My profound thanks and admiration go out to Mandy M. for her considerable work and suggestions on this story. All the good parts of this work are hers, all the defects belong to me.
*
Grandfather invited me down for a week, to reconnect with him and participate in a foxhunt. He is an accomplished equestrian and a prominent member of his rural Virginia foxhunt club.
I was squeamish about hunting down a defenseless little fox until Grandfather explained that no real fox was involved. In its place, a horse dragged a roped burlap bag, soaked in fox urine. The "hunt" was more of a social event nowadays. The moneyed gentry of the area gather for an afternoon of riding through the countryside with old friends and business connections.
The landing gear hit the runway with a jolt startling me, as the engines reversed thrust, pinning me hard against my seatbelt. Those commuter flights were a real nuisance. The trip from New York City to Richmond was dreary with all the waiting and standing in lines. Travel was tedious but I was so happy to finally be here; happy I was finally going to see my charming, successful grandfather after two long years.
I wouldn't be hard to recognize. My long red hair, faint freckles, and fine features always turned heads. I was at baggage claim when I saw Grandfather's driver. My heart sank with disappointment. Luis, a polite, middle-aged man of Latin origins, gathered my bags before ushering me to a shiny black Lexus.
The ride from the airport through the Virginia countryside to Grandfather's home was long but relaxing. I stretched out my long, toned legs and sank into the soft leather seat, getting comfortable. Looking out the window, the rolling hills eventually gave way to a wide, shallow valley. Autumn was late with the leaves just starting to turn color this early November, bathing the landscape in a wash of green, scarlet and gold.
The car turned off the main highway and veered to the right for several miles down a smaller road. Eventually, the low, white rail fence of my Grandfather's property came into view. The hard gravel road transitioned into a wide circular brick driveway that ended at the front door of his grand, three-story estate.
I was admiring Grandfather's house when Luis jerked opened my car door. Marie, the housekeeper, was on her way out to greet me. Her long black hair was done up in a bun that accentuated her high cheekbones and medium brown skin. She had been grandfather's cook and housekeeper for almost fifteen years.
"Miss Amanda, welcome back! It's been such a long time," her voice sang out with a strong Central American accent.
"Where is my Grandfather?" I demanded, taking my disappointment out on her.
"Miss Amanda, your Grandfather will be home in a few hours. He suggested you relax and freshen up in the meantime. Would you like me to fix you something to eat after your long journey?" Marie asked solicitously.
"No thank you. I'll wait for my Grandfather." I snapped, not even trying to hide my disappointment as I headed up the stairs to the guest room. As I lay on the bed, my mind drifted back to the past few years, to some of the men in my life. The common thread was, they were all handsome, narcissistic and in the final analysis, not very manly. The truth was simple: none of these so-called-men was much of a challenge for me. I knew I needed a change and I hoped getting away from familiar surroundings for a week would help clear my head.
My thoughts then drifted to the last time I was with my Grandfather. We were at a charity ball two years ago. It was quite the elegant affair. I was wearing an expensive gown and a diamond necklace one of my former 'trust fund baby' boyfriends had given me in his futile attempt to seduce me. Grandpa was holding court in the far corner of the room, a champagne glass in his hand. A group of distinguished looking men and their trophy wives surrounded him. Grandfather's date for the evening was a striking Bollywood babe with perfect brown skin, fine features and long, straight, black hair. She kept gawking at him like a schoolgirl with a crush on her English teacher. For his part, Grandfather had his arm entwined with hers but rarely looked at her. He wore her as other men wore a wristwatch and with about as much regard. For me, it was a giant turn-on to watch the way he treated his beautiful companion.
Ever since that evening, Grandfather held a spell over me. His cool detachment, his complete control of every situation exuded power from every pore. He never worried about impressing other people; it was up to other people to impress him. His strength, his overpowering self-confidence were a potent aphrodisiac to me. How I wished I could find a challenging man like that for my very own!
