square_the_circle_chapter_23_
unhinged scott came racing through the front door. max almost tripped scott in his attempt to say hello. 'kayla...kayla?'

she wasn't in the kitchen. he couldn't see or smell her anywhere on the first floor. he ran upstairs and found the upper floor similarly empty. where the hell was she?

he went back downstairs and sat on the couch in plain view of the tv and the front door. max jumped up on the couch to join him. scott sat and stared at the door; he didn't turn on the tv.



'what would being your assistant entail mr. browne?'

'well, it's mostly a secretarial position. but i would also need my assistant to follow me to locations and direct deliveries and things like that...'

'well, i don't have a driver's liscense sir.'

'really...,' mr. browne's eyes furrowed together slightly. 'well, you wouldn't really need to know how to drive.' dennis smiled at kayla and she got the same odd uncomfortable sensation that his eyes were too familiar with her. 'you do know how to type though right?' he flashed her a bright smile that made her look at her feet.

'yes.'

'well from this short interview, i think that we would work well together. i'm willing to work around the transportation issues if you are willing...' at that moment the sales lady walked in.

'mr. browne, i'm sorry to disturb you but that farm in santa barbara you called early located those junipers for you. you can take the call directly.'

'thank you. excuse me one moment.'

as he began to talk on the phone, kayla realized it was going to be a lengthy conversation and began to wander in a small circle around the office. there were so many beautiful objects and plants placed what seemed to be haphazardly all over mr. browne's office. but as she examined things more closely, she began to get the feeling that the placement of every plant and piece of art was intentional. there was something about him....intentional in an under-handed kind of way. she was beginning to think she should decline the job offer when he hung up the phone.

'would you like to take a ride with me to santa barbara to check out these junipers?' he was grabbing his coat from a coatrack made out of recycled rakes and coat hangers and he flashed her an expectant but friendly look. kayla still had that vaguely uncomfortable feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach. he began to walk to the door; he didn't look back and she scrambled to follow.

'mr. browne....'

'please, call me dennis. i would really like for you to work for me kayla. why don't we consider this trip a test run for the both of us?'

they were standing in the parking lot next to his silver bmw. 'alright.' they climbed in the car and headed towards santa barbara. 		060508
...
crOwl the phone's shrill ring startled scott as he stared into space. he was daydreaming about kayla and he in the bathtub and suddenly jumped off the couch forcing max to gracefully leap out of his way. he rushed into the kitchen, slid quickly on the linoleum in his socks and caught it before it rang three times.

"hello?" he said, hoping it was kayla.

"hey," it was. "you're breathing hard."

"yeah," scott laughed. "i ran to get the phone...so how did the interview go?" he asked, feeling better now that he heard her voice. he gazed out the kitchen window to see the palm branches of the neighbor's tree swaying listlessly.

"actually that's what i'm calling about," kayla said, pausing. scott could hear a distant shouting in the background.

"what's up?" scott asked, curious, but guarded.

"i'm in santa barbara at a huge nursery looking at shrubs with mr. browne."

"who's that?"

"he owns the garden room and runs a landscaping business as well. i guess the job opening is to be his assistant. i don't think i'm going to be home for a while because after this we're going to look at a new job in montecito."

"whoa...nice," scott said, thinking of the auspicious financial possibility. he ran his hand through his buzzed hair.

"i know, it's crazy, but mr. browne freaks me out a little" kayla said, abruptly changing her tone. her voice was tense. it gave scott goose bumps.

"what's the matter?" scott asked. he blinked his eyes rapidly several times.

"i don't know," she said, sighing. "he looks at me..really weird. kind of scary... i don't know... maybe it's just me."

"what do you mean?" scott swallowed hard, realizing what the motherfucker was up to.

"it's nothing," kayla stopped short. "you know what. he's coming back. i have to go. i love you smoochie."

"kayla, if that fucker tries anything with you i swear i'll kick his fucking ass..."

the phone clicked dead and scott slammed the reciever down on its cradle causing max to dash for cover. 		060510
...
crOwl mr. browne opened the passenger side door of his bmw and kayla stepped in, his gaze catching uncomfortably long on her bare thighs visible below her skirt line as she settled into the black leather seat. the junipers were acceptable, arrangements had been made for their transfer and now it was time to check out where they would be going. he pulled out of the dusty dirt parking area of the nursery, past a grove of avocado trees and drove south along 1o1. the day was classic, blue skies and seventy-five coastal breeze degrees. somewhere kayla could smell orange blossoms.

"i know this all may seem a little intimidating for now," mr. browne said, putting on his raybans, turning down the music. he had the radio tuned to kcrw. "but you'll pick it up with time. i'll work with you slowly and feel free to ask all the questions you want."

kayla didn't say anything. she just smiled without showing teeth, thinking of a way to politely back out of the job. she tugged discreetly at her skirt to cover as much of her legs as she could.

"check the back seat, would you please and see if you can find a file named korzen," he said. kayla obeyed, twisting carefully in her seat, but once she reached back it was impossible to stay completely covered without seeming obvious. she flushed realizing she gave him a generous free shot of her back thighs. she found the file and handed it to him.

"thanks," he said, setting it on the dashboard. moments later, he exited at coast village road and cruised to a red light.
he grabbed the file again and handed it to her. "take a look at it," he said. she opened it. "what do you think?"

kayla saw an estimate sheet with a detailed description of the labor involved, a material sheet and an illustrious colored drawing to scale.

"nice," she said. "very organized."

he drove on, turned right on to a side road and proceeded up the narrow, eucalyptus lined hillsides. "it's not much further," he said. "i'd like you to hold on to the file during our conversation with mr. korzen. ok?"

"sure," kayla answered, looking down at the paperwork. she could feel the sweat in her palms.

they turned into a spectacular entranceway with a black, ornate iron gate already open. a massive stone fountain located within an expansive green lawn shot water twenty feet into the air. the driveway was belgium block.

