My Brother's Five Friends

by B. B. Hamel

  “Doesn’t look like gaming .”

  She stared at me. “What did you need, Natalie ?”

  I sighed, looking down at my hands. “Had a weird night last night .”

  “What’d my brother do ?”

  I laughed. “How’d you know ?”

  “It’s always that way in this house. They fuck up and we’re left trying to figure out how to put it all back together .”

  “Not always,” I mumbled .

  “So what did Prince Lucas say ?”

  “Well,” I said slowly, “it’s a bit of a long story .”

  “Tell me. Now I’m curious .”

  “It involves my mom and your dad. And it’s not very good .”

  She snorted. “I don’t give much of a shit about Arturo, but I’ll tell you what. You tell me this story, and I’ll tell you one of my own .”

  I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean ?”

  “I’ll tell you why I haven’t left my room .”

  “Okay,” I said. I didn’t know why I trusted her or why I was taking the deal, but something told me I should .

  And so I told her. Starting with walking in on my mother and ending with her brother’s comments, I told her everything I could remember .

  It came out of me in one giant rush. Louisa sat there staring at me, not really reacting one way or the other as I gave her all the details. I actually felt pretty silly when I told her how angry I had been at her brother, but I couldn’t really skip that part .

  Finally, I finished and felt tired. Better, like I had drained a wound out or something, but so tired .

  “None of that surprises me,” Louisa finally said when I was finished .

  “Really?” I asked. “Not even my mother ?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know your mother, but she’s a person and people make mistakes .”

  “You’re right. And I mean, I get where Lucas is coming from .”

  “Don’t defend him,” Louisa said fiercely .

  I felt a bit taken aback. “Sorry. I mean, I was just saying .”

  “Listen, Natalie,” she said. “If you’re going to stick around, you should know something. The men here, they’re stuck in the Old World .”

  “What do you mean ?”

  “They want everything to be black and white. And in that mindset, women are just frail creatures that cook and clean. Women are either saints or they’re whores. There’s no room for a nuance of emotion, for sexual feeling, nothing .”

  I felt surprised, but it was something that I understood without having ever really said it before. The compound was like the old days in how everything worked, complete with servants .

  “I get that,” I said. “I know Lucas didn’t mean anything by it, and he was probably right. But I want him to know that he has to respect me and my mother, even when she’s acting like a whore .”

  Louisa nodded. “Good. Lucas is probably the most progressive of the bunch. He’ll figure it out and come around eventually. But don’t let him off easy .”

  “Thanks. That makes me feel better .”

  “And about your mom,” Louisa said. “Don’t tell anyone else. My father can be a vengeful, violent man. You’re right to feel afraid .”

  I felt a spike of worry hit my stomach. “What should I do ?”

  “Nothing,” Louisa said. “Lucas will protect you all. He’s not so bad, deep down .”

  I nodded. She had confirmed my worst fears, but she also had strangely made me feel better .

  “Okay,” I said. “Now it’s your turn. Why haven’t you left this room ?”

  She laughed, grinning. “It’s funny. It’s actually related to what we’re talking about .”

  “What, my mom being a whore ?”

  “No. The Old-World mentality, the sexism.” She paused and adjusted herself and then began talking .

  “I was never good at school. I was never interested in it, even though I had always been great with computers. School wasn’t hard for me; it was just boring. And plus, I knew what my father and my brother did. I understood what sort of family we were .

  “But they kept me from it. They acted like they were protecting me, but I never needed protecting. Finally, I dropped out of school, bitterly disappointing my father. The next day, I demanded that he let me join the family business. I told him that I was a Barone like any one of them and that I deserved to be a part of it .

  “He refused. He told me a woman’s place was not anywhere near their business. He wanted me to go back to school, to meet a man and get married, to give him grandchildren. Naturally, that pissed me off. In retrospect, I understood he was trying his best to give me a good life, but I didn’t want his idea of a good life. I wanted the life that I wanted, and I want to be a part of the Barone family .

  “And so I went into my rooms and I’ve stayed here ever since. It pains my father greatly that I refuse to leave this piece-of-shit room. It’s my prison and my statement. I will not leave until my father, or the next leader of the family, allows me my rightful place .”

  I didn’t know what to say. I stared at her, seeing Louisa in an entirely new light .

  I had assumed she was a weird, eccentric, crazy person. And she was weird and eccentric, no doubt. But she wasn’t crazy .

  She was strong. I could see her strength and defiance written in every expression, in every fiber of her being, in every word and gesture. And I was beyond impressed .

  “That’s incredible,” I said softly .

  “It’s not so amazing. It’s just what I have to do.” She stood and walked back over toward her computers and began to tinker with them .

  “But what happens if your father never gives in ?”

  “Then I’ll die in this room, I guess,” she said almost off-handedly .

  I could hardly believe her. I shook my head and stood up. “You’re amazing, Louisa. I wish I could have half of your determination .”

  “You do,” she said, not looking at me .

  “I’m not so sure .”

  “Stop feeling so bad for yourself. If you want something, take it .”

