107: The New Flamingo

Warning! Not suitable for reading at work.

Beware the ides of March!

Hahahahahaahaha! I had to say it.

You'll find out why in a minute...

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Bryce

     I'm nervous as hell. My heart won't stop beating the drum solo from "Wipeout." I can't decide what to wear, like a damn female! I think I should wear a tux, but I'm sweating too damn much. Then, I think I should wear some cheesy tourist garb, but I don't think that looks formal enough, especially with what Erin's wearing.

     I decide to hop into the shower to try and cool off.

     This is okay. It's going to be okay. The new bar looks amazing, and it's going to be a smashing success. I'm going to quickly make back the money I've lost, and I'll be comfortable again. I take deep breaths and finally get myself to calm down.

     When I leave the bathroom, I see Erin putting on her earrings, looking fucking hot. That's…my girlfriend. That's…my date tonight. I grin. I'm going to wear the tux.

     "Bryce! You're not dressed!" Erin gasps as she spins around, having seen me in the mirror. "We need to leave in five minutes!"

     I groan and walk towards her. "Not enough time. You're going to be driving me crazy all night until I can get you back here and peel you out of that dress."

     "Ew! You're wet!" she squeals when I wrap my arms around her. She starts laughing when I playfully start dancing with her.

     "Not as wet as you'll be when I'm done with you," I promise, and she groans at my dirty mind.

     "Seriously, Bryce. Get dressed!"

     "Happy birthday, Marie," I tell her when my best friend and his girlfriend walk up to the bar. I give her a rare hug and put a small present in her hand.

     "For me?" she asks in surprise. I sense Jesse's eyes grilling me suspiciously.

     "Yeah. It's nothing, really. More of a peace offering. You did what you thought was right, and you stuck by it even though voices around you said to do otherwise. That takes guts most of us don't have."

     She opens the box. Inside is a small nametag that says her name, and under her name, it says Assistant Manager. Her eyes widen, and her head pops up.

     I smile and shrug. "This is a big place now. I need more than one assistant manager. You…don't have to accept the position, or if you want, you can wait. But, I could really use someone like you in a leadership position."

     "Thank you," she says slowly. "I'll think about it." She puts the box in her purse.

     "Let's get this party started!" Jimmy, one of my new bartenders, shouts and runs upstairs to start up the music. In seconds, a pulsing beat drums around us, and lights flash off the branches of the trees, just barely visible as they compete with the light of the setting sun.

     Erin giggles as I playfully rock us back and forth on the dance floor, similar to how I'd done in our bedroom.

     "You are so beautiful. Have I told you that tonight?" I ask with a thrilled smile.

     She smiles up at me, her eyes cutting above the top rim of her glasses. "Only a dozen or so times."

     "Oh. Okay," I smile and lean my chin down on her shoulder as I tightly wrap my arms around her waist. "As long as I have, but I'll probably tell you again."

     Suddenly, Jimmy starts a song I really don't want him to play. I have no idea how that even got in the playlist at all. "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders starts playing. A wave of nausea sweeps over me. I hate this song.

     "What's wrong?" Erin asks, noticing my posture change.

     "I'll tell you in a minute," I tell her quickly. "Jimmy!" I holler to my DJ. "Change the song. Why are you playing it?"

     "Bryce!" Jesse suddenly stands just behind my shoulder. "I have to warn you-"

     "Because I requested he play it," a sultry voice says from behind me, and ice fills my veins at the sound of it. I close my eyes, not wanting it to be real. That damn song keeps playing, bringing back memories I don't want. "C'mon, Bryce. You don't like hearing our song anymore?"

     "What are you doing here?" I ask, my voice sounding raspy. I still haven't turned around.

     "Enjoying the party, of course. I see you've finally turned the old dump into something. Congratulations."

     I open my eyes and look down at Erin. She stares, wide-eyed, at my ex-wife.

     "Hi, Jesse!" Ashley says with a smile in her voice. "Love what you've done with your hair." I hear her heels cross the floor towards us, and I finally turn around.

     Ashley Kendall, or whatever her new last name became, stands before me, smiling triumphantly and looking almost exactly as she did the day she left me five years ago.

     "Why are you here? Surely you can understand you're not welcome," I tell her, feeling my blood start to burn.

     She cocks her head, pouts, and looks up at me with an expression I used to find cute. "I thought since this was open to the public that it would be a good time to be reunited."

     "You mean you picked tonight because you know I don't want to make a scene," I snarl down to her damn green eyes. "Why tonight? Why here? Why at all?!" I make a motion like I want to shake her, but I keep it in the air at the sides of her head.

     Her eyes drop sadly to the floor, and her act falls for a moment. "He's dead. Nothing anybody could do would save him. So, I didn't know where else to go."

