Seduce me, Jack... Ch. 10

You can't just let her run off by herself in her current state of mind, Jack... She's upset and she could probably use some kind of reassurance from you that her love for you is not totally ill advised...

Ohhh... fuckin' forget her, Jack! She had no right to hurt you that way... And you know she's just HOPIN' that you'll come after her because it will prove she's got you wrapped around her little finger now...

For God's sake, Jack... you know she'd never believe that... she knows you too well... including how goddamned selfish you are! How could what she said have hurt you when you know damn well it's the truth?!! She's not expecting you to come after her and she probably doesn't want you to... Just don't leave her alone for too long...

I think if the chick ain't back in an hour beggin' your forgiveness for actin' like such a bitch... I say take off and leave her ass here... make her figure out on her own how to get back to L.A.!!!

OH... NOW YOU'VE JUST GONE TOO FAR, YOU ASSHOLE!!! I oughtta beat the shit outta myself for even contemplating that...

Jack Nicholson growled in frustration and turned around to start walking in the opposite direction up Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara from where Amanda Lewis had turned and run away from him. He'd watched her disappear among some large monolithic rocks that dotted the beach a few hundred yards from where they'd been standing.

He headed up the beach and took the path back up the bluff and decided he'd just wait for her in the bungalow. He was sure she'd come back as soon as she'd calmed down. He glanced back down the beach one last time to see if he spotted her anywhere, but there was no sign of her among the rocks... and he didn't notice that the tide was coming in...

**********

Amanda wound her way around the huge rocks looking for a spot to just sit and cry for a few minutes. She finally found a large rock nestled up against the bluff with a nice flat area several feet up that she could sit on and be protected from the cool breeze by the larger rocks in front of it. The sun wasn't yet high enough in the sky to help warm her; the rocks were still in the shade created by the bluff.

She carefully climbed up and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rock still felt warm. She figured it must've been left over heat radiating from it after being heated by the afternoon sun the day before. At any rate, she was grateful for the warmth, as she was chilled not only by the cool breeze from the ocean but also by recalling the cold gaze Jack had leveled at her while she was reminding him of his inability to be faithful to any woman.

Fresh tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she briefly thought how cruel it was of her to throw that back at him... The expression on his face had seemed totally indifferent, but now she recalled seeing a brief flash of pain in his eyes. Amanda sat down and hugged her knees in front of her as she leaned her forehead on them and cried for a few moments.

She suddenly noticed how tired she felt and remembered that she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before... Jack had made love to her until after two o'clock in the morning, when he'd finally fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion. But she'd laid awake all night, watching him, feeling sick at the prospect that she had less than twenty-four hours to spend with Jack Nicholson... the first man she'd ever loved... the man she'd given her virginity to... very probably the only man she would ever love again...

Even though she'd never believed he would ever love her... And now he professed to... But she was also well aware what type of man he was... or had been in the past. What was the likelihood that he'd actually change his ways for her? But he seemed to want to...

Amanda whimpered in confusion and lay back against the warm surface of the rock. A wave of tiredness swept over her and she couldn't keep her eyes open. She told herself that she'd just rest for a few minutes so her mind could focus better... Before she even realized it, she was fast asleep...

**********

Amanda twitched and shivered as a spray of cold water splashed onto her body. She almost thought she was back home in Tennessee and that her mother was rudely trying to awaken her again by throwing a cup of water in her face.

She'd taken to doing that when Amanda was a teenager after staying up late the night before when she and her father had gotten involved in one of their marathon games of Monopoly... that almost always ended in a tie! Both of them were ruthless and neither of them could beat the other unless one of them happened to get luckier with the dice!

They'd always asked her mother to play with them, and she had... in the beginning. But, her mother was not ruthless when it came to the game and she and her father had always managed to force her out first, which just pissed her mother off, so she quit playing after the first five or six times. She'd always stomped away from the table like a petulant child, yelling that the two of them always "ganged up" on her. Amanda and her father had tried not to laugh until she was out of the room.

