“Well all things considered,” Cara gasped out, soon resting easy in her lover’s embrace, “You have learned your lessons very well—so well, in fact, that your tutor is now pulling double duty as your girlfriend.”
Ian’s smile touched her heart as his hands continued to love her body.
“Rock’n’roll!” he exclaimed, adding as he pulled her so close he was liable never to let her go, “I have to say it, Teach. You rock my world.”
Keeping it a Secret
Elaine poured some cereal into her bright blue ceramic bowl and scooped a spoonful of it into her mouth. It was already eleven in the morning and she knew she was going to be late, she wasn’t very concerned. The last thing she wanted to do was turn up early for the brunch and have an actual conversation with the “happy couple”.
Her mother, Laura, and Andrew Bennett had been married for a year now and had just returned from their nine month luxury cruise around the world. They had invited her for a “family” Sunday brunch and Elaine had to grudgingly accept after canceling three other dinner and coffee invitations over the past week.
Elaine chewed the cereal lazily and then stood up in the middle of gulping it down when she realized that she shouldn’t have eaten breakfast at home. If there is one thing she knew her mother hated, it was nibbling at her food and refusing second helpings. She walked over to her bedroom and threw open the doors of her wardrobe. It would be a tricky task, picking the most appropriate ensemble for the occasion.
She decided to keep it simple and dragged out a recently laundered yellow chiffon summer dress. Elaine held it against her body to get a picture of what she would look like in it. The color of the dress made the peach-ish hue of her skin pop and she knew the band at the waist would tighten the slight paunch she had developed over the lazy winter. Elaine sighed when she realized that her mother would comment on her recent weight gain, she was bound to. Not that Elaine could help it. Working a twelve hour job with very few weekends off and being stuck at a desk all day, trying to make cold calls to potential clients is not exactly an active lifestyle.
Elaine stepped into the shower and was eventually ready in record time. Within thirty minutes she had put on her dress, stepped into her brown leather sandals, brushed her brunette poker straight hair to a neat angle and put on a light coral lipstick. When she looked at herself in the mirror, checking to make sure that she looked as neat and well put-together as her mother would want her to be, the image of Don Bennett unexpectedly floated up in her mind.
Her heart began to race as she pictured his naked torso hovering over her, the way his big hands had traveled up her neck to clutch her chin so he could kiss her. She shook her head wildly, to get the image out of her mind. Don was her step brother now, she reminded herself of that. He was Andrew’s only son and now her mother’s step son. She knew she had to forget about the one drunken night they had spent in bed together, a few days before her mother and Andrew announced their engagement. It was over. Never again. Not that Elaine wanted it to happen again either. Don Bennet was not the kind of man she would allow herself to break her heart over. He was arrogant, rude and had more girls leaving dirty messages to him on the phone than she ever had boyfriends.
Elaine snorted and rolled her eyes, as she tucked a stray dark hair behind her ear. At least she could rely on him not showing up for the brunch. If nothing else, Don Bennet had too active of a social life to bother with family events, especially ones that involved his new stepmother and a girl who he once slept with and never called back.
She looked at her watch again, it was nearly twelve and past the time that she was supposed to show up at her mother’s new house. She quickly sprayed her favorite perfume on her neck and on the back of her wrists before running out of her apartment, barely remembering to lock the door behind her. She found her bike locked to the stand and fumbled in her small leather sling bag for the key. Once she found it, Elaine wasted no time in hurriedly cycling her way to the most wealthy part of town, where Andrew had bought their new house.
Outside the house, which she had only visited once, the day after the wedding, she found three shiny brand new cars parked. The Jaguar she knew was Andrew’s, the white Porsche was the one he had gifted to her mother before they left for their honeymoon. The third, red Vauxhall looked out of place. She was certain it was not the kind of car either her mother or Andrew would ever drive. Moreover, it was half driven over the curb and half of it’s body was tilted and on the gravel driveway leading up to the main door of the house. Elaine could be certain that neither Andrew nor his chauffeurs would ever park any of his prized possessions in that fashion.
She stood staring at the car for a few moments longer after she had parked her bike to the side, locking it with its chain around the trunk of a budding cherry tree her mother’s gardener had planted recently. She didn’t want to accept the sneaking suspicion she had as she stood nearly mesmerized by the car in front of her.
“You’re late dear sister” she heard his voice and whipped around to find Don Bennet standing on the porch, a glass of whiskey in his hands and a wide grin on his face. Elaine couldn’t help but gulp as her face dropped and her heart started beating out of her chest.
“Father and our darling mother have been waiting for you” he said and took a sip of his drink. She could see that he was enjoying himself as he mocked her. For one thing, Elaine couldn’t deny, try as she might, that Don Bennet sure looked more delicious than he had ever looked before.
******
Rich golden curls fell over his forehead, adding a mischievous yet angelic look to his face. Despite the fact that Don was her own age, at least twenty-six, he looked ageless, like he was still in his early twenties. Bright blue eyes sparkled as he grinned at her, staring at her and mocking her misery in silence. He wore a light green Polo Shirt and she could see tan tailored pants peeping out through the railings of the porch.
