Vignettes of a Master

by Luke, Jason

  In Stefter’s Humble Opinion

  April, 4th.

  Jason Luke at Jonah Noble’s funeral.

  The day they buried Jonah Noble was a perfect day to be alive. The sky was a brilliant blue, the summer sun warm through the leafy trees. The flower beds that bordered the cemetery were a riot of reds and yellows.

  Jason Luke stood with the milling crowd of mourners on the edges of the grave. There were hundreds of women, each of them dressed in black, each of them sobbing softly, as the priest performed the burial service.

  “Here lies Jonah Noble…” the elderly man began in somber tones. The group of bereaved stepped a little closer, flattening the green grass, gathering close together as though to take comfort from each other.

  A woman cried, and another followed. The sounds of grief became a soft undulating sound that seemed to hum in the air.

  Jason Luke fell to his knees, on the edge of the grave.

  For a moment, the crowd fell silent. The elderly priest lost his way, and his voice faltered. He looked down at the author, and reached a kindly hand down to help the man up. Jason Luke shook the man’s hand away violently.

  “No!” Jason Luke shook his head. “No. I have to be sure…. I have to be sure the bastard is dead!”

  A note from Jason:

  Oh, how sweet this was. The suggestion of me attending Jonah Noble’s funeral was simply a temptation I could not possibly resist. I liked this scene… but readers didn’t seem to share my desire to see Jonah dead. It remains one I truly enjoyed writing!

  In Stefter’s Humble Opinion

  April, 4th.

  Jonah finds Tiny leaving the training room.

  Tiny came out of the training room like a thief, pulling the door slowly closed behind him. He paused beyond the door, tensed and listening. I stepped in front of him and he flinched in shock.

  “What were you doing in there?” I asked mildly. I leaned in the doorway casually. I had my hands in my pockets.

  Tiny faltered, then looked acutely embarrassed. “I.. I was wondering what you had in there,” he confessed. “I was trying to figure out what made you so good with women.”

  I smiled. “Tiny, no amount of toys will make a man a good lover,” I explained. “Arousing a woman is something that comes from within the man. It’s in his eyes – the smoldering way he looks at her. And it’s in his voice – the confidence and command in his manner. It’s in his hands – the way he turns a touch into a caress… and it’s in his imagination. It’s the way a man kisses, and where he kisses. It’s the sensuality, and the suppressed passion… all those things make a man a lover. They’re things you learn, not objects you can purchase. Making love to a woman is a skill and a craft…”

  In Stefter’s Humble Opinion

  April, 4th.

  First morning waking up together.

  I turned my head slowly and studied Leticia’s face. She was laying on her side, facing away from me. She had her cheek cupped in the palm of her hand and I raised myself up onto my elbow and touched at the strands of hair that lay across her brow.

  Her eyes were closed, her long delicate lashes interlaced, her breathing deep and peaceful. I traced my finger across the flawless perfection of her skin and her eyes fluttered open, milky grey for an instant. Then she turned her head on the pillow until she was looking into my eyes. A soft loving smile spread across her lips and she made a contented sound in the back of her throat like a purr.

  She was naked beneath the sheet. She closed her eyes again and moved her hips. She arched her back like a cat, pushing her pelvis back in silent invitation, and I reached beneath the covers and pulled her towards me. Leticia gave a brief, soft gasp and then we began to rock together slowly, joined beneath the sheet and moving our bodies together in an erotic slow dance.

  In Stefter’s Humble Opinion

  April, 4th.

  Jason Luke and Leticia slow dancing under the stars on a rooftop while Jonah watches.

  I felt my blood turn to ice. I felt a soft red mist begin to burn behind my eyes. I stood quietly in the shadows, my fists bunched like hammers… and watched Leticia slow-dancing in the arms of another man.

  But not any other man.

  It was him. Jason Luke.

  I watched the way the couple moved together – the way the man’s hands were wrapped possessively around Leticia’s waist. I watched the way he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, and the melting flirtatious ring of laughter in Leticia’s voice as she stared wide eyes into the man’s face. She was blushing. I saw Jason Luke arch an eyebrow, and an instant later, Leticia nodded. She was blushing.

  The song finished, replaced by a loud roar that I could hear in my ears. It was the sound of my rage – the burn of my simmering hatred. I stormed out of the shadows, striding towards the couple.

  They jumped apart. Leticia’s face flushed crimson and she lowered her head with a guilty shock. Jason Luke turned as I bore down on him.

  “Bastard,” I hissed. “Get ready, Luke. I’m about to tear you apart…!”

  Book Boyfriend Reviews

  April, 7th.

  Leticia finds nude pictures of Caroline.

  Leticia picked up one of the last cardboard boxes, and then froze suddenly. She set the box back down and reached inside. In her hands were nude photographs.

  Dozens of them.

  Silently Leticia went through the photographs, shuffling through them like they were a deck of cards. She studied the images in cold, icy silence, and then slowly turned to me.

  She held the photos up in her hand. “Who is this woman?”

  “Caroline,” I said simply.

