A Step Two Close

by Jaimie Roberts

  She nodded just as Mandy started laughing. “That’s fine. She seems to be a little out of sorts today.” She glanced across at Mandy, who had her hand over her mouth in a fit of giggles.

  I gritted my teeth, marched over to her, and dragged her by the arm out of the kitchen. “Shut the fuck up!” I seethed as I marched her up the stairs. All she did was laugh even harder.

  Once we got to my room, I pushed her in and slammed the door behind me. “Would you cut that out, Mandy? Do you know how suspicious that looked?”

  I watched her as she rolled about on my bed laughing. “That was Mr. Cherry-popper!” She burst out into a new set of giggles.

  I stood there, hands on my hips. “Mandy, please. Do you know how much fucking trouble I’m in just by living here?”

  She waved her hand in the air, trying to calm down. “I know. I know. I’m sorry, but do you realise the irony? I mean, what are the chances, Ayden?”

  I rolled my eyes and groaned. “I know. I’m living in hell.”

  Mandy smiled and raised her eyebrow. “Living in sexy hell. I know these two stuck for you. First, Mason because he popped your cherry, and now Hunter because he became Mr. Orgasmic. Wow!” Her eyes widened when she thought about it all over again. “Shit, Ayden. I can’t fucking believe this. You bagged two for the price of one.”

  I groaned. “Mandy, is there any chance you could stop talking?”

  She obviously wasn’t listening. Instead, she stared off into the distance. Her brain must have been working at a hundred miles per hour. “Can you imagine what your mother would say? Shit.” She giggled again, and this time, I didn’t stop her. She obviously needed to get this out of her system.

  “Fuck, how are you going to cope every time you sit at the dinner table and you’re faced with father and son... both of whom you... ”

  I put my hand up. “That’s enough, Mandy. Please.”

  She finally looked at me and saw how serious I was. “Sorry, Ayden. It was quite a shock.”

  I huffed. “Quite a shock? You should have been there when I first laid eyes on them both.”

  Mandy giggled again. “I wish I had seen that. It’s like you’re living in some kind of make believe book or film. Shit like this only happens in made-up stories. This is all just too real for you.”

  I sat on the bed beside her and huffed. “Tell me about it.”

  Suddenly, her eyes widened again. “Holy shit! We’re going to be on the Jerry Springer Show. I can see it coming. Fuck!”

  I sighed. I thought she was done, but I was obviously wrong. “Are you done yet?”

  For the first time, she properly looked at me and realised what she had been saying all this time. “I’m sorry.” She laid a hand on mine. “I’m back to being your friend again. I didn’t mean to be like that. It was just a shock. How are you feeling about it all?”

  When I realised she wasn’t going to giggle again or make some kind of sarcastic remark, I spoke. “I don’t want to think about it too much because it makes my head spin.” I looked into her eyes. “How am I going to get through the next couple of years, Mandy? I thought I was living in hell before, but this just takes the fucking cake. Seriously, am I really that bad? Did killing my father really put the universe out of whack for me? Did I die along with him?” I was about to rant some more when Mandy stopped me.

  “Ayden, calm your shit down. Your mother has obviously been feeding you this bullshit so much for so long that you’re actually starting to believe it yourself.” She got up from my bed. “Fucking hell, Ayden, you were six for Christ’s sake. How could you be to blame for what happened?”

  I felt the tears pool my eyes. “If it wasn’t for my birthday, then we would have been at home like everyone else was that day. We wouldn’t have gone out, and he wouldn’t have been killed.”

  Mandy grabbed my shoulders. “Stop this right now, Ayden. You were never to blame for what happened. You were a child. If anything, your father should have realised the dangers and shouldn’t have put you both at risk. What if it had been you instead of him? He was the responsible adult—not you.”

  Feeling the anger rise, I shot off my bed. “Don’t you talk about him like that.”

  Mandy stood her ground. “I’m telling you the truth, and you know it. I’m just being a friend.”

