Time flies when you'rehaving fun, Brianna thought when she tried to remember how long it has been since she met Frank. Three weeks? Four? She wasn't sure anymore. Brie was at home, and staring out of the window.

It was a sad, rainy evening. Dark, except for the streetlights shattering their broken shadows over the wet asphalt. She met Frank on a Friday night in her favorite local bar, The Drunken Sailor. Brie and her friends were out, having the usual fun. In Brie's case this meant getting drunk, hooking up with some guy, making out and fondling in the alley, and then complaining to her friends about guys and how stupid they all are.

Most times the evening would end up with her in the guy's bed, or even worse, the back of his car. That night was different; Brie wasn't feeling very good, so she didn't drink as much as she normally would. It made the night even worse. Being sober, she kind of realized how stupid it all seemed.

Same shit, different day, she thought looking around the crowded bar. She knew the place so well; she knew the people too well. Mike, with his insecurity, she smiled. Cute, but no idea what to do with a woman.

She looked around. Rob, who thinks he is God's gift to women. She shook her head, Bobby, who changes every talk you have into a talk about him. Brie started to feel more and more depressed. Jason, acting as the mysterious silent type. She had to laugh, Damn, what a bunch of losers. And the worst part was that Brie had slept with all of them.

Brie stood at the bar talking to her friends. To be honest, it was more of a long solo rant. Her friends knew the drill; they loved her but no one could stand this ranting. Every time it was the same old story —"Boys this; boys that." They would pretend to listen, try to nod or hum approvingly at the right time, hoping it would be over soon.

Brie had to go to the ladies’ room, and that was when she ran into Frank. She had to pass him and when she did he turned around. "You are a real piece of work," he smiled.

Brie stopped, frowned and tilted her head a little bit. "What do you mean?" she asked. Brianna knew Frank; hell, everyone knew Frank.

Frank was a local celebrity. Not the actor or musician kind. No, Frank was just… ‘locally famous’. No one actually knew where he came from. He moved to this area about ten years ago and stories were going around that he came from L.A., others claimed Florida and some knew for sure he was British.

Frank was a multi-millionaire and a lot of stories were going round about his fortune as well. “He inherited it”, “He had a big business”, “He invented things”, “He is a computer god”; but no one really seemed to know where he got his money from.

Everyone loved him, though. Frank was just a nice, friendly guy who happened to have a lot of money. He didn’t show off with his wealth; the only thing that people knew was that he had was his mansion and a 2012 Lotus Esprit sports car.

Frank observed her—his eyes rolled over her body and he shook his head just a little bit. Brie saw this and got pissed; tonight she was in no mood for games. "Obviously you have no idea what is going on," Frank said.

He got up from the bar, laid twenty-five dollars on the counter and walked to the door. "Hey, not so fast," Brie cried and ran after him, but Frank was surprisingly fast, and by the time Brie got to the door he was already outside. She saw him standing on the corner, and when he saw Brie he gently smiled, turned around and walked to the river.

Brie followed but started to get a bit scared. Damn, what am I getting myself into? she wondered. He could be some freak, luring me to the river.

She laughed a bit; for some reason she knew this wasn't the case. But you never know, right? said the little voice inside her head.

She watched Frank sitting down at the bank of the river on a big stone. He sat down, leaned backwards and stared over the river. "Come," he suddenly spoke, "I won't hurt you if that's what you think." His voice sounded warm and friendly, and he spoke slowly, like he thought about every word he said. Slowly she came closer, and finally stood next to Frank.

"Sit," he smiled and his hand offered a spot next to him. "So, you're curious about what I said," he simply stated and looked at Brie.

"Euh... well... kinda," she stuttered. Her eyes flashed up and down, not sure where to look.

"I am Frank… as you obviously know," he said. Brie told him her name.

"Well Brianna," he began, "I have seen you in that bar many times, and each week it's the same old story." He nodded a few times. "I don’t listen in on your complaints, but I pick up a few things here and there"

Brie tried to remember if she had seen Frank before? She couldn't tell, but she was not the person that really paid attention to other people. He is cute, the voice said, and Brianna had to agree, Handsome as well.

