Band of Bachelors: Jake Book 3 Read online

  “I thought you said you weren’t interested in quickies anymore, Burt,” she said, nailing him on the look he’d given her. She concentrated on dabbing herself off without paying further attention to him.

  He was big time busted. He didn’t like being confronted with the fact that he still found his wife attractive. Even without the Viagra he was actually beginning to get hard.

  She opened the squeaky gate and walked past him to the kitchen, the towel thrown over her shoulder. Burt was left out on the patio watching her flat ass move in the moonlight and decided he’d rather have another drink.

  Adele’s footsteps were lightly tapping the steps to their bedroom. Burt made his way over to the bar, made himself another Scotch and downed it. He rinsed the glass in the sink, checked the sliding door, turned off the backyard lights, then checked the front porch lights and front door locks and headed upstairs himself.

  At the doorway to their bedroom suite he leaned on one hip. Adele had turned off the shower and was drying herself off again. He sat on the bed and watched her. He had two needs. First, he needed to confront her about Gerud, and he guessed she hadn’t heard anything from him yet or it would have been the first thing she’d thrown at him. But second, he was curious and a little excited to wonder what it would feel like to have sex with his wife for the first time in nearly two years.

  Maybe longer.

  Bob Fellows had opened up Pandora’s box with the knowledge that Adele had slept with another man, and apparently had some feeling for him, too. And the guy wasn’t some bastard pool boy or casual screw, she actually had a relationship, bore a child by him, and apparently did all this without Burt’s knowledge. He’d thought she was pretty much an open book. But now he saw her in a slightly different light.

  The two needs couldn’t be met at the same time, because if he discussed her boyfriend and his bastard son, he would more than likely be sleeping in the granddaughters’ bedroom or in a motel tonight. And that didn’t satisfy the other need.

  So he just watched her until she looked up at him. He wondered if she found him attractive at all. He’d stayed in shape, not like Jake of course, but he wasn’t flabby. He didn’t exercise as much as he used to. He played less golf because he was working harder trying to keep the business going. But she was definitely checking him out.

  Holding the towel up to her chest so she hid all her girly parts, she spoke softly. “Burt, I propose we set a truce, for the sake of the kids and grandkids.”

  Now he definitely knew she hadn’t talked to Gerud. So he swallowed his pride. He decided he could try to believe in forgiveness. She was as damaged as he was, when it came right down to it. They’d been a pretty hot pair at one time. Maybe there was something left.

  “I think that’s a good idea, Adele. I have a lot on my mind, and I’m not myself sometimes. I’m sorry if I was harsh to you and to—to—” He wanted to say your son but knew that was cross purposes to what he really wanted. “To Gerud and Ginger and the girls.”

  She came over and knelt in front of him, the towel still stuck beneath both her armpits. She placed her hands on his knees. “Is there something I can do, Burt? Anything I can do to help?”

  He blinked a couple of times, not quite sure he’d heard her correctly.

  “Well,” he said as he pulled the towel from her chest and watched her eyes get wide. “We could always try this. But I’m afraid I’m going to be honest with you, I need a little help in that department.”

  He was surprised at his own words. The Mini Me inside him was jabbing his calf with a pitchfork.

  She suddenly got up, and Burt thought she was going to storm out, but she returned with a blue Viagra pill. “Is this what you mean?”

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Never mind. I just had a few.”

  “But where the fuck did you get this? I’m out, so it couldn’t have come from my bottle.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to fuck me or not? Or would you rather argue about where the pills came from?”

  It was a difficult threshold to be on for Burt. Both sides of the doorway were bad choices. But in the end, his male ego won out. He grabbed the pill and swallowed it.

  But he just couldn’t let it go.

  “Where did you get it, Adele? I want the truth.”

  She showed him her backside and brushed her hair, and then took her time applying some red lipstick, the shade he liked. Then she put on some perfume and dabbed a bit on her belly button and rubbed her palms together and worked them down her thighs. In a sultry voice, she answered him, “Go take your shower, Burt. And when you get out, if you still feel like asking me that question, I’ll answer it. But take your shower first.”

