Heart of Fire

by Carter, Dawn

  “That was wonderful, you were so tight,” he licked his lips again. “Too bad I have to kill you,” the words slithered like a serpent into her ear.

  “Please, don’t kill me, I promise I won’t tell anyone what happened.”

  “You have to die, you have sinned against all men,” spit flew from his mouth as he hissed his hatred. “You have to pay for your crimes.”

  “Please, I never did anything to hurt you or anyone else,” Terri pleaded hoping he would let her live. “Please, mister, let me go.

  “Suck my dick and I will let you live for now,” he laughed. worse than death but she would do anything if he would let her go. She looked at his erect penis and wiped away the tears that flowed over the brim of her eyes. She watched him remove the condom and slide a new one over it.

  “Now suck it and make me come again,” he smiled and closed his eyes as she put her mouth over it and maneuvered it in.

  She looked up at him, and when he closed his eyes again, she bit down hard causing him to scream in horror. She could taste the blood in her mouth and she bit down harder. Terri pulled back enough to put space between them and jump up. Just as she made it to the door, he grabbed her by her hair. She cried out, and tried to pull away, she could feel her hair being ripped out, but she did not care, she had to get away.

  He yanked her back and wrapped his hands around her throat, “You want to get rough? You got it.”

  She clawed at the attacker’s hand, her nails slashing his flesh as she fought to loosen his hold. Through the ringing crescendo of blood in her ears, she heard the barking of a dog. He jerked back and Terri twisted away. He grabbed at her, clenching her shoulders. She lashed out, and beat her fists against the rough texture of his jacket. She was desperate as she tore herself free, squealing in pain as his fingers raked down her arm and pulled her back.

  “YOU FUCKING BITCH!” He bellowed and cocked his right arm back and connected his fist to her jaw causing her to fly backwards. She landed on the hard wood floor so hard she could feel it crack beneath her. She tried to move but he punched her again, this time the room started to spin and all went black.

  His heart raced as he realized what he had done, he never argued with his fists before, but his words would always pack a powerful punch. Always carefully spoken, without drama his words had an air of finality to them and no matter how hard anyone railed against them, nothing would change his mind. Now all that was changing, he had changed and with each kill he felt himself slipping further away from who he once was. He rubbed his bleeding penis and cursed when he realized she had broken the skin. He knew now if he wanted pleasure with his kill he would either have to wait or go without.

  The dark room was no longer safe, he had to either kill her here now or take her somewhere else. He weighed his options knowing light would soon be upon them. He glanced down at his watch and spun around when he heard a noise. The cell phone in her jean pocket vibrated and played an unfamiliar tune. He snatched it and turned the phone off. He could not risk someone using a GPS to find her, a trick he had used so many times to keep track of his ex-wife.

  He paced back and forth throughout the house. He was aware the neighbors would soon investigate why the dog was barking. He rejoined her in the room and picked up her limp body and flung her over his shoulder but as he took a few steps he heard voices come from outside. He peered out the crack in the window and watched as a few people walked by. He was out of time, he would never be able to leave with her and if he shot her, it would bring people running. He threw her back on the floor and with the butt of his gun he hit her with all his force several times on the back of the head.

  When he was sure she was dead, he searched the room for his used condoms. He knew enough about forensics to know not to leave evidence. He pulled out a little flashlight attached to his key ring when he could not find the second one. There on the floor it lay next to her. He made sure his contents did not spill out before he stepped back. As he moved the reminder of her teeth on his penis caused him to halt. He rubbed it and cussed wishing he had more time he would make her pay for it.

  When he reached the door he eyed the house around him, he took a moment to relish the moment and set the location of his kill to memory. He noted the house seemed to have collapse inwardly on itself somewhat, like a loaf of bread taken out of the oven too soon. The roof sagged and the cedar shingles stuck up in places like loose teeth. The grass grew long and un-kept around it and in that grass were tracks that looked like young children’s. As he reached the gate, he noticed how the solid cedar wood held it together with large iron nails. But it had not been varnished for many years and the rot had set in. The hinges and nails had become rusted and the gate hung at an odd angle. It gave the impression that one good gust of wind could finish it off. He opened it with the same care he did when they walked in together and closed it as quietly behind him. He gave one last quick look back, smiled inwardly. The next one, he thought will be planned out better. Now he just needed to find a secluded place to take them.

   CHAPTER 2

  The next morning Jamie walked into the kitchen, she was surprised when she saw Chris sitting at the table already up and drinking a cup of freshly brewed coffee. “You’re up early,” Jamie said as she focused on the two cups from the cabinet. “Are you upset that I brought her home with me?”

  “Nope, you’re a grown woman,” Chris said dryly. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Jamie sat the empty cups on the counter and sat in the chair next to Chris. “Me too,” she confessed and laid her head on her folded arms. “You got to admit though, she’s fucking hot!”

  “I just hope you’re not jumping from the frying pan into the fire!”

  “Oh God, you sound like my mother,” Jamie snapped. “I’m twenty five; I’m not a baby, if all she wants from me is a fuck, that’s okay with me. I felt more alive in one night than I felt in two years with Sylvia.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying Jamie,” Chris snapped and looked away. “I’m not judging you. I’m just worried about Terri, that’s all.”

