Stepbrother Roommate Page 2

  “No, that isn’t necessary. I can just throw it in a cab. It’s hardly any—”

  “I’m a guy. This is what we do.” He beat his chest and grunted. “Me want to help pretty girl move boxes.” As he walked towards his bedroom, he lifted his shirt over his head exposing tan, unblemished skin. “I’ll be quick.”

  Her eyes followed him, taking in each muscle as she craned her neck to watch his every step. Oh I’d be quick too. Just a few minutes with you and I’d be all good. She walked back to her room and picked up the purse she’d left on the floor. She pulled out her compact and laughed when she saw her flushed cheeks in the mirror. Maybe her mother had finally found a nice guy.

  She quickly dialed her mother’s cell, but it went to voice-mail. “Hi! It’s Jeanette. I’ll be traveling for a few days with limited phone service. Please leave a message and I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

  Traveling? With who? “Where are you? I’m in Sandy’s apartment and it’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. You have to see this guy. Call me back as soon as possible.” She hung up and spun around the room until she was dizzy. I can’t believe I’m going to live here.

  Sandy walked in wearing a Mets T-shirt and khaki shorts. His well-developed thigh muscles turned the plain shorts into the sexiest garment on earth. This guy could make a paper bag look sexy. His clean skin smelled fresh and downright … lickable. Amelia caught herself rubbing her lips together as she followed the line of his body from top to bottom. He was focused on his phone and didn’t notice her staring.

  “Dad’s assistant will have a mattress delivered, but not until Wednesday. He’s letting a golf buddy from South Carolina use the house for a few days. It’s a California King,” he said while rubbing his hands together like it was a fantastic prize.

  “Ooooh thank you! Do you know where our parents have disappeared to?”

  “Paris. That means Dad is serious.”

  “Serious? And why do you know about their plans and not me?”

  He laughed and shook his phone. “I don’t know. His assistant does. As for Paris … if you could have a travel version of a money shot, it’s Paris for him.”

  “You just gave me a terrible visual.”

  “You’re welcome,” he smiled. “Now let’s get you moved.”

  Sandy greeted everyone in the building with warmth. He carried himself like a regular Joe, who just happened to have a bank account with far more zeros than most people could imagine. When they made their way down to the sedan waiting in front of the building, he opened the door for Amelia, but sat up front next to the driver.

  “Davey, this is Amelia. She’s my new roomie.”

  “Hi, Amelia! How do you like the Ansonia?”

  She leaned forward and dangled both arms over the front seat. “I’ve dreamed of living here ever since I saw Single White Female.”

  Sandy smiled with excitement and shouted, “I love that movie! I’ll show you where it was filmed throughout the building.”

  “I remember when they filmed it,” Davey added. “Bridget Fonda had some legs.” He whistled and shook his hand like he’d touched something hot.

  “It has such great history and energy,” Amelia said. “I think it’s really going to inspire me to create some interesting art.”

  Sandy looked at her over his shoulder. “Do you think your stuff will fit in one trip?”

  “Hmm … I think so, but it might be a tight squeeze.”

  “You can just sit up here on my lap if we need more room.”

  All she could do was swallow hard and nod her head. Yes, please.

  The car swung by a shipping company to pick up empty boxes before stopping in front of her Greenwich Village dorm. Amelia held open the lobby door for Sandy and then raced up to the third floor ahead of him.

  “Just give me two minutes before you come in,” she shouted behind her.

  “Why? Are you going to hide piles in the closet? We’re packing your stuff. I’m going to see everything anyway.”

  “Two minutes!” She slammed the door on him and grabbed the handle to the nightstand, pulling hard enough to almost send the drawer flying across the room. Her purple vibrator knocked against the wood as her shaky hands tried to grab it. Where do I hide this? She crammed it in her pocket, but it was too long. She raced around the room until she dove onto her stomach and reached under the bed for one of her winter boots. The toy was shoved in first, followed by ball after ball of rolled up socks. Perfect. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Sandy was leaning into the doorway and startled her with his proximity.

  “This isn’t messy at all. What were you so worried about?”

  “I just wanted to do a quick scan of the room. Make sure all my dirty clothes were put away. You know how that goes.”

  He nodded and walked around the room, running his fingers along the books and knickknacks on each shelf. He paused in front of the easel stationed near the window.

  “Wow! You really can paint.” He leaned in and examined the smiling face of a little girl. “Who is she?”

  “That’s Lilly. Her family owns my favorite Chinese restaurant.”

  “We should go there,” he muttered softly while staring at the painting. “It’s amazing how you’ve captured her personality. I can imagine what her laugh sounds like.”

  “Oh she is definitely a giggly character.”