  He tore his clothes off, got into the shower with anger on his mind. If he had another drink it could interfere with the drug, which he’d been told he should never do, so he was just going to seethe as he quickly got heated from the water, and then felt his rod start to get hard. It would be cruel to fuck her and then tell her he was cutting her son out of his sole separate property. But she’d been in possession of Viagra, and that didn’t come from his stash. He kept it quietly tucked away in his Jag on purpose in case of emergencies. Those sorts of emergencies would never happen at home, so she would never have access to it.

  Which meant that she was still screwing the guy, or had been.

  How recently?

  The hot water made him slightly light-headed so he turned down the heat, finished his soaping and rinsing and stepped onto the bath mat still a little woozy. He drank a tall glass of water and brushed his teeth, then combed his hair. He grabbed his aftershave and hesitated.

  Oh fuck, what difference does it make?

  He decided he was all in. He applied the aftershave gently and then walked to the bedroom where it was not lost on Adele that he’d gotten hard as a rock. He was rather proud of himself.

  She was sitting on the edge of the bed, focused on his groin, so he approached. Her soft hands reached out and touched him, then her fingers found his balls and gently squeezed them.

  He wasn’t used to this exciting stimulation, especially after the hot shower, so he began to weave. He braced on one of her shoulders as she slipped his cock between her lips and sucked him so hard he thought for a moment she was going to do a Bobbit maneuver. But she’d been practicing. And that thought, while it was exciting to feel, also made him angry.

  He visualized her with this Peterson guy—hoped he was a balding son of a gun—going down on her. Her and those skinny legs of hers. Him calling her baby, and her telling him to fuck her or suck her or whatever. He saw it all, and his blood pressure began to rise. But his dick was also rising, getting huge and she was beginning to choke on his size.

  No one could make Adele come like he could. He didn’t care what this guy had, he was masterful with Adele, always had been, until she’d gotten so cold and angry. But now she was all purring, moaning and gagging while he was ramming himself down her throat and letting her squeeze his balls.

  But then he saw this Peterson guy with his hairy ass in the air, he’d be flabby and maybe forget to take his socks off. They’d be argyle socks. His legs would be white because he didn’t play golf and worked all the time, so he was white and a little flabby. And he was fucking Adele and she was clutching his hairy ass and he was moaning, too. He curled his toes.

  Who fuckin’ curls his toes when they screw? Maybe he was afraid of wetting the bed or coming too soon? Anything was possible. His mind was racing, getting more and more agitated.

  With his cock buried all the way to the back of her throat he had to spoil it all and ask her.

  “Where did you get them? Were they for your boyfriend?”

  She didn’t glance up at him but kept sucking and man, it felt good. When she came up for air her lipstick was smeared but she looked sexy as hell with her hair all messed up. She gave him an angelic smile, and started crawling backward on the bed like an upside down crab. He could see her
pussy, she made sure of that.

  “I still want to know. Who does it belong to?”

  She grinned and used her forefinger to motion for him to follow up after her. Then she stuck her finger inside her pussy and wiggled it around like she was stirring a martini.

  Holy fuck!

  He scrambled on the bed after her, urgent to show her who was the commander of the situation. He grabbed her shoulders and thrust his cock deep inside her and then began to pump, to show her how he could still do it, how he could make her insides burn so hot she’d forget her own name. She was moaning, and he was delighted with what was surely going to be the sexual performance of his lifetime.

  Then black circles appeared in his eyes. A sharp pain in his chest took his breath away. He cried out and held his throat, thinking he had swallowed his tongue or swallowed something and was choking. His arm hurt and he glanced down, expecting it to look bright purple and swollen. Adele’s face was contorted with horror. She was screaming, but he couldn’t hear a thing. It was all white noise and fading darker and darker. He gasped and collapsed over her body.

