by Serena Grey
“I will.” My voice is low. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”
“Weekend, at the latest.” He pauses. “Why don’t you go to bed now, we’ll talk some other time.”
Later, after I’ve switched off the TV, I go to join Laurie in her room, sighing as she cuddles against me before I fall asleep.
THE NEXT day, I try to convince Laurie to call in sick, but she is adamant that she won’t. She leaves for work even before I shower, with her eyes dry, though slightly swollen from her crying.
The days that follow are more of the same. She cries herself to sleep at night while I try to comfort her. Landon calls me every night before I sleep, it becomes kind of a ritual. On Friday night, we get a delivery of chocolates and a bottle of red wine, with a DVD of a stand-up comedy show. It’s from Landon, and while we eat the chocolates and get buzzed on the wine, I’m glad to see Laurie laughing at the jokes about mundane things like work, traffic, movies and children.
On Saturday, my mother insists that we come to the house. Laurie’s parents will be there, as well as my brother, who is spending the weekend at home. I suspect that Aunt Jacie has told my mom about Laurie and Brett, and she thinks spending time with family will make Laurie less miserable.
Even though I’m worried that she might not want to go, seeing as only last weekend she was there with Brett, Laurie doesn’t argue when I tell her, instead she even seems excited at the prospect.
After the one-hour taxi ride to Huntington, we walk down the short drive to the front door of my parents’ two-story brick house. They’d moved away from the city as soon as Dylan started college, joining Uncle Trent and Aunt Jacie, who’d left earlier.
“There are two beautiful young ladies at the door,” My dad teases, when he opens the door for Laurie and me. “I think I recognize this one,” he says, kissing me on both cheeks after giving me a hug, “though I’m not sure what her name is.” He hugs Laurie too, “this one looks like Lauren, but she’s prettier than I remember.”
“Ha ha, Uncle Trent,” Laurie says, but she’s smiling.
He steps aside so we can enter. My dad is still fit. He’s tall, with graying hair, and gray eyes that always look amused.
“Everyone’s in the kitchen,” he tells us. “Apart from Dylan. He’s blowing things to pieces in his room.”
I’m not surprised. My brother plays computer games with zeal and passion. How he finds the time for his studies, I’ve never been able to deduce.
Inside the kitchen, Uncle Taylor is cooking, which is a relief, as he’s a much better cook than any of the other adults. He looks almost exactly like my dad, and telling them apart, for me, is more a matter of instinct than actual facial characteristics. He’s calmly preparing grilled sandwiches while my mother and Aunt Jacie slice vegetables for a salad.
“Look who’s here,” he exclaims when he sees us at the door. He leaves the kitchen island as we walk towards him. “Hello Tweedledee,” he kisses my cheek, “and Tweedledum,” he hugs Laurie, who leans into his embrace, looking for a moment as if she’s going to burst into tears.
Our moms are next. After a series of warm, perfumed hugs, and earnest ‘how are yous,’ Laurie escapes upstairs to my brother’s room, leaving me alone with the parents.
“How is she?” Aunt Jacie asks, her beautiful face a picture of concern.
“She’s still crying a lot.”
“You think it’s only temporary?” my mom asks.
“I don’t know. It’s lasted longer than any other fight.”
Uncle Taylor sighs. “I always liked Brett, but now I want to beat the shit out of him.”
Aunt Jacie pats his shoulder. “How’re you doing?” she asks me.
I shrug. “Okay. I’m going to check on Dylan too.”
My mother follows me out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. Her hair is piled high on her head with tendrils drifting down her face, and even in a plain cotton blouse and loose pants, she still doesn’t look her age. “When are you planning to tell me about your new boyfriend?”
I stop at the foot of the stairs. “Did someone tell you I have a boyfriend?”
She manages to look shamefaced. “Laurie may have mentioned that you’re still seeing that hotelier you went to San Francisco with.”
I sigh, wishing Laurie wasn’t in so much pain so I could beat her or something. “Mom, I’m not going to talk about it with you, not right now.” Not ever.
