Vignettes of a Master (10 page)

Two Ordinary Girls and their Books

April,
9
th
.

Jonah finds himself in a Nicholas Ryan book.

I woke up from a deep sleep… there was the sound of heavy breathing beside me. Hoarse, harsh breathing. I opened my eyes and turned my head slowly.

Leticia was in the bed beside me – but this wasn’t the Leticia I knew. Half of her face had been torn away, and her eyes
were red and wild. Blood seeped onto the sheets and her tongue licked hungrily at dry cracked lips. She reached out for me… but there were fingers missing from her hand, and thick dry blood crusted on her arms.

She snarled – an inhuman sound.
A sound that filled me with fear and terror.

I threw the sheets off and ran naked from the bedroom. I had jeans slung over the back of a chair in Leticia’s living room. I tugged them on. Leticia came from the bedroom, staggering and swaying unsteadily. Her clawed fingers swiped at me and I spun away – crashed through the apartment door and into the hallway of her apartment complex.

I ran for the elevator. I thumped the button. I could hear screams of terror coming from the street below. The elevator door slid slowly open. I let out a gasp of relief – and then froze.

Written in blood on the wall of the elevator was a message.

“This is a gift from Jason Luke.”

I stared at the sign, and the blood drained from my face. Jason Luke was also Nicholas Ryan – zombie author. I dropped to my knees. This was some writer’s mad revenge. I bunched my fists and screamed my frustration.

I was going to die, and it was going to be horrible. Jason Luke wanted me dead!

A note from Jason:

Needless to say, this was another scene that was a great joy for me to write.

Schmexy Girls Blog

April,
11
th
.

Leticia moves back to her hometown.
.. and Jonah goes after her.

Leticia saw me in the doorway, and she froze, poised and tense. There was an air of despondency in her face – a sense of despair and hurt.

“What are you doing here?” she asked softly.

“I came for you,” I said.

Leticia stared at me for long painful seconds. Her hand went to the soft flesh of her throat, her fingers fluttering.

“Why?” she asked, and then her voice became harsher. “Are you starting a harem? Clearly one woman isn’t enough for you.”

I said nothing for a long time – I just stared across the empty space of the room. I nodded slowly. “What you saw, Leticia… what you thought you saw… it wasn’t what it seemed.”

Leticia laughed, but there was no
humor in the sound. It was a bitter and disbelieving little hiss. “Jonah, I saw you with that woman!” her voice rose and became suddenly strident. “I saw her in your arms!”

“Yes,” I said, “but you don’t know why. You don’t know who she was or why I was holding her – and you left before I could explain. So I’ve come all the way here to your home town to find you – and to tell you what you really saw.”

Schmexy Girls Blog

April,
11
th
.

Jonah explains to Leticia what was really meant behind him holding the other woman!

Leticia arched an eyebrow. She was unconvinced. “Jonah, what possible excuse could you have? How in God’s name could you explain to me – and convince me,” Leticia’s tone became threatening, “that holding a beautiful woman in your arms was somehow innocent?”

“It was,” I said softly. I stared into Leticia’s eyes but said no more. The silence drew out. “It was a completely innocent embrace.”

Leticia turned on me and anger flushed her cheeks red. She stood with her legs astride and her fists bunched on her hips. “Jonah!” she exploded. “You had romantic music playing in the background! How stupid do you think I am?”

I shook my head sadly and slowly,
then lifted my eyes to hers, and suddenly my gaze became like steel. “I think you’re very stupid,” I said. “So stupid, Leticia that you couldn’t see the obvious.”

The bluster went out of Leticia like a sail that had lost its wind. She glared at me and I could see she was shaking with temper and sudden confusion.

“The woman is a dance instructor,” I admitted. “She was teaching me how to dance. I wanted to surprise you… a surprise you walked in on and ruined.”

Schmexy Girls Blog

April,
11
th
.

Leticia feels inadequate when comparing to Caroline, Claire & Sherry.

“Jonah, I’m not like the other women you have told me about…” Leticia wrung her hands together. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she looked up at me, acutely uncomfortable and suddenly unsure. “I’m not exotic, and I’m not adventurous. I don’t have their… their sexuality. I’m just a country girl from a small town. I don’t have anything unique to offer you!”

I sat down on the bed close beside Leticia so that I could feel the press of my thigh against hers, and the heat of her body through the denim of her jeans.

For a long time I said nothing. Finally I turned slowly to Leticia and took her hand in mine. “Every woman is different and unique in their own ways, Leticia,” I explained softly. “If you were the same as other women I had known, you would not be so fascinating. The fact that you are you, is what makes you special.”

I stared into her eyes for a long moment. She made a brave little face and then nodded slowly.

“The truth is, Leticia, that you still don’t really know who you are. Your body – your soul – have never been awoken. Beneath the beauty that I see lurks an amazing, sexy, sensual woman. I know it. My aim is to help you let the woman you are about to become off the leash!”

Schmexy Girls Blog

April,
11
th
.

Jonah and Leticia in the rain fighting.

“I hate you!” Leticia cried out, and it was as if the sound and the pain and the agony in her voice reached all the way to heaven, for at that very instant the heavy dark clouds were torn apart by a jagged sheet of lightning, and the sky filled with torrential rain.

Leticia spun away from me and started to run. The park was dark – the night sky black and ominous. Heavy curtains of rain came sweeping across the open ground and the grass turned to mud.

Leticia disappeared. The rain was torrential. She vanished in the hissing grey mist, and I started to run after her. I could hear splashing footsteps and then saw the ethereal shape of her near the park gates. I cried out to her, but the roar of the sudden storm drowned my voice out.

