Authors: Hot Books Publishing
He paused, and Callie blinked, feeling a little overwhelmed. “I don’t have to have sex with anyone there, do I? I mean…I can just watch, or…”
Sean leaned forwards, reeling just a little to one side, and Callie reached out and grabbed his shoulder to steady him. “Someone there might want their dick sucked,” he said, a touch of cruelty in his voice.
Callie blinked. “I was just saying that, Sean. I didn’t really…” She felt a sudden need to reassure him. Why had this whole situation upset him so much that he’d gone out and gotten drunk?
He touched her face suddenly, his palm on the side of her cheek. “I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into, Callie.”
Rum. He’d been drinking rum
. His fingers were smooth against her skin. Investment banker fingers. Not like the time he’d grabbed her when they were teenagers and she’d almost slipped and fallen into the pool. His fingers had been calloused then, rough from a summer of doing odd jobs. He’d been different then. More carefree. Callie had a sudden sense that she was about to find out just how different he’d become.
He was close to her, and she had a sudden mad desire to kiss him. She wondered if he would taste like Sailor Jerry’s still, how soft his lips might be. Would they be as smooth as his fingers, or a little dry and chapped from the week he’d spent in the hot Florida sun? She realized she was breathing harder, and he was still inches from her, his hand still touching her skin. She leaned forwards unconsciously, and his hand slipped back, threading into her hair. His fingers tightened and she jumped, losing her balance and her hand grabbed his upper thigh for balance. He tensed at her touch, the muscles corded and hard under her fingers, and she felt something else against her fingertips, hot and hard and…
Sean jerked away, and stood up so fast that Callie had to grab the edge of the seat cushions to stop herself falling off. He turned away, and when he spoke, his voice was tight and gravelly. “Go to bed, Callie.”
Her body felt heavy and hard to move. She didn’t want to move. She wanted him to come back down on the couch with her, wanted to find out what else might have happened if one of them had closed that last bit of distance. But he wouldn’t turn around. “Sean…”
“Go. To. Bed.” The words were clipped and distinct, and she saw his hands curl into fists. “Now, Callie!”
The sound of him saying her name in that voice made her heart start racing all over again, but she got up from the couch and walked towards her room, still vaguely hoping that he might call her back. When she turned around, just before walking into her bedroom, he was sitting on the couch, his head dropped into his hands.
---
When Callie awoke the next morning, she felt unsettled and unsure of how the day would go. When she walked out of her room, though, she was greeted by the sounds of Sean watching Family Guy on Netflix and the smells of Anna cooking waffles. In other words—an ordinary type of Saturday. So ordinary, that she wondered if she had dreamed the night before.
The scent of rum on his breath, the pull of his fingers in her hair, his thigh under her hand
.
He looked up at her from the sofa and smiled, and her heart rate sped up. But it was just a friendly smile, nothing underlying it. “Have you figured out yet if you need to go shopping, Callie?”
“For what?”
He frowned slightly. “Tonight. The club. I told you the dress code.”
So last night did happen.
Callie felt slightly slow, trying to pull her mind away from analyzing the events of the night before and over to the contents of her closet. She was fairly certain that she didn’t own a cocktail dress.
Anna stuck her head out of the kitchen. “You can borrow one of mine, Callie. I have a black one that would look nice on you. I’ll do your makeup too.”
She seemed very calm and collected, as if it were any other night out. Callie, on the other hand, felt like bailing. A
sex
club? What had she been thinking? When she looked back over at Sean, he was smirking slightly. “Chickening out, sis?”
So we’re back to that.
“No,” she said emphatically. “I think it will be great.”
Sean laughed. “Alright then. Come sit down while Anna makes breakfast.”
Callie cast a glance at the couch, images from the night before still flashing through her brain. “No thanks,” she said, trying to sound casual. “I’ll go hang out in the kitchen with Anna.”
She might have imagined it, but she thought that the look on Sean’s face was unsettled when she brushed past the couch to head into the kitchen.
----
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. They all spent some time that afternoon napping, gearing up for the night ahead. When they got up, Callie went to Anna’s room to see that she’d already laid out two dresses and jewelry on the bed, and she was standing in the bathroom in her underwear, rubbing a cream through her damp hair. Callie touched the black dress. It was made of a silky material—knowing Anna, it was probably real silk. She glanced up at Anna again.
It wasn’t that Callie didn’t think she was pretty—she was reasonably sure that was the case, but next to Anna, she always felt slightly inferior. Especially right now. She was still wearing a pair of ratty black yoga shorts and a college tee shirt that she’d slept in, her hair in a messy bun. Anna was already in going-out mode, wearing tiny black lacy panties and a black lace strapless bra while she was blowing her hair dry. Callie looked down at the underwear she held in her hand—a plain black satin strapless bra and a pair of matching, simple panties. Sexy enough, she guessed, but nothing as alluring as what Anna was wearing. She slumped down on the edge of the bed, tossing the undergarments onto the dress, and tugged the elastic out of her hair.
Anna peeked around the corner of the bathroom, setting her hair dryer down. “Are you okay, Callie?” Her brow was creased with concern.
Callie shrugged. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“You were really excited about it…” Anna trailed off. “Did something happen, Callie?” She walked over to sit next to her. “Did Sean say something?”
Callie shook her head, aware of how miserable the expression on her face probably was. “I just think it’s going to be really awkward,” she admitted.
“Why, because he’s your...” Anna’s eyes widened. “Callie, did he do something?”
“Not really,” Callie whispered.
“Did he hurt you?” Anna jumped to her feet, looking enraged.
