by M Dauphin
The two of them watch me carefully, then look at each other, exchanging a silent agreement.
"If there's one thing I can appreciate, it's seeing a debt through. I'll be waiting to hear from Jasper." B.K. nods. "Soon." He turns and starts retreating to the front door.
"Right, soon," I mumble walking them out, Bronson still on my hip.
"Oh, and Ben will be back. Very soon. He'll need to make sure his bride is being taken well care of while not under our supervision." He winks at me and slides into the waiting car.
The fuck? Did he just say...bride?
I don't know how it happened. I thought my body was healing, but when I collapsed in a cold sweat and couldn't stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time, I knew I had big problems.
An infection spread from my fingers and left me where I am right now. At least I got an actual bed out of this mess. It's been a couple days but progress is slow, even though Luke jumped into action and got me hopped up on antibiotics and my fingers were sanitized with something more effective than water and an old bar of soap.
I haven't seen Jasper since finding out Luke was alive, and the last thing I really remember was Luke leaving in a fit and I was trying to talk to Bronson until I got dizzy. I haven't seen Bronson since either, but I've seen Luke. Not conscious long enough to say much to him, but he's been here every time I woke up and if I had the energy, I'd probably attack him again, then fuck him, then try to kill him. He told me that boy was dead. I'll never forgive him for the way that made me feel.
I hate that my body wants him so badly, and now that Jasper has been trying to get me pregnant, I have to sleep with Lucas. I think if I were to get pregnant with Jasper's child, Luke would kill both me and the baby. This way, if I'm already pregnant, I can tell Luke it's his child and we wouldn't know until birth who actually fathered the infant. At that point though, I will be ruling this empire, eating my meals from Luke's and Jasper's skulls.
If my body didn't hurt so much, I'd be trying to get in the shower, but I'm practically crawling when I have to use the bathroom so I don't think it's a good idea yet. I do notice the air down here seems fresher. The staleness I'd grown used to has been replaced with a fresh cotton smell and there's some sort of air purifier and ventilation system in the corner. I have an actual dresser next to a standup closet. It's finally been turned into a good setup… if I were planning on a long-term stay. Fucking asshole.
At this point I'm honestly wondering what's going through his head, as futile as that wonderment is. I'm not sure I'll ever understand his head, and that's exactly why I need to keep him out of mine. He got into my head last time and that's how I ended up here. The sound of the door makes me go stiff, waiting for Jasper to appear, but it's Lucas, and, to my disappointment, Bronson's not with him
"Hey." He pauses in the middle of the room holding a tray of food. Taking a breath, he takes the few steps it takes to get to the bed, then sets the tray next to me. "How ya doing?"
I glance down at my wrapped hand, my bandaged arm, and me being immobile and chuckle. "Not dead." That's about all there is to say about this situation currently.
"Well that's a fucking relief. You scared us." He sits in the chair next to my bed and his eyes travel my body then takes a deep breath. "So, let's eat, then." He nods at the tray then looks back at me, like he's expecting me to dive in with excitement. Hunger is the last thing I feel. I feel cooped up, beat up, and sore.
"Lucas, I'm filthy. I'm not hungry. I just want to bathe. If you could bring me a washcloth and a bowl of water, I'll manage."
"One bite...two even. You need your strength, Megs. If you're ever going to get back to yourself, you need to eat." His fists are tight on the chair handles and he's glaring at the food, trying not to shove it down my throat.
"Will you get the water and cloth? I'll take two bites, you give me something to clean with? Compromise." I eye him.
"You just eat and I'll make sure to get you clean." We lock eyes and I see anger simmering under the blank stare. "Just eat," he mumbles then stands and walks towards the bathroom. I hear the water turn on before he peeks his head back out. "Eat!" he barks before returning into the bathroom.
"Eat, eat," I mutter quietly and slide the tray toward me. Forcing two bites, I stare at the food on the plate and wonder who prepares it. Does he have a cook up there? Who feeds him and Bronson?
