Marked for Darkness

Harlow swiped her keycard with a sigh. When the light flashed green and the lock beeped, she pushed the door open, stumbling into her dark hotel room. The sound of paper crinkling beneath her feet made her stop. She reached for the light switch, feeling along the wall for it until at last she flicked it on.

Looking down, she noticed a now trampled crème-colored envelope that had clearly been shoved under the door while she’d been out. Her name stared back at her in perfect scrawling script.

Harlow reached down to grab it, curiosity tugging at her. In one quick swipe she held it in her hands, feeling her brows rise at the weight of the small envelope. She slid a finger beneath the flap and tore it open before taking out the letter. She knew without seeing through the thin paper what had made it so heavy.

Unfolding the paper, she saw the glint of the metal key taped to the bottom of the letter. Her brows drew tight together as she read the few elegantly written words.

Ms. Marks,

Please accept the key to your new home. It’s been well-tended should you ever return to New York.

I’m certain you’ll be more comfortable there.

12568 Hiner Road

Binghamton

Harlow blinked, dumbfounded at the letter and the key, hot in her palm. The address seemed familiar, having grown up in Binghamton, but she couldn’t quite place it.

She searched the back of the paper, looking for a signature or even a hint of who had written the letter.

Mysterious.

One thing was for sure, she wasn’t going to rush off to some place that someone claimed to be gifting her. And she didn’t particularly want to leave the city. All the best art galleries were in the city, and Binghamton was three hours away.

Harlow tossed the letter and key onto the kitchen counter before kicking off her heels and heading into the bathroom, undoing her dress as she went. Her mind tossed back and forth between her night with Rex, the creature that had seemingly followed her, and the strange, anonymous letter. For a moment she wondered if Rex hadn’t been the one to write it. He was from Binghamton and seemed to know a fair bit about her family, but when would he have had time? They’d been together all night.

She turned on the shower and stepped under the spray of water before it had warmed, making her shiver.

Her mind whirled and raced as the hot water beat down on her back. Behind her eyelids she replayed the sight of Rex’s shirtless form, the feel of his touch and the heat of his body grinding against hers.

Breathless, her fingers began to strum the once again throbbing nub at her core. Her head leaned back against the wall as she brought herself to the edge of another orgasm. But she wanted to feel him inside her. She opened her eyes, staring at her hairbrush on the edge of the sink. Before she could lose her nerve, she opened the door and grabbed the brush, running a finger over the ribbed handle. Her eyes fluttered closed again as she spread her legs and slid the brush handle inside her ready opening.

A soft moan left her lips and she pumped it in and out of herself while her other hand rubbed her clit. She tried to imagine Rex’s tongue on her nipples. His toned, naked chest. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before her orgasm had her crying out, tremors rocking her body.

When the water ran cold, she turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping a bleached white hotel towel around herself. Out in the bedroom, her phone’s light slowly flashed, indicating a new text.

She picked it up and read the message from Rex.

Hey. I had a great time tonight. I hope you did too. How about we do it again tomorrow night? We can go out if you’d prefer?

Harlow smiled and set her phone back down to squeeze the water from her dripping hair. Despite the fact that she’d blocked them from going all the way, Rex didn’t seem dissuaded. Well, in truth, the fire alarm was what had blocked them from going all the way, but she’d decided not to finish what they’d started.

And the fact that he was okay with going out to diminish temptation and give the option to go further made her warm to him even more.

Deciding she’d answer in the morning, Harlow plugged her phone in, changed into a long t-shirt and climbed into bed, letting her exhaustion pull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.