Brotherhood In Blood

by J. E Hanson

  “Are you ready to workout, love?” Brannon asks me, after I finish my last bite.

  I rapidly nod my head yes, and the brothers escort me back to the pool. I’m so appreciative that they allow me to keep a shirt over my bathing suit. The brothers continue with their torture session.

  ~~~***~~~

  On the subsequent day, it feels uncanny to operate the elevator on my own. The hallway remains quiet and empty. I trudge my way through the hallway, to end my journey inside the dining hall without losing my way once. My first meal of the day hits my stomach in record time. The Hayes brothers meet me there on time. They replace their chalices with coordinating cobalt and charcoal mugs. I work out in the gym for the first part of the day. For the second half of the day, they escort me back to the pool.

  I notice that Christian and Charlie are already sitting there by the pool. They hunker at a table with their laptops in front of them. I still think it is extremely unusual, to have your laptops that close to the water. Observing Christian only creates a harder workout for the entire day. He peeks over in my direction a few times. I believe my imagination is taunting with me, but I swear he’s smiling in my direction.

  The opening week of July ends suddenly. Brannon and Brennan keep tag teaming together, to train me, and they instruct me collectively. A very loud screech agitates the windows. My weight plummets to a hundred and ninety pounds. I drop more weight than what I could ever imagine.

  “You will hit a bloody wall sooner or later,” Brannan continues to warn me, “don’t get discouraged, if you don’t have any of these dramatic weight losses.”

  Brannon smiles and he pats my head. “I believe you will be fine for a while, love. It is when you lose additional weight, before that occurs. All of us are constantly shifting your routine to maintain your weight loss, love.”

  ~~~***~~~

  I observe that the date, now states July the fifteenth. My nerves are building, knowing that my birthday will be here in less than a month. They grant me permission to step outside for the first time. Brannon escorts me outside. The sun will come out at any time—or so I thought. My back automatically hunches over from the sky. I appear as a hideous hunchbacked beast. Brannon covers his face with his hand, and he’s still trying to persuade me.

  “I swear there’s no sun here, Jeannie! I have been here for quite a while. The sun occasionally peeks through the clouds, but we never have full sun out here. You will remain okay, love.” Brannon tries to grab my elbow, but I refuse to budge.

  The fear of burning remains fresh in my memory. That’s why my back arches to the sky with my arms shielding my head. At any minute, that angry sun will burn me.

  Christian struts outside without a shirt on. He pauses and eyes us strangely. The other men stroll outside without their shirts on too.

  Brannon tries to tug on my elbow gently. “I promise you that you won’t burn.”

  Christian continues to walk again, but after he hears Brannon speak, he immediately stops dead in his tracks. I remember what James did to me a couple of months ago. I’m still under the impression that these men will make fun of me. To my surprise, Christian walks over and squats to my level. He places his hands underneath my elbows to make me face him. “If you burn then the rest of us are in danger. Do you trust me?”

  I peer at him, and nod my head yes.

  He reassures me with his thick and steamy accent, “There is no sun here to shine upon your skin. You are perfectly safe here. This is one thing, I can promise you with certainty.”

  My body stops crouching over, and I slowly stand up. I nervously gawk at all the men. None of them laughs, or even snickers at me. They surprise me with their lack of jeers. They give me instant looks of sympathy. I have never shown this much skin in the daylight before. I cautiously take his hands, and slowly descend the steps with him. My body remains tense, but Christian makes the world safe.

  “I am also extremely allergic to the sun. You are not the only one here, who is allergic, Jeannie.” Christian discloses his full confession to me. This is a confession that I’m not anticipating.

  I’m still doubtful, but he nods his head yes to me. He even flashes that perfect smile of his at me, and his smile forges me to melt even more.

  Ian remains calm and strides over to us. “Just like Chris said, if the sun ever comes out then all of us would be in deep shit. You will learn over time, when to protect your skin.”