These are all questions I'm wondering and it's a good sign that I'm not just thinking about the emptiness of death like I have been. Forcing one last bite, I smear the potatoes and hide the carrots under them, moving as quickly as I can to cut up the chicken to make it look like I ate more than I did then I push the tray away and wait for him to bring me water.
"Drink." He shoves the cup toward me and I grab it. As the water goes down, Luke watches me intently. "All of it," he says as I try setting it down before it's empty. "I need you healthy, Megs. I need you up and moving and happy and healthy again. You scared me half to death the other day."
'Scared your sex slave almost died?' sits on the tip of my tongue but I don't have the energy for this man tonight so I slowly finish the glass of water before setting it on the tray.
"I've eaten, I've drank. Can you please give me a cloth now?"
"Thank you," he whispers. "Come on, I have something better for you." With a grin, he reaches his hand out to help me, half smiling at me as I glare at him.
Who else do I have to trust down here? The spiders I can't find since Jasper's fucked up game? I clamp my good hand around his forearm and slowly move to stand. It's a slow process that's only getting slowed down by my frustrations of feeling like an invalid. When he sees me struggling and getting angrier, he carefully picks me up.
"I got you." He leans his head down and lays a kiss on the top of my head as he walks to the bathroom.
The longer I'm in his arms the more I want to murder everyone in this house that put me here. Fucking Luke, for putting me down here. Mother fucking Jasper, for doing this to me physically. Fuck!
"Here we are." He sighs, setting me down gently. "Come on, let's get you undressed."
I stop his hands as he reaches for the long shirt I've been in since I've gained consciousness. "I can handle this." I gesture to the door. "Please. Go." I didn't want a bath and I can't get in that water with a guarantee I can get myself back out, so I will just find a cloth and rinse myself. I'll be damned if he's going to undress me and treat me like a child.
"Listen. I know you want to be all independent and shit, but this is my house, and when you're here, you belong to me. My property, my girl, my fucking rules. I'm tired of the attitude. It's about time you start to respect me," he growls, taking a hold of the hem of the shirt. "Now are you going to do this, or am I?" He asks with a quirked eyebrow as he starts to lift the shirt up.
His words are enraging but I don't have the energy to fight. "By all means, Father." I dramatically lift my arms in the air, fighting through the screaming pain my fingers are shooting down my arm. "Your house, your rules, your property."
"And my fucking girl." He pulls the shirt over my head in one swift move, careful not to snag it on the bandages on my hand, then lets out a low growl as his eyes travel my body, taking in the bruises and marks Jasper felt the need to leave since I've been here. "Mother fucker." It comes out low, but loud enough for me to make it out. He stares for a moment longer, then clears his throat and looks back to the shower. "Come on in."
"I'm afraid I don't have the strength, Father. A little help?" I grab his arm and watch as he grits his teeth and the veins in his neck bulge from restraint of wanting to grab me and probably drown me.
He gently helps me in, and I'm surprised there wasn't even a small shove.
"You know, I've never been one for the whole role playing thing. I never wanted to be someone's 'daddy'," I hear him say from behind me. When I turn to look at him, he's slowly stripping off his layers and grinning at me. "But you just make it so damn hot." He pulls his shirt over his head and
I'm greeted by that V that haunted my dreams back when we first met.
As lust swirls through my belly to my clit and I try to fight it away, I don't have time to deny his entrance into the tub and he sits, pulling me toward him easily as the sway of the water moves me against him.
***
I'm woken by Bronson's face so close to mine, our noses are touching. With a gasp I jerk back out of instinct and look up to see Lucas grinning down at us.
"Morning. You passed out hard last night." He smiles, watching Bronson crawl in bed next to me. "He just ate breakfast. I have a few errands I have to run that aren't exactly kid friendly, if you know what I mean. The tablet is in the backpack on the chair and we packed some snacks. I should only be a few hours, but you know how these things go sometimes." He shrugs and walks towards the stairs. "You look good today, Meg."
"Lucas!" I call out but my raspy sleep laced voice doesn't carry that far.
"You'll be fine Megs," he yells from the top of the stairs then I hear the door and I lock eyes with Bronson.
