Dane, the ruggedly handsome beast, was every girl's worst nightmare and best fantasy. Prisana's worst nightmare and best fantasy, nowhere to be found. She awoke to a lonely bed atop furry soft sheets covering her naked body and ran over to peer out at the window.
His monster truck, was gone. She took a deep shattering breath. He finally went and left. Gone even before the sun could kiss the sky. The early morning rays washed away pathetic notions. She knew it was going to happen sooner or later but it hurt that he left without a proper goodbye after what they shared last night.
Dane didn't owe her anything. She asked for it. She asked to be broken and ruined. He was right. He won the game. He tainted her with unforgettable memories. No, Prisana wasn't in love with him but she also loved the idea of Dane, a stranger who she could eventually come to surrender all of herself. Body and heart.
Her insides throbbed as she urged herself onto her feet. Losing one's virginity was both painful and beautiful, lost at the wrong time with the right man. She had no regrets. No regrets when she left her vows or became one with the beast. What was left was embarrassment as she remembered his muscular naked body on top of hers as she openly accepted all of him.
When the deed had been finished, Prisana could tell he wasn't yet sated as his desires were still evident but he didn't push her. He let her sleep soundly in his arms.
Prisana dressed herself in spare clothes that she assumed he set out for her on the nightstand. She glanced around the room knowing full well she was alone. Then she sniffed his shirt, hating how the scent even reminded her of him. Hating how she even quite liked the smell of musky grass and pine trees.
Prisana walked down the stairs and looked for a phone to call Aunt Florence.
"Prisana?" Aunt Florence asked, relief flooding her voice.
"Yes, it's me."
"Thank god. I've sent someone to come for you and they've been waiting around town. Where are you?"
"Hold on a moment. Let me walk outside."
Prisana gave her the address. Aunt Florence insisted she stay on the phone with her until someone arrived. She did but all the questions that were on the tip of her tongue just pummeled out.
"What happened...after I left?"
"Giovanni called it off after he found you missing. He was utterly heartbroken..."
Heartbroken? More like devastated that the woman who would seal his successful future left her vows and broke the deal.
"What about father? Is he...okay?"
Aunt Florence didn't speak for a while. She sighed.
"He's fine. Things are fine. Your father already made sure to silence everyone who attended. Your father...He has been worried sick about you."
Aunt Florence and Prisana both knew that was a lie. She knew the truth. Her father was okay but more than okay, he must be livid with anger at her decision to run. When he became senator of state he also became a stranger.
It's no question that her father built his name from the ground up by honorable and respectable means but to maintain his position he only got worse through means she closed her eyes to. The man she loved stopped showing up for her birthdays, performances, and even her high school graduation.
'Sorry Prisana, next time. Here's a gift to make up for my not being there. I hope you can understand.'
'You know I'm busy. Don't bothering me about trivial things as such.'
It was always an apologetic call with an expensive present to make up for his absence. Prisana wouldn't ever blame him because at one point he was really her father and building his name to support their little family. Some point down the road and into his career, he lost himself and that was also okay because Prisana would be here waiting for her father to come back but no longer following, obeying his wishes.
"You don't have to lie to me anymore because," Prisana trailed off, stopping still in her tracks.
"What's wrong?"
Words caught in her throat. On the table, there was a small piece of paper. She picked it up to read its contents.
'Woodsmen duties. I'll be back.'
Prisana smiled like the hopeless cause she was because she was wrong about him. Dane was coming back for her. He was coming back when he could finally rid of her. Prisana's heart leap with joy.
"I think I might want to stay a little longer. Is that too much to ask?"
"What? What are you saying, that's impossible because...Prisana, please listen to me and don't get mad."
Loud knocks tap against the door.
"Sorry! The connection here is terrible."
Prisana hung up on aunt Florence before she could prolong her any further. Could it be Dane? Her insides bursted with anticipation, excitement, and most of all uncertainty. She reached for the door and anticipated seeing her worst nightmare and best fantasy.