by Joey Bush
“You’re not the one dating him.”
“Is that what you two are doing? Dating? He was your stepbrother.”
“I think we’re dating—I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it; things have just happened naturally. And he used to be my stepbrother, for like, five years. It’s not like he’s my real brother.”
“All right, Isla. It’s clear you’re not interested in hearing the voice of reason, so I’ll stay out of it, okay?” She looked past me at the car. She shook her head. “I don’t even want to know how much you just spent on that.”
I drove home after that, hoping that Levi wouldn’t give me a hard time about the car. I doubted he would. I ran inside, where he was sitting at the dining room table, looking at his phone, eating a bowl of cereal.
“Come see what I got,” I said.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me outside.
“Wow!” he said, letting out a low whistle. “This is yours?”
“Yeah. Total impulse buy, but seeing as I haven’t really bought anything yet, I figured it would be okay.”
“I’ll say.” He went over and ran his hand over the hood. “Damn, girl, looks like you know a thing or two about cars.”
“Not really. I just liked the look of this one.”
“You picked a good one. How’s it drive?”
“Good, as far as I can tell. You want to take it out?”
He grinned. “Sure—we could take it for a little spin around the block.”
I tossed him the keys and went around to the passenger side and got in.
“It’s been a while since I’ve driven,” he said as he backed out of the driveway. “But don’t worry; it always came naturally to me.”
I buckled my seat belt and wondered if this was such a good idea, after all. He tapped the gas as we drove away from the house and the car surged forward.
“Woooweee,” he said. “This thing is a beast.”
“I’m sure you’ve been in way nicer cars than this.”
“I’ve been in nicer cars, sure, but not way nicer. This thing’s pretty mint. It feels great. Let’s get this thing out on the highway.”
We drove out to Route 1 and Levi wasted no time in getting the car up to eighty. It didn’t feel like we were moving that fast at all, though; in fact, the car was so smooth it felt as though it were hovering over the ground, like we were in a luxury space ship or something.
“Damn, this is nice,” he said. He let off the gas as we approached a car, and once the car changed to the right-hand lane, he accelerated again. “Your car is giving me a hard on,” he said, reaching over to take my hand and place it on his crotch. He was right; his cock was rock hard and straining against the front of his shorts.
“You’re getting a boner for my car?” I said, giving him a squeeze.
“No. Well, maybe a little. What’s actually giving me a hard on is you sitting there in those little shorts of yours.”
I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned over, unbuttoning his shorts, pulling his cock through the opening in his boxer shorts. All I could think of was my mother telling me how I’d always been a good girl. Maybe I didn’t want to be a good girl anymore.
“Am I dreaming?” Levi said as I took him into my mouth. “Ohhhh man.”
I felt the car accelerate as I moved my head up and down, feeling him back against my throat. I tried to relax my throat muscles and take him in as far as I could. I slowly drew my mouth up the length of his cock. I licked slow circles around the head of his cock, then wrapped my lips around it and started to suck. Levi groaned and ran his hand through my hair, hopefully keeping his other hand on the steering wheel. I briefly wondered if I was being a total fool for doing this, and did I really want to get into a car accident and be killed? Surely the police or the EMTs or whoever was first to arrive on the scene would know what I had been doing.
But the car felt safe. Even though I knew we were cruising, I felt as though we were ensconced in some sort of shatter-proof capsule, capable of simply ricocheting off anything that it made contact with. So I kept at it, alternating between running the tip of my tongue around the head of his cock and taking him all the way into my mouth, as far as I could.
The longer I sucked him off, the more relaxed my throat must have gotten, because after a few minutes, I was able to get him all the way in and keep him there. I sucked gently, pulling the insides of my cheeks in, feeling the way he swelled inside my mouth. When that happened, I eased off a little, then started to bob my head up and down, slowly, at first, and then faster and faster until I felt his fingers twist through my hair and his hips bucked and he came, a noise sounding like a cross between a growl and a moan escaping from his throat.
I swallowed and then sat up and wiped the back of my hand across my face. Levi was still gripping the steering wheel tightly, chest heaving.
“That was most unexpected,” he said. “But seriously awesome.”
I buckled my seat belt and smiled. “Good. I’m not always such a goody-two-shoes.”
He glanced at me. “I’ll say.”
We drove in silence for a few minutes, and I listened to Levi’s heavy breathing return to normal. I glanced over at him; he had a smile on his face.
“You want to go out to dinner tonight?” I asked. “There’s this restaurant I’ve always wanted to try. Duquette. It’s on the fancy side, though.”
The reason Duquette had been a place I’d always wanted to try but had never been was because, up until now, there was no way I could’ve justified spending hundreds of dollars on a meal for two.
“Sure,” Levi said. “I know that place.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. The owner’s Cecil Duquette, right?”
“Um . . . I’m not sure. I’ve never been there.”
“He used to have a couple restaurants in Manhattan, but then closed them down after his wife decided she was sick of living in the city. He knew my dad.”
“Oh.”
“But yeah, I’d love to go there. We can celebrate your new car.”