  “Terri?” Jamie shot up and looked at her. “What’s wrong with Terri?”

  “She never called last night when she got home and I’ve tried to call her last night and again this morning and she’s not answering, it’s going straight to voicemail.”

  “Maybe she hooked up with someone.”

  “No, she went home because she had a headache.”

  “Then maybe she took something and is still sleeping.”

  “Maybe your right,” Chris said unconvinced. “I just got a bad feeling, and I can’t shake it.”

  “You’re a worry wart Christine Anderson,” Jamie said jokingly trying to make her laugh. “Just because she said she had a headache, does not mean she really did, and you know she has been crushing on that girl from work. Maybe she went over to her house and finally told her.”

  “I can see her doing that, but I still can’t shake the feeling like something’s wrong.”

  “Go by her house then and knock at her door until she answers.”

  “I might just do that,” Chris whispered as she stood up. “So, give me some details,” she said changing the subject.

  “Oh my God Chris, she was fucking amazing, I have never had more than one orgasm in my life in one night and I had…”

  “Forget I asked,” Chris interrupted blushing. “Go on, she’s waiting in there for you. Take her some coffee I just made a fresh pot.

  Jamie giggled as she watched Chris walk off. “Hey wait can I borrow your bike?”

  Chris shot around and her look told Jamie no, but after a moment of silence Chris gave in and nodded her head.

  Ecstatic Jamie shot out of her chair and hugged her. “Thank you. Gloria has a Harley too and she asked me to go riding with her. She must have seen your bike in the garage and thought it was mine.

  “Did she really think a princess like you owned a bike like that, maybe a scooter?” Chris l
aughed when Jamie pouted.

  “Just take care of my baby,” Chris said wishing she had the strength to tell Jamie no, but she never could. Jamie could ask her for the last dollar in her wallet and she would give it to her.

  “I promise your baby will come back like she did when I take her out.”

  “Uh huh, just make sure you fill it up with gas.”

  “I already planned on it,” Jamie walked off smiling.

   

  Within moments Jamie allowed the water to wash over her but she could still smell her lovers scent. She smiled when she felt skillful fingers stroke her back as Gloria climbed in behind her. The way she touched her told her that their love making was far from over. Gloria took the wash cloth from her hands and cleaned the musk of sex off of her as she stroked the soft pink skin of Jamie’s sex.

  “You are so beautiful,” she purred against Jamie. “Can I keep you?” The mood changed as Gloria took her in her arms and stared deep into Jamie’s eyes.

  “Are you saying you want me for more than just sex?” Jamie asked playfully.

  “Oh, I want more of what we shared last night, but I want to get to know the woman who was able to keep step with me on that dance floor. You intrigue me Jamie and I have never met anyone else like you.”

  “You barely know anything about me.”

  “I know,” Gloria admitted. “But, there is something about you that makes me want to know more.”

  “Good, because I like you too Gloria and I would like to get to know you better,” Jamie blushed as the words expelled.

  Thirty minutes later they were dressed and ready to go. Chris handed her the keys with no protest. “Thank you Chris, maybe a bike ride would help,” Jamie whispered in her ear. “Spending time alone with Gloria might level out my emotions,” she assured her friend who fidgeted in worry, but not about loaning her bike, but about her best friend Terri, she had left three more messages and still had not heard anything back.

  Jamie hugged Chris goodbye as Gloria rolled the Harley out of the garage.

  “Have a good time, sweetheart,” Chris finally said half smiling.

  Jamie forced her eyes from Chris and pulled her helmet over her head. She felt guilty for leaving her after she confided she was having a bad feeling. It concerned Jamie because whenever Chris said she had bad feelings about anything in the past, something was always wrong with someone close to them.

  She smiled and waved her on as she climbed onto the bike behind Gloria.

  Gloria took I-275 heading south to her house, she warned Jamie she lived alone and that her apartment was a mess. She admitted she would not take her there with it like that but she needed to change clothes and get her bike. Jamie did not care, she relished the time they spent and looked forward to more. As she held on tight paying close attention to the way there, Gloria suggested a ride along the coast if that was okay with her and they could spend the rest of the day along the beach. Jamie had not been out in so long she was excited.

  Jamie took liberty to look around the apartment and examine the pictures on the wall. One caught her attention. She smiled when she squinted to see a young Gloria with the same short curly black hair sitting on the lap of who she thought may have been her father. Jamie giggled how she really had not changed, only grew and became extremely sexy. Jamie fidgeted at the thought as the urge to just ask to spend the day with her in bed instead of going out engulfed every thought. She moved to the next set of pictures, a grown Gloria standing in front of a construction sign smiling wearing a work shirt and pants covered in what looked like dried cement. Jamie smiled and traced her finger over the picture.

  “All ready to go,” Gloria said as she stepped behind Jamie and wrapped her arms around her waist.

  “Are you in construction?” Jamie pointed to the picture.

  “I am, and the sign I am standing in front of is my baby. I own it.”

