A Dagger Through Dimensions - Chapters 6 - 10
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Author’s Note: This is a webnovel. Following these10 chapters, each new chapter requires access via the VIP subscription. Receive access to the entire digital file by becoming a paid subscriber. Chapter 6After leaving the crazy woman’s house, I ended up at a lonely crossing where the road leaving the foothills met a state highway. Don’t ask me what highway because no one had marked it. I guess you didn’t need to know such things back in the day. Anyway, it was dark, but at least the rain had stopped. I could read the signs in front of the headlights as I parked on the side of the road. One arrow pointed to Tropico Springs while the other led him to some place called Willoughby. There was no mileage given on either sign. The names sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place them. But it didn’t matter since I’ll just be coming back when I hit the city limits! The antique cars, the strange places on a map, the old-fashioned clothing were too much. I’m dropped into the middle of an old black and white movie that I usually passed by when surfing the TV channels. I appeared stuck in my great-grandpa’s version of the world while trying to figure out what to do next. The primary question tumbling around my mind was simple. What do I do now? I dropped my head, then looked up at the moon trying to peak through the cloudy sky. At one point in my life, I knew who I was and what my life was about. “Well, I can’t run away, so that means I need to find another option.” I suddenly realized that talking to myself was becoming a habit. “Damn it, I can remember everything! Who the fuck wants to be someone else? Fuck this! My name is Sebastian Kennicott. I was born on June 1st, 2000. My mom’s name is Ashley, and Mike is my dad’s name,” I screamed at the windshield. Memories came flooding back, some good and some not. I had an apartment along with a cat that hated me named Melvin. Samantha was my last steady girl, but she suddenly decided that she was a pansexual one day and left the apartment. Right now, I miss my smartphone more than I miss Melvin. Still, that bitch never took the cat back! As I’m recalling the life of Sebastian Kennicott, I desperately want to return to the typical type of life of a middle-class college student. But nothing else matters until I solve the question of how to leave. That thought started my idea that this city was like a mystery or a puzzle I needed to solve. I remembered Miss Wonderful said that I needed brains to survive. “Evidently, my options are to keep trying to leave Stull Junction which appears fruitless. Or I can return to that crazy office and hope that the invisible secretary has a clue for me.” I mumbled to myself, then another idea sprung at me. Information! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. My ambition in college gave me a potential method to get me better options. Right now, I’m flying blind, but I can change that. Just before that bitch kidnapped me into this place, I was hanging out in the bar with some friends. It’s typical guy shit to kill time and brag about stuff you don’t have a clue about while drinking beer and eyeing the hot babes in the place. You know what I mean. That night I bragged to the others about a story that I’m working on for the college news channel about conflicts of interest within the administration. Sure, it’s nothing major in a vast sea of news, but I spent a lot of time doing interviews and gathering information about the administration and their activities. That’s right, my dreams comprised becoming a talking head broadcaster and making a couple of million a year. One of the first things I learned in tracking down leads and meeting with various people is that information is the lifeblood. As I sat in that car, I remembered pilots shot down over enemy territory required information to stay alive inside hostile territory. If you don’t believe me, just ask any gamer who’s going through hell mode in a video game designed by sadists. Those thoughts led me to a little black book that I nearly forgot about inside my coat pocket. I didn’t pay much attention to it before. My quick scan of the pages revealed names, dates and numbers which didn’t mean much. Parts of the book also read something of a diary which I wasn’t really interested in. However, I remembered how Sally condemned me as a two-bit shyster. Now, I’m not familiar with a lot of slang but I’m pretty sure that she meant was that Lane Dagger is a con man. And I know that a con artist needs information to pull off their scams. When I started looking closer at the black book, a tired smile gradually filled my face. There are names and numbers alright, along with more notes about people as I flip through the pages. As I read the scribbled writing, it occurred to me that Lane Dagger is more than an asshole. No, he is a devious and meticulous asshole. One of the first names in the book revealed tidbits about Adele Williams. I shook my head at the information that I found, then I put the book back in my pocket. A quick U-turn put me back on the road back to Stull Junction while my stomach really complained about no food for the day. As I drove along, a weariness filled my body. Being on edge all day took its toll on me and now the effects were catching up. I yawned and rolled down the window to let the breeze help keep me awake. At the same time, my belly rumbled for food. Maybe when morning came, everything would be back to my life as Sebastian in my world. However, I didn’t believe that anymore. In my mind, I segmented off my past with this guy named Lane since it made things easier to think in a way. I’m sure this came from my time playing characters in video games. Whether, I went up or down, right or left, or killed an NPC in order to solve the puzzles to open the next door. It finally occurred to me that I can use the same method to make my future under the character of Lane Dagger. Hell, I’m in this damn place, sometimes you have to roll with the punches. After a lot of unfamiliar turns and streets, eventually, I got the car back to the main square. Nothing along the way looked like a drive through for food which didn’t surprise me. I drove by the building that held my office along with my invisible secretary. However, I didn’t stop. Instead, I found the address of 15 Maiden Lane. While I didn’t have a map, I recalled seeing that street name near the corner where I found the Hudson car. The reason for this direction came from a shocking item along with the other information that I found inside the little black book. A hydrogen