PENALTY

by Jacob Chance

  “Mr. Lincoln, it’s great to see you. How’ve you been?” Curtis, the concierge of the building asks as he rushes over to greet us when we come through the door from the private garage.

  “Hi, good to see you too, Curtis. I’ve been great. Can’t complain,” I answer, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “This is my girl, Harlow.” I gesture to her with my free hand. “We go to school together. Harlow, this is Curtis. He makes sure this place runs ship shape. He keeps everyone in line.”

  They exchange pleasantries while my eyes reacquaint themselves with the luxurious decor of the lobby. The marble tile floors are shiny and clean. The small groupings of furniture are made from the softest leather and I know how comfortable they are to sink down into. The expansive waterfall feature running the length of the right-side wall took more than a week to construct and cost an ungodly amount of money.

  We make our way over toward to the hallway on the left side of the lobby. I tug on Harlow’s hand, pulling her along with me when she stops in front of the first bank of elevators. “This way, beautiful,” I say as we keep moving forward down the long hall. Her eyes drift to the sedate and expensive artwork along each side wall. The sound of our steps on the marble floors echoes unnaturally loud through the silence. Harlow presses her lips together and tries to creep on her tip toes.

  I chuckle at her effort to be quiet. “This place feels like a museum,” I say, aiming a reassuring smile at her. “I wish I could say my dad’s apartment will be different, but it’s not.”

  I point at the single elevator in front of us, indicating where we’re headed. I swipe the card that gives me access to the private transport for the penthouse apartment where my father and his family live. The inside is covered in a medium toned wood paneling which wraps all the way around the 3 interior walls. The stainless-steel doors make up the fourth and I can see our reflection in them as they close. Harlow looks so tiny standing next to me. Turning, I lean down and kiss the top of her sweet-smelling hair as we begin our ascent.

  Her face tips up to look at me. “I love when you do that.”

  “What? Kiss your head?” I question.

  She nods, a soft smile on her face. “My dad used to do that. It reminds me of him, but more than anything it makes me feel like you really care about me.”

  My fingers clasp her arm spinning her to face me. My other hand falls to her hip as I say, “I do care about you - more than you probably realize.” Raking my teeth over my bottom lip, I search for the right words. “Being someone’s boyfriend is new to me. I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’m going to do my best to make you happy, but if there’s something you need you’re not getting from me…” I pause, raising the hand from her arm up to cup her cheek. “You’re going to have to tell me. I don’t ever want to make you unhappy.” My eyebrows draw downward as I think about the words I’m about to say. “It feels inevitable that I’ll disappoint you sooner or later.”

  Her hands slide up my chest and come to rest on my shoulders. “Don’t think like that. I care about you. If you’re honest and faithful, we’ll be right as rain.” Her wide smile dispels any worry I’m feeling.

  “Are you nervous to meet my family?”

  “No, not really. They’re either going to like me or they won’t.” Her shoulders raise in a quick shrug. “All I can do is be myself and hope for the best.”

  Leaning down, I brush my lips against hers. “I can’t imagine anyone not liking you,” I say.

  “Right? Only crazy people wouldn’t like me.”

  The elevator comes to a halt on the sixty-second floor. My palms are unexpectedly damp and I wipe them on my jeans just before the door opens in front of us. When we step out into the hallway, I place my hand on her arm, halting her. “Thank you for coming here with me. I know it’s not easy to meet your boyfriend’s family when we haven’t been together for long, but I want them to get to know you.” My hand slides down her arm to clasp her hand. “I have a little brother, Trevor. He’s seventeen. He’ll be here.” I blurt out, nervously running a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him before now.” I pause and sigh loudly. “My dad had an affair with Trevor’s mother when my parents were still married and I was four years old when he was born. Knocking his mistress up was the last straw for my mom and the end of her overlooking his indiscretions. They divorced shortly after and he’s been married to Brandy, my stepmom ever since.”

