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Devil In The Waters, Book 3, Chapter 11 (complete)
🕑 Added 2020-03-09 00:00:02 +0000 UTCFor two days, all he could think about was Kimmy with Devlin. Only, in the aftermath of a great night of sex with Kimmy, his head was clearer. Now it wasn’t because thinking of them together clicked a funny dark spot in his sexuality he didn’t even like being there, it was the truth of Devlin’s nature. Kimmy didn’t know how low Devlin could go. She knew he was an asshole. Devlin’d been rude and dismissive with her—shit, she’d tried to hit him and that was how this all began.
And that was what made him finally blurt it out, unprepared and frustrated: “I don’t like you working there.”
And it was Kimmy who’d prompted this statement, going on while they jostled for position in the kitchen, both of them making their own breakfast, Kimmy outlining her day and how she was going to impress Devlin.
Who fucking cares about Devlin, he was thinking, waiting for his toast to pop. And he just came out and said it: “I don’t like you working there.”
Now Kimmy was looking over her shoulder at him with a puzzled expression. She said, “What? . . .”
“You already know that,” he said.
She resumed frying an egg, saying toward the stove, “Where’s this coming from now?”
“Now? I don’t know . . .” Wishing he hadn’t brought it up.
“Tell me,” she said, still facing away.
“I guess . . . hearing you talk about him at home.”
“I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about how I have to solve this problem he—”
“Yeah, to impress him,” he said.
“I want to be good at my job, Josh.”
“I don’t doubt you’ll be awesome at your job, that’s not what I’m saying.”
Now it was him looking over his shoulder, watching his wife’s back as she turned off the stove, rested her hands on the counter’s edge.
He said, “What?” Thinking she might be mad at him.
“You don’t like me working there?”
“Does it surprise you? I mean—can you turn around?”
Kimmy did, leaning her ass on the counter and folding her arms.
He said, “You know I don’t like it.”
“You didn’t stop me.”
And though he shouldn’t have said it, he did. “I guess I hoped I wouldn’t have to.”
Kimmy scoffed. “Really? Are you trying to make me feel guilty? Josh, I’m already working there, what do you want me to do now?”
His toast popped and he sighed, rubbed his forehead. “Nothing. I . . . I don’t know. I’m not saying don’t work there.”
“Why wouldn’t you have expressed to me the tiniest doubt before?”
“How could you not know it existed? You know what I think about Devlin.”
“We talked about that. You never said—”
“I’d never tell you not to.”
Kimmy exhaled slow, cheeks puffed out. “God, Josh, I don’t know what to think about this.”
“I don’t know what to tell you either.”
She said, “Before I ever worked there, we sat down. We talked about it. You told me—”
“I didn’t tell you not to.”
Her eyebrows went up. “But you wanted to tell me not to?”
Probably. “No, that’s not it either.”
“What, then? Where does that leave us, Josh? Leaves us right where we are. I’m already working there. I can’t change that now. We did talk about it—we talked about me taking this job, what it meant . . .”
“I know, I know,” he said. “Look, I don’t know what to tell you. We talked about it. We said in three years time it would be like you’d worked almost a decade at immigration. Three years time, we bank that money, we live off my salary. It seems simple, I know. The pragmatic side of me—”
“We’re both pragmatic, Josh, we decided together.”
“Kimmy—I see the sense in it. I get it. Three years and then where will we be?”
“So what’s the problem? What’s different?”
“It’s having to hear about Devlin. Having to hear about you being in the car with him all day, driving around in his fancy car . . .”
Her features scrunched. “What on earth does that mean?—It sounds jealous . . . it sounds like you’re implying something . . .”
“It’s not that, Kimmy . . .”
Point blank, looking right at him, she said it: “You don’t trust me?”
He shook his head no. “I don’t trust Devlin.”
She frowned, looked aside and then the frown deepened. “This is crazy.”
He shrugged, tried to show her she was making a bigger deal out of it than he intended. “Okay, Kimmy, I’m just bothered. I’ll get over it,” he said. “It was hard to take, knowing that you were in the car with him all day long. All the way out to Hamilton, driving all the way back again . . . I try to be strong about it, I don’t want to burden you. I’m just having a weak moment right now. You’re telling me about how you’re going to impress him by solving this problem at work. I’m about to start my day and I’ve already got the name Devlin in my ear.”
“Do you not want me to tell you what’s going on at work?”
“Maybe.”
“I can do that if you want, Josh.”
“I don’t know if that’s what I want or not. I guess we’re just going to have to feel our way through this.”
“If we stay on the same page we’ll be fine.”
And that was the truth. Boy, was that the truth.
But he hadn’t been truthful with her. He didn’t even know what the hell he’d been doing, but whatever it was it wasn’t truthful. The subterfuge, trying to act like a family guy, getting his wife to see him with Sophie . . . a little girl that could look like their little girl. How cheap. But what was he going to do?
Maybe put your foot in the water. He drew a deep inhale, wishing he had more time to prepare, but wanting to test how he might sound when he was honest, even when honesty was upsetting.
“You know, Kimmy, Devlin . . . made my life miserable.”
She nodded, looking at the floor between them. “He made a lot of people’s lives miserable.”
“I only care about what he did to me, right now. It was all more than ten years ago, but now you work for him and I can’t stop thinking about . . . the things he did to me.”
“He bullied you.”