bomb equivalent when compared to the other shocks I dealt with so far. Shit, I’m married! Well, technically Lane Dagger is married, and Lane left me plenty of details about his wife. The only reason I noticed this came from Adele Williams’ third name in parentheses. That’s right, it was Dagger and I’m willing to bet it’s not my sister. Now, I consider myself too young for such a thing. I certainly wasn’t looking for a wife. However, this day of hell turned me into one pissed off individual. I damn well wasn’t letting marriage get in my way. As my tired mind went through the day’s events, I finally looked into the situation. The more I learned more about the life this Lane character has, the better it was for me to figure out how to escape. The more information to get back at Miss Wonderful. An additional incentive came from me not enjoying the idea of sleeping on the couch in my weird office. A few blocks later, I found Maiden Lane. Following the road until it stopped in front of a four-story building with a circular drive. A large number 15 placed above the glass atrium showed me I reached the correct place. Parking in the first stall that I found, I plodded to the entrance. Scanning the area, I kept wondering how I would find my place, since the building held a fair number of apartments. To my surprise, a man in a green uniform ran to the door and opened it as I approached. Things were different in the past! “Good evening, Mr. Dagger!” The man smiled automatically as I gave him an uncomfortable nod. Pretty upscale, I decided, while noticing the smell of whiskey on the man as I passed by. Covertly looking for a place to find my apartment number, I spotted a small cluster of mailboxes behind a lobby desk. Walking over to the counter with marble trim, I noticed a tired-looking young man in an identical green uniform rise from his chair. Unfortunately, the boxes I looked over did not show any names, only the numbers in three rows for each story of the building. Obviously, I had no intention of knocking at every apartment. “Can I help you? I believe someone has already retrieved your mail.” The thin-lipped man glanced back at the wall. “Are you sure?” I glanced at him with a frown. “Say, I’m expecting an important letter.” I leaned over the counter, appearing highly interested in a box. The man pulled out a key with a barely concealed sigh and went over to box number 13. He held it open for me to see it was empty. “I’m sorry, nothing there.” My smile was probably more of a sneer since I was tired. I walked to the stairs. As I turned the corner to the second flight of steps, I wanted to pat himself on the back for my ingenuity. Then, I heard an echoed whisper from the man at the counter to the doorman. “Looks like he’s still pretty sauced again.” Evidently Lane is a drunkard as well, I thought. Chapter 7Reaching the third floor, I went across the hall and pulled out my keys. After a close inspection, I found the correct key and entered the apartment. To my surprise, I found a woman and man on the couch just a couple of paces away. The woman wore a kimono dressing gown that exposed some skin from being partially unbuttoned. She stumbled to her feet as the man let his hands drop from her waist. I noticed his eyes bulged and fear filled his face. “Dagger? You can’t...” The pregnant pause among us made me sneer as I looked them over. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt the party. I wasn’t expecting a whore to be living here.” Their venomous glares erupted at my comment. “How dare... What the hell are you doing here?” The woman’s face turned red with embarrassed rage. Obviously, Lane’s black book didn’t explain the marriage problems to this degree. As I stand there, I’m trying to figure out a witty reply. “Ah... I’m hungry? Oh, and tired.” It was the best that I came up with. “Get out now! You’re not welcome here. You have the divorce papers, you bastard.” That was news to me. Maybe I should have opened that letter from the lawyer, but I had other problems going on. She’s pretty as hell! My first impression of Adele kept me staring at her while her boyfriend rose from the couch. To me, the guy standing near the couch came off like a weasel. You know the type with the effeminate face and sandy hair. On top of that, his beady eyes and handlebar mustache instantly make a guy dislike him. I noticed his jacket was lying on the back of the couch with his tie while his partially unbuttoned shirt showed me the evening’s progress. Well, I guess I should thank the gods for not arriving a few minutes later. I’m not into watching that much. Apparently, the man finally recovered from the initial shock, and he steps toward me. I’m not a big guy, but this thin bastard who must look up at me will not intimidate me. “You heard the lady. You’re not welcome here!” “Who the hell are you?” The man stopped in disbelief before his face screwed up in anger. “Lloyd Childress, you stupid bastard. Listen, Adele asked you to leave. Now I’m telling you the same thing. The police don’t take kindly to trespassing.” His name is in the black book, but I’m pissed off. So, I didn’t care to remember. Plus, something else bothered me for no apparent reason. Seeing this asshole trying to act like he’s the big man in front of the pretty woman who’s supposed to be my wife made me livid. “Looking at you, I’m guessing that your mother fucked the first thing that jumped over the fence,” I smirked. Lloyd’s expression changed at least three times over the half a second he came at me as I secretly hoped. I punched him with a quick hit to his nose, just like dad taught me. The impact hurt my fist, but the damage to Lloyd’s nose made it quite satisfying. He immediately fell to the floor with his hands covering his face. Blood streamed between his fingers as he cried out in pain. “Damn, that felt good,” I stated with a vicious smile. Guilty pleasure shot through me as my brain suddenly encouraged me to give the bastard on the floor a few more punches. The thought warmed me, but I paused after I glanced over at Adele. She had her hand covering her mouth in shock and her blue eyes stared at me. Again, I had the strange thought that she looked familiar. “You bastard! You hit him. I’m calling the police,” she finally blurted out. Of course, I’ve already considered the possibility that I was heading to jail. Still, it felt good when I looked down at Lloyd, who’s just moaning now while holding his face. Then I suddenly grinned, not really noticing the woman hadn’t moved. Her white bra remained exposed, and I realized the scene exposed their weak spot. “Feel free to call them. But you won’t like what happens when