by Casey Lane
“So you sell things. You’re a salesperson,” she said confidently.
“No, I don’t sell anything. I help businesses sell themselves.” She still looked like I was speaking a language she couldn’t understand, and I was getting frustrated.
A petite girl, with dark hair in a pixie cut, sitting across from me laid her hand on the woman’s arm to get her attention. “Aunt Mary, Alexis makes ads, like in the newspaper and on TV,” she said with a wink at me.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. You must be very creative,” Aunt Mary said kindly.
“I like to think so,” I replied.
“As you can see,” Elle said motioning around the yard, “we’re a big family. It can be a lot to take in, if it gets to be too much, you just let me know. I don’t want the first girl my boy brings home chased away.”
I laughed and said, “I’m use to big families. Yours is actually more subdued than I’m accustomed to.”
“You have a big family too?” she questioned.
“No, not me, but I spend a lot of time with Makayla’s family,” I said as I pointed her out. “They are loud and rambunctious and completely chaotic. I love them to death,” I said with a grin.
“Do you have any siblings?” asked another one of Ethan’s aunts.
“I had a brother, Philip, three years younger than me.” My smile slipped from my face and I began twisting my hands, hidden under the shelter of the table. No one noticed.
“What do your parents do for a living? Do they live around here?” she asked.
“My dad was an architect. I think that’s where I get my creative side from,” I said wistfully. “My mom was a secretary at a law firm. I’m originally from Ohio, but moved here to attend college.”
“Well, when your family comes to visit, you’ll have to bring them over for dinner,” Elle declared with a clap of her hands. “When will they be here next?”
“Mama…” the girl across from me cautioned.
“What? We’re going to be family. I want to meet them,” she said.
“Mama, I don’t think…”
I gave the girl a small smile of gratitude for her attempt to redirect what she obvious realized was a distressing subject for me. “It’s ok,” I said to her.
Turning to Ethan’s mother, I took a calming breath. “My family died.”
My revelation was met with gasps from around the table. Elle reached for my hand, squeezing in a show of support.
“All of them? How?” Aunt Mary whispered.
“I was at college my junior year. I had just gotten back from winter break. Philip was a senior in high school and played on the basketball team. He had a game that night, and while my parents watched from the stands, it began to snow. By the time they left the gym, the roads were a slushy mess.” I paused in an effort to control my emotions, and Elle gave my hand another squeeze. “A tractor trailer hit a patch of ice and lost control, swerving into my parent’s lane. It was a head on collision. Both of my parents died at the scene. My brother held on for three days before he passed.”
“Oh, you poor baby, you’re all alone,” one of the ladies at the other end of the table said on a sniffle.
I looked across the yard at Makayla and with a sad smile answered the woman’s statement. “No, I’m not alone. I have a wonderful family that loves me.”
The dark haired girl stood up and announced, “I’m thirsty. Alexis, would you like to get something to drink with me?”
I gave her a grateful look as I stood to join her. “I could use a drink, and please, call me Lexie.”
As we walked across the yard, and after admitting that I didn’t remember, I learned that my savoir was Ethan’s sister Sophia. We grabbed water from one of the many coolers lined up below the tables, and headed over to a group of girls lounging in the grass. Sophia introduced me to the mix of Storm and Graham relatives and we sat down joining them. I spent the remainder of the afternoon laughing and exchanging stories with the girls. When I revealed the details of my first run in with Ethan and the fight that ensued with the plastic tart, Cara, Sebastian’s sister, blew soda out of her nose.
“I cannot wait to meet your friends. Jack sounds like a hoot!” Sophia laughed.
“Oh, you have no idea,” I snorted.
Makayla made her way over and plopped down, laying her head in my lap and covering her face with her arm in the most dramatic fashion possible.
“Jesus H. Christ, I thought I was never going to get away.”
I pinched her arm, hard, and muttered, “be nice.”
“No worries Lex,” Cara said, “meeting this family can be brutal. I wouldn’t wish the Graham/Storm inquisition on anyone.”
