AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wayne was prompt and fine-looking in a navy-blue blazer, a crisp white shirt buttoned to the top, chino pants, and tan loafers. The two made a very attractive couple. He opened the car door for her and then took his seat. “I never asked where we were going,” Melanie said.
“It’s a small bistro in the hills near the Prince William Forest Park.”
“Sounds lovely.” Melanie also thought, sounds romantic. Goosebumps.
As promised, it was a tiny restaurant with only a dozen tables and a view of the mountains. The sun was just setting and casting a mystical haze upon the trees. It was spellbinding. Special. Was it too soon for special? she wondered. It was only a second date. There it was, that spooky word, date.
“It’s breathtaking,” Melanie said in a hushed voice.
A gentleman dressed in a tuxedo showed them to a table next to the window. Melanie stared at the vista and wondered what Wayne’s intentions were. This was quite a snazzy place. A place you would take someone on a special occasion. Sit back. Enjoy. How bad can it be?
They talked about the latest films: Eastern Promises, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, American Gangster. Melanie noted, “Excellent films with outstanding acting, but dreadful themes.” She took a sip of her wine. Wayne was abstaining. He said he’d rather not drink at all than have to keep track of how many he had and whether he was under the legal limit.
He lifted his glass of tonic water and lime. “Here’s to Ratatouille!”
It was a pleasant and delicious dinner. Melanie felt the warmth of the wine course through her body, giving her a deep sense of relaxation. Maybe too relaxed. She only had one glass.
Again, when the check came, Wayne handed the waiter his credit card without looking at the bill. Melanie knew it was a very expensive dinner. Maybe he was a couple of pay grades above her.
He helped her out of her seat. She was feeling a bit light-headed, and he gently guided her through the restaurant and to the car. She could barely keep her eyes open. She’d never had a reaction to wine like this before. Maybe she was coming down with something. Wayne strapped her into the seat belt. She could feel his hot breath spreading across her neck. Then it stopped. Melanie kept blinking her eyes to stay awake. Wayne got into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the restaurant.
The road seemed very dark to Melanie. It wasn’t the same way they’d come. She might be dizzy, but she still had her wits about her. Wayne made a slight turn onto a dirt road. He didn’t go far. There wasn’t anyone around. He began to stroke Melanie’s face, tracing her body with his finger. She thought she was going to pass out. She felt his hand slide between her legs. She’d opened her mouth to scream when a loud knock on the window jolted both of them. A man with a ranger’s hat was shining a flashlight into their faces. “Okay, kids. Break it up. Go home or get a room.” He tapped the roof. Melanie let out a grunt. The ranger stopped and turned back to the couple. The flashlight was back on their faces. “You alright, miss?”
Wayne pantomimed drinking.
“And you, sir? Have you been drinking?” the ranger asked.
“No, sir. Tonic and lime.”
Melanie pulled her strength together and opened her door. She bent over and hurled her wonderful dinner onto the dirt road. The ranger walked over to her. “Miss. Look at me.” He could see her pupils were dilated. “Have you taken any medication?”
Melanie blinked and frowned. “No. Nothing.”
The ranger handed her a handkerchief and turned the light in Wayne’s direction. “May I see some identification?”
Wayne got out of the car and fished for his wallet. The ranger noticed Melanie’s purse was on the floor. “Is your ID in your purse, miss?”
Melanie nodded, still bewildered by what was happening. “May I look inside?” he asked.
She nodded again.
Wayne held up his license from the opposite side of the car. “Hang on,” the ranger directed. He found Melanie’s ID. AFOSI. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He helped her turn around so her feet were on the ground. He wanted to see if she could walk. “Can you stand up for me?” he asked her.
Wayne was becoming perturbed. “Do you want to see my ID or not?”
That did not sit well with the ranger. “You just hold on a minute. This young woman is in distress.” He held his arms out for Melanie to take hold. “Easy does it.” He helped her up and looked into her eyes again. “Do you want me to call the paramedics?”
Melanie might have been dizzy, but she wasn’t unconscious. “No, thank you. I’ll be alright.” She didn’t want to imagine how a trip to the hospital would play out.
“Come walk with me.” He placed his burly arm around her and guided her to where Wayne was standing. She had regained some of her balance and propped herself against the hood. The air was bringing her closer to sobriety. He looked at Wayne’s license. “Mr. Howell. What were you and Ms. Drake doing out here in the woods, in the dark?”
He shuffled his feet, feigning innocence. He raised his eyebrows, hoping the ranger would regard it as an “oopsy-daisy”—a young couple caught making out in the forest, instead of what it really was, a rape attempt. “Mr. Howell?” The ranger didn’t like not getting a verbal response.
“We had dinner and stopped here for a little, ahem, intimacy.”
“Ms. Drake? Is that what happened?”
Melanie had never been a tattletale, although this situation certainly warranted it. No, she would deal with Wayne on her own terms. “It’s okay. I think I may be coming down with something.” She felt a surge of energy and shot Wayne Howell a look he would never forget. She wanted to punch his face in, and he knew it. He also thought she just might.
