Chapter 16
Charles Turner grumbled some choice invectives as he fumbled with his bowtie. He could not understand why Jake had insisted on the kind you tie yourself instead of a clip-on. And the tuxedo, almost four hundred dollars for an outfit he would only wear probably twice in his life. Well, maybe three times, if he was buried in it. Charles had to admit that he looked dapper in it though; Jake had insisted on classic cuts for both of them and classic material. The cut of the tuxedo and exercising with Helen made him look almost aristocratic. At least he was not wearing the wide-lapelled, bell-bottomed, electric blue one that the groom had on at his cousin's wedding. Just as he was on the verge of strangling himself with the tie, Helen glided into the room.
"Need some help, you handsome devil?"
"Do I ever; and you look stunning, my wife."
Did she ever! Charles let her pick out a designer gown to compensate for his splurging on the tuxedos. She had on a Coco Channel number in crimson that accentuated her curves in a most subtle manner. Her hair was up with ringlets around her ears. She wore a single stand of pearls that Charles had given her on their fifteenth anniversary. His wife was too beautiful for him and he knew it. He was humbled that she so obviously loved him. In addition, their sex life was the best it had ever been. Some mornings, he could barely drag himself to work, his smile so big it would take a squad of morticians to get it off his face. Someone needed to invent a drug to help him keep it up if she got any more demanding. Helen tied the tie in a perfect knot the first try; it took her all of thirty seconds.
"There you go, my husband; now run along and get the car. We don't want to be late."
Down the hall, Angie was helping Jake put the finishing touches on his ensemble.
"Wow, baby brother, you are gonna get lucky tonight."
"I doubt it", Jake replied, "I'm just doing this to help Melissa out. She isn't interested in me, she just needed an escort."
Angie burst out laughing, "You are so dense sometimes; she's hot for you and would do you in a minute".
Not tonight she won't, Jake thought, Erika had made sure that not even George Patton could get his little soldier to stand at attention. He was walking towards the formal staircase when Charles and Helen exited their bedroom. Helen commented on how good looking her men were as she and Angie went to help Debbie. Charles and Jake went to bring the Olds around to the front door. They stationed themselves at the bottom of the staircase for Debbie's entrance.
"Dad, I think the girls need a better car."
"What's wrong with the Falcon?"
"Well Dad, the Falcon is alright but it lacks panache; I have some excellent choices in mind that would be adequate replacements."
"I don't suppose that you getting your license in a couple of months has anything to do with your sudden concern for your sisters' social standing," Charles said.
"I hadn't thought of it that way before, but it would be good for my rep too," Jake said innocently.
They laughed as each realized the other was on to the game being played.
"I will have to think about it son", Charles said, "the Falcon is safe and economical and you probably want a car like your friend Sara has."
Before Jake could work on his case, Debbie started down the stairs. They stopped talking and just stared. Down floated one of the most beautiful women either had ever seen. Her auburn hair was styled similar to Helens and another of Coco's creations, this one in a green that matched her eyes, hung off her graceful shoulders. Charles walked up to the first landing and took her hand. He had a lump in his throat and could not speak. She gave him a radiant smile and kissed his cheek. Jake thought Charles was about to cry and, hell, he might also, it was a poignant moment. The ice was broken when Helen swept down the stairs in all her regal splendor. Angie followed with the Nikon and took photos.
At the country club, Jake and Charles made their way to the lounge while Helen and Debbie went to the ballroom. The women were all preparing the debutantes for their presentation. At eight o'clock, everyone would gather in the main ballroom and the debs would be introduced one at a time. At eight-thirty, the band would begin playing and the cotillion dance would start.
Charles introduced Jake to Russell Thornton, Sr. the two shook hands, and Jake nodded civilly to Chip who was also sitting at the table. Russell in turn, introduced Jake to his wife Vivian. If this was Chips mother, he had to have been born when she was nine or ten years old, she could not be a day over thirty. She was so much the cliché of the trophy wife the only thing she needed was a goofy golfer attached to the top of her head. Vivian extended her perfectly manicured hand; a predatory smile adorned her vermilion lips.
"I've heard so much about you, Jake Turner, and we saw you play at the homecoming game," she said, "I hope we'll be seeing more of you in the future."
Her voice was pitched low and she spoke softly so you tended to lean toward her as she talked. Jake took her extended hand and in his and she danced her fingernails across his palm.
He leaned towards her, his lips near her ear, "I'm sure you'll see more of me".
She arched her eyebrows and Jake excused himself. Jake left his dad and the Thorntons and drifted over to where a decidedly uncomfortable Brad Simmons stood. Brad, who was Debbie's escort, was as nervous as the debutants. The two talked football until the announcement came for escorts to report to the anteroom and guests to the ballroom.
