Pet
Chapter One
-o-
There was a lot that Raven had expected when she was hired to one of the nicest townhouses in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city. She had expected the house to be filled with expensive technology married with fine art and expensive antiques, all of which were valued beyond her measly salary. And, she had expected the garage to be filled with expensive, imported cars that were very rarely driven in the city.
What she had not expected, however, were two intensely attractive young men who stared at her as if she were an interesting little treat.
She had not expected that at all.
In fact, Raven had barely been employed for two weeks at the ritzy townhouse before she realized that their eyes followed her wherever she walked. They weren't the stares she normally received that spoke of "Is this girl going to steal my prized possessions?" or "I am in a position of power, and I will take advantage of her in any way I can." or even "She's a maid and therefore beneath me." No, these were completely different stares, and they spoke of nothing but low, murmuring whispers in the darkness, and heated touches that threatened to break her soul. These were stares that left brands on her skin, never to be removed no matter how hard she tried.
She wanted to hate the way they looked at her, to find it within herself to walk away from the way it made her feel and never look back, but it seemed impossible. No matter where she went or what she did, those heated, desperate stares followed her down the halls. Raven wished she could separate herself from every part of the way they made her feel… but she couldn't. There was something primal in both of them, something that roiled deep in the pit of her stomach and made her breath escape her lungs in soft, trembling gasps. So, she would avoid those stares until she was far enough away, and then she would collapse to her knees, gasping and fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, wanting…
… what exactly?
What did she want?
Their attention? Or something more?
Raven stopped cleaning the guest room she was in, staring out the window to the courtyard, trying to piece together her thoughts as she considered the situation. Maybe she was just imagining things, it wouldn't have been unheard of. She hadn't exactly put herself in a position where she received a whole lot of attention, after all, being a maid wasn't exactly the kind of job where she would have people looking at her. But for the most part, she liked being invisible, it made life easy for her. These things she was feeling were simple from being around two obscenely handsome men, of course the situation would make her start to perceive things that weren't there. She just had to admit that her mind was playing tricks on her.
Raven walked through the hallways of the townhouse, listening to the far-off voice of Jason arguing with someone on the phone. Glancing through a crack in the door, she saw him sitting at his desk, his eyes practically smoldering with heat and anger. The air around him seemed to snap and crack with the force of his emotions, but it did nothing to deter her. Instead, Raven stood by the door, watching as he snarled into the receiver, blathering on in Russian before glancing up from his computer and catching her stare. A moment passed in silence, and Raven saw his lips curl up at the edge and he lifted an eyebrow. It was almost as if he were silently suggesting something sinfully salacious to her.
Her heart skipped a few beats and something caught in her throat at the sight of his endless stare.
Blushing brightly and muttering an apology, Raven made her way back through the hallways toward the kitchen. She found Garfield standing in front of the refrigerator, rubbing his fingertips along his jaw as he stared at the empty shelves. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and seemed fascinated by the lack of contents within the refrigerator, and completely unaware that he wasn't alone. Raven cocked her head to the side and watched him, unsure of how to approach him.
Her employers were unlike anyone she had ever worked for before. They were two perfectly normal friends - albeit undeniably attractive - who happened to share a townhouse and some kind of business, although Raven wasn't sure what it was. To Raven, the similarities ended just beyond that point. Both Jason and Garfield were two very different people with completely separate personalities. Garfield was a very jovial, playful person who was happy to talk and invest his time with her, but Jason was a bit more reserved and quiet. There was an intensity to Jason that burned just under the surface of his skin, and something about it set her world on fire. Garfield, in the same respect, seemed to be just as dangerous, but it was a different kind of danger, something almost… animalistic.
The truth was that they both reminded Raven that even though people seemed normal, there were still very dangerous shadows that could be hiding inside them.
Sighing, Garfield closed the refrigerator door and slumped against the counter. "I guess I'll have to go shopping today." He rubbed the back of his neck, as if rubbing out a few kinks that were gathering at his shoulders. "Man, I really didn't want to go out. What a pain."
"Mr. Logan?" Raven cleared her throat and alerted him to her presence, setting some of her cleaning supplies on the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. I need to make a trip to the store later this afternoon for a few additional supplies. If you want, I can pick up anything you need while I'm out."
Garfield turned and looked at her, his lips curling up at the edges into a curious smile. There was a heavy pause, and his eyes a sort of dangerous shade of dark as he rested his palms against the granite countertop. Raven caught the almost unperceivable movement of his stare shooting down the length of her body, and she blushed. Something in her stomach tightened and she bit back a shocked gasp, her heart suddenly jumping up into her throat as he smiled at her. He looked almost… predatory, like a wild animal kept on too-tight leash that was bound to break.
Cocking his head to the side, he stepped back and hummed, that teasing, jovial smile quickly replacing the shadows. He shrugged and through for a moment. "Mm… That's thoughtful, and I appreciate the kindness, but I can come with you if you don't mind, Miss Raven. It'll be good to get me out of the house. Jason's damn near insufferable after he's finished dealing with our Russian subsidiary." There was a quick pause and he grinned again. "And, for the hundredth time, you know it's Garfield. I'm not 'Mr. Logan' to anyone, including you."
"Garfield then." His name sounded strange in her mouth, rumbling and rolling around until it sunk into her bones and tugged at the edges of her sanity. She gave a polite nod and walked around the kitchen island to one of the supply closets tucked away in the corner. Garfield's eyes still followed her, and he flicked the tips of his fingers over the counter, chewing on his lips as he watched her.
Raven cleared her throat and focused on her task of putting things away properly. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Garfield?"
