Wardrobe Malfunction

by Samantha Towle

  “Right back at you, bro.” She sticks her tongue out at me, and then she comes over and hugs me. “I missed your ugly face,” she tells me, patting my cheek as she lets me go.

  Then, she’s back to Charly, who looks like she’s just been hit by a whirlwind. Well, she has. Whirlwind Sasha. Wait until she meets Meg. Meg is like Santa on ecstasy.

  “My dress is in here?”

  “It is.” Charly smiles. “Do you want to try it on now and make sure everything is okay for you? And, if any more alterations are needed, I can do them tonight.”

  “You’re the best.” Sasha picks up the garment bag. “Will you come upstairs with me? Help me get into it?”

  “Sure,” Charly says, following her out of the kitchen, giving me a smile before she goes.

  “I love your hair,” I hear Sasha saying to her. “I’ve been thinking about getting some color put in my hair, but I don’t know if I’m too old.”

  “How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” I hear Charly ask.

  “Thirty-five,” Sasha groans, her voice trailing off as they head upstairs.

  A cell phone starts to ring.

  “Ooh, that’s me,” Gran says, picking up her phone and disappearing out of the kitchen.

  I suspiciously eye her. I wonder if that’s her boy toy on the phone.

  It’s weird, Gran having a boyfriend. She’s not had anyone since my granddad passed ten years ago.

  “Charly seems really nice,” my mom says.

  “Yeah, she is.” I sit up on a stool and start picking at the grapes in the fruit bowl. I pop one in my mouth and chew.

  “And so damn pretty,” my mom adds.

  “Yeah.” I smile.

  She’s more than pretty. She’s beautiful. Stunning.

  “So, you guys are dating?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Well, she must be good for you. You look a lot better than the last time I saw you. You look happy.”

  My mom…well, my whole family was worried about how I was dealing with Cain’s betrayal, which obviously wasn’t well.

  “I was hurting back than. I needed to get it out of my system.”

  “And it’s out now?” she checks.

  “Yep.” I put another grape in my mouth.

  “Good.”

  I watch my mother move around the kitchen, chopping up vegetables, which I’m assuming are for tonight’s dinner.

  “So, you brought Charly home; that’s a first,” she says.

  I was wondering how long it was going to take her.

  “She must be special.”

  “She is. But don’t go getting carried away, Mom.”

  “What? I’m not,” she protests innocently.

  “Sure you’re not.” I laugh. “Charly and I are having fun together. I like her a lot. But I’m not looking to get married anytime soon.”

  “That’s good. But you don’t fool me, Vaughn.” She points her chopping knife in my direction.

  I put my hands up in surrender. “I have no clue what you mean.”

  “I was watching the way you looked at her.”

  “And how do I look at her?”

  “The way your father looks at me. And the way your grandpa used to look at your gran. The way Greg looks at Sasha. And Vic looks at Meg. Like there’s no one else in the room when they’re there.”

  My mother is too damn observant for her own good.

  “Did you know that Gran has a boy toy?”

  “Nice subject change. And he’s hardly a boy toy.” She laughs.

  “Gran is ten years older than him!”

  “How old is Charly?”

  “Nice switch back.”

  “Thanks.” She grins.

  “She’s twenty-five,” I tell her.

  “You’re nearly five years older than her, Vaughn. You’ll be thirty soon. Does that make you her sugar daddy?”

  “What the hell, Mom?” I groan. This conversation is seriously going in entirely the wrong direction. “I’m twenty-nine, for crying out loud, not fifty-nine. I’m not old enough to be anyone’s sugar daddy.”

  My mom is doubled over, laughing, at this point. She thinks she’s hilarious.

  “It’s not funny,” I grumble.

  “It kind of is.” She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “And be happy for your gran. This is the first man she’s shown any interest in since your granddad passed. It’s been ten years, Vaughn.”

  “God, it has, hasn’t it?”

  I was away, working on my first movie, when he passed. He never even got to see my first film. I’ve always regretted not being there when he died. My granddad was the best kind of man. His family was everything to him.

