Ribbons

I knew I should listen, but instead I blocked out the noise of all of them talking. I focused on his heartbeat and the vibrations in his throat and chest when he spoke. His warmth, his arms around me. I imagined a world where he did want me, a world that wasn't broken and he saw me as a woman and not something to use and play games with. A world where he wanted me just for me.

That would never happen, though.

We had nothing in common and we were from two different places with very different backgrounds. In a normal world, our paths would never have crossed at all.

But I tried to imagine that we had a chance meeting, a look in passing and he stopped me. Talked to me, asked me to go on a date...

A date that ended in us making out back at his apartment.

There were no apartments in Bladensburg, at least not the part that was in the pillars, but I read about them enough that I imagined he would be the type of guy who would have an apartment. I would have a tidy little house filled with books and maybe even a dog. According to books, almost everyone had a dog or a cat and I was pretty sure I would have been a dog person.

"Are you asleep, Little One?" He asked me, turning to look down at me with his lips on my jaw.

"No, I was just thinking."

"About access to the river?"

"What? Oh... no. Sorry, no, I wasn't listening."

"Were you fantasizing, Jubilee?" he asked softly, sounding amused.

"Not like you're thinking," I partially lied. "I was thinking about books." It wasn't completely untrue, I had extrapolated from a lot of books I had read.

"Mmmm," he purred. "Not sure I believe you. How about you start thinking about what I'm going to do to you later?"

I squirmed, feeling both giddy and sick. What was he going to do to me later?!?

Chuckling, he kissed my jaw, then went back to his conversation with the others.

I was even more distracted now, thinking about what he was going to do. All I could imagine was that he was going to use that wand on me again like he had the day before and I felt a bit thrilled about that. Part of me didn't even care that it might be in front of his employees!

Another little part of me imagined him making love to me... almost wishing he would. That he wanted to. Did he? Didn't he have those thoughts and needs at all?

Surely he must have them taken care of by someone, he must have a girlfriend or wife or something? I would have to ask around... I didn't actually know very much about him.

The door opened and a man came hurrying in, excited. "It's done, boss!" he announced happily.

"Good! That's fantastic, thanks Brayden. John, how long until dinner?"

"Less than an hour, Diane is bringing it here."

"Good! Our guests on their way?"

"They should be? I sent runners."

This was what he was saving me back for, I knew it was coming.

"Very good. Little One? I'm going to send you home with John for now, alright? He'll see you there safe and I'll have meals delivered as well."

I was shocked as he sat up with me and held me out to look down at me. "Alright," I agreed uncertainly.

He grinned, then tilted my face up and kissed me before helping me stand and motioning to John.

I let John lead me outside and followed him up the street, feeling mixed emotions. He wasn't going to use me at all? But he was also sending me away... so maybe his wife was coming? Or girlfriend? Or just a girl he liked? Or maybe it wasn't a girl at all, hadn't the woman said he didn't like girls?

"John?" I asked softly, moving to walk next to him as he led me further up old downtown to a part of the community I'd never seen before.

"Yeah?" he asked pleasantly, his face full of happiness.

I paused at that, wondering what had him so pleased. Dismissing it, I pushed on. "Does... does Oren have a wife? Or girlfriend or whatever?"

John chuckled. "He never had one before," he shrugged.

"Does... he like girls?"

"All around as people or do you mean romantically?"

"Romantically, I guess?"

"He was married before the cataclysm, she and the baby she was carrying didn't make it. He likes girls, he just hadn't really been interested in more since then. Why so worried?"

I looked around as we walked, realizing we weren't heading home and my thoughts derailed a little. "Where are we going?"

John grinned again, then gestured to a side street. "Right up here. There, see the yellow one? Pretty isn't it?" he asked, stopping in front of an old two story yellow house.

"I guess?" I answered, looking it over. "Is this where oren lives?"

"No," he chuckled, pushing open the gate and gesturing me through. "His place is a lot smaller, just a one bedroom not far from where we work. No, this is your new house," he told me, opening the front door.

Erin turned to me from the dining room through the open living room and grinned at me, her whole face lit up. "JUBE!"

I smiled uncertainly. "My house?" I asked, confused as I looked around the large place.

