Chapter 9
It appeared he was about to pull a disappearing act. No, this was not about to happen. He was not about to escape, not if she had anything to do with it. She had to stop him. And she had to do it fast. Given a choice, he would evade her. Well, she just had to make sure she only left him with one option. Which significantly limited her own possibilities. The saying about desperate times and desperate measures had never been more appropriate. Going totally against her own grain, she had to employ a tactic she hated: she had to focus attention on herself. She barely recalled having taken the deep breath required for sending her loud, clear words out over the crowd like arrows. She hoped they were received as missiles of Cupid, not poisonous darts.
All night long, she had been on pins and needles. How typical of Michael to be hours late for his own party! When she had spied him finally arriving earlier, she had been shocked to discover he was not alone. Was that why he was late? Was he busy picking up his little date? How wonderful to see Julia hanging on his arm. No, not on his arm: he was holding her hand. Lisa felt like throwing up. This was not going well. Handholding had a special meaning to Michael as she well knew. During the first 15 months of their marriage, they had constantly held on to each other in public and in private. He always had told her, not matter how crazy things got, holding her hand reminded him that she was his direct line to sanity. As long as she could hold his hand, or even a finger, as long as his hands were on her, she knew they would be ok. And he had been right: when the handholding had stopped, chaos had taken over.
Later on, when they finally had reconciled and she went on her mad-dash around the world just to be with him, they resumed that part of their relationship. Not caring how anyone would interpret their relationship, he always reached for her hand whenever they were out. At home, during their more private times, he also often just randomly grasped for her: Watching movies, going on walks, watching the kids play. Out horseback riding, he often stopped and moved his horse close to hers, reaching over, holding her hand, smiling at her sweetly. When they made love, they also habitually interlaced their fingers, either in intense passion right before climaxing, or as he pinned her arms above or behind her body, raising her arousal hundredfold. There was something special about having her hands in his. She had felt protected, sheltered, loved, and adored.
So, to see him share this symbol of their intimacy with this woman outraged her. Who was this chick to him? Sure, she was tall and gorgeous, but so what? Where did she come from all of a sudden? Lisa wished with all her heart fair Juliette would climb back into the fucking catalogue she had stepped out of. Maybe she would turn back into one of those front window mannequins after midnight. One could hope… Well, it might be a moot point anyway. Lisa was pretty sure, she would be able to distract Michael with her little red-hot number. Julia might as well give up now, Lisa was decked out with special weapons custom made to get under the King’s armor. She could not hold back a smile, imagining his face when he’d detect her jewelry. Yeah, Mike, let’s see who those passionate dark eyes will devour.
“Oh, look who’s here. Come on, Lockwood, you said you wanted to meet him. Let’s go.”
Grabbing his hand, she maneuvered Brett and Lockwood to the door, following them inside.
God, Michael looked stunning. Good thing her mouth went dry or she would have drooled. He wore a dark outfit with black pants and a tightfitting jacket he wore open, revealing a dark blue shirt. Static electricity grabbed her and made her tremble as her nervous system and its unique sensory receptors that only seemed to work when Michael was in her vicinity went into overdrive. She hoped her outward cockiness would carry her through and keep a protective mantel around her. No need to reveal her vulnerability to him yet.
Her voice had rung piercingly across the room, and she flinched as several people turned toward her.
Dammit! That was loud. Well, at least he stopped.
Out of her peripheral vision, she noticed the puzzled look Lockwood directed at her. She had called him her fiancé, which surely must be news to him. If things went right, she would break things off with him anyway, so it didn’t matter what type of relationship she blew up. If not, she had a nice safety net. So, she was good to go.
Slow motion was too fast a concept to describe the time it took for Michael to turn and face her. His expression hit her like a pressure wave racing toward her. His face looked pleasant enough and an uninitiated by-stander might confuse his smile as welcoming. She knew better. She detected the treacherous black ice in his eyes. Black ice can kill you before you can react. She was well aware of the danger, yet moved ahead at full speed. After all, the most dangerous thing one could do was to hit the brakes and change course in a panic. No, just maintain speed and hold the steering wheel very steady.
