by Betsy Anne
Oh my God, who talks like that? I feel like this is a bad porno, and I’m the pizza-delivery boy. It almost makes me laugh, but I wouldn’t dare, not with that look in her eyes. She opens the wine and pours two large glasses. I watch her closely; I know what she can do to a glass of wine. I need be careful how I speak to her. She has to develop her own conclusions about me, and not feel as if I’m talking her out of anything.
“Cynthia, why have you been trying to get with me for so long? You’re so beautiful; you could have any man out there. Why me?”
If anyone I knew just heard that, they would know I was lying. I can barely get the words out without gagging. Her ego seems to buy it, though, so I’m on the right track. I take a sip of wine, and try to look interested.
“Oh, Jason, from the first time I laid eyes on your gorgeous self, I knew I had to have you. I’ll admit, you made me so wet I thought I would come in my shorts right there in that first class. I thought that like most guys, I would fuck you and move on. There’s something else about you, though, something deep and true. You’re a genuine soul, unlike anyone I’ve ever come across.”
Great. Lucky me.
“Men have always fallen at my feet, and if they were lucky, I chose to fuck them. Some I fucked for fun, some for power and others just to screw with their minds. They always come begging for more, and they never get it. It’s a high, really. To feel that needed and wanted is a rush. Problem is, it gets old. Like any junkie, I needed more of that to just get by.
“When you rejected me, that was a first for me. It really turned me on. Not only are you drop-dead gorgeous, the fact that you would shut me down like that so easily was a rush. No way was I ever going to back down until I had you. I just need you to see how happy I can make you. How my pussy will make you so much happier than your wife’s. How perfect we’ll be together as a couple. Most men are so weak, but not you. You’re a good family man, and that’s what I want. Someone who will be strong for me and love me, and fuck my pussy raw as much as I need it.”
Jesus Christ.
“I’ve watched you for years, Jason. I know your habits and your patterns. I know what time your kids go to school. I know what time you go to work on Tuesdays. I knew about the first time you had to go out of town, and I booked a trip to go with you. I was on your flight to New York and you never knew. Of course, I think you did know it, and liked it, but you couldn’t show me. Don’t worry, I knew.”
She’s walking slowly toward me tapping her wine glass with one long, fire-red fingernail. I’ve never seen a more frightening sight in my life. Her look is intense.
“So you see, baby, we are meant to be together. I’m glad you came to your senses sooner rather than later. I knew the picture of me fucking that guy would help. It drove you crazy with jealousy, didn’t it?”
She looks hopeful. I slowly nod my head. Think, brain; say something!
“I was beginning to feel impatient. After all, a girl can only wait in the tower for her Prince Charming for so long, right? Time is of the essence, too. I have some good news for you.”
She is face to face with me and she takes my hand. She places it on her stomach.
“I’m pregnant, sweetheart! You’re going to be a daddy!”
What?
“What the fuck are you talking about?? We’ve never fucked! It’s not mine!”
I jerk away from her, trying my best to calm down enough to speak. She goes first.
“Well, I know that, silly. I think I got pregnant with my boss. I’m pretty sure it was him. He’s married and old, and I just wanted you and me to have a baby. I thought about waiting to tell you until after we make love tonight so that you would know it was yours. In my heart it is yours and always will be. My little baby Jason.”
She’s rubbing her belly, and I feel like I’m going to pass out. She is full-blown crazy. Thank God in heaven I couldn’t get an erection when she drugged me. She could have gotten pregnant then, and my life would have been screwed. I thought I could come here and tell her that she’d be better off without me, and send her on her way. What a stupid fool I’ve been. I had no idea she was this far gone.
She tries to close the space I created between us.
“Jason, sweetheart, it’s OK for us to fuck. It’s perfectly natural to have sex while pregnant if that’s why you’re worried. You look upset, but I know you’re happy, right?”
I swear that if her head started spinning around and she began to spew green vomit, I’d be less shocked than I am right now. I back away again, slowly.
“Look, Cynthia, it’s not going to work like that. You need someone better than me. I can’t be the man you think I am. You need someone who will care for you like you deserve. I have a wife and two kids who are my responsibility. Don’t you want to start a life with someone who can give you all the attention you need? Even if I leave Katie, I’ll still have my kids. You’ll have to share me, don’t you see?”
She erupts. “Don’t you ever say her name to me, Jason! She’s just a little bitch who trapped you in high school!”
She’s screaming at the top of her lungs. She was so calm and cool five seconds ago.
“I will fucking kill her before I let her get in our way anymore! Your kids, too! They don’t need you, I do!”
She’s running around the room like she’s looking for something, I try to get in front of her, but she pushes past me to the nightstand.
Oh my God. She’s got a gun, and it’s pointing right at my chest.
Chapter 48
Katie
Finally! It takes us forty minutes to get the car parked in the parking garage and get into the hotel. Colleen had to leave us twenty minutes ago to get ready. Melanie will put on her best act as Cynthia Berry so we can get a room key. If they ask her what her room number is, she’ll do her best southern drawl, drunk woman impression that I’ve seen for real so many times. I step away from the crowd, and stand by a pillar.
