“I’m sure that’s true. So you’re an artist. Wow.”
For a moment, I just basked in her warm enthusiasm. “There’s a photography exhibition at the Clinton Arts Center next week. We could go together. I’d love to hear what you think.”
“What I think. Why? Do you know anyone who’s exhibiting there?”
“I might happen to know someone.”
CHAPTER THREE
SOPHIE
Laying his knife down on his almost empty plate, Ben looked at my mom and said, “You don’t need to worry about Sophie. It’s very safe around here.” He swiped his fingers through the air a few times adding emphasis to his statement before picking up his wine glass. “And I’ll drive her everywhere.”
Annoyingly, the men sitting either side of me at this round dinner table opted for red wine. It only drew further attention to the fact that I’m younger than them and too young to legally drink.
“I hope you will.” Mom sighed and glanced at me before turning her attention back to Ben. “It’d set my mind at rest. I'm worried about her out on these city streets; especially at night after dark.”
“Mom is convinced that would-be attackers hang out on street corners. And like vampires or zombies, they all come out at night,” I said. I’d always be Mommy’s little girl, especially while I was a teenager. Nevertheless, I was big enough and old enough to walk to and from my classes every day without anyone holding my hand.
Ben winked at me. He put the wine glass down on the white cotton tablecloth and focused all of his attention back on my mom, sitting on the other side of him. “Between Adam, Carl and me, it will be as if she has a personal chauffeur and bodyguard. Twenty-four seven. You don’t need to worry.”
Annoyed by the way they spoke about me, as if I wasn’t even there, I stifled a disgruntled cough against my clenched fist. Sitting next to Ben at the table, I didn’t know whether to voice my objection to the way they talked about me as if I were a child, or join in the other conversation at the dinner table.
To my left, Adam talked with his dad. I caught snippets about a nightclub and dance music and Europe, but I didn’t hear enough to join in.
When I looked in his direction, Carl smiled sweetly. Apparently, I’d caught him watching me from directly across the table.
My body heated inexplicably, and I was sure I blushed as I returned a smile. If anyone noticed my reddening cheeks, hopefully they’d attribute it to the warm food.
I knew Mom would find Ben’s words reassuring, believing I had an escort everywhere I went. Ben had apparently picked up on her fears.
Rather than presume I’d appreciate a lift or a personal bodyguard, I’d have preferred it if Ben asked first. However, I realized that wasn’t what the conversation was about. Not really.
It wasn’t about looking after me and taking away my freedom to decide. This conversation was entirely about reassuring Mom of my safety. From her point of view, she was leaving her little girl, albeit her eldest daughter, to live alone in the big city.
Conscious of my mom’s concerns, Ben was doing me a great favor, in a way, by putting her mind at ease.
I could do without her fussing and worrying. Calling me all the time to check on my safety. Monitoring the Find My Daughter App on the phone to track my whereabouts.
“We generally take turns at cooking at home, that way we can each look forward to three nights off. That’s if Sophie wants to join in the schedule.” Ben turned to look at me.
And, upon hearing my name, I turned to look at him.
It felt very intense looking into each other’s eyes at such close quarters.
Ben’s facial features were hardly discernible from Carl’s.
Incredibly handsome across a table and almost irresistible when close enough to kiss.
It began to occur to me that it might become a problem living surrounded by three equally gorgeous identical triplets. Men I rather liked.
In my limited experience, the Cooper brothers were easy to like. They were polite and considerate, as well as attractive and sexy. And they lived in a luxurious penthouse paid for by their rich father. My stepfather.
The triplets couldn’t be completely perfect. I just didn’t know them well enough to know their faults.
I decided then that for my sanity I had to focus on finding some reasons not to like them so much because they could offer a lot of temptation.
I looked away again, a little too quickly.
“You don’t have to decide now, Sophie, but it would be weird if we three cooked for each other and left you out.”
Before I could think about replying my mom butted in, “Sophie’s a reasonable cook, but what about you boys? Will she get a bad deal on the days you cook?” She raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips, and looked very skeptical.
“Hey, well said, Mom.” I laughed. So did Mom and Ben.
Three dudes, the sons of rich parents — they probably grew up with all of life’s privileges. Of course Mom would expect them not to cook.
“We don’t live on takeout and frozen pizza every night, I’ll have you know. Just once or twice a week when it’s my turn to cook.” Ben chuckled at his joke. “Ant’s our star chef; he actually seems to enjoy planning meals, but Carl makes a reasonable effort too.”
Hearing his name mentioned attracted Adam’s attention.
“Who’s talking about me and what’s he saying?” Sitting the other side of me, Adam turned from the conversation with his father.
I turned to the sound of his voice, and it struck me how much I was sandwiched in between these guys, for better or worse, and all that meant.
In the apartment, my bedroom was between Adam’s and Ben’s; I’d basically be sleeping between the two of them with Carl’s room located across the hall from mine. Effectively, we’d sleep in the same arrangement as how we sat at this table.
“Ant, Ben’s been telling me that you boys will look after Sophie for me,” Mom said.
