Timeo Danaos et Dona Ferentes

"I'm glad you're back..." She said in her scratchy, sleepy voice, kissing him and pulling down his boxer shorts and fondling him.

Jack returned her kiss and felt himself coming to full hardness, but wanted to get the rest of his clothes off. He reluctantly stepped back from her kiss, but not from her hold on his shaft, and pulled off his shirt and then reached down awkwardly, around her hands, and pulled off his socks. It was as he reached down to remove his socks that she noticed his hands.

"Baby, what happened to your hands?!" Veronica asked with concern in her voice, letting go of his cock and lifting up his right hand. The knuckles of his right hand looked much darker and more swollen than normal.

"Nothing much, Ronnie. Just a disagreement over ownership of my wallet." He said in a forced tone of jocularity, and tried to gently pull his hand away from her, but she held him, and he relaxed and just looked at her, neutrally, wondering how she would react.

"Jack, did you get in a fight?"

"Not really."

"Tell me what happened." She said simply, concern but also mild annoyance with his evasiveness evident in her voice.

"Some tweaker, a meth-head probably, tried to rob me; he might have even threatened to ass-rape me. It was hard to know for sure, his teeth looked like a handful of cigarette butts rubbed in dog shit."

"That isn't funny, Jack. Oh my God!" Veronica said, looking into the hamper and seeing the red blood stains and greenish-yellow smears of mucus on the knees of Jack's formerly khaki pants. She looked at him open mouthed and Jack prepared for the worst.

"Did you kill him?"

"No. He was still breathing, and not bleeding seriously when I left. I'm sure he lived."

Veronica was quiet for several minutes, looking at him intently, searching his eyes. She knew Jack was strong, and remembered how easily he held and carried her in his arms, and how quickly he'd reached out and took hold of her neck while they'd been in the shower, but she also remembered how gentle and relaxed his grip had been, in the shower. And he'd treated her only with affection and gentleness, but this other side of him, the signs on his pants of the demonstrable violence with which he'd beaten the hell out of the thief, surprised her, and more than surprised her; it turned her on. She felt her skin becoming hot and felt herself getting extremely wet, the realization of how deadly Jack could be was incredibly arousing to her, and this reaction shocked her. While Jack was not the only man she'd known who was capable of acting with extreme violence, he was the only one she'd known who was reluctant to demonstrate that skill, at least around her, he was reluctant. Jack didn't brag about his prowess for fighting, nor did he casually threaten people to get his way, as had been Veronica's experience with Dante and other men like him. Jack had the quiet promise of violence about him like a coiled steel spring under high tension. He reminded her of her father, at least, how he'd been in Nigeria, when he'd served as an officer in the Army.

"Ronnie, I would never do that to you. I promise, sweetheart, if I ever thought about laying a hand on you, I'd kill myself first. I will never hurt you." He said, unaware of Veronica's growing arousal and instead, fearing that the signs of his violence had upset her. He waited quietly for her reply, keeping his arms at his sides.

Veronica gently took his swollen, red hand in hers and slowly, delicately kissed his knuckles, tasting the traces of dish-soap, but feeling the hot, swollen rough skin of his knuckles against the softness of her full, dark lips. She tasted a hint of blood, but wasn't sure if Jack had injured himself during the fight or possibly scratched his knuckles from the rough scrubbing after he came home and cleaned them; Veronica refused to consider that it might be the thief's blood. She looked into his eyes as she slowly lingered on each of his knuckles, rubbing the tip of her tongue along his rough knuckles and gently sucking the skin into her mouth. She loved the exotic, jade-green color of his eyes and how his attention and the force of his gaze felt on her. His dominance, aggression and primal strength excited her in ways she could never consciously or fully understand. What she did know was that Jack made her feel more safe, protected and loved than she'd ever felt before. She could fall asleep in his arms and truly feel no fear that anyone would get past him to hurt her.

Veronica let go of his hand and took hold of Jack's shoulders, stood on her toes and kissed him hungrily. She felt him reacting to her passion and she wrapped her right leg around his waist, prompting him to, as she'd hoped, lift her left leg up and he held both her thighs in his hands as she kissed him with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She felt her face become hot as her desire flared within her, and she began to slowly grind her crotch against him, and ran her fingers over his scalp, cheeks, neck and shoulders, kissing him deeply and aggressively. "Take me, Jack." She whispered, and felt him carrying her back to the bed.

