Almost as though he could read her thoughts, Dom removed his arm from her shoulders as Jack attempted to open the front door. Part of her wished he hadn't. But on the other hand, should they be seen together she'd rather not have to answer the questions sure to come as a result.
It turned out to be wise thinking. Jack's handprint once again wasn't registering with the house's computer, so she had to ring the doorbell.
And guess who answered it. The wicked witch of the west herself... Figured, since Riddick was probably away at his anger management classes. It was, after all, a Saturday night. Where the hell else would he be?
Shella crossed her arms over her chest upon seeing the two of them, leaning with one shoulder braced against the doorframe she pursed her lips, her face twisting into something that was both cruel and smug at the same time. Jack hardly had to work her imagination at all to see a pointy black hat crowning her fake blonde hair.
"Well, well. Look what the dog dragged in. I almost thought you weren't coming back, Jackie dearest. Who's your friend?" Sugary sweet, and yet so evil.
Jack was imagining popping Shelly in the mouth. Standing beside her, Conte was having similar thoughts, if from a more male perspective...
The syrupiness of Shella's voice just about made Jack start screaming, lose herself completely. But the flash she saw in the ex-stripper's eyes made her pause.
She's pissed as hell that you came back...alive. Use it against her. You're the one in control here now, Jackie.
Jack forced a nasty smile as she reached for Conte's arm, pulling him close so she could hug his thick bicep, silently willing him to play along. "This is Dominic Conte, Shella. My boyfriend. And no, he won't fuck you. Unless you'd like to suck his dick until Ricky gets home, I might let you get away with that. Who knows, it might even be fun to watch." She winked in Shella's direction, trying to sound like she just might be serious about the invitation.
You are a bad, bad girl, Jack. I suppose you actually think she'll take you up on that offer too. Even if she did, Riddick's probably so fucked up that he'd forgive her even if he did catch her cheating. Time to start rolling your eyes at the poor naive fool...now that you aren't one too.
She felt, rather than heard Dom's low snicker vibrating through his chest. Internally, Jack was relieved. The last thing she wanted to do right then was go too far and drive off the only friend she had.
Shella's eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth a bit in preparation for the major cat fight she was about to enter into with the teenaged girl before her, but she bit back her words as Riddick's car pulled into the driveway.
Jack and Conte both whipped around upon hearing the noise, separating instantly. Equal in magnitude to Jack's relief that she probably wouldn't have to compete in a screaming match while her brain was still feeling like an egg cooked sunny-side up, was Dom's feeling of exhilaration at the prospect of finally meeting the Riddick.
Finally getting to see how they measured up. Physically at least.
In height, Dom won easily. He guessed he had a solid four inches on the old man who was soon standing in front of him. The At one time this man had been public enemy number one, and had earned the title of such.
Now...now the bitch was whipped.
That ain't all he'll be when you're done, Domy boy. Now make sure you smile real nice for Jack's big bro. Wanna make a good impression don't you? Seeing as you're the new boyfriend...
His near-silent growl could've been mistaken for a wicked purr as the evil smirk he'd perfected in slam instinctively slipped into place.
It was the one that showed all of his beautiful white teeth. So white, they seemed to glow in the heart of the numbered prisons, where black light was the only light. Made him look pleasantly freakish, actually. Like a shark hunting for any fool fish that might swim too close. Even more frightening was how he could quickly slip back into the shadows that would hide his body, and yet his smile remained, haunting those left alive to see it slowly fade away.
Just like the Cheshire Cat.
Riddick, however, didn't even seem to notice him as he slowly made his way up the walk. The guy looked tired, ragged, and his entire focus was on Jack. For the moment, at least.
Dom watched with marked interest as Rick placed a firm hand on Jack's shoulder, looking her straight in the eye.
"Where have you been, Jack?" he asked. "I was out looking for you all afternoon."