  Jamie turned and faced her. “You are an amazing woman Gloria. What made you go into the construction business?”

  “I’m good with my hands,” she whispered in Jamie’s ear while caressing her breasts.

  Jamie leaned in closer and sighed. “You sure are. Keep that up and we won’t go anywhere.”

  “Well then let’s go, I want to spend time with you. We have all the time in the world to make love.”

  The words made Jamie smile, she assumed when that their time together would only be about sex, but this woman who matched her own height and hid her sensual curves under the disguise of male clothes had her emotions spinning out of control.

  The warm day wasn’t oppressively humid. Florida Octobers were fickle months, sometimes hot, sometimes cool, wet or dry, it was hard to predict. They stopped for lunch before going to the beach. As they walked Jamie watched the way Gloria’s jaw suddenly clenched, she knew there was a problem. She motioned her close and kissed her softly on the cheek.

  “What’s wrong, are you having regrets?”

  “Hell no, I was just thinking about that dyke who kept staring at us all night.”

  “What dyke, there was a lot of women there?”

  “The Latina who was wearing the black leather jacket and blue jeans that stood in the front of everyone with her arms crossed.”

  Jamie knew she was talking about Lydia but refused to acknowledge she has seen her, much less admit that was her ex-girlfriend. “There were a few women in black leather jackets,” she said pointing out the obvious. “Besides I was not looking at them, I only had eyes for the dyke that was in my arms.”

  Gloria smiled and pulled Jamie in her arms and kissed her. “That’s a good thing.”

  They turned and strolled along the beach and stopped as two children ran circles around them. Jamie laughed as one of the little girls smiled as she used Gloria as a shield so the other little girl could not get her. The fun was short lived when the girls stopped when a woman called for them to leave them alone.

  “I want a kid one day,” Jamie said not putting too much thought into what Gloria wanted. She had planned to be artificially inseminated before she reached thirty and the years were starting to creep up on her.

  Gloria pulled Jamie closer as they walked. “Me too, one day.” She looked at Jamie and for the first time, she saw herself settling down, a wife and child had been far from her mind, but she was tired of the night life and sleeping around. She was ready to go home after work and have something to go home to. She was not sure if Jamie was the right one, but she was willing to give her a chance and find out.

  The weather advisory flashed across Gloria’s screen on her phone. She shook her head. “Doll, I don’t mind riding in rain, but we have a frontal boundary heading our way and the winds on the interstate could make our drive dangerous and the highway will be wet for hours after it stops. I’m not risking our lives.” She studied her. “Let’s stay here tonight. I’ll get us a room at a hotel.”

  Jamie quickly shook her head. “No.” She took a deep breath. “We can’t stay here tonight I have to work in the morning.”

  “Are you sure, the roads are going to get bad?”

  “Yes I have to go,” Jamie sighed letting out a frustrated breath.

  “Can’t you call in?”

  Jamie met her eyes, as much as she wanted to say no, she knew she was right, she would just have to convince Chris that she did not want to risk riding with the bike in the rain. She replayed in her mind how she would tell her, she knew she also needed to go to work the next day and the bike was Chris’s only transportation. She knew Chris would be mad at her but if she objected, she could tell her to take her Mercedes to work, and she knew how much she loved her car so she assured herself the argument would be short lived. “Just one night, I have to get back tomorrow. Don’t you need to go to work too?”

  “When you own your own business you can afford to take off a day here and there.”

  “Lucky you, I work for my ass off every day but I make good money.”

  “Owning a construction company has its
downfalls. Weather plays a key factor if we can get work done, but I usually have more than one job going at a time. So if the weather is bad, we work on the ones that are all inside work.” She smiled. “I was a little worried about saying anything at first. I wanted to make sure you liked me for me and not for what I own.”

  “I like you Gloria; I would not care if you were a mechanic in a one man gas station.” She smiled feeling an overwhelming desire to make love to her.

  Gloria hugged her and purred, “Let’s go get a room and we’ll stop somewhere to get what we need and grab some dinner.” She winked. “Will Chris be okay without you there tonight?”

  “Of course she will, she’s probably hanging out with the girls and having a few drinks.” Jamie raised her eye wondering if Gloria was a little jealous.

  “Do you need to call your job now, or wait until tomorrow?

  “Oh no, I’m a nurse I have to find someone to work my shift.”

  “Can it wait until we’re in the room?”

  Jamie pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and dialed the number and sighed. “No, I need to call now.” She stepped away and made several calls. Chris was upset at first but agreed after she checked the weather. Her job was not as easy but when she explained the weather and the roads and then reminded them that she never took off and always worked her day off for the other nurses. The head nurse hesitantly agreed and said she would get someone to work her shift. When she was done she turned around smiling brightly. “All done, you have me for the night.”

  They happily walked hand in hand towards the boardwalk. Jamie felt free with Gloria, she was not afraid to say what she felt at the time she felt it. Unlike when she was with Sylvia who had her on guard all the time afraid to share ideas or thoughts that were her own. She enjoyed the fact that Gloria listened and really wanted to know how she felt. As they walked and just talked time got away from them, before Jamie realized it was already dark out and they still needed to eat.