The Call

by Kathi Goldwyn

  “Ask if he can come tomorrow, baby?” I don’t want him coming today. I need one full day to be with Alex, just a chance to catch our breath, really.

  “Yes? I’m still here. Yes, that would be good. Okay, see you tomorrow.” Alex listens for a few moments, then she says, ”Yes, my boyfriend Jack will be here too. Could you meet us at his apartment?”

  Finally, she says, “Okay, I'll see you at 2 o’clock tomorrow.” She’s doling out my address and then she swipes the phone off.

  “I’m sure you heard. 2 o’clock tomorrow.” She looks nervous, like meeting with the detective might change things. I hope nothing bad happens that will change how things are going down. I grab her from the chair and throw her back on the bed. She bounces, and then I’m on the bed, and we make out like teenagers.

  We can put off this whole killing Norris episode until tomorrow. Today, she’s all mine, and I plan to spend every minute I can inside this beautiful woman.

  Alex moans as I slide my tongue down the front of her body. I grab a nipple in my mouth and suck hard. I knead her other breast and roll my tongue down her body, stopping briefly at her cute belly button. I slide further down and kiss her hip bones. I spread her thighs apart and see her cunt glisten in the morning light. I swipe my tongue over her clit and she arches her back, her cunt pushing into my face. She tastes divine, and I ride her clit until she’s screaming, “Jack!”

  I kiss my way back up to her face and kiss her neck, her face, her mouth.

  “I can taste myself on your tongue,” Alex whispers. It seems to turn her on as she pulls me over on top of her. I slam my dick right into her, then stop and look her deeply in the eyes. “We have a lot to be grateful for, baby. I love you,” I whisper, and begin pounding into her beautiful body.

  “I love you too, honey,” Alex whispers while she takes hold of my face and kisses me madly, darkly. She kisses me some more, and I feel her love pouring through me.

  I’m blissed out. What more can a man want? I have her back in my arms and I’m cock deep in her. “You are the woman of my dreams,” I mumble. I plan to stay right where I am the rest of the day. She’s my dream, my love, my life. I pound into her, going deeper with each thrust. I roll my hips around as she grabs my ass. I feel myself coming hard as I yell her name and hear her scream mine.

  Depleted, comforted, we both lay back, side by side. She moves closer, and I pull her to me as our breaths finally even out.

  “Oh Jack, you’re mine,” she mutters quietly.

  “We’re gonna be fine,” I whisper, and Alex breathes the words, “I know we are.”

  We lay back, breathing together; we’ll always be together, just like this.

  Chapter Sixty

  Jack

  The next morning, I call in for breakfast to be delivered. Neither of us want to leave my apartment. We feel like we’re living in a bubble; who fucking cares. Detective Black will be here this afternoon and reality will come to the fore then.

  I wrap my cast in plastic—my foot still throbs—and I tape it up. Alex and I climb in the shower together. I scrub her hair while kissing her. Then I grab the soap and washcloth and scrub her beautiful body to a gleaming clean. She smells like the vanilla soap, and I want nothing more than to drag her back to bed, but I don’t. We have stuff to deal with today. Time to face the music.

  After I pull on my jeans and zip up, I slide a cotton long-sleeve T-shirt over my shoulders. My hand is wrapped back up. It still hurts, and I know I need to stop using it. I pop a Vicodin in my mouth for good measure. My foot hurts after the shower. I’ve been on it too long.

  Alex slides on clean panties and a bra. She looks so cute, standing there in her underwear. Then she pulls on some jeans and a T-shirt just as I hear someone at the door. Breakfast is here.

  Alex sits on my couch, and I sit down next to her with the food laid out in front of us.

  “I’m going to text Lizzy, and if she’s home, I’ll go down and talk to her right after we eat, okay?” I ask Alex. She needs to be on board with this.

  I look over to see her nod and say, “Yes, get it over with, honey. Then we have that detective at two. Today, we take care of business.” She’s smiling, and I can see she’s happy. That’s all that matters.

  Today has to be more about keeping her safe than me and my cock.

  “She just texted back that she’s home, so I’m gone.” I give Alex a kiss goodbye and walk to the door.

