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Confrontation

By: lannasage



**Hey guys, just thought of dropping this short write-up. A Christmas Party is still on, just had to write something else to get over my writer's block***L.S

Rhea's eyes took in the jumbled up figures on her laptop screen, her head tried to make sense out of it, but something just wasn't adding up.

She picked the scientific calculator by her side and punched in some numbers, the sum total that came up didn't tally with what she had on her screen.

She frowned.

Someone had been recording the wrong numbers in the account, and that could only mean one thing. Some dolt was stealing their money, and doing a lousy job at covering it up. It was bad enough someone thought they could shift a few dollars without being noticed, but to have hidden it so poorly was an insult to her intelligence, did she really seem that dumb?

Rhea Myers was a 5ft. 10" bronze goddess in sneaks and combat shorts. She had never really thought much of her looks, but anyone and everyone in Denton County would tell whoever cared to listen that she was a stunner; her 157 pound frame packed the most womanly curves known to man; her breasts were a size 36D, her tummy was flat and defined from the many sit-ups she did every morning, her hips flared seductively and her ass was the subject of many bar gatherings, her legs were long and toned from jogging, rock climbing and mountain biking, her raven hair had been in a pixie cut since junior high- a decision she had taken when she realized her opponent wouldn't be able to pull her hair in a fight if it was shorter. Her facial features were feminine; long, thick lashes that had the tendency to look artificial shadowed captivating grey eyes, a cute little button nose complemented high cheek-bones, her lips, full and dark pink, were shaped like a bow- and always in a frown.

Just as Rhea was beautiful, she was undeniably stubborn and tough, most of her features she had gotten from her Dominican mother who had passed on a healthy dose of good genes to her, but her temper and fighting spirit were undeniable traits of her African-American father.

From her elementary level till her present position as the manager of her father's timber factory, Rhea had fought- and won, more times than a lady should divulge and most men could brag about. Most of her the fights had been more of her will to defend her friends than about her.

Throughout her high school, she had been one of the most popular students, hell she was called the tigress. It was a well deserved title after she beat the shit out of Rory Jenkins, the football team's best line-backer for grabbing her ass.

Dressed in her signature sneakers, combat shorts and a tank top, she made her way towards the kitchen. First, she would make herself a nice he snack, and then she would go to the store and jump some poor, thieving bastard.

She had only begun munching on a peanut butter sandwich when she heard a frantic knock on her door. She dropped the sandwich and reached for a baseball bat she kept in the kitchen for nut-jobs that trespassed on her property. The knock came again, harder and more insistent.

"Who's there?" she asked moving slowly towards the door, her grip on the baseball bat tightening.

"Rhea? Rhea, it's me." a tiny voice squeaked from the other side of the door.

She recognized that voice. 

Dropping the bat, she went to the door and flung it open. 

Standing before her was her best friend, Lynn, they had been friends since they both could walk. Her face was red, her eyes swollen from crying, her golden hair was disheveled and her small frame shook from the intensity of the emotion going through her. The 5 ft. 4", green-eyed blonde looked up at her like she was her only place of solace with tear-brimmed eyes.

Rhea's non-existent heart came out of its hiding place and was seized by terror seeing the only person she cared for aside from close family look so distraught and helpless, "Pumpkin, what happened?" she asked softly

Lynn crashed into Rhea's waiting arms and wept like a deserted woman, rhea di the only thing she could in her childhood friend's present state- hold her and wait while she cried her troubles away.

All the while, all she could think of was finding out what could have made Lynn this teary- or who. She had something of an idea as far as the who was concerned. But she waited just in case she was wrong, but if it was who she thought it was, someone would definitely be getting a much deserved beat down before the day was over.

She heard Lynn sniffing, apparently she had no more tears to shed. She had stopped trembling and now lay on the couch, her head in Rhea's lap while she patted her head.

"What happened Pumpkin?" she asked, calling Lynn by the nickname she had given her over twelve years ago because of her obsession with Halloween and pumpkins.

"He was cheating on me."

Rhea stilled, she knew who 'he' was, that lying bastard she had tried to warn Lynn off, but he had won her best friend's heart with his good-looks and charm- well, he had the hearts of virtually every girl in the county and beyond, if his looks and charm didn't cut it, his wealth and bad boy personae would sell. Too bad Rhea had never been fooled by all of that.

Still she asked, "Who?"

"Mitch. I walked in on him fucking some other girl, and when I confronted him, he acted like it was no big deal, he even blamed me for visiting without calling first." she said softly. She sat up and looked straight at Rhea, "He's my boyfriend Rhea, do I need to book an appointment to see him?"

Rhea shook her head, "No sweetheart, but you shouldn't cry over him either cos he's not worth your tears." she said comfortingly.

"But I love him. He knows I love him, but he keeps hurting me."

"I know sweetie, but you know Mitch has always been a..." she held her tongue, she was going to call him a selfish, cheating bastard, but that would be making excuses for the rat. She didn't want Lynn to understand and accept his faults, she wanted her to loathe the guy and be rid of him, "So what did you do?"

"I dumped his cheating ass is what I did." Lynn began triumphantly, and then sulked as she laid her head back on Rhea's laps, "Rhea he didn't even seem pissed. He just smiled and said I could do whatever the fuck I pleased."

Who would blame the guy? Lynn had dumped and accepted Mitch back more times than the L.A Lakers had been in the NBA championship finals, it just seemed like a routine with them. But it didn't make rhea any less mad that he would trest her best friend like that, "Where is he now?"

"He's in his family's cabin up the hill...." Lynn cut off her sentence once she realized where Rhea's thought were, "Rhea, don't go making any trouble, please, you know Mitch's family runs the county, he'll have you locked up and I don't want you to get a record because of me."

Rhea laughed, "Pumpkin, I already have a record, another one won't kill me." she had been arrested three years ago after she had gone berserk on Kylie Connor, her racist neighbor, who had called her a colored slut simply because the neanderthal she called a boyfriend complimented her. She grunted when she remembered the incident. Kylie had gotten off with a small fine for provoking the outrage and she had spent a week in the slammer and came out to receive a restraining order. Sure she had given Kylie an ass-whooping to last a life-time, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"He's much bigger than you, what if he hurts you?"

"Well he's going to have to get my trusty bat away" Rhea joked, but Lynn wasn't laughing.

"It's not funny Rhe, I don't want you hurt. Promise you won't do anything silly."

Rhea was all set to say something witty, but the look on Lynn's face stopped her, "Okay Pumpkin, I promise."

Lynn gave a small smile, "Thank you."

*****

Rhea gazed at Lynn's sleeping form an hour later, apparently all her crying had exhausted her.

Good. Rhea thought to himself, because she had a problem that needed sorting, and she didn't need Lynn butting in.

With that in mind, she picked up her trusty bat, walked out the door closing it softly so she wouldn't awaken Lynn, got into her truck and drove out.

*****

Mitchell Montgomery, or Mitch, like a lot of people preferred to call him stood looking out the window of the large cabin owned by his family, a cold bottle of beer in his hand as he thought of the events earlier in the day

That bitch had some nerve barging into his bedroom like that. He had been very specific the last time she had pulled that kinda shit- he didn't appreciate surprise visits. But no, prim and prissy Lynn had to go about everything like she was taking life lessons from some Disney show. Well, she got what she deserved. And then she asked him for an explanation? Who the fuck did she think she was? He was Mitchell fucking Montgomery! He did whatever the fuck he pleased and owed no one explanations.

And when he didn't react the way she wanted she had gone all teary-eyed and run out like some teenager who didn't win prom queen. He swore he was too old for this shit. He was twenty-nine for Pete's sake! He didn't need all this melodramatic, soap opera bullshit in his face. He was sick of her anyways, it was time he got himself a real woman.

Now her best friend, Rhea, that was what a real woman was. A fire-spitting dragon rolled up in the hottest little package. One too many times he had to bang some empty-headed skank to get that doll off his mind. Even now as he thought of her pretty face and that magnificent behind that could make a monk revert his oath of celibacy, he could feel his little soldier give a salute.

Unlike most young ladies in this county, Rhea hadn't rolled over and gotten on her hands and knees when he introduced himself five years ago, hell the only reason he had gotten with Lynn was to get closer to Rhea, her being pretty and willing were just bonuses.

Too many times he had tried to hit on Rhea and too many times the only thing he had ended up hitting was a massive, solitary-style steel door. It was the same story for most of the males in this county, so much so that many spread rumors that she preferred women. But Mitch knew that was far from the truth, somewhere behind that tough exterior Rhea Myers liked to show off, there was a warm-blooded woman waiting to be conquered, and he'd be damned if he wasn't the man for the job.

Soon he would have Rhea Myers under him, moaning and screaming out his name for the whole county to know who she belonged to. Mitchell Montgomery was going to go down in history as the man who branded that black pussy.

He brought his beer to his lips and took in another gulp just as he spotted a blue truck approaching the cabin, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. He watched it come to a sharp halt some meters away. He studied the vehicle knowing that only one person drove a light blue 1989 Ford truck in the entire county.

There was a glint in his emerald eyes and a smirk on his lips as the object of his wanton desires hopped out of the truck, retrieved a baseball bat from the trunk and stomped to his door. She stopped half-way up the stairs leading to the porch, as though she knew she was being watched, she swiftly turned to the window.

Their eyes locked, his smiling devilishly and hers glaring like a gladiator's preparing for battle. His eyes swept over her voluptuous frame, he licked his lips and groaned inwardly seeing those perfect tits heaving as he imagined licking and sucking on their hard buds.

When his eyes returned to her cold stare, he noticed her momentary discomfort at the obvious eye-fucking he had given her.

A smug smile formed on his lips as he raised his bottle to her in a toast.

Her glare hardened as she made her way to his door and proceeded to bang against it with her bat.

"That's right, come to daddy princess." he said to himself.

*****

Rhea banged harder against the mahogany door. She meant to scare the boots off of that jerk, but if she ended up bringing down the door in the process, even better.

The door was unlocked at her third banging, and consequently opened. 

There weren't many men in this county Rhea had to crane her neck to look in their faces, but at 6ft. 4", Mitch was one of the few, the first thing her eyes met as he opened the door was a broad, tanned chest that led to chiseled abs that looked wayyyy better than any she had ever seen. For a second, she seemed to have forgotten her purpose for being there; it was hard to not admire the sexy god in her presence, but as she raised her eyes to his gorgeous face and saw that darn panty-wetting smirk, she remembered this fine specimen of masculine brilliance standing in front of her was responsible for her best friend's heart-ache.

"Rhea, what a pleasant surprise." he began cheerfully, though his tone relayed the fact that he had been expecting her, "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Drop the act Montgomery" she snapped tersely, "You know why I'm here"

His eyes darted to the bat in her hand and back to her, he cocked his head to the side, "I suppose you're here to play baseball. I'm sorry there's no field around." he joked.

Rhea's jaw clenched. Except his head was the ball, she definitely was not here to play squat and the cocky bastard knew that. She walked over to one of his windows with the sole aim of teaching him a lesson. She raised the bat and looked straight at Mitch smiling when she noticed the smirk wasn't on his face, he now looked wary, not scared, just wary.

Wrong expression.

"This, is what Lynn's heart feels like right now." with that she slugged the window, shattering it into tiny bits. She barely heard Mitch's words of protest, but she did feel his rough hand grab her arm.

She turned to him and what she saw chilled her to the bone. Oh he was mad alright, his green eyes were darker, more threatening, it looked like steam was puffing out his ears and nostrils. It was only when she felt her bat being wrenched from her grip that she snapped out of her trance.

"Hey..." she began to protest

"Shut the hell up! Inside. Now!" he ordered. He didn't wait for her reply. He didn't need it as he dragged her along anyway.

Rhea struggled to be free of his firm grip, getting into that cabin would spell her doom. Lynn's warning ricocheted in her head.

"He's much bigger than you, what if he hurts you?"

What if he did hurt her? She was a fighter, but even she knew when she didn't stand a chance in hell or any realm of the afterlife. As her terrified eyes took in the mountain of a man dragging her to her slaughter, she realized she was no match for this 260 pound bag of lean, rippled muscles, and with her trusty bat in his possession, she might as well anticipate a bed in the I.C.U.

He pushed her into the cabin and she stumbled forward, grabbing onto a chair to still herself.

"Have you lost your damn mind woman?" he shouted.

She turned to face him, "That's what you get for treating Lynn like trash." she had no idea where she got the guts from or why she was still talking when she ought to be thinking of a good hiding place or looking for a weapon to defend herself with.

"Well if Lynn didn't come barging into my house every chance she got, she wouldn't have to see stuff that upset her." he retorted

In a moment of hasty- eventually foolish-judgment, she lunged forward with the intention of snatching her bat thinking he was distracted.

Wrong thought.

He grabbed her wrist and slammed her back to the door so hard her teeth chattered, she grunted in pain.

The next thing she felt left her totally shocked and made her freeze

Mitchell had his hard body against her softer one so that she was stuck between him and the large door, what the fuck was he doing?

He had on a grin she wanted to smack off his face, and she would have if her current position didn't make it impossible to move a limb.

"You think you're so smart, don't you Rhea?" he spoke into her ear.

Rhea felt her breath temporarily seize and the beginning of a dull throb between her legs at the sound of his deep, rich voice in her ear and the feel of his hot breath against her skin. Despite her body's reaction to this hunk, she refused to be swayed, "Let me go Montgomery, right now!" she ordered.

He raised his brow and cocked his head to the side, giving her one of his puzzled looks, "Really Rhea? You're in my cabin, on a hill, miles away from people, without your weapon, and you think you're in a position to give orders?" he mused.

Rhea gulped realizing he was right, she was at a disadvantage here, "Just...let me go Mitch."

"Rhea, Rhea, Rhea, you're not going anywhere sweetheart. You feel this....?" He ground his hardness against her middle, she let out a small gasp, "..It's your fault it's here, and you're gonna get rid of it"

Rhea stared at him wide-eyed, now she was scared, "Mitch, just let me go, please, I swear I won't tell Lynn about this" 

He laughed, the sound reverberating against the walls of the cabin and making her have goose bumps, "Lynn? Please, I don't care what she thinks. It's you I've always wanted anyway." he said huskily as his hand grabbed her bountiful ass and pulled her against him. It felt as good as he had imagined.

Rhea gasped, this time though it wasn't from fear, but arousal. This was so not the time to be aroused, she was about to be raped and her betraying body wanted it. She wanted him.

She watched him lean closer and bend his head lower, just before she felt his hot, wet tongue lick her neck. She closed her eyes and told herself it was only because she couldn't watch, but she knew the truth- she liked it.

She made one last effort to get out of this mess, "Mitch listen...oh god!" she moaned as she felt him grab her ample breast and squeeze lightly. He squeezed harder making her moan louder, she swore her juices were flowing like a fountain.

Her eyes flew open when she felt her tank top being ripped off her body, her green lace bra met the same fate before she could think up any words. Her caramel breasts and dark brown nipples bounced in his face, her labored breathing had the pair heaving uncontrollably as she watched him bathe them with raw lust.

She knew she should stop him, this went against every rule known to man. He was her best friend's boyfriend, she hated him, Lynn loved him, she had only come here to confront him, to make him treat Lynn like she deserved, what would Lynn think if she knew about this?

"They're so pretty." he said as he weighed her magnificent globes in his hands.

"Mitchell, I beg you, we shouldn't" she breathed, she didn't sound the least bit convincing. How could she when his hands were on her boobs and his fingers teasing her peaked nipples?

"Tell me you don't want his Rhea, tell me you don't want me." he drawled as his hand made a trail toward her nether regions. His teeth latched onto a nipple as his travelling hand settled within the confines of her shorts, she writhed against him as he began to rub her clit through the fabric of her panties, "ooh, little Rhea wants me, doesn't she?" he cooed into her ear as he continued to rub her vigorously. 

All Rhea could do was whimper and moan at the sensations he was causing within her, she had touched herself a couple of times, but she had never been able to arouse this feeling, she was now past trying to stop him, she didn't want him to stop.

Her hand grabbed his bicep as her legs grew weak from his ministrations, her climax built up, starting from the tip of her toes, breathing seemed a lot harder as she felt like she was about to explode, and then it came to a sudden stop- Mitch had stopped whatever he was doing to her.

She looked up at him in confusion and frustration, "Why did you stop?"

He smiled cockily, "You never answered my question. Do you want this or not?" he asked as his finger stroked her slit.


Confrontation Ch. 02



So I didn't intend to take this story longer than one submission, but I've expanded it due to popular demand. Hope you like the second chapter. Voting and feedbacks are appreciated**L.S

Dear Lynn, 

By the time you read this, I would have been long gone. I can't say where to in this letter, but far away from Denton County, and out of Texas even.'

Why?

I did a very bad thing, something really shameful. I can't say it to your face, but I really do hope you can forgive me.

Remember the day you came to my place and told me you dumped Mitch? Well, I went to confront him while you were asleep and somehow, we had sex. Please don't stop reading yet, there's more.

Last month, I took a pregnancy test and it came out positive. I can't stay in Denton and have this baby, and you of all people know how I feel about abortion. I really wish things didn't turn out this way. I still want to be your best friend if you'll let me.

When I get to my destination, I'll call you. Please answer Lynn, your friendship means a lot to me. I know I've wronged you, but that was never my intention, and I want you to understand that.

Be good Lynn, and find yourself a deserving man (not Mitch)

All the Best,

Rhe.

Lynn could still remember every word of that letter, hell! She still had it in her possession. She remembered how bitter she had been, vowing never to speak to Rhea ever again and even going as far as burning some of their pictures. Suffice it to say, she hadn't answered the phone when Rhea called. A whole week passed with Rhea calling and leaving voicemails and her not bothering to call back or even listen to those voicemails, after two weeks of the same routine, Rhea had gotten the message and the calls had stopped. She remembered how Rhea had sounded on her last voicemail; regretful, alone- depressed. She had apologized again and never called back.

For three months Mitch had harassed her and damn near stalked her in his mission to find Rhea. It had been hell seeing the man she thought she loved going on about her best friend like she was the love of his life. He didn't even seem the least bit phased that he was more worried about a fling than getting his girlfriend back, and it registered to her that Mitch didn't want her back this time.

She remembered a certain altercation between them once while she was leaving the grocery store.

Mitch had jumped out of his truck and grabbed her arm, "Hey, I need to talk to you Lynn"

"If it's about Rhea, I don't know where she is"

"Come on Lynn, she must have contacted you" he urged. The whole Mitch Montgomery charm seemed to be on full alert waiting to pop out if and when necessary.

Lynn folded her arms across her chest and looked him over, "What makes you think that Mitchell?" she asked, her voice dripping with contempt when she said his name.

"She's YOUR best friend..."

"Who fucked my boyfriend...."

"Ex- boyfriend..."

"Barely an hour after we broke up! Do you really think I would be interested in keeping contact with such a friend?" she damn near screamed at him, her frustration and anger evident.

He looked her over, apparently now lost for words. She didn't wait to hear his reply as she rushed towards her car, apparently off to cry her eyes out.

He had kept up wit hhis pushing two or three more times until he finally realized she wasn't just playing him for all the wrongs he did her. After that, it was a downward spiral for the player that was Mitch. He became withdrawn, he stopped being a regular at the golf clubs and high-end restaurants he used to frequent. He became cold and unapproachable, he had even dismissed his harem of women rather unceremoniously.

For a couple of years, Lynn had really been glad to see Mitchell was getting a healthy dose of his own medicine, sure she wasn't thrilled that it was Rhea who broke him, but she was content with the fact that he was broken.

He had bounced back briefly after two years, even going into the dating scene. He had been with Noreen, an auburn-haired pretty little thing who used to be a pageant queen, Lynn had never bothered finding out about her, she was just going to end up like all of Mitch's play-things anyway. She had almost swallowed her words after they got engaged, but Mitch proved her right once he broke off the engaged, but Mitch proved her right once he broke off the engagement barely a month before their wedding. No one in the county ever found out why especially as Noreen didn't seem as put off as Mitch's other women were.

Did Lynn care? Of course not. She had her own life, dating Ronald Fletcher. He had taken up Rhea's post as manager at the timber factory, and by extension, her post as a friend and confidant. She couldn't exactly say how she and ron started, but his sense of humor and intelligence roped her in. he was no Mitchell as far as his looks went, but he wasn't far behind.

It was Ron who finally convinced Lynn to speak to Rhea two years ago, some months before she gave birth to their daughter. It had been a teary conversation between both women with Rhea repeatedly apologizing and Lynn updating her about her new life as Ron's wife.

Since then, Lynn had repeatedly tried to convince Rhea to come back, especially when she began divulging to her how rough she was having it in Kansas. It was a bit difficult juggling two jobs as a black woman, and raising her son- their son.

She stopped the thought as soon as it surfaced. There was no need for bitterness. She was now on her way to the airport, her two-year old daughter, Amy, was strapped to the baby-seat behind. Rhea was finally back home and she was going to pick her up. She was going to welcome her best friend with open arms- betrayal or not.

Within ten minutes, she was waiting outside the airport with Amy in her arms, searching for Rhea among the steady filter of travelers. Soon she sighted a female who looked like Rhea, she debated with herself if that was her Rhea, she seemed slightly...different.

It was only when the woman came closer that she was able to identify her. For a moment she just stood there, staring. She had changed, this Rhea's hair had grown out, she couldn't say the length of it because the ringlets were packed up in a messy bun. She had lost a few pounds but that definitely did her some good from what she could see.

But what shocked her the most was that this Rhea was actually wearing a dress, not just any type of dress but a floral print thin-strapped, sun dress. Rhea hated dresses, even more anything with a floral print. What had she been drinking in Kansas?

A bright smile grew on Rhea's face as Lynn waved to her an approached her. A sense of ease shadowed her seeing the warm smile Lynn sported. She had been so scared Lynn would still be holding grudges, she did miss Texas and Denton county, but returning and having to live without being on the good side of her best friend hadn't seemed worth it. Knowing that Lynn cared enough to come pick her up really made her feel good for the first time in years. 

The first thing both women did as they got o each other was share a warm hug, moving as close as they coul get with the children in their arms.

"I've missed you so much pumpkin" Rhea muttered to Lynn as she felt unwanted tears well up in her eyes.

"Missed you too Rhe" Lynn replied. This time she was as genuine as she hadn't been able to be with herself in years. She really did miss her friend and the only one that acted as her backbone for years. With Rhea back, she felt like a vital part of her was back in it's rightful position.

Rhea's eyes fell on the cute little, blonde-haired, grey-eyed girl in Lynn's arms, "And who's this little cutie?" she asked. The toddler smiled shyly and tucked her head in the crook of her mother's neck.

Lynn and Rhea smiled, "This is Amy, my little peach. Amy say hello to Aunty Rhea"

"Hello" Amy replied in a tiny voice, her plump cheeks now rosy.

Lynn noticed the rather big boy in Rhea's arms move, he raised his head off her shoulders and turned with a yawn. The first thing Lynn saw was a pair of startling green eyes that looked confused and tired. He was a few shades shy of being white, he had a mass of thick, curly, dark brown hair on his head, his brows were also thick, but well defined, those emerald eyes were shadowed by lashes that were a bit too feminine, his nose was tiny, but aquiline, another feminine feature, and his lips were a much smaller version of Rhea's. He was by far the cutest little boy she had EVER seen, and by the doe-eyed look on Amy's face, she thought so too.

"Mama, are we there yet?" he asked in a tired voice as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.

"Yes sweetie. This is aunty Lynn and her daughter Amy, say hi"

"Hi" he was apparently not as timid as Amy was.

"Hey cutie. Did you have a nice trip?" Lynn asked.

"I don't know, I slept through most of it" he replied with a quirky smile.

Lynn smiled, "Where's the rest of your luggage?"

"Oh, Jared's bringing it along" Rhea replied.

"Who's Jared?" Lynn asked with a raised brow.

Rhea didn't have to reply as the object of the discussion emerged from behind Rhea, "You move pretty fast don't you Rhe?" he asked as he stood by her side, he had a medium-sized bag hung on his shoulders and a larger one was wheeled behind him.

Lynn looked up at the tall, lean man, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Rhea really did know how to pick her men...or maybe she was just lucky as opposed to her. She guessed his height to be somewhere around 6ft.2", she figured he should be somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties, but he looked much younger, like some frat boy, especially in those torn jeans and yellow polo.

"Jared, this is my best friend Lynn, Lynn, meet Jared, my boss, or should I say, ex-boss" Rhea introduced.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Jared said in a thick Southern accent as he extended his hand out to Lynn who accepted it.

"Nice to meet you too." Lynn replied.

The confused look on Lynn's face was not lost on Rhea, who gave further explanation, "Jared's from Austin, he's here for a family get-together. We met him at the airport before boarding, he offered to help once we landed."

Lynn nodded, taking in the explanation, but still not convinced. Well, she would be forgiven, it wasn't everyday she met an ex-employee and her ex-boss who referred to each other by their first names...and Jared seemed a little too young to be an employer, but she didn't voice out any of this.

"That's really nice of you Jared. I came with my SUV." she mentioned.

"I guess I'll have to relinquish this then." Jared said with a bright smile, exposing a pair of gleaming white teeth, he had a charming smile- quite boyish too. He was apparently speaking of the bag he was wheeling along, "Where are you parked?" he asked. 

"Oh, just a few feet away."

"Lead the way then."

As they made their way to Lynn's car, she got the feeling that Jared was no predator like Mitch. He seemed easy-going, and that smile was constant, she thought he would have made a good member of Disney's Imagination Movers if he didn't look too much of a jock. Listening to his little chat with Jonas, it sounded more like two kids than a four year old and an adult.

"We're here." she announced. She opened the door and strapped Amy in, Rhea sat Jonas next to her as Jared lifted the bag into the trunk of the car with little effort.

"Aren't you coming along? We could drop you off somewhere" Rhea suggested.

"Oh no, thanks. My brother's coming to pick me up, he should be here in a while, he tends to run late." He replied, that ever-present smile lighting up his handsome face.

"Okay then, thanks again." 

"You're welcome." he replied. He stopped her just as she was half-way into the passenger's seat, "Hey, if you're in Austin the next two weeks, I could take you to some place nice...with Jonas." he added, almost as a side-note.

"Sure, that would be nice. Thanks Jared." She replied with a warm smile

"Bye Jared." Jonas called.

Jared waved to him, "See you soon soldier." he gave a mock salute that made Jonas grin as the car drove away.

Jared gave a deep sigh watching them go. He had been doing this for the past three years so that it seemed like a routine, coming so close, than backing out. He swore he had to grow some balls already, and her quitting the job hadn't exactly made things any easier.

"Same ole Jared, always pussy-footing." a male voice spoke from behind him.

He let out another deep, calming breath. Some people would never grow up.

*****

The content of the cup danced, the dim lights from the bar reflecting against the clear liquid. The drink in the cup in turn reflecting the soul of the consumer...clear, blank, plain. It soothed him, making the ache he felt an hour ago non-existent, making his entire person numb- gaining the desired effect.

Mitch watched the drink, his eyes were trained on it, but he wasn't looking at it. All he saw was a man reaching his breaking point, a man just hanging on the tethers of what used to be a bubbling personality, a man who wanted nothing but solitude and went on to build the barriers to ensure that.

"Do I get you something else sweety?" the shrill voice of the bartender invaded his thoughts. He looked up at her, the busty brunette smiled flirtatiously at him, he had to give it to her, she was one determined chic. One would think you would give up after unleashing an arsenal of subtle come-ons on a man who seemed less interested at every meeting, without results. She never let-up though, disturbing his sight with her large, artificial breasts by wearing shirts that were two sizes too small; his ears with her unnecessary chattering and tales he never bothered to actually listen to; and his nostrils with that god awful smell of whatever cheap perfume she drowned herself in before coming to work.

He had been with her kind of women and was sick of them, not to mention he could bet he was at least ten years her senior. Five years ago, he would have taken her for a nice fuck in the backroom the second she signified interest, not anymore though. He was through with flings, the last time he had acted with directions from his cock had led to his present state.

He grunted, damn that woman! He would never have believed he'd be in such a situation, where he'd be totally distraught because of a common female, worse still, a female he hadn't even known well enough to make such an impact, how the fuck did a one-time fuck screw him up so?

"No thanks." he muttered under his breath.

Shelly wanted to urge him on a little, he could tell she was going to try and start up a conversation, but he shot her a look that told her he wasn't having none of it and thankfully, she got the message and scurried off to bother some other customer.

He gulped a little more of the whisky in his cup just as two burly men walked into the bar. It was a few minutes past seven on a Saturday evening, so the bar was slowly filling up. This place usually got rowdy after eight, Mitch usually took that as his cue to leave. He hated being in bar fights and somehow, there was always an asshole begging to get his ass kicked in this place.

The men, apparently lumberjacks, sat a few meters away from Mitch. He scowled, noisy customers, he hated that bunch too. Making a mental note to ignore them, he concentrated on his drink..that was until he heard something that interested him.

It came about ten minutes after the two men had sat, they were already on their second tumbler of beer when one of them- Bob, brought up the conversation.

"You hear the lil Madam is back?" he asked.

"You mean Miss Myers?" his friend asked, "Yeah, I heard. Heard she even got herself a little soldier." he added.

Mitch sat up and turned his head sideways to get a better listen without calling attention to himself.

"Heard that too, I wonder what man got the nerve to even screw that fire-spitting dragon..."

"Wasn't even aware she had a vagina." Bob chipped in. both men broke out in laughter.

Oh she had a vagina alright, a nice, tight, cock-squeezing vagina neither of those slobs would ever get the opportunity to even sniff. He called the attention of Shelly, she seemed a bit too excited as she came running toward him, before she could get a word out though he crushed whatever ideas she was nursing by raising a twenty and ten dollar notes to signify that he was dropping his pay.

He stood up and left without a word. He had definitely heard enough. As he walked out into the cold, dark night he wondered whose place he would go first. There was no doubt in his mind that Lynn was aware of this, more importantly though, he kept remembering what Bob had said about her having a kid, if Rhea had a child, then that meant she was married, or had a man somewhere. That thought infuriated him, he had been here being a total pity-whore the past five years and she had gone into the world to fuck some dude and give him a kid? Even the thought that some other man had touched what he had long ago branded as his property set off a vile side of him.

He turned the ignition of his truck now certain of his destination from here, spouse or no spouse; he was going to get what belonged to him.

*****

"So the wolf never came back?" Jonas asked skeptically. Rhea had just finished reading him the story of the three pigs and the wolf, his face was contorted as though he was trying to make sense of the story.

"No, the wolf never came back." Rhea replied. This wasn't the first time she was telling him this story, but every time he was told, he never went to sleep like she would prefer, rather he preferred to stay up and examine the story. It was the same for every bedtime story she told, he always had that Sherlock Holes mode, wanting to know more and even laughing at the ridiculousness of the stories some times. It was hard reading these stories to him especially as he had proved one too many times that he wasn't as naïve as kids his age, sometimes she considered reading biographies to him as opposed to fairytales.

"Hmm" he began tilting his head to the side, his eyes remaining on her as it formed those tiny slits; his own way of showing her that he was attempting to understand the story, "So why did it have to go after the three piggies? Weren't there other animals in the forest?"

Rhea sighed deeply as she thought 'here we go again', "I assume there weren't."

He drew his head back like she had just said a bad word, "What kind of forest only has three piggies and a wolf?"

She closed her eyes, "I'm not the writer of the story Jonas, the writer decides what to put in the story."

"What kind of dumb writer doesn't know there are more than four animals in a forest?" 

"Jonas! You said a bad word." Rhea scolded

"I'm sorry mum, but I don't understand. Can you get me another book next time?"

'Gladly' she thought 'preferably something written by Dan Brown', "Sure sweety, we'll go get one tomorrow. You have to sleep now, so you can wake up bright and early." she said, her own way of telling him the conversation was over. She was too tired for this, she needed to have a nice sleep after to get herself back, but not before a nice, long, relaxing bath. The longer she remained here, the more time was removed from her relaxing period.

He gave a toothy grin, bringing to her memory a certain face she really couldn't stand to remember, but had to.

"Thanks mama. Good night." he said cheerfully.

"Good night dear" she replied as she leaned in and gave him a light peck on his cheek. His green eyes gleamed as he turned to his side. It was time to sleep.

Rhea dragged herself off the bed and walked to the door, after turning off the lamp by the side of his bed, she walked out, making sure to leave the door slightly open to let the light from the hallway stream into his bedroom. He liked to have some illumination in his room.




