The Seahorse Inn

It didn't take long before Daniel immersed himself in his book, and all thoughts of Cassie, Naomi, and most importantly, Beverley Sullivan, were banished from his mind. But it was just over an hour later when Daniel's placid state of mind was interrupted and the silence broken.

At first, the noise coming from upstairs was barely audible, and Daniel was only aware of it on a subconscious level as he read. Then it grew louder, and he put his book down. It sounded as though someone was walking around in one of the rooms upstairs. He thought nothing of it, until he reminded himself that all of the rooms and the hallway are carpeted. His heart beating faster, Daniel trained his ears towards the ceiling, listening, as a feeling of dread filled him.

After a few long minutes Daniel accepted that he had no other alternative than to go upstairs and investigate the noise. If he didn't, one of the guests would surely come down soon to complain. He pulled open a drawer in front of him and brought out a pass key to the rooms, then reluctantly began walking towards the stairs.

Even before he had reached the second floor, Daniel knew where he would find the source of the heavy footsteps. It would be room 11. His heart felt like a rock in his chest as he walked down the hall, then pushed the key in the lock. The door to the room that was once Beverley Sullivan's swung open and he stepped inside, then switched on the light. At that moment the noises ceased.

Daniel felt a mixture of relief and bewilderment as he scanned the room with his eyes to see if anything was amiss. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then, in a moment that he would later call either courage or stupidity, he filled his lungs with air and softly said "Beverley... are you there?"

For a few moments nothing happened, and Daniel stood just inside the doorway feeling silly. Then the window on the opposite end of the room suddenly flew open with great force. A strong gust of wind entered, blowing the curtains about. Daniel watched in disbelief as his heart pounded. He struggled to find words, but none came, and even if they had have he doubted that he could have spoken them. He stared wide-eyed at the curtains moving about for close to ten seconds. Then, just as suddenly as the window had opened, it slammed shut with a bang, and all was quiet.

Daniel waited for close to fifteen seconds, wondering if there would be any more strange occurrences in the room. But when nothing happened and it remained quiet, he locked the door and raced back down to the front desk.

For the rest of that night, Daniel watched the clock, impatient for 6am to arrive when other staff members would come in for work. He tried to return to his novel, but his mind was in such turmoil that he could not concentrate, even for a few seconds.

Once the sun began to rise, and Gordon and Cassie joined him, Daniel felt an immense sense of relief. He said nothing to them about the strange phenomena that he had witnessed that night because he feared that they would not believe him, or think that he was unstable. But as he walked home, he told himself that he would relate it to Naomi the first chance he got.

That Saturday night at work was mercifully uneventful for Daniel. Still, he was on edge the whole time, expecting some sort of bizarre events to happen. He tried to read, then gave up on that and turned on a radio that Cassie kept beside the cash register. At least it provided him with some distraction, and another human voice to listen to throughout the long night. Finally, the dawn arrived, and Daniel was glad to have some time off until Monday.

###

Monday evening, as he was working in the kitchen, Daniel's thoughts were preoccupied with what had happened the previous Friday night. He and Naomi had spoken little because they were busy, but he was eager to get her alone so he could impart his strange tale to her in privacy.

Once work in the kitchen had ended and the staff began getting ready to leave, Daniel sidled up to Naomi as she was putting her jacket on. "Hey, you got a minute?" he said to her in a hush.

"For you, Sweetie -- anytime," she shot back, giving him a flirtatious smile.

"Something weird happened to me the other night," Daniel told her somberly.

Naomi gave him an exaggerated pout, crossing her arms under her breasts. "You mean you did something weird, and you didn't call me?" she said, then smirked. "I hope you were at least thinking about me when you did it."

"No, I'm serious," he said, fighting a laugh. "Last Friday night when I was working, some weird stuff happened in room eleven. Can we go talk in the diningroom?"

"What?" Naomi's expression grew dour as she lowered her voice to a hush, taking a step closer to him.

"Let's go sit in the diningroom, okay?"

Daniel lead Naomi to a secluded corner of the diningroom and related the events of that past Friday, starting with the footsteps, and ending with the window flying open, accompanied by the gust of wind. Once he had finished he leaned back in his chair and waited for her reaction.

