Oxygen Games Ch. 11

[Recap: While trying to get his wife pregnant, Aidan has come up with a game to spice up their love life. It appears to be harmless enough, so Rosa reluctantly agrees. The games are coming to a conclusion and with the pressures of IVF, Rosa sets up one final bet]

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FINALS WEEK

After dinner Aidan does the washing up, scrubbing the frying pan methodically. He's got a couple of cups to do and then he's finished. He drags it out, washing them and stacking them neatly before wiping down the surfaces. Rosa is in the lounge, but he doesn't want to go there yet. The look on Cassidy's face comes back to him. Maybe she's right, maybe they need help. The kitchen is tidy, nothing more to be done.

Aidan walks into the lounge, sees his wife laid on the couch watching something on the laptop. He lifts her feet and plops down onto the cushions. Rosa settles her legs across his knees but doesn't say anything. She's wearing track pants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt, completely covering up her superb body. He rubs her shins through the thick cotton.

"Whatcha watching?" he asks.

"Stuff," she replies.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. Long day."

Aidan shrugs, and replies, "Yeah. Maybe two spin classes was too much."

Rosa looks up, peering over the screen. "What, like I should rest more?" she replies in a dangerously even tone.

"I'm just saying that maybe you push yourself too hard. You get too tired."

As he says the words, he immediately wants to take them back, but Rosa's staring at him now.

"Like if I rested all the time then maybe we'd get an egg to stick?"

"I didn't mean that. Jesus, I just meant you look tired."

Aidan tries to throttle down the irritation welling up within him. He didn't have to ask what was on her mind because it was on his mind too. They'd inserted the first embryo and put the other one on ice. One of their remaining two chances, the last her body would yield up.

Rosa's eyes flick down to the screen again, ignoring him. In irritation, Aidan reaches out and turns the laptop, twisting it out of her hands. She's watching porn: a woman positioned doggy-style and being pounded mercilessly from behind. She's completely enclosed in a black latex bodysuit that even covers her eyes and mouth, rocking backwards and forwards in time with her partner's thrusts. Rosa grabs the laptop back and continues watching the woman on screen, even as Aidan's hand drifts up her leg.

"How about we go to bed, Rosa?"

His forefinger traces little circles on her inner thigh but she doesn't respond.

"No need to watch it. We can do it ourselves."

"Which part? The fucking from behind part or the turning the woman into a plastic sex toy?"

Aidan huffs, goaded by her tone. "We haven't, uh, done it since before the insertion. It might be what you need."

He feels like he's made a good point. It's been two weeks. Rosa looks at him again, expressionless.

"Nah, time of the month."

It's the way she says it, matter-of-fact, without any hint of emotion, that strikes him like a physical blow.

"Uh, are you sure?" he blurts out before he can really process what she's telling him.

"Yep, been getting them for a few years now. Pretty damn sure."

"Oh babe," Aidan gasps, "I'm sorry. I'm...."

Rosa doesn't wait for him to finish. She swings her legs off him and stands up, abandoning the laptop.

"I'm going to bed," she says and then just like that, he's alone in the lounge.

A weight descends on him. All that effort, all that time, for two chances. They'd seen both of them grow and flourish, picked one to go in immediately and one to go on ice. Aidan had been utterly sure that this time they couldn't lose, but now they were left with one last chance sitting in deep freeze. No more left in her battered ovaries and no guarantee of avoiding the exact same outcome next time.

Aidan's body slumps. Discarded, the laptop is still open on the cushion next to him, playing the video with the sound off. The man is fucking her hard, but the tight, all-encompassing latex has removed her individuality, her identity, transforming her from a living, breathing woman with wants and emotions into an empty, shiny plastic toy for his use. She has no choice but to stay in the position he's placed her in while he reaches his climax and pumps her full of his seed. The man is overcome with animal passion but instead of breeding her, he's been tricked. He's just pumping his seed into a sterile latex hole.

The video loops back to the beginning again as Aidan just stares and stares.

