by K. Z. Riman
He didn’t respond but was quiet for a moment before saying his good-byes, saying Mother was calling for him. What could he be thinking?
“Easy, cousin. You’re going to give your old man a heart attack.” It was Keiffer Bonafante, Aunt Kaidence’s son. He crossed my office, raking his hands through his bluish black hair as he gave me a welcoming smile.
“Keiff!” I held his hand and bumped shoulders with him as we patted each other’s backs. He was like a brother to me and it was no surprise that he would come and see me as soon as he learned I had returned home. “I didn’t know you didn’t go with Aunt Kaidence and Uncle Andrew on their…”
“Never-ending honeymoon? Oh please, talk about all the fucking gags my sister and I would have to choke back watching them. Besides, their secret island thing is getting old. They still believe we don’t know where it is.” He sat on my couch with both arms stretched behind him and crossed his legs. “Now, this is an office.”
“Yeah, well. It’s mine for a year.” I rang Frida, Father’s secretary, who took Kelsey’s place for the day, and asked her to get us some coffee.
“Coffee?” Keiffer laughed. “I don’t drink coffee unless I’m drunk. Let’s go out tonight.”
“I can’t.” My answer was quick and surprised us both. How was I supposed to admit to him that I wanted to go home to Kelsey, when I couldn’t even admit it to myself?
He cackled, unable to believe what I said. “Now that’s a first.”
“I have work to do,” I said, avoiding his eyes. Keiff had a talent of reading people, especially me.
“That’s another first.”
“Well, I won’t be staying here for long, Keiff. I need to make sure my father sees my efforts this year as worthwhile. Otherwise, he’s going to come up with other excuses for me to stay.” I was telling him the truth.
Father was the greatest when it came to conning his own sons into doing what he wanted. I had no reason to stay. If it was just for one year, maybe I really could use my brain a little for the company. Damn shit!
“Ah yes. Uncle Keith told Mother all about your business proposal and how he’s holding you back.” Keiff nodded, eyeing Frida as she came in with our coffee.
“Hmmm. What else did he say about it?” I needed to know. “Is he planning on tricking me into staying permanently?”
“Didn’t say.” Keiff shook his head and wrinkled his nose at the taste of the coffee. “Though, he did say Kelsey is staying with you now.”
“Yes. Her son, too.”
“That boy is someone I really want to see.” He shook his finger in the air towards me, chuckling, as the glint in his eyes showed his curiosity. I knew right away he was up to something. “Does he look anything like us?”
“He looks exactly like his father.”
“Good for him.”
I nodded. “I haven’t seen my mother so happy since Seth died. She feels like Seth was brought back to her, through Sean.”
“Don’t you agree?”
“I do.” I admitted, staring blankly in front of me, trying to remember the feeling of having Seth around. I had the same feeling with that boy, and it was scaring the shit out of me. I didn’t want to be stuck here again just because Sean had come here.
“Why don’t you stay?” He had always shared my interests, which was something Seth, Keiff’s twin sister, Alicia, and his younger brother, Luke, never understood about us.
“I don’t want to.” I stood and returned to my desk, playing with my computer chair, spinning it around. “Sean could inherit the company, for all I care. I could take my inheritance and open a casino, in another country, perhaps.”
“Why not do it here?”
“You know why.” I eyed him intensely. It was never a secret.
“Ah yes. Grandfather Gordon Thornielle, gunned down by syndicate partner, Casino King.” He chuckled. “Pretty smooth move. You really think taking that business somewhere else would not hurt your family?”
I knew it would hurt them real bad, but that business was what I really wanted. I didn’t answer.
He stood up and walked over to stand opposite me, my desk keeping us apart. “You know, Mom is worried about you, too. She understands our night life and all, but she doesn’t really agree with the fact that you want to leave so you can build your own nightlife empire.”
I didn’t answer.
“Why don’t you call me after work and we could go out and have fun? I won’t mention anything about it again.” He turned to leave only to stop by my door. “Cousin, I want to meet Kelsey again.”
Images of Keiff and Kelsey weren’t exactly what I wanted to see in my head while I worked. The more I imagined what might happen once I let him get close to her, the more I could not concentrate, and the more determined I was to keep him away.
Like me, Keiff was attracted to Kelsey from the first time he had seen her. He said she was one beauty he would tame and twist to his liking, if not for Seth. I couldn’t blame him. I couldn’t blame anyone who had tried taking shots at her. Kelsey was…so damn irresistible. She was intoxicating.
I shouldn’t care if Keiff got close to her. He could marry her, for all I care. I should avoid making her feel I cared enough to stay after the year was up, and I should be good to leave.
At dinner, Kelsey was pale. She had moved to her room, where Leo said she had eaten little of each meal he gave her. She had been asleep almost the whole day and hadn’t tried to go out. I really didn’t think she’d join me for dinner tonight, but she managed to come to the dining room and pretend she was no longer sick. I had the feeling she was waiting for me.
“Did something happen at work that I should know about?” she asked hesitantly. She was looking down at her food, shaking, as she brought it to her mouth. She looked really tired.
