Toxic Love

Chapter 11

Temptress Kitten 17

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Sailor Moon.

Beryl furiously hit the off button on her cordless phone and slammed it down onto the recharger. Yet another attempt to reach Viola had ended with Beryl getting the girl's voice mail and it only angered her further. "Where the hell is that girl?" She asked out loud. For several weeks she had been trying to contact Viola and ask her why Darien was still with Serena. But it was as if she had dropped off the face of the earth and nobody could tell her where she had gone. "Well that's just great! The one person who could cause some serious damage to that pathetic relationship Darien has with Serena without having it get somehow traced back to me has decided to skip town! Why are all the most useful people in my circle also the most spineless?" She sighed and sank down into the sofa, her head in her hands.

"What's the matter Red, got a headache?" a distinctly masculine voice asked. Beryl closed her eyes and tensed up in agitation as the owner of the voice sat down next to her and placed his hands over her shoulders. Any idiot with half a brain could see that he was hotter than hot. His chest was hard and muscular and he had the perfect tan. The sight of him without a shirt on would make most women want to check their inhibitions at the door. And those eyes… one could get lost in those deep blue eyes of his. His hair was golden blonde, wavy and fell to his chin. It was one of his most attractive qualities and you couldn't help wanting to run your fingers through it. At least, that's what all her friends said about his looks. Beryl however, was immune to his charms and when he placed those perfect hands on her shoulders she shook him off.

"Don't touch me." She hissed, glaring at him with contempt. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. "Hey, what's your problem Red? I was only trying to be nice and give you a neck massage. Em told me you were stressed and I thought…"

"You thought that you would come over uninvited and offer me your CURE for all that ails me? Is THAT what you were going to say?" she asked him.

"Is that an invitation, Red?" he purred, moving in closer so that she could smell his cologne.

"Don't call me Red." Beryl growled.

"Oh but it suits you so well." He leaned in so close that she could feel his hot breath on her neck, causing her to pull away as if he had burned her.

"Devon, I told you before that I'm not interested in anyone except Darien and I meant it!"

Devon pouted. "You never want to play with me. It's too bad, I happen to be a really good lover. I could make you come so hard that you'd see stars for days…and all you have to do is say 'yes'."

"If you don't stop trying to get into my pants you'll be seeing stars for weeks due to the extreme hardness of my shoe connecting with your balls!"

Devon immediately jumped away from her, a look of horror on his face. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I WOULD. And it's not a threat, it's a promise."

Devon rolled his eyes. "You know, I'm getting really tired of this bitch act of yours Red! When will you stop deluding yourself and accept the fact that Darien Shields is just not interested in you and never will be? You've chased him now for six years and he hasn't even shown the slightest interest in you. Face it; he isn't taking the bait and it's time you moved on with your life!"

Beryl's eyes narrowed. "Oh? You think that I should just move on and forget about Darien, is that right Devon? You think I should just give up the chase and find someone else?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying Red! Look, I know how much you wanted to be with Darien, but it's obvious that he wants nothing to do with you. Take my advice and forget about him before you drive yourself insane over unrequited love."

"Is that what you did when the girl you were in love with wanted nothing to do with YOU? You simply gave up on her and jumped back into bed with Emerald in order to 'move on' with your life?"

Devon clenched his fists at his sides and his bottom lip twitched slightly. 'It appears I have struck a nerve.' Beryl mused, quite pleased with herself. "Who told you about that?" he growled. Beryl was notorious for blackmailing people into helping her and Devon knew that she had many allies who would tell her ANYTHING about anyone if she gave them the 'incentive' to do so. Knowing that Beryl never brought up secrets from one's past without an ulterior motive, Devon couldn't help but wonder why she was reminding him of THIS when he had done things far more scandalous than tricking an innocent girl into losing her virginity to him.

Beryl grabbed her nail file off the coffee table. She sat casually in the corner edge of the soft couch and began to file her nails, looking nonchalant even as Devon glared daggers at her from the other side of the couch. "It doesn't matter who told me." Beryl said as she inspected her crimson nails and made sure that none of the polish had chipped off. "I just was curious as to how you managed to get over that lovely young woman you wronged all those years ago. Unless, you're NOT over her and you're just using Emerald to forget about HER."

Devon tried his best to hide it, but Beryl could see the flicker of raw emotion behind those blue eyes of his and she knew that her plan to get Devon to help her might work after all. 'And I owe it all to Emerald! If she hadn't told me about that little incident involving Serena and Devon I wouldn't have come up with such a brilliant plan! Now all I have to do is go in for the kill and Devon will become my most valuable pawn yet!'

