I hit the number for the garage on the glowing panel and spam the button to close the doors. Once they finally shut, I collapse into the corner of the small, boxy space with a large exhale.

“At least that’s over,” I mutter to myself, wiping perspiration from my forehead with the back of my sleeve. I am partially glad I won't have to satisfy Angeline's sexual appetite anymore. Morally speaking, I am now a free man. I chuckle to myself as I stare at the triangular designs on the floor.

Although now, I’m not sure what Jed will do. Will I be able to find another accounting job in town? With Angeline, I would have known how to handle the situation, but Jed is a powerful wildcard. I doubt she will be able to reason with him or his father after this evening.

Biting my thumbnail, I worry what the future might hold for me. I need to get ahead of it. The best course of action is to send out as many job applications as I can tonight. With any luck, perhaps I won't have to move cities or, worst-case scenario, entire states. I am quite fond of my small townhouse. It would be a shame if I had to break the lease.

When the elevator opens, I pick myself up from the floor and make my way to my car, hoping I have just left all my troubles at the Richmonds Offices.

However, when I slip into the driver’s seat of my Audi RS7 and plug in my phone, an unknown call pops up on my dash. 

Confused, I poke at the touchscreen to answer as I close my door. “Hello?”

“Leo Transvaal? My name is Howard Mickson. I am your uncle's lawyer.”

“Okay...” I confirm slowly. I haven’t heard from my uncle in years. Why would his lawyer be contacting me?

“I regret having to make this call, but I must inform you that your uncle has gone missing,” the gruff voice says through the car's speakers.

“Missing? For how long? What happened?” My brows knit together. What could my uncle possibly have been doing? From what I remember of living with him, he was a science fanatic obsessed with the possibilities of genetics and DNA, but he was also a homebody who hardly ever went out.

“He has been missing for three months. The detectives are unsure of what happened and are unwilling to share details. They expect foul play, but unfortunately, with little to no leads, they have decided to drop the case.”

The questions ricochet inside my thoughts, causing my ears to ring as I stare off blankly. While I haven’t stayed in contact due to college and then work, my uncle is the only family I’ve ever known. With that being said, I’m not sure how to feel. We were never very close, though my uncle was always kind to me; he just wasn’t the parenting type. 

“Anyhow, I am calling to inform you of the property your uncle has requested to be placed in your care. His instructions were specific: if anything happened to him at all, the property is to be relinquished to you. The deed will remain under an alias completely disconnected from either of you for security reasons.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on; this is a lot to take in,” I cut in. “What security reasons?”

There is a long pause and then a sigh. “I can't say  as I don't know myself. It was stressed to me, however, the urgency of your presence on the property as soon as possible. Your uncle set up an account with money as compensation.”

I shake my head, more perplexed than before. Then again, I don’t have a job now. At least this could tide me over until I can find another one. “How long will I need to stay on the property, and where is it?”

“It’s not far from where you are now. I'll send you the coordinates. As for the length of time, your uncle didn’t say, just that there are things there which will need attending. You will have everything you need on the property.”

I fiddle with the charging cord, rolling it between my fingers. “I can leave tomorrow morning,” I finally suggest.

“That would be ideal. Thank you for your time, Mr. Transvaal. Please let me know if you discover anything that might help explain your uncle’s disappearance.” The lawyer says his goodbyes before hanging up.

I swallow, noticing the slight tension of emotion in my throat. Pushing it down, I put my foot on the brake and slide the car into reverse. Once out of the parking space, I head straight for home, mulling over the evening's events and what to pack for my trip.

After a restless night replaying the chaos in my mind, my bags are packed by dawn. Now, stowed in the trunk, they feel like the only tangible part of my new, uncertain future as I put the city's tall skyscrapers behind me. Speeding down the freeway, it takes a few hours until only squares of farmland and miles of dense forest lie between me and my destination. Still, I have a long drive ahead.

The coordinates the lawyer sent are more convoluted than I expected. The GPS map seems to be taking me into the middle of nowhere. For all I know, I could be driving out to meet a serial killer. 

The location is covered entirely with the large, overgrown trees of the forests, which makes it impossible to see anything on the property. I know because I checked the online maps before leaving. I sure as hell wasn't going to drive off without checking where I was going first. Yet, here I am, driving straight into the proverbial jaws of the beast.

