by Wood, Lauren
“Do you want me to speak to him?”
“If it is anything like how you spoke to Dale, then no. I would rather you didn't.”
“I really didn't say anything to Dale. I don't know what you've heard, but.”
“I have heard that you gave him a bunch of work that was unnecessary. Pretty much sounded like busy work, so that we couldn't go out the other night.”
She had me dead to rights there, but I certainly wasn't going to admit it to her. It was exactly what I had done though. I didn't want them to go out, so my best course of action was to make sure that they didn't. A few extra reports weren’t going to kill him.
“I needed the reports. That is his job. It's as simple as that.”
Dina wasn’t convinced. “Well, whatever the reason was, it has made people hate me and it's hard to work like that. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to work there if I can't actually have any kind of work relationships with anybody. That was the whole point of it, I thought.”
“I don't want you to go anywhere. I will make sure that nothing happens.”
She still didn't seem convinced and I wasn't going to try to tell her that I would be good. I was just going to have to show her, even though the last thing I wanted to do was be good. I wanted to ask more about Christian and if she needed me to take care of him as well, but it didn't seem like the right time.
A part of me knew that a woman like Dina was always going to have her choice of suitors. Usually that sort of thing wouldn’t bother me, but for some reason it was right now. I didn't want her to have that much choice. Or if she did, I wanted her to pick me.
We were out in the driveway and she had just gotten into the car when I picked the Jeep. It wasn’t completely out of the blue, I could tell that it was a bit of a surprise. I needed some time to think, so I let her go in alone with Ernest.
Dina was acting like she wanted her own space as well, so I was going to give it to her. We both needed to take a breath. I know that I needed to.
I was about to leave when I noticed that there was a car waiting. I didn’t see it show up, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was the look that Lisa was giving me. I had a feeling that she had been there for quite a while and she had heard too much. This was not going to end well.
“Hey, Lisa. It’s good to see you. I was just going to call you in a little while, to see if you wanted to go out tonight.”
“I would think that I was the last person on your mind right now, John.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw you with her. You told me that she was just staying here as a favor to your friend. Obviously, that isn't true.”
It was hard to explain without completely lying. Of course, I told her that it was all a misunderstanding. She didn't really want to even know that much about my life. She barely knew who my friends were because we weren’t that sort of couple.
Now though, I could see that she wanted answers and they were not answers that I was willing to give. As far as I was concerned, even though she was my girlfriend, she wasn't that kind of girlfriend, and it was really none of her business.
“I really don't want to talk about this right now, Lisa.”
“Whether you want to talk about it or not, doesn't really matter. You need to give me some answers, or I'm going to find them out myself. What is going on?”
I wasn't really sure what that meant, but it had to be better than talking to her at the moment. I was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on with me and Dina, and the last thing that I needed was her getting involved. I was rather convinced that she would get over this. If I just gave her a little bit of time, she would see that she was just acting crazy.
“I have to go, Lisa. I will call you later.”
I heard her scoff behind me and if I would have turned around, I'm sure I would have seen the soured expression on her face, but I wasn't in the mood. The dirty looks would have to wait.
17
Jack
I didn't recognize the number on the caller ID, but I answered it anyways, because it was a number that had the same area code as John and Dina. I thought that maybe they were just on another phone and trying to get ahold of me. When I answered, I was expecting one of them to say something, not the higher-pitched nasally voice that was on the other end.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I am trying to get ahold of Jack. I think that I know your sister, Dina.”
As soon as I heard that it was about Dina, I started to get nervous. “Are you from a hospital or something?”
That was of course the first place where my mind went. Something had happened to her and now she was in a hospital somewhere, and some random person was calling me from a number that she had pulled from her wallet. All of that ran through my mind in those moments and when she told me that she wasn't from the hospital, I started to relax a little bit.
“Okay good. So what can I do for you, Lisa?”
“Well I am having some trouble with your friend. I am sure that you know John.”
“Yes. We have been friends for many years.”
“And you were okay with the fact that he is dating and having sex with your sister?”
Of all the things that I thought this woman would say to me, that was certainly not one of them. I was actually rather shocked, and it took me a minute to recuperate. For a moment, I was sure that I had heard her wrong. Surely, she didn't mean John. Not the friend that I had known over half of my life.
“I think you are mistaken, Lisa. The two of them are not that way at all.”
“I just walked in on them kissing a little while ago. She is staying there with him, and it is quite obvious that they have been together.”
All of this didn’t feel right and I felt like I was missing something. Who was this woman again?
“I am sorry, who are you?”
“I thought you knew Jack well.”
“I do.”
“Then you should know who I am. We have been dating for over a year.”
