Payback (10 page)

“I’ve been saving up this whole trip.  All I wanted was to put this inside of you and make you scream.”

“Yeah, I’m ready, now fuck me.”

He pushed me down on my back and climbed on top, riding me and using the vibrator at the same time on my clit. It didn’t take long before I was scratching his back and bucking up into him and the vibrator.  I could barely hear him over my moaning
, as my sight went black and my body imploded. After riding my orgasm for almost a minute, I finally started to come back to Earth when I heard him screaming.

“Baby, baby…stop the scratching…you’re killing me.”

I threw my hands up and looked over his shoulder at his back. “Oh, God. Honey, I’m sorry.”

He pulled up and tried to reach behind. “Am I bleeding?”

I swallowed hard. “Only a little.”

He jumped up and went to the hall mirror
, trying to look at his back. There was a howl of laughter. “I’ve got scratch marks!  No woman has ever scratched me during an orgasm.  Was it that good?”

“Oh, yeah, it was that good. But you didn’t come.”

“I came before.  I’m fine.  We’ll have plenty of time. Come on, let’s take a shower and then a nap. I just want to hold you.”

We spent some time just holding each other and talking about his trip and my foray onto a new television show that was part Sherlock Holmes, part drama about running a restaurant.  Being a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, I had that part down, but I had to do a lot of research on the restaurant part.  I told him about the research
, and he seemed genuinely interested.  In return, he told me about some of the strange people he met in the green rooms waiting to go on the shows. He had a way of telling a story that made me laugh.  No matter how serious the subject, he could find something humorous about it,

without being cruel.  Between the two of us, we were always smiling and teasing each other.

I was falling in love with him.

Chapter 7

Chores and Punishment

“The salt lick goes out in the middle, along with some oat cakes that are infused with vitamins and minerals they need to get through the winter.  The winter grass isn’t as nutritious as the summer grass so we have to supplement it.  When the snow finally covers the winter grass, we’ll start feeding them hay we baled during the summer, along with the straw.  The hay gives them the nutrition they need, but digesting the straw helps keep them warm.” Jason and Marie were sitting on the tailgate of the truck while a local eighteen-year-old named “Buck” drove them and the squares of salt licks to the meadow where she and Jason set them down every hundred feet for the cattle to lick.

“What else do you do during the winter?” Marie asked.

“We delouse them, feed them, clean the barns, and inoculate them. We move them around so that they don’t over fertilize one area.  Between the two--make that three--of us, we’ll keep busy.”

Marie nodded as she looked down at her Nikes
, which were now trashed from the snow, the dung, and the slush she had been slogging through for the last three weeks. Jason gave her a mournful look.

“You need to get some boots, a real jacket
, and winter clothes.”

“I know, but
I’m absolutely broke, not a dime. If I do buy something, he’s going to put it on my tab.”

Jason almost laughed at the absurdity of it. “Well, you still need the clothes.”

“I know.”

They made their way back to the house and waited while Marie prepared the three men lunch.  Caden walked in and saw the two workers sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee while Marie hurried about in the kitchen.

“Lunch isn’t ready?” he asked in an accusatory tone.

“I was putting out salt licks.”

“Your main job is to make sure we’re fed on time. These two guys are on the clock, and now I’m paying them to sit and watch you make lunch!” he growled, as he pushed past her to grab a mug.

Jason nodded to Buck
, and they stood up to leave.

“Sit down!” Caden yelled.

Buck sat down right away, but Jason stood and stared back at Caden. Jason wasn’t going to take this from Caden, even though he knew it came from the pain he was in.  Jason knew that his friend was going to be in this pain until he either extracted his pound of flesh from Marie or he found a way back to her. Or, there was one other option, he could let her go and let the past go too. But Jason could tell that Caden wasn’t strong enough to let Marie go.  He wasn’t sure why, perhaps because he needed his revenge, or maybe it was that he just needed her in his life even if it was so he could torture her, but he wasn’t strong enough to let her go a second time.

“Caden, I’m not some child that you can yell at. You need to remember that. Buck and I will leave
, if you’re going to scream. Marie filled in because Buck’s brother couldn’t make it. She worked very hard out there, so it’s not her fault that lunch is late.  And you’re right, Buck and I should be out earning our pay, but we didn’t think you’d mind us taking a little break.”

