Chapter Twenty One
Rich
Between Victoria's screeching at Az and then Craig, and the ache in my gut from the doc poking and prodding at my surgical incision, I needed an Advil. And probably a shot. I was on my way to the bathroom to raid the medicine cabinet when I heard her scream Leighton's name. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I slowed to a stop just outside of her bedroom, catching sight of Leighton attempting to build some sort of structure on her bed with boxes of condoms.
"What? You told me I could stay here, so I did." Leighton frowned, his hands working to keep his condom house together.
"Could you two keep whatever this is, down?" I grumbled, startling both of them and causing Leighton to scowl as the boxes tumbled off the end of Victoria's bed. "All of this yelling is giving me a migraine."
"Don't worry, Boss. As soon as you dislodge your head from your ass, she'll be yelling at you too." Leighton said with a wide grin.
"No thanks." I deadpanned. "Just keep the shit down. The rest of us shouldn't have to suffer because you and Az can't keep yourselves from pissing the Princess off."
"I'm right here, ya know." Victoria scowled. "And I actually didn't come in here to fight with Leighton. I was grabbing him, the others, even you , because Craig asked me to get everyone to the den."
I raised an eyebrow and looked her over for any indication of what Craig could want. "Did he find something we need to know about?"
"Is this gonna start another fight between everyone?" Leighton groaned.
"No and no. He said it was something fun. Not that you'd know much about that, daddy. " Victoria said as she rolled her eyes.
"Well, he might not… but I know a thing or two about having fun." Leighton drawled, waggling his eyebrows at Victoria.
"And on that note, I'm out." I scowled. "I'll meet you in the den."
I turned on my heel and stalked off to the bathroom, flexing my fist that had been clenched at my side when she rolled her eyes at me. Something about her sass went straight through me; it was all I could do to keep my hands to myself. However, the mental images of bending her over my knee and making her pay for every sarcastic remark or gesture were as enjoyable as they were painful.
I grabbed a couple of Advil, tossed them in my mouth, and washed them down by drinking from the faucet. The sink bowl was too tiny for me to do it comfortably, but I didn't feel like tracking down a pack of disposable cups that should have been in here. I hoped it kicked in before whatever Craig had planned started, but whatever it was would likely be more entertaining than what I'd been doing for the last month while everyone fussed over me as if I was still on my deathbed.
I would be glad when we got the fuck out of this cabin, I mused as I moved back through the den to take a spot on the loveseat further away from the couch. If I had my guess, the four stooges would end up fighting over who sat on the sofa with the Princess. I was mostly healed up, but my gut wound definitely wasn't in a state to be anywhere near all that. One cheap shot and I'd be out for the count and likely be sent back to bed willingly, or they'd carry me if I fought them about it.
The idea of Victoria fussing about and mother-henning me, all worried and considerate, played in my head and almost made me want to move seats. It was endearing, and I'd go to my grave before I ever said out loud that I rather enjoyed the attention. But, it was also infuriating and got under my skin in a way so few people in my life ever had.
And sure enough, the quiet of the den was short-lived as Victoria, Joey, Leighton, and Az all made their way into the room. The three guys were already squabbling about who would sit where. Joey and Leighton started scrambling over each other to get to the couch first, with Joey barely planting himself on one of the cushions before Leighton. Az slipped onto the other side, pulled Victoria down on the center cushion, and tucked her into his side. He murmured something in her ear that made her laugh, and they both shook their heads at the other two men.
Leighton stood up and turned around as if he would sit on the other side, only to narrow his eyes at Az, who had already claimed the spot and was snuggling with the Princess.
"Really?" Leighton whined.
"These pants are Armani. Sure as fuck not sitting on the floor." Az said, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Fine, fuck it. You guys win this time." Leighton said before making the most ungraceful climb I've ever seen from him to move behind Victoria and sit on the back of the couch behind her.
I rolled my eyes before I leaned my head back and closed. I really wanted to be happy for them, all of them… but something about the entire scene struck an irritable nerve with me, and I didn't want to look at it anymore.
The distinctive smell of popcorn filled the cabin a few moments later. We all looked toward the kitchen area as Craig emerged with two large mixing bowls filled to the brim with popped kernels.
He handed one to me, the other to Victoria, and grabbed the remote off the coffee table before sitting on the floor without putting up near the fuss the other two had made.
"Just gonna give up and sit on the floor? Tsk Tsk, Craigy boy." Leighton said in his lighthearted, mocking tone.
Craig barely turned his head before a smirk split across his face. "Why would I fight it? I'm the only one of us that's between her legs right now."
"Craig!" Victoria squealed before playfully swatting him on the head while Leighton sputtered on the fistful of popcorn he'd eaten. Joey reached down to fist-bump Craig while Az patted Leighton on the shoulder to keep him from choking.
I shook my head and cleared my throat loudly. "So… What's the plan, Craig?"