  Everything suddenly turned black and was completely quiet.

  Chapter 17

  Ginger was fast asleep when the phone rang.

  “Burt’s had a heart attack. I’ve got him at Scripps.” Adele broke down and started to cry. “He may not last the night, Ginger.”

  “Oh no! Let me see if I can get a sitter, and I’ll try to get over there. Are you all alone? Where’s Gerud?”

  “I can’t reach him. I’ve left messages. I have no idea where he is.”

  Ginger thought about who she could call this late and gave Jake’s LPO’s wife, Christy Lansdowne, a call.

  “I’m so sorry, Ginger. Of course you’ll want to be there. I can’t leave, but can you drop the girls off here?”

  “Christy, my mother-in-law, bought them a puppy. I’m afraid I can’t leave her in the kennel, and outside is too cold, and inside, well, you know what I’d come home to.”

  “Well, bring him along, too, then,” said Christy. “I mean, my kids would have a ball with a new puppy to play with.”

  Ginger arrived at the hospital near midnight and took the fifth floor elevator up to the CCU. Adele came running toward her and nearly collapsed in her arms just outside the family waiting area. The older woman was sobbing uncontrollably. Ginger could only whisper encouragement and hold her tight, rubbing her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.

  Ginger noticed a sign for the chapel down the hallway. She imagined many hours had been spent there by families such as hers, waiting for the outcome of a very long night.

  “So what have they said?” she asked.

  “Not much, except they don’t want anything to upset him. He’s sedated, and they’re running tests. At least he’s still alive, Ginger. And that’s the main thing.”

  She brought Adele back to the tiny lounge, and the two sat down together on a loveseat. One of the nurses asked if they wanted anything to drink.

  “How about some tea, Adele? Does that sound good?”

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  “I’ll bring some choices for you two. Be right back.”

  “So, this happened at home or at the office, Adele?”

  “At home.”

  “Thank God. And thank God you were there too. He could have been somewhere all alone and he’d be—”

  “The doctor said he still might not make it, Ginger.” Adele’s face was red from crying. Normally, even in the morning, Adele would have makeup on, but tonight she wore nothing but a pair of yoga pants and a large sweatshirt. No lipstick, not even her hair was brushed. Her eyes pleaded for answers Ginger could not give her.

  “Did this happen in his sleep?”

  Adele chuckled and then began to gag and cough and then sneezed uncontrollably. Ginger leaned over the coffee table and grabbed a box of tissues and presented her with a handful.

  “Not ever in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated this.” She started to collect herself and was going to say something further when her emotions spilled over and she blurted out, “It’s all my fault! Oh. My. God. I’ve killed him!”

  “Come on, sweetheart. That’s not fair. No way you could have,” answered Ginger.

  “I did. I’m going to rot in hell for what I’ve done.”

  Ginger held her, but was worried for what lay ahead. This family had been so fractured. She decided to be patient and wait for definite news one way or the other, and then she’d call Jake.

  Mr. Green’s doctor came out nearly an hour later.

  “He’s holding his own right now, but these are the most critical hours. The longer he stays alive without further incident, the better the prognosis, so it’s a waiting game. Every one is different. I wish I could be more encouraging, but I’d say you should prepare for the worst.”

  Adele became comatose, staring off into the corner.

  “You’d best take her home. I don’t think he’ll be awake anytime soon, and she should get some rest. Nothing you can do here. And I’d make sure the family is notified, just in case.”

  “Adele?” Ginger put her arm around her. “I’ve got to give a call to Jake. Do you want to talk to him?”

  “Where is he?” Adele looked disoriented.

  “He’s on a mission. They’re in Mexico. But I’d like to get a message to him.”

  The doctor appeared concerned with Adele’s state of mind. “Mrs. Green, you should just try to rest. I think you should let this nice lady take you home. Or we can make a bed up for you here, but the main thing is, you need to sleep, rest. Nothing you can do but gather your strength.”