  There’s no other choice, but to believe these men. They haven’t lied to me thus far. I wait an additional ten minutes, eyeing the unique sky above me. The lingering men make it to their volleyball court on the sandy shore. Brannon manages to ease my concerns, and proceeds to continue my heavy-duty workout session. The torture grips me. I have to do dry exercises in the sand and they hurt. The salty sweat pours off me in fat beads, and it touches my tongue, tasting nasty. Brannon makes sure that all my exercises maintain in the sand. Their workout is killing my body. The other men are laughing at Ian goofing off, while playing volleyball.

  I can’t help it, but to gawk at all the men. All of them are physically fit, but it is hard not to stare at his flawless body. The ball mistakenly bounces in my direction. He strolls over to me this time, and I nervously hand his volleyball back to him. I can’t help but tense up every single time he walks over to me. I have never seen a man with so many muscles in my life. Not even in my wildest dreams, have I dreamt of such a gorgeous man. Today his hair remains in a low ponytail. He’s the most muscular and physically fit from all the men. He’s wearing a pair of charcoal basketball shorts. I’m extremely thankful that he doesn’t utter a single syllable to me, when I hand his volleyball back. He has a well-defined six-pack abs with more muscles than what I can count. My face instantly flushes from gawking at him.

  The men seem to play forever at the volleyball court. Brannon pushes me to swim in the ocean for the first time.

  My water exercises finish as he instructs, “Come on Jeannie, you got this, love!” After he says that, all the men are staring at me. I don’t like to be the center of attention. I really feel uncomfortable, but they look at me with smiles on their faces.

  At the end of the day, I want to go to sleep. My body demands a shower, to remove all the salt from my body, but there’s a brisk knock on my bedroom door.

  Chapter 6

  I mumble a few explicit words. The door instantly opens, and Willow stands in front of me with a dress bag in her hand. “I’m to make sure you wear this. You are on Christian's clock, and you have to meet him on the main floor.”

  “When will I need to be ready?” I yawn, while I asked her.

  She glances at her diamond watch. “You have precisely thirty minutes. You must take this notebook and a pen. Congratulations and now you’re acting as his temporary assistant until I return from vacation.”

  This new revelation upsets me. “When are you coming back?”

  “I will return in a month or so. Good luck, Princess!” she’s happy to tell me this.

  “WAIT! I have one extremely embarrassing question to ask you,” I stop her, before she leaves.

  She turns around. “What question do you have?”

  “I don’t understand how to put this on! I don’t know how, to wear makeup either!”

  She walks back inside my room and gestures towards my bathroom. “Hurry up and take a shower, and I will help you out, sweetie.”

  I hurry up and take a quick shower, to wash all the nasty sweat off me. I reemerge from the bathroom in record time. She quickly explains the confusing undergarments to me, and remains extremely patient, by assisting me with the corset. She helps me with the other undergarments that I’ve never worn before in my life. Willow pulls the expensive business dress over my head, and she zips it up for me. I flash her a nervous expression of panic as soon as she hands me those heels.

  She brought out her makeup bag. “I will only explain this to you once. So, please, pay careful attention to what I’m doing,” she pauses and continues, “t
his is foundation, to build your makeup on, and try not to overuse it either.” She rubs it in. “You want to match your skin tone. If you use foundation that’s too light, it will wash you out. If you use foundation that’s too dark, it will make you look odd. For your skin, I would use a more natural foundation,” she takes out the blush next; “I wouldn’t go too red, because that will make you look like a cheap hooker. You need colors that are natural for your skin. Apply this blush on your cheekbones, sweetie.”

  I put the blush on, and she rapidly applies more makeup for me. I make her stop.

  “I want to thank you for helping me, and I never had anyone help me out like this before.”

  She squints her eyes at me. “Are you telling me that your mother and sister never tried to explain makeup to you?”

  “I never gave them the opportunity, and I usually stay to myself when I’m alone.”