In an odd coincidence, Michael’s song Unbreakable was playing and she, as always, was sensitive to the “with all your lies and silly games” part. She could not be sure, but she was fairly certain the words were a direct jab at her. Michael also seemed to listen and she could have sworn he mouthed “unbreakable.” But then again, her imagination might be getting out of hand. Time and space seemed to extend in a rather bizarre way before she finally made it across the seemingly insignificant space that had separated them. Now, if only she could traverse that final gap, but the drawbridge had definitely been retracted.
“Lisa-Marie. What an unexpected…surprise. I had not anticipated seeing you here among my friends.”
Michael had patiently waited to address her until she stood right before him. Close enough to touch him. Close enough for him to strike first.
Ouch. Nice opening, Mike. Good to see you, too, you cocky bastard.
“Well, I happened to call Bret the other day and he mentioned this little get-together. I would not have missed it for the world.”
“How nice of you to make time for me. You shouldn’t have. I know you are busy…getting around and stuff.”
He wasn’t pulling any punches, obviously angry about having been forced to face her.
No, Michael you will not get to dismiss me again!
She kept the brilliant smile on her face and ignored his statement about her getting around, which was no doubt directed at her frequent changes in male company. What the hell did he care?
“Michael, I would like you to meet Lockwood.” She pulled Lockwood who looked a tad bit uncomfortable closer to her side.
“Lockwood? That’s an interesting name. And you are Lisa’s…guitarist, right?”
Been digging into my life, Michael? How interesting.
Lisa watched Michael’s face closely, waiting for some flicker of any honest emotion. He was way too calm.
“It’s Michael Lockwood, Mr. Jackson- such an honor to finally meet you. Yes, Lisa and I work together and we also have a private connection. ” Lockwood stepped forward and extended his hand.
Michael responded by raising an eyebrow at her, but finally shaking Lockwood’s hand while keeping his gaze on Lisa.
“Oh yeah, right. Your fiancé, right Lise?” he let his eyes rest on her while addressing Lockwood. God! He could be so rude without seeming rude at times! “My pleasure, I’m sure. Michael, hmm? What a nice and convenient coincidence.”
“Convenient?” Lockwood succeeded in drawing Michael’s eyes away from Lisa for a second.
Lisa knew exactly what Michael was talking about. If he thought he was original, he better think again.
“Well, you know, when ladies…” Michael started and Lisa felt like throttling him.
At this moment, Bret stepped up and hugged Michael, taking the focus of Lockwood and the comment Michael was just about to make.
“Mike! I am so glad you made it. And who is your lovely guest?”
“Bret, this is Julia. She is my very lovely friend who has been so wonderful about making my time here full of pleasure and enjoyment.”
Lisa felt like vomiting again. She seemed to have developed an allergy against Michael’s eye candy. His new friend, indeed. And yeah, she just bet the hussy got some pleasure and enjoyment in return. Bitch! How classy of him to emphasize the word friend to make it clear that she came with benefits. Was that necessary? It was pretty clear that she was his little fluffer.
Julia had so far kept herself in the background, but now extended her arm, only to be pulled into Bret’s hug as he assured her any friend of Michael’s was his friend. Traitor! When Julia was free again, she turned toward Lisa.
“Nice seeing you again, Lisa.”
“Yes, wonderful, Judy.” Nobody could confuse her tone with anything remotely related to being cordial. And really, she did not give a shit what anyone thought. If she had to once again play the role of the bitch, so be it.
“Julia.”
“Sorry, I’m notoriously bad with names.”
“Hence the convenience of having a new fiancé with a familiar name.” Michael smiled triumphantly at Lisa and at his own private joke.
Lisa could think of a number of names to call Michael right now.
