Queen's Heart
than normal for a Saturday because she had to take care of the kids. The night before, Joe had been in a foul mood and ended up getting way too rough in bed. He’d come home at three am and woke her up, insisting on sex right then. It wasn’t like she could say no when he was like that, so she’d agreed. Now, she was aching in her hips and her shoulders. Lately, he was always like that, and she hated it. She sighed, pulling down two bowls and pouring the cereal into each one. She poured a pitcher of milk and two glasses of orange juice. She sprinkled a dose of the drugs in each of the glasses and stirred them.
She took it down to the basement to find CJ asleep and Michael sitting on his bed. He got up when she sat the tray down on the table.
“Um, Shelia, we’ve been here like a week, and we don’t have clean clothes. Is there any way to get our clothes washed or something?” Michael asked as he looked at what she’d brought down for breakfast.
“I can see if I can find some sweats for you two. There’s a washer upstairs, but I’ll just have to find you a change.”
“You okay this morning, Shelia?” he asked her.
She turned to him and gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll see about the clothes. I imagine you’re feeling grimy in the same clothes for a week.”
She headed back upstairs and closed the door, careful to seal and lock it. She had to do something. He was going to kill those kids. He couldn’t keep his hands off them forever. She knew her purpose was to keep them alive as long as she could, but what would happen when she couldn’t stop him? She couldn’t even stop him from practically killing her daily, so what was she supposed to do to stop him from killing someone else? If he wanted those kids dead, he would kill them.
So, that left one option. She had to get them out of there the next time Joe disappeared for a while. He typically disappeared for hours at a time, and if she hurried, she could get them out before he returned. She swallowed, went to the bathroom, and found she was either starting her period, or he’d done more damage the night before than she thought. Neither option was good. Just in case, she went to her med case she’d stolen and dug out some Keflex and took some. It would at least help with any infection if it was his treatment of her the night before. At least he hadn’t wanted to do it the other way… She was always sore for days after that.
She passed the living room and saw him sitting at the little headquarters he’d set up. He was doing something on the computer, and she wasn’t about to ask him what it was.
“The fuck you doing there?” he snapped, looking up at her suddenly.
“Nothing, sorry, was just thinking.”
“Go fucking think somewhere else, bitch. I don’t want to be disturbed, especially not by you,” he growled.
She nodded and went back to the kitchen. She didn’t understand how he could be so hateful to her now. After all the things he’d said in the letters, and later in the phone calls, she had a hard time recognizing the man she fell in love with. It had been stupid. If she hadn’t picked up the mail that day, things would never have started. She’d taken the mail to her father, and he’d taken it, but tossed one letter in the trash without opening it. She shouldn’t have done it. She picked it up and opened it to find it was from a Joe Jackson looking for information. She just wanted to tell him that her father wasn’t interested, and that was it.
Then, he wrote back to her, saying that was fine, but would she be interested in writing him? He had no one to talk to and it would be nice to have a pen pal. She hesitated at first, not wanting to get involved. This was a guy locked up, so what was he going to do, though? It wasn’t like he was going to walk out and look for her. So, she started writing to him. After almost two years, the letters got more and more personal, and she was telling him everything that went on in her life.
The thing was, though, he listened when no one else would. He didn’t tell her, “Shut up, Sheila. You’re in this Family. Act like it.” He didn’t tell her she couldn’t do things because of her father. He encouraged her to go to school and become a nurse, and she did it, despite her father’s misgivings. And more than that, she was good at it.
Now, she knew, it had all been to benefit Joe. If she became a nurse, then she could help him when he needed it. And her father was someone who could help him escape.
After that, they started phoning using the limited privileges he earned in the prison. She didn’t know it, but he was already bribing officers and had his group of insiders building slowly. He was a natural leader, even though he didn’t enjoy doing it. He was capable. He had charisma to spare. And she loved him for it.
Then, she presented her father with his offer. Help to escape for his services from then on. He’d also promised to marry Sheila and become a permanent member of the Family, which was a big deal to her father. So, things had been arranged, and everything went off without a hitch. Except Joe had never intended to follow through on his plans with her father. He had his own plans, and he dragged her along.
She couldn’t go back, so her only choice was to go to the police. She had to take the kids and run. That was her only option at this point. Her father would probably have her killed if she returned to him without Joe to fulfill the arrangement she’d made for him. He was a father, but he was a leader first and foremost, and he wouldn’t hesitate to make an example of his daughter.
