|
He wasn’t sure what
woke him, but a glance down to see that Siren not only had her head still on
his chest, but now she had an arm over his waist and was pressed close
against him. It didn’t last
long, maybe ten minutes but then he had to shift a little and she woke.
PART ONE
Rubbing her head
lightly on the pillow that she thought that she was on, she moaned and
frowned not wanting to wake. She
moved her leg and right hand upward and she noticed that what she felt
wasn’t exactly what she remembered as her bed.
The rippling muscle flexing underneath her hand and the curly hair
that her hand came in contact with as it moved up finally made her eyes
open.
It was then that
she felt her head throbbing and she saw that she was lying on Trevor’s
chest. Frowning and groaning as
her hand came up to her face, she glanced down, saw and felt that she was
not only naked but also pressed intimately against him.
Embarrassed and
flustered at the situation, before she even got a chance to look up into his
face, she pushed away from him and pulled the blankets up around her torso
and sat up. She then realized
her mistake even doing so. It made her head feel as if it was going to split open.
“Oh… my… gawd,” she said softly.
Trevor watched
her and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling.
‘You look like the end of forty miles of bad road!’ he
thought, but he couldn’t hold in a soft little laugh when she sat bolt
upright, watching her eyes widen as he knew the pain in her head pounded
harder and, more than likely, her stomach was tightening and swirling like
waves on the ocean. The first pale then slightly greenish look she got told
Trevor that Siren was about to worship the ‘porcelain goddess’ in
penance for her first hangover.
He watched her
sit there, almost frozen in place as she tried to swallow carefully,
breathing slowly. “It’s not
going to work,” he told her with a grin.
“Better get to the bathroom or you’re gonna puke all over this
bed.”
When Siren heard
Trevor laughing, all she could hear was the actual pounding of his laughter
echoing over and over in her head. She
felt the wave of nausea hit her and she did her damnedest to relax and
breathe slowly and not be sick, but when she heard Trevor talking again, the
words echoing at least four times in her head, it made it worse.
‘If only he’d shut up,’ she thought irritated, as she yanked the
sheet from the bed, wrapped it around her and headed toward the bathroom as
quickly as possible.
Lying in bed,
listening to Siren being sick in the bathroom reminded Trevor of a couple of
times when Allen had done what he later called a ‘drinking
double-header’… and from the moans and gagging he heard, he would’ve
bet a week’s pay that she’d agree with him now. He finally just lay back on the pillows with his hands behind
his head… and the blankets up to his waist… and just waited for her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Between the
tears that cascaded down her face and the trauma that she was putting her
body through, she vowed never… ever… to take another drink again.
After a few moments, though, she stood up, brushed her teeth and
headed back into the bedroom where Trevor was still reclining in bed,
grinning at her. Walking around to the other side of the bed, she sat down and
looked down at the bowl that was sitting on her bedside table and saw the
remnants of chocolate ice cream in it.
Just the thought
of the stuff made her stomach turn again and she quickly looked away from
it. “Oooooo,” she said
softly and couldn’t hide the tremor that ran through her body at the
thought of being sick again.
Trevor
couldn’t resist the temptation that he had when he saw the tremor run
through her. Rolling over
toward her, coming within a couple of inches of her still naked back, he
propped himself on one elbow, his head on his hand and peered up at her.
“Morning glory,” he told her sweetly, grinning like the cat that
got the cream. “Hey, I gotta
tell you that it was really thoughtful of you to share that delicious, dark,
rich and creamy ice cream with me last night.
Hey… what’s the matter? You
don’t look so good.”
Siren held up a
hand at his words, turning her head away from him as he continued to talk.
All his words were doing were about to make her sick again. “Could you not mention fo… food, right now, please… and
could you at least… whisper?” she questioned him with her eyes closed
and her head ducked to the side. She
hesitantly swallowed and it took everything she had to do it.
“Oh…
okay,” Trevor whispered still grinning.
Even from the angle she was in, Siren was almost the color of the
pale green sheet she was wrapped in. “Guess
thinking about dark chocolate ice cream… with a dab of whipped cream is a
little much on your stomach right now… huh?”
Then, he shifted to concern for her.
Sitting up carefully, keeping himself covered, he put a hand on her
shoulder and asked gently, sincerely, “Maybe a cup of coffee would
help…”
Siren didn’t
make it to the bathroom that time. But
when she was finished, Trevor damn sure wished she’d had if the look of
‘bloodlust’ in her eyes – that were pinned on him – was any
indication of the fire that was about to spew from her.
“Did
I say something?” He knew that he was begging for it to happen.
Every muscle in
her abdomen was screaming in pain, as well as her head.
Wiping her mouth with a small portion of the sheet after being sick
in the trashcan, Siren turned to glare at Trevor.
If she had something that she could hit him right now with, she’d
use it – perhaps several times.
Her eyes
narrowed. “Go… to…
hell…” she barely made out in gasps as she tried to catch her breath.
“I… asked you… not to…” even the thought of it again made
her turn back to the trashcan to be sick again.
Trevor
couldn’t hold back the bellow of laughter from her words.
Laughing, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and just sat and
watched her. ‘Comeuppance is a bitch, ain’t it, Siren?’ he
thought. ‘This just about
makes us even for you’re hoity toity attitude in the office the other
morning.’ But after she
finished the second time, the glare was harsh.
‘I
will never do this again,’ she thought to herself.
“You ass!”