It isn't too late to turn around. What could be so important out there that it requires immediate attention, anyway? No, I have to at least check. I'll kick myself later if I could have found some clues to explain Ronnie’s disappearance. Not to mention, the money was already transferred this morning.

According to an email from the lawyer, this will only be the first payment. Depending on how long I need to stay on the property, there's a chance I can take a small sabbatical from the 9-to-5 life. Perhaps even go back to college and change careers. Which might be necessary after yesterday's events. I sigh deeply as a pang of guilt and shame causes bile to rise in my chest.

Suddenly, I am jolted from my thoughts when my phone begins to ring, blasting through the car. I quickly flick the volume knob down, cringing at the noise before answering. “This is Leo.”

"Leo…" a familiar, honeyed voice breathes. My eyes grow wide as a video call from Angeline pops up on my phone, which is magnetized to the dash.  

"Where are you?" she asks, lying in a sea of white silks, her red hair fanned around her. A black leather corset straining against the rise and fall of her chest leaves very little to the imagination. It dips into a low V before giving way to a laced skirt that travels back up the sides.

Fuck me. The leather of the steering wheel creaks in my tightening grip as heat trickles down through my core. God, I’m hopeless. Snapping my jaw shut, I clear my throat. "Angeline, Why are you calling me?" I ask, attempting to keep my eyes from drifting off the road to the phone and failing. This is definitely not safe driving. Do not try this at home, kids.

"I did tell you yesterday that I would reach out,” she drawls, her perfectly plucked brow pulling skeptically. “Aren't you happy to hear from me, darling?”

Her haughty voice causes a fluttering sensation in my stomach. I am equal parts turned on and disgusted with myself. Don't let her do this to you, Leo. I chastise my growing erection. A long pause stretches between us as I wrestle to keep my expression firm.

When an answer doesn’t come, Angeline scoffs incredulously and sits up, red curls curtaining her shoulders. “Come on, you can't seriously still be angry with me. I did get your job back. Haven't you looked at your emails?”

How the hell did she manage that? What could she have offered Jed to placate his anger? I am not sure I want to know the answer. I had received an email, but I thought it would be an official termination letter and didn't bother to open it. “Not exactly, I’ve been busy.”

"Busy?" She huffs a laugh, sharp and jabbing. "Please, Leo, I know you. Your weekends are spent meal prepping, watching police documentaries, or listening to horror podcasts. Don't pretend you have anything better to do than answer my calls."

Well, that hurts. I consider meal prepping an essential key to eating healthy during the week. If I don't prepare meals, it's far too easy to justify takeout every night. She is right, though. When did I become so boring?

“Come on, baby. Why don’t you drive over and let me play with you a little?” I risk another glance at the phone to see she has set it down, angled to frame her full body on the bed. Her hands dip between her thighs, massaging over barely-there panties.

I close my eyes, pulling myself out of her trance and back to the freeway. “I can't do this anymore,” I spit out before she can fray what little self-restraint I have left.

“Oh, Leo,” she laughs. “You’ve been saying that for years, but you never object when I'm sucking your dick, nor when you’re nose-deep in my pussy. Licking," she moans, “sucking,” her breath becomes labored and sensual, “fondling my breasts as your tongue pushes deeper and deeper.”

From my peripheral vision, I can see her body writhing as she touches herself. Her voice pours from the speakers, a hypnotic melody promising pure bliss. The highway ahead begins to blur as it steals my mind, allowing a fantasy to start taking over. ---

Wait! Shit, I’m still driving. Focus, Leo. I blink away the lusty haze of the daydream and return to the road ahead.

Damn, I want her. Maybe I can turn around at the next exit? It’s not specified what time I need to get to the property, just that I have to be there today. What the hell am I saying?!

“Our little trysts ended up getting me fired." The words are bitter, meant more for myself than for her. Of course, I can't solely put the blame on her. I never have the will to protest. I grip the steering wheel, the thick leather heating under my sweaty palms. This has to stop. The thought is a cold, clear bell in the fog of my arousal. I'm an addict, and this is my rock bottom, speeding down a highway while the source of my obsession tries to lure me back. I can't allow myself to relapse again.

