Gypsy Designs

This chapter doesn't contain any sex sorry, but it's needed to set the story.

*

Sadness hit her as she took a deep breath, looking around the impersonal apartment. Everything that had made it home was packed and loaded into the rental truck parked at the curb.

Mrs. Bronson had gone out of her way to make her feel at home when she'd moved in. The overstuffed sleeper loveseat, end tables and coffee table made up the main living area while the tall dining set and stools they'd drug into the studio apartment were all that remained.

She knew how lucky she was the minute she'd seen the apartment, located only a few miles from the university, she hadn't known what to expect it seemed too good to be true. The house was older, having been built in the late 1800's. After purchasing the house Mrs. Bronson and her husband renovated it into three studio apartments and one larger one so they'd have a steady income during their retirement years and be close to monitor the property.

Walking to the kitchen she grabbed her overnight bag from the table at the car door closed in the driveway. Megan was back from the school, and would knock on the door, tears in her eyes when the two friends said their good byes.

Megan laughed when the door opened before she could raise her hand to knock. "You've no idea how I'm going to miss trying to surprise you," she said her eyes teary meeting the golden eyes of the woman who'd become her best friend. "You realize when I finish this damn accelerated B schedule class. I'm coming down to crash with you for a week and we're going to do nothing but gossip and eat junk food don't you?" she laughed.

"If you don't I'm going to come back and tell your science professor you secretly have the hots for him," she laughed wrapping Megan in a tight hug.

Stepping back wiping the tears from her face Megan shook her head. "I should be happy for you, you're finally getting the opportunity you deserve and you're also going to be able to slam the door in Roland's face once and for all," she grinned sheepishly.

Her stomach did a small flip, hearing his name wondering how he'd take the news his stalking victim managed to slip out from under his thumb while he was out of town. Rubbing her arms to fight off the deep chill that ran through her she shook her head.

"Meg I want you to promise me if he gives you a hard time you'll let me know 'after' you call the police," she said sternly. "He isn't going to be happy and I don't want him taking it out on you or anyone else."

Glancing from under her unruly bangs Megan shrugged her shoulders. "You know the security door and system Mrs. Bronson installed were because of him right? I don't think we're going to have any trouble out of that bastard we can't handle," she smiled. "I hate to say this but you'd better get on the road," she frowned walking over to the stack of boxes she needed to carry across the hall to her apartment.

"There are a few surprises for you in one of those boxes," laughing seeing Megan's face lit up. "You honestly didn't think I'd leave and give you nothing but old books and knick knacks did you?"

Megan wrapped her arm around her shoulders when they stepped into the hallway. "Have you said good bye to Mrs. Bronson?"

Nodding her head she remembered the tears she and the older woman shed over the going away breakfast she'd made for her. "She made me crepe's for breakfast this morning with strawberries and whipped cream then told me she was going shopping so she didn't have to watch me leave and cry again," she said with a sniff.

They walked out to the rental truck, her small SUV hitched to the back so she could tow it. Tossing her overnight bag in the seat she checked one more time to make sure everything was closed and locked so what few things she'd accumulated in her life wouldn't be spilling out between Boston and New York.

"The roads aren't too bad right now. I think the threat of these storms rolling in has most people at home on a Saturday morning so it should be easy going," Megan said rolling her eyes. "Gypsy, call me the minute you get there and let me know everything's okay. Tell your aunt I asked about her and your uncle and I hope he gets better soon."

Hugging Megan one more time Gypsy climbed in the truck. With a wave she pulled away from the curb heading toward the interstate.

Merging into traffic Gypsy wondered if she should've called her aunt to make sure everything was okay for her to stay at the estate she and her uncle had managed as long as she could remember.

Her aunt and uncle, Sophie and Vince had become her second parents when her parents died in a car accident her first year of college. Sophie had helped her with everything that had to be done, the house and belongings after she'd decided she wouldn't be able to live in the house again.