I saw her at last. Standing by the side of the road. She was drenched. Her clothes hung heavy to her body and she
was gasping for breath. Her face was a tragic mask, made worse by the pain in her eyes. I stopped, breathing heavy. I held out my hand to her in a silent plea.

Leticia shook her head. “No!” she cried. “No!” And then she turned and ran again, fleeing from me across the road… running blinded by her anger into the path of an oncoming car…

Two Sassy Chicks

April,
11
th
.

The fan’s husband that asked for advice
wants to speak with Jonah again.

The man hovered over the table with an expectant look on his face.

I smiled thinly, and decided I should stop frequenting this coffee shop.

“You come here often?” the man asked. A week ago this same guy had asked for advice about how to please his wife. I stared up into his face. “Yeah,” I said. “On
ce too often, apparently.”

The point of my comment sailed over the man’s head. He pulled out a chair and sat down with a sigh. “Can I ask one more question?” there was a desperate plea in his eyes. “Can I ask you how you’re supposed to kiss and touch a woman?”

I stopped stirring my coffee. Set the spoon down with a clatter.

“Pay attention,” I said with a shrug, and then sat forward suddenly. “When a woman kisses and touches a man, she is actually subconsciously showing you how she herself wants to be kissed and touched. So sh
e starts at your neck and kisses down your throat. Then she kisses slowly across your chest before sliding her mouth down towards your abdomen. Pay attention!” I suddenly hissed. “That is how she wants you to kiss her. While you’re laying back wishing she would just hurry up and touch your erection, she is giving you all the signs,” I explained.

The guy looked a little confused. “It’s the same for men,” I said. “When you kiss your wife you probably thrust your tongue into her mouth, then grope between her legs. That’s because you are mirroring the way you actually want her to touch you. Right?”

The guy nodded with slow understanding. “Hey, that’s right!” he admitted. “I kiss and touch in the way I want my wife to kiss and touch me.”

I smiled. “And she kisses
and touches you in the way she wishes you would treat her.”

Two Sassy Chicks

April,
11
th
.

Jonah watch
ing Leticia walk down the aisle, tears in his eyes, their wedding day.

I stood there transfixed – frozen to the
spot as the bridal music seemed to swell to a crescendo and fill the church. I blinked – felt the scald of tears welling up in my eyes.

Leticia.

My God, she was beautiful.

She glided down the long aisle of the church in a cloud of white, wearing a gown as beautiful, as soft, as elegant, as she was. She was ra
diant; I could see the glitter in her eyes and the mesmerizing glow in her smile. Every head turned in the church as she swept by, walking between the long aisles of admirers, friends and family.

I felt the ache in my heart swell so that it filled my whole chest and I could not breath. I felt the sweet beauty of her like a fist that squeezed at my heart until I felt myself wavering. I clutched at the curtain behind the altar and watched as Leticia finally reached the priest, and took the hand of her fiancé.

From behind the statues, heavy plush curtains and flowers, no one saw me. I took one long last look at Leticia and then glanced at my watch. My own wedding was just an hour from now. I had to hurry…

A note from Jason:

When I saw this scene suggestion, I had a sudden flash of inspiration and knew immediately how I wanted the scene to play out. This was just a very short piece of writing, but I got a great deal of satisfaction from still managing to put a surprise twist in the tail.

Two Sassy Chicks

April,
11
th
.

Leticia trying to convince Jonah to let her write a series of articles documenting their/her journey into BDSM.

I stared at Leticia and an icy cold fist of dread clutched at my heart. “You want to do what?” I asked slowly, as though in absolute disbelief.

“I want to write a series of articles about us – and about my introduction to the BDSM lifestyle. I think they might be helpful to other women who are curious about the subject.” Leticia spoke with calm assurance, as though her lines had been carefully rehearsed.

I felt the smolder of my anger. “No,” I said. “Never.”

Leticia made a shape with her mouth and hooded her eyes to show that she was disappointed, but not surprised.

“Leticia, I am a private man. I like my privacy. I never asked for all the attention that has come about because of your first articles. All I ever wanted was to tell my own story before I died.”

Leticia shook her head and made a chopping gesture with her hands as though she were cutting through my objections, using her body to add emphasis to her words. “Jonah! You can’t ignore what is going on in the world. You have a lot of people out there who are fascinated by you. They want to know more. Most of all they want to know how you learned so much about women – and how you can help them pass your knowledge on to the clueless, fumbling men in their lives!”

Two Sassy Chicks

April,
11
th
.

Jonah and Leticia watch a sunset/sunrise together.

The sun’s last golden rays spilled across the sky, and the world around us became a painter’s palette of reds and purples and yellows.

I wrapped my arm around Leticia’s shoulder, pulled her close against me as we sat on the beach staring up into the sky. The world was still and quiet. There was just the sound of the ocean, waves rushing up over the soft white sand and then receding again in an endless rhythm of background sound.

“Jonah, what will become of us?” Leticia asked softly.

I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know,” I admitted, and then I sighed. “Life has a habit of creating unexpected challenges,” I said, frowning. Somehow it didn’t seem wise enough – philosophical enough for a moment like this – for a time like right now. But it was the best I could do. I sighed again. “Every day is a gift, Leticia. Some people are gifted
less days than others. We can only make the most of what is given to us, so that we leave this world a better place for having been here.”

Leticia sighed. She felt small and fragile in my arms. We stared up at the first star, and then the night came down with a rush so that we were alone and clinging to each other in the darkness of not knowing…

A note from Jason:

I am sure that when I chose this scene suggestion as the very last scene for the world tour, most
readers would have been puzzled as to why I would select something so simple. But I had an idea. I wanted to ‘sign off’ from the World Tour with some kind of poignant paragraph that was full of feeling and emotion rather than action.