     "What about stay in Bridgeport?" I growl.

     She gives me a disgusted look. "There was nothing for me there. I couldn't stand it there, so ugly! The only reason I was there was for him. This is my home. I wanted to come home."

     "You abandoned your 'home' five years ago when you left your husband and child!" I roar, causing the scene I didn't want to cause. Several heads turn my way, and some old residents recognize Ashley. Erin takes a step back. "This isn't your 'home.'" I hiss down to her. "Not anymore."

     She glares green fire at me. "This is as much my home as it is yours, Bryce."

     "Leave. My. Bar!" I yell. She has the decency to take a cautious step back. I start shaking, and heat lightning streaks across the sky behind me.

     "Ashley, you really have no business being here," Jesse says calmly behind me. "You're ruining what should be a celebration."

     "I have a right to be here! I lost my husband to that old piece of shit bar where he spent all his time."

     "That was my job! Is my job!" I finish.

    "Yes. Good job, Bryce, building it up from close to nothing. You put a lot of work into it, work you wouldn't put into anything else. And now you have more work to do than before. I wonder what that little bit of fluff you were dancing with will do about that? Or does she even matter? Where is she anyway? Maybe I can enlighten her before it's too late." She looks around for Erin, acknowledging her existence for the first time.

     "Leave her out of this," I growl. "Leave."

     "There you are," she says to Erin, ignoring me, and she prances over to where Erin hides behind Jesse. "Well, come on out and let me get a good look at you."

     "Ashley, I'm not going to tell you again to get the fuck out of my bar," I warn.

     "Piss off, Bryce. I'll leave when I'm ready to." She continues in Erin's direction. "I want to tell your new sweetie pie how she should get used to lonely nights." She tries to peer around Jesse. "Why are you hiding? I'm only trying to warn you to get ready to be ignored."

     "Bryce asked you to leave," Erin quietly says to her.

     Ashley's head backs up in surprise. "Oh? Bryce did, did he? What about what you think? Tell me what you think, or do you not have a spine?"

     Both Jesse and I open our mouths to tell the bitch off, but then I watch the switch get thrown in Erin's personality as she bravely steps out from behind Jesse. "Me not have a spine? How spineless is it to walk out on your responsibility to your child? How spineless is it to give up on and leave your marriage instead of trying for the sake of the child if nothing else? Very! But as for me, I have to say thank you for my sake because it means that Bryce and I are together today. But for your daughter's sake, you couldn't be a lower life form, speaking of spineless. So don't talk to me about being spineless!"

     Ashley waits two seconds before bursting into laughter. Erin turns red.

     "I see any warning I could issue would be pointless, but don't you dare accuse me of wanting to walk out on my child! You can't know my life; you can't possibly comprehend the pain of that decision. Not yet, anyway."

     "Get out, or I'll throw you out on your ass myself!" I snarl loudly. I didn't want to hear her talk about Adele. Not yet? Fuck you!

     "Keep your pants on, Bryce. I'm going. Congratulations on your success. It's all downhill from here." The bitch walks away while I stand here panting, trying to get over the shock.

     Jimmy finally switches the song, and I glance over at him to see him wincing back at me. I can't blame him for playing it. He didn't know who she was.

     Ashley. Here, I think with pain in my chest, and it's my turn to wince. With forced calm, I walk down the stairs and head straight for my office.

     For weeks now, I've done everything I could to fight the encroaching memories of her and our time together, especially the good times. Like right now, I remember the night we picked that song as our song. It was after our breakup when she found out she was pregnant. I'd felt like an ass that I would act like I was abandoning her like that. I went to her house, her parents' house, and knocked on the door. Her dad answered, scowled at me, and I begged to see Ashley. Her mom finally forced her dad to let me in and let Ashley decide. With my heart in my mouth, I remember shaking as I climbed the stairs. After lightly knocking on the door, I opened it before she could answer.

     Ashley was lying on her stomach on her bed with her feet up in the air, working on some homework. Her alarm clock radio was playing quietly in the background. A magazine rested against her pillow.
     Her face flashed anger as she snarled, "What are you doing here?!"

     "I came to apologize," I got out and had to quickly duck from a magazine getting hurled at me.

     "No! You don't get to! Get out! I never want to see you again!" She magically lifted things off her desk before flinging them at me. As she did, she got up off the bed and started backing up.

     Determined, I closed the door behind me and moved through the flying-object obstacle course, trying to block things before they could hit me. I got most of them, but a few landed their marks. When she ran out of things to throw at me, she started sending blasts of pressurized air my way, trying to push me back.

     Ashley found out she was a witch a couple of years before then. Pamela had found out she was one a couple of years before that, so I'd gotten used to dodging magical attacks when fighting with my sister, even if I still lacked any powers myself. Ashley's brand of magic was different. I couldn't always see what was coming at me as I could with Pam. Still, I did my best to keep moving forward, my ribs feeling more bruised by the second.