I felt Ben’s arm snake around my shoulder and his warm breath close to my ear.
“Like our sister,” Ben explained to Adam. “We’ll take turns cooking for her and see her safely to and from school. Isn’t that right, Adam.”
My heart raced. I froze at the close contact and didn’t know what to make of it. Enjoying the feeling in a way that I shouldn’t, it created confused feelings. Not helped by the fact that there were three of them, and to me, they looked equally handsome.
I couldn’t tell them apart.
Their dad could tell the difference as soon as he saw them. At the apartment earlier, he knew Carl opened the door. He could tell the difference between Adam and Ben when they arrived home. I had to work it out by listening to the conversation and remembering their identities according to their clothes.
I knew who was who at the table because they were all wearing different colored tops.
If they all went to the bathroom and swapped shirts, and then returned to sit in each others seats, I’d not know about it.
Each day when they wear new clothes, I was going to have to work out who was who again, like those people I read about with amnesia. I’d be fine so long as they always wear different colored shirts from each other. If they ever swap shirts or wear the same clothes, I’d be lost.
Adam didn’t seem to notice the fire in my eyes as I looked at him. He looked into my eyes very briefly and then said to my mother, “Most definitely we’ll protect her. She’s safe with us.”
“That’s reassuring because she’s not used to the ways of the city. She’ll need protection from men as she’s got no experience. She’s saving herself for the right man.”
And that was when I died.
I didn’t actually die, unfortunately.
Even though my cheeks flamed hot enough for spontaneous combustion, I continued to live and suffer the humiliation of all eyes on me as they realized what my mom had just said.
Ben withdrew his arm, and I turned my attention to my plate as the boys registered that I�
�d never had a boyfriend, at least, not that my mom knew about.
At almost twenty years of age, I was already older than many people who were leaving home to go to college for the first time. Family circumstances had set me back a year, what with Dad’s death and our family finances prior to Mom’s marriage.
I didn’t need everyone knowing I was a virgin too.
I’d taken heed of Mom’s advice to save myself for someone special, and that such intimacy would be better with someone who loves me and cares for me.
But I didn’t want everyone to know I had never so much as had a boyfriend.
No one was a virgin past eighteen these days. No one except me.
I was old enough to know how uncool it sounded. It made me seem like a freak or loser. The sad girl who couldn’t get a boyfriend. Life hadn’t been like that for me.
Oh, God, Mom.
How embarrassing.
I never wanted to go out for this “family dinner.”
I’d have liked Mom and Mr. Cooper to drop me and my stuff off at the apartment and leave me to get on with this new chapter of my life.
I can understand why they wanted a family meal, though.
The triplets had lived away from home for a while and as their wealthy dad owned the apartment outright, they stayed there all year round. They didn’t come home on vacations for weeks on end. Just for the briefest overnight stay on holidays.
Theirs was a lovely apartment in the city, and we lived in a small town, so I could see why they’d rather stay here where they are grown up and independent.
The boys didn’t miss the comment about my status. I could see a look in their eyes as they all registered my virginity.
CHAPTER FOUR
ADAM
“Sophie, are you coming?” I called after knocking on her bedroom door.
"That’s a bit personal,” Carl called from his bedroom.
"To breakfast,” I sighed. “I swear I live with overgrown teenagers.”
I knocked again and called out. “Do you want to come out for breakfast?"
She’d been enthusiastic about the plan when we talked about it at dinner yesterday.
It had been Carl’s turn to put food on our plates, so we had something we could have invited hippy vegans to eat. Quinoa with fresh herbs, home chopped coleslaw, and tofu. Tofu!
None of us were even vegetarian. It tasted delicious, but I didn’t tell Carl that. I didn’t want to encourage his belief that such healthy, meat-free-fare was acceptable.
Ben and I did picked up a burger later when we were out, but then we went to the nightclub so we were out very late.
We’d gotten through two weeks of eating at home for our evening meals without a single takeout up until then. After dinner, some days we’d chat and watch TV together, although we’d all gone to our rooms early most nights to do more work or get ready for an early start in the morning.
I knocked again. “Breakfast at Bunny’s. Our good old American, family-run greasy spoon.”
“Remember it’s the best breakfast this side of the river,” Carl called out loudly from his bedroom opposite. His voice boomed through the open doorway.
“After feeding us rabbit food yesterday, I’m not sure his commendations are worth anything to a restaurant,” Ben whispered as he sidled up beside me. He slouched against the wall by her door.
“And it’s so close to our apartment we could just go down there in our slippers,” he called out for Sophie to hear.
“Since when did slovenly footwear become a unique selling point?” I asked.
Raising just one shoulder, Ben shrugged and grinned.
“We’ll wait for you if you’re not ready,” I added more loudly to the door.
“Hold on,” she called out. Suddenly, the door opened. “I’m ready.”
My eye level passed over her head; she was so much shorter than me. “Ready for what though?”
I lowered my gaze and found myself with a view of a cleavage that I hadn’t prepared for. A lot of cleavage. Where had that come from?
