by Omasta, Ann
I stretched and grinned at my mussed reflection. I looked like a woman who had spent the entire night cuddling and screwing; which is exactly what I was, and it felt grand.
I was in such a great mood that I had to share it with someone, so I went to Courtney’s room and pounced on her bed. Tabitha scampered off the bed as soon as she saw me coming, then whirled around to give me a quick hiss before stalking out of the room.
Court pulled her pillow over her head and told me to go away unless I had brought caffeine with me. I chuckled at her morning grumpiness and burrowed under the covers beside her. When she finally opened one eye to look at me, she said, “You look like you’ve been well-fucked.”
I had never heard that term before, but it described me perfectly. So I responded, grinning. “Very well.”
Court grunted as she flopped over on her side, “I haven’t been well-fucked in over a week. Or even decently-fucked. Or so-so-fucked,” she grouched. “I guess my vajayjay has to live vicariously through yours now.”
I smiled at her. “You know a one-week dry spell isn’t really that bad.” I decided this might be a good time to delicately bring up the Joe idea to gauge her reaction. “If it really bothers you, though, maybe you should look for a longer term relationship where you get well-fucked by the same guy on a regular basis.”
“I can’t seem to find a man that I can put up with for any length of time. Besides,” she added, “spend too long with one person, and it quickly transforms into getting boring-fucked. I’m not interested in the same old, same old for the rest of my days.”
I decided to jump in with both feet. “Yes, but if you’re with someone you really care about, that can keep the spark alive. For instance, what if you were with someone like Joe?”
I watched her reaction closely and was surprised to see her eyes soften, even though her words contradicted them. “Joe?!? He’s my boss. That would be totally inappropriate. Besides, he would never be interested in someone like me.”
“Since when do you care about inappropriate? And what do you mean someone like you? Someone who is kind and loving and generous and gorgeous and funny and smart and sweet? Yeah, why would he be interested in someone like that?” I rolled my eyes to emphasize the sarcasm of my last comment.
“You’re biased because you love me.” She shoved my arm playfully, but then turned serious. “Joe deserves to be with someone better than me. Someone who is pure and good and solid.” She paused to look at me. “Someone like you. I’m white trash from the wrong side of the tracks, and I have the physical and emotional scars to prove it.”
“Sweetie, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. I hate that you have this warped view of yourself. You are the most amazing person I know.” We both had teary eyes, so I grabbed the tissue box from her bedside table and sat it between us. “Joe sees it.” I nodded in confirmation, at her questioning look.
As we hugged, I decided not to ruin this great conversation with any talk about my lewd encounter with Sam at the museum. There would be plenty of time to tell her about that fiasco later.
Lightening the tone of our conversation, Court said, “If you’re going to wake me up at the butt-crack of dawn, the least you could do is bring coffee.”
I shook my head at her, as I got up. “9:30 is hardly the butt-crack of dawn, Lazy Bones.” I tossed the words over my shoulder on my way to make her brew. Then I ducked and easily avoided the pillow she threw my way.
Chapter 14
I had just delivered Courtney’s coffee and returned to the kitchen to scrounge up some breakfast when Seth called. “I know it’s short notice” he started, seeming almost nervous, “but would you have any interest in joining me at my family’s weekly brunch?” He paused a second then added, “You really don’t have to if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t go if my presence wasn’t required.”
“I’d love to,” I responded. “When?”
“Pick you up in an hour?”
“Sure.” I tried not to let the panic ring through in my voice as we said our goodbyes. As soon as I touched the End Call button, I screeched up the stairs, “Court! What does one wear to a fancy Sunday brunch?”
“Hell if I know,” she grouched. Clearly her caffeine hadn’t kicked in yet. I took the stairs two at a time, so we could have this discussion in person.
I peeked around the corner of her doorway. “Help. His whole family will be there, and I have no idea what to wear.”
“He must have the serious hots for you, calling for another date half an hour after he leaves,” she mumbled. “You gonna be back in time for girls’ night?” She looked accusingly at me.
“Of course! I would never bail on you for a boy.” It was usually Court turning away men to maintain the sanctity of our weekly girl time. This was the first time I had the choice. Not that it was a choice. I loved spending time with Seth, but Sunday nights at Joe’s with Court were our sacred ritual.
She seemed to think about it for a second, then she huffed, “all right then,” and she started digging in the back of her closet. She was so far back into her closet that I wondered what relic she was going to pull out. “Don’t laugh,” she ordered as she surfaced with a dress that shocked me. It was white with a flared skirt, which was covered with brightly colored flowers. The low cut bodice was a deep purple and it had a large, bright pink belt. It was perfect for my brunch, but so not Courtney.
“It’s beautiful!” I said honestly, smiling and trying not to laugh at my mental picture of Courtney wearing this ensemble. “It’s just not exactly your style.” I tried to be tactful.
“I went through a phase,” she rolled her eyes, “but I’ve never actually worn it.” She dove back into her closet and this time came out with a pair of strappy sandals with jewels that matched the flowers on the dress.
