Not My Neighbor by Flora Ferrari

Chapter Nineteen

Krystal

Feeling the empty bed next to me sees me waking with a start, almost convinced I might have dreamed the whole thing if it wasn’t for the delicious tenderness I feel between my legs.

A reminder I can’t ignore as I smile. Content as the memory floods my mind again.

Blake’s eyes as he filled me. His expression once we climaxed together. The sensation of his hard body underneath mine.

But where is he?

The sound of a running bath and the scent of roses gives me a hint and mewing a little as I stretch before rolling onto my side, I sense a surprise coming.

The wide lane of fresh rose petals starting at my side of the bed, leading to a steaming and open bathroom door gives me a clue.

Without even trying to hide any of my nakedness, I slide out of bed, trembling with excitement and just a little cold after the warmth of Blake’s huge arms around me for so long.

Following the sounds and scents, I find him perched on the edge of the biggest tub I’ve ever seen.

In keeping with the décor of the suite, it’s an old claw footed tub, standing a good three and a half feet high and more than twice that long.

There are bubbles piled up over the rim, giving it the appearance of a giant ice cream soda.

The cherry on top is Blake, grinning as he scans my body with hungry eyes.

“The water’s just right,” he tells me, running his hand through it before standing up and tracing the same hand down my front so I can feel just how warm it is.

I watch with a gasp as the front of his white robe shifts, showing me he’s more than happy to see me.

“I ran you a bath,” he remarks, stating the obvious.

“And bought flowers,” I observe, noticing bunch after bunch of red roses filling the bathroom as well as the whole suite.

There’s another scent too, one that sets my belly growling. Food.

Delicious, hot, everything I always tell myself I’m not supposed to eat.

And without even asking I know that while I’ve slept, Blake’s been busy getting everything just perfect for when I wake up.

“I’m not getting in there by myself, am I?” I ask, remembering I can’t swim. It really is a huge tub.

“I’ll be right there,” he murmurs, kissing me on the lips before taking my hand, and easing me into the perfectly warm water.

Not too hot and not too cold, just right with enough heat to see us through for a while yet.

“I’ll just grab us something to eat while you soak,” he tells me, making his way from the bathroom out into the monster suite as I let myself sink back, never having felt so relaxed in my whole life.

There’s a ring of a bell, and Blake calls out that he’ll answer it.

A hotel suite with a doorbell. I wonder what else he’s ordered up to surprise me with.

It might be our clothes finally here, or some more food? Ah, who knows where Blake’s concerned. He’s a magician.

A wizard and I’m truly under his spell.

But lazing back into the tub, even before I hear the other voice, I sense something’s wrong.

I sit up suddenly, water sloshing over the sides and splashing on the black and white tiled floor noisily. A scented candle snuffing itself as if it too knows that something’s happened to intrude on the moment.

“…I’m sorry Mr. Mason we did try to stop him. Security’s on the way up…”

What the...

Then I hear it.

My dad’s voice.

There are the sounds of a scuffle and I stifle a scream when I hear furniture being knocked over, the sound of heavy porcelain being broken.

“Where is she you son of a bitch!” My dad snarls, followed by more scuffling and what sounds like hotel staff restraining him.

Blake hasn’t made a sound so far, and that’s what sees me up and out of the tub in a second. Drying myself and finding a robe I make my way out.

Stopping him from doing anything he’ll regret. My dad that is.

I’m not worried about Blake, only what he might do if he’s forced to defend himself or pushed too far.

“Where is she?” My dad roars again. “Who the fuck are you, you swine. I’ll see you behind bars after I’ve finished with you...”

I peek around the bathroom door frame and make my way to the bedroom door, peeking out again before I see Blake, standing firm with his hands by his sides, curling his fingers ready to make a fist or two if need be.

There are a couple of hotel staff pulling my dad back out through the suite’s main entrance. Someone who must be the manager is there too, apologizing to Blake as they drag my dad out of the room.

Blake spots me, motioning me to join him which I do.

Before I reach him though I make eye contact with my dad. He scans the matching robes Blake and I have on, joins some dots in his mind and his face falls.

He crumples, with all his rage and bravado gone, and he calls out my name.

More of a croak. “Krystal? Krystal. Tell me what’s happened. Where’s Nate? Who the hell is this guy and why aren’t you dressed?”

He seems to recover some of his authority as he fires question after question, but it’s Blake who has all the answers he wants not me.

Blake motions for the puffing staff to let him go, holding both his palms facing my dad.