I’d noticed her breasts before; of course I would, I was a guy. But I didn’t expect to see them so pleasantly presented for breakfast.
In the two weeks since she’d moved in, she’d kept them hidden under big, shapeless, sexless clothes. She dressed like a typical art student, genderless. I know it was a stereotype, so I wouldn’t say it out loud, but it had crossed my mind that she might be a lesbian.
Of course, lesbians can dress like feminine hot babes too. And I was not going to admit to any fantasies or a porn collection involving large breasted lesbians.
“Put your eyes back in your head, Adam.” Ben gave me a friendly shove and brought additional attention to my inappropriate focus. Thanks, Bro.
Of course, he was just trying to make himself seem so much better than me.
Me the sexist pig, whereas he only saw the brilliance of her mind and personality. As if he wasn’t captivated by the way the low cut, figure-hugging T-shirt beautifully displayed her character.
Did Sophie look offended? No, thankfully she giggled. I stepped back, allowing her to escape from her room.
Carl shot out from his bedroom and opened the front door.
We were all ready to leave.
“I’m excited about this trip out with you guys,” she said as she threaded her arm through mine and we stepped toward the door, leaving my brothers to follow behind. “I wasn’t sure if you might bail on me though, as you were out late last night. I thought you might, you know, get lucky.”
“Well, Ben usually goes home with a different girl every weekend, but his pick-up lines are getting old now.” I flipped Ben the bird behind my back. “You should come out clubbing with us.”
We didn’t have to wait long for the elevator and soon we were on our way down. She looked tiny standing in between us.
“I’d love to come clubbing.” Her face lit up for a moment, and then the spark disappeared. “Would it be all right?”
“Yes. You’d be my guest. You’d come into the DJ booth, get free drinks, and dance with Ben.”
No wonder he grinned like the cat who got the cream. I only realized after I’d said it, of course, I’ve just about paired them up. If Sophie came as my guest to the nightclub where I worked as a DJ, I’d be working as a DJ, and leaving her in Ben’s safe hands.
And Ben was irresistible.
I know we looked almost alike, but that wasn’t my ego talking.
It was based on what I saw. Women found Ben irresistible. It was a low move of mine to hint that he slept with more women than he cooked dinners. But it was true that they couldn’t keep their eyes or their hands off him.
“I was thinking about my age,” Sophie said.
“Oh, yes. You’re not twenty-one yet. That hadn’t occurred to me. As my guest, rather than a paying customer, it’ll be no problem. No one’ll ask your age.”
She gave me a beaming smile, one to rival Ben’s.
We reached the ground floor, the elevator doors opened, and we stepped out of the car.
She took Carl’s arm, just as she’d taken mine. “Don’t you want to go to the nightclub too?”
Ben and I fell in behind, and I heard Carl muttering something about it not being his thing. It wasn’t as if he needed an excuse for a night out with Sophie. They’d spent the most time together since she arrived. Spending time in his room at his computer screens. Yes, multiple computers, multiple screens.
Hats off to the man, he did take some good photographs.
At last, in Sophie, he found someone he could talk to about photography. Someone who shared his interest and wanted to talk about it and look at photographs for hours on end.
Last weekend Carl and Sophie disappeared. Ben and I didn’t see them. They toured art galleries for two days, apparently, and just slipped home to go to bed. Separate beds, I was sure of that.
It could have gone two ways. The addition of Sophie to the apartment could have changed everything for the better or
the worse. We all knew things were going to change. The atmosphere in our apartment buzzed with life since Sophie moved in.
A change was inevitable, eventually.
Someday we would meet women, marry and settle down. I couldn’t envision it, though. We’d been together all our lives, and it was hard to imagine living apart. I certainly didn’t think that’d be anytime soon.
Monday to Friday she stayed at college for long hours. She couldn’t have been in classes all that time. But she was an artist. They booked studio times. Went to the galleries. Sat in the parks sketching trees, flowers and people. I guessed she had been getting to know the city with her new college buddies. If she had any downtime in the day, she would be staying at college and hanging out with her classmates.
We had all been busy in the day with our respective college courses. Sophie could afford to take it easy at this stage, but she was over-enthusiastic, being in the first few weeks of her first year.
We three were in our final year, so the pressure was really on us.
We had pretty much had our evening meals and chilled at home each evening.
This breakfast was the first time we had all gone out together in the two weeks since we went out with our parents.
Bunny’s was literally the very next building, and there was a walk of a few feet between our doors.
We entered the door, and I think all of our faces must have registered surprise and disappointment at not one single empty table. Of course, we’d left a little late, and everyone was out for breakfast. We all turned, looking every which way.
“We could wait for a table,” I suggested.
At the same time, Carl said, “We could eat at home.”
“Over there,” Ben said, looking over my shoulder. I turned to see a family of two adults and two small kids in the highly coveted window booth, and it seemed they were preparing to leave. They were picking various items off the table, kid's books and toys, face cloths, hand santizer, and slipping them into bags. I loitered to stake a claim on these seats, not wanting to hurry the people on rudely.
Triplet Time: A Reverse Harem Stepbrother Romance Page 2