Prison Promise

by Demi Vice

  “And you say you didn’t miss me?” I grabbed Ahri’s ass a little tighter.

  She let out a moan and shook her head in the nape of my neck, before she quoted me. “Door was open.”

  A loud laugh filled the apartment as I went over to my bed. Ahri attempted to make it as I did so I wouldn't know she slept in it. She failed, but I’ll give her ‘A’ for effort. I dropped her on my squeaky bed, her light body bouncing just a few times. She was about to crawl under the covers until I pulled her ankle toward me.

  “Where do you think you’re going. No shoes, shirts, bras or pants in my bed while I’m around. I make the rules when I’m back home. Got it” I growled.

  Ahri giggled, raising her hands over her head. I started with her sweater and sports bra, and when I saw her perky breasts, I couldn't help myself. I sucked on them just a little for the ultimate tease that was going to fuck with me all night while I had a rock between my legs. But I’m sticking to my word.

  No sex.

  I stripped down to my briefs, sporting a full boner that was going to go to waste tonight. But at least it’ll be snug between Ahri’s tight ass cheeks. I went back to Ahri’s breast, making her right breast disappear into my mouth and the left one pinched between my finger and thumb. Ahri let out sweet purrs and moans, music to my ears as she weakly ran her hand through my thick black hair.

  “Oh, Jack.” Her voice tiny.

  Oh, God, she was so fucking sexy and cute. Hot and beautiful. Erotic and playful. Two things that should never mix, but she was all of it and more.

  I moved my lips over her collarbone, neck, and finally her lips. She was soft and tasted sweeter than usual from her orange-flavored beer. Even though I hated any beer that wasn’t black or bitter, I would gladly get drunk off Ahri’s lips. I moved my kisses down to her body, unbuttoned her pants like they were Velcro and slid them off. Ahri laid almost naked on my bed aside from her Pac-Man socks and her fiery red thong.

  I tossed the pastel pink shorts on the ground, but when I looked at her hip, I went numb. My face fell, my heart ached, and my body turned to lead as I bit down on my teeth so hard my gums pulsed. There, on the same side of her burn scar, was a deep purple-red bruise.

  “Ahrianna?” My voice thick, my tone serious and dead.

  She hummed in response.

  “What happened?”

  I touch her hip, pushing down on the bruise to test the pain. I applied only a little bit of pressure before Ahri whimpered and slapped my hand away. The bruise was worse than my present from Gomez on my gut.

  “I fell.” She winced. Ahri opened her eyes, just the slightest.

  Fell? It looked more than gravity at work. Gravity plus force.

  “Where?”

  “Diner. There was a spill,” she grunted, turned on her stomach and weakly crawled to her side of the bed to get under the covers.

  “You sure about that?” I asked, a little worried about the follow-up answer.

  “What’s it matter? It barely hurts.”

  Bull-fucking-shit.

  “It matters because you’re mine and I take good care of my things. Especially my priceless, irreplaceable—” I growled, the lump in my throat blocking my words.

  Ahri looked over her shoulder, her black eyes matching my sheets, the darkness in my room, and the dullness in her face. She didn’t say anything. Ahri looked at me for only a second until she turned around and her back was facing me once again. I stood helplessly at the edge of the bed watching Ahri softly rise and fall as she fell asleep. I spent my time controlling my breaths and heartbeat, but it was no use. My overprotective side was taking over.

  I didn’t like the bruise. I didn’t like the way it looked, and I especially didn’t like the reason she claims to have gotten it. I fell. You could give me all the fucking bruises in the world. Hurt me, beat me, abuse me—I don’t fucking care. Just don’t hurt the people I like.

  Not Ahri.

  Not ever.

  I sighed heavily and got under the toasty warm covers. I carefully pulled Ahri close to me, making sure she didn’t wince again. My heartbeat hammered against her back as I pulled her tighter against me until she let out a soft moan.

  I hugged Ahri tighter and tighter, feeling her bare skin against mine. She was as close as she could get to me, yet, I wanted more. I wanted to swallow her inside of me and become her armor. Her indestructible force of protection.