Confrontation Ch. 02



She got into her bedroom and went ahead to fix herself a bubble bath with the lavender- scented liquid. It was her favorite scent especially as it calmed her nerves.

Slipping into the bath, she laid her head against the tub and closed her eyes with a deep sigh. She let the thoughts flow into her head now, thoughts of him. She thought it was silly and had reprimanded herself every time she let him take over her thoughts but it neither stopped nor reduced, she just couldn't get him out of her mind.

Then again, the reason was obvious. She was living with a prototype of him. It was hard to look at Jonas without thinking of his father- no, it was impossible. Every time she saw those green eyes, all she saw was Mitch, and then there were those times, those actions he performed that were so Mitchell Montgomery. He was like a miniature version of his father so much so that she sometimes got irritated- especially when he tried to flirt. Everyone thought it was cute, but she found it disrespectful, especially when he acted so with grown women.

She would scold him and threaten to put him on an ice=cream ban, that always worked, only for a short time as he always went back to hi old ways the second she turned her back to him.

She wondered what had come of Mitchell since she left. Neither she nor Lynn had brought him up the entire day, she didn't want to revive bad memories, it was awkward enough having Jonas there. She couldn't help but wonder if he had found some other woman to occupy his time, or if he was married. That last thought roused an envious feeling in her, it was one she ried to downplay, or downright erase, but it never was easy. She didn't want to be envious of whatever woman Mitchell settled with, she had tried to convince herself time and time again that Mitchell was no prize, he was a cheater, what woman wanted a man that couldn't keep his dick between his legs? She thought she should feel sorry for whatever female had to endure his philandering ways, but every time she remembered how good he felt inside her, how much of an expert he was in pleasing his women, she felt the sex was definitely worth staying if for nothing else.

She remembered his handsome face, in her mind's eye she could see everything he had done to her, how he had touched her, the intensity of his kiss, the burning passion of his touch, and the fiery power of his thrusts. As those thoughts filtered into her mind, she felt a dull throb between her legs, god! It had been so long since she had a man- five years to be exact, since her little romp with Mitchell, she found that she never felt any attraction towards any other man on a sexual level. She was yet to encounter anyone that made her so hot she would fuck him on the highway of a busy road- and that totally pissed her off.

Her nipples hardened as she remembered the way he had sucked on them. She found herself slowly moving her hand toward her nether regions in an attempt to pleasure herself, at least she could still do that...that was all she did in fact; touch herself as she thought of Mitchell until she reached her orgasm.

She grabbed her breast and moaned softly as her finger rubbed her slit, she dug a digit into her silk folds and began a slow movement. She imagined Mitchell coming in to find her this way, in her tub and touching herself. She thought of how hot it would make him, she could already hear his deep, sexy voice in her head.

"Does that feel good Rhe? Does thinking of me make you horny?"

She whimpered in reply to her imaginary Mitchell's question, she could hear his chuckle, feel his hot breath against her skin.

"That's it love, touch yourself, fuck that tight pussy."

She moaned, the words turning her on immensely.

Another chuckle escaped his lips, "Then again, your fingers aren't half as good as my cock are they?" his voice was almost mocking.

"No" she whimpered as she slipped in her index finger to join the middle finger in an attempt to stuff herself, she pumped with more vigor, all she could think of was Mitch's cock, how she needed that monster inside her right now.

"Do you want my cock Rhea? You need me to fuck that tight pussy babe? Stretch your cunt until you scream, you'd like that wouldn't you?" he teased.

"Yes, oh yes Mitch" she moaned, the words from his mouth and her fingers inside her were creating an euphoric feeling. She fondled herself, tweaking her nipples as her thumb found her hooded clit.

"Are you close? I can feel it, your ragged breathing, the way those gorgeous tits keep heaving, I want to eat that pussy so bad Rhea, would you suck my cock?"

"Yes, anything." She breathed. She was so close

"Anything? So you'd let me fuck you from behind? Or in your ass?" the last comment came out in a whisper.

Just the thought of it brought Rhea to her climax, "Yes, oh yes Mitch, please fuck me" she cried out.

As she came back from her high, she opened her eyes. Imaginary Mitch was gone. She frowned as she damn near flew out of the tub, she swore this was getting too much, what was up with her? Was this an obsession or was she psychologically unstable? What kind of freak fantasized about a man she only slept with once after five years? Maybe she needed to contact a psychiatrist, or a therapist.

She slipped on her pajama bottoms and a fitted powerpuff girls shirt Jonas had gotten her for her birthday two months ago. Just when she was about to begin rolling her hair, she heard an insistent knock at her door.

She looked up at the clock on the bedside table, it was thirty minutes past eight. She wondered who could be at her door and proceeded to find out.

In her haste to get rid of whoever was at the door fast enough to go back into her room and begin a much deserved rest, she failed to ask who it was or check through the window, instead unlocking and opening it. She gasped as she saw the dominating size of the man at the other side and immediately tried to shut the door, but a large, booted foot blocked it. She pushed harder, it didn't budge.

"What the fuck Rhea?" the man said as he shoved the door open. The sheer force of his strength sent her stumbling away from the door.

Mitch walked into the house and closed the door behind him, he couldn't believe she had the nerve to try to shut the door at him, "Have you lost your mind?" he asked, much more calmly than he felt.

"Get out!" Rhea screamed at the man who had only minutes ago been the star of her fantasy. The mere sight of him already causing a riot within her which she tried unsuccessfully to stop. The years had really been good to him, he looked much yummier than she remembered, it appeared he had lost a few pounds, he wasn't as bulky as he was five years ago, but he was still as lean and toned. He was sporting a sexy stubble, his dark hair had grown a bit longer, now grazing the nape of his neck and looked unkempt so that he looked like he belonged in a Calvin Klein underwear ad. 

"Where the fuck have you been?" he demanded, totally ignoring her.

"None of your damned business Mitch. Leave. My. House!"

"it's my business Rhea, you've been gone five damn years!" he said the words like she wasn't aware of that. Even as they were having a shouting match, he couldn't stop his eyes from taking her in, she was gorgeous. Her body was a bit slimmer but still as toned and curvy as he remembered, the way the shirt she had on hugged her body, making her breasts jut out temptingly stirred his loins, despite the time they had been apart, just the mere look of this woman had him feeling like a sex-starved dog. He noticed her fuller hair, it reached her shoulders, framing her pretty face and giving her a more feminine look than her pixie cut, a sly smile came across his lips as he imagined fisting that luxurious hair while he pounded into her from behind, the image sent blood running straight to his cock.

"I don't owe you any explanations Mitchell. Go fuck yourself!" she noticed the way his eyes had grown lusty, she knew he had been checking her out, even as disgusted as that made her feel, she couldn't deny she was just as aroused.

He cornered her to the wall before she could make a bee-line for it, "I'd love to fuck YOU against this wall" he said huskily, his hungry eyes taking her in.

She remembered the last time he had had her in this position and what that led to, the smell of his cologne and alcohol wafted into her nostrils immediately making her pussy wet and her nipples tighten. She suddenly found herself tongue-tied.

He smiled as he noticed her nipples poking through the fabric of her shirt, "You'd like that wouldn't you? You'd like me to pick you up and pound that pussy against this wall." He asked.

She gulped, "You wish" she replied between clenched teeth, her eyes burning holes into him.

"I can see your nipples Rhe." he said cockily, she looked embarrassed, ashamed of her body's reaction to him, "I bet you're wet down there, just anticipating my touch." He whispered as his hand moved toward her crotch to confirm his theory.

As if the light bulb finally came on in her head, she began fighting him off- if only it didn't feel like she was pounding against a slab of concrete, "Get off me!" she shouted. He took hold of both her wrists and held her hands behind her back , she struggled to no avail, he may have lost a few pounds, but he was still as strong as he had always been.

"I heard you've got a kid."

That comment stopped her as fear gripped her heart. How did he know? Who told him? She had been here less than twenty four hours and the god damned gossips in the county had already begun talking about her? What if he knew? What if he had her followed or investigated? Did he know Jonas was his? Maybe not, he didn't seem like he did. 

He continued, "I can't believe you let some other man fuck my pussy and even get you pregnant."

She felt herself let out a relieved sigh once she confirmed he didn't know the child was his, "Fuck you Mitchell."

"Did he fuck you good Rhe? Was he as good as I was? Did he make you moan and beg like I did?" the anger in his voice couldn't be ignored. He was pissed that she even let some other dude touch her, he swore he would break someone's neck if he ever met him. What if they were married? Why would any man let a woman like Rhea out of his sight? But just what if...?

"Did he marry you?" he sounded worried this time, if she was married that meant...the slob was having HIS pussy for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

"It's none of your..."

"Damn right it's my business Rhea! Did he marry you?"

What the hell was wrong with her? Since when did the sight of a man wighing over two hundred pounds shouting at her become arousing? She should be scared, instead all she felt was her pussy begging for him, "And if he did? So what if I let another man fuck my pussy?" she taunted

"You mean this pussy?" he asked as his hand cupped her mound, he heard a gasp escape her lips, "This is MY pussy Rhea, and God help whatever idiot had the guts to touch my pussy, cos I will cut his dick off, dice it, and make him eat it with chopsticks" he said as he massaged her through the fabric of her pajama pants, he could feel her heat- and her wetness. She still wanted him after all.

"Stop it Mitch" she breathed even as she wanted him to continue.

Those green eyes gleamed, "But you're so wet, don't you want me to quench that fire? Don't you want me to give you a good, hard fuck? I could make you file for divorce" he grinned at the thought.

She arched her back and let out a low moan, he was now moving his hand roughly, the feel of the fabric grazing her pussy lips made her shudder.

Mitch leaned closer and bit at the inviting nipple poking out her shirt, the sound of her whimper urged him on.

"Stop, please stop Mitch" she breathed, what she really wanted to do was scream 'fuck me, PLEASE fuck me Mitch'

He came up and looked down at her, "Do you really want me to stop Rhea? Or are you scared I'll fuck you better than your baby daddy?" he challenged.

She didn't get to give her reply as a small voice interrupted them.

"Are you okay mama?" the voice asked, he didn't sound scared or uncertain, he sounded quite sure of himself and even threatening to some extent.

Mitch stopped his movement as he took in Rhea's expression, she seemed like a deer caught in headlights as she froze. He moved his head sideways to find a little boy not more than six years old wielding a pole that seemed bigger than him, he looked set to swing it at whoever was being a nuisance to his mother, in other words him.

But it wasn't the pole or the menacing look in the boy's eyes that caught his attention, rather it was how green they were, those were the same eyes he saw every time he looked in the mirror. His gaze slowly moved to Rhea, the look in her eyes confirmed his thoughts even though she tried to mask it. 

The only words that came to his mind at that moment? HOLY SHIT!



Confrontation Ch. 03



Lord, what do I tell him?

Rhea stared at Jonas as he slept. He had slept over twenty minutes ago after much persuasion and assurances that all was well. She supposed she should be grateful, he had literally rescued her from the claws of a hungry predator. But his act of chivalry had come with a price.

This was what had kept her away from home. She didn't want them to see each other. On her way here she had known it would be inevitable, but she never guessed it would be so soon. They hadn't even been here for twenty-four hours and the drama was already enfolding. She stroked Jonas' cheek affectionately with a small smile; he had proved once more that he really was her little soldier, but even he couldn't save her from the Field Marshall himself.

She could still remember that look on Mitchell's face when his eyes fell on Jonas; shock, disbelief, realization...anger. It was the anger that still scared her. The way he had stepped away from her and simply assured her he would return, with a calmness that spoke volumes of an impending explosion. She wished he had just gotten it all out of his system once and for all, perhaps if he had screamed at her and demanded an explanation, she wouldn't be so nervous. Instead he had just walked out, but not before a final glance at Jonas who never dropped the pole until the door closed behind Mitch.

She went into her bedroom and lay on her bed, but sleep evaded her; thoughts of what Mitchell would do and how he would do it plagued her mind. She was scared of him. She turned restlessly, willing for sleep to somehow overcome her, but nothing happened. You would think after a long, highly eventful day she would be out like a light the second she hit the bed, so much for that.

She had just closed her eyes when the sound of her phone ringing caught her attention. She turned and grabbed the gadget on her bedside table. She blinked at the caller ID, it was Jared. She sat up as she wondered why he would be calling so late.

"Hello?" she began sleepily.

Hey Rhea, hope I didn't wake you." He began softly.

"No, what's up?" 

"I just wanted to know how your day went, if you're okay." 'no dummy, you just want to know if she'll date you' he thought to himself, but pushed the thought away, the last thing he needed was the little voice in his head discouraging him too, he had gotten enough of that from Gerard, his twin brother all through the day. 

Rhea smiled, grateful for his thoughtfulness. She wished she could tell him all that happened, but that would be giving him more information than he should have access to, irrespective of how long they had known each other, she thought it was wrong to divulge the happenings of her personal life to a man she had only began an informal relationship with a few months ago.

"It went fine, thank you Jared. And yours?" 

"Could have been better if I was with you...." Jared replied and immediately regretted it, that was a bit too forward- no, it was way too forward, it was supposed to be just a thought.

Luckily, she laughed it off, "I bet you say that to all the ladies." She replied. Despite how old he was, Rhea liked that Jared had a goofy side to him- perhaps the reason he got along with Jonas so well.

He laughed briefly, "I guess I do. How is Jonas?" he asked, switching the subject to avoid making a total idiot of himself.

"He's good. He's asleep."

"Nice, I wanted to ask if the day after tomorrow I could take you guys out. There's a nice amusement park here I know Jonas would love. I mean, I know I said you could call when you were around, but I figured if I could just come over.." he knew he was blabbing, it was a habit- he talked off-point whenever he got nervous.

Rhea smiled, not just because she realized Jared was nervous, but also, she found the idea of going to an amusement park totally interesting, Jonas loved amusement parks, "That would be very nice Jared."

"So I can come pick you up then?" 

Rhea could hear the smile in his voice through the phone, "Of course, I'll send you our address tomorrow."

"Really?" now he sounded like a dorky teen that had just gotten a date with the prom queen. He heard her giggle and he turned a deep shade of crimson, "I mean, that's cool." He seeeriously needed to work on his damage control.

Rhea's giggle grew into a laugh, "Good. So, sleep tight Jared."

"Yeah, you too. Thanks again."

"You're welcome" with that she ended the call. She lay her head on the pillow with a deep sigh, finally feeling that much needed sleep wash over her. Funny how a nice conversation could put a smile on one's face despite a generally awful first day back home. 

             *****

How dare she?

Mitch hadn't stopped seething since he left Rhea's house last night. Of all the low down dirty things she could do to him, this had to be the worst. It was okay if she decided to just up and leave without notice, but to keep the knowledge of his son away from him for over four years? That was just plain unacceptable.

He couldn't even stand to think of her right now. He hadn't been in the right framed of mind to speak to her last night, and nothing had changed now. .

So he was going to see the only other person he could vent at without causing bodily harm- Lynn. They were a tag team, one couldn't know something and the other didn't, he accepted he had wronged her to some extent- five years ago, but he definitely didn't think that enough leverage for her to keep something so serious away from him.

He parked his truck in front of the grocery store where Lynn worked, it was owned by her uncle, but not without his father's help- one of the many businesses in this county that was tied to the Montgomery name.

He got out of the car and barged into the store just so everyone there knew he wasn't here for any bullshit. The look on Lynn's face as he approached the counter told him all he needed to know- the conniving bitches!, "How could you?" he bellowed.

Lynn backed away from the counter in terror. It wasn't everyday anyone got to see Mitch this angry; eyes a jade green. Nostrils flaring, jaw ticking- scratch that, she had NEVER seen Mitch this mad, "I swear I was going to tell you..."

Don't give me that shit Lynn, when were you going to tell me? When I was on my death bed?"

"No, but..."

"How old is he?"

Lynn definitely didn't see that question coming, but it didn't make her any less scared, "Mitch.."

"How old?" he shouted.

She jumped, apparently startled, "He...he'll be five in November" she trembled.

She waited patiently for his explosion- and he didn't fail her.

"Five years? Five damn years Lynn?" he screamed at her. He couldn't even guarantee her safety at this point, now she was just as guilty as Rhea in his view, if not more. She was in this county with him, she saw him more or less every day, he came here to get his groceries, they went to the same church every Sunday, and to top it all off, his ranch was about a fifteen-minute walk from her house, she had no excuses. 

Fortunately for her though, Ronald came out from the freezer area of the store just before Mitch could lunge at Lynn and wring her neck. Lynn damn near sprinted to her husband in fear, and he was only too willing to block her from Mitch's impending wrath.

"What do you want Montgomery?" Ronald asked authoritatively, he knew if it came to fisticuffs he was no match for Mitchell. Their height and weight variance aside, he had seen Mitchell in a fight and he was no fool to wish to be on the receiving end of his fists- neither was he cowardly enough to watch him bully his wife.

"Your fucking wife was in cahoots with Rhea to keep my son away from me. What I want is an explanation."

Ronald looked unsure, doubtful. He narrowed his eyes and turned to Lynn, "You didn't tell him?" he asked in surprise.

Mitch scoffed and shook his head, "Oh, so you knew too." He seemed to be getting more pathetic by the second.

"Rhea said not to tell him" Lynn replied her husband, suddenly regretting her decision to go along with Rhea's plan.

"Damn it Lynn, the man's got a right to know his own son." Ron reprimanded her. This was so not worth being on Mitch's bad side, apparently Rhea wasn't the one getting screamed at right now.

"So I guess you've known for five years too." Mitch surmised.

Ron shook his head absent-mindedly, "I only found out over a year ago."

"Why thank you Ron, that makes me feel a lot better." Mitch replied, his words dripping with sarcasm, "The whole fucking county knows I've got a kid, except me." For the first time since he began his little tirade, he noticed the entire store had their eyes on him, "What the hell are y'all staring at? Got another kid I don't fucking know about?" he yelled. 

Everyone returned to their business, none willing to face the wrath of Mitchell Montgomery so early in the day.

"Listen Mitch, if there's anyone you need to talk to, it's Rhea, okay?" Ronald asked, wanting to get rid of Mitch as soon as possible before he scared all the customers away.

He had barely spoken those words when the jingle of bells at the entrance alerted everyone to the entrance of another customer and sent their eyes in that direction.

Rhea and Jonas had had just walked in.

Mitch and Rhea's eyes met and they held their gazes only briefly, she seemed terrified- good she was so. He lowered his gaze to the green-eyed little boy who seemed to be sizing him up, he was unsure whose temper the kid had gotten between he and Rhea's , but he was willing to bet he had gotten a healthy dose of both their attitudes., even as a kid, he still seemed intimidating.

He didn't like the look in the kid's eyes. His own son looking at him like he was some kind of villain- and this was all Rhea's fault. He couldn't take it anymore, so he just walked out. He could feel her holding her breath as he glared down at her, the thought of smothering her lush, glossy lips in kisses flashed through his mind, but was gone once the kid moved her from his way so that he was now standing protectively in front of his mother as some form of human barricade, he looked all set to throw the first punch if pushed to the extreme- oh he was gutsy alright, it would really be a show for a thirty-three year old man to go at it with a four-year old buy.

He pushed the door open and stepped out.

It was only when he got to his car that he realized he didn't even know his son's name. Shit! Fuck! Fucking shit!

            *****

All attention was called to the entrance of the massive ranch as the silver Ford F-150 truck drove in like it was being driven by a crazed man.

That theory was confirmed as the driver jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him, he didn't spare a look at the ranch hands who had stopped their work to stare at their obviously enraged boss.

Mitch wasn't always angry on the ranch. On the contrary, he was friendly with the employees, to a stranger he seemed more like one of them on a normal day; they all had breakfast and lunch together, sharing tales of past hunting 9both of animals and the opposite sex) and giving advices when to each other during their free time. Some found it odd that Mitch was able to be so friendly with his employees when he was quite hostile on a broader level.

But there were those days when everyone knew not to get too close or even attempt a conversation with Mitch, unless whoever it was happened to be feeling suicidal- days like this. The ranch hands could safely say the last time they had to condone this side of Mitchell was five years ago, and that had been a nerve-racking two-week spell, from the way he just drove in, it seemed like they would be having a repeat of that.

"You know why he's mad?" Lionel, one of the ranch hands asked another. He was a large black man who was undoubtedly one of the strongest ranch hands Mitchell had. he had hired him eight years ago when he had come looking for work fresh out of a Minnesotan jail. No one ever knew what he went in for- well, no one but Mitchell- and once he started doing so well on the ranch and got friendly with the town's people, no one ever bothered to find out.

The other hand- Paul, a lanky red-head, shrugged, "Heard she's back" he replied as he heaved some more hay and dumped it in the wheel barrow. He wiped off the drop of sweat making a trail towards clear blue eyes and went on shoving more hay.

Lionel stared wide-eyed at Paul knowing who the 'she' in question was. It was almost a taboo to mention her name around here, the few times someone had dared to say it in the presence of Mitch had gotten whoever the unlucky fellow was, a murderous glare that promised a dismissal and maybe more if he dared to repeat it. They had gotten used to referring to her in other terms, the most famous being 'heart-breaker'

"For real?"

"Uh huh" Paul replied. He glanced towards Mitchell just to make sure they weren't being watched, once that was confirmed, he leaned closer to Lionel whose ears were perked up to get more juicy information, and spoke in a voice that was almost a whisper, "Heard she's even got a son...and he looks just like the boss"

Lionel's eyes grew wider if that was even possible, but before he could come up with a reply, Mitch's voice invaded their conversation.

"Y'all better not be having your little gossip session on my time." He snapped.

They both returned to their jobs with re-energized speed, neither daring to look Mitch's way.

"Who got the nerve to provoke nig bad Mitch?" a familiar voice asked as Mitch got to his porch.

He turned toward the direction the voice had come from, and his scowl slowly dissipated until he was wearing a large grin. It had to be him, no one else referred to him as 'big bad Mitch'. It had been years, thirteen years to be exact since they last saw each other, they had both changed considerably, but if nothing else, that smile was a confirmation of the identity of this August visitor.

"Jared Brendan Doyle, you little sneak!" Mitch said as he approached Jared and wrapped him in a bear hug, both men laughing, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Where you left me." Jared replied as he and Mitch went into Mitch's house, both men unaware of the stares they got from the ranch hands who had temporarily stopped what they were doing to take in the scene.

"You mean you're still in Kansas?" Mitch asked in disbelief, he hadn't even thought the business they had both set up ten years ago would survive this long, especially after he had pulled out to move back here.

"Yep, still running the company" Jared replied proudly. It had been a tough ten years, but the survival of the company was one of a few things Jared prided himself on.

The mention of the company brought memories Mitch had thought were long forgotten. Memories of two young men fresh out of college who thought they could change the business world with a few supposedly 'genius' theories. With more money than sense at the time, they had set up their first company, gotten a few interested investors- mostly men like them- naïve freshers, or just moneybags looking for some place to dump their excess dough. The place had potential true, but after a year and a few months, Mitch began to get disillusioned, things were going well, not as well as Mitch had anticipated, but well enough. He realized a bit too early in his view, that he wasn't a corporate man, he didn't like board meetings, or suits, and he loathed ties. It was only a matter of time before he pulled out, sold his shares to willing buyers and got on the first plane he could find to Texas. 

He never regretted that decision, he was a country boy through and through, but Jared seemed to be doing very well in the world of business.

"So, how's it been?" Mitch asked as he got them some beer and sat on a chair opposite of Jared.

"it's been great, got a few challenges, but nothing we can't handle." Jared replied and then took a gulp of the beer in his hand, "How about you? Have you found someone to tame the beast or there are still unworthy opponents?" Jared joked on Mitch's womanizing ways.

Mitch laughed.

His thoughts briefly went to Rhea; oh someone had tamed the beast alright, and then brought it back in a different form. He shook his head to clear it of thoughts of her; this was not the time to get angry- or horny, "No, still waiting for worthy opponents. How about you? You always had a thing for Stepford wives and picket fences and all that." he asked, intentionally shifting the direction of the conversation with the hope that Jared wouldn't press further.

Jared gave a shy smile as his thoughts went to Rhea, he doubted she'd fit into the whole Stepford wife role, she was a little too self-assertive to be subdued into the role of submissive wife, those were the vibes he got anyway. He had to be honest with himself, there really wasn't anyone- yet, "Well, there's this ex-employee..." he began, but Mitch interjected.

"Ex-employee? You've been eye-fucking your employees? Jared, whatever happened to your work-ethics." Mitch scolded with a smile.

Jared shook his head as he laughed, "I swear it's not like that..." he paused when he notice the look of disbelief Mitch gave him, "..okay maybe it's something like that, but, I really like her Mitch."

"Interesting, so she's not just a little entertainment?"

Jared scoffed, "I don't do that Mitch, I'm not like you." He joked.

"True." Mitch laughed.

"Besides, I came here to find her place."

Mitch sat up, "She lives in this county?" he asked, his interest suddenly perked.

Jared shook his head once he recognized that look on Mitch's face, "That's all you'll be hearing from me."

Mitch sulked, "Why?" he asked, giving his best pouty face.

"You'd charm her away." Jared said in all honesty. He wasn't exactly unsure of himself as a man, but next to Mitch, he knew he stood no chance with any woman. Mitch was like a female magnet, it wouldn't matter if he was standing next to Mr. World, he would out-shine, out-talk and out-charm him, that was just Mitch, he just had it.

Mitch laughed, "Scared of a little competition Jared?" he teased.

Jared smiled, "You know I'm not Mitch, but I can't risk this prize." He replied

"Ooh, she must be something special then."

"Very." 

"So are we talking 'walking down the aisle' special?"

Jared laughed, "Oh no, we haven't gone that far. I'm just taking her out for the first date tomorrow." 

Mitch raised his brows, "Interesting. So you really like her huh?"

"A lot Mitchell." He replied, "So, the ranch seems bigger, your dad finally let you take the reigns." Jared asked, he didn't want to speak any further concerning Rhea, better to keep her away from Mitch. He had been so giddy he didn't bother waiting for tomorrow, he just wanted to know where she lived so he wouldn't have any reason to be late tomorrow. Dropping by here was just an afterthought, it was only when he got closer to Mitch's place he remembered he had been here sometime later. The ranch was far from conspicuous, it was probably the largest in the county at over 500 acres, and then there was the large M sign right at the gate, you couldn't miss the place.

Mitchell saw that for what it was- a distraction. He smiled, but went with the flow, apparently whoever this female was had really gotten to Jared for him to be this secretive about her. Good for him, at least someone was making positive progress with the opposite sex, though it felt weird for that someone to not be him.

          *****

Rhea looked out the window for what had to be the tenth time in five minutes, her nerves were at an end. Why wasn't he here yet? 

She rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold despite the warm weather. She looked around the house for some form of protection. It was only then that she remembered her trusty bat, she wondered what had become of it, if he had thrown it away, or burnt it in his fireplace- she could bet it was the latter.




Confrontation Ch. 03



She looked up at her wall clock, it was already 10:00pm. She had put Jonas to sleep two hours ago and had gone through her nightly ritual. She thought of going to sleep already, it didn't seem like he would be coming anyways.

With that thought in mind she made her way to her bedroom.

She had barely gotten there when the roar of an engine reached her ears. She paused in her footsteps as she listened on; the sound of the engine died down and then there was the sound of a car door opening and shutting. 

She retreated to the living room when she heard the sharp knock. She stopped, suddenly feeling that fear that had plagued her since last night wash over her again. She considered going into her bedroom and ignoring the knock. She would have to wait a few more days for the coming confrontation, but it would be worth it if he would be a little calmer in the end, right now, letting him in still seemed dangerous.

The knock came again, this time harder.

Her mind was made up.

She did a 180 to return to her room, lock up her door and hide under her duvet until he was gone. 

As though he had read her mind, she barely turned round when a harder knock came , this time with a voice to go with it, "Open the door Rhea, I know you're awake, your lights are on...I can even hear you breathing. You know we need to talk so just open up." 

She knew the part about him hearing her breathing was a lie, but it still sounded true. She ran to the door and unlocked it, better to get it over with once and for all.

With a deep breath she opened the door and looked up at his imposing size. He wasn't frowning as hard as she imagined he would be, but he was frowning hard enough to make her shudder. He was glaring at her like he was daring her to shut the door in his face or refuse him entry in some way.

All she did was step out of the way and open the door wider, he stepped in without speaking.

"You'll need to keep your voice down, Jonas is asleep." She said quietly.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to have my son threatening me with a pole again, now would I?" he asked sarcastically.

She was silent to that, what could she say?

Seeing that she wasn't going to pick up from where he left, he chose to be more direct in his words, "You couldn't even call?"

She looked away under the intense scrutiny of his stare. In all honesty, when she made the decision not to call him she had been acting solely based on her emotions, not her head or not what was right for their son, it was selfish. But somehow within those five years, she had managed to convince herself that she had made the right decision. Coming back home had brought on the full weight of a little friend called 'doubt', suddenly her perfect decision didn't seem so perfect, and the thought of repercussions got her nervous.

He continued, at this point he didn't care if she replied or not, he was determined to make her feel as guilty as he felt cheated and deprived, "how much does it cost to make one phone call in Kansas or even send a text? How hard was it to tell me you were pregnant or that you had put to bed or that he had taken his first steps, spoken his first words, you should've fucking called on his first day of school, how hard was that Rhea?" he asked, his voice just a notch higher, but not loud enough to awaken Jonas.

"I didn't mean to not tell you" she finally spoke.

"What did you mean? Cos it looks to me like you could've gone on until he was twenty-one before you even introduced us. Now I have my son looking at me like I'm some kind of criminal..." he trailed off and shook his head as he stood akimbo.

Rhea waited for whatever else he had to say, in her head she was thankful he wasn't screaming at her- then again, that could just be because he didn't want to interrupt Jonas' sleep, not because he was considering her even slightly.

"Is that his name? Jonas?" 

She surely didn't expect that question, which caused her to look up into his face. She noted how ruggedly handsome he looked tonight, with his hair a bit shaggy like he had taken off his Stetson in a hurry. She was suddenly more aware of little facts like she had no underwear on and he could probably see her nipples poking through the fabric of her shirt, then there was that really annoying throbbing....

"Yes."

He nodded, "Does he like comic books?"

Another unexpected question. Who was she to complain? This was going much better than she had imagined.

"Just Star Wars and Batman."

Mitch laughed. It was the first genuine laugh she had ever heard from him, not one of those cocky things he did, and it sounded good; it was deep and rich.

"Oh, so he's a nerd." Mitch commented. He thought how hilarious it would be for a total jock like him to father a nerd, or even a dork.

She smiled, "He's not a nerd, he just likes science and technology."

Mitch nodded, he didn't quite agree with her as far as Jonas being a nerd went, he might not be fully into it, but there were traits. He personally had nothing against intelligence, but he was a believer of equality too, there was no reason why Jonas couldn't be a little of a nerd and a jock- he definitely would make a very handsome nerd even if he said so himself.

"Jonas." He repeated to his own hearing, Rhea might have made a ton of bad decisions concerning their son, but he did like the name Jonas- he couldn't help but wonder if she was inspired by the boy band, but that was a question for another night.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said and then turned to leave

It took a while for Rhea to register his words because she had been too caught up in wondering why he was leaving so peacefully, but when it registered, she corrected him, "Not tomorrow Mitch, we're going out."

Mitchell stopped, going out? How long had they been here and they were already going out? He thought it didn't mean much, probably just a get-together with Lynn and her family, her daughter was close to Jonas' age.

"Say hi to Lynn for me then."

"It's not with Lynn." She didn't even know why she was telling him.

When he turned around, his eyes rid of the happy gleam they had had only minutes ago, she truly wished she had just let him go home believing they were going out with Lynn.

"Who's it with then?" the warning bells were already going off in his head, he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but with Rhea he couldn't help but think there was a man involved. He knew it really shouldn't be his problem, it's not like he and Rhea were dating or anything, but he chose to make everything concerning her his problem, she was the mother of his child and anything that involved her surely involved Jonas.

She shook her head, "No one you know." She thought that should be enough to drop the subject- how wrong she was.

"Tell me then." He insisted as he stepped away from the door, his own way of telling her his interest had been piqued. Her hesitance to tell him who she had plans with confirmed his suspicion that the person in question was male, just the thought that she would be going on what could possibly be a date with some horny dude irked him to no end, did she not understand that she had 'Property of Montgomery' stamped on her?

"Mitchell..."

"Cancel it."

She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. Well he must have if he thought she would just cancel on Jared because he had a problem with it, the sooner he learned she didn't belong to him, the better they would get along, Jonas or not.

