by Sasha Cain
Isela grabbed him by the arm, stopping him. “Please Brendan, don’t do anything. You’ll only make it worse...and he’ll kill you. We have to plan better. And you have to be thinking clearly.”
“Has he ever...done anything else to you?” Brendan asked, avoiding eye contact.
“No, he’s never touched me like that.” She laughed sardonically. “He has some delusion that I’ll come to him some day. He says he’s waiting for that. He’ll be waiting forever.”
Brendan gazed into Isela’s eyes. He cupped her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning into it.
“I can’t stand the thought of him hurting you. I can’t.”
“It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna get out of here soon enough...and then we’ll never have to worry about that again.”
“Have the two of you lost your minds?” Mae asked, agitated.
They turned their attention to her. She stood, hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently.
“You’re supposed to be keeping things low key, so the warden doesn’t suspect.” She waved her hand around at them. “To keep Guarros from finding out about...whatever this is between you two, but you don’t show up for work and stay holed up here with him...in your room with an inmate. You know what would happen if Guarros found out?”
“He won’t,” Isela and Brendan said in unison.
Mae shook her head. You have to act like you’re not into each other. Brendan, talk to other girls when Guarros can see you. Everyone knows better than to mess with Isela.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, almost everyone.” Mae pointed at Isela. “You, get your ass to work.”
Then she pointed at Brendan. “And you, wait for her to leave. I’ll make sure the coast is clear then you can get out of here. Jeez, think, you two, will ya?”
Isela pursed her lips to fight the smile tugging at them. Where had Mae gotten all of this new-found assertiveness? It suited her. Isela saluted her, saying, “Yes, ma’am.”
Brendan did the same.
****
Pete simply shook his head when Brendan returned to his post. Brendan gave him half a smile and got back to work. After several minutes of silence, Pete turned to him and said, “Couple of chickies came by lookin’ for you. Pretty hot. Too bad you weren’t here.”
“Why too bad?”
“Are you kidding me? Two hot babes come sniffin’ around for you, you miss it, and you don’t know why that’s too bad?”
Brendan shrugged.
“Dude, they weren’t lookin’ for you to ask you about the weather.” He leaned in closer. “I’d bet money they wanted some action. They both seemed...eager if ya know what I mean.”
Brendan shook his head. “Not interested.”
Pete stared at him. “What, are you a homo or somethin’?”
Brendan laughed. “No, definitely not. Just...not interested.”
Pete shook his head. “You must have quite a woman waitin’ for you.” He smirked. “All the more for me, then.”
“They’re all yours,” Brendan agreed with a chuckle.
He thought of Isela and smiled. No, there was no other woman he wanted other than her. He glanced up to see her gazing at him from across the room. He smiled at her, giving her a little nod. She raised a finger, wiggling it at him before returning to the kitchen.
Isela gathered an armful of napkins for the next meal. As she set them on the serving table she noticed two young women shamelessly ogling Brendan’s ass. A stab of jealousy speared through her. Balling her hands into fists, she stormed back into the kitchen.
She had to calm down. After all, nobody knew she had designs on him. Nobody could know. Mae was right. They had to play their relationship down if they were ever going to have one. Besides, he had a phenomenal ass. How could she blame a woman for noticing? She took a deep breath, grabbed a stack of plates, and marched back out to the dining area.
Chapter Fifteen
Three days went by before Isela saw Brendan again. She missed him and wondered if he missed her too. Apparently, they’d been assigned duties at opposite ends of the prison, but today he was back to repairs and she had kitchen clean-up duty. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching her then stared longingly at him as he painted over the patched holes in the walls.
Being in his arms the other day had been something she’d have sworn she’d have never let happen, but words couldn’t describe how right it had been. What she wouldn’t give to have him saunter over to her right now and hold her again. And his kiss? Remembering his lips on hers made her swoon. She had to find a way for them to be able to spend some time together alone or she’d surely go crazy.
