Then I stood up from my desk. It was almost noon, so I decided to duck out of the office before one of my coworkers invited me to go somewhere for lunch. I grabbed my purse and my car keys and headed down the hallway, making my way out to the parking lot.
My mom didn’t even need to tell me which sushi place she wanted to meet me at. I already knew. There was a small sushi restaurant just a mile from where I worked. We used to go there every week when I was in high school.
I hopped in my car and made the short drive over there. When I pulled up, I saw my mom’s car already in the parking lot. I parked in the open spot next to her car and got out, excited for the opportunity to take my mind off of Steven for a little while.
After stepping out of the car and checking out my hair in the reflection of the window, I made my way toward the front door of the restaurant. As soon as I opened the glass door, a hostess greeted me.
“Lunch for one?” she asked.
I smiled and shook my head.
“No, I’m actually meeting someone here,” I responded.
The young hostess smiled and then said, “No problem. The seating is behind me and if whoever you’re meeting isn’t there, you can check the bar or our outdoor patio.”
I smiled in return and then said, “Thank you very much,” as I stepped past her.
It was nice outside that day, and if I knew my mom, she would have picked a table outside on the patio. She wasn’t one to waste an afternoon of warm sunshine. So I stepped through the restaurant, looking through the large glass windows that stood between the patio and myself. Immediately, I saw my mother, who was holding up a menu in front of her face.
“Ah, there she is,” I said, quietly.
I took a few more steps and then my head cocked to the side immediately, as my eyes landed upon a man who I had never seen before. He was seated directly across from my mom.
Who’s that?
It was strange to see my mom at the restaurant with someone else. That particular sushi place was our secret spot and we never invited anybody else along.
I shrugged my shoulders, assuming it must have been someone whom she worked with. Then I stepped out onto the patio. My mom set her menu down as soon as she noticed me.
“There’s my girl!” she called out, louder than necessary.
I blushed immediately, just like I always did when my mom put the spotlight on me in front of a bunch of strangers. I walked across the patio, to where my mom and the man were seated.
“How are you, sweetie?” my mom asked, as she stood up from her chair and pulled me in for a hug.
“I’m good, Mom,” I said. “How are you?”
My mom pulled away from our hug, her smile suspiciously wider than usual.
“I’m just fine,” she said. “Honey, I’d like you to meet Allen.”
The man who was seated at the table was in the middle of taking a drink of water when my mom said his name, calling his attention to us. He turned toward me and then stood up from his chair, holding out his hand for a handshake.
“Hi there,” he said. “Kelsey, is it?”
I nodded my head as I shook his hand and then looked back at my mom. She just smiled, though, and motioned for me to sit down. I took a seat at the side of the table, situated between my mom and Allen. He looked to be about my age, maybe a little bit older. He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white collared shirt underneath. His blonde hair fell loosely across his forehead and he had an awkward smile on his face. It appeared as though he was nervous to be there or something.
“So...” I said, trying to kill the silence that had fallen around us. “Do you guys work together or something?”
I looked to my mom, who was nodding eagerly with her typical excitement.
“Yes, honey,” she said. “We do work together. Allen just got hired on the other day. I thought it would be good for him to get out of the office and go to lunch. Plus, I also thought it would be nice for you two to meet.”
I glared at my mom, suddenly figuring out exactly why Allen was there. She was trying to hook me up with him.
“Mom,” I said, under my breath. “You know I’m not trying to date anyone right now. I’m so busy with work.”
It wasn’t true, but she didn’t know about Steven and I, and lunch with her new work colleague didn’t seem like the right time to tell her about it either.
My mom looked at me with disappointment on her face. I then turned to Allen, placing my hand on his forearm.
“It’s nothing against you,” I said. “Just not sure I want to date someone at the moment.”
My mom leaned forward on the table, looking me in the eyes. I could feel her stare cut right through me.
“Can you give us a second, Allen?” my mom asked, without ever taking her eyes off of me.
Uh oh.
Allen responded, “Sure, no problem.”
Then he stood up from his chair and walked away. I felt bad for him, being put in an awkward situation like that. But I didn’t want to date him. I had a man at home, who loved me unlike any other man could. He just happened to be my secret lover...and my stepbrother.
“Don’t be rude, Kelsey,” my mom snapped, as soon as Allen was out of earshot.
I placed my hands on my hips in a defensive manner as I turned to face her.
“Mom, why didn’t you tell me what you were up to?” I asked. “You just said that you wanted to get lunch. You didn’t say a word about trying to hook me up with one of your work buddies.”
My mom shook her head, clearly annoyed with me.
“I was trying to do you a favor, Kelsey,” she said. “You never do anything besides work and I haven’t seen you go out on a date in a long time.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“So what?” I asked. “Maybe I don’t want to.”
If only my mother knew just how completely satisfied I felt in my current relationship with her husband’s son.
Mom kept her eyes locked on mine.
“Give me one legitimate reason,” she said.
Dammit. I’m not good under pressure.
