by Rose Francis
Where the hell was her sister?
Alyssa had surprised her with the news that she was unexpectedly coming to town, and they made arrangements to meet up.
Naomi had accommodated all of her requests—even the strange ones—and Alyssa didn’t even have the decency to try to get there on time.
Sorry! Accident on the highway! was the last text message she’d gotten from her.
That was half an hour ago.
Naomi checked her phone again.
Naomi, I don’t know where you are or why you won’t answer my messages, but I need you to come home right away, a text from Kevin said, and for some reason, she suddenly had an uneasy feeling.
She’d been ignoring him, not wanting him to guilt her over leaving so suddenly without telling him anything.
She wanted to have a stress-free time finally seeing her sister again in the flesh without any obligation to him hanging over her.
Answer, Kevin’s next text said, then a call immediately came in from him.
“Naomi, I’m so sorry, but your sister’s here.”
* * *
“WHERE IS SHE?”
Naomi’s emotions were all over the place. But mostly outrage coursed through her.
“I had Jeffrey intercept her and lead her to a room that locks from the outside. She’s sort of trapped in there for now until we decide what to do with her. So what do you want to do with her?”
“I don’t know yet,” she said honestly, pacing back and forth.
She was having an inner battle of epic proportions—one part of her was still dying to see her sister in the flesh, the other part wanted nothing to do with her after such a horrible betrayal.
She eventually stopped her pacing and looked at Kevin.
“How did you know it wasn’t me?”
He seemed to let out a breath.
“Your sister is quite talented, but several things were off. You told me you guys were fraternal twins, so I had no reason to think she wasn’t you since she looked exactly like you. She even smiles like you.”
“Yeah, supposedly the Olsen twins are like that too—fraternal even though they look identical. Happens every now and then—siblings who look pretty much exactly like each other without splitting from the same egg.”
“Well, I wish you’d shared that with me, but still, even if I’d known you had a double, she made a few mistakes with her characterization of you. For example, you have a way of looking unsure, and it almost makes you look meek, which I know you’re not. I mean, you slammed a door in Susan’s face—that tells me all I need to know. But your sister operated from a place of high confidence, and it made her energy different—even though she kind of stayed quiet for the most part, which was a smart choice, but still a bad move. I figure either she thought the less she said, the less likely she’d be to make a verbal mistake, or her memory of you as a quiet kid didn’t quite translate to the adult version she imagined you as. Like, maybe she thought you stayed quiet, which you sort of are, but…” He raised his eyebrows. “…She obviously doesn’t know how…verbose you can get.”
“Well, we mostly sent instant messages, so I guess she didn’t get my speech patterns down.”
“Remarkable makeup job, though—whatever small physical differences you guys might have that set you apart today, she managed to cover them up. You must have shown her lots of pictures.”
Naomi’s shoulder sagged.
“I did way more than that, Kevin; you wouldn’t believe how much I told her. God, I feel so stupid. I mean, I even gave her a mini-video tour from the entrance to my room.”
“Naomi…” His voice was a deep reprimand.
“I know, I know…hence, why my eyes are currently averted. Unlike most of my counterparts, I read before I sign, and I did actually read the whole work contract, so I know videography is forbidden. I just…I was so excited to be here, and then to find her—especially with Jenna no longer a part of my life like before—I was so desperate to talk to someone and share my life that I totally overshared. And it wasn’t just anyone—it was my long lost sister. I never imagined she would use it against me.”
She heard Kevin sigh.
“Had this happened with my ex, I would have been duped easily because one of our issues was that I didn’t pay attention to the little things—and sometimes even the big things—when it came to her. If she’d had a twin, no doubt the woman would have been able to seduce me and I wouldn’t have been none the wiser.
“I guess your sister was banking on me not taking you seriously or being all that attentive to you, and she figured I’d never pick up on subtle differences, but there were subtle ones and there were pretty large ones. For example, she had no problem with the idea of meeting me in my bedroom. But the biggest tip of all—not that I didn’t know what was up already—was her being comfortable standing there in a lacy black teddy.” He shook his head. “Not my Naomi! Now, if she had thrown on a pair of Scooby-Doo pajamas she might have had a shot…”
“Okay, I definitely don’t have a pair of those—that was definitely way before my time…”
“…but flirting in skimpy lingerie? I would have believed it was Pod you before I believed she was you.”
“I’m sorry, ‘pod’ me?”
“You know, the Pod People.”
Naomi shook her head. “Nope.”
“Sheesh. Well, I’ll have to bring you up to speed with some awesome seventies and eighties stuff. Maybe you should read the book, actually—they’re always better than the movies, right? Anyway, your sister probably thought that, as a guy, I’d shove aside common sense and all logic and reason and take an easy offering in front of me anyway, but she made a terrible miscalculation, and now I need you to tell me how you feel so I can proceed with how to deal with her. Any other woman and I would have had her processed like any stalker or crazy intruder person, but this is your sister. Tell me what you want me to do, Naomi.”