---

They're in the car the next day on the way home from work when Aidan tries to have the conversation again, but Rosa's ignoring him. The traffic is heavy and they're getting nowhere. In the end, frustrated by the slow progress and his wife's intransigence, he just comes out with it.

"We still have one more," he says, from out of nowhere.

Silence.

"We can try again."

He waits for her to fill the void.

"We can try one more time," Rosa replies, using the same level, no-nonsense tone from the previous night.

"Yes! That's what I'm saying," Aidan replies enthusiastically, glad to hear her finally engaging with him on the topic.

"But what's the point?" she continues, "Multiple cycles. None of them survive, ever."

The finality of her statement kills his next words before they leave his mouth. He's speechless.

"This is where you suggest a bet," Rosa muses, "Something to get me to focus on anything other than the fucking inevitable."

"No. Not a bet. Just, uh, let's just line up another go."

Rosa pauses, but he's weaving his way across lanes so he can't look across to read her expression.

"Let's do a new bet," he hears her say, "Basketball season's winding up. It's the playoffs. We could bet on the final."

"Rosa, I just want to talk about...."

"We could get the gang together at that sports bar in the city. We haven't seen some of the guys in ages."

"Rosa."

Aidan chances a look at his wife. She's staring at him coldly.

"Or are you too chicken-shit to take on another bet?" she says.

By the time they're home, Rosa has already sent out the invites. It's not what Aidan wants but she's ploughing ahead regardless, steamrolling him.

"Season final," she calls out from the kitchen, "Thought about your side of the bet yet? Make it a big one."

She's pressuring him, pushing his buttons, but at least she's talking. Maybe this will lead to talking about the things that really matter, giving her something else to focus on so that he can swing it around to the conversation about the....

The last golden marble. That dream flashes back into his mind. The soft velvet bag, his wife's beautiful, happy face. Then he recalls the nurse, so familiar and yet... then he places her: Cassidy. He blinks, trying to dispel the memory of the dream.

Rosa comes in, carrying two microwave meals still in their plastic containers, a fork stuck in each twirl of fettucine.

"So," she says, "What's your side? What do you want to do?"

She's intense, suddenly animated after the lethargic sullenness, but he can't tell if this is a good sign or foreboding. He's no longer sure how to read his wife's moods.

He's had enough of her needling. "Got one," he fires back too quickly, not thinking it through, caught by the memory of what she was watching on the laptop the night before.

"Tell me."

"Full latex."

Rosa's mood changes instantly. "Really?" she asks.

"Yeah. I saw what you were watching last night."

Rosa doesn't reply. Her expression gives nothing away.

"How about you?" Aidan prompts his wife.

"Uh, let me think."

She turns to eat, twirling her fork to entangle the pasta, taking small mouthfuls. She doesn't say anything else, and they finish the meal in silence.

After they've finished and tidied up, Rosa still doesn't offer her side of the bet and it's not until they're ready to go to sleep that she pulls Aidan down onto the bed.

"I've got it, but I'm not going to tell you."

"How would that work? Why?"

"It's the end of season. I want to make some special rules around this bet."

Aidan flops back onto the sheets, huffing.

"No, wait," Rosa continues, "Hear me out. If you really want full latex I'll give it to you, but I have to agree and that means you have to agree to my terms."

A picture of Rosa's superbly sexy body laid on the bed in a latex bodysuit comes unbidden to Aidan's mind. He imagines running his hand over the smooth, glossy surface. But then the memory of the lingerie surfaces.

"Rosa, if you say matching because you're going to dress me up in the latex body suit like you did the fucking lingerie, let's be clear: not happening. You want parameters? Then here are my parameters."

As he speaks, he can feel the frustration and humiliation beginning to surface, remembering the way she'd twisted the other bets.

"First, your idea has to be different to mine, you can't just do the same. Second, the bet goes for a maximum of midday to midnight. Third, nothing in public. All good?"

Rosa is studying him now. He can tell her mind is racing.

"Fine," she says at last, "Accepted, but here are my parameters. First, I'll write my side of the bet down now and then I'll seal it in an envelope so you'll know that I don't change it on game day. Second, you're not allowed to ask about the bet. Third, if I win, you don't try to back out or talk me out of it. The bet stands and you don't try and sway it."

