Read The Devil's Intended-Love & Evil In Palm Beach Page 3

closer as she continued on to the southern tip. Kristen had the air conditioner on full blast and was tempted to stop at a hotel just so she could plunge into a pool. But the urge to finalize the journey kept her going and she finally reached Palm Beach around midnight.

   As the street sloped upwards, Kristen could now see the illuminated bridge ahead. Crossing the Intracoastal, she was greeted by the magnificent royal palms as they lined themselves in a meticulous row along each side of avenue. She had returned to her promised land and looked forward to seeing the ocean in the morning. It would be another new beginning.

  3 SHARK BEACH

   

   The horizon emerged from nowhere cascading deep reds into the abyss. It hung heavy above the water, devoid of motion. Suddenly, a large black fin shot up, growing larger and menacing in silhouette against the shadows.

   Kristen jolted up from behind the wheel of her car and watched it make a stealth pass through the few feet of water just off the shore. It then seemed to melt back into the dark.

   She could not believe that she finally saw her first shark! And, so close! She was enjoying making herself feel quite fearful and in a state of awe, until she snapped back and noticed the sun was taking an unbearably long time to show itself. She was growing impatient.

   As she parked at the curb awaiting the sunrise, she had a copy of yesterday’s newspaper with her. Holding it rumpled in the air, she squinted and pushed it up on the ceiling toward the map light. She paged over to the weather blurb.

   

  Moonset: 6:54...  Sunrise: 7:00…

  What happens in the six minutes in between?

   

   “For God’s sake! The sun rose a heck of a lot earlier at home.” This delay was ruining what started out as an almost sacred event for her. She had not done this in years and was determined to see it through.

   What does happen during the six minutes? Those minutes were the blackest early moments when the shark appeared.   

   They always say “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” That just about summed up her life. She always had to suffer before things improved. Even rich people had their own set of problems. She noticed as soon as it began to brighten that the waves started up again and gently rolled into the shore. 

     She could now see the dim outlines of a few people on the beach and more early birds sitting in two cars down the block from her. It seemed that the redness only developed more.  

   She got out of the car and sifted through the sand to the water. She was hoping to see the shark again. She sat down on the damp beach perching on top of her hands and noticed a couple approaching about a hundred feet from her. They kicked off their shoes and ran into the water. Kristen knew she should warn them, but kept silent. She cringed when they took a dive right where the shark had been. It was like watching a movie, she felt she couldn’t move or speak. The pair laughed and played around as Kristen witnessed with morbid curiosity. The shark did not re-surface. Complete exhaustion finally caused her to abandon the show. She was slightly amused by the fact she never said anything to them. That wasn’t like her. Now that she was back on the island, she felt herself changing. She wondered why? She wasn’t feeling like herself anymore.

     She slowly walked back to her car and drove to the hotel. Later that morning, she felt she should tell someone about the shark. She called up the town hall and they patched her through to someone in lifeguard services. The man who answered seemed disinterested as she told him of the sighting. He said large sharks were a common occurrence as they migrated back north and they did indeed come in close to shore. That was news to her. Kristen decided to never go swimming in the ocean again.

  The next day Kristen obtained a copy of the town’s newspaper which was fondly nicknamed the “Shiny Sheet”. She only saw a few ads for house rentals. There was a month to month place near the beach. It cost an incredible amount, but it was perfect for Kristen’s needs. Sight unseen, she pounced on it and sealed the deal on the phone. In Palm Beach, that’s what you had to do. Rentals were rare and went fast. After her truck arrived from Illinois the next day, she went over to pick up the key from the realtor’s office. The owner planned to eventually sell the small house, so it was empty when Kristen showed up. They had kept the pool open and Kristen jumped right in.

   She loved Palm Beach! The flowers were always in bloom and tropical birds abounded. The white egrets replaced the black sparrows that she was used to seeing up north. Being on a barrier island, it had that extra humidity with a cooling wind that always lulled her into a tranquil state. It made her dry winter skin feel delicious. Her hair felt softer and her mind was rested.