  I looked at her for a second and let that sink in. “Okay. Thanks .”

  “And, Natalie?” she asked. “Your secret is safe with me. I have no love for my father and his little boys’ club .”

  “Thanks,” I said, though I wasn’t sure which secret she meant. I got the feeling that she meant all of them .

  She continued working on her computers, and I got the sense that our conversation was over. I walked over to the door, pulled it open, and left. She didn’t even glance in my direction .

  The door shut behind me and I suddenly felt so much better. I felt lighter. Louisa was an inspiration, and her strength made me feel stronger just for having spoken with her .

  I didn’t know what I was going to do about Lucas, but like Louisa had said, I should take what I wanted .

  There was no shame in it .

  I headed back toward my room, my head abuzz with questions and plans .

  26

  Lucas

  I stood with Vince on a small bridge overlooking a steam. We were well back in the woods in the back of the compound, well away from anyone that could possibly overhear .

  “Well?” he asked. “Why’d you drag me out into the goddamn forest ?”

  “I got a lead,” I said .

  “Must be serious .”

  “Might be, but it might not be.” I paused, throwing a stone into the water. “You know that young driver, Franklin ?”

  “Nice guy,” Vince said. “What’s the deal ?”

  “I got some information about him. Apparently he speaks multiple languages, and Russian is one of them .”

  Vince paused, thinking. “What’s a driver doing speaking a bunch of languages ?”

  “My question exactly. Knowing Russian isn’t all that suspicious, but if he’s so smart, why’s he just driving us around ?”

  “Maybe he’s trying to work his way up ?” />
  I shook my head. “I spoke with Roger. He said Franklin never mentioned any languages when he got hired. Said that Franklin just seemed like another city goon looking to get into the crew .”

  “Seems odd,” Vince said, “leaving that bit off your resume. How’d you find this out ?”

  “Can’t say .”

  Vince raised an eyebrow. “That’s new. What, you don’t trust me ?”

  “I do,” I said, “but I’m choosing to hold this one back .”

  “Okay, boss. Your call .”

  We stood looking out over the water together in silence. I wondered how many times we’d come back to this spot to talk about confidential shit over the years. I’d known Vince most of my life; we were around the same age, and he had joined the crew around the same time that my father had allowed me to start getting my feet wet in it .

  But as loyal as he was, Camille’s indiscretions were too dangerous to share. I didn’t know who Vince spoke to or who he trusted, or what he joked about when he was drunk. If it ever slipped out, even by mistake, I couldn’t live with myself. I wasn’t about to be the reason Natalie got thrown out with her trashy mother .

  “So what’s the plan?” Vince asked finally .

  “Research him,” I said. “And have one of the boys keep an eye on him .”

  “Got it. Anything else ?”

  “Keep it low, if you can .”

  “Will do. Only trusted guys .”

  “Good.”

  We began walking back toward the compound .

  “I gotta ask you boss,” Vince said, “about your sister .”

  “Louisa?”

  “Natalie.”

  “She’s my stepsister .”

  He shrugged. “Whatever. She’s your wife, too .”

  “Where’s this going ?”

  “I just want to know what you’re doing with her. That’s all .”

  I eyed him. “Seems like it isn’t your business .”

  “It is and it isn’t, boss. If you’re actually into this girl, fine, great. But if you’re just messing around, maybe it’s not the best time to be putting your dick into something dangerous ?”

  I had to take a deep breath to steady myself .

  I knew that Vince had my best interests in mind. I knew that he didn’t mean anything by the way he was speaking. We always talked about women that way. It was all bravado and fun. But for some reason, I despised it when he talked about Natalie that way .

  She was different. I knew it from the moment I saw her in the club and decided to make her my wife. I knew it when she moved in, and in every moment I was around her .

  “Don’t ask me about this again,” I said to him .

  He shrugged. “Okay. Your call .”

  We walked back toward the house in silence. Vince waved and peeled off toward the west wing, probably to get started on researching Franklin, and I walked back toward the house alone .

  My mind was abuzz with Natalie. Just the mention of her name set my veins on fire. I wanted her again, needed her. The thought of her drove me wild with desire .

  But she was pissed. I hadn’t heard from her since the night before when she threw me out of her room for talking shit about her mother. In the cold light of day, I understood that I had crossed a line in calling her mother a whore, even if she was acting like one. I wouldn’t accept that sort of talk about my family, and I couldn’t expect any less of Natalie .

  But I wasn’t about to apologize. That just wasn’t my style. I wasn’t going to go groveling at her feet like a pathetic loser, especially not after she had kicked me out .

  Still, I wanted to make it right. I wanted to taste her again, and that wasn’t happening unless I owned up to my errors .

  I grumbled to myself as I walked into the house, trying to figure out how I could win her back over without actually saying sorry .

  Because I wasn’t really sorry. Her dumbass whore of a mother was threatening to fuck everything up already. I had known it was only a matter of time before Camille blew up, but I had hoped that was at least a few months away. Back when I didn’t know Camille or Natalie, I almost was rooting for her to fuck up, if only to rub my father’s stupid mistake in his face .