“Boy, did he ever, Kimmy.”
Now she could see his point better, and the stiffness left her. She’d had walls up, looking to get feisty with him, but now she knew she couldn’t. She slumped, her crossed arms fell to her sides. “Yeah, okay. I hear you.” She came across the kitchen space to him, slow, smiling. Her arms circled his waist, and she leaned against him. He held her.
He said, “It’s not just bullying, Kimmy. It was bad.”
She stepped back. “Did he ever hurt you?”
Staying strong, he said: “Sure.”
“He beat you up?”
“He was rough. They hurt me, him and his friends. Changed who I am as a person, that’s for sure. Hurt me physically, hurt me emotionally . . .”
“You never said anything. I mean, you alluded to it, but I didn’t know what it was like.”
“It was bad. Like, you asked if he ever beat me up . . .? Here’s one. Do you remember a guy named Johnny Rumble?”
“No . . .”
“Went to elementary school with him and then high school. For a few years. He was there Grade 9 and 10, one of Devlin’s buddies. They played hockey together. Johnny Rumble was a fucking psycho. And that guy loved Devlin. So, one time . . .”
And now he wondered how to continue.
Kimmy said, “Go on, tell me. I’m listening.” She showed him a soft expression and honest eyes.
It was . . . this one was Grade 9. It was after a school dance and I was with some of my friends. We were just walking through the neighborhood, you know Soap Street, down toward the old village from the school where they used to do the winter carnival . . .?”
“Yeah, I know . . .”
“I’m just walking along there, but it’s raining, no—misting—and I’ve got my hood up, but me and the guys I’m with, we hear these footsteps coming. But like coming fast. We turn around and it’s Johnny Rumble. He just walks right up to us, then he like points over his shoulder saying Devlin wants your coat. And I go like What? I don’t understand. He . . . punched me in the stomach so hard. I didn’t even see it coming, and . . .”
Kimmy looked uncomfortable, moved again to hold him.
“Anyway. That’s just a little taste. That’s just one day of my life with Devlin. There are others. He didn’t hit me, I know . . . But if you want to know what it was like, there it was. Devlin didn’t have a jacket, and he was hanging around with his psycho buddy Johnny Rumble. He tells Johnny Go get my jacket, Johnny does. That guy hit me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I was laying there, and the guy . . . I guess robs me. You’re a lawyer; it’s theft. Theft by strong-arm or whatever you might want to call it. Bullying sure, you can call it bullying. But sometimes bullying is more than just the word ‘bullying.’ Sometimes it’s legitimately criminal.”
“I’m sorry, Josh,” she whispered and he hated to hear it. Now he felt weak again. A fourteen-year-old event retold to his wife and he felt as powerless and humiliated as he had that night.
He exhaled, pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting even telling he that. He said, “Well, anyway, Devlin got my jacket.”
***
The worst thing was there was way more to the story of Johnny Rumble than what he told Kimmy.
Look at this, trying to be honest and he couldn’t even commit. What had really happened? Everything was true, but once again here he was trying to be honest, and what he’d delivered was hollow.
He’d been with Rich Bridge and Kimmy’s later high school friend, Karina. Back then, in the first year of high school, Karina had been a girl he had a deep and hurting crush on. The three of them’d been walking Karina home after the dance. He’d danced with Karina that night to a slow song. It had felt like they’d danced as friends, but there was a spark inside him—maybe there was more . . . Man, was he ever on cloud nine.
They were all walking arm in arm. And it was true, footsteps from behind had him turning around to see Johnny Rumble standing there. The visage of this guy instantly threw a spike of dread in his heart. Left behind a year (shit, maybe two) while he was in the same grade as him and Rich and Karina, Johnny was older. And his presence could only mean one thing.
Kimmy didn’t remember Johnny because he’d been expelled later that year. They sent Johnny to trade school. The guy even had a chance at one point to succeed in hockey, but he threw it all away because all the guy did was fight.
So here he is, a fourteen-year-old Josh turning around to see this guy, probably fifteen-years-old, but not like any other fifteen-year-old he ever saw. The guy had lines on his face like a grown up. Six feet tall, maybe two hundred pounds, spiky blond hair . . .
Johnny Rumble’d said, “It’s raining, Devlin needs your jacket.” But it didn’t end there. No, there were lots of homophobic epithets cast Josh’s way right in front of Karina. That was common. It was a long winding thread of his past with Devlin. Something he didn’t want to get into with Kimmy. So he’d left that part out.
But there he was: Johnny Rumble humiliating him in front of Karina Brubaker. And what’s Josh going to do? Stand up to this nut-job? No way. So he begins to say something . . . and like he told Kimmy: One wicked punch, didn’t even see it coming. An uppercut into his stomach. It literally felt like his organs had pushed up inside his rib cage. The air shot out of his lungs. He threw up. Threw up and then almost aspirated his vomit, gagging for air. Crumpled at Karina’s feet. What does Rich do? Nothing. Stands there holding onto Karina, the two of them looking down at this pathetic heap at their feet. Johnny Rumble’d then pulled his jacket over his head like it’s a hockey fight. More humiliation? . . .
