Hola Mis Amigos. Here is the next chapter and sorry for the wait.
This chapter is dedicated to @samgirl90 because have you seen my new cover!? Yeah, she did that and did an awesome job if I say so myself. You guys should check out her work and graphics! This is kind of a filler but really important.
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Candid Camera
Leigh hissed loudly as her ass, yet again came into contact with the gym matt. She heard a grunt of disapproval come from Jason, and she gave him a cold glare. They were in the gym sparring together for the fourth time that week. After the whole shootout incident at the paintball range, Jason had been more adamant about Leigh being able to protect herself.
This included thirty minutes of cardio, along with an hour of hand to hand combat -and Leigh had had enough.
Jason wasn't going easy on her, and the fact that he could easily sling her here and there had her glaring at everything. She got to her feet on her own, scowling as Jason didn't even try to help her up. He was in the corner of the gym, slender fingers running through his charcoal hair as he tilted his head back and squeezed the contents of his bottled water into his mouth.
"Can I take a break?" Leigh seethed. She had asked three times before, and he had given her straight no answers. At this point, she felt as if her heart was going to pop out of her chest. Sweat rolled down her body, making her feel uncomfortable. "I'm exhausted."
Jason gave Leigh a blank look before picking up a towel and wiping it against his bare torso. "Yes, because constantly getting your ass handed to you can be so exhausting," he mimicked.
Leigh scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. Jason had been an ass to her lately, even more than usual. They had been arguing so much that the maids in the mansion started to walk around with earplugs in their ears.
"Well, maybe you could stop throwing me around like I'm some sort of ragdoll," she yelled at him. "I have bruises all over my legs because of you!"
"Believe it or not, I'm going easy on you!" Jason shouted back. "Newsflash Leigh, the mob isn't scared of your scrawny ass-"
"Scrawny?" Leigh interjected with a roll of her eyes.
"Yes, you're scrawny," Jason repeated. "The guys from Tony's mob will look at you once and view you as an easy target. At least if you can throw a single punch you can surprise them or catch them off guard."
Silence filled the stuffy air before Leigh sighed in defeat.
"I don't want to argue anymore, Jason," she said in a low voice. She was tired -tired of the mob, tired of training and most certainly tired of arguing with Jason. They had become closer the night in that ratty hotel, and even though she didn't know if Jason was truly what she wanted, she knew that she wanted the peace they had shared between one another then.
"I know I've been hard on you lately," Jason said as he came closer had grabbed Leigh's elbows to bring her closer to him. "But, that's only because I would hate myself if anything bad ever happened to you. I couldn't live with myself."
His hands snaked their way behind her neck, bringing her closer and forcing their foreheads to be pressed against one another. Leigh sighing, trailing her hands up the defined muscles to Jason's arms before wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Fine," she gave in, "but I suck at this. There has to be something else I can do to gain an advantage over someone?"
Jason tilted his head in thought. Seconds later, his face lit up as if he had a brilliant idea. "Pressure points," was all he said as he broke free from Leigh's grasp and smirked at her.
"Pressure points?" Leigh asked, letting the words flick off her tongue. "Isn't that dangerous?"
Jason rolled his eyes at her. "Chances are if you're using it against someone, they deserve to get hurt," Jason explained. "Impale them and worry about the danger aspect later."
"Well, how exactly do I gain access to a pressure point?" Leigh asked. She knew that it was silly, but she felt interested beyond belief. She had always watched action movies where the protagonist would hit their enemy's pressure point with a skillful finesse. Their enemy would fall down, seemingly losing self-consciousness.
"I only know a couple," Jason admitted. He grabbed Leigh's hand and held her arm out. "Right here, slightly above a person's wrist is one," he explained as he brushed his fingers over the spot. "If you press firmly there, while pressing here..." he trailed off as he pointed to a spot on her forearm, "...it'll shoot pain up the arm. The final step is to strike the person firmly across the neck and slightly under the ear. It causes a neurological overload."
Leigh smirked after Jason finished explaining it a second time but in a little more depth. "Cool, can I try it on you?" she asked, her face hopeful as she beamed a smile at him.
"Uh-" Jason stuttered. "I'll buy you a mannequin to practice on."
"How will I even know if it worked?" Leigh asked with a scowl.
"Use your imagination," Jason said, backing up away from her. He wanted Leigh to learn something of use, but he had no desire to be waking up from a coma in three years because Leigh did something wrong while trying to practice on him.
