Billionaire Stepbrother's Homecoming Read online

  I froze in my tracks. “Stepbrother.”

  “Step, schmep … you were still sucking his dick.”

  I flipped around to face him with my hands on my hips. “What do you want?”

  “I want to help keep your little secret safe. Get in.”

  I held firm.

  He adjusted in his seat and stared down at his hands. “How does that saying go? Something about secrets being like feathers and once you send them into the wind … you can never get them back. I’d hate for anything to get written on Facebook. You’re such a nice girl, Ariel.”

  “You’re an asshole. You offered us a joint and alcohol.”

  “And you refused them. You sucked your brother’s dick while being stone-cold sober. I liked your technique, by the way. I’ve been jerking off to that this entire week. Thank you for that.”

  He motioned with his hand towards the passenger door. I crossed my arms tightly and walked around the front of the car, feeling his eyes on me the entire time. The door felt heavy as I slid into the seat and closed it behind me. The interior was a little dusty and cluttered with a few empty fast food cups and baseball equipment strewn about. The scent was a mix of dirty gym bag and sickly-sweet forest. The tree-shaped air freshener swung back and forth as Andy pulled away from the curb. I kept my arms crossed and sat in silence as he drove a few blocks away to a cul-de-sac with homes under various stages of construction. All the workers had gone home for the day leaving the street empty except for porta potties and a large earth mover. We parked behind the large, yellow machine.

  He turned his body to face me. “You don’t look happy. Don’t you want to be my friend?”

  “I already have a lot of friends.”

  He laughed and reached over to stroke my hair. “Well, I guess the term buddy would be more appropriate. As in fuck buddy.”

  I smacked his hand away. “Why would I want to fuck you?”

  “Come on, Ariel. I know you had a crush on me when you were a freshman. I’m making your dreams come true.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re encroaching on nightmare territory.”

  “Funny, funny girl. Here’s what’s not funny … everyone in town knowing you swallowed your stepbrother’s cum. Imagine your father picturing his sweet baby girl on her knees with a cock crammed down her throat.”

  My heart raced as sheer panic washed over me and sent my stomach into a tailspin. Why did we take that fucking limo ride? Dad was already so hard on Billy. This would send him over the edge. “What do you want me to do?” I asked softly.

  “I have a huge list for you, but you can start by putting my cock in your sweet mouth.” He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, revealing a smaller than average sized penis.

  “I get the blue Camaro now,” I said with a smirk.

  “Huh?”

  “You’re compensating for a…” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence. Andy grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head onto his lap.

  “There you go being funny again. Let’s see how much you laugh when I cum all over your pretty face.”

  I wrestled with his hands and tried to push away from his crotch, but his grip on my hair was firm. Each inch of freedom I gained was soon erased with one yank from his hands as he tried to press my head towards his tiny cock. I turned my face, resulting in cheek to shaft contact.

  “You know you want this,” he said.

  We struggled for a few more minutes before a feeling of calm took over and I decided to try another tactic.

  “You’re right, baby. You have such a beautiful cock”

  I turned my face and gave his shaft a light kiss. His grip released slightly as he took a deep breath and adjusted his hips. I took aim and bit his cock hard. His entire body tensed up as he screamed. “Fuckkk!” This time he tried to use my hair to pull me off him, but I remained clamped and released a growl as I shook my head like a rabid dog.

  “Fucking bitch! Owwwww!”

  I popped up as he released his grip and slid my back against the passenger door. I pointed my finger in his face and snarled, “You want to keep that tiny dick of yours? Don’t fuck with me or my family again.” I leaned in and bared my teeth before clamping them together in an exaggerated bite. Chomp! With that I exited and slammed the door behind me. He said nothing as I walked away and made no attempt to follow me with the blue Camaro.

