When they got to the taxi stand, the concierge handed him a small packet and opened their doors. They entered, and she slid across to the far side of the cab.
He slid in next to her, trying not to seem eager. His leg had brushed against hers and he almost exploded, right then and there. “Patience, old boy,” he mentally chided himself.
They had gone on to have a smashing good time. He found her mesmerizing, and she smelled nice. She ate sparingly and drank enough to have a good time, but not be sloppy. Once or twice, he thought they would kiss, but he held back and decided that restraint was going to be the order of the day.
He was generous, but not showy, and they had a long, involved discussion with the wine steward over what vintage went best with the rare prime rib and langoustine’s they had ordered. They supped slowly, and he was rapt with attention at her diminutive mannerisms, and her charming overbite.
Ghent thought to himself how seldom he had met a woman of substance such as this one, and how often they were already taken. He danced the fine line of wit and brevity while her laugh lit up the room for him.
When the dinner had ended, and they were heading back to the convention center, he made her promise to let him take her out again. He added some nonsense about having his people call her people, feeling like a total ass all the while.
They parted with a friendly handshake, and he was never so frightened in his life.
Ted Ghent was certain she would never again agree to see him, that she was merely being polite and cordial.
She gave him her business card, which he had pocketed after a quick glance at the front.
As she drove away in her rented car, he struggled mightily with his emotions.
The next three days, he fought with himself to not call her, and buried himself in work.
He was certain she was gone, and he rode his team mercilessly. Even they noticed he was unusually brusque, and when one of the programmers took him aside and asked what was wrong, he excused himself to his private bathroom and sat on the commode.
Ted Ghent buried his head in his hands, and a few tears crept out. He was never a man for self-pity, but he felt devastated at how alone he now felt.
Sarah’s lilting voice haunted him; her smile and bright blue eyes mocked him. He felt more frustrated and angry at himself than ever for not having taken more initiative.
That night, long after the team had gone home, he was fiddling around in the office, trying to analyze exactly why a certain algorithm did not give the expected result. Finally, exhausted, he decided to go home. He put on his jacket and noticed it held a faint aroma of her. He felt as though struck by a thunderbolt, and was surprised by his physical reaction as well – he was sporting a huge erection.
He sat down to compose himself, and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling tiles. He felt a small jagged point against his chest and reached into the jacket pocket to smooth it out.
His shaking fingers encountered the business card. He knew the number, having memorized it with a glance, and smelled it. This was the source of the scent, he figured. He idly turned it over and stood bolt upright.
Written on the back, surrounded by a lipstick kiss, was a small note:
“I like the way Mrs. Sarah Ghent sounds, Ted. Don’t you?”
It was decided that easily.
The courtship was rapid.
He had called her on that third day, he remembered, now looking at her as she stood by his side.
He was old-fashioned enough that he felt that it was proper for him to propose, and also give her time to consider his offer. She’d accepted, after a few days of thought. She was careful about her own feelings but was also traditional enough to want to give Kady a bit of time to also mull over the idea of having a new father.
She had been insistent that they postpone any nuptials, not from some archaic need for purity, but because she felt that their connection was special in a different way.
He had readily agreed.
They went on walks, and short cruises, and dined and went to theater shows. They slowly introduced him to Kady and were careful not to shower her with either gifts or too much attention, carefully gauging when best to move ahead. Kady genuinely like Ted, and soon the three of them were joined by his son, Brett on their outings. They acted like a family and had few disagreements. It was almost unreal.
Soon, all the arrangements were made, and she contacted some of her closest and dearest friends. They were completely green with envy at how she had landed one of the most eligible bachelors around.
Standing there, listening to the Reverend perform the ceremony that would bond them as husband and wife, Theodore Ghent and Sarah Markland looked into each other’s eyes, filling their souls through them to the brim with their love.
Chapter Three
Kady and Brett were watching the wedding of their parents.
Well, his dad and her mother.
This day was a long time coming, reflected Brett.
Brett’s father was Ted Ghent, of Ghent International, Inc. He was the owner of a business that made special programs for the construction industry.
A decade ago, one of his father’s secretaries began a long-term affair with Ted.
Marcy Ghent, Brett’s mother, had found out, and tolerated a bit of it because her husband was so very successful. Not one to be ignored, and certainly no one’s doormat, Marcy had an affair with one of the senior programmers and got caught out by the secretary, who told her soon-to-be husband about it.
A short, ugly while later, Brett found he was to be shuttling between two households.
Both places were magnificent and had more toys and distractions than he felt he deserved.
Brett often wondered if he had been the cause of his parents’ unhappiness. As he matured, he realized that his father was simply a rascal, and that his mother had been lonely and unsatisfied. She was looking for a way out of the marriage. She had done her time and only wanted to leave with a shred of dignity.
Later, in high school, when he was maneuvering around his own relationships, Brett caught a glimpse of the Old Man in himself.
