Best Friend's Little Sister

by Riley Rollins

  I should have been panicked… at the possibility of pregnancy, or even worse… He’d been inside me, unprotected, for what must have been hours altogether. And he’d come inside me twice. I felt another bubble of fluid between my legs.

  And yet all I could really feel was wave after sweet wave of pleasure, like quicksilver in my veins. I’d thought no man could ever make me feel the way that Will had. And I’d been completely wrong…

  The taxi pulled up outside our apartment. Mattie paid the driver and unlocked the front door. Her sister Donna shifted on the sofa and put down her curled, dog-eared paperback.

  “Did Violet give you any trouble?” I asked instinctively. Mattie headed for the bathroom.

  “Not a bit,” she answered, standing up and giving her arms a stretch. “She practiced on the piano for a while after dinner… We ate out on the patio. She always seems to like that. She can put out bread for the birds.”

  I nodded and pulled my coat a little closer. Donna knew where we’d gone, of course. Mattie had been into the Dom lifestyle since we’d graduated high school. Still, I felt my cheeks burn as they reddened.

  “What did she play… did you recognize it?” I asked, from habit. My almost five-year-old daughter Violet’s moods were often hard to determine. The last year had taught me to listen to her music. Rachmaninoff on her good days… nocturnes by Chopin on her darker ones.

  “Now, you know I can’t tell one of them from another,” Donna replied. “But it was pretty… maybe just a little sad…” She helped Mattie off with her coat and turned her eyes away, shaking the water off and hanging it by the door. “But she went off to bed without a peep and has been sound asleep ever since.

  Now I’m gonna head for home,” she said, reaching for her own jacket. “Bill’s probably waiting up for me.” She gave me a wink and a quick hug. She tightened her arms around me a few moments longer when I didn’t let go. “Bit of a shocker?” she whispered in my ear.

  “...little bit,” I answered, kissing her full, soft cheek. Donna was almost twenty years older than Mattie, and her own kids had long since left the nest. She was kind and motherly, head of the special ed program at an elementary school down the street. Without her and Mattie for support, I’d have never made it through single motherhood, let alone college. The three of us had pulled together like family. We were family. And she could read me like a book.

  “Are you still glad you went?” she asked softly. “I know my sister can be pretty bossy…”

  I opened my mouth to answer her, but nothing came out. I blinked, waiting for the words, but there were too many and not enough, all at once. My body, my mind, my emotions, and my memories ran like rivers in different directions. She put her hand on the side of my face, and I let out all the breath I’d been holding in…

  “Just sleep,” she said wisely. “I doubt there’s anybody knows better than you do that some things just take a while to sort out.” She picked up her book and stuffed it in her pocket. “I think it’s good that you took a chance tonight. We all love our comfort zones, but sometimes they can get too small… too isolating.” She squeezed my hand. “It was time,” she said, sagely.

  I nodded, knowing she was right. “You and your sister,” I said, opening the door for her. “My two wise women…”

  She blew me a kiss and climbed in her old car. I watched until she was out of sight. Mattie had just finished up in the bathroom and came out, wrapped in a towel, her bright hair dripping.

  “You look like you saw a ghost tonight,” she said, rubbing her head with a corner of the terrycloth. “Should I feel guilty?”

  I took my coat off and the lingering scent of us wafted up. “I don’t believe in guilt and you know it,” I shot back. “It was just… well, I never expected…”

  “That you’d like it so much?” she asked. She plopped down on the old plaid sofa and looked at me.

  “Or that I’d… well, that I’d…”

  “That was pretty much my first reaction, too,” she said, smiling. “I saw the man you were with.” Her smile deepened. “If I didn’t already have Rex right under my thumb where I want him, you might have some competition.”

  I grinned back, knowing full well she was one big bluff. “Not with him,” I said. “I don’t think there’s a woman on earth who could dominate him… not even you….” I flashed back to how powerfully he’d tied me. “...no offense….”

  “None taken,” she grinned. “Nope, Rexie and I have got a good thing going. And there’s nothing I like more than having him all to myself. We both just like the atmosphere, you know. It’s fun to tease yourself… and your partner. Like you’re both living more dangerously than you really are.”

  I thought about the room, the primal feelings it provoked… the pleasure that had hung heavy in the air. I nodded, understanding her lifestyle on a whole new level.

  “Well, I’m off to bed,” she said, leaning over to give my hand a squeeze. “Just let yourself enjoy it,” she said. “Don’t overthink or doubt yourself. It was just an evening… to celebrate one hell of an accomplishment. You’ve got your degree and a great new job ahead. You’re strong and independent and the best mom I ever saw.” She stood up and headed for the hall. “Want me to look in on the muffin?” she asked.

  “No… no, I will,” I answered. I took a deep, empowering breath. “I’ll shower and check her before I turn in.

  “I love you, Mattie.”

  “And I love you, too. Always have, always will.

  Angie…?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Tonight…? Did you get what you went there for?”

