Stepbrother Inked

by Violet Blaze

  “Don't you still live in Portland technically?” I grumbled, burying my face in a pillow. “Can't you go back there now?”

  “I'm subletting an apartment from a friend, a friend who's implied that there may be a very lucrative position opening up in Springfield sometime soon, something perfectly suited to a dude in a dress. Besides, I never could walk away from a story with an uncertain ending. You and your stepbrother? Abigail, your drama is divine.” Theo slapped me on the ass as I propped up and glared over my shoulder at him. He's prettier than I am, the jerk. How could a man look better in heels than even Addi did? The universe wasn't fair. “Pull your soggy sad sack butt out of bed and put on something skanky. If we do your make up just right, maybe the housewives will think you're a drag queen, too? It'll mean double the tips.”

  Theo snapped his fingers and left the room, the sound of his high heels echoing off the partially exposed brick wall to the right of my bed.

  I turned onto my back and glanced over at Addi who was sitting quietly, staring down at her lap. One look at her face and it all came crashing down around me. Maybe Theo was right? I should get up and go to that party with him; he proved to be an invaluable distraction from reality.

  “Are you okay, Abs? Really okay?” she asked me, turning her brown eyes on mine. “I know how long you've wanted this, how much you really … ” She cleared her throat like the next words were hard to say. “How much you really love Florian. But this whole thing with your parents … it's a lot to take in.”

  I sat up slowly, like my body was made of lead and shrugged. What was there to say? That River's revelation couldn't have come at a worse time? That the look on Flor's face when he'd heard was terrifying?

  “I'm okay,” I said, but we both knew I didn't really mean it. Addi shook her head and stood up, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Don't you lie to me, woman.” She pointed a finger at me, painted with a bright splash of yellow, like a spring flower. “And don't lie to yourself either. If you're hurting, then hurt. And when he calls, tell him everything. You've waited too long to brush this under the rug.”

  Her mouth twitched.

  “And as soon as you're feeling better, I want all the details. I mean, after all of this shit, was he worth the wait?” I rolled my eyes, knowing Addi would get the story out of me one way or another. She'd be irked to find that, yes, Satan made a delectable lover. A smile found my lips but was quickly leeched away, stolen by the memory of my stepmom's words. Flor, I'm pregnant. Your father and I are having a baby. “Don't answer that,” she added quickly, noting my expression as I rubbed my hands down my face. “At least not yet. You can tell me later, over beer and ice cream. Don't knock the combo until you've tried it.” She made herself smile at me as I untangled my legs from the sheets.

  “Thanks, Addi.”

  I appreciated both her and Theo's attempts to cheer me up, but at this point, all I wanted to do was stay blank, check out for a while. The one thing I'd always wanted, I'd gotten. And then seen snatched away from me just as quick. If I thought I was bleeding before, cut deep by my feelings for Flor, I was positively wrecked now. A walking corpse.

  I took a deep breath and forced myself up, but I couldn't make my body take a single step. Instead, my fingers found the locket dangling around my throat and I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I glanced down at the nightstand and my phone. No messages. Flor hadn't contacted me yet, but he would, right? All I had to do was wait.

  “A party sounds good,” I said and then proceeded to let Addi drag me off and dress me. Yes, a party sounded good; I didn't think I was capable of dealing with anything more serious just yet. Or ever. If Flor didn't come to me, I'd have to go to him.

  My heart wouldn't have it any other way.

  I went over to Flor's the next day after class, but I didn't see his car. I decided to knock anyway, since I could hear the sounds of a TV inside. Max's car was here, so I had just sort of assumed it was him until the front door opened and I found myself staring up at Rhonda.

  She smiled at me and swiped some blonde hair behind her ear, stepping back and holding her arm out like she was inviting me in.

  “Abi, nice to see you,” she said as guilt swelled heavy in my throat. “Flor and Max are at the shop, but I'm making a stew if you want some.” She waited for me to come in, but I just stood there staring at her, at her smile, her sweatpants and tank top. She looked comfortable, like she belonged here. I stared down at my feet and then back up, nodding because I didn't feel like I had the power to speak. I walked inside and stripped off my jacket; the house was a hell of a lot warmer than the winter chill outside.

