(CH) Chapter 3: Mastiff Problems

Madison had awoken to a phone call that morning. It was Fran asking her to come in for a morning shift that day, since it was Saturday she agreed. After six hours, Madison was done and she waved goodbye to Fran and the others before stepping outside the café. The seasons changed so quickly during the first few weeks of spring; though it had been warm yesterday it was windy and chilly that day.

She had brought her backpack, as it was a habit to not leave the house without it. Setting it down on one of the plant ledges that surrounded the café, she pulled out a button up blue sweater. Pulling it on, she didn't notice when someone grabbed her backpack until she went to take it herself.

"Good afternoon." Two voices chimed.

Her eyes diverted to her right to see the twins standing with large grins on their faces. Aries held her backpack and slipped it over his shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"We have a proposition for you." Arion said with a smile.

She rose an eyebrow questioningly.

Arion continued, "Our mother is in town and we always buy her a gift, but she never wears anything we buy her. She thinks it's too gaudy."

"Get to the point."

"A hundred bucks if you help us pick out a nice gift for our mother." Aries said.

"I don't know anything about your mother. I can't help you." She reached for her backpack, but Aries jumped backwards. "Get that girl that's always with you to help."

"Kate?" Arion chuckled, "She's too small."

"Too small?" Madison grabbed onto her backpack's strap, but Aries wouldn't release it.

Aries nodded, "You're about her height and weight. It would help us out a lot."

"What does my height and weight have to do with anything?"

Aries grabbed her hand as they headed for the car, Arion followed closely behind them.

"Wait! Wait!" Madison cried out. "I haven't agreed to anything yet!"

"We'll buy you lunch too." Arion added as Aries got into the car and pulled her inside with him.

All three sat in the spacious backseat and Arion told the driver to go, as Aries handed her the backpack. "I am meeting some friends. They are probably outside the theater right now waiting for me."

Arion offered his cell phone, "Here, cancel."

Madison folded her arms.

"Come on, free lunch and a hundred bucks just for trying on a couple dresses? Are you really going to turn that down?" Aries gently tapped his shoulder against hers.

With a frown, Madison grabbed the cell phone and began to dig around in her backpack for her contact book. "Let's hope that Brianna remembered her cell phone." She opened the book and found the number.

The two boys grinned at each other.

"Hey, Bria. It's me. I can't make it." Madison sighed, "Because dumb and dumber have kidnapped me."

They laughed at her description of the situation. Arion took the phone from her, "Hey, Brianna. This is Arion. We've hired Madison to help us pick out a gift. I promise to make it up to you and your other friend." He chuckled, "Don't worry we will have her safe and sound at home before ten. Alright, take care." He hung up the phone.

"Dumb and dumber?" Aries questioned with a chuckle. "Which one of us is dumber?"

"I haven't decided yet." Madison growled.

"What do you want to eat?" Aries asked as he leaned back in the car.

"Let's just get this over with. If we hurry I might be able to make it to dinner with Alan and Bria." She said as she dropped her head into her hands.

"Sushi sounds good." Arion said completely ignoring her. "Do you like sushi?" He poked her in her arm. Madison didn't move or answer. Grabbing her French braid he pulled her head back.

"Ow!"

"Do you like sushi?"

"Sushi! Fine!" She yanked her head forward and dropped it back into her hands.

Arion leaned back and put his hands behind his head, as Aries leaned forward. He placed his head next to Madison's and whispered. "Are you angry with us?"

She turned her head slightly to look at him, "A bit. You should have asked me and allowed me to make my own decision. Not just pushed me into a car."

He grinned, "Would you have come if we asked?"

"No."

"Then it's better this way."

"And why is that?" Madison frowned.

"Because hearing you say no would have broken our hearts." He said it in such a way that it sounded more like a question.

She stuck out her tongue at him, before turning her eyes back to her lap.

"Someone needs happy kiss time." Aries said to his brother.

"What?" Madison shot up straight, as both boys wrapped their arms around her. Each kissed one of her cheeks over and over again, as they made loud kissing noises. "Stop!" She yelled, but they continued.

"Say you aren't mad." Arion informed her.

Madison laughed, "I'm not mad, stop!" When they released her, she wiped her cheeks with her shoulders, "Bunch of drooling dogs. Disgusting."

They both laughed.

"How old are you?" She hissed. "Acting like a bunch of elementary school brats."

"Uh oh, she's getting upset again." Aries teased.

"She might need another…" Arion began.

"No!" Madison put her hands on both of their chests. "No, I'm not mad… just don't do that again."

---***---

Outside the movie theater, Alan watched as Brianna spoke on her cell phone.

