by Tabatha Kiss
For now.
Heidi takes the quiet moment to eat another piece of her Philadelphia roll. I force myself to look away so it doesn’t seem like I’m leering at her like an idiot. It’s hard not to, though. Ever since she walked into the kitchen and she gave me that little smile...
I sip my sake, thankful that my lower half is hidden beneath the bar.
Heidi dabs her lips with her napkin. “So...” Her throat clears. “You’re a junior?”
“Yes, I am,” I say.
“Halfway to graduation.”
I exhale hard. “Don’t remind me.”
“Oops.” She winces. “There goes my follow-up question.”
“No, no,” I say. “Go ahead. I don’t mind. I was just being flippant.”
“Okay, uh...” She shifts slightly on her chair to face me a little better. “What are your plans for after graduation? If you have any at all, I mean. Which, honestly, is a perfectly acceptable position to be in. Just the thought of me having everything figured out in the next two years fills me with so much dread. Right now, all I’ve got is travel.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” I say. “But no, I do actually have some plans. Good plans.”
She nods, hanging on every word.
“Uh...” I chuckle. “Unfortunately, those plans bring the conversation right back to Seth.”
“Oh.” Her head tilts. “Really?”
“Yeah, he and I have plans to open a business together. Well, it’s more of a dream than a plan, but we’re getting more serious about it soon.”
“What kind of business?” she asks.
I hesitate, though I’m not sure why. I guess the only other person I’ve spoken to about this is Seth himself. To speak it all out loud with someone else... it makes it real.
“A bar,” I answer.
Heidi blinks twice. “A bar?”
“More like a venue, actually.”
“A venue? For, like... music and stuff?”
“Yes!” I snap my fingers once. “Exactly. It’s a venue for bands to... play music and stuff.”
“With a bar?”
“With a bar, yeah! So people can drink...” I pinch my eyes closed, “while they listen to music.”
Nice pitch, moron.
“It’s actually, uh...” I clear my throat. “It’s a venue to help showcase local talent, support independent artists. Get them in front of the people who can really change their lives, you know?”
Heidi smiles. “Definitely.”
“I figure with my family’s connections and Seth’s natural management skills, we can really get something good going.”
She arches a brow. “Seth has natural management skills?”
“Yeah.”
“Seth Newbury?”
“Yes,” I say, chuckling.
“My brother, Seth?” she prods harder. “He has management skills?”
I cant my head. “You really don’t know him like I do.”
Her expression dips a little. “I really don’t,” she says, genuinely surprised. “It seems like you know a completely different Seth than I do.”
“That’s a shame,” I say. “Your brother’s a great guy.”
She pauses, offering a stiff smile. “I’m sure he is,” she says.
“Now that you’re at Chicago North, you can really get to know him.”
“Maybe,” she says with a nod. “And if you guys need someone to design a logo for your bar...”
I smile. “You’ll be the first person we call.”
“Cool.” She smirks, looking devious. “I’m officially in at the ground level.”
“You joke, but someday, you’ll be glad you were.”
She laughs. “Less than a month into college and I’m already networking like a boss.”
“That’s how it’s done,” I say. “Anyway, my dad doesn’t want us to jump right in after graduation. He says he’ll only support the bar if I mentor under someone with a successful business first for a couple of years so I can really learn the ins-and-outs.”
Heidi nods. “Smart.”
“Obviously, he meant he wants me to mentor under him, but I’d rather not get sucked into that. A family friend has agreed to take me under her wing, so I’ll be interning with her next year for some additional credit hours. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Anyone I’d know?”
“Nora Payne,” I answer. “The creator of Little Black Book, the dating app.”
She scoffs and I laugh. “Oh, of course your filthy rich family has filthy rich friends.”
“I’ve known her since I was a kid. She and Melanie are tight. They do brunch every Sunday at a place called Moira’s. You ever been?”
“No.”
“Well,” I pause, feeling smooth, “maybe I can take you there for our second date.”
She smiles, briefly pulling her bottom lip between her teeth; exactly the reaction I look for when hinting at a second date.
“Sure,” she says. “Sounds great.”
Yes!
I reach for my drink to take a victory sip. “Where do you want to travel?” I ask.
“Europe,” she answers. “I’d love to go to Paris. See the Louvre. Or Rome! Greece. If it’s got an art museum, I must go there.”
“Have you been to the Art Institute here?”
She shakes her head. “Not yet.”
Third date, I think to myself.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet…
“Want another roll?” I ask as the sushi boats float by in front of us.
“Oh, no.” Heidi gently nudges her plate away. “I’ve had too much already.”
“Then, do you want to get out of here?” I ask.
Heidi gives me another one of those sweet smiles that drive me so crazy. It lingers as she gazes at me. Either that, or time itself has slowed down.
“Yeah,” she answers. “Where do you want to go next?”
I smirk.
I kiss her and it’s like my lips catch fire.
Heidi leans closer to me, stretching a little further across the center console of my car. I meet her there with one hand on her cheek and the other on her thigh, but it’s not enough. What I wouldn’t give to pull her into the backseat with me right now.
