by Cee, DW
“Nicholas Reid! I don’t know what’s worse—you kicking her out of the apartment, you not calling to check up on her to make sure she is safe, or you denying your attraction to my aunt! You’re an idiot!”
“Princess, calm yourself.” I heard Donovan in the background. “The baby doesn’t like it when you’re agitated.” Let me just roll my eyes now.
“If you’re through with the unnecessary badgering, I think I will go play with my niece and nephews.”
“My wife might be done, but I am not.” What is this? Harp on Nick day? Donovan was on the line now. “You remember what I told you right before I got married? Don’t make her cry or you will surely regret it! That’s all I have to say to you, Cousin.” His threatening lawyer voice didn’t scare me.
“All right.” I gave in. “I was an asshole for not checking in with her. I’ll give her a call as soon as we get off.”
“Call her later. She’s out with Michael and Ruby right now.” Why did I get the feeling that Donovan was smirking on the other end, and the sole reason for the two calling me was not to chew me out, but to inform me that Bee was out with another man?
I fell for their trick. I was pissed enough to hang up the phone without saying good-bye. I could see the two of them laughing at my expense, lounging in an ultra-exclusive resort on their honeymoon.
What the fuck was the deal with this Michael? Did he go sniffing around all our women? I was about to interrupt Bee and her English friends, when I heard the commotion.
“Sarah!” Emily greeted her best friend. “Hello Audrey, my sweet goddaughter!” Emily held Ellie in one arm and Audrey in the other. After having twins, carrying two toddlers was completely natural for her. “Hi Charlie, hey Lily.” She greeted Sarah’s husband and surprisingly, Sarah’s sister was joining us for dinner. “You guys all know Nick, Jake’s brother?”
“Of course we do.” I greeted the Abner family.
“Fancy meeting you in London and now New York. You and I seem to be running into each other everywhere but LA,” Lily spoke first.
I grinned. “I guess that means you and I need to do a get-together in LA.”
“You could only be so lucky.” She let out a sly smile and walked toward the dining room. I had to admit she was cute.
“So how are you adjusting to Los Angeles, Lily?” My brother asked as soon as we sat to dinner.
Lily had a bright smile answering Jake’s questions. “I love Southern California. I love the fact that even in December I can wear open-toed shoes.”
“And the job?”
“I don’t know, Jake. The job is just okay I suppose. It’s a means to an end and it brings in decent money. I suppose I can’t complain.”
“What do you do?” I asked.
“I sell medical equipment, and I’ve been with this company for about eighteen months now. It’s a great company and a high paying one, but I don’t know that this is what I want to do the rest of my life.”
“A year and a half?” She looked like she was still in high school. “Did you start working in grade school?” That brought out a loud enough laughter for the four kids to look up from their high chairs. “How old are you if you’ve been working for eighteen months already?”
She pretended to be flabbergasted by my question. “You know it’s rude to ask a woman how old she is? But since you’re Emily’s brother-in-law, and you’re kind of cute, I’ll answer your question.” This girl actually winked at me.
“Kind of cute?” I, too, pretended to be flabbergasted and winked back.
She giggled and answered, “I’m nineteen years old, and I’ve been working for the past year and a half because I opted not to go to college. By the end of my senior year in high school, I was so sick of school I told my parents I’d like to take time off and work for a year. That one year is now going on two. The first year started in Jersey, but the company had an opening in Southern California so I grabbed it and love living there.”
“How did you get into this line of work?” It took balls to go into the work force at such a young age.
“I just kind of fell into it. My dad’s friend knew I needed a job, he gave me a job and that was it.”
“Ok...” I didn’t know what else to say.
“That’s it?” she countered. “Am I too ordinary for you? Just an average working girl. No high-powered lawyer, genius doctor, or savvy business woman you seem to be familiar with in your life?” She stumped me. How did I answer this one? “I’m kidding.” She smiled and patted my hand. “I’m all right being the odd ball here. I’m used to it.”
“Oh...” That was an even lamer answer than an “OK.”
Lily died laughing. I felt out of my element, and like an entirely different person around this girl. She had a way of throwing me for several loops.
Dinner was a lot of getting caught up in Sarah and Charlie’s life, and post-dinner was the mothers playing with the kids in the playroom and the fathers trailing their families wherever they went. Lily and I were two awkward single people.
“Hey,” Lily called out. “I’m meeting some friends at a concert tonight. You want to join us?”
Shit! Now what the hell was I to say? “Um...”
She laughed again. “Are you usually monosyllabic?”
“No...” I answered stupidly.