     "Bryce, stop it! I don't want to really hurt you!" She looked close to tears.

     "That's what I'm banking on," I told her as I closed in. She'd backed herself into a corner.

     "Please. Just leave," she begged in a broken voice, and the attacks stopped. Her hands went up in a 'stop' gesture before she pleaded, "No."

     "Just listen to me, okay?" This is it, Bryce. Don't fuck it up. "I'm sorry I freaked out. That wasn't my finest moment, and that's really saying something."

     Her lower lip trembled as she said, "I'm sorry I missed a pill. I don't know how I could've missed a day, but that's somehow what happened. We won't have to worry about it anymore soon, though."

     "Please, don't do it," I begged, trying to keep from crying like a little kid. "It's not the baby's fault."

     "It's not a baby yet, Bryce," she said, looking annoyed. "Besides, what kind of parents would we be? We aren't together anymore. We're only sixteen!"

     "I don't know what kind of parents we'd be, but I know I want to try. I want us to be together again. I've missed you so much these past weeks."

     She looked at the floor and said, "Mom and Dad say it's a good idea to get rid of it. It would just make our lives harder."

     I wanted to scream and shake her. "Ashley, we did this. Yeah, we're only sixteen, but my mom and dad want to help. We can do this." I took her face in my hands and tilted her face up to make her look at me. "I love you. Don't destroy what we created out of our love."

     "I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders started playing on her radio, and she started crying. My thumbs wiped at her cheeks, and I leaned down to kiss her. She started responding, so I happily wrapped my arms around her and held her to me.

     "I love you too, Bryce, but I'm scared," she told me with moist eyes.

     "Hey, it's okay. You've got me. Always." I grinned like a loon. "I like this song, especially right now."

     She cried a little more, wiping her eyes, before she crashed her head into my chest. I tenderly wrapped my arms around her, and we stood there and rocked on the spot, somewhat dancing to the song.

     "I will stand by you, Ashley, if you'll let me. We'll figure this out together."

     Erin walks into my office. Instantly, her face goes apologetic like she thinks she's intruding on something personal. She technically is, but I'm glad.

     "Hey," I say and sit up from how I'd been leaning on my arms. After a deep breath, I say, "Sorry. I couldn't stay out there. I needed a minute." I look down at my shoes.

     "It's okay," she says in a little voice.

     How can I think I deserve love? I'm an awful person. Ashley's right. I'd started spending more and more time here than I did with her and our daughter. I abandoned her before she ever left me.

     "Do you need me to go?" Erin asks, and her eyes show her pain.

     "No!" I answer quickly. "Sorry." She stands in front of the door with her hands folded awkwardly in front of her.

     I scowl and get up off the sofa to walk over to her. "Are you okay?"

     She makes a small noise like she means to say something then stops herself at the last minute. Agitated, she tucks her hair behind her hear and glances up at me before looking down at her hands. She takes in a breath like she's about to say something else, but she lets it out with a puff.

     Well, there it was, Erin. Proof of what an asshole I am.

     Maybe I stuffed those memories away to also hide the guilt, not just the pain.

     I closely watch my girlfriend's beautiful features, and the sick realization that I don't deserve someone like her hits me like a punch in the gut, knocking the wind out of me.

     "Erin, tell me," I beg, and I bring my hand up to her chin before tilting her head up to face me. Especially tonight, she's so gorgeous it hurts. She blushes, and it's all I can do to keep from kissing her. I want her to explain that look on her face.

     "It's… It's just that…" She lets out a defeated breath. "Bryce, don't worry about me. I came in here to check on you."

     Truth: my policy with Erin. "Well, right now, I'm scared to death what you're thinking about everything my ex-wife just told you." I blink, surprised at how easy that was to tell her.

     "She's full of crap," she tells me.

     I watch her sadly, and she blinks before her eyes widen a fraction.

     "You believe her!"

     "It's ridiculously easy to believe the truth," I tell her, regret lacing my words. What if I hurt Erin the way I hurt Ashley? Ashley's right; this bar will take up a lot of my time.

     "You can't call working to keep your business afloat abandoning your wife," Erin tells me sternly.

     "But I did," I admit, my eyebrow lifting a tiny amount as I wonder what she makes of that. "I enjoyed being at work more than I did at home. I started spending every evening here. It was unnecessary, but Ashley started grating my nerves, even if I loved her. I don't know. I can't explain it. I still spent the mornings with Adele, but as soon as Ashley was home, I was out the door."

     I see it. I see that Erin doesn't want to believe me. "No. You're not like that."

