Her interest piqued when they walked through a corridor and into a studio. The floor was covered in brand new mats. There was a full gym with every kind of equipment imaginable, along with a wall of mirrors. She didn’t understand when her dad flipped on the lights to the studio. Her eyes were playing tricks on her. She looked to the neon purple sign straight in front of them to Seri. What the hell was going on here? The sign changed colors and a deep blue replaced the purple. ‘Seri and Quill’s’ it read. What the fuck?
“Do you like it?”
Quills head snapped to the sound of Julius’s voice. She was so confused. He was exposing himself right there. Right there in front of her dad. He was asking for it. Wasn’t he? What the hell? Quill looked to Seri and her dad, smiling and then…What? This was fucking crazy. Why were her mom, Reese, and Connor there?
Julius walked to her ghostly white face and wrapped her in his arms.
“Julius?” Quill questioned.
“What do you think, Quill?”
“Think about what? I don’t get it. Mom?” Quill said, turning to her. Somebody needed to give her some answers. Why was her family okay with Julius, standing right there? Why was her and Seri’s name on the wall of this studio?
Connor let go of Liz’s hand and she walked toward her. She even smiled and nodded at Julius. “You can’t move here until you turn 18. I’m not letting you go one day before I have to.”
“I’m moving here?”
“We’re moving here, and you and Seri are going to help train women to stand up for themselves, and never let what happened to Seri’s sister happen to another helpless female,” Julius explained.
“We’re?” Quill questioned. She was moving to New York with Julius and going into business with Seri?
“Yup,” Julius smiled. They did it. She had no clue.
“You were all in on this?” Quill asked, turning to her family. Everyone smiled and nodded.
“I hate all of you,” she assured them with tears in her eyes.
<><><>
Aquilla was given the facts while they all had dinner. She couldn’t believe Julius was eating at the same table as her family. Her mom smiled at her often, contented that she was so happy. She could see by the way the two of them looked at each other that they were indeed in love. Some might think it taboo, being how they grew up together. She did. She didn’t care anymore. If he loved her daughter, she loved him, and if he was going to take care of her, she could live with that.
<>
“Can we go back to the studio before we go home?” Quill asked, finally alone with Julius as he drove them to their new apartment. Quill was going to love it. He wanted to take her there, but gave in and let her go back to the studio, her studio.
“Yes, we can stop there first,” he obliged, reaching for her hand.
Quill walked him backwards, pulling his hand to toward the new mats with a look that he knew all too well.
“What are you doing Miss Quill?’
“Oh, you know,” she teased, pulling her tucked shirt from her jeans. “I just thought maybe we should try out these mats.” Quill lifted her shirt over her head and was just about to unfasten her bra.
“Quill!” Seri yelled, and on came the shirt.
“Jesus, Seri. How’d you get in here?”
Seri dangled her keys. “You keep that shit off my mats.”
“I’m not so sure you and my dad haven’t already initiated them. Where is my dad?”
“He took your mom and Connor to the hotel, and we did commence these mats.”
“Gross.”
Seri laughed, walking toward her with her hands out.
“Oh, you want to go?” Quill asked.
“No. I want to kick your skinny little ass. Why is it gross when I did it, but you were getting ready to do the same thing?”
Julius stood watching the two circle each other. Should he let them cat fight? Seri might get hurt. He taught Quill himself, then again, Seri did lay him flat in the hallway of that apartment building.
“Shoulders to the mat, three seconds,” Quill wagered.
“If I win?” Seri asked moving in.
“You get to lick my pussy,” Quill tormented. Seri had her flat on her back in a split second. Quill struggled, keeping her shoulders from touching the mat. “Do you want to win that bad?” she moaned, trying to get enough leverage to wrap her leg around her and throw her off.
“I do, my little, Quill. Somebody has to keep you in your place.” Seri moved just enough to get thrown to her back. Quill held her in a cradle, using all her might to get her shoulders to the mat.
Julius was beyond impressed. He jumped to the mat on his stomach and counted, hitting the mat to the count of one. Seri was back on her feet, but not for long. Quill moved in on a leg sweep, taking her down again. The two of them went at it for fifteen minutes straight, back and forth, back and forth, neither of them able to keep the other one down long enough for Julius to call it.
“I quit,” Quill panted, rolling to her back. Seri followed and panted alongside her.
“You’re one tough little bitch, you know?” Seri breathily said.
“Yeah, you’re not so bad yourself.”
“Are you two at it again?” Manny asked, coming to fetch Seri and take her home.
“No. We quit,” Quill assured him, sitting up.
“Can we go home now?” Manny asked, taking Seri’s hands and pulling her to her feet.
“Lock up, Julius,” Seri said, turning to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and stay the hell off my mats,” Seri warned with a finger and a smile toward Quill.
Julius pulled Quill to him on the mat. “I paid for the damn things,” he assured her.
“I don’t want to anymore, Julius. I’m all sweaty.”
“I love it,” he assured her, rolling her over and kissing her.
“Please, can we go home first,” she begged. Wherever the hell that was.