  “Thank you, doctor. It might be easier if she stays here. There’s no one at home who can help out, and I think she’d want to be here until I can get the rest of the family located.”

  “I understand. I’ll have them make up a bed. I’ll also have them give her something for sleep. Do you know if she takes any medications?”

  “Adele, honey, do you take anything, any meds?”

  She shook her head silently from side to side.

  “Okay, just a moment.” He left to get one of the nurses to set something up.

  The phone rang only once before Jake’s gravelly voice came on the line.

  “What’s up, sweetheart? Is everything okay?”

  Ginger took a deep breath and held back tears. Though Jake and his dad hadn’t been very close, she knew he would be devastated.

  “He’s had a heart attack, Jake. We have him in the hospital here. Scripps. Special cardiac unit. And—” her voice began to waver. “He may not make it, Jake. I just want you to know. We can’t find Gerud, but I’m with your mom now in the hospital.”

  “Dad? You’re talking about Dad?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh God. Does she want to talk to me?”

  “They have her resting, and I think they gave her something so she’d sleep. That’s all she can do. I think that’s best right now. But she blames herself for some reason. Not quite sure about how that is wired up, maybe a little regret, who knows?”

  “So were they arguing? I’ll bet he was drinking.”

  “I think so, but she just breaks down when she tries to talk about it, so I haven’t pressed. Doesn’t matter now, anyway.”

  “That’s right. He drives himself.”

  “Yes. I suppose there’s no chance you could get released to come home?”

  “Well, this comes with the territory. If there was something I could do by coming home, you know, if it was one of the kids, or something. Then maybe, in an emergency. But parents die. Grandparents die, family dies all the time when we’re away, and most the time we can’t be there. You know how it goes.”

  “You’re right. I’m so proud of you for what you’re doing. It’s exactly what you were made for.”

  “I’m glad you’re there with Mom, too. Wish I could be there to help, but hey, they got the A-team on board. She couldn’t ask for a better
person to be with her. Love you sweetheart.”

  “Thank you. Miss you so much.”

  “Me, too.”

  She was hesitant to bring up one more item, but overruled her doubts. “Jake, should I call Karlene and Monica?”

  “Let me think about that.” She could hear him sigh into the phone. “Oh man, that’s a tough one. I’d say yes. But that’s a lot to put on you.”

  “I don’t mind. You know that. Just want to do what’s good for the family.”

  “Let’s wait a few hours, see how he does. I don’t think Mom wants all the attention. I think you’re the right person to be there. Keep it quiet. Keep her quiet. Keep him quiet. Say some prayers.”

  “You got it.”

  “That’s my warrior princess. I love you so much, Ginger.”

  “I can’t wait for you to come home. Be safe.”

  Chapter 18

  In the morning, and on cue, T.J. and Fredo got into a fight. Thankful they had witnessed the altercation the night before, it was decided if the private force showed up, the Team wouldn’t let their men be taken away, no matter what.

  In seconds, a dark green four-door pickup arrived with another pair of private guards. Fredo argued in Spanish that T.J. was responsible for him getting booted from the Navy. T.J. didn’t understand any of it, of course, swore in English and denied everything, instead, blaming Fredo. The Team separated the two of them, and Fredo walked off with Danny. The guards were hesitant to intervene. Jake figured it was due to the size of their group.

  The rest of the day, the men saw to it that two others hung around Fredo to make it appear there was an anti-military faction that had split off the main group. Danny, who was Navajo, and could pass for being Latino, and Armando, from Puerto Rico both consoled him. For a time it started looking like the Aryan Brotherhood vs. MS-13, since Tay stood slightly taller than Coop and had nearly blond-white hair and eyebrows that looked like they were perpetually were tipped in frost. Ollie and Jake, Ryan, Cory and the others, including Kyle, stayed on the side of the “fake” Brotherhood with Tay and several others and allowed the open warfare to permeate anywhere in public they met up with Fredo’s faction.