Reasonable Doubts (20 page)
Authors: Evie Adams
CHAPTER 16 - ANNA
As horrible as it was, I loved the days after the accident. It felt selfish and mean to enjoy it. I felt guilty for enjoying it while he was in pain, but he was a different person when he was needy and depended on me. I was probably a different person too, being able to concentrate on helping him and making him comfortable instead of working against him and trying to make him uncomfortable as often as possible.
We talked and laughed as people, not as enemies. He even tried to show me how to play the banjo. The six strings were difficult to master, three sets of two, so they could be played as three strings or 6, or combinations in between. His fingers were far more delicate with it than mine, and maybe the fact he was in pain and needed to be more gentle, made him play more gently and soft, and be extraordinarily patient while teaching me.
I would help him to the main house to sit with his father, and he would thank me for the help and I would chide him when he tried to do too much. We were settled into a boring old married couple relationship. Though the desire was still there.
My favorite part was helping him dress- and undress, of course. Two days after he returned to the cabin, I changed the bandages on his wounds and decided he needed a bath.
“What do you think about a shower?” I asked him.
“Is it getting that bad?”
“How to be delicate here? I can live with it, but I’d rather not have to.”
“The lagoon then,” he said, “I can manage my way down there.”
He tried to get up and the pain stretched his face, I got the wheelchair out from the corner, he hadn’t used it yet.
“I’m not a cripple, I don’t need that,” he said brusquely when he saw it.
“You’re not a cripple, but this could help, or I could. You have to at least admit you need some help.”
He looked at me, and clearly I should have pretended it was his idea, or that he didn’t need help, that meanness of a wounded animal showed in his face. But he kept whatever he was going to say to himself, and allowed me to help him. An improvement.
He grabbed a small hand gun from near the bed, “Do we really need that?” I asked.
“I hope not, but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” He said.
I walked him the whole 43 steps to the lagoon, he tried to keep as much of his weight off of me as possible, but his face was twisted in pain, and I did my best to make him lean into me. Somehow we made it, and he rested on the sandy shore, and caught his breath.
“I think I can manage from here,” he said.
I laughed at him, “You’re too weak to walk here on your own, I’m not leaving you in the water on your own. Besides, I don’t get to have your body, but I will see it.”
I said the words in my best imitation of him, and he realized what was happening. “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”
“A little more than I should, but I do feel guilty about that.” I told him, truthfully. “Now let’s get you undressed,” I moved to help him.
I peeled his shirt off, delicately, but used every chance to run my greedy fingers over his body. His muscles were coiled like snakes, and when I got to his pants, they were bulging, but he was in obvious pain. I kissed him on the cheek, very unsatisfied, and he slipped in the water. The weightlessness showed in his face, he no longer needed to brace himself for every movement, every shift of weight, his face came back to normal, almost, and he was calmer, weightless as he washed, and floated.
“Soap?” he called out to me.
“Right here,” I smiled, with the soap in my outstretched palm. I deeply wanted to see him come out of the water naked, angrily walking towards me, but I couldn’t be that cruel. I knew how much that would hurt. So when he gave me the helpless look, not yet deciding whether he was going to walk out, or yell at me, I smiled and I slipped in towards him, undressing as I went, watching his hungry eyes. I felt his skin in the water as he grabbed me and kissed me, the warmth of his skin against the coolness of the water and the air. I felt the insistence of his cock against my thigh, but even here, almost weightless, pain tore at his face.
“Feeling better I see?” I told him,
“Starting to.” As he held me closer, and tried to lift me towards him, but he couldn’t quite make it.
“Rest up,” I told him. “You’ll need all your strength soon,” and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheeks, both of us disappointed.
At the same time, we both heard a car pull up outside the gate, and the gate open. His eyes turned to the animal again, caught in a moment of weakness, the gun on the shore, far away, we went still, listening.
We heard muffled voices and a single set of footsteps walking our way, Marcus waded slowly and silently towards the shore. But just as he reached the gun, Sal came through the woods, almost as surprised to see us as we were to see him.
“Sal? What are you doing sneaking around out here?”
“Not sneaking. Jackie is being a pain in the ass, my crew and his crew showed up at the same job. We’re trying to work it out peacefully, without bothering you in your current, difficulties.”
“Me and my difficulties don’t matter, I need to know these things and settle them before they become a problem. Come by later and tell me about it, in detail.”
“You’re the boss.” Sal said and walked off.
CHAPTER 17 - MARCUS
She was a cold glass of water- just out of reach- as I was dying of thirst. I was going mad being trapped in this bed, and not being able to use it the way it should be used. Anna was snuggled up close to me, her face in my chest and her arms wrapped up under her chin. I kissed her forehead, and she snuggled closer, what an angel when she's asleep.
