Spencer’s thick soft brown hair that parted on the side swooped slightly above his forehead. He was wearing a rustic orange turtleneck made of cashmere. Reclining back in a yellow accent chair with his leg crossed over the other, he peered down at an acceptance letter to a graduate program for music engineering. 

Spencer kept getting accepted to different programs because he was brilliant and had triple majored at Yale University. He also played lacrosse in college to elevate his status with women. It had been years since he graduated before he decided to get his doctorate. 

Free-time was never Spencer’s friend, after all, the week prior he had been free for just a few moments before he ran into Sarah Ballard. He had only briefly thought of missing Delaney that next morning, as he drank oj and ate blueberry pancakes on Sarah’s terrace at The Beauvallon.

Spencer got up from the chair and walked across the den. He half heartedly sprinkled fish flakes to the aquarium before his ringtone went off. His stomach dropped sensing that it was Delaney. She was a married woman who wanted something from him and it made him nervous. Her husband Zach was the CFO at Logan Private Bank, they were not in an open marriage as far as he knew. 

He let the call roll to voicemail as he was un-phased, he simply watched the rainbow flakes drift down to the blood parrots eating them. After about 10 minutes he walked back over to the desk his phone was sitting on and saw the new message notification.

“I am crazy for you – I’m insane.”

That could not be good. He didn’t think they could be trusted. They were both consenting adults, but they were also extremely strong forces and he knew some ‘clash of the titans’ scenario was bound to go down. Not to mention the damage and harm it would leave to many people in their wake. 

Delaney herself had come through some very adverse experiences during her lifetime. She was half artist, half criminal. There wasn’t a living soul that had any clue of her backstory. It was her presence that her counterparts found most intriguing, and above all, they demanded her attention. 

Spencer should have replied to the message, but he was avoidant and kind of felt guilty for fucking Sarah when he was compelled to surprise Delaney. He didn’t have any true intention of resisting her, he knew he couldn’t, but now was not the opportune time to respond to such a desperate claim. 

In a way, it did nothing for him because he could have anyone he wanted. If anything it was a cry for help. Delaney knew she wasn’t getting away anytime soon and had caved. 

The time was half past noon now. Spencer grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter and slammed the door behind him. He slid into his Jaguar XJ6, the orange leather seats matched his sweater that was a gift from his aunt. He skidded out of the drive way and made with way through Cherry Hills Estates to Delaney’s mansion in Capitol Hill.

He wasn’t thinking or caring if Zach was home. He said a prayer and he ran through a stop sign. Leaves were falling off the maple trees and floating to the ground as his coupe picked up speed. His car stereo came on and started playing 30 Seconds to Mars.

Delaney was wearing an apron and nothing else making lemon meringue pie in the mansion 2nd kitchen in the west wing. The time was closer to 1pm now and she had quickly forgotten what she had said to Spencer. She felt a sense of relief after communicating with him at all and didn’t hang on his response.

As soon as Spencer arrived he parked a few blocks away to remain inconspicuous. He passed the laundromat that read “Loads of Fun”. He recounted the days he would meet Delaney in their early twenties. He had the same North Face backpack from all those years ago when he would attend NA meetings and lay the student body at Yale.

He looked both ways before he entered the iron gates to her mansion and followed the path lined with rose bushes and hibiscus to the edge of the garage that was attached to the mansion. He quickly picked the lock and let himself in breezing past Zach’s Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, Dodge Challenger Demon, LChevrolet Camaro SS / ZL1.