I know I'm capable of caring for him, but I just wasn't prepared for this! It's been so long. The way he keeps staring at me makes me wonder what Luke has been telling him. I wish I could do more with him, actually move around. Maybe even do something normal like take the kid outside. But we're stuck in the basement and I've at least prepared his breakfast with the food that was brought down.
"You want more?" I push the bowl of strawberries toward him and he shakes his head no, staring at the bowl like it's talking to him.
"Bronson." I push his chin up and his eyes find mine. "What's on your mind right now? What's going on up there while I'm down here?"
His eye look up to the ceiling then focus on me again. "Why can't you come upstairs with me and dad?"
Good fucking question. Let's ask your dad.
"Because I've been sick. I will though. Soon I'll be up there all the time. It'll be me and you." I wink at him. I'm heartless, but not heartless enough to tell him his dear old dad won't be around much longer.
"On Tegan and James, they have a mom and dad and they live together in the same part of the house and they do things together like a family. Why can't we do that? Dad says we're a family now. He said I can call you mom."
I grit my teeth and count down from ten. I never gave consent for him to call me mom but Lucas took it upon himself to drill the happy family bullshit into his head.
"What's Tegan and James?"
"It's a show on TV. They're brother and sister. And maybe one day I'll have a sister." He innocently shrugs and I coldly snort. Way to go Megan.
"We need to focus on Birdie getting better," Luke says.
"Birdie," he says quietly and scoots closer to me. "When can I call you mom?"
Him and Lucas refer to me as mom, but he hasn't replaced my name with it yet and I was really hoping we could avoid this.
"Aren't you my mom now? Because my real mom died."
The only living thing other than a bird that could guilt me is staring up at me with big brown eyes.
"Yes. I'm your mom." I swipe my fingers through his hair and pull him into a hug. "Tell me a story."
He giggles and nestles in, like there's nowhere else he'd rather be, and it breaks my heart a little that this little boy will never have the normal happy family he deserves.
"I don't know any stories."
"Come on, make one up. You've got a good imagination." Softly tapping his temple I tell him, "Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind."
"Miss Katy thinks I'm a good student and she tells me she loves me. If you can't be my mom, I was going to ask daddy if Miss Katy could. I like her and she's nice, but I like you more. I love you more like a mom. And daddy likes her too, but I think he loves you more like my mom too. She really likes daddy though—"
"Bronson," I interrupt him. "Is this a story or do you really know Miss Katy?"
"She's my teacher. I know how to spell and write my name." His little fingers start pinching and poking at my breast and I grab his hand.
"Don't do that. Don't touch women's breasts," I scold him. "So she's your teacher and daddy likes her?"
"He thinks she's a good teacher. You'll probably like her. Maybe you can come upstairs and meet her tomorrow. She'll be here at sixteen thirty. After the sun comes up."
"Sixteen thirty?" I chuckle and kiss the top of his head.
"Some time like that. I'll ask daddy when he comes back. Do you want to come up and meet her?" Pivoting his head, he looks up at me with big begging eyes.
"Not yet. I think daddy will have to take care of your school stuff for now." My eyes narrow as I stare off at the wall.
Not only does this woman come and go in the house, she really likes daddy, and I'm sure he really likes her. Not to mention she's teaching my son!
"Bronson," I interrupt him as he goes on talking about this woman. "You can call me mom now. Whenever you want because you're my son and I love you more than anything. You understand that? Even if I'm not well enough to come upstairs yet, I'm always down here waiting to see you again. One day soon I'll be upstairs, and me and you will be a happy family."
"And daddy?" A small hand cups my face and I can't help but grin at the little romantic.
"Hey, do daddy and Jasper still talk? Have you met Jasper?" I avoid the subject of a happy family with daddy because that is not in the cards.
"I know Uncle Jasper." He nods and my stomach churns. "He's not been home in a few days. Daddy said he went to Arcentenio for work."
I have no idea where or what Arecentenio is but I'm happy knowing Jasper's not around.
"Good. Just make sure if you play with...Uncle Jasper, that daddy's around too." It was like acid to my tongue and the word burned coming from my throat.
