Chapter Six

September 28^th

A week later the letter he’d sent to New York came back to him marked ‘Return to sender’. It wasn’t Callas’ handwriting. OK so whoever Hartley’s assistant was they weren’t going to forward this letter to Rome. He still had the e-mail and the hard copy he sent to the gallery.

Another week later and the letter he sent to Rome came back the same way. Again it wasn’t Callas’ handwriting on the envelope. Maybe she didn’t handle her own mail anymore, probably too good for that, probably had her own assistant whom she’d told to send the letter back.

Daniel hadn’t heard anything with regard to his e-mail. Whether it was curiosity or instinct he didn’t know but he picked up the phone and dialed her cell phone. He knew that number because Colleen gave it to him and Calla gave it to her so they could stay in touch. One ring and he was sent straight to an automated machine, ‘The cell phone customer you are trying to reach is not available.’ Click. Calla was busy jet setting around Europe and being swept off her feet by Andrew Fucking Hartley, maybe the phone wasn’t working or maybe she’d left it behind or maybe….

Davy, could you just shut up? Please just for a little while?

Go lick yer wounds, Danny, mab-be dat An’ta’nett ‘ll sooth wots ailin’ yew. David walked away.

Daniel’s blood pressure started to rise as he gritted his teeth. All right, Davy, you win, one more shot. He sat down at the computer and wrote another letter to his wife. This time he did stop to at least read over the grammar and make sure he’d spelled everything correctly. It wasn’t an overflowing declaration of love but it was ok as far as he was concerned. Daniel sent it ahead of her to the gallery in Germany where she was going to next maybe that way it would get to her before Andrew Fucking Hartley could get to it.

Still it was no good, a week and half later the letter showed up in his own mailbox; Return to Sender. This time the writing looked like it could be hers. He wasn’t sure she was so incredibly strung out the last time he saw her he’d be surprised if she could write her own name never mind three words. Still, it looked like her writing.

Daniel ripped up the letter and headed out the door for the night. He wasn’t going to sit in this empty house another night. Fuck that! Hartley couldn’t possibly be blocking him at every turn—could he? No, certainly not. Calla just didn’t want him anymore, didn’t want her kids or her marriage or the life they once shared. She didn’t have the guts to tell him that so she was just going to ignore him.

Well fucking fine then…he didn’t want it anymore either. Daniel picked up the phone and made an appointment with his lawyer to start divorce proceedings. The next day he sat in Mr. Gruskin’s office revealing the details of his married life and going over his options. It was the lawyer, of course, who brought up the fact that there was a lot of money at stake now since Callestah was becoming so famous. Daniel’d supported her for years she could return the favor. He told Mr. Gruskin he wanted at least half of all the marital assets including whatever proceeds there were from the sale of her paintings. By the time they were done in the office Daniel Jackson charged his wife with Abandonment, Adultery, and Irreconcilable Differences. Andrew Fucking Hartley was a rich man so why shouldn’t that bloody bastard pay his fair share too? Daniel signed off on charging him Alienation of Affection. As he looked at that particular document he thought if she loved Hartley she’d fight him on that, she’d try to protect him as best she could. And if nothing else ever came from all of this mess at least he’d get to see her again, she’d have to come to bargaining table sooner or later before all was said and done.

“This is Hartley’s address,” Daniel shoved a piece of paper across the desk. “I’m sure if you send the papers there they’ll get forwarded on to wherever she is.” Oh yeah, Andrew Fucking Hartley probably left standing orders that anything resembling correspondence from a Colorado lawyer should be forwarded immediately. Andrew probably didn’t want to drag this out but he wasn’t gonna get his wish on that one. Daniel was going drag this out to the bitter end. Let Hartley—and Callestah—choke on that one.

“Call when they’re ready to sign.” Daniel walked out of the office.

