The Playboy

by Alice Ward

  Score one for Wenton.

  By the time we were done, and he was showing signs of fatigue, Caitlyn and I had genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And through the fun, something else was happening too. Something powerful I hadn’t expected so soon, if at all. There was a new softness in the way she looked at me. There was no denying it. Something was there, something was happening.

  I was genuinely happy. My little brother was basking in his glory, something that had been intentionally denied him for most of his life. And Caitlyn, my elusive Prince Slayer, was smiling radiantly. Even the Oscar win hadn’t produced this warm, fuzzy, magical feeling. That win was hard, visceral excitement. Heart pounding stuff. But this, this melted me… infused me with something beyond comprehension.

  Wenton was still basking in the afterglow of his great performance, but I could tell he was overly tired.

  “Do you want to save the painting for another day?” I asked him.

  He snorted. “Nah, I’m fine. Stop being a bigger brother.”

  While he was still very much in the mood to have his picture painted, and Caitlyn seemed eager to get to work, I sat and answered some emails on my phone. I kept an eye on Wenton though; there was something off about him. I feared he’d overexerted himself more than I thought.

  While the two of them created a special kind of magic for a couple of hours and the painting was slowly transforming into a masterpiece, it soon became evident that Wenton couldn’t handle anymore. He looked pale and unwell.

  “How about a break,” I suggested. “You guys have been at it a long time.”

  Caitlyn caught on, worry in her eyes. “Do you mind, Wenton? I’m getting pretty tired. We can come again and do this next week.”

  Wenton seemed sad to be ending the day, but he just didn’t have the strength to object too much. “Okay.”

  I laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you think I should call the doctor?”

  He brushed me off, but I felt I needed a second pair of eyes so I texted the on-call doctor, who came to Wenton’s cottage within minutes. Dr. Wells saw what I did and transitioned him from his painting activity to his bedroom.

  “Alright, friends, it’s time for Wenton to get some rest. Next week, we have the annual family picnic, so you’re all welcome to come back and join us,” Dr. Wells said as he ushered us out of the room.

  “Bye, Wenton,” Caitlyn called out.

  “Love you, buddy,” I added.

  The doctor escorted us to the front office while a nurse arrived to attend to my brother. As we walked, he updated us on Wenton’s condition.

  “I asked my secretary to set a meeting up with you just this afternoon, so please accept my apologies if you have a message from my office tomorrow. If you can, I’d like to speak with you about my concerns now.”

  My heart thumped hard before falling into the knot of nerves in my stomach. “Now is good.”

  He nodded. “His latest battery of tests pointed to a rapid deterioration in his arteries, leading to diminished heart function. I know you love your brother and have always been great at encouraging his progress, but I must ask you to slow it down. I’d also like to admit him to the main hospital for further testing, and possibly long term.”

  Wenton’s doctors were paid well and had known him most of his life. Every one of them was like family to us.

  “But that would kill him. He loves his house,” I protested as Caitlyn walked along with us silently.

  “I know he does. We can have someone move down to the cottage with him, but it really isn’t a great space for that. I believe he will soon be wheelchair bound, and the hills and walkways around the cottage aren’t well suited for that kind of device. The main hospital is better equipped to suit his needs.”

  “We aren’t there yet, are we? This is just a precaution, right?” The shock of this news seemed to have stopped my brain from functioning correctly.

  “We may not be there yet, but for the moment, he needs some better resources and more hands-on care. His body needs to rest.” Dr. Wells seemed very serious and emphatic.

  “I think moving him will kill him,” I confessed.

  “I’m pretty sure not moving him will speed up the deterioration.” Dr. Wells stopped and waited for me to look at him. “Mr. Preston, he won’t live forever. He needs twenty-four-hour care.”

  “But putting him in a stark hospital with noises, intrusions, and none of his stuff? How is that better?” I was trying not to lose my temper in front of Caitlyn, but I felt heated and enraged.