  Harlow squeezes my hand. “It’s okay. You don’t need to tell me all this right now. I can figure it out for myself or we can talk about it at a more convenient time.”

  I quickly nod, smiling at her. “You’re the best. I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I’m not letting you fucking go.” I pull her into my arms, holding her close. Her arms wrap around me solidifying how happy I am she’s here with me. Dropping my arms, I step back from her hold, looking her over. “Are you ready?” She nods encouragingly and I take her hand.

  There are two penthouse apartments that make up the top floor. I draw her along with me to the black door that leads to the one where my family lives. Squeezing her hand, I turn the knob with my other and hold my breath as I push open the door.

  Harlow gasps as we step inside and she catches sight of the panoramic view of the Midtown Manhattan skyline through the wide, high almost wall to wall windows. Smiling, I look down at her beside me. “It’s an amazing view, isn’t it? Every time I make it back here this view still takes me by surprise.”

  “It’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Brady,” my stepmom hurries over as I close the door. She hugs me tight and then holds me at an arm’s distance. Her brown eyes skim over me. “I’m so glad to see you. I think you grew another inch since I last saw you.”

  “Brandy, I’m twenty-one, not sixteen. I think I’m done growing. Now, bulking up,” I say as I curl my arm up to show off my bicep, “that’s another story.”

  Harlow snorts next to me, reminding me I need to introduce them. “Harlow, this is Brandy.” She’s immediately pulled into a hug, before she gets the once over too.

  “You’re just a gorgeous little thing, aren’t you?”

  Harlow blushes adorably at the compliment. “She sure is. Is it any surprise I’d have good taste in a girlfriend?”

  Brandy’s eyes open comically wide. “Girlfriend?” she questions. “How long have you two been together for?”

  “We met two months ago but it took me a couple weeks to charm her into going out with me.”

  “I think you wore me down more than charming me,” Harlow interjects with a giggle.

  “You have a girlfriend?” A deep voice interrupts. “How did you convince anyone to go out with you?”

  I grin. “It wasn’t easy, but now I’ve got her, I’m not letting her go.” My brother walks over and we bump fists and then I pull him in for a quick hug. Glancing at Harlow beside me I introduce them. “Harlow this is my brother, Trevor. Watch out for him. He looks sweet, but he breaks hearts all over the city.” My eyes swing in my brother’s direction. “Don’t even think of hugging her,” I say as they exchange a handshake.

  “Brady,” Harlow says, rolling her eyes. “Way to make things awkward.”

  “Hey, my brother copping a feel from you would’ve been much worse.”

  “Dude, I don’t need to cop a feel. I’ve got plenty of willing and able girls just waiting for me to crook my finger.”

  “Yep. He’s definitely your brother,” Harlow says looking between the two of us as she removes her coat. I know she’s referring to his attitude and not our appearance. If it wasn’t for the blue eyes we share and our height, most probably wouldn’t know we were related. Trevor looks more like Brandy with his dark hair and olive skin tone. I favor my father.

  “Let me take your coats,” Brandy says.

  “That’s okay. We’re going to go put our things in my room. Harlow want to see where the magic happens?” I ask raising and lowering my eyebrows at
her.

  She shakes her head, biting her lip to hold back a smile.

  I wink at her and then turn toward Brandy. “We’ll be right back.” I say and then take Harlow’s hand, pulling her down the long hallway running down the left side of the apartment. This is where Trevor’s and my room are located. We have our own wing. My dad and Brandy’s wing is on the other side of the penthouse and includes his office.

  Walking into my bedroom, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve always liked this space. It would be difficult not to appreciate such an incredible view and the ample size doesn’t hurt. I think I could fit all of the bedrooms from my apartment into this one.

  “Here let me take that from you,” I grab her coat.

  “Wow,” Harlow whispers as she looks out the oversized windows. “Is that Central Park?”

