Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2015 13:55:29 -0800
From: Sellar Dhor <sellardhor@gmail.com>
Subject: Evil is a Man: Blood In Blood Out chapter 10
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
If you like what you're reading, let me know: SellarDhor@gmail.com.
And let me know where you want the story to go and who you want Jake to end
up with.
And if you have any ideas for the future, let me know, I might include them.
JANUARY 5th
I eased out of my heavy sleep, savoring a wonderful, manly flavor in
my palette as I licked a tasty morsel in my mouth.
"Jakey looooves my dick. Oh, oh, oh. He's never seen one quite so
thick."
I opened my eyes, confused, and I saw a naked, sexy stud right in
front of me, standing next to me off the bed. My lips were parted, and I
realized I had a huge, soft penis in my mouth, and I was sucking away at
the wonderfully tasty head. The stud was lowering the huge thing up and
down, moving the head in and out of my mouth over and over again.
The sound of his guitar right next to my face made me jump awake,
knocked me out of my reverie, and I realized where I was and whose dick was
in my mouth. I pulled back away and spat his penis out of my mouth.
"Syd, sick!"
I jumped up off the couch, away from his naked body.
"What the heck was that?"
"You asked me to make sure I woke you up, so I did it in my special
way," he said, laughing.
"You are never allowed to wake me up like that ever again," I said.
"Christ, I guess someone just isn't a mornin' person. Well, grumpy,
you have like three minutes to make it to your morning appointment."
I ran into the closet and started throwing clothes on. "Let me get
this straight. You wake me up by molesting me, AND you didn't even get me
up on time?" I asked.
As soon as I started to walk down the hall after leaving the
apartment, I realized how horribly sore my legs were, and knew Boyd had
been right. I walked through the Great Room, which was empty, and went
down to Cornelius's office. He was sitting there playing his grand piano
when I walked in.
"Hello, Mr. Groves." he said, stopping his playing.
"That's a very nice piano, Cornelius," I said.
"It's the only on in Mareshead, actually. I barely dabble in it,
really. Sit down, please. I thought we could start with something amusing
today."
"Oh, really?" I asked, hoping it had nothing to do with wedding
planning.
"I know you're probably clamoring to officially invite your
bridesmaids," he said. "Let's diagram out the feminine side of the bridal
party today. Doesn't that sound diverting?"
"Oh yes," I lied.
"So, who did you have in mind as your maid of honor?" he asked.
"Now, since you are from outside the Territory, you should be told that you
cannot tell other outsiders about our existence, Mr. Groves. Not unless
they too permanently come into our society. Therefore, your choices here
should probably be restricted to people from the Territory."
So that ruled out Martine or my mother, not that I would ever
willingly drag them into this mess. "Can I choose a male? I'd want
Parker."
Cornelius looked dismayed. "You can pick a male, but Syd has
already selected Parker as his best man. And frankly, because you've
selected the bride's role, any male in your side of the bridal party will
be referred to as the bridesmaids, and will have to wear bridesmaid gowns.
I'm not sure Parker would be comfortable with that role. But I'm sure you
know all of this already."
"Right, of course I do," I said, not wanting to sound like I wasn't
taking this seriously. "And I already knew Parker was Syd's best man. I
just got confused what you were asking. I thought for a second you were
asking who the best man was. No, of course I know my maid of honor."
He nodded. "I'm sure you've had her picked out for ages."
"Well, obviously. Yes, you see... I asked, and she of course was
honored to be my maid of honor, so everything is peachy."
He picked up his pen and got ready to write down on his book. "And
that person would be?" he asked.
I hesitated, needing to come up with something fast. "Della. Della
Logan."
"Ah, Dr. Logan, perfect," he said, writing the name down. "Of
course, for this, she will have to wear a dress. I assume that is
satisfactory with her."
"Oh, of course," I said.
"And your other bridesmaids?" he asked, readying his pen again.
"Well, there's Jennie Logan," I said.
"Ah, should have guessed," he said, scribbling the name down.
"And?"
"Umm, Glaucia."
He wrote the name down. "And?"
My goodness, how many women would I have to name? I had to search
my brain to figure out other people that would make sense. "Della and
Jennie's daughter. Jess."
He raised an eyebrow. "I thought Syd wanted her to be the flower
girl?" he asked.
Darn it! "Right, isn't that what you asked? Flower Girl?" I tried
to play it off.
"No, I said bridesmaid."
"Oh, sorry, misheard you. Right, my other bridesmaid is... Lettie
Tobler."
He looked surprised. "The madam from Lettie's? In Fools Gold?"
"That's the one."
He raised an eyebrow. "I would have never guessed you would have
been close with that type of woman."
"Oh, we're very, very close. She's like an aunt to me."
"Great." He wrote down the name. "And?"
"And what?"
"Who is your last bridesmaid?!" How large could one bridal party
possibly be?
"Right, her." I tried as quickly as I could to think of any woman I
had met in the Territory. "Oh, Polly."
"Polly who?" he asked.
I tried desperately to think of any last name she had told me, but
could not. "You know, who works with horses."
He seemed surprised and disturbed. "Polly the human stable girl?
Is that who you mean?"
"Yes, her."
"That's a very unusual choice," he said, writing it down. "I'm sure
you know that the bridesmaids have a lot of pre-wedding responsibilities.
They have to try on their gowns, they'll have to prove to our stylists that
they know how to walk in their dresses and in high heels, they'll have to
sit for make-up. Each one is expected to give a speech about why you are
so special to them in front of all the important guests, and their speeches
must be vetted past several officials well in advance to make sure they
meet the high standards of writing and ladylike etiquette, or else they are
punished. Those are just the beginnings of their duties."
"Right, I know," I said. "Just typical bridesmaid stuff."
Oh my goodness, what had I just gotten all these poor women into? I
had incorrectly figured they wouldn't have to do anything until the day of
the wedding, and we would have called it off by then.
"Now, about the bridesmaids dresses," Cornelius said.
"Oh, right," I said. "Let's pick those out."
He looked confused. "I hope you know that the groom traditionally
picks the dresses."
"Oh, of course," I said.
"And Syd picked them out yesterday," he said. He stood up and
walked over to something underneath a large sheet. "Here's the design he
chose personally."
He pulled the sheet off, revealing a dress on a mannequin. My eyes
went wide. It was absolutely atrocious. Bright pink/red fabric, metallic
shiny. Huge high heels and mermaid tight legs would make any besides the
most graceful fall. And worst of all, the dress was off the charts
risqué. Massive peek-a-boo gashes in the dress revealed so much skin in
so many naughty places, only a stripper would be at home in this gown.
"I encouraged him to pick a more conservative dress, but he wouldn't
have it," Cornelius said. "Anyway, the selection is final. We've already
gotten the designer on board."
"Oh, great," I said, trying to sound pleased. "They're so, um, so
majestic."
*****
Cornelius's office was close to the mess hall, so after he let me
out of our session, I popped in quickly for lunch, deciding my days of
depending on Syd for food were over. The place was a little less crowded
than it had been the night before, and the band wasn't on, but the place
was still bustling with activity.
On my way back to Syd's apartment, I had to cross through the floor
of the Great Room and go up the staircases again. I was surprised to see
the room had gone from empty to quite occupied since that morning. Jericho
was sitting in his throne again, the sight of him sending a chill down my
back. I stopped for a moment to observe.
There were a number of other people in the room. Lewis, most
notably, was sitting on that chair next to his father, looking somewhere
between terrified and bored. I noticed sickeningly that there was a naked
woman in the cage. All of the Cabinet members, including Cornelius, were
seated on the long table. Clearly this was another working meeting, and I
wondered if it was okay for me to walk through this. I noticed Boyd was
sitting there at the table, and I realized he must have been a Cabinet
member as well. Our eyes caught, and he smiled and nodded his hat.
"The situation in Mexico has only worsened, Your Honor," Cornelius
was saying. "We should concede the territory and get out before it ruins
us all."
"After all the resources we have invested, all the lives that have
been lost, you would have us give up now?" Jericho demanded. "I own that
country."
"You have always owned the drug lords there, Mr. Governor," said
that child-looking vampire woman, with a sing-song, high pitched voice.
"More and more, the Mexican law enforcement has been cracking down,"
Cornelius said.
"That's because of those cunts, the Valmor Blood," Jericho said
angrily. "They think I don't know, but I have no doubt that they're
feeding all their resources into the wrong side of the Mexican drug wars."
"That's a guess, not a certainty, Your Honor," Cornelius said.
"They've been secretly plotting against us ever since I took
Governorship. They've always contested our claim on Central America. They
believed that any Spanish speaking nations should be under their rule.
Those cunts forget that the deal was that they would get South America, and
we would get North."
"How should we handle this, Your Honor?"
"I want all the drug cartels buffed up," he answered. "Send more of
our arms to them. It's simply not a battle I'm willing to lose. What else
have you got?"
I noticed other people walking through this room, ignoring the
meeting that was taking place, so I decided to do the same. There was no
other way to Syd's room that I knew of. I made my way towards the stairs.
"There's been some pressure to legalize marijuana in Hawaii," the
girl vampire said.
"Assassinate whoever is responsible," Jericho said.
"Sir, you eliminated our marijuana trade decades ago," Cornelius
said.
"I don't give a flying fuck," Jericho said. "It's a slippery slope.
Today, they want pot to be legal, tomorrow, they'll be asking for crystal
meth to be legalized. And suddenly, our income would go straight to hell.
What else?"
"Mr. Governor," the curly blonde girlish vampire chirped. "Rose is
recovering well from her gunshot wound, and should be back in a few days."
"Excellent."
I exited through one of the doors on the third floor into a hallway,
thinking about Rose's recovery, unpleasant thoughts running through my
head. I'd forgotten all about Rose, and now that I remembered, I was quite
anxious about the whole deal. I needed to discuss this with Syd straight
away.
When I got to Syd's door, I opened it and stormed inside. "Syd,
we've got a big problem."
My eyes shot towards the settee, where I saw Syd's naked, muscular
butt moving up and down, flexing with each downward thrust. He was
sprawled out, naked except for those boots and that hat.
At first I thought he was dry humping my settee, but I soon noticed
a pair of legs with nothing but heels on sticking up around his hips,
digging into his naked flesh, as well her painted fingernails digging into
his back.
Syd was making rhythmic grunts, while the woman was yelling in
ecstasy. I was so startled and shocked, that I let out a scream.
Syd turned his head, and his cowboy hat stopped blocking her face
for the first time. She was on her back, and her eyes locked onto mine.
She started to completely shriek, her face looking like a banshee.
"Sorry, so sorry," I said, and quickly left the door and shut it
behind me. "Syd, you are such an idiot!" I said out loud to an empty hall.
I sat there for a few minutes, trying to figure out where to go. I
could have gone back to the mess hall, but that would require me to go
through the Great Hall again, which I didn't feel like doing.
Just as I decided to just walk around the halls and go exploring, I
heard the doorknob start to turn. I quickly ran around the corner of the
hallway, out of sight. I could hear high heeled shoes click through the
hall, going the other way, thank goodness. When I was sure she was out of
sight, I went back to Syd's door and knocked.
"Ah, see? I told her you knew how to knock. Come in."
I walked in the room. "Just to let you know, you could always, you
know, lock the door during moments like those!" I snapped.
"Oh, I didn't care," Syd said. "I like it when you see what you're
missing out on by refusing to let me top you."
I turned to see him standing by my door, a cigarette in his mouth,
totally naked and dripping with sweat. His dick was sticking straight up,
covered with a condom that looked too small for his girth, and it made me
think he hadn't managed to cum before she stormed off. But then I saw the
large amount of white liquid collected at the end of the condom, and
realized he had gotten his fill after all, which made me more angry
somehow.
"I can't believe you had sex on my settee!" I said.
"Uh, I do believe that this is my room, and technically, that makes
it my sit-tay."
"Settee!"
"Yeah, that's the thingamajig," he said, and as soon as I saw him
open his mouth, I could see that his teeth were stained red, as if drinking
red wine. But I knew well enough what it just was that he had been
drinking. I noticed his hard dick was wilting quickly; not exactly
shrinking in size, just turning more pliant and falling over. As soon as
the huge unit was facing downwards, all the cum in his condom dripped
downwards, creating a monstrous bubble of semen at the end of his head.
"Well, why couldn't you have sex in the bed like normal people?"
"She likes her pussy plowed while her bare ass is against the smooth
velvet of the settee," he said.
"Eww, disgusting! Great, now I can't ever sleep on it again!"
"That's fine; you'll just have to sleep with me in the bed."
"Screw you Syd!"
"Mmm, yes please Jakey!"
"You just shut your mouth. I'm cleaning the settee off." I walked
into his bathroom to get something to clean it with. "This backwoods
outhouse of a home better have Lysol, or I will make you pay."
He blew smoke. "The cleaning staff has stuff like that. I'll get
them to clean it up this afternoon."
I thought about the poor housecleaners who must have been all
slaves. "I'd rather do it myself. Just tell them to leave the supplies
here." I switched to the more important topic on my mind. "Syd, I was
listening to your evil father discuss Rose. She's recovering from her
gunshot wound, and is expected to return in a few days."
"So, deal with it Jakey," Syd said. "She may be a major bitch, but
ya know what? So are most of the ladies here. And so are you, for that
matter."
"Syd, I know it doesn't come natural for you, but I need you to stop
and think for a moment. Remember about our ride up here in that
stagecoach? You shared some choice feelings about me. You said that you
had no emotional attachment to me, and that you'd be fine if they killed
me. Remember?"
He rolled his eyes. "I don't remember much Jakey, that was eons
ago."
"It was two days ago!"
"Yeah, I guess I remember something like that," he said. "Oh
sweetie, are you sore with me about that?" he mocked. "Ya know I still
love you."
"Syd, anyone who heard you would never believe that we were engaged.
Now, I know Glaucia, Tucker and Lewis didn't hear you. Steely might have,
but he's dead. Rose, on the other hand, heard you loud and clear, and she
already hates me."
"Oh yeah," Syd said, it all clicking into place finally. "She'll do
anything to please Jericho. All it would take was her word of that
conversation, and Jericho would have the evidence he needed to send you to
your death."
"Yes. There goes the month we thought we had, darn it."
"Come on, Jakey," Syd said. "Ya gotta think more creative-like than
that. Thank god you have ol' Syd on yer side." He grabbed his cellphone.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He didn't answer, but instead called someone and put it on speaker.
"Hello?" said a familiar voice.
"Hi Della," Syd said. There was something perverse about the way
Syd was talking to her totally naked, still with the condom on.
"Well, hello Syd. Why do I have a feeling you didn't call just to
catch up?"
"You got me," he said.
"The last time you called me, you needed help springing you out of a
Tijuana prison. So, spit it out. What'll it be this time?"
"Della, I'm in a fake marriage proposal," Syd said.
"Lord, not again," she said. "The last time I believe it was to get
a particularly beautiful but chaste woman to jump into bed with you?"
"It's not like that this time," he said, and I raised an accusing
eyebrow. "Actually, I got hitched in order to save Jake Groves life.
Jericho would have killed him otherwise."
"Oh, the poor dear," Della said, and it warmed my heart. "And now
that you're engaged, Jericho can't touch the boy."
"Exactly."
"My my. Syd, have you actually committed your first selfless deed?"
"That's right, Della," he said, and I gave him a disapproving face,
reminding him of the very selfish deal he made with me. He looked at me
straight on. "Shoot, I'm a regular hero."
"Well, I knew you'd do right by me one of these days. Now, I assume
you don't really mean to marry him?"
"No, of course not, that's just crazy talk," Syd said. "This only
buys us some time. We have a month until our supposed wedding date. I'll
figure something else out for Jake before that date comes. Only catch is,
if Jericho can prove we're not a legit couple, he'll kill the boy."
"Hey, does this have anything to do with the voicemail message I
just got from Cornelius congratulating me on my maid of honor assignment,
and asking me to send in my measurements for the dress?"
"Hold on, Dell." Syd covered the phone's mic with his hand.
"Darn, Cornelius works fast!" I said.
"You made Della your maid of honor?" he asked. "What were you
thinking, involving her like that?"
"I had no idea the crazy stuff the bridesmaids have to go through,"
I said. "And I was put on the spot. I also named Jennie, Glaucia, Lettie,
and Polly."
"Polly?! Were you nuts?"
"Well, he didn't show me the bridesmaids dresses until after I told
him the names," I said. "How come you had to pick out the worst dress
designs ever made?"
"I wanted to see a little skin," he said. "I never expected you
would make my family members your bridesmaids."
"Syd, you still there? Hurry it up, I got patients here!"
"Yes, I'm still here, Della," he said, taking his hand off the
phone. "Yes, Jakey made you his maid of honor for some bizarre reason."
"Well, I guess I should be touched. And you called to make sure
Jennie and I don't spoil this secret for you?"
"Yeah, that and something more important," he said. "I believe Rose
Dixon is under your care? How is she doin?"
"She was real lucky the bullet never pierced her organs," Della
said. "She's recovering quickly. I'll keep her for a few more days, and
then she should be on her way home. Why, do you need her back sooner?"
"No, just the opposite, actually. Della, Rose was in the stagecoach
that Jakey and I were traveling in, and she for sure knows we are not a
couple. If she comes here, as soon as she hears about our engagement,
she'll go straight to Jericho."
"I'm not surprised," Della said. "The girl's beyond decent to me.
But to my human nurses, she's a real terror. I can't wait to get rid of
her, to be honest."
"Della, is there anyway you can hold her there longer?" Syd asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, make up some complication that will require her to stay
in bed for a few more weeks before she is discharged. Maybe slip her some
Morphine to make her think she's still unwell."
Della laughed. "Have you heard of something called the Hippocratic
Oath, Syd?"
"Yes, but is your honor really worth the life of poor, innocent
Jakey?" Syd asked.
"Hmm. He was such a sweet boy. Alright, fine. I can't believe I'm
agreeing to this. I'll make up a complication, as you said, but I'm not
stooping to drugging her. That would cross the line."
I felt profoundly guilty. I would have never, ever asked her to go
against her oath if it was me. Nothing is worth betraying yourself like
that.
"That is fine, Della. Thanks, as always."
"Next time I see you calling, I'm going to think twice before
answering."
"I love you too," Syd said.
"Bye!"
Syd hung up the phone. "See? All taken care of. I think that
alone was worth a good bottoming session from you."
"Absolutely not."
"Fine, I'll accept just a blowjob then."
"If you wanted that, you should have thought to bargain before you
called Della," I said. "Too bad."
"Damn it, yer right. Ah, Jakey, look at you. Yer thinking more and
more like me every damn day! I'm so proud of you!"
"I am NOT taking that as a compliment, Syd!"
He pulled his condom off, milking his big dong of every last drop as
he did. Once he had it free of his softening dick, which was wet with cum,
he waved the used condom in my face. "Ya want ta jerk off with my huge
load, Jakey, or should I throw it away?"
"If you put that anywhere near me, I'm going to punch you."
"Fine, deny your desires. I hate having such so much of my
stud-juice go to waste, but what can I do?"
He tossed the condom in the trash before making his way over to the
bathroom sink. He turned on the faucet, and I thought he was going to wash
his hands. Instead, he absolutely shocked me by sticking his huge penis in
the sink and running the water over it.
"Eew, holy crap, please tell me you're not really washing your penis
off in our common sink," I said, thoroughly disturbed.
"Well, where else do you expect me to wash it?" he asked as he
started to lather his huge unit up with soap.
"That's what showers and baths are for, Syd."
"Well, I'm clean except for this one part of me," he said. "So I'm
using the sink."
"Why do I get the sinking feeling that this isn't the first time
you've done this?"
"'Cause yer right," he said. "Been doing it the entire time we've
been bunking together, Jakey."
"Remind me never to wash my face in that sink again." I looked at
my watch. "I have to be outside for my riding lesson with Boyd, and I
think you should come along."
"How come everything you ever invite me to do sounds like it would
bore me to tears?" he asked. "Hell no, I'm not going."
"Syd, I don't care if you're not the one to teach me about the
rodeo, I have Boyd for that. But when was the last time you competed in a
rodeo like this?"