In the anteroom, Jake moved to stand next to Melissa. She was beautiful, of course. Her Mediterranean features and dark hair set off her pink satin gown. She was tanned and shapely and her dress accentuated her curves. Jake pinned the pink and white orchid he brought onto her gown. She took his arm and, at eight-thirty sharp, they marched into the ballroom.
The debs were introduced and applauded then the band swung into the first waltz. Jake's dance card stayed filled the first set. He danced a couple with Melissa and then took her back to the Thornton table. They did not get to sit down. Russell took his daughter's hand, Vivian took Jake's, and back to the dance floor they went. Vivian Thornton's fingernails were the same deep red as her lips, Jake knew because she tickled his neck with them the entire dance. As they circled the floor Jake quickly noticed that Melissa was shooting daggers at Vivian while Chip gave him the evil eye. Something was rotten in Denmark!
"You are very mature for your age, Mr. Turner."
"And you aren't much older than the debs, Mrs. Thornton."
She laughed gaily and squeezed his shoulder with those nails, "Touché".
Her laughter drew another round of ugly looks. The song ended and the couples went back to the table. Melissa dragged Jake back onto the floor and Chip took a turn with Vivian. They were having quite a conversation if their body language was any indication.
"Bitch", said Melissa.
"Why so?" Jake asked.
"She is constantly on the make; Daddy thinks she's being cute and flirtatious but she just a tramp."
"How did your dad get hooked up with her?"
"She was Daddy's assistant; when Mother died she insinuated herself into our lives. Look at her, how could Daddy resist that?"
"She and Chip look awfully chummy," Jake commented.
"Don't they ever, the bitch... not that he's much better."
They danced another song and went for a drink. Melissa went to the restroom and Vivian grabbed Jake's hand.
"Come on, Jake, dance with me."
"I think I'll sit this one out", Jake said.
Russell Thornton clapped him on the back, "Dance with her, Jake, so I can get some rest".
Chip glowered at both Jake and his dad as Jake and Vivian made their way onto the floor. The look was not lost on Jake. Vivian skillfully maneuvered them into the back edge of the crowd and pressed herself closer to him. Again, she toyed with his hair. Jake just as skillfully led them back near their table. Thankfully, the song ended and the band took a break. Jake held Vivian's arm and escorted her back to the table. Chip was not at the table and Melissa had not returned. Jake scanned the room and saw Chip, Melissa, and Debbie by the ladies room. Debbie appeared to be trying to get Chips hand off her arm and Melissa was talking furiously. Jake hurried over to them. By now, both Debbie and Melissa were crying.
"Let her go, shithead," Jake said softly.
"Well, well, well, the white trash brother. Don't you have some glue to sniff, asshole?"
"Let her go", Jake repeated, "and we'll settle this outside; that way your tarty stepmother won't see you get your ass kicked."
Chip pushed Debbie aside and said, "I'm going to enjoy this, boy".
"No, you aren't," replied Jake.
Jake took the two girls to the powder room and went to his parent's table. After a brief explanation, Helen bolted after her daughter. Jake returned to the Thornton's table.
"Mr. Thornton, I am sorry if it ruins you daughter's cotillion, but your son needs an ass-whipping and I'm going to try to give it to him."
"I noticed; Mr. Turner; be careful, he's bigger than you and knows how to box."
That was definitely not what Jake had expected to hear, "Thank you sir; I hope you'll both forgive me if I don't return".
"You come back in when it's over; you have nothing to be ashamed of and I'll see that Chip leaves."
"Yes, sir," Jake said.
Jake strode out the door that Chip had gone through. Chip was waiting in the grass on the path to the ninth tee. He had removed his tuxedo jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
"I thought you were going to pussy out on me, Turner. I don't know what you are so mad about, I was just going to give your sister what she begged for before." Chip taunted.
Jake kept his eye on Chip as he removed his jacket also. He turned and presented his right side to Chip who assumed a boxers pose. Jakes original plan was to slap Chip around a little but he changed his mind after Chip's last remark.
Chip feinted a jab but Jake did not flinch, so Chip started a combination off a left jab. This time Jake moved; he blocked the jab out to the right and stepped forward. Chip's right hand was already moving forward when Jake grabbed the moving wrist with his left hand and let the momentum of the swing pull Chip around sideways. When Chip's right arm reached its full extension, Jake reversed direction and drove his elbow into the side of Chip's face. Blood spurted from Chip's mouth. Jake released his wrist and stepped back. Chip was still game and he put his hands back up to continue fighting. Jake faked a punch and snapped a side-kick into Chip's gut. Boxing was not Jake's style or preference but he pulled a short jab and bloodied Chips nose.
He did not much care for using his fists because they were susceptible to injury; however, he would make an exception in Chip's case. It might have been cruel, but Russell Thornton II was going to suffer some for hurting Jake's sister. For the next three or four minutes, Jake hit Chip just often enough, and just hard enough to ruin his day. No permanent injuries, no physical scars, just a lesson Jake hoped would Chip would learn from.