Frank was a bit taller than she was, dressed in all black. His hair was brown and he had a pair of the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen, the kind of eyes that pierce right through you.

He was slim, but not skinny. He wasn't muscled like some guys who train a lot at the gym, but he looked like someone who got his muscles from hard work. His face was gentle and there was something about him that made him look wise and trustworthy.

She began to wonder why she had actually never noticed him before. "You, my dear," he said, "You have an identity problem."

Brie frowned. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "You blame all your problems on others, while in fact the biggest problem is you."

Brie raised her eyebrows and Frank continued, "If you don't know how to love yourself, you never can love someone else," he smiled. He moved a bit on his rock and leaned forward. He took a stick and started to draw patterns in the sand.

"You look for love, but you have no idea what you are looking for. You basically don't know yourself and blame it on others if they hurt or disappoint you."

She thought about it and disagreed. "Nah, that's not true; I know exactly what I want"

"Do you?" Frank wondered and Brie nodded quickly.

"What's the most sensitive side of your body?" he asked.

Brie frowned. What the hell is this about? she asked herself.

"Well?" Frank asked again.

"Euh," she mumbled, "Hmm... not sure... Right?... Left?"

Brianna got confused, sitting in the middle of the night at the banks of the Delaware with a stranger, and it felt that this conversation slowly turned. "See," Frank smiled, "You don't know anything. I see a woman who is afraid to be alone, and because of that she settles for less."

Brie got angry. "And you're going to tell me soon that you are the guy that can fulfill my needs, right? I think you’ll just tell me some bull crap, hoping to get into my pants."

Frank laughed, "Oh, no," he laughed out loud, "Don't get me wrong." He stood up now and looked down on Brianna. “You are gorgeous, and I guess every guy would love to fuck you." Frank reached in his pocket and dug out a business card. "Including me," he smiled.

"But the truth is that you," and he pointed his finger at her, “Wouldn't have any idea what to do with me." He tossed his card to Brianna and, like a little chopper, it swirled on the sand in front of her. "If you're interested in finding you then give me a call." He turned away from her and began walking. "Otherwise, have a nice life."

Brianna watched him vanish into the night. She took the card and turned it around a few times. There was nothing on it except his first name and a phone number. Without thinking, she put it away, curled her legs up and stared at the river. She would sit there until the early sun started to light the day.

--- 

Frank intrigued her. If she really thought about it, and ignored the things Frank said that had hurt her, then she had to admit that he was right.

The part about her settling for less so that she wouldn’t be alone had hit her pretty hard. Brie always felt she set high standards for men, but was now questioning those standards.

Throughout the day she thought about this and, at the end of the day, she decided to give him a call. Brie was curious about Frank; the stories that were buzzing around her hometown were vague and very diverse. At least she could try to find out a bit more about this mystery. Frank invited her to come over to his mansion the next day, and Brianna accepted the invitation.

She drove her car up his driveway and stopped. Turning from the main road upon Mansion Hilltop Road, she had to stop in front of a beautiful iron gate. A sign pointed out a small box and she was supposed to ring a buzzer next to a camera.

A male voice asked her who she was. She told the man her name and a few seconds later the gates opened. She drove further and followed the swirling drive way.

The driveway after the gate was a cobblestone path, just wide enough to fit a car. It swirled through the beautiful landscaped front yard and she felt like she was in a fairy tale.

Trees were scattered around; there were flowers and shrubs everywhere, and little secret passages with fountains and benches. She spotted birds and little animals, and she even thought she saw a couple of deer wandering around. It looked amazing and Brie couldn’t believe she had never heard about this beautiful garden.

Finally she arrived at the front door of the mansion. The cobblestone path ended in a circle with a flower and shrub patch right in the middle.

From there the path seemed to swirl back through the woods again.

