Читать книгу M.O.E. - Linda Blum - Страница 7

“Nice lip locking back there.”

Hope was startled to see Jonathan standing in front of her.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I’m having dinner.”

Hope eyed him suspiciously. “Are you following me?”

Jonathan acted appalled by this. “No.”

His reaction didn’t seem sincere, giving her the creeps.

“Well I won’t keep you then,” Hope said.

She tried to walk past him, but he blocked her path.

“I take it the man you’re swapping tongues with is your boyfriend,”

He said in pissy voice. He almost sounded jealous, which surprised Hope.

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem into him, which makes me hopeful.”

“Pardon me?” Hope asked in surprise.

“You weren’t ripping off his clothes like you were with me.”

“Oh please.”

Without warning his eyes and lips were on hers setting her on fire. She leaned into him and, without thinking, kissed him back. When their tongues met, she felt desire wash through her. He pulled her away from the washrooms into a dark corner where his hands roamed over her. During the process something was pulling her back to the reality of the situation. When she realized where she was and what she was doing, she immediately stopped.

“I want you,” Jonathan whispered in her ear.

“Jonathan we have to stop.”

“I want to take you right here, right now,” he said as he pushed her up against the wall with his erection.

“No.”

Jonathan looked into her eyes.

“I’ve got to have you,” he whispered.

Jonathan sensed she would refuse him, so he slammed his mouth over hers hoping to change her mind. Hope was so overcome by passion that she couldn’t think, until a voice in her head began speaking.

“Hope you must stop.”

Hope heard the words, but kept kissing him anyway.

“Stop!” the voice shouted in her head.

Hope pushed Jonathan away and felt her body tingle from head to toe. This sensation startled her, along with the voice in her head; making her wonder if she was going crazy.

“No you’re not crazy, horny maybe, but definitely not crazy,” the voice in her head said.

This voice sounded like Judy’s uncle Will.

“Will is that you?” Hope questioned silently.

“Yes it is.” Will answered.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. She knew that Judy, Jay, and even Ren could communicate with Will. She always hoped that one day, she would be able to, but unfortunately right now wasn’t the best time to start.

“The man’s an M.O.E.” Will said.

“No, his name is Jonathan not Moe,” Hope said.

Will laughed. “I know that. What I mean is an M.O.E., a manipulator of energy.”

Hope looked at Jonathan in a new light.

“I thought he was controlling me,” Hope said in disgust.

Thinking back to her encounters with him, she realized she did things that were out of character for her.

“Hope,” Jonathan said as kissed her.

Hope could feel him pulling her back under his spell.

“Fight it Hope, before he drags you out of here and has his way with you,” Will warned.

“I can’t do this,” Hope said, breaking away from him.

Jonathan was about to say something, but Hope stopped him.

“I’m going back to my boyfriend,” she said as she backed up. “Don’t bother me anymore.”

Hope quickly turned and walked away. She heard Jonathan calling out to her and could feel him pulling her back.

“Keep walking away and don’t look back,” Will advised.

Hope focused on Rick as she entered the dining room hoping to forget about Jonathan.

“I was about to send Judy to see if you were alright,” Rick said as she sat down.”

“Sorry I took so long,” Hope said nervously.

Judy sensed something was wrong with her friend.

“Is everything alright?” Judy asked.

“I’m fine,” Hope lied.

She was still trying to shake off the effects of Jonathan, as well as come to grips with talking to Will. She was very excited that she got to speak with him; however, it seemed weird carrying on a conversation in her head. She wished she could share this with the others, but refrained from saying anything due to the nature of their conversation.

“Something is wrong.” Judy whispered, “I can tell.”

Hope tried to ignore her friend to concentrate on Rick. Just then Jonathan walked past her table and winked. She wanted to slug him, but refrained. Luckily, Judy was the only other person who noticed him.

“Now I know what’s wrong.” Judy said in a hushed tone.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Hope muttered,

Throughout the night, she kept her eyes on Jonathan wondering why he had his sights set on her. He left just before they were about to depart, making Hope wonder if he was also intuitive to boot.

When they got outside, Hope checked the parking lot for any signs of him. She sensed that he was out there watching her, but where he was she wasn’t sure. Rick noticed her scanning the area.

“Looking for someone?” he asked.

“I just thought I saw someone I knew.”