I settled back into the seat and looked out the window. My phone started to ring; for a second I thought that it was going to be my mother, calling up to admonish me for doing what I’d just done, though of course there was no way she’d be able to know that.
I retrieved the phone from my purse. It was Sophie.
“Hey,” I said when I picked up. “I was going to give you a call later. We’re in town.”
“We’re?” she repeated. “As in, you and Levi?”
“Yes, as in me and Levi. But I want to see you. So let’s do dinner or something.”
“You busy tonight?”
I paused. “Uh . . . well, we were going to go out to eat. You could come with us. We’re going to Duquette.”
“No, thank you. That’s one date I could definitely do without going on. Though it would be funny to see in you action.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, playing him. Getting him to fall for you. I know you don’t think so, Isla, but you can really get a guy to fall for you. How about tomorrow? I’ve been craving some sushi. We could go to Toro. Seven o’clock?”
“That sounds good.”
“How did you get a reservation at Duquette? I heard you had to call like weeks in advance.”
“I don’t have a reservation. I didn’t know you needed one.”
“Of course you need one at a place like that.”
“You’ve been there?”
“Once. It was a while ago. With that guy, Tobin?”
“Why didn’t I know this?”
“I’m pretty sure you did. It’s a good place. The owner’s some guy from New York.”
“Is everyone aware of these things except for me?” I asked.
“Have a great time,” Sophie said. I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.
I hung up the phone and looked at Levi. “I guess I should give a call over there; Sophie says you need a r
eservation.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
I looked the place up and then called, where I was promptly informed there was no way we could get a reservation for that night.
“Would you like me to make a reservation for next week?” the woman asked.
“There’s nothing available for tonight?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“I’ll have to call you back,” I said. Levi held his hand out.
“Let me talk to her.”
I handed him the phone. “Hi,” he said. “Who’s this? Hi there, Maureen. I’m Levi. And that was Isla you were just talking to. Yes, I know. Is Cecil there, by any chance? He’s busy? Could I talk to him? I’ll make it quick, I promise. Yes, he knows who I am. Great, thanks.” He glanced at me. “She’s going to go get him. Though she normally wouldn’t do something like that.” He grinned.
“Cecil! Hey, it’s Levi Bassett. I’m good, thanks. Oh, thank you. I know, it was a really big surprise. No one was expecting it. Thanks Cecil. Yeah, so, I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m actually in town tonight and I was hoping to be able to get a table there tonight. Just a two top, nothing big. Yeah? Okay, great. Sure, seven-thirty’s perfect. Thanks again, Cecil. Talk to you later. Bye.” He handed the phone back to me. “All set,” he said.
I stared at him. “How did you do that?”
“I’m lucky enough to know the guy. Besides, places like that always have a few tables available, even when they’re saying they don’t. You just have to not be afraid to ask.”
“I see,” I said, though it was starting to seem more and more that being wealthy was like a foreign language I didn’t know how to speak.
I wasn’t sure what to wear to a fancy place, though I knew better than to call Sophie up and ask her. I stood in front of my closet for a while. I had a few dresses, a few skirts, but nothing seemed quite right. Really, what seemed like the best choice was the black dress I had worn that night I’d gone over to Brian’s, but I wasn’t going to wear that on a date with Levi. And I didn’t even have the magenta pumps to go with it.
I finally decided on a simple, ballet-pink dress. It was sleeveless, with a scoop neck, and it stopped a few inches above my knees. I had a white silk shawl that I wrapped around my shoulders. I had a pair of strappy silver sandals that would go with the dress, and my hair looked pretty good, just how it was, flowing down over my shoulders.
Levi had less options when it came to an outfit. The closest thing he had brought with him for dressy clothes was a short-sleeved black polo shirt and a pair of light blue shorts.
“You’re really wearing that?” I asked. “Are they even going to let you in?”
“Sure they will. And I’ve got my Mephistos.”
“Your what?”
“Mephistos. Those boat shoes. Don’t worry; I won’t wear flip flops. If you want to let me borrow one of your sweaters, I can tie it around my shoulders. That will definitely complete the look. And besides—you look so great there’s no way they’d turn us away.”
“What color sweater do you want? I’ve got a pale pink one that will match my dress.”
He grinned. “Perfect.”
I let Levi drive over to the restaurant. The whole way over, I couldn’t help but feel like I was going somewhere that I didn’t belong, though I knew that was just my own insecurity. Levi seemed totally at ease, and he held the door open for me and then strolled in, told the maître d’ who we were, and were immediately escorted to a table.
The chandelier and wall sconces cast everything in a warm, golden glow. The tables were draped in white linen, and then chairs were deep mahogany, with leather padding on the seats and the backs. Toward the back of the room, a man in a tuxedo was seated at a grand piano, playing a classical song that sounded familiar, though I couldn’t think of the name of the song, or the composer.
“What song is he playing?” I asked Levi as we sat down, though I didn’t expect him to know the answer.
“Mozart,” he replied, picking up the wine menu. “Piano Concerto No. 21.” He said it so casually that I was certain he was bullshitting me.