"Right! Well, it's the best time of the year, and since we're stuck here for now, I just thought…" He trailed off as he hit the button on the remote, and the TV sprang to life to display the 'Halloween' movie menu. "What better way to ring in the season than a horror movie marathon! Starting off, of course, with Halloween!"
"Hell yeah!" Joey exclaimed. "Let's watch some gratuitous violence to celebrate the spooky season."
After a round of agreement, Victoria and Az were less enthusiastic than the others. He hit play, and we all settled in for the marathon.
I wish I could say that I'd enjoyed it, I really do. I tried to pay attention and watch the movies. But I couldn't keep my attention on the screen. As it turned out, the Princess wasn't too keen on horror, and she made it everyone's problem. Between all her shifting, screaming, whining, and squealing, it was challenging to pay attention to anything but her. But, it was more problematic when the comforting, cuddling, whispering, and canoodling started to calm her down. After the third movie, it was all I could do to not excuse myself.
"I don't know if the Princess is going to be able to get through another one of these without passing out," I grumbled as the most recent flick rolled credits. "Doesn't seem she's got the stomach for it."
"Oh! I have an idea," Leighton chirped. "Lemme just…" He grunted as he clumsily untangled himself from where he was jammed between Victoria and the couch. When he'd finally freed most of his body, he yelped as he promptly fell off the back of the sofa to the floor.
"You good?" Az asked, with not a single hint of concern in his voice.
"Totally intentional," Leighton said as he popped up from the floor, moved around us to where the movies were stacked, and started sorting through the small library until he'd found what he wanted. He was visibly giddy as he put the disc in the player and returned to the couch. Leighton unceremoniously crammed himself back behind Victoria, nearly kicking Joey in the head in the process. Az reached out slowly as he shifted to get comfortable and flicked him in the ear.
"What the fuck, bro?" Leighton barked, rubbing the side of his head.
"Nothing." Az shrugged. "Start the movie, Craig."
"Fucking Az-hole…" Leighton muttered as Craig pressed play. As soon as the menu popped up, Craig groaned loudly and sat back hard enough to make a thunk on the bottom of the couch.
"Really, Leighton? You're gonna make me sit through this a second time? Once wasn't enough for you?" Craig said, heaving a long, suffering sigh.
"The theme is horror night and ma petit is getting scared. I figured ‘so bad it's horrifying' would fit the theme." Leighton chuckled.
"Raptor Pastor?" Az said, clearly confused. "Is there a t-rex? Because I love a good T-rex. Just call me Az-asaurus." he followed his words up with a poor imitation of a dinosaur screech.
"Immediately no." Joey deadpanned. "You're stuck with Az-hole for life now. Nothing else."
We all agreed vehemently that his nickname was what it was, and he should just accept it, while Victoria sat in stunned, wide-eyed silence as she stared at him.
"What… What the actual fuck was the sound that came out of your mouth?" She said when she seemed to find her voice again.
"A dinosaur sound, duh." Az chuckled. "It's not my fault you never asked me about my favorite dinosaur before now to realize I'm an absolute dino-nerd."
"No, no, it was not. That sounded like a cat that was dying after having been hit by a truck." She retorted.
"Whatever," He shrugged. "Gonna play the movie or what, Craig?"
"I know you've only seen the nerd out to play when we have DnD sessions, but don't get it twisted. He's fully just a nerd." Craig offered with a laugh as he hit play on the movie and settled back between Victoria's legs.
"Fucking nerds with guns…" Victoria muttered quietly with a giggle as the opening credits played. There was a roll of chuckles from the couch before the den went quiet.
What followed after Craig hit play was one of the most ridiculous and painful excuses for a movie I'd ever seen. And I'd sat through Avalanche Sharks, so that was saying something. After a while, I was very close to just going for a walk, considering that would be better time spent than what I was currently being subjected to.
"Guys, listen… I know you put this on for me because the other ones were scary, but… I can't do this. This is fucking painful. It's just so bad ." Victoria finally said. "It's only been 20 minutes, and I feel like I want to go make a bleach smoothie and put myself out of my misery."
"Thank fucking god someone else was feeling it. I was seriously considering whether or not it would be worth it to shoot the TV to get out of this." Az added, sounding fully relieved.
"It's not that bad, guys!" Leighton whined. "It's funny!"
"Yeah, Leighton… about as funny as watching a sack full of kittens drown." Joey groaned, scrubbing his hand over his face.
I chuckled a little at the dramatic way everyone disagreed with the idea of continuing the film that Leighton had picked. I agreed, but I almost felt bad for the little psycho being in that corner all by himself.
"I mean, I'll give you that it's bad. I'm going to be adding it to my list of potential torture methods for future use. But what else is there to do out here?" I offered with a shrug.
"Besides fuck." Joey said, a mean little smirk pasted on his face as he looked at me. Little shit.
"Joey!" Victoria chirped and slapped him on the shoulder, almost mirroring her response to Craig earlier. "You two are supposed to be my mature ones. What's gotten into you guys?"