And now here he was two weeks later sitting in Mr. Gruskin’s office looking over all the carefully prepared legal documents and signing his name where indicated. “You know, Daniel, it’s still not too late to back out.” Mr. Gruskin told him in a warm voice as he looked at him through old hazel eyes. “We can just rip these up.”

“No,” Daniel shook his head. “I haven’t heard from her since she left. It’s time to get this going.” Daniel pushed the papers back toward the lawyer. “Are we done?”

“That’s it. I’ll call when she responds.”

“Yeah.” Again he walked out of the office and headed to a bar.

Angry and hurt and not being in the mood to risk running into Antoinette tonight Daniel didn’t go to O’Malley’s for Regular Visit. Nope he wanted to go some place where nobody knew his name so he drove around for a while until he found an interesting spot; Rosie’s Cantina. Yep, that sounded good. He’d sit there, get drunk, and watch the pretty girls take their clothes off. Heck, he even had $150.00 in his pocket maybe he’d get a lap dance or two while he was inside. Strippers were like any other woman, flash cash in front of ‘em and they flashed their tits in front of you, easy-peasey-Japanesey. No fuss no muss. If he went to the ATM maybe he could get one those long leggy drinks of water to come home and ride him for the night. Yep that sounded real good too. Why the fuck not? Andrew F. Hartley wasn’t any damn slouch, so why should Daniel be stuck with a woman who looked like Antoinette? He should have just as fine a ride as that cheating bitch wife of his did.

At the bar and rear of the strip club it was so dark you could hardly see your drink right in front of you. All the light in the place was focused on the runway stage and the poll in the middle of it where some hot blonde was currently shaking her big—probably fake—tits at the crowd and grinding her hips seductively. The men in the crowd were enjoying the show she was putting on for them and he knew that because she was getting tipped well. Then again there wasn’t a straight man alive that didn’t like pulling back a G-string just a little bit so he could slip a dollar or two between it a woman’s flesh.

Sitting at the bar knocking down shots of Southern Comfort he watched the pretty ladies dance. They shook their tits, their hips and ground those tight firm asses in the air as the men cheered them on. They did splits and high kicks and twirled around the poll as they took off the skimpy outfits and stripped down to that very pleasing G-String and nothing else. As he sat there watching them he saw that the dancers in this club worked in a three song routine. Yes, sir, three songs and they were off the stage and another one was coming up for her turn. Later in the night they’d probably rotate and the dancers he was seeing now would be back. Then again, if they only worked three minutes a night and went home with all those bills stuffed in those thongs then that was a good night’s wage in anyone’s eyes. Daniel intended to stick around until closing time to see if any of them came back or not.

A woman came on the stage, she wasn’t all that different from the rest of them really, she was young and beautiful as she danced for the crowd. She had long red hair and big dark eyes. What she didn’t have was the biggest tits of the night, in fact the way those pretty titties bounced Danny would say they were real. He took his shot to the seats down front and kept his eyes on her while she went through her routine. Somehow, he wasn’t sure, he caught the dancers’ eye and she strutted toward him holding out of those not-so-big but definitely real tits to him with both hands. Daniel stuck a five dollar bill in her G-String and ordered another shot. She saw the five wasn’t a one and came a little closer hoping for another tip. That was ok he’d tip her all night if she wanted. The scantily clad waitress with the short dark hair and big blue eyes put his shot down next to him. Daniel gave her a ten and told her to keep the change. He knew the shot was five he’d already bought eight of them. It was much cheaper to get drunk at home but it was no where near this entertaining. Drink in hand he lounged back in the comfortable seat and watched the sexy girl dance for him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind as he sat there watching her and knocking the drink past numb lips he remembered Calla danced for him like that. Man, there wasn’t a woman alive who could shake and shimmy like her. Nope. This one was pretty close. Daniel hadn’t tipped her in a few minutes and she’d gone on down the gauntlet to the next man holding out his cash. It was on purpose he did that because he wanted to watch her walk away and get a good look at that ass. Very nice. Knocking back the rest of the shot he held out another five and within moments she danced her way back to where he was sitting. His cock was getting hard and he wanted to touch her but that was not allowed. However…

“How much for a lap dance?” Daniel asked with a smile.

