TW: Violence, non-con, death threat

Chapter 9: Think I'm Sick

Paula had seen Trent leave and she had followed, seeing the scene between Nathaniel and Rebecca turning especially nasty. She had never known Nathaniel to act aggressively towards anyone, and the fact that he had actually stepped towards Rebecca and gotten in her face... well... it scared her a little.

"Trent?" she called out as she searched the boards. "Where are you?" How did a tall man hide so well? Dammit! This was so awkward. "Look, I don't care what you and Rebecca do... that's purely a 'you guys' thing... but... she kind of needs you now so... Where ARE you?"

In the surf shop, the manager had noticed a tall man with a half-eaten ice cream cone enter. She was about to tell him off but was distracted by another entrant calling out a man's name.

"Trent?" the manager echoed. Not the Trent who had spent over $10,000 in the shop a couple years ago? Now she was curious, too. He was hiding from something, clearly; he had confided his hatred of water and the ocean during that memorable purchase. And 'Rebecca,' that was a woman's name, obviously. Was she the girl Trent had been trying to get close to? Had they actually gotten together?! That was so romantic!

She spotted a pair of loafered feet peeking out from the bottom of one of the changing stalls and knocked softly. "Sir? It's Lana— uh, Surf Shop Lady. Well, Surf Shop Manager," she whispered. "What's going on?"

Trent— yes, it was him indeed— opened the door and gestured to her to come in quickly, "Before that nosy redhead sees!"

Once they were both locked in, Trent explained in a whisper that yes, he had gotten together with Rebecca, she was the love of his life, but now her best friend and one of her exes had just found out something really awkward about him. He had ducked in here as soon as he had heard Paula's voice but hadn't caught the rest of what she had said beyond his name.

"Do her friends know? About what you told me when you bought all that stuff?"

It took a moment for Trent to realize what she meant. "No, I would be crazy to give either of them that kind of ammunition over me," he whispered back.

"Then I have a plan."

"Trent! Really? Where are you!?" Paula called out his name, searching through the shop, unaware that Trent was already talking with someone. "Dammit! If Nathaniel gets it in his mind... I don't know what is going to happen... Trent!"

Lana unlocked the fitting room door and out stepped herself and Trent. Trent was wearing a brand-new Speedo and holding an unpackaged swim mask and snorkel, and a pair of flippers.

"Thank you for taking the time for a consultation, Mr. Maddock," Lana said, slightly louder than necessary. "I hope you and your girlfriend have a lovely beach date. Now if you'll follow me to the register, please."

Trent followed her, and on the way, she picked up a cute light blue tankini in Rebecca's size, a plain pair of black and grey paisley swim trunks for Nathaniel, and a simple but flattering pink flowered one-piece for Paula. Trent paid for the items, and Lana wished him luck again, this time in a normal, sincere way.

Paula finally spotted Trent and came over to him, looking at everything he had gotten, hearing something about a beach date? But that didn't matter... Rebecca was in trouble, and Paula's worry showed plainly on her face.

"Trent..." She was so flustered that she couldn't talk, only point back the way they both had come. "Nathaniel... Nathaniel... Rebecca..." was all she could get out.

Trent barely had time to greet Paula before he saw the panic on her face. She was saying something about Nathaniel and Rebecca, and the next thing Trent knew, he was out the door and back in the ice cream shoppe.

xoxo

Nathaniel's explosion was everything Rebecca had thought it would be, but the fact that he had backed her into a literal corner while exploding took just the tiniest bit out of her sails—only for a moment, then her anger flared once more, and she saw red again, that same murderous red that she had felt only once, when she was telling everyone off back at the office.

"It was a misunderstanding, you MORON! Trent would never hurt anyone!"

Her hand came flying back and landed across his face with a resounding slap, leaving a very red, very visible handprint on his pale cheek. "Don't you ever speak about Trent like that again... or me, for that matter. You no good, lowdown, sorry excuse for a man! Yes, I did choose Trent, because he is everything you are not!"

