The Door at the Top of the Stairs

by Alison Naomi Holt

  Jesse buried her head on Ryland's shoulder. They didn't move until Jesse pulled in a deep breath.

  Ryland pushed her back and handed her a paper towel. "Here, wash your face, and stop worrying about today. Have you ever heard the saying, Tomorrow, Today will be Yesterday?"

  Jesse walked to the sink and held the paper towel under the water. She washed her face and stared out at the beauty of the back yard covered with yellow and gold leaves. The scene had a calming affect on her, and after a second she turned back to Morgan. “You ready?"

  Morgan nodded, kissed Ryland on the forehead, and held her arm out for Jesse, who, after a second's hesitation, walked over.

  Morgan draped her arm around Jesse's shoulder and the two of them walked out together.

  Ryland poured herself another cup of coffee and went out onto the porch to sit in one of the hanging chairs. She sipped her coffee and watched two squirrels arguing over a nut while she planned out that afternoon's session. There was no doubt in her mind it was going to be a hellish experience for everyone involved.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When they reached the truck, Jesse climbed on the back bumper to get into the bed. Morgan grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her down. “Would you just get in the front, for Christ's sake? I don't bite."

  Jesse flashed unbelieving eyes at Morgan. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

  Morgan grinned and pushed her toward the passenger door.

  “Get in, you little shit."

  They were almost to town when the truck phone rang. Jesse only heard one side of the conversation, but when Morgan glanced over at her, she started to get nervous. When Morgan said she had one of her employees with her, Jesse sank down into the seat.

  Morgan hung up and began tapping on the steering wheel as she drove.

  They bypassed town and, after a mile or so, pulled onto the driveway of an elegant, manicured estate. Before they reached what could only be called a mansion, Morgan pulled off to the side of the road and shifted into neutral.

  She turned to Jesse and put her arm on the back of the bench seat. “Look, these people are the new owners of this place, and I've been trying to arrange a time to meet with them to discuss the possibility of foxhunting on their land. I've never met them before, and they just called and invited us over for coffee."

  Jesse pushed down farther in the seat and put her knees up on the dashboard. “I'll stay in the truck."

  Morgan regarded her a minute. “Well, that's not possible since that would be rude and I have no intention of allowing your bad manners to influence this meeting."

  Jesse crossed her arms and dug in. “Then drop me off at the road and pick me up when you're done."

  Morgan grimaced and rubbed her forehead. "They already know you're with me."

  "Fine."

  Morgan leaned toward Jesse, suspicion coloring her voice.

  “Fine what? What does 'fine' mean?"

  "It means I'll pretend to be polite. Let's just get this fuckin'

  meeting over with." She waved toward the residence. “Go."

  Morgan sighed. “Just try to be nice, okay? And polite?" She put the truck in gear and drove the rest of the way to the house. As they walked from the truck toward the front porch, a well-built man in his mid-sixties opened the door and stepped out. His hair was the high and tight cut of the hard-core retired military man.

  His clothes were perfectly pressed and had obviously been tailored to exact specifications. He stood ramrod straight and waited for them to approach.

  Jesse muttered under her breath. “Oh, Jesus, just what I need."

  Morgan muttered back without moving her lips. “Shut up."

  She smiled and stepped forward, extending her hand in greeting.

  "Mr. Adams, I’m Morgan Davis. This is one of my employees, Jesse Shaunessy."

  The man took Morgan's hand and shook it with three fingers and a thumb. "Ms. Davis, thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm Colonel James Adams. My wife is inside. Won't you come in?"

  Morgan stepped through the door. “Thank you, and please call me Morgan."

  The colonel followed her in and left Jesse standing on the porch, which was just fine with her. She backed around and headed down the steps until she felt a hand grab her shirt. Without missing a step, she turned and walked into the house, Morgan right behind her.

  Colonel Adams held the door open, then directed them into the living room. He spoke to Jesse's chest. “Jesse, I apologize for not inviting you in. Usually the hired help goes around to the kitchen.

  It seems I have a few things to learn about the local culture."

  Jesse wanted to tell him that her eyes weren't on her breasts, but when she glanced over at Morgan, she decided to stay quiet.

