by Amy Brent
I read through the words and frowned as my eyes stayed glued to the first paragraph. She’d be here in Colorado for business next week and wanted
me to meet her fiancée. Fiancée? When was Mom even dating anyone seriously? I rolled my eyes and thought back to her last attempts at a boyfriend since she was a little bit of a gold digger and traveled a lot as a buyer for one of the best boutiques in San Diego. Mom didn’t even need the money of a man, but she liked living the glamorous life, which made the song pop into my head as I bobbed my head. I read through the rest of the email that talked about the month I’d be home with her and my new stepfather and how excited she was to become a little family. The idea made me puke in my mouth a little bit since I still missed my father a lot. He’d been killed in a robbery near the house that Mom still lived in when I was ten, eleven years ago. I was grown up now, but I still missed him and wondered what it would be like with the new man.
Mom didn’t always pick bad guys. A lot of them were decent people, but something was in the mix that caused it not to work out. When I was younger, I suspected that I was a problem for the kind of people that wanted to travel even though Mom had no issues leaving me behind in the car of a friend. Some of the time, it was her or may be her overbearing attitude. It was probably all kinds of things, but I wouldn’t let myself think too much into that. I was trying to release any guilt from my mother not being happy being left with me. My therapist from a few years ago worked hard on that with me, and I did it myself to this day.
Oh, well. At any rate, it was a nice dinner in Denver that I was not going to be paying for. It was a break from the day-to-day stuff. There was a good chance that I may never meet this guy and even if I did, it might not last, to begin with.
I jumped as someone stepped into my apartment as I was closing down the email. “Hey, Larisa. I brought coffee and those sandwiches that you like so much. Let’s get back to this.” I turned and smiled at my best friend Cole as he set a bag down on the coffee table and smiled. He was in a lot of my classes, sharing the same major of Literature. That’s where I met him, and we clicked immediately. Of course, everyone thought that we were dating because he was a male and I was a female.
Cole was a handsome guy with dirty blonde hair and gorgeous emerald eyes, tall and broad so I suppose I could see where our friends would think that. I was cute enough as well with my cinnamon colored eyes and bright caramel hair, and my affinity of doing yoga when I was stressed out. I learned that was a coping mechanism early on and I ran with it since it kept my curves in check. I was tall at five foot ten and carried myself well, but I loved to do yoga in the wee hours of the morning as well when I couldn’t sleep. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but it worked for me and allowed me to eat things such as this hot and cheesy pastrami sandwich that he was pulling out of the bag.
Cole didn’t have to worry about that either since he was part of the football team at the college. I didn’t even see him that much between classes, practice, and games. He just liked to study with me for tests because we seemed to help each other so much.
“Let’s do this,” I secured my thick hair into a messy bun and slid my reading glasses back up my nose as we settled on the couch to eat and read through our flashcards again. We worked well together, mixing the seriousness of the situation with humor and jokes over the next several hours.
Once the clock hit one in the morning, Cole looked at his phone and groaned. “Shit, Ris. I have practice at seven tomorrow, and Coach will kick my ass if it’s dragging at all. Are you good here?” He looked at me with concerned eyes and I smiled and took my glasses off. “You’ll go to sleep and not obsess all night?”
“Yes, of course,” I replied as I leaned back on the couch. He grabbed the bag and shoved his empty coffee cup into it since I’d refilled mine a few times throughout the night. “Get some rest, Cole.”
He smiled at me and looked at me for a few seconds before he headed to the front door. “Lock this,” Cole told me as I stood and walked over to the door. I closed it behind him and locked the deadbolt and the chain before turning around to look at the living room.
My apartment was lovely, with a spacious living room and kitchen in addition to a large bedroom off in the short hallway. Dad had set aside money for my college and Mom let it sit and gain interest so I could focus on my grades. I was lucky that I didn’t have to work and I turned off my kitchen light and walked over to the couch. I debated on going through my cards just one more time and decided to clean up for the following morning before class. I grabbed my kitten Mushy and carried her to my room to sleep with me for a few hours before I had to wake up.