"beautiful isn't it," mr. browne said, coming to a gradual rest in front of the lavish spanish style home under the generous shade of spawling oaks. a grecian statue surrounded by nandina and ficus stood out as the centerpiece of the landscape. "it'a all about the beauty for people like this," he said. "that's why i want you to come along with me." 		060511
...
crOwl scott angrily paced about the house, his mind sizzling with hostility concerning mr. browne and his wandering, lustful eye. he felt so desperate to do something about it, yet there was nothing he could do. he hoped it wouldn't be much longer. once kayla came home that would be the end of it. there were plenty of other places she could work without having to deal with a pervert for a boss.

he couldn't stay home because the stress was killing him, so he decided to take a bike ride down to check out the waves, even though he already knew they were blown out and small. he grabbed his cell phone in case kayla called again and pushed down santa cruz st. to seaward, peddling furiously, trying desperately to cool down his boiling soul. he wished kayla was behind him, her soft hands holding on to his waist.

when he reached the sea, he rode to the place where he had not long ago asked her to marry him. the wind blowing off the waves was strong. he could feel thin blasts of spray against his face as he walked head down along the shore. he hated how society placed such demands on the ever growing need for money. if it could be just kayla and him on an island of their own...

scott, his heart a little lighter, trudged back through the sand a bit cooler with the day's end approaching. he rode a few blocks to duke's, a local hang-out, surf cafe near the water. he secured his bike in the slot and stepped in. a sparse crowd was gathered as he stepped up to the bar. he ordered a fish taco.

"hey scott," a voice called out from behind him. he turned to find aaron.

"hey aaron. what's up?" scott paid and grabbed his food and sat down at a booth near the window. there were old surfing photographs and various paraphernalia everywhere.

"haven't seen you for a while," aaron said, following him. he was drinking corona from a bottle and slid in across from him. "what have you been up to?"

"i'm working at whole foods now," scott said, crunching a bite. "how about you?"

"surfing mostly," aaron answered, sipping his beer. "how's kayla?"

scott paused and wiped at his mouth with a napkin with a picture of a longboard and the name duke's scrawled across it.
"she's looking for work. actually, she has an interview today."

"oh yeah? where at?"

"the garden room. i guess the owner is looking for a new assistant."

"dude..." aaron's eyes widened and he shook his head with disgust, as if he just heard someone utter a horrible word.

"what's the matter?" scott abruptly set his taco down on the polyurethane table top.

"remember megan murphy?" aaron asked, hitting the bottle again.

scott thought a moment and allowed his recent memory to conjure up a cute red head with green eyes and a smoking hot body. she was the girlfriend of tom lewis, a surfing buddy that had since moved south to san diego. "yeah?" he said.

"you know why tom and she left ventura?"

"didn't she work there?" scott asked, suddenly remembering that tom had mentioned it on the water one morning.

"fucking right dude," aaron said, downing the last drops. "she used to be browne's assistant, but the story is that the fucker raped her in a hotel room on some work trip up north."

scott felt his heart leap into his throat.
"WHAT! why didn't the police lock him up?"

megan never reported it. tom said she was paid a sweet sum of cash to keep it hush-hush."

"that motherfucker," scott muttered. he pushed the rest of his taco off to the side. he suddenly lost his appetite. all he wanted to do was rush to kayla and grab her to safety.

"dude, if i were you, i would keep kayla away from that trap."

"thanks, man," scott said, nervously running his hand across his face, wearied by a new sense of urgent worry. "she's probably home by now and we'll definately have a talk about browne."

"do that dude. poor tom. megan's head was really screwed up by that fucking monster."


"what's the matter?" 		060512
...
crOwl kayla thought mr. browne was full of shit. from her experience a man told a woman she was beautiful for only one reason: he wanted sex from her. however, what he did next put things on a whole different level.

the appointment with mr. korzen was set for
three o'clock and it was two-forty-five.
"let me give you a little background on korzen," dennis browne said, reaching into the inner pocket of his black armani suit jacket. he pulled out a razor thin slim steel case, slightly bigger than a wallet. "he's an internationally known nano software developer and has property up the ying yang. he fired his other gardeners because they tried to screw him. so, if this deal goes through, it will be huge for us and let me tell you...i'm nervous as all hell."

kayla caught sight of the little case and figured he was going to smoke some expensive ass french cigarette to relax. but when he plugged in the beemer's lighter and lifted a hand-rolled pinjoint out of the tight confines, her heart caught in her throat and she couldn't help but slightly smile inside. he reached over near her bare knee to where the lighter gently popped free, "accidently" touched her and smoothly lifted the red hot coils up and set it against the tip to ignite it. seconds later a waft of supersweet smoke filled the interior of the car. he pressed a button to roll down his window and exhaled heavily, turning to kayla. he sucked at it again.

"humboldt sensi," he said, the smoke pouring from his lips and curling around kayla's face. she was gripped by the intoxicating fragrance, a fruity bouquet that wrapped about her like caressing fingers, friendly tapping at her to participate. dennis looked at her and offered her a hit.

it took all the strength she didn't even know she possessed to refuse, but kayla shook her head no and gazed down at her feet, all the while luxuriously bathing in her favorite smell in all the world. she was afraid of what may happen if she hit it, remembering instantly her out-of- control incident in the greyhound bus terminal when she smoked with poor tim and ended up making out with clara, the infamous teen-aged girl in the women's bathroom.