One of his former girlfriends had come back to see if she could wrangle herself back into his life. But, his current gal was a pretty hot number, and so he really wanted to wait to see how that relationship would develop.
Thinking he could handle both, he found himself a short time later with neither. It was the first of many hard lessons for the young man, but it gave him some perspective about his father that he had never before considered.
As Brett came to terms with the idea of infidelity, he decided to try to be a more honorable person. He didn’t always succeed in being able to resist the charms of a cute young thing, even if he were already in a relationship. He decided not to beat himself up too much about it, and engaged in a series of friends-with-benefits arrangements as he moved through school.
An added complication had come about because of his father’s second divorce. Brett no longer shuttled between homes, but his father had become a workaholic, and seldom spent time with him. Brett sought some relief from his emotional troubles by fucking a series of vapid cheerleaders. He thought of these as mostly mutually masturbatory events, since the girls only liked him for his nice body, and he only wanted to use them for a few hours or days in between his weeks of arduous studying.
Then, one day, the Old Man informed him that he was going to get yet another stepmother. He was astounded, not that his father was remarrying, but that the woman had her own child – a beautiful young teenaged girl.
When Brett first met Kady, he was awestruck at the depth of his strong feelings of affection and attraction. Her bright smile and pleasant manner put him immediately at ease, as he shook her dainty hand.
He felt an electric shock at her touch and looked to see her face had also registered the incredible reaction. Her mouth made a small “O” of amazement, and she pulled her hand back so quickly it embarra
ssed them both.
It was a good thing neither of their parents were paying any attention to them. But, they were caught up in their own emotional attraction and missed the signs in their respective children.
Not that, as it would turn out, it would have mattered at all.
Brett watched as his father married his third wife, all the while looking at the young girl next to him, only a few years his junior. He imagined it was the two of them up there, and he suddenly felt a premonition. He dared not look at Kady, for fear that his need for her would be reflected in his earnest face.
He knew that, after today, she was off-limits. He found himself panicking inward, wanting to run and stop the wedding because of the realization that his fantasy, of he and Kady uniting in wedded bliss, could never happen now. He steeled himself, and for the first time in his life, made a truly adult decision. He chose to allow his father to have his own happiness.
The thought of that comforted him somewhat, and he found strength in the fact that he now knew he could live his own life as a real man.
He looked over at Kady, who stood staring at him, tears streaming down her face.
She suddenly bolted from the altar and ran out of the church.
Concerned, her mother looked back at her as she departed, but Ted firmly gripped Sarah’s hand, and gently shook his head to stop her from following her daughter. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Sarah nodded, and the wedding continued.
A few minutes later, Theodore Ghent kissed his new wife, Sarah, in full view of his son, and the entire assembled congregation.
Brett smiled and hugged his parents while inside he thought something beautiful had died.
Chapter Four
Kady’s mother looked radiant, she thought.
There was no way to readily tell that she had been a single mother to her for so many years.
Kady’s dad had been in the military. One day, some men walked up to her house, while she was outside having a tea party with her dolls.
They knocked on the door, and when her mother answered, they spoke for a few minutes. Her mother put her hand to her mouth and made a face, and then motioned for them to go inside.
Kady continued her tea party, and the men left a short time after. When she went inside, her mother was sitting at the kitchen table. Her face was white with shock and sorrow.
“Daddy is not coming home, sweetie,” her mother said simply. “He can’t anymore.”
Kady walked over to her mother and held her hand. She smiled at her and offered her a cup of her ‘tea’, which was only some tepid water after all. Her mother graciously sipped at it, trying not to fall apart in front of her only child.
Sometime after that, Kady knew her father had been killed, and she felt sad and lonely for a bit.
But, then she decided, all on her own, that her daddy wanted her to be a happy girl, so she chose only to remember the happy times they had shared. She was very grown up in that way.
Kady was moving through school, and as an eager and vibrant sixteen-year-old, had indulged in the usual escapades of a young girl. She got into trouble, once or twice, but it was of the ‘Aw, shucks! I guess I screwed up?’ variety. Her mother disciplined her, but it was seldom necessary to add any corrective actions. Kady was very well-adjusted.
She began dating a few boys, just for the experience. Her own furtive beginning attempts were laughable and juvenile. Once, she tried to give a boy a handjob, but in the darkness mistook his forearm for the boy’s penis. After several minutes of stroking and moaning, the boy politely made some noises. She kissed him, and he hugged her, but that had been as close to actual sex as she had gotten.
Then, one day a few months ago, her mother had gone to a convention in another city for a few days. Kady visited with her grandparents, who took her to the zoo and to dinner and movies. They had a wonderful time, and when her mother returned to pick her up at the end of the week, she begged to stay a bit longer. To her surprise, her mother relented, and drove away for another week.
They had only spoken for a short time, so Kady did not actually sense how upset her mother was.
But, in the middle of the week, her mother called her and told her she had a new boyfriend. Kady was happy for her mother, but also a bit wary. She did not have the maturity to identify just why her mother sounded so breathless and dreamy, just chalking it up to adults being ‘weird.’
