Edge Of Passion - Jack/Samantha Fanfiction
Title: Edge of Passion
Author: M. Elizabeth Ravensblood
Rating: NC-17 Sexuality
Warning: Contains Non-Lethal Erotic Asphyxiation
Pairing: Jack/Samantha
Summary: While in Otis, Samantha is feeling lost in light of the Donald Lucas situation but is pleased when she discovers Lucas isn't Jack and has a night of passion with the man who's haunted her for so long.
Author's Notes: This is for velvetwhip on her writing anniversary. She requested drabbles and this one sort of grew into a full story. May be considered a sequel to Absence of Desire which can be found here, but both can stand alone :o) The prompt which inspired this was Forbidden Flower, it started to be a tale of how Samantha kept one of Jack's roses and becames something more.
Many thanks to my beta, jackssilverwolf
Author's Notes II: Erotic asphyxiation is highly dangerous and not many people have Jack's finesse. So leave it to the professionals and don't try it at home kiddies.
Sleep eluded Samantha as she sat in her room at the Otis Inn. Tomorrow they would return to Atlanta and she would visit Donald Lucas. She would tell him his plan to upset her with the truth about her father hadn't worked. It probably wouldn't have much impact on him, but maybe it would make her feel better if she thwarted him in even a minor way. Her disappointment in the man who'd occupied her thoughts for so long had left her emotionally raw as her illusions had been stripped away. Hurting Donald Lucas wouldn't change the emotional turmoil she felt upon discovering the identity of her nemesis; but it might help her to feel more in control.
Standing up, Samantha walked to the pair of french doors which opened onto a small balcony that overlooked a field behind the motel. Dark and empty, the field mirrored her emotional state. Jack had never been real, just a fantasy that she'd believed in and it hurt in the cold reality of the situation. Leaning against the railing, Samantha looked up and the sky and closed her eyes. Tonight the universe felt very vast and she felt very alone. A lump of emotion formed in her throat and she blinked back tears that were dangerously close to forming.
Caught up in her pain, Samantha was oblivious when a figure slipped out onto the balcony behind her. She opened her eyes as the familiar scent of tobacco and roses flooded her senses. Before she could react, a leather clad hand covered her mouth and a second moved around her waist and pulled her tightly against a sinewy male body. Instinctively she started to struggle then stopped as an achingly familiar voice admonished her gently.
"Easy now, Samantha. We wouldn't want to be interrupted, now would we?"
Uncertainly, she shook her head no and very slowly the black gloved hand slid over her throat in a caress. Her pulse racing, she gasped very softly, "Jack?"
"Were you expecting Lucas?" he mocked softly.
A million unanswered questions rose up in her mind. She wanted to know why he'd subjected her to Donald and what she'd done to warrant being left to his pathetic pawn. So many things she wanted to know, but as the the thoughts collided she couldn't articulate them. Finding her voice at last, she could only manage a single word, "Why?"
"It was an unfortunate necessity." Haltingly, Jack said, "There were things I had to do- to prepare- for us."
"You abandoned me," she countered plaintively, hating herself for whining even as the words escaped her lips.
Teasingly, Jack drawled, "I thought that was what you wanted all these years."
Sam felt unsure of herself as she listened to Jack. She'd never been in a more intimate situation with him and she was unarmed. Sense dictated she call out so Bailey and John would hear her across the hall, but after Jack's long absence and thinking he was lost to her, Samantha couldn't bring herself to do it.
"I don't know what I want," she admitted after several moments. "I guess I just never thought you'd leave me after-"
"After you killed Sharon?" Jack asked and she nodded in agreement. "You have no idea how much it hurt me to leave you. You were so beautiful when you pulled that trigger, Samantha."
Pride surged within her and she blushed with pleasure. "Really?"
"Oh yes," he whispered sensually against her ear. "My golden goddess killing her rival as I looked on. It was so-"
"Powerful."
"Very," he agreed and kissed the side of her neck. Then punctuating each word with the touch of his lips, he continued, "Very powerful. Very primal. So exquisite."
When Jack stopped talking, he continued to trace her skin with his mouth. Once more she was dimly aware she should call for help or at the very least tell him to stop. Instead Samantha tilted her head to the side allowing him easier access and leaned against him, reveling in his scent. She wanted to turn and look at him but was afraid he would vanish if she did so. Aching to touch him and know that he was really there, Samantha reached up cautiously to touch his face. The gesture made him pause his attentions, but once her hand threaded through his hair and gently urged his mouth back to her throat, he began to tease her with his mouth once more.
The hand splayed on her stomach began to move slowly over the thin fabric of her nightgown, then stopped suddenly and Jack's mouth drew back. Samantha whimpered at the loss and asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?"
