morrobay1990

Title: “...and he found ways to spend it.”
Author:

morrobay1990
Genre: post canon
Warning:
Word count: 550
Disclaimer: Jack & Ennis are AP's
♥ Jack

”Down in Texas Jack's father-in-law died and Lureen, who inherited the farm equipment business, showed a skill for management and hard deals. Jack found himself with a vague managerial title, traveling to stock and agricultural shows. He had some money now and found ways to spend it."

A few other men joined them at the bar and after a while they moved into the dining room, commanding a large rounded booth in the corner for eight of them.

After two hours of eating, drinking and story-telling they started to drift away, back to their room in this hotel or any one of many down the street, to rest up for the first day of the show tomorrow.

The new man, eventually introduced to Jack and the others as Michael Harris, had sat as far away from Jack as he could get, but their eyes had met several times over the evening...Jack looking over at him with an unwavering, penetrating look...his eyes lingering on Michael's lips just a second too long...or smiling at a bad joke as he shifted his gaze and rested his blue eyes on the other man...then lowered them and looked away.

Now there were only the two of them and Mark remaining at the table, and Mark was winding it up for the evening.

“Well, I gotta get back to the room and call the missus, she'll nag me to death if I don't. See y'all in the mornin.” He threw a fifty dollar bill on the table and got his hat from the shelf over the booth.

Jack sat back and sipped the last of his drink, looking over the rim of the glass at Michael. He was younger than Jack, in better shape...he had light brown hair cut just above his collar...he wore starched Wranglers and a white western shirt, white hat...clean shaven, with a straight nose, strong chin...what LD used to call a man's man.

The look on his face amused Jack, he could read it like a book, knew exactly what was going through his mind this second: Thank God they all left...I should leave, too...what if something happens...what if nothing happens...

“So Mike...you were pretty quiet tonight...never did hear who you work for.”

“Uh, I use Michael.”

“What?”

“You can call me Michael, not Mike. I work for Tony Hernandez, started a couple months ago.” He drank from his water glass, his mouth suddenly dry.

“How you like it?”

“What?” Michael said sharply.

“I said, how do you like the work? Sellin...how you like it?”

“Pays the bills...almost.”

“Want another drink, Mike?”

“It's Michael...no, thanks...I guess I should go, too.”

Jack softened his voice, “No need.”

He lit a cigarette and laid his arm along the back of the booth, stretching out seductively. He had already dropped the hook, now all he had to do was reel him in.

“Where you stayin?” He looked over and dropped his gaze to Michael's lips again.

Michael looked around nervously, “Down the road, Holiday Motel .”

Jack leaned forward and crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray, and not looking up said, “Anybody else stayin there for the show?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What room you in?”

Michael looked across into Jack's eyes, and he was caught on that hook.

“Twenty-eight...corner room, ground floor, in the back.”

Jack stood up and pulled on his jacket, “Well, ain't that lucky?”