That was something that I couldn't really believe. The way that I knew John, the last thing he was worried about was dating. He was never happy with one chick, so it was hard to imagine him dating the same person for a year. That helped me to believe that maybe this Lisa chick didn’t know what she was talking about. It did put a wonder in my head though.
I didn't want to believe it was true, but what if it was? What if my best friend and my sister had something going on? It was certainly not something that I wanted to think about.
“Well, John never told me anything about you. He was just here for my wedding a couple of months ago. I am sorry for whatever is going on between the two of you that made you call here, but I know John and I know my sister, and there is nothing going on.”
I started to hang up and she stopped me. “I saw them kissing this morning. There is something going on. I am not just some crazy chick. I just thought as her older brother, you would want to know what is happening here. John told me that you asked her to stay for a little while. I'm asking you to bring her back home. She is messing up the best relationship I've had in a long time.”
Before I had a chance to hang up, Lisa had already done that, and I was left wondering what the hell just happened. She seemed rather convinced and I was even more shocked to hear about them kissing. It was true that I had asked John to let my sister stay with him. I never would have asked that if I knew that something would happen between the two of them. They were like oil and water, and the very last thing that I wanted to happen was the two of them to get together. John was too old for my sister and too experienced. Dina was a good girl. She didn't need a guy like John coming around and changing that. I knew firsthand what he was about and it was nothing good.
I called John first, because I just wanted to get a feel for him. I had been busy, but at the same time, I hadn’t missed any calls from him. Apparently, he had been busy as well. Now that I think about it, I hadn't heard from Dina in a wh
ile either. After John didn't answer, I wasn't too concerned with it. John ran a huge business and that kept him busy most of the time, but Dina was a different story. I don't think we had talked in days and that was a long time for us.
I tried calling Dina and I left a message for her to call me back. Usually she would call me back within a few minutes, but this time there was no answer.
After it went to voicemail for a second time, I didn't even try to leave a message. Something was going on, and the last thing I needed was for some female to put a bunch of stuff in my head. But at the same time, I wasn't going to be able to sleep, thinking about my sister and John together.
John was a good friend and he was loyal to a fault, but that didn't mean that he was a good boyfriend and it certainly didn't mean that I wanted him anywhere near my sister. Dina wasn’t equipped for men like John. She was just too innocent.
After being unable to sleep and sure that something was going on, I decided that instead of calling the two of them and not getting an answer, maybe the best thing for me to do was to go down there and surprise them. I had always wanted to go to California, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. All I had to do was convince Bella that it was for a good cause.
What I did know for certain, was if I found out that what Lisa said was true, I was going to come unglued. John knew that Dina was off limits. I had warned Dina directly.
What the hell were those two thinking?
18
Dina
Things were a little awkward between me and John for the next few days. I was trying to avoid him at all costs when it came to work because of all of the rumors that were being spread about the two of us. It wasn't that I was too worried about rumors in general, just that I was never going to be able to get anything done or learn anything, if nobody would talk to me. I didn't want to be seen as a tattletale or something of that nature. There was still no telling what everybody thought. But what I did know for certain was there was a question of our relationship and I wanted to make sure that we were questioned no longer.
At the same time that I was trying to avoid John, it seemed like every time I turned around, John was popping up. We had shared something on the boat together, but reality had set in and made it a lot harder to pretend that it was even an option. It made me realize that John was just too far out of my league. All I was going to do was get hurt, and it made me think of the warning that I had gotten from Jack before I left.
He had said pretty much the exact same thing. He loved John like a brother, but that didn't mean that he wanted me to be involved with him. I had thought that it was silly to even say it, but now it didn't seem so silly anymore. Now I was exactly where Jack said I would be, and I didn't know what to do about it.
“Hey, I'm glad I could catch you. Are you busy?”
I wasn't busy, but if I could have thought of one thing that would have made it so, then I certainly would have been busy. I just wanted to do my job and hopefully not piss anybody else off. I don't know why that was so hard for John to understand, then again, he was the boss and he didn't have to worry about what anybody said or felt or thought. Why would he worry about such things?
“No, Sir. What can I do for you?”
“Well for one Dina, you can stop calling me Sir. It’s a bit too formal for a man that knows what your cum taste like.”
I really liked that he used my name and I had to bite my lip a little bit to not say so. I’m sure he said those kinds of things to get a reaction. I was trying hard not to give him one.
My intentions were one thing, but every time I got around John, it was always the same thing. I never knew how to react around him, and this was no different. It was even worse now, knowing what he was capable of.
“You don’t have to talk like that, John. I haven’t forgotten. What’s going on?”
“I am starting to get the feeling that you’re avoiding me.”
For a moment I tried to look like I was shocked at the accusation, but he just kind of waved me off and told me that he already knew that's what I was doing.