"I don't know, just a few years ago."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"Christ, Jakey, that requires real thinking on my part, and you know
how much I hate the stuff."
"Syd, just answer me."
His eyes drifted off, and he made a painful humming sound. "Oh, I
remember."
"See? All that thinking and you didn't spontaneously combust or
anything. You should try it more often."
"No thanks, all that thinking has got me all petered out. Best not
ask me to do it again for at least a few decades. Fifty-six years, Jakey.
That's how long it's been since I competed in anything rodeo."
"Uh, wait a second, that was your concept of just a few years? So
I'm guessing you have to be rusty, Syd."
"Maybe a little."
"Well then, you should be out training there with or without me,
honing your skills."
"I ain't never honed my skills before, Jakey. Is there fuckin'
involved?"
"Absolutely not."
"Drinkin?' Guitar pickin?'"
"No and no."
"Then I'll pass, thanks for the swell offer, though, honey."
"Well, at least I know you won't be wasting all your time messing
around with the stable boy like you did last time."
"Alright, ya convinced me, I'm going. I almost forgot about that
hot slut." He ran into the closet and started throwing his clothes on.
"Nope, no way," I said. "If you want to mess around with Donnie, you
need to do that on your own time, preferably when the sun's down and you
wouldn't be able to spend the time doing something productive. Don't you
dare spoil another training session by involving him."
"Alright, don't get yer panties knotted, I hear ya."
Before long, the two of us were outside the east entrance of
Mareshead, walking towards the stables.
"Anybody here?" I yelled as we stepped into the structure, not
seeing any living thing besides the horses.
"You here, hot piece of ass?" Syd yelled.
When there came no response, I said, "I guess you'll just have to
get a horse without his help this time."
Syd looked accusingly at me. "You planned this on purpose didn't
you? Did you kill him? Listen, sweetheart, I know yer a might jealous,
but ya don't have to take it out on the hot, submissive stable boy. If ya
really want me to quit fucking him, you can always offer up yer own hotter
ass as fair compensation."
"I'm not jealous of anybody you're with, Syd, and I had nothing to
do with this."
"Sure, I believe that one, Jakey."
Syd put a saddle on one of the horses, and took it outside, with me
following him.
"Oh, hey, there's Arlene with Donnie now," Syd said, pointing
perhaps fifty yards away, in the fields, where Donnie was standing off to
the side with a woman I didn't know while other riders moved about with
their horses. "Come on, I want you to meet her."
I followed Syd and his horse towards the two of them, and pretty
soon I could overhear the conversation. "It's just that it's been a long
time since I've done anything even approaching rodeo," the woman, Arlene,
was saying. She was pale with a very natural shade of red hair, was pretty
in a girl next door way, her face covered in freckles, dressed in western
riding gear. "And I heard you were one of the best there was. I'd just
like a refresher on anything new that's happened since my days."
"And I told you, if you want riding help, yer shit out of luck,
lady, cause that's not exactly my job description," he said. "I don't give
a fuck what last name you have."
One of the horses approached them, and a strapping rider dismounted,
a handsome white man who looked like he might have been in the black Irish
category.
"Well, if that's how it's gonna be," she said. She looked at the
new man. "Ryan, he's refusing to help us, honey."
Donnie looked at the guy up and down. "Oh, is this your husband?"
"Why, yes, yes it is," Arlene said.
"I didn't say I wouldn't help you two," Donnie said. "I just said
it wasn't my job description. Even so, I'd love nothing more than to
instill my entire well of rodeo knowledge on you two."
"Great, when do we start?" Ryan asked him.
"Now, there's not much I could teach Arlene here, because I'm more
trained to handle Ryan's roles in the rodeo tournament. Maybe we could set
up some lessons, just the two of us, and then once Ryan has it down, we can
work Arlene into the mix some too, sound good?"
"Yes, that's fine, thank you," said Arlene, completely unaware about
the not exactly saintly intentions behind Donnie's volunteering.
"Arlene!" Syd said, as the two of us reached the three of them.
"How ya doin', girl?"
"Syd Logan," Arlene said with a smile. I noticed she had green
eyes. "You know my husband, Ryan."
He nodded politely, and I noticed he had brown eyes.
"This is my fiancé, Jake," Syd said. "Jake, meet Arlene and Ryan
Bilker. Bilker is one of the old Logan families."
I shook their hands politely, while Syd made quick eye contact with
Donnie, who left for the stables.
"Better not be too nice to these folks, Jakey, cause yer starin'
into the eyes of our fierce competitors," he joked. "These two will be the
enemies come our first rodeo tournament."
"So, you two are one of the current rodeo couples champions?" I
asked.
"Don't get too intimidated," Arlene said. "We haven't been holding
that title for years, only because it's been that long since someone
challenged us, ain't we, darlin?'"
"That's right," Ryan said. "But I still got all my muscles, and you
still got all that crazy. That's all that matters. Now, if excuse us, we
got practicing to do."
Syd looked at them. "Well, better get practicing myself, or my
fiancé might refuse to let me fuck him four times a day like we've been
doin.' Might make me go down to three times, right, pookie?"
I refused to answer, and just gave him a mean look.
"That's just his way of saying yes," Syd said.
They both looked embarrassed as they said goodbye to us and went on
their way. Syd climbed up on his horse and started to ride around as well,
while I saw Boyd riding one of the Clydesdales a ways off to the east, and
waved to him. He saw me and started to steer off into my direction.
"Hey there, sweet fella, ya ready for the hotseat today?" Boyd asked
as soon as he approached me on his horse. He dismounted, and pointed to
the front of the horse.
"I see you put your riding clothes back on after today's Cabinet
meeting," I said to him, pointing at his fetching buckskin riding gear.
"Yup, yup. You like these duds, huh?"
"They fit you well," I said.
"Oh, really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked down at the
tight fitting clothes, including looking at his bulging crotch. "You like
that, huh?"
"No, no, no," I said. "What I meant was, the buckskin riding gear
seems very much suited to your personality. Not that I like the way they
fit your body."
"So, you don't like the way they fit my body?" he asked me.
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant at all."
"Jake, I'm just playin' with ya, pal," he smiled and let out a
hearty laugh, patting me hard on the back.
"Oh," I said, relieved. I guess I wasn't always the best at knowing
when someone was putting one over on me. I wanted to change the subject.
"So, how long have you a Cabinet member?"
"A long time," he said. Then he gave me a look. "I can see yer
holding that against me," he said. "But I'll have you know that I didn't
chose to be a Cabinet member, and certainly wasn't one of them on there
that was picked by Jericho. It's just that my family has had a seat on
that Cabinet forever."
"One of the old Logan families?"
"Have you heard of us already?" he asked. "Nothin' bad, I hope."
"No, just a lucky guess," I said.
"Enough stallin.' Time to get up and show us what ya got. Here,
put these on."
He took off his leather work gloves and gave them to me.
"Now, let me help ya up. Hope yer ass is as sore as it ought to
be."
"Oh, it's beyond sore today, you were absolutely right."
He put his hand on my butt again to boost me up onto the huge horse,
and it made me wonder about his intentions. The previous day, he hadn't
known about Syd being my fiancé until the end of the lesson. Before
that point, he had taken numerous opportunities to flirt openly with me.
Here he was, grabbing my butt again. Was he still flirting, in open
defiance of Syd, or was he just being helpful? Either way, the contact
felt good.
Once again, he had that double saddle on the horse, but this time, I
knew I had to scoot to the front of it, keeping my feet in the stirrups. I
picked up the reins, and felt him jump up behind me.
"Now, if you remember from last time, I want you to learn to control
the horse with as little reins or kicks as you can muster," he said. "Why
don't you take her out now, forward?"
"Uh, okay," I said. I leaned forward. "Go, horse."
The horse did nothing but bend down and munch on a nearby shrub.
"I said, `go,' please."
The horse gave me an evil look, and then went back to munching.
Boyd laughed. "Jake, you have to remember that the horse is a pack
animal. Its instinct is to follow orders from a leader."
"That's me," I said. "The leader, clearly."
"She `s challenging your authority, Jake. She's testing you, trying
to see if she should be the leader. You gotta show her who is boss."
"How do I do that?" I asked.
"Just demonstrate a little authority. Watch this." He scooted up
so his front was flush against my back, and he reached his muscled arms
around me and grabbed the reins. "YAH!" He squeezed his heels into her
ribs, and that time, she responded by kicking off into a canter. "There,
you take back the reins. In the future, if a horse gets stubborn, you need
to quit being nice and get them in line."
He handed the reins back to me. "Okay." When the horse started to
drift back into the brush against my will, I pushed my heels into her ribs,
and yelled, "Hey, Ms. Horse, I'm the leader of the pack and you'd better
mind me! Was that okay, Boyd?"
"Hey, whatever works," he said. "She's minding you already now. Go
ahead forward and to the right. We have a destination we need to visit
today."
I started to lead the horse off into the direction Boyd was
indicating.
"Now, if this was the actual competition, there's a rodeo event
where you'd be riding a horse like this, and it would be my job to hold on
and try not to interfere with any of the directions you're giving our
horse. So, I'll need to press my body as close to you as I can, like
this."
He wrapped his buckskin covered arms, thick with ropy muscle, around
my body, holding onto my chest with his strong hands. At the same time, I
felt his large pecs press against my upper back, his hefty package pushing
against my tailbone.
We approached an area to the side of the grounds that held twelve
massive wooden poles all sticking up from the dusty ground. They were in a
straight line. All of them were about 20 feet apart from each other except
for the middle-most two poles, which were forty feet apart. In the middle
of that forty- foot space was a huge line in the ground which seemed to
separate the twelve poles into even halves.
"Welcome to Pole Bending," Boyd said. "This is the only Couples
Rodeo Event that is done solely by the non-fanged partner."
"So, I get to do this all by myself, huh?"
"That's right," he said. "I never compete in this event, but it's
just basically a challenge of riding competency, and I'm the best rider, so
I figure I'd be fine coaching ya through this. It's also a nice place to
start because it's the only event that really doesn't involve any danger to
you. Well, not unless yer horse bucks you, or ya hit a pole."
"I wouldn't put either past me."
"This event used to be a lot more boring when there were just six
poles and contestants took timed turns. Parker Logan invested Double Pole
Bending a few decades ago, turning the previously timed event into a race
between two riders. He added those six other poles as a sort of mirror
reflection of the first course. I'll take ya through the race path."
"Will I be riding such a big horse?" I asked.
"No, you'll have a smaller horse of yer choosin.' But if ya can get
the hang of this with the big horse now, you'll have no problem when ya
mount a normal horse." He led us to the line in the brown dirt. "That be
yer start line, same as yer finish line. And ya need to line up like this,
making sure yer horse doesn't step onto the line until after the gun is
blown."
We lined up so that we were just behind the line on the left side,
looking towards the six poles in front of us.
"Once that shot happens, you'll race from here, moving along the
right side of all the six poles in front of us, until ya reach the last
pole."
I took the horse down in a straight line past all six poles on the
right.
"Good. Now, this is where it gets hard. Yer going to turn the
horse into a sharp left, doing a circle around that last pole."
"Like this?"
"Yup, only instead of closing the circle, yer going to weave around
to that second to the last pole, moving around the outside of that pole.
Ya see what yer doing? Yer making a snake path, weaving through all six
poles."
"Holy crap, these corners are tight. Am I really supposed to do
this quickly without hitting the poles?"
"I want you to take this slow, Jake. Just walk her through it at
first. Once your form is perfect, only then can you start adding speed
in."
"Alright."
"When you get to the last pole before the start line, yer gonna take
a real sharp turn all the way around it until yer facing away from the
start line, then yer gonna weave and snake yer way all they way through
these six poles one more time."
"That's a whole lot of turning," I said. "Good thing I don't get
motion sick."
He stuck his hands up my shirt, putting his callused bare mitts on
my bare abs. "Yer upper body is too tight," he said. "You need to loosen
it up a bit."
I tried to relax my abs.
"There, that's it," he said. He lifted his hands to my bare chest,
and rubbed there too. "Wait, your chest is still flexed," he said. "Just
relax it."
He started to rub me there with his hands, clearly meaning to relax
me. I concentrated on letting those muscles go limp.
"Yes, you got it now," he said, rubbing my chest happily.
"I'm about to get to that last pole for the second time," I said.
"What do I do then?"
"You swing around to the outside, this time to the left of the
poles, the opposite side you started on. And you dash in a straight line
towards the finish line."
"Is that the end?"
He laughed. "Normally, it would be. But this is Double Pole
Bending, and that means that it's just the halfway point. Wonder why you
haven't even touched the six poles on the opposite side of that finish
line?"
"I suppose."
"Because when you cross that finish line, yer just entering the
other course and you have to do the entire track again on that side. Only
when you cross the finish line a second time, getting back to your exact
start point, will the race be over."
"Holy crap! So, how am I doing with these turns now?"
"You're leaning okay into them, but your legs aren't doing enough
work, Jake," Boyd said. "You need strong legs for horseback riding."
"I have strong legs," I said. "I work out all the time."
"But I doubt yer workouts have you putting so much squeeze to your
thigh. Okay, so yer turning to the left. I'll put my legs against ya,
feel it in my legs and do as I do."
His legs pushed up flush against mine, so that the inside of his
thighs were pressed against the outside of mine. In the process, his soft
but huge crotch ground even further against my butt.
He used his left leg to guide my own down firmly into the left
stirrup. "This leg should be as solid as oak. Is it?"
"It is."
"Let me see." He reached forward with his left hand and grabbed my
left thigh, feeling it up and down with his strong fingers. "Yer right,
that leg is good and dense. That's your stability leg. Now yer right leg
should be more up and forward."
He used his right leg to push my right leg up and forward, and then
grabbed my knee with his right hand.
"This should be squeezing into the horse, like this," he said,
pushing my knee into the horse's ribs. "And same with the rest of this
leg."
Even after I had finished the entire race, completing both sides,
Boyd made me do it over and over again until my turns were perfect, and
then he had me speed the horse up slightly, to practice.
"There, ya got it real good now," he said. "I think ya need to
switch to a smaller horse now. Since that's ultimately what you'll be
riding. Here, take us back towards the stables."
I rode the boosted Clydesdale back to where we had started, and then
Boyd got off the horse behind me, helped me down, squeezing my butt again,
and then climbed back up without me.
"Get yerself a smaller horse and meet me back at the poles," he
said. "Yah!"
His horse took off back in the direction we had come, and I walked
into the stables. As soon as I had, I could hear disgusting familiar
sounds, and knew something wasn't right.
My eyes caught motion, and I looked over to see Syd and Donnie, both
nearly naked, over by the wooden ladder up to the hayloft. Donnie was
hunched over a ladder rung, his body folded at the hips. Syd had his
latex-covered dick all the way home inside Donnie's hole, and as I watched,
he kept slamming the things in and out, moaning as he did.
I was so, so pissed off at Syd, for breaking his agreement with me
not to mess with Donnie while he was supposed to be practicing, and I
wanted to yell at him right then and there, to break up their little tryst,
but I knew that might betray the image we were supposed to be conveying of
a happy couple in which I was totally okay with all of his dalliances, and
I didn't trust Donnie to keep the truth to himself, not in the slightest.
So, I found the horse that Syd had saddled up before he got distracted.
The animal was waiting for him to finish, looking very bored, and I pulled
that horse out of the stables.
Soon, I was riding it towards the poles, feeling like I had gone
from driving a semi to a sports car.
"Good, try the course again with that new mare of yours, while I
wait from here," Boyd said as soon as I reached the pole course.
I started just like before, behind and to the right of the finish
line. When he told me to go, I started out towards the poles.
"Not so fast," he said. "Take it easy this run through."
He had been right; after mastering the large horse, using the
smaller one was much more efficient. I had some adjustments to make just
to get used to the new animal, but then I was practically dancing through
those turns.
After a few more runs, Boyd said, "Alright, ya think yer so good,
let's do it like it's really meant to be done. Let's race. You get into
the start position where you always have been," he said.
I took my horse behind and on the right side of the starting line,
facing the six poles to the east. Boyd came up on his boosted horse and
positioned himself on the other side of the start line, to my left, facing
the poles to the west.
"Boom," he said, coolly imitating the starting gun, and I took of
forwards across the start line, towards the east poles, running past them
on the right. He did exactly the same but in the reverse, rushing into the
starting portion of the course to the west. I realized Parker's coursing
plan was a smart one; it really wasn't much of a possibility to collide
with your opponent this way.
I raced through the poles, trying to beat Boyd. His Clydesdale was
not the best suited to be running through a course like that, so I knew I
naturally had the advantage.
I pictured racing this course with Arlene as my opponent. Would I
be able to prevail? The fact that she was more than a little rusty would
definitely be working to my favor, luckily.
When Boyd beat me in that first race, I made him do it again with
me. And when he beat me a second time, I made him go a third. Finally,
sweet victory was mine.
"Hey, kid, I guess third times a charm for ya, huh?" Boyd said,
smiling his pearly smile and wiping the sweat off his moustache.
"Guess so," I said.
"Let's call it a day."
I followed him back to the stables, and both of us dismounted and
started to pull in our horses. Panic hit me as I remembered Syd and Donnie
were screwing in there, and Boyd would surely see it, but before I could
offer to put his horse back for him, he was already inside the structure.
Thankfully, Donnie was once again dressed, and Syd was nowhere to be
seen. Donnie took our horses, flirting with Boyd and acting icily towards
me, and then Boyd and I were walking back towards the mansion.
"Ya did real good today, kid," Boyd said, putting his strong hand on
my shoulder, his muscled, buckskin covered arm weighing down my neck
pleasantly.
"I have a great teacher," I said to him.
"You got that event down, Jake," he said, rubbing my shoulder with
his strong hand. "I don't need to be there no more, I reckon. Just
practice it on yer own whenever ya have the time, and you and me will start
something new on the morrow."
"I'm the best there is at practicing on my own," I said.
He pointed at the outdoor bathrooms we were approaching. "Wanna hit
the showers? Get this horse smell off us?"
"Sure."
He led me into the men's bathroom. This time, it seemed like we
were alone. He took off his hat and wiped his hands through his cute black
hair, while I headed into one of the toilet stalls to take a bio break.
When I came out and started to wash my hands, I was severely
disappointed to see Boyd was already stripped naked, his white towel around
his waist. As I started to undress, he headed off into one of the four
shower stalls.
When I was only in my towel as well, I headed over to the shower
stalls. I could see steam arising from the one right in front of me, and
there was Boyd's sexy foot appearing beneath the door again. He was in the
exact same stall as the last time.
I started to head into the same shower I had been in, the one
directly to the left of Boyd's, remembering how wonderful it had been to
have the broken board between us. But then I remembered the ultimate
problem that broken board had caused, it made one of Jericho's spies able
to see into my stall, and Syd had used that broken board to coerce me into
washing him off. I would not let that mistake happen to me twice.
I went into the stall directly to the right of Boyd's stall, feeling
sad that there wouldn't be any checking out Boyd in the shower that time.
Other than that broken board, the stall was exactly the same, so I hung up
my towel, turned on the water, grabbed some soap, and washed myself really
well, finding some special pleasure in showering in the bright sunlight,
basically outside.
A few minutes later, I remembered one little detail about the last
time I had been in these showers, and my eyes shot across the stall to the
wall that bordered Boyd's stall. There, right where I remembered it, was
that hole in the wood, about waist level.
I was feeling particularly bold, so I walked out of my shower spray,
across my stall, and kneeled carefully down on my knees to get a look.
There he was, the total stud, standing naked under the shower spray.
He was in the exact same spot in his stall that he had been before, but my
perspective had changed, so instead of being right next to him, I was
looking all the way across the stall at him. This meant instead of just
getting a close up view of his upper body, his whole, wonderful body was in
view. He was facing away from me, meaning I was looking at this backside.
He was soaping up that ripped, smooth back of his, so powerfully
broad. White lather was pouring down his mocha skin as steam surrounded
his body. And as I let my vision drift down, holy crap, there was his
sweet, studly butt, his skin as smooth and perfect there as it was over the
rest of his body. He washed the soap over the muscular globes of his butt,
looking absolutely amazing.