"It's too soon for this. You aren't ready to join me in my world yet."
"Maybe I'm not," she admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean we can't-"
"It's almost three, Malone will be up in two hours time. That's not even close to enough time for what I want to do to you."
Frustrating and tantalizing at the same time, typical Jack, she thought and smiled to herself as she felt back on familiar footing. This was the Jack she knew and loved. Loved? Where had that come from? Samantha wondered Panic rose briefly and then dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Good and evil seemed very far away and abstract as Jack held her. Being in his arms felt right. Jack praising her for killing Sharon felt right. Nothing else mattered or existed for her, only Jack. Maybe it wouldn't be that way in the morning, but for now Samantha wanted him more than she could give voice to.
"Please-" she began and then trailed off.
"Please what, my Samantha?"
"Jack, please-"
Velvet and smooth, his breath flickered against the sensitive flesh of her throat once more as he urged, "Tell me."
"Don't-"
"Don't what? Don't touch you?" Jack hissed softly in her ear, mistaking her meaning.
"No, Jack that's not what I meant!" Samantha protested. She wasn't rejecting him, but apparently he thought she was rebuffing his attentions once more.
"Isn't it? Look but don't touch." Nipping the side of her neck hard enough it would leave a mark he added, "Don't kiss you? Don't violate your sacred flesh?"
Her breathing ragged as her body responded to Jack's touch, Samantha shook her head. "No! I mean. Don't go. Don't leave me like- I- I know you've got some elaborate seduction in mind for our first time and there's not enough time for that tonight. And I have no doubt that someday when the time is right we'll do things the way you've planned and it will be every bit as mindblowingly brilliant and incredible as all your plans are. But I don't-"
She started to hang her head unable to continue, but Jack's hand moved under her chin and tilted her face up to her shoulder.
Jack's tone was impassive as he said, "Go on, Samantha."
His face was in shadows but she could feel him staring at her. Unable to escape his scrutiny she closed her eyes as she implored. "Please don't make me wait any longer. I need this- need you. I've dreamed this so many times. If you leave me now, this is just another dream. Touch me Jack. Please make tonight real for me. I want this to be real, I want-"
Jack cut her off by forcing her chin up a bit higher and capturing her mouth with his. Melting against him, Samantha would have fallen if Jack hadn't been supporting her. When the kiss ended, he studied her for a moment before demanding huskily, "Tell me you want this- that you want me."
"I do. Oh God, Jack. You don't know how much I want this- need this."
"I've waited a long time for you, my Samantha."
"Too long, Jack. We've both waited for far too long," she agreed and rubbed her body against his. She tried to turn to face him but the iron like grip returned once more holding her in place. Confused she asked, "Aren't you going to take me to bed?"
"No! Not the bed. When I take you to bed for the first time it will be among a sea of roses and candles once you've fully accepted me for all I am. When you're ready to fall from grace and ascend to true glory and join me for all your days embracing the art I create as your own"
"Then what are you-" she trailed off dazedly as his hands slid her nightgown from her shoulders and let it slide to the balcony floor.
"Making tonight real for you as you asked," he answered in a sibilant tone, as his leather gloves fell beside them and his bared hands began to explore her.
"But you said you wouldn't-"
"I won't take you to bed, my Samantha. But I will take you." His hands slid up to cup her breasts and he purred in her ear as she started to moan and respond to his touch. "I will take you where you stand." One hand slid lower and moved deftly between her thighs, brushing against her moist sex. One digit explored and found the pulse of her desire and began to glide over her clit in lazy circles. Threatening and promising at the same time, he continued to speak. "I will make you tremble until you can no longer stand. Before I leave, you will cry out my name and I will steal your breath away. When we're done, you will know that I am very very real indeed.".
Samantha leaned against him as his words sent a shiver down her spine and his touch made heat radiate throughout her body. His other hand tilted her face up towards her shoulder. As he brought her face towards him, he kissed her once more. Once she was eagerly returning his kisses, his hand slid downwards to tease her nipples to taut peaks. She felt as if Jack was enveloping her completely, almost as if he were somehow devouring her as he held her close and urged her closer to the brink. Pleasure mounting, she whimpered against his mouth and tried to keep from crying out and rousing her well meaning coworkers. She'd waited too long to have their private party interrupted by uninvited guests.
Climaxing against Jack's hand, Samantha was still shivering as his hand left her breasts and disappeared between their bodies. The action didn't register until the final tremors of her orgasm subsided and she felt his hardness pressing against her. Bending her slightly forward, Jack guided his arousal into her heated slit. Bodies joined and breath mingling between their mouths, they groaned in unison from the sensation. Both were utterly still as they took in the gravity of the moment. After years of mental foreplay, the realization in flesh was overwhelming. Raw need finally pushed them onwards and they began to move slowly.
