"...right in the middle of her forehead." Jacquie recited the rhyme as she played with the curl in the middle of her forehead. She had always had the curl for as long as she had had hair and her mother used to sing the rhyme to her all of the time when she was little.

That curl of honey brown hair was somehow comforting for her to play with, especially when she was a little nervous. It was one of her "tells," as Dayne called it, which let him know "when she had been a nasty little bitch." More of his words. So at times she cursed herself for her habit.

Still, other times it was just fun and flirtatious. Letting it fall a little over one eye or the other, or blowing it playfully off of her forehead. Guys found that attractive, or so she imagined.

She also imagined that the curl could be sexy, downright erotic... letting it trail down a man’s treasure trail, just above his pubes, or after it clung, sweat dampened, to her after a bout of passion or lust.

Yes, for better or worse, she loved her curl.

"When she was good, she was very very good..." and she was good, too. For the most part. She helped out in her community, with blood drives, recycling, the whole shebang, not to mention all of the favors she did for her neighbors. Not only that but she visited her parents and called her brother religiously, as well as went to church regularly.

Yes, she was a model citizen, a genuinely good woman. For the most part.

"But when she was bad, she was horrid." Yes, horrid. Well her daddy had always told her that if she was "gonna do somethin’, ya might as well do it right," so why go halfway on being bad?

It’s not that she was bad often, in fact, she was sometimes appalled by some of the thoughts that ran through her own head. Sometimes. If she didn’t think about them too much.

If she did dwell on them, however, they tended to lose their morbidity, and eventually turn downright appealing. Even exciting.

Like today. Today she was excited as she hummed the little tune and made sure she looked just right. Why was she excited?

Because today was Revenge Day. She opened up her planner and smiled a crooked half smile, a wicked half smile. Right there it was on her calendar, circled in red lipstick. If everything worked out right, Dayne would swallow some of that damned attitude of his today. Maybe even join a local chapter of Assholes Anonymous.

She giggled at the thought. She pictured him standing up and saying, "Hi, my name is Dayne, and I’m an asshole." Only to be unanimously rebuffed with a resounding, "Like we give a shit."

She laughed again and shook her head as she headed for the door, idly wondering if there really was such a place somewhere. "What the hell is so damned funny?" floated out from the bedroom as she was on her way out, but she just pretended like she never heard, and closed the door to the apartment behind her.

She spent the rest of her trip to work reveling in the feeling of delightful wickedness. Every man she saw was just a piece of meat in her eyes, and she embarrassed more than a few by giving them that oh so obvious once-over before ever meeting their gazes with an amused smile.

Every guy that blushed and looked away bumped her a little higher. She loved the feeling. It was almost better than sex, that feeling of power. Almost.

Still, nothing could last forever, and she had to reign herself in a bit when she arrived at her job. She did, after all, have an image to maintain. She had struggled hard to be flirtatious enough to avoid being considered a prude, without being considered a cock-tease by the guys and a slut by the women. No reason to jeopardize that.

No reason at all. So she settled for letting her thoughts run wild, shamelessly comparing, rating, and picturing every guy, and even a couple of women, though the idea didn’t really appeal to her. Still, she appreciated beauty, even in the same sex, and she was feeling just cocky enough not to feel threatened by anyone. So she looked. She looked on the way up in the elevator, she looked on her trip down the hallway, and when the entered the half floor of cubicles and offices that was her workplace, she looked all the way to her desk.

She chuckled evilly to herself as she took care of her jacket and purse and arranged her desk to start the workday. She grabbed her pad and pen and walked into her boss’s office, sitting quietly at the seat in front of his desk, waiting for him to get off of the phone and give her the "marching orders" for the day.

She let her eyes wander about a bit, over the shiny brass nameplate that proclaimed this the desk of Ron Shearer, over his perfectly pressed suit and tie, and to his face.

Mr. Shearer—Ron—was a good-looking man. Rugged, strong features with a year round tan (that made her think he had some Native American in him), startling blue eyes (she wasn’t sure where those would have come from), and short, elegantly styled hair that had the dignified salt-and-pepper look to it. On top of it, he was known to stay in good shape at the local gym and was, in short, an item many women drooled over from time to time.