"Who do you...?"

"Cancel it!" he said firmly, with a glare that threatened her of grave consequences if she dared to defy him, "And that's not up for discussion." He replied with finality. He walked out and banged the door shut before she could come up with a reply.

Rhea stared at the door for a few extra minutes, totally speechless as she wondered what had just happened. It was only when she heard the revving of the engine and the sound of the car driving off that she was knocked out of her trance.

She rushed to the door, locked up and huffed her way to her bedroom. She wasn't missing out on a good time for nobody, especially not that egotistic, tyrannical jerk.

            *****

He knew he shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong on many levels, he had never even thought of doing something this crazy.

He was the dude everyone liked, he didn't need to be doing this kind of shit, this was for psychopathic losers, he was anything but a psychopathic loser. Stalking had never been something he considered doing, yet here he was doing just that. He tried to convince himself that what he was doing was right. That he was trying to protect Rhea and his son just in case she was going on a date with some insane dude.

All he ended up convincing himself about was that he was the crazy dude Rhea and Jonas needed protection from.

He hadn't been able to get a view of the 'date' in question because he had only gotten to her house when they were getting into the SUV, and he hadn't been close enough to see much anyway. 

They had been driving for twenty minutes when he finally realized where they were headed, there was an amusement park somewhere around here. He hadn't been there in two years, and after seeing his ex-fiancée giving the dude that manned the candy shop head in the restroom there, it wasn't a place he was eager to see again- well, he didn't have a choice did he? He definitely wasn't turning around.

They finally got to the park, he made sure he didn't park close enough to be seen, but he wasn't so far away he wouldn't get a clear look at them. 

He watched Jonas jump out of the car ecstatically, a baseball cap on his head, and couldn't help the pang of jealousy that overwhelmed him. He should be the one taking his son to an amusement park, not some random dude Rhea thought would make a good fuck- not great, just good.

Seeing that smile light up Jonas' face brought a lean smile to his features and made him resolve to do something, anything to bring a smile that bright if not brighter to his son's face, the frown he currently got would just not do.

It made him even more eager to see who this man was, he doubted the kid would be grinning that wide because a stranger was taking him to the amusement park, he had to have known the man beyond today.

Rhea got out next and took Jonas' hand, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. She was...STUNNING. He wasn't even aware of the small growl he let out when he realized Rhea was dressed so sexily for some other dude. He had never seen her look this feminine, there was nothing overtly sexual about her outfit; it was a light blue sundress; the bodice hugged her generous breasts exposing just a little, teasing bit of cleavage, it was cinched at the waist, accentuating the smallness of her waist, the skirt was flared and about three to four inches above her knees showing off those long, beautiful legs he always had wrapped around his waist in his many dreams and fantasies. 

Her hair fell to her shoulders in soft ringlets that framed her pretty face, her make-up was light and she had on a pair of sunshades. It wasn't an odd outfit considering the occasion and the time, she could have been wearing an old maid's outfit and he would still feel the demented urge to strangle whichever bastard had HIS woman and HIS child.

As the door to the driver's side opened, he grabbed on to his steering wheel, determined to resist the urge to run over and punch this guy square in his jaw. He wouldn't make a scene here, nothing was worth another 'X' in Jonas' bad book.

He saw the first jean-clad booted foot, a full body followed, but there was no face yet, just a full head of brown hair- the guy was quite tall too, he didn't think he was as tall as he was, but he seemed to be close.

He waited a few more seconds, and then the face came into full view. If he had gripped the steering wheel any tighter, he knew he would have ripped off its leather, but he just couldn't come to terms with what he was seeing. Even with the sunglasses on he would recognize that face from anywhere.

At first he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, so he rubbed his eyes, on opening it, it was still the same person, but how...where...when?

And then the entire conversation came to him, and he highlighted the important words he should've thought harder about after Rhea told him she would be going out today..

Ex-employee...came over to find her place...first date...

Green eyes turned jade, oh hell the fuck no he didn't!

His initial decision to not create a scene long forgotten, Mitch found himself flinging the car door open, getting out, closing it with a loud slam and moving towards the excited party of three with a determination he hadn't felt in years.

He was just a few meters away when Jared turned toward him and gave a genuine smile. He was momentarily disconcerted, not because he didn't expect the smile, after all Jared was probably unaware of the history he and Rhea shared, or the present they were sharing...or the future they would share. Was it really a smart decision to present a sword to your opponent when he had a flower?

For the first time in three days, Mitch decided that anger and violence were probably not the smart pieces to move in this situation.

His anger briefly placed in the backburner, he returned Jared's smile, "Hey 'red, didn't know you would be here." He began once he got to where they stood, he shook Jared.

"Neither did I, what are you here for?" Jared asked, he wasn't exactly thrilled that Mitch would meet Rhea now, but there really was nothing he could do about the situation.

Mitch smiled, "Oh just here to relax and have some fun." He sighed as he glanced around the vicinity, his eyes briefly falling on Rhea and Jonas, he winked at them inconspicuously.

Rhea just stood there staring; she was totally mortified. What the hell was he doing here? Anger didn't even come because she was confused as to how Mitch knew they were here, or how he even knew Jared, how the hell did she end up going out with someone Mitch was apparently friends with? The guy stayed in Kansas for heaven's sake! How did Mitch get to be friends with him? She had a bad feeling the day wouldn't be as good as she had anticipated it after all.

"Oh, hey Rhea." Mitch said like he was just aware of her presence, with a cheery smile that creeped her out.

Jared looked from Rhea to Mitch and back, "You two know each other?" he asked.

'Know each other? We've got a child together!' Mitch thought, "Just old friends, her house isn't far from mine." He replied.

Mitch noted how uncomfortable everyone suddenly looked- well, everyone but Jonas, the kid still seemed suspicious of him. He couldn't help his grin- it was going to be one helluva day if he had anything to say about it.



Confrontation Ch. 04



*sorry for the long wait guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter. As usual, comments and votes are always appreciated* LS




Rhea sat uncomfortably between Mitch and Jared. So far the day wasn't going as badly as she had anticipated- most of the thanks went to Jared's cool-headedness. Mitch on the other hand had been nothing short of an ass- at least in her view. She couldn't say if Jared had noticed, she guessed he did but was being mature about the entire situation.

Well, it was he who let Mitch tag along with them so it's not like he had a choice in the matter, he just had to take it all in.

Luckily, Rhea didn't have to take his bullshit and she planned on giving him more than a piece of her mind once they were alone.

She could literally feel the anger seeping out of Mitchell as Jared played with Jonas who was sitting on his lap. She almost smiled at the thought. Mitchell had been trying to out-do Jared in all of the games- and winning, in an effort to gain Jonas' effort, he did get a few smiles after handing large teddy bears and a piggy bank to him, but the privilege of holding Jonas remained with Jared.

"Mama, can I go on the carousel again?" Jonas asked breaking Rhea out of her reverie.

She stared at him in disbelief, he had gone on that ride thrice already, and three others at least twice, any more rides and he was sure to vomit all of the ice-cream, marshmallows and cotton candy Jared and Mitch had stuffed him with, "No, you can't. You've gone on too many"

"Please mama?" He begged with puppy dog eyes and pouted lips. If only he knew how funny he looked when he made that face

"Jonas, I said no."

"Let the kid have another ride Rhea, one more won't hurt." Mitch spoke up.

Rhea turned to him, ready to lash out at him for trying to undermine her authority, but he shot her a warning look, she needed no interpreter to understand him. He had as much rights to Jonas' upbringing. She bit her tongue, "Fine." She huffed.

Jonas squealed in excitement, "Thanks Mitch." He said directing a grin Mitch's way.

Mitch returned his smile, "You're welcome kiddo." He replied feeling a strange warmth and slight regret. As much as Jonas' smile made him happy, there was still that feeling of loss when he referred to him by his name and not 'papa' or 'daddy' or even 'pops', if he could make him call him that he knew it would bring him joy to no end. But these things took time and patience was a virtue he was willing to cultivate this time.

Jonas' next words crushed him just a little.

"Jared can you come with me?" 

For a minute, Mitch had expected the honors, the entire day had been all about Jared, 'Jared I want a teddy' 'Jared I want ice-cream' 'Jared I wanna use the loo' 'Jared, Jared, Jared'. He understood it was only because Jonas was much more familiar with him, but that didn't stop the hurt.

"Of course soldier." Jared replied as he sat Jonas on his feet and stood taking his hand, he felt uncomfortable leaving Rhea with Mitch knowing his pedigree, but he wasn't about to deny Jonas his fun because of his selfish interests, after all this trip was all about him, he couldn't make any moves on Rhea in an amusement park, they weren't teenagers,

"We'll be right back" Jared announced.

"We'll be waiting." Rhea replied grateful that her one-on-one with Mitch would be happening earlier than planned.

"Take your time." Mitch muttered.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Rhea barked once Jared and Jonas were out of ear-shot.

A silly smirk Rhea wanted to smack off was plastered on Mitch's face, "Why Rhea, have I done any wrong by wanting to spend some time with my son and his mother?" He asked cheerily

"Cut the crap Montgomery!" She snapped, "Why are you following me?"

He quirked a dark brow, "Following you? Don't flatter yourself Rhea."

"So I tell you I and Jonas are going out and you just co-incidentally find yourself in the exact place?"

"And that's so hard to believe because...?" He asked as he clasped both hands and placed them on the table, his emerald gaze on her.

"An amusement park?" She scoffed, battling the uneasiness he stirred within her, "I never pegged you as one who visits amusement parks."

"Well I never pegged you as paranoid, but it seems like we learn new things about each other daily." He replied, effectively shutting her up, "So, Jonas huh? 'Jonas', 'Jared', 'Jonas', I'm starting to think your inspiration didn't come from the boyband after all" he was starting to really loathe the name too.

"What are you implying?" She asked, her eyes forming angry slits at his insinuation.

"Oh nothing, I'm just sayin'....so what's Jared? His daddy or your fuck buddy?" Or does he do a little of both?"

If they weren't in a public place- or more specifically, a public place with a lot of kids present, Rhea would have smacked a tooth out Mitch's mouth. He had some guts speaking to her with such disrespect, she oughtta punch his eyeballs straight into his skull. Instead, she glared at him and came up with a reply she hoped would pack as much sting, "Jonas has known Jared for four years, so it's okay if he played 'daddy' to him since his real daddy is nothing but a shameless manwhore, and if Jared fucked me, at least he would ask nicely and have the courtesy to take me in his bed like a lady." She replied and smiled at the scowl he sported.

Mitch had to admit, her words hurt just a little, especially the part about Jonas calling Jared 'daddy', that was HIS right, he gave a sly smile and leaned closer till he was so close their lips barely touched, he noticed her breathing become just a bit ragged, she tried to seem unaffected to his closeness, but he knew he was having the desired effect, "Sweetheart, we both know how you like it, and there ain't nothing 'nice' about that." He said huskily, he took in the sight of her slightly parted lips that were just begging to be kissed, he'd only have to lean in just a bit closer and he'd feel them against his; her soft, beautiful, full lips that could suck his...he banished the thought before it could take root and cause more than a little scene in a kiddies zone. As much as it killed him to, he drew away from her and almost grinned at the look of disappointment on her face, yep, some things had to be sacrificed for a greater good.

It took Rhea a good two minutes to regain herself, and once she finally realised it had all been just a silly trick, she frowned, the slimy bastard! That smack really sounded like a good idea, she thought. She grit her teeth in annoyance, but before she could raise her hand to give him that hard smack it was itching to give him, she noticed his smug expression change to one of concern, he wasn't looking at her anymore, but past her.

Mitch stood up with lightning speed and walked past their table before she could realise what was going on, she turned around and followed suit when she saw Jared approching with Jonas who looked quite dull. She groaned as she realised what must have happened- exactly what she had been trying to prevent.

Still she asked once she approached him, "What happened?" 

"He threw up." Jared replied.

Rhea sighed as she shot Mitchell an 'I told you so' look, he smartly avoided it, "I think it's time we left." She said as she reached for Jonas, he flinched, causing her frown to deepen, "What's wrong now?" She asked, her voice doing little or nothing to mask her irritation.

"I don't want you." Jonas replied softly, he was apparently terrified of the repercussions that were sure to arise for his actions.

"Why?"

He didn't reply her, rather he looked toward Mitchell, apparently seeking support from the older man. 

Rhea followed his gaze, "What? You want him now?" She asked, her anger visibly multiplying.

Jonas nodded his head meekly, much to the surprise of Rhea, but Mitch was even more surprised and delighted, he did NOT see that coming, but not one to look a gift horse in the eye and do nothing about it, he didn't hesitate to step forward and reach for the kid who happily stretched out his arms. Mitchell held onto him like he was his lifesupport, the happiness he experienced as strange to him as it was fulfilling. He placed a chaste peck atop his head of thick, curly hair as Jonas nuzzeled his head against Mitch's neck.

Jared watched all of this feeling just a little out of place, there was some sort of bond between these three people and he was like that 'other' dude. He knew it was nothing he should dwell on, but he just couldn't stop that feeling.

Rhea smiled apologetically at Jared, "I think Mitch will take me home Jared. Thanks for all of this, it's the nicest thing anyone has done for us." She said in all sincerity, she sealed that by stepping closer and placing a peck against his cheek that was far from chaste.

Mitch felt a slight tug against his heart seeing Rhea show such affection towards another man. He couldn't understand why, the truth was he and Rhea really had nothing between them save for Jonas and an undeniably scorching sexual chemistry, that wasn't enough to feel possessive toward her- or was it?

Jared smiled, the peck had brightened up his day, it was the first affectionate action she had bestowed upon him and it got him wishing for more, "I'm glad you liked it."

"Thanks Jared." Jonas' weak voice spoke up.

"You're welcome J." Jared replied as he ruffeled Jonas's hair, "get well soon so we can come here again."

Rhea made a face signifying 'soon' would be a very very long time, "See you later Jared."

"I'll come by to check on him tomorrow."

Rhea smiled her appreciation, "We'll be expecting you." She replied. Genuinely grateful to Jared, the man was too nice.

He nodded.

"See you later man" Mitch said as he shook Jared and masked his disapproval of his visit, but he would definitely make sure he was present for that even if he'd have to spend all of tomorrow in Rhea's house.

"Yeah, you too." With that, the trio walked away toward the exit as Jared watched them leave, that nagging feeling of being a spare in their perfect union clouding his thoughts. He shook it off, he knew he was missing something there, but it was better to ignore it and dwell on the positives- like that peck. He was optimistic he'd soon have Rhea and Jonas as family.

    *****

Rhea placed the back of her hand against Jonas' forehead to check his temperature, this would be the third time she was performing that action-since they got into the house. She was relieved to find it was still normal, the last thing she wanted was to have to run around looking for medication for him, she had already made her busget and health expenses had the least place in it.

She was running out of money faster than she had anticipated, at this rate she worried what she had left would not last as long as she needed to get a job, sure if she asked Ron, he could always provide a position for her, but going by the current economic situation, that position must have previously been occupied by some unfortunate soul who wasn't given the choice to stay and she wouldn't be the cause of someone else's misfortune. She knew she could talk to her father also, Leon Myers was a generous man and his first child would not be an exception, but she had told him four years ago in very clear terms that she didn't need his help, she wanted to be solely responsible for herself and her son, she could bet he was still waiting on her to call back and retract that statement, but her pride would never let her do that- that wasn't the only thing her pride wouldn't let her do.

She placed a light peck against his cheek and stood up to return to her living room, with a deep sigh and a little prayer to the man upstairs- because she would need divine intervention when communicating with the man in her living room, she made her way to him. She knew he was still there because she had neither heard the sound of her door closing or his car driving off, did he really expect her to voice it out before he knew he ought to leave?

She walked in to find him stretched out on the couch, he looked so comfortable and downright sexy with his arm stretched against the headrest, his dark, wavy hair that seemed like it hadn't been even slightly ruffled by the wind creating the edgy look to suit his perfectly tanned skin and emerald eyes, yep, she loved the length of his hair right now , she could just imagine running her fingers through it while he ate her...she shook the thought off as she trembled from what she hoped was disgust rather than desire.

Steeling her nerves, she marched up to him, "I thought you left" she began coldly. He raised his head up and she almost lost her resolve when he settled those gorgeous eyes on her, the way it blazed a trail over her figure made her warm so that she had to continually repeat to herself that she hated this man, after all if you keep telling yourself something, some day you'll believe it to be the truth- right?

"Why so?" He asked casually like he actually belonged where he was.

She raised her brows at him, "Don't you have a house to be at?"

"I do." He admitted in a 'so what' fashion.

"So?"

"So?"

"Go there." She almost screamed at him in frustration.

"Now what kind of father would I be if I just fox trotted to my house when I have a son who's not feeling so well some place else?"

She stared at him incredulously, he couldn't be saying what she thought he was, "Are you saying...?"

"Yes, I believe that translates to 'I'm spending the rest of the day AND night here.'"

"I...I don't have any room for you to sleep in"

"This couch is just fine, thank you." He replied with a smug smile as he patted the couch.

Rhea suddenly regretted not selling off the couch when she had the chance to, classic case of sentimentally-based decisions biting one in the ass. She frowned and folded her arms, "I don't have any food for you." She hoped that would chase him away, but had a feeling it wouldn't. As he rose from the couch, she was almost glad it worked- or she thought it did, until she realised he wasn't standing up to leave, instead, he came to stand directly in front of her, she took a step back to keep her distance and protect herself from his hypnotising aura, he smiled and stepped forward, closing whatever space she had created between them. His eyes taunted her, his smile dared her to step away again, she stood her ground and looked up at him defiantly, unwilling to be the pawn in his little mind game.

He placed his finger under her chin, smiling at her reaction despite her feeble attempt to seem unaffected by his touch, " Sweetheart, trust me when I say, when I do get hungry, food will be the last thing on my mind." His eyes perused her face, and then the rest of her, just so she understood his meaning, by the time they returned to her face, it was evident she did.

Rhea swallowed the lump in her throat, how just one look from this man could set off all the alarms in her body was beyond her and she was far from pleased by it, "You should leave before I call the authorities." She threatened, grateful her voice hadn't betrayed her current thoughts, they did involve handcuffs, but not on him and not belonging to law enforcement.

His smile generated to a deep, masculine laugh, "You want to call the authorities on me? Oh please do, then when I get out, I can formally file a suit against you for custody."

That got her attention, "What?"

"Yes, after keeping my son away from me for years, I have every right to seek full custody and don't even think for a second that I'd grant you visiting rights either."

Rhea could take anything, but no one used HER child to manipulate her, "Are you threatening me?" She asked, her voice giving off the brewing anger within her. 

He shrugged, "Depends, was your comment about calling the cops a threat?" He asked cockily.

Rhea wasn't fully aware when or how it happened, all she knew was her palm made a hard connection to Mitch's face some time after that comment. She turned to leave highly pleased with herself, but her movement was halted by a strong hand wrapping its self around her waist and pulling her so that her back was slammed against a hard surface she instantly knew was Mitch's chest, she felt the air leave her lungs at the impact, what the...the feel of his harsh breath tickling her ear brought her thoughts to a screeching halt, and caused tingles along her spine and in her lower region.

"You know, it's really not smart to hit men who weigh twice whatever you do. It could end badly for you." He whispered as his free hand traced the length of her slender arm, she snatched it away like he scalded her skin.

"Point taken. If you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed now." She replied, once again grateful for a steady voice.

"Why don't we share mine?" He suggested.

Quick as a flash, Rhea found herself lying on her back against the couch, before she could get up, his large body came on top of hers, effectively putting to an end whatever plabs she had of getting up or even moving.

"Get off me, you oaf!" She demanded as she punched his chest. She might as well have been talking to a brick wall and pushing one too because he neither replied her nor made any attempt to do as she requested. Instead, he grabbed her hands and raised them above her head, securing them with his, she began writhing beneath him in an effort to release herself in some way.

"You keep moving like that, and I just might have to rip your clothes off." He whispered in her ear, his breath a bit raspy. The things this woman could do to him though, even after all these years she could still make him hard in record time.

Rhea suddenly went still both from terror and arousal. The last thing she wanted was to have sex with Mitch on her couch- in her living room- where Jonas could just walk in and see his mother's legs shamelessly wrapped around the waist of his father, or 'that bully' like he referred to him while he pummeled her pussy for all he was worth. She unconsciously shivered from the picture that thought provoked. She was brought out of her imaginary world by the feel of Mitch's lips pressing against her collarbone, she gasped as she tried to stop him only to be reminded by the feel of his strong hands against her wrists that she wasn't exactly in the position to do that.

"You smell so good." He breathed against her heated skin. She smelled like cherry and he swore she tasted like it too, his kiss moved a little lower to her exposed chest, he could hear and feel the erratic beating of her heart, his was probably beating just as fast as he thought of bedding her once again. It had been so long, just the thought of sinking his cock into her wonderful sheath was like the possibility of finally getting a drink of water after spending weeks in the desert.

"Mitch please, you need to stop." Those were the words that left Rhea's mouth, but she was cheering him on in her head, her body coming to life with every kiss he placed upon her skin. How she could loathe and lust after this man all at the same time was something she would never understand. She wanted him, with every fiber of her being she craved for him and her body needed him, but her head and her heart were at war. Her head told her he was bad for her, but her heart urged her to give him a chance- her heart was NOT on her side.

He smiled against her skin as he kissed it, "Your lips say stop..." He began as his hand slid up and down her rib-cage, stopping just above her waist and below her bust, "...but the rest of you..." His travelling hand finally enveloped her full breast, eliciting a gasp from her, her nipples peaked visibly through the fabric of her bra and dress, "...says otherwise." He finished as he bent his head and took a stiff nipple between his teeth, his eyes never leaving hers.

Rhea stifled a moan as her back arched off the couch and she fought against her restraint, though she was unsure what she would do if her hands were freed- smack him or thread her fingers through his silky hair. She closed her eyes, unable to meet the look of raw passion his emitted, she was tempted to think he wasn't just teasing her or trying to make a point with her, that there was even if nothing else, some form of sincerity in his feelings- but that would make her foolish, there was no power on earth that could change Mitchell Montgomery from the selfish womanizer he was and had always been.




Confrontation Ch. 04



He released her nipple and came up so that his eyes were levelled with hers as she opened them up to reveal those grey orbs that had haunted his dreams and fantasies for years. Minutes passed and they just stared into each other's eyes, both trying to understand the message hidden within their souls. His free hand cupped her cheek and his thumb brushed her full bottom lip affectionately- a bit too affectionately for his own ease. Was he having feelings for her? Or had he had those feelings all along and her absence finally revealed that to him?

He watched her lips part ever so slightly like she was inviting him to have a taste, without dwelling on why this was, he took his chances and pressed his lips against hers softly. He felt her hesitancy, but rather than force her like he was won't to do, he coaxed her unto accepting his kiss with gentles bites and licks. Once he was granted the access he sought, his tongue plunged into her mouth, a loud groan rumbled within his chest as he again tasted what he had longed for. It was enough to make him loose his hold on her wrist just so he could slip his fingers into her hair.

There was nothing rushed about this kiss, nothing aggressive, nothing that told Rhea she was kissing the same man who had given her the best sex of her life five years ago. This was nothing like the crude kiss she had gotten that day, this was more....passionate, like he was putting more of himself and his emotions into it, it was so unlike Mitch to put his emotions into any woman, he just wasn't that easy.

She slipped her fingers into his hair- finally making a decision of her initial choices, and moaned at his expertise, whether crude or passionate, one thing was for sure, Mitchell could make any woman soak her panties with a kiss.

He finally ended their kiss, he looked into her eyes as both panted from lack of breath. A finger traced the contours of her face from her forehead, to her brows, the bridge of her nose, it's tip, before slipping over her full lips, "I missed you." He breathed.

Rhea blinked, unsure of what she had heard him say with such sincerity, he sounded like a man who was relieved to have a dear one close by. He sounded strange.

"I was going crazy, I drank, I...I stalked Lynn, I searched everywhere I thought you would be and I couldn't find you. You have no idea how crushed I was." He continued.

Now she was shocked, was he drunk? She licked her now dry lips and asked, "You? Or your ego?" She could hardly even hear herself.

He smiled, "Maybe a little of both, but when you came back with Jonas, I was definitely crushed. Why did you keep him away from me?" He asked, his expression turning serious.

She almost felt bad at the look of hurt that crossed his features, she honestly hadn't thought he'd care, he just came off as this selfish jerk who would rather not have a kid running around and ruining all his fun, she hadn't thought for a second that he would want Jonas, and she told him so, "I didn't think you'd want him."

He scoffed, "Well you didn't give me the choice, did you?"

She shrugged, "I just...I didn't want to force you out of your little playground and I didn't want to have to explain to Jonas sometime in future why his daddy didn't like him." She admitted she had made some selfish decisions concerning Jonas, but most of it had been to protect him psychologically, with Mitch's behavior then, she thought he would have ignored Jonas most of his childhood or at least paid him little attention, but not enough to make him feel loved.

If nothing else, her revelation was the most hurtful thing he had ever heard, he knew most people thought of him as self-centered, but to think he'd treat his own blood with disdain simply because of circumstances he didn't cause? For the first time in his entire life, he lost his desire to sleep with a woman, ironically becuase of the same woman who awakened said desires in a matter of seconds.

Slowly, he got off her and sat up at the extreme end of the couch. He let out a laugh filled with pain, "You know, I almost reported you missing at some point, three months after you disappeared on me, I drove to the station one day, I was going to file a missing person's report, one of those really dumb ideas you come up with after having one too many bottles of scotch. And then I got there, and I thought to myself, 'who the fuck am I to report you missing?' I wasn't a relative, an employer, a lover or even a friend, just a one-time fuck, what if you just wanted to get away? What if you wanted to get away from me?" He laughed again and shook his head, but there was really nothing funny about his confession.

Rhea was now sitting up as she watched an array of emotions flit across his face, from pain, to hurt and amusement. She failed to speak at his pause, waiting for the end of his little confession. It would be easy to laugh at how much she actually believed him if she was watching herself from the outside. Mitchell montgomery? Caring so mucj as to report a woman he had had an impulsive fuck session with missing? Laughable, but as she now thought, believable too.

"If I had known there was even the possibility that you were carrying my child, if I had thought for one second that you were pregnant, I would have combed every corner of this entire country searching for you Rhea. I know I'm a selfish jerk, but you could have at least had just a little more faith in me." He finished, finally truning to stare straight at her.

Rhea's throat was dry, her heart felt like the life was being squeezed out of it. If she had known he'd be this hurt, maybe...no, it never occurred to her that he would care this much, then again, apart from what Lynn had told her and his reputation in the county, had she really known Mitch? Had she ever thought of hima s one who gave a flying fuck about anyone other than himself? No, she had based her entire judgment on hearseys and conceptions, never on facts, and the way he had taken her that day hadn't exactly made him look any better. But the man she saw now was not the Mitch she knew, no, she didn't know this Mitch.

"I'm sorry." She finally spoke softly. She honestly had no idea what to say after his gut-wrenching speech.

He wished that could take back all the years he had lost with Jonas, but they were gone, no amount of apologies from either of them would bring them back, "Don't see him anymore."

She furrowed her brows in confusion, unsure of what exactly that comment had to do with the current conversation, "Excuse me?"

"Jared. Don't see him anymore, don't lead him on."  

"What? Why?"

"Because he has feelings for you."

Rhea gave him a look of surprise, she wasn't aware of that, still she didn't reply the way she knew he expected her to, "and why is that so wrong?"

He looked a bit caught off guard by that question, "You don't feel that way about him." He replied matter-of-factly.

Rhea shifted uneasily at the precision of that statement and the confidence with which they were spoken, "How sure are you of this?"

Now he was shocked, she was goading him, of course, why else would she lie so blatantly? He refused to be baited, "I'll go check on Jonas." He replied, putting an end to their converstaion. He got off the couch and made his way to Jonas' room, only to stop at the threshold, "And how sure I am? If I had been Jared, and I had taken you and Jonas to that park, I wouldn't have gotten that little Sesame-street peck you gave him, I would have had you moaning and pleading as I buried myself as deep inside you as I could get." His lips formed a cocky smirk as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Glad he had made his point, he continued on his way.

He was sound asleep when he stepped in and Mitch was grateful for that because it allowed him the opportunity to study him closely. He watched him for minutes! Marvelling at how absolitely adorable he was- when his eyes weren't staring daggers at him. He never thought he'd be able to a part of the creation of something so perfect, he reminded him so much of himself both in looks and character, there was no doubt in his mind that Jonas was a full-blooded Montgomery.

He moved closer and sat on the bed, the small bed protested against his weight but it soon adjusted to it. His fingers danced lightly against Jonas' face like it had Rhea's earlier, the touch caused Jonas to stir and Mitch withdrew his hand quickly until he settled. He muttered something about blueberry pancakes which made Mitchell smile, yep, he was the cutest little thing, and to think he had almost missed out on his childhood....no, he wouldn't dwell on the past, rather, he was going to make the present and the future as perfect as he could.

He bent his head to place a light peck on Jonas' forehead, "Don't worry son, from now on, daddy'll make sure you never leave his side." He spoke softly and with a sincerity he never thought possible coming from him, but he was determined to keep his promise, he would never let Jonas go- nor his mother.



Confrontation Ch. 05



Rhea woke up to find two surprising things; she was alone in her bed and someone was in her kitchen preparing...pancakes. She sat up slowly, she had half-expected Mitch to come in here sometime in the middle of the night and sneak into her bed, now she wasn't sure if she was glad or disappointed that he had proved her wrong.

She rubbed her arms to relieve them of numbness and inhaled deeply, blueberry pancakes, mmh, she could really use some of that right now. Her eyes suddenly grew wide as she realised the only person that could be in that kitchen was Mitch, and she had specifically told him she would NOT be feeding him.

She flew out of bed in a fit, prepared to give him more than a piece of her mind. He had some nerve defying her orders in her own house. She got to the kitchen and halted in her steps at the sight she met. Mitch was frying some bacon, two piles of pancakes stacked onto two plates on the counter as he told Jonas a story about dragons. They made such an adorable, perfect sight; Jonas listening in awe as he shoved blueberry pancakes into his mouth and drank some milk without completely chewing the pancake in his mouth.

As she studied the scene, she realised there were more pancakes than she had ingredients for, and then there were other items she knew weren't in her kitchen previously, like the large bottle of orange juice, the pack of crackers, the bowl of ice-cream and the box of chocolates on the dining table. She rarely bought any chocolates and ice-cream to prevent Jonas from getting a sweet tooth too early in life- plus, she didn't want to spend any money on dentists anytime soon.

Mitch had bought all of this? She smiled at his caring attitude, appreciating this new side of him. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she had thought after all. She coughed to alert them of her presence just when Mitch was about to end his story. Identical pair of emerald eyes turned to her in unison, both looking slightly miffed that she had interrupted the story just when it was getting good. She almost laughed at the sight they made, particularly Jonas, whose right cheek was puffed due to the food he had in his mouth, if she had a camera with her right now, she was sure to take an award-winning photograph.

"Good Morning." She began to break the ice, "I see I'm not missed." She added.

"Morning mama." Jonas replied after swallowing the chunk of pancake that had been in his mouth when she interrupted.

"Good Morning Rhea. Joining us for breakfast?" Mitch asked cheerily, but Rhea knew it was an intentional jab. Of course, she had denied him her food, so he just went and got some for himself, and now he was throwing that fact in her face...she should have banned him from using her cooking gas too.

"Where did all of this come from?" She asked, totally ignoring his question despite how much her mouth watered to get the taste of his cooking, it definitely had an inviting aroma.

He shrugged, "The grocery store, where else? Jonas woke up a bit early and wanted some blueberry pancakes, so we drove down to the grocery store and got some items for breakfast." He summarized like it was a daily routine with them. He was blending into the whole 'father' role a bit too quickly, but he loved every bit of it, if he had been told being a dad would be this awesome he wouls have been one a long time ago; having a little boy look up to you like you were some sort of demi-god and speak to you with such awe...Jonas didn't know he was his dad yet, but it felt the same to him anyway.

"Mitch makes the best blueberry pancakes ever! Mama." Jonas gushed.

Rhea raised her brows, "Does he now?" She asked, just a bit offended that Jonas would rate Mitch higher than her.

Jonas, recognising that as the 'oh-no-you-didn't' look, re-phrased his sentence, "I mean for a man"

Mitch smiled at what had just gone on and shook his head as he turned off the gas, "Rhea! Intimidating a child, I'm highly disappointed." He scolded, but his expression was far from stern.