The stripped looked at him, he was cute and he’d already given her ten, “twenty,” she said.

Daniel reached in his pocket and held out his money. She opened the front of the G-string and let him get a nice long look at the top of that little snatch. Once again, very nice, definitely high-class material and Daniel slid the bill inside. The woman reached behind her shoulders and fluffed that long red hair out around her face and brought it cascading over those small perky breasts before she turned around and sat in his lap.

The sensation of that young, round an oh so firm grinding against his crotch made him harder. “Got a name?” Daniel asked.

“Kerry,” she told him.

Daniel was surprised that it wasn’t ‘Blaze’ or something stupid like that he actually thought it was possible that was her real name. “Kerry,” he said as he looked at her back and watched her hips as they pushed down on him. He wanted to grab her, free his cock and stuff her full with it. This one was hot, a woman who rivaled Andrew Fucking Hartley to be sure. Still, touching on his part was not allowed and if he tried it the big burly men standing in the corners would come and toss his ass out. “Do anything on the side, Kerry?”

“No,” she said. “Sorry,” and she smiled at him from over her shoulder. “You could ask Amber or Ivory,” the stripper whispered as she turned around and straddled him. “They might,” she whispered in his ear.

“Too bad,” he whispered back, “I’m not interested in them.” And he wasn’t. He’d already seen those two dance and wasn’t impressed. This one was very young—in fact Daniel doubted she much older than Colleen, she probably wasn’t old enough to drink in the same bar she took her clothes off in-- and she looked very sweet to him. “Are you sure?” She might make him cum right here if she kept pushing her spread legs against him like that.

The man below her looked oddly familiar and he had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. Kerry looked down at the hands at his sides the ones that were clenching and unclenching trying to keep himself from touching her and breaking the rules. The ones with the long slender fingers attached. They looked soft to her. “I’m not a whore,” was what she said to him.

“Then how about you just come home with me?”

Kerry leaned forward and put her small but nice tits right in his face even though she wasn’t supposed to. The flesh to flesh contact didn’t last long but it was enough for her to feel his breath there and for him to breathe in a good headful of her scent. Smelled good to him. “I’m not supposed to.” Kerry got off his lap as the song ended. It was the third one and her routine was over for now. “If you’d asked me any place else I might have said yes.” She smiled at him as the men clapped and whistled their approval of her routine and her lap dance. Daniel watched her bend over and pick up the clothes she’d discarded earlier. That was one fine ass. Not a dimple or hint of cellulite on it anywhere.

It was two and half hours before he saw her again. Daniel sat there through all of the other dancers he watched and they teased him but it was Kerry he was waiting for. By the time she came back he’d downed a full bottle of Southern Comfort and used the bars’ ATM twice to get booze and tip money. When Kerry came back and went into a different routine than the one she’d performed previously she saw him sitting out there in the crowd and her eyes and her smile told him she was both surprised and happy to see him.

Daniel held out a fifty and then a twenty and another twenty, he kept her bumping and grinding on his lap through her entire twenty minute routine. The men in the crowd weren’t so happy about that but he didn’t give a shit. There wasn’t any rule about keeping a stripper’s attention through her routine, well, not an actual written law or bar rule it was more like a general guideline that one shouldn’t do that.

Near the end of her routine she did a slow song, Beth by Kiss. Her body wasn’t bumping and grinding anymore now it was slithering and sliding over him, pressing further and deeper against him. Daniel saw the bouncer looking at them and held his hands out to his sides up the air to show he wasn’t touching her. “You sure you don’t want to come home with me?”

“What’s your name?”

Well that might help break the ice a little bit. “Daniel.”

