Locke. Chapter Six: Barbeque at the Brandon's

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Chapter Six: Barbeque at the Brandon's

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Another two weeks passed, and Jasper and I never really stopped talking. Whenever one of us would have a second, we would reply back to whatever the other had sent. Sometimes, when one of us was bored, we would send each other a long string of memes and other fun things. Chatting with him was quickly becoming one of my favorite things.   

It was another Sunday, and I went to church with Alice and her family. They were going to have a big get together afterward, and everyone they knew was invited to it. I made a half a dozen dishes to take since it was a potluck, spending all day Saturday cooking. I didn't really have any family anymore, so I always enjoyed doing these sorts of things when I could.   

We were in the middle of lunch when I got the message, “are you free tonight?” 

I actually giggled at my phone happily, biting my bottom lip.

"Oh, what's that look, Ms. Bella?" Mr. Brandon, Alice's dad, who was an old, pudgy southern man from Mississippi with a round face and two chins, teased over his ribs that he had slow cooked all day. He had barbeque sauce on his cheeks. He was a sweet person, a youth minister and a retired principal.   

I shook my head quickly and flushed, smiling a little to myself. I couldn’t hide my excitement even if I wanted to. “Oh, it’s nothing. It just looks like I might have a date tonight.”

"Jasper?" Alice said excitedly. I nodded my head with a big grin, and she fist-bumped me. "Yes! Go girl!" 

"Oh, who's Jasper?" Alice's grandmother asked, sipping her iced tea. I had known her family for a decade, and they were all just as invested in my love life as Alice's. She was one of the first people I met in Texas during college. I was one of their many ‘adopted’ kids.  

My best friend grinned wildly, wiggling her shoulders in excitement. “He’s a psychologist who works for the FBI. And he is made of all kinds of sexy. Just every kind!” 

“Alice!” I snapped, covering my eyes with both of my hands. Her mother and grandmother laughed. “Okay, yeah. He is very… attractive,” I agreed quietly. 

"How attractive?" Her grandmother continued, smirking as she did. She took a slice of cornbread and put it onto her plate. Her granddaughter wordlessly passed her the butter.  

“He’s so tall and handsome. Blonde and blue-eyed. Muscled. Wears a suit all day. Mm-mmm-mm,” Alice hummed. “It’s the suits that get me.” Her mother nodded with her in agreement, and her father rolled his eyes. 

"But he's more than that! He's charming and funny. So sweet and a gentleman. And he's well-read. God, is there anything sexier than a man with a book?" I moaned, looking at my best friend as I placed my hand on my heart. She shook her head, and we both kind of sighed in unison.   

“How long have you been dating this sexy, well-read, psychologist?” Mrs. Brandon asked curiously. 

“We’re not really seeing each other exclusively. He travels too much for work. We’ve only met up twice. We have been talking a lot lately, though,” I explained to her meekly.  

“He can’t stop talking about you,” Alice teased. “We’re friends. That’s how they met. And he keeps thanking me,” she told her family.

“No, he doesn’t,” I laughed at her teasing. 

“He did, like... just two days ago,” she said as she pulled out her phone, scrolling back just a little. When she found it, she handed it over to me. The message read, “I can’t tell you how much I enjoy talking to Bella. Thank you so much again for convincing her to speak to me.” It was sent very early in the morning. 

Two days before we had chatted for three solid hours in the evening after he had gotten off. I stayed up until I could barely keep my eyes open, and I still didn't want to stop even then.  

"Wow," I mumbled as I bit my lip. Heat crawled up my neck as I swallowed. "See! What a sweetheart. Um, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I'm going to run to the restroom." I quickly stood up from my chair and headed towards the guest bathroom.  

“To message your boyfriend?” Mr. Brandon asked sarcastically. 

"Yup," I said back just as sassily. I leaned down to kiss the top of his bald head as I passed, and he patted my arm gently.  

I sat on the side of the bathtub, locking the door so I could have some privacy. “I am. Where are you right now?”

