The Deviant Underground (Time Bandit) (14 page)

Kathryn turned away from her. “Nothing,” she said, attempting to sound surly. “Let's get on with it.” The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air, hurdling toward the ground, enveloped in Charge's strong embrace. She fell to the ground on her right side, her cheek inches away from a sharp rock. All of Charge's 6' 4” frame was on top of her. She immediately teleported to a standing position, causing Charge to land face-down in the dirt.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Kathryn brushed the dirt and dried leaves that were clinging to her t-shirt and shorts. “Give me some warning first!”

“No,” Charge said as he stood up. “No warning. You have to learn how to react in an instant. You shouldn't have to think about it. Just DO something. Freeze something. Teleport somewhere. Just. Do. Something.” The intensity of Charge's speech caught Kathryn's attention. The game playing was over. It was time to get serious.

She nodded gravely. “Okay.”

“Your reaction time is good when you’re focused and paying attention. But you never know when someone or something is going to catch you off guard, so you must ALWAYS be prepared.”

Kathryn nodded again. “Okay.” Just at that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she caught something coming at her. She didn't know what it was and didn't care. She just froze everything around her. A stillness descended upon the clearing. She turned to see what almost caught her off guard. It was a rock. A few feet away and slightly behind her, Susan stood frozen with her arm raised like a baseball pitcher. She had thrown a rock at Kathryn's head while engrossed in Charge's explanation.

“Sneaky. Sneaky,” Kathryn muttered as she walked around to Susan. The rock’s sharp edges glinted in the sun. Had it hit its intended target, it really would have done some damage. She stepped behind Susan, slightly out of her view, and unfroze everything. Susan's arm continued its downward arc, and she looked around in confusion. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Kathryn standing behind her and threw a punch. Now totally focused, Kathryn dodged it easily. And the onslaught began.

Chapter Fifteen

“Where did you get this?” Kathryn said in awe as her hands gently stroked the spine.

“I have a friend who lives in London. During one of my trips there, I picked this up at auction.” Jonathan leaned against the tall, dark oak bookshelf in his study. It was full of classics, both ancient and modern, but he had pulled out the book that would impress Kathryn the most.

“This must have cost a fortune.” Kathryn was too afraid to actually open it. She knew rare book protocol. She should be wearing a pair of gloves. Hell, she shouldn't even be breathing on it.

Jonathan chuckled. “Some things in life are worth the money.” He watched Kathryn's ginger handling of the book. “Go ahead,” he said. “Open it.”

Kathryn exhaled. “Are you sure?”

Jonathan nodded, smiling. Kathryn slowly opened the cover of the book. On the first page, stamped out in a beautiful script, were the words, “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.” Beneath it was the date 1749.

“A first edition,” Kathryn whispered. Her eyes scanned the page, taking in the curve of every letter, the quality of the paper, the slight yellowing at the edges. “You know this should be in a rare books library.”

“Well, perhaps you will put it there, if you so choose.”

Kathryn frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It's yours.” Kathryn stood in shocked silence. Jonathan repeated, “It's yours. I'm giving it to you.”

“I . . . I . . . I can't take this,” Kathryn stammered. “This is priceless. It's . . .”

Jonathan grasped Kathryn's hand, closing the cover of the book gently. “It's yours. I can think of no one else I know who would be as appreciative of it as I am.”

Kathryn was silent. She felt overwhelmed by Jonathan's generosity. It was enough for him to open his house to her, but the gift of the book had her at a loss for words. The only words that came to her were, “Thank you.” She stroked the cover of the book gently.

“You’re welcome, my dear.” Jonathan turned to sit down at his desk. “Now go and put it somewhere safe.”

“Okay.” Kathryn began to leave the room as Jonathan got comfortable in his chair and opened his laptop. Before closing the door behind her, she turned and said, “Thanks again.” She paused. “For everything.”

Jonathan just smiled warmly at her as she shut the door and walked into the living room, clutching her new treasure in her hands. She took it upstairs to her bedroom, found a pillowcase, wrapped it up, and placed the book on a shelf in the closet. A place, she hoped, where it would stay cool and dry.