As he had their first evening, he gently laid her down on the bed and quickly moved to lay upon her, positioning his cock between her legs, to penetrate her. Veronica felt the tip of Jack's cock touch her labia as he began to enter her gently, tentatively. She knew he was still a bit unsure of her mood, worried he'd upset her.

"Jack, TAKE ME!" She said forcefully, taking hold of his head and looking into his eyes, then she moaned loudly and kissed him aggressively, gently biting and pulling on his lower lip as he responded properly to her urging and in line with her desire. Jack smoothly penetrated her wet and very warm pussy, pushing past her lips with a very audible, liquid sound. Veronica gasped as she felt her very aroused labia register the stimulation his swollen cock brought her as Jack began moving forcefully and rapidly within her. She lay her head back on the pillow and felt him kiss her passionately, pushing his tongue into her mouth and then his hands roughly taking hold of her shoulders and holding her tightly against him. Veronica ran her fingers along his strong arms and back, squeezing and enjoying the tight, rippling motion of his well-developed muscles as he fucked her. She could feel his desire growing as his cock began to feel more swollen as it pushed along her vaginal walls, and she felt the intensifying hunger with which he kissed her, the way he increased his pace and the way his balls slapped her ass faster as he moved rapidly within her.

"He's so strong!" She marveled, moving her hands down along his lean, hard shoulders and back and began to squeeze his tight, round, well muscled ass, enjoying the way each of his cheeks moved in her hands as he thrust forward and back. Veronica also felt, in the back of her mind, guilty at how much she enjoyed the thought of Jack beating the thief to a pulp, and disappointed that she'd dwelled on analyzing how strong he had to be to do that. But she also thrilled at, in relation to his penchant and aptitude for violence, how gentle and loving he was with her.

Veronica felt so good each time he pushed forward and his cock rubbed against her cervix, she felt her desire pushing her toward her orgasm and voiced her need for him. "Cum inside me, Jack! Mark me as yours, baby!" She told him, feeling the growing tension in his muscles and recognizing it as a sign of his pending ejaculation.

Jack clenched his teeth and held himself deep within her, and began to grind his crotch forcefully against her, driving his cock against her cervix. His hands held her shoulders tightly and he pulled her against him. Veronica gasped as Jack ejaculated inside her and then she smiled and moaned pleasingly as she felt his sperm fill her. She closed her eyes and her smile widened as she hugged him tightly, her mind drifting to the thought of Jack's seed flooding her womb and impregnating her. As she dwelled on this train of thought, she felt her desire explode within her, building with each of his thrusts and each spurt of his semen against and into her cervix, and with the significance these actions represented to her. When Jack finished and she felt the wetness of his seed begin to leak out of her, she opened her eyes and felt her own orgasm cresting and the familiar and most welcome sensation of waves of pleasure spreading out from her uterus to crash along her nerves and throughout her body.

"Don't stop, baby, please!" She implored him, opening her eyes and noticing his handsome face was pale and very sweaty in the wake of his ejaculation. Jack kissed her cheek, jaw and neck and began moving within her again. Veronica knew he was forcing himself to continue moving within her even as his stamina was rapidly depleting, and she felt her orgasm complete just as he was becoming soft. She wrapped her legs very tightly around his waist and clutched his shoulders fiercely, digging her nails into his skin and keeping him inside her. Veronica enjoyed the way his chest heaved tiredly against her, and how protective his arms felt around her as the faint buzz of warmth and aftershock of her orgasm slowly dissipated.

Veronica felt her breathing slow and her skin begin to cool in the aftermath of her orgasm, as her need for post-coital affection with Jack began to crest in its own right. She moved her hands up to his head and held him gently, kissing his lips and caressing his neck, shoulders and back tenderly. She recognized his energy returning as he began to return her kisses affectionately and in the way he began to hold her tightly and run his hands, once more, along her arms and neck, sending tingles through her skin. Veronica could also feel the curious sensation within her as Jack's cock began to slowly grow back to its impressive size. She looked into his handsome face and back and forth from each of his green, cat-like eyes. Veronica smiled lovingly and kissed his lips once more, tenderly, touching his left cheek and side of his face with her hand and enjoying so much the feel of his skin against her fingers.