they arrive.” I stepped toward her, and she took a half-step back. Her pretty eyes widened. I thought how damn good looking she appeared, frightened and vulnerable. Sure, you might consider me a creep for thinking that way, but I told you I was pretty fed up by this point in the night. Still, I kept going, desperately agreeing with the urge to see her reactions while I came up with a story on the fly. “You see, my story is that I found the bastard raping you. Hell, you’re half-undressed.” Of course, I exaggerated a lot while making up my story on the fly. But her quick adjustments concerning her open dressing gown brought a sneer to my face. “Now, who are the cops going to believe? Your dear husband who is inside his apartment,” I lifted my hands in dramatic fashion before I pointed to the man. “Or will they believe that piece of shit rolling around on the floor? Either way, nobody is leaving the police station until it’s morning.” My uncharacteristic performance while thinking on my feet, along with a demonic grin, must have unnerved her. Her expression revealed her hesitancy about what to do next. With a shrug, I decided on a path for her. I glanced down at Lloyd as I stepped by them. “Just get that son of a bitch out of here before I use him as my punching bag. I’m hungry and still pissed off. He’s not fucking you tonight.” Going into the dining room, my focus centered on a door which I expected to lead into the kitchen. My hunch was correct as I pushed the swinging door open. Inside, I see a green and white checkerboard linoleum floor, along with white enamel counters and shelves. I glanced back to see my sweet wife helping her lover to his feet as he’s holding a white handkerchief over his nose. Curious about why she didn’t run to her boyfriend after I punched him, I watched her. Figuring my karma was still shit, I also wanted to know if one of them went to the telephone. I stood there while they talked for a moment. I didn’t hear much, but Lloyd kept glancing at me with a suitable fright in his eyes. Pretty soon, the rodent scurried out the front door after my wife handed him his coat and tie. As she closed the door, I entered the kitchen. The fridge was a small thing with something that looked like a metal chief’s hat sitting on top. I heard the whirring noise and decided that’s where they put the electric motor back in the day. While rummaging through the refrigerator, I came upon pieces of fried chicken, which I pulled out, along with a glass bottle of milk. Glass bottles, wow! I heard milkmen used to come to the door and drop off milk in a bottle. For some reason, I thought this glass container was pretty cool with a paper wrapper on top. As I’m filling my mouth, my wife steps into the kitchen. “I’m glad you made yourself at home,” she told me with sarcasm coming out like poison. “You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t sue you.” “Mmm... I figured you’d follow him, mmm... since I don’t seem to be on your good side.” My words came out between bites. “I live here,” she retorted quickly. “Tell me something. Are we divorced or not?” Her expression darkened. “You know it’s not official until you sign the letter that was delivered to your office.” “Humm, I noticed a letter from a lawyer, but I didn’t bother to open it,” I admitted without guilt. Of course, I didn’t explain the real reason. I guess we’re not officially divorced yet! That’s good. But I still had the problem of Lloyd in front of me which I needed to solve. According to my little black book, my character married Adele for her money. Aside from her beauty, the guy didn’t care for her. She was his wallet. He dismissed Adele as a too needy dependent who acted like a stuck-up snob. Unfortunately for Adele, Lane did a good job of worming his way into control of Adele’s fortune. Reading through the book, it I learned this guy Lane Dagger had a reputation because he acted as a true asshole. She certainly had a reason to dislike him and get a lover. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I need to survive and make this world turn the way I wanted. That’s why I planned to play some of Lane’s trump cards to keep our marriage together, at least long enough to get away from this place. My plan required Adele. I’m young, but not that dumb. Any place involving humans requires money for influence and power. According to my book, Adele carried that in spades. At the end of the day, I guess that I’m just as much of an asshole as the guy I’m playing. “Adele, did your lawyer explain what happens if I sign those papers?” Her expression replied with a sneer, but she refused to answer me. After finishing the second chicken leg, I looked over. “I’m sure Lloyd told you I’m taking half of everything you have. It wasn’t my fault that he’s a terrible lawyer who made side deals against your interests. Now, do you really want that? Because I’m willing to give you a better deal.” The woman’s face went pale at the news. I had no intention of telling her that Lane Dagger worked a side deal with Lloyd Childress to split her fortune between them. The black book told me that Lloyd intended to become Adele’s next husband and Lane helped him to achieve the goal. Did I mention Lane is a complete douchebag? “You need to leave my apartment!” Adele stammered out. It was clear she didn’t know what to believe now, but she tried to take charge. “I told you that you can sleep in your office from now on. Go there and sign the papers so I don’t have to see you again.” I gulped down my milk directly from the bottle. Sure, Lane Dagger deserved her spite, which included me, I guess. But my brain felt ready to split open. On top of that, her damn attitude really pissed me off. So, what if you didn’t get laid tonight? “You know what? Considering that my whole shitty day has been like this, I don’t give a damn what you tell me. You’re the one acting like a bitch in heat. So, I really don’t give a shit about how embarrassed you are right now.” I turned to her, holding the milk jar in my hand. “You pissed off the wrong guy. That’s why I’m going to let you have it with both barrels. I caught my wife screwing a guy before we completed the divorce. Seriously, I don’t give a shit about your morals, but it means more money to me if I get a lawyer on my side involved.” Of course, I couldn’t know the truth behind any of the shit spewing out of my mouth in frustration. It just felt good to watch her reaction, so I kept pushing it. “Hell, I’m thinking about putting the news of what I saw in front of everyone in this shitty town. Your lawyer, Lloyd, told you to keep this nice and quiet. Do you want Stull Junction to know the dirty little