Makayla shot up into a sitting position and exclaimed, “I know right?! I was waiting for them to jam slivers of bamboo under my fingernails or break out the lie detector and strap me to it.”
“Stop exaggerating, it couldn’t have been that bad,” I chastised.
“It was horrible,” she cried. “Picture the worst meeting of the parents you could possibly imagine, now multiply that by ten. They just kept asking me question after question. It was like taking a test where I knew all of the answers but somehow still got them wrong. Just when I thought the interrogation was over, I was passed to another family member, and the sneaky, old biddies would change the phrasing but ask the same damn thing. I think they were trying to trip me up.”
“How did you escape so quickly?” Makayla asked accusingly.
“One mention of the dead family tends to shut people up pretty quickly.”
“Ah, pulling out the big guns early on.” She leaned into me and whispered, “how ya doing?”
I shrugged, “fine.”
“Actually, I think you’re sugar coating the experience,” Sophia giggled, deflecting the attention from me again. “If it makes you feel any better, when one of us brings a potential boyfriend around, it’s a thousand times worse.” She pointed over to where the men were gathered, and we all turned to look. “Can you imagine facing that firing squad?”
“And don’t let Sebastian and Ethan fool you. Those two are the absolute worst!” Cara added. “Back in high school I made the mistake of inviting a guy I liked over when those two were home from college. While I was helping Grammy fix dinner, the boys took Zach out back to the pond, said that they would be guy bonding over a little fishing. Those two idiots came waltzing in the back door laughing their asses off and Zach was gone. He never spoke to me again. Even when I run into to him now, he can’t get away from me fast enough. They still won’t tell me what they did to him.”
“Sebastian is always so laid back, I can’t imagine him being intimidating. Ethan, on the other hand, can be a bit…intense,” I conceded.
“Ya think?” Sophia said sarcastically, and everyone laughed. “That boy has no clue how to relax and just have a good time. He’s coiled too damn tight. One thing is for sure, he is totally into you girl. Mama is over the moon happy that he’s finally settling down.”
“Oh no, he’s not settled. I mean we aren’t serious…at least not yet. We’ve only been dating for a few weeks,” I stammered. I knew I was falling fast, but that didn’t mean I was ready to admit anything out loud, especially when I had no idea how Ethan felt.
“He has tracked your every move since you walked through that gate. And he was thirty seconds away from storming the table earlier when you were upset.”
Before I could form a rebuttal, the man himself approached. His eyes did a quick sweep, stopping momentarily on his sister, before landing back on me. Sophia gave me a look that clearly said, I told you so.
His piercing eyes gave the feeling that he had a direct line to my soul. “Having a good time?”
“Absolutely, the girls were just regaling me with stories from your youth.”
“Don’t believe a word they say. Liars, every single one of them,” he said with a wink. He extended his hand to me asking, “are you ready to go home?”
It took another fif
teen minutes to say our goodbyes, with me promising Elle that I would visit soon, before we were able to leave. Ethan, hand pressing lightly on the small of my back, guided me to his vehicle. He pressed a chaste kiss to my temple, opened my door, and waited for me to climb in. The anxiety over meeting Ethan’s family combined with spending hours in the sun had me exhausted. We drove home in a comfortable silence. The hum of the engine and Ethan’s thumb softly tracing circles on the back of my hand quickly lulled me into a light sleep.
We entered my apartment and I kicked off my sandals before turning to Ethan. Upon seeing the heated look in his eyes, I began backing away with my hands raised, warding him off.
“Oh no, I know that look.”
“Come here Lex,” he ordered.
“I’m all sticky,” I said in protest.
Ethan flashed me his trademark smirk. “I can work with sticky.”
“Let me get a shower first,” I pleaded.
Ethan stopped his advance, standing perfectly still and focusing intently on something behind me. I looked over my shoulder, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I took a step forward saying Ethan’s name questioningly, but he didn’t respond. I closed the small gap between us to stand only inches away from his body.