  A striking woman entered the room and walked over to the colonel. In most circles, she'd be described as arm candy—blonde, tan, and younger than he was. He put his arm around her waist and introduced them. “This is my wife, Sandra. Sandra, may I introduce you to Morgan Davis and one of her employees, Jesse."

  Morgan held out her hand and Sandra greeted her with a firm handshake and a smile. "Ms. Davis, I'm very excited to hear all about your hunt club. We belonged to a wonderful club in England."

  "Please, call me Morgan, and I hope you'll ride as my guests once the season starts. We're a little different here than England in that we don't kill the foxes; they just lead us on a merry chase."

  Jesse's irritation at Colonel Adams grew as his eyes slowly undressed her, so she focused on Mrs. Adams to try to distract herself. Twenty years younger than her husband with a body twenty years younger than that, she made a very attractive distraction. Her breasts looked natural enough, easily a D or double-D cup, her waist, trim and her hips barely contained in tight, black leather pants.

  Mrs. Adams held out her hand to Jesse. “Welcome to our new home, Jesse. And I would appreciate it if you would call me Sandra as well. What do you do for Ms. Davis on her farm?"

  Jesse took the woman's hand and felt a finger caress her palm.

  She smiled. “I shovel—"

  Morgan interrupted her. “She works with the horses, Sandra. I couldn't help notice when we drove up that you’re restoring the wonderful old barn behind the house. I'd like to see it some time."

  Sandra let go of Jesse's hand and motioned them farther into the living room. “I’d love to give you a tour when it's finished.

  Please, won't you make yourselves comfortable? Morgan and James, why don't you sit over here?" She stood between two wing chairs and caressed their upholstery, reminiscent of Vanna as she turned the letters on Wheel of Fortune. Sandra walked over to the couch and patted the cushion. “Jesse why don't you and I sit on the couch? The coffee should be ready soon. Does everyone drink coffee?"

  Morgan sat in the chair and nodded. “Coffee's fine, thank you." She and Colonel Adams began the endless small talk so common to these types of meetings, and Jesse tuned out until she felt a finger tickle the side of her leg. She glanced up at Morgan and the colonel, who seemed to be deep into their discussion.

  Sandra stood up. “Jesse, while they're busy talking about business, would you mind helping me prepare the coffee and bring it in?"

  Jesse felt Morgan's eyes on her as she followed Sandra through a swinging door into the fanciest kitchen she'd ever seen.

  The flooring was a light hardwood, with the marble on the countertops the exact shade of the hardwood. The cabinets were built from natural pine and the swirls and whorls of the wood added to the overall elegance.

  Sandra pointed to a cupboard by the side of the triple sink.

  “Could you take four cups down for me out of that cupboard, please?"

  "Sure." Jesse opened the cupboard door and reached up for the cups. As she stretched, she felt hands crisscross around her body and cup her breasts as Sandra leaned into her from behind.

  Morgan hadn't gone over this particular set of circumstances, and Jesse wasn't sure exactly how to r
eact. She brought the cups down as Sandra nibbled her ear. A flutter rippled through her and she closed her eyes a second, trying to figure out the best way to handle Mrs. Adams without hurting Morgan's chances for the hunt club.

  When Sandra turned her around and delicately kissed her chin, Jesse glanced up at the door to the living room, then mentally shrugged. What the heck. Morgan told me to be nice. She reached around and put her hands on the woman's very tight leather backside and pulled her closer.

  Sandra raised her lips to Jesse's, and when Jesse responded, she felt a tongue begin a slow caress. Eyes closed, Jesse opened her mouth and was rewarded by a gentle probing. The flutter moved lower, and she pulled Sandra in very close. The kitchen door opened and, after a second, Jesse opened one eye just enough to see Morgan leaning her forehead against the door jamb. She closed her eye again while she caressed Sandra's tongue with her own. The next time she came up for air, Morgan was gone.

  From the living room, the colonel called out, "Sandra, how's the coffee coming?"

  Sandra lazily pushed back from Jesse. “Almost done, Honey."

