by Kelli Walker
But, above all, I think he meant to bust out of my shell. To break this cage I’d thrown up for so long and to finally-- for the first time in my life-- to not be afraid of the person my mind was wanting to turn me into.
Maybe he would’ve said “don’t be like your mother” had she not been standing right there.
I chuckled lightly at the thought into Kevin’s chest, and he craned his head down before he lifted my chin up to catch his gaze.
“Feeling better?” he grinned.
“A bit,” I admitted.
“You wanna try for some more rest now that Spencer’s done making us all feel like we need a shower?”
“I heard that!” Spencer called out from down the hallway.
“You’re nasty!” I called back at him.
“Morning to you, too!”
“You gotta have a night in order to have a morning,” Brady murmured on the couch.
“Put your dick away, that’s gross,” Spencer quipped.
“Really? And what you did wasn’t just as equally gross?” I asked.
“At least I did it in my room. Brady over there was all too happy to let Brit blow him on the couch!” Spencer exclaimed.
“What’s for breakfast?” Brady asked.
“You gotta have dinner to have breakfast,” Spencer mocked back at him.
“You guys didn’t eat dinner last night?” I asked.
“And by the looks of the kitchen when we came in, you two didn’t eat dinner either,” Spencer smirked.
“He’s talking about the mess we left in the kitchen,” Kevin murmured to me.
“Yeah. And that wet spot my girl found on the floor with her foot.”
“Oh, shit,” I groaned.
“Nasty. I want this entire kitchen disinfected,” Spencer teased.
“I hate you all,” I groaned.
“You love us all, and you know it,” Spencer winked at me.
“Why don’t we get some rest and go into town today so the three of these nasty hoes can recuperate?” Kevin suggested.
“Let me get a long ass shower without wine in my system and I think I could get behind that plan,” I smirked.
“Don’t stay out too late,” Brady murmured.
“Put your dick away!” Spencer yelled at him.
Chapter 11
Kevin
Two hours later the two of us were headed down to the dock to meet up with the boat. Our captain’s three favorite weeks a year were when we all came into town because we’d essentially buy him for the week. He’d bring us over, he’d hang out in the little lower room area he’d outfitted for himself and his lifestyle, and then he’d only have to boat whenever we needed to get back to the mainland. Tina had bought this little-known island off the coast of Italy, but the boat ride back to the mainland was about 45 minutes long. So, we hunkered down onto the boat and watched the sea pass us by while the engine cranked up and we sailed away.
“You think any of them will be sober when we get back?” I asked.
“Not a chance in hell. Especially since that girl can’t get back to the mainland,” Tina smirked.
“Oh, god. I didn’t think of that. We’ve trapped them there with daddy dearest and his little daughter.”
The two of us giggled at the idea of Spencer passing his time by plowing into this woman he’d brought home and how much that would grate on Brit and Brady. Spencer was all work and no play whenever he got home, but on the island he was like a kid in a candy store whenever he came across a woman with thunder thighs and big tits. That was just his thing, and no one faulted him for that, but dear jesus it was an image to behold when you thought about some twig slamming himself into bowl full of jello.
“Okay okay okay, we gotta stop. That’s not nice,” Tina breathed.
“If you say so,” I smiled down at her.
She leaned her head on my shoulder and she fell asleep to the rocking of the waves. It’s probably for the better, seeing as she’s one to get motion sickness, and all I did was hold her close. From the top of the mansion on the island we could see the coast of Italy, and it was always astounding to me how far away the coastline really was. Honestly, it looked like we could swim out to it, but every time we seemed to approach it, it didn’t seem to get any bigger until we got about halfway through the boating trip.
Tina nestled into my body and part of me was disappointed when I had to wake her up. I shook her lightly and she shot her head off my shoulder, but when she saw we were docking on the coast of Italy, only one word tumbled from her lips.
“Coffee.”
I took her hand in mine and helped her off the boat, and then we went in search of coffee. I told the captain I wasn’t sure when we’d be back, but that it probably wouldn’t be until tonight. Then, we set off. We took a cab into the heart of the little town we had docked in, and the first coffee shop we saw Tina slapped the driver on his shoulder to get him to stop.
“Sorry,” I murmured. I tipped the man well and sent him on his way, and by the time I turned around Tina had dashed into the place and already started ordering us coffee.
“One black coffee with sugar and creamer and one double-full fat caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream, please.”
I handed the cashier my card over her shoulder and before we knew it our coffee was being brought to us at a table. We sat there and watched people pass us by out the window, and I could tell something was on her mind. I watched thoughts fly behind her beautiful brown eyes, and as she mindlessly sipped her coffee I thought of all the things we could do in the city today: we could take in a theater production or go tour a vineyard. We could just walk around the city or we could shop until she’s ready to pass out. We could stuff ourselves full of food and get a hotel just so we can pass out in a bed, or we could even travel a little ways out of town and go take in the symphony two towns over.