  “Be nice, Jack,” she says with a sweet expression. I open my door.

  “Of course. I just want to be clear. I just want to make sure she knows what happened and that I’m with you now.” I give her one last smile then I shut the door behind me. I take a deep breath and center my thoughts. This won’t be hard on me. I just want to get clear on what I’m going to say. I take the stairs, careful not to bang my foot. It still hurts like a bitch. Finally, I’m standing in front of Lizzy’s door and raising my fist to knock. Before I can, Lizzy’s opening her door.

  “Hi Jack, come on in.” She’s dressed in a black skirt and blouse. She’s looking relaxed and really good, even beautiful, I have to admit. Maybe she already knows what I’m going to say, I don’t know. I’m here to let her know where I stand. She walks me into her living room and I take a seat on her couch. I rest my cast on the footstool—it’s throbbing again. She takes a seat in the chair placed in front of the couch and me.

  “I’m here to talk about us, Lizzy.” She nods. “I can’t believe how you left me. I waited to hear from you for months.” I take a deep breath in. “You wrecked me with the waiting. I’m disappointed you didn’t give me the courtesy of even a short phone call to let me know you were okay. Or when you were coming home. I’m done. Really done. You hurt me, and it’s irreparable.” I swallow and can feel my Adam’s apple moving up and down. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I have a lot more I want to say, but I pause to collect my thoughts. Before I can continue, Lizzy says, “I get it, Jack, and I’m sorry. I handled the whole thing badly. I get it, you have a new love and you’re here to dump me. I deserve it. I know I do.” Regret lingers in the air.

  I could never imagine in a million years that this conversation would take such a sharp turn. I thought she might get pissed or throw me out. But to admit she treated me poorly? Yeah, that never even crossed my mind.

  “Why? Why did you do it? Why didn’t you trust me enough to tell me what was happening? When I found your note, I was crushed beyond measure.” I demand—I need—answers. I need to know the why. I really did love this woman once upon a time.

  “Well, it was a sensitive project, and I thought you’d talk me out of it. I really needed to do it, to go. I should have told you right then.” She sounds remorseful, at least. “I was appointed to lead a task force in Rome, Italy. We were going after a drug cartel in Europe, and we needed secrecy. But I should have told you. I should have said goodbye to you before I left.”

  What the fuck? What does that even mean? I must look as bewildered as I feel, because Lizzy continues explaining herself.

  “I’m with the CIA. I’m an agent for the CIA, and when we got the call to leave the country, I was so focused on the assignment that I didn’t handle things well. I wasn’t honest with you, and I left you stewing with your feelings. I’m sorry, Jack. I’m really sorry.” That last part is on a whisper, and I can see she’s affected by her confession. And wait just a goddamned minute…CIA? Holy shit.

  “Damn, CIA? I would have been so proud of you. And I would have been here waiting for you when you came back. But yeah, I feel lied to. Betrayed, even. You aren’t the woman I thought you were. You lied to me from the start,” I snarl. I’m so pissed off. “I believed we had something really good, Lizzy. It makes me sad.” I pause and chew on my cheek for a few.

  “It’s best I say goodbye to you for now. I don’t know if we can ever be friends. Friends don’t lie to each other.“ I realize what I’m saying is really true. No wonder her artwork stinks; she’s no artist.
Then I add, “I think I’ve made Alex wait long enough. I need to go.”

  I get up and stick out my hand, and we shake. Lizzy says, “Good luck, Jack. I hope you stay happy. You deserve that.” Damn straight. I think Alex and I both deserve happiness, after all we’ve been through. We deserve the end of the fucking rainbow.

  I walk out of Lizzy’s apartment feeling liberated. That couldn’t have gone any better. I dumped her ass, but she took it well. She knew what she did, and I’m sure I’ll accept her apology one of these days. Not now, but someday I’ll learn to accept how fucked-up she really is. CIA? I’ll think about that shit later. But I’ve got to say I’m really impressed with that.

  I’m glad we had this talk. Even though I love Alex, there was a time when I loved Lizzy.

  Things definitely worked out for me.

