“Those two are like oil and water,” Josh said as he watched Jim go in the house and slam the door behind him.
“We’ll have to do something to repair that rift between them. It’s not good the way things are right now.” Riley said, but frankly he couldn’t blame Angus for his reactions.
Josh nodded his head. “I don’t know how we’d do that. They’re on opposite sides of the road, and I don’t think either one can even see the other one’s side.”
“We used to all be on the same side Josh.”
“We still are, in a lot of ways. But when it comes to Jessica, Angus refuses to bend. That’s going to be a problem.”
Riley nodded his head.
“What’s his problem, anyway?” Josh asked, “I thought we all wanted a relationship with Jessica.”
“Angus wants anything but,” Riley said. “Beth really hurt him.”
“Seriously? He’s so hard on Jessica because of Beth?” Josh exclaimed finally seeing some reason behind Angus’ behavior. Now it all made sense.
“Well, that makes it easier. We just have to convince him that Jessica isn’t going to do to him, what Beth did.”
“Oh yeah, that’s easy.” Riley said with a snicker.
“Okay, not easy, but doable.”
“Let me know when you figure out how. I’m going to go check on the dogs. I’ve gotta figure out what to do with Max.” Riley said and turned to leave.
“You may want to check if he’s blind and deaf,” Josh replied.
“What?” Riley asked.
“I know it’s a long shot, but Jessica seems convinced that he’s blind and deaf.”
“He is blind and deaf. I checked it out earlier with Jim.”
“I’ll be damned!” Josh exclaimed. “Well, you may want to tell Angus to check if there’s water in his fuel line … another one of Jessica’s theories that may be true.”
“How the hell would Jessica know if there’s water in the fuel line?” Riley demanded.
Josh shrugged. “She has been reading Angus’ magazines a lot lately … and she was right about the dog …”
“Get rid of the body for me will you?” Riley asked, not even waiting for Josh’s response. He found Angus returning from the trap.
“Water in the fuel line,” Riley said.
“What?” Angus asked, secretly glad that his overalls were so baggy. His hard-on had not subsided in any way, and he didn’t want Riley to guess what he was going to be doing in the bathroom in a few minutes.
“Is there a chance that there’s water in your fuel line?”
Angus hesitated. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“But it’s possible?”
“It’s possible, and pretty probable. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself. Thanks!” And he began to move toward the corvette.
“Don’t thank me,” Riley said, following Angus. How could Jessica possibly know these things?
“Huh?” Angus asked, the tone of Riley’s voice catching his attention.
“It was Jessica.”
“Jessica told you that?”
“She told Josh … who told me. She also told Jim, and Josh for that matter, that Max is blind and deaf.”
“How can he be blind and deaf without you knowing it?” Angus demanded.
“He is Angus. I checked when Jim told me. Now you have to check the fuel line.”
“What is she up to?” Angus muttered.
“I don’t know Angus. What I do know is that things are changing. I’d like you to consider the fact that Jessica and Beth are completely separate people, and you’re in a completely different situation with Jessica than you were with Beth.”
Angus looked down at his crotch. No obvious bulge. There was no way Riley could know about his current need, nor the dreams he’d been having about Jessica.
“What the hell brought that on?” Angus demanded.
“Jim’s not the enemy Angus. And in your case, neither is Jessica.” Riley held his palm up to Angus, as Angus seemed on the verge of arguing.
“For you, the enemy is Beth. And there’s nothing you can do about that. But Jessica. Everything is different with Jessica. Yes, she may be scheming to escape. And if she does, you can blow her brains out and get your sense of justice. She can’t hurt you like Beth did.”
Angus stared at Riley. He cleared his throat. He was a little creeped out. It was almost as if Riley knew what he was going through.
“What are you getting at Riley?” Angus asked.
“It’s alright to relax a little Angus. You’re the one in control here, not Jessica. Enjoy that a little.”
“Have you relaxed?” Angus asked.
“Enough to be interested in something more than just holding Jessica captive. I want some reciprocity from her,” Riley said, but simultaneously felt surprised by the words he spoke. He hadn’t consciously thought it through.
“I’ve been taking it easier on her Riley …”
“I know. I’m talking about moving beyond that. Have you noticed anything about the way that Jessica interacts with the others?”
“You mean how she wraps them around her little finger?”
“The way she seems so much more at ease with them. You have to have noticed that.”
“Maybe a little,” Angus replied. In fact he had spent so much time avoiding Jessica that he hadn’t noticed much. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Nothing specific, “Riley replied. “Just don’t hold Beth against Jessica. That’s all.”
“Right. Okay. Can I go now? I’ve gotta go for a piss.”
