Art of Seduction

by Monique Orgeron

  He then aims at the next one and shouts, “Where the fuck is he?! When is he coming back!! Talk, motherfucker.”

  The guard is so scared, he pisses himself, yet I’m somehow proud of Liam. He is getting what needs to be done, done.

  Liam addresses the man again. “I said, tell me when he is coming back, or I swear to God, the next bullet is yours.”

  With a whimpering voice, he tells us the Senator is returning tonight to meet someone here. We already know he’s talking about Dicky, and we already know about the scheduled meeting for tonight. We just needed to know if that was everything.

  With all the facts, Liam looks at the man dead center in the eyes and says, “I lied!”

  He shoots him in the head, too.

  What the fuck is going on with Liam? I have never seen him like this. Blood was something Liam always hated, but now he’s the one spilling it. Thinking my baby brother may never be the same scares me.

  I watch as Zander slowly walks up to a frozen, shell-shocked Liam and takes the gun out of his still raised hand.

  Zander talks softly to him, “Brother, you’re going to be okay. Take the girls home. Gabriel and I will handle the rest. Don’t worry, we got you.”

  He turns to Zander and nods. He walks out towards the truck. I tell Vin to drive them. I don’t want Liam to be alone right now. He agrees and leaves. Zander and I watch as they drive away. We cover the bodies and wait.

  Gabriel

  We wait for hours as we sit there, just getting angrier and angrier. That poor girl could have been Fallon. I know this was the Senator’s doing, and I’ve heard the stories about Dicky, but I never saw the effects. Knowing he would have done the same or worse sends chills down my spine. I’m going to have to find a way to end his life, too.

  Both of us rise as we hear a car pull up. It’s just past dark, and Zander and I are ready for his ass. Zander gets into position behind the door, and I sit back in a chair in full view. I want the motherfucker to see me. I won’t hide from him. Zander knows he is just here as a precaution; he knows not to interfere. The Senator will come strolling in, like he has not a problem in the world. Well, as soon as he sees me, he’ll know he was wrong. Once he’s through the door, I see the recognition in his eyes, along with the fear.

  “Hello, Senator, come sit down.”

  The door slams behind him, and he jumps and turns, seeing Zander’s massive body now blocking his way. Turning back, he listens to me and sits.

  In a threatening but calm voice, I say, “You stole something from me, something precious.”

  The bastard laughs. “Precious? Is that what you call the whore?”

  I fucking let loose on his ass, punching him until Zander pulls me off.

  “Fuck you, Gabriel!” the Senator yells while wiping blood off his lip.

  “No, Senator, fuck YOU!”

  “You know, don’t you? I’m her father, and I have every right to do with her as I see fit. If your father wouldn’t have fucked me over, we wouldn’t even be here right now! This is all your father and the bitch you call a mother’s fault.

  Zander growls from behind him; I see his anger rise.

  “I don’t care who the fuck you are – she is mine! She was never yours, never! You tried to take my wife from me, and for that, you have to pay.”

  “You can’t do shit! I’m a fucking Senator. Your fucking mother knows her place, and so should you.”

  I say one word, “Zander.”

  Zander takes the Senator roughly and strips him of his suit jacket and shirt. He then ties him down in the chair. Once he’s done, I give Zander one more order before he can sit down and enjoy the show.

  “Make the call.”

  Zander proceeds to call in our cleaning crew. They will dispose of the bodies and cars, along with making the house disappear, too. Like nothing ever happened.

  “You take from me, and now I take from you.”

  “What do you want, Gabriel? I know it’s not my real daughter. You chose trash over treasure. I hope you get yours, just like your father; I hope you suffer. So, what could you possibly want?”

  “I want your slow and excruciating death.”