Everyone tried their best to ignore Michael’s little quip. An awkward silence started to spread like the oil cover after a spill, depriving everyone of oxygen fast. Lisa grabbed a glass of champagne a bypassing waiter handed her. Maybe the bubbles would help her breathe better. They did contain air, right? She gulped it down with closed eyes. When opening them again, she caught Michael red-handed. His eyes had dipped into the deep V of her dress and he was too slow about reeling them back into his head where they belonged.
HA! Gotcha! You could not resist checking me out right here in front of your little friend.
His glance was like a caress and her nipples tightened in response. Damn that thoroughly conditioned body of hers! She hated when she fell on her own sword!
“So, Lisa, you and Bret are friends, too?” Julia tried to keep the conversation going as Michael and Lisa continued to spar silently.
“Oh, yeah, without Bret I might never have met Michael. He brought us together at one of his parties,” she lied.
This was the official version of how they had met, crafted for public consumption by her mother and Scientology advisors to keep her image clean and protect Danny. Michael had always hated the charade, even though it had saved him from the public revelation of having screwed around with a very married woman for much longer than was known. Looking at Michael, she knew his thoughts went down the same path and his lips tightened. Then he did the unexpected and spoke the truth.
“Well, actually, I had known Lisa for a while before then, but she decided to use both our friendship with Bret to craft her little fairy tale…”
Julia looked up at him in surprise and Bret appeared slightly uncomfortable. Lockwood observed Lisa, probably wondering what the hell was going on.
Lisa, in turn, just stared at Michael who kept the challenge alive in his eyes. He basically dared her to contradict him. She was confused. It was not like him to reveal so much of their private life. He had always been very protective of their privacy. Well, that was when he had cared. Now, he just seemed to want to repay her the favor of the ambush.
“Michael, I don’t’ think anyone here is horribly interested in our ancient history.”
“No, really, Lisa, let’s just be honest, if you can do so for about two seconds. You know history is really an amazing thing, especially, when you look overtime and you realize that things never really change. The most reliable phenomenon seems to be the recurrence of patterns over and over.”
“Like…?” She glared at him, and the other players in the drama started to vanish behind the rising red fog taking her over.
“Like this little scenario. Once again, you use your friendship with Bret to manipulate a situation. How very déjà vu. Would it kill you to be original?” Michael returned her stare with equal intensity, his eyes the only thing revealing his otherwise tightly controlled anger that she suspected to be bubbling below the surface like sizzling lava.
Oh, Lisa knew what would happen if those well contained emotions broke free. The thing she could most readily compare it to was a nuclear explosion. She shivered, hoping he would control himself even as she longed to get an open, emotional reaction.
Julia reached for Michael’s arm and Lisa followed the movement, before returning to his eyes again. That bitch better take her hands off him. This had nothing to do with her.
Bret cleared his throat.
“Well, Lisa, Michael – and I mean Lockwood- why don’t I introduce you to some people you might not have met yet. I don’t think we want to monopolize Michael’s precious time, and he has not made the rounds yet.”
Lisa grabbed another glass and took a sip. “Really? Seems like Michael has gotten around just fine.” She let her eyes travel over Julia, leaving no doubt as to what she was insinuating.
“You wanna talk relationships, sweetheart? Oh, I’m sorry, I am amiss: I haven’t congratulated you yet. My bad. This will be marriage number…what? And after how many broken engagements? Sorry, I lose track.”
“You son of a...”
“Lisa, I think we need to get you some air.” Lockwood grabbed her arm and started to pull her toward the terrace. Lisa tried to shake his arm off.
“Good idea, man. But be careful. Not like she is exactly wearing any clothes, so she might catch pneumonia.”
Lockwood stopped at that and Lisa broke free, advancing toward Michael who stood his ground, his eyebrow cocked at her in amusement. She felt like slapping him, but at the very last second, she caught herself, aware she was making a scene. She stopped and stared at him, for one second letting her mask fall as her eye burned, before she took a deep breath.