“Whoa,”
Trevor told her patiently, though still grinning.
“I wasn’t the one who tried to drink the bar dry the first time
out of the gate… drinking-wise,” he reminded her.
“I was able to walk… without assistance… when we left Allen’s
place last night.” He could
almost see wisps of steam coming out of her ears.
“It wasn’t my knees that had been replaced with Jell-O… oops…
sorry,” he said, a little sorry for unintentionally mentioning that
substance… food… again.
Siren couldn’t
control the rage that was flowing through her after she had emptied her
stomach once again. She stood,
although she was aching terribly and walked over to him.
Tossing her hair back over her shoulder, she brought back her hand to
slap at him, but his hand caught her arm.
“Hey!” he
protested.
“You are a
complete pompous ass! You knew that I would feel this way… and yet… you still
keep it going. If you continue
to mention that…” she swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment trying
to get her stomach to leave her alone.
“I’ll make sure to give you your portion of whatever else is in
my stomach.” She yanked her
arm away from him and glared at him.
“If you’re
going to run with the pack, babe,” he told her, pushing her arm back to
her as he released it. “You
better learn not to blame every and anyone for whatever stupid stunts you
pull while bending your elbow with such glee and so quickly I might add.”
This time, her
hand connected with his face.
“Can’t
take the truth, can you, Siren?” he spit nastily at her, even though his
tone was suddenly about forty degrees cooler.
“If you
remember correctly, Mr. Conroy,” she told him hotly, “last night was the
first time that I had ever drank. How was I to know what would happen, how it would make me
feel, before, during and afterward? I
can accept the truth… and yes… perhaps I did drink too much, but you
could at least have the decency to be lenient to one in my state,” she
said plainly. “Anyway, I can
tell by the way that you handle your liquor that it obviously didn’t take
you long to get me undressed, now did it?
I guess best friends don’t fall far from their pals, do they?”
she asked hotly. “How long did it take you?
One or two minutes… if that?”
Trevor stood up
just barely holding onto the blanket around his waist.
Taking a step toward her, looking down at her, he told her smoothly,
“Actually, Siren, you did the undressing.
It was after you got playful with that bowl of ice cream…” he
deliberatively used the description.
“I would
never…” she began. “Playful
with that bowl of ice cream?” she pointed to where it sat.
“Oh… there is no way that I started anything,” she stated
matter of factly.
“Don’t give
me that!” he growled at her, trying very hard to hold onto his temper that
was already straining at the short leash he had it on.
“Let me refresh your memory,” he snapped.
“One, I got you back here. Two:
you explained the whole evening… the drinking, the Macarena AND the fight
that got you that shiner… to Xavier.
Three: you took a bath and came to bed but decided you wanted some
chocolate ice cream. Four:
I was trying to sleep but noooo!” Trevor got up into her face.
“You insisted I had to have a taste of it.
I took a taste. Five...”
he said as he crowded her again, “you
‘accidentally’ dribbled some of the ice cream on my chest and then
licked it off… Yess!” He gave her a wicked smile to counteract her
sudden shock. “You LICKED it
off my chest. Six: you got
careless when you went to put the bowl on the bedside table… after YOU
initiated a bit of… fun… and that’s when you dropped the ice cream
down the front of your gown. And
seven: you took shower number
two and came to bed without a stitch on.
End of explanation. Now…”
he crowded her right back against the wall.
“You tell me… who started what?”
Siren was
flabbergasted at his counting and his crowding.
She couldn’t believe what he was saying and she looked away from
him, but he reached out and pulled her chin back up to him.
She looked up into his eyes and swallowed again.
“I… I…” she began and finally shoved him back away from her. “Just leave me alone, Trevor,” she said softly and felt
the nausea come back again with a sudden wave and she rushed past him to go
back to the bathroom once more.
This time,
though, she lay on the floor and softly cried at the wracks of pain that her
body enveloped her in. Only after getting a handle on herself once again, she
thought softly about what Xavier might say and do if she didn’t stick with
her Saturday morning routine. And
although her stomach still acted like it would reverberate back on her
again, she looked down at her watch and checked the time.
Moaning, she
reached over to the large oval Jacuzzi tub and turned on the water, setting
the temperature of the water as hot as she could stand it.
It had become customary for her to prepare herself for the long day
ahead of activities with a bubble bath and meditation.
She added the bubble mixture and went to the cabinet to clean her
face while the tub filled not only with luxurious bubbles but also with the
very hot water. Taking the
initiative, she looked into the medicine cabinet and pulled out the Tylenol
and took two pills from the small case only to plop them into her mouth and
swallow them with a small glass of water.
She brushed her teeth once more and prayed that she wouldn’t have
to do that again today until it was time for bed.
However, by the time she was ready to climb into the tub, the Jacuzzi
was about three-fourths of the way full.
She headed
toward the door and opened it slightly as Xavier requested for such an
extended stay in the tub. Since she was little it was also a prerequisite to have it
open just in case she should have a seizure and he could come in to help her
quickly and not have to worry with the door.
Pinning up her hair behind her, she turned to look at the water and
put her hand on her abdomen. Just
the movement of the water from the spigot was enough to mess with her
stomach. Clicking a small button by the wall, she heard the faint
melodic music come flooding into the room.
Not loud, but loud enough to calm her spirit and give her some peace
while she bathed.
Trying not to
think about it, she eased herself into the hot water.
She breathed in gasps and finally with an exhausted moan rested back
in the hot water, letting it soak into her body.
