by Dark Angel
After a night of pure and unmitigated passion, I was alone in bed. I remember smelling his pillow and putting it to my face.
It smelled like Cody. Like my stepbrother. The man I loved.
I don't know what exactly I was thinking when I finally got out of bed. I mean, at first I thought maybe he went down to the Starbucks across the street to get some coffee. Or maybe he went to go for a run around the Reservoir.
Five.
That's how many hours after thinking that he'd just gone out for a bit that I realized he wasn't coming back any time soon. That's how many hours it took me to wait for him to call me back and not get any answer. How many hours it took where I sent text after text and heard nothing back. It looked like they weren't even being read. There wasn't much I could do that afternoon but go to Cody's apartment where I rang the doorbell. I'd given up all hope that he was going to come back to my apartment and now I was giving up on dignity as well.
But despite the fact that the doorman let me up, there was no answer. Either he wasn't home or he wasn't opening.
Four.
That's how many hours I waited outside his apartment. I sat next to the door, feeling the hope in my heart start to die. In truth, I probably would've sat there for the rest of the evening if the doorman hadn't come up to the floor. He saw me through the security cameras.
"Mr. Cody left this morning, and hasn't been back," the doorman said to me. "He was holding a suitcase when he left."
I nodded dumbly and realized that was probably my cue. The doorman was being nice but telling me politely I needed to leave.
One.
That's how long I waited. I didn't text him back or leave any more voicemails after a last one telling him to get back to me when he was ready. I sent one email too.
Then I waited. I tried to get my mind off of waiting at first. I went and signed up for another few rounds of kickboxing and yoga at Equinox. But being in the gym reminded me too much of Cody's hot, ripped body. So the next day I set out to the Hamptons to go horseback riding.
But just heading East made me think of Cody and I couldn't make it past the Jamaica station on the Long Island Railroad. I got off and took the E train back to Manhattan, tears in my eyes.
Three.
That's how many weeks I waited before I mentioned anything to Mom. I mean, at first I wondered what I would even tell her.
"Hey, can you tell me where my stepbrother is, because I miss fucking him?" is not something that I could start a convo out with. And on the same note, if I acted too into where Cody was and what he was doing, she'd get suspicious. Then I'd have to come clean and tell her about the whole stepbrother fucking in the end.
So I worked up my courage and made my way over to the townhouse she had moved into after getting married.
Mom's always glad to see me. Even though we live in the same city, we sometimes go more than a week without seeing each other.
At first my mom was glad to see me. She asked the maid to bring us some tea and we sat by the window in the living room so we could catch up.
But it's my mom, you know? She gave birth to me. She knew exactly when something was bothering me.
"Kim, honey," she said to me. "What's bothering you?"
I remember sighing and looking at her. "I have something to tell you," I said and her eyes widened with concern. "It's about Cody and I."
"Your stepbrother?" she asked me. I nodded. "What about him?" she followed up.
"I...think I...might be in love with him," I said hesitantly, looking at signs of reaction from Mom.
There were none. What the hell, I remember thinking.
"We've been seeing each other and we've been...uhm, together a bunch," I said to her.
I was expecting horror.
Revulsion.
But her eyes just twinkled.
“Oh baby, you think I didn't know that?" she asked me with mirth in her voice. "Cody's a handsome man, I'm surprised you waited this long to take him for a spin."
Can I just say that what was going through my head at this point was simply, 'Oh My God'.
Take him for a spin?
"I mean, Kimberly, I've only been married to his father for a year; do you think that makes him your biological brother or something?" Mom asked.
When she saw my eyes, she let out a laugh.
"Is this what you're worried about, hun?" she asked me. When I nodded, she brought me over for a hug. "Oh, I love you so much, dear. Thank you for making your old mother smile."
When she let go of me, she was smiling. I was smiling back.
"You're such a good girl, Kim, I know you'll never go down the dark paths I did, and I'm relieved in a way," she told me. "I've done things that you can only probably find in an Eddie Cleveland book."
I rolled my eyes. I never liked it when Mom tried to tell me her sex stories and despite the fact that I had just confessed my taboo relationship, I didn't want to hear it from Mom either.
But at least she wasn't freaking out. There was that I guess. Now all I could do was wait.
Two.
That's how many months I've been waiting since I talked to Mom about Cody.
I mean, I've tried my best to get on with my life. Mayor Anders makes sure with the number of scandals gripping his administration that we're never short of work.
I try to go out with my friends, go to the gym, do some reading.
Of course, there's Dirty Lil' Angels; I get a lot of fun from there.
But it all inevitably comes back and reminds me of Cody.
"Girl, you need to snap out of it, soon," Lisa tells me one Thursday afternoon as we're day drinking at the Central Park Boathouse. "You've been so mopey, it's starting to get me down."
I look at her.
"Have you gone to talk to Cody's dad at all?" she asks me.
And I realize that I haven't.
One.
