Delivery

44. Restraint

Shattered crystal rained down, imbedded itself in the thick carpet, followed by amber liquid that bled in rivulets, absorbed around the shards. Jack had heaved his highball containing three more fingers of bourbon, against the white wall of his modern office. The room was stark and cold, save for an abstract cityscape. Or maybe it was impressionist? He didn't know. Or care. She had painted the foreground bold and bright. Behind that, it was grey, the ghosts of two towers fading away. According to her, it was a metaphor. Jack never could understand her sentimental attachments. He had barely splashed more blue paint onto the canvas and Maddie whined and bitched as if she were the next Pollock, and he ruined her masterpiece. A couple of days after the incident, he found the canvas rolled up in the garbage behind their house. When he unfurled it, he realized she had worked the blue into the scheme. What a bitch. The extra color was great, not that he would ever tell her that; she should have thanked him. He rescued the canvas and sent it off to be framed. Jack couldn't wait to see her face when he presented her with the improved version at Christmas. He imagined her leaping into his arms anxious to please him. Of course, she would have to wait until after Mother left. Mother always spent holidays with her son.

None of it happened. Mousey Maddie became Miss High and Mighty. She ruined everything. His last secretary accused him of fixating on her, suggesting he throw out the painting. He threw her out instead. After he'd screwed her on his desk one last time. That single piece of his past kept him focused. Lately, he would gaze at the colors that bled together and envision Maddie finally understanding that they were meant to be one, as well. She only needed to allow herself to bleed and blend into him. But no. Maddie was too fucking selfish to think of anyone but herself; always putting her desires first. Never considering what he needed. His mother had been right. She was one of those calculating bitches that played the men who loved them. Pretending to love and cherish. He should have known when the priest suggested the change in their wedding vows. No one said 'obey' anymore, he reasoned. Jack should have caught on then, that his soon-to-be-wife had likely taken the clergyman aside and used her charm to persuaded him to do things her way. Always, she wanted things to go her way.

Maddie needed to be shown better.

Dammit if he wasn't trying! Every time he made a move to improve their position, she countered. Or that little prick did. Jack thought about the rundown building off the college campus. He had put in a lowball offer on the same property months ago. He could have made a killing renting office space to the school for visiting faculty, and small businesses that wanted to claim the elite University District postal code. By all rights, he should have gotten the deal. The seller was washed up and needed to unload. In Jack's opinion, the guy ought to have accepted defeat. When the phone call came in that the selling price was being reduced and Jack learned who the competition was, upping the ante was a no-brainer. He wasn't going to let the kid beat him out. Replaying the conversation informing him that Styles had come up with the cash made Jack wish he had another glass to hurl at the wall.

He knew exactly who had that kind of cash. His cash.

Things were out of hand. Even the private investigator his Mother suggested had failed. His father, rest his soul, made sure Mother knew sluts were never to be tolerated. Jack wanted to charge straight into the office of the dean, lay out the facts of Maddie's whoring around with a student and have her fired on the spot. It was Mother who pointed out the importance of keeping his hands unsullied. If Maddie realized the complaint had come from Jack, the plan would go sideways. She was supposed to lose her job. He would let her suffer the humiliation and lack of income for a while, then he would ride in to save her. How could she refuse him? Jack had everything to offer; status, financial security, his protection, the ability to meet her womanly needs and provide her with the children he knew she wanted. Of course, he would need to work fast on that front. It was important that she fall in line and get pregnant a few times before she was too old and her eggs became defective. It went without saying that he would insist on the appropriate screenings. There would be no time wasted on impaired children. Those would have to be quickly aborted and replaced. The same applied to female children. An heir and a spare, as they said. Once that requirement was fulfilled, she could have a girl if she wished. He could allow that. His mother had said once that she wished for a girl. Jack was an only child. He was aware that there had been an injury, due to a fall after he was born, that left Mother incapable of bearing more children. Father had been displeased but made the best of it by pouring all of his energy and focus on his son. Mother always said he needed to be strong for Father. Please him in every way.

Jack thought his parents would have both been gratified to see how smoothly he had handled the car accident. It was wonderful, the way he had spotted Maddie's silly, little car slipping and skidding around the corners of that steep road. The Hummer he drove was a man's vehicle. He was fully capable of rescuing her. It was all going so well, too. He pulled her from the wreckage and was dragging her to safety, like a real hero. Until his primary annoyance arrived on the scene and proceeded to act as a human obstruction, whining about non-existent head injuries and other bullshit. That son-of-a-bitch had the gall to call 911 and leave his phone on, manipulating their conversation so the cops thought he, Jack, was the threat. It was Styles that put Maddie in jeopardy. Why couldn't the buffoons see that? The police force in this town was a joke. It had taken all his restraint to keep it together when Detective Barrett showed up asking him questions after the accident. He won that round. There was nothing to suggest he played any part in causing her to swerve off the road. They should be thanking him for saving her. She should be thanking him. And how did she repay his chivalry? By falling right back into bed with that cocksucker. Not only that, but she had the audacity to rub his face in it.

Jack continued his nocturnal visits up the mountain, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Maddie had gotten the privacy coating re-done on her windows, so he had to time his appearances to coincide with her comings and goings. He knew she enjoyed an evening cup of tea on the deck when the days grew longer and the snow began to melt. She used to babble about the world waking up from winter sleep or some nonsense. He had been waiting in the treeline the other night when she had friends over. Then HE showed up. Maddie tried to lock him out of the house as if they'd had a fight. Oh, he was so close to stomping up there and yanking Styles away from the front door! Jack wished he'd done it. Instead, he had bided his time, smoked another cigarette and flicked the butt into the snow. Later, the lights came on upstairs. She never went up there at night. That area was reserved for daytime and sunlight.

And now, for whoring.

Mother would have been mortified. Father would have put a stop to it. But Jack watched. He knew they were fucking. It was clear when Styles threw her onto a table near the window. It was aggressive. Did she get off on that? Dirty cunt. He didn't remember unzipping his slacks, but by the time Maddie's breasts were plastered against the glass, his dick was hard in his hand. Jack fisted himself in time with the thrusts that slammed her forward. For a moment he knew she made eye contact with him. She wanted him to see. She wanted to infuriate him. With her hands splayed over the window, her mouth opened in a silent scream, and Jack dribbled all over his fingers.

He would make her pay for that.

***

Author's Note:

Hi all, thanks for reading! If you're enjoying DELIVERY, I would be grateful to you for commenting and voting. This helps other people find the story and generally makes my day. In addition to Wattpad, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram; the same name, dirtyyarn. I hope you are all enjoying some nice autumn weather. This time of year makes me want hot drinks, books to read and stories to write.

xo Em