He heard splashing and headed towards the pool. Ikali was on top of the waterfall jumping down on Tessa. He glanced around and saw and empty plate sitting by a chair. Sitting to eat his slice, he saw her.
She was standing upon the waterfall in her white t-shirt dress, soaking wet. Her dress clung to her and had become quite see-through. She had not noticed him and jumped into the water. She dove like a professional, barely creating a splash, and he stared at her as she moved under the water. It seemed like she might never come up. He finished his first slice and started on his second. He found he was nervous, watching for her. She shot out of the water as if fired by a cannon, and she laughed and cannonballed back in. The cats both jumped in after her and they wrestled in the water, dunking each other. She looked so sexy. She was smiling and laughing as Ikali climbed on top of her head until she went under. Then Ikali climbed on Tessa and the three of them were under the water.
Jaspierre popped back up at the side of the pool and stood up. Lucas stared; she wasn’t wearing a bra or panties, and he saw everything under her white dress. She turned and saw him staring and she froze, her hair dripping and dress hugging her. He stared down at his pizza. She looked at him.
He glanced back up and tried not to let his eyes wander across her body.
She stood with such a devilish grin. He bit his lip and looked down. God, she was so confusing.
“So, you found dinner, I see. Took you forever to take a bath.”
“Yes, I did.” He kept looking down at his pizza. “Can I ask you something?”
“Alright.”
“Do you want me to sex you or not?” He glanced up. “I just, I don’t know. And I can see your tits. It’s confusing. Please don’t stab me for asking.”
She was taken aback, but made no effort to cover herself. “I have never had a sexual relationship before. It’s a little confusing for me.” She was sure watching a man masturbate whenever she caught him wasn’t the same thing as a relationship.
He was surprised. He assumed she had lovers. “Well, me too, obviously… I have been in your basement for the last ten years. Nobody before that. But, I mean, I have no idea what you are gonna do next. Don’t kill me for asking for your body, okay? Because…” He stood and she saw his obvious bulge, “I would love to have it.”
She squealed and kissed him. Her wet clothes soaked his. She pulled off the wet dress and helped him out of his wet scrubs. He stared at her nakedness, her beautiful tits, her round bottom, and all he could think was how lucky he was. They made love on the chair by the pool, and then went upstairs naked and giggling to her bed to make out and let their bodies dance together again. When they fell asleep, the cats crawled into the room and glared at him with disapproval.
Chapter 9
While Jaspierre was off stealing antibiotics from her own company, Lucas was sleeping. He drove the car thump thumping over Rainbow, and looked up in time to see Jaspierre pull the scissors from Katie’s chest. He stared down at his hands. He held the bloody snips and one of Russell’s toes. Sweat poured down his back and he awoke sobbing. He was in her big bed, surrounded by the four serval carvings, naked, and under a sheet. The sheet was bloodied, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know why. He saw her note and reached over and grabbed it.
Hey,
Off to get you meds. You are running a high temperature, and may be delirious. Please take two ibuprofen when the alarm sounds. Clean out your chest. It’s badly infected, there is plenty of peroxide.
Jasp
The note was cute and her handwriting was sweet and curvy. She wrote him notes now! He read it again and wondered if he had missed the alarm. He looked the clock over. It was set to ring in two more hours. Okay, he didn’t miss it. He went to his room, not daring to walk in her closet, and reviewed himself in his mirror. He looked like shit. His chest was bright red with spidery veins crawling across it. He pressed next to the gaping hole and pus poured out. It smelled foul, and he wondered if he could die of infection. That would be such a pathetic way to die after all these years: An infection.
Of course, if she had never stabbed him, he wouldn’t have a puncture wound to be infected. She was getting meds. So hopefully she had connections. He stood there, still naked, pressing on the swollen flesh, trying to clear out the infection. It hurt to press out the pus, but at the same time as it drained, there was a small amount of relief. His chest deflated as the wound drained, and he cleared the worst of it. He turned to grab a towel to wipe off his chest as much as possible. Before he could, he heard a scream. He turned and saw someone running.
Oh my God. What now? He put pants on and went out into the hall. “Hello?”
