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Chap4
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Jadeite gave what he hoped sounded like a nervous laugh. "Well, I've started smoking." He said, once again using his 'Jed's' voice. "I didn't want your dad to find out. I mean he has such high standards and I wouldn't want to disappoint…" He trailed off and the excuse seemed to mollify her.
Raye rolled her eyes, but not where Jed could see. She didn't want to offend him but he was pathetic, so desperate to please Ren Hino who was a hard and cruel man. 'One more reason I need to get out of here, I couldn't marry this guy knowing he admires a man like my father.'
Jed held his breath, waiting to see if she believed him. He caught a faint sigh from her before she addressed him.
"Jed, you seem like a nice guy, so let me say this." Raye confided, in a 'big sister' tone. "You're a hard worker, you'll be fine." Her expression changed to one of bitterness before she could help it, so she turned to face the window, away from him. "So, don't put so much stock in everything my father says."
Jed glanced over at her in surprise. The spoiled princess sounded as though her daddy had let her down a time or two. He ignored the twinge of sympathy, ruthlessly trampling it down. Nothing and no one was going to get in his way to get revenge against the 'great' Ren Hino. And there were no guarantee's that Raye wouldn't be hurt in the process. But he couldn't allow himself to care. For his brother's sake, he couldn't.
Resolutely he gripped the steering wheel and drove on in silence.
A short time later the two arrived at the Worsham's dinner party, fashionably late, but not so much so that the other guests had been inconvenienced.
Kiki Worsham was an avaricious social climber and not Raye's favorite person and it appeared to be entirely mutual. Despite the fact that she was married, Kiki flirted endlessly with every man she met and it was rumored that she had blatant affairs with total disregard for her husband's wealth and position. Dickie Worsham compensated for all this by drinking heavily, however he was a pleasant alcoholic and often the life of the party.
Raye thought how disgustingly cliché'd it all was and desperately wished they didn't have to attend.
Kiki answered the door, in a low cut slinky silver gown. She ignored Raye entirely and greeted Jed exuberantly. "Darling!" She cooed, throwing heavily jeweled hands around his neck and pulling his reluctant form down for a loud smacking kiss on the lips.
"Kiki." He greeted without inflection, not returning the kiss and instead accepting it calmly, though he'd like to throw the woman into the shrubbery near the front entrance where they stood. Instead he adjusted his glasses and smiled banally.
Embarrassed, Raye watched as she only tightened her grip around Jed, snuggling in close as though she weren't even there.
"You look handsome as always." Kiki purred, staring challengingly into his eyes.
He pulled back, clearing his throat. "You remember my fiancé Raye." He said with a gesture to the raven-haired beauty.
"Raye!" Kiki squealed in delight, as though just realizing she was there. "How wonderful that you wore that charming red dress again, it looks fabulous on you!"
She had to grit her teeth before answering pleasantly enough. "This is a new dress Kiki, but thank you for the compliment."
The brunette waved a hand airily. "Sorry abut that dear. All your red dresses look alike to me. Gives you that wonderfully pale look." She shuddered delicately and rubbed her own bronzed skin.
Raye pulled herself up tall and tried to ignore the barbs. In her hometown she had been considered a striking and glamorous beauty, but here she just didn't compare. It shouldn't have mattered because what was inside was what counted, but she had secretly taken a small bit of pride in her looks that came naturally to her. Now she felt gauche. Even wearing her signature color did nothing to boost her spirits.
"Coming?" Jed asked, and Raye realized that while she had been mulling over her dark thoughts Kiki had moved to let them in. She followed meekly, but was able to pull out a smile. She would be going home very soon, she reminded herself. Just get through this first.
The dinner dragged on, a tedious affair. Jed and Raye circled the room, 'networking' and socializing alternately. Halfway through the evening they separated, when Raye found herself cornered by a matronly woman who had discovered that she had once been a shrine maiden and begged Raye to divine her future and fortune.
Raye insisted that she didn't do that sort of thing, but the woman still towed her around, introducing her to the others as a sort of mystical party guest, to her silent frustration and to the other guests scathing delight.
Head pounding with a vicious headache, Raye searched for Jed, ready to request they leave. She didn't see him and noticing that the stupid woman was heading her way again, excused herself to go to the restroom, but once out of sight, Raye slipped down a hall and found an unlocked door that opened to a balcony. Grateful for the fresh air, though it was chilly, she slipped out into the night.
