Chapter 71 Are You Challenging Me? (1/2)

”Psst. Hey you. Yeah, you.” Damien sniffed and swiped at his nose like a druggie. He approached several young ladies while wearing a dark trenchcoat. ”Ya'll want some of that snickerdoodle?” He then opened his coat to reveal several baggies and small boxes of fresh baked goods.

The ladies first backed away in fright, wary. But that changed as soon as they saw his face. As he knew it would.

Got 'em, hook, line and sinker.

He could see it in their now heart-shaped eyes…oh yeah. They were his now.

Damien snickered quietly to himself. ”And yet another group fallen to the sweet, seductive scent of my chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie recipe.”

Bubbles gave him a mild stare.

In reality they'd probably just lost their souls to the sinfully handsome young boy who'd approached them, but Bubbles didn't have the heart to correct him.

She returned to her own duties instead. ”Buy one box get a second half off!” Bubbles promoted with a winning smile. She wore a short white skirt and top while holding a giant sign. The scant, restrictive clothing showed off her long legs and ripening breasts to full effect.

Next to her Evie was dressed like a mummy. From head to toe she was decked out in plain white bandages. Her excuse was that she didn't want to show such a ”vulgar” body to her Master.

Yet the superb size and volume of her new body's breasts couldn't be contained so easily and she looked like the cutest mummy on the planet with the way she silently went up to potential customers and pointed to their baked goods stall just a few feet away.

Her huge red eyes begged, ”Please come?” and none were capable of refusing such an endearing sight. It also helped that there was a sort of innately charming aura that made their hearts palpitate and that the majority of customers who came her way were men, but yeah.

Minerva also joined in, though in a different manner. She took the initiative to hand out the goods and take the money.

It was a good system. While Damien was busy bringing in the women, Bubbles and Evie raked in the men.

And when they got that first bite of Damien's cooking? They were well and truly trapped.

In case it wasn't clear, yes. Dolly really made him do a bake sale.

The little girl was in the back of the erected tent now counting their profits from the last batch.

Several long hours later, after shooing away the lingering bishoujos and annoyingly persistent men trying to strike up conversations with his two helpers, he finally got a break.

He stood behind the long table they'd sat the baked goods--now empty--and let out a long sigh as he stretched his arms.

Just then Bubbles came up from behind and slipped in naturally by his side.

”I missed this. I really did.” Bubbles threaded her arms through one of his own with her own sigh, one of supreme contentment.

Vera, who'd been watching from start to finish, slightly frowned.

Damien noticed and flicked Bubbles on the forehead before extracting his arm from her embrace. ”I'm taken. ” He thrust his nose up in the air. ”Hmph.” And turned away.

Bubbles snorted. ”By who? That mosshead? Please.”

”Hey, that's my future wife you're talking about there. Best watch yourself. I'm still considering that buttered fish idea.”

The young woman's eyes gained a naughty light and she leaned forward. Her lips mere inches from his ear, she whispered, ”I think we've already covered that, haven't we?”

”I recall no such thing.” He monotoned.

She kept on. ”How did I taste?”

Damien ignored her.

He felt her trail kisses on his neck the very next moment. ”Was I good? Hmm?” She wrapped her arms around his chest. ”I wouldn't mind another taste myself, you know.”

Now as attractive as that may sound, he didn't take the bait. He elbowed her right in the stomach. Her seductive act fell apart instantly as she sucked in a sharp breath of pain.

”Oof!” A grunt. ” Cocks!. That hurt, dammit!” She glared. Bubbles felt wronged. ”What's with you? We had such an amazing time and now you're acting like a total asshat!”

Damien shrugged. ”That was then this is now.”

Bubbles put her hands on her hips and stared him down. ”Oh, sure, how convenient for you, huh? I thought after that week together you'd changed your mind about us. It's not like I really expect you to take a relationship between us seriously. I mean I wasn't planning on making us exclusive. But what? You just want to pretend we never happened or something? And after all that talk about how you wanted to chase that kitten of yours, you end up with mosshead instead? Seriously?”

He shook his head sadly. ”Life is like that sometimes. Just how it is, you know? I didn't plan it, it simply worked out that way. Vera's different. Special.”

Chelsea felt a tiny prick when he said that.

She couldn't help but feel...frustrated? It's like, yeah, she didn't love him. At most they were friends. But that week they spent together was different, you know? That first day had only been the beginning of the slow, idle debauchery.

It's not like she never fooled around with a man before. She wasn't a virgin. But her experience with him and her experience with other men were worlds apart.

It was like when he tended to her she had his entire focus. The way he teased her with light, smoldering kisses and how he made all else just fade away…

Every time he touched her he was thorough and careful as if he was holding something incredibly dear to his heart. And ever look he sent her way made her feel like she was the only one in his eyes.

Like she was...special.

But now he was using that same word for someone else. Like she was was the only one who felt that week had meant anything. Like everything they'd done wasn't important at all to him.

”I kind of thought you felt I was special, too.”

Damien bit into a cookie. ”It's not the same at all.” He told her. And of course it wasn't the same. Vera trusted him with something infinitely precious. She'd given him not just her heart, but her everything.

He could feel it with him even now, like a second heartbeat. He didn't quite understand how, but in some weird way it was a part of him now.

”Even though I'm your wife?”

”Fake wife.”

She smiled dauntlessly and laughed. ”Yeah? It doesn't feel quite so fake anymore though.”

She wouldn't cry, dammit. It wasn't like her. She refused to.

”Says the girl who only proposed the idea because she was hoping my mother would help save her from my big bad uncle after she shatters his home?”

”For the good of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people.” She cut in. ”And if you really felt like that then why the hell did you even bother with me anyway?”

Damien took great offense to that. ”Oh please, come on. Even if you're my fake wife you're still my wife. I've gotta keep you satisfied, right? I'm not letting my wife scratch her itch with someone else. Hell no. And besides it was our honeymoon. I had to provide SOME sort of service.”

Bastard, Bubbles thought. He's a goddamn bastard.

Those days really didn't matter to him.

And neither did she.

But no. It was all good. Like she said it's not as if she loved him. She just couldn't stand it. This...this feeling of being played with. The feeling of idiocy.

If it was just a service, then why? Why'd he have to hold her as he had? Why'd he have to look at her the way he did?

”You're really a rather cruel guy, aren't you?” She arched a brow.

”When did I ever make it seem like I wasn't?” He shot back.

And he was right.