“A tool? Like a dildo? Yes, I used my rabbit.”
“Ooh, penetration. I like it. And did you come?”
“Yes, Sir, only once, just like you said.” She sounded pleased with herself.
“Good girl. Were you thinking naughty thoughts?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Everybody thinks naughty thoughts when they...”
Judd knew he was enjoying this way too much. He swallowed a laugh. “When they what, little one?”
Her heard her huff. “When they masturbate.” She whispered the last word. “Oh, my God!”
“Nicely done, Jessi. A full and complete report. It’s a shame that you used up your one cummie so quickly. It’s going to be a long week for you.”
“Yeah, and thanks to your detailed report, I’m feeling horny again.”
Judd burst out laughing. “You are something, Jessi. Listen, I suppose that one orgasm a week might not be quite enough. Suppose we say that you can have a total of three for the week. But I’m going to want a report on each one.”
“You know, having to file a report takes a little of the fun right out of the whole thing,” Jessi complained.
Judd laughed again. “We could probably find a happy medium between two words and an in-depth play-by-play. Something we’ll work on, okay?”
Jessi laughed, too. “I like that idea. And Judd, thanks again for everything today.”
“You’re very welcome,” he answered. He looked up to see Alex leading Trish and Amanda out of the club. “Have a good night, Jessi. We’ll be in touch.”
“You do the same. Have a great week.”
Judd smiled fondly as he swiped off his phone.
Alex regarded him carefully. “Come on, bud, let’s take Amanda home.”
Chapter 17
Gary Wayne Gentry stood watching as firefighters fought to extinguish the blaze in Parson’s Hardware on the main street of Baker City, Oregon. He was merely one in a crowd of lookie-loos that had gathered on the opposite side of the street, a guy so nondescript that no one would ever remark on the short, balding man with a slight paunch. No one would even notice him. Which used to bother Gary.
Used to. But he’d learned that being unnoticeable could be an asset.
He watched as the supervisor barked out orders to the firefighters on the ground. Hoses were deployed, plans were followed. Soon enough, thick black smoke turned white. Which meant the fire was out, there were merely a few hot spots that merited attention.
He knew this because Gary had always wanted to be a firefighter. Or a cop. Or a soldier. Some damn thing with a uniform.
He’d actually been in the Army for a short time. Until he’d been involved in an altercation with a fellow recruit. It hadn’t been his fault. Gary Wayne Gentry didn’t take shit off of anybody. The cry baby had had his jaw wired shut for a few weeks, and everybody lost their mother-effing minds. To keep the bureaucratic wheels running smoothly, they’ve given him a General discharge, and Gary was adrift once again.
He’d tried the police and the firefighters, and gotten damn close, too. It was always when they saw the results of his personality inventory that they said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Watching the Baker City FD roll up their hoses and gather their other equipment, Gary snorted. Always so GD superior, like their shit don’t stink. Probably effing volunteer, sum’bitches.
He had a uniform, mind you. Like that was hard to get. There was a uniform store on every corner in America. Sometimes he’d dress up and go to a bar. It was usually enough to get a few free drinks. Gary would spin some yarn about the fires he’d put out, and the people he’d saved. That only lasted so long before people got tired of listening.
Firefighters probably got a lot of pussy, too. Only so far, the fake uniform hadn’t yielded much of that.
And the problem with small towns was, although he was reasonably anonymous, people would notice a man with a gun. That much he was positive about. A crowd that small, someone would definitely notice if he tried to pick off a firefighter or two.
Which was a pain in the ass, because that was the whole point of starting the fire anyway. What, did you think Gary Wayne Gentry was just a firebug, one of those pathetic bastards who got their rocks off watching fire? Please. The fire was simply a means to an end.
He used to listen to scanners and try to show up at fires and car accidents and such. But who has time for that, really? When you set the fire, you know exactly when and where they’re going to show up, it’s not rocket science.
