More Than Darkness
7
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This is a crossover smutty story featuring the character of
Tess/Salida ie Tess' Voice in Neon
More Than Eyes Alone Can See, and
Merrie's OUATIM fic on ff.net, Darkness Rising. This story will make some
sense, probably, if you read it without having read either of our stories, but
it'll make a hell of a lot more if you just read them. They're all worth
reading, we promise. Anyway, on with the show.
Rated for what has happened, and what might happen.
ourselves. On with the story.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salida let herself simply rest on top of Jeffrey, not caring about
anything. Truly, if she died right now,
she’d die a very contented woman. And
even all his threats about what would happen if she fell asleep weren’t enough
to keep her eyes from drooping. She was
worn out – physically and emotionally.
She’d never felt like this before in her liand and part of her hoped she
never would again, simply because of how exhausting it was and how completely
vulnerable it made her.
Sleep was beckoning for them both though, surprisingly enough, when
Salida’s stomach broke the silence, rumbling loudly.
starving, but still too tired to move.
But her stomach growled again, and Jeffrey shifted underneath her, and
she realized that she was going to have to get up.
“My voracious little vixen,” Jeffrey murmured, letting go of her to
stretch. It was strange.
honestly say that he didn’t really want to have sex at the moment.
– but he was alright if it wasn’t.
he muttered, slightly unhappy ind ind that it was true.
“My pleasure,” she mumbled against his shoulder, still not wanting to
get up, still wanting to go to sleep.
But she was hungry, and with hunger came the realization that the r
ar
around her was starting to cool. With a
groan she sat up, then slowly climbed off Jeffrey’s
lap. Her muscles quivered and
complained, but she forced them to support her for the moment anyway.
whispered, shaking her head as the blood drained from it and black spots danced
before her vision. “You’re not the only
one who’s depleted, lover.”
“Room service, huh?” Jeffrey said with a raise of an eyebrow.
either of us get up and get dressed long enough to answer the door when it
comes? Or to even order it for that
matter?” Jeffrey asked, in truth not even sure he had the energy to get out of
the now cold water before he turned into a complete prune.
And Salida knew it. “What do I
get if I all your bluff?” she murmured, still feelingightightfully hazy from
all the endorphins and whatnot floating around in her veins.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Let me put it this way instead.
continue, or you let me sleep. The
choice is up to you.”
There’s absolutely no fucking way
I’m letting her sleep tonight unless it’s with me. Jeffrey thought,
narrowing his eyes. “You drive a hard
bargain, vixen. Fine, have your fucking
room service. But’t t’t think that I’m
going to pay for it,” he said sulkily, finally gathering the energy to pull
himself up and out of the tub. He then
walked over to a shelf piled high with towels and pulled out a large one, first
drying off his wet hair and then wrapping it securely around his waist before
turning to look at her.
Salida shrugged. “No biggie.
and climbing out of the tub herself.
“However, I seem to remember you buying me a meal at some point.
People can choose some outrageous ways to have debts paid.”
she simply wrapped it around her. “And
now that I think about it, I seem to remember you buying me lingerie as
well. Does that mean I get to buy some
for you?”
Jeffrey just looked at her, as
if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, then turned on his heel and left
the room.
Salida sighed, but decided to put on some clothing.
personal challenge to get her naked again as quickly as he possibly could.
the room and grabbed a pair of underwear and a t-shirt.
clothes away, and she knew that most people would wonder why she kept underwear
of all things in the bathroom, but her response was, “Why not?”
She left the bathroom to find Jeffrey sitting on the bed flipping
through the room service menu, still dressed in nothing but a towel.
knife and handgun beside them, but yet he chose to remain as he was.
I take it?”
“Not if I can fucking help it,” Jeffrey
muttered absently, hiss sts still scanning the contents of the menu.
Picking up the phone, Salida went ahead and called down to room service,
already knowing what she wanted. Well .
. . almost. Either she could eat a big
meal, in which case a nauldnuldn’t be optional.
It’d be mandatory. Or she could
eat something light . . . and have to eat again in another few hours.
want to take a nap, and she could probably
talk Jeffrey into letting her. It’d
likely take some major concessions on her side –
Her stomach growled, settling the matter.
“Yes, this is Salida Adame in room 1213.
I’d like grilled salmon with a side of fettuccini
brought up to my room. Oh, and wait a
moment –”
Salida turned to Jeffrey. “Do you
know what you want? Besides me?”
was going to say.
“You’re no fun,” Jeffrey said with a slight pout at her comment.
strip steak. Rare.”
Salida rolled her eyes. “Is there
anything else that you ever eat?”
“No, not really,” Jeffrey said after a moment’s thought.
“Yeah, I figured that,” she muttered under her breath.
How rare?” Salida asked, not quite sure she wanted to know, but unable
to stop herself from asking.
“Let the fucking cow look at the oven in terror, and then send it up
here,” Jeffrey said with a completely serious look on his face.
Salida grimaced and spoke into the phone.
York
phone.
Flopping down on the bed, Salida rolled herself up in the rumpled covers
of the bed, the heat from their earlier bath and ‘encounter’ starting to
dissipate. This can’t be normal. I should
get that checked out. However, she
liked being able to wrap herself in blankets, and it had the added benefit of
covering her from head to toe, and hopefully relieving some of the temptation
her otherwise close to unclothed body might present for Jeffrey.
And speaking of Jeffrey, he was ignoring her again.
people skills – go figure – but that didn’t really bother her.
initiative in conversations. She could
live with that.
“How long as it been?” she asked his back.
Her question got a response from her lover.
“Do you know how long it’s been since that night?
because it’s hard to keep the days straight when you’re in someone else’s
head. I was wondering how long we’ve
known each other.” Jeffrey still didn’t
look inclined to answer. In a huff,
Salida continued, “Look, regardless of how long we’ve known each other, all
we’ve ever really done is fuck each
other’s brains out. And while I have no
complaints or regrets about that, I’d . . . I’d like to get to know you while I
can. And since sex is out of the question
for the moment, I thought we could talk.
You fascinate me. I love your
voice. I could sit and listen to you
talk forever.” She untangled an arm and
reached towards him. “I just want to get
to know you. Tell me I’m acting like a
woman, but it’s true. I
and the insanity, I want most of the things that other women want.
.” She trailed off when she realized
she’d started giving a speech. “Ah,
fuck,” she muttered, giving up and rolling so her face was buried in a pillow.
She dared a glance up a few minutes later to find Jeffrey staring at her
with the most curious expression on his face.
He looked as if he were halfway between laughing out
loud and kissing her. “Fine, you
want to talk. I suppose we can do that,
vixen.” He leaned over the edge of the
bed and pulled up his pants, patting down the pockets.
cigarettes and lighter and proceeded to light one.
she glanced to the prominent “No Smoking” sign plastered on the top of the
bedside table. Jeffrey exhaled a cloud
of smoke out through his nose without a care in the world.
Salida watched him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was being
sincere or merely patronizing her, but had to give up.
really wanted to know. Something about
him, but not necessarily related to the fact that he liked to kill people.
harder than I thought it would be, she complained to herself.
would it be?” She knew the question was
random, but it was the only thing she could think of at the moment.
Jeffrey tapped a bit of ash onto the carpet before speaking.
me there so I suppose I’d live in
then I don't know,
mind. How about you, vixen?
all,” he said with a smirk before taking a long drag on his cigarette.
