Loving The Enemy

“What exactly did they say?” I squatted in front of her so I could keep eye contact. After pulling herself together and wiping her nose on her sleeve for the one-hundredth time she finally got up the nerve to look at me. “That he ripped off a bunch of people and the SEC and IRS were coming after his assets. If that’s not bad enough now the whole world knows how he died as well.”

“Okay, which of those situations are you most upset about?” From the look she threw me I’m guessing there was something off about my tone, if she only knew. This is my first time… for a lot of things. Usually I avoid shit like this like the plague and I’m still not sure what the fuck I’m doing here. She’ll just have to deal with me the way I am because I don’t know any other way to be. “I’m waiting Emily.”

“Both. Why didn’t anyone tell me? What about all those people he stole from?” She got up from the couch and paced back and forth in her agitation. I didn’t say anything, as I was sure she wasn’t done yet. I just watched and waited for when she needed me. I took the opportunity to sit on the couch she’d just left so I could keep an eye on her.

Not used to dealing with fractious females here. The members of the opposite sex usually try to be all sugar and cream when in my presence. Except for this one, and of course my mother, when she thinks the infant she’d given birth to had broken one of her golden rules. She held her tongue as her pacing grew increasingly erratic and then she stopped and turned back to me with renewed fire in her eyes. Thank fuck, I’d much rather deal with the spitting hellcat than the broken doll who’d answered the door.

7

Jason

I watched the fire brew in her eyes as the tears faded away. “How am I supposed to get their money back? You knew didn’t you?” She walked over to stand before me, glaring down at me like this shit was my fault. “Yes, I knew, but I didn’t see any need for you to. What else did they say?” She slumped back against the couch as far away from me as possible it seemed, and I hid a secret smile as I realized something.

Even with her red eyes and blotchy cheeks from crying, my body had not stopped responding to her since I came through the door. Of course I’m listening to her, but as I watched her, inhaled her scent that went right through me, I knew I wanted her, and what’s more, I mean to have her. There was no longer a question as to where this was going.

Now was not the right time of course, her asshole old man was still giving me shit from the grave. But once I get her through this there’s nothing stopping me from taking her. I ignored the little voice that asked ‘for how long’. How the fuck should I know? I know that I want her; that she excites me in a way no one else has ever done. Let that be enough for now. I’ll deal with the fallout later.

She dragged me back to the present when she answered the question. “What more did they need to say? Other than daddy was a liar and a thief who stole from his friends and neighbors and when he got caught he blew his brains out. We can’t stay here, my mother….” She jumped up from the couch and tried to leave but I grabbed her hand.

“Sit down. Did your mother see it?” I tugged her arm until she was sitting beside me once more.

“My mother hasn’t left her bed in a month. But I know once this gets out, and I’m sure one of her ‘friends’ is going to tell her sooner or later, it’s going to destroy her. We were both having a hard enough time dealing with the suicide, we thought… I thought that he’d taken his life because he was ashamed of losing the business. This makes everything worse.”

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists at the tears that slid down her cheeks. It wouldn’t do to tell her I didn’t give a fuck about her dad, he’s gone and for what he did I have no respect for him, but she’s his kid and she loves him. The truth is, I’m more interested in what else they’d had to say pertaining to her selling her underwear, which I’m sure was an exaggeration.

“We can’t go back and change what’s already been done.” Even I knew that my dry ass tone sounded cold and reserved, but for a man like myself, theatrics and bullshitting just for the sake of it never gets anything done. I prefer to deal with shit head-on, no blinders. The world would fuck your shit up otherwise.