I saw him start to spin around, and I pulled my head away quickly,
nervous he would see me. I walked back over to showerhead and resumed my
own shower.
With the water pouring on my face, it was hard to hear, but I
thought I heard Boyd's shower turn off. But by the time I finished washing
my face, the shower was clearly still on in the stall next to me.
I got the powerful urge to look again through that hole, so I moved
across my stall and got back on my knees, careful this time to move my head
slowly in front of the hole, allowing me time to pull away again if there
was any sign I was being watched.
This time, when I looked at the stall, Boyd was nowhere to be found.
The stall appeared to be empty, yet oddly, the shower was still on, though
no one was under the water. Had Boyd forgotten to turn it off when he
left? If so, I felt disappointed that I had missed my opportunity.
As my right eye searched through the stall, suddenly my whole field
of vision turned pink. Just as quickly, something hard poked my eye. I
jerked my head back, rubbing my eye with my hand.
That's when I realized that there was a huge, hard penis coming at
me through the hole. I got a thrill when I assumed it must be Boyd's manly
dick, but then I quickly realized by the tone of the skin on the offending
penis that this could not have been a black man's penis.
Then disappointment hit me as I realized that this huge penis was
all too familiar.
"Syd, I know that's you," I said.
"'Course ya do, Jakey, no one else got a huge hunk of handsome meat
like I got." He thrust himself all the way in until he slapped me in the
face with his huge dick as his sandy blonde pubes and balls appeared
through the hole.
"Ow Syd, that hurt! Careful where you stick that thing!"
"I can think of a couple fun alternative places to stick my meat,"
he said. "Come on, Jakey, give my huge Texas cock a good lick or three."
"Eew, no way."
"Cripes, Jakey, if ya didn't want to suck a huge cock, ya shouldn't
have stuck yer face in a glory hole." He started moving his dick around in
circles, seemingly to tempt me. "Come on, Jakey, ya know you want some."
I turned off my water, threw my towel around my waist, and walked
out of the shower angrily.
*****
"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed Parker through the halls
of the mansion, though our path luckily did not lead us through the Great
Room. I had already felt so much better about life the moment I was alone
with Parker. I felt thankful for him, indeed.
"I know you think this house is detestable, and you're absolutely
right. It's hard not to let the evil things that take place here crawl
into your soul. I've found that I needed places I could go; sanctuaries
that provide me respite and give me courage. One of those is a room in the
house that I personally designed. Ah yes, right here." He stopped at a
closed wooden door in the hallway. "Close your eyes," he said, with just a
slightest hint of a smile on his face.
I shut them, and I felt him put his hands on my back and gently
guide me into the room. It felt really good to have this simple touch.
"I built this room with people like you in mind. Open your eyes."
It was a large room constructed with the same wood-fashioning as the
rest of the house, yet this one had been filled with exercise equipment.
"You built a gym!"
"Yes," he said. "I was the only one here that seemed to be health
conscious," Parker said. "It took quite a lot of convincing to get it made
at all. Do you like it?"
"I love it!" I said.
"Of course, there's nothing electric here, because that would be too
modern. Mostly just weights and benches, but it's something. You feel
like a workout, Jake?"
"I sure do," I said. "Haven't had a real workout since we left Lake
Tahoe. Do you mean right now?"
He smiled big. "Yes."
"Okay, but I should change first," I said. "I have my workout
clothes upstairs."
"No need, what you're wearing is fine," he said.
I looked down at my khakis and sweater. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. If you get hot, just take your sweater off."
He unbuttoned his suit jacket, took it off, folded it, and set it
aside neatly. He did the same to his suit vest and white button up,
leaving him in just a cotton undershirt that clung to his upper body. It
hugged his sexy pecs, showing off his nipples. His bare arms looked just
like Syd's in size and proportion. In fact, his upper body looked so much
like Syd's it almost made me uncomfortable. I had to remind myself that
this person may look like Syd, but his personality was nothing like the
man, before I was able to enjoy his complete beauty. I wondered if he knew
how sexy he was. Probably not. Unlike vain Syd, Parker was extremely
humble.
I reminded myself to stop gawking at the man's muscles and get ready
to work out, so I removed my sweater, leaving on my tank underneath, and
started to stretch.
"There are towels stacked in the corner. Though, I guess with you,
you're not going to be picking up or leaving behind any germs, so feel free
to go without one."
"Oh no, I'll use one just to give me some peace of mind."
I picked one up, and handed one to him as well. I put my towel down
on one of the bench presses, and started to put 45s on.
He spotted me on my first set, where I went as heavy as I could,
with two 45s on each side, feeling impressed with my strength. Parker
urged me on during my set, which was helpful, and I stared up into his
beautiful face, which normally would have distracted me, but somehow with
Parker, it just made me try all the harder. After I had finished, I asked
him if he would be doing the same weight for his set.
"I'd better use this one," he said, putting his towel on an
identical bench. "And I don't think you should even try to spot me here."
I wondered why as he got a rack of 100s and piled them onto the bar
until he was lifting over a thousand pounds. I was totally floored. "Yup,
not unless I enjoy the sensation of my arms being yanked out of their
sockets."
Instead, I watched him do the incredible set, and just counted for
him encouragingly as his arms and chest flexed with their amazing power. I
thought back to the times Syd and I had gone to the gym together back in
Tahoe. He had lifted only a normal amount of weights for his size. He
must have just been faking those workouts for my sake. Not the first thing
he had faked with me.
When he was done, I asked, "Does working out like that make you
stronger?"
"Male vampires don't really get stronger like this, no," he said.
"But it does keep my muscles limber."
"So, should we do chest and arms today?" I asked.
"As long as it's not legs," he said.
"Parker, how did that accident happen, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Not at all. Just stop me if you get bored with the explanation.
Let's see. Remember yesterday I told you that I totally mastered
constantly being aware of my surroundings, and being able to respond at a
moments notice?"
"Yes, you had to, because of your ability."
"Well, after decades without issue, I somehow let my concentration
slip. I was following a target on foot outside in a busy street. He was
discussing something with one of his people. An innocent woman had died
recently, and they were talking about the tragedy. It became apparent to
me that this was not just some random death, but in fact, some aggressive
action by my father which resulted in this poor woman's demise. But the
real kicker here was that my father had undertaken this action because of
intelligence I had provided him. It really hit me that all of my actions
for him over the years, though they seemed non-violent to me, in fact were
just as deadly to people as if I had been the one doing the killing
myself."
"That's terrible," I said.
"That's exactly how I felt. I was so overcome with self-loathing
that I let my guard down, without realizing it. I knew we were crossing
the street, but I hadn't noticed the truck plowing towards me at 60 miles
per hour. And, of course, the driver never saw me. It hit me, ripping off
my lower leg in the process."
"I'm so, so sorry," I said, grabbing his arm to support him. "You
didn't deserve that. You have to know that."
"Ahh, it's alright. For about a year I was really, really depressed
about it. I figured there was no hope I would ever learn to use my false
leg. I didn't want my loved ones to even look at me. Then I snapped out
of the self-pity, thank goodness. I learned to adjust to it. The best
part was, after the accident, I made my father swear he would never assign
me another recon job again. I was useless to him as a spy without a leg,
anyhow. He actually put his agreement in writing, in front of Cornelius.
After that, I've had a lot of time to adjust. Even got back into my old
chemistry pursuits; built a Chemistry lab in the mansion."
"Well, you seem very happy and well adjusted, Parker," I said.
"Yeah, I certainly found my happiness again. My peace. Now, it's
amazing to me how different people treat me since my disability. Like I'm
less than a man."
"Parker, that's awful of them. Let it be known that I don't think
any less of you at all."
He smiled at me, seemingly touched. "Thank you, Jake, that means a
whole lot. I guess I can't blame the rest of them, though. I never let
myself resent any of them. You know what, there's actually one other thing
that still gives me a lot of grief. Worse, in fact, than losing a leg."
"What is that?" I asked.
He turned away from me. "In the accident, part of my, you
know... my equipment, was permanently damaged. I feel emasculated about
it."
I gulped with sadness. "You mean, you can't, uh, get it going
anymore?" I asked.
"No, no, no. That part of me is working excellently, thank
goodness. No, I've damaged my testicles. They still appear normal, but on
the inside, some important tubing is ineffective. I've been firing blanks
ever since. Della says I have about a one in a million shot that I'll ever
be able to reproduce."
"I'm so sorry, Parker, that truly is sad to hear."
"Ha. Syd doesn't understand my sadness at all. He thinks, as long
as I'm fully functioning sexually, who cares if I can't have any children?
Problem is, I always wanted a family."
"Parker, I'm in the same boat as you," I said. "Always took for
granted that I would have kids, yet now they tell me I'm infertile just
because of this stupid gene I have."
"Huh, that's right," Parker said. "I feel for you, brother. I feel
for you real bad." He put his arm around me, to comfort me, not in a
flirty way.
"Thanks Parker, same to you. We'll just have to both adopt, I
guess."
We moved to the room's bi stations, and Parker asked to hear more
about me, just as he started doing bicep curls, his veined arms looking
beyond powerful. I started where I left off the day before, going over my
financially troubled teen years and my move to Berkeley. He was such a
terrific listener; it wasn't just that he was good at letting me talk to
remembering what I had said, it was more that he just genuinely was
interested in every detail of my life I had to offer. When I got to the
recent history with Syd, my description of the time before I found out he
was a scumbag I pretty much was just honest about.
"So, when did Syd tell you he was a vampire?" Parker asked me.
"After Christmas," I said.
"And you just knew that it didn't matter? You knew you loved him
anyway?"
"Yeah," I said, then stayed quiet for a moment. I thought about how
I felt truly connected to this man. I hadn't felt like this since I last
saw Ahmad, and unfortunately Ahmad was straight. I realized Parker was too
good a man to ever tell me he had feelings for me, and frankly, I wouldn't
have liked him half as much if he didn't have that integrity. I knew the
only way two people would ever fall for each other is if both parties have
been completely honest with each other. Here he was baring his soul to me,
and I couldn't reciprocate. "Look, I'm sorry, I just can't do this to
you."
"Do what to me?" he asked.
I paused. "Hey, look Parker, I know we just met and all, but do you
consider me a true friend? Because after both yesterday and today, I
really feel very warmly towards you."
"Yes, Jake, the feeling is mutual, for sure. Besides, you're family
now."
"And would you still feel that way if I wasn't marrying your
brother?" I asked.
He put his warm hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You are
a wonderful person, Jake," he said. "Your relationship to my brother has
nothing to do with my friendship with you."
"Well then, I just can't lie to you. It feels so wrong. I'm just
not able to do it like Syd."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Lie to me about what?"
"Promise me you won't tell anybody."
"I promise."
"The truth is, I found out about Syd being a vampire under bad
terms. I walked in on him killing someone I knew. And ever since then,
he's kidnapped me and dragged me here, not exactly treating me with
kindness. I can't stand the guy. The only nice thing he's done for me was
to pretend we were engaged in order to keep Jericho from killing me, but
even that came with certain terms."
Parker looked highly disturbed. "What terms?"
"I don't want to get into it. Let's just say, the whole marriage
thing is a complete sham, just a way to buy me a month before Jericho kills
me and my family. I've been pretending I want to be here, but the truth
is, all I want is to go home. Preferably soon enough so I could still
enroll in classes at Berkeley, soon enough so that I can spend my birthday
on the twenty-first."
He shook his head. "I knew something didn't seem right! Syd,
getting hitched? It just didn't make any sense at all. And watching you
together, something seemed off. You seem uncomfortable with him, and he
seems to overcompensate for that by being overly flirtatious with you.
Thanks for coming clean about this. That really means a lot to me. Wow,
and now I respect you a whole lot more. It's the same way I've always felt
about Glaucia, whose always been a dear friend to me, but whom I just can't
reconcile the kind person I know with anyone who would ever marry Jericho.
And with you, I figured anyone marrying Syd must be totally off their
rocker, and then when you seemed so perfect, it just didn't make sense to
me at all." I was so flattered that he would describe me as `perfect.'
"I would never, ever marry Syd," I promised him. It felt so, so
good to come clean, and I hoped that this made Parker feel like he was free
to get closer to me as well.
"Do you mind if I tell Syd what I know?" he asked.
"I don't care what you tell Syd, frankly. I'm not worried about him
getting mad with me."
"I'm glad you told me, Jake. It's nice to know you'd trust me with
this. But that's it, from here on out, you can't trust or tell anyone
else, okay? I don't want to see you get killed."
"Alright, I'll do my best to lie," I promised.
"You have to be more convincing, too," he said. "Ever since I've
met you, you've seemed oddly chilly towards Syd. If you act like that in
front of the others, it will be a red flag."
"Look, I'll do my best," I said, wishing I could call off my
engagement with Syd and then announce my engagement to Parker instead. I
wouldn't mind faking with him at all. "What should I do when my time is
up, though? Do you think there's a way I can surprise attack Jericho when
he comes after me? Perhaps take him down?"
Parker shook his head. "Jericho may be the strongest vampire in our
Blood."
"I thought Big Horn was the oldest and strongest?" I asked.
"Big Horn is much older and very, very strong. Both of them feed
only once a day, but Jericho totally drains his victims, slaughtering them.
It's beyond vile."
"Detestable! But why would that matter?"
"A vampire's power doesn't depend upon their age, it just seems that
way. A vampire's power increases the more blood a vampire drinks. Since
most vampires drink the same amount each day, like Syd, Big Horn, and
myself, who don't take enough to hurt the person, we grow in strength at
the same rate. Because my father drains all the blood from his victims,
he's drinking substantially more blood than most of the rest of us, so he's
getting stronger quicker. But I'm oversimplifying this."
"How so?"
"It's more than the quantity of blood that makes him stronger. When
someone is drained of their blood by a vampire, and it doesn't matter if
the victim is human or vampire themselves, their blood actually undergoes a
subtle chemical shift as they near the end of their life. It makes the
blood consumed then, the last of the blood once the victim dies, much more
potent to the vampire doing the consuming. It only lasts for a few minutes
after the victim dies, so the vampire needs to feed quickly, but all the
blood consumed during this window makes the vampire much stronger than any
of the victim's other blood. So, unfortunately, for us vampires, it highly
pays off to be a killer."
"So, Jericho has killed and consumed at least one victim every day,
correct?"
"Yes. It's anyone's guess now if he's surpassed Big Horn in raw
strength. But that's just physical strength, Jake. Often, it's the person
who knows how to wield their strength that wins battles over even the
strongest foes."
"But there's no way I can learn to wield my puny human strength in a
month to be able to take him down."
"No, Jericho is quite the skilled fighter," Parker said. "I don't
even want you trying it, you'll just get yourself killed." He paused.
"Look, there's another way. Go through your month engagement, and then
make an excuse why you two are breaking up just before the wedding. Really
sell it all, that's important. When my father swoops in to kill you, I'll
come forward. Tell him not to hurt you or your family."
"He's not going to listen to you, Parker."
"He has to. You see, remember I told you I made him sign a contract
which said he would never ask me to go on one of his reconnaissance
missions again? Well, a few years back, something major came up, and he
begged me to go do what he needed. I agreed under one condition. He would
give me a somewhat open ended IOU, to grant me whatever favor I needed,
when the right time came. He agreed, and we had the thing written up by
Cornelius. I haven't used it yet."
I shook my head. "You should be saving that for something you'll
really need down the line."
"No, what better use for it would I ever have than to save your
life? Anyway, it's my choice, not yours. So, he'll try to kill you, and
then I'll use my favor to save you, and even buy your freedom."
I was so moved, I had to hug him. "That would be a dream come true,
Parker. I will never, ever forget this. Thanks for being such a hero to
me."
He hugged me back, smiling warmly. I noticed that as he was hugging
me, his body seemed to flicker invisible for a moment, and then return to
normal. It happened so fast, I had to wonder if it had just been my
imagination. "You just have to promise me you won't do anything to rouse
their suspicion that you and Syd are faking. Otherwise, I won't be able to
help you, because you will have committed a serious crime by lying to the
Governor."
"I promise. No one will ever know." I thought about something else
that had been weighing on my mind recently. "Parker, can I ask another
favor of you?"
"Anything."
"When our stagecoach was attacked by bandits on our way up to
Mareshead, everyone knew how to handle a gun except for me," I said. "I
felt useless. I don't like feeling like a weak damsel in distress. I want
to be able to defend myself. I'm hoping you can teach me how to load and
shoot a gun, Parker."
"Hey, it would be my pleasure," he said. "Syd's a better shot than
me, but I'm a much better teacher. There's a gun range just to the west of
the Mansion. Want to meet me there tomorrow afternoon?"
"Sounds perfect, thanks again, Parker."
*****
As I walked through the hallways on my way back Syd's room, a happy
sort of optimism surged through me for the first time since I came to this
place. And it wasn't just the fact that my workout was getting my
serotonin levels flowing.
Instead of viewing my future with impending doom, now I was certain
I would live. And it was all thanks to Parker. I smiled to myself,
thinking about the handsome, modest, kind man that was clearly the object
of my affection. He was such a good match for me. Hearing how he overcame
his disability only made me fall for him more. I didn't care in the least
he was missing a leg. Having him swoop to my rescue just reaffirmed my
feelings for him.
As I saw Syd's door, I cringed. Oh, how I wish I didn't have to
stay with him, to pretend to like him. I was more aware than ever about my
impending tryst with him, and it absolutely disgusted me. I was starting
to feel like every empty sexual action I was forced to partake in with Syd
was a slap in the face to Parker, the one I really desired. How could I
pursue Parker when I was forced to live with his snaky brother?
I opened the door. Syd was fully dressed, thank goodness, and idly
sitting on the bed, strumming on his guitar.
"There you are," he said. "I'm hungry as all hell, and been waiting
for you to come back so we can go eat."
"Okay, well I'll be ready soon."
"Why'd you take so long with Parker?" Syd asked. "Did you two have
an extra long fuck session this time? Is that it?"
"No, Syd," I said tersely.
"What did you do?"
"We just worked out."
He laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet ya got one helluva workout, Jakey. Bet
your butt will be sore for days now, huh?"
"Syd, I told him the truth," I said.
"What?"
"The truth about the artificiality of our engagement."
"What? Were ya gettin' fucked so hard yer brains fell outta that
pretty head of yours, Jakey?"
"Oh, come on, Syd," I said. "You just told the truth to Della.
Isn't it the same thing with your brother?"
He shook his head. "I told Della because it was a needed strategic
move," he said. "You told Parker because yer goddamned in love with him."
"I told him because he is a good, trustworthy person. Are you
disputing that?"
"No," he said. "My brother's a boy scout. He'll never, ever betray
you to anyone."
"Then why does it matter?"
"Because there's no way you could have known that for sure after
knowing the guy for five goddamn minutes," Syd said. "You gotta think with
yer head, Jakey, not with yer heart. Or you'll end up dead, like all the
others."
"Okay, so maybe it was an emotional decision," I said. "But as it
turns out, Parker says as long as he's around he'll make sure I'm safe. He
has certain leverage over Jericho it seems. It's only enough to save my
life, so we'll still have to win my family's protection in the rodeo. I
asked him to teach me how to shoot tomorrow afternoon in the shooting
range, just to make sure I'll know how to handle a weapon, and if that
lesson goes well, I'm going to ask him to help with rodeo stuff, so I don't
have to take up all of poor Boyd's time."
"Alright, so this time you got lucky. The next person you choose to
trust will likely go straight to Jericho. So, ya gotta swear to me, you
won't tell anyone else. Not without asking me first."
"Fine. That's fine." I agreed hastily, without really thinking
about how much I wanted to tell Boyd the same thing.
"Ready to eat?"
"Can we join the Pariah Club again?" I asked, knowing that with
Parker in on the lie, Syd's public advances would be far less embarrassing
to me.
"I want to eat and I want to get drunk. It could be with Jesus
Christ himself, for all I care."
I rolled my eyes at Syd's casual blasphemy, and told him I'd meet
him in the mess hall after a bath. He left, and I got cleaned up and
changed my clothes, trying to rush because I didn't want to possibly miss
Parker. As I finished, I noticed a bucket, brush, and cleaner next to the
settee, but I didn't have time to clean it right then, I had to be on my
way.