Placing her arms up on the side of the tub, she could see the heat of
the water rising off her skin, already turning it a light pink.
Taking in a deep breath, she leaned her head back against the tub as
she sank into the bubbly water.
She opened her
eyes enough to look at the bubbles around her.
Pulling them toward her up to her chin to take in the vanilla aroma
that came with them, she sighed contently.
There was something about the way that vanilla calmed and soothed
her. Placing her hands back up
on the side of the tub, she leaned back once more.
Wanting to fully recline, she placed her feet with her ankles crossed
up on the wall. Turning her
head to the side, she closed her eyes for a moment once again and began to
meditate and plan her day ahead of her.
Among the
thoughts that she was having was how to apologize to Trevor; she had accused
him of being indecent when it was her… not him.
What a mess. How was she going to live with him for another week?
But even as she thought about it, she couldn’t help but smile.
He did make life entertaining. ‘Chocolate
ice cream,’ she thought to herself with a shake of her head.
‘Licking his chest? Ohhh, what was I thinking?’
PART
TWO
Xavier shook his
head when he heard Siren being sick several times and hearing Mr. Conroy’s
laughter at her illness. He had
just cause and, no doubt; he was giving her grief over it.
But when he heard the heated words in the bedroom, he wondered
exactly what the young lovers were fighting about this time.
He couldn’t
help but overhear Mr. Conroy’s re-enactment of last night and Siren’s
pronouncement to just leave her alone, because of her uncertainty in the
matter. Again, he shook his
head. ‘That man has more will power than any normal human being.
Having a naked, beautiful woman in his arms, and not trying anything?
He’s a better man than I am.’
However, he
heard the water in the tub, the familiar scent of vanilla, and the soft
melodies drifting into the living room.
He knew that even though Siren must be feeling something terrible,
she knew that she still had an agenda for the day and he was proud to see
her following it. Following her
example, he continued preparing for breakfast and made a strong pot of
coffee.
Coming into the
living room once breakfast was accomplished, consisting of only a bowl of
cereal and a strong cup of coffee, he placed the three settings on the table
as Mr. Conroy came out of the bedroom putting his belt on.
Xavier gave him a wary look and tried to hide the smile that crept up
onto his face. “Good morning,
Mr. Conroy.”
When Trevor
didn’t reply, Xavier glanced up and saw him standing close to the bathroom
door, an almost debating look on his face.
He headed over to him, clapped a hand on his shoulder, and moved him
to step closer to the door, where it gave a wonderful view of Siren lounging
in the tub, the bubbles glistening and popping on her now wet skin.
Xavier couldn’t help himself as he looked upon her as well.
“She’s
quite exquisite, Mr. Conroy,” he said as he kept his voice low as he
raised an eyebrow and gave the man beside him a sideways glance and saw that
he was trying not to look at her. “Notice
how the bubbles just mold to her body, caressing her, exposing a bit of skin
here and there. Come now, Mr.
Conroy, it doesn’t hurt to look.”
Upon hearing the
water move inside, Xavier glanced up to see that Siren had moved her legs
back in and back out of the water again, letting the water seep into them
for only a moment. The soapy
bubbles ran down her leg back toward the water below.
Licking his lips, he turned to look at Mr. Conroy and saw him swallow
only for his mouth to open yet again, captivated by the sight before him.
The sight of
Siren lounging in the tub… by all appearances… blissfully unaware of her
father and Trevor gazing at her in the tub was damned appealing to every
masculine instinct in Trevor’s body, and at least one of those instincts
was clamoring at him to act upon its insistence.
He didn’t want
to get on the wrong side of the man who, as far as he was concerned, was
responsible for every healing whip scar on his body.
But the way that he was talking, almost like he was trying to sell
Trevor on the idea of Siren’s availability, just turned his stomach.
Averting his
eyes, Trevor took a couple of steps back and turned and went into the
kitchen. He heard Xavier’s
quiet steps as he followed, but didn’t say anything as he poured himself a
cup of coffee. Lifting the cup
to his lips, he blew softly on the hot, strong brew, and then took a sip
before he turned to face the man where he stood in the doorway.
Taking a deep, slow breath, he asked straight out, “May I speak
freely?”
Putting his
hands into the pocket of his robe, Xavier stood in the doorway for a moment,
sizing up the young man who, he was learning, was not easily intimidated.
Stepping past him, Xavier went to sit at his place at the table. Picking up his cup, he took a swallow of coffee, watching him
over the rim of the coffee cup. “Speak
your mind, Mr. Conroy,” Xavier told him quietly as he set his cup down
again. “Siren can’t hear
us.”
Trevor didn’t
hesitate. “Maybe you don’t
think it doesn’t hurt to look at Siren while she’s bathing, but then
you’re her father,” Trevor told him.
By the expression it was plain that he knew that as far as he was
concerned at this moment that he was not just talking to someone who
wouldn’t blink twice if ordered to kill him right where he stood if so
ordered by Lothos. Right now,
they were just two men talking about a beautiful woman who just happened to
be his daughter. Trevor hoped
that Xavier kept that particular point in mind as he went on.
“I have never,
and don’t need now, any help in finding or bedding a woman,” he said
bluntly, meeting Xavier’s gaze squarely.
“And from one man to another, I found your manner outside the
bathroom… distasteful.” Lifting
his cup, he took another swallow of coffee.