Rage and jealousy engulfed Nathaniel at her words, and when she hit him, he was so consumed with fury that he forgot he couldn't hit a lady back. He fully intended to backhand her— but his wrist was suddenly caught in a vice— now he was on the floor and pain exploded in his head and spine.

Rebecca saw the jealousy and the rage in Nathaniel's eyes and saw him raise his hand towards her. He wouldn't...!? 'Trent, where are you?!' her heart and brain screamed as she closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to happen, but none came.

Trent had grabbed Nathaniel by the wrist and thrown him across the room. He advanced on the other man now and crouched over him, tangling his hand in Nathaniel's hair, and dragging his head up to Trent's eye level. He pressed Nathaniel against the wall he had just hit, leaned in close, and whispered practically into Nathaniel's bloodied mouth, "If you EVER come near my Princess again without her express permission, you will be received by neither Heaven nor Hell, but rot in agonizing limbo until the ground sees fit to claim you."

Nathaniel was dazed and in pain. He could only watch helplessly as Trent, having concluded his threat, leaned in, and tenderly licked the blood from under his nose and around his mouth. Why is he almost naked? Is this some sort of sick power trip? How is he more muscular than me?

"You're lucky we're in public, or I'd..." was the last thing Nathaniel heard before he passed out.

When Rebecca opened her eyes, she saw Nathaniel laying bleeding across the room, with Trent hovering over him. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, feeling the rage slowly leave her as she was no longer being threatened. Now, to defuse another situation before it got out of hand.

Walking over to where Trent stood, all but plastered against Nathaniel, she had heard and seen Trent's actions towards the other man, and strangely, wasn't repulsed by them. But that was neither here nor there now. She had to get Trent's attention away from Nathaniel.

"Trent?" Her voice was soft as she came to stand by his side, sliding one arm lightly around his waist, another reaching up and caressing his face, trying to defuse the moment and bring him back to her. "Love? Let him go..." She spoke softly, much like one would when handling a wild animal, but her words were infused with love and affection. "Babe... look at me..."

Paula could do nothing but stare, having witnessed the whole thing. She still couldn't believe it. Ok, yeah, this was all kinds of messed up, but Trent had only been protecting Rebecca, and she seemed to be trying to get Trent to focus back on her. What the hell had happened to escalate it this fast, and why did Rebecca find all this so... natural? Paula was going to have a very thorough talk with her friend later.

Dizzy with lust and adrenaline, Trent turned slightly at the sound of Rebecca's voice, and then pulled her close and kissed her passionately, almost indecently. His heart was pounding in his chest, his eyes lidded, his body sending all kinds of signals to his brain.

Seeing Trent look at her, Rebecca relaxed a bit and smiled at him gently, until he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her like his very life depended on her, as if he were trying to save them both from what was to come. Filled with surprise for only a second, Rebecca wrapped her arms around Trent's neck and kissed him passionately, hungrily back, before she remembered where they were and had to pull back to catch her breath.

Meanwhile, the staff were filtering back in from their break. One of them noticed Nathaniel lying on the floor and called 911. Rebecca knew they couldn't leave yet, and had to get Trent to 'come down' before the cops showed up. She rested her forehead against Trent's and looked him in the eye, gently stroking his face.

"Soon... my love. When we go home... but I need you to come back to me now," she lovingly whispered. "Trent... I need you here with me. It's important. Please."

"Well... this has been fun. Nice catching up." Paula's voice echoed around them as she took up a seat and sighed. "We should do this more often."

Rebecca turned her head slightly to shoot her friend a look, and when Paula only shrugged but said nothing else, she turned her attention back to Trent. "I love you, Trent. With every beat of my heart and every breath I take."

Trent's dazed mind started to come into focus. He was able to quickly process what Rebecca was telling him: they would make love, but not here, not in public... the same reason he had told Nathaniel for why he wouldn't claim his body... Nathaniel was passed out on the floor. Oh, no, no, no. Trent hadn't meant to shock him that badly. He automatically brought his cell phone to his mouth. "Call Sebastian."