Silently she moved across the terrace, breathing deeply to calm herself. She didn't make it far when she realized she was not alone. A lone brooding figure stood at the iron rail, shoulders hunched and trail of white smoke emanating from a cigarette hanging loosely from one hand.
She decided to slip away unnoticed when her movements must have caught the man's eye. He straightened and she realized with a start that it was Jed. He seemed different somehow. His glasses were tucked into a breast pocked of his dinner jacket and his gaze appeared intense for a moment before he caught himself, and with a blink, he was bland again.
"Were you looking for me?" He asked by way of acknowledgement. She couldn't suppress the shiver at the slightly husky tone in his voice. It was probably just due to the chill in the air, she assured herself.
She cleared her throat before answering. "Well I wasn't but now that I've found you I was wondering if you're ready to leave?" She felt nervous butterflies in her stomach. It was time to implement her escape plan.
He gave a shrug and flicked the cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with the heel of his shiny wingtips. "Sure."
They bid the host and hostess goodnight, but not before Kiki tried for one last embrace from a complacent Jed. It shouldn't have bothered Raye that he didn't rebuff her advances but it did irritate her a little. She kept silent though, and didn't say a word.
Finally the two settled into the car and Raye was trying to find the best way to ask for money and suggest he just drop her off at a bus stop while Jed was trying to figure out what he was going to do with Raye for the evening. He couldn't take her back to his place, it was too risky, she could find something that would compromise his plans. The safest bet seemed like a hotel, and it pissed him off that he would have to waste money on her instead of sleeping in his own comfy bed.
"Raye"
"Jed"
They spoke each others name's at the same time into the silence. With a wry chuckle Jed gestured to her. "Go ahead."
Raye nodded, then said casually. "I wanted to explain the reason for my extra bag I brought along." She began. "I was planning on going to visit a friend of mine but it seems I forgot to take my money out of my other purse." She hoped she sounded believable. Her heart was pounding hard. Was he buying it?
He frowned and she felt a twist in her stomach. Then she scoffed silently to herself. She wasn't actually afraid of her wimpy fiancé, was she? "Oh?" He asked after a moment, inviting her to continue.
"Well yes. I was hoping you could lend me a little cash until my father or I can pay you back. Just for the night of course." She finished hurriedly.
"What's your friends name?" He asked, testing her.
Raye paused only a fraction of a second before answering, but Jed caught the hesitation. "It's Serena." She said, thinking of the friend she planned to crash with when she got back to her hometown.
"Well of course. I'll take you there." He said, ignoring the fact that she hadn't asked him to. "Where does she live?"
"Oh, there's no need, I thought I'd just catch a cab or something!" She offered, beginning to panic.
Jed was silent a moment, debating his options. She was clearly lying, but what was she up to? Was she going to be with another man? Was she desperate to escape a night with him? Whatever her reason, he couldn't allow her to anger her father and ruin their engagement or all his plans would be blown.
He refused to let that happen.
Reviewing his options, he quickly decided on the most effective way to handle things.
"You're lying Raye." He said calmly, calling her out on her deception.
Her eyes widened. "What? O-of course not." She tried for a derisive smile. "Don't be silly Jed."
Jed struggled not to grin at the catch in her words. Instead he assumed a jealous expression and turned to glance before returning his gaze to the road ahead. "You're cheating on me, aren't you?" He demanded. He wanted to laugh at her indrawn breath. Like he gave a damn if she was, he thought.
"No, Jed, of course I'm not cheating on you!" She answered in a squeak. 'I'm just trying to escape from you and my father and everything you two embody.' Better to keep that part to herself, she decided. "I just want to visit with a friend, that's all. And I hate to put you out!"
"I don't believe you." He told her in even tones. "And you're not going to go visit any 'friends'. "
"Well then take me home." She ordered huffily. She would figure out a way to get back inside, or sleep in the gardens if she had too. Jerk. Pompous ass. Raye uttered insults in her head. "Prick." She murmured, not meaning to say it aloud.
He couldn't stop the grin this time. She had more spunk that he'd given her credit for. But he wasn't about to be played for a fool. He drove past the city limits, his speed picking up as his anger began to simmer.
She would not mess things up for him, damn it!
"Where are we going?" She asked, a bit of anger in her voice as well. Raye had finally begun to realize they were not going back in the direction of her father's mansion. Just who did he think he was?
But his next words silenced her completely, and left her gaping at him.
