Chapter 26: False Sense of Security
"Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. Sometimes, when you fall, you fly."
-Neil Gaiman
She had become oddly quiet all throughout the ride home, the convertible's open form whipping her brown hair from its neat chignon. Kathryn would have been pissed, had she not been distracted the entire time. At first he thought it was her mind working up on the next plan that would free them from being legally related, but there was that different look in her dark eyes that only provoked his curiosity. As Sebastian finally slowed the car down in front of the Valmont house, she turned to him, the slightest look of suspicion and jealousy written in her tense expression.
"What was that about?"
"What was what about?
She got out and slammed the door a bit too loudly, "You and Goldilocks. I've never seen you like that with any other bitch. Usually you just avoid their phone calls until they leave you the hell alone."
He almost smiled but stopped himself, so this was why she'd been withdrawn all evening?
"You look hot when you're jealous." He murmured, finally grinning.
"I mean it, Valmont! I don't want another incident like that fucking bet between us happen again. I'm just—" she stopped herself, but he knew what she wanted to say.
She was just scared? Frightened? Anxious? Worried? He was all those things when it came to the thought of another fucking bet happening between them again.
"I won't be as obliging as I was if you decide to play house with Barbie again." She glared at him, "Mark my words, Valmont. You betray me, and I'll cut your dick off and then you can say goodbye to fucking and begin a whole new life as a transvestite."
"Oh, you're the one to talk, Ms. I-Love-My-French-Castle" He shot back and then paused, calming down. "That's not what you were going to say." Sebastian replied quietly, leading her into the empty house.
"Yes, it—"
"No, it's not." He closed the door behind her, coming closer. "I know, Kathryn. I'm fucking worried that something might happen again, too. It's just how it is with us, I guess. But fuck it, the next time something gets thrown in our way, we're going to thoroughly enjoy destroying it together…" he paused, licking his lips lasciviously. "While I get to ravish your body completely, of course."
The shadow left her face, and just as Sebastian had predicted, the glow returned in her green irises. She smiled hesitantly, tipping up her chin to kiss him.
"I did mean the fucking threat, Valmont." She said in a low voice, but he only chuckled. Yes, Annette was correct. She was a bitch, a manipulator, and all that in between, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Kathryn paused, "Now, about that journal… When do I get the chance to read it?"
"Never."
"Why not?"
"Because." He tried to undo the zipper of her dress but her hand slapped him away.
"Because what?"
Her gently pulled off all the things that held her hair together, the pins dropping to the floor with the smallest sound that didn't disturb their gaze. Kathryn's long hair cascaded gracefully, and he parted her lips with his, the kiss no longer hesitating as it was before.
"Because I don't want to hurt you." He replied seriously, "There are some things in there that I wrote when I was mad and I…"
"Enough. I don't care anymore." Kathryn interrupted, pulling his hand gently. There was something about the way she'd said it, some form of understanding for that wretched journal that almost ruined their lives. They were home, back in the place where everything had fallen apart in the first place, and for once, it didn't feel as cold as it had been.
---
Now, here's what really happened:
She paused, glancing at his earnest face. Her final decision was weighing so heavily against her shoulders she wished there was another way. "Good. Because three days from now I'm going to marry Mathieu."
Sebastian froze as if he had been slapped, "What?"
Kathryn pushed him off her and he fell back against the bed with a stunned look in his blue eyes. "I meant what I said," she answered quietly. "It would have never worked out."
"So even after I dictated that fucking letter to you, you're still going to reject me?" he asked incredulously, backing away from her in anger and disgust at how hardheaded she was being.
"Rejection's a bitch, isn't it?" she chuckled at his face, finally realizing what it felt like to laugh in the face of someone who cared for you. It hurt like a bitch, but it was pretty much like he did to her when she'd tried to get him back from Annette.
"No, Kathryn." He pulled on his shirt angrily, "You're the bitch."
"I know, and yet you adore me for it."
He blinked several times, as if making sure he hadn't accidentally snorted some of the faint traces of coke on her bed and was somehow hallucinating. "I'm sorry; I draw the line at severe cases of schizophrenia."
She stood up, wrapping the blanket around herself. Grabbing his wrist gently, her green eyes watched him until he stopped buttoning his shirt. "Sit down, Sebastian. I think it's time you knew."
The heavy feeling of dread returned at the somber expression on Kathryn's face but he complied, cautiously sitting down and preparing himself for whatever she was about to tell him.
"Remember when you made me promise that I wasn't planning anything?"
"Yes?" Sebastian knew her answer even before Kathryn said it.
"I lied."
Placing her small hands into his, she kissed him gently, her lips seeking forgiveness and her sharp eyes eager to spill out the truth that threatened to ruin them. Telling the truth was fucking difficult, which was why Kathryn spent the majority of her life living a lie. Nevertheless, this was different. He was different.
