Chapter 4:
It was almost 11:15 and Hayden was making sure she had everything packed for her vacation. Randy was sending his brother Nathan to pick her up and she didn't want to keep him waiting. She called her boss to let him know she was using some of her vacation time to recuperate. Her boss understood and gave her two weeks off. Hayden was actually really excited to see Randy's ranch. He had told her he was really into the privacy it provided and the nature it offered him. The way he had described it, it seemed like the perfect getaway. Hayden heard a knock on her door and walked out to the foyer to answer it.
She opened the door to a tall young looking boy." Hello, how are you Ms...?".
"Clark".
"Ms. Clark. My name is Nathan. I'll be your ride to my brother's ranch".
"Hello, Nathan. You can call me Hayden".
"Cool. Do you have any bags or suitcases?".
"Yes I do".
Hayden turned and picked up her two suitcases and handed them to Nathan. As he placed them in his trunk, Hayden grabbed her purse and keys and walked out locking the door behind her.
Nathan opened the passenger door for her as Hayden said." Thank you. Do you know how long it takes to get there?".
"Yes. From here about 2 hours".
"2 hours! This place really is far".
"Yes ma'am. On the way, let me know if you need to stop for anything".
"Thank you".
"Your welcome".
Hayden immediately opened a book she had brought with her and started reading. They had been driving for almost an hour and Hayden had finished half her book. She started to get sleepy and decided to take a little nap. She leaned her head back against the headrest and fell asleep.
"Ms. Clark...Ms. Clark...".
Hayden opened her eyes and sat up quickly as she said." Yes".
"We're here".
"Oh, thank you. I must have fallen asleep".
"Yes, I've already taken your bags to your room. Randy is waiting for you in the living room".
"Thank you, Nathan".
Nathan showed her the direction to the main house . Hayden was amazed at the sight of the place. Randy's words didn't even come close to the beauty of this place. Beautiful flowers, trees, and lakes made the landscaping looked like a painting.
Hayden walked into the house and found Randy standing in the living room.
"Hayden, glad you could come".
"Yup. It was quite a drive. This place is amazingly beautiful. Your words don't do it justice".
"I told you".
Hayden smiled as Randy smiled back and asked." Hungry?".
"Absolutely starving, actually".
"Good. My mom brought over lunch. I was going to eat, but I thought it would be polite to wait for you".
"Thank you, that's sweet".
Randy led her into the dining room, where the table was covered in fruits, chips, sandwiches, and deserts.
"Wow, all this is for us".
Hayden smiled and picked up a plate. She picked a few things then sat down. Randy sat across from her with his own plate and they began to eat their lunch.
"Do how long have you decided to stay for?".
"Well my boss gave me two weeks off for vacation, so if you don't mind-".
Randy cut her off." You are more than welcome to stay as long as you like".
"Thank you. I was only going to stay a week. Then I was thinking of visiting some close friends in Springfield. I wanted to surprise them".
"That sounds nice".
Hayden and Randy finished their lunch and Randy decided to take Hayden on a tour of the house.
"So do other people stay here?".
"Yes sometimes, I plan on building a guest house in the future".
"How many?".
"Maybe just one. I don't have a lot of visitors, mostly family but they don't come too often. I pretty much like my privacy".
Randy showed her to her roomand said." Well, I know you want to get settled in, so it's 3:00 now. Dinner will be around 6:00. Feel free to roam around and occupy yourself. I'm sorry to say i'm going to retreat to my home gym to get a workout in. I will see you at dinner...and wear something nice".
Hayden smiled as Randy walked out of the room. She immediately started to unpack her suitcase and place her clothes in drawers and the closet. She set up her make-up in the adjoining bathroom and sat down on her bed. The room her had chosen for her was beautiful. The floor and rafters were made of wood and the walls were a beige color. The large windows let in a alot of sunlight. She laid back on the white satin sheets and let out a contented sigh.
"I could get used to this".
Even thought she had taken a nap in the car, Hayden felt so tired so she repositioned herslef on the bed and let herself fall fast asleep.