  My steps were quick and deliberate as I made my way home. Never once did I even glance behind me. Billy is not going to believe this. I started to smile as I thought of the stunned look on Andy’s face. I scared the shit out of him. At least I got my Spanx back. I bound up the stairs to Billy’s room, but he still wasn’t home. Homework distracted me for a few hours until I heard the front door close and his footsteps making their way to our floor.

  I poked my head into the hallway and startled him. “You’re not going to believe what happened!” He was holding a bag of taffy and mindlessly unwrapping a piece. “You went to Adventure Park without me?” I said with a sad face. He just stared at me and continued chewing slowly. “But we always go together,” I protested, suddenly caring more about my exclusion than what had transpired with Andy.

  “So, this time we didn’t go together,” he said with a shrug before disappearing into his bedroom. I tried to follow him, but I heard his door lock. He never locks his door. I knocked lightly and he mumbled a soft, “I have a lot of homework.”

  I retreated to my room and collapsed on the bed in confusion and frustration. I knocked on our shared wall and waited for his response. Nothing. What the fuck! Was chess club that rough? An hour later, Evelyn announced that dinner was ready. I stood by my door and waited until I heard Billy’s open, but he didn’t wait for me as he normally did. I only caught sight of the back of his head as he bounced down the stairs.

  It was hard to swallow Evelyn’s amazing pot roast. My stomach was in knots as I stared across the table searching his face for clues. I made eye contact with him a few times, but his expressions offered zero hints. For someone who didn’t get along with my uncommunicative father, Billy was sure doing his best to act just like him. When we were almost done with our food, he exhaled loudly and put his fork down.

  “I have an announcement,” he said.

  Finally. I put my fork down as well and leaned in with my elbows.

  He stared down as he spoke, “I’ve decided to go to the University of Oregon. It’s still close enough for visits.”

  My jaw dropped. Evelyn clapped and rubbed his arm. Dad shouted “Go Ducks!” from his spot in front of the television.

  “But you’ve already replied to Chico,” I protested.

  “I spoke with Oregon’s admissions office. I’ll just have to share a triple room for the first semester.”

  Evelyn popped up and starting grabbing our plates. “I feel like I need to bake something to celebrate!”

  Celebrate? This is the worst day of my life.

  “You don’t need to bake, Mom. I have my taffy upstairs.” He excused himself and retreated to his lair.

  I couldn’t move, convinced my legs had grown into the floor. I eventually dragged myself up the stairs and past his room. I didn’t even know what to say to him. Homework was lost on me. The television couldn’t distract me. I tore off a page from my stationary pad and wrote Why? in big letters. I slid it under his door and sat down in the hallway staring at the sliver of light while I waited for his response. His desk chair rolled back and his feet soon cast a shadow under the door. I heard him scribbling before the piece of paper slid back out to me. This is better for both of us. I must have sat there for a good ten minutes before I was able to walk back to my room. Better? I cried for hours that night.

  We made it through the remaining month of high school by smiling politely at each other and interacting briefly at the dinner table. He never came home again citing financial strain, but Evelyn was able to visit him once or twice a year. The first two years of college, I made an attempt to rekindle the fri
endship by emailing every holiday. Nothing elaborate, just a “Merry Christmas” or “Hop-Hoppy Easter” and was always met with a simple, “You too.” Then I gave up.

  I just didn’t understand what happened. I still don’t. Remembering that night, and how cold he was, filled my heart with anger. I needed an explanation. I deserved one! I stopped organizing the drawers and grabbed the pad with his number. I’m going to let him have it, that little fucker. The phone started to ring as I paced back and forth like a caged tiger.

  “Ariel?”

  And then … I softened at the sound of his voice. Way to go, pussy.

  “Yes … hi. How are you?”

  “God it’s good to hear your voice.”

  “I hear you’re making cars magically appear out of printers. I’d like a Mercedes please.”

  He laughed and said, “The prototype moves pretty slow. You might be better off with a bike.”

  “That’s what all the billionaires say. I’m assuming you’re a billionaire since Yoodle bought you.”