"… I came here to fuck you up. Mathieu bet that I couldn't get you to propose, and if I won, he'd buy me that Bordeaux property you heard about when he and I had a fight. I used Trevor to lure Annette from you, and then used Belinda to steer her toward Trevor. They've been fucking even before you broke up with her; I was planning to get you to ditch Goldilocks and profess your loyalty to me, and then dump you for Mathieu like you dumped me for Dorothy."
He jerked his hands away from her and she flinched, but didn't back down at the anger that was slowly building up. "YOU FUCKING WHORE!"
"DON'T YELL AT ME!" she screamed back, trying to pull him back down.
Her stepbrother refused, deeply and thoroughly hurt at what he was hearing. He knew it was just like Kathryn to plan something that sick and wrong, but he'd really hoped she had let it go. Hardheaded bitch. So that was the reason why she went and did what she did at the Rosemond Estate? Was that the reason why she'd come back to him? Did she come from Paris just to stab him in the back? "WHAT KIND OF GAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT?"
She massaged her now aching head as he paced furiously around her room, "Please stop yelling, Sebastian."
Sebastian hated himself for still caring and he hated the fact that he indeed lowered his voice down because of the way she looked at that instant. "So everything you did, the things you said, you were just lying to get me to do what you wanted me to do?"
"Yes, and then no."
He grabbed one of her favorite sculptures and heaved it on the floor, but her face remained as passive as it was after he'd stopped yelling. "Can you please stop talking in fucking riddles?"
"What happened at your aunt's house, yes, that was to get back at you. Everything else…" she hesitated, playing with the crucifix quietly. "Everything else was just to get you back and keep you with me."
"Be more fucking clear."
"I let you get to me. Just like Dorothy got to you," a small smile crossed her sad face, trying to incite some sort of emotion that opposed the anger he was feeling. "Ironic, isn't it? I mocked you for falling in love with her, and then I go do the same thing you did."
"What's this, another pathetic way to get me not to publish my journal while you marry your fuckhead fiancé? Are you lying again, Kathryn? Because you're great at that. You," he grabbed one of her expensive perfumes and hurled it against the blue wall, "are a fucking master at manipulations and you did it, you made me look like a fucking pussy. You've humiliated me, you bitch. Congratulations. I'm miserable now, happy? Have a good life with Mathieu." He pulled on his shoes and headed for the door, sweat beading down his forehead and his hands shaking.
"You tell me you know when I'm lying. So come back, look at me right now and ask me again. Don't even fucking blink, Sebastian. Just look at me, stare at me, and ask me the questions until you're satisfied."
He stopped, slowly turning around. There were tears running down her poignant, beautiful face, a half pleading look in her endless green eyes of regret. "You're good at lying, how can I be sure you're not trying to manipulate me again?"
"You'll know because you know me like nobody else does. You'll know because you'll remember that night at my father's house, you'll know because I prayed to a deity when the only thing I had worshipped was lust and power." Kathryn approached him cautiously, wincing at the pieces of glass she'd stepped on. They both heard the crunching of the shattered pieces as her feet stepped on it, but she didn't stop. What the hell was she doing? She was hurting herself, the blood already seeping from the soles of her feet. She was breaking herself for him, just as he'd done for her.
"Stop walking." He whispered, but she didn't until she reached him. Placing her palms on his clammy face, she forced him to look her in the eye.
"Ask me." Her mouth moved slowly, tongue slowly moving as she formed the words. "Ask me anything."
He closed his eyes and swallowed thickly, opening his eyelids once again to meet her strong gaze. "Do you love me?"
She kept her gaze focused slowly on him and a smile reached her lips. "Yes."
"Do you love him?"
"I did. But not now, not anymore."
"What happened at the Rosemond Estate, were you thinking of him when you were with me?"
Kathryn hesitated, but she never broke eye contact. "Yes."
"Fuck this." He started to turn away when she grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
"Don't stop." She pleaded, those little raindrops that fell from her irises falling poetically to the floor with graceful finesse. "Ask me why I left."
"Kathryn, this is too fucking difficult for me—"
She kissed him, the coldness of her tears surprising him as their faces made contact. He gave in to it, burrowing himself and his confused thoughts into the immense power the mere connection of their mouths had. Softest lips seeking absolution once again, and as she pulled away, his attention was once again on her. "Ask me why I left."
"Why did you leave?"