  She leaned in again and ran her hands up and down Jesse’s arms. Sandra's whisper tickled her ear. “I think your hunt club might be just what the doctor ordered." Sandra slowly peeled herself off, took a tray from a lower cupboard and handed it to Jesse. After she filled the tray, she winked and motioned for Jesse to precede her into the living room.

  Jesse refused to look at Morgan as she set the tray on the coffee table.

  Colonel Adams said, “There you are. I was beginning to think you got lost."

  Sandra poured the coffee and served the cake. "Jesse and I just took a minute to get acquainted, that's all, Dear." She turned to Morgan. “Do you take cream and sugar?"

  Eyebrows raised, Morgan said, “No, black is fine, thank you."

  Sandra handed Morgan her coffee.

  Jesse sat on the couch and, as she accepted a plate, held Sandra's eyes and inclined her head. “Thank you."

  "My pleasure."

  Jesse glanced at Morgan, who had her head in her hand rubbing her eyes. There was more small talk about the renovation of the farm and where the Adams might purchase some excellent thoroughbred crosses for hunting. Toward the end of the meeting, Sandra moved to the arm of her husband's chair and ran her hand over his chest. “You know, James, I have a good feeling about this hunt club. I'm looking forward to riding with them sometime soon."

  Jesse felt Morgan's eyes on her, and she pointedly stared at the ceiling, biting her lip to keep from smiling. When they walked out to the truck and the Adams had gone back into the house, Jesse tried to jump in the back. Morgan grabbed her by the belt and pulled her down. "Inside." It wasn't an offer or a request.

  Jesse got in and pulled the door shut. Morgan pushed the gear shift into first and headed out the long driveway. She started tapping her fingers on the wheel again, and Jesse sank down in the seat. “You said to be nice."

  Morgan burst out laughing and playfully slapped Jesse on the head. “Next time I tell you to be nice, tone it down a little, will ya?"

  Jesse grinned and at least had the decency to blush. They drove back into town, and Jesse waited in the truck while Morgan went into the bank. When she returned, she backed the truck up to the feed store ramp and told Jesse to start loading sacks of high performance feed.

  The employee who came over to help seemed somewhat familiar to Jesse, and when he started talking, she thought she recognized his voice from the night she’d gotten so drunk.

  He grabbed a bag and threw it into the bed of the truck. “I hear Cody got fired. He's pretty pissed off."

  Jesse continued to load the truck, not bothering to answer.

  The man stopped to wipe his brow with the back of his sleeve.

  "Listen, I'm sorry about the other night. I like Ms. Davis and Dr.

  Caldwell. I used to ride with their hunt until my parents sold my horse. They need to know to keep their eyes open for a while. You too. I don't think Cody'll just slink away into his hole."

  Jesse stopped loading while she took a breather. “Why don't you tell them yourself?"

  Morgan walked up behind them and counted the bags already in the truck. “Tell who what?" She finished counting and leaned her arm on the side of the bed, waiting for an answer. Jesse and the man started piling sacks on again, and Morgan said, “Kai? Do you need to tell me something?"

  Kai shoved another bag up on the pile. “No Ma'am."

  Morgan watched them for a second, then said, “Three more bags and that'll do it."

  They finished loading the bags on the truck around eleven-thirty, and Morgan told Jesse to come with her. They went out to the main street where Morgan had to talk to everyone they happened to pass. After the fifth person stopped them, Jesse's impatience started to show. "Do you have to talk to every single person who lives in this town?"

  Morgan kept walking. “I've lived here forty years. This is a small town and these are all my friends. Get used to it."

  "You mean you know every move I make here before I make it?"

  Morgan smiled. “Pretty much."

  A woman called to Morgan from across the street. Morgan turned, and Jesse growled behind her. Morgan reached back, opened the door to Smokey Joe's, and pushed her inside. “Here, go in and order lunch. Order me a hamburger and I'll be in when I'm finished talking."

  Jesse wandered in and found a table. The same woman who'd served her the first time came up to the table. "Well, I saw Ms.

  Davis push you in here. She cares enough to shove you, you must be all right." The woman smiled and took out her order pad. "Now, I know she'll want a hamburger and a soda. How 'bout you?

