Dancing With Devia (21 page)

Devia had laughed for months, she thought that without her sister there, everyone would love
her
now, but then, everyone shied away from her.  H
e
r sister’s act tainting
her
good reputation and she, Devia, became the butt of all the on campus jokes.
They started calling her Monika and asking if she had a blue dress too? 
She tried to tell them it wasn’t her, but that didn’t matter, not to them.  Well, that was almost the truth, but they wouldn’t know that.  The more she defended herself against her sister’s actions, the more they became the truth, Devia had, over time, convinced herself that it
had
been Venia and not her.

Devia had only once, right at the beginning, tried to explain to Venia why she had done it.  Why she had said she was her.  But Venia was so furious, she didn’t want anything to do with her.
Venia had tried to tell them all it had been Devia, but no one would believe her.  Her own sister, Venia, had left her.
The one person that was supposed to be by her side through thick and thin.  Devia hated Venia even more for leaving her, abandoning her.
After everything she had been through, Venia had betrayed her.  She was furious. She would make Venia pay.

Devia had had no one.
Her parents were so upset that they cast ‘the good daughter’ away.  They more or less clamped down on her.  They became more protective, giving her strict curfews and all her freedom had been taken away, all because of Venia.   It was all
‘her’
fault and she hated her, even more.

***

Now, almost twenty years later, she wandered around her sister’s house.  Eventually all the sex noises from the master bedroom stopped and the music switched off.  She had to creep around now, so as not to wake them.
She went downstairs and hid in the utility room.
It didn’t look like Venia ever used it anyway.
There was even a servant’s room off it as well, with a handy single bed, with a bare mattress.
She didn’t care.
She shut the door and made herself comfortable for the night.  She would sort her sister out in the morning, when Julian had gone.

“What the fuck, are you doing here?”  Venia had gone to the kitchen in the middle of the night and had heard snoring coming from her utility room.  She found Devia and shook her awake.

“Oh! You! I came to say hi.”  Devia said sweetly, she was not quite awake, but suddenly felt adrenaline coursing through her veins. She cursed herself mentally for making a noise. Now everything was ruined.

“How did you get in?” Venia demanded to know.

“Your spare key out the back.  Didn’t you put it there for me?”

“No.”  Venia cursed. “I want you to get out of my house, right now.”

“Why? I’m your long
,
lost
,
loving sister.” Devia hissed back.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“Oh, I wondered when you would ask.”

“You have my boyfriend upstairs in your bed.” Devia said angrily.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“You don’t believe me?  He has a birthmark on his left testicle, check the next time you are blowing him!”

“Get out of my house! Now!”

“No, why should I?  We are supposed to share everything.
You made an oath when we were little.”

“Little?  Did you share my troubles when
you
got me kicked out of university for something
you
did?  Did you check I was ok?
Come after me?
Did you explain to mum and dad, the town, the university and the newspapers?  No, you left me on my own.
And did you explain to Julian, who I had just started seeing, what had happened?  No, you tried to take him too.
I want you out. NOW.”

“Oh, that!
He didn’t want you.
He fucked me to get back at you.
We’ve been fucking for years now.
Why do you think I sent you the postcard?  I won!
He’s mine!”

“He
fucked
you?”

“Hell yeah.” Devia lied.  She had tried to get him drunk and into her bed, but he was too upset about Venia with the lecturer.
He wouldn’t do it.  She hated him for that and swore she would get him, even if it took her all her life.
He would be hers.
She deserved him.

“I won’t go.” Devia said petulantly. “Not without him.
He’s mine.”

“Oh yes you will.”  Venia grabbed Devia by the hair and started to drag her out of the servant’s room.  She pulled her, with all her might, towards the front door. 

Devia saw red, she turned on her like a wild cat, scratching and kicking.  Venia had a slighter frame and Devia used this to her advantage.
They started scuffling.