Xavier pursed
his lips thoughtfully and quirked an eyebrow, studying the man’s face for
a moment. “I was merely
pointing out that my daughter is a beautiful woman,” he replied quietly.
Trevor nodded
his head in agreement. “Dressed
or naked, Siren is a beautiful woman,” he admitted freely, even as a
feeling of irritation went through him at the amused half smile that touched
Xavier’s lips at that admission. He
brushed it aside and went on. “But
my relationship with her at this moment is not based on anything other than
the fact of her being my boss in the Logistics Sector -- that and us having
a… disagreement, and Lothos sentencing us to two weeks of shared
punishment, including spending every free moment outside of work, with each
other. And that,” he
emphasize the last word, “is the only reason I’m sleeping with her.”
“So you
don’t find her desirable?” Xavier asked, toying with the spoon beside
his coffee cup, deliberately not looking at him.
The emotion in his voice would tell him plainly enough what sort of
expression was on his face.
Trevor let out
an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t say that,” he responded sharply, setting his
cup on the counter with a thump. Leaning
against the counter, he folded his arms loosely across his chest.
Closing his eyes and licking his lips, he dropped his chin toward his
chest a little. He opened his
mouth to respond, but Xavier spoke again.
“Let me be
sure I understand you,” Xavier said clearly as he now looked at him.
“You’re telling me that given the right moment during the
remainder of your punishment, that one night you wouldn’t allow yourself
to give into a moment of… need, shall we say… and put my daughter on her
back and…” Purposefully, Xavier let the rest of the thought remained
unspoken as Mr. Conroy lifted his head and their eyes met.
‘God,
doesn’t the man have any shame or shred of decency in him?’ Trevor
wondered.
“Come on, Mr.
Conroy,” Xavier mocked him softly, watching his face.
“It’s just us men. You
can be honest.” The ceaseless
shifting of emotions warring across Trevor’s face was most interesting to
Xavier. Chivalry warred with Xavier’s blunt suggestions, but even
more interesting was observing his basic sense of decency battling against
the picture in his mind of Siren naked beneath him.
“Surely, you
can’t mean that a strapping young man like yourself with healthy physical
appetites wouldn’t enjoy being the first man to nestle into the cradle of
Siren’s thighs and sample her most intimate charms?”
Not even Allen
had the unmitigated gall of the other man sitting barely ten feet away from
Trevor. Trevor couldn’t help
but stare at him, his mouth half-open.
And as he held his gaze, certain things – old rumors that had been
circulating around the complex since before he was born – began to take a
hint of reality. Things that
most of the people in the complex dismissed as far-fetched, grossly
exaggerated stories in just these few minutes had begun to seem maybe not
quite so far-fetched.
Trevor’s
blood, to say nothing of his temper, was about three degrees below boiling
as he went to the table, glad that it was only them. Right now, Trevor was
fighting control the urge to drag him out of his chair and beat the crap out
of the unassuming older man with the lascivious gleam in his dark eyes.
Planting his hands on the table, Trevor leaned toward him, letting
Xavier see exactly what he thought of his suggestions.
“Let me put
this in terms you can understand, sir,” Trevor spit sarcastically.
“Should the time ever come when
Siren wants me between her legs…
whether I’m her first or not… you will never
hear about it from me!” Straightening
up, Trevor took a deep breath as Xavier and he continued to lock gazes.
“What I’m about to say may get me another beating,” Trevor said
icily, glaring at him, “but you are one perverted bastard.”
“Aren’t you
going to have some breakfast?” Xavier asked mildly in an amused way.
Trevor snapped,
“I just lost my appetite.” But
turning around, Trevor froze in his tracks at the sight of Siren standing in
the doorway. She was dressed casually, but the look on her face mirrored
how he was feeling. Only her
temper was, he knew without the smallest doubt, about to spill out all over
him.
PART
THREE
Even
though she usually lingered in the bathroom for over an hour on Saturday
mornings, she cut her bath short. She
wasn't enjoying it as she normally did, and she couldn't quite place herself
in the calm subdued manner for the meditation that she normally did every
Saturday.
Getting out of
the tub and going to her bedroom, she quickly dressed in casual wear -- a
pair of blue jeans, and a dark blue T-shirt.
Padding through the living room still bare foot, she overheard the
conversation between Trevor and her father.
She stepped up toward the kitchen with a small smile on her lips
trying her best to have a pleasant attitude for her father despite the way
that she felt. But seeing
Trevor leaning on the table toward her father and hearing him spit
sarcastically, "Let me put this in terms you can understand, sir.
Should the time ever come when Siren wants
me between her legs... whether I'm her first or not... you will never
hear about it from me. What I'm
about to say may get me another beating, but you are one perverted
bastard."
She even stayed
quiet as her anger continued to heat her face when she heard her father ask,
“Aren’t you going to have some breakfast?”
Hearing Trevor snap back, “I just lost my appetite,” Siren cocked
her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips.
"How
appropriate," she spit at Trevor her words enunciated beyond reproach,
"I've already lost mine." Seeing
him gaping at her for a moment, she divided a glance between the two men in
the room. “That man sitting
across from you is not only my father; which should be enough for you to
give him the utmost respect that he deserves; but he is also a MT and a
highly decorated rank in this facility," she told him pointedly.
"How dare you talk to him that way? I don't give a damn what he has said to you, but you will
give him the respect that he deserves."
Siren took a few
steps into the room toward him and crowded him purposely.
