| Sample
Chapter For GRETEL'S GRATIFICATION by Karen Mandeville
Gretel squinted as she flicked the visor
guard in the car to block the sun from shining into her eyes.
“Well, this is nice, don’t you think?”
Hansel asked, as they drove along the dirt road.
“You know my stance on camping,” Gretel said,
as she played with the ends of her hair. She was sick of the only view
being trees for the last forty-five minutes.
“It’s not camping. This cabin is the most
luxurious one we could get. There is a spa; there’s gas heating.
It’s got cable television. Everything you need,” he said,
trying to make light of the situation.
“If it has all this stuff, why couldn’t we
just stay at home?” Gretel said, looking out the window. “If
it has television, all you are going to end up doing is sitting in front
of it, and then it would be no different than what would happen two hours
drive from here.”
Hansel sighed. “Honey. I am trying my best. I think
the least you can do is be a little enthusiastic about this weekend retreat.”
“I am enthusiastic,” she interrupted. “I
just need to get out of this car. This scenery is driving me mad. All
I’ve seen since the main road is trees!” She pulled at the
seatbelt and moved to face Hansel. “How much farther is it?”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” he
said, gripping the steering wheel. The moment he suggested a weekend retreat,
she was on edge. “What can I do to make this trip a little less
tedious for you?”
“I thought this retreat was supposed to be about
rest and relaxation and a bit of fun,” she said. “You are
making it sound like home. I want things to be spontaneous. I want to
run free with nature, but not so much that I get bitten by bugs or chased
by bears!”
“I was hoping we would be inside the cabin too much
to be out with the bears, but whatever turns you on, baby,” Hansel
said with a grin.
“It concerns me that you actually listened to your
mother’s ideas about a weekend away,” Gretel said, rolling
her eyes as she looked out the window again. “So how much farther
is it?”
“Gretel,” he said, his knuckles turning whiter
as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I swear, I love you,
but sometimes, you just shit me with your attitude. You know how far it
is, yet you keep asking.”
“Don’t be getting the shitties with me. All
I have to do is just sit here.” She pouted. “I know we are
doing this for our marriage, but it concerns me that your mother suggested
a romantic weekend away in the woods. Does she not realize that it’s
also a perfect opportunity to bury a body?”
Hansel could feel her staring at him. “Is that a
threat?”
“Depends.” She smirked. “Live in fear.”
“Look, the counselor said that we should try just
being together for a weekend. If we can’t make it through the next
two days without a shovel in one hand and one of us beneath the ground,
then I will gladly sign the papers for you.”
“I’m just surprised your mother suggested
it. She does realize by her offering this, she effectively wants me to
stay with her precious little boy,” Gretel said. “I just don’t
have the energy to fight anymore. I love you, but you are my partner,
not your family. I’ve said it a million times—if our relationship
is going to survive, then they all need to stop meddling.”
Hansel kept his focus on the road ahead. “This is
supposed to be a weekend for the two of us just to talk, do whatever we
want. Do you have to keep throwing my mother in my face?”
“Well you throw her in my face when you don’t
get what you want,” Gretel snapped back.
“Oh, honey, I haven’t gotten what I want from
you in a long time,” Hansel said.
“And you have the hide to make comments about my
attitude!” She seethed, as she folded her arms defiantly. “Enjoy
the next two days, Hansel, because after this, I don’t know where
we will be.”
Hansel shook his head and thought, It’s going to
be a long weekend indeed.
* * * *
Gretel looked around as they neared the cabin. It was
in a small clearing and well concealed with trees. It looked like the
only sign of human life within that pocket of the forest. She waited for
Hansel to stop the car.
“What? Are you waiting for the butler to open the
door for you?” he asked, as he opened his own door.
“No,” she said. “It looks dank.”
Hansel moved to the back of the car to get the bags out
of the trunk, while Gretel headed for the front door. She noticed a hammock
strung precariously between two trees at the side of the cottage. Letting
the door swing wide open, Gretel screwed her nose up and shut her eyes.
“And it is dank.” Gretel slowly stepped inside
for a closer inspection of the wooden cabin’s interior.
Hansel sighed as he placed the bags down and stood by
her side.
Neither spoke, but they knew the other was staring at
the one big bed in the centre of the room.
“Your bags, madam,” Hansel said, moving into
the kitchen area and flicking on the tap. “You have running water,
a spa and heating. What more could you want?”
“Civilization? Cell phone reception?”
“You are a creature of habit,” he said, walking
toward the bed and bouncing on the edge. “Time for you to live outside
your comfort zone.”
