Chapter Seven: Consummation

Jackson was watching her over the top of his wineglass. He was smiling. She looked up from her knees to meet his eyes, and he raised his eyebrows as she did so.

"You and I," he began, swirling the wine in his glass, "are a couple on our anniversary date. I've decided to treat you to a nice lunch, followed by, oh, why not make it a surprise?" He relished in her flustered reaction. "What do you think, Lisa? Five months? A year?"

She watched as he threw his head back and finished off the last of the red wine, smacking his lips at the dry and bitter taste. She actually smiled, then returned her face to that guarded mask.

"I don't think that's how you're supposed to drink wine, dear." She threw a heavy and sarcastic emphasis on the last word that made him answer with an icy "harrumph."

"I never liked wine."

"I didn't have you tacked as a wine man," she said quietly, watching for a waiter. One appeared beside the table a moment later.

"Good afternoon," she said cheerfully. She was young, maybe not even out of high school yet. "My name is Donna and I'll be your waitress this afternoon. Can I get you two something else to drink?" Jackson looked up with his practiced "people smile," showing the tips of his white teeth.

"Yes, I think so." He turned to Lisa. "Leese, dear, you like anything special?" He laughed. "Seabreeze?" She felt herself go pale.

"No," she answered quickly. "Just... Just water, please."

He turned back to Donna. "Water for my girl, and another glass of this-" He made a face toward his wine glass- "for me."

Donna smiled cheerily.

"All right! I'll be back with your drinks in just a sec!"

Jackson watched her retreat, then turned back to Lisa with a roll of his eyes.

"Nothing like an infatuated teenager to drain your appetite." He leaned his elbow on the table, propping his chin up and surveying Lisa. "I assume that you would like to know more about the pick-up you're going to make tomorrow morning?" The sudden change in subject brought Lisa to her senses. She was sitting in a relatively fancy restaurant with a murderer.

"Yes," she answered guardedly. She folded and unfolded her cloth napkin in her lap. Jackson tapped his fingers against the table before shifting in his chair and continuing.

"I have another outfit I've picked out for you. For both of us, actually. I'll be driving, of course, and Jones- I'm sorry, I mean Dr. Collins- will tag along to make sure you don't change your mind at the last minute."

"The 'mysterious stranger' thing got old a while ago," she said, gaining nerve with every lucid moment. She glanced up to see him breathe irritably through his nose, and he continued with a slight twitch in his lips.

"The route is simple, a straight drive down the appointed street. The garbage bags will be in place if the woman loves her brother. If the bags aren't there, you don't have a thing to worry about. You just hold your position and I'll drive on by. Collins will call back to have dear old Christian taken care of."

"I don't see how you can do it," Lisa growled, holding her head carefully. She was feeling sick again. Maybe an hour ago, at the least, she had been intertwined with this man, the man who felt no remorse with killing an innocent man. "How can you say something like that and not-"

"What?" Jackson interjected, leaning across the table and removing the hand from her face. "Not what, Lisa?" His eyes were flicking from her eyes to her mouth, following her hairline and finally focused on her eyes. "Not feel any remorse? Pity?"

"Not realize that it's wrong." She looked up and saw that Donna was coming back with their drinks. She jerked her hand from Jackson's grip.

"Hi there!" Donna chimed, grinning gaily. Jackson pulled his almost painfully into a cheerful grin. "Are you two ready to order yet? I can tell you about our lunch specials, soup of the day, our special two for one-"

"I'll have the stuffed crab," Jackson interjected on the rambling girl. "Hold the garlic," he added with a hidden smirk.

"What dressing would you like on your salad?" Donna asked, writing on her small paper.

"None, thank you," he added sweetly. Lisa admitted to herself that the man knew what to say and when. He was good at what he did. Donna turned her young face to Lisa, grinning incessantly.

"You, ma'am?"

Lisa inwardly thought that she was still to young to be called "ma'am."

