The Devil's Bargain Ch. 13

I could tell that she wasn't keen to discuss it. But where could she go? She was sitting on my lap, with my cock buried inside her, her breasts pressed against my chest, and my hands under her buttocks.

She got that faraway look, though, as if she saw something over my shoulder - about a thousand yards away.

- "You noticed that right away, didn't you?" she said. "I think that was the first thing I liked about you. You saw the name tag, but you heard me introduce myself as Gabrielle - and you understood."

- "It was fairly clear. But why do you wear the name Gabby if you don't like it?"

- "Most people in softball call me that."

- "So change it. Tell them you prefer Gabrielle."

- "It's not so easy." she said.

- "It most certainly is. It's never too late to tell someone what you want."

That might have struck a little close to home. She rested her head on my shoulder - primarily, I thought, so that she didn't have to meet my eye.

I could've been a nice guy, and let the matter drop. But this was just the beginning; I had to push her a little.

"Why do you dislike the name 'Gabby'?" I asked her.

- "I just do. I prefer to be called Gabrielle."

- "Gabrielle is a lovely name. But you don't like 'Gabby'. Why?"

- "Because ..." I waited, but she didn't say anything else for a while.

- "Because?" I prompted her.

- "I don't want to talk about it." she snapped. Then she performed an incredible backwards somersault, rolling straight back off my lap, to land on her feet just off the bottom of her bed. From there, she spun around and headed directly to her bathroom.

That was the end of our third date.

***

I saw her at the health club three days later. She didn't seem to be angry at me. In fact, she approached me, and apologized.

- "I'm sorry." she said.

- "You didn't do anything wrong."

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have done that."

I was tempted to say something clever. 'Done what? Leave me with a massive erection?' Or I could've tried to push her emotional buttons, and ask why she was shutting me out. Instead, I invited her to Mom's house.

- "Why don't you come over and meet Freya and Mom?"

- "You're not angry with me?"

- "No, Gabrielle. I just wanted to get to know you better. But that's up to you - not me."

Mom had no idea who Gabrielle was, of course; she just saw another woman who was too young and too good-looking for me. Her attitude did change quite a bit when she found out that our guest was an Olympic medalist. Now Mom would have something to brag out.             

Gabrielle was heartbroken when she finally saw Freya.

- "Oh, you poor thing ..."

I explained about Freya's hip dysplasia, and the medication she was on. Gabrielle ignored me to pay attention to the dog. She was a little bit angry with me, too, although she didn't tell me until later.

"Dan, she's in pain."

- "I know. Believe me, I know."

- "How can you leave her like that? She's suffering."

Gabrielle was right. She'd grown up in the countryside, with dogs all around. But these were working breeds, for the most part, or companions - not pampered pets. She knew a hell of a lot more animals than I did.

But I'd noticed that Freya's limp was worse. I'd seen her struggle to get comfortable when she lay down. A few times, I'd even carried her outside to do her business because she seemed to be having trouble getting up.

I'd never had a dog before. I didn't recognize the expression in Freya's eyes when she looked at me. I knew that she was in pain, but I thought that life was pain, and yet something that you cling to until the last possible moment. I didn't realize that Freya was essentially asking me to let her go.

I put the decision off for a few more days, but I couldn't dodge my responsibility. The vet was very understanding, and offered to come to our house and euthanize Freya there.

Mom refused to be involved. I wasn't that she disapproved; she just didn't want to watch. Gabrielle volunteered to be there with me.

The vet gave us plenty of time to say goodbye. I'm pretty sure that Freya knew why we were all gathered there that afternoon. I cradled her in my arms, and apologized for waiting so long. The vet then gave her a sedative, and my dog gently went to sleep for the last time.

***

I let Lisa know by email. She phoned me back almost immediately.

- "Oh, Dan - I'm so sorry!" she said. "You should have let me know - I would have come home."

- "That's why I didn't tell you. I know you would have." Other than Connie and me, nobody had spent so much time with Freya as Lisa had.

We talked about those days for a bit, then Lisa dropped a little bomb.

- "I don't think that I'll be home this Christmas." she said. "Paul and I are planning a skiing getaway. But don't say anything to Mom and Dad - I haven't gotten around to telling them yet."

