Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction (41 page)

P.N.C. Law represented the rich and famous, but they also helped out the little people. People like me who just needed a helping hand once in a while. Initially, that’s what had drawn me to them, but since I had an “in” with Brock I hadn’t been too concerned about it. After my first visit to their offices, I knew I had to work there. Not only was the place beautiful, but it just screamed Ember Kennedy. I was going to get her back someday soon, because there was a corner office that I just knew would someday have my name on it and I was going to bring my bright, cheery old self there with me.

Of course, I understood that I wasn’t the only person who was applying for the internship, and I understood that even if I got it, I would have to work my ass off to prove that I was worthy to work there permanently, but I had to do it. I had to do it for me and for my dad. The dad who paid for law school. The dad who gave me my horrible name because he thought it fit his little girl born with bright red hair. The dad who never doubted me for a second and told me he had never been more proud of me than the day I beat the shit out of Brock with my purse. Even though I knew he’d always secretly wished I were a boy, hence all of the baseball games and camping trips he made me attend and the extremely awkward first bra buying experience, he was proud of me and happy to call me his own. This was all for that man. My dad. The man who was not only my mentor, but also the only man who ever respected me for me. He didn’t care what I had to offer him, he just loved me for me. Everyone should be jealous of me because I had the best dad in the world.

That’s probably why when I was five years old and my mother left us, I don’t even remember shedding a tear. It was the most natural thing in the world for it to just be me and my dad. That was basically how it had always been anyway, but now I didn’t have to hear them argue and see the sad defeated look on my dad’s face when mom stormed out in a fit of anger.

When I turned eighteen my dad took me on a trip to Disney World. I’d always wanted to go and he made it so special for both of us. One night while we sat by the little lake at our resort and dad nursed a beer he told me some things about my mom. He explained to me that she wasn’t around much before she left because she had a boyfriend. Dad told me that shortly after their divorce she had another child and married her boyfriend. He cried as he talked about her. My dad loved my mom no matter what she had done to him. I knew that we were so much better off without her. She hadn’t even tried to contact us after the day that she took off all those years ago.

My dad never remarried but he did have special friends who visited periodically. It was a little awkward to watch some woman do the walk of shame before I left for school, but he was a man. He had needs. I would never begrudge my dad a little fun. He deserved it.

Staring down at my cheap oak coffee table that I tried to dress up with a candle and some blown glass orbs that I got at Pottery Barn, I thought about the upcoming weekend. Why didn’t I deserve to go and have some fun? I needed to just go and forget about all of my worries about the internship and the crappy apartment and the car that broke down more than it ran. Oh and the fact that I hadn’t had sex in over six months. Let us not forget that sad little tidbit.

Yes I said six months…

Over six months ago was the last time the glorious O came to visit me. Well, at least an O that didn’t come from my BOB (Battery Operated Boyfriend). I affectionately referred to my BOB as Johnny. Which could have been for Johnny Depp or some nights it stood for Patrick Swayze’s character in Dirty Dancing….either way it worked for me. Got me to the O and then I could immediately go back to being sad. Sad that it wasn’t some big hot gorgeous man giving me my O, but instead a cold piece of blue plastic. My poor sad woo hoo.

A Visit to the Country

As much as I didn’t want to, I had to admit that Sadie grew up in the absolute epitome of country beautiful. Weaving our way down the long tree-lined drive that led to her parents’ house it was like driving through a country living postcard. Absolutely stunning. Huge white flowering pear trees embraced us as we made our way up to the large two-story white farmhouse where she had grown up.

The wraparound porch was outlined with honeysuckle bushes that smelled heavenly. It was like one of those old cartoons, you could practically see the flowery scents rising from the bushes and tickling our noses. The old wooden rocking chairs swayed in the breeze and just as I heard the screen door slam, I felt my feet come up off the ground.