"You won't keep her out late will you? She has to work tomorrow morning." Brianna asked. "Ok, take care of her." She hung up her phone and put it back into her pant's pocket.

"What was that?" Alan asked as Brianna made her way back over to him.

"She's not coming." Brianna looked at Alan with a frown.

He sighed, "Well, you want to watch the movie anyway?"

Looking down at her feet, she pressed her lips together then looked up with a smile. "She wanted to see this movie pretty bad, but she's the one that canceled on us, right? Can't let her stop us from having a good weekend."

"I'm hungry now. Do you want to catch the one in an hour and get something to eat at that pizzeria?" He pointed to the small pizza shop across the street, before putting his hands back into his coat pocket.

"Sure." They began the short walk to the pizza shop and took as seat when they entered.

The shop had a few booths and a couple tables, but was rather small. In the back an elderly woman sat behind the register before she brought out the menu. The restaurant was empty but it was after the lunch rush so it didn't surprise them.

"You want to split a pizza?" Alan asked.

"I like pepperoni, mushroom, and pineapple." She told him knowing that he only cared for pepperoni as it had caused many arguments with Madison in the past.

"We'll get a medium with half of what you want and half of what I want. Sound good?"

Brianna smiled, "Sounds good."

She had never been alone for very long with Alan, and it was always awkward when the two were without Madison. Their common friend gave them common interests, but without her the two had nothing to say. Brianna remembered the night he walked her home, it had been silent the entire time. They road the bus and nothing was said between them.

"Crazy weather, huh?" Brianna asked after Alan gave the woman their order.

"Yeah." He nodded and looked out the window. "Cold one day and warm the next."

She looked down at the table and tapped it with her finger nails. "Oh, I didn't tell you why Madison isn't coming."

He turned his attention back to her with curiosity.

"Those twins from school hired her to help them pick out a gift."

"Twins? A gift? For who?"

She shrugged, "They didn't say for whom. And they are these two boys that hang around that guy who sent her all that stuff. Really good looking, but I haven't talked to either of them."

"Oh." Alan stretched out his arms across the table and folded his hands together before he took a deep breath. "Does she like them?"

Brianna shrugged, "Madison doesn't talk much about her feelings… at least not to me."

"Yeah, not to me either." Alan moved his hands as the woman brought their sodas.

Brianna removed the wrapping from her straw and folded it up into a small square, "She never tells me if she likes a guy… actually only guy she even talks kindly of is you."

"She's not a very open person. You know, I don't even know about her past. When I asked once, she said she was an orphan and left it at that."

"She told me the same thing." Brianna took a sip of her soda. "It's strange that we are both her best friends and know almost nothing about her."

Alan nodded, "It's strange that we both have so much in common with someone we know nothing about."

She giggled, "That's true." Brianna sighed as she looked over at the elderly woman by the cashier. "How can we have so much in common with her and nothing in common with each other? So little in common that all we can talk about is the one person we do have in common."

He placed his hands on the table, "There is always plenty to talk about when Madison is here, but the moment she leaves we have nothing."

Brianna giggled, "Ok, let's pretend that she's here."

"What?" Alan laughed.

"I'll do her part." Brianna lowered her voice, "Darick, that jackass, thinks he can buy me. I ought to bust his head against the sidewalk."

Alan laughed so hard that he had to take a moment to catch his breath, "I don't remember her being that violent."

"Oh, come on, you know that's what she is thinking. Even if she doesn't say it."

He nodded, "This is so wrong. My turn, my turn." He cleared his throat, "I hate everyone, even though I can't seem to keep people from wanting to become my friend lately."

"Or get into my pants." Brianna added.

Alan's laughed for a moment, but his smile faded. "Yeah, what is up with that? No one talked to her for a year and now all these guys are coming out of the woodwork."

"Don't know, I'm jealous too."

"I'm not jealous." Alan snapped.

Brianna cocked her head to the side, "I was just kidding, but you… you really are jealous, aren't you?"

"No, I'm…" He took a drink of his soda.

"Are you afraid that she'll stop being your friend if she dates one of these guys?"

"No, of course not." Alan rolled his eyes.

Brianna's curious frown turned into a grin, "Oh, I see."

"You see what?"

She smiled widely, "Nothing. I see nothing at all."

---***---

Aries kept a firm grip on Madison's hand when she wasn't in the changing rooms. The guys even went as far as to have her hair done at one of the beauty salons. As much as she hated to admit it, her long curls looked much better with a trim up and some hairspray. The woman at the salon put a couple butterfly clips into her hair to hold the curls out of her face, and thus began the long journey around all the elite department stores.