"Calling Sebastian Freedman, cell," a robotic voice answered.

Mr. Freedman picked up on the first ring. "What can I do for you, Mr. Maddock?"

"My Princess and I were on a lovely date, and her best friend and ex-boyfriend bumped into us."

"... uh-huh..." Mr. Freedman knew Trent well enough to know this wasn't a social call.

"I'm afraid he isn't well. He seems to have fainted. Paramedics are on their way."

"Alright, champ, you have a good rest of your day. Get some rest," Mr. Freedman ordered. He got the message: he would contact his 'friends' at the LAPD to ensure nothing came back on his client. Some days, his job sure was interesting.

Rebecca crossed her arms as she watched the store clerks just go about their daily routine, as if this was a normal day for them, to have someone passed out and bleeding on their floor. Wonderful. Her eyes darted over to Paula, who was sitting nearby muttering to herself. She shook her head, only turning back to Trent when he hung up with Mr. Freedman.

"We good, babe?" Rebecca asked gently, reaching out to take his hand into hers. "We don't have to wait...?" She trailed off and gave his hand a tight squeeze, as much to recenter herself as him.

She registered the look he gave her as a 'No' and nodded her understanding before turning back to Paula.

"Well, we are out of here. Paula... always a pleasure. I will call you later, and we can talk more then. See ya, bye!" She turned to walk out of the parlor and moved to wrap her arm around Trent's waist as they walked back to the car. "You alright, Love?" she ventured to ask, knowing what must be going through his head.

Trent looked down at his scanty self and said, with that weird hollow tone still in his voice, "I should change. Surf Shop Lady covered for me when Paula went looking for me. I thought Paula was going to bite my head off," he admitted, slowly coming back to earth. "But she was coming to warn me about... We should go, though. Someday. To the beach. You and me, Paula if she wants to, and I guess if any of you have a friend who could use the trunks..." He damn sure wasn't giving them to Nathaniel now. "You could teach me how to swim," he offered shyly.

Rebecca actually blinked and came to a full stop at Trent's words. Did... did she just hear him right?

"You want us to go to the beach one day? Really?" Her smile was bright, warm, and loving. Hearing him ask her to teach him how to swim almost made her giddy. "I would be honored, my love," she said softly.

Turning to walk back to the surf shop so Trent could change, Rebecca smirked. "We could start with a bath..." she threw out cautiously yet playfully at the same time. "Or a shower... I hear shower sex is great."

Trent was still dazed enough to not immediately freeze up when she mentioned bathing together. He just followed along behind her meekly and changed back into his street clothes.

"I just saw an ambulance rushing to next door," Lana greeted them as they were leaving. "Is everything alright?"

"One of our friends fainted, so we're putting our beach trip on hold. He'll be fine," Trent answered mechanically. "He's... strong."

Lana looked from Trent, who seemed both shell-shocked and visibly aroused, to Rebecca, who was clearly trying to keep him grounded. "Okay, well, good luck with that," she said, and went on with her day.

xoxo

They drove home in almost perfect silence. The atmosphere around them both was still very charged. Rebecca wanted to wait till they both made it home to tip the scales, so to speak. She could tell Trent was barely holding onto the emotions fluctuating within him. To an extent, that both excited her and made her worried for the man she loved.

She knew why he had done what he did and did not hold it against him, at all. Nathaniel had been wrong in his actions, 100%, but she had pushed him too, had taken pleasure in his rage, even when he had backed her into that corner. But Trent's actions after he had pulled him away from her, that couldn't be taken back, and if Nathaniel got better and remembered... best not to think about that now.

Rebecca held Trent's hand all the way home, only letting go as they exited the car. She didn't know what to expect the moment they walked through their door, but she prepared for anything. The way Trent had kissed her at the ice cream parlor had left her flustered, to say the least, so she was preparing for that as well. Whatever it took to help her Beloved, she would do. Gladly!

Walking through the door, she dropped her purse and car keys and kicked the door shut with her foot, looking over at Trent as they made their way deeper into their home.

