The Risk

by Branford, Lauren

  “Thanks,” I say, as we briefly hug and then she starts for the door. As I watch Kim leave, I start to feel nervous, as I’m alone in the house. I look down the long hall that glows orange with the setting sun.

  My mind flashes back to Blaine. I can’t help but want to know more about him. Who are his “weird friends”? What kind of girls does he bring back home? Suddenly, I shake my head. Those are the wrong things to think about my new cousin. I collect myself before grabbing the handles of my bag and moving down the hall toward my new room.

  The Pool

  My bedroom is beautiful. High ceilings, an enormous bed, and a large window overlooking the infinity pool is more than a girl like me would ever need. I put my things away in the drawers and take a breath of fresh air. It feels wonderful to be out of my parents’ grip. They haven’t called me once since my arrival, but I could go for a month or two without them interfering with everything that I do.

  One of the last things I remove from my bag is a two-piece bathing suit. I bought it last summer, but I knew that my mother would never let me wear it. The only time I’ve put it on is in the mirror or my bedroom. Then I hid it away from any snooping eyes.

  The pool glistens below me, looking pleasantly inviting under the orange summer glow. I look back to my bikini, examining the black straps that also seem to call out for me.

  “When in Rome,” I shrug, and I fight my mother’s disapproving tone as I strip naked and slip on the bikini. A look at myself in the reflection of the glass window, noticing my soft breasts cupped inside of the top. My hips curve just a little bit over the bottoms, making them feel small on my body. Maybe, too small. Well, I’m home alone, and I have nothing else to lose.

  I walk down the hall and out to the backyard. The view is stunning. The ocean is a panorama covering everything that I can see in the distance. The pool flows gently to the curve of the hillside, rolling over the edge as though it were pouring into the infinite ocean.

  I smile, softly, as I step into the warm water. My feet touch the smooth, dark bottom of the pool until I’m up to my neck. My hair collects on the surface, and I groan as I realize that I’ve gotten it wet.

  “Oh, well,” I sigh before diving in headfirst. Water flows around me, blocking my sense of direction in the dark blue pool. I float in the center of the pool with my hearing clogged by the warm water. I close my eyes, quieting everything but my mind. Finally, I feel complete serenity.

  I pull up to the surface, feeling my hair slick over my shoulders. Looking forward, I see a patch of carefully place palm trees covering the pool at one edge. I swim over to it and notice that the water is trickling down from somewhere.

  I duck again to go beneath the large leaves as I swim. When I notice them part from me, I look up to see that I’m in a hidden room. It’s like a dark cave with a small pool at the end. I stand out of the water and notice that the cave has the hot tub inside of it.

  Carefully, I step into the hot water until my body adjusts to the heat. I watch warm vapors steaming around me as I relax, leaning my head back to the sides. My chest comes for the hot releasing my cupped breasts to the cooler air of the cave.

  I don’t know how long I sit in the hot tub by myself, resting all alone. It is just nice to be by myself for once. I lift my fingers from the water and notice that the tips are slightly wrinkled. Perhaps it’s time to get out of here.

  Suddenly, I hear something from outside of the palm leaves. It causes the water to rush into the cave, splashing all over the floor. Voices echo around the space.

  Other people are in the pool.

  I want to get out, but I’m too shy in my bikini. There seem to be more than just one voice. I do my best to stay still. Perhaps I’m just imagining something.

  That’s when I heard someone coming toward the cave. The palm leaves part as I watch the figure enter. The last leave moved away, and I see Blaine’s handsome face staring at me.

  “Oh, hey,” he says, as though he didn’t expect to see me there. In his hand is a bottle of beer as he moves toward me in the darkened cave.

  “Hi,” I say, almost unable to speak. He steps out of the pool with water dripping down from his broad, muscular shoulders and over his meaty body. His swim trunks hug tightly to his front, and I see the outline of his thick bulge just feet from me.

  “Mind if I join you?” he asks.

  “Sure,” I say, breathily as he climbs into the tub. He gets in surprisingly fast as I had to ease my way in at first.

  “I didn’t know that you were still home,” he says.