  This was my brother he was talking so casually about. He wasn’t spoiled milk that was about to expire. He was my life, the only family I was close to. Not just some patient who was dying.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t agree to the move, not right now.”

  I needed to live in denial for a while longer, I couldn’t handle anything else at the moment.

  Dr. Wells sighed. “I’ll have my assistant email some information over to you. If you need additional time to consider this, that’s fine. Technically, Wenton is still in charge of his own care, with your approval, so we’ll be discussing this move with him.” The last part felt like a threat.

  I gritted my teeth. “I prefer that you don’t speak with him.”

  “I wish I didn’t have to,” was his only response.

  Dr. Wells excused himself and walked up the hill as Caitlyn and I made our way to the car. We were silent for a moment as I let the information the doctor shared with me sink in.

  “I’m sorry,” Caitlyn said, stroking my arm.

  I placed my hand on hers, needing her warmth. “I’m sorry you had to hear all of that.”

  She seemed to understand and linked our fingers together as we finished the journey to the car.

  “I understand how this feels,” she said, looking up at me with profound sadness in her eyes. “I fight with doctors all the time these days,” she smiled lovingly.

  I wasn’t ready to leave Caitlyn, nor did I want to make the long, lonely drive home. “Are you hungry for dinner? We had our karaoke buffet quite a while ago.”

  More than anything, I wanted her to stay with me. I needed someone to talk to. I wanted to stay close to her, and I certainly didn’t want to go another week without seeing her again.

  She bit her bottom lip. “Let me just call in and check on Gran.”

  Right, she had family obligations, of course. Sometimes I was so selfish.

  “It’s okay if you want to make it for another time.”

  She squeezed my hand before pulling out her phone. “Hi Athena. It’s Caitlyn. I’m just checking in on how Gran is doing?”

  I watched Caitlyn’s face as she received the answer. It was grave and sullen, but she wasn’t in tears.

  “Okay. If she’s sleeping now, is it possible that I can be out for a few more hours? Would she be lucid enough to call me if something happened?” She bit her bottom lip again as she listened. “No worries. I have someone I can call. Thank you so much, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With a sigh, she disconnected the call.

  “I’ll just take you—”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay. I can stay. Gran is okay. She’s been asleep most of the day. The only real concern is if she wakes up and needs to go to the bathroom.” Another beautiful smile lit up her face. “She’s such a character. She refuses a catheter. She swears she’d rather be dead than use one. She’s already pulled out two.”

  “We could order delivery,” I suggested.

  She pushed her hair back from her face, seeming to consider my offer. “I never get to leave the house. I just go to the center and stay with Gran. I really could use the break.” She peeked up at me through her lashes. “She told me she didn’t want me coming home until tomorrow.”

  “She’s a smart woman.” I couldn’t believe I let myself say that. “I mean, if you weren’t you… I mean… if you wanted to stay over… the night… ah fuck.” I gave up.

  She shook her
head, a grin playing on her lips. “And then, there’s that,” she said as she dialed her phone again and spoke to someone named Tammy. She glanced over at me. “I have a favor though. I hate to ask, but um… I’d like to go to dinner with a friend.” She listened and her eyes grew wide. “What? Yeah, it’s him.” She planted a hand over her face, and I would have given just about anything to have heard what her friend was saying. “No! It’s just dinner. Seriously.” I chuckled and Caitlyn shot me an embarrassed glance. “Anyway, could you watch Gran just for a couple of hours? She’ll probably sleep through…” She sighed. “Yep. Just gonna eat. Love you too.”

  I laughed. “My reputation proceeds me, I assume.”

  She stuffed her phone in her bag. “Well, you don’t give a girl a million bucks without a few repercussions. Anyway, we’re good, she’s gonna Gran-sit for a few hours. Where do you want to go?” She seemed very excited and genuinely happy to go to dinner with me.

  “How about Dockside Seafood and Grill?” I asked, thinking a moonlit night on the water would be sexy. I might have been temporarily neutered, but I was still me.