How about that, Kimmy, want to hear some more degradation? . . . Rumble kicked me in the face. Kicked me in the stomach, trying to get the jacket off, pulling it but my arms were cinched down at my sides trying to hold my guts in. So to loosen my arms up he just kicked me in the neck, in the face, the mouth . . . Then, the psycho getting off on it, gets the jacket he wanted, and that’s not enough. Wants my wallet, too. He’s all charged up, pulling me up by my pants, lifting me by my legs, then my pants coming down . . . guy grabs my wallet, takes out ten dollars, chucks the wallet in the bushes. Takes off, leaving me curled up with my ass showing, bringing my knees up so no one would see my junk . . .
He could still feel the misty cold rain on the small of his bare back and buttocks. Then Rich was pulling at his arm to get him to roll over. Both of them, Rich and Karina, crouching down, looking across the street. Devlin shrugging his arms into Josh’s stolen jacket. The jacket too small, Johnny Rumble and two other guys all laughing, Devlin standing there putting his arms out straight showing how the jacket was too small. Then trying to rip it by flexing his muscles, everybody thinking it was fucking hilarious.
That was the the night any hope he had of being with Karina Brubaker was lost, his last real crush-hopeful image of her in his mind’s eye was blonde-haired Karina kneeling over, not looking at him but looking across the street at the antics of shithead Devlin Stone monkeying around in Josh’s jacket while she rubbed circles on Josh’s chest trying to help him loosen up and breathe again, saying softly, “It’s okay, Josh, just breathe, just breathe . . .”
***
Across from her was a plastic stand divided in a grid of wire boxes that held pamphlets, brochures and rack cards. The titles like “Understanding Your Customs Tariffs Obligations;” “Goods Processing And The Courier Low Value Shipment Program;” “Marine Container Examination: What To Expect . . . ”
On her right sat a nervous looking Chinese man in a shiny and uncomfortable suit whose pants were too short. On her right an Indian woman, maybe Pakistani. She held a briefcase on her lap, the kind with locks operated by four-digit combination dials. She was in a typical Canadian Bureaucracy Waiting Room in a fancy downtown building—Number One, Front Street. The waiting room table held assorted magazines. Some involved the trade, some were Maclean’s, Outdoor Life, even a Harrowsmith—harkening back to the weekend that began this whole journey. Tiffany’s cottage in the sleepy town of Harrowsmith. She rolled her eyes, checked her watch. Now her knees were jumping. She brought her satchel up and lay it in her lap.
That was a lot of shit her Josh lay on her this morning. But she’d asked for it. What did she expect? She knew Josh hated Devlin. And knew Devlin had nothing but low-level disdain for her husband. Couldn’t she see that Josh had been bullied? It all made sense. It was more than the obvious fact Devlin Stone was an asshole. Maybe in the back of her mind she always knew it, but she hadn’t anticipated what Josh told her.
Poor Josh, sweet Josh. Could picture him from back then. They’d shared a kiss end of the year in Grade 11 before she went to visit her family in Taiwan for the summer. Kissed a boy she had a crush on. Josh Waters. Could picture him now, that young guy with that fresh face and cute smile. Skinny, unassuming, but honest and caring. Smart, too. A really good guy. One she stayed in touch with. Even though when she returned from Taiwan their romance (or whatever it had been) had fizzled, they still spent a lot of time together. Their love simmered on the back burner for two more years.
It was awful to think of her husband the way he’d described. Awful to think of a good guy like Josh Waters laid out on the sidewalk. No recollection of who this Johnny Rumble was, but could picture some hockey playing thug just the way Josh had described, some guy twice Josh’s size, half his brainpower, dumb, reptilian eyes . . . And just like Josh said, Devlin wants his jacket, this bigger kid punching Josh in the stomach to get it.
She winced now, made a slight hiss that got some of the others in the Border Services waiting room turning her way. She checked her watch again.
Poor Josh and his buddies. No match for guys like Devlin and his friends. They were just prey. And she could sympathize. Girls wouldn’t send somebody to punch you in the stomach, but they had other ways to devastate you. Eviscerate you with words, hair tosses, rumors and innuendo. Dismissiveness.
All of it was a long time ago. She doubted Devlin was a man who sent his friends to go grab a jacket these days. And in the end, Devlin hadn’t punched Josh. Josh claimed Devlin had sent Johnny Rumble, going only by Johnny Rumble’s words. Devlin wants your jacket. Josh hates Devlin, blames Devlin.
It wasn’t an excuse. She wasn’t excusing Devlin’s behavior. And Josh was always honest. Honest but hyperbolic. Josh believed Devlin was the one who wanted his jacket. But she knew how boys worked. Johnny Rumble, tough as he may be, was desperate for daddy Devlin’s attention because Johnny Rumble didn’t get that attention at home. Johnny Rumble sees Josh, easy prey Josh, Devlin doesn’t have a jacket, so his monkey brain connects the dots. Get jacket for boss.
What does she do now, ask Devlin if he ever sent some guy to punch Josh? So weird. What did Josh want from her? Want me to quit, want me to give up this job where I’m making money, doing something I like, bringing us closer to our goal . . . And why? Devlin stole your jacket when you were fourteen? He didn’t even steal it.
These were the kinds of things Josh should have brought up before she started at Stone Brokerage. Now she was in. Now it was too late.
A raised voice from afar: “Mrs. Chang?”
Her eyes lifted to the middle-aged woman behind the Plexiglas visor at the service counter. Barely enough energy to raise her chin from her bureaucratic desk. Border Services was the kind of place she was used to from working in immigration, though she’d never been to a Trade Operations office, they were all the same people. Maybe she knew how this game worked after all.