She wiped away the tears with a quick motion, making sure to keep her eyes squarely on his. "It was one thing to lose Court and Ronald to innocent little twits… But you…"
Another pause. The seconds ticked slowly away…
"I loved you and I stupidly lost you to her. It hurt. You were never a toy and most certainly never a pawn. You were my equal, Sebastian. Do you have any idea what it felt like to watch you slip away? You were the only one who I could be myself with, and though it may come as a shock to you, you kept me sane. You were the only real thing I had while I existed and smiled politely in a world of lies. I get so sick of being so fucking perfect all the time, and you were the one who kept me from losing myself in that shallow state of living the way my mother had done. I told you I didn't want to become her. You kept me from doing that. You still do."
"Kathryn…"
"You tell me that I'm an unfeeling bitch, that I can't feel anything and I like it this way. The day I left, I wanted to be what you saw me as. Unattainable and numbed. So I became that. But it didn't help. You're a part of me, in every bit of both my dreams and my nightmares. I wanted this revenge because I wanted to be rid of you, to purge your face from my thoughts, to forget all the instances we became so close to succumbing to each other because even it brought me back to the better moments of my life, it also tortured me. Tell me, Sebastian, am I lying now?"
He tightened his jaw, "No."
"I love you with the darkest, deepest, and most gut wrenching kind of love. The kind that digs a hole into your system and will never let go. The kind that doesn't leave, no matter what mask you put on, and the kind that hurts so much you'd feel like there would just be days wherein you wish you could stop feeling everything you're feeling for just one person because your body might shut down. No matter how much hatred I had, no matter how many drugs I took and no matter who I fucked, it's still there. I'm not numb, Sebastian. If anything, I feel too much. I've just been so used to hiding it that even you don't notice anymore."
"Are you going to marry him?"
"Do you believe me?"
"I don't know anymore…"
Kathryn heaved a loud sigh, "Sebastian, please just trust me."
"Oh, like I trusted you when you promised you weren't planning anything?"
She smiled, "If you didn't trust me, you would've left."
"Call it curiosity." His brow furrowed when he noticed her wince, remembering the shards of glass stuck in her feet. He hoisted her up and carried her to the nearby chair, examining the cuts and pulling out whatever piece he could find. He was glad she'd stepped on very few of the shards. Kathryn only watched him, never again wincing. "You know, that was extremely stupid."
"I got you back, didn't I?"
He gently placed her feet on the floor, standing up. A smug smile broadened on his dark pink lips, "Am I that irresistible that you'd literally walk through broken glass just to get to me?"
Her hands slowly gripped his wrinkled collar, pulling him towards her until their faces were so near Sebastian could see the hidden smile in her green eyes. "You have your moments. I take it we're done with the emotional crap now?" she whispered tantalizingly, her mouth hovering so near his own it caused shivers down his spine and his groin, which caused Kathryn's eyebrow to rise.
"Emotional crap? How very romantic of you." He kissed her, the lie that had driven them apart now dissolving into insignificant pieces. "Now can we fuck and make up?"
A real grin swept across her gorgeous face, and Kathryn mentally cursed herself for not telling him the truth when it would've made things easier. "Not now, have you forgotten the predicament I'm in? I'm getting married to Mathieu… Unless…"
"Hmm… Do I sense a scheme?"
"Always." She stood up quickly and shoved him in the chair before Sebastian could react. When she saw the confused look on his face, she smiled wickedly and sat on his lap, his hard on now pressing against her ass. "Thought I'd make you a little more comfortable."
He kissed her neck lightly, sucking on the smooth skin until she tenderly swatted his head with her palm. "How… thoughtful… of… you…" he finally pulled back, running his hands down her back while she sneakily placed her hand inside his boxers.
"We're going to have a fight." She said slowly, licking her lips while her hand nursed his very imminent longing for her.
His beautiful blue eyes rolled back, "Ah… How can I hate you when you're doing that?"
"You're… going… to… have… to… try…" she squeezed him and he almost came all over his pants. "Harder."
"How is it possible that I find every word coming out of your mouth a turn on?"
"Belinda came to me the last week. She told me everything there was to know about Mathieu, what he did, what he really wanted… He's disowned her, and now she wants him to feel as she felt. Rejected and fooled. She's informed me that your red haired slut was actually sent by my loyal fiancé because he knew I'd come back to you. He thinks she's out to get me but—"
"He what! That bastard!" He seethed, wishing he'd never even met Nina. "But are you sure you trust her?"
Kathryn shrugged, "I guess we'll see."
He looked perturbed, "I don't like this, Kathryn."
She pouted teasingly, "You're worried."
"Well, how would you feel if I told you that part of my plan included you watching in agony while I married some creepy bitch?"
"I'd say watching in agony would be putting it too strongly. I won't watch in agony, I'd probably watch in amusement and then try to get you hard during your reception."
"Bitch."