  I spied the kittens immediately and smiled. They were much bigger than the last time I'd seen them, scaling the sides of the laundry basket Flor had kept them in and waddling over to sniff at my feet.

  “Congratulations,” Rhonda said as I followed her into Flor's tiny little kitchen. The air was thick with the heavenly smell of a home cooked meal and despite myself, I felt my tummy grumbling. “On your new brother or sister, I mean.” I felt my smile grind to a halt and an instant wave of dislike and resentment rolled over me. Rhonda didn't mean what she'd said as an insult, but to me it felt like one. That was not the person I wanted to be though, so I shook off the feeling and tried to school my expression into something more pleasant. Honestly, if we were counting points here, I deserved a negative score. I'd slept with this girl's boyfriend. I was the sister; I was supposed to be safe.

  “Thanks,” I whispered, realizing I still hadn't spoken a single word since I'd gotten here. “And nice to see you, too. Sorry, I'm still a little … I'm recovering from a sore throat.” Rhonda nodded and smiled over her shoulder, her eyes big and round and framed with thick blonde lashes. She was just as pretty as Flor, much prettier than me. My stomach rumbled again, this time with the anxious feelings swirling around inside me.

  “Well, it needs a little salt and pepper, but maybe this'll help. Here, try a bite and tell me what you think.” Rhonda grabbed a clean spoon, scooped up some of her stew and handed it to me. It was delicious. Of course it was. Rhonda couldn't just be another floozy that Flor had picked up. She had to be different somehow, special. Pretty. Skinny. Nice boobs. Good cook.

  “It's really good,” I said, handing the spoon back. She smiled at me again and as her full lips twisted up into a grin, I could see she wasn't just pretty but gorgeous, much prettier than when she'd been covered in makeup. Even then, dressed as a drag queen, she'd been stunning. If she looked even better in a domestic setting like this, what chance did I stand?

  “Thanks,” she said, turning back to her food and closing her eyes, like the smell of the food alone was enough to tell her how much salt and pepper she needed to add. I fidgeted, my coat hanging over one arm, my heart pounding a strange rhythm inside my chest. My hidden feelings for Flor had morphed into something different, something that I was afraid was even worse than the sickening shame I'd held onto before: guilt. “Flor should be back soon. I don't know about Max.” She glanced over her shoulder at me, her gaze assessing. I couldn't read into her expression, but I could probably guess what she was doing. Max and Flor were similar in so many ways, and I figured she was trying to puzzle out what a good looking guy like Max would want with me. “Did you want to stay for dinner?”

  I watched her move around the kitchen and felt my insides twist uncomfortably. She'd obviously spent a lot of time here if she was okay staying at home without Flor, taking care of his kittens, and cooking dinner for him. And apparently, Flor hadn't said or done anything in the past few days to make her suspicious.

  I'm the other woman.

  My throat closed up.

  And the sister.

  The worst part of it all was that no matter what I did or how guilty I looked, nobody would even consider the possibility that Flor and I had done what we'd done. It was too taboo, too far outside a normal person's comfort zone. I looked down at the toes of my tan leather Steve Madden boots, another
gift from Addi.

  Say no and walk out the door, Abi. Make up an excuse to go.

  I glanced up, the words dying on my lips when I heard a key being inserted into the lock on the front door. Crap. Max or Florian, I didn't really want to run into either of them right now. I mean, I'd come over here looking for Flor, but talking to him about what had happened with Rhonda around, yeah. Not happening.

  “Hey baby,” Rhonda called out, opening the oven and checking on whatever was inside. “We're in the kitchen!” I stood there facing the window to the backyard, my chest tight and my breath coming in labored gasps. A song was playing lightly in the background, so I hoped nobody would notice, but I should've known better – this was Flor.

  I listened to his footsteps, the cry of kittens, and saw him pause in the entrance to the kitchen from the corner of my eye. I refused to look his way, not yet.

  “Smells good in here,” he said as Rhonda danced over to him and threaded her hands behind his neck. I glanced away until their kiss ended and tried to keep a mild expression on my face. How could he do that? Kiss her like that and pretend that … that everything was okay, that it was normal.

