Quaranteam Ch. 20

Andy looked over at Niko and mouthed "Neeks?" to her, only to see Niko shrug and smile. Then he turned back to Sheridan. "Well, it looks like you've got a pretty clear head right now, so why don't we wait and see how all the others who show up today are, make sure nobody's in a fuck frenzy with their brain unscrewed."

Sheridan raised one of her blonde eyebrows, her frizzy curly hair mostly bound together in a bun atop of her head. "That's a real thing?"

Niko couldn't help but giggle. "He got tackled last night. Pinned down to the ground and forced to just take it until he gave it up."

The blonde smirked. "Sick. Sounds hella fun. Can I at least move out of the beach house now? That other chick's on my last damn nerve."

"Don't worry, she'll be heading out before the day's over. You're welcome to move your things into the master bedroom or take one of the empty bedrooms as your own," he said. "The girls converted one into their studio, and I made one into my own little office, but that leaves ten others to choose from, although I did put Piper in one, so maybe nine."

"Seven, actually," Niko said to him as she finally stopped stretching and moved over to get closer to the two of them. "Piper and Charlotte are in one, and Lauren decided it wasn't fair of her to always be waking you up every morning, so she and Taylor are going to take one of the other bedrooms on nights you don't want them in bed."

"God that sounds cold," Andy grumbled. "I hope they don't think that..."

Niko shook her head. "Get out of your own head about it, Andy. They know you're only human and you've only got so much cum to go around, so nobody's mad, nobody's jealous. They're just thinking practically. Besides, I got the impression that after Taylor's punishment is over, Lauren's gonna run her pretty ragged for a while, if you know what I mean. Some lady lovin' to get caught up on."

"Who's Taylor?" Sheridan asked, finally lowering her leg, standing back on two feet.

"Another one of my partners," Andy said, "but she used to be Lauren's ex, and apparently she cheated on Lauren, which led to them breaking up. All of that happened before the pandemic. But Taylor wanted to get back with Lauren, so she pushed to get assigned to my household once she got vaccinated. Lauren agreed, but decided as punishment, she was going to make Taylor the house bitch for a month."

Sheridan cocked her head as she started to towel off. "What's *that* mean?"

"It means she's walking around the house naked except for a collar on her hands and knees for the month, eating her food out of a bowl, sleeping at the foot of beds."

The blonde giggled a little. "Remind me not to piss Lauren off then." She tossed the towel around her neck. "Yeah, I'll take my own bedroom then, but I'm definitely going to want to sleep in the middle of the fuck pile every now and again. That sounds hella fun. Ash and Neeks are both dope, so I can't wait to sleep with endless arms and legs just folded over me."

"Any time you want," Andy said with a nod. He stepped in close, leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, tender and welcoming. "You've got until you're imprinted if you want to change your mind, but after that, you're stuck with me."

Sheridan wiggled a finger in his direction. "No no, *you're* stuck with *me*, but Neeks can tell you, I'm hella worth the hassle."

"Why do you think you're a hassle?"

"Oh, because I love surprise sex," she said, rolling up her yoga mat with a playful grin. "One minute, you're gonna be focused on watching television, or writing your next novel, or eating dinner, and then suddenly... BAM! You're gonna be hilt deep in my cunt, and you won't even see it coming. That's when I'm really having fun." She tossed a wink his way and then moved over to grab her suitcase, heading into the main house.

"You want me to come with you to deal with the harpy?" Niko said, toweling herself off. "I imagine she's going to be quite the shrieker."

"Only one way to find out."

The two headed into the pool house to find Erin sitting on a couch, watching television, although the look on her face seemed to imply that she wasn't paying much attention to it, more using it as a distraction to keep her mind busy. As they walked over towards the couch, she turned off the television and sighed. "Am I really so awful, Andrew?"

"Look, Erin," Andy said. "You don't want me. You never wanted me. You had this ideal life planned in your head before you met me, and every time I did something that didn't fit into your predetermined plan for me, you got angry and yelled at me. And you were *always* yelling at me."

"Because you could be doing so much better for yourself, Andrew, don't you see that?"

"Erin. Look. Look. I'm happy with my life the way it is. I've gotten very lucky in all of this, getting partnered up with amazing, extraordinary women who love me for me, for who I am and how I behave, not how they think I should behave. Sometimes I'm in charge and sometimes they are, but not once have they ever told me to quit writing. Not once have they ever told me that I shouldn't do what I want with my life. Not once have they ever lied to me and expected me to just mystically know they were lying and to call them on it."

