by Rachel Ellis
I rushed over like a manic horse, my face flushed with anger. Damn that Crawford woman. The twins couldn't stop her after all.
My hair was unkempt by the time I got to Kristie's doorstep. I rang the doorbell five times in the row, not letting the tune end before pressing it again and abusing it with too much force.
If Kristie did get fired and found out it was because of me; I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for a long time. Heck, she might not want to forgive me either. She had been my best friend since college. I couldn't afford to lose her because of Mrs. Crawford's silly temper tantrum.
After taking a minute too long, Kristie opened the door. "Hello!"
I still hadn't caught my breath. "Are you okay?"
She shot me a quizzical look. "What do you mean?" She was beaming like a lighthouse—had I missed something here? "I'm more than okay, Scarlet! You're here for our mini celebration!" She popped the bottle of wine she was holding, and the cork nearly hit me in the face. "Oops, sorry."
"Wait, I thought you were in trouble?" She should have just told me whatever good news she had over the phone. I wanted to strangle her for not doing so. I almost had a heart attack rushing over. Tyrone even had to run a red light because I ordered him to.
She raised a brow. "I never mentioned anything about trouble."
I groaned. "Oh, God. What is it then?"
"It's like magic happened today." She grinned. "The new boss is apparently super awesome. He gave me a promotion. I'm marketing deputy director now. Deputy. Director! Can you believe it? It's like my salary tripled."
"Oh... wow. That sounds awesome." I was happy for her, but confused. Wasn't she supposed to be fired? Not that I wanted her to lose her job or anything, but the story didn't fit.
It must have been the twins.
At that moment, I didn't mind hugging and kissing them, before groveling at their feet. They saved my relationship with Kristie, and to me, that was priceless.
It took a while for the shock to subside and the happiness to seep in, but after that, I landed on cloud nine.
That is, until the painful giddiness that was caused by my reeling head came back to me again.
I covered my mouth with my hand. "Can I use your restroom?" I asked.
"Um, sure."
I pushed my way past her and ran to the toilet. I've been puking way too much lately, and I haven't even been drinking much.
Kristie stood at the doorway as I rinsed my mouth. "Are you okay?"
I rolled my tongue around my mouth. "I'm good." Vomit tasted horrible.
"Was it something you ate?"
"Maybe, but I don't think so."
"This is my fifth time in two days."
She stared at me.
"And my period is late," I continued. I’d been thinking about it ever since I first vomited, but I didn't want to face it. Perhaps I voiced it out to Kristie because I wanted her to knock some sense into me.
Concerned, she asked, "You don't think..."
"I'm thinking it."
"You should get it tested."
I gingerly licked my lips. "I should. But I'm scared."
"I'll follow you to the drugstore."
***
My world came crashing down within a short span of a few hours.
Positive.
Fucking positive.
I'm fucking pregnant.
"Be careful," Kristie said. She accompanied me back to the twins' house, worried I'd hurt myself. Countless times, I’d reassured her I could take care of myself just fine, but she didn't believe me. She had reason to. I'd had too much to drink, and since I couldn't hold alcohol very well, I was a little too tipsy. Alcohol now, and worries later. I decided to take up a hedonistic kind of thinking and let my inhibitions go. I didn’t even know if I was going to keep the baby.
I thought I was imagining things when I saw the plus sign on the pregnancy test. I checked once, and then I double-checked, tripled checked, and after the tenth time, I still couldn't be convinced. It must have been wrong. These things weren't accurate, were they?
I’d been on birth control, so the twins shouldn't have knocked me up. Damien was less likely to have done so, because I forced him to put on a condom before we ever did anything. I tried to think of a time when I missed the pills, and surprisingly, I did.
That day, when I saw Damien sleeping with someone else, I had gotten too depressed to bother. And the day after, I forgot, too, because of all the commotion with the twins.
Which meant the twins could've knocked me up since day one.
How could I have acted so carelessly?