Rick opened the door for her before getting inside. The drive home was a quiet one, as Hope was lost in thought. When they got home, Hope said she was tired and got ready for bed. Rick knew something was wrong, he sensed it back at the restaurant. He wondered if maybe she had an encounter in the bathroom, because she started acting strange when she got back to the table. Luckily for Hope, Jonathan didn’t follow her right away. If he had then Rick may have seen him and connected her mood with him.

When Rick got to bed, Hope was sleeping so he never got a chance to question her any further. A sudden yawn escaped him, as he got out of his clothes. He never realized how tired he was until now. He lay down beside Hope, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and snuggled close. Within minutes he drifted off to sleep.

Hope heard the light sound of snoring and was thankful that Rick was asleep. She could tell that he knew something was wrong with her, but she didn’t want to talk to him about it, not yet. She was still reeling over what she had learned from Will. Jonathan manipulated energy to control people. This made her wonder if he did this to others as well. The thought bothered her. She stewed about this for a long time until sleep finally took over.

“So what was wrong with Hope tonight?” Ren asked, as he changed out of his clothes.

Judy sensed she had another Jonathan encounter, but without talking to Hope she wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know.” Judy replied. “I asked her and she said she was okay.”

“She’s lying then.” Ren commented. “Something must have happened when she was in the bathroom, because when she came out she seemed weird.”

“I know,” Judy sighed. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow and hopefully get some answers about her mood.”

“Speaking of moods,” Ren started. “What was up with Jay tonight? Lisa said he freaked out on her when she was straightening up the family room.”

“That’s because she put some pictures of Will away. She thought it might be better if they weren’t lying around. I guess Jay got upset when she did this,” Judy said.

“I thought he was handling things quite well, especially since he can still speak with him.”

“He is, but it’s still hard on him to adjust to this new relationship,” Judy said.

“Sounds like someone else I know.” He pointedly looked at Judy.

She understood how her son felt, as she felt the same way.

“Jay is also having a problem when we leave. He thinks something is going to happen to us,” Judy said.

“I’m sure it’s just a reaction to Will’s and Vera’s deaths.” Ren surmised.

“That’s what I thought,” Judy agreed. “I’m sure he’ll get over this, but it may take some time.”

“We’ll just have to keep reassuring him that everything will be all right.”

Ren noted the worried look in his wife’s eyes. Both his wife and son were having a hell of a time getting over Will and Vera’s deaths. He knew all they needed was lots of love to help them through this.

“Why don’t we get some sleep,” Ren suggested.

Judy yawned. “Sounds good to me.”

When they got into bed, Ren pulled her close. It felt good having her in his arms. They had been together for eleven years now and he was still madly in love with her.

As he held her, he felt the comforting feeling he always did when he was around her. There was something about Judy’s energy that always had a calming effect on him. Jay felt the same way. He often said he loved being around his mother’s energy, as it made him feel good. It wasn’t long before both of them drifted off to sleep.

Ren’s day was a busy one. He had back-to-back consultations all morning and was glad when his last client left. He needed a break. Being a personal trainer was something he enjoyed doing, especially at Brawny’s gym. The gym had a good reputation, great customer service, and many trained professionals, like him, to help the members.

Ren was making a protein shake when Rick walked in.

“Hey Ren.”

“Rick what brings you by?” Ren asked.

“I wanted to talk to you about Hope.”

Ren took a sip of his drink. “What about her?”

“Did Judy say anything to you about her mood last night?”

Ren shook his head. “Nope.”

“Damn,” Rick cursed. “I was hoping you might know something.”

“Didn’t you talk to her today?” Ren asked.

“No,” Rick said. “She was gone when I got up. I figured she went to see Judy at the restaurant, so I dropped by there, but was told that she wasn’t there and neither was Judy.”

“She must be at work and Judy is probably with her.” Ren figured.

“I hope Judy can find out what happened last night. She seemed weird when she came back from the bathroom.”

“I noticed that too,” Ren said.

“I didn’t see anyone come out after her, which makes me wonder what happened.” Rick commented.

“I saw someone,” Ren interjected.

“You did, who?” a surprised Rick asked.

“A man, but he didn’t come out right after Hope. It was a while later.”

“Do you remember what he looked like?” Rick asked.

“He was around six feet, short brown hair, fairly good looking,” Ren said then

added, “He seemed to have a cockiness about him.”