“No.” I couldn’t tell her that Keiff visited, for fear of igniting some curiosity from her about how he was. She met him quite a few times in the past. Keiff’s style was different to mine; he was always very smooth, subtly flirting with her. She didn’t hate him.
“I will be able to go to work tomorrow.”
“Doesn’t look like it,” I said, keeping my eyes on my own food.
“I don’t want to be a burden.” That’s her, all right. She would exhaust herself because of this burden thing. She kept saying it. Where did she get the idea that she was being a burden by staying with us?
“You’re not being a burden to any of us…”
“I need to work,” she cut in.
“Fine!” I dropped my spoon onto the table. “You’re not going to shut up about this, are you? Fine! Go to work tomorrow. I have a lot of things for you to do, anyway, and don’t think for one…” I stopped.
She wasn’t speaking. If she had been her normal self, she would have interrupted me. She kept her head down, drinking her water and then turned her gaze at me only when Leo came with her pills.
“You need to take these now, ma’am,” Leo said, placing her pills in her hand, watching her as she popped them into her mouth.
I cleared my throat and didn’t notice I had looked at Leo inquisitively. I didn’t like how he was watching Kelsey. Worse, I didn’t like this constant need for me to make sure nobody looked at or touched her.
Shit!
Leo looked at me and bowed his head apologetically. “If you need anything ma’am, you may call on me and I shall have a maid attend to you.”
Better!
“Thank you, Leo,” she said softly.
“Did anything interesting happen today?” I didn’t want to ask her straight out how Leo had treated her, while she was alone and sick.
“I was asleep the whole day,” she replied sarcastically.
“Hmmm.” Damn it! I don’t need this worrying and caring shit! “I’m going out with a
cousin.”
“Keiffer?” She remembered him.
“Yes.”
“Can’t wait to go back to your old life, I see.” Even though she was sick, she could still comment on how I lived my life.
“I deserve a break.”
She shook her head as she stood and made her way to the stairs. “Take care, will you?”
* * * *
“Been ages since I brought my buddy into the zone!” Keiff was complaining that night as we went to the Beachfront Night Club.
We drove to Mekha, which had the best of everything in our part of the country—the best hotels, beaches, clubs, and, the best women. It was where Keiff and I had usually run to when we were younger.
“Mister Bonafante!” The hostess rushed to welcome us. “It’s been a long time. You’re with Mister Grimaldi now.”
“Yes, babe. My buddy needs a good time!” Keiff patted my shoulder heavily as we were escorted to the best seat in the house.
“Shall I get you your usual?” the hostess asked, smiling sweetly.
“Yes, please.” Keiff nodded as he looked around the club. Nothing seemed to have changed. It disappointed me.
It was especially full tonight, with a lot of tourists and groups of friends out for a great time on a weekday. It was unusual. “Hey.” I called on one of the waitresses and she bit her lip seeing me. “What’s going on? Why is it crowded tonight?”
“Oh! The Froic Pole Dancers are in town, sir! You have one of the best seats in the house, on this floor.”
I looked down to the first floor through the balcony. It seemed we were right on time for a treat.
“Now, that should be interesting!” Keiff said, as the hostess returned with our Beach Fucker drink, the strongest of the cocktails in the house. “I bet we could get ourselves laid tonight.”
“I’ll bet,” I said, as I took a sip and wrinkled my face. I hadn’t had the drink in years and forgot how strong it could be. “Damn it!”
Keiff was making the same face. “Hooo! That is the best one yet.” He chuckled. “Alicia almost came with us tonight.”
“Why didn’t you bring her?” They were always close to each other, no matter how much like opposites they appeared to be.
Alicia was the type to stay at home, like Luke. She loved to pretend there was no world other than the romance books she was always reading. She was so engrossed in them, that she had herself believing she would marry someone just like the men in those fantasy books. Stupidly, she had pushed away many of the country’s eligible bachelors just because she found one heroic trait missing.
Perhaps it was her mother’s influence. Aunt Kaidence’s story was one the country knew very well. She was a strong woman, a heroine in her own story, who was protected by her personal bodyguard, Assistant Inspector Andrew Bonafante. They fell in love and got married. With Alicia, I really didn’t know how her story would go.
“She changed her mind at the last minute. Women!”
“Is she dating someone?” I asked.
“No.”
“She’s past thirty, Keiffer. Force her to marry someone,” I told him.
I worried about her. How many men would want to be with her if she was no longer capable of bearing him a healthy child because she was getting old?
He shook his head. “You will never get her to see someone she doesn’t like. Besides, she looks like she’s eighteen. People don’t even believe she is my twin sister sometimes.”
“Yes. I can’t believe she isn’t a model like you and your mother,” I said. She should be. That cousin of mine was downright gorgeous.
“She keeps herself a virgin.” He said it like it was a bad thing. He shrugged his shoulders. “Fine by me. I do not have to worry about her all the time.”
“Ha! If she really is one,” I teased.
“Shut the fuck up, Grimaldi!” He punched my arm. “Hey. Maybe we could get her to come when you take Kelsey out with us.”
“Kelsey?” I narrowed my eyes. Shit! He was still interested in her.
