The patio to Mara-Joy and Chad’s house was lit up with small wooden garden torches. Mara-Joy was a fine decorator and had to have quality things.
Needless to say, the outside of her home was as richly assembled as the inside.
Cherry wood wicker furniture with deep emerald green cushions furnished the terrace. A half empty wine glass sat on the little wicker table with a dirty ashtray beside it.
Joanna stood surrounded by her sister’s things. Everything reeked of Mara-Joy.
She swallowed hard, her heart pounding a mile a minute.
What was she thinking? Did she really think she could pull this off? Joanna shook her head. It had all seemed fine and dandy at the time. Take away the one thing that could hurt Mara-Joy: her husband. But now she felt ridiculous.
Shaking, she sat down on one of the wicker chairs. It creaked noisily under her weight. She reached across the table and took the wine glass, gulping down most of the liquid. Leaning back against the chair, she closed her eyes and let the wine slide down her throat and relax her.
Faint memories of long ago filtered through her head.
Memories of Oliver and Shawna sitting outside their old house, talking with her parents about Mara-Joy. Talking as though Oliver were . . . as though Mara-Joy wasn’t . . .
Joanna sat up and opened her eyes. She sipped the wine that remained in the glass, enjoying its fragrance. She looked at the fairly full ashtray and began to rummage through the butts, searching for a salvageable smoke.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” a deep voice said behind her. Joanna jumped with a gasp. Her sooty finger flew to her chest, smudging her cream-colored dress.
“Chad . . .” she stammered, trying to contain her embarrassment.
He was leaning against the side of the house. He stood in the undershirt and slacks he wore at the grocery store. His hair was ruffled, as though he had been running his fingers through it.
“Yes, my dear sister-in-law?” he smiled, looking down at the slim girl. She reminded him of a fawn lost in the woods. He took a smoke out from behind his ear and handed it regally to Joanna.
“For you. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to let you smoke Mara-Joy’s butts.”
“Thanks,” Joanna could barely speak. Her words wouldn’t come out. She reached out and took the cigarette.
Cautiously, she put it into her mouth and searched in vain for a light. She stopped when Chad leaned over with a lit match.
“Thanks, again,” she said, puffing deeply. She tried not to inhale for fear of choking.
Chad looked at her, amused, and lit up a cigarette for himself as he sat down in the chair across from Joanna’s.
He inhaled deeply and looked across at the girl. She looked green and ready to spill her cookies at any moment. This one did make him laugh. Every time he saw her he couldn’t help but remember their conversation at his wedding.
She’d seen right through the facade and had hit the nail on the head when she blasted him that night. Then he had been too stunned to appreciate the ball of fire she was. He was too jolted by the fact that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.
“Enjoying that cigarette?” he smirked, trying to hide his smile behind a puff of smoke.
Joanna turned crimson red, and crushed the cigarette out into the ashtray.
“I...I have had enough.” She sat up straight in defiance. She wasn’t going to let him laugh at her. She was no longer a little child and he wasn’t going to treat her like one. She had been a fool to think she could entice Chad. He thought she was nothing more than a joke.
“Well, have you had enough wine too or would you like some more?” He leaned forward and grinned at Joanna.
She did not know if he was serious or teasing her still. Her mind whirled and she felt a little sick from the cigarette.
“As a matter of fact, Chad, I would like some more wine.” She sat up straight. It irked her how he patronized her. “But unlike my sister, I prefer white to red. So if you could be so kind, I would love a glass of white.”
Chad’s raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.
“Well, Miss Joanna, you are in luck.” He stood up and snubbed out his smoke. “Much like yourself, I too prefer white to red.” He stood up tall and sleek and disappeared into the house leaving her alone.
Joanna breathed deeply of the warm evening air. It was nice outside and she felt safe, semi-hidden in the darkness.
Chad returned swiftly carrying a bottle and two wine glasses. He placed the glasses in front of Joanna and proceeded to fill them to the brim with wine.
“Cheers,” he said, lifting his glass to Joanna.
She lifted hers and raised it to Chad, taking a sip. He sat down in the seat next to her and sighed.
“Nice night,” he said to no one in particular.
“Yes,” Joanna said, looking around uncomfortably. Now that she was finally there with Chad, she didn’t know what to say to him.
“So what brings you over to this neck of the woods? It can’t be to see your darling sister. I know how fond you are of her,” Chad said, sipping more of his wine. He was beginning to relax and was enjoying Joanna’s interruption.
He knew he should send the kid home. Mara-Joy would freak out if she knew Joanna was here alone with him. But he was lonely. He never saw his friends anymore and Mara-Joy was always off doing something or another.
Besides, Joanna was refreshing compared to Mara-Joy. She was soft where Mara-Joy was rough. Joanna was like a dove, where Mara-Joy was a hawk.
The two sisters are really not alike at all come to think of it, he thought.