Rhea rolled her eyes just as Mitch turned around fully to set the plate of bacon and a large jug of orange juice on the table. She had to admit, she had never thought a man could look so yummy in an apron and a wife-beater, his broad chest stretching the fabric and his toned arms showing off perfect biceps, she unconsciously licked her lips wishing those arms were currently around her, and those eyes were looking at her with lust rather than...concern? She snapped out of her day-dream long enough to hear him ask if she was okay, though by the smug smile on his face as he asked that question she knew he could tell what had her in a trance.

She frowned, "Lemme go freshen up a little. Will join you guys soon." She replied as she turned around and made her way back into her room. And by 'freshen up' she meant go into the bathroom to finish her day-dreaming and maybe curse out Mitchell Montgomery for arousing these feelings in her, and that would take longer than 'soon'.

 *****

Mitch drove to Amy's elementary school in high spirits. Rhea insisted they enroll Jonas in the same school Amy was, and he had no qualms with that. He hummed his way there, he couldn't remember the last time, if ever, he had had a day this good. Everything felt so right, this morning with Rhea and Jonas had been awesome, in fact it scared him a little just how perfect they seemed; everyone at the table, talking and laughing about random things, even the receptiveness of Jonas toward him barely a week after he had been hostile was heart-warming. He was feeling the whole 'family' vibe a bit too quickly, he knew very well he would need Rhea's co-operation to make them a real 'family' like he wanted and there was only so much he could achieve through threats.

If they were going to be together, he would prefer if both parties were willing participants, Lord knows he was willing to try whatever with her, but he really couldn't say where she stood as of now. Sometimes, he felt like they were on the same page, but just when he relaxed into the mood, she would zone out totally and become this stand-offish, aggressive shrew. It was like she enjoyed pulling his strings and playing him like he was some musical instrument- and she was the only woman who could do that to him.

Her current tune was Jared. He was aware she liked him, not romantically though, but it could be if Jared pushed just a little harder. Whatever he had with her right now was unstable, he was just a one-time thing, the only connection they shared was Jonas and a mind-blowing sexual connection, that was it. With Jared, she had more than that, she had a friend, and that would always beat some dude she fucked once. It scared him. He didn't want to lose her- he didn't want to lose them to Jared.

He parked his truck in the school's parking lot and stepped out, remembering all the times he had passed by this school and scoffed at all the mushiness that went on between parents and the kids they dropped off, he almost laughed at himself. Now it would only be a matter of days before he'd join that crew, how funny life was.

He made his way to the school building, once inside, he encountered a man he assumed to be the janitor- he was wearing a yellow over-all, and once up close, he read the nametag 'Jimmy', well, he wasn't the headteacher. The man looked him up and down, Mitch knew for a man as lanky as Jimmy was, he probably looked threatening, he was four inches taller and packed a lot more meat and muscle than the fella did. He recognised him as one of those who frequented Shawnie's bar- he was one of the loud talkatives he tried to avoid, they let this train-wreck around people's children? He hoped he was sober during working hours at least.

"Whaddaya want?" He asked in his really annoying, croaky voice, reminding Mitch of why exactly he hated listening to his tales.

"Is the headteacher in?"

Jimmy looked Mitch up and down, sizing him up, he knew the infamous Mitchell Montgomery, everyone in this county and beyond did, if not for his famiy's money, you'd definitely know him for his good looks and womanizing ways, he was just one of those people you couldn't afford to ignore, "Who wants to know?"

Mitchell frowned, "The person who's asking dumbbell."

Jimmy snickered, not the least bit offended by the accompanying insult- he had been called worse, "Why? Ya got a kid ya wanna enroll?"

"And if I do?" Mitchell spat, increasingly getting irritated by the drunk.

Jimmy laughed loudly, "Wow, you? A kid? I see all 'em fuckin' around finally got you a bastard." The words had barely left his lips when Mitch's fist connected with his jaw, the impact sent him crashing to the ground.

Mitchell stooped to the ground and grabbed him by his collar before he could scurry away, Jimmy had lost all of his previous bravado, and in place was terror. It was good he was terrified, Mitchell thought, he dragged him closer, "First off, bitch! My kid ain't no bastard, he's got a father. ME. Secondly, you better point me to the head teacher's office before I break your damn jaw." He growled.

A trembling Jimmy pointed to a door down the hall. Mitch gave him a tight smile and patted his cheek before standing straight up and making his way to the door, but just before he got in, Jimmy gave him some parting words, "I bet he don't even know you're his daddy." 

Mitchell gripped the door handle tightly, he was tempted to turn around and beat that fool till every cop in all the precints of Texas got him off him, but he reigned in his emotions, he didn't want to get too famous before the first P.T.A meeting. Another part of him was angry due to the truth beneath those words, as much as he hated to admit it, technically, Jonas' inability to confidently say he was his father, made him somewhat of a bastard, it was no fault of his, but he was going to correct that in due time.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he knocked once, twice, before a female voice asked him in. 

He stepped into the office and froze at the sight before him. Hannah was the school's headteacher? Why the hell did rash decisions have to bite him in the ass? He had met Hannah roughly two years ago, a month after his break-up with Noreen, he had made a drunken decision and taken her home after a night of drinking at Shawnie's, they had sex- nothing mind-blowing on his part, but he couldn't say same for her especially as she bugged him for months after that day. When he tired of her constant stalking, he made it crystal clear that whatever happened between them was a mistake that would never repeat it's self. He hadn't expected to meet her again, and definitely not as the head mistress of an elementary school. More importantly, what kind of people did they have around kids in this school? An alcoholic janitor, a slutty headmistress, who did they have as the school's counsellor? Flavor Flav?

A large grin was plastered on her pretty face once she saw him, her light blue eyes gleaming, "Why Mitchell, surprise, surprise, I never thought I'd see you in my office"

He cleared his throat, "Yeah, it's nice to see you again Hannah." He replied drily.

"Please, sit." She offered.

He eased into a nearby chair, his somewhat large body enveloping the entire area. They just sat there for minutes, she staring at him with a silly grin like a lovestruck teenager and he looking everywhere but at her as he tried to stop thinking how awkward this situation was, "listen Hannah, I..."

"There's no need to apologise Mitch, I understand."

He raised his brows, "Apologise? No, Hannah, I'm here to make an inquriy."

"What on?"

"On this school."

Her smile faded just a little, "You have a niece or a nephew you want to enroll here?" She asked, though as far as she and everyone in the town knew, Mitchell had no siblings, and whatever other relatives he had were either dead or on the other side of the country.

He shook his head, "No Hannah, I want to enroll my son."

The smile left her lips totally and the color drained from her face, "Your...your son? You're married?" She tried to sound calm and unaffected, but her shock and displeasure were evident in her voice.

"No, I'm not married...Amy Fletcher attends this school, right?" Mitch asked in an attempt to divert the conversation. Of course Amy went here, Rhea had made sure to call Lynn and ask before he came. He just didn't like the current conversation or where it was going.

Hannah nodded, she was a bit glad to hear Mitchell wasn't off the market yet, but she was far from relieved, the mother of his son could still pose a threat, "Yes, she began last year. So, is your son's mother in town?"

Mitch leaned forward, "I'm not here to discuss my son's mother, Miss Harlow, this is already awkward enough, I would appreciate some professionalism on your part." He replied.

For a while she stared at him. Perhaps trying to figure if he was joking, but his straight face said it all; this was no joke, an uneasy smile graced her features, "Mitchell..."

"Mr. Montgomery for now, please."

She raised her brows, what in the devil had gotten into him? He surely wasn't that easy going, carefree man she had met two years ago, no, he was different. She pursed her lips, both hurt and offended, "So, what would you like to know?" She asked tersely.

He smiled, despite her less-than civil tone, in his opinion, it was preferable compared to her previous one, "The school's curriculum would be a nice start." Came his curt reply.

 *****

"That's not a word!" Jonas protested, pointing at the word Rhea had formed on the scrabble board. They had found it inside her closet and had been playing for the past hour.

"Yes it is' Rhea replied.

"Is not!" Jonas shouted, "Take it back!" He continued.

"No, I won't"

"What kinda word is sta..staph..sta...I can't even pronounce it. You're cheating!"

"Staphylococci is a big word for big people, I don't expect little people like you to know it." Rhea smiled.

His green eyes glared at her, apparently feeling insulted, "Well, I'm not playing anymore, you can go play with your big people, I'll play with my little people like Amy."

"Amy's just two, she can't read yet."

"Well, she's little, isn't she?" He shot back.

Rhea laughed, something Jonas didn't like going by his expression, "It was you who wanted to play with the big guns." She reminded him. He had insisted she play with him and even bragged about knowing more words than she did, hell, he sounded just like a miniature version of Mitchell before his ass-whooping began...she stopped herself. No, her son was nothing like Mitch.

"Next time we'll play something I can, like a video game, board games are boring."

Rhea laughed and ruffeled his unruyly curls, "Whatever you say sweetie." She packed up the game of Scrabbles and returned it to the closet it was gotten from.

There was a soft knock at the door just when she returned to the living room. She went to it and opened up to see Jared grinning at her, in his hand was a bag of what she guessed was more toys for Jonas, if he and Mitch kept on with all of this, they would soon have enough to rival 'Toys R Us'. She smiled still, there was just something about Jared that always made her smile, "Jared, hey, how are you?" She asked. He spread his arms for a hug and she obliged him, stepping into his warm embrace, his heavenly cologne invading her nostrils, she never asked him what it was called, but it was strong and masculine; it fitted him.

Jared hugged her a bit tighter than he had planned loving the feel of her soft body pressed against the hard planes of his. He had had countless dreams last night that involved her body and his tangled between his sheets, naked and sweaty, just the thought of those dreams began to have an impact on his lower region, he quickly blocked those thoughts so as not to appear a pervert of some sorts to Rhea and Jonas.

"I'm fine, how is Jonas doing?" He asked once they had ended their embrace.

Before Rhea could reply, Jonas jumped from behind her into Jared's arms, "Jared!" He shouted in excitement, "You came." He grinned.

Jared smiled, "Of course I did soldier, I promised I would yesterday, I see you're feeling better."

"Much better. Mitch made me blueberry pancakes."

Jared's smile faltered just a little hearing Mitch's name, he had been here? And had cooked? An uneasy feeling resided in him, he just couldn't stand the thought of Mitch around Rhea, he knew his capabilities more than anyone else, was he now trying to get to Rhea through Jonas? He didn't want to think of him in that light. He had told him about his feelings for Rhea, they were buddies, even if nothing else, he would have the honor to not pursue her knowing he was interested in her. He masked his displeasure at the news brilliantly, "Wow, that's nice. Well, I got you something, wanna see?"

"Yes, please!" Jonas grinned in anticipation of what he already knew was a new game- that Rhea would hopefully not share with him.

All three went into the house, where Jared set Jonas on his feet to take out a box Jonas instantly recognised as a racetrack. His eyes widened in a mixture of disbelief and excitement, " Guess what this is..." Jared teased.

"A race track! It's a race track mama!" He screamed as he jumped around ecstatically.

Jared stilled him by placing both hands on his shoulders, "Don't jump too much, we don't want you getting sick again." He warned.

Jonas jumped on him, flinging his arms around him in a hug, "Thank you Jared, thank you thank you thank you!" He chanted as he tightened his hold around Jared's neck.

Jared laughed, wrapping his hand around Jonas' little body, "You're welcome." He replied.

Half an hour later, Jared had set up the track for Jonas and they were playing their first game while Rhea prepared some sandwiches. She took a plate with her and three cups of orange juice into Jonas' room where they had set up the track. All three chatted for another hour and Rhea and Jared took turns to play a game with Jonas, both intentionally letting him win.

Jonas was soon exhausted due to a combination of an exciting day and some sleeping medications he had taken. Jared tucked him in for a nap while Rhea took the cups and dish into the kitchen.

Jared walked in just when Rhea bent to take out some dishes in the dish washer, he froze momentarily. The sight of her curvy derriere jutting out so provocatively made his throat dry and his mouth water all at the same time. He could just see himself walking a few feet closer, placing his hands upon her waist and pulling that lovely behind flush against his semi-erect hardness, he would grind into her for a while, her moans of approval serving as the fuel to his blazing fire. He would take his ministrations further by reaching for her full breats, she would whisper his name and tell him she wanted more, ask him to take her against the counter. He would oblige her, himself too dazed with lust to do otherwise. She would stand straight up, giving him the opportunity to unbutton her shorts, he would slip his hand inside of them, past the barrier of her panties where his expert fingers would find her wet heat, all this time, his other hand still fondling her breast and tweaking the now peaked nipple through the fabric of her shirt. He would stroke her soaking slit and she would arch into his hand, finally his finger would sink into the hot, moist solace her sheath offered as they would both groan finding some form of satisfaction.

He shook his thoughts away, realising that he was going to be hard as a rock if that fantasy went any further and he'd have to explain to her why he was standing by the door with his seven-inch cock pointing to high heavens. That would be awkward.

He coughed to alert her of his presence, if nothing else to end the show that was causing a riot within him as much as that killed him.




Confrontation Ch. 05



Rhea jumped, startled and turned around, her hand clutching her chest to still her rapidly beating heart, "Jared, you scared me." She gasped.

"I'm sorry." He began as he approached her, "Just finished tucking Jonas in, you need some help?"

She shook her head no, "I'm good. Thanks for the gift, you spoil him too much." She smiled. She did appreciate all of Jonas' gifts, but she feared Jonas would get used to them and ask her to get him things she couldn't afford long after Jared was gone.

Jared smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "It's the least I can do, it was partly my fault he felt unwell yesterday." He replied.

"True that." 

An awkward silence reigned between them as Jared thought of a way to broach his next subject, coming up with nothing, he chose to just come out with it, "Rhea, I was wondering, if you're free on Saturday, there's this really nice restaurant that was recently opened in Austin, maybe we could check it out." He suggested. He knew it was far from smooth, he had heard better lines from ninth graders, it was times like this he wished he had Mitchell's gift of the garb.

Rhea grinned, "Are you asking me out on a date?" He said it in such an adorable fashion, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to refuse him.

"Not like a date-date, just two friends hanging out, no pressure." He rushed, only to feel an extreme need to slap himself once the words were out, what the hell was he saying?! Of course it was a date-date, that was what he wanted to experience with her, not just a hang-out date.

She quirked a brow, " No pressure?"

His mind screamed, "yes pressure, lots of pressure!' But his lips spoke, "No pressure."

She smiled, "It's a date then."

 *****

"No pressure indeed." Lynn scoffed as she watched Rhea get ready for she and Jared's 'no pressure' date, she might be naive in a lot of things, but she knew there was nothing 'no pressure' as far as this date was concerned. Even without knowing the history Jared and Rhea shared, she knew he wanted more between them than what they currently had. Where Rhea stood with that, she wasn't really sure though, Rhea was one of the most difficult people to read.

"Why are you being so cynical about this Lynn? The man just wants us to have a friendly date." Rhea defended Jared's intentions for the sixth time in half an hour. She was trying to convince Lynn and to some extent, herself.

"There's no such thing as a 'friendly date' Rhea, even you don't believe all that fuckery you're spewing. Neither of you are teenagers, grown adults don't have 'friendly dates' there's always more." Lynn insisted.

Rhea turned to Lynn, "And what's so wrong if he wants more?"

"Do you want more?"

A longing sigh escaped Rhea's lips, "Should I?"

Lynn creased her brows, "Wow, are you asking ME for relationship advice?" She asked, her voice filled with disbeleif.

"You're the one who's happily married with a lovely daughter. I'm a single mother with a disaster of a love life, so which of us should be giving the advice here?"

"Your love life isn't a disaster Rhea, you're just going through a phase right now, besides you'll always have Jonas if nothing else."

At this point, Rhea wasn't even sure how true that was, would she always have Jonas? Or would Mitchell make good his threats some day? If ever he did, she was going to crawl back to her father and beg for his assistance like no man's business, they may not be as rich or influential as the Montgomery family was, but she would pull all the stops to make sure Jonas wasn't taken away from her.

She approached Lynn with a sigh of regret and sat next to her, she took her hand in hers while Lynn gave her a perplexed look, "I know I never got to say this to you in person Lynette, so I'll say it now. I'm sorry. I...I know I did you wrong, it wasn't my intention, but that doesn't change the fact that I did it and if I could take it all back, I would, I would have taken your advice and not gone to Mitch's place, I'm just...I'm really sorry," she completed sincerely.

Lynn smiled in appreciation, somewhere within her, she knew she had been waiting for this- a direct apology. Sure, she repeatedly told herself she had gotten over it, but it was far from the truth. It still hurt her everytime she thought of the betrayal. She hadn't expected anything less from Mitch, but Rhea had disappointed and crushed her more than she cared to accept. But as she now heard this apology, relief washed over her, especially as Rhea was not one to directly apologise, "Well, if you take it all back, you wouldn't have Jonas anymore, would you?"

Rhea smiled, "He's the only good thing that's come out of this mess. Me and Mitch..." She let out an exasperated sigh.

Lynn smiled with understanding, "I know Mitch can be too much atimes." Funny enough, she was grateful she and Mitch never became permanent. She would lose her mind trying to put him in check, she liked the tranquility she experienced with Ron in their marriage, Rhea has always beeen the only female she knew who could break Mitch down, but even she wasn't having things easy with him.

Rhea stared incredulously, "Atimes? He's a handful ALL the time. Jared seems more stable than he is, I prefer to be around him, at least I don't require an aspirin when he leaves." She joked.

Lynn quirked a brow, "Oh, so you like Jared huh?"

Rhea blushed, "Not like that Lynn, I mean..." She sighed, "...I mean, Jared is good for me, he's good for us. He loves Jonas like his own, Jonas loves him too and he's been nothing but nice to us since we met. I'm attracted to him- who wouldn't be? He's hot, but not the way I'm attracted to Mitch..." She paused and laughed almost sadly, "Listen to me talking about my attraction to Mitch, so selfish." She sighed. Lynn was the last person she should be talking about Mitch to, she was his ex.

Lynn smiled but said nothing to that, it really was somewhat selfish.

Rhea returned her smile, "Thanks for listening to me. I never want to lose your friendship." She said sincerely. Her biggest fear had been losing Lynn as a friend after what she had done to her, they were practically sisters, losing her would be like losing her only sibling.

"You were the only one that ever listened to my whining back then." Lynn joked, both women broke into laughter. After the spell, Lynn turned serious again, "I can't tell you who to choose between Mitch and Jared, I'm not you so I can't say who would make you happier in the long run, but I do agree that Jared is much more stable compared to Mitch and Jonas loves him, but it's you who'll be spending the rest of your life with whoever you choose, not me and not even Jonas, follow your heart, but keep your head up."

Rhea pulled Lynn into a warm hug, "I love you." She muttered.

"Love you too Rhe."

A knock on the door brought an end to their bonding moment, it was followed by Jonas' voice, "Mama, someone's at the door." He shouted.

Amy's tinier voice parroted his words, causing Lynn and Rhea to laugh.

"I guess that's your date."

"Friendly date." Rhea corrected.

"Whatever. Just have fun." Lynn replied. She wanted Rhea and Jared to become a couple, and it wasn't just so Mitch would be hurt though that was an added advantage. She did genuinely feel Jared was the better and safer choice, but like she had said, only Rhea could choose what or who was best for her.

 *****

"This place is really nice." Rhea was aware she was starting to sound like a broken record having made that comment over four times since they got here. She was that enthralled with the place. It was classy, but not so much it looked stuck-up. She particularly loved the serenity of the place and it's ambience. There was a band set up by a corner that played some blues, it was quite a romantic setting, but Rhea felt more conflicted than romantic.

All she had thought of was her conversation with Lynn, Jared's niceness really hadn't made her decision any easier. She found herself thinking of what a family with him would be like, how great a father he would be, and then comparing him to Mitch- the unstable, aggressive Mitch and just when she was about to dismiss Mitch, that contrite Mitch popped into her head. The one who wanted a chance to be in Jonas' like, the one who bothered to visit the grocery store in the wee hours of the morning just so he could prepare blueberry pancakes for his little boy, surely there was some redeeming factor in him. That thought sent her back to square one.

Jared smiled, "I know. Once I found out about it, I knew you'd love it." He replied, genuinely glad he was right, there was nothing he loved more than seeing those stunning grey eyes light up and those beautiful lips upturned in a smile. The joy that sight brought him was indescribable.

"I do. Thanks again for bringing me here, I needed it." She really did. After all the drama that had taken place the past two weeks, she needed a breather and this was just the place for that.

He reached for her hand across the table, "You're welcome. I'm not sure how you'll take this Rhea, but I really, really like you." He began. Telling her how he felt had been on his mind the entire day, it was the purpose of this date, but he had been having cold feet the entire evening and it was only now he had gathered the courage.

Rhea felt a clog in her throat, somehow she had been hoping they would skip this discussion tonight and just have a nice time. No such luck., "Jared I..."

"No, just lemme finish what I have to say, then you'll have your turn." If he was going to be rejected , he planned to stall it just so he could raise his hopes, or if he had any luck, he would be able to change her mind. 

He took her silence as a go-ahead, "I should have told you this years ago, but the comppany's policies concerning employees dating didn't let me. I wanted to approach you the first day you came in seeking for a job, I had even wished you weren't qualified just so there would be nothing stopping me from asking you out, but you were, highly even. I don't want to bore you with tales of how much I wished we were in different circumstances, but when you came into my office months ago and informed me of your resignation, I was happy I'd finally get my chance , then you said you would move and...." He paused momentarily, thinking of some way to describe how he had felt at that news, "...I didn't want to lose you or Jonas even, I had grown to love you guys, I hope you forgive me, but I kinda followed you down here." He chuckled, "I just didn't want to lose the opportunity to tell you how I felt, or risk some other man getting you. I think I....I think I may even love you.' 

No, no, no! He should have just kept that bit of information to himself, why make things more difficult?, "Jared, there's smoething you need to know." She began suddenly feeling nervous.

He narrowed his eyes, "What is that?"

"Jonas, Jonas is Mitch's son." She completed.

Jared didn't speak for a while. He wasn't shocked, somehow he had known, the resemblance was uncanny and the eyes were a dead give-away, rather he was...regretful, jealous. He loved Jonas like he was his own, but he wanted that with Rhea- a child, he had always dreamt of having kids with her and it was just a little annoying that someone else- no, Mitchell of all people, beat him to it. He just always had to get what he didn't deserve the lucky bastard, "You two were a couple?" He asked calmly.

That was not what she expected. She knew for a fact Mitchell would have flipped at that- but Jared was not Mitchell, "No, it was...complicated." She replied for lack of a better word.

"How so?" He cocked a brow, his interest peaked.

With a deep sigh, Rhea began telling him of the events of what led to Jonas' conception, watching his features for any signs of his emotions, he managed to not show much the entire time so he was hard to read. She did well to not make Mitchell seem as terrible as she had thought him that day, it was bad ebough she was telling Jared this.

"So he took advantage of you?" Jared said once she was finished. He definitely had never thought Mitchell desperate enough to go to the extremes he was currently told he did. Who would've figured? Rhea must have been one bad bitch to have sent him to that all-time low.

"It's not exactly so. I feel I was partly responsible for what took place, it's not wholly his fault." She defended Mitch, though she wasn't sure why.

Jared heard her, but that comment barely changed his conclusion- Mitchell had used her when she was vulnerable, "Do you love him?"

"No," Rhea replied a bit too quickly. She didn't love that Mitch that more or less molested her years ago, but this Mitch now...

"So there's hope for us?" He asked.

Mitch's words came to her at that question. She didn't want to lead Jared on, she loved him too much to hurt him- just not in the way he expected, " Jared..."

"So there's hope for us." He stated with a firmness that brooked no arguments.

Rhea could only stare into his sea blue eyes that held within them a lot of hope. What kind of person would she be if she crushed all of that hope? Was she really willing to hold out until Mitch got his act together? Was Jared just the second choice? Did he deserve that? She took back her earlier thoughts, this wasn't a breather from the drama, this was just another Act.

 *****

Mitchell hummed the tune to 'the wheels on the bus' as he prepared some lunch that consisted of macaroni and cheese and muffin for desert, just like Jonas requested. He had gotten to it once he returned from dropping off Amy and Jonas at school. He had gotten up pretty early so he could drop Jonas off on his first day and driven straight to Rhea's barely after 6:00am. He smiled remembering how surprised she looked when she opened the door and found him there.

He had ended up being the one to bathe and dress Jonas up while Rhea prepared his food- not that he was complaining, he loved every minute of it, just listening to Jonas' incessant chattering on how awesome school would be had made the stress worth it. They had stopped by Lynn's house to pick Amy though she was supposed to take the bus, Jonas insisted they pick her up instead- he needed someone he could go to school with on his first day.

A knock at the door brought Mitch back to the present, it repeated it's self as he made his way to go see who it could be, he wasn't expecting anyone, plus it was a little too early for visitors. 

He opened the door to see Jared looking a little vexed. He smiled, "'red, to what do I..." The words got stuck in his throat as Jared punched him square in the jaw causing him to stagger back at the impact, he stared at him like he had lost his mind, "What the...?"

"I told you to stay away from her, stay the fuck away from her, from both of them!' Jared raved, anger seeping from every pore of his skin. He was done giving Mitch the benefit of doubt, it was obvious he did plan on going after Rhea. He had seen him drop off Jonas at school this morning and the sight angered him, that coupled with his knowledge of how he had used Rhea just set him off.

Realisation dawned on Mitch, his green eyes turned an angry jade, who the fuck did Jared think he was barging into his house, assaulting him and making demands he had no right to make?, "I can't stay away from what is rightfully mine."

"Like hell you can't! You don't own shit Mitchell, Rhea was never yours, you just used her like a dirty scumbag." Jared shot back, that jab earned him a punch. 

Mitchell was pissed as fuck, how dare he? How dare she? Why would Rhea tell anyone about what took place between them? Of all people Jared? So he could throw it in his face like he didn't regret it enough? Like he didn't wish he could change that every single day he saw his son? It was too much to take, "Don't you EVER call me a scumbag, never again!"

In an angry haze, Jared charged at Mitch, knocking him off his feet. Mitch had some guts trying to fight him for what wasn't his, "You will stay away from her, you get that?" He shouted.

Mitch pushed himself off the ground and stood to his full height, "As long as Rhea remains single, she's game for anyone." He replied more calmly than he currently felt.

Jared snickered, "Well she isn't single. She's with me now, so you can take your hunt somewhere else."

Mitch stared at him in disbeleief, no, it couldn't be, Rhea would never..., "You're lying." He said in a barely audible voice.

"Did you really think a woman as beautiful as Rhea, with all of that sultry fire in her would be sitting and waiting for you to get your shit together?" 

Mitch gritted his teeth hearing Jared speak of Rhea in words only he was allowed to use to refer to her, he had no damn right, "You're just going to play daddy to another man's son, aren't you?" He knew it was a low-blow, but dammit he was running out of options!

Jared laughed, "I've been playing daddy to him for four years. I got him his first toy car, I took him to his first carnival, I drove him to his first day in kindergarten, I even took him to a sports center when he wanted to learn baseball, where have you been 'real daddy'?" He teased.

Every word Jared spoke was like a stab at Mitch's heart. He had missed all of this, some other lucky bastard who just happened to be his friend and now, rival, had gotten privileges he wanted. It hurt. "I have waited five years for Rhea Jared, and I won't let you take her from me." He ground out.

"You've waited?" Jared asked, "That's it? You waited? You just sat on your royal butt and waited five years for Rhea to waltz into your arms, huh?" He scoffed, "I have worked to earn her trust, I gave up a social life just so I could spend time with her and Jonas, I fucking put my business on hold to fly all the way to Texas just so there would be no room for scum like you to snatch what I've worked too damn hard for and all you did was WAIT? You don't even deserve them." He spat. He straightened his shirt, "Keep your dirty, arrogant, rapist self away from MY woman and MY son Mitchell or God help me, I will kill you with my bare hands." On that note, he was out the door.

Mitchell slammed the door shut in anger and punched it so hard he heard a bone crack in his knuckles. He staggered to a close-by couch and crashed into it, he shoved his fingers into his hair and growled. All he could think of was how fucked he was. Jared was right, he didn't deserve them, if he felt as strongly as he did for Rhea, he should have done more than wait- he should have searched for her, for both of them. He didn't want to lose them, no, he had gotten too attached to just step away like nothing happened. He loved both of them. He loved Jonas and he loved Rhea....he loved Rhea! 

*thanks to all those who have kept reading despite my slow posting. I posted this weeks ago but had to re-edit it. Sorry for the wait, please keep commenting, your comments and ratings keep me going.L.S*



Confrontation Ch. 06



*Thanks a lot for all the comments and votes guys. I look forward to em and appreciate like crazy*




The sound of an engine- no, Mitch's truck's engine, roared to life and then died down- yes, she was THAT familiar with the sound of the truck's engine.

Rhea looked up at her wall clock, it was just a few minutes after ten in the morning, what could he be doing here? Jonas had left for school hours ago and wouldn't be back till sometime in the afternoon, so he definitely wasn't here for him. She groaned, she was on no mood for petty arguements, she was still recovering from what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend dinner with a really good friend but turned out to be much more. She hadn't told Jared she would date him, but she hadn't rejected him outrightly, she had just requested he give her some time to think it through, something he agreed to.

A slight knock came at her door surprisingly, that was a far cry from the usual banging she associated with Mitch making her question if it was really him at her door, but that engine....well, there was only one way to find out who it was. 

She stood up from the couch and walked up to the door, taking a deep calming breath, she unlocked and opened the door. Yep, it was Mitch.

She looked him over, he looked....different, nothing like the cocky prick she knew. There was no glint in his eyes, rather sadness lurked within them, clouding their brightness, his shoulders were slumped, his hair disheveled like his hands had been running through it way too many times.

Rhea had never seen him so down, plus, there looked to be a bruise on the right side of his jaw, had he been in a fight?, "Mitch...."

"Is it true?" He interrupted, his voice low and distraught.

Rhea's brows creased, what was he speaking of? And why did he sound so damn sad? And why did the sight of him like this make her feel bad?, "Is what true? Mitchell, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice laced with concern as she reached for his jaw again, this time, he caught her wrist mid-air, she gasped in shock, her eyes shot to his, he looked mad.

He pushed her inside the house and closed the door behind him. Ignoring her shocked expression, he took a seat. He said nothing, just stared blankly making her wonder if a screw had gone loose in his head.

Slowly, Rhea sat across him fearing he may hurt her if she didn't seat. She waited patiently for what he had to say, but when minutes passed and he didn't speak, she took the baton, "Mitch, what's...?"

He turned a cold stare her way, her words caught in her throat, "So you and Jared are dating now." He said coldly. She looked shocked, he scoffed, he almost thought Jared had been pulling his legs. So much for that.

Rhea wanted to speak, but had to wait to recover from that shock, what the hell? Where did that come from?, "Who...who told you that?" 

"Your boyfriend of course, who else?" He said the word 'boyfriend' snidely, he couldn't stand to even think she was dating Jared, of all people.

Rhea was tongue-tied, Jared? Why would he say that? She had never...," Mitchell..."

"I'm seeking full custody. I don't want you and your lover running off with my son." He said flatly.

Rhea stared at him like he had grown another head. No, no, no, he couldn't be saying this to her, a custody battle? She wasn't prepared for that. He stood up like he was about to leave and she sprang out of her seat, "Mitchell, wait..."

"I don't want to hear it Rhea." He made his way to the door and she followed him, persistently trying to get his attention, until he flipped. He spun around and yelled, "He fucking taunted me Rhea. He told me how he had been playing daddy to Jonas for four years, he made me feel like some worthless piece of shit- which I don't deny I may be, but I didn't need HIM to tell me that." He said, his outburst effectively kept her mute, "Hell, you even told him all about us, about the....he called me a rapist, a scumbag, he called me a lotta shit- which again, I may be, but I didn't need to hear that from the guy who's with my child's mother, he even warned me to stay away from 'HIS' son, and it's all your fucking fault!" He raved, his eyes turning the same jade it had been when Jared confronted him, just remembring all that had happened in his house made him pissed as fuck, "I...I just want my son, Rhea." He finished in a pleading tone. He wanted her too, he didn't want to lose her, he wanted them both, but he was startijng to accept the fact that he would either get just one of them or lose them both, and as much as he hated to choose, Jonas was the more important one.