The answer was easy for her. “
Orleans
warm most of the year, and I could probably pass as the local ‘crazy woman,’
because they don’t mind those down there.
Not to mention they’ve got a rather large Mardi
Gras celebration. I just like the
atmosphere of the place. I’d get a
little place in the French quarter, someplace with a small backyard and tall
hedges for privacy, and I’d sit outside in a hammock, whatever the weather.”
Still holding the blankets around her, Salida sat up and leaned against
Jeffrey’s side, taking one of his hands in hers.
there. She’d noticed it – and his other
tattoos before – but she’d never really asked about them.
bit randomly, but then again, her mind didn’t seem to want to stick long on a
single thought for long, a symptom of being overly tired.
Jeffrey quirked an eye at that, and moved back on the bed so he could
cross his legs. The towel stretched and
protested across his hips, but he didn’t care.
If it fell, it fell.
down at his arms as if seeing them for the first time, not answering Salida’s
question quite yet. Sands did have a
fucking lot of tattoos. Something that
had always surprised him. Not that
Jeffrey minded tattoos – pain had always appealed to him – but Sands had always
struck him as the type who would hate something so permanent etched upon his
body. Salida must have seen the
thoughtful expression on his face because she asked him what he was thinking
any of these tattoos,” Jeffrey said, not taking his eyes from his arms and
hands. “They’re all Sands’.
“I’m sorry,” Salida said, apologizing both for asking the question in
the first place and for things that were out of her control . . . like how
Jeffrey had never gotten a tattoo.
“Not your fault, vixen,” Jeffrey said, taking a drag on his cigarette.
Salida shrugged. “Ok, how about
this one: where are you going after this?
After you leave
Jeffrey thumbed the butt of the cigarette in thought at that before
speaking. “To tell you the truth, I
haven’t fucking thought about it. I’ve
never been one to plan ahead,” aid aid with a shrug.
awhile. The East Coast is a bit . . .
moment. But I definitely wouldn’t want
to stay in Vegas. I’ve never liked this
fucking place. Too garish, somehow.
the fucking desert. I’d probably go to
gone on a couple of killing sprees back home, that’s where I’d go back to.
spent cigarette across the room before reaching to grab another from where he
had placed them at the edge of the bed.
“I’ll probably go ahead and go to
. . . start looking for that house. I’d
like to travel, but my income is rather fixed, but I’ll make do.
that Tess had money going into from stocks, so I’ll have a steady income and
all.” Why had she brought this topic
up? Why would she fucking want to know what
he was going to be doing after he left her?
“Your turn to pick a question.”
Because if she didn’t get her attention diverted, she was going to
obsess over this, and she didwantwant to do that.
Jeffrey looked over at her, noticing the blank look on her face.
reigns of the conversation already.
“Avoiding something, vixen?”
She nodded. “I’ll want to ask it
sooner or later, but not yet. I don’t
want to ask it yet.”
Jeffrey narrowed his eyes a bit at that, but didn’t press the issue for
now. “Fine, you want me to hop on board
this fucking query wagon, I’m up for it.
What was it like for you when you found out you were just a voice in a
fucking schizophrenic’s head?” Jeffrey muttered, immediately regretting the
question. Some things were better left
unasked and unanswered. He had been
pissed off at her reluctance to talk about whatever she was holding back from
him. He didn’t like secrets, and he
liked secrets from her even less.
/spa/span>Salida heard the irritation in his voice, but she didn’t bother getting
upset over it. It was the lesser of two
evils, as far as she could see.
“I don’t know what youn byn by ‘just.’
‘Just a voice.’ I don’t even
remember how it all really started.
People don’t remember the day of their birth, or the years that
necessarily come after that. All I
remember was that it was really warm, and Tess was out in the sun.
about her and her family. I don’t think
I really even ‘displayed’ myself in the classic sense until Tess was twenty or
so. There was never a stage where I
thought, ‘What the hell is this? Why
don’t I get a body?’
reality. And things just kept growing,
until I could make Tess do things for a short period of time.
jumped fully formed from her head, like Athena did from Zeus.
“I suppose it was the same for me,” Jeffrey said, not looking at her nor
volunteering any other comments on the subject.
It had been a stupid fucking question to ask.
onto the floor and spoke softly, turning to look at her.
devilishly handsome psychotic fellow schizophrenic like me?” he asked with a
wink and a smirk around the cigarette he had stuck in the corner of his mouth.
“What do you want?”
she asked, “What do you mean, what do I like?
Just in general?” Jeffrey
nodded. “Ok . . .”
on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, still able to see Jeffrey out of the
corner of her eye. “I like . . . being
warm. The color green.
think that’d be too normal. Too
expected. I don’t like to be
predictable. I like . . . I like bright
colors around me. I like good food, feeling new things, soft
textures. I think I would like to
paint. As a hobby.
because then they won’t try to put their nose in my business.
die in a cloud of steam from cool water.
I like the rain. I like the smell
of old books bound in leather. I like
being just girly enough that it’s attractive, but not distractive.
and wakefulness for as long as I can.”
She turned her head to look at him.
“Is that good enough?”
“For that question. You haven’t
answered the rest.” He watched a veil
close over her eyes again, and sighed.
“Talk to me, vixen. You know that
wasn’t good enough. What do want
afterwards? After our time tonight is
over? You can’t fucking
avoid it forev–” Jeffrey was cut off by the sound of
knocking at the hotel room door and he cursed whatever being that might be
listening for its fucking horrible ng.
Salida shot out of bed before he could stop her and he just sat there on
the bed, watching as she pulled on her still slightly damp jeans with a grimace
of distaste before striding out of the room without a word.
able to run from it forever. He needed
to know where he stood before things could progress between them.
fucking minute. Just where
before. He had been so concerned about
what Salida was thinking about that he hadn’t taken the time to examine his own
mind. Fuck, he thought to himself, not looking up when Salida returned to
the room.
Salida knew she’d only postponed her interrogation, and that she
probably wouldn’t be able to avoid it forever, unless she avoided the person
interrogating her . . . and she didn’t want to do that.
she went back to the bedroom and paused in the doorway, observing the dark look
on Jeffrey’s face with an internal wince.
“Umm . . . the food’s here, lover.
I put it on the table. I think
I’m in enough trouble what with torn bedsheets and
cigarette ashes to risk stains on the bed.”
This was the first time she’d ever felt uncomfortable around Jeffrey, so
she did what came naturally . . . she left the room and hoped he’d follow.
she just sat and waited in the near darkness.
It was a few minutes before Jeffrey joined her.
in a better mood. More . . . decisive?
sure that’s possible. But he had
appeared to have made some sort of decision.
She just hoped that it was something she was going to like.
You’ve seen ************************************************************************ Ten minutes later Jeffrey paid ************************************************************************
Jeffrey purposefully didn’t say anything to her for two reasons.
her escape. The second was that he
enjoyed trying to throw her off her game as effectively as she seemed to do to
him at every occasion possible. He sat
down across from her and reached over to grab the fork and steak knife set for
him in the middle of the table. He then
pulled off the cover and stared at the bloody steak intently, poking at the
center of it with his knife. It wasn’t
quite as rare as what he had had in mind, but it would do.
comment or preamble, feeling Salida’s stare on him the entire time.
stare, he thought to himself, trying not to
smirk. If she wasn’t ready to up the
ante yet, that was fine with him. He
would be here when she changed her mind.
