Seeing Black by Sidney Halston Read Free Book Online

the best of her as she drove by large houses all hidden by
trees, gates, more trees, and a guard. She continued to drive
through the community: a huge championship golf course to her right
and more houses on her left. When she reached the end of the
street, a large wooden gate with a little building housing a guard
met her. She gave the guard her name. He made a quick call and let
her in.
    Her heart beat wildly, and her gut, which had been
mulling between fight or flight, was now taking the flight stance.
It clearly had a mind of its own and was telling her, “ Run, you
stupid girl. This is a bad idea! ”
    But it would be a worse idea to find her friends
hurt. Even though she knew this was not one of her best decisions,
she had no real choice.
    She took the long hilly drive up the long, as in, really long , driveway until she finally reached the mammoth
home. Calling the house a mansion was an understatement. She parked
her car under the roof that extended from the front of the home
lined with keystone columns. She didn’t drive a clunker or
anything. It was only a few years old, yet it seemed completely out
of place at the ostentatious mansion.
    An older man, perhaps mid-sixties and average height
greeted Jill. He had thinning hair and was of Latin descent. He
wore black pants, a white button shirt, a black vest, and a bowtie.
She had never seen a butler, but this particular man epitomized the
stereotypical butler in stereotypical butler garb from his clothes
to his formal demeanor.
    “Good morning, Ms. Stone. Welcome. Please, come
in.”
    Jill stepped into the house in wonderment. The first
things she noticed were the floor-to-ceiling windows at the rear
wall; all that could be seen were acres upon acres of luscious
greenery. Jill was in awe of the sheer magnitude of the home. An
enormous wrought iron chandelier hung from the foyer above a
beautiful round table in the center that housed a huge bouquet of
exotic flowers. The domed ceilings gave the house a Mediterranean
feel. The massive staircase had ornate ironwork railings that led
to the second and third floor. The walls were painted a simple
cream color with white accents. All the draperies were in deep rich
earth tones, as well as all the leather furniture. The house felt
like a home: warm, welcoming, lavish. It was definitely
ostentatious, but in a tasteful way. Jill took a second to take in
her surroundings as she followed the butler through the double
doors that led outside.
    “Please, have a seat. Mr. Taylor will be right out.
Help yourself to some juice or champagne. Brunch will be served
shortly.” Jill nodded as the man retreated back inside.
    To help ease her jitters, Jill took a champagne
flute and gulped down half the flute without much thought. She sat
back and looked out to the ponds and gardens on the golf course
while she waited on Rocco. She checked her watch. In about ninety
minutes, Alexander would undoubtedly call her if she didn’t call
him first.
    Suddenly, all her jitters vanished. Surely, it
was the champagne. “How are you this morning, child?”
    Jill stood up to greet him, but he placed his hand
on her shoulder prompting her to stay seated. “Good morning, Rocco.
Your home is lovely.”
    “Thank you.” He sat down across from her, poured
himself some orange juice, and looked out at the greenery. “I find
it peaceful out here.”
    “I’ve never played.” Jill motioned to the golf
course “Are you good?”
    Rocco laughed. “I saw this house and fell in love
with the architecture, the neighborhood, and the beauty of the
course, but, believe it or not, I don’t play. I don’t like the
game. Never have.”
    “Well, I have to admit it’s kind of strange that
your backyard consists of miles of golf course when you dislike the
game. Maybe it’s not so much you dislike it as you’re no good at
it.”
    Rocco roared out a laugh. “You are very
presumptuous. You don’t hold back much, do you?”
    “No. Not so much. It’s always