Anyway, clearly, Baker City, Oregon was way too small for him to be able to indulge in his favorite sport. But then, you live and you learn, don’t you? He’d worked his way up the west coast with a moderate degree of success. Los Angeles and San Francisco had been goldmines for his little pastime. So crowded, so full of crazies. When the odd firefighter here or there, and one cop, he was proud to say, ended up shot at emergency calls, the authorities always blamed gang violence or some such nonsense. Sometimes he wondered if he should be offended, gangs getting the credit for his work. But he wasn’t ready to stop, so the better for him if he remained unnoticed.
If someone, his mother for instance, bothered to ask him, “Gary, why do you do these things?” he knew exactly what he’d say.
Because they think they’re better than me, that’s why. Because they think I’m not good enough, that’s why. G.D. mother-effers. I’m smarter than all of them.
As the last of the onlookers left the scene, Gary decided that remaining unseen was the best plan, so he mosied on back to his beige Chevy Impala and drove away slowly. There was one thing he was sure of. He sure as shit couldn’t go any further west. He laughed, imagining himself driving into the Pacific Ocean. So, east it was.
Heading off into the dark night, he considered his choice of hobbies. It was unorthodox, maybe. But it wasn’t his fault, not really. His name was Gary Wayne Gentry. Seriously, his mother should have known better.
Chapter 18
“Come on, partner, I want to know.” Alex and Judd were in the back of their rescue truck refilling supplies in their down time.
“Want to know what?” Judd studiously feigned interest in a drawer of cotton dressings.
“Who did you have to call so badly that you had to leave the lovely Amanda all by her lonesome?”
Judd huffed slightly as he slid the drawer closed and looked back to Alex. “She wasn’t all by her lonesome, she was with you and Trish. Jessi texted me, so I called just to make sure she was okay.”
Alex frowned slightly. “Jessi?” Understanding lit his face and he smiled. “That hot redhead from the birthday party?”
“Jessi. The event planner from the party.”
“So, what’s the deal with the redhead?”
“There’s no deal. We’re friends, that’s all.”
Alex laughed. “The smile on your face last night said ‘more than friends,’ homie. Besides, she’s smoking. No wonder you weren’t feeling it for Amanda. You should have told me.”
Judd shook his head. “I told you before. It’s not like that. I was friends with Jessi’s husband. He died a few months back, and now I...check in on her every once in a while, make sure everything’s alright.”
“But you like her.” Alex was confident.
“It’s complicated,” Judd sighed, rolling his eyes.
“Ain’t nothing complicated about love, my brother,” Alex laughed, as the pair continued their inventory of medical supplies.
JESSI BREATHED A SIGH of relief as she waved goodbye to Adam, who carefully backed his metallic green Honda Fit out of the driveway. Once on the street, he popped his left hand out the driver’s side window, waving over the top of the car as he drove out of sight. Cara and Trevor had left after brunch, in a hurry to catch their flight back to Atlanta.
Jessi had loved having them home for a couple of days, but she’d grown accustomed to having the house to herself. She also had some upcoming events, a pair of weddings and a golden anniver
sary, that she needed to get up to speed on, having left work alone for the time her kids were home. Sarah was an understanding business partner, but Jessi didn’t want to take undue advantage of her.
She spent the remainder of the day on her computer at the kitchen island, working on organizing staff lists and schedules for the week’s jobs. She was surprised to look up and realize that it was after 7:00 in the evening. Her tummy rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since the fruit salad she’d enjoyed at brunch.
Closing her laptop, she wandered over to the fridge and peered inside. “Cold pizza it is,” she said to herself, spying the take-out box from Pizza Girls left over from the night the kids had arrived. She wondered about the appropriate wine pairing to go with old pizza, snickering to herself as she poured a generous glass of sauvignon blanc.
She’d just taken a bite when her phone rang. She smiled as she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jessi, how are you?” Judd’s voice was warm and friendly.
“I’m great. How are you? Are you at work?”
