Page 10 of Dark Thirst (The Scandalous Novellas)

Fuck. As I sit up, my head spins and my stomach turns.

I can’t tell if it’s because I’m hung over or because I feel sick that someone was in my apartment uninvited.

I think it was Anna, but I’m not so sure now.

Maybe she put her new guy up to it. I haven’t heard from her in a while, but she was insistent that we get back together after we broke up.

Shaking the fogginess from my head, I finally get out of bed and get ready for work.

My stomach is too upset for breakfast, so I pack up a protein shake and a pre-made lunch for later.

I should invest in some cameras for the apartment , I think to myself as I get into my car and drive to work.

I get here early, as usual, and sit in my car for a few moments before I start my day.

No new weird emails, but I’m itching to reach out and tell whoever it was that sent it to go fuck themselves. Instead, I log onto my subscription page, unblock Evie’s account, and send her a message:

G: Hey. Sorry I blocked you last night. Please don’t be upset with me. We don’t have to meet but I liked talking. Hope we can talk again soon.

I don’t know why I care so much if she’s upset with me, but I enjoyed talking to someone with no strings attached.

Maybe she was just nervous to meet, and that’s why she didn’t show up last night.

Whatever her reasons were, I just hope she can forgive me and keeps chatting.

I would reach out to Michelle, but that would be weird for her, I’m sure.

Shit. It’s almost eight and I need to start work. The bays and parking lot look full. There are a couple more cars here from weekend drop-offs, and I need to do some estimates.

Tonight, I’ll email back whoever it is and demand to know who they are. I’m not afraid to confront the person who broke into my home. Before walking into work, I go online and order some cameras for my apartment. They’ll be delivered later this afternoon. Good… I’ll install them tonight after work.

I don’t check my phone again until lunch and there’s nothing from Evie or Michelle yet.

Shit, I’m pretty sure I crossed the line with Michelle by calling her pet names.

Why did I do that? She only wanted some time away from home, and I acted like a weirdo with her instead of just being her older cousin.

And Evie, I’m sure I won’t hear from after I blocked her.

Serves me right for expecting more than what she was willing to give.

My stomach has been in knots all morning, and it’s not because of my hangover.

In fact, I don’t feel hungover at all. I only feel violated that someone was in my home without my knowledge.

Blocking Anna was a good call, but I can’t help but think that maybe it wasn’t her.

Something doesn’t sit right with the whole situation, and instead of waiting until tonight to email my stalker back, I do it while I attempt to eat lunch.

*Who are you and why are you doing this to me?*

Wow, nice going, Sean, I think to myself.

But what the hell, I don’t know what else to fucking say.

There’s no one but my ex that would fuck with me, and I doubt that they’ll even answer.

My next move is to get my locks changed, but then I remember I gave Michelle a key over the weekend.

I’ll have to see her again after I change the locks and give her a new key, if she wants it.

I’m exhausted and thinking about heading home early today, but these cars won’t fix themselves and rent is due.

My life lately is just working and going home to an empty apartment I can barely afford.

It’s tiring being alone. I think that’s why I’ve been clinging to whatever connections I can find lately.

Just then, my phone buzzes in my hand. It’s Michelle:

Michelle: Hey, sorry I missed your message last night! This week is filled with family stuff with my brothers and sister… Maybe we can meet up?

Seeing her message brings a smile to my face. She doesn’t seem upset, and I can’t wait to see her beautiful face again. My cock stirs in my pants thinking about the last time I jerked off while fantasizing about her.

Sean: No worries. Glad to hear from you. Have a good week at home. Reach out anytime, princess.

Still no response from my stalker, so I finish my lunch hour and get back to it. The next few hours will fly by, and I could use the distraction. These thoughts about my step-cousin are worrying me.

MICHELLE

*Unknown Sender: I’m someone that is closer to you than you think.*

I’ve spent hours thinking of those ten words I sent to Sean just now. Trying to sound ominous with a sprinkle of the truth was an arduous process. I mean, I’ve never actually stalked anyone before, so it’s a learning process for me. And his response didn’t give me much to work with either.

I keep thinking of what I’ll say or do if he demands to meet in person. Should I meet him and expose who I am? Or should I just keep quiet and watch from afar? I’ve already gone through every single video and post he has online.

I’m kicking myself for not spending a few moments going through his laptop while I was in his apartment.

Maybe he had more on there that I could’ve kept myself busy with.

I feel ravenous when I think about him. My pussy is always throbbing, and I can’t help but keep looking at all the content he’s already posted.

I noticed he unblocked Evie’s account, but I’m not so sure if I want to respond to him yet. Maybe she can serve as someone he can vent to while I toy with him by email.

I spend most of the afternoon looking up affordable apartments in the city close to where Sean lives. Maybe I can get away with having a place to myself before I drop the bomb on my family about moving out west after this summer.

I’m sitting on three different job offers, all of which are referrals from the company I currently work for. They all sound good on paper, but I’m weighing every option carefully.

If I move out west permanently, I could lose all contact with Sean and could only watch what he does online.

But if I stay in Chicago, I think I would lose my fucking mind.

My parents wouldn’t want me to have a place of my own or would invade my space.

I have to get over this obsession quickly so I can make the right choice, one that will affect my entire future.

I’m thinking of sneaking over to his place sometime this week while he’s at work and returning the mask. I don’t know if I have the courage to expose that it was really me behind all this.

Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. I have a couple of appointments set up for this weekend to go look at apartments. I can easily afford either of these places, and they’re pretty close to where Sean lives.

Just as I had a plan set in motion for this weekend, an email came through from Sean.

*Sean: Enough fucking around. Either tell me who you are or meet with me in person to sort this all out. You pick.*

The blood drains from my body and my hands shake. Fuck! My mind scrambles to find the right words to say, but I’m all out of ideas. I’ll wait until I have another plan. I’m still going to go through with looking at apartments this weekend, so I have a few days to think of something.