Fingers trembling with excitement, Danny switched on his trusty old PC and waited patiently for the machine to boot up, the familiar chimes and bongs adding to his frustration as it warmed into action. After a minute or so the welcome signal appeared and he quickly googled the one-to-one chatline, his eyes eagerly scanning the various girls' photos, checking the lights at the top right-hand corner of the pictures to establish who was available, engaged, or offline.

His heart began to beat faster. She was there! Danny swiftly reached for his phone and dialled the four-digit operator code, his palms starting to perspire as the number rang. Please, please be there.

He knew that some girls were not available, even though they were advertised as online. He was not naive, and had realised some time ago that the prettiest and sexiest-looking girls were always offered as available when on many occasions they were not, a ruse to tempt punters to ring the company. He understood perfectly that most of the customers would probably have their underpants down and their cocks hard and would be extremely likely to connect with whichever girl was actually ready to chat.

Ring...ring...ring. The tension was almost unbearable. Then..."Hello, Jasmine speaking - who's that?"

Danny gasped with a combination of relief and excitement at the sound of her voice and, as he had done almost every evening over the last two months, launched into a warm, erotic and intimate conversation with the girl of his dreams. Of course, Danny knew full well that it was all complete fantasy. He had been using chatlines for many years and knew the score. He found the majority of the girls very thrilling and enjoyed the anonymity of the arrangement to act out his most secret and outlandish inner thoughts and desires. The near-certainty that he would be highly unlikely to ever meet any of the young ladies in person fuelled his excitement and loosened his inhibitions.

However, this particular line was a little different to the others.

Danny had come across it whilst trawling the internet and was immediately intrigued by the fact that all the female operators had between one and five pictures posted on the site with very saucy descriptions of their sexual preferences and fantasies. Danny guessed that most of the photos were bought-in fakes, but it still made the situation more personal and enticing, and if he could convince himself that the girl in the picture actually was the girl he was talking to, that did the trick. Also, the cost of the calls was more than reasonable, which Danny put down to the fact that the company was operating online with massive turnover.

But when Danny spoke to Jasmine the first time, he couldn't help but become immediately infatuated. 

Despite his hardened cynicism based on a long association with this industry, he sensed at once that there was something significantly different about this young woman. It wasn't just that she was deliciously sexy and charming - most of the other girls possessed those qualities - it was something about her voice and manner that he had not experienced before. Exquisitely soft, sensuous and almost other-worldly, but always with a subtle hint of underlying naughtiness. On this occasion she seemed more than willing to talk about her most unusual and outrageous sexual experiences, from being obliged to undress and offer her bare bottom for a hard spanking over a previous boss's knee to keep her job following a "misunderstanding" over some missing petty cash to being stripped naked and mercilessly gangbanged by four middle-aged farmers in a barn after a dance at the local village hall.

Danny's delight at the girl's saucy revelations soon had the desired effect on his straining penis and, as usual, it wasn't too long before his desperate wanking resulted in several jets of hot semen being squirted across the carpet.

To keep the costs under control, Danny always restricted himself to no longer than thirty minutes per call, but the time always seemed to rocket by and on this occasion, like the others, he had to reluctantly bid Jasmine a fond farewell - until the next time.

Danny had become such a regular that Jasmine had even offered to send him a pair of her used panties, and although he was certain that she was just teasing him, he revealed his private address.

Sure enough, a package arrived a few days later as she had promised, containing a pair of Jasmine's worn briefs. Danny was beside himself with excitement, eagerly tearing open the sealed plastic bag and examining and sniffing the musky undies with ecstatic relish, then locking the intimate garment securely in his metal filing cabinet upstairs .

Danny thought carefully, then came to a decision. He knew full well that the rules of the chatline companies expressly forbade any personal meetings between their employees and the customers, but such was his obsession with Jasmine, he knew that he just had to give it a try. .
The next time he telephoned her, he told her in no uncertain terms just how deeply he'd fallen in love with her, and pleaded with her to meet him as soon as possible. He stressed to her that he realised that it was strictly against the rules and he would reluctantly understand if she had to say no, but he promised her faithfully that the matter would be kept strictly private between themselves and she would come to no harm.

Jasmine seemed very flattered that Danny felt so strongly about her but was initially extremely reluctant to agree to his ardent request. She admitted that she always became very excited when they spoke and indeed had frequently drenched her panties when he had related his own erotic and highly-imaginative fantasies, but actually meeting up with a customer was probably a step too far.

But Danny was in no mood to surrender meekly and this time spent over an hour on the line, using every trick he could think of to persuade her to meet him. Eventually, he broke down Jasmine's resistance. Despite her misgivings about breeching company policy, she had to admit to herself that she was rather curious to find out more about her enthusiastic admirer and new best customer.

And so their date was arranged. It transpired that Jasmine lived just over fifty miles from Danny, not a problem as he was fully mobile and very willing to meet her near her home. Jasmine suggested that they meet at a hotel called the Dragon's Nest, situated near the centre of her town, and gave him directions. She would book Room 25 on the second floor. The liaison would be at 2 pm next Tuesday..