Jake left Chip on his hands and knees by the ninth tee, put on his jacket, and strolled back into the ballroom. He sat down by a now-composed Melissa and took her hand. Russell looked at Jake and noticed his lack of dishevel. He inquired about Chip and Jake said that his son had decided to go home. He excused himself and pulled Melissa over to his folks' table. Debbie was composed now also, and was holding hands with Brad. Jake gave Debbie a wink.
"I think it's time I danced with my sister," he said.
He led her out on the floor and she sagged against him, "Thanks, Bro".
"I actually did it for Chip -- so you wouldn't do him any permanent harm."
During the band's next break, Melissa led Jake out to the ninth tee. They talked quietly about her brother and step-monster. Melissa related that she thought Chip and Vivian were up to something and she was worried about her father. Jake had the same feeling; Chip was a sneaky little bastard, and Vivian was a cold, manipulating bitch. They would bear considerable watching. Melissa abruptly stopped talking and molded herself against him. They did some serious tongue wrestling but that is as far as it went. She was disappointed that Jake took her back in but perked up when Jake asked for a date next week. The rest of the evening was uneventful and the Turners went home at midnight.
Angie was waiting for them and ribbed Charles about being home after curfew. Debbie pulled her aside and filled her in on Chip's antics. With a flurry of Waltonesque goodnights, the Turners hit the rack. Jake was almost asleep when a very naked Angie slipped into his room and crawled under the covers.
"I've been elected to reward you for taking care of Debbie," she giggled.
"Who all voted?" he asked.
"Debbie, Mom and me," was the reply. "It was unanimous."
Jake liked the Sunday routine of hanging out with the folks, church, and visiting Cindy. Cindy was not happy that they had not had a date in over a week so Jake promised her they would go out during the week and the Friday night before Columbus Day. Somewhat mollified, she snuggled up in the swing with him.
That evening Jake put on his suit and Debbie drove him to fulfill Rebecca Doane's dinner invitation. Miss Doane lived in a big gingerbread Victorian a couple of blocks from Liz Moran, Sara's aunt. When he rang the doorbell a nicely-dressed older version of Rebecca answered the door.
"Hello, I'm Jake Turner; you must be Miss Doane's sister," he said.
She extended a well-manicured hand, "Katherine Cooper, I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Turner; Rebecca speaks of you fondly".
She spoke with a refined, slightly British accent, "Rebecca is putting the finishing touches on our dinner; please join me in the parlor, won't you".
Jake sat in a leather over stuffed chair and Katherine perched on the edge of the matching couch. She wore a blue business suit well. Jake drew her out about herself. She was a philosophy professor at Stetson, about forty he judged, and recently divorced. She moved back to the family home because she and her ex-husband, the head of the Humanities Department, had lived in his campus residence. She divorced him because she caught him slipping a coed some existential bologna.
"But enough about me, Jacob, let's talk about something that interests you," she said.
"Well, Professor Cooper, if we can't talk about you, I'm also interested in you opinion of situational ethics."
Her eyebrows were almost as expressive as Helen's; they furrowed into carets above her hazel eyes. Before she could respond, Rebecca Doane came in and announced that dinner was served.
Conversation at the table was lively and far-ranging; everything from ballet to Nixon's chances for reelection was batted around. Rebecca said that twelve chapters of her first book were completed; her sister and Victoria Greer were proofreading for her. Jake congratulated her and asked when she thought it would be finished. She told him her goal was to be shopping it around to publishers immediately after the Christmas break. Rebecca looked adorable tonight, her short blonde hair was swept behind her shell-like ears, and she wore makeup for the first time since he met her. She had on a fashionably tight gray skirt and pink cashmere sweater. Her dancer's legs were smoothly bare and she wore little black satin slippers. She was surprisingly curvy for being so small. His next wife was going to have an outfit like that.
After dinner, they retired to the parlor and continued talking. While Rebecca was in the bathroom, Katherine handed him her card and said to call her and they would discuss ethics questions. Rebecca returned and Katherine excused herself for bed. Rebecca patted the couch next to her and Jake sat down. She turned toward him and put her tiny hand on his thigh.
"This has been a wonderful evening Jacob, I wish it could last longer but we both have school tomorrow."
Jake got up and dimmed the lights instead of leaving. "We've got a few more minutes," he said.
He sat back on the coach and Rebecca surprised him by sitting on his lap. They were coming up for air from an intense kiss when Jake noticed a shadow on the floor of the doorway thrown by the stairwell light. Big sister was watching. Jake slid his hand up and captured Rebecca's breast. It was a nice, firm handful. He squeezed and molded it while her tongue danced in his mouth. Rebecca swung her legs around so she was straddling him; her tight skirt had ridden well up her thighs as she squirmed on his lap. He had a hand caressing each of her thighs as their kisses grew in intensity. Finally, Jake pushed her back some.
