For the record, nobody hurt my feelings or discouraged me with their negative comments. That's probably the most reviews for one chapter I've ever received so I must've done something right, even if was wrong in the eyes of some. Any feedback, positive or negative, is better than no feedback at all. Since things have been a bit slow and to show you the negativity didn't bother me, here's the latest Jate fic for you guys to start picking apart. Yes it is JATE, all JATE, but I will never, ever promise happily ever after every time, but you never know, I might be in the mood for happily ever after this time, but then again Jack might really be a pod person, the real Jack being held in an alien spaceship undergoing anal probes among other undignified experimental testing. Just teasing, you guys are great. Hope you enjoy!
Jack Shephard sat at the bar in his dress slacks and dress shirt, the collar hanging open where a tie had most likely hung most of the day. His expensive European dress shoes rested comfortably on the legs of the barstool, keeping him balanced as he brought the glass to his mouth, tilted his head back and drank it down in two quick gulps, grimacing for a moment as the contents burned its way down his throat. He glanced at his watch briefly and slid the empty glass toward the bartender.
"Give me another one Charlie and a little less ice this time." Jack said.
"Rough day Dr. Shephard?" The bartender asked.
"Typical day." Jack mumbled.
"Seems like you've had quite a few typical days lately, anything you want to talk about?" Charlie quipped.
"Are you my shrink now Charlie?" Jack asked.
"It's in the job description." Charlie said and smiled making Jack laugh lightly.
"Just give me a refill and some of those pretzels. God, this place is dead tonight." Jack said.
"It's nine o'clock on a Monday night and it's not football season, what do you expect?" Charlie remarked.
Jack nodded in agreement, grabbing a handful of pretzels from the bowl slid toward him. He felt the presence beside him, but chose to ignore it. He knew what she looked like without bothering to look. Blonde hair, most likely bleached, not natural, short skirt that revealed long, beautiful tanned legs, skin tight shirt that revealed the fantastic work of one of the local plastic surgeons and a pretty face highlighted with just the right the amount of make-up. At first glance she'd stir arousal in any healthy red-blooded American male, but the package typically came with little or no personality. Just another blonde bimbo scouring the bar known for it's wealthy patrons hoping to become a doctor's wife. He could smell her perfume which meant she was moving in on him, getting closer, ready to pounce and he sighed lightly.
"Mind if I join you?" The sexy, seductive voice asked.
He turned to look at her, trying to be polite, even though the circumstances didn't really warrant politeness.
"No, but I have to warn you, I'm really not very good company." He told her as his eyes moved up and down her body his mental checklist complete, resisting the urge to chuckle at how precisely he'd imagined her without even looking.
"I find that hard to believe." She said and moved closer, lightly brushing her body against his arm.
Charlie brought Jack the drink he'd ordered, biting back the grin that was forcing its way onto his face as Jack took the drink from him, rolled his eyes and then signaled for him to ask the lady what she wanted.
"What can I get you miss?" Charlie asked.
"I'll have whatever he's having." She said.
"He's having scotch on the rocks, light on the rocks, you sure that's what you want?" Charlie asked.
"How about a gin and seven." She said.
"Put it on my tab Charlie." Jack said.
"So I guess if I'm going to let you buy me a drink I should at least know your name." She said.
"It's Jack and you are?" He said as he turned to face her again.
"I'm Barbie." She said.
"Of course you are." He chuckled lightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"Nothing, I mean you just kind of look like a Barbie, you know the little doll, beloved toy of little girls for the past 50 years. You also look you're out past your bedtime." He told her.
"I'm 23 and you're kind of rude." She told him.
"I'm sorry, I've had a long day. You're a very attractive woman Barbie, but I kind of want to be alone." He apologized.
"Come on Jack, nobody really wants to be alone." She said softly, placing her hand on his thigh and moving it up, stopping before she reached his crotch.
"I guess nobody could accuse you of being shy." He laughed and pushed her hand down toward his knee.
