Room 30

(Author's note: Hi Everyone! Thank you all for checking out my stories. This is a standalone tale featuring Mia, the personal assistant to Elaine Danvers. I had originally conceived it as a sexy story with a sting in its tale, but it went beyond that and became something else entirely. Not a lot of sex in this one, but if you've read some of my other stories I hope you enjoy spending time with these characters! As always, please feel free to rate or comment, love receiving your thoughts! - Chloe xx)

Elaine had sent me off to confirm some locations for the shooting of The Gift, our latest production. Everything was going swimmingly until we had heard the country manor which was to be the exteriors of Camberton Hall in the film was undergoing renovations. Luckily, when I arrived, they were almost complete, and I was assured the scaffolding that currently covered part of the front of the property would be taken down in time to shoot the scenes of Florence arriving.

It had been a long drive, and Elaine had personally booked me into a country inn nearby. Strange behaviour for my mistress, but I was sure she had her reasons to do so. When I arrived, I really took to the place; it was an old coach inn which had been in use for over three hundred years. It was the only building for miles around, surrounded by farmer's fields up to the horizon.

I collected my luggage -- a laptop bag and weekender -- and went inside. Even at my diminutive 5'5, I almost had to stoop through the low beamed doorway. I walked into the bar, where a man in his forties was chatting. I caught his eye, and he made his way over to me.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"Yes, I have a room booked here for tonight. Mia Marsden."

He stared at me for a long moment.

"Yes..." he looked like this was some awful event that he'd been dreading all day.

"Is there a problem?" It would be unlike Elaine to have forgotten any detail.

"Look... would it be possible for you to choose a different room?"

"What do you mean?" I was really curious now.

"Well... you've been specifically booked into the attic room..."

"Yes?" I was playing along, trying to infer I understood what had been planned and why this man was questioning Elaine's choice.

"Is there something wrong with it?" I asked.

"No... a lot of people have... enjoyed their stay... for the most part."

"I'm sure it will be fine then!" I held out my hand for the key. Reluctantly, the man placed it in my hand.

"Room 30. It's the only one on the third floor. Would you like a hand with your luggage?"

I took the key and looked at it. It was a large, old-fashioned sort, with a large wooden fob with the number 30 etched into it.

"I'll be fine, thank you," I said, picking up my bags.

As I got to the second-floor landing, I heard footsteps coming down from above. As I waited, a young blonde woman turned the corner of the final few steps.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "Sorry! I'm Daphne, I work here. I was just doing a check on the room." she smiled warmly at me. I held out my hand.

"Mia. Pleased to meet you. I'm staying up there tonight."

"Well don't stay in there all evening, Mia. We've got some decent wines, and the kitchen is open till 9 o'clock." She was still holding my hand and i felt her thumb slide over the back of it.

"Thanks, I'll be down shortly," I said. I admit, it felt a bit strange, but I couldn't put my finger on why.

The key turned easily in the lock, and I went inside the room. It was quite large, with a sloping ceiling. There was a large bed facing the door, with a wardrobe, a desk and a set of drawers. On the far side, a plastic curtain covered where the toilet and shower were located.

I plonked my laptop case on the desk, my bag on the bed. I'd packed light, enough for a couple of changes of clothes if necessary. First, I wanted to feel fresh after my long day, so I jumped in the shower.

Much better, I thought, as I made my way downstairs. As I came down to the ground floor however, I could hear two voices in a heated exchange. It was one of those conversations you have when you're angry but trying to keep things quiet, so you end up picking up on the forcefulness of it rather than the words themselves. I made a point of being extra loud with my feet as I came down the last few steps, to be quickly passed by a tall man. He looked sullenly at me, as if my presence offended him in some way, then stormed past me towards the kitchen.

I looked round in the direction he'd come from and saw Daphne, the woman I'd passed earlier.

"Are you okay, Daphne?" Her head span round as she heard me.

"What? Oh, yes... don't mind that, just a difference of opinion." she managed to compose herself and smile at me.

"I took the liberty of booking you a table, Mia. We do get quite busy."

"I confess, I hadn't even thought of that. The place was dead when I arrived!" Come to think of it, I could now hear a lot of conversations coming from the next room and the clink of cutlery.