  I proceed to torture and beat him for hours, even after the cleaning crew shows up. I’m exhausted, and the Senator is barely hanging on. Zander tells me it’s time to finish; I agree. I take my hands, wrap them around his neck, and squeeze with everything I have left. I need to feel his last breath. I need to feel his death in my hands. A bullet is too good to be wasted on him. I want him to struggle beneath my fingers while looking me in the eyes, until he takes his final breath.

  Once I have strangled him to death, I walk out to the stares from people I have hired to make shit like this all go away. I see the fear in their eyes, but I also see the respect. Zander has planned for a car to be there, waiting to bring us back home. The drive is silent; no words are spoken. My brother and I know this life we lead is not for the faint of heart.

  Fallon

  The drive home is long. I am so worried about Gabriel. Liam is also strangely quiet, something I have never witnessed. It makes me nervous; I don’t understand what is going on in his head. Vin drives as I calmly soothe Avery to sleep. She awakens every so often from nightmares, screaming out as she repeatedly swings her arms around. I even take a hit to the head by her arm. I tell Vin to keep driving as I continue to soothe her back to sleep. I don’t know what this girl has been through, even though I have some idea. There are visible signs on her body, as well as her face. Some will leave scars, but I’m afraid the scars from within are the ones that may never fade.

  We get home, and I try to convince Avery to get out of the car. I tell her this is my home and she’ll be safe here. It takes one look from Liam, though, to convince her. With just one look, Liam has the ability to get her to come with us. I heard when he said he knew her, but how much did he know her?

  Catherine and Theo come rushing out of the house. Catherine immediately pulls me in for a hug. She’s crying and whispering the whole time in my ear to please forgive her. I know from some of the things the Senator said Catherine is not telling me everything, but I also know she loves me. For now, I need to let it go. I’m so tired, and my stomach is still acting up. I just want to go to bed.

  “Catherine, this is –”

  “Avery,” she interrupts. She walks from me to get closer to her and says, “Avery Edwards. Your mother has been dying without you. Come, I have a doctor waiting to look at the both of you.”

  Avery flinches as Catherine goes to touch her. All of a sudden, more tears are free-falling down Catherine’s face. She sees something in Avery, something that terrifies her.

  “Come, child. I won’t hurt you. I promise you are safe with me. My sons will never allow any man to ever hurt you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

  We both follow her in, with Liam, Vin, and Theo behind us.

  Catherine tries to separate us, but Avery starts panicking. I tell Catherine I will stay with her for now. She agrees and leads us to a guest suite. The doctor comes in and starts to exam me, but I tell him to check out Avery first. It takes some doing, and we have no choice but to sedate her. Her injuries aren’t deadly, although he could tell one of her ribs has been broken and is on the mend. He also confirmed she had repeatedly been raped, from what he could tell. He informs us some of her injuries will scar. Catherine asks him to run a pregnancy test on her. I should have been shocked, but I wasn’t. If she had been raped, it was possible she could have gotten pregnant. Catherine also asks him to run a complete blood work up on her. She wants to know if Avery had contracted any STDs or was malnourished. Catherine continues to say we are going to bring her out of this as healthily as we can.

  Once the doctor finishes with Avery, he returns to examine me. But the most shocking thing is when I hear Catherine tell him to give me a pregnancy test.

  I clear my throat to get their attention. “No one touched me, Catherine. I’m fine.”

  “I know,
Fallon. I wanted to talk to you about this before you were taken, but I never got the chance. Fallon, you’ve been sick a lot lately. I think you might be pregnant with Gabriel’s child. I could be wrong, but you are showing the classic signs and symptoms.”

  I start crying and shaking. Could I be pregnant? I had never thought of that.

  “Do you really think so?”

  “The doctor can run the test, and we will know for sure very soon.”

  I decide to let the doctor run the test, and we wait it out. When he comes back in confirming I’m indeed pregnant, Catherine hugs me and we both start crying.

  He interrupts us and says I need to make an appointment with an obstetrician. He tells us by the information I have given him, I should be somewhere around six to eight weeks along. We are having a honeymoon baby. Gabriel will be thrilled.