The only glaring flaw that he had in her mind was that damned golden band on his left ring finger. And on a day like today, she might very well be inclined to overlook such a flaw.

"Alright then, by noon. Noon, Jack. Don’t spend so much time saying ‘but,’ and spend a little more working. Noon. Bye Jack." Her boss let out a sigh as he hung up the phone. He shook his head before looking at her, his eyes still unfocused for a bit while he took the time to register who she was.

"Jacquie, great! You know I love you, right?" Jacquie smirked; this was always the prelude to a shitload of work. Still, she felt up to it today, so she just laughed lightly and nodded, poising her pen to write.

"Good! Here’s what I need you to do-"

He paused for a moment and their eyes met. He grinned at her and nodded, and they both stood at the same time. With one arm he swept everything off the top of his desk while she crawled over it to kiss him hungrily, nipping and biting his lips a bit in the sudden urgency of it all.

She was working deftly at his buckle and zipper while he threw his jacket to the floor. Even as she succeeded in undoing his pants he wrapped a strong arm around her waist, hoisting her up off the desk and dragging her to him before setting her back down on the edge.

She drew in a sharp breath between clenched teeth at his show of power, then wrapped her legs tightly around him. Jerking upward animalistically on her skirt, he pulled it over her hips, pausing a moment to admire the view with a "mmm mmm mmm" and a shake of his head.

Then they were at each other again, nails raking through cloth. He ran a hand up through her cleavage and she let her head fall back, eyes closed, an involuntary moan escaping her lips as he pressed into her.

Oh God, she thought, sometimes foreplay is soooo overrated. The sweet mixture of pain and ecstasy was threatening to throw her over the brink into delirium, and she heard him saying, "Oh Jacquie-"

"Oh Jacquie, by the way, remember that I need the reports from the other divisions by noon."

She nodded and smiled to him over her notebook, looking over his neatly arranged office and damning her sometimes-overactive imagination. "Will that be all Mr. Shearer?"

"Hmm. Yes, at least for now. Unless you think you can manage to find time in all of that to take notes for me at my three o’ clock today. You do such a good job." He gave her his puppy dog look.

"Now Mr. Shearer, I’ve told you all week, I have to leave early today for my doctor’s appointment. You know that." She couldn’t help but smirk again. The man never forgot anything, he knew damned well she wouldn’t be here.

Still, that didn’t stop him from feigning shock. "You did? No, I don’t remember receiving that memo..." He pretended to sift through the papers on his desk until he noticed she wasn’t buying it, then he heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"Alright, alright, but it’s gonna cost you your dental."

This time she couldn’t help but grin herself. "I don’t have dental Mr. Shearer."

"That’s because of all of this unscheduled absence from work Jacquie. Really I’m worried about you, maybe you should go see a doctor." He actually managed somehow to keep a straight face.

"Ha ha, Ron. Now am I free to go, Master?"

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Insubordination! I don’t have a first name to you, peasant!" Then they both laughed. "Yes, get this done for me before you go and I’ll see to it personally that you get paid this week. Please." He held his hands together in front of him in prayer position as she backed out, mouthing "please... please," at her.

She couldn’t help but smile a bit as she walked down the narrow cubicle corridors to the copy machine. He was a good man to work for. Demanding yet laid back if you did all of the work he gave you.

She turned the corner into the Copy Cubicle, as it was called, and stifled a frown by biting her lower lip. Eric was there. Not that Eric being there was, in itself, bad, but it meant she would have to wait. She hated waiting when she was in this mood.

He favored her with a small smile when she came in then assured her, "I won’t be long, just a few more to go."

She nodded and moved to stand next to the table with the copier, just to make sure everyone knew she was next in line.

True to his word, a few moments later he was picking up his stack of papers to go when she "accidentally" moved her foot to the same place his was going, bringing the heel of her pump down squarely on his foot, right behind his middle toe. He let out a yelp and she stumbled forward, looking around in confusion.

"Oh my god Eric, I am so sorry. Are you alright?"

He grimaced and flexed his foot before nodding. "Yeah, I’m ok. These shoes are supposed to be waterproof, so they should hold all the blood inside."

"I’m really sorry."