"you really don't want to pass this up," dennis said, speaking like the devil. his voice already had the calming slackness and glassy tones of one blissfully satiated.
"just once," he urged, raising one eyebrow and flashing a perfect white-capped smile. the stubble on his chiseled chin was half in light, half in shadow. "it's all so nice," he pushed it towards her. she looked up, adrenaline swirling inside her like a thousand butterflies searching desperately for flowers to crawl inside. she knew if she hit it, there was no turning back. everything would change like alice falling down the rabbit hole. an image of scott flashed in her mind. she bit her bottom lip until she could feel a slight pain. every one of her nerves were raised to their highest levels of decision. she blinked and he was gone. what the fuck, she thought. she reached for it with her right hand and accepted it, slightly trembling in her thin fingers, while her left hand nervously tucked her long brown hair behind her ear, exposing a small silver dangling earring that scott gave her for their one month anniversary.

the pinjont was already half gone. she brought it slowly to her lips and immediately could taste the undeniable sweetness of grapefruit. she inhaled and held it tightly in her lungs, allowing the smoke to fill her with its irresistable allure, then released it, a steady stream of fog that refilled the bmw with a pungent musk. she cracked a smile and nodded her head approvingly, handing it back to dennis. he shook it off.

"go ahead, kayla," he said, sitting back, his short, blonde-streaked hair pushing against the black leather headrest. he was completely relaxed and equally delighted to have convinced her to join him. the taste was nothing like she ever had before in all her days of smoking. it was more like biting. after her second hit, off came the plastic guise she had tightly wrapped the frightening world of the garden room job experience, the interview, and her reactions to mr. browne's perverted stares. instead, all she could see now was the sunlight on the green leaves, every blade of grass making its own food, the blue sky like a sea for clouds to swim in. she hit it a third time and her lips opened wide with a full-toothed grin. she even laughed.

"whoa," she said. "that's unbelivable." 		060513
...
crOwl "can i bring you guys anything?" the waitress at duke's asked scott and aaron stopping at their booth. she picked up the empty corona. aaron gazed over at scott and slapped the table hard with an open palm.

"dude, you look like you can use a beer."
scott shrugged his shoulders. "two coronas please," aaron told the waitress.

"i don't know," scott said, picking up the remainder of his taco and flipping it over. "i just didn't like the way kayla was talking to me about browne."

"what did she say?"

"that he was looking at her weird and it was freaking her out."

"there you go, man. that's what i'm talking about. tha's how he starts his shit."

the waitress brought the beers. aaron thanked her and scott gulped his as if he was trying to drown his anger.

"motherfucker better not do anything to her today," scott said, and he downed the bottle in three swallows. "just bring us a six pack," scott yelled to the waitress as she left the neighboring table. she smiled and nodded affirmatively. aaron followed suit and finished his in four.

"i think if that bastard tried anything with her, kayla would kick his ass, just like riley!" aaron laughed and put out his fist for scott to knock.

"dude, what was up with that?" scott hissed. "she was so fucking pissed!"

"i know. i was like call a motherfucking ambulance or some shit!"

"fucking right. and remember i was wrapped up in a towel!"

"that's right dude!" aaron howled and slapped the table again. his knees came up and bucked it hard. the waitress brought the yellow and blue box of golden coronas and a plate of cut limes.

"thanks, nice touch," aaron said. he twisted off two caps and slid a bottle over to scott. he lifted his bottle in the air. "a toast to kayla!" he cheered. "the toughest chick in the west!"

"right on!" scott yelled and clanked his bottle with aaron's. they both tugged hard and raced to see who could finish first. scott won.
he reached for his third, popped the top and did another for aaron. these they drank slower.

"when was the last time you talked to her?" aaron asked.

"about an hour ago," scott said. "you think i should call her?"

"dude...she's a big girl. she loves you. she's going to let you know immediately if that prick should even accidently touch her." 		060513
...
crOwl dennis chuckled. "i knew you'd like it," he said, checking his rolex. "well, it's time to meet korzen." and he reached forth to take her delicate chin in his fingers. kayla feeling the full effects of the potent cannabis stared straight into his sea blue eyes. his touch was warm and magnetic. she was drawn into his orbit like a moon. "i'm so glad you're with me." he paused then and kayla's breath caught in her throat like a fish in a net. he moved slowly near her until he was inches from her lips. he could see kayla's tongue slide under her lips and over her teeth. suddenly he swallowed and sighed. "we don't want to be late. let's go," he said, handing her the file. he picked up a tape measure and a legal pad from the console box.

they walked side by side up the belgium block driveway, listening to the powerful splash of the fountain. all of kayla's senses were heightened and so extremely magnified that as she watched the surging water, she gained a delicate awareness of the clear liquid as it pertained to all existence. she almost wanted to jump into the marble pool that it was falling into. the sound it made to her was the original music of the earth's womb and all life that surrounded it, the velvety green of the expansive lawn, every blossom on the thousands of flowers in each meticulously tended bed, the massive trees with their columnar trunks, arm-like branches, and verdant canopies, even her...all of it needed it, desired it, must have it or all would die.

they approached the front entrance with its spanish tile patio and large terracota pots burgeoning with ranunculus and hibiscus. kayla watched a hummingbird zipping in and out of the showy pink flowers. she pointed to it showing dennis. he smiled.

even before he pulled on the lion's head brass knocker, the massive oak door opened and a mexican servant greeted them with clear accented english. "come in," she said, "mr. korzen will meet you in the east room." dennis extended his hand for kayla to proceed in front of him. she said thank you and followed the servant, stunned by the vast array of oppulent wealth, things she had only seen in glossy magazines and boring television shows, yet what coursed through her veins along with the virbrant
t-h-c was her sudden place along side dennis browne. i'm really important to him, she convinced herself. he needs me here and i will do everything i can to help him get this account.

the servant led them along iranian rugs, parquet floors, past ceramic vases full of birds of paradise, works of carravaggio and goya on the walls to a vast room with french doors looking out upon a formal english garden. the servant excused herself. mr. korzen was talking on the phone, seated at a steel koolhaas desk, his g5 on. he spoke a few last words into the receiver and cofidently returned it to the cradle.

