Showcase

by P. Roper

  “Other than myself? No. She is a lot more verbose than most teenage girls I’ve met though.”

  “That’d be the prep school. It’s her ivy vocabulary. She has poured over dictionaries and thesauruses for as long as she could read them.”

  “Girl after my own heart,” I concluded as we turned into the dining room.

  The room had transformed since the morning. A buffet with a Christmas village took up much of one of the walls and a large tree sat beside the lit fireplace. An elaborate centrepiece sat on the table I’m sure could comfortably seat 18, but three place settings had been laid out at one end.

  He pulled my chair out, nodding for me to sit. Then hearing Noelle and Ellen coming from the kitchen, he pulled out Noelle’s chair as well and waited for her.

  Noelle carried two dishes, a salad and bread. But Ellen pushed a cart into the room. Seeing what the cart was filled with made me laugh. “Spaghetti?”

  “With three sauces to choose from, fresh grated parm, garlic bread and a caesar salad. We always have spaghetti when Nate comes home from a business trip,” Noelle said with a bright smile at her brother. “Ellen makes the very best pasta on the east coast. Its gluten free but I swear to god, you can’t tell. She makes it all from scratch because she’s magical,” she finished as she set the dishes between us on the table and took her seat.

  “You really can’t even do spaghetti small?” I found myself asking Nathaniel, as a breathy laugh escapes me.

  “I’m all about grand gestures, Deliah. Even with spaghetti,” he winked. “But actually, Ellen refuses to cook the store bought pasta I have in the pantry. So I cook it myself on her days off.”

  Ellen filled our plates before rolling the cart off to the side and excusing herself. As we ate, I fell into a comfortable silence. Observing the two siblings catching up, held most of my attention. They spoke animatedly, sharing similar inflections and almost all their mannerisms. My place here was precarious, I knew that. But in the time I did have, I realized that I was going to enjoy being somewhat immersed in a family. It was such an unfamiliar notion, but one that I was more than happy to embrace while I had the opportunity.

  Chapter 9

  Dinners that first evening at the estate, and the rest in the week to follow were more than I had ever anticipated they could be. Noelle talked non-stop for the full hour that we all sat in the dining room each day. She hit every subject possible. Her upcoming birthday, she would be seventeen on Christmas Eve. Her school (some prep school nearby) and the paper that she hoped to be editor of next year, when she became a senior. Her two best friends, Annabelle and Evie, who never went by their full names. The three of them were A, E and Noe to most. I heard stories of what growing up with two significantly older brothers was like and shared some of my own from bases. It was sort of the same, but I had whole platoons of older brothers. The family dynamic was mentioned here and there, with what Nathaniel referred to as the mausoleum. I also learned of the staff and various schedules they kept.

  A hesitant sort of normal settled over the three of us. Noelle spent her days at school then she would write or do homework until dinner. I found myself at Ellen’s side and in near constant contact with Audrey, in preparations for the coming Thanksgiving event. A cocktail hour, six course meal, then an elaborate socializing ‘opportunity’ (as they called it). I had pages upon pages of notes. Guest lists, menus, seating charts, vendors. It seemed that they put as much into this one holiday, as average people put into a wedding.

  Forty five people had been invited. The formal dining and living rooms had been undivided and the furniture all removed, to accommodate the longest table I had ever seen. It was brought through the double doors in eighteen pieces and assembled on site before dozens of chairs followed it into the space. I approved table settings and music selections from options that Audrey’s team sent. I taste tested every dish before it got added to the menu and hand-picked several waiters that the caterer had brought for me to interview. Ellen was leading the whole culinary operation, but her daughter was the staff caterer, so her team was at the house almost every day.

  Finally on Wednesday, a week after my arrival, my phone didn’t wake me up shortly after dawn. Rather, a warm hand on my shoulder and lips grazing my forehead did. “Good morning, pretty girl.” His voice was like velvet, blanketing my groggy state. “Ready to join me for some coffee before Audrey arrives and steals you from me again?”

  “What time is it?” I croaked out, rubbing a hand down my face.

  “It’s ten,” was all he said to make me bolt up in bed, almost displacing him to the floor.

  “Ten? I have so much to do, still. Ten. Okay. I may need -”

  A finger pressed to my lips paused my words. “Deliah, you’re good. I promise. I cleared it with Audrey. You’ve been running on a few hours of sleep a night, all week. I wanted you to be rested before facing the masses.” His finger left my mouth, tucking a curl behind my ear. “So breathe for me?” I nodded and did as such while he stood, offering me his hand.

  “Good. As I was saying, Audrey has all your notes and everything under control. The whole team is here all day today and some will return tomorrow morning briefly. You need to shower though. Audrey has just left Boston with Daniel, for a final fitting on your dress. Then the day is ours.”

  “What dress?” I asked, walking around the bed, toward the bathroom.

  “The one for tomorrow night. He’s spent the last two weeks making it custom for you.”

  “Two weeks,” I questioned, stopped in my tracks. “I've only been here one. Someone was presumptuous.” A laugh fell from my lips.

