Chapter 27

Jack felt her warm body before he opened his eyes. He was just coming into consciousness and one at a time his senses activated. Sense of touch ... Allison was warm, her lean naked body molded to his. Her skin was soft and smooth against him, her supple breasts pressed into him as she lay tucked into his side and shoulder. Jack could feel her warm, moist breath blow across his chest. Sense of smell ... The fragrance hit him next, a mixture of her strawberry shampoo, flowery perfume and natural scent. Not so subtly mixed in was the smell of their sex from the night before. For hours they made love, exhilarated by their uninterrupted passion. For the first time, they didn't have to part before the night was over.

Sense of sound ... Jack took in the sounds of her sleeping, the deep, slow breaths she took, the occasional rustling as she repositioned next to him, the ticking of the watch wrapped around her slender wrist resting just beside his head. Sense of taste ... He licked his dry lips, tasting her on his lips again, a pleasant earthy taste touched with just a hint of sweetness. His morning erection throbbed at the memory the taste unleashed. At that moment, his full bladder reminded him of his urgent need.

Finally, sense of sight ... He cracked his eyes open and tilted his head to look at his lover. Her fine brown hair was chaotic, a tangled mess that covered his chest, shoulder and upper arm. Lifting his head he let his eyes flow down the smooth expanse of tan skin on her back. His gaze lingered at the points of her shoulder blades, then continued past the gentle curves of her waist and hips, stopping on the swells of her tight ass. Gorgeous, he thought with no small amount of pleasure.

Jack tried to gently disengage from his sleeping partner so as not to awaken her. Just as his body lost contact with hers, her eyelids fluttered open. She peered through her tangled bangs, and flashed him a wonderful smile. Jack felt his heart swell, matching the swollen wood sprouting from his lap.

"Sorry, sweetie," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you." He slid his feet to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her, and stretched.

"Mmm ... if you are the first thing I see, then you can wake me anytime," she said, her voice raspy. Being alone and uninterrupted the night before, she'd been unusually vocal during their lovemaking, and now her vocal cords conveyed the abuse they'd taken.

Jack smiled over his shoulder at her. She reached up and drew her slim fingers across his shoulders and down his back, letting them trace the contours of his musculature. The light touch sent shivers through him, instantly hardening his nipples. Allison pulled herself over to him and wrapped her arm around his torso. Her hand found his cock and fisted it.

"Allison, I need to pee," he said. She responded by slowly moving her hand up and down, pulling the skin back and forth over his swollen head. She began kissing his shoulders and upper back while she stroked him.

Jack knew that pre-bathroom morning orgasms could be incredibly intense, so with a quiet moan, he leaned back against her. She moved up, dragging her hard nipples across his back, and kissed him passionately on the lips. Then, without releasing his erection, she climbed out of the bed and knelt on the floor in front of him. She resumed her ministrations and looked up into his eyes.

Smiling, she bent over and took the head of his cock in her mouth. He let his eyes roll back into his head and groaned in appreciation. She slowly covered his entire cock with spit, sucking hard at one point and pulling off, leaving a glistening strand of spit between her lips and his glans. He reached down and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. The tender gesture made her eyes twinkle, a look which lasted only a second before they turned seductive. With a growl she engulfed his cock with a vengeance. Her lips clamped halfway down his cock and her tongue curled around the head. He felt the first drops of lubricant escape his cock, eliciting a hum from her that vibrated his penis.

"Oh, shit, Allison," he hissed, putting his hand on the back of her head, encouraging her to speed up. Her head began to bob, and after several minutes he felt the tingling beginning in his balls. Her tongue continued to do incredible things to his swollen head while she bobbed. Suddenly he felt the surge.

"Oh, Gawwwd!" he groaned. The first glob raced up his rigid shaft and exploded into the heat of her mouth. She grunted and sucked, her cheeks caving in. A wave of warmth pulsed through his entire body as he unloaded four healthy streams of come into her mouth. She sucked and swallowed, devouring all of his essence. His arm gave way and he collapsed back on the bed. He felt his dick twitch repeatedly as her tongue searched for the last of his seed.

"Stop, Allison. God, stop, please," he panted.