Rich wasn’t sure what time this Chaz was supposed to arrive at the office, but he was expecting their arrival greatly. He hadn’t gotten anywhere with military intelligence yet because they said everything was classified and he had to be given proper clearance. He understood the need to be careful, but they weren’t considering the situation at all. It was very frustrating. But there was not much that he could do to change the speed of bureaucracy.
Simon knocked on the door to his office and he looked up to see that Chaz had arrived. Chaz was shorter than Simon, maybe five feet three or four, and had bright green hair shaved on one side and long on the other. Their eyes were obscure behind a pair of thick, chunky framed glasses in bright pink. They were wearing a band T-shirt and old, worn jeans and carrying a purple plaid backpack. On the strap to the bag was one of those pride flag buttons, with black, purple, white, and yellow with the words “They/Them” printed on it.
“Chaz, this is Agent Richard Pearson,” Simon introduced.
“Yo. Agent Dick, huh?” Chaz said with a smirk.
“Rich, actually,” he said, trying to smile despite hating being referred to by Dick.
“Yeah, so whatcha wantin’ me to look at for ya?” they said, adjusting the bag and looking at the room. “Techguru, er, sorry, guess yer real name is Simon. Anyways, he told me ya had a tough nut ta crack and wanted ta give me a chance to try my magic on it.”
“Yeah, let’s go to Simon’s desk and he can show you what we’re dealing with. It’s a technology that we’ve got no experience with. I’ve tried putting in with the higher-ups to get information, but that sort of request takes time. And we honestly don’t know how much time we have before things go bad,” Rich told them as he led them over to Simon’s desk.
Chaz slid into the office chair and looked at the computer. “Anti-tracking tech, eh?” they muttered.
“Yeah, like I told you on the server, we’re looking at something that can mask the location of where the signal source is coming from. It’s cutting-edge and classified tech. Just like you like,” Simon told them.
Chaz reached into their pocket and pulled out a hair tie and tied back their hair and adjusted the seat. They cracked their knuckles and smiled.
“Let’s play, boys,” they started typing in the program rapidly, barely pausing.
Chaz’s incredible typing speed impressed him. He did not know what was going on, though. Everything was just flashes on the screen of text and boxes popping up here and there. He crossed his arms and watched until it was obvious this was going to take a while, so he went back to his office to see if there was anything from the military yet. Of course, there was nothing. He expected to get a response well after everything was over and done with.
After a solid two hours, Simon came running over to the door and knocked on it.
“Sir! We’ve got something!” he said, excited by whatever they had found.
“Great!” Rich said, getting up and following Simon back to his desk. Chaz looked up as they got there, smiling.
“So, this tech is major tough to break.” They shook their head as they spoke. “But I broke the bitch.”
Rich liked this kid. “All right, what did you figure out?”
“Well, I can’t do much without a live signal. I’ve done what I can ta the program, though. I’ve set up something that we can use that should find the signal no matter what tech he’s using to protect those two he’s kidnapped.” Chaz looked quite proud of what they’d done so far.
“Wait, how do you know about the kidnapping?” Rich asked, glaring at Simon.
“I didn’t tell them!” Simon said, putting up both hands.
“Don’t worry about it. Hacked yer system on the case. Sorry, couldn’t resist it. Had ta know what was goin’ on with it. But ya said I had immunity, so I figure I’d use it.” They winked at Rich and Rich wanted to say something, but what could he say? They were doing the FBI a favor, as it was.
“All right, just don’t go digging into anything else while you’re here. I don’t know how far I can make that promise of immunity stretch if you push the boundaries too hard.” Rich sighed.
“Cool, cool,” they said and pointed to the screen. “But the main thing is that next time yer boy calls in, if ya get in on the call immediately, it should trace back to him with the code I wrote up to breech the tech he’s usin’.”
“Can Simon use this, or do you need to be here to do it?” Rich asked, wondering how long it would even be before Joe called back again.
Chaz narrowed their eyes at Simon and then shook their head. “I don’t know for sure. I can try and show Simon how ta use it the right way, but it would be better if I were here ta do it.”
“Are you able to stick around in the area?” Rich didn’t know what else to do. He had to make sure that this person was here for it when Joe contacted them again.
“I’m stayin’ with Simon right now. I can stick around. I ain’t got nothin’ ta do right now. I brought my laptop, and that’s all I really need to do what I do,” they said, patting the backpack sitting on the floor at their feet.
“All right. I’ll get you temporary credentials so you can come and go easier with Simon while we wait for the next call. We don’t know when it will come in, so you’ll need to be ready for it whenever it happens.”
