Two
Lacey
EVERY GIRL HAS THAT power moment. That moment when you realize that as a woman you have something that appeals to men, maybe not all men but some, and in my case I learnt to hook most of them. You notice that despite your flaws you are hot, you can use what God gave you to draw them in. I had my first power moment at thirteen. As a kid in ballet class I hated the curves that started arriving when I was only ten. My breasts began to grow in elementary school and I made sure those suckers were strapped down to avoid the teasing. I had light blonde hair that was long, thick and straight, so God damn boring. I had blue eyes that my mom always told me were pretty and yet to me they were just dull. My best friend Jessa had beautiful deep brown eyes and this willowy figure that looked great in her gym uniform, mine always looked frumpy. I was short, had curves where I wished I didn’t and my nose was splattered in freckles.
At thirteen we took a family vacation to Disney World and on that vacation in my short denim cut-offs and vest tops, I realized that all the things I hated, guys digged. I learned that when you had confidence or at least what appeared to be confidence, that people looked at you like you had it all going on. Shoulders back, chest out, smile in full force and own the room. I learned it young and never looked back.
I held power over men and they drooled to get exactly what I had to offer. I liked the control, loved the thrill of the male desperation. Swaying my delicious booty, I pushed up my ample breasts and drew the eye to my narrow waist and made sure that everyone knew that I rocked some awesome molds under my clothes. My mom despaired at my outfit choices and would refer me to Jessa’s more demure choices. I retaliated by sexing Jessa up rather than me down. She was willing to try, and buying dresses for her tall, model frame was just as much fun as squeezing my body into spandex dresses.
My teenage years were spent chasing the next hot guy and making sure I always had someone to message and take me out. The key to sex in high school was discretion, if everyone knew you were having it then you were a slut but if you kept the fun times to yourself, then there was no damage to your reputation. I didn’t date many guys from my own high school and preferred older guys as far back as I could remember.
I used the power to fuel my need for attention and I made sure that by eating right and working out, my body remained gym honed and pert in all the right places. I knew guys salivated at my tight, designer dresses and high Jimmy Choos. I liked that but whilst I was with Bryan I didn’t act on it, although I lapped up the attention of course. Since Bryan moved to California to start up the new branch of Peterson and Tyson, I was free to reel in my prey.
Of course he was offered the position and before he knew, I did. Peterson told me everything and so when Bryan’s name was in the frame I began to think about what it meant for our future. Turns out it meant no future, I didn’t want to leave NYC and he wanted to start a family. It was a mismatch.
The first guy I banged after Bryan was some guy who told me he was a billboard model. He had chiseled abs, he was tall and had a face that was angelic. I let him get his hands on me in the elevator ride up to my apartment and we barely made it inside before I was straddling him in the hallway. I rode him with a picture of Bryan and I on our wedding day mocking me from a nearby polished oak side table.
After that I removed all the pictures, and that made things so much easier.
Montana was a snap decision. NYC had always been my mother-ship and the thought of leaving had been abhorrent but somehow it felt right to take a break because I felt like I needed to distance myself from every aspect of my life. I told Bryan I didn’t want to leave but in reality I guess I didn’t want to leave with him. The Peterson situation made me realize that giving up my job was exactly the right decision and so I needed some space away from it all to figure out exactly what I wanted and how I was going to do it.
I had called the tenants earlier in the week to let them know that I would be visiting but not how long for. I explained that we needed to look at the bottom line, increase productivity and reduce overheads. The guy I spoke to, Alex Miller, was the son of the current tenant Emma-Louise Miller. He was less than enthusiastic about my visit but did say he would prepare the paperwork I asked to see. I had visited the site before when I first purchased it and had a tour from Emma-Louise who seemed nice enough. She had a young, lively attitude for a woman in her forties and I liked her. Her father had passed recently, and he had mortgaged the property heavily for gambling debts so she was determined to make things right and was grateful for my investment. I didn’t recall seeing her son then.
There were a number of buildings on the property: a large house which the family lived in, a few cottages that were set aside for seasonal workers, a barn, stables and another cottage that was larger than the workers cottage and that was where I would be staying. Alex had said it was available as it had been where he and his mother had lived prior to moving into the larger house when his grandfather was sick.
He asked how long I’d be staying and I told him as long as it took, which was technically true. I just didn’t say what it was. Getting my shit together could take a week or even two. I anticipated that a few days in Hicksville would be enough to clear my mind and make me focus on my next move. I hadn’t been unemployed since college and despite having a very substantial nest egg and a severance that would make your eyes water; the uncertainty was unsettling.
