Chapter 15 （Teddy）
Dad pulled me asideat the bourbon tasting at my parents’ mansion that night, insisting I walk with him into his dark-paneled wooden study.
“Everything set for tomorrow?” my father asked.
“No,” I said bluntly, taking another sip out of my wine glass. I thought I could still taste my sister on my lips, feel her underneath my tongue. “It’s off. I’m not doing it.”
My father stilled, his hard gray eyes flicking over my face.
“You must be shitting me,” he said. “We’re talking $50 million dollars here.”
I shrugged.
“I couldn’t possibly give less of a shit.”
“What’s wrong?” Dad said. “Get cold feet?”
“No,” I said.
Dad scratched his chin.
“I’d encourage you to stop being a motherfucking pussy and do this,” he said. “If you pussy out, you’re not getting a cut. You’re not getting your $1 million back.”
“Do it yourself,” I said, draining the last of my glass.
I wondered if I should warn him that the there was an interstate task force of police officers working on the case and doing surveillance.
“I didn’t call you in here to listen to you hand me your balls on a platter,” Dad said. “I called you in here because there’s something else I want you to do tonight. Just in case the monkey we give to Mintmaker doesn’t work.”
He produced a container and flipped it open.
Inside was a syringe.
“This is for Sweet Pea,” he said. “Put it right at the base of the neck.”
My first thought when I saw the syringe was how completely and utterly deceased I would be if I ever dared to do such a thing to a thoroughbred and Ophelia found out about it. First she would kill me. Then she would dig up my grave and smash my bones into dust with a hammer.
So that was a total nonstarter. But this was a particularly dirty trick and it repulsed me that he would suggest it.
“No,” I said. “I’m not fucking sneaking around in the dark with a horse tranquilizer trying not to get caught by security.”
My father’s face darkened, angry spots of color appearing on his cheeks.
“What’s gotten into you, Teddy? Ever since Ophelia came back to town you’ve been acting fucking pussywhipped.”
“Keep her out of this,” I said, my fingers tightening involuntarily on the stem of my wineglass.
“Boy, you got some kind of obsession with your sister that I need to know about?” Dad asked, his eyes boring into mine.
Obsession?
You mean the fact that I rotate around my sister like a goddamn moon around her sun and have for literally as long as I can remember?
Or the fact that outwardly I might look like a normal everyday corporate finance bro but inside I burn for my sister and will do anything to keep her with me, including impregnating her?
“You’re a grown man now,” my father went on. “Don’t let your little sister lead you around by the nose anymore.”
I turned the wineglass around in my hands, looking reflectively at the crystalline shine, then I jerked my hand down and shattered it in the fireplace.
I was left with the jagged edge of the stem and I straightened up and sliced through Dad’s silk shirt, belly to throat.
He yelped as the stem left a trail of burst flesh under its cruel point. I went up slowly, making sure he felt every goddamn inch, hesitating only at his throat, where I hovered indecisively. Then I paused, and pulled the broken glass away.
Ophelia might be mad.
“I told you to keep her out of this,” I said calmly.
“You’re insane!” Dad said, his hands desperately covering up the cut with his shredded silk shirt, and I was interested in a dispassionate way to see that there was real fear in his eyes as he looked at me. I had never seen that from my father before.
“You raised me to be cold, single-minded and ruthless,” I said, shrugging. “And I am. Just not for the goddamn company. Not for Barrington Stables.”
I paused, letting Dad wonder what I was going to do with the jagged edge still pointed at him.
“For my sister, yes, I am insane. Don’t talk about her. Don’t fuck with her. Or you’ll be sorry.”
I threw the broken stem into the fire and turned to go.
My father spoke as my hand touched the aged wood of the door, his voice vibrating with fury.
“On Monday I’m going to tell the board what you’ve done and they’ll have you removed as the Director.”
I shrugged, not bothering to look back to see the bloody line I’d scoured up his chest, the way I could easily have gone further, how easy it would have been to slit his throat and watch him bleed out on the floor.
I’ll give up anything to make her happy.
When I got back into the other room, Ophelia pounced on me.
“What did he want?” she hissed.
I folded instantly like a cheap chair. “Dad wanted me to give one of the other thoroughbreds something to handicap her tomorrow. Cheap-ass pussy trick, if you ask me.”