"For you and the other orphans," he agreed. "Four bedrooms. One for you alone, one for the couple, and two for the other men to share. I have to get back, but the others should be arriving soon," he promised as Erin hurried closer to me. "You know where we are if you need anything and your dinner will be here in about 45 minutes, alright? See you tomorrow!"

He left and all I could do was stare as Erin hugged me, laughing as she turned to look around the huge house. "Can you believe this, Jube? Someone came and got me from work! Said we were all getting runners to show us here! All of our stuff is here, Jube! Me and Terrence get our own room! And so do you! Your room is down here and you already have clothes here and everything! NEW clothes! And you have your own bathroom! There's another bathroom upstairs and another half bath down here! This is crazy, Jube! What happened? Do you know? Do you know who did this?" she asked excitedly as the front door opened and Ian and Gary were both shown in.

Erin went to them, excitedly telling them about everything as I looked around again, then went to the closed door down the hall and looked in.

It was a bedroom and huge... larger than our house we'd had. The bed in it was large and it had multiple blankets and pillows, as well as 4 large windows, two on each wall to the outside. There were two doors on the other wall and one was a closet that had clothes... not my clothes, even if they looked like they were my size. Shoes too.

The other door was a bathroom and it had real soap and shampoo in it. The water ran.

How? How were they getting running water? I knew there was access to the damn and hydroelectric power for some, but no one knew enough about it to get it working?

Or did they and half the community didn't know because they didn't have enough for everyone?

Or they just didn't allow those on the fringes or the poor people to know about it?

Going back out to the living room, I paused, looking almost everyone over.

They all seemed to be there, all but Henry anyway.

Terrence was yelling at Ian, they were arguing.

Terrence saw me standing there, and he stood up straight. "What is this, Jube? WHat's happening? What have you and Jace gotten us into?!?" he demanded angrily.

"Why do you CARE?" Ian asked, sounding like he'd said it already. "Look around you, asshole! Look at this place!"

Derrin moved closer to me, looking me over worriedly. "Jube? Have you seen Jace? No one has seen him for a couple days, but..."

"This is something he did, isn't it?" Terrence asked, pushing closer to look down at me angrily. "What did he do? Is he why I'm suddenly actually getting offered full time and actually getting paid for it?"

"You don't sound grateful," I countered, feeling a little belligerent about that.

"If he's traded it for something illegal, then I'm not!"

"He didn't. He had nothing to do with that!"

"Then you did, and you know what's going on!"

"I knew nothing about this... and I'm not doing anything illegal! He just... he asked me what I might want is all. I said for us to have fair hours and pay."

"Jace asked you that?" Erin asked, confused. "He already knew..."

"No, Oren asked me."

"Oren Dutant?"

"You're mixed up with HIM?" Derrin asked, half terrified. "What did you do?"

"It was Jace, wasn't it?" Ian asked darkly. "He fucked up, didn't he? Got mixed up with that mess and got you mixed up in it too."

"Where's Jace now?" Terrence snarled.

I sighed, throwing up my hands.

"Jube, does he have you doing things for him? Jace? Is he trying to make you..." Derrin began.

I shook my head quickly, my face going red. "No! No, Jace... look. Everyone sit down, right in there at the dining table, ok? I'll tell you all everything."

We all sat down and I took a breath, then told them all a slightly altered version of the story. I didn't mention the flickers, and I made it seem like Oren never asked me to use my power for him, just sit with him a lot. I also left out the forced public orgasms. I did tell them that Oren had demanded Jace leave me alone and Jace hadn't, then revealed what they already knew in that Jace had forced himself on me the other night. I told them that Oren had taken Jace away and I hadn't seen him since, or even asked about him. Oren had seen how we were living, discovered that we weren't properly fed and that our conditions were what he called deplorable. I assumed that was why he had moved us to this house, but he had asked me if there was anything I wanted and I'd told him fair working hours and fair wages for those hours. Anything else he'd done on his own.

"No one just gives out houses, Jube!" Terrence scowled. "If he gave us this, then he moved whoever used to live here and where are they now? Are they dead? Did he have them killed? What if he expects us to..."

He cut off at a knock on the door and Erin jumped up to tgo open it as we all watched.

The woman who came in with a large box smiled at all of us and brought the box to the table, setting it down. "Enjoy your meal!" she told us, opening the top and then gesturing as the smell wafted out.