It beeped in my hand right away. “Phoenix. I should be back in town in a few hours. Do you mind meeting later tonight? Eight?”

“That’s fine. I don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow.”

“Good. Neither do I. We can take our time,” he replied. 

“God, if you were rushing last time, how is my ass going to handle it?” I asked back brassily. 

“Oh, I think your ass will handle it just fine. I think I could work you over much harder than I do, but I’m not sure I could without being too loud. Or having to buy some special equipment.” 

I shivered, closing my eyes as I thought about all the special things he could use on me. “What would you want to buy?” I asked curiously. 

“Naughty Isabella, I shouldn’t be texting about this while around my colleagues. What if they see, hm?”

“Then you can punish me… Maybe with whatever thing you want to buy.” I smiled to myself. 

“lol Damn. You really are naughty today. And your fine ass will pay for it later. But I need to go actually. I’ll text you when I get settled.”

“Have a safe flight.”

I sat in the bathroom for a little while to calm my nerves.

I had a mixed plate of leftovers to take with me made by Alice’s grandmother. Tanya and Edward were on the couch when I got home, heavily making out. I kind of groaned to myself and moved towards the kitchen without looking at them. Then I rushed off towards the bathroom. 

“Hey! Where are you going?” Tanya laughed, lifting off her boyfriend and sitting up. “You alright?”

“Oh! Yeah! I just have to get ready. I have a thing tonight,” I said distractedly. I took off one shoe and threw it into my room, knocking something over. I made a little face. Then I tossed the other. I didn’t care. 

“A thing with your doctor?” She asked excitedly. 

“Yeah.” I peeled off my socks next. I leaned against the door frame so as not to fall over.  “As you were,” I mumbled, hurrying into the bathroom. 

As I got ready, I thought about our last time together. It was unreal. I packed a bag of toys again, bringing a different selection. They were all things he had liked on his list. Maybe they were one of the things he wanted to buy.

Then I remembered his reaction to the cookies that I had brought for him. It was so sweet, almost pure. He said that he didn't get a chance to eat homemade food very often. I knew I was an excellent cook, and I could fix that.   

So, while dressed in a button-down shirt, a black short pleated skirt, and knee socks, I padded into the kitchen to make Jasper a plate just before I left. The lovebirds were watching television with the lights dimmed. They didn’t even glance at me as I shuffled behind the couch to avoid walking in front of the screen. 

I had made extras to eat for the next couple of days of my own food. I didn’t want to give him anything other than my own for some reason. Even if the ribs were good. So fried chicken, garlic potatoes, macaroni salad, marinated tomatoes, and coleslaw went into individual containers. It was enough for two meals, probably. I wasn’t sure how much he ate. Jasper was a big man. If he didn’t finish it in one sitting, maybe he could have it for dinner and lunch. I also gave him a massive slice of pineapple upside-down cake that I had made the day before. I wasn’t sure if he had a microwave, so everything was good cold, I figured. He always had a fridge. He talked about it before in passing when discussing how much it had to suck living out of a hotel. As a last-minute thought, I also made a container of sweet tea. 

I had to stretch up on my toes to get some of the take-out forks we had stashed away. They were the kind in wrappers with salt and pepper. I had to hop up, snatching two of them.  

“Oh, wow,” Edward mumbled as he came into the kitchen. He walked passed me to get a soda from the refrigerator.

“What?” I asked distractedly, putting some napkins in the bag next.  

“You look great,” he replied. I stopped to look at him finally, my cheeks heating up at the sudden compliment from him. Edward didn’t really look at me. Ever. “I like your outfit.”

“Oh. Thank you! That’s… so nice,” I giggled awkwardly. 

“I’ve never seen you show off so much skin before. You must like this guy,” he commented offhandedly. 

I shrugged, looking away from him. “Um, yeah. I do.”

“You should show off more often.” He popped the top and took a sip of his drink. Edward wasn’t a shy man with what he thought about a woman’s appearance. It was his job, after all, to fix their imperfections. I didn’t know how to handle it.  