"As for if the time should ever come that I want you between my
legs, Mr. Conroy that will be a decision that I make, not you and assuredly
not my father." She tossed
a glance at her father and saw him graciously look at the table before him.
Turning back to Trevor, she told him nastily, "At least, I'm
particularly proud of the fact that you don't kiss and tell, but rest
assured that you won't have that problem where I'm concerned.
Excuse me, gentlemen, but I have some practicing to do in the other
room."
When Siren
turned around and stomped out of the kitchen only to go to the piano in the
other room and start pounding out scales of some sort, for a moment Trevor
just closed his eyes and started counting in his head.
‘So
help me God!’ he thought when he ran out of the numbers.
‘I’m gonna transfer to
anywhere but where she is when this punishment is over.
I swear I am! I'll scrub toilets... anything!’ But right now that future goal wasn't doing him any good.
So, turning his back on Xavier, he went into the living room and
crossed to Siren.
He listened for a moment.
He was not a musician but it sure sounded like she was beating the
hell out of the defenseless scales. The
glare in her eyes as she watched her hands.... Sighing, he put a hand on her
shoulder. "Siren?" he
said loudly trying to be heard over the din; for damn sure it wasn’t
music. Trevor tried a couple of
times. By the third time, he
knew that she was ignoring him. So,
childish as it might seem, because he was tired of being ignored and of
being her emotional punching bag, Trevor reached over and flipped the piano
cover down. She gasped,
snatching her hands back just as the cover slammed shut.
"Can you
hear me now?" he asked with exaggerated patience.
Popping
her fingers once again in her palm, she lightly laid them in her lap, and
tried her best to keep a civil tone with the man, she said, "What do
you want, Mr. Conroy? I need to
practice no matter if I have a hangover or not.
Or is it that you just came to spout off more endearments about me or
mention more food in front of me in hopes that I will be sick again?"
she asked as she stared at the wall in front of her.
Trevor
hadn’t started this argument, but he’d be damned if Siren was going to
egg him into burying himself deeper into it.
“You know what?” he suddenly told her.
“I don’t want anything from you.
Neither your attitude, nor you’re teasing.
I don’t even care if you speak to me again.”
He leaned down into her face, one hand braced on the piano top.
"Go ahead and pound away, Siren," he told her, grabbing her
chin when she started to turn away. "I
may have to be around you for another eight days, but that doesn't mean that
I have to be with you... even in the same room."
Standing up, he gave her a rather nasty look.
"Okay, go on. Finish
your tantrum and then we can decide how to finish ruining the rest of the
day. The sooner night comes and
I can go to sleep, the sooner it's going to be one less day I've got to be
in your specialized orbit." Turning
around, he went back into her bedroom and slammed the door.
Opening up the
piano once again, Siren looked down at the keys and sighed.
‘Damn that man. How can he be so irritating one moment and so damn sexy at
the same time?’ But
even so, he did make her realize that she had been beating on the instrument
before her and she really did need to practice and not just beat.
Rolling her head
around to the side, Siren quickly pulled at the notebook that she had open
before her and flipped through to one of the many songs that she loved to
play, but at the same time, knew that it would drive Xavier up the wall.
Relaxing for a
brief moment, she closed her eyes, then placed her hands on the keys once
more and began to play “Can You Read My Mind?” – the love theme from
Superman. The melody flowed like it was supposed to, the music soft and
easy and full of emotion. As
she sat there playing it, she heard the door of her bedroom open and keeping
her eyes closed, she could even feel the presence of her father standing in
the doorway of the kitchen. Finishing
the song, she didn’t stop and immediately began playing,
“Unforgettable,” and softly began to sing the words to the song as she
played.
When the song
finished, she shook her head before closing the piano and turning her head
back toward the kitchen. She
saw her father smile at her before heading back in and out of the corner of
her eyes, she saw Trevor just standing in the doorway lingering there.
Taking the
opportunity given to her, she said, “My temper always gets the better of
me. I'll try to control it
while you are here for the remainder of our punishment.
I... I just hope...." she said shaking her head softly.
"... that we can survive the remaining days without killing each
other." Turning her head
to him, she tried to give a reassuring smile to him but seeing that it
didn’t really work, she shook her head.
"I'm willing to bury the knives... if you are."
Trevor didn’t
react to her apology. His face
was expressionless. “I’ll
survive,” he finally said, keeping his voice devoid of feeling.
He saw the hurt in her eyes at his callous response, but at the
moment, he didn’t care. She
had stomped all over him, in one form or another, since the moment he ran
into her, and he had had enough.
PART FOUR
Seeing Xavier
coming to the kitchen door with coffee cup in hand as well as a look that
he’d normally step back from didn’t faze Trevor.
He returned his look, measure for measure then looked back at Siren.
"If you're
finished with your practicing," Trevor said with stiff politeness,
"I've got some things that I need to take care of today.
Among them, canceling a dinner engagement. So, since we have to stay together, get your shoes on and
we'll go to my place." He
sent a sidelong glance at Xavier as he added with deliberate sarcasm,
"She'll be as safe... and chaste... as a babe in her father's
arms."
It was during
the song “Unforgettable” that she realized how foolish that she had been
acting toward Trevor. But she had just cause – no one should speak to
Xavier in that tone or manner, but then again Xavier was a grown man and
could handle his own battles… but still she shouldn’t have barked at
Trevor the way that she had. And trying to bury the hatchet so to speak, she even
apologized, even though it was a half-assed one. But his response had hurt more than she cared to admit.
