The Alpha For Her

Chapter 4

Despite the gloom and clouds, Jennifer, Candy and Billie couldn’t help but gape or let out a sigh as the limo crested a hill and they saw below Flint Dryzek’s estate. It was nestled in the hills, surrounded on three sides by all manner of that lush California vegetation from verdant grass to those scruffy, gnarly trees, to clusters of tall pines that gave the hills a toothy profile here and there.

In the confluence of those three hilly sides sprawled what Jennifer could only imagine as a colonial Spanish plantation – with a lot of modern additions. The main house began as a two story mansion in white stucco with a dark, mission-style clay tile roof that dropped at the eaves, adorning all the edges. The second story rose tall above the entrance, so that it looked as if it could have once been a huge bell tower, now wrapped in windows with verandas sprouting on either side.

The house was long, with tall and short shrubberies sculpted and crafted to grace its elegant, arcing French windows. Grand, two-story wings ran perpendicular from either end, and between them Jennifer saw a glitter that she imagined could only be a very, very cool pool.

But the mansion wasn’t the only building on the estate. To the left was a long, low building that Jennifer could only figure for a cattle barn; updated with skylights, siding and bristling with dishes and antennae. To the right were row upon row of grape vines that spread out to the hills. Peeking through the vines rows, here and about, they saw smaller cottages or houses that looked quite modern.

But it wasn’t until they turned down the crushed shell driveway that they saw the real splendor. The first floor entry way had a portico that could rival the White House, complete with the hanging column lamp, stayed by red velvet. The entrance was a three-sided inset, with framed, leaded glass left and right, arrow-leaf ivy that rivaled the halls of Yale, clinging. Two tall oaken doors, intricately carved with floral patterns, stood before them, so very imposing.

“Welcome to Serenity,” Lois said, leading them inside.

The air, though slightly misty, was warm, almost humid, and Jennifer realized that since she had begun her journey, she hadn’t smelled outside air until her foot hit the driveway. There was a soft breeze, bearing the scent of the sea.

The foyer was a sensory delight. It was open, airy and would have been gleaming had the sun been shining. As they stepped inside, heels clacked and seemed to echo on the smoothly polished red marble floors. Graceful flowing sconces decorated the walls, glowing with real candlelight. Above them hung a simple chandelier, fanning out in eight arms that held glittering, crystal hurricane lamps.

Before them were two grand staircases, wrapping the room and meeting on a wide landing above. Along the stairs were delicate wrought iron railings, their balusters slender and woven with subtle, iron grape vines. Between the staircases was a tall archway that led to a room with patterned wood floors, beyond which was the pool and patio. On either side of that archway were two tall, slender trees reaching to the ceiling. Their willowy branches were drooping and festooned with tiny pink blossoms that looked like lily-of-the-valley, their lovely aroma wafting through the room.

In that lavish foyer stood a tall, slender Asian woman with flowing black hair. She was dressed casually in jeans, sandals and a polo shirt.

“This is Tomiko,” Lois said, making introductions. “I must see to some things, but Tomiko will take you in hand.”

“Hello, ladies,” Tomiko said, without a trace of an accent. “I’m sure that you are all tired from traveling, and need to relax and freshen up, but please indulge me a bit, and we’ll have a little recki.”

“A recki?” Jennifer asked.

“A reconnaissance,” Tomiko said. “Quick look about the place. The cook’s tour.”

Beyond the foyer to the left was a dining room, a rec-room with a TV and two lap-tops, and a very well-stocked library.

“The computer servers are kept beyond that door,” Tomiko said pointing to one end of the library. “So, please leave them be. Oh, and by the way, the network password is ‘feldspar’.”

She then led them to a large, well-tooled kitchen. With three refrigerators, three stovetops, three ovens built into the brick walls, and butcher-block work surfaces. The place could have been the work zone of a five-star restaurant. But then, Jennifer reasoned, it probably was.

“Not certain where Cook is,” she said. “But she is a marvel. She supplies three meals a day, and you may help yourself to any leftovers at any time. You may have access to the green refrigerator, and the white stovetop. Mr. Dryzek wants you all to feel at home, and so you do have kitchen privileges, as long as you are not in Cook’s way, and that you clean up after yourself; I know that I do enjoy a piece of chocolate cake and a cold glass of milk in my rooms at night sometimes. Still, there is a phone in your sitting room with a direct line to Cook, and you may order anytime.”

Out behind the kitchen was a service entrance to the pool and patio. The space was huge and enclosed on all three sides by the mansion’s wings with finely sculpted hedges and many flowering shrubs. Several women, and a few men, were lounging or swimming – some enjoying drinks and delicate finger-food. At first Jennifer thought it odd that they were out in the misty drizzle, but looking up she understood. There was a clear dome covering half the pool.

“It’s retractable,” Tomiko said. “When the sun shines, which is most of the time, this place is divine.”

Beyond the pool, there was a small flower garden, a net for badminton, a lawn for croquet, and a large vegetable garden. As they strolled back toward the main house, people looked at them, smiling, some waving. The first thing that Jennifer noticed about them was that they were a diverse lot; almost equally balance in skin tones. That made her feel comfortable.