"jack korzen," he said approaching them. he was an older man but california healthy. he wore a tie with his oxford rolled midway up his wrists revealing tanned arms and a tauger watch. he reached for kayla's hand first. she found his handshake firm, but gentle.

"kayla," she said, bursting into a girly smile which she later had regrets about, but it seemed to break any sense of awkwardness because korzen seemed delighted by it and returned her smile with obvious pleasure.

"pleased to meet you," he said, "you're a lovely girl. who's this joker?" he laughed, turning to dennis.

"hey jack," dennis said, howling, flashing all his perfect teeth. he pumped korzen's hand. kayla felt proud to be there, full of excitement to see what would happen next.

"well," korzen said, "have a seat and let's talk." even before they reached their leather chairs around the sleek farber table, the servant returned with a tray of three fluted glasses and a chilled bottle of prosecco. as they sat, she set the glasses before them and poured. kayla watched the bubbles swirling around from bottom to top and could smell the dry fruitiness. she was absolutely thrilled and was dying to taste it.

"to a long, happy relationship," korzen toasted. he lifted his glass. dennis and kayla copied him. the taste was exquisite, especially under the tutelage of the weed.
"so let me have a look at things," he said.

"here you are," kayla said, sliding him the file. she looked over at dennis for his approval and received it like a schoolgirl. she took another sip of the champagne. already it was playing with her and she was totally in love with it. 		060514
...
crOwl "so dude... how did you meet kayla, anyway?" aaron asked, drawing on his fourth corona. he was shit-faced and lambasted. he had ordered a fish burger that he was eagerly waiting upon. he was more hungry to see scott's relationship fail since kayla had devastaed riley. things with her and him were on the downside ever since she tried to get in the same shower with scott.

"on the greyhound somewhere in the middle of ohio," scott said, twisting off the cap of his next one. his appetite returned with his inebriation and he scarfed down the remainder of his taco with relative ease. "i saw her and instantly said to myself, motherfucker that girl is smoking hot. sit your ass right next to her, right now..." he took a sip and held out his fist for aaron to hit.
"plus, she was reading jim carroll and any literary friend of his is a friend of mine."

"right the fuck on," aaron said. he sucked a lime and hit his corona. "how did you end up in ventura together?"

"it's a long story. we actually lived in vegas with a friend we met on the bus because we helped save the life of this young chick who almost died in our hotel room, once when snow forced us to spend the night near chicago. then with the money her mom gave us for saving her we came here."

"what the fuck?" aaron asked, leaning close to scott. his eyes widened with amazement and disbelief.

"i told you it was a motherfucking long ass story."

they both sipped their beers and blank-eyed until the waitress returned and brought aaron his burger and without thinking he grabbed her around the waist and plopped her on his lap. "i have a question for you," he said, slurring his words with obvious, near incoherence.

"ok," the girl said, thinking what idiots both of them were, but they're cute she thought, what the fuck.

"my buddy has a girlfriend who has a job interview with dennis browne's landscaping company today," aaron said, sipping his beer. he laid his heavy head on her shoulder and she reacted like a bee had stung her.

"alright," the waitress said, noticing aaron's loose hands were coming precariously close to her breasts. she tried to stand up but he held her tight.

"but, her prospective boss is a pervert who wants to ultimately get his hand down her pants. what should she do? should she walk away and look for something else. isn't lucci's pizzareria hiring? those girls make a hundred a night in tips!"

"what do you mean?" she asked, trying to carefully free herself from his restrictive grip. "is he just insinuating or did he actually try something? i mean that company makes tons of money and pays their people well, especially the benefits."

"she just told me he's looking at her weird, like a fucking pervert." scott interjected. he pushed his empty bottle away from himself and cracked open a new one.

"i say give her a chance. you're just jealous. if she really loves you, she will put him in his right place," the waitress said, giving aaron a dirty look and a playful slap when his hand brushed against her breast. she pushed herself off of him indignantly and stopped in front of scott. "did she call you?" she asked.

"once," scott said, drawing hard off the corona. "should i call her again?"

"what time did she call you?"

"a couple hours ago."

"what did she say?"

"they were going to montecito to look at a job."

the waitress looked at her watch and lifted her eyebrows with concern. " it's been quite a while. oh yeah," she said, leaving their table. "definately call her." 		060514
...
crOwl completely enveloped in a fuzzy, delightful buzz, kayla stole a furtive glance over at dennis who gave a slight nod of his head towards korzen, urging her to participate in the proceedings.

"kayla will point out the generalities of each sheet for you jack," dennis said, sipping the last of his prosecco. kayla downed hers and stood from her seat, feeling light, confident, and vital. she approached korzen adding a swaying lilt to her step, a tilt to her head, and ran her hand through her hair as she made her way around the table. she playfully leaned next to him so that her ample cleavage and a generous portion of the lace of her bra from her plunging v-neck chemise top became accessibly exposed as he turned to his left. her floral fragrance hit him full on, stirring his conscience.

"the drawing is for the juniper installation," kayla said, speaking assuredly, surprising herself. "we already secured their arrival today at the nursery."

"that will be for tomorrow," dennis interjected. "three hundred for the hillside at the top of the pool."

"excellent," korzen uttered, turning again to kayla, his face only inches from her spilling snow white mounds. he was also feeling the champagne and kayla smirked to herself as she noticed his lingering eye. so he likes the show, she thought to herself.

"the next sheet explains the labor and contains the material list," kayla said. she moved her finger slowly across the paper and downwrds to accentuate each section. her hair fell in friont of her and she dramatically swept it back so the faintest tips struck korzen's left arm.

