Chapter 7 #2
“What?” Maggie sputtered loudly, almost spitting out her coffee and drawing the attention of several other patrons.
“You mean Molly hid you? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better,” she laughed.
“I leave town for a few days and miss everything! Something big must have happened. Molly hardly ever goes behind Patrick’s back.
There must have been more to it than you just wanting to get your own place? What did my brother do to you?”
“Please, Maggie,” Tess whispered. “I do not think I can explain here. It is too embarrassing.”
“Believe me, Tess. There is nothing you could tell me that would surprise me. It was pretty obvious to me that Rory spanked you the day of the wedding. I thought when you cut your hair, you would have expected it. You know how he is, and he did warn you.”
“Oh my God,” Tess cried before clamping her hand over Maggie’s hand, panic in her eyes. “What do you mean it was obvious, to whom?”
“Relax, honey, I’m sure it wasn’t obvious to everyone. Only someone who’s been there would have noticed and I’ve been there. Not to mention I was worried you were going to try and wring Rory’s neck most of the day,” Maggie answered, patting Tess sympathetically on the arm.
“So, what did my brother do, besides that? I know he has spanked you before and yet you didn’t run. There’s more to this isn’t there, Tess?”
Tess pulled her hand back and dropped her head. Trembling slightly, she could not get the words out.
“Tess, tell me, I promise I won’t tell a soul and maybe I can help.”
“Well,” Tess tried, wringing her hands. “The morning after the wedding Rory came to my bedroom. He brought me coffee and said it was a peace offering. I thought he meant to apologize for … you know, but that was not true,” Tess told her, swallowing as she looked into Maggie’s wide eyes.
“Go on,” Maggie coaxed gently. Tess really needed to get this off her chest.
“He told me he was not sorry about the spanking, and then he flipped me over to see how much damage there was.”
“Isn’t that just like a man?” Maggie snorted. “Blister your bottom one day and then want to look at it the next, like the whole thing wasn’t bad enough in the first place. What happened then?”
“I was fighting him, but I could not stop him. He is very strong. I was able to get away from him after he … inspected my bottom,” Tess told her, her voice so soft Maggie had to lean closer to hear. “I was on the other side of the bed and he ordered me to come to him. I did not.”
“So, did he get mad and spank you again? Is that what happened?”
“No. He reached across the bed and pulled me to him. I wanted to scream I was so mad, but he kissed me, hard, his lips silencing me. Then he held me tightly in his arms and he … he … forced me to ….”
“What?” Maggie whispered, hardly able to hear Tess.
“He forced me to .…”
“He forced you to have sex?” Maggie gasped, astounded.
Tess began to understand the significance of red hair when Maggie shot to her feet. Tess was so startled, she knocked over her coffee as she jumped up to grab Maggie’s arm.
“I’m gonna kick his ass,” Maggie shouted, her body vibrating with anger. “And when I’m done, I’m gonna have Nick kick his ass too! I love my brother, but that’s just too much.”
“No,” Tess pleaded, trying to hang on to Maggie. “No, you do not understand. Not that,” Tess insisted, pulling Maggie closer and whispering in her ear. “He forced me to … to have an … orgasm. Well, more than one. Please, Maggie, sit down.”
Maggie sat, like a balloon whose air had leaked out.
For a few moments she looked around, realizing the attention they had drawn.
Coffee was dripping onto the floor and Tess had her head in her hands.
Smiling slightly, Maggie got up, grabbed some napkins from another table and cleaned up the mess.
Smoothing her hair back into her pony tail, she took a deep breath.
“Did you or did you not have sex with my brother?” Maggie asked.
“I did, he did not.”
Maggie took a few minutes to digest this.
“I wanted to, but he would not in your madre’s house.
Bridget was downstairs and your parents were at church.
After, I was so embarrassed! I could barely face your family.
I knew I had to go. Rory told me he wanted to talk to me after dinner, but I avoided him until I got a chance to leave.