"Your father gave you to me for the night." He said quietly. The light from the streetlamps gleamed off his glasses, and his countenance was unreadable.
She swallowed convulsively. "Y-you can't be serious!" She scoffed, trying to brazen out her sudden cold fear.
"Oh, I think you'll find out I'm very serious Princess." He said, and it was the first time he had ever called her that out loud. The menace in his voice was actually scaring her.
Where was the meek, mild Jed Houston who never raised his voice to her, never even touched her if he could help it? Who bowed and scraped to her father and barely paid her any attention?
"What are you going to do with me?" She asked, while her mind raced. She was tougher than she looked. She would have to fool him into thinking she was feeble and then escape when his defenses were down. He would be easy to evade. Perhaps she could even steal his car.
"I'm taking you someplace special." Was all he said, and he drove the rest of the way in silence. They turned off on what appeared to be a country road, and the lights posts became fewer and further between and soon there was nothing but grass and farmland to either side of the long stretch of pavement.
They arrived some twenty minutes later to an unlit parking lot, in front of a dark building. Raye couldn't help the shiver of fear that was increasing with every second in his presence. They were alone and isolated; he could do anything he wanted. There was no other option now, she had to escape.
"What is this place?" She asked apprehensively, trying to gauge his mood through his answer. She was beginning to realize that he was more dangerous that she had initially thought and that she didn't know him at all.
Was he planning to rape her?
Jed turned off the engine and leaned towards her. She quickly shrank back in her seat, tucking her legs under her as best she could. Jed just scoffed and opened the glove compartment, pulling out his smokes. "Relax." He ordered, though his tone had the opposite affect as he intended it to.
He rolled down his window and lit a cigarette. After a few minutes of silence rolled by with no move from him, Raye began to get irritated. If he was going to do something, she wished he'd just go ahead and try it. This waiting was stretching her nerves thin.
Finally deciding she couldn't take it anymore, she bolted. Opening the door quickly she jumped out of the car not even shutting it behind her. Fear pumped adrenaline into her system and she ran fast despite the high heels she wore. She turned her head back and saw no car following her and this gave her courage. Continuing to run, she clutched her purse clutched in her hand, her breath puffing in and out.
She stumbled once, when a heel broke but she pulled herself together and kept on running. The road was dark and she had no bearings but she would go until she couldn't go any further.
She ran hard for twenty minutes as fast as she could before she began to slow to a walk, her legs aching and shaky from the exertion.
Looking back, she saw that he had still not come for her and decided it was safe to take a break. Limping a little, she stepped off the road and slipped off her useless shoes, gingerly lowering herself to the ground.
She had only just seated herself when Jed's car loomed out of the darkness heading right towards her. His headlights were off and he had been driving on the grass alongside the road a few yards behind her so she hadn't seen or heard him. Terrified, she jumped up to run again, but Jed stopped the car on a dime and thrust open the door, heading straight for her. He was surprisingly quick and agile, catching her struggling form easily.
"Running away darling?" He snarled, mocking the pretense of their relationship.
"Let me go! Let me GO you crazy lunatic!" She cried, feeling useless tears come to her eyes. Her plans of escape were gone and now she was at the hands of a madman.
He carried her over to the car and opened the passenger side, forcefully pushing her into her seat.
She continued to struggle until his voice snapped authoritatively. "That's enough Raye!"
For some reason, she mindlessly responded to his command and stopped trying to escape. It was useless anyway, she realized. They were miles from nowhere.
He hunkered down till they were face to face. She was sitting facing the open car door, her feet barely touching the ground, her head laying on the headrest as she looked out at him. Her dress was ruined and she was barefoot. Tears streaked down a face that had somehow gotten dirty.
Despite his resolve not to care what happened to her, he couldn't ignore her pain. He wasn't a total monster, he reprimanded himself. He wasn't like them.
"Stay here, I have an emergency kit in my trunk. We can treat those cuts." Jed told her, and stood, moving to the back of the car. He knew she wouldn't run now, though he couldn't say why he knew. Perhaps it was the look of defeat on her face.
When he came back to her, she was exactly as she had left him, crying quietly but struggling to get her tears under control.
He crouched before her and with surprisingly gentle moves he pulled her legs closer so they were in front of him. Opening the kit, he pulled out the alcohol and gauze and began to wipe her cuts, dusting off the gavel and dirt as he went.
