Vexed Page 2

  Faye smiled at her daughter and her male friend. “I’ll get ya somethin’ cool to drink. You like ginger beer, eh?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Ginger beer will be fine,” Zach said.

  The screen door opened and shut three times, and the pounding of a few pairs of children’s feet filled the house, along with shouts and laughter.

  “Jillian, it’s so good to see you!”

  “It’s Jilly!”

  “Jillian is home!”

  One by one, a trio of little boys dressed in navy blue–and-white school uniforms ran into the room and covered Jill with hugs. She squeezed them and held them close, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Zach watched the warm exchange between Jill and her little brothers. Faye returned with two peanut butter jars filled with ice and a pale yellow liquid. She handed one to Zach and the other to Jill.

  “Shoo now,” Faye said. “On to your lessons right away. Oliver, you stay here. You must sit and speak with Jillian and Mr. Zachary. He is your sister’s friend.”

  “Tell me, Oliver. Why are you so troublesome at school, eh?” Jill asked as soon as her mother had left the sitting room.

  “I’m vexed, Jilly, so very vexed!” The boy dropped down onto a chair across from his sister.

  “And why so, Oliver, eh?”

  Jill and Zach listened to Oliver tell them how he couldn’t see the blackboard very well at school. He said the words in his books and test tablets appeared blurred and jumbled. He told Jill that he had reported his poor eyesight to his mother, his teacher, and the headmaster many times, but none of them seemed to have believed him.

  Zach looked at Jill. “I’d like to speak with your mother, if that’s okay.”

  “Go, Oliver. Bring Mommy to me,” Jill said.

  When Faye entered the room, Zach stood and removed his wallet from his back pants pocket. “Ms. Faye,” he said, “there is a clinic here. It’s called the Johnson Medical Center. I’d like you to take Oliver there. He needs to see a doctor about his eyes. He can’t see well. I think he may need glasses.” Zach held out several American bills to her. “This should cover the cost. If it isn’t enough, please call Jill immediately, and she will contact me. I’ll send you the balance.”

  “No,” Faye said and folded her arms across her chest. “You are stranger. Me no take money from strangers. It is not proper.”

  “He is my friend, Mommy. He wants to help you.” Jill stood from the sofa and approached her mother. “Please take it. Oliver needs to see a doctor. I will pay Zachary back for you, eh?”

  Faye pointed her finger at Jill. “You must repay him, Jillian, and I will help you.” She took the money from Zach’s hand. “Thank you, Zachary. You are a fine man. God bless you.”

  Chapter Three

  On the ride back to Montego Bay, Jill slept most of the way, with her head resting on Zach’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, and her face fell onto his chest. He listened to her light breathing and the slight whistle she made each time she exhaled. Zach thought back to what Jay had told him about Jill’s family that morning and the warning she had given him about them begging for money. Neither Faye nor her children had asked Jill for a dime, but she had voluntarily given them all a few dollars, and they’d thanked her. The three hundred dollars he had given toward Oliver’s doctor’s visit had come from his heart. The Bessette family seemed nothing like the greedy ingrates Jay had described.

  “We’re home, Jill,” Zach whispered when the arrived at the resort.

  Her eyelids fluttered open, and she moved toward the open door, where Roy stood waiting for them to exit the vehicle. As they walked toward the building, Zach looked around the grounds of the posh resort he’d enjoyed over the past few days. He’d grown accustomed to the flowing fountains and the flashing bright lights of the casino. The rolling green lawn stretched for acres, and a colorful botanical garden was a magnificent sight. Rowland, the evening-shift concierge, greeted Zach and Jill when they entered the elegantly decorated lobby.

  “Ms. King is out for the evening,” he announced. “She had an important dinner meeting with some vendors in Ocho Rios. She said you mustn’t wait up for her.”

  “Let’s go to the casino,” Jill said and grabbed Zach’s hand. “I have lots of complimentary chips. I never win much, but it is so much fun! I play to pass the time whenever Jay has to work long hours.”

  Zach dragged his feet.

  Let’s go,” Jill urged and pulled on Zach’s hand again.