"Andrew, listen..."

"No, Erin, you listen. You want something else. You want *someone* else. In less than a day here, you've managed to piss off Aisling, Lauren and Niko, as well as the staff, all of whom I like a whole hell of a lot better than you."

"They're just the hired help, Andy. Their opinions don't matter."

He snapped his fingers, pointing at it. "That, right there, that's it in a nutshell. You think you're better than everybody else, and I can't fucking stand that. I come from blue collar roots too, Erin, and when I found out this home came with a staff, I was so upset about it, because I didn't want anyone having to scrape and grovel on my behalf. I don't need any fucking toadies in my life, whereas you want everyone to toady up to you. The staff likes being submissive to me, and I'm *still* trying to wrap my head around that, but that doesn't mean I'm going to treat them like they're subhuman. So I went out of my way to make sure they're completely happy here, that they're getting what they want out of this and not what they don't. You, on the other hand. Since you've gotten here, have you given one thought to anyone's happiness except your own?"

"Other people's happiness isn't my concern, Andrew."

"See, that's exactly why nobody likes you, bitch," Niko said to her. "You can't even put Andy's happiness over yours! You just assumed that he was going to do whatever you told him to."

"Niko," he said with a soft smile, "I got this." He turned his attention back to Erin. "You are not going to be a part of this family. You are not welcome in this house until you've gotten yourself partnered up with someone else, which shouldn't be a problem, because someone's going to be picking you up today, and you're going to be partnered with them."             

"You are *not* just shoving me aside like some cheap floozy, Andrew, because you can't handle a strong woman!"

Andy laughed. "Oh, I can handle a strong woman. I've got a whole houseful of them. What I can't handle is someone who puts their own happiness over the happiness of the household. That isn't going to fly here. And besides, you're going to be much happier with this other guy."

"I will have what I *want*, Andrew, and I want *you*."

"No, Erin. You don't. You want wealth. You want power. You want status. That's why I know you're going to be much happier with the other guy." This was probably how Andrew should've started the conversation off, but he'd wanted Erin to stew a bit in her self-pity before giving her the carrot. "You're going to be partnered up with Nathaniel Watkins."

At that, her ears perked up, and her facial expression changed in a moment. "Sir Nathaniel Watkins? The billionaire tech investor?"

"The one and the same. I saw him last night, and we arranged to make an exchange of sorts, and you will be joining his household, and someone whom he'd been paired up with will be joining mine instead. He should be here sometime today to make the exchange."

Erin looked down at her hands, considering her expensively manicured nails, before looking up at him. "I really don't make you happy, Andrew? Did I ever?" For a moment, she actually looked fragile, as if the thought of leaving him genuinely hurt her. Andy suspected it was more her being bothered at failed at something, at her inability to just demand that things go her way and then them falling into place. Erin had never been good at taking no from anyone or anything.

"Erin, you and I want completely different things in life. Neither of us knew that about each other when we first hooked up, but the longer we were together, the more miserable I became. I was happy. At first. Briefly. But that was fleeting, as we both dropped our masks and stopped pretending we were people other than who we really were." He sighed, reaching over, patting his hand atop of hers. "And you genuinely didn't like my writing. That's a dealbreaker. That was always going to be a dealbreaker."

She sniffed a little, trying to stifle back a tear. "I'm sorry, Andrew, I just don't like fantasy."

"And that's fine, Erin. It really is. But it's why we were never going to work. C'mon, get your things together, and we can go wait out front of Mr. Watkins to arrive."

"I suppose there are worse things in life than being married to someone on the Forbes Top 100 Wealthiest Individuals list," she said, as she slid her hands out from under his and started to gather up her things.

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them had been joined by Aisling on the front porch, where they waited for the cars to show up. The first vehicle to arrive was an oversized yellow H3 Humvee, driving up the driveway like a tank. Andy didn't know what anyone drove, so he wasn't sure exactly who it was until the vehicle got close enough for him to read the plates. BIGVIK. Ah, Vikovic had arrived first, but he still didn't know who the man was ferrying to his house. Other than Charlotte and her daughter, Andy didn't know who had been originally assigned to whom.

