AZOTUSLAND chapter Fifty-Six

Maugham came in slowly and said "You okay chief?"

"Not so very good Maug," Jim said and gave him a hug. "C'mon in."

This wouldn't be the last time Jim wished he were Maugham. Wished he had his clarity, simplicty, yet also depth. But he was thankful Maugham had it for himself.

They went and sat down on the floor and Jim pointed the control at HAL and started to tell Maugham how to run the entire complex.

"Stop. Stop! "Maugham said after a few minutes. "You are not going anywhere."

"Maybe not, maybe so," Jim said seriously. "In either event I need you to know everything because if I go, or anything happens to me, this is all yours."

He got up and went over to a safe in the wall and hit the tumblers, opened the small door and took out a packet.

He tossed it in Maugham's lap.

"Fuck you man," Maugham said. "You are not doing this."

"Do you love me Maug?"

"You know the answer to that Bro," Maugham said steely.

"Do you love me?"

"Hey, what am I St. Peter here? You damn well know I love you. Always have and always will."

"Then do this for me."

"Maugham grimaced and opened the packet as on the large screen Peter Gabriel and others hopped around to Shaking the Tree.

Maugham read the thing fast and surmised.

"Would you stop being so fucking secretive Jim! It's me for crissake!"

Jim leaned heavy against the top of a heavy bookshelf then spoke, "What do you want to know?"

"Who is it?"

"It's Candace," he said flatly.

"Sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Well fuck me," Maugham said.

"Not that hard up at the moment cowboy," Jim said turning.

Maugham ran through the scenario in his head for a few minutes while Jim pointed at HAL and ordered up Ultarvox's live version of Reap the Wild Wind.

The tumblers clicked in Maugham's head, and he looked up several times to start a question, but then worked it out and continued.

At the end he simply asked "why?"

"Money and hate," Jim said. "We made a lot of money in a business deal in 1998. I made more. I made a lot more and she resented it. She really put the screws to me at the time and I made what I thought a fair offer. Apparently she doesn't think so now in retrospect."

"But where would Candice get the resources to do something like this?"

"I know you did not know her well at all, but Candice has a way of getting anything she really wants. She can be utterly seductive."

"I admit she was a looker," Maugham said...then he thought back to one of the last times her saw her. He had given it no mind. He knew she and Jim were long since through and Jim had asked him to take her home at the end of a book premiere. She was drunk and he almost had to carry her up the stairs. When they got inside he laid her down on the long soft bed bed and took off her boots.

She suddenly looked up at him, stripped off her top and bra leaving only her dark blue jeans. Then she laid back. He looked at her and she laughed and then said "Maug...Baby, I want you to fuck me like a wild animal."

Maugham had only known Jim a number of months and he knew it was over with this woman. She was utterly desireable. She writhed and purred suggestively and touched her own robust breasts and circled her own dark and hard nipples. Then she reached down and undid the top button of her jeans and said "honey" in a warm voice.

"Sweetheart, yer drunk," Maugham said and he pulled back the covers and tried to tuck her under when she exploded in anger. "Don't fucking touch me you asshole!"

Maugham rolled his eyes and did a little self-check "yeah buddy, always trust your higher brain capacity."

"You bastard she yelled at him."

"Sweetheart, I know who my parents are and I know what you are up to." he said with a pirate smile. Then he reached down and put his hand under her back and kissed her hard on the mouth, then moved down to her nipple and gave it a small bite and she moaned.

Then he stood up and said, "That's for fucking with me. Have a nice life."

As he walked down the hall her could hear her coming after him. As she beat against his back, he checked out the house to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself. When he got to the door she rushed at him with both arms up and flailing. He caught them both and gently laid her down on the coach, her naked chest heaving.

"Go to sleep," he commanded and then left. She was still raging when he left.

He never gave her another thought. Not till now, some seven years later.

"Jacob?" Maugham asked.

"She ever come on to you Maug?" Jim said slyly.

Maugham laughed. "Yeah, but I sensed...well...you know..."

"That's my Jedi," Jim laughed. Maugham laughed to.

"God Jim she had a way about her...but damned dangerous. She is a dark Jedi."

"Still is and does," Jim said. "I believe she is capable of anything. I just cannot figure out why she has made no demands. She obviously gets some perverse pleasure out of trying to haunt us."

"You mean you," Maugham smiled.

"No, I think she's got a little thing for you too," Jim said. "Now come next door. I want to tell you more."