The only time that Aries didn't have a grasp on her, Arion did. It was as if they were afraid she would slip away from them. They had finally settled on a little black dress and some subtle diamond jewelry. Madison sat down at a table outside a café, while Arion went inside to purchase their orders. Aries sat beside her with his hand still holding hers tightly. Her own arm had felt like a leash all day long.

"You look tired." Aries chuckled.

"You two made me tired." She laid her head on the cool metal surface of the café table. "You can let go of my hand, I'm too exhausted to run away now."

Aries smiled, "I'm not holding it because I'm afraid you'll run away."

Madison looked up at him with a hint of curiosity, "Then why are you holding it?"

"Because I want to." He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

Dropping her head back down, she rolled her eyes. "You two really are the worst flirts that I've ever come across."

"If it isn't one of the Sherard brothers." A feminine voice spoke.

Madison looked up at a girl, who closely resembled her; although the girl was obviously well of. Standing in a long blue dress, she wore an open sweater with long blonde curls cascading down her shoulders. She stood tall, though shorter than Madison and her face held no pleasantries.

"Elena, it's good to see you again." Aries said with a wide grin.

She didn't smile back, "Is this your latest victim?"

"Latest victim, whatever are you speaking of?" Arion came up behind Madison and sat down beside her. "They will bring out our order soon." He informed his brother.

"I would watch myself around them, miss." Elena's eyes set on Madison. "These two are no good. They play with girl's hearts as if they have no meaning, and toss them aside when they are through."

"Huh?" Madison sat up straight.

"Now, Elena, don't be so bitter." Arion began. "This isn't about what happened between you and us."

She snorted, "These two toyed with me. They forced my heart to be split between the two of them. Both taking me out on dates at the same time, and both holding my hands as we walked. Then one day, they ordered me to choose between them. When I picked one, they demanded that I tell them which one of them was the one I had chosen."

"You couldn't tell the difference between us, how could you have picked one over the other? It didn't matter to you which one you got." Aries snapped.

"You just spoke a name at random." Arion added.

Elena's eyes were locked on Madison, "I couldn't tell you apart physically, but I can tell you apart through your personalities."

"Then after speaking to us, who is who?" Aries asked.

She swallowed, "I wouldn't know now, it's been four years since I ran away crying from you." She turned her attention back to Madison, "They didn't even have the decency to chase after me. They're pigs. I am only warning you now. If you continue this path with them, you'll end up broken hearted like I was."

"Well, thank you for the warning, but our relationship is nothing like that." Madison told her, "They just paid me to pick out an outfit for their mother."

"That's how it started with me, only they offered me lunch and a movie." Elena held a dark brown bag in her hand and she began to dig through it. She pulled out a small card and handed it to Madison. "If you want to know more about these scumbags before your heart gets involved, then please give me a call. I want to spare any woman from what I have been through."

"Thank you." Madison answered. She didn't really care about what had occurred between the three, but she could sense this woman would argue further if she didn't agree to her terms.

"I'll take my leave. Be careful." Elena spun around and walked back towards a man who was waiting for her in the distance.

"Wow, the nerve." Aries chuckled. "I'll throw that away for you." He reached for the card, but Madison yanked it away.

"She gave this to me and I'll decide what should be done with it, thank you." She opened her backpack and placed it in front her contact book.

"You can't honestly believe a scorned woman." Arion laughed.

"She seemed sincere in her attempt to warn me away from you. She also seems to have a very valid reason for doing so, one that neither of you even attempted to deny." Madison leaned back as the waitress placed the coffees in front of them. "Besides, it doesn't matter to me. I have no interest in either of you, and I can't wait for you to be done with me so I can go home."

The two boys looked at each other briefly with looks of disbelief.

"Speaking of which, you have your gifts. Where is my money so I can go home?" Madison put her hand out.

"There is still one more thing left to do." Aries told her as he took a sip of his coffee.

Arion began to chuckle.

"What?" Madison asked as she looked between the two boys who looked quite amused with themselves.

---***---

Madison looked over the large mansion as she stepped into the main hallway. Ahead of her was a large stairway that split to the left and the right at the top. To her immediate right was a small dinning hall and to her left was what looked to be a sitting room. Aries took her hand and lead her towards the sitting room, while Arion spoke to one of the servants.

Beyond the sitting room was a large room that looked quite similar to the gray sitting room before, except there was a picture glass window that looked over the pool, and a bar. In one of the couches sat a woman with long black, straight hair. She wore a beautiful pink business suit. She looked to be in her mid forties and was incredibly attractive.

Standing from the couch, she cried out. "Where have you been?" She folded her arms and frowned. "All day I have been waiting for you. Is this anyway to treat your mother?"

"Are you upset with us?" Aries asked.

"Very, very." She whined and stomped one of her feet.

Arion looked at his brother, "Happy kiss time!"

