9781618858368ForbiddenDeceptionlLeveyNC (5 page)

She
stared at the screen forever and blew out a frustrated breath. Men who were the
epitome of sex on a stick only broke hearts in the end. The crushing jealousy
grew exponentially in the absence of his next response. She didn’t have long to
wait. An incoming call flashed across her screen.

“Darlin’,
I don’t even know where to begin to approach this. Christ woman, you’re giving
me a migraine over nothing. First, I haven’t seen you in ten years. Second,
earlier you made yourself loud and clear on where I fit in your life. My past
is not your concern. Who I’ve dated or who I’ve fucked after you is also none
of your concern, unless we’re heading to the clinic for tests so we can fuck
bareback.”

“You’re
right your private affairs are not my concern. I don’t know what’s come over
me.” She ignored the latter part of his reply.

“I
knew you weren’t unaffected even though you pretended to be. For the record, if
I saw you with another man all dressed up, I’d want to bash his head in too. Alyssa
was a longtime lover I let loose when she kept hinting about marriage.” Dead
air passed between them.

“Oh,”
Ailyn mustered up.

“Are
my balls safe now? I rather like them where they are.” His voice lost the hard
edge of steel.

“Yes,
of course.” Mortification surged within her. She poised her finger to hang up
when his voice stopped her.

“No
need to be embarrassed. Finding our way back to one another is going to be one
hell of a ride.”

“Seth,
don’t look too much into this.” Now he for sure knew she had online stalked
him. She finished off her latte and swallowed down the rest of her sandwich.

“Whatever
helps you sleep better at night darlin’. I gotta go, I’ll call you tonight.”
He disconnected the call.

Ailyn
pitched her trash, gathered her belongings and left the coffee shop. She
climbed into the car and buckled up. As she pulled out her phone dinged.
Stopping at a red light, she slid the bar to unlock her screen and clicked on
her message. An image of Seth fisting a thick long erection, a drop of pre-cum
on the slit, filled the screen.
The words
something to look forward to
underneath
left her speechless.
A car furiously honked behind her. She closed her
dropped jaw and tossed her phone on the passenger seat. As she hit the gas, the
angry driver swerved around her and cut in front of her.

“Stay
off
your fucking phone, bitch,” he yelled into her
open window.

“Road
rage much?” Her words fell on deaf ears as he’d sped off. What is it about
people with no patience? It wasn’t like she stood at the red light for an
entire turn.

The
rest of her trip home remained blessedly uneventful. No fear for life from
raving lunatics. She eased into her driveway, clicked the fob to open the
garage, slid on in and threw her car in park. She slipped her phone into her bag,
grabbed her things and headed inside.

Ailyn
slipped off her heels, padded across the plush carpeted floor to her kitchen,
opened the fridge and found the Holy Grail, her bottle of chilled white wine.
Tucking the bottle under her arm, she moved to her mahogany cabinet and took
out her favorite goblet, decorated in pink and black zebra stripes, made by a
close friend.

She
slipped her hair out of the tight twist, letting the mass loose. Enjoying the
quiet house, she carried her items to the back deck, and sat on the plush
lounge chairs.

Using
her teeth, she pulled out the cork and gave herself a full glass of sin. After
plugging the bottle, she set it on the table and took a much needed draw of
heaven. Problems seemed to drift away whenever the fruity goodness graced her
taste buds. She dug into her bag and extracted her phone. Taking a second sip,
she let herself drool all over the inappropriate picture in the privacy of her
home without feeling guilty.

Thick.
Long.
Hard.
She itched to run her finger along the
angry vein down his engorged cock. She stared some more, put her phone down,
peeked again and felt her face burn. Seth sent the erotic image to get under
her skin, to make her want, to make her remember, to drive her insane. He sent
the picture to remind her they had unfinished business. As if he knew she’d let
him in her panties. And who was she kidding. A snort left her mouth. She
swallowed a drag of wine and caved. Of course the man was totally getting into
her panties.

“Sister,
I’m
here
.” Rianna came bustling out
of the sliding glass doors. She tapped a dramatic cadence on the floor with her
feet while waiting for acknowledgement.

“Come
on over.” She closed her text screen and ran her thumb over the condensation on
her glass.

“
Oh
starting early are we? I put the new
bottle on the counter.”

“Only
one glass.
Eva will be home later, don’t want to
be too chill or who knows what she’ll con out of me.”

Rianna
dropped down next to her, reached over and grabbed the wine bottle from the
table. After pouring herself a glass, she tucked her feet up under her. “So
what gives?”

“Well,
I thought I was going to lose my life today. Road rage drivers will be the
death of me.”

“You
do drive like you’re driving Miss Daisy.”

“Hey.
I do not, I am not that bad.”Ailyn laughed and drained her glass. “Top me off.”
She waited while her sister did the honors. “So how was your day?”

“Oh,
sister, you are not getting off that easy. Let the wine overfloweth.”

“You’re
going to get struck down. So…” She bit her lip not sure she wanted to tell her
sister what Seth sent her.

“And?
I figure with others out there doing worse, I’m a saint in comparison.
Dish.”

“What
makes you think there’s something to tell?” She stretched and licked her bottom
lip. “He’s getting under my skin and it’s driving me
muy loco
.”

“Hmm.
Speaking as a third party here, not a therapist. Scratch the itch and get it
over with so to speak. Once you purge him from your system, maybe you can move
forward finally. Purge him. Fuck him six ways from Sunday but purge him.
Especially if you’re bound and determined not to tell him about
Eva.”

“If
he wouldn’t send me inappropriate things, I wouldn’t feel like this. All ansty and
wondering what will happen next. I’ve pretty much—” Her sister pinched her to
interrupt.