  “Yeah, I’ve just been here by myself,” I say, still very nervous around him. Blaine tries to make eye contact with me, but I only allow it for a brief moment before I look back into the water. I can feel his eyes move over my body.

  “How do you like it so far?” he asks.

  “It’s nice,” I say. “Very, very nice.”

  “Yeah, I like living here,” he says. “Makes a great place to have parties when my dad’s not around.”

  Suddenly, I hear others coming from under the water. Several shadows emerge before us, and Blaine smile two guys and a rail-thin girl come from under the water. All of them have tattoos covering their bodies. The tallest of the group has them spreading from his stomach and up his neck. He has short, black hair, and several face piercings. I watch his eyes glare at my face before turning to my chest. I move casually into the water, avoiding his uncomfortable stare. These must be the “weird friends” that my Aunt was talking about to me.

  “Hey guys, I want you to meet Hailey,” says Blaine. “She’s Kim’s niece.”

  “Hey,” says the guy with the tattooed neck. “I’m Ricky. This is my brother, Justin, and his girl, Crystal.”

  “Hi,” I say with a little wave as they all pile into the large hot tub. I’m thankful that Blaine is closest to me, even though we’ve just met. Perhaps, I’m acting close-minded, but the way this guy keeps staring at me is giving me the creeps.

  “Are you from here?” asks Crystal as she pulls his thin, blonde hair back over her shoulders. Then she begins to play with her tongue ring like it’s a piece of candy in her mouth.

  “No,” I say, shyly. “I’m from some small town that no one should ever hear of.”

  “How cool,” says Crystal, as she nods. Part of me wonders if she heard what I said at all.

  “Cheers, to Hailey’s arrival,” says Blaine as he raises his bottle. The rest of them had drenched beers, making me wonder if they got theirs in the water somehow. The bottles clink together as Blaine notices that I don’t have a drink. “Want me to get you a beer?”

  “No, I’m fine,” I say, slightly apprehensive. Ricky is still staring at me, and so is his brother even though he has his arm wrapped around his girlfriend. Both of them look creepily hungry. Blaine looks at my face as I turn down my face a little and notices how uncomfortable I am.

  “Hey, guy,” he says. “I just realized that it’s kind of late and my stepmom is going to be home any second.”

  “We just got here,” Ricky complains. “What the fuck, man?”

  “Sorry,” Blaine says. “I don’t want to piss her off.”

  “What’s she going to do?” asks Crystal as the mascara starts to bleed over her pallid eyelids from the pool water. “Call the cops on us? She never says anything when we’re around.”

  “We’re all having dinner tonight,” says Blaine. “That’s all.”

  “Could have told us that before we jumped in the fucking pool,” Ricky groans as he leads the others out of the hot tub. I feel relieved as I watch them go under the passage with their beer bottles likely filling with pool water.

  “I’ll be right back,” says Blaine as he follows behind them, leaving his beer with me. I hear the faint sound of them standing from the pool as I look over at Blaine’s beer. I want to take a sip of it and relax. Most girls my age have tried beer several times before, but I’ve never had one just to myself. I reach for his bottle to take a curious swig when
I see the leaves moving again. Blaine comes through with three bottles in his fists.

  “Hey,” I say as I recoil my hands.

  “Brought you something,” says Blaine as he holds the beer toward me. How did he know that I secretly wanted one, despite what I said?

  “Thanks,” I say as I grab one of the bottles. It’s cool against my palm, and I feel a little funny holding it.

  “I brought two for you and another one for me,” says Blaine as he holds up the bottle for another cheer to make up for the one that I missed. I follow his lead, raising the glass bottle and tapping them together. “You have to make eye contact or it’s seven years of bad sex.”

  “Bad what?” I giggle.

  “Yeah, bad sex,” he says with a smile. “Haven’t you ever heard that before?”

  “Can’t say that I have,” I grin as we raise our bottles again, this time with our eyes locked. I feel a tense pulse in my chest as I stare into his dark blue eyes. They look gorgeous in contrast with his smooth, tanned skin. I start to blush and curl my toes as a distraction. Only I can’t break our glance as we tap the bottles.

