The Marigold Mark

Jack let Mary finish her monologue before simply saying, "Come to my room tonight after the kids are asleep and we'll talk. Lawyer will be here at ten on Monday. Give me a hand and stir the meat before it burns?"

He told Mary all about the kids at the zoo while they cooked together, sounding like he'd had a wonderful carefree day. Perhaps he had.

"So, who is Sarge to you?" Mary tried to ask casually while chopping the cabbage.

"Sarge and I have known each other what seems like our whole lives. Long story short, he saved my life on multiple occasions. He's not exactly hirable, but I owe him four of my lives. Employing him as a bodyguard, personal assistant, driver, whatever I need makes us both content. How I ended up with those other three idiots is a longer story, but they're loyal, dogged and resourceful. Something that can be hard to find. Most of the time I have nothing for them to do, but when I get summoned abruptly, they pitch in wherever I need them. Ollie likes to tattle on Jorge, who always carries chocolates around for him."

"Can I ask what you do that's so dangerous you've been nearly killed four times? Jack, are my kids in danger?"

Jack laughed. "Your kids are absolutely fine. The person who could conceivably present the biggest risk to them happens to have a soft spot for kids. What I do is classified, but let's say that not all the authorities appreciate my trade. I go by a different name when I'm overseas. I'm the one at risk, not your kids."

"Is that your way of saying you're in the CIA?"

Jack beamed a broad grin at Mary. "If I tell you what I do, I'll have to kill you."

Mary threw a piece of cabbage at Jack. His eyes twinkled.

Chapter 3

Mary knocked on Jack's door quietly.

"Come in, Mary. I've been expecting you."

Mary closed the door behind her.

"Please, sit. I don't have any chairs, but our chat will be more comfortable sitting." Jack patted the bed.

She sat cross-legged at the foot facing Jack. "How'd you line up a lawyer so fast?" she asked.

"Did you forget that I just went through my own divorce? I asked my lawyer if he practiced or knew someone who did in this state. Turns out he is licensed here too."

"Thank you, but I might not be able to afford his fees."

"Nonsense," Jack waved Mary off. "I'm covering everything."

"No, no. That's. No. I already drank a lot of your really expensive scotch; I'm eating your food. Oh, I owe you fare for the kids at the zoo. I can't believe I didn't think to give you cash before you left." Mary began to get up to grab her wallet from across the hall.

"Mary, sit back down on the bed. We're not finished talking." Jack's voice carried an undercurrent of menace with his delivery.

Mary gulped and looked back at Jack, expecting to see him standing over her casting a behemoth-sized shadow. He was instead effortlessly reclined against his pillows.

"Good, now about the money. I have more money than I can spend in my or Ollie's lifetime, unless I decide to buy a multimillion-dollar company which I have no intention of doing. This is something I'm doing for me. It's not charity. It's something that makes me happy. Seeing you smile makes me happy. Giving you access to the things that make you smile makes me happy. There is absolutely an ulterior motive of mine, and I do not intend to hide that from you. When your divorce is finalized, I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk, and then I'm going to fuck you until you can't see. And if you still have any doubt about why I'm doing this, I'll fuck you again until you're rendered a speechless gibbering mess. Are we clear?"

Mary stared at Jack slack jawed.

"When I ask you a yes or no question, the answer is 'yes, Sir' or 'no, Sir.' Are we clear, Mary?"

Mary nodded meekly. Jack moved fast - too fast - and gripped her chin. "Answer me."

"Yes, Sir," Mary stammered.

Jack sat back satisfied.

"Now, about the duration of your stay: I won't hold you and your kids hostage, but I want you to feel as though this home is your own. As I said before, I have an end goal in all this, but I will respect your choices as a mother. You and your three children are welcome here for as long as you want. There are only a few house rules I have, and they're all for safety or my son's comfort. First, Oliver sleeps alone. He freaks out when other kids breathe or snore, making up wild burglar scenarios in his head to the point of not being able to sleep the rest of the night. I hope for his sake he grows out of it, but for now, that's rule one. Are we clear so far?" Jack arched an expectant eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good girl. Rule two. Everyone wears vests if they venture into the woods. I don't want anyone accidentally mistaken for a hunter's prey. Even better if anyone has an escort, but at a minimum, wear one of the vests. Clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Rule three. You and the kids stay away from the locked room. I don't want any accidents. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

Jack's lips curled upwards. "Final rule. You will come to me every night and orgasm for me while I watch."