  The laughter grew louder. “Aww Mom. She is the sweetest. Not quite, but hopefully I will get close with my stock options.”

  “Wow! From the cars?”

  “The cars will help, but mostly from the prosthetic limbs we build with the 3D printers. We can make them affordable for the masses. We’ve been testing them at the VA Hospital.”

  “My dad would have loved that.”

  “I know. I actually think about him a lot. It took me awhile to enjoy dinner without the sound of war programs playing in the background.”

  “Me too!” Wait, don’t let him off easy. You’re supposed to be angry. “You should have called sooner … like one, two, three years ago.”

  “I know. I know and I’m sorry.” The phone was silent except for the low sound of traffic in the background. “I don’t want to talk over the phone, though. We need to sit face to face. I’m taking Mom and her friends to dinner tomorrow and I want you to come.”

  “Of course!”

  “I’ll see you at five. Ariel, I really can’t wait to see you.”

  “I’m excited to see you too.”

  Neither of us wanted to hang up. I made the first move and said a quick “bye.” Wow, so much for being tough with him. You better grow a pair before tomorrow.

  I spent the rest of the day burning off the nervous energy by organizing my condo. I picked my dinner outfit and finished with a long soak in the tub and a glass of wine. The warmth helped me create a mental list of questions to cover the next night. I would finally have some answers. It was the best slumber I’d had in a long time.

  The doorbell woke me at 8AM. I wanted to ignore it, but persistent knocking soon followed. I raced to the door with my disheveled hair and sleepy eyes. I opened the door to find an absolute hunk standing in front of me.

  He looked me up and down and smiled. “Is that my Superman T-shirt?”

  “Billy!” I screamed. “You said 5. I’m a mess.”

  “I just got in and I couldn’t want to wait any longer. Can I come in?” I stepped aside and motioned with my arm for him to enter. He tugged at the hem of my shirt. “I had a feeling you stole that.”

  “I sleep in it all the time,” I confessed. As he walked past me, I tried to pat my hair down and wipe the sleep dirt from my eyes. “I didn’t recognize you. Did you man-scape your eyebrows?”

  He turned and laughed. This man before me was Billy 2.0. Same laugh, but taller, the voice was deeper, the muscles were ripped. He looked like an actual grown-up with a blue button-down and jeans. “I can’t believe you’re finally here,” I said. “It’s been too long.”

  “Five years, two months and four days,” he said softly.

  “Really? That long?” I said in fake surprise. Yes! He’s been counting too.

  We made our way to the kitchen for some coffee and sat across from each other at the table. He looked down into his cup and tapped his fingers on the sides of his mug. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back for his funeral. There’s really no excuse.”

  “It’s okay. You had a tense relationship. I’m sorry I didn’t deflect more of that. He would be extremely proud of you.”

  “And of you too! Look how well your business is going with all those big orders.”

  “I know. I can’t believe it. I just shipped out one thousand mugs … wait, how did you know about my big orders?”

  He scrunched up his face. “Oops.”

  “It’s you? You’re AB-Positive? I thought it was a blood bank or something?”

  He shook his head. “It stands for Ariel and Billy.”

  I tried to hide my pleasure, but failed miserably as my smile widened. I pointed at the Superman T-shirt and said, “Just because you’re nice doesn’t mean I return this.” He laughed and reached across to grab my hand. Something about the contact snapped me out of dream mode. “I’m confused,” I said as I pulled my hand back.

  “About what?”

  “About what? About everything. Prom, Chico, not seeing you all these years. What the fuck happened? I’ve gone over everything in my mind trying to figure out what I did wrong.”

  “I saw you with Andy Olson.”

  “When?”

  “I left chess club early and saw you get into his car. Then … then I saw you giving him a blowjob. I thought you wanted to be with him and it killed me. I figured we would never be able to date anyway, so I thought leaving would be easier.”

