Hummingbird (6 page)

‘Oh I don’t know, probably around the time I came home to find you with another man’s cock in your mouth,’ Jack tightened his grip on the steering wheel and returned his attention to the road ahead, after several seconds he nodded his head and said: ‘Yeah, that would have been it, when I saw you on your knees with that bastard’s cock deep in your mouth.’

They continued in silence for twenty minutes and Selena finally said, ‘I’m sorry Jack.’

‘For what, for cheating on me back then or for being a total ungrateful bitch today?’

Selena barked out a short laugh.

‘Both, I guess.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Come on Jack, where are you taking me?’

‘We’re here.’

Selena looked out of the car and saw where they were and she smiled again, this time his sadness was eclipsed by her own as she realised where they were.

Jack switched the engine off and pulled the keys from the ignition and as he started to open his door Selena placed a restraining hand on his thigh, Jack glanced at her and raised an eyebrow in question.

‘Are they still open?’

Jack laughed.

‘They’re always open for the Fat Man.’

Jack saw the panic in Selena’s eyes and he smiled reassuringly.

‘Relax Selena, it’s just a restaurant, I called in a favour, the boss isn’t in there, it’s just you and me.’

                                                                      *****

Jack was wrong
, Selena thought
as she looked at him across the small table
, it’s not just a restaurant, its, well was, our restaurant
.

The Italian was a favourite of theirs and they had dined here more times than she could remember.

A waiter, who had been kept late specifically to cater to Jack’s every wish came to take their order and Selena requested a scotch, the waiter nodded his head but Jack told the waiter to hold off on the alcohol.

‘She needs a clear head, just bring us both some water, no ice.’

‘Very well sir,’ the waiter replied and then disappeared in to the shadows.

‘What the fuck Jack? After the day I’ve had I could use the alcohol.’

‘Later, but right now you need a clear head.’

‘For what?’

‘This,’ and with that he removed a folded document from the inside pocket of his jacket and he handed it across the table to her. Selena took it but didn’t unfold the two page document.

‘
What’s this?’

‘Read it,’ Jack told her and the look in his eyes made her hold back on the sarcastic reply that she had been about to fire back.

Selena unfolded the pages and she noticed her hands were still trembling but whether they shook from the recent gunfight, her shitty day or the close proximity to the only man that she had ever loved she had no way of knowing.

Selena began to read and Jack watched her intently, he saw her nibbling her bottom lip, a trait that he remembered from their relationship; she always nibbled her full lip when she was nervous and he took a sip of his water once the waiter had placed two glasses down on the table. Selena didn’t acknowledge the waiter’s presence, her attention fully on the words before her.

The waiter started away from the table but Jack gestured that the man should wait. The waiter nodded his head and took a couple of steps back from the table and waited obediently; he knew better than to dismiss Jack’s request.

Selena finally finished reading and looked up at Jack.

‘Is this for real?’ she asked, the sarcasm clear.

Jack nodded his head and just sat there waiting for her next response.

Selena looked back at the document and her eyes scanned it once more from start to finish. She picked up her glass of water and downed half the glass and put the glass back down on the perfect white crispness of the table’s cloth.

‘This would make me a slave.’

Jack chuckled.

‘That’s a little melodramatic Selena, I’ve never really studied the history of slavery but I’m pretty sure no slave ever got paid the sort of money you owe.’

‘Thirty days and my debt is wiped clean, the Fat Man won’t come after me?’

‘Thirty days and nights Selena, the contract is quite clear on that little detail, and no, to answer your question, the Fat Man won’t be coming after you.’

Selena snorted.

‘You have my word.’

Selena laughed and even to her own ears she could hear the harshness in it.

‘Your word?’

Jack nodded his head; his calmness was infuriating but Selena kept her emotions in check, she really didn’t need Jack abandoning her.

‘When have you ever known me to break my word?’

And there it is
, Selena thought,
I know he means it, Jack’s many things but he’s no liar
.

‘But this, this,’ Selena shook the paper in her hand, ‘contract basically says that if I sign it I’m yours to do with as you please.’

‘There’s no
basically
about it Selena, that’s exactly what that contract means, you sign it, you give up any rights you have for the next thirty days.’

‘Don’t forget the thirty nights,’ Selena spat back.

‘Oh I haven’t forgotten.’

‘Jesus Christ,’ Selena sighed. ‘I can’t believe you actually expect me to sign this.’

Jack shrugged his shoulders.

‘I don’t expect anything Selena, this is just an option that you have, an option that only you could have, but
it’s up to you.’

‘And what if I sign it and then decide to say fuck you, or I don’t want to do whatever it is you ask me to
do, what then?’

Jack smiled and sipped his water.

‘It’s all there Selena, you renege during the period that the contract covers, right up until the last fucking second of those thirty days and nights and the deal is void and you’re back to owing the Fat Man.’

‘And how do I know you’ll honour this contract?’

‘My word.’

There are those two words again and despite everything I know I can trust him to honour his word, damn it, the simple fact of the matter is what choice do I have?

Selena asked Jack for a pen and he handed her one. She looked at him one last time and then scrawled her signature where it was required.

‘There,’ Selena said and she threw the pen down on top of the contract and sat back in her seat.
Jesus, what have I just done….you’ve just saved your ass girl
, Selena’s inner voice/s said and she exhaled a huge sigh of relief,
at least the Fat Man’s out of my life
.

Jack leaned over the table and picked up the papers, he signed his own name and then had the waiter witness the document, he folded the contract up and slipped it back in to his jacket pocket.

