The Marriage Deal [Jenlisa FF]

Part 30

With a tired yawn, Jennie walked down the stairs to the first floor. She had just woken up a few minutes earlier with a serious craving for a glass of milk. The sight she found in the living room surprised her ... Lisa sat on the couch, papers strewn across the coffee table and a cup of steaming hot coffee in the middle of all the mess.

"Lisa, what are you doing down here?" she asked. "It's two in the morning."

Lisa glanced down at her watch. "Oh, I guess you're right. Looks like I lost track of the time. I've been trying to focus on this new case I've got."

"Yeah, right. It's not even a good lie. Just admit it, you're down here waiting for Ella to get home from her date."

Lisa shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, so what if I am? Can't I at least stay up until she gets home to make sure she's all right?" she questioned.

Shaking her head, Jennie sighed heavily. "She has a two-thirty curfew on weekends, and not once has she broken it. Don't you think she's earned our trust?"

"I trust Ella. It's her boyfriend, I don't," stated Lisa.

"I swear to god, Lisa, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were her mother or her older sister. Ella is almost eighteen years old, and she'll be going off to college in less than a year. And do I need to mention the fact that she and Mark have been dating for over six months? My father never acted like you are when I was her age."

"Jennie, I happen to take my role as her sister-in-law very seriously. This may sound strange to you, but I like having someone to worry about."

She smiled. "Well, I agree with that, you *are* strange. And Ella's lucky to have you looking out for her. Too bad it's only for another year. Less than that. Eleven months."

"Too bad. Although you make it sound like I'm going to completely sever all ties to her when we get divorced next November," Lisa commented. "I've grown rather fond of her. And of her older sister."

"Jisoo?" Jennie teased. "I'm sure she'll be glad to hear it."

"Her, too." Lisa flashed her a wicked half-smile.

Just then, the front door opened, and Ella entered the house. She stopped when she saw her sister and sister-in-law sitting on the couch. It was evident to the seventeen-year-old that they were waiting up for her. "Were you guys spying on me?" she demanded.

"No, not at all," Jennie answered honestly. "Lisa was working on her new case, and I was thirsty."

But Ella was unconvinced by her sister's words. "Sure, at five after two in the morning. Just admit it, you waited up for me. Gee, I feel trusted."

"Ella, I was the one waiting up for you, not Jennie," Lisa explained. "She came down here a couple minutes ago for something to drink and laid into me for waiting up. So, if you're going to yell at anyone, yell at me."

"You know, if I wasn't so tired right now, I would. But I do want to say how much I don't like being treated like an eight-year-old constantly. You won't be able to babysit me when I go away to college. I hope you know that." Without bothering to wait for a reply, she headed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut.

Jennie turned to smirk at her husband. "That went well. Don't you think?"

"Funny."

"I can just see you with your own kids. You'll bolt the windows shut and lock all the doors when they're teenagers. Have fun."

*****

"Hey, Unnie," Ella started the next day at lunch. The two of them were at one of Daegu's few restaurants enjoying a private meal. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Jisoo swallowed the french fries she was chewing on before answering. "I've got nothing to hide. What do you want to know?"

"Exactly how soon is 'too soon' to start sleeping with someone?" she wanted to know.

"Don't you think this is a conversation you should be having with Jennie? She is your legal guardian and all that crap."

Ella shook her head. "She'd never understand, not like you do. I don't know if you've noticed, but Jennie is really prissy and uptight. A lot like Mom was. I can't talk to her about sex. I don't even think she and Lisa do it anymore."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. Have you looked at Lisa? The girl gets better-looking with each passing day, and Jennie barely touches her. If Lisa were mine, she'd be chained naked to the bed as my personal love slave."

The oldest Kim sister nearly choked on her sandwich. "Ella! My god, you don't have a crush on Lisa, do you?"

"No. A long time ago, I did, but I'm over it. It's pretty clear to anyone who looks at her that she thinks the sun rises and sets on Jennie. But can we get back to my original question?"

"Sure." 'It's obvious to everyone except Jennie.' "How soon is 'too soon'? That depends on you and when you feel like you're ready. For me, it was sixteen; for someone else, it might be twenty-four or twenty-five. Why? Are you and Mark?"

Looking down, Ella blushed. "We already did. Last night. In the backseat of his car. Needless to say, it wasn't what I expected."

"Your first time never is. But it gets better, and *much* more enjoyable as time goes by. Trust me," Jisoo said.

"I hope so. I had to talk to someone about it, and you were the first person I thought of. Jennie would probably have lectured me until I left for college, and Lisa would have killed Mark with her bare hands."

"Now there's a fight I'd like to see. Lisa versus Mark. Who'd win?" They both looked at each other and giggled. "Lisa," they replied in unison.

As they were leaving the restaurant an hour later, Ella turned to Jisoo. "Can you do me a favor? Promise you won't tell Jennie about me and Mark. I don't want to be grounded for the rest of my natural life."

"Your secret is safe with me."

*****

GD cradled the telephone in his left hand, holding it against his ear. "I need your help. If there's any one person who can do this, it's you."

"I don't know, GD," the woman on the other end of the phone remarked. "Lisa made her feelings quite clear to me when she dumped me. Remember what happened?"

He sighed. "That was four years ago. She's a changed well, sort of. Lisa may be married, but she's still the same old Lisa deep down. She loves a good screw. You want her back, and she never could say no to a beautiful woman."

"I've always wanted her. Ever since we were children at boarding school. But I don't understand. She's your best friend, why do you want to break up her marriage?" she asked.

"This is a no-lose situation. You get Lisa, and I get her wife."

"What's so special about Lisa's wife?"

GD grinned, picturing Jennie in his mind. "I want her, simple as that. I want to steal from Lisa the way she always stole from me. The woman she loves will choose me over her. That's all I want; to have the one thing she doesn't have with her. Now, are you in, or are you out?"

After a brief pause, she made up her mind. "I'm in. I can be in South Korea the week after next."