  “I did,” I replied, honestly. “And maybe even more…”

  I opened the door to Violet’s little room and slipped inside. It was more of a closet, really. But she needed a space of her own, and when we’d moved in here, I’d turned it into the prettiest, coziest nursery I could. I’d replaced her crib with a tiny bed as she’d grown. She was asleep, deeply asleep in the way only children can manage. Her soft dark hair curled over pink cheeks. One tiny arm was flung over her forehead and I could see the birthmark that was normally hidden. It was small, under her arm and hidden in the fold… shaped almost like a heart. Her lovemark, I called it. And she always giggled in her silent way when I kissed it…

  I crept out, careful not to close the door completely, and headed for the promise of a hot, steamy shower. I stripped quickly and let the water flood over me. My whole body was tender, aching in sweet ways I’d all but forgotten… I ran my hands down… feeling… remembering… and pushed my worries and doubts away. What I’d done was done, if there were consequences, I would cope. It wasn’t very likely, though…

  And if I’d learned anything since I’d found out I was pregnant with Violet, it was that I could deal with whatever came my way. I told myself my chances were reasonably good… that the only consequence of the night would be a memory to relive again and again in the years to come. There’d never been room for a man in my life… not after Vi. All I’d ever had was a rare date here and there, only to find out that the guy didn’t have half my life experience, and that I always turned out to be the stronger one, the responsible one. And I was tired of it. Maybe that was why I’d finally been ready to go to the club… ready to hand over control…

  I thought back to Jimmy and the way he’d responded, so long ago, when I’d told him I was pregnant. We’d only done it the one time, and I’d had way too much to drink. Both of us had, in celebration of my eighteenth birthday. I’d lost my virginity in a few uninspired minutes. And then a few weeks later, the night of the prom, I’d found him humping one of the cheerleaders. That moment had been the welcome end of it, as far as I’d been concerned. Especially when Will had asked me to dance with him…

  But six weeks and three positive pregnancy tests later, I’d had to tell my mother. She’d been the one to tell Jimmy and hadn’t wasted a single second. He’d turned a sickly shade of yellow when she’d started in, bullying and threatening,
with talk of an immediate wedding…

  But before I’d even started to show, the wedding had both come and gone. I had stood by myself, in a white dress, waiting for that long walk down the aisle, and I could still see the look on my mother’s face. She was a woman used to always having her way in all things. And that the Seevers had dared to allow Jimmy to stand me up had created an ugly rift between all of us that had never healed.

  But for me, it had been the gift of my freedom, the beginning of my whole life and a family of my own. I’d cut ties with all of them… Jimmy, the Seevers, my own angry, resentful mother. I’d left with Mattie, a thousand dollars between us, a scholarship… and a full belly. We’d made it, with Donna’s help and support. And when I’d brought Violet into the world, tiny and a few weeks too early, it had all been worth it. We were just fine, no matter what challenges we’d faced. No matter what we still faced… Violet was my whole heart, and I would do anything, give anything, to make sure she had the special care she needed.

  I ran my hands over my wet, swollen breasts, down between my legs. The man in the mask had been so much like my memories… so much like my Will. But he’d been even more heavily muscled, more intense, more… everything… And he’d come along right when my whole life was about to change again.

  But a girl like me could live for years on memories like the ones I’d made tonight. Nobody knew that better than I did. And no matter what I might want, or my body might demand,

  I figured I’d probably have to do just that.

  9

  Will

  I’d stayed in the city overnight and taken the first ferry out in the morning. I kept a private boat on Bainbridge, and from there it was another half hour to Lumen Island. The inky waters of Puget Sound reflected the first light of morning and a scattering of clouds. I tied the boat at the dock and climbed into the truck I’d left there the day before. No need to search for keys, they dangled from the ignition. All the construction workers had finally gone.

  The house was finished… structurally, at least. And I was alone. On my island. Over a thousand acres of privacy, yet within an hour or so of the city of Seattle. Ten years developing one of the finest financial groups in the state and learning how to make wealthy people even wealthier had finally earned me the one thing I had really wanted. It wasn’t the money, or the privilege, although I could hardly deny enjoying them both. I spent my days telling people what to do with their capital, and in return had become wealthy myself. But it had allowed me to purchase my privacy, a piece of the world that belonged only to me. And I’d built the house of my dreams, throwing my own back into service along with the other laborers. I’d strained and swore, sweating and suffering along with them… though none of it had been enough to make me forget about my angel. When she’d disappeared, I’d thought my whole life was over. But the work had been exhausting enough to make me collapse into bed every night, and sleep without dreaming. Even so, her face was always the last thing in my mind before I dropped off. And the first thing that brought me back to life upon waking. She was all I’d ever wanted. My almost brother’s almost wife…

  I strode up the curving sweep of stairs that led to a solid wooden door, thickly studded with iron. Heavy as it was, it swung easily, silently on its hinges, and opened to the lofty height of the foyer. I’d used stone and glass, marble and iron. Together these elements of nature overcame their individual limitations and became art. My footsteps echoed in the empty rooms. The height of the ceilings and the sweep of the second story landings made the space feel enormous. It was ready… I was ready. My house would soon become the home I’d dreamed of… now that I’d found the woman of my dreams again.