secrets inside my wife’s dark heart? I’m sure that you’ll enjoy the whispered talk at your social meetings at the country club.” I placed the bottle down on the counter while keeping my stare on her. Yes, I’m trying hard to make the best impression of a demon. But there was a reason. It could only work because one of the trump cards I learned from the book. Adele cared, I mean she really cared, about her reputation. I guess people with money typically act that way. Lane Dagger’s poor reputation in public became too much for her and was a reason she wanted out of the marriage. I also surmised that she didn’t want the other respectable men to hear about a messy divorce getting in the papers. That probably came from Lloyd as well, since he planned on having her maintain the proper façade while spending her money in the future. Somewhere I read that cheating brought more shame to people back in the good old days. The drastic change in her expression confirmed my belief. I’m glad I hit her with that. Chapter 8 I wiped my hands using a white towel hanging down from the drawer handle by the sink. As I stepped toward Adele, my frustration continued to spill out. “You’re going to listen to me tonight. I’m exhausted. Yeah, tired beyond belief and this whole damn world can blow up for all I care. So, for the rest of the night, you’re going to shut your fucking mouth!” From her shocked expression after my rant, I’m confident that Lane Dagger never spoke to her that way before. Her mouth remained partially open as she was about to say something, but she stopped herself. Her pretty eyes turned dark and narrowed from the verbal attack. As I stepped past her, she backed away. I entered the narrow hallway, then glanced back. “Point me toward a bed.” She nodded to my right as she forced out a hoarse whisper. “You know where the spare bedroom is.” “Lady, get this through your brain tonight. The Lane Dagger that you know was a son of a bitch!” I paused before my thoughts tumbled out. “That means I’m truly sorry for what’s happened to you. You have every reason to hate him. It’s damn clear that he’s hurt you so many times that you despise looking at him. Only a full fledge shithead won’t keep a beautiful woman like you happy.” Feeling weak, I braced myself with a hand on the wall. “I know you won’t believe me, but I’m trying to fix the problem.” I refused to look at her, but I’m not sure if I’m embarrassed or afraid I’ll explode again. “Tomorrow morning, you and I will talk about the future. That’s just you and me talking. No lawyer or other folks looking in at us. It’s my responsibility—no, that’s not right.” I shook my head since my mind wanted to shut down. “It’s my requirement is to fix things. Now, I can’t think anymore, so I’m going to sleep before I fall on my face.” Pushing off the wall, I felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. The strange feeling came because I told myself that I was past caring about anything that others did inside this crazy world. Yes, I’m a lying hypocrite if I don’t care about the impact of my actions. But I still needed to survive this place. “Starting tonight, my future is what I make of it,” I mumbled to myself as I walked away. My vow came out in that moment of exhausted frustration. But I meant it. Even if I must do some dirty things, I’ll live and figure out how to get out of this fucked up place. After all, I still owed a certain bitch and her thugs a punch in the face. Certain of my goal, I decided that morals and values be damned. As far as I’m concerned, this place is hell and I’m going to be the devil. From the hallway, I saw the open door to the master bedroom and paused for a moment. There were two beds in the room, which left me puzzled. Husbands and wives don’t sleep together? Shaking my head again, I found the other bedroom and went inside. I pushed the door closed with my back and felt the weariness wash over me. I wonder if I’ll wake up in the morning. Or maybe they’ll find my body with a knife through the heart. In the kitchen, Adele felt tears fall from her cheeks when she heard Lane close the door to the spare bedroom. The heated silence he left suddenly weighed on her like an anvil while she fought to control her emotions. Since Lane unexpectedly arrived, his unbelievable actions shocked her to the core. Adele truly believed that her husband was happy to be rid of her. Lloyd told her that Lane wanted the divorce to happen as soon as possible. That’s why Lane didn’t bother to bring his own lawyer. As long as he got half, he was happy to walk away from her. Lloyd kept assuring her that the divorce would be fast and quiet. Why didn’t he sign the papers? She concluded long ago that her husband married her for her money. Lane’s actions until a few minutes ago showed her the accuracy of her belief. But his furious reaction at finding Lloyd and her on the couch shocked the woman. It also sent other pent-up emotions swimming through her. Lane Dagger suddenly showed jealousy! The thought that a cold and calculating person might suddenly throw caution to the wind baffled her. Lloyd might do something in response to the attack, but that didn’t concern her for the moment. Instead, she grappled with Lane’s emotional outburst and cursing. Proper and always contrived, her husband acted like a mechanical device more than a person. He even made love to her that way, but sex stopped not long after their marriage started. A frustration that tore into her as well. Why can’t I find happiness? Despite her initial concerns about his personality after they met, Adele believed all the lies that he told her. The woman fell hard for him, willing to overlook his coldness. During their whirlwind courtship and their first few months of marriage, Lane treated her like royalty. He quickly gained her fullest love and devotion. Adele told herself that she could mold him into the type of man she wanted. Then he took control of her money. Soon after that occurred, her husband practically abandoned her. She sat home alone for countless hours, seeing Lane only when he came to the apartment after his day at his office or spending time with the elites in Stull Junction. After the honeymoon, her husband quickly changed his whole manner into a distant roommate. He isolated her and abandoned her without a second thought. It took several months before Adele realized that Lane Dagger could never become the hot-blooded and passionate lover she wished for. Yet, for a moment, she recognized a savage delight in his eyes when he punched Lloyd. Even more, she thought her husband fought to keep her. At least that ember of hope came to her as Adele saw him struggle to