Double Or Nothing: Gemini (Zodiac Alphas)

by Gia Star

  I nodded. “Yeah. It's me.”

  “Holy shit,” he said, giving me a quick once over. “You've got to be kidding me.”

  The initial tension of the interaction seemed to fade a bit. My shoulders relaxed, and I took a breath of relief.

  “How have you been?” I asked, opening my arms for a hug.

  Paolo stepped forward and embraced me. I had to stand on my tip toes to wrap my arms around his neck. His hands drifted down my back immediately, touching the top of my ass. For a brief second, I was taken aback, but then I found that I actually kind of liked it.

  He held me close to him for just a second too long. I could smell his cologne, which was combined with his natural musk. Something about it turned me on. It triggered the instinctual part of my brain, the part that made me want to have rough and unprotected sex. Basically all of the things that society liked to keep a lid on.

  Paolo, though, obviously didn't care to keep a lid on anything. He definitely didn't care what society thought about anything. Based on the few minutes I'd interacted with him so far, it was apparent that he lived life by his own rules. The only thing that concerned me a bit was the fact that he'd mentioned being in jail.

  I wonder what he was in there for, I thought. Surely it couldn't be that bad of a crime if he only did six months.

  Although, half a year would have felt like an eternity for me in jail. I would have died for sure. The casual way in which Paolo had mentioned it, though, made it seem like it might not have been his first stint behind bars.

  When he released me from the hug, he kept his hands planted on my shoulders. I could feel his strength, not just in his touch but in his general presence.

  “You've grown up,” he said. “Goddamn, you look good. Castro, why didn't you tell me she was going to be here?”

  “I tried calling you, but you didn't answer your phone,” Castro said. “You never pick up.”

  “Yeah, well, I would have answered if I'd known you were telling me that Katie was going to be here,” he said. “Shit, this makes my day.”

  The entire time Paolo spoke, he never took his eyes off of me. I could see the desire in his face. It was hidden behind his beard stubble and a few scars on his cheeks, but it was definitely there. He wanted me. I could feel it. The tension between us was so thick that it was palpable.

  “So, what have you been up to?” I asked. My words came out so awkward, though. I felt like I was trying to impress him and was having a hard time doing so.

  “This and that,” he said. “Nothing to write home about.”

  “Oh really?” I replied. “That's a pretty vague answer. It's been six years since I've seen you, you know?”

  “Let's just say I'm not a goddamn doctor like my perfect little brother over here,” he said. “Not all of us could handle medical school, isn't that right, Bro?”

  Castro shook his head. “Don't start this, Paolo. You know that we both had the same opportunities.”

  “Whatever,” Paolo said. “I don't really care anyway. You know why? Because despite all of your success, I'm still free in all of the ways that you are not.”

  Castro sighed. It seemed like he wanted to say something in response, but he didn't. I think he was just too much of a nice guy to get into an argument.

  “Let's not argue,” I interjected. “Come on, you guys. This is supposed to be fun.”

  “Yes, exactly,” Castro said. “It's a birthday party. Let's try to enjoy it.”

  I still couldn't believe that the biker standing before me was Paolo. Whatever he had gone through in life had certainly changed him, for better or for worse. I couldn't really be sure which. He had obviously been through some things, things that had left a few scars on his cheek and tiredness in his eyes. Still, for whatever reason, I felt equally drawn to him as I did to his brother. The interesting thing, though, is that it was for completely opposite reasons.

  Castro seemed to be sweet, kind and a total gentleman. Paolo was apparently flippant and aggressive, uncaring about what people thought of him or how he treated them in response. Oddly enough, I liked the traits of both of them. Part of me wanted them both, though I knew that if I was wise, I would have ignored my feelings.

  However, I was just twenty-four, far too young to start thinking I was wise.

  If this night goes how I hope it will, then I'm planning on getting a taste of them both, I thought. Some thirsts are hard to quench, but that doesn't mean I can't try.

