Michael withdrew and lay down on the floor like he had the previous evening. Emma collapsed beside him; her entire body felt like gelatin and she was afraid her hands and knees wouldn't support her much longer. As Michael wrapped his arms around Emma, Ethan stood, slipped on his clothes and left the suite quietly, happy to see the Emma looking so relaxed in his buddy's arms. “But man, she was an amazing fuck!” he thought to himself with a smile.
Michael was quiet at first, experiencing a moment of uncertainty in the aftermath of his great plan. But then, Emma propped her trembling elbows up on his chest, “Why did you do that, Michael?” she asked. The question did not seem accusatory to Michael, simply curious and a little uncertain herself. “I wanted you to be able to experience a whole different side of sex; the side that is all about letting absolutely every inhibition go and enjoying what's there to the fullest. I knew I couldn't really have you, until you were all there for you to offer,” he explained. “Are you OK with that?” he asked. “It was incredible, Michael. I had no idea sex could be like that—that I could be like that,” she responded, still amazed by her own participation in the evening's events. She smiled realizing just how naughty it turned out she could be, and she realized that she was grateful to Michael for bringing this realization about. “You know, I'm kind of wondering what other unorthodox ideas you may have to help make sex a comfortable and natural thing...”
THE END
Billionaire Stepbrother
Chapter 1
Cathleen woke up with a pounding headache. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to party like that for another couple weeks. Final exams were right around the corner and it was definitely time to buckle down. Trying to finish school and run her own business was a lot harder than she had ever imagined.
But she was happy that she had proved the naysayers in her life wrong. So many people, especially her mother, had tried to tell her that she was taking on too much responsibility and she would probably end up burning out before she completed school. NYU was demanding enough. Who in their right mind would consider adding to that heavy academic burden the responsibility of running a cupcake business?
“I don’t see why you can’t find a job at some high-end bakery somewhere,” her mother had said on more than one occasion. “You’ve always felt the need to do things on your own. I just don’t understand it.”
Cathleen would shake her head and bite her tongue whenever her mother began complaining about the choices that she was making. She loved her mother but they were very different people and that was something that they were just going to have to accept about each other.
Her mother, who was about to be married for a third time, couldn’t stand to be without a man in her life. But it seemed like the minute a new man came into her life she began doing everything in her power to make his life hell, insuring that he would soon leave her. And that’s what often happened.
Maybe watching her mother’s relationship troubles had given Cathleen her strong desire for independence. She couldn’t see herself submitting to a man. She relished her freedom and independence far too much.
“No woman truly wants to be alone and independent,” her mother would tell her. “You just haven’t found the right man that’s all. But when you do, you will have no problem submitting to him. Trust me.”
“Sure. Whatever you say mom,” Cathleen would respond with a snicker.
She was scheduled to meet her mother for brunch in the West Village at 11. She had an hour to get in the shower and head out the door. Being late would just give her mother another excuse to begin nagging her about working too hard, burning the candle at both ends and all of that stuff. She already had pounding headache. The last thing she needed was a morning lecture. She would have preferred to cancel the meeting but she would have felt bad about standing her mother up at the last minute.
“I was beginning to worry about you,” Cathleen’s mother said. “You’re almost ten minutes late. I was about to start making calls.”
Cathleen sighed and sat down at the cafe table. Le Parisien was one of the hipper and more expensive eateries in the West Village, precisely the kind of place that Cathleen’s mother loved to be seen in.
“I’m fine, mom. You know how the subway can be sometimes.”
“Are you sure that you didn’t spend the night with a boy? You seem a bit hungover.”
Cathleen frowned and looked away. This was one of her mother’s favorite topics: Cathleen’s love life or lack thereof.
Her best strategy in these sorts of moments was to switch the subject to her mother’s romantic life and these days that meant the up and coming wedding to Warren Daughtery, owner of one of New York’s most prestigious Real Estate companies: Daughtery Properties.
This would be her mother’s second marriage in the last five years and her third overall.
“How are things progressing with the wedding? You guys haven’t called it off yet, right?”
