comfortable room on the second floor of the staff quarters.

Dana's nervousness eased very gradually as she met other teachers and the children. She had three classes of French each day, and the youngsters were bright and eager. She discovered she enjoyed teaching. Her schedule and the pleasant atmosphere almost erased the long drive and the night at Evan Roeden's house from her memory. She began to relax and enjoy herself.

She'd been at the school two weeks when Mrs. Hobner stopped her as she left her last class. "There's a telephone call for you, Dana. Normally we don't like teachers taking calls during class hours, but the man said it was important. You can take it in my office."

Surprised, Dana thanked the older woman and hurried down the hall. Only the sisters at the convent school knew she was here. But Mrs. Hobner said the man. Jacques? Not-- likely.

She entered the director's office and picked up the phone. "Yes? This is Dana Mitchell."

"Hello."

The voice sent terror through her. Her palms grew damp and her knees weak.

"This is Nick Perry," he added in case there was any doubt in her mind.

"What do you want?" Fear made her voice a barely audible whisper.

"That's a hell of a greeting."

"I'm not supposed to get calls," she offered desperately.

"Okay, I'll get right to the point. Evan wants you to come out for the weekend."

"No!" The soft sound was full of anguish and desperation. She wanted nothing to do with the evil man she had banished from her mind.

"Yes. I told you, baby, he's not quite all there when he wants something. And now he wants you to come out here for the weekend. He seems to think you're the only one who can solve the little problem that's come up."

Icy fingers touched Dana's throat. "Problem?" The word barely made a sound as it emerged from her lips.

"Yeah, look, I don't think we should discuss it on the phone, you know what I mean?"

She nodded even though the man on the other end of the wire couldn't see her. She was paralyzed with fear and horror. The nightmare had come alive again.

Nick continued. "Why don't you just tell the folks there that you'll be visiting friends and not to expect you back until Sunday night. Okay? I can pick you up."

"No! " She didn't want him to come to the school. She wanted to keep that hidden part of her life hidden completely from the Hobners and everyone else.

"Okay," he said with a soft laugh, "drive out yourself. You remember how to get here?"

How could she ever forget! The location was a sore spot in her mind's eye. How she wished she'd never seen it at all! The joy with which she'd first viewed the light that dark night had quickly been transformed to misery and horror as she'd entered the front door.

"Yes, I remember," she said now.

"Okay. Evan says to come about seven on Friday. We'll explain everything then." The line clicked and went dead.

She stared at the receiver for several seconds before she finally replaced it and left Mrs. Hobner's office. The older woman was in the reception room.

"Is everything all right, my dear? You look pale."

"Oh, yes. It's nothing. I was surprised, that's all."

"Not. bad news, I hope."

"No," Dana lied. "Good news, as a matter-of-fact. Some friends from North Dakota want me to spend the weekend with them. They're visiting nearby and Sister Mary Helen gave them the address of the school."

Mrs. Hobner beamed. "How very pleasant for you. It's always difficult to go away from familiar surroundings and take a new position. Will you be going tomorrow?"

Dana swallowed. "Yes, right after dinner if that's all right?"

"Of course."

"I'll be back Sunday evening, I think."

Mrs. Hobner smiled and patted her arm. "That will be fine. Have a nice time, my dear. You've worked very hard and very well these past two weeks. You deserve a change."

Numbly, Dana left the office and headed for her own room. If Mrs. Hobner knew the nightmare that lay ahead and the one that lay behind, she would not be so eager for Dana to leave. Once again the past had reared its ugly head and was threatening Dana's security.

That night, Dana tossed endlessly in search of sleep. Nick's phone call haunted her. The dim memory of the night she'd spent at Evan Roeden's house became a vivid picture against her closed eyelids as she tried to sleep. A problem, Nick had said. What kind of a problem? Had Orville's body been discovered? Were his friends or relatives asking questions about his disappearance? What? Who? Where? She tossed and turned. Many hours later she fell into fitful sleep.

