Convicted: A Dark Ex-Con Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  I could see Jaime gnawing on her lower lip, unsure of what to say or do. I expelled the breath. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding mine and smiled at her. She immediately relaxed too.

  “Come on. I imagine you are starving for a good home cooked meal,” she said with a grin. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up while I get started.”

  The idea sounded amazing and as if on cue my stomach rumbled. We both shared a chuckle. I started to walk towards the full bathroom at the back of the house and realized I had no clothes.

  Reading my mind, Jaime said, “We kept all your old clothes. From the looks of it, most of them might be too small for you now, but I’m sure there is a pair of old sweats that you can sleep in. We’ll go get you some new clothes tomorrow.”

  “I’m sure I can find something,” I said as I headed up the stairs.

  I heard the door to the kitchen swing open and shut. Soon after the sounds of cupboards opening and closing and pots and pans banging filled the air. It was a little surreal being back home, but it didn’t hold all the ugliness that I thought it would. I think it helped that Jaime had made her own changes. Gone were the gaudy wallpaper, ostentatious furniture, and the formal pictures of the depicted happy family. Wallace had always been very keen on presenting the proper image of the perfect family. After all, the Winston’s had a reputation to uphold, and even though we weren’t true Winston’s as Gladys liked to remind us regularly, we still had a responsibility to act the part. No one had to know what went on behind closed doors.

  Jaime had removed all hints of the Winston’s from our family home. She had painted the walls a pale blue that was calming and replaced all the pictures with fun family portraits of happier times; when our Dad was still alive. There were many from when we were kids and all the vacations we took when our dad was still around and more recent ones with her and her friends, including Ally. I paused at a graduation photo at the top of the stairs. It was one with Jamie and Ally; I could recognize those creamy jade eyes anywhere. They had pulled me in when she’d just been a teenager, and seeing her again sent molten heat straight through my heart and down to my groin.

  Jaime and Ally were both grinning from ear-to-ear, diplomas in hand; arms around each other just like old times. Ally had always been a shapely girl growing up, and not even the generic graduation robe did anything to hide her ample curves. Memories of her on the kitchen counter with her legs wrapped around my waist flooded my memories. The way she swiveled her hips and arched her back each time I drove my cock… whoa!

  Don’t go there. Not now.

  I took a steadying breath and forced myself to look away from the photo and climb the rest of the stairs to my room, which were all the more uncomfortable now that I had a raging hard-on confined in the too-tight jeans I was wearing. I figured this was going to have to be a cold shower.

  I turned left at the end of the hall and opened the door to my old room. It was like walking through a time warp. I could see that the room was cleaned regularly because there was no dust or the smell of stale air that you would expect. But otherwise, it looked like nothing had been touched since I left. Posters of hot chicks and sports team adorned the walls. My soccer and basketball medals still hung from the corner of my dresser mirror.

  I felt tears sting the back of my eyes, and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand. There was no sense crying over time lost. I strode over to the dresser and threw open some drawers until I found a t-shirt and some loose drawstring pants that would work for tonight. Gathering the clothes in my arms, I walked out and closed the door. An enticing aroma was already starting to waft its way upstairs. My stomach growled reminding me that it had been hours since I’d last eaten. I would have plenty of time to think about my past and my future, but right now I just wanted a shower and full belly.

  I flipped on the shower and stripped out of my clothes. Stepping under the spray, I let my head fall back as the searing heat poured over my head and my skin. My muscles were still a little stiff from the long car ride, so I went through a series of stretches to loosen them up under the steam.

  I looked around for a bar of soap. Not finding any, I grabbed the bottle of body wash and squirted some into my hands. It smelled of lavender and honey, but I didn’t care. It just felt good to be clean. Lathering my body, I tried to scrub away any remnants of the Kenworth Prison. The scent of the body wash began to fill my nostrils, and I found myself drifting back to the picture of Ally on the wall, to that last night in the kitchen.

