by Sadie Grubor
Sid snorts, and I glare at her.
She mouths, "Momma's boy," while pointing and sticking out her bottom lip.
When my mom turns toward her, the face is gone and she's the picture of innocence.
Ember bursts into laughter. "Damn, I love you," she declares to Sid.
My mom looks from Em, to me, then to Sid. Sid gives a small shrug, like she has no clue what's going on.
"What are you waiting for?" my mom asks, perturbed.
"Fuck my life," I growl, walking away to go shower.
"Watch your mouth around my kids," Em taunts.
I'm surrounded by crazy women.
Sidra
After an introduction to Xavier's nephews, Ian and Nate, the interrogation beings: how did I end up at the cabin, when did I arrive, where I'm from. Who knew Sherry Stone, porn queen, would be the leader of the Great Sid Inquisition.
What started as a dream come true—meeting someone I've worshiped for so long—is now fading into reality bites. The woman doesn't let me finish my sentences, demands every detail, and coddles Xavier like he's a little kid.
I stay uncharacteristically quiet, but holding my tongue is taking its damn toll. If the woman keeps it up, I'll have no choice but to hack her salon's computer system and schedule her for a hot mess makeover.
Taking a drink of the wine Sherry's been pouring non-stop, I fight my urge for vengeance.
"How long have you been dating my son?" I knew this question was coming.
"We are not dating," I emphasize.
"So, you're just having sex?" she blurts and takes a drink from her glass.
I'm stunned silent, eyes wide and mouth open.
"Grandma," Ian and Nate whine in unison.
"I'm outta here." Ian slips off his seat.
"Me, too." Nate follows his brother.
I look from the retreating boys to Sherry, who doesn't look the least bit remorseful.
"Uh, I think there's a misunderstanding," I say.
"What's misunderstood?" Xavier asks, his body filling the space behind me.
"That we're—hey!" I exclaim.
His arm snakes around me and he takes the glass from my hand.
Tilting my head back, it bumps into his chest. I watch him put my glass to his mouth and drink.
"Thanks," he says, holding the glass out for me to take.
"Keep it," I mumble. "I like my drinks sans Wookie backwash."
I drop my chin and cross my arms over my chest.
"Quit pouting," he orders, setting the glass down in front of me.
"Is there any pizza left?" a sweet voice asks.
Twisting in the chair and leaning around Xavier, I watch one of the twins shuffle toward us. Before I turn back around, her mirror image appears behind her. They stop a few feet from us, side by side.
The line "Come play with us, Danny" comes to mind. Thank God they aren't dressed alike. Instead, they couldn't look more different.
One wears black skinny jeans, a Game of Thrones t-shirt, and a full wrist of different colored bands. The other wears cloud-covered leggings, a Superwoman tunic length t-shirt, and a neon green Apple watch.
Too bad the little stick figures can't share their clothes with me.
"Yep," Em says from behind me. "There's over half of one left."
They come to the island, both of them slipping onto a seat.
Game of Thrones looks me over before meeting my eyes. When she does, I ask, "What house?"
She blinks, opens her mouth, but her father interrupts.
"House?" he asks, confusion in his voice.
I keep my eyes locked with hers and wave my hand toward his face. My nonverbal communication telling him to mind his own business is not appreciated. He grabs my hand mid-motion.
I try to pull away, but I'm forced to move my eyes up to him.
"Let go, Sasquatch," I growl.
"If you're going to wave body parts in my face, be prepared for me to grab them," he quips, grinning unabashedly.
My mouth drops open.
"There are children present," I scold.
He chuckles, releasing my hand.
Huffing, I decide to ignore him.
"Targaryen," she answers.
I turn my head and grin, catching her sister peeking around.
"House of Fire and Blood," I say, giving a wink and earning a large smile in return.
"Here you go," Ember says, sliding the pizza in front of the girls.
"Girls," Xavier's voice booms over my head, "this is Sidra."
"Sid," I correct, wrinkling my nose.