He chuckled and pushed himself into a standing position. "Nah. Just waiting so we can head out to the store together."
Her nostrils flared and Raven found herself holding onto her temper as she glanced back at him again. Sometimes he seemed insufferably impatient. "I have a few more things to complete before I can-"
"I pay for your paycheck, right?"
Her hand stilled on the shelf and she looked over her shoulder at him again. "You and Jason did hire me."
"Then I can tell you to take a break and come to the store with me. I sign half of your paycheck, so I should get a say in what you do half of the time. Right?"
His logic was horribly flawed, but his personality was infectious. Raven was suddenly stuck between wanting to roll her eyes at him, and wanting to let him play around with her. She licked her lips and turned back to the shelves, putting away her cleaning supplies in neat, organized groups. "Are you bored?"
He chuckled. "Just a little."
"Can't you find anyone else to play with?"
"Mm… nope. Besides, I already said that Jason's gonna be a peach when he gets off the phone. At least let's get out of the house together and avoid him before he goes all Chernobyl on us.." Garfield pressed his hip against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her with those bright, playful eyes. "Come on, Raven. You've spent the last two weeks cleaning the entire townhouse from top to bottom - which is no mean feat given the state of my bedroom-"
Raven didn't disagree with him there.
"-and you've done a damn good job. You earned a little extra fun. So… let's play hooky for a little bit. No harm, no foul?"
Raven sighed and set her furniture polish on the top shelf before looking back at him. "You're not going to give up until I agree, are you?"
He chuckled again, flicking a few locks of his golden-blonde hair out of his eyes. "I'll follow you around the townhouse and bother you all afternoon if I have to. Come on, Raven… it'll be fun."
Her lips quirked to the side and she shook her head. "Give me half an hour to finish at least one thing before you whisk me away to the store, Garfield." She found his name was easier to say, and she could feel her heart thump against her chest as she watched his blindingly bright grin stretch across his lips again. Ignoring the heat flooding her cheeks, she continued to talk to him. "And we cannot be out all afternoon, I have very specific tasks that both you and Jason asked me to complete and I promised to get them done today."
"Alright, alright…"
He waved her off and took a step back, giving her some more room, but Raven still didn't feel as though she had her breath back yet. Something about his proximity made her feel light headed still, and she found herself fidgeting under the weight of his stare. What was it about him that drove her to feel this way?
"Dude, I understand. Trust me, you totally don't want to be on the bad side of Jason." His smile brightened again and he started for the door. "Come on, Raven… you promised me half an hour." He tapped his watch and pointed at her. "Don't let me down. We've got shopping to do and hooky to play."
She nodded, a small sigh escaping. "Half an hour, Garfield."
With that he was gone.
Raven shook her head and turned back to the supply closet, barely registering the warmth that spread down her back. Her heart skipping a beat and something in her stomach churned again as-
"He's insufferable."
Jumping, she whipped around and looked into Jason's dark stare as he walked closer to her, easily invading her space. Her cheeks burned bright red and her head spun as she fought against a rather sharp retort from bubbling up behind her lips. Instead, she clutched her feather duster to her chest and swallowed hard. "He said the same thing about you."
"Of course he did. I drive him nuts." Jason's lips twitched as if he was fighting off a smile, and he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. His eyes met hers again and he slipped the paper into her her hand. "I have a few things I need from the store, if you don't mind. I'll be sure that Garfield takes the right amount of money so you can pay for them. That won't be a problem, will it, Raven?"
"N-no, I can do whatever you need me to, Mr. Todd." Her stare was drawn to his mouth and she had several lewd images fill her mind before she batted them away.
He smiled. "Jason, Raven. It seems rather silly for you to call only one of us by our first name."
"R-right…" Raven slipped the list into her skirt pocket and watched as he took a step back, offering her just a little bit of space. "I'll make sure to get what you need, Mr.-"
He lifted an eyebrow.
"-Jason."
"Thank you."
He gave her a polite nod and started for the door, his eyes lingering on her legs for a moment that lasted far too long. Raven twitched and she shifted her weight before he lifted his stare back to her own. That darkness had returned to his stare again, and she found herself trying to keep her breath from escaping her. Everything in her body felt like it was on fire, like she was only seconds from exploding in a shower of lightning and curses.
Jason hummed. "You have a run in your stocking, Raven… just above your left knee." His tongue ran along his lower lip, and he shoved his hands into his pockets before heading for the door. "I just thought you might want to know."
Raven watched him leave, her eyes wide and her heart pounding furiously in her chest.
Just what had she gotten herself into?
Some of you knew this was coming, some of you didn't. But nonetheless, here you are: Bad Boy Billionaires and Their Pet Maid AU.
Boom. You're welcome.
That being said, I will say what I'm about to say only once, so PLEASE READ THIS NOTE SO I DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF:
There is no endgame ship - it's probably going to end up as a reverse harem trope at some point (hell, I'll throw Roy and Dick in there, maybe Starfire too. Why not!), so there's no point in having an endgame ship. Most of the chapters WILL focus on Gar/Jason/Raven (or any combination of the three), but I'm a multishipper and I'm going to write this story however the mood strikes me.
There is paper-thin plot and I am aware. It's called "Pet" for Flying Spaghetti Monster's sake. Enjoy it for what it's worth.
Finally, and this probably goes without saying, but there will be a metric-fuck-ton of smut - be prepared for Princess Lemon Trash at her worst (or best, whatev).
That's my only housekeeping so far, if anything else comes up I'll note it.
Thanks for being absolutely awesome, friends, and I'll see you on the other side.