Devia hit her head repeatedly against the wall, whilst Venia was punching and grabbing at her, but Devia was now a seasoned hardened ninja killer.  She switched into killer mode and hit Venia’s head harder against the wall.  Blood started splattering against the wall and a larger red patch appeared.
She carried on hitting until the thuds made a wet thwacking sound.  The blood matting the back of her hair.  The whites of her eyes showed as the pupils rolled into the back of her head.
Venia was moaning, a guttural painful sound.
Devia stopped and let her fall to the floor, Devia slid down the wall, a red bloody trail behind her head.  She looked around for something to stop her moans. She needed to muffle it, so that it didn’t wake Julian.

She opened her handbag and rooted around inside.  Sometimes she carried spare panties with her, in case she was caught short.
Or her period started unexpectedly, even though she hadn’t had a period for a while.
At the bottom of her bag, she found the socks she had taken from Julian’s sock drawer.
She laughed at the irony.  Bending down she stuffed them into her sister’s mouth.
The sound was much quieter now.
Devia smiled, but she didn’t know what to do with her sister.
Should she tie her up?
Finish the job and kill her?  She liked the idea of a slow death for her sister, for all the nastiness she had done to her, like when she…  She couldn’t think of a single nasty thing she had done to her, but she remembered lots of things she, Devia, had done to her sister. No matter.  She felt calmer now.
Now, that her sister was not going to be a threat to her and Julian any more.
Julian would love
her
.

She decided to leave Venia against the wall.  She wouldn’t be going anywhere soon.  She crept upstairs and got into bed with Julian. As he slept, she blew him. His groans almost waking him up as he came.
She smiled and left the bed.  If she went to the all night chemist, she could dye her hair the same shade as her sisters, and become her, once more.  It had worked years ago, why couldn’t she do it again? 

She smiled as the plan took shape in her mind.

“You look tired.” He said as he joined her in the kitchen, his hair was ruffled from the great sleep he had.  He walked in naked, as though he owned the place, his body in great shape.

“Mmhmm,” she said.

“You ok?”

“Mmhmm.”  Devia didn’t know what to say.
She hadn’t seen her sister for years and she didn’t quite know how she had acted with him.
She hadn’t watched her mannerisms long enough to impersonate her.
She hoped he would put it down to her being tired.

And like a true guy, he didn’t seem
fazed
.
She gave him a glass of orange juice and he took it from her, winked and smiled, then went to sit at the breakfast bar.
She started to cook him a
hot
breakfast.

“I didn’t know you cooked.”

“Didn’t you?”  She smiled at him, trying to do the smile her sister did, with one side of her mouth higher than the other.

“Nope.
I had you down for having servants do it for you.” Devia froze.  She hadn’t even thought of that.  She regretted her scuffle with her sister.
She was unprepared.
She had checked on her sister this morning, and she was still there, in her white robe, darkening blood on the wall like an arrow going right down to her head.  Julian’s socks still gagging her mouth.
She smiled.  Now,
that
thought did cheer her up.  He thought she was
her
.  He hadn’t even clocked it.  Why should he?  You go to bed with a woman, you automatically assume it’s her when you get up, and if you don’t know she has a twin, why would you think different?  She smiled to herself and stirred the food in the frying pan.

“Weren’t you wearing something else last night?” He said, looking at her cream negligee.  Devia was glad she had been exercising over the past few months; her body had changed from being plump to being almost as svelte as her sister.

“ Yes, I spilled something earlier.” She smiled and shrugged as she spoke.

“Oh.” He nodded.

“I was thinking.” She said, as she stirred the eggs in the pan. “We should go away on holiday together, just you and me.”

“Great. When?”

“Today.”

“Today?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes, why wait?  I’m sure Andrew would let you go.”

“Andrew? How do you know about Andrew?” Devia had almost let it slip, and she cursed herself mentally for being so stupid.
She would have to be careful.

