Sand twirled up and then sprayed in every direction as a strong current swept along the beach. I squeezed my eyes shut, putting my sunglasses on as I pressed the top of my hat. The couple in front of me dusted off their towel and left.
The beach emptied in a few minutes.
The tail-end of summer had waggled in, reminding me that autumn was around the corner. A perk of living on the coast was enjoying prolonged summers, but even better was meeting great people who flocked to the beach.
This summer was supposed to mark the beginning of my new life, yet it played a role in making me feel slightly dead inside. Just when I thought that everything was going according to plan, life pulled a rug under my feet and knocked the wind out of me as I landed on my back.
The sun dipped lower, tucking slightly behind the horizon and reflecting an orange glare on the ocean. I wanted to stay at the beach for as long as possible to reminisce and imagine what could’ve been.
The worst part about living at the coast is that the tourists leave when the summer ends, and some take their love with them.
I stumped my feet on the asphalt as I got off the beach to dust off the sand on my feet. I turned to look at the beach, hoping that the wind had subsided.
After crossing the road and heading up the hill, I kept looking down. The house where we had our first date was en route home. Actually, I could’ve taken the usual route, but then I would miss an opportunity to drift off into a reverie.
Although beautiful, the white mansion lacked allure because the person I associate it with is no longer there. Just like the summers here in Orange County, he came and left.
How I wish that things had ended differently. We were supposed to be in love, together, forever. Recalling the devastation pinched my heart and made me wince. I wish never to see this house again, yet it draws me in whenever I’m near.
Mark approached me on the beach as I rubbed suntan lotion on my body.
“Wow. Your skin is glistening more than the sun’s reflection off the water,” he said.
I turned my head and saw a tall, brunette man with chiselled abs and pearly-white teeth, smiling at me, his hair drenched and water beads all over his body.
“Sorry?” I said, smiling.
“Your skin looks magnificent. That’s what I was implying.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s nice of you.”
He extended his hand and introduced himself. I sat up and turned my body slightly towards him as he sat beside me. He didn’t ask for permission. He never did. Everything was on his terms, and others were along for the ride.
Mark’s stories about struggling in business during the dot-com crash and then relaunching his tech business, eventually selling it for a large sum, fascinated me. I loved his relentlessness, helping him persevere through tumultuous periods.
He faced tremendous adversity and managed to pull through every time. Listening to his stories saddened me, but each tribulation made him stronger. Although he lost a few battles, he won the war.
Mark offered to walk me home. On the way, he pointed at the white mansion and said that was his home. I was in complete awe. How could somebody attain so much success to live in such a magnificent house?
Standing at the gate of my complex, we stared at each other, smiling. His eyes revealed a desire to press his lips against mine, yet he refrained from it to respect my wishes.
We agreed on a dinner date before he pecked my cheek.
That night, Mark picked me up in an orange Lamborghini. The door swung vertically as he pressed it. He held my hand as I crouched to get inside. Sitting in it felt like my bum was a few centimetres from scraping the road.
The engine roared as he revved it. We looked at each other and smiled, mutually feeling the beginning of a new venture, one that we would embrace together.
Mark dashed down the road, and I reached for his arm to grip onto something. He told me that he had complete control of the vehicle and that I shouldn’t worry.
At the waterfront, he stepped out first and told me to wait. He opened my door and stuck out his hand. A gentleman.
He grabbed my hand and escorted me to a luxury restaurant. The waiter showed us our table and brought a bottle of champagne. I couldn’t recall seeing Mark order it.
Once again, Mark whisked me away into his adventures with stories that only characters in a romance novel experienced.
As he grabbed my hand to peck it, a man over my shoulder grunted. Mark looked at him and then stood up. I turned and saw a man with tanned, deeply wrinkled skin and silver-streaked hair.
“You must be, Evelyn,” he said.
Slightly frowning, I said, “Yes. How did you know?”
“Mark told me that you would be joining us tonight. You’re more beautiful than he said.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m Oscar Gomez.”
“Shall we?” Oscar asked, looking at Mark.
“Yes.”
I kept looking at Mark, uncertain of how to interpret the situation.
“Just follow my lead. I’ll explain everything,” said Mark to me.