She pulled off his cock with a smack and stood up. She flashed him an innocent smile. "Good morning."

Jack shook his head as she pranced away, her beautiful naked ass vanishing into the hall. He moved over to the dresser and pulled a t shirt and shorts from the drawer. After he dressed, he grabbed his keys from the nightstand, and headed to the bathroom.

"I'm going out to get your stuff from the car," he said as stepped inside. She had just finished her business and stood to the side so he could do his. He angled his deflating penis and felt the tingles race through him as he began to unleash the pressure on his bladder. He glanced at Allison, who watched his penis in rapt attention. "The first piss of the morning is almost as good as an orgasm."

She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "Must you be so crude?"

He pretended to think about it, then nodded confidently. "Yep."

Allison rolled her eyes and turned away to wash her hands and face as he shook off the last drops. Tucking himself away, he smacked her bare ass as he passed her on his way out. She jumped with a yelp.

She stepped into the hallway after him. "No hurry on getting my stuff. I don't plan to get dressed today," she said with an impish smile.

"Brianna might not appreciate it when she comes over this evening." He was at the front door, slipping on his Tevas.

"Spoilsport," she pouted before returning to the bathroom.

He shook his head as he pulled open the door and stepped onto the porch. The smell hit him a moment after he heard a ripping sound and about the same time he noticed the sudden slickness under his foot.

"Shit!" he grunted as he looked down at the stinky mess under his foot. Manure had squirted more than foot across the porch, propelled by his weight. More of the nastiness oozed out around his sandal.

They'd been struck again. Jack was sure this prank was the work of the same cowardly punks that had plagued the Williams home for months. He felt the rising anger as he stepped to the side and kicked off his sandals. Grumbling at the thought of cleaning up the nasty mess, he moved down the steps towards his driveway. As he looked up, he gasped. His sedan had been hit, too. His tires were flat, huge gashes marring the whitewalls. A deep scratch, from bumper to bumper, etched the paint of the vehicle.

Jack snapped. "Damn it all to hell, you goddamned spineless piece of shit," he cursed at the surrounding air.

"Jack, what is that awful ... Oh!" Jack wheeled and saw Allison standing in the entryway, clad in one of his t shirts, staring at the pile of shit on the porch. Her face was scrunched in disgust, her little nose wrinkled and a finger trying to block the air into her nostrils. Had the situation been any different, he might have remarked on how cute she was when she made that face. But he was too pissed for pleasantries.

He silently cursed again as he went around and popped the trunk. He glanced at Abigail's car parked next to his in the driveway, but no vandalism was apparent on that vehicle. Roughly he threw Allison's bags onto the grass.

Allison was gawking at the mess on the porch. "Jack? What is this?" she asked him as he brought the first two bags to the house. Jack bit back the obvious response.

His temples throbbed as he put on a faux smile. "Why, it's a housewarming gift, my dear. Welcome to your new home."

Abigail had decided to eat the hotel's continental breakfast since she had a morning appointment with the home health company. She stuck with a bagel and cream cheese, strawberry yogurt and a glass of apple juice, nice comfort foods that wouldn't sit too heavy in her gut. She wanted to be on top of her game during this interview, leaving her potential employer without any doubt that she was the one for the job. She'd just returned to her room when the phone rang. Dropping her keycard on the dresser she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"May I speak with Abigail Williams, please?" It was a woman's voice Abigail didn't recognize.

"This is Abigail speaking."

"Ms. Williams, my name is Fran Crosby, Director of Quality Assurance at Overlake Hospital. Do you have a moment we could talk?"

Abigail's heart started beating faster. Overlake! Her interview there had gone well even though it was apparent to both her and Clair Barlow, her interviewer, that she was a mismatch for the position. Maybe Clair had changed her mind.

"Sure. What can I do for you, Ms. Crosby?"

"Well, I received your resume from our CEO and he recommended I give you call." Abigail's eyes opened wide. The CEO had seen her resume! How had that come about? Surely the CEO of an organization that large didn't review every potential candidate, especially for a position as lowly as ones Abigail would be applying for. Ms. Crosby drew her attention back. "From his words, he was impressed with you."

