Two Sisters

by Leen Elle

  "Sit, boy." Jaime ordered. I watched curiously as Scraps started to lick Jaime's clenched fist. "Sit." He said, firmly this time. Scraps laid down.

  "No, Scraps, sit." Scraps covered it's eyes with a paw. I held back a laugh. "Sit." Scraps rolled onto his back. "Okay, Scraps, roll over." Scraps sat.

  "Well, you have to give him something for effort." James said as he walked down the stairs. His hair was usually messy and he was cleaning his glasses.

  "That's called cheating." I smiled slightly as Jaime gave Scraps the treat.

  "I'm going to have to disagree." James smiled as he leaned in to give me a kiss. I met his lips halfway. We wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't for Kingston who jumped into my arms meowing innocently. He climbed my shoulder.

  "Good morning, Kingston." I laughed as he bumped his head gently to mine.

  "He does that on purpose you know." James said. He leaned forward again, only this time Kingston let out a threatening growl and wrapped his tail possessively around my neck.

  "Well, cats do think everything that belongs to someone belongs to them." I said, scratching my cat's ears. James' eyes filled up with warmth and affection.

  "You belong to me then?" He asked.

  My cheeks burned slightly. "Well, yes, or at least, I hope so…" I whispered softly. He stared at me for a long time, then he opened his mouth to say something, but Jaime beat him to it.

  "Dad, you said we could go to the cabin, it's already summer, when are we going?" Jaime asked. James looked away from me for a moment and turned to our son.

  "Actually this weekend." He replied.

  Cabin? What cabin? "Where are we going?" I asked in a disapproving tone. He couldn't plan a trip without telling me, I really can't leave the animal hospital on such short notice.

  "We always take a trip to the cabin over the summer. Remember, in the national park up north? You haven't gone in a long time." He explained. I bit my lip, a trip would be nice, but this was already going to far. I shouldn't have established a relationship with James, a man who did not belong to me in the first place. I shouldn't have become to attached to Jennifer's family. This is all wrong.

  "Oh…right…" I trailed off as the uncertainty of the situation reached both James and Jaime. James looked a little troubled as he stared at me.

  "Unless you don't want to go…Jaime and I have been going alone for the past three years." He suggested; James didn't try hard to hide the disappointment in his voice. I really hated making him feel that way.

  "Come with us, Mom, please." Jaime begged, his large blue eyes were full of hope, and I just couldn't say no; not to this pair. I sighed in defeat as I wordlessly nodded.

  "Seriously? That's great, we'll have to buy a few things to take with us, but I'm sure that won't be a problem. The cabin is a two hour drive from here, we better find things to make us comfortable." He explained, the joy in his eyes doubling up.

  "Well, we're going to need bug spray, sun block, we have to take all precautions necessary so Jaime will be alright during the trip." I said, gently placing my arms around Jaime. James smiled at the both of us and I ruffled Jamie's hair. James gave me a reassuring look.

  "Jamie will be fine, I've taken good care of him." I released Jaime from my hold and he sprinted upstairs with Scraps right behind him.

  "I know, during my absence." I told him softly.

  He gently caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. "Welcome back."

  * * *

  "It's beautiful." I breathed as I looked up at the tall trees surrounding the small cabin. A small stream cut through the small patch of land. Scraps whined as he took a few steps towards the stream. "No, Scraps, we can go swimming later." I said, pulling him back. He whined louder.

  "He's rather anxious, isn't he?" James asked as he took some bags into the cabin. Jaime struggled with a large bag of dog food.

  "Yes, well, I just hope he doesn't get too-!" I let out a cry as Scraps mustered all of his strength and bounded toward the stream, dragging me while I screamed my head off.

  "Jennifer!" I heard James cry. I tried to dig my feet into the ground, but Scraps' fiery determination and enthusiasm quickly crushed my hopes of stopping him. The leash tangled itself around my arm and I couldn't pry it free. I looked up and saw the stream getting closer. I tried to stop again, but I stumbled and I felt my white sundress rip as it got caught on a knarred branch. Scraps jumped happily into the stream as I tripped over a molded log and fell head first into the cold water, all while screaming, mind you.

  Water engulfed me and I couldn't tell which way was up. Finally I broke through the surface and cried out. "Help!" I saw James just standing near the bank, Jaime just watched with amusement. "James-!"

  "Jennifer, just stand up." He said, trying hard not to smile. I stopped thrashing about and felt my feet touch the muddy ground. I stood up, the water barely reaching my thighs.

  "Oh…"

  That's when James decided to throw his head back and laugh. I blushed furiously as I crossed my arms. "It's not funny, when you're in the middle of being dragged off into a body of water, you don't have the opportunity to stop and think on whether it's deep or not!"

  Jaime laughed as well, and Scraps trotted out of the water to greet his friend. Scraps then dropped down onto his back and started rolling in the mud. I glared at him. "You're luck I love dogs."

