The Real Fling

by R. Silver

  "Sam, I have to go to a dinner meeting tonight. My nanny is sick. Can you watch the boys?" I could hear the clank of dishes and water running. Multitasking Grace was probably washing dishes, answering e-mails and calling me at the same time. "I can drop the boys off at your place and then pick them up after the meeting."

  I knew I had to say yes. Grace had bailed me out when I didn't make it to our family dinner. I really had wanted to see Trevor. I sighed. Family obligations would have to trump Trevor tonight. "Sure. No problem, I do owe you for getting me out of dinner the other night."

  "Ha! Not really," laughed Grace. "I heard Mom came over and dragged the truth out of you. She has been plotting with Auntie Chu all week to set you up. Did you really have a date?" Three years my senior, Grace was always the good daughter. She and her husband, Derrick, were informally introduced by a mutual friend of our mother and Derrick's mother. After six months of dating, they were engaged and then married. Now, Derrick and Grace worked in the family business and had two gorgeous little boys - the Chinese-American mother's happily ever after story.

  "Grace, don't judge me." I snapped at her feeling defensive.

  I heard Grace giggle. "Sweetie, I am just curious. I think it is great. Don't let Mom bully you. If you have met a nice guy on your own, enjoy it. We do live in America where most people choose their own dates." I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the caller ID to be sure I was speaking to perfect Grace. "Sam, we all just want you to be happy. As misguided as she seems, Mom is trying to help you. Have to go. I'll drop the boys off at six. Love ya."

  When I arrived at my apartment, I threw the shopping bag and my other things on the floor and called Trevor. "Trevor Morgan, here." His voice was low and gravelly. I wondered where he was - his studio, a location in the city. I could hear Maroon 5 pounding in the background.

  "Hey, I hope I am not interrupting. I hate to do this to you but I have to babysit my nephews tonight. My sister, Grace, is dropping them at my place." I twirled my hair nervously. Would something as silly as a change of plans turn him off? I am such a ninny. It is what it is.

  I heard Trevor speaking to someone else. "Let's wrap it up. Thank you everyone. Okay, Samantha? Did you say you have to babysit?" I imagined him with his half-smile. "That's cool. I'll bring over pizza. Kids like pizza, right? I think this falls in the dating activity category. It clearly is not fling material. I can be there by 6:30. See you then, babe."

  Grace, Derrick and their boys, Jonah and Jimmy, were at my door at exactly six. Jimmy and Jonah ran in, dropped their bag of toys on the floor and immediately turned on the television. "Sam, we should be finished by nine. If you wouldn't mind, put their pajamas on and have them brush their teeth. All their things are in the bag. If they fall asleep, no big deal. Derrick and I can carry them down to the car. Call me on my cell, if there are any questions." Grace was checking her makeup in my foyer mirror while listing her usual admonitions to her boys. Jimmy and Jonah were watching a Transformers DVD so I doubted they heard her.

  "Honey, you look great. The boys will be fine. Thanks, Sam." Derrick guided Grace out of the apartment. My brother-in-law always seemed so calm. He was a good balance to my sister's frenetic energy. More than once, I had envied Grace and her luck with marriage.

  Jimmy and Jonah were discussing the merits of their favorite superheroes. While they were occupied, I placed my recent purchases in the bathroom. Feeling ambitious, I even threw a load of laundry in to wash. I straightened out my rumpled sheets and comforter. Lifting a pillow, I breathed in Trevor's smell. Just his scent made me heady with desire. "Auntie Sam, are you going to bed, already?" Jonah was standing in the doorway. "Mommy said you were making us dinner."

  I dropped the pillow and shook the image of Trevor from my mind. "Of course, I am not going to bed. Guess what we are having? Pizza!" Jonah jumped up and down and tore down the hall. Then, both Jimmy and Jonah were hopping like jumping beans chanting "Pizza, pizza!" Over all the noise, I barely heard the door knock.

  When I opened the door, Trevor had pizza boxes in hand and a duffle slung over his shoulder. His cheeks were reddened from the cold and he had a faint shadow of stubble over his chin. "It appears my reputation precedes me. I could hear the mob's cry for pizza from the elevator." Trevor leaned into me and gave me a peck on the cheek and strolled into the apartment.