Aidan watches her face as she talks, seeing an unfamiliar, icy determination there.

"Matching," he says, "Obviously, not on point one since you already know what I've chosen, but I want the same on points two and three."

Even as he adds that last provision, Aidan cringes inwardly. Rosa has been smarter again, letting him blurt out his side and then locking her choice away, giving her the upper hand. Rosa gets up off the bed and leaves the room. She's back a few seconds later with a pen, a piece of paper and a small white envelope.

"Ready to seal the deal?" she asks, pen poised, a strange, mocking smile on her lips.

"Go for it," Aidan responds, goaded by his wife's arrogance.

Rosa looks at him for a long moment with hard eyes and suddenly Aidan's unsure, realising too late that he's been sucked into this, the one thing he hadn't wanted to do. Before he can say something to call it all off, Rosa writes a few words on the piece of paper and tucks it into the envelope. Without taking her eyes off her husband, she runs the tip of her tongue along the edge of the flap and then sticks it down.

Rosa stands the envelope on her bedside table in plain view and gets into bed.

"Game on," she whispers.

---

Despite his reservations about getting tangled up in another bet, Aidan is enjoying himself. The sports bar is crowded and noisy, making him realise just how much time he and Rosa have been spending alone at home, wallowing in their own problems. It feels like a breath of fresh air and a welcome distraction.

Davey is dressed in a smart shirt and new jeans, talking to Rosa. Aidan knows he's on the lookout for a new girlfriend, but he's also not complaining about having to make conversation with Aidan's attractive wife either. Being seen chatting to a sexy brunette in the middle of a packed bar would not be hurting his chances tonight.

Anthony's on his own, since Theo is out of town for the weekend, but he still jumped at Rosa's invitation. That makes just the four of them despite Rosa casting a much wider net. Again, maybe it was a consequence of them both keeping to themselves more recently.

Rosa appears to be having a good time though, nodding and smiling as Davey chats to her. He watches her face from a distance, sees the way her eyes light up at a joke, or her mouth wrinkles in a smile, and it recalls in him the same feelings as when they'd first met, the way he'd become besotted with her after only their first meeting. Despite the turbulence and challenges in their relationship of late, Aidan can feel the strength of the love he has for her. He affirms to himself that he will always be there for her, no matter what. It feels like a good thing to be able to acknowledge that.

They were going to have to get through one last stupid bet, and then they could begin the next phase of their lives. There were still other options: more treatments, surrogacy. First, he's resolved that they're both going to sit down with Cass and talk it all through. He remembered sitting down in the café with her and letting it all out, how good it felt to finally unburden himself. He was convinced that it was the way forward.

"Drink?"

Aidan blinks, nudged from his thoughts, to face Ant.

"Uh, just something fizzy, thanks."

"Still not drinking?"

"Nah."

Ant smiled. "Saves me some money. Game's about to start. You got a bet on?"

Aidan's mouth twitches, fearful of what Ant knows about the games, before Aidan realises that he's just speaking in general terms.

"Just a private one, me and Rosa."

"Oh man, never bet against the wife. She'll take you to the cleaners."

Ant laughs and heads over to the bar before Aidan can respond. He looks back towards Davey and Rosa, still chatting. She glances at him, catching his eye for a moment, and her smile flickers almost imperceptibly. Instead of feeling reassured, a chill runs through Aidan's body. Behind her, the big screen flickers into life as the basketball game starts.

---

Aidan feels the rush, watching the seconds tick down. Two points: it's enough. He needs them to win like he's never needed anything in his life. He needs to win the bet; he has an awful feeling about what Rosa has in mind if he loses. Ten seconds. He begins to feel dizzy; he's hyperventilating.