  She beamed and placed her hand on my arm. “I love that place.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we were seated at a nice table right by the water. It was peaceful and calm with the full moon shining on the surface. It was actually painfully romantic. The irony wasn’t lost on us when the hostess put us at a cozy table for two, secluded from the other patrons. Caitlin looked over the menu and ordered lobster, while I decided on steak. We shared a bottle of wine and drank in the view. Neither of us seemed to be in a hurry to make idol conversation, so we just enjoyed the moment, the view, and the company.

  “Thank you. My friends Rick and Tammy and I do a lot of barbequing at home, this is a really nice change of scenery.” She looked over at me, the candlelight casting a radiant light on her beautiful face.

  I was feeling that insatiable tickle in my belly, and my overconfident cock started to swell. I took a deep breath and tried to steer our boat in a more comical direction, otherwise I would be propositioning the little Prince Slayer all night.

  “I’ve heard a rumor that this place serves much better food than that dive off of I-95,” I said, giving her a side eye.

  She threw her cloth napkin at me.

  I shot her a fake surprised look. “So violent.”

  She stuck her nose in the air. “The service isn’t as good.”

  “On the contrary, the waitresses might actually serve their customers, rather than walk out on them,” I teased.

  The nose went higher. Her fake snooty look was adorable. “Well, if the customer wasn’t such an ass—”

  “And if the waitress didn’t have such a nice one,” I added, taking it a step too far.

  She lifted a brow high on her forehead. “The former waitress turned almost millionaire wouldn’t have to be such a prudish Ninja… no, sex warrior, if the customer just acted like a decent human being.”

  If there had been a mic available, it would have been dropped. We laughed.

  I raised my hands in surrender. “I know I’m ridiculous.”

  She did the same. “I’m guilty too.”

  We drew a splash of unwanted attention from patrons at nearby tables, and I’m sure we looked very weird, but it was all in good fun.

  The waitress brought a captain’s tray full of seafood samplers as an appetizer.

  “This looked good. I hope you like to eat.”

  She had a perfect figure, but she was a busy woman. I hoped she wasn’t overconscious about her weight as most of the people in my industry were.

  “Oh, I can eat,” she assured me. “I hate the gym, I like to hike and bike, so I get my exercise, but I know when to salad and when not to, and this looks good,” she said as she dove for a piece of Cajun shrimp.

  I grabbed one too. “Thank god. So many of the women I work with just eat air.”

  “All things in moderation.”

  A smudge of grease coated her lips, and my cock pulsed at the sight. My sex starved mind envisioned the glistening on her lips as a nasty breech of table manners as she dove under the table and used that well-lubricated mouth to ease my suffering cock. Too soon, her napkin had wiped away the gloss I so desperately wanted to lick off her.

  When I took a deep breath, she noticed. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I lied.

  She frowned. “Can we get real for a moment, or is it too awkward?”

  I braced myself. “Let’s get real, just don’t eviscerate me. I don’t think I can take it tonight.”

  “I won’t,” she said kindly.

  I looked deeply into her eyes. “Hit me with it,”

  She inhaled through her mouth and exhaled just as slowly. “Just because I don’t want to fuck you, doesn’t mean I don’t like you or that I’m not sexually attracted to you.” She twisted her napkins between her fingers. “Actually, I’m really struggling right now because I think I do like you, a lot, and I’d…” She shook her head. “There’s a part of me that just can’t. I’m not afraid of sex, I’ve had a boyfriend, but I just… it has to be love.”

  She was tender and real, my heart threatened to explode in my chest. There was something else there too. Jealousy. The emotion hit me like a brick.

  “What happened to your ex?” I probably shouldn’t have asked, but I seemed to be doing many things I shouldn’t lately.

  “He… well, he wanted to travel the world and get lost in it. I never wanted to get lost. I always felt like I was clinging to safety, you know, so the idea of free falling was unimaginable. After we graduated college, he got a job teaching English in China. He’s still there. Lives in Guangzhou and has two kids with his Chinese wife.” She seemed sad, but relatively resolved about the issue.