I shifted in my seat, trying to think of a good excuse not to go out on a date with Allen.
“Um..well...” I said, trying to buy myself some time.
My mom laughed, as she slowly shook her head from side to side.
“That’s what I thought,” she responded. “So it’s settled then. You’ll let Allen take you out on one date. If you don’t like it, then I won’t make you go on another. And since you clearly don’t have any legitimate reasons not to, you’re going to do it whether you want to or not. I’m not going to let you be rude to Allen.”
I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair. I wanted so badly to just spill my guts to her, exposing everything that was going on between Steven and I. I was really starting to see how keeping it a secret was hurting things. But I couldn’t tell her. Not yet. It was too soon and I wanted to make sure that both Steven and I were one hundred percent on board with the idea before I opened my big mouth.
So I sighed and shook my head.
“Fine,” I said. “One date with Allen.”
My mom’s glare immediately lightened up and the smile returned to her face.
“Good,” she said. “You won’t regret it. Allen is a really nice guy.”
I stared straight. I was so mad that I didn’t even want to make eye contact with her. I mean I knew that she was trying to set me up with my best interest in mind, but it drove me bonkers that she couldn’t have at least given me some warning.
We sat there in silence for just a few more seconds, before Allen strolled back up to the table.
“Do you guys need more time?” she asked.
I glanced over at him and shook my head.
“No, we’re good,” I said.
Then I sighed, as I brought my gaze to my mother. I knew exactly what she was thinking and exactly what I needed to say in order to make her happy. So as Allen took his seat once again, I turned to him.
&nb
sp; “You know, I thought about it some more and I think it would be okay if we went a date sometime,” I said. “I was thinking something more casual, though.”
Allen’s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly.
“Okay!” he said. “Let’s go this weekend. We can get dinner.”
I attempted a smile and then nodded slowly.
“Yeah, that should work for me,” I responded, forcing myself to sound excited about it.
We then dropped the subject and ordered up some sushi. The rest of the talk around the table finally lightened up. It actually wasn’t too bad. It was an afternoon filled with sunshine, sushi and a glass of wine. All in all, it was a decent lunch. However, I still had a hard time getting over the fact that my mother had somehow conned me into going on a date with a man who I wasn’t even interested in. Everything I needed was already at home, in the bedroom down the hall from mine.
Chapter 12
When I finally got home from work that night, I saw Steven’s car in the driveway. Normally, I would have been so excited to see that. It would mean that I would get to have dinner with him. It also would mean that he and I would get to enjoy some alone time later on that night if our parents decided to go to bed early.
But this time it was different. I felt guilty about agreeing to go on a date with Allen and as I stepped through the front door, I began to actually feel nervous about telling Steven about it.
As I closed the door behind me and hung up my purse, I paused for a moment. A strange, yet familiar sound was coming from the living room. It had been years since I had heard it and a smile slowly crossed my face as I walked up the three steps that led to the main area of the house.
“The piano? Who’s playing the piano?” I whispered to myself. “I haven’t heard anyone pound those keys in years.”
The music that was coming out of it was beautiful. The song sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The notes carried throughout the house, filling my soul in an indescribable way.
I had to see who was playing this amazing music. Neither my mother nor myself had any musical talent to speak of, besides the occasional need to play some silly kid’s song on the piano. But we couldn’t play anything like the music that was coming out of the living room at that moment.
I stood there for another few seconds, just enjoying the sound. Then I walked the rest of the way down the hallway and into the living room, turning my attention toward the large, black piano that was in the corner of the room. As soon as I did, I stopped in my tracks and I’m pretty sure that my jaw hit the floor.
Steven?
He was facing away from me, sitting on the bench in front of the piano, his hands moving swiftly up and down the keys, hitting each note perfectly. His head moved back and forth slightly, in rhythm with the tune that he was creating. It looked as though it was second nature to him.
I had no idea...
I didn’t even know what kind of music Steven liked, let alone that he was a musician. I couldn’t have been more shocked, or more attracted to him in that moment, if I had tried. The more I learned about Steven, the more I fell in love with him.
Steven was so into the music that he didn’t even notice me standing behind him. I tiptoed to the couch that was located on the opposite side of the room and took a seat. I let the music fill my ears, each note causing me to shake my head in awe. He was so good.
Wow...
The sound of the piano increased in volume as Steven banged away on the keys even harder. The music intensified and I closed my eyes, creatively imagining a story in my mind to go along with the music.
Of course, the first thing that flashed into my mind was an image of Steven from the night before. I thought about his naked body pressed against mine, and how his powerful chest and abs felt underneath my fingertips.
The music coming from the piano picked up volume, as Steven continued along the powerful crescendo. A smile crossed my face as I leaned my head back, the image of Steven diving between my thighs to eat me out flashing into my mind.
As the music built up, I imagined what it would have felt like had Steven and I actually been able to finish having sex that night. I thought about his thick shaft, entering me fully and sensually, his deep thrusts satisfying the desperate throbbing in my crotch.
