Episode 2
2000 Words
Whatever. He didn’t give a damn what Jenly thought his reasons for taking a leave of absence were.
“Does Jenly figure into this in anyway? Does he have anything to do with
Jenly’s mother?”
Bunny shook his head. “Fin filled me in on this much. They were briefly
married ten years or so ago. Hasn’t had anything to do with her since. He’s a
good man. His son is in military. He has two other guys working for him. One
was in Special Forces, and the other was a cop before an injury took him out of
the line of duty. They do good work.”
“So it’s only his daughter I need to be concerned about then.”
Bunny nodded. “Exactly.”
It sounded simple enough. Go in, get the information and get out. Hand it
over to the department on a silver platter. Sounded like a cakewalk after some of
the cases he’d been handed over the years. And yeah, he could use the break.
Then he wouldn’t have to think so much about returning to a job without his
partner.
Bunny stared at him for a long moment before he seemed to crumple right in
front of Jhon. “Thanks, son. I knew I could count on you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Jhon said shortly. “Jack would have done
the same for me in a heartbeat.”
He walked over and sat down by Bunny. Neither spoke for a long moment,
and then Jhon reached out and put his hand on Bunny’s shoulder. “Jack will get
the justice he deserves, Bunny. I swear it. Jenly curled into Philip’s limp arm and tried, tried really hard not to
allow the slow roll of disappointment to wash over her.
Her lover’s soft, even breathing filled the room even as he gathered her
closer to his chest. His hand curled into her hair, stroking the back of her neck.
She pressed her cheek further against him and tried to relax. Tried to find
some measure of contentment in the aftermath of their lovemaking.
“Was that good for you?” he whispered.
“Yes,” she lied. Well, it wasn’t really a lie. She’d certainly had worse, and
Philip was a considerate lover. But he was extremely passive.
She sighed and rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. What
was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she find satisfaction? Why was she so afraid
to push for more?
Jenly, I’ve been thinking.”
She turned her head back to Philip. Panic hit her square in the chest. Surely
nothing good ever came of a man saying he’d been thinking. Men just didn’t
think, and they certainly weren’t prone to expressing those thoughts over pillow
talk.
He shifted until he lay on his side facing her.
“I’ve been thinking too, Philip,” she blurted.
He raised his eyebrow. “You first.”
She rose up on her elbow and stared nervously down at him. Her mind raced
to come up with a coherent way to put what she wanted to say. “Why don’t you plan our date tomorrow night? You decide what we’ll do,
where to eat. And maybe afterwards we could come back here, and you could…I
don’t know, tie me up, or do something kinky. Basically whatever you want to
do. Your choice.”
What a disaster. Could she have stated it any more awkwardly? She bit her
lip as she waited for his response.
His eyes widened. Was that surprise or was it excitement?
“Uhm, I’m not sure I follow,” he said uneasily.
Definitely not excitement.
“I want you to take charge,” she said softly.
He sat up in bed and rubbed his head. “Jenly, where on earth did this come
from?”
Her cheeks burned, and she swallowed. God, she felt stupid. Nothing like
sending a man running in the opposite direction.
“Are you unhappy with the way things are? Is that what you’re trying to
say?” he asked.
She thought about lying and backtracking. It’s what she’d done in the last
relationship. And the one before that. But that wasn’t getting her anywhere.
“I wouldn’t say unhappy. Exactly.”
“Then what would you say?” he prompted.
“I’m not satisfied,” she said quietly.
“You mean sexually?”
She looked up to see him staring intently at her, irritation lighting his eyes.
“No. It’s not just about the s*x, Philip. If it was, maybe I could deal with it.
It’s more than that. I want…I want a man who can take charge. Make decisions.
Be…in control. And not just in the bedroom.” “And I’m not that man.”
She twisted her fingers together, bending and squeezing. “You haven’t
been.”
He cursed softly under his breath. “You want me to change?”
She gazed sadly at him. “No. That’s not fair. To you or me. I guess…I guess
I just hoped maybe you could be that man.”
“Damn it, Jenly, you make it sound like it’s over between us. What is this?
Some fantasy you want me to act out? I can do that. I mean if you mean role
playing, but it doesn’t sound like you want a temporary situation.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I want—no, I need this. And that’s the
thing. There have been men who would be more than willing to spend a night
playing the dominant male, but it ends there. I don’t want it to end.” She leaned
forward, willing him to understand. “Does that make sense?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Yeah, it
makes sense.”
She reached out to touch him, and he flinched away from her. “I don’t know
what to say. Are you angry?”
A harsh sound escaped his lips as he blew his breath out in a rush. “No. Yes.