Mary's stomach bubbled into her throat. Jack reached over to his nightstand and procured her vibrator. "You may begin now."

"How is this for safety?"

"Because if I don't get to at least watch you writhing, I'll go mad not being able to touch you. Until the paperwork is signed, you're still a married woman. Sean will have no ammunition to contest a single ounce of your own fidelity if I never touch you. Now remove your pants." The vibrator landed with a thump next to Mary's hand.

Mary looked at the well-lit room, at the vibrator, at the windows without blinds, anywhere but at Jack.

"I can't do this for you, but I think we could both use this tonight. It will get easier from here. I promise you." Jack's voice conveyed patience and empathy.

"I've never done anything like this with the lights on."

"Get used to it. I like seeing who I'm fucking, and I intend to see every inch of your body. Tonight, you only need to lose the pants, you can even keep your panties on. Just lie back and pleasure yourself like you did last night."

The first motion was the hardest, but once inertia kicked in, she was able to start. She stared at the foot of the bed as she placed the vibrator against her clit.

"Eyes on me, Mary. I want to see you picturing my cock penetrating you. I want to see the lust in your eyes as you imagine me putting your clit between my teeth, fingers spreading open your cunt. I want to see if you are scared or excited when I tell you that I plan to fuck your mouth until you're grateful for the little gasps of air I grant you. Mmm, yes, excitement there. Good girl. Keep your eyes on mine and let your mind think about all the ways I plan to make you mine."

After Mary came, he insisted Mary saturate the vibrator again and she dipped it into her panties to oblige. Jack sensually licked it clean and told her he'd see her in the morning.

Mary assumed he took care of himself after that and despite the attempted rape, and the less unsettling evening's events with Jack, Mary was asleep minutes after her head hit the pillow.

Jack created a scavenger hunt for the kids the next day and they sat chatting amicably in the back stoop, watching the small orange blazes flicker through the trees as the kids raced through the woods. Ollie and Jenny had teamed up and found more correct items on the list. Sam and Kara apparently couldn't tell an oak leaf from a maple leaf, and Mary thought she'd somewhat failed as a parent.

Jack suggested they wash up and make their own pizzas for lunch. Ollie helped Jenny create a smooth round pie, while Sam ended up with an unintentional raised-relief map of Vermont and Kara attempted to make a unicorn. She teared up when Sam called it an ugly porcupine. Jack resolved the tears with a spectacularly awful rendering of a self-portrait. Warmth and laughter filled the kitchen and Mary found herself smiling at Jack.

"Thank you for today," Mary said, closing the door to Jack's bedroom behind her.

"I meant what I said about wanting you all to feel at home here. On that vein, I have something I need to ask you. Come, sit." Jack patted the bed. When Mary was seated, he spoke. "I received word today that I'm needed soon. When I'm called away will you help Sarge look after Ollie? I have to take John and Joe with me, so it'll be just Jorge left as Sarge's backup. And Sarge has to keep an eye on your safety as well. I know I'm asking a lot, but I'd be eternally grateful. Don't answer now. Think about it and we can talk tomorrow night."

"What, are you crazy? Of course, I'll do it. After all you're doing for my three kids, your one well-behaved kid won't be an issue. I don't need to think any more on it, my answer is final."

"I wish I could put my mouth on you to show my gratitude." Jack's voice was strained. "Take off your pants. Panties too this time."

He tossed Mary the vibrator he'd been clutching during their conversation. When she exposed herself to Jack, he complimented her beauty staring straight at her vagina, leaving no doubt as to what he thought was beautiful. He commanded that she maintain eye contact when she looked away mortified. He licked the vibrator clean again before dismissing her.

She got the kids off to school with only a few minor hiccups and then prepared to meet with the lawyer. Jack made introductions and then disappeared.

The lawyer asked for a bunch of documentation she had back at what she now considered Sean's house, and he advised her to keep copies or the certified originals if needed on hand. She provided several of her goals and desires for a successful dissolution and the lawyer prompted her to consider a number of scenarios.