I tossed and turned, thinking of Mom with a new guy and Dad. I was closer to him than Mom. It just worked out that way since Mom worked so much even when I was smaller, where Dad ran a tax business from home. Once he was gone, I was left with family and friends so she could keep working. Dad didn’t leave enough behind to let her stay at home, not that I think she wanted to. He just focused on my college.
I closed my eyes and curled up in the fetal position as Mushy purred and stretched her paws towards my head. Getting her at the shelter was one of the best things I’d ever done, and I finally felt myself relaxing into sleep.
CHAPTER 2
The test went smoothly for both Cole and me, who made it by the skin of his teeth to class. He ran a little late with Coach, and the teacher stared him down as he slipped into the seat beside me. We finished around the same time and grabbed some lunch before running to our other classes for the day. I knew that his days were full and was used to that, which meant that I spent a fair amount of time alone. I had other casual friends; acquaintances. We’d grab a bite to eat or hang out at the bar that served us, but most of the time, I was home. I liked it that way and valued the time to myself.
The week crept along, and I knew that dinner was in just a couple of days. I caught up on everything that I needed so I could relax for the night and dressed in some thick black tights with a plum colored sweater dress. I wore high boots and did my hair in wavy curls that dried as I added a little liner to my eyes with some mascara.
I got into the modest five-year-old Camry that Mom bought for me when I left for college and started the engine as I shivered in my thick coat. I was already feeling uncomfortable, and I scowled as I backed up and headed to the main street to go into the city. I’d talked to Mom and Brett would indeed be there. She gushed about him and how he was just a few years younger than her at thirty-seven but gorgeous. Mom was forty-two but pretty with blue eyes and my hair so I didn’t doubt she could land a younger man. He wasn’t even that much younger, and I wondered if he had any kids, which reminded me of some of the kids that I’d met in the last. That was so awkward. I was an only child, and I suspect that Mom wasn’t into a big family because Dad seemed to love having me around. I never wondered what it would be like to have siblings until it was just Mom and me, deciding that it became lonely fast.
I saw Rioja up ahead and looked for a parking spot in the small lot nearby that would not require me to valet park. I hated spending the extra money on something that I could do myself. Once I was settled, I looked in the mirror and forced a smile on my face before I slipped my keys into my purse and headed towards the front door. It was a cute place with a small intimate room and a clear need for reservations, based on the line that was out of the front door by a few feet. I hoped that Mom had done that since I was starving for anything other than the fast stuff that I ate on a daily basis. I excused myself into the door as I felt eyes on my back and shook my head to approach the hostess station. “I’m here to meet Rayna Jones for dinner,” I told her in a soft, slow voice as I heard the raised voices of the angry people behind me.
“Let me see,” the blonde smiled as she went down and list and nodded. “She’s here already, and I think…over there.” The hostess pointed to a corner of the room as I glanced at her name tag and nodded as I saw Mom reading a menu.
“Thank you, Nadine,�
�� I told her as she looked at me with a grin. I made my way to the corner and smiled as Mom glanced up.
“Larisa, there you are.” She stood, and we hugged before she kissed my cheek. “You look lovely.”
“Thanks. So do you,” I told her as she smiled brilliantly. Mom was blessed with great genes that I hoped she was generous with and looked healthy. I knew that her schedule was crazy, and she traveled a lot, but somehow she looked rested now.
“Thank you,” Mom said as she watched a waiter hand me a menu and ask what I wanted to drink. I requested soda to keep myself awake and slipped my jacket off as I looked around. “Cute place.”
“Isn’t it? Brett loves it here,” she said as she ran her left hand through her sleek bob, revealing the sparkling diamond wedding set on her finger.
“Mom, are you-” I started to ask when her eyes settled on someone behind me and she smiled dreamily.
“Brett, I want you to meet my daughter. Larisa, this is Brett, my husband.” Mom stood, and my mouth dropped open as I took in her words.