Their mother squealed in delight as the two boys ran over to her and began to kiss her cheeks continuously. After she had laughed for a moment, they released her and allowed her to sit down.

Madison rolled her eyes and shook her head. She understood happy kiss time much better then she had before.

"Who's this lovely girl?" She asked and pointed to Madison as she picked up her martini glass to take a sip.

"This is Madison from school." Aries told her, "Oh!" He offered her the bag in his hand, "Madison was nice enough to help us pick out a gift for you."

Opening the bag, she pulled out the box that had the dress. A smile brightened her face when she opened it, "Oh, it's lovely. Black is so elegant and classy." She looked up at Madison, "You have wonderful taste, dear. These boys would have brought me home a multi-colored fur coat had it not been for you, I'm certain!" She giggled.

Aries and Arion sat down on the couch next to their mother and she kissed them both on the cheek.

"We're glad you're happy." Both boys said in unison.

Grabbing both of their chins, their mother looked over at Madison. "Are my boys so handsome and thoughtful?" She giggled again. "They look much better then when I first got back from Italy. Did you know that one of them had their hair longer and was wearing some kind of heathen jacket?" She snorted. "Of course, you do."

Madison gave a nod, but their mother didn't notice her.

"I made him chop that hair right off. They are so much more handsome when they match each other, aren't they? Of course, they are." She smiled. "That's why I gave them similar names. I wanted to give them both the same name and just call them by different nicknames, but their father would have none of that."

"We are lucky." Arion said.

"Hush, I'm talking." She pinched his cheek, "Megan, why don't you sit down in that chair there, dear."

"Her name is Madison, mom." Aries corrected.

"That's what I said." She retorted and pointed to the chair.

Madison took a seat and placed her backpack beside the large chair. "Thank you."

"I'm Felice, since my rude boys didn't introduce me to you. I like all their friends to call me auntie, so make sure you do." She smiled and stood up from the couch to come sit on the arm of Madison's chair.

Taking Madison's face in her hand she turned her head back and forth. "You are gorgeous, dear." Felice told her. "Yes, simply stunning, indeed." She giggled as she released her face before throwing her arm around Madison's shoulder and leaning against her. She looked at her sons. "My boys are so handsome, aren't they?" She whispered, but didn't give Madison time to respond. "Can you tell the difference?"

Madison lifted her hand and pointed at one of them, "Ari…"

"I can't either." Felice laughed. "Which one do you want? I'll take the other off your hands?"

"Lady of the house's choice." Madison responded.

She laughed out loud. "Oh, I like you. I like you so much." Standing up, she drank the rest of her martini, "Alright, it's time for my nap. I'll leave you boys and girl alone." She stumbled a little and Arion jumped up to assist her.

"I'll help you to bed, mom." Arion told her.

"Oh, my boys, you are too sweet. I just love you both so much."

Aries watched his brother help his mother out of the room and smiled at Madison when they were out of sight. "She's something else. You handled her pretty well though. I almost expected you to get upset when she kept asking you questions and not letting you respond."

"No wonder you two are so arrogant. I would be too if my mother told me how beautiful I was on a constant basis." Madison leaned back in her chair.

He chuckled, "Probably."

"Why did you bring me here anyway? You could have given her the gift without me."

"After spending all this time picking the gift out for her, didn't you want to see her face when she received it?" Aries stood up and went behind the bar, "She didn't look at the jewelry I know, but she's never acted that way before when we've given her something."

"How does she usually react?"

He kneeled down briefly and came back up with three sodas, "Oh, that's nice. How thoughtful! I love you boys so much!" He placed two of the sodas on the table and walked over to her with the other.

Madison grabbed it, but he didn't release it to her. "What?" She asked as she yanked.

"What Elena said, it's all bullshit, you know? We were sixteen and my mother wouldn't let us go on dates unless the other one supervised. She took both of our hands, and she let herself get torn between us. Even though she was suppose to be dating me, alright?"

"Why didn't you say that to her?"

"We have. No matter what we say, she doesn't listen to us. She has her own version of events and it doesn't matter what anyone else experienced during that time." Aries released the soda can, but caught her wrist. "She's a selfish girl, who just wanted one of us, and she didn't care who she got. Do you believe me?"

Madison shrugged, "Like I said it doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you what I think about the situation. It's your own private affair that has nothing to do with me."

"But it does matter to me what you think. Do you believe me?"

"It doesn't…"

"It does matter, and I won't let you leave unless you say you believe me."

Madison sighed, "Alright, I believe you already."

Aries grinned as he released her wrist, "Thank you." Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead, before returning to his seat.