“Just check that water in the fuel line …”
“I will,” Angus replied, and headed for the house.
Ten minutes, and several jerk-offs later, Angus made his way back to the living room. Fantasies of Jessica fighting with him, and attempts at restraining her leading to unbelievable sex, made Angus feel more alive than he had in years. In his fantasies, Jessica never meant to really hurt him, it was just foreplay.
Maybe Riley’s suggestion that Beth and Jessica weren’t the same had merit. After all, sex between him and Beth had been fantastic, but not animalistic, brutal. With Jessica, that was what turned him on. So long as he was sure she wouldn’t actually kill him. And unfortunately in reality, he was not sure of that. Not at all. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to be. As he came into the center of the living room, he allowed himself to look at Jessica, really look at her. She sat on the sofa, and she looked very forlorn. The usual smoldering hatred, just below the surface, was absent. The Jessica that sat on the sofa now, could be the Jessica of his fantasies … an unmistakable sense of vulnerability overcame him. As vulnerable as Jessica looked to an unsuspecting eye Angus himself felt one hundred times more vulnerable. He was heading down a slippery slope, and he had to do something to save himself. In his mind’s eye, a memory of Jessica in some past time, running away from him, played out. The anger that he’d felt then, came back to him. Good. He turned on his heel and headed out the door.
*********************************************************
“What’s going on … why’s the dog in here?” Riley asked, closing the front door behind him. Jessica was curled on the sofa, hugging Baby, Jim sat on the sofa next to Jessica, and Scott and Josh stood in the kitchen. They looked like they’d been discussing something.
Scott motioned Riley over.
“That dog is not coming back in the house!” he said to Scott and Josh.
“This is not good,” Josh said, “she’s really upset about the puppies not having their mother … I think she may be thinking about her own. Mother, that is.” Riley turned to look at Jessica. She had her face buried on the dog’s fur. Next to her, Jim shrugged his shoulders. Riley couldn’t believe it, but he was actually feeling sorry for Jessica. Any compassion he may have had for her when they’d first taken her, had been stomped out by Jessica’s repeated attacks and attempts to flee. But the loss he’d felt at losing his family came back to him, and for a moment he wished he could ease Jessica’s pain. Before he knew what he was doing, he had moved to the sofa and sat between Jim and Jessica.
“Jessica,” he said, and wondered what he could possibly say to make her feel better. Jessica looked up and fear passed over her face. She drew Baby closer to her.
“I know it seems bad for the pups that Ginger is dead … but I was about to start weaning them anyway. They would’ve been separated in a day or two, no matter what.” Riley paused. This wasn’t completely true. He wouldn’t have weaned them for another few weeks at least, but it certainly wasn’t going to hurt them to be weaned a bit earlier.
“Really?” Jessica asked as the fear in her expression gave way to relief.
“You bet,” Riley answered.
“So, it’s okay for them to not have their mother?”
“Perfectly.”
Jessica nodded. She seemed relieved as she kissed Baby on the head. Riley sat watching Jessica. Another positive interaction with Jessica. What would it take to make it a full conversation? He was so reluctant to bring the whole Ebony issue up, because he knew that the positive would disappear from the interaction.
“See Jess, you were worried for nothing,” Josh kneeling next to the sofa, running his hand over Baby’s head. Jessica looked up from the dog, smiled and nodded. And that was the reason Riley couldn’t let the incident with Ebony go. Even if Josh’s brains had slid down to his dick, Jessica had to know enough not to ask to do stupid stuff.
“Jessica,” Riley began, and instantly the smile disappeared from her face. Fear replaced it, and her eyes automatically looked to the floor. What the hell? A moment ago Jessica was smiling up at Josh, and one word from him, and she looked like Jack the Ripper had just spoken to her. Riley felt winded, like someone had just punched him in the gut. He couldn’t remember the last time his feelings had been hurt like this.
“I guess I should be thankful that you don’t just ignore me like Max does … “ Riley mumbled, maybe the dog could be a bridge for them. Maybe she’d be willing to share her observations about the dog’s disabilities with him … but his comment was met with silence. Jessica didn’t so much as blink.
“Max might be deaf and blind Riley,” Scott said from the kitchen. Riley felt his cheeks go hot. So he and Angus were the only ones Jessica hadn’t shared her theory with?
“Really?” Riley said in a controlled voice, “And where did you get that idea?” He asked, never moving his eyes from Jessica. Scott looked from Riley to Jessica, to Jim and Josh, completely bewildered. Jim slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Leave it to Riley to find a way to make a positive move on Jessica’s part look bad. Would anything ever make this man happy?
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