Naomi was still amazed by how well Kevin seemed to know her—physically and otherwise. She had no idea he’d noticed so many details, that he knew her so well, that a girl who looked exactly like her had failed to seduce him.
“I can’t believe you registered all these things about me.”
“Of course, I have, Naomi—you’re imprinted on my brain and heart, and probably everywhere else.”
Her own heart leapt at his words.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you—not even your own flesh and blood.”
The words ‘flesh and blood’ twisted at her.
“I just don’t understand—why would she do this?
“Probably wanted to get knocked up so she could hit me up for money,” he said casually.
She stared at him, not knowing what to make of him.
He sounded so serious and matter-of-fact about it. But he wasn’t serious, right?
He shrugged.
“You won’t believe the lengths some women have gone trying to trap me and other men like me. You can’t even leave a condom behind—there are women who’ll find some way to get the ejaculate inside them. Happened to an associate of mine, actually. He’d been with a woman who claimed she was on the pill—of course, we all know better than to trust that. Anyway, he had used a condom and was sure it hadn’t broken, but he remembered that he had simply thrown it away, and figured she got her hands on it, and…you know.”
“Ugh! Gross!”
“And you won’t believe the lengths some guys take to prevent anything like that from happening—doubling up on condoms, only sleeping with sterile women. More extreme actions we don’t talk about. I have a buddy who makes the women sign contracts stating if anything happens, she won’t come after him for money or anything.”
“That can’t be legal.”
“You’d be surprised what’s legal with proper contracts and highly-paid lawyers. Personally, I’m never as careless as I have been with you. It’s a wonder I even let you bring me my coffee—you could have easily drugged it, knocking me out and gi
ving me something to make my dick hard, then ride it while I’m out cold…”
“I would never…!”
He laughed at the outrage no doubt transforming her face.
“I know, sweetheart. Even if I didn’t know for sure in the beginning, I guess I was never afraid of you tying me to you somehow because guess what? Too late. The moment you cussed me out with tears in your eyes, I was done.” He looked away. “To be honest, I actually had to fight myself to not be that guy—the one getting you pregnant with you not having a say. I suddenly understood from the other side—I wanted to keep you, one way or another, do you know what I mean? I wanted all of you but was willing to settle for part of you.” He shook his head. “It took a whole lot for me to let you decide.”
“Wait, so the contraception was totally optional?”
“Yup. So did you…?” He audibly swallowed as he stared at her. “You’ve taken it then?”
It was her turn to look away.
When she saw the box on her pillow, the reality of the possibility of pregnancy set in, and once it did, she couldn’t find it in herself to suppress a possible seed. The idea sort of thrilled her.
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about it.”
Kevin’s face lit up tremendously and he said, “I desperately want to keep it. How do you feel?”
“Well, I’m clearly open to other…possibilities.”
“Great, because if it exists, I want this baby, and I want to be with you, Naomi. I…” He closed his eyes briefly. “I love you.”
Everything in her soared, her trapped sister completely forgotten.
“I love you too,” she squeezed out of her closing throat.
He suddenly pulled her to him and grabbed her lips into a passionate kiss.
When he pulled away and she caught her breath again, she said, “Oh, and it was Hello Kitty, by the way.”
She could hear both their hearts pounding.
“Excuse me?” he said, still holding her in his arms and looking utterly confused.
“The pajamas you saw me in the other night? They were Hello Kitty. Don’t judge.”
He made a ridiculing sound, but a grin teased the corner of his mouth.
“I am definitely taking you shopping for some new nightwear. Find out where your sister shops.”
She squeezed him as hard as she could in reproach.
“Speaking of your sister—once again, what would you like me to do with her? Don’t make me choose.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her and she squeezed him again, this time in a hug, her head on his chest.
* * *
“YOU’RE way more lenient than me,” he said once everything had settled back down again, and the two of them pretty much had the place to themselves. “Had it been my sibling…”
“She only tried to seduce you. I figure the punishment should fit the crime.”
“And you really think posting pics of her in that teddy is going to show her?”
“Yeah, but she has a record now, doesn’t she? I mean, she’ll have to pay for trespassing, at the very least. Plus, she lost the chance to form a relationship with me.”
“Look who’s suddenly feeling herself.”
Naomi giggled.
Then she sobered up.
“The fact that she was willing to do something like that to me, knowing how I felt about you—she is no family of mine.”
Kevin nodded his agreement.
“Family is most certainly more than a matter of blood.”
Naomi’s mind briefly went back to Jenna.
Then she said, “I’m so glad you didn’t fall for it—I would have been devastated if you had…”
“I know, and I’m glad my eyes were open. You know, whatever you told her of our relationship, she operated as if she was sure I wouldn’t refuse her—like she knew I had a weakness for you.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly say that outright since I couldn’t be sure, but I guess she put it together from what I told her about you. About us.”