control his anger after his glance at her. It was the first time she experienced such hostility coming from Lane. That he was jealous and could not stand her being with another man gave her a fleeting optimism. Distant and misplaced as it might be, it was a feeling which kept creeping back into her thoughts. Adele stood there, rerunning the events when Lane entered the apartment. While she recognized her husband immediately, something about his face bothered her. Her recollections of his handsome face seemed too vague, almost like trying to recall the appearance of a distant relative you seldom meet. It made no sense since she saw Lane in Lloyd’s office two weeks ago. However, Adele immediately recognized that his attitude, manner of speech, and his expressions appeared different. Even talking about himself in the third person made her stop to consider his actions. Everything was too strange for her to understand, which left her with one thought. He’s planning something. Adele heard him saying that his future was what he made of it. Nothing about us! Sniffling, Adele wiped her tears and cleaned the kitchen counter of the leftovers that Lane left. After putting away the milk bottle, the woman quietly walked into the narrow hall, pausing by the door of the spare bedroom. Too many terrible memories of him outweighed the good times in her mind. Isolation and degradation in his words hurt over the years. At times, Adele wanted Lane to lash out at her. At least he’d be human and show emotion about his wife. The vicious punch that she saw Lane inflect on Lloyd came back to her. For a moment, her husband appeared happy to fight. It was another uncharacteristic thing about him. Adele believed the only reason that Lane became a private detective is it allowed him to spy on people. Early in the marriage, she read through his black book once. The highly personal and damaging information he got about many people in the city staggered her. Beyond the danger, she could not believe how low he sunk to get such dirt. She begged him to find another path to keep him occupied, but he dismissed her pleas. What did he mean by fixing things? She wrapped her arms together, debating for a moment, then Adele Dagger walked into the master bedroom and closed the door. Chapter 9The beam of morning light peeked through the shades, hitting my closed eyes and making me turn my head. I heard steps outside the door of the room as I remained in the half-awake and half-asleep never-never land. Yes, I knew it was morning, but I hated the thought of getting up. I’m so tired! Deciding to let my mind wander, I hoped I was back at my college campus. No, the bed is too soft. That thought led me to the next steps I needed to take in a place under a unique identity. Letting out a sigh, I hoped I was as smart as I believed. The bright sunlight struck my closed eyelids again and brought me out of my thoughts. But I kept my eyes closed for a reason. What weirdness was waiting for me now? Steeling myself, I finally accepted the inevitable. “Yep, I’m still in Weirdsville,” I mumbled as I looked around the room. I’m in the same twin bed in the bedroom. I still don’t have any status windows or inventory items showing up in my head as I look around the room. Not that I expected it, but you never know what shit I’m going to run into. Looking over, I noticed a mirrored clock showed me the time was nearly eight. “Damn it,” I groused. I still held the slight hope that I would be back in my apartment near the college before I opened my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I steady myself before proceeding with my plans for this new world. However, the footsteps coming from outside the bedroom door led me to guess who stood there. “Come on in, Adele.” I called out just as a soft knock occurred. The door opened while I sat up. Standing in the doorway was Adele in a white summer dress. I might have dropped my jaw for a moment because she seriously looked so sexy and cute that my mind started churning again about her familiar face. I know I’ve seen her before. The woman’s blue eyes assessed me as she stood there. “You should have taken your clothes off before going to sleep,” she stated. I looked down at my wrinkled clothes, then gave her an embarrassed grin. “Yeah, you can see that it was the end of a tough day and a pretty crappy night as well.” She frowned at the comment. “Are you planning on staying long?” Standing up, I stepped toward her. This time, she held her ground. “Yeah, I’m going to fix things. Don’t you remember what I told you?” What the hell do I know about repairing a marriage? It doesn’t matter. I must become a loving husband quickly. It was the only plan available to me, so I had to make it work. I hoped that her feelings for Lane remained strong enough to turn her back into a supporter. Adele was the one person who cared about Lane Dagger. Nothing written in that damn notebook showed me any other people who were friends. I needed her for a host of reasons, mainly because of her money and probably her contacts in the city. Yeah, I’m acting like another copy of Lane, but I consoled myself with the thought I’m not planning on using her fortune except to get out of the place. Hell, she can drive me to the airport and that’s alight. Do they have airlines flying here? I wondered briefly when I remembered it’s 1940. To my mind, everyone I met so far, Adele included, is really nothing more than an NPC. Sure, they might bleed from a punch and yell about their feelings, but so do the characters in games. It was that rationalization I decided upon as I fell asleep. This hell I’m living in, I plan on treating it like a game. Every action I take will come from my needs and wants with the goal of escaping. The problem was that I knew I needed a lot of luck since I’m hardly the loveable type. The first option was to bring Adele into my circle. It had to be done. As we looked at each other in the awkward pause, I noticed Adele’s oval face carried a hint of freckles underneath her makeup. But it was Adele’s blue eyes that held me. They showed vulnerability, along with doubt, while trying to understand the change she held in her husband. I planned to use that internal conflict I saw to my advantage. Yeah, I’m an asshole, I guess. “What does that even mean coming from you?” Her skeptical tone made me give her a devious grin. Reaching out, I seized her in my arms and pulled her close. It surprised me she stood only a couple of inches shorter than me. “It’s easier to explain with actions,” I said to the rigid woman in my arms. Adele tried to push me away, but I continued to hold her tight against my chest. Her half-hearted