The sleep of exhaustion produced the nightmare for her trapped soul. The shadows came, swirled around her, touched her. She shrank in dread but couldn't escape them. They clawed at her flesh, demanding and searching. She ran, stumbled, fell into the dark corner, trapped. The shadows advanced and stretched toward her. The corner evaporated. and she fell back, tumbling obscenely with her legs spread open. Even as she fell, she realized there were gold cords tied to her ankles, holding her in the splayed position. The shadow laughed and took form. Two forms. Evan and Nick. Naked. They advanced, rubbing her naked flesh, feeling her breasts and crotch, exciting her. Their hands roamed her body and she cried out.

It was not a cry of terror, but of need. The hands caressed her genitals, prying in the warm pubic hair until they found secret places that excited her and made her whimper. The forgotten feeling returned and demanded satisfaction. In the dream, she whispered words of encouragement and silent supplication. The shadows laughed and once became the dark image of her childhood nightmare, the unnamed menace with fingers and hands covered with dark hairs.

Dana screamed and woke.

She was sitting bolt upright in her bed. Cold sweat ran between her shoulder blades, and her belly was a tight aching knot of need. She pitched forward on her raised knees and hugged her legs to her belly, trying to erase the pain and its ugly implications. She shivered and unbidden tears overflowed her eyes.

The security of the past two weeks had vanished, and she was once again the helpless, frightened child. She was once again living within the nightmare, and there was no escape. She could not refuse Evan's request. To do so might bring him and Nick here to the school, and she couldn't afford that. If they ever told the Hobners about that night and the tragic morning affair, it would be the end of everything. For a moment, her helplessness almost made her give up, run from the room and to the Hobners' apartment and pour out her confession. She could not live a complete lie this way any longer! The torment was too much.

But in the end, fear kept her from even that honesty. Living the lie was easier than admitting it and facing up to its consequences. She did not want to go to prison. She did not want to disgrace the people who had been so kind to her and given her this chance.

Wearily, she pulled the cover around her and silently wept, shivering in the dark until she drifted off in exhausted, restless sleep once more.

Friday went much too quickly to suit her. If she seemed a bit preoccupied, her students did not notice. At dinner, she scarcely touched her food. As she left the dining room, Mrs. Hobner smiled sweetly and told her to have a nice weekend.

Sick with fear, Dana stuffed a few pieces of clothing into a small suitcase. The Hobners would think it strange if she went off without a bag, but she knew that it was only a gesture. She drove away from the school very slowly.

Even at the slow speed, she arrived at the big gate much too quickly. In the two weeks, the days had grown shorter and the sun was almost hidden behind the thick trees. The winding drive was dim and foreboding. By the time Dana pulled the old car up in front of the big house, she was sick with apprehension.

She parked and got out, not bothering with the suitcase. Maybe Evan, in his unpredictable manner, would have changed his mind. Maybe she wouldn't have to stay. At least she didn't want to look eager.

Once again, Nick was at the door. He had it open by the time she reached it, as though he had been watching for her.

"Hello, Dana. You look great."

"I don't feel it," she said with a spurt of determination. "I don't like the idea of being here."

His eyebrows raised in surprise at her fervor. "Oh, come on now, it can't be that bad." He closed the door and took her arm. "I think maybe you had some fun here, and you just don't want to admit it to yourself or anyone else."

Her heart raced. She couldn't deny the truth of what he said, but she wouldn't admit it. "You said there was a problem. Has something happened?"

"Whoa! Take it easy. All in good time, baby, all in good time. Let's go talk to Evan. After all, he's the host."

She let herself be led through the house to a section where she had not been before. They passed to the right of the stairs, down a short hall and then into a huge room. Dana had never seen anything like it, except maybe in some of the religious books at the convent. The room was pillared and terraced in white marble. In the center was a huge pool, sparkling blue water reflecting the lights recessed in the ceiling above. Around the edges of the pool, huge tubs of plants and greenery gave the room an outdoor appearance and smell. At one side of the pool there were large benches that were covered with pillows in bright colors and robes of fur. On the opposite side, several glass doors led to smaller rooms equipped with tables and benches, also padded and pillowed.

On one of the tables, a man lay naked, face down, hips cushioned on a small pillow. Next to the table, a naked girl leaned over him giving him a massage. Her long-fingered hands wove sensuous patterns on his flesh. Dana blushed and averted her glance.

Nick held her arm and shoved her toward the glass door. When he pulled it open, the girl looked up and smiled. There was something familiar about her, but it took Dana several seconds to put it to fact. Terry! The girl who'd done the obscene dance that night!

