by Mack Black
My alarm blared in my ear, waking me from a peaceful sleep. Bella was still wrapped around me, just like she’d been when I fell asleep. I wished I didn't have to go to work so I could stay like that all day.
I kissed the top of her head and scooted out from under her, careful not to wake her. I smiled when she let out a soft snore and curled her body into the pillow wall I’d made.
First, I slipped out of the room and into the bathroom, flipping the water on to warm up for a shower. Then, I kicked my shorts off and stepped in, sucking in a breath when I realized it was still cold. Pressing against the wall, I waited until it warmed up before climbing in again. My eyes closed as I leaned my head back, letting the water cascade over me until I was fully rinsed, then I reached for my soap.
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind as I finished lathering my body.
I turned to face Bella. "Good morning little flower." I kissed the corner of her lips as the words left my mouth. "Did you sleep good?"
"I slept great," she said. "Mind if I meet you back here tonight? I know we've spent a lot of nights together, but I'm not ready to go home yet."
"I don't mind at all," I said, rubbing my body against hers to soap her up. "We can play a game tonight. I can't wait." I kissed her again before I shampooed my hair and rinsed. After, I got out and dressed, leaving her to shampoo her hair.
In the kitchen, I made a bagel, then took a water from the fridge before heading out the door.
"Bye little flower. I'll be thinking of you all day," I called over my shoulder before I shut the door.
I walked to work with a smile carved into my face. Nothing could bring me down. When my phone rang, and the caller ID read Dad, I didn’t even flinch.
"Hey Dad," I said as I held the phone to my ear. "How's life?"
"It's good James. I hear you have a new girlfriend. I want to meet her. I was thinking we could do dinner Sunday afternoon. Maybe at your apartment?" Dad said, wasting no time to get to the point. "I will, of course, be inviting your sister and Jace."
"Sure Dad. Sounds good to me. When are we going to have dinner at your place though? We haven't come by in a while."
"See you Sunday. I can't wait to meet her."
My suspicions rose as Dad hung up on me. Why didn’t he invite us over anymore, and why did he need to hang up when I brought it up? It made no sense.
I shoved the phone back into my pocket and made my way up to my floor. Hopefully it would go quick and I’d be home with Bella again.
I pulled my phone out to text her over lunch, typing fast so I wouldn't get into trouble.
Dad wants to come for dinner Sunday. Something about meeting my new girlfriend. You sure you want to get into this family drama?
She was quick to text me back.
If I didn't, I wouldn't. Sunday sounds like a plan. See you tonight. I've got a surprise for you. ;)
If that didn't have me squirming in my seat, nothing would. I could barely sit still for the remainder of my shift. When it was finally over, I ran out of the building and didn’t stop running until I burst through the door of my apartment. My eyes landed on her and I smiled from ear to ear.
She's brilliant.
Bella was dressed up like my favorite female villain: Poison Ivy. I'm not sure what stood out more, the costume or her bright red hair.
She was dressed in a green leather bodysuit that clung to her curves like a second skin. Ivy ran up her long, tanned legs and wrapped around them to the top of her thighs. She had on green, glittery boots that stopped just below her knees. More ivy had been sewn into the body suit, running across it and along the exposed portion of her breasts. Along her chest and arms was even more ivy that looked to be painted on by a professional. She had green and red eyeshadow that brought out her chestnut eyes and made them pop. A wig was plastered on her head, the hair sticking up wildly with ivy leaves scattered in it. She looked like the hottest villain I’d ever seen in my life. I was having trouble keeping my pants on.
This was the best surprise a guy like me could ever ask for. Bella knew what I liked and what I didn't like, the way I’d always wanted someone to know me, and she used every opportunity to show me.
"This…" I trailed off, unable to find the words.
"What do you think?" She spun, giving me the full view. The backside looked even better. Her ass in that body suit was calling to me on a different level, and if my reaction was any indication, my dick liked it too. He liked it a lot.
