Taking In Strays

A look of anger on her face, Jax asked, "Are you sure?"

I simply nodded my head and said, "Yes, baby girl. Her husband has no idea of the extra-curricular life she's living over here. He thinks she's faithful."

Opening the wine, I poured us both a glass. Jax readily accepted hers, tilting her head back and downing it quickly.

I poured her more and said, "There's more to the story Jax."

Jax tilted her glass back again while rolling her other hand, signaling me to go on.

"She has a similar relationship to the one she has with you with another woman. A waitress at a restaurant Anya is a majority owner of just south of Atlanta. The two of them get together two days a week at her condo in Atlanta when her kids are in school." I told Jax, carefully watching her reaction.

My caramel colored beauty collapsed back in her chair, looking beaten, thoroughly.

"I'm sorry, baby girl, but apparently she's been seeing this girl for about a year and a half. This young lady thinks she's in a committed relationship with Anya, too. There are pictures in the folder of the two of them together. She even wears Anya's collar. I had to ask to find out what that meant." I admitted.

A sad little laugh escaped Jax's throat. "Yeah, she'd been pushing me to do the same thing. To hear her tell things, it would signify my willingness to submit to her. She became angry every time I would say I didn't want that kind of relationship."

"But you let her take you to that club, what's it called? 1763?" I asked.

Jax rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, but trust me, that was all her thing." Then seeming to consider what she said, Jax added, "Don't get me wrong. I am sexually submissive. I like having my lover take charge of me, but in a loving way. I don't want to be humiliated or beaten with a riding crop. Two things that Anya is very fond of doing."

"Then why let her do it?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Jax held her hands between her legs, wrenching at them as she bit her bottom lip. She was clearly embarrassed by the confessions she was making about her personal life. It pained me in a way that surprised me to see her discomfort.

"It's okay, Jax," I tried to reassure her, "you don't have to say. I was just curious."

Looking down at her hands, Jax shook her head and said, "I'm not really sure why. I think it's because I was just so tired of being alone and not having anyone to love me. That part of my life got ripped away so suddenly, like a band-aid from an open sore. It was painful and never really healed quite right. It's like I've got this hole inside my soul that needs to be filled, and at first, Anya was good at that."

"When did it change?" I asked.

Jax sighed, picking up her wine glass, and said, "I...well...this is really embarrassing to talk about to you, Maizie."

"You don't have to go into detail, baby girl. It's not important anyway." I assured her.

A small smile crept up on Jax's face. She peaked up at me shyly, and though it was hard to tell with her complexion. I could swear she was blushing.

"What?" I asked with a smile of my own.

Jax shook her head and said, "I just like it when you call me that."

For the thousandth time, I marveled at the fact Jax had retained such beauty and innocence despite all she'd been through. Even now, in the harsh lighting of the overhead sodium lamps, she appeared gorgeous and delicate. I desperately wanted to wrap her in my arms and never let go.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I feel protective of you, I guess. I have since the moment you walked through my front door. It's not due to pity, which you've certainly earned with all you've faced. I...I just have feelings for you that I can't explain."

Jax stared back at me, her eyes willing me to go on.

"I've never felt this way towards anyone else," I admitted.

"Not even Darren?" Jax asked me, a hint of wonder in her voice.

I shook my head. "No, not even him, and I don't feel guilty about that. Darren and I were always pragmatists when it came to the idea of our relationship. It was never about romance or love though I do care about him a great deal. I had given up hope of ever having feelings like this about someone," I admitted, "much less another woman."

Detesting the thought of breaking the moment for both of us, but knowing I had to, I tapped the folder. "There's more in here that you should know about. My investigator uncovered possible illegal activities being funneled through the restaurant. She said she is obligated to notify the police, but I convinced her to hold off until I had a chance to let you separate yourself from the situation."

I explained what Sam had found and produced the pictures of the delivery truck. Then I held up the ones of Anya placing the four bags of flour in the trunk of her Mercedes.