  Her ass was plump and her breasts were more than I could hold in the palm of my hands, soft yet firm. She was in complete rapture as I fondled them, and allowed my thumbs to graze over her taut dark pink nipples. Some nights when I lay in my prison cell, those precious moments were the only thing that kept me clinging to hope funnily enough. It wasn’t like we were dating even. I was at the prime of my youth, flirting with girls and bedding cheer leaders. Even when I stole the virgin kiss from Ally when she was just going sixteen, I never once thought that she would be the one, and I hadn’t thought that when she was eighteen and legal and I had finally put my hands on her.

  Then again, I wouldn’t have had the chance to consider that with everything that happened so fast. It was like someone decided to press the fast-forward button on my life. But now that I was out of prison, she was the first woman that came to mind.

  It had been a very long time since I’d felt the luscious curves of a woman and my body responded immediately, my dick hardened at the mere thought of her, naked and here in the shower with me. I could turn the water cold to try to douse the burning heat of desire coursing through my veins, but I knew that it would only be a temporary respite. What the hell? There were worse things in life than giving into the temptations swirling around in my mind. I slid my hand down to and gripped the base of my cock as I began stroking it with long firm pulls while recalling images of Ally and my dick buried deep inside of her. I wasn’t the same kid I’d been back then. I had been hardened by the system that failed me and the institution that had tried to end me. My fantasies weren’t about rose petals, moonlight kisses, and gentle lovemaking. No, I needed more than that for my release. I felt the tension build as I imagined having my hands on her, my teeth on her, taking her hard and fast with relentless thrusts, hearing her begging for more.

  I leaned my head against the shower wall bracing myself as the force of the release almost took me to my knees. I continued to stroke my cock roughly, watching the last of my seed as it swirled down the drain. Finally, I dropped my hands to my sides, breathing heavily, completely spent.

  Shutting the water off I stepped out of the shower and realized I had forgotten to grab a towel. Looking around the bathroom, all I could find was a damn washcloth. Remembering that my mom used to keep towels in the linen closet in her bedroom, I quickly snuck out hoping that Jamie was still downstairs and shoved the door to mother’s room open, only it wasn’t her bedroom anymore. Words escaped me as I came face to face with my muse. Green eyes widened in shock and possibly terror, looked straight at me, her lips parted as she sucked in a breath, clearly scared shitless. And then she threw a left hook and nearly took my jaw off in the process.

  “Fuck Ally!” I shouted in response and instantly put my hands up in defense, which only made the situation worse because what little flesh I was able to cover with the washcloth was now completely exposed.

  “Ohmigod!” she shrieked before backing away in horror and shielding her eyes with flailing hands, looking like a two-armed octopus.

  “Ally, it’s me, Jason!” I shouted at her, rubbing my jaw, not in the least bit concerned about my state of undress.

  “I know who you are! Geezuz, cover yourself up for god sakes!” she cried out, shock giving way to what sounded like anger.

  ”That’s not what you said the last time we were together,” I smirked.

  Her eyes flew open and then just like that she turned her head away and held up her hands again, “That was then and this
is now, so cover up Jason,” she scolded.

  I was a little taken aback by her tone. She was clearly pissed at me, or scared of me, or both, either way the cat was out of the bag. Jamie never told me she was going to be here, and there I was in the shower less than five minutes ago, rubbing one off to the very woman that stood before me now. What the actual fuck?

  Hurt gave way to bitterness as I figured it was the scar over my eye that must have horrified her. But before I could convince her she didn’t have anything to fear, she darted for the door, and my sister came charging in with a rolling pin in her hand.

  “What the hell!” I yelled throwing my hands up once again.

  Now I had two crazy-eyed females shrieking and dancing around like ants on a hot plate, trying to cover their eyes.

  With laughter in her voice, my sister grabbed Ally by the shoulders and comforted her. “Ally calm the fuck down, I don’t think he expected you to be here.”

  Ally opened one of her eyes to look at Jaime. Jaime nodded in reassurance before she started giggling again. I stood there irritated and butt-naked as Jamie dissolved into bales of laughter at my expense.

  “Hardee Har-Har,” I sneered, “Now that you’ve had a good laugh, Jaime can you please grab me a towel so I can salvage some of my dignity.”

