by M Dauphin
"Thank you so much, Alice," I say, smiling and doing my best to play the part of a concerned boyfriend.
It's been a while since I've had to bring out this weak man, and he pisses me off.
"Oh no problem. I've never had a bird before. It was quite nice." She beams at me and I smile back, taking the cage off her table.
I wasn't planning on bringing this thing into my house, but Bronson has been asking what happened to it and I know how much Megan loved it. Maybe... somehow... the bird will make her realize how stupid she's being marrying Ben.
Maybe it'll make her finally realize that I'm all she fucking needs.
"You don't be a stranger now," Alice croons.
"Promise we won't," I say, then wink at her before sliding the cage into the backseat.
"We all miss Megan around here." She sighs. "Bring her back soon, will you?"
"Absolutely," I lie, gritting my teeth. This fake smile is getting really fucking old.
I slide into the car and slam the door, honking and waving as I drive off.
I make sure to do a drive by of the old house. Both of them. I have Megan's replacement already in and taking over, albeit slowly. I'm not certain anyone will ever be as efficient as she was at this business, but I have to make someone work. The lawn and exterior of the house is in pristine condition. The car in the garage is nothing too flashy, but still an upper model sedan. I drive by the house I lived in for a few short months and there's a moving van in the driveway, why do I get this feeling of emptiness?
The minute I'm out of the fucking neighborhood I can finally breathe again. The entire drive home my mind is racing. She can't fucking love them. That's what I'm stuck on! I know she loves me. She has to. I've never seen her react to either of them the way she reacts to me.
I know she loves me. I just don't get why she won't admit it.
I walk through the front door and immediately see Bronson and Katy sitting in the TV room.
"What's up?" I ask, setting the cage on the foyer table.
When he looks up at me, his eyes flick to the cage before he screams, "La Petit!" He drops his school books and runs over to the cage.
Katy gives me a little grin and I roll my eyes at her then turn my attention to Bronson, who's asking a million questions a minute.
"Can we keep her now? Is she going to live here? Why couldn't she come home before? Does Mom know?" He tries to open the cage but I lean down and hold it shut.
"She's staying here, yes. But you have homework you need to finish. I'm going to bring her to Mom right now. Tonight you can play with her as long as you're good for the teacher, ok?"
He nods furiously, then runs back to Katy.
"Come on. Let's go fast, my pet bird is back. I have to play with it," he practically shouts at her as he plops back down on the couch.
She lets out a chuckle and shakes her head before giving me another one of her looks. At least she's not wearing her skimpy teacher outfit today.
I pick up the cage and the bag of extra necessities and head for the basement. It's a handful, carrying all this down the stairs without making a huge commotion, but I manage pretty well.
"Megs?" I announce, closing the door behind me, then set the bird on the table.
I hear the shower going and grin. Walking over to the bathroom and cracking the door, the steam billows out at me. I give thought to announcing that I'm here, but this will be more fun. Walking over to the curtain as quiet as I can, I swing it aside to see her rinsing out her hair.
"Fuck!" she shrieks and swings, but I dodge it. "Lucas! Fuck you! You scared the shit out of me. Fuck!" She leans against the wall with her hand to her chest.
I reach down and turn the water off, wanting nothing more than to pull her to me at this very moment, but first I have something to do.
"Come on, I have something for you." I hold out a towel for her to wrap herself in and she eyes me suspiciously.
"I don't think I want it," she mumbles but steps into the towel after squeezing out her long hair.
"I'm fairly certain you do." I watch her secure the towel around chest.
I'm close just to getting rid of the damn bird and forgetting all about it, but I need more than just a quick bathroom fuck with her.
I need to win her the fuck back.
I walk out into the room and position myself in front of the bird cage so she can't see what's behind me. She follows me out slowly and cocks her head, pausing halfway across the room.
"Well come on, I don't bite," I say holding out my hand to her.