  “I want you to teach me how to paint like this,” he said excitedly. “Right now I’m quite adept at drawing block figures with little sticks for arms and legs.”

  “The trick is to not think about the details at first. Just focus on the outline of your subject.”

  He looked at her and smiled. “You mean the beautiful curves of your subject,” he said as he traced an hourglass shape with his hands.

  Amelia chewed on her lip as she visualized those hands running along her body. She clapped her hands together to stop her train of thought. “Art class is over for now. Let’s get this place emptied.”

  Sandy was quite the skilled packer, carefully wrapping her trinkets in T-shirts or scarves to keep them from breaking. He whistled while he worked, stopping only when he came across a pair of panties with Sunday printed along the backside.

  “Church underwear?” He hooked the elastic with one finger and flung them at her head. “Do you have the complete set? If yes, then … why?”

  “Maybe my weekends are so much fun I forget what day it is.”

  “I totally understand that. My boxers are printed with the name of my dates in case I get lucky.”

  “So you don’t scream out the wrong name?”

  “Exactly.”

  “What name are you wearing today?”

  “Amelia. They’re brand new.”

  “Oh shut up,” she said with a laugh. “Keep packing.” The thought of him screaming out her name caused her cheeks to flush and sent her nerves haywire. She felt a hiccup begging to come out. Don’t you fucking dare. Just breathe. She turned her back while snapping her paint boxes shut, working her fingers slowly until she was sure the hiccups were contained.

  “I’m sorry,” he called out behind her.

  “Sorry for what? Manhandling my unmentionables?”

  “I would really like to manhandle your unmentionables.” He smacked himself in the forehead. “Fuck. That’s what I’m sorry about. I need to stop with the jokes. I hope I haven’t made you feel uncomfortable.”

  You were just joking? Her heart sank. “No, I’m a jokester too,” she said with a little too much enthusiasm.

  “Phew! I didn’t want to offend my new roommate.” He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I just felt at ease with you right away.”

  “Me too, Roomie,” she said with a playful swing of her arm. “Meee tooo.” She turned away again to hide her disappointment. A hot roommate is always better than a toilet in your kitchen. Just being friends won’t be so bad.

  The contents of her room were packed and loaded in the car within a couple of hours. Every
last box fit, but Amelia was crammed in the back seat with just enough room to sit raised on her left butt cheek. Sandy turned around and burst out laughing when he saw her.

  “How far is that Chinese restaurant you like?”

  “Maybe ten minutes on foot.”

  “You two go ahead,” Davey chimed in. “The Ansonia guys will help me get everything up to your apartment.”

  Sandy helped her squeeze out of the car to freedom. His hands felt warm and strong around hers. Don’t get excited. Just friends. Nothing but roomies.

  “How long have you been eating here?”

  “Four years. I found it the first week of school. Lilly and her sisters have grown up before my eyes.”

  “Have you painted all of them?”

  “Yes.” She looked up at him, using his tall frame to shield her face from the sun. “Humans are my favorite subjects. Their experiences are reflected in each wrinkle and scar … or the way they hold their heads. I love capturing that with the movement of my paint.”

  “The paint is alive,” he said while half closing his eyes in thought. They walked for several minutes in silence before he gently nudged her with his elbow. “I was serious about wanting to learn.”

  “I’d love to teach you. Then you can place your ad for nude models and be up and running.”

  “I like your thinking,” he joked. “If you painted nude models in class, I’ll need to examine those canvases. For research purposes only, of course.”

  “Of course,” she nodded. “I have quite a collection of hairy chests and big dongs.”

  “Ewww! I think I just lost my appetite.”

  “They’re actually all pretty tame. The most you’ll see is a breast or part of the buttocks with a sheet strategically draped across.”

  “Lame!”

  “It doesn’t have to be explicit to be artistic,” she explained.

  “True, but being explicit doesn’t exclude it from the artistic category.”

  She stopped walking and turned to him. “That’s also true, but what exactly are you getting at?”

  He opened his eyes wide and made his best effort to look as innocent as possible. “I’m just saying if, in the future, you wanted to paint my portrait or have me paint yours … we could both be naked and ‘artistic’ as we paint.”

  “You dork.” She laughed and swatted his arm. “We’re here. Please behave in the restaurant.”

  He crossed his heart with his fingers and held open the door to Golden Dragon. The delicious scent of meat and vegetables swirling around in woks hit them in the face as soon as they entered. Sandy instantly recognized the little girl running towards them.

  “Amelia! Hiiiii!” Lilly had both her arms outstretched in preparation for hugging. Amelia bent down and scooped her up, squeezing tightly and rocking her back and forth. “Where have you been?” Lilly asked, wrapping her arms even tighter for a better hug.