"Trent? Baby, are you alright?" she asked softly, feeling the energy shifting around and through him rapidly like a wave—a wave that might surely drown her.

Trent had still been coming down from his adrenaline high the whole drive home. When they got home, his mind was clearer. He had formulated a sort of idea, one he wasn't yet ready to share, and now he could focus on other things. Like making love to the beautiful goddess in front of him for the second time that day.

He swooped down on her and kissed her, and continued kissing her while moving them to her bedroom, only stopping to take her shirt off.

The way Trent kissed her made Rebecca's heart leap as she felt herself being moved towards their bedroom. Her excitement increased as she felt Trent's hands all over her, guiding, directing, firm but still gentle as he stripped them both. She uttered a soft whimpering sound as he pulled back to do so.

Sliding back till she sat upon the edge of the bed, she waited, pulling him back with her as her hand found his cheek as she pulled him closer. "I love you..." she whispered as she stared into his soft sage-green eyes.

"I love you, too, honey," he whispered back, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you for bringing me back."

And they made love, for the second time that day. Their date hadn't gone quite exactly as planned, but now at least one more person knew for a fact it was a bad idea to mess with either of them. They were the ultimate power couple, and he almost felt ultimately powerful. There was just that one thing….

He was rougher this time, still caring, trying to stay in the moment, but less concerned with offending his lover than easing the tension that had built in just a few short hours.

Trent's attentions made her skin tingle and her blood burn. When they had made love that morning, it had definitely not felt like this! He was rougher, more demanding in a way that made Rebecca's responses to him all the more feral, passionate yet still loving. She gave him all she had, and when it seemed he 'asked' her for more, she gave him that too, all the while receiving the best loving and romantic experience!

He couldn't believe he had lost control like that, and in public, no less! It was humiliating, and he was determined to get back the upper hand.

The woman before him— now on top of him— now below him— had dated that man. How absurd... but then, he did have nice skin. He looked even better covered in his own blood, and his blood tasted good. It wasn't sweet, but somehow it tasted good; his diet must be quite pure indeed.

"Hey Rebecca?" he asked, kissing her neck and breathing in the scent of her— god, SO good— "how would you feel about a threesome? With another man?"

It was as they were moving together, kissing at each other, nipping and calling for each other, that he said something that shocked her. She looked up at her Lover as he spoke, trying to figure out if he was serious or not, never having pegged him as a 'sharer' before. In fact, she knew he wasn't, and her mind was in a whirl as she openly stared at him for a few moments, her fingers stilling in his hair, pulling back slightly as she had frozen under him.

"What?" she asked once her brain jump-started again. "A threesome? Trent? Why are you asking me that? No!" Anger slid up inside of her slowly, but she tried to hold it back. Surely there had to be a reason he would ask her this—but what?

It took her all of three seconds to piece it together. "Nathaniel! TRENT!" She scooted away from him and sat up in bed, her eyes glaring at the man she loved. "I would sooner slit my own throat then have that... ANIMAL touch me! Why would you ask me that when you know the answer!?" Her eyes searched his; she could guess the answer, but she really wanted to hear it from Trent.

Trent pulled back automatically as she did the same. "Actually, I was going to say you could choose the third, if you were into it," he mumbled. His chin trembled and he sat up and turned his back, swallowing hard. She was so mad at him! She was going to push him away forever now, he just knew it.

"I'm sorry," he said to the floor. He got up and trudged back to his room, where he buried his face in his pillow and let devastation wash over him. Well, it had been a nice few months together, anyway...

Stunned by his reaction, even more by the look of complete devastation that crossed Trent's face as he apologized, Rebecca felt her anger dissipate as he actually got up and left the room! Wha—! She shook her head to clear it, then got up and followed him.

"Trent?!" she called after him as she entered his room and saw him prone on his bed. She suddenly felt terrible. Was he... crying? Oh gods, what had she done?!