"the last one are the terms of the service contract," dennis added.

as korzen read, kayla remained by korzen's side, almost imperceptibly moving closer to him making it seem like it was he who ended up until leaning into her. when korzen stood, it was so fast and unexpected that when he turned he took on the full softness of kayla's breasts upon the back of his left arm. she stood motionless, a statue of oblivion for the potent herb and the champagne were vibrating through her in their complete intensity. she knew nothing except for her job of selling the contract.

korzen was obviously smitten by her brazen performance and while his left arm was still pressed unashamedly against her, with his right hand he removed a pen from his left pocket, reached down and signed the contract.

dennis stood and approached korzen with his hand out. "thanks jack," he said, grinning from ear to ear. korzen shook his hand tight and firm. "we look forward to taking excellent care of your landscape."

"well, i look forward to having you," korzen said, letting go of his hand and turning to kayla. "and young lady, i anticipate seeing more of you," he extended his hand and she shook it.

"thank you, mr. korzen," she said. "it's my pleasure." what she meant by that she wasn't sure because the world as she knew it was saturated by a shimmering golden glow where sight and sound and smell mingled and became one intoxicating, sensual experience. and what she did next so totally took her off guard that she hardly remembered she had done it. when korzen let go of her hand, she suddenly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pushing her breasts hard against his chest while her left leg moved seductively forward into his groin. it was only for a few seconds and when they separated she was practically tingling.

"thank you, sir. we love your property," she gushed. "everything is so beautiful here." 		060515
...
crOwl "motherfucking shit," scott said to himself. he was alone now since riley came to take aaron away on her leash. she ignored scott, which he found rather funny considering she was ready to enter his shower naked the last time he saw her. what he did see was that her black eye, whick kayla had pummeled, was healed.

scott was pissed because he tried to call kayla and her voice mail came on. the next time, however, his attempt was abruptly interrupted by an incoming call which he hoped was her. his heart sank finding the number was private and unindentifiable.

"hello?" scott answered, annoyed but curious.

"hi," a pleasing, calm feminine voice said.
"is this scott?"

"yes, it is." scott said, pushing around the last of the empty corona bottles. his lips were nearly numb from the premeditated onslaught of drunkeness, a ridiculous attempt to erase his thoughts of browne assaulting kayla.

"my name is rayanne? i met you a few days ago at the fish counter at whole foods?"

scott always thought people were assholes who talked with questions. he felt like hanging up. "uh huh..."

"um, i was the one who asked you if you ever considered working for a private party?"

suddenly all came hurtling towards scott like a comet crashing into whatever of him that was a planet. all he could see was her blossoming nipples. "oh yeah," scott said. "i'm so sorry. now i remember. sure....how can i help you?"

"well...actually," rayanne said, relieved to gain his attention, "i'm having the party tonight and i don't have enough servers. i was wondering if it was an inconvenience to ask you if you could help out at the seafood bar?"

"um, well, yeah!" scott blurted out, gaining a clearer image of who he was talking to and recollecting how she had given him the undeniable eye. "what do you need me to do or wear, um, where the fuck , oh sorry, i mean where is the party?" he was starting to regret the drinking of six coronas.

"we're located at the marina, on spinnaker dock, the third boat down from the right."

"right on," scott said. "do i need to wear anything special?"

"do you have black pants and a white shirt?"

"sure."

"that would be fine."

"what time then?"

"7:30."

scott blinked his eyes hard and felt the uncomfortable spinning sensation of drinking way too much way too fast. he felt a lightning bolt of sobriety. "you know what?"

"excuse me?"

"um.. i need to make a phone call to my fiance first. then i'll get back to you. ok?"

"alright. but please call me back as soon as you can. i really hope you can help me out. and by the way i'll pay you fifteen dollars an hour."

oh yeah? nice," scott said. "what's the party for?"

"we're celebrating my niece's graduation."

scott paused. he thought about the entire situation. he realized the potential trap and didn't want anything to interfere with the trust that had taken him so long to win from kayla.

"um...i just realized my fiance is coming home from her job interview and i want to be there when she gets home. thanks for asking, but i'm going to have to pass. best wishes to your niece." 		060515
...
crOwl korzen, a little surprised, but nonetheless pleased by kayla's forwardness turned to dennis who was approaching with the tape measure.

"hey jack," he said, attempting to restore the civility to the present awkwardness, "remember we talked on the phone about the new flower bed you wanted to put in off the guest house bathroom?"

"oh yes," he said, turning away from kayla, who stood, playfully rocking slowly on her feet, turning her shoes inward and outward. she was flying and bursting and horny. she put her palms together between her knees and squeezed then stood straight and slowly twirled around on the slick parquet floor. "follow me outside. you can take some measurements."

dennis let him lead and then extended his hand for kayla to go on. he raised an eyebrow at her and snickered slowly shaking his head with incredulous admiration. "good job!" he mouthed. she beamed. he gave her the thumb's up and she stopped for a brief momet and pulled on it with her own thumb and index finger. dennis playfully spanked her ass. kayla stifled a squeal and jumped ahead, spinning slightly and caught up to korzen who was moving quickly towards the back door. the servant was waiting for them, tray in hand, with three more glasses of prosecco. kayla eagerly snatched hers and downed it in two swallows.

korzen pushed through a series of french doors on to a flagstone path lined with boxwood alongside a small copse of green trunked japanese maple. the guest house, a smaller version of the main, was detached. he led them to the back where a stone wall enclosed a vast perennial garden featuring several romanesque statues.

"here's where i'd like to have the raised bed of iris," korzen said, stopping. he pointed with champagne glass in hand. dennis took the tape measure and stepped over to korzen.

"kayla," he said, pulling out the tape. "please take this and walk forward in front of those peonies. stop when you reach the twenty foot mark."

"why sure!" kayla happily squealed. the recent addition of alcohol was like throwing gasoline on the fire already raging inside of her. she accepted her end of the tape and gingerly extended it along the bursting pink blossoms. when she reached the twenty foot mark, she stopped. instead of bending with her knees like dennis did to mark the spot, she stood, locking her knees and bent over with her back to korzen and dennis which instantly caused her short skirt to rise and offer them both a glorious view and free show of her creamy white panties.