Caden shifted his weight and looked contrite. “Well, she should have prepared lunch before leaving.”

“I asked her at the last minute to help us.”

Caden nodded that he understood and joined them at the table. Jason gave Marie a wink and sat back down.  

As she served the lunch, ham sandwiches and tomato soup, she cleared her throat. “I need work boots,” Marie said, as she walked towards the door.

“And she needs a proper jacket, gloves and hat.  It’s warmed up, but it’s going to get cold again and she’s going to freeze out there,” Jason added.

Caden refused to acknowledge either of them. Marie shrugged at Jason and grabbed her brown sack that she had thrown her lunch into.  Exiting through the mud room, she went out on the deck.  They all watched as Marie devoured her sandwich while pacing back and forth to keep warm.

“Don’t she like us?” Buck asked.  No one answered him.
“Why is she eatin’ out there in the cold? People from California sure are strange,” he added.

“I told her that she’s not allowed to eat with me at the table or in my presence,” Caden said
, and then realized how petty it sounded.

“So why doesn’t she go downstairs or up to her bedroom?”

“She’s sleeping in the tack room,” Jason responded.

“Oh, so she’s the one that cleaned the bathroom out in the barn?”

“Yeah, so clean up after yourself when you use it.”  Jason continued to inhale the grilled ham and cheese.

Over the last three weeks, Marie had transformed the barn bathroom, tack room
, and office into rooms you could actually breathe in again.  The bathroom needed new fixtures; they were corroded and stained beyond what Marie could do with a scrubber and Comet, but at least you could tell that they were clean.

Buck whistled.
“Wow, even when my mom gets mad at me, she doesn’t make me eat outside in the cold.”

Caden wasn’t going to give in.  “She has the option of going to the barn or the tack room
, if she wants.”

Marie popped her head in the mud
room door and yelled, “Can I come in and start cleaning the kitchen?  I’d like to put the roast on.”

Caden gave the outward appearance of being annoyed
, but he was glad to have the excuse to call her back inside. “Yes, for God’s sake, start the roast.”

She came back in and began to clean the dishes and start the dinner. Marie grumbled a little but bit her tongue. Caden wanted a reaction, wanted her to show everyone that she was
a bitch and that he was just treating her appropriately.  But she knew that as long as she kept her thoughts to herself, he looked like the asshole and it kept the spotlight off of what she had done to him. Nonetheless, she refused to moan about her situation.  If he wanted to punish her, she’d prove that she could take it…that she was better than him…that she was willing to pay whatever price he wanted to extract.

Caden wasn’t pleased that he had to use a Saturday to take her into town to buy clothes and groceries.  Still, she was a good cook and it would be nice to see what she would cook if she was given the opportunity to pick out the groceries. In the truck, they were silent.  He was brooding and she was gawking at the scenery.  Caden remembered when they spent hours talking.  It was as if they would never run out of things to say to each other. 

She didn’t look that different except more like a woman. There were times he’d turn and catch a
glimpse of her and he’d lose his breath just like he did when they were living together.  And then the hate and pain would rush in to replace the good memories. He had to admit that she was taking her punishment on the chin. One thing about Marie, she was a hard worker, always had been. The amount she owed on the whiteboard was being chiseled away on a daily basis. 

He pulled up in front of
Calvin’s Westernwear
and parked. Inside the store, Marie visually searched the store and then turned to him, baffled. “There’s no women’s clothing in here.”

“They have boy’s clothing. Y
ou can wear that,” he said.  Calvin’s son came over to help them.  “Hi, Luke. My employee here needs a pair of work boots, a pair of boot socks, a winter jacket, work gloves, and a hat.”

“Good day, m
a’am, what’s your shoe size?”

“Five and a half.”

“That’s a size four in boy’s sizes.”  Luke walked towards a display of shoes. “This is a standard work boot that you can use in the snow; they’re seventy-five bucks.  But I’d recommend these.” He held up a boot that was definitely more substantial than the other one. “They’re $127, but they have more cushion and arch support.”

Marie looked to Caden, wondering what she should do. Caden grabbed the cheaper boo
t and shoved it into her chest. “Try it on.”

She pulled it on over her wet socks and walked a few steps. “They seem to be the right size.”