  Our bodies turned into one temperature, one pulse, and one form. I pressed my forehead into Ahri’s hair, smelling the mixture of my shampoo and her natural scent. Today, she smelled like orange beer, Flamin Hot Cheetos, and a touch of sweat.

  Ahri didn’t make many noises after that. Within a few minutes, she fell asleep, secure in my arms. I took deep defeated breaths, my heart rate finally beating at its regular tempo. I kissed her upper back so heavily. My lips didn't feel like mine anymore. Burying my head into Ahri’s neck, I let her messy, wavy hair coat my face in a layer of desperation and a touch of protection.

  I fell.

  It rang in my ear like a record you didn’t want to hear. Deep down, I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me.

  Diner. There was a spill.

  I held Ahri tighter, not knowing how to feel anymore. My emotions were turning into a monstrosity of nothingness, while my heart became abused. It was slowly being trapped in ice, dying a slow and painful death as I fell asleep.

  This girl is going to be the death of me.

  Isn’t she?

  AHRI

  “What’re you having today, Jack?”

  Like the past three days, Jack skimmed the menu, trailed his eyes up my diner outfit then met my eyes and winked.

  “You,” he moaned, licking his lip.

  I rolled my eyes like clockwork.

  Jack had came into the diner every single morning since he got back from his friend’s place. And each morning it was the same routine. He came in, asked for his special booth, and waited for me to pour his black coffee. Once that was done, he asked me about my bruise, and each time it was the same answer. I fell. Which I did, in some way or another. It didn’t matter how I got the bruise. Bruises were temporary, disappearing once they’ve healed. And they always heal. Thinking about my hip meant that I was wasting my thoughts on him. Something I couldn't afford.

  Even though Jack had been here every morning at eight o’clock on the dot (but surprisingly couldn’t be this punctual the first time we met) we didn’t have much time to talk. Aside from what Jack ordered, occasional flirting, and a few updates on life. We kept our conversations light.

  We haven’t even had sex since he got back. When I had a few hours to breathe or sleep in the afternoon, Jack was busy. I had been crazy horny recently—it’s been a week and a day since I’d fucked Jack. Yes, I was counting—so I resorted back to my three usuals. The shower head, number twelve dryer machine at the laundromat with my buttplug, and Sir Makes-me-Scream which was nearly as satisfying as it once was.

  Way to jack that up, Jack.

  Jack chuckled. “Remind me to fuck the stress out of you tonight.” He smiled.

  Yep, we had to schedule a time for sex. I don’t work at Maddy’s tomorrow, and after Diablo’s shift tonight. I was fair game. Aka, Jack could do whatever he wanted to me.

  Jack went back to the menu and ordered three full entrees, sides, and desserts he hadn't tried yet. This was the standard Jack order. What was more impressive was that he ate all the food off his plate.

  I looked around the diner. The yellow booths emptier than they’ve been in the past few days. I took this as my opportunity for a Jack update.

  “Are you still trying to find a tattoo artist to get your touch-ups?” My glance fell to Jack’s thick, veiny forearms covered in his dark art style tattoos, focusing more on the sea monster tattoo.

  “Nah.” Jack took a long sip of his black coffee. He spread his long legs to the end of the booth, getting comfortable as always. Jack flexed his snake-like forearms, eyeing his Ja
ck Skellington tattoo. “I gave up on that. I’m just going to go back to my original artist in Boston.”

  “Boston?”

  “Ya…” he made a two letter word sound like a full sentence. He nervously cleared his throat, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I used to live on the East Coast for a while. Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, mostly.”

  I hummed at this new information. “So, you were a chef back on the East Coast?”

  “Nah, southern Illinois. Borderline Kentucky area.”

  That’s about a five hour and fifty-five-minute drive by car from here. Seven-hour drive by bus. Same distance and location as Tavernville Penitentiary.

  “So, umm, when are you going to Boston?”

  “Probably in a month or two. My guy, Leo, blew up since the last tattoo I got. I’m going to have to schedule a full week with him. Make him touch me all over, and prick me with his vibrating toy until I’m beautiful once again.” Jack let out a raspy chuckle, and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Sounds fun, but expensive.”

