It was impossible! They were going to be brother and sister, now!
Just before her mother kissed Ted, she couldn’t control herself any longer
The knowledge that her mother would get her own dream realized, at the cost of her own, drove her to despair. Ready tears leaped to her eyes, and she suddenly bolted for the rear of the church.
“I must be making a spectacle of myself!” she thought as she escaped, ashamed and embarrassed at her emotions and feelings for Brett.
She ran out into the patio, on the side of the church, and wept bitter tears. She wailed at her misfortune!
Why did this have to happen to her?
The man she loved, her soul-mate, was fated to be forever out of her reach!
And, it was on her mother’s happiest day that this disaster had occurred!
She was doomed to be reminded of her loss, with every passing year, as Ted and Sarah basked in their growing love and enduring marriage.
Later, Kady composed herself enough to make an apology to the others.
She apologized to her mother and her new step-father, and to Brett. She told them that she had been overwhelmed by her emotions and needed to get some air. That was entirely correct.
She didn’t tell them that the tears she cried were from knowing that her own happiness had just been slaughtered in front of her. She couldn’t tell them that, by marrying Brett’s father, her mother had killed her future.
But, she swore a secret vow that no one would ever know the depth of her sadness that her one true love, the man-boy she had only recently met, could ever be with her in the intimate way she desired with her entire being.
Chapter Five
The past two years had been a whirlwind for Kady. She was accepted into the Junior Varsity Golf League and had managed to become their star player for the school. Her handicap matched that of many of the Women’s Golf League rookies, and there was talk about her earning a scholarship to several prestigious schools. She was happy that the JVGL had come along when it had, so that she could devote as much time and energy in avoiding Brett and that potentially awkward situation. Her heart still ached for him, and she would sometimes masturbate, secretly imagining his tongue sliding in and out of her warm, wet folds. Her orgasms when she fantasized about him were the most intense and satisfying of any she ever had. She felt some guilty pleasure at their occasional family events. But, she never let him touch her or get close enough to find out her true feelings.
For his part, Brett was almost out of college, having achieved the highest accolades and awards for his cohort.
He had tried to develop a number of interesting ideas, but none had enough validity to continue as a viable business. So, he worked hard for some other companies, as an intern and developer. But, over the summer, he had met with several classmates and they had formed a small company that would finally reach its first milestone a few months after their last exams.
They had carefully isolated and arranged their business so that there was no chance that the idea would be stolen or claimed by the University. Ted Ghent had been brought in for advice.
At first, he laughed the idea off, but later he reconsidered his stance. He knew that Brett wanted to make his own mark in the world, and so he called in a few favors and arranged for the team to meet some industry leaders in that particular segment.
Once the obvious details and pitfalls had been identified, Ted offered them seed money to properly form their corporation.
Sarah’s architectural firm was growing by leaps and bounds, with her designs being recognized as some of the more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings created in the last generation. Her client list grew so much that she was forced to buy another firm just to handle the inquiries.
Ted also was grooming one of his employees to eventually take over the reins at Ghent International, Inc. He had finally decided he had enough of the nuts and bolts of running the daily operations and wanted to concentrate on building better client relationships.
He and Sarah had discussed it. They both agreed that they wanted to spend more time on themselves, and had plenty of money to enjoy a very lavish traveling lifestyle.
So, with only a bit of fanfare, they made their plan to both retire and begin the next chapter of their lives.
They were planning on telling everyone at the Christmas party for Sarah’s company, and then at Ted’s company Holiday event.
However, it was Brett’s sudden success that completely shattered everyone’s expectations and plans.
No one could have foreseen the coming upheaval in their lives.
Chapter Six
“Mr. Ghent?” said the voice on the cell phone.
“Yes, this is he,” replied Brett.
He was throwing a koosh ball at the wall, then picking it up and throwing it again. He had been doing this for over an hour. It helped him disperse his nervousness.
This was probably the most important phone call of his entire life.
“You have a deal, son. Congratulations!” said the voice on the cell phone.
The call ended.
Brett put the phone on his desk and stared at the screen of his Apple laptop.
In a daze, Brett looked at the attached second monitor and refreshed the browser.
His bank account, which only moments before had shown a respectable balance of $113,456.23, now showed a truly ridiculous number.
He swallowed, as the full realization hit him.
Brett Ghent’s personal net worth now exceeded six billion dollars.
The absurd reality of it stared back at him, almost mocking his disbelief.
The bank account numbers would not go away, no matter how many times he closed and opened the browser, or refreshed it.
In fact, in the last twenty minutes, it had added several thousands of dollars, because of the compound interest effects surrounding the way his money was being managed by the private bank.
Brett picked up his phone and put it in his pocket. He locked the door to his room, and went to the elevator, pressing the button to the garage.
He walked down to the parking lot and then got into his Camaro.
He drove over to his father’s home and knocked on the door. When Ted answered, he could tell there was something that Brett needed to talk to him about.
“What’s up, sport?” said Ted.