“Sexting
already.
He moves fast.”

“Picture
and all.”

“Oh.
He’s fast and dirty. God the man hasn’t changed.”

“How
can you possibly remember anything from ten years ago?” Her sister plucked her
phone from her lap, shushed her and scrolled. Ailyn sucked down a few swallows and
tried to steal her phone back to no avail.

“Holy
mother and Mary of.
He sent you a picture of his dick.
She turned the phone sideways and looked her fill.

“Yeah,
hence road rage.
I sort of was preoccupied with all that.”
Ailyn gestured to her phone screen.

“Well,
now that I’ve seen his goods. I can’t pretend like I never have. Did you send
anything back?”

“Uh,
no.
Why would I get his hopes up?” Her
loco
sister had lost her ever-loving
mind. In no way was she sending a partial or nudie picture of herself.

“For
fun.”

“Yeah,
not.
You know, I preach to my teens to make responsible
choices and to have respect for their bodies in not doing what you’re
suggesting or what Seth sent me.”

“Except
you.
Are.
An. Adult. Let loose,
have a bit of fun. You don’t have to send him anything that makes you
uncomfortable. You have a sexy top on and I know you’re wearing your sexy demi
push up bra, and your fabulous ruffled thigh highs. You always do. Hand me the
phone, lean forward and give me a bit of cleavage.”

“Haha.
I’m like a B cup, I don’t have cleavage. Eva stole my extra bit of boobs after
I had her.”

“You
have got to learn to lighten up and have some fun. I’m writing you a
prescription for this as your friendly psychologist who also happens to be your
sister—an expert advice giver.”

Ailyn
was saved by an incoming video chat dancing to
Thrift Shop
. She and Rianna both cracked up at their brother
Cordero dancing.

“You’re
a ham.” She snorted in laughter and turned on her tablet. After opening up
their face to face app, she pressed her phone screen to the screen of the
tablet to connect them.

“Where
is my beautiful niece? We had a date today, and that’s our song to dance to.”
He flashed his perfect teeth making her want to vomit. While she and her sister
suffered through braces, he who never brushed daily as a pre-teen ended up with
maybe a cavity at regular checkups, and had pearly white straight teeth.

“
Cord
, when are you coming to visit? Ailyn
found her baby daddy.”

“
Ri
, are you drunk?” He looked down at his watch and then
rubbed his nape. “It’s a bit too early to be tying one on,
huh
?”

“We
are not drunk, only had a few glasses of wine.”

“Hmm.
So what’s this about Eva’s father?”

Ailyn
slapped her sister in the arm. “Way to tattle. He’ll tell Ma, and she’ll start
planning a great big Catholic wedding and blessing the saints.” She faced her
brother. “It’s nothing.”

“I
have some training to do. I can do that anywhere. Give me a week to clear my
calendar and set up a trainer at a gym there. I’ll crash with you and Eva,
Ailyn.”

“Ha.
You can stay with me, playboy. We’re attempting to reconnect two lost lovers
together. Somehow I think having baby brother in-house will be a deterrent.”

“I’ll
just stay at the hotel then. Don’t want you messing with my mind. You two are
scandalous though. I gotta run. Give my favorite girl a hug and let her know
I’ll be here if she needs to ring me.”

“Even
if you have a new girl at your place?”

“I
run my house,
Ri
, come on. Of course, Eva comes first.
I’m the only male role figure she has. Plus with the trio of my ladies so far
away, I have to check in weekly to make sure no one needs an ass kicking.”

“Mama,
I’m home.”

Ailyn
turned to see her daughter pirouetting across the floor to the balcony doors.
“Wait! Don’t disconnect, your niece arrives in three more pirouettes. I will
leave you two to duel it out dance style.”

She
watched as Eva ended in fifth position just as the song
Thrift Store
blared from Cordero’s end. “
Tio
Cord you’re so funny.”

Her
daughter busted out in the Harlem Shake and some street dance moves, mirroring
Cord on the other side of the tablet screen. They looked hilarious. Her
brother’s face broke out in a serious game face. One day he’d make a fabulous
father, after he gave up the life of professional fighting. How he found
happiness in the world of mixed martial arts, she’d never know. Right now she
didn’t see a fighter but a man bonding with the little girl he adored. In the
absence of a father, Cordero stepped up to the plate being what she needed
most.

“They
are so cute together.” Rianna looped an arm around her. “Let’s go inside so
they can get to their whispering.”

Ailyn
gathered up the two empty wine glasses and the bottle and pulled her sister
with her through the door.

“You
know why he’s coming right?”

“He
has a fight coming up. He comes out here to train sometimes just to be close to
us.”

“Come
on. He’s coming home to make sure you’re okay and to help Eva transition to
suddenly having a father.”

“I’m
a big idiot. God, I didn’t stop to think about Cordero or how he’d feel
threatened with being replaced.”

“Nah.
Well maybe deep down, he’ll think Eva will stop coming to him with her
insatiable questions. His priority will be insuring Seth is a good guy. We can
say it until the cows come home but until he shows up and forms his own opinion
he won’t believe either of us.”

“Good,
he can be the buffer between Seth and
I
.”

“If
you say so,” her sister stated, swiping the glasses from her hand as she walked
over to the sink.

Ailyn
leaned with her side against the slate grey marble counter and crossed her
arms. “What? You know we had insane chemistry before. Now that I’ve seen him
again, you could say it’s more intense than ever. I for sure need to keep my
head on straight. There’s no room to falter here.”

“So
what, do you plan on inviting Seth to meet you for dinner or something and dragging
Cordero with?”