  He was the kind of man I aspire to be. Just like my dad is.

  “Your granddad was and always will be the love of your gran’s life. She’s just having some fun in the time she has left. We can’t begrudge her that.”

  “Yeah, I get it.” I sigh. “Is Dad okay with it?”

  Gran is my dad’s mom. I can only imagine it’d be weird for him.

  “Well, he doesn’t exactly have a choice. You know your gran.” She chuckles. “But he wants her to be happy. And Ed’s a good guy.”

  Ed. So, that’s his name.

  “And where is Ed from?”

  “Over in Klamath Falls.”

  “Mmhmm,” I say. “Well, I want to meet him before I leave.”

  “You will, at the wedding. He’s your gran’s date.”

  Well, thank God I did bring Charly with me; otherwise, I would have been the only one flying solo at this wedding.

  Charly

  “Your family is awesome,” I tell Vaughn as we drive the few minutes over to his house, which is on the same land as his parents’ place. They have a heck of a lot of land.

  “Yeah, and they love you,” he says.

  “Yeah, well, I helped with Sasha’s dress.” I lift my shoulder.

  “No, they love you because you’re smart and funny and amazing.”

  He picks up my hand and kisses it, and my heart starts to beat double time.

  “My gran especially loved the ‘define sleeping’ comment.” He laughs. “What the hell was that?”

  “I’m funny. What can I say?” I give a careless flick of my hair. But I don’t feel careless.

  I try not to think about what my life might have been like if my dad hadn’t been a murdering sick bastard and my mom were still alive. But seeing Vaughn with his family, it was hard not to let my mind wander there.

  I’d like to think I would’ve had a family like Vaughn’s. Loving and happy with people who genuinely liked each other. Not because they felt like they had to because they were family, but because they actually liked each other.

  His family has made me feel so welcome. I was nervous to come, and it was a little overwhelming at first, but I really enjoyed being in their company.

  I can see where Vaughn gets his dry sense of humor—from his gran. She is awesome. And his mom is beautiful, and Vaughn looks just like his dad. Sasha is lovely. I can’t wait to meet Meg at dinner later.

  When I showed Sasha her dress, her eyes filled with tears. At first I thought she was sad, but then I realized they were tears of happiness. Then, she hugged me tight.

  I’ve come to quickly realize that the West family is a hugging family. It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m getting there.

  Sasha was just overjoyed with her dress. She told me that I was a magician with a needle and thread. I’m not so sure that Vaughn’s once-punctured ball sack would agree, but it was nice to hear.

  Watching how happy I made her just from my ability to fix her dress had my heart full and my chest glowing with pride.

  Glancing up, I see a huge gorgeous-looking ranch in our approach. “Is this it?” I ask.

  “Yeah, this is home.” He smiles.

  If I thought Vaughn’s mom and dad’s farmhouse was big, this place is ginormous.

  It’s an L-shaped two-story ranch wit
h a front porch. There’s a two-door garage, a grassy front area with shrubbery, and a purpose-built driveway, off the track of his family’s land, which we’re currently driving up.

  “It’s amazing,” I breathe, staring at it.

  He parks the car in front of the house and turns off the engine, and we both climb out of the car.

  I follow him around to the back of the car. He pops the trunk and then pauses.

  “So, I have this rule about my house…” He scratches his forehead, staring at me.

  “It’s not a no-clothes rule, is it? Because your house has a hell of a lot of windows, West, and I wouldn’t want to have the girls out on display when a member of your family comes a-knocking.”

  “No.” He chuckles. “Although that is a really good idea, Pins.” He rubs his chin with his hand. “The no-clothes rule…yeah, I think—”

  “No way, West.” I fold my arms over my chest. “So, what’s the original rule?”

  “I don’t have any electronics in my house.”

  “You don’t have any electronics in your house?” I slowly repeat back to him.

  “Yeah. No cell phones. No laptops, tablets. Anything. My home is an electronic-free zone.”