  “Not at all. I had planned to just send you the dress, if you hadn’t come back with me. But I can’t deny I had high hopes,” he said with a shrug and a soft smile.

  I nodded before continuing toward the shower. An hour later I walked into the library and shock washed over me. Standing on a mannequin was a dream of a gown. Juniper hued chiffon flowed from the waist. The bodice, if you can call it that, was little more than two sections of artfully gathered fabric. They extended up from the waist band and up over the shoulders. I couldn’t tell from where I stood, but I would have put money on it being completely backless. It was a perfect balance between racy and elegant.

  “Is that mine?” I had to ask. Maybe that particular one was intended for someone else.

  Audrey and the man with her turned to face me. “It’s definitely yours. But let me tell you, it’s estimated. So we may need some significant alterations. Should we get it on you and get started?” Audrey, always a flurry of motion, was already reaching for my arm to pull me further into the room.

  “It’s beautiful. But all this for Thanksgiving?”

  I heard Nathaniel laughing his way down the hall before Audrey spoke again. “Deliah, everything in this world is a formal event. You’ve seen the guest list. You can’t host society people and dignitaries in jeans or a simple cocktail dress. Every woman there will be dripping diamonds and couture. So, Daniel whipped this one up for you.” Audrey gestured to the gown. “And Noelle took a trip into the city today to get you jewellery.”

  I could feel my heart pick up speed. I knew how much a gown like this could cost, plus elaborate jewellery to go with it? I would likely be wearing more than my entire current wardrobe was worth. “I guess we should get to it then?”

  Three hours later, the gown fit me like a glove. It was snug but soft against my skin. The straps wrapped around, connecting to themselves under my arms and leaving my entire back exposed. Finally, even in the strappy 3 inch heels they gave me, the fabric pooled slightly on the floor around me.

  “I think it’s perfect,” Audrey declared. “Do you like it? We can also have someone pop by in the morning for hair and makeup. Or you may do it yourself, if you choose?”

  “I love it,” I said, smoothing my hands down the skirt. “And I think I’ll do it myself this time.” I needed to hold onto some semblance of my ow
n normal.

  The rest of the day passed mostly lazily, after I extricated myself from the dress. Audrey went over some final details with me and the caterer, Kat, before she dismissed me for the remainder of the weekend. The next eighteen hours felt so innately normal. Nathaniel and I took a walk down to the stables and along the beach, discussing the juxtaposition of how we grew up. We had burgers with Noelle for dinner, before settling into the theater for a double feature. Okay, the theater part wasn’t really normal. But if you just think about the movie part? All very standard.

  Nathaniel had coerced me into turning my phone off for the night, once again assuring me that Audrey had it all taken care of. I fell asleep with the pressure of his arm draped over my waist; waking the next morning, to his fingers tracing patterns on my back.

  “Time is it?” I mumbled, eyes closed and still almost completely face down in the pillow.

  “Early enough,” was his only response before he ran his palm down my whole back, resting it on my ass. “I’m going to shower, if you care to join me.”

  He sat up but I grabbed his hand before he had a chance to actually leave the bed. “Open invitation or actual request,” I asked.

  “Both?”

  I nodded and released his hand so he could leave me there to watch his perfect ass walk its way to the bathroom. Did I have every intention of joining him? Yes. But I wasn’t leaving that bed until the water was hot. When I heard the water turn on, I counted to thirty before smiling to myself and throwing off the covers.

  Slipping into the steam filled bathroom, I watched him a moment through the glass. The way his back moved as his hands ran through his wet hair. But what I noticed most, was the tick in his jaw. What was that about? Laid back Nathaniel, struggling? Upset? Frustrated? What I wouldn’t give to gain access to some of his thoughts, especially when certain expressions washed over his face.

  He must have been lost in his own head when I opened the glass door because he didn’t show any signs of awareness of my presence. Easing the door closed behind me, I stepped toward him. Reaching around to his front, I ran my hands down his abs as I pressed my front to his back.

  I felt the rumble of a growl leave him as he stilled, almost leaning into my body. A smile touched my face before I dragged my mouth across his back. He inhaled sharply when my right hand slid lower before gripping him. I only managed three strokes before he stilled me by gripping my wrist. The moment I released him, he spun on me, dark eyes burning.

  Never breaking eye contact, he brought his hand up to my shoulder, purposefully brushing my peaked nipple on the way up. I gasped at the contact, and with the light pressure on my shoulder and a slight tilt of his head, I understood his unspoken request.

  His body blocked the spray from the shower as I lowered to my knees and reached for him again. With one hand on the slate wall behind me, he threaded the fingers of the other through my hair. When I leaned forward, licking up the underside of his shaft, he groaned and tugged lightly on my hair. I resumed eye contact while taking the tip into my mouth. His nostrils flared and the jaw tick hadn’t stopped. As I pulled his thick cock into my mouth he fully fisted my hair, guiding my motion. I sucked him in and at each pull back I swirled my tongue, while he controlled both my head and his hips. He never broke eye contact while he fucked my mouth. My hands reached out to grab his ass, holding him there when he seemed to try and pull back. I continued working him until his fist pounded the wall and he found his release down the back of my throat.

