door.
“Ernest,” she said through gritted teeth. “Sit in the fucking chair or I’ll have Jacob put you in it. Please?”
Because she’d said please, I nodded and sat down. Also, now that I’d started down this course, I couldn’t very well announce I was okay again. Lana was already unstable, and I had zero desire to get chained to that whipping wall and beaten.
Increasingly, I wondered about the real Ernest and how he interacted with her. Did he also have a domineering personality? Or was he weak and needy and more like Jacob?
“Stay with Ernest,” she said to him. “I need to get something.”
Jacob said, “Sure. We’ll be fine.”
After she left, Jacob’s face relaxed fractionally.
In a mocking tone he said, “She’s a real bitch, huh? Great in the sack, though.” He sighed longingly. “Sorry about Sean. That one’s on me.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
Jacob said, “After your muse, you’ll snap back fine, you’ll see. I’m not supposed to say nothing, but…” He peered around conspiratorially, then held his hands about two feet from his waist. “She’s big, know what I mean?”
“That big?” I said.
“Keep that to yourself.”
I nodded.
Apparently there was an overweight woman in the building. If they introduced me to her and expected me to get busy or whatever, I’d play cold fish, like I always did. Heck, I had a rock-solid alibi this time—still messed up from the zapping and drugging I’d taken.
Jacob nudged me softly and gave me a knowing look.
In a low voice, he said, “So what were you doing in that house for, man? That’s got everyone freaked out.”
Desperately, I wracked my brains for something to explain my actions. Looking for drugs? Wanted to beat up a bad reviewer? Just because? I opened my mouth to say something, and then Lana came back carrying a box.
“Found them!” she said, happily. She pointed at me. “Hold his arms.”
Jacob leaned down in front of me and grabbed my arms. He must have seen the alarm on my face because he winked at me, guy-to-guy, an us-against-them kind of thing.
Lana took out a leather strap with friction clips and lashed my left wrist tightly to the arm of the wheelchair. Her hands were strong, steady, and merciless, and I worried she’d cut off my circulation. I experienced a moment of panic and struggled to free myself, but Jacob held me easily. After the first wrist, she did the other one. When she was done, she checked her work and then loosened the first one, fractionally.
“Now his legs,” she said.
Jacob bent down and said, “You kick me, Ernest, I’m beating the shit out of you. Got it?” He said it almost like he was joking around, but there was a hint of a threat in it. Jacob was some sort of pro fighter, and I’d just seen him beat up his girlfriend who he sometimes called mommy , so when it came to violence I took him at his word.
“Got it,” I said.
After I was strapped in, Lana leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. I flinched, but she either didn’t notice or she ignored it.
“Can’t have you wandering around hurting yourself,” she said. “You’re just exhausted. You need good food. For the mind and your warrior heart. Now think, Ernest: do you know where you are now?”
I didn’t like being restrained so I said, “In your bedroom. We were just in the shower. I was a little groggy when I woke up, but everything’s much clearer now. If you’ll undo these straps, I’m sure I can move around all right.”
Lana shook her head. “Let’s see how it goes after the fun later. Hopefully by tomorrow you’ll be ready to write again. How does that sound?”
“I’m feeling great now,” I said, and jerked my hands hard against the straps to prove it.
Frowning, she said, “Jacob, would you put him somewhere out of the way please?”
Jacob laughed good-naturedly, grabbed both handles, and pushed me toward the door.
Before we crossed the threshold, I turned back and said, “What
“Ernest,” she said through gritted teeth. “Sit in the fucking chair or I’ll have Jacob put you in it. Please?”
Because she’d said please, I nodded and sat down. Also, now that I’d started down this course, I couldn’t very well announce I was okay again. Lana was already unstable, and I had zero desire to get chained to that whipping wall and beaten.
Increasingly, I wondered about the real Ernest and how he interacted with her. Did he also have a domineering personality? Or was he weak and needy and more like Jacob?
“Stay with Ernest,” she said to him. “I need to get something.”
Jacob said, “Sure. We’ll be fine.”
After she left, Jacob’s face relaxed fractionally.
In a mocking tone he said, “She’s a real bitch, huh? Great in the sack, though.” He sighed longingly. “Sorry about Sean. That one’s on me.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
Jacob said, “After your muse, you’ll snap back fine, you’ll see. I’m not supposed to say nothing, but…” He peered around conspiratorially, then held his hands about two feet from his waist. “She’s big, know what I mean?”
“That big?” I said.
“Keep that to yourself.”
I nodded.
Apparently there was an overweight woman in the building. If they introduced me to her and expected me to get busy or whatever, I’d play cold fish, like I always did. Heck, I had a rock-solid alibi this time—still messed up from the zapping and drugging I’d taken.
Jacob nudged me softly and gave me a knowing look.
In a low voice, he said, “So what were you doing in that house for, man? That’s got everyone freaked out.”
Desperately, I wracked my brains for something to explain my actions. Looking for drugs? Wanted to beat up a bad reviewer? Just because? I opened my mouth to say something, and then Lana came back carrying a box.
“Found them!” she said, happily. She pointed at me. “Hold his arms.”
Jacob leaned down in front of me and grabbed my arms. He must have seen the alarm on my face because he winked at me, guy-to-guy, an us-against-them kind of thing.
Lana took out a leather strap with friction clips and lashed my left wrist tightly to the arm of the wheelchair. Her hands were strong, steady, and merciless, and I worried she’d cut off my circulation. I experienced a moment of panic and struggled to free myself, but Jacob held me easily. After the first wrist, she did the other one. When she was done, she checked her work and then loosened the first one, fractionally.
“Now his legs,” she said.
Jacob bent down and said, “You kick me, Ernest, I’m beating the shit out of you. Got it?” He said it almost like he was joking around, but there was a hint of a threat in it. Jacob was some sort of pro fighter, and I’d just seen him beat up his girlfriend who he sometimes called mommy , so when it came to violence I took him at his word.
“Got it,” I said.
After I was strapped in, Lana leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. I flinched, but she either didn’t notice or she ignored it.
“Can’t have you wandering around hurting yourself,” she said. “You’re just exhausted. You need good food. For the mind and your warrior heart. Now think, Ernest: do you know where you are now?”
I didn’t like being restrained so I said, “In your bedroom. We were just in the shower. I was a little groggy when I woke up, but everything’s much clearer now. If you’ll undo these straps, I’m sure I can move around all right.”
Lana shook her head. “Let’s see how it goes after the fun later. Hopefully by tomorrow you’ll be ready to write again. How does that sound?”
“I’m feeling great now,” I said, and jerked my hands hard against the straps to prove it.
Frowning, she said, “Jacob, would you put him somewhere out of the way please?”
Jacob laughed good-naturedly, grabbed both handles, and pushed me toward the door.
Before we crossed the threshold, I turned back and said, “What