I followed Daphne through to the dining room, which had about 20 tables, most of which were already occupied. She pulled out a chair for me and i sat down, smiling up at her. There was a menu on the table, and I started to look through it. I could quickly gather why this place was so popular as the dishes on offer were of a good quality. I spotted something on the menu I'd never tried before, so I turned to...

"Oh!" The person stood by my table wasn't Daphne but another young woman, wearing a waitress uniform and holding a small writing pad.

"Yes, hi... um I'll have the guinea fowl please, and a bottle of sauvignon to go with it." I glanced around but could not see where Daphne had disappeared to. I handed the menu to the waitress, and she said she'd be back with the wine shortly.

The guinea fowl was excellent, as was the wine. I declined having a desert but took the bottle with me through to the bar. I found an empty table in the corner of the room, poured myself another glass and pulled out my phone.

Thank God, this place had decent wi-fi; I was checking for messages from Elaine, my boss. My mistress. I missed her. Today was the first time in a year when I hadn't seen or spoke to her at some point. There was a text, replying to one I'd sent from the manor house earlier:

"Glad to hear everything is ok. Just seen the dailies from the barber set and OMFG! When you get back, we'll watch it together! The whole unedited version!"

Then, there was a slightly later text:

"How's the Inn?"

An innocent enough question, but then I remembered that she had specified the room I should stay in. I was about to inquire why she had done this, when...

"Mind if I join you, Mia?"

I looked up and saw Daphne, holding a bottle of red wine and a glass. It occurred to me now that she wasn't wearing the same uniform as the other staff. She wore a black skirt which ended just below her knees, and a white peasant tunic, the sort which would be worn off the shoulder, like she was doing now. I could see the start of her cleavage poking from the top of it. Earlier she'd worn her hair pinned up, which accentuated my assumption she was one of the staff, but now she'd worn it down, with a centre parting long enough to reach her midriff.

"Certainly! Um...sorry, I thought... are you not working tonight?"

She shook her head. "No, I was just helping out for a sec when the bar and kitchen were getting busy."

"I was really surprised when you disappeared in the dining room, earlier."

"Its best I don't take any orders, it upsets the waitresses."

"Well, the food was excellent," I said. Daphne poured herself a glass of red -- I noted it was the same sauvignon I'd ordered -- and raised her glass.

"How does it go...Good food, good wine and... good company?" I clinked glasses with her and smiled back. There was something about Daphne I was finding captivating. She most certainly was good company.

"Here's to that, Daphne."

"So, what are you doing all the way out here, Mia?" she asked. I settled in and explained about Lioness Pictures, about Elaine, and the reason for my being here.

"Oh yes, I know the place. It's been here as long as the Inn! Did you know, its rumoured to be haunted!"

"Why am I not surprised," I chuckled, "and what about this Inn? You said it's been around a long time, I'm sure it has seen some strange occurrences over the years?"

"Well, it's seen a lot of history but nothing supernatural as far as I know. A few people died here, a long time ago, and a couple of notorious highwaymen used to frequent here." She smiled at me and nodded toward the far wall.

"There's a placard on the wall there, which will tell you all about it."

"Well maybe I'll take a look in the morning. I'm enjoying your company too much to interrupt it." Oh wow. I actually said that. Must be the wine. Speaking of which, Daphne was topping up my glass from her bottle. As she placed the bottle down, she reached for my hand, stroking the back of it.

"Well, that's good, because I'm enjoying yours too." Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she stared at me.

"Last Orders!" yelled the barman. I looked at the time and realised we'd been talking for well over an hour! Daphne looked round, then turned back to me. She was playing with her hair, looking into my eyes.

"What say we grab one more bottle of wine... and take it up to your room?"

I managed to not slur too much when I bought the wine and headed for the stairs. In the corridor, I passed that same guy from earlier. The scowler. He looked exactly the same. What was his problem? I couldn't be bothered to find out or start an argument though, and just moved on past to the staircase.

When I got to the top landing, I turned and oh, she was there! I hadn't heard Daphne coming up the stairs behind me but here she was with two glasses.

"Come on in," I said to her, opening the door to room 30.

"It's nice here, isn't it? Not too noisy, lots of room..." said Daphne, looking around.

"My boss chose it for me," I said. Daphne turned and smiled.