     "Now?" I smile ironically. "No, but I was." I wrap my arms around her and hold her close, selfishly wanting to keep her even though I don't deserve her.

     "Bryce, you are a good man. I don't know what was going on with you before, but I don't worry at all that you're going to be that way again, if that's what you're wondering."

     "It is."

     "No, Bryce!" She shakes me as much as she's able. "Don't think that."

     "I'm an asshole."

     "Are you listenin' ta me?!" Erin snaps, getting a 'tude. She is so funny when she gets like this. She almost has as thick an accent as Jesse when she gets in a tiff. Hers is different somehow, but it's funny as hell. "I told you you're a good man, Bryce Burch! Don't you think I'd know? Hm?"

     My mood lifts considerably, and I tighten my arms around her, letting a chuckle escape. An annoyed groan slips out of her. "I love you." I kiss her pursed lips then smile at her glare.

     Suddenly, her face softens, her thoughts obviously taking her somewhere different. Her eyebrows crinkle the tiniest amount, and she looks at me with an expression of worry. "She's back," she explains simply.

     "Yes, unfortunately," I agree, and my thoughts stray to my daughter and the legal fight I have coming.

     "She's here, and… Well, this shouldn't surprise me after the scrapbook, but…" Her face screws up, and she crashes her forehead on my chest.

     "Erin, I told you before I don't love her in any way."

     "You have memories of being so very much in love with her. Don't deny it."

     "Okay. So I did." I shrug. "I've gone through years of pain because of it, and that destroyed any tender feeling I have towards that bitch."

     "It's just…" She lets out another huff and shakes the tiniest amount.

     "It's just what?" I ask. Is she afraid of her?

     "She's so pretty," Erin says in a tiny voice.

     My head backs up in shock. "That's your big worry?"

     "I know. It's stupid. It's vain, but it's the truth. I… I like that you think I'm beautiful."

     An unbelieving, shuddering snort escapes me. "News flash, Erin: You are."

     "No. I'm awkward and gangly and have to wear glasses because contacts bother my eyes. My hair usually turns into a tangley mess because I'm both too lazy to straighten it and want to encourage some natural curl. I have hideous feet-"

     "Stop it," I order. "Shall we go outside and ask perfect strangers their opinion? You'll find they agree with me. Is this really how you see yourself?"

     "Bryce, it doesn't matter. As long as you think I’m beautiful, it's okay. It's just…she…"

     "I think I need to teach you a lesson," I say with a wicked grin spreading across my face. She picks her head up and looks up at me, and my grin becomes a leer.

     "You what?"

     "Yeah," I say, liking the idea more and more as every second goes by. I lick my lips and tell her, "I'm putting you in front of a mirror tonight, Erin. I don't know where you got this negative image about yourself, but that needs to change." She's going to watch me and what I do to her, what she does to me. She's going to see herself the way the world sees her. My hands reach down and cup her ass.

     "You don't have to do that, Bryce," she tells me and lowers her eyes.

     "Oh yes I fucking do. You need to see it." When can this thing end? I want to take her home right now, this instant.

     "No, that's…weird." She scowls.

     "Not that weird at all, and it's going to happen," I promise her. For fun, I tell her my plans. "I'm putting you in front of the mirror in our room, facing it, and I'm going to go behind you and run my hands over you, pointing out every beautiful place on you, the ones noticeable when you're wearing clothes. You'll watch as I slowly kiss the back of your neck and knead your breasts in my hands, such perfect breasts…" I sigh and look down at her.

     "Bryce…" she whines and fidgets.

     "And that's just you with your clothes on. Wait until I make you watch what I do to you once I slowly unzip that dress and get you naked." My mouth waters.

     "Bryce, but… I don't know… With you dealing with the shock of her back in town…"

     "This has absolutely nothing to do with her…unless you count you thinking she comes anywhere near close to how beautiful you are." My eyes burn into hers. I want her. Now.

     She easily reads my expression, and she whispers, "You have to get back to your party."

     "I want to get up your dress." My hands start gathering it up. I want to eat her.

     "Bryce! Please," she begs when the hem of her dress gets pulled up past her panties. I groan as my hands encounter a stocking line, and I start doing that trick with my hands, knowing she can't resist me. She gasps, and I groan to answer her. I can feel her, feel her inside when I haven't even gotten her panties down yet.

     Her knees act like they want to buckle, so I push her back to press her against the wall, my hands pushing her hips to hold her in place. "Give me you," I tell her and get on my knees in front of her. "I need this so fucking bad, Erin. What you do to me…" I don't precisely finish my statement as my hands leave her hips for a moment to pull her panties down. She tries to wilt, but I won't let her. No, she's going to remain standing while I do this.

     I stop her panties halfway down her thighs. That's far enough. I see my goal right in front of my face, and I bring my face right into it, breathing in.