As they began to kiss once more, Jack's hand moved from between them to trace the column of Samantha's throat then pulled her tightly against him. The motion pushed his shaft deeper within her and sent a perverse thrill through her as a hand that had held death for so many moved over her neck. His touch was possessive and reminded her of the power he wielded, but didn't inspire any fear within her. For all his madness and violence, she knew he would never harm her. Jack had hurt her by killing people and isolating her, but he never once had done any bodily harm to her. Although she espoused fear and disgust to her coworkers through out the years, she had found Jack's dark courtship strangely arousing. The small reminder of his power as he held her, pushed Samantha over the edge and he bit her lip to contain the scream that welled up within her as her body shuddered with pleasure.
Samantha would have fallen if Jack hadn't been holding onto her. His hand moved from between her legs to hold her securely around the waist as his other hand remained indelibly at her throat. The tempo of their coupling increased and their mouths broke apart as they gasped for air as their mating became frenzied.
As he moved within her, Jack whispered raggedly. "Every death has been for you, my Samantha. Every rose. Even my heart has beaten for you and you alone. No woman has ever been worshipped as I've worshipped you. But it hasn't been one sided has it, my angel?" When she nodded in response, he continued, "Every morning I've been your first thought, every night your last, and in dreams you've embraced me as no other, haven't you?"
"Yes! Oh God, Jack! No one- No one-" Samantha panted and struggled vainly for words. There were so many things she had longed to say to him for so long, but she couldn't string together the words to express any of them as their erotic entwining set every nerve in her body into overdrive.
"When you shot Sharon, you basked in the knowledge you'd killed for me, didn't you?" Jack caressed her throat and started to trace her jugular with his fingertip.
The caress made her heart beat faster as she tried to reply. "I- I did. But Lucas-"
"Then Donald Lucas shattered your illusions and it left you heartbroken," he supplied, his voice heavy with desire. "There was no more art or poetry in Jack-Of-All-Trades for you then was there?"
"I thought- I thought I'd imagined the meaning." Struggling for every word she explained, "It was like Jack never had existed except in my mind. Then tonight-"
"Tonight I came to you."
"To make it real."
"To see if you're ready for this to be real," Jack amended. His breathing was coming in shallow pants and seemed to punctuate each word as he spoke. "Are you ready, my Samantha? Are you ready to look into the darkness and see that we're the same? Does fear still rule my goddess or are you ready to plunge into the abyss?"
"Jack," she whimpered as he began to thrust faster.
Moving his hand slightly, Jack's fingers caressed her carotid arteries gently at first, then began to press more firmly. For a moment she felt a sense of panic and started to reach up to grab his hand, then a feeling of calm washed over her. While his hand held the power of life and death for many, she knew in her heart that he would never harm her. Samantha placed her hand over Jack's and made no move to resist. Her heart racing, she began to quiver as Jack began to move harder and faster. Their coupling had become almost violent and the pressure on her throat seemed to increase, but she felt no fear.
Arching against him, Samantha began to cry out his name as her body crested once more. She felt him surge within her and heard him say her name over and over in her ear. As she felt the tremors of pleasure start to fade, the hand around her waist slid down once more to clit and the fingers on her throat tightened suddenly. Far away as if hearing through a pillow, she heard Jack's voice saying her name and promising her she would be all right and that she was safe. Louder, she could hear her heartbeat pounding through her ears as the sensation took her higher than she'd ever been before or even thought possible. Her ephemeral cry of euphoria pierced the night before darkness swept over her and she swooned in Jack's arms.
Moments later, as Samantha came to, she was still in Jack's arms and he was nuzzling her tenderly as her body still trembled with stabs of ecstasy. Jack had taken her to the precipice of life and death. It had been exquisite, she thought as her body quivered in his embrace. Always in control, the dangerous act had been executed with skill by her brilliant nemesis. He'd been testing her and from the soft kisses he was giving her she must have passed. Even as the orgasmic sensation began to fade, she felt shaken to the core and she clung to his hands that were wrapped around her.
"Jack," she began uncertainly. Jack was the most powerful figure in her life and being touched by him tonight had been the most powerful experience of her life. Torn between an urge to laugh and dance, an urge to cry and cling to him, and an urge to beg him to never let her go, she didn't know what to say or do.
"It's all right, my Samantha," he murmured. She relaxed slightly in his embrace. Softly he praised her, "You were beyond perfect, my goddess. You gave yourself- all of yourself to me so beautifully. You were never lovelier than when you put your life in my hands and trusted me. Even at the very end you didn't resist and allowed me to take you all the way"
"It was like you promised-"
"Was it? Did you see the truth in the darkness?"