  Jimmy and Jonah stopped chanting when they saw Trevor. "Auntie Sam, are you friends with the pizza man?" Jimmy looked at Trevor with a questioning glance. "Our pizza man doesn't come inside the house. Do you pay him extra?"

  Trevor placed the pizza boxes down on the coffee table and crouched down to look the three and four year old boys in the eye. Extending a hand, he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Trevor and I'm your Aunt Samantha's friend. You guys like ice cream? Because I brought vanilla and chocolate."

  With that, the boys resumed their jumping but the chant had now changed to "Ice cream, ice cream." Shaking my head, I took the food into the kitchen. Trevor followed me. "So, do you pay extra for home delivery?" Trevor arched his brow at me. As I put pizza slices on plates for the children, Trevor placed one hand on each side of me, blocking me into the counter. I felt him breathing into my ear and my backside grazed his groin. A gasp escaped me as I felt his erection rub against me. Who knew babysitting could be so stimulating?

  Jimmy and Jonah devoured the pizza and moved on quickly to the ice cream. Ever curious, the boys bombarded Trevor with questions. It made me smile to see how comfortable Trevor was with the children. As the boys interrogated him, I realized how little I knew about Trevor.

  "Mr. Trevor, when is your birthday," asked Jonah with a mouthful of ice cream.

  "March twenty-first," answered Trevor as he polished off a scoop of vanilla.

  "Guess what, Mr. Trevor. That means I am older than you," Jimmy declared self-importantly. "'Cause my birthday is March eighteenth and eighteen comes before twenty one.” Jonah nodded in agreement.

  I was laughing at my nephew's kid logic. "But, Auntie Sam is the most oldest," announced Jonah. "I know because Grandma said that Auntie Sam was an old maid." My laughter turned to an exasperated groan. Trevor nearly spit his soda out and started laughing so hard that I had to bang on his back.

  "It wasn't that funny," I grumbled. "Boys, time for a bath and PJs. I promised your mom. Mr. Trevor will be happy to clean up your plates." I tossed Trevor a glare. I could still hear him laughing as I led the boys to the bathroom. Baths finished, pajamas on and teeth brushed, I herded the boys back to the living room. Trevor and I spread a blanket on the floor and the boys settled in to watch another DVD.

  Trevor sat on the sofa and pulled me close to him, tucking my head on his shoulder. "I am getting that cuddling item on the list completed." His voice rumbled his chest and I snuggled in closer. "By the way, I wouldn't call you an old maid, yet." I snapped my head up to glare at him, only to be met by his grey eyes twinkling. His arms gripped me tighter and he bent his head to kiss me.

  "Ewww. That is so gross." Both of the boys were no longer watching the TV but were watching us. "At least they have clothes on. One time we saw Mommy and Daddy doing that but they were naked," chimed Jimmy.

  Now it was my turn to say ewwww. Trevor snickered and gave me another quick kiss amid Jonah and Jimmy's protests. The DVD didn't hold my nephews interest so I pulled out Chutes and Ladders. Jimmy and Jonah fought over who would teach Mr. Trevor how to play although I wasn't sure who was teaching who since Trevor told them they should bet money to make it more interesting.

  I heard Trevor's phone ring. He looked at the caller ID and quickly rose to take the call in the kitchen. While the boys and I continued to play, I could hear Trevor talking quietly. He strode into the living room and grabbed his duffle bag. Running his hand through his hair, his expression was grim and his mouth was in a tight line. "Samantha, I have to go. Something has come up. I am really sorry. I'll call you tomorrow."

  As I walked him to the door, I wondered if he would elabora
te. Placing a hand on his shoulder, I opened my mouth to ask. The closed look in his eyes made me stop. Attempting a light tone, I smiled. "Thanks for the pizza and hanging out with my nephews. They have a new hero." His smile was tight but he still gave me a quick kiss. Then, he was gone.

  Chapter 13

  Trevor exited the elevator and walked directly to the nurse station. The night clerk looked up and her eyes widened with pleasure. A gorgeous man coming to the fifth floor might make this shift pass a little bit quicker. "Penny Morgan's room? I am her son." Trevor's fingers tapped a nervous cadence on the counter top.