     "Oh, Erin. You smell delicious," I tell her and look up. Past her full breasts, I see her face as she looks like she wants to faint. "No, baby. No fainting. You're staying right here." I press her hips harder into the wall and lave my tongue around her, teasing her clitoris.

     She makes a moaning sort of cry, her breath caught up in several hitches as I relentlessly continue, not giving her everything I could, teasing. "Oh!" she cries out before making more of that noise. She's losing her mind, and when I finally give it to her, she'll be anxiously waiting for it.

     "Bryce!" she screams, having finally gotten enough air in her lungs to do it. She can't do anything else out after that, needing to catch her breath again.

     Yes, I groan and let my fingers pulse on her. In my mind, I'm pushing inside her, deep inside her, but not with enough force to give her what she craves. I sense she can feel it.

     She lets out a shuddering scream. I'm not worried at all that she can be heard. Jimmy has the music pumping loudly upstairs.

     Fuck, yes! Every cell in my body sings with the exhilaration of knowing what I'm doing to her. The sweet pleasure of knowing I've brought this gorgeous woman to her figurative knees. I press my tongue harder onto her, making a light sucking action. She screams my name again.

     I'm going to give her what she wants. I rapidly pull her panties all the way down, and, my mouth not completely leaving her, I put one of her thighs on my shoulder. It takes a little convincing, but I get the other one on the other shoulder. I support most of her weight with my hands on her ass, under her pelvic bone, and I completely lose myself in her slick pussy.

     "Bryce! Oh god! Shit!" She screams again and comes into me. I move my tongue against her, and she comes again, whimpering as she does. Her fists bang into the wall at her sides while I continue to drink her up.

     I groan. Fuck, this is perfect. Don't you dare think you're not beautiful. Don't insult my intelligence. Tonight, you'll learn.

     Then, I might let you sleep tomorrow.

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Thank you thank you thank you to caterpillar for designing and creating The Flamingo for me! It was done ages upon ages ago. I'm so happy to FINALLY be putting it to use.

If you want to download it from the Exchange, you can find it here. It is CC free, but it does contain store items.

105: What Are You Doing With My Daughter?

     "I want you to tell me what you're doing with my daughter," John Parren asks me as a direct order.
     "Uh..." Just what EXACTLY does he mean by that? Is he about to kill me because I sleep with her? Marie's a grown woman, but dads never see it like that. "What do you mean?" I ask.
     "I mean I want you to tell me what you're doing with my daughter," he repeats, hiding his irritation if he has any. He can perfectly mimic my accent, and that really freaks me out. I'm sure he's doing that on purpose to unnerve me.
      "Well, ... I'm dating her?" I reply in question, wondering if that's what he means. Going along that line of thought, I ask, "Do you mean what are my intentions?"

      He pretends like that hasn't occurred to him yet. "Now that you mention it, yes. What are your intentions?"
      Oh fuck. Here goes. This is NOT how I pictured this going. I wanted this conversation to be so much smoother than this carte blanche interrogation. Shit. I'll just be honest. "I love her. I'd love to marry her someday. In fact," my heart races, "I was wanting to ask for your blessing, wanting to do it right and all that." Please. Don't. Kill. Me. I pray he appreciates my honesty.
      Like he suspected I'd say all that, he asks, "How long have you known her?"
      You know the answer to that! "I met her days after she got here, a few months."
     "And from what you said at the trial, it took some convincing to get her to date you," he states in a leading way.
     "Well, I mean, she'd just gone through all that shit with what's-his-name." Crap. I hope he's not going to get pissed off I just cussed. Dammit. I let out a huff. "I've realized since then that I shouldn't have pushed so hard in the beginning..." No! Bad direction to take! I quickly add, "But I was just so sure that she's the one I've always wanted." I've just signed my death certificate.
     "What made you realize you shouldn't have pushed so hard in the beginning?" he asks exactly as I suspected he would.
      "We had a fight about it." When I foolishly tried to get her pregnant in order to make her mine. "I realized she wasn't in the same place I was, and I've backed off some since then."
      "And what 'place' are you in?"