****
Just as Brendan was painting over the last patched hole in the wall, two of the female inmates approached him. He’d seen them around, but had never spoken to either of them. One of them, a blond, had her shirt tied up, exposing her entire midriff. The other one, a brunette, had cut the front of her shirt, showing off her overly generous breasts. Jesus, her nipples were practically on display. The brunette spoke first, her hands locked behind her back, her breasts jutting out.
“Hi, I’m Amber,” she purred.
Brendan glanced over at Pete who was leering unabashedly.
Politely nodding his head, Brendan said, “I’m Brendan and this is Pete.” Pete practically leapt in front of Brendan to shake Amber’s hand.
“Lovely to meet you, Amber,” he said in a mysteriously different, deeper voice than he’d had only moments ago.
“This is my friend, Tiffany,” she said, ignoring Pete, her eyes still trained on Brendan.
Pete shook Tiffany’s hand just as eagerly. Tiffany smiled warmly at Pete then licked her lips. Brendan stifled a chuckle thinking Pete might start twitching with excitement.
Amber strutted up to Brendan, a predator’s smile on her face. She reached up and stroked his shoulder.
“We were hoping you boys might be up for a little party,” Amber said.
Brendan tried to shrug her off, but she squeezed firmly, refusing to let him go.
“Let me give you a little preview,” she said. Before Brendan could stop her, she stepped forward, wrapping her arm around his neck like a boa constrictor. She planted a kiss on him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth.
“Damn, dude,” Pete said.
Brendan pushed Amber off of him, just as he heard the clanging of metal hit the floor. He glanced to where the noise came from in time to see Isela staring, wide-eyed at him. The pot she’d been holding bounced off the floor. Luckily for her, it was nearly empty. He looked at Amber, who still had a death-grip on him, and then back to Isela, who was now on her hands and knees picking up the scraps that had fallen out.
Brendan tossed Amber aside and hurried toward Isela. He noticed Mae, standing by the door to the kitchen shaking her head. Pete narrowed his eyes.
Isela fled into the kitchen, furious with herself for letting herself care about Brendan. She’d seen it with her own eyes. He’d been kissing Amber. Pretending they weren’t together was one thing, but he kissed her. She should’ve known better. Of course he’d prefer Amber, with her giant boobs and willing personality. Isela slammed the pot onto the counter. She picked the scraps out, flinging them into the waste bucket.
Brendan’s voice caused her to stop.
“Isela, please don’t be upset. I can explain.”
She faced him. “No need,” she said curtly. “You kissed Amber. I get it.”
“No you don’t,” he argued.
“Look Brendan, our situation is impossible. Being with her isn’t forbidden. It’s fine, really...”
She turned back around, resuming her scrap flinging. Brendan closed his hand around hers.
“Isela, don’t.”
She pushed the pot aside, stifling a sniffle.
“Amber kissed me. I didn’t ask her to, and I certainly didn’t enjoy it. I have absolutely no interest in her...or any other woman that isn’t you. I can’t believe you don’t know that by now.”
/> She looked up at him, tears threatening to well up. “I just...when I saw you...I’ve never had feelings like this before. I’m usually not such a...”
Brendan laughed. He placed his finger under her chin, turning her gaze up to his. “Our situation is not impossible. I will do anything I have to so we can be together...if that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
“This is new to me too, Isela. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Mae burst through the door. “Guarros just came in to the dining area. You do not want to get caught in here together.”
“What are we going to do?” Isela asked, frantic, “There’s only one door.”
“He’ll have to hide in the cooler,” Mae replied.
“It’s too cold in there with all the ice,” Isela argued.
Brendan squeezed Isela’s arm. “I’ll be fine.”
****
Guarros glanced around the room, casually searching for Isela. He’d purposely assigned her here so he could watch her without being obvious, but he couldn’t find her. The new man had been assigned to repairs, and he was nowhere to be seen either.
