He repeated this several times, until he was ready for something different. He put down the paddle, picked up the Hitachi and the riding crop, and changed position so he was sitting next to her, his back to her, and the arm holding the Hitachi rested against her restrained legs.

“Again, come as much as you want.” He flicked the Hitachi on and pressed it against her clit.

She didn’t bother trying to stifle her moans as a larger orgasm washed over her. He started slapping at her ass with the riding crop even as he forced orgasm after orgasm out of her until she sobbed and screamed and moaned and couldn’t tell pleasure from pain anymore.

He finally switched off the Hitachi and turned, a gorgeous smile on his face. “Any more complaints about being horny?”

She rapidly shook her head. “No, Sir.”

“Good girl.” He knelt in front of her, rolled the condom on, and got into position.

Slowly, savoring it, he slid his cock inside her.

He smiled down at her. “Such a good girl you are. My good girl.”

He took his time, building up and slowing down until she realized he was waiting for her to come again before he let his own release happen.

He cocked his head at her. “Do you need a little assistance?”

She finally nodded.

He grinned and stopped moving. She was about to change her mind and tell him no, she thought she could go over, when he grabbed the Hitachi and switched it on, pressing it against her clit.

He leaned forward, driving his cock deep inside her as she came. She closed her eyes and rode it, arching her back, helpless to do anything but lie there and take what he gave her.

She didn’t bother counting how many. It wasn’t until he laughed and switched it off again and started moving that she opened her eyes. He grinned as he fucked her, hard and fast, until his eyes fell closed and he came with a final thrust before falling still.

Winded, she lay there, eyes closed, happy.

He finally withdrew. She heard him in the bathroom before he returned and unclipped her.

Crawling into bed, she curled up in his arms, never wanting the moment to end.

“I love you, Sir.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too, baby girl. I love you so much, you have no idea.”

* * *

Monday morning, they slept in a little and Rob was glad he didn’t have to go to work. He made the coffee while Laura let Doogie out the back door into the fenced yard. She walked around with him, watching him sniff until he decided on the exact spot. When he took an interest in one corner of the back fence, she followed him over.

“What is it?”

He let out a little growl, his attention focused on the wetlands beyond the fence.

Coming out of the mangroves, through the Spanish needles and tall grass, easily visible in the dew-laden morning, was a freshly beaten-down path. It stopped near the corner of the fence and looked like someone or something had stood there for quite a while from the size of the area and the way the grass and weeds were pressed down more than the actual path.

Laura turned and looked at the house. The living room and master bedroom windows faced this corner.

And they hadn’t closed the blinds the night before.

Terror erased all thoughts of romance. She grabbed Doogie’s collar and raced for the house with him in tow. She shut the door and locked it behind her, closing all the blinds in the living room. Rob walked in and looked at her.

“What’s wrong?”

She pointed out the path, visible from the living room window. He disappeared into the bedroom and came back with her gun.

He slipped into a pair of sneakers and went out the door. “Lock it behind me.” She did, watching from the window while he jumped the back fence and followed the path out of sight.

Fifteen minutes later she was about to call 911 when Rob emerged from the underbrush, apparently unharmed. She unlocked the door for him. He walked in, locking it behind him.

From the grim look on his face she knew he’d found something. “What is it?”

“The trail leads to a small sandspit in the mangroves. Looks like someone dragged a small boat up out of the water. The tide hasn’t come in yet, meaning it’s recent.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Laura, I don’t want to scare you, but nobody ever comes into these mangroves. It’s too shallow for any decent fishing, and there’s too many mosquitoes.”

Her throat felt dry. “You’re saying someone watched us last night, Sir?”

The grim set of his mouth was all she needed to confirm her suspicions.

“We need to call Det. Thomas,” he said. “Let me get some stuff together and we’ll go back to the condo and decide what to do. Steve’s got that seasonal rental house over on Manasota Key. I’m sure if it’s vacant he’ll let us use it.”