“Now, take it easy Jack. No more jumping around or you’ll hurt yourself,” he says with a deep, commanding tone.

My dad looks taken aback, seeming to recognize something about Blake, but his head is shaking so hard from side to side he has to put his hands to his temples to stop it.

“I think I’ll take it from here,” Blake murmurs again to the staff and manager, letting them know to leave the upturned table and broken vase.

“We’ll settle that later. Put it on the bill,” he says knowingly.

In a moment, it’s just the three of us, and guiding my dad by his arm, Blake sits him down on a stately looking couch and sits opposite, leaning forward a little so as to come down to his level as he speaks.

“I’m Blake Mason,” he tells my dad. “Krystal mistook me for your neighbor at the airport and I—” he starts to explain, but my dad laughs loudly over him.

Almost hysterically.

Uncontrollably.

“You mistook him for Nate Macy?” My dad scoffs in my direction, still not wanting to even look me in the eye, only noting the matching bathrobes again, and taking in the score of roses filling the room before he puts his head in his hands again.

Blake clears his throat a little before continuing.

“I shouldn’t have, but I went along with the misunderstanding, and once it was clear that Mr. Macy wasn’t home… Well, I realized that it would be more awkward than anything if I didn’t tell Krystal, considering the feelings I have for her,” he says, giving me a loving look.

“Feelings?” my dad cries out. “Feelings for my daughter after one fucking day of impersonating somebody else? You are cracked, buddy and this is a matter for the police!” he shouts.

Blake’s face is stone.

“In case the pair of you didn’t know, Nate Macy has been reported missing. I’m sure there are a few boys in blue who’d like very much to hear your so-called ‘misunderstanding,’” he scoffs again.

“Come on, Krystal. I’m taking you home,” Dad clips, but I’m not moving.

I’m not going anywhere.

“How did you get here?” Blake asks calmly. “Not how did you get in here, that’s obvious. But how did you get here?” he asks again seeming genuinely puzzled.

Ignoring my dad’s order for me to come home as much as I have.

“The GPS tracking on my car.” My dad huffs with some pride. “I flew back early, caught a cab home, and seeing the car gone I tried calling my daughter. No answer. It’s a simple matter to see where the car is via GPS.” He snorts.

“I tracked it to this hotel, and as chance would have it, I overheard the staff talking about all the roses you’d had delivered and to which room? The Presidential Suite and the rest. Well, you know that,” he says with finality, looking to me again as if silently calling a dog to heel.

But I’m not going.

“I’m staying here, dad. You can take the car, it’s yours anyway. But I’m with Blake now, and you’re making a complete asshole of yourself by the way,” I add, feeling my cheeks flush with anger for the first since seeing him here.

“You’ll come home with me this instant young lady, or you’ll have no home to come back to at all,” he barks, ignoring Blake for now and trying to loom up over me as he steps closer.

But Blake’s firm hand is on his shoulder and my decision’s already been made.

“I said, I’m not going, dad. My place is with Blake now,” I tell him, trying to keep a lid on my own rage, figuring there’s been enough excitement for one afternoon.

“And what about your neighbor,” Blake interrupts, continuing to overlook my dad’s wishes.

“I’m concerned about him myself, even though I’ve never met the man. Surely he’s turned up somewhere by now?” he asks in a deep, soothing tone.

A caring tone that along with his touch on my dad’s shoulder seems to work that Blake Mason magic.

It’s amazing to see the effect he has on other people, even my stuffy old dad, who seems to relax instantly, even becoming emotional.

“I know, I know,” he murmurs to himself, sitting back down and running both hands over his face.

“We weren’t best friends or anything, but Nate and I had developed a bond of sorts. Always working and the few hours we seemed to have at home we often spent chatting in the yard or having a beer over the game on TV.” He sighs, talking about the guy like he’s already gone forever.

Blake listens intently, and sitting opposite my dad again, he places his fingertips together and lightly taps them. Deep in thought.

“Krystal,” My dad tries again, pleading now. “At least talk to me. Can’t we just go for a walk or something? I can’t just leave this as it is. Speak to your old dad will ya?”

Blake gives a nod in my direction and suggests we have some food and coffee on one of the balconies.

I make a face but Blake seems to think the least I can do is sit my dad down and explain things to him. Having Blake try will never work.

With a sigh, I agree, feeling sorry for my dad and how he must feel. It’s totally unlike him to do what he’s done.

Brave really, considering he was up against someone the size of Blake and didn’t back down.

“C’mon dad. Let’s have a chat, we haven’t talked in ages anyway. Not properly.”