Love Is Just A Game

Chapter 1:

“I want what you and Adam have,” I sighed bouncing my best friend Seth’s six month old son Trey on my hip as we sat on his porch watching his hot hubby mow the lawn. Adam had sexy abs and well-he was sweaty. HOT. “Why can’t I find anyone?”
“He’s out there,” Seth sighed, looking at his husband with stars in his eyes. “I promise.”
“No-forever alone,” I sighed. “I’ll just spoil Trey, not like I’ll find anyone to have babies with.”
“Why not date Bennett?” He asked.
My heart clenched. “It isn’t that simple.”
“Why not,” He retorted. “You sleep with him all the time.”
“When he’s bored,” I corrected. “Not really stable-and he’s dating that stupid whore SAMANTHA.”
“What are you ladies gossiping about?” Adam teased, coming on the porch.
“Your hot body,” I laughed. “And how I’ll never get a man.”
“Thought you and Bennett would be planning to elope soon.” He said.
I frowned. “No.”
Seth gave him a look. “Sore subject babe.”
“Sorry.” Adam gave me a sad smile.
“Its fine doll,” I smiled. “Not your fault.”
My phone chimed.
~Meet me at 3? *Bennett Suicide*~
~For? –Lulu Lust-~
~Samantha + I broke up. *Bennett Suicide*~
~How about 5? I’m at Adam and Seth’s playing with the baby. -Lulu Lust-~
~Sounds fine. *Bennett Suicide*~
“Booty call?” Seth asked.
“Yes.” I replied.
He shook his head. “If you keep spreading your legs, he’ll keep screwing you and throw you away.”
I frowned. “I know.”
“Why do you do it?” Adam asked.
“Because I hate myself if I don’t,” I sighed. “I told him no last time…I wanted to so bad but I couldn’t handle it. I gave in. I’ll give in again.”
I met Bennett at his apartment at five like I promised and he didn’t even talk to me before he’d kissed me and had me in the bed with him.
“Are you done?” I asked softly afterward.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He asked, taking my hand.
I pulled away. “It means are you done with me for today or not?”
“Laura-“ He began.
“No,” I shook my head. “Just tell me, are you done today or not?”
“I’m done.” He answered
I got dressed. “Well bye I guess.”
“Do you want to catch a movie?” He asked.
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to play it normal after we have sex Bennett. I’m fine.”
“I was serious Lulu.” He stood up and my eyes were instantly drawn to him.
I couldn’t even half deny it; Bennett had an amazing body because he was always working out. Really made me wonder why he wanted anything with me.
I definitely wasn’t the skinniest girl in the world and never had been. But I’d definitely lost a lot of weight since I’d moved to LA two years ago around my twenty fifth birthday.
I was five four or so and a size ten. But I guess I made it work because even though I’d lost a bunch of weight, I still had my boobs. Which probably accounted for Bennett. He was a freak for big boobs.
Maybe my hair too, he’d told me once his favorite thing about Samantha was her long dark hair. And I had long dark hair, all the way down to my ass that I’d grown out so I could do more with it.
“I’m going home to bed,” I replied. “I’m not really dressed to go out anywhere.”
“Stay here in the bed with me then,” He wrapped his arms around me. “Come on, we haven’t done anything in weeks.”
“Months,” I corrected. “And we just had sex. That is doing something.”
“Well if that is all you actually want to do with me, let’s do it again.” He kissed me.
“I really want a nap.” I murmured as he pulled off my shirt.
“We’ll nap after,” He replied. “Come on baby.”
I froze. Baby? Since when did he call me baby?
“Is that a no?” He asked.
“Of course not,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his neck. “When have I ever said no?”
I ended up staying the night and waking up alone. But with a note on the nightstand telling me he’d went to get Starbucks and to stay in bed if I wanted.
“Hey gorgeous,” Bennett said walking in with my hot chocolate and his Frappuccino. “Sleep well?”
“Yea,” I yawned. “I need to go home in a minute though. I need a shower for work.”
“You can shower here.” He handed me my drink.
“I don’t have clothes here babe,” I rolled my eyes. “But thanks.”
“So how is Trey? You went and saw Seth and the baby yesterday, right?”