  Gabriel

  Zander and I get home very late in the night, and Fallon is already sleeping soundly. I don’t want to wake her, but I can’t stand another second away from her, so I sit and watch her while she sleeps.

  I hear that little snore of hers; it’s so sweet, and intoxicating to me that I can’t stop myself, I let out a small laugh. I pray I never have to sleep without that sound by my side ever again. She must have heard my laugh because she stirs and opens her eyes. A gasp leaves her mouth when she sees me sitting there covered in blood. Standing she comes to me, and sits on the floor by my side.

  “Is it over?”

  “Yeah baby it’s over he will never get to you again.”

  She kisses my hand I see her tears starting to gather in her eyes.

  “I am so sorry; I failed you. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for not protecting you the way I should have.”

  “Gabriel please, I love you. You didn’t fail me you found me.”

  “But if something would have happened to you Fallon, I would have never forgiven myself.”

  Fallon slowly stands, she pulls my hand, and lays it on her lower stomach. I look at what she’s doing, and then look back up at her questioning what this means.

  “Gabriel I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father. A better father than either one of ours. The father our child deserves.”

  My tears are falling profusely, my hands slide around her waist, and I cry into her stomach.

  “I’ll love you forever, Fallon, and I’ll never fail you again I promise.”

  “Just love us, Gabriel, that’s all I have ever want.”

  She takes my hands, and leads me to the shower. She washes the blood off my body. Then with her hands on my chest, she says,

  “He told me he was my father. Is it true Gabriel? Am I his…”

  Stopping her with a kiss, I tell her,

  “He might have been your father, but you were never his, you were always mine.”

  That night I made love to my wife as slowly as possible. I never wanted it to end. I could live inside this woman, and die a happy man. Knowing now that she carries my child just makes my love for her grow even more.

  42

  Fallon

  The next morning, I leave Gabriel sleeping, and I go check in on Avery. I notice as I walk in that she is still sedated. Suddenly I’m startled seeing Liam asleep in a chair in the corner. I wonder if she means something more to him. I quietly shut the door, and go to find Catherine in her office. Shutting the door, I gain her attention.

  “I was waiting for you, Fallon. There are some things we need to discuss.”

  She goes on to tell me all about the history she has with my mother, and how she was there when I was born. In her story, she tells me of how my so-called father brutally raped, and beat my mother. Making my heart break. All those years of my mother being drunk was her way of numbing herself; it had to be. I truly was her living nightmare.

  “Fallon, I know you don’t think your mother loved you, but she did. I was the one to put you in her arms. I saw the love and devotion she felt towards you. At first, during her pregnancy, she didn’t think she could take care of you, that the memories would kill her. But, once she held you I knew you were hers, and she was not going to give you up.”

  As I sit here crying, I shake my head and tell her,

  “But she did Catherine she threw me out, and treated me so badly.”

  “She had demons, Fallon. Demons that would never let her go. It wasn’t you she blamed. She had lived being scared her whole life. I wish you could have known the real Laura.”

  She opens her drawer, and takes out a rosary, the one she had me wear on my wedding day.

  “This was your mother’s, I have had it since the day I left her with Billy. It was given to me by her, for strength. She said all I had to do was pray, and think of her when I felt like I couldn’t go on. I found out the day before your wedding that your mother was murdered. I’m sorry Fallon, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. Now I know it was the Senator that killed her, I don’t know how he found her. I looked for years and never could. That’s why I thought you both were dead.”

  Tears are streaming down both of our faces.

  “Please Fallon forgive me; your mother was my friend, she was so precious to me. I failed to protect her, and you my darling. Honestly, I don’t know how I would have survived if I had failed her again with you. When she contacted me, she asked me to do better by you. After all those years she still trusted me with what she held most precious, her baby. I knew you were meant for Gabriel the minute I saw you. You were everything my son would ever want, and he was everything you needed.”

