Free The Glimpsing by James L. Black, Mary Byrnes Page B

his discipline, the façade did fall, if only for a brief, but very welcomed moment.   Jack had abruptly hustled her away from a conversation, leaving two gentlemen sorely disappointed.   He hurried her down a long hall and into a side room.   There, he thanked her again for his gift, a Rolex watch and, as if in release of some pent up urge, began to kiss her passionately.   He then did something very unexpected.   He spent the next several minutes holding her—just holding her.   No kissing, no groping, just a long and very warm embrace.   As he did so, he whispered that he wanted her to spend the night with him—something he’d never asked her to do before.   She had agreed.   He kissed her once more and just as they were heading back to the party, they thought they heard the sound of a woman’s heels disappearing down the hallway.   Someone, it seemed, had been watching them.
    They’d both immediately gone to the doorway and peered down the hall, but whoever it was had already vanished.     Not knowing who it was had left her worried.   All evening she had been dying for Jack to pay attention to her, but his doing so might have exposed their relationship.   If that news somehow made its way back to Portia…   No, Gabrielle had told herself.     She was overreacting.     The chances of that were next to nothing.
    The party had ended just after midnight.   She’d left amongst a small group of women, each taking their turns waving goodbye and planting parting kisses on Jack’s cheek.   The others had gone home but she had driven to a secluded place, parked, and waited for Jack’s call.   Fifteen minutes later, it came.   She then returned, pulling her car into one of the seven garage bays on the western side of his house.
    They resumed their night, just the two of them, sharing a glass of wine in front of the fireplace and watching a movie.   In the middle of it, he abruptly stood, picked her up in his arms and carried her up to his bedroom.   There they made love for the very first time—not that they hadn’t done so before, but this was the first time it actually felt like lovemaking.   He’d held her firmly, looking deeply into her eyes, as if into the windows of her soul.   Something was happening to him; it was obvious.   Day by day, little by little, he was changing, opening up, showing her things she’d only dreamed of.   After two of the most difficult months of her life, she was starting to feel like it might all have been worth it.
    But that feeling would be short-lived.
    Later that night, she had awakened to find him kneeling over her in bed.   He was staring down at her with a vacant expression.   She had smiled up at him warmly, still afloat on the evening’s events.   But he seemed bitter in his face, so bitter in fact that she thought he might be joking with her.   Seeking to change his demeanor, she had raised a hand dearly to his cheek, but he rudely shoved it away.   That had startled her, making her quickly sit up and stare at him, confused.
    “Get out,” he had said with an icy calm.
    She became even more confused.   “Jack, what’s wrong?”
    “I said get the hell out!”
    She had only sat there in stony disbelief.
    Finally, seemingly frustrated, he grabbed her arm, and tossed her forward.   She went sprawling onto the bed, almost bouncing to the floor.   Stunned, she looked at him over her shoulder.   And Jack looked back, his face full of cold cruelty.
    “Get out,” he repeated.   “It’s over.   And I don’t ever want to see you again.”
    She could recall how small she felt, gathering up her clothing and dragging herself down the hall and into the bathroom.   Her eyes had misted with tears but she wouldn’t allow herself to cry.   Why should she?   She knew who Jack Parke was when this whole thing had started.   She knew about his past, his dealings with women.   So who was she to think she’d be treated any better?   She’d had