Tanya popped her head in to see what we were talking about. “Oh, you do look nice! Edward’s right. You should show off more. You’ve got such a cute ass.”

Her boyfriend chuckled. “I hadn’t noticed, actually. I thought it was her legs that were looking good tonight. Turn around and let me see,” he teased dryly. 

I kind of gasped and laughed, turning around so that my rear was pressed against the counter. “Oh, my god. Stop. You’re going to make me change.”

“No! Why?” Tanya laughed. She clicked her tongue. “Edward, stop being a pig!”

“You complimented it first! I can’t look?” He quipped before he turned to me, reaching out to gently touch my arm. “I’m sorry. I’m joking. Don’t change. You look lovely. Seriously.”

“Thanks,” I breathed out weakly. “I need to finish getting ready to go. I don’t want to be late.” Then I rushed out of the room as fast as I could. 

“Oh, she does have a cute ass in that skirt,” I heard him say cheekily to his girlfriend. I also heard her playful smack and his laugh. 

I knew something was different as soon as Jasper opened the door. His body was stiff, his face red with stress and anger. I was right on time. The closest I had ever been, only a minute or so before. He didn't say anything as he stepped aside. I went inside, swallowing slowly.  

I straightened my shoulders and held the bag that I had brought for him out in front of me. He came to stand before me, his nose wrinkling as he examined me slowly. His mouth was a straight, rigid line. “What’s this?” He said sharply. 

I didn’t say anything. There wasn’t going to be any fun or games. I wasn’t going to break any rules if I could help it. 

“Speak!” He snapped, making me jump. 

“The last time I was here, you said that you don’t get to eat homemade food very often. So, I made you a plate.” I opened the bag to show him. “It’s chicken. Um, fried. A little spicy. A leg, thigh, and a breast. There is a creamy macaroni salad with ranch and bacon, garlic roasted red potatoes. Um… what else? Oh! Marinated cucumbers and tomatoes. And for dessert, cake. And sweet tea,” I explained, babbling and more nervous than I was the first time I met up with him. “I wasn’t sure if you had a microwave, so everything should be good cold. And there are forks, napkins, salt, pepper, and a little hot sauce packets.” I held the bag up. “I wanted to bring you dinner, sir.”

“I…” He stopped. His face completely changed. The red drained from his forehead, his eyes getting wider with surprise. His lips parted as he took in a slow breath. “Oh. Wow. That’s… That’s a lot, Isabella.”

Jasper took the bag from me, looking inside. “Wow,” he repeated. Looking down at the back then back at me, he said, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” I breathed. I wanted to reach out and touch him, hold him. I stayed in my spot.  

He went to put the food away, looking at everything as he did. He was smiling to himself, kneeling on the floor by the small hidden fridge. When he was done, he stood and dusted his hands off. His eyes looked me over, focusing on my legs and the knee socks. He licked his bottom lip slowly. This was more like the man I had left last time.  

I decided to take off my coat and neatly fold it for him. I sat it beside the television, along with my purse. I pulled out the bag of toys for him to use if he wanted to, unzipping it so he could easily see inside. 

Jasper walked towards me slowly, his hand lifting my chin so that he could kiss me. Deeply, slowly. I brought my hands up automatically, and he took them into one of his big ones, holding my wrists. My eyes fluttered closed at his sweetness. I wasn't sure how long we kissed like that.  

When we finally pulled apart, he walked behind me. His nose skimmed my neck gently before he pecked several kisses along my ear, making me shiver. "Oh, Isabella, you have no idea how lucky you are. I was in a foul mood when you arrived, and I was going to absolutely destroy your ass. But your little offering has pleased me greatly.” He ran a gentle finger over my throat, over the vein that thumped there. “It brings me so much pleasure to know that you think about taking care of me, even when we’re not together. My sweet little slut.” He smiled against my cheek, kissing it. “So, I’m going to let you decide what we’re going to do tonight.” He gently kissed my cheek once more. “Tell me what you’d like me to do to you.” His arms squeezed around my waist, holding me tightly to him. 