I definitely don’t want to be seen by anyone right now, especially by her or Jason. I watch as Melanie intentionally heads for the youngest male desk clerk. In no time at all, she suckers him into a new key. Amazing. She could have probably gotten him to open the penthouse for her if she squeezed her cleavage a bit more. She comes back to me, and she’s glowing.
“I haven’t had a guy look at me like that in so long, it makes me feel so young!”
“You are young, relatively speaking. And you’re adorable, why wouldn’t the guys notice?”
She blushes, and fake punches me.
“Let’s go, already.” She pulls me toward the elevators.
“OK, her room is 533, and Colleen and Tom’s room is 1116. Do you want me to walk with you to the room, then leave?”
I think for a second.
“No, it’s OK. This is between us, I feel guilty enough for how much I’ve involved you and Colleen already. I owe you both so much; I don’t even know how to express it. Thank you, Mel. You’re a great friend.”
She smiles and gives me a quick hug. The elevator stops on the fifth floor and the doors open. I look at her, take a deep breath and head out into the hallway. The doors close behind me, and I’m alone. It seems as if ninety percent of the hotel guests are all down in the lobby, and this floor seems especially desolate. I stand still for a few moments to see if I can hear anything. Nothing.
These hallways are long, and house a large number of rooms. I’m willing my feet to put one in front of the other. It gets harder and harder for my brain to obey that simple command the closer I get to her room. What if they're not there? Where will I even begin to look?
Chapter 49
Jason
Oh God, she’s pointing the gun straight at me and her hands are shaking. She could fire it without intending. My thoughts are singular: Just get the gun, just get the gun.
“Hey, babe, why are you doing this? Where did this come from? I’m just concerned for your happiness. If you want to be together, we can be together. Please don’t hurt me.”<
br />
That seems to change something in her, the thought of hurting me.
“I don’t believe you, Jason. You just want out of this baby and us, don’t you? You just want to keep fucking that whore.”
Her eyes are wild. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then her soul is in trouble.
“No, of course not, babe, I’m thrilled! I can’t wait to be a dad for our baby. Maybe it’ll be a little girl and look just like you, beautiful.”
I inch a little closer, but she’s standing her ground. “No, Jason, you don’t think I’m beautiful, you don’t even want to fuck me. Fuck me, and show me I’m beautiful to you. Make love to my body with your baby growing inside me, then I’ll believe you.”
Just get the gun, just get the gun.
“Sure, anything for you. I want you, Cynthia.”
She melts; that’s exactly what she wanted to hear. She lowers the gun and gives me a huge, creepy smile.
“I knew it, Jason! I love you. You love me too, right?”
I nod. Just get the gun, just get the gun.
“Sure, babe, lets get on the bed.”
I close in on her, still slowly because I see her finger is still on the trigger even though she lowered the gun.
“Why don’t you take your clothes off, so I can see your beautiful body?”
She drops the gun to the floor, and grabs the bottom of her dress. I reach for the gun when her face is covered by her dress, and I hear a key swipe in the door. Completely naked, Cynthia hears it too, and tries to get the gun back. We both look up and see Katie walk through the door, eyes wide. From her point of view, all she sees is me wrestling on a bed with a naked woman. The look on her face is enough to bring me to my knees.
“Katie, no!”
She turns and runs, which is what I was hoping for so that the gun wouldn’t get turned on her. I stand up, pull the gun from the psycho’s hands and look at her.
“You are one sick bitch, you know that? I hope you rot in hell.”
I grab the house phone and dial 911. I keep the gun on her until the cops arrive. She is incoherent and speaking gibberish. They put a hotel robe around her body and arrest her. I give them my statement after they take her away. I let it all out. Everything. I tell them I had evidence, tell them everything she has told me about what she had been doing the last few years. I stay in the room, away from the mob scene in the lobby surely going on with police and a crazy woman being taken away. I need to be able to get out of here without the drama. The image of Katie’s tormented face is indelibly etched on my brain. The last thing I’ve ever wanted is to cause her pain in any way. I’ve dedicated my life to being her lover, her supporter, her protector and her friend. I feel like a failure.
I get my car from the valet, and speed home. I don’t know how she got to the hotel, I assume she was with the girls, but I hope she’ll be home when I get there. If she left as soon as she ran from the room, she would have plenty of time to make it back. The thought of losing her socks me in the gut. I feel like I can’t breathe. Please God, just let her listen to me.
Chapter 50
Katie
I hear quiet mumbling as I put they key in. The electronic lock engages, and makes a loud click. I push open the door, and I blink, I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Jason has one knee on the bed, kneeling over her, and she’s naked. They're moving around ferociously with each other. It’s all happening too fast, my brain can’t process what I’m seeing. I can’t tell if he has his pants on or off. My first instinct is to run.
I run down the hall as fast as I can, pausing only for a moment to vomit, then I keep running. I can’t wait for the elevator, so I head for the stairs to sprint the six floors up to Tom and Colleen’s room where Melanie is waiting for me. I can’t form a sentence to call or text her, I just have to keep moving. I feel as if my lungs will explode as I reach the eleventh floor. Thank God I remember the room number as I continue my sprint. I knock once on the door, ready to collapse, and Melanie opens it quickly.