The vehicle stopped in front of the house, and Andy rose from the little couch he'd been sitting in with Niko and Ash, as the driver's side door opened, and Gregor Vikovic stepped out. "This was hardest loss of my life, Rook," he said, "but I suppose this may have worked out for best. She would've been so unhappy if she'd found out you were here and not with her. Apparently she's a fan of yours." Vikovic walked around the vehicle and opened the passenger door, and Sarah Washington practically bolted out of the car at him.

She was even more lovely in person, almost half a foot taller than he was, her red locks partially braided and wrapped around her head, the rest hanging over her shoulders. She had a girl next door vibe to her, although he'd always imagined her height must have driven more skittish guys away. She had a loose button up green blouse on, as well as a flowing billowy jade skirt, deep blue eyes intently focused on him, as she charged at him, wrapping her arms around Andy, sliding one hand along the back of his head and she pressed her lips against his in a warm, affectionate kiss.

It was quite difficult than how any of the other girls had kissed him on their first time. With each of them, he'd felt lust, hunger, a sort of uncontrollable wanton need burning in the kiss, but here, this was... he couldn't place his finger on it, but it was almost like his first kiss back in high school, that moment when he'd wanted to confess to Samantha Davis his eternal love for her. That was it, he realized. This wasn't a kiss of lust. This was one of love. The realization surprised the hell out of him.

"Oh my god, you're totally, really you," she said as she broke the kiss.

"Of *course* it's her," Erin groaned, rolling her green eyes.

"I am... absolutely me," Andy said, intending to say more, but Sarah kissed him again, her body pressed against his, her arms holding him close, like she was afraid he might slip out of her grasp if she gave him even an inch. When the kiss finally broke, she leaned down to bury her face in his neck, holding onto him for dear life, even as he could feel she was crying. "Are you okay?"

"I am never going to be more fucking okay than I am right here, right now," she said, sniffling a little bit. "Can you just hold me for a bit? So I know this is real and not some sort of fucked up fever dream from the vaccine?"

"Sure?" Andy said.

Vikovic had unloaded four large suitcases from the back of the hummer, setting them on the porch, before he reached forward and peeled one of Andy's hands off Sarah's back, so he could shake it. "I vill not repeat this, Andrew, but it felt damn good watching someone kick Covington in the teeth for once. Dasvidanya, comrade."

With that Gregor got back into the humvee, starting to head back down the driveway as a stretch limo began to drive up it.

It was at least a minute before Andy got the nerve up to speak again. "You want to tell me what's going on?" he said to Sarah.

She giggled girlishly, shaking her head a bit, her face not leaving its spot, buried in his neck. "Nope. Not fucking yet. Too fucking happy."

"Well, you're happy, so that's a good start at least," Andy said.

"Are you gonna tell her?" Niko asked.

"Hush up, Niko," he scolded with a grin.

The limo pulled up to rest in front of the house, and the limo driver hopped out, moving around the vehicle, heading towards the back. Andy sort of suspected who this way, but as soon the back door opened, his suspicions were confirmed and Sir Nathaniel Watkins stepped out of the back.

"Hey, Andy," Watkins said. "I'm here to honor our deal."

"Yummy," Erin said quietly, although not so quiet that Andy couldn't hear her, even with Sarah still pressed up against his body.

"Omigod, Sares?!" the voice of Emily Stevens said as she hopped out of the limo, rushing over towards them.

That was the point when Sarah let go of him, turning around, catching Emily's tiny British form in her arms, lifting her up, spinning her around. "Omigod, Ems!" she said, suddenly hugging her tightly. "I'm totally dead, aren't I? Life is never this fucking good to me. It always goes to shit somehow. Are you really real, bitch?"

Emily giggled, infectious and warm, her voice posh within an inch of its life. "I am absolutely here for all of it, Sares!" She gasped, and then begin to giggle even more. "No way!" There was something about a posh English accent and the way it sounded saying a long O sound that sent delicious chills up Andy's spine.

She'd just turned thirty less than a few months ago, but still had a very vibrant youthful exuberance to her. He knew there were angry, jealous men all across the world hating him right now who had grown up watching Emily Stevens grow up on film. She had begun starring in movies just barely in her teens where she'd played the book-smart love interest of the protagonist of a series of sci-fi bounty hunting school movies called "The Dagger Academy." After those, she'd gone on to try a number of various arthouse roles, trying to shake being forever associated with the role of Dahlia Hairtrigger, but she hadn't had the best of luck.