Guarros approached the repair crew. Two women stood there, who had altered their prison uniforms to fashionably slutty. Mmmm. Note to self.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Guarros said in a gruff tone. “Those certainly do not look like prison-issue uniforms. Clearly you have altered them without authorization. Guards!”
“No, no, no, please sir, you don’t understand,” Amber pleaded.
Guarros leaned forward, staring coldly, but smiling wickedly at her. “I understand perfectly, my dear. Let’s see how well you do.”
She nodded weakly.
Guarros snapped his fingers. “Guards, take them to my office. Watch over them until I get there.”
He focused on Pete, narrowing his eyes. “Where’s the new man?”
Pete glanced around nervously. “Ah, he went to the bathroom, I think.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I was busy. He’s been complainin” about his stomach. I’m guessin’ he ran to the john.”
Guarros raised an eyebrow. “Really? A tummy-ache?”
Pete shrugged. “If he’s gonna hurl, better in the bathroom than here.”
Guarros nodded. “True. What about the lovely Isela? Did she run off too?”
“Sorry, sir, I don’t know her.”
Guarros chuckled, patting Pete on the shoulder. “Good boy, I’ll find her myself.”
He wandered toward the kitchen. Isela came rushing out carrying forks and spoons. She stopped to prevent colliding straight into Guarros.
“Where is he?” Guarros demanded.
“Where is who?” Isela asked, looking genuinely confused.
“The new man, Brendan Malone.”
“How would I know? I’m really busy, sir, so if this is another—”
Guarros grabbed her arm. “Isela, do you know where he is? You know the punishment for lying to me.”
Isela straightened. “Warden Guarros. I don’t know where the new man is. Perhaps you should keep closer tabs.” She fought with herself whether or not to continue, but her anger fueled her mouth and she kept on going. “You’ve accused me of having a thing for him, but it seems to me you’re the one with the obsession.”
Guarros backhanded her, dropping her to her hands and knees, sending cutlery scattering across the floor.
Brendan, having heard the exchange, moved toward the door, purely in reaction. Mae grabbed him, shoving him into the large cooler.
“If you do anything, you’ll only make it worse for her...not to mention get yourself killed. Wise up, Brendan. She has a sassy mouth. She knows what the rules are. Sometimes it’s worth it to her. Let her have that.”
Brendan crossed his arms across his chest. “I get it. Sometimes she has to exercise some power, but he doesn’t get to hit her.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t stand the thought of that animal touching her!”
“Brendan, you’re new here, but you cannot be the prince on the white horse...not here. You have to be smarter than that. Please, for Isela’s sake.”
He nodded, feeling helpless, but understanding nonetheless.
“You should know better than to lip off to me, Isela,” the warden bellowed. “I think my hand has left enough marks on your cheek that you would think before you speak. Still, you try me. Why?”
Isela, only wanting to get rid of Guarros before Brendan lost it, gave the warden her best demure act. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Warden. Sometimes I talk before I think.”
He patted her on the head. “Good girl. If you’d learn to keep that mouth quiet it would make your life so much easier, not to mention mine.”
The warden glanced around the room at the other inmates, who upon his gaze, hurriedly looked away trying to act busy. He snapped his fingers. “Someone tell the new man to report to my office when he returns. He needs to know that I won’t have my inmates coming and going as they please.”
Several of the prisoners nodded. As soon as Guarros left, Isela rushed back into the kitchen where Mae stood guard over the cooler.
“He’s gone,” Isela panted, “but he wants to see Brendan in his office. We gotta find out what Pete told Guarros first.”
“I’ll do it. It’ll be less obvious.”
“No, Mae. Let Brendan do it.”
Mae nodded, opening the door to the cooler. Isela relayed what she’d just told Mae to Brendan.
“Wait a few minutes and then go back to work,” Mae suggested.
Brendan returned to his duty, scowling while rubbing his stomach. “Man, I don’t know what I ate, but it’s killing me,” he falsely complained.
