Sold…To the Highest Bidder
(OC Missing Scene Challenge – Risky Business Eppy)
(One Shot)
Taryn had created a niche for herself amongst the Newpsies. Being Newport's 'Most Desperate Housewife' had its perks, not to mention it's pleasures. Julie Cooper-Nichol held the title for 'Most Greedy' but Taryn, Taryn had a thing for guys and all things that were possible with guys. As a result, it came as no shock to the rest of the community that she bid, and subsequently won, an auction offering two young high school boys at her beck and call for the following Saturday.
It was all she could do to keep from squealing at the banquet table when Sandy thrust the gavel down on the podium and pointed to her as the winner. Beaming with her good fortune, she'd bid goodbye to the others at her table before stopping in front of the two clueless boys and handing out her phone number with strict instructions about where and when to arrive, followed by "And boys…don't be late."
Zach and Trey stood on the doorstep after the maid asked them to wait a moment.
"I can't believe I'm doing this. You know, one minute I was doing some heavy lifting and the next thing I know, I'm someone's slave for the day." Trey shook his head, still trying to grasp the length of a Newpsie's reach. "Why the hell didn't Ryan get nailed with this?"
"Because Ryan wasn't dumb enough to get auctioned off at the fundraiser. Maybe she forgot we were coming," Zach commented, blankly but hopeful.
"No way man," Trey countered. "Did you see the look on her face when she won? There's no way in hell she forgot about this. We're in for a very, very long day."
Taryn had thought about this day all week, to the point of making it difficult to concentrate on anything else. When Maria came to fetch her, saying there were 'guests' at the door, she smiled at her watch. Right on time.
"Boys. Good Morning," she greeted a little more cheery than they expected. "I've saved some very special projects for you. Zach, right behind you is my car and everything you need to get it cleaned up. You can go ahead and get started. Trey, follow me," she instructed with the waggle of her index finger.
Exchanging a look of regret, the boys prepared for their 'chores' with Zach heading back onto the driveway and Trey following Taryn inside.
"Okay so, this is my kitchen. If, at any time, you need a snack or a beverage…"
"A…beverage?" Trey mocked.
"Yes, Trey, a drink…you can come in here and help yourself. So, let's get started shall we? Head out to the patio, I'll be there in a moment.
On the patio, Trey folded his arms, disgustedly, and gaped at the huge in-ground pool sprawling out in front of him. Based on the equipment that lay out in front of him, it appeared he was starting out his day as the pool boy.
His mind flashed to his baby brother and his comfy life in the Cohen's pool house and he wondered how close his brother had come to being one of 'them'. Swimming pools, fancy cars, fancy houses, and money in general meant nothing to these people. It was all about the image and whose image was bigger.
"Okay, so, I'm sure you've guessed by now the you've got some pool cleaning to do. Ever done this before?"
"Oh sure, yeah, lots of times," Trey grumbled sarcastically.
"Ah, so then you know all about how to…hook up the hoses in order to get the proper…suction." Taryn infringed on Trey's personal space causing him to swallow and step back a bit. Sandy was right. The Newpsies were indeed dangerous.
Taking Trey by the hand, she led him around pointing out how to hook up the hoses, staying right on top of him, literally, the entire time. He found it rather convenient that she was able to grab his inner thigh at one point in order to stop herself from falling into the pool.
Trey spent hours working on the pool, between wrestling with the hoses, fighting with the filter system and fending off the wandering hands of his temporary employer. When the patio finally fell quiet he seized the opportunity to sneak inside for a 'beverage'.
In the kitchen he located a large pitcher of iced tea. Filling a glass, he downed nearly all of it before refilling the glass and laying his head against the counter.
"I'm in hell," he muttered aloud to himself.
"Well, if you're in hell, then I'm your neighbor," a familiar voice answered.
Rolling his head to the side, Trey found Zach in the kitchen, snagging his own 'beverage'.
"I've done a lot of bad things, but I'm not sure what I did to deserve this," he mumbled again. "I never thought I'd see the day when I didn't want a woman grabbing me."