“He’s mean as ever,” I replied.
“Whose fault is that?” He raised an eyebrow.
I stage coughed. “His favorite auntie Lulu who buys him everything a little boy could want maybe?”
“Yea that’s who I was thinking.”
“Shame on that girl,” I tsked. “What kind of person spoils a baby like she does?”
He laughed. “So I have you something.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
He opened his closet and fumbled around for a few minutes until he found what he was looking for and put it on the bed beside me.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
Lying beside me was the only set of Scarlett and Rhett dolls I’d ever saw that matched my mental image of them. I hadn’t bought them because they were two hundred. Each.
I was a total freak for anything Gone With The Wind. I belonged on My Crazy Obsession with it.
“I love you,” I decided, staring at the dolls. “And I will bear your children for this.”
He snorted. “Are you talking to me or the dolls?”
“The dolls of course,” I smirked at him. “I don’t love you. Nor will I have your children.”
He rolled his eyes. “Crazy.”
“Hey,” I defended. “You know I’m teasing. I love you-to a certain point.”
I left a few minutes later after hardcore kissing him for the dolls and went home to take a shower and get ready for work.
I could pretty much wear whatever I wanted, because I worked for my favorite band-Hollywood Undead-and they didn’t really care if I came to work in jeans and a t-shirt. Or nothing at all for all that they cared. They were my best friends-other than Bennett, Seth, and Adam.
So I got dressed in my favorite jeans and my Hunger Games T-shirt and Converse before jumping in my black Chevy Blazer-Kitty-and going to work.
“Hey sis,” George said when I walked in the studio and plopped onto the comfy couch beside him. “You look like you’re tired.”
“Stayed with Bennett last night.” I blushed.
“Oh so you had a long night-or is it short?” Dylan laughed.
“Perv,” I shook my head with a smile. “And it was definitely a LONG night.”
“Since when are you dating Bennett anyway?” Jorel asked, playing with his phone.
“I’m not,” I replied. “We just…have sex when he and Samantha are broken up.”
“Lalalala,” Danny plugged his ears. “I am under the forced belief that you are forever a virgin and you don’t even know what sex is so shut up.”
I snorted. “Because it is entirely possible for me to be that innocent with you guys as best friends. And my dirty mouthed gay best friend and his husband.”
“You love us.” Jordon shrugged.
“I do,” I agreed, smiling at him. “You guys are the best.”
I’d met the guys because I’d started out as a IT and Web Design chick for their record label A&M Octone but after I did their site and they loved it with an almost sickening passion, they hired me just to work for them. And became my best friends.
After work, I picked Trey up for Seth and Adam because they both had to work super late. And I was an amazing auntie who even had a room for little Trey at my apartment.
“Do you have my nephew?” Bennett called me like…two minutes after I put Trey in the bouncy seat so I could fix myself a small dinner.
“Yea, didn’t Adam tell you I picked him up?” I asked.
“Yea, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t need to go pick him up.”
“I got him,” I cooed at the beautiful Carmelo colored baby. “But you can come by if you want to eat with me. I think I’ll have him until way after dinner.”
Bennett and Adam were twin brothers, which was, oddly enough, how I met Bennett.
On Seth’s first date with Adam-a blind date in fact-I’d been sitting at the bar being wing woman just in case something went wrong and Bennett was doing the same thing sitting beside me.

Flashback:
“Hey,” The gorgeous guy who’d been sitting beside me all night said. “You look bored.”
“I am,” I laughed. “My best friend is on a date and I’m supposed to keep an eye out and make sure nothing goes badly.”
“My brother is on a date too,” He laughed. “With that ginger over there. Why Adam is with a ginger, I don’t know.”
“That ginger is my best friend,” I glared at him. “So shut up.”
“Oh no,” He said. “Nothing against him, I just-well my brother usually dates the buff blonde guys. I kind of prefer the ginger. He looks like he wants the same thing as Adam.”
“Seth is looking for real love,” I said. “And just so you know, if your brother hurts him, I’ll hunt you both down.”
“Same with your friend.” He said.
“Deal.” We shook on it.
End Flashback.
“Maybe, I have to clean up.” He replied.