  Dropping both our bags onto the floor, I shrug out of my jacket and throw it down on the bed along with hers. Crossing the room until I’m directly behind her, I place my chest against her back. “Yep, sure is. We’ll have plenty of time to explore it while we’re here.” My arms slide around her waist, pulling her against me. “I’m glad you’re here.” I rest my chin on her shoulder and breathe in her sweet scent.

  Her hands caress over mine where they rest on her stomach. “I’m glad I am too.”

  My hands on her hips turn her to face me. “Just so you know, the only magic that’s ever happened in this room was with myself. I’ve never brought a girl here before.” Her eyes go wide with surprise before she laughs. “What? That shocks you?” I smirk and tighten my hold on her. “Does it ruin your image of me fucking my way through the entire female population?”

  “Brady,” she rolls her eyes at me. “I never said I thought you were screwing everyone - just most of them,” she smiles and rests her hands on my chest. My pulse races from her touch and all I want to do is see how many times I can make her come before she begs me to stop, but I don’t. I take a deep breath and remind myself I need to go slow with her.

  “I’m not saying I was a saint, but I think the amount of fucking around I did might’ve been grossly exaggerated. Now my baby brother on the other hand…” My little brother makes me look like a virgin. All he has to do is smile and all the girls come running.

  “Does he play football too?”

  “Yep, he’s a tight end. He’ll be coming to school with us next year. He’s going to be a handful and I’m going to feel obligated to keep an eye on him, but it will be cool to have him playing on the same team as me. We went to different high schools since I lived with my mom full time.

  “Wow, two Lincoln’s at the same school and on the same team. The female student population might not be able to handle so much sexiness.”

  My hands leave her hips and come up to cup the back of her head, her silky hair teasing my fingers. “I’m off the market and I don’t plan on letting you get rid of me. They’ll only be one Lincoln for them to chase after.”

  “Harlow, what’s your major?” my father asks from his seat at the head of the long rectangular table crafted out of zebra wood. All five of us are seated at one end of the oversized table with seven chairs going unused. They do a lot of entertaining. I’m grateful today we’re the only guests. My dad turns into an asshole when there are people around to show off for or try to impress. He likes to push my buttons and ride my ass about anything to do with football.

  Harlow smooths the napkin in her lap. “I’m getting a psychology degree.”

  “Smart choice.” He nods his head. “It’s a degree you can do a lot with.”

  She smiles tentatively. “I hope so, because I’m not sure what I want to do yet.”

  He chuckles. “You’ve plenty of time to figure it out,” he says.

  Is he for real?

  This is the same man who’s lectured me numerous times for not having every detail of my future planned out. Funny how a young, pretty face has him singing a completely different tune. He always did like the youthful ones. He met my stepmom Brandy when she was only twenty-one and he was in his mid-thirties. In his eyes, at twenty nine my mother was already past her prime. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long with Brandy. One of these days she might find herself replaced with a newer model.

  “Trevor, do you know what you want to major in?” Harlow asks.

  He smirks, before replying and I already know this is going to be good. “I want to be a doctor.”

  “Wow, what a lofty goal. I’m impressed. What kind of doctor?”

  “I want to be a gynecologist,” he says completely deadpan.

  Harlow’s head turns to meet my gaze and I chuckle. I wink to let her know she can’t believe anything he says. “Dude, you’re so full of it. Like you’d make it through all those years of school.”

  Trevor laughs and gestures in Harlow’s direction. “I had her going for a second there. I don’t need a degree in gynecology to study pussy.”

  Harlow’s hand moves up to cover her mouth while she keeps her eyes locked on her plate of food.

  “Trevor, that’s quite enough,” Brandy scolds. “We have company. Please apologize to Harlow for your lack of manners.”

  “Sorry, I’m just playing around. I’m not sure what I’m going to major in, but I’m definitely minoring in pussy,” he announces undeterred by his mother’s disgust at his lack of a filter.

  Harlow’s head drops as she stares in her lap. I can see her teeth biting into her lip as she tries not to laugh.

