Stepbrother Desires (4 page)

Michael

              “What is all of this crap?” Audrey asked as she looked around my room. For whatever reason, she decided to knock on my door in the middle of the night, moments before I caught her fucking our stepbrother in the woods.

              “I often forget,” I said as I dusted off a glass bottle with a boat in it. “You were too young to remember our grandfather.”

              “Are these photos from all of those trips that you go on and on about?” she asked.

              “Why are you so mad at me?” I asked her. “I haven’t even given you a reason to be angry yet.”

              “I saw you last night,” she said unaffectedly. I laughed in response.

              “The truth is, Audrey, you didn’t catch me; I caught
you
.”

              “That is true and also not very true.”

              “Do explain,” I smiled smugly. Audrey was a tricky game player, and it was exhilarating for me to have her finally pinned. “I would love to know how you letting our stepbrother fuck you in the ass is in any way incriminating to me.”

“I’ll have to show you,” Audrey smirked before lifting her phone to her face and scrolling a bit. Then she handed it to me with the display revealing a folder labeled
Michael
.

“What is this?” I asked.

              “Open it,” she succinctly replied. Carefully, I tapped on the icon, revealing dozens of photos of me jerking off in the window with Lydia lying bare breasted below my window. Then there were photos of her coming into my room, and finally, a video. “Click on that, too.”

              “No,” I replied.

              “Okay, then I will,” Audrey snatched the phone away from me. Sounds of Lydia screaming for me were heard in muffled tones. “You see, Michael, I sit up on the hillside and survey this property every afternoon. Most of the time, I get glimpses of the usual bird or a lone butterfly finding a flower. But then, sometimes, I catch something far beyond usual.”

“You fucking bitch.”

“No, Michael, fuck
you,
” she said coarsely. “I would never let you get away with having more on me than I have on you. You’ve always been a slimy little snake.”

              “What were you going to do with the tape then?” I asked.

              “I suppose the same thing you were going to do with the footage you have,” she snapped.  “I saw you trotting about and I know what you were doing with your phone.”

There was no denying the standoff in which we found ourselves. Neither one of us wanted to give in; we were too much like our self-centered father. The only option was to find common ground.

              “Let’s be honest with each other, Audrey,” I started in order to gain control of the situation. “This isn’t about us. This entire trip wasn’t about us either. I’m also quite certain that certain salacious deeds we’ve done were subconsciously about hurting the one person all of this was about: our father. He has the money, the notoriety, and the power. We, on the other hand, don’t want to be eradicated from any of what we’re entitled.”

              “Where are you going with this, Michael?” she seemed bored by my dialogue.

              “I’ll be more direct,” I sighed. “We each have something to hold over one another’s heads. Instead of threatening each other, let’s just understand that we both don’t want the contents to be found.”

              “I’m not deleting the footage,” she interrupted. “You’re too much of a liar to be trusted to do the same.”

              “Name calling aside, sister,” I reprimanded. “We don’t have to delete the material. Our only job is to ensure that no one else ever sees it. Otherwise, the other person will leak the other’s footage.”

              “I can do that.”

              “Good,” I said, proud that I had been able to smooth over our tension.

              “I’d like to add something,” Audrey said as she headed for the door.

              “Of course,” I agreed.

              “We must show that we are getting along,” Audrey suggested. “And famously.”

“That makes sense,” I said shaking my head. “The time here was intended for that and that would please our father. Shake on it?”

I held out my hand. Audrey seemed reluctant at first, but then he shook mine.

“Deal,” she said looking at me briefly in the eyes.

“I like that we can meet a business agreement,” I smiled.

“Of course,” she said pulling her hand away from mine. “You know, most other siblings hug instead of shaking hands.”

“We both know that we’re not like most siblings,” I interjected. “Furthermore, we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves.”

“Yes,” Audrey said while looking at the floor with a closed mouth expression. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight then?”

“Yes, you will, loving sister,” I said cheerily. Audrey smiled back at me in a way that I nearly believed her, and then she closed the door. I had known my sister for all of her life, and no matter how sneaky she could be, she always knew when to take the money and run.

The following is a preview…

Book III: Stepbrother Affairs

Audrey

              A fresh linen towel was rolled under my arm as I glanced over my usual spot on the top of the hill. The grass had dry spots now that the summer pressed on and less appetizing than it had been in the previous weeks. Surveying the grounds, it was clear to me what the reason was. The pool sat motionlessly, except for the trickle from the water fountain that rested on the north edge. Sebastian must have taken Darla out to see the rest of the property before she left this week. Without my stepbrother swimming in the pool, I decided to take up residency.

I was only a week away from my world excursion. My friend Rebecca from boarding school decided to spend the first month with me in Europe. Though the initial thought of the two of us trekking across the world seemed enjoyable, on this day, however I didn’t feel excited. In fact, I felt nothing. Just like the waning summer, I had lost my enthusiasm.

Though Sebastian and I ended our tryst, I still thought of him nearly every minute of the day. Somehow, he had cast a spell on me that couldn’t be lifted, even by common sense. It was difficult to know what about him captivated me. Perhaps he was the muscle-bound lover that got away. Still, I felt that his smile was the most bewitching. Men with the smiles of mischievous boys always knew how to sink their arrows right inside of me.

I, however, felt that this summer had not vain. As a woman I had grown. In boarding school, if a girl like Darla came along and threatened the object of my affection, I would have sent her screaming home. Sometimes it was just an embarrassing photo of her that leaked from her cellphone. Other times it was replacing her shampoo with hair remover. I’m not proud of what I did, but boarding school was a savage place, and I had to be the fiercest cat in the cage.

“Sebastian!” I heard Lydia call out from inside of the house. “Don’t!”

“Fuck this shit!” Sebastian screamed. Then I heard the crash of something large breaking inside of the hallway. Suddenly, my afternoon of tanning had been ruined.

              “Calm down!” Lydia screamed. I leaned up in time to see my father and brother running from the croquette course.

              “What’s going on?” my father yelled to me.

              “I don’t know,” I said with a widened expression. Something had made Sebastian extremely angry.

              “AH!” Sebastian yelled as the two front doors flew open. He ran shirtless into the car park where he stumbled onto the median of grass. Sebastian’s face was bright red and veins pulsated from his neck. “What the fuck?”

              “What’s going on, Sebastian?” my brother Michael asked as he ran over to him. As soon as Michael touched Sebastian’s shoulder, he hit his hands away in a fury.

              “Don’t fucking touch me!” Sebastian yelled as he fell onto the grass. Now he was sobbing uncontrollably.

              “It’s Darla,” Lydia said as she walked with arms folded outside of the mansion. “She’s missing.”

Stepbrother Affairs (Book III)
is the final part of
The Monroe Family Secrets
, coming November 19
th

About the Author

Lauren Branford has traveled the world, meeting people from all walks of life. For Miss Branford, writing is more than expressive, it is liberating. Scribing subjects on matters that society has deemed racy and prohibited are the most delicious treats from her library.
Lauren Branford currently holds residence in California.

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