      I huff again, wishing once more I could've somehow done this conversation in a less awkward way. "Mr. Parren, I'm ready to get married. Marie and I have even talked about this, not directly, but we've both talked about what we want out of life, and it's the same thing." Here goes. Time to stop dancing around me saying I'm going to ask and just ASK. "It may even be a year from now, but I wanted to ask you this in person if I could. Could I please have your blessing to marry your daughter if she says yes?"
      "No," he says immediately, crushing me.
      "What?" I breathe in shock.
      "In a year, that may change," he tells me, beginning his explanation, and I can't hide the way my shoulders slump. "But let me tell you what I see, Jesse. I see in front of me a man that is so eager to fall in love and get married that he doesn't take the time to really discover the woman he claims to love. Now, I know in some ways, Marie is very mature for her age, but she isn't in others. I know those are things she also wants, even if I don't think she's ready for them."
      I want to sink down into the ground at my feet. It's the age thing. Just kill me now.
      He continues, only this time in a more careful voice, "I also see a man that is so eager to fall in love and get married that when one woman doesn't work out that he'd quickly bounce to another, even if he's still attracted to that other woman."
      I think I know what he means, but I don't want to actually think it.
      "I have been trained to be very observant, Mr. Gillespie. You are a very loyal individual, perhaps even to a fault."

     I run my hand down my face, wondering why he'd say that. Sure, I'm a loyal person, but I wouldn't go that far. There have been times when I'd be willing to fight my own best friend for something we'd both want.
     He continues, watching me. "Perhaps not." He pauses. "During the trial, witnesses referred to Erin as 'the new girl.' How long before Marie arrived was she here?"
     "Well, I don't know how long she was here, but I'd met her a week before Marie came."
     "Was she already with Bryce when you met her?" he asks like he can read my mind.
     I bring my hand down and look back at him, trying to guess where he's going with this. If he's going to try and make like I'm still jealous of Bryce, I'm going to stop that right now. "Not officially, no, but sometime between the night I met her and the next day, they decided to be a couple." He watches me, and I glare back. "I know what you're getting at. Sure, I made a play for her. Guess I'm not so 'loyal' all the time. She turned me down. Well, she had a screaming fit, shoved me out of her house, and threw something at me. I was mad. I was mad at my best friend, but I got over it. So if you're implying I'm still hung up on her, you're wrong."
     He puts his hands in his pockets. "I'll go ahead and say it because I want you to know exactly why I said no. That IS what I'm implying."
     "Well, you're wrong. This has nothing to do with her. If you're saying I started going after Marie too fast after that, then you've gotta understand that's just how I go about it. Why should I stay hung up on one girl when there's another gorgeous one right there!"
     "This is just what I meant. You're in love with the idea of being in love. It has little to do with my daughter," he growls.

      He starts to walk away, and I snap, "So, you'd rather I mope around because I got turned down? For your information, I did. But I'd just met her! I got over it and was ready to move on. I'm not 'in love with being in love.' I'm IN LOVE with MARIE!" I pause and do something that's probably a bad idea. "And by the way, I don't have to get your blessing. This is the twenty-first century."
     SHIT! I mentally scream when I see John turn around with murder in his eyes. I just mouthed off not only to Marie's father, a man I wanted to like me, but someone who knows a billion ways to kill a man!
     I swallow and sound much more respectful as I say, "Sir, I'm telling you the truth when I tell you I love her. I realize she's not ready, but I still wanted your blessing."
     His voice sounds like boiling acid as he hisses, "You will not have my blessing unless I see a change, and if you so much as get engaged to her before you have it, they'll not be able to find any trace of you."
     And there it is. The threat. My heart pounds in fear, but my face shows no sign of it as I ask, "Have you noticed Marie is a grown woman? She's going to do what she wants."
     We hear Marie call out, "Jesse?" She's at the front porch. Glancing her way, I see she's seen us, and she makes her way in our direction.
      John very quietly replies, "Then I trust you'll not push her in that direction." He walks over and hugs Marie before kissing her on the forehead. Then, he proceeds to the house.
      Marie walks up to me and smiles. "I'm sorry if my father gave you a hard time."

     "Hey. He's a dad. It's in the job description." I wrap my arms around her and think about all the things he said. I'm not 'in love with being in love'! I'm in love with the woman in my arms. All he saw was me flipping out because I'd never seen Erin in a bikini; that's all. I'm not blind, but that doesn't mean I'd rather have her than Marie.
     Here's what needs to happen to make John happier: Marie needs to totally get over what's-his-name, like we'd said; then, we do need some time to really, really get to know each other; then, and it'll probably be a year, we can get engaged, married, and so on. John just needs some time to adjust to his little girl being grown up. Once he sees I really love and want to help Marie, he'll relax. Besides, I did tell him a year. He'll change his mind.
     She pulls back and asks, "Did he give you a hard time about your job?"
     I back my head up. "Huh? No. We didn't discuss it."
     She reddens, maybe guessing what we did talk about. "Oh. I just remember when I told him about your job that he said he really wanted to talk to you then."
     I give her an 'I don't know' expression and slowly shrug. Hm. What's wrong with my job? No, I'm no doctor or lawyer or what-have-you, but with what Gram left me, I don't need to be. I only work because I want to. "Well, he never mentioned it."
     "Okay," she says, and we decide to re-join the party.