  Chapter 6

  The three of us walked around the party. I had Paolo on one side and Castro on the other. It felt like I was stuck somewhere in the middle between Ying and Yang. Castro held my hand and everything he said to me was sweet. Paolo walked a few feet away, occasionally pinching my ass and commenting on how good my tits looked.

  It sort of felt like I was having my cake and eating it, too. The best of both worlds. Why these guys wanted to spend their time with me, I didn't know, but I was also wasn't complaining. There were plenty of other girls at their party, but it was like they only wanted to give me the attention.

  “Why don't we get the fuck out of here and get a drink somewhere?” Paolo asked.

  “There are drinks here,” Castro replied.

  The two of them spoke to each other, talking directly over my head as though I wasn't there.

  “Yeah, there are drinks here,” Paolo said. “But I can't fucking stand the way half these people are staring at me. You'd think I came from Mars or something by the looks I'm getting. Plus, most of these guys are your doctor friends, Castro. I don't know anybody here except you, mom and dad. And I guess Katie, too.”

  “Look, it's our birthday party, and we're staying,” Castro said.

  Despite technically being a few minutes younger than his brother, Castro was definitely the more relaxed and mature of the two. Paolo seemed restless and impulsive, the kind of guy who never let the sand settle between his toes.

  “How about this?” Paolo said. “You stay. Katie and I will go hang out by the creek like old times. What do you say, Katie?”

  I looked over to Paolo and then back to Castro. Going to spend some time by the old creek sounded like a lot of fun. It was where the three of us had spent most of our youth together and the thought of being there again with the same company sounded nice.

  By the look on Castro's face, though, it was clear that he wasn't too interested in taking Paolo up on the offer.

  “You want me to leave her with you?” Castro said. “No offense, but I think it would be better if we all just stayed here and mingled.”

  “Suit yourself,” Paolo said, walking away from us. “You guys can stay here all you want. It's been months since I've been home, though, and I want to see the creek. You two have fun.”

  Castro and I stood there, watching as Paolo casually walked away. He stepped all the way across the yard and through the back gate. Within a few moments, he had disappeared down the hill that led to the creek. I felt a pull to chase after him. Suddenly, staying there at the party did seem very boring. I didn't know any of these people, and the only real reason I was there was for the twins. Now, though, only half of the brothers were with me. It didn't feel right.

  “We should follow him,” I said, squeezing Castro's hand.

  “Are you serious?” he replied.

  “Yeah, why not?” I asked. “It might be fun to see if the old tire swing is still there.”

  “Sweetie, I don't know,” he said. “Paolo is a loose cannon. I know he's my brother, but I'm not so sure I'd want you hanging out there with him.”

  “That's why I want you to come with me,” I said. “Don't let me go down there by myself.”

  I pouted out my lower lip, attempting the best puppy dog face that I could muster. Surprisingly, it worked.

  Castro sighed, then a relaxed smile crossed his face. “Okay, let's go. Only because you're beautiful, though.”

  Every single time he called me beautiful, a tingle filled me. I squeezed his hand, and the two o
f us made our way toward the back gate. Nobody stopped us, though a few people did turn to look. Luckily, there were enough party goers and entertainment there so that it seemed our presence wasn't needed.

  “Why didn't you tell me about Paolo?” I asked, as Castro and I walked down the rocky trail that led toward the creek in the valley.

  “I did,” he said. “I told you he'd gone down a different path.”

  “Yeah, but you didn't tell me he had spent time in jail,” I said.

  “It's just a detail,” Castro said, with a playful smirk. “Besides, would you have really wanted to see him again if you knew he'd been in prison?”

  Um, yes, of course, I thought. The fact that he's a total bad boy gets me wetter than the Niagara Falls.

  “I don't think that would have swayed me,” I said. “Can I ask what he did time for?”