"look at that," korzen said, smiling appeciatively. "that's quite a girl you have there."

"yeah," dennis said, nodding his head. "she's a keeper." he couldn't wait to get her back in the car. 		060516
...
crOwl scott left a five dollar tip and slid out of the booth, knocking two of his empty beer bottles to their sides startling a liitle boy who was walking past with his mother to a nearby table. stuffing his cell phone into the pocket of his long board shorts, he felt good about turning down the party. he knew what would happen if he went, especially considering he was shit-faced and would be around girls who would also be drunk, not to mention the lady who called him. he knew she was up to something sneaky and he would have taken her up on it if it wasn't for kayla. he was actually glad to be able to say no. he never loved anyone as much as he loved her and didn't want to do anything that would fuck things up.

he stumbled up to the door and waved to the waitress, over thanking her with his swollen tongue.

"be careful," she said.
he thought about what she meant by that wondering if it was because he was drunk or if it was concerning kayla's new boss. he figured being careful is something everyone should be anyway. even on this bike, he thought, pushing off into traffic. he weaved himself in and out of several cars stalled at a red light and turned down nathan lane leading to the sea. he wasn't ready to go home yet, hoping if he rode to the beach where he had asked kayla to marry him he could finally reach her on the phone. that's the way life worked for him. he just wanted to hear her voice, to know she was ok, hoping he would already find her at home.

a seagull circled far above him in the overcast sky and roosted atop a light pole. it shrieked as he passed under it, throwing its head upwards as if it had something stuck in its throat. scott leaned his cruiser bike against the block wall, noticing graffitti from a mexican street gang. he was alone as far as he could see for the wind was stiff. he was glad for his patagonia fleece as he flipped his skate shoes off and stepped upon the cool, damp sand.

nearing the water, he dscovered a fire pit someone had dug previously with several logs only partially burned. inside a nearby trash can he found a los angeles times. along with an armful load of loose driftwood, he arranged the pile and struck his lighter to the newspaper. it caught immediately and in less than a minute he had a roaring fire to warm his chilled bones. sitting indian style, he tugged his pocket journal out of his pants and opened to a blank page. thinking of kayla, he tried to sigh off his drunk and wrote furiously.

"we are beginning to see with each other's eyes that which our own are blind to, touching what we never could feel, holding what once slipped through our fingers...

we are ending the distance, closing doors, opening windows to the sky we have fallen from..."

as the fire crackled and popped beside him and he paused, trying to compose the next line of his poem to her, he saw a lone figure walking in his direction from two jetties down. as it approached, walking head down and meditatively, he could see through squinted eyes that it was a man, somewhat skinny and bedraggled in appearance with a full scraggly beard and buzzed hair. he wore loose fittng clothes that were being beat up by the breeze. scott noticed that he was making a diagonal line straight for him.
figuring he was a homeless man seeking some change, scott realized he had spent his last money with the tip. the man reached the fire surprisingly fast and stopped about five feet from him.

"mind if i warm up?" the man said. scott was somewhat shocked by the actual stature of the slender man once he came closer. yet, he had nice teeth and seemed clean. his shoes were worn work boots that he wore without socks. his face was as brown as the sun could make him.

"sure," scott said. "actually i just built it. he stood up, holding his journal in one hand he threw a few more pieces of large driftwood on the fire with the other. the flames danced high with the added fuel. they both stood staring into the bright orange and yellow.
scott extended his hand. "my name is scott," he said.

"fyn gula," the man said, shaking scott's hand. his was calloused like sandpaper.
"what are you writing?"

scott lifted the journal up. "oh this?" he asked, shrugging. "oh...just a poem to my fiance."

"i was married once," fyn gula said. "i even had three daughters, but two years ago all four of them were killed in an accident."

"jesus christ!" scott said. "i'm sorry to hear that." he looked closer at the man and could see the lines of his loss around his eyes and realized why all his weight and substance had disappeared. "how are you managing?"

"i'm all alone," he said, matter-of-factly, staring directly into scott's eyes. then he gazed out to the sea. at first i thought i would kill myself. i didn't see any reason to live. i just walked out to the waves one dark night until i couldn't stand any more, but somehow i woke the next morning on the beach and a little girl was shaking me. i thought if she wants me to live, i will live."

scott shook his head. "dude, that's crazy."

"it is what it is," fyn gula said. "what you're doing with that journal is what i did almost every day i was married. i wrote to my wife. i told her how beautiful she was. i told her what a good person she was. women just want to know that., you know, they need you to tell them."

scott blinked. he thought about kayla. that's what he would do. "thanks man. i really appreciate that."

the strange visitor reached in his pocket and handed scott a piece of paper. "here," he said, "this is for you." he left then and headed back down to the sea. scott watched him go until he disappeared then and opened the paper for it was folded. he read.

"she is what you are not. you are what she can't be. together you are each other."

scott dug out his cellphone, found kayla's number and pressed call. 		060516
...
crOwl kayla stood back up, feeling slightly drunk now, and extremely desirous. she was well aware of the show she put on for korzen, playfully allowing him to first feel her breasts pushing against him and most recently a brief show of her ass under her skirt. she joined dennis, thinking how they both wanted her and stood next to him as he jotted down numbers for the iris bed. she leaned into him so that their shoulders touched. he could smell her perfume. he stood and pressed into her enough for her to know he was aware of her.

"we'll be here with a gardening crew at 6:oo am. they'll start the quiet work until 8:oo," dennis said, to korzen, confirming his company's immediate involvement.

"very good," korzen said, looking over at kayla. she appeared subdued as if under the influence of magnetic attraction, instead she was already imagining dennis having his way with her in the car.

"thank you, again," kayla suddenly said, snapping out of her daydream. she extended her hand and korzen shook it gently.