For Danny, the days couldn't pass quickly enough, and he was in a frenzy of anticipation as Tuesday lunchtime arrived. Dressing smart casual and wearing his most expensive cologne, he nosed his BMW out of his driveway and set off for his destination.

The sky was grey and overcast as he reached the outskirts of town and headed for the hotel. He had never visited this area before and consequently was unfamiliar with the maze of streets that swiftly engulfed him, but his satnav was reliable and before too long he found himself pulling up outside the Dragon's Nest.

Danny switched off his car engine and glanced at his watch. 1.50 pm. He decided to wait five minutes before going inside, casually glancing at the passers-by as they hurried through the light drizzle that had started to fall, their collars turned up against the shower. Danny deduced that this must be quite a poor area as everyone on the street seemed to be dressed in old and shabby clothes. As he looked around, he also noticed that all the cars were ancient and in generally poor condition, no smart sports cars or trendy 4x4's here. This town was obviously feeling the recession with some pain.

Danny glanced at his watch again. 1.55. Time to go in. Heart beating a little faster than usual, he climbed out of his car and locked it carefully. Taking a deep breath, he mounted the hotel steps and pushed the door open.

The reception area was dark and gloomy, much as he had expected, a middle-aged woman standing with her head down at the desk. Danny strode briskly past, not looking at her, and pressed the button to summon the lift. It arrived within thirty seconds and transported him to the second floor..

Stepping out as the doors opened, he examined the room numbers and set off for Room 25. It was the last one along the corridor, on the left. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, Danny knocked gently, and waited.

"Come in," said a familiar soft voice, and Danny pushed the unlocked door open.

The room was in almost total darkness, but he could just about make out the silhouette of a double bed against the wall. "Jasmine?" he ventured, for some reason suddenly feeling a little apprehensive.

"Thank you so much for coming" whispered a sensuous, almost detached, voice from the bed; "Please undress and join me. I have been so looking forward to meeting you."

Danny strained to get a proper glimpse of the figure in the bed, but in the gloom all he could make out above the sheets was a hint of gleaming white teeth as the girl appeared to smile and a mass of thick dark hair which cascaded over her small face.

It was the work of a minute for Danny to divest himself of his garments and when he was completely naked he slid into bed and reached out for her. All his senses seemed to be simultaneously assailed as he took Jasmine in his arms, her heady perfume filling his nostrils as his hands instinctively reached down to caress her warm buttocks as his mouth eagerly found hers.

She responded passionately, darting her moist tongue deep into his mouth and groaning as he eagerly kneaded her full quivering breasts, her nipples stiffening under his thumbs. Sensing her urgency, Danny gently slipped a finger between her parted thighs, catching his breath slightly as he discovered how wet she was.

Jasmine moaned softly and wrapped one of her tiny hands around Danny's stiff penis, whispering compliments in his ear about its impressive size and telling him how much she wanted to feel it between her legs. A few more minutes of passionate kissing and mutual exploration led to the inevitable conclusion, Danny shuddering violently with lust as he firmly penetrated Jasmine's slippery channel and started to fuck her hard, the young woman gasping and sighing as she parted her legs wide to fully accommodate his swollen member. For what seemed like an eternity, Danny drove his stiff cock into her with an intensity he would never have believed possible, his remorseless erection stretching her cunt as Jasmine reached climax after climax, soaking his penis with her hot glistening juices..

At last he reached the point of no return, shouting out in unrestrained delight as he climaxed, emptying his copious seed deep into her soaking entrails as she clung tightly to him and came yet again.

Danny's gargantuan exertions had drained him to such an extent that he immediately sank into a deep slumber, his arms still wrapped around Jasmine.

Much later, he awoke with a start. The room was still in darkness, but when he reached for Jasmine, there was no one there. He waited for a few minutes, assuming she was in the bathroom, but she did not reappear. After a short while, he called her name softly, but there was no response.

Danny thought carefully. Maybe she was downstairs in the bar, waiting for him to join her.

He climbed out of bed, and went into the small bathroom to take a shower, unfastening his wristwatch and placing it on the bedside table. As he glanced at its luminous dials he noticed with irritation that it was still showing 2 o'clock. Damn, he thought, the battery must have expired. He made a mental note to buy a replacement as soon as he got home.

After his shower, Danny dressed quickly in the semi-darkness and let himself out of the room, again using the lift to reach the ground floor. He peered into the small hotel bar, expecting to see Jasmine, then suddenly realising that he may not actually recognise her as he hadn't seen her face in the light and, of course, he couldn't be absolutely sure that her chatline site photo was accurate.

But the bar was completely empty.

A little disappointed, Danny left the hotel and walked to his parked car, preparing to drive home. Upon reflection, he wondered if his passionate encounter had just been a one-off - perhaps Jasmine had intended this to be the case all along and she had no wish to extend the relationship. He felt a mixture of disappointment and resignation. How could such an intense experience be dismissed so abruptly? But he contented himself with the thought that she might just be playing a little game with him, and would be keen to arrange another meeting when they next spoke on the phone.