Still feeling light headed, she hesitated a moment then replied, "Everything fell away. You and I were the only thing that existed or mattered. I've always felt such isolation in my life- in and out of bed. But for the first time in my life I wasn't alone. You were there with me."
"I always will be, sweetness," Jack reassured her. Almost shyly he asked, "Did tonight make this- make me real to you?"
"Almost."
"Almost?"
"When I finally get to see your face, then this will be real for me at last. I know I won't get to for a while, but I-" Samantha trailed off as Jack began to laugh. Dazedly she wondered what was so amusing and demanded, "Why are you laughing at me?"
Tilting her face, he kissed her and replied, "You've already seen my face, you simply didn't see me."
"I did? When?! Where?!"
Jack paused as he weighed out his answer, then told her, "You've seen me during the past week. My face was without disguise. You took me at face value and looked right through me."
"I did?"
"Don't feel badly, Samantha. I did disguise other aspects of myself. One day you'll laugh about not recognizing me."
She didn't reply as her mind began to review all the people she'd encountered recently. In the distance, birds began to chirp and she felt her lover tense slightly. Jack would leave soon, she realized. Even though she already knew the answer, she asked, "Do you have to go?"
"I'm afraid I must," Jack sighed. "I've already lingered for far too long. Bailey and John will probably be knocking on your door to ask you about your breakfast plans within the hour."
"They don't have to know who you are," she suggested hopefully.
Chuckling, Jack demurred, "I don't think that's a good idea. Considering their opinion of who they think I am, they would think it defied reason and want to have your head examined. No, my Samantha. A final kiss, I think and then I'll take my leave."
Although she wanted to turn around and try to see his face, Samantha raised her head obligingly and accepted Jack's kiss over her shoulder. She made no move to turn around as she felt the warmth of his body pull away and a moment later heard her door close. Alone once more, she bent to pick up her nightgown and walked back into her room. The scent of tobacco and roses still seemed to envelop her and she reluctantly went into the bathroom to wash Jack's scent away. Turning on the faucet in the tub, she paused to look at herself in the mirror. Her throat was unblemished from Jack's touch, save the small mark his mouth left that her hair would easily hide. She slid into the water and tried to think of every man she'd crossed paths with recently.
**************************************
It had been two days since Samantha had returned from Otis and her encounter with Jack. Over and over she played through her mind the men she'd met up with in the days preceding her encounter with Jack. Only one man popped up over and over, the handsome but dim witted Sheriff of the small town who managed to irritate John and Bailey to the breaking point while they were there. Jack's body was lean and taut but with padding- Then there was the way that Ed kept lengthening her name to Samantha rather than Sam, no one did that outside of Jack. She was almost positive she'd successfully identified him, so much so that earlier she'd called the airline and booked a trip to Otis, only to cancel it half an hour later.
Caught up in her thoughts, she was unaware she had company until Bailey cleared his throat.
"Sam, I don't want you to worry, but an order from a florist just came addressed to you."
"Where is it?" she asked, her heart starting to race.
"Here it is," John told her as he entered the room holding a green tissue paper wrapped vase away from him.
"It's been x-rayed," Bailey assured her.
"Thanks." Samantha took the vase and sat at her desk. Her heart was racing and she wanted to scream as her co-workers lingered and watched. They meant well but she knew the flowers were from Jack. Inside the tissue paper were two roses and a white envelope with a small card inside. Opening the card, it read Have you found me yet Sam? Jack! Her nerves went into overdrive and she realized her audience wouldn't leave without an explanation. Meeting their gaze she lied cheerfully, "They're from Ed."
"Ed Boast?" John asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
The young agent shook his head. "Boy, that one just doesn't get it."
"Do you want me to throw them out, Sam?" Bailey offered.
"No thanks, Bailey. I think I'll keep them. Donald Lucas is in jail. Maybe it's time to learn to appreciate roses once more."
"That's good, I guess, kiddo. We'll let you get back to work now that the excitement is over."
After the pair left, Samantha sniffed the fragrant blossoms and blushed with pleasure as the memory of her night with Jack swam through her mind once more. She'd missed him terribly and decided to take a chance on her intuition. Picking up the phone, she dialed a number she'd called information for the previous night as she'd mulled over the identity of her lover.
The phone rang and a moment later a male voice answered, "Sheriff's station, Boast speaking."
"I wanted to call and thank you for your roses, Jack."
There was a moment of silence and then the intelligent and sensual voice which haunted her for years confirmed her hunch in a single word as he purred, "Samantha."
Giving herself to Jack had been the first step into his world. Accepting the forbidden flowers had been the second. Calling him had been the third. As Jack spoke to her and her blood began to race, Samantha knew the final steps would come in time and smiled...
