Chapter Ten:
Green Eyed Monster

	Another morning came at the sound of the alarm clock's buzz. Stormy reached across the bed and flipped the switch, throwing herself into silence again. Her hand explored the bed sheets next to her expecting to feel a leg, a thigh, a hip, but there was nothing. She rolled over and looked at the empty spot on the bed next to her. Steven is gone, her mind pointed out the obvious. There was a cold breeze whipping through the open window, so cold that her skin perked up with goosebumps. Her nipples grew tighter underneath the baseball T-shirt that she borrowed from Steven.
	Where could he have gone? Stormy wondered. Maybe he got abducted by aliens. A chiding voice whispered from deep inside of her. Obviously he's still in the house. Just not in the bedroom anymore. She shook her head smiling at how silly her mind was being this morning. She must have been more tired than she thought. She took a deep breath feeling the cool air sting her lungs. That's when she smelled it. It wasn't the smell of cherry blossoms, but something else. There was a soft clacking of hooves on the staircase. Wood creaking heavily in unison with the footfall. Stormy pushed herself up in bed, leaning against the headboard.
	“Stormy, it's time to get up.” Steven's sing-song voice came from the hall.
	Steven stepped around the corner into the room. In his hands, he was carry a tray table. The smell of eggs, bacon, and toast filled the room. That's where the different smell had been coming from. A slight blush moved to Stormy's cheeks. Steven had gotten up early to make her breakfast in bed.
	“Good morning, my lady!” Steven joked and moved to set the tray across her lap.
	“What is this? You're just too much, you know that?” Stormy's mouth started watering as she looked at the bounty he brought.
	“Wait, I'm not done yet.” He reached behind his back and pulled out a purple flower, slipping it into the small glass vase that sat next to her plate on the tray.
	“This is amazing.” Stormy fought to catch her breath at the romantic gesture. “Why all the fuss, sweetie?”
	Steven moved around the bed to lay next to her, watching while she ate. “Well, as you know, our two month anniversary is tomorrow. I just wanted to do something special to show you how I feel.”
	Stormy stopped chewing for a second. “That can't be right, can it?” In truth she hadn't known that it was their anniversary, hadn't even given any thought about it.
	“Yep.” There was a giddy shimmer in his eyes.
	“For some reason I thought we'd been together for longer than that. Didn't we meet in June?” Stormy took a bite of her toast.
	A grim line played across Steven's lips, it had been the first time she'd ever seen that look on his face before. “No...we met in August. You married your husband in June.”
	The tone in his voice reveal that Stormy had hurt his feelings. “Oh honey, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't upset you too bad. Remember, I'm old. I've been celebrating the same anniversary for twenty years.”
	“And now it's over...” His tone seethed with poison.
	Steven's eyebrows were bent in anger, his teeth clenched. Stormy reached for him. She wanted to comfort him, but he got up from the bed and walked to the door. Stormy felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she reached out to him. Steven stopped in the doorway and rested his head against the wood. Stormy looked at him, wanting him to look back at her. He didn't. She moved the tray from her lap and got up from the bed.
	“Steven, please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.” Stormy ran her fingers slowly along his muscular shoulders.
	“No...it's fine.” He sighed and rolled his head to look at her. “I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry.”
	Stormy kissed his lips and they held each other in the doorway. “You have nothing to be sorry about. As much as I hate to admit it, Steven. I'm not perfect. I want to be, but I'm just not. I promise I'll get better. Do you forgive me?”
	Steven nodded and kissed her lips again. “I do. Finish your breakfast and come downstairs. I got another gift for you.”
	Stormy watched as Steven turned and walked down the stairs. She weakly leaned against the door frame. Her stomach was twisting and churning. The feeling of throwing up was washing over her. 
	After a few deep breathes, she started to feel better. The pang of sickness came back when she looked at the food. She was no longer hungry. Not wanting to upset Steven by not eating the breakfast he had made, she took the tray into the bathroom, moving as quietly as she could. She scraped the plate into the toilet. Flushing it a few times, before going back into the bedroom.