***

That evening, Kathryn lay in the bed staring up at the ceiling. The cool night air drifted into the room through the open window and danced across her naked body. She reveled in the tiny goosebumps that responded to the wind's touch and tried to focus on them instead of her pounding head. Susan's fist had connected with Kathryn's temple during their last practice session, and now she tried to relax and wait for the pill that Susan had given her to kick in. She heard the shower running down the hall as Charge removed the dirt and dust from the day's activities.

A lot had transpired over the past week and a half, and Kathryn had a decision to make. Her two weeks were almost up, and she knew, in her heart, that she was not ready to go back. Images from her old life flashed across her mind. She saw nothing but loneliness, fear, and pain—long days of not talking to anyone, being locked up in her office, trolling the silent library stacks by herself, eating meals with nothing but a bad undergraduate essay to keep her company, and nights of polishing off bottles of Scotch before stumbling into an empty bed. Now, she had friends . . . a family. People who were just like her. She had company, great conversations, openness, joy, sex—lots and lots of mindblowing sex—and . . . love. Kathryn touched her temple gingerly. The pain was subsiding, and better yet, a pill-induced warm and tingly sensation was slowly starting to engulf her. “I can't leave now,” she whispered to the empty room. “Not yet.” The evening air seemed to answer her as it gusted, billowing the curtains with its entrance.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door opening. Charge entered, a towel wrapped around his waist and a few drops of water scattered over his broad shoulders. He closed the door quietly behind him, surveyed Kathryn's naked body lying invitingly on the bed, and smiled. “How are you feeling, baby?” He sat down and gently touched the bruise at Kathryn's temple.

“I'm okay.” Kathryn sat up a bit, lay her hand on top of Charge's and gently kissed his warm palm. “Although now, I think my modeling career is officially over.”

“No way.” Charge cupped Kathryn's face in his hands and slowly brought his face to hers. “You look as beautiful as ever.” He kissed her softly at first and then more and more eagerly as his passion took over. Charge's increasingly aggressive kisses made Kathryn forget all about the pain, and she reached down and tore off Charge's towel. Her heart raced at the sight of his erection, and she lay back on the bed guiding him toward her. She gasped as he entered her and arched her back to accommodate his rhythmic pounding. Charge's hands found Kathryn's, and he interlaced his fingers with hers. Slowly, Kathryn began to feel that delicious, electric tingle beginning her palms. It spread down through her arms and up into her shoulders. Charge's pounding grew harder as the sensation split into two parts, simultaneously travelling to the top of her head and coursing down her body to the tips of her toes. The intensity of it made her scream as her body exploded with orgasm. A second wave of pleasure caught her by surprise, cutting her scream off in mid breath. Her body convulsed uncontrollably, and she was powerless to stop it. After what seemed like several minutes, her body finally stopped shaking, and she was vaguely aware that Charge was also seizing with the force of his own orgasm. Charge's breathing stopped and then started again erratically. He collapsed down next to her, one hand on his heaving chest and the other over his eyes.

Kathryn watched him try to gain control of his body again. She burst out laughing.

“What . . . is . . . so . . . funny?” Charge gasped.

Kathryn tried to get a hold of herself. “I don't know!” She squealed through peals of laughter. “You. Me. Shit!” Charge laughed at Kathryn's outburst. Their laughter lasted for several minutes, and Kathryn had tears streaming down her cheeks. “That was incredible!” She wiped her face as the laugher subsided into mere giggles. “Whew. Ow. That was not good for my head.” As she sat up, the pounding resumed its steady tempo.

“Aw, sorry, baby.” Charge reached over and weakly stroked Kathryn's back. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes off the nightstand, lit one, and propped herself up with a pillow.

“It's okay.” Kathryn blew smoke toward the ceiling. “The pain was worth it.”

Neither spoke as Kathryn enjoyed the taste of the post-coital cigarette. She then giggled again. Charge looked over at her, one arm propped underneath his pillow. “Now what's so funny?”