But when her stomach let out a rumbling growl, I knew exactly where we were headed next.
For lunch, we found ourselves in this little joint that specialized in simply appetizers. Most restaurants in this area are known for their bombastic and oversized portions of food, but this place let you get a little of everything for four bucks a pop. She loved it because she’d order half the menu to try, and the two of us would be stuffed and still leave with a bill under $100.
For the both of us.
In our worlds, that just didn’t happen. By the time you ate, drank, and tipped, two people couldn’t be able to get out of anywhere for under $200.
She loved this place, and I loved to watch her face light up when she tried bites of all the things they brought out for our table.
After dinner we decided to walk our food down, so we window shopped around at some of the boutiques. The first time we ever came to the island after the mansion was done being built, the first thing Tina wanted to do was come into town. None of us understood why she would want to leave this beautiful vacation home we’d just made, but when I ventured back with her the next day I understood why: even though Tina was raised just outside a bustling city and had made her career in one of the busiest cities in the country, there was always a part of her that adored the smaller towns. The first trip we ever took as a couple back in college was to a small town in the middle of Illinois. We’d just gotten into my car and drove, and when we hit the windmills of the state we pulled off an exit and got a random hotel in the middle of nowhere. We went to all the pottery and boutique shops and talked with all the locals over massive plates of barbecue, and I’d never seen her happier or more comfortable in that type of surrounding.
I have no idea where she got that from, but when I ventured onto the coast with her for the first time, I knew exactly why she’d wanted to come to the mainland.
And part of me knew that these small little towns were exactly why she bought the island she did.
We walked in and out of the small shops and I tried to convince her to let me get her something. She kept shaking her head and shrugging me off, but I slippe
d into one of the stores and got her a trinket she had been smoothing her fingertips over anyway. It was a blown glass Christmas ornament that had some beautiful swirling colors in it, and I could tell by the way Tina’s eyes lingered on it a bit too long that she really did want it.
Why she didn’t just buy it was beyond me, but when she walked out of the shop to go listen to a street performer, I snatched it up and paid the woman well for it.
I handed the little bag to her when I walked up beside her, and her fingers curled around it mindlessly while she listened to the street band play a song. Some older couples were dancing with their arms wrapped around one another, and the smile that brightened Tina’s face was one I committed to memory. Her eyes sparkled with the music and her foot was tapping to the beat, but when she looked down at her hand she was ripped from her trance.
“Really, Kevin?” she murmured.
“Merry Christmas,” I smirked.
“It’s June,” she deadpanned.
“Then good thing it hasn’t passed us by yet.”
She shook her head, but I could tell she was trying to bury her smile. I slipped my arm around her waist and she leaned into my body, and we stood there for a little while longer before she took out some money and threw it into the hat they were collecting change in.
We stayed that close while we walked the entity of the small town that day. My hand was in hers and her body was nestled closely against mine, and I could remember telling myself that I didn’t want to go home. We only had two more nights on the island before we were all due back in our offices, and a part of me wished we had just a little more time. I knew Tina wouldn’t carry something like this back with her. I mean, we were heartbroken college sweethearts floundering during a rough time. I’d never mention it to her, but my business had hit a rough patch before I’d left for this vacation, and I was using this time to right my head before walking back into the dumpster fire that was my legacy currently. Tina was in the middle of losing her own father, and I knew any day I’d probably get a phone call from someone that wasn’t her telling me that Tina’s father had died in his sleep or something.
The point was, it wouldn’t come from her because this wasn’t reality. This was how we chose to escape our realities, not how we actually lived our lives.
“Ouch. Kevin, your hand’s really tight.”
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“You alright?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah. Just a bit tired in my legs.”
“Well, there was a park that we passed a half a block back. Wanna go sit for a while?” Tina asked.
“That actually sounds nice.”
I slipped my hand around her waist and we made our way back to the park. It wasn’t actually a park more than it was an outside amphitheater, and whatever was going on it was drawing a crowd. As we got closer there was more music that descended onto our ears, and all of a sudden people were gathering in droves to dance around in the grass.
Tina and I took a seat on a bench that lined the park and we simply watched. That’s what I enjoyed doing on my time off: people watching. I’m not good at determining people’s states of mind like Brady is, but I’m really good with reading body language to figure out if someone is distressed, happy, or pulling at my strings. I pulled Tina close to me and she caved without a fight, and I felt her press a light kiss into the crook of my neck while we watched everyone dance. It really was a sight, seeing all these people so content and happy, and I couldn’t help but allow my eyes to be drawn to the sheer amount of elderly couples who were holding their loved ones close and swaying to the beat.
A part of me always wondered if I would ever have something like that, but when I looked down at the woman curling her body into mine, I realized that I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t ever have someone I grew old with or children that would come home for the holidays. I’d never experience those 2 AM feeding sessions or knock-down-drag-out fights where we took no mercy towards one another. I’d never experience the passionate love making that happened between couples after those fights or watch my children grow up or get my beloved tampons and chocolate ice cream when her periods were too much for her to handle.