  I stood up and let out a yell. My arms flailed in frustration as I tried to get the words out. “Andy Olson is a motherfucker! He was going to rat us out and tell everyone about our limo ride on prom night!” I paced back and forth and continued my rant. “I fought him off. All this fucking time over that!”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I tried! You kept ignoring me and pulling away.”

  “I could kill that guy! Shit. I’m so sorry.” He shook his fists in the air and groaned in frustration. “What happened to him? Please tell me he has a miserable life.”

  “He does! Crazy Stacy Hamilton tricked him into a shotgun wedding. By the time he thought about a DNA test, years had passed and they already had three more children. Lord only knows if they’re his.”

  “Serves him right. I can’t imagine being attached to that battle axe for the rest of my life.”

  “I can’t imagine being stuck with that tiny dick for the rest of my life.”

  We both laughed at first, but then I felt the anger building inside me again. All I wanted to do was march around the kitchen and yell. Tears began welling in my eyes. “I can’t believe this,” I said as I shook my head. I placed both hands on the fridge and rest my forehead against the cool steel. Billy came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. It felt so good to have him close. He suddenly dropped his arms and grabbed the calendar stuck to the fridge.

  “What’s this note in the corner?” He smiled and looked up with a devilish grin. “Five, two, four? Does that stand for five years, two months and four days? So, I’m not the only one who’s been counting.”

  I tried to rip it from his hands, but he dangled it out of my reach. I jumped up and caught it with one hand, causing a brief wrestling match before uncontrollable giggles overcame us. While I attempted to catch my breath, he leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead. I wrapped my arms around his waist as I felt myself being drawn forward by his warmth.

  “Can we start over? Please give me a chance to make up for lost time,” he said as he squeezed me even closer.

  “Why now?” I broke free from his grip and sat back on the chair.

  His eyes lit up as he framed his face with his hands. “It was the lion lady.”

  “Is that a cartoon?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “She’s a wealthy woman from New York City who had her face surgically altered to resemble a lion.”

  I circled my face with my finger. “I’m not changing this if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “No, no, n
o! I love your face. The lion lady did something crazy and no one batted an eye because she’s filthy RICH. Another guy was facing time in jail and didn’t want to lose his assets so he adopted his mistress and transferred everything to her.”

  “His mistress became his daughter?”

  “Crazy, right? No one gave a shit because…”

  “He’s filthy rich.”

  “Exactly! And now so am I.” He lifted his hand and tipped an imaginary top hat. “We can do whatever we want.”

  I was screaming with joy on the inside, but showed my best poker face. “What happens now?”

  “We start our life together.”

  “Just like that?” I said while snapping my fingers.

  “I want you to mull it over. Mom is waiting for me to spend the day with her. We’ll swing by in the limo at five.”

  “Another limo? We don’t have such a good track record with those,” I said with a smirk.

  “This is a do-over. Think about what I said.” He leaned in for another kiss on my forehead and was gone with a wave.

  Holy shit! I slid across the floor and celebrated with a dance that resembled some sort of spastic Irish jig. This is really happening. I felt my heart racing with excitement and plopped down right on the kitchen floor. The tile was cool against my back. I laughed while I thought of him ordering all those mugs. Sneaky little bugger. It made me love him even more.

  Five rolled around and I sat near the door listening for the sound of the limo. I decided to wear red again since this was technically a do-over, albeit only of a limo ride. The dress nipped in at the waist and hit above the knee. It wasn’t quite as much fun as a ruffly Quinceañera dress, but it would do. I was out the door as soon as I saw the front grill. Be cool, Ariel. Calm yourself down. The driver opened the door for me and I peered in to find the smiling faces of Billy, Evelyn and several of her friends.

  “Hi everyone,” I said as I slid in next to Evelyn.

  “It’s so nice to see you,” she said as she opened her arms wide and hugged me tightly.

  As we pulled away from the house Billy asked, “Are you sure you want the Blue Bonnet Buffet? I can take you anywhere.”