Jack’s ex, Jack’s slave – Chapter 1

His old ex, his new slave.

This story is my first attempt to write any kind of fiction. I look forward to any feedback in the comments.

Also, this first chapter is mostly about setting up the story, so includes a bit of background and takes a bit of time to reach the good stuff. Please bear with it, and the next few stories will be more focused.

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Chapter 1 – An introduction

Tamara was standing there, outside Jack’s door. What was she doing here? It had been close to a year since they last saw each other, over a year and a half since it had ended. She had left him, rather, thrown him out, because she wasn’t in love with him anymore. No conversation, no effort to work it out, just a simple “it’s over, there is nothing you can do about it.”

Jack had loved her more than life itself, and the breakup was devastating. He spent a week off work, drinking and thinking about everything that they had been together. His friends all told him he needed to get over her, but he held out hope they would get back together. He thought about what he could do. He was definitely not in shape, and thought he should start there. He started going to the gym, even hired a trainer. At the same time, he realized he would need to show he could earn a good living and took some classes and improved his IT skills. When he met her a couple of months after the breakup, he told her he wanted to give it another shot, but she told him she was seeing someone else, and wasn’t interested in him at all other than as a friend.

That’s when Jack decided he was going to move, go back to the big city, a couple of hours away. He spent another couple of months doing the groundwork. He had lined up a couple of good contracts, and was going to start his own IT consulting business. He had also found a nice apartment, and had arranged to have all his belongings moved. He decided he wanted to close the chapter of his life that included Tamara, hoping it would help him get over the love he still felt for her. He thought one last meeting, to tell her he was leaving would be just right, so he invited her to coffee. When he told her he was moving, she told him she was planning a move as well… In with the new guy she was seeing.

Barely 6 months after they ended their long term relationship and she was moving in with someone else. He wasn’t even over her yet, and she had completely left him behind.

That turned his love into anger. He left the coffee shop, and didnt look back. But love turned to anger is a powerful thing. He barely contained his rage during the day, the frustration pushing him to work harder, but in the evenings, he would take out all his rage at the gym. After about a year, his business was flourishing, and he had carved his body into a mass of muscles. He had shed almost 30% of his weight, and was barely recognizable.

He hadn’t talked to her since that day. He assumed her life was good, and was starting to move on. Finally, he was ready to go out and meet new people.

And yet, here she was now, throwing him in turmoil again. The anger was still there, focused almost entirely on her. And she was on the other side of his front door.

When he looked out through the peephole, he saw her red hair in soft curls, falling onto her shoulders. She was dressed in a dark red jacket and had knee high burgundy boots on. She had her head down, but he knew it was her. He really couldn’t ever forget.

He thought about not opening the door, but he knew that if she was here after all this time, he would never be able to forgive himself for not knowing why. So he turned the handle and opened the door. She looked up, and as he looked into her hazel eyes, he noticed they didn’t have that same sparkle he remembered. Her face was still just as beautiful, her curls framing her features. She had lost some weight, and her features were even more pronounced, and judging by the cling of her jacket, her body was better than before. The coat was short, but he couldn’t see the hem of her dress below it, just the dark stockings and tall leather boots with stiletto heels. When his eyes were done scanning her, he looked back and noticed a look of surprise on her face. Probably because she was expecting someone else, the old him.

She broke the long silence:

“Jack?” She said, in almost a whisper. “My mother and sister died” a bit louder.

All his rage dissipated with that. What could he say?

“I am sorry to hear that.” That was one way to start a conversation, he thought.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.” he replied.

She walked in, and he closed the door behind her. Jack waved her to the sofa.

“Would you like some coffee or tea?” He asked.

“A scotch?”

He should have expected that. He poured a couple of glasses and took out a bucket with some ice. He brought it all out and placed it on the table, handed her a glass, took his and sat down on a chair next to her.

She took a sip from her drink, and started talking:

“My mother and sister were driving home late, after a dinner with my sister’s boyfriend. A truck driver who was on his 20th consecutive hour fell asleep at the wheel and slid into their lane. The doctors told me they both died on impact.”

“I am really sorry to hear that.” What else can one say?

“It happened so suddenly.” she continued. “The day after the funeral, a lawyer approached me. He told me this trucking company had a reputation for letting the drivers ignore the rules so they can work more hours and make more money. He had lost his daughter a year before, but there wasn’t enough evidence to take the company down. This time he had what he needed, and would like to pursue them. If I would let him represent me and my mother and sister, he could promise a win and an end to this company that had cost us so dearly.

“I accepted, and while he started the court proceedings, I started to dismantle their lives. I sold off all their furniture, all their possessions. I tried to go back to work, but I couldn’t focus. They put me on leave, and I just stayed in for over a month, wallowing in my sorrow. The lawyer was still working on the case, and got us a court date a few months out. Billy then left me, because I was miserable all the time, and he couldn’t deal with it. That jerk even threw me out of the apartment. I had to find a place to stay and deal with the pain at the same time. That’s when I started to miss you. I remembered that you would never have done that to me. And something else happened, I started to realise something about me. It’s actually the reason I am here, and I will get to that.

“The lawyer helped me move into a place. He was really nice. I think he saw his daughter in me or something, but he got me a nice apartment to stay in and arranged all the insurance paperwork for me. Turns out my sister’s firm had a very generous insurance policy in the event of accidental death, and I received a very large check. My mother had a good policy as well, but she also had a lot of debts to pay, so there was very little left. I knew I wouldn’t have to work for a little while, so I started to focus on rebuilding. I started by going to the gym and working out everyday to help distract me. I started to meet friends again and got out of the apartment. I was starting to feel better. But that moment of enlightenment was still ever present in my psyche.

“When the court proceedings started, a few weeks ago, I had already made up my mind. As the lawyer made his case, the opposition started to flounder. On the last day, before the jury would deliberate, I had settled all my affairs. I knew what I would do after the court case was over.

“The verdict was in our favour. My lawyer won the case, and won us a settlement of 25 million dollars. I couldn’t believe it. I gave him half, and kept half. He tried to refuse it, but I insisted. He finally took just 5 million for himself. I knew I would never have to work again, and my plan was going to work perfectly.”

She finally stopped talking, and took another sip of her drink. Jack didn’t want to stop her flow, so he just sat there, and waited.

“That was this morning,” she continued, “and I am here now because you are going to decide the rest.” She handed him an envelope.