"What do you think it is?" Jax asked, clearly scared of the possible implications.

"Sam thought it could possibly narcotics-related," I explained. "She has a detective friend at the Atlanta PD that she was going to pass the information off to, but she was waiting on me to talk to you."

Jax's shoulders drooped, and worry flooded her face. "I really needed that job. Even once school started, it was one I could work evenings and weekend mornings. I don't know if I can get by on just the bartending."

"I've been giving that some thought, too," I said. "We have a regular caterer we use for charitable fundraising functions. Most of those occur in the evenings during the week, and I'm sure I could talk to her about adding you to her usual wait staff. They don't get tipped, but she pays them a reasonable hourly rate."

Jax's depression seemed to alleviate somewhat at that news.

"I'd also been considering adding a part-time assistant. Just somebody that could help me keep up with all the emails that come in related to the foundation. That and keeping me on schedule."

Jax gave me a look that said she wasn't entirely buying my reasonings.

"You've already given me a place to live rent-free, Maizie. I don't want any more handouts," she said with a hint of stubbornness.

I'd worried that she might see through the thin guise of my offer, but I didn't relent.

"Believe what you want, but at least try it. If once you have, you still don't believe I need the help, then I'll drop it." I said. I'd have to talk to the charitable foundation's secretary about taking that part of her job off her hands. It wasn't as if she didn't have enough to handle already.

Jax studied me carefully. I was sure she was going to balk again, but she didn't.

"Fine, but if it doesn't seem a hundred percent on the up and up, I'm out," she said as she crossed her arms petulantly.

I couldn't help but smile at the childlike pout she had on her face. It said she was giving in for now, but she still didn't buy my bullshit.

"What?" she said, instantly suspicious of my grin.

I shook my head, trying desperately to quell my grin and failing desperately.

"Fine," I said, "that little pout you just exhibited was so cute I couldn't help but smile."

She stuck her tongue out at me in defiance of my assertions. It was another adorable act on her part, but one that sent shivers down my spine as I imagined what she could do to me with that particular muscle.

Cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow, Jax said, "So, you think I'm cute?"

I felt my face and chest instantly flush. I was tongue-tied at first and not sure how much I was willing to admit. When Jax's teasing look softened at the sight of my discomfort, and a glimpse of mild panic flashed across her face, I confessed my feelings.

"No, I don't think you're cute, Jax. I believe you are likely the most sensual creature I've ever encountered. The truth is, you take my breath away every time that I see you."

Jax's eyes lit up at my words, and then like a thundercloud crossing over the sun, that light disappeared from her eyes. It was replaced by a look of supreme sadness as she sat back in her chair, wrapping her arms around herself in a hug as she stared out at the pool.

"Did I say something wrong, Jax?" I said, confused at her sudden turn.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, unabated. "This thing between us," Jax said, motioning with her finger back and forth, "it might be what I've been craving for since I was sixteen years old. And it had to happen with a woman I can't possibly have."

The reality of what she was saying hit me. All of our flirting up until now had been harmless. But now that both our feelings were out in the open, that innocence was gone.

"My Dad always instilled in us how important it was to stay faithful to your mate. He was forever doting on my mom, and the thought of him ever cheating on her would have been unthinkable," Jax explained.

I waited, knowing there was more to come. I really didn't want to hear it, though I knew it was a sentiment I'd repeated to myself continuously about my own marriage since meeting Jax.

"What you told me about Anya, it sickens me. I know I had no way of knowing she was still married. But I can't help but feel like an adulterer anyway. I won't compound that guilt by doing the same thing to Darren."

Tears starting to roll down my own cheeks, I shook my head and said, "No, I don't think either one of us wants to carry that guilt."

We both sat there quietly while we drank our wine, neither of us seemed to know where to go from here.

When we finally separated for the evening. Jax gave me her assurance that she would call in sick at her waitressing job. She had been scheduled for a lunch and dinner shift. That would give her time to contact Anya and break things off. Jax was reasonably sure that doing so would remedy the issue of her having to quit her job but was intimidated by the thought of how the stern, adulterous witch my react.

