by J. L. Beck
I smirked to myself as I got in the shower. The chance of that was extremely unlikely. Everyone wanted a piece of Talon fuckin’ Reed. I was the God of pussy eating. I could make a girl come with a wink. My job was to satisfy the female population of Central Heights.
The hot water beat against my skin, washing away the smell of Mandy and the stress of the day. It didn’t matter how much I tried to think about someone else or something else. The second the soap hit my hands and I started to wash my body I was reaching for my cock, Mia being the first thing to come to mind. I couldn’t help myself as I leaned against the wall, pumping in and out of my hand, keeping my grip tight as a vice with every stroke.
“Fuck!!” I hissed out as my head leaned back against the tiles and my eyes drifted closed, a picture of Mia completely naked entering my mind. Her creamy white skin would be red from my assault against her body. The way her pink nipples would pucker as I blew against them softly.
Her soft moans would resonate throughout the room and push me to go harder inside of her. I continued to pump myself, my grip growing harder with every slide of my palm over the skin.
“Oh, Talon…” I could practically hear her voice in my head as if she was really here. It was with her voice that my release came, cum sputtering out of me. I stroked myself through the pleasure until I went limp in my hand, then I picked myself up and finished my shower.
There weren’t many girls that I had masturbated to in the shower now a days, but Mia, damn it all to fucking hell she had been one. The girl had a hate hard on for me. Nothing I did was good in her eyes, and of course I wanted to screw her about twenty times more all because of that hate.
I rinsed off, shut the water off, and got out of the shower grabbing the nearest towel. I dried off and picked up my phone. I had a missed call from my dad, and looking at the time I could tell that I was late for dinner.
“Fuck a duck!” I growled, going to my closet and getting my clothes out. If anyone cared about being on time, it was my dad. He was going to throw a bitch fit. Great. I smirked. It was kind of worth it; after all, I got to spend more than five minutes in Mia’s presence without her hating me, even if it was inside my own head.
Scared of Nothing
I slipped into a dress and heels the second I made it to my mom’s house. I had to meet her at the Chop House in less than an hour, and I wasn’t ever good at being on time; that and it didn’t help that I couldn’t focus to save my life.
Even when I wanted nothing to do with Talon Reed, somehow he weaseled his way into my mind. I was seriously going to talk to Professor Hank about moving me, even if it let Talon know that he was finally starting to get to me. I grabbed my phone and purse off the marble island, my eyes sweeping to the microwave over the stove. I needed to get going.
I was just out the door and walking down the stone path to my jeep when my phone started to ring. I huffed out a breath fishing it from the pocket of my dress, my mother’s name flashing across the screen. What could she possibly want other than to tell me to hurry up?
“Yes.” I made sure I sounded annoyed so that when she started to bitch about how long it was taking me then I could say if you didn’t call me I would already be there. What I got instead shocked me.
“Have you left already? I’m just checking because I just got here, and I didn’t want to go in without you.” My mom was always soft spoken except for when she was pissed off. Right now, I could tell there was something up. She never acted this happy or okay with me running late.
“I’m in my jeep right now, headed toward you at sixty miles an hour,” I laughed, starting my jeep.
“Good. I’ll see you soon.” I wondered why she had called altogether as I hung up the phone and headed toward the restaurant. I needed to get out more: go to a couple more parties or maybe join some type of sport. I needed more hobbies than reading every single night. College was meant to be bigger and better than this.
Going to parties means seeing Talon.
My mind reminded myself of that, and immediately staying in my room and reading sounded about ten times better. Ten minutes had passed since I spoke to my mom, and as I pulled into the restaurant parking lot my belly filled with anxiety. Call it intuition or whatever you want, but something told me that I was going to be in for one hell of a surprise.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I grabbed my stuff and headed toward the entrance of the restaurant. The Chop House was a high-end eatery, a place my mom seemed to frequent a lot lately, now that I thought about it. It seemed a bit above her taste and pay grade being that she was nothing other than a RN at the Heights hospital.
Yet, I didn’t question her or wherever she wanted to meet up. I should be thankful because most people’s parents didn’t take the time to meet up for dinner nowadays. It was as if the second we said we were going to college they threw a big party and moved somewhere warm.
I walked into Chop House and was taken back by the over-the-top décor. A chandelier hung from the ceiling in the entranceway and a small seating area was off to the right where a small bar was located.
A young man stood before me at the hostess stand. I could tell he didn’t want to be here just by the plain look of disinterest on his face. I looked down to his nametag, my eyes roaming over the name Leo. Why Leo, you seem to be more interested in watching paint dry than being here; I wanted to say but bit my tongue.
“Lacy Weston Party,” I said instead. I clutched my wallet in my hand as he checked the list before him for my mother’s name. Without even a “this way please”, or “over there”, he walked off, causing me to hustle behind him to catch up. He walked the aisles between the tables like a pro, where I did nothing but manage an excuse me here and there. The place was packed to the brim for a Tuesday night and all was okay, until I looked up from the marble floor and to my mother’s table. It was then my heart dropped into my stomach.