Mystery and intrigue enveloped Mark, and I yearned to uncover it. The more time I spent with him, the more he pulled me in. I desperately wanted to find out all about him, and I knew that he would make me work for it.
Oscar probed me about my beauty, insisting on knowing if I got it from my mother. With my cheeks flustered, I lowered my chin and fluttered my eyelashes. Mr Gomez was quite the charmer.
As an elderly man, he exuded tremendous confidence and carefully selected his words. Everything about him seemed orchestrated to prevent a slip-up.
During dinner, Oscar mentioned a meeting to conclude a deal, and Mark confirmed his desire.
“Your wife is absolutely stunning,” said Oscar to Mark
Lines creased my forehead as my eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
Mark chuckled awkwardly and interjected, “Thank you, Oscar. That’s a lovely thing to say.” He turned to me, eyebrows raised and said, “Isn’t that right, honey?”
I stared at him briefly, baffled, then turned to Oscar and smiled. “Yes. Thank you for the compliment.”
Oscar smiled and nodded. Mark grabbed my hand and squeezed it, making me presume that he would offer an explanation.
After dinner, the waiter brought a card machine. Oscar and Mark tussled over the bill, with Mark insisting on paying. I noticed Oscar staring at the card as the waiter swiped it. I wondered if he was irked about not paying.
Outside, Oscar pecked my cheek and said, “It was lovely meeting you, Evelyn. I hope to see you again.”
I smiled.
Mark opened the car door for me and held my hand for assistance.
During the drive, Mark asked if I enjoyed myself. He didn’t mention anything about Oscar’s faux pas, so I reminded him of it.
“Oh, that. When I met him, I had a girlfriend that he hadn’t met, and he always referred to her as my wife and asked when he’d meet her. He got her confused with you.”
“I see.”
Mark pulled up to an elegant black gate that parted as he pressed the remote. He drove inside, and I leaned forward and looked up at the white mansion. It was magnificent.
In the lounge, he poured me a glass of Dom Perignon.
He told me that his father taught him to buy everything with cash because debt was evil. Listening to him share valuable lessons made me wonder how much more I could learn from him.
When he went back into the kitchen, I looked at the magnificent diamond chandelier in the centre of the lounge. I wondered about the house’s worth—definitely several million dollars.
While I sipped the champagne, Mark ran his finger down my arm, admiring it.
“Your skin is divine. So soft and smooth,” he said.
“Thank you.”
He pressed two fingers on my chin, raising it slightly, and then leaned in and kissed me. His lips lowered to my neck, prompting me to raise my chin and recline on the couch.
Mark kissed my shoulder and then slipped off one strap and then the other. He caressed my breast while looking at me. He nibbled my nipple and rubbed my abs. I felt that he wanted to reach lower.
He scooped me in his arms and carried me to the master bedroom, laying me on a massive Victorian-style bed. Mark pulled my dress off and parted my legs, lying between them. His tongue wandered around my vagina, exploring every inch, eventually coaxing a loud moan from me.
I looked at his handsome face as he lay on top and stuck his dick inside of me. He wrapped his arms around my neck and thrust quickly, his cheek brushing mine. I closed my eyes and shot out several groans as he continued to pound me hard.
Several minutes later, I was on my hands and knees, and he kneeled behind me. His rear shots were filled with vigour and a desire for more. His aggression made me weary, so I lowered my chin to the pillow, perking my bum up.
My eyes averted, and I panted as he kept up the momentum. I couldn’t believe that he was filled with so much stamina.
We swapped several positions, with me on top, my legs wrapped around him as he stood, and spooning on the furry mat.
Mark insisted on cumming in my mouth. Although I wasn’t in favour of it, I indulged him because I believed that he would spoil me materially.
He drove me home and said that he would call me after he wrapped up several important business meetings.
A week had passed, and he hadn’t called. I felt that he used me for sex, and I would never see him again.
My phone beeped. I snatched it off the table and smiled as I read a text from Mark. He apologised for not contacting me and said he wanted to make it up to me.
With his Lamborghini in the garage for a service, Mark sent a taxi for me. We met in front of a luxury jeweller. He kept smiling at me, admiring my beauty. A barrage of compliments from him made me forget that we were apart for over a week.