Raye began to calm herself and realized that his actions weren't that of a dangerous madman. He was helping her, and she had caused nothing but trouble for him. Perhaps she had misread his intentions?
She wiped her cheeks free of tears and cleared her throat. "Thank you." She said softly.
He paused, clearly not expecting gratitude. Jed glanced up at her. Studying her face, he could see beyond her cool beauty tonight to the vulnerability that was written on her face. He felt a tug at his senses and resolutely ignored it. She was a casualty of war, nothing more and it was imperative that he remember that. He glanced back down and continued his ministrations, saying nothing.
Then she caught him unaware. Reaching out her hand she leaned forward and cupped his chin in her slim fingers nudging till he was looking up at it. "I mean it." She told him sincerely. "Thank you."
He pulled away from her grasp. She was thanking him? After he had purposefully intimidated her, scared her into running away? "You're welcome." He answered gruffly.
Though they had known each other for some time, it felt as though this were the first the first time they were truly seeing each other. Jed's dark blue eyes held her navy one's and neither blinked, each searching the others gaze. Something passed between them, something unexpected and not wholly unpleasant.
He glanced away, not wanting to notice how his heart rate had increased. He finished the task at hand quickly and efficiently, not meeting her gaze again.
He stood and dusted himself off, then returned the kit to the trunk. Jed then turned to the building behind them, one that appeared to be abandoned. He pulled out his keys and undid the rusty old lock, pushing the creaky door open and flicking on a light switch. He disappeared inside while Raye waited in the car, curious.
She heard scraping noises and the faint clanging of metal. She was dying to know what he was doing but refused to ask.
A couple minutes later he reappeared. "Ok Princess, it's the best I can do." He said, pausing to stand before her. He had shucked his jacket and his shirtsleeves were rolled up and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. His glasses were gone and he had his hands in his pockets, a cocky stance that appealed to her baser feminine instincts. For the first time since she'd met him, she actually found him almost attractive.
She tilted her head charmingly. "What?" She asked politely.
Jed frowned at the pull to his senses yet again. Damn it, she was NOT cute when she was like this. She was a viper, a spawn of her truly heinous father. Determination not to be taken in made his movements abrupt. He approached the car and leaned down, scooping her into his arms bridal style.
Raye gasped at the unexpected move. She clung tightly to him, not wanting to be dropped. When she glanced away from the ground and up at him, it was to discover that his face was very close to hers. Her eyes widened in helpless reaction. "H-hi." She said in surprise.
His eyes narrowed. Was she trying to flirt with him or something? With what sounded like a growl, he turned and marched to through the open door of the one story building, turning sidewise to get her inside.
The naked florescent bulbs were bright and instantly she shielded her eyes. There wasn't much in the room; it appeared to be an empty apartment, rather than the abandoned office she had taken it for. Jed stalked to a corner where a couch had been pulled out into a bed and dumped her on it.
While Raye sat looking around, confused, he disappeared outdoors, only to return with her overnight bag.
The other shoe dropped. "You mean we're staying here tonight?" She asked incredulously.
He smirked. "You are lady. Me, I'm going back to my cozy bed." With that he turned and strode for the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned to see her struggling to get off the bed, murder on her face. "Can't take a chance of you running off to your lover or whatever." With that he stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind him, snicking the lock closed with a satisfactory click.
He was startled to hear banging directly on the other side of the door. She had moved across the room rather quickly for an injured woman. "Open up this door right now Jed Houston! I demand you let me out!" She yelled.
"Sweet dreams Princess, I'll see you in the morning." He called.
"And that's another thing, stop calling me Princess, do you hear me?" She continued her rant and he walked away, whistling a tune. He was in a good mood now that the problem of his fiancé was taken care of for the night, he could go home and relax in his apartment and get a good nights sleep. 'And maybe you enjoyed that little skirmish with her more than you'd like to admit.' He thought to himself.
"Psh. Yeah right." He chuckled out loud.
Jed hopped in his car and gunned the engine, then sped off with a spray of dirt back towards his apartment and away from the shouts of his intended.
Raye heard his car leave, he made sure of that. "Just wait till tomorrow morning buddy. You're gonna regret this." She seethed, limping back to sit on her makeshift bed.
She began to plot her payback; even as she felt her eyelids begin to droop…
xoxoxo
TBC!!! Raye and Jadeite seem to me to be passionate types, so i would expect some real heat in the coming chapters! Oh yeah!