“You talk in your sleep.  You were mumbling Andrew and the word bookings, I just figured…”

“Oh. Yes.  He’s my boss.” Julian said absent-mindedly.  Devia almost offered to call for him to ask for the time off, but stopped herself just in time.

“I’ll call him to just let him know. Bookings have been slow lately, anyway.” Julian said.

“Good. I’ll make the arrangements then.”

“Nice.”

“Where are we going?” He asked.  She turned and smiled at him, a creepy smile in her mind, but a million dollar smile on her face.

“I’ll surprise you.”

“Ok. I like surprises.”  He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist.  For a second he stopped, and thought for a moment, but then he held her to him.  She leaned against him as she had seen her sister do with him.  He kissed the top of her head affectionately.

“You’ll like this one.”  She said
.
,
I
i
n
her mind
, she was
laughing
out
loud.

***

“Las Vegas?  You are taking me to Las Vegas?”  He laughed.  He thought this the ultimate sin and play city and never in a million years would he have expected her to bring him there.
He had thought the Caribbean, or horse riding in the Midwest, but Las Vegas?  She had really surprised him there. They boarded the plane, and sat in first class, sipping their champagne together.
She wanted to treat him to everything, using Venia’s money, of course.
If it had been her, it would have been a bottle of Asti and a nearby motel.  But no, Venia, had class and she wanted to live it up.
Just like Venia would.

They checked into the Chairman suite at the Bellagio, a beautiful 4,000 square feet of living paradise.  He whistled as they entered.
It was beyond sumptuous, he would have been happy with a standard double downstairs.
Venia sure liked to live it up.

“I’ve been thinking.” Devia said, as the valet put their cases in their room. “Why don’t we get married?”  He looked at her as though she had hit him with a wet fish.  “I mean, it’s not like we haven’t got chemistry, and we are both old enough to know what we want.
I want you.”

“I’m just surprised that’s all.
It’s a bit quick, don’t you think?” Julian said, an earnest look on his face.  She was going beyond surprising him. They had only known each other a few days. She left his arms and went to the window and looked out at Las Vegas glittering outside.  She sighed.  Maybe this wouldn’t work either, not if he were going to say no to Venia too.
She looked at herself, but saw her sister’s reflection in the window.

“It’s just, I want you Julian. I thought you wanted me too.” Devia looked up under her eyelashes to see his reaction and was pleased to see his face torn with emotion.
He came over to her and turned her around and looked her in the eyes.

“Hey, Venia.”  She stiffened, not used to being called by her sister’s name and hating that he said
her
name and not her own.  Julian saw her stiffen, and felt sorry for her.
He saw how much marriage meant to her, and he did want her.  He had felt attracted to her, and her raven black hair since he met her.
She was exotic, intelligent, and beautiful.

“Of course, we can get married.” He murmured into her ear as he kissed her.
Devia almost squealed and leapt into his arms, but instead she leaned towards him, lifted up her face to him and kissed him.

Julian kissed her.  Something didn’t feel right, he couldn’t put his finger on it.  She didn’t kiss him the same way, and her kisses felt different.  He must be tired.

“I’ll arrange it. You doing anything tomorrow?” Devia said.

“Tomorrow?” Julian replied in shock.

“Yeah, why wait?” She smiled and raised her palms in question.

“Tomorrow’s good. I guess.”  Julian started chuckling. 

“Why are you laughing?” Devia’s voice trembled.

“I can’t believe it.” He grinned.

“Believe what?”

“How long have we known each other?” He asked.

‘Forever.’
She wanted to answer, but instead she said. “Not long.
Does that matter to you?  I am the sort of woman who knows what she wants, and normally I get it.
I want
you
.”

“You sure do.”  He smiled at her.

“Come on, let’s go to the pool and have a look around. I’ll get a wedding planner to sort the details out.  You want a theme?” Devia’s heart was racing. It was getting closer. Soon he would be
hers
. Forever.