104: More Cautious Than Before

Armand

     There she is…with that man again.

     I sit with a pair of binoculars on the deck of the house I’m renting. It overlooks a couple of houses that Marie frequents, and I can't believe my luck in that coincidence. I'd first seen her working, helping with the construction of a bar an informer had told me she worked at.

    I'd gotten delayed in Champs les Sims thanks to drug charges against my parents. The government wouldn't let me leave, claiming that my fortune was directly related to their past dealings. I don't know if the starting money I had came from that or clean money they gave me, but at any rate, my fortune is clearly my own. I distanced myself from my parents before any of that happened. Though still in the same town, I rarely saw them. It took a few weeks to prove my innocence. I had to take care of that and make sure my sister was okay. She's staying with friends, what she prefers. I'll take her under my wing when I return with Marie.

     At least, that was my plan before seeing her with that huge lummox only minutes after first spotting her. That they're in love is obvious. Once I saw her with him, I changed my original plan.

     I don't want to announce my presence. That would be stupid and too easily place me in a position where I could be attacked, verbally and physically.

     So I sit, biding my time and debating how to go forward. I need to get Marie's attention without alerting her new friends.

     But first, I need to get rid of the huge lummox.

     Another car pulls into the driveway, and the sight of the man that gets out of it nearly causes me to drop my binoculars. John Parren! I move my binoculars aside and see the rest of the Parrens get out of the vehicle.
     Marie's father is here!

     Now, I will have to be even more cautious than before.

Jesse

     I watch Mr. Parren get out of their rental car with a stern expression on his face. I have as of yet to see the man smile. Oh, sure, he hugged Marie tightly like any loving father would do, but he didn't look happy as he did it. I'd say more concerned than anything.
     The man scares the living shit outta me. When Marie had gasped in surprise during the trial, I could hardly focus on anything but my own shock. I missed half of what my girlfriend said on the stand, unintentionally of course, because of my own racing heartbeat in my ears. I don't really know the guy, but little comments Marie has made make me believe he did just a little more than regular police work. Marie said he saved her mom from a crazy, powerful man that had kidnapped her. He killed the guy.
     He looks at me, still not smiling. I can't tell what he's thinking. Then, he pauses suddenly like something unexpected occurred to him. Holding the door open for his wife, he looks around at the surrounding hills with a thoughtful scowl on his face.
     Marie's mom gets out of the car with a simple smile on her pretty face framed by jet-black hair. Next, I see a teenage boy get out of the backseat before offering help to a teenage girl. The boy has the same jet-black hair, but his eyes look more like Mr. Parren's. Talking in rapid French, a redheaded boy bounds full of energy out of the other side of the backseat.
     "Is everything okay, John?" Marie's mom asks her dad, noticing his strange behavior.

     FINALLY, the man smiles. "Yes," he tells her.
     Satisfied that her husband is okay, the woman dashes up the stairs to throw her arms around Marie.

     "Marie! Oh, Marie, my brave Marie! It hasn't been the same since you left! Are you okay? Are you getting enough to eat? Do you need more money? Clothes? What an ordeal you had to go through this morning! Let me look at you!" She steps back and holds Marie's arms, smiling. I notice she has incredible violet eyes, set off even more by her dark hair.
     Marie acts surprised at her mom's behavior, like she isn't used to getting this. "I..I'm fine, Mom."
     Mrs. Parren's eyes switch to me, and I decide to jump right into an introduction. "Hi, Mrs. Parren. My name's Jesse." I hold out my hand, and she puts her little one in mine.
     As I gently shake it, she looks abashed at me, albeit in a nice way. "Oh, don't call me that. Elena is fine. Mrs. Parren makes me sound old."
     Ah, she's one of those belle-of-the-ball types, vain and thinks every man she meets is dying of love for her. Well, I guess she got used to it with those eyes.

     "Je m'appelle Benjamin!" the little redheaded tyke says as he bounces over to me. Before I can respond, he starts spouting off question after question. I catch the word 'pool' in his rapid speech before Mr. Parren reminds him to speak in English. Benjamin's eyes tilt down in an angry look back to his step-father, his face remaining forward.
     I almost replied to him in French, but after listening to Mr. Parren get onto him for not speaking English, I decide not to. "Hi, Ben. Marie has told me a lot about you." Ben is the literal redheaded step-child of the family, the son of Marie's mom's second marriage, the son of the man that got shot by the man that Mr. Parren eventually killed.

    Marie stutters out the words like she's a bit embarrassed as she tells me, "He wants to know if you're going to grill ... hotdogs, and he wants to swim in the pool."
     "Sure, buddy, if it's okay with your parents," I reply.
     He spins around to his mom and asks her, in French, if he can swim in the pool right now.
     Elena sighs like she's tired of his energy, and I imagine she is after being cooped up in a plane for a long time. "Yes. Go ahead," she relents.
     Ben cheers and dashes down the porch stairs. As he runs around the house, he sheds most of his clothing, leaving it on the lawn. The kid must plan ahead because he wears swim trunks under his shorts. After a few moments, we hear a splash.

