CHAPTER TWENTY NINE (SEE WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN....)
Haley Meadows let the hot water run over her body, the spray cleansing her soul. She lifted her face to the steamy liquid, basking in the warmth as it invaded her body. She stood for a goodly spell, just..savoring.
She sighed, reaching to shut off the faucets.
Bringing her long hair over her shoulders, she wrung the excess water out, then fluffed the tangled mess. She tugged the large white towel off the opaque shower door, wrapping it about her body, securely tucking the fabric into the crevice of her breasts.
Haley stepped carefully from the small stall, opening the door, searching for the bath mat she had previously laid out on the tiled floor. The woman gasped, the adrenalin shocking her system. "..Damn you, Vincent!" She tried unsuccessfully to calm her thudding heart. "I don't believe you sometimes!" She tightened her mouth, the green eyes flashing her annoyance.
The man stood..arms folded across his massive chest, leaning casually against the long two-basin sink that ran the length of the small wall opposite the shower stall, his expression a brooding one.
Haley shook her head woefully. "That door was shut for a reason!" She reminded peevishly. The woman..calmed a bit however, used to 'pranks' from the men she worked with. "You better not tell the guys about this!" She warned, then cleaned the mirror of access steam.
"You pervert!"
She was still feeling a little rocky and truthfully, the man's presence gave her a measure of comfort for some reason she could not even begin to analyze. So..she didn't try.
He remained stationary, his expression having altered very little, his eyes watching her quietly, nothing more.
"Hope you got your thrill for the day." She muttered, searching in her purse for the articles she would be needing. She opened a bottle of lotion, applying it to her arms and legs. "Why do you do things like that?" She cut scolding eyes to him. "You can see a naked woman anytime you want. God knows.." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "Enough of them call the office everyday pining away for your attention."
"Why don't you think that one through." He advised curtly. "Let me know what conclusion you come to."
She ignored his mood. "Is the plane available? Or do we have to book a regular flight?" She checked with him, halting her pastime for a beat.
"It will be here at six. We have time."
"..For what?" She was baffled.
"That smells good." He motioned with his head to the bottle in her hand.
She grinned, finally. "It's baby lotion." She flicked his nose with some excess on her fingers. "Makes your skin soft..not that it would dent that stubble of your's." she eyed the dark facial hair critically. "When's the last time you bothered to shave?"
"Yesterday." He grumbled.
"You're kidding." She was floored.
"I stole one of your razors, remember."
"Oh..yeah." She..remembered. "Well..I guess women like that rugged, caveman appeal, huh?" She teased him.
Vincent's mood seemed grow darker at the remark. Haley hesitated, watching him in the mirror as she combed through the tangle of her locks. "...What's wrong?" She asked tentatively. "Something you're not telling me? I'm a big girl you know."
Yeah..he knew. Just like he knew..that underneath that damned towel, the one that was slipping it's knot even as he pulled his eyes from the subject...she was nude..and..curvy and..her flesh was probably warm and smooth and..
He shook the images, taking the lotion she had discarded, squeezing a little into his calloused palm.
Haley watched him contentedly. The man spread the creamy stuff on her shoulders and back, his touch gentle and soothing.
She sighed happily, bracing her hands on the counter top, closing her eyes, blatantly enjoying the attention afforded her. "Ummmm...that feels good." She smiled at nothing in particular. His hands lowered, running along the edge of the towel.
He lifted annoyed eyes to her's in the mirror. "Lose it." He snapped. "It's in my way."
She grinned again, loosening the knot holding the towel enough that the material slid down a bit, hanging about her hips in the back. She held the front securely pressed to her covered breasts.
Vincent continued massaging her flesh, his brow furrowed deeply in concentration. He pushed into the drape of the bunched up terry cloth, the rough palm curving to the shape of her buttock.
She chuckled lowly, moving from his antics. "You'd try something if you were on your death bed, wouldn't you." She turned about, easing from his closeness, her eyes amused for such audacity inspite of her better judgement.
"Not dead yet." He said. "I said..lose the towel."
"Oh, I don't think so, Scooter Pie." She vetoed that idea. "Now..get out and let me finish putting on my make up. It's sacrilege you seeing me like this!..Next thing I know, I'll wind up on YouTube scaring unsuspecting little kids."
"I like you..." His eyes fell to her half exposed breasts. "Like this."
"I like you like this as well." She pushed against his chest gently. "It's so rare I get to see you being..human. OUT!"
The man knocked her hand aside, lifting her bodily unto the sink edge, the move surprising the woman entirely. She..blinked, disoriented by such brash action, her green eyes dropping hastily to where he now stood, which was between her parted legs. His thighs resting against the inside of her's.
