“Whatever, they're not married yet. Until then, we’re practically strangers, we ain't family yet. Let's do this.”
The fact that he didn't see a problem trying to sleep with his stepsister was baffling to me. Instead of trying to figure him out, I just continued to move away in an attempt to put more distance between us. Unfortunately, Rorke took my silence the wrong way and he made another attempt to get close. Not having it, I shot my left leg out and my foot made contact with his hard, muscly chest and pushed hard to keep my stepbrother at bay.
“C'mon, it'll be fun,” he tried to charm me. It was then I remembered the promise I had made to myself, about setting the tone early. With another solid kick, I sent him far away, this time the message appeared to be received.
Rorke did his best to remain cool and calm as he pondered my rejection; I doubted that he had ever been told 'no'. He got up from the bed slowly, trying to figure out if he had actually been turned down for the first time in his life. Well please, allow me. What he was trying to do was wrong, sick and against the rules of society. This guy wasn't right.
"If you, um, ever change your mind," he volleyed in my direction while lingering in the doorway.
"Get. Out!" I firmly demanded. Rorke's reaction was unexpected, like he was putting together a puzzle in his head and had just finished a major section. He looked like he believed the answer he wanted was somewhere and only his annoying, unflappable persistence would find it.
"Wait, you don't tell me to get out of my own house. You're not..." his eyes squinted as he continued to put together large swaths of that puzzle in his head, "wait, you don't think you're gonna stay in here, do you?"
The delight I felt in flustering this boy was too strong to contain. It was my turn to be the smug aggressor.
"Mom just gave me these keys, roomie," I dangled the keys from my hand in the same manner as my mother had when casually showing off the giant rock on her finger. My new key-ring and her giant engagement ring now tied us to billions of dollars.
Rorke didn't take the revelation well. “Oh, fuck no,” he shouted loudly. “What makes you think you can just take this room?” he protested.
"There's two rooms and the other one has a bed in it. Where else did you expect me to go?"
"If you insist on staying in here, it's either my bed or you can go in the bathroom," he kindly offered, "you can sleep in the bathtub if you want. You don't even have to leave when I shower."
My eyes squinted and I loudly sucked my tongue, completely blown away by how my new family member was acting. I mean, that's gross, right? We're going to be attached by marriage, step-siblings. What kind of person propositions their stepsister?
"My bed's the better option, fyi," he graciously offered before leaving the room completely. I quickly rose and raced to the door, slamming it closed and dismayed that there wasn't a lock on it.
"It's ok," he shouted through the closed door that I pressed my entire weight against, "you can have that room. It smells like pussy anyway. You smell it?"
I launched my body onto the bed, buried my face in my comforter and wanted to die.
*****
ROUND FIVE
*****
Madelyn
After going through all the trouble of returning the truck and retrieving my car all by myself, I just wanted to rest. Not only had it been an incredibly long day, it had been an insanely grueling week. I was physically and mentally exhausted and just wanted to close my eyes and drift off. Unfortunately, as soon as I stepped foot back into my new home, the carriage house, my mother sent me a text.
'Come over for dinner in a half hour. Meet Carmine'
My body craved rest and I desperately wanted to blow her off. Seeing as though I hadn't even met my new stepfather yet, the man who was saving my butt by giving me somewhere to live, I knew I couldn't refuse the invitation. What kind of person would I be if I flaked on our first meeting?
Begrudgingly I sighed and located the shower to get myself fresh. I was more than thankful that Rorke was nowhere to be found, allowing me to get naked and clean myself in peace.
The bathroom was spacious but my lovely new stepbrother seemed to have taken up every inch of that room with various items of clothing littered throughout. Sweat-stained and dirty underwear lined the floor and I had to dance around them to avoid any contact. The bathtub was a special treat, black dirt lined the tub with only outlines of where his feet stood each day. Had he ever cleaned the tub? This was disgusting but I reminded myself again, I was being done a huge favor and I needed to stomach it all for as long as it took me to be able to move. A deep sigh and I turned the handle, the water soon flowing over my naked body, providing at least a little comfort.
Deciding to take my chances, I wrapped a towel around my wet skin and raced quickly to my small room, praying Rorke wouldn't pop up out of nowhere. I had psyched myself up so much that I was at least a little bit let down when he hadn't been there to alarm me.
With the door closed to the room, I began the difficult task of picking out what to wear. Buried in these boxes were two different avenues I could go. My body ached all over and I strongly desired to put on soft, comfortable clothes, something to soothe my muscles at the end of this long day. Unfortunately, I realized that upon meeting my billionaire stepfather for the first time, I should at least dress the part, the part of the person trying to impress him, get on the level he was used to. I couldn't risk him seeing me as a slouch who showed up for dinner in sweats. There wasn't really a choice, I would have to stuff my tired body into restrictive formal clothes, attire worthy of dinner with one of the most powerful men in the country.