But even more so was when he said that he had some matters to attend
to himself – and for some reason a tinge of jealousy raged its ugly head
when he mentioned the dinner date that he had to cancel.
She didn’t miss the sarcastic remark; however, she just closed her
eyes again and reigned back hard on the anger that was growing yet again.
She had told him
that she had put the knives away, and she had meant it.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up and faced him.
“I normally practice at least an hour and a half every Saturday,
but it can wait. Let me get my
shoes,” she said softly.
As she walked up
to him, he didn’t move and she excused herself around him trying to avoid
touching him. Getting her shoes
and a pair of socks, she sat on the bed and put them on.
She realized that he had been watching her the entire time and she
couldn’t help but feel almost pressured.
Standing, she
licked at her lips and grabbed her mask from the bedside table and looked up
at him. She didn't say a word,
but she let her eyes speak volumes as she blinked at him for a moment. Going past him, she headed toward the door of their quarters.
When she saw
Xavier step back out of the kitchen once more, Siren quickly walked over to
him and placed a kiss on his cheek thankful for the slight peck that he gave
her back. For some reason, it
helped to know that he was someone that loved her for herself -- along with
all of her oddities... anger and all. "Have
a good day, daddy."
When he just
smiled at her, she headed back toward the door that Trevor had already
opened. Placing on the mask, she glanced at Trevor once more then
walked through it.
Although Siren
couldn’t see it in his face or his eyes, Trevor felt rotten for dumping
the acid of his frustration and anger on her.
There was no taking it back. There
was no way that he could just let the words “I’m sorry” pass the
tightness in his throat.
Once
out in the hall, Trevor headed for the elevator at a quick clip.
Upon reaching the single men's level, he headed down the hall, Siren
on his heels, and any number of the guys passing them doing double takes.
They had never had seen him with a girl on the floor so early in the
morning. He could almost feel
the grins behind his back.
Opening his
front door, he ushered Siren inside then without a word to her, went to the
phone. Picking it up, he dialed a number then waited for an answer.
Hearing her voice at the other end of the line, he had to smile.
She could make him smile no matter how rotten a day he’d been
having. When she asked her
question, he met Siren’s eyes, his smile dimming some as he told her,
“No, mom. I can’t make
dinner tonight. Maybe next
weekend.”
But it was the
look of surprise replaced almost instantly by absolutely shattered hurt in
Siren’s eyes that caused him to hesitate.
“Uh, mom,” he began, his eyes not moving from Siren’s.
“On second thought, I will be able to make it.
You mind if I bring a... friend from work with me?"
His mother’s enthusiasm didn't surprise him.
"Okay," he smiled, glancing away from Siren. "Okay,
we'll be there. Yeah... seven-thirty. What?" he hesitated, his eyes
going to Siren again who hadn't taken her eyes off of him for a second.
"Who am I bringing?" Trevor
hesitated, considering how to answer. "She..."
He ducked his head and turned away from Siren, grinning at the phone.
"Yes, mom, I said 'she'. Which one is she?
Well this one is the new boss in the Logistics Sector.
Okay, I… we'll see you this evening.
Bye."
Hanging up the
phone, he turned again to Siren. "You'll
like mom," he offered quietly, "but dad will drive you nuts with
his cornball jokes," he pause, then licked his lips and said what had
took hearing his mother’s voice to help get past the tip of his tongue.
"I shouldn't have unloaded on you like that. You didn't deserve
that. I'm sorry."
Siren’s words
surprised her more than she let on as she said, “Accepted, but, I did
deserve it." She bit at
her lower lip. "I'll try
to be more aware of my temper when it explodes."
She took a deep
breath then began again, leaning back against the wall beside the door.
She didn’t want to feel his wrath for touching something in his
quarters. He had invited her
into the room, but he hadn’t invited her to sit down and her head was
still raging, so, the wall was fine to her.
“It was very… thoughtful of you to invite me along for dinner
with your parents. If it's a
problem, I can sit at another table and give you some time with your family.
You were right about not having to be with me even in the same room.
The party proved that much. So,
if you'd rather me not be there," she began as her eyes drifted from
him to the phone only for a brief moment, her face void of expression except
for the softness in her voice, "then, call your mom back and enjoy your
dinner with them."
She
paused for a minute letting that sink in and looked away from him as she
took off the mask and fingered the bruise on her cheek.
"Besides, I'm not in the best of condition to be seen at the
moment… with a bruise that still can be seen even with the mask on and
with a hangover that probably matches the sensation of a jack hammers on
cement." She tried to give
him a smile but it didn't even reach the surface of her eyes.
‘Anyway,’ she thought,
‘I don't deserve to meet your
parents.’
Siren saw him
start toward her, and she stood up straight as she looked around his room
and saw the few pictures that were scattered on his walls.
The room resembled Allen’s quarters, but the only difference was
that it was backwards. Siren
took a step into the room and stopped as Trevor met her there.
She took a step back away from him and went back toward the wall.
She felt as though she was dancing back and forth, trying to get away
from him, but in the process, she was backed up against the wall.
As he approached
her, he was already shaking his head at her suggestion of sitting at another
table or not even going. "No
way," he told her. "Mom
will pin me to the wall with knitting needles if I don't show up with who I
told her was coming with me." He couldn’t help the sheepish grin that
crossed his lips. “She’s already driving dad nuts with what he should
wear, etc., etc., etc." Then
his expression relaxed some as he reached out to catch Siren by the arm thus
ending the 'can I get past you' dance.