The peeking twin giggles, and says, "I know how you feel."
Furrowing my brow, I ask, "What do you mean?"
"You don't like your full name. I don't like mine either."
"What's your name?"
"Cassiopeia," she answers, scrunching her face, "but everyone calls me Cass. I remember you from Uncle Red's bar," she says, mentioning the one time we previously met.
I nod.
"At least you're not named after a porn star," Ember divulges.
"Being named after my best friend isn't something to be ashamed of," Sherry scoffs.
"Wait," I put my hands up, "you're named after Ember Storm? The same Ember who—"
"Yeah," Em clips, pursing her lips, "the same one."
"Holy Sh—crap," I say, censoring myself.
Xavier's sister is named after the first woman Cherry Summers did girl on girl.
It's painful to hold in my laughter.
"You watch Game of Thrones?" the twin asks, changing the topic.
"This is Lyra," Cass informs, pointing to her twin in the GoT shirt.
"Nice to meet you both," I say, and then answer Lyra, "Read the books, too."
Looking back up at Xavier, I ask, "You let them watch Game of Thrones? Seriously?"
He shrugs. "What's the big deal?"
"I've already tried," Ember chimes in, bringing my attention to her. "Xavier likes to be very open with these two." She thumbs toward the twins.
I put my hands up and say the only thing I can.
"I'm not judging, just surprised." Dropping my hands, I continue with my verbal onslaught. "I don't have kids, but if I did, they'd probably watch shit they aren't supposed to. So, who am I to say anything?"
The heat from his hands warms my shoulders, seeping deep into my skin. He gives a gentle squeeze, his thumbs pressing from shoulder to neck before releasing. The gesture is a bit too personal—too intimate.
I catch the look Sherry gives me over her glass and find myself instantly annoyed.
"Quit pawing at me," I say, taking the annoyance out on Xavier.
I slip off the seat and start for the stairs.
"Not so fast," Sherry says, wrapping her arm around my waist to stop me.
Damn, she's a quick fucker. I bite the side of my cheek, trying not to laugh at my unintended internal pun.
"You aren't shutting yourself away upstairs again," she informs, guiding me to the couch by the fireplace.
"I really do have work to do," I say, trying to finish my escape.
"You have a lot of electronics up there."
She sits on the cushion next to me.
Sighing purposely loud, I nod.
"Cass, you would be in heaven," Sherry says, keeping her eyes on me. The small twitch at the corner of her mouth doesn't go unnoticed.
"What are you playing at, woman?" I question in a whisper just for her.
It's official. I'm about to make a woman I've worshiped for years hate me.
Instead of answering, she smiles and drinks from her glass.
"What kind of work do you do?" Cass's question breaks the Sid and Sherry stare down.
"Uh…I…" I hesitate. I'm pretty sure discussing Toy BoXXX™ and adult themed blogging would be frowned upon in front of children.
"Actually, Mom, she has a sex toy business you should hear about," Xavier offers, sitting in a chair across from his mother and me.
I take my wide eyes fr
om his mother, look at the twins, and then at him.
"Sid, their grandmother was a porn star, their grandfather and aunt run a porn production studio, they know what sex toys are," he says, a half grin on his face.
"How does that work, anyway?" I turn the question on Sherry. "I mean, how do you porn it up with kids and grandchildren?"
She laughs, loudly, causing me to flinch.
"Get used to that," Ember says, taking a seat next to Xavier.
"Just wait till she gets woo-hooed," Xavier adds, still wearing the stupid half grin.
I narrow my eyes on him and notice the shirt he's wearing for the first time.
Please tell your boobs to stop staring at my eyes.
Instead of a glare, I snort.
"It's not like they came on the set with me," she says, getting my attention. And then, I get my first woo-hoo.
My eyes snap back to Xavier's and I mouth, "Oh my God."
He mouths back, "I told you," and laughs.
"Ha, get it?" Sherry asks, patting my leg and drawing my attention back to her. "They didn't come on set with me."