I shook my head at her. “Perfect. Thank you. I’m so glad I gave you the room with the big closet,” I said, giving her a quick hug. Then I grabbed my goodies and ran to my bathroom to shower.
Forty-five minutes later I came downstairs looking like someone who brunches. My hair was in a cute topknot and I had even put on makeup. I had the pink lips and cheeks to prove it. The dress and shoes really were perfect, except for one tiny problem. Well, not so tiny. Courtney’s chest was nowhere near the size of mine. I had managed to squeeze my upper half into the dress, but all of the extra flesh had to go somewhere, and it had chosen to billow up and out. I had fidgeted with my boobs for five of the forty-five minutes, and then tried to convince myself that no one would notice.
“Whoa, your cup runneth over,” Courtney grinned.
I whirled around and started to head back up the stairs, humiliated. My clothes weren’t nearly as cute as Court’s, but at least my tits stayed in them.
“Wait! You look fantastic. I’m just jealous. He’s not going to be able to pry his eyes away from you or your fantastic jugs.”
I turned. “Are you sure it’s not too much?” I asked, grabbing them.
“It’s just right,” she reassured me. “Now lets go sit on the front porch swing because I want a front row seat when he sees them. I mean you,” she quickly amended when she saw my concerned look.
She wasn’t disappointed. When Seth hopped out of his Jeep and walked up to greet us, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. I was embarrassed, but then he smiled a huge, sweet, happy, sexy smile; and I was truly grateful for my bodacious tatas for the first time in my entire life.
“You look fantastic,” he said sincerely. “Ready to roll?”
“Lets go,” I said. Deciding to enjoy this a little, I bent down pretending to fix something on my shoe and looked up to see him openly gawking down the deep cleavage I had just bared to him. I stood and turned to grin at Court and give her a thumb’s-up before walking hand-in-hand with Seth to his Jeep.
Chapter 15
Even though I had figured out that Seth’s family was wealthy, I was not prepared for the estate that we pulled into. The stone mansion was massive and go
rgeous, with clean lines and a classic look. The house paled in comparison to the grounds, though.
The perfectly manicured yard had the feel of an English garden with an abundance of comfortable sitting areas, bright flowers and quirky fountains. I laughed in surprise as we walked down the brick path to the backyard and a charming, winking baby elephant statue sprayed a mist of water on us.
Seth shook his head, “My mother enjoys searching for the most whimsical oddities.”
“We should introduce her to my boss, Annie,” I answered. “She’s the most whimsical person I’ve ever met. They would probably get along famously.”
It seemed like Seth was about to disagree with that when he opened the gate to the back yard, which caused me to completely forget about our conversation. It was the most breathtaking setup I had ever seen. From the amazing view of the lake and marina, to the full outdoor kitchen and infinity pool, this was a back yard that was meant to be in magazines.
My eyes drank it all in, and then I felt him. He had just stepped out of the sliding glass door at the back of the house. I didn’t have to look to know. The hair on my arms was standing up and my body felt tingly. I swept my gaze quickly past him, just to confirm what I already knew. Sam was standing there, looking amazingly gorgeous, like his brother. He lifted his glass in greeting, and Seth nodded at him.
Seth’s mother walked over to welcome us. Janice was classy and lovely, and I felt like a frump standing next to her. She tsk’d me for stealing Seth away from the charity auction before dinner had even been served, and I started stammering my way through an explanation. Seth gallantly saved me by saying he had wanted to leave early, due to a headache. Thankfully, she seemed to buy that.
Janice told me to make myself at home and glided off to check on the caterers. I shook my head, pondering the idea that anyone had caterers for a weekly family brunch. It was beginning to feel like I had somehow stumbled my way into the Kennedy compound, yet they all seemed so down-to-earth and likable, with one glaring exception.
Sam was making his way towards us when a little girl came running to him at full speed. “Kit Kat!” he said, as he picked her up to twirl her around, both of them beaming. That’s kind of likable, I admitted, grumbling silently to myself.
Jessie walked up the path, carrying a Barbie backpack. “Abby, I‘m so glad you’re here,” she said, smiling kindly. Then she leaned in to whisper, “It will give me a break from having to attempt to make small talk with the latest ‘I’ girl.” She snickered, nodding her head to the left.
I followed her eyes and saw the longest, tannest, most perfect pair of legs I’d ever seen sticking out from a lounge chair by the pool. I couldn’t see the rest of her from my angle, but could only assume that these gorgeous legs belonged to Sam’s date. I don’t know why my stomach did a little flip-flop at that idea.
Sam set the little girl down and she quickly ran over to greet Seth. He kneeled down to her level and said, “How’s my little Katiedid today?”
I watched her telling him about her adventures, since she had last seen him. She talked animatedly, and he seemed to hang on every word. The little girl had huge blue eyes and long blond hair. She didn’t look like her dark-haired mother and uncles, but she had inherited their striking beauty.
Suddenly, she took notice of me. “Who’s that?” she demanded.
