Divine Vices (11 page)

“Cassie,
watch out!” yelled Jack, reaching over and spinning the wheel to make a hard
turn as his foot punched down on the accelerator.

Just
as the car fishtailed into the drift, I caught a flash of headlights roaring at
us from the left before a banking force collided with the backend of the Camry.
We were sent into a full rotation, being tossed to the other side of the
vehicle as a devastating wallop erupted down the road. When the world finally
came to a standstill, I looked over at Jack who appeared just as shaken by the
impact.

“You
okay?” I asked.

He
nodded. “You?”

“Yeah,”
I said, looking past him, “but I don’t think they are.”

What
appeared to be a gray Sudan was now overturned, its front-end down in the
ditch.

“Stay
here,” ordered Jack, climbing out. “Don’t let anyone else in the car, unless
it’s me.”

“What?
Where’re you going? We should call the police!”

He
didn’t acknowledge the remark. He slammed the car door shut and ran down the
road with something indistinguishable wielded in his right hand as the rain
continued to obstruct my vision through the side window. I pulled the car over
onto the shoulder and took out my cell to dial 9-1-1.

“State
your emergency.”

“Hi,
my friend and I have just been in a car accident. Someone broadsided us, and
they flipped their car. We’re in the intersection of Beaumont and Procter,” I
said to the operator. “I moved off the road, and the other car is in the
ditch.”

“Is
anybody injured?”

“I
think my friend and I are fine, but I don’t know about the other people. My
friend’s checking on them.”

“Stay
where you are. Help will be there shortly. Do you want me to stay on the line
with you?”

Knock.
Knock.

I
yelped at the sight of a looming figure standing just outside the side window.

“Ma’am,
is everything all right?” asked the operator.

“Yes,
I'm fine,” I sighed, realizing it was just Jack. “Can you hold on a minute?”

“Sure.”

I
unlocked the door, and he climbed in.

“Are
they okay?” I asked, pointing to the Sedan.

He
shook his head.

“How
bad is it?”

He
looked back at me bewilderedly. “No one’s in there.”

Without
thinking, I hung up the phone. “What?!”

A
couple of rookie officers arrived at the scene in about eight minutes with an
ambulance as an escort. They ran through their list of procedurals, and we were
both given clean bills of health by the paramedics. The same could not be said
about my car. My poor baby’s left back end had been maimed, and she was now
being prepped to be hauled away to the repair shop by the tow truck that had
just arrived.

“I
doubt their insurance is going to cover the costs?” I said to the officer,
motioning to the Sedan that was now being dragged out of the ditch.

“Unfortunately,
no. We already ran the plates, and it turns out the car had been reported
stolen last night. I think it’s a fairly easy assumption to say that the driver
fled the scene. Grand theft auto isn’t exactly sentenced with a slap on the
wrist.”

“But
you saw the car. There’s no way they could have climbed out of there. Besides,
my friend got out of the car to check on them almost immediately. They wouldn’t
have been able to get away, let alone not even be seen while doing so.”

“Well,
I don’t know what to tell you, Miss Foster,” he said, rather annoyed.

“I’m
sorry,” I replied, adjusting the umbrella he handed me over my head as the rain
continued to pour down on us. “It’s just that... this makes no sense.”

“We’re
gonna keep looking into it. But in the meantime, do you two need a lift, or do
you have someone coming to pick you up?”

“A
lift would be much appreciated,” I said, following him over to the squad car.

Jack
joined me a minute later as the two cops finished up whatever discussion they
were having. “So, you consider me to be a
friend
?” he asked, sliding
into the back seat.

“I’m
sorry?”

“Just
now, you acknowledged me as your ‘friend’ to Officer Talbot.”

“What
did you expect me to say?” I said, sitting beside him. “‘Hi, this is my new
classmate/constant antagonist/pain in my ass/passenger’?”

“I
think
savior
belongs in there somewhere.”

“‘Savior’?”

“Not
sure if you noticed back there, but we could’ve ended up being road kill if it
hadn’t been for my impromptu heroics.”

“Oh,
my sainted hero!” I mocked. “Whatever could I do to repay you?”

“Well,
it seems we have the back seat here all to ourselves, and I could think of a
few things.”

I
gave him a good shove as I closed the door.

“Oh,
fine. Be that way,” he chuckled.

