Mrs. Dennings raises her index finger up to my face. “Don’t scream at me. I’m trying to help you. You and Callie. She’s all but given up on you. Just talk to her. Be human beings, for Christ’s sake. You’re both adults so act like it. Stop this soap opera nonsense. Just don’t go around accusing my darling daughter of being a criminal, that is something I will not stand for.”
She turns away without letting me respond to her, but turns back around just to give me one piece of advice.
“And if you are going to go see her, I suggest a change of clothes. You look like a Brokeback Mountain reject who lost his hat.”
What a ball-buster. I like her.
And she did basically tell me exactly what I was hoping to hear from a stranger at a nearby bar. I do as she suggested and change into an all black outfit. Black Chelsea boots, black jeans, black v-neck, and a black leather jacket. I drive over to her place taking slow, concentrated breaths the entire way to ensure I’m emotionally ready to apologize to Callie and hear her out without interrupting her.
I pull up to her apartment building and walk right in. I knock on her door but she doesn’t respond. I doubt she’d be as childish as to ignore me if she were in there. The only other place I could think of her being is her bakery.
The bakery has its lights off, but just as I was getting ready to give up on finding her and driving to a dive bar, Callie and her assistant baker, Sheila walk out. Callie is carrying a small box and wearing a denim jacket with a bunch of patches. Odd, doesn’t seem to fit what I’ve seen of her style. A dessert, I’m guessing. They were just in their bakery after all. The two of them get in Sheila’s car and drive off.
My goal was to find Callie and talk to her.
I found her. Now I’ve just got to talk to her. But this is an opportunity to find out what kind of person she is when she’s single. She may just be spending the night with her assistant and friend. Or they could be going to some party. A swinger’s party. No, no, now I’m letting my imagination get the best of me.
But there is only one way to find out.
Sheila stays on the road for forty five minutes slowing down once she reaches the last available road before sending her car into the ocean. I manage to keep a good distance behind her car but am having an increasingly difficult time with her slowing down. They must be close to reaching their destination.
They finally stop at a beach house that is mostly hidden by tropical plants. I park my car across the street, scoring a good vantage point. From here, I can see Callie and Sheila clearly along with the beach house’s front door. I slink down onto my chair to make sure I’m not seen easily and turn off my car’s engine. The last thing I thought I’d be doing today is stalking my most recent ex and her friend yet that’s where I find myself.
Sheila steps out of the car first and goes around to help Callie up from her seat. Callie is doubled over as if she’s about to throw up, and Sheila rubs her back further cementing that she may be sick. Upset stomach from anxiety? Who are they going to see in this odd beach house?
Callie hugs Sheila before grabbing the small box from the car and waves as Sheila drives away. What the fuck? Callie never mentioned anything about knowing somebody who has a house in the coast.
To my surprise, once I discover the identity of the homeowner, I’m only more baffled.
Jake fucking Dennings.
My surprise and confusion turns into a deep disgust when I watch Jake take Callie in his arms and squeeze her ass with both hands. What sort of fucked up incest family did I get myself involved in?
I’m out of here. I am done with this.
Chapter 14 - Callie
“Everything is going to be alright”, Sheila assures me. “Like I said, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this sort of thing.”
“We really need to have a talk where you tell me everything about yourself before meeting me because… You have a much more interesting life that I ever could have imagined. It’s a bit scary.”
“My life is interesting? You’re the one that’s about to poison your brother.”
“You’re the one who has poisoned people before.”
She stays quiet for a moment before agreeing with me, “Fair point. You got me there. I guess my life is pretty interesting. But if you think poisoning is the peak of how wild my life is, then you are in for a ride, let me tell ya.”
“I feel sick.”
“Oh, that’s the pre-poison jitters. Don’t worry, even if he eats the entire cupcake, it won’t kill him…. Or it might and then, y’know, we just dispose of the--”
“No, no, I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“Oh shit. You didn’t have any of the cupcake, did you?”
“Be serious, Sheila. God. I feel… Shit. What day is is?”
“Still Thursday the uh, 16th. Why?”
I’m late. With everything that’s been going on as of late, I haven’t been able to keep track of my period. But if today is Thursday the 16th, then I’m a week late. I should have had my period either at the end of last month or at the beginning of this one.
“Oh, shit, Callie. Did you let Declan raw you?”
“No. I don’t… He wore a condom every time, I don’t understand.”
Screw understanding the situation, now I have something else to deal with on top of everything. A possible child. Declan’s child. Jesus Christ, I’m way in over my head.
“Do you want to turn back?”