"my pleasure," korzen smiled. "come by and see me soon." he would get her much drunker next time.

"absolutely," kayla gushed, up on tiptoes. she brought her hands up and unexpectedly clasped dennis on the bicep. he turned to her and led her back to his bmw, parked near the gate under the shade of a copse of sycamore trees. he nodded his head to korzen in parting, lifting one eyebrow and a quick glance at kayla. korzen smirked and put his fingers to his lips in contemplation.

dennis put his arm at the small of kayla's back, just above the waistline of her skirt. he applied gentle pressure to steady her walk which had become slightly altered due to the champagne. he opened the door for her and watched her sit, a generous splash of her creamy thighs visible below her skirt.

dennis shut her door and stepped across the belgium blocks to his side and got in. he turned the cd player on and played johnny west.

"i was so proud of you with korzen," dennis said, placing his right hand brazenly on her left knee. his four fingers moved slowly into the crook, while the thumb was bolder, kneading her lower thigh and creeping higher with each word of praise. kayla surprised him by relaxing in her seat and slowly spreading her legs open, signifying her willingness and lust. "you did everything so well. he signed, kayla! we got the korzen account!"

"it was SO much fun!" kayla shrieked, she arched her hips upwards as she felt dennis slide his thumb precariously along her innermost thigh next to the base of her panties. she could already sense a tiny bit of wetness and when his thumb passed along the edge of the fabric, barely grazing it, she moaned for now her sex was ignited and there was no turning back.

dennis accepted her primal utterance as his permission to proceed and he did so with masterful abandon. his next movement was a bit more along the border, until he finally positioned his thumb to ride it directly up the center off her presently soaking, panty-covered slit. she received the pleasurable touch, and gasped while a shiver tore through her body like a storm wind through the forest.
dennis ran his fingers all over her belly and inner thighs, across her wetness, caressing her, teasing her with varying degress of intimate touch. kayla brought her hands down from the headrest of her carseat and brought them to each breast, yearning to break free of their confinement, running her fingers in sweeping circles around her covered nipples, easily urging them to be erect and strain hard against the thin material of her bra and chemise blouse.

dennis worked with her and with his middle finger leading, he lifted the waistband of her butter white panties and pushed downwards across the slick surface of her shaved privacy to his one and only destination, pausing first to respect the delicate petals of her secret flower, continuing within to the pearl, her jewel. he lingered long and as if in worship of a god, exploring the fine art that was her center of pleasure. as he penetrated her, she pushed to greet him with heightened arousal, twisting and grinding her hips with eager compliance, filling his head with her blissful, breathy incoherent words. she squeezed him with the powerful muscles of her inner thighs as he finger-fucked her, and then released, to allow him to go deeper and harder. faster and faster. kayla's hips moved with his rhythm and his slippery finger pushed in and out, turning in small circles to stimulate her aching, craving, quivering clit. she had her fingers under her bra now, pulling on her rock hard nipples, sending waves of titillation all the way to her throbbing, dripping honeycomb.

she was mere seconds from coming, perhaps more powerfully than she had ever done so in her entire life.

it was then that her cell phone rang from its confinement in her clutch bag resting on the floor of the front seat. 		060518
...
crOwl the forced shock of the shrill, obtrusive cell phone's ring startled kayla into half sobriety. she sat bolt upright as from a revolting nightmare with the whole fist of dennis deep inside of her. she grabbed at his hand with confusion and utter panic, yanked it from herself and leaned forward to wrestle the ringing phone from her clutch bag. having been only milimeters from climax, she was flushed in the face and chest, her starving flesh drinking its own blood. she was near breathless with a racing heart. tingling in the place of her pleasure, but fighting it back with the stark reality of responsibility. what am i doing? she screamed at herself, rifling through her purse to find the phone.

"hello, smoochie," kayla had noticed scott's name on the id when she finally found the phone. she spoke with a breathy exasperation.

"what's the matter?" scott asked, you sound like you're exhausted!" are you ok?"

"yeah, we just walked up this, like, really big hill while we were working up an estimate," kayla lied. she felt exposed with her panties around her knees, yet as she talked with scott, she remembered the sensations of the last minute and thought about dennis and his lovely fingers. she wanted them again even though she knew she was betraying scott. all that seemed to matter to her was the present.

"when are you coming home?" scott asked.

"um, probably soon," kayla said, pausing uncomfortably. scott grew a bit nervous for he caught the unmistakeable chord of discontent in kayla's voice. he had grown to read her voice and in it he heard deception and immediately suspected that browne did something to her.

although he never imagined that kayla was a willing compliant.

"ok, good, well, is browne behaving himself?" scott asked, concerned.

"yeah," actually he's nice. it's a good job. i like it."

dennis lifted his left hand and caressed kayla's breasts, sliding his fingers under her sheer bra to touch her nipples. they were relaxed from the alarming surprise of scott's call.

"did he say what he's going to pay you?" scott asked, disgruntled.

"um, well, actually..." kayla uttered, feeling the lust returning to her body, as dennis let his hands travel downwards along her belly and further to her still sensitive area. "we haven't discussed it yet..." kayla moaned once, only for a half second, but enough for scott to catch his own breath in his throat like a mouse in the talons of a hawk.

"what about dinner?" scott asked, starting to resent calling in the first place. he was bewildered, losing grip. "you want me make pasta or rice?"