“Well, at least I have love in my life, Michael. I feel sorry for you and your apparent loneliness. You should try relationships that go beyond escort services once in a while.”
With that, she turned on her heels, took Lockwood’s hand, and marched past Michael toward the exit of the apartment. She made it out of the room and found her way into the bedroom that held her wrap. Lockwood handed it to her. He seemed confused.
“What the hell was all that about, Lise?”
She managed a cold laughter. “Nothing. It’s like he said. History repeating itself. No wonder we never made it. Thank God, I am done with his superior bullshit.”
“Ok… If you say so.” His tone sounded less than convinced.
They made it down the hall.
“Lisa, should we not make our excuses to the hosts?”
“I will call Bret and Donald later. I need to be out of here for now. I neglected to bring my gas-mask that lets me survive in the toxic air Michael spreads around him like manure. I cannot tell you how glad I am I don’t have to be exposed to that crap any longer.”
“Well, you insisted on coming.”
“I’m so sorry. I thought we could make peace in some way. But I was an idiot. Let’s just get out of here.”
She stopped against the wall closely to the entrance, attempting to catch her breath. Her lungs burnt as if she had run a marathon.
“Lise, are you ok?” Lockwood stepped up close and put his arms around her. She went into his embrace willingly and snuggled against him as he kissed her head. What the hell was wrong with her? Lockwood loved her, he cherished her, and she almost threw all this away for another go at Michael, who clearly had become more of a bastard since his trial.
Last time they had talked, he had been vulnerable and desperate. Now, back on solid ground, he was cold and selfish. Sad, really, that this aspect of his personality had won out, but it was no longer her concern. At least he was alive, and maybe she could finally put those damn dreams to rest. Obviously, he did not need her in his life; he was just fine. She was not needed to make a difference- that was Julia of the long leg’s job now.
Lisa raised her face to Lockwood, and he kissed her gently. She craved his comfort and sighed into his mouth. Suddenly, she felt a bit nauseous and dizzy, steadying herself against his shoulders.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, you know what? The champagne is getting to me. Why don’t you go down, have them bring the car around, and I will be right there? I just need to use the restroom.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to leave without you?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I promise I can go potty all by myself.”
He kissed her again and left, blowing her a kiss before he pulled the door shut. Lisa turned and ventured up the hall again, looking for one of the restrooms Bret had pointed out on his tour earlier. She opened one of the doors and saw it was a small bedroom with another door leading to a bathroom. Well, it didn’t look like anyone was using the room, so Lisa decided to end her search here. She threw the wrap across the bed and made her way to the small bathroom, turning on the cold water, splashing her face, enjoying the cool sensation against her feverish skin. It was crazy to let herself be this worked up by someone who should have stayed in her past. It was over now. Finally...
She thought she heard the bedroom door open and close. Maybe Lockwood had come back for her after all. Great, she had hoped to have a second or two to clear her head.
“Baby, did you come back for me?”
She saw the ceiling light go off and noticed the soft glow of one of the small lamps she had seen in the room before. What the hell was this about? Surely, he was not in the mood for fun and games now?
She turned the water off, dried her face in the hand towel, and turned toward the door. A gasp of surprise escaped and she halted her steps, reaching out for the doorframe to keep from falling. Speechlessly she stared at the man leaning against the bedroom door.
“Sorry. Wrong Michael.”
This was what it must feel like to be stunned by a powerful Taser, having the impact of hot, dizzying current spread through her, while keeping her rooted in place, speechless and paralyzed.
“Sorry, but you were so intent on speaking to me in private a couple of days ago. I thought I’d give you that chance now, so we don’t have to go through all this again.”
How very kind of you, Michael. You decided it was time to talk? Well, fuck you.
She cleared her throat, forcing herself to find her voice.
“I gotta go. I changed my mind about talking to you. Get out of the way.”
