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Blair
Twenty Years Ago
“I found Sophia, Blair." Trent handed me my favorite Cabbage Patch Kids doll.
I blinked through my tears and grabbed Sophia and clutched her tightly in my arms. “Where did you find her?” I asked through my sniffles.
“It was underneath your bed. She must have fallen under there when you were sleeping.” He reached over and wiped the tears from my face. “You don’t need to be sad anymore.”
I beamed at him and extended my arms to hug him. “You’re the best brother ever.”
He hugged me back tightly. “I’m your big brother. It’s my job to protect you.”
I looked up at him and frowned. “Will you always protect me?”
He put his arms on his hips and raised his chin in a Superman stance. “Of course! You’re only four. But I’m ten. I’m a man now. It’s my job to protect my baby sister.”
“Promise?” I looked up at him hopefully.
“Yes. I p—”
“Trent, honey?” We both looked up in time to see his mother’s head pop into the room.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, Trent’s Mommy. Trent found Sophia for me. He’s the best.” I lifted Sophia up to show her.
Beth glared at me and looked over at Trent. “Trent. Come on. Let’s go home.”
Trent frowned. “Can I stay for a bit longer? Cindy said I could stay for dinner.”
“Yup. I heard Mommy tell Trent he can stay for dinner.” I looked hopefully at Trent’s mother, hoping my corroboration was enough to convince her that Trent was telling the truth.
“Please? Can we stay? We can have dinner with dad, Blair, and Cindy.”
“Pretty please!” I squealed.
“No. We have plans. I dropped you off here for the weekend based on the arrangement your father and I have. I’m supposed to pick you up now, so let’s go.”
“But, Mom, it’s just dinner.” Trent went over to his mother and pulled on her sleeve.
“No is no. Don’t test my patience, Trent. You know that’s not good for anyone.”
Trent looked to the floor and mumbled, “Fine.” He walked over to me and gave me a hug.
“See you next week?” I hugged him back as tightly as I could, trying my best to hold back the tears. I was always sad see to him leave and wished he could stay with me forever. I used to ask my mother if he could live with us, but she said that it wouldn’t make Beth happy and told me to never ask again.
“Yup. See you next week.” He walked toward his mother.
Then I remembered something, and raced after him and gave him another hug. “You haven’t promised!”
“Promised what?”
“To always protect me.”
He smiled. “I promise.”
I giggled and felt so happy to hear that. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me too. Take care of Sophia while I’m gone.”
“Okay, I will. I promise.” I beamed at him.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Beth grabbed Trent’s hand. “Come on, we gotta go.”
I frowned as I saw them disappear down the hallway. From my room, I heard their distant voices fade into the background as they turned the corner.
“What did I tell you about being nice to her?” Beth scolded Trent.
“But, Mom, she’s my sister. I love her.”
“Don’t you dare love her. She’s the daughter of the bitch who stole your father away from us.”
I looked at Sophia and sniffled. “Sophia, do you know why Trent’s mommy doesn’t like me?”
Sophia looked back at me blankly. I wrapped my arms around her and wished I didn’t feel so alone.
***
One Year Ago
Dark, threatening clouds rolled through the sky as I felt the first drops of rain on my black dress.
“Honey, don’t forget your umbrella.” My mother handed me the umbrella from the car.
“Thanks, Mom.” I wrapped my arms around her arm and leaned in and whispered. “How’s Dad doing?”
She sighed. “You know how he is. He likes to keep things in and not let on when he’s sad. But I can tell he’s taking Beth’s death pretty hard.”
I frowned. “Are you okay with that?”
She looked at me and gave me a sad smile. “Of course. When you get older, you’ll realize that sometimes relationships and emotions are complicated and messy. Even though they got a divorce a few years before we got married, they were married for five years and they had a son together. So I know there’s a part of your father that will always love her.”
Her words struck a cord with me, and something that Beth had said years ago when I was a child rang in my head. I knew this wasn’t the best time to ask, but for some reason my curiosity took a hold of me. “Mom?” I looked at her tentatively.
“Yes, honey? What is it?”
