by Pepper Pace
Okay, that made sense. “She saw me naked!” Robin wailed.
“No, not really…but she would have if you had jumped up. Shhh, just calm down. Don’t move.” He reached between them and carefully withdrew his limp dick from her, still holding her close. Then he rubbed her back until she stopped trembling.
“She saw what we were doing! She heard me!” She had heard the dirty words that she’d been murmuring to Jason. How could she ever live that down?! This woman would never accept her after this!
Jason just wished she would stop talking. Her heartbeat would stop galloping and then she would think of something else to make it thump against her ribcage! After a minute she just lay there against his body silently, mortified.
“We are not the first couple to get busted, Robin. It’s going to be okay. She’s my mother and you don’t see me getting hyper, right?” She nodded in embarrassment. “Besides, this is my apartment, and I’m an adult. I can do what I want.” It sounded like he was practicing what he would say to his mother next time he saw her. She pulled back and looked at him solemnly.
“I don’t think that I can ever face your Mom again. I know I can’t.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. I’ll take care of this.” His hands traced small circles onto her back.
“Why did she come?”
“To catch us.”
***
The plan had been ruined. There was no morning of luxuriating in each other’s arms. No breakfast in bed, no lunch in bed, no dinner in bed. Robin got up and got dressed, shoving yesterday’s clothes into her overnight bag and then changing into jeans and a t-shirt.
“Robin, you don’t have to rush away.”
“Jason, I’ll talk to you on Yahoo tonight.” She was not going to be sidetracked. She was going to go home and have a meltdown.
“Robin.”
“What?!” She snapped.
“Please don’t forget to take your medicine.”
She nodded, ashamed at her outburst. “I’m sorry baby. I will.”
“It’s okay.” He didn’t stand but reached for her hand and kissed her gently. “But you owe me a song.”
She smiled. “I’ll give you three come Monday.”
He nodded and watched her go out the door. As soon as the door was shut Jason picked up his cell phone and speed dialed his mother. His face was so angry that it was white. Pick up…
Robin opened her trunk and placed her items inside. She heard a cell phone ringing and thought it was hers. She even reached for her purse before she glanced up and saw who was approaching her at a fast pace. It was Jason’s Mom. Robin almost shot out of her skin. Instead she stared wide-eyed at the woman.
Chapter 13
The tall thin woman had a cigarette in her mouth and she tossed it to the ground as she approached. Her eyes were grey and very cold. Her hair was blond and pulled back into a quick ponytail. There was a look about her that said that she was here to kick somebody’s ass and that somebody was Robin. Robin didn’t take her eyes from her.
“I’d like to talk to you.” Mrs. Hamilton said. Robin gave her a wary look. Had she waited here, hiding for Robin to come out? Yeah, she had. This woman was crazy.
“Mrs. Hamilton, maybe you should talk to Jason-”
“Oh I intend to talk to my son. But I intend to talk to you, as well.”
Robin crossed her arms in front of her. “Yes, okay.” Because this was going to happen anyway, right? She knew that she’d have to face her boyfriend’s mother the moment she felt the woman’s eyes on her nude back. She turned and headed back to Jason’s apartment but Mrs. Hamilton stopped her.
“No, not there; in private.” Robin looked around suspiciously. “The laundry room is over here.”
Robin glanced back at Jason’s door before following his mother. ‘Jason…this is not going to be good…’ She thought as she followed the older woman. When they got to the laundry Mrs. Hamilton spun to her. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”
“Up to?”
“Don’t repeat what I say. You’re fucking my son.” Robin blushed.
“That’s none of your business.” She whispered so embarrassed that her voice sounded like dust in her dry mouth.
“The hell it isn’t. You WORK for him!” Robin felt sweat prickling her body.
“Technically I work for Pinnacle; not your son-”
“You think I don’t have your number, Girlie?!”
Robin let her arms drop in confusion. “What number? He’s a grown man. He can decide to be with me if he wants.”
Mrs. Hamilton snorted. “Let me ask you this. Do your employers know that you come to my son’s house and have sex with him? Do they pay you to do that, Missy?” Robin blanched but didn’t speak. Mrs. Hamilton stared her down until Robin’s eyes dropped to the floor in guilt.
“People like you…fucking sicken me. He’s nineteen! How old are you?”
“Twenty-one.” She said softly. She felt like a pervert.
“Hmph! So it’s okay to take advantage of him? How much have you taken?” Robin met her eyes in confusion. “You take from him don’t you? I’m sure your hand is out, right? That was not a rhetorical question, lady. You’ve taken money from my son, haven’t you?!”