  “Eh, I’ve been saving for seven years. I think it’s worth it.” Jack licked his lips. “Wanna join me for lunch? I’ve been told the third time's the charm.”

  I tapped my pen on the notepad, making eye contact with Felicia. She was already watching us with a grin slapped across her face. Sheesh, every time I was with Jack her smile was wide and wicked, eyes small and malicious, and eyebrow arched with curiosity. I might as well have given her popcorn and told her to enjoy the show.

  “Maybe,” I said while walking away.

  I passed Felicia, and gave her a tap on the shoulder which was our little sign to come to the kitchen. I placed Jack’s orders, tended to my other customers who were about to leave—perfect—and waited for Felicia in the kitchen.

  “Looks like you’re getting along with Prince Charming of Birch Park.” Felicia came in with her dirty dishes.

  “You gonna stop stalking me?”

  “Honestly, I can’t myself. You guys got that raw shit people spend their whole lives trying to find. I mean Devon and I are already on the rocks, and we just started dating two weeks ago.” She rolled her eyes, thinking about her new man being a pain in the ass. “You guys got all the subjects going on. Chemistry, physical fitness, art—all the fucking subjects.”

  I laughed shortly, my cheeks turning pink.

  “Can you cover my shift for fifteen minutes. I wanna take an early break.”

  “To have lunch with Jack?” Felicia made her on-fleek eyebrows jump with joy.

  I nodded, pulling my hair behind my ears.

  “You really like him, don’t you?”

  I pursed my lips, not sure how to answer that. I’d never really liked a guy. Fuck, I hadn't been with a guy in four years. I rarely had guys that lasted more than a week. It was just easier to have short flings than having anything long term. Hell, I don’t think any of my past flings knew what the meaning of the words serious, long-term, or faithful meant. In my defense, I had slim pickings and I was a stupid, horny teenager.

  “He’s different.” I finally said. “…like a black butterfly.”

  “Is that the nickname you gave his cock? Black butterfly?” Felicia showed all her teeth with a sassy grin, and I retorted with a eye roll. “Okay, my bad, Ahri. You’ve got fifteen minutes to do whenever you want on your mini-date.” She spoke in a cunning voice as she walked out. I didn’t even get the chance to tell her it wasn't a date.

  I added my order to the queue and went back out to finish off the rest of the customers I had. Each time I looked over at Jack, he was staring at me with those amber eyes. I loved the way he looked at me like I was the only person in the room. Possibly even the whole universe.

  I had to make two trips when I brought over Jack’s food. When I sat down with my plate, Jack didn't find his feeling. A full smile, showing off that crooked fang of his.

  “So, third time's the charm?”

  “Always,” I spoke nervously to my grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a chocolate milkshake. It was always my weakness if I had to order anything from the diner.

  Jack took one glance at my food and slowly shook his head.

  “What?” I snarled, but meant no harm.

  “You eat like a twelve-year-old who was left alone for the first time.” Jack chuckled before he took a bite of his char-burger.

  “That’s 'cause I wasn’t exposed to many foods when I was younger. I was lucky to have anything to eat at all.”

  Brutal, but honest truth.

  I dipped my grilled cheese sandwich into my tomato soup with full joy and no shame. Looking Jack in the eye, I took my first bite and moaned with bliss.

  Jack tried to hide his happiness, but failed miserably. “So, what’s your favorite food?”

  “Ramen.” I teased him, knowing very well how much Jack hated it. After I got my reaction from Jack, I told him the truth. “Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Always and forever.”

  “Really? Why?”

  I released a heavy sigh and looked at the orange cheese melting out of my sandwich.

  “My sister used to make it for Luke and me all the time. After my grandma died, my dad drank a lot. He was too drunk to function or too high to grasp the concept that feeding your kids wasn’t an option, but a responsibility. So, Aurora took the responsibility.”

  Jack rubbed his Docs against my knock-off Vans, giving me a small dose of affection. Spreading warmth all over my naturally cold form. This was a simple sorry-that-happened-to-you gesture. I let it soften my heart, adored it, and saved this exact moment for a rainy day mood.

