Slave: The Ghost of Cambria - Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Four

"He's going to be fine," Tony said to Kristen after he bid farewell to Kim and his two sons, who'd visited the house to collect their father's belongings. "He blames himself entirely for the accident."

Kristen was deeply shaken by the fall. Allowing Tony to refer to the event as "an accident" was a difficult accommodation for her to make. There was no doubt in the woman's mind what happened occurred for much more nefarious reasons.

The force of the electric shock Kim received from his handsaw was dampened by the leather gloves he wore, meant to guard against the stray metal shavings that sparked from cutting through old pipes, but the jolt was still powerful enough for the plumber to lose control of the tool. The noise of the saw falling from Kim's hands had brought Kristen running out of her room, but she had seen the poor man's fall with her own eyes. She would never forget witnessing the bottom of his ladder jerk out from underneath him, appearing as if it had been manually pushed or kicked. The man fell and missed the end of the makeshift wooden stand by barely an inch, leaving no question in Kristen's mind as to Valon's role in the miserable event.

Kim may have escaped a head injury, but his back certainly had not. The plumber refused Kristen's insistence on calling an ambulance but allowed Tony to take him to the emergency room. After hours of waiting in agony, Kim was released high as a kite with a bagful of prescription painkillers in hand and strict orders to remain in bed. The ER doctor promised that a week off his feet would allow Kim's bruised ribs and sprained back muscles to heal. The man's wife and sons came at once when he called them from the hospital. The boys helped to load their father's truck with his tools, and the elder son drove the van home.

"He's going to have to figure out when he can return," Tony went on. "He already has other jobs that were lined up for when he would finish here, and he may have to come back to us afterward."

"Is that really a wise idea?" Kristen asked. "I'm sure he would understand if you needed to call in a replacement."

"Indefinite flexibility is the nature of this business, unfortunately, but another replacement?" the young man sighed heavily. "I think it's worth waiting a week before we pull that trigger."

"But you'll still look around?" she pressed.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I know you said you weren't hurt before you left, but was that true?"

"I'm fine," Tony shook his head as if it were nothing. "I got a small zap when I pulled the cord out, but it was over in a second. I didn't even remember it after the poor guy fell down."

"What do you think caused the ...accident?" Kristen asked, looking down at the wall socket that was now surrounded by dark streaks of scorching.

"I would guess the wiring for the house is out of code," Tony responded. "It probably hasn't been a problem before—the strongest pull on our wiring in the past has probably been a space heater. That electric handsaw Kim was using probably draws twice the amount of juice."

"Is that something he should've realized?" Kristen asked, the measure of her tone changing to impatience.

"Any tool with a three-prong plug is designed to operate safely from a standard socket. I'm guessing the cause was on our end. If it was drawing too much current, the system should have shut the circuit or plug off. Haven't you ever used a hairdryer that popped the power? I've come across several indications that corners were cut in the construction of this house. The very pipes he was attempting to remove are an example of cost-savings winning out over function," Tony pointed to the wall that sat open as if it were in the middle of open-heart surgery. "Then again, that he was shocked might also mean his saw was defective."

Kristen let out a sharp breath and folded her arms. Anyone might have said she looked like a toddler about to have a tantrum.

Tony didn't say anything at first but stared at the woman dubiously. When nothing more came but a silent shaking of her head, he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Yeah, I'm not fucking thrilled about this either," he answered her unnecessary gesture.

Kristen looked to Tony, perplexed by his unexpected change.

"Well, you're just standing there, pouting like this was my fault," he declared. "I wasn't to know any of this would happen. It was an accident, not our destiny."

Kristen became aware of her stance, how she'd allowed herself to appear, and she dropped her folded arms before shifting her weight off her jutted hip.

"I don't think this was your fault at all," Kristen said, approaching the young man calmly when she'd managed to compose herself. "I'm glad you were here. I mean it."

Tony's eyes soften at her conciliation, clearly relieved to hear Kristen's words.

"And I'm sorry if I came across differently," she continued. "I'm just frustrated by all the challenges we've faced."

"I'm frustrated too," he answered her, unable to relieve the defensive timbre of his voice entirely.

"I know, and I hope you'll cut me some slack. Home renovation is near the top of the life stressor list along with death, divorce, and money problems."

Kristen saw Tony shake his head as if he were correcting himself as she spoke to him. The woman lifted her arms and laid her hands on his chest. The gesture caught him by surprise, particularly as her hands began to smooth out his t-shift against the hardness under the light cotton. Before he could respond, Kristen stood up on her toes and kissed Tony on the mouth, forging ahead before his wits seemed to catch up to her advances.

"By any chance, do you think I could condition you to be sweet to me even when we're not fighting?" she whispered to him.

Before he could answer, Kristen unfastened the thick denim of his work trousers and boldly reached into his underwear for his cock.

"It seems I can," she said, feeling his heavy organ already stiffening.

Kristen kneeled to the floor without hesitation and took him into her mouth. She didn't care what would come of it. She needed the young man now more than ever.

***

Kristen saw the light was low in the sky when she opened her eyes. Tony laid next to her, he eyes closed and fast asleep. They'd come to Kristen's air mattress when they were done to put down and recover from their exertions, which had thoroughly exhausted them both. The boy's passion had been more playfully wicked than the angry violence of their previous couplings, allowing it to go on and on as they each afforded the other adequate time to slow and recover their strength. They'd made room for more than just sex in the act. The end effect was that the two climaxed and quickly began several times again, leaving them dead tired when they'd come for the final time.

As it was happening, Kristen allowed herself to recognize that she'd also gone and enjoyed herself with Tony because she wanted Valon to know. She didn't scream for Tony out of pretense, but Kristen didn't hinder her voice either when he drove into her. The woman would have it known that she feared nothing, taunting the ghost in angry defiance of his possessiveness of the women who owned this house.

But with her blood pressure finally having fallen from its dizzying heights, the terrible rhythm of their passion now entirely at an end, Kristen was able to see the implications of her behavior far more clearly. She saw the danger she'd placed Tony in, just by having him there, like a white-hot arrow pointed at the guy's chest. More than a little trepidation filled Kristen's limbs.

It was time for him to go home.

"Will you take me to shower up at the gym, please?" she asked, gently patting the chest he laid her head upon.

"Mm-hmm," Tony agreed quietly without opening his eyes or mouth.

Kristen's eyes closed as she breathed in the sweet musk of his skin, the heaviness of sleep taking over again. Just five more minutes, she thought to herself.