Robin’s eyes flitted to the door. She should just walk away but she couldn’t. Her guilt and Mrs. Hamilton’s accusation held her rooted to the spot.
“I—didn’t want to take anything from him. But he said it was okay.”
“Hmph! I’ll tell you now, you will give back everything that you’ve taken from him. Do I make myself clear?” Robin nodded. “And I intend to make sure that you never work with disabled people again!”
Robin met her eyes feeling nauseous and light headed. She was a pervert! She was having sex with her disabled client. How had she allowed her feeling to get so out of hand?!
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself! You and I need to go to the bank so that you can give me every cent that you took from my son!”
Robin swallowed weakly, wondering who would become his Aid when she got fired, and if that person would help him with walking. Who would take him to school? She was thinking about getting a night time job and then she could come by each morning and stay with him while he’s at school. Maybe this was for the best that she wasn’t working for Pinnacle. She opened her purse and dug through her wallet. She had about fifty dollars. And she offered the bills to his mother.
She took them with a frown, counting them up. “What is this?”
“The money to pay for the lunch that he bought for me. And I don’t drink the coffee anymore, but I used some of his bottled water.” Jason’s mother was staring at her like she was crazy and Robin tried to think if there was anything else. Appleby’s yesterday but that had been free. Maybe another ten dollars but she could give it to Jason next time she saw him.
“What are you talking about? Lunch money? I’m talking about money in exchange for sexual favors!”
Robin’s brow shot up. “No. That…I, we don’t do that! I love Jason. He’s my boyfriend!” Mrs. Hamilton’s face suddenly slackened. She stared at Robin.
“Did you say that you love him?”
Robin nodded, the first tears dripping from her eyes as she thought about this horrible mess. “I don’t mind getting fired because…well I shouldn’t have had a personal relationship with my client.” She said quickly. “And I knew that I should have never let him pay my lunch but he wouldn’t let me pay. He just whips out his card and pays. He said it wasn’t his money anyways so he didn’t care. And when I say I don’t want coffee he just looks sad that I don’t have something. But I swear I’ve never taken money for anything else. You can ask him!” Her words were running together hysterically. “I swear it!”
Mrs. Hamilton handed her back the bills. “Here. Take this.” Robin was shaking her head.
“No, I don’t want it. You take it and give it back to Jason.” Mrs. Hamilton was staring at her so hard that her eyes
were moving back and forth rapidly as she stared into her eyes. Robin was crying uncontrollably and shaking.
“Shit.” Mrs. Hamilton said softly. “Shit…”
Mrs. Hamilton reached into her purse, finding some tissue and handing them to Robin who took them and turned her head discreetly to the side so that she could wipe her eyes and nose away from Mrs. Hamilton’s probing eyes. Jason’s Mother still had the money clutched in her fist, but seemed to have forgotten about it as she rooted around in her purse again, this time for cigarettes.
She lit one quickly and then watched the young Aid. By that time, Robin had gained some control of her emotions as she sniffed and wiped her eyes again. Still, she was more embarrassed now; with this woman staring, than she had been when she walked in and busted her riding her son and groaning dirty words. No…that wasn’t true. The level of embarrassment had just hit the ceiling and there was nowhere else for it to go. Maybe the world would just come to a grinding stop and she would drop dead because there was no way that she could live this day down.
“Okay.” Mrs. Hamilton spoke aloud as if she had just had a private conversation with herself. “This is what we’re going to do. We’re going back to Jason’s apartment and I’m going to find out what’s really going on. There’s no way for you two to collaborate stories. If what he says agrees with what you’re saying then great. If not…” Mrs. Hamilton was shaking her head.
Robin relaxed. Maybe she wouldn’t force her to leave Pinnacle. She considered how just a day ago she contemplated not being Jason’s Assistant and the idea of not working with him was now almost impossible for her to fathom.
Robin nodded her head in agreement.
Jason’s mother’s eyes were scary and intimidating when she glared; which is what she was doing now. “If you aren’t coming clean with me, then god help you both.” Robin crossed her arms around her belly. This was not the scenario that she had pictured for herself when she imagined being introduced as a girlfriend to the man she loved. She swallowed down the salty water that was gathering in her mouth and prayed that she wouldn’t puke. But her stomach was already churning she knew that very soon she’d have to get to a toilet.
Mrs. Hamilton stalked out of the laundry room with Robin following closely behind. She was wiping her face and hoping that she didn’t look as shitty as she felt. Jason’s mother glanced over at her, an indecisive look on her face, but then she pursed her lips and continued towards Jason’s apartment.