"You too? She cornered me in the back seat of the car! Something about shining the leather and strapping in for safety."
Raising his head off the counter, Trey winced sympathetically at Zach. "She's had me cleaning the pool. The past two hours have been all about hoses and suction and having the proper grip to avoid falling in."
Now it was Zach's turn to wince. "What is wrong with this woman?"
"I'm calling Ry. He's gotta get me outta here."
"Us…gotta get us outta here," Zach clarified.
"Right." Feverishly pushing buttons on the cordless phone, Trey held the unit to his ear and prayed for his baby brother to pick up the phone. "Come on Ry, answer the damn phone."
"Hello?"
"What the fuck took so long!"
"No Trey."
"No what? What do you mean no?"
"The answer's no."
"I didn't even say anything yet!"
Sighing, "Alright fine, what?" Ryan waited for Trey to present the request he knew was coming.
"Little brother, you've gotta get me outta here." Off of Zach's flamboyant arm gestures, "Us…you gotta get us outta here."
"See, I knew it! No!"
Flaming at the mouth, "You little punk, when I get back there tonight I'm going to kick your ass!"
Smiling into the phone, "What makes you think you're coming home tonight? I'm betting you're sleeping there."
"That's not funny Ry!"
"I'm not laughing. See you tomorrow man."
"Ryan? Ryan! God damn it! Don't you dare hang up that phone you little rodent…" (Click). "God damn it! Son of a…! He's dead! He's so dead they're gonna have to bury him twice!"
The boys stood in silence, staring at their drinks, when Taryn entered the kitchen.
"Aw, you guys look so hot and tired. Anyone interested in a shower and a nap?"
The boys fumbled for words, sentences, anything that would get them out of the next implied invitation.
"Um, actually, actually we were going to, to go do some yard work," Trey spit out against his will.
"Yard work. Right. That's it." Nodding in agreement, Zach buried his face in his drink, as did Trey.
"Ah, I see. I guess you're not ready to call it quits yet. Well, anything I can imagine you needing would be in the garage if we have it. I'll be on the patio enjoying the sun…and the view."
Untying her wrap, she exposed her bikini-clad body, poured herself a glass of iced tea and made herself comfortable on the patio.
"What are we gonna do now?" Zach panicked. "Now she's going to be watching every move we make!"
"You Newport people really are useless, you know that?" Trey complained. "This isn't about the yard work. This is about you and me pretending to do yard work. You take your shirt off and hold the clippers in your hands and she'll think you're the world's greatest tree trimmer."
"But, how do you know that?"
Rolling his eyes, "How the hell does Ryan put up with this? Because I know, okay?"
"Okay. Whatever you say."
Following their plan, the boys took off their shirts, clipped a few branches and spent a whole lot of time bending over. They talked about anything and everything and none it had to do with trees or bushes.
"Check out the Queen," Trey hinted.
On the patio Taryn sat on her lounge chair rubbing her legs against each other and chewing on the edge of her sunglasses, her eyes fixated on the boys working in her yard.
"Ugh, I'm suddenly so nauseous!" Zach complained. "How much longer do we have to be here?"
"This is only our third chore," Trey pointed out. "Ryan hinted we might end up spending the night."
"Don't say that! Do not say that! Call him back! Tell him…tell him we'll pay him if he comes to get us!"
"What are you nuts? I'm not paying him nothing! He's my brother, he should come get my ass out of this mess!"
"Do you really want to spend the night here? With her?"
Trey glanced nonchalantly in Taryn's direction, "Hell no. We gotta call Ry again."
"Trey honey, where are you going?" Taryn asked as he approached the patio.
"Um, no where. Just, to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"It's just down the hall honey. Don't be long."
The hidden invitation in her voice was enough to make the hair on the back of Trey's neck stand up. Without commenting he entered the house, grabbed the phone and dialed his brother again.
"Trey, stop calling me."
"Ry, you know me. I wouldn't call unless this was an emergency, and believe me, this is an emergency!"