Mom hadn't said where and I hadn't asked for clarification, walking up to the giant mansion assuming someone would be there to greet me. “Hello?” I called out into the cavernous marble lobby, not hearing a response like I had hoped for. Unsure of how to proceed, I entered a little further in and called out “hello?” for a second time. Still nothing. My hand clenched the only fancy clutch I owned, the one I had bought in the event of fancy dinners. It was sure to impress if I ever ended up finding my new family.
Exasperated, I finally received encouragement when I was able to make out the very familiar sound of Mother's cackle. The sharp guffaws bounced off the marble surrounding me and let me know that they were at least close. Following the sound as best I could, I couldn't help but marvel at the expensive artifacts lining this man's walls. Was I really in this family now? Was I also rich now? I hoped that in some point of this madness, I'd be able to show this stuff off to someone.
“There she is,” my mother proudly announced as I stood awkwardly in the entrance to the dining room. My feet twisted uncomfortably in my black, strappy heels as I waited to be invited in. It didn't take long for me to realize how foolish I had looked, everybody was dressed extremely casual and here I was, dressed like the help. My new stepfather turned slowly and stood once he noticed me standing there, my body turning in on itself, practically apologizing for my existence. What an intimidating figure this stepfather of mine was.
“Call me Carmine,” he offered, his voice sounding like velvet and his scent a pleasant mix of leather and clean. His welcoming smile disarmed me and my hand fell into his, enveloped completely and under the mercy of his movements. He had me under his control in less than a second, this is what a good mix or power and confidence did for a man. My body remained partially weak as I mentally high-fived my mother for landing such a catch. Looking down at the end of the table, I saw that there was another guest to our little party. Fiddling with his phone, a shirtless Rorke didn't even flinch when I had entered, pretending to not even notice I had come into the room.
“Rorke told us you already met,” my mother said. I twisted and stammered, unsure of what my stepbrother had told them. Looking back down at him, he gave me a wink and creepily licked his lips, making me feel as though slime had just been poured all over me. My stomach further twisted in disgust as Rorke discreetly plunged his ind
ex finger into his closed fist, fingering his hand in an attempt to get a rise out of me.
“Have a seat, Maddie,” Carmine insisted, seemingly unaware that he had absolutely no right to call me that but likely speaking under the guidance of my dear mother. “Your mother and I want to have a talk with you kids.”
“Yeah Maddie, down here,” Rorke chimed in, getting a boil brewing in my blood. Trying to ignore him, I sat myself down across from my stepbrother, pretending I couldn't even see him. He made his presence known, his foot wandering over to my side, examining my legs until I discreetly kicked him away. My mother and Carmine sat the head of the table, her practically in his lap, their hands merged as they prepared to deliver some sort of speech. My expectation was that we were about to be told that we were going to be in their wedding party; maid of honor and best man duties about to be bestowed upon us during our first dinner together.
“So Carmine and I were speaking...” she started, her voice sounding weak and unsure, as if she was reading a script for the first time. Carmine stepped in to assist his fiancé.
“We don't think it's a good idea for you kids to live here much longer. This needs to be temporary for you Maddie and son," he had Rorke's attention, "the free ride is over. Let's talk about where each of you can make some money to support yourselves outside of my home.” My mother looked up at her soon-to-be husband, not to plead for mercy towards me but instead to correct his grammatical error. “Our home,” he finally corrected when he picked up on Mother's hint. “Let's start with your Rorke, how are you going to be able to move out of here in the next few weeks?”
Rorke barely looked up from his phone, "Few weeks? Told you already, for the next month I'm on an intensive training schedule. Don't have time for a job. I'll get one later.”
Carmine let out a loud sigh, his arms soon folding across his giant chest. When Rorke didn't look up from his phone, his father became angry. His balled up fist landed on the table and made the empty plates and silverware jump and land back down with an uncoordinated 'clang'.
“Son, I don't think you understand the urgency of your situation. You're being cut off. Completely. Everything taken away because you refuse to work. You're not welcome to stay here any longer, I don't care if you end up on the streets. That's the only way you're going to learn.”
Rorke displayed his on anger and frustration, slamming his phone down on the table and looking straight at his father.
“I don't know what to tell you, you don't seem to understand. There's no way I can quit training. I have a big fight scheduled and I can't just drop out.”
My mother and I each tried to occupy ourselves with random things on the table, hoping this fight would blow over soon while prepared to duck any shrapnel. Carmine was amused by his son's matter-of-fact declaration. “Oh, you can't quit, huh? Is that right?” His fist pounded the table again, “You've quit everything you've ever set out to do. Everything. Never been able to handle a job, needed me to pay your way through school. All that quitting and now, finally, after eighteen years, you've found the one thing that you can't quit? Imagine the luck! I don't care for you to babble on about how this will be different, I don't care at all. What you have to do is understand that I'm serious. We're selling this entire property and you and Maddie won't have anywhere to live.”
Upon hearing that, I looked up to my mother who avoided my gaze at all costs. Though there was no secret that my stay wasn't permanent, I felt an added intense pressure knowing that they were selling the property away.
“And Maddie, I've decided to help give you a boost,” Carmine addressed me next. “I was able to pull some strings and have set up an interview for you tomorrow.”