That's how many minutes it took me to tell Lisa she was a doll and ask to get my bill.
Fifteen.
That's how many minutes it takes me in a cab to head down to Midtown to where Cody's dad has had his office.
I brush past his administrative assistant. Good luck trying to stop me.
"Hey, Kim," he says to me, looking up in surprise. "What's going on?"
I'm panting from running over basically from the Boathouse. But Lisa is so right. I can't believe I never even thought to ask my stepdad where his son was. I mean, I heard rumors sure; my Mom passed along everything that she heard. He was in Europe. He was working at a bank somewhere.
But I should've gone to the source. I mean, sure, it wasn't like we had family dinners or anything where I could casually ask where Cody was at. We only really did Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"I need to know where Cody is," I tell him. "Please it's important."
He leans back and looks at me.
"Why is that?" he asks me.
I'm done hiding the truth.
I'm done hiding my feelings for him.
"Because I love him," I declare proudly to his dad.
That's when I feel a touch on my shoulder...
Cody
One hundred and eighty.
That's how many times I've thought about Kim. Roughly twice a day where I sit, let my mind wander to her cute as a button face, her fucking hot body, and her delectable curves. Twice a day where I sit back and dream of one day fucking her again. Of holding her in my arms and squeezing that tight fucking ass. Of biting those nipples and running my cock between those tits. Of cumming all over that svelte and slender body and then making her lick it up. Of seeing her fat lips wrapped around my cock - just like a good little sister should do. Yeah, it's no wonder I had to go to Europe to get my shit together. Otherwise I would have given up on Day fucking One.
Six thousand.
That's how many dollars a last minute business class flight costs from New York's JFK Airport to London Heathrow. I left that night, after putting Kim to bed. I went home and packed my shit and call
ed my travel agent.
Once in London, I called my Dad.
"Time to clean up my life, Pops," I said into the phone.
"What changed?" was his only question. I mean, he knew not to look a gift horse in the fucking mouth.
"Girl," I said. Yeah. our conversations were pretty fucking terse.
"Have I met her?" he asked me.
I smiled to myself and said, "You married her fucking mom."
There was a pause on the other end of the line and then Dad asked me. "You love her, son?"
"I do," I told him. "I had to get away to clean the fuck up."
I could almost hear him nodding on the other side.
"Talk to my friend Alastair Reynolds," Dad said. "He'll get you sorted."
Three.
That's how many hours later I made it to the office of Alastair Reynolds - a Managing Director with Carter Jeffries' London office.
"Joseph Brooks sent me," I said as I sat down in his office.
"Ah yes, the prodigal son," Alastair replied, leaning back.
Alastair was a fat man, with a round and jolly face that was always pink. He was about 5' 9" and I towered over him. But he didn't let on that fact at all. Instead, he put me to work.
"You'll be assisting the currency traders who trade the LIBOR," he said to me as he walked me around. "You'll be paid on commissions from the profits your team makes."
Which means if we fucked up, I wouldn't get paid shit.
Bad time to let you know I only took $5,000 in cash and left all the credit cards at home?
Ten.
That's how many certification exams I had to study for during the last three months.
"You don't need a degree to trade currencies, Cody," Alastair told me one day as I was complaining about the tests. "But various governments will require that you study and pass those exams. They don't want financial chaos."
Sixteen.
That was the typical workday. Up at 6 am. At work by 7. Study for exams till 9. First trades start coming in at 9:01 am. Work like a fucking dog all day till 9 pm. Maybe find fifteen minutes to scarf down some lunch and some coffee. And then when the evening shift left at 9 pm, I had to stay an extra hour to clear up the day and get the platforms all ready for the next morning. Make sure all open trades were accounted for. No one else was working as hard as me.
Zero.
That's the number of times I complained. This is exactly what I needed. This is exactly what I wanted. I had to build street cred and I had to do it fucking fast. Because I couldn't stay in London forever. I had to take my FOREX exams - all ten of them and get back to New York. To be with fucking Kim.
One hundred.
That's the percentages of exams that I passed.
I know. You heard that right. Passed.
I mean, some were close. Don't get me wrong. But for the last three months, the number of books I've been hitting and the amount of time I've been spending studying has been more than at any point in my life.
I mean, I'm fucking intelligent if I try and apply myself, you know? It's just that in New York, I never had any incentive to. If you had asked me to study like this in New York, I would have told you to get the fuck out.
But then Kim came.
And all of a sudden I had a big fucking reason to get my shit together.
Seven.
That's how many hours I've been back in New York.
I dropped my bags in my apartment and came straight to Dad's office.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time, Cody," he told me earlier today. "I'm proud of everything you've accomplished over the last three months, son. You did something not too many other people would be able to pull off. You turned your life around."
I nod. I'm wearing a conservative black suit as befits the surroundings.
"You'll be leading up one of the currency trading desks we have," Dad tells me as we walk through the trading floor later on that day towards his office. "I'm sure if you exhibit the same drive as you did the last three months, you'll be moving up soon enough."