"Stop interrupting me!" She frowned, at the rate they were going, the wedding would be over even before she could have the chance to tell Sebastian. "She secured that copy of your journal from Annette, oh yes," she added seeing Sebastian's expression, "The little bitch had a pair on after all. Belinda went to Mathieu to see if he really does love me like he claims to, because if he did, then he'd give Belinda what she wanted and just leave with her, but if he doesn't, then he'd still marry me even though it would mean that I'd suffer immense humiliation… And…" he was suddenly aware of how quiet she was.
"He killed her." He said out loud, "Shit, he really fucking killed her."
"He didn't."
"What?"
"She's not dead. The bastard put her in a coma."
"But-but the funeral…"
"It was a closed casket, remember? But then again, you'd probably know that if you actually came closer." She said it with a hint of anger that he hadn't approached her during the makeshift funeral. "She instructed that in case she died, she be buried as a Merteuil, and I realized that if Mathieu knew she was still alive, he'd finish the job."
"Like you needed comforting. Was I supposed to go there, hug you and tell you how sorry I was because you're really giving a eulogy to a casket full of rocks?"
She glowered, "It wouldn't have mattered. I still wanted you to be there."
He kissed her, "I'm sorry." Sebastian said contritely.
"Now, for the plan. I need you to hate me. We have to make him think that we hate each other so he'll be overconfident. If I know Mathieu, he'd probably publish that journal anyway just to get me to go to him, because he can blame Belinda and say that you helped her somehow, especially after what happened in Paris, since it is yours technically and I'm not supposed to know that Annette had a copy. Your ex girlfriend, by the way, did have some use after all."
"Thank you. I'd ask what you did to her, but I'm probably better off not knowing."
"She has enough heroin in her system to last her ten lifetimes, but I've been known to show mercy for a while. If all goes well, I'm giving her the pills Belinda and I took so there won't be any trace left, just as long as she doesn't try to get her grubby paws on you again or plan her own payback, not that she could. Being evil and manipulative requires the utmost charm and care that your ex simply doesn't have." Kathryn shrugged, grinning at his surprised reaction. "The little bitch suffered enough when I was stealing you from her anyway."
" Blaine finally had that Lenny guy caught and found out that he was under Mathieu's employment. There was a little blackmail and a lot of threatening, and Lenny was working for Blaine again. He would then follow Mathieu when he would go to have the copies reproduced, and when the time was right, he'd replace them with the documents of Mathieu's illegal activities, including fraud and blackmail, at the wedding, along with the video of Mathieu shooting Belinda. She had a hidden camera in her purse the size of a pin, by the way. It was transmitting the video to Blaine's computer… Mathieu never even realized it." Kathryn smiled almost sadly at the mention of her sister, "Of course, it also included a little fuck you message to Mathieu. She just couldn't resist."
"That was a big risk, going up to Mathieu like that. Why did she, when she somehow knew that he was going to try to kill her?"
"She wasn't sure that he'd really hurt her. I guess she thought her threat would be taken seriously, or maybe even he'd see the error of his ways and just leave with her, but Mathieu underestimated her. She took a risk, but she had a backup plan. She really wants to screw him over and I owe it to her, you know?"
"So you feel guilty because you're going to screw him over and you're only doing it for Belinda?"
She shook her head in disgust, "Fuck no. Did you know that Belinda found your letter for me in Mathieu's trash can? I must say I almost slapped her when I realized she didn't tell me how Mathieu almost threw it away. He saw you in Paris and he didn't tell me, that sneaky asshole. But other than that, he went too far this time, he tried to kill her. She might be a bitch most of the time, but she's still family… And Mathieu's also the one responsible for having Court released early and kicking the crap out of you… Although I was somewhat happy about that because I was still mad at you for sleeping with that slut. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the key is to make him think that everything's fine… And by the way, you should inform Annette of her particular part in this delicious little plot… Although you should probably add the fact concerning my act of benevolence once this shit is over so she would be more than willing to help.
"You mean, you're going to blackmail her into helping us?"
She frowned thoughtfully, the naughty smile he loved appearing on her face. "I prefer to think of it as forced assistance."
"Oh, yes. That sounds better."
"In a fit of rage over Belinda and Trevor's betrayal, she's going to tell you about my bet with Mathieu exactly before my wedding and we're going to do what we do best."
"Fuck?" he supplied helpfully and she shot him a look but couldn't help but smile.