Kristie bid me goodbye. I couldn't remember if I did the same, too.
Tyrone tentatively wrapped his hand around my elbow to guide me up the stairs.
"I can do it myself," I said, and stomped up the stairs. I might have been drunk and ticked off, but not to the point where I couldn't walk. Some of my conscious mind stayed with me.
Tyrone followed me. "Miss, you're not feeling well."
My nose twitched. "I know that. You don't have to remind me."
Another voice interrupted our conversation. "We'll take it from here."
I lifted my gaze. The twins were waiting for me in front of the house. My twins. My fucking twins who were fucking perfect, yet careless enough not to use condoms.
Admiring their taut bodies, I stomped up the steps. My emotions were being controlled by a blend of anger, lust, and worry. I couldn't decide between slapping them and kissing them. They wore loose, white tank tops, revealing their shapely arms.
An image of me moaning under them as my fingers clawed at their biceps flashed in my mind.
Being drunk made me fucking horny.
When I reached them, my decision was to kiss them. I walked up to a twin—I didn't care which, and encased his mouth with mine. He returned my assault willingly, slipping his tongue in.
His fingers were buried in my hair when I ran out of breath and pulled back. "You're drunk," Ryan said. Turns out, I was kissing Ryan.
"Good guess, Einstein."
"Where have you been? It's one in the morning." His eyes wandered over my face—with hunger? Anger?
"Shut up and fuck me already." I lunged for his mouth again, feeling greatly empowered by the alcohol surging through my veins.
He covered my face with his hand. "We need to put you to bed."
"You don't want to have sex with me?" I pouted, and showed him the most child-like expression I could manage.
He smiled, though it was barely noticeable. "Trust me, princess. I want to fuck every last inch out of you. But it's late, and you're not feeling like yourself."
Sulking, I released my arms from his shoulders and walked away. I hated being rejected.
"Scarlet, wait."
I took off my shoes as I went along. My heels were killing me. I ran up the stairs and headed toward the room—the twins' room. My lack of soberness gave me reason to act whichever way I wanted. So if I wanted to sleep next to the twins tonight, that was what I was going to do.
They kept a spare toothbrush for me in the bathroom. The brothers watched as I brushed my teeth. The aftertaste of liquor was strong at the back of my tongue.
"We were worried," Riley said.
I rinsed my mouth and wiped my face. "Why?"
"It was dark. Tyrone's cell phone battery went dead and you weren't picking up. We thought something might have happened."
"I'm fine."
"Not completely."
I brushed my way past Riley and took off my dress. It felt too constricting, and having too much to drink made me feel hotter than usual, in both senses of the word.
Curiously, I glanced back at the twins. They were staring at me with piercing gazes. My focus traveled down to see tents bulging at their crotches. Pleased, I jumped onto the bed and tucked myself underneath the blanket.
"Good night," I chirped, not planning to go to sleep any time soon.
Much to my displeasure, the lights were off a l
ittle too quickly. I was hoping they'd join me and we could have a round of great sex, but I underestimated how much self-control they had.
Annoyed, and desperate for some much-needed release, my hand slipped underneath my panties.
"What are you doing?" Ryan said, curling up next to me.
"Doing what you guys don't want to accomplish."
My middle finger worked at my nub. Contented, I sighed and moaned softly.
It didn't take long for me to get what I sought.
Ryan crawled over me. "You're fucking driving me crazy." His quickly replaced the spot that my hand was on.
His fingers worked their way around my clit, pressing and circling around. First slowly, then quickly, then he stopped, forcing me to moan and beg for more. I squeezed my thighs together as my hips curled back.
Riley's palm found the curve of my breast. He cupped my flesh as the soft skin of his mouth wandered to my ear. Teasing me, he bit my earlobe. "You need some rest, Scarlet."
I whimpered in reply.