He heard a strange noise and walked toward it. One of the back rooms had a long extension cord going into it, and he followed into the room. There he saw an older woman, changing bedding and talking to herself.
“A naked man! She let me walk in on him standing there with his dingle berries waggling about!” She fluffed pillows. “What is wrong with that woman! She can’t even tell me she has a special guest!” She straightened the covers. “I come twice a week to clean. Change all the bedding, she says. Wash all the clothes she says. Dust everything she says.” She shoved a pillow into the pillowcase. “And that locked room! Her mother’s room. She won’t even let me in it. Surely that is where all this dust is coming from.” She fluffed the pillow again and set it on the bed lining it up. “A naked man! I can’t even get his meat and potatoes out of my head.”
She turned and gasped, staring at him standing there. “Who are you? How dare you stand there and sneak up on me!” He stood there, totally unsure of what to do. “What the hell happened to you!” She grabbed his arms, holding them open, and stared at his bloody pus-smeared chest. “Good God, you have an infection. You are so infected!” She threw her hands up in disgust. “You better go see a doc. Did she do that? She is crazy. Did she do that to you?”
He shook his head and said nothing.
“Why were you naked? Are you porking her? Is she your pork pudding? You shouldn’t mess around with her. She is trouble. Serious!” She threw her hands up again, prattling about. “I have work to do! I can’t sit around and chat with you all day.”
He turned to go but she was at it again. “Hey! Where are you going? What the heck!” He paused. “What is wrong with you? You can’t say a darn word? Are you mute?” The hands went a-flyin’ again. “I will clean up your chest and I won’t say a word okay? Not a word.”
He nodded. He couldn’t seem to think of anything to say. Though, it seemed unlikely she would ever give him a Chance to talk.
They walked back down the hall past Jaspierre’s room, to his room, and she grabbed towels and a bottle of peroxide. “Good Lord, what has she done to you!” The lady pressed on his chest and pus bubbled out. “Was it one of those swords? I swear they are everywhere. I don’t know what kind of ninja army she is planning on staffing here, but I sure won’t clean it when they arrive!” She wiped with a towel, pouring peroxide on. He winced as it burned. “It’s so deep! I keep thinking I see your bones, and then boom! It’s pus! Disgusting white pus!” She poured the rest of the bottle on and wiped it away. “You didn’t hear me talking about your hot dog and macaroni, did you?”
He didn’t know what to say.
“Well, you shouldn’t be flopping them about like that anyways! I am no young woman! You’ll give me a coronary!” She pressed a clean towel tight onto his chest. He felt so sleepy again. “Damn, boy, you are hot with fever. What the heck am I supposed to do with you?” She threw her hands up again in exasperation. “I gotta work; I can’t get fired from this job. This is the only house I clean anymore, the pay is so good.” She pushed him down and he found his head on his pillow. As she pulled the sheet up around him she kept chattering about. “You better go to sleep. You are white as a sheet; your body has work to do! And I do too! I’ll check you if she isn’t back soon. Not that I’d know where she’s gone! She does as she pleases.”
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nbsp; The chattering woman vanished from his sight, but the clickity-clack of her teeth and tongue never did seem to slow. Her voice murmured and mumbled along as she went. Lucas found he slept sound. He felt for a moment, as though he had been taken care of by his mother. Though his mother never talked quite as much, still, there was something sweet about being taken care of by a sweet old woman. He slept sound and dreamless.
He awoke to rambling noises. “If I hadn’t stopped vacuuming to move the plug from one outlet to another, I wouldn’t have ever heard it.” She sat on the edge of his bed, with a glass of water and pills. “But I did. That cord doesn’t reach everywhere! I wish it did!” She threw her hands up again melodramatically. “Anyways, so I hear it beeping along and I saw you were in her bed!” She handed him the pills, and pulled him up to sitting. “Your pus and blood on her sheets! I found your shirt in there!” She handed him the water. “I can’t believe it! I don’t know when she was last with a man. I certainly don’t clean messes like this often.” She motioned for him to swallow the pills, and he groggily obeyed. “You’d better be using a condom! I didn’t see any in there! And I checked the bed and the floor and everywhere.” She fluffed his pillow and pushed him back down as he swallowed. “You do not need crazy children! Get more cats!” She turned and grabbed rags and pressed his chest. Satisfied that there wasn’t much pus in there, she smiled. “Well, it looks like we’re getting ahead of it a little.” She stood up and rambled off, words rolling out of her like steam out of a teakettle.