  She shakes her head and presses her lips together. “Don’t overuse the lipstick either. You might want to stick with natural lipstick too,” she continues, “Louie is better at makeup than I am. I will help you survive the night.”

  Willow places eye shadow on my eyelids, and she taught me how to use mascara. She transforms me by pulling my hair into a French twist. I stare at the mirror, and I’m a completely different person with makeup on.

  “You’re now a completely different person,” she echoes my exact thought. She hands me a set of diamond earrings on gold posts, and hands me an expensive-looking teardrop diamond necklace.

  “I’m unable to wear these, and this can’t be for me!” I yell out in protest.

  “You have to wear these! These gifts come from Christian, and it would be a huge insult to him, if you refuse to wear these!” she snaps at me, and continues, “you will grow accustomed to his gifts. My advice is to appreciate him for the gifts. You will win his favor, by thanking him.”

  I’m nervously placing the diamond earrings in and the diamond watch around my wrist. Willow drapes the diamond teardrop necklace around my neck. She quickly shoves the notebook with a pen in my hands. She quickly instructs me what to write down, and gives me cues to listen for. I accompany her back to the main floor.

  Christian waits for me in the foyer. He’s already wearing an upscale business suit. I have only seen pictures of men wearing suits like these in magazines—or on the internet. To be this close to an executive freaks me out a little bit. I feel like I don’t belong here, because I don’t have any previous work experience. He’s taking a huge gamble on me. He holds out an expensive wool jacket that stretches to the floor. The butler, Tony, assists him into a jacket too. I don’t utter a sound to him until we sit inside his expensive limousine. I want to escape out the nearest door.

  “You signed an agreement. I possess all of your assets, and I am reminding you of that fact, before we join the public tonight. This is where that trust comes into play. Am I able to still trust you?” Christian reminds me of the contract that I signed. I slowly nod my head yes. Christian closes his eyes, and lets out a small smile.

  “Where am I?” I found the inner strength to talk to him, and ask an important question.

  He reopens his eyes, and he stares at me for a few minutes. “You are on a private island. You will not be able to find this island on any world map. We are not open to the public, unless people crash a plane or a boat.” To my amazement, he answers my question, but he still won’t tell me where I am.

  “What is the name of this island?” I ask him directly this time, and wait for my answer.

  “I will answer all your questions, but you have to speak to your grandfather first. I am unable to disclose anything about us until he discusses everything with you.” He still refuses to answer my question, but I want to know more about the long lost grandfather of mine.

  “When will that be?” Christian shrugs his shoulders at me for my answer.

  “Your grandfather is searching for your sister. The last I heard, is that he has Reno in his grasp. It is simply a matter of time, but I will make sure you remain safe,” and he quickly changes the subject, “on another note we must address our activities for this evening. I will give you a signal for what you must write down. It is extremely valuable to my business that you take meticulous notes. I require you to act extremely professional. These hands-on experiences will prove invaluable to you, unlike any college degree will.”

  “Did you ever go to college?” I can’t help, but to ask him more questions. I want to know more about my guardian.

  “I have various degrees, but they are all worthless when it comes to business.” He has a smug look of arrogance on his face, after he answers my question.