“Oh my God! What happened?”
I fall on the bed, crying. Melanie looks like she wants to cry, too.
“Please, God, Katie, tell me what happened! Do I need to go down there? Please tell me!”
I try my best to catch my breath, as I roll onto my back to face her.
“She was naked, Mel! He was holding her arms! I didn’t have to look twice, I just ran.”
Melanie walks over and texts Colleen, who replies that she’ll be right up. When Colleen reaches the room, she opens the door and storms in.
“What the fuck did he do to you? He’s dead, Katie, dead!”
Colleen grabs her phone and dials his cell. No answer.
“Goddamn him! He’s not getting away with this, Katie. He’s been my friend for too long, I just can’t believe he would do this.”
Colleen storms into the bathroom and slams the door. A few minutes later she comes out with her hair in a ponytail, and she has put her jeans back on.
“Lets go home.”
She grabs her purse and keys, and motions for us to move. She sends Tom a quick text as we head down to the lobby. Fortunately, the hubbub from earlier in the garage is gone, and we find the car and get on the road. I feel like I have a frog in my throat. I can’t say a word. I’ve never fully understood, on a personal level, the word “devastated.” I get it now. That’s the only word that pops into my head: Devastated.
We get back to my house in record time. Of course, he’s not there. I don’t know what he did after I ran, I just remember hearing him calling my name. His voice sounded distressed, and I’m sure it was. It’s not everyday you get caught with a naked woman under you. My dreams, in a weird way, prepared me for this. I feel just like I did in my dreams when they were together and I watched. It’s the same feeling of heartbreak and loss.
Melanie and Colleen are standing and staring, waiting for me to say something. I don’t think either of them wants to be here when he gets home, Melanie, because she would defend me, and Colleen, because she’d kill him. I can tell they both want to be a good friend and stay, but it’s too awkward.
“You can both go. I need to speak to him alone if he shows up.” I can feel how puffy my face is from crying.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying. I’m sure he won’t want to see me either,” Colleen says with a snort.
“Me too, Kat. I’d be happy to stay,” says Melanie.
“No, please go. I’m going to pour a large glass of wine and wait for him to show up. We need to be alone.”
They both head for the door.
“OK,” Mel says, “but if you need me, I’m here in a flash. Understand?”
“Yes, I do. And thank you both. I don’t know what I would have done without your support. Colleen, I’m so sorry I ruined your weekend, and please tell Tom I’m sorry, too.”
“Don’t you worry about Mr. Tom, I’ll treat him right. I love you girl. I’ll call you first thing in the morning before we leave. If you need me to stay a few extra days, I’ll be happy to.”
I blow them a kiss, and they're gone. Now I wait.
Chapter 51
Katie
I hear his car pull into the garage with a squeal. He must have been flying up the driveway. I’ve been home alone for nearly an hour now. I can’t stop seeing the scene play out in my mind.
My cellphone buzzes before he makes it into the house. I see it’s Colleen, sending me a text: Call me right now!
Jason walks in just as I’m reading the text. He looks drawn and sad. He looks at my face, and begins to cry. Tears are pouring down his face and onto the floor. I try to keep it together but I can’t, my heart is broken. I start crying, too, and we’re stuck in our respective spots, weeping. My cell buzzes once more. It’s Colleen again: Don’t speak to Jason until you call me! Now!
I hold up a finger to excuse myself, and head to the bathroom. I call her and she picks up instantly.
“Oh my God! What drama! When I got back to the hot
el tonight, the cops were taking her out in handcuffs! She was babbling like crazy and looked demented. Has Jason said anything yet? Do you know what happened? I think what you saw, was not what you think you saw. Let him talk, OK? If you need me, I’m here for you.”
She hangs up without letting me speak. I walk back to the living room like a zombie. Jason is standing in the same spot.
“What happened?”
I watch at him intently and wait for an explanation. He looks relieved that he is going to be given a chance. He rushes to me and gives me a bear hug. I feel the wetness from his cheeks, and it breaks my heart. I start crying again.
“What did she do to you, honey?”
He squeezes me tighter, and begins to tell the story.
Chapter 52
Katie
One year later
The drama has finally all come to an end. Jason and his private investigator spent weeks going over evidence that Jason could present against her. She was admitted to a psychiatric facility to “rest” while awaiting trial. She suffered a second breakdown and was deemed unfit to testify. Her parents pulled some strings and had her sent back to Massachusetts to recover.
Jason and I have never been closer, if that’s possible. Our relationship began with innocence. We’ve grown from this, both individually and as a couple. I’ve learned to listen to my inner voice more closely, and have realized that my intuition is stronger than normal. If I’m really focusing, I can sense when the world around me is trying to tell me something.
My dreams about Jason continue, but are different. Sienna helped me recognize certain signs when I dream about him now. I know when he’s anxious, happy, sad or even horny. Those dreams come often, and I don’t mind them.
