A War and A Wedding Sneak Peek

Before

Pale droplets of mist hung heavy in the crisp morning air as he watched her from afar. She didn’t even realize he was there, but then that didn’t surprise him. Why would she?  They didn’t run in the same circles, and even if she saw him right now, she wouldn’t have recognized him anyway.

He had known for a long time what his job was, and he was an expert at it. But lately, the job had become more difficult. He couldn’t help it, but the more he was around her, the more the beauty of her skin wore on him—oppressive, like a heavy coat in hot July.

And that made the task at hand difficult.

There had been a string of them before her. And, in all likelihood, the string would continue on, long after she was gone. Years ago, a nervous frenzy had enveloped him when he encountered one whose beauty and intelligence excited him as none of the others had.

The depths to which he had planned to take this intrigue before succumbing to the grand finale had started a chain reaction of enthusiasm and excitement in him that he’d never experienced before—not even the first time.

The levels of euphoria were so much so that when she succumbed, it almost caused him to tumble into a deep depression at how easily she had been overcome. But not all had been lost that day.

This lifestyle—this road he walked, had started long ago when he had craved something that would never be his. But, he didn’t care. He had learned to take what he wanted—when he wanted it, and that arrangement had been working just fine for as long as he could remember.

Still, there was something about this one.

More naïve and innocent than his previous conquests, the advantage would be his, and she would not know what charms he had cast until it was too late. And for that, he almost felt sorry for her.

But this was bigger than her.

This was a cosmic game of Senet and he was on the upward swing. He was the master of his world, and with the addition of this beautiful game piece, he would be one step closer to tasting the sweet victory that was due to him—the victory, he deserved.

He slyly smiled and then gaped at her once more through the opened window, before turning down the quiet road towards his house. His plan would work and the coveted crown would be his. Because with this fearful and timid girl, it would only take a moment to cast the seeds of doubt, which would lend itself to the right opening. And with that opening—she would not be able to resist him. She would entertain him. And she’d gladly let him into her world. After that, everything would be easy.

And her fall, inevitable.