  I shook my head. “A friend wouldn’t say shit like that about her friend’s dead father, Mandy.” I felt a tear slip down my face. “Please, just go.”

  She looked at me for a moment, opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Instead, she turned, walked out the door, and headed down the stairs. I heard the door shut and immediately collapsed on the bed.

  I couldn’t believe she had said all of that about my father. He was just trying to show his girl how special she was. I had always been close to my dad, and he doted on me like a father should. I loved him with every single breath I had in my body. All of that disappeared the day he died in my arms.

  I turned over and felt the tears stream down my face endlessly. I was so immersed in all of my grief that I didn’t realise there was someone in the room.

  “Ayden, are you okay?”

  I snapped my head up to find Hunter staring at me. When he saw my tears, he frowned. “What happened? Mandy just stormed out of here, and now you’re crying. What’s going on?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. Leave it. We just had a little fight, that’s all.”

  He frowned a little in thought. “Was it about us?”

  I huffed. “Not everything is about the great Hunter Davenport.” I shoved his hand away.

  “Ayden, you’re upset and—”

  I shot up from my bed. “And what? You thought you could come in here, play your silly games, and, eventually, I would cave and let you fuck me? It doesn’t work like that.”

  Hunter’s chest rose as he inhaled a sharp breath. “I’ll let that one slide because you’re obviously still upset about whatever argument you had with Mandy. But, I’ll tell you this—just so you know, AJ—it isn’t all about the great Ayden Pearson either.”

  With a point of his finger, he turned and stormed out the door. I thought things couldn’t get any worse, but then my mother came in the room seconds after. I started to panic, wondering how much of that conversation she had actually heard.

  “Five minutes,” she whisper-hissed. “Five fucking minutes, and you’re already ruining everything. Why can’t you just be a normal kid, Ayden? Your father must be turning in his grave.” She was about to walk out the door when Mason appeared. Her eyes widened a little, obviously scared that he had heard the venom spilling from her mouth.

  “Is everything okay? I heard Mandy leave abruptly.” When he saw my tears, he rushed forward a little. “What happened?”

  I really didn’t want him making a fuss, especially as I could see how much it was pissing my mum off that he was concerned for me.

  “I’m fine. Thank you, Mason. Mandy and I just had a little argument, that’s all. I’m sure we’ll be friends again by tomorrow.”

  Mason smiled. “I understand. I used to argue with my friends all of the time when I was your age.” He came over and offered me a gentle squeeze on both arms. “How about you come down, and I’ll make you a nice cup of hot chocolate? It always works for me when I’m a little down.”

  I smiled, but then made the mistake of looking across at my mum. I was going to say yes, but then the glare in her eyes stopped me. She didn’t like Mason fussing over me. That much I could definitely tell. I needed to defuse this situation and fast.

  Eventually, I pried my eyes away from her evil look and shook my head with a smile. “That is kind. Thank you, Mason, but I think I’ll stay up here. I need to sort my hair out and do some studying anyway.”

  He looked at me a moment. “Okay. If you’re sure?” I nodded, and he turned to my mother. In an instant, her dirty look turned into the brightest of smiles. “Let’s leave her in peace then, Kat.”

  He walked towards her,
and she wrapped an arm around him. “Sure thing. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

  I smiled... taking note that she didn’t want me downstairs until I had to be. Great. Now I was stuck in my room whether I liked it or not. I suppose it was better all around anyway. I was pissing my mother off even when I didn’t mean to do it.

  They both walked out the door and shut it behind them—but not before my mother shot another evil glare my way.

  Chapter Seven

  I had been in my room for four hours straight before I heard the doorbell ring downstairs. I ignored it and carried on with reading a book called “The Jigsaw Man” by Paul Britton. He was a forensic psychologist, who profiled a lot of cases, including Fred and Rose West and the Rachel Nickell disappearance. I had been meaning to read it for ages and hadn’t gotten around to it until recently.

  “Ayden, there’s a delivery for you!” my mother’s voice sang up the stairs. You would never have thought that she was such a nasty person when she sounded as Mary Poppins as she did at that moment.