  “The Caroline? The woman who lived with you as your submissive for three years?”

  I nodded. “Yes,” I said. “I had those photos taken of her by a professional photographer.” My voice was matter-of-fact.

  I went to Leticia and stared over her shoulder. “The ones where she is fully nude are my favorites,” I said. “I prefer them to the lingerie shots.”

  Leticia’s expression changed, then changed again. I saw a turmoil of emotions play behind her eyes. Finally she said softly, “She looks very beautiful…”

  I nodded. “She is,” I said. “But so are you. I’m sure the photos I have taken of you in similar poses will be just as provocative, and delicious.”

  Leticia looked up into my eyes with a start of pure fear. “Jonah! I could never…”

  I smiled, and took the photos from her stiff fingers. “Yes, you can,” I said. “I’ve already made the booking. The photographer will be here on Wednesday.”

  I caught Leticia in my arms as she fainted.

  Book Boyfriend Reviews

  April, 7th.

  Leticia asking Jonah about his mother in the library.

  “Your father and you didn’t get along, did you?” Leticia asked softly.

  We were standing in the library. I glanced at Leticia, surprised by her question, and then turned my attention back to the rows of paperback titles, trying to find the latest Nicholas Ryan zombie book.

  “No,” I said. “The Old Man wanted me to be someone I wasn’t.”

  There was a long moment of silence. Leticia took a tentative step closer as though she were trying to reach out to me, connect.

  “What about your mother?”

  “Which one?” I asked, and there was an edge to my voice that Leticia read as a warning.

  “How many mothers did you have?”

  I turned to Leticia and sighed. I thrust my hands deep into the pockets of my pants and balanced on the balls of my feet. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the old mirror on the side wall. My face was grim, my features seemingly carved of granite.

  “Four,” I said. “My real mother died when I was young. Then the Old Man started marrying younger women. The last one – the woman he was married to when he died – was the woman you saw me at the hotel with a week or two ago. Remember the mysterious attractive woman who gave me her hotel key – the
one you asked why I was so interested in her…? That was Melanie… my last step-mother.”

  Book Boyfriend Reviews

  April, 7th.

  Leticia blindfolded in the playroom anticipating Jonah's next move.

  Leticia took a sudden ragged breath as I drew the silk scarf across her eyes and tied it securely. I put my hands on her shoulders and leaned close to her ear. The scent of her perfume enveloped me – a light, floral fragrance.

  “Can you see anything?”

  Leticia shook her head.

  “Good,” I said. My voice was calm and gentle. Leticia was trembling. I could feel the little jolts of anxious voltage running down the length of her spine. Still standing behind her, I traced a fingertip lightly down the soft pale skin of her throat until I felt the first button of her blouse. My hand paused.

  “Don’t try to guess what I am going to do next Leticia. Instead, try to sense it – try to feel your own body and imagine where you would like to be touched.”

  Leticia nodded. I walked quietly around her until I was standing right in front of her. Her lips were slightly parted, glossy and wet. I brushed my fingertip across her cheek, and her head moved, as though craving the contact. I saw the sudden ragged explosion of her breath. It came in a series of short pants, and her breasts beneath the gossamer thin silk of her blouse heaved in anticipation.

  Book Boyfriend Reviews

  April, 7th.

  Jonah realizing his fictional stories that women love are a part of Jason Luke’s reality.

  I sat upright in the bed with a silent scream – one that never quite reached my lips. I was shaking. The sheet fell down around my waist.

  Beside me, Leticia woke suddenly, her face tense and filled with concern. “Jonah! Are you all right?”

  I stared fixedly at her for long seconds, then glanced around the room. My bedroom. I sighed deep relief and slumped back on the bed. “I had a dream,” I said. “A terrible, terrible dream.”

  Leticia lay close to me and raked her fingers through the whorls of dark hair across my chest soothingly. “Tell me,” she offered.

  I shook my head. “I dreamed this wasn’t real. That I wasn’t real! I dreamed I was Jason Luke. God! I was suddenly fifteen years older, and much less handsome!” I scraped my hand across my chin. “And in the dream I hadn’t shaved for a few days. I dreamed that you and I… everything was just in the imagination of an ordinary guy. I dreamed that everything I knew was really the thoughts of this… this Jason Luke writer!”

  Leticia pressed her body close to mine. She was warm and soft. “You dreamed you were Jason Luke?” she repeated, her tone appalled and sickened. “My God, Jonah! How awful for you! That wasn’t a dream at all… that was some hideous, horrible nightmare. No one would dream of being Jason Luke!”

  Leticia shuddered suddenly, as though a spider had crawled up her arm. I closed my eyes again – but sleep never came. I spent the night staring up at the ceiling… wondering…

  A note from Jason:

  This was another scene that gave me the perfect opportunity to poke fun at myself. I am sure being me would be a lot of people’s worst nightmare…

  Flirty and Dirty

  April, 7th.

  Leticia's ex getting trained by Jonah, location in the kitchen.