“Pinky Pie! You’re actually here!” Sean screamed as he twirled me around in the air. His arms were wrapped around my waist and his face was buried in my neck. His nose was rubbing my neck and I felt like he was trying to inhale me. He was breathing me in.

“Sean, put me down right this instant!” I screamed as he completely ignored me and kept spinning me around in circles. Squeezing me tighter and tighter and spinning me higher.

Sadie slapped him on the back of the head. “Put her down now, Sean.”

We stopped twirling and he set me down on my feet. “Sorry, Pinky Pie. I’m just so excited to see you. It’s been a long time since my worthless big sister talked you into visiting the family.”

Sadie slapped him on the back of the head again. “Worthless, huh? I’ll make you think worthless.” She kicked him in the shin, knocking him to the ground.

Sean had grown into quite an attractive young man. His biceps were bulging out of his white v-neck t-shirt and I could see the barbed wire tattoo peeking out at me. I couldn’t help but notice his perfect six pack. Sadie was straddling his chest and pulled his t-shirt up so she could start pounding his rock hard abs with her little fists of fury. The whole sight was pretty damn fun to watch really. Sean was cracking up and giving me the sexiest damn look while Sadie continued to beat him. He just laughed and let her keep it up. Sean crossed his big strong arms behind his head and laughed as she unleashed her fury on him.

“Are you done yet, Sis?” He asked with a sideways grin crossing his face.

Sadie let out an exasperated sigh, “I don’t know, Sean. Have you learned your lesson yet?”

He made the Boy Scout symbol with his fingers and said, “Scout’s honor, Sis.”

“Well we all know that’s a load of bullshit. Sean never attended any of his Boy Scout meetings. He was too busy trying to sneak into the Girl Scout meetings,” Sadie’s father, William said as he walked over and stuck his hand out to Sadie. “Come on, darlin’. Come and give your daddy a big hug. I’ve missed my baby girl.” He pulled Sadie up and she jumped into his arms and gave him a big ole bear hug. William looked over Sadie’s shoulder down at Sean while he laid flat on his back on the ground. “You gonna get up today, son?”

“I was waiting for the help of a beautiful lady,” Sean smirked, sticking his hand out to me. Giving me those big brown puppy dog eyes of his he begged, “Please, Pinky Pie. I can’t seem to get up by myself.” Then he wiggled his eyebrows at me and I got the double innuendo in his words.

Perv.

Reaching out I took his hand in mine, and when he got about half way up off the ground I let go and watched as his ass slammed onto the hard dirt.

“What the hell?” He screeched.

“Oh, sorry, Sean. I really didn’t think you would have any problems getting yourself up,” I grinned. “You know, up off of the ground.”

Sadie and her dad laughed and we all started into the house.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite girl,” Sadie’s mom Elizabeth said as she pulled me into a hug.

“Thanks a lot, mom. You do know I’m here too, right?” Sadie asked.

“Oh, of course I do, sweetie. But I get to see you all the time. Ember never comes home to visit.”

Sadie mumbled under her breath as she walked out of the room, “Probably because this isn’t her home.”

“I should probably go unpack. I’m really happy to be here, Elizabeth,” I lied. Well sort of. Now that I was here, I was kinda sorta happy about it.

As I started up the stairs, Sean ran up behind me. He slapped my ass and with that devastatingly handsome grin on his face, he whispered, “I’ll see ya later, Pinky Pie.”

When I reached the top of the stairs, I could see Sadie sitting in her room on her bed. It looked like she had been crying. When she saw me, she got up and closed the door and I heard the door latch lock.

What the hell was her problem?

She didn’t have any reason to be mad at me. It wasn’t like the entire reason I was here was solely because of her or anything. Not like she begged me and then freaking blackmailed me into it. She’d have to get over whatever the hell was bothering her.