- "Your secret is safe."

I didn't think that I was jealous, but I really would have preferred to hear that she would be coming home.

***

Sharing Freya's last moments with me had a pretty big impact on Gabrielle. She'd seen me at my most vulnerable, and then with my face streaked with tears. I'm not entirely sure if that was the cause, but she began to open up to me a little more.

She was certainly becoming more sexually aggressive, and more confident about telling me what she liked - and what she didn't.

I was going down on her, and one of my fingers strayed a little farther than usual. I gently circled the little ring of her anus.

She immediately went rigid. With the speed of a striking snake, she grabbed me by the wrist and yanked my hand away.

- "No!" she snapped. "Just ... no."

- "I'm sorry."

She was embarrassed. "No. I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault. And now I've spoiled the mood."

- "We can recapture the mood another time. It's far, far better that you told me right away."

We got out of bed, and got partially dressed before going to her kitchen, where she poured us a drink.

- "I'm sorry." she said again.

- "Don't be."

We sat in silence for a moment. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head; I didn't want to interrupt her.

- "Eric called me Gabby." she said, at last. "He was my physical therapist, after my knee injury. We spent a lot of time together while I was rehabbing. I fell for him. I'd never thought that I was pretty. I'm too tall, too thin. But Eric told me over and over again that I was beautiful. He asked me to move in with him, here."

There was no need for me to comment. I let her tell the story at her own pace.

"Then he introduced me to his sister and their cousin. They invited me onto their softball team. A friend of his got me a job, in public relations, for an insurance company. I didn't see it as a career - I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

She took a long sip of her drink, and realized that it was empty. She re-filled it, and then did the same for me.

"I didn't notice the little things, at first. My family didn't like him. I didn't realize that they saw him for what he was right away. He was controlling. We only socialized with his family, and his friends. He never criticized my family or friends - he just made sure that they didn't want to be around him. I was in love. I didn't want to hear people criticizing my boyfriend."

- "He isolated you."

- "That's exactly what he did. And I was too stupid to see it."

- "You weren't stupid, Gabrielle. You were in love."

- "Huh." When Eric moved out, Gabrielle was stuck with a lease she'd co-signed - and with a job she didn't want, but needed, to pay the rent. Her social circle was decimated. She was afraid to go back to her family, to face defeat and to admit that they'd been right about Eric. Worse yet ... were the humiliations she'd suffered.

"He made me do things, Dan."

I hadn't meant to, originally, but I decided that it might be therapeutic for Gabrielle to meet a fellow sufferer: me. I told her about Connie.

It didn't solve Gabrielle's problems - not even remotely. But it did make her feel a little better. She saw me as a winner, a man with his head on straight, and with his feet solidly planted on the ground. To learn that my life was as much of a mess as anyone's made her feel less ... stupid.

She came around to give me a hug. Gabrielle was comforting me - and also seeking reassurance. She succeeded on both counts.

The hug led to a kiss ... and then to passionate kissing. She dragged me back to her bedroom, and rode my face ... and then my cock. Gabrielle was beginning to take control.

***

I gave Gabrielle her Christmas present a month early. I took her out to a fairly nice restaurant, to meet a new friend of mine.

She was a bit nervous. It might have been a residue of her former life; was I going to dominate her social contacts? Or she might have just been a little worried about making a good impression.

Her face fell when my invited guest walked in.

- "Martine?"

I'd called Gabrielle's sister, and told her enough of the story to get her to agree to come down. I sent her an airline ticket, collected her at the airport, and got her a hotel room. And my gamble paid off: they embraced like ... well, sisters.

There were tears, and hugs for yours truly, but I excused myself very quickly thereafter.

- "You don't have to leave, Dan." said Martine. I'd talked to her over the phone, and then met her in person only a few hours ago, but I already liked her.

- "I do. You two have a great deal to talk about. But I'm free for breakfast or lunch tomorrow, if you want." I kissed Gabrielle, and got a very warm hug from Martine.

I was quite pleased with myself. I had a pretty good idea of where this might lead, but that had been the plan all along, so I was prepared for it.

From the looks on their faces the next day at lunch, I'd succeeded beyond my expectations. Both sisters were practically glowing. I was repeatedly kissed, hugged, and stroked. Honestly, if Martine wasn't happily married, I might have gotten lucky.