"Are you serious, Sares?" she said, while the large redhead continued to bearhug her. "We're together forever? And we're really going to get paired up with your Mister Big?"

"Mister Big?" Andy said, his eyebrows raising high.

"Oh, hasn't she told you yet?" Emily giggled, that laugh forcing him to smile, no matter how much he felt off guard. "You're at the top of her List."

"List?"

Sarah put Emily down and turned to look at him, her face having gone nearly as red as her hair. "Gosh, fuck me, how do I even say this?" she said, looking down at her feet suddenly, as if trying to look at him while talking was making it even more complicated. "Em, can you tell him? I'm fucking scared now, that it's gonna freak him out or some shit."

Emily's deep blue eyes twinkled. She was wearing a big blue DKNY t-shirt over a pair of capri pants, a bright diamond bracelet on one wrist, a silver teardrop pendant hanging down from her neck. Her skin was pale like alabaster, her blonde hair hanging just past her shoulders in wavy blonde curls, her lips bright red with freshly put on lipstick. "I'll tell him, but we're fine, Sares, we're fine we're fine we're fine we're *fine*. Trust me on this! Em knows best." Emily squeezed Sarah's hand in her own, walking back over to Andy, almost leading Sarah along behind her, like she was a naughty child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Most people have a hall pass list, you know," she said, her voice again doing that thing with the O sound that sent goosebumps along his skin. "It's supposed to be a list of people you can fuck at any time, and your partner just gives it a wave." She had a coy smile on her face, as she brought Sarah back within reach of Andy. "Well, you are the top person on Sarah's list, Andy Rook, or should I say, Mr. Blake Conrad?"

"You're... you're a fan of my writing?" Andy said, almost unable to bring himself to force the words from his mouth. "*MY* writing? The Druid Gunslinger books?"

"Tell him about OmegaCon, Sares," Emily said, nudging the much taller girl in the ribs. Emily was nearly a foot shorter than Sarah, and while both were fit, Emily was slender like a ballerina, while Sarah almost seemed more like an Amazon warrior. There were rumors that Sarah had been in consideration for the Wonder Woman role, but that her tendency to swear and be adorkably awkward at press junkets had kept her out of the role. "If you won't tell him, I will," she teased.

"Oh fuckbeans, you totally would, wouldn't you, bitch?" Sarah hissed, closing her eyes, wringing her hands together. "So I was totally at your fucking panel at OmegaCon last year, in September."

"I highly doubt that," Andy said. "I can't imagine an actress like you wouldn't have turned every head in the room the minute she walked in. I would've definitely remembered."

"I was..." she mumbled before Emily prodded her again, a wide impish grin on Emily's adorable English face. "I was in costume, okay? Ems and I wanted to be able to just walk around the convention like normal people, so we were cosplaying so nobody would recognize us. I was in a Chewbacca costume, and I got up in the Q&A line and asked you if you ever imagined actors when you were writing your fiction."

"No!" Andy said, gasping suddenly.

"See, I told you he'd fucking hate me, Ems?" Sarah said, looking like she was about to cry. "And you said you totally imagined actors for every fucking character you'd ever written, like casting them and everything or whatever. And then you said..."

"I said I'd always sort of seen Christian Kane playing the Gunslinger himself."

She nodded. "Do you remember what else you said?"

Andy tilted his head, struggling to remember whatever else he might have said, but he'd done half a dozen conventions last year, and many of the Q&A sessions blended together. "I don't. Oh god, I'm so sorry, what did I say?"

"You said that you'd imagined Olivia Munn playing Doctor Erika Shirow and... and Sarah Washington, I mean, *me*, playing Layla Heartseye, the Elven barbarian queen," Sarah said.

"We spent three days at the convention in costume, but had to leave early right after your panel finished," Emily said, "because she took me back to our hotel room after that and masturbated for nearly an entire hour, thinking about you saying that. She still has the video of you answering her question on her phone. I was recording your answer for her. I was dressed as Greedo, by the by." Emily pulled Sarah in even closer. "She's been trying to get her agent and your agent to set up a meeting for a year now, so she could talk to you about the book rights, and if she could play Layla Heartseye, but I've always thought she was really just doing it so she could get into your pants."