  “Let me put it in terms you will understand,” I said abruptly to Leticia’s ex-boyfriend. He was just a kid, and he had a surly confidence about him that was undeserved. “You lost Leticia because you are a fool. Here is some advice you can understand. It might help you avoid making the same mistake next time you actually meet a real woman.”

  The guy’s face became dark, as if he wasn’t liking the way I spoke to him. I didn’t care.

  “Women are like cars,” I said. “Luxury European sports cars. They have beautiful flowing lines, and amazing performance… if you know how to handle them. You can’t just jump behind the wheel and slam on the gas because you are in a hurry. Women need to be taken up through the gears gradually. And sometimes it’s okay to drop back down through the gears before you reach top speed. Women are full of tight curves, so you need to be prepared to decelerate sometimes if you want the ride of your life. Understand?”

  The kid nodded, suddenly losing some of his attitude. I would never talk about women in terms like this normally, but it was the only way I could get through to this guy in a manner he could understand and relate to.

  “And don’t jerk the wheel. Women like some direction, but keep your grip confident and assured – not like you’re trying to strangle them. Know where you are going before you get behind the wheel – women like to be with a man who knows where he is going.”

  The guy started to smile. I thrust my hands deep into the pockets of my pants.

  “And one final thing,” I cautioned. “Women need maintenance. Sometimes it’s a good idea just to let their engine idle… let them warm up. You don’t have to have a purpose every time you get behind the wheel. Sometimes it’s fine just to sit in the garage and let the engine idle for an hour. Women will appreciate that you just want to spend time with them – that you don’t only go near them when you want to get yourself somewhere in a hurry. If you don’t follow these rules, you’re going to spend a lot of time walking… alone.”

  Flirty and Dirty

  April, 7th.

  Jonah Noble alone in Leticia’s apartment.

  When I woke the next morning, Leticia was gone. There was a note on the pillow, written in her large looping handwriting. I read the card and then crumpled it into a tight ball. I threw it against the wall and flung myself out of bed.

  Leticia was on her way to a sex shop!

  She would be back in an hour.

  I dressed quickly, and scraped my fingers through my hair. A sex shop! The woman had no idea. She didn’t yet understand that everything a man and woman needed for endless sexual opportunities was right there in the home.

  I went to the bathroom first. Leticia’s hairbrush was on the vanity basin. It had a long smooth handle, several inches long and quite thick. I put the brush into a plastic bag and took another glance around the room. She had stockings drying, pinned to the shower rod. The clothes pins were wooden. I snatched up two of them because they make perfectly useable nipple clamps.

  In the kitchen, I found a plastic spatula that would make an excellent riding crop, and snapped the long slim handle off an old plastic sieve.

  Finally I went back to the bedroom. I cut the crotch from a pair of Leticia’s lace panties, and then found several silk scarves that I could use to tie her wrists and ankles. The last thing I did was re-position the mirror. I wanted to see her every expression when I began to use the items to tease and arouse her.

  Flirty and Dirty

  April, 7th.

  Jonah and Leticia learn the name of book 2 and approach Jason Luke.

  I pushed open the dungeon door and stood in the threshold of Jason Luke’s office. Leticia was right beside me, holding my hand. I felt her fingers squeeze mine. She was nervous.

  Jason Luke was sitting behind his desk. I noticed a couple of large Egyptian statues, one at each corner. I glanced over my shoulder at the dungeon door.

  “It’s stupid,” I said. “No one has a dungeon door to their office.”

  The author shifted his weight in the chair. “I do,” he said simply. “Now, what the hell do you two want?”

  Leticia stepped out from behind me. “We want to talk to you about the title of the sequel,” she said. There was a firm tone in her voice that surprised me. “In love with a Master? What kind of title for a book is that?” Leticia sounded frustrated. “Why isn’t the master the one in love?”

  Jason Luke said nothing. I felt Leticia’s anger beginning to boil. It was in the sudden tension of her body, and the strained sound of her voice. “And what about the cover? You’re not going to use the same image are you? Dammit, Jason Luke, why can’t I be on the cover too?”

  Slowly Jason Luke sat forward at his desk. He reac
hed into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. On it was an image. It was a photo of a grave, and a woman dressed in black standing nearby. “Here’s the other option,” he said. I turned the image around and Leticia and I both went white with shock. The title on the image I held in my shaking hand read,

  “Ungrateful Characters Killed Off! Author returns to peaceful private life.”

  I put the page down slowly, and Leticia and I left the office.

  The Book Bellas

  April, 9th.

  Jonah runs into Claire after all these years.

  I recognized her instantly – the same feline grace, the same exotic almond shape to her eyes. It was Claire Moreland, and she looked as though she hadn’t aged. She still exuded the same sexual energy that she had all those years ago when she had made me her sex toy… and then I had made her mine.

  She was sitting at a table with an older man. The guy was overweight, with thinning hair. He had the useless, harmless look of an accountant or a middle-level manager… which is what he was.

  I waited for the music to end and people to leave the dance floor. The band launched into a cover of a U2 hit and I strode across the room and leaned close to Claire.

  “Hello,” I said softly. “I think I’ll take you home with me tonight.”