Carol slipped a hand down her panties, her fingers caressing beneath.
It had to be a guy. But who?
Something caught Alice’s eye. She looked up and noticed that Jack was standing at a distance, frozen in his tracks, his eyes glued to Carol’s task.
And he was hot!
He must have been working in the garden because all he wore were pants held up by suspenders. His bare chest was slick with sweat, and his muscles bulged in all their glory.
They didn’t look like the only thing bulging.
Alice knew she should jostle Carol and stop her. Alice had promised she wouldn’t tell a soul.
Carol’s breathing got heavier.
Maybe Carol would never know he watched her. It was probably better that way. It was probably better that she never know than realize she’d been caught.
Carol’s face stiffened and contorted like it was puzzling over something. Her breaths deepened and got louder.
Best not to tell her. After all, Alice wasn’t actually saying anything to anyone. She was still true to her word.
Carol’s hand flattened, her fingertips moving rapidly under her panties. Her other hand squeezed a breast, kneading it.
Alice squirmed and glanced at Jack. He kept his eyes on Carol from where he stood tall and majestic like a Greek statue.
Alice’s heart leapt. He was beautiful.
Then she turned back to Carol. Carol moaned softly.
Who was Carol thinking of that made her so excited?
Then Alice felt like an idiot. Of course it was Jack. Carol had visited Lois throughout Alice’s childhood, and Jack was the only man around. The only gorgeous man, anyway. And look at her. Look at Carol. She was prettier than Alice.
No. Not just prettier. She was beautiful. Those Caribbean-colored eyes surrounded by a shoulder-length flip of ginger hair. That petit nose barely noticeable above her princess smile, full lips revealing a brilliant set of sexy teeth.
But what about last night? He seemed hot and bothered by my show at the window. He is attracted to me, right?
None of that mattered. As long as Carol was the prettier one, Jack would never go after Alice. And even if he did. Even if, for some reason, he gave Alice a chance, he’d find out how much of a dunce Alice was as a sex partner, and he’d drop her like a rotten fruit.
Jack leaned on his rake, his ribbed abdomen breathing deeply. He loved Carol. Not Alice.
When Alice looked at Carol, she knew exactly what Carol was thinking. That was Jack’s chest she was leaning back on. That was Jack’s hand caressing her breast through the dress. Those were Jack’s fingers rubbing her clit.
Alice saw red. She stood up and stormed away.
Let them have their stupid moment. Jack doesn’t care about me, that’s just fine.
Did Carol, that damned woman, even notice Alice had left her alone? Alice turned to look behind her as she kept walking away.
And fell down a hole.
Chapter 3
The drop hurt like hell.
Alice landed on a patch of roots and dirt. She clutched the tender part of her waist that had hit a large tree root. There would be a bruise there for days. Standing up in this dark area, she took a damage report, patting herself down. A bruised hip and a bit of a scratched hand. Her dress was dirty, but had survived the fall. She straightened her hair.
Where was she? The dirty brick walls were just a dark, hollow cylinder straight up. Alice knew this place. It was the estate’s old well, forgotten and left for nature to reclaim.
Something moved on the walls. She froze. If she didn’t know any better she’d say it was a naked man that went through an imperceptible doorway. A man down here? It made no sense.
Alice reached out to find the wall and feel if it led to a doorway. Her hands landed on skin.
“Oh!” She yanked back her hands. “Sorry!”
She waited for a response, but there was none. Was there really someone there? Instead of reaching her hands out again, she shifted closer, ready to delicately nudge against whatever or whoever it was with her shoulder. She connected, and felt his fingers graze across her arm. She stepped back.
“Who’s there?”
Silence. Whoever it was didn’t come after her. As though stepping into the center of the well was her safe zone.
Alice slowly stepped back into his vicinity. Delicate fingers touched her arm once more. She shivered. Her breaths came, uneven. He — it had to be a man even though she couldn’t see him — was exciting her with the gentlest of touches.
What would Jack say if he found out Alice let herself be touched by a stranger? Would he be jealous? Would he be angry? Alice could see him now getting red in the face. Alice smiled and stepped closer to the groping hands.
Desiring to be a little more passive, she turned away from him. Powerful muscular hands massaged her shoulders. Alice dropped her head forward and let his strong fingers push out the tension inside her. His oh-so-good hands swept down her back toward her waist.
Where else would his fingers touch her? How far would she let this anonymous man go?
This is a dangerous game, Alice, she told herself.
But, oh, it felt so good! Alice’s nipples hardened. Would their desire for his touch be fulfilled? Surely he wouldn’t go that far. But Alice did indeed feel his warm hands reach her waist and inch upwards along her sides. She shivered. She never knew she was so sensitive there.
She knew where those confident hands were going.
She should run, shouldn’t she? That’s what Lois and Carol would say. And Jack. Out of jealousy?
She ignored the voices and let herself lean back against him. His chest was warm and solid against her back. His hardness fit against her, nestling against the crevice of her bottom.
Then his hands were upon her breasts. He held them so gently, as if her breasts were a precious exotic fruit. A hand loving her left. A hand rolling her right. A hand reaching between her legs… Three hands?!
Alice screamed. She jumped from the hands and ran to the opposite wall of the well. The wall had an opening to a small cave. She blindly followed the path of the cave, anything to get as far away from those hands as possible. Up ahead was a curve of the cave and a light. She followed the glow into a long, bright hallway. Alice squinted.
Where the hell am I?
Dozens of doors were alongside each wall. The hallway looked immaculate. The walls were white, the doors were white. The most curious thing of all had to be how bright everything was. And not a single light bulb anywhere!
She tried a few of the doors, rattled them. All locked. She hustled forward until she came upon a coffee table in the middle of the hallway. A key lay upon it, a tiny key. It clearly wouldn’t fit any of the keyholes. Then she saw the tiny door by her ankles. No way she could fit through that portal.
Along the hallway of doors was something else — or someone — Alice hadn’t noticed before. On the lower part of the wall, hanging upside down from chains, was a tiny, bearded man without a stitch of clothing on. He was so small! He looked more like a large doll than a man. Was he even real? If he was a doll, he was the most