"Besides, I meant the invitation." He paused then added,
"I do want you to come with me."
Siren didn’t
even realize the words that came out of her mouth.
They just came naturally and she couldn’t stop them either.
"No, you don't. You
don't want me there. You
wouldn't have said it back in my quarters if you didn't mean it." A glazed look comes into her eyes as she looked down away
from him. "Don't
worry," she said softly. "You
won't hurt my feelings. I'm a
big girl, Trev."
"You're not
the only one who has a tendency to let your mouth run ahead of your
brain," he told her evenly. He
thought about the part of the conversation she hadn't heard, and he was glad
she missed it. "My temper
sometimes gets a stranglehold on my common sense and... I end up saying
something I wish hadn't ever crossed my mind."
He stepped
closer to her, bringing his other hand to her shoulder, holding her still.
"And yes, I do want you there.
Believe me," he told her, "when I ask a girl… 'out' I
don't ask unless I mean it. Now,
before you think up a dozen ways to keep refusing, how about we go topside
and see what the real world looks like right now.
I think my fresh air 'gene' needs recharging," he grinned at
her. He really didn’t want to
ruin the day. He honestly hoped
that she could see that he was trying.
Siren blinked up
at him and lightly bit at her bottom lip.
“T… topside?” she said softly.
“I… I hate to tell you this, but I’ve never been outside of the
complex either.”
“You’re
serious,” he finally said after his surprise faded.
She
shrugged. “Never have wanted
to go up there…
and
well... it's just not something that I've ever wanted to do."
Suddenly,
Trevor knew that this was something that he wanted to show her.
"You have no idea what you're missing," he told her.
"The tang of the air right after it rains.
Or even better, watching it rain.
Or seeing a rainbow...." Whether or not she realized it, Trevor
could see interest in Siren's eyes. Interest
and wonder about what he was telling her.
"And if
it's not raining, you've gotta take your shoes off and walk barefoot through
the grass." Gently, Trevor
tightened his fingers against her shoulders as he smiled down at her.
"You game for an adventure into the real world, Siren?"
Siren licked at
her lips as he mentioned adventure and she grinned up at him with definite
interest. Slowly her grin
became a smile that reached her eyes. "An
adventure... why not?" She
felt another squeeze on her shoulder and he took his hand away from her
shoulder to head toward the door.
Looking
at him for a brief moment, she held her hand up at him to stop him.
Taking a few seconds, she pulled off her shoes and socks and placed
them beside the door then stood beside him.
"Walking on grass... hmmm... might as well just ditch the shoes
then huh?"
For the first
time since he’d known her, he actually felt himself relaxing with Siren.
“Okay,” he agreed. “The
shoes stay here.” Quickly, he
took off his own shoes and socks, leaving them where they fell then went to
the door again. He grinned at
Siren when she glanced from the shoes and socks more or less in the middle
of the floor. “I'm not known
as the neatest, Neanderthal on this level," he told her.
Opening the door, he swept his hand before him. "Shall we
go?"
Now the guys
coming and going in the hall just steered clear of them.
To Craig's observation, "Tiptoe past a tulip for me, huh?
I lost my topside pass yesterday."
"Sure
thing, man," Trevor said in passing.
PART FIVE
Once in the
elevator Trevor entered the special code for topside then leaned against the
wall and relaxed as the car began to ascend.
Siren turned to
look at Trevor and grinned as she said, “You know, Jondalar, the other
Neanderthals seemed to be envious of you going topside," she said with
a little gleam in her eye.
"Since
you've never been topside," Trevor explained, "you don't know how
good it feels to step outside and realize that there's something vastly
bigger than this complex. Besides," he folded his arms loosely across
his chest, "a topside pass means that you can go hunting or fishing or
camping beyond the complex grounds. Or,
for the less 'must hunt' individuals, a long walk in the gardens around the
complex. Maybe even venture
into the meadow about a half mile from the perimeter fence."
As he talked,
Siren had not taken her eyes off of him, and it was almost exciting to see
the glow beginning to show in her eyes.
“You’d look very pretty in a field of daisies, I think,” he
told her softly.
As
Siren listened to him talking about the places outside of the complex, she
couldn’t help but bite at her bottom lip.
She couldn’t believe that she had never been up to the top after
hearing about it from others before. She
had always shrugged it off, knowing that she had classes or work to do.
But when Trevor
told her about it, it seemed even better than the others had ever told her
about. And when Trevor said
that she would look pretty in a field of daisies, Siren blushed at the
compliment. "Well... I don't know about that," she said softly.
"But, well..." she didn’t even get to finish her thought
as the elevator doors opened. They
walked out into the corridor and came up to the guards that were posted in
the middle of the corridor. Glancing
between the man standing before her asking for her card, Siren blinked at
him and looked to Trevor. "I...
I don't have a card,” she said softly.
Trevor reached
into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and extracted a card with three
silver stars on it and handed it to Jim.
Glancing at Siren, he explained, “That’s my topside pass.
The three stars on it mean I can come topside any time I want but I
have to stay inside the complex perimeter.
An outside pass… like Craig lost… are harder to come by.” Taking
the card back when Jim held it out to him, he slid it back into his wallet.
Siren understood
what Trevor was telling her, but that still didn’t help her any.
Trying not to be a smart ass about it, she told him plainly.
“Yes, I understand, but I still don’t have a pass.