  I won the prize.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Alex

  Jack comes back as I’m brushing my tangled mess of hair. It’s taken me some time to get all the knots out, but finally it looks smooth and shiny. It’s grown a lot; the pink is gone and my blonde hair has grown out on top and on the sides. I put it up in a high pony of sorts and slip some lip-gloss on my sore lips. We’ve been kissing so much they’re chafed and sore, but I don’t care. It’s been worth the Chapstick. I giggle softly to myself.

  “How’d it go?” I ask as soon as Jack walks back into the room. He looks amazing in those low-slung jeans hanging off his hip bones. When he moves a certain way, I can see the deep V that cuts sharply down his pants. I’m salivating right now. Even with that cast peeking out of his pant leg, I couldn’t be more attracted to a man than I am attracted to him. I live for that V.

  “She apologized. I’m stunned. She apologized and accepted the fact that I’m in love with you.” He shrugs, looking relieved. I can see how he’s no longer stressed out. It was a really good thing that he did. He doesn’t need those old ties with that woman. He got the closure he deserves.

  “You won’t believe this—she works for the CIA! I mean, I had no clue. Our relationship was built on all lies. That’s not a relationship. You’ve got to be honest from day one, right?” He looks at me with those amazing blue eyes and I swoon. I almost forget to answer, I get lost in them. He pulls me sharply to him and I snuggle up on his chest.

  “Really? That's crazy. Her loss is my gain.” I flirt with him and slide my arm around this gorgeous man’s neck. His body fits perfectly around mine.

  “Oh, I got the better part of that deal, baby,” Jack says as he bends down to take my lips with his.

  A few hours later, there’s a knock at the door. As Jack pulls the door open, I can see Detective Black standing in the hall.

  “Come in. Detective Black, right?” Jack offers him his hand to shake. The detective walks in with large strides. Jack says, “Please, take a seat.”

  We all sit in the living room. The detective sits in the leather chair and Jack and I sit on the couch, looking at him, waiting for whatever is to come. Jack reaches over and takes hold of my hand with a soft squeeze. He’s so freaking supportive, this man. He’s right by my side, like I knew he would be. That doesn’t stop my heart from beating hard against my ribs. I’m freaking the fuck out, waiting for the detective to tell me if I’m in any hot water.

  “So, what’s this about, Detective?” I ask, I hope with all my heart it’s good news.

  “Well ma’am, I think it’s safe to say you’re in the clear. We checked out your story, talked to your boss Rocco, and a man named Bark? They corroborated your story.” He sounds sincere.

  “What does all that mean?” I can’t believe the police are going to let it go.

  “It means you’re fine. In fact, you’re our hero. That dick—oh, excuse my language, ma’am, but that Norris character was one of the worst. We’ve been trying like hell to put him away for years. But nothing ever stuck,” Detective Black offers.

  “That’s incredible. Let me get this straight. You’re saying Alex has nothing to worry about?” Jack asks. My words stick in my throat. I can’t get them out, no matter what. I’m stunned.

  “Well, I didn’t say that exactly, sir. She has nothing to fear from the police, though. We confirmed you were kidnapped, that he held you captive where he died. You escaped. I’m sure you weren’t out to murder him, just free yourself—am I correct, ma’am?” Detective Black looks at me expectantly. I’m sure he wants to wrap shit up tight.

  “Right, I just wanted to get out. He was threatening to rape me, Detective, or worse. Kill me. In the end, it was him or me.”

  “I’m so impressed. I mean, the way you took him down was impressive. He had at least fifty pounds on you. How did you get the upper hand there? How did you do it?” That’s what this is all about. They want to know how I killed that motherfucker, how a small little girl could take down a monster.

  “Three points to target,” I say trying to shortcut my answer with a shrug. I think that explains this enough, and he seems to agree.

  “If I have a daughter, I’m definitely going to teach her your technique. We’re all impressed down at the station. You have nothing to worry about legally. But I’m still worried...” Now I’m worried, too. What could be bugging the detective so much he can’t even say it? Fuck me.

  “Sir?” I ask, giving him a wide-eyed look.