She narrows her eyes at me and takes a few steps closer, glancing around the room. "What the hell are you doing, Lucas?"
"What's the one thing you love most in the world?" I ask, watching her face contort into pure confusion. "Well...other than me, that is." I grin and watch her mind at work.
"I'm not in the mood for games, Luke. I was enjoying my shower." She huffs.
"Humor me." I take the two steps it takes to get to her.
My hand rests on her collar bone and I see her eyes flick behind me. As soon as her gaze lands on the cage I can see the change in her demeanor. She flicks her gaze back to me, then to the birdcage, then back again.
"La Petit," she whispers and darts around me, not wasting any time getting the bird out and kissing it. "You brought me my bird." There's awe in her voice as if she's shocked I'm not such a monster. "Does Bronson know?" The amount of happiness coming from her now is bound to win me some points here. She walks over to me and quickly kisses my cheek but then takes the bird across the room. "I need bird food!" Her excitement is refreshing. "Does he know yet?" She beams her smile at me.
I smile and nod. "He saw her but he has to finish up with his school work before he can play."
"I bet he's thrilled. God..." She stares at me a minute then her smile falls, making me concerned. "I thought she was dead," quietly comes from her as she kisses the bird's head.
"When... well," I stammer, not really wanting to relive the past. "Alice had her. She's been taking care of her for us. I wouldn't have let your bird die, Megs." I give her a sideways grin and she just stares at me, stroking the bird's back like she used to.
After a few minutes of her staring she looks down at the yellow thing and kisses it again before muttering, "Well, thank you. I'm happy she's alive."
I stand there for what feels like ages, watching her play with this bird.
"Oh!" I exclaim, walking to the door. "Hang on, I almost forgot these." I open the door and grab the bag of pet store shit. "Here. Toys, bells, or some shit. Uh," I pause, pulling everything out. Why the fuck am I doing all this?! "Food, treats, all kinds of stuff for her." Are birds like women? Buy them shit and they like you?
She laughs and picks up the bag of bird food. "Thank you." She's enthralled by the bird, it's like I'm practically not here anymore.
"Listen, Megs." I huff, not wanting to even have to ask her this fucking question. She looks up at me, still pre-occupied with the bird in her hands. I shove my hands in my pockets and narrow my eyes at her. "You take that pregnancy test yet?" My heart's hammering in my chest as a sly grin spreads across her face.
"I'm not pregnant, Lucas," she mutters with annoyance. "I don't need to take the test. I know I'm not pregnant." She looks back down at the bird and I let out the breath I was holding.
"So, no baby?"
"No baby," she says and I think she's biting her tongue from what she really wants to say. Her attention moves back to the bird, once again leaving me feeling like the fucking third wheel in my own damn house.
"Right... So listen, I'm going to head up and take care of some business. When Bronson's ready, I'll send him down." I walk over to the door, hoping that she gets up and at least gives me a 'thank you' kiss or something, but she just glances up from her spot with the bird and smiles before I slip out the door, engaging the lock behind me and heading upstairs.
Well, maybe her love for me will grow after she realizes how fucking awesome it was
that I kept that bird alive.
I storm up the steps, walking straight past Bronson and his teacher, and into my office. I've been neglecting parts of the job but nothing that would make me worry. Things are running smoothly and other than the itch to kill I've been doing pretty good working out of the house. I hate to say it, but a part of me misses the old Lucas; the one that wasn't a lovesick fucker. But that goddamned evil vixen in my basement, as twisted and conniving as she is, has made me into a lovesick man.
Opening up the cameras on the buildings I own around town, I get to work. Keeping an eye on my money.
An hour and a half later, when the alarm for the garage door beeps alerting me to someone coming in, I perk up and switch on the back of the house cameras.
Mother. Fucking. Jasper.
