Zack and the Dark Shaft (10 page)

“I’ve heard that one before.” He coughed and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, felt Zara’s fingers ruffling his hair like she was sitting beside him and not inside him. He tried to shake her off, but couldn’t get away from her completely, more than attached at the hip. She was in his marrow.

The more he fought with her over domain, the weaker he got and the stronger Zara got.

She seemed to have this to the victor goes the spoils attitude going on. But with the constant battle his psyche and anatomy were undergoing, Zack wondered what would be left after the battle. What condition would the spoils be in?

Not only did Quincy notice the changes in Zack, but his parents, two of the most self-absorbed people Zack knew outside of Zara, noticed and commented on his condition during his last visit to their townhouse for lunch the other day.

His mom, never the June Cleaver, maternal type had actually tried to ply him with chicken noodle soup. His dad, as usual, had spent the afternoon trying to get him to come back to the family business and take the edge and stress off of working in “that blackboard jungle.”

Zack wondered if his parents would believe him anymore than Quincy would if he told them about Zara. They had never been very spiritual when he and Zara had been growing up, worshipped the all-mighty dollar rather than any messiah.

Zack, I really am sorry to put you through all this.

He felt her sincerity even while he tried to catch his breath from her most recent assault.

Could he trust her?

It won’t be for much longer.

“What do you mean?” He wondered if Zara could hear the wariness in his voice.

Tomorrow’s my last day here. After that you won’t have to worry about
me anymore.

Zack was still skeptical, heart stuttering between remorse and relief.

How could he have such ambivalent feelings for someone who had once been his other half? “Why? What’s so significant about tomorrow?”

74

Gracie C. McKeever

After tomorrow, my time will be up.

She had mentioned something about running out of time that afternoon that Quincy had first showed up at Zack’s door. That was almost two weeks ago.

That’s how much time they gave me.

“To be with Quincy?”

Yes.

“They who?” Zack asked, already knowing the answer when he felt his sister shrug.

Just a couple of guardian angels.

God, the kid had been over to the other side and sent back on some demented mission of love, and he’d begrudged her every little minute, trying to put a muzzle on her existence, trying to deny her.

What had he done? How could he be so selfish?

There’s a way you can make it up to me, Zack
.

Zack frowned. “How?”

Let me be with Quincy tonight by myself. Just me and him.

That was a tall order. Zack wasn’t even sure if it was possible. For one, he didn’t totally trust Zara. Second, he wasn’t sure he could purposely fade into nothingness and give her free reign of his body. On some level, even when he was asleep, he was always aware of what Zara was doing, more attuned with her psyche and intent than in the beginning when she’d first appeared, as attuned to her as she was to him. The longer they shared his body, the more…fused their consciousnesses became. Sometimes, Zack didn’t know where he ended and Zara began.

On a smaller level, it had been like that when she’d been alive. When she scraped her knee, he felt the pain. When he got beaned on the baseball diamond, Zara got the hickey on her head from the blow.

But what he’d been experiencing with his sister for the last two weeks was even more intimate than all that, more insidious.

Zack didn’t understand the science of it, never had, and he was sure he didn’t want to.

Zack and the Dark Shaft

75

When he didn’t respond to her last suggestion, Zara asked,
Don’t you trust
me, Zack?

“Zara, I—”

Look, I know I haven’t given you any reason to trust me in the last couple
of weeks but I’m asking you to give me a chance to make things right. Give me a
chance to make things between us the way they used to be.

Was that even possible anymore?

Please, Zack. Just give me tonight.

How could he refuse her? She was still Zara, still his sister and he loved her.

Zack closed his eyes and sighed, hoping he didn’t regret his next words.

“Okay. I’ll give you tonight.”

* * * *

Her brother had always been a soft touch, especially where Zara was concerned.