“I do live outside my comfort zone,” she said,
glaring at him. “Every single day.”
“And now what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means what it means,” Gretel said, reaching
for her bag. “Exactly what I said.”
“So what do you want to do first?” Hansel
asked.
“What would your mother suggest?” Gretel said,
pulling on her jacket.
Hansel’s smile faded as he shook his head, “You
have to make it so hard. I am trying my best, Gretel. I love you, but
fuck, you don’t give anyone a chance. You have to look for fault
in everything everyone does. If I didn’t love you, do you think
I would have put up with your whining for the last two hours to get here,
let alone the time that I’m surely chomping at the bit to endure
for the drive home. You know I’m a patient man but Jesus, woman,
you are pushing me to my limit. I love you; I know we can work through
things, but you have to be prepared to make a compromise too.” Gretel
opened her mouth to speak but Hansel cut her off by continuing. “You
have—and always did and will continue to have—my attention,
but just because I’m not looking at you when I speak, or I have
to focus a little of my time on other things, doesn’t mean that
I love you any less.”
Gretel toyed with the cuff on her sleeve. “I’m
sorry that you think of me that way.” She turned on her heel and
reached for the door to pull it closed.
“Where are you going?” he mumbled.
“Just a walk,” she said.
“Walk away then,” he said, looking back to
his feet.
“Fine,” Gretel snapped.
“Fine!” Hansel quipped back.
Gretel pulled at her overcoat and turned to face him at
the door. “I can’t believe you just said that to me. You can
be very insensitive at times.”
“You can be just as annoying,” Hansel said.
“Where do you think you are going? There’s nowhere for you
to go for miles.”
“I just can’t be in the same room with you
for the moment,” she said. “I need to think about this by
myself, okay? I’m not giving you a ‘no’ for an answer,
but I need to think about this. There are many other factors to consider
that don’t include either of us.”
“But where are you going?”
“For a walk,” Gretel said, opening the door.
“You won’t get far in those shoes. The ground’s
not ready for stilettos!” he yelled.
Gretel didn’t even bother to respond. She slammed
the door shut behind her, and looked at the forest that surrounded her.
No phones, no cars, no people, no white noise to confuse her mind further.
This was just what she needed. Sit quietly and take stock of where their
relationship had come.
They used to be so hot and heavy when they were going
out, and then when they got married, they seemed to fall into a rut, learned
to depend on the security that each other provided, but let the lust in
their relationship fall to the wayside due to work commitments, deadlines
and meetings. About the only spontaneous thing they had done as a couple
was come on this retreat, and that was at the suggestion of their marriage
counselor, who got the idea from his mother!
Gretel disliked Hansel’s mother from the get-go.
She was intrusive, would turn up at their house unannounced and find flaws
in everything Gretel did. Nothing was ever good enough for her son. The
woman frustrated the hell out of her. Gretel never had to worry about
Hansel being with another woman. His mother was the other woman in their
relationship.
Pulling her coat tighter around her, Gretel set off walking
past the car and headed towards the dirt track that led into the forest.
The leaves crunched into the pebbles under her feet as she walked along.
It was early afternoon. The sky was bright and the leaves in the trees
looked their greenest. The sound of birds tweeting and calling to each
other kept Gretel looking to the sky. The farther she walked under the
canopy of the trees, the more the air took on a chill. She pulled the
collar of her jacket around her ears and shoved her hands inside her pockets.
She turned and looked to the cottage when she heard Hansel
calling for her. He was standing in the doorway. Gretel scoffed at the
sight and turned on her heel. She wanted to be by herself! She quickened
her pace, knowing that he would most likely come after her.
Choosing to go left at a fork in the track, Gretel stopped
behind a large tree and caught her breath. She slowly moved her head around
the edge of the tree to see if Hansel was coming along behind her. She
held her breath and listened hard. When she couldn’t hear the sound
of footsteps, she stepped clear and continued along the track.
Reviews For
GRETEL'S GRATIFICATION by Karen Mandeville
Knowing the story of Hansel and Gretel as brother and
sister, the writer made it was easy to switch their roles into that of
a married couple! The author, Karen Manderville, created many unique twists
throughout the story that keeps the reader be on the edge of their seat
to see what happens next, both in their marriage and sexuality. At times,
it would be laugh out loud moments with the issues surrounding the mother-in-law
as well as the circumstances they find themselves in, while finding their
marriage again! The pages scorched but were very romantic. Gretel's Gratification
made a sizzling story that also was a refreshing and fun read! Caffey
from Rites of Romances
|