“But you’re seeing him?”
I purse my lips.
“Okay…” she holds up her palms. “I’m going. You shouldn’t underestimate the value of a mother’s advice,” she adds, turning back towards the kitchen, “especially when it comes to men.”
Upstairs, Dylan and Laurie are playing some game that involves a lot of shooting. I slump on Dylan’s bed. “Hey Doc.”
“Hey sis.” He barely looks up from his game. He’s the image of my Dad, tall and lanky, but with the green eyes we both took from my mom. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“You have to shoot down the helicopter,” Laurie says urgently.
“What?” I reply, puzzled.
“On it,” Dylan says simultaneously, and I hear the sound of electronic gunfire. I roll my eyes, relieved when my phone vibrates in my pocket.
I look at the screen, and anticipation fills my chest at the sight of Landon’s name. I slide to answer and hold the phone to my ear. “Hello hotness.”
“Hmm, hotness. I like that.”
His voice washes over me like warm velvet. I’ve missed him so much. Too much. “Are you back?”
“Just arrived. Where are you?”
“At my parents’.”
“Where is that?”
“I thought you knew everything about me,” I tease.
“It’s probably in a file somewhere,” he admits, “but you can tell me.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see you.”
I let out a slow breath. There’s an urgency in his simple statement that mirrors my own desire. “I’ll be back by evening.”
“I can’t wait that long,” he says. “I want to come over.”
“To my parents’?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
Of course! My mom would put two and two together and come up with wedding bells.
I shake my head. “I don’t think you want to meet my parents.”
“Why not?”
Because that’s not the kind of relationship we have! Because I won’t be able to deal with their questions when you leave me.
“Because they’re parents. My mom will probably start planning our wedding.”
He laughs. “Really? That sounds interesting.” I hear a series of beeps from his side. He’s probably searching some electronic device for my parents’ address among all the information his security team gathered on me. “Just tell them we’re friends,” he continues. “Tell them that I’m in the area, and I’m picking you up or something. I really want to see you.”
I sigh. “Fine.”
“I’m already on my way.”
I look at my phone, realizing the call is already disconnected. Laurie turns back to look at me. “Who was that?”
“It’s Landon.” I frown. “He wants to come here.”
Her brows go up. Then she smiles, no doubt thinking about my mom’s reaction. “Good luck,” she mouths at me, before turning back to the game.
“Who’s Landon?” Dylan says without turning around.
“Rachel’s booty call,” Laurie replies.
“Nooo.” He shudders exaggeratedly, “I didn’t need to know that.”
I pull myself off the bed and go back to the kitchen to find my mom. Lunch is starting to look good. “Well done, Uncle Taylor,” I tell my uncle before sidling up to my mom.
“Mom,” I start, dreading her reaction. “That guy Laurie told you about… he’s coming over.”
Aunt Jacie turns to me, “Your new boyfriend?”
&nbs
p; “He’s not my boyfriend,” I protest loudly, eliciting puzzled looks from both my dad and uncle.
“Laurie said he was.”
My mom gives me that ‘didn’t I tell you’ look, and I decide right then that I’m going to kill Laurie, or at least hide her favorite pair of shoes. “Well, he’s not my boyfriend, and he’s on his way, so please don’t refer to him as my boyfriend.”
“The lady doth protest too much,” my dad teases.
“Is he driving all the way from the city?” Uncle Taylor adds, “If so you may be wrong about the boyfriend part.”
“I think I’ll just go back home,” I exclaim. “I don’t trust you guys not to embarrass me when he gets here.”
Aunt Jacie grins. “If you care about that, then you like him more than you’re letting on.”
“Exactly,” my mom says, smoothing my hair. She pulls off the clip holding it in place before I can wiggle away. “That’s more like it,” she says, fluffing it out.