He's been gone ever since the scene with the fucking pregnancy test. He ran away that night and I still haven't had a chance to talk to him about what went down last week. I walk to the kitchen, ready to cut him off before he gets too far into the house. When he walks in he shuts the door, locking it behind him and doesn't notice me sitting at the table.
"Jasper," I announce, watching him spin and glare at me.
"Ace," he says heading for the hallway.
"Where ya goin so fast?" I stay at the table, waiting for him to stop.
When he does, he spins and storms back toward the table. "You've been so preoccupied with the whore in the basement the past few months, you're letting the fucking business crumble. I haven't been home in a week while I've been taking care of shit!" His hand slams to the table as he lies through his teeth, as usual trying to turn things around on me.
"Please." I huff. "The business is just fucking fine, Jasper." I shake my head at him and nod at the chair across from me. "Have a seat. We need to have a talk."
"I'm not really sure what there is to talk about, Ace." He pulls the chair out.
"Well let me refresh your memory." I chuckle. "I guess all the drugs and prostitutes this week have drained your memory of what happened last week." I clear my throat and lean forward, glaring at him. "Mind telling me why the fuck you've been going behind my back this entire time? I thought it was perfectly fucking clear who's in charge here, Jasper. You. Don't. Touch. Her." I can feel my blood raging as he grins at me from across this table.
"She's brainwashing you, Ace." He shakes his head and stands. "You know the bitch gets under your skin and yet you let it happen. Do you see why you shouldn’t fall in love?" he screams, slamming his hands on the table. "She's trying to come between us! Brothers! The little bitch is going to come between us and turn you against me!"
I glare at him and stand from my chair ready for the fight. Sure, I want to believe him. He's my fucking brother! But the woman in that basement... Fuck!
"You're not answering my goddamned question, Jasper," I growl. "Why the fuck have you been seeing her still?"
"I refuse to stand here and let you talk to me like this. You know what's been going on and you need to get your head back into the game and not wrapped around a woman, Luke. A vile, whore of a cunt like Megan Porter is going to be the death of you." He's out of the kitchen before I can stop him.
"Fuck!" I bellow, slamming my fists to the table.
Is he right? Megan did fucking play me for three months. She turned me into putty in her hands and look where we are now!
Maybe he's right. Maybe she's just playing me again.
No… no that isn't it. She's not playing me. She's good, but she's not that good. It couldn't be Jasper though…right? Maybe it could. He did stab her and leave her for dead. I've known for a while he's fucked in the head but he's never crossed me before. This is a huge deal if he's been fucking her, but he's my brother he wouldn't do that to me, right? Fuck!
***
It's been days and days of me trying to make her understand what she's doing is wrong. The woman loves me. I fucking know it. She's just too goddamned stubborn to say it. The bird didn't help as much as I thought it would.
So now I have to make her see it in a different way.
The minute I open the basement door I see her, stretched out on the bed letting La Petit play in front of her. She looks over at me, then back at the bird as I lock the door behind me.
"Hey, Megs." I walk over to the bed and sit in the chair next to her.
She eyes me a minute before scooping up the bird and walking it to the cage. "She provides some entertainment while I'm alone," she mumbles, locking the cage, then leans down and says. "At least my cage is bigger than yours, La Petite."
I roll my eyes at her and watch her walk back over to the bed.
"Listen," I start, opening up the tablet. I made sure to clear it of anything she could get into. Wireless has been disconnected and there's no way for her to get to the outside world from it. The only thing it does is exactly what I need it to do. "I thought you'd want to watch Bronson's big test today." I bring up the nanny-cam app and the screen loads.
"What's it on?" She smiles and takes the tablet.
"Reading," I lie.
There's no test today, but I'm up for doing whatever it takes to win her back.
"How is he?" she asks with excitement and smiles up at me. "Did you study? He didn't mention this test." She's staring at the small screen intently.
"Good. He's doing good. Why don't you just watch and see. I have to get upstairs and let Katy in when she gets here." I smile and wink at her, then leave her to watch, almost feeling guilty for what she's about to see.