"Jack," She asked him softly, between kisses, her fingers still trailing along his skin in the manner they both enjoyed. "Would you fight like that to protect me?" She immediately felt foolish after she'd asked him that question, but a part of her that would forever be affected by the powerlessness of a political refugee and victim of persecution always remembered that lack of a protector, and precluded her from apologizing, forcing her to wait for his answer.

"Yes I would, Ronnie." Jack said simply.

Veronica thought for a few moments before continuing, arguing with herself about whether or not to broach the subject she'd both feared and thrilled at exploring. "Baby, why did you ask me so many questions about Dante?"

Jack smiled at her with his mischievous, 'Devil-may-care' grin, his eyes focused and unwavering as he looked at her and answered, his voice deep and resonant with confidence and heightened testosterone. "Because I'm going to kill him, sweetheart."

XXVI

Tuesday, 0645

Jack Northcutt woke up to the vibrating and bleating of his iPhone alarm, the second alarm, as it turned out. The long weekend was over, and while his life had undergone a massive paradigm shift in not only meeting but falling wholly in love with Veronica, his professional life demanded his continued obeisance. This meant, as he'd slept through his first alarm and did not hit the gym for an hour and a half, it was now time to get dressed and go in to work with Gill, his obnoxious, hypocritical and petty supervisor/manager/monkey-in-the-wrench to Jack's continued ability to enjoy making a living from overseas contract work.

He grudgingly accepted the need to wake, and slowly rose from the bed, careful not to wake Veronica. He heard her deep, sonorous breathing and smiled; the three glasses of red wine she'd the night before, and the surprisingly good sex they'd had after he told her about kicking the shit out of the junkie had worn her out. He knew Veronica was sleeping heavily and hoped she'd enjoy the warm, deep sleep she deserved. He took his charcoal colored, single breasted suit, a white cotton dress shirt with an English tab collar and French cuffs, out of his closet, then grabbed a clean tee shirt, fresh pair of institutional, cheaply-made boxer shorts and a pair of black Under Armour socks, from his dresser. He closed the drawer and winced as the wood, apparently a bit dried out and in need of more oil, squeaked sharply.

"Jack, what time is it?" He heard Veronica ask him in a sleepy voice.

"Shit!" He cursed softly, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the mattress, next to her.

He bent down and kissed her, feeling the heat of her warm, sleepy skin waft against his face.

"Hey, Ronnie." He whispered, pushing a lock of stray hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her tall, thin ears and enjoying the sleek, wide angle of her perfect African nose and flawlessly dark, smooth skin. He felt a lump forming in his throat as he realized anew how beautiful she was and how happy she made him.

"You're up already?" She asked, yawning and glancing over at the small digital clock radio on top of his dresser. "But we didn't have sex yet..." She noted, though Jack wasn't sure if she was pouting because she wanted sex, or if she felt bad that she hadn't woken up early enough to make love before he left for work.

"That's okay, sweetheart. Rest. We'll do that tonight, after I come home from working with the fattest douche bag to ever walk on two legs..."

She wrinkled her nose at the cartoon image his words conjured in her mind, but still felt disappointed that this morning they'd broken their two day streak of starting each day with sex.

"I'm going to take a shower now, see if you can get back to sleep, and I'll try to be quiet as I leave." He said, kissing her once more, his right hand laying his undergarments down on the comforter before he reached under the covers with his left hand and affectionately rubbed and stroked her lower abdomen, above her vagina and below her navel.

Veronica smiled and felt a thrill spread slowly through her, gently bringing her to full wakefulness, radiating out from where he'd touched her. She put her hand over his and squeezed it. "I love you, Jack." She said, kissing him again.

"I love you too, Ronnie." He responded, smirking at her in the lifting darkness and gathering up all his clothes.