“Nothing, it's just . . .” Kathryn put her hand over her face in embarrassment. “We were so loud. Jonathan and Susan must had heard us.”

Charge chuckled. It was that low, sensual sound that Kathryn loved. “Ah, so what?” He readjusted himself to get more comfortable. “Besides, what do you think
they
are doing in there?”

“Hmm.” Kathryn took another slow drag and then exhaled, watching the smoke swirl around the room. “Yeah, what’s up with that? He seems too old for her.”

Charge shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe she's into that.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Kathryn reached over and crushed out her cigarette in the ashtray sitting on the nightstand. She lay back down again, and Charge wrapped his arms around her. Kathryn let herself melt into him.

She had almost drifted to sleep when Charge said softly, “So, have you decided what you are going to do?”

Kathryn frowned and rolled over to face him. In the dusky light she could see Charge's brown eyes peering sincerely into her own. “Decided about what?”

“About staying.”

Kathryn smiled slightly. “I was just thinking about that. Earlier.”

“And?”

Kathryn exhaled. She looked at the face that she could not imagine leaving. “And . . . I've decided to stay. Just a bit longer.”

Charge's smile nearly illuminated the entire room. “I knew it.” He kissed her lightly on the forehead. “And, you'll stay longer than just 'a bit.'“

“I can't stay too long, Charge,” Kathryn insisted. “I have to go back. I have responsibilities.”

Charge pulled her in tighter, and Kathryn loved the feeling of his entire body pressed up against hers. “No, you don't,” he whispered. “The only responsibility you have is to stay here with me.” He softly stroked her cheek and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love you, Kathryn.”

Kathryn smiled shyly. “I love you too, Charge.” She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked fiercely to keep back them back and was grateful for the unlit room. Charge kissed her again. Kathryn’s emotions overwhelmed her, so she rolled over and pressed her back firmly against Charge's chest. As he wrapped his arms around her, she let the tears fall down her cheeks and onto her pillow. They were dry by the morning.

Chapter Sixteen

Over the next week, every day was consumed with fighting lessons. Early in the mornings, Kathryn, Charge, and Susan would go to the clearing to practice. After a few hours, they would return to the cabin, eat a huge breakfast, shower, and then rest. Later in the afternoon, they would return to the clearing, practice again, return to the cabin, shower, eat a huge dinner, and spend the rest of the evening talking, drinking, laughing, and generally having fun.

“I feel like I'm in bootcamp.” Kathryn had said once.

“You are.” Susan had retorted. “Deviant bootcamp. Now put your hands up!”

Kathryn complained constantly about the intensity of their days, but secretly, she enjoyed it. She had always loved a physical challenge, and what Susan and Charge were putting her through pushed her body to the limit. And it was responding.

Susan hit the ground with a thud. “Ow!” she groaned.

Kathryn wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. “Well,” she panted, “that's what you get for turning your back on me.” She grinned and helped Susan get up. “Your first mistake.”

“Oh, yeah?” Susan rubbed the back of her head where it had hit the ground. “What was my second?”

Kathryn winked. “Being slower than I am.”

Charge laughed and hi-fived Kathryn. Their celebrating seemed to irritate Susan. “Okay.” Her brow darkened. “Let's see just how 'slow' I really am.” She took a few steps away from Kathryn before saying, “And remember, no freezing.”

Kathryn nodded slightly, intrigued by Susan's uncharacteristic seriousness.

Suddenly, there was not just one Susan; there were three.

Kathryn didn’t have time to process what she was seeing before one of them attacked her. Susan #1 took a swing at Kathryn and would have connected with her jaw had she not teleported out of the way. Kathryn immediately took a defensive posture as Susan #1 took note of where Kathryn had rematerialized and resumed her onslaught. As Susan threw punches, Kathryn deftly deflected them or moved out of the way before turning on the offensive with moves of her own. Susan had recently shown Kathryn how to add kicks to her fighting repertoire, and now she used them against Susan #1. Kathryn was taller than Susan and had longer legs, so she surprised Susan #1 with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head that knocked her to the ground.