I
immediately dosed up on Advil when I awoke the next morning with a major kink
in my neck, still uncertain as to whether it was from the accident or from the
time I’d spent out in the dampened cold. Finishing up my morning routine, I ran
my comb under the faucet before putting it through my hair so that I could tame
any of the flyaway strands with a little water. Coating my lashes with one final
swipe of mascara, I was ready to face the day. My dad could still be heard
outside fiddling with some tools, so it was safe for me to start changing out
of my pajamas as I made my way to my bedroom. Pulling off my shirt and tossing
it into the hamper at the end of the hall, I opened my door with the instinct
to head straight to the closet. Instead, though, I just stopped dead in my
tracks before jumping back in alarm.

“Jack!”
I yelped, seeing none other than the devil himself laying on my bed with a copy
of
Pride & Prejudice
opened in his hands. “What the hell?!”

“Gooood
morning!” he said in the same tone as a radio host would use. “Trust you slept
well.”

“What
are you doing in here?!”

“Well,
I came over and told your dad I was giving you a ride to school, and he said
you weren’t ready yet and that I could make myself at home until you were,” he
replied, still casually skimming through the pages of the book before taking
notice to my outfit - or lack thereof. “But please, don’t let me interrupt.”

“I’m
pretty sure this isn’t exactly what my dad meant.” I quickly snatched the
leather jacket I had hanging in the entryway and threw it on.

“Bra,
panties, and a coat, eh? Very GQ of you,” he said, lobbing the book on the bed.
“Pity it goes against the school dress code, because you pull it off superbly.”

“Get
out,” I said, stepping away from the door and motioning for his leave.

Instead,
he simply propped himself up and grabbed a donut off the plate he had sitting
beside him on my nightstand and took a bite into it. “You know, you gotta love
the modern American breakfast. Back in the olden days, everyone was limited to
eggs, bacon, and whatnot, but now you can drink coffee drenched in caramel, eat
cereal smothered with sugar, and have cakes masquerading as morning pastries.”

“Could
you please-” I started.

“Oh,
where are my manners?” he interrupted, gesturing to the plate. “Would you like
a Devil’s Food donut? They’re
sinfully
delicious.”

“Jack,”
I started again.

“Seriously,
it’s like eating brownies for breakfast.”

“Get
your feet off my bed,” I instructed, finally taking notice to the fact that he
had his riding boots resting on my comforter. “I don’t need the dirt from
outside a seedy bar all over my sheets.”

He
merely kicked off his shoes before returning to his meal.

“I
have to get changed for school,” I said, still seeing no plans for his
departure.

Thankful
that I had a walk-in closet, I tried to carry on with my routine and went
inside the wardrobe as if he wasn’t there. Why was he? I took off my jacket and
started sorting through some long sleeve shirts.

“I
think you should go with that sexy, little corseted number you have in the
back,” Jack casually called out.

“You
went through my closet?!” I asked furiously, my eyes immediately homing in on
the red laced burlesque corset in question.

“Looks
like someone’s a little closet-sex-kitten,” he teased.

“Easy,
tiger,” I said, trying to hold a steady pitch in my voice. “It was my costume
for last Halloween. My friends had decided to go with a whole Moulin Rouge theme,
so I was stuck wearing that ridiculous thing.”

“Oh,
don’t be modest,” said Jack. “You’re not fooling anyone. Girls like you always
try to play down the fact that they enjoy being sexy. And there’s no better
time to express that hidden desire than on Halloween, when all bets are off.
Even your everyday novice-nun can turn into a naughty nurse or flirtatious
feline come October 31st.”

“Yes,
well, thankfully that’s the night of the dance, so I won’t have to worry about
being seen in a getup like that.”

“So,
you’re going to Homecoming, eh?”

“Not
if I can help it,” I replied.

“You’re
on the decorating committee, and you don’t even want to attend the function
you’re helping to design? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense,” said Jack.

“Gwen
forced me into joining. She says it’ll look good on a college application,
because, as you know, Ivy League schools are always impressed to learn of
someone’s talents for hanging lights and making banners,” I said wryly, pulling
on a fitted black long-sleeved shirt with a deep v-cut.

Normally,
the revealing nature of the plunging neckline would give rise to me putting on
a camisole underneath, but for some reason, I decided against it. I quickly fed
my legs through a pair of bleached blue jeans and yanked my stiletto biker boots
over them. I emerged from the closet with my leather jacket in hand and grabbed
my book bag off the floor beside my desk.