For now, he was going to simply sit there eating his steak, his mind at
peace with itself for the first time since . . . well, ever.
Salida simply watched Jeffrey for several minutes, unsure about what to
make of his silence. But then her
stomach growled again and she remembered just how hungry she was, so she dug
in. There was none of this
nonsense that some women had about eating in front of men.
hungry was to eat. Besides, the food was
good.
It didn’t take them long to finish their respective meals.
his seat, sipping a glass of wine, smoking a cigarette, and staring at her . .
. all while still only wearing a towel.
Salida did start to get a bit self-conscious, but only because he was
staring at her so silently. If he were
talking, she wouldn’t have a problem.
But he wasn’t. And it was driving
her nuts.
everything I’ve got several times over, in various types of lighting and states
of undress. So what is so fucking
fascinating that you’re not even talking?”
“Youxen.xen. Only you,” Jeffrey
answered with a smirk over the rim of the wine glass.
her riled up by simply not talking he would have shut the fuck up hours
ago. Well, he probably wouldn’t have,
but it was a thought none the less.
“Well, since our game of twenty fucking questions didn’t go over so
well, do you have any other suggestions?
Or, we could always go back to questions.
a sip of his red wine before tilting his head to look at her as he took another
long drag from his cigarette.
“What do you mean it didn’t go over so well?” Salida asbefobefore she
could stop herself. She knew exactly
what he meant. But before she could take
the words back, Jeffrey was on them.
“Then suppose you answer my last one?”
“I forgot what it was,” she mumbled, moving over to the couch.
wet – and sat down, curling around herself.
“Then let me refresh your memory.
What do you want, and how do you feel about ending up with me?”
Well, the last part of the question was easy to answer.
Delighted. Ecstatic.
Or I would be content if you would ever let me take a damn nap.”
the couch, still smoking and still sipping on a glass of wine.
turned her head away. “I’m very glad to
have found you again, and I feel so good now that I don’t know how to describe
it, but that’s what makes the other part of your question so hard to answer.
that I am, I neo kno know what’s going to happen next.
don’t want to put you in a bad mood, but I already have by not answering the
question, but what if by answering, I put you in a worse mood –”
Jeffrey cut her off before she could ramble any longer.
right now? Ok yes, my moods do tend to
resemble a fucking yo-yo at the best of times, that’s the price of being
fucking psychotic. But I don’t want to
kill you. I don’t think I ever wanted to
fucking kill you. Fucking you, now
that’s another story. But killing?
works, you’d be more than surprised at that.”
He sighed and set his wineglass on the table, laying his cigarette down
lightly as well. He then stoo and and
moved down to sit beside her, kissing her on the mouth briefly before pulling
away to look at her. “As for what’s
going to happen next? Who
the fuck knows? I’ll tell you this
me. Do you understand that at all?
again. I won’t.
what’s rightfully mine either. I’m a
possessive son of a bitch, and once something’s mine, I hold on to it.
beyond that? I haven’t
got a fucking clue. I’m not going
to change. I’m going to keep killing
people. It’s what I do.
You’re going to have to deal with that too.”
her. “Say thinthing, vixen,” he said
softly.
“Jeffrey. . .” Salida knew there
was only one way to respond to that, and she could feel Jeffrey tense in
preparation of her oh-so-promising beginning.
“What I want is the same as almost any other woman.
fallen in love with, is willing to be there when I need him.
being there. I don’t want to change
you. I don’t mind that you like killing
people, as long as you don’t do it as an obvious taunt to the police, or as
long as it isn’t someone I like. Why
should I mind, when they’d all jump up to get rid of me if they knew that I
wasn’t . . . I wasn’t supposed to be here?
I just don’t want to tie you down.
I mean, you want to go to
to jet set, to move to another country entirely . . . I don’t.
sycophant who gets what she wants and pays for it through sex.
And I highly recommend you not ask what ‘more’ is unless you really want
to know.”
“I really fucking want to know, Salida,” Jeffrey said, using her name
instead of her nickname purposefully.
“I’m a fucking textbook schizo too, you know.
myself into as much as you do. I’m not a
fucking coward or a child. And as for
and the money? Who
the fuck cares? I’ve never liked the
money. I hate the entire rich fucking
lifestyle. Sands is a fucking stuck-up
bastard snob and I hate him. I hate
everything about people like him. People
like that are the real cowards. They
hide behind their money and fucking possessions and don’t experience real
life. I want to experience real life,
Salida. And if you want to go to
Orleans
I’m sure. And I’ve always been somewhat
partial to Cajun food,” he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood a
little. “So tell me, what do you want?
listening. So spill, sugarbutt.”
“You’re serious about wanting me?” she whispered, still a little scared.
“Just as fucking serious as I am about not getting caught by the
authorities.”
Salida nodded with a silent laugh, more a simple quick exhalation of air
than an expression of mirth.
“Jeffrey? What do people come to
Vegas<:pla:place>
Other than gambling, show-girls, and Siegfried and
his eyes, no sense of humor anywhere on her face.
Jeffrey frowned for a minute.
“Cheap Elvis impersonators? To
find the fucking American Dream?” She
didn’t seem to like the answers he was giving her, and suddenly it came to him
and his eyes widened.
quick marriage capital of the
can’t be serious. Can she?
“I knew you weren’t going to
be happy,” Salida said in a choked voice.
It’d been hard to even say what she wanted indirectly, and this . . .
this tone in his voice, the one that showed he’d just been broadsided, was what
she’d wanted to avoid. “Look, just
forget it,” she murmured, getting up from the couch.
the moment, she could keep herself from crying.
She’d never cried, and she didn’t want to now.
could escaped, jerking her back down onto the couch.
“You didn’t fucking answer me, Salida.
Are you fucking serious? Is that
what you fucking want?”
“Yes. It’s what I fucking
psychopath who has one of the dirtiest mouths I’ve ever heard and who also has
another personality in his head who wouldn’t mind seeing me
I want to play house, waiting for him to come home and say, ‘Gee, honey,
guess who I fucking killed today?’ I
want to have to tell telemarketers who call to call back later because my
gorgeous, but by all means clinically insane, husband is fucking me so hard
that I can’t focus on anything other than how much I want him to do it
harder.n stn style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I am insane, and I want to
commit fraud by marrying a man who doesn’t exist, but that’s alright because I
don’t exist, and I don’t exist for anyone but him.”
tears leaking from her eyes or the stunned look on Jeffrey’s face.
the man I love is mine, and mine
alone, and I want to be able to say that I’m his.”
Finally she ground to a halt, panting, her
breath leaving her in short sobs. “God,
I hate you at the moment, but if you even fucking consider leaving, I’ll hunt
you down and you’ll have to worry about my
homicidal tendencies.”
“Oh I’ve no doubt that you could show me a few things if you were in the
right frame of mind, vixen,” Jeffrey muttered, still more than a bit floored at
what Salida had just laid on the table.
“Ok, holy fuck don’t go fucking psycho on me or anything, but you’ve got
to give me a few fucking minutes to process this, vixen.
someone. Especially when that someone is
me.” He took a few deep breaths and
tried to calm some of the panic that was currently tearing its way through his
lean form. He had to think long and hard
about what he said next or something . . . unpleasant was sure to happen.
fucking want to marry her? Its balls to
the walls time here, Jeffrey. What do you want?