"um, rice..." kayla answered. dennis slid his middle finger back inside of kayla's still soaking pussy. she audibly gasped, quick and throaty, like a purr. "um rice is nice...that would be so good. you know what...scotty...i gotta go. ok. see you soon..."

scott was stunned. he didn't know what to think. did he really hear those erotic sounds coming from kayla or were they in his jealous imagination as stealthy demons to torment him and disuade him against her? "ok. i'll see you," he said and the phone clicked dead.

kayla pushed the end button, put the phone back in the purse and fell back against her seat in a heap, spreading her legs for dennis to finish her off. when she came, she violently arched her back, thrust her covered breasts towards the roof of the car and jutted her hips straight up against his twisting finger until it was fully inserted. an explosive scream of orgasmic completion erupted from her and she filled the car with the musky, ravenous scent of her sex. 		060519
...
crOwl scott felt like one who had been sucker-punched, blasted in the teeth when not unaware. he runs his tongue over the damage and is horrified by the loss of his smile.

he played the conversation over and over in his head. he heard the moans, the gasps, the lust. he imagined her being fucked by dennis and it set his anger ablaze. he bent down to the beach and grasped great globs of sand and threw them down upon the driftwood fire with a vengeance. when that did not extinguish the flames he began stomping on it, scattering sparks with his awkward hostility. with his persistence he prevailed until nothing was left but smattering smoke. 		060519
...
crOwl dennis pulled his fingers slowly out of kayla. she emitted her final moan of satiation and sat up, slipping her naked breasts back into her black bra and rebuttoning her blouse. her hair was a tangled mess and her cheeks and neck were rosy with passion.

"i'll take you home now," dennis said, regaining his composure. he was solidly erect and longed for kayla's touch to free him. he started the bmw and drove back to the coast village road, entering the 1o1 at miramar, heading south to ventura.

as they drove, dennis received a call on his cellphone, answering it on the second ring.

"hey maia," he said, recognizing her name in the lcd. she was his current love.

"how did the korzen account go?" she asked, her voice full of genuine concern.

"we got it," he said, grinning.

"awesome," maia said. "why don't you come for dinner? it's almost ready and lucci is coming."

lucci was a massage therapist that dennis visited weekly. their intimacy was reserved for the lengthy session. dennis thought of a dizzying plan involving kayla and lucci. "sure," dennis agreed. "can i bring my new assistant? she's starving, like me. we haven't eaten all day."

once kayla had settled herself and straightened up, she turned to dennis as he spoke with maia on the phone. she spied the obvious bulge in his pants and with thoughts of reciprocation, reached out with her left hand, placing it on his knee like a bird resting on the branch of a leafing oak. she continued to move it, caressing his inner thigh with the same luxurious torpidity that dennis employed on her. she hovered dangerously within a quarter inch of touching his privacy, arcing her fingers, pressing and releasing, and then returning until finally, using her fingernails only, she ran up the entire length of his shaft. he became engorged to the limits of his potential. kayla continued, kneading him to waves of pleasure, easily reflected in his ensuing conversation with maia.

"her name is kayla," dennis said, leaning back in his seat, watching the sea to his right and then back on the freeway. he felt her hand stroke his hardness, melting him like beeswax in the sun's heat. "she's very beautiful, smart, and friendly."

kayla deftly unzipped his slick armani pants and slipped her fingers touching his swollen member on top of his boxers. carefully, she gave it the demand it required until she found the entry hole, moved past the fabric to his quivering flesh and brought him forth naked to the world. she continued to use her nails, driving him insane.

"she's so amazing. she put on quite a show for korzen," dennis said, and kayla knew from experience with sammy, and scott, that dennis was going to come soon. so, without thinking, she shrunk down in her seat, twisted her hips quickly and took him in her mouth, sucking furiously. he exploded with such force that she banged her head on the steering wheel. 		060520
...
crOwl scott looked at the destroyed fire and was satisfied, for enough of it mirrored the devasation that his crumpled soul now consisted of. he was furious with kayla and when he returned to duke's and found his bike where he left it, he mounted it with stolid aggression, riding erratic, fast and chaotic along pierpont blvd, to seaward where he weaved in and out of traffic like a black ribbon or a poisonous snake in speeded up motion. he didn't think kayla would ever cheat on him, but those noises he had come to know from his frequent times of lovemaking had to be explained. what caused her to make them apart from him? if she was working, how could it be so?
he was resigned to the incredulous reality that browne had come on to her and she was either stoned or drunk and complied. he wasn't a fool.

but what now? was there anything left to them?

he thought of these painful, disconcerting things as he peddled like a fucking madman, doing wheelies at red lights and popping curbs. once he almost ran a light and hit the side of an old vw kharma ghia. he rolled twice over the front of the car, right back on to his feet as if nothing happened. but his bike was wrecked and he had to push it the rest of the way home.

when fate led him near the garden room and he approached with climatic fury, he shoved his damaged bike to a rest near a weathered bench and went inside.





"i would love to go to dinner," kayla said, but i think if there is anything left to my marriage engagement i better go home to my boyfriend right now." she wiped her mouth with a kleenex from the bmw's console between them. dennis zipped up his own pants. kayla had not spilled a drop.

"ok, i understand," dennis said. "we'll do it again next time. this is just the start of an amazing business relationship."

kayla didn't say anything. the shattering orgasm had instantly sobered her up and she was beginning to take account of the last few hours of her bizarre activity. a mixture of guilt and wonderment enveloped her that made her want nothing more than to curl up with max and a cup of tea.
"yeah, it was something," kayla said, "but i'm really tired."

"no problem," dennis said, and he drove on past the great pacific ironworks and exited off the freeway at california st. he drove up the hill at poli st., turned right and took kayla right to her door off santa cruz st.

he put the car in park and reached back to remove his wallet. he pulled out three one hundred dollar bills and handed them to her without thinking.
"this is for today," he said. "thank you so much. marilyn will put you on salary and benefits starting tomorrow...how about a grand per week to start?"

"wow!" kayla said. "that's awesome. thank you."

'sure," dennis said. "i like you a lot."

kayla stepped out of the car and dennis came around to hold her door. it was an awkward moment for both of them to make it seem like they just worked together.

"see you monday," kayla said, nonetheless. 		060521
...
. square_the_circle_chapter_24_ 060704
what's it to you?
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