  "Oh yes, she is in room 506. Did you say your name was Trevor? I'm Bonnie,” the clerk looked up from her computer screen to flash Trevor her best smile. She was disappointed since Trevor was already taking quick strides down the hallway.

  The private room had only a soft light on over the headboard. Trevor could see his mother's small shape under the covers and a large cast on her left leg with the entire limb elevated. Penny turned her head and tried to push herself up when she saw Trevor in the door.

  "Trevor, I am so glad you are here," whispered Penny. "I don't know how I got into such a mess. They say my leg is broken in three places." She fell back on her pillows.

  Pulling a chair up to the bedside, Trevor sat heavily on the seat. "Are you in a lot of pain?" his eyes were dark with worry mixed with anger. "Well, let me get you up to speed. You snuck out of your apartment and got hammered at a pub down the street from your house. Then, you fell off of a bar stool and broke your leg. Does any of this sound familiar?" Trevor leaned back and crossed his arms.

  Sobbing into the back of her hand, Penny turned towards her son. "I am so sorry. I truly don't remember. Oh, what am I going to do?" Trevor held his head in his hands and stared at the linoleum floor. He silently willed his mother to answer her own question. Penny continued to cry silently.

  "Penny, do you remember our meeting with Dr. Bergman?" Trevor kept his gaze on the floor to steel his resolve. "What did you promise if you started drinking again? Tell me. Say it. Don't make me be the one to tell you so that it becomes my decision."

  The crying stopped. Penny turned her gaze listlessly to her son - her beautiful and strong son who had been the best thing that she had ever had a part of creating. How many times had she let him down, disappointed him and broken promises to him? She loved him so much, maybe too much. "Trevor, I remember. I will go to an inpatient center. I need to go to rehab for my drinking. Will you help me?"

  Trevor lifted his head wearily and searched his mother's face. "Yes, I'll help you, Penny." She began sobbing again and he held her close letting her tears soak into his shirt. After a few more minutes when her sniffling slowed, Trevor gently let her go, rose and left without another glance or word.

  The hum of the Navigator's tires was the only sound in the car. Trevor glanced at his watch; it was midnight. Was it too late to call Samantha? He ached to hear her voice. Maybe her gentle voice would fill this gaping void in his chest. Please answer the phone, Samantha.

  "Hmmm, Hello?" Samantha's voice was fuzzy with sleep. Trevor could hear her fumbling with the phone.

  "Hi, it's me. Sorry about tonight. I, I just wanted to hear your voice," Trevor murmured in the phone almost afraid to speak too loudly and fully wake her. "Can I stop by or is it too late?" He looked out the window at Samantha's building and could see that her apartment was dark.

  Samantha cleared her voice. "Are you okay? I mean, sure, it's okay for you to come over."

  Trevor sighed in relief. "Great because I am just outside your building. I'll be right up."

  Samantha opened the door at the first knock. Her tousled hair was loose and her petite frame was hidden in a T-shirt with Julliard emblazoned across the front. Trevor stepped in and pulled her into his chest nuzzling her neck and breathing in the jasmine scent of her body. "Trevor, what's the matter?" Samantha whispered in his ear as her hands ran through his hair.

  "I just need to be with you, to hold you, please." His grey eyes were deep unfathomable pools. Samantha simply nodded and Trevor scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He gently placed her in the bed and stripped to his boxers. Samantha kept watching him with careful eyes as he climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her waist. With his chest against her back and his legs tangled with hers, Trevor closed his eyes. Samantha heard his breathing slow and his grasp relax as he fell asleep. She placed her smaller hands over his large ones and then, slowly, let herself drift back to sleep in Trevor's arms.

  Chapter 14

  I searched around in my bag for the romance novel I had bought in the airport gift shop. As I settled into my seat and checked my seat belt, Trevor was typing away on his laptop. A week earlier, Trevor mentioned in passing that he had a meeting in Las Vegas. At the time, I wasn't sure why he told me since he only shared little bits and pieces of his work life with me. Then, the day before, he tossed out over breakfast, "So, our flight is at nine in the morning tomorrow, Chip will pick you up at seven."

  "What?" I had sputtered out. "I didn't know I was going to Vegas, too." I grabbed a napkin to wipe up my coffee that I had spilled in my surprise.