Author: M. Elizabeth Ravensblood
Rating: NC-17 Sexuality
Warning: Contains Non-Lethal Erotic Asphyxiation
Pairing: Jack/Samantha
Summary: While in Otis, Samantha is feeling lost in light of the Donald Lucas situation but is pleased when she discovers Lucas isn't Jack and has a night of passion with the man who's haunted her for so long.
Author's Notes: This is for velvetwhip on her writing anniversary. She requested drabbles and this one sort of grew into a full story. May be considered a sequel to Absence of Desire which can be found here, but both can stand alone :o) The prompt which inspired this was Forbidden Flower, it started to be a tale of how Samantha kept one of Jack's roses and becames something more.
Many thanks to my beta, jackssilverwolf
Author's Notes II: Erotic asphyxiation is highly dangerous and not many people have Jack's finesse. So leave it to the professionals and don't try it at home kiddies.
Sleep eluded Samantha as she sat in her room at the Otis Inn. Tomorrow they would return to Atlanta and she would visit Donald Lucas. She would tell him his plan to upset her with the truth about her father hadn't worked. It probably wouldn't have much impact on him, but maybe it would make her feel better if she thwarted him in even a minor way. Her disappointment in the man who'd occupied her thoughts for so long had left her emotionally raw as her illusions had been stripped away. Hurting Donald Lucas wouldn't change the emotional turmoil she felt upon discovering the identity of her nemesis; but it might help her to feel more in control.
Standing up, Samantha walked to the pair of french doors which opened onto a small balcony that overlooked a field behind the motel. Dark and empty, the field mirrored her emotional state. Jack had never been real, just a fantasy that she'd believed in and it hurt in the cold reality of the situation. Leaning against the railing, Samantha looked up and the sky and closed her eyes. Tonight the universe felt very vast and she felt very alone. A lump of emotion formed in her throat and she blinked back tears that were dangerously close to forming.
Caught up in her pain, Samantha was oblivious when a figure slipped out onto the balcony behind her. She opened her eyes as the familiar scent of tobacco and roses flooded her senses. Before she could react, a leather clad hand covered her mouth and a second moved around her waist and pulled her tightly against a sinewy male body. Instinctively she started to struggle then stopped as an achingly familiar voice admonished her gently.
"Easy now, Samantha. We wouldn't want to be interrupted, now would we?"
Uncertainly, she shook her head no and very slowly the black gloved hand slid over her throat in a caress. Her pulse racing, she gasped very softly, "Jack?"
"Were you expecting Lucas?" he mocked softly.
A million unanswered questions rose up in her mind. She wanted to know why he'd subjected her to Donald and what she'd done to warrant being left to his pathetic pawn. So many things she wanted to know, but as the the thoughts collided she couldn't articulate them. Finding her voice at last, she could only manage a single word, "Why?"
"It was an unfortunate necessity." Haltingly, Jack said, "There were things I had to do- to prepare- for us."
"You abandoned me," she countered plaintively, hating herself for whining even as the words escaped her lips.
Teasingly, Jack drawled, "I thought that was what you wanted all these years."
Sam felt unsure of herself as she listened to Jack. She'd never been in a more intimate situation with him and she was unarmed. Sense dictated she call out so Bailey and John would hear her across the hall, but after Jack's long absence and thinking he was lost to her, Samantha couldn't bring herself to do it.
"I don't know what I want," she admitted after several moments. "I guess I just never thought you'd leave me after-"
"After you killed Sharon?" Jack asked and she nodded in agreement. "You have no idea how much it hurt me to leave you. You were so beautiful when you pulled that trigger, Samantha."
Pride surged within her and she blushed with pleasure. "Really?"
"Oh yes," he whispered sensually against her ear. "My golden goddess killing her rival as I looked on. It was so-"
"Powerful."
"Very," he agreed and kissed the side of her neck. Then punctuating each word with the touch of his lips, he continued, "Very powerful. Very primal. So exquisite."
When Jack stopped talking, he continued to trace her skin with his mouth. Once more she was dimly aware she should call for help or at the very least tell him to stop. Instead Samantha tilted her head to the side allowing him easier access and leaned against him, reveling in his scent. She wanted to turn and look at him but was afraid he would vanish if she did so. Aching to touch him and know that he was really there, Samantha reached up cautiously to touch his face. The gesture made him pause his attentions, but once her hand threaded through his hair and gently urged his mouth back to her throat, he began to tease her with his mouth once more.
The hand splayed on her stomach began to move slowly over the thin fabric of her nightgown, then stopped suddenly and Jack's mouth drew back. Samantha whimpered at the loss and asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?"
"It's too soon for this. You aren't ready to join me in my world yet."
