by Katie Dowe
“Who is he?”
“He is a substitute teacher,” she made a face and plopped down on the sofa at one end of the huge room that Monique shared with her husband. She had not been feeling well and she had decided to rest for the day. “I know what we always thought about substitute teachers and I am telling you that this one is so different. He came to replace Paul Simmons, the history guy, and everybody loves him. He is tall and a fine piece of man with a body that makes you drool. I am planning to have sex with him tomorrow.”
“Shouldn’t you get to know him a little better first?” Monique stretched her legs out to release the cramp in her calf. She had been feeling it since the other day and had been getting frequent massages to make it better.
“How long did it take you to jump ‘Mr. Gorgeous’ bones?”
“You have a point but I am asking if you know anything about him?’
“He lived in Texas for a little bit. He is from New Jersey originally and he has been teaching for the past ten years and he is great with the kids. The girls are all but salivating and showing him their cleavages but he is not paying them any mind. He told me he is not into teenage girls. We have been going out since the past three weeks.”
“Have you been to his place?”
“Yes, Mother. He lives in a hovel in the ghetto and is going to eat me for breakfast. Wait! That’s exactly what I want him to do.” She said dryly.
Monique picked up a silky white blouse and threw it at her. “I am just concerned.”
“No need. He did ask about you though.”
Monique frowned at her. “Why?”
“He cannot believe that you used to teach at the school and that we are best friends. He loves the men’s wear that Romano’s has put out. He especially likes the new breathable t-shirts for men.”
“I can see how much you like him.”
Camille put away the dress she had been fingering and came over to sit next to her friend. “I like him a lot. I think he is going to be the one.” She stretched her legs out and examined her pedicure. “He makes me feel wonderful honey and I have not been feeling wonderful in a very long time.”
“As long as he makes you feel that way,” Monique ignored the anxious pull of her emotions.
“Okay, help me find something that says I want you to tear the clothes from off of me and do me right away,” she said with a grin as she pulled her friend to her feet.
“You are something else. Wait what’s his name?”
“Leighton Bellows.”
*****
“Could you have your people check him out?” Monique had given her husband the name as soon as he came home from the club. He had brought a magnificent opal ring from Spain for her to show his appreciation for her getting pregnant. It was almost 10 p.m. but she was far from sleepy. There had been too many incidents concerning substitute teachers for her to ignore the warnings going off in her head.
“You want me to have the guy your friend is seeing checked out?” he looked at her in amusement. She was almost five weeks pregnant and looked more beautiful than ever.
She shrugged a little self-consciously as she eased up onto her pillows and watched as he took off his clothes. “It’s just a hunch.”
“Okay Nancy Drew, what are you up to?’
“Laugh all you want, but when I am proven right you will see.” She said with a pout.
He climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his arms. “Trust issues?” he murmured.
“Yes and I am not going to apologize for it. He could be a serial killer for all we know. She said he came from Jersey and he lived in Texas. Why is he moving around?”
“Isn’t that what substitute teachers do?”
“Not really,” she shrugged. “Could you have them find out for me?”
“If it will put your heart at ease of course.”
“Thanks,” she said softly. “She said he asks about me.”
He stiffened and looked down at her. “You asked her why?”
“I did and she said it is because I used to teach at the school and I have become famous so to speak.”
“It could be nothing, but I will let them dig into his past.”
“Thanks,” she repeated. “How was the tennis match?”
“I beat Jeremy by two sets to love,” he said with a grin.
“I knew you would.” She slides her hand under the t-shirt he was wearing and sighed as she felt his warm muscled chest.
“You are starting something that you had better finish.” He warned her huskily.
“I intend to.”
*****
Camille stretched languidly and purred in satisfaction. She watched as Leighton walked butt naked to the bathroom to relieve himself. It had been terrific as she knew it would be. She had gotten a preview of what he had last Friday when they had been alone at school in the staff room. He had made sure no one was around before he had took out his penis and closed her hand around the thickness of it and she had sighed in satisfaction as she moved her hand up and down the length of him. She had wanted to mount him then and there but had been afraid that someone would come up on them. He had promised her that it would be worth the wait and it had been. He had been very skillful with it and his mouth! She sighed again and quivered. He came back into the room and stood at the side of the bed. There was still a little moisture dripping from his penis. “How do you feel about sucking me dry?’ he asked her hoarsely.
“It depends,” she reached over and rubbed the tip of it.
“On what?”
“On what you are going to be doing next.”
“I am going to take you from behind and give you everything.”
“In that case–” she went on her stomach and reached for him. Leighton closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as she took him inside her mouth. A smile lit his face as he realized that he was halfway there. He had every intention of getting pleasure out of the job he had to do. He was going to get close to the Romano’s and he was going to do it through Camille!