“I don’t care.  Anything but Elvis.”  He snorted in disbelief.
They were actually talking of marriage.

She kissed him and he entwined his hands in her hair, bringing her closer to him. “Mrs Mansell to be. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

She smiled and laughed, genuinely happy for a moment.

“Ju…lian, of course, yes!”  In her mind, he had asked
her
to marry him.  He hadn’t asked Venia.
She had almost called him ‘Juju.’  She had almost blown it.
She would have to be very careful.

They went out and explored Vegas together, holding hands as they wandered up the strip.  She left him for a short while, so she could buy herself something to get married in. The designer’s representatives were all there with a few of their collection in her size. Even though it was going to be a Vegas wedding, she wanted a proper wedding gown, and now
that
she had Venia’s money, she could buy whatever she wanted.
She was torn between a Lawrence Steele, a Christian Lacroix and a Vera Wang.  Each of the dresses were beautiful, in their own right.
As she couldn’t choose, she bought all three, so that she could decide on the day.
That took a quarter of a million dollars from her sister’s account and she loved the idea that money was suddenly no object.
A hairdresser was on standby, and a woman was coming in to do her makeup and bring all the bridal accessories that she needed, including shoes.
She was delighted that Chopard was sending a man over later with a massive diamond necklace, with matching earrings, and a tiara to sit above her veil.
By the time they would all be finished with her; she would look like a million dollars.  She smiled.  Her finished look would literally be a million dollars.  That’s how much she had budgeted on her wedding to Julian.  It would be worth every penny.  She deserved him.  She deserved the best.  Finally
,
Devia was going to be a bride.

Julian was going to sleep in the second bedroom of the suite and was to dress and leave first.  A limo would take him separately and she would join him ten minutes later for the ceremony.
Devia wanted to knock his socks off.  She laughed maliciously, not the socks she had stuffed in her sister, Venia’s mouth.  No, another pair.

That night they dined, danced, ate caviar and drank champagne.
And although she wanted to make passionate love with him, she felt that they should sleep separately for that one night.  She kissed him goodnight and laughed as she pushed him into his bedroom in the suite.
While she was walking back to her room, she thought of the fact she would have the rest of her life with this man.
She
had finally won.  He was hers, forever.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

***

This was it.  As she walked into the garden chapel at Caesars palace, her gown trailing behind her on the marble floor, she thought her heart would burst.  Julian was standing waiting for her, wearing a smart tuxedo with a grey and blue silk waistcoat, a matching silk handkerchief in his chest pocket.
He beamed as she walked towards him, a genuine smile of happiness, lust, desire, and yes, she thought she saw love too, and her heart skipped a beat.

She walked up to him, and despite the fact she had wanted this so much, her hands trembled with nerves and excitement. Devia could hardly breathe.

The Minister stood before them and began to speak.  A few people that had been walking around the hotel, had followed her in, wondering who such a beautiful bride was, and they had sat at the back of the gardens, on the white marble benches.

“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Julian and Venia in marriage.
In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife.  To all present I say: We are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is!
We do not create this marriage, because we cannot.
We can and do, however, celebrate with wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives, and the commitment they make today.” 

He continued speaking, and Devia was in heaven, she grabbed onto every word.  She never thought that in a million years
she
would be standing here with Julian.
She had hoped, and plotted, and dreamed, but here she was, actually marrying the man of her dreams.  She smiled broadly at him.  She was lost in his sexiness, his masculinity, the love in his eyes, for
her.

“Today, as we create this marriage, we also create a new bond and new sense of family - one that will undoubtedly include all who are present here today.  Today, you enter as individuals, but you will leave here as husband and wife, blending your lives, expanding your family ties, and embarking upon the grandest adventure of human interaction. The story of your life together is still yours to write. All those present have come to witness and celebrate your love and commitment this day - eager to be a part of the story not yet told.”

The minster paused and smiled at them both.