Twist (Siren Publishing Allure) (19 page)

Rolf grimaced. “We gotta go.” He ran his hands up to her cheeks, drawing her into a very sexual kiss. When he released her, he groaned. “That was a really, really bad idea.”

“I agree. Can you concentrate enough to drive while I give you a blow job?” she asked with a devilish grin on her face.

Rolf spun her, slapping her on the ass as he hurried her toward the door. He had picked himself up a fully equipped SUV to drive while he was in town and was suddenly glad for the extra room in the front seats.

Lana wiggled down in the seat, making sure that she wasn’t going to hit her head on the steering wheel. Rolf started the engine and then immediately turned the interior lights on the dash down to their dimmest setting, making it eerily dark in the car.

“I don’t want to get arrested on the way to bail Lee out of jail,” he said by way of explanation as he pulled out of the driveway.

Lana was glad that they had headlights so he could see the road. There were no streetlights until they got out onto the main thoroughfare. He unzipped his jeans, and she was amused to feel that he had nothing underneath. Another odd fact that he shared with his brother. Lana had a moment of hesitation at the thought, but she pushed it back, concentrating on what she was doing. She wrapped her hand around him, softly skimming the surface with her palm. He reacted immediately, his dick twitching slightly before gaining stature and becoming completely erect. Lana wondering briefly if it was her imagination that Rolf felt larger than Enar, and then she pushed the thought aside as she leaned to run her tongue over the tip. It was difficult to get the right angle to fully submerge his flesh in her mouth. She was too afraid of interfering with his driving. Lana stroked him with her palm, using her tongue and lips to encase and massage the uppermost portion of dick. The scent of peach bodywash emanated from his skin, and she was tempted to ask if he had taken a shower while she was sleeping. The thought amused her because she was suddenly sure of the circumstances. He had been aroused by picking the cup from her side, and he had masturbated while in the shower.

Her mind didn’t slow her attentive actions, her tongue flicking over his skin. She altered the pressure of her touch, grasping him firmly with one stoke and then softening her grip with the next. Rolf was giving her no feedback, and she had no idea if he was enjoying her attention until she felt his body tense. A moment later, the heat of his enjoyment pumped into her mouth and Rolf release a low rumble of pleasure.

He stopped the SUV, stroking her hair with his palm. “That was incredible. And you have perfect timing. We just hit the main road.”

Lana shifted to sit up, but before she could, he grabbed her by the chin and dragged her into a kiss. It was brief but filled with desire, and Lana smiled, sitting back to buckle her seat belt. A grouping of butterflies seemed to collect in her stomach for a moment as she allowed herself to think about life with Rolf. Maybe they did have a future, but only time would decide that.

Rolf turned on the radio, his eyes on the road. He seemed to be lost in thought as he pulled onto the highway, and Lana was left to wonder what he was thinking about as the music caught her mind.

The sun came up as they pulled into the police station, and they had been left sitting in the waiting room for an hour before the officer finally brought Lee out. Rolf had signed papers and then gone to three different bars looking for Lee’s Mercedes. Lana had taken the sports car and driven it back to Lee’s house. She got out of the car, noticing immediately that the front door was open. She called Rolf, and when he pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, she was on the phone with the police. Rolf went cautiously into the house, demanding that Lana stay outside with Lee, who was unconscious in the front seat of the SUV. He came back out a few moments later, shaking his head. “They cleaned him out. The living room is almost empty. The TVs are gone, the stereo system, most of the living room furniture. His bedroom has been ransacked. They even took the paintings off the walls.”

“Oh fuck. Just what we don’t need today.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

They sat waiting until the police arrived and then filled out a report with everything they found that was missing. Lee woke up partway through the morning, staggering into the house, screaming, “
What the fuck
?”

Rolf went to him, guiding Lee to a slightly worn chair that had been left behind. “Your house was broken into last night. It looks like the security system was shut off.”

“I can see that.
Son of a bitch
. Who is in charge?”