“Okay,” I knew by the tone of his voice he wouldn’t show up. “By the way, are we still throwing Seth and Adam the surprise anniversary party next week?”
“Yea, I have all the invitations sent out, already paid for the hall, set up the caterer and whatnot. You just have to show your pretty butt up.”
“You think my butt is pretty?” I blurted with a giggle.
“You have an amazing ass.” He replied.
I snorted. “You’re getting me confused with your other sex buddy.”
“Oh you’re right,” He agreed. “Except there is only one girl I’ve slept with in the last six months.”
“Anyway,” I ignored that. “Are we going in together on the gift or what? I have some ideas.”
“Do you want to?” He asked.
“Well,” I bit my lip. “Based on what I know they want, we’d have to.”
“And that is?” He asked.
“Well, they’ve been DYING for a getaway,” I said. “As in more than a little weekend boating trip with Trey. I was thinking, we could go in together and give them a trip to Vegas or something. I’ll keep Trey while they’re gone.”
“Why couldn’t I keep him while they’re gone?” He sounded offended.
“Because I have a room set up for him Bennett,” I rolled my eyes. “And I’m not saying you couldn’t, I’m just saying that they can have a short getaway without a baby to take care of. We still have a week to figure out who will watch the baby while they’re gone.”
“Well, you can set up the trip. Or have the basic details so that they can decide when they can go.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “And Bennett?”
“Yes?” He asked.
“We can both take care of Trey,” I told him. “They’ll be gone a week. We can take turns or stay together to do it. Either way, I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings.”
“I know,” He promised. “I need to go; I’ll talk to you later.”
He didn’t show up for dinner, not that I expected him to. But Seth and Adam did and I was glad I thought to make extra. To be gay, sometimes the boys were useless with household stuff.
Okay, not really. I was usually the useless one on cooking and cleaning. But only because I usually snuck over to their place for dinner. But really, I was basically their second child. Their twenty-seven year old, sleeps with Adam’s twin brother child.
And that just made me feel creepy, so I switched my train of thought for a while, playing over some of the exchanges I’d had with Bennett over the past few days when I realized Seth was trying to get my attention.
For the past five minutes.
“Huh?” I asked dumbly.
“I asked if you had problems picking Trey up from the babysitter. She has your picture and everything to know you have permission to get him, but I just wanted to be sure.” He replies.
“Oh, no, I’ve picked him up a couple of times, remember? She knows me.”
“Good, so what has you distracted?” Adam asked.
“Your brother,” I answered simply. “He’s…suddenly acting withdrawn at times and then being all loving. It’s killing me.”
“Well,” Seth shrugged. “You bring it on yourself.”
“I try,” I said dryly. “He bought me those Gone With The Wind dolls I wanted so badly.”
“The four hundred dollar ones?” Adam asked, shocked.
We shared a love of Gone With The Wind-only reason I approved of him for Seth. Not really, but it helped that I had a gay GWTW buddy out of their relationship. And he helped me find a lot of my antiques that decorated my apartment, and was with me when I found the dolls.
“Yea and it really isn’t helping my issues,” I sighed. “What kind of guy buys his sex buddy a four hundred dollar set of dolls?”
“Well, he’s your best friend,” Adam shrugged. “And he has the money, so it makes sense.”
“Since when does he have the money for that?” I raised an eyebrow.
Bennett was a tattoo artist, so he made good money-and tattooed me for free a lot-but not good enough money that he should be spending four hundred on a set of dolls. No matter how much I did love them.
“I thought you knew that we both inherited a bunch of money?”
“Uh no,” I replied. “When did this happen?”
“Five years ago,” Adam replied. “From our grandparents. Grandpa was a doctor and grandma was a nurse. They also had a bunch of investments. They left us each a hundred thousand or so.”
My mouth dropped. “And he didn’t tell me? Here I was always if he wanted to do something, refusing to let him spend money on almost anything. I paid for A LOT how could he do that?”
“Because he hordes the money pretty much,” Adam shrugged. “It is in a savings account. And Samantha drains him dry of what he doesn’t horde.”
“I can’t believe he kept this from me,” I whispered. “I don’t give a shit about him having money, it just sucks that he didn’t tell me.”