   The owner decided to come by and personally bring her the final papers to sign off on. Kristen was in the pool when he walked up and surprised her. He was in his seventies and very distinguished looking. He was down south taking care of a few details before heading back to New York where they had another estate. It seemed that he was enjoying the time away from his wife and asked “Can I join you in the pool?” Kristen answered “Sure.” He added “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a suit with me.” Laughing nervously, she quickly started up the pool ladder. “I think I have already had too much sun today. I am going inside. But you can go ahead and swim.” 

   He walked up to her and stroked her arm. “Come on, you’ve got a great body. No one will know.” Kristen put her towel around her and started to walk back into the house.” He followed her “I’ll lower the rent. Let’s party.” She answered “I’m saving myself for Le Bar tonight.” The bar was the newest hot spot on the island and everyone wanted to be seen there. He then invited her to go to dinner with him at Club Collette, an exclusive restaurant which was only for members. She loved the place and had often dined there with her parents, so she eagerly accepted the offer.

  The Landlord showed up in a chauffeured Rolls, which was standard transportation for the Palm Beach crowd. She climbed into the back seat and guarded her knees from him with her clutch. He smiled a lot at her. Maybe he thought he was going to get lucky at some point, he was probably used to it. He looked at her legs “I see you didn’t wear nylons. I like that.” Kristen said “I know that’s how the girls roll on the island.” He answered “You are right dear. You fit right in. You are a lot classier than most of them, especially for your age.” He lowered his voice "Are you old enough to drink?” She nodded her head affirmatively. Then she said sheepishly “Well, almost. My birthday is August 8th. I’m a Leo." He chuckled like a dirty old man “Well, then young lioness, you are too old for me. I’ll go easy on you.” The driver announced their destination and swiftly went to open their doors.

  Club Colette was a beautiful building set back hidden on a narrow street. If you didn’t know to look for it, you could easily miss seeing its small white gate. As they walked in, the room was filled with expensive perfume and pretentious toupees.

   It was a much older crowd than she expected. The Palm Beach Originals may be getting on in years, but the new money hadn’t quite taken over the island yet, and they still ruled supreme. Club Colette was one of their last holdouts and Kristen felt like she was at a party at her grandparents.

   They had a wonderful meal and many glasses of wine. As she finished her dessert, her landlord knew she was frothing at the mouth to get over to Le Bar. She really wanted to see what all the buzz was about. Though he was nice, she didn’t want to waste her time with him; he was too old, and there was so much that the night had to offer her. But she didn’t want to go alone into the Le Bar either, so she happily pulled him along behind her.

   Kristen had a great time dancing and mingling with the others. Contrary to belief, the local crowd was not snooty and was usually very friendly. But that was the case only if they knew you belonged there. The bartenders were also a lot of fun and openly poured drinks. They went through countless bottles pleasing the crowd and not the owner’s coffers.

   Kristen easily met several wealthy me
n. They always welcomed a fresh young face to the scene. Her date didn’t mind and was busy hiding from his wife’s friends by keeping mostly to their table which was hidden in a corner.

  As the night progressed, the crowd became younger and he felt safe to be seen again. He was quite the “duck” on the disco floor and Kristen enjoyed being out with him. 

   When the night wore out, he escorted her to the front area and parked her while he went to the Men’s Lounge. Kristen posed and smiled as the crowd walked past. A handsome figure approached her. His tight black shirt was unbuttoned to his chest and enhanced his sculpted muscles. He had long blonde hair and looked like a bronzed god straight off the cover of a drugstore romance novel. Best of all, he looked to be around her age.

   She stood to the side to let him by, but he walked right up and took her hand. He leaned over to kiss it and held it lightly in the air as he introduced himself.

   “Hello Beautiful.” He brushed a long bang to the side of his forehead and smiled at her. “I have been watching you all night. I am Gregory.” Kristen laughed and told him her name. He kissed her hand again. “What will it take to get you to go back in and dance with me?”

   Her landlord returned and he gave a nasty look at Gregory as he grabbed