  “Very good,” Blaine says as he tilts his head back and takes a sip. His eyes don’t break from me as I look at the bottle. Here goes nothing. I tilt back, taking my first taste. It’s bitter but it a very good way. I feel the spike of the beer tingle against my tongue as I pull back. I wonder if Blaine knows that I’m a beer-virgin– and otherwise. “Like it?”

  “Yeah,” I say before taking another sip just to prove that I do.

  “Sorry about those guys,” says Blaine. “They can be a little much at times.”

  “It’s not a problem,” I say, but I know that he can tell that I was uncomfortable. Still, he doesn’t say anything.

  “I just met them a year ago, and we hang out a lot,” he says. “I went to private school my entire life and it feels nice to have people other than snobby rich kids to hang out with, especially after college. Are you going to school, Hailey?”

  “I hope so,” I say.

  “Why do you just hope that?” he asks.

  “My parents are a little strict,” I say. “They want me to go to a Christian school of their choosing.”

  “How does that make you feel?” he asks. It is the first time anyone has ever asked me that. I look up to Blaine’s eyes, which are still transfixed on me. He seems curious, but there’s something else in his gaze. It’s the bad boy that I saw earlier. He glances up and down my soaking body. I can tell that he wants more than just an answer about my college life.

  “I don’t think that I want to go,” I say feeling a little nervous.

  “You want to be free of them, huh?” he asks as he pulls closer to me. “You want to do whatever you want, no matter what anyone tells you.”

  My head slowly starts to nod as Blaine’s stare pierces mine. His full lips rub together, causing my heart to race with excitement. I wonder what it would be like to kiss his ripe lips. It might taste just like forbidden fruit. My heart begins to pump faster until, suddenly, I hear a muffled voice from the other side of the cave.

  “Hailey?” my Aunt Kim shouts from the outside.

  “Ignore her,” says Blaine.

  “Hailey?” Kim asks, again.

  “Aren’t we all having dinner?” I ask.

  “I made that up,” says Blaine as his eyes move to my collarbone. I want so many things, but I don’t know how to react. Instead, I spring up, rushing out of the warm water and into the pool, leaving him behind.

  Luncheon

  “There you are,” says Kim as I pull myself out of the pool. There’s a stand with rows of towels stacked on the shelves, and I collect one before coming toward her.

  “Sorry,” I say. “I could hardly hear in there.”

  “No worries!” Kim says with a bright smile on her face. “I’m just glad that you’re having fun.”

  “I am,” I say, softly, as I look back at the palm leaves. They are still as Blaine doesn’t emerge from them. I feel sort of crazy for running away from the scene like that. Truthfully, my nerves were too much. I can see what Blaine wants from me but is that what I truly want, too? Sure, there’s something undeniably attractive about him. Still, I got in trouble with my parents for trying to sleep with a guy like Blaine. My Aunt is cool, but I doubt that she will be okay if after she’s found me bouncing up and down on her stepson’s cock.

  “Are you hungry?” she asks. Night has nearly set in around eight o’clock, and it’s been hours since I’ve eaten. In a way, the beer fills me a little. As I think about it, I realize how hungry I am.

  “Yes,” I say as I dry myself off while we enter the enormous house. “I can make us dinner as a thank you for having me here.”

  “Make us dinner?” she scoffs. “Sweetie, you live in Paradise Cliffs now; no one here makes dinner.”

  “What do we do then?” I ask, suddenly realizing how stupid I may have sounded.

  “We go out,” she says. “Honey, you’ve got a lot to learn. What did you bring with you?”

  “Just jeans, t-shirts, a sweater, and a dress,” I say.

  “The same dress that you wore today?”

  “Yep, that one.”

  “It’s cute, but I’m thinking posh for you, Hailey.”

  “Posh? I don’t think I have enough money from graduation to afford posh clothing.”

  “Tonight, you’ll borrow mine and we’ll go shopping for you tomorrow.”

  “Any nice outlets around here?” I ask as Kim darts me an intense glare.

  “No, and I’m not done spoiling you,” she says with a smile. “Let’s get out of here; I’m sure that Blaine will be home soon, and I don’t want to take away from our girl time.”