“Fuck no,” I mumbled under my breath gripping my wallet that much harder in my hand. The man I loathed more than anything in the world was sitting right next to my mother, and another man was sitting at the same table with them. This had to be some sick fucking joke.
Taking a deep breath and wiping the look of disgust from my face, I took my seat next to the man I didn’t know. The entire time I could feel Talon’s eyes on me, and as I took my seat I looked up at him. He wore a look of shock that matched my own. Looks like neither of us knew what was going on.
“Mother.” I narrowed me eyes at her, all but saying explain yourself now or else. She smiled at me like she did nothing wrong and then started to speak.
"Mia, this is Jackson Reed and his son Talon. I met Jackson at a widow support group last year.” She had to be kidding me; this couldn’t be going where I thought it was.
“This isn’t happening,” Talon spoke out loud. I shifted my attention to him and then back to my mother. I knew there was a reason she had been coming home late and eating at such high-end places. Here I thought it had something to do with working late but no, she was secretly seeing someone, that someone being Talon’s father. I couldn’t do this right now.
“We started dating months ago, and we decided that it was time for you both to meet as soon as things started to get serious,” Jackson, Talon’s father said smiling at me, as if he wanted to say welcome to the family, the smile alone giving me the heebie-jeebies. Not because he was creepy looking. He was actually quite handsome, but because he was Talon’s father, and I hated Talon.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to get married or some disturbing shit like that.” Talon sounded more pissed than I was, the mask he always worse slipping away to reveal an emotion I am sure no one had ever seen him show: fear. Wow, the man who showed no fear of being scared of anything was now on the border of pissing his pants.
“Talon, I know losing your mom was really hard for you but, you're an adult now and I think you're old enough that now it's my turn to find love again. I've been lonely since we lost your mom. I never thought I
could love again, but Lacy has helped me heal. I know this is going to be an adjustment for both of you, but we've decided not to waste any time and plan on getting married." Jackson’s words caused my eyes to bulge out of my head and my hands to lift up to chest.
“I would’ve told you sooner, Mia, but I didn’t think you could handle it. I mean look at how…” I put my hands up to make her stop talking. She didn’t know shit. Only what she wanted to. That was the thing about her; all her choices were hers to make. It was those that it affected that should’ve mattered just as much.
“I’m with Mia. This is fucked up.” Talon’s hands were going through his hair so fast I was sure he was going to start losing some.
As I knew I would, I shifted my anger to him. I couldn’t stand him. Not in class, not in the hallways, or around campus, but now I would be forced to endure a lifetime of stepsibling love with him? Fuck no. Fuck that. Fuck all these people.
I pushed my chair back, causing a loud scraping to sound across the marble floor which rang throughout the restaurant. I couldn’t do this shit, not here, not anywhere for that fact.
“Sit down, you’re being dramatic,” my mother whispered under her breath as we were starting to draw attention. What she didn’t know was that I didn’t care, or maybe she did and it just didn’t matter to her. Who knew at this point? All I knew was that I was getting out of here. I stood from my chair the same time Talon did. I wanted to reach across the distance between us and take my anger out on the asshole. Instead, I directed my attention back to my mother.
“Dramatic? Are you kidding me? I’m not the one that hid this for months. Also I refuse to be of any relation to that fucker over there.” I pointed at Talon’s form, watching him out of the corner of my eye.
He lifted his hand over his heart, anguish etching into his features. “Awe, I’m wounded. As if you’re something special yourself.” I could hear his disgust; at least it was mutual at this point and time.
“This isn’t about you, Mia. You need to stop being selfish. For the first time ever I am truly happy.” Jackson nodded in agreement, and I all but threw my hands in the air.
“Fuck you. Fuck all of you,” I yelled turning on my heels and walking away from the table with a purpose like I never felt before. I hated Talon, and now I was going to have to live with him. He was going to be a permanent fixture in my life from here on out. Any feelings or thoughts I had about him before this moment needed to go away. There was only room for hate and anger for that asshole in my heart.
My mother never got up from the table to follow me, to talk to me or see if I was going to be okay, and I didn’t shed one single tear until I got to my car. Then I realized just how real my father’s death was. My mom was moving on, going about her life like my father never existed.
“Don’t act like you hate it more than me.” Talon’s deep voice vibrated through my body just as I unlocked my car door. I wiped away any stray tears, not wanting him to know the emotions that had been moved inside of me.
“I don’t hate it. I just hate you,” I said hoarsely, my eyes catching on his as I slid into my Jeep closing the door and locking it behind me. Talon watched me for a moment longer, the concern in his eyes telling me he might care a little bit, but even I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe Talon fuckin’ Reed. He was a sex-wielding addict who had no room for love or a care in the world in his heart, but I didn’t want to admit it out loud or even to myself that I kind of still wanted him.
Looking In The Mirror
Our parents got married less than two weeks later. The wedding and the look of hate Mia had for me with every passing glace was enough to cause knots to permanently form in my belly. I still wanted her. I still found myself drifting off into a daydream of her and I fucking on every surface of my house, but I knew it would never happen. Not now.