Molly helped me. She seemed to understand what I was thinking.
She tried to get me to stop blaming myself.
She said if a man like Rory wants you to do something, you are pretty much going to do it.
Molly said all of the men in the family are the same way.
Is this true? Is your Nick like that?” Tess asked, looking into Maggie’s eyes.
Maggie blushed, but didn’t answer.
“I think I love Rory, but I do not know if I can .…”
“Look, Tess, did Rory bring you pleasure?” Maggie asked softly.
“Yes.”
“Then why don’t you stop worrying about it and enjoy it.
I’m sure you know not every man is capable of making his woman feel the things you felt in his arms. Everyone brings different expectations to a relationship.
Not all of them are good. I’m crazy about Nick, but sometimes he pisses me off so badly I see stars.
I just want to bean him on the head with a frying pan or something.
Thankfully, he helps me stay balanced. I don’t always appreciate this at the time, but later when I’ve cooled off, I realize he was right.
Not that I’m ever going to admit I said that,” she laughed.
“Take each day as it comes. Rory is a good man. Let him love you his way and see if you think you can live like that for the long haul. Not everyone can, but maybe you are the right woman for him. Don’t just assume it won’t work out.
Give yourself a chance at happiness, Tess. I know you haven’t had much of it.”
Tess nodded. She would give what Maggie said some thought. At this point she did not think she had the strength to stay away from Rory anyway. Even if she came to hate his domineering ways, there were many things about him she loved and admired.
“Hey,” Maggie said interrupting Tess’s thoughts. “Is Rory going to tell Patrick you have been staying over the pub? I’d sure like to be around for that,” Maggie asked wistfully. “Molly always seems to be able to get herself out of trouble; maybe you and I can learn a few things.”
“I do not know. Rory wants me to go get my things later. He wants me to go home. He has not said if he intends to tell Patrick. I hope Molly does not get in trouble because of me,” Tess told her, worrying her lip.
“Don’t worry about Molly,” Maggie informed her, picking up their cups and slipping her purse over her shoulder.
“As a rule, Patrick thinks Molly is his own personal angel, but it would be interesting to see if she can get herself out of this one. Let’s get back upstairs and see if Mason is still alive. ”
* * *
At that very moment, Rebecca’s small hands were trying to wrap around Mason’s throat. “I want drugs!” she insisted, her eyes glaring into his.
“But, sweetheart, we decided that we were going to do this the natural way, remember? That’s why we went to all those classes.
Now, if you’ll just concentrate on your breathing, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Mason assured her.
He was sweating bullets glancing between the doctor, who had a slight grin on his face, and Rebecca who looked ready to murder someone.
Her face was damp and her blonde hair looked ready for trick or treating.
In his hand the doctor was holding a very long needle, which Mason was trying his damnedest not to look at.
“Mr. Kord,” the doctor spoke kindly, trying to diffuse the current situation. “It really isn’t good for your wife to get so upset. I am more than willing to give her an epidural. First babies are often much more difficult than later ones.”
“Rebecca,” Mason tried again. “I really think that if you’ll just .…”
“And I really think that if you don’t tell that doctor to give me some drugs right now, I will find a way to stick a bowling ball up your ass!” she screamed, her green eyes shooting daggers at him.
Mason snapped straight up in total shock, a horrified expression on his face, and looked at his wife as though he’d never seen her before. His face was beet red and a tic was jumping in his jaw that Rebecca paid absolutely no attention to.
“Give her the shot,” Mason pleaded. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Doctor Maxwell signaled his nurse and the three of them rolled Rebecca to her side and swabbed her back with alcohol. The last thing Mason saw was the long needle being inserted into his wife’s spine. He hit the floor with a thud before he heard her scream.
Rebecca saw him go down and tried to peek over the side of the bed as she waved her hand toward him.
“You might want to get his brother from the waiting room and a couple other big men,” she advised with a sigh as the shot began to work. “He’s not going to be easy to move.”