She rose and nodded; another woman appeared at the archway that led to the interior offices. The woman said, “Agent Parker can see you, it’s Office Four,” pointing down the hall, “fourth door on the right . . .”
Comments
TF
Yeah, I'm glad he didn't either as I, too, am enjoying the story. Still think good old Kimmy has much more to answer for than Josh. We're never going to agree but to lay most of the job choice/acceptance on Josh is just too much for me to accept. He's been played by Devlin (probably will be in the future as well) and now continues to be played by Kimmy so he probably doesn't know which way is up. That's the way he's acting. Call him a wimp, whatever, he's just out of his depth and has my sympathy.
Chinookfan72
I very well could be too hard on Josh, I most definitely have a bias against Josh and I’m sure that is impacting the prism in which I view his words and actions. That being said, his first chance to completely ax the job is when he finds the business card a week before said blow job. Kimmy uses the job offer as an excuse for the card being there. Josh says no at first, then immediately back tracks to lets talk about it.. He had all the ammunition at that point to end Devlin and Kimmy before it really started, and he didn’t do it. As I’m enjoying this story I’m glad he didn’t. I certainly don’t blame him for not bringing it up right after the blow job, but the way Kimmy defends herself with the “ we sat down and talked” line in this chapter makes me think she gave him plenty of opportunity to object (also he doesn’t argue that fact with her either). Sure it would be awkward to go against what you said after the blow job, but that awkwardness goes away once he provides Kimmy with a taste of what Devlin did to him.
TF
Well said! Only a small quibble. Josh's first opportunity to object to Kimmy taking Devlin's position was immediately after the blow job of his life. Being thus co-opted he probably found it hard to object later although that particular interval (between BJ and going to work) was not described. Now he's being tormented by thoughts of Kimmy with Devlin and seemingly without volition comes up with his objections. It's all very real...for fiction. I don't like passive aggressive behavior either but I kinda think you are being a little hard on Josh here.
Chinookfan72
Thanks for the clarification. While the extra money is part of it, there is also the level of work to be considered. It takes 7 years to get your JD, they are 10 years out of high school so she has at most 2 plus years of legal experience. So yes she could go find another legal job somewhere else, but definitely for way less money, and way less opportunity (her relationship with Devlin, even if it was non-sexual is going to allow her to work on things you typically wouldn’t have someone with Kimmy’s background work on). Also if it was a non-sexual relationship, to have someone like Devlin recognize your abilities and then champion them and give you projects to test them are important to. So I think it’s a lot to expect Kimmy to immediately quit her job based solely on the story Josh told her. Now, if he would have told her a story where Devlin was the actual perpetrator, or expanded his story to show Devlin taking a more active role in the humiliation and being more of the ringleader of the incident then I’d agree she would find another job. Kimmy does in fact ask Josh why he’s bringing this up now, and I don’t see an opportunity for Kimmy to tease out information regarding it being the tip of the iceberg because at the end of his story it doesn’t appear to me Josh is feeling like continuing the conversation. We’ll have to see what their interactions are after work today as I would hope that’s not the only conversation they have on the matter. You are right though Kimmy does have lust colored glasses on so that is helping her with her rationalization and compartmentalization of her situation. However, doesn’t Josh pick up on the lust part in the last chapter when he notes how turned on Kimmy is? Add in Kimmy defensiveness she shows when he brings up his objections and he should realize it’s not going to be easy to convince Kimmy to do what he wants her to do. Ultimately Kimmy is at fault for doing what she is doing, but Josh not willing to be open and honest and tell Kimmy the truth and what he wants to me gives Kimmy the room to continue to convince herself she isn’t doing anything wrong. The more I hear from Josh the less I like and respect him.. One of my biggest pet peeves in relationships is when someone says “I shouldn’t have to” in situations like Josh uses it. I’m just detest passive aggressive behavior.. If you have an issue and I’ve given you ample opportunity to object, don’t start complaining when I start getting excited about it.
TF
Objectively this is correct. But subjectively, in Kimmy’s mind she has convinced herself she is not betraying him but rather protecting him and providing good money to their household. She has that god-like mind-set that everyone (maybe) has occasionally that ‘we know best’…we are clever enough to organize everyone’s life so one can one’s cake and eat it too. Besides, she is only fooling around, everyone does it…after all she is only going to fuck Devlin once. But as Ben Boswell’s engineering heroine realized in “The Crush”, one who got herself into a similar position, albeit without hiding her dalliance from her husband (she told him about her crush and what she was going to do about it), the physical law against ‘having your cake and eating it’ is immutable.
Chinookfan72
I sure hope so I hate those endings.
Glaucon
I somehow doubt KT will go "punish the wife" - that's very much a direction to go to satisfy certain readers and not the organic outcome of choices made by characters as established. For Devlin as established, there's no real reason for him to be doing anything actually criminal. He's been born into wealth and barely has to work for anything that he wants (including Kimmy).
Tim ziegler
Maybe later in the story Karina tells Kimmy how bad Johnny Rumble,nice name,beat Josh!No one has brought up the fact that as bad a person Devlin is he just might have a lot of dirty business dealing for Kimmy to cover up really testing her ethical and moral standards.