She tinted a little to be deposited in such a sticky situation. "..Hey!" She frowned up at him.
"Better do you hair..don't want it sticking like that." He picked up the blow dryer, thumbing it to 'warm'.. "do we."
"HEY!" She took umbrage, but..settled as his fingers began to filter into her hair, massaging her with mild strokes of prurient pleasure. It was one of Haley's weaknesses..she absolutely loved when someone played with her hair...in any form. Vincent's fingers worked diligently, untangling the mass of blonde tresses.
The man watched her face, noting the small smattering of freckles here and there on the sun-kissed cheeks and nose area. The black fan of her lashes enthralled him, so dark on the lightness of her skin. So long and spiky..
"I should really.." She turned her head, giving him better access to her nape. "Kick your ass but..that kinda feels...nice." She sighed contentedly but then..sensed enough was enough. "..Ok..buckeroo. You go now." She took on her Chinese accent. "You been here too long. You scare my wife." She quoted a comedian she liked.
Haley opened her eyes, ready to be annoyed if the moment called for it. "I mean it, now...ok?"
The man simply ran the warm dryer over her body, watching his progress as he slowly moved it about the creamy flesh.
"Come on, Vinny." She coxted. "Be a good boy. I'm getting hungry. You can take me to.."
The man cut his eyes to her, lowering the dryer, angling it..just so.
The air flowed up her thighs, into the valley between her legs. She..stiffened at the wondrous feel, never having experienced anything like that before..her hands grabbing his wrists for support for a moment as she...drew in her breath hastily.
"Cut it out!" She flushed, knocking his hand aside angrily.
"Did it feel good?" He taunted, "On that little clit?"
"Let me down, you shithead." She scooted about, shoving him back, sliding from the edge of the sink. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She lifted pissed eyes.
The man shut the dryer off, putting it aside. "..just reminding you.." He didn't seem disturbed by her anger. "That there is life after...Jim Brass."
"I don't need you to remind me of anything." She snapped.
"Yeah..you do." He disagreed. "There are any number of men out there that can make you feel what he did...case in point." He motioned to the dryer.
"Yeah, well..." She opened the door to the room, standing by it, her expression set. "I haven't found any."
"Maybe you're not looking in the right place." He stepped, towering above her. His expression a pensive one. "You liked it..be honest with yourself. And..I liked it..so..what the hell are we all pissy for?"
"You want inside my panties, Vincent?" She disgusted.
"You're not wearing any."
"Why are you doing this?" She teared up. "It's really shitty...just saying."
He had the grace to be a bit bothered. "Because I want to get my bid in before you run off and get all gooey over some other bastard before I can, maybe."
"Yeah, whatever!" She snapped. "You're a real son-of-a-bitch!" She walked to the clothes hanging on the few hangers under the luggage rack in the alcove of the room. "Soon as I get dressed, I'm going back to my hotel. Have the decency to leave me the hell alone until I can get my shit together, why don't you!"
She jerked her blouse and jeans off the hangers, starting for the bathroom again and a little privacy.
"I'm serious, damn you!" He growled, wise enough not to attempt to stop her, however. "I..." He halted, unsure of how to..say it. Of how to..convince her of his sincerity. "..I..want..."
She stopped, glaring at him. "A piece of ass..an easy one. Yeah, I get it!" She finished for him. "What the hell..I put out for Brass..why not for you, right? Call the guys. We'll make it a real party. That way?" She lifted innocent brows. "You'll be saved the trouble of recounting the details later on."
The man shook his head, his mood lowering considerably.
"Wait..I think I still have the hooker outfit..." She feigned surprise. "What am I thinking...I can ever dress the part." She smiled happily at him. "This should be fun! Just let me get myself all pretty for you guys. I can hardly wait!"
"You mother fucker." He hissed, his tone a brittle one. "I should beat the living hell out of you for that little tirade!"
"You and what fucking army??" She wanted to know. "What? I'm just saying what you are thinking, lover!"
"You have no fucking idea..." He stepped threateningly. "What I am thinking because..if you did.."
She waited but...he seemed to..calm. He breathed out slowly..stepping back a bit. "What are you thinking? Gonna push the hair dryer up my ass? You were right..that felt good." She recklessly continued, too upset to think clearly.
How could he do this..after...after what she had been through today? She had thought...he was her friend...that he..gave a shit.
But, he was like all men, apparently..except Jim Brass. Even Vincent Duvalier had his..seedy side. Why was she so surprised. She should have learned the lesson early on..it wasn't as if her father hadn't taught her well, after all.