Jessie jumped in to answer. “Katie, this is Uncle Seth’s date, Abby.”
Katie squinted her eyes, looking me over, then gave a ‘hmph’ and asked Seth to push her on the swing. He gave my hand a squeeze, before following the little girl to do her bidding.
Her mother chuckled and said, “Don’t mind her. She’s just not used to Seth bringing women around. That’s usually Sam’s forte. She’ll warm up to you once she gets to know you,” she reassured me. “She doesn’t usually bother with Sam’s friends because he never keeps them around long enough for us to get to know them.”
I wondered why Seth didn’t bring women around more often, but Sam walked up to join us, so I didn’t have a chance to ask. “Hello, ladies,” he greeted his sister and me, slinging an arm casually around Jessie.
Before we could answer, the blonde goddess in the lounge chair bellowed, “Sam Darling, the wait staff hasn’t bothered to check on me. I’m parched. Would you be a dear and have someone fetch me a mojito?”
“Of course,” he responded and turned on his heel to go track down someone.
Jessie raised her eyebrows, but refrained from saying anything about the exchange. She smiled as she watched Seth playing with her daughter.
“He’s really sweet with her,” I observed out loud, thinking silently that he would make a terrific father someday.
“He is,” she agreed. “They both are.” We watched Sam personally deliver the requested mojito before walking back to where we stood.
“Are you a waiter now?” Jessie teased her brother.
Sam shrugged a shoulder. “She likes to be pampered, and I humor her.”
The hair on my arms was already prickling from being this close to him, so when his elbow brushed lightly against mine, I almost jumped out of my skin. Did I hate him so much that he literally made my skin crawl? I wondered. It didn’t feel like hatred, though. As much as I wanted to dislike him, I knew that deep down, I didn’t. It must just be confusion because he looks so similar to Seth, I decided. I refused to think about the fact that I didn’t have this strong of a physical reaction when Seth was nearby.
“I’ll go rescue Seth from kid patrol, so he can spend some time with you,” Jessie said to me as she left for the playset.
Sam turned and my skin heated as his eyes bored into me. With every pore, I could feel how close he was. “Alone at last.” He grinned and raised his eyebrows at me. “Did you tell Seth about us yet?”
“I didn’t feel it was important enough to mention,” I lied.
“Or too important to mention,” he guessed correctly.
He was so cocky and infuriating. I willed my body not to react to him, even as I could feel my barely-covered nipples puckering as if they were reaching out to him.
His eyes travelled slowly down me to my breasts and lingered there. I prayed that my erect nipples weren’t visible through the top of my dress.
Seth walked up to us, saving me from Sam’s intense gaze. He casually put his arm around me, completely unaware of the tension vibrating between his brother and me. “Hi, Gorgeous,” he said giving me a quick peck on the cheek. I smiled at Seth, glad for the distraction from Sam.
All three of us had our attention diverted when the long-legged beauty arose from her sunbathing chair. I couldn’t blame the boys for gawking because I couldn’t look away either as she stretched her gorgeous, lean body. She was a vision with her long, golden hair; perfect, pouty lips; and lovely, tan legs peaking out of her barely-there sarong. Her voluptuous, perky breasts were covered by the tiniest red triangles that I had ever seen claim to be a bikini top.
As she walked towards us, all three of us were openly staring. She must have been used to such attention because she didn’t seem to notice as she placed an arm possessively on Sam and whined, “When will the servants bring the food? I’m starving.” I cringed inwardly at her condescending choice of the word ‘servants.’
“Soon, Baby.” He soothed her with a kiss on the cheek then introduced us to Jenni. I tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy in my gut by telling myself silently that I was just envious of her astounding good looks.
Jessie rejoined us indicating that Grandpa had taken Katie for a walk down to the pier. She greeted Jenni with an obvious lack of enthusiasm, and I was surprised by her near-rudeness.
The surprise wore off when Jenni spoke next. She turned to Seth and told him that he was just as handsome as ‘her Sam.’ He smiled politely, but didn’t respond. Unfazed, she continued, “I’ve never been with twins before, but I have enough holes to entertain you both. You would never forget the experience.”
I was completely astounded. I
had never heard anyone say anything so outrageous, especially not to someone she had just met. I was also a little hurt that she would say this right in front of me, as if I didn’t even exist. I did feel invisible next to her radiant beauty, but there was no reason for her to openly come on to Seth with me standing right here.
The three siblings all looked as taken aback by the brash statement as I felt. Jenni giggled, then added, “Another time, then. Come on, Babe,” she said to Sam. “Let’s go crack the whip on this incompetent wait staff.”
“That will be the end of her.” Jessie shook her head after they walked away. “Did you see the look on Sam’s face? I’m surprised he didn’t ask her to leave right then.”
Seth said, “I can’t escape the mental image of being with her while my brother fills another of her holes.” He gave an exaggerated shiver of disgust. It was just the comic relief we needed, and the three of us started laughing uncontrollably.