  “Nah, I’m really tired, Jill. I’m not much of a night owl. I think I overdid it at the club last night. I just wanna hit the sack tonight and catch some Z’s. You go ahead. I’ll hit the casino with you one night before I return home.”

  Jill looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. Zach got the distinct impression that her young life was filled with low moments. She adored her family, but she wasn’t allowed to spend much time with them. And whenever she did, Jay was there keeping a watchful eye on their interactions. Jill had only a high school diploma, despite the fact that she was very smart and could’ve done quite well in college. Although she was a talented dancer, her formal training on the island had been limited. She’d told Zach that she’d dreamed as a child about perfecting her dance skills at Juilliard or the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. And one day she’d hoped to join the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

  “Okay,” Jill whispered, trying to hide her disappointment. “We will go to the casino another time. Are you hungry?”

  “I’m still stuffed from the lunch your mother served us. She’s an excellent cook. I haven’t tasted any jerk pork and rice and peas that good anywhere else on the island. Can you cook like that?”

  “Yes, I cook just like my mommy. She taught me. I cooked for my family every day when I lived at home.” Jill looked around the busy lobby. Zach knew she didn’t want him to the see the sadness in her eyes.

  “You miss your family, don’t you?”

  “I miss them very much, but I talk to them a lot. Jay takes me to visit them as often as she can. She’s always busy, ya know?”

  “I know.”

  “Let’s go to the penthouse and watch a movie.”

  Jill pulled Zach’s hand much harder than he’d thought she had strength to. She led him to the private elevator at the far end of the lobby. On the long ascent to the twelfth floor, she hummed and rotated her hips, with a twinkle in her eyes. Zach turned to stare at the illuminated numbers indicating the floors they passed as they rode to their destination. The tightness in his groin crept up on him like a thief in the night. Jill was not touching him. She was on the opposite side of the elevator, swaying in her own little world. His attraction to her was more intense than ever, but it wasn’t just physical. Zach was drawn to her carefree, fun-loving spirit and pure heart.

  “We’re here,” Jill sang when the elevator chimed and stopped. She hurried out and walked to the double doors of the executive penthouse suite, with Zach dragging behind her. “I’m going to shower and order us some cheesecake. I want to watch Pretty Woman. It is my favorite movie! Will you watch it with me?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  The cool breeze of the air conditioner greeted them when they entered the suite. The sitting area was bigger than the Bessette family’s entire house in Kingston. Jill skipped around, turning on lights, before she headed to the master bedroom she shared with Jay. Zach trudged to his bedroom, not really wanting to come out again for the rest of the night. Sure, he was exhausted and sleepy from the long night of dancing at Caribbean Cove and the trip to Kingston and back, but Zach’s primary reason for wanting to stay locked in his room was Jill. She was oblivious to the effect she had on him.

  Zach genuinely cared for her. He wanted to rescue Jill and make her happy. He wanted to introduce her to a world wherein she could pursue her goals and dreams. Jay was keeping her in a closed box, away from the people and activities she loved. Jill was a prisoner, but she didn’t even realize it. She didn’t long for freed
om, because she’d never tasted it before. Her entire existence revolved around Jay and the world she had created for them.

  Zach stripped off his clothes and allowed them to fall to the floor around his feet. He went into the bathroom and turned on only the hot water in the shower and adjusted the stream to high pressure. He got under the pounding spray, with thoughts of Jill flooding his mind. Zach reflected back to the lap dance she’d given him the night before, and instantly, blood rushed to his shaft. It swelled to a thick, long rod of stone. As he relaxed in the shower, he fantasized about Jill.

  “Zachary,” she called from behind the closed bathroom door, her soft voice floating through the steamy bathroom. “Would you prefer blueberry, raspberry, or strawberry topping on your cheesecake?”

  Suddenly feeling self-conscious and vulnerable, Zach snapped, “You shouldn’t be in here, Jill! I’ll have whatever topping you’re having. Leave now! I’ll join you out there shortly.”

