Haunted
by the Highlander
The mist curled off the loch,
wrapping Inverrock Castle in a ghostly blanket. Samantha peered out of the
backseat window of the car and grimaced. With its four grey towers, pointed turrets
and dark stone walls, it looked every bit the haunted castle. She glanced
around at her three friends and wondered why she’d agreed to this. They gaped
up in awe at the keep as it sat on the edge of the loch.
Honestly, who wanted to spend a
weekend being scared? She folded her arms across her chest and slumped back
against the seat as Annie expertly navigated the winding road towards the keep.
Masking a yawn with the back of her hand, she sighed. A nice relaxing weekend
away was what she needed. Some pampering in a spa perhaps. Then maybe she’d
finally be able to sleep through the night.
Lucy grinned at her. “Isn’t it
amazing, Sam? Looks sooo spooky.”
“Yes,” Samantha agreed. “So
spooky.”
“It will be fun, Sam,” Annie said
over her shoulder. “You need to lighten up and this is the perfect
opportunity.”
“Oh yes,” Samantha said drily,
“nothing quite as fun as being scared to death.”
Fran turned around in her seat
and eyed Samantha seriously. “Don’t be daft, there’s no real ghosts. It
will just be actors and stuff. You’re not really scared, are you?”
Samantha squirmed in her seat.
“Not really . I could just think of better things to do than spend my
weekend hunting for ghosts in the middle of Scotland.”
“What like moping around your
flat and thinking of David?”
Narrowing her eyes at Fran, she
pursed her lips. “I do not mope. And I don’t care about David. I was the one
that kicked him out, remember?”
Fran snorted and Samantha braced
herself for it. As much as she loved her, you could always count on Fran to be
blunt.
“Only after he fucked up for the
billionth time. You should have given him the boot long ago, Sam.”
“I know, I know. It’s not David I
miss anyway, it’s—”
“The sex!” Lucy piped up.
“It is not the sex! That was never
any good to begin with.” Samantha blew out a breath. Why exactly had she stayed
with David for so long? It was hard to remember now. “It’s going to bed in
someone’s arms each night, all safe and warm.”
“Well, maybe we’ll find you a
sexy Scotsman to keep you warm,” Annie said as they pulled into the empty carpark
in front of the castle.
She sniffed to herself. It was
unlikely she’d find anyone to match her tastes. David had been appalled when she’d
suggested trying new things. She’d tried to entice him into giving her just a
little spanking but he was having none of it. Surely if you loved your partner,
you’d be willing to give something a try? Guess David had never loved her. Good
job he was gone really. But it didn’t help her desires. At one point, Samantha
had even debated joining the local BDSM club but she’d shrugged that idea off
quickly. It was not a spanking from a stranger that she wanted but one from a
man she trusted and respected.
Samantha peered up at the gloomy
windows. Even though it was only mid-afternoon, the sky was as grey as the
stone castle and it felt more like dusk. A shudder trickled over her spine as
she unclipped her belt and stepped out of the car.
Meeting Annie’s gaze with a
raised brow as they all stopped and stared up at the great stone monster,
Samantha shook her head. “I doubt there’s any gorgeous Scotsmen in there. Not
anymore anyway.”
Lucy giggled and looped her arm
through Samantha’s as Annie pulled the suitcases out of the boot. “Maybe you’ll
be lucky and be haunted by a hunky Highlander.”
“Thanks, Luce, that’s really
going to help me sleep tonight.” Not only did she suffer with insomnia, but her
horrible older brother had also pulled several pranks on her as a child, all of
which had been designed to make her as scared as possible of the dark.
Unhooking her arm from Lucy’s,
she grabbed her suitcase and set it