"Scary cat," Leigh teased.
"And proud of it," Jason admitted. He helped her pick up the towels they had scattered on the floor before they left the home gym. "Let's just hope it never has to come to the point of you actually having to do that to someone."
"Well, if it does happen, I'll be ready," Leigh said with a laugh.
"And I'll pity the poor guy," Jason teased.
Jason and Leigh had only been out of the gym for five minutes before they came across Janice. Her voice seemed to call out to them from nowhere, and it took Leigh a while to figure out that Janice must have been in the library a few doors down. Going into the large room, Leigh came to a standstill. Her eyes grew wide as her mouth fell ajar.
What the hell, Leigh couldn't help but to think. Jason and her exchange glances, the surprise evident on his face as well.
"Mom, what's going on here?" Jason asked, but Leigh was still in shock. Her eyes fluttered over the dozens of different bouquets in one corner, while there were a row of white dresses in another. Multicolored balloons fell from the ceiling. One library table was covered in paper, while another had about six different wedding cakes on them.
"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence, and you're all...sweaty," Came another voice, and Leigh couldn't help but to roll her eyes at the figure she knew all too well. It was Olivia, the same woman she had met a couple months ago after Jason and her had went to dinner. Leigh remembered the flaming red hair kept high in a bun, along with the expensive pants suit and red lipstick applied to her thin lips. Leigh's mind went back to the night where Olivia had mockingly called her a child and stated that Jason was always a good babysitter. Hell, she had even said Jason robbed the cradle before she so rudely dismissed herself and left without another word.
"Olivia, right?" Leigh asked, even though she knew the answer. "What a surprise. What's going on?" Leigh could feel the dread building inside of her stomach. She wanted nothing more than to escape from this nightmare.
"It's time to put this wedding into effect," Janice stated with a clap of her hands. "You two have been engaged for more than two months and you haven't even picked a wedding date." She gave off a laugh at the end of her sentence, as if she thought Leigh's question was silly.
"I really don't think this is necessary..." Leigh trailed off as she tried to back away from them. Janice hand darted out and clawed onto Leigh's wrist. Leigh gave out a small squeak, her mind wondering to what kind of Pilate's class Janice was taking. The woman looked all of ninety pounds, but was extremely strong.
"Of course it's necessary darling," she says with a fake smile on her face. "Now Jason, leave us. We have a lot of work to do."
Leigh shot Jason a pleading look, but he only shrugged his shoulders. "No problem with me," Jason said. "I'm allergic to girly things anyway." Jason leaned forward and planted a kiss on the corners of Leigh's lips while running his fingers through her straggly hair. "I will see you later." His hand went down to where his mother was still grasping Leigh's wrist, and he jerked Janice's hand away, all the while bringing Leigh's wrist to his mouth and kissing it gently.
Jason leaves and Leigh fells the utmost betrayal by his absence.
"Finally," Olivia sighed, "let's get started." They usher Leigh over to the first table engulfed in papers. Leigh felt nervous and idiotic at the same time. She wasn't expecting having to plan the wedding so early. Hell, she wasn't even expecting to get married. She didn't know how much longer she could pull this whole thing off.
"Not to be rude or anything," Leigh says slowly to Olivia, "But, why are you here? Shouldn't my own mother be here to help?" Olivia and Janice shared a laugh as if Leigh is pathetic.
"Well quite frankly, Olivia is the woman Jason should have married," Janice snipes in, her face looking malicious as she stared at Leigh. "She would have been the perfect daughter in law. But, since I'm stuck with you, I had to call someone who actually had class and knew fashion and extravagance. And sadly, you and your mother know neither."
Leigh inhaled sharply, her eyebrows knitting together as she bit the inside of her jaw. Janice was a bitch, and no matter what, she was going to say what she wanted. "Have you ever heard of oversharing?" Leigh remarked. She had a hard time forcing herself to say something back at Janice that didn't involve an excessive amount of profanity.
They ignored her, going into a series of questions.
"So what date do you want the wedding to be on?" Janice asks.
"Well, I-"
"What venue should we use?" Olivia cuts off.
"Maybe a-"
"Do you even have a guest list prepared?" Janice interjects with an exasperated expression on her face.
"No. I-"
"Cake!" Olivia exclaims. "You have to know what cake you want."
Leigh let out a frustrated sigh. "No, but I can tell you want I do want. For you two to stop asking me questions without letting me answer the first!"