	Where are my cigarettes? She wondered, looking for them on, around, and under the dresser. The fact that her cigarettes were missing was irritating to say the least. They had been in the same place, everyday since she moved in. Where could she have put them? After a short time of looking, she gave up and headed downstairs with the tray of dishes tucked under her arm.
	Steven greeted her at the bottom of the stairs and took the tray from her.
	“Thank you, sweetie. Have you seen my cigarettes by any chance?” Stormy walked into the kitchen.
	Steven followed her on his way to tend to the dishes. “Yeah, I brought them down here. I figured since I'm living here now, we could work on limiting your smoking to downstairs or outside.”
	Stormy froze for a second, irritation flexing in the back of her mind. The idea of him sanctioning her smoking was irritating enough, but the fact that he moved himself into her house without her permission was a step too far. When she looked at him, ready to give him a piece of her mind. he was just standing there with his boyish smile and wide eyes. It was his best look. After seeing him so upset upstairs, Stormy thought that it would be for the best to let him have this win for now.
	“Alright.” She reached for one of the two packs of cigarettes on the counter and walked towards the door.
	Steven turned the water off and followed her. “Maybe someday you won't need the cigarettes anymore.”
	Stormy just shrugged. “Maybe.” That seemed very distant to her, though.
	Stormy had been smoking since the age of fifteen, when she stole her first pack of cigarettes from her mom. It had been one of the things that she could always rely on to make her feel better. Who was this young punk, to tell her that she couldn't have her fix? Stormy stopped and opened the front door. She paused and took a deep calming breath, leaning over to kiss Steven's cheek. It was hard to tell where these angry feelings were coming from, but she shouldn't take them out on him. He was just trying to be helpful. That was one of the things she loved about him the most- That he actually cared about her.
	When she stepped out onto the porch, a cold breeze washed over her. A shiver moved through her, but she needed her morning cigarette too badly to just go back inside. The cigarette sat between her lips while she lit it. That was when she noticed that something was different. There were freshly planted flowers along the base of her porch now, literally hundreds of little flowers of every color. Her mind was pulled back to the purple flower that Steven had put in the vase. When did he have time to do this?
	“Happy anniversary. I bought them yesterday and hid them in the basement. That way I could plant them this morning.” Steven whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I hope you like them.”
	He was warm and welcome against her goosebump covered body. “Thank you. They're so beautiful.”
	“Not as beautiful as you.” He pressed his cheek tightly to hers.

	They spent the better part of the morning cuddling in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. It was nice to sit in his lap with a blanket wrapped around them. At some point, Stormy had fallen asleep, only to be awakened by the sun creeping over the edge of the blanket, hitting her in the eye. It must be  about noon now. Stormy thought to herself as she climbed off of his lap.
	They were going to be finishing the dining room today. If they worked really hard at it, they could be done by dinner time, and take the rest of the night off. Steven fussed about it some, but she could tell that he knew she was right. They started by moving all the renovation equipment out of the dining room into the hallway.
	First order of business was to paint the walls and ceiling. One of Steven's least favorite things to do, which was fine with Stormy, since she loved painting. It took her only an hour to paint the ceiling. Steven spent that time painting the windows and door frames. Everything went fairly smoothly as long and they kept a brisk pace.
	When she stepped down off the step ladder, Steven was there to greet her. He pulled her into a hug and held her. Stormy giggled, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Stormy knew all to well what this form of sudden affection meant. It always had the same end result. His lips caressed along her neck, sending a tingle through her. This was the first time in a few days that she felt the tingle. Secretly, she had hoped that her sexual appetite was finally dying down. Although Steven always knew what buttons to push to start her motor again.
	“Come on, stop fooling around sweetie. I wanna get this room done.” Stormy teased, trying to push Steven away.
	“Aww, don't you wanna fool around just a little bit. It's been a couple days.” Steven whispered into the nape of her neck, pushing her against the wall.
	It was true, to a point. They hadn't had sex in a few days. They had run out of condoms and Stormy was fast approaching her period. Obviously having a child at this stage of her life was not an option, so she resorted to blowing him instead. She knew all too well it could only sate him for so long.
	To her surprise Steven knelt down in front of her pulling her panties away. His tongue probing through her thick pubic hair. The tingle shifted through her, causing her to gasp. A self-conscious rush of emotion came over her as she tried to squirm away from his firm grip.