“I think you should sit down because I am not so sure I even believe this is happening,” said Brett.
“Did the deal go south, son?” asked Ted.
“Just the opposite, Dad,” Brett answered.
“Well, hell! That’s great! Congratulations!” said Ted. “So, why the long face?”
Brett took his phone and brought up his bank account information. He showed it to his father.
“I don’t understand, Brett. Is there something wrong with this app on your phone, here?” said Ted.
“I mean, that looks like something over six billion dollars…” his voice trailed off.
Theodore Ghent, realization dawning on his face, stared at his son in awe.
“No fucking way!” he shouted. He jumped up and down like an excited school boy who just found out he had a prom date with the prettiest girl in the world.
“Hot damn, kid! You are amazing! Holy shit! Holy holy shit! That is just…unbelievable!” said Ted Ghent as he sat down hard on the leather sofa.
Brett had never seen his father so excited.
He was a bit afraid at all the swearing, but also knew that his father was having trouble digesting this news much in the same way as it had been difficult for him. He hoped his father was okay.
He was afraid his father would feel insignificant, or worse, that it would change how he felt about Brett.
It was almost a bad joke. He was barely twenty-two years old.
Brett’s company, “Pecker”, had just made more money in one transaction than Ghent International, Inc. and Sarah’s a
rchitectural firm, plus all the other work they had done in their entire lives - combined.
Chapter Seven
“Pecker” had started as a joke between Brett and a couple of his college friends. They thought that they could do more than the frat-boy who had started a dot com where everyone sent ‘tweets’ to everyone else. “Pecker’s” motto was - “Give her a peck! Size matters! 280 characters make us twice as big as the other guy!”
But Brett was suddenly working his ass off, more than ever before. He had just finished his dual major in PR and Comp Sci. He was so burned out by not being able to have any kind of social life, that he didn’t even give it a second thought when his stepsister, Kady, called him up to go to dinner one Friday evening.
Kady was on the rebound, having weathered a disastrous relationship with a fellow classmate named Jeff, who was one of the Varsity golf team players. She had caught him cheating on her with another member of the Varsity golf team, whose name was Juan Rodriguez. She was more amused than disgusted or surprised. She always had a pretty good gaydar, and it surprised her that Jeff had been so attentive to her needs. She chalked it up to experience and decided she just wanted a night to decompress.
On a whim, she called Brett, since he was in the same vicinity. His new offices were located in a trendy area of the city, near the riverfront. There were many excellent eating and drinking establishments along the river walk. Perhaps she’d get lucky, and find a nice young man to tickle her fancy…or fuck her righteously. She chuckled a bit at that thought. She’d been pretty plain vanilla in her last couple of relationships, always holding herself back a tiny bit. She wasn’t really sure why, and it never occurred to her that she was aching for Brett to be her lover.
Kady walked around the shops, killing time while waiting for Brett to arrive. They had agreed to an Italian joint that had great pizza and cold beer.
She couldn’t drink, of course, but there would be plenty of college aged guys who might find a bit of Dutch courage and ask her to go home with them.
Kady found she was unusually aroused by the thought, but did not even connect her state with Brett’s arrival. He saw her and waved, and they walked to the restaurant. Brett’s sudden fame had not translated to recognition and being known by the frat crowd, but the owners of the various establishments knew full well who was loaded and who deserved special attention. Neither Brett nor Kady found it unusual to be seated at the finest seats in the house within seconds of having entered. They were so caught up in each other’s attentions, they were oblivious to the ballet and choreographed situation in which they were the center attraction.
As they ordered a white pizza, with basil and sundried tomatoes, water glasses magically appeared, filled with San Pellegrino. A slice of lemon was in each marvelous goblet, and then freshly baked bread with bruschetta graced their table. They talked and ate, giggling at their shared stories about their parents.
The waiters moved precisely into position at the most beneficial time, removing or adding an item as was needed. It was perfectly orchestrated to provide the ultimate dining experience.
Kady said, through a mouthful of pizza, that she was only slightly pissed about Jeff and Juan.
“What’s that?” asked Brett.
“Oh, you know,” she said archly. “All the good ones are either taken or gay!”
They both laughed at that.
“Or your step-relation,” she added, whimsically.
Brett almost choked on his food. He coughed and manfully washed it down with some water, trying mightily to not seem so taken aback.
Kady laughed, and pointed at him, at first.
Suddenly, she looked at him, realizing that he was truly in some manner of distress.
“Garçon!” she yelled. Almost instantly, four waiters appeared, ready to assist. Brett assured them he was fine, but he had spilled some water on his shirt. He excused himself, to go to the men’s room to clean up.
He walked into the bathroom to clean up and noticed over his shoulder as a large, somewhat inebriated man heading towards Kady. He shrugged and went in to find a towel.
Kady was mortified when she considered what she had said to Brett. His reaction was predictable, now that she thought about it. How could she have been so stupid, to think he had the same feelings for her as she had for him?