Amanda took a deep breath and sighed as her half-conscious brain struggled to hang onto the warm thoughts of her father and take them with her into unconsciousness again so she could have a more pleasant dream. But she was suddenly jerked into wakefulness when she felt another spray of cold water on her body again. She sat up quickly and looked around, not remembering at first where she was or how she got there.

Then she recalled the argument with Jack on the beach and running to get away from him so she could be alone and sort out her jumbled feelings. Now she realized that while she'd been sleeping on the rock, the tide had come in and waves were now washing up against the rocks... she was trapped.

The waves were coming in too fast for her to try to climb down and make her way back up the beach... they'd surely throw her into the surrounding rocks and that was just asking to be killed! She looked above her and saw that she could climb a little higher so there'd be less likelihood of her getting soaked or washed off the rock by a wave. But even if she could make it to the top, there was still at least a good twenty or thirty feet of nothing but sheer dirt and loose rocks on the face of the bluff that would be impossible for her to climb.

Amanda realized she was, indeed, trapped... at least until the tide went out again and she had no idea how long that would take. She knew enough to know that there were usually at least two full cycles of high and low tides every twenty-four hours, which meant she would probably be stuck on this rock for at least another four to six hours... unless someone came looking for her...

But would Jack know where she'd ended up? He might believe that she'd kept going down the beach and ended up somewhere else... Would he even wonder why or care that she hadn't come back yet?!!! She figured she'd learn the answer to that depending on how long she was stuck on this rock...

She climbed up to the higher, safer spot on the rock and saw that she could go no further... the rock was too smooth; there was nothing for her to grip so she could climb safely. She sat down and leaned back on the rock while she waited... and hoped... Maybe Jack Nicholson would come to her rescue... again...

Only she had no idea how long she'd have to wait... or if he'd even come looking for her...

**********

By 9:30, Jack was pacing worriedly on the patio of the bungalow he and Amanda had been sharing at Pacific Views Inn & Cottages. It had been over two and a half hours since she'd left him on the beach... he'd fully expected her to be back already. He finally decided to go back down to the beach and look for her.

He headed out onto the bluff and glanced down the beach to the rocks where he'd last seen her. Then he froze in his tracks and his stomach tightened into a knot. The rocks were surrounded by the waves washing in. If Amanda was still down there, she'd have to have climbed onto a rock in order to get out of the water... and there was no other way off the beach at that point except straight up the bluff! Jack took off running along the edge of the bluff down toward that area of the beach where he was sure she was trapped.

Matt the massage therapist and Mark, the pool waiter who'd flirted with Amanda the day before, were walking from the employee parking area toward the main Inn when they spotted Jack Nicholson running along the bluff. They glanced at each other questioningly and then both took off toward him to find out what was going on.

"AMANDA!!! AMANDA!!!" Jack yelled loudly as he approached the area of rocks on the beach below. He slowed down and then stopped running and started making his way carefully along the edge of the bluff, peering over as far as he could as he continued to call her name. Finally, as he neared one of the rocks closest to the bluff, he heard a faint answer.

"Jack?!!! Jack, is that you?!!! I'm here!"

He could hear her, but he couldn't see her. "Amanda... where are you? I can't see you!"

He heard her voice again, sounding a little closer as he got right over top of the nearest rock. "I'm stuck on a rock! There's water all around me! I have no way to get down! The waves would throw me into the other rocks! And the waves are getting closer to where I am! I don't know what to do! I can't climb any higher... I've already tried!"

He could hear the fear and agitation in her voice. He was also getting dizzy from leaning over and trying to peer straight down a sheer drop of more than fifty feet, so he sank down onto his knees and crawled as close the edge of the bluff as he dared. Then he lay down on his stomach and scooted forward carefully until he was peering at Amanda about thirty feet down on the rock.

There was no way she could climb up, nor could he climb down. His heart was racing and he was genuinely scared for her. His voice shook slightly as he called to her. "Amanda... just stay where you are! I'm going to go get some help, OK?!!!"

"Just where do you think I'm going to go, Jack?" she replied sarcastically.

Her sarcasm felt like a knife in his heart again. "Goddamn it, Amanda... you don't need to act like a smart ass! I'll be back as soon as I can!"