“This is where I disappear,” I announce theatrically, making for the door. “Tell Laurie and Dylan that I love them, and if they never see me again, they have you all to blame.” I leave the kitchen to the sound of their teasing laughter, reminding me of when I was a child. Smiling despite myself, I go to the living room and pick up a magazine to thumb through while I wait for Landon to arrive.
He does, about half an hour later. I’m thinking about him when the doorbell rings, and I know he’s the one even before I hurry into the hall to let him in.
He looks beautiful as always, sexy in a black leather jacket over a long-sleeved gray t-shirt. His hair is carefree and windblown, his blue eyes gleaming and focused on me. My heart tightens at the impact of looking at him alone. I’ve missed him, no argument.
“Your security guys obviously know what they’re doing,” I say lightly. “Did they unearth a copy of my birth certificate too?”
He grins, making me catch my breath. “I only hire people who know what they’re doing,” he says, pulling me into his arms and dropping a light kiss on my lips. He releases me just as my father walks into the hall.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Foster,” Landon says confidently. “I’m Landon Court.”
“Good afternoon.” My father comes towards us, giving Landon a measuring look, “Don’t just stand there. Come in.”
Landon steps past me and shakes the hand my dad holds out to him. I follow them inside the living room, where my mom and Aunt Jacie are waiting to pounce on him. I’m too embarrassed to listen to the questions they’re throwing at him, and after I hear, ‘so where did you two meet?’ I escape to the kitchen to join Uncle Taylor.
The table is already set. So I help to bring out the food, occasionally catching Landon’s eye from the living room as he charms my mom and aunt, making them giggle like teenagers. Even my dad seems impressed.
“I can’t imagine why you were so adamant about him not being your boyfriend,” Uncle Taylor comments when he sees Landon. “With a guy who looks like that, most girls would rather say the opposite.”
“I’m not most girls,” I reply, “and what’s the point of saying it if it’s not true?”
When it’s time, Laurie and Dylan join us. Landon says hi to Laurie without mentioning Brett, which she seems grateful for. During lunch, the conversation flows. Landon seems genuinely interested in everyone. Even Dylan, who never has anything to say to people he doesn’t know, soon starts talking with him about school and medicine.
I’m the only one who’s quiet, watching as Landon charms my family. I listen to him discuss Trent & Taylor with my dad and uncle, citing instances from a high street fashion brand he invested in. In the next breath he’s discussing painting with my mom, and speaking Italian with Aunt Jacie, who picked up the language when she was a teenage model in Italy. A desperate voice inside my head is screaming that I shouldn’t let this happen. I shouldn’t have let him come. It’s enough that I’m in love with him, I don’t want my family to fall for him too. They’ll only end up disappointed when Landon and I finally go our separate ways.
That’s really the problem, the knowledge that what we have is only temporary.
After we eat, we go to the backyard, and Dylan, Laurie, and Landon play hoops. Of course, Landon is good at that too.
“He’s very handsome,” Aunt Jacie comments. We’re sitting under a shade with my mom, who’s doodling in a sketchpad.
“He is,” I agree.
“And he seems very nice too.”
“Yes.”
She gives me a look. “You know, the last time you told us some guy was your boyfriend, he turned out not to be worthy of that title. This one seems like he might be. Just my opinion though.”
I put my head on the table. “Aunt Jacie…” I moan, “Some people have only two parents.”
She grins. “Then you should count yourself lucky.”
IT’S LATE in the afternoon by the time we’re ready to leave. Laurie decides to stay, though she’s not sure yet if she’ll go home with her parents, who live only a few minutes away, or stay up all night playing video games with Dylan.
After we say our goodbyes, I follow Landon to his car, the silver jaguar I’ve only seen him drive a couple of times. We’re both quiet as he pulls out of the gravel drive and onto the road, the only sound, that of the car engine purring beneath us like a jungle cat.
“Do you come home often?” he asks.
“About once a month. My mom’s very pushy.”
“Is she?” He seems surprised. “I thought she was sweet, and your aunt too.”
“Ha,” I say, but I’m smiling.
He returns my smile. “Are you eager to get back to the city?”