"Maybe I'm not," she admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean we can't-"
"It's almost three, Malone will be up in two hours time. That's not even close to enough time for what I want to do to you."
Frustrating and tantalizing at the same time, typical Jack, she thought and smiled to herself as she felt back on familiar footing. This was the Jack she knew and loved. Loved? Where had that come from? Samantha wondered Panic rose briefly and then dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Good and evil seemed very far away and abstract as Jack held her. Being in his arms felt right. Jack praising her for killing Sharon felt right. Nothing else mattered or existed for her, only Jack. Maybe it wouldn't be that way in the morning, but for now Samantha wanted him more than she could give voice to.
"Please-" she began and then trailed off.
"Please what, my Samantha?"
"Jack, please-"
Velvet and smooth, his breath flickered against the sensitive flesh of her throat once more as he urged, "Tell me."
"Don't-"
"Don't what? Don't touch you?" Jack hissed softly in her ear, mistaking her meaning.
"No, Jack that's not what I meant!" Samantha protested. She wasn't rejecting him, but apparently he thought she was rebuffing his attentions once more.
"Isn't it? Look but don't touch." Nipping the side of her neck hard enough it would leave a mark he added, "Don't kiss you? Don't violate your sacred flesh?"
Her breathing ragged as her body responded to Jack's touch, Samantha shook her head. "No! I mean. Don't go. Don't leave me like- I- I know you've got some elaborate seduction in mind for our first time and there's not enough time for that tonight. And I have no doubt that someday when the time is right we'll do things the way you've planned and it will be every bit as mindblowingly brilliant and incredible as all your plans are. But I don't-"
She started to hang her head unable to continue, but Jack's hand moved under her chin and tilted her face up to her shoulder.
Jack's tone was impassive as he said, "Go on, Samantha."
His face was in shadows but she could feel him staring at her. Unable to escape his scrutiny she closed her eyes as she implored. "Please don't make me wait any longer. I need this- need you. I've dreamed this so many times. If you leave me now, this is just another dream. Touch me Jack. Please make tonight real for me. I want this to be real, I want-"
Jack cut her off by forcing her chin up a bit higher and capturing her mouth with his. Melting against him, Samantha would have fallen if Jack hadn't been supporting her. When the kiss ended, he studied her for a moment before demanding huskily, "Tell me you want this- that you want me."
"I do. Oh God, Jack. You don't know how much I want this- need this."
"I've waited a long time for you, my Samantha."
"Too long, Jack. We've both waited for far too long," she agreed and rubbed her body against his. She tried to turn to face him but the iron like grip returned once more holding her in place. Confused she asked, "Aren't you going to take me to bed?"
"No! Not the bed. When I take you to bed for the first time it will be among a sea of roses and candles once you've fully accepted me for all I am. When you're ready to fall from grace and ascend to true glory and join me for all your days embracing the art I create as your own"
"Then what are you-" she trailed off dazedly as his hands slid her nightgown from her shoulders and let it slide to the balcony floor.
"Making tonight real for you as you asked," he answered in a sibilant tone, as his leather gloves fell beside them and his bared hands began to explore her.
"But you said you wouldn't-"
"I won't take you to bed, my Samantha. But I will take you." His hands slid up to cup her breasts and he purred in her ear as she started to moan and respond to his touch. "I will take you where you stand." One hand slid lower and moved deftly between her thighs, brushing against her moist sex. One digit explored and found the pulse of her desire and began to glide over her clit in lazy circles. Threatening and promising at the same time, he continued to speak. "I will make you tremble until you can no longer stand. Before I leave, you will cry out my name and I will steal your breath away. When we're done, you will know that I am very very real indeed.".
Samantha leaned against him as his words sent a shiver down her spine and his touch made heat radiate throughout her body. His other hand tilted her face up towards her shoulder. As he brought her face towards him, he kissed her once more. Once she was eagerly returning his kisses, his hand slid downwards to tease her nipples to taut peaks. She felt as if Jack was enveloping her completely, almost as if he were somehow devouring her as he held her close and urged her closer to the brink. Pleasure mounting, she whimpered against his mouth and tried to keep from crying out and rousing her well meaning coworkers. She'd waited too long to have their private party interrupted by uninvited guests.
Climaxing against Jack's hand, Samantha was still shivering as his hand left her breasts and disappeared between their bodies. The action didn't register until the final tremors of her orgasm subsided and she felt his hardness pressing against her. Bending her slightly forward, Jack guided his arousal into her heated slit. Bodies joined and breath mingling between their mouths, they groaned in unison from the sensation. Both were utterly still as they took in the gravity of the moment. After years of mental foreplay, the realization in flesh was overwhelming. Raw need finally pushed them onwards and they began to move slowly.