The length of his tongue worked its way down from my ear, my neck, shoulders, and finally to the bud of my breast. My nipples had hardened under the caresses of the twins. They worked over my body gently, softly, lightly trailing and pressing the tips of their fingers over my skin, treating me as if I were something delicate and fragile.
It was nice for a change.
Ryan positioned his head between my thighs. He worked over my pussy with his mouth, sucking and biting, driving me closer and closer to the edge.
It felt so damn fucking good.
"Does it?" Riley asked, wearing a playful smirk that revealed his left dimple.
Was I talking aloud? "Yeah," I moaned, using one hand to grip Ryan's hair and the other, the sheets. "Don't stop."
"You're the most amazing woman we've ever met." Riley brushed the side of my face with his hand and kissed my nose. "We love you, Scarlet."
I was giddy with pleasure. The alcohol had swept all my inhibitions away long ago. Without carefully watching my words, I said, "I love you, too. I love you both so much." And I meant every single bit of it. I wanted them to know that no one else had ever made me feel so vulnerable yet safe at the same time. I was happiest when they were happy. It was a crazy feeling, and I hoped to enjoy every bit of it.
The height of my pleasure came as I uttered the words softly into Riley's ears, many times over. I love you. I love you. Ryan slid two fingers into my folds as I came, pumping them as fast as he could, wrapping my nub with his lips and sucking on it hungrily.
My orgasm washed over me, perhaps even a little too quickly. I sunk my body down onto the sheets as Riley moved my tousled hair away from my face.
"It's time for you to go to bed, princess," he said.
My eyelids were half-open when I glanced up at him. "No part two?" They always wanted a part two.
Ryan brushed his lips on my cheek. It was sweet and tender. "You need to rest. Part two can happen tomorrow."
"Okay," I mumbled. "You both are the best thing that's ever happened to me." I wasn't sure if that's what I should have said, considering they had egos rivaling the size of planet Earth, but I'd worry about that the next day.
Riley chuckled, "We know."
"Stuck up bastard."
"Go to sleep, princess."
I let out a contended sigh and allowed my head to sink deeper into the pillow. Ryan hugged me from behind as I snuggled into Riley's warm chest.
It struck me as an afterthought—the knowledge that I didn't want to face and had hidden at the back of my mind.
"Oh, and I'm pregnant," I blurted out softly, before willing myself to fall asleep.
My sleep came quickly. The shit hitting the fan could wait till tomorrow.
***
I fiddled with my thumbs as Riley sat beside me, wrapping his arm over my shoulder. Ryan paced back and forth.
"How did it happen?" Ryan asked, an incredulous look on his face.
I bowed my head. "I forgot to take two days’ worth of birth control..."
"You should have been more careful."
"Me? You guys should have used a condom."
He scowled. "You could have reminded us."
Riley grunted and said, "Let's not point fingers. Right now, we have to look at our options and think over this carefully."
Ryan swung around and glared at his brother. "What's there to think about? The answer is pretty damn obvious. She has the damn baby and hello responsibility."
"You're freaking out," Riley said. "You've got to calm down."
I chewed on my lower lip. "There's always... abortion..."
Riley's face blackened. "If you really want to, but, Scarlet, that's up to you. We're not forcing you to get rid of the baby." He placed a hand over my belly. It had only been a short while, so there was no possible way any change could have happened. The baby was probably still the size of a poppy seed, but his gesture made the situation feel more real. "I'm just saying I want you to keep it." He looked at his brother to gauge his reaction.
Ryan stopped pacing and let his shoulders sag. "The prospect is frightening, but it's not necessarily bad. It seems a little too soon for me to be a father, but if someone's going to be the mother of our child and start a family with us, there wouldn't be a better person in this world."
"We'll take care of you," Riley said. "And the baby."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Being pregnant scared me shitless, but with the twins around, we'd be able to get through this, together. It seemed too good to be true, that my twins would want to linger around for a life-long commitment. I decided to embrace my inner romantic like Kristie did, and accept that maybe this could work out after all, that they truly wanted a relationship with me.