  I sighed, placed the marker inside my book, and took the journey down the stairs. I really didn’t want to be in the same room as my mother, but I knew I couldn’t put it off. The smell of cooked food was rising now, hitting my nostrils. My stomach growled in protest. Considering I hadn’t eaten in hours, I was hardly surprised.

  As I ventured down the stairs, I saw my mother smelling a bunch of red roses. I started frowning and noticed straight away that Hunter and Mason were doing the same.

  “These came for you. Aren’t they gorgeous?” She smelled them again and handed them to me once I got to the bottom of the stairs. When I didn’t do anything, she glared at me. “Well, go on. Who are they from?”

  I could tell she wanted me to do it in front of everyone. I just wanted to run away. Instead, I sighed and pulled the card out from the top. I placed the flowers down, opened the card, and my eyes widened when I saw what was inside.

  These will never smell as beautiful as you. Meet me at the Dorset Cafe tomorrow at ten. I’ll be waiting. Robert. After his name, he left his mobile number. Call me. XXX

  “So, who are they from?”

  I looked up to my mother. “They’re from Robert.”

  She clapped her hands, making me jump. “Oh, that boy! He was nice. I liked Robert. He’s the local mayor’s son. You should give him a call.”

  I wouldn’t call him if he was the last man on earth.

  I smiled sweetly, and my mother walked towards the kitchen with a confused-looking Mason in tow.

  Hunter, on the other hand, stayed put. He studied me a moment, walked forward, and snatched the card from me before I could react.

  “Hey,” I protested, trying to grab the card back from him.

  “‘These will never smell as beautiful as you.’” He sniggered. “Fucking chump.”

  I tried grabbing the card from his outstretched hand, but all he did was stand on his tiptoes. “I don’t think you’ll be needing this.”

  Before I could react, he pulled up his other hand and ripped the card into little pieces. At first I watched in astonishment as it fell to the floor.

  “You fucking wanker.” I went to slap him, but he caught my hand before it connected with his face.

  He yanked me to him and breathed heavily. “Listen, sis, you have to get one thing straight. Until I get to have my one day, no one else touches you. Got it?”

  I couldn’t believe the gall of the man. “How dare you!”

  Hunter smirked. “I know. I’m a fucking wanker. Get used to it, sweetheart.” He moved his head down and nibbled on my bottom lip. I was angry at my body for betraying me. Angry that despite the fact that he was an arsehole, I couldn’t help but lean into him whenever he willed me to.

  “Just give me one day, AJ. One day when I will taste you. One day when I’ll make you scream my name over and over again. You know you want it, and you know I’m the only man that can give it to you like you so badly need it. Until then, you will not date anyone, you will not see anyone, and you will certainly not fuck anyone.”

  He let go of my wrist and moved away. At first I was shocked and bewildered, but then the anger set in again. “Why?”

  He stopped dead in his tracks, but didn’t turn. “Why what?”

  My heart was beating so fast that I could hardly get the words out. “Why are you doing this? What should you care if I go with someone else? And furthermore, what about you? You’re not exactly a saint. The same rules would have to apply to you.”

  He didn’t turn, but I could already tell he was smiling when he said, “So, you do care whether or not I sleep with other girls.”

  “No!” I snapped, a little too quickly. “You have no right to tell me what to do. I am not yours, and you have some nerve trying to stake a claim. Why is it such a major deal to you anyway?”

  Hunter turned abruptly and stalked towards me. With his hand in my hair, he pulled me so close to his lips that I thought he was going to kiss me. “Because, AJ, until I have my day, your pussy is mine and mine alone. The more you keep this up, the longer it will be until you get the fucking you so obviously need.”

  I was so busy staring into his lust-filled eyes that I failed to notice his hand going in for the kill. In one fell swoop, he lifted my skirt, pulled my panties aside and placed his finger inside me. I gasped, unable to move from his torturous spell. It was like he was holding me captive with just one look.