  We'd made it all the way down the hill and had stepped into the wooded area. The sound of running water now filled the air, and I knew that we were close to the creek. Castro was about to respond to my question but was cut short when Paolo stepped out from behind a tree.

  “I stole a fucking a motorcycle,” Paolo said casually. “If you want to know about me, you should ask me, not my brother. He doesn't know where I've been or what I've been up to.”

  “You stole a motorcycle?” I asked, eyes widening.

  The sweet little kid I knew when I was young has turned out to be a motorcycle thief? I thought, shaking my head in disbelief. The fact that these two came from the same egg is becoming more and more surprising by the second.

  “Yeah, I stole one,” Paolo said. “I had been drinking and saw a bike I liked. I didn't need it, I just wanted it. So I hopped on, hot wired it and then took off. Turns out, though, that no matter how fast a bike is, you still can't outrun a cop's radio.”

  The way he told the story was the way I would have explained to my mom how stressful my day was at work. He was so casual and matter-of-fact about it, as though stealing a motorcycle was a normal thing to do. But maybe it was normal, at least in his mind and his perception of the world. Regardless, it didn't matter. It did nothing to sway my attraction for him. In fact, it only made it worse. The more I found out about him, the more that his bad boy side was revealed and the more I wanted to fuck him.

  Yet, by my side, was Castro. He felt safe. He felt secure. It was almost as though I was getting pulled in two different directions by two different parts of my mind.

  “Come on,” Castro said. “Let's keep walking. The tire swing should be around here somewhere.”

  Castro led the way, and the three of us walked down the path toward the creek. The area looked mostly the same. It was lush and green. The smell of the river entered my nose as we got near.

  “I think it's down here,” Paolo said, turning upriver.

  We walked a little further, until the river bend. Right there, was the tire swing. It was spinning slowly from the breeze as we approached.

  “I'll race you guys to it,” I said, digging my feet into the ground.

  With that, I began to run. The three of us took off into a full sprint toward the swing, just like the old days. The boys were crazy fast, though, and despite my best efforts, they beat me there.

  “Who won?” Castro said.

  “I did,” Paolo replied.

  “Yeah, right.” Castro playfully pushing his brother on the shoulder and Paolo pushed back.

  “I saw the whole thing,” I said, finally approaching the finish line. “It was a tie. A perfect tie.”

  “Looks like we're still the same in some ways, huh?” Castro said.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Paolo leaned against a nearby tree and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one of them up.

  “You want to swing?” Castro asked, bringing his attention toward me.

  “Will you swing with me?” I replied.

  “Yes, of course. Come on.” He then took my hand and led me toward the tire swing. I looked up to the branch that held the rope, making sure it was still sturdy after all of these years.

  “Is it safe?” I asked.

  Castro took a seat on the tire, dropping his weight down on it to test the strength. “Seems good to me.”

  When I crawled up next to him on the swing, he put his arm around my waist and held me close.

  “I don't want you to fall,” he said, squeezing me tight.

  I pressed my body into him, leaning my head against his shoulder.

  “Thanks, Castro,” I said. “You're too sweet.”

  “Seriously,” Paolo interjected. “Way too sweet.”

  Castro laughed. “Yeah, well. It's just who I am.”

  “So am I the only one who thinks it's crazy that all three of us are here right now?” I asked. “Never in a million years could I have guessed this would happen again.”

  “It is kind of strange, isn't it?” Castro agreed.

  Paolo shrugged and took a long drag from his cigarette. He pulled his sunglasses off of the top of his head, positioning them back in front of his eyes. "I think what's more strange is how much has changed in just a few years. Back when we were kids, there was something all three of us shared. We don't have it anymore, though."

  I raised my eyebrows. “What was that?”

  “We were all innocent,” he said. “All kids are.”

  “Innocent until proven guilty?” Castro asked, with a playful smirk.

  Even Paolo laughed at the comment. “Yeah, something like that. You know what I'm saying, though. When we were young, we all had the same dreams. We all had the same ideas about what life was going to be like. Then we got older and found out, it was all total bullshit. The only thing you can do is roll with the punches.”

