Falling From Disgrace (17 page)

“It’s not something we have to think about right this second,” Jack insisted, the annoyance clear in his voice. 

“I have to get back to my children on Wednesday,” she replied tightly.  “This isn’t something I can just put off.”

“Jesus, Gillian,” Jack exclaimed.  “Don’t worry about it, okay?  I’ll take care of it, sell all of Dad’s shit and then send you a check!”  He took another sip of his beer and then slammed the bottle down on the glass tabletop, resisting the desire to punch his sister once again.

“Take it easy,” she urged, her voice more gentle now.  “I don’t want to fight, Jack.  I’m sorry; this just came at a bad time.  Sophie is sick with an ear infection and Mark-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack interrupted, not having even the faintest amount of patience to listen to his sister complain.  Her husband, Mark, owned a boat design and manufacturing company and made millions.  Even with a full time nanny and cook, Gillian still found ways to gripe about her life and Jack was in no mood to hear it.

Gillian sat quietly for a minute and tried to sympathize with her little brother.  She knew he was going to take their father’s death badly.  Jack may have stopped talking to their father like she did, but unlike her, he felt badly about it.  It’s not that she wasn’t at all sad about his death, but Gillian had cut herself off emotionally from her dad years ago. 

“So, your girlfriend is coming down tonight?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood with small talk.

“Yes, and so help me, Gillian, you better be nice to her,” Jack threatened, fixing his cold, blue eyes on her hazel ones.

“Of course I’ll be nice, what do you take me for?” she huffed.  Gillian knew she was a lot of things but rude to people she just met wasn’t one of them.  “Although,” she added with a laugh, “I have to know, what’s wrong with her?”

“What the hell do you mean?” Jack spat.

“You know what I mean,” Gillian insisted.  She cocked her head to the side and gave her brother a knowing look.

“No, I don’t know what you mean, what the hell are you talking about?” Jack could feel his blood pressure rising with each word he said and angry adrenaline started to pump through him. 

“I mean,” Gillian explained with a roll of her eyes, “that you always find girls who are troubled, to say the least.  You have a hero complex, little brother.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he repeated, his voice rising along with his anger.

“Oh, come on,” his sister laughed, clearly ignoring the fact that she was upsetting her brother.  “You’re always looking to save someone, Jack, and your relationships have always been full of drama.”

“That is not true, you don’t know what the hell you’re saying,” Jack seethed.

“Really?  Let’s put aside the girls you dated in high school; teen girls are always full of drama but even as an adult, Jack, girlfriends and friends, you are forever taking it upon yourself to fix them somehow.  Look at Stacy, she had all those problems with her ex stalking her and you took care of it.  When the trouble died down you two broke up.  I hate to tell ya, Jack, but you thrive on drama.  You’re like a drama king.”  Gillian laughed at her joke while Jack just got more furious.

“That’s one example, that hardly gives me a hero complex,” he growled.

“Whatever,” Gillian snickered, “but if you think back to all of your relationships with other people, you’ll see that I’m right.  Even with Dad, Jack, you wanted to save him, and when he wouldn’t play into your little rescue fantasy, you gave up on him!”

Jack violently stood from his chair, knocking it over before slamming his fist on the table in front of him.  Gillian shrank back in her chair with wide eyes as the glass splintered. 

“I tried to help our father who was slowly killing himself with drugs, which is more than I can say for you,” he fumed.  “And I’d rather have a reputation for being a hero than a cold, heartless bitch.  You’re so wrapped up in playing house with your rich husband that you’ve become numb to anything that doesn’t suit a purpose in your life and it’s sickening, Gillian.  You’re compassionless and empty and sad.”  Jack looked down at his sister with disgust and fury.  “Do me a favor,” he continued through clenched teeth, “stay the fuck away from me and Adrianna until you leave!”  Jack picked up the patio table so that two of its legs rose from the wooden deck below and slammed it back down.  Gillian had to jerk her legs quickly out of the way before glass rained down on them. 

With another curse, Jack stormed away from his sister, jumping off the deck and moving around the side of the house in long strides.  He didn’t know why what his sister said had gotten him so riled up and that only angered him even more.  Now at the front of the house, he kicked the garage door, effectively putting a dent in the aluminum.  He paced on the driveway until he calmed down a bit and then sat on the step leading to the front door.

Jack did know why he was so angry.  He was wondering if what Gillian said was true.  Were Adrianna’s troubles what had attracted him to her?  Did their relationship flourish because he felt that she needed him to save her?  Did he really have a hero complex?  The thought that he really did thrive on drama made him sick to his stomach.  Before he could even dismiss the idea, Adrianna’s car pulled onto the driveway.

Exhausted and aching from the long ride, Adrianna climbed wearily from the rented, white Impala.  As tired as she was, she looked forward to being swept into Jack’s arms and feeling his lips against hers.  She was also excited to tell him about her interview.    Unfortunately, Jack only greeted her with a hello and a quick peck on her cheek before he reached into the back seat to get her bags.  Adrianna was a little disappointed but figured Jack was probably tired and stressed.

She followed him into his father’s home that was a small brick house with two stories and three bedrooms on the second floor.  The front room was pretty bare, with only an old, sectional sofa and a television mounted above the fireplace.  Jack led her into the kitchen where he placed her bag at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor and then leaned back against the yellow countertop near the sink. 

“Are you hungry?” he asked quietly.  “There are cold cuts if you want me to make you a sandwich.”

