Love and Obsession

Mystery women all around

We both head upstairs to the bedroom and I'm taking much longer than he does. So, by the time I'm finished changing, he's already outside.

"Lex?" I say, walking around the cabin. He's not there. I say his name once more and I go outside to see him at a shed next to a snowmobile.

"Nope. No way," I say, shaking my head at him now sitting on the snowmobile.

"Afraid of a little fun?" he says.

"You don't strike me as the kind of guy to appreciate outdoor recreation," I say and walk over to him.

He slides the goggles on his face and hands me a pair.

"There's a lot about me you have to learn," he says. "Hop on." He taps the seat in front of him and says, "You won't fall off."

I climb onto the snowmobile and he hands me a helmet.

"What's this?" I say.

"Wear it."

"Oh."

Once I'm situated, he pulls me closer and holds my body against his between his legs as he takes off up the mountainside.

We are zooming through the snow very fast and I feel nervous at how quickly we are climbing that high mountain, so I tuck my body closer against his. He holds me with one arm against him as we ascend the mountaintop.

When we reach the top, it's not what I expect. There's an entire ski resort there with people everywhere and a ski lift and everything.

"What are we doing?" I ask as he parks the snowmobile and holds his hand out to help me.

"Skiing," he says and takes me inside the lodge.

The inside of the lodge is beautiful. The log rafters are illuminated by the antler chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. Two stone fireplaces on either side of the large lounge area stretch to the ceiling, and nestled in front of them are brown leather sofas.

He approaches the desk and says, "I need two sets of skis."

"Credit card?" the woman says in her very thick French accent.

"Charge it to Alexander Holt."

"Oh, Mr. Holt, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was you. Is there anything else you need?"

"That'll be all for now."

The woman walks away from the desk and into the back room. A moment later, she gives him two tags.

"You know where the ski pickup is, sir. Please, let me know if there is anything else you need."

"C'mon," he says to me and we walk away from the desk.

"How did the woman know who you are?" I ask.

"I own this resort."

"Of course you do," I say.

He glances back at me with a grin. "You ready for the slopes?"

"No! I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"I'm gonna teach you. C'mon," he says taking my hand and pulling me along.

We get outside and grab our skis and he shows me how to put them on, but I can hardly move and he laughs as he watches me struggle.

"What's the matter?" he says, laughing at me.

"I can't do this!"

"Sure you can. Take my hand."

"Lex! I can't do it!"

"Sure, you can."

"Hold your poles like this," he says, "And stand like this." He bends his knees slightly. "Come closer. We'll do this first hill together."

I try to follow him down the first hill, but I end up on my backside. He stops when he realizes I'm not next to him, and he turns to look back, laughing at me. He continues to the bottom of the hill and then I finally make it to the bottom after a lot of struggling and him laughing at me the entire way.

"Lex," I say. "Just take me back to the cabin. I'm terrible at this."

He tries to hide his laughter as he says, "You are terrible, but that's okay. Let's take a break and get some food at the lodge."

Once we ride the lift to the top, we take off our skis and go inside the lodge to have something to eat.

Once inside, Alexander is approached by a woman.

"Alexander," she says in a thick French accent. "May I have a moment?"

With his eyes wide, he glances at me and says, "Savannah, go sit at a table and I'll be there in a minute." Then he walks away with this French woman whose beauty I would be envious of any day of the week. I sit at a table and watch him speak to her for several moments, watching her glance at me a few times, and I worry more about the things he's hiding from me. As they're talking, she gets upset and he glances over his shoulder at me before reaching into his pocket and getting his wallet out, handing her money.

I gasp. What is he hiding?

As they continue arguing, the waiter comes up.

"Anything to drink?"

"Water, please," I say. "I'm not sure what he'll want."

Alexander sits down. "A bottle of the Chateau Lafite Rothschild."

"Excellent choice, sir."

The waiter walks away and I ask Alexander, "Who was that woman?"

"She was no one."

I nod. "If she was no one, then why were you handing her money?"

"It's not your concern," he says.

"Alexander, it is my concern if you want me to sign the contract."

"Why are you so suspicious?" he says.

"Because you are acting suspicious."