A twinge of concern came over Rick. His gut was telling him this man had something to do with Hope’s mood.

“I’m going to talk to Hope tonight and find out what the hell happened,” Rick said in a tight voice.

Ren noticed the dark look on Rick’s face.

“Look, I wouldn’t worry about this,” Ren said. “It’s probably nothing.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Rick said.

After Rick left, Ren went to his office to relax. He needed some down time before his next client arrived in half an hour. Reaching for the phone, he punched in the restaurant number. Hazel, a long time employee of Willie’s restaurant, told him that Judy went to visit Hope at work. Ren was glad. Maybe she would find out exactly what happened last night.

“You spoke to my uncle?” Judy screeched.

Hope quickly closed her office door.

“Yeah, I was hoping he would make contact with me and he did. He told me Jonathan was an M.O.E.”

“He said that Jonathan was really Moe?” Judy asked slightly confused.

Hope laughed, “No, not Moe as in the name, but M.O.E. meaning a manipulator of energy.” Hope replied.

Hope explained how she always felt like he had been controlling in their encounters. She censored what she had told her friend, not wanting to let on how intimate they had gotten, as she still felt guilty over this.

“So what you are saying is that Jonathan was controlling what he wanted you to do,” Judy said.

“Basically.”

Judy shook her head. “Unbelievable.”

“Have you ever heard of an M.O.E. before?” Hope asked.

“Never,” Judy replied.

“What concerns me is if Jonathan does this to other people.”

“No kidding,” Judy said. “I think you should say something to Rick.”

Hope vehemently shook her head. “No way.”

“Why?” Judy questioned.

“Rick never believed in psychic phenomena until he met you. He’s just getting used to what you do, if we drop this one on him I think he won’t believe it.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Judy commented. “Rick should know about this so that he can watch this guy.”

“All he will see is two consenting adults in a little one-on-one action, or so it will seem. There will be nothing criminal about it.”

Judy gave her a strange look. “Are you saying that Jonathan did more than flirt with you?”

Hope became nervous. She really didn’t want to tell her what went on between them. How his kisses turned her on making her act in ways she never would have, but that’s where the manipulation came in. Jonathan made her do things that she would never have done in normal circumstances. Hell, she had Rick. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. Why would she want to screw that up?

Now that Jonathan had seen her last night with Rick, she hoped that he would end his shenanigans.

“Hope,” Judy interrupted her thoughts. “Did something happen between you and Jonathan?”

“Yes and no,” Hope said evasively.

“What do you mean?” Judy pressed.

Hope sighed. They had been friends since they were teenagers, were extremely close, so she knew when her friend wasn’t about to drop something. It was time to come clean and tell her exactly what happened. When she did, Judy exploded.

“That scum!” she shouted.

“Now do you see why I can’t tell Rick,” Hope said. “He’s not going to believe that Jonathan manipulated me into doing the things I did.”

Hope slumped down in her chair in defeat. She had an uncanny knack for attracting weird men, even some criminally minded. So in a way she wasn’t surprised that Jonathan was bugging her. What surprised her, though, was how she ended up with Rick. He seemed normal, unless some skeleton was going to come out of his closet that said otherwise.

“The problem is that it was pretty obvious that something was bothering you last night, we all noticed this so Rick isn’t going to let this go.”

Hope breathed a heavy sigh. Now what was she supposed to do. Then a thought quickly came to her.

“I just got my period today,” she said excitedly.

Judy gave her a strange look. “And this is good news?”

“No, but I can blame my mood on this,” Hope said. “Men always think that a women’s period is the cause of all our problems. Why do you think they always ask if a woman is on the rag when she is in a pissy mood?”

“True,” Judy agreed. “But do you think he’ll buy it?”

“I hope so.”

Judy left an optimistic Hope and decided to stop by her home. When she entered the house, Sam came bounding towards her. The dog greeted her with a crotch sniff then headed for the back door where she whined by her leash.

“I guess this means you want to go for a walk.” Judy surmised as she grabbed her coat and mitts.

Sam tilted her head as she spoke.

Judy attached her leash and they headed out the door.

Along the walk, Judy thought about the Jonathan situation. She couldn’t believe he used energy to coerce people into doing what he wanted. The thought disgusted her. What bothered her even more was what he had done to Hope. Now her friend was riddled with guilt when she shouldn’t be.