---***---

Darick walked through the main double doors of his large mansion. Except for the servants, he was the only one who called it home. His two older sisters had both been married off and lived in other countries, while his parents were often in New York with business. He often had his friends stay over sometimes for days at a time, except on Saturdays. That was the day when the twins spent time together since he didn't allow Aries around anymore, while the other two always went to scour the clubs for girls.

Saturday was the one day of the week that he dreaded most, because no matter what he did, he had to face his own solitude. Something that he liked to pretend didn't exist. It was his own fault that he was now alone as the twins had normally been the ones to keep him company. He just couldn't bring himself to forgive the bastard for what he had done.

Sitting down on the large couch that barely filled the corner, his eyes wandered to the big screen television that sat dead center in the room. It wasn't on and he could see the remote clearly on the glass coffee table. The whole room was decorated in off white with few colors to off set the lonely, bland hue. He laid down on his back and stared at the blank television set.

"It's more entertaining when you turn it on." A soft voice said from the doorway.

Darick looked up at the short, middle aged woman. Her light blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore the white shirt and black slacks that all the servants wore. Maxine was the closest thing that he had to a mother. She had cared for him since his mother went back to work when he was four years old.

She gently tapped his legs and he lifted them, when she sat down he placed them on her lap. "What's wrong, Dare Bear?"

"Just another boring Saturday." He mumbled.

Maxine massaged his feet, "You know you have the ability to fix that, don't you?"

He groaned.

"Did he honestly ruin your chances with that girl? Because from what I know of you, nothing would have been done from your end anyway." She dropped her hands on his calves, "Aries didn't know and you aren't very forthcoming with how you feel, especially to those close to you."

Darick dropped his arm over his eyes, "Do we have to talk about this again?"

"No, we don't have to talk about anything that you don't want to talk about." She picked a piece of lint from his khakis. "You know sometimes pride stands in our way. Some people think that by not allowing our pride to be hurt makes us strong. Truth is, pride can sometimes be our downfall. In life there are times when we just have to bare it all and hope the person we are baring ourselves to can understand."

"I thought you said we didn't have to talk about this."

Maxine chuckled, "I'm not talking about Aries, anymore."

Pulling his arm off his eyes, he looked down at her. "Then what are you talking about?"

"Whomever it is that has put you in such a passive state these past couple of days."

Darick dropped his head and threw his arm over his eyes, "Arion likes her too… and I think she might like him."

"If you don't want your friends to stand in your way, is it right that you stand in theirs?"

"She's not like the others, Max. I realize what I felt for those girls was merely an adoration of what they looked like… but this one…" He sighed, "I sound like a moron."

Maxine giggled, "She's different, how?"

"She's strong, smart, and she has integrity."

"Integrity, huh?"

"I tried to use gifts to get her to go out with me, and she beat me up."

Maxine threw back her head and laughed out loud.

"Are you done?" Darick asked after a moment.

"I'm sorry, I was just picturing this petite little thing beating you up." She reached forward and felt his bicep, "Big guy like you…"

"She's not petite… I mean, she's not fat or anything, but she's…" He sighed, "She's into Arion."

"Sounds to me that you've gone much further with her then any other girl." She rested her elbows on his calves and placed her
head in her hands.

"You aren't hearing me, she likes Arion."

"Are you certain of that?"

He shrugged, "She talks to him like she talks to her other friend… she might like him too." He sat up and leaned over, his head turned to look at Maxine. "She can't be bought, so I don't know what to do with her."

"Well, you didn't buy me and I like you." She pushed her shoulder against his. "You should treat her like you treat me."

Darick rolled his eyes, "I should treat her like my mom."

Maxine laughed, "With the same respect, yes. Girls who can't be bought have to be earned. That means becoming her friend."

"I already ordered everyone at school to stop messing with her, what more can I do?"

"Summer break is coming. You and your friends are going to the island, right?"

He nodded.

"Invite her… and let her bring some friends so she'll feel safe and not alone."

Darick sucked on his bottom lip, "There's a problem with that."

Maxine rose an eyebrow.

"Promise not to tell mom?"

"Alright."

"She wouldn't… she doesn't… have money." His face flushed as he waited for Maxine to tell him that he shouldn't be associating with such a girl.

"Well, you are using the private island and the private jet, so she would be no more of a mooch then your friends are being." Maxine grinned, "It's not like there are any shopping centers on the island, it's just the summer home. So, she doesn't need money. Just her swim suit and a couple outfits for the warm weather."

He nodded, "Sounds reasonable… but she would never accept not after…" He cleared his throat.

"The ass you made of yourself?"

Darick nodded.

"You have a few more months until break, I suggest you make up for it… oh, and you should invite Aries too. Otherwise Arion won't come."

"Might be best if they don't."