  Jesse noticed the clock, and her stomach turned when she saw how close it was to one. “Just...um, just some iced tea."

  "Now you gotta eat, Honey. You look like a scarecrow on a stick. How about some fried catfish?"

  Jesse closed her eyes and tried not to visualize greasy fried fish. She put her head back on the bench seat. “Just some iced tea."

  "Now here comes Ms. Davis.” The waitress turned to Morgan.

  “Ms. Davis, you need to feed this woman. She says she don't want no food, just some iced tea. You gonna let that stand?"

  Morgan sat in the bench opposite Jesse and took in the green pallor around her eyes. "Iced tea'll be fine for now, Frieda, thanks."

  "All right then, I'll be back with your burger and soda pretty soon. I'll bet Jack already has your burger waitin' for you without me even havin' to order it." She smiled at Morgan and started back into the kitchen.

  Morgan called after her. “Frieda, could you ask Jack to make the burger to go, and we'll just have our drinks right now, please?"

  "Yes Ma'am. I'll bring them right out." Frieda grabbed two glasses, filled them, and brought them over to the table. "I heard you fired Cody. I'm glad. I've never heard anyone have as foul a mouth as that boy." She stepped over to another table and greeted a new customer.

  Morgan peeled the wrapper off a straw and stuck it in Jesse's iced tea. "Seems like everyone's happy I fired Cody."

  Jesse brought her head forward and rubbed her temple. "That guy at the feed place said you and Ryland need to watch your backs. He said Cody's really pissed off."

  Morgan sat back in her seat. “He's really spreading it around town. I've had four people warn me about him today. Oh well, I've been threatened before, and I'm sure I'll be threatened again."

  Jesse pushed her fingers into her temple, harder this time, and Morgan tried to distract her. “Did you notice Smokey favoring his right front foot the other day?"

  Jesse thought a minute. “No, did you?"

  "I thought he might have been. Keep an eye on it. Have you seen anything else that might be thrush on Cabo?"

  "I've been lookin' every day. I'm not sure what I saw, but I guess he's all right ‘cause I haven't seen it since." She brought her hand down and played with her straw. “You don't think Cody would hurt any of the anim
als, do you? I've been thinking maybe I should sleep out in the aisle between the horses just to make sure he doesn’t try anything with them."

  Morgan nodded. “To be honest, I've been patrolling at night, watching for him myself. I'll be glad if the sheriff can lock him up for a while. Maybe I'll get a decent night’s sleep."

  Morgan signaled for the check, and Frieda brought it over with the hamburger in a brown paper bag. "You have a wonderful day, Ms. Davis. And make sure you feed this woman or she's gonna dry up and blow away."

  Morgan thanked her, and the two of them walked back to the truck and drove back to the farm.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  It was almost one o'clock when they pulled in the gate, so Morgan parked up next to the house. She’d gotten out and started up the steps when she realized Jesse was still sitting in the truck.

  There was a bush directly behind the tailgate blocking her way, so she walked around the front and opened the passenger door.

  Jesse had her head back with her eyes closed.

  Morgan reached around and undid the seat belt. "C'mon, we're not gonna let that bastard win. The three of us are ten times stronger than he ever was."

  "I can't do this. I cannot do this."

  Morgan felt Ryland behind her, and she backed out to let her in. Ryland reached in and practically pulled Jesse out of the truck.

  "Let's go." Jesse had to put her feet on the ground or end up sitting in the dirt. "Morgan and I'll drag you in if we have to, but we're moving forward today, period."

  Jesse's stomach heaved and she detoured to the side of the porch to bend over the railing. Nothing came up, but she took a deep breath and stayed bent over anyway, waiting for her stomach to settle.

  Ryland looked at Morgan. “All right then, we'll do it out here.

  Would you mind bringing three of the Adirondack chairs up for us?"

  Morgan went out onto the lawn and, one at a time, carried three of their wooden lawn chairs up onto the porch. Ryland set one with its back to the railing for Jesse and put the other two facing it so they blocked any exit Jesse might decide to take.