All through their years growing up together, Zara could count on Zack to smooth things over with their parents when she had a misstep in school or around their ritzy neighborhood. He took his older brother status seriously, even if it was only by six minutes, and he didn’t like to see anyone he cared about unhappy or in pain.

Zack was at his best when playing the mediator, the peacekeeper,

softening things between Zara and their parents, sometimes taking the fall completely for something that Zara had done wrong, just to keep everyone happy and things on an even keel at home.

Missed curfew? No problem. Zack was Johnny-on-the-spot with a

legitimate reason or story to appease parental sensibilities. Uncovered birth control and pot stash? Zack assured their parents it wasn’t Zara’s at all, but that the stuff belonged to his girlfriend who of course he had already broken things off with because she was much too fast and irresponsible (this was of course right before he had come out to their parents). Received a ticket for driving without a license or under the influence and getting into words with the cops on the scene?

76

Gracie C. McKeever

Zack would come downtown to bail her out and make sure their parents never found out.

Yep, Zack was her sweet, gallant twin.

The noble fool.

Did he really think she would just give up and walk away? Did he really believe she was just going to fade away into oblivion like a nice little girl without putting up more of a fight?

Fat chance.

This was too important to Zara. Quincy was too important to give up. She had lost him once before for circumstances beyond her control. Why should she suffer because she had been born the wrong sex or because she liked to have fun and party?

When she’d initially come to him with her plans for
Zara’s
, she’d needed an investor, yes, but more she’d needed Quincy to believe in her, to see her as more than just a fickle social butterfly with no substance or sense of dedication and responsibility. She needed him to see a woman of conviction, passion and strength and not just the lovesick damsel in distress he had grown to care for and defend.

Tonight was her last chance to prove her worth to him, to prove that she could be everything to him that he needed. Tonight was her last chance to make her move towards staying permanently.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to achieve this, wasn’t sure how she was going to keep Zack at bay long enough for her to take over his body completely, wasn’t even sure that she could, but she was going to give it a try.

She
would
have Quincy.

Or neither of them would have Quincy.

Zack and the Dark Shaft

77

Zack came home directly after school, eager to take a hot bath and a nap in preparation for the evening with Quincy. He still wasn’t sure how or when this transference with Zara was supposed to take place, but wanted to be fresh and ready either way. Turned out he didn’t need to worry what needed to be done, since Zara knew exactly what she was doing and took control of everything.

When Zack woke a couple of hours after drying off and throwing on some threadbare jeans, he found himself in a padded room with no visible door and one barred window ten feet above him.

What the hell was going on?

I’m sorry I have to do things this way, Zack, but I can’t take a chance on
your ruining things for me tonight with Quincy.

“Zara, what do you think you’re doing? And where am I?”

I think I’m doing what needs to be done for me to get what I want. And in
answer to your other question…

Zack listened to her giggle, the sound echoing through him and chilling his marrow.

You’re in the little secret room to where I’m relegated when you’re in
control.

“But how am I supposed to get out of here?”

You’ll have to figure it out like I do, Zack. If you do, then you’ve truly
earned the right to this body.

“Earned the right to my
own
body?”

That remains to be seen.

78

Gracie C. McKeever

“You can’t do this!”

But my dear, sweet brother, I already have.

Zack growled and kicked a wall with the sole of a cross-trainer. “You wanted me to trust you, but you couldn’t trust me?”

This is just my way of taking out a little insurance.

“I told you I would give you tonight.”

What if I’ve decided I want more? What if one night isn’t enough for me?

He wanted to tell her that wasn’t his problem, but evidently it was. Zara had made it his problem and made tonight a life-and-death issue for him rather than just a night on the town as a freeloader inside his own body.

Fine. She wanted a war, she’d get one. No way was he going to sit still why she hijacked and flew solo with his body.

He’d find a way out of here or die trying.

That’s the spirit, Zack.

The sound of his twin’s musical laugher vibrated throughout his prison until he couldn’t hear her anymore.