  With a snort, Jaime went over to the closet and threw me a towel. I snatched it from the air, exited the room and disappeared into the bathroom before slamming the door shut to the sound of another round of laughter. Not exactly the welcome I had expected. I dried off quickly and threw on the sweat pants and T-shirt before I made my way to the kitchen.

  Jason

  I could hear the two women whispering in the kitchen when I finally made my way downstairs, and I couldn’t help but listen as Ally and Jamie talked about me. Ally was upset because Jamie hadn’t told her that I was being released, or that I was actually coming here to stay. But this was me, not some stranger. I know we had a lot of unresolved issues, but that was so many years ago. And I hadn’t exactly expected her to run and jump into my waiting arms, but it gnawed at me that she felt threatened, or at least that’s what it sounded like. Did Ally also judge me for what I had done? Did Jamie ever bother to tell her best friend what really happened that night?

  I looked longingly up the stairs, contemplating just heading back to my room and staying there until the dust settled. But I knew hiding was not the answer. It was time to face the music.

  Jaime and Ally were standing at the kitchen island talking when I walked in.

  “I switched shifts with Layla so I could have some time to study at the library, but I forgot that it closed early on Fridays,” Ally said changing the subject like a pro.

  “Well, that explains why you were home early,” Jaime replied, glancing in my direction.

  Ally was looking everywhere but at me, her arms crossed over her chest, and Jaime just stared at me, her eyes alight with humor. Unsure of what to do next, I cleared my throat and did an awkward hand wave to Ally.

  “Uh…hi, Ally. It’s nice to see you again, I’m sorry I scared you,” I apologized hastily.

  Turning to glare at my sister, I added, “Jaime didn’t tell me that you were staying here, in master bedroom, might I add.”

  Jaime just shrugged her shoulders innocently.

  A soft blush had risen on Ally’s cheeks, but her eyes still sparked with a degree of anger or rather disappointment when she looked at me and responded, “Its fine.”

  That was it, nothing more. She turned her back, and began to set the table; basically, cutting me off from any further conversation.

  I lowered my hand slowly and looked from her to my sister. Jaime just raised her eyebrows and shrugged as if to say, who knows?

  “Shall we eat then? Dinner is ready.” Jaime said as she pushed back from the island. “I made your favorite; pot roast, caramelized carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy and cornbread. There’s also strawberry shortcake for dessert.”

  Well now, that was a blast from the past. The aroma already played ping pong with my senses, the thought of what I’ve missed out, food wise, while I was in prison sent a rumble through my stomach. I wondered if a person could really die from over eating in one meal. I aimed to try.

  “Thanks, sis, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble, but I appreciate it,” I said sincerely. Still smarting from Ally’s coldness, I added.

  “You’ve gone out of your way to make me feel so comfortable back in our old home.” Judging by the way, Ally’s shoulders stiffened, I could tell she heard my emphasis on Jaime’s individual effort to make me feel comfortable and it being our home. Petty yes, but I didn’t care.

  It didn’t go unnoticed by Jaime either because she swatted me with a slotted spoon on her way to the table. Dinner was a quiet and somewhat awkward affair. Jaime tried to make conversation but neither Ally nor I was really willing to engage in small talk. After a few minutes of one-word responses she finally gave up, and we ate in strained silence.

  I sat across from Ally, and Jaime sat to my right. Anytime I looked up for whatever reason, Ally quickly looked down at her plate, or off to the side appearing to be lost in thought. A few times I caught her staring at my face, presumably my scar. I just rolled my eyes and focused on my food. If she wanted to judge me based on how I looked, then fine! It was the best meal I’d had in years, literally. Ignoring the gnawing discomfort I was feeling with the discord between the two of us, I ate with more gusto than I had in a long time. After clearing two plates of food, I sat back stuffed.

  “That’s was excellent Jaime. I think you would have given Nana Joyce a run for her money.”