  No sooner had I swallowed was he pulling me up to meet him. He released my hair as our mouths crashed together and his hands gripped my face. The kiss was hot and harsh but not long. He broke it, resting his forehead against mine. “Today is probably going to suck.” Were his only words as he stood straighter, pressing a kiss to my forehead. He turned me around to stand under the water. Heat streaming down my body, he watched the rivulets a moment before moving. He washed my hair, rinsing it and adding conditioner before shampooing his own. We washed each other’s bodies in silence and once we were clean, he dropped his mouth to my collarbone. He dragged out, “I’ll let you finish up in here,” before turning and letting himself out of the glass box.

  As he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the room itself, I couldn’t help but wonder why he seemed almost worried about today. I finished my shower, prepping and wrapping my hair, before brushing my teeth and wrapping a towel around myself. Steeling myself, I pulled open the door to the bedroom.

  He was sitting there on the bed, still shirtless but in lounge pants. “You alright?” I asked, stepping closer as his brows furrowed at the phone in his hand.

  Blinking a few times before putting the phone down beside him on the bed, he looked up at me. “I am.” He reached for my hand and I met his. He pulled me to stand between his knees. Still looking up at me, he smiled before resting his hands on my hips and his forehead on my towel covered chest. “Thank you for being here. I don’t think I’ve actually said that yet. So thank you.”

  His head rose again and after glancing at the clock, he looked back to me. “Guests won’t arrive for hours. How much time do you need to get ready later?”

  “Uh, like an hour?” I said, stumbling over the abrupt change in subject. “And for the record, it’s my pleasure to be here. For whatever you need. That was the agreement, no?”

  The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but I couldn’t have called it a smile. The look on his face alone dashed any hope I had in that moment that he would open up to me at all. He nodded. “Alright, well you won’t need to get ready until about three then. I think I’m going to go make coffee. Do you want some?” As he spoke, his hands guided me a couple steps back and he stood.

  “Yeah, I’ll be down in a few. Thank you.” I nodded at him. My mind raced as he left me standing there in my towel. It was going to be a long day apparently.

  Hours later, I found myself in almost the same place. Noelle had found me earlier, to give me the teardrop earrings and delicate back necklace she had brought out from the city. This time in the room, I had finished my hair and makeup before sliding into the juniper dress. “That dress should be outlawed,” came from the closet door frame, where Nathaniel was buttoning his shirt.

  “Can you come fasten it and the necklace for me?”

  He nodded and came toward me. He slid the necklace from my fingers, draping it around my neck. His fingers traced it around to the clasp. Fastening it, he guided the silver all the way down my bare skin to where the chain ended in a weighted drop, at the small of my back. Once he had done up the single button holding the dress on my hips, he stepped in front of me and flashed his dimples before going to don his tie and jacket.

  The foyer was crowded already when I descended the staircase. Deep breath. I coached myself. It’s no different from a showcase. And you’re wearing more clothes. A delicate hand found mine and squeezed, as I made it to the ground floor. It was Noelle, still out of the public’s field of view. We had told her. Not about the intricate details of the contract we had signed, but most of how I found myself here. She could be my anchor, when he couldn’t. Participating in this world was way out of my league. She smiled; the one so much like her brother’s and nodded. This was it.

  I floated through the crowd. I knew he was down here somewhere. I heard him before I saw him. Boisterous laughter, led me in his direction. But I shook my head to myself as I listened. He used his business laugh with these people. I knew, because while I recognized this one from hearing him interact professionally. His real laugh was luminous, much like his real smile.

  He met my eyes the instant I walked into the room. His face changed, for just that one breath before he shifted himself closer to me while maintaining his conversation. Once I was almost to him, his hand extended toward me. I met it with my own and he tangled our fingers, pulling me to his side.

  His hand rested at the small of my back while he guided me around the crowd, greeting every one of
his guests. Though from the looks of it, most of them were likely his parent’s guests and it was simply his turn to host the event. A flute of champagne found its way to my hand at some point, only to be replaced moments later by Audrey, with a glass of red wine. She met my eyes and nodded before ushering a server off with the discarded champagne. Sometime later, Ellen found and discreetly informed us that dinner was served in the dining room.

  Seated at the head of the table was Mr. Halstead. To his right sat his wife, Jacqueline, with an empty seat beside her that I assumed belonged to the older brother. To his left, sat Noelle, myself and Nate, respectively. Audrey sat further down the table. She had ditched the glasses and changed into a black gown for the night. The table was filled, with the exception of the one seat across from me.

  Mr. Halstead said a few words about being thankful for our good country and being in the company of so many good people, before prompting everyone to enjoy their meal. Between courses, conversation filled the room. “I’m very curious about you, Deliah was it?” Mr. Halstead turned his attention to me between the second and third courses. “How did you find yourself in my son’s life?”