Chapter 11

Dash

When I checked the surveillance cameras and the peripheral security systems as I did every morning, it hit me I had another human in the cabin. I panicked and decided the best way to avoid questions or interest in my need for seclusion would be to be as unpleasant as possible so as not to rile her curiosity any further.

I was going to be trapped with this beautiful, incredible woman who I wanted to bed, for a while. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep myself from her, but hiding out in the surveillance room, while tempting, wasn’t going to solve my problem in the long term. I had to face her.

Since I was starving, I assumed she would be as well. A hearty breakfast was in order, and then I had to prepare the cabin for a few days of bad weather and possible, low energy resources. The solar panels were my biggest worry; in low sunlight, their efficiency dropped considerably. I had a few gallons of gas to run a generator, a few candles, and propane. All I needed was firewood. These things would most likely last through the storm if we were conservative.

I felt a thick tension in the room as I made breakfast. The reality of our situation was settling in both of our minds. I was relieved she’d been able to get hold of her family and assure them of her safety. The last thing I needed was a search party unearthing me. I made pancakes, sausage, and opened a can of mandarin oranges. It was a basic meal, but hearty.

She looked delighted when I brought out two plates of food. My small dining table was covered with a few laptops and a large monitor. Since it was situated near a large picture window, it had served as my workspace in the days leading up to the storm. I noted to myself to clear it, so we had a proper place to eat. However, with her injury, it was best we ate on the couch.

I had few other furnishings, a long sleek couch in brushed suede, a steel coffee table, and a black suede chair. The dining table was in the same metal as the coffee table and I had an 82” flat screen television, my only indulgence. It made me feel as if something was happening around me, thus mitigating the ever-present loneliness.

“As I said, I’m not much of a cook,” I warned, placing the meal before her.

“This looks wonderful.” Her eyes brightened as she reached for the plate.

I sat in the chair and set my own meal to the side for a moment. I wasn’t going to be able to eat until I’d addressed the elephant in the room.

“I’m sure you’re curious about why I live out here all alone,” I had to remain calm, she couldn’t ever know my past.

“Yes, very curious,” she smiled a large and awkward grin, which did little to hide her concern.

There was more behind the expression, it was something resembling worry. What a strange situation, here I was hiding out from the most dangerous criminals in our country and the woman I rescued seemed leery of me, that was quite ironic. I almost laughed.

She paused while she finished chewing a bite of food she’d placed in her mouth to look more natural, but I could see she was shaking. She regarded her plate before she spoke. “I am curious, yes.” She took a deep breath, “I’ve been wondering why you’ve locked yourself away in this high tech, post-apocalyptic zombie shelter?

She had a fun sense of humor, it was refreshing. She used humor, it seemed, to alleviate her fears.

“I’m not here because I’m running from the law, or lying in wait for a victim if that is your worry. I’m a scientist,” I started, it wasn’t entirely a lie. “I am experimenting with a range of off-grid technologies that might be used in places with little traditional electricity. My company is working on a project which tests the bounds of unconventional energy sources.” I sounded so convincing, I actually considered adding this specialization to my workload.

Imagine outfitting rural hospitals and villages in underserved areas with off-grid power sources; it was an exciting prospect. I was living very successfully off-grid in a nearly hostile environment. The trees made solar energy difficult; there was a wind turbine which collected energy at the top of the mountain when there was wind. Water catchment and well-water were more difficult and yet, I’d managed to live here for a year using all of these methods rather successfully. I made do because I was able to use multiple power and water resources.

I made a mental note to explore my time here in a more scientific sense if I ever left this cabin. The thought filled me with anxiety and dread. What was I going to do? I most likely was never going to leave my solitude and this cabin, but unbeknownst to Imogen, she’d just made both intolerable. Having had interaction with another person, especially one I was so attracted to, made living alone again a hard thought to consider.

“That’s exciting,” she said as her body relaxed, and her eyes perked up. “But don’t you find your work lonely?”

Ah, the million-dollar question.

“At times,” I said, hoping she’d move on from this line of questioning as I picked up my plate of food and took a bite.

“I’d be a mess if I had to live alone, my imagination is my own worst enemy.” Again she flashed her glorious smile.

“You never know, having an imagination is important when you find yourself alone as I am.” I hated the fact that I sounded pathetic.

“That’s unfortunate,” she said with her eyes smoldering, boring into mine.

It was clear, looking at her thick pouting lips and the glossy haze of her stare, that she was imagining many of the same things I was at that moment. All I wanted to do was get her naked and make love to every inch of her body. It was hard to think of anything else, actually. I decided I’d refocus my attention on making sure she didn’t give me away in the end, because as much as I wanted to fuck her, keeping my family safe was more important.

“It’s imperative that no one knows I’m here. If our competitors knew what I was working on, it would ruin years of research,” I warned her as a means of derailing my train of thought back to the station.

I couldn’t risk getting close to her.

“I promise, I won’t say anything. To the rest of the world, you’re a nice man who owns an Airbnb somewhere up on the mountain,” she said as choked a little on her bite.

I stood up and walked wordlessly to the kitchen to get her a glass of water, and pour us both a cup of strong coffee. “It’s best you not say much about your stay, please. I don’t want anything to jeopardize my work. And what about you? Do you have a profession?” I didn’t mean for the question to sound pretentious, but it did. I’d seen her card and knew what she did, but she didn’t know that, and I was desperate for light conversation.

“I’m a child psychologist,” she threw out nonchalantly as I returned with her water and our coffee.