"How about a game of pool Jack? You look like you need to loosen up and have some fun." Barbie offered.
"Is this just a friendly game or are we wagering?" Jack asked.
"Depends on what I get if I let you win." She whispered in his ear and moved her hand back up his thigh, not stopping this time.
He clamped his hand over hers and looked at her with empty eyes.
"Don't start what you aren't willing to finish." He told her.
"You're the one playing hard to get here Jack, not me." She said and pulled her hand away.
He smiled at her, ordered another round of drinks and followed her to the pool tables. They played several games, Jack shooting pool and Barbie working hard to seduce him. He watched her lean over the green felt, her knowing that the short skirt she was wearing wouldn't hide the fact that she was wearing thong. She'd make sure she made contact with his body every time she needed to move past him to make her next shot and they continued to play the game of her seducing and him pretending to be bored with it, both of them well over the legal limit and starting to find it more and more difficult to make their shots. He was bent over the table working hard to focus in on the white ball, the stick wobbly in his hands. She was draped over his back, her hand moving over the front of his shirt and down. He straightened up and looked at her, his empty eyes now dark and ready to give in to her sexual advances. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him opening her mouth for him when she felt him kissing her back. His hands held her back and turned her so her back was to the wall, his body covering hers. He moved his hand down her back, over her hip to the hem of her skirt, lifting it and rubbing his hand over the bare ass cheeks that the thong gave him access to. He slid his hand between her legs from behind, cupping her hot, moist panties, groaning and then pulling his hand away and backing up.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing. I need to go to the bathroom." He said and walked toward the restrooms in the back of the bar.
She followed him into the men's room and locked the door behind them.
"Barbie, I really have to go." He laughed lightly.
"So go." She told him in a breathy tone.
"I don't know you well enough to pee in front of you." He argued.
"Come on Jack, you know you want me." She said moving in on him again and rubbing her body against his.
"Maybe I do, but not in the men's room, now would you please excuse me before I float away here." He told her and gently pushed her away again.
Barbie unlocked the door and left Jack to do his business. He stumbled out a couple of minutes later, his dress shirt half tucked in and half out. She pinned him against the wall and kissed him again, pressing her body against his, teasing and tantalizing him, working to get him back to where he was before he'd gone to the bathroom. She unzipped his pants and slipped her hand inside, gripping him though his boxers.
"Silk?" She asked with a grin.
"The laundry is piling up and I was in a hurry. They were a gift. No, I don't normally wear silk boxers." He laughed his cheeks turning a lovely shade of red.
He looked around, feeling a little desperate and too turned on to turn back. He opened the door to the women's bathroom and pulled her inside, locking the door behind them.
"I thought you weren't into bathroom sex." She teased.
"Everyone knows the ladies room is nicer and cleaner than the men's room." Jack said as he began stripping her of her clothes, pulling the skin tight shirt up over her head and off, her perky, perfect saline solution C-cups perched in front of him.
She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of him, amazed at the tanned, well toned chest she found underneath it. He was a gorgeous man in clothes, but what was underneath the clothes was even more appealing.
"My god you are hot." She told him and began biting at his chest.
"Easy, I'm not sure if my shots are up to date." He joked and began pushing her skirt down her legs, stumbling forward and knocking both of them into the wall.
They giggled at the slip up and he pulled her away from the wall and kissed her in a gentle, soothing manner in an attempt to calm them both down. He slowly backed her toward the sinks and lifted her up and onto the counter, wrapping her legs around his waist. He stopped kissing her and reached for his wallet, pulling a condom out and holding the package gently in his teeth while he put his wallet back and reached down to unfasten his pants.
"It's okay Jack, I'm on the pill." Barbie told him.
"Your pills aren't going protect you from STDs or HIV." Jack told her.
"You're a doctor, I'm guessing I'm safe." She said and kissed him.
"Okay, then your pills aren't going to protect me from STDs or HIV." Jack said and continued working on his pants.