“Come on in” he said finally and Elaine climbed the few wooden steps to the porch in silence.
“Won’t you give your brother a hug?” he said and threw his arms open towards her. She rolled her eyes and squeezed past him through the open front door of the house. As she entered she heard her mother’s voice, directing the cook in the kitchen about what dressings to add to the salad.
“You’re here!” Andrew said, standing up from an armchair in the newly decorated living room. Elaine forced herself to smile, acutely aware that Don was standing behind her, judging her every move.
“Darling! Elaine is here” Andrew said loudly to her mother and at the same time, walking over to Elaine to give her a tight hug.
“Elaine!” she heard her mother’s voice behind her. “You’re late” she added as she reached out for her daughter’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Her mother was never a fan of big affectionate gestures. Elaine forced a smile again.
“Have a seat dear. John will be serving Mimosas in a minute” Laura said, in her usual calm and collected voice. Elaine noticed how her mother’s gaze flitted, to take in the sight of Don drinking whiskey.
“You’ve been mighty busy” Andrew said as Elaine sat down on the pristine white sofa. She nodded and smiled again, apologetically.
“I barely have any weekends off. Our sales targets are impossible to meet” she said and watched in distress as Don took a seat next to her, despite there being plenty of empty seats available in the room.
“How was the trip? Hope you took lots of pictures” Elaine said, crossing her legs. Her mother clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Yes we have. We have an entire album full of them. I’ll show them to you over brunch” she said and Elaine nodded.
“Who makes albums anymore? Didn’t you take the photos on a digital camera or your phone?” Don asked lazily, sipping from his glass. Elaine didn’t turn to look at him, but instead focused on her mother’s drooping smile.
“We wanted palpable photographs and memories son. Digital photos are too impersonal” Andrew said curt
ly and Elaine tried to suppress a smile. She was glad for some reason to see that the relationship between Don and his father had still not mended. She wondered why they had even invited him for brunch.
“Anyway. I can’t wait to tell you all about it” Laura took a seat close to Andrew, reaching for his hand.
“Can’t wait to hear it” Elaine said just as their housekeeper, John, entered with a tray of Mimosas.
“None for me thank you” she heard Don say beside her as she smiled at John and picked up a glass from the tray.
“Why are you drinking Whiskey now anyway Don? It’s midday for cryin’ out loud” Andrew sounded irritated with his son, while Don laughed it off.
“It’s also Sunday” he said and raised his glass towards his father, which Andrew ignored.
“Something tells me that this is a daily routine, instead of it being only on the weekends” Andrew muttered, but he said it loud enough for them all to hear.
“Just like your golf” Don snapped. Elaine noticed how her mother shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Andrew’s voice was raised now as he looked at his son with eyes blazing.
“You know what I mean. I don’t remember you spending a single evening without playing golf and staying away from the house, my entire childhood” Don took a huge gulp of his drink and emptied the glass into his mouth.
“That has nothing to do with your drinking habits” Andrew snapped again and Elaine locked eyes with her mother. Laura looked like she was about to burst into tears.
“If you’re going to judge my lifestyle, I’ll be commenting on yours” Don stood up angrily and a soft moan escaped Laura’s lips.
“Hey mom, why don’t you go bring the photo album? Now is a good time as any” Elaine said, cutting through the thick air of rage between father and son. Laura stood up immediately and walked briskly towards the hallway that led up to their bedroom. Andrew and Don continued to glare at each other.
“It’s alright Elaine, you don’t need to save the moment from me. It was a mistake for me to come” Don banged the empty glass on the coffee table and started walking towards the door.
“It’s typical of you. To find an excuse to leave. You’re right, you shouldn’t even have bothered to come” Andrew looked away from his son and stared out of the open window. Elaine could see Don’s eyes blazing, his cheeks had grown red and she noticed how his hands shook slightly as he turned to look at his father.
Just as he opened the front door, Elaine stood up from her seat and followed him.
“Don, wait” she said to him as she followed him outside. He was hurrying down the porch steps and towards his car, but Elaine had quickened her pace.
“Don. Hear me out!” she raised her voice and he finally stopped in his tracks to turn to look at her.
“What do you want Elaine?” he growled at her. When he faced her, and his blue eyes bore into her face, she wasn’t quite sure of what she had planned to say. She simply stood there, allowing his eyes to travel over her face as she focused on his reddish lips and how gorgeous they looked, moistened by the drink he had just finished.
******
“What is it Elaine?” he asked again and snapped her out of her thoughts.
“I just…I think you should stay” she muttered and dropped her gaze from him. She couldn’t remember what she was thinking when she chased after him.
“Why? You can see for yourself what my dad thinks of me. I don’t want to ruin your happy cozy time together” he was rummaging in the pocket of his pants for the key to his car.
“It was one small argument. All kids have that with their parents. It’s not unusual” she said, trying to get his attention again.
“What do you care anyway? I thought you despised me”, Elaine was surprised by the sudden mocking grin on his face.