	“Stop it! I'm gross. I haven't taken a shower today.” Her body was starting to sweat from the panic.
	It didn't take her long to learn that Steven didn't care how clean she was. When he wanted it, he was going to take it regardless. His tongue lapping around the outside of her slit. The tingling feeling growing harsher, burning her from the inside. Her clit perking against the young man's attention. She moaned, breathy and hot. It sounded louder than she wanted it to. The moans had been so loud inside her head, that she couldn't even hear the cars passing by outside the open windows. Her fingers clawing at the back of his head, pulling him firmer to her.
	There was a loud knock at the door. Her heart jumped into her throat. Steven didn't let it distract him from his assault. Instead, it made him work faster. Stormy squirmed against his face, trying to get him to let up. She couldn't shake the nervous twitch growing in her mind. Who could be at the door? She thought while trying to push Steven away.
	“Stormy! You here?” Dutch's strong familiar voice rumbled through the house from the screen door.
	Stormy gasped and shoved against Steven hard. “Stop it!” Her voice came out harsher than it should, but she had been telling him to stop.
	“Who the fuck is it?” Steven said wiping his face on his shirt.
	Stormy struggled frantically to pull her panties back on. “It's Dutch.”
	Steven's face went somber instantly, at hearing the man's name. “Your ex-husband?”
	“Yeah. I hope the kids are alright,” she said, before darting out of the room.
	The mountain of a stallion stepped into the entry hallway when he saw Stormy come around the corner. He was taller and broader than the doorway, easily two feet taller than Stormy. His massive mounts of muscle were barely corralled by an expensive looking gray suit. It went well with his mahogany fur and darker hair, that had been knotted in a strain line along his head. The top two buttons of his black, silk dress shirt lay open, showing several rows of gold chains. Several rings adorned his fingers, the only finger that remained bare, had been replaced by a naked indent of where his wedding ring had been. His onyx eyes were twin, deep wells. There looked upon Stormy fondly.
	“Hey, girl! Damn, this house is coming together nicely.” Several gold crowns glittered when he smiled, a reminder of his days of Gridiron glory.
	“Thank you. I couldn't have done it without Steven.” She didn't have to turn around to know that he stood in the doorway behind her.
	The young man's face was inscrutable. He didn't look pissed, but he didn't look happy either- just indifferent. The clacking of Dutch's feet broke the silence. He crossed the room and held his hand out to Steven.
	“You must be Steven. Ruby told me that you were helping out Stormy. I thank you kindly.” Dutch's voice was loud, but friendly, Stormy couldn't recollect if Dutch had a different sounding voice, if he did he had never used it on her.
	“Yep, helping her out good. Sorry it took so long for her to get to the door. We were busy getting her gutters cleaned out.” As words left his lips, Stormy felt a warm rush move to her cheeks.
	Stormy thought that Steven's eyes looked a little greener. It seemed like it might be just her imagination, but now that she could hear it in his voice. She knew for certain now. Steven was jealous of Dutch.
	Dutch chuckled and looked down at his hand, before pulling it back. “Sorry to interrupt that,” he said, his voice calm and cool as always.
	Stormy knew that Dutch was above petty jabs and comments of that ilk. The silence in the room thundered with every second that slipped by. Stormy thought her head was going to explode if something did happen. 
	Blissfully, words spilled from her lips. “Was there something you needed Dutch?”
	“Oh, yeah. I have to go out of town this weekend. Lee Bonnam is retiring and we're throwing him a farewell party. I didn't think you would want me to take the girls, so I was wandering if you would mind putting them up for the weekend?” Dutch paced while he talked, moving to get look at a hole in the wall where the thermostat had been.
	“That would be fantastic! Oh my God, are you sure it's alright? The house isn't fully done, but their room is ready.” Stormy felt a surge of excitement rush through her, making her giddy.
	“Looks pretty solid to me though. One question. What's up with this hole in the wall?” He pointed one giant sausage finger at the hole he'd been admiring.
	“That's where the thermostat should be.” Steven said.