“Is it really?”
“Yeah.” He kept his head tilted down but shifted his gaze to me. “My musical interests include more than just the electronic type.”
“It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember who it was.”
Our waitress came over, and she was petite and beautiful and she put her hand on Levi’s shoulder when she answered one of his questions about the wine. While he talked with her, I took a moment to look around the dining room, and everyone there was either very beautiful, clearly very well off, or both.
And then I saw her.
She had just walked in, on the arm of some tan guy in a tuxedo.
Shannon.
We were far enough away from the entrance that there was a good chance she wouldn’t see me, but then the maître d’ led them right toward us, to an empty table just a few feet away.
“Isla?” she exclaimed as they got closer. “Oh my god, is that really you?”
Shannon, of course, looked gorgeous, in some tight, slinky dress that I wondered if she’d be able to even sit down in. Her cleavage spilled out over the top, barely contained. The last time I’d seen Shannon had been when she’d been standing naked in Brian’s bedroom.
“What are you doing here?” Shannon squealed, coming over to me and giving me a hug like we were best friends. It was Levi she couldn’t keep her eyes off of though, and she didn’t seem to care that her date was just standing there, looking uncomfortable.
“Oh, you know, we’re just here to get some food. Like everyone else,” I said, returning her hug the best I could from my seated position. She let go of me and turned to face Levi.
“And who is this? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.” She gave me a grin. “Certainly an improvement over Brian!”
I felt my face flush. Levi just sat there, looking amused.
“I’m Levi,” he said, holding his hand out. Shannon shook it enthusiastically. He looked past her, at Shannon’s date, and nodded. “What’s up, man,” he said.
“Oh, right. This is . . . um, this is Dave. Dave, this is my friend Isla, and Levi.”
Dave gave us a wan smile. “Want to go sit down?” he asked.
“Sure. Or you can sit and I’ll be over there in a second. Whatever you want.” Shannon turned back to Levi. “So where are you from?”
“New York.”
She grinned. “I just love New York!”
“I bet you do.”
“And what do you do there?”
“All sorts of things.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
I closed my eyes. Was this really happening? Shannon had turned her back to me and was leaning against the edge of the table, talking with Levi as though they were the only two in the place. Would it be wrong to just get up and leave?
“Maybe we should all go out and get drinks after this,” Shannon was saying. I reopened my eyes. Her date had gone to sit down at their table and was looking over the wine list.
“They’ve got plenty of drinks here, Shannon,” he said. “Why don’t you come on over and leave them alone.”
“How do you know Isla?” Levi asked.
“I was a member at her gym.” She flexed her bicep. “See?”
“Whoa, I didn’t realize we were actually coming to the gun show!”
They both started laughing.
I stood up. “Okay,” I said. “You know, I just remembered that I’ve got something else to do, so . . . yeah. I’ll see you guys later; I’m sure Shannon can give you a ride home.”
I strode off.
“Isla—” Levi started to say, but I kept walking. I made it a few steps into the parking lot when I felt his hand on my shoulder.
“Hey,” he said. “Isla—hold up. Where are you running off to?”
“I’m just . . . I’m not that hungry anymore.”
“Wait a second.”
/> I stopped, and he stepped in front of me so we were facing each other. He had a smile on his face. “You expect me to believe that?”
I looked down at my shoes. “No.”
“So what’s going on then?”
“I really wasn’t expecting to run into Shannon, of all people.”
“She . . . seems like an interesting person.”
“Would you like to know the last time I saw her? The last time I saw her she was in the middle of having sex with Brian, who, at the time, was my boyfriend. In fact, I’d gone over there with the idea to surprise him and then have sex with him. For the first time.”
Levi raised his eyebrows. “Is this a true story?”
“Yes. Every single part of it. And I walked in on them having sex. Oh, this was after I had cleaned up Shannon’s puke off the Lotus Room floor.”
“Lotus Room? Puke? What?”
“She was doing some cleanse thing, and she hurled all over the floor during a yoga class. I got to clean it up. That was earlier, though.”
Levi was laughing, slapping his thigh, unable to stand up straight.
“Holy shit,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. No, it is—it’s fucking hilarious. But don’t let her chase you off like that. We should be glad for her, actually.”
“And why is that?”
He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. “Because if you hadn’t walked in on her sleeping with your man, you would have slept with him, thereby depriving me of the very high honor of being the first person you’ve ever had sex with.” He took my hand. “Come on. Let’s go back into this overpriced place and get something to eat.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’m sorry for overreacting like that. Part of me feels like I don’t even belong in a place like this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know; I was just sitting there while you guys were talking, looking at everyone sitting around us, and I don’t feel like I fit in, I guess.”
“You belong here as much as anyone. It’s really just a mindset. And you are by far the most gorgeous woman in the place.”
I smiled as we walked back into the restaurant.
*****
I hoped my dinner date with Sophie would go better than the experience at Duquette. The food had been delicious, but I couldn’t help but be aware of Shannon, sitting just a few tables away.