  I debate whether or not to talk about Blaine. I look back again, and the sky is a dark blue. He’s clearly waiting for us to leave before he leaves the hot tub. I wonder if I’ve upset him.

  I decide not to say anything as Kim grabs matching pumps and me a black and white dress that goes to my knees and hugs tight around my hips. Thankfully, we’re the same size, but she still looks much fitter than I do.

  A car comes for us, taking Kim and me to a fancy Japanese restaurant in the center of the beach town. Everyone around me is wearing diamonds, six-inch pumps, and personally styled makeup. Suddenly, I feel like an outcast as I smile to the pretty, stoic faced hostess who guides us to our seats.

  She hands us our menus with a pearl bracelet rolling down her wrists. I glance around the room, patting my hair to make sure that it hasn’t frizzed too much from blow-drying. Across from us is a familiar face. She’s in a hot pink dress with a bright smile and long eyelashes.

  “Holy crud!” I gasp as I realize that I’m staring right at a celebrity.

  “What is it?” Kim, alert, asks as she looks up from her menu.

  “Is that Liza Newsom from Liza’s Law?” I ask in awe.

  “Oh, yeah,” Kim says after glancing back briefly. “I might be on her show next season; we always see each other out.”

  “I’ve never seen a celebrity before,” I say, still staring.

  “Honey, she’s from a reality show,” Kim laughs. “That’s like further down then the D-List in this town.”

  “Still,” I say just as Liza turns and we make eye contact. Quickly, I move my head back to the menu, embarrassed. As I feel my cheeks flush I start to think about how I was around Blaine. He must think that I’m the most innocent girl he’s ever met. If only he knew the truth about my visit.

  Kim and I order several rounds of sushi, which, I’ve never tried before. At first, I’m terrified to eat raw fish, but I quickly learn that it’s a perfect combination of flavor. Kim says that sushi is healthy as long as it’s not fried or mix with too much sodium like soy sauce.

  “Try this,” Kim says handing me a small, ceramic cup.

  “What is it?” I ask as I sniff the clear liquid inside.

  “It’s Sakai,” she says. “Just try it.”

  “Okay,”
I say before turning the small cup to my lips. I feel the hot liquid splash over my tongue, and I drink it down in a hurry. My face purses at first, but then I realize how delightful it is. “Wow.”

  “How has a girl who’s never had Sakai before end up fucking a guy in the back of a pickup truck?” Kim laughs.

  “I should be asking myself that question more often,” I joke, as she hands me a second shot. I drink it down, too, and it tastes better than the first cup. “Am I going to get in trouble for this?”

  “Relax,” Kim says without bothering to survey her surroundings. “This restaurant doesn’t care what you do here as long as you’re spending the money.”

  Once we finish our dinners, Kim foots the bill before calling the car. She insists that I don’t pay a dime as her “husband has more money than he knows what to do with.” Meanwhile, I can’t wait to meet Marc, too though she says he’s frequently away on business.

  “Honey, I have another event to go to tonight,” says Kim as the car rounds the corner. “I tried to get you in, but its a twenty-one and up club.”

  “That’s okay,” I say as I step out of the car.

  “Maybe we can get you a fake ID,” Kim winks before leaning over to hug me good-bye.

  “Thanks a million for dinner,” I say wishing that there was something I could do to chip in toward the extravagance.

  “I like having another girl in the house,” says Kim with a big smile. “Maybe you can be my pretend daughter.”

  “Sound good,” I blush while thinking about the fun life I would have if I grew up her daughter instead of my mother’s. As the car drives away, I hold my tiny clutch with my cellphone inside as I step into the glass house. My feet wobble, signaling that I might be a little drunk from the Sakai.

  I notice that the lights are mostly all off except for a low glowing flicker from across the enormous entry room. The fire is on, but no one is around. I close the door behind me and carefully walk down the hallway toward my room.

  I move into my room, and before I can turn on the light, I make eye contact with two sets of blue irises lit by the moon through the enormous glass window. It’s Blaine, and he’s staring at me, hungrily. I freeze as he stands from my bed, shirtless and still in his swimming trunks. We don’t exchange words, but our eyes say enough.