Glaucon
Kimmy’s dalliances with Devlin are and have always been a profound betrayal of Josh – that’s the core of the story and the kind of heat we are dealing with. In these stories it’s often one kind of betrayal or another that’s the draw, a while back it was discussed how some people prefer the affair to be with a friend or someone seen through a largely positive lens and the associated pain of that sort of betrayal, while I’m a huge fan of exactly this kind of heat with an antagonist! And I’m interested to see where we go with it. Additionally, I’ll say that we’ve seen a pretty wide spectrum from KT – the wife in Pool Party was not especially good to her husband, for example, and we’ve got references made to LHW1 above. And Devlin wouldn’t be the first male object of affection who was a pretty bad dude.
Tim ziegler
BNR Kimmy is already as bad as Devlin in my book,no forgiving that
Chinookfan72
that would be my prediction of how this story ends if KT wants to turn it into a burn the bitch story. Otherwise Devlin would have to get taken down asap in order to save Kimmy and a Josh, cause Devlin and Kimmy have probably gone too far now anyway, but certainly will quickly.
KT Morrison
I'm very sorry to hear about your grandson. Bullying isn't funny and I don't intend to treat the subject lightly.
KT Morrison
But that's 150k Canadian, ha ha
KT Morrison
Straw Dogs in one of my all time favourite movies (I feel like I've already gone over that on the website, ha ha, maybe around Pool Party). And, yeah, if there is a Glock in Devlin's glove box it has to be in a locked case and he has to be registered at a gun range and has to be on his way to the gun range or on the way home (or something like that)...
Glaucon
Oh interesting - I don’t think I’ve ever seen that! My bad. Also why I hedged the wording with “probably” and a question mark - maybe some arcane grammar was going on that I was unaware of.
KT Morrison
Thank you!—fixed [though the capitalizing of another referenced and uttered statement is okay (The Go get my jacket thing)]
TF
Well, first of all a qualifying comment: perhaps I shouldn't have used the personal "I" but rather impersonal "one" as I was really trying (!) to express two limits of behavior in this situation. That is, if I were actually involved in such a situation I might not behave as idealistically as stated. As to the job: first Kimmy knows she can get her immigration job back so what you are really asking is what are you going to do about the extra money? One possibility...decide one's partner is worth more than the money, quit, take the immigration job and immediately look for an upgrade. Surely there is more than one importer focused on China in the Toronto area who might be attracted to her unusual skills. Seems like she admitted that there were other possibilities besides the immigration position in an earlier chapter. She had taken it for altruistic reasons I think. My supposition is that Kimmy is acting as she is because she is, consciously or unconsciously, lusting after Devlin, not primarily because she wants a big salary or a more fulfilling position.
RCH
The one way at this point that could be a win win for Josh and Kimmy, would be to setup Devlin somehow. KT is master of this universe and who is to say that Devlin doesn't have some illegal dealings to hide? The description of what Josh went through was brutal very hard to read. This is the level of thing that should have involved the police. Kicks to the body when a person is on the ground usually move things into the felony range, grievous bodily harm stuff. (Well, except in California then it's only a strong warning).
RCH
Welcome! we have some lively discussions here.
Donkatsu
We might want to consult the expert here (Glaucon, you listening?). In the popular literature on couples splitting after a number of years together, as opposed to immediate incompatibility, the development of contempt or loss of respect by one for the other is seen as the key. This is probably one reason why Josh is loath to detail much of his experience at the hands of Devlin and his crew.
DavidnDaria
Just a thought... all one has to do is read about Jess and Pete to know that KT is completely capable of the "bitch wife" scenario. Is it going to happen here? Dunno. Even that story turned out okay, sort of. It wasn't our favorite LHW story, though. That is solely reserved for Cherry Blossoms. While this story is difficult for me to read, it doesn't mean I'm not going to read it. I find the way KT is handling this to be fascinating--not on an erotic level--more like admiration. The brilliant intricacies and interactions and sometimes nuanced behaviors of the characters is a study on how to do this right. That KT can get such a visceral reaction from me--even after Maggie--is a nothing short of a testament to brilliance.
BNR
I don't mind the characters changing or evolving into more complex people. I just hope they don't degrade into mustache twirling villains that I wouldn't care if they were struck by fast moving traffic. when characters fall "out of love" I check out because I don't believe in that human reaction. You can lose respect for a loved one but to fall out of love? I think it would be easier to want to switch political parties late in life!!! =P
BNR
Devlin is bone cancer. Brain and liver cancer as well. He will kill them or get them to kill each other just as sure as that bullet I mentioned...
Chinookfan72
Glad to add another to our ranks!
Chinookfan72
TF if you were the former what would you do about your job?
CSH
I would also encourage KT to break the mold here. Kimmy is essentially acting in the same role as Rumble in HS - bullying Josh on behalf of Devlin. Typically her characters pull back rather than lean into the humiliation aspect. It would be good to see Kimmy connect Josh’s arousal to her and Devlin and then perhaps use that to rationalize not just her affair with Devlin but also the act of rubbing Josh’s nose in it a bit. In my opinion this series could be more about Kimmy than Josh. Devlin will likely stay Devlin and Josh will likely stay decent and kind but also weak and a bit masochistic. Kimmy is likely to be the character who really changes over time and I would encourage KT to take her farther down the road in as realistic a way possible.
