When she got into work the next day, waiting for her on her desk were 90 red roses. Mouth dropping, she stood shell shocked as did the other women filing in from the parking lot.
"Oh my God Jasper, those are for you?"
"I guess so."
"We didn't know you had a boyfriend!"
"I wish my husband still did things like that,"
"Come on Carol, it's too early in the morning for your complaining."
"I'm just saying. To be young again and in love," Watching as the women walked away to their respective assignments for the day, she felt a hand come around her shoulder.
"He's serious about you, huh?" Looking up at Sarah, she felt her cheeks grow warm.
"I don't know... I mean..."
"Whaddya mean you don't know? Haven't you been dating him for three months?"
"No, we've been getting to know one another for three months."
"Oh."
"We haven't made anything official,"
"I see," With a small smile, Sarah gave her a little push.
"Aren't you gonna read the card? The whole library is starting at stare." Clutching her green cardigan in her hands, she drew nearer to the flowers and retrieved the card.
It's been an amazing three month journey getting to know you, Jasper. I hope we can continue this journey together.
Lio
Her heart bumped so loud she heard it in her neck and her cheeks grew rosy. Tucking the card into her pocket, she grabbed the round black box and put them out of sight under her desk. Scheduled alone today, she grabbed her heat pad and blanket as the library could be cold.
"Sarah," She'd started to turn away.
"Maybe you could give him a chance?" Smiling at her, the woman came back and hugged her from behind.
"I don't have to give him a chance. As long as he treats you right and you remain happy that's all I ask for." Pressing a kiss against her temple, the woman continued to her assignment for the day, in the CD section. Feeling herself smile, she glanced at the roses again before settling in for her day.
***
He no longer felt guilty about it, watching her leave work everyday. He gladly sat and watched everyone file out, everyone except Jasper. Glancing at his watch, he looked up to see a familiar face. That old fuck was back and he stood in the same spot as he had last time. Already feeling his hackles raise, the door opened and she finally appeared. One of the few cars left in the parking lot, he watched her descend down the steps. As she came into view, the man rushed out.
"You have a boyfriend or something, sweet thing?" Startled, she turned to see Whitmore behind her, hands in his pockets.
"Whitmore, why are you here? The library is closed."
"I'm here for you, chocolate mama."
"Chocolate mama? Alright, listen-"
"No, you listen! You're my gal and can't nobody else have you!" Pulling a knife out of his pocket, he aimed it at her.
"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa... Whitmore..."
"I told you I'd be back for you. I've been watching you and that prick this whole time."
"What?"
"Is he your boyfriend, sweet thing? The one who brought you those pretty roses."
"Put the knife down first..."
"How dare you cheat on me!" He ran at her and she screamed, turning to run away from him. A black mist drifted past her and she stopped running as she heard Whitmore shout in pain. Turning, she found Lio standing there, holding his now weaponless hand. Looking him dead in his eyes, he broke one of his fingers, and then another one, eyes staring down at him as he fell to his knees, trying to yank his hand away.
"Lio?" With a simple upward movement of his arm, he brought the injured man to his feet. Leaning down he said something into his ear and whatever it was wasn't good because Whitmore started screaming and made a break for it.
Turning around, he disappeared and reappeared right in front of her, taking her face in his hands.
"Are you all right, poppet?"
"Yeah..." The event had her shaking and she sought comfort from him, coming to hug him.
"Thank God you're here." Pressing his chin against the top of her head, he rubbed small circles into her back and wrapped embraced her until she stopped trembling.
"I am too." Shaking her head against his chest, she pulled away from him, careful to keep hold on the roses.
"How long has he been doing that?" He asked although he already knew. For months at least. Possibly longer than that.
"He started everyday but started to lessen his visits, when Jay would send his guys out here."
"Jay?"
"Yeah, the security guy."
"Ah,"
"Yeah, he always looks out for me. He wasn't here today." That explained it then.
"How'd you know I was out here?" He thought about lying to her but decided to be honest. After all, that's what they'd been building their little situation on.
"I make sure you leave work safely almost everyday." At her flabbergasted expression, he grinned.