I left Syd's room practically skipping, I felt so light and
carefree, as I walked down the halls into the Great Room, so I could go
down the stairs and off towards the mess hall.
As soon as I walked into the Great Room, I heard voices and saw
figures down beneath me on the first floor, and I stopped, looking down
inconspicuously from the third floor railing.
I could see Jericho and a number of his guards surrounding the cage
in the room, inspecting the skinny, frail, dark-skinned woman inside. She
was shivering, though I had no way to know if it was from her nudity or her
fear.
"Oh yes, she will do," Jericho said with a smile after he finished
his visual assault of her body. "Tell me, sweetheart, what's your name?"
he asked as he unlocked and opened her cage door.
She answered so softly, I could not hear it.
"Jill?" Jericho said. "Well Jill, I want to help you get out of
here. Tell me, do you have a talent?" He scratched at the fur over his
lip.
"What kind of talent?" she asked hesitantly.
"Anything at all."
She thought about it for a moment. "I can play guitar real well,"
she said.
"Great. Great! Somebody get this woman a guitar!
One of the vampire guards zipped off through one of the doors.
"Now, Jill, do you like playing games?" The way he asked was beyond
creepy.
"I guess."
"Great, we'll play a fun little game. I want to see you succeed.
I'll have you play a simple song. If you can do it on the guitar, I'll let
you go, you'll be free."
"And if I can't?" she asked.
"I don't even want to think of that, Jill. Because you WILL win. I
can tell just by looking at yer purdy face. You are a winner."
The vampire guard came back with a guitar in hand.
"Come with me, Jill." He led her to the raised platform his throne
sat on. "I want you to pretend that this is your stage, and this floor
filled with your adoring fans, waiting to hear you play."
He handed her the guitar, and she looked at the empty floor in front
of her, though if she was trying to look proud, her nervous trembling must
have given her away.
"Now, I want you to play my favorite song," Jericho was saying.
"Will I know it?" she asked.
"Oh, I think so," he said. "You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine."
"I can play that!" she said excitedly.
"But it's so short, there's no way you'll be able to satisfy this
ravenous crowd with just one time through. So, you'll have to play it
continuously for ten minutes, think you can do it?"
"I think so," she said.
"Great! Then you're practically walking out that front door
already! Go ahead and begin, Jill, and the best of luck to ya."
I could see her hands were trembling, and I was so worried she
wouldn't be able to play. When the first chord came out, I emitted a huge
sigh of relief. And when she got through the whole first line, I was
thrilled. I had been worried she might have lied about her talent, but now
I could see she really could play.
"Somebody start timing her!" Jericho yelled, and one of the guards
looked at his watch. "Jill, so far, you sound terrific! Your fans are
goin' hog wild!"
She finished the first run through of the song, and even let out a
simple smile. You could tell she was getting more and more confident, and
I was happy for her. Was this some bizarre attempt by Jericho to scare her
into nursing a true talent?
"You know, you are playing this song at a slow pace, making it seem
kind of sad," Jericho said. "I don't want to be sad, Jill. You don't want
me to be sad. Can you speed it up a little? Put some pep into it?"
"I can speed it up," she said.
She made it faster until it was relatively jaunty.
"Yes, yes, that's it! That's it! Her fingers are like magic,
aren't they, fellows?"
The vampire guards nodded. She smiled bigger. And Jericho went to
stand directly beside her, watching her play.
"Eight minutes left!" said the guard with the watch.
"Okay, now, Jill, it still sounds a little a little slow to me, can
you speed it up?"
She started playing the song at a very, very fast pace.
"Almost there," Jericho said. "But I still need you to go faster."
"I can't go any faster," she said.
"I don't think you should say `can't' to me, Jill," he said.
I gasped as he reached over and grabbed the pinky finger of her
right hand, the strumming hand, interrupting her playing. He wrapped his
large fingers around her finger, and then squeezed hard. I heard a pop,
and prayed it was just her knuckles cracking.
When she started to scream, my heart sank.
He took his hand away, and her pinky finger was left red and
completely crushed, obviously broken in several places, totally bent the
wrong way. It looked so, so painful.
Jill's terrified scream turned wet with tears as she looked down at
her mangled finger.
"I don't hear any music playing, Jill!" Jericho yelled viciously,
his previous gentleness doing a 180. I noticed the bulge in his jeans,
once soft and benign, had grown thick, hard, and angry.
It was too much for me. I was so outraged, so angry, I started to
run down the stairs.
"I can't play like that!" she yelled, tears in her voice.
"I told you not to use that word with me!" he said with a suddenly
frightening level of hateful domination.
I winced as he reached over, grabbed her ring finger of her right
hand, and in a moment, that was just as broken as the first, and her
screams became stronger than ever.
"Play through the pain, Jill! Play through the pain or die!"
She forced herself to keep going somehow, not using the two broken
fingers, and strumming with her other fingers.
That's when I finished running down the stairs. I shot through the
ground floor and onto the throne platform faster than I knew I could run.
"You leave this poor woman alone, you monster!" I screamed, throwing
myself at Jericho, trying to get separation between him and her.
"I'll kill you, you little twat!" Jericho said, his eyes menacingly
evil as they focused on my own, giving me a shiver of fear.
I didn't care if I was scared, I would not back down. "You can't
kill me! I'm family!"
"Grab my future son-in-law, fellas!" Jericho ordered, and the guards
moved in to grab me.
They held me in place, and though I shook and fought back against
them, it was to no avail. "Don't play, just run!" I urged the woman.
"Gag him!" Jericho said, and soon I had a cloth in my mouth, keeping
me from talking. "Now, make him watch our musical prodigy. I want him to
know what present I'll give him as soon as I can prove he is a phony."
"Five minutes!" one of the guards said.
"Jill, yer slowing down," Jericho said. "Remember I like it to be
up tempo, darlin?'"
"I haven't slowed it," she said.
He quickly and cruelly reached over and broke both her index finger
and her middle finger at the same time. She screamed again, and stopped
playing.
"I don't think you want to disagree with me," he screamed at her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she said.
"Better keep playing or you'll lose!" he said.
She started to play again, with just her right thumb doing the
strumming.
"Good, that's it," he said. "Keep playing quickly."
She lost all sense of timing in her music, obviously operating on
pure adrenaline, but she kept the pace up. The result was the music turned
into a dizzy, off-balanced, queasy number.
"Yes, that's the ticket," he said. "You don't want to lose this
game, Jill. Let me show you what the cost of that loss will be for you."
He came up behind her and ripped open his cowboy shirt. This
revealed his heavily muscled, powerful chest and torso. It was just wrong
that such a beautiful body was given to such a heartless man. His round,
tan pecs, covered with gorgeous, erect, pink nipples. His almost 8-pack of
perfectly chunky abs. All of it looked so remarkably like Syd's body, only
I noticed his fur was a bit darker than Syd's sandy blonde shade, and there
seemed to be a bit more of it around his chest, a bit more around his
treasure trail that disappeared into his dark jeans.
Speaking of those tight fitting jeans, he unbuckled his belt buckle,
which was identical to Syd's "L" design, and ripped the button fly open
hastily. His cock came bursting out without his touching a hand to it,
that's how mightily turned on he had been, and it stood straight up out of
his pants.
Wow, did he ever look like Syd in that department as well. In fact,
at least from where I was standing, I would have said they were identical,
even down to the vein structure of the massive dongs. Perhaps Jericho's
head was a slightly darker shade than Syd's. I was also surprised to see
dicktip was pierced, with a large piece of hardware stuck through it. I
couldn't see Jericho's balls, because they were inside his jeans still, but
they were creating a round bulge in his jeans that suggested they were just
as big as Syd's.
He came up behind her while she played, embraced her, sticking his
hard dick not inside her, but in the crack of her butt, threatening. His
meaty left arm, still inside his shirtsleeve, grabbed her around the throat
and pulled her head back painfully until his lips were against the right
side of her throat. His fangs were already sticking out beneath his La
Souvarov bushy upper lip, and he poked those against the flesh of her neck.
She screamed again, but kept on playing, and I assumed he had bitten
totally into her, but when he pulled his face back, I could see he just
left two small cuts.
"Oh yes, darlin,'" he said. "If you lose this game, get ready for
the real thing. Get ready to meet death."
"No, no, please!" she cried, so emotional that she missed her chord.
"You want to leave this house, you'll play the song!" he yelled, and
reached around with his hand and crushed her right thumb, leaving her whole
right hand broken.
She shouted again, and stopped.
"Play it!" he commanded, ripping off his cowboy shirt completely,
leaving his huge arms completely and dangerously exposed.
She stopped herself from saying that she couldn't, and instead, used
her maimed hand to limply do the strumming. Her face was in absolute agony
with every strum she made, it must have hurt so badly, I was shocked that
she could force herself to do it.
"Two minutes!" the guard yelled, and a bit of hope sprung into
Jill's eyes. She played faster, pushing through the pain.
Then, after a few seconds, she skipped a chord.
"What was that?! WHAT was that, Jill? It sounded like absolute
shit!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
But it didn't matter. Jericho reached his hand around, only this
time he went for her left index finger. He snapped it broken, and she
screamed again.
She stopped playing, as she tried to figure out how to make her
chords without her index finger.
"I'm not hearing any guitar!" he shouted into her ear, squeezing her
body sharply from behind.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, here it is."
She figured out the chord using a different finger, and played it,
though it sounded a bit muddled.
"That was too long a gap," Jericho said. "You know I don't like to
wait!"
He reached around and broke her middle finger as well, and she
screamed once more, her face now covered with tears.
"You better get on it, darling, or you'll lose!"
"One minute left!" said the guard.
The next moment was one of the bravest things I had ever seen, and
it made me cry. Instead of trying to figure out how to play her chords
without her two main fingers, she summoned up all of her willpower and used
her two broken fingers to keep making the chords. I could tell by her face
how utterly painful it was, but she was doing it.
She kept playing that awful song, and she kept up her speed, her
face defiant.
"Time's up!" the vampire guard said, and I cheered inwardly.
Jill dropped the guitar, and crumbled to the ground, crying. "I did
it, I did it!"
"Yes, you did," Jericho said, and walked around to the front of her,
to look her over. "And I'm so proud of you. Now you'll get the reward I
promised you. Are you ready to be truly free, darlin?'" he asked, kindness
filling his voice.
"Yes, I'm ready!"
"Good! Because there is only one way a slave will EVER be free," he
said, his voice turning as dark as his face.
No, no, no! He couldn't do that to her!
He opened his mouth, and his fangs were vicious. He tore them into
her throat as he held onto her with his arms. She screamed and fought, but
it did no use. Instead of just puncturing her like Syd had done with me,
he was using his two fangs to literally tear her whole throat to shreds,
slitting it until there was no way she would ever survive the wound.
That's when he started to rape her.
There was so much blood, I passed out, for once glad I didn't have
to watch anymore of it.
*****
I woke up on Syd's hardwood bedroom floor. I hazily looked around,
making sure whoever put me there was not lingering. Everything I had just
seen was playing through my head in an endless loop. I had of course heard
about deaths on the news, horrible gruesome deaths. My history books were
chock full of them. But hearing about them second hand cannot prepare you
for seeing the real thing right in front of you.
I cried. I cried for that poor woman, Jill, whose death seemed
about as bad as I could imagine. I felt profoundly guilty, though every
time I analyzed it for something I could have done differently to help her,
I came up short. I felt guilty because I was alive only because of Syd's
deceptions. There was nothing I did to earn the right to live beyond the
life of that woman.
There was no way I was leaving the bedroom in the state I was. I
just wanted to lie down and sleep, hoping the sleep would make the emotions
go away. I looked at my settee, with the bucket still beside it. There
was no way I was going to be able to clean that thing tonight, and I sure
as hell wasn't going to sleep in Syd's bed. So, I closed my eyes, pressing
my face against the hardwood floor.
I reminded myself that I had seen three other people die before
this. But one of them had been trying to kidnap me, and the other two had
taken advantage of me. This was the first good, innocent person I had seen
killed. I thought about the guy in the cage the day before who had told
Jericho that he was a good rider. I hadn't thought about what had happened
to him, but now I was certain he had been killed by Jericho as well.
Somehow, the emotions of it all was making me feel exhausted. I was
thankful when I finally cried myself to sleep.
The sadness was quickly replaced by fearful dreams. Jericho haunted
every corner of my nightmares, making me play endless, cruel, meaningless
games before killing me over and over again.
"Jake."
I woke up, feeling someone's strong arms constricting me.
"Jake."
It was Jericho's voice, I knew it, he was coming for me in my sleep,
I was under attack. I fought back.
"Whoa, Jake! Stop kicking! I'm not as stable here as I used to be
since I lost this leg!"
I stopped thrashing, hearing finally the subtle difference between
Parker's controlled voice and Jericho's menacing growl. I realized I
wasn't on the ground anymore, I was being carried. Parker was holding me
against the chest of his old-fashioned suit. His vest smelled so good;
manly, clean, smokeless.
He laid me down on Syd's bed, and then looked down at me with
concern in his voice.
"Where's Syd?" I asked.
"Carousing with a lady downstairs," he said. "I was worried because
Syd said you were supposed to be on your way, so I came to investigate.
Found you passed out on the floor."
"Thanks, Parker," I said, touched.
"I brought you some dinner."
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."
He traced his hands over my face. "You've been crying, haven't you?
What happened?"
"I walked into Jericho torturing and murdering one of his victims,"
I said.
"Oh no."
The tears started welling up again. "I tried to stop him, but I
couldn't."
"Hey, hey. You can't blame yourself. There's nothing you could
have done."
He reached down to hug me, and the tears just became that much
worse. "I hate this place, Parker. I hate the vampires, and I just want
to go back to how things used to be."
"I understand," he said. "Though we vampires aren't all bad."
"I didn't mean you. I keep dreaming that Jericho's killing me."
He climbed onto the bed next to me. "How about I guard you until
you fall asleep? Would that make you feel better?"
"Yes, very much so," I said.
I hugged him tight, and I took in another whiff of his sweet smell
as I closed my eyes.
"You're such a sweet, innocent person Jake," he whispered, lulling
me to sleep. "You belong far, far away from here. Promise me you went
lose that innocence. Promise me you won't grow jaded."
JANUARY 6th
I woke up in the pale morning light with someone's warm body on top
of me. I was lying on my back, fully clothed. The man on top of me was
totally naked, his head resting on my shoulder. I could feel the sweet
heat of his body cover me as he wrapped his arms around me.
Was it Parker?
I opened my eyes excitedly; only to stare up into Syd's smug face.
I should have known by the smell of cigarettes on his body.
"Syd, it's too early for this," I said.
"It's morning, Jakey. Just barely, but it is. And guess what I
want? The sex you owe me today."
"Ah, man. Can't this wait until later?"
"Absolutely not. I've been waiting for what seems like fucking
forever."
"Alright then, let's get this over with," I said.
"Remember that you promised I could do anything to you I wanted," he
said.
"Except being topped by you," I said.
"And you agreed that you would get into it, enjoy it, and cum,
remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," I said. "Just tell me what you want me to do
first."
"Get out of those clothes," he said, jumping out of the bed and
running into the bathroom.
I got up off the bed myself and started to strip. Soon, I was
naked.
He reappeared with a bottle of massage oil in his hand. "I want you
to grease up every inch of my smoking hot body," he said. "Remember back
when you gave me that massage, and you tried to pretend like you didn't
have a boner? Had to pretend like my body didn't drive you insane with
lust? Well, now you're free to worship my body without holding anything
back." He tossed me the oil.
"Right here, Syd?" I asked, wondering if he was going to lie back on
the bed.
"Right here," he said, standing on the floor.
I opened the bottle and poured some oil in my hands.
"Why don't you start with my fuckin' big guns," he said, reaching up
his arms into a double bicep pose, flexing his arm muscles.\
I started with his right forearm, and he flexed it, leaving me to
rub the oil into his the blonde fur of his lower arm, as I was amazed how
veiny his forearm was. When I rubbed down to his bicep, he flexed it hard,
making the round arm muscle pop, it was so big.
"Yeah, feel all those veins, Jakey?" he asked me. "Don't pretend
like you ever felt such a studly arm in your hands ever before. Yeah, get
those monstrous triceps good and oiled up too."
That whole time, he kept his bedroom eyes locked on me, his right
eyebrow raised slightly above the left suggestively. I knew he was
expecting me to get turned on by this, I knew that was part of the deal.
But I hated him so much, how could I possibly enjoy myself anymore?
So I did what I had to do to keep my promise: I cut Syd's face off
the mental picture of him in my mind, and I pasted on Parker's face. They
looked practically identical anyway, except the expressions they made were
so dissimilar. I would just fool myself into believing that this was
Parker in front of me.
I oiled up Syd's, oops, I meant Parker's arm, moaning with pleasure
as my fingers searched out every vein and ever ripple of the powerful
instrument. It felt so good to finally be able to worship Parker's buff
arms with my hands like I had done with my eyes.
My fingers landed in the sexy, straight blonde hairs of his armpit,
surrounded by the muscles of his upper arm and upper/side back. There was
a sexy warmth to him there.
"I seen you admiring my pits a lot, Jakey," he said. "You can taste
them if you want. I bet they taste fuckin' good."
"No thanks," I said, broken out of my spell for a moment. No, this
was Parker in front of me. Parker. I moved up to his hefty round
shoulder, which he flexed for me as well. I massaged the oil into his
upper traps.
"I can flex those too," he said, tightening his upper shoulders/trap
muscles. "Pretty sweet, huh?"
I worked over to this left arm, massaging my way down to his hand.
I could see that although he wasn't hard, his huge dick was hanging long
and loose, clearly proving that this was turning him on.
"I think you'd better get my hunky back, Jakey," he said, turning
around. He flexed again for my benefit. "Have ya ever seen a back more
sculpted than this, Jakey?"
I massaged the oil into the hard ridges of his upper back, amazed
how firm it was. Needless to say, by this time, I was rock hard;
fantasizing I was worshipping Parker's body instead of Syd's was really
doing the trick.
"Don't worry about taking yer time, kiddo," he said. "I know that
there's a lot of flesh there to cover, with a back as wide as mine."
I slid my oiled hands down to his lower back, moving through the
crevasses that his back muscles created along his spine. I wondered if he
wanted me to keep moving down over his marvelous butt. He didn't bend over
or anything, but he did flex and tighten his butt, making those ridges on
the sides of cheeks turn practically concave. I put more oil on my hands,
and I started to massage down over the smooth, slightly whiter skin of his
taut bubble butt that was devoid of a single ounce of fat.
When I dropped to my knees and started to get to his thick upper
thighs, he said, "I knew yer dying to get a handful of my tennis ball-sized
Syd nuts. Go ahead."
He spread his legs a bit, and I could see the back of his wrinkled
nutsack hanging down. I reached through and grabbed one of the balls in my
right hand, squeezing and fondling it.
"That's it, Jakey," he said. "I know you love those gigantic nuts.
Where else do you think all that cum that you love so much comes from? Come
on now, use both hands and grab both nuts at once, don't even try to get
both in one hand, `cause you will fail."
I reached through with my other hand and held onto his other ball,
rubbing my greasy hands into his scrotum, his wonderful, soft penis hitting
my fingers on the other side, teasing me.
After I got them good and oiled up, I moved my hands back to his
thighs, and he flexed his legs hard, making every huge vein on his thighs
and hamstrings pop out monstrously. It felt so good to be able to knead
them freely.
"How does it feel rubbing up a pair of legs that could break you in
half in seconds, Jakey?"
I moved down to his calves, which he tightened as well, and I oiled
up all the cute blonde fur on his lower legs. I even oiled up his big,
huge feet.
"Ya know what they say about guys with big, studly feet," he said.
"I guess in my case they weren't kidding."
He turned around and pulled me up to my feet. "Plenty of time for
you to be on yer knees later on, Jakey," he said. "Why don't you get my
Adonis chest now?"