He emptied himself inside her mouth and pulled her up to him. “You are a very naughty girl, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely,” she whispered as she wrapped her hands around his neck. “I am beginning to like you very much, Leighton.”
“So am I,” he murmured as he took her lips with his.
Chapter 12
“We are having twins! A boy and a girl.” Monique could scarcely control her excitement as she told Marcus over the phone. Lorenzo had come to the appointment with her and they had heard the news together. Bernardo and Adele were beside themselves with the news. They were hoping to keep the news private but knew it would probably reach the press very soon.
“I am happy for you. It will remind us of when we were growing up together,” he said whimsically. “It was not so bad was it?”
“You mean apart from the shoddy treatment from our aunt?” she asked him teasingly.
“Of course!” he said with a laugh. “How is your husband taking it?”
“Very contained but pretty excited. Lorenzo likes to keep his feelings bottled up but I am kind of getting used to it.”
“Are you happy sis?” he asked her suddenly.
“I am happy,” she said after a while. “He is unpredictable and moody sometimes but he is surprisingly a very good husband.”
“Why surprisingly?”
“Have you read his exploits in the past?”
“You mean the fact that he used to be a player?”
“Exactly. He is attentive and very loyal and we are good together. How about you? How are you and April?”
“We are trying to work things out.” His tone was subdued. “I know I love her but because of what she did I am still trying to tell myself that it will work between us. I love my daughter and I don’t want her growing up without her dad.”
“It will work out. I think she loves you too. It’s complicated; this living with another person, isn’t it?”
“Tell me about it. I g
ot to run. Keep safe.”
*****
“How are you?” Leighton asked her quietly as he dabbed the drool from the side of her mouth. Her black hair was stringy and her face haggard. They were twins but one would never have guessed! Laura Brinkley was thin and mousey with average looks while Leighton was tall and his muscles well defined. They shared the same light blue eyes but the resemblance ended there. Leighton had dark brown hair and a strong handsome face. They had been separated at birth hence the different last names and had only found each other two years ago. She had told him about the incident at Romano’s and how she had been fired and he had been determined to get revenge. Her boyfriend had been carted off to jail and she had been fired from the company. With little or no livelihood, she had been evicted from the apartment she had been living in and had been forced to go to a group home where they had spent almost all their teenage years. Leighton did not care about the fact that Linda had leaked information to the scum bag she had been with! He was more interested in the fact that the Romano’s were wealthy enough to have forgiven her mistake and given her another chance. He had seen his opportunity to get close to them and he had taken it. Camille was being reeled in like a fish caught on the hook. They had been spending a lot of time together and she was hooked!
Linda shook her head listlessly. Leighton glanced around the large open room with distaste. He had no intention of ever coming back to something like this and he knew that for sure. He had told Camille that he had something to take care of and he would see her later. As far as she was concerned he was an only child and his parents were dead. He had made sure to cover his tracks. He pushed the bowl of soup to her and tried to get her to eat something. “Have you heard anything about Lincoln?” she asked her light blue eyes lighting up a little as she asked about the man who had gotten her into trouble.
“You don’t need to think about that now,” he forced a smile to his lips. “I am going to pay back the Romano’s for what they did to you sis.” He whispered. “What are you going to do?” she grabbed at his arm in a surprisingly strong grip and dug her short nails into his skin.
“Don’t worry about that,” he pulled her fingers away and placed her hand onto the table. She was broke, and he was the one who had to find money to take care of her. It was pissing him off!
“Mrs. Romano was kind to me,” she muttered fretfully. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
“Your boyfriend was the one who tried to kill her, remember?” the minute the words were out of his mouth he regretted it at the injured look on her pasty face. “I am sorry,” he patted her hand awkwardly. “I just need to talk to them to try and get some money for you.” He improvised.
“Oh,” she looked at him for a moment and then it was as if the light had turned off inside her.
He stayed there for a few more minutes and then left, his stomach churning at the situation! He took out his phone and called Camille. “I am coming over. Get naked,” he said harshly.
“I love a demanding man.” She cooed. “It so happens I am already naked.”
*****
‘The tradition continues with the birth of the Romano’s twins Marco and Mia who were born December 20th, a day before their father’s birthday. Sources close to the family told us that the Romano’s were ecstatic about the new additions to the family. The twins are seen here with their smiling mother as they made their way across the hospital grounds to the limousine that was taking them home. Marco and Mia are said to look very much like their dad with little resemblance to their mother! We offer our biggest congratulations to a family who have had its ups and downs! Lorenzo Romano is said to be a very proud dad!’
