He was up against a deadline but she had other ideas
.
This is entirely a work of fiction
.
FELIX
He sweated over the deadline. The publisher had finally lost patience and his agent was on his back so here he was, holed up in a beach house located in this deserted out of season resort.
He got up, he wrote, he snacked then wrote again, he went out to eat dinner, he drank moderately on his return and then fell into bed only to repeat the same process day after day. By now whether it was a Saturday or a Wednesday, or any other day of the week come to that, had become utterly meaningless. The only decisions to be made were where to eat and when to Email each completed chapter to his long suffering editor.
This isolation was actually no big deal for he had always been a solitary man. Gone were the days when aching balls and an erection would force him out to look for female company and long gone were the youthful days when a hard on seemed to be ever present.
He had been married once, for all of two years, but their individual needs had proved incompatible and resulted in an amicable parting. He had missed the companionship for a short time but soon reverted to his writing with the very occasional one night stand.
Now far away from temptation he got deeper and deeper into the novel.
ALICIA
The cab driver hauled the half dozen pieces of expensive matching luggage to the front porch and accepted the generous tip offered for his pains. She fiddled with the key in the darkness before eventually getting everything inside then finding the toilet. Later she collapsed on the bed seeking the oblivion she craved which annoyingly kept receding as her mind trawled unerringly over the stress of the last month or more.
However exhaustion eventually won out and she woke to full daylight having not thought to close the blinds. She lay prone feeling a mounting satisfaction at being away from her problems, of being free from the unbearable situation that had threatened to consume her completely, of being able at long last to please just herself.
By mid morning the weak winter sun had drawn her out onto the enclosed balcony. She was curious to see where she had ended up having picked the place from the realtor's list and completely unseen. The white sand of the beach stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see with timber steps leading down from this and the other properties. These appeared to number a dozen in all each served in turn by the macadam road.
The luxury development had been built with generous space between the properties, each near enough to give a sense of security but far enough apart for privacy which was just as well for she was standing there naked as a jay bird. In the unheated space her nipples gradually hardened making her suddenly conscious of the temperature so she returned to the heated rooms and pulled on some exercise clothes before venturing once again to the veranda.
The whole settlement seemed to be shut up for the winter save for one beach house two doors away which had a travel stained 4x4 untidily parked out front. By craning out of an opened window she could see that the place had a similar enclosed balcony/terrace as her own but could detect no sign of movement.
FELIX
He had returned from a visit to the local Mart and was unloading his bags when a flat bed truck drew up and the driver shouted over.
"I'm looking for No. 6?"
Felix straightened and turned in the direction of the voice apparently considering the matter carefully although his mind was actually elsewhere. He finally got it together and replied.
"This is No. 4 so try the next but one."
The driver raised a hand in salute as the writer went indoors with guilt forcing him back to his laptop.
ALICIA
She was naked and in the middle of her morning exercise regime when the doorbell stopped her dead. She pulled on a dressing gown to answer the summons.
"Alicia Forest?"
"That's me."
"Delivery for you."
She looked up to see her little foreign sports car perched on the back of the delivery truck and nodded in recognition.
"Sign here lady then if I can manage the stick shift I'll get the Porche onto your drive."
Later as she sat in her beloved drop head coupe she discovered in the glove box a reminder of the man who had made her life a living hell. But to her surprise it was less disturbing than might have been expected although she made a mental note to have the car professionally valeted to remove any possible reminders of the past.
FELIX
It was inevitable that the occupiers of numbers 4 and 6 would at least became aware of each other during the ensuing weeks but it was also clear that neither had the least desire to acknowledge this fact nor even to strike up a conversation until one day they found themselves being sole diners in a local restaurant. He looked over from his table to see her concentrating hard on the menu probably equally embarrassed at the whole awkward situation.
"Will you join me?"
She looked up on hearing the educated English voice so he persevered.
"It seems silly for us both to eat alone."
But did he really want to change the relationship? Did he even want female company? Could he be bothered to make small talk? Then he heard her reply and was immediately committed.
"Thank you. I will."
He reckoned the woman was East Coast but not New York, maybe Boston, but she was certainly easy on the eye and not being remotely a misogynist his mood brightened as she crossed the room.
There was a hiatus as they ordered and decided on a wine to drink but then she initiated the conversation.
"Why are you here out of season?" He blinked at the directness of the question causing her to backtrack. "I'm sorry. That was intrusive."
"No. There's no secret." He gathered his thoughts together in an effort not to ramble. "I'm a writer with a rapidly approaching dead line."
He saw the obvious question appear in her eyes and replied before she could ask although fully expecting a blank reaction.
"I'm Felix Lancaster."
Her face cleared when she obviously recognised the name.
"Oh my. I love your books but aren't you just doing film scripts these days?"
Now of a sudden she had risen in his estimation.
"A bit of both, but what do I call you?"
"Alicia Forest."
He stored that away and debated if he could risk trying to find out more for the closeness of this disturbing woman was beginning to give him ideas which did not bode well for his self imposed seclusion.
Better perhaps to just enjoy her company while they ate and let the future take care of itself but as if to deny such a safe solution his dormant libido chose that moment to wake from slumber. Now he had to cope with a raging erection which had risen to greet this sensual woman.
Conversation ceased for a time as they were served a starter until he became conscious of her frank gaze measuring him.
"So you're finishing a novel?"
"Trying to, hence locking myself away from all temptation."
"But you still have to eat?"
Eventually they drove home in their separate transport and without having made any arrangement to meet again.
He finally fell asleep imagining Alicia cradled in his arms and with fresh semen staining his boxers.
ALICIA
Don't start she had thought to herself at one point there in the restaurant. Okay so he's a bloody attractive man but ignore the messages being sent by your hormones. You don't need any more trouble in your life. Just keep it casual.
But her sleep that night was disturbed and fragmentary ending in her pacing the floor with her mind racing.