Rhea watched heart-broken as Mitch stepped out of her house and closed the door behind him. She wanted to say something to stop him, but she was too much in shock for words to come out of her mouth, she couldn't even think anything up, the only words that reverbrated were Mitch's words concerning seeking custody of Jonas. 

Damn it she didn't need all of this bullshit! She had barely been here a month and her life was already crumbling. But why did Jared have to go running his mouth? If she knew where he stayed, she would have given him more than a piece of her mind and a little of her fist too, he had just ruined everything for her, why tell Mitch they were dating when they weren't? What the hell was wrong with that man? The next time she saw him, he'd hate that he ever knew her, that she would make sure of.

If Mitchell went ahead with his plans, not only would she have to find some badass lawyer, she'd also have to tell Jonas just why Mitchell wanted him, and that wasn't a subject she was willing to broach with him just yet.

  ****

"And what's got your panties in a bunch?" Jared was greeted by his brother as soon as he slammed the door shut. He knew he looked upset, the more reason he didn't need Japhet in his business, but knowing his brother, he wouldn't let this go.

"None of your business." He growled.

He was just walking past Japhet when he caught sight of the bruise by a corner of his eye, " Waoh! What the fuck dude, you've been fighting?" Japhet asked both concern and amusement in his eyes. He reached for his eye, but Jared smacked it away, undeterred, Japhet spoke up, "Men, that dude sent a mean punch your way. Too bad we're out of steak." He chuckled. He didn't mean to make fun of his brother, but he couldn't help it- it was so unlike Jared to get into a fight, that was usually him.

"You know what Jet? I don't need your shit today, okay?" He spoke, his voice filled with anger. And it wasn't just because of the punch. He actually felt bad about some of the things he said to Mitch, he had no idea what had pushed him that far- actually, he did, he just wanted to put Mitch in his place for once, to shut him up, to have the upper hand in something finally, he had gone way out of line with certain comments though, for one, it wasn't his place to warn Mitch off Jonas, that had just been adrenaline and anger talking, fine, having Mitch with Jonas would automatically put him in close proximity with Rhea, but that was something he'd have to endure. 



Confrontation Ch. 06b



*Like I said guys, the last chapter wasn't completed, so this is the completion of chapter six*

Another comment he should have refrained from was the one about he and Rhea being in a relationship. That was technically a lie, she had only promised to think about his proposal, but again, adrenaline, anger and the need to bring Mitch's ego down a few notches pushed him. Would he apologise? To Rhea he would, to Mitch? Maybe not, he would just iron out certain details, an apology would be a whole other ball game.

Japhet raised his brows, whatever had happened must have been pretty bad, "Okay." He drew out warily.

Jared continued on his way, but was again stopped by his brother's voice, he frowned, "What?" He ground out as he made a mental note to himself to rent an apartment or stay in a hotel the next time he came home, he was way too old to be staying with his parents anyway.

"Um...Rebecca"s in your room."

Jared's eyes shot to his brother's hearing that all too familiar name, "What?" He asked as he went back to his brother.

"You know, Rebecca Mendoza, high school sweetheart, prom date, the girl you fucked in the attic..."

"I know who Rebecca Mendoza is Jet, what's she doing in my room?" Jared asked impatiently.

"I dunno, she came over about an hour ago to see you, I told her she could wait in your room."

"Why?"

"Cos I was tryna watch some sports News and her fine ass was distracting me. I swear men, if I had a girl that fine, I would've hacked the shit out of 'Google' to find her."

Jared ignored his brother and just went on his way up the stairs. Rebecca was here? He hadn't seen her in twelve years, not since he went off to college and her family moved. He never thought he'd see her again after they lost contact, and now she was in his bedroom? He walked slowly up the stairs as he prepared himself to once again see the first girl he had ever fallen in love with, the one whose virginity he took.

Images of that night he had made love to her in the attic flashed in his mind. She had told him she loved him and he had told her same, just before they made love, that day with her was one of the most memorable days he had ever had, and it wasn't just because Japhet had burst in on them- along with his parents just when they were in the throes of orgasm. 

A small smile crept on his lips remembering how his mother had fainted, she had never liked Rebecca, perhaps seeing her dark limbs wrapped around his firm buttocks as they both screamed their release had been too much for his conservative mother.

As he got closer to the bedroom, he could hear strange noises, what was going on in there? He walked a little faster fearing something might have gone wrong. He neared the slightly opened door curiously and stopped dead once the sounds got clearer, a female-no, Rebecca was....moaning?

He opened the door just a little woder, but not so much she would notice him there and peeked inside. He gulped nervously at the sight before him, there she was, on his large bed, pleasuring herself. She wore a navy blue skirt that was bunched up around her tiny waist, on her legs were a pantyhose that led to a garter belt, her lace panties were around her ankles and she had two slender fingers inside her wet snatch as her other hand fondled her breast, he could hear every moan and whimper as he watched her moving hands enter that dark sheath he had once had wrapped around his cock.

"Oh..oh Jared, please..." She whimpered.

What the fuck? She was masturbating to thoughts of him? His eyes briefly went to her face, it was etched with pleasure, just having his name escape her lips got him hard in an instant. Visions of him going in there to pull her hands away from her sopping cunt and shove his cock deep into her crossed his mind, but he was entanced by the sight he was witnessing to move an inch.

His eyes were once again drawn to her pussy, her hand was now moving just a little faster and seeking to move deeper. She always did have small hands, a third finger joined the previous two and a satisfied hiss of "Yesss" filled the room. 

His eyes briefly left her snatch to look at her face again just when hers shot open. He could swear his heart stopped beating at that moment, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from hers, and she held his gaze, he watched her bite her lower lip as she moaned louder, "Yes Jared, just like that, stick that big, white cock inside my black pussy. Oh..oh, yes, right there." She moaned as she raised her knees up and spread her legs wider so he could get a better view of her slit.

At this point, Jared wasn't sure she was still talking to the imaginary him. He just dtood there, transfixed, watching this beautiful, dark goddess whose body he had once worshipped, fuck herself on his bed, knowing he was watching her. He was now hard as a rock, he wanted so much to touch himself, or better yet, have her touch him, but this whole thing was so wrong. She shouldn't be here, she shouldn't be on his bed, and he sure as hell shouldn't be thinking of fucking the clothes off another woman when he just warned Mitch off Rhea.

"Oh...oh yes...Jared..oh fuck!" Her orgasmic sounds pulled him out of his conflicted thoughts, he watched her eyes roll back and close, a click suddenly went off in his head and he pulled the door shur, with a speed he never thought he posessed, he walked down the hallway and to the living room where Japhet was sitting and watching a repeat of a football game.

He gave him an odd stare, "What the fuck happened?"

"Nothing. She's pre-occupied." Jared replied, he failed to sound as calm as he wanted.

Japhet quirked a curious brow, his eyes moved to Jared's crotch and a sly smile formed on his lips, "I wonder what with." He said to himself.

Jared noticed the direction his brother's eyes moved to and he followed only to meet the sight of his dick at attention, damn it! He glared at his brother, "Fuck you, Jet." He shot as he sat across from him.

"I'm definitely not the person you're sporting a hard-on for." Japhet replied with a snicker.

Jared replied with a growl, "uckily for them both, Japhet was smart enough to not push harder, jared tried unsuccessfully, to watch the football game, it was college football between Michigan State University and Notre Dame. It didn't take long for his thoughts to drift elsewjere, specifically to Rebecca. God, he still couldn't believe what what he had just seen, she had some guts doing that in his bedroom, what if some other person had caught her? His parents weren't home luckily, if they were, Rebecca wouldn't have gone past the threshold of their front door that was for sure, his mother still hadn't recovered from that incident in the attic, everytime he called her she would end their conversation with a warning.

"...and make sure you don't go about tryna breed those darkies."

Where she heard that word he would never know and wasn't interested in knowing. He couldn't help it if he was more attracted to dark-haired, brown-skinned, curvy women, rather than the blonde or red-haired, pale skinned, thin women she wanted him to be with. Ever since he hit puberty, all his adolescent and teenage fantasies involved 'darkies', he had tried to conform to his mother's expectations the first few years of dating, he had even lost his virginity to a girl that fit his mother's description of a 'lady'. He knew how difficult it had been for her to even arouse him, he had pegged it to be due to nervousness- it was his first time after all. She had had to suck him off for almost ten minutes before he finally grew hard.

A year later with Rebecca, all it tool was a make-out session to get him hard and ready, he never looked back after her, all through college, whenever he had to hook-up with a girl, he only looked out for the brown-skinned ones. His friends thought he was odd, especially as he had the looks to have whatever girl he wanted, they would throw jabs at him and even composed songs to include the words 'jungle fever' and 'once you go black, you never go back'

Mitch had been one of those that teased him with those words, he didn't tease as much as the others, but he did have his own fair share, he could bet even Mitch never thought he'd end up getting jungle fever as well. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clicking heels. He looked toward the stairwell and his eyes met the greys that belonged to Rebecca, as he stared at her, he realised something- she looked A LOT like Rhea, they were about the same age give or take a few months. Never mind that Rebecca's father was Cuban, she had inherited more of her Haitian mother's traits than her father's , she was a few shades lighter than Rhea though, but save for that noticeable difference, they could pass as sisters or cousins at least. A part of him wondered if he wasn't after Rhea simply because she bore a strong resemblance to his first love.

A smile crept upon her full lips, "Hello Jared." She began in her sultry voice. She sounded like...sex, her voice had that husky tone that could cause any man to have a boner. 

Jared stood up, "Hi, Rebecca." He replied.

No words were exchanged between them for what felt like hours as they both studied each other, from the smile on her lips, it was safe to say she liked what she saw.

"I'll just go take a shit" Japhet said as he stood up and went upstairs with a grin.

Rebecca smiled, "I see Jet hasn't changed much." She began once Japhet was out of ear-shot.

Jared snickered, "Much? He hasn't changed at all."

They shared a laugh- an awkward one going by what had gone on between them minutes ago. After a while, she broke the silence that had brooked between them, "The years have been good to you Jared." She spoke and then started a slow, seductive walk toward him.

"They've been good to you too Becca." He replied, he tried to sound as casual as possible, but it was so damn hard to sound casual toward a sexy woman you had just seen masturbating to thoughts of you, plus, the way her full hips swayed wasn't exactly making things any easier.

She stopped just inches away from him, even in her heels, she was about three inches shorter than he was, that was another difference between she and Rhea- Rhea was taller, "I've missed you." She whispered.

He didn't need to be told that, he had seen how much she missed him. Before he could reply to that, he felt her small hand crawl up his chest and to the nape of his neck, slipping into his hair, her eyes never leaving his. She brought his head down until their lips were inches apart, Jared knew he should pull away, she was giving him that opportunity, wasn't he trying to begin a relationship with another woman? He had sacrificed a lot to get to where he was with Rhea, but as much as he wanted to think so, his attraction to Rebecca had never waned, it had just been docile since her absence.

"Did you enjoy the little show upstairs?" She whispered against his lips just before she captured them in a passionate kiss. Her tongue slid across his lips seeking for an opening. She got it. Her tongue slithered into the hot coven that was his mouth, drawing out his for a little tango

Jared groaned, she tasted like cranberries, he didn't want to succumb to her, but she used her tongue so well, and it had been a while since he had kissed anyone. His hands clasped her waist and drew her to him as he deepened the kiss, his lips moved against hers with fervor and she returned the favor. The twelve years had turned his innocent little Rebecca into a sultry vixen, to think there was once a time she shied away from kissing.

Her free hand travelled between their bodies to grope his hard member, Jared gasped and pulled away, "Rebecca we need to stop." He spoke, his words coming out in harsh breaths as she stroked his bulge which had come to life during their kiss.

"Why? Are you scared your brother will find us?" She asked as she placed light kisses upon his neck.

"No, I just can't do this."

"But I'm so wet for you, my fingers are nothing compared to your cock."

Really? Dirty talk? Was she trying to end him? He couldn't think straight with her hand rubbing his cock, or even with her being so close. Using the last shred of resistance in him, he stopped her moving hand and stepped away from her, "Becca I'm kind of trying to start something with someone else." That sentence seemed to take her out of her lustful state, she looked hurt. Seeing her this way made him...sad, he didn't like to see her hurt, even less, be the cause. They might have been apart for years, but he still cared for her, and maybe even loved her.

Rebecca's eyes were downcast, of course he would be seeing someone, Jared was too good a man to be single. She had been pleasantly surprised to find out he wasn't married, and when she had gotten here, her hopes had risen with Japhet's confirmation that he was single, perhaps Japhet didn't know very much concerning his brother's love life, "Is...Are you guys serious?" She asked, why she was asking that question she didn't know, she still harbored feelings for Jared, but not enough to move in on another woman's turf. They had been apart for twelve years, he had the right to move on and lose whatever feelings he had for her.

Were they serious? They weren't even official yet, Jared's blie eyes studied Rebecca as his brain tried ro come up with a technically correct answer, "Becca..." He sighed, he couldn't think up anything. She was making it even more difficult as she stared up at him with those captivating eyes he had gotten lost in countless times when they were younger.

Rebecca looked up at him quizzically, he seemed a bit conflicted, wasn't he certain of his relationship status or was he in one of those 'here and there' relationships where the other party was stalling? Maybe she came on too strong, "Jared I...if I offended you with the whole room thing I'm sor..."

"No Becca, it's not that." He cut her off a bit too quickly. He blushed once he realised his insinuation as a small smile crept up Rebecca's full lips.

"So you did enjoy the show."

He shoved his fingers in his hair, "I'll admit it was...interesting, and highly unexpected, but...I'll need some time Becca." He had inadvertently told her there was a chance they could date.

Becca smiled, in her head she was doing the Macarena, it didn't matter that he wasn't outrightly saying 'yes' this was as good as a yes for her, "So, you and your lady love aren't serious?"

Unsure of how to reply that question, Jared chose to totally ignore it, "So, what brings you to Texas? I thought you never wanted to see this place again?" He asked using the exact words she had used when her family was moving, he knew she hadn't meant them, at the time she had been speaking out of pure frustration due to the backlash she had received from friends, neighbors and rivals concerning her relationship with him- his mother spreading the fact that she had caught them in the act hadn't exactly made things better for her.

Rebecca smiled, recognising that for what it was- a diversion, "I was hoping to come across a certain man who popped my cherry in his family's attic." She replied, going along with the distraction. She would bide her time, patience was key. She hadn't come all the way from Boston to leave without achieving her aim. Whoever the new woman was in Jared's life was going to have some stiff competition to tackle and she didn't plan on losing.

*****

"Damn"

That was Lynn's reaction once Rhea had explained to her how chaotic her life had become in less than forty-eight hours. She had just finished her laundry when Rhea came knocking at her door. Once she saw the sad, helpless look on her best friend's face, she knew something unpleasant was going on, but she definitely hadn't expected this.

"The whole seeking full custody ish was a threat right?" She asked.

Rhea shook her head,"I don't..I don't know Lynn, he seemed pretty serious this time, there were no signs that he was just making empty threats." After Mitch left she had spent two hours cursing out herself, then Jared, then trying to determine how ready she was for a custody battle, then she had though of telling Jonas about his father. Basically, she had ended up distraught, confused and in need of someone to talk to, hence, her coming to Lynn.

"But he...you told him you and Jared weren't official right?"

"I didn't Lynn, I couldn't, he barely let me say a word. I...I don't think he's pissed because of me and Jared, he just wants Jonas."

Lynn scoffed," Please Rhe, we're talking about Mitch here, I bet he just wants Jonas now cos Jared pummeled his ego and deflated the shit out of it. He can't stand the idea that another man has what he thinks is his and is throwing it in his face. He would have been okay with threats for a year just so he could manipulate you, but Jared pulled one sick move on his psych so he's hitting back by taking at least one person, the one he does have the right to take- his son."

Rhea realised Lynn did have valid points, but all she could think of was the fact that she was going to lose Jonas, she didn't care for the purpose behind Mitch's action, she just wanted a solution, "What am I going to do Lynn? I...dammit, this is all Jared's fault!" Okay, so maybe she did care about the motive behind Mitch's actions. She just wanted to blame some other person for now.

"Maybe you should talk to him." Lynn suggested.

"Talk to Mitch? I told you he wasn't listening."

"Well, go to his house and try again. Try and work something out with him, trust me girl, you do not want to have custody battle with a man like Mitchell, he will run you down and then some."

Lynn was right, knowing Mitch's antecedents, he would fight dirty if need be, she needed to do something to halt or at least stall the impending legal battle and if talking to Mitch would help, so be it.

*****

He didn't want to see her again today, but this was worth it.

As Mitchell drove home after picking up Jonas froms school, he couldn't help but replay the events of the day, he had been having such a great day until Jared ruined it, then there was Rhea and the custody thing...if she wouldn't be with him, she could have at least made his existence known to Jonas, she had no idea how much of a torment it was to have his son so close, but not close enough to claim him. It was getting harder to just 'be cool' around Jonas everyday. There were some days he just wanted to grab him and tell him he was his father, especially when he exhibited ceertain traits he knew had been gotten from him- like flirting.

Currently, Jonas was telling him about some confrontation he had in school with another boy,"...I mean, all I did was talk to Kennedy, what's-his-face didn't need to jump me like I was stealing his girl." He completed, apparently still pissed by the incident.

Mitchell smirked, the kid even spoke like him, even a blind man would easily figure who his father was, "Maybe he thought you were moving on his girl."

Jonas gave him an incredulous look, "Me and Kennedy?" He scoffed, "she wishes."

Mitch burst into a fit of laughter that left him wheezing once he was through. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, his day just got better, "So you don't like Kennedy?"

"She's weird. I told Riley to get his red-neck hynie away from me or I would punch the bugger out his nose."

Mitch chuckled, Jonas was really cracking him up, "Did he leave?"

"First, I thought he wouldn't, then he ran off crying like a little baby." Jonas replied and then burst into laughter, "You should've seen him Mitch, his face was red and there was snout and tears all over."

That's my boy. Mitch thought to himself with a smile, "Hi-five." He said as he raised his palm to Jonas, who smacked it with his.

There was a bit of silence in the car that was broken by Jonas, "I like you Mitch, you're cool."




Confrontation Ch. 06b



Mitch felt his heart swell and his ego soar,the compliment may have seemed little, but it was a big deal for Mitch, hence the grin on his face. He reached over to ruffle Jonas' curls, "I love you kiddo." He replied, a little too emotionally.

Jonas stared at him with creased brows, "Mitch, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything."

"Are...are you my dad?"

Mitch momentarily lost control of the car and swerved a little, his hand instinctively shot out and reached for Jonas and held onto him while he regained control of the car. Once the car was back on the road, Mitch took a while to still his thumping heart and his racing mind. Where the hell had that question come from? How did he even come up with it? He rubbed his sweaty palm over his jean-clad thigh and swallowed the lump in his throat, "Why...why do you ask?"

Jonas shrugged his shoulders, he seemed rather unaffected by their near-accident, "Nothing, just..." He began picking at his nails nervously, "...well, we have the same eyes and my classmates think we look alike, they think you're my dad, and my middle name is Mitchell, mama used to call me Mitch when we were in Kansas, but everybody else calls me Jonas."

Mitchell was unaware of the smile he was currently sporting, Rhea named him after him? Not only that, she actually used the name?, "um...have you asked your mother?"

"I asked her once, when I turned four, she looked really scared, so I told her she didn't have to tell me if she didn't want to."

Mitchell took a glance at Jonas, a part of him wanted to just spit everything out- the emotional part of him, the logical side told him it was neither the place nor time. They needed to do this in a more serene place and with Rhea present, he almost broke his resolve with Jonas looking at him with his eyes filled with so much hope. Damn Rhea for putting him in such a tight spot.

He took Jonas' little hand in his much bigger one and smiled at him, "I'll tell you what kiddo, how about you ask your mother one more time, your pop could even be Jared." Suddenly, just the mention of Jared's name caused an ill feeling in his stomach, but he intended to get Jons' thoughts on Jared, as much as he hated to admit it, he needed the ego booster.

Jonas' face scrunched up like he didn't fancy the idea, and then he shook his head, "Nah, Jared is cool too, but, I don't think he's my dad, we don't look alike and mama doesn't like him like that, she just likes him cos he's nice to us."

Mitch raised his brows, now that he didn't know, he suspected it, but he wasn't sure, "Your mama told you that?"

Again, he shook his head in the negative, "She doesn't need to tell me. I can read minds."

Mitch laughed at that comment, "oh really? So who does your mama like Houdini?" He asked jocularly.

"Houdini was a magician, I'm a mind-reader...and mama likes...you."

Again, Mitch briefly lost control of the truck, he shot a suspicious glance at Jonas, for a kid, he seemed like he knew a lot.

"And you like her too." He said with finality and a smirk, like he was laughing at Mitch and his reaction inwardly.

Mitch's speechlessness finally wore off once they drove into the ranch where the sight of a blue truck let him know Rhea was somewhere around. He turned off the engine and looked around, his eyes found Rhea sitting in a swing chair on his porch. She stood up as they both got out of the car, she was a bit early, he had expected her in about an hour's time, not so early.

She had on a different outfit from what she wore this morning, she wore a yellow tank top under a yellow and black checkered button-up, short-sleeved shirt that was left unbuttoned, a pair of dark blue denims and knee-high boots completed the incredibly sexy outfit- at least in his eyes.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, damn it he did NOT want to think of her as sexy, he had only just told her he would seek full custody of Jonas, the last thing he needed was to be back-tracked by sexual thoughts of her, but those mouth-watering curves...he frowned. He could bet she came here dressed in that way just so she would seduce him and make him change his mind, well tough luck, because she wouldn't succeed.

As they approached her, he realised she was shooting a death glare their way, but not at him. Before he could think too much about that, he felt Jonas' grip tighten in his hand, what the...

"Jonas, what did you do?" Her stern voice asked as soon as father and son stepped onto the porch

Jonas said nothing, instead, he slowly stepped behind Mitchell, "Well, hello to you too Mama Bear, where's your shot-gun?" Mitch asked sarcastically.

Rhea shot him a look that clearly said he needed to stay out of this- like hell he would, "Jonas come out of there and tell me what you did."

"I'm sorry." He shouted from behind Mitch.

"You're sorry for what?"

"At least let the child have a seat before you go C.I.A on him." Mitch spoke. He and Rhea had a brief stare down before she looked away, he smiled, taking her silence for acceptance, he stepped forward and unlocked the door to the house, Jonas' hand still in his and maintaining the grip.

All three stepped into the cool, five bedroom cabin that was Mitch's abode. Rhea realised it was five years since she had been inside here, even then she hadn't really taken note of her surroundings, well, she hadn't taken note of anything save for Mitch's dick...she flushed and stopped the thought to survey the house.

Despite the somewhat humid weather outside, inside of the house was cool, it was built mostly of wood. The floor was polished mahogany wood, there were two large couches across each other in the medium-sized living rool, a rocking chair was close to the large fire-place that made an impressive sight, two statues of German Shepherds were on each side of the fire-place, there was a grandfather clock by the left side of the fireplace and a large, black, circle-shaped furry rug in the middle of the sitting room.

Above the fire-place was what she hoped was the fake head of a deer. Just as she finished her survey, she caught sight of a familiar object in her peripheral view. It sat right atop the marble mantle of the fire-place, she walked a bit closer to confirm her suspicion. She just stood staring at the object once she got a cleare view- it was her trusty bat- he had kept it? Why? A small smile crept upon her lips and she felt warmth flood her being knowing he cared enough to keep her assault weapon, best of all, it looked as good, if not better than, how she hae had left it. It was thoughtful of him.

The sound of Jonas' voice broke her out of her reverie, "Waoh! Is that a real dead deer?" He asked in awe as he left Mitch's side to stare at the animal in awe.

The sound of his voice reminded Rhea of why she was here so early, she shot him a death glare that made him re-coil and sprint back to Mitxh for protection, her eyes never leaving his form.

"So, what's got you boring holes into Jonas' brain like some kinda cyclops?" Mitch asked.

Without thought, Rhea began speaking, "Your so..." Realising her error, she quickly corrected herself, but not before Mitch caught it, he smiled at her mistake, "...Jonas has been bullying his classmates."

Mitchell looked from Rhea to Jonas and back to Rhea, he scoffed, "That's not possible, he's barely been there a week."

"Even more reason why it's disturbing. The head-teacher called me about an hour ago to inform me that Jonas bullied a certain Riley Callahan and even threatened to 'punch the bugger out his nose'"

"He bullied me first! He's just an over-sized wuss!" Jonas protested, maintaining his position behind Mitch.

Rhea raised a brow at him, "I'm sorry, were you permitted to speak?"

Jonas pouted and looked up at Mitch for some support, "Rhea, Jonas told me what happened, okay? The kid harassed him first, he was only defending himself."

"Well, that's not what I told the head-teacher, speaking of which, I have a meeting with her tomorrow, no thanks to Jonas." 

Mitch's jaw clenched. Hannah, of course. What the fuck did she think she was trying to pull asking to pull asking to see Rhea?, "I'll go see her when I drop Jonas off tomorrow."

"That won't be necessary Mitchell, cos I'm dropping him off tomorrow." Rhea replied.

"No, you won't. If the head-teacher wanted to dee someone, she could have called me, I was in that school this afternoon, she didn't need to call you."

"Mitch..."

"I'm going to see the head-teacher tomorrow Rhea, and that is final." He spoke firmly, his glare daring her to make an objection- luckily, she didn't. She just huffed at him and looked away, a smug smile came on his face, whoever said men never got the last word in arguments never met him, "Great. So, who's up for mac and cheese?" He asked cheerily.

*****

"Would you like to talk now?" Rhea asked hesitantly. Mitch had returned from tucking Jonas in, he had been out like a light few minutes after their meal, it was safe to say Mitch had stuffed him like Thanksgiving turkey, even she didn't know Jonas could eat so much. Still, she was grateful for the few minutes of alone time.

He glanced at her, a cold look in his eyes that made her flinch, "What about?" He asked drily, he went into the kitchen to get a bottle of beer before returning to the sitting room.

Rhea's first instinct brought up the custody threat, but she knew better than to introduce a topic that could set him off, so she started off lightly, "I saw my bat." She began, he looked uninterested, but that was just a facade, "Thanks for not sending it to the sawmill."

"Whatever." He replied as he placed the bottle to his lips and took a gulp of the beer.

Rhea watched his movement, wishing she was that bottle right now, what she would give to feel his lips against hers...she adjusted her seating position, "You know I can just leave with Jonas if you're going to sit there and act like a teenage girl."

His hand stopped mid-air and he arched a defined brow,"Wow, that's rich coming from someone who couldn't be mature enough to call up a man and tell him of his son." He shot back before slugging another gulp of beer.

She glared at him, "I wasn't being immature, I was being pro-active. I didn't want my child having an egotistic, self-worshipping jerk for a father." She spat in anger.

Mitch frowned and glared at her, "Really? I guess you must think of that disrespectful thug you call a boyfriend as the perfect father, huh?"

"Jared is NOT my boyfriend and don't you dare call him names. He's more of a man than your sorry self will ever be!"

With the speed of light, Mitch had stood up, crossed the room to where she sat and was so much in her face, she had to lean back, "I don't give two shits who you're fucking Rhea, but you will NOT disrespect me in my home." He warned woth clenched teeth.

Rhea could feel her heart beating erratically in her chest, it was a reaction to the slight fear she was currently feeling...and the arousal. He was so close she could swear they were breathing each other's air, the strong scent of him flooded her nostrils, he smelt like a mixture of cologne, sandal-wood and sweat, the mixture of his smell and the feel of him so close, his large body almost enveloping hers was proving too much for her already weak senses. Her throat felt dry, so did her lips, she unconsciously licked them.

Mitch watched Rhea's tongue slither out to wet her lips, that one movement resolve, he had been trying to convince himself to give her space, but he couldn't, he wanted to crowd her until she accepted he was the only man she wanted and would ever wany, he would break that pride that threatened to keep them apart if it was the last thing he did.

Rhea watched his lips move closer, their first contact came when his teeth bit her bottom lip, her eyes fluttered close in anticipation of his kiss, instead he kept teasing her lip until she just couldn't take it anymore. Her lips captured his causing a groan to emit from both their throats. Their tongues slithered out of their covens to invade each other's mouths and participate in a duel.

Slowly, he pushed her onto the couch until she was lying flat, he wedged a knee between her legs as she slipped her fingers in his hair and massaged his scalp, he groaned into her mouth feeling his cock harden inside his cargo shorts. So much for letting her go, that was easier said than done, all it took was one kiss to turn him to a horny dog, to make him want to be inside of her so bad, he longed to have her warmth envelope him and her lips tell him how hard and how deep she wanted him. Unable to stop his roamning hands, it travelled up her ribs and enveloped her breast, she moaned as his thumb found her bud and rubbed it. She squirmed inder him.

Her lips left his for a breather, "Mitch..." She whimpered, his lips descending to her neck, placing wet kisses on each spot he passed, igniting the fire within her. She wanted to make excuses for why she was underneath a man she supposedly loathed and letting him touch her so intimately, something to quell her guilt, but it all watered down to the same thing- she was here because she wanted to be here, because she craved for his touch and his kisses, that was the difficult truth.

His free hand slid between their bodies to rest on her crotch, her wetness had already dampened the jean, slowly, he rubbed her sex through the fabric making her moan and squirm even more, he came back up to look into her eyes, they were glazed woth lust, her hand slipped out of his hair to cup his face, he placed a kiss on one palm. His hand moved upward to slide under her tank, past the barrier her bra provided to mold against her breast which was now fuller from child birth, she arched into his touch and bit her full bottom lip as her eyes fluttered close- he had never seen a more beautiful sight, damn it he wanted her now!

He slipped his hand out of her shirt to unbutton her jean, with her assistance, he slipped it past her butt, down her thighs, past her calves and stopped around her ankles. He ran a large palm along her thigh, the boy shorts she wore as underwear was wet with her juices, his expert fingers ran along the two sides that encased that pretty pussy he had longed to see for so long.

One finger stroked her slit through her panties, she whimpered, only to moan a little too loudly when he dipped the finger and the cotton fabric past her wet folds and into her hot cunt.

"Oh...Mitchell, please..." She spoke breathlessly, all thoughts of denying them both what they had longed for flew out the window.

"Please...what?" He asked with a cocky smirk, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing slowly.

What the fuck? He was still playing that shitty game? So much for five years changing him totally. She groaned in both frustration and arousal, damn this man for making her feel so good and withholding the even better feeling. She was mad, but her arousal trumped the hell out of that, "oh god, just fuck me already." She groaned.

"My pleasure." He replied, that annoying smirk still planted on his handsome facr. He slipped a finger along the waistline of her boy shorts and was just about to slip it off when a tiny voice broke them out of their lustful state, they froza and stared into each other's faces in shock.

"Mama, Mitch." It was Jonas, apparently, the food hadn't knocked him out that much.

They both scrambled off the couch with Rhea pulling up her jean in record time just before Jonas walked in. He gave them odd stares, his eyes still dull from sleep, "Hi." He mumbled.

Rhea gave him her best smile, "Hey baby, did you sleep well?" She asked cheerily.

He creased his brows in confusion, "Are you okay mama?" He found it odd that she was speaking so sweetly to him when she looked ready to give him a good scolding before her slept.

"Of course I am sweety, why do you ask?" She asked with that same sweet voice.

He looked from her to Mitch who was rubbing the nape of his neck and then back to her, something was going on, for one thing, Mitch didn't act this way toward him, he was usually all smiles and friendly, now he seemed dodgy, "I'm going back to sleep." He said drowsily as he turned around and made his way back to the room he had come from, perhaps when he woke up again, things would return to normal.

Both Rhea and Mitch simultaneously released breaths neither had been aware they were holding once he was out of sight. Their gazes locked, suddenly the thought that Jonas had almost caught them in a sexual position didn't matter as much as the fact that they had almost given into their sexual desires, various thoughts ran into their heads, all of them in disapproval.

Rhea swore she had to stop this rubbish, it wasn't good for her physically or mentally and from the way he looked at her now, it was perhaps better if they weren't left alone in the same room.

Unsure of what to say to him to break the awkward silence, she blurted out the first, and perhaps, stupidest thing that came to mind, "You can't take him away from me Mitchell, please."

At first, Mitchell wasn't sure what she meant, but his brain finally clicked in seconds making his frown deepen, damn it he should have known, the manipulative...," So that's what all this was about." He began stonily, pissed that she had played him, NOBODY played him.

"What?"