Turning back would be the smart thing to do. But I can’t turn back now, we’ve come too far. I’ve come too far. After seeing Jake this afternoon, I thought about how good it would feel to watch the police take him away along with Miranda. But the more I thought about that circumstance, the more I was reminded of all the horrible and gross things Jake has done to me. He has pictures of me, videos of me. If I’m able to knock him out cold, I’m going to grab that phone from his unconscious body and wipe everything clean. This mission isn’t just for Declan, it’s for me. Jake isn’t going to come out of this with a single victory.
“Just keep driving, Sheila.”
“Alright, but if you throw up in my car, you’re paying to have it cleaned.”
When we arrive to Jake’s place, Sheila tells me to regulate my breathing so as to not look to nervous. Unfortunately, my breathing keeps getting interrupted by dry heaves.
“Oof, that smells… sinister. Are you sure you don’t want to turn back now? I don’t mind wasting the gas. ‘Sides, you could always pay me back. I certainly wouldn’t be against that.”
I take a deep breath and look straight into her eyes. “I’m good. I’m good. We’re here. Just… Look, I don’t know how long I’m going to be in there. But if you hear any screaming coming from me, please come and get me.”
“Holy shit, Callie, what do you think is going to happen in there?”
“Jake has been known to be violent. If he’s somehow able to shake himself awake or if I have to pepper spray him before he takes a bite out of the cupcake, then I might be in for a fight. I don’t know what Jake’s limits are, but just go up the street a little bit with your window rolled down and your engine running.”
“You can count on me, Callie. Are you ready to go out there, though? Don’t you think we should call the cops for backup”, she asks.
“Definitely not. Cops are useless. Forgive me if that’s a controversial statement--”
“No, no”, she laughs, “I agree wholeheartedly. I strongly believe that cops are just assholes with badges and guns.”
“Right? Getting the cops involved before retrieving the flashdrive would be counterproductive, anyway. That’s what Declan did and nothing came of it. No crime has been committed yet. Not one we can prove anyway.”
Sheila shakes her head dismissively but decides not to speak what’s on her mind. Instead, she turns over to me with a hopeless smile. “I’m ready whenever you are. And you seem pretty ready.”
“Not quite yet”, I tell her. I open her glove compartment a
nd pull out a miniature camera and pin it to the front of a heavily patched jacket I found in Goodwill back in high school. Who knew this ugly thing would ever come in handy?
“What.. You’re wearing a body cam?”
“Not just any body cam. A body cam made from Declan’s designs that Jake sold. Karma’s a bitch, huh?”
Sheila leans forward to study the small contraption. “Why are you going to record this?”
“If things go terribly wrong, there’ll be evidence.”
“If you’re going to be recording everything, then you better pepper spray him. I really want to see that”, Sheila jokes.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
After some more deep breaths, I swing open the door. Sheila runs out of the car and tries helping me up. Sheila’s got the best intuition because the second I was on both feet, I felt so nauseous I thought I’d be throwing up everything I’d had to eat this past month.
“Ooh, Callie, right now is probably your best chance to blow chunks before going in there”, Sheila warns me as she rubs my back delicately.
I shoot back up and grab the box hiding the poisoned cupcake from the car.
“Just stay close, Sheila. This might be a long night.”
We shared one last hug before I venture off into the belly of the beast. I look back at her and wave as she drives off to a nearby but unseen location. Walking up the steps proves difficult with the nausea I’m going through but I endure it and manage to make it to the front door. I only knock once before being greeted by the grand creep himself. He hugs me and squeezes my ass. I push him back roughly and tell him to be careful with the present I brought him.
He starts asking about the present, but we’re both distracted by the loud screeching of tires.
“Holy shit, sounds like someone’s about to get into a car crash. Wanna check it out?”
“NO”, I shout. “Uh… It’s probably nothing. Let’s go in so I can give you your present.”
Jake chuckles sleazily and closes the door behind him. He walks circles around me like a vulture before making a jerking motion towards me and grabbing the box from my hands. He opens it and scoffs.
“A cupcake. Huh. I thought it was gonna be some nice lingerie I could take off of you.”
“Sorry”, I mumble.
“Hey, it’s the thought that counts”, he says as he takes a bite from the tainted treat. “Dang. Well, that is good. Maybe keeping your bakery open isn’t such a dumb thought. Anyway, follow me.”
Jake starts walking deeper into the house but leaves the cupcake unfinished in the box.
“Don’t you want to finish the cupcake?”
“Huh? Oh, I’ll finish it later.”
“But it’s best eaten warm”, I insist.