"Holy shit, that's super freaky," Naomi hissed. "Did you see her, or hear her say anything?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head, then gave a faint laugh. "What I saw was enough."

A long paused ensued while Naomi thought as her eyes flitted about. Then a devilish smile washed over her face and she leaned even closer to Daniel. "At first, when you said that something weird happened, I thought that you were going to tell me that Cassie gave you a blowjob," she said in almost a whisper.

Daniel threw his head back and let out a curt laugh. "It'll snow in hell before that happens," he said.

"Don't be so sure of that," she countered with a cryptic smile.

Daniel's eyes grew wide and he felt a rush of excitement as he recalled what had happened Friday night when he showed up to begin his shift. "What are you getting at?" he asked, obviously eager to hear more.

Naomi hooded her eyes and looked around warily to ensure that they were still alone before she began speaking. "If I tell you this, you've got to swear on a stack of Bibles and your mother's grave that you'll never breathe a word of it," she said.

"I swear," Daniel said as he leaned closer.

Naomi leaned back for a few moments, slowly inhaling, then she leaned forward on her elbows once more, locking her eyes in his. "Well, last summer I was working late with Al one night, cleaning up the kitchen. We had finished and were having a couple of glasses of wine when he dropped a bombshell on me," she said, pausing to let her words hang for a few seconds. "He told me that a few weeks before that he had gone down to the wine cellar one afternoon and Cassie followed him down. Well, one thing lead to another, and she ended up giving him a blowjob."

"Holy shit," Daniel gasped as he leaned back in his chair. He gave Naomi an incredulous stare, then smiled.

"Bet you wish it was you, huh?" she drawled.

"Well... yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm shocked though."

Naomi's smile faded slightly and her eyes dimmed. Daniel observed her change in expression, puzzled by what it meant. Then it occurred to him that what he was seeing on her face and in her eyes was jealousy. It surprised him, but also encouraged him, and he wondered what Naomi's true feelings for him were.

"Don't let Cassie fool you," she said. "Beneath that calm, professional exterior, lies a horny slut."

Daniel laughed again, but said nothing. He grew silent, digesting what Naomi had just told him, and still trying to fathom her reaction a minute earlier.

Naomi waited while her words sank in. She studied the look on Daniel's face, then said "Haven't you noticed that all of the staff here is a little more horny than... normal people." She laughed at her choice of words, then thought for several seconds. "I mean it though. Look at what happened with you and me in Beverley's room, and that's only part of what's gone on here over the years -- and not just with me."

Daniel felt his cheeks grow hot and his cock begin to stiffen at her mention of their encounter. He frowned a bit and said "Yeah, but I suppose that stuff is bound to happen when you have men and women working together. Office romances happen all the time."

"No. It's this place," she said confidently.

"What do you mean?" Daniel gave her a puzzled look, curious to hear her theory.

"This place used to be a whorehouse. Just think of all the horny men who have come through these doors over the years." She paused to laugh at her bawdy pun before continuing. "Hauntings and things like that are caused by built-up residual energy, and when that energy is sexual energy, well... it's bound to affect people in that way."

Daniel pursed his lips, thinking about what Naomi had just posited, then nodded. "I guess that makes sense," he concluded. "At least it's making us horny instead of violent."

Naomi giggled as she nodded her head. "Are you trying to tell me that you're horny?" she said as her eyes flickered.

"Well, no," he drawled as his eyes shifted to the front of her blouse. "But I suppose that could change."

With a foxy grin, Naomi reached out for his right hand. She drew it towards her and pressed it to the underside of her left breast. "Maybe this will change your mood then," she said.

Daniel rubbed his thumb over Naomi's stiffening nipple through her blouse, then gave her breast a squeeze. He gripped it softly at first, but when he heard her give a throaty growl he began groping her harder, squeezing and kneading it in his hand. Her nipple felt like a pebble, and he gave it a pinch, then a tug, eliciting another moan from her as she leaned closer.

After a few minutes Naomi leaned back and folded her hands on the table, giving him a doleful look. "Sorry, but I should be getting home," she said.

"Yeah, I should too, I guess," Daniel said, sounding dejected. He peered down to her left hand, then reached out and brushed his thumb over her wedding ring. "At least you've got someone waiting for you," he said pointedly, meeting her gaze.