"Fine, the second thing we do best. We fight. And then you're going to threaten to publish that faggot journal of yours. I've taken the liberty of hiring a fake priest just so I won't really have to marry that asshole. After our fight, he'll think that he has the perfect opportunity to appear to be the hero and savior once again when he releases the journal during the wedding reception, only he won't be releasing your journal. Lenny's going to switch it. Mathieu would be releasing the incriminating evidence against him, from the confessions of the assassins, under Belinda's cruel sense of torture, of course, the telephone transcripts and everything else that pointed to him as the sole mastermind for Papa's murder, to his shady business deals. Then the video plays and you come sit next to me, then after that, we're going back to the city and fuck like rabbits on steroids. After we do that, we're going to plan on how to break up my whore of a mother and your fornicating father so I can openly tell everybody else that we're engaged and I can show my fucking ring off."
"I particularly like the part about fucking like rabbits on steroids…" he was impressed with her ability to formulate a plan so complex and so quickly, but there was still a question left unanswered. "How did you know I'd come back to you?"
She smiled beautifully, "I just knew."
They stared at each other and said it exactly at the same time. "Tuttle."
"As much as I hate to admit it, the fairy did help us out."
"How long did it take for you to think of this?"
"Give or take a few days. I felt extremely motivated."
"Okay, enough of this." she kissed him before slipping daintily off his lap. "Let me have it, Valmont."
"Oh, that would require a very large bed and a few long hours." He pulled her into his arms but she shoved him indignantly.
"If you keep letting your hormones get in the way, I'm going get married to Mathieu whether we both like it or not."
"Fine." He gave in, shooting her a look. "But I don't mean what I'm going to say."
"Where's the fun in that?" she purred.
"You amaze me." He smiled back, inhaling deeply before contorting his face to start yelling at her. "YOU FUCKING PLAYED ME AGAIN! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU BE SO FUCKING CRUEL?"
"I can think of a lot of ways." She chuckled, "LIKE YOU DIDN'T DESERVE WHAT YOU'RE GETTING! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE FACT THAT YOU GAVE YOUR JOURNAL TO MS. TEEN FUCKING QUEEN EVEN AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SHE COULD DO TO MY REPUTATION?"
"WELL I DON'T DESERVE BEING JERKED AROUND LIKE THIS! FUCK, KATHRYN! DON'T YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND? I LOVE YOU!"
"I understand…" she bit her lip before their lips joined in a brief and passionate tryst. "Completely." They both heard the distinct sound of something dropping on the floor outside and exchanged a grin. Somebody was outside.
Sebastian grabbed the nearest vase and threw it against the wall, and then another, and another until she shot him an evil look, finally drawing the line at her prized Greek figurine.
"Calm down, Sebastian."
"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"
"WELL, YOU'RE THRASHING MY ROOM!" She slapped him and he tackled her on the bed, covering her body with light kisses. "Now calm the fuck down or get the fuck out!"
"Mmm… You're not making it easy." He murmured, smiling.
"Easy's fucking boring."
"Some men would tell me that you're quite 'easy'."
She pushed him away roughly, "Yeah? Fuck you!"
"Sure!" he replied in false cheeriness, rolling his eyes and trying hard not to laugh now that she was getting really riled up. Even though she was a force to be reckoned with when she was pissed, he wouldn't have had her any other way.
"That was insensitive!" she complained, glaring at him.
"And basing my worth on a fucking chateau isn't?"
"Who said you were worth that ridiculously gorgeous dream castle of mine? That was a good bargain."
He narrowed his eyes, "Screw you, Kathryn."
They stopped talking when they distinctly heard Mathieu's deep voice on the other side.
"Okay, ready? We can't fuck around until this is over. There's no room for error here, Valmont."
"Kay. Love you."
"Pussywhipped loser."
"Blow me."
"Fuck me."
He frowned, obviously tempted. "Do we have time?"
There was a knock on the door, "Kathryn, it's me."
"Give me a minute!" she yelled crossly, her eyes on Sebastian's. "Get out!"
"AFTER EVERYTHING I JUST SAID TO YOU, YOU DISMISS ME JUST LIKE THAT? YOU HEARTLESS, DEMEANING, CRUEL, AND VINDICTIVE SLUT!"
"Talking dirty like that makes me so fucking horny…" Kathryn threw him a smoldering look, "WELL, YOU'RE TOO LATE, SEBASTIAN! MATHIEU'S HERE, AND I'M MARRYING HIM! FUCK OFF! YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE AND YOU BLEW IT!"
The door opened and Mathieu stepped in just as soon as Kathryn and Sebastian managed to glare at each other.
"So what was that?" Sebastian sneered at Kathryn, "A final fuck before marriage? You just waited for me to pour my fucking heart out so you could make me feel like things were going to work out and then you invite your psycho fiancé to watch while you trample on my feelings, eat it and just spit it out like it never meant anything to you?" he faltered for a moment, "After what you just said? I thought you meant it."
She laughed cruelly, relishing his crestfallen face. "Consider it payback for sleeping with that slut back in Paris."