"Aren't you glad I did today?"
"I mean... yeah but that's still kinda creepy."
"Beggars can't be choosers," Rolling her eyes, she let a smile reply to his laugh. He stood by while she put his roses in the backseat on the floor. He opened her door, waiting until she got in.
"Looks like my job here is done." She stopped him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back into the open window.
"Does it bother you that we haven't made anything official?" At the sudden question, he blinked his confusion.
"I'm sorry?"
"I mean we've been getting to know one another for three months now and we haven't declared anything yet. I was talking to Sarah and she-"
"Whose rules are we playing by here? Our own or Sarah's?" His question shut her mouth.
"I don't have a problem with the pace. Do you?"
"No! No...I'm good..." A cute little smile on his face, he lifted his fingers and caressed her cheek.
"I've moved fast before. Entirely too fast. We moved fast and we ended fast." Leaning in further, he kissed her forehead.
"I want to take my time with you, Jasper." Lifting arms up, she wrapped them around his neck and her fingers slipped in and through his hair, gently combing through the strands.
"I wanna take my time too," Pressing her thighs together at the feel of him smiling against her skin, he slowly lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss against her neck.
"Thank you for the flowers," You're welcome. He spoke the words against her flesh and soon the two of them shared little kiss, sweet and light.
"You'd better get home now,"
"You're not gonna follow me?"
"Nope. You're a big girl aren't you?" She sucked her teeth and pushed him away.
"Yeah alright."
"You have little miss Suzy in here with you, don't you?" He asked with humored eyes, motioning to her glove compartment.
"You know it,"
"She'll take good care of you in my absence,"
"Heck yeah she will." Chuckling, he winked at her before pulling away and letting her roll up her window.
***
It rained tonight much like it did then. He was once solid but now he was weightless, joining and mixing with the rain drops that fell from the sky. Zipping through the night, he honed in on one scent in particular. It smelled like cinnamon candy and freshly chopped body parts. That was it. He materialized and stood at the bottom of some stairs. It was a senior apartment building, full of others who reeked of hospitals, liniment and chemotherapy. Taking the stairs up, he smiled at those who passed him by, smile never once leaving his mouth. In fact, it grew bigger once he'd entered through the door.
The disgusting waste of a human had been sitting in the living room jacking off to vividly moving pictures of children, from the looks of it, all little black girls, all performing various acts of sexual activity with grown white men. Seeing him standing there by the door made him jump and he reached for the remote, trying to turn it off.
"Where'd the hell did you come from? How'd you get in here?" He didn't answer, at first anyway. Watching as he dropped what looked like a penis pump, he finally spoke.
"I'm really going to enjoy slicing you to pieces, old man."
"Get out before I call the police!" His round fat body got up and in his hand, he'd pulled out a gun.
"Eat this, you bastard!" He fired several rounds but they all traveled past him and in through the wall. He heard screaming come from the apartment next door. Alarmed to see his bullets go through him, now he began to sweat and look nervous.
"What's wrong? Had too much faith in your modern weapons?"
"Get out. I'm warning you." He wanted more than anything to rip his head off and be done with it. But no, tonight he'd enjoy the hunt. He'd relish the kill. He would take pleasure in becoming the grim reaper to the poor unfortunate soul. Just as he did once before.
***
1815
Antigua
The sound of horses drawing a carriage drew the attention of those on the porch.
Shrewd eyes narrowed in as the carriage proceeded to approach and finally once it came to a stop, the horseback overseers surrounded it with guns ready.
"State your business,"
"This is the imperial coach of his Earldom, Lord William Frederick, Earl of Gloucester." At once, the eyes of the woman grew wide and she at once motioned for the brown hand that fanned her to stop.
"Lord William Frederick, you say?" She asked from the porch, starting to stand.
"Yes, my Lady."
"Prove it. The driver got down from his seat and opened the coach door. To everyone's surprise, out stepped a man who looked nearly identical to the man who had once visited on their plantation thirty years ago. The gasp from the woman was loud enough even to hear from where they stood and the overseers, mostly new and fresh faced stared at him with blank stares. But one, one recognized him and at once, he got down from his horse.