Abigail suddenly had a sinking feeling that this call was in error. Obviously it was meant for someone else. Abigail hadn't met the CEO, so how could he be impressed? She felt it important to correct the record. "I see. Um, Ms. Crosby, I don't recall meeting the CEO, Mr..."

"Barlow. Our CEO is David Barlow." She hesitated a moment. "Who did you see here?"

"Clair ... Barlow." Wait a minute, Abigail thought. Barlow...

"Aah. Excellent," Ms. Crosby said with a laugh. "I trust Clair's judgment better than Dave's, anyway. Dave and Clair are married. In addition to Clair's position here at the hospital, she is also one of Dave's most trusted advisors."

"Well, that might explain things." Abigail allowed herself to feel more hopeful now that the situation had been cleared up.

"Yes, well. It seems you must have impressed Clair, then. Ms. Williams, for the last few weeks, our executive staff has been discussing an issue of great importance to our institution. Yesterday afternoon, Dave—Mr. Barlow—put your resume in my hand and asked me to take a look at it, telling me only that your impressive interview last week could mean a solution to our issue."

"Well, I hope that his confidence, or his wife's, isn't misplaced. I would be glad to hear about how I can assist you."

"Excellent! Would you be available tomorrow morning to meet with me?"

Abigail's heart sank again. She glanced over at her plane ticket sitting next her purse. She was flying out that afternoon. And even if she could afford to change the ticket, she felt this strong urge to get home to Jack and Allison. So much had happened since she left, and she felt guilty not being there with them. "I would love to, Ms. Crosby. I would. However, my flight back to Tennessee leaves this afternoon. Could we meet today?"

Ms. Crosby was silent for a moment. "I ... I have obligations today. Is there no way you could postpone your departure until tomorrow?"

How do you tell someone that you can't afford it? Another night at the hotel, another day for the car rental, fees for changing her "poor class" plane ticket. It was just too much for their meager budget. Besides, how do you tell someone that you need to get home to your husband and your lesbian lover? Abigail's hesitation obviously prompted Fran to continue.

"We would, of course, handle any expenses you incur with this unexpected change in your plans."

Abigail's eyes widened. That took away one concern. What about Jack and Allison? Abigail was still torn, and thus still hesitated.

"I tell you what, Abigail—may I call you Abigail?"

"Yes, please."

"Thank you. Call me Fran. Back to my point, if you stay and meet with me tomorrow, we will reimburse you for extra expenses for delaying your departure. Should we come to an employment agreement, however, Overlake will reimburse you for your entire visit here. This issue is of great importance to our management."

Now Abigail was floored, and more than a little curious about what could be so important to lead to this offer. What was it Jack had said? Make a future for our family. She made her decision. "Ms. Crosby—Fran—I'll be glad to meet with you tomorrow. When would you like me to come by?"

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Brianna said exuberantly into the phone.

"Hi, Bri."

Brianna frowned. She figured Allison would sound tired, but considerably more enthusiastic. She quickly glanced at the clock. Three more minutes before she had to be in third period.

"What's wrong, Allie? I thought you'd be happier this morning?"

"I was. But we got vandalized again last night."

Brianna gasped. Was there no end to the drama? "Oh, no! Are you OK?"

"We're fine." Allison told Brianna about the morning's surprise. Brianna couldn't help but feel disgust at whoever got off doing such horrible things. "Anyway, Bri. Add that to the residual guilt and sadness over my family falling apart and basically losing my parents and brothers, and I'm feeling pretty bummed."

"I'm so sorry, Allie. This was supposed to be a happy time." Brianna felt a lump in her throat; however, she resolved to pull Allison from the doldrums. "Things will work out with your family. You just need to give it time. I'm sure your dad will come around. And these vandals won't matter after you guys are gone."

"Yeah."

"Cheer up, girl. You likely had hot sex last night and then woke up this morning wrapped in the arms of Mr. Studly. All is not lost."

Allison laughed. "You have a point. Thanks, Bri."

The laughter brightened Brianna's mood, but then she suddenly felt embarrassed. Her next question had been eating at her all morning, so she just blurted it out.

"What was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"Waking up next to a guy after a night of making love?"