"You mean for sleeping with you?"
She raised her hand so slap him again, but Sebastian grabbed her wrist tightly, throwing it aside.
"You fucked him?" her fiancé growled incredulously, looking about ready to finish Reynolds' job on Sebastian's face.
"Well, consider it a wedding gift from your stepbrother in law, De Comte. I broke her in for you."
Mathieu started beating the shit out of him and she had to restrain herself from trying to stop her fiancé. "You may have fucked her, you asshole, but she's not marrying you, is she? Now get the fuck out before I kill you."
Sebastian glared at the two, "With fucking pleasure." He spat, staring at Kathryn's green eyes with pure resentment. "Just so you know, Annette's a much better fuck than you'll ever be."
She slapped him again, her face red with anger. That one she really meant. What an asshole thing to do, comparing her to that hick. "I could say that same for Mathieu and yourself." She shot back patronizingly, "Now get the hell out of my room. See you at the wedding! I've told Edward that you wanted to be the best man so you could get a closer look, loser!"
Sebastian stomped off and while Mathieu's back was turned, he threw one last look at Kathryn. "See you soon." He mouthed before heading off.
---
"Oh, shit." She tried moving her legs but she winced and Sebastian propped his head on his hand and, resting his elbow on the bed to face her with a worried look on his flushed, yet still very delectable looking gorgeous face.
"What's wrong?"
"My lower body's fucking numb." Kathryn's long brown hair was messed up (elegantly, of course) and her own porcelain features a pale pink as well, she and Sebastian lay entangled in each others arms in a mass of long and beautiful limbs and the crumpled sheets of the bed. The room had been thoroughly messed up, seeing as they'd practically been having sex everywhere and couldn't contain themselves.
He smirked, "You're losing your touch, Kathryn."
She glared at him, "Well, you get someone's dick inserted and pulled out of you in five consecutive fucking sessions and tell me if you don't lose the feeling in your legs."
"I'd have to ask Tuttle about that. I'm sure he'd had enough experience to know."
She let out a cry of disgust, but there was smile on her beautiful face. "See? I knew you were gay." She let out a sigh, "What have I gotten myself into, about to marry a man who has the same sexual preference as I do?"
"Oh, shut up." He sat up and smiled naughtily, climbing off the bed and placing himself between her legs until Kathryn let out a cry of protest.
"Dear God, Valmont, we just banged up on the pool table a half hour ago! Are you trying to kill me?"
He gave her an innocent look, licking his lips and parting her thighs. "What are you talking about? As your concerned fiancé and soon to be former stepbrother, I feel that it's my task to make you regain the feeling in your lower regions…"
Kathryn nearly cried out in utter bliss when he started probing her with his mouth, her hands clutching the covers of the bed so tightly while she gasped and writhed. "Ah… Right there…" she groaned and Sebastian teased her by sucking gently, those damn pouty lips of his made her want to…
"I'm… coming…" she panted, already feeling that impending orgasm approaching. Just when her body was about to fucking go out of control, he pulled away and their eyes met.
"Say—" he began, but she knew what he was going to say. How did she know? Because they were so connected with each other that she just did.
"I love you, Sebastian. I fucking love you."
He looked surprised, but a contented, lazy grin came across his face. "Good. Because I fucking love you, too."
She came, the explosion Cecile Caldwell had described not even comparing to the turmoil of emotions the beautiful, dangerous, and deadly Kathryn Merteuil was feeling right now. Sebastian cleaned up and returned to her side, where she automatically adjusted her body to fit into his in a comfortable cuddle, they didn't talk for a few minutes, his hand absentmindedly playing with her dark hair while her green eyes gazed out the window overlooking Manhattan. The bright lights looked hazy and far away from where she was, and as she looked into his twinkling blue eyes, she felt something she hadn't felt for a long time. She felt happy. Deliriously happy, far happier than any drug could have allowed her to be. She was back, and he was with her. Once again, things were as they were, only deeper… Somehow the connection was firmly established and nothing would ever come between them again. She'd finally allowed her walls to come down, at least when it came to him, and she didn't regret it. Sebastian kept her sane, and even though she would never admit it, she needed him as much as he needed her, if not more. Her plan of revenge had revealed her true enemies, while Belinda was indeed a casualty Kathryn would rather not have been sacrificed if given the chance, she truly regretted how her sister was now back in the hospital, asleep and nobody knew when she'd open her silver colored eyes again. But she knew Belinda was by nature a fighter, and it might take years and million of dollars, but Belinda Merteuil would wake up someday. She had to. Like Kathryn, she enjoyed the sight of carnage, and she would thoroughly enjoy the sight of her betrayer rotting away in prison.
"What're you thinking about?" he asked gently, noticing her faraway look.