She left the meeting feeling like she was in competent hands.

Sarge informed her that he'd be just outside the house during the kids' visit with their father. She gathered the requisite copies of documents her lawyer requested. While the kids made the most of their time with Sean, Mary packed all her clothes and jewelry into garbage bags, hauling them out to her car. Sarge assisted.

Sean didn't once attempt to talk to Mary. "What did you say to him after I left on Saturday?" Mary asked Sarge while handing him a particularly dense bag of clothes. He swung it over his shoulder with ease.

"I described a scene from a documentary I saw about dissecting a human and might have led him to believe I was an expert at it. I told him the only reason I wasn't doing it was because Boss-man said I couldn't kill him. But if he tried anything at all regarding even trying to talk to you about being his wife, Boss-man might change his mind. People always think the worst of me when they see me. Makes me good at my job, but a little lonely sometimes."

Mary reached out and squeezed his hand, a signal of friendship solidarity. His eyes lit up at the contact.

Each day, Mary cleaned more of her personal belongings out of the house. Her bedroom at Jack's was beyond cluttered. He offered her one of the guest rooms to act as a storage room and she filled that too. On Friday, the first handwritten plea from her parents came in the mail. After the first line said something about praying, she threw it straight in the recycling. The kids resumed their normal swath of soccer, swimming, baseball and tennis practices and games starting on Saturday followed by piano lessons and a robot-building class rounding out the week. Mary decided normalcy was tantamount to maintaining a glimmer of hope that all would resolve with a happy ending. Ollie joined the O'Connors for trick-or-treating in their more densely populated neighborhood. With nearly three hundred acres of wooded, rolling hills, the Pierson's had very few nearby neighbors. Their nearest neighbor was a group of men who spoke little English and had obviously pooled together to afford the house and property based on their omnipresent construction attire.

Other than at night, Mary hardly saw Jack. She now entered his room, stripped and knelt at the foot of his bed waiting for him to hand her the vibrator so she could start. She knew he was slowly and subtly grooming her to respond in the manner he wanted, but it was so gradual, she wondered if there would ever be a culmination point.

On Wednesday night, Jack told her that they should act somewhat distant at the field trip. While much of the school had already intuited their living situation, Jack didn't want to rouse any suspicions that would jeopardize her divorce and custody disputes.

At the field trip, they stole glances from across the room, until at one point a mother-chaperone whispered in her ear. "I don't know why you haven't jumped his bones yet, but if you don't, I will." The woman growled like some sort of feral cat.

Mary waggled her left-hand fingers, highlighting the rings that still adorned her digit. "Still married."

"You're saying, he's fair game?"

"Yes, Renata. I have no claim on him." While the words were technically true, they tried to stick in her throat yelling, liar, liar, pants on fire. How had she become so attached so quickly?

Mary watched Renata stalk across the room like a panther scouting its prey. Jack must have seen her in his periphery, because he loudly proclaimed, "Renata, I can help you explain these science experiments to your kids if you need assistance."

The redhead flushed a darker shade than her hair at the insinuation that she was dumber than an elementary school kid. Come to think of it, she'd always seemed especially insecure about her inferior intellect. Jack caught Mary's eye and winked. "Come on kids, let's go catch up with Renata's group."

Mary's kids were all well-behaved and she and Jack enjoyed a good laugh on the ride home. "That woman makes my skin crawl. Every time I see her, I see the same vulture as my ex-wife looking back at me, waiting for me to die so she can scavenge my corpse."

"Do we know each other well enough to pry?"

"Ask your questions, and if I tell you I can't answer, respect that."

"What made you decide to divorce your wife?"

"Aside from that she saw more of my worth in dollar signs linked to my death, the circling buzzard... The ultimate reason was the vial of arsenic I found in her jewelry box when I was trying to measure a bracelet to buy her a new one for our fifth anniversary."

"She tried to kill you?!"

"I don't know that she ever would have carried through, or if the dosage was enough, but the fact that she'd gotten as far as procuring it was reason enough. She tried to fight me for custody of my own son as a final fuck-you, but her claims were easily dismissed on account of him being mine and her thwarted attempt at murder. I promise you that the lawyer doesn't need that easy of a case to get you what you want. He's good."