"The grilled salmon platter," Lisa said, trying to pretend she was in good spirits. She, too, was asked about salad, and sides, and quickly bypassed all the questions. Donna was off again, back to the refuge of the kitchen.

There was a long silence between the two of them, punctuated by the clattering of plates and cutlery in the kitchen and the babble of excited diners surrounding them. Jackson took a long drink of wine with another disgusted face. He caught his voice again.

"I do it because I know that people who do as they're told don't get killed." He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he did so. "Look at yourself. You've done what I've told you, and nothing's happened to you, right? Where as Gerard, well..." He smiled inwardly. "That's the rule in this line of work, Leese." She glanced up, this time she being the one searching for hidden answers in locked eyes.

"How did you end up here, Jackson?" She asked. The sound of his name coming from her seemed to stir something in him, for he shifted again as if something had begun dancing inside of him. "You couldn't have always been like this."

"Are you saying that because you think you can change me?" He asked, leaning across the table again. She didn't flinch. "Let's just say my childhood wasn't as happy as yours was. My parents weren't quite as loving as yours were." He paused to watch for change on her features. "I was given an offer a few years back by a man I felt I could trust. So far, you're the only one who's managed to trip me up." He ran one finger along her jaw line, and she took in a shuddering breath. "No one can change me now, Lisa. I'm a little too far gone for that." He withdrew his hand, which she hadn't known she'd been leaning into until it was gone.

"Not that you would anyway," Lisa said after recovering from her temporary weakness. He shook his head with a smirk.

"Right again."

Their food came after a short wait, and they ate in near silence. She was glad to be able to get in a good meal before her "duty" came around tomorrow. She figured that if she tried to ignore it, it would be better for her in the long run. She had tried to do the same the night after Jackson had been taken from her father's house to the hospital. She had curled up in her old room, pulling all of her childhood memories around her and tried to forget everything that had happened since she'd left that room forever. But she couldn't rid herself of the blue-eyed stare of her nightmares.

That blue-eyed monster was watching her from atop the wineglass again.

"I need to use the bathroom," she said, staring down at her half-finished food. Jackson lifted his chin and inspected her shortly.

"All right." He stood up to match her sudden movement. "I'll go with you."

She furrowed her brows. He grinned.

"Don't get the wrong idea. That would be simply indecent at a restaurant, Lisa." He adjusted his collar- the bandage was still visible on his neck.

They walked arm in arm to the restroom area, where she left him to enter the women's door. It was a single-person facility. She glanced back before the door shut to see Jackson lean casually on the wall as if he had nothing better in the world to do than wait on her. She locked the door.

Lisa splashed water on her face and slicked some through her hair. She thought and thought, pressing her warm forehead against the cool mirror. She looked very nice for a woman being held captive by an irresistible-

Stop it. He tried to kill me.

He had also had his tongue in her mouth not two hours ago.

She ran a hand over her eyes, glancing up at the ceiling as if asking God himself for help in her plight. It was then that she glanced the window.

It was a small window with frosted glass so no peering eyes from outside could see in. The latch was on the inside, and it was opened slightly. Her mind flew into action immediately, and she was suddenly beside it. She stood on tiptoes to reach the latch, and pressed her shoulder against it to lever it open further. It slid open easily. Her heart began thrumming rapidly in her chest. She might just be able to pull it off. She'd run into town, find the police, report Jackson, and the make of the car he was driving, what the inside of his warehouse looked like-

She stopped her thought process, halfway through the window's opening. What if she didn't do all of that? What if she climbed back into the bathroom and rejoined Jackson in the restaurant?

She didn't have time to think before a hand grabbed her wrists and dragged her from the ground-level window. Her leg caught on the window frame, causing a long red line to run down her calf. She was jerked to her feet to stare into the piercing blue eyes of Jackson Rippner.

"I see."

That was all he said.