  As Zach dried his body, he cursed himself for having spoken so harshly to Jill. He hated whenever Jay yelled at her or blew her off. But he’d just allowed his emotions to overcome him, causing him to do the same thing. Zach snatched a white tank top from the drawer and slid into a pair of plaid pajama shorts. He rushed into the sitting area and found Jill on the sofa, laughing at the movie previews before the feature film. She didn’t appear upset at all for having been chastised like a child. She was used to being scolded and told what to do. Kindness was foreign to her, and to Zach, that was a damn shame.

  Chapter Four

  “Are you ready? I can fast-forward it if you’d like.” Jill’s eyes sparkled, and her smile was just as bright.

  Zach sat down on the sofa next to her, leaving a reasonable amount of space between them. She aimed the remote control at the DVD player and advanced the disk to the starting point of the movie. Just then, the doorbell chimed.

  “I’ll get it!” Jill hopped up from the sofa and skipped to the door.

  She wore a simple pink cotton dress with spaghetti straps and a hem that came to rest at mid-thigh. The silhouette of her body was clearly outlined underneath. Just like Jay had taught her, she pranced about free from undergarments. Zach heard Jill and the room-service attendant exchanging pleasantries in Patois, their choppy Jamaican dialect. She seldom spoke it, because Jay did not approve. He wondered what the young man had said to make her laugh so bubbly. Zach felt a twinge of jealousy, and it annoyed him. He had no right to be possessive of Jay’s lover, but for some unexplainable reason, the bitter green-eyed monster had sneaked into his psyche.

  “Dessert is served, sir,” Jill announced and rolled a small serving cart in front of Zach.

  She removed the silver domed covering from a plate and reached over to hand him a fork and a napkin. Her perky breasts with their chocolate-drop nipples partially blocked his view of the TV screen, where a hooker was chauffeuring a potential john down Hollywood Boulevard in a Lotus.

  “Strawberry,” Zach said and smiled. “It’s my favorite. How did you know?”

  “It’s your favorite, eh? I honestly had no idea. It’s mine too!” Jill looked around, as if she were about to divulge some high-security classified secret, and lowered her voice when she said, “Jay absolutely hates strawberry, so I never order it when she’s around. She loves bloody raspberry, and I simply can’t stand it. Strawberry topping will be our little secret.” Jill flopped down on the sofa. Then she quickly turned to Zach with a conspiratorial grin on her lovely face. “I’ll tell you another secret if you promise to keep it for life.”

  “Who would I tell, Jill?”

  “You mustn’t ever tell Jay.”

  Zach saw the seriousness in her eyes. The respect and fear Jill had for his sister was astonishing. No one person in the entire universe, other than Christ himself, should be reverenced in such a manner. The poor girl’s life was centered on Jay’s. Jill lived and breathed to please her in any way she could, without limits or any consideration for even her own happiness. Love and faithfulness bestowed upon any human being by another at such an immeasurable degree in most circumstances would be praiseworthy and inspiring, imitated even. But knowing Jay’s heart and her outlook on love, life, and relationships made this quite repulsive to Zach.

  “You can tell me your secret, Jill, and I won’t tell Jay or anyone else. You have my word. I’ll even share something deep and dark about myself with you to level the score. That way, we’ll each know something naughty about the other, but we’ll take it to the grave.” Zach held up his hand and wiggled his pinkie finger. “Wanna pinkie swear?” he asked, smiling like a big kid.

  Jill’s eyes grew wide with excitement. She giggled like a giddy school girl and hooked her pinkie around Zach’s much larger one. His flesh tingled from her innocent touch. The contrast of their complexions was rather obvious. Her rich darkness against his smooth pecan tan was metaphoric imagery of the sweet blending of chocolate and caramel in Zach’s eyes.

  “Sometimes when Jay is away on business for an extended period of time, I visit my old dance teacher at her studio. I help her instruct the young students. I’ve choreographed some routines for them, and they’ve performed them at Carnival!” Jill swallowed a forkful of cheesecake. “Once, I bought show costumes for dancers who didn’t have money to buy them. My parents sometimes couldn’t afford to pay for my dance attire when I was a student, so I missed lots of performances. No little girl who’s been blessed with the gift of dance should have to sit on a stoop and watch others twirl about joyfully, ya know?”