“Her,” Jeffrey muttered aloud softly.
“What did you say?” Salida asked quietly.
Jeffrey turned to her, looking into her eyes deeply.
sure. This is what she fucking wants.
countenance. “Fine.
want. I not going to fucking say I’m not
ready to leap out of a window right now in shock, but I will marry you,
vixen. If you wanted to go right now,
you’ll have to give me a chance to get some fucking clothes on.
too,” he muttered his mind racing. He
suddenly frowned. “And just to make sure
you’re really sure of this, I feel I should fucking warn you; do you really
want to spend the rest of your life as Mrs. Salida Sands?
too.”
“It’s better than what my last name is at the moment, trust me.”
you into anything. I want to be married,
but it’s not something I need. I need
I can live without all the other stuff.”
She laughed. “Not that I think I
could force you to do anything . . . but I don’t want to coerce you
either. Not to mention that this is
really going to piss Sands off.”
That startled a laugh out of Jeffrey.
“Oh there’s no fucking question about that.
though, vixen. I’ll marry you.
adventure to say the least. And what’s
the worst that could happen? If we
decide we don’t want to be married anymore we can always kill each other.
smirk. “But if you want to get this
wedding thing on, we’d best do it tonight while Sands is still fucking
indisposed. It would be fucking annoying
to have him objecting in the middle of the fucking ceremony, you know what I
mean? But the more I think about it, the
more I find that I want to marry you too, vixen.
to even attempt to explain it, but the feeling’s there.
“Call me insecure if you fucking like.
But I want proof that you’re mine.
Something permanent. And as far
as permanence goes, marriage is pretty fucking permanent.”
Salida nodded, breathing deeply.
At a loss for words, she murmured, “I don’t want a ring.
this as much as she did, she was in a state of shock, her entire body
trembling.
Jeffrey noticed, and pulled her to her feet.
vixen.”
She shook her head. “I
won’t. I don’t like being cold.”
they reached her bedroom. Her paralysis
only broke when he stripped her t-shirt up and over her head.
shirt back.
“Were you planning on wearing that?” he asked.
She looked down at the faded shirt in her hands.
shop for a few dollars. “No.
“Were you planning on getting married while naked?
might raise a few eyebrows.”
Salida actually laughed, finally feeling a bit of mixed happiness and
relief break through the fog surrounding her.
“No. I know what I want to
wear.” She crossed the room to her
suitcase, pulling out some clothes.
“Give me five minutes, lover,” she murmured, kissing him on the cheek
before going into the bathroom.
Jeffrey waited – impatiently – as Salida got dressed.
she looked good. She was wearing a
short, flared black skirt, a grey tank top, and his favorite accessory, a silk
scarf around her neck. He recognized the
bit of silk, the red so dark that it was nearly black.
on her neck as well as providing a nice reminder of how they’d met.
“I was wondering where that’d gotten
to,” he murmured, fingering the scarf as Salida fastened another scarf around
the cotton bandage on her wrist. “I
could only find one of them.”
“Call me sentimental,” Salida
said. She tucked some hair behind her
ear, having left it loose except for a red lacquered wooden comb.
she’d kept.
For a moment, Salida took the opportunity to run her own eyes over
Jeffrey, ning ing that he’d gotten dressed just as quickly as she had . . . and
that his shirt had very few wrinkles for a piece of silk that been
unceremoniously thrown to the floor several hours before now.
that he looked deliciously tousled, and that the black did wonderful things for
his lean form.
With a deep breath she asked, “Shall we go?”
“Lead on, vixen. I don’t know
this fucking city any better than you do.
Now the question becomes; marriage or tattoos first?
“Well, since I plan on using my tattoo as my wedding band, I don’t
suppose it really matters. I’ve never
been one for wearing a lot of jewelry.
it. Suddenly aware that it was rather
late at night she mentioned, “We might want to see if there’s even a tattoo
place that’s open all night. Not that I
don’t doubt that there is, I’d just like to know where it is before we go.
A few minutes later, Jeffrey exclaimed in triumph, ripping a page out of
the phone book. He then grabbed Tessa’s
hand and pulled her out of the room.
the taxi fare and together the two of them got out of the car and stood in
front of a garish red and purple neon sign that proclaimed “Vi’s
House of Pain.”
“Vi as in vixen. Of course you
would choose this place,” Salida said with a laugh.
“What can I say? It just fucking
called out to me. Ready to be marked, my
sexy little fiancée?” Jeffrey asked with a smirk.
herself pulled into the rather sizeable tattoo parlor.
“Welcome to the House of Pain.
What’s your pleasure?” a woman covered head to toe in vibrantly colorful
tattoos called out from behind a large wooden desk that dominated the center of
the room.
“We’re here to get tattoos,” Jeffrey said with roll of eyes as if the
woman before him had just asked the most idiotic question in the world.
face to face.
“What kind of tattoos? You’re
going to have to be a little more specific than that, dearie,” the woman said
with a smirk.
“I’ll just leave that up to my fiancée here,” Jeffrey said, gesturing to
Salida with a smirk of his own. “So,
what’ll it be, vixen? You’re the one
running this show.”
Salida blushed, unused to this kind of attention.
turned her attention to the woman. “I
want a tattoo on my ring finger . . . an actual ring tattoo.
she corrected herself, “my fiancé what he wants though.”
“Let’s get you squared away first.”
The woman pulled out a three-ring notebook.
Salida felt Jey sey stand over her shoulder as she tried to decide what
tattoo she wanted. Simple. I want something simple.
weave of three lines.
“Good enough. I need to see some
ID . . .” the woman trailed off as Salida pulled out the fake ID she’d had made
for her. “Ok, then.
Jeffrey pursed his lips at that and fought not to scowl.
the woman. To her credit, she didn’t
comment on Sands’ first name like everyone else
did. If she had, he might have been
forced to kill her later.
“Now, what’s your pleasure, sweet cheeks?” the woman asked with a smile.
He snorted at that and snatched the book of Celtic designs away from
Salida’s grasp and began flipping through the pages.
design that was similar to the one Salida had chosen but many times more
complicated.
“Nice choice, hon. Now, which one
of you wants to go first? I see that
lover boy here’s had experience, but you dear, I’ll bet you’re a virgin.”
Salida coughed a little at that.
The woman laughed. “No, I’m sure
with a specimen like him you’re definitely not going to be deserving of a white
wedding. I certainly wouldn’t be with
him around, but what I meant was a tattoo virgin, dearie.”
“Oh,” Salida said, blushing furiously.
“Well then, yes. I’ve never had a
tattoo before.”
“That means you get to go first.
You ready? I can take you and
lover-boy in the back right now.
Generally we don’t like more than one person back there at a time for
health reasons, but I’m betting he’s not the patient type, hmm?”
“You’ve got that fucking right,” Jeffrey muttered, stuffing his wallet
back into his pants pocket.
The woman nodded and clicked her tongue in thought.
then. I’m Lady Vi by the way,” the woman
said with a nod in introduction before turning to head back to one of the many
rooms in the tattoo parlour.
Salida followed, Jeffrey close on
her heels. She looked at him over her
shoulder before ‘Lady Vi’ got her attention.
