The voice that came through the black speaker box was that of an older woman. She spoke in a stern voice, "What's your business?"
Thoughts of the unpleasant sounding woman rushed through my head. Maybe this had been a bad idea. No, I had to see this mystery through. I took a deep breath and tried to move the pitch of my voice higher. I never spoke with a falsetto at all, just a slightly higher version of my own voice. It isn't so much the pitch of your voice but how you let the words flow out and what words you use. So I began, "Hello. I received an invitation from Alex Trunk."
The empty voice didn't seem impressed by my explanation, "You have any proof of this invitation?"
"I have a business card, ma'am."
She didn't answer, but a few moments later the gates began to slowly open. As the gates opened fully I moved my boot from the break and the car idled forward. I gave the car a little gas and coasted through the gates into a large courtyard. A lush garden stretched out in all directions, the colors and arrangements were probably breathtaking, but currently were muted by the overcast night sky. A driveway curved around a small fountain and continued on creating a circle back to the gate.
The estate sat dominating the area to the right of the driveway. It was an old stone building covered in twisted ivory and the wear and tear of many seasons. To say it was a daunting sight does not do the building any justice. I pulled up and stopped the car just outside the large front entrance. The entrance consisted of two huge wooded doors that rounded to an arch at the top. The right door was ajar and as I put the car in park it opened further. A woman wearing a black suit emerged from the opening and swiftly made her way down the three small steps to the driveway.
I waited for a moment trying to decide if I should open the door or wait until she did. I did not have too much time to debate. The woman rounded the car and wasted no time opening the door wide. She looked down at me a little confused but not unpleasant. She spoke kindly, "Leave it on dear."
I shook my head in the affirmative, reached into the passenger seat, and swung my purse over my right shoulder. The music box and Trunk's card went under my arm and I gracefully swung my feet out of the car. I heard the heel of my boot hit the pavement with click and I smiled up at the woman. She smiled back and I got out of the car. I moved away from the door and she quickly sat down. She told me to go on in and someone would meet me. I said thank you as she shut the door and drove off.
I turned my attention back to the estate. It was three stories of God knows what and it was only a few feet in front of me. Whatever secrets lie within the walls I'd soon be forced to face them. Another decisive breath and I was quickly up the steps and ventured bravely into the dark opening left by the agape door. Inside the air was cool and smelled of lilac. The floor was made of marble and as I looked down, I could see a warped image of myself reflected back. The walls were a rich dark wood and tall. The ceiling loomed over me. I glanced up and noticed intricate carvings transversed the ornate ceiling. A massive chandelier split the two bowed staircases that lead to the other floors of the estate.
The foyer leads into a large open space and then to the right and left were the towering walls. To the right was a large set of doors that were firmly shut and to the left was a set of two doors. One much like their right counterpart and another set that was more plain and ordinary. I looked around taking in all the amazing details of the place as the ordinary doors swung open with a bang. I turned started toward them. The look of my face must have been one of pure fear because the woman standing in the opening spoke sharply, "A woman must never find herself caught off guard."
I tried to force a smile and began to explain who I was, but she stopped me cold. She spoke quickly, "In this home you will not offer information unless explicitly asked for it. Do you understand?" I shook my head and swallowed hard. She continued, "You arrival here is not common knowledge to the other inhabitants. For now, we would like to maintain that precedence. Please follow me."
She turned quickly and shut the doors behind her. She made her way quickly and gracefully across the marble toward the staircases. I would have guessed she was in her late forties only by the way she carried herself. However, her skin was quite youthful and her eyes haunting. She was a very beautiful woman in an intense sort of way. The woman wore a navy blue three-piece business suite. This suite was not like the woman who took the car, this suite was tailored made and probably was equal to my salary for six months. She wore a simple white heel, but I had no doubt their cost was equal to the suite.
I stepped quickly behind her. My boots echoed across the marble hitting the walls and channeling up into the ceiling. I suddenly felt very poor and underdressed, but there was nothing I could do about either of those things at the moment. We climbed the stairs at a hastened pace and reached the second floor in almost an instant. Then we moved to the left and down a long wide hallway. Painting of women in beautiful gowns from the early 19th century dotted the hallway. As we moved down the gowns seemed to be from the 1920's and 60's. Along with the paintings, the hallway was lined with doors on either side. I assumed they must be bedrooms, because of their relatively small size in comparison to the rest of the estate. I counted eight doors on either side of the hallway. Who lived here?