"What did you think? That all you'd have to do was fuck me and I'd not take your ass to court? Do I look that dumb to you? Is that why you came here dressed like that? Is that why you didn't fight me off when I kissed you? Why you just lay there and let me touch you in ways you haven't let me since you got here?" He asked menacingly, every bitter word that slipped out of his sinfully sexy lips crushing him and his hopes just a little harder but even worse, grinding and pummeling the shit out of an ego that had damn near turned to dust since this fiery femme fatale staged an appearance in his life.

Rhea stared at him in shock, she wanted to say something, but her brain had blanked out with a rage that was bubbling under once she realised what she was being accused of. There were no words to describe how pained she felt, how horribly hurt she was that he would think she would stoop so low as to offer him her body just to avoid a custody battle, she was willing to do anything to keep her son, but she had her dignity to preserve in the process and she would NEVER degrade herself by sleeping with anyone, least of all an air-headed jerk of Mitchell's calibre to keep her own child.

Her silence did nothing to appease Mitchell's brewing anger, he walked closer to her until he was looking her deep in her anger filled eyes, the look of hurt in them tore at his heart, but he was too blinded by rage and that gnawing feeling of being played to stop now, "Is that it Rhea? You were gonna let me fuck the shit outta you and then go home to Jared and fuck him too to celebrate how you both outsmarted the stupid, horny, Mitchell Montgomery." He spoke, his voice low and bitter.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Rhea's brain finally connected with the rest of her, her hand came up and smacked him hard across his face with a strength she wasn't aware she posessed, unable to curb the rage in her, her other palm came in contact with the other side of his fave so hard there was a cut by the corner of his eye. She wished she could do more, but anything other than slapping this vile creature who just happened to be partly responsible for the creation of the most beautiful thing in her life would destroy her. If she was going to cry, it would be far away from him.

She turned on her heels and made her way down the hall Jonas had emerged from, calling for him, he ran out of a room looking quite alert, "Mama, what's...?" He barely got the words out his mouth before he felt his feet leave the ground, his mother carrying him effortlessly like she hadn't complained of his weight just that morning.




Confrontation Ch. 06b



If Rhea thought she was getting Jonas and leaving hitch free, she was highly mistaken because right at the door was an over 200 pound solid wall of meat and muscle stopping her with a glare that would make a demon cower, but even he knew Rhea had more guts than a mere demon.

"Get out of my way."

"You're not leaving here with him." Mitch replied letting his anger and spite control his actions rather than reasoning.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way" she demanded.

"What's going on Mama?" Jonas asked, sleep now long forgotten as he became an unwilling witnedd and the unsuspecting prize in a battle of wills.

"I will..."

"Get the hell out of my way Mitchell!" Thea screamed, the strong facade she had been holding up slowly crunbling as she felt the tears begin to surface and her body trembling.

Jonas looked confused and distraught, unsure of what to do to quell all this tension or how it had even come to be, they had only just been having lunch together and they were having a fairly good conversation that didn't give off any vibes of an impending storn the level of which was now occuring, so how had it all come to this? He held on tightly to his mother, instinctively wanting to protect her from the huge man, but a small part of him wanted to take Mitch's side too.

"If you want to leave, you can get the hell out, but I forbid you to take my son with you!" He raved. There. He had said it in the presence of the person who needed to hear it the most, suddenly all the pent up frustration evaporated from him, he wasn't glaring down at a now wide-eyed Rhea, his previously tense muscled had relaxed and he felt lighter by more than a few tons. But just as the feeling of triumph washed over him, something else stabbed at his heart and that was when the reasoning and rationality that had departed from him when she told him not to take Jonas away returned. Realization knocked into him so hard, he thought the air had left his lungs. He had exposed a damning secret at the wrong place and at the worst of times.

"You're my dad?" Jonas' voice sliced through the thick curtain of silence that had reigned after Mitchell's outburst.

Neither parent replied the child just knowing he would have a barrage of questions before the day ended. 



Confrontation Ch. 07



 *Thanks again for the feedbacks guys, that's what keeps me going. Do rate and comment, cheers. This chapter is dedicated to TRELLYWELLDOITWELL* Olanna.




Rhea looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time, pleased with what she saw, she picked up her handbag and made her way to the door.

She had gotten a job in an accounting firm as a receptionist, it wasn't much, but it kept her busy and helped her make a decent pay. It was pertinent that she get a job recently since she didn't seem of much use anymore. She had begun a schedule with Mitch when she got the job concerning Jonas, he would pick him up at 7:00am to take him to school and she would drop by his place later in the day when she was returning home to pick him up.

This way, Jonas got to spend more time with Mitchell..not like he was interested in spending time with her since Mitchell's outburst over a week ago, Jonas had been withdrawn. Towards her, he didn't hate her, it was more like a feeling of betrayal , he didn't smile as much as he used to when he was around her he didn't talk much either.

She clearly remembered their conversation as she drove them home that day he had asked her casually why she hadn't told him Mitchell was his father and she had simply replied that the time hadn't been right.

"When were you going to tell me?" He asked, apparently not buying that excuse.

"At a later time she replied. 

"But he was right here, he had always been, I don't get it. All you had to say was 'Jonas, Mitchell is your father' how hard is that?" He shot, his tone a little angrier.

She hadn't replied hi, because she couldn't give him a straight answer and she honestly couldn't explain to him, the complicated and highly shameful story of his conception, there were some things he would never know, that was for sure.

He had huffed and folded his arms when she failed to reply him.

"I'm sorry." She spoke after some minutes, it was a sincere apology.

Jonas didn't reply, he just stared out the window, that marked the beginning of his silent treatment.

It saddened her whenever she'd talk to him and get one-word replies, but once Mitchell was present, he morphed into a chatterbox, he had even began calling him 'Papa', not that she had a problem with that, it was Jonas' refusal to acknowledge her presence that caused her much worry, she supposed it was something she'd have to endure, to some extent, she deserved it.

She stepped out of the house and locked up the door behind her, just as she stepped off the porch, she noticed Jared's dark brown truck heading to the house, she frowned. She still partially blamed him for the fracas that led to her temporary fall out with Jonas, if only he hadn't gone running his mouth...

She watched the car come to a halt a few metres from hers and gave a brief look at her watch, she supposed she could spare ten minutes.

Jared got out of his truck. His eyes skimmed over her curvy frame, she looked dressed for work going by her grey colored fitted skirt that just brushed her knees, the turquoise blouse and a pair of low-heeled, black peep-toes, it was supposed to look conservative, but with a body like Rhea's it was difficult to pull off the conservative look.

When his eyes finally reached her face, he could instantly tell she was unhappy with him. He walked toward her, stopping when he was half a foot away, "hi" he began.

Rhea wanted to be pissed at him, yes, he did cause all of the drama she was going through right now, but looking at the bigger picture, he wasn't all that responsible, he was more of a blur in it all, "Hi." She replied, her voice as bland as possible.

Okay, so he had pissed her off, "How have you been?"

"I've been well."

The conversation felt like one being held by two estranged people, she hadn't called back to accept his proposal, so it was obvious she wasn't interested in dating him, this reception had solidified that fact...then again, he wasn't so sure he wanted her to accept the proposal either. Things with Rebecca had seriously muddled his feelings up, he still liked Rhea- a lot, but not as much as he had when he first asked her to date him, or over a week ago, when he had confronted Mitch because of her.

He scanned the area idly, unsure of what else to say, "Rhe.."

"I can't Jared." She cut in.

He creased his brows, "You...can't...what?"

Rhea sighed, "I really appreciate everything you've done for I and Jonas, but I can't date you, not now, not ever. I just have too much going on with me and I don't want you in all of my drama, I..." She took a moment off babbling and sighed in exasperation, "...I'm sorry." She finished solemnly.

Jared was quiet as he assessed the feelings those words brought, the first thing he realised was, he wasn't as gutted as he thought he should be, he was disappointed, yes, he was a bit sad, but he wasn't angry. Perhaps because inwardly, he had expected the rejection, perhaps that was why he has been bidding his time all these years, postponing the inevitable. He liked Rhea, but this was one battle he had lost before it's beginning.

"Oh..." That was the only word he could come up with at first. He knitted his brows, "I..is..." He sighed, thinking of a simpler way to ask his question, "Is this about Mitch?" It was still hard to ask, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

She shook her head, "No, I just can't do this." Technically, that wasn't a lie. Yes, Mitch was partly responsible, a teeny weeny part, but on the whole, this had more to do with her and her inability to commit to anyone, she had built her life around herself and then Jonas, she had never been relationship material, she thought she was too strong-willed for anyone to tolerate. The longest relationship she had had was 2 weeks, that was back when she was a teenager. It was safe to say she had no dating experiences as far as her adult life was concerned. The whole idea of a relationship with a man, or even a woman, did nothing for her.

He nodded, "I get it. I just...I hope it's okay with you if I still want to remain friends." He suggested, finding he felt better with that option.

Her initial reaction was surprise, and then after further thought, she realised she was talking with Jared, he was easy-going like that, if it had been Mitch...if it had been Mitch, she would have given him a chance- bitter truth. But this wasn't Mitch as much as she secretly wished it was, this was Jared.

"I...sure." She replied softly, her voice a mixture of disbelief and relief.

He smiled at her, thinking of how he'd call he'd call Rebecca once he got home, she would love the news, "Thank you." He reached out for a hug and she obliged him. He inhaled her scent, thinking this the last time he would get this opportunity, even the feel of her body against his would be missed. He knew what he had had for her was an infatuation, she felt nothing a woman should feel for a man for him, it was Mitchell she wanted, she wouldn't admit it, but that was another fact he had discovered at the amusement park.

He had to go to his Rebecca, the woman he wanted who actually wanted him too.

*****

"Appetite. A-P-P-E-T-I-T-E Appetite." Jonas completed with a large smile just knowing he had gotten it right this time. He had been trying to correctly spell the word without missing or misplacing any word and his efforts were paying off.

Mitch had agreed to help him train for a Spelling Bee he planned to register for that was to hold sometime in early December. He had overheard his class teacher talking about it and thought he could surely qualify for the competition- never mind that it was organised solely for pupils from the 3rd to 9th grade. He knew he was smarter than some of the third graders, hence, as capable as they were to win a Spelling Bee.

"That is..." Mitch held off his verdict, letting Jonas feel just a little suspense before he finished, "..correct. Hi-five!" He said as he raised his palm in the air, Jonas smacked it. He had agreed to help him out with practices and though he knew Jonas wasn't eligible just fro the way he had evaded the question when he had asked of his eligibility, he wasn't about to rain on the kid's parade. Besides, this whole training thing not only helped them bond more, it also helped with Jonas' vocabulary, though he almost dreaded the next week when Jonas would realise he just couldn't manoeuvre his way through certain things.

Jonas jumped around in excitement, "What else, what else?" He asked suddenly feeling like he could actually win those snobby third graders and shut them up.

"That's all for today Jonas." Mitchell replied.

Jonas ceased his jumping, "What? No, no, we only just started" he protested, his voice filled with disappointment.

"Actually, we've been on this for an hour, besides, your mother will soon be here to pick you up." Mitch said with finality.

That information made Jonas sulk, "But I don't want to go, I want to spend the night here." He cried.

Mitch sighed, they had been going through this for some days now he liked the attachment, but it was sometimes hard to pry Jonas off when it was time to go, it was getting increasingly difficult and tiring.

"I thought we talked about this Jonas. You spend the day with me and your mother takes you for the night."

"It doesn't make it any better. Why can't you and mama just live together? It'll save us some money." He suggested.

Another sigh escaped Mitch's lips, Jonas had no idea how much he'd love that. He wasn't pleased with this arrangement either, he wanted to spend all day with Jonas if possible- and Rhea too. Yes, she wasn't really speaking to him since his little outburst, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be remedied. He had been considering talking to her about them and the possibility that they could be a real family, but he had yet to have the opportunity to do so the time was just never appropriate, maybe he could schedule something this weekend if Lynn wouldn't mind babysitting Jonas. He would suggest that to Rhea today.

For now, he just plastered a warm smile to his face and said, "I'll tell you wh(, we'll see what happens after your birthday."

"Really?" Jonas grinned from ear to ear

"Yep, speaking of which did you want me to get you again?" Mitch asked hoping his new line of questioning would divert the current topic.

Jonas shook his head, "You won't have to get me anything, I just want mama to come live with us." He replied softly.

Mitch felt a small cramp in his chest. Jonas sounded so...sad. He was going to get Rhea to come stay with them, he would get her to marry him and it damn sure wouldn't be one of mere convenience.

*****

Rhea nearly tripped on Mitch's porch as she hurried to reach his front door. She was late. She had meant to pick Jonas up earlier, but she had been flooded with various be sorted out and had lost track of time. The traffic hadn't helped matters, she hated the evening traffic.

She rapped at the door once, then a second time, in her mind's eye, she had a picture of Mitch taking his time to swagger to the door, of course, typical Mitch. She heard the door click and watched it open just a tiny bit, what did he think she was, a criminal?

Mitch opened the door wider when he saw Rhea, she looked frazzled, like she had done a sprint to get here. He wondered why, sure, she was late, but it wasn't like she left Jonas with some old witch, he was pretty safe here, "It's about time." He muttered as she rushed in.

Rhea ignored him and looked around the house noticing that it was much more organized than it should be if a kid was around and quieter too, "Where's Jonas?" She asked, her voice filled with confusion and fear. A ton of possibilities crossed her mind, what if Mitch hadn't gone to pick him up on time? No, if he wasn't here, Mitch wouldn't be this calm.

"Good evening to you too, how was your say? Mine went well, thanks for asking." Mitch replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Normally, she would have a witty statement shot back at him, but she was much too exhausted to trade words with him today, he'd have to wait another day to piss her off. She sighed, "Just get me Jonas, please, I'm in no mood for your childishness." She replied, her voice telling of her fatigue

Mitch raised his brows, he didn't exactly like that she had spoken to him like an exasperated mother would a troublesome child, he wanted to reply her, but seeing that she truly was tired, and he wasn't prepared to argue with her especially when he wanted to try and sneak his way into her good books to ready them both for his proposal, he let it go, "He's asleep in my room..." He began, he saw panic flash in her eyes and instantly quelled her doubts knowing just what she was thinking, "...yes, I made sure he had dinner, took his bath and brushed his teeth before he went to sleep, we even said prayers."

Rhea released another sigh and without a thought said, "Thank you." In her most sincere tone. She knew this was his duty, nothing he deserved a pat on the back for, but knowing Mitchell was the farthest from being a 'fatherly' man, it was good to know that he could take care of Jonas without her help...she paused in her thoughts, was that really a good thing? It wouldn't exactly be in her favor if he chose to seek full custody. Then again, he hadn't mentioned the custody thing since he threatened her with it at her house so she was starting to let her guard down just a little, but not so much that he could take her unawares.

Mitchell was momentarily surprised, had she just thanked him? And in a nice way, not that half-hearted shit she usually did. She must really be exhausted, he thought, "You're welcome." He heard himself say. An awkward silence cloaked the for some minutes, each nursing the fact that an invisible chunk of the large wall they had built to protect themselves from each other's spite had fallen off.

"Your bedroom is down the hall?" She asked to break the silence that made her highly uncomfortable. Again, the humor in their situation wasn't lost on her. She had a child for this an and she didn't even know where his bedroom was.

He nodded, "Yes..." She made her way toward it without waiting for the end of his sentence, "Rhea, wait." He called out.

She stopped walking and turned toward him, she had never hear her name sound so...good, coming from his lips. When he said it normally, it sounded to her like he thought it venomous, perhaps it was just her ears making everything that escaped his lips sound vile, what had changed? She wondered, "Yes?"

"I.." He sighed, "If you can make time this weekend, I'd like us to talk."

Fear gripped Rhea at those words, talk? Talk about what? What was there to talk about? Was he going to tell her that he had contacted his lawyer concerning the custody case? What could he want to talk about? Her thoughts were in a riot, quieting the voices in her head, she found the voice to speak, "I...what for?" She asked after getting some saliva in her dry mouth.

"I just want us to straighten some things out. Before you reject, this is beyond just the two of us, it's for the good of Jonas." He added.

His mentioning of Jonas hadn't eased her fears, "H...how do you mean?"

Was she scared? No, it wasn't possible, she couldn't be scared, she was Rhea Myers, she was no wuss, "Like I said, if you're free this weekend, I want us to talk. We can't right now and it'll be better if Jonas isn't here either. Just the two of us."

Rhea nodded, "Sure." She replied. She was scared of what it meant, but she understood the implication, this little talk was long overdue. She just hoped it had nothing to do with what she thought it did.

*****

Rebecca opened up her phone's inbox and read the message one more time. She had to be sure that she hadn't been seeing things, that this was real and not her mind deceiving her. Never mind that a call had followed minutes after the message when she hadn't replied as quickly as he expected, she was still unsure.

Her eyes devoured the message one more time, it was quite brief:

Hey, I was just wondering if you'd be free this weekend,maybe you and I could have dinner some time this weekend. It's okay if you don't want to.

He was asking her on a date. She had been ecstatic, just when she thought she was fighting a losing battle, it seemed fate had dealt her a lucky hand. There had been no signs that there would be such a turn-around on his part, after their kiss at their reunion, there had been none other, there were hugs and intimate touches, but whenever it seemed like they were crossing the line, he was quick to set things straight in a polite manner. Why the sudden change?

Once the excitement died down, she found herself thinking of why he wanted more to do with her, what could have happened between him and his lady love? Had she rejected him? Was that why he was running to her? As the second choice? Was she just the side chick he ran to because the main girl he wanted didn't want him?

She had accepted the date, not just because she really wanted to see if they could pick up from where they left off, but also, to be sure of where exactly he stood with her, to let him know in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't play second fiddle. She did love him, he was her first and only love, but she wanted his assurance that he felt the same about her before she returned to Boston on Sunday.

She had chosen to take a taxi to the restaurant they were to meet, declining his offer to drive them both there, the last thing she needed was riding with him to a romantic date, she needed to have her thoughts in order when she told him just how she felt about his turn-around.

"We're here." The cabbie, a salt and papper-haired man whose age she guessed to be mid forties said. She liked the man, he had made her comfortable once she got in with his nice ☺ that reached playful sky-blue eyes, she liked that rather than ogle her like she was used to from other cabbies, he had simply appraised and complemented her, but had gone no further. She especially liked the southern twang in his voice too. They had shared a little chat on their way here, he had told her she reminded him of a friend of his, by the sound of regret in his voice, it was easy to tell that the friend in question had been more than platonic, he hadn't given away any more information and she hadn't probed for more, he had told her as much as he was comfortable with and she was fine with that.

She gave him a warm smile, "Thank you Harry, how much is my bill?" She asked as she opened her clutch.

He waved her question away, "Nah, you ain't gotta pay me, I'm glad I got the chance to drive a pretty lady like you around. Your date's one lucky fella."

Rebecca's face showed her surprise, she wasn't used to such generosity, "Thank you Harry, have a great evening."

"You too Miss." He replied

With that Rebecca stepped out of the car, she turned to wave Harry goodbye and watched him drive off. She turned to look at the elegant building that was the restaurant she was to meet Jared. With a deep sigh, she walked into the restaurant, it was time to face her fears...or her future

*****

Jared fiddled with his phone as he awaited Rebecca's arrival. He was nervous. And rightly so. He hadn't expected her to accept his invitation, her failure to reply his initial text had caused him to worry, hence why he had called her. He was glad she hadn't turned him down.

Now, came the hard part. He had a lot of things he was itching to tell her, but would she believe him? She would never have doubted his word when they were teenagers, but the circumstances they found themselves in brought up that possibility. Rebecca was no fool, he had always known that, his intention wasn't to make a fool of her, but what if she thought so? What if she thought he was a user? He couldn't stand that thought, a chill ran down his body and he seemed to hyper ventilate at the possibility that she would call his bluff.




Confrontation Ch. 07



In his head, he had come up with different scenarios on how the night would end for them. The first ended with her accepting his proposal, the second ended with a promise to consider it and the third- the one he dreaded the most- ended with a glass of wine being thrown at his face and her telling him to go fuck himself. 

He braced himself, feeling the first signs of his mini-seizure coming on. He hadn't been this nervous with Rhea, perhaps another sign that it was Rebecca he really wanted- it was Rebecca he had always wanted.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice the two figures that approached him, nor did he notice when they stopped at his table.

"Mr. Doyle." The voice of a waiter broke into his thoughts.

"Ye..." The word got stuck in his throat as he raised his head to behold the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, going by the instant hard-on he got at the sight, his dick agreed. He had never seen Rebecca look so....stunning, it was apparent she was bent on showing him just what he had been missing all these years. Her hair was a mass of loose curls swept to one side, her grey eyes popped with the smoky eye-liner, her naturally long lashes were displayed with some mascara, she wasn't heavily made-up, her lips were in a light shade of pink, her chocolate skin seemed to glow against the peach colored dress she had on, it was a bandage dress and boy did it hug her sinful curves, it's sleeve just barely passed her shoulder blades and it's heart-shaped neck put just a peek of her cleavage on display. The dress reached mid-thigh after which came what seemed like an endless display of long, toned legs. She had a pair of silver sandals with pencil-thin heels that made her legs appear even longer than they already were.

He gulped uneasily, he was definitely done for. 

His eyes re-traced the route they had taken, returning to her face where a small smile hinted that she had noticed his appraisal, he hoped she saw his approval too.

"Mr. Doyle?"

His attention returned to the waiter whose expression was one of worry, "Yes?" He caught himself, realising the reason for the waiter's expression, "Yes, yes she's my date." He replied.

The waiter smiled, not because he wanted to, but that was part of his job- or maybe he was just glad he'd soon be away from this weirdo, "Well then, have a wonderful night." He said, with a curt nod at Rebecca, he walked away, leaving them both.

Jared took a few more minutes to ogle Rebecca while she stood there, his roving eyes unable to register her growing discomfort until she spoke, "Are you gonna offer me a seat or are we going to have this date with me standing?"

Catching himself for the second time in 5 minutes, he smiled his apology quickly getting off his seat, he pulled out a chair for her and she slid into it with the grace of royalty, "I'm sorry, it's just...you're gorgeous." He said once he finally regained his voice.

She blushed at his compliment, "Thank you, I think you look gorgeous too." She replied. Truly he did, he was dressed in a black, well-tailored suit that fit his 6ft.2" frame like it was designed solely for him, a pristine white shirt lay beneath the suit, coupled with a slim black tie, he looked like he had just stepped out of a photo-shoot for a magazine cover and was easily the best-looking man in this restaurant- not that he ever noticed such things.

Jared smiled, "Thanks." There was a moment of silence between them where they both studied each other, the flash of desire in both of their eyes was unmistakable, neither was the sexual tension. Left to Jared, they could've skipped dinner and just gone some place nice and private where they could both discover just how far they could take their desires, but as much as the thought of fucking her into oblivion appealed to him, he had to go through this the right way, to make himself worthy of her affection rather than manipulate her attraction to him, he knew he had a measure of her affection, but still, he wanted more, he wanted a commitment, and he would get it before the night ended.

"So, would you like to order?" He asked, breaking the tension.

Rebecca smiled, "Aren't we supposed to wait for an assigned waiter?" 

He returned her smile with a sheepish one, of course." He wondered if she could tell how nervous he was, maybe she could, Rebecca had always been able to read him. Well, he hoped by the end of the night she'd be able to read his sincerity

*****

"So we get to the house and the place is a glorified dump. I mean, once we cornered into the street I swear I had a 'what the fuck' moment. This house looked like it had been vandalised in 1993 and hadn't been occupied since. It just stood there in the middle of overgrown grass, like those creepy houses they use in horror movies. I was in shock." Rebecca said as she re-counted the story of a certain house that had been up for sale which she had handled.

Jared had a smile plastered on his face, he had been smiling since they had gotten their meal because she had been telling him of her many experiences as a realtor. She was an extremely animated person naturally so her gestures and facial expressions had really added flavor to the stories, she made him smile. He was starting to remember just what had ade hi fall for her all those years ago, "So what did you do?"

"What did I do? First thing I did was to call up my boss and tell him the house in question was no 'Victorian' house, the only thing that place could've been good for was an exorcism movie or something. Then, I took pictures of the outside of the place, cuz Lord knows I wasn't gonna go 3 feet close to that place even less get inside, I e-mailed it to hi and got an instant reply. Guess what he said."

"What did he say?" Jared asked as he took a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving her pretty face as he watched the amused expression she sported. An image of what that pretty face looked like when she was aroused flashed in his mind making him adjust himself in his pants, he had lost count of how many times he had adjusted himself in the past hour. Even the raspberry smell of her perfume was wrecking havoc on his senses.

She gave him a reprimanding look, "I asked you to guess."

He laughed at her expression, "Okay, um...he asked you to go in?" It was a lame guess, he had never been good at guessing games. She knew that.

She shook her head, "He told me to get the hell off that property before the house swallowed me."

They shared a short laugh which died down eventually until there was that awkward silence again. They had gone an hour without any awkwardness so Jared knew it was time to get serious- so did she.

"So, what happened to your lady love?" Rebecca began, seeing this as good a time as any to bring up the main subject of the nice.

Jared coughed, it wasn't an uncomfortable one because he had been expecting this the entire time so he thought he was ready enough for it, "It didn't work out." He replied honestly, he had a feeling she could probably detect a lie if he spoke it too.

She raised her brows in surprise, "Why didn't it work out?" She asked as she sipped from her glass of wine.

He stared straight at her and spoke in all sincerity, "Because of you."

She paused in her movement and then shot him a look of amusement, "How so?" She asked, her soulful grey eyes never leaving his electric blue like she was challenging him to give her a good story.

Jared smiled inwardly, of course she wouldn't leave it at that, he almost thought he'd get lucky. He reached for her hand and took it, much like how he had taken Rhea's weeks ago, difference being, with Rhea it was much easier to explain his feelings, now he felt like his tongue had left his mouth and that mini-seizure just could escalate. 

"I..." He sighed, a nervous smile playing on his lips, damn it he had practiced this shit at home like some twelve year old who wanted to profess his love for a crush and now he couldn't even remember a word of all that bull he had come up with, "I'm infatuated with you, no, I'm obsessed with you, so obsessed when you left Texas, I kept looking for a Rebecca in every girl I came across, I barely kept a stable relationship because I couldn't stay long enough with any girl because they weren't you. And then I met Rhea..." She gave him a questioning look and he quickly supplied an answer, "...she's the woman I was with. When I met Rhea, she reminded me so much of you, she's like a clone of you, physically especially, I saw her and I was immediately smitten, I had asked her to date me few days before you visited me, she didn't give me an immediate answer because, like me, I believe she was in love with someone else. Your return just complicated everything because I started having second thoughts about I and Rhea. The day before I called you up for this date, she told me she couldn't date me, I didn't push it cuz I was hoping she would do that, I didn't want to have to tell her I had taken back my proposal, I...it's you I want." 

Rebecca just sat staring at him after his speech, from her expression, he could tell she was digesting everything she had just been told. He wondered how long it would take her to do that. At this point, he was ready to receive a full glass of wine on his face, it didn't matter that her initial reaction would be rage, she would come around eventually, and if she didn't, he would make her come around. 

"How sure are you that it's me you really want? That I'm not just your rebound girl?" She asked vital questions that had plagued her since he asked her on a date.

He noted that her voice had dropped an octave, she didn't sound as bright and bubbly as she had minutes ago. He could tell his confession had affected her more than she wanted to give off, he could read her almost as good as she could him, "No, never. I would never do that to you Rebecca, you know that." Just the fact that she had said that upset him. He knew she was only trying to stop herself from dreaming too far, but he thought she should know better than to think herself a second option, he would rather remain single than have her as a rebound girl.

Rebecca smiled, "Jared..." She sighed, her eyes dropped to their entwined fingers. She smiled at the contrast in their skin tones remembering the first time they had held hands like this. It was on their first date, prior to that day they had never come in close contact; he hadn't wanted to touch her fearing she might move out of his reach if he attempted it, and she hadn't wanted to touch him because...because she had been scared of what people would say. She hadn't been in Austin that long, she hadn't made a lot of friends- no, she hadn't made any friends until Jared, nobody liked her. The bi-racial new kid. The white kids thought she was too black and the black kids...they just thought she was weird. She noticed the looks they gave her, they were more of curiosity than disapproval, no one ever bothered to appease that curiosity.

She had been wary the first time Jared had spoken to her, he had asked for a pen, she didn't really think he didn't have a pen, he just wanted to talk to her and she had wondered why this blue-eyed hottie wanted to talk to a weirdo like herself. Eventually, she discovered the blue-eyed hottie was an introvert and he had spoken to her because he felt they had something in common.

That day at the carnival, she remembered how nervous she had been to be seen in public with him, after all the hushed words she had heard the girls in their school exchange amongst themselves about them, she wasn't keen on hearing more. He had touched her like he had seen the war going on within her, she turned his gaze to him. He took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Ignore them, you're here for me." He said.

She had looked down at their hands, her doe eyes widening just a little in awe of the sight, then she raised her eyes to him and smiled her appreciation. She thought that was the day she fell in love with Jared Doyle.

"Becca." His voice brought her back to the present.

She raised her eyes to him, he was smiling at her, that beautiful smile she had fallen for the first time she had seen it and she knew instantly that as much as she wanted to make herself believe so, it would never matter to her whether she was his rebound girl or the main girl, she just wanted to be with him. She also knew he would never make her his rebound girl, they had too much history for that.

"For a minute there, I thought you zoned out on me." He laughed.

"I did," she said quietly, "Remember our first date."

He didn't know where that question had come from, but he answered it, "I could never forget it, I got to kiss you that day, in that House of Horror ride." 

A blush crept into her cheeks, she remembered how good his lips had felt against hers, the adrenaline pumping through her mingled with the fear that they could get caught. He had ended the kiss just before they emerged from the darkness that had cloaked them. That had been her first kiss.

She shook her head with a smile, "Not that part Jared. I mean, when we had first gotten to the carnival and you had taken my hand and told me to ignore everyone else."

He nodded, his features turning just a little more serious remembering how pissed he had been that all those people who knew nothing of either them giving them those disapproving looks like they expected them to turn around and return home where their parents would teach them on the right people to mingle with, "Yeah, I do."

She smiled, "I fell in love with you that day, I don't think I've stopped loving you ever since." She replied.

Okay, he hadn't seen that one coming. He didn't doubt her words, hell, he was ecstatic about them. She loved him. She still loved him, this was going better than he imagined, "I fell in love with you the day you read out your essay on 'The struggle for acceptance.'"

She gave him a surprised look, she hadn't even known him then, she had only been in the school a week when they had gotten that assignment and her situation at that time was in line with the topic. He had approached her the day she read that essay now that she thought about it, it was right after their english class that he had asked for that pen.

He smiled at the look on her face, "It's still the most thought-provoking write-up I've ever heard." 

She smiled her appreciation, she watched him raise her hand up towards his lips, he placed a light kiss at the back of her hand, she caught her breath at the contact, just the feel of his lips on her skin made her tingle in all the right places, "I've enjoyed myself today, I'll be returning to Boston tomorrow. How do you feel about long distance relationships?" She asked.

Jared smiled at her question, if only she knew how close he was to closing that distance. More importantly, his face was still dry and she hadn't left her seat just yet. He wouldn't let distance separate them for the second time, there could only be one Rebecca for him.

*****

"What could he want?" The question was laced with concern and confusion.

"I don't know." She replied agitatedly.

"Well what do you think he wants?"

"I don't know that, I...he gave no indications, I don't know." She replied, the frustration now slipping into her voice.

There was a little silence between them, if there were any sounds, they remained within their heads.

"Well, we have no choice but to wait till Saturday, right?"

That didn't make her feel any better, it agitated her even more. Wait till Saturday? That would take...forever! She was going to die of anxiety before Saturday. With a deep sigh, she calmed her tumultuous mind, "I...I guess so." She replied as she finally eased into a seat in resignation.

That was three days ago. She hadn't had a good night's rest in three days and her day of reckoning had finally come- or so, Rhea thought it. She had dropped Jonas off at Lynn's house, he had been excited to have a sleep over with Amy, he seemed to be getting attached to the 2 year old girl so much he called her his little sister. 

Rhea sat wringing her hands, Mitch had gone to get them something to drink, he was acting very....nice oddly enough, that made her feel a lot more nervous. He wasn't supposed to be so nice, he was supposed to be cold and unapproachable, why the hell was he being nice?!