"I really liked that. But then, I'm into twisted, warped things." She shrugged helplessly. "It's just my way."
"..Don't baby." He closed his eyes and...felt like puking. "Stop..." The man..asked. "...No more."
"No..I think you're right." She insisted. "We could probably have a great time. You're so worldly and all and I'm so... willing. Gosh..you remind me of someone..oh, yeah." She lifted cold eyes. "My..dad."
The man pushed her roughly aside, making it to the sink before he...vomited into the basin. His stomach wrenching violently, his nerve ending raw and electrified by what she so obviously thought of him. He heaved his guts out, glad to have an outlet for his misery.
Haley stared at the man's back, flabbergasted by the turn of events. She...was stunned, not having expected..anything of the nature to ..
Vincent, cleaned his face, with water...rinsing his mouth several times. He..raised, catching his reflection in the mirror. He looked like hell.. The man felt..worse.
He dried himself on a towel, walking past the woman. He opened a beer to get the bitter taste out of his mouth and almost hurled again as the liquid hit his stomach.
Haley...stepped further into the room, watching the man. Her thoughts..stagnated.
Vincent...hesitated but..he had to make this right somehow. He was not a man to share his most private thoughts..never had been. It had been a constant strain between his wife and himself. He had wanted to tell her all he was feeling..but, for the life of the man..he just never could find a way to do it.
"The first time I saw you..." He remembered it well. He pealed the label from the bud bottle as he spoke. "Mike Hennesy was teaching a class at Quantico. It was one of those lessons that you newbies could not possibly pass because..it was unsolvable." He couldn't meet her eyes just yet. "The usual, bank heist gone awry...a hostage situation with Mike as the crazy ass bad guy out to shoot someone..didn't matter who. You guys had to figure a way to stop him without getting anyone hurt."
Haley had not known anyone was watching that day..she didn't like to think of the incident. She had screwed up royally. It was not a good memory and where this guy was going with it..she had no clue. She wanted to question him ..to see if he was ok now. To ask...what the hell had happened to him to make him so...
"You started screaming something about your kid being let out of school and no one to pick her up..that if you could just make a call to your husband..that she was only four years old and she wouldn't understand why no one was there to get her.." The man smiled at the memory. "Mike was thrown..it wasn't in the script..that outburst of your's. So he stepped it up a notch, falling into his bad guy mode, telling you to shut the fuck up or he'd put a bullet in your head..something like that...Mike likes to scare the hell out of newbies."
Haley sighed impatiently...she knew all this shit. She wondered if he was coming down with the flu or something. That would explain the..
"So you throw ..what was it?" Vincent turned his head just a bit, to ask. "A paper weight or something? You zinged it at his head, as hard as you could, then grabbed the letter opener and stabbed him in the arm with it.." He laughed shortly, shaking his head. "Poor Mike...his damned eye looked like it was going to pop out of his head and that lump? He was in the hospital for days." The man's chuckled died a natural death. "You got the gun." He..shifted his eyes to her.
Haley waited..uncertain as to what to do or how to react or...if the man was ..if there was something really seriously wrong with him. Vincent had never, in his entire life...gotten sick. He never even took sick days. Not ever.
"Which was the purpose of the scenario." He grinned at her. "Of course, no one expected you would half kill the instructor to get the job done...least of all...Mike."
"They said...it was life or death." She bristled. "What was I supposed to do? If they don't want it played out..they shouldn't stage it so realistically."
"Evidently not." He grinned again. "...I knew..right then. That I had found the last member of my team. I had been looking ever since we lost Pierce two years back."
"They kicked me out of the program." She scowled, still pissed at that decision.
"They tried to." He corrected. "I saved your ass. And you haven't let me down once since. Until...today."
She..was lost. "What?"
"When you..compared me to ..that fucker?" He allowed the pain he was feeling to filter to his features. "Honey? Why not just put a fucking bullet in my head..it would have been kinder."
"What the hell do you expect? I'm not...what you made me out to .."
"I ..no." He held up his hand to silence her. "No...Haley. I never once thought...that. I swear by all I hold holy! I swear to God...that is NOT..what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" She demanded. "If not that?"
He fell silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I..used to come over..after one of my binges..remember? When it all went to shit? After I had been out of it for weeks on end? And you would take me in...make me shower and eat. Let me sleep on your couch."
Vincent put his beer down, walking to where she stood. He touched her face gently. "...You healed my soul woman."