  Brandy narrows her eyes in his direction and looks like she wants to strangle him. “Trevor, have we taught you no manners at all? There’s a guest sitting here. Think before you speak.”

  “Mommy,” he begins, mocking what she just said. “I’m a legal adult and let’s not forget about my freedom of speech rights.” He winks at her and shovels a heap of mashed potatoes and gravy into his mouth.

  Brandy shakes her head. “Where did we go wrong with him, Lawrence? Maybe we should’ve spanked him as a toddler.”

  “Nothing wrong with spanking.” Trevor grins and wiggles his eyebrows.

  Harlow snorts, then presses her lips tightly together fighting the laughter wanting to break free.

  Leaning over, I press my lips to her ear. “How do you feel about spanking?” Her head snaps around to face me as I straighten up in my chair. Her cheeks are flushed a deep pink hue. She doesn’t answer me. She chews on the inner edge of her bottom lip and I’d love to know what she’s thinking right now.

  Lowering toward her again, our eyes locked, I pause when our lips are only inches apart. I can feel her warm breath fanning over mine and it makes me want to steal her away to my room so I can taste her delicious lips right now. “I guess this is a subject we’ll need to revisit at a more appropriate time.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  HARLOW

  We have the penthouse to ourselves and although I’d love to be naked and in bed with him right now, it feels amazing to just relax together on the couch. My head is in his lap while we watch his dad’s ninety-inch wall mounted flat screen television. The room is wired with surround sound giving it the effect of being in our own private movie theatre. His fingers gently comb through my bangs over and over. The repetitive motion is soothing. I’m on the verge of falling asleep when his fingertips gently trace over the crescent shaped scar just below my hairline.

  “How did you get this?” he asks, staring down at me.

  I close my eyes for a moment, visibly swallowing before my lids raise to gaze up at him. “I was in the car with my dad the night of his accident.”

  “Harlow, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  My eyes sting with the urge to cry and I glance away. “How could you? I’ve never told you.”

  “Do you mind talking about it?” he asks brushing my hair back with his fingers.

  “No.” I shake my head. “It was a hit and run and they never caught the guy,” I explain, filling him in on all the details of what happened. His index finger traces over the scar, back and forth
in a soothing manner as he listens, his eyes never leaving my face.

  “I wish you hadn’t gone through such difficult times. I’m sorry for your loss. I wish I’d been a part of your life back then so I could’ve helped you through it all.”

  My eyes swing up, locking with his. “You’re a part of my life now.” My lips curve into a small smile. His hand caresses down the side of my face, cupping my chin in his palm.

  His expression is serious. “I am and I don’t ever plan on that changing.” His thumb drags across my bottom lip. “You’re my girl. I love you.”

  My eyes well with tears and then overflow from his words and my heart pounds so fast it feels like it’s going to take flight and leave my chest. Sitting up, I straddle his lap and rub the tip of my nose against his. His hands grip my hips as I connect our lips in a gentle kiss. Drawing back, I cup his jaw with both hands. His stubble is rough against my palms. “I love you too. So much.”

  “It’s pretty awesome that I’m strolling around the world famous Central Park with my boyfriend, right now. I think we need a picture to commemorate this.” Pulling my phone out of my pocket I hand it to Brady. “Here, your arms are longer than mine. You can be my own personal selfie stick.”

  He wiggles his eyebrows. “I’ll be whatever kind of stick you need me to be.”

  Rolling my eyes at him, I snuggle into the front of his body. He wraps his free arm around my waist and takes a few pictures of us. He spins me around, handing me my phone, before he leans down to brush his cold nose against mine. Despite the icy tip of his nose, it’s a mild winter day for New York City.

  Slipping my phone into my pocket, I wrap my arms around his neck and pucker my mouth in an invitation for a kiss. Thankfully he’s not one to miss out on an opportunity to get his lips on mine. He brushes our mouths together, teasing my top lip first and then my bottom one. Back and forth, soft as a whisper until I’m dizzy with desire.