"Everything with you is an emergency. Just, deal with it."
"You little freaking pipsqueak, I have been dealing with it! I've been dealing with all of it! And I'm getting pretty damn tired of it! Now get over here and help me!"
"Trey…"
"You know what? You might be right. I might not make it home tonight, but I'll be home by tomorrow and when I get there, you're gonna pay for this!"
"Pay for what? It's not my fault you got suckered into this! If you hadn't stolen the egg in the first place, you probably wouldn't be in the clutches of that woman right now. As far as I'm concerned you're getting exactly what you deserve and you're probably getting off easy!"
"So then you know I'm serious when I say she's out of control?"
"All of Newport knows she's out of control."
"How can you leave me here!"
"Um, gee Trey, I don't know. Let me think a moment about all the favors you've done for me since you got here…yeah, there's not much to think about."
"I don't believe this! Do you have any idea how many times this woman has grabbed me today?"
"If you're a male residing in Newport, you've been grabbed by her."
"So, you're saying this has happened to you too then?"
Sighing, "I've had my share of 'Touchy Taryn' moments."
"Ryan, please, please get me out of here. Us. Get us outta here."
"I'll see you tomorrow man."
Before Trey could even protest that last statement, Ryan hung up leaving him hanging, literally.
"What the fu…"
"Trey, darling, there you are. Would you like more iced tea?"
Groaning under his breath, Trey realized the talons of Taryn were going to inescapable.
The next morning Ryan, still half asleep, wandered into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinet for his favorite cereal. Pawing through another cabinet he dug out a bowl and then a spoon. He took his time loading the bowl with the crispy bits. Spinning around to retrieve the milk from the fridge, he was shocked to find Trey standing in his path.
Trey took a step in Ryan's direction and Ryan instinctively took a step back. Suddenly he was much more awake than he was five minutes ago.
"When did you get home?" he asked cautiously.
"Oh, just now. I was just on my way to see you. I did, after all, tell you I would see you when I got home."
Ryan recognized that tone. Ever since he was five, that tone, accompanied by that look, always preceded a pounding from his brother.
"Trey, come on. What did you expect me to do? You were part of the auction, I can't…"
"Oh I know. There was nothing you could have done." Taking a few more steps forward, Trey had Ryan pinned against the counter.
"You can't be mad at me about this. I had nothing to do with any of it."
Patting Ryan's cheek roughly with the palm of his hand, "Ry, Ry, Ry…when are you going to learn? As my baby brother, it's always your fault."
Trey took a swing at Ryan, which he blocked, frustrating Trey even further. The two wrestled and jabbed and grunted and squeezed and kicking and swore. Both knew how to fight and neither was going to back down. Ironically, both could tell this wasn't a serious fight. This was merely a 'frustration' fight. There was, in fact, a difference. And thank goodness for that difference because both Atwood brothers had years of practice when it came to inflicting pain on each other, as well as anyone else that got in the way.
Entering the kitchen yawning, Seth paused in the doorway and watched the two Atwoods trying to kill each other by the kitchen sink. It was sort of like watching a bank robbery in progress, he knew he should try to stop it but it was too interesting to interrupt. Putting his fists in the pockets of his robe, he leaned against the doorframe and continued to observe from a distance…at least until his Father entered the picture.
"Seth? Why are you blocking the doorway? And what in God's name is going on in there?" he asked, after hearing some noises that clearly resembled a fight scene from any given movie. "Let me in there!"
Making his way into the kitchen, "Hey! Stop it! What is the problem in here?"
Sandy's voice got the attention of both boys and they froze, as they were, in Sandy's presence. Trey had Ryan in a serious headlock. His elbow was wrapped around his chin, squishing his face. Every now and then he'd jerk Ryan, causing even his hair to shake. Ryan on the other hand was clearly trying to pretend like this was quite normal, but Sandy wasn't buying it. His t-shirt was pulled up around his chest and his stomach was heaving up and down as he tried to catch his breath. One hand pulled against Trey's arm around his throat while the other hand reached back and seized a large handful of Trey's hair. Every time Trey would jerk Ryan, Ryan would pull his hair causing Trey's eyes to water.
