Bentley spoke quietly to Erna.

As Sara approached, Erna made a slight bow and walked back towards the kitchen.

Bentley spun around to face Sara. "Erna said the storm might wipe out the power soon. In that case, we better not take the elevators. Even with a backup generator, I don't want to take any chances."

Sara raised her eyebrows fearfully.

Bentley snorted. "Oh, wow, sorry. I was sort of messing with you. Man, you're really afraid of bad weather."

Sara sighed. "I prefer sunnier days obviously."

He pushed his bare chest up against her back, winding his strong arms around her waist. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," he whispered soothingly into her ear.

Sara couldn't help relaxing against him. He felt so solid and secure. In a storm like this, she wouldn't wish to be anywhere else.

"If it's all the same to you," he said, nuzzling the side of her face against his, "I'd like to take a short cut to get upstairs."

Sara was finding it very hard to concentrate with his fingers sliding up under the sweatshirt to caress her sensitive stomach.

His warm breath tickled the side of her neck as his lips barely grazed her skin.

"S-sure. T-that's fine," she managed to choke out. She hoped he couldn't feel how much she was starting to tremble. All he had to do was lightly touch her and her body would turn to silly putty.

"Good," he said. He stepped away from her and walked over to the fireplace. It was a huge stone structure that stretched from one end of the wall to the other.

He ran his hand back and forth over the top of the mantle, as if searching for something. Once he found what he was looking for, he stepped back.

Sara heard a faint rumbling sound.

Bentley spun around. He held out his hand. "Follow me," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Sara took his hand, her heart dancing at how soft his palm felt against hers.

He stepped into the center of the fireplace and kept on walking.

Sara paused, unsure.

Bentley yanked her hand, pulling her forward. "Don't be so nervous," he snickered.

She ducked her head, expecting the passage they entered to be low and narrow.

Instead, the tunnel on the other side of the fireplace was somewhat high and wide. Dimly lit lights illuminated the long tunnel. Every few feet there would be a spiral stone staircase that curled up and away, disappearing to an unknown floor.

"Where do all of these staircases go?" she asked aloud, traipsing somewhat awkwardly behind him as he hastened along the tunnel. It seemed using secret passageways inside his house was super commonplace for him.

"Pretty much everywhere," he said vaguely.

Sara glanced quickly up one spiral staircase that looked longer than the rest.

"That one leads up to the roof," he called back to her.

"How do you not get lost in here? None of these staircases are even labeled!" Sara said.

She shivered at the thought of being trapped forever in what seemed like a never-ending corridor of staircases.

Bentley was laughing hysterically. Everything she was saying at the moment seemed to amuse him. "There's no way to get lost in here," he said. "All you do is follow one of the staircases and it will take you right back into the main house."

Sara gulped. "You're saying...your entire house is filled with these...various secret passageways?"

Bentley glanced back at her. "Sure, why not? It can get pretty tiring trying to walk from one end of this huge place to the other. The passageways are, like I said, simply shortcuts."

He suddenly veered to the right and took a staircase that curled up and away at a sharp diagonal.

At the top of the stairs was a stone platform. A small lever that resembled some kind of handle stuck out from the wall.

"We're here," he said. He had a massive, bright-white grin spread across his face. He pulled the lever.

A section of the stone wall slid sideways.

He picked up her bags, including his own duffle bag, and tossed them through the opening.

Sara felt his hands encircle her waist.

She let out a slight scream of surprise as he flipped her up into the air, and caught her easily in his arms.

Pressing her body firmly against his, he sprinted with her towards the opening in the wall and leaped out into open air.

"COWABUNGA!" he hollered.