“Sounds great, Agent Rich.” Chaz stood up and stretched their arms over their head. “Got a break room? I could go for a soda or somethin’.” They reached down and picked up their bag as they spoke.
“Yeah, sure, Simon. Show them to the break room and then come back here. I’ll work on getting the temporary creds for Chaz,” Rich told them and watched as they took off to the back room.
Rich took care of everything immediately with the office assistant. The only thing left was for them to get their picture taken for the badge. He just had to hope that this only took a few more days to resolve. He didn’t know how much time those two had, and who knew what kind of hell they were being put through so far?
Sheila came down and took away the plates from dinner, leaving them to themselves. It was a little lonely since there wasn’t a lot to do. But tonight, Michael had an idea and CJ wasn’t sure what he thought about it.
Michael wanted to play strip poker.
“I’ve never done anything like that!” CJ gasped.
“We’ll, not only strip poker, but a special strip poker. Where when you lose, you draw from the hat.” Michael smiled and held up a hat that he’d acquired from Sheila.
“What’s in the hat?” CJ asked, curious.
“I made little pieces of paper with instructions on them while you were napping earlier. They have fun stuff on them. We’ll each have to draw from the hat when we lose, so it’s not going to just be you doing it. But we have to be quiet. We don’t want Sheila and Joe coming down here to see what’s going on, especially after I beat you and you’re naked.”
CJ narrowed his eyes at Michael. “Who said you were going to beat me?”
Michael smirked. “We’ll see how you do.” He began shuffling the cards.
CJ didn’t know what to do at first. He wanted to make Michael happy. He really did, but it also embarrassed him at the same time. Could he strip if he lost? It wasn’t like Michael hadn’t seen him naked already. So, he got up from the bed and sat down across from him.
“Deal,” he said, eyeing Michael.
Michael dropped a wink and dealt the cards. CJ’s first hand was horrible. He had one ace, though, an ace of diamonds. But the rest were nothing much, and not even another diamond to go with the ace.
“Five-card draw,” Michael said.
CJ lost the hand. He sighed as he stripped off his shirt. Michael held out the hat. “Not done yet!” he said.
“Yeah, yeah,” CJ muttered, drawing a piece of paper from the hat.
He opened it and blinked. It said, “Kiss me on the cheek” and that was it. He frowned and showed him, and Michael leaned over and pointed to his cheek. CJ was a little embarrassed, even though it was no big deal, and kissed him gently on the cheek.
“Next round!” Michael said and handed the cards to CJ to shuffle and deal.
Over the next three hours, they went through several hands. CJ was definitely at a disadvantage because it became apparent that Michael knew what he was doing. It left him utterly naked, hands folded in his lap, while Michael still had his pants and undershorts on. The little slips of paper had been undeniably cute, reading things like “kiss my nose” and “kiss my hand.” Michael could have easily made it more degrading to the loser, but he hadn’t.
“You’re blushing,” Michael said as he shuffled the cards.
“I’m naked. Of course, I’m blushing!” CJ frowned and looked away from him.
Michael got up and came over. “You’re naked and I have a problem,” he said in a husky tone.
CJ turned back toward him to see he had pulled himself out of his pants and was holding his cock in his hand. CJ gasped and looked up at his face, seeing his blue eyes hooded with lust.
“Ah, okay.” CJ wasn’t sure what to say.
“I want to show you how much fun this is. I’ve never done it with a guy, but I’ve heard you need lube. We can use that conditioner, but I really want to fuck you right now,” Michael said, breath heaving a little.
CJ stared at him. “You mean, put that… there?” he said.
“Um hmm. It’ll feel good for both of us,” Michael said.
“How do you know if you’ve never done it?” CJ narrowed his eyes and stared at him. He was hiding a growing erection, though, just at the thought of doing it with Michael.
“I’ve had sex with a girl before, and this isn’t much different. If you don’t want to, I’m not going to make you or anything. It’s up to you,” Michael said. “I just know I think we could make each other feel really good, and besides, we’ve got the time.”
CJ swallowed and sighed a little. He wanted to do it, but he was scared. Wouldn’t it hurt? He thought about when he’d fingered him. It had felt a little strange, but not bad. It felt nice, and he had to wonder what it felt like to go all the way. Especially with Michael.
“Okay,” he said, nodding and looking down into his lap. “I want to do it with you.”
Michael came closer and reached out a hand to him. “Come on, over on the bed. I’ll do you from behind; it’s easier for the first time like that, from what I’ve seen on videos.”