DavidnDaria
There's a reason Josh doesn't tell Kimmy the whole story behind Devlin's bullying. We believe that reason is simple. KT is a master at this kind of psychology.
JamesIsAsleep
Interesting, ok I got you. Breakfast Club analogies are powerful learning tools.
Chinookfan72
for context I think a good representation of Devlin would be Emilio Estevez’s character in the breakfast club. Josh is the kid he hurt in the gym, and Kimmy would be some girl at the school who’s friend is fucking Emilio.
Chinookfan72
To me it’s not that hard to imagine Kimmy not being clued into Devlin’s bullying if it wasn’t directed at her (given she was hanging out with Amy who was banging Devlin I highly doubt it was). Devlin I don’t think is dumb enough to pick on someone with a voice to expose him (it’s why he probably picked on Josh to begin with.. figured Josh wouldn’t say a anything). Nor is he dumb enough to do it in public, so only a few people that hung around Josh would actually have seen it. I don’t get a sense that Josh and Kimmy hung out that much in high school at least during the time Devlin was bullying him. It’s been established Josh hasn’t shared with Kimmy the level of abuse he’s felt. He wouldn’t have to share if she was party to it, so that suggest she wasn’t there when it happened as well.
Chinookfan72
i’m not making a distinction between the words used I’m making a distinction between the level of severity in which the term is applied. The term bully or jerk have a wide spectrum of behavior that falls within their definition.. Some behaviors (like the story in Josh’s head) is horrible and wrong and is indefensible. Other behaviors still qualify as being bullying and jerk behavior, but are ultimately more defensible. I think Devlin’s reputation is way more on the lighter bullying side than the heavy bullying side (say where Johnny Rumble’s reputation is).
JamesIsAsleep
Hmm, I just spent two seconds looking up the internet's difference between a bully and a jerk, that's not a joke. I did it because I feel like we're drawing a fine semantic line in our descriptions of Devlin, but in any case I feel like you could make a argument for Devlin's reputation being someone who didnt give a fuck, and someone who gave such a fuck that he proactively made peoples lives miserable. I could buy an argument that Kimmy never saw that aspect (the bully aspect) throughout either of their lives, but it doesnt stack up.
Chinookfan72
to add further it seems Kimmy has had some attraction to Devlin since high school, though hasn’t acted on it til now, so whatever makes him a jerk is obviously turning Kimmy’s crank in a good way. The story Josh told isn’t severe enough in my opinion to reverse said crank. Thus she is still chugging full steam to pound town.
Chinookfan72
James, he does have the reputation of being a jerk Kimmy even says in 5his chapter something along the lines of “Devlin was a jerk to everyone”. His reputation seems to be more of that of your typical big, handsome, cocky rich kid in high school. Than say a monster who bullied Josh mercilessly in high school. The first reputation has some attractive qualities, and is more my understand of what Kimmy believes Devlin to be. The second one has no attractive qualities is where Josh’s internal monologue is (but won’t share with Kimmy).
TF
I was only able to read this excellent chapter tonight and it took me almost as long to read all the comments. All very cogent and I can only offer the following. If my partner, whom I loved, suddenly revealed to me an adolescent bullying incident directly linked to my new position, I would wonder two things: is this only the tip of the iceberg and what caused it to be revealed now? The loving person would try to tease out the answers to these questions. However, if, at the same time, I was engaged in behavior with the same bully that was potentially very harmful to my partner, I would rationalize away the incident and exhibit no curiosity concerning more incidents or the reason for its revelation. Kimmy does the latter. Plus, I don’t think money has anything to do with her response…it’s just another rationalization (maybe Kimmy is being paid in company stock!).
JamesIsAsleep
Chinook, I might be confusing inner monologue from Josh or from conversations in the messages between everyone here about Devlin the bully, from Kimmy's actual thoughts, but I thought it was universal knowledge that Devlin was an asshole to everyone he knew. That's why Kimmy hated him, I thought, because of who is and what he did to Josh and to other people all the way back to high school. Doesnt he have that reputation? Maybe Kimmy didn't specifically know why Josh might have hated Devlin, but if he said to her that he was an asshole, it fits into an existing meme of 'Devlin the Asshole' that doesnt take that much commentary to get her to believe. She is rationalizing to downplay Devlin's behavior and she knows it, but I agree its secondary to having a great paying job.
Chinookfan72
DND you are right, when Kimmy and Devlin finally go all the way it’s a betrayal of Josh for sure. I’d be shocked if KT goes full Manus Dare. As Donkatsu says, KT writes her leading ladies with restraint. Personally I’d love to see KT break from her mold in this series and let Kimmy start to lean into the humiliation after she fully surrenders to Devlin.
Chinookfan72
James, I don’t think the AA nickname or the “what are you doing with him” questions speak to bullying, but are more a) evidence Josh and Devlin don’t get along (I’m sure Josh has a nickname for Devlin too). and b) common questions that are asked in affairs by the third person (if Josh was fucking Devlin’s girl on the side I’m sure he’d ask the same question). The point here is Kimmy knows Josh and Devlin don’t get along, that adds to her attraction because it’s taboo for her to like him. However there is a line in which if Kimmy was actually informed about how horrible Devlin was to Josh, then it would kill the attraction. There is no doubt Devlin has been a pos to Josh for a long time, and if Josh actually shared the bad stuff then he’d likely get Kimmy to do what he wants Kimmy to do without asking... The problem is, when he does share it’s not even an incident that includes Devlin directly. Therefore, in her lust clouded mind she can rationalize continuing work and fuck Devlin because Josh’s issue with Devlin isn’t serious enough.