  “Um…why?”

  “Because I spend most of my life in Hollywood, surrounded by the fucking press and news stories about myself and where I went to take a piss the night before. When I come home, I don’t want to see any of it. I don’t want to see stories about myself. My home is my sanctuary. I come here for peace. Here, I get to be a normal person.”

  “Normal people have cell phones.”

  “Funny,” he says. Then, he puts his hand out. “You wanna come into my home, you’ve got to hand over your cell phone.”

  “Really?” I grimace.

  “Really.”

  Jesus, he’s serious. How the hell am I going to live without my cell? It’s an extension of me.

  “What if Nick calls? If he can’t get ahold of me, he’ll be worried.”

  “He knows where you are, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then, I’m guessing he won’t think I’ve killed you. But, if you need to call him or Ava or anyone, then, by all means, come out here and make your call. But not in my house. So, phone, please.” He wiggles his fingers at me.

  Sighing, I get my cell from my bag. I stare down at it. “I’ll see you soon,” I say to my cell.

  “It’s a phone, not a baby.”

  I stick my tongue out at him. “She’s my baby. And my best friend.”

  “Pins, that’s really fucking sad.” He grins.

  “Whatever.” I slap my cell in his hand.

  He laughs. Then, he puts my cell in the trunk of his car. Pulling his own cell from his pocket, he sets it next to mine. Then, he gets our bags out of the trunk, and I follow him over to the front door.

  “Do you have a TV?” I ask hopefully.

  God, please have a TV.

  “Yeah.”

  Wahoo!

  “But I don’t have it connected for any stations. I just use it to watch movies.”

  “What? No TV?” I whine. “Seriously?”

  “You’ll survive.” He laughs. Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocks the front door, letting us in.

  “What do you do if you get bored?” I follow behind him and step into a huge hallway, which opens into a massive living room, and in front of me is one of those big staircases that branches off to both sides.

  Wowzers.

  “I read a book. Watch a film. Go for a run. Play pool; I have a game room.”

  “I always thought you were weird, West. Now, I know you’re certifiable. No electronics? I mean, what the hell?” I sigh dramatically.

  He laughs and puts our bags down at the bottom of the stairs, and then he comes over to me, putting his arms around my waist, smiling down into my face.

  God, he’s pretty. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how pretty he is.

  “You’ll be fine, Pins. The peace and quiet. The ability to sit and be with your own thoughts. You’re gonna love it.”

  “I don’t have any thoughts. That’s why I use my phone—to create thoughts for me.”

  He laughs again, louder this time. “You might surprise yourself. Just give it a try. It’s only for three days. And, if you really need a phone fix, it’s just right out there, in the trunk of my car.”

  “Okay.” I snuggle into him, pressing my face to his chest. “You’re weird. But I still like you.”

  “I like you, too. And, if you get really bored, we can just have sex all the time. Also, I have a hot tub out back.”

  That perks me up. “Oh, hot tub! And sex. Okay, I can live with that.”

  “Good,” he hums, brushing his lips over me. “So, that’s the living room.” He nods his head in the direction of it.

  I turn in his arms and take the living room in. There’s a big leather L-shaped couch filled with cushions. And the TV he mentioned is mounted up on the wall. And framed pictures of old movie posters, like The Godfather, are up on the walls. None of his movies are up there though.

  And scattered around are tons of pictures of his family.

  “Kitchen’s through there.” He turns me around to face an open door, and I can see the kitchen through it. “Game room is there.” He points to a closed door. “Downstairs bathroom.” He points to another door. “The door next to it is where the gym is. The bedrooms are upstairs—master and two guest suites. Of course, you’re in the master with me.”

  I tip my head back to look up at him. “Of course.”

  His lips brush my forehead. “Right. I’ll get these bags upstairs. Make yourself at home.”

  I watch him pick up our bags and walk up the stairs, admiring his tight ass as he goes. He veers off to the left, and I turn around on the spot.

  I walk over to the kitchen and poke my head through the door.