Gabrielle drove her sister to the airport. Then she texted me, asking if she could come over. I responded. She arrived an hour later.

My girlfriend sat down in Mom's living room (where Mom rarely went).

- "I should be so angry with you, for not telling me what you were doing." she said. "But ... thank you. I'm ... I'm going to be going home for Christmas."

- "That's wonderful!"

- "Yes. And ... it would be even more wonderful if you could come with me."

- "Thank you, Gabrielle. But I can't leave Mom alone over the holidays. And somehow I think that it might be better if you reconnected with your family on your own. Let them get over the old boyfriend before they have to get used to the new one." Not to mention that I was also the 'old' boyfriend (in a very literal sense); they didn't need the distraction of finding out that Gabrielle was dating a much older man.

We got together five more times before Christmas, but only went out twice. Gabrielle wanted to make love, and she wanted to experiment. No - I don't mean anything kinky. She simply wanted to experience taking the lead, initiating sex and choosing various positions.

It was wonderful to see - and to share with her. I enjoyed it as much as I could, knowing that it probably wouldn't last.

Gabrielle belonged at home, closer to her family and old friends. I had high hopes for her Christmas with them - for Gabrielle. If I was right, then we didn't have much of a future. It was too bad, because I really liked her. That meant, though, that I wanted her to be happy.

It was a quiet Christmas. I watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' with Mom, and went to George and Anna's for Boxing Day. The Bennetts were there, and we had a very nice time. Of course I thought of Lisa, off skiing with Paul.

I also got together with Pete and Brenda, who were now a solid couple. Josh joined us; he was still looking for Ms. Right.

So was I.

On the brighter side, I got a phone call from Holly on the 27th.

- "Merry Christmas, Dan. Are we still on for New Year's Eve?"

- "You bet. Looking forward to it."

- "Me too."

She'd called me three weeks ago, to let me know that she'd be visiting her family over the holidays. She knew that I was seeing Gabrielle, but asked if we could get together. I let Holly know that my girlfriend would be with her family. Holly promptly reserved me for New Year's Eve.

- "Platonic, Holly." I warned her.

- "I know. I just want to see you. Sometimes I think you're my best friend, Dan."

- "You must have tons of friends in Calgary."

- "I have colleagues. And guys who want ... to get into my pants. But I keep coming back to you, don't I?"

It didn't make sense. Was Tansa's magic that potent? Holly was the only woman I'd been with that I hadn't used the 'broken heart' clause on. Was that why she still hinted at a possible reunion, five years later? She'd had other relationships, which she'd told me about - and perhaps some that she hadn't mentioned. She knew that I'd been with Aarti, Lisa, Brenda, and Sue - and now Gabrielle.

I'm sure that she could have got an invite to a New Year's Eve party - but she wanted to sit on a couch with me, watching a movie and eating popcorn?

She looked impossibly good. She arrived around 9:00 (an hour after Mom's bedtime), bearing a bag of snacks and two bottles of wine.

- "Two?"

- "You have a guest room, right? Relax, Dan. I know you have a girlfriend. Platonic."

So of course we ended up talking about Gabrielle - Holly was quite curious to know why she wasn't here. It wasn't the wine; I suppose that I just needed a friend to talk to. Holly got to hear all about my breakup with Sue, and my relationship with Gabrielle.

- "That's so strange, that you would end up with a woman so much like your wife ..." she said. "But we do tend to repeat our behaviours. I keep telling myself that life is more important than work, and then find myself chasing that next brass ring." Holly sat up straighter, and looked me in the eye. "On that note, though ..."

- "Yes?"

- "I may be closer to a promotion than I thought. I've been really successful with the new management team. It might only be another year - two, at the most - and then I could be in a position to decide exactly where I want to be."

- "That's great, Holly."

- "I don't think you understand what I mean, Dan. What if ... what if I moved back here, in a year or two? What if you were single, when I did?"

I didn't have to think too hard. "That would be amazing."

- "Right? I mean, I'm not asking you to stay single for that long, or anything ... but if it just worked out that way?"

- "It's certainly possible."

- "That's what I'm saying."