“What’s wrong?”
With the speed of a striking snake, Ethan’s hand snapped out capturing the back of my neck and pulling me into a passionate kiss. My body melted into his, and my hands gripped his firm ass in an attempt to pull him closer.
“Sorry babe, I was just thinking of you in the shower… wet… suds running down that perfect body.”
“You could always join me,” I purred. Evidently that was all the invitation he needed because I quickly found myself in his arms, swiftly moving towards the bathroom.
I’m standing under the jet of water with my back to Ethan. His fingers massage the last of the product from my hair, and I turn to face him. I take my turn thoroughly washing every luscious inch of his chiseled body. My fingers chase the bubbles down his chest and over his cut abs. Feeling uncharacteristically bold, I lower to my knees and take the root of him in my hand. I twirl my tongue around the tip and shyly peek up at his face. His pupils have dilated to dark pools of lustful need, and this emboldens me further. I take him fully into my mouth. Ethan releases a rumbling moan and braces his hands against the shower wall behind me, shielding me from the wet spray. I continue ruthlessly sucking his manhood, feeling more empowered with the tensing of his body and the sounds I provoke.
Ethan pulls me to my feet, spins my body, and impales me in one fluid motion, brutally pounding me from behind. His attack is relentless, and my already heated core explodes around him. My pulsating walls grip his shaft, and with one final thrust, Ethan finds his own release.
Very content, I quiet my mind, enjoying the feel of the strong arms wrapped around me. With my head on his chest, I listen to the rhythmic thump of his heart and soak in the heat seeping from his body. Fingertips leisurely dance up and down my bare spine, and I relax further into my man. My thoughts wonder back to Sophia’s insistent words earlier in the day and my quick denial. But, right here, right now, I begin to understand that my heart already belongs to the man beside me.
“You completely charmed my family today. My mother absolutely adores you.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.
“I like them too, and your mother is very proud of her little boy,” I teased. “Have you really never introduced your family to any of your girlfriends?”
“I don’t do girlfriends,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Oh come on, you weren’t celibate before we met. If you don’t do girlfriends, what were they?”
“Distractions, I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with the drama that a girlfriend brings. I don’t want that crap leaking into my club, causing me problems.”
I let his words sink in and felt my heart splinter into a million jagged pieces. Moving to the edge of the bed, I wrapped the sheet around my naked body as if it could somehow shield me from the painful truth.
“I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m sorry,” I calmly said, turning away as the first tear threatened to fall.
He reached for my arm, preventing my escape. “What the hell are you talking about? You can’t do what anymore?”
“I can’t be what you want. I’m not the type of girl who has casual relationships. I get attached, I can’t help it.”
“I never thought you were. And you are exactly what I want.”
“But you just admitted that you don’t do girlfriends.”
“Yeah, so?”
I let out a frustrated sob and attempted to move away, but Ethan had other plans. He pulled me gently, but forcefully back into bed. Lying on my back, his hands trapped my face. “Sweetheart, look at me,” he said gently while his thumbs swept away the moisture. “Alexis, open your eyes.” This time his words held a hint of a command, and I complied. “I’ve never had a girlfriend, and I never will.” Another tear spilled down my cheek. “Girlfriends come and go, you’re more than that. You are mine. You will always be mine. Even if you wanted to leave me, I wouldn’t let you. You and I, we’re in it for life. Do you understand me?”
I think it was a mixture of my muddled brain and the shock of what I thought he was saying that stole my ability to speak. It wasn’t exactly a declaration of undying love, but it’s close enough, for now. I just lay there, staring up into his beautiful face and those earnest eyes, while he waited for a response.
“Lex?” His eyes searched mine for any indication that I heard what he said.
I reached up and cupped the side of his face. “You need to shave,” I sniffled.