“Then she is a very smart girl, not unlike you.”
“Yeah, so smart, I practically lead a woman I don’t really know to your bedroom door.”
“Naomi, don’t blame yourself. She has always been your sister in your heart; you naturally trusted her more than anyone.”
“No, not anyone,” she said, looking meaningfully into his eyes.
His own eyes rounded a bit as they locked in on her.
“My heart is pummeling me, Naomi—you really do trust me, now? In every way?”
“God help me, I do.”
EPILOGUE
“I can’t believe I took so long to come up here. I stupidly thought a bed couldn’t get more comfortable than the one downstairs. Why the heck hadn’t I agreed to come to your room sooner?”
“Beats me. I’m just glad you’re here now. And is the bed the only reason you’re glad to be here?” Kevin, said, his eyes not leaving her face.
“Of course not, silly,” she said before kissing him on the lips.
She had also finally seen how a bathroom could be better than the one she’d had downstairs.
Kevin’s was not only much bigger and more splendid with its marble details, but he had a jacuzzi in it, and even a bidet!
Kevin put on a serious face.
“We have a few things to talk about before we get started on the next activity. One: college. Now that we know you’re pregnant, I just want you to know that I don’t expect you to give up your goal of going back to school. If you want to go to college, obviously I’ll send you. Now, don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing I want more than for you to stay here with me, but not at the expense of your dreams. So you can absolutely go ahead with your plan to enroll for next fall—the baby will definitely be able to hold up its own head by then. Maybe even talk.”
She shoved him playfully. “It’ll only be about five or six months old by that time, so certainly no full sentences. And to be honest, I don’t want to miss a thing when it comes to the baby, so I’m not sure about going anymore.”
“But remember, you don’t even have to be full-time. You have plenty of options, honey—I’m filthy rich; money is no object. You can pick any college you want, and we can hire all the nannies or babysitters you need. You don’t have to miss a single thing. At all.”
She smiled at him. “If I go, it’ll have to be to a good college nearby. I don’t want to go anywhere far from you.”
He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.
“I’m glad you feel that way. I’d started to regret offering you so many options; I can’t imagine you being on the other coast, for example. Sure, I can fly to you anytime, but I’d rather be able to reach you within an hour or two, so consider it done. We’ll go over the nearby options later.”
She nodded her agreement.
“So, Master of the House, what’s on the schedule for tonight?”
He suddenly looked really excited in a boyish way.
“Home theatre movie night. You and I are going to watch Coming to America—one of my favorite movies of all time. Of all time!”
“You’re kidding me.”
“What? You thought this old, rich white boy wouldn’t know anything about Zamunda?”
Naomi burst into laughter.
“No, I mean, you’ve been taking me through all this high society stuff. You play a game with the same name as a vegetable. You can decide at any time to take a day off and hop on a yacht…”
“Well, believe it or not, I don’t always stay where I supposedly belong, and I’ve had caretakers introduce me to all sorts of…” He made air quotes, “normal people things. Besides, this movie was pretty easy to identify with—wealthy guy whose only obligation was to do the one thing he didn’t want to do: marry someone picked out for him by his parents and society in general.”
“You almost did, though, right?”
He shrugged.
“I don’t know how close I actually was. I would have called
it off with Susan at some point for sure. I mean, she wasn’t even gonna follow my every command. ‘Bark like a dog,’ I told her once, and she refused. Forget about hopping on one leg.”
Naomi stared at him, her mouth twitching with amusement. “You didn’t…”
He only grinned at her.
Then he said, “When you sort of made a reference to that movie your first day here, I pretty much knew you were the one for me.”
“Really?” She heard the mixture of wonder and skepticism in her own voice; she couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not.
“Well, I felt connected to you before that, to be honest. It would have all been obvious to my cousin, Michael, I’m sure, but I didn’t really see things in those terms—I never really expected to meet ‘the one’—just the one that fit whatever goal was most important at the moment.
He started to sit up straighter.
“Anyway, Mistress of the House—we have another matter to settle.”
“Oh, I’m the mistress of the house, now?”
“Not like that—you know I don’t mean you’re my mistress. I mean…”
She smiled, letting him know she’d been toying with him.
“It’s okay, I know what you mean. I read a lot, remember? I know the various definitions of mistress.”
“Well, good, because then you know why I said that and what’s about to happen.”
Naomi’s heart sped up, and it seemed all she could was focus on Kevin, her senses alert and attuned to him, time seeming to slow down.
“As you know,” Kevin continued, “the shortened version of mistress is Mrs., and since I said what I did, calling you the Mistress of the House, I better go ahead and make that your official title.”
“Kevin…”
He turned and dug under the mattress, producing a small box and presenting it to her.
He flipped it open.
“Naomi, my love, will you marry me?”
Naomi’s hands had risen to her mouth moments ago, and even though she realized it was coming, it still didn’t seem real.
How could this be?
How could her luck have turned around so drastically?