The charity ball was an elegant affair. The men wore tuxedos and the women mostly wore floor-length gowns. I wore a blue gown that was cut high in the front to show off my long legs to good effect. Grandfather wore a black tuxedo that combined with his strong jaw and full head of grey hair reminded me of an arch villain from a James Bond movie. Wherever Grandfather went, he commanded attention and tonight was no exception. We drew a crowd wherever we went that night, or should I say, Grandfather drew a crowd. No one knew who I was but everyone made a point to pay homage to Grandpa. I must have met every judge, politician and CEO in the state of Virginia that night as they all came by to make pay respects and make the usual banal cocktail party small talk. I was oblivious to most of what was said; instead I took in the sights and sounds of the entire room. A small orchestra was playing in the background as a sea of designer gowns, trophy wives and tuxedos swirled around me. This was my grandfather's world, a world dripping of wealth and power and it was intoxicating.
I excused myself to go to the ladies room. As I was at the mirror checking my makeup, I overheard three young women huddled in the corner.
"Who is that short guy with the bad toupee?" The tall one asked.
"Oh, he's a judge, he's loaded, from what my daddy says." Replied a petite blonde.
"Evidently he doesn't spend his money on decent toupees."
They all chuckled at that.
"Did you see Arthur Talbot?" The third one asked.
My ears pricked up because Arthur Talbot is my grandfather.
"Oh, the guy with the nice head of grey hair? Yeah, he's a real big deal from what everyone says," the blonde added. "And you know what else about him, right?"
"No, what?" The other two girls asked in unison.
"He's hung like a horse."
All three giggled like naughty schoolgirls.
"No, really, my sister's best friend, you know, that stuck up bitch, the bikini model? Well, she spent the weekend with him a few months ago and she said he's really put together down there, if you know what I mean and she says he rode her hard all night long. Pretty impressive for a guy his age."
"Wow, all that and rich, too!" The tall one added.
"HMMM," I purred to myself. "My dashing grandfather is a man of many abilities." Honestly, the notion of Grandfather bedding a sexy young girl made me jealous. On the other hand, just thinking of my darling grandfather as a well-hung ladies man made me tingle between my legs especially considering I was his date for the evening. I was beginning to feel a little wet so I quickly thought of something else and headed back to the party.
Upon my return, Grandfather was at the epicenter of a throng of distinguished-looking middle-aged men and their glamorous wives or companions. I grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing tray and steeled myself to wade through the sea of humanity to reach Grandfather.
"Ah, there she is." Grandfather announced as he looked at me. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce my lovely granddaughter, Amanda."
I heard a smattering of applause and I beamed from the approval. I handed Grandpa a glass and put my arm around his waist.
I was busy smiling at everyone but Grandfather hardly noticed me, even though I still had a hold of him. He was busy sounding off about some ideas about free markets and government intervention as I shot him an admiring gaze. His remarks were punctuated by occasional laughter from his audience. The crowd parted as a very lovely woman, mid-forties I would say, snaked her way through the crowd, making a beeline toward Grandfather. She was a beautifully groomed woman with long, blonde hair and dripping with diamond jewelry. Her long satin gown was slit up the sides to reveal her long, toned legs. In her wake, she was towing a young brunette, about eighteen or nineteen, the beauty pageant type.
"Arthur, it's so nice to see you again," She said to my grandfather. "I want to introduce my daughter Elizabeth. She's been anxious to meet you."
Elizabeth offered her hand, giving Grandfather a seductive smile.
"Gretchen, lovely to see you again. You look stunning, my dear! And this is your daughter? Elizabeth, it's a pleasure to meet you. You're a very beautiful woman. Gretchen, you must be very proud of her," Grandfather said.
So that was it! Mom was throwing her dear little Elizabeth Grandfather's way. I held him even tighter now, as if to establish ownership of my dashing Grandfather. My jealous nature came out in spades and I wondered how many other women offered their beautiful daughters to him. I know he had his pick of desirable women; the rumors about Grandfather's conquests were too persistent not to be true.
Grandpa made a few more pleasantries to the pair before he leaned in close to Gretchen whispering, "She's lovely. Call my assistant, Miss DiMartino, at my New York office. She'll be expecting your call. Perhaps the three of us can meet for lunch when I'm in the City."