He brushed his teeth and showered quickly and thoroughly, pushing aside thoughts of calling in sick ("Fuck, Gill!" He'd thought with no small degree of vehemence) in order to come back to bed and make love with Veronica. He had to play this out, had to execute his plan for dealing with Gill so that he had the time he needed to review the video imagery he'd taken. He couldn't complete his plan for killing Dante until he knew for certain his general interest in using "Muj"-tactics would work. The excitement of carrying out his plan and watching all the dominos fall in the right order was more enticing to him than even the promise of sex. The fact was, Jack was just as addicted to fighting and conflict as he was prone to unreasonable anger. A significant part of his damaged soul was split between the familiar adrenaline-dopamine reward response he'd known for the last six years of his life, and the new, clean, unexpectedly fulfilling happiness and genuine hope for the future that Veronica had shown him. Jack's only hope for climbing out of the sociopathic abyss that his life had crafted for him, lay in cultivating and committing fully to the path of love, happiness and protectiveness that Veronica had shown him.

He had been so caught up in visualizing Gill's downfall, he'd not heard Veronica quietly open the door and slip into the bathroom. He saw her as he opened the shower door and found her standing in front of the sink, wearing her fluffy, white robe and holding out his towel for him.

"Here, baby." She said quietly, smiling. Her hair was tousled and sticking up in the humidity of the bathroom, but her teeth seemed as white as her robe, and contrasted so beautifully with the smooth, polished obsidian color of her skin.

"Thanks." He said, drying himself off and feeling his mind refocus on her.

He stepped from the shower and took her in his arms, kissing her and feeling his cock stir to life. She took hold of his shaft and felt it growing in her hands, and noticed how hot it felt from his shower.

"I know we don't have time now for sex," She said between kisses. "but there's something I want to do, something I've thought about doing, and it would really make me happy." She said, knowing he felt more turned on by her words. "Do you trust me, Jack?" She asked him, smiling playfully.

He smiled back, that handsome, mischievous bad-boy smile that she liked so much. "I trust you with my life." He said.

"Good! I want to shave you!!"

Veronica brought the razor down across his right cheek slowly, but very careful not to push too hard, nor hesitate and catch his skin. It turned her on amazingly to shave him, to feel his trust juxtaposed against her fear of cutting him. And, she thought he looked more sexy than she'd imagined, standing before her naked, his muscles swollen, hot and wet from his shower; his penis and scrotum were warm and relaxed and extended to full length. The smell of the shaving cream on the hot skin of his cheeks and neck was incredibly arousing to her, and she made herself focus on what she was doing. When she'd finished, Jack wiped his face clean of stray lines of shaving cream with a towel, looked for any cuts, and told her she'd done well. She kissed him again, very passionately, and strongly considered taking off her robe and letting him take her right there in front of the sink. She thrilled at the idea of watching in the mirror as they fucked in the bathroom, imagining the bulging muscles in his arms and chest flexing and the wonderful contrast in their complexions as they moved against each other. But, there was just no time, she reluctantly concluded. Plus, she had another surprise for him and didn't want to have to abandon it because they took too long in the bathroom.

"Okay, get dressed!" She said, kissing him once more, quickly, then leaving him to change.

"Wow, Jack, you look so handsome!" She marveled, smiling and walking toward him as he emerged, cleaned and dressed in his suit. He smiled awkwardly at her compliment, and seemed happy when she selected a pair of gold cufflinks that matched the color of his belt buckle, and a solid red tie for him to wear. She put it around his neck and tied it with a double Windsor knot, remembering him telling her during one of their pillow-talk sessions that he only wore them. She loved dressing him and seeing him in a suit; he was incredibly sexy to her, so professional and domineering, and devastatingly handsome. Jack's suit was tailored and fit his body perfectly, accentuating his wide shoulders, strong arms and chest and narrow waist. She fantasized about working as his secretary in a generic corporate office, seducing him slowly over an extended period of time until she'd pushed him into losing control during an interaction over some otherwise menial task, and taking her with primal lust in his office while just outside the office door, men and women walked by, totally oblivious to the hedonistic fertility rites occurring inside.

Next, and despite his protests that she was not his servant, she kneeled down before him and helped him get his shoes on, tying his shoelaces and looking up at him; "He is so gorgeous..." She thought, remembering seeing him from a similar position just four days earlier.

"Now, your surprise." She said, smiling, as she unzipped his pants, unbuckled his belt, reached in to his boxers and took his cock out. She looked into his eyes as she stroked him to hardness, and took him in her mouth.