"Ev, Dana's here," Nick said.

Evan turned his head and smiled readily. "Hello! You're just in time."

Dana looked at him and at the nude woman next to him. Terry's belly was close to Evan's hip where it touched the edge of the table, and when he turned, the girl pressed her body to his flesh. It was almost an unconscious gesture, an automatic one that she had practiced many times before. Dana looked away quickly.

Evan sat up, unmindful of his lack of clothes. Dana was confronted once again with the casual nudity that she had not yet learned to accept. She felt a blush stain her cheeks.

"Terry and I were just talking about a swim. Join us."

She started to say she had no bathing suit, but realized how foolish the words would sound. Instead, she shook her head.

"No thank you. I really shouldn't stay. I only came-"

Evan interrupted crossly. "You said she was coming for the weekend!" he declared to Nick.

Nick nodded his head quickly. "She is, don't worry." His fingers exerted pressure on Dana's arm where they still held her. "We'll get ready and meet you at the side of the pool in a few minutes." He steered her out of the massage room and along the row of doors. "What did you do that for?"

"It's the truth. I can't stay. I-" The sight of the two naked bodies brought back memories with a violent surge. She knew that to stay meant she was in for another sex marathon with these two men, perhaps even the woman! She was sickened and horrified at the thought.

Nick stopped and whirled to face her. "Listen, kid, don't cross him. He can be nasty, and I wouldn't want to see you hurt. I tried to talk him out of asking you to come, but I couldn't do it. And if I can't, no one can. So relax and go along with his games. Besides, you might even have some fun."

Without warning, Nick bent to her and covered her protesting mouth with his. He mashed his lips to hers and let his tongue try to enter the barred gate of her teeth. For a moment, she felt warm and almost relented, but he ended the kiss as quickly as he'd begun it. He grinned at her. "It isn't as if you were a virgin! " he added cruelly.

She winced and her breath caught. He turned and led her to a glass door. Beyond it she could see the dressing room. He pulled the door open and took her in.

The floor was carpeted with rich purple fuck and the walls were silver and gray stripes. Two small armchairs were at one side, and a low bench with a velvet purple cushion stood opposite them. There was a small enclosed closet with a folding door in the corner.

"Hang your things there," Nick said gesturing.

Dana looked at him.

"Come on, baby, don't make me spell everything out for you. Get undressed. Evan wants you to enjoy his health spa. And for what he has in mind, you won't need any clothes on, believe me."

Calmly, he began to strip his own clothes, hanging his shirt and slacks carefully in the closet.

Dana moved like a robot, She unbuttoned her dress and slipped it off. She could not do otherwise, the memory of the torn and bedraggled blue cotton was still too clear in her mind. She unfastened her stocking and garter belt and folded them carefully before placing them on the shelf.

Nick made a small sound in his throat. "Where the hell did you ever find those things you wear for underwear?" he asked, looking at the shapeless chemise when she removed her slip.

She blushed again. "They were made for me."

"Somebody sure as hell didn't want your figure shown off to advantage, baby. God, with tits and a little waist like yours, you should have bras and bikini briefs. Or else go along with the braless look. Forget that damn sackcloth!" He pulled his shorts off and tossed them to the bench. Nude, he faced her with a smile. "Okay, take it off, baby, take it all off."

Embarrassed, she averted her gaze while she unfastened the chemise and slipped it off. Nick whistled softly as she stood up. "That's more like it. Come here."

She looked at him and he moved closer to her, his arms out. He pulled her to him, pressing the length of his angled nudity against her ripe soft curves. The heat of his body radiated through her, stirring something deep inside her.

"Let me warm you up for Evan, honey." He kissed her hard and demandingly. She let her teeth part to allow him entry to her soft wet tongue. She let her body mold against his, against the hard protrusion of his penis, already rigid at his crotch. She let herself forget everything but the moment.

He swiveled his hips to press his cock into her flesh. She gasped into the kiss, opening her mouth completely to his spearing hot tongue. Her own arms now moved, up and around his warm, waiting body. Her hands tingled where they touched his vibrant flesh, and she began to rub his back his waist, his buttocks. The pain of the dream last night began to stir in her belly, unfulfilled and demanding.

With a horrible dawning of truth, Dana knew she wanted him.