Ophelia’s eyes darkened with fury. “Which horse? It’s Sweet Pea, isn’t it?”
I felt the grin spread over my face.
“I thought you said you didn’t keep up with horse racing anymore.”
“It’s important to be aware of current events,” she said stiffly. “We have to stop it, Teddy. We can’t let them do that to Sweet Pea.”
“It’s dangerous,” I said. “I don’t know how many of Dad’s contractors will be there and the stables themselves will have guards.”
“Come on, Teddy,” Ophelia said, turning those luminescent gray eyes to me. “They’re going to hurt her.”
“They don’t really want to hurt her,” I said, waffling as fuck. “It won’t permanently injure Sweet Pea.”
Even as I said it, it seemed inadequate.
I could feel myself doing the same shit I had for as long as I could remember.
The eternal “how high” to my sister’s “jump.”
I was 27 years old. People at work were scared shitless of me.
But I was as big of a simp for my sister as I ever was, goddamit.
“Dad’s in with some very dangerous people,” I added. “Some of the guys going in with him on the bet will not like losing.”
“What the fuck are you built like a linebacker for then?” she hissed at me, her little hand on my arm. “Besides holding your sister down and fucking her, of course.”
“Don’t make me have to hold you down,” I said. “That’ll leave my hands free for other things.”
“Stop sticking your dick in me,” she retorted.
I only laughed.
“Come on, Teddy,” she said. “Dad’s a disgusting bastard. Let’s fucking fix this.”
Her hand was warm, the pressure of her breast on my arm intoxicating. Then an hour later the Director of Barrington Enterprises pulled a black ski mask over his face because his sister told him to.
“Stay behind me,” I warned her. “I’ll get the crop out if you make any noise or do anything foolish.”
She nodded obediently.
Then we got behind a large outbuilding and waited. We didn’t have to wait long. There were only two sleepy-looking security guards over Sweet Pea’s stables, one on his phone and the other smoking.
They were all too easy for Dad’s contractors to overpower.
I counted them dispassionately. Three of them plus Chet, smarming around like he thought he was cock of the walk. I wondered if Dad had told him he was going to push for me to be ousted next week. Chet probably thought he’d soon be second in command.
But I didn’t care.
With Ophelia following noiselessly behind me, I stalked them as they headed for the stables. One contractor I recognized was left behind to tie up Sweet Pea’s security guards. I hit him sharply in the back of the throat with my elbow and, when he turned around, another sharp blow to his face, stuffing some of my gym socks from the back of my car in his mouth so he wouldn’t alert the others.
Then I hit him in the face, precise, careful blows until he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
Ophelia examined his prone body, then give me a quick thumbs up.
I yanked my mask up. “Little psycho,” I mouthed, but she only made a face at me and pointed toward the stable, where the other three men were using little penlights to see as they broke the door lock.
Well, damn, I guess I wasn’t going to be able to pick them off one by one, but I pulled my mask down again and strode toward the group. I was nervous my sister was going to wander off, so I took one of her hands in mine.
The first guy was Chet, and he turned around with a yelp just as I came up on him. He was kind of a weak sniveling bastard, and my fist sent him stumbling away.
As hired muscle, the other two guys were big and looked stronger, but luckily I was bigger.
I kicked one sharply in the leg, knocking him off his balance. The other one reached in his pocket, but before he could get to his weapon, I smashed my fist in his face, hearing the satisfying crunch as his nose shattered under my fingers. Another blow and I knocked teeth out. But just as the other guy threw a wild swing, easily avoidable, I saw goddamn Chet sneaking up on the side, reaching for Ophelia.
I stepped directly into the punch, gritting my teeth as it landed solidly on my jaw, but my focus was on Chet, and I kept Ophelia’s hand in mine as I kicked at Chet, his legs buckling as I connected with his kneecap.
My twin didn’t even scream or let go of my hand, but I saw her aim a kick at Chet too, catching him directly in his limpid balls as he stumbled.
That’s my clever girl.
I ducked another blow, then used my superior height to head-butt one of the contractors as Chet made a spiraling weak whine.
Shit, he was going to attract attention if he hadn’t already.
Holding my sister’s hand carefully so she wasn’t jostled, I sent my free fist into the final man’s ribs, hearing their satisfying crack.