Hayden opened her a eyes later and looked at the clock. It was 5:00 and she was glad she didn't sleep through dinner. She got up and walked to the bathroom to get ready. She did her make-up and fixed her hair. She then walked to her clost. She had packed a few cocktail dresses just in case because whenever she went on vacation before she always seemed to need one. She decided to wear a light green spaghetti strap cocktail dress. She slipped the dress on and put on matching green pumps to match. She put on some jewelry and looked herself over in the mirror. Then she walked downstairs to the dining room. She walked in to see the room lit with candles and two place settings for two. She looked around and didn't see Randy until she heard someone whisper in her ear.
"A thousand starry nights wouldn't compare to how beautiful you look".
Hayden smiled and turned to face him as she said." Thank you".
They walked over to the table and Randy pulled out her chair for her to which she repeated "Thank you".
Randy walked over to his chair and sat down. Their dinner was already on their plates and covered with a silver top to keep them warm. They removed the covers and started to eat. Randy decided to start the conversation.
"Is your room comfortable enough for you?".
"Yes, its really beautiful".
"I'm glad you like it".
Hayden smiled and then said." It's really quiet here at night".
"Yes, the family members I had staying here before have already left. So it's going to be quiet here for the remainder of your stay".
"No else is staying?".
"No".
"So it's just us".
"Kind of".
"Kinf of?".
"Yeah. When everyone leaves, most of my staff leaves and comes back when the family comes. So usually the chefs and maids come up to 2 or 3 times a week".
"It must be pretty lonely to be out here by yourself".
"Sometimes. I come here to relax and recooperate after being on the road. With no one around i can get things done that need to be done."
"Does your family worry about you being out here living alone".
"Probably, but all they would have to do is call me or leave a message and i'd call them back and reassure them i'm fine and then i'm to go on living in seclusion".
"But why would you want to live in seclusion for so long?".
"Sometimes I just need the alone time. You'd be surprised at how much you figure things out when your alone".
Hayden wasn't sure what he meant, but she'd polite and leave it at that.
"So what do you do for fun when your out here alone?".
"I usually got horse back riding, video games, or spend time in my library".
"I've never been on a horse before".
Randy smiled and leaned forward while saying." Well that's one thing we'll have to do tomorrow".
Hayden smiled and continued eating her dinner. They finished eating and then Randy led her into the living room. Hayden sat down on the couch as Randy poured them glasses of wine. He handed a glass to her and then sat down beside her.
Hayden took a couple sips of the wine before saying." Can I ask you a personal question?".
"Sure".
"Why don't you have a girlfriend? Your a successful, great looking guy".
"I guess I just haven't found the right girl yet. What about you?".
"What about me?".
"Why don't you have a boyfriend?".
"I guess I'm too busy with work to have a relationship".
Randy smirked and looked at her with seductionas he said." Well, your here now. No work to worry about. Plenty of time for me to occupy you".
"How could you occupy me?".
"I think I could come up with a few things".
"Like what?".
"Horse back riding, hiking, talking, walking around the lake at night, and of course romantic dinners".
"Are you planning to seduce while I'm here".
"How long as it been since you been with a guy like this?".
"Awhile. I think I might have forgotten how to attract a guy without looking and acting like a horny slut".
"Your attractuve enough and don't worry, your nowhere near being a horny slut".
"Sorry, it's been a long time since I've been intimate in anyway with any guy".
"I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to be intimate with me".
Hayden smiled as she looked to the floor. Randy set his glass down on the table and placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so she was looking into his eyes. He caressed her face before leaning in and touching his lips to hers. He gently kissed her, but as soon as he tried to make the kiss more passionate, she pulled away.
"I'm sorry".
Randy leaned back and said." Don't be sorry. It was all me. I moved too fast".
Hayden smiled and said." It's ok".
Hayden sat her glass down and looked at the clock. It was almost 10:00. Time seem to pass so quickly here.
Hayden looked at Randy and said." I think I should get some sleep if we're going to spend tomorrow together".
Randy nodded and took her hand and kissed the top of it." Sleep well".
Hayden stood up and walked out of the living room and up the stairs to her room.