"It doesn't matter if I'm over the girl or not! I hurt her so badly that she'll NEVER speak to me again, even if I begged her and told her I've changed. Before I came into her life she was pure and sweet and innocent. She never wanted to hurt anybody and she even forgave those who were mean to her, and then she'd become their friend. But when I took that bet and cruelly seduced her and tricked her into falling in love with me, I broke her spirit. From what I've heard, she hasn't been able to trust anyone and she's so guarded and cold now that even if I did see her again, she would never even give me a chance to apologize. And you know what? I don't blame her for it because I don't deserve a second chance with her."

"My god, you're completely pussy whipped! You haven't gotten over her at all and yet you preach to me about moving on with my life? You are such a hypocrite!"

"At least I know when to back off and stop pursuing MY unrequited love. You're still chasing after Darien like some deranged stalker!"

Beryl got up from the couch and threw her hands up in the air as if to say 'I give up!'

"Look, obviously you're too much of a coward to go after what you want. After all, you gave up on the girl and you gave up on ever having a real relationship with Emerald! But unlike you, I am NOT a coward and I DON'T give up until I get what I want. Now I am going out to get what I want. You can sit here like some faithful dog and wait for Emerald to come home and use you like a piece of meat for all I care! But if by some miracle you suddenly grow some balls and decide that you want to get Serena back, you know how to reach me!"

As soon as she left Devon breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't threatened to expose his secret. In fact, she had acted as if she genuinely wanted to help him win Serena back. This was what puzzled him the most; Beryl was rarely kind and she never helped anyone unless it would benefit her in some way. So what would she possibly gain from helping him? What sick and twisted game was she playing? And why had she chosen HIM to be her pawn? Well, it didn't matter what she was planning because there was no way that HE would agree to be a part of it. For all he knew Beryl wanted him to destroy Serena all over again; and he would not do that for anything, not even if she blackmailed him.

Serena set her shopping bags down on her very unmade bed. She smiled at the sight of it, remembering all the fun she and Darien had had messing it up for the past several days and nights. "It's amazing how happy he has made me feel since we first agreed to become exclusive. I feel like I did when I was a giggling teenager dreaming of her prince charming. I thought I would never have that feeling again." She thought out loud as she dumped out the contents of her bags. Digging through the pile of new clothes she found the one item she was most anxious to wear that night. It was a pink satin nightie that came down to mid thigh and had a triangle cut bodice outlined with lace. It had a pair of matching silk panties with ribbon ties at the sides and a hint of lace on the waistband. Serena had picked out the design herself and had them custom made by Trista. Amara had been shocked when Serena walked into the boutique a few days ago with a smile on her face. Michelle on the other hand had simply smiled knowingly and commented that she knew Serena wouldn't stay away from 'that young man' for very long. All three women had been very interested to know who this young man was that made the girl they thought of as their little sister feel like she was walking on air. Amara threatened to hunt him down and ensure that he could never have children if he ever hurt Serena; which of course caused Michelle to smack her girlfriend and tell her not to say such things. Trista had been lost in thought for a few moments as if she was trying to put together some big and complicated puzzle. Finally she had told Serena that she would design the perfect 'outfit' for her date with her new lover and that it would be a gift from her to Serena "Don't be silly. You're like a little sister to me and I'm long overdue for many birthday and Christmas presents!" she had said when Serena tried to pay her.

"Wow, Darien's going to love this!" she exclaimed as she held the nightie up to her chest and glanced in the mirror.

"Yeah, but I think he's gonna like it even more when he gets to take it off of you." Mina said as she stood in the doorway. Serena spun around. "Mina! Don't sneak up on me like that." Her cousin approached the bed and began to look through the pile of clothes. "Hey, I knew I lived with you for a reason! You've got an awesome collection here Sere! Mind if I borrow this?" She held up a blue camisole top with lace outlining the triangles of the bodice. " No, just be sure to bring it back before the weekend and let ME wash it since I need to use special soap AND wash it by hand." Serena replied. "You're way too picky about washing your clothes Sere. I'm sure it's machine washable." Serena rolled her eyes. "Yes, you say that about everything though, and that's why my clothes ALWAYS look brand new and yours end up all faded and worn out after about six months." Mina stuck her tongue out before continuing her search for more clothes she could borrow.