  Trevor furrowed his brow at me, "I thought I told you last week. Anyway, I'll have a bunch of meetings the first day but the evenings are ours. You'll love Vegas." He continued to scan the news on his laptop and munch on his bagel.

  Starting to feel exasperated, I pushed his laptop closed. "You didn't specifically say that I was invited when you told me you were going to Las Vegas." I threw my hands up. "I haven't packed and what if I had something to do this weekend?"

  "Hmmm, good point." Trevor was resting his cheek on his hand propped up on his elbow. He didn't seem ruffled or affected by my agitation. "So, do you have anything going on? You have all day to pack today. It's Vegas, Babe. You can wear whatever you want and we can buy anything you need there."

  My need for control made me irritated that Trevor seemed so flippant about the whole thing. I entered every appointment and item meticulously in my Google calendar. I had my hair appointments, sessions with Victor, luncheon dates with Claire color coded and scheduled as far in advance as possible. No, I didn't have anything scheduled but the spontaneity of this trip had thrown my universe off axis - just a little.

  Trevor stood and lifted me to standing. He wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled his beautiful smile at me. "Don't be mad, Samantha. I just wanted us to go away together, no distractions, just us. I don't want us to be away from each other for a whole weekend." I felt my body melt into his and my annoyance float away. I had shooed him out of the apartment after my minor fit. The list of things that I wanted to finish before we went on our first trip together was getting longer by the minute.

  As the plane lifted for takeoff and I watched the ground fall away from us, I began to feel excitement bubble through me. I opened my book and smiled to myself. Trevor leaned into me, his crisp dress shirt rubbing against my bare arm. "What has you so fascinated?" He started reading over my shoulder.

  I quickly shut the book, trying to hide the cover from his curious eyes. "It's just something to pass the time during the flight. Don't you have something of your own to read?" It was embarrassing to have Trevor discover my guilty pleasure of reading romance novels.

  Shaking his head no, he grabbed the book from my hands before I could stop him. "My god, look at this cover. The man is practically mauling this woman." He opened the book to a random page and began reading out loud. "Resist as she might, Esmerelda could not push Reynaldo off of her. He ravaged her heaving bosom and groaned as his manhood strained against his breeches." Trevor slammed the book shut and threw his head back laughing. The woman across the aisle glared at us.

  "Trevor, stop it," I whispered to him. "The lady across from us is annoyed and this is so embarrassing." I felt my face flush while I glanced over the aisle to see if the woman looked mad.

  Wiping his eyes, Trevor grinned at me mischievously. "Are you reading t
his stuff to get ideas? Let me know if you find something we haven't tried yet because I am all about educating myself. I draw the line at wearing breeches although I am not entirely opposed to playing dress-up." He waggled his brows at me.

  The airline attendant announced that electronic devices were permitted. Trevor returned my book to me and planted a kiss on my forehead. With that, he pulled out his laptop and began typing away. The flight passed quickly and soon we were in a limo on our way to The Encore Hotel.

  While I had traveled to various places, I had never visited Las Vegas. I harbored a presupposed notion that Sin City was tacky with garish buildings and imitation landmarks. I hardly seemed the sophisticated New Yorker as I gawked at the mammoth resorts lining the Las Vegas strip. I nearly squealed with glee when I saw The New York New York Casino and Resort with the roller coaster carrying screaming passengers on top of the building.

  When we arrived at The Encore, we were whisked inside by the bellman, checked in efficiently by the concierge host and then zoomed up to our suite. The elevator hummed and my ears popped as we sped to the top. Trevor was dressed for his meeting and I stole a glance at him. Usually he had jeans and a sweater on looking casually dashing but with his expensive tailored suit and tie, he was dangerously sexy.

  The bellman swept the door open to our suite. A breathtaking view of distant mountains offset by a clear blue sky greeted us through the enormous windows. The marble foyer gave way to plush carpeting in the living room. The bedroom boasted a bed piled with delectable creamy white pillows and the bathroom displayed the largest tub I had ever seen. I opened every drawer and cabinet and pushed every button testing the automatic light controls and blinds. Truly, this was over the top luxury.

  Once the door closed behind the bellman, I threw myself in the bed just to sink myself into the decadent pillows. “Looks like you’re glad to be here.” The edge of the bed sank as Trevor sat next to me. I looked up into his grey-green eyes and smiled.