  "Jamie, go get a towel for your mother. The towels should be in one of the bags" James finally said after he got his fill of laugher. Jaime sprinted off to the cabin with Scraps barking happily at his feet. It wasn't until that we were alone that I was greatly aware of how my clothes clung to my body, making everything look rather…er…transparent. I felt my cheeks grow hot as I hastily stood there, not really knowing how to cover myself. That's when I notice the large tear in my dress that ran across my stomach.

  "That dog…" Was all I could say as I crossed my arms.

  "Dogs will be dogs." James said, not trying to hide the fact that he was examining my hips. When it came to James, I never really put much thoughts into other things except that we had a strong affection for each other. Until now, I've never really been acutely aware of the sexual attraction. Sex? No, no, no! Most certainly not! I took a few steps back and sat back down into the water, covering all of my lower half.

  "I think that I should wait here, now that I'm wet and all…" I said, my cheeks burning.

  "Er…yeah, you do that." James said, looking pointedly away, the back of his neck coloring. I could feel the tension building up, this new sexual tension that is, it was suffocating. I was actually debating on whether I should let the current take me when Jaime appeared with the towel.

  "Here it is." He said, handing the towel to James. "I'm going to go change into my swimming trunks and play in the water with Scraps." He said, running back to the cabin. James held out the towel, and I stared at it.

  "I'm not coming in to get you, as tempting as that is." He said. I flushed again. I hesitated and then finally stood up. James spread the towel wide and I quickly barreled into it. "Whoa there." He said as he wrapped his arms and towel around me. I shivered, and it had nothing to do with the chilliness of the water. His warmth surrounded me.

  "T-Thanks…" I stammered, okay, now my teeth were really chattering.

  "Let's go inside and warm you up." He said as he led me to the cabin.

  When I finally got out of the shower and entered our room, James was sprawled out on the bed, watching the news. He turned to me and smiled. "Hey Flipper, enjoy the water?"

  "Ha ha." I threw the towel at him. I went to the window and opened it up to look outside. The wind blew in that wonderful piney scent. "Do you think Jaime will be alright out there by himself?" I asked.

  "He's a natural-born swimmer, he'll be fine, the stream isn't that deep." He assured me.

  "Yes, but he could still have an accident, like his head on a rock or something." I said, starting to worry.

  "Jennifer, come here and relax." James said, patting the
bed. I chewed the inside of my cheek as I tried to decided on accepting his offer or not. I reluctantly went to lie beside him. He turned to his side and stared at me with his blue eyes. Whenever I was like this with him, I would get incredibly shy, but at the same time, I wanted to see just how deep his eyes were. The rapid beating of my heart was proof enough that I wanted him, all of him.

  "James-"

  "I'll see you in a few minutes." He said suddenly turning his back to me.

  "Wait, what?" I asked, sitting up.

  "Well, we are both in need of a well deserved nap." He said, grinning over his shoulder.

  "But-But I thought…" I trailed off.

  He raised his eyebrows. "Thought about what?" He asked. He was mocking me, he liked teasing me.

  "Um…nothing…" I replied.

  He gave a small smirk. "Oh, I see, you mean this." He had me on my back in a matter of seconds.

  "How did this happen?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "Does it really matter? Look, I was thinking about fortifying our renewed relationship; if you want to, that is." He said. I looked at him in confusion.

  Fortifying?

  "Oh…right…" My voice suddenly got squeaky.

  "Hey, I won't do anything you don't want me to." He said, and he softly kissed my lips. His tender kisses always found a way to unravel me. His strong hands ran from my arms to his shoulders. "You're really soft…" He whispered and proceeded to kiss my color bone. "And vanilla fits you well." He added, taking in my scent. I clung to the front of his shirt.

  "James…" I sighed.

  "I would want nothing more than to make love to you, but…" He pulled away from my embrace. "Like I said, if you're not comfortable about this, I won't do anything."

  "But you want this." I said softly.

  "I do, but there's more to this than just that, Jennifer. I don't know how you did it, but you made me fall in love with you all over again." He took my face in his hands. "I love you."

  I felt my eyes water. Falling in love with James Miles wasn't part of the plan, but I just couldn't help myself. He couldn't love a man like him? He wiped my tears away. "Are you okay?" He asked.

  "Yes, it's just-I love you too, James, you don't know how much." You don't know how much I don't want to let you go. He kissed me again, deeply this time, and I responded to him, telling him that it was ok. I slowly helped him take off his shirt and he held me tightly. I brushed my fingers against his chest, and then I ran my hands down his back. He was about to slide my dress from my body when I stopped him.

  "Wait, what about Jaime?" I asked, breathless.

  "What about him?"

  "Well, there aren't any locks on these doors, I don't want him walking in." I told him.

  "Right." He said, getting off the bed. "We'll just have to improvise." He got the chair from a desk sitting in a corner and lodged it tightly against the door, just underneath the door knob.