struggle ceased after a moment. She kept her head down, refusing to look at me after she realized I wasn’t letting go of my advantage. Her auburn hair tickled my nose, and I enjoyed the fresh smell from her shampoo. “We start with the basics, my dear, to fix the underlying problems,” I told her. “Holding me won’t do it,” she complained, still refusing to look at me. “It’s too late for your cheesy ways.” “Of course not,” I agreed. “You carry a lot of scars from Lane. We need to take one step at a time. You need much more in your life beyond mere apologies.” After I sighed, I continued to murmur to her. “I suppose you sit at home all day only to be ignored when Lane walks into the apartment. You find your husband to be cold and uncaring. Your husband is a bastard digging for gold and using you as his bank account. Does that summary spell out what’s led us to this point?” Of course, my words came from my review of the little black book. The bastard who married Adele for her money purposely removed himself from her life after he got the control that he wanted. Adele carried the fatal tendency to believe in the best about people, even when they didn’t deserve it. It made her a pushover to Lane’s designs. Yeah, I’m cynical about people because I’ve seen so many crappy assholes even at my age. “Why are you talking that way? You’re the one who’s at fault,” Adele kept her arms at her side. I remained surprised that she didn’t kill Lane or get her lover to do it. Then I thought of Lloyd’s reaction last night. He appeared shocked at seeing me. No, the better way to describe his reaction was disbelief that I was there. The look made me decide I would follow up with that son of a bitch soon enough. “Yes, of course. I know it’s appeared that way for far too long,” I said. “But we’re starting again here starting this morning. I can apologize forever, but I must prove that I care. I need to let you remember the man you married. Plus, I need your help to become a better man. Isn’t that right?” Sure, I’m being as selfish as hell. But I looked at it this way. Lane Dagger treated Adele like crap to be free of a wife and receive half of her fortune. But I’m not Lane Dagger. That means I’ll do it my way. So, fuck whoever put me here acting like this jerk. I’m going to do the exact opposite. I’m keeping her so she can help me. “You know that it’s too late for that,” she insisted. “Now, are you going to let me go?” she asked, trying to regain control of the situation. Unfortunately for her, I had another trump card I planned on using. I lifted her head to face me. “No, I’m not letting you go. Hear me loud and clear, babe. I decided that you and I will stay together. Now, I’m going to prove it every day from now on. Yeah, I’ll prove to you I need you, and I was too damn dumb to realize it.” She shook her head, but I suddenly pressed my lips to hers. Her eyes widened at the unexpected action. As I kissed her lips and sucked on them, she remained passive, which I partially expected. However, I continued. While my few girlfriends in the past might disagree, I have confidence in my kissing ability. My lips continued savoring the taste and sensation of her soft and fragrant lips. Adele turned her head to refuse. However, I pulled her tight with one arm and grabbed the back of her head with the other hand. Slowly, I started kissing her passionately again. This time, her hands came to my chest and weakly pushed at me. I pulled back from my kiss and grinned at her. “Babe, I can do this all day long. I meant every word when I said that you’re mine. That means I’m yours as well. Unless you plan on throwing me away, get used to the idea that we’re sticking together.” Noticing her complicated expression, I brought my lips back to hers. This time, my tongue snaked its way in to find hers. Her hands dropped, and she slowly put her arms around me. Even as I focused my attention on lips and tongue, I felt her distrust. It was an aura around us. Still, she didn’t push away any longer, but she wasn’t jumping into action either. I recognized the opportunity and I’m going for it. Lane is a fucking idiot. I have a beautiful woman in my arms, and her bastard husband wanted to force her away. Chapter 10As I kissed and caressed her gently for a while longer, I broke the kiss so she could breathe. While I was definitely breathing heavily, I noticed Adele’s face, ears, and neck held more color. She looked at me, her eyes searching mine. I knew she was seeking a reason to stay in my arms. Her husband changed so suddenly, and she couldn’t trust me. “You didn’t expect me to do this,” I reflected on her thoughts. She acted like I was reading her mind, and she looked down. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I’m not falling for the same lines as before. You’ve hurt me too many times.” “Listen, I realize that. But I’m not the same guy for a lot of reasons,” I explained, then my thoughts went back to her boyfriend. Crap, I’m not too late, am I? “Besides, you can’t tell me you’re in love with that jackass I saw last night,” my voice lowered to a growl. “A beautiful woman like you can certainly do better than that wimp.” Her frozen glare came back, and she again tried to push away. I held on tight. “All you got to do is tell me you love that piece of shit. Come clean and tell me. Is that jerk going to please you? Will getting rid of me truly make you happy with him?” Surprised at my growing loud voice, I hesitated. Inside, I remained quite calm since I needed the truth from her. Then a thought came to me. Was the little black book wrong? Maybe I should let her ride off into the sunset. Hell, I’ll still have money afterward. Then, I’m just following this setup. No fucking way am I doing that! “Tell me the truth, Adele,” I pushed for a reply. “Do you really want that crappy guy or not? Is it your goal in life to be like Jenny?” I used her friend’s name because the black book told me that Jenny kept introducing Adele to other men. Her best friend reminded me of a slut who enjoyed dictating the lives of others. Lane Dagger despised Jenny, and it showed in his writing. My guess was they were too much alike. Still, the notes showed me that Adele apparently understood that Jenny’s relationships were far too shallow and momentary for her. According to the black book, Adele fell for Lane because he treated her like royalty and acted like his partner in life. Even if untrue from Lane’s perspective, Adele fell for him, hook, line and sinker. Tears welled in Adele’s eyes, and I suddenly thought my tight hold on her body was causing the pain. However, she collapsed into my chest as her anguish spilled out in her sobs. I