Finally, I turned down a dirt track that was flanked by waist high wooden fencing. It was winding for half a mile and as I veered right, the big house came into view. Dirt plumed at the side of my car as I drove; it was June and obviously hadn’t rained for a while. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I was going to get dusty, dirty and bored pretty damn quick. I’d already called ahead to schedule a man to come out and fix me up with WiFi the next day as I needed it desperately to continue to work and build my new client base if I decided to set up on my own. I was almost certain that was the direction I was going to take.
I cut the engine as I pulled up behind a black pickup truck. It wasn’t shiny and new but was cared for. I gave the dust a minute to settle and then leaned over to the passenger seat to grab my large, metallic Fendi that was a separation present to myself. I made sure to check my appearance in the overhead visor and touched my black Dior sunglasses to position them better. I wore white chinos and a loose denim shirt with slider sandals that I realized were not a great idea for a farm.
I stepped out onto the dirt and when I looked up a guy stood in the doorway of the big house with a large brown Labrador sat by his side. The house reminded me of something straight out of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. It was timber built with an open, wraparound porch and although painted white, was now weathered a light gray. It was two story and double fronted with a multitude of windows and a red, faded front door. I waved when I started to walk towards the guy but he didn’t wave back. Instead he moved slowly to step from the doorway out onto the porch; his eyes didn’t leave me and his face did not betray any of his thoughts. This was not a welcome.
As I got closer, I noticed he wore dark blue jeans, brown work boots, a loose denim shirt and a surly expression. He narrowed his eyes and ran his hands through his shaggy, dark hair. I assumed this was Alex who I had spoken to two days ago. He looked older than the son of Emma-Louise should be but younger than me. The guy was tall and well built. I could feel attitude radiating off him.
“Hi,” I grinned and noted that he wasn’t walking any further towards me, so I mounted the veranda and held out my hand to shake.
“Hello,” he nodded curtly and took my hand giving me a quick, firm shake. The dog panted by his side with its tongue hanging out but didn’t make a move to greet me. It was either old or very well trained.
“Well,” I continued to grin, attempting to relax him but he maintained his rigid stance. I noticed his green/blue eyes could be quite beautiful but not when narrowed at me in contempt. He was a good-looking guy, with tanned skin, no doubt from his days spent outdoors, and where his shirt was rolled up on his forearms, I noted considerable muscle. He had a smattering of facial hair over his strong, angular jaw and a nose that turned up a little at the end. “It’s great to meet you, are you Alex?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he muttered. I pulled my smile into a tight, thin line at his rudeness and had a fuck him moment. I mean I didn’t expect the red carpet treatment but the dude should be respectful and pleasant to the landlord for fuck's sake.
“Right,” I snapped, “is your mom home?”
“No,” he shook his head, “she won’t be available for the duration of your visit, so I’ve prepared the paperwork and placed the boxes at the cottage.” His Western drawl was gruff and not at all friendly.
“Well,” I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head and gave him a scathing look that I hoped gave him the same icy greeting that he was giving me; this guy needed to clean up his welcome. “I would like to touch base with my tenant whilst I’m here. I’ll get settled into the cottage and you can have her call me when she can spare some time.”
“She’s on vacation,” he grunted.
“How long for?” I asked.
“Why does it matter? You wanted the figures, I got them and the farm is ticking along just fine which you’ll get to see.” He wasn’t reasoning with me, he was clearly stating facts and it got my back up no end.
“I think it’s good manners to be present when your landlord is coming to check on the place,” I added haughtily.
“I think it’s good manners to give your tenants...” he uttered the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth, “...more than two days notice that you’re dropping by.”
“I don’t need to give notice,” I crossed my arms over my body and smiled with venom. “I do however need to speak to my tenant not her less-than-welcoming assistant so have her call me.” I placed my sunglasses back over my eyes. “I’ll take the key to the guest house and by the way I’m having WiFi installed tomorrow as I need it for work so you may see a work van.”
He reached inside his pocket, took a key out that dangled from a plain plastic key-chain and placed it in my outstretched palm. Not once did he deny he was unwelcoming or make any excuses for his behavior. I waited for a moment for him to make any sort of explanation but he didn’t, he just looked down at me from his foot advantage and waited for me to walk away. No offer inside of the big house, no offer of coffee or even a glass of water. I took a deep breath, pushed my lips into an exasperated thin line and turned to walk away.
“I’ll be in touch,” I yelled over my shoulder as I stalked to my rental but there was no response.