We stopped at the end of the hall in front of the seventeenth and largest door in the hallway. The woman knocked three times and then slowly opened the door. She held it open in front of her and motioned for me to enter. I hesitated for a moment and then decided I had come this far. I walked slowly past the woman's eyes and into the room. Upon entering, the woman closed the door behind me and she was gone. The room was a large study or perhaps a library. A commanding wooden desk sat in the center of the room. Two high back red leather chairs sat in front of it like offerings to a thrown. Another unassailable leather chair sat turned facing the wall behind the uncluttered desk. Five huge bookcases sat on two of the four walls. On the other wall just behind the desk hung a large tapestry.
The colors of the images were so vivid they almost leapt from the material. The tapestry depicted a nude woman hovering over the nude body of a slain man. A spear has impaled the man's heart. Four roses are growing around him. Two of the roses are in front of his lifeless body and two behind. Behind them is a waterfall falling down a great cliff into a deep pool of blue water.
I half expected the chair to turn around and the mysterious Trunk would be sitting their brazenly stroking a white cat. However, that did not happen the chair did not move. I moved my eyes from the tapestry down one of the walls of books. The shelves were almost to the ceiling and filled with large tomes. My eyes moved past the books to the area just behind me and to my left. I was a bit startled when I noticed a small table and a modest armchair. In the chair was an older woman dressed in a white night gown. She held a paperback book in her frail hands.
She looked up just as I noticed her and she smiled. Her smile was very warm and quite calming. I couldn't help but smile back. I went to introduce myself, but then remember was the woman from the foyer told me about speaking. The woman placed a small bookmark into the book and sat it gently down on the table. She clasped her hands together and spoke softly, "You must be Katlyn. Please have a seat." She motioned to a small ottoman in front of the armchair. I said nothing but quickly made my way to the ottoman and sat gently.
"Devon has told me so much about you. I must say you are more beautiful than I had imagined. You have the box, excellent. I'm sure you are wondering who I am and what this place is." I shook my head but did not say anything. She went on, "My name is Alex Trunk. Well, my full name is Alexia Greta Trunk. Of course I'm known around these walls as Greta."
Greta goes on to explain that this house was founded almost two hundred years ago as a safe place for girls to come to learn about the world and thrive away from the burdens of the male dominated society. There are currently twenty-three women living at the estate of varying ages from three or four to as old as twenty-six. Greta finishes up her explanation, "Here we teach women not only how to be women, but to be anything they want to be."
She turned her attention to the music box, which now sat snugly on my lap. She asked if I opened it and I say no, it was locked. She smiled and said, "Then we will just have to find a key. Before we move on I must have a look at you. Stand up."
I lifted the music box from my lap and stood slowly. I sat the box on the ottoman and stood up not slouching. Greta put her finger out and spun it in a small tight circle. I spun slowly around until my back was to her. She said stop and I stopped on command.
I heard her get up from the chair, "Be a dear and pull down your skirt would you?"
I wanted to protest, but what if she saw that as defiance and tossed me out or worse. I'd never know what the box was about or how Devon Wildermen knew about me. As calmly as I could I reached to my left side and moved the small zipper downward. I felt the dress loosen it's hold on my waist. I left my left hand there, moved my right hand to the other side of the dress, and slowly began to push down. The cool air of the room hit my thighs and created goose bumps as the dress moved closer to the floor. She said that would be fine as I was a few inches from floor. I was told to hold that position.
Suddenly I felt her surprisingly warm hands touch the base of my back. I tried to keep from shuttering, but I had no idea of what was going to happen. She gently moved her perfectly manicured nails to the thin elastic of my panties and gave them a playful tug. Then she placed a finger from each hand under my panties and I felt her nails move swiftly against my skin. I again felt the cool air invade on once covered skin and she pulled my panties down. My butt muscles instinctually clenched for a moment and I heard her giggle. She moved my panties past the top of my thighs and let them fall to meet my hands and skirt a few inches below.
She spoke sweetly, "Katlyn, are you ready?"