Carole was in serious trouble, and she knew it. If she didn't get out of the weather before too long she was going to freeze to death. Separated from her skiing party, she had gone the wrong way, into increasingly driving snow. Now she was past shivering, hypothermia was taking hold. She knew she was going to freeze to death within a couple of short hours. Carole didn't know exactly how long it took for a person to die from exposure, figures were irrelevant at this stage to her, she just knew it wasn't going to be long!
Stumbling on, unable to see more than a few feet in front of her, following what she believed may have been a path, she looked for some form of shelter, anything to get out of the weather. Then, when she felt unable to continue, the snow had eased for the briefest of moments, and up ahead and to her left, she could see the dimmest of lights. Forcing herself forward, toward the light, she blindly stumbled through a small fast flowing stream, the freezing water burning like knives. Her skiing attire was never designed to provide
this
sort of protection from the elements.
Carole lost sight of the light, but continued onward regardless, knowing this was her only chance of survival. Again she caught sight of the light, brighter now, but the last few metres appeared to be going to beat her. Angry with herself for her weakness, she literally dragged herself forward to the door. She fell against the door rather than knocked, and trying to turn the handle was beyond her ability in her present state. Lying in a crumpled pile at the foot of the door, Carole fumbled with the door handle, and then lost consciousness.
How long she slept was not clear to her until much later, as was how she had managed to end up in a bed. But she was warm at least and very thankful for that. She drifted in and out of sleep for the first morning and most of the afternoon, unaware of who had come to her rescue, who had seen fit to take care of her, or indeed, where she in fact was. Unaware also, of the man who entered on several occasions to check her welfare.
Evening came, and Carole awoke to find an elderly man with rugged good looks sitting on the end of the bed watching her.
"Hi," she croaked.
The man appraised Carole in silence for five long seconds before he responded.
"Hi yourself. How are you feeling?" Without waiting for a response, he smiled suddenly and continued, "You really shouldn't wander around out there in this weather, you might catch a cold."
Carole tried to sit up, but found the effort was too much just yet.
"I can't thank you enough. I thought I was going to die. I don't think I would have lasted much longer in this weather. And by the sounds of it, it doesn't seem to have let up at all."
"You must be Carole." A statement, more than a question.
"Yes, how did you know?" she asked.
"I've been in touch with the authorities by telephone, and advised them of your presence and location, and they in turn advised me of who you are, and that they had been in the process of preparing a search for you, to begin as soon as the weather eases.
"However, they have also advised me that this has set in, and may continue for another three to four days. I'm afraid that you would have been well and truly beyond any help by then. I informed them that you were hypothermic when I found you, but that now you are fine. I also told them that I would look after you, and see to it that you arrived back at the lodge when the weather clears.
"So, until then, it seems you are a prisoner here."
For some unaccountable reason, the last statement sent a shiver through Carole, or perhaps it was simply the aftermath of her ordeal with the ice and snow.
The man stood and turned for the door, giving Carole a good look at the man who had pulled her from death's door, literally, and whom it appeared, she would be spending the next three or four days with.
He was tallish, approximately six foot, Carole guessed. Somewhat older than Carole. In fact, Carole was guessing he was around fifty, give or take a couple of years. And trim, without being lean. Not huge by any means. The sort of build you would expect on a man who has remained active all his life. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a tee shirt.
"I don't even know your name to thank you properly."
"Master."
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Masters. Jack Masters."
"Oh. Well, thank you Jack. I know this sound's like a clique, but I really don't know how I will ever be able to repay you."
Jack paused as he reached doorway, glanced back over his shoulder, and with a twinkle in his eye, responded,
"Oh, we have at least three days to work something out." And then he had left the room before Carole could tell whether he was joking or not. Surely he was, she thought. He had to be. "Yes, I'm sure it was a joke. I must still be tired."
As she took stock of her surroundings, she noted she was in a large bed, a queen size by the look of it, made of a dark wood, and with posts in each corner. Soft sheets, with one blanket, as the room was lovely and warm. The room itself was quite spacious, and had a masculine feel to it...yes, unmistakably masculine. There was a large mirror on the wall to the side of the bed, a large window on the wall past the foot of the bed, and as she surveyed the rest of the room she saw above the bed head a framed print of a beautiful semi naked woman reclining. A chest of drawers below the mirror, a bedside table on either side of the bed, and an antique looking chair in the corner completed the furniture in the room. Attached, to the side, was a walk-in robe, and an ensuite.
Suddenly it dawned on Carole that he must have undressed her, warmed her in some way, and placed her in bed. She realised that she was dressed in a man's shirt, most probably his, and that she had no other clothing on, no bra, and no panties.
No panties! Oh no! What had she done?! Last night, (was it last night?) feeling daring, and silly, and in the holiday mood, and being more than a little tipsy, Carole had shaved her pussy! Leaving a small patch of naturally auburn hair at the top, Carole had shaved her bikini line and vulva. In fact, as Carole felt herself now, she knew she was completely bare down there, not even a single strand of hair other than the little strip on her mound. Carole was not a prude by any means, but she was definitely more than a little embarrassed.
Carole was quite pleasing to the eye. Standing a little over five foot, she was a natural redhead, with green eyes, and a pretty face, and for a woman just turned forty, not a bad body at all. A Marylyn Munro figure with 36D cup breasts, she was definitely beddable. No, Carole was not undesirable.
She just felt a little weird, that was all. To have been unconscious, undressed by a man she had never met, completely naked, and obviously handled by him to have been placed in the bed, and to be dressed in his shirt......
"Stop it!" she said to herself. "Here is an attractive man....did I say attractive? Yes I suppose he is. Here is a man....there that's better; here is a man who has saved my life! I should be eternally grateful!" Then why, she wondered did she have this feeling of unease, after only one brief talk with him?