"My Lord..."
"Finnigan. It's been so long." He didn't even pretend to not be spooked, eyes watching in disbelief as a very fresh faced and young looking William Frederick walked past him, heading towards the porch. He seemed to have one target in mind and stepped up onto the porch. Bending his knee, he bowed his head before the Mistress of the House, Lady Janessa Wigham. Standing, she felt her hands shake and gripped them tight as she curtsied in kind.
"My Lady, it's been a long time."
"Indeed, it has been, My Lord." Lifting his gaze, he allowed himself to look at the woman. Beautiful in youth and still, even now, beauty had lended her favor as an older woman now in her fifties. Lifting his hand, palm side up, he waited for her to complete the proper protocol. Lifting her hand, she placed it into his and he laid an actual kiss against the back of it. Gasping, she removed her hand and gripped it.
"May I inquire of the Lord of the House's whereabouts?" He asked, keeping his head bowed. It was proper after all, showing honor to the male authority.
"He is away right now. But he will be returning later this afternoon."
"I see,"
"Will you be staying with us once more, Lord William? May we bring in your luggage?" At that, he stood once more to his full height.
"If you shall permit me a night or two; before my return to London,"
"Yes, of course. Lizzie, take in his things," At once, the young woman moved, bowing her head towards him as she went out to the carriage.
"Do, come in."
"I'd be delighted."
***
"Let's see what you have here," Glancing over the boot-legged titles of child porn, he lifted his eyes to the man he'd tied up.
"You're a sick piece of shit, aren't you?"
Taking one out of the case, he crushed it with his hands. Coming to stand, he walked over to the man and knelt down so that they were eye ball to eye ball.
"Open your mouth."
"Suck my dick!" He replied, spitting on him. Nostrils flaring, he took the shirt the man had shed and wiped his face. Tossing it onto the ground, he straddled him.
Grabbing him by the jaw, he forced his mouth open and shoved the broken pieces of the CD in. With a hard slap to the face, the man hollered, and blood and pieces of metal and plastic was spit out, dripping down his legs and on his fat bulging stomach.
"You have any rope around here?"
"Like hell I'm gonna tell you..." He chuckled darkly and smacked his cheek, lightly this time.
"Oh, you are going to tell me everything I want to know." Eyes now golden and filled with glee, he lifted up from sitting his weight on him and causally made his way into the kitchen. Pulling open one of his drawers, he selected a pair of needle nose pliers. Taking a hand, he scooted the chair up to his round leaf table. The man's fear intensified as he grabbed one of his hands and forced it to lie flat on the wooden surface.
"Now, here are the rules. You answer my questions and do what I say and we can keep playing the game. You don't answer my questions and don't do what I say then I take these pliers here and rip your nails off. Agreed? Agreed." Leaning in, his gaze pierced into him.
"Where is your rope? If you have any." The man stuttered, sweating profusely.
"In the bathroom under the cabinet."
"Good, then. Simple game, right? Now, I'll be right back." In a second or two he was back with the rope.
"I suppose we can officially get started."
***
Being back on the plantation sent chills through him and everything came rushing back as if it had happened yesterday. When Lord James Wigham returned home to find him sitting in the sitting room with his wife, to say that he was surprised was a major understatement.
He froze and stared at him and he knew the questions that came to his mind. Smiling, he got up and greeted him properly.
"Lord Frederick. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Age had not been as kind to Wigham as it had to his wife. He'd grown fat and stout and he looked like he hadn't slept well in quite a while.
"I wanted to come view the continued success of the Wigham plantation."
"We didn't receive any correspondence from the Crown regarding this visit."
"Oh? Perhaps the mail is running late."
"Nevertheless, it is good to see you. You look...well completely unchanged from the last time we saw you." Coming into the room, he sat down next to his wife and he ordered a slave girl to pour him some tea.
Once she did, he lifted it to his mouth and took a drink.
"How is it that thirty years have passed and you have the same fresh face of a youth? How old were you when you last visited us?"