  “And look who's here. Finally, I get to spend some time with this sister of yours. She's staying for dinner.” I glanced up sharply and ended up getting stuck on Flor's eyes. They were narrowed on me, focused, and filled with something I couldn't quite name … anger, maybe? I wanted to look away, but I couldn't help myself, desperately wanted to deny the invitation for dinner but couldn't force the words past my suddenly dry lips. The memory of Flor's body inside of mine was fresh in my thoughts, flickering to the surface and making my cheeks flush and my fingers curl into fists. I stared at him, at the mild frown pulling down the corners of his beautiful lips, the scar on his chin that I'd finally, finally gotten to trace with my own fingers. How could it have finally happened and then be over so fast? How? “He talks about you all the time,” Rhonda added, unknowingly adding a layer of tension between Flor and me that we so didn't need. “I feel like I know you already, you know?”

  I nodded, but I couldn't pull my gaze from my stepbrother's.

  “What do you need, Abs?” he asked finally, turning away like he was already done here. “You could've just called.” I pursed my lips. I had called, and he hadn't bothered to answer, so here I was. Without waiting for me to respond, Flor continued on down the dark hallway and I followed after him with a quick apology to Rhonda. If I was any other girl, I doubt she'd have let me trail her boyfriend into his bedroom, but I wasn't. I wasn't just any other girl. I was his freaking sister.

  “Flor,” I snapped, trying to keep my voice low enough that we wouldn't be heard by Rhonda. Luckily, she'd turned up the music and started singing along with whatever song it was that was playing. Let me hold you tight, feel you close for just one night.

  Jesus. I had the worst bits of luck. The lyrics she was singing were not helping any.

  “Flor,” I said again as he tossed a small bag onto his bed and proceeded to strip off his shirt. My throat clenched tight and my entire body lit up like a Christmas tree. It was too much too soon. I bit my lower lip.

  “What is it, Abi?” he asked, like we had nothing at all to talk about, like we hadn't been dancing around our love for one another, like we hadn't just fucked for the first time. “And are you really staying for dinner? Isn't that a little weird?”

  “Weird?” I asked, wishing I could screech the word at him, claw it into his back and force him to turn around and fucking look at me. “Of course it's weird, Flor. All of this is. What are you even doing? What are you going to tell Rhonda?”

  He whirled on me then and I took a step back, hitting the wall with my shoulder as Flor leaned over me, his bare chest beautiful in the dim afternoon sunshine peeking through the nearby window. He pinned me there with an arm on either side of my face, his palms pressed into the wall.

  “Are you serious, Abi? We're not going to tell Rhonda anything.” He leaned back and I swear, the air around me cooled by several degrees. It was like when we were together, the friction of our feelings lit up the room. “There's nothing to tell her anyway.” He waved his hand dismissively and this time, when he said it, he didn't look at me. I watched Flor move over to his dresser, my mouth open in shock and an angry tendril of hurt working its way into my belly. No.

  “I won't let you use me and toss me away like all the rest of your girls,” I said and his back stiffened. Flor shoved clothes around angrily until he had a small stack in his hand. When he turned around and moved back towards me, he paused, eyes on the wall and not on my face.

  “I'm not having this conversation with you right now,” he growled and then we both paused as we heard the front door opening again.

  “Wow, does that smell good.”

  Fuck.

  It was Max.

  Flor and I exchanged a look before he shoved past me and moved further down the hall towards the bathroom. I closed my eyes for a moment, made myself take several deep breaths, and shoved off from the wall. It was better I go to Max before he came looking for me. I hadn't spoken to him since the night Flor and I had slept together and with all that had happened, it felt like forever.

  I stepped out into the hall and adjusted my dress, taking a deep breath and sauntering into the living room with a smile. He was just coming out of the kitchen with a curious look on his face, his brown hair mussed and sexy. I wish I could've loved him like I loved Flor, but it was never going to happen. I was sure of that now.