“Just have a seat. You chose
something relatively simple, so this shouldn’t take long.
Salida considered flipping the woman off,
merely for rea reaction she’d get out of Jeffrey, but refrained.
“Let me guess, non-traditionalists.”
“I actually prefer the term, ‘unconventionally sane’,” Salida murmured
as she watched Vi sanitize the tool she was going to
use to permanently etch ink into her finger.
The other woman saw her considering look.
with ink, then took a seat by Salida.
“Feel free to hold your fiancée’s hand if you get tense.”
reason for that matter.”
The first few seconds were the worst as far as Salida was
concerned. It was definitely
needles, but she was soon able to block the sensation out.
For a moment she did nothing more than sit in the chair and stare at her
hand and its new decoration.
she smiled.
“Your turn, lover boy,” Lady Vi said once
Salida had propped herself out of the chair.
“I assuming you want it on the left ring finger too?”
chair, rolling up the cuff of his sleeve slightly.
already. How many do you have
altogether?” Lady Vi asked as she began to tattoo
Jeffrey’s finger.
“I’ve never actually counted them.
Twelve maybe?” Jeffrey ventured with a frown.
“You mean you don’t know?” she asked, not looking up from her work on
Jeffrey’s finger.
“I wasn’t exactly there for most of them,” Jeffrey answered her.
I get a lot of guys that come through here
drunk off of their asses asking for the most idiotic tattoos imaginable.
a picture of a chicken being hung tattooed on his right calf.
“So that he could claim he had cock hung below his knee, right?” Jeffrey
asked as if were the simplest explanation in the world.
“Exactly,” Lady Vi said with a shake of her
head. “So, were you drunk when you got
these?” She nodded her head to the two tattoos on Jeffrey’s hands.
“Not exactly. I didn’t really
fucking exist at the time,” Jeffrey muttered offhandedly, not missing the look
Salida shot him.
“What do you mean by that? ‘Not
exist?’ What, are you some kind of
rebirth Christian or something?”
“Or something. I’m schizophrenic
actually. And so is she,” Jeffrey said,
casting a glance in Salida’s direction.
“No shit, really? We’ll I’ll be
damned. That’s not something you see
everyday.”
“No, it’s certainly not,” Jeffrey said, not taking his eyes
three of them remained silent until both of their tattoos were finished,
wrapped in gauze and paid for. Then the
two schizophrenics in love moved on.
The couple got into another taxi – the sheer number of them around at
this time of night amazed Salida – and when he asked where they wanted to go,
they just looked at each other.
“The nearest chapel without a Elvis
impersonator, I suppose,” Salida told him, not looking away from Jeffrey.
Last stop. Did she care?
“And get us there as fast as you can.”
“Eager, vixen?”
She shrugged. “Impatient.
through with this, I’ll have had enough time to . . . recover.”
“Although, I almost want to wait until we can clear things up with our
audience.” She tapped Jeffrey’s forehead
lightly.
“Fuck, don’t remind me about that bastard.
his fucking annoying voice every day.
Yeah, I fucking know it sounds almost like mine, but that’s not the
point and you know it,” Jeffrey said with a slight glare in Salida’s
direction. “And you better be fucking
recovered by then. I expect a fucking
honeymoon, vixen.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Salida defended herself, not rising to
the bait with his honeymoon comment.
“Uh huh. But you’re right.
can get rid of him so I guess he’ll just have to fucking put up and shut
up.” The cab suddenly came to a stop
then, and Salida could see the tension fill Jeffrey’s lean frame.
“You’re not having second thoughts are you, lover?
out now,” she warned, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Jeffrey laughed at that and kissed her on the forehead lightly in a
somewhat uncharacteristic display of affection.
“Give me a break, vixen. I’m a
guy on his fucking wedding day. I’m supposed
to have second thoughts. And third, and
forth. That doesn’t mean that I’m not
going to go through with it though. And
I know you’re ready to go through with it, so let’s get this show on the road
Mrs. soon-to-be Sands.” He shook his
head at that and opened the cab door before paying the driver.
said with a laugh. “It’s one thing to
have your body shanghaied. It’s entirely
another to have your body shanghaied, tattooed and married all in one night.”
“I suppose so,” Salida said with a thoughtful look on her face.
up and shut up,’ right?”
“You better believe it, sugarbutt,” Jeffrey
said with a smirk. “Now let’s go do this
thing.”
The wedding itself was relatively simple.
of the peace who was wearing a dress of eye smarting pink, and
mi
minutes. That was it.
being intensely private about such things and because they’d already said
everything that really mattered in the hotel room.
(or possibly the transvestite) askeasked for the exchange of rings, but other
than that, things went smoothly.
Until the kiss. The words, “You
may kiss the bride,” rang softly in Salida’s ears as she realized just what
she’d done. She tossed back her hair and
looked slightly up at Jeffrey, seeing possession and more flair in his eyes,
and then she had to gasp as he attacked her mouth, his lips gentle but with
enough passion to make her shiver. He’d
pulled away briefly to whisper ‘mine,’ before returning to her mouth again.
“Whoa there, lovebirds,” the justice of the peace had called out
them. “Save that kind of stuff for
ho
honeymoon. Now, if you’ll follow
looking Mexican in leopard print pants and nothing else, “you’ll be able to
receive your complementary photo in light of your newly wedded bliss.
Incorporated: Where matches are made.”
“Easy lover, let’s just go,” Salida whispered in Jeffrey’s ear when she
felt him tense and his hand move for one of the weapons under his jacket.
Jeffrey smiled brightly at this, the tension leaving his body almost
instantly, and they had gotten a picture taken and developed and were on their
way back to the hotel in no time at all.
Jeffrey didn’t carry Salida over
the threshold of the room so much as it would have taken a crowbar to get her
to move even a millimeter away from him.
Locked in a passionate embrace that had made several people in the
elevator uncomfortable – not that they’d noticed – they both fumbled to close
the door without breaking their kiss or the path of their roaming hands.
Finally Salida had to take a breath.
She jerked her head away with a gasp, moaning when Jeffrey immediately
attacked the space behind her ear. “Is
he stirring yet or do we have time to fall into bed and fuck as man and wife
first?” she queried breathlessly.
“Fuck Sands,” he grumbled, not wanting to divert his attention from the
woman nearly squirming under his lips.
“That’s my point. I’d rather fuck
my husband.” God, she enjoyed saying
that word more than she should. “Is he
waking, Jeffrey? I assume that injection
will last for eight hours, but I’ve never tested it before.”
soon, she was going to fall into bed with him despite the caution that was
urging her to check in on her husband’s other side.
. .”
Jeffrey growled at that. “Fuck
yes I mind him watching.” He paused and
called out to Sands in his head. There
was no response. “He’s still gone.
feel him stirring. Now, where were
his attack on Salida’s lips, his hands running without thought or purpose over
her body. He simply had to touch
her. In fact, he couldn’t get enough of
the feeling of her bare skin under her shirt as he ran his hands across her
back. He needed to get to the bedroom,
and fucking soon.
“Jeffrey,” Salida whispered urgently around his kisses.
“What now?”
She had to smile at the impatience and irritation in his voice, because
she knew exactly what was causing it. “I
can ask you anything, right?”
He groaned, but nodded, his lips never leaving her for a second.