I wanted her, I ached for her, my cock ached for her. I held her arms gently as I rolled away from her. And eased them down into the warm spot on the bed I had just left. Every time I did this I didn’t know what the hell I was leaving. I walked out and the cold wind coming off the lake bit into me. I retreated back into bed, my strength was coming back, but not all the way there yet.
I had to watch Anna walk around, let her help me, and bathe me and dress me, and not touch her.
Patience
, I told myself, but goddamn it was difficult with her sleeping next to me and my cock screaming for her, and my stomach screaming at me when I tried. It might be worth it to die while fucking her one last time.
She had the good sense to leave me when my mood turned acidic, too surly from unreleased lust and being cooped up in this cabin. I always worried she wouldn’t return, but she always did. She was off visiting Tess or my father when Sal came by to discuss Jackie.
Giacomo, “Jackie”, was my Uncle Carmine’s right hand man. Carmine was my father's brother, but an illegitimate child of their father. My father didn't have to welcome him into the family, but he did, and it seemed like Carmine was grateful, and more importantly, loyal. But there was always something about him, how he was in the family but not at the same time, like Sal, and like me for that matter.
It didn’t seem right that Sal would be meeting with Jackie, and cutting me and my Uncle out. They’re supposed to talk to us, and we sort out the problems. That’s how management worked, whether in a billion dollar company or this family. Chain of command ruled.
“I don’t like you meeting with Jackie without me,” was the first thing I told him. “Carmine okay, but not Jackie.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Father never trusted Jackie, Carmine does, but that’s his problem.”
“So I gotta ask you if I wanna take a piss now too?”
If my strength hadn’t left me, this would be a good time to slap him since nobody was around to see it, but in my condition, I had to use other skills than brute force, which a guy like Sal might mistake for weakness, or maybe I didn’t give him enough credit.
“Sal, take a seat.” I told him and pointed to the couch across from me. “You’re my brother, I don’t care about the rest of it, you
are
my brother. We’re in a situation exactly like Carmine and father years ago. I want you to be my right hand man, but I need to trust you. I need to know you’ll back me whatever I do.” He wasn’t paying much attention, more sitting through it like a truculent teenager.
“Father told me his preference is for Carmine to run the family,” that got his attention. “Not you. Not me. Carmine. If that happens, you fall further down the list, but if I’m the head, you’re my second in command. You see?”
“I see.”
It might take time, but he would come around.
CHAPTER 18 - ANNA
I was cooking, and Marcus seemed to find the strength to walk up behind me, and kiss me on the cheek.
“I thought I scared the walking up behind me out of you?” I asked.
“Only when you’re angry at me.” He kissed my neck, our eyes met and I thought I might melt through the floor. The way he looked at me made my whole body fill with heat.
I slipped a hand through his hair, as his mouth slipped across mine. I forgot everything but the feel of his body against mine, my breasts pressed against his chest as he pulled me in closer. His strength had come back to him, I was dying for his touch for so long.
"I want you," he whispered, kissing my neck, wrapping me in his arms. I could feel his cock through his pants, pressed against my belly.
I shivered as he lavished kisses over my neck and shoulders. “Can you?” I murmured as his hands moved down my back, cupping my ass, squeezing gently as his tongue made little circles on my neck.
“We’ll see, won’t we?” he said to me skin, "You feel so good," he groaned, and before I knew it, we were in bed, I was on top, my hips directly against the heat of his cock.
"Oh god," I moaned softly when he started to caress my breasts. I could see the hunger in his eyes when he looked up at me, but also the strained pain in his eyes. I shifted off of him, to not be on his stomach, he slipped a hand behind my neck, pulling my mouth down to his, kissing me breathless. When I slid my hand between us to feel the length of his cock, he groaned against my mouth.
“You’re in pain,” I managed to say, I didn’t want to stop this, but I didn’t want him dying in the bed either.
“I’ll live,” he said as he shifted over to me, carefully.
I could barely stand trying to talk him out of it, “But if we wait . . . “
He looked at me, and said, “Shut up and fuck me, if this is the last thing I ever do, then so be it, it was worth it.”
The days and the weeks passed, I wasn't sure what month it was now, or how long I had been gone. The weather was turning cold, and the people in the camp came and went, Appy had left with her family and come back. New faces showed up for a few days, then left. Sal was almost a constant, but he left often for short periods as well. Marcus was a constant, he had begun to take me in the mornings as well as the nights, I huddled with him for the warmth at night, and almost as soon as I woke, he was over me, kissing me, his cock hard and ready, I was too sleepy to protest, and it was a wonderful, sweet way to wake up.