"Dare Bear, they have been your best friends since kindergarten. You need to make amends." Maxine rubbed the top of his head, "And ignore everything Brad and Grady say. Those two are idiots and have no idea what they are talking about. When you need advice come talk to me, alright?"

Darick grinned, "Alright."

She stood up, "I need to get back to work. Oh, your parents sent your birthday gifts ahead. It looks like they aren't going to make it to the party again this year."

His grin faded, "That's two months away! Why are they sending gifts now?"

"It's an apology gift, I'm sure they will send you more gifts for your birthday. You should invite the girl to the party, it will be a good experience towards you between now and summer break."

"I will, thanks."

"What's her name?"

"Madison Knox."

"Darick and Madison, I like the sound of that." Maxine winked as she exited into the main hall.

Darick grinned as he leaned back on the couch. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his white cell phone. After a few moments of staring at it, he hit a button and placed it to his ear. "Hey, Arion. Why don't you and Aries come over? Alright, see you soon."

---***---

Aries practically dragged Madison by the hand up the large stairs to Darick's front door. His mansion was at least five times larger then the twins, even though the twin's house had been unquestionably large.

"This wasn't part of the deal!" Madison yelled.

"Don't yell in front of stranger's houses. You'll make yourself look like a mad woman." Arion warned as he ringed the doorbell.

"I am mad!" She snapped.

"Mad as in insane or crazy, not angry." Aries chuckled as the door opened to reveal a small light haired woman in a servant's outfit.

"Maxine!" Aries and Arion chimed together.

"It's been a while since I have seen you both together." She hugged them both then stepped aside to allow them in.

Madison reluctantly entered in behind them when Maxine waved her into the main hall. She was certain that not even the closest in this huge house would be smaller then her little apartment. Aries took her hand as Maxine led them up the stairs to where Darick awaited them.

As they approached the large wooden double doors, Aries released her hand and grinned. "You might get lost in here if you try to run away, so best to stay near." He winked and Arion chuckled.

Maxine opened the doors to a huge room complete with three pool tables, a bar, several pinball machines, and a large television that was turned off. A couch laid in front of the television with a coffee table before it. Maxine left the three of them at the door and walked over to the couch.

"Young master, your guests are here." She touched him.

Darick sat up and looked over at the two men at the door, Madison was hidden behind them. Standing up, Darick grinned and made his way over, "Took you long enough."

"Four coffees?" Maxine asked as she stepped out of the room.

"Four? You planning on joining us?" Darick yelled the question out to her, but she didn't respond.

"Oh yeah, we brought…" Aries looked behind him, as did Arion.

"Why are you hiding?" Arion asked.

Both boys stepped aside to reveal Madison. "Tada!" They chimed together.

Madison stood with her hands folded in front of her and her head down. Darick was the last person that she wanted to see on her weekends.

Darick, on the other hand, was overjoyed with her presence, but tried his best to hide his excitement. "Oh, hey."

"Hey." Madison replied and tried to cover up her embarrassment with the entire situation. She didn't want to be here and it was apparent that Darick had no idea that she was coming.

Aries put his arm around her shoulder, "She helped us with some shopping today!" He said before releasing her.

Another arm went around her shoulder, this time it was Arion. "You called when we were about to take her home, and we thought that you might want to see her."

"Why would I want to see her?" Darick snapped.

"I didn't want to see you either." She barked back, "These two jerks made me come!"

Darick was about to retort, but remember Maxine had told him to treat her with respect. "Well, you are here now, so you might as well make yourself comfortable. Big house, huh? Bet you've never been in such a nice house before."

Madison's annoyed eyes flew over to Arion, it was an attempt to find out if she could leave.

"I need to talk to you." Darick grabbed Arion and pulled him over to the corner. "What are you two doing with her?" He asked and looked over at Madison, who was talking with Aries. Although, Darick had no idea which one of the two he was speaking with.

"She is into Aries. She saw us outside the café and just wouldn't leave us alone." Arion shrugged, "She held his hand all day while we were shopping. Couldn't keep her hands off of him."

Darick frowned, "That doesn't sound like her."

"She's a lot different when you aren't around." Arion shrugged and walked back over to his brother.

Darick made a mental note that Arion was wearing his hair pulled back, while Aries was leaving his hair down. He wasn't too certain about Arion's explanation, and wanted to ask the other to see if the same story was told.

"I have coffee." Maxine said as she came in with a trolley. There was small cakes and other sweets that accompanied the coffee. "How do you like your coffee, sweetie?" She asked Madison.

"Black." Aries answered for her.

"I was asking the young lady, not you." Maxine snapped then looked at Madison.