Lucas lay in his bed, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. His chest hurt, and he tried to sleep again. He drifted off when Tessa jumped up on his bed. She looked miserable. She curled up against him and purred, but she hissed every time the cleaning lady walked past. Tessa would prefer a filthy home, he mused.
He petted her behind her pretty ears, trying to coax her to relax. Not much later, Ikali joined them, sitting on the end of the bed, staring into the hallway. Ikali bared his teeth, ready to fight. The vacuum passed by in the hallway. Both servals had their hairs on end, and Ikali’s tail twitched angrily. Lucas went from safe in his bed to concerned that Ikali might find this particular moment an excellent opportunity to bite him. He tried to slide his feet to the side of the bed, but Ikali’s giant paw slammed down on one of them.
“Ow! Hey. Let me out. I wanna get a snack.” Ikali, raised his paw, staring at the sheet. Lucas tried to scoot out and his foot got bitten. “Hey!” Ikali, let go and Lucas leapt out of bed. He was so dizzy he almost teetered over. He had to sit back down and let his head rest. “Guys, I don’t feel good.” Tessa purred up close and pressed into him. He knew. “Are you hungry? I bet you are hungry.”
He stood and tested his feet. He teetered to Jasp’s room and, stumbling, he went down the hall. There she was again. Before she could get going, he asked, “What is your name?”
“Oh, I am Marcy. I know, a terrible name, but my mother was a drunk! I’m sure it meant something to her at the time. By God! Why are you out of bed! You are white as a piece of paper.” She inhaled and was speechless for an entire second. “My Lord! What happened to your feet?” She threw her hands into the air and let out a yelping noise. “What on earth! Your toes are gone!”
Embarrassed, he took a teetering step backwards. “I need to feed the cats.”
“You! You don’t need to do a single thing. Lie down and sleep. I’ll feed those monsters.” She grabbed his arm and led him down the hall, back to his room. “Have you eaten? Of course you haven’t eaten. Just like Jasp to leave a guest unattended! I will give her a piece of my mind!” They stepped into his room, and she sat him on his bed. “What is with the toes? You never did tell me! They look mutilated!” Lucas smiled. As if it was ever his turn to talk. “I’ll go feed those monsters and bring you up a snack. But no complaining!” She refilled his water glass and left it on the nightstand.
The servals did not come back in Lucas’s room, so he assumed she made good and got them fed. He dozed off again, waiting for his snack. He awoke with Jaspierre curled in bed next to him. She slept on the edge of the bed in a black suit. Her heels were tossed on the floor. She looked to him, like the sweetest angel.
He kissed her, and her eyes flickered open. “How are you feeling?” she whispered to him.
“I’m fine when you are here. I am so… lost without you.”
She smiled and rolled her eyes. He was still delirious and feverish.
She stood and took a box out of her purse. She read the directions and handed him two pills. “This is a strong antibiotic, so it should work. Don’t miss a dose.” She knew he wouldn’t because she wouldn’t let him. She had ten boxes, but apparently would only need one box. Actually, two, if she dosed Russell. Might as well.
“I am gonna go give Russell a dose and his dinner.” She kissed his forehead. He obediently took his antibiotic and went back to sleep.
She went downstairs and grabbed food from the kitchen on her way to the fireplace. She clicked the ear, and stepped down the stairway. Neither cat came running this time, and she glanced around curiously. Down the steps she went and unceremoniously clicked the box open, and shoved in the food she had grabbed. Carrot sticks and bologna and the pills. She put no effort into making the meal special because she didn’t like Russell.
“The pills are an antibiotic.”
And she left.
Russell shouted in response, but she had other things on her mind. Where were her cats? She walked upstairs and clicked the door shut behind her. “Tessa? Ikali!” Her voice rang out and nothing. She walked toward their playroom and peeked inside. No cats. She walked toward the pool, and she heard her.