I moved my oily hands to his tan upper chest, rubbing into the
perfect left pec, my fingers swirling into his short sandy chest hair. He
flexed his pecs, turning them massively hard, and I rubbed my fingers
around those perfect pink nipples. I was amazed how his thick pecs pushed
together in the center of his chest, creating that crack that always looked
so good when he unbuttoned the top of his shirt.
"I want yer hands all over my perfect abs, Jakey," he told me. "You
could do your fucking laundry on those things."
I rubbed down over those truly perfect abs, oiling up every single
ridge of his flexed oblique, moving my fingers down the center of his
six-pack, right over that blonde line of hair that led to his beckoning
crotch.
"Yeah, Jakey, follow that treasure trail all the way to heaven," he
said, using his strong hands to push me down to my knees.
But instead I put both of my hands on his hips, dragging them down
the diagonal lines between his lower obliques and hip muscles that both led
right to his crotch. When my finger reached his warm, blonde pubes, I
rubbed those up with oil too.
"Alright, enough teasing, Jakey, get those hands on my monster Texas
cock already."
He bucked his hips forward, and gently grabbed the upper part of the
meaty shaft, oiling up each thick vein on his perfect base.
"Yeah, that's it, Jakey. Give the elephant dick a good rub."
I used both hands, tugging the huge upper shaft between my oily
palms, taking my time until it was good and wet, loving the feel of his
huge ballsack hitting me on the other side. He bucked his hips, making his
soft unit snap up towards my face before hanging back down towards the
ground. I moved my hands slowly down, covering more and more inches of his
dick, and it always seemed like there were always loads more inches left.
Finally, blissfully, my hands reached his massive dickhead. That
beautifully smooth, tan-pink fleshknob looked absolutely mouth watering as
I held it close to my face, wanting to soak in every detail.
"Now it's yer turn, Jakey," he said, grabbing the bottle of massage
oil and pushing me back on the bed, so I was flat on my back.
"Are you going to give me another massage?" I asked.
"Yer about to get the hottest massage of yer life," he said.
"'Cause I ain't using my hands, Jakey. I'm using my fuckhose."
He stepped onto the mattress, standing over my left leg, one foot on
each side of my knee. It was so hot, looking up at his perfect body
standing straight up, the dim light bouncing off every oily curve of his
muscular body. He grabbed the bottle of oil and poured a huge amount of it
onto the base of his dick. The gob of oil oozed down the entire front side
of his dick, even rolling over that pink head, before pouring off the very
tip of his dick, right at the piss-slit. I felt the oil drop down and hit
my thigh below, tickling my senses with its warm wetness.
He kept pouring the oil down the base of his dick, creating a
fountain of oil and sprung off the tip of his head before splashing onto my
leg below. He stepped back above me, moving down my legs, so the wetness
splashed all over my calf. When the oil coming from his dick started to
splash onto my sensitive feet, it felt so surprisingly good, my foot
trembled.
"Yeah, you like that?" he asked me.
He moved back up my leg, and started to pour the oil on my sensitive
thigh. Each warm drop gave me shivers. He moved to my right thigh, and
oiled the entire length of my right leg just as he had done with the left.
"I can see you staring slack jawed at this killer cock, Jakey," he
said. "How excruciating it must be for you to want to touch it so badly,
yet not be able to. You'll only get my monster cock, Jakey, if you prove
yourself worthy. Right now, all you'll get is the oil."
He stepped over my body until his dick was over my right arm. He
started pouring again, dripping all over my forearm, before moving up to my
upper arm and shoulder. He did the same to my left arm, and I was in
heaven.
He stuck his feet with his toes poking into my pits, his inner
ankles against my ribs. He started to drip the oil right down the center
of my chest, then he moved over a few inches, and the hot oil splashed onto
my sensitive nipple. After he had my chest totally covered, he moved up my
body, dripping the oil over my clavicle, up my throat.
I shut my lips, and the oil dripped from his penis to my mouth,
dripped onto my nose and cheeks. He got my forehead with a couple of
drops, and even my ears.
Then he moved back down my body, his dick hovering over my abs.
Soon, they too were covered in warm oil. He dripped some of the oil onto
my ballsack, making my jump. Then he dripped more oil onto the base of my
hard dick, which felt incredible. He worked his way to my dickhead, then
doused me with a huge gush of oil, absolutely covering my sensitive head.
"I wanna hear you beg for this cock, Jakey."
"Please, please give me your perfect phallus," I said.
"That's not good enough."
"Please, I'll do anything just to be able to touch your dick again."
"Alright, sweetheart," he said, "but you keep yer hands to yerself."
He set the bottle of oil down and he got down on his knees,
straddling my left leg as the head of his soft penis finally touched my
upper thigh skin. Holy crap, it felt so big, slimy, heavy, and downright
wonderful. He moved his dick up, down, and all around my thigh, using the
massive tool to massage in all that oil. It was amazing that he could give
me such a great massage with that thing.
He slid his penis down my body, rubbing in the oil on my calf, then
getting to my foot, massaging the thing with his dickhead. He got up and
switched sides then, moving to my other foot, then oiled up my leg until he
was back to my hip. He switched positions, getting on top of me in a
raised pushup position, and he massaged his penis into my hips and torso,
maddeningly avoiding my dick.
I felt his oily member drag all over my chest, finally rubbing my
left nipple as I shuddered in excitement. He massaged in all the loose
oil, then moved his dick upwards, over my throat. When his soft, wonderful
dickhead moved slowly over my lips, all I wanted to do was open them, but I
reminded myself how oily that would taste. He teased my lips endlessly,
even lowering his heavy, greasy ballsack over them.
He moved his dick to my nose, which I was breathing out of, and I
got a big whiff of his wonderful dick covered with the massage oil smell,
which was intoxicating. He lowered his balls over my nose, and those too
smelled wonderful.
He stuck his dickhead in both my ears, tickling me there. Then he
dragged his still soft unit over my forehead, and finally, over my eyelids
(which I only shut when I absolutely had to, as I didn't want to miss out
on any views of his dick).
I was about ready to beg him to touch his dick to my own when he
reached down and flipped me over onto my front side on the bed. He
straddled my back, with his shins on the bed and his knees pressed into my
pits. He grabbed the bottle of oil and poured it down his dick again, this
time pushing his dickhead against my back as soon the oil landed, rubbing
it in vigorously.
He slid his oily member up the back of my neck, making me shiver.
Then he started oiling up my upper back.
By the time he covered my lower back in oil with his dick, making me
shudder as he ran his penis over my lower spine down to the tip of my
tailbone, he moved down to my left hamstring. He massaged his dick into me
there, then moved to my right hamstring.
Eventually, he moved back up, running his dick over my left
buttcheek, massaging himself into that sensitive area. He lifted up, never
touching my buttcrack, and lowered his dick moments later on my right
buttcheek complete with a new squirt of oil.
He lifted up his dick again off of my body, and I could hear him
pouring more oil onto his dick. I felt the oil that fell off his dickhead
land on the back of my balls, right against my perineum, and I sighed. He
slowly, torturously, moved his dick upwards as the oil poured on my
perineum, finally landing in my lower crack.
His drips continued upwards, until one landed right on my butthole,
making me spasm with pleasure. "Ooo, you like that, dontcha?"
He dripped more oil onto my hole, then I felt the oil come down on
my upper crack, all the way up to my tailbone.
"I want you to beg for my dick again," he said.
"Please, please give it to me," I pleaded.
"Alright, ready or not, here it comes."
He lowered his soft penis onto my tailbone, making me jump at the
touch. It felt so, so hot against my sensitive skin. He slowly began to
drag it down my crack, making me shudder anew with every hot centimeter.
He stopped right before his soft dickhead reached my butthole,
torturing me. Then, just when I thought he wouldn't touch me there, he
dragged his dick over the hole, making me cry out. He started twirling his
soft head around the ring of my hole.
"So, so hot, Jakey," he said, and I could finally feel his penis
start to harden. Or rather, I felt that he chose to let himself get hard
at that point, and I had to credit him for obviously possessing the ability
to stay soft even if he was totally turned on if the situation merited it.
My dick had too much of a mind of its own to do anything like that.
Now that he was letting himself get hard, I noticed it happened at
lightening speed. And even when it was just halfway there, he started to
slowly hump my buttcrack, there being so much oil inside it that his penis
just slid all over the place.
"Yeah, Jakey, take my huge cock, sweetheart."
His oily right hand grabbed me around my waist, his hug, hot
inner-arm pressed against my right ribs. He used that arm to pull my butt
up into the air, and started hump me harder and harder as he slapped my
left buttcheek with his left hand.
I felt his left hand grab my shoulder while his right hand grabbed
my forehead, using both of those hands to slam my body back against his
grunting thrusts. His dick felt so, so huge and powerful in my crack. His
right hand slipped down my face and ended up at my lips, his huge fingers
trying to jab their way in my mouth. I wouldn't let them past my lips
because I didn't want the taste of oil in my mouth, but they did feel very
sexy against me. Then he moved his right hand into my hair, grabbing and
pulling it just short of hard enough to take me out of the pleasure of the
moment.
"Yes, look at you, Jakey. You don't even have to pretend to be
turned on, you are absolutely a puppet in my hands, totally destroyed by
your desire for me."
I felt both of his hands clamps around my waist as he pulled my body
back flush against him. While normally there might have been friction
between our bodies, the oil had totally eliminated it, and he rubbed back
and forth against me without ever slowing. Holy crap, it was so hot to
feel his hard nipples and oily chest hair scrape back and forth over my
back, over and over again as he humped me. I felt his breath on the left
side of my face, and realized he had planted his face against me. I felt
his tongue quickly search out over my lips as his humping reached the
fastest pace yet.
He stopped humping me, his dickhead coming to a stop right at my
hole. He started to encircle my hole over and over with the tip of his
penis, teasing me.
Then he started to push his way into my hole, less than a
centimeter, perhaps, but his work was aided greatly my the layers and
layers of oil we were covered in, not to mention all of his precum that
must have been on me. I tried to struggle, but he pinned my hands and
wrists into the mattress with his huge mitts. I felt out of control
suddenly, like I was going to get raped. There was no way Parker would
ever do something like that to me, and that realization snapped me out of
my reverie.
"You promised not to top me," I said.
"I know, I know, sheesh," he said, pulling up off me.
He spun me around on my back again, got the massage oil, and poured
it all over my front.
"I know yer drying to have my hot-blooded Texas cock smothering your
own dick, Jakey," he said as he lowered his body on top of mine, touching
his oiled up, massive dickhead against mine, sending electricity up my
spine and through my arms and legs. He slowly lowered the rest of his dick
on top of mine, a devious grin on his face. Every inch of my penis was
smashed by his veiny shaft, and I felt his wonderful, oily balls totally
cover my own.
Parker wrapped his brawny arms around my neck, put his weight on his
elbows, and curved his back until his lips were against mine, his stubble
scratching my cheeks, and his tongue pushing its way into my mouth, which I
accepted eagerly, wrapping my right arm around his muscled neck. He dug
his shins into the mattress, his knees straddling my thighs, and used that
position to start to ram back and forth, up and down my hard penis, his
dick sliding all over my greasy abs.
He broke the kiss and raised his head, looking at me in the eyes
with a good foot of space between us. He stuck his right hand under the
back of my head, squeezing my hair. With his left hand, he grabbed my
right leg up into the air and pushed it up and around his hip, my calf
against his taut buttocks. His strong left hand squeezed hard into the
flesh of my outer thigh, and he used my raised leg to give him better
access, and his fucking just got stronger as a result, driving me
absolutely crazy.
Still pinning my leg up and against him with his left hand, he
reached back with his right hand and pulled my left leg up over his right
side. I realized he wanted me to clasp my ankles together behind his back,
so I did, pulling our dicks firmly together. He stuck his right arm under
my neck and reached around, grabbing the right my face with his right hand.
Still above me, he locked eyes with me and flicked his tongue at me
suggestively as he rammed harder and harder.
He pulled my head up against the headboard, locking it up as he
kissed me hard, flicking that sexy tongue right in my mouth. As he
continued to hump my torso, I felt his left hand reach underneath me and
start to tease my hole with his fat finger. I moaned, and that really got
him going, picking up the pace of everything.
I felt him licking the left side of my throat, and I knew what was
about to come. Only this time, for the first time, I welcomed it. I felt
two tiny points of pain, just enough to make me question myself, and then
the pleasure swept through my neck as Parker's lips wrapped my wound,
drinking me in.
He grunted, humping against my dick faster and faster, as the long
swallows he took from my neck created waves of wonderful pleasure that
spread throughout my body.
That's when his pleasure heightened to the max, and he started
grunting and humping me furiously, as suddenly I could feel his first shot
of hot semen launch out of that huge dickhead and land on my own tip. His
second shot launched, and he rammed harder than ever amidst the climax of
his orgasm, moaning and licking away at my throat.
I felt that beautiful tingle in my throat, felt his huge dick
plowing against mine, totally saturating my in its wonderful cream, felt
his big arms squeezing me hard, felt his finger stab into my butthole, all
at the same time. It was much too much sensation for me to take, and I
started to orgasm too, ecstasy floating throughout my being as my dick
started to pour out my load, joining my seed with his.
As we started to go through the twilight of our orgasms, letting out
the ends of our loads, he licked my neck wound healed and looked down at me
with a smile. "Oh yeah, Jakey, Jakey, Jakey."
"Oh yeah, Parker."
His smile faded. "What did you just call me?"
"Syd, I meant Syd," I said quickly.
He brusquely pried himself off of me, leaving a trail of semen
between the head of his wet dick and the pool of cum on my belly. "You
just fucking called me Parker," he said, shaking his head. "That's so no
cool, Jakey."
"Look, I didn't mean to," I said.
"Yes, you did. You meant it exactly. You did to me what so many
exes of mine told me they did when they had to have sex with other guys,
they got through the sex by picturing me. Only, this is the first fuckin'
time anyone did that to me, and it fuckin' stings."
I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond.
"You were picturing Parker the whole fucking time, weren't you?"
I didn't deny it.
"I knew it. No wonder you were so into me. I told myself this time
between us was going to be special. I was going to do everything right,
and that Jakey that used to desire me so hard back in Tahoe would come back
to me, that sweet, totally hot guy. And all along just now, I thought I
had won you back, that you had come to yer goddamn senses."
"There's no going back, Syd," I said. "I'm never going to fall back
into that huge crush with you again, that's over. You arranged for me to
give you sex, and that's what you're getting."
"I arranged for the two of us to sleep together, Jakey. I didn't
ever fucking arrange for you, me, and Parker to go at it. That's a
threesome with my fucking brother you just made me do, and it's
disgusting."
He angrily flipped over in bed and went to sleep. I got up and
washed all of our semen off me in the tub. Afterwards, I was determined to
clean the settee off, so I picked up the brush and bucket and cleaned the
hell out of it.
I stormed into the closet and changed my clothes. While I did, I
caught a glance at Syd's revolver, which was fully loaded, just lying there
looking at me, next to his machete.
Jericho's actions flashed through my mind again anew, and I
absolutely recognized that I could not just sit idly by and let Jericho's
victims die.
I picked up Syd's gun. I knew that I'd be able to hand the gun
through the bars to the next prisoner in the Great Room, but I had yet to
see the person unguarded.
Inspiration hit, and I grabbed the gun and walked out of Syd's
apartment.
In the hallway, I heard a woman coming through, probably a maid. I
had nowhere to hide the gun but straight down the front of my pants. I
stuck my whole hand in there, including the gun, hoping it would not chose
to go off accidentally at the worst moment.
"Hi there," I said as the woman passed, looking at my hand in my
pants cautiously, clearly suspecting some illicit intention on my behalf as
she picked up her pace.
I moved into the Great Room. It was empty, like it always was in
the morning, but still was full of ominous foreboding. I walked
downstairs, fear gripping my stomach as I remembered what had taken place
there just hours ago.
I made it to the cage, and tried to open the door, dismayed to find
it locked. There was nothing inside besides a toilet with a lid. If I
could hide the gun in the toilet when no one was in it, the person who
would later be locked in would likely discover the weapon without anyone
else seeing it. It was a reasonable plan, but the toilet was far away from
the bars, and there was no way I could slip it in without a key. I didn't
see any other potential hiding place for the gun in there.
Disappointed, I walked back to Syd's room and put his gun back. It
was time for me to meet up with Cornelius, and I hated being late, so I
hurried down back through the Great Room to his office door. I knocked,
but today there was no answer.
"Ah, Mr. Groves, I'm right behind you," he said, and I turned to see
Cornelius coming through the hall, carrying several plates with slices of
cake. "I wanted to grab the cake samples for you."
"Here, let me help you with those," I said, grabbing a couple plates
from him.
"Thanks." He got to his door, and then stuck his hand in his
suit-jacket pocket. He pulled out a massive key ring completely filled
with a hundred keys. He found one, and unlocked his door before putting
the keys back in his pocket. Given his position as head of the Cabinet, I
could only assume his key ring was filled with various mansion keys, most
likely one of them belonging to the cage, which I knew I had to do
everything I could to get my hands on. Simply asking him for the key would
be out of the question. I would have to steal it.
"It's another diverting day for you, Mr. Groves," Cornelius said as
he ushered me into the room. "You get to pick out your wedding cake." He
told me like it was a surprise, though it was obvious from the moment I saw
all the cake just what would be taking place that morning.
"Really? Wow, sounds like fun," I said. While normally I would
have avoided cake, I was so starving, it actually sounded good to me.
We went through a couple of cake selections before I started
fake-shivering. "Are you as cold as I am?"
"Not in the least," he said. "I feel quite toasty."
"I'm freezing. Do you mind if I borrow your jacket, Cornelius?"
He seemed a little weirded out. "Uh, no, I suppose that would be
alright," he said.
He took off his jacket without removing his keys, thank goodness.
Then I put it on, even though I wasn't the least bit cold.
I was waiting for a moment when I could get the jacket alone. I
thought of telling him I needed to use the bathroom, but figured he'd ask
me to return his jacket.
Instead, I took a bite of another cake. "Mmm, this one is
excellent," I said. "I think I'll pick it."
"Oh, yes, quite nice."
"Actually, you know what would make this cake better? Strawberries.
Sliced strawberries. Can we do that?"
"Strawberries on a carrot cake?" he asked, confused. "That's an odd
choice."
"Yes. I'd like to see how that tastes. Can you get the chefs to
put strawberries on, and bring it back?"
"Sure, of course," he said.
He grabbed the cake from me and left the office. This was way too
easy.
I fished the key ring from the pockets and started flipping through
the keys as quickly as possible. Luckily, I had gotten a really good look
at the key Jericho had used to unlock the cage these past two nights.
Unlike all the other old fashioned keys that people seemed to have around
here, this one was totally modern.
Flipping through all of Cornelius's keys, I quickly realized he
didn't have it. All of his keys were old fashioned. Darn, back to square
one..
Cornelius soon came back, and I agreed that the strawberries on the
carrot cake weren't as good as I figured. I gave him back his jacket,
telling him I was all warmed up.
By the end of the session, I had picked a cake for the wedding
totally at random. As I was leaving, Cornelius said, "Oh, I wanted to tell
you that I've sent Meredith, our resident designer in Mareshead, on the
stagecoach today to Fools Gold. Because both Dr. Logan and her wife are
civil servants who find it difficult to take off enough work to make a trip
up here, we thought it prudent to have Meredith go in person to fit them
for their dresses and prep them on their speech giving responsibilities
during the wedding. When she returns, we'll have to arrange for your other
three bridesmaids to go through similar measures here, as well as Syd's
groomsmen."
*****
"I promise, this time, I'm not gonna touch the guy," Syd said as the
two of us walked towards the stables.
"That's what you told me yesterday, and yet, you ended up spending
all of your much needed practice time with Donnie sprawled out in front of
you over that wooden ladder. What makes this time different?"
"This time, I'm all spent from our roll in the hay this morning," he
said. "All I got on my mind today is winnin' this rodeo thing, Jakey. I
ain't never liked the taste of losing, and I ain't about to start here."
When we walked into the stables, Donnie was sprawled out on a pile
of hay, lounging as if he was basking in sunlight on the side of a world
class pool, a cigarette in his lips and a glass of alcohol in his hands.