"I better go before things get out of hand," he said.
She reluctantly agreed and disentangled herself. She drove him home and Jake was in bed by his usual ten o'clock. Just as he was reaching for his cock to relieve the blue balls Rebecca had given him, Debbie padded into his room and jumped his bones.
Jake was glad to get back to school Monday morning; besides his usual reasons, he needed the rest. His dick had been drug through the dirt that weekend and for once, pussy was not on his top three list. His mood brightened, and he began list-revision when he saw Vicki Greer at homeroom. She was especially vibrant this morning; it must have been a good weekend at the Greer house. Today marked the second half of the nine-week grading period and Mrs. Greer called each student up to quietly discuss their progress. She saved Jake for last.
"You have an honest A-plus average, Jacob, you were telling the truth at our first meeting. Oh, and my period is three days late," she said, sotto voce.
Jake was still digesting Victoria Greer's news as he stopped by his locker to grab his chemistry book. Erika leaned on his back as only she could as he rummaged around for the errant text. They strolled to class hand-in-hand. Jake had to admit he was smitten with Erika; it was like his now mom and dad-- she was way too good for him -- but she loved him anyway. They stayed glued to each other through lunch and Jake walked her to her next class.
Jake thanked Miss Doane again for dinner and conversation. Rebecca said her sister was really impressed and hardly believed that he was only fifteen. Jake told her that he would be calling Katherine about some ethics questions he had but only had ten minutes on the home phone. She said he should just come over or one of them would come get him. He thought that was the best idea and said he would call to set up a time.
There was not a football game this holiday weekend, so coach spent time on practicing a bunch of new plays. He also spent a lot of time practicing the no-huddle offense. Jake came out of the gym and like every other 'swinging Richard' saw Erika waiting along side a spiffy looking 68' Nova 327. He walked over and kissed her gently.
"I disbanded your car pool," she said. "I will take care of my man's transportation from now on."
Monday morning was gray and overcast. A gentle breeze belied hurricane Norman's presence a couple of hundred miles south. Jake hopped out of the Falcon and hurried towards the gym; he had forgotten to return the key to Coach's place from Saturday. He left his sisters trying to get their shit together. He had not gone far when two good sized morons stepped from between the parked cars with baseball bats. Both swung their bats at him simultaneously. Jake jerked his head to the side and the bat meant for his head only hit the point of his left shoulder, seriously numbing his arm. The second goon hit him behind the left leg and dropped Jake to his knees. Jake knew he was about to receive a serious beating if he did not do something; trouble was, the left side of his body was useless. He shuffled around on his knees and put up his good arm to try to fend of any more blows; the two attackers drew back their weapons, ready to hit him again.
Then the Cavalry arrived. The thug on the right was looking for a good spot to inflict maximum damage when Angie's size nine Bass Weejun loafer came up between his legs and mashed his gonads flat. Pole-axed, He dropped to his knees and spewed Cheerios onto the pavement. He was the lucky one. The other cretin had the bat in a two-handed grip pulled back over his head ready to brain Jake when Debbie grabbed the barrel of the bat and pulled on it sharply. She had intended to disarm the guy but he had such a tight grip he fell backward when she pulled. His breath whooshed out of his chest and his head made solid contact thunk with the pavement. Debbie reversed her grip on the bat and dropped her knees on her victim's shoulders. Holding the bat like a potato masher, she drove the cylinder down into his face. The blow broke his nose and chipped three of his front teeth.
Both girls rushed to Jake as he struggled to get to his feet.
"Debbie, do you think you can get that idiot to tell you what this is all about?" he asked.
Jesus, his leg hurt and feeling was starting to come back to his left arm; the trouble was that the predominant feeling was intense pain.
Debbie gave Jake a scary, evil smile, "I think so Bro; are you okay?"
"I'll live; you can take me to get checked out as soon as we find out what's going on here."
Angie was helping Jake stand, she had not said a word, and she was shivering. Shock, Jake guessed. He put his good arm around her and pulled her against his side. They watched as Debbie walked over to the moaning dickhead she had just dispatched. Debbie knelt by the dude's side and unzipped his pants. She snaked her hand into his fly and took his left testicle between her thumb and forefinger.
She squeezed a little and her subject's eyes shot open.
"I'm going to ask you a question. Personally, I hope you refuse to answer so I can squash your balls like they were grapes. Now, why did you attack my brother?"
The goon did not even pretend not to be scared, " The Welch brothers gave us fifty dollars to smack your brother around. They said he needed to learn some manners."
Oh shit, the Welch brothers, what had he done to get the worst of
the school's bad asses on his case? So much for keeping a low profile;
this was not good.