Five: The Nice Brother

SCARLETT

Five days later and I still couldn’t get the mental image of his long fingers casually brushing over my wet folds out of my mind.

I know it was crazy and obscene to even think of him that way, to relive those tortuous 50 seconds where my stepbrother-to-be had caressed my wet folds and shoved his hand into my face to show me how wet and aroused watching him fuck another girl’s mouth had made me.

Heck, he had derided me while at it and made me feel like a dirty slut but still, his words aside, his fingers had been the best thing to ever touch me.

And it had been just for a couple of seconds!

I hated myself for reacting to him, hated myself for not being able to put him out of my mind. I’d have said I was never going to see him again but I wasn’t going to let go of a dream job just because of an asshole.

A dream job that I got fair and square.

But at least, I could say I wasn’t going to see him and his brothers again outside of a formal setting. That was until Mom forced me to attend this dress fitting for her wedding that they already fixed for the next week.

Her dress was done and now, she was forcing me to check out some dresses too.

“This looks good on you, Scarlett, it’s perfect and the color blends perfectly with your skin and hair color.”

She was right about the pink dress blending perfectly with my auburn hair and golden skin but the dress was another definition of showing skin. It was sleeveless and exposed an ample part of my cleavage and it stopped on my thighs.

I wasn’t comfortable with it but since I had no intention of attending her wedding or wearing it, I nodded eagerly, desperate to put an end to trying on new gowns because the pink one she agreed was fine was like the 30th one.

“It’s just a very small wedding with less than 30 guests and it’s going to take place in the house’s garden,” Mom told me when we were back in the waiting room and sipping teas while we waited for our orders to be packed.

“Mom, I’m not sure I’m going to…”

“You’re going to be my maid of honor, Scarlett,” she interrupted me before I could complete my sentence, “you know I’ve always dreamt of this for so long, a dream wedding with my daughter and…”

“I won’t be attending your wedding, Mom,” I interrupted with a note of finality and her eyes widened slightly, “attending the dinner and coming here were the last duties of a daughter that I’d ever perform for you. Our relationship really ended when I left home that day. It can’t be salvaged.”

I grabbed my bag and stood to my feet, “you should tell them not to pack the gown, I have no use for it.”

I started to walk away but she grabbed my hand tightly, putting an end to my movement.

“I’m sorry, Scarlett. I know I messed up but everything I ever did was for you. I wanted… I needed to make more money so I’d be able to take care of you and…”

“So you slept with my friend’s dad!” I screamed, not caring who could hear us, “She was my best friend, Mom! My best friend! She cried on my shoulders that her parents were getting a divorce because her dad was cheating and the person he was sleeping with turned out to be you!-

Do you even realize how terrible you make me feel? You made me lose my best friend and years later, you want me to attend the wedding to a man I’m sure you’re only marrying because of money? Come on, Mom.” I peeled her hands off my body and refused to have my resolve weakened because of the tears pooling in her eyes.

“I was foolish to honor your request but then, I was just thinking… I just felt… you know what? I hope this is the last time I see you.”

And without waiting for her reply or anything, I made my way out of the store.

I was going to walk to the bus stop to enter a bus and go back to the comfort of my house but my vision was too blurry from tears and my legs felt too weak and I didn’t know when I collapsed into the nearest bench, the event of the past years catching up on me.

How I saved up to open my store only to lose it in a night, how nothing has been working out for me since I left home. It was just too draining and I didn’t know when I started bawling my eyes out, without caring whether I was in public or not.

I was still sobbing when I felt fingers gently brush my ears and loud music filled my ears.

An Afropop song, a calming song by Chike, and I felt an instant calm, one that made my tears trail off almost immediately.

I turned around to see who it was and it was Blake Vaughn, my third stepbrother and he was looking at me with a polite and almost hesitant smile on his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to but I just… I overheard you arguing with your mom and I saw you run here and I couldn’t just leave you alone. I’m sorry if that was…”

“No, it’s okay, it’s alright. Thank you.”

“Ohh, I’m glad,” he reached into his pocket and stretched out a white handkerchief to me, “here,” he nodded at my face and I collected it to wipe my face with it.

“Thank you so much,” I told him as I removed the headset and stretched it towards him, “it’s just a little argument with my mom.”

“And I know just the perfect way to cheer you up,” he sounded suddenly excited and before I could even reply, he had reached out to grab my hand to pull me up and I felt tingles erupt on the skin where he touched me.

“I… I really have to go now. It’s already running late and the bus…”

“Come on, Scarlett, do you really think I’d allow you to get on the bus this late, and trust me, you’re going to enjoy where I’m taking you.”

He really started to drag me towards the car park and all my whines and refusals were promptly ignored.

And I couldn’t help but wonder where it was that he was taking me.