“Well, if you know that is the case, then why the questions?”
“I'm just curious as to why. I don't seem to quite get it, I guess. I am not used to a woman going from hot to cold, so fast.”
“You are kind of complicated. You know how I have felt about you for all this time. Being with you the other day was nice…”
“Nice?”
“Yeah, it was nice, but we both know that it was probably the last thing we should have done. You know how Jack is. You know how he could be. I think the last thing we should do is give him a reason to freak out.”
“It's not that I haven't thought about your brother Dina, but I think that whatever this is, supersedes my friendship with him.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“I don't think that Jack would feel the same way.”
“I'm not worried about what Jack feels, Dina. I'm worried about what you feel. This is something that I never thought would happen. I don't even exactly know what is happening here, Dina. All I know is I don't want it to stop.”
“You have to see that this is just far too complicated for me right now. I'm supposed to be here doing my studies, and all I've been successful at so far is pissing off half my coworkers. There has to be something better that I can do.”
“I am not ready to give up what is going on between us. I was actually going to ask you out for another date. This ending, or whatever this is, was the last thing on my mind.”
“Then what is on your mind?”
“I'm thinking that we should finish what we started.”
I knew exactly what he was talking about and that made me even more nervous.
“After everything that's happened. Do you think that's a good idea?”
“Anything that has to do with me and you together is a good idea. I really don't know what the hell is going on between us, and I don't even like the idea of Jack finding out. He’ll probably try to kill me. But to me, it's worth the risk. Don't you want to know? Let’s go on a proper date, Dina.”
It was like he was reading my mind, and I couldn't deny the way he made me feel. I felt this way about him for forever. How could I turn it down now?
“A date, huh?”
“Yeah. So, does that mean you'll agree to it?”
“That depends on what is involved.”
“Well, I would take you back on the boat, if I thought it was an option.”
The reminder of the boat made me uncomfortable and he seemed to notice, because it made him laugh. John definitely had a streak of mischief in him, because every time he made me blush, he found it horribly entertaining. I did not find it as entertaining as he did, but his smile was contagious, so I couldn’t scowl at him for too long.
One way or another, the next thing I knew, I was agreeing to go out with him. He promised that it would be nice and casual, whatever that meant. Whatever he said, I knew that it would be different. It would not be casual, but I hoped it would be nice. There was a big part of me that would never be able to stop being attracted to him. No matter how hard I tried.
As much as I told him that I didn't want this, that it was too complicated, once I agreed to go along with his plan, I knew that I had given up that right. He was going to get exactly what he wanted, exactly what I said that I didn't want.
We made plans to meet later that evening, and even though I refused to go on the boat, that did not seem to faze him at all. He just smiled and looked at me like I was being silly. Like no matter what I did, I was going to be his.
Why was I so afraid he was right?
19
John
We were supposed to be going out, but I was waiting for Dina to get ready. I knew I was pushing the situation and it might not turn out well, but I couldn't help myself. It was just what needed to be done. I had a little taste of Dina the other day on the boat and now of course, it was all I could think about.
I waited about half an hour after we were supposed to meet, and she was still stuck in her room. As I moved closer, I heard her talking to someone on the phone and I instantly got upset. It was that guy from college again.
“I told you, I really don't want to go out. You have to stop calling, you're making things harder for me.”
There was silence for a moment, while she was listening to the man on the other the side of the phone. I don't know why, but a jealous rage came over me and I finally moved into the room. I took the phone out of her hand and hung it up.
“Are you ready to go?”
“Why did you just hang up on me?”
“It didn't sound like you were too interested in that conversation. I was just helping you get out of it.”
It seemed rather simple to me, but she did not take it that way. She was disgruntled that I had ended the conversation. Maybe I shouldn't have crossed the line, but I couldn't help it.
“Did you really have to do that?”
“You know I don't like to wait.”
“What if I don't want to go out with you now?”
I was not going to listen to it. I knew that she wanted to go out with me, just as badly as I wanted to go out with her. It was rather simple to see. She was just playing hard to get.
Instead of letting her carry on that way, I grabbed her up and gave her a kiss on the lips. That is what I've been wanting to do all day and when I pulled away from her, her eyes were glittering a little bit and I could tell that it had done the trick. Maybe we needed to stop pretending like this wasn't exactly what both of us wanted. I couldn’t care less about what was going to happen next. At the moment, I didn't even have enough blood in my brain to think straight anyways.
“So, is that your plan all along? We weren't even going to go out?”
“I don't really have too many plans. All I'm worried about is getting time alone with you. If you want to go out, great. If you want me to pleasure you until you scream for mercy, that works too. It’s really up to you.”