Brie didn’t see any parking space, so she shrugged and just parked her car in front of the mansion. She got out of her car and looked around. The mansion was beautiful. It was a dark brick building with bright white window sills and an old looking tile roof, although she could tell the roof was pretty new.

The three level round tower was the eye-catch of the mansion. On the first level was a little patio hidden underneath a big room on the second floor. Above that floor was a white picket fence surrounding a smaller tower, and Brie imagined Frank had some sort of sun deck there.

Two big, white pillars with an arch above accented the entrée that was hidden inside. On each side there was a similar two-level building. The buildings were not attached in a straight line but cornered out a bit. Each of those buildings had three big windows that covered the entire height. The second level seemed to have two rooms, directly connected to the tower. And connected to each of those buildings was a single floor room, each with the same three big windows. The mansion looked brand new, but with a rustic and traditional feel.

Brie walked up the three steps leading to the front door, took the doorknocker and knocked a few times. A man, dressed in a uniform, opened the door. “I’m here to see Frank,” Brie said. The man simply nodded and let her in inside the lounge

“Wait here, please, until someone comes to get you.” Brie immediately spotted the old English accent.

The man pointed out a nice sofa and Brie sat down. “May I have your car keys, please?” the man asked, “I will park it behind the house. Master doesn’t like to see cars blocking his view”

Brie frowned. Master? Did I fucking end up in Victorian times? she thought, but gave the man her keys as he requested. The man walked out and she heard him drive away with her car.

A few minutes later a woman appeared. “Hi, I’m Debbie,” she said, “Follow me please.”

Obviously she was a house maid. Debbie was dressed in a black dress, with a traditional white lace apron, black pantyhose and black pumps completed the outfit. Brie followed her inside the house. They went through the door and into a small hallway that seemed to be going around. Debbie went straight ahead, opened the door to the main room to let Brianna in and then she disappeared.

“Welcome,” she heard Frank say although she couldn’t see him. She walked towards his voice and found him lying on a comfortable sofa.

“Hi,” Brie answered and looked around the living room.

Frank got up and gave her a hug, “Let me give you a quick tour of the house.”

“This is the living room… obviously,” he smiled. Brianna started to walk around. The room was at least a hundred foot long and eighty foot wide.

“It’s huge,” she whispered and felt a bit intimidated by it. Her parents had their own successful business and lived a comfortable life, but that was nothing compared to this.

“Yes it is,” Frank smiled, “I love to have some space.” He walked to the end of the room and Brie followed him. Her eyes opened wide; she was in total awe.

The room was divided into four sections, like someone had just cut the room in half on both sides. The first section was the dining area, right next to the door. It had a big rectangular wooden table with rounded ends and the table was set in a very elegant way. Above the table hung a crystal chandelier and six solid chairs finished it off.

On the other side was the library. Book cases separated it from the rest. Inside the corner was a small table with two leather chairs. She peeked quickly inside and was impressed by the collection of books. “Most of them are very old; first editions,” Frank said.

The third area was the chill area. A huge corner sofa was put opposite the wall with some matching chairs and tables around it. On the wall hung a huge flat screen TV—it must have been at least seventy inches. “Nice TV,” she smiled. She didn’t see any wires or cables, which surprised her; the media center in her parents’ house was a mess of wires and her father always complained that mankind can send people into space, but are not able to get rid of those damn cables. Underneath the TV were glass shelves with the rest of the stuff—DVD player, stereo set and some other boxes she didn’t recognize.

“Oh… my… God…” Brianna whispered when she saw the last section, “Are you freaking kidding me?” The last section was sunk into the floor, about a foot deeper than the rest of the room. Inside that area was a small swimming pool surrounded by a marble floor. She looked at Frank in total surprise.

“What?” he laughed and walked towards the pool.

“You’ve got a pool in your living room?”

“Not exactly,” Frank smiled, “Come and I’ll show you.” Brie joined Frank at the edge of the pool. The pool was small at the top, four or five foot wide. Then it swirled through the section and became wider until it was about fifteen foot. “Look under the window and underwater,” Frank said.