“Yeah, but I had a minute and I thought I’d check on you. Did the kids get off okay?”
“They did. We went to brunch at Benny’s on the Beach, then Cara and Trevor left for the airport. Adam and I came home and he left around 3:00. Since then, I’ve just been getting some work done.”
“Benny’s. That’s a great place. I haven’t been there in ages. We should go sometime.”
Jessi felt her face flush. “Sure, that would be great.”
“So, do you have a busy week ahead?” he wondered.
She nodded, sighing. “We do, actually. We have two weddings, and then on Friday night there’s a fiftieth wedding anniversary. I’ve been trying to get organized, make sure we have servers lined up, make sure we have the table linens sorted out, that kind of thing.”
“Gotcha. Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy.” He paused for a moment. “Guess that explains why you haven’t reported back yet.”
“Reported back?”
“Yeah, you know...those extra cummies I allotted you?” Jessi could hear the grin in his voice.
She blushed furiously, even though she knew he was teasing her. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. Like you said, I’ve been busy.” Shifting topics, she asked, “How about you? How is your day going?”
It was Judd’s turn to sigh. “Oh, not bad. Sundays are usually busy with calls from nursing homes, but we’ve only had two runs so far.”
Jessi frowned thoughtfully. “You have a lot of calls from nursing homes on Sundays?”
She could almost hear him shrug over the phone. “I don’t know what it is, but elderly folks seem to like to have their heart attacks on Sunday. But like I said, it hasn’t been too busy. Which is a good thing, since I’m pulling a three-day shift.”
“Three days? Without going home? That’s kind of unusual, isn’t it?”
“I’m covering for a guy who’s on vacation. It’s not that big a deal, he’ll do the same for me sometime.”
“Wow.” Jessi paused as the reality of his schedule sank in. “You know, Judd, you work hard. The last thing you need to do on your time off is come over here and work on my house.”
She heard him chuckle. “I look forward to it, Jessi. Sometimes knowing I’ll be at your house, working on something completely different from what I do on the job, well, it makes the day tolerable. Really. I mean it.”
“Well, if you say so.”
“I do say so. And I’m the Dom, so what I say goes.”
Jessi laughed lightly. “You’re the Dom, yes, Sir.”
The line was quiet for a moment.
“I guess I’d better let you go, Jessi. Alex is going to wonder if I’ve abandoned him to clean up from dinner all by himself.”
She laughed again. “Alright, Judd. Thanks for calling. Have a great night.”
“I will, you, too. We’ll be in touch.”
“Okay. And Judd?”
“Yeah?”
Jessi hesitated. “Be careful.”
He didn’t answer for a moment and Jessi wondered if he’d already disconnected. Then he spoke softly.
“I’ll do that. Good night, Jessi.”
Chapter 19
The following weekend, with Jessi’s kids having returned to their lives, she and Judd once again fell into the rhythm of working together, this time on painting the exterior doors including the garage door. When they were finished, doors returned to their original terracotta that mimicked the barrel tiles on the roof, Judd suggested they head to the inlet for burgers, something they did from time to time.
Jessi happily agreed. Square Grouper had become one of her favorite places, although she couldn’t see herself ever going there without Judd. But she loved the casual atmosphere of the place, loved to sit by the water with a cocktail and feel the tension from a busy week ebb away. If they were lucky, there would be live music on the stage.
And it was the case, while she sat at the table at the edge of the seawall, and Judd strolled to the bar to order their dinner, a lone guitarist strummed Jimmy Buffett covers from the tiki stage.
“Here you go, Jessi,” Judd grinned, placing a rum bucket in front of her as he set his own Blue Moon in front of himself. “Burgers will be up in a while.” He set a black square pager in the center of the table.
She sipped gratefully, loving the feel of the cool fruity liquid as it slid down her throat. “Thanks! This hits the spot.” With her thumb and forefinger, she plucked the floating cherry from the top of her drink and offered it to Judd. He accepted with a grin, popping the fruit into his mouth and setting aside the stem.