"Then she has impeccable taste and obviously thinks the world of you!" That made me blush a little, glad that it was so apparent to this woman. I filled our glasses and handed one to Daphne. We sat side by side on the bed, turning to face each other as we drank.

"You're very beautiful, Mia," she said.

"I've been thinking the same about you all night, Daphne," I said softly. She took the glass from my hand and put it on the bedside table, then reached for my cheek, caressing it. I closed my eyes, enjoying her soft touch. I felt her lips on mine, brushing lightly. I leant in, just enough pressure back to let her know it was okay... I wanted her as much as she wanted me.

She looked at me and smiled, then leant in again, this time with her tongue leading the charge pushing past my lips. Her hand slid round to my nape, caressing the short hair of my undercut bob. It was like she instinctively knew that would get me going, it reminded me so much of how Elaine likes to touch me there! I stroked her arm, moved to hold her hip as we kissed and sucked on each other's lips and tongue.

We were wearing too many clothes. I pulled on the lace tying the front of Daphne's peasant top, unravelling it. Her breasts seemed to swell now they were released from its tightness. I pressed my hand against them, stroking, squeezing them. They felt full, weighty in my palm. She moaned as I tweaked her nipple between my fingers.

She lifted her top off and I broke the world record for unbuttoning a blouse. I pressed her down, onto the bed, taking her hands in mine as we kissed. Our freed breasts found each other, rubbing nipples. My knee pushed between her thighs and I was grinding on her.

She didn't speak, and neither did I. We were caught up in our passionate lust for each other. My thigh pressed against her mound, and she wrapped a leg around me, pressing me against herself. Her eyes shone with lust, little nods of her head, little moans catching in her throat, which slowly built louder and louder, until she squeezed my hands tight and arched her back in climax.

I let go of her hands and suddenly, quickly, she rolled me onto my back, with her on top of me. She looked down and smiled, sweetly, kissing my face, my jaw, my neck, slowly making her way down my body. She sucked on each breast, pulling and tweaking my nipples, just like Elaine would -- oh god she could read me like a book, I thought, as she pulled my nipple between her teeth. I ran my fingers through her hair as she kissed my belly.

She didn't stop, but slid between my thighs, lifting one leg over her shoulder. I felt her lips on my fur and leaked arousal on my own thigh. God she was pushing all of my buttons! I clutched her hair tight, making her whimper, when she kissed my pussy lips and pressed her tongue between them.

"Oh Daphne, yessss" I managed to utter between shallow breaths. She feasted upon me, as if I were a ripe watermelon and she was gorging on my pink flesh. She licked and probed my cunt, her thumb on my clit, rubbing in a steady rhythm which was now in tune with her probing tongue. It surged up through me, an explosive building of pressure. I was so close...

Suddenly, the door to my room burst open. I looked up to see the stroppy guy from earlier in the evening. He looked so angry and had something in his hand.

"I KNEW IT YOU WHORE!" he screamed and brought his arm up. He was holding a pistol!

I couldn't move. I was frozen to the spot and, worse, Daphne wasn't stopping! She kept licking and strumming my clit. I was already teetering on the edge; my orgasm was unstoppable even in the face of...oh god I was cumm-

BANG!

I jolted upright in bed, gulping air into my lungs, clutching my chest. I..

I was alone. What the fuck?

The door remained closed, locked, even. There was no one in the room. I checked behind the curtain where the shower was. Nothing.

I checked the time -- it was 6am.

I had a shower, washing my body. I had definitely cum, last night. My pussy felt sensitive, as did my nipples.

I got dressed and went down to the dining room. The barman who'd given me the key yesterday was there.

"Won't you join me, Miss Marsden?" he asked. I nodded and sat opposite him. A waitress appeared and I ordered a Full English with toast and coffee. I felt famished.

I looked at the man sat opposite me.

"You're not just the barman here, are you?" I asked. He smiled and shook his head.

"No, I'm Eric Maberly, the owner and landlord."

"And... what happened to me last night... has happened before, hasn't it?"

Eric sighed and nodded.

"Prove it. Tell me her name."

He looked me in the eye and said, "Daphne. Daphne Willow."

"And the man?"

"Tom Blake, her ex-boyfriend, as far as we can tell. He shot himself after he'd killed Daphne and her lover"

"What do you mean, as far as you can tell?"