Mary had no follow-up questions after that. When they were almost home, she said, "I don't like you for your money."

Jack's eyes stayed on the road, but he smiled slowly. "But you do like me."

"Of course, I do. We're friends."

"That's not what you meant."

Squirming with discomfort, Mary changed the subject. "How old are you?"

"Older than you."

"Why do you think that? You can't possibly know how old I am just by looking at me."

"Don't I? You practically told me your life story the first time we organized a playdate for the kids."

Mary giggled. "I guess I did, didn't I. So, are you a lot older than me? You look like you're in shape, so it's hard for me to tell."

"I'm forty-four."

"How did you meet your first wife?"

"At a grocery store. She was having a meltdown over a sold-out type of ice cream. Naturally, the source of the tantrum was much deeper, the missing extreme fudge ice cream was just the straw on the proverbial camel's back. I told her I'd seen it across town the day before, and she kissed me. Planted a fat wet kiss right on my lips. One thing led to another and our beautiful son Oliver was born. A year later, I was informed of her death." Jack turned introspective, reliving the worst moment of his life. When he spoke again, it was fainter.

"Ollie only ever knew Philomena—that was my second wife's name—as a mother figure, and I think he's still processing our divorce. He doesn't ever need to know the full details. I'm telling you this because I fly out on Tuesday. I don't know when I'll be back yet, maybe two weeks, maybe a month. But if he asks about her, just say, 'She did bad things and had to go to adult time out.' And let him know that everyone here will keep him safe."

"You can trust me to care for him," Mary said with conviction.

"I wouldn't have asked you to if I couldn't."

They pulled into the driveway ending the conversation.

The night before Jack was to leave, Mary went to him and waited naked while Jack drew a mental picture. He handed her the vibrator and when she came, he said sternly, "Again."

"I've never done it twice in a row."

"Again," Jack ordered, hands folded across his chest. She orgasmed again, and he ordered her to continue. After the fifth, she pleaded with him.

"Please, Sir, I can't take any more."

"My sweet innocent Mary, you can take so much more and you will, but for tonight, one more. It will be the last one you get until I return. Make it a good one."

"Yes, Sir," Mary acknowledged before applying the vibrator to her sensitive clit.

"Good girl," he cooed taking the vibrator from her and licking it before locking it into a cabinet in his room.

"Your orgasms are mine," he growled at her as she put her clothes back on. "Do you understand what that means?"

"No, Sir," Mary said buttoning her pajama top.

"It means that you orgasm when I tell you to and don't if I tell you not to. Is that more clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, then I expect an honest report of your chastity when I return. Anything less and you'll earn your first punishment."

Mary blanched.

"Behave and you won't find out what exactly that entails."

Mary bowed her head and scurried out the door, her head swimming.

Jack shared a touching moment with Ollie before school, reminded her that Sarge was assigned to her and left for his business trip.

Chapter 4

It took an activity-filled week and weekend before Mary had time to sort out her final nightly encounter with Jack. Her biggest concern was the speed with which they were both proceeding into something resembling codependency. She resolved to move out after he returned and get some alone time. It was time to talk to her siblings.

She started with her oldest brother. He'd always been the most enviably independent and was the first to buck their parents' insistence that their Biblical teachings were the only possible interpretation of morality.

Ben sounded groggy when he picked up the phone. "What's up, Mary?"

"Did I wake you at eight in the evening?"

"No, littlest sis. You woke me at two in the morning. Didn't you and the kids get my postcards?"

"Uh, have Mom and Dad not told you I moved out and am divorcing Sean after he cheated on me?"

"Nope, never came up. They said you were an ungrateful child, but I assumed you had refused to send your kids to whatever religious enclave they were pushing down your throat. Sorry to hear about Sean. Text me your new address, I've got some goodies I want to send the kids. I think they'll love these souvenirs I found."

"Will do. What county are you in now?"

"Austria today, Poland tomorrow. You calling just for a social call, or you got something you need to talk about now? If it's the former, can I call you when I get settled in Poland?"

"I was calling for something else that's a moot point unless you're coming home soon."

"Sorry, littlest sis, I wasn't planning to be back in the area until early February. I'll call you tomorrow or the next day for a proper chat. Love you. Stay strong."