  The subject remains on his work. The limousine drives for an additional fifteen minutes. He uses all the time, to explain carefully what he wants.

  ~~~***~~~

  I trail behind him into a towering gray building. This building on the surface is modern with tall dark windows around it. The outside sign says “Hunter Enterprises.” We stroll together on the cobblestone walkway. He holds a door open for me. We tread through the corridor and through a neutral hallway, to reveal a young woman sitting behind a large marble desk. The desk reminds me of a bar. A lanky secretary welcomes him from behind the large marble desk. She even takes our jackets for us. It is hard to walk in high heels, and still look womanly.

  As we wait by the elevator, he smugly points at this building. “I own this building and a few others.” He pushes a button on his elevator and the gray doors swing open, to reveal a glass elevator. I step inside the elevator right after him. After the doors close, he pushes the number twenty. The elevator shoots us quickly through the floors. I make the mistake of glancing outside, to view the height of his elevator. I’m not a huge fan of heights.

  The elevator pings and stops on the twentieth floor. The gray doors swing open, and I follow him through the dark gray hallway. We stop in front of two ebony doors, and he opens the door for me once again. We walk inside a large boardroom, and there are a few executives sitting there. He instructs me, to sit behind him with the other personal assistants. He reminds me that he will click his pen if he wants me, to write something down.

  A woman in a pink skintight dress, who could pass for a hooker, sits right beside him. She’s instantly flirting with him. Her face is in a shape of a diamond, and she has a small nose. She has short auburn hair. Unfortunately, she has a squeaky voice that instantly annoys me. The woman purposely leans her breast in his direction. He doesn’t seem distracted by her in the least bit.

  Another statuesque woman joins the room. She situates herself directly in front of him. She has a prominent nose with long sun-bleached hair. She’s wearing a navy pinstripe suit. Her heels are taller than mine are. The squeaky woman backs off as soon as this woman arrives. Christian smiles nervously at her, and this woman winks at him.

  The whole meeting mentally exhausts me from taking so many notes. The woman with the prominent nose is as dumb as a box of rocks. She’s a total flake. The squeaky woman raises her voice at her with irritation. The meeting adjourns, after two hours. I try to stifle a yawn, but it slips out anyway.

  The woman with the prominent nose or dimwit saunters over to him. She waits until the others leave. “You stood me up again, Christian. I’m upset that you chose not to show up last Tuesday.”

  “I had an emergency that required my attention. You know how politics goes these days,” Christian explains a plausible situation, but she’s not happy with his answer.

  She taps her index finger on his chin, “Don’t disappoint me again. We are supposed to be a committed couple. I’m committed, but fail to see your side thus far.”

  “I am telling you the truth, and I am sorry that you have issues with that,” Christian fires angrily at her.

  He stops talking to her, and he warmly smiles in my direction. “Will you please excuse us?”

  He doesn’t need to tell me twice. I followed her assistant and left the room. Her assistant seems nice to me.
“Hello, and my name is Paul. What’s your name?”

  “My name is Lea.” This is the fake name they want me to give everyone.

  “I take it that Willow is finally taking her vacation. Are you Christian’s new personal assistant, while she’s out? You’re extremely lucky to work for Christian. All of us want to work for him one day.”

  I answer by lying to him as I nervously nod my head yes, while biting my bottom lip. “I’m a Harvard graduate.”

  “Now I can see why he chose you! That is so awesome!” Paul looks astonished with my story.

  ~~~***~~~

  Paul and I wait for another hour. There’s shouting coming from the boardroom. I won’t bother to eavesdrop on their conversation, because it is exceptionally rude.

  “They have been fighting like this on and off for a year now. My boss's name is Tracy, and she’s a real bitch. She loves to treat people like shit. I struggle, to see how he puts up with her as his girlfriend,” Paul shocks me with this latest revelation into Christian’s life.

  The air stops filling my lungs. To find out that Mr. Mysterious already has a girlfriend shocks me, but this doesn’t surprise me; however; she’s a dimwit. How does she not understand what a budget is, and she still runs a company—appalls me. Now that I have obtained new information about him, I feel instantly deflated. My fantasy of him pops immediately. I have too many morals, to go after someone else’s man. It is not as if, I would have a cold chance in hell with him anyway. I don’t care if he’s married, engaged, or dating. To me if he’s with someone that’s reason enough for me, to stay the hell away from him. He exits the boardroom, and he slams the doors behind him.

  He looks over in my direction. “Shall we leave now?”

  I nod my head yes, and follow behind him. I don’t interfere with his relationship problems. He punches the buttons and we’re off.