  “I’m glad you liked it,” she beamed. “I’m sure they didn’t have gourmet chefs in the pen…” her words trailed off awkwardly. Her eyes darting from mine to Ally’s and back again, “… well, I’m just glad you enjoyed it. I’ll get these dishes cleared.”

  She stood up quickly following the uncomfortable silence, but I put a hand on hers to stop her, “Jaime, it’s okay,” I said reassuringly. But I was looking into Ally’s eyes when I said, “It’s no secret that I was in jail. We don’t have to dance around the subject.” I squeezed her hand in comfort as I looked at my sister again and then I turned my gaze back to Ally, “People are going to talk, draw their own conclusions, however wrong they may be. But we are going to get on with our lives, and they can think what they want.”

  “But, Jason they don’t know that you…” she started.

  “Jaime, I served my time,” I interrupted before she could say anything else. “It’s over and done with. We know the truth, and that’s enough for me. I just want to move on. Can you do that for me?”

  She squeezed my hand back, “Yeah, I guess,” she said but there was a distinct hint of sadness in her tone. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel guilty for my crimes.

  “We’ll get through this,” I said again.

  “I know, I love you,” she said and offered a half smile. It was a glimmer of hope in a dark stormy ocean, but it was something.

  “I love you too. Now, let me help you with these dishes.”

  Jamie would have none of it. She shooed me away and told me to go on upstairs and get some rest. She had already put fresh sheets on the bed and set a new toothbrush out for me to use. She knew today had been a long emotional day for me. I hated to admit it, but I was exhausted. The southern manners that our parents had instilled in us warred with the exhaustion, but the exhaustion won fair and square.

  I hugged her goodnight, gave a curt nod to Ally, and went up to my room. Grabbing my new toothbrush, I headed to the half bath to brush my teeth before crawling into my old bed. It was a little small for me now, only a full-size mattress, but I didn’t care. Anything beat the threadbare blankets and concrete bed with the half an inch mattress, that I had called home for the past eight years.

  It couldn’t have taken me long to fall asleep, and for most part I was dead to the world until the nightmares started. They used to pla
gue me every night in prison at the start of my sentence, but slowly over the years they faded, re-occurring once in a while. It had been months since the last one, and it was always the same nightmare, with varied endings. It was like the replay of a horror film. This time I wasn’t able to get to Jaime in time, an invisible wall kept me from pulling the bastard off of her. The sick fuck just turned and grinned at me before he continued to assault my baby sister. I pounded and screamed and threw my body at the wall, desperate to get to her as she screamed and cried out for help.

  I woke drenched in sweat with the covers tangled around me. Despite the sweat, goosebumps raised on my arms as chills wracked my body. This had been one of the bad ones. Rubbing my hands across my face, I threw off the covers and padded to bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. That was it for the night, I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep now. I glanced up in the mirror in front of me, and instead of the rugged hardened criminal, it was a younger version of myself staring back at me. In a matter of a night, everything had changed. One moment I had been playing football, attempted to attend classes, I had friends from here to Texas, and then just like that, in the blink of an eye I lost it all. Because of one sequence of events. I would never call, what I did, a mistake because it sure as hell was justice. But that was my opinion, and no one else shared in that. I scooped some more water and splashed my face again before tugging the hand-towel off the rail and patting my face dry.

  Not wanting to wake Jaime, I tiptoed downstairs and into the kitchen. It was time for the most epic chick move of all, comfort food. Ice cream and root beer, I had spotted the root beer earlier when I was in the kitchen just before Jamie had dished up dinner, and I knew for a fact that there was ice cream left after desert. I grabbed what I needed, quickly scooped a few large dollops of vanilla ice cream into the glass and topped it up with root beer. Ignoring the remnants of my nightmare, I took a big mouthful. The tang of the soda mixed with the sweetness of the ice cream was perfection. It tasted much better than I remembered. I moved to the table and sat down with my treat. I was just about to take another slurp when I heard the hinges of the kitchen door creaking. Looking up, I saw the silhouette of a short, fuller figure tiptoeing to the fridge. It had to be Ally. Jaimie was much taller and more slender. Plus, I would recognize that shape, even in the dark.