Task Number 2(1)

"Can I sit down?"

Kelly Jo looked up into Ashley's wan face and gave her a big smile. "Sure."

Ashley set her plate of fresh fruit and glass of orange juice down and sat, unwrapping her silverware and spreading her napkin on her lap. "I heard you did well at the tables last night."

"Yep. Just got lucky. I love baccarat."

"I tried to follow along. It's too confusing."

"You should start with blackjack. That's pretty straight forward."

"I-I've never played blackjack."

"Never?" Ashley shook her head, chewing on a chunk of honeydew. "Have you ever vacationed anywhere where there was a casino?"

"No."

"Have you ever been to a casino?"

"Never had any money."

"I thought you said you were married, Ashley. You mean to tell me that your husband wouldn't give you a few bucks to play some games?"

"No."

The hairs on the nape of Kelly Jo's neck prickled. Something was wrong and she didn't like what she thought it was, especially with Ashley's wounds fresh on her mind. "Ashley, did your husband give you those wounds?"

"It was my fault."

"Oh, my God." Kelly Jo whispered. "Please tell me you don't believe that!"

"It's true, Kelly Jo. I knew that I shouldn't talk back to him and I did. I had to be taught a lesson."

"Ashley … "

"Don't worry, Kelly Jo. If I still believed that, I wouldn't be here." Ashley took a deep breath. "I left him."

"Does he know?"

"About what? Me leaving?"

"No, the scavenger hunt."

"No. He never saw the invitation."

Kelly Jo patted her chest in relief and picked up a slice of bacon, chewing thoughtfully. "So how'd you get yours?"

"It was taped onto one of my sheets."

"In your house?"

"No, I had done laundry and the sheets were hanging outside, drying. When I went to take them down, it was taped onto the back of one."

"That was ingenious. I swear, that's as mysterious as this whole hunt. It's like a ghost left them."

"Yeah." Ashley took a swallow of her juice. "He would never have let me go anyway."

"I have a feeling that there's precious little that he'dlet you do." Kelly Jo waited for a response that never came. "Am I right?" Ashley nodded. "Why would you stay?"

"Because I thought he loved me." Seeing the look on Kelly Jo's face, Ashley sighed, setting her fork down. "We've been together ever since we graduated from high school. Nearly nine years. I never imagined that … our love would degenerate to … whatever it is now."

"It happens sometimes. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"But why didn't I see it? Why didn't I notice the changes?"

"He probably did it subtly. That's how most of them do it. One day, you're in love, then the next day, he's telling you that this blouse looks better on you than that one, then he's buying all your clothes for you." Tears were dripping down Ashley's cheeks. "Does that sound familiar?"

"It started with the TV set. He used to love to watch Jeopardy with me. He was always so proud that I knew most of the answers and he even said that I should be on the show because I was so smart." She wiped her face and dabbed at her nose. "Then one day, when we were watching it, he turned the channel and said that he thought Wheel of Fortune would be a better show to watch. Finally, he just quit asking and started controlling what we watched. The only time I was allowed to watch anything was when he was at work. And then, he'd hide the remote so I couldn't turn the channel." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I got my first lesson when I found the remote and forgot to put it back."

"Oh, Ashley."

"I don't know why I didn't leave right then but I stayed." Ashley took a drink of her juice. "Then, he got into this 'I-have-to-have-an-heir' thing and he started fucking me every time he could, trying to get me pregnant. When nothing happened, he got angry and called my gynecologist, who told him that I was on Depo-Provera. You know, birth control. That was my second lesson." She was silent for a long time. "But that wasn't the worst."

"Ashley, you don't have to tell me."

"Please." The plaintive tone of her voice caught and held Kelly Jo's attention. "I need to tell someone."

Kelly Jo set her newspaper down, took Ashley's hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Go ahead, honey."