We ate far too much popcorn, watched the Princess Bride, and polished off her two bottles of wine. I actually had to pop the cork on a third before Miracle Max had said 'Have fun storming the castle!'.

After the movie, I helped Holly up the stairs. She slept in the guest room - alone.

***

Mom had her second stroke early in January. Fortunately, I was home at the time. She was walking to the kitchen, but started weaving like a drunk. I asked her what was wrong, but her answers made no sense. She was mumbling something about car insurance. At one point, she called me Connie.

I called for an ambulance.

Mom spent nine days in the hospital. The doctors were all vaguely positive about her chances of recovery. They prescribed blood thinners and cholesterol meds. She'd been lucky, they said: 40% of second strokes were fatal.

She was not in great shape, afterwards. She needed a physical therapist and an occupational therapist (I wasn't about to start helping her dress, bathe, or go to the bathroom). That meant driving her (and her walker) to appointments.

Mom wasn't a happy camper to begin with. Now I learned that she'd be struggling with anxiety, and possibly depression. Her short-term memory was shot, but she seemed to have no trouble remembering her younger days - or Connie's first few boyfriends.

- "Oh, Andrew was a find. I wish she had married him. I liked him."

Her bladder control also failed. That wasn't much fun. Mom's appetite pretty much disappeared. Her gums had shrunk. We got her new dentures (after an incredible investment of time and money - dental care is not fully covered in the Canadian health care system).

***

I had hoped - or expected - that Gabrielle would come back with a smile on her face. Instead, she looked like the very first time I'd met her at the health club: she was smiling, alright, but it didn't reach her eyes. She seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders again.

She had invited me over to her apartment, where she greeted me with an uncomfortably lukewarm hug. Then she commiserated with me about Mom's second stroke. But that wasn't why she looked sad.

- "Is everything alright?" I asked her.

- "Well, yes - and no. I don't know how to tell you this, Dan, so I'm simply going to say it: I'm going to be moving back home."

- "That's wonderful!" I said. Maybe I said it with too much enthusiasm.

- "Wait - you expected it?" Gabrielle was confused. "You knew that this could happen?"

- "Well ... yes. I was hoping that you and your family would -"

- "That's why you called Martine? You wanted me to go back home?"

- "Wait - wait, Gabrielle. I wasn't trying to get rid of you. But we both know that you aren't happy here."

- "I've been happier since I met you."

- "Thank you. Me too. But there are too many unpleasant memories for you here - in this apartment, in this town. The job you have doesn't make you happy. Your friends here are mostly just softball buddies. There's so much more for you at home."

- "Martine told you that."

- "Yes. But I could see it from the very first time we met. You seemed ... sad. I just want you to be happy, Gabrielle."

- "But you can't come with me. You can't leave your mother-in-law, or your job."

- "No, I can't."

- "Is this what you expected to happen from the very beginning?"

- "No. I didn't know exactly what was making you sad. And you weren't very keen to tell me, either."

Gabrielle was confused. She'd expected to feel bad about leaving me, and possibly breaking my heart. Now she didn't know how to react to the idea that I'd been hoping for something like this all along.

"Tell me about your plans." I suggested.

Gabrielle was going to sublet the apartment to two of her teammates, and give up her job. Martine was actively looking for a place for her closer to home, and Gabrielle already had two job offers to consider.

- "Already? That's great!"

Gabrielle thought so, too. She was still a bit off-balance, though. She'd been emotionally prepared for a breakup scene, only to find me happy to see her going.

- "I don't know. I have this feeling that you manipulated me, a bit. You did, didn't you?"

- "I did." What else could I do but admit it?

- "But for my gain - not yours. That's what's confusing. It might take me a while to understand all of this. This is not how I envisioned this evening going."

- "What did you envision?"

- "Maybe that you would be sad, and I would tell you how wonderful you've been for me. I didn't think that you would cry. I don't know, now. It's my first time being the one to break up; and now I find out that this is just what you wanted."

- "I could tell that it was your first time." I said.

- "What?"

- "Never invite a guy to your place if you're going to dump him. Do it at his place - or better yet, at a neutral site. That way you can leave if things get ugly. If I yelled and screamed, or broke down and cried, you would feel pretty awful about asking me to leave."

- "I never thought of that."