Cathleen’s mother cocked her head to the side and stared at her sharply. Her light green eyes hadn’t lost their intensity after all these years. The lines around her mouth and eyes revealed that she had lived a life of fun and adventure. Summers in Paris, winters in Argentina and Brazil. She was a woman who loved to stay on the move. She also loved to shuffle men in and out of her life. As she approached fifty, her mother still had a sexual magnetism capable of attracting men decades younger than herself.
“No, we haven’t decided to break it off. Thank you very much. And I don’t see why you can’t just be happy for me.”
“I am happy for you but—”
“You don’t know anything about love. If you did you wouldn’t be so cynical.”
“Mom, you’ve known this man for eight months.”
“That’s not true. I’ve known Warren for almost twenty years. He was a friend of your father’s.”
The word father made Cathleen tremble. It had been almost ten years since he had died suddenly while they were on vacation in Cancun.
“Don’t you think that there’s something wrong about marrying a man who used to be friends with dad?”
Her mother’s face turned bright red. Cathleen felt bad for pushing the subject. She knew that her mother still held herself responsible for her father’s sudden death even though the doctors had repeatedly assured her that she was not responsible. Even if he hadn't stopped taking his medication during the trip he might still have suffered a heart attack. There was just no way to predict those sorts of things.
“I’m sorry, mom. I’m just really stressed right now with school and the business. It’s definitely more work than I had expected.”
A slight smile crossed the older woman’s lips. “You see, your mother isn’t always nagging you just to be a pest.”
“I know,” Cathleen said, reaching across the table and putting her hand on top of her mother’s.
“And there’s one more thing, I forgot to tell you,” Cathleen’s mother said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“What?”
“You’re going to meet your stepbrother this week.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, you do. In just a couple of months we’re all going to be a family.”
“Is he flying in?” Cathleen asked.
“No, silly,” her mother said. “He lives on the Upper East Side.”
Cathleen repeated the words the Upper East Side a couple times under her breath. She probably shouldn't have been surprised that her newest stepsibling was a spoiled, rich kid. That made sense given his father’s wealth. But there was just something so intimidating about the Upper East Side. That was old money territory, home to New York’s wealthiest families. It was a part of the city that she rarely visited. And when she did make her way up there, she never felt comfortable.
“Great,” Cathleen said with a snicker. “So I have to spend time with a spoiled brat this weekend instead of preparing for exams.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge him. You might end up
of liking him.”
After they finished their meal and mimosas, Cathleen said goodbye to her mother and they promised meet again the next week. Cathleen was glad that she hadn’t cancelled. It felt good to spend time with her mother. Even though the nagging could be annoying at times it was still nice to know that at least she had someone in her life who cared enough about her to stay on her case.
It was Saturday evening and she wanted nothing more than to head out with her friends. But she had two finals and an essay hanging over her head. And then there was the little problem of running her growing cupcake business, Indulgence Cupcakes.
As she walked into the apartment, she could hear her phone ringing. She reached into her bag and dug it out. The number wasn’t familiar so she didn’t pick it up. Moments later it rang again. This time she recognized the number.
It was her friend and business partner Sarah. Sarah was in the neighborhood and wanted to know if she could drop by. It had been a couple of days since they had been able to talk about the business. Cathleen gladly invited her over.
Larger orders were coming in each day and they had to figure out a new manufacturing process if they were going to stay in business.
Thirty minutes later, Sara knocked on the door. She had long flowing blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. That pretty exterior disguised just how much of a cutthroat business minded woman she could.
While Sarah sat down on the couch and got comfortable, Cathleen went to the kitchen to get them both a glass of white wine.
“I thought you said you had studying to do,” Sarah said with a hint of playfulness.
“You sound like my mother,” Cathleen replied. After a brief moment of silence, both young women started laughing.
“I’m just joking,” Sarah said. “I’ve been plenty stressed myself and I would love a glass of wine.”
Right before Cathleen began pouring the wine, her phone started ringing again. She picked it up and stared at the number. It was the same number that she hadn’t picked up before. She wasn’t in the habit of giving her number out to strangers. She had no idea who it could be.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Sarah asked. “It might be one of our distributors.”
Cathleen sighed and finally picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, can I please speak to Cathleen Hampton?”
“This is her. Whom am I speaking to?”
“Hi, Cathleen. This is Gareth Daugherty.”