When Danny got home and switched on the TV, he was surprised to be confronted with the 10 o'clock news. He had no idea he had been out for so long. He needed to organise some food for both himself and Jess, his border collie, which took care of the next half hour. When he had eaten, Danny slumped on the sofa in front of the television, casually pulling up his shirt cuff to check if his watch had maybe started working again. Damn and blast. He'd forgotten to put it back on after his shower. Never mind, no doubt the maid would find it on the bedside table when she came in to clean the room. He would drive back tomorrow to pick it up..

Still exhausted after his afternoon exertions, Danny went to bed at 11.30 - much earlier than his normal time. He went out like a light and dropped into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, he was woken by Jess's agitated barking from downstairs. She was normally a most gentle and placid dog and Danny was instantly apprehensive - but now wide awake and alert.

Burglars?

He opened the top drawer in his bedside cabinet and took out the Gurkha kukri he always kept there as a precaution. Making his way cautiously downstairs, the dog's barking grew louder and more frantic.

Jess was at the living room window, her ears pinned back and her jaws set in a snarl so malevolent that it shook Danny to the core. Gripping the razor-sharp kukri even more tightly, Danny approached the quivering dog and, trembling uncontrollably, forced himself to look out of the window.

Outside, a violent thunderstorm was raging at full tilt, sheets of rain lashing furiously against the glass, peals of thunder crashing between twisted fingers of forked lightning that flickered eerily every few seconds.

Danny stared out into the darkness, then shuddered and gasped in horror. Intermittently illuminated by the lightning flashes, at the end of the garden he could clearly make out the figure of a woman. Frail, hunched and saturated in the teeming rain, he could clearly see her gleaming white teeth now bared in a ghastly grin, her dark hair dancing wildly in the howling wind. Dressed in what appeared to be a ruined grey shroud, she appeared to be waving to him, her skeletal bony fingers beckoning him towards her.

As though in a trance, Danny felt himself propelled as though by a powerful invisible force, and moved helplessly towards the window handle. Jess was now beyond frantic, screeching and howling like a banshee. As Danny moved to open the window, the dog seized him powerfully by the wrist, biting down hard into his flesh and preventing him from moving.

Out in the raging storm, the ghastly figure continued to beckon, but now somehow seeming to gradually recede into the distance as the lightning and thunder continued their dreadful symphony.

Danny fainted.

When he came round, shivering and saturated in cold sweat, Jess was by his side, licking his face gently. It was dawn, and the storm had blown itself out, the bleary early morning sun battling to emerge from behind the fleeing clouds. Danny rose stiffly, dithering violently with the cold, and hugged Jess, trying desperately to remember the events of the previous night. Everything seemed vague and hazy. Surely it was just a dreadful nightmare?

Shaking some dog food into Jess's bowl and refilling her water dish, Danny dragged himself upstairs and lay on his bed, thinking hard. Somehow, nothing felt normal, but he put that down to the aftershock of the nightmare. After a bath and a little breakfast he felt better. Fortunately, he wasn't working that day, so he had a welcome opportunity to relax.

The first thing to attend to was to reclaim his watch from the Dragon's Nest. It was quite an expensive one, a recent birthday gift from his parents, and he was anxious to get it back.

Danny set off for the hotel just before noon, this time locating it without recourse to his satnav. Pulling up in the street outside, he was a little puzzled. Although the hotel was just where he remembered it, it didn't look quite as seedy and downmarket as he recalled from the previous day. Strangely enough, the people in the street seemed smarter than he remembered from yesterday, and the cars all appeared much newer.

Danny walked inside and instead of approaching the receptionist, took the lift to the second floor. As the doors slid open, he turned right and strode briskly to the end of the corridor.

The final room was number 24.

Danny suddenly felt lightheaded. There was no Room 25. Perspiring profusely, legs now unsteady, he took the lift back down to reception and tried to control his stuttering speech as he attempted to explain to the young lady at the desk that he had absentmindedly left his watch in Room 25 the previous day.

The receptionist was polite, but adamant.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I think you must have mistaken the room number. To my knowledge, we have only ever had twenty-four rooms in the hotel, and I've been here for three years. There is no Room 25."

Numb with shock, Danny mumbled an apology, and stumbled back to his car.

He drove home very slowly, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Slumping into an armchair, he poured himself a double whisky, downing the strong spirit quickly. He composed himself as best he could, gingerly reached for the phone, and dialled the chatline company's number.

It was dead.

Blood pounding in his temples, Danny climbed the stairs and entered the spare room where he kept his metal filing cabinet. He could hardly control his trembling fingers as he fumbled with the key and pulled the top drawer open. Jasmine's panties were still there, but had been violently shredded and ripped into pieces, the tattered remains rearranged to form six words that Danny just had time to glimpse before his blood turned to ice and he collapsed in a dead faint.

The words were: "I WILL RETURN FOR YOUR SOUL."

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This story is dedicated to Orchid, who is aware of the significance of the title.