Angeline sits up, groaning in exasperation as she slips off the bed. “Did you not hear me before? I. Got. Your. Job. Back.”

“I’m not coming back to Richmonds.” The sudden admission feels good. I want to burst out laughing with the realization that she can't hold my job over my head anymore. The strings holding me down are finally snapping. Still, I refuse to look at the phone as her figure moves closer to the camera, for fear of withdrawing the statement all at once.

“We both know I am going to get what I want.” Angeline’s low voice is seductively hostile as she bends to peer into the phone at me. Her breasts, using gravity to their advantage, draw my gaze back to the screen. “So, just be a good boy and stop fighting it.”

I shudder at her words. The stiffness in my pants pulses, telling my brain to obey. Breathing in deeply, I try to find clarity once more. I’m determined to shut her down for good this time. "I'm serious. There's been a family emergency. I'll probably be gone for a few weeks. When I get back, I am starting with a clean slate somewhere new. I can't let you dictate my life anymore."

"A few weeks?” She makes a sound in her throat. “I suppose I can settle for some phone sex," she teases, ignoring everything else I told her and returning to her place on the bed.

The audacity of this woman leaves me speechless, just assuming she will get what she wants. Then again, doesn't she always get what she wants, one way or another? I shake my head and try again. "I just said that I am done with your harassment!”

"Oh my God, Leo, do I have to say it again?!” Her outburst takes me off guard. “I broke it off with Jed.”

She broke it off? Angeline is the one who cheated on Jed. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I bite my tongue rather than mentioning it.

“I threatened to sue him if he attempts to retaliate. Now are we going to do this or not?” she finishes, flustered and flushed in the cheeks.

What does she mean by that? Sex? I already told her I am leaving town for a few weeks. “Do what, exactly?” My brow furrows as I ask.

“Me and you!” She throws her hands up. “Together! I talked to you about this yesterday, remember?”

Hold on, Angeline is serious about that? I thought she was joking. Entirely speechless, I hesitate, unsure what to say. I was not expecting this at all. Blackmail, maybe, but not this. I’ve only ever been her pawn in this tenuous relationship, born of her need for sexual fulfillment. I suspected long ago she probably gets off on the scandalous nature of it all, but now… 

Angeline actually wants me? But why?

More importantly, do I even want her? I know the type of crazy she is, and I would never be able to trust her in a monogamous relationship. Which is what I ultimately want from a real relationship—monogamy.

“Why do you look so shocked? We both know you're the only one who has ever satiated me.” From the corner of my eye, I see her shifting, then a shadow of fabric is tossed aside.

My willpower frays, snapping bit by bit until my eyes shift back to the phone. There I find Angeline, kneeling on the bed, rolling her hips against a large pillow. Her agile fingers stimulate her newly naked breasts, gently teasing the pert buds of her nipples.

I almost drift into the other lane and have to tear my eyes away to steady my course. Luckily, there hasn't been anyone else on the road the further out I get from the city.

“Don't get too distracted now. I can't play with you if you're dead,” Angeline laughs, knowing the effect she is having on me.

Suddenly, a reverberating thud comes over the line as, I assume, a door is thrown open. An acute gasp escapes Angeline, and she grows pale. I can barely see part of a broad shoulder, dressed in a white dress shirt tucked into black slacks.

"What, you couldn't wait until you moved to whore yourself out!?" From the voice, I know it's Jed Richmond. I had no idea Angeline is living with him.

"Get out! Jed!" she screams and throws an item I don’t see. It crashes and shatters against the far wall, out of view. A lamp, maybe? “I am allowed to have my own privacy here until I find my own place!”

"Why didn't you ever do this kind of stuff for me?!" he retorts.

I frown, discovering I actually pity this man. Angeline played him well, stringing him along until his tune no longer fit within her symphony. He isn't the first, either. She leaves a slew of damaged hearts in her wake.

"Let's be honest, you never appreciated me! I was just arm candy that you wanted to make into a trophy wife!" Angeline retorts, holding up another item to hurl at him.

Not wishing to be a party to their argument or a witness to a crime, I end the call. Besides, I’m almost to my exit, and I don't need any more distractions.