There was more traffic to the main house over the last few days and Marcus was less his confident and sexy self. His father was in even worse health I knew. Groups of men in dark suits and flashy pastel ties stood around smoking cigarettes and talking low. They would come to Marcus and kiss him on the cheek and hand him an envelope, then leave again.
Sometimes, there would be a knock on the door late at night and Marcus would leave for a few hours, and return quietly. I never knew what was going on, business or his father, or both, he was reticent to talk, and I didn't push, but the mood was somber, except for our mornings.
When I visited the old man, he was barely conscious, not joking and laughing like he had been a month before, when I first met him. The spark was out of his eyes, the smile left his face and seemed to take everyone else's with it.
One morning, there was a knock on the door, early knocks always bring bad news. We walked out and the cold wind coming off the lake bit into me. I walked with Marcus up to the main cabin, as everything was still dark, the sun just coming up over the mountains.
They gathered outside the main house like vultures. All the extended family, including Uncle Carmine. He stood with Sal, and waved hello as we walked towards them. He was around 40, gray hair just creeping into his beard around the jaw line, and sandy blond hair- from his mother.
"Carmine, Sal," Marcus said and nodded to them, and held out his hand to Carmine.
"I got here last night and had a few moments with him, but he was pretty out of it." Carmine said to him. He seemed like a man who didn't care for small talk.
"How is he this morning?" Marcus asked him and Sal both.
"Sleeping when I saw him, breathing real hard. Nurse is in there, she says it’s a death rattle."
“Whatever happens Marcus, you have my loyalty Marcus. Count on that." Carmine told him.
"Where's Jackie?"
"Not sure, I wanted him here, but you have his loyalty too."
"You should bring your son by, I haven't got to know him very well."
"I will. But he's not in the business at all, he's in college now. A better life. ”
The house was quiet except for a low, labored breathing. I was used to that sound by now, but it was just a little different today. Less urgency. We walked into his father's bedroom and it was the nurse who was breathing heavy, Marcus’ father was quiet and still. Marcus slapped the nurse awake and felt his father’s hand, cold.
“Get the fuck out of here. He's dead. You're no use here anymore.” He snarled at the Nurse.
She looked offended for a second, but did not talk back. She must have seen it in his face, because she looked down, and meekly said, “I'm sorry.” And left the room.
I wished there was something I could do for him, he worked all day, meeting with people, solving their problems and settling their disagreements. There were so many new faces coming in and out of the camp, it was hard to tell who was who. But security had become much tighter. There were at least 6 men walking around armed, at all times. And three me with Marcus at all times. He was morning his father and depressed and still working all day. When he came back to the cabin, he didn't try to chase me around or bed me or overpower me or anything, and I was starting to miss it.
It was hard to think about me when he was so obviously depressed, but I daydreamed that maybe this was it. This was the end. He was tired of me and I would be sent away, hopefully. Whatever I had seen, whatever he was protecting me from seemed gone, according to Sal, so I was in limbo, but some part of me wanted to stay. Wanted to be fucked for sure.
Appy came over, and since I had learned to clean everything beforehand, there wasn't much for her to do. Instead of reading to her I made her take a walk with me, she was painfully slow, but it was better than screaming a racy book in her ear.
We walked around near the lake and up near the woods. There were people and guards everywhere, but all the cars stayed outside, parked in front of the gate. We walked near the gate, and one car was out far from the gate, seemed to be parked there, oddly. When we stopped to stare at it, it took off abruptly.
I took Appy for a walk again, when we got to the gate, she wanted to walk outside it, I knew we shouldn't but the woman was insistent. I didn't know enough Italian to argue with her, so I figured it was better if I went along to make sure she didn't get hurt. Past the gate was a downhill walk, with a dozen cars parked along the hill.
We took it slow, and Apply was surprisingly nimble down the hill, while I was mostly walking sideways. Another car drove up and three men got out. Appy began shouting in Italian as the men came over, and got no answer from them. I was concerned, but running up the hill with Appy was a bad idea, impossibility.
She began shouting in Italian, the angry old woman voice, and these guys were walking straight towards us, I held Appy's arm, but she swung a fist at the one closest to us, the man slapped her hard, brutally for an old woman and I crouched down to help her, forgetting I was in danger. She was knocked out and bleeding on her forehead. I didn't even think of myself, I tried to protect Appy and swat off the men, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me away, dragging me to the car. I screamed, but he muffled my face with his leather gloves.