Daugherty? Cathleen almost dropped the phone. How had he gotten her phone number? She didn’t need to spend much time thinking about that. It must have been her mother. How exasperating! She had given her number out to a stranger. Who does that? Even if they were going to be family in a couple months, they weren’t family yet.
“Yes, how can I help you,” Cathleen said with plenty of attitude. She wanted her future stepbrother to know that she didn’t appreciate him calling her out of the blue like this.
“I know this is a little awkward but I was hoping that we would be able to get together some time.”
“That would great,” Cathleen said sarcastically. But it was unlikely that Gareth picked up on her condescending tone.
“That’s awesome. I’ll send a car to pick you up at 830.”
“What?” Cathleen blurted out.
But there was no answer from the other end. Gareth had already hung up. Cathleen stood staring at the phone in shock. Send a car to pick her up at eight? Was he really that well off that he could afford to send a car for her?
“Who was that?” Sarah asked. Cathleen was reluctant to talk about her family issues. But after a glass or two of wine, her tongue loosened up and she explained to Sarah some of the drama that she’d been experiencing lately.
“Your mother has always been man crazy,” Sarah said. “She just can’t go more than a few weeks without getting laid.”
Cathleen doubled over with laughter and nearly spit out her mouthful of wine. Her mother would have probably agreed.
“And that’s why she can’t understand why I enjoy being single and celibate.”
“Celibate?” Sarah said. “That’s the first I’m hearing of this. I just thought that you were busy.”
“What’s the difference? It’s been a long time since I got laid.”
“Well, you better make sure that your rich, spoiled stepbrother doesn’t sweep you off your feet.”
Cathleen frowned and shook her head. Even though she had yet to meet him, she could never imagine doing anything sexual with a family member. That was way too taboo for her.
“That’ gross,” she’s said. “Really gross.”
“There’s no way that we’re going to be able to pay the rent for the kitchen space and keep up with the package and shipping costs,” Sarah said. That wasn’t what Cathleen wanted to hear. There seemed to be so much happening in her life all at once. Sometimes she wished that she could be more like her mother and find a man who would support her financially. Then she would be able to take a lot more risks with her business. But she quickly brushed those thoughts away. That was completely ridiculous. There was no way that she would be able to tolerate such a life.
She sighed and let her head drop in her hands. Then she turned to look at Sarah.
“So what do you suggest?” Cathleen asked.
“I think that one of us needs to seduce a hot, rich guy who will invest in the company without asking for any equity.”
Sarah had a big smile on her face when she finished speaking. Cathleen just stared at her in silence. After a few moments both of them started laughing. It took a while before they were to able calm down.
Cathleen already felt better about the situation. That moment of laughter had helped cheer her spirit.
“Well, then we need to be out there looking for our dream guys,” Cathleen said.
“Yeah, maybe tomorrow,” Sarah said. “I'm feeling a little bloated tonight. And not too sexy at all.”
Cathleen smiled and raised her wine glass in the air. “I’ll toast to that,” she said.
They clinked their glasses and broke into a laughing fit. Despite the obstacles that lay before them, Cathleen had never felt better about starting the business with the girl who had been her best friend in school, since they meet on the first day of NYU orientation.
Chapter 2
Gareth got back from his jog along the East River and plopped down on his couch. Those runs always refreshed him. It was such a pleasant form of exercise. He would never be able to understand his friends who plunked down hundreds of dollars per month on gym memberships. He couldn’t stand the competitive atmosphere that reigned in those places, especially at the high-end clubs where everyone seemed to walk around preening and showing off.
But it wasn’t as if Gareth didn’t have a muscular physique of his own to show off. He most certainly did. That just wasn’t his style. He preferred to be a bit more humble. Yet he had certainly been blessed with good looks.
After he got out of the shower, he cracked open a beer and sat down on the couch. He flipped through the channels and landed on a college football game. On most Saturday nights he would have friends over to watch the games that started in the early in the afternoon and ended just after midnight.
But tonight would be different. He had plans to meet the young woman that would be his stepsister in a couple months. He still wasn’t happy that his father was getting married. For some reason he had believed that he would remain single his whole life after mom his died.
Despite his reservations about this new family that he would be a part of, Gareth was determined to do whatever his father asked of him in order to make things run smoothly. So when his father asked that he get to know his younger stepsister before the wedding, he quickly agreed.
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