He dragged her back to the car, not bothering to see if anyone was watching them. No one was, but the fact that he didn't care was what bothered Lisa the most. He opened the door and dropped Lisa inside, slamming the door after her. He plopped into the driver's seat and leaned back to tie the blindfold on her. He hadn't bothered with her seatbelt. She was too shaken to do anything. Her fingers were trembling again.

He was silent in the front seat. She had no idea where he was looking, what he was doing. All she knew was the darkness behind the blindfold and the tiny rasp that still caught in Jackson's breath. She waited for him to say something. To hit her, maybe. She had tensed herself for anything. Then the car rumbled to life, and he shifted it into reverse. They were leaving.

The car ride was as short as it had been on the way out. Somewhere, she heard thunder roll, and soon there was the steady plink of raindrops on the car. She was frightened, nauseous and nervous all in the same moment, but a new feeling was trickling through her that she'd tried to ignore.

She had disappointed him, and she hated herself for it.

She knew she shouldn't feel that way, but she did. It made her want to scream.

The car pulled to a halt, and Jackson was soon pulling her from the back seat. She was suddenly set upon by the rain, which was heavier than she had initially surmised. Jackson's hand was tight on her wrist despite the cold rain. He unlocked the massive front door, then closed it again after them. The blindfold came off again and landed on the floor with a thick wet sound.

Lisa's eyes remained shut. He grabbed her chin in his hand, forcing her to tilt her head up toward his.

"Look at me," he said in a quiet roar, like a whispering lion. She opened her eyes.

She hadn't seen that look in his eyes since he had cornered her in the airplane's restroom. He heaved his breath, looking death into her eyes, and, surprisingly, she mirrored it. He let loose one long, low breath, then jerked his hand from her face.

"Come on," he murmured, seizing her wrist again.

She followed him up the stairs, watching her feet. She was bleeding from the cut the window had given her. Jackson unlocked his room -his room- and shoved Lisa inside. She sat heavily on the bed. He tossed a white cloth at her.

"Clean up," he said tersely, closing the door and locking it as he entered. Lisa took the cloth and began mopping up the blood on her leg. There wasn't a lot of it, which made the job easier. What made it hared was the hardness of Jackson's eyes, watching her, as he sat on the edge of the desk. Her hands began to shake.

"I wasn't going to run," she said at last. Her voice wasn't as strong as she had hoped it would be. Jackson sat down beside her and took over cleaning her leg where her trembling hands had failed.

"Really," he said, un-amused. "You were just hanging half-out of the window for you own good, then?" She was silent, wincing in pain as he cleaned her wound. He got up and searched the desk for bandages. He found them and placed a patch of gauze over the thin cut. He taped it down with white medical tape.

"I changed my mind," Lisa said, watching his fingers manipulate the bandages. His eyes shot up almost malevolently.

"What could have possibly changed your mind?"

She met his eyes slowly, as if afraid of what she would find there. She saw herself reflected in the intense blue eyes. His cold, calculating eyes drank in her sad, placid face, and they slowly melted from the ice they had been to pools of water at calm.

"You infuriate me," he whispered huskily. "You do this to me. You make me hate you, make me want to tear you apart with my eyes. Then you make me want to shag the hell out of you."

"I think that's called love," Lisa answered.

He silenced her with his lips. She let him press her body down into the bed, her head embraced by the pillow. He pried her lips apart with his own, and she didn't resist. One of his hands raked through her curls, running along her neck. She arched herself into him. He shifted above her, and she synchronized her movements with his. Again, his hand teased along her torso, hiking her shirt up slowly. He paused only slightly, and when she made no objection, he lifted the wet shirt from her body. She made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, and once she tossed it aside, she ran a shaking hand over his chest and up around his neck.

He broke contact, breathing heavily as his forehead was pressed against hers. His hair was hanging limp before his eyes.

"I hate you," he groaned before pressing in for another kiss.

"I know," she answered back.

She hooked one leg around him and deepened the kiss. Jackson reached up and switched the lamp off.