“Did you meet Dad when they were still married?”
She sighed and looked away and nodded.
I bit my lips as I debated what to say next. “Did you...?”
She looked at me with a pained expression. “No, I didn’t even meet your father until after they were separated. But we did start dating shortly after their divorce was official, and sometimes I wondered if Beth blamed me for their failed marriage.”
I knew the answer but held my tongue.
She shook her head in regret. “I wished we were closer. I always tried to keep things civil and make us all feel like one big happy family as much as possible, but I always felt like she resented me and questioned my actions. I wish I tried harder. But now she’s gone...”
I squeezed her hand and tried to comfort her.
She let out a deep sigh and forced a smile. “At least our problems didn’t cause a strain on your relationship with your brother. I’m glad that you two get along.”
“Yeah, I’m glad, too. He’s great to me. I just feel so sad for him right now. I know he was very close to his mother, and she was so proud of him when Dad made him the Vice President of Parker, Inc. last year.”
“Yeah, he’s a good kid. He’s bright and a hard worker. According to your dad, he’s been doing a great job as VP.”
“He has.” I smiled, feeling a sense of pride for Trent.
“How does he treat you?” There was a faint look of concern on her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, since he was made VP, he’s your boss. Does he treat you fairly at work?”
I laughed. “Come on, Mom. Of course he does! He’s my brother.”
“Half-brother,” she reminded me.
“That doesn’t matter to me.” I looked at her, confused by her concern.
“I know it doesn’t for you, but Beth was never very kind to you. You know me, I’m just always concerned that Trent would adopt those feelings.”
“Don’t worry, mom. Trent’s great to me. In fact, sometimes he treats me better than my colleagues, and I wished he wouldn’t.” I gave her a reassuring smile.
I saw her face relax. “That’s good to hear.”
By the time we got to the graveyard for the funeral service, the rain was pouring down on us.
“I see Trent over there. I’m going to go check on him before the service starts.”
“Sure, honey. I’ll wait here for your father.”
As I walked the fifty feet to where Trent was standing by himself with his face down.
“Hey, Trent.” I reached for his shoulder gently and leaned over to give him a hug. His body was limp and unresponsive. When I stepped away and got a better look at him, a wave of alarm washed over me. His face was stone cold and aged. There were dark rings under his bloodshot eyes like he hadn’t slept for days. “How are you doing?”
“How the hell do you think I’m doing?” His grim expression caused a shiver to run down my body.
I winced at his curt response but tried to ignore it. “Is there anything you need?”
“Yes, I need to mourn over everything I’ve lost.” He glared at me and the dark, emptiness in his eyes scared me.
I frowned at his words. I wasn’t sure why, but at that moment, I felt like something had changed with him—he felt like a complete stranger. I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that this was Trent—my brother Trent who had always been there for me. I had nothing to be scared about.
“You still have me.” I reached over to give him another hug, but to my surprise, he backed away.
“I don’t have anyone,” he spat.
His words were cold and distant, and I knew something was definitely wrong. “I’m sorry you’re going through this, Trent. But please know you have me, our dad, and my mom. We all love you, and we’re here for you.”
“Like I said, I don’t have anyone,” he said between his teeth. “I’m alone now. So leave me the fuck alone.” He turned his back to me, causing the rain that was falling on his umbrella to splash onto me.
I stepped back and whipped off the water pellets from my black dress. “But I’m your sister—”
“As far as I’m concerned, I have no sister.”
Before I could object, he walked away from me to greet a group of new arrivals, leaving me standing there in shock.
I had no idea what had happened, but for some reason, the day Trent had lost his mother, I had lost him as a brother. So under the downpour of rain, I mourned for my own loss as everyone mourned for the loss of Beth.
***
Present Day
“You look beautiful.” Dean smiled down at me as he leaned in for a hug.
I backed away before he could touch me and reached out my hand. “You said this would just be dinner. We have a professional relationship, so let’s keep it that way.”
