Cul-De-Sac: A Story in Around Ch. 08

"Who knows?" Eric asked her.

"Just you and me," she said into the phone. There was no way she could have done this in person, over the phone was much easier.

"You haven't told Bill yet?"

"No, not yet. Soon."

"Soon enough he'll notice," Eric commented.

Yvoine let out a short, sharp yelp of laughter. "Bill doesn't notice anything," she commented angrily. "I come home with whip marks all over my body, he doesn't see anything. Each time I get a new piercing I have to point it out to him otherwise he'd never notice."

"Why the hell did you marry him anyway?"

"The money," Yvoine answered. Bill was a good enough husband, he certainly made enough money working eighteen hours a day to provide her with any material possession she desired. It was only after they married did she realize what she wanted most in her life wasn't a material possession but a spiritual possession of herself.

"Do you know whose it is?" he asked her.

The pause before she spoke was more telling than the answer. "I don't really know," was her honest answer.

"Just some random guy then?" Eric asked, a little nastily. Though they were siblings, growing up together hadn't been easy on either of them. Close in age made for more arguments and physical fights than family closeness. For whatever reason, perhaps because he was the oldest, if only by a little more than a year, their parents had seemed to favor Eric in any conflict or dispute. Until Eric had come out that he was gay.

Only then had their parents switched their favoritism to their only daughter. It was little more than ten years ago that Eric had made this startling revelation to his parents even though Yvoine had known for years before, yet she had said nothing. Eric suspected this was because she didn't want to reveal to Mom and Dad that she was a slut who enjoyed sleeping with many difference men--and women, he suspected--abused her body with whip, lash and piercing. There was no way he could tell them about her only slightly hidden activities for even if he could prove to them it was true, they would immediately suspect the revelation came because he was upset at their treatment of him.

"No," she snapped at him. "It's either Bill or Travis."

"Does it matter whose it is?" he asked.

This is what had given her pause in trying to decide what to do with her life now. Based on sheer mathematical chance, it was much more likely the baby was Travis's, though she had tried to be careful with her birth control, nothing was foolproof, especially with the way she played with Sara and Travis. As a secondary precaution she had taken to seducing Bill almost ever time Travis came inside of her, but this was little more than assurance she could possibly trick Bill into thinking any possible child was his. Unless a blood or DNA test was done.

"No," she finally said. "It doesn't."

"What are you going to do?" he asked her, intrigued in spite of himself.

She sighed heavily. "I'm going to leave Travis and Sara," she said with a heavy heart.

"I thought you couldn't do that with all your agreements and such, you were breaking some law or rule or oath that'll get you banned from the lifestyle until the day you die."

"No," she said. "There are ways out. I just don't want to leave the lifestyle."

"You could always end the pregnancy," he suggested.

"No!" her answer was quick and more vehement than she intended.

"Wow, Mom and Dad really did a number on you. No wonder you like to be tied up and whipped."

She sighed, shaking her head. There was no way to make Eric understand. Maybe he already did and didn't want to discuss it. "That's not it. I can do just about anything else, but I can't have an abortion. I can't explain why."

The phone line between them was silent for a minute. "I know why," Eric finally said. "I grew up in that house too." Pause. "Are you going to need any help telling Sara and Travis?"

"No, I have to do it on my own. Besides, you're right across the street. If I need help, I can get you."

Right, he silently, sarcastically, agreed.