"Baby... I'm sorry," she said softly as she sat next to him and reached out a hand to gently rub his back. "You just took me by surprise, that's all. And I thought—-doesn't matter what I thought. Today has been wonderful, please, Babe... I'm sorry and I am not going to leave you. I love you, Trent. We had a misunderstanding, that's all." She sighed and looked down and then back over at him. "Would you please—-look at me?"

"You said my room is my room," Trent raised his head from his pillow to say. "I'd like some privacy, please. I need to... think." He didn't intend to rebuff her, but he couldn't give her the full attention she deserved when his mind was all over the place. What had he been thinking?

Hearing his words, she nodded and stood. She had said that.

"Well... I'm sorry for that too, Babe," she said softly. "When you're ready..." She trailed off, sighed, and left. Well, that had gone over perfectly! Joy!

Shaking her head, she grabbed up some clothes and went to take a shower. Today had been an emotional one and she just wanted... needed to re-center. Trent would let her know when he was ready to talk. She shouldn't worry. Why, then, did she?

Trent's emotions were spiraling out of control, and after Rebecca left, he just lay there, facedown, and let himself feel them. He had asked the love of his life for a threesome, during sex that had already been fantastic. He had completely ruined the mood.

But, she had said she wasn't going to leave him, so all hope was not lost. He just had to figure out how to get back the upper hand in this feud of his... He didn't like that he was distracted enough to be thinking about a man he hated during sex with the woman he loved. He would have to take care of this.

Rebecca let the hot water cascade over her, leaning against the shower wall as she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. What had just happened? What was Trent thinking? She knew it had something to do with Nathaniel, she was sure! Trent would have never asked her something like that if it didn't, would he? She knew he hated Nathaniel, knew he fantasized about murdering him and even claiming him in a way that would humiliate Nathaniel in the worst way, but he really wouldn't do it, would he? Not the murdering part, she knew that, but the others? She had seen the way Trent had looked at Nathaniel, and then as he had rescued her, he had—-No! She couldn't think about this. It wasn't right. It couldn't happen!

Trent wiped himself down and got dressed. He deliberately left his phone on the bedside table, then announced, "I'm going out. I'll be back in a few hours," and left.

Giving a loud sigh, Rebecca washed off after hearing Trent say he was going to be gone for a few hours. Maybe he needed to clear his head. She had had to. After drying off and dressing, she walked into the kitchen to make herself a snack. She made two sandwiches and some chips. Simple. Sitting at the table, she sighed again and went to get her phone. Might as well call Paula while she waited for Trent to get home.

Paula picked up after the first ring. "Hey Rebecca, what's going on?" Her chipper voice nearly had Rebecca break down in tears. "Reb—are you ok?"

"Paula... No, I'm fine. Just—-Ohh Paula, I ruined everything!" She sniffed, wiped at her eyes, and told her everything: what had happened when they gotten home, how great it was, what Trent had asked her, how she had responded, Trent's reaction, how he had left to clear his head, and now how desperately low she felt. "It can't be true... Trent wouldn't hurt a fly... and yet... you saw him with Nathaniel. I can't help but worry—"

"Stay there! I am coming over. Things will be ok," Paula said. She hung up and shouted to her hubby that she was going over to Rebecca's.

xoxo

Trent walked to a convenience store and bought a pair of scissors, a bottle of water, and a vase. He also withdrew a couple thousand dollars from the ATM, just in case Rebecca decided to look at his banking activity. He didn't know if she had that information, but it was always best to assume someone else had the same resources you did.

He wasted no time in cutting some pink oleanders from the bush by the bus stop and putting them in the vase with the water. Oleanders were so deadly, he was surprised how ubiquitous they were as a decoration in California. But they were beautiful.

He took the bus down to the general hospital and quietly paid off the head nurse to make sure the staff would be busy with other patients while he had some private time with Nathaniel.