She smiled remembering how Vince thought she and Sophie had lost their minds when they told him Gypsy wasn't going to go back for her sophomore year but was going to take some of the money from the sale of her parents house and spend some time in Europe traveling and studying on her own to see if her art degree was really the direction she wanted to go with her life.

Sophie visited her for a few days last month. They'd discussed her moving in with them so she'd be closer to the city, the opportunities of people seeing her work would be much better. The estate was less than an hour from New York City and Manhattan, a commute that could easily be made by train instead of flying in and out from Boston.

The house had more than enough room for her and about six others if they decided to fill the place up, Sophie told her it'd be nice to have someone else rambling around other than just she and Vince since Mr. Vaughn was seldom there anymore.

Gypsy remembered the house from the few visits her and Elliot, her father, had made while she was growing up. He and his brother Vince had remained close even though her mother never seemed to care much for either of them, having said so during many arguments she'd overheard between her parents.

She and Sophie would spend hours in the kitchen baking wonderful desserts or planning menus for imaginary dinner parties while her father and uncle spent hours discussing people and places she never knew.

She and her mother were never close it'd always felt like an invisible wall between the two of them. Evelyn Currington-Chordane was more concerned about her social life and the large events her and her own father Barton Currington, would attend while Gypsy stayed at home with either a baby sitter or a nanny depending on her age at the time. When she was older she heard her parents arguing, her mother never one to be out done would make her disappointment well known that Gypsy had been a girl and not the desired son to carry on her maternal grandfather's business.

Stopping to fill the truck up and grabbing some coffee she took a deep breath climbing back behind the wheel. She hoped this decision was the right one, she was making the step forward Sophie had told her it'd be and she wasn't simply running away, namely from Roland and the mess he'd created in her life.

Roland had started as a teaching assistant for the literature department near the beginning of her third year at the university. He'd helped her on some of her research papers, before long they'd started seeing one another romantically. When she'd made the decision to do a double major which meant staying in school an additional two years he'd started to change.

Everything he said became negative. Her ideas and dreams meant nothing since they weren't his. He had his own plans for their lives, when her plans didn't match his he ignored her initially before he started telling her she wasn't any smarter than the silly little freshman who had no life time goals, those people he considered idiots.

The night he'd found the paperwork where she'd begun the arrangements to work on a degree in fashion design, his reaction had been the turning point for her.

She'd gotten good at sitting, listening to some one yell and scream that you never did anything right, at the same time not really hearing what they were saying only appearing to be interested, a talented she'd learned from dealing with her mother. For the first time in her life she didn't know something was going to happen around her before it happened, she was focused on the bitter chill that seemed to fill the room, a feeling of something evil touching her.

Roland had paced back and forth in front of her his teeth clenched, telling her what his plans were for their lives and how she 'only thought' she was going to change them. Seeing the absent nods she was giving him while she stared out the window, he stepped around the coffee table slapping her hard in the face snapping her head back against the wall.

He was outraged she was treating him like a child having a tantrum, ignoring him until he wore himself down. He obviously didn't seem to think physically abusing her was outside his rights any more than the verbal abuse he heaped on her daily.

Holding her hand to her face she'd stared at him. Suddenly all of the words he'd been throwing at her for the past year hit her harder than his slap. The demands, complaints, insults and negative remarks roared in her head. Flashes of her father tangled with the words as she remembered how resigned he'd become to being verbally and emotionally berated by her mother.

Picking up her legs she planted them against the front of his thighs, shoving him backwards, flipping him over the coffee table with a loud crash. It seemed like only seconds before Mrs. Bronson, Megan along with Mr. Stevenson the other tenant were beating on her door, slamming it open to see what'd happened.

Standing up she stepped over the coffee table and looked down at Roland who was laying there rubbing the back of his head. Shoving her hair out of her face she heard the gasps knowing the others saw the bright red hand print. Her hands shook when she screamed at him to get out, get out and never come back, never call her, get the hell out of her life and stay out.