Joanna was slim and graceful with straight golden brown hair. Mara-Joy was slender, but she had voluptuous curves and arches, and her hair--that black mane of wild hair that encased her creamy skin. You would have thought the hair was enough of an attraction for one person, but she had those eyes. The eyes that ate into his soul. Never had he seen eyes like hers before.
He shook his head.
That was not true.
There was her uncle, or something. What was his name?
Oliver.
That was it: Oliver. He was somehow related to Mara-Joy’s clan. Married her aunt, or something.
Come to think of it, Mara-Joy really looked like this Oliver fellow.
Chad grimaced. He didn’t like where his thoughts were going. Mara-Joy’s mother seemed very in love with her husband. Chad couldn’t picture her being unfaithful to him. There must be some story there. But what? How come it never had occurred to him before?
“Chad?” Joanna interrupted.
Chad looked up, chasing his thoughts away. He would have to investigate the matter later. Suddenly, wanting to know about this Oliver fellow seemed important.
“Umph,” he said, raising his glass to his moist lips.
“I said I was just walking by and thought I would stop in and say ‘hi’,” Joanna answered. It was obvious Chad had been somewhere else and had not heard her.
“What’s that?” he asked confused. “Oh right, why you’re here.” He sat up straight and concentrated on Joanna’s company. He didn’t want to come across
as rude. Joanna struck him as the sensitive type.
“What were you doing walking over here?” he grinned, knowing there was no one around his neighborhood that Joanna would know. They were very isolated.
Joanna stood up abruptly, nearly spilling the wine she clutched in her hand.
Surprised, Chad stood up too.
“Well…pardon me for being friendly,” Joanna stammered, feeling like an idiot. Chad stood mockingly in front of her.
“I will not pester you any longer, Mr. So-Important-I-Can’t-Have-Company…Guy.” Joanna blushed. She even sounded mentally disturbed.
Chad began to chuckle. “Sit down, Joanna. You have your feathers all ruffled for nothing. Whatever your reasons for being here, I’m glad. It’s nice to get company, especially someone as lovely as you.”
Joanna??
?s head snapped up in response.
He thought she was lovely?
She looked at him standing and smiling mischievously at her. Something deep inside told her she should run. She was in way over her head. Her heart began to pitter-patter again. She had never noticed how handsome Chad was. She’d never really looked at him at all before. He had only been her brother-in-law and a means to get back at Mara-Joy. Never once had she thought of him as a personality behind his name.
She took a big gulp of her wine and sat down. There was no turning back, she was on a mission.
“Oh, my gosh!” Joanna stood up looking frantically around. She and Chad had polished off the bottle of wine plus another as they sat talking quietly together. “I didn’t notice the time. I have to get home.” She stumbled slightly, feeling tipsy from the wine.
Chad reached out and grasped Joanna’s arm to support her.
“I think you are drunk,” Chad replied, holding the intoxicated girl up straight.
“No . . .” Joanna cooed as she wobbled in his arms. “Just a little tipsy.” The truth was that she was not used to drinking great quantities and was indeed drunk.
“Don’t worry. I’ll drive you home,” Chad said, placing his hand on her shoulder. He felt her tremble under his touch. “Are you cold?” The night air outside had started to chill over the past couple of hours while they sat talking and drinking wine.
“No.” Joanna beamed up at him, eyes glazed with liquor.
His hands felt warm on her shoulders, and he gave her a gentle squeeze in response.
Mara-Joy was coming out the front door of her parent’s house when Chad’s car pulled up. Surprised, she stopped in her tracks. This was odd. Didn’t Chad know she had taken her car? He made the trip for nothing.
Oh well, she thought. It was sweet, if not too bright. She might give in and let the boy touch her tonight. She wrapped her fur coat snugly around her neck.
Oh how she loved mink.
Yes, she would definitely let him into her bed tonight. She was in high sprits and felt a little dramatic. She began to walk toward Chad’s car, not noticing Joanna sitting in the front seat.
“Thanks for the ride,” Joanna said, reaching for the car handle to let herself out, “and the evening.” She reddened, unable to stop herself.
“Joanna?” Chad called, grabbing her free hand. She stopped and looked into his green eyes. She couldn’t help her breath suddenly speeding up. What was wrong with her?
“Yes?” she nervously replied, taking small quick breaths, holding tightly to the handle of the door.
Chad shook his head.
“Never mind. See you kid.”
“Can I come again next Friday?” Joanna blurted out, not believing her nerve.
Chad dropped her hand, his face paling as he looked past Joanna and outside the window. Joanna turned toward the object of his attention.
Mara-Joy opened the door to the car abruptly, nearly taking Joanna with her.
The cool air breezed in, causing both of its passengers to shiver. Mara-Joy glared down accusingly at the two.
“Yes,” Chad sputtered, “yes that would be good.”
Joanna, overcome with sudden panic, stepped out of the car and almost collided with Mara-Joy.
“Mara-Joy,” she said, standing tall. She was at least two inches taller than her older sister.
“Joanna,” Mara-Joy smirked, taking out a silver pack from her purse and lighting up one of her long cigarettes. She liked to smoke them on long filters. They made her feel glamorous.