Just then, Matt and Mark arrived. "Is something wrong, Mr. Nicholson?" Matt asked worriedly.

Jack twisted his upper body and turned his head to look up at them. "Nooo... nothing's wrong! I'm just getting a closer look at my girlfriend trapped on this rock... wishing I had a camera with a telephoto lens so I could get a picture of the pissed look on her face! Now... would either of you boys happen to have a camera? Or perhaps an idea how we might get her off this rock?!!!"

"FUCK YOU, JACK!!!" Amanda yelled from below. "Now who's bein' the smart ass?!!!"

He looked back down at her. "Would you like me to just leave you down there until the tide goes out again? Maybe you need a little more time to cool off!"

Mark chose that moment to speak up before things got out of control. "Uh... Mr. Nicholson... I happen to have my repelling gear in my car. I'll go get it and then I can climb down and bring her back up."

"Yeah... you do that. But no need to rush... it sounds like she needs a little time to simmer down." He looked back down again. "Did you hear that, Amanda? The hunky pool waiter is gonna come to your rescue this time! And I'll just bet he's gonna be hopin' for the same reward I got!!!"

Amanda's only response was to shoot him the finger and then turn her back on him.

Jack closed his eyes as he backed away from the edge to stand up again.You stupid jerk... Why did you say that?!!! Why the hell are you so fuckin' mad at her?!!! She didn't do this on purpose...

How do you know?!! She's probably testing you... seein' how far you'll go for her... how many hoops she can make you jump through...

That's bullshit, Jack, and you know it! She was scared and confused when she ran away from you and now she's been trapped on that rock for at least a couple hours, probably wondering if you even cared enough to come looking for her... You know she's hurting and she's just covering it up with anger! You have to admire her spunk...

Well... she's certainly proving that there's only so much of my shit that she'll take without firing back...

Jack glowered at the handsome pool waiter as he sheepishly turned around and trotted back toward the Inn to go get his gear. Then he glanced at Matt the masseur and saw the look of concern on his face. He turned away from Matt and just paced back and forth as he waited for Amanda's rescuer to return.

Matt knew better than to ask any nosy questions this time. Whatever was going on between Jack Nicholson and the lovely Amanda was really none of his business. And he could tell Jack was in no mood to talk about anything...

**********

Fifteen minutes later, Matt and Jack were anchoring the line that Mark was using to lower himself down the bluff to where Amanda was waiting. It took Mark a couple minutes to get Amanda securely strapped to him and then he yelled up to Matt and Jack to start pulling them up.

Mark was doing his best not to react to Amanda the same way he had yesterday as soon as he'd seen her at the pool in that white string bikini. But it was even more difficult now because she was plastered against him face to face, her legs straddling his and her arms wrapped tightly around him. He could feel her generous breasts crushed against his chest and her face was buried against his neck as she whimpered nervously and struggled to hold him even tighter using her legs as well.

Then she gasped softly and raised her head to stare at him with her eyes wide. She'd inadvertently pressed her crotch against his and felt his hard cock. They both blushed.

"I'm so sorry," Amanda muttered and then looked away over his shoulder.

"It's not your fault... I mean... well... it sorta is your fault... But not on purpose! I mean... you can't help the way I react to you any more than I can help it! So... I guess I'm sorry, too... My name's Mark, by the way..." he said quietly when she shyly looked back at him again.

"Well... thank you so much for coming to my rescue, Mark. My name's Amanda."

Then he asked her curiously, "What did Mr. Nicholson mean when he said that I'd probably be hopin' for the same reward he got for coming to your rescue?"

Amanda snorted disgustedly and flopped her head on his right shoulder and replied, "Never mind! I can't believe he even said that!" she muttered angrily. "Two days... I haven't even known the man two days and already I want to kill him! He can't possibly still believe that we'd survive for longer than a weekend together!"

Mark's eyebrows went up when realization dawned on him as to what that "reward" was that Jack had referred to. Obviously he meant sex. If they'd just met on Friday and were spending the weekend together, what else could it be other than sex?!!! He couldn't stop the soft snort of laughter that erupted at the thought that he had, indeed, wished that he would get a reward like that!