She felt more alone and down than she had for a very long time. She remembered how things had gone south at her mother’s wedding, and that she had thought long and hard about that situation, for months.
She had thought she was finally past the issue of her true emotions about Brett and had put it behind her. Yet, here she was, facing it once again.
Maybe it was the San Pellegrino, or the fact that this had been one of the easiest dates she had ever been on…
Wait a minute.
Did she really think Brett and she were on an actual date?
Was that what was going on here? Had she gotten so caught up in the romantic notions in her silly head that she was actually entertaining the idea of them being on a date?
Her thoughts were occupying her so deeply that she did not really see the large, rugged man sit down next to her.
“Hey, gorgeous!” he said to her.
“My name’s Scott!” he said, smiling cheerfully. He stuck out a hand, and she considered not shaking, but then decided to be polite after all.
He gently gripped her hand and gently brought it to his lips. She supposed he thought he was gallant, but his sloppy kiss left a fair amount of his saliva on her skin. She found herself repulsed and shocked.
He grinned, and took Brett’s napkin and rubbed his spit from her hand.
“Sorry, darlin’,” he drawled. “Didn’t mean to do that…”
“It’s okay,” she said, feeling everything was totally NOT okay.
Her realization that this drunken guy was hitting on her brought her back to reality, like an ice-cold slap to her face. She got very wary and also decided to end this encounter as quickly as possible.
“What’s your name, beautiful?” asked Scott.
“I’m sorry, umm, Scott?” she said.
“Sorry for what, sweetheart?” he said.
“Well, Scott, quite frankly I am here with a friend. I am truly sorry, but we already have plans,” she said.
Scott’s eyes darkened, but his smile remained.
“Well, the more, the merrier, I always say!” he feigned a good-natured response, but she picked up on his innate jealousy instantly.
“Let me buy you a real drink, honey,” he said. He motioned to one of the worried-looking waiters, who started over.
“I’m only nineteen, Scott,” she said. She waved the waiter away.
“Ah, hell, baby! I won’t tell, you won’t,” he said, slurring his words a bit.
“I don’t roll that way, Scott,” she continued, “and my friend is coming back in a minute, and we will be leaving. We have plans, as I mentioned.”
She raised her eyebrows and moved in her chair to present a blocking body language, looking over in the direction of the restrooms. She wished Brett would hurry back.
Scott grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
“Look here, bitch,” he said.
“I was only trying to be friendly. Why did you have to go and make it something serious?” he said.
He had his nose pressed up close to her face, and his breath reeked of cheap booze. Apparently, he had been drinking for quite some time before he had gotten to the pizza place.
He seemed as though he was about to actually kiss her, when a hand grasped his shoulder.
“Hey buddy, why don’t you leave?” asked Brett.
He had appeared from nowhere, like a ghost.
Brett dropped his hands into a relaxed posture that looked harmless, to the uninitiated. A seasoned fighter would have known at that point to back down. Brett was as taught as a wound spring, but also as flexible as a whip.
Scott eyed Brett, looking
him up and down. He’d been in a few brawls, and even in his drunken stupor, some part of his brain must have recognized the danger.
Then, his mouth wrote a check he would never be able to cash.
Scott said, “Why don’t you make me, faggot?”
He swung on Brett, which was a very drastic mistake.
Brett had been a Tang Soo Do champion in high school and on the martial arts team during his first year of college. His other courses soon took more precedence in his life, but he always found time once a week to spar and just let off steam at the dojo. Sometimes, he would ask to instruct a class, and was always welcomed.
Scott, a pretty burly man, had swung high, so Brett ducked under him and grabbed his shoulder. He kept the man spinning around until his back was to Brett. Then, Brett kicked him in the backside and shoved him over the table. The man crashed onto the ground but was up almost instantly. He grabbed a wine bottle and broke the neck off on a corner of the table. Brandishing it fiercely, he growled at Brett.
“Come on, you pussy!” he yelled.
“I don’t want any trouble!” said Brett.
Brett spread his arms wide and gestured with his hands to make it appear he was waving off any conflict. “If you leave now, I will pay for the damages and your dinners.”
In reality, he was gaining momentum to make a very delicate strike, and his concentration was at its highest. He tried to ignore Kady, who was taking all of this in with her hands near to her mouth.
Scott yelled “You fuckin’ cunt!” at Kady, and then he waved the bottle at Brett. He was setting himself up to charge, and Brett tried one last time.
“Seriously, this is a big mistake,” he said to Scott.
Brett looked at the man, knowing his generous gestures were futile. The man was too angry and had already lost a lot of face. An aggravated assault charge was something he was not able to fully conceive, in his state.
Brett had given the man an out, but Scott was determined to fight.
He lunged at Brett.
Brett, sidestepping the drunken brute, kicked down as Scott slashed wildly at him, and barely missed Kady at the same time with his other grasping hand. His fingers barely caught a few strands of her hair, and she screamed.
Billionaire Stepbrother - Addiction: The Complete Series Page 4