He knew it was in a bad situation when he tried to talk to her, telling her how sorry he was but she just didn't understand how things were going to be, and soon she'd face it and see things clearly. He became furious when the police arrived. Accusing her of having called them even though he knew she'd never touched the phone.

Over the next year and a half he continued calling or suddenly showing up when she'd either be in class or her part time job. She'd finally taken a restraining order out against him, but that only slowed him down for a few weeks before he decided to make her suffer academically.

A few of her professors who'd initially been pleased with her work began complaining she wasn't working up to their standards and if she didn't make a change they didn't see how they'd be able to give her the passing grades needed to graduate. At first she thought she might've been slacking off due to stress until she saw Roland walking out of her professor's office thanking him for being so helpful. That last year had been the toughest she'd ever had in school. She'd quit her job so Roland didn't have a public place to loiter, watching her every move, she put the extra time into her classes taking double credits continuing on through the summer making it her goal to be able to graduate much earlier than originally scheduled.

Opting to not come back to campus in the spring and participate in the graduation ceremony, she'd managed to accumulate all required credits allowing her to leave school diploma in hand four weeks into the fall semester which meant she'd been able to move the second week in September.

Shaking her head she rubbed her arms the chill surrounding her again, realizing she'd finished her coffee and instead of a drizzling rain it was now coming down steadily. Starting the truck she headed back onto the interstate toward her new home.

**************

He walked through the house, his foot steps echoing in the silence. His frustration at having to deal with the disaster the contractor had made of his apartment during the renovations beginning to recede slightly while turning his thoughts to surprising Sophie and Vance that evening when he visited them at the hospital.

It had been quite a few years since he'd spent more than a day or so at the estate they took care of for him. After finding some of his business holdings in the US needed hands on attention the choice to stay at the estate was easy due to his having commissioned serious upgrades and renovations to his apartment in the city only weeks before.

Pouring a brandy he sat back in the dark study tossing the drink back when he remembered the argument he'd had with the contractor just hours before when he found that the work was not up to his standards. Closing his eyes he enjoyed the total silence the large house offered. No one lived on either side of the property at the moment so the solitude was refreshing and hopefully rejuvenating.

Having already checked the security he stretched his long legs as he stood moving toward his private study and bedroom beyond to get some well deserved rest as dawn was approaching the horizon.

*********

Gypsy laughed hanging up her cell phone. Sophie gave her the code to the gate and told her where the extra key was so she could get in the house. Vince was doing much better, in the morning he was being transferred to a rehab hospital so they'd begin getting him walking again after the hip and knee replacement he'd had.

Pulling into the driveway she pushed the buttons shaking her head when the large gate slowly opened, pulling forward she waited to make sure the gate closed itself behind her. She pulled around to the side of the large estate house parking under the large brick archway. This way she'd stay dry while she unloaded the truck and carried everything inside. The truck needed to be returned that afternoon unless she wanted to pay an additional day's rental.

Opening the door she took a shaky breath looking around the huge dark kitchen. Even though it was only two in the afternoon the heavy clouds and rain made it seem much later.

On the counter was an envelope with her name on it. Flipping on the overhead light, smiling she opened it, finding the note from Sophie with directions through the house to the rooms that'd be hers. Reading as she walked only glancing around shaking her head at the vast space of each room. Stopping at the top of the stairs she turned left, opening the door the note said was hers.

She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry when she stepped into the room. The door she'd stepped through went into a large study type room, off to the right a set of double doors opened into another large room, the bedroom. The book shelves in the library were empty other than what looked like a small collection of reference books. A large wooden table stood off to the side near them, on it a new sewing machine with a massive red bow on top of it.