Julius groaned and pulled her to her feet. “You know I have this massive hard on going on right now, don’t you?”
“Why? All you did was kiss me.”
“I’ve had it since the two of you decided to climb all over each other.”
Quill looked at him with a hurt look.
“Oh, no, don’t you even think that. I didn’t mean it like that. I have no desires for Seri, none whatsoever.”
“You fucked her, Julius, more than once.”
“Don’t ruin this day with this, Quill. I’m too happy. Do you really think I would have done that had I known you and her would end up best friends, let alone that you would be here with your family, and she would be marrying your dad. It’s crazy, Quill. I couldn’t have predicted all of this in a million years.”
Quill smiled. He was right, and she too didn’t want to ruin their day. It was filled with too many happy memories, too many emotions. She knew that she couldn’t go where her mind wanted to go. She loved Julius more than anything, but she loved Seri too, and needed them both in her life. Jealously would cause too much animosity. She couldn’t go there.
“Let’s go home,” Julius said, taking her hand.
Quill fell in love with the apartment just like Julius knew she would. She felt like she was on top of the world when they walked out to the balcony, 112 stories up. It was amazing, and all of the tiny little lights were just like the song, they did make you feel brand new, and she did feel inspired. She couldn’t have been happier.
Julius moved behind her and wrapped her in his arms. “I love you,” he whispered to her neck.
She turned to him. “I love you too, and I can’t believe you did all of this. What if I didn’t want to live in New York? What if I wouldn’t have wanted to go into business Seri?”
“I knew you would be ecstatic to work with Seri.”
“I am.”
“And I knew you would live in China if it were with me.”
“I would. You’ve still got a hard on,” she teased, grinder into him.
“Tha
t’s because it’s waiting for you to get naked.”
“Take a shower with me.”
“If I take a shower with you, I am going to stick my dick in you.”
“Hmmm, Okay,” Quill beckoned.
Julius ran his fingers over his name on the small of her back, letting his fingers trace each letter, and then the quill. Quill turned her wet naked body to his and kissed her. Quill moved her hand down, stroking him as he kissed and sucked on her neck and then her breasts. She moaned, he moaned, and backed her against the shower wall. He lifted her legs around his waist and she guided him into her. He held her up with his hands and the wall, moving slowly in and out of her until they were both right there, Quill releasing first. Julius pulled out of her and they both looked down as he spewed on her stomach between them.
“I really need to get on the pill or something,” Quill decided, kissing him.
“You don’t like it when I do that?” he asked, kissing her back.
“Oh, I love it. I just don’t want you planting any seeds in there.”
<>
Quill spent her last 15 days of being a minor with her mother. She really spent 15 days being her daughter and became closer to her than she had allowed herself since she had come there. She even spent an afternoon with Connor, picking out a ring, hoping her mother said yes and would allow herself to be happy. She deserved to be happy. Quill was happy, Seri was happy and Liz deserved the same.
She talked to Seri every day, discussing the new studio. Quill couldn’t believe that Julius and Seri were turning people away or putting them on a waiting list. They were even going to be training the NYPD. Quill couldn’t believe that they were doing that, then again, they were all pretty aware of what Sarah Strokes was capable of.
Liz cried the entire day they packed up Quill’s room. She wasn’t ready to let her go. She lost too many years.
“Mom, will you stop? I’m not going to be that far away. I’ll see you all the time, and you can call me every day,” Quill tried, as her mom folded shirts, placing them in a box.
Liz only smiled. She knew she wasn’t too far away and she would see her, but it still wasn’t the same. Why couldn’t she have come home before she was so close to being 18?
Reese was sad too; she had gotten used to her being there. Who would help her with her homework? Liz assured her between Connor and herself, she would have plenty of help. It still wasn’t going to be the same. Quill made it fun.
“Liz, you’re going to see her for the grand opening on Saturday,” Julius argued, pulling her arms from around Quill.
“You let anything happen to her, and I will hunt you down myself,” Liz warned.
“Nothing is going to happen to her. I will take good care of her,” Julius promised, opening her car door and ushering her in before Liz hugged her again.
Quill waved out the back glass while her mom, Reese, and Connor all waved back.
“Is this real, Julius? Are we really doing this?” Quill asked, turning to him.
Julius smiled, took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “We are, baby.”
“Are you going to marry me?”
Julius laughed. “Someday.”
Epilogue
Aquilla loved living in the city. She loved their new apartment only two blocks from the studio. She loved being in business with Seri and never imagined she would ever be this happy. She smiled up at their neon pink sign every time they locked up Seri & Quill’s. The name was perfect, and after only two years of being in business, they were a hit. A big hit. They taught women how to stand up for themselves, kids how to escape a kidnapper and even the NYPD.
The cocky police officers were their favorite. There was always one, one that was pissed because he was being made to take the class being taught by two little girls; one that always thought he was going to put the girls in their place and, of course, one that always looked like an ass in front of his peers because he couldn’t. They would look at each other and smile when one of them would throw the arrogant ass to the red mats, flat on his back, usually accompanied by a painful moan.