The dog must have picked up her agitated mood because she was acting strange. She was sniffing everything, as well as eating anything she came across, which was unusual.

Things got worse when Judy decided to take a short cut. They were in the middle of the convenience store parking lot when Sam decided to throw up everything she had eaten along the way, leaving a huge pile of steaming barf. Of course, there had to be a crowd of young kids mulling around the store to witness the event. They began making barfing sounds as she walked by. Then to make matters worse a car pulled into the lot at an alarming speed and ran right over the pile, which sprayed the driver’s side window. When the driver slammed on his brakes and jumped out, Judy hightailed it out of there. Unfortunately, she didn’t get away unnoticed as the crowd of spectators ratted her out and the man shouted at her as she ran away.

Judy was out of breath and her sides hurt from running by the time she got home. The phone was ringing when she entered.

“Hello,” she said slightly breathless.

“Hi Judy, its Grandma.”

Judy could hear sadness in her voice and could sense that something was wrong.

“Grandma is everything all right?”

“No,” she sniffed. “Uncle Leo is dead.”

The news shocked Judy. Uncle Leo wasn’t that old.

“What happened?” Judy asked.

Grandma explained that Leo was found dead in his bed with a woman, who she was assuming was Myrna.

Leo was fifty years old, overweight, bald, blind as a bat, and women loved him. Rumour had it, he was a very well endowed and that’s what kept the ladies coming back.

“I guess he died a happy man,” Judy cringed at the thought.

“He was so happy that he died with a smile on his face and a stiffy. I heard the mortician is trying to wipe the smile off, as well as make him go limp.”

Judy had to refrain from laughing.

“When is the funeral?” Judy asked.

“The viewing is tonight at seven. He is being laid out at Morty’s.” Grandma replied.

“I’ll be there.”

Grandma Nora gave Judy a list of relatives to call to let them know about Leo’s death. After she hung up with her grandma, Judy thought about her uncle. She never really knew him that well, but had heard the rumours about him. Supposedly, in his younger years he was a male stripper and had slept with hundreds of women. If this were true, he would put some rock stars to shame with the number of women he bonked.

Judy was almost finished calling the people on her list, when Ren came home. While Judy told him the news about her uncle, she noticed Ren trying to hold back his laughter. It wasn’t long before he let it go.

“Are you done?” Judy asked once his joviality died down.

Ren wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry Jude.”

Judy had to admit his death was kind of funny, in a weird way.

“I hope I die like that,” Ren chuckled.

“With your luck, I’ll be on top of you and we’ll die together, but they won’t be able to pry us apart, so they’ll have to bury us together.”

Ren thought about it for a moment before commenting.

“That wouldn’t be bad,” he said. “We’ll make a grand entrance into the afterlife while having some fun.”

When Jay came home from school, Judy told him the news about his great uncle.

“Can I go with you to the funeral home?” Jay asked.

Judy was hesitant about letting him go since he was having a hard time with her uncle’s death.

“I don’t know Jay.”

“Please, I’ll be good,” he proclaimed.

“I’m not worried about that,” Judy said.

Judy still wasn’t sure, so she discussed this with Ren. Ren thought due to the nature of Leo’s death it would be better if Jay didn’t go. Jay grumbled about it, but in the end accepted their decision.

Judy had a few more calls to make, one being her friend Hope. Hope was sad to hear of Leo’s passing, but was grossed out to think that her aunt Myrna was the cause of his death. Since her aunt had been dating Judy’s uncle, she assumed she was the woman that had been in his bed.

“I hope Aunt Myrna is all right?” Hope said.

“You should call her,” Judy suggested.

“No.” Hope shuddered at the thought. “I wouldn’t know what I’d say.”

“I guess you’re right,” Judy said, “She might be embarrassed.”

“What funeral home will Leo be at?” Hope asked, opting to change the subject.

“Morty’s,” Judy replied.

Hope chuckled. “The place sounds more like a bar than a funeral home.”

“I know,” Judy agreed. “Uncle Leo and Morty have been friends for years, so it only seemed natural that Morty would be the one to take care of things.”

After Judy hung up with Hope, she began to get ready. Her thoughts turned to her uncle. She just hoped that tonight would go smoothly and no mayhem occurred.