Amanda lifted her head and looked at him again. "What was that about?" she asked him warily.

Mark had the good grace to blush and look away as he answered her honestly. "I think I just figured out what that reward was and I... uh... yeah... I wish I could've gotten it. But I guess you already know that." He looked back at her and saw her smirking, trying not to laugh. He couldn't help but grin and then they both chuckled softly, just as they neared the top of the bluff.

"Well, well, well... doesn't this look cozy!" Jack sneered as he peered over on his hands and knees, reaching down to offer Mark his hand and arm to help them up over the edge of the bluff while Matt held on to the rope.

With Jack's help, Mark and Amanda finally managed to roll themselves up over the edge. As luck would have it, Mark ended up on top of Amanda in, what looked like, a very compromising position. In his embarrassment, he fumbled with the gear, unsuccessfully trying to get them separated for almost a minute.

Jack stood looking down at them with his arms folded over his chest. "Would you mind getin' the fuck off my girlfriend?!!" he growled menacingly at the young, good-looking pool waiter who looked like he was unsuccessfully trying not to enjoy being trapped between Amanda's shapely thighs and on top of her curvy body.

Mark finally freed himself and stood up quickly to help Amanda to her feet, and then fumbled again when he tried to help her out of the harness that was strapped around her hips and thighs. When he finally got it off of her, she leaned forward and tiptoed to kiss his cheek softly.

Then she smiled coyly at him and reached up to touch his cheek. "I don't know how to thank you, Mark. Well... I have an idea, but for obvious reasons, it wouldn't be appropriate! So, I hope the kiss was sufficient..."

Mark didn't notice the anger simmering in Jack Nicholson's eyes as he smiled back at her. "You're certainly welcome, Amanda. And I'll do my best to settle for just a kiss..."

"OHHHHH... By all means, Amanda! Why don't you take young Mark here back to the bungalow and give him the reward you obviously feel he deserves!!!" Jack yelled at her.

Amanda whipped around to face him and hissed, "You say one more stupid thing like that and I WILL!"

"That's IT!!!" Jack snarled as he grabbed her arm and started dragging her back along the bluff.

Matt and Mark looked at each other frowning, wondering if they should now try to rescue Amanda from Jack Nicholson! She didn't appear to be struggling to get away from him and she certainly wasn't looking back at them and pleading for them to come to her rescue... They wisely decided to stay out of it...

**********

As soon as they got inside the cottage, this time it was Jack who slammed the door shut and backed Amanda up against it with his right hand tightly gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Just what the fuck are you tryin' to do to me, Amanda?!!! I've never let any woman get away with talkin' to me and treatin' me the way you have this morning! Not even women I've known and cared about for years! Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"Well, according to you, I'm yourgirlfriend..." she said disgustedly, making the term sound every bit as derogatory as the asshole who'd called her that in the dining room of the Inn the night before. Then she continued heatedly, "Only you sure have a funny fuckin' way of showin' it!" She threw his own words back at him from their earlier argument. "If you treated other women like this for much less minor offenses than what you think I've done, then no wonder you've never been able to sustain a relationship! But you know what the worst part about that is? I think you've done it on purpose! You're too afraid to let any woman get too close to you so you drive them away as soon as you start to have 'feelings' for them! Is that it, Jack? Have I figured out your secret to staying away from commitment?"

Jack's mouth tightened as he gritted his teeth from the effort it was taking him not to move his hand from her chin to her throat and throttle her a couple of times. He didn't want to admit that what she said sounded dangerously close to the truth. All he knew was that he had to throw her off the track somehow. He could not allow her to keep gaining the upper hand with him. And the only way he could keep her off balance was with sex...

But he was so angry at the moment that he didn't know if he'd be able to pull it off. Normally, every time he'd touched Amanda, his blood had been stirred to boiling and his dick had hardened almost instantly. But at the moment, he was so angered at her that his desire had receded somewhat. And his anger was starting to build at the thought that she could keep him from the one thing that he desired the most from any woman... He had to regain control somehow...