"He doesn't play with me. Maybe you can come upstairs and we can look at all my books. Or maybe we can play with Legos? Do you want to see my helloscope? You can look at the stars with it."
"Telescope." I kiss his head again, then sigh. "I can't come upstairs yet. You talk to dad about it a little though." It's terrible of me to get him in the middle, but what his son wants, his son should get.
When Luke comes back for Bronson, Bronson runs for him and jumps, being caught mid-air like this is a normal occurrence. He's really brainwashed that boy into thinking he has a chance at living a normal life.
"Dad, mom wants to meet Miss Katy. And maybe she can come upstairs and we can show her my tellerscope!"
Luke's eyes land on mine and he narrows them. The man's not stupid, he had to have known Bronson would try convincing him to let me out of the basement.
"I'd really like to meet Miss Katy. She's interacting with my son, I'd like to meet the woman."
Lucas grumbles something and puts Bronson down before asking him if he gave me a kiss goodnight.
Bronson delicately hugs me then kisses my cheek before messily attempting to push my hair from my eyes. "I love you, mom," he whispers staring me dead in the eyes and emotions well up inside me.
"I love you too," I whisper back and kiss his eyebrow before he runs for Lucas.
My sight lands on Lucas and the welling emotions are weighed down with rocks I'd like to throw at his smug face. He's using the boy to break me down little by little. And it's working. But just because I love Bronson, does not mean I will like Lucas.
"Oh, Lucas," I say as they head for the steps. "Head on up, Bronson." I wait until he's a few stairs up, then I slowly get out of bed. "Bronson started poking at my breast today, like it was a natural occurrence. I don't know if he sees the sick perverted shit you and Miss Katy do, but I'd appreciate you didn't teach my son to be a demented pig like yourself."
Glancing behind him, his eyes turn to stone and he storms toward me and suddenly his fingers are clamping my cheeks while he gets in my face and hisses, "What I do with women in my free time is none of your business, right, Megan? Isn't that what you said to me once? So when I leave here, seeing you broken and bruised, and wal
k upstairs to a fair-skinned, blonde beauty that hasn't fucked all of my employees, who the fuck's worry is it if I fuck her or not?"
Letting my face go, he heads for the stairs, his tone lighthearted and jovial as he talks to Bronson waiting at the top and I turn back for the bed. My only comfort for now.
***
By noon my stomach is making hunger noises and I stand, ready to beat on the door and demand food, but I don't make it past the bookshelf that acts as a wall blocking my bed from the stairs. Lucas is standing at the bottom of the steps with a scowl on his face that grown men would cower from.
"Are you starving me to death now? Is that the plan?"
"Megan," he seethes. "This here is Ben." He steps aside and Ben Vig steps into the room. "Enjoy." Luke spins and storms back up the stairs, leaving me with this practical stranger.
I hear the locks engage and roll my eyes as the hope for escape slips my mind. This explains why I wasn't fed today though. This explains Lucas's seeming anger. But it doesn't explain why he's here. Why Luke has escorted this man down here and left us. It's what I wanted, but I can't say I was prepared for it.
Our eyes lock and I stare at the man I don't recall being this attractive. His tanned skin contrasts nicely with the crisp white button down shirt he's wearing, and the sleeves rolled up his arms displays a toned body that I don't remember.
"Ben." I rush to him and grip his arm in fake desperation. "You're here to get me out of here!"
He chuckles then shoves his hands in his pocket, gently shaking off my hands and walking across the room.
"Not exactly. Just checking in on our arrangement, I guess." He sighs and sits on the chair, watching me for a reaction.
"Our arrangement? I'm assuming you're referring to the debt I owe your dad?"
"They taking care of you down here? Where'd all those bruises come from?" His eyes travel my body, taking in the bruising and bandages. He nods to my hand. "You ok?"
"No! I'm not, Ben! You have to help me!"
"I will. I'll help you eventually, I promise, but right now you need to get this debt with Jasper figured out. He's not a man anyone wants betray. Pay the debt and I'll help you. You have my word. He stands and looks around the room. "At least they gave you a nice set up here."