“Good.” She swallowed and took a
shuddery breath. “Will you take me right
here? Give the bed a bit of a break?”
Jeffrey didn’t have to be told twice.
He reached under her skirt and growled when he found that she had
forgone underwear under it. “Always
thinking ahead, are we vixen?”
“More like I know you, and I knew you would appreciate the gesture,
husband mine,” Salida said with a smile.
Husband mine.
that turned him on unimaginably. He
slowly pulled her over to the long couch; not wanting to get fucking rug burns
on the floor, and unzipped and pulled down his pants slightly, flipped up the
edge of Salida’s skirt, and entered her with a decisive thrust.
“Couldn’t wait to get me undressed first?” Salida asked breathily,
meeting his thrusts.
“You fucking got that right,” Jeffrey said, placing a hand on either
side of her to prop himself up before quickening his pace.
Salida couldn’t imagine how incredibly close she was to coming
already. All she could think about was
getting closer to this man who was now her husband, on
getting her eager hands under his shirt to touch his skin, and on how much her
neighbors to either side of her suite must be hating them now.
them, she thought, throwing one leg over the back of the couch and wrapping
the other around Jeffrey’s hips. She
cried out as he started moving even deeper inside her; her hips were raised off
the couch and her shoulders were resting on the cushions, and she had to hold
onto his shoulders to keep herself from being moved up the couch.
“Mi dios,
Jeffrey . . . I’m so close already. I
can feel it building in . . . inside me, like a demented jack-in-the-box.”
small of her back, not letting her retreat at all from his thrusts.
keep her eyes open and focused on his face.
“Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you are to me right now,
vixen? My wife, my lover, my
Salida. You are mine in word and fucking
deed now. And I’m yours.
stand to keep your eyes open. Gasping
for breath like a fish out of the fucking water.
right now?” he asked with a moan, thrusting even harder and deeper within
her. “You’re mine, and I’m never going
to let you fucking go. Never.
feeling his breaking point draw ever nearer.
He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer, and he could already tell
she was close to her own edge. “Come for
me, my vixen, my wife.
I want to see you lost in your own sensations and feelings, the world
drifting away save for just the two of us.
As if nothing else fucking mattered.
And it doesn’t. Nothing else in
this whole fucking world matters but the two of us,
right here, right now. Come for me, my
wife. Now.”
His hand slipped from her back and ground against her clit roughly,
demanding she give way to his command and his dominion.
She couldn’t do anything else.
Screaming, every muscle in her body flexing painfully, she came hard,
pulling Jeffrey close to her with hands that dug into his back.
it took for Jeffrey to come as well, grinding his hips down against hers, just
managing to rub against her clit. With a
surprised gasp, Salida felt that single motion throw her orgasm into overdrive,
her muscles tensing and relaxing in painfully slow waves.
Still trapped within her body’s release, she distantly felt Jeffrey
slump against her. She fought to
breathe, not quite understanding what was happening to her.
wave wracked her body, making her bite back a whimper.
Jeffrey’s mouth move, but she couldn’t hear over the pounding of blood in her
ears.
“Oh god . . . I’m not done yet . . .” she ground out through gritted
teeth. “Please make it stop.”
could hardly bear it. She whimpered as
she felt Jeffrey pull out of her, his hands stroking her face gently.
fucking stop.”
Jeffrey couldn’t help it; he moved his hand down to her clit and
caressed it lightly, causing her to come again and again,
before finally forcing him to stop upon seeing shiny tears running down her
face. “Are you alright, vixen?” he asked
at last, feeling a bit like an ass for not stopping when she asked him.
exactly, but he didn’t really feel entirely good about himself either.
looked at her, waiting for a response; his body almost completely limp on top
of her own.
It took her several moments to gather enough strength to answer, and
when she did, it was with a voice made rough by passion and emotion.
think I was dreaming.” Finally the
demands of her body were dying away to ash, no longer tormenting her, no longer
demanding pleasure. With a sigh, she
murmured, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I
love –”she yawned hard enough to make her jaw pop.
tried to open them, feeling the lids flutter under the heavy weight of total
and complete exhaustion. She simply
want to fall asleep in your arms. In the
bed. Where I won’t get cold.”
Jeffrey sighed at that but slowly pulled himself off
of her, standing to zip up his pants.
He looked down at Salida briefly before lifting her up into his arms and
slowing carrying her to the bedroom. He
then laid her down upon the bed and began slowly undressing her without a word;
his every touch gentle. Once he had
finally divested her of all her remaining clothes, noticing that she had
forgone a bra as well, he looked down upon her and spoke softly, “You might
want to put something on. Or else, I
might find myself tempted to . . . disturb your rest through the night, vixen.”
She groaned, screwing her eyes shut before
opening them to look around. Jeffrey had
incidentally managed to set her down on what was ‘her side’ of the bed.
drawer next to her, pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
morning.”
Jeffrey looked at the bedside clock, then out the window.
was starting to turn dark grey instead of black.
He went over to close the curtains, and when he turned back to the bed,
he saw that Salida was still managing to fight against sleep, her eyes sleepily
watching him. “What?”
“Aren’t you the least bit –” she yawned, “the least bit tired?”
Jeffrey shrugged. “I suppose I
am, but I’ve never much cared for sleep.
Too much time wasted that could be spent in much more fun ways.
sleep.” Salida’s eyes began to droop
again and Jeffrey chuckled softly. “I’ll
take that as a yes. But know this; I’m
not sure who’ll wake up tomorrow. Do you
understand? Sometimes one of us wakes up
before the other and has complete control until the other of us wakes up.
cautioned, sitting on the edge of the bed and removing his shoes, pants and
shirt. Salida smiled sleepily to see
that he had forgone underwear as well and watched as he moved to pull on his
boxers before sliding into bed next to her.
“I fucking wish I hadn’t torn up the sheet now,” Jeffrey muttered.
speaking again. “But keep in mind what I
told you, vixen. And be careful.”
“Always,” she whispered, moving to rest her head against his
shoulder. “I’m a light sleeper . . . and
I’m enjoying being your wife too much to die now.”
into the sleep of the physically exhausted and completely sated.
“I think I love you too,” Jeffrey whispered to her sleeping form before
wrapping his arms around her tightly and letting sleep claim his as well.
************************************************************************
Salida awoke a good many hours later
and immediately turned to the man at her side; her husband.
unfortunately, and her neck was now paying the price.
she took a long moment to look up at his sleeping face, marveling how someone
like him could manage to look so completely innocent while sleeping.
charming at the same time. She was about
to drift back to sleep when Jeffrey’s words from last night came back to her
and she decided to take action. She
raised herself up off of Jeffrey, moving as slowly as
she possibly could as not to wake him, and took a long glance at the strips of
the bed sheet he had used to tie her up with.
They were still mostly in once piece, enough to suit her needs.
both of Jeffrey’s wrists to the bed, thanking God that he seemed to be a much
deeper sleeper than she was. If it was
Jeffrey who awoke, he’d be pissed off at being tied up, but she’d get to make
him feel better and have some fun in the mean time.
at least she’d be somewhat safe.
She let out a shgaspgasp as the man in question stirred slightly before
fully realizing what kind of situation he was in.
arms, his eyes snapped open and he pulled at the restraints.
remained securely fastened. “What the
fuck is going on here?” he shouted before his now blazing eyes came to rest on
her form, sitting a safe distance away from him.
