Mending the Mogul's Broken Spirit. Donkeys!, #4

Jeb scuffed a bit at the moss stained brick path just outside the bower shaded bench we were sitting on. The rosebush that climbed over the bower was an old style one that was heavy on the perfume. He turned hopeful eyes on my face, leaned a little bit closer to my ear and heavy whispered, "Are you going to give it up?" I didn't look directly at him but I smiled. He growled" Is tonight the night, then?""Babe" I heavy whispered in his ear, "You're the one that holds the key."There was a choking sound.
I did look then and Jeb looked as if the trolls and gremlins had grabbed him by the neck and pulled his tie and collar as tight around it as a noose. His eyes looked desperate and he couldn't breathe. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Breathe. Breathe like you practiced." I took his hand in both of mine. "Breathe, Jeb. Breathe like you've practiced." I undid his tie and opened the top several buttons of his shirt.
We practiced slow breathing for a few minutes until the panic attack subsided. He didn't let go of my hand but he wouldn't look at me as he asked, "Do you regret raiding me?""No, I don't regret raiding you."It wasn't much of a raid. Not like the raiders of yore who landed on the seashore, marched to the inhabited dwellings, looted anything of value, and carried off any maiden they could catch. The Romans, when they were a grubbing, harum scarum lot had carried off the Sabine women just because the local girls back home thought they were hairy uncouth alpha barbarians and the home girls were looking for metro-sexuals before the term was coined.
It wasn't much of a raid. If I'd raided anything it was probably Jeb's private plane which was on its way to London. Well, it wasn't on its way to London, it was sitting there on the side of the runway all fueled up and polished and its destination was London. London sounded like a nice change of scene from the home scene where I was suddenly more and more cast into the role of Cinderella. My sister-in-law, Minka, was as nasty as both of Cinderella's stepsisters combined and my mother thought that it was my heartfelt wish to join her in doting on my stupid brother.