"Wow." I dropped my bags on the floor and stalked towards her, my eyes glued to her legs and the ivy wrapped around them. I reached out and touched it, letting my fingers trail over different parts of her costume.
"I know what we’re going to be for Halloween. A costume like this is sure to win that prize money," I said, my eyes still trailing across every inch of her body.
It was like Christmas morning. I felt like I was unwrapping the best present ever. I couldn't think of one single time I’d gotten anything better than this.
"It's too much, isn't it? God, I knew it was over the top with the painted ivy." The bright pink blush that spread across her cheeks made her costume come alive even more, and with it she reminded me even more of the real Poison Ivy—the one I’d seen in a movie and fell in love with.
She was my favorite villain, with Elecktra running a close second for my all-time favorite antihero. Anyone motivated by such a deep need was a kickass person in my book. Take Emily Thorne for example. Emily Vancamp made that show and I wasn't embarrassed to admit I’d watched every episode. Emily Thorne was the one woman in my life who I could count on to never be stupid and that kept me coming back for more, week after week. Sadly, she was a fictional TV character.
"Fuck no. It's perfect. I can't decide if I want to stare at you or take you in my arms and ruin you," I said, and it was true.
“One thing, James. I’m poison.”
I hardened even more. If I could look forward to this the rest of my life, I’d sign up right now. It beat a comic hands down, and made a movie look obsolete.
I almost didn't want to ruin the hard work she’d put into the costume. Almost. In the end, I was a man and I had needs. I sat on the couch, grabbed her by the hips, and tugged her over my lap so she straddled me. I wanted her to feel how much I loved this, how much I wanted her. Then I pulled the ivy wrapped around her legs and tangled myself up in it.
"How did you do all this?" I asked her.
"Kiss me and I'll tell you." I kissed her with everything I had, careful not to smear the paint across her chest. It was such beautiful art, after all.
"I'll do anything you ask of me, Ivy," I said, giddy with pure male excitement.
"I asked my makeup artist to come by and help me with this costume. I know she’s your favorite villain, so I figured I’d dress up like her. I've had wardrobe working on the outfit for a few weeks. It was their idea to paint the leaves on. You like it, right?" she asked, smiling as she shifted her hips.
I groaned. "Like it? No Bella. I love it. Fill me with your poison."
My fingers traced her chest, following the patterns up her neck and across her cheek. This was the most incredible gift she could ever give me. Tucker would be jealous as hell when I told him.
"Can I take your picture so I can keep it forever?" I asked. "You look so damn sexy right now."
Bella stood and moved to the other side of the room, posing for me. I yanked my phone out of my jeans and took several pictures.
Then, I laid my phone down on the coffee table and attacked her. I had proof of it now, so it didn't matter if I messed it up. I couldn't wait another second to have her.
I scooped her up, an arm across her back and the other under her knees, and carried her straight to my bed. I tossed her down and she bounced on the bed as I towered over her.
"You're the best girlfriend a guy could ask for," I whispered against her lips. "Now let's strip down to nothing but ivy."
She kicked her leg up, removing her boot and toss
ing it to the floor. Her foot, still covered in ivy, traced down my chest and under my shirt, kicking me away from her. She brought her other leg up and tossed the boot to the floor, then wrapped both legs around my neck, pulling me down.
I peeled the body suit down her arms, careful not to get any paint on the costume. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing a bra underneath it, and I realized the ivy paintings continued below the line of her costume. Big green leaves covered her breasts, and they looked like they were holding them up. I gasped.
I wondered who painted it. Whoever did must’ve seen her naked, a fact I didn’t think I liked much, but I wouldn’t ruin the moment. Not a moment as perfect as this. Everything I ever wanted was rolled into it.
"Holy shit." I gasped, staring down at her. "When you go for something, you go all out. You need to give your makeup artist a raise."