* * * *

Quincy wasn’t surprised to see Zack at the club that evening, just hadn’t expected to see him so early before
Zara’s
opened for the night and started letting in patrons.

When he caught sight of the shiny caramel waves beneath the dim light of the main floor, his heart stuttered then sped.

Damn, if Quincy hadn’t known it before, he knew it then: he had it bad.

When Zack met him half-way up the stairs to the VIP lounge, Quincy also knew why Zack had showed up so early.

“Got a moment for your favorite guy, big handsome?” Zack grabbed his hand and dragged him the rest of the way down the stairs.

“My
only
guy.”

Zack and the Dark Shaft

79

“Right. You know that’s what I meant.”

Quincy frowned when Zack pulled him through the main floor towards the back of the club to his suite of offices. He wanted to ask Zack if he was all right until he realized Zack hadn’t been the one seeing things the other day:
he
had.

Once they were behind closed doors, Zack didn’t waste time jumping Quincy.

The smaller man pushed him against the door with such force Quincy’s teeth rattled. “Hey, babe, take it easy. We’ve got all night.” He leaned in to kiss Zack’s forehead.

“In fact, we’ve got the rest of our lives together.”

“You mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

The assurance didn’t stop Zack from ripping the buttons off of Quincy’s shirt in an effort to get the garment off. “I want you so much, Quince.”

Quincy caught Zack’s hands and imprisoned them against his own chest.

“You know I want you too.” He bent his head to nibble Zack’s earlobe, circling the shell of the other man’s ear as he slid one arm beneath Zack’s legs and the other around his shoulders to lift him in his arms.

Quincy carried him to the king-size bed at the back of the suite and dumped Zack into the center of it. “Two can play the wild and kinky game.” He brought his palm down against Zack’s tight ass hard enough to elicit a gasp before Zack turned onto his back and smiled.

“I like wild and kinky.”

“Watch what you ask for.” Quincy kicked off his shoes and quickly shed his pants and boxer briefs before stalking Zack up the mattress while the other man crawled away on his elbows and heels. When the back of Zack’s head bumped the headboard, Quincy stopped, leaned in to kiss Zack’s lips hard and thoroughly before pulling back to nip Zack’s full lower lip. “You’re lucky I keep spare shirts here to change into, otherwise…”

“Are you going to punish me?”

“I think my little twinkie deserves some form of discipline, don’t you?”

Zack answered by groaning and writhing beneath Quincy.

80

Gracie C. McKeever

Quincy flipped the other man onto his stomach and straddled him while he reached for the right side of the headboard where a pair of Velcro cuffs dangled.

He slipped the loose end around Zack’s right wrist and secured it.

“You were ready for me, huh?”

“I’ve been thinking about taking you like this for a while now.”

Zack chuckled. “Should I be worried?”

Quincy leaned in to suck and nip Zack’s throat where the pulse beat.

“Only if you’ve been a bad boy.” He leaned over to the left side of the bed where another pair of Velcro cuffs dangled. He slipped on and secured this cuff to Zack’s left wrist, then sat back on his heels to admire his handiwork before pulling Zack’s pants and shorts down.

“Oh God…”

“You’re at
my
mercy now.”

“Please…take me.”

“I intend to, but when I’m ready.” Quincy gave Zack’s ass another whack with his palm and marveled at the rosy glow spreading across Zack’s skin before he whacked the opposite cheek to achieve a twin effect.

Zack frantically wriggled beneath him and Quincy knew he was trying to get his shit off with the friction so slapped both cheeks once each in quick succession.

“No coming until I say so.”

Zack barely stopped moving. “Okay, but…please…I need you inside me.”

Quincy straddled Zack’s hips, tsking. “Such impatience.”

“I’m desperate.”

“We’ll have to see about taking care of that, won’t we?” Quincy grabbed the lube from his bedside dresser, spread generous amounts of it in and around Zack’s anus before lubing his own throbbing cock.