Haley was worried for the man. This was not like Vincent Duvalier. She wondered if she should call someone. Anyone.
"Little by little...you allowed me to come back to life. Just by..being you." He shrugged. "It's taken me ..Jim Brass to see...to understand...to...get it."
Well, Haley didn't understand..she didn't get it. "Hey..do you want a shot of Jack or something? Maybe I should call the guys..Frank?" She started for the phone but his hand on her wrist stopped her intended trek.
"I'm in love with you, you stupid bitch." He sighed heavily. "I want to fuck your brains out...in a good way..not the way you suggested before."
He stepped, her face comically amazed. "Never the way..you suggested you little freak. I would kill any bastard that even thought about trespassing on my property. Thought about taking Brass out too...lots of times. But, you would have been pissed at me for that little..indiscretion, right?"
Haley stared at the man as if he had gone insane.
"Just like I did that fucker, McBain." It felt good to confess to the woman. "He didn't have a gun, Haley...I planted it, you know why? Can you guess why I..shot the fucker?"
The woman sucked in her breath, her eyes widening in fear for the man.
"Because he touched you...I know he did." Vincent's face hardened. "What man would not..so..he had to die. It was good to watch his face as he realized...he was not going to make it.. It made me feel...good inside again."
"Holy shit!" She took the man's hands leading him to the bed, forcing him to sit. "You listen to me. I don't know what the shit is going on here but...don't you EVER...tell anyone that again..do you HEAR ME??" She glanced around the room nervously, hoping to God there were no hidden bugs anywhere. "Not EVER, Vincent..promise me!" She commanded. "Say the words..NOW. I want to hear you promise me! Your most excellent promise!"
She shook his shoulders a little, her face showing her terror.
"Yeah, right..whatever." He looked down the opening in the towel as best he could. "Let me see your tits. I'm fucking dying to see...your tits, Meadows."
Haley slapped the hell out of the man. "PROMISE!" She yelled at him.
He turned his head back, a red mark on his cheek. "Are we going to get...kinky? Ohh, hell, yeah baby..let's do...THAT."
She drew back again but he caught her hand this time. Bringing her down into the covers of the bed. "I laid away nights on that damned couch wondering...if you slept in the nude..if I..came to your room..would you equate me with that fucking son-of-a-bitch who came to your room before."
"I...I didn't...mean that, Vincent." She felt bad now. "I...shouldn't have said ..that."
"No..you shouldn't have." He totally agreed. "Open your mouth..I want to taste your tongue."
The woman hung her head woefully. "Will...you please..!" She sought his eyes. "Stop doing that? If you want to...kiss me..." Her eyes fell to his...mouth. "Just...say you want to..kiss me."
"I did." He thought he had, lowering his mouth crushingly, his arms taking her breath away.
"S-Stop...you're..." She gasped for breath, pushing weakly. "H-hurting!"
He instantly...eased the pressure about the small of her back. "I..want it." He told the truth. "I'm hard as hell for you, precious and...I want to fuck you, baby. I'm sorry but..it's been...bad these past few days. Knowing Brass had already..gotten it...and ...that you wouldn't let ME!"
She flushed prettily for him and he thought that was kinda cute. "I thought about taking it..wouldn't have minded that at all but...the first time?" His gaze roamed her body possessively... "Kinda wanted your..cooperation."
"You...you would..." Haley's tummy went up, the adrenalin shooting through her system like a pin ball in a machine. "...do that?"
"Do what?" He eased his fingers into the tucked in towel, gingerly unknotting the twisted material. "Force my dick into your sweet little cunt? Ohhh yeah, baby. No worries there. None what-so-ever."
"But..." She swallowed..hard, striving for sophistication. "..that is..archaic and...just...eh..."
"Exciting?" He kissed her hungrily..deeply...passionately, his tongue 'fucking' her mouth sensually. The man groaned his arousal. "Shit, I want inside that little pussie! You're driving me fucking insane...is that your plan?"
Haley lifted her arms about his neck line and...allowed him to remove the towel from between them.
Vincent offered a sound deep within his throat, his hands shaking as he...began to..explore.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I CAN STOP THERE OR...DO THE DEED...VINCENT STYLE. IT'S READER'S CHOICE ON THIS ONE SO...LET ME KNOW. DO I CONTINUE WITH THE STORYLINE..GO BACK TO BRASS AND WEENA OR..DO I DO A LITTLE EXPLORING WITH THESE TWO...
IT'S UP TO YOU. IT IS ALREADY WRITTEN...BUT, IF YOU WANT BRASS..THAT'S WHAT YOU GET..
LET ME KNOW