When he saw Syd walk in, he smiled. "Ooo, I can see my day's about to get
a whole lot more exciting."
"Sorry, Donnie-boy, I can't mess around with ya today, I got riding
to do," Syd said.
"Oh really?" Donnie asked. "And what makes you presume ya can
resist me?" He ripped open his shirt and started rubbing his hands all
over his skinny body, clearly taunting Syd.
"That's not going to help," I said.
"Yer very alluring, Donnie, but I got work to do today," Syd said.
"Can you resist this?" he asked, pulling off his pants teasingly,
ending up naked on that hay.
For second, Syd's eyes went wide. "Yer feminine wiles ain't gonna
work on me today," Syd said. "Could ya just saddle up two horses for us?"
"Sure, I'll saddle up for ya," he said.
Donnie got up off the hay, grabbed a saddle, but instead of carrying
it to one of the horses, he brought it to a wooden barrel that had been
tipped on its side. He sprawled out the leather saddle on top of the wood,
giving Syd daring glances.
He draped himself stomach down over the saddle so his butt was
sticking in the air. Then he pulled out a bottle of lube from lord only
knows where, covered his fingers, and started to finger himself slowly,
looking at Syd in the eye with pure seduction.
"Oh my lordy, am I really expected to resist that?" asked Syd.
"When his pretty hole is all raring to go?"
"Yes, Syd, stay strong."
He whimpered like a sad puppy dog. "Christ, this is the most
willpower I've ever needed," he said as he walked past Donnie, his eyes
locked on his moving fingers. "Lemme wipe this drool off my chin and
saddle up our horses myself."
"Syd, for once, I'm proud of you," I said as soon as we had taken
our saddled horses out of the stables.
"Better go rustle up some cattle," he said, and rode off on his
horse.
I was a bit early to meet Boyd, so I rode over to the pole bending
course and practiced what I had picked up the previous day for a while.
When the time came, I rode back over closer to the stables, where I usually
met Boyd, and there the stud was, walking towards me, holding a wooden box
in his big arms.
"Hey kid, ready to learn about yer next rodeo event?" he asked.
"Sure," I said. "Where's your horse, Boyd?"
"We ain't need horses today," he said. "I'm about to teach ya the
one event that doesn't involve horses or livestock."
"Oh, I'll love it then, I'm sure," I said.
"I wouldn't be so quick to pronounce that one, kid," Boyd said.
"Put yer horse away, then meet me back here."
I headed into the stable with my horse, wondering if I would find
Donnie still on the saddle over the barrel, or if he'd be back in the hay
by then.
I quickly noticed he was still on the saddle, but I gasped as I saw
Syd standing there with him, riding him like a horse, plowing Donnie with
his condom-covered, hard monster as he hooted and hollered and waved his
cowboy hat around above him.
"Syd, you little bastard!" I yelled.
"Jakey, it wasn't my fault, I swear. It was all a big accident."
"Accident?!" I asked. "You accidentally came back and screwed
Donnie?"
"Well, my stirrup broke off, so I had to come back here," he said.
"Then you should have gotten a new one and left!"
"I was going to, but I tripped over a log, and ended up with my
dickhead all the way up Donnie's chute. It was a total accident, right
Donnie?"
"Falling against Donnie wouldn't have mattered if your pants were
still on, Syd. Did those accidentally come off too?"
He nodded. "It happened outside," he said. "I was fiddling with my
horse's stirrup when a rattler went up my pants leg, and I had to shake my
jeans off and leave em."
"Yeah, that's totally believable, Syd," I said. "I notice you're
wearing a condom, like you always do when you have sex. How did you
accidentally get that one put on you, huh? Did the rattlesnake do it
himself?"
Syd groaned sexually as Donnie shifted positions. "Hold that
thought, Jakey, I'm a bit distracted at the moment. I'm sure I'll be able
to think of a world class excuse for that in two jiffies."
"Oh, I have all the confidence in the world in your ability to
bullshit, Syd."
I put away my horse and left them to it, walking back towards Boyd.
"So, what exactly is this big and scary new event you were talking
about?" I asked him, banishing Syd and Donnie from my thoughts.
"Why don't you open up this box and find out for yerself?"
I walked over to Boyd and pulled the lid off the wooden box he was
carrying. Inside were a number of scary looking axes.
"Uh-oh, please tell me I'm not supposed to fight someone with
those."
"Nope, nothing quite that grisly," he said.
"Is this some sort of lumberjack competition? Am I going to have to
cut trees down? If so, I hope they've been farmed instead of having to cut
down wild trees."
"Nope, wrong again," Boyd said. "Here, follow me."
He led me to a nearby dirt corral, where some large tree truck
slices had been raised up and positioned on stands.
"Them's throwing axes, Jake," Boyd said as he dropped the box to the
ground, picked up one for the axes, and threw it at the trunk slice. The
axe perfectly went to the center of the round wood piece, and I realized
its purpose was to serve as a target. "Yer gonna learn how to do that."
"Holy crap, you're good at that! Is that even a rodeo event?"
"Well, it ain't used to be, but just like the Double Pole Bending
event, it was added recently by the Logans."
"Please tell me Parker wasn't responsible for adding this one," he
said.
"Jericho actually," Boyd said.
"Figures."
"Though there ain't much danger in just throwing an axe at a target,
Jake," Boyd said. He took another axe out of the box and showed it to me.
"What if it were to break when I threw it?"
"These axes are made really well. I promise ya, they ain't
breakin." He handed me one. The wooden handle was little less than 20
inches long. "And look how clean the bevel is on that axe blade." He
walked over to the target and pulled his axe from the bulls-eye. "Now, I
want you to try."
"Are you sure I shouldn't wear protective clothing or equipment?"
"You'll be fine," he said to me.
"Maybe I will, but I'm not throwing this thing with you anywhere
near my potential impact zone."
"I'll come behind you," he said, walking to my rear. "Make sure yer
form is right."
"Shouldn't I be farther back?"
"Not to start with," he said. "Learn it from here, and then we can
take it back. Now, I want you to hold the axe firmly in your right hand."
I grabbed it, and faced the wooden target.
He grabbed me around the waist from behind and used his right foot
to push mine forward. "Keep yer right foot out in front, and face it
directly at the center of the target."
"Like this?"
"Yup, now..." He moved his strong hands up to my chest. "Feel how
there's that straight line all the way between yer right arm, yer right
foot, and the center of the bullseye?"
"Yes."
"That's the key to aiming. Now, I want ya to bring the axe out at
level with yer arm, bring yer elbow up, until the axe is about shoulder
level."
I did as he asked.
"Good. Now, when you throw it, there's no need to throw too
hard-like. The heavy blade will take the axe all the way to the target
without a whole lot of effort. When you throw, be sure to release the axe
when yer arm is straight and aimed at the target. Now give it a try."
I concentrated on all he had told me, and I went through the motions
of the move, slowly and carefully tossing the blade towards the target. It
was a failure: it didn't hit near to the center of the target, and didn't
even stick to the wood, the back end of the axe ended up hitting the
target. "Shoot, that was all wrong," I said.
"No, it looks damn good, Jake," Boyd said.
"What do you mean? It's not even in the target."
"It's true that in order for yer throw to count in competition, the
blade has to stick," he said. "But yer aim is solid."
"It didn't even hit the middle of the target!"
"Jake, yer the first person I've seen to hit the target at all on
the first try. You sure you don't have experience with this?"
"Uh, no. Where I come from, axe throwing isn't exactly a highly
prolific pro sport, Boyd."
"Even so, ya got a natural leg up on yer competitors, you should be
proud." He grabbed me another axe and handed it to me. "Now, the hardest
part of axe throwing is getting the blade to hit squarely in the target, to
make sure it sticks. The real trick is putting more or less rotations on
the blade so that it hits yer target at just the right moment. Try
throwing from here until you get it to stay."
I threw another axe at the board, and once again, it failed to land.
"Try again," he said.
It actually took three more throws before I started to get a feel
for the rotations the axe was making. I worked on slowing down the spin of
the axe, and then after a couple more shots, I finally landed one in the
target.
"Nice one!" Boyd cheered. "Now, I want you to come back to this
line here," he said, tapping on a white line in the dust with his boot.
"This is the fifteen feet mark, and it's where ya non-fanged folks throw
from."
I walked back to the first line, and started to throw, but once
again, it didn't land.
"Now, it can be harder to control the spin from way back here," he
said "One trick I tell folks I'm helping is that they require ya to throw
no closer than this line, but you can go back as far as you need to."
"Why would I want to do that? It would just make it harder to aim."
"'Cause sometimes we have a sweet spot where we tend to throw with
just the right rotation, and rarely is it right at fifteen feet for
everybody."
He and I experimented, with me moving back half a foot and throw
again and again until I found my sweet spot, about 17 feet back from the
target. Oddly enough, every time I threw from that spot, it landed.
"Perfect, now ya just got to practice the hell outta yer aim," Boyd
said.
He stood there with me for a good hour until I could consistently
get the axe at least in the center- area of the target, even if it wasn't
always hitting dead on in the bullseye.
"Ya got a real knack for throwing, kid," Boyd said after he had
deemed it the end of our training, and the two of us walked back towards
the mansion. "Ya gonna hit the showers with me again?"
"Sure."
I followed him into the outdoor men's room and into the changing
area. He sat on a bench facing a wall and started to undress, first his
hat and boots. I started to undress behind him.
"You know, now that I've gotten the hang of the axe throwing thing,
I think I'm kind of liking it."
"Yeah, well, we're gonna continue where we left off tomorrow, and
somehow, I don't think you'll be leaving as bright eyed and bushy tailed."
He took off his buckskin shirt, leaving his ripped chocolate back bare for
my viewing pleasure.
"Why, what happens tomorrow?" I asked, concern in my voice.
"Let's leave tomorrow for tomorrow." He pulled off his chaps and
jeans at the same time, leaving him naked in front of me. It was so
wonderful to see his naked backside this close, such a perfect fatless
bubble-butt full of strong muscle.
My goodness, didn't any of these cowboys wear underwear under their
pants? Parker, I remembered.
Boyd grabbed a towel and put it around his waist, ending the
possibility of me seeing his dick real fast, and he walked towards that
same shower stall. Soon, I could hear the shower running at steam came out
from the top of the stall.
I finished undressing, grabbed my own towel, and took the stall to
the right of Boyd's, the one in which I had discovered that lovely peep
hole.
Halfway into my shower, I got bold enough to kneel down on the wall
that my stall shared with Boyd's stall and slowly look through. I was
hugely rewarded: Boyd was standing there in the spray of the water, his
head down to just below his waist in my entire view, only this time, he was
facing towards me.
This meant his entire upper body was in my sights. I loved watching
him wash that soap bar into his huge muscles, rubbing each and every fold
and crevasse of his physique with precision and care.
His big hands moved south of my view, almost teasing me as they
worked on cleaning an area I couldn't see. But then, blissfully, Boyd took
a step back, putting his black pubes into view. He was washing them with
his bar of soap. Boyd slid back further, and I could see the first couple
inches of his mocha dick, terribly thick, and behind that, the top of his
dark scrotum.
I would have been satisfied with just a couple inches of that
gorgeous meat, but then Boyd slid back some more, until it seemed about
half of his huge, floppy dick was in my view. The mocha shaft was thick
and tight, showing no signs of being uncut. Just like the muscles on his
body, huge veins ran up and down the huge unit. Behind it, his scrotum was
extremely wide, and I couldn't see the bottom of his nutsack. He washed
the top of his dick with his hands, rubbing every huge inch slowly and
mesmerizing. I loved the way the shower spray led rivulets of water down
the V-line of his muscled lower abs and upper leg muscles, pouring down
into the top of his unit.
I almost gasped when he took another step back, putting his whole
dick into my view for the first time. He was so much longer than I had
anticipated before, and I realized when I thought before that I was seeing
half of his monster, I really was just seeing about a third of it. I could
not believe how well hung these vampires were.
His dick was indeed cut. The huge, thick stalk, covered with veins,
was the same mocha color as the rest of his skin. His huge, mushroom
cockhead was a slightly pinker shade of brown. Water poured over and down
this huge phallus, pouring down the end of the thick head to his feet.
Behind the soft member, his balls were just as impressive, darker in color
than the rest of him.
He soaped up this sweet stick with his white bar, until it was
totally covered in suds. Then he turned to the left, and I got a profile
view of the same scene, which let me see more of his deep hanging balls,
which he was washing carefully with his soapy hands.
He rinsed off and turned the water off much sooner than I would have
hoped. He got a towel and started to wipe down that gorgeous, muscled
body. When he got to his enormous dick and balls, he had to wipe those
down as if they were one of his limbs, they had so much surface area to
them.
I felt sad when he finally put his towel around himself, covering up
his wonderful dick from my view, but by that time, I had long been rock
hard in my shower.
After Boyd left the stall with his towel around his waist, I briefly
considered jerking off, and then remembered I was supposed to meet Parker
soon for the shooting practice, and decided not to. I finished my shower,
and by the time I got dressed in the fresh clothes I had brought with me,
Boyd was long gone from the little changing room.
I walked back into the mansion. There still wasn't anyone in the
Great Room when I went though it to exit the front door. As soon as I left
the mansion out the western entrance, stepping onto the dirt road loop that
led back to the road to Fools Gold, there was that odd, mysterious humming
coming from the north again. I ignored it and walked to west, as Parker
had instructed, following a dirt foot path through a quarter mile of more
of the beautiful, rugged grounds until I came upon a huge but simple
shooting range.
I certainly had never seen a shooting range before, but what it most
reminded me of was a golf driving range. On the side closest to me, stacks
of hay created a short wall which seemed to serve as the safety barrier for
everyone. The wall stretched many yards, providing enough space for
perhaps fifty different people to shoot simultaneously without interfering
with each other. There weren't nearly that many folks using it that day,
only a dozen cowboys and ladies were shooting.
On the other side of the safety wall, targets consisting of either
bottles or cans stacked on cut logs and boulders, or of fancier propped up
scarecrows, were spread around the grassy field beyond. Some of the
targets were just ten yards from the safety wall, and others went out a
good hundred yards.
Parker waved to me, smiling his beautiful smile, and motioned for me
to join him against the safety wall. He was wearing one of his normal dark
period suits, with old-fashioned slacks, vest, and loose-ribbon bowtie over
a clean white button up. That day, however, he had a large black bag with
him that he obviously had used to haul in the guns, most of which seemed to
be set up and ready on the haystack behind him.
"Hi there, Jake," he said, giving me a wonderful hug. "It's so good
to see you perked up again. After you were so rightfully upset last night,
I wasn't sure if I'd ever see your sweet smile again." His words warmed me
thoroughly.
"Eh, well, you know. Even when my life is utter insanity, I figure
the smile has to make an appearance once in a while. And being outside
again, surrounded by nature's grace, it certainly brightens my mood.
Thanks again for doing this for me, Parker."
"Hey, it's my pleasure," he said. He pulled something small out of
his vest pocket. "But before we get started, I wanted to give you this."
He handed me a cell phone. "I want you to keep my cell phone. I want you
to be able to call your family and friends anytime you get the notion to."
I felt overwhelmed by his kindness. "I can't take your phone,
Parker."
"I never use it. Della gave it to me, but I've never used a phone
like this before. Seeing it sit on my desk everyday is just a reminder of
my unkempt promise to Della to learn how. If you take it off my hands, I
shall be in your gratitude."
I had a feeling that he was just saying that to ease my guilt.
"Parker, I couldn't call from this number anyway, it has a Texas area
code."
"Oh no, you can actually dial to different area codes besides your
own by hitting the 1 button, then the three digit area code, followed by
the normal number. I recently picked that nugget up from Syd."
"That's news to you, Parker?" I asked, laughing at him. "No, I knew
that piece already. What I meant was, they'll be able to tell my phone
number is a Texas one when I call them. It's called Caller ID."
"Oh my, what an invasion of privacy those gadgets bring!"
"And it wouldn't fit with my supposed status of being in Montana at
the moment to be calling from Texas."
"I never asked you to lie to your family, Jake," he said. "I would
never ask anyone to do anything of the sort. Tell them what you will."
"Wow, that's very, very kind, Parker," I said. "But I think if I
tell them the truth, they'll just try to hunt me down here. And the last
thing I want is to get them more involved with Jericho than then already
are."
"As usual, your sensibility and selflessness amaze me, Jake."
"I'll just convince Syd to let me call from my phone. Thanks
anyway."
He put the phone away and pulled out something else. "These I won't
let you refuse so easily," he said, handing me a pair of earplugs. "As a
vampire, sometimes I forget how damaging these noise blasts can be to human
eardrums. They can produce sounds as loud as a hundred and fifty
decibels."
"Thanks," I said, gratefully taking the earplugs and putting them
carefully in my ears, cutting the decibels of the world around me
significantly.
He pointed at three weapons he had set up on the safety haystack in
front of us. "Now, I don't know if you know this, but the Logan Blood uses
three different firearms. The revolver, the rifle, and the shotgun. I'd
be remiss if I didn't cover all three for you today. I figured we'd start
with the easiest to use, the revolver."
He picked up the smallest weapon of the three. "This is
reproduction of the classic Colt Single Action Army or Colt 45 model. It's
the easiest to load, and the lightest, most convenient weapon. Most people
in the Territory put on a belt holster with one of these units inside
before they put on their underwear. Now, I've already loaded and turned
off the safety. I'm going to hand this firearm to you, Jake, and I want to
make sure you point this at nothing but shooting field beyond. Can you do
that?"
"Sure," I said.
He handed me the weapon very carefully until I held the handle with
my right hand. "Alright, I want you to point the revolver at the closest
empty libation bottle over there. Concentrate on lining up the shot, and
then squeeze the trigger whenever you are ready."
The whiskey bottle was propped up on a boulder about 15 yards back,
and was clearly the largest of any of the bottles. I aimed my weapon
towards it, taking my time to make sure nothing was amiss. Then I started
to pull the trigger.
I heard a blast, and then saw the whiskey bottle explode in front of
me. "Did I hit it?" I asked.
"I'm afraid not, Jake, you didn't fully engage the trigger," Parker
said. I realized I hadn't felt any recoil or anything happen with my gun.
"Then who hit that bottle?" I asked.
"That would be yours truly," came Syd's intrusive voice, as he
appeared from nowhere with another revolver in his hands, though his was
clearly smoking. "Who else coulda nailed that shot from all the way back
there?" He pointed to a spot many yards back from where we stood.
"Syd, what a, um, pleasant surprise," Parker said.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, much less politely.
"Saving you from having to learn how to handle a weapon from an
academic," he said. "When ya want to learn how to sterilize a Petri dish,
go to Parker. When ya want to learn how to shoot and kill some folks, come
to me."
"Parker was doing just fine without you," I said.
"I may not spend my days out on the shooting range, but after a
century and a half, I've picked up all these skills too, Syd. And most of
them don't involve killing anyone."
"Well, now Jakey has two instructors, a pansy who's afraid of
hurtin' people, and a real man who can teach him what has to be done.
Lucky him. I see yer learning to use a Colt 45. I'll cover this one,
Parker. This gun has always been my favorite."
"Fine, go ahead," Parker said to Syd, backing off.
Syd pulled out an unmarked cardboard box and opened it up, showing
me bullets inside. "First off, we'll load these," Syd said. "In order to
open the loading gate, we'll need to set the hammer to half- cock."
"I'm sorry, set it to what?" I asked. "I can barely hear you with
these earplugs in."
"Earplugs? Are you fuckin' me with that pussy crap? Well, what
should I expect to happen with Mr. Worst-Case Scenario meets
Mr. Play-It-Safe? I said, set it to half cock," Syd said, a dirty smile
coming over his face. "Ya know, Jakey. Half a cock. Like what Parker
over there is packin' in his trousers ever since he had his accident."
"Hey now," Parker said. "Try to be a gentleman."
"That was me being gentlemanly," Syd said. "Otherwise, I'd a said
something a whole lot dirtier."
"Can you please just show me?" I asked him, frustrated. "And stop
telling me?"
"This ain't the first time ya begged me to show you my half-cock, is
it?" Syd asked.