The guest room was on the other side of the hall. The room was the perfect size and more than a little girly. It kinda looked like
Martha Stewart
herself had decorated it. Big white four-poster bed with peach, aqua, and white linens. A huge fat, fluffy chair sat in the corner covered in a beautiful white lace afghan. Light peach walls with white trim just tied it all together. This was always my room when I came to visit. Many years ago Elizabeth framed a picture of Sadie, Sean, and me and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed. Being in this room and seeing that picture always made me feel at home.

As I sat down on the super soft bed, I leaned over and picked up the picture of all of us. That’s when I noticed there was another picture sitting behind the familiar one. When I caught a glimpse of the picture I dropped it on the ground. Just as I bent over to pick it up, there was a knock at the door.

Before I could make my way to the door, it opened and Sean burst in.

“I see you found the picture I left for you. What’d you think of it?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I stood up and stormed over to him. “What if your mom or Sadie would’ve found this picture, Sean?”

“So what if they had, Ember. They’ve seen me naked before and now you have too,” he smiled before he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. Slowly and gently he slid his tongue into my mouth and my arms automatically circled up and around his neck. Damn, this boy could kiss. My woo hoo was perking up and definitely enjoying the feel of his hands sliding down my back and cupping my ass while his tongue explored every part of my mouth. Sean kicked the door with his foot and then I felt his hand move away from my ass and I heard the door lock.

Very slowly he walked us toward the bed. His lips had still never left mine and didn’t until he began to speak.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, Pinky Pie. I knew it would happen this weekend. I’m finally going to have you. All of you,” he whispered as he placed soft kisses up and down my neck. His hands slowly crept away from my ass and moved to my sides, where they slid up higher and higher until his fingers were caressing my nipples. I felt a pang of lust shoot from my clit.

Holy shit!

I pushed against his chest and god, it felt so good. This boy was hard in all the right places.

Boy.

This boy.

My best friend’s little brother. No matter how damn good this felt, I couldn’t do this to Sadie.

“Stop, Sean.” I pushed harder and pulled my lips away from his. “We can’t do this. It’s so wrong.”

Holding me tighter he said, “Why? Why is it wrong, Ember? I’m not a kid anymore. You do know I’m not a virgin right?” Grinning, he whispered, “I’ve been getting some practice in, so that I would be perfect for you. And believe me I know how to please a woman. You will not regret letting me do this.”

His hand slid into the front of my jeans and his fingers roughly squeezed my clit. I screamed out in pleasure and he placed his hand over my mouth as he pushed me down on the bed.

“You’re gonna have to be quiet, Pinky Pie. I don’t want my mom to come up here and see what’s going on. She thinks my ass will be as pure as the driven snow until our wedding night.”

Our wedding night…what the hell?

It took all of the strength within me and my betraying woo hoo, but I pushed him off of me and flipped us to where I was pushing him down onto the bed flat on his back.

“Oh, I see. You want to be in control. That’s hot, Pinky Pie,” he said as he pulled his t-shirt off over his head. “Don’t worry. Sadie was having some kind of spell so she left to go into town. Mom and Dad are downstairs watching some TV show, so as long as you’re kinda quiet you can do whatever you want to do to me. Anything.”

“Are you serious?” I asked.

He turned and pressed me down onto the bed. Leaning up on one arm he looked down at me. His eyes were so intense as he said, “Yes, Ember. I’m serious. You can do whatever you want to do to me.”

I slapped his shoulder - hard. “That’s not what I’m talking about dumbass. Do you really think we’re going to get married someday?”

The look in his eyes changed from the look of lust that a man gets before he ravages you, to a look of wonder and hope. It was pretty clear that he really believed we were going to be together.

He fell back down flat on the bed and let out his breath. “Well, Ember, I kinda hoped we would end up together. You have to know how I feel about you. You have to know that I’ve wanted you for years. When I think of my future, yeah I see you in it.”

I turned over and put my hand on his chest. I could feel his heart racing. “Sean…um.”

His big brown eyes were staring into mine. “I love you, Ember. I always have.”