I’d never have any of these things because the woman I wanted them with was only daydreaming for the week. I wanted a future, and she simply wanted a distraction.
A distraction from her dying father.
And the thing was… I couldn’t fault her for that.
Not with the type of mother that raised her.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about, Kev?” Tina asked lightly. I bent my lips down and pressed them against her forehead, and I committed the contented sigh that flew from her lips to memory.
“Nothing, beautiful,” I murmured into her skin, “just enjoying the music.
And it was frightening how easily that lie slipped from between my lips.
Chapter 12
Tina
I knew something was on Kevin’s mind while we were in town, but I didn’t wanna press it. The day had been so perfect and the food had been so good and the town had been so welcoming, and the last thing I wanted to do was raise concerns and ask questions and get into yet another fight over some stupid bullshit like ‘where do we go from here?’. We finished up our day and got some food to take back with us, and we both sat in relative silence while we raced back across the ocean to the island. Kevin’s eyes seemed distant even though his body was sitting close to mine, and I knew that I’d end up opening my big ass mouth at some point in time and shoving my foot into it.
We finished our food and threw it in the trash can the man kept on his boat, and then we settled our eyes on the island in front of us and slowly rolled in. Kevin’s arms were tight around my body and his lips kept peppering the top of my head with kisses, but as we approached the dock we saw someone standing there waiting.
And it was the girl with the thick thighs and big tits.
She was sobbing into her hands when we pulled up, and I jumped off the boat and raced to her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close, knowing that Spencer had done something idiotic, and Kevin started for the house with anger in his eyes while I ushered her onto the dock.
“What happened, sweetheart?” I cooed. “Are you alright?”
“He… he kicked me out,” she blubbered.
“What happened?” I asked lowly.
“I just wanted to know if-... if we were gonna spend the day together or something. I figured when you guys got back we could go see a play or something. He got mad, and he threw me out of the house!”
She sobbed desperately into my shoulder and while it didn’t sound like Spencer, I saw Kevin running up towards the house. I helped the girl onto the boat and then realized she wasn’t wearing any shoes, so I told her and the captain to stay put while I went in search of them. I walked back up to the house with anger coursing through my veins, but as I got closer I heard Kevin and Spencer yelling at one another.
“The fuck did you kick that woman out for?! How long has she been standin’ out there!?” Kevin roared.
“I don’t fucking know! Not my fault she just wanted my money!” Spencer shrieked.
“Spencer, what the hell happened? I’ve never seen you act this way before.
“I showed her a hell of a time. I bought her shit and brought her back for a wonderful day of sex and food, and then she’s all ready to back to the mainland and spend more of my money!”
“That’s what happens when you dick a woman good, Spencer! They want more! The fuck did she ask for!?”
“She wanted to go see some expensive fucking play in the middle of town!” Spencer yelled.
“You mean to tell me you kicked that woman outta this house because she wanted to go see a play?”
“You’re the last one to judge, Kev. We all know you’re screwin’ around with Tina while we all fucking know she ain’t gonna want anything to do with you when we leave. Brady’ll be taking your fucking pathetic phone calls for weeks after this trip.”
>
I felt tears crest my eyes. Week? Was he serious? Had this happened before? Kevin and I hadn’t hooked up since college! Spencer couldn’t actually be throwing an instance that happened over a decade ago in his face. Could he?!
“You don’t treat women like that. Period,” Kevn glowered.
“Well not all of us are here to woo the woman of our dreams, Kev,” Spencer spat.
“I’ll have you know that Tina is one of the most powerful individuals in this entire house. On a daily basis, she rubs shoulders with the people that pass regulations that make our wealth possible. At any given moment, if she’s pissed or feeling moody, she could take down our entire lives with just a single comment she tells one of them to say on national television to fix their image. I’d think twice before spouting off about her anymore.”
“We all know you practically follow her around like a damn puppy dog. It’s pathetic, really. You’ve fucking told us for years the reason you pulled away from her is because she was always fucking drunk as hell, and then she dumped you when she felt lonely!”
“You shut your fat mouth, Spencer,” Kevin growled.
I felt my chest heaving with silent sobs as the truth finally revealed itself. I wasn’t drunk all the time, was I? I mean, yeah Brit and I had some drinks on the weekends and sometimes after we did our homework and shit, but I never once dropped out of my classes or missed them because I was hungover or some shit! I just put on some sunglasses, downed some water, grabbed some butter bread, and I was good to go!
“Alright, you two. Spencer. You fucking kicked a woman out because she asked you out on a date. I call bullshit on how you’re feeling. I think you caught feels for Miss TitsALot and now you’re pissed because you’ll never see her again. Tough shit. Get over it,” Brady said.