Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Her thoughts drifted off as she fell asleep thinking about a new life as an independent woman, with no one to answer to but herself. In her new world, she was powerful and did as she please. Did whom she pleased.
She could imagine herself with a dark haired stranger, muscular, exotic. He wouldn’t mind that she lived on a boat. He would only be interested in getting her naked and that would be all she wanted from him. Her eyes closed as she imagined him stretched out across her bed, letting her straddle him to take what she wanted, needed, craved.
Her fingers slipped down between her legs, slipping along her increasingly engorged folds. It had been a long time since she had thought like this, had allowed herself the luxury of self-pleasure. Carter had frown on it, deemed it as taking away from his prowess somehow. She groaned at the idea of him creeping into her thoughts and pushed him out, willing him away as she focused on her mystery man.
The bed had faded into the nothingness and he now rose out of the sea, a tanned sea god who dripped with wetness and sensuality. He sauntered toward her and lay her down in the sand, tangling his fingers in her hair as he began kissing her, kneading her breasts. She could feel the heat between her legs as she pushed two fingers inside of her, massaging her folds as she moaned beneath him.
A gasp escaped her throat as she found her sweet spot and manipulated it in perfect rhythm, bringing herself to orgasm using her own hand as a substitute for that of her dream lover. Her body convulsed with the much needed release, leaving her sated for the moment and allowing her to relax enough to sleep.
It was there that the mystery figure reappeared, coming toward her in the darkness, all sex and seaweed. She smiled seductively as he approached, ready for his touch, but as he drew closer, he began to change. His smile faded, his features smoothed away, leaving only a faceless, frightening creature in her view.
She screamed as he reached for her, putting his hands around her neck. He was changing again, no longer the godlike creature that had seduced her earlier. He was now Carter, smirking as he began to strangle the life from her. She tried to scream but nothing came out.
Jo awoke gasping for air. She looked around, confused as to where she was and then realized she was home, or what passed for home now. She got up and went to the small sink to get a drink of water, trying to calm herself. Finally, she laid back down and hoped the dream didn’t return.
CHAPTER THREE
“Did you sleep okay?” Hank called out to her as she emerged from the houseboat the following morning for a short walk around the marina.
Jo looked in his direction. He was tending a small garden in the back yard, a bit up the slope from the boat.
“I did. Thank you again for everything.”
“Do you want to come up for breakfast? Patty is making pancakes and sausage. Plenty for one more.”
“No but thank you. I actually have a job interview later today.”
“Yeah? That’s great. Do you need a ride in to somewhere?”
“No, they are, believe it or not, sending a car.”
“A job interview that sends a car? That’s different.”
“I agree. I guess we will see,” she laughed, setting off around the path that led from the small dock where her his father’s boat was moored, to the larger marina down the way.
Her head swam with thoughts on what she would do now that she was free in this place. As much as she was looking forward to starting a new life here, she was also filled with the dread that comes from facing the unknown.
After her morning walk, she returned to her humble digs and focused on cleaning some of the areas she hadn’t sufficiently gotten to just yet in an effort to keep busy and not work herself into a ball of nerves. She needed this job, but she had no experience and didn’t have a lot of confidence in getting the whatever part they had available.
As time grew closer, she began sorting out what she would wear, selecting a straight skirt and a soft white blouse. Understated eloquence on a budget was what she was hoping for as she topped it off with simple black heels. It had been the best she could do on her budget. She could only be thankful that she even had this to wear, having had the foresight to buy one outfit for such occasion in her brief shopping trip on the way here.
Brushing her hair into a sleek ponytail at the nap of her neck, she looked appreciatively in the chipped mirror that hung in the tiny bathroom. It was hard to really see the full affect of her outfit in such limited space, but she’d have to hope she looked as she perceived her appearance.