  I moaned out loud as he pulled his finger away. Obviously happy with my reaction, Hunter smiled. “Your body can’t lie, AJ. You’re so dripping wet for me that I’m surprised your desire isn’t trailing onto the floor.”

  He pulled away from me again, shock still in my eyes. He watched me as he brought his finger up to his mouth and licked my juices from it. He closed his eyes, and I did the same as he moaned his appreciation. “Fucking delicious.” He licked the remaining juices up before staring at me again. “Stop fighting me, AJ. I never lose.”

  He walked off as if nothing had happened—leaving me breathless and unable to move. What was wrong with me? How did this insubordinate, annoying-as-hell arsehole render me into this withering, babbling buffoon? I was strong-willed. At least, I had always thought I was. I never let anyone in. I never put up with anyone’s shit... but, Hunter? Well, he was some unknown force of nature. It was almost like he was some kind of wizard casting me under his glorious spell. I wanted to be set free.

  Yet, I also did not want to be set free.

  What in the living hell was wrong with me?

  “Ayden, are you okay?”

  Snapping my head up, I saw Mason staring at me with a perplexed look on his face. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my ever-beating heart and smiled as best I could. “I’m fine, Mason. Honestly.” I was saying the word, fine, a lot lately.

  He walked closer. “We haven’t had a chance to talk.”

  I looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was in the room. “I don’t think now is the appropriate time.”

  “Fuck. You taste so good.”

  Mason sighed. “I guess it never will be. I can’t stop thinking about it though, Ayden.”

  My eyes widened. “Please don’t tell me you mean that night?”

  “Oh, baby—just like that.”

  He frowned. “What?” Then he realised. “Oh, no... not that. Although, it was a night I won’t forget.”

  “Your nipples are so hard and erect for me. I could suck them all day.”

  “Please, Mason.”

  “Nikki, you’re so beautiful. Your pussy is so sweet.”

  Fuck! Get out of my head!

  He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I digress. What I should be asking is this: Will this cause a problem for you? With me living in the same house as you?”

  “Fuck, Nikki, your tongue feels so good”

  I shook my head. “Not unless you have a problem with it?”

  “Come for me, Nikki.”

  He shook his head, but I coul
d tell he was still thinking about it. “So, you don’t mind me marrying your mother?”

  “Fuck, Nikki, I’m going to come.”

  Of course I minded, but for very different reasons than what he was worried about. “No, Mason. I don’t. What happened between us was almost a year ago now. It was a one-time thing. We didn’t know each other. We didn’t want to know each other. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened. With all that’s happened in the past week, I have to move forward as if that was the truth. There is no sense in going back there. You can understand that, can’t you?”

  Mason cleared his throat again. “Of course. As long as we have an understanding.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, and as long as you don’t try to act like a father to me, then we’re swell.”

  Mason actually shuddered, which made me smile. “No, it’s not a good idea. I think you would agree under the circumstances that it would be highly inappropriate of me.”

  I nodded. “Yes, it would.”

  “How are things with Hunter, though? Are you getting along okay? Is he treating you well?”

  I almost laughed. Treating me well was an understatement. If one could consider giving me an orgasm within five minutes of moving in, bullying me, and practically blackmailing me as “treating me well,” then I was doomed.

  Instead, I smiled sweetly and lied to his face. “Hunter and I are getting on nicely.”

  He smiled and went to leave when he spotted what was on the floor. “Is that the card from the flowers?” My face flushed a bright red. How could I explain it?

  I bent down to scoop them up. “Erm, yeah. They’re from an unwanted admirer.” I really didn’t know what else to say.

  Mason frowned. “Someone’s not bothering you, are they, Ayden? If they are, you really should have kept that for evidence.” He pointed to the ripped pieces in my hand.

  I smiled and shook my head. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. It’s just someone I went on a couple of dates with, and now he seems a little overly keen to go out on a third.” I saw his expression, and I knew he didn’t like it. “It’s fine,” I said, laying my hand on his arm.