  Wow. Nice.

  It’s a very manly kitchen. Dark gray cupboards, a huge black fridge. I spy a built-in coffee machine.

  I wander back out. Can’t say I really have an interest in the gym, so I go to the door I think is the game room. I open the door and walk inside.

  Double wow!

  It’s awesome in here. He has not only a pool table, but also an air hockey game, a basketball-throwing game, arcade machines, one of those motorbike racing games, a super Mario Kart game, and a dartboard up on the wall. It’s like a kid’s heaven. Or a big kid’s heaven.

  “You like?” His voice comes from behind me.

  “I love! It’s so cool.” I beam, turning around to him. “I definitely won’t get bored in here.”

  “No, there’s plenty that can be done in here.” The words sound innocent, but I know that look in his eyes. It’s predatory.

  A shiver runs through me.

  “Oh, yeah? And what would you like to do in here?” Biting my lower lip, I step back, and my ass bumps into the air hockey table. I curl my fingers around the edge.

  He steps close to me and picks me up, sitting me on the hockey table. “You,” he says. “I’d like to do you in here.”

  “I can live with that.”

  His eyes on mine, he skims his hands up my bare legs and under my short pleated skirt.

  Thank God I wore a skirt today.

  He slides my panties down my legs.

  Pushing my thighs apart, he drops to his knees. Vaughn is never selfish when it comes to sex. He always makes sure to take care of me first.

  His hand taps the heeled ankle boots on my feet. “The boots stay on the whole time.”

  “What is it with you and boots?” I tease.

  “It’s you in the boots. Turns me on like crazy.”

  He presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh and starts to kiss a slow path upward until I’m trembling with need.

  When he reaches the top, my needy hands slide into his hair.

  He stares up at me. “What do you want?” he asks, his voice husky with sex.

  “You
, making me come.”

  He puts his mouth on me, and I sigh with relief.

  He works me over, licking my clit, pushing a finger inside me and then two.

  “I’m so close, Vaughn…so close. Keep doing that…yes…”

  Then, without warning, his mouth and fingers are gone.

  “What? I was so close to coming.”

  “I want us to come together.” His nimble fingers are unfastening his jeans, and then he’s kicking off his shoes, pulling his T-shirt off, and getting a condom out of his wallet. His jeans and boxers drop to the floor, and he’s naked.

  “I could have come then and then come again.” I pout.

  He rips the condom packet open with his teeth and rolls it on his cock. Then, he tugs on my bottom lip with his finger and thumb before replacing it with his lips. “I’ll make the wait worth your while,” he murmurs. Then, he steps back. “Strip for me,” he commands.

  “You want the sexy dance or the clothes just gone?”

  “You do a sexy dance?” His brow goes up.

  “Oh, yeah, totally.” I grin.

  “That, I definitely want to see…but later. Right now, I just need to be inside you. So, clothes off, Pins.”

  “Yes, sir.” I salute.

  I pull my top off over my head before quickly removing my bra. I unfasten my skirt at the back and lift my ass. Sliding it down over my hips and down my legs, I flick it aside with my foot.

  Vaughn’s eyes rake over me. I’m naked, except for my cute little boots. He looks like he wants to devour me whole, and I want to be devoured. I want him to swallow me up. I want every single part of him.

  He doesn’t seem to be moving. Just frozen to the spot. His cock is hard and ready, his breathing labored.

  So, I slide my hand over my chest, letting my fingers play over my breast, my nipple. Then, I slide my hand lower, down over my stomach, coming to rest on my pussy. I already know how wet I am. I’m always wet with Vaughn. All he has to do is look at me.

  I dip my finger inside and moan, my eyes briefly closing.

  When they open back up, I find Vaughn’s eyes on fire.

  “Taste yourself,” he says roughly.

  I lift my finger to my mouth and put it inside, sucking myself from it.

  “Mmm,” I murmur.

  His hand goes to his cock, gripping it. He starts to move it up and down, jacking himself off. “You like the taste of yourself, dirty girl?”