I can't help it, it's fucking priceless. I burst out laughing.
"Whew," she sighs. "Seriously, we didn't bring them to the set, but as they grew up, we would explain things."
"What was that like?" I ask Ember.
"Kami, our oldest sister, had the hardest time. By the time we were going to school, she'd already paved the way." She gives one shoulder a lift. "There were always jerks, but it could've been worse. And the production crews and actors often brought their own kids to the studio."
"Now, back to you," Sherry redirects the conversation, "you sell sex toys?"
"No," I correct, and launch into my Toy BoXXX™ venture.
A quick overview and an onslaught of questions from Ember and Sherry later, and the story is finally told.
"That's brilliant," Sherry exclaims when I'm finished. "This is what you've been working on here?"
"That, and some other things," I answer vaguely.
Turning her head to Xavier, she says, "We need to tell your sister and father about this."
"You okay with that?" His eyes bore into mine.
"Sure," I agree.
Hell, if this leads to some donations or sponsorship from Stonehard Productions, I'll take it. But first, I need to get Paul out of the business. Most likely, this means I'll need to buy him out, and I know he won't be willing to go easy. So, I'm already certain I'll be going into heavy debt to rid myself of him.
"Uncle Xave," Nate's voice calls from the bottom level, "wanna play some pool?"
"Yeah," he shouts back, climbing from the chair. "Let's play teams," he adds.
He rounds the coffee table and stops in front of me.
I tilt my head back and raise a brow at him.
"What?" I ask nervously.
"We're playing pool," he says.
"I don't—"
Leaning forward, he grips my arms and pulls me to my feet. The size of him is overpowering. He's, at least, a foot taller, bringing me to his shoulder.
I slap at his forearms as my stomach flutters, nervousness and anxiousness battling inside me.
"Quit maneuvering me," I complain.
Being lifted, held, and physically situated are not something I'm used to. Feeling unnerved, I step to my left, trying to put space between us.
"Come on," he says, his hand swallowing mine.
"I don't play pool," I grumble, planting my feet to the floor.
He ignores me, walks toward the stairs, and my body jerks forward, causing me to stumble.
"You're a big, hairy jerk," I insult, loudly. "And I can't wait to suck so hard that you—"
He stops, whips his head back, and raises his brows.
What I just said registers, and I shout, "At the game, you pervert! I mean, I can't wait to lose the game!"
His mother and sister's laughter follow us all the way down the stairs.
Chapter Nine
Sidra
"I cannot believe how bad you are at this," Xavier exclaims.
"I warned you," I say in a singsong voice, giving him an exaggerated grin.
"You're purposely losing. You have to be." He shakes his head.
"Please," I snort, "to play this awful is a natural born gift."
I line up the stick thingy, aim, and…
"Jesus, woman," Xavier yells, jumping out of the solid red ball's path. "That was aimed at my balls." He narrows his eyes at me. "You're doing it on purpose."
Ian and Nate lean against the wall, laughing.
"Is this over yet?" I ask, dropping my head back and sighing at the ceiling.
"After I sink this shot, it will be," Ian boasts, pushing off the wall.
Stepping back, I let Ian move into position. He sinks the eight ball.
I lean the stick against the wall, clap my hands together, and then raise them in the air.
"I'm out," I shout, and rush up the stairs before Xavier can stop me.
I reach the main floor, victory swimming in my veins. I've escaped bar game hell. Grinning, I stop short, my heart flutters, stomach tingles, and my palms itch.
Cass and Lyra stand in front of the wall mounted flat screen with controllers in their hands.
"There's an Xbox?" My question is almost orgasmic.
"Yeah," Lyra answers with a small smile. "Do you play?"
"Do you have Call of Duty or any racing game?"
Taking quick steps, I reach the heavenly black box. It's the Xbox 360, not the Xbox One, but I'll fucking take it. I scan the stack of games, looking for any of my favorites.
"Um…"
Cass' hesitation takes my attention away from the games.
"We were about to play The Voice game," she says, her voice so low, she's almost whispering.