“Let me be honest with you.”
“All right.” Another stumper...
“Bi-syllabic?” Lily teased and I answered with an embarrassed grin. “I’m curious about you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Call it a stupid curiosity or a childhood fascination, but I’ve been curious since I spoke to Jake several years back. Your brother is the ideal man in my eyes—even more so than Charlie. I’d like to find out if you can live up to the Reid reputation. How far from the tree can your apple have fallen?”
“I...”
“Are you and Bee together? If so, we can stop right here. I’m not one of those girls who takes what’s not hers.”
“Bee and I...” How did I explain something I myself didn’t understand? I tried to be as honest as possible. “Bee and I came to New York together, not as a couple, but two people who enjoy each other’s company and who occasionally…”
“Sleep together? Have sex? Screw around?”
Damn! A serious stumper. “All of the above?” My high-pitched answer made her giggle again. “I’ll be honest with you too. Bee and I are not just friends. I called it ‘friends with benefits’ and that pissed her off enough to leave our family apartment and go find lodging elsewhere. However, we have never claimed to be exclusive. Even Bee will admit that neither of us asked for a relationship from one another. I have no interest in finding a girlfriend, getting married, having kids, anytime in the next decade. But I have no problems with getting to know you. If what I just explained sounds copacetic to you, then we can hang out.” I felt it was best to be on the up-and-up with Lily. By her expression, she didn’t appear to mind my honesty.
She laughed at me again. “Boy, that is a serious list of disclaimers. You usually spell it all out to every girl before hanging out with her?”
“No, but when the girl is the sister of my sister-in-law’s best friend, and she has seen me with another woman, I need to play on the safe side and be open and honest about where I stand in terms of relationships. What about you? Are you seeing anybody?”
“I’m nineteen. You have no worries from me as I have no thoughts of getting married or having kids for the next decade either. Although...I’m not against having a boyfriend.” I liked how assured she was about herself and life in general. “If you are not adverse to the way I look, smell, or the way I behave, let’s go hang out at this concert?”
I did pause, but only briefly. “Let’s go.”
January 6, 2014 BEE: 7!
“May I ask why you and my brother were snogging the other night?”
“What the hell is snogging?”
“Ruby, you really are dramatic. We were not making out the other night.”
“Were your lips locked?”
“Our lips might have been touching.” I gave her my most noncommittal answer.
Ruby let out an unladylike snort. “Were other parts of your bodies touching?” Now she was asking sarcastically.
“I cannot say that I remember if other body parts were touching.”
Ruby threw a pillow at me in pretend disgust. “Out with it, you sneaky American. You Americans all have hidden agendas.”
“It was New Year’s Eve, Ruby. I thought I saw you snogging someone in the corner the same time I might’ve been touching lips with your brother.”
Ruby’s lips slowly spread into a most uncharacteristic smile. “You like my brother?”
“As a drinking buddy, friend, lamenting partner, yes. As a man, maybe. I can’t say I dislike him, that’s for sure.”
“Are you two going to try for a long distance relationship?” Laney was right. Michael and Ruby had a cute brother-sister relationship. I liked how they looked out for one another.
“You are taking a New Year’s Eve possible lip touching way too seriously. We only did what everyone else did at the party. Your brother is still in love with my married niece, and I don’t know what I feel right now, but your brother and I are not an item.”
“Damn! After Laney, I was hoping my brother would find his happily ever after. And you and I get along so wickedly, I had you two walking down the aisle.”
“The future Bennington Duchess will most likely not be me.”
Ruby displayed another interesting look. “So you’re not completely ruling out becoming the future Bennington Duchess?”
“At this point, my last name could be Bennington, Reid, or Taylor. It’s all a crapshoot.”
Wasn’t that the truth. I had not spoken with Nick since I left his apartment. The only communication I had with him was when he texted and asked if I wanted to come by and pick up the rest of my belongings. I didn’t realize I had left any of my belongings there. I told him I’d come by whenever it was convenient. I left it as open ended as possible.
“Ruby, what are your plans? What I mean is, are you staying in New York indefinitely, are you going back to London soon, are you headed to LA...?”
“Acting school doesn’t start until summer time so I thought maybe I might stay here and find some theater work.”
“And Michael?”
“As for the man whose lips you might have been touching, you’d have to ask him yourself. From the little I know, he needs to go back to London and do some work for my grandfather.”
“Any chance you’d be willing to house me as a roommate for about a month or two? I’d pay rent.”