Lorenzo put his son into the mobile cot and turned to look at his daughter in her mother’s arms. He had been at the hospital for the delivery which had been fourteen hours and he was not sure if he would ever be able to look at her the same way. She looked up and caught the look on his face and went still. The nursery had been decorated in lemon yellow with sea green borders and was a huge room not far from their suite. The baby clothing had been especially designed for them and instead of matching outfits they were dressed in different apparels at all times. Mia had her father’s narrow face with its strong chin and Marco had his mother’s small turned up nose but nothing else. “What is it?’ Monique asked him huskily as she put her daughter to her shoulder to burp her. It was Christmas Day and instead of the usual dinner they had decided to take it easy at home with the babies. Adele and Bernardo had torn themselves away from their grandchildren to attend a function put on by the former first lady. Marcus and April had stopped by with Madison earlier and had left half an hour ago.
Lorenzo came and took his daughter from her, cradling her into his arms as he looked down at the sleepy baby. “I have never told you what you mean to me,” he said quietly as he looked up at her.
“I figured you felt something more than attraction for me,” she got to her feet and wrapped the blue silk robe around her as she walked over to her family. “I know you are not one to verbalize your emotions and I have learnt to accept that.”
He went to put his daughter down and ran his hand down her back as she drifted off to sleep. Marco was already out.
She walked over and put her hands around his waist, resting her head against his back. She had stopped worrying about him not telling her he was in love with her. As far as she was concerned, the words were not important. He had shown her how much he cared especially since she was carrying his children and that was enough for her. He turned around and faced her, leading her towards one of the sofas scattered around the luxurious room. “I am supposed to be hot blooded because of my Italian heritage.” He shrugged slightly as she perched on his lap. “Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I went through a lot of female companions.” His eyes met hers and stayed. “I have never met anyone like you.” His hand lifted to her face and curved her cheek. “I saw you in that hospital room enduring the rigorous hours of giving birth to my children and I knew then for sure that there could never be anybody else for me except you.” His lips curled slightly as she stared at him. “You are the calm to my heat and we make good music together Amore mio,”
“You said: ‘my love’,” she whispered as she reached out to touch his strong jaw. “Mia has your strength and the shape of your face and when I look at her I see you. I love you Lorenzo and it would not have mattered to me if you never said it back. I know enough to know what I feel about you.”
“That’s one of the things I love about you,” he told her huskily as he brought her closer to him. “You never pressured me to say it back and you never withhold yourself from me. I really do love you Monique and I always will.”
“That is all I need to hear.”
*****
He could not do it! After months of careful planning and during that time he had actually met Monique Romano who had proven to be a very nice person who was not in the least bit snobbish! The zeal he had had at the begging had been replaced by something else and he had a feeling it had a lot to do with Camille. Slowly and stealthily, she had wormed her way into his heart with her vivacious personality and the openness of her feelings. He had been so torn by his feelings for her and the justice he wanted for his sister that he had stayed away from her for a little bit to try and sort himself out. He had been by to visit his sister and she looked worse each time he saw her. But hadn’t she done it to herself? Wasn’t she the one who did it for love? And where was the man now? He had used her and had gotten caught. He was planning to go up against a very powerful family and he was sure that they would do anything to get to the bottom of it and what then? What if he could appeal to the wife to do something to help Linda? Wouldn’t that be much better? But how was he going to come clean with Camille? They were practically living together. What was she going to say if he told her and how could he not tell her about his sister?
“How about we fly to Florida of the spring break and meet my mother and her new husband?” she suggested a
s she wrapped her hands around his neck. “I have been telling her about you for the past couple of months and she cannot wait to meet you.”
He looked down at her for a moment and put her away from him.
“Hey what’s wrong?” she asked him with a frown wondering if he was going to tell her it was over. She could not bear to think about that!
“I have something to tell you.” He told her abruptly.
Camille’s felt her lips went dry as she sat on the edge of the sofa in the living room. He was married and had kids and had ran away and left them to suffer! “What is it?”
“I deliberately applied for the position at the school to get close to you.” He stood with his back to the window and faced her. They would be going back to school on Monday and the January morning looked bleak and stormy as if they were going to get some more snow. “I wanted to get close to the Romano’s,” he continued when she did not say anything.
“Why?” she asked him tonelessly. Monique had been right after all.
“I have a twin sister who was working there a few months ago.” He told her of the incident she had been involved with.
“Your sister was the one who almost got Monique killed!’ Camille felt as if she was going to faint. This could not be happening to her; surely she was trapped in a nightmare.
“Yes,” his expression was flat as he continued. “I wanted revenge because when they fired her she ended up in a group home and is not doing very well. I wanted them to pay.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I fell in love with you,” he told her grimly. “I could not help myself and I fell in love with the amazing person you are.”
Camille wanted to cry but she had to hang on. He had been planning to harm her best friend and her husband and now he was telling her that he had fallen in love with her! In other circumstances, it would have been news that would have sent her over the moon, but now she felt as if everything had died inside her. She could not bear to even look at him. He had used her and that was something she could not get past! “What were you planning to do to them?”