As I lay in bed that night, for the first time in my marriage, the three c's I'd prided basing mine, and Darren's relationship on, no longer seemed like a reasonable remedy to romance.

Now they taunted me, weighing at me like a millstone around my neck.

----------------------------------

The days immediately following the late-night meeting between Jax and me were filled with activity, and not all of it was good.

As Jax had expected, Anya had not taken the news of their breakup with any measure of grace. On the contrary, she had shown up at the house pounding at Jax's door and screeching in an unrelenting voice. I called Jax on her home line and instructed her that under no circumstances should she open her door. I promised her that I would handle Anya.

I then called the sheriff's department and explained the situation, asking that they send a car out. Knowing that I was safer staying where I was, but not wanting to give the bitch a chance to calm down and leave before they arrived, I walked out by the pool.

"I really don't think she wants to see you," I called up to the still rampaging demoness on the landing outside Jax's door.

"Fuck you," Anya replied in a hiss. "You did this. I know you did, you bitch."

I brought both hands to my heart as if wounded. My gesture of sarcasm seemed to go right over the top of Anya's head. I couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't left her sense of humor back in the old country.

"I think if you want to find the guilty party, you should go look in a mirror, honey. Even better, maybe you could ask your husband who the offending party was in this breakup?" I chided her.

She seemed to understand a veiled threat much better than she did sarcasm. Anya's reaction was to pull off one of her five-inch heels and hurl it at me from her perch. I had to give her credit where it was due. She may have sucked at the concept of fidelity, but she had a hell of a throwing arm. The blue heel she wore nearly took an eye out and would have likely at the very least left a scar had I not ducked. I'd barely dodged the first one when the second one bounced at my feet, skipping off the concrete and nicking my right leg.

Two things happened then, one I noticed a slight trickle of blood begin to run down my calf where the whirling heel had clipped it. And second, a sheriff's car pulled into my driveway intercepting Anya. She had been heading down the staircase, I assume to finish the job with her heels she had already started.

It took nearly an hour to sort out what had happened with the deputies, most of which Anya spent in the back of a patrol car. One deputy spoke to me, while another talked to Jax as she sat outside her door at the top of the stairs.

The deputies were willing to arrest Anya for assault and disturbing the peace if I wanted to press charges. I asked for a few minutes to speak to Jax. I was inclined to lock her up, but Jax changed my mind when she reminded me that the ill-tempered witch had two kids whose father was overseas.

In the end, I told the deputies that I wanted a report made of the incident, but wouldn't press charges at this time provided Mrs. Petrova agreed to stay away from both myself and Jax. They encouraged us both to seek a restraining order right away and follow through with appearing before a judge to have it served.

Jax and I then retreated into the safety of the main house while the deputies released a still irate Anya from the back of the cruiser. After a fifteen-minute discussion that became quite animated at times, they finally seemed to get through to her. It wasn't until she had backed down the driveway and drove away, that Jax finally seemed to relax.

Taking the deputy's advice, I contacted my personal lawyer and explained the situation to him. He promised to schedule a meeting with the judge for the next day, saying he would have the necessary paperwork ready for us both to sign beforehand.

So the following day was spent with us both appearing before the judge. Joe, my attorney, presented him with a copy of the incident report both officers had filed. The judge questioned us both and then signed off on both orders, promising to have them served as soon as possible. The orders of protection stated that Anya was not allowed within fifty feet of Jax or myself, including our places of business. She also wasn't allowed within five hundred feet of my property. Any violation of the order would result in her immediate arrest.

Things settled down after that, just in time for Darren to return home. He took the news as poorly as I thought he would, despite having missed the entire episode himself. I had to listen again as Darren reiterated to me how having my strays here was contingent on it having minimal effect on our lives. I listened quietly while thinking to myself how he actually meant "his" life, not ours.