She took hold of his erection and moved her hand up and down, kissing him and pushing herself forward trying to make contact with him. Jack backed up and looked at her.
"We aren't doing this without a condom." Jack said and tore the package open.
Barbie helped him roll the condom on to an erection that looked like he wasn't going to last long enough to get the condom on. He reached down, pushed the thong to the side, pulled her hips to the edge of the counter and pushed into her, grunting and groaning and so drunk he had to lean on the counter to keep from falling forward and crushing her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tightly around his waist and moaned as he thrust in and out of her, a little awkward at first until his drunken legs steadied, but to her surprise he seemed in control and doing his best to make sure the pleasure wasn't all his. He held her close to him, his breath in her ear, keeping his rhythm steady until he felt her walls clenching around him, her arms and legs following suit.
"Oh god Jack I'm coming, don't stop." She cried out and began quivering in his arms as the orgasm rocked her body.
He let go and by the time she was finished he was too, pulling out slowly and depositing the condom in the trash after inspecting it for any sign of a tear. She watched how methodically he did this as if he followed a clean, sterile routine when having sex, like it was something he did as routinely as one of his medical procedures and cuddling wasn't part of his routine. He hadn't treated her badly, hadn't been rough with her and the intercourse had actually felt good, but his lack of emotion left her feeling a bit cold.
She slid off the counter and stood. He handed her the clothes he'd peeled off of her while he worked at buttoning his shirt. He zipped and fastened his pants, leaving his shirt hanging out and not buttoned correctly. She laughed lightly at him and redid the buttons for him. They walked back out to the bar together.
"Hey Charlie, can I get one for the road?" Jack yelled.
"No way doc, why don't you let me call you a cab." Charlie offered.
"I'm fine Charlie, thanks." Jack said and turned to the woman he'd just had sex with in the bathroom.
"Do you need a ride?" Jack asked her.
"Um, no thanks, my car is just outside." Barbie said.
"I need to get going. My day starts early. Want me to walk you to your car?" Jack asked.
"Sure." Barbie said.
Jack walked her to her car and let her kiss him one last time before she made a move to unlock it.
"So Jack, do you want my phone number?" Barbie asked.
"Um listen Barbie, you're nice and I had a good time, but I really don't date." Jack answered as kindly as he could.
"You don't date? Ever?" Barbie asked.
"You're not going to get weird on me are you? I mean, you came on to me." Jack said his tone still soft and kind.
"No, of course not, it was just sex and I practically had to beg you, but never dating, a life of work and one night stands? That's kind of sad Jack." Barbie said.
"No, not really and it works for me. Goodnight Barbie." Jack said, pecking her on the cheek and walking across the parking lot to his car.
Jack hadn't made it a mile down the road when he saw the flashing lights in his rearview mirror. He knew he was completely fucked, that there was no way he'd pass the field sobriety test, much less a breathalyzer so he went peacefully and willingly, finding that the handcuffs hurt less if you stayed calm. He was processed and sent to the drunk tank to sleep it off as if anyone could sleep in a cold, empty cement square with nothing but a drain in the middle of the floor, which came in handy when they'd hose the vomit off the floor.
He sat in the corner of the cold room until they came to tell him his bail had been posted. He walked out to the lobby and saw his mother pacing, aggravated and afraid someone might see her in a police station. She heard him shuffle up behind her and turned on him.
"This is the last time Jack. You're father drank himself to death, I'm not going to sit back and watch the same thing happen to my son." She told him.
"I'm sorry mom. I called Mark. I didn't mean to drag you into this." Jack said.
"Well Jack your friend is smart enough to know that you are in real trouble this time and that you needed an attorney, not to mention someone with enough money to get you out." She told him.
"I'll write you a check as soon as I get back to work." Jack said.
"You aren't getting back to work Jack. Don't you get that? You are going to go meet with Larry and find out if there is any way to keep you out of jail this time and do you really think the hospital is going to turn a blind eye Jack, considering you and your father's pasts?" She said.
