Design Flaw

The P. O. Box contained an unremarkable assortment of bills and junk, and a notice that there was something to be picked up at the front counter.  Someone had to sign for it, but the clerk allowed Kyo to do it as an “agent.”  It was a rectangular cardboard box maybe 45 centimeters long and almost half as wide, but Jo said she could carry it under one arm.  It was addressed to Meg and it was from something in the United States called the Acme Novelty Company.

Jo asked, “What’s this?”

“I don’t know,” Kyo said.  “We’ll leave it aside for Meg.”

“Ok, Honey Pie.”  Jo giggled.  “Pumpkin pie?”

The clerk overheard her.  He said, “You know, the love hotel across the street--”

“Yes, thank you,” Kyo said hastily, “but my FRIEND and I have to get home.”

“Yes, of course.  Well, I hope you and your ‘friend’ have a pleasant evening.”

As he led Jo out to the scooter, Kyo reflected that having Jo enraged and pointing a gun at his privates wasn’t necessarily a bad thing after all.  Although the pet names were starting to grow on him…

Back at the trailer, Jo darted back to Meg’s room.  Kyo took the opportunity to sneak into the cockpit and call Sei’s cell phone.  It went straight to voice mail -- she’d turned her phone off for vacation, obviously.  But Kyo still left a message after the beep: “Hi, Sei, it’s Kyo.  Jo is acting…weird.  There’s no other way to describe it.  And her tattoo’s been glowing green, so who knows what that means.  I’ll call you back if things get…stranger…but otherwise, enjoy your trip.”  He clicked off.  

“You’re worried about me,” Jo purred behind him.  “That is so sweet.”

Kyo turned and for a moment wondered who was the silver-haired supermodel who had put on Jo’s clothes.  Jo had never worn makeup, and for all he knew she didn’t know what it was.  But there she was, wearing lipstick, eye shadow,  eye liner, mascara, and rouge, all applied so perfectly that one would think she had had it done professionally.  And she smelled…fantastic.

Jo shifter her weight to one foot and ran her fingers through her hair and smiled warmly.  “You like?”

“I..Damn, Jo, yeah, you look great!  I mean…wow.”

“I was in Meg’s room, and I thought I’d use some of her makeup to make myself look pretty for you.”  She began rubbing his chest and taking deep breaths.  “I want to make it up to you for all the mean things I’ve done and said,” she breathed in an unbelievably steamy voice.  “I look at you and I see all these pictures in my head, all these things I can do to you to make you feel good.  And I want to, Kyo.  I want to make you feel good.  I want it so bad.”

“Uh…”  As appealing as the situation was, huge alarm bells were going off in Kyo’s mind.  He held up his phone.  “You know, maybe I should try Sei again--”

“No more phone calls.”  She snatched the phone from him and hurled it against the wall.  “I’m done talking.  I want you.”  She pushed a kiss onto his mouth and pushed him down onto one of the captain’s chairs.  She jumped onto his lap, straddling him.  She bit his neck as she tugged at his clothes and said in his ear, “Take me, Kyo, take me now.  I can’t wait any longer--”

“H-hold on!”  Kyo surprised himself -- as aroused as he was, he still had to will power to push her back.  “Jo, please, come on, this isn’t like you.  Let’s…whoo… let’s take it easy, all--”

Jo’s face twisted in rage,  “Oh, I get it.  You want her, don’t you?”

“Who?”

“Sei!  And don’t think I don’t know you’re lusting after her.  I guess dark hair and huge breasts are what do it for you?”

“Jo--”  

She slapped him hard.  “BASTARD!  And I thought you were nice.”  Another slap; Kyo noted the tattoo had turned black.  “You son of a--”  She started to pound him with her fists.

Kyo brought his hands up to try to protect himself.  “ALL RIGHT!”  Kyo shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks.  “All right.  I’ll do it,” he sobbed.  “I-I’ll do anything you ask.  J-just stop hitting me.”

“Kyo.”  Jo pulled him into a hug.  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.”  She rocked him in her arms as the tattoo turned green again.  “I’m sorry…”

“Stop hitting me.”

“I won’t hit you, Dear Heart.  I’ll never raise a hand to you again.”  She kissed him tenderly and then wiped his cheeks.  “I’m sorry.  You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.  I still want you, but I won’t force it.”

“J-Jo, something’s…something’s wrong with you.  This isn’t right…”

“I know, I think you’re right.  Ok, I’ll keep my hands off, and I’ll wait and see what the others say.”  She stood up and spread her arms.  “Come here.  Make up hug.”

They embraced and Jo said, “Still friends?”

“Yes, Jo, still friends.”

“All right.  Tell you what, you keep fixing dinner, and I’ll sort through the mail.  And if I ever try to hit you again, I’ll shoot myself -- in the leg.”

Kyo smiled in spite of himself.  “Ok, Jo.”