Chapter 8

• Aleen POV::
• "Surely, you are not thinking of actually going down there, Aleen, don't be crazy!" Charlie follows me to the bathroom as I moisturise my body. In preparation to go meet Stephane. It is midnight already. The mansion has been quiet for close to two hours now. The party wrapped up a while ago. Everyone has gone home. Leaving just me, Charlie, my mother and Stephane who I am certain is already awaiting me in that basement. I have never been down there. I know it is some man cave down there that even Christine is rarely allowed down there. It is supposed to be Stephane's private area. I think he has an office down there. I can't really say because I don't live here with them.
• "Too late, Charlie." I say, looking through my underwear options. I didn't bring anything good or particularly sexy since I didn't expect all these to be happening. I pick out a light pink lacy set.
• "This is crazy." She says again, weakly this time around. She has given up on trying to convince me because she knows how futile it is. She yawns but continues following me about the spacious room as I wrap my silk robe around my body.
• "I know. Go to bed, Charlie, don't wait up for me. We will leave for college in the morning. All these is just for tonight. I promise. We will leave and I will forget all about him." It is such a weak lie, I don't even put in any effort to sound convincing.
• It is such a dangerous game I am playing and yet I can't stop. I am already in too deep. Goosebumps break out on my skin at the memory of his hands on my body. My pussy has stayed wet all night, thinking about what he can do to my body and what he already did in that short moment we stole away upstairs. All that dark promises have built up into a tension that only my stepfather can ease.
• "You know that is not true. But I just hope you know what you are doing and stay safe." Charlie says. She goes to lay on the bed, yawning.
• I don't say anything in response as I turn off the lights and shut the door gently behind me. The hallway is deserted, Christine and Stephane's master bedroom is on the other wing of the mansion but Christine usually has the uncanny ability to appear anywhere she wants to in the house. Then I remember that she also sleeps early. She must be asleep by this time. That is how Stephane was comfortable enough to ask me down to the basement by midnight.
• With my heart in my mouth, I make my way down the huge curving main stairs, I am surprised to see that the downstairs party scene has been cleaned up. It is like nothing happened down here.
• I walk down the downstairs hallway, knowing that I will find the room I am looking for at the very end of it. When I reach it, my heart has picked up a pace. Beating hard and fast. This is crazy. This is taboo.
• But I have already crossed the line. There is no going back now. So I take a deep breath and push the door open. The room is small and bare, there is a pit in the floor that extends downwards with a spiralling staircase. I look down into it, there is a dull red light somewhere down there. I gulp in air to stabilise my nerves. It does nothing.
• I take a step back from the mouth of the pit. There is a latch that closes it but it was left open. Stephane left it open for me. He knows I didn't know about the basement being down here. Which means he is really down there. Waiting for me. A cold shiver runs down my spine at the thought of those dark eyes roaming my body. Those strong hands taking possession of me. I don't know the man other than he is my stepfather and he is rich and my mother is in love with him.
• I step back again. My back touch the door that I left open. I turn to stare at it. I could walk out and go to bed right now. End this. It has gone far enough but I still have a redeemable case at this point. If I take those stairs, if I go down to meet him, then I wouldn't have an excuse anymore. There would be no redemption.
• My heart beats fast and the silk of my lacy bra rubs against my hardened nipples. I clench my thighs to ease the throbbing in between my legs. I turn away from the door, push it closed and it clicks shut. With a deep shuddering breath, I walk to the pit in the ground and carefully, I start descending the spiral stairs. Each step down is one step closer to Stephane and all his dark promises. My body tingles alive as I shove away all thoughts of my guilt and rationality. The body wants what the body wants.
• The farther I go, the more the dull red light at the end of the stairs become more visible. It is an apartment choice lighting. It is not a basement down here, it is a man cave. A complete separate apartment from the ones upstairs in the mansion.
• Finally, I reach the end of the stairs and there, seated on a couch in front of me is Stephane. Bathed in shadow and the dull red light of the room, my heart skips a beat and then picks up, fast and hard. This is it. There is no going back.
• Time slows to a stop as I stare at his dark form on the couch. It is undeniably Stephane. I can tell by my body's reaction to him. Goosebumps on my skin. Heart rate high. Pupils dilating. Mouth dry. It is him. I watch his mouth quirk up with a smirk as he drops the fat cigar he was smoking on the ashtray beside him.
• "Aleen. You are late. I told you I didn't like tardiness, princess." He says, his baritone low and heavy, like beach rocks beaten over and over again by waves that could not crush them.
• I gulp in air as I make my way towards him, away from the stairs. Away from the chance to run back up and to innocence.