Mother was still avoiding all eye contact with me so I was forced to fight this battle on my own. “Oh, sorry, I mean, thank you Mr. Fratelli, I mean Carmine. I’m actually trying to set something up here in town, an internship at a lab in my field. I think I have a good shot at getting it.
My mother’s face soured and Carmine’s face didn't release the tension that was brewing underneath. “So, your plan is to work for free? What is it with you kids? You need money. Do you want to be homeless?”
While my mother tried to console Carmine, I thought the solution would be in some clarification. “Oh, not free, exactly. I'll be paid a small stipend.”
“A small stipend? What is this? How are you going to be able to afford to move out?” I could tell he was holding back at least a little, this being our first meeting and all.
“Well, I have a plan set up. By no later than two months I figure I should have enough saved up for an apartment...”
This is where he blew his stack. “Two months? Two months?! Are you kidding?”
I had no response, I thought my plan was reasonable. My mother sought to console the raging Carmine, anger radiating off of his body all the way down the table. Once he settled and had regained his composure, he addressed me again.
“Listen,” he said softly, “only idiots work for free. You need money, fast. A stipend isn't going to do that for you. I don't know why you think a two month stipend will get you an apartment anywhere. Take this job until you can come up with something better. You mother will send you the address tonight. Be there tomorrow at 9 am. Don't waste this gift.”
End of discussion apparently. My mother and Carmine got up from the table and started to leave the dining room.
“What about dinner?” Rorke called out.
“Of course he wants free food,” Carmine spat back. “Take one of the pizzas in the fridge and that's it.”
With that they were gone. Without anywhere else to go and a painfully empty stomach, I followed my stepbrother into the kitchen.
*****
I had imagined meeting my new family would be a much more pleasant affair than it had actually turned out to be. The reality was that I had a rude, horny stepbrother and I had already messed up my relationship with my new stepfather by not being grateful for all he had done.
Leaving the dining room, my head was spinning. Not just from the new job that was thrust upon me but also because of the lack of food; I hadn’t eaten all day. Like a lost puppy, I followed Rorke into the kitchen in hopes he could show me where this free pizza was.
Rorke was full on pouting by the time I arrived in the kitchen. He slammed the refrigerator door closed after taking a whole pizza box out, brushing past me like he didn’t even see me. When I opened the fridge, there wasn’t any more pizza to be found, just a ton of condiments and a few random vegetables. Carmine had made it clear that pizza was our only option and I was still unwilling to rock the boat.
“Hey,” I called out after him, “think you can share some of that?”
Rorke stopped, turned, opened the box and removed one small slice, thrusting it in my face.
“Geez, thanks,” I said but he was already on his way out, who knows if he even heard me.
I knew that one slice of pizza wasn’t enough to fill me up but at least it was something. I had finished eating it before I even left the main house and told myself that I would be fine, that it was enough. As I walked the sad walk to my new (temporary) home, the carriage house, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at how far I had fallen. The untrustworthy libido of my boyfriend and my best friend had landed me here, scrambling to put my life back together. To be honest, that felt like an impossible dream, like I would never be able to get things back together. Just a short period out of college and my life was already over.
When I arrived back in the carriage house, Rorke had sat himself down and was enjoying the pizza he selfishly took all for himself. I sat myself down at his table, hoping to have some conversation that ended with me being able to sneak a little more pizza. “So…what are you gonna do?” I asked innocently, trying to figure out where his head was at. Rorke's frustration became clear as he stood up and carried the pizza box into his room, slamming the door behind him. All alone and hungry, I had nowhere else to go but into that cramped space I calle
d my room, my first night in the house had been an absolute failure.
I’ve always prided myself on being tough, able to endure and conquer any hardship presented to me. I've always maintained that I couldn't be knocked down and could handle just about anything thrown my way. Sadly though, I had never been tested this much. It was all so overwhelming and I couldn't think of just how I was going to be able to get my life back. I’m not proud to admit it but I had no control over the waterworks that started flowing out of my eyes. It was an ugly, somewhat loud cry that I couldn’t seem to get a handle on. It was then I learned just how thin the wall was that separated Rorke and me.
“Jeez, calm down,” he said through the wall, “You can have more of this pizza. Jeez.”
“It’s…not…the…pizza,” I tried to get out between heavy sobs, “it’s…everything. I’ve…lost…everything…and…am…stuck…here. I…don’t…want…to go…to…a…new…job…”
I tried to control my sobbing so I could hear a response from my new stepbrother, something, anything to make me feel better.
“Listen, Carmine’s just showing off. Acting tough for your mom. Go to the job and if it sucks, quit. They’re not gonna throw us out on the streets, I promise. His bark is worse than his bite,” Rorke declared through the wall. It was what I needed to hear, that I wasn’t going to be forced to work at some shitty job in order to prevent being homeless. Whether or not he was being truthful, I didn't know but it certainly helped in that moment.
“You sure?” I asked him, sounding like a pathetic little kid.
“Yeah, I’ve lived here forever and he says stuff like this all the time. I really wouldn’t worry about it.”
Wrong: A Spoiled Stepbrother Romance Page 4