My mind blanked out. How should I have reacted to them? "Thank you," I said, hugging Riley.
"It sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?" he said.
Ryan joined us in our big, tight, warm, snuggly bundle of love. A passerby would probably find us gag-inducing.
"This doesn't mean I'm not freaking my balls off right now," Ryan said. He frowned. "I never liked kids."
Riley laughed. "I find them quite endearing."
"Not the ones who copy everything you say and act like they own the whole fucking world."
"There are cute ones, too."
I palmed my stomach. "Ours is going to be cute. I just know it." Either that or I simply wanted a good kid. I've heard of horror stories, like waking up in the middle of the night and whole marriages being ruined. Our relationship had been on shaky ground for the most part. A mischievous kid might make things worse. Much worse.
I looked at Ryan and Riley, and their lovable dimpled smiles. We'd take things one step at a time. No use worrying myself to death.
"I wonder who fathered the child," I thought aloud.
Ryan shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"We're identical twins," Riley continued for his brother. "The kid will end up having the exact same genes anyway."
I pursed my lips. "That makes sense."
"What matters is that you're the mother, and we're going to do everything in our power to make sure the both of you get the best lives you possibly can."
At that moment, it struck me that I wasn't some random fling. They truly had feelings for me and cared. If I were some fling, they'd simply send me away as soon as they heard the news.
Happy tears stung my eyes.
Ryan stood up and stretched. "Let's get some breakfast. We can't have you weak and tired now that you're expecting, can we?"
"The both of you are unbelievable," I muttered.
"We know," they replied in unison, flashing two adorable smirks.
Three weeks had passed since I found out about my pregnancy. We went to the doctor to confirm it, and the test came out positive, again. My fate was sealed then, but I had begun to get used to the idea.
I was beginning to get into a craze, buying baby socks and bibs. I didn't even know whether to get blue
or pink since it was too early to find out its age.
Everything was going smoothly, so smoothly that daisies could pop out the top of my head at any minute. I was dating two billionaires, who were willing to share, and they had a bitchy mother who quite clearly wanted to kill me—what could possibly go wrong?
The directors of TTA international had arrived a few days ago, and we had arranged a function to welcome them.
The function was pretty rushed and things went full-on hectic the last couple weeks, but we managed to book the ballroom of a six-star hotel, get the decorations, invitations, food service, and all the other planning stuff done on time.
I had been running on superwoman overdrive the last few nights, and as much as the twins wanted to get into my pants, I controlled myself, grit my teeth and said no.
Now, I stood in the middle of the well-planned function wearing a dress. A very expensive dress. The price tag on it was fatter than the whole of the Atlantic Ocean. I wanted to refuse it, but the twins said that if I were going to cohabitate with them, I'd better get used to such things. Before I had the chance to stop them, their assistant was already standing in front of the checkout, poised to pay for the dress.
"I'm impressed," Ryan said, greeting me by wrapping his arms around my waist. I inhaled the familiar scent of his cologne.
I turned my head around and glanced up, shooting him a playful look. "Impressed by what?"
"This. The function seems pretty well put together."
"Other than well put together, what else would you expect from me?"
"Catastrophe," he joked.
I made a faux gasp and lightly punched him in the gut.
"Don't look at me like that, princess."
"Like what?"
He pulled me closer to his body. "Like a hot mess. It makes me want to kiss you." Leaning into my ear, he whispered, "And then fuck you."
I focused on the crowd, trying not to let his words get to me, or more specifically, my pussy. "Aren't you afraid of others watching? Ryan, I don't think that's very appropri—"
He interrupted my sentence with a brief kiss. Holding my hand and dragging me along, he paced forward. "Come, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
I was hoping he didn't mean his mother, because Mrs. Bitch Crawford had been eyeballing me the whole night, wearing an 'I'm going to skewer you alive' face.