  “I don’t have to forgive you, Catherine, you didn’t fail her, you did what was asked, you protected me. You gave me to Gabriel, and in return, she died knowing you had loved her enough to do that. I think it’s what everyone wants out of life, to know that they were loved.”

  Catherine nods her head, and says, “Now through you and Gabriel, Laura and I will always remain together through our grandchild. Thank you so much, Fallon, thank you for giving me my future.”

  Epilogue

  Months pass by, and I grow entirely too big, I feel like a whale. Even though Gabriel tells me I have never been more beautiful, I know he lies; the man is a fucking liar. But, I’m grateful just the same, he loves me, what can I say. He has pretty much moved us back into his mother’s, saying that I need to be with people during the day. He didn’t want me alone at all. Truth be told, I like that we’re here, I feel as if Avery needs me. There is so much of her story to be told, but it’s not for me to tell. All I can say is that Liam is never far from her side, and Catherine has also taken to Avery. I know the look Catherine holds for Avery. I have seen it before; it was on her face the night we met. I hope things can work itself out.

  The bigger I grow, the more protective, and possessive Gabriel becomes. He treats me like a china doll that could break. Going so far, that most of the time I have to be the aggressor in our sex life, and lord has it been a ride. I didn’t know how horny a pregnant woman could be. He on the other hand, is so paranoid thinking he’s going to hurt the baby, or me. I hate to brag, but my husband is a large man, but I won’t burst his bubble by telling him he’s not so big that he would damage our son.

  That’s right we are having a son. Gavin Michael Stern, he will be here any day now.

  Life couldn’t be any brighter; we have everything love, a baby, and a family. Liam has been preoccupied these days, but Zander is just as overprotective as Gabriel. The two big oafs. But I love all of them.

  Tonight, I have plans for my husband, whether he likes it or not.

  He comes in our room looking sexy as hell, and I am ready for him. I’m wearing an almost sheer short nighty, and my hair and makeup are meant to seduce.

  When he takes notice of me, he says, “Fuck Fallon, you’re killing me.”

  “No, I’m not, but you’re going to kill me if you don’t fulfill your husbandly duties. Fuck me, Gabriel.”

  “Shit baby, the baby, it’s so close to the end, and I’m scared something could go wrong.”<
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  I stalk after him, and get on my knees with what grace I have left.

  “Nothing’s going to go wrong Gabriel. I love you. I need you.”

  I lower his pants to see that his mind might say one thing, but his dick tells me another. He is so hard for me that I get so wet it’s embarrassing.

  As I suck him into my mouth, he lets out a breathy moan,

  “God baby, I love you pregnant. I think I’m going to keep you this way.”

  I moan sending a vibration around his dick. His moans get louder. He lifts me up, and puts me on the bed, and I fall to my knees. I wave my ass at him. This would normally get me a slap on the ass, but not now. Gabriel thinks it could harm the baby. He slowly slides in, and fuck it feels so good.

  “Harder Gabriel, harder baby.”

  He listens, and I am so blissfully in the moment. Then he stops to reposition me, he likes to see my face when he comes, but before he can get back in me, I feel a gush of wetness.

  Gabriel yells out, I mean loud like the house was on fire.

  “What the fuck?”

  “I think my water broke Gabriel.”

  “No shit!”

  He starts yelling that this is my fault, that I made him break my water. Men, they can be so stupid, talking about stupid. In comes Zander, he stares at me then Gabriel. Now his loud voice carries like a crazy man.

  “What the fuck did you do?”

  Gabriel punches him in the face, and Zander stumbles.

  “Keep your fucking eyes off my wife.”

  That’s when I look down, and notice my sheer nighty, shit. Quickly covering myself, I tell them to both stop, and then I scream out in pain. They both freeze. Until Zander says,

  “You were having sex with her, you fucking idiot.”

  Gabriel swings again but misses. I yell out again, shit these are coming fast. The boys start panicking, and yelling at each other.