You did this to me didn’t you, you little bitch?
Fuck.
Why’d it have to be Sands?
said wearily.
“What the fuck did you do to me last night?
in that fucking club, the next I wake up fucking here.
promise I’ll make it quick,” he ordered, his eyes and voice cold and unfeeling.
“And if I leave you there, I’ll be fine until Jeffrey wakes up,” she
pointed out, her head held high, but her heart sinking wearily.
kill me.
be best if she were prepared just in case Sands did manage to get free.
Walking across the room, she picked up Jeffrey’s knife and gun from the
floor, making sure she could see Sands at all times.
thor aor and pulled out the needle she’d used last night.
she would if she had too.
“Damn you, you fucking bitch.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that you swear.
Quite a bit, actually.” Salida
was now supremely glad that she’d gotten dressed earlier in the morning.
small vial of medication that she’d used the night before.
She also removed a roll of duct tape.
It didn’t do to travel without some.
“What’s that for?” he demanded, watching her out of eyes full of hate.
“For you, if you get on my nerves.”
With that said, she sat down in a nearby chair, prepared to wait for her
husband to wake up.
“Who the fuck are you?” Sands asked, seemingly resigned to the fact that
he was at her mercy for the moment. He
didn’t fucking like it, but there didn’t seem to be anything he could do about
it. For now.
toy to Jeffrey or else you’d be dead by now.
He doesn’t usually keep women around long.
managed to stay alive this long? I really
want to know.”
“I’m Salida,” she said, as if that were all he needed to know.
killed me. I’ll leave any explanations
beyond that to him.” She looked ands
nds
curiously. “Why do you hate me?
you.”
Sands looked a little taken aback at that.
I fucking hate this woman? “To tell
you the truth, I don’t really know. I
think you just rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning.
neither did pulling a fucking gun on me.”
He didn’t really know why he was being so honest with this woman.
truth, and that’s what hs dos doing.
selfish psychotic bastard. “Before
you fucking drugged me last night I didn’t really hate you exactly.
hadn’t told me anything about you. I
don’t like secrets, Salida. Especially
not from someone within my own head.”
wanted to kill me though, I could see it in your
eyes.”
He shrugged. “I’m a sociopath, as
you pointed out last night. I’ve woken
up plenty of mornings to find a dead woman in bed next to me.
your ‘death’ got from Jeffrey. I want
him fucking out of my head. I thought
you might be my ticket.” As he talked,
he tested how tightly his bonds were tied.
They were tight, and they were rather uncompromising . . . but if he used
enough strength, he might be able to break free.
“Hmm . . .” Salida commented noncommittally.
closed for longer than the space of a blink, could feel her body protesting
against her state of heightened awareness.
Tough luck, she thought to
herself as she rubbed her eyes.
“But now that I think about it, killing you to get Jeffrey out of my
head might not be such a fucking good idea after all.
he learned I killed his little fucktoy would turn his
attention on destroying me. And I won’t
allow that to happen. I’d rather put up
with him to the end of our fucking days that allow that psychotic bastard to
win over me. So if you were hoping you
and that little drug of yours is going to keep me away forever, tough
it up.”
“We’ll see about that.” Finding
herself tired of Sands’ company, Salida raised her
voice and yelled, “Jeffrey! You stubborn
bastard! I thought you said you weren’t
tired!” Then she grinned at Sands.
Sands eyes narrowed at that and he was just about to speak before he
felt Jeffrey stir. Well this should be fucking interesting, he thought with a glower
in Salida’s direction. “You got your
fucking wish, lady fucking sunrise,” he said through gritted teeth.
“You don’t have to fucking shout.
I’m awake. Are you having a nice
fucking chat with Sands, vixen?” Jeffrey asked after pulling at the straps
lightly and then leaving them alone. He
didn’t like being tied up, but it was for the best at the moment.
Salida shrugged. “Well, other
than I think he uses a more diverse selection of curse words than you, and the
fact that I don’t trust him any more than I can separate you two . . .” she
shrugged again. “I’d kiss you good
morning, but I’m afraid he’d bite.”
“Well isn’t this just fucking lovely?
A kiss good morning, how charming.
I think I’m going to heave,” Sands said with a roll of his eyes.
“Shut the fuck up Sands,” Jeffrey and Salida said in stereo.
“Oh, but I’m having way too much fun for that.
we’re screwing.”
Jeffrey rolled his eyes at that.
“This is Salida. My, excuse me,
throwing Sands’ own words back in his face.
“Surely you fucking jest,” Sands said, his face going a bit pale.
Salida shook her head. “I can get
the license if you want,” she murmured, directing her words to both men.
two men but only one body . . . but no more strange than the fact she’d fallen
in love with a psychotic/sociopathic schizophrenic.
holding up her finger for Sands to see, hoping he’d realize that he had a
matching tattoo now.
“Oh this is not fucking happening.
You selfish bastard,” he said quietly.
“So what, we’re just all supposed to fucking get along ‘til death do us
part? One big fucked up family?
preposterous. I don’t even like you, let
alone want to be married to you,” Sands directed to Salida.
“I fucking hate you too,” Jeffrey said with a cheerful smirk.
fucking choice. It’s done, deal with
it. Either you put the fuck up and shut
up, or you and me are going to have a go.”
“‘Going to have a go?’ I don’t
fucking believe this,” Sands said with a somewhat desperate sounding
laugh. “You two have effectively managed
to steal my goddamned life. I hope
you’re proud of yourselves,” Sands said bitterly.
Salida simply shrugged again.
“You would steal ours if given the chance.
tried for years and never once felt guilty.
If you’re looking for pity, you came to the wrong place.”
it was simply matter of fact. She did
feel a twinge of guilt, though, somewhere inside her, but it was a long way
off. This was the way the world
worked. The strong survived off the
weak. And this wasn’t her fight.
that this all rested on.
“You’re right, I would. In a
heartbeat. But it doesn’t look like I’m
going to get that chance, does it? Tell
me Jeffrey, would you really fight me for her?” he asked aloud.
Jeffrey cast a glance to Salida and answered without faltering, “Yes.”
Sands sighed. “I thought as
much. And if I killed her, what would
you do then?” Sands asked, wishing for once he could see
Jeffrey’s face as he spoke to him.
“I would fucking kill you, you bastard, so don’t even think about it,”
Jeffrey threatened coldly.
“You mean, you would kill yourself,” Sands pointed out with a
frown. Did Jeffrey really care about
this woman to kill himself over her death?
Jeffrey paused, considering Sands’ question.
you, you sociopathic bastard, than lose her again, savvy?”
“Savvy,” Sands muttered absently, completely floored.
you?”
Jeffrey rolled his eyes at that.
“Yes I really fucking care about her.
Do you really think she’d still be alive if I didn’t?” he pointed out,
chancing a glance in Salida’s direction.
She was watching him, curiosity and tiredness
mixed on her face . . . but her eyes were unreadable.
eyes of hers, waiting for some sort of resolution, not giving any indication
that she was going to leave or that she really gave a damn about the outcome of
this verbal sparring. But then she
looked down at her ring tattoo, her lips moving silently, and when she looked
back up at him she mouthed the words, “I love you,” her face breaking into a
gentle smile.
No one had ever looked at him that way.
All the smiles had been reserved for Sands.