Normally, she did drink her coffee black, but Aries had annoyed her with his answer. "Some cream, please."

Maxine eyes went back to Aries, "See, you don't know everything."

Aries smacked her shoulder and winked, obviously aware that she had made the switch to make him look bad. However, he seemed to enjoy it more than take insult with it.

"I haven't seen you around here before, sweetie. What's your name?" Maxine asked as everyone sat down on the couch, while she poured their coffee.

"Madison." Aries answered again.

This time Maxine didn't correct him, only looked up with a broad smile. "Oh, so you are Madison. You're much prettier then Darick let on. He made it sound like you were some Amazonian with absolutely no feminine features."

"I did not!" Darick barked, "Don't over exaggerate what I said!"

Maxine laughed, "Did you really beat him up? A sweet little thing like you?" She chuckled, "You're tall, but you aren't that big."

"She did. I saw it myself." Arion laughed.

Madison looked over at Darick, and was surprised to see his face had turned a bright red. "He deserved it." She responded.

Maxine smiled before she winked, "Oh, I'm sure he did."

---***---

Aries and Arion got up to play pool and left Darick and Madison alone on the couch together. The two didn't even bother to ask if they wanted to join the game. She sat in silence beside him as they both sipped their coffee. After an hour, Aries excused himself for the bathroom and Arion went to look for a servant to get them more to drink.

"Why are you with them?" Darick asked, the anger in his voice was apparent even though he attempted to hide it.

"It's none of your business." She responded as she took another sip of coffee, but before the cup hit her lips it flew across the coffee table. She turned her eyes to Darick with her brows together, "What the fuck did you do that for?"

"It is my business! Why are you with them?" He stood up while he was yelling.

Madison jumped to her feet, "It's not any of your business! What is it to you that I hang out with them?"

"You know damn well what it means to me!" He yelled directly into her face.

"No, I don't! Care to inform me?" She shouted right back.

"You're wearing your hair down! You have make-up on! You don't look like this at school! Are you dressed this way just for them?" His hand flew up and she thought he was about to hit her, but instead he pointed to the door.

"What if I am?" She hissed.

"What does either of them have that I don't?"

"Manners for one!"

His nostrils flared, "And for two?"

"Good looks! You oversized chimpanzee!"

"Chimp… chimpanzee?" He screeched, "Oversized? Look at you! No woman should be that tall, it's not natural! You look like a man from the back!"

"As if I care what you think!"

"Yeah, you only care about what the twins think!"

"That's right!" She shoved her index finger towards his face, "I've already fucked them both too! At the same time!"

All color drained from Darick face, "What?"

Madison was taken back by the hurt in his eyes; she couldn't understand why he looked like he had been betrayed.

He shook his head, "No. No. You haven't done that." His words sounded so certain. "Not you."

She cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean not me?"

He grinned, "You caught me off guard though with that. But no, not Madison. She doesn't… she wouldn't do that. You can't convince me that you did either, so don't try."

"I'm leaving." She snapped but Darick caught her upper arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"For offering you all that stuff before. I think I understand why you were insulted." He released her arm.

"You do?" Madison turned back to face him.

"Yeah, you must have felt like I was treating you like a prostitute. That wasn't my intention."

She gave a brief nod, "It's alright."

He grinned. "Thanks."

Grabbing her backpack that she had left next to the couch, she made her way towards the door. Darick grabbed her wrist, "Where are you going?"

"Home."

"No, I don't want you to leave."

Madison's brows came together, "I really don't care what you want. I'm going home."

When she tried to walk away, he yanked her back. "Stay!"

"No!" She tried to use her other hand to force Darick's grip away from her wrist.

"I apologized, what more do you want?"

"I want to go home!" She flung her arm downward and Darick released her.

Again, she went to step away, but Darick grabbed her wrist again. Instead of pulling her back the second time, he shoved her against the wall. Both of his hands pressed her shoulders firmly against the wall.

"You're hurting me! Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want you!"

Madison stopped struggling for a moment, "To stay."

"What?"

"You said you wanted me, and I corrected you. You want me to stay."

"No, I said what I meant."

Madison stared up at him briefly, she couldn't understand this man. He was so angry all the time and acted like he hated having her around. Yet, even though she barely knew him, he acted as if there was more between them. He didn't act like they had only been formally introduced that day, but instead as if he had known her for quite sometime. "You're insane!" She yelled, "You are completely…"

As his mouth covered her own; Madison turned her head to break the wet kiss. She shoved him backwards and he fell onto his backside. Initially, he had grabbed her upper arms to break his fall, but released them when he realized she wouldn't be able to support his weight. Though, it made Madison stumble forward.

"What the hell?" Aries grabbed onto Madison to stop her from falling atop of Darick. She grabbed onto his shirt to gain her balance.