She laughed, smiling at me as I peeled away the rest of her costume, leaving her bare in nothing but plastic ivy and paint. I ran my hands up her legs again, leaning down to kiss along the ivy wrapped around them. My tongue dipped out, tracing her thighs, her moans crashing like waves against my ears.
As I found her center, I jerked my clothes off, throwing them into a pile in the floor. My hands traced the designs etched into her skin, running up her chest and across the back of her neck, pulling her body flush against mine.
I sank down into her the moment our lips met, my fingers tangling into the red wig.
"I love you," she cried out against my lips.
"I love you more."
"Not possible," she screamed as I thrusted harder into her.
I was in a frenzy, a race against the clock. I was so determined to take her, I didn't bother to stop and think about the repercussions of doing so. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought about grabbing a condom, but I pushed it away and continued my assault on her body.
My fingers were tangled in ivy, using the plastic vine to hold her legs up as I pummeled her. Her moans and my grunts were the only sounds around us, pulling us into a world that was solely our own.
I let myself go, not pulling out as she found her own release around me. My head spun, and I could hardly see straight.
We fell together to the bed, spent and sated. The ivy that was wrapped around her legs was now tangled around my body, holding us together.
"We should do that every Thursday night. Super villain Thursday. It has a nice ring to it. If you have other costumes like this, I'm completely down," I said, kissing her forehead.
I was amazed that through it all, the paint stayed intact, not even a smudge or smear present.
"I don't know if Colin would be willing to paint me every Thursday," she whispered so soft I could tell she was hoping I wouldn’t hear her.
"If I were Colin, I would," I said, deciding now wasn't the time to fight. I wasn't ready to ruin this moment no matter how upset it made me that another guy had seen her naked.
"Well you’re into women. Colin isn't."
Thank God for that.
"That's good to know because I was going over ways to kill him in my head." I laughed, hoping she would know I was only kidding. "I'm kidding of course," I added just in case.
"Colin is the only guy who’s ever seen me bare that didn't get to have me." She looked up at me. "And wow that makes me sound like a harlet."
I grasped her face with my fingers, turning it so I could look her in the eyes. "You're not a harlet. Unless you want to be my harlet." I winked, kissing the tip of her nose and pulling her tighter against my body.
"Don't be silly James." Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, scratching at the wig before pulling it off and tossing it to the floor. Her brown hair was tied up into a tight bun, with little tendrils coming loose around the edges of her face. My fingers reached out and pulled at the hair that framed her face, the elastic falling to the bed beneath her.
"I love it when you're barely dressed, when you show your amazing body to me. I love it even more when you strip. I'm hopeless. Hopelessly addicted to you." I closed my eyes, leaning into the pillows as I thought about how I would get all this ivy untangled from around us.
Bella must’ve had the same idea because she pulled it and tossed it to the floor.
When we were finally untangled she stood, wrapping my robe around her and gathering the pieces of her costume. I watched her, wishing she would take the robe off. I wanted her naked so I could admire the work of art she was.
"I'm gonna leave this in your closet for next time. Tuck won't make fun of you or anything, will he?" she asked, hanging it on a hanger and slipping it to the back of my closet.
"If he does, I'll show him the picture of you in it. He’ll shut right up then." I laughed as I tugged my shorts on. "You're on the pill, right?"
Her eyes widened as she looked at me. I could tell I’d fucked up just from her look. "No. Why?"
Oh shit.
"I might have accidentally messed up," I said, panic coursing through me. "I might have…um. I might have—Damn, why did that have to feel so fucking good?"
It wasn't that I didn't want kids. I did, one day. I just didn't think Bella and I were in a place to even contemplate that yet. I knew I should have grabbed a condom, but I just didn't. I thought for sure she would be on the pill.
"No, you didn't." She shook her head vigorously. "Tell me you didn't."
I bit my lip, hoping we wouldn’t fight. I’d been stupid, but I didn’t want to fight because of it. I was sick of it. Sometimes, it seemed like all we ever did.