"What is going on in here?" Sandy repeated.
Through clenched teeth, "Nothing. We were just getting some breakfast. What's for breakfast Ry?" Trey explained.
"Frosted Flakes."
"Want some Sandy? Ryan can make you a bowl," Trey offered matter-of-factly.
"Let go of each other." Sandy was amazed when never boy moved. "Right now," he demanded.
Slowly the boys detangled themselves. Wanting to get the last word in though, Trey gave Ryan a healthy shove and it took two hops to catch his balance to avoid falling onto the stove.
"I'm going to ask one more time, why are you fighting?"
"Trey was angry that he had to spend the day at Taryn's as a result of the auction, but I didn't have to," Ryan explained, still out of breath.
"You little tattle tale!" Trey raged.
"That's what happens when you're not the baby brother," Ryan retorted, just before Trey leaped at him again.
Having seen enough, Sandy stepped between the two boys. "Alright! Alright! Break it up already!"
Ryan smirked deviously over Sandy's shoulder. "He's upset because Taryn grabbed him."
"Taryn grabbed you?" Sandy asked, more surprised than he actually was. He knew Taryn's M.O.
Still sneering from behind Sandy, "He doesn't know what to do with a girl like that."
"You little…!"
Infuriated, Trey could have cared less that Sandy stood in his way as he reached for his little brother. Using Sandy as a barrier, Ryan pushed him forward into Trey. Seth stood uselessly amused on the other side of the kitchen. He wasn't sure what he found more entertaining, watching the Atwood brothers fighting, or the fact that his Dad, in an attempt to provide parenting, was now wrapped up in this whole thing, hook, line and sinker.
"STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!" a voice yelled.
The wrestling trio had the courtesy to look surprised as Kirsten stood next to Seth with her arms folded across her chest and her eyebrows furled angrily.
Assuming he was off the hook, Sandy tried to explain the situation. "Honey, the boys were…"
"I don't want to hear it. I haven't had my first cup of coffee yet and it's entirely too loud in here. Anyone want to argue with me?" She dared the boys to challenge her by placing her hands on her hips. "Table. Sit. Now."
The boys did as they were told. Even Seth, who was innocent in all of this, sat down in an attempt to avoid his Mother's wrath.
Sandy glared at Trey and Ryan. He'd just gotten busted for doing nothing more than trying to break up their raucous. Trey was still glaring at Ryan, he wasn't through with his yet. Ryan sat quietly, rather amused at the entire scene.
Not a peep was heard from the table and the men all watched Kirsten prepare herself a bagel as well as a freshly brewed cup of coffee. She exited the kitchen without saying another word.
"So how long do we have to sit here?" Trey complained.
"It's safe. She's gone now," Seth replied. He found himself wishing the scuffle was still going on. It made for quite an entertaining morning.
Smugly, Ryan stood up from the table and went and stood in front of the open French door.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" Trey griped.
"So…I guess…now wouldn't be the best time to tell you that I've offered you as a raffle prize at the next charity event?"
"Ryan…that is not funny."
The smile on his little brothers face told him it was true.
"Oh! OH! That's it! I'm gonna kill him!"
Seth and Sandy stayed clear while Trey tore through the open door after Ryan. There was a giant splash followed by a lot of thrashing around in the pool.
"Do you think we should go out there?" Seth asked, walking over to the kitchen sink and peering out the window. "Um, Trey is holding Ryan's head under the water."
"I got a better idea…I think I'll put you and Ryan up for raffle at the next function. Yeah. I like that idea."
Pleased with the answer he'd found, Sandy stood up and left the kitchen.
It took a moment for Seth to register his words, but they finally did sink in.
"Dad? Dad wait. You can't be serious. Did you mean that? You can't mean that. But I didn't do anything! Why do I have to be raffled! DAD!"
(The End)