He snickered and cocked an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure we have both a professional and personal relationship. I’m not sure a handshake will suffice.” He grabbed my hand and shook it, and then to my surprise, he pulled me into his hard chest. I inhaled sharply as I felt his muscular arms tighten around me. “Now this is much better,” he whispered in my ears, causing a tingle of pleasure to cascade down my body. The longer he held me, the more I felt my resolve to keep my distance from him waiver.
After a few seconds, I finally managed to push him off me. “You promised.”
He shot me a smoldering smile that left my knees weak. “By now, you must know that I’m not great with promises.”
“Well, try. Or else, I can just leave now.” I turned away from him, ready to hail down a taxi.
“Fine,” he said quickly. “I’ll try. Now, come on, our reservation is waiting.”
I turned back to him and smiled. “Thanks.”
We walked inside Prubechu, an unassuming restaurant in the Mission District.
“How did you hear about this place?”
I looked around the small restaurant. It was located in a questionable block of town and the simple decor wasn’t something I thought fit Dean’s personality. I’d thought he’d want to go to some upscale five-star restaurant.
He laughed as he saw the uncertainty on my face as I looked around the restaurant when we sat down. “Don’t underestimate this place. It just opened a few months ago and the food here is simply amazing. Plus, it’s Guamanian food, which is unique and not something you find often, even in a foodie city like SF. They even import a lot of their ingredients directly from Guam, and everything is executed well and the flavors are like nothing you’ve ever had before.”
I looked at him and realized I was seeing a side of him that I’d never have thought could exist. This guy had passion, and for something other than sex. And to my surprise, he was right. The food at Prubechu was incredible. After an hour, and a few cocktails, I found myself lost in our easy and natural conversation and completely forgot who he was and who I was.
“No, you’re lying.” I giggled.
“You wanna bet? I totally can touch and cover my nose with my tongue.”
He stuck out his tongue and curled it up and over his nose.
I laughed so hard, my sides started to hurt. “Stop!” I begged as I try to breath.
He finally lost it and started laughing himself. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at me and flashed me a warm smile that caused my stomach to flip.
“You know what?”
“What?” I asked breathlessly.
“I love the way you laugh. It’s contagious.”
I smiled back at him. So many thoughts and emotions whirled inside, and against all reason, I felt myself let down my walls. “Can I admit something?”
“Sure.” He leaned in from across the table and placed his hands on mine. My breath caught and I felt my heart pound violently against my chest.
I look a deep breath. “So you probably know that I agreed on meeting you for dinner tonight because I was trying to get you off my back. I wanted to try to convince you that what happened between us was a mistake and that it’d never happen again. I needed you to believe me, and I thought getting the chance to sit down with you in a public place would give us a chance to talk things through.”
He laughed. “I had a feeling that was the case.” He then paused and licked his lips. “And has that changed?” There was a seductive smirk on his lips as his fingers moved slowly up and down my hands, causing every hair on arms to stand up in excitement.
I nodded, unable to speak. All I could concentrate on was how turned on I was by his simple touch.
“So what do you think now?”
“I...I don’t know.” I looked down and broke our eye contact, unable to think when I looked into his eyes. “I think you’re an interesting person. And...”
“Interesting enough to date?” He intertwined his fingers with mine and began to seductively massage my palms with his thumbs.
At that moment, I couldn’t speak. I could barely think. All I could do was nod. My chest heaved at the intense pleasure of his rough thumbs circling rhythmically against my skin. I wished we were alone in this restaurant. I wished he hadn’t made that promise to me. I wished this wasn’t just a dinner.
“I’m taking you back to my place tonight.”
My eyes widened as I saw the hunger lit up in his eyes.
“I...we shouldn’t,” said the small part of me that was still resisting his charm.
Suddenly, I felt his legs go between mine from under the table, and I gasped when he spread them apart with one swift movement.
The couple at the neighboring table looked over with a confused look. Dean turned to smile at them before looking back at me.
“I’m taking you back now.”
“Okay,” I finally gave in.
Dean pulled out his wallet and threw some money down before pulling me from my seat and leading me out the door.
In the few minutes it took us to walk to his car, I felt a surge of anxiety and excitement course through me as I thought about what was about to happen. I knew that sleeping with my lawyer could get me in a lot of trouble, but I felt like I was in too deep and there was no turning back. We’d already slept together, so why cry over spilt milk?