Wiping a tear from her cheek she walked through the rooms seeing everything Sophie had done and thought of she might need. She chuckled realizing the two rooms alone were twice the size of the studio apartment she'd called home for the past few years. Putting the note on the small desk next to the double doors she headed down to unload the truck and bring her things inside.

Leaning back in the chair after she hung up the phone she closed her eyes taking a deep breath thankful she'd been taking yoga classes and Ti Chi so she was in good shape physically. Grabbing the directions she'd written down she headed downstairs to the truck to take it back and grab something to eat before going back, collapsing for the night.

**************

He knew within a few seconds of waking, his heart beginning to beat, someone was very close to the house. The seclusion had earlier allowed silence to wash over his mind, random thoughts not bantering around as he kept constant surveillance around him before settling down to sleep.

Now he not only caught small bits of thought but also the steady beat of someone's heart. The rush of blood as it moved through the internal chambers of the heart, feeling his body tighten he recognized the hunger he felt upon waking. Listening carefully he knew instantly he wasn't alone in the house any longer. The increased rhythm of the heart beat he knew was not Sophie's or even Vince since he knew both of them as well as he knew himself after all these years.

Getting out of the large bed to investigate who the person was that seemed very causal and calm inside his home as the relaxed heart beat insinuated. Glancing down he smiled faintly, it might be better to face an intruder in something other than the black silk pants he'd been sleeping in, turning he headed into the large bathroom.

Stepping from the bathroom he glanced up at the ceiling, who ever was in the house was in the suite of rooms directly above him, this explained why he could sense the fluctuations in the heart beat as strongly as he had. Smiling he was glad he hadn't decided to bring home the flighty young thing that'd been hanging on his arm, promising to be above and beyond the satisfaction he needed to relieve the physical needs he had. Instead it looked as if fate had dropped this person directly in front of him, allowing his hunger at waking to be easily met for the first time in ages. He moved through his study to the hallway silently, seeing the open door and light coming from the room at the top of the stairs. Either he was about to find a burglar who couldn't see well in the dark or had forgotten to bring his own flash light. Inhaling deeply he corrected himself 'she' had forgotten, it was definitely not the scent of a male he detected since his cock throbbed slightly from his neglect.

Standing in the shadows outside the door he saw the back of a young woman sitting on the floor digging through a large truck of fabric he knew Sophie had been collecting for years. He almost laughed hearing her gasp before rubbing a dark velvet fabric against her face, then standing and placing it gently on one of the empty shelves. He shook his head at the softness of the thoughts that moved through his mind amazingly invasive without him putting forth the effort to slide into her mind while he continued watching her wondering who she was and why she was there.

She was taller than the average woman he judged, no where near his height of six foot five but she had to be about five foot ten and also painfully slender he noticed when his eyes moving down her back over her slightly rounded behind before traveling down legs that seemed to go on forever. Her hair twisted up he hoped in a hurry since it tended to stick out in all directions where it'd escaped the bun attempting to contain it in. The colors a riot of chestnut browns, reds and blonde streaks all seeming at odds of where they should be, but the colors complimented the summer tanned smooth dusky olive skin. She seemed to radiate a warm citrus scent he could detect from where he stood watching, his body reacting strong to its engrained desire. He also noticed the strong smell of pepperoni, he almost laughed out loud when he noticed his burglar had brought her dinner, seeing the small pizza on the table beside her.

"Didn't anyone tell you breaking a entering should be done on a full stomach, especially when it's my house?" he said stepping forward to lean casually against the door frame.

She felt her heart jump into her throat, gasping loudly spinning around to face the deep masculine voice, the length of silk she'd just picked up clutched to her chest.

Caydn recognized her immediately, his desire fighting the urge to be dampened, he'd not only seen her when she was growing up, but also from the numerous pictures Sophie and Vince had of her in their apartment and scattered in the kitchen. He was torn between telling her immediately who he was and letting the game go on a little longer. He froze when the sudden rush of thoughts bombarded him when she turned to stare at him.