“I’d love for us to be flatmates. And no rent necessary considering this place is completely paid for by my grandfather. But what about your lover?” She asked with her eyebrows raised and a chuckle to go with the questioning eyebrows. “Won’t Nick miss you if you live here for a couple of months?”
“Why don’t we find out?”
Are you still in New York? I texted.
Yeah. Are you? The response was quick.
Can I come by to pick up my belongings?
Now at 11 PM?
If you’re otherwise occupied, I’ll stop by another time.
I’m free. Come on over.
“I’m going to Nick’s to pick up some stuff. You want to come?”
“Yeah, right! No thanks. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel.”
Lovers’ quarrel. I guess there were no more apropos words.
During my short ride over to Nick’s, I told myself I’d be cool and casual. I wouldn’t let him upset me with his I-don’t-give-a-damn attitude. Regardless of what he said to me, I’d remind myself that he and I were never together. This was not a break up. I had a career to focus on, and I wouldn’t be single forever. I stood in front of his building until I was sure I could face him without getting my feelings hurt.
Get the hell in here. It’s freezing outside. I felt like an idiot reading that text.
I’m not coming in until I trust myself to be calm and logical with you.
Bee Taylor. Get your ass in here.
He pissed me off even before I got into his apartment. This was not good for me, already.
The door was ajar so I went in and found Nick waiting.
“Was there a reason why you had to come here at this hour?”
I shrugged another noncommittal answer. “What personal belonging did I leave behind?” He pulled out my underwear from his pants’ pocket and held it between his thumb and forefinger. “Shit.” I mumbled and walked over to take my belonging and run. It was bad enough to be here at this hour, but to know I’d left my underwear here was damn embarrassing. “I’ll take this and be out of your hair.” I reached to grab it but Nick raised it high above and pulled me in for a scorching kiss.
Initially, I fought him. The more I pushed him away, the harder he held onto me. When I tried to bite him, he grinned and forced his tongue deeper and most possessively. At some point, this whole fighting a sexual advance turned hot. Never would I condone any type of forced sexual activity, but my situation was different. I would give in to him eventually. This was a game to the both of us. The more he bruised my mouth, the more aroused I got.
“Bed, floor, or against the wall?” He blurted while undoing my jeans.
“Don’t give me options. Just do me.”
This asshole quietly laughed at me and started on his jeans as soon as he took off mine. Within minutes, we were bottom-half naked and on the floor. He took no time—not that it was necessary since I was wet, wild, and ready—and entered me without pause.
“Fuck, Bee. No woman feels as good as you do. I think I can forget you and go about my way, but I can’t seem to do that. Every time I’m with you, you feel like my sanctuary. I don’t want to be anywhere else but here with you.”
What the hell? Nick was acting like a drunken man. “Is this a Nick Reid fucking soliloquy?”
We both busted into laughter with him on top of and still inside me. He pulled out when we calmed down, and picked me up off the ground and carried me into the bedroom. For kicks, he threw me on the bed and took off the rest of his and my clothes.
“Shall we finish our business without the unnecessary words?”
“I don’t know? I was actually enjoying those unnecessary words of yours.”
He shut me up with his mouth and kept me busy with his finger. Real soon we were panting and grunting and making incoherent noises. The nice part of being with a 6’4” man? He wasn’t just tall and well built in plain sight. What was left to the imagination was bigger and better. There was no way I was going to last any longer with Nick pounding into me. As hard as I tried, I gave into my urges and came harder than I’d come with any man. Nick followed me with louder noises than usual.
“Damn that was good, but short.”
“Way too short, Nicholas. What kind of man are you?” I tried to be serious but couldn’t. “Don’t all men wait till their women have had at least two orgasms before finding their own? I have a girlfriend who claims her husband gives her seven before he comes. She’s always bragging that she’s going to get a t-shirt made with the number 7 emblazoned on it.”
“I think your girlfriend is full of shit.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
“I give in, Bee. What do you want?”
“A Mr. Whippy with five Flakes jabbed in there?”
“I’m being serious. What do you want from me, and where do you want us to go?”
Did he actually ask me what I wanted in terms of a relationship, and did he actually call us...us?
“Are you being serious?”
“Yeah. I’m being serious. This is as serious as I’ve ever gotten with a woman,
so tell me what you want and let’s go from there.”
I should’ve asked for the world from this guy. Perhaps a serious relationship or I could have freaked him out and told him I wanted marriage. Since I had no idea what I myself wanted and since he was chivalrous enough to take into consideration what I wanted, I thought I would compromise.
“I want to date. That doesn’t mean we’re getting married next week, you don’t have to call me your girlfriend, but I want to date exclusively and see where this takes us.”