Willing her legs to function, she reached for her wrap and stepped up closer to the door, which naturally also brought her closer to him. Instantly, the scent of his cologne enveloped her, evoking memories of kissing his body, inhaling his essence. No wonder they say the sense of smell is one of the most important building blocks of memory.
She tried to push by him and he reached out, his fingers burning her through the thin material of the dress.
“What? Are you disappointed it’s me? Did you expect your fiancé to come back? I saw you kissing him in the hall. Was this part of the plan? Getting your rocks off fucking in someone else’s bedroom while your ex is outside?”
The sound of her hand making impact with his cheek surprised her as she had not even been aware that she had raised her hand. He was stunned, too, but not stunned enough to miss catching her writs as she pulled back.
“You little bitch.”
At this point, and for the first time ever, she was not sure he was above hitting her back. The expression in his eyes really scared her. Scared her and turned her on. Lisa attempted to retrieve her arm. Hypnotized, she stared at the red splotch on his cheek. She must have hit him pretty hard. Regret rose, and she fought it down, justifying her impulsive action by his rude provocation. How had he expected her to react? Just take his shit? Those days were long gone!
“Let me go, Michael. I am dead serious. Let go.” She used her other hand to free her wrist, and he grabbed that arm as well. Dammit!
Feeling trapped, she started to struggle against his tight grip seriously now, but of course, was no match for his hands. Trying another route, she raised her knee. This started to feel very familiar. The thought must have occurred to Michael, too, and he blocked her attack by forcing both hands behind her. This brought her body forward and straight into him, thus preventing her from gaining the needed momentum for the kick.
“Will you stop it, you little wild cat. You will hurt yourself. Just hold still.” He panted against her, and she thought she would pass out from feeling his breath on her, inhaling the cinamon, stirring her senses like leaves in the balmy spring breeze. That, coupled with his heaving chest against her and the realization that she was not the only one sexually affected by their struggle. She froze.
Lisa slowly raised her eyes and noticed he was biting his lip, trying to evade eye contact. Oh, this was great! She knew that face. Michael, with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, was trying his damnest to will that huge bulge against her thigh to go away.
He wants me. After everything, he still wants me.
She wanted to kick the ass of that jubilant voice inside her head.
“Mike, um, you got a little problem down there- and I am not about to help you out. Your girlfriend is right outside, so let me go before I scream.” Her voice was husky and she had no intention of screaming. As a matter of fact, she hoped he would not listen to her.
“Little problem, Lisa? Why don’t I show you how little and give you a real reason to scream.”
‘You wouldn’t do that.”
He raised an eyebrow and an icy smile appeared on that gorgeous face once more. She felt a rush of heat surge through her. He could not possibly have any idea what he did to her right now. She was on fire and without a doubt would do whatever he wanted. Wiped from her mind were any lingering concerns about his date, Lockwood, or the apartment full of people.
This is what he does to you, Lisa. This is what he reduces you to. Run away as fast as you can. You don’t need this.
She told that voice that she did not really have a choice, since he kept holding her bound to him- in one way or another. The only change in his posture was when he lowered his head and seemed to inhale deeply, seemingly smelling her skin or her hair.
“I wouldn’t, Lisa? Are you sure?”
His voice was at that deep timbre that sent its vibrations straight to her core. Well, pretty soon he did not have to do anything, as she would cum just from being held close, from feeling his breath, feeling his erection against her, hearing his voice… Funny, how a sound wave could have such effects. Her soul had located its eternal beacon and headed straight for him.
She swallowed.
“You would not force me to do anything. I know you wouldn’t.”
“No, I would never force you, you’re right on.” Slowly his head lowered, his hair tickling her skin. His mouth was right next to the sensitive skin of her neck now and he paused before she felt an electric shock, elicited by the tip of his tongue on her, shooting through her.
“Oh God…” her words were but a whisper and she felt his smile against her neck.