Before Adrianna could answer they were interrupted when Gillian came down the stairs.  She looked upset and was carrying her luggage.  Adrianna quickly took notice that she looked nothing like Jack, with hair much lighter and eyes that were darker.  She was attractive with a slim frame and a slight grace to her but she wasn’t nearly as alluring as her brother. 

“You must be Adrianna,” she smiled, though it did not reach her eyes.  “I’m Gillian.”

She stuck out her hand and Adrianna accepted it.  She shook it gently and offered, “It’s nice to meet you.  I’m sorry about your father.”

Gillian thanked her and then said, “I’m going to let you two have some privacy and go stay at Mom’s.”  Looking at Jack she added, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jack only nodded, his jaw clenched shut, and Adrianna wondered what had transpired before her arrival.  She was sure something unpleasant had been exchanged between the siblings and whatever it was had Jack in a mood she had never seen.  It was unsettling.

Gillian exited the house quietly and Adrianna looked at Jack willing him to come clean to her.  Instead he asked her again if she was hungry.

“No, I’m fine,” she told him.  She moved to stand in front of him and pulled at his arms that were crossed tightly at his chest.  She guided them around her and pressed herself against his body, inhaling deeply before placing a kiss to his throat.  “Are you okay?”

Jack sighed and relaxed a fraction at Adrianna’s proximity.  Feeling sorry that he hadn’t given her a proper greeting, he tightened his arms around her and claimed her lips when she looked up at him.  As he kissed her he felt the same desire course through him that always did and it comforted him to know that his sister had to be wrong.  There was more to Adrianna that he was attracted to than just her problems.  The evidence was right there; singing in his blood as her tongue moved against his, pounding in his chest as her small hands clutched his hips. 

Jack didn’t know if he needed to prove something to himself or if he needed a distraction from his shitty day or if he just simply needed Adrianna, but he found himself undressing her in the kitchen, pulling off her black top and then working to slide her jeans down her legs.  Once she was clad in only a red, lacy bra and matching boy shorts, he lifted her to sit at the edge of the small kitchen island behind her. 

Adrianna was confused at Jack’s actions since she had gotten there.  First, he seemed indifferent to her presence, barely looking at her when he greeted her.  Then, he seemed angry when his sister appeared and now he was passionate and wanting sex.  Figuring he was just looking for a way to relieve stress and grief, Adrianna didn’t deny him.  While his kisses became more rough and urgent, she worked on unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders.  It fell to the floor with a quiet
swoosh
and then Adrianna pulled his undershirt from the waist of his navy slacks. She broke apart their kiss to yank it over Jack’s head.  Before joining their lips again, Jack unbuckled his own belt and pulled his pants and briefs down just enough to free his erection.

Adrianna stroked him lightly but Jack wasn’t interested in any type of foreplay that night.  When he tugged at her panties she tried to lift her hips but Jack was too impatient.  Gripping them tightly in his fist, he tore the flimsy lace from her body and without any preamble, he filled her.  Not nearly ready for such an intrusion, Adrianna bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out.  She wasn’t in pain, per se, but the friction created when Jack moved in and out of her was less than pleasurable without any aid from the slickness of her arousal. 

Oblivious to the fact that Adrianna wasn’t exactly enjoying herself, Jack pounded away at her, gripping her tightly around her waist and burying his face in her neck.  This was the most quiet they had ever been while having sex; the only noises echoing through the house were Jack’s labored breaths and the knocking of his belt buckle against the counter.  Adrianna knew she was being used but she didn’t care.  She loved Jack and she would allow him to take his aggression out on her sexually if that’s what he needed.  She turned her head and kissed his temple while she held onto him for another five or six thrusts before he came.    

Jack pulled away from Adrianna and quickly did his pants up before bracing himself against the counter, breathing heavily.  He felt better until he looked at Adrianna and saw her still sitting there naked other than her bra, slightly quivering from the intensity in which he took her. 

"Shit," he cursed and hooked one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back to gently set her on her feet.  "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he spoke against her temple.  He kissed her several times and hugged her tightly in apology. 

"It's okay," Adrianna reassured.  She placed small kisses on his bare chest to show him she meant it. 

"I can't believe I just did that to you," he continued to lament.  He was disgusted with himself and how he behaved, practically attacking his own girlfriend to satisfy his selfish needs.  "I'm so fucking sorry."

"Hey," Adrianna gently reproached, "it's okay."  She took Jack's face in her hands and looked him square in the eyes.  "I'm fine.  I'm more worried about you.  Did something happen with your sister before I got here?"

Jack wasn't about to tell her the real reason behind their argument so he lied and said, "She was just pushing me to make decisions about Dad's house and stuff."

"Oh," Adrianna frowned, thinking it was highly insensitive of Jack's sister to start worrying him with things like that before their father was even buried.  "Doesn't she realize there's plenty of time for that?" she asked.

"That's what I said."  Jack was relieved Adrianna hadn't tried to make excuses for his sister.  He would not have handled that well. 

Jack suddenly became aware again that Adrianna was still virtually naked and he grabbed his dress shirt from the floor to cover her with.   Adrianna threaded her arms through the sleeves and let Jack lead her upstairs to the bedroom they would share.  It was just as bare as the living room, with only a double bed and a tall chest of drawers but it would do just fine.  Adrianna used the bathroom to clean up, taking a quick shower without washing her hair.  When she returned to the bedroom in her night clothes, Jack was already asleep on the bed.  Adrianna removed his black dress shoes and distinguished the lights, and then curled up on the bed at Jack's side.