An Honest Kiss

Chapter 6

She started down a track that she hadn't been down before, and aware that it would be dark in about an hour meant that she didn't want to go too far.  The track came to a dead end at a small building that looked like a trailer at a construction site. She was just about to turn around when the door opened and light spilled onto the path in front of her.

"Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly."

Rachel recognized Jack's voice. "No thank you said the fly, people will talk." Rachel turned to leave.

Jack stepped out of the trailer and caught her arm, turning her to him, and landing a forceful kiss on her lips. He had a glass, but he had a bottle in one hand so she was able to easily squirm her way out of his grasp.

Rachel looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one saw. "Jack!" she hissed.

He was wearing a well-worn pair of blue jeans and no shirt. She tore her gaze away from his naked chest.

"You didn't used to worry about what others thought." He poured another finger into his glass.

"And you didn't used to drink."

"Generally I don't, but I am off duty tonight and I figured, why not?" Jack grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the trailer slamming the door behind him.  He placed the glass and bottle on a table then reached into her shirt and pulled out the rings, looking at them hard as if he expected them to answer all of his questions.

"Have you been faithful to me Rachel?" His voice sounded rough as if the question was dragged from very deep within him. As soon as the question left his lips he dropped the rings as if he had been scalded. "That's none of my business."

"Especially since you left me," Rachel whispered.

The look in his eyes was regret as he motioned for her to sit at the small little table in the corner of the trailer. "You look sad," he said gruffly as he looked into his glass.

"You're drunk."

"No, I'm a long way from drunk." But he set the glass and bottle behind him on the small counter.

"Why am I going with you tomorrow? There must be someone else here who speaks French just as well as I do?"

"I don't want you here with Ferris."

"Why not, you didn't seem to mind leaving me to God knows what five years ago." It sounded bitter and was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She was so mortified that she missed Jack's response as all color drained from his face. "Trust me, I can handle Ferris." Rachel continued in an attempt to cover her slip of the tongue.

She leaned forward, still unable to stop her wayward tongue, "Why did you leave me five years ago?  Was it because you were tired of me and all of the trouble I brought, was it being with only one woman for too long, or was it because you just didn't care? I thought we had at least a mutual affection for one another, or was it all for my father? Was it just one giant charitable act for you to marry poor little Ray?" Realizing that she had said too much, she jumped up out of her chair.

"God, no, Ray, you have no idea-," Just then there was a knock at his door and a look of confusion crossed his face.  He hadn't been expecting whoever it was.

Jack rubbed his face in frustration as he debated whether or not to open it. A second knock decided him as he rose and moved to the door. 

The person on the other side was silent for a moment as if his disarrayed appearance had taken them by surprise. Jack's hair was mussed and he looked like he had just woken up. What must they be thinking?