Page 78 of Hale's Pawn
“Hypothetically speaking, if I dragged another Founder’s member out of here by throwing her over my shoulder, would that be considered treason?”
Dondi shakes his head. “It is treason. This is neutral ground.”
“I see,” I say and look at Ainslee again.
Jagger leans in. “You can always change the locks. Hmm, better yet, have Wyn look over your marriage contract and see if you can get a new wife if your current one is broken or stops working.”
Ainslee reacts so fast, placing a gun on the table. She looks up at Dondi. “Tell Karessa she’s two minutes away from becoming a widow,” she grits out through her teeth.
“Jagger…” Dondi warns.
Jagger snickers. “This is neutral ground, right?”
“I might go pay Wyn a visit and ask just that.” I shrug my shoulders.
Ainslee slowly turns to face me. She smirks. “I’ll shoot the girl, then I’ll shoot Jagger for suggesting it, and finally, I’ll torture you and shoot you.”
Dondi slams his card on the table. “Ainslee, a word.” He stands and heads out the door.
Ainslee glares at me with hurt in her eyes and she follows him out the door.
Five minutes later, Ainslee comes back into the room with bloodshot eyes and I know she’s been crying. I forget everything else. I stand. “Why are you crying?” I ask, then I look at Dondi, “Why is she crying?”
Ainslee comes to the table and grabs her gun, placing it in the small of her back. “I’m alright. Jagger, Oran, I… I apologize for my behavior. If you will please excuse me.”
I follow Ainslee out of the room and as soon as the door slams shut, I grab her wrist, leading her towards the private bathroom. Once we get inside there I don’t bother with the lights, I can see her just fine. I wrap my hand around her throat and lift her up. Ainslee whimpers. “This isn’t neutral ground anymore, sweetie.”
The lust in her eyes is so palpable, I give in. I kiss her hard and Ainslee kisses me back, holding me close like her life depends on it. Neither of us are thinking as we rip at each other’s clothing. I set her down, pulling her pants down once I’ve unbuttoned them. Ainslee frees me from my pants and I lift her up again. I slip inside her, feeling like I’ve been starved of this. Ainslee’s fingers find their way into my hair and she kisses me as I fuck her up against the wall. This isn’t us making love or anything. It’s straight up fucking all the anger out, the hurt, the frustrations. All of it, I fuck out of my system and make sure to release inside of her as she comes undone as well.
We’re intertwined in a way that, no matter what, we’re always going to want us. Want this. This can’t be the end, it just can’t.
After that sessionin the bathroom, Ainslee went back to being her distant, cold self. Something has to give. This is not it. It’s not us. I sigh heavily as I look at the menu.
“You okay?” Karessa asks me as I sit with her and Jagger at the restaurant. Ainslee is late, again.
“Hmm?” I look up from the menu. “Yeah, yeah I’m alright. You guys okay?” I ask.
Jagger tilts his head. He stares at me but says nothing.
“So, tell us about your new project, how’s that going? Long hours ahead in the office?” Karessa asks.
I know she’s trying to have a civil conversation and she’s trying to distract me. Before I can answer her, Ainslee finally shows up. “Sorry, guys. Something came up. Did you guys already order?”
“Yeah, we did,” Jagger says.
“Oh, okay! Let me just flag the waiter down then.” We watch her as she flags the waiter down and puts in her order.
Ainslee finishes with that and turns to me. She gives me a quick peck on the lips and sits back. She doesn’t even realize that I didn’t kiss her back. “So, Karessa, what’s been going on? I haven’t caught up with you in a while. How’s your sisters and parents doing?”
Karessa smiles. “They’re good. My sisters miss you around, and so do I, but we understand. How’s everyone holding up on your end?”
Ainslee shrugs. “Things are… okay, I guess. Just worried about dad. Markos woke up and went back to his life, but dad is still in a coma three months later. It’s stressful, but I just got word from one of his doctors that he’s getting better everyday. It’s just up to him to wake up. So... any day now.”
Karessa gives her a smile and Jagger looks at her like he wants to hug her. I know he cares about her and he knows how attached she is to her father, even though the way she grew up wasn’t ideal.
Ainslee’s food arrives and she looks away from everyone. I know she can feel us watching her, and she’s completely ignoring it. She slowly eats, or rather, picks at her food. She drinks her water. “Are you guys hot?” she asks.
Ainslee removes her blazer and rolls her shoulders. She fans her face and I take a good look at her. Why is she sweating like this all of a sudden? “Why are you so hot?” I ask.