She left and the others stood, looking into the box.

"Oh, that smells amazing! And it's still hot! Oh my WORD!" Erin cried joyously.

"I'll get plates!" Gary breathed, going to the kitchen.

I sat with them as they ate, all of them laughing excitedly, even Ian. I picked at my food, but couldn't eat much at all.

After dinner and it was all put away, Erin was grinning happily with Terrence on the little sofa in the living room. Everyone was sitting and talking, excited now instead of defeated. There was oil in the oil lamps and more oil stored in the cupboard nearby and we had one lit as we sat there. I'd been listening to them, but then Derrin spoke up.

"Jube? Read to us? Like you used to? I've never seen any of these books here before, they're all new to us, would you read one of them to us?" he asked me, moving the oil lamp close to me and setting a book down on the arm of the chair I was in.

"Sure," I agreed, warm to my toes that they all seemed thrilled to be able to do this again. Opening the book, I began it and they all stayed quiet and listened contentedly.

Well into the second chapter, the front door opened without warning or knock and we all sat up in alarm.

It was Oren and he looked around at everyone, then spotted me and grinned as I stood up. Stalking to me, he caught my shoulder and pushed me all the way back to the wall before leaning in close and kissing me. Staying close, he pulled back with another smile. "Do you like it?"

"The house?" I asked, blushing as everyone stared at us, even Nick and John who'd followed him in the front door. "Is it your house?"

"No, Jubilee, it's your house! Yours and your little families. Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful! Perfect! Why, though? I told you..."

"Because you deserve it, Little One! Because no one should have to live like you were living! Do you like your room? The colors?"

"Blue is fine," I agreed, still confused. "I like it as well as any. Thank you?"

"Of course! If you..."

"Who'd you take it from?" Terrence asked loudly, his tone angry. "Whose house was this and where are they now?"

Oren looked over his shoulder at Terrence, then chuckled. "Alma and Johan Davis lived here before, this was their house. They lived here before the cataclysm even. Their kids are all grown and they had this house to themselves. I offered them a fair trade for it and helped them move to a smaller place, told them why I was looking for a larger place. They were happy to let it go to someone who needed it since the whole upstairs was going to waste for so long. She is going to come by tomorrow, though, Erin. I assume that's you, young lady? You work in the gardens? You'll be going to work at 1 PM tomorrow and Alma will come in the morning, show you how to tend the fruit trees and garden in the backyard. You can ask her all the questions you want, including if I pressured them to move, or if I just asked them and offered them access to amenities they wanted."

"Where's Jace?" Ian asked.

Oren only chuckled, then looked down at me.

"I told them most everything," I told him softly.

"Then you all know that no one steals from me and harms one of mine and gets away with it," Oren told Ian.

"What did he steal?" Terrence asked angrily. "Food you were hoarding?"

"Medication," Oren answered, going stiff. "Medication for sick people who were in pain, and he harmed a 10 year old boy to steal it. He didn't even try to trade it for food, he tried to trade it for credit and a trip out of here to another community. That boy still has a concussion and can't open his eyes without his head hurting."

"Terr, back off," Gary scowled. "You know Jace was a shit, you know he probably got exactly what was coming to him. Especially after what he did to Jube."

"So you all knew what he'd done to her?" Oren asked, his voice deceptively calm.

"She told us tonight," Derrin spoke up then. "Though I had an idea. I tried to ask right after it happened, but she told me to let it go."

Oren looked down at me, his face looking pained. "You're happier now, Little One? You like this better? You like your room and clothes and everything? The food?"

"It's all amazing! It's more than I ever could have imagined! Thank you, Oren... but why? I don't understand?"

He chuckled then, shaking his head slightly as his eyes lit up with amusement. "I cannot stay, Little One. Not tonight, I have too much to get done just now. Take tomorrow and get settled in, alright? I'll send John or Finn by to check on you. Sleep well," he told me, then leaned in close and put his lips to my ear. "I know I made you a promise, but for now I will have to leave it until tomorrow. There's something going on... but I still want you to think of me, do you understand? Think of me and what I'm going to do to you when I put my hands on you."

I blushed, my face going hot to my ears as he leaned back enough to look down at me with his sparkling eyes.