"Well, the local parish records show that Daphne was unmarried at the time of her death," Eric said, pouring Mia a cup of coffee.

"The parish records?" I took a sip of coffee, delicious. Parish records...wait, what?

"How long ago, did they die?" I asked.

"The night in question was June 3rd, 1877." Eric said.

"June 3rd was last night."

"Yes," said Eric, "you've got it."

I looked at him hard, my brain was working in overdrive, trying to look at a big picture the size of a planet while standing upon it.

"So, every other day of the year..." I said. Eric nodded.

"Nothing untoward happens in Room 30."

"Until June 3rd."

"Correct, Miss Marsden."

"When was the last time someone spent the night in room 30, on the night of June 3rd?" I was almost interrogating the poor man.

"Your breakfast is getting cold," he said.

"I love a cold breakfast. Tell me." He looked at me for a long moment before sighing, sitting back in his chair.

"Ten years ago. There was an incident; a man had a heart attack and almost died. It made it into the local news... we denied any supernatural linkage of course. There was some interest from spectral investigators and the like, and we let that idiot spiritualist Derek Notoria have a play in there. But none of them knew about the specificity of the date. They all went home empty handed, and we've made sure never to take bookings on June 3rd."

The cogs in my brain were in hyperdrive.

"...and then Elaine Danvers called..." I said...waiting for him to finish my sentence...

"...and offered to pay £5,000 to book the room for her personal assistant." He had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.

"And you agreed?" I suspected not... there was another long pause and he chuckled to himself as he recalled the conversation.

"No... I said, to her, Look love, it'd take at least £10,000 for me to even THINK about letting you book that room."

"Elaine paid you ten grand for me to sleep in that room?"

"Twenty, actually. And an indemnity clearing us of any liability, should...something happen."

I sat back and chewed on some toast, my eyes kind of glazed over in thought.

"Um... are you alright, Miss Marsden? No... ill effects?" he asked. I did like him. Even though he had Elaine's indemnity, he still was concerned. I gave him a smile.

"I'm fine -- just...trying to digest it all. I do have a little request though."

"Yes?"

"How far back do your records go, for the guests who stayed in that room on June 3rd?"

I arrived back home, showered and changed, then headed to Lioness Productions headquarters. The top two floors of The Lioness's Den were Elaine's home and office. I let myself in, and saw her out on her balcony, a cigarette in her hand. She knew I would come here. I walked out onto the balcony and slid my arms around her waist, hugging her back. I felt her hand on mine.

We stayed like that as she finished her cigarette, my head against her back, her fingers stroking the back of my hand as i held her to me. Eventually, she stubbed out the remainder and said, "let's go in and have a chat, dear."

I went over to the drinks cabinet and poured two single-malts with one ice cube each, just as she likes it. I turned and was surprised to see her sat on the leather tuffet rather than the sofa. As i handed her the drink she motioned me to sit opposite her.

I studied her face. I could tell, she'd been worried, and after what I'd experienced, with good reason. I wanted to comfort her but not before we had a chat.

"I did some digging, at the coach-house," I said. She stared at her drink, swirling the ice.

"An "Elaine Reardon" stayed in room 30, on the night of June 3rd 2005...Reardon was your late husband's name..." Not many people knew that Elaine was a widow. Her husband was a vicious prick by all accounts and had died in a road-rage incident he himself had started.

Elaine nodded and took a sip of her drink.

"Yes, darling. I was still using his name; it was a short time after the funeral."

"You encountered Daphne?"

She nodded, looking at me now.

"Was she... your first woman?"

There were tears in her eyes now. Her face was twitching, trying to keep her emotions in check but the cracks were unbearable for me to watch. I took her drink out of her hand and pulled her into me. There was a forceful noise from her, like a... a sob, perhaps; then... silence. I just held her.

"I'm so sorry... you, seeing me like this..." she said quietly, eventually.

"It's ok, my lioness... I'm here for you..."

"I'd locked so much away... I was so numb and empty after he died...and the worst of it was...that was an improvement on how he made me feel when he was alive!" She never, mentioned his name. God, I hated him.

"I ended up staying in that inn..." she continued, "Nobody there knew the significance of the date, back then, and after, I wasn't telling. I did my own research into the place."

She kept her head on my chest, as I stroked her long blonde hair.