“Aww,”
sighed Jack. “Despite your unwillingness to indulge me and my desire to see you
donning a corset, bustled mini skirt, and garter belt, you still look adorable.
It’s kinda girl-next-door meets biker-babe. A bit of leather and cleavage is
always a crowd pleaser. Come-hither.”

At
first, I wanted to kick myself for not covering up more, but then I realized
his dallying really didn’t bother me. In fact, not at all.

“You
ready?” I asked, coming over to the bedside.

“Wow,
you really cut straight to the point,” he said playfully, sitting up and
leaning in. “I didn’t think you’d make it this easy.”

Hooking
his hands around my waist, he pulled me in until my legs were up against the
side of my mattress. Jack rested on his knees, still hovering a few inches over
me when he straightened. Soaking in every shade of blue and gray in his
penetrating eyes, along with an enticing fragrance of coastal beach soap, I
returned an equally alluring gaze, trying best to not blush as the heat from
his hands sank into my skin. With his breath falling onto my lips, I arched my
back onward to make the distance between us next to nothing.

Dipping
his head down so that our facial features were aligned, he leaned in with
intent, but I turned away. Taking the lone donut off the plate on the
tableside, I temptingly bit into the warm, chocolate pastry.

“Mmmmmmhhh,”
I moaned pleasurably. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Slowly
running my tongue over my lips as I savored the bite, Jack pulled away with a
smirk immediately rising to the surface.

“Thanks
for the quickie,” I said, grabbing my purse beside the plate.

“You’re
just a tease,” he called out, snatching his shoes before following me out into
the hallway as I triumphantly trotted downstairs.

“If
perverted behavior, like coming unannounced into a lady’s bedroom and catching
her in a less than decent state, is all it takes to get a woman into bed with
you, then I weep for humanity,” I said.

“Oh,
give it time,” said Jack. “Eventually, you will succumb to the temptation.”

“Don’t
hold your breath,” I replied as I entered the kitchen.

Jack
poured himself a cup of coffee and parked a seat at the bar just as my dad came
inside.

“You
don’t have to bother,” said Jack, watching me about to dial my cell. “I already
called Ian and told him I’d be giving you a ride.”

“And
he was okay with that?” I asked, clearly bother once more by his intrusion.

“I
don’t know. I didn’t follow up our conversation with a Q & A to discuss his
feeling, but I told him nevertheless.”

“Again,
boundaries.”

“Well,
forgive me. I wasn’t aware that I had to run everything past your security
detail,” Jack cracked. “Just a suggestion, you might want to think about
rehiring for the position. Ian’s about as intimidating as a basket of kittens.”

“Not
that it’s any concern to you, but he can handle himself just fine. And if you
provoke him in any way, I can guarantee that he’d do more damage than you’d think.”

“What?
Is he going to pull the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog out of his magic top hat?”
Jack countered.

My
dad nearly choked on his coffee as he tried not to laugh, but a definite snort
erupted under his breath.

“You,
outside,” I said, pointing at Jack.

“Uh-oh,”
he said, looking at my dad. “I’m in trouble.”

Rinsing
out his cup of coffee, Jack said goodbye to my dad before heading out the door.

“Have
fun.”

I
walked up to my father and punched him in the arm.

“Oww,”
snapped my dad. “I didn’t make the comment.”

“You’re
certainly not helping though.”

“Oh,
come on. It was funny. Besides, any guy who knows
Monty Python
is okay
in my book,” he chuckled.

“What
is happening to this world?” I asked in utter bewilderment, reflecting over the
events occurring in only the last day and a half.

1)
Possessed game board piece attacking me.

2)
Nearly killed by a ghost driver.

3)
My “Baby” was damaged.

4)
My privacy had been completely violated.

5)
Jack was working as the puppeteer to my life.

6)
And my dad, MY DAD, actually approved of Jack!

I
had officially entered the twilight zone.

As
I exited the side door, my eyes immediately homed in on the stunning brightwork
and rear fender moldings of an immaculate, black 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS. Jack
smiled from ear to ear as I approached the car in utter idolization.

Jack
opened the passenger door and ushered me inside. “You like her?”

“She’s
gorgeous,” I said, admiring everything from its original steering wheel to the
door paneling as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “The engine?”

He
turned her over, and an arousing purr ignited from under the hood. “Eight
cylinder.” 

“Are
you serious? How much did this cost?”

“Enough,”
he simply replied. “You ever ridden in one before?”

I
shook my head. “I’ve only seen her model up close once, at a car show.”

“Well,
I have a feeling you two will get along just fine. She can sense the love,” he
said, patting the dash.