I lock the door behind me and take a breath. This better fucking work.
It’s ten minutes before Katy shows up and starts lessons with Bronson. Not long after, I head into the room to check on them.
"Hey, you two, what's on the agenda today?" I smile, walking over to Katy and sit down.
The camera's placed directly behind us and all Megan can see right now is our proximity.
And I hope it's making her fucking rage.
When she glances over at me I grin at her, letting my knee brush hers. She clears her throat and smiles at me, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Hey, Bronson, can you head into your bedroom and grab your whiteboard for me?" she asks, her fingers slowly moving to my knee. When Bronson runs out of the room, she turns to look at me and grins. "Finally like what you see?" she whispers, leaning closer. "I was starting to think you'd never notice me." She reaches over and touches my thigh and I grin, bringing my hand to her elbow.
"Don't worry about that," I whisper, caressing my hand up her arm.
Before she can lean in for the kiss I know she wants, Bronson runs back in and we break contact. I've obviously flustered her. The entire hour I'm in this room she's flirting, touching, and smiling.
More so than usual.
And every time she touches me I pray that Megan's watching still. Every inch her skirt raises when she sits. Every time she pushes her breasts up when she leans over for something, making sure they're in perfect view for me. Every fucking time she winks at me from across the room my dick screams for more, but not from her.
This entire game is turning me on, but for the woman in the basement that I'm doing my best to torment right now.
By the time I leave the room, I'm ready to fuck. Hard.
Megan.
But I can't. Bronson is trailing behind me, practically stepping on my heels the entire way to the basement door. At least right now Megan won't be able to murder me the minute I walk into that basement.
I also can't fuck her like I want to with a kid in the fucking room. But, if I stay alive, I can do that later.
After I close the door I take a deep breath. Bronson wants to go straight downstairs to see Mom and La Petite, and as much as I want to talk with Megan without a five-year-old listening, this is probably the safer route right about now.
"Mommy!" Bronson screams as soon as the basement door opens.
"Hey." When we get to the bottom of the steps, she's heading for us and quickly pushes her hair fro
m her face and swipes her hands over her eyes and it gives me hope there are tears. But when I look closer, I don't see an indication of tears, she just looks tired.
She picks him up and squeezes her eyes tight as she hugs him. I look around the room and see the tablet on the floor and chuckle to myself. Walking over, I silently pick it up and watch her hug Bronson until he starts to squirm.
"You hungry?" I ask, closing the cover on the tablet and walk back over to them.
"Yeah!" Bronson yells, walking straight to the bird cage.
Not once looking at me, she ignores me and stays on Bronson's heals the whole time while he chases the bird around.
I manage to grab onto her elbow as they make a pass by me and pull her to me, Bronson oblivious to the tightening of my hand on her arm.
"Like what you saw?" I whisper in her ear, her scent intoxicating me.
"Fuck you," she quietly growls and yanks her arm away. "I don't give a fuck about your sex life, Lucas." Standing taller she squares her shoulders and looks me in the eyes. "Speaking of sex lives. When can my fiancé gets me out of this hell hole?" The mention of him is like a slap to the face but I can't let her see the way it gets to me.
I grin and chuckle. "Your response to that tells me you're anything but unaffected, Megan," I whisper. "You know, if it were me and you here she wouldn't have a reason to come back into this house." I can't let her see these mother fucking nerves.
Is this woman not affected by anything?!
"Save your fantasies, Luke." She starts to walk away. "Bronson, when Ben comes tomorrow, you'll spend the afternoon with us and we'll all eat lunch together. Ok?" she asks the distracted boy that's chasing a bird around my fucking basement.
I clench my jaw, not wanting a fight in front of the kid, but there's no way in hell that's happening.
"Bronson bud. It's almost bath time. Head on upstairs and I'll be right up," I say, trying not to scream.
He looks back at me and starts to protest. "But I just got—"