As they began to kiss once more, Jack's hand moved from between them to trace the column of Samantha's throat then pulled her tightly against him. The motion pushed his shaft deeper within her and sent a perverse thrill through her as a hand that had held death for so many moved over her neck. His touch was possessive and reminded her of the power he wielded, but didn't inspire any fear within her. For all his madness and violence, she knew he would never harm her. Jack had hurt her by killing people and isolating her, but he never once had done any bodily harm to her. Although she espoused fear and disgust to her coworkers through out the years, she had found Jack's dark courtship strangely arousing. The small reminder of his power as he held her, pushed Samantha over the edge and he bit her lip to contain the scream that welled up within her as her body shuddered with pleasure.
Samantha would have fallen if Jack hadn't been holding onto her. His hand moved from between her legs to hold her securely around the waist as his other hand remained indelibly at her throat. The tempo of their coupling increased and their mouths broke apart as they gasped for air as their mating became frenzied.
As he moved within her, Jack whispered raggedly. "Every death has been for you, my Samantha. Every rose. Even my heart has beaten for you and you alone. No woman has ever been worshipped as I've worshipped you. But it hasn't been one sided has it, my angel?" When she nodded in response, he continued, "Every morning I've been your first thought, every night your last, and in dreams you've embraced me as no other, haven't you?"
"Yes! Oh God, Jack! No one- No one-" Samantha panted and struggled vainly for words. There were so many things she had longed to say to him for so long, but she couldn't string together the words to express any of them as their erotic entwining set every nerve in her body into overdrive.
"When you shot Sharon, you basked in the knowledge you'd killed for me, didn't you?" Jack caressed her throat and started to trace her jugular with his fingertip.
The caress made her heart beat faster as she tried to reply. "I- I did. But Lucas-"
"Then Donald Lucas shattered your illusions and it left you heartbroken," he supplied, his voice heavy with desire. "There was no more art or poetry in Jack-Of-All-Trades for you then was there?"
"I thought- I thought I'd imagined the meaning." Struggling for every word she explained, "It was like Jack never had existed except in my mind. Then tonight-"
"Tonight I came to you."
"To make it real."
"To see if you're ready for this to be real," Jack amended. His breathing was coming in shallow pants and seemed to punctuate each word as he spoke. "Are you ready, my Samantha? Are you ready to look into the darkness and see that we're the same? Does fear still rule my goddess or are you ready to plunge into the abyss?"
"Jack," she whimpered as he began to thrust faster.
Moving his hand slightly, Jack's fingers caressed her carotid arteries gently at first, then began to press more firmly. For a moment she felt a sense of panic and started to reach up to grab his hand, then a feeling of calm washed over her. While his hand held the power of life and death for many, she knew in her heart that he would never harm her. Samantha placed her hand over Jack's and made no move to resist. Her heart racing, she began to quiver as Jack began to move harder and faster. Their coupling had become almost violent and the pressure on her throat seemed to increase, but she felt no fear.
Arching against him, Samantha began to cry out his name as her body crested once more. She felt him surge within her and heard him say her name over and over in her ear. As she felt the tremors of pleasure start to fade, the hand around her waist slid down once more to clit and the fingers on her throat tightened suddenly. Far away as if hearing through a pillow, she heard Jack's voice saying her name and promising her she would be all right and that she was safe. Louder, she could hear her heartbeat pounding through her ears as the sensation took her higher than she'd ever been before or even thought possible. Her ephemeral cry of euphoria pierced the night before darkness swept over her and she swooned in Jack's arms.
Moments later, as Samantha came to, she was still in Jack's arms and he was nuzzling her tenderly as her body still trembled with stabs of ecstasy. Jack had taken her to the precipice of life and death. It had been exquisite, she thought as her body quivered in his embrace. Always in control, the dangerous act had been executed with skill by her brilliant nemesis. He'd been testing her and from the soft kisses he was giving her she must have passed. Even as the orgasmic sensation began to fade, she felt shaken to the core and she clung to his hands that were wrapped around her.
"Jack," she began uncertainly. Jack was the most powerful figure in her life and being touched by him tonight had been the most powerful experience of her life. Torn between an urge to laugh and dance, an urge to cry and cling to him, and an urge to beg him to never let her go, she didn't know what to say or do.
"It's all right, my Samantha," he murmured. She relaxed slightly in his embrace. Softly he praised her, "You were beyond perfect, my goddess. You gave yourself- all of yourself to me so beautifully. You were never lovelier than when you put your life in my hands and trusted me. Even at the very end you didn't resist and allowed me to take you all the way"
"It was like you promised-"
"Was it? Did you see the truth in the darkness?"