“Now Lacy and I are going to be in Cabo for three weeks, and we put her house up on the market. I don’t know if she had let Mia know but I wanted to let you know that she will be moving in with you while were gone. If she needs help I expect you to be there.” My father’s authoritative tone was all I heard, not the words but the way in which he said them.
I shook my head, rubbing at the back of my neck to ease some of the tension out of it. “Is that really a good idea? Mia and I don’t really see eye to eye.” It wasn’t a lie. We didn’t see eye to eye. I saw the need to fuck her, and she saw the need to hate my guts. Even I knew this was a shit-tastic idea.
“Mia will have to get over this. Her father passed away a long time ago, just like your mother did. Just because we lose someone we love doesn’t mean that life stops. Love can still be found. She should be happy for her mother, not angry or blaming her for what she found: happiness.” I got what he was saying—I truly did— but still the part of my heart that my mom would only ever hold ached for her. I missed her every single day. Losing her was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. My father moving on and marrying someone else was just another reminder that she was gone and had been for years.
“I get that, Dad, I just thought I would give you a friendly warning, in case you come back and the house is destroyed and one of us is dead,” I joked, kind of.
My father smiled at me, and when he smiled it was a true one, the kind that met your eyes or some shit. You could tell when someone was truly happy when that happened.
“Don’t kill her. I don’t need to be planning a funeral right after getting married.” He snickered. The wrinkles on his face had grown since the last time I had seen him. Being a doctor was stressful, the hours and the shit he had to deal with day in and day out. I never understood why he chose a career in medicine. I guess he just liked helping others.
“I’ll try my hardest,” I responded, getting a Gatorade from the fridge and heading downstairs to the gym. If Mia was going to be moving in, it was going to get ten times fucking harder to keep my hands to myself. It was like giving a drug addict their drug of choice but telling them not to use it. Mia was my drug of choice.
I stayed downstairs for hours, running and working out. I could sense the moment she came into the house, her and I’m sure her million and one bags as most women had. My body lit up like a Christmas fucking tree, fire covering every single inch of my flesh. I had to go to her, be near her. The attraction hadn’t always been this intense, not until our parents got married and I knew that I would be around her every single day. Unsupervised. There was nothing that could stop us from crossing that line. Then again, if we did that now there would be no going back; none at all. I came up the stairs slowly, a towel in hand as I wiped away the sweat that lingered against my abs and chest.
I could hear her breathy intake as she took notice of me. I lifted my eyes to meet hers, taking note of the lustful look that she covered up with disgust in a blink of her eyes.
“Do you like what you see?” I let my cocky tone and my usual attitude do the talking. I couldn’t let her being here change who I was, not even a little bit.
“Why don’t you take your asshole self out of my space.” I could feel the slap of her words as she spoke them, and the pain that seared me as they smacked off me did nothing but cause my grin to grow.
“This is my house.” I took a step toward her, which caused her to retreat one back. My ego boosted; I liked where this was going. “Therefore, why don’t you…” I took another step into her space, forcing her to retreat again. She was only a couple steps away from the counter and soon enough her back would run in to it.
“Get out of my space.” I raised my lip in a snarl. Fear mixed with shock showed in her features just as she hit the counter like I had assumed she would. Her cheeks grew warm, and her clenched fists at her sides were all kinds of adorable. She was a fierce looking thing, and fucking God, how I wanted to cross the space between us and press my lips against hers. That and wrap my hands through her hair and tug on those brown locks like I couldn’t ever let her go.
Something changed in those dark eyes, and she
spoke without any of the previous emotions she was feeling. “It’s no longer your space brother dearest. It’s our space now.” She winked at me, and I almost came right on the spot.
"Why don't you make yourself useful for once and help me carry my bags in. If I'm going to be forced to live in the same house as you, I want to get this move over as quickly as possible.” She was all business now, and I hated how she had been able to turn the tables on me so easily.
I stood there for a long moment, much longer than I intended to. “Do I make you hot? Make you want me as much as I want you.” I crept around her, feeling her out to see what she would do next.
“Nothing has changed. I’m still going to try every day. It doesn’t matter that I’m your stepbrother.” I challenged her to say something to me. Something to try and change my mind, because I would take those words and add them to the fire that made me advance toward her every day. She had to know that nothing changed between us. I still wanted her, and she obviously still hated me.
“You’re filthy. Disgusting.” She wrinkled her nose at me. All she was missing was the stomping foot part, and she would have the whole act down.
“Don’t act like you don’t want me. That you don’t think about me. I know I think about you every night as I’m stroking my six inch…” Her hands shot up over her ears.
“You’re so fucking disturbed it’s not even funny.” Mia’s nose turned down at me as she dropped her hands down to her sides, and I could see she was now starting to think she was better than me. That wasn’t going to happen, at least not in my fucking house.
“Women would kill for what you have. Talon uckin’ Reed at your disposal and all those endless fucking sessions we could have.” I snickered, stretching my hands above my head to show off the rest of my body. I could see her eyes roaming over my muscles and slowly eyeing the waistband of my sweats. She might have thought I was a dirty, nasty, even filthy fucker, but she wasn’t any better.