“You sure you’re feeling okay? You haven’t been on the mats all week,” Seri accused, knowing Aquilla loved being in the center of the mat.
“I’m fine, and I have to. I’ve just been leaving the slamming to you.”
“Why?” Seri asked suspicious.
“Because, I hurt my shoulder a little.”
“You’re a liar. Something’s up, I can tell, Quill.”
“Nothing’s up. Go home.”
“What are you doing tonight? Your dad is cooking chicken on the grill. Do you want to come over?” Seri asked as Quill locked the front door.
“No, and you are such a traitor. I can’t believe you are eating that stuff. No feet… Remember our rule? We don’t eat anything with feet,” Quill reminded her.
“Chickens don’t really have feet.”
“They do too. What do you call them if you don’t call them chicken feet?” Aquilla argued.
“In China, they’re called Zhao.”
“We’re not in China, and you’re still a traitor. I’ll see you later,” Quill said as she turned to walk the two blocks to her apartment and Seri flagged her cab.
<>
“Hi,” Quill said, unlocking the door to their apartment, seeing Julius at the table with a slew of papers, folders and his laptop strung about the table. “What are you doing?” she asked, kissing him on the cheek.
Julius pushed the laptop to the side and pulled her in front of him. She tousled his hair and kissed his forehead. “I am keeping you and your sidekick’s books straight,” he answered. “You guys used eighty dollars more in electric last month.”
Quill laughed. “Does it matter? It’s probably from the two new juicers.”
“I was just telling you in case you cared about where your profits were going.”
“I don’t care about that stuff. That’s why I keep you around.”
“How was work? You look tired.”
“I am a little tired. I think I will go soak in the hot tub for a bit.”
“What are we doing this weekend?” Julius asked, slipping her socks off and rubbing the balls of her feet.
“Hmm, that feels amazing. I am having lunch with Whisper tomorrow and then I thought maybe we would go look at a house,” Quill announced, waiting for the reaction.
“What house? Why do you want to look at a house? You mean to move to?”
“Yes. It’s about a mile from my dad and Seri’s on two acres. It’s got a pool, a custom built playground, four bedrooms, three baths, and an amazing garage for you,” she added.
Julius looked up at her confused. He dropped her foot and stood between her legs.
Shit. She didn’t want him to stop doing that. He hadn’t touched the other foot yet.
“You want to move from our apartment? I thought you liked it here.”
“I love it here.”
“You’re not making any sense. Were you smoking that shit with Seri again?”
Quill laughed. “No. I just don’t think I want to raise a baby in the city.”
“You want to raise a baby?” Julius asked, still not getting it.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of wanting to raise a baby. We are GOING to raise a baby.”
“Quill?”
“I’ve told you for over two years that your birth control method was eventually going to catch up with you.”
“Quill?”
“Daddy?” Quill countered.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Julius you’re going to be a daddy.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“Uh-uh,” Quill muttered, biting her bottom lip.
“How do you know?”
“I’ve suspected it for about two weeks now. I went to the doctor this morning before we opened the studio.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“Does Seri know?”
/> “I think she does. Seri knows everything. She’s just waiting for me to tell her.”
“Quill?” Julius was in shock. He just couldn’t seem to get it to sink in.
Quill didn’t reply with words. She kissed him, showing him with the emotion behind it that she loved him, and they were going to be okay.
“We’re going to have a family?” he asked, pulling away.
“Yes, what do you think about that?” Quill asked his lips.
“I don’t know. I think. I think. I don’t know what the hell to think, Quill.”
“But you’re happy?” Quill asked.
“I am very happy, shocked as hell, but happy.”
“Phew, you had me worried there for a second.”
“Let’s go to this house you’re so excited about and do a drive by,” Julius suggested, excited.
“I’m tired. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon.”
“Please,” Julius begged. “I’ll rub your feet, your legs, back, pussy,” he snuck in.
She laughed. “Fine, I’m holding you to it. All of it.”
<><><>
Shelby Seri Chavez was born on the coldest day of winter, weighing in at 5 pounds 7 ounces. Julius couldn’t have been happier. She was perfect. She had his dark hair and nose, but crystal blue eyes like her mommy. He hoped they stayed that way.
He had no sooner gotten them home and Quill settled on the couch of their new home when the entire family was at the door. Seri, Liz and Monica all fought over holding the tiny little baby while Manny stared at her. He was afraid of breaking her.
“I need you to move back to Connecticut so that I can take care of this little angle while you work,” Liz suggested.
Quill laughed. “I work here. You work there. How’s that going to work? Besides, her daddy is going to be here for her.”
“You’re not hiring someone?” Liz asked, alarmed. She didn’t like it. Julius couldn’t take care of a baby.
“No, Julius doesn’t want to. He’s going to be a fulltime daddy. He’s already an expert diaper changer and burper,” Quill said, smiling at him and the spit-up on his shoulder.
“I’m not sure I like it,” Liz admitted, kissing Shelby’s puffy little cheeks.
Plausibility Page 38