admit I had plenty of second thoughts at this point. Harming someone is not something I enjoy. Besides, I was hurting a woman I only met a few hours before. Yeah, an NPC in my mind, but the flesh and blood woman in my arms felt too real to disregard. Just as I loosened my hold, she mumbled a whisper that I almost didn’t hear. “Lane, I’m so tired of being—alone,” she confessed through sobs. “Even when you’re here—I—don’t want someone who doesn’t give a damn about me.” Adele lifted her head to look at me. Her mascara covered tears running down her face. “I tried so hard to make you love me again, even though I never understood why you quit. But now I know you can’t change,” she wept. “That’s why you can’t fix this.” It hurt me to breathe when I saw her tormented confession. Seriously, who can handle a distraught woman in their arms? Then I realized why I was upset. That bastard went after someone who couldn’t directly fight back. Lane emotionally broke her because he knew he could do it. It was like I understood Lane even without reading his notebook. Even now, Adele didn’t punch me or slap me like I half-expected. Hell, Lane deserved it. But her soft personality would not allow it. Instead, Adele’s sensitive nature overrode those powerful memories of her negative experiences. She truly believed there was something good in the other person. It was one thing I remembered from my psych class about such a personality. It’s hard for them to let go of their relationships, even if it’s toxic. A person like that wants to believe in their lover’s good side so desperately that they’ll suffer for it. Remembering this item, I redoubled my efforts to turn this around. I still had a chance to make lemonade out of the lemons this place handed me. “Like hell, I can’t fix this!” I wrapped her tightly in my arms. Even if I wasn’t the cause, gazing at such heartfelt pain made me think about life and my selfish needs. Feeling those warm tears on my shoulder as she continued to cry made me reconsider trying to get her on my side. We stood together for a while. The warmth we shared made us strangely comfortable. I heard Adele sniffle as she turned to place her head on my chest. “I need a tissue,” she mumbled. Somehow, I remembered there was a handkerchief that I found earlier in my suit pocket. I reached down and gave it to her. As Adele dabbed at her nose as I put my arms around her waist. I noticed she didn’t try to stop me. “Listen, all the words I say, you’ll be suspicious about. You have every right to feel that way,” I said. “I have no shame in telling you I need you. Yeah, I’m an idiot who just figured it out late, but I can guarantee you that things are going to be different. It’s a promise that I must keep. Please, no more of this bullshit that it’s impossible.” “You don’t sound like yourself.” Her bloodshot eyes wavered. “The person I married never apologized like this.” I kissed her delicately on the lips. Suddenly I hoped that my morning breath didn’t offend her. “Adele, there’s no doubt I’ve changed. I can make that in the form of a guarantee.” That’s a no shit statement! I took her left hand and lifted it for us both to look at. “You still wear this wedding ring even after all this trouble. I know all I’m saying can’t fix everything at this point. However, I want you to remember some of the good things we did as well, so I can prove I’ve changed for the better.” I kissed her hand. “Nothing is impossible if we work together. It’s just that I’ve been a stupid fool. Believe it or not, people can change.” That’s for damn sure, so I’m begging you to believe me! Adele put her head back on my chest and the tears continued, but she kept her hand clutched with mine. I kissed her head while continuing to hold her tight, and she wrapped her right arm around me. Slowly, the sobs stopped. “Can you tell me what I did to make you want to leave me?” I heard the pain in the words as she took on the guilt for Lane Dagger and it pissed me off. However, I remained still, letting my anger calm while trying to come up with an acceptable answer for her. I tried a version of the truth with a story that came back to me. “Do you remember that story about King Midas?” She nodded amid her sniffles. “I think that the guy you married finally found out the same lesson.” I combined the Greek myth with what I figured out about my character as I rambled on. “When he turned everything into gold, he regretted his wish and cursed it. Dagger got wrapped up in his own world without a thought to how much he hurt others. The only thing on his mind was how to control and manipulate you and your money.” Pleased with how I managed to put that story together, I softly kissed her head again. “That you still can love a guy like that makes you an angel in my mind.” Adele looked up at me with surprise, filling her tear-covered face. “I never thought I would hear such ideas coming from you. Everything you said before told me you wanted the world, not me.” The woman put her head on my chest again. The time slowly passed by, and I kept my arms around her. Even in the silence, the position felt more comfortable. Gradually, I felt her relaxing. “Your heartbeat still calms me,” she breathed. “By the way, you never called me an angel before. Please don’t let it to be another throwaway line.” This time, I grasped her shoulders and gave her a deeper kiss than the last one. I felt no resistance when I softly sucked on her lips and savored its softness. I pulled away slightly to look into her eyes. They revealed a passionate interest now, overcoming the doubts I witnessed earlier. Adele wanted our relationship to work out. I saw this clearly in her reaction. Yeah, I’m going there! When we finished a second round of sex, Adele gave me an unsure smile. I saw the conflict in her expression. Lust won out, and now she was having second thoughts. I pulled her to her feet and hugged her as she put her head on my chest. “We’ll do something fun every morning,” I told her while kissing her head. “I haven’t done a good job giving you pleasure, so I intend to make it up to you.” I felt her tense up. “What’s the matter? You didn’t enjoy doing that.” She shook her head but remained quiet. I used my fingers to lift her head to face me. “That’s not it. I want to know who you are,” Adele blurted out. To my surprise, she wasn’t angry or upset. The person in front of her genuinely confused her. It was a tough question for me to answer. I scowled, trying to produce a rational explanation. Obviously, she would not believe that I’m from another place and time. “Yeah, I can understand. All of this is kind of sudden,” I sighed. “But I’ve learned something