     Next, Marie's other younger brother Xavier comes up and introduces himself and his girlfriend Lee. He acts about as nervous meeting me as I did meeting his father. Lee hardly says a word, and I notice dark circles under her eyes.
     I invite everyone inside and happily discover that I do have hotdogs in the fridge. I'm going to cook for Marie's family, and I'm cooking -- hotdogs. Oh well. It's at the request of an eight-year-old.
     I let the Parrens relax at my house, knowing how they're all just happy to be done with their flight. I, however, cannot relax around Marie's dad. And this is the man I wanted to speak with about asking for his blessing!

     My phone chirps at me while I stand at the grill. Last night, I'd switched my service online to an old phone I still had. I remember why I stopped using this thing. The battery life on it is awful.

Do you need help?

     Erin. I look over at Bryce's house and see her standing on the porch outside his bedroom. She waves. Then, I see her typing up another text.

Bryce and I were wondering if you'd like some backup.

     I smile and start up a reply before a text from Bryce interrupts me.

You throw a party and don't invite me?

     I'm sure he means it in jest, especially taking into account Erin's earlier texts. Still, I can't help but sass back.

Then get your ass over here, but go get me some Buds first.

     I hear him laughing and assume he's standing at his bar. Then, I text Erin.

Yes, and bring some hotdogs if y'all have any. 

     Glancing up, I see her walk back into the house.

     Good. More people to throw all the attention off me. Besides, I'll bet Bryce wants to celebrate his mostly-victory over Simon. I breathe a sigh of relief.

     Not too much later, Erin walks around the side of my house wearing a bikini. Holy. Shit! I have to look elsewhere as I say, "Hey." Fuck! I didn't even think Erin would be the type to OWN a bikini, much less wear one. I take a deep breath and turn over the hotdogs.

     "Here ya go. Bryce said you wanted him to go get beer, so that's where he is," she explains, laying the hotdog package on the counter next to the grill.

     "Yeah," I agree, completely focused on the hotdogs.

     "Hello!" Ben calls out from the swimming pool, obviously speaking to Erin. She goes over to talk to him, and I breathe another sigh of relief.

     The rest of Marie's family decides to come outside, and Marie introduces everyone to Erin. I watch her brother Xavier's expression as he stares slack-jawed at her face.

     "She's Cristina's cousin," Marie tells her brother.

     Oh. He looked at her like that because she must really look like Cristina, not because she wore that. I'd thought he looked at her like that because he thought she was so hot he didn't know what to do.
     Erin jumps into the pool to play with Ben. I'm jealous. It's fucking hot out here, and I'd love to cool off. But I have too much to do right now.

    Bryce finally shows up, and I guess he's going to roast alive since he didn't change. The heat doesn't appear to bother Mr. Parren, either.
     Another round of introductions gets made with Bryce before we all try not to choke on my hotdogs. I drink three of the beers my best friend brought.

     "I would like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I hear Marie's father say in his deep voice, and dread fills my veins.

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Ugh! Why why why why WHY did I do this to myself? Maybe it's just me that's bothered by little things that wouldn't match up in a more real-to-life tale, like Marie calling Elena 'mom,' for instance, which is so American. I apologize. That's the way it is in Queen of Denial, where I use the Champs les Sims baseworld as their homeworld. In that tale, I made like it existed in its own little spot in space with no affiliation to anywhere. So, Marie called Elena 'mom' and I gave my characters whatever style name I wanted and it didn't matter. I've blown that out of the water now, but I'm going to stay with what I've always done. Sorry if this bugs anyone else. I wanted to put in this bit to let y'all know that it's not just you.

On another note...
Elena! Oh, I've missed Elena! But I couldn't continue with my Queen of Denial story thanks to SWNT having a MUCH slower speed. Once the Parrens all get back to Champs les Sims, I'll be able to do another chapter there for the first time in... ?3? years. Plus, that bugger needs an overhaul.

Oh, and Elena is supposed to be pregnant here, but that save melted along with my hard drive last summer. Thank goodness I had a backup, where I've pulled all my QoD people from...from where I've pulled all my QoD people. Anyway, I'm making like she is preggers but not really showing, especially in that dress, which she likes because it makes her look thinner.

Still, this is nostalgic for me to bring back my first Sims 3 story's main character. She's wonderfully selfish, vain, a huge coward, and oblivious by personal choice. Yes, I definitely missed her.

And my brain has started concocting stuff for Ben...