“What do you want, Daniel?” She whispered in his ear as she held those tits against the cotton material of his shirt. Her face was hidden to Charlie the bouncer she licked the nape of his neck before pulling away to look at him. He was very handsome and he didn’t look like he was overly kinky. Maybe she would like to go home with him.

The part of him that still understood Calla Speak pricked its ears up. She wasn’t asking his sexual tastes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

The song was coming to an end Peter Criss was crooning that he and the boys would be playing all night. “I’m not a whore.”

That was the second time she said that. “I didn’t say you were.”

Kerry mulled it over a little longer. There was a wedding band on one of those slender fingers. That was ok she had one too. He did give her almost a hundred and fifty dollars tonight maybe he deserved a little something more than a lap dance in return. “Meet me outside.” She didn’t say anything else as she got off his lap and made her exit.

Daniel stood up and shook his head to clear it. He took in a deep breath and focused on the door which looked so extremely far away even though it couldn’t be more than fifty feet. That hot little stripper was coming home with the little geeky guy tonight. Would wonders never cease? Daniel waited around in the parking lot under the light of the full autumn moon waiting for Kerry to come out which she did about fifteen minutes later.

She saw him and walked right over to him. “Hi,” she said shyly.

“Hi,” Daniel returned with a smile. “You’re a good dancer.”

“Thanks,” she said with a little laugh. “I’m actually trained in ballet but it’s hard to find a job in that field these days.”

“By day I’m an archeologist.” Daniel told her and reached out to touch her hand.

“Oh,” Kerry said and let him take her hand in his. “I would have thought you were a teacher or something.”

“Teacher?” He looked down at the hand in his. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” she ran her thumb over the back of his hand. “If you saw me on the street would you think I was a stripper?”

“No.” That would probably be the further occupation from his mind if he saw her walking down the street and someone asked him what he thought she did for a living. He might have said dancer because of her lithe little body but not stripper. They had bigger tits. “Still want to come home with me?”

“My car’s over there.” She nodded her head across the parking lot. “It’s an SUV.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out, well if you were well versed in Calla Speak that was. “You want to have sex with me in your car?” He couldn’t help but smile it had been a long time since he did it in the back seat.

“Probably better if we don’t know where the other one lives.” She looked down at the ring on his finger and made sure he saw the one on hers.

“No strings.” Daniel agreed and let her guide him across the parking lot to the black Navigator. Good choice it was bigger than his Volvo. There was plenty of room to stretch out and move around in that one. He wanted to ask about her husband and why she’d do this but that would open the door to her asking about Calla and he didn’t want to hear never mind answer any questions about her right now. Maybe he was an ass. Maybe he didn’t get her off. Maybe he ignored her. Who cared what his problem was tonight Daniel would benefit from it.

“Do you mind?” Kerry asked as they climbed into the back seat and she reached upfront to the glove compartment and pulled out a glass pipe. “It’s been a long night.”

“No I don’t mind.” Daniel had been admiring her ass again as she leaned forward and he now he cleared his throat. “Sorry if I made you work too hard.”

Kerry was putting the flame to the weed when he made his comment and she choked out a puff of smoke at she laughed. “No you didn’t. Most guys wouldn’t have been so good about the whole thing.” She commented and handed the bowl over to him. “Want some?”

It had been a long time since he’d done that too not since Kitty left. Daniel took the bowl and hard hit from it before handing it back to her. He thought about what she said while the smoke filled his lungs and the booze and THC wafted around in his head. Most guys would have been all over her and the bouncers would have thrown them out. They wouldn’t have been able to just sit there and enjoy her bumping and grinding and sliding all over them the way he had. Sitting there watching her take another hit and the way the small flame lit up her face he wondered why David didn’t have anything to say about that fine ass or those sweet little tits winking at them. But he was quiet as a mouse tonight seemed he didn’t have a comment to make. “So what do you want to do, Kerry?” He sidled up next to her a little closer while she handed him the bowl. “’Cause I know what I wanna do.” Daniel took his hit, held it and then exhaled before he gave it back to her.