‘Can I have that scotch now?’

‘Sure,’ Jack said and he ordered them both a shot of a very expensive and rare single malt.

‘Trying to impress me?’ Selena asked.

Jack laughed, ‘I have this contract,
I have no need to impress you.’

‘So what now?’
Selena asked.

‘Now y
ou’ll take that dress off.’

‘What?’ Selena asked, she hadn’t expected Jack’s response and the full meaning of what she had just signed came to her.

‘Paragraph two, clause one: “the individual will follow any command given to her without hesitation or question, failure to do so voids the contract” so take that fucking dress off right now.’

‘B-b-but the waiter?’

‘I can accept that this is all a learning curve for you Selena; that you might be slightly discombobulated by your unique situation but if I have to ask again then I’m getting up and leaving you to your fate.’

‘Fuck,’ Selena said, and she felt her face flush with embarrassment, the waiter was heading directly towards her but she did as she’d been instructed and she took hold of the hem of her dress and lifting her ass up out of the chair she began to work the tight cashmere dress up over her hips.

Selena’s eyes were on the waiter, she saw him pause mid-step as he noticed her pulling her dress up over her ribs and then the waiter looked away and resumed walking towards their table. Selena sat down and glanced at Jack, he nodded his head and Selena sighed as she pulled the dress up over her breasts and they spilled free and her face flushed redder still and then the dress was obscuring her face and she spent a few blissful seconds hidden from the waiter and then she had to concede defeat and she tugged the garment fully over her head and up her arms, she quickly finished removing the dress and dropped it on top of the table.

Selena glowered across the table at Jack and she crossed her arms over her ample breasts, she expected him to tell her off, to put her in her place once again but he didn’t say a thing and she didn’t know what was more infuriating; the fact that he didn’t object to her covering her breasts
or the simple truth that was her own annoyance at wanting him to object.

Goddamnit
, what a situation to be in
.

Selena waited until the server had left their drinks and walked away and then she reached out with her left hand and snatched up her scotch, as she took a sip she could see that Jack’s eyes were
on her chest and she glanced down and spied that her right nipple was exposed and she cursed herself as she watched the bud grow hard before her very eyes.

Selena downed the contents of her glass, the alcohol burning as it slid down her throat and in to her stomach and she put the empty glass down and Jack indicated his own untouched drink.

‘Do you want mine?’

‘Ha, what do I have to do for it?’ Selena asked, her words dripping with scorn.

‘You look as if you could use it more than me, here,’ Jack said and he picked his glass up and offered it across the table. Selena reached across with her left hand and Jack pulled his hand and the much needed alcohol away from her extended hand, she stretched further and she felt her right breast caress the table cloth and then her hand clasped the glass.

Jack held the glass tightly for a moment and then gave it up and Selena sat back in her chair and without consciously knowing her right arm had dropped to her seat’s arm and it wasn’t until she noticed Jack’s eyes had moved away from her face that she became aware of her now totally exposed upper body; Selena toyed with the idea of covering herself but realised that if she really wanted to get out from under the Fat Man and the mess that she was in that she would be showing Jack a lot more than just her tits over the next month.

My God, a month? Am I really doing this
? Selena sipped her drink.
What other choice do you have? You’ve constructed this situation, luckily for you Jack here still fancies you otherwise you’d be fucked
.

‘So what now?’ Selena asked and she shifted in her seat and she felt a smile playing at the corners of her mouth as Jack’s eyes followed the movement of her large breasts as she adjusted her posture.

Jack ignored her question and picked up her discarded dress, he looked at the garment in his hand and then looked across at Selena.

The look on his face made Selena feel suddenly afraid, he looked angry and she had never once when they had been dating seen Jack look angry and right at this moment she felt scared of the man sat opposite her.

‘What were you thinking Selena when you decided to wear this tonight? Were you hoping to hurt me? To remind me of our break-up?’

Selena shrugged
: the petulance obvious and formed of cruelty.

‘Were you hoping to
upset me, to remind me of the pain you caused me, you decide to wear the dress I caught you sucking his cock in? Is that it?’

Selena smiled and she was all too aware of the
vicious quality of the smile, and yes he was right, she did want to hurt him, to cause him pain.

‘Yes,’ Selena spat out, the venom stretching the word in to a long hiss.

Jack nodded his head once and tossed the dress on to the floor.

Jack exploded from serene calm to violent tempest and Selena was stunned; here was the Jack that men feared.

‘Stand the fuck up Selena and put your hands down on the table, and don’t even think about making me wait,’ Jack’s face had turned red and Selena felt something give way in her and tears sprang to her eyes.

‘I’m sorry Jack…’

‘Stand up!’ Jack screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. ‘Right this fucking instant you ungrateful bitch!’

Selena dropped the glass of whiskey on to the table, its contents spilling across the cloth. ‘I’m sorry, I’m…’

‘Now!’ Jack roared and Selena quickly got to her feet and placed her hands palms down on the table.

Selena felt tears spilling down her face and she couldn’t say whether she was crying from fear and shame or the fact that she had hurt the man
whom was sat opposite her, her mind was a swirling mass of raging confusions and she raised her face and watched as Jack threw his chair back across the room where it crashed in to other tables. The noise of breaking furniture brought the waiter out from his place in the shadows and Selena watched as Jack pulled a large gun from the shoulder rig that he was wearing; she had forgotten all about the fact that Jack was armed and she felt her fear crank up another notch.