"You really have a theme going here Sere. Everything in here is either lacy or has a silky feel to it. If I had to guess, I would say that you're dressing to seduce a certain new boyfriend of yours." A certain piece of clothing caught her eye. "And judging by THIS little number, I'd say I was right. She held up a pink lace camisole that left little to the imagination and matching lace panties with ties at the sides. "What did you do, buy everything in Trista's store until there was nothing left?" Serena snatched the garments away from her and couldn't help but blush. "I didn't buy THAT much, I just got what I thought he'd like to see me in. And besides, didn't YOU just place a huge order to Trista to make everything in the Venus Collection in gold especially for you to be delivered before the end of this month?" This time it was Mina's turn to blush. "Well, yeah. But I've always been Trista's number one customer. You never even bothered to get anything custom made, and judging by the stuff here I KNOW that it's not simply off the rack. You're really serious about Darien aren't you?"

"I am. I know I tried to fight it and I know that I shouldn't be so quick to fall for him, but damn it I have fallen for him. And I've fallen so hard that I can't even see straight when I'm around him. Gods Mina, I think I might be falling in love with him."

"There's no MIGHT, Sere, you ARE falling in love with him. I've seen it in your eyes and I see the way you look at him. You're a very trusting person and you've always been one to fall in love at first sight. But this is the first time since Devon that you've actually let yourself feel this way instead of running away the second you sensed that spark."

"To be fair, I DID try to run away." Serena reminded her. Mina chuckled. "Yes, but this time Cupid refused to let you dodge the arrow and he shot you right in the ass the second you let your guard down. I'm just so glad that it happened with Darien and not some other guy. I checked with Kevin and he told me that Darien truly cares about you. In fact, you're all he could talk about for weeks after he first saw you at the club and he was determined to win you over after you officially 'met' at the party. Something tells me that he's serious about you and he's not going to screw up and need to surgically remove my foot from his ass."

Serena smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that Mina. But if he does end up breaking my heart, I give you permission to torture him in any way you please for as long as you want."

Mina grinned. "Hey, that's what I'm here for!"

Serena made her way toward the park where Darien had told her to meet him. She was wearing a pink camisole top and a flowing black skirt decorated with a pattern of little white and pink flowers. Underneath this outfit was the lacy lingerie Mina had commented on earlier that day. As she walked down the sidewalk a sudden chill went through her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She shrugged it off and continued through the parking lot and made her way to the entrance of the park. Suddenly she heard the sound of clicking stilettos against the pavement, and they were definitely not hers since they were nicely tucked away in her overnight bag along with the other surprises she had for Darien tonight. She debated whether or not to turn around and just as she was about to, the person that had been following her grabbed her and pushed her violently against the wall of a nearby building.

She cried out in alarm as her attacker spun her around, forcing her to stare into the angry green eyes of the red headed girl she had seen at Andrew's party and outside Molly's jewelry store. "What do YOU want?" Serena asked; trying to act like the girl hadn't scared the crap out of her.

"It's more a matter of WHO I want. You're Serena Tsukino, the new girlfriend of Darien Shields, am I right?" she glared menacingly at Serena as if she was a bug that needed to be squashed quickly. Serena shrugged. "Maybe, what business of it is yours?"

The red head glared at her. "EVERYTHING concerning Darien Shields is my business Little Girl. Perhaps you don't realize who you are dealing with. Allow me to enlighten you, my name is Beryl Storms and I'm the woman whose man you've stolen."

Of all the things she had expected Beryl to say, this was definitely not on the list. She couldn't find a single thing to say to such a comment, so she did the only thing she could think of. She laughed.

Beryl was not at all pleased with this little brat for laughing at her. "Hahaha! You…you think that Darien and you are….hehehehe. Oh my god you're so…delusional!" Serena said through fits of laughter. Beryl growled and shoved the girl against the wall again. This time though, Serena fought back and managed to grab Beryl's arm and twist it painfully so that now SHE was the one with her back to the wall. "Don't try that again, Beryl." Serena warned. "You don't know who you're dealing with." Beryl spat out in a venomous tone. "Yes, yes, I already got that part. Look, I know what you're trying to do. You think you can trick me into thinking that Darien is a two-timer so that I leave him and you can swoop in and take him. But too bad for you, cuz I know all about that game. Hell, I've even played that game a few times in the past just for fun. You tell me I don't know who I'm dealing with, but you're so very wrong. I know your type, ok? You think that you can have any man you want and you manipulate and lie to get what you want. Well it's not going to work this time so I suggest you go find some other guy and make his life a living hell cuz I ain't buying what you're selling me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date."

"Yeah, I know. It's with MY man!" Beryl snarled.