“Callie, that thing was stone cold. I mean, it was still good, but.. I think it’ll be fine if I don’t eat the rest right this second. Do you want the flashdrive or not?”
Prying any further is just going to piss him off and make him suspicious of the cupcake, so to keep his temper at a tolerable level, I follow him to the farthest room from the front door.
“Welcome to my actual bedroom.”
I feel as though I’m in a seedy motel in the 80’s. He’s got a waterbed and some very tacky blue sea-themed wallpaper.
“It’s… different from your room at Jacob’s house.”
“Yeah, I just squat at that place. Here you can get a bit of my personality, y’know, who I am, all that.”
“You’re into the ocean”, I ask. The more I learn about Jake, the more confused I become.
“Well, no. Just the color blue. It’s my favorite color.”
There’s an awkward silence after his declaration of his favorite color, that ends when I ask him if I could have the flashdrive.
“No. I already told you, I’m going to help you one of the designs on the flashdrive to get money for your little shop of cold cupcakes. You’re not getting the flashdrive”, he reminds me angrily. “Just sit there and look pretty for me. Maybe take your shirt off. Whatever you want.”
“I’m going to have to anyway, aren’t I?”
“You’re definitely not getting any of the money unless you’re naked, so… Yes.”
Since he’s got his attention focused on his laptop trying to find a buyer, I find it pointless to start undressing. It’s not like he’s paying attention to me. I watch him scroll through a bunch of folders and type a description of the design he picked out from one of the many open folders. I try to inch a bit closer so the camera can get a good look of what’s on the laptop screen, but Jake turns his head towards me when he hears my chair squeak.
“Don’t… move… You move again, and you’re going to show me those tits”, he growls. “No, you know what, get ‘em out. You don’t seem to be taking me seriously. Take your shirt off.”
“What, what are you talking about, I was just--”
“Show me your tits, Callie”, he said in an extremely threatening tone. “I’m not playing around.”
The evil with which he spoke was undeniable. He was serious. If I even thought about stepping out of line, he would force me to do the unthinkable or worse. My only hope for getting out of Jake’s house unharmed is the melatonin flowing through his veins.
“Hold on”, I shout, “I’m sorry! I swear, I was trying to look at what you were doing. I was just trying to adjust myself. I’m really sorry if it looked like I was doing that, Jake.”
“You think I’m dumb?”
“No, I don’t!”
“Do you?!
“No!!’
He studies my face before slowly turning his attention back to the laptop.
“Don’t look at what I’m doing”, he grumbles. I hear him mumble to himself under his breath, “dumb bitch. I’m gonna see those tits anyway.”
I’m failing to understand what the big problem with me looking at what he's doing is. He knows that I've already figured out that he stole from Declan, he’s already risking a lot by agreeing to give me money he made by selling a stolen design. I won’t say anything to upset him, though. He already seems on edge, and I don’t want to push him any further. He’s unhinged, there is no doubt about it.
He has his back against his bedroom wall so I’m completely blind to what he’s doing but Jake seems to be more pissed than I realized. He keeps looking up at me and typing slower. This may end up proving to be in my favor, as the longer he takes, the more likely it is that he’ll fall unconscious before he’s able to finish posting any listings and finding a buyer. He needs to be distracted
“So, Jake”, I start in an innocently flirtatious voice.
He groans and looks up at me with an annoyed, gnarled expression. “What do you want?”
“I was just wondering why you have this place. Isn't Jacob's place bigger?”
He’s not having any of it. He sigh and says, “Sure, it's bigger but there's no privacy there. I can't bring chicks over when there's the chance that Dad could cock block me at any given moment. Besides, I can’t really tell chicks that the mansion is mine when it’s littered with pictures of Dad and Amelia.”
“So you bring women here to bang them?”
Jake shrugs. “Yeah. That and for business dealings.”
“What kind of business goes down here”, I ask.
“I guess you could say I’m a photographer. I bring people here, take pictures of them, sell them to people online. Just to make little side cash, y’know?”
“Sure. We’re all trying to make our own money.”
“Right. And I guess photography for me is like baking for you. It’ just something I’m good at and like to do.”
His demeanor seems a lot more relaxed now though I wish I didn’t have to listen to him speaking as if he’s a normal human being.
During his verbose explanation of his hobby, Jake slowly closes his eyes and starts to trail off. The cupcake is finally kicking in. It looks as though he's trying his hardest to keep his eyes open but looks like the
melatonin is rendering his attempts fruitless. He looks up at me calling me a bitch before collapsing face first onto his laptop.
There’s no time to lose.
Two Bad Bosses_An MFM Menage Romance Page 43