She rapped on the door urgently. “Just let me do the talking.” She commanded. She sounded so much like Jason. Robin thought that he really had very little chance of being anything other than a replica of her. The door swung open and Jason’s lips parted instantly in understanding as his eyes darted from Robin to his mother’s.
He had left a message for his mother to call him immediately and had hung up afterwards; afraid of what might come out of his mouth. When he opened the door, he had no idea that it would be her standing there, and with Robin. But he figured it all out very quickly; she had never left. His mother had set her trap and he’d unwittingly sent Robin, as distraught as she was, into the claws of a woman that he barely had the strength to stand up against.
“Mom…” Was all that he could manage before she swept into the room. Robin followed, looking pale beneath her brown skin, and shaken. He swung around to glare at his mother. “Mom, what did you do?!”
“That’s what I’m here to ask you!”
He turned back to Robin, reaching for her hand. “Are you okay?” She nodded quickly and then squeezed his hand and tried to offer a smile. It was weak and he could clearly see fresh tears in her eyes and drying on her cheeks.
“Jason Lane Hamilton, I want you to explain to me exactly what type of relationship you are having with your Aid!”
Robin watched Jason close his eyes, his back still to his mother. Was he counting? He opened his eyes slowly.
“Mother. Get out.” Mrs. Hamilton’s mouth snapped shut. “Get out of my house. You’re not welcomed here.” His voice got louder and he swung around in his chair to face her.
“You want to kick me out because I’m asking you a question that you don’t want to-”
He was shaking his head. “I’m kicking you out because I can’t stand to look at you! Who are you to ask me a question like that? That is none of your business, Mom! What Robin and I do, is none of your damn business!”
She put her hands on her hips and Robin saw her neck roll and her eyes bug and she looked like she could have come straight from the hood. If her Mama had been giving her that look, Robin would have cracked. But Jason just pushed his chest out, his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed and his look was equally as intimidating.
“It is my business when it’s MY money that you’re using to pay some Aid to have sex with you! You think I don’t know that’s how it works? They get jobs dealing with the elderly and disabled just so that they can offer them sex!”
Jason’s eyes were bugging. “Oh my god…you are fucking crazy! You are one crazy woman!” He grimaced. “And you’re disgusting!” He turned his wheelchair away from her and Robin saw his nostrils flaring as he looked at her.
He was shaking his head in disbelief, and hurt. “You already heard this, haven’t you? She’s already asked you this? Is that why you were crying; because she already asked you if you were my whore?!” Robin felt her throat working, this was so bad, this couldn’t get worse. And then it did. She vomited on the floor, splattering the cocktail table.
Mrs. Hamilton leaped back even though she was nowhere near to being splattered. Jason stared in dismay at the blood laced vomit. Robin was bent over panting and clutching her stomach. It felt like she was being stabbed with a red hot poker!
“I’m going to be sick…” She croaked and then retched again; more bloody vomit. She darted, still stooped, out of the room and into the bathroom. Jason stared at the floor, terrified. That was a lot of blood…
“Mom…” He whispered. “What do I do?”
Mrs. Hamilton moved quickly past Jason and to the bathroom. She tried to open the door but it was locked. She could hear Robin coughing and choking. “Hey…!” She couldn’t remember the girl’s name! Fuck, what was it?! “Open the door, honey…unlock it.”
Jason reached out and tried the doorknob as if it would magically turn. It didn’t. He knocked on the door, hard. “Robin! Unlock the door!” Mrs. Hamilton began digging through her purse for her wallet. She quickly withdrew a credit card to slip between the lock and the doorjam. She roughly pushed Jason out of her way and he wheeled back to give her space.
“Robin?!” He said. He could hear her coughing and gagging. Damnit! Why had she locked the door?! Suddenly it popped unlock. God, how had his mother done that?! She jimmied the lock! Robin was sitting on the toilet, pants down around her ankles and holding the trash can between her naked thighs, gagging and spitting into it. She looked up at them in horrified surprise as they burst through the door.
“I’m okay!” She said weakly. “Leave me alone for a minute. I need to be sick…” Her stomach lurched and blood; bright red was suddenly coming from her mouth.
“Jesus, god in heaven…” Mrs. Hamilton said. “Jason, call an ambulance.”
Robin’s head popped up. “No please…” she said breathlessly. Watery stool hit the water in the toilet and she was contemplating a life in another country because she never wanted to see these people again. She’d find another man to love. She couldn’t love a man that was watching her poop and vomit blood. If she had a gun, she would have shot herself.