"Don’t be silly, Jacquie, it happens." She bit her bottom lip again; this time to show just how sorry she was, as he limped a bit out of the cubicle.

Man am I a bitch sometimes, she thought. It was exactly that kind of situation that her reputation was good for. When she was good, she was very very good...

The morning passed by swiftly, between her work and her wandering thoughts, and soon she found herself downtown for lunch.

Peaking out of the curtained corner booth was her best friend, Annie. Anne-Marie Howard, to be exact. She motioned frantically for Jacquie to join her, and let out a girlish giggle when she slip into the booth across from her.

"What’s up, girl?" Annie asked.

"None of your business," Jacquie mock-sneered in return.

"Fine then, be that way, see if I care." They laughed, and then Annie let out a long sigh. "Seriously, you look like you’re in a mood, what’s going on?"

"Is it that obvious? Thank you," she said to the waiter who dropped off a menu. When her friend nodded, she continued. "Well, I’m taking the afternoon off of work."

Annie looked confused. "Ok, what am I missing? Why?"

"I have an appointment." She stressed the last word.

"Alright, now I’m really confused. What kind of an appointment?" Annie looked intensely curious.

"I’m going to have a uh…pelvic examination."

"Huh? A gyno appointment? Why would that..." Annie trailed off while Jacquie was shaking her head no.

"No, I’m not having a doctor do anything with my pelvis."

Now Annie’s brow was furrowed, she was obviously lost. Jacquie kept staring at her expectantly before finally giving a hint. "And it’s why I’m in such a good mood."

Slowly the expression on Annie’s face changed to one of surprise. "Oh, you can’t be serious. You’re taking the afternoon off to get laid?" When Jacquie nodded, she laughed. "Oh no way. By who?" She frowned. "Better not be Dayne."

Jacquie shook her head. "Nope."

"So he’s not still in the apartment?"

"Yes, he is."

"Dammit, Jacquie! You gotta get rid of that abusive asshole. Especially if you’re seeing other guys. Lord only knows what he’ll do to you."

Jacquie shrugged, then grinned. "It’s all being taken care of."

"Then who... What have you got going on? The suspense is killing me!"

"I’ll tell you tomorrow."

Annie glowered at her over her ice water. "You better. God you gotta get away from him. You could have anyone you want, Jacquie, anytime. Like our waiter." She nodded to the waiter as he approached. "You could just do him right here and now, and he’d be happy!"

Jacquie laughed and shook her head.

"Are you ready to order, ladies?" Luckily, he did not seem to have heard Annie’s comment.

"Yes," Annie said. "Chef salad, two, with ranch dressing, light. And two diet Cokes."

He looked at both of them, "Will that be all?" They nodded and handed back the menus and he left them with a small basket of French baguettes.

"Ha ha, funny Annie," Jacquie continued as if the conversation had never paused. She picked up one of the breadsticks and toyed with it. "’Are you ready to order, ladies?’ Why yes, I’ll just have you." She slid the baguette suggestively in her mouth, then bit it in half.

Now it was Annie’s turn to laugh. "That’s the spirit. Sheesh, you really are in a mood. Just remember, gossip, tomorrow, same time, same channel."

Jacquie smiled and nodded. The chatter drifted to other topics, and soon she found herself back at the daily grind.

If the morning went fast, then the last couple of hours in the afternoon went torturously slow. She found herself watching the clock, and seething with barely contained anticipation. She swore she actually saw the time inch backwards... twice.

Still, time being what it is, it was eventually time to go. She wasted no time in getting out of there, pausing only to let Ron know she was gone, so he would actually have to answer his own phone.

She had planned this afternoon carefully, meticulously. First, a rendezvous for some afternoon delight with Mike, her newly acquired boyfriend (at least for the time being), then back home (riding with Mike, of course), arriving about when she normally would for what she knew was going to be a nice big showdown with Dayne.

But then, best not to get ahead of herself. She had looked forward to this for a long time. She was going to enjoy every stage of her plan, and she was definitely in the mood for some nice, slow sucking and fucking.

Mike’s Mustang pulled in to the parking lot a little before 5:30, right when she would normally be arriving by herself. And sure enough, standing out on the complex lawn was Dayne, along with the building superintendent, Gary Hoffmeyer.