Sands’ world had been decidedly fucked up.
when did I fucking lose control? he asked
himself. The answer came almost
immediately. When she fucking walked into Jeffrey’s life.
feeling for her slowly drifted away, leaving an extreme sense of curiosity in
its wake. “Who are you?” Sands asked her
again, his voice not much more than a whisper.
Jeffrey genuinely cared for this woman, even perhaps loved her if he was
being honest with himself, and she fucking loved him back.
sake. Fuck, I’m married, he thought to himself, the reality of the
situation crashing down upon him all at once, leaving him more than a little
unbalanced.
He asked me that once already, and
I answered. What more does he want?
disturbance in her eyes. It was a good
question. She’d only been a living,
cognizant person – so to speak – for a few weeks now.
Jeffrey, and she knew she loved him, and that she was his wife.
that to be anyone.
“I don’t know what you mean,” she admitted, wishing she could look to
Jeffrey for support without looking at Sands.
One was the reason she was here, and the other was the reason she was
now confused. But she couldn’t let that
get the better of her. Not now.
anything –”
“I think he’s trying to understand just how effectively you’ve managed
to turn me into a whipped married man, vixen,” Jeffrey said with a smirk and a
wink in her direction. “Not that I
really minded.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s what I’m asking,” Sands said quietly, sounding a
bit withdrawn. “I want to
understand. How could this have happened?”
Sands asked, his dark eyes staring deep into hers, searching for answers.
“You’re asking the wrong person,” Salida protested.
decided, ‘Let’s go look for potential husbands.’
the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t exactly impressed with him either.”
“I never claimed to be a sane woman.
Even knowing full well what he was capable of .
. . I trusted him. He was the first, and
to date only, person to give a damn about me.
I’m not some miracle worker, capable of taming raving psychotics.
“I don’t buy that,” Sands said immediately.
“And I resent the fact that you thought I was some kind of beatnik
wannabe, vixen. That hurts.
placing a hand over his chest as if he was in pain.
“Shut up Jeffrey,” Sands muttered before turning back to Salida.
long! It’s only been three fucking
weeks!”
Three weeks, Salida thought to
herself, It
however. “And the fact that you’re a
schizophrenic as well is just beyond belief.”
“Believe it, fuckmook.
looking for a quick fuck and a little homicidal fun, and I ended up with a
wife. I don’t know how things moved
along so fast, they just did. The
question you have to ask yourself now is fucking this: will you accept it?
now or we have no life at all? Will
you?”
Salida looked at the hand that Jeffrey had placed over his heart.
that come lose? she wondered, suddenly
uneasy. The conversation up to this
point had distracted her. Distraction
was not a good state of mind to be in.
Paying attention to the two men again, she found that they were arguing
over what ‘our life’ meant, and just what part she was going to be playing in
it.
You thought it’d be easier, didn’t you?
“What?” Salida whispered, looking up just in time to see Sands/Jeffrey
getting up off the bed, pacing and making rather exaggerated hand gestures.
Life is hard. Life is pain.
you have them. Never me again.
“Fuck,” she whispered.
Jeffrey and Sands were really going at it now.
Jeffrey had done, but he was no longer feeling homicidal.
chance. She must have something going for her if she can put up with Jeffrey
enough to marry the bastard, a thought that was still unbelievable to
him. But that wasn’t why he was arguing
with said bastard right now. No, he was
arguing because they had to set some fucking ground rules.
long ago. If it had been, perhaps all of
this might have been avoided. Sands
trailed off from his rant when he felt that Jeffrey was no longer listening to
him. “Jeffrey?
bastard. This is fucking important.”
“Blah, blah, blah,” Jeffrey said slowly.
“Do you ever fucking shut up?”
Before Sands could retort, he heard Salida gasp, and turned to look at
her a mere second before Jeffrey would have.
Something was wrong.
“Vixen?” Jeffrey asked, moving to stand by her side.
“Nothing. I’m fine.
to change the topic. “You boys done
playing yet? I don’t know about you, but
I’m still tired.” Yes. Tired.
Sleep will help –
“I don’t buy it, vixen.” Salida
looked up with wide innocent eyes.< sty style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “And
I don’t fucking buy that either. What
made you gasp?”
“On which occasion?” she asked with a wry smile.
“Well, I see some of what fucking attracted you to her,” Sands
muttered. “But still, keeping secrets .
. .” he shook his head and clicked his tongue.
'>
“Not a good way to start a mage.age.”
“Shut the hell up, Sands,” Salida replied.
“But it is mine,” Jeffrey put in, a frown on his face.
“It’s nothing. Just a little . .
. internal advice I could do without at the moment, in a voice I haven’t heard
in awhile. Not that its
eager to offer more.”
“Good, od, this isn’t going to fucking turn into a foursome, is it?”
“Tell me,
asked, making light conversation. He was
warming to the girl somewhat. Standing
up to him had raised his opinion of her somewhat, but she still had a long
fucking way to go yet.
“Answer the question vixen,”
Jeffrey said, ignoring Sands.
“Which one, yours or Sands’?” Salida asked, attempting once more to
change the subject. She really didn’t
want to talk about this right now, and the bed was starting to look more and
more inviting with every passing second.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Jeffrey said firmly.
trouble? Tell me, vixen.”
“No. At least, I don’t think
so. She said that life was hard, and
that it hurt, and that she wanted no part of it.”
too, so who knows when that might change?”
The joke fell flat, so she turned back to reassurance.
hasn’t come out of her hidey-hole. I was
just startled, that’s all. Three weeks
is a lifetime, when you’ve only been ‘alive’ for four or five.”
have taken the first step herself, but didn’t know how to.
Jeffrey seemed to sense what she wanted and walked over to where she sat
and pulled her to her feet and into his arms.
He held her there for a few long minutes, marveling that Sands hadn’t
said a fucking word the entire time.
“Come back to bed, vixen. And if
you’ve got a problem with that, Sands, I don’t fucking care.”
For a long minute, Sands didn’t speak.
When he finally did, it was with a sigh.
“No, I suppose I don’t have a problem with it.
sunrise?”
Salida let Jeffrey lead her over the bed, surprise and confusion making
her almost as tired as she’d been the night before . . . but she still had the
strength of will to stand up to Sands.
“Yeah, I’m here to stay. Until
one of the three of us kills the other.”
She slipped under the blankets, rolling onto her side.
climbing in after her and wrapping an arm around her waist.
was Jeffrey . . . she knew him. But just
for safety’s sake she muttered, “You lay one hand on me Sands, and I swear I’ll
break it. And then, considerate wife
that I am, I’ll set it for my husband.”
Then to Jeffrey she said, “You can watch TV or something if you want,
unless you were planning to sleep too.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sunrise,” Sands said with a smirk.
this girl. She had spirit.
“I’ll sleep. It’s better than
having Sands sit there and complain about which shows he wants to watch,”
Jeffrey said with a frown.
“It’s not my fault that you have no taste whatsoever,” Sands muttered
into Salida’s shoulder as Jeffrey leaned in toward her.
sunrise. That’s thet I t I can do for the
moment,” Sands said, feeling the urge to reassure her for some unknown reason.
Her only reply was, “Get your lips off me.”
Sands rolled his eyes, then rolled away from
Salida. The woman simply curled into a
ball and to all appearances, went to sleep.