“You gave me your cherry,” he smirked playfully.
Jessi blushed, as he’d known she would, but she laughed lightly.
“I meant to tell you,” Judd began, “my sister called yesterday.”
In the hours they’d spent together working on various projects, Jessi had come to know that Judd had a sister who lived in Charlotte. Angie, who was a couple of years younger than Judd, was a single mom to a five-year-old daughter.
“Oh?” Jessi responded, sipping again from her rum bucket.
“Yeah, she and Olivia are coming down for weekend. She got some time off and found a really cheap flight, so...”
Jessi smiled. “That’s great! I’m sure it will be nice for you to spend some time with them.”
“It will, I haven’t seen them in about a year. But that means I won’t be stopping by your house on Saturday, if that’s okay with you.” He watched her intently.
If that’s okay with you. As if he answered to Jessi. Which he obviously didn’t. At the same time, she felt a pang of disappointment. She always looked forward to Judd’s visits, to working with him, to their conversations, and of course, to knee time.
She forced a smile. “I just assumed. Of course you want to spend time with them. They’re family. Don’t give it a second thought. That list of chores will still be there.”
Judd soft gaze lingered a moment before he smiled gratefully. “I’m pretty excited about seeing them, truthfully. Plus, there’s something else I wanted to mention to you.”
Just then, the pager went off, buzzing against the table top as its red lights flashed frantically. “I’ll be right back with the burgers,” Judd said, jumping up and heading to the bar.
Jessi watched him go, wondering what else he wanted to talk to her about.
As Judd made his way to the bar to pick up their order, he pondered the glint he’d seen in Jessi’s eyes. She’d smiled, reassuring him that she understood that he wanted to spend time with his sister and niece, which he did. But part of him would miss spending time with Jessi, and he wondered if she would miss him, too, if that was what he’d seen in her eyes.
When he returned, baskets of burgers in hand, she met him with an anxious look, and he smiled reassuringly. “Dinner is served!”
They both tucked into the warm, juicy cheeseburgers, and chewed appreciatively for a momen
t. Judd used a napkin to dab at the corner of his mouth. “The other thing is,” he began, “our Battalion Chief is retiring in a couple of months, and I was wondering if maybe you might be available to handle the party.”
Jessi released the breath she’d been holding. She had no idea why she’d been worried about what Judd was going to say, but knowing that he was talking about a party was a huge relief.
“I mean, I can’t guarantee it, but I’d like to give your card to the Captain. He’s pulling his hair out trying to fit planning a retirement party into the rest of his responsibilities.” He eyed her hopefully.
“That would be great, I’d love to have the chance to work for the fire department.” Jessi dug into her brown leather bag and produced a business card.
Judd looked at it briefly before tucking it into his pocket. “Thanks, Jessi. I really appreciate it.”
They enjoyed their dinner, chatting quietly and occasionally pausing to listen to the music coming from the stage.
Their casual conversation continued on the drive from the inlet back to Jessi’s house. After a brief pause, Jessi cleared her throat. “You know, I’ve been thinking.”
Judd momentarily looked away from the road. “Thinking about...”
Jessi sighed deeply. “I was thinking maybe it’s time I cleared out Graham’s things.” Her voice was small.
Judd pursed his lips, his eyes back on the road in front of them. “Only you can know when you’re ready, little one. Do you want some help?”
She blew out sharply, crossing her arms. “I do, and I don’t.” He glanced at her sideways. “I know,” she rolled her eyes, “that makes no sense. But I’m kind of sure it’s something I need to do myself. So...I’m thinking that’s what I’ll do this weekend.” She glanced up at him, seeking reassurance.
“Then it sounds like a plan to me.” He winked at her before returning his attention to the traffic surrounding them. “I know it’s a hard thing, Jessi. You call me if you need to, visiting family or no, I’m always here for you.”
For Sparrow (The Dream Dominant Collection Book 3) Page 9