  “And what about a young woman who’s been blessed with that same gift?” Zach asked. “Why should she have to live idly in the penthouse of a five-star resort and abandon her dreams of perfecting her gift abroad? Why isn’t she dancing with a prestigious dance company?”

  “I. . .”

  “Don’t tell me she’s got you watching Pretty Woman.” Jay had sauntered into the penthouse with an unlit cigar wedged between her index and middle fingers. “Jill, didn’t I tell you not to watch that damn movie again this year?”

  Jill lowered her head and discreetly placed the green cloth napkin over the remains of her barely eaten cheesecake. It wasn’t lost on Zach. He realized she was hiding the strawberry topping from Jay because his sister wouldn’t approve of her eating it. His eyes bore a hole through Jay as she walked toward them, the cigar now in her mouth. Jay lit it and blew out a cloud of smoke.

  “I asked Jill what her favorite movie was, sis. She said it was Pretty Woman, and I told her I hadn’t seen it in years. I wanted to watch it.”

  “Are you thirsty, Jay?” Jill asked. “Do you need me to order you a bottle of vodka?”

  “Yeah, baby, please do that,” Jay answered, puffing away on her Cuban cigar.

  Zach stretched his long muscular arms in the air and yawned just as Jill reached for the cordless phone on the end table. He did it again, with exaggeration, after she’d placed the order with room service and hung up.

  “This old man is about to leave you ladies. A brother is tired as hell.” Zach stood and stretched one last time. “I’ll see you both in the morning.”

  “You won’t see me, bro. I have to be in Negril early for a breakfast meeting. The resort’s lounge needs a new live act. Desmond told me about a band, and I’m gonna go hear them. If they’re any good, we’ll talk business.”

  “Can I go with you, Jay?” Jill asked with pleading eyes.

  “Um. . . nah, baby, that won’t work. I have some more business in Negril after that, and it might keep me there until after lunch. You stay here and hang out with Zach. He may get lonely.”

  “No, take Jill with you. I’ll be fine. I plan to hit the gym and go to the beach for a swim. Then I’ll catch a cab and do some souvenir shopping at the straw market. There’re a few more things I’d like to buy Aunt Jackie and Nahima.”

  “Who is Nahima, Zachary? Is she your sweetheart? Do tell,” Jill teased.

  Zach’s and Jay’s eyes met and locked in an awkward and
telling moment. Tension-filled silence lingered between them as time ticked away. Zach could feel Jill’s curious eyes on him while she waited for an answer to what had quickly transformed from a simple question into a million-dollar one in a matter of seconds. Jay’s eyes narrowed to slits, and she continued to hold her brother’s unshaken gaze as she dropped down casually on the loveseat across from Zach and Jill. Her jerky body language, and the visible twitch in her jaw, sent out a clear warning that the truth was not welcome in the room.

  “Ah, Nahima is my . . . my . . . goddaughter,” Zach managed to say through his slow-mounting anger. He’d spoken to Jill, but his eyes had shot fatal daggers at Jay. “She’s my heart,” he added. “I’m surprised my sister never mentioned her to you. Remind me to show you some pictures of Nahima tomorrow. I’m going to bed. Good night, ladies.” He stood and walked toward his bedroom.

  “Remember, you won’t see me until tomorrow evening, Zach,” Jay said to his retreating back. “Jill will be here with you. I’m not taking her to Negril. But I’m gonna finish watching Pretty Woman with my baby tonight.” Jay winked an eye at Jill and licked her lips suggestively.

  “Good night, Zachary. I hope you’ll have pleasant dreams,” Jill called after him.

  “I hope you will too, Jill,” he called back without turning around.

  Chapter Five

  Loud, passionate moans and muffled lovers’ dialogue pulled Zach from a restless sleep later that night. He knew right away it wasn’t the television, because he’d distinctly heard Jill cooing something to Jay and chanting her name several times before he became fully awake. Zach wondered why the hell Jay hadn’t taken her into their bedroom to make love. Surely, she knew he’d be able to hear them with his bedroom being so close to the sitting area. Jill’s high-pitched shriek shocked him. He hadn’t expected anything like that. He was curious to know what one woman could do to another that would make her cry out from such sexual fulfillment.