"That him?" Mike asked, the tone of his voice and look of disdain on his face plainly showing what he thought of Dayne.

"Yeah, I just have to straighten things out with Gary there, and I’ll be ready to go. Sit tight, k?" She beamed him a glowing smile and caressed his cheek.

He nodded, never taking his eyes off of Dayne. She took a deep breath and got out of the car, reminding herself to casually saunter. As she got closer, she was looking at Dayne with new eyes. What had she seen in him? What power does he (No, DID he, she reminded herself) have over me?

Despite all of her reminders to herself, she was still shaking on the inside when she came to stand in front of him.

"What the hell is going on?" Dayne asked through clenched teeth.

"Well, I’m moving out, Dayne," she responded innocently enough.

"You can’t do that." Still gritting his teeth. She enjoyed seeing him like this.

"Oh, that’s where you’re wrong Dayne. It’s in my name. Or was, up until noon today, when the utilities got shut off and my contract officially expired." She was doing her best not to let her teeth chatter together as she spoke, her stomach was doing flip-flops, but her voice sounded amazingly steady, even to her ears.

Gary was obviously not comfortable with being there for this conversation. Still, it was apparent that he still needed, or at least wanted, a few questions answered. He didn’t want to interrupt however, so he stood silently, waiting.

Dayne turned to him now. "Gary, it’s not like I have to leave the apartment, right?"

The super looked a bit surprised at being asked a question, then shrugged. "Well, no, there’s no one else signed up for it, so if you want it..." He looked to Jacquie. "Or wanted to renew it?"

Jacquie shrugged. "No, he can have it." Then she laughed bitterly, surprising herself with the harsh sound. It felt good to let some of the anger go. "That is, if he can pay for it."

Dayne sneered at her and started to reach for his wallet.

"And honey," she filled the word with venomous sarcasm. "Don’t bother trying to use any of my credit or debit cards. They’re all cancelled too."

His lip started to twitch a bit now. "You’re bluffing. You can’t just walk away. Not without all your shit."

"All of what stuff, Dayne? That cheesy entertainment center is yours. All of the clothes I wanted just happen to be at the cleaners right now. The furniture came with the apartment... what do you think I left here, Dayne? Nothing but you." Yes, she had thought this out very well.

Now she turned to Gary. "Gary, I’m sorry for any inconvenience. I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to clean the place, and you can just go ahead and keep the security deposit for the trouble. If you find anything damaged, missing, or out of place, well that would be shithead here’s fault. Here are my time/date photos taken before I left for work this morning," she handed him a package. "Anything that exceeds my deposit, I’ll pay, but," she turned to Dayne. "I’ll just sue you for. Plus time, court fees, and mental and emotional damages.

"And don’t try to come after me, I’ll have a restraining order put on your ass so fast it’ll make your head spin."

Dayne’s eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, and his face was red. She loved it. She had beaten him. She gave him a sweet smile, batted her eyelashes, and turned to leave, her heart beating in her throat.

Sure enough, before she had gone two steps, Dayne grabbed her painfully by the arm and turned her around, which was when Mike got out of the car. As for Gary, he was going inside to call the police.

"Better let goooo," she warned him.

"Why, who’s he? Your next fuck after me?"

"Why yes, Dayne. Though there’s a difference, he’s actually good at it." That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, she had pushed him past his limit. Witnesses or no, he drew back and hit her, hard, knocking her to the sidewalk... where she laughed.

"You stupid bitch, you’ve gone insane." He looked up just before Mike’s fist connected solidly with his jaw, sending him sprawling too.

"No, Dayne, I just thought of something else that I forgot to mention about Mike," she said as she was picking herself back up. "He’s a cop." Dayne’s eyes flew wide in shock, then flitted back to Mike, who was holding out his badge and nodding.

Dayne found himself on his belly, a knee in his back and cuffs around his wrists, all the while muttering over and over "this can’t be happening," while they waited for a squad car to arrive.

Jacquie made sure she made eye contact with Dayne, then smiled and whispered, "Oh, but it is."

She found herself playing with the curl in the middle of her forehead and humming. Yes, Revenge Day had been very very good. Sometimes it paid to be so bad she was horrid.