"I thought for sure you were on the pill. We've had sex so many times I just thought…Fuck me. I'm so stupid." I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers.
Why hadn't I just asked her instead of assuming?
She paced in front of me, her Italian words making me wish I could speak the language. Still, I found it hot, even though I’m sure what she said was anything but flattering.
"Bella, it's gonna be alright. We'll be okay. I'm not going anywhere," I said.
"Fanculo!" she screamed. "Fuck!"
I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to shout with her or cry. All I knew was I didn't want her to leave me.
"You don't get it." she said, calmer than before. "I love you, but I don't want a baby. I'm barely able to keep my own life together. I would make a terrible mother. I'm not ready to be a mother."
The Italian started to fly out again, leaving me uncomfortable and angry because I had no idea what she was saying. "Look, it doesn't mean we're gonna have a baby. It just means I shouldn't have assumed and we need to be more careful. Surely you aren't pregnant," I said, trying to convince myself and her at the same time.
Inside, I was panicking. Big time. I didn't want a kid, either. Not yet. Not when everything was so new. Not when I wasn't sure if this was even going to work out between us.
"I hope you're right. I really hope you're right," she said while she continued pacing.
I wasn't really one for abortions, but what I said next felt right, even though I knew it wasn’t. "What if we go get the morning after pill?"
"No fucking way am I taking an abortion pill. Seriously? Do you even know me at all?"
In my defense, I did know her, and I knew that wasn't an option, but panic wasn't exactly my strong suit. I did stupid things when I panicked.
"I'm sorry. I'm just freaking out," I said. "I'm sorry I’m such a fuck up."
Bella crossed the bedroom, wrapped her arms around me, and forced me to look at her. "You're not a fuck up. We both played a part in this. I’m just as much to blame for this as you are." She stepped up on her tippy toes and kissed me. "Whatever happens, happens. We’ll make it through, okay?"
The next day at work I was an emotional wreck. Thoughts of being a dad filled my mind, making me wonder if I had what it took. No matter what, if she turned up pregnant, I’d take care of her. Then, I thought about my own dad, of all the things he’d sacrificed over the years for Vanessa and me. At times, h
e’d even sacrificed his own happiness for us. We always had what we needed, even if he hadn’t. Could I do that for someone? And what about Bella’s career? She’d worked so hard and if she got pregnant, all that work would go down the drain. What if she blamed me, or worse…What if she grew to hate me?
I could always quit my job and take care of the baby so Bella wouldn’t lose her career. She made more than enough to support us. I didn’t want the job I had forever, anyway. I’d went to school for graphic design, so I could one day design my own video games, but somehow, I ended up as an assistant, an errand boy. That had never been in the cards for me.
So, I could put everything on hold for a while. I was young enough, and it wouldn’t hurt anything. I could still have my dreams. Video games would be around for a long time, after all.
I walked home with jumbled thoughts swirling in my head like a never-ending vortex. I didn't want to go home yet, so I did the only thing I could think of: I called Tucker.
I arranged to meet him at the bar a block from my apartment. He wasn't there when I walked in, so I sat in a booth near the back of the room. My spirits lifted when he walked in, but the moment he sat down everything came rushing back over me.
"What's wrong man? You look like you saw a ghost," Tucker said, a frown etching across his lips as he motioned a server over. "Two beers please. Whatever you have on draft. Matter fact, just make it a pitcher." Tucker pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to the server before his focus turned to me. "Tell me what's going on."
"I might have gotten her pregnant," I blurted.
"You might have got who pregnant?" he asked, staring at me like I had four heads.
"Bella, you idiot!"
"James, that's what condoms are for," he said, his voice low and his eyes gentle. "I know sex is new to you man, but you know what a condom is, right?"
"You think I don't know that?" I half yelled. Around us, people turned to stare, so I made myself calm down.
"How did it happen?" Tuck asked.
I pulled the picture from last night up on my phone and tossed it at him.