"I'm sorry." Jack said, looking down and biting his bottom lip.
"Why are you doing this to yourself Jack?" She asked.
"Mom, I'm not doing anything to myself. I just made a bad decision." Jack argued.
"Jack please. Get some help and until you do, please just stay away from me." She told him and walked away, leaving him standing alone in the police station looking like a street bum instead of the established surgeon and physician with a six figure income that he was.
Jack came through his latest alcohol related run-in with the law with a hefty fine, a loss of driving privileges for six months and 500 hours of community service, to be performed at a free clinic, his medical skills being put to good use saving him from spending at least three months in jail. The hospital insisted he take a one month leave of absence or be fired. His reputation as a surgeon, physician and a man was quickly becoming tainted, most of his co-workers sympathetic as far as what was driving him deeper and deeper into a bottle, but frustrated with him and no longer interested in watching him destroy himself.
Jack stood across the street from the clinic, leaning against a building, hands shoved in his pockets. Since he couldn't work at the hospital, he decided he'd knock out as many of his free clinic hours as possible in one big chunk. He crossed the street and entered the clinic. It was early and the facility was empty.
"We don't open for another 30 minutes. You'll need to wait outside!" A voice called from behind the counter.
Jack walked toward the counter to find the person attached to the voice. He peeked over the counter and saw a woman on her hands and knees, her head buried underneath the countertop.
"Excuse me." Jack said wincing when he heard the woman's head hit the counter. He must've startled her.
She popped up holding the back of her head, mad and ready to attack.
"Damn it! I said we aren't open yet!" She snapped.
Jack tried to bite back the smile that was creeping onto his face, but she was cute. Not big enough to physically harm anyone, but ready to take him on and throw him out. He saw the blood trickling through the fingers that were on her head and the urge to smile faded quickly.
"You're bleeding." Jack said and moved to join her on the other side of the counter.
"Sir, get back on the other side of the counter, better yet, just get out. We aren't open yet or did you not hear me the first two times." She snapped again.
"I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to be helping out here today." He said.
The woman looked at him and actually studied him for the first time. $300 shoes, $100 dress pants, $100 dress shirt, $1,500 watch. Of course he was a doctor, most likely another rich, bored doctor that got himself into trouble and was paying his debt to society.
"A little over dressed for the neighborhood aren't you?" She badgered.
"I didn't realize there was a dress code. Are you going to let me look at that?" He asked.
"It's nothing, just a scrape." She argued.
"That's a lot of blood for a scrape." Jack said and walked behind the counter.
He pulled her hand away, looked at the cut and put her hand back.
"See, I told you, a scrape." She said.
"Hardly, my best guess is it will take at least six or seven stitches to close it. What the hell did you hit your head on?" Jack asked squatting down to see what could've done that much damage with very little impact.
"Are you serious? You can't just put a bandage on it?" She asked.
"No, it's wide open and unless you've had a tetanus shot lately you're going to need one of those too. The metal runner on this drawer is bent, jagged, dirty, rusty, hanging down and most likely what cut your head." Jack said.
"It's your fault. You shouldn't sneak up on people." She said.
"Fine, it's my fault. You want to show me an exam room so I can stitch that up?" He asked.
"Do I have a choice?" She asked.
"Yeah, you can go the ER or wait until someone else comes in." Jack said.
"No, we'll be open soon and I need to be here so you'll do." She said.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm Jack Shephard." Jack said holding his hand out to her.
"Oh yeah, the high society spinal surgeon working off his DUI. Frankly I thought you'd be a lot uglier and older." She said.
"Sorry to disappoint you. So are you going to tell me your name?" Jack asked.
"I'm Kate." She said and shook his hand lightly.
"Just Kate?" He asked amused by her for some reason.
"Yeah, just Kate. Come on, let's go sew my head up before the real sick people start showing up." Kate said and led him out of the reception area.