Without looking up from his patching, Pete said, “Yeah, well your day’s about to get worse. Guarros came lookin’ for you...and that chick he’s obsessed with, Isela.” Pete turned to face Brendan. “Do you know her?”
Brendan shrugged. “Not really. I think we’ve spoken a couple of times in passing.”
“Now that’s funny...because I could swear you ran right over to her after Amber kissed you...like you were worried about somethin.’”
Brendan chuckled. “You’re seeing things, man. I ran over to her because she dropped her shit all over the floor, and I didn’t want her to get in trouble. Everyone around here knows how hard Guarros is on her. Just trying to save her a little grief, that’s all.”
Pete leaned in closer. “Here’s a bit of advice for you. Picking up leftovers off the floor ain’t gonna get you in that girl’s pants. Even if it would, you do not wanna tap that. Ain’t no piece of ass worth your life.”
Brendan clenched his jaw, fighting with everything he had not to grab Pete by the throat and bash his face against the wall for the way he referred to Isela. Instead, he reminded himself while Pete was crude and abrasive, he was only trying to help.
“Not to worry, buddy. You saw it. I got women falling all over me. Why ask for trouble?”
Pete clapped Brendan on the shoulder. “Smart man. Hey, I told Guarros you were sick, but you better not keep him waiting, bro.”
****
Brendan raised his hand to knock on Guarros’s office door when he heard what sounded like a moan from inside the room, then the warden’s voice.
“That’s it, honey. I knew you’d see things my way. Oh yes.”
Brendan heard the warden grunt a couple of times. While he was happy to interrupt Guarros receiving any sort of pleasure, did he really want to go there? Shaking his head, he knocked.
Guarros answered the door zipping up his trousers. Amber was still on her knees, and Tiffany stood behind him, both women scrambling to get their clothes back on. Brendan glanced from them to Guarros. Guarros gave him a smug smile. Genuine nausea crept up from Brendan’s stomach. The thought of Amber’s mouth having been on his when he now knew where else she’d put it filled him with disgust.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
Guarros, ba
rely throwing a glance behind him, said to the girls, “Get out.”
When they rushed by him, Tiffany still struggling with her shirt, Guarros shut the door. Stepping around his desk, he sat down and lit a cigar. Brendan continued to stand, the warden staring coldly at him.
He blew smoke into the air. “I don’t think I like you, boy.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”
“That’s it? No promises to shine my boots or kiss my ass in some other way that might bring you into my good graces?”
Without looking at him, Brendan replied, “You don’t strike me as the type of man who likes a brown-noser.”
The warden laughed, a wheezy, hollow laugh. Then he sobered, standing. He stared into Brendan’s eyes, his gaze emitting pure malice.
“I came into the parlor a short while ago, and you were not at your post. Who the fuck do you think you are wandering off your duty like that?”
“I apologize, sir. My stomach...I didn’t want to get sick in the parlor and make a mess. I ran to the toilet, just for a minute.”
“So you weren’t having some secret tryst with my Isela.”
Brendan winced inwardly at the way Guarros said my Isela.
“No, sir. I know better than that.”
“I hope you do, boy, because things would get mighty unpleasant for you in a big hurry if you don’t.”
“If you’d have shown up a few minutes earlier you’d have seen for yourself. Amber was hitting on me.”
“Who?”
“Amber. The girl who was still on her knees when you opened the door to me,” Brendan answered, trying not to grit his teeth.
Guarros chuckled to himself. “Yes well, Amber, as you say, does possess certain...charms.” He began to laugh, slapping his thigh. “Perhaps that’s what made you ill.”
“No, sir, nothing like that”
Guarros shrugged, still laughing. He wiped a tear from his eye. “Oh well, your loss.” He grinned at Brendan. “She was quite spectacular.”
Brendan’s urge to vomit measured equally to the contempt he had for Guarros. The man was vermin, pure and simple.
Still, Guarros obviously thought there was something between him and Isela. They would have to be extremely careful if he was going to keep her safe. He knew he should stay away from her, but God help him, he couldn’t.