I nod to him and get to work.
I know, I could probably take the day off considering I just started. But I want to get off on the right foot. Do a good job. And do better than anyone else.
To make Kim proud.
Four.
That's what time it is right now as I walk towards Dad's office. We have a meeting to go over first quarter goals.
I'm heading there when I see a familiar shape in his office.
That ass.
I dream about it every fucking night.
That voice.
It lulls me to sleep.
I was supposed to surprise her tomorrow.
But she's already here.
I can't help it.
"And why is that?" my Dad asks Kim.
"Because I love him," she says to him.
I can't help myself.
I reach out and touch her on the shoulder.
Kim
“Cody!” I cry out, jumping out from my chair. My eyes widen as I see him, and I feel tears welling up in my eyes. Pressing my body against hers, I wraps my arms around him and he just pulls me into him. He hugs me back and, with him so close to me, I realize that it was all worth it - all this wait, all the sacrifice… All the sleepless nights thinking of him… It was all worth it.
He became a different man - a man that I can love.
“I love you, Kim. So fucking much,” he whispers, holding me so tightly I can feel his heart beating.
“I love you too… And I… Oh, I’ve missed you so much, Cody,” I mutter, and he wipes the one tear falling out from the corner of my eyes.
“I’m here now,” he simply tells me, then looking back at his Dad. He’s sitting behind his massive oak desk, a proud smile on his face. Without a single word, he just nods at us both, approving of everything. He has been waiting for this moment for far too long - his son finally turned into a real man, and he found the right woman.
“Thank you, Dad. For everything,” Cody says as he takes his arms from around me.
“No. I should be the one thanking you both,” he says, and I notice that his eyes are watering. He’s so proud he’s close to crying. “You are making this old man really happy.” He stands up from his desk and, placing his hands on the flat surface, just gives us a wide smile.
“My limo’s downstairs, waiting for the two of you. Take it and go - wherever you want. You deserve it, both of you - go celebrate. Your new life starts now.”
He doesn’t need to say it twice. Cody hugs him tightly and, a few minutes after that, we’re already cruising down the highway, heading to our destination.
Go anywhere, his Dad told us, but you know where we decided to go? No, it wasn’t Paris or anything like that. Nothing as fancy: just the Hamptons. And, as the limo stopped right in front of the beach house, we both knew this was the right place.
Coming back here was an easy decision. After all, it was here that everything started. I don’t really believe in destiny, but it’s kinda interesting how everything was set in motion by a pure coincidence. One trip here and both our lives were never the same.
That’s why we decided to return, as a celebration of sorts: it was here that we created our first memories together. And now, what better place to start creating new ones than the beach house where he saw me that first time?
This time we head straight to the master bedroom, leaving all of our bags in the middle of the living room. This time there’s no such thing as Cody’s room or Kim’s room - there’s just our room.
Without even bothering to shut the door behind us, Cody looks at me with a wicked smile. He pushes me back gently and I lay back on the mattress, looking up at him with eagerness.
“I love you, Kim,” he whispers and, right now, I feel like the most beautiful woman alive.
“I love you too,” I tell him, and happiness washes over me, covering me from head to toe.
Climbing up on top of me, he takes
his hands to my shoulders and, grabbing the straps, pushes them down my arms. I feel the fabric sliding off my skin and down to my waist. I lift my ass up from the mattress and he just tugs the dress down my legs, throwing it somewhere to the floor.
He lays his lips on my neck and his hands move over the side of my body. Reaching behind my back, he unhooks my bra, pushing it down my arms and baring both my breasts.
“I want you so fucking bad,” he says, his voice making my skin prickle.
I part my lips, aching for his kiss, and he presses his mouth on mine softly. Then, pulling back, his eyes are wander down my half-naked body, and I start bucking my hips at him, anxious for him to just rip my thong out of me.
Grinning, he reaches for my breasts with his fingers and my nipples become as harder as they have ever been. Using his thumb and index finger, he grabs my right nipple, pinching it gently. He keeps on pressing until it almost hurts, the pain turning into pleasure and making me completely wet. My thong is completely soaked, and I feel my fluids starting to drip down my inner thighs.
I bite down my lower lip as he leans into me, his mouth going for my breasts. He wraps his lips around my rosy hard tip, and I close my eyes by instinct. He sucks on my nipple hard, lapping at it with his tongue and making it dance around my flesh in slow circles.
Still with his lips on my nipple, he takes his fingers to my thighs and, hooking his thumbs on the fabric of my thong, pushes it down my legs. I press my legs together as the thong goes down, and then he just throws it off on top of my dress.
Resting his index finger right between my breasts, he runs it down to my stomach and navel, and then just keeps going. Electricity courses through me as he approaches my wet folds, but he stops right before touching them. His finger goes down to my inner thigh, brushing against my groins as it traces the contour of my pussy. I’m burning right now.