Naomi snatched her hand away and rested it on her lap. She stared at it for several seconds, then lifted her head to give him a guilty stare. "You make me feel like I'm no better than Beverley," she said, sounding wounded.

Daniel leaned back in his chair and gave a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Naomi," he said. "I didn't mean it like that. I guess I'm just feeling guilty, and more than a little jealous, to tell you the truth."

"Don't feel that way," she implored, her voice softening.

"Which way?" he asked.

"Both. Either," she told him. "Keith and I only have a marriage on paper. He's been screwing one of the girls at the office for over a year. We're more like roommates than husband and wife anymore."

"Okay. I'm sorry, Naomi -- I really am. It's none of my business," he said.

Naomi shrugged her shoulders as her eyes shifted away from his. "I guess not," she muttered as she crossed her arms, looking dejected. "It's not like you care in the long run anyway."

"Hey, that's not true," he said softly. "I just don't want to stick my nose in your business."

Naomi's smile returned and her eyes brightened. "Stick your what in my what?" she retorted.

Daniel laughed, but said nothing. He had already said too much.

"If you want to know, I called a lawyer last Friday. But only you and my mother know that," she said. "It's time I got my life back, and left Keith in the dust." She gave him a proud smile and leaned closer again.

"Well, I'm happy for you, if that's what you feel is best," he said cautiously.

"It is," she said with a curt nod. "I've been scared of taking that leap for too long. If I don't do it now, I might never. I don't want to grow old and die, trapped in an unhappy marriage. Besides, I think I've still got a few good years left in me." She flashed him an impish smile and stuck her chest out a ways.

"A lot more than a few," Daniel said.

Naomi gave him a warm smile, then glanced at her watch. "I really should get going, but if anything else weird happens, let me know," she said, reaching for her purse.

"You mean besides with you," he shot back, darting his eyebrows up.

"Yeah... I meant with Beverley," she said, laughing. "Maybe you'll be the first guy to get a blow job from a ghost."

Daniel contorted his face into a disgusted expression. "Don't even joke about that," he said, fighting a grin.

"I gotta run. I'll see you tomorrow, Sweetie."

Daniel smiled, staring at the sway of Naomi's hips and ass she she left the diningroom. He waited a few minutes, pondering what the future might hold, then left for home.

###

As he walked to work that Friday night, Daniel did not feel the usual apprehension that accompanied his night shifts at The Seahorse Inn. After having mulled over his encounter with Beverley in room 11 several times throughout the week, he had a new-found confidence. He got the feeling that she meant no one any harm. In all the years of the reported haunting at the bed and breakfast, there had not been one single incident where anyone was harmed. Armed with this knowledge, Daniel felt at ease.

That night passed uneventfully. Daniel's only lament was that he found the time long. He read a while, then listened to the radio. Soon his thoughts wandered to Naomi and their last conversation. He realized that he cared for her more each day, and wanted the best for her. Finally, he had to admit to himself that his feelings had grown far beyond lust. This realization filled him with angst, knowing that they had no future together. Still, he felt his heart begin to ache. He folded his arms and leaned back in the chair, then closed his eyes.

It was only when he heard the animated chatter of people entering the building that Daniel realized that he had fallen asleep sometime throughout the night. He bolted up in his chair with an amused grin, thinking that he was becoming like Frank Richardson. Through bleary eyes he saw Cassie and Gordon.

"Good morning, Daniel," Cassie said as she approached the desk. "How was your night?"

"Good," he said. "Uneventful, which is good, I guess."

Gordon and Cassie nodded in agreement as they hung their coats up. Daniel got out of the chair and walked to the other side of the front desk.

"I guess I should get going then," he said.

Daniel felt pleased with himself for having spent his first night at work without being fearful. He felt confident that he had finally conquered his fears regarding Beverley and the haunting. This confidence was short-lived, however.

The Saturday night shift began like any other. Alison was behind the desk when Daniel arrived and seemed happier than usual to see him.

"Sorry to take off so soon," she said as she got up and reached for her jacket. "But I promised I'd meet some friends at a bar."

"No problem," Daniel told her. "Have a good time."