Lisa was well aware Michael had tasted victory like a hungry shark tasting blood. And she was ready to slash open her veins to let him feed on her. It did not matter. Only his presence mattered.
“But...”
He placed his lips on her, allowing a very short contact only, then going in for an open mouthed kiss on her neck, using his tongue to trace a wet, hot circle. Softly, the heavenly lips moved over to her earlobe, nipping at the tender flesh there. Lisa felt each impact like a direct touch to her clitoris and womb. She whimpered softly.
God, she had missed feeling him like this. This was what she had needed. His touch, his magic… The clear revelation hit her: she had not lived at all those past years! She had simply existed without him, had lead a black and white existence, while his touch once again restored all the colors of the rainbow to her being.
“I am not so sure, I’d have to force you, Lise. Not unless…”
Her head fell back and she gazed up at him through heavy, half drunken eye lids. The only thing was, the alcohol was no longer the drug that kept her intoxicated.
“Unless…?”
His mouth came down toward hers and she opened her lips, hungering for the impact. She wanted, no, needed him to breathe his life-force back into her.
Come on, baby. Resuscitate me- bring me back to life…
“Unless you truly...”
His lips made the softest contact with hers: much too soft, too short for her taste.
“Are…”
Another peck….
She thought she would die and pressed against him, her hips now pressing in circular motions into his groin.
One more small kiss.
“Indifferent…”
Her eyes flew open and she met his burning gaze. She was not sure if she saw love or hate, but she was ready to jump into the bottomless depths, diving in deeply, ready to discover if they held redemption or damnation.
(to be continued)
The Difference is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
©2010 Erika B Michaels. All Rights Reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Any names, places, and other identifying features are used in a fictional manner, for entertainment purposes only, and are in no way representative of actual events. This work may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or stored without expressed written permission by Erika B Michaels. All photos and images, mentioned songs or song titles are copyright their creators.
Oh Erika this is the best yet.This is getting to the MJ/LMP I love so well. Not there yet but getting better. The icy-bitchey relationship is growing and I love it. Your way with words just amazes me. Thanks so much can't wait for more.
ReplyDeleteWow, I feel breathless! That was incredible. The best chapter so far, imo. The tension was incredible.
ReplyDelete“Sorry. Wrong Michael.”
OMG!!! This was probably the best moment in the chapter when she comes out the bathroom and there he is. My heart skipped a beat. Wow! So intense!
The last part was intoxicating...like a drug. That's why this fic has me so hooked and begging for more. The intensity, the passion mixed in with the anger and pain -- it makes for a very fiery combination. I love the way Michael teases her, telling her he won't have to make her, unless of course she truly is indifferent. The way that last part of the scene is written is perfection.
Amazing! Loved it! Thank you!
Well, Merry Fucking Christmas! Lockwood is sucha pussy and NO match for Michael and his huge.. uhm... manhood.
ReplyDeleteI've never had angry sex before, but reading your stories makes me wanna go pick a fight with someone... Maybe I should piss off Alex and see how he likes that, huh?
Another great update oh yee great mother of all that is porn... Waiting patiently for the next update... I kinda hope they get caught; either by Lockwood or Julia...
Thank you all SOOO much!
ReplyDelete@Susan- Yeah, the icey-bitchyness will continue for a while. But it will be SMOKING ice...
@Monica- thanks for the praise. And we all know she is ALL BUT indifferent, don't we.
@Janni- LOL- that was so cute (the angry sex comment)- you made me laugh!
You are not the first person who asks me if they will get caught... I guess we gotta see.
Seriously- this story means so much to me, so your feedback is the greatest gift! Thank you for taking the time to commment!
I really love this story, and this was the best chapter so far.
ReplyDeleteI could "feel" what I was reading and I think making readers feel things is a gift.
Can't wait to read what happens next!!!
@CasperInLove- Thank you so much for commenting!And thank you for the great compliment- I am truely humbled! And stay tuned! :)
ReplyDelete