"Syd, pretty soon, I'm going to be the one that stuffs earplugs in
my ear," Parker complained.
"Alright, alright." He used his thumb to place the hammer halfway
up, then he pushed open the `loading gate,' the round piece that held the
bullets, and I did the same to my gun.
"Now I can put the bullets in?" I asked.
"If I wanted to get all technical, I'd tell ya that these are really
cartridges. Bullets are actually just the part that gets shot out of the
gun. But yes, I like to ram my big fat cartridge right in that round
little hole there," he said, smiling mischievously again while Parker
groaned. "Load the chambers in sequence."
I grabbed some of the cartridges and loaded up my chambers.
"Notice that there are six cartridges that will fit," Syd said.
"Some folks used to just load five in these things for safety reasons, but
we've evolved these revolvers over the years in the Territory `til ya can
safely make them true-blooded six shooters. Close the loading gate, like
so, and then draw the hammer to full cock. You know, like what I'm packin'
in these jeans of mine."
I rolled my eyes, and then pulled the hammer back.
"Right, yer ready to shoot now, Jakey. Why don't you aim for that
empty beer bottle over there?"
I held the gun up with my right hand and found the target he was
speaking about. "That's too small, Syd. I'll start with some larger
target."
"You'll be able to get it with yer first shot, with my help." He
came up behind me, grabbed my left hand with his left hand, and placed it
on the gun as well. "First off, use your left hand to help support and
keep er steady. As a beginner, yer always gonna want to use two hands to
fire. Now, let me feel if yer body's ready for this."
"Oh, mercy," said Parker.
From behind me, I felt Syd's body press up against my own,
completely spooning me. He reached his arms around me, and felt his hands
grab my arms, my chest, my legs.
"Yer much too tense, Jakey. If you shoot like this, the recoil's
gonna hurt like hell. Ya need to relax," he whispered, his hot breath on
my ear.
"It would be easier to relax if there was a little space in between
us," I said.
"You need to get over that. Just relax."
He rubbed his hands all over me, slipping one under my shirt, using
his rough hand to rub my torso. At the same time, he drove his crotch into
my rear.
"Syd, you're supposed to be teaching Jake to shoot, not sexually
assaulting him! Please tell me you haven't lost the ability to tell the
difference between the two!"
"He couldn't have lost something he never had, Parker," I said.
"Hey, you want my help, or not?"
I focused on not being irritated with him for once, and just letting
myself relax.
"Yeah, that's the ticket," he said. "Right then, you'll wanna use
the sight at the end of yer barrel to line up the shot. But ya need to
lift yer gun to yer eye level."
He used his free hand to guide my gun until it was in my line of
sight. Then he pressed his cheek against mine, trying to see what I was
seeing, looking at the sight knob on the barrel.
"There, yer all ready to shoot," he said. "Now, I'm gonna back up
off ya. Just stay exactly how you are."
He gently pulled his body off of mine and took a step backwards.
"Now, pull the trigger, Jakey."
I squeezed my finger, felt the hammer go down, and felt an explosion
in my hands that pushed my whole body back. The loud boom made me grateful
I had those earplugs, and the smoke made cough. "I missed it, didn't I?"
"You got it, Jake!" Parker said, jumping up and down exuberantly
behind me.
I looked at the stump the beer bottle had been on, and saw only
glass remaining. I was so proud of myself.
"Woo-hee!" Syd hollered. "See lil' bro? I handled that perfectly,
ain't I?"
"Well enough," Parker said. "Though I would have done without the
coarse sexual innuendo and the gratuitous physical contact."
"Those two things are the heart and soul of all my teachings," Syd
said. "You know I like to give my pupils hands on experiences."
"One of the many reasons Jennie has asked me to sub in her class on
numerous occasions, but would never dare ask you."
"Can I take another shot?" I asked.
"Sure," said Parker.
I cocked the hammer again, aimed at a nearby can, concentrated on
relaxing myself, and pulled the trigger. The can jumped up off the stump
and landed on the ground. Yes, I had it.
"I think I'm ready to move on now," I said.
"Syd, you didn't show him how to put the revolver on safety," Parker
told him.
"That's `cause safeties are for pussies. Oh wait, that would mean
they're made for Jakey. Perfect."
I squinted in anger. "Just because I'm a fan of personal safety
does not mean I'm a coward."
Parker showed me how to set the hammer on the safety, and then I put
the revolver down. I picked up the next gun. "Who wants to show me how to
use this one?"
"I will," said Parker, stepping forward. "Syd, you can sit this one
out. Pay attention and maybe you'll learn something. Jake, the weapon in
your hands is a modern replication of a Minie Rifle, a revolutionary
re-design of rifles that became very popular in the 1800s. It remains
accurate up to approximately 600 yards, which makes it the definite choice
for far-off targets. The problem is, you need to load the Minie balls and
gunpowder beforehand."
"Yer boring me to tears, Park," Syd said. "Get on with it."
"Let me show you how to load this," Parker said, putting the ball
and powder in the gun. "You'll need to ram the bullet home with a ramrod,"
he said, pulling a small tool out and showing me.
"Jakey knows all about ramrods, dontcha, sweetheart? Only he's used
to one a whole lot thicker than that one."
I rolled my eyes, blocking Syd out and copying what Parker was
demonstrating. Once I had it loaded, Parker showed me how to hold it with
the butt on my shoulder for greater control.
"Oh Syd!" came a woman's voice, and I turned around to see a human
woman in a western dress approaching him, carrying a gun in her hand.
"What can I do for you, beautiful?" he asked.
"I was practicing my revolver, but when I saw your big, throbbing
rifle, I knew I had to get you to show me how to handle it," she said,
pointing at the rifle that he had by his side.
"Why, of course, miss," he said, grabbing his rifle and running off
towards the woman. "Parker, you were doing lovely, go ahead without me.
See you all later." Syd ran off with the woman and started to give her the
same touchy-feely guidance that he had given me.
Parker laughed. "I can't even begin to guess how many times Syd has
let his conquests spoil any other endeavors he's had. Ah well, I guess
every man must have his weakness."
"Or in Syd's case, a few dozen weaknesses," I said. "Honestly, I'm
glad he's gone. I'll learn this better from you anyhow." I looked back to
see Syd and the woman had left the pretense of shooting altogether and were
scurrying back off towards the Mansion.
"Thanks, Jake. Alright, now I want you to pick a far away target,
concentrate on your aim, and shoot."
I did as he instructed, looking for a distant bottle. I missed with
the first shot, but got it with the second shot.
We moved onto the third weapon, the short-barreled shotgun. "It
requires less skill to use than the revolver, and it's the most powerful at
short range. I don't recommend them for long range, however.
Parker showed me how to load the buckshot into cartridges, and then
load it into the action.
"Why don't you test it out on one of the nearby scarecrows?" he
suggested.
I pointed towards the head of a scarecrow that was propped up not
ten yards away, and I shot. The recoil was painful, but the result was
incredible: the whole upper half of the scarecrow was knocked off.
"Nice work, Jake! You made short work of that enemy."
"A defenseless man made of straw."
He laughed. "True, but shooting vampires wouldn't be so different.
A blast of one of these to the head of a vampire can sometimes knock it
clean off, killing them instantly."
"Parker, I really appreciate your tutelage here, you are truly a
natural born teacher."
"Well, it comes naturally when the pupil is someone I care about.
Consider me willing to teach you anything you need in the future, Jake."
I thought about that. "You know what, Parker? There's something
else that would be amazingly helpful. You know that Syd and I are supposed
to be competing in this couple's rodeo competition."
Parker's face turned terse. "And you know how opposed I am to the
whole affair. You shouldn't get anywhere near the rodeo competition, it's
much too dangerous."
"But I have my family's lives on the line," I said. "I have to do
this, regardless of how dangerous it is, for their sakes."
"I know that," he said. "I understand your insistence to help. I
would risk my own life for my family if I were in your shoes. But
understanding your motivation doesn't make me worry about you any less."
"Syd's supposed to be teaching me all of the rodeo stuff, while also
brushing up his own skills, but so far, he has managed to teach me a big
fat nothing. He manages to run off chasing tail every single time."
Parker shook his head angrily. "I should be training you. I should
have started as soon as you got here, but I'll make it up to you. I'll
show you the basics, and we'll go from there. I won't rest until I'm
confident you can win your competitions."
"Listen, that's very nice, Parker. Luckily, another nice man, Boyd
Slade, offered to train me, and we've been doing just fine together."
"Oh, thank the lord for Mr. Slade," Parker said. "Is there anything
else I can help with?"
"Yes," I said. "Boyd's helped me with the riding and axe throwing."
Parker shivered at the mention of that last phrase. "It hurts my
heart to picture you having to be involved in axe throwing," he said. "Is
there anything I can help with, perhaps the same time of day tomorrow?"
"Maybe you could teach me how to lasso," I said.
He smiled and lowered an eyebrow. "Did someone tell you about my
previous awards as a roper? If so, I have to warn you that it's been many
years since I rodeoed, not since before the accident."
"That's fine, just teach me what you can," I said. "I'd love that."
"See you out in the fields tomorrow afternoon then, Jake," he
smiled.
Something painful whizz by my left ear, and I grabbed my ear, my
hand coming away with blood. "What was that?" I asked.
"A bullet just grazed your ear," Parker said, alarmed.
Parker turned to look behind him, and both of us caught sight of
Jericho, standing a ways off, a raised revolver in his hand. He had it
aimed right towards us.
"Down!" Parker yelled.
Parker spun around to face me, stretching his body out to cover
mine, blocking me from Jericho's sight. At the same time, he pushed me down
to my knees, and slammed my back against the block of hay. This put my
face right in the crotch of his trousers, my lips and nose slammed right
against the massive package.
I heard a gun firing, and then I heard Parker yelling in what
sounded like pain. For an instant, Parker's body went invisible, and then
quickly became visible again.
"This better not be your idea of father-son bonding!" Parker yelled.
"Oops, I'm so sorry, I whiffed my target," Jericho said, putting his
gun down.
"Jericho, you never miss," said Parker angrily as he got up off me.
I got up off my knees, and looked around to see others in the range
starting to notice us.
"You made the mistake of getting in the way of my target. Everyone
who comes to this shooting range knows there's a certain unavoidable risk
involved in the dangerous pastime. Accidents happen. You'll survive that
gun wound, but Jake wouldn't have been so lucky. I would have been so, so
distraught if we were to lose my future son-in-law in such a sad, senseless
manner."
I seethed, staring him down.
"You've made your point, Jericho," Parker said. "But your window of
opportunity has passed you by. Every eye in this range is on you now.
You'd be foolish to try anything else. Come on, Jake, let's go."
"What about the guns?" I asked.
"Leave them."
I followed him out of the shooting range, back towards the dirt
path. He was limping a lot worse than usual.
"Screw him," I said. "We were done with the lesson anyway."
"You know what this means, don't you?" he asked. "You can't go back
to the shooting range."
"I won't go back. I am so, so thankful to you."
"It was nothing, really. No big thing I did."
"Parker, you just saved my life by taking a bullet for me. And yet,
you're making it sound like you let me borrow a cup of sugar or something."
When we were on the dirt trail, out of sight of the Mansion or the
shooting range, Parker yelled and clasped his hand to his backside. "He
got me right in the butt. Why'd it have to be my good leg?"
"Here, put an arm around me," I said. "Is there some doctor I could
take you to?"
"No, there's no time," he said. "Help me over this hill." He
pointed to a short hilltop just twenty yards from where we stood. "We need
to be out of site of this path in case Jericho comes through."
He put his arm around my shoulders, and I helped him hop up and over
the hill until we were on the other side, well out of sight of the trail or
the mansion. There was an evergreen tree he grabbed and used to steady
himself as he stood.
"You saved my life. Please just tell me how I can help."
"Any amount of pain is worth saving your life, Jake. I can feel the
bullet is still inside me, and if I don't remove it quickly, the skin will
heal over the wound and someone will have to surgically remove it later on.
I have about zero faith in the Mareshead surgical unit, who seem to have
yet to discover disinfectants. I would probably make a trip to see Della
in Fools Gold, if I couldn't remove it myself."
"Sounds grisly," I said, not even wanting to think about it.
"If you could, just turn around and make sure no one disturbs me."
"Alright, that's easy enough." I turned around and watched the
trail.
"I'm removing my pants now, Jake, so don't look this way."
"I won't."
I heard him kick off his shoes, unbuckle his belt, pull down his
zipper, and then remove his trousers.
"Christ, I can't even see this properly. Never mind, I'll put my
pants back on and get Della to do this later."
I swallowed, trying to overcome my anxiety over blood in order to do
the right thing. "Parker, I don't mind helping."
"That's kind, Jake, but I'd rather you didn't see me like this."
"Like what?"
"In just my boxers, for one, and with my artificial leg showing, for
two. And heavily bleeding makes three."
"Parker, I really don't care at all about those things. You're
supposed to be my friend, and I would never judge any friends of mine over
physical trivialities like those."
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, sounding unconvinced.
"Positive!"
"Alright, if you're sure, I'll let you help me. But if you start to
feel uncomfortable in any way, please tell me, and we'll stop."
"Okay, I'm turning around now."
"That's fine."
He was still standing up with his hands against the tree trunk, but
this time his pants and shoes were gone, revealing his one meaty, muscled
leg that looked so much like Syd's, and the artificial leg. He had just a
pair of white boxers on his lower half, with his newly untucked white shirt
hanging down to his knees. Before, his dark trousers had totally covered
up any sign of his wound. After they were removed, I could see bright red
blood soaked through his boxers.
I started to feel light-headed. No, no no, I would not let Parker
down when he needed me most. I forced that response to go away.
"Parker, I'm going to have to pull down your boxers, is that okay?"
"Well, I suppose, as long as it doesn't make you uncomfortable. I
feel very ungentlemanly exposing this much skin like this."
"I'm fine, Parker."
"Okay, go ahead then."
I pulled his red-soaked boxers down to his ankles, leaving him naked
on his lower half, though his hanging white shirt covered up both his front
and his back sides from view, which was clearly his intention. He grabbed
on harder to the tree and tensed his body. "See what you can do," he told
me.
I lifted up the back of his shirt, careful not to get any blood on
it. For the first time, his whole bare butt was in view. It looked just
like a carbon copy of Syd's, muscular and round, leading down to ripped
thighs. He had his legs spread somewhat, and I could see he back of his
huge wrinkled ballsack, and beyond to the backside of his soft donkey dick,
though the vantage didn't give many details to see.
The bullet wound was right in the butt cheek of his good leg, amidst
all the muscle. It was a round abscess of hardening blood, with lighter,
brighter blood pouring down his butt, his thigh, and all the way down his
leg.
Again, I felt light headed. I pulled out my hand sanitizer and
disinfected my hands. The smell of it made me feel a bit better. "I'm
going to touch it now," I said.
"Okay," he said. "Don't worry about causing me pain, just do
whatever you need to do."
I cringed as I forced myself to touch the wound with my index
finger, glad I was behind him so he wouldn't be able to see the very
unprofessional expression I had on my face.
His white shirt was getting in the way. "Here, hold this up so I
don't get blood on it," I said.
He grabbed his shirt and pulled it up to around his navel, both in
the back, where I was, and in the front.
I moved my face closer to the wound so I could see better, though I
wished I could do the awful task with my eyes shut. I stuck my finger
inside the wound, and a whole bunch of blood oozed out.
I felt woozy. "Is it too late to warn you blood makes me pass out?"
"No. If it's causing you discomfort, please stop. I'll have Della
cut it out for me."
"No, no, no, I can do this."
But I almost passed out as soon as I said it. I clamped my eyes
shut. Since my fingers were already in the wound, I didn't need my eyes, I
could feel my way through it. That strategy seemed to be helping.
The wound went through his skin and into his muscle tissue. That
must have been why it had been so hard for him to walk. I dug a couple
inches down into the warm, wet ickyness and my finger made contact with
hard metal. I carefully grabbed the metal lump with my index and middle
fingers, and then I gently started to pull it out.
"That's it, you have it!" Parker said happily.
Once it was removed completely, I asked, "What do you want me to do
with the bullet?"
"I'll keep it," he said. "Leave it on my dresser in my room. It'll
be my little reminder to myself how badly I want Jericho removed from his
Governorship."
He took it from me, and I figured it was safe to open my eyes again.
By the time I had, he had put his pants back on.
"My pants are ruined, I'm afraid. Thanks so much for helping, Jake,
even though I know it must have been unpleasant to do."
"Hey, anything for the guy who saved my life. And, that won't be
the first time you save my life either," I said, referring to his plan to
intervene when Jericho inevitable tried to have me executed once the
engagement to Syd was over.
"Nope, I guess not."
As we walked back to the mansion, Parker was already walking a lot
quicker, and I wondered if his wound was starting to heal. He went inside,
telling me he wanted to get out of those bloody clothes as soon as
possible, while I decided I needed to wash my bloody hands before I went in
the mansion. He told me how to find the outdoor water faucet, thanked me
profusely again while hugging me dearly, and walked inside.
After I had washed up real well, I went back inside myself. On my
way back to Syd's room, when I entered the Great Room, just as was the
familiar pattern, the room was no longer empty. And Jericho wasn't there
to give me the creeps either. Instead, there was a single vampire male
guarding that cage, and inside the cage was another naked slave. She was a
white woman, under thirty, who was pleasantly plump. I knew there would be
another slave in there to keep feeding Jericho's endless appetite. But
seeing the victim then in person was extremely disheartening, and
reaffirmed my absolute need to save these people. She looked very scared,
as she should be.
The guard saw me come into the room, and I didn't linger. Syd
wasn't in the apartment; he must have been in that woman's room who wanted
him to "help with her shooting." I grabbed his revolver, and put it into a
backpack to conceal it, before leaving his room again.
I silently reopened the door that led to the Great Room, and tiptoed
back inside. I sat down where I was pretty sure no one could see me unless
they were heading in or out of the same door I had used, and I watched down
from that vantage point. I was willing to wait as long as it took, and I
was hoping there would be some moment where the cage was left unguarded,
and I could slip the gun through the bars to the woman.
The first guard was on post for about a half hour before being
replaced by a second one, who unfortunately came into the room before the
first one left. The second guard was there for two long hours before a
third guard came into the room and relieved him. After another two, very
slow hours (thank goodness I was sitting down), that weird vampire woman
Cabinet member came into the room, the one who looked like a pre-teen but
dressed like a flamboyant whore. Her high pitched voice greeted the guard
cheerfully, she took point, and the male vampire guard left. I thought it
was quite bizarre to ask this woman to guard the slave, since she was much
smaller than the woman in the cage and would clearly be overpowered by her
in a fight, but I realized that the vampire woman's role would not be to
physically interact with any slave, her role would be to alert others if
any problem developed.
I sat there and waited for an hour before the door opened up behind
me, and Syd appeared. "There ya are," he said. "Been lookin' for ya."
Alarmed, the vampire woman with too much make-up looked up towards
us, and I quickly pulled Syd through the door into the hallway where he
came from.
"Yes, what do you need?" I asked.
"Ya ready for supper?" he asked. "Parker and Glaucia wanted to join
us in the mess hall."
I knew my cover had just been blown in the Great Room, and I was
starving again, though I had done nothing but sit there all afternoon.
"Sure, let me just put this away," I said. "I'll meet you down there."
I put the gun back in Syd's closet, and then walked down the stairs
in the Great Room, eying the prisoner with frustration. The sad suspicion
that there probably would never be a time that the prisoner would be left
unguarded hit me. I needed some new approach.
The mess hall was just as lively as two nights ago, with the band
playing once again. I put in my order and found Parker and Glaucia smiling
and waving for me to join them at the table they were sharing with Syd.
Seeing Parker's warm composure as I sat down was especially reassuring, and
I smiled at him brightly. He seemed all healed from his earlier gunshot
wound.
"Feeling better, Jake?" Glaucia asked, concerned even if I wasn't
sure she knew why I had been missing the night before. "We were all
worried when you didn't come down for dinner last night."
"I'm still upset," I said. "But the talk I had with Parker last
night was enormously reassuring." I gave him a thank you smile, and his
face turned proud.