Nathaniel was asleep when Trent entered the room. Trent set the flowers down, making sure they would be within Nathaniel's field of vision when he woke up. Then, he washed his hands and helped himself to a pair of gloves.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered, sliding one gloved hand under Nathaniel's hospital gown. "We're not in public anymore..."

xoxo

At the knock to her door, Rebecca threw it open and engulfed Paula into her arms as the other woman all but pulled her into a tight embrace. She couldn't help the few tears that trailed down her face at feeling the comforting presence of her friend. "Paula..." Her voice broke as she cried in earnest, so confused and devastated at the day's events. Trent's energy had been all over the place ever since they had gotten home, and him asking her such a question…. He was too protective of her to even consider such a thing, wasn't he?

"It's ok, girl. I am here and we will figure this all out," Paula said softly as she rubbed her friend's back gently. "Come on... tell me all about it. From the top." Her words were comforting as she walked into the house and took up a seat on the sofa. "What happened... between you and Nathaniel? Everything. Spill."

Rebecca smirked a bit at her friend's words and joined her. She started from the very beginning with her argument with Nathaniel and how he had reacted. Everything came spilling out of her like a flood, and Paula just sat there and listened.

"He left then... and I haven't heard anything, and I don't know what to think, Paula. He isn't himself. I'm worried."

xoxo

"You ruined my day, Nathaniel," Trent murmured as he played with the other. "I didn't want to admit it, but you got the better of me. You made me lose my temper in public. I never lose my temper in front of Rebecca."

Nathaniel stirred, his body reacting to Trent's ministrations. Trent smirked.

"Good boy," he hissed. "I want you to know what's going through my mind. You see, I didn't think I was attracted to you. I thought I just hated you, and everything you stand for. You were going to destroy an innocent family for a chance to sleep with Rebecca, not because you loved her, but because you were annoyed at the sexual tension you felt near her." His grip tightened for a couple strokes, then relaxed, as he continued. Nathaniel stifled a gasp at the extra pressure.

"You didn't even do it right. She told you to destroy Josh, not his family. But you couldn't resist flexing your influence and hurting as many people as possible, could you? You're despicable. I also found out you tried to fire Rebecca after she came back from her trip to New York, because you didn't like that she'd broken up with you. That's illegal, Stanford Boy. She could have had you out of a job, but instead she just had your shares remanded and became senior partner."

Nathaniel's body was starting to shake, and Nathaniel was trying to quell it. The struggle was evident to Trent, whose wolfish smile grew more intense: Nathaniel was faking sleep at this point and could hear every word Trent said, but something— drugs or lethargy— was preventing Nathaniel from stopping Trent. Or maybe he just wanted to get off and didn't care how. Truly despicable, Trent thought again. Still, he had to admit, Stanford Boy looked kind of… cute, lying there all helpless.

But he couldn't have Nathaniel making a mess on his hospital gown. Messes led to questions, and questions could lead to him. So he peeled up the gown to above Nathaniel's waist and used his mouth to finish the hated man off. He swallowed quickly, making a face at the taste. It went without saying that he had never done anything like that before. He decided he definitely preferred the taste of women. He rinsed his mouth a few times in the sink to get the taste out.

Nathaniel was still feigning sleep as Trent came back over to him and kissed him full on the mouth— with tongue— one firm hand on his chest, holding him down to the bed.

That was too much. Nathaniel pulled his head away and spluttered. "Ugh! What the FUCK is wrong with you, Trent?" he demanded.

"What's the matter?" Trent asked innocently. "Are you disgusted having a taste of yourself?"

"No! I'm disgusted by YOU!" Nathaniel wiped his mouth and glared.

Trent laughed at that. "You're so funny," he cooed, reaching out a hand to stroke Nathaniel's hair. "You could have stopped me at any time, you know. Sure, I paid the staff off to give this room a wide berth, but clearly you were awake this whole time..."

"No, I wasn't!" Nathaniel argued. But he didn't slap Trent's hand away.

"Anyway, I wouldn't go mentioning this to the nurses, the police, Rebecca, or anyone else." Trent looked pointedly over at the flowers he had brought. "It would be a shame if some oleander extract wound up in your IV."

—

In the next room, Marco Serrano was recovering from yet another emphysema flareup, and he was being visited by his son, Greg...