So, when a month later her mother sprung the information on her that she was to be wed in only two months’ time, Kady was flabbergasted. Who was this man? How could her mother not ask her about him? When would she meet him?
All these questions flew through her mind, and her mother just laughed and reassured her all would be fine.
Then, came the fateful day when she finally met Mr. Theodore “Ted” Ghent, and his son, Brett.
Katy and her mother had arranged to meet them for brunch, at the exclusive La Boheme club.
When they had pulled up, a valet had taken the keys to their car, and a concierge had met them and escorted them to a waiting maître’d. After some uncomfortable obsequiousness, he had shown them to their table, which offered a tremendous view of the ocean. Large breakers crashed below them, as the swells traveled from far across the sea to expend their energies on the rock-strewn shores.
Kady and her mother, no strangers to luxury, were nonetheless impressed.
Ted and Brett stood patiently waiting for them, and when Ted had kissed Sarah, he then introduced Brett to Kady.
Kady’s mouth went dry, as she had approached the table. The man her mother had chosen was leonine, with a firm chin, broad shoulders, and healthy tanned complexion. He exuded charm and power, from his just-beginning-to-get-silver full head of distinguished hair to the smartly matched ensemble of his Polo shirt and Dockers. A very expensive watch was on his wrist, but he wore it merely for the convenience of telling time. He was at once humble yet aware of his considerable influence. When he spoke to her, she thought she was the only person in the room with him.
But, it was Brett that made her swoon. She had read that somewhere, in one of her young adult books, and had literally laughed out loud at the image of a girl being so affected just by the sight of a beau that she almost fainted.
Yet, she found she had to lean against the table to avoid just dropping to the floor. Brett’s father was engrossing, to be sure, but the young man was a god in the making.
He smiled at her, awkwardly, his blue eyes doing a brief survey of her face, then her figure. His smile melted her heart, and she felt as though she were falling into his eyes. She unconsciously extended her hand to shake with him, and when her fingers touched his, she felt an actual spark. His panicked look told her he had also felt it, and they awkwardly covered the moment with shared giggles. But, it was real, as much as a static shock would have been.
She flushed, and quickly found herself being seated by the young man, who quickly let his manners take over. They made some small talk, and then the scrumptious food arrived and they ate heartily. The adults drank some champagne, and the kids were given sparkling juice. Ted made a toast, and they all shared in the good humor and earnest feelings of love he had for Sarah.
Both Kady and Brett felt happy for their parents, but they also were aware of their own secret, growing feelings for each other.
Over the next two months, the family went out for meals, to the zoos and art museums and other events whenever their hectic schedules would coincide. The adults did it as much to gauge the feelings of their children regarding their upcoming union as they did to share quality time with each other. Luckily, there were few opportunities for the youngsters to be on their own.
Brett found he was shunning other girls and was puzzled by his own reaction. He knew that Kady would soon join his family as his stepsister, so he went out of his way to minimize his feelings for her.
He was cordial and polite, but avoided any possibility that he may find himself alone
with her, and thus under her scrutiny about his real feelings.
Kady, her heartbeat straining every time she thought of Brett, tried to focus on her studies and extracurricular activities. She even found a new boyfriend but was unable to truly give the unfortunate young man proper attention, and he soon had moved on to a more fulfilling relationship.
Kady was not terribly upset by this, but it did bring her feelings for Brett more into sharp relief. She was grateful that he was occupied with his studies, and as he moved through his college courses, he spent less time with his family and more in the library.
The day came, however, for the wedding of Ted and Sarah. Kady, her emotions already on high alert because of the coming event, was ecstatic for her mother. She was part of the bridal party, and would help her mother with the handing over of the bouquet at the appropriate time.
When Sarah, looking like a million dollars, came onto the carpet, her bridal train trailing behind her like a milky stream, Kady was following her with the bouquet. When they were halfway to the altar, Sarah turned and took it from her, and then Sarah walked to the altar, escorted by Brett, who handed her off to Ted.
Ted shook Brett’s hand, proud and a bit afraid at the same time. He loved his son and wanted to assure that their new blended family was going to work out. He knew Brett was a good man, and that Kady was a beautiful young woman. His main thoughts were of Sarah, and he promised himself that he would do better by all of them than he had in the past.
Kady trembled at her mother’s side, looking across at Brett. She had spent many weeks now, in spite of their combined efforts, in each other’s company. They were always having fun, and never had a cross word gone between them.
Brett smiled at her, nervous and excited by the ceremony. His eyes took on a dreamy quality, and he looked directly at Kady. Her own eyes grew wide, as she could read his thoughts – “That will be us one day!”
Kady, the bald realization of his love for her dawning in her shocked brain, looked at Ted and Sarah. A knife of agony went through her heart!
Billionaire Stepbrother - Addiction: The Complete Series Page 3