Chapter 3: Jacqueline

I'm going to do it, no more stalling. Lately Mindy's been a lot more persistent than usual as if she were on a mission of some sort. She knew better than anyone else what my life was like. She also knew that there was only one thing that would fix what ailed me.

Tonight I'm going to ask her, tonight I'll find the courage to bring up his name and see what happens? With any luck she won't tell me that he's married and happy somewhere with some other woman.

I rubbed my tummy where the dull ache begun, it was always that way whenever I thought of Jake with another girl, loving her the way he did me. "I can't go on like this this is nuts." Jumping off my bed I headed for the door to assess the lay of the land.

All was quiet out there but you never know where daddy might be lurking, he's weird like that. I tiptoed down the hallway to my parents' door and placed my ear against it. Please don't let them be doing anything but sleeping or in the middle of one of daddy's lectures. It seemed quiet in there so I headed back to my room.

Taking a deep breath I dialed Mindy who seemed to be waiting by the phone because she snatched it up on the first ring. "Please tell me you can break out of solitary girlfriend."

I had to laugh at her description of my life, she wasn't too far off the mark. Ever since I'd put the brakes on daddy's matchmaking attempts he's been holding me prisoner almost.

That was his way of bending me to his will I guess. Little did he know that the only reason I'd been playing it safe for the past three and a half years was so I could one day be completely free of him and his tyrannical rules.

After I drag every bit of information out of Mindy about Jake I'm going to find him, that's my big plan. What happens after that is anybody's guess but at lease I would know that I'd tried for my happiness. "I'll meet you on the outskirts of town maybe we can go to that place you're always talking about."

"Are you serious? This is great, I have something to tell you but I don't want to do it over the phone..." She started rambling but I cut her off before she got too far, there's only one thing I wanted to know right now, the one thing that would decide the course of my actions. "Just answer me this one thing Mindy...is Jacob married?"

"No he isn't that's what I need to talk to you about." My whole body relaxed with her admission, I hadn't even been aware that I'd been that tense. As long as he was still free I could work with that, I just hope he even remembered me, or even wanted me still.

I had my first niggling of fearful doubt. What if he didn't want me anymore? What if all those things he'd whispered to me while he'd been thrusting himself into my body were just empty words? Things said to a naive girl in the heat of the moment? No Jackie don't give up now, you've been waiting for this for far too long to give up now.

"We'll talk when I get there let me get dressed and I'll be out of here in half an hour. And Mindy I have something to tell you too."

I'd never told her how I still felt about her brother and if I was going to pull this off I was going to need her help. I dug out the low rider jeans and black halter-top I'd buried at the bottom of my closet, and the three inch heeled snakeskin boots.

Daddy wouldn't approve but I just had to have them. I'd actually had Jake in mind when I bought them earlier in the year on one of my rare solo shopping trips. Mom usually took me shopping and then it was sundresses and skirts. Jeans apparently were for the lower classes; somebody forgot to tell daddy that he wasn't the king of Siam.

I checked myself out in the mirror. Not bad although my ass looked like it was trying to escape. The heels added a little height and lifted things rather nicely if I do say so myself. I wasn't sure about the cleavage I've never shown that much skin before, very daring.

I felt my blood spike as I imagined Jake seeing me in something like this. When we'd been sneaking around three years ago all he'd ever seen me in were the little girl dresses mom insisted I wear. It was a wonder he'd even noticed me back then. But he had, boy had he ever.