AN: I am so evil. I ended it there, and that makes me evil. But then again, if I didn't end it there, I'd have to change the rating, and I'd be a -gasp!- SMUT WRITER! I don't write smut... So I'll leave the rest to my adoring fans, for I know you all have very active imaginations, to say the least. And no, this still isn't the end, for the pick-up still has to happen. WOOT! Now, for some happy shout-outs!

hilby: Huzzah for new reader-ness! I am so glad you like this ficcie. I like that you made the allusion that Lisa is Jackson's Christmas Town, because I think that's really what she is. And, even though there's no clam chowder here, I hope Lisa wasn't too passive in this chappie for you. I'll still remember chowder, just for you... Hey! An idea! Today's e-food will be e-chowder! E-CHOWDER FOR EVERYONE!

Ashley: It's all right for reviewing "late", you still reviewed, and I still love yew! Lisa was silly in making her choice, but I hope she made up for it in this one. I hope this goes in a different direction than your ficcie, but then again, this chapter, while being my longest, is not my best. It felt a little off, but I ran with it to see where it got me. Well, here it is, and I hope it reaches expectations for y'all. Much love and e-chowder to you for your awesome, awesome reviews and ficcie too!

red hood ninja: That's called imagery and one of my favorite parts of writing, as you can see. I'm a description Nazi, as I've said before, and I have to see something in my mind before I can write it. I hope and pray that I haven't set the standards too high, for this chappie isn't the best, but I just really really hope it's as good, maybe, as the last one. Thank you for the reviews, friend, and help yourself to the foodstuffs!

A.R. Bellance: Darn Lisa and her ability to think things through! But at least in this chappie she began to think the way I did in the movie and realizing he's a good-lookin' fella who just needs some lovin'. And yes. He is a sex-god. I hope that you're not disappointed by this chappie! Love to you!

corrine-la: Huzzah! You write well for someone who's first language isn't English! I like to think that down deep Jackson really has a heart, and he wouldn't force himself on her... And as for Jackson watching Queer Eye... I don't know if I would put it past him. He is a very snappy dresser and looks a little feminine sometimes to boot. Maybe... -Twilight Zone Music!- Oh, and as for Jackson's POV, the story is meant to be told from over Lisa's shoulder so you don't know what Jackson's thinking on purpose. Thanks for the review!

luningravatic: Thank you sooo much for your review. I don't know why, but the image of Jackson singing is just so... Jackson... for me. I'm glad you think it worked well, and I love you for saying so. Everyone's saying I nailed Jackson, so I must've done something right. I hope I keep it that way in this chapter. If not, I'll do it over again, so just say the word! Here, have some of my coffee, friend! -gives coffe and e-chowder-

Rashida: ... I can safely say I've never had a bitch before. But I suppose it's a good thing. -grin- I love you too. I really really really hope that this chapter is up to par on the "You have Jackson down pat" department. I'm gonna worry until I get your review back, friend. And don't worry about mad ramblings. I love mad ramblings.

Ayumi Omoide: AHH! -takes Jackson plushie and plays with it dawn til ducks before remembering I was replying to a review- Oh yes... Ahem. Thank you so much, my lovely lovely friend! You sure are worthy, especially so because of your reviews. They make me giddy, and I'm so very happy when I get one from you. And, unfortunately, I did see that he's married. Oh, the agony... I weep, slowly and sadly. BUT YES! Thanks for your praise, though I still don't think I deserve all of it. Love and e-chowder and huggles to you my dear friend!

DarkVerity: Thanks so much for your review! It's all right to break down and giggle every once and a while. And if you like giggling as much as you suggest, then the end of this chappie must have been a giggle-fest. I hope you like this chappie as well, and thanks again!

Wow, these are getting long. And I'm not even shouting out to half the people I want to. So, I hope that hugs, love and e-chowder will suffice for everyone else that I love to death! I love all ofyou! The reviews really make me want to keep writing, and they bring me happiness with each one. LOVE!