“You might get some blisters when you start breaking them in, so make sure you wear good socks,” Luke advised. “You look like you don’t wear work boots that much. You might want to start with the socks that have the heavier padding.”

Marie could tell that the boots had no support for her high arches. She went to pick up the other boots
, only to have Caden pull them out of her hands.  He turned to Luke, “The ones she has on will do just fine.”

Luke looked at Marie and understood that there was something going on between them, something he didn’t want to be a part of so he moved on to the jacket. “This Carhart has synthetic filler
, and this North Face one has down. The down will keep you warmer, but the synthetic filler costs fifty bucks less.”

Caden looked at the price tags and took the one with synthetic filler off the hanger and threw it to her. “There’s your jacket.”

They picked out a plain, knit cap and boy’s work gloves.  Ringing up the total, it came $189.  She immediately put on the jacket before they went outside.  The difference in warmth was remarkable. 

On their way out of town
, they stopped at the grocery store. As they walked around, they both felt awkward. She had a list and started to fill the basket. To the world, they appeared to be like any other couple doing their shopping. 

“Why do we need all that?” he growled.

She clenched her teeth.  “Damn it, Caden, this isn’t for me. This food is to feed you and Jason. This food is very nutritious and good for you two.  You eat too many fried foods and carbohydrates.”

“Don’t tell me what to eat,” his voice was elevated.

She held up her hand, not wanting to draw attention to them. “You’re right.  What do you want me to put back?”

He looked in the basket and saw that all the foods in it were things he liked. In order to make a point
, he grabbed the eggplant and handed it to her. “We don’t need that.”

She put it back.  After that incident, she began to ask him before putting anything in the cart.  Despite grabbing things that even she thought were not necessary, he always said yes. 

Swinging around the liquor aisle, he started grabbing whisky, tequila, and rum, throwing the bottles into the basket. Marie winced, knowing that he was drinking a lot more than he drank when he was with her in Los Angeles.

The judgmental look wasn’t lost on Caden.  He leaned into her face and glowered. “Don’t you judge me.”

Looking down, she wanted to tell him that it wasn’t judging, it was worry, but she didn’t.  She remained silent and continued down the aisle to the checkout. As they stood in line, she suddenly darted out of the line and ran down one of the aisles.  When she came back, she was trying to hide something behind her.  Caden was standing by the checkout as the last of the groceries were being rung up.

“Caden, can I borrow five bucks?” she whispered, not wanting to bring attention to herself.

“Jesus Christ!  I buy you a jacket, boots, gloves, a hat and all these damn groceries, and you still want more? What the hell is so important that I have to give you another five bucks?”

The whole store had stopped to watch the famous movie star’s outburst. You could have heard a pin drop. 

Marie was mortified.  She turned a brick red and was unable to hold her head up.  She pulled the box from behind her and put it on the conveyor belt.  Caden immediately snapped his mouth shut and scanned the faces of the mostly women in line.  At that moment, he felt like the most hated man in Montana.  Sitting on the conveyor belt was a box of tampons. He grabbed the box and handed it to the cashier.  She rang them up.

After loading the groceries, he pulled open the driver’s door, cursing to himself and practically throwing himself onto the truck bench.  Marie quietly got into the passenger side.

Caden started pounding the steering wheel. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”  He turned to look at her. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

In a low voice filled with controlled rage, she hissed, “You
bastard. You must be joking.  You completely humiliated me in front of those men and women.”

He was breathing hard and fast, trying to stop the self-loathing he was feeling. “Damn it, Marie, only you could make me feel like a piece of shit.  You bring nothing but pain into my life.”

The anger subsided and the hurt rushed in.  Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Then loan me the money to leave. Let me go back to Los Angeles and try to sell my book.”

He snickered, “I’d never see my money again.”

“And how would that hurt you?  It’s not like you don’t have a ton of it.  I promise I’ll pay it back.”

“I told you before that I’m tired of being your doormat.  You’re not going to screw up your life and expect me to make it all better.  No, you’re going to work off your debt.”  The conversation was over.  He started the truck and they rode home in silence. She unloaded th
e groceries and checked on the Crock-Pot which was cooking a stew, one of Caden’s favorite recipes.  He finally showed up in the kitchen looking less angry and almost contrite.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.