"Belinda."
"Oh." He answered, kissing her forehead. "You know, I didn't like her at first. But I guess she's okay, she's actually the first chick who didn't try to get into my pants."
She rolled her eyes, "Conceited asshole. Let's visit her tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded, squeezing her hand gently before closing his eyes. "Whatever you want, Katie." Sebastian said, already starting to fall asleep. Kathryn watched him sleep for a couple of minutes, noting how his dark blond hair curled sweetly at the temple, or how he still seemed to have that secret smile on his mouth even as he breathed evenly from sleep, or how he would automatically adjust when she'd move just so he could continue holding her. She was about to wake him up to tell him that they hadn't formulated a plan for their parents to get a divorce, but she stopped, smiling to herself when she leaned in and kissed him gently. He moaned sleepily and she buried her face at the crook of his neck, her favorite part of his body (if she absolutely had to take a pick), and finally closed her emerald green eyes, knowing that there would always be time for scheming. Sebastian was with her now, her soul mate (if you must go into idealisms), lover, fiancé, and everything else that implied that, and as long as she had him, she could always put off a day of scheming. There were other matters more important, matters that required her utmost attention. The most valuable one was with her right now, his arms wrapped around her and his chest rising up and down steadily while he slept.
"Goodnight, Sebastian." She whispered, and she could have sworn he squeezed her hand in return before she fell asleep.
---
Throughout her entire fucking life, she had only taught her daughters one thing. That the image you exude must always, always be better than the life you really live. Which is why when Tiffany Merteuil's acute sense of perception, the very same one her beautiful daughters possessed, made her see that the grieving bride and her stepbrother was suspiciously absent from the party, she knew that they were together. Where was the bride? Where was poor Kathryn, who unknowingly married such a disturbed man? Tiffany managed to look distraught, her stiff face a mixture of thick makeup to cover those wrinkles Dr. Maxwell had tried to eradicate, her thin, dark red lips pursed in rage, a rage that only added more and more when she received the half mocking, half sympathetic look from her so called friends, who would no doubt sneer and gossip the moment they were amongst themselves. Look at Tiffany, look at her daughter, the supposed crème de la crème of the Upper East Side heiresses, marrying the very same man who'd murdered her sister… If a Merteuil wasn't marrying a Valmont, the worst kind of male adulterer in their circle, (Just look at Edward's son, who slept and left more than half of the debutantes even before he'd left adolescence), then she'd be off marrying a criminal. The thought was laughable, and it made for a gossip filled brunch at the country club when they were waiting for the older blond Merteuil.
Tiffany prided her reputation above anyone else, and it was enough that her eldest hadn't enough control to keep her damn mouth shut about Julian's preferences, it was enough that she'd had to tolerate her husband's disgusting taste for incest, it was fucking enough that she'd seen her youngest with her stepbrother, standing so close and aloof but still finding that there were instances when the poised look in Kathryn's beautiful dark green eyes would disappear for the slightest of seconds and she would stare at Sebastian the way she should never even think of doing. Sebastian was a handsome man, and for a while, Tiffany had tolerated the attraction between the two, but for them to actually consummate it…
That was different. It was wrong, and it must never happen. Tiffany was a Merteuil after all, and like her daughters, she was her own brand of poison. Bettered by age and experience, embittered by the foibles of her dysfunctional family, and now angered at the way Kathryn was acting, she held her head high and marched off the grounds, leaving her husband and the other guests who still held the notebook in their hands. She didn't sleep for the ride home although she was exhausted, because she'd lived for far too long and seen far too many to be caught off guard by closing her eyes. She realized that it was the mistake Mathieu De Comte had made, underestimating her daughters like that. As soon as the limo slowed to a stop, she marched out of the car and into the townhouse. Her steps were brisk and quick, a woman on a mission to salvage whatever was left of her reputation and save her daughter's. What was she thinking, getting involved with her stepbrother? Didn't she realize that as the stories spread, people would omit the word 'step' and then what would it look like? What would it look like if by some bizarre twist, it reached Marseilles? What would people say about them, then? That Kathryn had inherited Julian's incestuous tendencies and had gone off to screw her brother? This was unbecoming of Kathryn, and although she sometimes impressed Tiffany with her poise and intellect, they both very well knew what she was hiding underneath. Underneath that perfect façade was a woman craving to get out, a woman of immense power and malevolence, of passion and lust, hidden behind her eyes. Her daughter was every bit of cunning as her; it didn't escape her attention at the way her stepson had smiled at Kathryn during the wedding, when her horrified husband sat in stunned silence. It was too perfect, too cruel… This was Kathryn's doing. This was Sebastian's doing. A combination of their charm and superior understanding of human nature that fooled other people into blaming their victim. Mathieu. What of him? Tiffany shuddered to know, but perhaps he might be of some use when the time came.