  “Seems like your parents were like most of my foster parents, except for Mama Baronski.”

  Sometimes it was nice to talk to someone who understood.

  Felicia was raised in a decent neighborhood so talking to her about anything family related was difficult. It’s like we’d grown up in two different worlds. Her parents were still together and in love, and the same thing went for Gomez. He lived with his parents, wife, and kids in a big house. Ten people and all.

  I’d always wanted that.

  A big family.

  Most of my life consisted of either Aurora, Luke and me. Or just Luke and me.

  “There were times where my dad wouldn’t come home for weeks at a time.” I paused. I didn’t talk about my childhood for many reason. Let alone with someone who could still be classified as a stranger. But I did. I opened up, knowing Jack would understand. “So, I stole…a lot.”

  “Are we talking about your ‘something illegal’ here?” Jack’s face twisted into one word. Hunger. He wanted to feed his curiosity. And at this point, I gave it to him with a silver spoon.

  “Yeah…” I confessed. “It’s easy money when you used to run track and rarely got caught.”

  “Rarely? You’ve been caught?”

  “Twice. First was a slap on the wrist. But the second time I went to jail. Spent almost a year inside while Aurora and Luke got some money to pay my bail,” I whispered, even though Maddy’s was filled with criminals.

  Teddy was an ex-heroin addict who’d been to jail for possession, the chef got caught selling weed to minors, and Felicia once assaulted a cop. But got off easy because…sex. I could already hear Felicia giving her defense, “He was hot. I was broke.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Jack bit his lip and dropped his burger, eyes oozing with shock and bliss.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that big a deal, Jack. Everyone steals. I just happened to get caught. Plus, you pickpocketed my things. Remember?”

  Jack laughed. “I remember. I practiced a lot when I was a teen. Even got around to stealing from high-end stores. Teen-Jack had a huge weakness for expensive Italian clothes,” Jack moaned, fantasizing about his clothes. “I just thought my baby girl was, well, a sweet little angel. That’s all.”

  Ha, if only.

  “I did it for money and food,” I growled, kicking away his leg as he tried to play footsie with m
e. “I had good reasons.”

  Jack chuckled. “Let’s see; Luke was a troublemaker. Ahrianna was a troublemaker. Is it fair to assume that Aurora was a troublemaker as well?”

  I stalled, taking the last bite of my first triangle sandwich. Even though I didn’t like talking about Aurora for depressing, heartbreaking reasons. I did. I spoke to Jack, taking in the fond memories of Aurora that I still played in my head from time to time when I missed her.

  “She…she was practically a saint.” I took a deep breath. “She was younger than me by ten minutes, and I always made sure she didn’t have to worry about anything. I took care of the bigger responsibilities. Money and food. And Aurora took care of the cooking and cleaning.”

  “And that’s why you don’t know how to clean a dish or pick up your clothes.” Jack almost scolded me. I retorted with a playful kick to his shin.

  “What about Luke? What was he in charge of?”

  “Being a kid. Being as stress-free as he possibly could. Not worrying about our dad.” I shrugged. “My sister and I basically raised Luke after our grandma died when we were eight. It was just us three, so we spoiled Luke. By spoiled, I mean, we did things a regular parent would do. We’d read to him, get him a new toy, or let him watch TV past ten o’clock with a can of pop. Normal things.”

  “And your mom? Where was she?”

  Getting high off of anything she could shoot in her veins.

  “Living with her twin sister. She wasn't around much.”

  Jack nodded. “Tell me more about Aurora? Was she like you?”

  I shook my head. Dipping my grilled cheese in the soup, I took a nibble.

  “No way. We were complete opposites. She was a blonde; I was a brunette. She was book smart; I was street smart. She was warm and fuzzy; I was cold and sharp. She was sweet; I was bitter—” I interrupted myself.

  Not only did Jack remind me of Luke, but Aurora as well. It had taken me awhile to realize this. I cleared my throat and went back to eating my sandwich, trying to fight back the urge to cry.