	Stormy saw a doubtful look come into Dutch's eyes. “Yeah, I haven't had the money to have someone come in and put in a new heater or air conditioner. I just got a new water heater, and it kind of tapped me out.” Her embarrassment dripped from her face like sweat.
	“I see. You've been living in this house with no air or heat?” Dutch's voice dropped in tone, but remained friendly. “Well, shit, that won't do. I'll have a guy come over on Thursday to look at your ducts and give me an estimate. I'll have you up and running by Friday.”
	“No, I don't want you to do that for me.” Stormy moved up and put her hands on one of his large forearm. She could practically feel the heat radiating off of Steven.
	“Make no mistake, I ain't doing it for you. I'm doing it for my babies. If you want them to stay here, then you gotta get this shit fixed.” 
	“You're right Dutch...Thank you.” Stormy said begrudgingly, Dutch had her over a barrel and she knew it.
	“Cool, I'll drop the kids off Saturday morning.” Dutch started toward the door.
	“When do you want them back?” Stormy followed behind him.
	“Probably Sunday, maybe Monday morning. It all depends on how much “jet-lag” I have.” Dutch used his fingers to make the parenthesis in the air.
	Stormy slapped his bicep playfully. “Well don't drink to much, and don't get in trouble, either. Be safe. I'll see you Saturday.”
	Dutch turned and looked at Steven, the corners of his mouth had turned down. “See ya Steve-o, thanks again for all the help you've been giving my wife...er. Ex-wife.”
	Every muscle in Stormy's body tensed. She knew that Dutch had made that mistake on purpose. It was his way of getting a jab in. Dutch gave Stormy a friendly hug and left. Stormy stood at the door and watched him go. The excitement of finally getting to see her kids dissipated, being replaced by fear. She didn't want to turn around and see the look on Steven's face.
	The clacking footfall behind her came fast. Stormy closed her eyes and waited to see what Steven was going to do. Steven pulled her around, dragging her into the guest bathroom. She cried out. 
	He didn't speak to her. The only sound he made was frustrated grunts and heavy breathing. When she opened her eyes, she stood  in front of the mirror. The reflection of Steven's red and angry face behind her hurt more the ache in her forearm. He pushed her to lean over the counter. Her muzzle hit the mirror hard enough to cause it to bleed.
	“Take your panties off.” He whispered, his voice cracking from his jealous rage.
	“I don't want to do this.” Stormy's voice trembled, but the fight was leaving her.
	Steven grunted hard and gripped the band of her panties, yanking on them, until they finally tore away. The fabric digging and cutting into Stormy's flesh. She gritted her teeth around the pain, wishing she had taken them off when he told her too. 
	Stormy knew what he was going to do next. She wanting to stop him, but knew that this was what he needed. Dutch had come into “his” house, spraying his scent on everything that Steven thought his. Steven's ego was bruised now. The confidence that she'd given him, shaken. He needed to feel in control again. It was a small price to pay.
	And pay she did. It hurt. Not just physically, but emotionally. He wasn't gentle, nor did he care if she enjoyed it. It was his way of being in control of the situation. Being in control of her. It would have devastated him to know that she was the real puppet master. Stormy fought back her tears, pressing her head against the mirror so it wouldn't bang against it, or risk shattering it over her.
	For a second, she thought that she heard Steven crying, but couldn't be sure. His thrusting grew erratic. He was close, and she could tell. Could always tell when he was getting ready to cum. For a split second, she thought to tell him to pull out. Tell him that she didn't want him cumming inside of her. That would make all of this for nothing, though. He had to have that conquest. Knowing that he'd planted his see in her would make him feel better.
	When he did cum, she didn't know if it made him feel better, but she did know that it made her feel worse. More hollow than she felt when he pulled out and zipped up. In the mirror she saw his eyes were red, tear streaks traced down his face. Even after what he'd done to her, she wanted to comfort him, but it hurt too bad to do anything other than cling to the sink. Stormy watched his reflection open it's mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He just turned and left the room. The sounds of his hoof beats disappeared with the slamming of the door.
	Stormy fell to her knees, throwing up the small amount of food she had eaten today, but it did little to fight the nausea that washed over her. That was when the tears came, an unstoppable torrent of them, streaming from her eyes.