The entire house was silent, almost ghostly in the middle of the night. Tiffany rounded the corner and slowly opened the door to Sebastian's bedroom, preparing herself for the sight of her daughter in the midst of having sex with her stepbrother, but her eyes widened at what she found, her apprehension growing.
Her daughter, her prized, perfect living and breathing porcelain doll of a daughter, her body smooth and naked, the paleness seeming to glow in silent temptation while she slept. Her beautiful face had that kind of stillness that wasn't forced, unlike her usual expression when she interacted with the other people of their kind, and her face was buried at the crook of Sebastian's neck in a comfortable cuddle that she could have never imagined Kathryn would show. And Sebastian… She'd always thought he was like his father, the king of fucking and then leaving. A master of seduction and in breaking countless hearts, men such as those never felt affection. All they did feel was lust, that voracious craving to be buried inside a woman and lose themselves in the act of sex… But this… Her mouth almost dropped open as she stood there, standing so motionless because she didn't want to somehow disturb the moment of peace her daughter was having. Sebastian suddenly jerked back to reality and she retreated back into the shadows like the monster that saw the light and feared it. Tiffany was curious, surely this was more difficult to break than the usual tryst Kathryn had with other men. Still keeping her eyes on the half asleep handsome young man, Tiffany watched with interest, half expecting that, like Edward himself had done so many times to different women; he would walk away and leave Kathryn. That was what Valmont men did. Sebastian rubbed his blue eyes and looked around, as if he'd sensed a disturbance somewhere but can't quite place what or where. After seeing that the room was empty, he turned his attention back to Kathryn and a slow smile breached his sleepy face, and Tiffany could clearly see that he wasn't going anywhere.
This was dangerous. Sebastian Valmont was doing something the older Merteuil could never have comprehended someone like Edward Valmont's son would be able to do.
He didn't get up and didn't even move from where he lay. Sebastian's muscular arms tightened around Kathryn, once again a foreshadowing of the trouble that was starting up again, a subconscious inherent warning that he should protect her when she was at her most vulnerable. Kathryn mumbled groggily, but she didn't wake up. Instead, she came closer to him, sinking deeper into his protective embrace while his pouty, pale lips kissed her forehead.
"I'm not losing you again." He whispered, finally having the courage to tell her, without any trace of sarcasm, what he really felt behind the confinements of their forbidden relationship. Tiffany's acute sense of hearing caused her to catch his words, and the anger she felt for Kathryn crystallized in her cold heart. How dare she destroy this family? Julian had left most of his wealth to his daughters, and the settlement from the divorce had been depleted. The only way her daughter could carry on with him like this was that if they divorced, and she had a hunch it was next on her daughter's agenda. Never stain the family name, Kathryn. Tiffany wouldn't make it so easy for her to do so. It was one thing to go against a powerful man such as Mathieu De Comte, but it was quite another to play that dangerous game with someone from her own kin.
"Sebastian," Kathryn said, drowsy from sleep. Her voice was gentle, caught off guard by the comfort of slumber. Her mother watched, extremely agitated and yet the curious side prevailing and preventing her from stopping the two. He seemed surprised and even hesitant. True, they had said what they both promised they'd never ever say, but it was too much too soon. He was scared that she'd run off again, because Kathryn could only take so much. It wasn't in her nature to talk about such things, but then again, neither was he. They were both delving into something new and the strangeness of the entire situation did nothing to soothe their anxiety.
"If anything, I feel too much."
"You'd feel like there would just be days wherein you wish you could stop feeling everything you're feeling for just one person because your body might shut down."
Months ago, it had been her own eldest daughter standing hidden in the same place, those light glass colored eyes becoming a spectator to what seemed like an impossibility between the handsome blonde and his beautiful brunette sister by law. The blood ran deep, and so did the fascination. Nevertheless, Tiffany shook her head slightly, straining her head forward just in time to hear Kathryn's words.
"You won't." she replied, her voice a soft melody of an iron clad promise that sounded foreign to Tiffany's ears.
She finally decided that she'd had enough. Tiffany turned around and shut the door quietly, heading into her husband's study to pick up the phone. She was being merciful at most, letting them drown themselves into the darkness of the night. Tomorrow the light would come and they would realize that for their kind, there was no living happily ever after. For them, the price of getting what you wanted was the loss of getting what you really needed.
"Hello?" a voice she'd never heard in more than a decade answered, yet despite the loss of the charming accent that had once been owned, the tone still reverberated of malice and danger.
"Julian, I need you to do something."
A/N: Since I'm posting these two up within the same night, I'll write the byebye A/N on the next one.