“No, no.” Callie waved her hand at Anna. “He was drunk,” she said. “He got too close and I…I kind of made a move on him. Sort of. And he wanted it. But he told me to go to bed.” Her face was flaming red now. “I’m so embarrassed. It’s so wrong. He’s my brother.”
Anna snorted. “He’s your stepbrother. He’s not blood. And his dad married your mom when you were thirteen. You were a teenager when you met him. And you’re both gorgeous. It’s not strange at all that there might be some feeling there. An attraction, at the very least.”
“Maybe,” Callie whispered. “I just feel like it’s wrong. My parents would be furious.”
Anna rubbed one hand across her back. “Well, for tonight, don’t worry about them. There’s nothing wrong with the two of you being attracted to each other. And if something happens, well, then it happens. It doesn’t mean you’re going to marry him.” She gave Callie a quick kiss on the cheek. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Now let’s get you ready.”
----
An hour later, Callie looked at the finished product in the mirror. She loved the dress. It had thin straps and a boned bodice, pushing her breasts up so that they made perfect mounds above the reinforced silk. The skirt was simple black silk falling to mid-thigh. The only jewelry Anna had let her wear was a pair of dangling silver earrings carved in an Aztec pattern, and Anna had curled her hair and swept it up behind her head, securing it with fewer pins than Callie privately thought would be enough. But it seemed secure. Her eyes were very lightly shadowed and lined, with a few coats of mascara, and dark red lipstick. Next to her, Anna was wearing a navy blue silk sheath, with a silver lariat necklace that fell almost to her belly button, and a pair of diamond studs. Her hair was swept up in the same style, and she had worn heavier eye makeup and a nude lipstick.
They walked out to the living room, where Sean was standing by the window. He turned around, and Callie had to remind herself to breathe. His normally rumpled blond hair was combed back, and he was wearing a charcoal grey suit, complete with a patterned tie. He looked more handsome than Callie had ever imagined, and she felt her cheeks starting to flush.
He walked over to them, and gently flicked Callie’s earring with one finger. “These look nice on you.” He glanced down at her dress. “It all looks lovely.”
“Thank you,” Callie managed. Anna shot her a knowing look.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road.” Sean reached for Anna’s keys. “Just in case you ladies have a little too much fun.”
It was a shorter drive to the club than Callie had expected. It was a nondescript door in a row of bars down a popular street. In fact, she’d probably walked past it a hundred times.
When Sean opened the door, there was a long row of stairs in front of them leading down. Callie walked carefully, trying not to trip in her high heels. At the end there was a wrought iron gate, with a man standing in front of it. The first word Callie thought of was “bouncer”, but that conjured up images of large ex-bikers guarding the doors of nightclubs and strip joints. This man was anything but. He was at least six feet tall, but lean and muscled, with a face directly out of a magazine ad. He looked barely 25. Sean smiled effortlessly. “Dylan invited us.”
The man nodded without a smile. “I.Ds?” He took all three, and frowned at Callie and Anna’s. “You said the invitation was from Dylan?”
Sean nodded.
The man frowned, clearly disapproving, but he reached forward and turned the key in the gate, opening it. “Go ahead.”
The area just beyond was dimly lit, and it took a few moments for Callie’s eyes to adjust. When it did, she could see that there was an open floor, with a bar decorated in a Victorian gothic style just beyond. A winding staircase led up to an open loft that extended out over the floor. She could see very little of it, except that there were several couches and beds, and a few curtained alcoves.
There were people of all types out on the floor. Most were young and very attractive, all were dressed similarly to Callie, Sean and Anna. Nothing particularly scandalous seemed to be happening, and Callie pointed that out to Sean. He grinned.
“It’s early still. Everyone is still flirting. They will start to pair off in a while.”
Callie’s eyes were starting to adjust to the light. At the far end of the floor she saw several interesting objects she didn’t recognize—a padded bench, a wooden lattice with various things hanging off of it, and an X-shaped apparatus. “What are those?” she hissed.
Sean glanced at her. “S&M toys.”
Callie blinked. “Have you ever used any of those?”
He looked a little taken aback by the question. “Um…”
Callie could actually see the flush starting to creep up his neck.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
Sean rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Yeah. A couple times.”
“Did you like it?”
He shrugged. “It was different.” He glanced at Callie. “Come on, let’s get you girls a drink.”
At the bar, he slipped the bartender a folded bill and whispered something to him. The man quickly returned with a scotch for Sean, some bluish cocktail for Anna, and a gin and tonic for Callie. She sniffed it and looked unsure as Sean squeezed the lime slice into it and handed it to her. “Just try it, Callie.”
His voice was warm and smooth, and Callie took a sip, still unconvinced. She blinked, took another, and then grinned. “It’s actually really good!”
“Great.” Sean smiled. “Because I told the bartender it’s your birthday, and he should keep ‘em coming.”
A fast paced song started to play, and Sean put out his hand. “How about a dance?”
Callie looked for Anna, but she had already slipped off, and was on the floor grinding with a handsome man in a black suit. Callie shrugged. “Now or never, right?”
An odd look crossed Sean’s face, but it was quickly gone. “Sounds exactly right.”
----
As the night wore on, Callie saw that Sean had been right. As the dancing and drinking carried on, more and more couples and groups started to head up the winding staircase. Interestingly enough, the floor still seemed fairly full. The party was in full swing. About two hours in, Callie saw a couple heading over to the S&M equipment that she had pointed out to Sean earlier. A small crowd was starting to gather, and she grabbed Sean’s wrist and tugged him in that direction. He looked unsure, but he followed her.