“What I feel about you is out of the question here, Don. I don’t want today to be a failure, for my mom’s sake” Elaine crossed her arms in front of her.
“What you feel about me…?” he was mocking her again.
“Is hatred and rage. If it was up to me, I’d be the one making a disappearance. But just stick around for the brunch will you? It’ll make them happy” she snapped at him and at the same time tried to persuade him to the best of her ability.
“Since when do you care what they think of us?” he had stopped rummaging for the keys and instead let his hands rest inside his pockets.
“Well, we haven’t seen them in nearly a year. I can handle having brunch with them once a year you know” she turned around to walk away from him. She decided that this was the maximum amount of convincing she was going to try with him.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll stay” she heard him say and when she turned to look at him, he was grinning at her. He walked towards her, as she stood waiting for him to follow.
“But only because you begged so sweetly” he said and gave her butt a light slap as he past her.
“I didn’t beg you!” she squealed after him, but he was already climbing the steps to the porch and her mother had come outside to see what was happening.
“Come inside both of you” she said and Elaine followed Don in.
“Can we please stop fighting and just enjoy a good meal?” she asked both of them as they walked into the living room. Andrew still refused to look at his son and stared at the carpet instead.
“Whatever you say Laura” Don smiled at Elaine’s mother widely, something in his smile told her that he wasn’t smiling out of the kindness of his heart.
“Let’s just go to he dining room and sit down for brunch?” Laura asked and the three of them followed her into the dining room where a beautiful table was already laid out.
“So are you working towards a promotion?” Andrew asked Elaine as she pierced an olive with her fork. Don was sitting next to her and thankfully wasn’t cradling another whiskey in his hands.
“Not exactly. Just monthly sales targets for now” she replied and exchanged looks with her mother.
“Don here has been promoted to Regional Manager recently” Andrew said, barely looking at his son, but she could detect a hint of pride in his voice.
“Congratulations Don” Elaine said, without turning to him. She knew how good he was at his job. He was one of the most successful Wealth Managers in the city, that is how she had been introduced to him in the first place. There was no denying it, as much as she hated his lifestyle, that he deserved all the success he had.
“Are you trying to entice some sort of sibling rivalry between us?” Don asked with a laugh and Elaine joined in, laughing awkwardly.
“You’re hardly siblings” Laura interrupted their laughter. Elaine’s back stiffened. She knew what her mother was hinting at. Laura had always believed that Don and Elaine would make the perfect couple, that was before she met Don’s father, Andrew at a local fundraiser and fell in love with him.
“You can’t still be trying to be a matchmaker for them, now that we’re married Laura” Andrew said with a laugh, before sliding in a piece of rotisserie chicken into his mouth.
“It’s not like they grew up together Andrew” Laura smiled at her husband and took a sip of Mimosa.
“Mom. Stop it. It’s not going to happen. Will you please forget it” Elaine snapped at her mother; she could feel her cheeks burning up with embarrassment.
“I wouldn’t make such a harsh claim” Don said and wiped the corner of his mouth with a clean napkin.
“What ever do you mean Don?” Laura leaned in on the table and smiled at her step-son, ignoring her daughter’s plea to change the subject.
“I just mean that you’re right. We would make a lovely couple and Elaine is too quick to dismiss it” he replied to her and smiled back.
“Will you both please stop? You don’t even know what’s happening in my personal life” she threw her own napkin on the table, seconds away from getting up from the table and leaving the room. Andrew and Laura exchanged nervous looks and
Elaine watched as her mother’s face drooped and she sank back in her seat, dejectedly.
“You said you were willing to sit through a meal with them once every year” Don had turned to face her, and muttered the words from the corner of his mouth. Elaine turned her rage-filled eyes to him, her cheeks were still burning up.
“You’re just making it very hard for me to stand by my words” she said in a huff, in a whisper, hoping her mother and Andrew couldn’t overhear the two of them.
******
Don was leaning against his car as Elaine tried to unlock her bike from the tree trunk in a hurry.
“Why don’t you just let me drop you home?” he asked her again. She looked past him to check whether her mother or Andrew were still at the window of the house. They weren’t, thankfully. She didn’t want them to see her spending time with Don alone.
“Because I like riding my bike. Also, brunch is over and we can stop being polite with each other” she said, jerking her bike away from the tree.
“I’m sorry if I pissed you off in there” he said and she watched as he ran his large hands through the soft curls on his head. She wished he didn’t have that affect on her.
“How about I drop you home so that I don’t feel like shit for the rest of the day?”, she flinched at his language and sighed.
“Fine whatever. I’ll leave my bike here for tonight and come get it tomorrow” she said, trying to convince herself that she agreed to his proposal only because she wanted to get home quickly.
In his car, their knees knocked together as they strapped in their seat belts.
“How do you like my new ride?” he asked her and she half smiled.
“Yeah, it’s great. Just drive me home Don” she looked away from him, out of the window, wondering if this was a terrible idea.
“You’re the boss” he said and revved up his engine, “Just like you were in bed”. When she heard the words she blushed, but refused to look at him.
Sucker for the Boss Page 61