"I'd like for you to absolutely destroy my ass, sir," I whispered, biting my bottom lip a little. His arms tightened, and I smiled, rocking against him a little bit. I felt him grin against my cheek again. He took in a deep breath and sighed in pleasure.   

Jasper chuckled softly. “Mm. Yes. Yes, I think I will. And I’ll enjoy it even more now because I know that’s exactly what you want.”

Three hours later, he released my hands and ended the scene. I rolled into him, covered in sweat and my ass more bruised than it had ever been with him. It was much harder than we had ever gone before, and I had never felt better. He brought me to him, kissing my mouth almost savagely. Both of his hands went to my face, brushing his thumbs along my temples when we pulled away for air.  

“Are you okay?” I asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he quickly tried to shake me off, but I put my hand on his cheek. His bright blue eyes focused on mine. "I just… It was a bad day at work. That's all." 

“You said when you have a bad day… sometimes people die.”

He put his hand on mine. His eyes couldn’t meet mine, turning his face into my palm slightly. “I did,” he breathed. 

I swallowed. “Can you tell me what happened?” 

He kind of laughed brokenly, looking down. His hand went to my waist, squeezing it gently. “You don’t want to know. It’s okay.”

“I do!” I promised. “Tell me.”

“I can’t tell you everything, but-” He paused. “Do you remember how I was in Albany a while back?”

“Yeah, you were there for a week.”

Jasper took a deep breath. “I was there because there had been, up until that point, four murders of black sex workers. All of them very young, most underage. It’s been spread out over the past six months. I thought we had a good suspect. A pompous little rich kid.”

“But,” I said quietly. 

He swallowed, closing his eyes as his head rested against the pillow. “But another sex worker was found dead a couple of hours ago. And he’s not our guy. I’m going to have to fly out in the morning. She… she was only sixteen. I- I should have-” He almost sounded as if he was about to cry, shaking his head. 

“It’s not your fault!” I said quickly, pushing myself against him. “Oh, Jasper. No! You can’t-” I stopped, unsure of what to say. I kissed him again, my fingers going to his hair as I held him to me. “You can’t blame yourself for the actions of someone else.”

"I can't help but think if I did my job better, she'd still be alive. She was a kid, Bella. She was barely not a baby, and she was selling herself just to get by," he stopped, shaking his head again as he got more upset. "They- They did things to her. They tortured her. She suffered for maybe days. They tied her up. Beat her. Am I a monster for what I did to you tonight?" He looked at me in almost panic, blurting the words out.

“No!” I nearly shouted, sitting up. I pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist. “How can you even compare yourself to a killer?”

“I want to hurt you!”

“No, you don’t! If you wanted to hurt me, you could kill me right now. You could strangle me easily with your bare hands.” I put them on my throat. “I trust you completely. I trust you with my life.”

“Should you?”

Slowly he began to squeeze. I never flinched. He changed our positions so that he was on top of me, his hands getting tighter and tighter. My eyes never left his. His hands began to tremble at my throat, loosening before he lunged at me for a forceful kiss. 

After, he laid his forehead against mine, closing his eyes as his thumbs ran along my chin. “Jasper, I want you to do the things you do to me. I’m here willingly. I’m here because I want to be with you. You’re not hurting me. You make me feel like I never have before.”

"Me too," he whispered, kissing me again. Laying beside me, he put his head beside mine on the pillow. "Um… Would you like to stay and have a late dinner with me? There is a ton of food there, and I have to fly out in the morning now. I don't want it to go to waste. It looks amazing." 

“I’d love to,” I smiled. “Then I’ll go so you can at least get a little sleep.” 

“Could you stay? I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He looked so vulnerable. 

“Yeah, of course. Maybe we can engage in my favorite form of aftercare…” I said coyly as I stroked his cheek.  

He smiled just a little bit in return. “And what’s that?” 

“Cuddling while eating cake.”

“That’s very specific, but who am I to deny you the attention you need,” he said teasingly before kissing me again this time with a smile.  

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