Donkatsu
oeuvre, over.
Donkatsu
No question DnD. We have seen that almost all of KT's gals show this kind of self restraint. It's a hallmark of her over - why there's ____ and then there's _____ and of course _____ and many more, I am sure.😀 Glaucs, it looks as if this is turning in a direction you want - all the HS angst, the bullying, the sex, Kimmy hotter than ever.
DavidnDaria
Then again there is another take on this. Josh could end up as the big winner--a proverbial Phoenix. Suppose Kimmy and Devlin take the plunge, she realizes everything about Josh is right and everything about Devlin is wrong, regardless of the mindblowing, panty splitting orgasms she has. :)
DavidnDaria
There is absolutely nothing to apologize for, James. We read the story because we wanted to know. That's it. We know now. It's all good, bro!
Wess
Don't forget, Josh will likely be receiving his wife's very used panties. Even Josh will have a hard time explaining that away.
JamesIsAsleep
A couple things to help steer you off the ledge (probably won't work) ... 1) Josh gets turned on about thinking of Kimmy with Devlin, that's not all that needs to be said about it, because people can be tortured by what turns them on, but it's something. Something is there that likes it and it is helped along by ... 2) Kimmy loves Josh, to me the ultimate hurt would be if Kimmy develops feelings that are unique to Josh and Kimmy's relationship, with Devlin. If she can maintain her 'compartmentalization' she mentioned a couple updates back of her sexuality with Devlin, then theres room for Josh and Kimmy to be together given Josh's arousal of the situation. If Devlin is able to bridge that divide, that's trouble.
JamesIsAsleep
DnD - you were on my list of people that were in the "these stories are not for everyone" category for Manus Dare. lol I apologize I didnt send that memo, lol. It was subtext when I said KT might not like the attention paid to the husband character.
DavidnDaria
When Kimmy does do Devlin, it will be an utter and complete betrayal of Josh. That said, in this genre, it's expected. The degree of the betrayal, subsequent fallout, and Josh's reaction to finally knowing is going to be the foundation of Josh and Kimmy's relationship for a long time. The humiliation Josh will feel is what will drive this story. For the record, We hope it doesn't turn into a Manus Dare story (yep, James, we read the holiday thing) where Josh is marginalized in Kimmy's eyes, even replaced.
Donkatsu
BNR, I think a significant part of this will be Kimmy's change in her feelings about Josh. She is already rationalizing the HS incident as not so bad. More recall will make her look at Josh as a whiner. Then he's toast. Not sure how he recovers from that (but KT probably has a way forward).
BNR
Seriously! KT would have made us like Kylo Ren!
RCH
KT is master of make unforeseen course corrections. I will start wearing my neck brace to avoid whiplash from here on out!
BNR
Kimmy sleeping with Devlin will be a bullet through Josh's brain pan. Triiger pulled by Kim's own fingers. IMO. If she gives into her lust with Devlin even just "Playing around" then I have to say that I have given up all interest in that happens to Kimmy in this story. There will be no crazy hot and angst filled make-up sex that will justify her submitting to Devlin. Kimmy and Devlin having sex is tantamount to Devlin BEATING and RAPING Josh himself for how it will seem to destroy him. For me. IMO. As I read this story and interpret what others seem to be finding as well, is that this is now a story of abuse and domination. And I can't find that sexy in any way. If Kimmy was getting "mixed messages" from Josh like bringing up this conversation while they were having sex, of getting aroused, fully erect every time Kimmy brought up spending time alone with Devlin and she would have to acknowledge the connection, then THAT would be a different story! For me. I would see that Josh does have more kinky and "Cuck-inspired" feelings for his wife working for his high school bully. "The popular high school jerk, bully and biggest Casanova from my youth wants my wife and it gets me so hard..." I just can't see the ship turning that way. Not unless KT plans some serious course corrections we haven't read yet. Am I far off course here? Am I too sensitive to a case or physical and psychological abuse? How can I enjoy a story that mounts abuse on top of abuse and then demonstrates the callous ignorance of a wife who claims to love her husband but abates his vocal and present cries for understanding. She has already done enough do destroy Josh, with digital evidence no less... But I will read on as I give KT all my faith. Well Deserved/Earned!
Glaucon
The winning “play” for Kimmy is to not be fucking Devlin, and to be badmouthing/mocking her asshole boss to Josh, but we all know she can’t say no to Devlin.