Chet was lying on the ground whimpering and I used that time to stomp on his face several times with my heavy boots.
The other two men were wheezing, one leaning forward to spit up blood, just as I saw flashing lights down the road.
“The cops!” my sister squeaked, and I squeezed her hand as we ran towards the woods behind the stables.
The police lights were flashing across the yard, scanning the grounds for the intruders, but we were already in the woods.
I kept her hand tightly tucked in mine, loving the feel of her under my fingers, loving how she evidently trusted me to lead her, because she didn’t say anything. I could feel her sharp, quick breaths and I squeezed her hand.
Luckily I knew my way through the woods, but we had to take a circuitous route out, hugging closer to the other stables than I wanted.
Finally we were close enough away that I let us slow down to a walk.
“Good job, sweetheart,” I said.
“For what?” she asked, wrinkling her nose up at me.
“You were the perfect backup,” I said, feeling that warmth that only came into my body around her. Without her I was a cold fucking dead inside automaton. With her I was warm and alive.
She laughed, then looked around. “I don’t recognize where we are. Aren’t we near those abandoned stables?”
I opened my mouth, unsure how much to tell her, when she suddenly dropped my hand and bounded off into the dark woods.
“Did someone buy this? I think I see new work being done here!”
“Ophelia!” I hissed, following her, but my sister was fast, rushing over to brush her hands across a dark sign.
“Shine your light here, Teddy,” she said.
I hesitated, and she looked back at me.
I held her eyes for a second. Then I shone the light over the sign.
“Barrington Greener Acres,” she read, then she whirled on me.
“What is this, Teddy?”
My heart was pounding in my chest. This was my moment to explain everything. This entire thing was my grovel. My attempt to show her that working for Barrington Industries had been because I couldn’t bear to be the one responsible for her losing her inheritance. That I still cared about the same things. I had to fucking do this right if I wanted a chance for Ophelia to love me.
But the panic if I failed seemed to swamp me.
I craved her love like a junkie craving a fix. I was fucking jittery as shit without it.
Then she traced her fingers over a number carved onto the sign.
“Snakehandler’s win!” she crowed, and when she turned to me, there were stars in her eyes.
“It took me a year and a half to get it ready to build,” I said. “But construction’s already started on new stables, an office building, trails to ride. This is where our thoroughbreds can retire to.”
For a moment she didn’t speak, then she said, “I’ve been a huge bitch. I take it all back. This is amazing.”
“I like that you’re a bitch,” I said. “Everything about you is perfect, sugar.”
Ophelia bit her lip, then suddenly leaned forward, yanking on my shirt to bring my face level with hers.
Then she kissed me.
I instantly gathered her close to me, crushing her in my arms, so tight I heard her little gasp of breath.
I could have held her, kissed her for hours, but she suddenly dropped to her knees, and I sucked my breath in as I felt her hands on my sweatpants.
“Ophelia,” I breathed. I’d dreamed of this moment for so long!
“I love you, Teddy,” she said, drawing my cock from my pants, her tongue flicking over the big head.
“Oh, I love you too,” I said eagerly, not caring that I was openly, obviously hungry and desperate for her touch.
When she put her mouth on me I groaned with the pleasure, unable to be silent, unable to hide how it felt to have Ophelia finally closing her mouth over my dick, licking the leaking tip, and looking up at me with those irresistible eyes.
Her mouth was velvet seduction, and I stroked her head gently, threading a hand through her tangled curls.
“Open that mouth wider, baby. There’s a lot of cock to fit in.”
And it was an ice-hot shot of lust to watch her obey me, opening her pretty pink mouth wider to fit more of me inside her, then sucking so hard that her cheeks hollowed out beautifully as she braced her hands on my thighs and sucked up and down my cock.
I moved my hand to stroke her cheek.
“You got this, sweetheart. Almost there.”
Her eyes looked bright and she stretched wider, and when I felt the drool all pooling in my hand as she forced herself to the base of my cock, my release built uncontrollably fast, the drool leaking from both sides of her mouth. Her cheeks were hollowed, her cheekbones standing out like cut glass.
“Swallow me down,” I growled at her, and she gulped obediently, swallowing me all down as I shot hot jets of cum down her throat, wanting to fill her up until there was cum dribbling out of her mouth like drool had been.
My own good girl.