  I climbed the stairs and looked out the expansive walls of glass that separated me from the water and the ocean breeze. The view was incredible at night. The lights of the city spread out on the horizon as if the stars themselves were settling down for the night. I could see the caretaker’s cottage from where I stood. It was nearer the beach, and had been the only building already present on the island. I’d renovated it myself, careful to make it as light and as lovely as I could. I’d enlarged the living space enough to make room for the piano, a baby grand in a deep bay window so that the views extended in three directions. I closed my eyes and remembered the sound of her playing. My stepfather had allowed Angelina to play in our music room, back when she had started to date Jimmy.

  Even the sweetest of memories can have a bitterness, I thought, letting my eyes find the soft, grey edge of the horizon. I’d always been too old for her. Ten years too late…

  But I’d gone home to see her graduate from high school anyway, knowing I’d been tempting fate. Even at eighteen, she’d seemed so young… so fragile… hers had been a lifetime of domination by her mother…

  And I’d seen her face when she’d found Jimmy… He had some little brunette bent over a sofa in the library. Angelina had watched long enough for the scene to register. And I’d watched her walk slowly down the long marble hall. She hadn’t cried out, hadn’t made a scene. She’d walked away calmly, with a strength and a poise that had broken my heart. It was her prom night, for God’s sake.

  I hadn’t stepped in to take advantage, I’d only wanted to try to salvage the evening for her, to give her a sweeter memory of the night than Jimmy had. I’d followed her out to the dance floor and swept her into my arms with barely a word. We’d danced the rest of the evening, I’d never let her go. I’d learned her every movement, every curve in her body… I’d plotted my course in the sparkle of her eyes. And when I’d moved her into the shadows with me, I hadn’t known what would happen next. I’d only known I couldn’t live another moment without kissing her…

  And I had… Every delicious inch of her until finally we had…

  And it had taken the better part of the last six years to find her again. Tens of thousands of dollars… one private investigator after another… Until the day I first saw her, in a park with her daughter… I knew her the instant I’d laid eyes on her. Even pregnancy hadn’t changed her… except to make her riper and even more luscious…

  She could pretend a while longer… I had all the time in the world. But she already knew me in her heart. And one day, she would trust me with hers. One day she’d be ready…

  I had all the time in the world.

  10

  Angelina

  “So we’re all set,” Jane said cheerfully.

  I adjusted the phone against my ear. “I’ve made all the arrangements for you,” she said. “Your new place is totally stocked and ready. Sheets, towels, cookware… you name it. It’s all there and ready for you to move right in. Just have whatever personal things you want to bring packed up and ready, Friday morning by eight. I’ve got three men lined up for the loading and unpacking. All you have to do is bring yourselves.”

  I sighed, unable to believe for maybe the hundredth time, just how lucky we were. “You’re a miracle worker, Jane. I don’t know how you’ve been able to make something so complicated seem so damned easy.” Her only reply was a gentle laugh.

  Jane and I had become friends over the last month. She was my new boss’s assistant, kind and trustworthy, and so far, the only actual link I had to the man himself. It had taken a lot of trust and a little sleuthing of my own to be willing to put myself and my daughter in a stranger’s hands, even one Jane spoke of so highly. One huge motivator was that he’d agreed to let me bring Mattie along with us. He would be paying her a salary as well, since she’d be playing full-time nanny to Violet while I was working. And it sounded like I would be working a lot. Five thousand square feet of virgin real estate. And this mogul had hired me, a baby designer, fresh out of school…

  Jane and I took turns making notes and answering each other’s last minute questions about the move. Truth be told, she was a huge part of the reason I’d been brave enough to take this job, boss unseen. My college advisor knew her personally, and Jane had provided me with more than enough proof that he was on the lev
el. He just likes his anonymity, she’d assured me. A man in his position, you know… And so we had four days left. And then we’d be living on an island for as long as it took to please my wealthy, demanding mogul of a boss.

  We had a cottage of our own and my family would stay together. The salary he offered was enough to find the very best of schools for Violet… when the time was right. Everything seemed too good to be true… except that I couldn’t seem to forget my night at the club, and the man who’d almost made me forget about Will for the first time in half a decade. The masked man had replaced Will in my dreams at night. And the thought of leaving him behind and never seeing him again was…

  Violet had started to play again… and haunting strains of a Rachmaninoff concerto filled our little apartment and the empty places in my heart. It was as if she knew it was a time for melancholy. For we were leaving our old world behind, and setting out to find a new one.

  And it was time… and it was the right decision for us. I went in to watch my silent, precocious daughter express herself in her own lovely way. I stroked her hair and she leaned her head into my hand. Her baby fingers moved over the keys, her talent leaving me as breathless as it always had. I’d played for her, of course, even before she was born… Every morning and every night. But I didn’t have a fraction of her ability. I’d discovered that when she’d awakened me one morning with her music. She’d barely turned three and I’d only played the piece for her once. Her timing had been off… but only because her hands had been so little. But the music had been pure and true. Just as it was now. I listened, letting my heart swell inside my chest. The feeling was sweet and beautiful… so familiar…