Chapter Ten
I blindly slapped in the direction of the blaring sound that told me it was time to get up. I never actually made contact, but thankfully, that awful noise stopped. A hand skated across my stomach. Groaning, I rolled over onto my belly and buried my head in the pillows. Smiling lips touched my shoulder, and I still felt the tingling kiss as they pulled away.
“You gotta get up or you’re gonna be late for work,” he whispered.
“I just want to stay in bed with you all day,” was my muffled whine.
The warm, toasty blankets were ripped away from my body, dousing it in a thick layer of chilly air. Lightly smacking my ass, Ethan playfully ordered, “woman, get up, and go make me some money!”
“Fine,” I snarled, reaching for my robe. “You should know there’s a fine line between love, and hate and you’re walking it right now.”
As I made my way to the kitchen, I yelled over my shoulder. “Check the machine. Someone must have called while we were in the shower last night. I’ll start the coffee.”
I heard Ethan rummaging around in his bag for something to throw on while I filled the coffee pot with water. I was measuring out grounds when my hand froze in midair at what I heard.
I THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTOOD. I THOUGHT THAT YOU FINALLY CAME TO YOUR SENSES AND GOT RID OF THAT OTHER GUY. I SENT YOU FLOWERS SO YOU WOULD KNOW I FORGAVE YOU, BUT YOU PLAYED ME FOR A FOOL DIDN’T YOU. YOU’RE AN UNGRATEFUL BITCH. I KNOW YOU’RE WITH HIM RIGHT NOW. I WATCHED YOU…
A loud crash stirred me from my paralysis. The answering machine lay in pieces near the wall it had just collided with. I looked to Ethan and my breath caught. He was livid. His face was a mix between purple and red. Veins visibly pulsed up the sides of his neck and along his temple, but his eyes frightened me most. They held an uncontrolled blaze of searing hate, clearly stating how he felt about someone threatening me.
I cautiously walked to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, and leaning my head against his chest. After a few tense moments, his breathing began to calm, and he encircled me in the safety of his arms. We stood, each of us silently offering the comfort we both desperately needed.
“Get ready for work babe. Then I want you to pack enough stuff to last the week. I have some phone calls to make.” His voice was rough, colored by raw emot
ion.
I numbly went through the motions of my morning routine, and Ethan carried my large suitcase when we left for work. The ride to Bridgestone is filled with a tense silence. More than once, I noticed Ethan’s knuckles turn white clenching the wheel. We pull into the no parking zone directly in front of the door. Without looking at me, Ethan began to speak in a low, controlled voice.
“I need you to do something for me. You have to promise me that you won’t go anywhere alone. If you leave, I want you to call me. I also want to know when you arrive at your destination. I’ll be here at five o’clock to pick you up. Do not step outside that building until you see me.”
“Ethan, everything’s going to be ok,” I whispered softly, touching him lightly on the forearm.
“Promise me Lex,” he demanded.
“I promise.”
Ethan waited until I was safely inside the building before pulling back out into traffic. As I walked through the lobby, I sent out my own S.O.S.
********************
Group Message
Lex – ER meeting needed. 1:00 at Dog’s?
Bella – I’m there
Makayla – Jack & I’ll be there
Lex – See y’all then
********************
“Morning Sara.”
“Hey Lex,” Sara responds as she turns her head to look at me. “Oh my, someone hasn’t had enough coffee this morning, have they?”
“Har, har , har, very funny. Are you ready for your first economic production meeting?”
“Absolutely, I can’t wait to be dazzled by numbers,” she deadpanned.
“Just sit quietly and pretend you’re paying attention. You’ll be fine,” I offered. “Afterwards, I’m meeting some friends for lunch. Would you like to join us?”
“I would love to, thanks,” she said sincerely.
Sara and I are the first to arrive at The Hair of the Dog Café, and we are ushered over to a round table. Dog’s is a great little greasy spoon that we stumbled into during college. And yes, we literally stumbled in the door. It’s one of those twenty-four hour places that serve a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu regardless of the time of day. They have the best comfort and hangover food in the entire city.