Leighton wrapped his arms around her from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder. "Pretty sure they're trying to make a point to the guy who hasn't gotten into you even though he wants it real, real bad."
" Leighton! " Victoria yelped, starting to squirm to get away from him.
"That's not what's going on here," I grunted, cutting her off from scolding him further. I realized that was a mistake when her head whipped in my direction, and her eyes narrowed on me.
"Right, and all those things you said, calling me Babygirl when you came and got me from the Spotted Cobra, telling me I was a ‘good girl for daddy' before we had to call you a doctor. None of that means fuck all." Victoria said with a derisive snort.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard to keep myself quiet as I stood from the loveseat. "I'm not doing this with you here, Princess ." I sneered. "Don't think I'm going to bend just because you got yourself all worked up in knots." I moved away from the living area and toward the front door. I would not fight with her in front of the whole house.
There was a soft oomph behind me just before Victoria stormed past me to block my path. "I think not. It's time we had this shit out, Bossy pants. You're almost as bad as Az with this hot and cold bullshit. You told me you'd been dreaming of having me to yourself for ages and then just what? Changed your mind? Decided I wasn't worth your time since the other's want to share?" Her voice raised in volume as she spoke, and her tiny hand slammed against my chest in an attempt to push me back. "What is your fucking problem anyway?"
The irritated groan I'd wanted to make came out of my chest like a growl as I stared her down, causing her to pull her hand back. "Currently, little girl, my problem is that you are in my way. I will not be having this conversation here. Now move, or be moved." I raised an eyebrow at her and looked at the door.
"Fucking try me, Rich." She hissed. "We are going to talk about this."
I grinned meanly at her and shrugged. "Have it your way, Your Highness ." I said before putting my hands under her arms and lifting, biting the inside of my cheek again because it made my still healing wound feel strained, and setting her down to the side of the door. "I told you, move or be moved." I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. I knew she'd follow me, but I sure as fuck wasn't about to fight with her in the den.
"Are you seriously walking away from me right now?" She screeched before I heard her footsteps stomp onto the porch behind me. "I will never understand you. You say all these things. Things that make me think… maybe. And then you, what, pretend I don't exist because you don't like the idea of sharing your toys? Which I'm not, by the way. I'm a fucking person with real feelings that you keep stomping all over."
I gripped the railing on the edge of the porch and stared at my hands. I was entirely at war with myself while Victoria went off behind me, throwing my numerous missteps with her at my back as if they were bullets. Fuck, might as well have been for how much they stung. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, break down and tell her everything, put her over my fucking knee and spank her for her fucking attitude, and run as far from her as my legs would carry me. When the fuck did everything get so complicated? It would have been so much easier if she'd just stick to the others and leave me the fuck alone.
"Rich! Fucking answer me!" She screeched. My headache was coming back.
"What the fuck do you want from me, Victoria?!" I roared, whirling on her. She jumped slightly and took a step back. I sneered and started approaching slowly, crowding in her space. "What are you expecting, huh?" Tilting my head slightly as I stared down at her. I'd almost forgotten how small she was after having spent so long laid up. This was the last way I wanted her to look up at me, but it was necessary for all of us.
"Are you expecting to come out here, yell at me for a while, and have me confess my undying love to you? Are you expecting this to devolve into some whirlwind passion born out of frustration?" A cruel laugh escaped my throat. "If that's what you're looking for, then go read a fucking book."
I could see her lips quiver as she backed up until her back hit the wall, but I knew if I let up, she'd just come out swinging. The Princess was persistent if she was anything.
"These ideas you have floating around in your head? They're daydreams, little girl. They're fairy tales you're telling yourself. You don't even know me. Matter of fact, what do you know about any of us? We've been subjected to your presence for all of three months or so, and in that time, we've come closer to death than we have the entire time I've run this fucking organization. So, I'll ask you again, Princess ," I spit the word out like a curse. "What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want?"
She stood there staring up at me with confusion, pain, and anger painting her beautiful features, and it broke my heart to watch her curl in on herself with every word I said. I waited a moment to see if she had anything to say, and when she didn't, my heart hit my stomach. I hadn't done enough. Fuck. Somewhere inside my mind, I could hear a part of myself screaming at me to stop. At this point, I was just being cruel for the sake of it, to push her away, and it wasn't fair. But that's life. It's not fair.
"Princess, you might have gotten every other member of this house to forget the fact that you were a job to us. But I haven't." I snapped before stepping away and turning my back on her. "Go back in the house, and leave me the fuck alone."
I couldn't look back, staring out at the wooded land just beyond the bounds of the cabin yard. I wanted to, but I clenched my fists at my sides and rooted myself to the spot. If I turned around and saw her face, it might break me. I wasn't strong enough to keep it up if I had to watch her deal with the nails I'd hammered into my coffin.
It wasn't fair, and fuck if it didn't hurt enough that I'd rather walk into the lake and see how long I could sit at the bottom before my name had to be taken off the census… but life wasn't fair. This was for the best.