  As brash as his idea was, it was also deeply philosophical. I could relate to it, too. It resonated with the way that I felt about life. Pretty much everything I had dreamed of as a kid had turned out to be untrue. I didn't get married to an amazing man and have babies after high school. I didn't even have the good job I wanted. Just about everything I had envisioned for my life had fallen short, despite my best intentions.

  “That's only one way of looking at it, bro,” Castro said. “I agree, that maybe our childhood dreams didn't add up to what they thought they'd be. But how could they? We didn't know anything about the world when we were dreaming those dreams. That's like telling a newborn baby to read a book and give us a report on it. The words on the paper would mean nothing to him because they're completely foreign.”

  Paolo just shrugged. “Whatever, man. It is what it is. At the end of the day, we just live our lives.”

  “I suppose I can agree on that,” Castro said.

  The boys seemed to be getting along a little better now that we were away from the party. It might have been because the pressure was off of them. They didn't have to try to impress anyone or suck up to relatives or friends. When they were alone with me, it felt as though they were able to relax a bit and just be themselves. It was nice, because, in some tiny way, it reminded me of when we were young.

  “Do you remember when we were kids and we'd jump off of this swing into the river?” I asked.

  “Of course I remember that,” Castro said. “We'd take turns, swinging as high as possible in order to get enough height to make it past the river bank. It doesn't seem as far as it did back then, though. And the water doesn't look quite as deep.”

  He was right. The creek looked smaller than my memory of it. Still, the area where the water pooled next to the swing was obviously a few feet deep at least. It was definitely deep enough to make a safe landed if one of us were to try to test it.

  “Who's going first?” Paolo asked.

  My eyes widened. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, I'm serious,” he said. “Which one of us is going to jump in first? Do you want to draw straws or something.”

  “Paolo, I can't do that,” I said. “I'm in a dress. I'd get soaked. How would I go back to the party if I was soaking wet?”
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br />   He finished his cigarette and flicked it to the side. Then he walked toward the swing, reaching into his back pocket as he moved. He pulled out a silver flask and brought it to his lips, tipping his head back and taking a few big swigs from it.

  “Gross,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as his face cringed. “This whiskey is not the best, but it'll help you out.”

  Paolo handed me the flask, and I hesitantly took it from him. The whiskey smell caused a shiver to crawl up my spine.

  “How will this help me?” I asked.

  “There's a reason they call it liquid courage,” he said, with a smile.

  I looked over to Castro, who was sitting there laughing at me.

  “I'm not drinking that,” he said.

  Paolo looked toward his brother. “Nobody offered it to you, Castro. I offered it to the lady. Despite what you may think about me, I'm a total gentleman.”

  He flashed a sarcastic wink and then began laughing.

  “Yeah, a total gentleman,” Castro said. “You define the term perfectly.”

  Fuck it, I thought. I'll drink a little whiskey and have some fun. We'll all for a quick swim and take a walk in the sun. We'll be dry in no time. Then we can head back to the party.

  I wasn't sure exactly why I wanted to launch myself into the river. I supposed it was just me trying to reclaim my youth. Or maybe it simply sounded fun and carefree, all things that I had been dying to experience since I'd become a full-fledged adult.

  “Cheers,” I said, holding the flask up. Then I brought it to my lips and tilted it back, letting the liquid slide across my tongue and to the back of my throat. It tingled and burned, but I swallowed it down anyway. I took as much as I could, then immediately handed the flask back to Paolo.

  I turned my head to the side, cringing as the fire made its way down to my stomach. In a moment, though, the burning sensation was gone. Thankfully.

  “Thanks for the drink,” I said. “It was awful.”

  Paolo leaned his head back and laughed. His dark hair fell off of his shoulders, swaying with his movement. He took another huge sip from the flask and then pushed it into his back pocket.