"Park, your little pep talk the night before helped a little, but
when Jakey woke up, he was beggin' to be banged by yours truly," Syd said.
"Talks are well and good, but Jakey knows there's only one way to make him
really feel happy, and it's stuffed down here in my jeans, if ya get my
drift."
"Yeah, we get it," Parker said. "You're not exactly being subtle."
I tried not to crack a smile.
"One good long morning session with my love tool, and Jakey's got a
smile stuck on his face all day long, dontcha honey butt?" Syd asked,
elbowing me and winking at Glaucia and Parker.
""That's right, Syd," I was forced to say, looking Parker straight
in the eyes, trying to mentally communicate how much I hated agreeing with
Syd. I compared Syd and Parker's methods for making me feel better.
Parker had brought me dinner, lied with me fully clothed, talked me through
the problem, and gently comforted me to sleep. Syd had apparently not even
cared enough to come and ask me what happened, as he was too busy chasing
skirt. And later, he woke me up demanding sex. Was there any way I could
trade Syd for his brother?
"That's why Jakey always begs for morning sex," Syd said. "'Course,
he begs for sex anytime of the day, really. I can't help it, I have that
effect on folks."
"I came to look for you before dinner, Jake," Parker said, changing
the subject. "Was hoping you'd be able to hit a workout with me again. I
was feeling amazingly recovered. But you weren't in the apartment. I
hoped I hadn't caused some new traumatic scar that made you upset."
I could have hit myself that I had missed it. "No, nothing like
that. Want to hit one tomorrow, Parker?" I asked.
"More than anything," Parker said, smiling sweetly. Seems like he
wanted some alone time with me almost as much as I did with him. "But I
have a chemistry project planned for tomorrow afternoon. Can we make it
before lunch?"
"Late morning? Sure."
"Meet me there at eleven."
"Glaucia, I don't see Lewis anywhere," Syd said.
Her smile faded.
"We're trying to keep Glaucia's mind off of Lewis," Parker said.
"Why?"
"Jericho wanted him this evening," Glaucia said. "When he has him,
I just get so, so anxious. I wish he would let me stay with them so I knew
what they were up to."
"Oh, I understand totally, Glaucia," I said. I'd be scared if I was
her too. Then again, I would never, ever, have sex with Jericho. I
certainly would never be able to understand why she wanted to have his
baby.
"Hey Syd, do you happen to have the key to the cell in the Great
Room?"
"The one where Jericho keeps his tasty little meals?" Syd asked.
"Way to phrase it delicately, Syd," Parker said. "Please show some
respect for all the lives that have been lost."
"Yes, that one," I said to Syd.
He shook his head. "Do you really think he would trust me with
something like that?" he asked.
"What about you, Glaucia?"
"Nope," she said. "He doesn't trust me anymore than he trusts Syd,
as sad as that is to admit."
"He only gives that key to people he really confides in, Jakey," Syd
answered. "I know Rose has one of those keys."
"That bitch has every key in the house," Glaucia said.
Well, that didn't help me at all when Rose was stuck in Fools Gold.
I had to figure out who else would have that key, as there was no way I was
ever going to manage to steal it from Jericho himself. If I could get my
hands on that key, I knew I could get into the cell in the early morning
before the prisoner got there and hide the gun. That was the real answer.
I could even write a note for the prisoner just to let them know what to
expect.
Glaucia's eyes focused on something behind us, then widened
suddenly. "Oh my lord!"
"What?" I asked, terrified she had seen something horrible occur,
which in this house would likely involve Jericho.
"The other member of the Pariah Club just walked in!" she said
excitedly as she stood up and started jumping up and down, waving. "Annie!
Annie!"
Parker looked and smiled big. "Oh, did I forget to mention Annie
came back? I saw her when she came in a couple hours ago, figured I'd save
the surprise."
I turned around to see a woman with a huge smile on her face
trotting towards us, putting her cell phone in her purse. She was a
slender, tall white woman in a layered brown dress that looked
appropriately period, but seemed a bit more upscale than the usual woman's
dress around here. Her face was extremely beautiful, with just the
smallest hint of make-up on, and her smile big. As she came closer, I
could see those telltale green eyes, and knew she was a vampire. Her hair,
which didn't quite reach her neck, was sandy-blonde in color, not far off
from Syd's shade. I wouldn't have been surprised if she was of a blood
relation to the Logans.
Glaucia ran forward and gave Annie a huge, bouncing hug.
"Glaucia! I didn't know you'd be back!" the woman said, her voice
smooth and confident, with that Texas accent.
"I didn't know you'd be in Fools Gold the week that I got here,
babe!" Glaucia said. "The Pariah Club hasn't been the same without you."
Parker reached over and gave Annie a half hug. "I was waiting to
put in my food order until you came down," he said. "You want me to get
your usual, Annie?"
"Thanks Parker," she said, and Parker walked off to the counter.
Syd had stood up, and took off his hat, greeting the lady with
polite charm. "Annie," Syd said. "Mareshead suffers without your
presence."
"Oh, quit it, you," Annie said, hugging him, slightly awkwardly.
I stood up as well, smiling at this new person who already seemed so
loved.
"Annie, I'd like you to meet Jake Groves," Syd said.
She made pleasant eye contact with me.
"My fiancé," he said.
Her controlled, polite composure exploded into laughter.
"Fiancé?! Syd, I may be tired from the stagecoach ride over, but you
can't fool me that easily."
"He's serious!" Glaucia said.
"Oh my lord, I know I can take Glaucia's word," Annie said. As
Annie processed this, her face flashed through all sorts of emotions.
"Well, that's great! Congratulations! Wow, I am just, just in total
shock!"
"Jakey, I'd like ya to meet Annie Logan," he said.
"Dr. Annie Logan, technically," Glaucia added.
"Oh, please, just Annie. I'm just a chemist." She came over and
gave me a hug. "Nice to meet you."
"Yes, so nice to meet you, Annie."
Her last name was Logan, which meant this must be Syd's sister. I
remembered that Jericho had one daughter, and that would explain why they
looked similar. She made a great first impression on me, and I instantly
wanted to know more about her. I was impressed that she, too, was a
scientist. We all sat down at the table.
"Wow, I would have never guessed when I walked in here that I was
going to meet my future brother in law," she said, smiling. "Whew, I'm so
tired. The ride up on that stagecoach was the absolute worst."
Syd, Glaucia, and I all looked at each other dubiously.
"Did a gang of crazy bandits attack you?" Syd asked.
"Uh, no," Annie said.
"Did one of the passengers end up beheaded, and another shot in the
chest?" Glaucia asked.
"Nope," she said, confused.
"Did you almost get kidnapped and forced into slavery?" I asked.
She laughed. "Uh, no, and no. But the ride was really cold, and
the person sitting next to me got motion sick and threw up on the floor."
"Annie, trust me, you ain't got nothin' on us in the lousy
stagecoach ride department," Syd said.
"Glaucia, where's Lewis?" Annie asked as Parker rejoined us. "I'm
dying to meet him properly."
"Jericho's babysitting him tonight," she said sadly. "Says he needs
to teach him how to be like his father, whatever that means."
"Oh, poop," Annie said. "Well, let me know when he comes back."
A new concern popped into my head, one I didn't want to worry
Glaucia about needlessly. I looked down at my empty dinner plate, and told
everyone I was calling it a night.
I hurried back to the Great Room. Upon my entrance, my stomach
knotted as I realized my dark suspicions had been realized. I slipped
behind one of the log pillars on the first floor and watched the awful
scene in front of me. Jericho was sitting menacingly on his throne, with a
frightened Lewis sitting up beside him. Vampire guards were forcing the
naked slave woman towards them.
"Bring her to me," he commanded. "Tell me, sweetheart, what's your
name?" he asked when they pushed her a couple feet from his face. "I'm
Jericho."
"Charisse," she said with a little spunk.
I saw that evil little grin of his. "Charisse, I want to help you
get out of here. Tell me, do you have a talent?"
It was all like déjà vu, and seeing him start up his evil game
made waves of fear knock my knees weak.
She shrugged. "I'm a computer programmer."
He squinted. "Look around you. That's utterly useless to me here.
Pick something else."
"Well, I suppose I'm a good writer," Charisse said.
"Fine. Now, Charisse, do you like playing games?"
"Not really," she said.
"I have one that you'll be dying to try," he said. "We'll play a
fun little game. I want you to succeed. Is your penmanship as pretty as
your face, Charisse?"
"I guess so," she said.
"Perfect," he said. "All you have to do is show me your pretty
handwriting. Write my name, and I'll let you free. Sound good?"
"Hmm. I'll need something to write on," she said.
"I'm fresh out of paper," he said. "Why don't you just write on
your skin."
"I'll need a pen," she said.
He went fishing through his pockets. "Fresh out of pens,
sweetheart. Why don't you use this instead." He procured a pocketknife
from his pants and handed it to her.
She gasped. "You want me to write your name on my skin using this
knife?"
"That's right, yes," he said.
Lewis suddenly looked completely shocked.
"No way," she said, and I winced, knowing Jericho would not be
pleased.
Suddenly, he pounced on her, twisting her arm behind her until it
was almost broken. "I don't like it when people say `no' to me,
sweetheart. Do it again and you die."
When he stepped back away from her, she was much, much more
frightened than before. "What do you want me to do?"
"If you want to win your freedom, you have to play my game," he
said. "Take the knife, and carve my name into your skin, and do it
legibly. You seem to have some real conviction, Charisse. I want you to
prove it to me. Carve my name into your skin without shedding a single
tear, and you can have your freedom. Fail to, and you die."
I couldn't take this anymore. I ran out from behind that pillar and
rushed towards Jericho. "You are the worst kind of monster if you really
intend to expose a child to this. Lewis, I want you to get up, and I want
you to get the heck out of here."
Lewis started to get up.
"Guards, hold him back and gag him!"
I tried to avoid the guards, and looked at the poor woman. "Don't
play his game, he's just going to--"
The guards gagged me again, and held me in place. It was so, so
frustrating to be rendered physically useless so easily.
"I want him to watch again," Jericho said. "And Lewis, get back in
your seat. Do you have a problem with any of this?"
"You shouldn't hurt her," Lewis said.
"I'm not hurting her, Lewis," Jericho said. "She's hurting herself.
Go ahead, Charisse."
She grabbed the knife in her right hand, which was starting to
tremble, and she looked at her left forearm. She brought the blade to the
flesh near her elbow, and then held it there, hesitating.
"Do it, or die, Charisse!"
A look of determination took over her face, and she moved the knife
down, cutting into her skin. I winced as I saw the blood trickle down her
smooth arm. She cried out, but no tears came to her eyes.
"Yes, that's it!" Jericho said, almost sounding like he was suddenly
turned on. Maybe it was the smell of the blood.
After a moment adjusting to the pain, she steeled herself and
continued to cut. She did the first long horizontal cut, then moved her
knife to the center of the wound and started to cut downwards. After a
bit, she had managed to carve that first letter "J" completely.
"Still no tears, sweetheart?"
"No tears!" she yelled, though it was clear it was taking everything
she had to stop them.
The vampire holding me from behind was keeping my body immobilized
and my mouth gagged, but that left my arms free. As I watched the poor
woman cut the "E" into herself, I tried to knock my captor away from me.
Then I attempted to poke my captor in the eyes, but that didn't work
either. I wanted to free my mouth long enough to tell this woman not to
degrade herself by playing along with this evil tyrant.
She finished the "I" and still her cheeks were dry. "Yes, that's
it, Charisse," Jericho said happily.
Finally, after what seemed like a tortuously long time, she finished
carving "Jericho" into her arm. I swore she was going to cry when she
carefully cut that last circle in; somehow the curved slices seemed more
painful than the straight ones. But, she held it together.
"I did it!" Charisse yelled.
"Let me see it." Jericho grabbed her arm and pulled it towards him.
He looked down at the bloody inscription pleasurably, smelling the blood.
He smiled evilly.
He dragged the woman over to where Lewis was sitting. Lewis tried
to turn his little head away, but Jericho stuck the arm in his face. "Look
at this, my son. Is it to your liking?"
Lewis looked down at the arm, and immediately his fangs came out,
and his eyes transfixed on the blood.
"I'll take that as a yes," Jericho said.
"That's it then, I won!" Charisse said, her voice sounding angry and
traumatized all at the same time.
"Not yet, sweetheart," he said. "The game was to write my name in
your skin. I only see my first name so far. My full name is Jericho
Logan."
Charisse let out a horrified moan. "That's it? No middle name?"
"Nope."
Her left arm was totally shredded with his first name, so she
started writing the "L" on her right arm. When she got to the "O," I was
again sure she would start to cry, but she held it through. I wondered if
she started to get numb to the pain, or maybe she was just being driven
more and more insane.
"I'm finished," she said, this time much sooner than before.
"Let me see," Jericho said, and he gazed down at her blood covered
arms. "I can't read the writing, there's too much blood. Let me wash it
off."
He reached to the side of his throne and picked up a large bottle of
what I presumed was water. He poured it all over her arms, washing the
blood off.
Immediately, she started to scream louder than ever. As her arms
trembled, I realized she was yelling from the stinging.
"Oops, I forgot this was alcohol, not water," Jericho lied
gleefully.
I could only imagine what that pain must have been for her right
then. She was so affected that she shook and trembled all over, and though
she clearly did everything to fight back those tears, they finally burst
through. I felt sickeningly awful for her, though logically I knew it
couldn't have mattered f she had managed not to cry or not.
"Ah, a tear on her cheek!" Jericho said, pointing. "You lose,
Charisse! Your life is forfeit!"
"No, no, I did everything you asked!" yelled the woman.
"Silence her, her voice aggravates me," Jericho said, and moments
later she was gagged just as I was. "Bring her to the boy."
The guard carried her over to Lewis, who was still enrapt with the
vision of her bloody arms, his fangs still out.
"Son, I want you to help Daddy kill her," Jericho said, and the sad
realization that clearly this was the worst father of all time hit me. Syd
actually hadn't been lying when he told me in Tahoe that he could empathize
about me not getting along with my father.
Lewis moved his fangs closer to the woman, and at first I was sure
he wouldn't be able to resist. Then, he got a hold of himself and pulled
back, and I was so proud of him.
"What's wrong, son?"
"Mom told me never to kill."
"Well, your mother is a goddamn fool," he said. "It's time to undo
the damage she's done. Stamp out the weakness she's put into your soul."
He shook his head again. "No, I won't."
"Fine, I can't force you," Jericho said. "This time, you can watch
Daddy. Next time, I know you'll change your mind."
Jericho's fangs came out, and he started to lick the blood off
Charisse's arms. He began ripping off his clothes, and I knew what was
coming. Poor Lewis was staring at the woman, looking so, so sorry for her.
This was way too much for any child to handle.
I yelled out, but the guard still muffled me. I waved my arms
around until I got Lewis's attention. I put my hands on my ears, and then
shut my eyes tight, trying to send him a message. When I reopened my eyes,
I was glad to see it had worked: Lewis sat in his chair with his eyes
locked shut and his hands over his ears, and he started humming to himself.
I was glad that at least he would be spared from the worst of it.
When Jericho had stripped naked, he grabbed that pocketknife that
had fallen to the ground, and he brought it to her skin. "Your writing was
so pretty, Charisse, it has inspired me to start up writing myself," he
said to her.
He started cutting into her skin, making far deeper cuts than she
had, as he began writing words into her thigh skin., licking up all the
spilt blood as he went. Even though her mouth was muffled, I could hear
her scream, and her eyes were now flowing with pained tears.
He wrote "Charisse was born to be Jericho's plaything," on her leg,
then started in on another demeaning sentence onto her belly.
After he carved "Charisse looks much prettier in red," into her and
started in on her back, carving his evil words into her deeper and deeper,
not just severing skin, but slicing right through muscle as well.
When he started to rip her apart with his teeth and drink the blood
down, he stopped breathless and said, "Lewis, let this be a lesson to you.
Always drink `em down to the last drop, `cause it's the last of their blood
that was the strongest." This confirmed what Parker had told me.
One look at Lewis let me know that he was still covering his ears
and shutting his eyes, and Jericho didn't seem to notice that his son
wasn't paying rapt attention to his sick lessons.
I started really feeling that faint feeling that I had been fighting
since this torture began, and even though somehow I felt so guilty about
leaving that woman with no sane witness to the horrors she was facing, I
passed out.
*****
This time, I woke up before they could put me back in my room.
Jericho and Lewis were gone from the Great Room, and I could see vampire
guards carrying what was left of Clarisse's body out the front door of the
mansion while a number of human slave custodians frantically tried to clean
up any remaining blood on the ground, which there was very little of.
Clearly Jericho was a quite thorough eater. But I did notice them washing
up a great deal of what looked like semen off the ground.
The guards had let go of me, and I started to cry as I walked up
those stairs to the third floor, feeling almost as traumatized as I had
been the night before. Another life I had failed to save, though at least
this time my presence might have saved Lewis's sanity.
As I walked through the hallways on the third floor, I heard voices
coming from around a corner, and I stopped walking and listened quietly.
It was clearly a man and woman's muffled voices. The woman was
giggling, and I could hear sounds of kissing and carrying on.
I heard the woman's whispered voice say, "Stop, someone will see
us!"
I heard the man say, "No one ever walks through here." His voice
was a little louder, and wow, did it sound familiar.
As the kissing continued, I tiptoed back away from that corner, and
took another route back to Syd's room, positive that I had been hearing
Syd's voice, surely he was making out with some new, random woman. I hoped
that he would not bring her back to his apartment again.
I opened the door to the Syd's apartment, and expected to find it
empty. Instead, Syd was in his bed.
Hmm. I knew it was possible that Syd had gone into his apartment
faster than I had, after all, I had taken the long way to his place, and he
had been so close to his door. But there was no sign of the woman he was
kissing.
"Syd, did you just walk in?" I asked him.
He didn't answer me. I looked over towards his bed, and found him
sleeping in the buff, his mouth open and drooling. He couldn't have fallen
asleep that fast, was he faking it?
"Syd!" I said, but he gave no response.
It was an easy decision to slap him hard on the face, though I would
never have given the same treatment to anyone I respected. Finally, he
came to life, groaning and opening his eyes.
"Mmm," he said. "Jakey, you comin' to bed?" he asked, his voice
slurred and his breath smelling of alcohol. "I was so wasted, Parker had
to help me upstairs," he said. "Don't you fret though, Jakey, if yer
lookin' for a roll in the hay, I ain't ever been a victim of whiskey dick.
Come to bed and I'll show ya, sweetheart."
I threw the covers back on Syd. "Go back to sleep, you pig," I
said, wishing I could find another excuse to slap him. As I got ready for
bed and curled up onto my settee, I wondered about who had been in the
hallway kissing that woman. Obviously it couldn't have been Syd if he had
been lying there drunk for some time. I had been sure it was Syd's voice,
but it had been pretty far off, I could have been wrong.
Though, it occurred to me, the other Logan men had very similar
voices to Syd's, and would be easy to mistake them for him. Could it have
been Jericho in that hallway? Perhaps, though it seemed unlikely.
Could it have been Parker? Jealousy rushed through me at the
thought. I reminded myself that Parker was a vampire that needed blood
daily. Did I expect that he had been drinking out of those plastic blood
bags this whole time? Syd told me cold blood would only do in a pinch.
That must mean he was feeding off of people every day. So, if this was
Parker in the hall, did that make me think any less of him? After all, he
had to watch Syd molest me repeatedly when we were eating in the mess hall.
Well, I thought about how Big Horn had paid for blood from a
prostitute at Lettie's. He never let on that he was enjoying the process,
or had any sort of sexual attraction to the woman. He just had to do what
he had to do to live, unlike Syd who thoroughly enjoyed his women on a
sexual level. I would expect if Parker was out there looking for blood, he
wouldn't be enjoying the chase as much as the vampire in the hallway had
been.
No, it must not have been Parker. I must have mistaken the voice.
Every male around had a Texas accent anyway. But this could go on no
longer. I had to tell Parker how I felt about him. No more trying to
guess his intentions towards me.
With that resolved, I fell asleep being haunted by thoughts of
Jericho. I had to find a way to get the key to that cage the next day.