The music that Steven was creating got louder and louder and the thoughts going through my mind continued to become explicit. With each strike of the piano keys, I imagined Steven bucking his hips forward, plunging his shaft into me.
The image was so vivid, that I felt myself begin to get turned on almost immediately. But as quick as the crescendo had risen, Steven slowed his playing down, the volume quickly dropping. It was clear that the song was coming to an end.
I opened my eyes and watched as Steven played the final note, letting the sound linger on. Within a few seconds, the room was silent. Steven took a long, deep breath. Then he turned around on the bench and began to stand up. As soon as he laid his eyes on me, I watched his face turn bright red.
“Jesus, Kasey,” he said. “I didn’t know you were there! How long have you been listening?”
The smile on my face was huge. I couldn’t help it. The man that I had already grown to love had just accidentally shown me a side of himself that I didn’t know about.
“I only heard the last few minutes,” I said. “I didn’t know you could play the piano, Steven! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Steven’s face was still red, as he took a seat back on the bench in front of the piano. He shrugged his shoulders and the boyish smile that I had grown to love finally returned to his face.
“I’m not that good,” he said. “I don’t ever play in front of anyone. And I mean ever.”
I shook my head, unable to fully comprehend what he was saying.
“You don’t think you’re good?” I asked, my eyes widening with shock. “Do you want me to show you what I can play? It may make you feel a little different about your own skills.”
Steven leaned his head back and began to laugh. Then he nodded his head.
“Yes,” he said. “Come sit next to me. Since you just heard me play, I get to hear you now.”
I hopped up from the couch and interlocked my fingers, holding them above my head, as if to stretch them out. Then I cracked my knuckles as I walked toward the piano.
Steven was still facing me, so I leaned down, giving him a peck on the lips. Then I took a seat next to him on the bench, placing my fingers over the black and white keys.
“Okay, Steven,” I said. “Close your eyes and prepare to be blown away.”
Steven scooted next to me, a wide smile on his face as he closed his eyes.
“This is a little number that is very nostalgic to me,” I said. “It has all of the elements of a great piece of music. It’s dark, yet hopeful. It’s sad, yet inspiring.”
I could hardly hold back my laughter as I spoke.
“Are you ready, Steven?” I asked.
Steven chuckled and nodded his head.
“I think so,” he responded. “But I’m not entirely sure...”
I took a deep breath, letting the quiet of the room add to the anticipation. Then, with a fury in my fingers, I began playing the loudest and most ridiculous version of Hot Cross Buns that has ever been played before. I pounded those keys like my life depended on it, making sure each note was hit perfectly loud, its noise shattering the silence and echoing throughout the house. Halfway through, I started laughing, which completely screwed up the tempo. After a moment, I let the song grind to a halt, ending on a note that sounded awful, but only helped to accentuate the fact that I sucked at playing the piano.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked, trying to keep a straight face.
Steven opened his eyes and then started laughing. His smile was wide as he chuckled, putting his arm around me and pulling me close.
“You know, I think that may be the best piece of music I’ve ever heard,” he said, jokingly. “I f
eel like I’ll never be the same again after hearing that.”
I leaned my head onto his shoulder, laughing with him. Then I wrapped an arm around his waist, holding him affectionately.
“I missed you today,” I said, after our laughter died down.
Steven kissed the top of my head and then responded, “I missed you too. I didn’t want to be at work. I just wanted to be home with you.”
I closed my eyes, just relaxing in the moment. It felt so good to be sitting next to him after a long day at the office. So good, in fact, that for a moment, I had completely forgotten that I needed to tell him about this ridiculous date that my mom had set me up on.
Dammit. I don’t even want to bring this up, but I know I have to.
I opened my mouth to tell him, but as soon as I did, Steven said, “My dad took your mom to his work party tonight. We have the house to ourselves again, for the time being anyway.”
I looked up at him and a flirtatious smile crossed my face.
“Oh yeah?” I asked, as I gently bit my bottom lip.
Steven nodded in response, his seductive blue eyes locked with mine.
“Come on,” he said, as he stood up from the bench. “Let’s go to my room.”
As he spoke, he bent over, slipping one arm underneath my knees and the other on my lower back. Then in one swift movement, he lifted me off of the bench, cradling me with his powerful arms.
I laughed as he picked me up and started walking quickly across the living room. He was in a great mood and the smile on his face was contagious.
“You’re coming with me, little lady,” he said, in a fake western accent. “Folks around here don’t take kindly to strange ladies wearing skirt suits.”
I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, holding onto him as he carried me.
“Do you think you’re the sheriff in this town or something?” I asked.
Steven nodded his head.
“That’s right, little lady,” he responded. “And you’re coming with me.”
Steven then began marching up the stairs. He was so strong that he had no problem whatsoever carrying me. I felt tiny in his muscular arms.
“Don’t drop me, sheriff,” I said, sarcastically.
Steven: A Billionaire Stepbrother Romance Novel Page 7