She tilts away from my lips, smiling as she takes a deep breath. “It’s getting warm in here,” she says.
I look around and chuckle at the fogged up windows. It’s nothing the residents of Shanty Row haven’t seen before.
“A little, yeah,” I say.
I pull her back in, claiming another wild kiss. She giggles, her lips parted for my tongue. I taste her. I feel her. But it’s not enough.
I need more.
Again, she tilts away. This time, she shifts back, the golden rings of her eyes looking dim in the shadows, but no less gorgeous.
“Would you...” she pauses, but only for a second. “Would you like to come in?”
I hesitate. I fucking hesitate.
A beautiful girl just invited me inside after a great date, which only means one thing, and I fucking hesitate?
Heidi. Heidi Newbury.
Seth’s little sister.
Part of me feels like I should shake my head and wag my finger at her, but she’s no child. She’s a big girl who can make her own decisions. She can invite a guy back home with her if she wants to.
And I can say yes.
Brothers be damned.
“Yes,” I say.
Chapter 21
Heidi
I throw open Jenna’s bedroom door and rush inside. Jenna looks up from her desk with her feet propped up and a highlighter in her hand.
“Hey, there,” she says, oddly calm for my sudden intrusion.
I close the door and plant my back against it. “Hi,” I say.
There’s an open book on her lap. Human Anatomy and… Physiology?
I furrow in surprise. “Are you studying?”
“Yes. I don’t want to tal
k about it.” She groans as she slams the book. “How did your date go?”
“It’s… still going,” I say. “He’s here.”
She plops her feet on the floor. “He’s here?”
“Yeah, we were making out in his car and then I invited him inside and now he’s on the couch browsing Netflix.”
“Well, what are you doing in here?” She shoos me away. “Go get you some.”
“That’s…” My breath rattles my lungs. “That’s kinda why I’m in here…”
She says nothing as she regards me with squinted eyes.
“Jenna,” I say. “How do I sex?”
For a moment, she gives me nothing. Then, her face flushes with emotion as she presses her lips together and smiles with pride.
“I have been waiting for this moment… for so long,” she says, her voice quivering slightly.
“Jenna.”
She dabs her eyes. “I’m just gonna need a minute.”
“Help me.”
“Okay.” She launches out of her chair, taking charge. “First, love the blouse, but I need to see some cleave, so pop her open.”
I fiddle the top button free. “Like that?”
She quickly slips the second one open and tugs at the cups of my bra. “Like that.”
I look down and gasp. “Yup, those are my boobs.”
“Second, are you wearing panties?” she asks.
“Of course, I am.”
“Lose ‘em.”
“Lose ‘em?”
“Lose ‘em! You don’t need them anymore.” She grabs a tube of lipstick off her dresser and hands it out to me. “Put this on.”
I turn it over to check the name. “Scarlett Shag?” I read aloud.
“It works every time. Now…” She takes a step back and regards me from head-to-toe as I use the mirror above her dresser. “This is good. This will work.”
“It will?” I ask as I blot.
“Hell yeah.” She stands up tall beside me. “Okay, when you get on the couch, just be open. Keep your back straight. Sit real close. And touch him.”
“Touch him where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. Literally whatever is closest. Like…” She lays a hand on my shoulder. “Gently slide your hand along his upper back or,” she shifts to my forearm, “a quick caress on his arm or his leg…”
I shiver a bit. “That does feel nice…”
“Eventually, he’ll kiss you. It won’t take long since you’ve already primed that engine.”
“Okay. Then, what?”
“Then, just grab it.”
I wait for more, but she doesn’t continue. “Grab it?”
“Grab it.” She raises her hand and makes a tight fist. “Reach down there and give it a good squeeze. At that point, you can pretty much just lie there. A man like Drew will know what to do. Oh, and if you go down there, remember to suck. Don’t blow. The name is a little misleading.”
My stomach clenches as Jenna spins around and picks her messenger bag up off the floor. “You’re leaving?” I ask.
“You want me to stay and coach you through it?” she jokes.
“Well… no…”
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Probably just grab some coffee, swing by the library, and…” She groans with disgust. “Who am I?”
Me. You’re me.
And tonight, apparently, I’m you.
Oh, lord, am I really having sex tonight?
Jenna stops in front of me. “There are extra condoms under the bathroom sink if you go through the two I put in your clutch earlier.”
“You—” My jaw drops as I yank open my purse. I find two condoms inside, pinched between my wallet and phone. I pull them out, surprised yet… genuinely impressed. “Thank you.”
“You know I got your back.” She gives my shoulders a loving, big sister squeeze. “Most of all, just relax. Enjoy yourself. Sex isn’t that big of a deal. Tomorrow morning, you’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about.”
I swallow hard. “Maybe.”
“Now, go get some.” She bounces with excitement. “This is great. After this, we’ll finally get to talk about cock.”
“Finally,” I say, raising my shaking fist.