Hell, I don’t know. I feel like you dropped a damn anvil on my head.”
He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand. He stroked his thumb over
her cheek as he stared into her eyes. “I knew…I knew something wasn’t right
between us. I didn’t expect this, but I knew you weren’t as happy as you could
be. Or should be. I want you to be happy, Jenly. Hell, I want me to be happy.
And I guess we just don’t do it for each other.”
He quirked one corner of his mouth up in a semblance of a grin, and she
relaxed.
“You weren’t satisfied either,” she accused.
His smile turned into a rueful grin. “I guess I won’t get into trouble for saying no then.”
She flopped back onto the bed and let out a giggle. “Don’t we make a good
pair. Lying here naked after s*x, breaking up.”
He leaned over her, his expression serious. “You’re a terrific woman, Jenly.
I’d hoped for more between us, and I admire the guts it took for you to tell me
what you wanted.”
“So you don’t think I’m a perverted sicko?”
“No, but I want you to promise me you’ll be careful. A lot of men out there
would take advantage of the type of situation you want. They wouldn’t have
your pleasure or best interests at heart.”
“Thanks, Philip,” she said softly as she reached up to touch his face.
He bent and kissed her cheek before sliding out of bed to get dressed.
Jenly sat behind her desk at and Sons Security and nibbled absently at
her pencil. The office was quiet today. Pop and the others were out on a job bid
with the new guy, and she was left to ponder alone. Never a good thing.
Philip had left the night before instead of staying over as he usually would.
But then breaking up had a way of pushing a man out of bed. She could console
herself with the fact that apparently, he’d been as unsatisfied with her as she had
with him, so she doubted he was suffering a broken heart.
She, on the other hand, was well on her way to major funkdom. Maybe she
had been too subtle. Too afraid. Too ashamed of her needs and desires. It
certainly wasn’t something she’d ever discuss with her girlfriends, not that she
had many. They’d probably vote to kick her out of the league of women upon
hearing just what it was Jenly wanted in a man.
Last night had been the first time she’d actually voiced the dark desires
floating around in her head. Not that she’d gone into any great detail. Just the
brief mention had made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
But that had to end. Now. Subtlety was not her friend. It wasn’t getting her anywhere with the men
she’d been involved with. Hinting and hoping wasn’t the way. No, she had to be
more proactive. More forceful. If she didn’t make it clear what she wanted, then
how could she ever expect to get it?
The ringing phone interrupted her melancholy train of thought, and she
reached gratefully for it.
Desouza and Sons,” she greeted.
“Hi sweetie, it’s Mom.”
Jenly’s heart plummeted. A sick curl began swelling in her stomach, and she
had to physically restrain the urge to hang the phone back up. God, it had been a
year since she’d heard from her mother. A year of no hysterics, no martyr acts,
no lame excuses.
“Mom,” she said faintly. “How are you?” Stupid question. Her mother was
never all right. Always some crisis.
“I’m in trouble, Jenly. I need your help.”
Jenly closed her eyes and bit down on her lip. Through the receiver, she
heard a sound like cars passing on a highway. Was her mother at a pay phone? It
wasn’t likely lia could afford a cell phone.
Don’t ask, Jenly. No questions. You don’t want to know anyway.
Jenly, are you there?”
“I’m here,” Jenly whispered. If only she hadn’t answered the phone.
“I need to borrow some money, baby. Just a little to tide me over until I get
another job and a place to live.”
Jenly swallowed back the stark disappointment and closed her eyes to call
back the sting of tears. As dumb as it was to hope that one day Lia
would get her act together, Jenly clung to it nonetheless. Why couldn’t she have a mother? A real mother. Someone not so bent on
screwing up everything in her path who could have a real relationship with her
daughter.
Jenly, I really need it this time, honey. I’ll pay you back, of course.”
Of course. What a laugh. Jenly’s hand squeezed the receiver of the phone
until a sharp pain snaked up her arm.
“Not this time, Mom,” Jenly said, surprising herself with her refusal.
The long, silent pause that settled over the line told Jenly that her mother
was just as surprised.
“But honey, I need the money to get by.” Desperation edged Lia’s voice.
She became more forceful. “I told you I’d pay you back. I have to find a place to
live, buy gas and food. As soon as I get settled and find another job, I’ll be
okay.”
“That’s what you say every time,” Jenly said quietly. “Only it never ends. I
can’t continue to bail you out. It’s time you took some responsibility for
yourself.”
Before Lia could respond,Jenly gently replaced the phone on the receiver.
Her hands shook as she pushed away from the desk.
- Writer