"Oh, Bri, it was amazing!" Brianna smiled at Allison's now brightened tone. A small victory, she thought, then turned her attention back to Allison. "No worries about who might walk in, no having to clean up any signs of our love-making. When I woke up and saw Jack sitting on the edge of the bed, I'd never felt so content, so in love..." She hesitated, then continued more quietly. "Or so horny."

Brianna blushed again. "What did you do then? Eep ... I'm sorry, Allison. That's none of my business."

Allison giggled. "It's OK, Bri. Um, let's just say that I had my dessert before my breakfast."

Now Brianna really blushed, feeling a stirring in her sex. The warning bell rang causing her to jump.

"We still on for later today?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely. Just come and hang out. You can bring me my homework and we can study. Dinner's at six."

"I'll be there."

Brianna hung up, grabbed her bag and raced down the hall. Just as she rounded the corner into her classroom's hall, she saw Merrigan looking anxiously around the mob of students. Brianna slowed to a walk and watched her beautiful friend. Then she noticed the mousy girl standing beside her. She was a tiny freshman that Brianna had seen around but never talked to. Brianna caught Merrigan's eye and smiled. Merrigan smiled slightly in return and glanced to the younger girl. She motioned with her head towards her and Brianna's heart filled with dread.

Oh, no, Brianna thought sadly. Not another one.

Abigail opened the rear door of her rental car and pulled out the bags of goods that she purchased from Albertson's. Basic household goods, plus some simple foods they could dig into when they finally arrived to their new home.

She was running a little later than she anticipated, what with the call from Fran and then Abigail's subsequent call to let Jack and Allison know. Their reactions were mixed, as she expected. It was one more day they were apart, but it was for a potentially impressive job opportunity. Armed with their blessing, she quickly prepared for the day and was out of the apartment in record time.

Closing the car door with her hip, she quickly took the walk to the apartment stairs. She labored a little as she made it up the two flights, her fingers screaming from the weight of the bags as she arrived at the front door. She set the bags down with a groan. As she fumbled with the house key, the door of the neighboring apartment opened.

Abigail glanced up to see an older woman peering at her. She was wearing big flowery sunglasses and a long shapeless dress. Her feet were clad in white crew socks and sandals. Her long, dark hair was streaked with gray and twisted into a thick braid.

"Well, you must be our new neighbor," the lady said, her face breaking into a big smile. "I'm Evelyn. My friends call me Evelyn, soooo ... I guess you can call me Evelyn."

Abigail smiled at the comment. "I'm Abigail."

"Live by yourself, I take it?" Evelyn tried to peer into Abigail's apartment as she opened the door, but then looked back at Abigail. "When are your things supposed to arrive?"

Abigail set the bags just inside the front door. "Actually, we aren't moving in just yet. My husband, my sister and I will be moving this direction in a couple of weeks. We'll be bringing our things with us then."

"Ah, your husband and sister? No children?"

Allison momentarily felt the desire to balk at this intrusion of her privacy, but the older woman's demeanor seemed so innocent. "Not yet."

Evelyn smiled warmly at Abigail. "I see. Well, you and your family will need to come over for tea or coffee or something stronger once you arrive." She winked with the 'something stronger' comment. "Mary would love to meet you."

"That would be nice." Abigail closed the apartment door and locked it. "I hate to run so soon after we've met, Evelyn, but I have an appointment soon. We'll see you in a few weeks, I hope."

"Yes. We'll be watching for you, Abigail. It was nice to meet you." Abigail watched as Evelyn turned and scuttled back into her apartment, yelling into its depths. "Mar, I just met the new..." The door swung shut behind her, cutting off her words.

Abigail smiled and quickly headed to her interview.

Ted sat in his office at the bank reading and rereading the newest document in front of him. The document looked impressive, but the content itself would be where his plan could fall apart. After three reads, everything appeared to be perfect. However, he planned to send this paper with the rest over to John Merrill for additional review. A second pair of eyes—legal ones at that—would be just what was needed.