Leaning back in, he kissed my lips again, then stepped back before turning to leave.

Everyone stood staring at me, eyebrows high.

"Oren Dutant has a CRUSH on you?!?" Terrence finally asked incredulously.

"No! No, it's not like that! He just... he just teases me a bit and toys with me, that sort of thing."

"I don't think so," Erin laughed. "I think he definitely likes you."

"It's not like that! You don't understand, he just... he messes with me. Teases me," I told them, trying to make them understand without coming out and saying that he lets all of his employees watch me naked, even letting them touch me under specific circumstances. If you like someone, you don't let other people look at them or shave them or... finger them. Even if it is while you're making them have an orgasm. That's just not how it works.

Right?

You didn't let other people look at someone YOU liked naked.

"Deny it all you want, Jube, but he gave you a freaking HOUSE," Gary laughed.

"He gave US a house because he saw hw we were living before and he said it wasn't right!"

"But he did YOUR room special and filled your closet full of new clothes for YOU," Erin laughed. "And JESUS! No one ever said Oren Dutant was so freaking hot!"

"Hey!" Terrence scowled.

"And you never told me he was black, either!" Erin scolded him. "You said you'd seen him before and you never said he was hot ot black!"

"He's only HALF black," he scowled. "And he's not hot. The dude is bald."

"Because he shaves his head because it's HOT," Erin laughed.

"Why do you even care?" Terrence asked grumpily. "Do you only like me because I'm black?!?"

She giggled then. "Someone told me you'd have a big dick or something. Fucking liars."

He laughed then, pulling her close as he shook his head. "Whatever. The dude is NOT hot."

"He's hot," Henry laughed, leaning back in his chair. "He have a big dick, Jube?"

"What?!? How should I know?!? He's never... I told you, it's NOT like that! It's just not!"

"Well, if he starts asking you to do illegal stuff for him, tell him to fuck off," Terrence scowled at me.

"What could he possibly want from me?" I asked sulkily. "To copy an illegal document? I'm going to bed, I'll read some more tomorrow."

Turning, I fled to my room, my emotions all jumbled up.

Did Oren like me? Have a crush on me?

Of course not... he just didn't like seeing people being forced to live so badly. He liked my ability and being able to use me. He liked that the council could no longer hide things from him if I was transcribing all their meetings now. He liked toying with me and forcing me to dance to his tune, but no man would let other men look at someone he liked naked, let alone touch her. He'd let Jace touch me and he hated Jace. No man would do that to someone he had a crush on or liked.

Right?

The bed was huge. Too huge. It was so big and open and the mattress too soft. The blankets were thick and I had no idea what to do with all the pillows. I'd never used one. It all smelled... off. Not bad, but not like MY bed and blankets.

Worse, I didn't know my way around this place in the dark. I saw the line of light under the door fade as they took the lamp upstairs to find their way to their own beds.

Tossing and turning, I started feeling sick as I tried to sort it all out.

I was sure that Oren didn't like me, but I didn't know at all how I felt about him.

He owned me and I didn't like that.

He was hot though, I agreed with Erin wholeheartedly on that. He was beautiful in so many ways! His face, his body, his size. He was easy to fantasize about...

But did I LIKE him?

I kinda did.

I liked that even though he was a criminal, he still had a sense of right and wrong and his moral compass seemed to be turned the right way. I knew he was also dangerous... but not to anyone who didn't try to undermine him or take form him or hurt someone who belonged to him.

That was me, now.

No one would ever hurt me again...

Because I was his.

The night wore on and I couldn't sleep. My thoughts chased each other and I fretted, the bed not mine and too large and empty.

Empty.

The whole room was empty and I was alone.

That's what it was. I was all alone. I hadn't slept alone in... I couldn't even remember.

Getting up, I fumbled my way to the door, then the front room, then to the stairs and up. I had no idea who was in which room, but I opened the first door and listened.

Terrence, that was his snore. That was his and Erin's room.

Easing the door shut, I went down to the next door, but there was no sound at all. Nothing. It must be the bathroom?

Crossing the hall, I felt along it until I found the next room and opened the door.

That loud snore was Gary and the softer one was Ian.

Moving down, I found the last door and eased it open, then listened.