recently. And that starts with you, the one person who’s still on my side. I need you in my life. Now I want to please you and become the man you wanted. That’s not something bad, is it?” Yeah, I knew the last thing I said was typical bullshit, but I believed Adele certainly started the marriage with the right intentions. It didn’t matter that Lane had little interest in treating her right. My goal might be selfish, but I wanted her to trust me and be happy. The woman’s face flushed, and she lowered her eyes, obviously still in turmoil. “But you saw—how can you? I mean, the men I’ve been with,” she mumbled. Her statement caught me off guard. Her concern about how she must look in my eyes gave me pause. Again, Adele worried about someone else’s feelings before her own. No wonder Lane used her so easily. “Angel, you take that weight off to your shoulders,” I warned. “You didn’t do anything wrong in my eyes. This is all on Lane Dagger.” Normally, a guy finds his wife’s cheating on him, then all hell breaks loose. Hell, I’m the same way if I’m back in my real world. However, I only knew Adele for a few hours, so I could not rightfully turn malicious against her for being lonely. Lane deserved her screwing around on him. Hell, he probably calculated it with his plans to control her money. Yeah, I’m a son of a bitch. However, I’m not that deceitful. Adele might deserve better than me, but I would do the best I could. Besides, I had plans for Lloyd and his partnership with me. She didn’t need to know everything, since I couldn’t explain the whole mess anyway. Still, I playfully swatted her ass and my tone turned cold to make my point. “But there’s going to be hell to pay if you ever meet with another guy from here on out. I’m a jealous guy now, so what you saw last night is only a preview of what I mean.” Feeling like I was coming off too strong, I lightened my tone. “Seriously, we’ll forget everything about the past. Today is a new day. I’m taking the morning off to catch up and to work on giving you a baby.” Adele glanced at me, still unsure how to take my statements. Then she nodded and picked up her clothing from the bed. She paused when a thought came to her. “I’m supposed to meet with Jenny for breakfast.” “No, you’re staying home with your husband so we can fuck,” I insisted. Then I grinned. “We’ll catch up on months of a stupid man ignoring his beautiful wife and robbing her of affection.” I moved behind her, and I playfully swatted her ass again. Her shocked but somewhat amused reaction caught my eye from the reflection in the mirror on the wall. My grin turned into a smile. “This is step two in you learning to trust me again. It’s our real honeymoon. Seriously, I want to make up for being such an ass to you. I’ll even make you breakfast in bed.” “Alright, I’ll call her,” she finally said after a slight hesitation. Yes, she has some masochistic traits in her. Aside from my horniness for her sweet body, there was another reason I didn’t want Adele to meet Jenny. Jenny Penske was a divorced, gold-digging bitch working to undermine the marriage. Even the bastard Lane Dagger hated Jenny, just not enough to stop using her to get his divorce. The way I read it; unhappy people like to bring down others to their level and Jenny Penske was as unhappy as they came according to the book. She was the one person I planned on removing from Adele’s life soon. Jenny can get the hell out of my way! “Just tell your friend that you’ve got other plans this morning,” I hugged Adele from behind as I whispered in her ear. “I’ve never asked you to do this before, have I?” The woman pulled away and faced me. Tears were building up in her eyes again. “Lane, you’re not playing with me, just to throw me away again, are you? I couldn’t...” I interrupted her, bringing her into my arms. Then, I placed her head on my chest and we stood there for a while. “No, I swear upon my life. I meant everything I’ve told you.” The heartfelt words came out much stronger than I expected. Maybe I’m convincing myself! “All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove that a man of my word. You can shoot me if I’m lying. Now, you go make that phone call to your friend and I’ll get out the food going for our feast. We need our strength for later.” I watched her walk away wearing only her panties and reflected upon the morning so far. God, she’s hot! Now, I’m a man of my word, as Adele found out that morning. I looked at it like we started after the wedding. So, we took our time, enjoying the closeness as I slowly introduced Adele to various sexual positions that came from porno films. I had little reference beyond those videos since it’s not like my girlfriends experimented with me that much. We explored our intimacy in ways that might make my great-grandparents blush. Adele’s naïve statements and embarrassment made me even hornier. Fortunately, my wife gradually loosened up. The glint in her eyes told me she found the time rewarding as well. As we wandered around naked through the apartment, I showed I’m not above marking my territory. We made love on the couch where I discovered her and boyfriend last night. I also discovered a small office that looked more like a private library hidden behind two sliding pocket doors. Adele seemed to enjoy the swivel desk chair since she came up with a creative game for us to play. As the ideas became more scandalous given the era, her eyes lit up which allowed me to nudge her past embarrassment. I nuzzled her neck while I told her a few of my Hollywood Babylon-type stories I remembered. Since I didn’t care if they were fiction or not, my purpose was to bring my modern sex thoughts into her old-fashioned world. While she tried to avoid the subject of fantasies at first, I kept insisting and finally she revealed a few. Trust me when I say that I won’t forget to bring those hidden dreams to reality in the future. But it made me wonder something about myself. Damn, how far am I willing to go? Am I just using her? Moments later, I forget my thoughts as I gazed out at the parking lot below. For the finale that morning, I pressed her naked body against the window overlooking the parking lot. While Adele objected at first, she never wavered, as we had passionate sex in front of the world. When we finished, my woman finally answered my question from earlier when I repeated it to her. “Yes, I love this,” she panted out as we held each other at the window. Her answer immediately caused me to briefly frown with a sudden thought. To read the rest of the story, please become a VIP subscriber or purchase the book at the links below.
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