  “I had finals and couldn’t get away. Everyone loved your portrait, though.”

  Lilly smiled and blushed when she finally noticed Sandy standing next to them. She leaned in and whispered into Amelia’s ear.

  “No, he’s not my boyfriend. Sandy is my roommate.”

  Lilly looked him up and down before leaning in again for another whisper.

  “Yeah, he is pretty cute,” Amelia responded with a laugh.

  Sandy offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Lilly.”

  She shook his hand timidly before turning away and burying her face in Amelia’s shoulder. “Nice to be meeting you,” she whispered.

  “She’s adorable,” he said. “And it smells amazing. This is the perfect hangout.”

  “Affordable and delicious. Chicken with vegetables and garlic sauce sound good to you?”

  Lilly wiggled out of the hug and slid down to the floor. “Always same order,” she teased.

  “I’m a creature of habit, Lilly. One day I’ll surprise you and order something new.”

  “Not going to happen,” she said as she showed them to a table near the window.

  “She’s the hostess?” Sandy asked with surprise.

  “Hostess, waitress, Ambassador of Cuteness. The entire family works here. I guess it’s not child labor if you’re related.”

  “Don’t tell my father that,” he said with a laugh. “He’d have me working seven days a week if he could. He travels … I work.”

  “What exactly does your job entail?”

  “I help him invest in new businesses. Some tech firms, maybe a yoga studio or mobile pet grooming service here and there. They make money, we make money, and it’s a win-win situation.”

  “It actually sounds like a lot of fun. Do you enjoy it?”

  “I do. I’m very fortunate to have a job I love that allows me to see good people become success stories. I just need a few days off now and then. Dad always backs off a bit in the summer, though. How about you?”

  “Well, life would be easier if I had studied medicine,” she said with a shrug. “But I’m glad I followed my heart. I’ll be teaching a painting class for teens and assisting with an art therapy program.”

  “That’s wonderful!” He grabbed his glass of water and held it up for a toast. “Many blessings as you start your new career path. May we both continue to follow our hearts.”

  “Cheers,” she said as the glasses touched. Their eyes met and held a steady gaze as they each sipped from their glasses. He’s always a jokester. Don’t fall for him. He’s just being friendly. Uggh I hate crushes.

  Lilly rolled the food out on a small cart built to her height. Instead of leaving the table, she removed a coloring book and crayons from a lower shelf and pulled up a chair to join them. Sandy quickly won her over with his impressive coloring skills and soon had her giggling with abandon. At one point, she even leaned over and whispered in his ear.

  “What did she say?” Amelia asked.

  He raised an eyebrow and said, “She thinks you should get ‘artistic’ with me later.”

  “Very funny. No, really … what did she say?”

  “I told you,” he said as he continued chewing his food. “This is delicious. Good choice.”

  “Tell me or I’m stealing the fortune out of your cookie. Don’t test me.”

  He laughed and held his hands up. “Okay, okay. Anything but that.” He cleared his throat and looked at Lilly before returning his attention to Amelia. “She thinks you should be my girlfriend.”

  Lilly looked at both of them and smiled before diving back into her coloring book with extreme focus.

  “I’m sure she didn’t mean this very second,” he clarified. “There would have to be appropriate courting and all.”

  “Ha-ha. You’re just always joking.”

  He stared at her for a few moments before he caught himself and quickly looked away. “You’re right. What does the Ambassador of Cuteness know about adult relationships? Sheesh.”

  “Why aren’t you dating, though? You are a perfect catch.”

  He rolled his eyes and smiled. “An article will come out stating I made a million dollars and then I suddenly become a million more times attractive … to all the wrong women.”

  “Ah, I see. That makes sense.”

  “Why aren’t you dating? You are Miss Perfect Catch.”

  She sighed and pointed at her chest. “Socially awkward fortune cookie thief.”

  “I don’t blame them for running back to Jersey,” he said with a smirk.

  “I’ll find the right guy one of these days.”

  “Yes, you will,” he said softly. “Shall we get the check and jump in a cab?”

  They held their gaze again, unaware they were being watched and studied. Lilly's elbows were on the table with her head propped up by her tiny hands. She moved her eyes from Amelia to Sandy and back again, smiling at what she was witnessing.

  Two

  They arrived at the apartment to find Amelia’s boxes stacked neatly in her room.

  “So this is what it’s like to have magic
elves. I could get used to this.”

  “Nice isn’t it? What side of the bed do you normally prefer?”

  “Excuse me?”

  He waved his arms around the room. “You won’t have a bed for a few days.”

  “Oh shit. I forgot. I can sleep on the couch.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll sleep on the couch … if I have to. Come look at my room. The bed is huge, like ten people across huge. You won’t even know I’m there.”