Dante's Fire

Chapter Twenty Three: Big Jack

BIG JACK

They were in bed, in the master bedroom when he came up on them. Natasha still had clothes on, underwear actually, a binder and tights; Palomar otherwise did not.

There was a tray of what looked like strawberries and squares of brown cake in a intricately designed silver tray on the red-and-white sheets. There was a vase shaped bottle of wine on the hardwood floor. Two glasses sat beside the wine, another had rolled on its side across the room. Natasha had her back to the door which was cracked open just a small bit, while Palomar faced it, but her eyes were closed because Natasha had her face buried in her neck. She made purring noises, like a cat under the caresses of an agreeable hand. It struck Big Jack that, with her head tilted at that angle and her oblique eyes pressed shut so tightly, she had a remarkable resemblance to one too.

He cleared his throat meaningfully.

Palomar's eyes flew open and she let out a screech deserving of a banshee. Luckily, it was a big house, s