When we got to his car, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I opened the door to his back seat and pulled him in with me.
“I need you now,” I begged as I lay against the cool leather seats.
“I’ve been waiting for you to say that all night, baby.” He pulled down his pants and boxers, and his erection sprung out to greet me.
I gasped in pleasure as he led my hand to his cock.
“Can you feel how much I’ve been waiting to be inside of you?”
“Yes! And I want you inside me now, Dean. I want you to make love to me now.”
Suddenly I felt his body stiffen and his expression changed. Instead of climbing on top of me, he pulled his pants up and turned his back to me.
“What’s wrong?”
There was a long pause before he turned back to me. “I made a promise to you. We shouldn’t do this tonight.”
“Oh.” I tried to hide the disappointment and rejection I felt inside.
“I do want to see you again,” he added abruptly. I heard a reluctance in his voice, and I wonder what had just happened. “Come on. Get in the front seat. Let me take you home.”
“Okay.” I was relieved that it was dark out and he couldn’t see how red my face was at that moment.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in front of my row house. To my surprise, he turned off the engine and turned to look at me.
“I’m sorry.” I heard the sincerity in his voice, which only added to the confusion that was building up inside.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I let things get too far tonight...I led you on.”
There was a pause as I tried to think through my confusion.
“That’s okay. I encouraged you.”
He gave a small chuckle. “I instigated it.”
“Can I ask you something?” I looked at him tentatively.
“Sure. What is it?”
“Why are you still single?”
“I like being single,” he said immediately. I saw him tense up, and knew I shouldn’t have asked him that.
“Oh. So—”
“Hey, can I ask you something?” he cut in abruptly.
“Uh. Sure.”
“What’s the deal with you and your brother?”
“Oh!” His question caught me by surprise. It was the last thing I thought he was about to ask. “You mean Trent? Why do you ask?”
There was a brief pause before he said, “No real reason. I was just curious. I saw your interaction with each other at the meeting a few weeks ago, and I didn’t get the sense that you two are close. With you two working together every day, I thought you’d have a closer relationship.”
“I...” I was a bit surprised by his forward question, and even more surprised by his intuitiveness in seeing the distance between me and Trent.
I was about to tell him that it was none of his business, but when I looked over at him, I saw something in his eyes that comforted me, and I wasn’t sure why, but I felt compelled to tell him about Trent.
“He’s my half brother. We share the same father but had different mothers. A few years after our father’s divorce from Trent’s mother, he married my mother and I was born a few years later. Trent and I were pretty close growing up, but ever since his mother passed away last year, he’s been very distant. Our father lived with me and my mother and not with Trent and his mother. So his mother was probably the most important person in his life. I can’t imagine how much pain he must have gone through when she died suddenly. But ever since her passing, his grief seemed to change him completely, and we’re no longer close like we used to be.”
“I see. How do you like working with him?”
I frowned, unsure of why Dean took interest in my relationship with Trent.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s a bit strained at work. But I think he’s just trying to be a good Acting CEO, so he tries to treat me like any of the other employees. We both didn’t expect our new positions at Parker, Inc. But with our father’s sudden stroke, we both had to step up and manage the company. So he took over our father’s responsibilities, and I took over Trent’s old ones. I’m really hoping that with all the extra time we spent together at work, we can somehow mend our relationship.”
I looked over at Dean and noticed him deep in thought.
“Why do you ask?”
“Huh?” He looked at me and I saw a flicker in his eyes that left me feeling uneasy.
“Why are you curious about me and Trent?”
“Oh. Um. No reason. I just have a feeling I’ll be working with you two a lot in the future, so I wanted to get a little bit of your backgrounds.” He flashed me a smile. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Okay.”
He leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. “Well. Good night. I had a nice dinner with you. I’d like to see you again.”
“I’ll think about it.” I got out of the car and turned back to look at him. He smiled up at me and waved before driving off. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling me. Something told me that there were secrets about him that I haven’t yet figured out.