I give him a teasing look from under my lashes. “Why? Do you have plans for me?”
He nods. “Actually, I do.”
I’m staring at his profile, so when he turns he catches my eye. He gives me a sexy grin before turning back to the road. “My parents had a home in Sand’s Point. We split our childhood between there and the Hotel. I made a call while we were at your parents, so if you want to come see it, it will be ready for us.”
“Yeah, of course.” I’d love to see the home where he grew up.
In thirty minutes, we’re already there, cruising up the long drive to the front entrance of the two-story, Greek revival mansion.
As soon as we step out of the car, the front door opens and an elderly, gray-haired man walks out onto the front porch. Landon takes my hand and leads me up to the porch steps, grinning affectionately as he shakes the older man’s hand. “Good evening Wilson, sorry to disturb you at such short notice.”
“It’s your home, Landon,” the man says, with a smile that’s almost fatherly, “and we’re always happy to see you.”
“This is Rachel.” Landon turns to me. “Rachel this is Wilson Hayes. He used to run the Swanson Court Hotel in New York, and he’s been the caretaker here since my father passed away.”
Wilson smiles at me. “Welcome Miss Foster. It’s great to see a new face at Windbreakers.” He holds open the door and lets us into a large hallway, while I’m still trying to digest the fact that the house has a name. Inside, I pause to admire the perfectly maintained vision of shiny marble floors, elegant curved grand staircase, and a molded ceiling from which a classic crystal chandelier is hanging.
“I took the liberty of ordering dinner from town,” Wilson tells Landon.
Landon nods. “Thanks. We’ll eat upstairs at eight. How’s Betsy?”
“My wife is coping with me as best she can,” Wilson replies, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Landon chuckles and starts in the direction of the stairs. He leads me upstairs, through another hallway into a suite at the end of the hall. From the window of the exquisitely furnished sitting room, I can see the beautifully manicured lawns, and beyond that, the beach and the waters of the Long Island Sound.
I lean my head against the glass. “The view is lovely.”
“I agree.”
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nbsp; Something in his voice makes me turn around. His eyes are on my body, and he raises them to mine, his expression unrepentantly and blatantly sexual.
“Come,” he says, holding out a hand to me. “I want to show you the bedroom.”
Warm lust pools in my belly. “You’re supposed to show me around the house,” I say, even as I walk towards him on legs that suddenly feel rubbery. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
“I’m not very polite,” he says, leading me towards the bedroom. “What I am is very aroused.” He closes the door as soon as we’re in the room, then gently pushes me back to lean on the door, he drops gracefully onto his knees, pulling my dress up simultaneously. His hands cup my butt, then his fingers link under the waistband of my panties and pull them down, just enough so that he can cover the lips of my sex with his tongue.
My legs go weak. If not for his hands holding me up, I would fall. His tongue slips between my folds, hungry and teasing, searching and finding the most sensitive places to drive me completely crazy.
I’m moaning softly, my hands pressed back against the door. Even as he licks and sucks me, he slides my panties further down, freeing my legs so he can lift one of them onto his shoulder, opening me up to the pleasurable assault of his tongue.
My body is shaking, losing control. My weak moans fill the room, and yet he doesn’t stop. He licks my outer lips, then sucks on my clit, deftly plunging his tongue inside me again and again until I cry out, coming apart as my body surrenders to the pleasure.
I’m still shaking when he lets my leg drop to the ground and rises to his feet. “Tell me that wasn’t better than showing you around the house.”
“What house?” I pull his face down towards mine, sliding my lips over his. I can taste myself on his lips, and it makes me so hot. I slide down to my knees and start to unbutton his fly, hurriedly undoing his zipper and pulling down his pants and briefs.
His cock springs free, already erect. I take the rock-hard length in my hands, and his low growl of arousal sets me on fire. I look up at him. His head is thrown back, his eyes closed. Wetting my lips, I take the head of his cock in my mouth, slowly licking around it before sucking in the rest of him, until I can feel him tickling the back of my throat.