Lana went and got Officer Tyler, who had taken the report. She led him over to Lee and introduced him. Lee pushed back his hair in frustration. “I can almost guarantee this had something to do with Ant. He has been at my house. We went to three different bars last night. I remember having a drink at the first one. I think I had a drink at the second one. I have a vague memory of being dragged into a third bar. Not the kind of bar I would go into. Then we got into a fight about something and Ant stormed out, leaving me there. Given that my house has been cleaned out, I have to think that he slipped something into my drink. I woke up this morning in jail. I had been arrested for drunk and disorderly. I don’t even remember getting into a fight. I don’t need this shit. My brother died yesterday morning. Oh shit, Lana, I’m so sorry. You don’t need to be here straightening out my mess.”

“Don’t sweat it. At least I’m not sitting home crying,” she replied, taking his hand.

Lee dropped back in the seat, putting his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “I have such a headache.”

“It might be a good idea if you went and had a blood test,” suggested Officer Tyler. “If you have proof that someone slipped something into your drink, you could verify that you weren’t actually drunk.”

Lee nodded, groaning as he swallowed. He put out his hand to Rolf, who pulled Lee to his feet and helped him into the bathroom. Lana went to the phone, calling their physician, who gave her an appointment in half an hour. She went to the bathroom door and told Lee. Rolf nodded to her, getting Lee to his feet and handing him the trash can. “Let’s go find out what they slipped you. Can you handle things here, Lana?”

“Yeah.”

She finished up with the police, locking up the house and then realizing that she had given Lee back his keys and she would have to walk home. She headed down the path, the sun beating through the trees. The day was going to be hot and muggy, just what she needed with a long walk ahead.

The first phone call came a short while later. It was one of Enar’s coworkers, Melissa. “Lana, oh my god. I am so sorry. I was just looking through the paper and saw the obituary. How are you?”

“I’m doing. We are having a private gathering at the house as soon as we get his ashes back. You will be getting an invitation in the mail.”

“You sent out invitations for a funeral?”

“Enar didn’t want a funeral. He just wanted a gathering of his closest friends. He made out the invitations about two weeks ago.”

“That sounds like him. Jim talked to him last week and said that he sounded in good spirits.”

“He was. Rolf was here and they spent a lot of time talking. He just got too weak and too tired. He died during the night. He knew it was going to happen.”

“Were Rolf and Lee at the house?”

“No. Rolf had gone home and Enar sent Lee home. He wanted to be alone with me.”

“You poor thing, that must have been horrible.”

“It wasn’t. I had no illusions about him living longer. As it was, he outlived estimates by seven months. I just enjoyed whatever time I had with him.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No. Rolf is staying with me and Lee is always close by. We are consoling each other.”

“Don’t hesitate to call. I will pass on the message to everyone else. One of us will call later to check about the gathering.”

“Okay. Thanks, Melissa.”

“You’re welcome.” Melissa hung up, and Lana stopped, flipping the phone shut. Tears began to flow from her eyes, running down her cheeks to drip unhindered from her chin. Her legs felt like lead, her body too heavy to remain standing. Lana sank to the path, suddenly too weary to continue walking. She dropped back to her ass, pulling her knees up against her chest and hugging them. It was how she remained, her body shivering as she sobbed, alone in the quiet forest.

It was a long while before she pushed herself to her feet and finished the walk home.

Lana stepped out into the driveway, seeing Mona’s car. They had only spoken briefly over the last year. Lana had called Mona a few times to asked about taking her grandchildren to a movie, but Mona had always said that they were busy. More aptly, Mona was angry and she was keeping the children away from Lana as punishment. “You have to be kidding me!”

Mona got out of the car, her face masked in fury. “My
mother
called me this morning to ask me if
your
husband
had died. I felt like a
damn idiot
because no one bothered to tell me. Don’t you think that you could have taken
two
seconds to call me?” She stared at Lana. “
What the fuck happened to you
? You look like a damn skeleton. You are coming home with me, enough of this
damned
charade in the woods. It’s not safe for you to be up here all alone.”