Brianna squeezed her eyes and saw a sort of tube thing. “What is it?”

“It’s the underwater connection to the outside pool,” Frank smiled, “You can start here, swim to the window, dive under water for a few seconds and you’re outside.” Brie was impressed and for a second she had no idea what to say.

“Come,” Frank said. He opened the sliding glass doors and walked outside. It was a beautiful spring morning and they sat down on the luxurious garden chairs.

“Now, let’s talk about why you’re here,” Frank began and looked at Brianna.

“Well… You invited me… Remember?”

Frank laughed, “Of course I do, and you always accept all invitations?”

Brie shook her head, “No, not all of them.”

“So… Why are you here?” Frank asked again. Brianna wasn’t sure what to say. She did not have a very good idea why she actually came over. She stared over the little valley that curled down from the house all the way to the end of the property and looked down on the town she knew so well.

“I don’t know?” she finally said. “Curiosity? Interest?” She shrugged.

Frank nodded and kept on observing her. “Let’s cut the crap,” he whispered, “We both know why you’re here.”

Brie raised her eyebrows “Do we?”

“Let me tell you something,” Frank continued. “You’re here because you want to find out more about the things I said.” Brie nodded slowly. “I hit a nerve and now you want answers… Right?”

Brie nodded faster. “Right,” she mumbled.

Frank smiled. “Before I give you your answers, I need to know if you’re willing to do whatever it takes, to find those answers.”

Brie raised her eyebrows once again. “Huh?” she mumbled.

Frank stood up and walked towards the house again. “Sex, my dear… I’m talking about sex.”

Brie quickly followed him. “Sex? Is that why you asked me to come over—to have sex with me?” Brie became furious. Man, she hissed inside her head, They’re all the same.

Frank sat down on the sofa and watched Brianna standing in front of him. She looked angry, her hands placed firmly on her hips ready to give him a piece of her mind. “You look cute,” he smiled, “But drop the attitude. I have no time for that.”

“The thing is,” Frank smiled, “Like I said when we were at the river, yes, I would love to have sex with you, but you’re far from ready. You’re a normal young woman, struggling with sexuality, struggling with relations, struggling with life.”

“Hey,” Brianna cried, “I’m not struggling. I can have all the sex that I want. As a matter of fact, guys are lining up to get inside my pants.” There, she thought, Take that, mister. She sat down far away from Frank.

He shrugged. “Whatever… That’s not really having sex,” he said. “It might sound horrible, but those guys just use you to get rid of their sperm, and because you’re a hot looking… and willing girl.” Frank quickly added, “They line up… no big deal.”

Brie got mad again but had no chance to vent her anger. “You think it’s normal to act like that. You might feel special because guys want you, you might feel good about yourself if you have one of those losers on top of you crying out your name when he shoots his sperm inside… but it’s quite pathetic.” Brie’s mouth slowly felt open. What was this guy talking about? “You don’t know anything about sex… nothing at all.”

“Did you ever lie flat on your back with your legs spread apart while you actually didn’t want it? Ever had a guy kneel behind you, fucking his brains out while you thought about the laundry you needed to do? Ever sucked a guy’s dick because it would please him, and at least it would be faster than to get naked and have him fuck you?”

Brie blushed, “Yeah... well... euh...” she stuttered, “Life is a bitch, what can I tell you?”

“Nothing,” Frank smiled, “Except if I am right or not.” Brie quickly thought about it, not that she really had to think. He was right, no question about that. But she wanted to buy herself more time, more time to admit to herself that he was right.

Slowly she nodded, “You’re right,” she whispered and stared at the carpet.

Frank moved over and put his arm around her shoulder. “It’s not your fault; most people live that way. A nice inheritance from our past, passed on from generation to generation.” Frank gently rubbed her back. “I am not the bad guy here. My intentions are clear and outspoken; it’s up to you if you go along or not.”

“Go along with what?” Brie asked and looked at Frank.

“A journey to discover your sexuality.”