Chinookfan72
In reading all the comments so far, Glauc, I think you are spot on. While I certainly understand there are some who would prefer the happier confines of a hotwife tale, I am loving this direction and the change of pace from KT’s other stories. Sure Six Weeks is a cheating wife tale too, but this is different as there is much more relationship conflict with Devlin being Josh’s bully. As for Kimmy’s rationalizing, of course she is.. The gist of the story Josh told Kimmy was 14 years ago, as kids, Devlin was in a group and someone else in that group came up to Josh, punched him in the stomach and took his coat. Furthermore she asked what Josh wants and he can’t give her answer. Josh doesn’t even know if he wants Kimmy to stop bring Devlin up in conversation. I don’t understand what Kimmy is supposed to do in this scenario, leave her job that is paying 3.8x what she was making before (can she find a better paying gig than immigration, probably, but I highly doubt with her experience she could get half of what Devlin is paying her)? Confront Devlin and tell him off, based on one high school fight that Devlin was only a spectator of? That seems like a stretch to me. Thus her only option is to rationalize it. If I’m Kimmy I’d expect Josh to tell me his worst encounter Josh endured at the hands of Devlin so that he can maximize his point of how hard this is for him and how much of a pos Devlin is. The fact that the part of the story Josh told Kimmy doesn’t include any direct interactions with Devlin makes it easy to assume, from Kimmy’s perspective, that Josh is being hyperbolic in regards to how terrible a Devlin was in school.. I know plenty of husbands and wives who would react in a similar manner to Kimmy if in this situation.
Donkatsu
You're probably right for Canada, but it still makes a good throwaway line. Doesn't "Q" have a chat about how to use the vehicle's technology, including weapons systems, if you spring $150k for an AMG roadster?
Glaucon
Just to provide counterbalance to some of the voices in response to this chapter, I want to say that I think this is absolutely the right direction for this story and I am really enjoying it. This was always going to be a story about a wife and her husband's bully, and that story needs this kind of context. Interested to see if we get more direct history involving Devlin, though.
DavidnDaria
No. To amplify, it appears that Josh is going to go through a lot. Perhaps he needs to be rescued before the wheels come off the wagon? I don't know. Kimmy is changing. This is one situation where the slow burn ala KT is brilliant, but purposefully evil.
Glaucon
I find it interesting narratively that our first ever description of a childhood bullying incident doesn’t directly involve Devlin, but this other guy. I imagine this is to give Kimmy the room (even though it’s a big stretch) for rationalizing the scenario in Devlin’s favour, and if it ever comes up again gives Devlin plausible deniability “Oh yeah Johnny was a psycho I had to humour him sometimes.” To be honest on first blush I thought Josh was making up “Johnny Rumble” haha, especially given that Kimmy didn’t remember him. Typos – Paragraph starting with ‘It was . . . this one was Grade 9’ appears to be missing opening quotation marks “He tells Johnny Go get my jacket, Johnny does.” – odd punctuation, probably shouldn’t capitalize Go? Or instead quote “Go get my jacket”? “regretting even telling he that”
Glaucon
In Canada, I don't think it likely Devlin has a handgun in his car.
Glaucon
Is it important for there to be a hero or heroine?
Donkatsu
There is only one solution that can work for Josh, but he is too late; Josh, Steve, and Myer going "Straw Dogs" on Devlin as per Tim Z. would have worked when they were 14. I know it did for me vis-a-vis a Sr. HS boy who tormented my trio of Middle School dorks. He never bothered any of us again and everyone knew about it. These days Devlin's glove box is likely to come with a Glock. Josh will need a more subtle form of revenge. Think you can figure out something suitable, KT?
Tim ziegler
I wrote earlier after the first couple of chapters,I hoped Josh,Steve and Myer get back at Devlin.But also Josh would hook up with Kimmy’s best friend Karina to get back at her.Being Josh’s former crush maybe not to far off. My difficulty reading it is my grandson is being bullied at school he’s such a gentle soul it makes it hard I really hate bullies. And Kimmy turning out to be a selfish bitch.
DavidnDaria
This story is starting to get difficult for me to read. It can go many ways, ways that I know are both popular and unpopular here. That's okay. I've always encouraged KT to follow where the characters lead. I think what's hard about this is Kimmy. I know there are women who are selfish and carnally driven to the extreme. But what is troublesome is Kimmy's constant rationalizing. In one moment she has compassion for Josh and yet later, she begins to rationalize away everything Josh has told her about being bullied by Devlin and his followers. Yet, it's fiction and both my wife and I get that. Well, there is definitely room for a hero or heroine here. Who, though? Compassion is a strange thing.
Glaucon
I’m going to reiterate my earlier thought that Karina might end up in Devlin’s sights too - and it only leads me to believe that something along those lines is more likely now that KT’s conjured an old flame for Karina in Josh.
Donkatsu
Kimmy's going to find that hiding her newfound contempt for Josh will become increasingly difficult. Josh is about to find out about Devlin the hard way. Great chapter, KT; you must have brothers to have recreated this kind of scene so well.
JamesIsAsleep
Josh is getting a bit stronger willed, although he is too late with this stuff, and frankly the money is too good to deny. I love the backstory to specific events like what was written here. I love how it involves Karina too, i have to think theres a reason KT is reconnecting us with her. I'm also glad Kimmy recognizes how weak her rationalization of Devlin's behavior was, considering theres 0% chance this is Josh's only story. Also enjoy the shit out of the irony of Kimmy accusing Josh of not trusting her. "Sure I let him put his penis and fingers inside me on three (Edit: i think it's up to four now) separate occasions, but you didnt know about that, and its beside the point!" 😈
Wess
Wow! Literal and figurative gut punch. So well written that I had high school flashbacks to my own bully. And now I'm pissed. I know Josh hasn't described his concerns well but Kimmy doesn’t have the excuse of not knowing anymore. She also knows she wanted the job to get with Devlin. And her first response is to rationalize Devlin's behavior by blaming his thug friend? I don't think she deserves Josh. This is turning the way my feeling about Maggie turned. Selfish. Run Josh!