While Rob packed, she called Thomas and left a message asking him to call her on the cell. Rob made a point of making sure all the doors and windows were locked and all the blinds closed before they left for her condo. Her cell phone rang as they walked through the door and she handed the phone to Rob, still too stressed to talk.

Thomas was there in twenty minutes, along with a deputy in a marked cruiser. It looked like they’d gotten Thomas up early because he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his badge clipped to his belt and his pistol tucked into a holster in his back waistband.

Leaving a deputy to watch Laura, Thomas had Rob take him to the house and show him the area. They returned an hour later, Thomas looking grim. He waited while Rob got in touch with Steve and got the okay to use the rental house. Steve called Carol and she brought the keys to them. Laura packed a weekend bag, her laptop, the journals, and got Doogie’s food and toys ready to go.

“Give me your keys and the alarm code,” Thomas said. “I’ll spend the next couple of nights there at the house. I want you to leave Laura’s truck there, too. Maybe we can bait this guy.”

“So you think it was him watching us last night?” she asked.

He nodded. “It’s a reasonable suspicion. This guy didn’t just fade into the woodwork. He didn’t get to finish what he started. I think he’ll try again, sooner or later. You’re a threat to him if you get your memory back.”

Carol spoke up. “How about Rob’s Explorer? Won’t the guy know it, too? They can take my car if someone can take me home. I can use my husband’s truck.”

“That’s a good idea,” Thomas said. “We’ll leave Rob’s truck here.” They made the arrangements and a deputy in an unmarked cruiser followed them to the key.

Chapter Thirty

Manasota Key had a split personality. For years, Charlotte County commissioners let developers run rampant on the southern end, while on the north end Sarasota County stymied them. Therefore, when you reached the green and white sign reading Now Entering Sarasota County, the demarcation line was obvious by the sudden lack of condos, beach houses, and trailer parks, replaced by greenbelts of mangrove and oak trees native to the island. There were still houses built there that had no business being on a barrier island, but at least it was more pleasant to the eye and you could kid yourself that the developers weren’t running the show.

Steve’s rental house sat nestled in a thick tangle of mangroves, oaks, and palm trees on the Intracoastal side of the key, with a Gulf beach right-of-way access across the road. A two-story stilt house, with a screen porch circling it, it sat almost completely hidden from the road by trees.

It was completely furnished but empty of food. A deputy stayed behind with Laura while Rob went out for provisions.

Doogie wasted no time exploring the new territory. He proudly brought Laura a desiccated lizard he’d found that had gotten trapped inside. He presented her with the mummified reptile, his otter tail wagging so hard his whole body wiggled with glee.

“Out. Give it.” He spit it into her hand and she praised him, wasting no time throwing it away and washing her hands.

Rob finally returned and the deputies left, promising to return after dark.

“What’d you get, Sir?” Laura tried to peek inside the bags but he gently slapped her hand away.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out later.” He wouldn’t let her help him put up the groceries, so she sulked into the den and set up her laptop to catch up with her email. Rob made frequent checks of the property with Doogie, and at one point he returned and found her curled up on the couch with one of her old journals.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m up to my senior year of college.”

He tried to read over her shoulder but the handwriting made him dizzy. “You’re going to go blind reading that.”

She looked up at him. “I’m used to it, remember?”

“Good point.” He left her alone.


I can’t believe it’s almost over. I made it through. One of the girls in my BizAd class laughed when I said I was going to take over Dad’s shop. I’m sure she thinks it’s funny, never lead anywhere. She’s the kind of person who has visions of a corner office and corporate Jag. She wasn’t laughing so hard when I casually mentioned the two freelance writing contracts I’d already snagged will probably pay me more in the next six months than she’ll make in the next year—if she manages to get a job that entails more than asking if you’d like fries with that. Graduates are a dime a dozen. Good solid careers are rarer than perfect emeralds. She’ll learn that soon enough.

I have to admit that I felt a little smug. Most of what my classmates learned, I was raised on. Balance sheets, employee management—been there, done that. I did learn stuff, but some of it was applicable to larger businesses. Still nice to know.