Serena smiled sweetly at her, aggravating Beryl even more. "If he's yours, then why is he with me and not you?" Beryl watched as Serena turned on her heel and left for the park to meet Darien. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and she was shaking with rage. 'She thinks she can get away with this. She thinks she can just swoop in and snatch away my prize and then mock me when I confront her. And to think I was just going to give her a warning and hope that she would leave him out of fear. Well, if the little bitch wants a fight then I'll give her one.' She turned on her heel just as Serena had done seconds before and made her way back to her apartment. Serena's cruel laughter filled her head, causing her to become angrier with each step. 'I'll get you for this Serena. You will rue the day you ever messed with me, and then I'll be the one who has the last laugh!'

Serena breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she reached her destination. 'That bitch was crazy! I feel sorry for Darien. Nobody deserves to be on that bitch's radar, especially not MY boyfriend. I can't believe she actually thought she could trick me into thinking that she was his girlfriend. I know he used to sleep around, but there's no way he'd ever hook up with a psycho like her.' She sat down on a nearby bench to wait for Darien. After a few minutes of watching the boats on the lake, she felt someone cover her eyes and knew instantly that it was Darien.

"Guess who?" He purred into her ear. Serena giggled and pretended that she didn't know it was him.

"Brad Pitt? Orlando Bloom? The Absolute Hunk from Sex and the City? Hmmm…maybe you're that hottie who was checking me out in the parking lot…"

"No, no and definitely no!" Darien replied, sounding just a little bit jealous.

"No? Hmmm, then I guess you're that really hot and romantic guy that puts the others to shame."

"Oh, and who might this guy be?" Darien asked, playing along.

"Oh he's the most romantic guy I've ever known and the second I look into his gorgeous blue eyes I want to melt in his strong arms. And when he kisses me I nearly come undone in his arms…"

"Wow, this guy you speak of sounds like an amazing lover."

"Oh, he is. In fact, I'm supposed to be meeting him here right now. I wonder what's taking him so long. Just thinking about all the things he could have planned for us tonight just makes me so very amorous. If he doesn't get here soon, I may have to jump you instead…"

"Hey!" Darien protested, taking his hands off of her eyes. Serena giggled and looked up into his eyes.

"Oh don't act so offended! I knew it was you the whole time Darien. Did you honestly think I would talk that way to a complete stranger?"

Darien joined her on the bench and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. "I would hope not since I don't flirt with anybody else now that I have you. Did you miss me?" Serena nodded her head and kissed him hungrily. Darien eagerly responded and drew her down onto the bench. He sucked her bottom lip as his hands slid from her shoulders down to her arms and then back up again, teasing her. Serena groaned and pressed her body against his, trembling with desire. Her mind was starting to go out the window and passion began to take control over her. Darien kissed the corner of her jaw, causing her to moan. Serena would have eagerly allowed him to make love to her right there on the bench, but she knew that getting arrested for indecent exposure and not to mention having sex in a VERY public place would quickly cool her ardor. She pulled away slightly to put at least SOME distance between them and said in a voice still heavy with desire "We can't do this here."

Darien grinned. "A little public display doesn't light your fire, Sere?" Serena gave him a playful smack on his shoulder and gently pushed him off of her so that they were once again sitting on the bench as opposed to lying on it. "I think we've displayed enough and if we displayed any more we might just get arrested." Serena noticed the naughty look in his eyes and knew that he was still thinking with the wrong head. "Darien, stop picturing me in handcuffs and sprawled on your bed!"

"Serena, that's impossible right now. You have the right to remain sexy. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of sex. If you cannot afford a sex-tourney…" Serena smacked him again before he could finish anymore of that sentence.

"Ow!" He protested, rubbing his head where she had smacked him. "You felt that right? That's the head I want you to start thinking with now! You can think with the other one later when we're back in the bedroom."

"Is that an invitation?" Darien purred, leaning in so close to her ear that Serena felt the stirrings of desire begin to resurface. She pulled away before she could give in to his charms again. "And you need to stop doing that too! God, don't you know how much you can turn me on?" Darien pretended to be hurt by her rejection. "Don't you want me anymore?" Serena just rolled her eyes. "Of course I do! But I also want you to take me on that date you promised me, so if you plan on getting lucky tonight you better start winning me over now!"