  But suddenly I found myself caring. Natalie did that to me .

  And so I had an idea. Simple, but hopefully effective. I headed toward the kitchen to make it happen .

  27

  Natalie

  I was ready to call it a night. I’d spent the day wandering around the grounds, and I was prepared to simply admit to myself that I was going to be doing absolutely nothing all day .

  I had my hand on my room’s door when I got the text. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw Lucas’s name and his short message. Come to room 34-C. I have something for you . That was it, no context .

  I bit my lip, unsure. I was still annoyed with him, but in the long run it really wasn’t something worth hating him over forever. And besides, I still felt so drawn to him, even through the danger .

  Louisa’s words rang through my ears as well. I needed to take what I wanted .

  Making up my mind, I turned and headed back down the hall .

  It took me longer than I’d like to admit to actually find the room. It was a small door tucked into a back corner of a random hallway on the third floor. It looked totally normal, pretty much like everything else in the house, and I wondered why Lucas was calling me there .

  Maybe his father would be waiting on the other side. He’d force me to tell Arturo the truth about my mother, and then they’d both throw us out .

  Or maybe he just wanted to be an asshole some more and figured a neutral place was the best way to go about it .

  I didn’t know why my brain instantly went to worst-case scenarios. I’d been out of it all day, and my paranoia wasn’t helping .

  Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door with my card and pushed it open .

  What I saw took my breath away .

  The room had paintings on every inch of the walls. Beautiful paintings, gorgeous, expensive art. It was a lot like the stuff hung in the halls, but I recognized some of them for once, stuff by Picasso and Renoir. Expensive, serious art .

  But that wasn’t what caught my attention. The room was lit by hundreds of white candles, each set on every single surface of the room. Then, in the very center was a small table set as if it were some expensive, fancy restaurant .

  “What do you think ?”

  I looked over to my right and saw Lucas standing there with a drink in his hand .

  “Did you do this?” I asked .

  “I had help .”

  I took a step inside. “Is this an apology?” I asked .

  “It’s something like that .”

  I frowned. “Lucas .”

  “Wait,” he said, holding up a hand. “Before you tell me off, listen. I won’t apologize for what I said, but I understand your reaction. You want me to respect your family as I want you to respect mine .”

  I nodded. “Exactly .”

  He walked toward me. “I want you to know that I respect you, Natalie. I respect you very much .”

  “Then apologize .”

  “No.” He stopped near me, and I could feel my heart pounding .

  “Don’t be stubborn,” I said .

  “I can’t apologize for speaking the truth,” he answered. “But I’m hoping you can understand that .”

  I took a deep breath. Did I really need to hear the words from him? I looked around the room and knew that I didn’t .

  Lucas wasn’t the type of man to do this sort of grand gesture for someone. That much was obvious. He was gruff and intense, and it didn’t seem like romance was something he ever even considered .

  And yet he had put all this together for me simply because I had felt disrespected. He understood why I was angry and was taking steps to try to fix it .

  “Fine” I said, smiling. “Okay. I get it .”

  “Good.” He pulled me agains
t him and kissed me hard .

  I felt a rush of blood to my head as he held me and kissed me .

  I knew I needed to take what I wanted .

  And in that moment, I wanted him. I was so full of stress, so pent up and frustrated, that I needed him .

  Without thinking, I reached down and felt his cock with my hand. He grunted his surprise, but I could feel that he was hard already .

  “Hard from one kiss,” I whispered .

  “You have that effect on me,” he admitted .

  I began to stroke him. “I want you to fuck me, Lucas .”

  He took my hair and pulled me close. “Say please,” he whispered in my ear .

  “Please fuck me, Lucas,” I said, stroking his hard cock. “Please fuck my pussy hard. Make me come again .”

  He grabbed me by the hips and steered me away from the candles. There was another door in the back wall. He quickly pushed it open and led me into another room filled with paintings, though this one didn’t have any open flames. Dimly I realized that this whole wing was probably one long gallery .

  He pressed me against a wall, banging against a painting. He wasted no time in pulling my shirt over my head and kissing my neck. I continued to stroke him, working his cock, wanting him so badly, needing him .

  I quickly unbuttoned his pants, yanking his zipper down. I dropped to my knees, pulling his pants down around his ankles. I reached up and pulled down his boxer briefs, taking his thick, hard cock in my hand .

  “I like this new aggressive Natalie,” he grunted as I pressed his cock between my lips .

  I began to work him, sucking his tip in and out of my mouth, tasting his salty skin, loving the way he grunted .

  “Suck that cock, Natalie,” he said. “Fuck yes. You really are a dirty girl for me, aren’t you ?”

  I kept working him, and he pressed his hands to the back of my head, moving his cock deep between my lips, deep into my throat. He groaned loudly as I sucked him, jerking him off, working his cock .

  I was starving for him, in a frenzy. I needed it, needed him ready. I could feel my pussy dripping wet, ruining my panties, but it didn’t matter. All I needed was him inside me .