“He probably had a good reason for not, I mean, think about what Samantha does to him.”
“Well I’m not her,” I bit my lip. “And I would never take his money. All I care about is that he never offered to pay for his movie ticket, his food. I did all of it.”
“He should have,” Seth agreed. “It’s rude that he didn’t.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter I guess. I’ll live.”
After the guys left, I curled up on my couch and played Xbox until Bennett called around midnight.
“Yea?” I answered bitterly.
“Hey gorgeous,” He said. “Want to go out to dinner?”
“Already ate.”
“What about a movie?” He asked.
“Don’t want to go anywhere.”
“Netflix?”
“No thanks.”
“What do you want to do?”
“How about you start being honest with me,” I replied bitingly. “And maybe I’ll talk to you then. Bye Bennett.”
He called back immediately and I sighed.
“What?!”
“What is wrong with you?” He asked.
“I was informed that you can more than afford McDonalds, a movie, whatever the hell you want,” I spat. “And you don’t even offer to pay for it most of the time.”
“Oh.” He said simply.
“You know, I don’t care that you’re filthy rich,” I was crying now. “I care that you thought so little of me that you thought I’d try and use you because of it.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He said.
“Well you did,” I bit my lip. “You can find something else to get Seth and Adam. I have the trip under control.”
“Laura-“ He began.
But I’d already hung up.
****
I didn’t see Bennett or speak to him again until the next week at the anniversary party where Seth and Adam were smiling happily and Trey was being passed around between his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everyone.
“You look beautiful.” Bennett told me when I walked in and everyone’s eyes went to me for a minute before they went back to what they were doing.
I was wearing a knee length black dress that hugged all my curves and had red ruffles around the neckline-a sweetheart neckline-all my tattoos on my arms, legs, and back were showing. My hair was done in a vintage style with pin curls with a red rose pinned in my bangs. I’d done my make-up pretty light, with just enough to highlight my features.
“Thanks,” I didn’t look at him and instead hurried over to Seth and Adam. “Having fun guys?”
“Yea, Miss Late for Even Parties You’re Throwing.” Seth hugged me.
“I’m not throwing it,” I replied. “This is all Bennett’s work.”
“But he said you were doing this with him.” Adam said.
“Nope,” I said. “It was all his money. I, on the other hand, got you guys something amazing.”
“It may take a lot to beat out Bennett’s getting us a set of jet skis for the boat.” Adam teased.
I handed them the plane tickets. “For whatever dates you decide to go. And I’ll be getting your hotel when you decide the dates.”
“Vegas,” Seth asked excitedly. “Really?!”
“Yep.” I popped the p.
“What about Trey?” Adam asked.
“Auntie Lulu will watch him of course,” I smiled. “Already cleared it with the guys that I can have a week off whenever.”
“You’re the best.” Seth decided.
I grinned.
We all sat down for dinner much later and I got stuck beside Bennett.
“You know,” Bennett said as a waitress poured me a glass of red wine. “The reason I never told you was because every person I’ve ever told about the money uses me. Guy friends, girlfriends, anyone. Adam didn’t even tell Seth until they’d been together for four months or more. And I made them both promise not to tell you because I didn’t want it to change our friendship.”
“You think really little of me Bennett,” I said, sipping my wine. “So you can shut up now.”
“Admit it,” He said. “If you’d known, anything I did get you, it wouldn’t mean as much.”
I ignored him.
“Imagine it,” He said. “Knowing I had money. Would you have been as happy with those dolls?”
I sighed. “Maybe not.”
“I’m sorry I kept it from you,” He took my hand in his. “But I did it to keep you in my life. I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You’re being stupid Bennett,” I pulled my hand away. “You’re my best friend and I’d never do anything as stupid as quit speaking to you because of money.”
“No, but I’d have to stop speaking to you. Money has always made people use me.”
“Personally, I don’t care that you have money,” I rolled my eyes. “I have plenty of money myself. I’m not bothered by the fact that you do.”
“Let’s make a deal,” He held his hand out to me. “We put this entire argument behind us and pretend it never happened. And as far as either of us is concerned, nothing happened.”
“Deal.” I agreed.