For a very long moment she sat there next to him with the bowl in her hand, she wasn’t smoking it she was just looking at him and Daniel knew she was looking for the right words. “Do you know how to make love?” Kerry asked. “Because, you know, you look like you do.”

“I think I know how it goes,” Daniel returned in a low teasing voice and ran his finger tips up the length of her thigh. “What do you want me to do for you, Kerry?”

“Make it not hurt.” She replied without hesitation. “He always makes it hurt.”

Maybe Davy hadn’t spoken tonight because he knew something Danny didn’t. David had much more experience with strip clubs and strippers than Daniel did. Right now all he could see was Calla sitting there. Kerrys’ long beautiful red hair and her sad eyes, brown though they were…

How long ago was it that Calla said that to him? It was more than eighteen years ago that much he knew as he sat there in the dark SUV with the pretty stripper.

David…David…he was about to say something but Danny cut him off….

You’re drunk, Danny, git outta da car. From the sound of his voice his bigger brother was just about begging him to do that very thing.

There was something in that kiss. Something in the way she was pulling him closer. And in the way her lips left his skin and covered the nape of his neck in desperate kisses. Daniel’s face was buried in her hair as he undid the bra and pulled it free. Kerry ripped his shirt open and pressed her naked flesh against his as her teeth started to take little nibbles out of him. The further they went and the higher they climbed the more each little nibble became a more insistent little bite until Daniel pushed her away and against the door. “Take these off,” he tugged at the blue jeans and took off his own khaki’s.

Shut up! She’s ready and I’m gonna fuck her. Watch if you want but shut the fuck up!

Kerry’s jeans gone he tore off the matching purple panties and spread her legs. She looked up at him with dark wanting eyes. He didn’t want her ready. No. Daniel wanted her tight and dry when he pushed his way into her. More than that he wanted…

In the back of his mind he could feel David hitting him, slapping him across the face but he was drunk and stoned and she smelled really good and she was just begging him for it. This sexy taunting teasing tantalizing stripper, the one who shook her goods night after night and rode the lap of the highest bidder.

Slut.

Danny, Davy whispered, Danny, baby burther man, lis’ten ta me…

Her lips were still pressed against his neck and her hands were running all over him. She wanted it. Anyway she could get it. She wanted it. She fucking needed it. “Get on your knees,” Daniel told her and turned her around. He pushed her up against the door and the window. The street light caught the diamond ring on her finger and the wedding band below it. His fist wrapped around her red hair. Kerry had a husband somewhere, a man who didn’t know she was in the back of this car getting ready to fuck him. Kerry’s husband wasn’t alone. He knew how Kerry’s husband felt, how he would feel when/if he found out about what they were doing. Fucking Kerry and all the women like her. All of them that teased and taunted and said that you could have them while they danced away….

The tip of his hard cock pushed against her entrance. Still unaware of the brutal thoughts in his head she backed up for him.

Aw please Danny, jus’ let ‘er go. Git yer pants back on…and get outta the car. Davy begged. Callie loves you, dun be like me. C’mon, Danny, dun dew dis. David tried to find the brakes but they were too far away from the tablet for him to be in control. All he could do was watch and scream and pled with Danny not to go any further down this road. C’mon, Danny, yew dun wanna be like me, I know’d yew dun. Let her go, Danny.

“Daniel?” Kerry asked with bated breath as she waited for him to enter her. “Please make love with me.”

Callie dun like dat an’ yew know it. David said in a low horrified whisper. Is dat wot you hope he’s dewin’ to her? Ta our wife? Yew hope he’s hurtin’ her?