"I'm going home!" She screamed towards Darick. "I never want to see you again!" With that she shoved past Aries and headed down the hall.

---***---

Following her down the hall to the main stairway, the two men yelled for her to stop, but Madison was running away from them. They were only giving a token effort to catch her, as most women that walked away only wanted them to give chase for a brief moment. The two didn't understand that Madison was dead set on leaving.

They stopped at the top of the stairs, as she made her way to the front doors. Both expecting her to stop to speak to them at that point, instead she opened the door and ran out of the house. Darick and Aries looked at each other with disbelief before heading down the stairs and out the door with her.

"Madison! Wait! You can't walk home!" Were the calls from the two men that chased her out the door.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed as she stormed off down the long driveway, which was longer then the block she lived on.

"I'll get my driver to take you home." One of the voices said, but she had no idea who it was that offered.

She continued on down the driveway, in the center of the brick drive was a large white fountain. A statue of an angel with its wings spread became clearer as she approached.

Aries caught up to her and grabbed her hand, "Wait!" He yelled.

Madison twisted around, her eyes full of what appeared to be anger but was actually embarrassment, "This is your fault!" She yelled at Aries, as Darick came to stand beside them. "You brought me here to be molested by this pervert!"

"Molested?" Aries looked stunned, "What did he do?"

"I just kissed her and she over reacted!" Darick tried to defend himself.

"You pushed me against the wall and forced yourself on me!" Madison yanked her hand out of Aries' grip.

"Hey! What is everyone doing?" Arion asked as he ran out to the group, he stood next to Madison to face the other two.

"All three of you are disgusting!" She shoved Arion away when he tried to put his hand on her shoulder, "Leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you people! I just want to be left alone!" Her hands were balled up into fists as she spoke.

Neither of them had expected her to get so angry, she always seemed to be so mellow at school. Not even Thomas pushing around ever got an emotional reply from her, but somehow Darick had managed to help her throw away all her control.

"Madison, you don't mean that." Arion went to touch her again and she smacked his hand away.

"I do mean it! Don't come near me again!" With that she flung around and continued on her way towards the fountain. As she was about to pass it a heavy mass rammed into her. She felt herself fall and her head hit what she assumed was the fountain.

"Madison?" Darick yelled as she ran over and pulled the tan English mastiff off her. "Sinclair, you asshole!" He smacked the dog on the nose.

"Madison, are you alright?" Aries asked as he helped her to sit up.

She moaned and rubbed her head, although she didn't seem to be fully conscious.

"Madison, can you hear me?" Arion asked as he kneeled down beside his brother.

Again, she only moaned and then acted as if she was going to stand up, but slipped back onto her bottom.

"What happened?" Maxine asked as she ran out to them, she had been watching from the front steps.

"Sinclair jumped on her. She hit her head on the fountain pretty hard." Darick explained.

Maxine kneeled down beside her, "Honey, are you ok?" She snapped her fingers in front of Madison's face, but she didn't even blink in reply.

"I don't think she's conscious." Aries told her.

"Let's get her inside." Maxine ordered.

Though Aries was about to pick her up, Darick swooped in and bundled her up in his arms. He carried her up to his bedroom, and laid her down on the king size bed. The king size bed was just one of the many large pieces of furniture throughout the room. A couch and a large screen television took up one corner, while a bar with stool claimed another. The bathroom could be seen through one of the open doors and at the back of the room large glass doors lead out to the balcony.

"What has happened?" One of the servants asked as she followed them up to the bedroom.

"Sinclair." Aries answered, and that was all the explanation that the woman needed.

The two hundred pound dog was known for jumping on people, especially women. He just couldn't seem to help himself, even after all the formal training he had received. No one noticed that the dog was following them up to the bedroom or that he had laid in the corner when he got there.

"I'll get some ice." Maxine announced and exited the room.

Aries and Arion stood at the end of the bed, as Darick sat on the bed beside her. "We should probably call a doctor, she might have a concussion." Aries recommended.

Darick nodded in agreement and reached for his phone.

"She said she didn't have money for doctors." Arion added.

"I'll pay for it! My dog did it!" Darick snapped and hit a single button on his phone. He had his family doctor on speed dial, as he often needed him for stitches and other medical matters that involved fighting.

Maxine returned with some ice. "Who are you calling?"

"Doctor Tupman." Darick responded.

"We can't wait for him to come, we need to get her to the hospital. She could have a serious head injury."

Darick hung up the phone, "Should we call an ambulance?"

Maxine placed the ice on her head, "No, let's just take her. Pick her up, let's go. We don't have time to spare."

Chapter 4: http://rkphunt.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=327