After completing this pass through, he placed it on top of the stack and moved to close the folder. He looked one more time at the signature at the bottom. Jack Williams penmanship was pretty distinctive and very sloppy. An evil grin stretched across Ted's face. Jack would rue the day he decided to push Ted. The younger man had no idea what he was getting into. If Williams thought Ted would leave it alone, he was sorely mistaken. Ted could feel his animosity towards his former son-in-law become all consuming. Keeping his emotions in check would be Ted's biggest challenge now. Rational thought and patience would precede victory. He must not let his emotions carry him away. This process was painstaking, but it was necessary.

Again he put his attention back onto Williams' signature. The money spent to have the signature forged was well worth it. A few more well placed dollars and everything would fall into place.

Jack watched as Phil crossed the parking lot. He seemed distracted, but then Jack realized the professor always seemed that way. Phil Goodwyn was tall and somewhat lanky, but Jack could admit that he was likely attractive in that absent-minded, intellectual sort of way. For the umpteenth time he wondered why the older man had never married.

Jack smiled as Phil stepped onto the sidewalk next to him. "Hey, old man," he said.

"Hmmph," Phil responded, dryly. "Why is it being around you always makes me feel old? I'm around college students every day, and I don't feel old."

Jack turned and held the restaurant door open for his friend. "Probably because you remember me when I was knee high to a grasshopper, and seeing me as a grown, married man makes you feel old by comparison." Jack turned to the hostess. "Two, please."

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Maybe so. Well, it certainly can't be because of the large volume of respect you heap on me." Phil said this last with a smile, then followed after the hostess.

With a chuckle, Jack fell in line. At the table, they took their seats.

"Phil, I appreciate you meeting with me on such short notice."

"Well, it was a hard sell. I had planned to spend the lunch hour secluded in my cozy office with a delectable bowl of Lipton Cup-a-soup. It took me a while to convince myself that I'd prefer Italian from Isabella's. Seeing as you are currently my most entertaining project, your offer won out..."

After the waitress retrieved their orders, Jack turned back to the topic.

"I confronted Ted yesterday."

Phil's eyebrows lifted, but he said nothing. Instead he reached for the small loaf of Italian bread and ripped a hunk off, then dipped it into the seasoned olive oil. He seemed to be contemplating as he gnawed a bite off and chewed slowly.

"I see. Which means you would have had to bluff about what proof you have. And did it work?"

Jack just nodded.

Phil sighed and took a drink of water. "That was gutsy, Jack. Had it turned out differently, we'd be saying how stupid it was."

Jack was little nonplussed at Phil's reaction. He thought the older man would be happy at the result. "It did work, however. Yet for some reason you aren't entirely thrilled about this."

"Truthfully, Jack, I had hoped you would put off your little endeavor until my folks had been able to find some concrete proof of indiscretion."

"It wasn't needed, Phil. Things worked out anyway."

Phil put his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "For you."

Jack hesitated a bit to digest what he meant by that. "But ... but not for you. Is that what you are saying?"

Phil just nodded. "Your father-in-law is now alerted that someone has been snooping into his past activities. Which means he will probably begin to review it, as well. He'll be looking to try to do a better job of destroying any additional evidence that might be out there. He'll be more alert and suspicious. I just wish you had waited, that's all."

Jack picked up his water glass, but then put it down without taking a drink. "I couldn't wait, Phil. Things had progressed faster than anticipated. I had to act in the best interests of my family."

"I thought we had decided that this situation was bigger than you or those sisters."

"No, YOU decided that," Jack said, stabbing a finger in Phil's direction. "My primary purpose was always to resolve the situation with Allison. Your cause was secondary to me."

Phil was incredulous. "My cause? MY cause? Need I remind you, Jackson, that you approached me? I even attempted to turn you down before I got involved. Now you have the gall to sit there and tell me that this cause isn't important to you."

"I never said it wasn't important. But to me, it was secondary."

Phil was quiet for a short time, and Jack noticed that his friend seemed suddenly tired. Phil sighed. "I told you, Jack, I'm too old for this shit. Fine. MY cause. This little endeavor of yours has become a personal crusade of sorts." He looked at Jack with a sad expression. "Though I had hoped that it would be OUR cause."