  “The gang, ma’am. You took out one of the most powerful, influential men in their organization. I don’t know how you navigate that. We are discussing things, but, in the meantime, I’d like to put a man at your door. We want to protect this little fighter. Would that be okay with you?” Holy shit, they’re worried about the same thing I’m freaking out about.

  “Please feel free. And please, let us know what we can do about ChuckD,” I whisper, fear digging inside my very soul.

  “I will. I suggest you stay here as much as you can. Don’t go out, either of you. This is tricky, you know?” Detective Black looks to Jack to confirm. I mean, he wants his agreement, and right now it doesn’t seem so bad.

  “Sure, we can do that for some time. But we can’t live like that forever. We’re going to have to go back to work, back to our lives, right?” Jack looks upset as he looks between Detective Black and me.

  “I agree with Jack. We have to get back to our lives sooner rather than later. But right now, I feel like I need some time to adjust and rest. Thank you, Detective, for the great news. I’m so relieved. I was worried about that asshole, Norris.”

  “We just need to protect you for now, ma’am. I’m going to leave now, but I’ll be in touch.” Jack walks the detective to the door. Before he leaves, he turns and looks directly at me. “Thank you, Alex. Thank you for taking him out.” Then, he’s gone.

  Jack comes back over to me on the couch and takes my hand. “That went really well, don’t you think, Alexandria?” He pokes me in the side and we crack up.

  “I don’t think it could have gone any better. I’m so relieved. You know Rocco did this. He made sure I was okay,” I say.

  “We owe him so much. But come on, let’s go back to bed.” Jack pulls me up off the couch and lifts me into his arms. He carries me, limping on his cast, to his bed, and gently lays me down.

  “Let’s take a nap. We can talk about it later,” he whispers as he pulls my jeans off me. Then he steps out of his jeans and slides in next to me.

  “Sleep, baby. Just sleep.” As he bundles me up in his arms, I feel safe.

  Safe and loved. And, before I know it, asleep.

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Alex

  Jack and I have been inside for over a week, and we’re both starting to go a little stir crazy. We’ve ordered in most of our meals, had food delivered, and there’s always a uniformed cop by our door. How long can this go on?

  This has to stop. We can’t continue living like this. I’ve really enjoyed my time recuperating with Jack. He’s going to have that cast on his foot for another couple of months. His hand is healing, though. He can move it a little bit.r />
  We call Jeremy every single day. He finally went home, and he’s been staying with his mom and Bob. All of them came over last night, and we shared dinner with them. Jeremy looks great, so much better than the last time I saw him when he was laid up in the hospital. The color has returned to his face and he seems to be holding his own. His hair is starting to grow out so he’s looking handsome as hell.

  He feels so ashamed about the car wreck.

  “Dude, stop beating yourself up, really. Look at us. We’re fine!” Jack insists.

  “Right, honey, you need to listen to your brother,” Jack’s mom says. I think he’s still feeling guilty about that crash. We all survived and are healing; I hope he can let it go. I’m not sure what we can say to make him feel better.

  “Jeremy, really, I appreciate that you were willing to come break me out. You’ve got nothing to feel guilty about,” I add.

  We all hug when they leave. I’m glad to see he’s getting around so well. There was some stress in the hospital before he woke. The doctors didn’t know if he’d be the same. But he seems fine, and we’re all grateful for that.

  Jack and I sit down on the couch when they’re all gone.

  Jack starts. “Alex, baby, I think we need to talk about how we’ve been living. I want to get back to my kids, and I know you’d love to get back to Rocco’s. Tell me what you want to do.” He looks at me with love and concern.

  I feel safe behind his door with the police officer guarding our lives. But I can’t live like this forever. I think we need to make some changes, but I’m scared to go out there into the big bad world. I’ve learned all too well how scary it can be.

  “You’re right, hon, I know you are. But I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe again.” I try hard not to cry, but I feel the tears trickle down my face.

  “Hey, baby. Shh, it’s gonna be okay. You’ll be with Rocco when you’re not with me. Won’t that be okay? I’d think you’d feel safe.” He urges me to look at him by tipping my face up towards him with his finger under my chin.