"How do you play that? You have to sing?" I raise one brow.
Lyra nods. "Yeah, it's one of the only games we agree on, besides Dance Central."
It's not my choice game, but it's also not pool or darts, which the guys mentioned playing next.
"Let's do this bitch," I say, rubbing my hands together.
Realizing what I just said, I quickly amend, "I mean, this thing."
Cass and Lyra giggle.
"It's okay, Dad cusses all the time," Lyra tattles.
"Which means you should have enough for college by now, right?" I tease, reminding them about the swearing jar deal they have with him.
Game set up, Lyra goes first. She stands in front of the Kinect, microphone in hand, and rocks out to No Doubt's Just a Girl. Cass chooses Katy Perry's ROAR. Both girls sing really well and by the end of Cass's turn, Ember and Sherry have joined us.
"Your turn," Cass says, breathless and holding out the mic.
Taking the mic, I move in position and select my song.
"What are you singing?" Lyra tries to peek around me.
I move my body in her way and grin.
"I'm going to show you how this game is done," I taunt, pursing my lips playfully.
"Someone talks a big game," Lyra teases back, rolling her head on her shoulders.
Then, my song begins. The fast drumbeats announce the song and the guitar riff tears through the room. I yell on key and spin away from the TV. No self-respecting girl needs lyrics for I Want You to Want Me.
Instead of the TV, I sing to Cass and Lyra, who quickly jump up from the couch. They turn out to be self-respecting girls and match me, word for word. Hopping around and shouting, we sing into the mic together. Soon, Sherry and Ember are clapping along to the beat and singing.
We end with a kick-ass trio of air guitars and collapse on the floor, laughing.
"That was entertaining." Xavier's voice makes the three of us look to our lefts.
He looks down on us, arms over his chest, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Next show, tomorrow, same time, same place," I respond, sitting up.
Two large steps and he stands in front of me, his hand extended.<
br />
I take it and he clasps, pulling me up. The force he uses causes me to land against his chest.
I open my mouth to bitch about the manhandling, but the mic disappearing from my hand distracts me.
"My turn," Lyra says on her way to the TV.
Xavier tugs on the hand he has yet to release, leading me toward the couch.
Annoyed with the handholding and just the way his big ass keeps getting in my personal space, I slip out of his grasp. This earns me a confused look from over his shoulder.
Thumbing toward the kitchen, I say, "I'm gonna get a drink."
I turn on my heels and walk by Ian and Nate on my way to the kitchen. The sound of the next song follows me.
Leaning into the refrigerator, I grab a bottle of water and straighten.
"Thank you," Xavier's voice isn't a surprise, having felt his presence before he spoke.
"For what?" I ask, and take a sip from the bottle.
He jerks his head toward the living room.
"They need to have a good time right now. You gave them that, and I appreciate it."
I move out of the way of the open door and he shoves it closed.
Giving a small shrug, I say, "We were just having fun. Don't thank me. It was purely for my own entertainment."
The right corner of his mouth lifts and he steps closer.
"Uh, I like personal space, Sasquatch," I blurt, putting a hand out.
My palm flattens against his firm, wide chest. The warmth coming through his t-shirt raises my own body heat.
"You sing well," he says, finally stopping and leaving barely a foot between us.
"I'm no Liza, but I'm not terrible," I admit.
"No one is like your cousin," he says with a chuckle.
Pride and jealousy war inside me. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.
Fuck me, he smells good—like fresh air, spice, wood, and…I don't fucking know, but I want to lick it.
"You okay?" Xavier's question is laced with genuine concern. His hand covers mine on his chest.
I pull my hand away, open my eyes, and smile.
"I'm fine."
Side stepping, I walk around him and out of the kitchen.
In the living room, I make sure to sit in a chair where no one else can sit with me. It works with Xavier, but not with the twins. Lyra and Cass take turns sitting on the arm or the corner in between their performances.
I focus on the twins, ignoring the moments I feel Xavier watching me,.