  I just hope I wasn't making a mistake, here. After all, he was Jennifer's husband, and I was already cheating on Aaron, if you considered this cheating, that is. He turned towards me and stared at me with all of the love and affection he had for me, and I couldn't stop my chest from swelling with happiness as I held my arms out and welcomed him into my mind, body, and heart.

  Chapter 12: Heated Caribbean

  I sat in a restaurant on the other side of the coffee shop where Kendra convince Aaron to meet her in. It had been a few days since I got her on my side, and she proved to be quite helpful indeed. Kendra had graciously offered few ideas on how to get back at Aaron. I took a bite out of my cheese cake and listened closely to their conversation from a small earpiece that was connected to a small microphone Kendra was using.

  "He's a business man from Bolivia, Columbia. I talked to him about you. He's thinking about proposing something to you and your father's company, if you want to hear him out." Kendra said, sugar coating her voice. Aaron leaned back in his chair and fixed his tie.

  "I am intrigued, what's his name again?" He asked.

  "Cesar Flores, he should be here any minute. I've known him since I was little because he worked with my father for years." She explained. Aaron didn't bother to looked interested.

  "Well, he better make it quick, I have an appointment to get to." He said coolly, looking at his watch. Kendra leaned over and placed a hand on his arm.

  "That's too bad, I was hoping we could have gone somewhere more…secluded." She said in a whisper. She ran her hand down his arm and stopped at his hand. My eyes narrowed, she wasn't supposed to do that.

  Aaron pulled away. "That won't be necessary."

  "Ah, Miss Davis, Mr. Hale. I'm not late, am I?" A man with graying black hair asked. Aaron stood up and shook his hand.

  "No, sir, you were just in time." Cesar took a seat, and I grinned. Cesar wasn't a business man, he was a certifier of legal documents.

  It was rather boring watching them and hearing them talk about business and blah, blah, blah. It wasn't until an hour later that Cesar took out the documents.

  "You see, Mr. Hale, I am very eager to work with your father, and I know that your signature will also be accepted. This can open a door of opportunities for both of our companies." Cesar said, setting down the papers before Aaron.

  "I'm bought on the idea, Mr. Flores, let me just take a look-"

  "Oh, Aaron, that won't be necessary. Trust me, I looked over them myself, see, I signed it right here." Kendra said, pointing at the documents, before Aaron could look at it closely she changed it back to the first page. Aaron took out a pen and then hesitated.

  "I would feel a lot better if I read the contract myself, I mean it would take a fool to not-"

  "Aaron…" Kendra said in a seductive whisper. She placed her hand tenderly on his cheek, making me roll my eyes. "I wouldn't have signed it myself if I knew it wasn't good business. Mr. Flores is offering you and your father's company sixty percent of the profits, all he wants is to partner up and eliminate the competition. With my help and your power, we can make a huge difference in today's economy. Think about it." She said.

  After a few seconds of indecision, Aaron relented. "Alright, if you're so sure." He said. I held my breath as Aaron signed the papers. He handed the papers back to Cesar and he signed them himself, there was only one person left to sign.

  "Glad to do business with you." Cesar grinned. Aaron nodded and he stood.

  "Sorry to be leaving on such short notice, but I really must be going." He said. Aaron shook Cesar's hand.

  "Thank you, Kendra." He said, and left. When he was gone, I stood up and cried.

  "Yes!" I could feel eyes on me. I quickly paid my tab and went to meet up with Kendra and Cesar. As I reached their table, Kendra smiled smugly.

  "It's done, all we need is your signature." She said, sliding the papers toward my direction. I took the pen she handed me and signed the papers. Cesar would later notarize the papers and make them legal.

  "Well, Mrs. Hale, soon you will be the owner of all your husband's fortune." Cesar said.

  I smiled. "Everything Aaron gained through his lies are now in my power, and victory is so sweet."

  "So what are you going to do with all the money?" Kendra asked. "Could I make a suggestion?"

  "What do you have in mind?" I asked.

  "Well, the company Aaron's father runs is a partnership, so why don't you buy the rights to the company from a couple of the men running the business. When you have enough power-"

  "I can wipe out Aaron and all of his blasted family." I finished.

  * * *

  "What did you say?" I asked. It had been a few days since I stole everything from Aaron, and he still had no idea that he no longer owns anything, even this house. Not that he will know anytime soon, I left the accounts and everything in his name, but any big decisions he wants to make he won't be able to do because he will need my permission; after all, everything was mine now.

  Today, though, he came up to me and announced that the two of us were going to f
ly to Florida and go on a cruise. A cruise, just where in the hell did he come up with the idea of going on a damn cruise? Where did he get the money for it?

  "I planned this trip weeks ago, so we will be in first class." He explained.

  Ah, that explains it.

  "What makes you think I'm going with you on a cruise?" I asked. He gave a small smug smile and sat across from me. I was reading in the den when the idiot decided to disturb me with this asinine idea of a cruise.

  "Well, would you turn down a cruise to the Caribbean?" He asked.