“Husband?” I asked as she frowned at me. “When?”
“Last week, we eloped,” she snapped as she indicated for me to turn around.
“Jesus, Mom,” I said as I stood and clumsily made my way around to look at my new very official stepfather. I looked into his light green eyes, and there was instant recognition as heat singed my skin. I was taken back to a year ago when I was at a club with some friends, drunk and just feeling like I needed to do something crazy after a recent breakup.
“Larisa, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Brett smiled, and it was so familiar as he reached out his hand to shake mine. That hand had been inside of me, and I looked down as I pressed my lips together. “I wanted her to tell you the good news, but Rayna was excited about surprising you.”
“Brett. Hi,” I said as I shook his hand and remembered one of the best nights of my life. I saw in his eyes that he remembered me as well with a flash of heat before he replaced the look with a smile. I dropped his hand and turned as he moved to sit next to Mom, longing for some wine or anything that would lift the embarrassment that I was feeling right now. Brett kissed her hair and took his wine glass before he looked across the small table at me. He could hide his gaze from my mother now, and the heat returned as I took a deep breath.
We made small talk as we ordered some appetizers and I settled on the artichoke tortellini for dinner. It wasn’t from the main entree selections, but I’d have trouble eating anything right now.
Brett was gorgeous, and he’d caught my eye at the club right away. I was looking to forget the other relationship, and I could tell he was older than me by a few years at least. He was tall and muscular, and at this moment, he reminded me of Cole as I looked at him. A few drinks had led to dancing, which led to making out on the dance floor as he held my body close to his to show me just what I was in for. Brett was thick and hard, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me off of the dance floor and into a dark corner, where he kissed me senseless before he slid his hands underneath my short skirt.
He’d asked me if I’d go to his hotel with him and I agreed.
It was close, and we walked the block quickly as I worried about my first one-night stand. I’d been in casual relationships, but this had all the signs of just being the one night, and that was honestly all that I wanted then. I wanted him hard and buried inside of me to erase any memory of Derek, the cheating asshole. Once Brett unlocked the door to his suite at the Hilton, I led him inside and into the spacious living room that overlooked Denver. I turned to face him as I took a deep breath and reached out to pull his lips to mine. The kiss was hot and rough, and I slipped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
We removed our clothes in between deep kisses, and his mouth peppered my neck as he pushed me back onto the leather sofa. I closed my eyes and arched my back as his hand cupped my ass and squeezed hard while I moaned. “I can’t wait to be inside of this sweet young pussy,” Brett told me before he moved his mouth over my nipple and sucked it deep into his lips. His tongue flicked it, and teeth dragged against me as I felt my thighs dampen where they were pressed against him.
The feeling of his heat as he gave each small bud equal attention before he moved his mouth down over my flat belly. I stared down at him as he moved between my legs and breathed against my slick thighs. Oh God, he was so close to me, and I slipped my hand down into his hair as he pressed his tongue against me and slid between my folds. It was Heaven, and I spread my legs like a whore so that he could have all of me.
Brett licked me all over as I breathed hoarsely and rocked against him until he held my still with his strong arms. He slowly teased my sensitive clit, ready to burst from all of the pain and pleasure that he’d inflicted on my nipples just a few minutes before. I’d nearly come, and as he sucked me between his teeth, I let out a keening sound and felt myself go.
It was intense, a hot wash of heat all over my body and something that I’d never felt before. I cried out his name, something I hadn’t found out or at least remembered when we were dirty dancing for everyone in that club. Brett kept my orgasm going with long sucks of his mouth and thick fingers stroking me as he urged me to keep going. I was so full, and he traced my sensitive walls with his hand and made me shudder again. I was weak when I felt myself slow down as he pulled his hand away and traced my mouth with his finger.
“Taste yourself,” Brett told me as I sucked him into my mouth and tried to keep my eyes open.
CHAPTER 3
I blinked as I heard Mom say my name and stared at her. “What’s wrong with you, Larisa?” She snapped at me as I took a sip of my soda and eyed the appetizers spread out before me.