He came back into the sitting room, a glass of juice in one hand and the other, a bottle of beer, she wondered if he ever drank anything else. He sat next to her, close, she adjusted her sitting position, moving away from him just a little, she didn't need him muddling up her thoughts with his closeness.

Mitch noticed the slight adjustment, at first he was pissed that she was moving away from him, and then thinking deeper about it, he calmed down, he didn't need to jeopardise this important meeting with his tantrums, he would let it pass for now.

"Here." He spoke as he handed her the glass of juice.

Rhea accepted it, "Thanks." She was only able to take a little sip before she dropped it on the side table, her stomach was in disarray and she doubted her nervousness would even let her digest anything.

He took his time, savoring the taste of his beer as she watched and waited for whatever it was he had to say. She didn't get his desire to drink that thing like he hadn't tasted it countless times before, why the hell was he keeping her on edge when he could just spit out his purpose for proposing this meeting?, "So?" She asked once her impatience won the battle in her head.

His eyes drank her in before asking plainly, "So?" He was nervous, she couldn't tell because he was pretty good at hiding those things- apparently she wasn't as good as he was. He almost laughed at her agitated state, if only she knew what he was set to propose, she would realise he was the one who ought to be this frazzled. In his head he was thinking up ways to introduce the subject without rattling her, he didn't think there was an easy way for this.

Rhea glared at him, her nervousness giving way to slight anger, "Why am I here Mitchell?" She asked, her voice giving off just a hint of the storm that was to come if he failed to start talking.

Mitchell coughed and adjusted his seating position, "I...I made a promise to Jonas to get him an awesome birthday present." He began, seeing that as the best way to start up a potentially awkward conversation.

Rhea raised a brow, "What does that have to do with me?" She wanted to be calm seeing that he hadn't hit her with a custody battle directly, but one never knew how Mitchell Montgomery's mind worked, for all she knew he was preparing her for a big blow.

With a deep sigh, Mitchell stood up, perhaps he would feel better if he wasn't sitting so close to her- or watching her lips move, or inhaling the scent of her perfume...or watching the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed, generally, he would be more focused if he wasn't looking at the object of his desire.

"When Jared said you and him were dating, was he bluffing?" He knew those two sentences had little or nothing to do with each other, but it would be much better if he could confirm that she wasn't in any relationship first.

Rhea scoffed, "Now you want to ask me? Why didn't you just ask Jared?"

Mitch rolled his eyes at her, of course she would give him a little attitude, it was well deserved, but still, not appreciated, "Are you going to answer me or just throw questions back at me?"

She glared at him, "If you had given me a chance to explain myself two weeks ago when you came to rave about how you were going to seek full custody of Jonas, you would have known that I never at any time assented to any relationship with Jared." She replied wondering where this whole conversation was going.

"First off, I never raved, in fact, I don't think I've ever been as calm as I was, secondly, you're not dating Jared?" He felt slightly gullible knowing that Jared had played with his head, and down right shitty as he remembered accusing Rhea of trying to sleep with him to avert his going to court.




Confrontation Ch. 07



"No Mitchell, I'm not and I never was dating Jared." 

Mitchell nodded and allowed a moment of silence to dwell between them, "I'm sorry." He replied quietly. She raised her brows but said nothing, so he elaborated on his meaning, "..for everything. I'm sorry for accusing you of using your body to..to prevent my going to court, I'm sorry for not letting you defend yourself two weeks ago and I'm especially sorry for...I'm sorry for taking you against your will five years ago." He spoke in all sincerity, he was too deep in his thoughts to notice the look of shock on her face as he continued, "It was a cowardly move, I should've approached you the right way, but I never had the balls too. I was attracted to you the first day I met you, I never wanted Lynn, it's always been you, Lynn was just...she was supposed to be the connection. I asked around and heard about your reputation in town, I thought I stood a chance, but when you blocked me many times, I...God, Rhea! You made me feel like shit, like I was some creature beneath you, I'm not used to feeling like that. When I met Lynn and discovered you and her were best friends I thought if I dated her, maybe I could get to you." He chuckled at that plan, turned out it wasn't as foolproof as he thought, hell, it just made her distance herself even more, "that didn't work out. When Lynn left my house crying that day, I knew she'd run to you, I hoped you'd come over to confront me, but I wasn't sure you would...I never planned for things to go as they did, I definitely didn't think you'd come with a bat or break my window and I never planned to take you on the floor, it was supposed to be sexier than that..." He laughed at how much his entire plan had gone to the dogs, "I wanted to seduce you." 

He stopped walking as his thoughts returned to the present and he realised she hadn't interrupted him or called his bluff, she was just staring, and she didn't look half as pissed as he had envisioned she would. He sighed deeply, "Do you have anything to say?" He asked.

What did he want her to say? What did he expect from her? Was she supposed to tell him she had been attracted to him also but had dismissed him as nothing more than a hopeless womanizer? That she had been hurt when Lynn told her he had asked her out? Did he want to hear that her animosity toward him had been a result of that hurt she felt? She had been hurt, yes, what he had read as her being stubborn, hadn't been stubbornness but uncertainty, she had never been in a relationship- at least a proper one, when he had approached her she had wondered what a man as attractive as he was wanted with her. She knew what he wanted, but wondered why he wanted her when he had women his race drooling over him, she pegged guys like him- the good-looking, smooth talkers as nothing more than womanizers and didn't want to be just a booty call, hence, she hadn't fallen over herself to discover if there could be more between them.

And then that day she had gone to his house despite Lynn's warning, maybe she had done that to see if he still wanted her, maybe it had been this sub-conscious need to know if he really was attracted to her, and yes, just maybe, she had in fact enjoyed every minute spent in his arms and ached to be filled by him once again- but what difference did all of that make? All they had was sexual chemistry- right?

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked quietly.

Mitch sighed, "Because I...because, I want you to...I want you to marry me." He finished.

For what felt like hours, Rhea just sat there staring at him, he knew it was a long time though, and then she stood and made her way to the door, he was confused, "Rhea, Rhea wait, where are you...?" He reached for her arm, but she pulled it away and turned to him with a death glare.

"Do you really expect me to marry you simply because you gave me that cock and bull story? Do I look that stupid to you Mitchell?"

His eyes widened in disbelief, damn it she had totally misunderstood him, he had said the wrong thing, "No, no, Rhea, I..."

"You what? Huh? You think because you have a nice dick and you use it well that I'd be willing to marry you for a lifetime of mind-blowing sex? Is that it Mitchell?"

"No, Rhea..."

"I..."

"God damn it! Rhea Gemma Myers, shut up and listen to me!" He shouted.

She calmed down this time, he knew her middle name? Even Lynn didn't know her middle name, how did he find out?, "So?" She asked grudgingly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I want you to marry me because..." He took a deep breath, "...because I love you." He completed. Again, he had to be kept in suspense, before he finally got her reaction- a hard slap on his right cheek that stung worse than the one she had given him two weeks ago.

"Don't you ever in your pathetic life, tell me that blatant lie Mitchell, never play me like that." She spoke, seething with anger. Now he loved her? The day just kept getting more ridiculous, he loved her? Did he think he could just tell her anything and get her as excited as a six-year old on Christmas morning?"

"It's not a lie Rhea, and don't think I just say that to anybody, I do love you and I wouldn't tell you if I didn't fucking mean it, and you can't tell me that you don't feel something for me either because I know, I can tell, whether you admit it or not that you do feel something for me, it may not be love, but it's more than just attraction." He replied.

She scoffed, and then her thoughts went back to the beginning of this conversation, he had said he made Jonas a promise...of course, she should've known, "Now I get it, is this about Jonas? You want us to get married just so Jonas can have us together? Is that what this is about?" Now she was livid, did he think it was that easy to get to her? And of all the people to use, Jonas?

Mitch grunted in frustration, why did she always have to make everything so damn difficult and complicated, "If I wanted Jonas, I wouldn't have to marry you to get my son, you know that very well Rhea. Fuck, I have never used the L word, ever..."

"And I suppose I should be ecstatic that I'm the lucky winner."

"I didn't invite you here for a shouting match Rhea, we're not here to argue, we're here to have a mature conversation like two adults and you're making it extremely hard to have that."

Yes, she was making it hard, she knew that, because she didn't want to hear the truth in Mitch's words, she didn't even want to hear those words because she was so damn pessimistic it was unhealthy. She loved him, it was one of those underlying truths she didn't think she'd ever be able to accept. She had loved him longer than she wanted to admit, but she was...scared.

"Then I'll just leave." She turned to open the door, but a large hand slammed it shut when it was barely open.

"No." Was his firm reply.

Rhea froze, he sounded extremely close- and felt same. She inhaled deeply, but all she could smell was him. Her heart was in her mouth as she waited with bated breath, she moved closer to the door like it offered some form of protection to her, away from the imposing man that stood dangerously close.

"You will not leave until I say so, you will not run away from your feelings. Look at me when I'm talking to you." He ordered.

She made no move to oblige him, she couldn't look at him, she couldn't afford to lose herself in those mesmerizing green orbs, it was best if she remained in this position.

"Look at me, goddammit!" He shouted as he grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around. He saw a hint of fear flash past her eyes, but it wasn't that fear that kept him staring at her- it was the arousal. He could see it, she wanted him? Did arguing with him excite her? Was that why she did it so often? He did like her feisty side, it served as a prelude to many fantasies he had, but he would never have thought it had the same effect on her.

Rhea's eyes dropped to the floor, "I'm tired Mitch, I want to leave." She said, her body had warmed significantly with his closeness, she didn't need to see what lay behind his eyes, just by his body language she could tell what she would meet.

"You mean you want to run away." He corrected as he took a step closer, effectively molding her to the door.

Rhea's eyes widened, she should have known not to get herself in this position, one too many times he had caught her just like this...then again, maybe she liked being in this position.

She looked up at him, just a little miffed that he was trying to corner her, "Run away? From you?" She scoffed, her current attitude just a facade to cover up the riot going on within her, he cocked a brow at her, his lips gaining a lilt and a dangerous gleam in his eyes, normally, she would take that as a sign to stop her smart mouth, but with the nervousness she felt, she failed to register that, "What are you? The big bad wolf?" She asked sarcastically.

He wrapped a thick arm around her slim waist and pulled her to his body in a not-so-gentle manner, he growled at her, a predatory gleam in his eyes, "You never know." He spoke gruffly, his actions effectively shutting her up. He only meant to ruffle her up a little, but he found himself thinking of other things he could do to her apart from ruffling her up. The cocky look on his face gave way to one of pleasant surprise when he realised her pebbled nipples were stabbing his chest. From the look of utter embarrassment on her face, she must've figured he knew that.

"Is that for me, Rhea?" He teased, she didn't reply him, just gave him that extremely cute deer-caught-in-the-headlights look that was always his undoing. A cocky smirk sprouted on his gorgeous face, "Is this for me?" He got bolder, slipped his hand into the little space he had created between their bodies and brushed her hard nipple, she gasped, he just barely caught it as his lips dove in for the kill.

The lusty moan that escaped Rhea's throat once Mitch's lips were on hers surprised her, but not so much she failed to return his kiss, she dug her fingers in his hair, grabbing a fistful when he pulled her closer to palm her ass. How did they go from arguing to devouring each other's lips? At this point, she barely remembered that and didn't care to in all honesty, she was just grateful his expert lips were on hers once again.

Feeling her return his kiss was all the go-ahead Mitch needed, in one swift move, he raised her body, wrapped her legs around his waist and steadied her. Damn it, he couldn't wait to shove his cock so far up her pussy she wouldn't remember her own name, as eager as he was though, he still had the sense to walk past the couch as inviting as it looked, and into his bedroom. He wanted to make sure this time wasn't like the last, it wasn't his intention to make her feel like a slut, no, she was going to feel like his woman- like the woman he loved and wanted to spend an eternity with.

Rhea had no idea where they were going, when she felt her back meet a soft surface, still, she wasn't sure if this was a room or his sitting room, but going by the softness of this surface, she knew it was definitely not his couch. Her entire body ached for his touch, it had been so long since she had had any type of sex- sure she did touch herself once in a while, but it was nothing compared to being touched by a man, even more, Mitchell.

It was taking everything in Mitchell not to rip off Rhea's clothes and plow into her like a barbarian, he wanted to take things slower, but the way she writhed beneath him and the oh so wonderful sounds she was making, was making his intention increasingly difficult, he hadn't even reached her bare skin yet and she was already this responsive.

Rhea surprised Mitchell and herself by making the first move when her fingers moved lower and she fumbled with his shirt. She was able to unbutton the shirt and he shrugged it off, her fingers met with his warm, bare skin and she moaned at the familiar feeling. He was still as toned as he had been, not a pound of misplaced flesh, she traced the sinewy muscles beneath her fingers revelling in the groan that escaped his lips at her touch.

"Rhea, if you don't want this, please, I beg you, say so." He said huskily, his voice told of the restrain he was putting into this.

Rhea appreciated the change in approach, but she needed his roughness even more now, "I want it." She breathed, she kissed his neck, "I want you," she insisted, as confirmation, she kissed his adam's apple sucking it into her mouth. The groan he emitted made it vibrate. 

"Rhea." His hand sought and found the hem of her shirt, it snuck under the material to feel her warm skin, her stomach was toned, moving further, he encountered the barrier that was her bra, once his hand cupped her breast, she released a sigh that made his cock grow harder so that he gritted his teeth at the near pain that racked through him, his other hand pulled at the hem in an attempt to get her shirt off, she raised her arms above her head and lifted her torso off the bed, the shirt slipped over her head effortlessly so that she only had on her jeans and an orange lace bra that encased her full breasts.

They were just as attractive as he remembered them, the orange of the bra made her brown skin look even more beautiful. He dove in for another kiss and she obliged him, there was nothing slow or tentative in this kiss, it was one inspired by raw hunger and pure lust, it was about two people who planned to expend a long harbored sexual energy before the day ended, yes, all five years of sexual frustration would be let out. 

Sometime in the middle of that kiss, Mitch had found the clasp of Rhea's bra and unhooked it. As his body briefly left hers, the bra accompanied it, she stretched out her arms so the material could slip off her arms, the quick intake of breath from Mitch told of how much he approved of the sight before him.

Mitchell's eyes hungrily devoured Rhea's breasts, yes, they looked much better than he remembered, beautiful caramel skin topped with reddish-brown areolas and hershey-kissed nipples, they reminded him of chocolate chipped cookies with the way they pointed out. Slowly, his hand enveloped a boob like it was a delicate object, a gratifying sigh escaped her lips, when his thumb brushed the teasing tip of her lovely nipples, she whimpered.

"Rhea." He called, his voice strained

"Hmm." She replied absent-mindedly, Mitch always knew just how to touch her and where so that she lost her bearings

"Open your eyes." 

"Hmm?" 

"Open your eyes and look at me Rhea." His voice was firmer leaving no room for arguments

Reluctantly, Rhea's eyes fluttered open, and she forced it to remain so.

Once Mitchell was sure her eyes were trained on him, he leaned his head toward one boob and captured the tip of a brown nipple between his teeth, his eyes glued to her now stormy greys. A strained moan dragged through her pretty lips, her eyes rolled back into her head, he bit harder making her eyelids fly open. His lips curled into a devilish smile as his mouth enveloped her nipple.

Rhea's breath was coming in short and quick, she hadn't felt this good in...ever. And to think he was making her feel all of this by paying attention to just her breasts.

He laved at her nipple for a few more minutes before moving his attention to it's twin. While he worshipped her other nipple, his hand slid down her torso and unbuttoned her jeans. It snaked his way down the waistline, he didn't need to go far to find her wet, it felt like her juice had soaked through the entire fabric that was her lace boy-shorts. His hand brushed past her slit through the fabric, she gasped and threw her head backwards, she hadn't packed up her hair so when she threw her head back, her curls bounced, the sight made him think of a scene in a porn movie, only, this wasn't porn movie and he didn't plan to fuck her brains out- more like, make love to her body until he was sure she would be bed-ridden.

Rhea felt more than saw him raise himself a little higher until his face was hovering above hers and she could feel his hot breath against her skin, "Rhea, look at me." He demanded again, she didn't understand why the fuck she had to look at him when he was doing things to her body that made it impossible to keep her eyes open, was this some form of twisted punishment he had come up with?

"Rhea." He sounded impatient, with a deep sigh, her eyes came open again, mEeting those beautiful green orbs that were now a jade color. She was so lost in them that she didn't realise his hand had begun to move in her pants until she felt a thick finger slide into her, her body jerked as she moaned, he repeated the action, this time, her hips moved to meet his adventurous finger, he wasn't rough or urgent, nothing like he had been five years ago, rather, he was slow and precise, touching all the right spots with just that finger, he made love to her pussy with his finger like he planned to do with his cock soon enough, all this while, their eyes remained trained on each others' as difficult as it was for Rhea. She thought it oddly sexy that he seemed to be staring into her soul as he pleasured her body.

"Mitchell, I..." She breathed as she felt the familiar tingles spread through her body, he slipped a second finger slowly, her sopping pussy making it easy to accommodate both digits, "...oh god." She groaned her eyes rolling back of their own volition- he wouldn't give her that respite, his thumb found her protruded clit and rubbed it, "fuck! Mitchell..." She almost screamed as her orgasm racked through her, making her momentarily numb, she felt the air leave her body as it went limp and her eyes closed. Damn, if that wasn't the best orgasm she had had in years, her fingers didn't count for shit.

Mitch couldn't believe how close he was to cumming just from watching her do same, his breathing was labored, his face beaded with sweat as he fought to keep his self control until he was sure she was thoroughly sated. 

He gave her a few minutes to get her breath back, once he noted that her beathing was steady, he began the second phase of his assault. He peppered kisses along her neck, her eyes remained close, he though she might as well enjoy the few seconds she had left in whatever paradise she had found herself in because he would be interrupting it pretty soon. His kisses moved lower, across her defined collar bones, down her chest, over her full breasts, paying extra attention to her puckered nipples and getting what sounded like a mixture of a whimper and a moan for his efforts. His kisses made a trail over her stomach. It was so toned, it was almost unbelievable that she had carried a child for 9 months in this stomach- his child. That thought made him worship this edifice a little more, this coven that would carry all of his future kids- yes, he wanted more kids with her, no one else would do, just Rhea.

Once he was through giving her stomach the attention it so richly deserved, he took his ministrations south, reaching a barrier in the form of her jeans, he slipped his fingers through the waist band and slowly pulled it off her, luckily, she had enough strength to raise her lower body off the bed to assist him in his task to strip her. Once he got the jeans off, his eyes skimmed over her naked body. Save for her lacy boy shorts, her naked frame was splayed on his bed. This was so surreal, to have Rhea naked and willing had been his dream since the moment he had laid eyes on her, he had had varying fantasies on how she would lay atop his bed, but none of it prepared him for this sight. There she was, the one woman the cold-hearted, fuck 'em and leave 'em Mitchell Montgomery had given his heart to, the only woman that would ever hold that gift, she was here with him, her beautiful brown skin contrasting with the ash of his sheets, her full breasts, breasts his babies would suckle from and their hard nipples pointing upwards and begging to be sucked despite the fact that they still glistened from the attention his tongue had given them minutes ago, her small waist curving inwardly to welcome flared hips that were a part of long, toned legs. He had never seen anything so....beautiful.




Confrontation Ch. 07



His lips travelled lower, his fingers slowly slipped between the fabric that was her panties, it was so slick, it gummed to her skin, when he slid it off her, his eyes met with her shaved pussy, it looked freshly shaven making him wonder if she had come here with anticipation for something to happen.

No matter, she was going to get something, anticipated or not, he looked at her face to find her eyes closed, her breathing quite steady making him wonder if she was asleep- only one way to find out, in his books at least. He lowered his face to her soaking pussy, the scent of her arousal filling his nostrils, he had never smelt something so heavenly, his mouth watered for the feast that awaited him. His tongue snaked out and stroked her slit, she groaned, her hips shaking slightly, but still spread open, he repeated the move, his response came in form of his name in a breathy moan, he found he wouldn't mind hearing that sound for the rest of his life. 

"Open your eyes Rhea." He breathed loud enough for her to hear him.

That same damned command...oh god, if she heard it one more time, he was definitely punishing her, "Mitchell, please..." She breathed.

"Open your eyes." He repeated, his voice firmer, "...or I will leave you here, right now." Okay, so that was a bluff, he definitely wasn't leaving this bed or the room entirely until he heard her screaming his name to high heavens and he had dislodged all of this semen he had saved up the past five years into her warm, wet pussy- but she didn't have to know that.

Her eyes flew open and she shot him an incredulous look, he had to be shitting her. A mischievous smile coated his features and she was all set to smack that smile off his pretty face- until that pretty face dove straight into her pussy, his eyes remained steadily on hers as he ate her out, she threw her head back in pure ecstacy, one of her slender, brown fingers digging into the mass of thick, dark hair on his head and grabbing a fistful as she moaned and sighed her approval. Soon her hips on their own, began moving to meet his hungry mouth, god, how did she survive five years without this? This was heaven, hell and the entire universe. She could barely breathe as she grinded her sopping pussy into his face.

Mitchell ate her for all he was worth, her juice tasted sweeter than anything he had ever drank, sweeter than the last time he tasted her, but he didn't want things to go this far, she was slowly turning this to a one-man or was it woman show? He wanted to go slow, but she was far ahead of him, she wouldn't rush him. He wrapped both arms around both his legs to keep them from moving, he heard her moans of protest making him smile against her pussy.

"Easy tiger." He muttered, his tongue shot into her pussy and withdrew, he heard her short intake of breath, so responsive, "We've got all night." He assured her, and he intended to make use of every second of it.

Rhea watched him resume his task, several times, his tongue would hit a spot and she would jerk, but his strong hands never loosened their grip on her thighs, she didn't know if that excited or annoyed her. Soon, she felt another surge within her, fuck, was that another orgasm? She barely thought that through when he sucked her clit into his mouth, she erupted for the second time mumbling obscenities she never knew were even in her head, she barely came down from that high when his teeth bit her clit, she screamed, bucking wildly for the second time in minutes, his hands couldn't keep her steady this time 

Rhea focused on getting back her lost breath as she felt Mitch leave the bed, she didn't bother confirming that though, all she could think about was how she had missed all of this for 5 years. 

When he returned, he was naked. He leaned closer, "Rhea." He cooed into her ear, his breath tickling her skin, "I need for you to open your eyes."

It was apparent her eyes being opened was an integral part of all of this. Why he wanted it so, she didn't know and honestly couldn't care to ask at this point, she would do whatever he asked as long as he finished what he started. She forced her eyes open and found herself looking into his mesmerising greens. What she saw in them made a knot form in her stomach, it wasn't his usual cocky smirk, there was no sign he would gloat once this was over. He finally had her where he had always wanted her- beneath him, and he didn't look the least bit arrogant, rather he was looking upon her with admiration and....love?

He smiled at her compliance and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, "Good girl."

Rhea gasped when she felt the tip of his cock stroke her slit, was he teasing her?, "Mitchell..." Her breath caught in her throat as the head of his cock parted her pussy lips, damn five years was too long a time to go without having sex, she felt like he was going to split her in two, "Mitchell..."

He almost exploded hearing his name escape her lips in a breathy moan, like it wasn't enough that her pussy was gripping the shit out of his cock, had she been this tight five years ago? He doubted it, he would've remembered if her pussy had felt this good then, "What is it?" He asked.

"I want you." She replied, her eyes boring into his as she spoke, she found that she was far from shy when she was staring into his eyes this way.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, his voice belying the effort he was putting into not shoving his entire 8 inches down her wet tunnel.

"I want you to fuck me." 

Fuck, if that wasn't the sexiest thing he had ever heard. He smiled at her, "No honey, I won't 'fuck' you, I'm gonna make love to you." He corrected. On that note, he sunk his entire cock into her coven causing a moan to erupt from their throats simultaneously.

Mitch gave himself a few minutes to get accustomed to how tight she was, once his muscled were a bit more relaxed and her pussy had eased the vice grip it had on his dick, he began a slow, rhythmic movement, nothing like the fast, urgent fucking they had had five years ago. This time, he made the extra effort to take his time pleasuring her pussy, his dick finding spots they hadn't the last time and his ears being filled with sounds of her approval.

"Oh my..oh, Mitchell." Rhea breathed, she wanted desperately to close her eyes, but he wouldn't let her, she knew this. He looked so sexy, his hair in a shaggy mess, some strands matted to his temple, she could see he was also fighting the urge to keep his eyes open.

She raised her legs higher to allow his cock move deeper, her hands ran down his back to grip his firm butt and she tried to push him deeper, " he stopped moving and caught both her hands only to raise them high above her head and hold her wrists up with his hands, "oh no darling, you don't get to run the show, just enjoy it."

She was fine with that, he continued his slow movements, his labored breathing the only sign that he was enjoying this as much as she was.

Mitchell could swear he had never seen a more erotic sight as Rhea's bottom lip was caught between her teeth and her back arched wantonly. His head moved lower so that his teeth could catch a straining nipple. She moaned louder, her hands moved, but she couldn't do anything with his hands restraining her.

"Fuck, you're so tight!" He breathed into her ear. 

She whimpered, her hands once again straining to release themselves from his grip, groaning in annoyance when she realised he wouldn't release her.

He smiled at her eagerness, "Easy tiger." He repeated. 

Her hands being immobile, Rhea found herself looking for some other way to touch Mitchell, she was able to kiss his neck without much of an effort, she repeated the action when she received a favorable moan from him. She gasped when he grounded his pelvis against her clit.

"Mitchell, I...I can't hold it off for much longer." She said of her impending orgasm.

"Let it go sweety." He breathed into her hair, his own orgasm just on the brink.

With one last deep stroke, Rhea's orgasm struck her like a tornado, she arched into him as she chanted repeatedly, "Oh Lord Mitchell, I love you, I love you, I...shit!"

Mitch didn't care that she had spoken those words in the throes of orgasm, it didn't carry less importance. That declaration set off his orgasm as he pumped into her faster, his seed flooded her pussy, he swore he had never cum so hard, it seemed to take forever before he completely emptied himself inside her.

He crashed on top of her in exhaustion. Their breaths were erratic, neither spoke as they not only tried to regain lost breath but also thought of what had just happened between them.

Rhea's eyes remained closed as she savored the feel of him inside her, she breathed in his scent, sweat and all, so good. She loved this man, try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to loathe him, she could deny all she wanted, but she truly did love the arrogant fuck that was Mitchell Montgomery, and she wasn't just thinking this because of the great sex they had just had.

Mitch placed a light kiss on her neck, he finally raised his head up to look into her eyes, he wiped the sweat from her temple, and placed a kiss on it, and then her nose before reaching her lips. He pressed his lips upon hers, his tongue slithered out to part her lips, she granted him access with a muffled moan and he plundered her mouth for all it had to give, she kissed him with as much fervor, trembling at the intensity. 

He felt his cock stir within her, by her moan, he could tell she felt it too. He ended their kiss reluctantly, "I love you Rhea, I don't care if you believe me or not, but I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She muttered just before she slept off.

Mitchell grinned from ear to ear, he had never heard more beautiful words. He pecked her on the cheek as he also drifted into sleep. The last thought on his mind was of her being pregnant once again. 



Confrontation Ch. 08



"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONAS!" The house erupted in cheers as Jonas grinned from ear to ear at his friends and family. His birthday was awesome. Mitch had set up everything on the ranch with help from the ranch hands, Rhea, Lynn and Ronald, once they were through, they had turned the dull ranch to a colourful garden, Mitch had even let some of the kids go on horse rides, but best of all, he woke up with both of his parents by his side.

The large cake Lynn and Rhea had baked was set on the table with five lit candles sticking out of it.

"Make a wish Jonas." Mitch urged.

Jonas stared at the cake, thinking of the many ways he could devour it, he looked up at Rhea and then Mitch then shook his head, "Nah, I already got my wish."

There was a chorus of "awww." That caused Jonas to blush and Rhea and Mitch to ☺ at each other.

"I'm sure you can think of something else you want." Cody, his closest friend at school pitched in.

Jonas thought long and hard, with a shrug he closed his eyes and blew out the candles, everyone cheered loudly.

"Can I open my presents now?" He asked once the cheering died down, there was laughter at that question

Rhea ruffled his curls, "Patience little one."

"I'm five mama, stop calling me little."

"Yes, he's a big boy now." Ronald said.

"You'll always be my little boy no matter how old you are." Rhea said, she leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, okay, break it up fellas, the burgers ain't gonna eat themselves." Mitch said. There was a roar of agreement as the crowd dispersed to the next activity.

Rhea watched with a satisfied smile as everyone chatted and ran around the backyard, this was by far the best birthday party Jonas had ever had and she could see that by the laughter in his eyes and how happy he was, he loved this place, he loved the people and he loved his father. Starting a relationship with Mitch was by far the best decision she had made in years, thinking about it now, maybe she shouldn't have run away five years ago, maybe she should've stayed, she should've told Mitch about his son and they could've worked it out, who knows, they could've been married by now, and Jonas could've had a sibling, but there was no need to think about past mistakes, she had to focus on the present, the present she had actually made good decisions.

Mitch was absolutely wonderful, she didn't know what changed him and she didn't want to know, she just loved the new and improved Mitch, yes he was still his egotistic self, but he wasn't annoying, now he would just tease her about her pancakes, since Jonas had dubbed him the greatest pancake-maker in history, he had never let her forget about it. The teasing made her laugh, she supposed having Jonas around had made their relationship much easier, she tolerated him more, he returned the favor, and he didn't seem so annoying anymore. Sure, they had had a few disagreements in the past three weeks since they began dating, but it was nothing that hadn't been solved before the entire night and they didn't have the usual shouting matches either.

The last one had been two weeks ago when he had asked her to move in, she had vehemently refused, she had grown up in that house, it was a part of her, she couldn't just up and leave. They had traded words and called each other names, but after the heated argument, she agreed to think about it, three days later, she was moving in her properties in bits. Now, she had most of her things here, they hadn't spoken about it since then, but as far as everyone was concerned, she lived with Mitchell at his house.

"Нeу mama." 

Rhea turned around to see Lynn, "Нeу mama." She returned, she shared a hug with her

"Enjoying the party?"

"I should be asking that, you are my guest."

"Well, I saw you standing here, ѕσ I thought you needed company."

Rhea smiled her appreciation at her best friend, she wrapped her arm around her neck and pulled her closer like she used to do when they were much younger, Lynn smiled up at her, "Thank you Lynn, thanks for everything."

Lynn shook her head, "Thank you, if not for you, I probably wouldn't have ended up with my Ronnie."

"And he's very good for you." Rhea replied as she watched Ron and Mitch having a laugh with one of the guys that worked at the timber factory, she could bet they were telling jokes about the kids, Mitch especially had a collection of Jonas jokes he loved to tell any and everyone, she was usually the listener so she was glad he had found someone else to tell for now.

"Mitch is good for you too. I've never seen him so happy. Congratulations, you've tamed the beast."

Rhea laughed, "We both tamed each other."

Lynn couldn't agree more, yes, they had both tamed each other. It was almost unbelievable that these two hotheads could live under the same roof. When Rhea had told her she was moving in with Mitch, she had asked if there would be paramedics close by, it was good to know they hadn't killed each other the past two weeks. Maybe Jonas had something to do with that

Rhea's eyes searched the backyard and fell on Jonas and Amy, he was cleaning some icing off her cheek and saying something to her, he was probably scolding her, "Look at them, Jonas always trying to be the adult." She laughed at the doe-eyed look Amy was giving Jonas as he continued speaking ą₪∂ inspecting her chin for any trace of icing.

Lynn laughed, "I know, right? He'll soon get another baby."

Rhea gave her an odd look, but Lynn's gaze remained on the kids, there had to be a hidden message there somewhere, she knew she definitely wasn't pregnant, so that only left...she narrowed her eyes at Lynn, "Lynnette, are you pregnant?"

Lynn smiled, "Maybe" she replied in a sing-song voice.

Rhea shrieked, "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful, I'm ѕo happy for you, congratulations." She said as she hugged Lynn closer. 

"Thank you, I only found out yesterday."

"How far along are you?"

"About 15 weeks, the doctor says I can come for the scan in 3 weeks time. I can't wait." She said gleefully.

"Does Ron know?"

She shook her head, "No, I want it to be a Christmas surprise, you're the first to know." 

Rhea raised a mischievous brow, "Ooh, that's nice. Just make sure he's not eating when you break the news to him."

Both friends laughed heartily at that, drawing the questioning eyes of Ron and Mitch, they stared at both women who stifled their laughter before they returned to the barbecue with Mitch shaking his head like an exasperated parent.