Daniel didn’t want to listen any more and he didn’t want to hesitate anymore. This red haired cheating stripper bitch was just like his red haired cheating whore wife. Why the hell shouldn’t he give it to her? Daniel pushed fully into her and the hand at her breast clamped down around her nipple. “I wanna fuck you,” he whispered from behind her. “I wanna fuck you so hard.” Below him she drew in a harsh breath and tried to turn around but he held her in place. “I wanna fuck you in every way I can get you.”

“No,” Kerry

(Calla)

cried out in soft voice. “Daniel, please don’t hurt me. Please.”

In the back of his mind David was crying he was sobbing like a little boy. Dis wot yew wanna dew ta ‘er, Danny? Dis why yew want Callie ta come home? Daniel could see him, he was sitting on a rock in an open field and the sun was going down behind him. I thought yew’se better ‘n that, Danny. I thought yew’se different. Mab-be it’s in da blood, huh? David turned away unable to look at the scene any longer. Dun be like me. He whispered. She ain’t Callie.

“Please?” Kerry

(Calla)

begged again from below him.

It was all in his hands….everything…the whole fucking world was dancing in the palm of his hand. Standing there at the Cross Roads he found it a vast and lonely place. David was curled up in a little ball in the back of his mind. Trying so hard to get a mental image through to his brother, a message in a bottle so to speak, something in his lifetime that David hadn’t been able to grasp.

That was it.

All those women Davy raped and the ones he killed all that anger inside of him. He never got rid of it no matter what he did it just built and built and fed upon itself until it was this dark black thing that oozed and wept and he couldn’t control it. It never went away and it never got better. Why? Because he wasn’t angry with those women he was just taking it out on them. David Jackson never got down to core of his anger he never really found out what it was that drove him to do the things he did.

Grabbing hold of what was left his sanity Daniel pulled out of Kerry. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled and fell back in the seat.

“Get out!” She screamed at him and pointed at the door.

Daniel reached for his clothes, tossed the shirt with the torn button over his chest and jumped into the khaki’s as he opened the door and let himself out. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“Get out!” Kerry reached down opened her small clutch and threw Daniel’s money at him. “I told you, I’m not a whore!”

“No you’re not.” Grabbing up his shoes but leaving the cash behind he slammed her car door shut and ran back to his Volvo. “I don’t wanna be like you, Davy. I don’t ever wanna be like you.” He said as he ran.

Thank God, Davy returned gratefully. Get the fuck outta here before she calls the cops. Fer chris’sakes, Danny dun turn on the da headlights! She’ll get da plate num’ba.

That was really good advice and Daniel followed it to the ‘t’. He drove straight home, well not straight. He was drunk. He swerved across the road and ran into a ditch or two but it was nothing serious and nothing which caused damage to anyone else. The Volvo suffered a few scrapes and dents getting back to the house.

Drunk and pissed off at himself, Calla and the entire fucking world he walked through the front door to find Colleen in the living room. She was crying because Sandy’s parents were demanding a DNA test before they’d allow their son to pay any child support. Sandy was starting to say the baby wasn’t his and that she’d slept around.

If he were sober he would have put his arms around his daughter to comfort her. If he hadn’t just been through hell in the backseat of Kerry’s SUV and the harrowing ride home he might have called Sandy’s parents and told them exactly where they could get off and demand some type of retribution from the little bastard who was in effect calling his daughter a …..

“Fucking whore,” Daniel spat at her, “serves you right!” He slapped her across the face without thinking about it. He couldn’t help it. He wasn’t seeing Colleen he was seeing Calla and what she might have looked like while she tried to explain to him that at one of the children she was carrying might be David’s. Daniel watched those tapes as many times as she did, why the fuck was she watching those tapes if she weren’t enjoying it? She was getting off on watching David fuck her more than she did watching the two of them. The way she fucked Ares and Andrew Hartley without batting an eyelash. “Slut,” he slurred and stumbled up the stairs while she stared after him.

End of Chapter Six
Tarnished Heroes: Broadway is Dark Tonight--Daniel's Story
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Chapter Seven