"I had just turned eighteen years, so I'd been told."
"You're not certain?"
"Well, you see, wretches like me weren't given the opportunity to keep record of their birth."
"A wretch? What are you saying, Lord Frederick?" Lady Janessa asked with a laugh. The eyes of her husband found their way to her and she pretended like she didn't feel them burning holes into her neck.
"I must say that it is quite uncanny that you appear so young. Here we are, old and grey and you are not." He took a sip of his tea, an Earl Grey. No cream. No sugar cane.
"It must be the mixed blood within me. They do say or so I have heard that Orientals don't show their age for quite a long while. Unlike the British." At that, Wigham pursed his already small lips, thereby making them appear nonexistent.
"Well, do join us for dinner."
"I'd be much obliged."
"And how long are we to expect your company?" He asked next, eying the feet of the slave girl who stood next to him.
"Only a day or two. Nothing longer than that."
"Very well, then."
***
Sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked the t-shirt that he'd shoved into his mouth. Blood covered the table, and two or three of his nails sat neatly within the liquid that seeped out of the torn open wounds. The muffled shouting of the man had ceased for now and he begged him with sound to stop. Placing the pliers down for a moment, he to his horror licked the blood off of the table. When he did, his eyes changed color and he opened his mouth in a twisted smile, the teeth of a wild animal looking back at him, all dripping with saliva.
"Your fear tastes delightful, Stan." He'd made him tell him his name but the truth in their game faltered when he started asking questions about Jasper. He'd told him the reason as why he indulged in child porn. Why he fixated on little black girls. All his fetishes and most secret desires. Stan shared and he shared.
He genuinely enjoyed smelling Jasper's undergarments. It wasn't ever something he had considered doing and at first, he felt guilty for doing so. Surely, it was not in the list of acceptable human behaviors. But then again, he wasn't human. He'd never thought he could get turned on by sniffing the underwear of a woman but alas, he was proved wrong. They couldn't come from just any woman though. No, they had to be from Jasper.
He hadn't understood why but now it all made sense. The others hadn't been his mate. Jasper, however, was. From her scent alone, he could tell when she was most fertile and when she was not. Her taste, while always sweet and pleasant was a tad bit more saccharine when she was. Of course, it didn't bother him and he loved every minute of it. Admitting that to himself was liberating. And well, admitting that to Stan seemed to make him upset, the poor sod.
Maybe this was where the game went south. He'd asked him how long he'd been stalking Jasper. First he said two months. Then he said six. He just couldn't get the time right. So, he ripped off a nail. His next question was more prodding. He had asked what he intended to do with her if he had ever succeeded in kidnapping her, another admitted fantasy of his. He said he wanted to dress her up in pretty doll clothes and turn her into his own little sex slave. While truthful, he ripped off the other two nails simply for the fact that his words pissed him off.
"We've come to the biggest question of the night. Are you ready?" Stan wept, hands shaking and slipping on the table.
"Why did you ignore my warning to leave her alone?" Grabbing the pliers, he stared into his eyes unblinking, waiting for the answer.
***
There were so many other rooms that he could have stayed in but he chose that room. In the dark he listened to the invisible sounds of the bed and of a woman so close to her climax. Getting up, he sat on the edge of the bed. Tonight, he'd get his long awaited vengeance. For Anne and for himself. Bare feet led him to the door and he opened it, stepping into the hallway. Senses new and heightened, he could smell that Wigham was not in the house presently, probably humping some prepubescent child.
With a step forward, he was downstairs. The dimly lit candles cast a warm glow in the house and he followed the trail of scent that belonged to the Lady of The House. In no time at all, he knocked on the door. He heard her get up and her footsteps were heavy as she came to the door. Opening it, her eyes grew wide. She hadn't thought to grab the matching robe to her night rail. Perhaps she thought he was her husband.
"Lord Frederick?"
"I do apologize most sincerely. But are you available to talk? I would be most appreciative if you are." Swallowing, the woman stood to the side and let him come in.
A/N: whew honey he said yeah mess with my mate and this is what happens lol. Whew. Chileeee.
More to go~
AL