"So, how's Jared doing?" Lynn asked once the laughter had died down, it was a question she had been meaning to ask since Rhea broke the news of her dating Mitchell, but hadn't quite come around to doing that.

Rhea shrugged, "He's doing well, he's at Boston."

Lynn's brows scrunched up, "Boston? What's he doing there? I thought his company was at Kansas."

"He handed over the one in Kansas to the Vice President, he's opening up a branch in Boston, that's where Becca is."

"Becca? Who's that?"

Rhea smiled, "His girlfriend, they were highschool sweethearts so they just picked up from where they left off."

Lynn grinned, genuinely happy for Jared, she liked him a lot and had been understandably sad when she had heard he wouldn't be dating her best friend, it was a good development if he had found someone else, he deserved it, "That's great, what does she look like?"

Rhea retrieved her phone and searched through it for a picture of Becca which Jared had e-mailed to her two weeks ago, once she found it, she handed the phone over to Lynn, "That's her."

Lynn took the phone and gave the picture an odd look, she swore the girl looked just like...., "Oh my God Rhea, she looks like you." 

"I know, right? I thought the same thing when he sent the picture." 

"That's great. I'm so happy for him." She said gleefully.

"He sounds very happy when he talks about her, I think he wants to marry her."

Lynn's eyes widened in disbelief, "He told you that?"

"No, not directly, just hints."

Lynn smiled, "Well, I hope we'll get wedding invites."

Rhea laughed at that, "Like Ron would let you go all the way to Boston when you're pregnant."

Lynn shrugged, "We'll work something out."

Rhea smiled, her eyes once again surveying the backyard and finding that Mitch was nowhere around, she briefly wondered where he had gone, and then saw him emerging from the house, laptop in hand, what was that for? She didn't have to wait too long to know."

"Hey, Jonas, someone wants to talk to you." Mitch announced as he set the laptop on one of the party tables, he opened it up and booted it as Jonas took Amy's hand and led her to the table in excitement.

"Who?" Jonas asked.

"Yes, who?" Rhea, who was now standing by Mitch's side, asked.

"This guy." Mitch replied, as he opened up a video link.

Jared's face popped up and there was a roar of approval from those who had gathered to see what was going on, "Hey soldier." He began, "Sorry I couldn't make it to your party, I really wanted to be there, but I've got adult stuff to do that can't be postponed. I know your mama must have made a huge cake for you, don't forget to send me some." He laughed, making Jonas smile, "Someone wants to say hi." He continued, he made a gesture to whoever was in the room with him to come closer.

A woman who looked too much like Rhea came closer and waved at the camera, "Hey, Jonas." 

Jonas turned to Rhea and gave her an odd look, she shrugged in response and he returned to the screen.

Jared wrapped his arm around her neck, "This is my girlfriend, her name's Rebecca, she wanted to talk to you after I told her I had a little boy."

"That's right Jonas, Jared has told me a lot about you, and I just wanted to wish you a wonderful birthday, and many many more to come."

"Happy Birthday!" They chorused.

"I was told you didn't make the cut for the spelling bee. It's alright, you can try again next year when you're older. Oh, and I'll send your present soon, alright? Bye." He and Rebecca waved at the camera. He reached for it and turned it off.

Jonas stared at the blank screen with a smile as he thought up the type of gift Jared had in store for him, whatever it was, he just knew it would be awesome.

Rhea smiled at Mitch, he had no idea how proud she was of him, she wasn't even aware he had kept in contact with him, she liked the maturity of his actions, the old Mitch would've kept a grudge, he would never have let Jonas get a video of Jared, knowing, especially that Jonas liked Jared a lot.

She kissed his cheek, "You did good." She said sincerely.

He returned her smile, "Good enough to earn a nice treat tonight?" He grinned mischievously.

She laughed at his question, "Yes, definitely good enough for that." She stared up into his eyes and wondered if she would ever tire of looking into them, she thought not, "I love you."

His face turned serious, how he loved those words when they came from her, it did things to his senses that he knew no one else would be able to do, just her, just his Rhea, no one else, he smiled and pecked her temple, "I love you too Rhe, I love you so much." He said as he hugged her.

*****

"Heads up!" 

The ball came flying across the room, and as usual, Jonas didn't fail to catch it.

He laughed as he bounced the ball, a bowl of popcorn in his other hand, "I swear Ryan, your shots are weak as hell!" He crashed on the couch next to his nine year old brother and passed him the bowl. They were having their usual movie night which entailed their parents leaving the house, most likely to 'do the nasty' like they had come to refer to their sexual acts and all the kids getting together to see a usually PG13 movie. Amy and her two siblings would come over to their house or they would go over to theirs, it was their turn to host tonight and the chosen movie was The Avengers- chosen by Jonas, Ryan, Cody- Jonas' best friend and Kyrian- Amy's little brother 

"Mama said never to curse in the house." Mikayla's squeaky voice said, her green eyes glaring at her disobeying brother, the 6-year old was a mini spit-fire, just like her mother.

Jonas got off the chair and went to her, bending his 6 foot 2 inches frame to look into her eyes, his green meeting hers, he said, "No shit!"

He waited for her to do something, but as usual, Mikayla just glared at him, he could never push her hard enough to make her go violent, he thought that was what he liked most about his little sister, she was just that hard to provoke....and she never lost a stare-down.

"I never quite understood that rule..." Miya, Jonas' immediate younger sister began as she came in with the drinks and set them on the table, "...does it mean we can curse outside the house but not inside?"

"It means you shouldn't curse at all." Cody pipped in, "Yo, when's Amy gonna be here? It's like 7:00 already." 

"Actually, it's 6:41." Miya corrected.

Cody's eyes cut at her, she had a thing for always correcting him, he didn't like it, especially when people were around. Her brown eyes stared into his baby blues like she was daring him to make a smart comment, he wouldn't disappoint her now, "I know that smarty-skirt, I was making a rough estimate."

"There's a huge difference between 7:00 and 6:41 pm, 19 minutes to be exact."

"Jonas, kindly tell your sister that I'm what? 6 years, older than she is." He said, putting emphasis on '6 years'

"And kindly tell your friend that..."

"Alright you two, we know you love each other, no need to ruin a good movie night with your bickering." Jonas said as he returned to his chair.

"Goodnight." Mikayla huffed, she got off the chair and made her way into her bedroom knowing the movie for the night wasn't suitable for her, she had whined and bickered but the boys had insisted they would see The Avengers arguing that they had sat through Alvin and the Chipmunks with her the week before, never mind that they were in the right, she still hated to lose.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite." Ryan shouted.

"Check on the twins on your way to your room, will you?" Miya asked. She didn't get a reply, but she knew Mikayla would do as she asked, she would check on the twins even if she wasn't told to.

"Now to get to the good stuff." Ryan said as he picked up the remote.

"Won't we wait for Amy and the others?" Jonas asked.

"By the others you mean Kyrian and Bailey? You do realise your lips won't fall off if you mention other names apart from Amy." Cody teased.

"Dickface!" Jonas mumbled.

"More like dickbrain." Miya muttered.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Miya?" Cody asked as he sat up to look at Miya, Jonas sat between them.

Miya was all set to say something when they heard the familiar sound of the car that usually brought Amy, Kyrian and Bailey driving in, "Finally!" Ryan breathed.

Jonas narrowed his eyes at him but said nothing, instead he stood up to get the door. He heard footsteps and opened up with a smile only to find Kyrian on the other side, his ☺ waned a little.

"Expecting someone else? Someone with boobs whose name starts with an A?" Kyrian teased with a smile. 

"Get in twerp!" 

Kyrian laughed and went into the house, Cody gave him a hi-five before he sat on a love-seat.

"Hey Jonas."

Jonas barely saw the spritely 10-year old run past him, "Hey Bailey." He replied, he looked outside to see if Amy was anywhere around.

"Close the door Romeo, I'm gonna catch a cold if it's open any longer." Cody said.

"Please catch a cold, maybe you'll finally be able to sit your ass in your house for once." Miya said.

Cody rolled his eyes at her, "Please get off my case for once, I beg you."

She scoffed and looked away, lucky for him, she didn't have a come-back for that one.

"Kyrian, where's your sister?" Jonas asked, he would go out and find her, but he didn't want to give the others any more reason to tease him, he liked Amy, so what? Cody liked Miya and no one had ever said a word about them, they just loved to pick on the big guy.

"She didn't come, she got sick of your face." Kyrian replied.

"I'd get sick of your face too if I was her." Cody supported.

"And I'm supposed to believe your skinny, 12-year old self drove all the way down here?"

Kyrian scoffed, "It's not like Amy's legal anyway, so she didn't drive either."

"Hi." The soft, feminine voice said.

Jonas turned and felt his breath catch in his throat, she always had that effect on him, "Hi." He replied quietly, he was usually a big bowl of confidence, but everytime he set eyes on those big blues and that extremely pretty face, he turned to absolute putter.

She smiled at him, it was a small shy smile, one of the many actions that made him think she liked him as much as he did her, "How are you?"

"I'm...fine, you?"

"I..."

"Shut the door already you two, you can keep staring into each other's eyes once we start the movie!" Ryan shouted.

Jonas turned to glare at him, before returning smiling eyes to Amy, "Come in." His brother was right, as much as he'd prefer to stare into Amy's eyes for the rest of the night, the others had been waiting to watch the movie for a while.

Amy stepped into the house, blessing him with another smile as she walked past him before going to join the rest of the gang.

Jonas stared at her, he sometimes found it odd that he was so self-conscious when he was around her, he was the most popular guy in school, captain of the basketball team, Class valedictorian, every girl wanted to be seen with him, yet, he couldn't see anyone else but the blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty he had basically grown up with. To think, there was a time he saw her as his little sister, not anymore, he was starting to realise the feelings he had for her were far from brotherly, he hadn't gotten the guts to act on them just yet, and probably wouldn't get them in a while, but he would enjoy the time spent with her as 'just friends' because once she turned eighteen, Amy Fletcher would belong to him- mind, body and heart. 

*So this is the end guys. I'm dedicating this chapter to all the ANONYMOUS guys who have helped with their comments throughout the story. Thanks a lot people. Ciao.* Olanna



Confrontation



Her breath caught in her throat and she stifled a moan, what sort of sily question was he asking? She was standing in his presence, her tits on display and his hand in her shorts, what did he think? She stopped that thought, but what about Lynn? What if she found out? Did she have to find out? No one else was here save for herself and Mitch, but what if he told her? What if he told the entire town? This was Mitchell Montgomery, the egotistic jerk. So this was sure to make him feel accomplished.

"Maybe I should sto...." He began as he tried to take his hand out her shorts

"No!" she clamped her legs shut, keeping his hand in place. The smug smile he had on made Rhea itch to tell him to go fuck himself, but her body needed him, if she didn't have Mitchell, she was sure to lose her mind, "I want it" she admitted almost inaudibly, her gaze lowered.

"I didn't get that, you what?"

"I want it." she repeated louder

"What is it you want?"

She stared at him in disbelief, he was really getting a kick out of this the sick bastard

"What is it you want Rhea?" he asked in a sing-song voice as he pushed aside the crotch of her panties and twirled a finger in her opening.

Rhea's body jerked from the intrusion and she whimpered, "Please Mitchell" she groaned, she couldn't take this pleasurable torture.

"Please what?" he shoved a second finger deep into her slick opening and began a slow maddening movement inside her as he used his thumb to tease her clit.

Unable to control her desire, 

Rhea screamed her body's demand, "Fuck me, please fuck me Mitch." she cried out, feeling his magical fingers repeatedly reach places in her she was unaware of.

"Rhea said a bad word" he said on a sing-song voice, "Do you know how girls who say bad words are punished Rhea?" he asked, he grazed her g-spot making her shudder. The sight before him made his dick so fucking hard, he swore he had never seen anything so damn beautiful, and this was what the fireball had been hiding from them all...lesbian his foot!

She shook her head no

"No?" he asked. He shoved both fingers deeper into her with the sole aim of making her cum..and cum she did.

With a loud "oh fuck!" Rhea was bucking against the door as Mitch's fingers brought her to an orgasm like none she had experienced. He took his hands out her shorts and her numb legs gave away as she fell to the ground.

He licked his fingers and smacked his lips, "You taste as good as you look sweetheart." 

Rhea's voice hadn't returned after she damn near shouted her lungs out from her eruption. She heard the sound of a zipper and looked up to find Mitch's long, thick dick dangling above her, the mushroom head pointing accusingly at her. She might have seen some dicks on tv and gotten a peek at some in real life, but she definitely had never seen any like this monster that was a part of Mitch, that cock had to be about nine inches long and three inches wide, how could it possibly fit?

"I haven't told you about the punishment for dirty girls." he began, he rubbed the reddened tip of his huge cock against her full lips, "I hope you give good head." he said, "suck it."

Rhea had no idea what came over her, without a thought or any protest whatsoever, she got on her knew, wrapped her hand around his shaft and took him inch by inch into her mouth, she watched him toss his head back, one hand planted against the door as she took about five inches of his dick, she sucked for some minutes, and pulled out to lick the entire length and suck his balls.

Mitch groaned as her hot, wet mouth swallowed him up, this time adding three more inches to the first five, he couldn't believe she had taken up eight inches already, his past lovers hadn't been able to get more than 5 inches in without gagging, yet here Rhea was sucking him off like she did this for a living.

He began moving slowly, filling her mouth with his length, he shuddered when he felt her teeth graze the skin of his dick, oh she gave good head alright. He heard her moan as he increased his thrusts, his eyes opened and looked down at her. She made a perfect sight, he had this beautiful amazon on her knees, sucking him off and loving it, nothing could be better right now.

He felt himself begin to tense, "oh fuck Rhe, I'm cumming!" he expected her to take him out, instead, she began teasing his balls like she was trying to get him to cum faster. He growled as he erupted into her mouth. He watched her swallow every drop of cum from what was undoubtedly the largest he had ever deposited.

This is what he had been missing. Thank you Lord for Lynn. He thought

He got on his knees and stared at his bronze goddess, she failed to meet his gaze. His hand came under her chin and lifted her head to look straight at him , "That was amazing." with that, he kissed her. Long and passionate, their tongues dueled for victory, as he tasted his essence in her mouth.

He heard her moan as he eased her to the floor, as impossible as it seemed, he was instantly hard again. His hands dug into the sides of her shorts and forcefully dragged it down along with her panties, exposing her wet pussy.

He ended their kiss reluctantly, "Enjoy" he whispered.

Rhea watched him slide off her body, she moaned and arched her back when she felt his tongue stroke her slit, "Mitch." she called in pleasure. He repeated the action just before he shoved his tongue into her wet hole and proceeded to do with it what he had done with his fingers minutes ago. Rhea trashed her head and arched her back, moaning and whimpering her encouragement, her body already on overload from the sensations he was causing.

"Mitch, please, I....plea..."she breathed, what followed were jumbled up incoherent words as she felt his finger join his working tongue. She wanted to cum from it all, but he worked her good, and made sure to delay her orgasm for as long as he wanted. She didn't understand the feeling, how could one be so far into this and still not climax? When his lips latched onto her erect clit, it turned on her orgasm and left her bucking and begging as her body shook from the intensity.

Unable to control himself anymore, Mitch came up and buried himself deep into Rhea in one thrust, they both groaned from the impact. She was so damn tight, like her pussy was made solely for him. He drew out briefly only to ram himself harder into her with a grunt. She arched her back, bringing the tips of her nipples to his hard chest. He reached lower and discarded the little clothing left on their bodies, and then the fucking began.

Mitch swore he had never pounded into anyone so hard, but he wanted her to feel all of him, he wanted to brand her, to make sure she never got the feeling of him out of her system, even when she was fucking some other dude, she would think only of him. That thought made him thrust harder, he didn't want her with any other man, no one was more perfect for her than he was, Rhea Myers was going to be his woman henceforth.

He rolled over so that she straddled him, "Ride me" he ordered, he managed to say that so gently, Rhea couldn't help but do as he pleased, she would have done so even if he had barked at her anyways.

Mitch's cock felt like nothing she had ever felt, who needed dildos when there was a man better gifted? She ground against him slowly at first, feeling his length reach deep into her, but she wanted more, she needed more. She began riding him, hard, listening to his groans as she increased her speed made her hornier. She closed her eyes and tossed her head back, loving the way he filled her to the hilt, the first- and last man she had been with wasn't half as big as Mitch and had barely made her pussy weep as Mitch's cock did. She whimpered as she felt his lips against her nipple, she opened her eyes and looked down at him, his dark hair was plastered to his temple,his face was sweaty, his eyes closed as he sucked and bit her peaked nipples.

The sight distracted her long enough to make her reduce her speed, but Mitch was way ahead of her, he continued his punishing thrusts.

"Mitch...oh yes! Fuck me, please fuck me." she cried out.

He went on overdrive, turning again so that she had her back to the floor as he pummeled her like a man on a mission, he banged her like an archaeologist digging for gold, the only thing on his mind was watching her erupt in his arms and scream his name, her tits bounced erotically as she begged him for more.

He felt her pussy begin to contract against him and pounded harder intent on making her see stars.

When she came it was with an ear-piercing scream of, "Mitchell" that filled his ears, and he was sure echoed in the woods, the sound triggered his orgasm as he shot a load of semen inside her cunt and bit the swell of her breast with a low growl. That was sure to leave a mark, he smiled to himself.

******

Once they had both gotten their breaths- and voices back. They sat staring at each other as they both tried to understand what had just happened between them.

After the mind-blowing sex, comes the guilt. Rhea wanted to beat herself up, the way she would've beat up any tramp Mitch had had in his bed. Now she was the dirty slut. She sat on the cold floor with her back against the chair and her knees up to her chest, her chin resting on it. She wanted to cry, but the tears evaded her. How would she be able to look at Lynn without the thought of this incident popping in her head? How would she be able to have a clear thought without thinking of this? Her pussy still hurt from the pounding it had gotten.

She almost smiled as she thought of it, but restrained herself, this was not the time to be happy about her really shameful act.

"You don't have to pay for the window." Mitch said in an effort to end the rather uncomfortable silence. He had gotten a lot of reactions after sex, but never regret. For all her toughness, Rhea really was mushy on the inside...or maybe she just cared for Lynn too much. He definitely was not apologetic for his actions, he had never had it so good with anyone and he wasn't about o suggest that they bury it under the rug and act like nothing ever happened.

She looked up at him, was he trying to make her feel better or worse? If better, he was doing it wrongly, "Why? I already fucked you for it right?" she spat.

"Don't even go there with me Rhe, cos that is far from the truth. I don't fucking care about the sex..." he paused when she shot him a menacing look, "..okay, I care, but my asking you to not pay for the window isn't because we fucked. That was the best sex I ever had and all the windows in this cabin aren't worth it."

She turned away from him, she supposed she should be gratified by being Mitchell Montgomery's best fuck, the man had a resume with over fifty sex partners, it was something that she had been the best of them all. All she felt though was disgust at herself. She stood up and went to where their clothes were piled, she picked up her shorts, trying to ignore Mitchell's lustful eyes that skimmed the length of her curvy body. She dragged her shorts up her legs and buttoned it up.

She looked around for the rest of her clothes and found her bra and top by the door- ripped. She turned to him, the first part of her his eyes fell on were her naked breasts, she felt an urge to shield the pair from his roving eyes, but didn't. he had seen them, touched them and fucked the shit out of their owner, the time for modesty was long gone.

"Can I get a shirt?" she asked coldly.

"Sure." he replied robotically, his eyes trained on her perfect breasts, he wanted to grab those full breast and suck and bite their nipples. He felt himself grow hard at that thought, but by the look on her face, if he even made an attempt to touch her, he was sure to get a few teeth knocked out of his mouth.

He stood up and went into his bedroom, after a brief search, he found a polo he thought would fit, not completely, but it wasn't as loose as the rest of his clothes would be on her.

He returned to the living room and handed her the shirt, she snatched it and put it on as fast as her limbs could move. As she made to leave, his hand caught her wrist.

"Rhea, don't leave like this," he said softly.

She shook her head, what else could this man possibly want from her?, "What? You want your shirt back?" 

"No, I just...let me buy you a drink sometime."

She stared at him with an expression that said, 'are you kidding me?', she couldn't believe this dude, "You are unbelievable! Have you forgotten about Lynn?"

"Lynn broke up with me..."

"And you don't seem to mourn that long, do you?" she retorted

He shook his head, "It's just a drink Rhea, it doesn't have to be anytime soon, hell I'll wait till next month."

"By next month, you and Lynn will be on again. Try not to fuck that up." she spat. She snatched her wrist away and walked out feeling his eyes on her.

Mitchell shook his head and shoved his hand into his hair with a sigh, stubborn Rhea was back in the building. He watched her drive off just as recklessly as she had come, probably angrier.

With a smile, he took her panties out of his pocket and sniffed it, she smelt divine. As he made his way into the kitchen to fix himself a large meal, he spotted her bat, he couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips, oh she would have a drink with him alright. If she didn't come to him, he would go to her. 



Confrontations



A very dark fantasy, derived in part from people and situations I have known, but mostly fiction.

*

The phone rang.

Fuck, I thought to myself.

I'd just finished dinner, started the dishwasher, and settled in for a couple hours reading the latest thriller in a series I enjoyed, made all the better because of the Kindle.

I'd finished the first thirty pages, as the Kindle counts them, and that was when my cell bleeped at me.

I wear my cell in the V of my polo shirts, in a holster that makes the phone easy to extract and examine. I pulled it out of the holster, glancing at the front display.

The area code was meaningless; the number, even more so.

I opened the phone.

"Hello?" I answered as cheerfully as I could, hoping against hope it was a telemarketer I could ream out for calling a private cell number on the do-not-call registry. I love to abuse those assholes.

"They found bones," said the voice, a woman's voice, a voice familiar to me if not entirely recognizable.

A moment later, the full effect of the words slammed into me.

"Oh, hi, Linda, nice to hear from you. Doing fine, thanks, and you?"

Silence; then, "They found bones."

"So Doctor McCoy is for sure dead?" I asked.

"Don't play cute," said the voice.

"I'm not in the mood for this," I snapped, suddenly tired of the game. "Will you talk to me, or is the conversation over?"

Another silence. "They found his fucking bones." The voice was fiery, angry, full of self-congratulatory self-righteousness.

"Good-bye, Linda. Go to hell," I said, and snapped the phone closed.

+++++

I've always hated bullies.

I was bullied as a child, and I reached the end of my tether around seventh grade.

My family moved to a new city, my father having been transferred. We joined the local Baptist church, as we were wont to do.

There I met my salvation, a bully named Gerald C.

Gerald was piece of shit of the first order, a bully and sociopath and general candidate for the state pen. He worked his hatred on those smaller and younger and less able to resist.

Too bad he ran across me.

He gave me some shit at church. At first it wasn't too bad; but I fought back in little ways, infuriating him into acts he knew he couldn't perform in front of witnesses.

Oh, yeah, he hated me.

One day he really pissed me off. I can't remember the circumstances, but he pinched me and called me a pussy regularly, even in church, and one day I'd just flat fucking had enough.

After the services were over, and everyone was milling about in the church foreyard, I sucked up all my courage and walked to where Gerald stood with his parents. His father was Grady, a deacon in the church, and particularly susceptible to scandal.

I walked past Gerald, who gave me stink-eye the whole time, and strolled up to his father. I held out a hand, and said, "Mr C___, why do you allow Gerald to abuse people the way he does?"

There was a collective gasp from virtually everyone in the church yard.

After some fumbling, Mr C said, "I don't understand, Gerald has never..."

I cut him off. "Gerald raped Sally H___ last fall. That's why she left school. He just got through trying to choke me, just an hour ago. How can a deacon tolerate a son who does those things?"

I had no idea why Sally had left school, nor did I have any evidence against Gerald regarding any other offenses. Too bad about the Ninth Commandment.

Still, my little show ha its intended effect. Other kids came up and recited Gerald's abuses.

Mr C's face grew a florid shade; and after a moment he shepherded his family into a station wagon and drove away.

Oh, sure, Gerald gave me more than stink-eye; but he couldn't do anything about it.

Monday came, of course, and Gerald had failed to calculate our school principal's presence at my outburst. Did I mention he was a member of the same church?

Gerald and some of his friends ganged up on me, with the intent to do grave bodily harm. Oh, trust me, they were going to put me in a bad way.

Mr S (the principal) had ordered a few underlings to monitor my whereabouts. As soon as Gerald and the Ball-less Wonders attacked me, the adults were all over them. They were arrested, herded into police cars, and most faced jail time, ultimately. Juvie, sure, but that's jail when you're a kid.

Gerald's family were shamed into leaving town.

Bottom line: I was never again intimidated by bullies. I worked out, studied Tae-Kwon Do, and vowed I'd never accept maltreatment again.

++++++

I was always sort of a nerd, a numbers freak.

Didn't help, I suppose, that my parents were number people, too. My mother was a bookkeeper, my dad a meter engineer for the power company.

So I came by it honestly.

I took accounting classes in high school, and then in college, becoming an Accounting major with degree in hand in three and a half years.

I got a job and settled into what I assumed would be the American Dream.

Didn't work out that way, not exactly.

I met a young woman named Linda, and I thought we had a connection. We spent time together, and, I thought we might have a serious future together.

Not so much.

Turned out she had a boyfriend, Jerry by name, trucker by profession, asshole by avocation. Real piece of work.

(I later worked out she hadn't told me about him because we were so comfortable together, and while he was on long hauls, she retreated into our oasis. The evening I found out was unpleasant for me, but I digress.)

Linda began showing signs of being abused after a while. Little things, you know, like a black eye or a scratch, some lame-assed excuse where they came from. I asked her, and she always blew it off as if she'd been the one to cause the problem.

One evening there was a terrible pounding on my dorm door. I opened it, and there stood Linda, bleeding, clearly the victim of abuse.

"C'n I c'min?" she muttered; and without further explanation, she pushed past me, heading straight for the sink.

I guided her to a chair, where she worked on her injuries for a while. I assisted as best I could, holding a cloth to the various swelling places I could see. God knew what I couldn't, wouldn't see.

After a bit, I asked, "So you gonna press charges this time?"

She sat upright and looked at me, debating internally, by the look of things. At length she said, "No, just a squabble. It's nothing, really."

"Doesn't look like nothing," I opined.

She glared at me for a moment; then, "I knew it was a mistake coming here. You're thinking the worst of him."

"Linda," I said softly, "he just beat the hell out of you. What am I supposed to think?"

She rose suddenly, pitching backward from the sudden change of blood pressure. I caught her; she fought me off, saying, "I'm outta here."

She stalked out the door, slamming it behind her.

I sighed and resumed whatever it was I was doing. It gave me time to think about what I needed to do.

++++++

Three evenings later, I parked myself outside Jerry's door. I'd done a little surveillance, and I knew his schedule pretty well.

I was dressed in dark clothes, and I hid in the shadows. He never saw me as he opened his door. I shoved him through, from the back, stepped in after him, locked the door behind me as he scrambled to his feet.

I pointed a Desert Eagle at him. If you don't know what that is, it makes a 44 Magnum look like a peashooter. Well, maybe not, but it's an impressive piece of work. Israeli design. The sort of thing you don't fuck with.

He had opened his mouth as if to begin yelling at me; he went silent as soon as the barrel pointed his way.

"You beat up Linda the other night." It was a statement, not a question.

He started to deny it. "Who's Linda?" he blustered. "What the fu..."

I had cocked the hammer. He noticed and shut up. Probably shit up, from the smell.

I fastened hard eyes on him. "Touch her again," I said, "and dental records will be of no value."

I raised the barrel toward the ceiling, lowered the hammer softly into place; I slid the weapon into my jeans, turned and exited silently.

Message received.

++++++

The next evening I was in my living room, bemoaning the simplicity of the questions on Jeopardy!, a program I knew from the time before Alexxxxx Treeeeebekkkkkkkk! had hosted it. Art Fleming was great, wasn't he?

There came a knocking on my door so fierce, I thought the Raven had brought reinforcements.

I walked over and opened the front door, and in stormed Hurricane Linda.

She got six feet into the entrance when she whirled and pointed at me, and bellowed, "You MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Hi, Linda," I said, calmly. "What brings you here?"

She all but exploded. "You threatened Jerry! You put a gun to his head!"

"I did no such thing," I replied. I hadn't had the gun to his head.

She got in my face. "You EVER interfere in my life again, and I'll have you arrested!"

I opened the door. "Get out," I said.

She gave me a parting glare, and whooshed out the door.

++++++

I tried to put her out of my mind.

Truth was, I was sort of in love with Linda, and I nursed that love even after I knew it was a hopeless case.

I put all my discipline into shutting her out of my heart, my mind, my consciousness.

It worked, for a while.

Another evening, three months later, and there came another fierce banging on the door. It was after nine, and so a JW or Mormon was about to get his / her ass reamed.

I flung open the door, and Linda toppled in.

Oh, he'd done a number on her, alright.

A couple teeth missing, eyes blacked, blood all over her blouse and even onto her pants.

I picked her up and hustled her to my car. 

Along the way she began to object. "No, juss tae me insye and lemme freshnup a lill..." She lapsed in unconsciousness.

I delivered her to the ER at a hospital a mile away. I explained the situation sketchily to an orderly, who yelled at me to wait for a nurse as I drove away.

I couldn't wait around; I had to be somewhere.

++++++

It was just before dawn, fourteen hours later. I was driving through a part of North Carolina I knew well. It was in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a fine place if you like mountains, a place to get away, a place to hide secrets you didn't want to come to light.

I turned off where the old, faded sign indicated the Bowen lumber mill, if one turned onto Billie Road outside Bat Cave, NC (I shit you not).

I drove three miles up among the long-leaf pines and other evergreens. I loved the scent, the view, the remoteness.

Oh, yeah, the remoteness. Why I'd come in the first place.

I parked the car in the middle of the disused road, killed the engine, exited the car.

I walked around to the trunk and opened it, recoiling from the odor of feces and urine, and most likely vomit.

Jerry had, it seemed, not waited for me to help him shuffle off the mortal coil. He'd done it himself. Most likely Hendrixed himself.

Too bad.

I hoisted the body out of the trunk, dragged it a few dozen yards off the road; I covered it with leaves and branches and detritus from the surrounding woods, and, making sure it was not plainly visible from the road, I made my way back to the car.

I piled more leaves into the trunk, an attempt to soak up the nasty odors.

Satisfied with my efforts, I turned, drove back to the main road, and, undetected by anyone, wandered back to the interstate.

++++++

Along the way back home, I paused at a couple of truck stops. I vacuumed out the leaves and twigs, and, sniffing as objectively as possible, determined the odors were pretty much gone.

I accidentally spilled some gasoline in the trunk. Damn the luck.

++++++

It was three months later when there was yet a third banging on my door.

Again, Linda.

She roared in. "What the FUCK did you do?" she screamed, crying and blowing snot all over my newly cleaned carpet.

"Linda," I said calmly, "I've been watching TV and reading, and why is this any of your business?"

"You killed Jerry!" she howled.

I looked at her calmly. "Do you have proof?"

She launched herself at me, nails aiming for my eyes.

I grabbed her wrists, to keep from being blinded

As I did, three uniformed officers burst in with the whole "Freeze!" thing happening.

They didn't just take me down, though. They made a right mess of the place. They toppled my entertainment center, destroyed most of my electronics, stomped on the books that fell from my overturned bookcases.

After they got through making it look like I put up a fight, I was informed I was under arrest for assault on the woman.

I grinned at them. I looked at the camera on the wall up and behind us.

Their eyes followed mine; then, one of them pressed a radio device attached to his shoulder, and said, "Detective? We have a problem."

A plainclothes cop burst in and surveyed the scene.

He knew it was a bad thing.

I was uncuffed immediately.

Long story short, Linda had convinced the police I'd done away with her boyfriend, and they'd tried to take me down.

They hadn't known I'd installed a security camera.

++++++

They still had questions. Too many coincidences, and cops HATE coincidences.

They couldn't make anything of the actual, whattaya call 'em, facts.

The charges were dropped, of course. I went to the press with the evidence, the tapes that showed them demolishing my domicile. Pissed off the DA to no end. The mayor and city manager as well.

The TV stations? Oh, man, they LOVED showing those scenes, over and over, for the next week. Even hit Fox.

I got a nice settlement. Very high six figures, tax free.

++++++

Linda's call, thirteen years later, prompted another round of police questioning.

I didn't sweat it. They had no forensics.

I've given up helping people. Too much trouble.