Darien stood up and held out his hand for Serena. "Fair enough, we'll start our date right now. Come on, your surprise awaits." Serena took his hand and allowed him to pull her up from the bench. "So where is this surprise?" she asked, a little excited. This was, after all, their one month anniversary and she was dying to know what he had planned for tonight. "You'll see, but I'm going to have to ask you to trust me." Serena looked at him confused. "But I already trust you, Darien." Darien smiled. "Then if you trust me, close your eyes and take my hand." She did as he asked and he led her away from the bench. Serena wandered through what felt like a maze with Darien leading her. "Can I open my eyes yet?" she asked this several times and every time they would stop and Darien would kiss her hand once before saying "Not yet, it's just a bit further." Just as Serena was beginning to think that they'd never get there, Darien told her to stop walking and then he picked her up and carried her a short distance before setting her down on something that felt like a blanket. She could hear the sound of running water and was curious to know where they were. "Can I open my eyes yet?" She asked, hoping that he would say yes. "Not yet. Just sit here for a moment." Darien replied. Serena sighed. A few feet away she hear the rustling of a shrub and the snip of a stem being cut. Darien approached the blanket and sat down beside Serena. Something soft and smooth touched the side of her face and slowly moved down her neck, causing Serena to shiver in reaction. "Okay, you can open your eyes now." Darien said softly, still sliding the soft object over the thin skin of her neck.

Serena slowly opened her eyes and gasped at what she saw. "Oh my god Darien, it's breathtaking." -( I need help with a good description here)- They were in a clearing surrounded by rose bushes with a fountain in the middle. "You like it?" Darien asked, tracing the soft thing which she now saw to be a single red rose over her cheek. "I love it. I've always loved roses, but I never told anyone that. How did you know?"

"I didn't, actually. I found this spot about a year ago and I knew that if I ever found someone that I truly cared about, that I would bring her here." Darien replied as he handed Serena the rose. She blushed and took it from him. "So how many girls did you bring up here then?" Serena asked. "Actually, none. I never found anyone that I could really see myself falling for."

"Until me." Serena said softly, touched that he would bring her to his special place.

"Until you." Darien affirmed, brushing a loose strand of blonde hair away from Serena's face. "Have I told you how happy I am to have you as my girlfriend?" He whispered, running his fingertips slowly down the side of her neck. Serena nodded. "Every day since we first got together, Darien, but I'll never tire of hearing it." She giggled lightly as Darien took her hand in his and slowly brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. "My beautiful Serena, I'll never tire of saying it."

Serena pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Darien, can we skip dinner and have dessert first?" She purred as she slowly leaned into him and lightly flicked her little pink tongue out to tease his earlobe. Darien pulled away, trying to get control over his raging desire for her. "But we haven't even touched dinner yet. Aren't you even the slightest bit hungry?" Darien noticed the playful look in her eyes and knew that it would take all the will power he had not to give in to his little minx.

"I'm hungry…for you!" Serena purred, licking her lips and playfully sliding the strap of her camisole off her shoulder. 'Oh great, she's found even more ways to tempt me. Gods, that top is just barely covering her breasts now and I can see her nipples hardening through that thin piece of cloth…I want her. I want her, I…need to stop picturing her with her clothes off. I'm supposed to be romancing her first. I need to show her that I'm serious about courting her and that I'm not just lusting after her.'

"Oh Darien…"Serena said in a soft and melodious voice as she slipped the other strap off her shoulder. "Oops, looks like my clothes just don't want to stay on. Guess you'll just have to take them off and ravish me…" Darien groaned and placed his hands on her shoulders. Serena licked her lips and awaited his fiery kisses with hot anticipation. "I knew you couldn't resist…" Her eyes widened in surprise as Darien slipped the straps back onto her shoulders and pulled away. "Sorry love, but I promised you a romantic evening and I don't plan to ravish you until the end of the date." He opened his back pack and pulled out the contents, placing everything on the blanket in front of them.

Serena watched as Darien laid out the food and couldn't help but smile in amusement. "What?" Darien asked, noticing the look on her face. "You brought me pizza and a bottle of Sprite."

"Yeah, but it's your favorite and you know my culinary skills still need major improvement!" Serena giggled again. "You are just so cute. Darien, I was only teasing you. I think it's totally romantic and I love that you packed our favorite dinner."

"Really?" He asked her.

"Really! Now let's eat! I'm starving!" Darien couldn't help but smile at that.

Temptress Kitten: Sorry guys, no love scene for you today. I can't seem to come up with anything terribly romantic right now because I'm in a major guy dry spell and I'm fed up with dealing with all the stupid boys in my age bracket of 19-22. All they seem to want to do is party all the time, drink themselves stupid and hit on women. None of the guys I meet want a real relationship and I grew out of that whole 'girls just wanna have fun' phase a month after I turned 19. So if my one romance scene in this chapter seems a little rushed and impersonal, it's cuz I've sorta lost faith in ever finding true love.