“Marcy! I forgot you were here today.” Concern rose within her. Had she seen Lucas?
“Good Lord, you frightened me!” Up went the hands. “I’ve been trying to clean up your mess down here.” The rag she was using went attacking a chair. “Lord knows where you and your man toy have been getting it on.” She wiped down the side table. “I found him naked! You hear that! His crown jewels sparkling in the sunshine!” She scooted the chair and table and turned on the vacuum, hitting where they were, and turning it off again. “Not that I am complaining. He sure seemed well equipped!” Up went the hands. Then she pushed the chair and table back in place. “I gave him the ibuprofen and made sure he didn’t go hungry.” Marcy paused and looked up at Jaspierre. “I also cleaned his chest. He needs real medication.”
“That’s where I was,” Jaspierre replied curtly with a scowl. “He has medication now. Don’t talk about him like that.”
Marcy hesitated. “Are you sure? You might need girl talk after all that wang time. I know that with my first boyfriend, I couldn’t wait to ride him again. Of course, I had lots of girlfriends too, so we went a-whisperin’ about!” Up went the hands. “We compared notes, and parts even the big O’s. Some men squeak and some men moan. You’d never believe it if I told you everything I know!”
Jaspierre stood there glaring, embarrassed hot anger building.
“Look Jasp.” Marcy sighed. “Have you ever been with a man before? Come now. If you need to talk I will talk with you. I’m totally safe. Besides! I already saw what you’ve been blowing! He’s got a nice one, and he’s not too hairy of a man. I never did like a lot of hair on my men.”
“I have warned you plenty.” Jaspierre’s rage roared to life. A blade in her hand before she even knew where she got it.
She raised it with both hands over her head. “That is enough.”
Marcy ducked out of the way with unexpected skill. She slid one of the many hidden blades out of the nearby plant. “Oh? Come and get it.” Marcy swung her blade and the two collided. Jaspierre glared exasperatedly.
She leapt up onto the chair behind her and swung hard again. Marcy ducked. “Jaspierre, come now. Be reasonable!” Marcy smacked the flat of her blade on Jaspierre’s ass.
Jaspierre changed her stance and stopped swinging so thoughtlessly, making a quick sharp stab at Marcy’s
breast. Marcy swung hard to block and knocked the blade out of Jaspierre’s hand. “You should hit the gym,” Marcy smiled with her sword pressed against Jaspierre’s throat. “You are out of practice.” Jaspierre stood there, angry eyes burning into the older woman. Marcy lowered her sword. “I have to get back to work, and you have a sick man to attend to.”
Jaspierre never took defeat well. She glared at her maid and considered stabbing her in the back. It wasn’t worth the effort, and she turned and walked away. Marcy knew Jaspierre had a temper, they drew swords every few months. Most of the time, they sparred for fun. Marcy was getting good at it. After what had happened with Jaspierre’s mother, she couldn’t blame the girl. Nobody ever recovers from that sort of thing.
Jaspierre went back upstairs and sat next to Lucas. The vacuum hummed from the below and she was sure Ikali and Tessa were hiding from its racket. He slept a miserable, haunted feverish sleep. He moaned, cried, and complained. She tried to shush him, but there was no reasoning with him. In the quiet of the evening, she found herself thinking of Katie again. Why did she have so much regret? Mother would never regret slaughtering someone, especially when she was awful enough to kill a kitten. Mother wouldn’t have cared about the kitten like Jasp did, though. After all these years, Jaspierre still was haunted by that moment. Those scissors plunging. It was the right thing to do. Mother, Chance, pretty much everyone she had ever met would agree she was right. She wished her emotions would remember that. Maybe she had waited too long to kill someone? Maybe she was too old and that was why it bothered her so much. Move on. Go do something else.
She went and got her leather notebook and reviewed. None of her previous plans were carried out. She drew a line through her list. Pitting Russell and Lucas against each other in the maze? No. Seeing which man would turn on the other first? Hmm. Lucas, she supposed since he had already cut off the other mans toes. She wrote notes, about Lucas’s disgust, but his willingness to get it done. She wrote notes about Russell and his inability to handle captivity well.
Jaspierre (Jaspierre Trilogy Book 1) Page 6