A MAZE OF GREED

After her first day on Warthford Island, Florence sat in her room in silence. Today she had gone to the neighbouring towns and had met several people asking them about Mrs Payne.

She even asked the old lady- the owner of the place where she stayed- about Mrs Payne or, her any family or friends. But the woman told her that she did not know any such person.

The island was not too big, and she expected that people living there must know each other. Maybe she was wrong.

After an unsuccessful first day, she decided to do the rest of the search the next day. Her mind kept wandering back to Vincardine. She could not forget how Edwin and Ruth looked at each other.

She did not even know if something was going in between them. No matter what, she would not allow Ruth or anyone else to steal what she was trying to get over the years.

She heard a knock on the door followed by the sound of the opening of it. The man who accompanied her the whole day stepped in with a plate of food, and a smile on his face.

"I did not know you were so tired that you would skip the dinner." He commented.

She did not answer him and just watched him pulling a chair for himself. He put the plate on the table beside.

"Come on, eat!" He said.

Florence observed him a moment longer without saying a word.

The man chuckled. "Why are you looking at me like that? It is not my fault that you can not find your relatives today."

Florence had conveniently made a story that she was looking for her relatives. How would she explain to people here that she was, in fact digging in someone else's personal life?

Florence shook her head as if she was talking with herself mentally.

"Have you eaten?" She then asked, remembering that they had not found time to eat today.

"Not yet." He replied.

"Then wait for me and we will share the food." Saying that she went into a small attached bathroom in the one corner of the room.

Ten minutes later, she opened the door and stepped out wearing a thin black coloured nightgown. The man could not take his eyes off of her. His gaze travelled all over her, trying to engulf her whole.

She saw him swallowing nervously as his eyes rested on her full bosoms. She smirked inwardly. That was what she liked- men's attention and women's envy for her beauty.

Swaying her round hips some more than normal, she walked seductively towards the bed. Sitting on the mattress, she crossed one leg over the other, exposing her upper leg through the knee-length slit in the gown.

"Shall we start or your appetite is already full?" She cocked her brow at him with an underlying meaning.

The man flushed at her boldness, yet did not try to conceal the lust in his eyes. He only nodded and poured some water into a glass.

They began eating in silence. But Florence could feel him stealing glances at her. Her assets never failed to entice a male!

"How come I do not know your name yet?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Because you never asked." He replied simply.

Nodding in agreement, Florence said, "Well now I am asking. What is your name?" She swallowed the bite she was chewing before saying that.

He paused and looked at her. Leaning ahead, he dared to wipe the red sauce that was smeared at the corner of her lips with his thumb.

"There is fun in not knowing certain things." He said in a low voice.

Their eyes matched each others' gaze. He slowly brought his thumb to his mouth and took it between his lips to lick the sauce.

Florence portrayed nonchalance, but she had already pulled her legs tightly together, her toes curled inwards.

Going to his previous position, he then resumed eating. Some minutes passed in silence again before Florence asked.

"And why is that? You know my name. So is not it fair only if I know your name too? At least I deserve to know the name of the person who is sharing dinner with me in my room."

The man smiled. "You will be gone after a couple of days Miss Florence, to never come back. The probability of us meeting again is miniscule. Then why complicate things for the sake of short lived comfort?"

Well, he did make sense!

"But, I have to call you something right? I can not go calling you Mister all the time." She argued.

He thought for a minute, then said, "My mother calls me Perrito. You can call me that."

She was puzzled. "Perrito? What does that mean?"

"It means puppy in spanish. My mother's maternal side shares the spanish roots."

Florence burst out into laughter. "A puppy? Well do not mind, but it does not suit you at all. I mean look at you! You are a tall and good looking full grown man. Is not the name too cliche for someone like you?"

He only shrugged his shoulders, clearly, not taking any offence. "Maybe, but my mother loves it and so do I!"

Gaining back her control, she then asked, "Is that what everyone calls you?"

He did not reply immediately. He stood up from the chair and took a step ahead to stand right in front of Florence. She looked up at him curiously.

He leaned down near her face before saying, "No. But you are special."

"Special?"

Florence had tried everything in her power to hear that sentence from the man she cherished. But never- not even once- he said that to her.

When drunk, Edwin had called her beautiful, a seductress, a slut and what not but, he had never told her that she was special. He had never said a single word that would elevate her self-esteem or that made her proud of her.

"yes. You are very special, Miss Florence. Your eyes, your hair, your smooth skin, your curves, your smile, your body... everything about you is very special. To be honest, I have never seen someone so attractive as you in my whole life.

And trust me when I say that because I have been with many women, and none of them made me so desperate for them."

Oh, God! Her poor heart! He was saying every word that she wanted to hear. She had been through a rough patch of her life lately with not many new admirers. Those who still wanted her made her bored.

There was no fun, no excitement and no satisfaction left with them. After every eventful night when the man beside her slept with a smile of happiness, she remained awoke- unsatisfied and transient.

"Do you... do you really think that, perrito?" She asked breathily.

"Would you mind if I show you instead of answering it?" He asked.

But she knew that it was only to charm her. Her permission did not matter to not only him, but also to her needs.

"Sure!" She replied with a sultry smile.

Taking that as an invitation, he leaned down more and kissed her passionately. Florence hummed after feeling a new taste- fresh and devoid of smoke and alcohol. She could taste the taste of the food they were eating not five minutes ago.

His hands found her loose hair, and he tugged at them to capture her mouth perfectly. Their tongues battled for dominance.

It felt like years after they parted when their breaths came short. Gasping for air, she asked him.

"What about your mother?"

A sly smile made its way on his face. "Do not worry about her. She is a deep sleeper."

Before she could respond, he pushed her down on the bed. Positioning himself between her legs, he hovered over her body. Both of their eyes were clouded with lust and nothing else.

His hand trailed up from her ankle to her thighs. Florence closed her eyes, loving that sensual touch of his skin. She gasped when he moved his hand deeper to cup her vagina.

"Oh, God! You are already wet for me sweetheart." His voice came as thick as pure honey.

Florence lost her sense of speaking when he started rubbing her delicate lips with his fingers. The pressure that started building in her stomach and the ticklish feeling down there made her whimper in pleasure.

Her whimpers turned loud as his fingers moved roughly by parting her lips and rubbing the middle bridge that she begged to be discovered by someone.

"Aahhhh...."

Not sparing her more comfort, he started kissing her neck. Her deep V-neck gown made the access easy for his mouth. The deep valley on her chest enticed him, and he could not wait to explore it more.

The next sound that came other than Florence's moans, was of tearing off her gown. Already thin cloth was forgotten somewhere in the room as she lay naked under him.

The man's eyes roamed all over her body, taking in every inch of her skin. His mouth watered at the sight of the tasty treat he had for tonight.

Finding her eyes again, he smirked. "This is going to be a long night, Miss Florence."

"And I am ready for it, my perrito!"