“What are you doing with my husband?” She asked, blowing smoke directly into Joanna’s face.
Joanna coughed and moved out of the direction of the assailing smoke.
“Oh Mara-Joy, thank goodness for your husband.” Joanna leaned towards the open car door. “You really are my hero tonight, Chad.”
Chad looked guardedly at the two girls. Mara-Joy did not know what was going on and stood there tapping her foot, smoking like a master.
“You see…” Joanna stood back up and met Mara-Joy’s distrustful face. Chad leaned forward, wanting to hear what she was about to say.
“Oh boy, the shit is going to hit the fan,” he hissed under his breath, his heart pounding. He was a little confused at his own reaction. What was he afraid of? They had done nothing wrong. Why didn’t it feel that way?
“You must promise not to tell Ma and Pa, first.” Joanna grabbed her sister’s fur-clad arm, begging
Mara-Joy, who pulled away, annoyed. Something didn’t seem right.
“I’ll do no such thing!” Mara-Joy said, outraged. “Joanna, you tell me this instant what is going on. Why is my husband your hero?”
“Well, it’s like this. A couple of girls and I were going out to a local dance. Or so I thought. It turns out that they were actually going to a dance club.”
Mara-Joy’s head shot up. She knew this nightclub. She frequently went, sometimes accompanied with Chad, but more often with a girl friend. It was much more fun pretending to be single and flirting with all the men.
“Well, you could just imagine my surprise when we arrived. Here I thought I was going to a church dance, and I wind up in a liquor-soaked joint.” Joanna sighed, letting her dilemma sink in.
Chad had to force himself not to laugh. This kid was a pistol.
“Anyway, I couldn’t call Ma or Pa and you weren’t home, so I called Chad to come pick me up. He was the only one I could think of.” Joanna looked innocently at Mara-Joy, her eyes slightly lowered. “He is kind of like a brother now.”
Mara-Joy looked with disbelief at Joanna. “Humph. How is it you smell like booze? I think, little sister, you left out some parts of your story.” She crushed out her cigarette with the heel of her black pumps. “Surprising, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Joanna halted. What did she mean? Did Mara-Joy see through her lie?
“You’ve never struck me as the party girl type.”
“Ah . . .” Joanna shifted, getting ready to leave. “You would be surprised what type of girl I am.”
And with that she pushed past Mara-Joy and walked stiffly toward the house.
Mara-Joy watched Joanna walk away. She chuckled to herself.
“I don’t know what that one is up too, but I’m sure it’s quite dull,” she said, resting her arm on the open door of the car.
“I think you could be wrong,” Chad said, staring out the front window and watching Joanna open the door and disappear inside the house.
What type of girl was she really? He had never paid attention to the kid before this evening and now he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Thoughts of the “date” he had made with her for the following Friday flooded his mind.
What was he doing? This was definitely not a smart move--planning to spend an evening with his wife’s little sister. What was he thinking?
“What is that supposed to mean?” Mara-Joy vocalized, disrupting his thoughts.
“Nothing.” He turned to the steering wheel and began to start up the car. “Let’s just go home, it’s late.”
Mara-Joy lowered her eyelids and tightened her lips.
“What are you thinking, dear husband? Hmm?”
“What are you talking about, Mara-Joy?”
“You know what I mean. You know exactly what I mean.” She pushed her head into the cab of the car, coming face to face with Chad.
Disgust crinkled his face. He could barely stand to look at Mara-Joy anymore.
“I wouldn’t go and do anything you would regret husband. It would really be in your best interest if you kept that in mind.”
“Go to hell, Mara-Joy,” he spat in her face.
“Oooh, feisty are you?” She reached over and grabbed between his legs. Chad recoiled and tried to push her hand away. “I like it when you are feisty.” She held on tightly, Chad’s hands unable to pry Mara-Joy’s away without hurting himself. “Just remember my warning.” She released him and crawled back out of t
he car.
Chad leaned over and grabbed the handle of the passenger’s door.
“I’m quite through doing things I regret, my dear wife! I have a lifetime full already!”
Mara-Joy continued to walk toward her car, as though she had never heard Chad’s words. Her mink snuggle was tucked around her neck.
Chad walked into his bedroom, and there like a pouncing bobcat laid Mara-Joy naked in bed. She rolled over facing him and touched herself.
Chad, disgusted, felt himself harden.
“What took you so long, lover?”
“I stopped for a drink. What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” A hand cupped her breast. “I’m waiting for you.”
Weak, he went to her. Falling into her arms he took her, roughly, with venom.
Mara-Joy cried out in delight, riding Chad like the obedient animal he was.
Later, after they had finished and lay breathless and sweaty, Mara-Joy smiled smugly to herself. Chad was hers as always, as he always would be.
Chad was smiling, too. But not for the same reasons Mara-Joy was.
He was thinking of someone else. Someone who looked like a fawn and had the grace of a dove.
Chapter 33 —