Lana walked past her. She keyed the entry code for the house and went inside, leaving the door open. From the sink, she poured herself a large glass of filtered water and then put some in the coffeepot with a vanilla coffee pod. She could hear Mona behind her and turned. She was too weary to argue, her voice sounding oddly soft and tired. “I am a grown woman, Mona. I am not going anywhere. This is my house and I am not alone. You knew that Enar was dying. You didn’t bother to call and see how he was doing, so why should I bother to call to tell you that he died?”

Mona glared at her. “Did he die of AIDS? Is that why you are so skinny? I knew that there was some weird shit going on up here.”

“Enar had a defect in his heart, which finally caught up with him. I am skinny because I haven’t had much of an appetite. I spent the last two months watching the man I loved more than anything become so weak he could barely get out of bed. I really don’t need your shit today, Mona. I know you suffer from
me
disease, but this is not about
you
! If you can look outside of your self-centered box for a few minutes and feel some kind of compassion for me, instead of bugging out because you were inconvenienced, then we will be having a gathering for Enar once we get his ashes back. If you would like to be here, then call and I will give you the time. Otherwise, get out of my face. I’m tired, hot, and sweaty. I’m gonna grab a snack and then I’m going to take a shower. Final word, I am
not
leaving my house.” She took a plate down from the cabinet, opening the freezer and popping two waffles into the toaster. Lana headed into the back storage cubby for a fresh jar of honey.

When she turned, Mona snatched her shirt, tugging it upward. “What the hell did they do to you?”

“The nightstand was full and I put my coffee cup on the floor. I fell out of bed, landing on it. No biggie.” She pulled her shirt back down, seeing the blood on the fabric and groaning. Lana walked past Mona and back into the kitchen.

Lee suddenly raced through the house, sprinting for the bathroom. Rolf followed him in, striding directly up to Lana. He spun her body, pinning her against the refrigerator and engulfing her in a ravenous kiss. He ran his hands down her sides, lifting her ass to straddle his waist, and then turned, setting her on a chair, his lips never leaving her mouth.

“I thought you said he was
fucking dead
,” screamed Mona.

Rolf pulled back, licking his lips. “I really needed that. Damn, you taste good. Now I need a cup of coffee,” he said, twitching his eyebrows at her before turning to stare at Mona. “Who the hell are you?”

Mona stared back at him, her confused expression morphing to one of anger. “I am her stepdaughter. Who the
hell
are you?”

“I’m Enar’s twin brother, Rolf.” His voice was low and filled with threat. “I have also been asked to take care of your stepmother, so back off, bitch.”

Lana almost choked as she tried to rein in her laughter. Mona walked by them, stopping to stare at Lana. Her eyes were cold, her voice oddly controlled. “I am going to have you declared legally insane. What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m living in a reality that you can never understand. I’m sorry if my life appalls you. The keyword is that it is my life. As I said before, I am a big girl and I can make my own decisions. If I’m insane, then so be it. At least I am happy. If you want to know about Enar’s gathering, then call me. Otherwise, have a nice life. I have enough shit to deal with right now. I don’t need shit from you.” She glared at Mona for a moment and then added, “Oh and it would have been really nice to hear the words, ‘I’m so sorry to hear about Enar’s passing. How are you doing?’ But forbid you should bother. If you can’t return and be civil, then don’t come back, Mona.”

Mona’s nostrils flared as she screamed, “
You have become a fucking whore
.
I’m so glad that I never allowed my children into this den of iniquity
!”

“She sounds like a good church-going woman,” sniped Rolf. “Maybe you should do a rethink on your language, your manners, and your compassion. My brother told me how angry Lana was that you never called to see how he was. Amazing. What’s the deal now, try and have her declared unstable so you can take over as executor of her estate?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you during one of our many conversations, Mona?” Lana asked in sarcasm. “Lee and Rolf are my legal representatives if anything should happen to me. There are trust accounts for your children in the amount that I sold the house for. They will get ten thousand a year starting when they are twenty-one, unless they want to use the money for college. They can call me if they have any questions.”