The next month was a busy one and seemed to go by at a pleasurable pace. The work I had quietly rerouted from the foundation's secretary to Jax proved to be more than enough in her mind to warrant the money I paid her. It not only kept her busy but close at hand where we could enjoy each other's company even when Darren was home. As long as I was available for social functions and the rare occasions he wanted sex, which thankfully for me wasn't often, he was unperturbed by the entire situation.

As rare as the sex was, it had become distasteful. I went through the motions the two times it happened that month, feeling torn both during the act and afterward. I felt guilty towards my aversion at the deed. It wasn't fair to Darren, and I knew that in the long run, things couldn't continue like they were.

The biggest irony of the situation, though, was each time I had sex with my husband, I ended up feeling like I had cheated on Jax.

My issues with Darren were somewhat rectified by the fact his project in Indianapolis seemed to be keeping him out of town an inordinate amount of time. All told, between regular trips and emergency issues, he was gone almost three weeks out of the month.

Things between Jax and I during that time could best be described as enjoyably tense. Our time together was fantastic in that we both enjoyed each other's company so much. But it was also tantalizingly torturous at the same time. The sexual tension was palpable between us, particularly so during the time we spent by the pool. Jax fully clothed was a tempting treat. In a petite bikini, she was a tasty morsel of biblical proportions, and I wanted to taste her so bad.

My moments after we would separate on those occasions would be spent in sessions of furious masturbation. There was no porn needed to feed my appetite. The memories of Jax's delectable body and my fantasies of what I wanted to do to it were more than enough to feed my hunger. My fingers had rapidly become adept at manipulating my clit as I imagined it was Jax's teasing tongue between my legs.

Once school started, we had far less time together, and the time we did have was more structured and less relaxing. Between Jax's classes, the work she did for me, and her time spent at Lisa's tending bar, the girl barely had time to sleep.

As for me, I had grown so used to my time with Jax, it had become my drug of choice. And when it was taken away from me, I started to feel depression creeping up on me again. Compounding the overwhelming loneliness I was dealing with was the fact that Darren's time at his Indianapolis job site had been prolonged for the second month in a row. Even when he was home, he seemed more distant than usual.

The one blessing about his time away and remote attitude when he was present, was his complete lack of interest in having sex.

How Jax was handling things was a complete mystery to me as well. We had developed a sort of unspoken agreement between the two of us that kept the subject of our feelings towards one another limited to looks of longing and the occasional sigh of despair.

By Jax's second month in school, my mind had begun to play tricks on me. I started to dissect every look and comment Jax gave me, convinced that her feelings towards me would begin to wane while mine towards her grew daily. I had given up trying to downplay or quantify them. I knew now that I was madly in love with Jax, and not being able to have her was killing me.

The thought that she would meet someone else haunted me. A Professor or graduate student with a pretty smile and face would be all it took to break my heart and crush my soul for good.

Embarrassed to do it, but desperate to see her, I got dressed up on a Friday night in late October and went to Lisa's. The club was packed with every booth and table occupied, which was fine with me. I was content to sit at the far end of the bar like a lovesick teenager and watch Jax as she worked. I had been there close to a half-hour when she finally noticed me.

When her eyes met mine, I immediately flushed with excitement. It was clear that she was happy to see me. She walked towards me with a little bounce in her step, her sexy hips swaying as she came.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Isn't this where sexually frustrated lesbians are supposed to come on the weekend?"

"So, you're a lesbian on the hunt now?" she teased with a raised eyebrow, assuming I was joking.

Offering her a half-hearted smile at the joke, I said, "Yes to the first part, and no to the second."

She studied me for a second before the realization that I was being honest, hit her.

"You're being serious, aren't you?" she asked as she leaned across the bar.

Nodding my head yes, I said, "I'm lonely, and I've missed you. I just wanted to be around you. I know that sounds pathetic, and nothing has changed about our situation, at least not yet, but I can't help how I feel."

Jax studied me, her eyes blazing with intensity before another bartender pulled her away from me to help with drink orders. Even while she was working, Jax kept stealing glances down my way, her expression hard to read.