Ashley took a breath. "The third lesson was the worst. I got pregnant and he was so happy. He treated me like a queen, like he did when we were first going out. I was happy, too. I thought the baby would make everything all right again. Then, he brought the first girl home. And while I was in the bathroom having morning sickness, he was fucking her, in our bed. When I confronted him about it, he told me that he was a man and that he could do whatever he wanted. I was only a piece of property." She released a breath with a loud gush of wind. "I threw myself down the basement stairs and miscarried the baby."

"Oh, my God!"

"That was the worst lesson."

"Ashley, what was the lesson on your back for?"

"Talking back to him. It didn't matter. I'd already decided to leave. Enduring another lesson was the last thing on my mind."

"What if you hadn't endured it?" Both women sat silently, their hands clasped together, neither wanting to answer the question. "Where will you go after this is done?"

"I don't know. I'll probably stay in a hotel for awhile."

"I know we just met, Ashley, but Kevin and I have a big house and plenty of extra space for someone else. You could stay as long as you'd like … "

"I couldn't impose on you, Kelly Jo. Besides, I couldn't forgive myself if Matthew showed up and put you and Kevin's lives in jeopardy … "

"I'm sure that Kevin would be more than happy to handle him." Kelly Jo smiled, glancing up and seeing Kevin fast approaching. "Here he comes now. Just give it a thought, okay?"

"Okay." Ashley murmured, releasing Kelly Jo's hands and grabbing her juice. "Thanks."

"Good morning, Lady Luck!" Kevin grinned, pressing a kiss to Kelly Jo's cheek. "Good morning, Ashley."

"Morning, Kevin." Ashley replied, then turned her attention back to her neglected fruit. She ate in silence, listening to the twins' animated conversation. How nice it would be to have someone who cared. Kelly Jo had seemed to care like that. Ashley remembered the softness of her hands and the sincerity in her eyes. Would Kelly Jo care about her like that?

"Morning everyone." Shane, Beverly and James came over, plates in their hands. They all pulled up chairs and pretty soon, everyone was talking about the casino and about how much Kelly Jo had won.

It was strange to see how quickly they had become a team, how quickly they had trusted each other and protected each other. Nathan noticed this as he watched them from his seat in the corner. He had seen the mousy Ashley respond to Kelly Jo's concern. He saw James wait for Beverly and saw Shane actually enjoying the company of people several years older than he was. And he saw Kevin looking at his sister as a woman. In just this short spanse of time, each had encountered something that they never thought they would.

He left his table and headed toward the group. "Good morning."

"Morning, Nathan." They all replied simultaneously and every one of them laughed, as if it was a private joke. He laid the envelope on the table. "Your next task."

James hefted the manila envelope. "By now, you should have had a wonderful breakfast and are ready to accomplish your second task on the scavenger hunt. Your second task is to provide a massage to Vince Neil, the lead singer of Poison. Simple task? No. To provide this massage, you must give him a 'happy ending'. One of the ladies must be chosen for the task and it cannot be Kelly Jo. The reward for each person will be $2,500 dollars." A hum of appreciation zipped through the group. "The proof required is the Vince's cum, either in the hand or the mouth of the participating girl. This proof must be shown to Nathan. Everyone must remain in the dining room and the girl will rejoin the group. If you follow the instructions, you will receive the money upon completion."

"I'll do it." Beverly spoke up.

"No, Bev. I'll do it." Ashley stood, her dark eyes soft.

"Are you sure?" Kelly Jo asked.

"Yes." Ashley drew her shoulders straight. "If you can do it, I can."

Nathan smiled, holding a card key in his hand. "He's expecting you."

Ashley took the card key and headed for the door. "Ashley, wait!" Kelly Jo rushed to catch up with her, giving her a tight embrace and a lingering kiss on her cheek. "We'll be waiting for you."

Ashley felt her heart leap in her chest, seeing something spark in Kelly Jo's eyes. She raised a hand to cup her face, thrilling at the touch of Kelly Jo's hand on hers. Ashley was surprised to find herself wanting to kiss her soft mouth, to feel the love radiate through her. "I'll be looking forward to it."

When Ashley turned to follow Nathan, Kelly Jo noticed that it was the first time she'd seen Ashley smile.