He watches Rosa's team snatch possession, everyone racing down the court. Five seconds. Her point guard runs the ball down the right side, flanked by the powerful center. Their teammate is sweeping down the left side, positioning himself on the three-point line. The center powers through as the point looks to pass across the court. It's dangerous, and Aidan's body locks up with the sudden adrenaline surge of tension. The center gets into position but he's running into heavy traffic. Aidan roars as he watches the closing play of Rosa's team begin to stall. Two seconds. But, the ball doesn't go to the center, it's spiked back to the man sitting off the three-point line.

The hooter sounds but he's up, the ball already in the air, a desperate hail-mary from way too far out. Aidan watches it arc over the players' heads, unable to breathe, his cry stifled in his throat. There is a moment of hope, then the ball drops through the hoop with a swoosh of netting. It doesn't even touch the sides.

Aidan gapes at the screen in utter shock.

"Fuck, man," Ant exclaims, a little too loudly, "What the hell did you have riding on this?"

Aidan blinks, eyes snapping back to his friend's face. "What?"

"You look like you just lost the farm!"

Davey's laughing too. Aidan's struggling to maintain his composure, but all he can do is stare at his wife. She's smiling sweetly back at him.

"Hey, I gotta take a piss," Ant says and stumbles off towards the toilets, leaving Aidan, Rosa and Davey standing in a little quiet circle amid the din of the bar.

"Tell you what, champ," Davey says, putting an arm on Aidan's shoulder, "If you just blew the mortgage payment, I think I'm gonna let you two maybe catch up for a minute."

Davey looks from Aidan to Rosa, before saying, "I'll get the next round in. You drinking Aidan? You look like you need it."

He doesn't wait for an answer as he walks away. Aidan and Rosa are now alone in the crowd. Her lips are still smiling, but her eyes are not. She reaches into her bag and pulls out the envelope, holding it out for Aidan to take. He's watching her face, trying to see what's behind her eyes, but the only indication he gets leaves him cold. His stomach contracts as her stares at the little white rectangle.

"Open it."

Aidan's hand doesn't move. He's transfixed by her eyes. Rosa grips his wrist firmly and twists it so his palm is facing upwards. She lays the envelope on it.

"Open it, Aidan. Let's finish the game."

Numbly, his fingers close around the paper and he begins to rip open the fold. Rosa's eyes are little, hard marbles, watching his movements. He parts the envelope and extracts a folded piece of paper.

"Read it for me."

Although his blood runs cold, Aidan does as he's told, afraid of what his beautiful, smart, twisted wife has written. He unfolds the paper and looks down. There are only two words.

"Hall pass."

Aidan's hand begins to shake so he screws the paper up in his fist and stuffs it into his pocket. He looks back up at his wife's face, still smiling at him but now it's twisted, different. There's something there he doesn't recognise.

"Rosa...," he gasps, "Babe, please. That's not...."

"Ah ah," she says brightly, cutting him off, "Remember the special rules. No trying to back out, no trying to talk me out of collecting my winnings."

Aidan glares, struggling with her words as he begins to comprehend what she's done to him.

"This... this isn't equivalent," is all he can manage.

"You wanted to turn me into a latex fuck doll for the evening," Rosa replies, "You wanted an escape from your broken, crazy wife to enjoy an easy night with a helpless, obedient little sex toy, right? Isn't that how it works? Isn't that the idea in the back of your head?"

Aidan opens his mouth, but Rosa isn't done.

"Didn't you think I'd want that as well? A simple thing like a night without all the baggage, all the fucking... stuff? A little escape, a bit of effortless fun?"

Aidan's just staring now, unable to fathom how his wife could do this to him.

"So, yeah. Equivalent, more or less."

She turns and walks away. Aidan stares after her, blindsided by his wife, churning, unable to process what she's just done. He wants to chase after her, to rewind, to play that last point again, but the game is over. She's taken home the trophy, leaving him still standing alone on the court, hollow and rooted to the spot. With a crushing weight of revelation, he remembers he's not even allowed to ask who.

He watches as Rosa threads her way to the bar. Davey's there, buying the drinks. He watches his wife put her hand on Davey's arm as she leans in to talk softly into his ear.

---

[Next chapter: Was this all a test for Aidan? Was his wife just making her point? Surely Rosa would never mean to actually use the hall pass...?

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