I thought about the years my children had been seeing a child psychologist after losing their parents. I hit me harder than I thought it would. My heart constricted; I tried to brush past it, but panic gripped me. I’d already told her my real name. She was smart, she could discover who I was if she made the effort. I closed my eyes for a moment.

This morning as I was working, I did Google a Dashell who was a scientist in Europe. It was a stretch, but once she was gone, maybe she’d forget about me. It was doubtful, however, as I stared at her, handing her the beverages. Her eyes were magnificent and even wearing my oversized clothing, she was beautiful, more so because there was nothing to enhance her allure but her natural assets.

“Do you enjoy your work?” I asked as I stared straight into her soul.

“I love it, but there are days when I love it less than others,” she smiled, shying a bit from the intensity of my gaze.

Is it possible she was innocent? I couldn’t believe that a woman of such rare beauty could be naive to the art of loving a man, but she seemed timid and flustered by my nearness.

“Yes, I can imagine,” I remarked as I returned to my meal with my coffee. “Would you like to see some of what I’m working on?” I asked, genuinely interested in showing her what I’d built here.

“If you wouldn’t feel it an imposition on your work, I’d love to see what you’ve invented,” a smile brightened her face. “I love nature and I’d give anything to live out in the wild.”

No, she wouldn’t. Not this way.

“Finish your breakfast and I’ll show you some of what I’ve created,” I said, with far less enthusiasm than she offered.

I wanted to be kind and inviting, the way I was when I wooed Michelle, but I couldn’t risk getting attached, so I was somber.

She finished eating quickly as I did I, both of us not aware of our hunger until we started eating.

“That was delicious,” she offered as she tried to get up from her chair, I assumed to put her plate in the sink.

“Please,” I halted her. “Let me get your plate.” I stood and took her dishes. When I returned from the kitchen I lifted her gently by the elbow.

“I can do it, my leg is much better today,” she lightly protested.

“Not better enough.” I put my arm around her to support her weight.

The nearness was almost too much. I heard a breath catch in her throat and I did my best to ignore it, but the chemistry between us was electric. I’d never felt so attracted to someone so instantly. I guess being alone was a factor, but Imogen was a spirited, beautiful soul who was wrenching out the beast in me.

I walked her into my lab where I held the surveillance equipment, she was lightly impressed by my Fort Knox level of security. From there I moved on to show her the sustainable elements of my living, including the composting toilet, various energy systems, and water catchment from rainwater and snow runoff. She was mildly interested in all of it, but her expression didn’t show much of a change until she saw a picture of Michelle, me, and the kids in my office. I could only bear to have one of all of us together; too many reminders made my living insufferable.

“Is this your family?” she asked, rightly curious.

“It is,” I cleared my throat, “That’s Lisa, my sister in law and her two kids, William and Samantha.” I boldfaced lied. I had to.

“It’s uncanny how much your niece and nephew look just like you,” she seemed to buy the lie fairly well, however, I caught a note of suspicion.

“We have strong features,” I said, brushing off the comment.

“You do,” she smiled, flirting.

“And, that’s the tour,” I announced, at a loss to discover what else may be of interest in the tiny cabin.

She looked at the locked door to the upstairs attic where the kid’s room had sat untouched.

“Does this door lead anywhere?” The question was innocent and yet was so dangerous.

“Just an old scary attic,” I said as I took her arm and lead her back to the living room again, unsure of what I’d do with her since all I could think of was getting her naked.

When I sat her back down on the couch, her eyes roved the room. With her curiosity spiked, it was clear she was looking for evidence as the brief and fairly uninspired tour of my toys didn’t give her much insight into my existence. She must have found something of interest as her eyes widened and twinkled.

“You have an X-box?” her voice was shrill with delight. I’d forgotten about my son’s X-box. He had every game imaginable up here.

“Do you play?” she laughed then corrected herself, “I mean, you must. You want to play a game?” her voice lowered slightly at the question.

I hadn’t played it since my son was up here, however, a game did sound good, something light to take my mind off wanting to fuck her so badly my dick was about to jump out of my pants. I wore briefs this morning in an attempt to tame the beast, but sadly it’d been semi-hard all morning, with every intention of growing more impertinent as the day progressed.

“We,” shit! “I, have almost every X box game on the market, is there one you’d prefer?” My nerves were grating on me, where was my command of the English language and myself?

“Do you have the newest Resident Evil?” Really? Resident Evil? This girl was wonderfully insane.

“I’m pretty sure I do.” I walked over to the console I hadn’t touched in over a year. Despite not really using the game console, I still ordered some games every once in a while, in my monthly delivery. I figured one day, if I was missing my children too much or needed an escape, I’d play the damn thing.

“Cool, I’ve heard it’s wicked, but I’ve never played it.” She flashed a devilish smile.

“I’ve actually never played it either. My company sends me games, thinking I need to be entertained.” Another well placed, lie.

We started the game, which was scary and gruesome, but made us laugh. Imogen cuddled close as I navigated our character, giving out a parade of shrieks and yelps and uncontrollable laughter as we found ourselves enjoying the horrifying yet, surprisingly funny experience until we had to draw a truce, not with the zombies who attacked us from every angle, but with each other. We weren’t going to be able to fight our attraction to one another much longer. I let her try her hand at navigating our guy and we lost all our lives pretty quickly until she got the hang of it. When she did, the look of triumph on her face was magic.

When we survived the first level, she kissed my cheek with a quick innocence that opened the floodgates of passion. I wasn’t going to be able to resist her any longer, I had to claim this woman. Then maybe the thought of having her wouldn’t haunt me so entirely.