I can’t go.” She
took a step back a little upset that she couldn’t experience the things
that he had told her about. “Trevor,
you go ahead. I’ll just…”
but she already knew that if he did go, that they’d both be in trouble
again. “I’m sorry,” she
said softly and turned back the way that they had entered.
"Miss,
its okay,” the guard, Jim, called out to her.
He watched as she turned back to him with a tentative smile.
“You can go out. What
Trevor forgot in his haste to tell you, is that the silver stars not only
mean he can come up whenever he wants to," Jim bumped Trevor lightly on
the arm with his hand. "The
stars also mean that he can bring up to three people with him.
So you see, you're his guest. You
can go outside with him."
Stepping back,
Jim then watched Kevin enter the code to open the massive doors that led to
the outside. He’d been a
guard at the doors for the last sixteen years, and he'd seen Trevor grow
from a youth to the tall, impressive man he was now.
"Go on you
two," he told them. "The
sun's shining and there's just enough breeze to make it a nice day to relax
outside."
He watched
Trevor offer his arm to the girl, then smile to himself when she took it
after a second hesitation. They
walked past him. Unfortunately,
the doors had to be closed behind them, but they got enough people through
here every day that it was almost like being outside.
"Remember Trevor," Jim called as the doors began to close.
"Lock down is at sundown."
Trevor lifted
his free hand and waved back at Jim’s reminder.
But even his words were forgotten as he watched Siren’s face as she
got her first look at the real world. He
was glad the roses were in bloom. But
then, early summer was always the best time for the roses in the garden.
It took a moment
for her eyes to adjust to the bright light of the sun and she blinked
against it. Slowly, she looked
at the entryway to the complex in awe.
She turned her head in a complete circle looking at the gardens; the
flowers, everything and she couldn’t help but smile.
Unwrapping
her arm from Trevor's, Siren walked over to the roses and leaned down to
smell the aroma of it and sighed. Xavier had given her roses for her birthday last year, but
these weren't the same. Everything
seemed brighter and more fragrant.
Although the
brightness of the morning light hurt her head, she pushed the feeling aside
wanting to enjoy the day and what the world had to offer.
Taking a step off of the walkway and into the grass, she wiggled her
toes and turned back to Trevor, her expression full of awe and happiness.
Even as Trevor
stood watching her, he had vague memories of his parents bringing his
brother and himself up to the gardens from time to time to play in the
sunshine, running and tumbling on the grass.
It was seeing the wonder in Siren’s face when she stepped onto the
grass… he thought that he now understood how his dad must have felt
watching his sons.
Siren
took several steps away from Trevor, then jogged out a few feet from the
walkway. Before she could stop
herself, she began to run… hard and fast.
“Hey!
Wait for me!” Trevor hollered when Siren took off running.
She had a good head start and was an excellent runner and he didn’t
catch up to her until she pulled up near the cluster of trees several
hundred yards away from the walkway.
Turning
in a complete circle, Siren giggled and stopped to turn to him as he came up
to her. “I never knew...”
she panted. "... how
majestic it was."
Trevor tried to
catch his breath. “If you
think this is majestic, then you’ve got to see a sunrise and a sunset.
Either one makes this look like...small stuff compared to the beauty
of the start and end of a day." After
a moment, he added, "Maybe we could plan a time so you can experience
one of those times."
Siren turned in
another complete circle, breathing, seeing, and feeling the awesome living
picture around her. She smiled
broadly at Trevor before she glanced up at the canopy of trees above them.
"A fairy ring," she said softly then gave him a glance
before taking off at a run again.
She heard him
holler at her again to wait up, but she tossed back over her shoulder,
“Come on, slow poke!”
Feeling the
grass under her feet, she raced across it loving how it felt.
Grinning, she slowed down a bit only to try out something that she
hadn’t done in over ten years. With
a little hop in her step, she spun into a cartwheel then upon landing, did
three single flips in a row. She
landed off balance as the ground took on a slant.
Tumbling to the ground, she laid there on her back looking up into
the sky. It was when Trevor
showed up a minute later looking down at her, panting, that she just smiled
up at him.
She brought her
hands up in front of her chest then pointed up to him.
“Okay, so I need to work more on my back flips, but I haven't done
that in over ten years." She
blew out a breath and giggled as he sat down beside her.
Turning her head toward him, she told him softly, "Thank you for
bringing me up here, Trevor. I've
seen pictures, but I never really knew."
If
Trevor hadn’t already known a little about Siren and her personality, it
would have been really easy to think of her as a total innocent as he
watched her running and tumbling… and falling… like a child let loose in
the sunshine after too long inside.
Running after
her again, really more like a lazy loping, Trevor again felt his emotions do
a pendulum swing. When he
finally reached her, he stood over her, leaning down; his hands on his knees
at he caught his breath. Only,
he lost it again in the next moment when Siren flashed a hundred megawatt
smile up at him as she thanked him.
Dropping down
beside her on the ground, he reacted on feelings alone, bending down to kiss
her lips softly, lingeringly. Drawing
back, he watched her face, eyes closed as she delicately ran the tip of her
tongue over her lips – lips he had just kissed and were now a darker pink
for the sweetness that he had taken from them.
Siren blinked at
him for a moment. She honestly
didn’t know what to say to him. She
didn’t want to ruin the moment with words – and lately it seemed she had
been saying the wrong thing to him every time she opened her mouth, or so it
seemed. So, she just smiled gently at him and sighed.
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