  “Did you love him?”

  “I thought I did, but I guess I didn’t love him enough.” She curled the cloth napkin in her fingers, and I could tell there was more she wasn’t telling me.

  “Why not travel?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “It wasn’t the traveling. I think I really do want to see the world, but my grandma means a lot to me. I never wanted to leave her out. I thought it was selfish to just pick up and leave her alone.”

  She might’ve rejected it, but I laid a comforting hand on her. “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  She stared at me, a sense of conviction and honesty in her eyes. “Where’s my mom and dad?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind sharing.” I traced the outline of her fingers with the tips of mine. “I’m also curious to know what you’re so afraid of? I mean, with sex and men and your average roll in the hay?”

  Damn. Yet another thing that didn’t come out right. I was articulate in the boardroom. I could hold my own in any conversation. But when I was within arm’s reach of the auburn-haired beauty, my brain turned to mush and took my tongue with it.

  She took a deep breath and a healthy gulp of wine. She was also given a moment’s reprieve because the waitress came with our meal. Before she attempted to eat the lobster, she rolled her head to release the tension from her neck, then studied the tablecloth for a moment. This was big shit. I took a deep breath too and prepared myself.

  “When I was five years old, my dad told me we were going on a trip. I asked if I could bring my doll with me, and he said, ‘Sure, bring Grace along.’ He seemed really friendly when he mentioned the trip, and I was excited about going. I was little so getting in the car and going anywhere for any distance was totally thrilling. I bugged him about where we were going and remember asking him a million questions, but he didn’t give any details. He just kept saying that it was a surprise.”

  She glanced up at me, and down just as quickly. I gave her the space she needed.

  “When I thought of a surprise, I envisioned Disneyland or the mountains, but he didn’t give me any more information than just…you’ll be surprised. He drank beer all day while my mom packed our suitcases.”

  Ca
itlyn swallowed hard and pressed her napkin to her mouth.

  “Mom was really quiet, not like her usual bubbly self. She kept suggesting to him that they not go on the trip. She told him he needed to calm down. He seemed calm to me. He just repeated over and over again, ‘I’m taking you,’ so she stayed quiet after a while. It seemed like the start of a really horrible vacation. When we got in the car, my dad was slurring his words and was driving really sloppy. My mom was in a faraway place, and she seemed out of it. I really got nervous because I didn’t feel like either of them were okay. We drove for like an hour in silence while my mom slept and Dad white-knuckled the wheel. Then he shut the car off in the middle of nowhere. He bent down under his seat and pulled out an iron bar.”

  Shit. Shit. Holy shit. Fuck. I’d been part of too many movies not to see where this was going. I reached out and took Caitlyn’s hand in mine again.

  “Instinctively, I was terrified, but I didn’t know why. It was just a piece of metal. He asked her if she was leaving because she wanted to be with Uncle Jonas, a friend of our family, instead of him. My mom said she was leaving him because she no longer loved him. She tried to open the car, but I later learned he had activated the child lock feature. She screamed at him and called him a drunk bastard. That’s when he hit her with the bar. I just closed my eyes and put my hands over my ears and screamed, ‘Stop it, Daddy!’ I remember yelling that over and over, again and again.”

  Caitlyn closed her eyes, and I’d never wanted to hold anyone more.

  “I stopped screaming when all was quiet. Deathly quiet. My voice and my head hurt badly. I looked up, and he was staring at me. There was blood everywhere and my mom was slumped over the dashboard covered in it. I don’t think I breathed. He had a gun. Even though he hit her with the metal bar, he had a gun. He pointed it at me.”

  My stomach had a pulse. Every cell in my body had a pulse. I couldn’t believe this happy person could have gone through so much.

  “I thought she was alive. I must have known she died, but I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to think that he had just bashed her skull in. He had both weapons in the car, he was always planning on killing us. You know when stuff like that happens, you just… it isn’t real.”