Still feeling light headed, she hesitated a moment then replied, "Everything fell away. You and I were the only thing that existed or mattered. I've always felt such isolation in my life- in and out of bed. But for the first time in my life I wasn't alone. You were there with me."
"I always will be, sweetness," Jack reassured her. Almost shyly he asked, "Did tonight make this- make me real to you?"
"Almost."
"Almost?"
"When I finally get to see your face, then this will be real for me at last. I know I won't get to for a while, but I-" Samantha trailed off as Jack began to laugh. Dazedly she wondered what was so amusing and demanded, "Why are you laughing at me?"
Tilting her face, he kissed her and replied, "You've already seen my face, you simply didn't see me."
"I did? When?! Where?!"
Jack paused as he weighed out his answer, then told her, "You've seen me during the past week. My face was without disguise. You took me at face value and looked right through me."
"I did?"
"Don't feel badly, Samantha. I did disguise other aspects of myself. One day you'll laugh about not recognizing me."
She didn't reply as her mind began to review all the people she'd encountered recently. In the distance, birds began to chirp and she felt her lover tense slightly. Jack would leave soon, she realized. Even though she already knew the answer, she asked, "Do you have to go?"
"I'm afraid I must," Jack sighed. "I've already lingered for far too long. Bailey and John will probably be knocking on your door to ask you about your breakfast plans within the hour."
"They don't have to know who you are," she suggested hopefully.
Chuckling, Jack demurred, "I don't think that's a good idea. Considering their opinion of who they think I am, they would think it defied reason and want to have your head examined. No, my Samantha. A final kiss, I think and then I'll take my leave."
Although she wanted to turn around and try to see his face, Samantha raised her head obligingly and accepted Jack's kiss over her shoulder. She made no move to turn around as she felt the warmth of his body pull away and a moment later heard her door close. Alone once more, she bent to pick up her nightgown and walked back into her room. The scent of tobacco and roses still seemed to envelop her and she reluctantly went into the bathroom to wash Jack's scent away. Turning on the faucet in the tub, she paused to look at herself in the mirror. Her throat was unblemished from Jack's touch, save the small mark his mouth left that her hair would easily hide. She slid into the water and tried to think of every man she'd crossed paths with recently.
**************************************
It had been two days since Samantha had returned from Otis and her encounter with Jack. Over and over she played through her mind the men she'd met up with in the days preceding her encounter with Jack. Only one man popped up over and over, the handsome but dim witted Sheriff of the small town who managed to irritate John and Bailey to the breaking point while they were there. Jack's body was lean and taut but with padding- Then there was the way that Ed kept lengthening her name to Samantha rather than Sam, no one did that outside of Jack. She was almost positive she'd successfully identified him, so much so that earlier she'd called the airline and booked a trip to Otis, only to cancel it half an hour later.
Caught up in her thoughts, she was unaware she had company until Bailey cleared his throat.
"Sam, I don't want you to worry, but an order from a florist just came addressed to you."
"Where is it?" she asked, her heart starting to race.
"Here it is," John told her as he entered the room holding a green tissue paper wrapped vase away from him.
"It's been x-rayed," Bailey assured her.
"Thanks." Samantha took the vase and sat at her desk. Her heart was racing and she wanted to scream as her co-workers lingered and watched. They meant well but she knew the flowers were from Jack. Inside the tissue paper were two roses and a white envelope with a small card inside. Opening the card, it read Have you found me yet Sam? Jack! Her nerves went into overdrive and she realized her audience wouldn't leave without an explanation. Meeting their gaze she lied cheerfully, "They're from Ed."
"Ed Boast?" John asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
The young agent shook his head. "Boy, that one just doesn't get it."
"Do you want me to throw them out, Sam?" Bailey offered.
"No thanks, Bailey. I think I'll keep them. Donald Lucas is in jail. Maybe it's time to learn to appreciate roses once more."
"That's good, I guess, kiddo. We'll let you get back to work now that the excitement is over."
After the pair left, Samantha sniffed the fragrant blossoms and blushed with pleasure as the memory of her night with Jack swam through her mind once more. She'd missed him terribly and decided to take a chance on her intuition. Picking up the phone, she dialed a number she'd called information for the previous night as she'd mulled over the identity of her lover.
The phone rang and a moment later a male voice answered, "Sheriff's station, Boast speaking."
"I wanted to call and thank you for your roses, Jack."
There was a moment of silence and then the intelligent and sensual voice which haunted her for years confirmed her hunch in a single word as he purred, "Samantha."
Giving herself to Jack had been the first step into his world. Accepting the forbidden flowers had been the second. Calling him had been the third. As Jack spoke to her and her blood began to race, Samantha knew the final steps would come in time and smiled...