Pay To Play Chapter 12

  Olaf ran out of the kitchen, turning the corner so quickly he nailed himself on the corner of the wall, causing a thin trickle of blood to run down his face. He ran in the bedroom to find Jezie sitting upright in bed, craddling her arm, sobbing.

  "Jezie! What's wrong? What happened! Talk to me sweetie!"

  "I...I... I woke up and you weren't here. I didn't recognize anything. I was so afraid." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and Olaf took 3 large bounds into the room and was seated on the bed next to her, holding her tightly in his arms

  With his chin on top of her head he gave her a light kiss, "Baby, shh, its ok. I'm right here baby, I'm not going anywhere. Hush, its ok I promise. Its all going to be ok." They stayed that way a long time until she fell asleep in his arms, snoring softly. Chuckly, he laid her back down and slid into bed next to her undamaged arm. Pulling the blankets across them, he kissed her on the forehead and whispered "I love you" before falling into a deep slumber.

  Olaf awoke with a start and reached over to Jezie, except she wasn't there. Her side of the bed had been cold for some time and he jumped up, looking wildly around the room as if to solve a mystery. He stumbled into the hallway, still not thinking clearly. Jezie was seated at the kitchen table, cup of coffee in front of her, nose engrossed in a book. Her hair was touseled and she had taken off her bloody clothes and replaced them with one of his long button down shirts. It was a light blue with white stripes and rolled up to her elbows. The tails hit her upper leg, and the way she was sitting made it obvious that panties had not been a thought.  He repressed the urge to stare and walked over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a cup. He sat down next to her and laughed at the comparison. his coffee was black and strong but her's was milky and no doubt doused in sugar. They weren't nearly as different as their beverages.

  Olaf had grown up in a house similar to Jezie's. His mother had been a cocaine addict, and he had been the breadwinner from an early age. First a paper route, then a gig bagging groceries at the local store. Somehow, he managed all this while attending school. He attended community college on financial aid, and continued to support his mother. Finally, one day while he was at work, she had died of an overdose. No one was around to call EMS. He had blamed himself for her death for a very long time, almost dropping out of college, thinking that was the problem. A professer had convinced him this wasn't the route and he had graduated with honors and a degree in social work. Eventually he got his doctorate and made more than enought money to support himself.

  Word had gotten around the office that young girls may have been preforming at strip clubs to support their families' due to unfortunate circumstances. He volunteered to check things out one night. At first, he only noticed Jezie as a dancer. She wasn't likely to be underage but he didn't rule her out. Over the next few visits he developed an attachment to her. Yes, he was attracted to her, but that wasn't it. He felt a need to... protect her. She needed him, and in time he found out why. He wanted to marry this girl, to provide for her. Somehow, he didn't think she would agree to being taken care of. She was such a fighter. What he wouldn't give for Jezie to just allow him to care for her, to want him to watch out for her, for them.

  "Ah, wishful thinking," he thought to himself as he rinsed out his coffee cup. He kissed Jezie on the top of the head and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He adjusted the water tempreature and stripped off his clothes, quickly stepping into the steamy water. He was washing the shampoo out of his hair when he opened his eyes to see Jezie peaking in through the curtain. He blushed slightly, and then laughed.

  "What's so funny?" asked Jezie, hands on her hips.

  "Just you. You're cute."

    Jezie made a noise, close to a snort, and turned to walk out of the bathroom.

  "Where are you going?"

   "Out. To let you finish your shower."

   "Why don't you just take one with me?"

   A blush slowly spread across her face and she didn't respond.

   A hearty chuckle over took Olaf, and Jezie lifted her gaze from the floor long enough to give him a death glare, "I'm sorry. Jez, come on. You were a stripper for Pete's sake. How would I guess that taking a shower together would embarass you?"

  Her gaze swiftly returned to the floor and Olaf turned off the water, steping out to hug her. She whispered into his ear, "When you're on stage you can't see people looking at you. The lights are bright. Its easy to pretend you're alone." His heart filled that someone whose youth had been taken away so young could still have so much innocece. He tilted her face up, out of his chest, so he could stare into her strikingly beautiful eyes, "I love you, Jezebel. You don't need to be embarassed, but you certainly don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

  Jezie tried to look back at the ground but he wouldn't allow it, "I do want to."

  "I'm sorry. What was that? You were mumbling."

  "I said I wanted to."

  "Oh really?"

  Jezie lifted her gaze and wrapped her arms firmly around his waste, "Yes. Really."