Olivia groans as if Leigh had just asked her to hold her breath for thirty seconds. Her eyes scanned over Leigh before they docked on the engagement ring. Her eyes popped open as she rushed to Leigh.
"This is your engagement ring?" She asked, her voice sounding as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"No, it's just a large chunk of costume jewelry I like to carry around," Leigh snarks sarcastically. Leigh watched as Janice and Olivia both exchanged looks. It made Leigh feel uncomfortable, as if they knew something she didn't.
"What's that look supposed to mean?" Leigh asks them.
"Don't worry yourself darling," Janice says, stifling her laughter.
"Just tell me," Leigh urges. She didn't know what they were up to, but something in her wanted to know.
"Well," Olivia stated slowly, "When men feel the need to buy a big ring, it's usually to compensate for something in their marriage. And since I can vouch for Jason and say he doesn't have a small penis," she stopped, licking her lips as if she was reminiscing, "it more than likely is the fact that he doesn't plan on being faithful to you."
Leigh made a face at the image of Olivia and Jason being together like that. It was disturbing beyond belief. "That's ridiculous," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, Janice has a big ring."
They all looked down to Janice's enormous diamond ring. "Exactly," Janice says, admitting to the fact that her husband wasn't faithful.
Leigh didn't know what to say. A part of her felt bad that Janice had a husband who cheated on her. She couldn't even picture Jim cheating! But, another part of her wanted to laugh in Janice's face and point a finger at her.
"Oh, don't pity me," Janice snapped. She could tell from the expression on Leigh's face that Leigh was feeling bad for her. "I'm living the life. I have a successful, long-lasting marriage, loving children, a home straight out of expensive living magazine, and a life envied by many. The only unfortunate problem in my life is that my son wants to shame our family image by marrying someone of your nature."
Leigh's faced turned into disgust as she flashed Janice an angry look. She could feel her body reacting to Janice's words. Her breathing grew rapidly as he skin seemed to become hot. "I am so sick of you insulting me every five seconds," she hissed before turning on her heels and storming out of the library.
She was furious beyond belief. Didn't Janice ever think that talking so badly about Leigh was starting to get old? The woman never even bothered to try to actually get to know her on a personal level. She's always so hung up on labels.
Leigh stalks into her room, her eyes trained on Jason who seemed to be lounging on the bed from being tired of the workout earlier.
"I.Hate.Your.Mother," she bit out slowly. "No offense."
"None taken," Jason says as he gives her an amused look. "You have every right to, she's an asshole. But, she also can't have a reason to think that we don't plan on going through with this wedding. So go back in there and put on a face. After all, you're getting paid forty percent of my riches to do it."
Leigh scowled at Jason. She hated when he was right, and right now was no exception. "I know you're right, she's just so infuriating!"
"The only way to beat my mother is to play her at her own game. Stop being nice and respectful all the time and she won't attack you," Jason states. "Be mean to her."
"I can do that?" Leigh asked, her face lighting up with the new revelation. "You won't be mad or anything?"
"Of course not," Jason laughs. "You're entangled with the McFarroll's now, it's about time you learn how to hold your own."
Leigh took a deep breath turning back towards the way of the library. "Wish me luck," she called out as she walked down a hallway. All this time, she had thought that Jason would get upset with her if she disrespected his mother, but knowing that he wouldn't was like a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Janice was a bitch and Leigh would stand for it no more.
She rounded the corner to the library, a gasp leaving her mouth as she rushed to hide behind the wall. Breathing heavily, she stuck her head out to get a better look inside the library.
This could not be happening, Leigh couldn't help to think. In front of her was Janice hoisted on top of a desk while Olivia hiked up Janice's dress and was...fingering her? Leigh couldn't understand why her eyes of all eyes had to be the ones getting scared.
She watched as Janice and Olivia began to kiss, the very action making Leigh dry heave. Leigh closed her eyes shut, and then suddenly, she was hit with an idea. Reaching into her sweatpants pocket, she pulled out a phone and began to record and take pictures of everything she was seeing.
Janice and Olivia were acting as if they didn't have a care in the world, and after a couple minutes of recording, Leigh put her phone away. Their clothes were coming off rapidly and she didn't want to be around for their climax.
All Leigh could think of was how Jason was right. The only way to beat Janice was to play her at her own game, and right now, Leigh had gotten herself one hell of a head start.