Inside the store, Mark pointed at a diamond necklace, and the assistant pulled it out of the glass drawer and handed it to him. He stood behind me and clipped it on. I looked in the mirror and smiled, feeling like a princess.
I knew that Mark would spoil me. The fondness I felt towards him would eventually blossom into love. I was certain of it.
The assistant swiped his card, and it was declined. He asked her to swipe it again, and it yielded the same result.
“I can’t believe this. The bank said that they had sorted this out. It’s not the first time this has happened.”
I noticed that it was the same card he used to pay for the dinner with Oscar.
“What do you wanna do?” I asked.
“I want to get you this present. You deserve it, but you see the inconvenience I’m having. Would you mind paying for it, and I’ll transfer the money to your account by tomorrow, the latest? I promise. My bank should sort it out by then. I’m sorry that it happened like this, my beautiful angel. I really want to gift you this necklace. Hope you don’t think less of me.” He stroked my face with the back of his fingers, smiling.
A slip for ten thousand dollars rolled out of the machine. I had never owed that much money on my credit card. The biggest balance was two thousand dollars, and I paid it off three months ago and swore never to be in debt again. Mark said he’d transfer slightly more than the purchase price to cover any interest that may accrue. I appreciated his attention to detail.
Outside, he called a taxi and told the driver to take us to my place.
We made love twice. Exhausted, we fell asleep.
In the morning, I woke up alone. I went into the lounge, the toilet and outside, but Mark was nowhere to be seen.
I called him, but his phone was switched off. What the hell is going on? What happened to Mark? I hope he’s okay.
My instincts made me feel that something was amiss. Hastily getting dressed, I stopped as I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed my bare neck. Where’s my necklace?
I searched in several spots, hoping that I had forgotten about leaving it, while being unable to recall taking it off. I couldn’t find it.
After I got dressed, I hopped into the car and headed towards Mark’s home.
Outside my gate, a car intersected me, making me slam the brakes.
I frowned, seeing Oscar step out of the car. I got out and said, “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, Evelyn. I had to stop you.”
“Why?”
“I thought you were with Mark.”
“No.” I frowned. “What? Why are you looking for him? And how did you know that I live here?”
He stared at me for several seconds and said, “My name is Carlos Parreira. I’m an undercover FBI agent.” He pulled out his ID and continued, “Mark Sloan is a suspect that I’ve been tracking for several months. He’s wanted for wire fraud, credit card fraud, embezzling funds and several other crimes.”
“What? I can’t believe this.”
“He presented himself to me as the owner of an AI company that he wanted me to invest in. He’s pulled the same scheme several times. The company exists on paper, and he falsifies financial statements to make it alluring to investors.”
“You can’t be serious.” He nodded. “What did he want from me?”
“He presents himself as a family man to seem more credible. He told me that he had a wife and children. I knew he was lying.”
“That’s why you referred to me as his wife?”
“Yes.”
“How did you know to find me here?”
“We’ve been tracking his every move.”
“Then, you know where he lives.”
“You’re referring to the white mansion he took you to?”
“Yes.”
“Rented. So was the Lamborghini, in case you were wondering.”
With my mouth agape, I shook my head. “I’m never getting my money back.”
“What money?”
I told Carlos the details, and he said that he noticed a female’s name on the card when Mark paid for dinner. He believes that she cancelled the card after that transaction.
“This is surreal. I can’t believe this,” I said.
“Do you have any idea where he might be? Did he mention needing to go somewhere or to see somebody?”
“No. Nothing. Why didn’t you arrest him when you knew who he was?”
“He’s committed crimes under various names, and I tied all the identities to him, but I needed proof to have a solid case to put him away for a long time. The business deal that we were supposed to conclude was a key piece.”
“And what happened?”
“I was supposed to meet him today. I called him this morning, and his phone was off. That’s when I figured he vanished.”
I looked at the ocean in the distance and pictured Mark on a boat, smirking while holding my necklace and feeling proud for getting away again.
Carlos told me that he would keep in touch with me. I hoped never to see him again because his face served to remind me of an awful period in my life. What was supposed to be the start of a fairytale romance turned into a swindle that left me indebted for the next few years.
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