Jack watched Phil. He'd always viewed the older man as a mentor, even when he went through his rebellious teen years. He knew early on that Phil cherished that role. Jack had been sure that after the hell he put his grandmother and Phil through, however, that Phil probably didn't view himself in that role anymore. At least not where Jack was concerned. Now Phil was sitting across from Jack talking about "their cause". Realization hit that Phil had actually begun to look forward to working with Jack. A sudden guilt made Jack cringe inwardly.

"I'm sorry, Phil. I know the proof is out there. I'm pretty sure Ted will be so blinded by his hatred of me that he won't notice you or your team snooping around. Please, don't stop your work."

"My work," Phil said quietly. "But not our work."

The waitress arrived with their food, and after refilling their glasses, left them again. The two men ate in silence. After several minutes, Jack spoke.

"I want to help stop the injustice, Phil. But I gave Ted my word that I wouldn't reveal anything I knew. I'll help where I can, but the best I can do is point you in the right direction. I can get you contacts with his inner circle, might even give you some leads. But other than that..." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

The two men continued eating. As the meal wound down, Phil sat back and looked at the younger man. "It's a good man who honors his word, Jack. I commend you on that."

Phil stopped talking and stared absently at the cluttered table. Jack could tell the man was trying to form some thoughts, so he waited patiently. When Phil spoke again, he continued to stare, as if in a daze.

"I remember back in the 60s, when I first got involved as an activist. So many of us were idealists, thinking that we would do anything to change the world for the better. Sometimes the anger and bitterness towards our opposition was so great, we'd resort to our own questionable tactics. We justified it by saying that they deserved whatever happened to them. And you know what? Most of the time, we were right. But sometimes..." Phil trailed off. Jack continued to wait. "Sometimes, we let our emotions cloud our judgments. There were times I watched people—good people—do things that were as bad as the injustices we were trying to prevent. It's really easy to become jaded and forget about honor and integrity."

Phil finally focused back on Jack. "That said, sometimes we have to break our word for the cause. Sometimes we have to resort to doing things that fill us with guilt and remorse, because it's the only way justice can truly be served."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not sure that's where we are at the moment. At this point, you know what I know. Hell, Phil. Most of what I know I got for you anyway."

"But you can get closer to Ted and his associates than I can. I know you are now estranged, but most of the folks at the bank wouldn't know that. He doesn't air his dirty laundry. You could find people that Ted's offended or misjudged. Maybe there is even someone in the Garner house that is sympathetic to your plight and would help us. Only you can get that for us."

"I can get you contact with people, but at this point I can't commit to getting the information myself and then passing it on." Jack felt apologetic, and hoped that he conveyed that. Then he had another thought. "That said, I'd be foolish to think that our little victory over Ted yesterday will still the beast inside that man. If he breaks the deal first, all bets are off."

Phil was silent as he mulled over Jack's words. Finally he nodded. "I'll take what I can get."

"Brianna!"

Brianna turned from her locker to see Merrigan walking quickly towards her through the crowd, her red hair bouncing with her steps. She returned the redhead's smile.

"Hey, Merrigan."

"Hey. Um, you going straight home?"

Brianna shook her head. "No, Tammy is going to drop me off to see Allison. She wanted to see me after school."

Merrigan fidgeted for a moment without saying anything, her hand absently playing with the hem of her tight t shirt. Brianna nearly blushed as she noticed the rise and fall of her friend's chest just at the edge of her field of vision. She decided to wait for Merrigan to speak, since it appeared she had something to say.

The redhead ran a hand through her hair, then smiled again. "Um, I just wanted to thank you again for taking this on. You know, for helping me—us—try to get some ... some, well, justice."

Brianna did blush this time. "I ... well, um, you're welcome. I want to help. I just hope what we do will work and that it will be worth it."

"It will be, Brianna. I know it." She paused again as if trying to find the right words. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that someone would help fight for us, especially since you didn't have to." Brianna saw Merrigan's eyes begin to glisten. Merrigan turned her eyes back to Brianna's. "Until you reached out to me, Bri, I felt so alone and helpless. I think slowly—almost so I didn't recognize it—what Tyson did to me was driving me into a depression. However, since I met you, I've felt more energized, more liberated, than I have since it happened. I just needed ... needed you to know that."