Daniel settled back in the chair as Alison hurried for the door. He reached for his paperback in the bottom cupboard and opened it to the spot where he had left his bookmark. A contented smile was on his face as he began reading.

It was shortly past eleven when Daniel's reading was interrupted by a strange sound. He lowered his book to his lap, feeling the hairs on his arms stand up as he listened. Although his immediate assumption was that Beverley was the cause of the sound, it did not faze him.

At first the noises sounded like a low keening, then they built to a moan, but not like someone feeling pleasure. This was the sound of someone in distress. Daniel got up and stood in the middle of the lobby, listening intently as he tried to determine from which direction the sounds were coming. As the sounds grew louder he could tell that they were coming from the basement.

Steeling himself, and summoning all of his courage, Daniel made his way towards the basement door. He opened it and switched on the light. He saw nothing, but now the muffled voice had grown louder. What's more, it almost seemed as though someone, or something, was calling his name. A shiver ran down Daniel's spine and every nerve seemed to fire.

"Beverley...?" he called out.

When he heard no alteration in the muted voice, he gingerly began to descend the stairs. The basement had an earthen floor and the foundation was made of rocks, like all houses of that era. It was damp, and Daniel could see spider webs in a few corners. Once he was in the middle of the basement he realized that the sounds were emanating from the wine cellar.

Towards the far end of the basement was a room that Gordon had refurbished and turned into a wine cellar. They only kept a few dozen bottles on hand at any given point, but Gordon felt that it added to the charm of the bed and breakfast to mention that they had a wine cellar.

Daniel opened the door and stepped inside, walking across the damp earth. To his right and left were racks holding bottles of wine, most of their labels covered in dust. For a brief moment he thought about how Naomi had told him about Cassie giving Al head in there, and his cock twitched.

"Beverley are you there?" he called out above the raspy voice filling the small room.

Daniel was answered by a sharp report as the door slammed shut behind him. Fighting his panic, he reached up and pulled at a cord to turn on a bare lightbulb hanging above him. He peered around, then jumped in fright as the wine rack to his left began shaking. The bottles shook, and rocked, then began spinning where they lay.

"Beverley, what do you want?" he asked, thinking that he would soon hear his own heart beating above the din.

With that, Daniel saw a corkscrew sitting on a table in the corner rise up and turn so it was facing downward. He froze, rethinking his earlier reassurance that Beverley had never harmed anyone. He stared at the corkscrew hovering in the air at eye level, a few yards in front of him. Then it suddenly and violently plunged downward, sticking upright in the soft earth.

The wine cellar became quiet except for Daniel's rapid breathing. Cautiously, he stepped forward to where the corkscrew had stuck itself into the floor. He reached down to pick it up, but was interrupted by another sound. This time it was the sound of the front door closing upstairs.

"Crap!" Daniel spat out as he bolted from the room. He dashed up the stairs, thinking some late-night guests had arrived, and hoping he could maintain his composure as he checked them in.

Daniel arrived at the lobby, breathless, and still a little frightened. He halted in surprise and his mouth went agape when he saw who was standing in front of the desk.

"Naomi, what are you doing here?" he said in a flurry of words.

"It's good to see you, too," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," he quickly said. "You won't believe what just happened."

"More weird stuff?" Naomi looked up at him as she dropped her jacket on the wingback chair beside the faux fern.

"Come see this."

Daniel lead Naomi down to the wine cellar and showed her the corkscrew sticking up in the floor as he told her what she had just missed witnessing.

Naomi crouched beside the corkscrew, touching it with the tip of her finger. "Do you think it's some sort of message?" she asked, looking up at him.

"What, that Beverley likes wine?" he said with a brusk laugh.

"Go get a shovel," she said.

Daniel returned a minute or so later with a shovel. Naomi took it from him and pulled the corkscrew from the earthen floor and dropped it on the table. "Something tells me that we'll find something here," she said, giving Daniel an intent stare for a few seconds.

Daniel thrust his hands in his pockets, watching as Naomi began digging a small hole. Within ten minutes her efforts were rewarded. She gave him a smug grin as she bent down and retrieved the contents from the hole that she had just dug. She raised her hand and gave him a triumphant grin.