“Videos?” CJ said as he stood up, still shielding his arousal from Michael’s sight.
“I’ve seen a few,” Michael said, nodding as he led him to the small cot. “Lay on your stomach. I’ll grab that conditioner.”
CJ did as he asked but was still unsure about the whole thing. He crushed the pillow to his chest and, a few moments later, jerked as he felt Michael’s hands on his hips and ass.
“God, CJ. You’re so beautiful,” Michael breathed. “I think of you all the time, you know. Just seeing your body writhe under me is going to fill my head for days.”
CJ nodded into the pillow he was hugging. He felt Michael’s hand slide down and probe at him. He swallowed and gasped a little as his finger breached him, unnaturally slick. It felt nice, and his finger slid in and out quickly. A second later, he slipped a second finger into him, which stretched him, but it wasn’t painful. He swallowed as he thrust those two fingers back and forth a few times.
“I think you’re ready,” Michael said in a strained voice. “I can’t go any longer; I gotta do it,” he added, and the bed moved as he got on and pressed in between CJ’s legs.
Squeezing his eyes shut, CJ had no idea that tensing was bad. He soon felt what he knew was Michael’s cock pressing at him. He swallowed a ball of fear in the back of his throat and gasped a little as Michael began pushing forward.
“I don’t know about this,” CJ said quietly. “I don’t know if it’ll fit in me!”
“Don’t worry, CJ, it’ll fit.”
Michael pressed forward, and CJ gasped again a bit. “It kinda does hurt!”
“Relax, you’re tensing up. I can feel it. It will hurt if you don’t relax,” Michael said, pressing forward more.
CJ tried to relax, but it was easier said than done. He felt like he was being pried open, and it was at the same time strange and erotic, and he didn’t know why. Images began flying through his head about other times and places when, in his dreams, he’d lie with the one he loved. And that made the pain less important.
“I’m in all the way, CJ. You okay?” Michael said.
Pressing back a little, CJ could feel Michael’s body against him. He could also feel his cock throbbing inside him, filling him up and making him feel strangely complete. He swallowed the fear that tried to bubble up his throat. Instead, all he wanted was for Michael to move.
“Move,” he muttered, bucking his hips back against Michael.
“Hmm, yeah, baby,” Michael said softly, slowly pulling out and pushing back in.
CJ couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips as Michael began thrusting deep and slow into him. It felt good, if a little painful at first. He had experienced nothing like it before, but being in this position with Michael was fulfilling. Michael thrust faster and hit a spot that made things go white for a second, making CJ gasp out loud and moan louder.
“I think I’ve got an angle on your sweet spot, baby,” Michael said, seeming to aim for that same spot again.
After a few more thrusts, tears streamed down CJ’s face, and he was in a constant state of moaning and pleading with Michael to go faster or deeper. Michael complied, thrusting deep and fast, making the small cot rock a bit as he did. CJ had never felt anything like it. It was initially uncomfortable, but it felt amazing as it continued. He’d never had this kind of sensation in his body. It was almost electric.
Michael then leaned over, moving one hand in front of CJ, and gripped him, sliding his hand up and down CJ’s dripping shaft. CJ let out a long, low moan then, feeling the internal and external stimuli simultaneously. It was too much, and he felt the toe-curling sensation of an orgasm rushing toward him faster than he expected.
“Mikey!” he gasped. “Mikey, I’m coming!”
“Mikey?” Michael murmured but continued his ministrations, stroking CJ’s cock as he thrust down into him harder and faster.
“I can’t wait!” CJ said between moans.
“Don’t wait. Come, baby, come for me,” Michael said with a smile in his voice.
CJ didn’t need much encouragement as he felt the orgasm slam into him, cascading through his body like a flow of water. Michael grunted and thrust a few more times, and then CJ felt him throbbing inside him as he came. Michael held his position, panting over CJ’s back, clutching him to his chest.
“Oh my God, CJ, that was amazing,” he gasped out. “Baby, that’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”
CJ clutched the pillow, coming down off the high sensation himself. “I’ve never felt so good,” he whispered in confirmation.
[A Place Unnamed—A Time Unknown]
Brishna wept tears of ecstasy into the void of silence. The reunion with her beloved had occurred, and she was once again whole. Though she feared. The evil one would try to do everything to separate them, and he would do anything to claim Brishna for himself. There was nothing Brishna could do, though, for she could not act while contained within the vessel.
Only Iman’s death would break the cycle. She didn’t know how, but it would have to happen, so she and Krineshaw could be one together.