“Yeah. I mean, she is young and single…technically.”
“She has a son to think about.” I tried warning him off with that argument. He was never the type to deal with extra packages anyway. With him, the boy would never have a chance for a good father.
“Never stopped many women from coming here. I mean, come on. How many of the women we have taken to bed turned out to be married and mothers?” He had a good point. He grinned as he smoked his cigar.
“Not Kelsey.” I shook my head.
“What are you, her real brother now?” He was mocking me. I never took an interest in protecting a woman before, perhaps because I never had a sister.
“She’s not the type to go out and have fun like us.” Perhaps I could use Father as an excuse. “Besides, I wouldn’t want her knowing about my business. You know how much we fight about the silliest things. She could just as easily tell Father about my adventures and I will be caged again in Bovaghn.”
“Stay then.”
“Oh, shut up, Keiff!” I let out a ragged breath of impatience.
“I know, I promised.” He held his hands up as our second round of drinks was brought to us. “It’s not for your family. It’s for me. You’re my best friend…”
“You have Luke,” I reasoned.
Luke was a year younger than Seth and I.
“Oh, yeah, sure. He’s Seth, in a lot of ways.” That bothered him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, smoke covering the glint of displeasure in his eyes.
“I won’t stay, Keiffer.” I stared at him, using his full name so he would know I was serious and hoping he would back off. What did I have to do to get them to leave me be?
By our third round of Beach Fucker, the Froic Pole Dancers had taken the floor below, sending the crowd wild. There were seven dancers and when they finished their routine, Keiff was able to lure two to our table.
“You must be Scott.” A gorgeous blonde was sitting too close to me. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed sitting close to pretty women. “I’m Andrea.” She held out her hand. She smelled so sweet; I could swear she would make my dessert list tonight. “I hope you watched me.”
“I did, actually.” I had watched all of them and decided one of them was even better looking than her. Yet, she would do for a night. I brought my lips closer to her ear. “I enjoyed all your moves, baby.”
“Well, you haven’t seen all of my moves yet…baby.” She traced my collarbone with her finger and carefully slid it down to my chest.
Keiff would never stay chatting long. He was always the eager one to get out of the club and move to a much cozier place. Tonight, he had rented out two suites for us at Hotel La Mekha.
As soon as I entered the suite, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t stop wondering what I was doing here when a woman I cared about was sick in bed, at home, alone. I couldn’t fight the feeling of how I should walk out while I could, and go to check on her.
Well, it wasn’t my fault that she’s sick! She was dumb enough to drink a margarita handed to her by some dick!
Still, I couldn’t stop worrying. Shit!
“Your bath is ready.” Andrea’s singsong voice echoed in my ear and I moved away, startled. I hadn’t noticed her coming up to me. She smiled and traced my lips with her finger. “I can wash you.”
I bet Kelsey could wash me better.
“All right.” I stood up and gathered my things. “We’re going to Keiffer’s room.”
Her eyes glistened, hearing my words. She must be really ready for an orgy.
“Hey!” Keiff was already naked when he opened the door for me. Andrea was bouncing about behind me. “What are you guys doing in your damned clothes?”
I pushed Andrea to him. “I have to go.�
��
“Wait. What?”
“Fine by me.” Andrea shrugged her shoulders and ran to her friend, shouting and shrieking in joy. They started kissing.
“Where are you going?” Keiff sounded disappointed. Maybe he was just downright startled. I usually didn’t pass an opportunity for a good fuck. Tonight was even his treat.
“Home. Kelsey’s sick.” I handed him my key card and turned.
I shouldn’t let an opportunity like this pass! What the hell is wrong with me?
“Have Caleb drive you,” he shouted, but I ignored him.
Leo could pick me up. As soon as Leo answered his phone, I had broken into a half-run. I finally admitted to myself that wherever Kelsey was, was exactly where I wanted to be.
Chapter Eleven
Kelsey: Strike Two then It’s Out
It was ten o’clock when I awoke the following morning. Leo hadn’t woken me, even though I had instructed him to. I sat up abruptly, realizing I was really late for work. Then again, maybe it was a very good idea. I was still feeling a little feverish and weak.
Perhaps I could call Scott and tell him I wouldn’t be able to go to work today. He probably already knew I wasn’t coming since I didn’t join him for breakfast.
“Hello.” He answered his phone sleepily, taking me by surprise. I didn’t speak. “Hey!”
“Oh.” I snapped out of my daze. “Hey. You are not at work, are you?”
He groaned in irritation. Clearly, he had just woken up.
“Apparently not. You were drunk last night, weren’t you?” It’s not like it was a question that needed an answer. I already knew what he was going to say to me. “You’re with a woman now, aren’t you?”
“Are you done asking me stupid questions?” He yawned.
“They were rhetorical questions!”
“Then clearly, you don’t need my answer.” He cut me off.
That…that…ugh!
Obviously, he hadn’t changed a bit. He was still the man I knew from college days, going around campus, looking for some girl he could fuck the shit out of. He was the same man now, going around the country, looking for some random woman, who would agree to go to bed with him for one night.