The girl shrugged, and Dom couldn't quite tell if perhaps a bit of guilt that she might've had Riddick worried was tugging on her conscience. "I went to the party, and I wasn't careful enough. Someone slipped a date rape drug in my hydrite. Fortunately Dom was there. He told the guys who were trying to get me to go with them to fuck off and he took me to this guy he knows who's a retired doctor. I was unconscious for eighteen hours. I just woke up not that long ago," she said, sounding like just about the most pathetic thing alive.
Conte almost had to snicker. The girl was good, real good.
Keep those beautiful green eyes wide and bat those eye lashes, baby. The sucker's going to believe whatever the hell you tell 'em.
"Why didn't you take her to the hospital?" Riddick demanded, turning his gaze away from Jack and finally acknowledging Conte's presence.
The question jarred Dom from his thoughts, but like always, he somehow managed to land on his feet. "She told me when I met her that she used to be a runaway. I just happen to be one too, and I know that sometimes even a kid can manage to rack up a record in a hurry, under the right circumstances. For all I knew, she was wanted; maybe even had a price on her head."
"Bullshit," Shella interjected harshly. All attention slowly turned in her direction. She was still blocking the doorway, her slim arms crossed over her busty chest. "Come on, Rick. You aren't seriously buying this fantasy, are you? Poor little Jack got drugged and then her knight in shining armor had to come save her? Yeah, that's likely. They were probably fucking in a motel somewhere and she just didn't have the decency to call and tell you she'd be late, even after all you've done for her."
A dead silence fell over the small group. Crickets could almost be heard chirping in the background.
Finally, Jack cleared her throat, preparing to speak. "Well, Shella. It's like this. THAT PROBABLY would've been what really happened if I were you. You know, a slut who would stripped off her clothes for money, among other things. Buuut, I'm DEFINITELY not you. I have a little of this stuff called 'self respect'. You, on the other hand, shoved me out the door last night so you could get hot and heavy with Ricky without having to worry about me hearing you. WELL GUESS WHAT, SHELLA! I CAN HEAR YOU TWO FUCKING EVERY FUCKING NIGHT! Enjoy him, bitch. You won't have him much longer. So says Jack B. Fucking Badd!" Upon finishing her short crescendo of a tirade, Jack was all ready to shove past her mortal enemy and march angrily up to her room to spend her night making up battle tactics.
But it soon became apparent that Dom had other plans for her.
Before she could get out of reach he snapped up her wrist and in the blink of an eye had whipped her back to him, pulling her body tight to his chest. She didn't get to be confused for more than a second before she felt his fingers entwined in her hair as his hand cradled the back of her head, and his lips were crushed against hers.
It was a very brief but wild ride that sucked just about all the air right out of her body. And when he released her, tossing a casual and far too smug 'how do ya like that?' look in Big Evil's direction, Jack was absolutely positive she'd just completely fallen in love with him.
"See ya Monday, babe," he said, not a hint of modesty present in his tone or the way he was looking down at her, the lips he'd just kissed her so throughly with turned slightly upwards in that cocky grin she loved so much. He squeezed her chin playfully between his thumb and forefinger before turning, and disappearing back out into the darkness of night.
She knew she was smiling dumbly. She just couldn't help it at the moment.
There goes your knight in shining armor, Jack. Bet you never thought you'd have one of those...
And the best part was, of course, the fact that seeing Conte kiss her had left Riddick staring at her so stupidly.
She laughed just seeing him with such a dull, slack jawed appearance on his face.
Who woulda thunk? Big Evil was shocked into silence!
Deep down, in the evil part of her she'd so recently rediscovered, Jack was hoping that someday soon, Riddick would have quite a lot to say about who she would and would not kiss or be kissed by.
Got a feeling that pretty soon, Riddick's going to be quite pissed about a lot of things, Jack thought on her way up the stairs to her room. She threw her head back and cackled evilly.
In a mocking, sing-song voice she began to recite,
"Shelly D. Bitch sat on a wall..."
"Shelly D. Bitch is about to get her ass kicked..."