  “Hey Max,” I said, tucking my fingertips into the pockets of my black dress. It was crisp cotton, short, sexy, and it went perfectly with my boots. Or so Addi had said. She was about a hundred times more fashion forward than I was, so I listened. Max took me in with a smile and then stepped close, bracketing my face with his hands and pressing his lips softly to mine. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, I thought as he leaned back and smiled down at me. I'd cheated on Max just the same way Flor had cheated on Rhonda.

  “Long time no see, dope,” he said with a wink, imitating one of Flor's favorite pet names for me. The two of them had occasionally teamed up to pick on me when we were kids. I remembered one particularly terrible prank where they'd sliced a hole in the back of my gym shorts. I hadn't even noticed until I'd left the locker room and been swarmed by concerned girlfriends. This moment, for whatever reason, felt a lot like that. Had Flor told Max anything? No, not if he was kissing me like that.

  “Two days,” I said and he shrugged, glancing down as one of the kittens latched onto his jeans and began to climb right up his leg. “Not really all that long,” I said as he grinned and detached the furry little beast from his pants, handing it over to me with a smile.

  “Oh, so you're not excited to see me?” he said, his tone light but suggestive. Our night at my parents' house was just as fresh in my mind as the one I'd shared with Flor and I felt sick to my stomach.

  “Of course I am,” I said again, forcing back thoughts of my idiotic stepbrother. For whatever reason, the idea of Max finding out what had happened between us terrified me almost as much if not more than my own parents. He'd grown up with Flor and me, and I just did not see it going over well. “I just wanted to talk to Flor about something and he's being an ass.”

  “So what's new?” Max asked with a laugh, pausing and then snapping his fingers. His voice took on a gentle expression as he reached out and cupped my face. “A new sibling this late in the game, huh? It's a little weird, isn't it?” I nodded, feeling a little relieved that I had a valid excuse for being here. “But you are staying for dinner, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said because what choice did I have now? If I left, everyone would know something was up.

  “Awesome,” he replied, kissing my cheek again. “I'm gonna go change real quick, 'kay?” I nodded again and Max moved away, disappearing into the bedroom at the end of the hall. I paused for a moment and then decided to follow after him. I couldn't stand the thought of being stuck ou
t here alone with Rhonda again. My guilt was eating away at me and making me sick.

  I moved after him when the bathroom door to my right suddenly opened and Flor appeared, cloaked in steam and wrapped in only a towel. He paused, eyes widening like he hadn't expected me to be there and then glanced towards the kitchen. Neither of us could see Rhonda from here, but the fact that she was there was unforgettable.

  I found my eyes straying to the drops of moisture of Flor's bare skin, clutching at the bright lines of his tattoos. His dark hair dripped into his eyes and his breath caught harshly in his chest.

  “Do you need something?” I managed to squeak out, my brain flooding with a million memories of Flor doing this at home, yelling something out the bathroom door. I'd been sent to fetch him shampoo, conditioner, and once, he even asked me to grab him a pair of boxers. That'd been the one time I'd slammed the door in his face.

  He looked at me, really looked at me, and then reached out, wrapping his fingers around my wrist. Flor tugged me roughly into the bathroom and slammed the door, pushing me against it with the full force of his body. In the background, the shower continued to run and the fan whirred, but I couldn't hear anything but the beating of my own heart.

  “What … what are you doing?” I choked out.

  Flor leaned down and his mouth closed over mine, his hands sliding down my sides. At first, my eyes were wide and my body stiff with guilt and fear and confusion – what if we got caught? – but then his tongue found mine, infusing me with heat, and I went limp in his arms, my eyes flickering closed with a flutter of lashes. My fingers strayed to his damp hair, his bare chest and felt their way down until I found the towel wrapped around his waist. With little effort it slipped to the tile floor beneath our feet.

  I opened my eyes.

  “Flor,” I began again, but he hadn't invited me in here to talk. Florian slid his warm, damp hands up my bare thighs and hooked his fingers over the waistband of my panties, tugging them down with excruciating slowness, leaving me panting for breath. The ache between my thighs was unbearable as he slipped the underwear off and tossed them in the corner. Already my mind was getting away from me, wondering how we'd manage to get through this without being caught – not to mention what might happen if I forgot my underwear in here. But then Flor stood back up and hooked his left hand under my right leg. I suddenly didn't give a crap about anyone but us.