“Waiter!” I called as I saw him walk by, smiling when he stopped. “Can I have a glass of your house white wine, please?”
“I’ll bring that right over,” he promised me as he looked at me a beat longer with his dark brown eyes, making my thighs ache. The memory of Brett was too much for me to bear and I tried to push it out of my mind.
“Sorry, Mom. I’m foggy from studying and school stuff,” I apologized as I avoided looking at Brett. “This looks good. Tell me about the wedding.”
I learned that it was a whirlwind and something that Mom suggested. No surprise there. I knew from my night with him that Brett was CEO of one of the biggest mortgage companies in the United States. Anderson and Frank held the mortgages of some of the richest people in the world, including a few celebrities.
No, we didn’t talk that night. I’d kept it in mind and did some research after the fact. I knew that he was returning to Los Angeles soon and had no hopes of anything happening between us again, well, no expectations.
He was a stable future for Mom, and if and when she decided to slow down at Gail’s, she could settle down happily. Brett was also gorgeous and damn it if I didn’t know how good he was in bed. The idea of him with Mom made me look around to see where my wine was, smiling with relief when I saw the waiter approaching me with a smile on his face.
Thank fuck. I thanked him and took a long sip of it before I picked at the food. It was probably wonderful and something I’d tell my friends about if I were with anyone else. Tonight, though, I just wanted to drink myself away from the memory of Brett’s mouth and cock inside of me.
My food to wine ratio was getting pathetic as I tossed back another glass and nibbled on my dinner. I sensed my mom’s anger towards me but I just couldn’t bear with this.
When I left to go to the bathroom, I was buzzed, and I dropped onto the toilet and took a deep breath. God, I had to pee. I did and pulled my phone out of my clutch to text Cole that I needed to see him tonight. I needed my best friend to vent to and get this all off of my shoulders so I could move on.
Cole: Are you drunk, Ris?
Me: I’m drinking wine so probably so. Don’t worry, I am getting a cab home. Be there. I’ll text you when this hell is over with.
Cole: I’ll be waiting. B
e safe, Ris.
I shoved the phone in my purse and stood to wash my hands and return to the table. Mom was kissing Brett, and I looked way as I walked to the table to join them. I slipped into my seat and glanced in their direction as they leaned against one another and took a breath. Their plates were empty, and mine was cold, so I didn’t want it anymore. “Are you feeling alright, Larisa?” Brett asked me as my mother looked at me with an irritated expression on her beautiful face.
“Just tired, as I said before. I think the wine is getting to me a little,” I stated with a small smile as I leaned back and took another sip.
“Maybe you should eat,” her voice was low and angry as I took a deep breath. “I’m done here, Brett. Can we leave? Hopefully, she’ll present herself a little better over Christmas.”
“How are you getting home?” Brett asked me as he leaned forward and looked into my face. Jesus, there was still an attraction there, and this was all kinds of fucked up.
“I have a friend coming to get me,” I lied as he nodded and looked at Mom.
“I look forward to seeing you at Christmas,” Brett told me as he paid the bill when she called the waiter over in a huff. He ushered her out, and I dropped back into the chair as I closed my eyes. I took out my phone and pulled up Uber to get a ride home, waiting the allotted time before I stepped out to the curb. It was cold, and I shivered as I looked for a car that didn’t seem to belong to anyone, finally noticing a blue SUV that was there for a few minutes. I walked over and the guy that was just a few years older than I was looked over and I recognized him from the picture.
I climbed into the back and closed my eyes as he pulled away and headed back to my apartment. My sanctuary. My peace. I texted Cole on the way, still needing company and he agreed to be there as soon as he could. Once I was home, I got out of the car and made my way to my door, closing it before I went to change into some more comfortable leggings and a flannel shirt. I heard the knock at the door and clumsily buttoned the shirt as I fell onto the floor. “Shit,” I mumbled as I heard Cole call out my name.