Jenna shifts to leave, then stops. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re still wearing panties.”
I reluctantly bend over and slide them off under my skirt beneath her sharp stare.
“Atta girl,” she says with a wink.
She marches out into the hall. I linger behind to stare at myself in the mirror again.
“Just relax,” I repeat her words. “Enjoy yourself.”
“Hey, Jenna. You heading out?”
My ears perk to Drew’s voice.
“Yeah,” she answers. “I’ve got a test on Monday that I’m not even close to being prepared for, so…”
He chuckles. “Good luck.”
“You, too, big guy.”
I smile, so very thankful to have her.
The front door closes. I take a deep breath and hold it for as long as possible. It’s just me and Drew here now. There’s no one here to stop us. No one to interrupt…
“Just relax,” I whisper again, calming myself.
I slowly step out into the living room. For a moment, Drew doesn’t notice I’m here. I look at him and the butterflies settle and the goosebumps rise. He’s just so…
“Hey,” he says, lowering the remote as he notices me gawking at him.
Pretty.
“Hi,” I say.
He points at the TV. “Have you seen this one?”
I check the screen. “Oh, yeah. Like a hundred times.”
“Good.” He hits play and sets the remote aside. “Then you won’t mind if we talk over it.”
“Talk?” I ask.
“I don’t like watching new stuff on first dates,” he says. “A first date is for long conversations and lingering glances in each other’s eyes. Can’t do that if you have to stare at a screen and be quiet for two hours, you know what I mean?”
“Totally.” I shift slightly, not ready to sit down yet. “Did you want something to drink? We’ve got soda.”
“I’ll take a soda. Anything you got.”
“Okay.”
I enter the kitchen, easily gliding now that I have a mission. Or, to be more accurate, now that I have a good excuse to stay off that couch for another minute.
I open the refrigerator and grab two cans of soda from the door.
“You okay?”
I snap up and spin around to find Drew standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Yeah,” I blurt. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You just seem nervous,” he says.
“No.” I blow a raspberry. “Not nervous. I do this all the time.”
He raises a brow. “Do what?”
“Uh…” I swallow. “Glass with ice or straight from the can?”
“Glass,” he answers.
I set the cans on the counter, purposefully putting my back to him as I reach for the cabinet above my head.
Relax.
I set two glasses down and—
A hand grazes my shoulder from behind. Chills erupt down my spine and Drew steps closer. His touch wanders upward as he pushes my hair to the side and exposes my neck.
“Hey,” he whispers.
I shiver. “Hey…”
Drew kisses my neck. I close my eyes, feeling the gentle purse of his lips on my skin and his other hand inching around my hip. He kisses me again, this time even deeper as I instinctively lean back against his body and his hand slowly crawls toward my breast.
“Chips!” I blurt out.
He pauses. “Chips?”
“Uh…” I spin around to face him. “Did you… want some?”
“No,” he says, smiling with his eyes on my Jenna-approved cleavage.
He kisses me, and I feel it everywhere. My lips tingle and my toes curl in my shoes. My belly rumbles and my hairs stick up. An eager passion takes hold of m
e. I push onto the tips of my toes as I wrap my arms around his tall shoulders. He pulls me against him, holding me about an inch off the floor as he kisses me even deeper.
Our lips barely part as Drew guides us away from the counter. I hold on to his shoulders, feeling lightheaded and woozy, but his kiss is more than enough to keep me steady.
He releases me on the couch and I let him guide me onto my back.
Be open. Keep your back straight.
Wait, we skipped some steps here.
Uh…
Touch him.
I hesitate as Jenna’s voice echoes in my head. The movie plays on, filling the silence with comedic banter, but none of it is as loud as her berating me.
Touch him!
Drew hovers over me. He crushes his mouth on mine with one knee planted between my thighs. I rest my quivering hands on his sides and he lowers himself to lie on top of me.
He kisses my neck again. I tremble involuntarily as new pleasures tickle my skin. It sends shock waves down my spine, traveling all the way down my legs as his hand inches beneath my skirt.
I bite my quivering lip. My heart pounds against my ribs, thumping so loudly in my eardrums I can’t even hear the movie anymore. I melt beneath the warmth of his kiss tickling my neck. His breath, his tongue. His hand gently caresses my outer thigh, awakening sensations I’ve only ever felt when I was alone.
Drew drags his lips back to my mouth as he takes a breath. I meet him with parted lips, my tongue begging for just one taste of him. We kiss once. Twice. Again and again.
I part my legs. Drew shifts his body to settle between them. He looks at me like an animal begging for water or food, like he has to have me or else he’ll die. It scares me, but my body throbs even more. I listen to it; I submit to it. I let myself tug his shirt free from his belt. I drift my fingers beneath it to touch his warm skin. I let my innermost instincts take over as his breath quickens, and he kisses me even harder.
Drew rolls his hips, rubbing his erection against my inner thigh. I gasp with surprise. Passion grows in me, but so does fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of pain and embarrassment. Or possibly losing this spark we have...
