Chapter 7 #3
Diego was backing away. “I’ll get you a drink, Em.” The man knew when to make a quick exit.
I took Tara’s arm and steered her away from the crowd and toward one of the tall windows.
“I’ve been, um, keeping in touch with Luke while he was in New York.
And he came to the bar last night, and, um, we kissed.
” I could see the words about to explode out of her mouth, and I pinched her arm.
“Keep your voice down! It’s not a big deal. ”
“Not a big deal. Not. A. Big. Deal.” She stared at me.
“Tara, please. That’s all that’s going on. Except…I like him.” I was blushing. I liked him a lot.
“Well, that’s obvious!”
“To everyone?” I looked around anxiously.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, like I was a total idiot. “Let’s find Diego.” She tossed back what was left in her glass. “I need another.”
Luke was nowhere to be seen, but I had a pretty good time after I calmed down a little.
A glass of white wine helped. It turned out that it was a lot more fun to hang out with the swim team parents in a nice house with hors d’oeuvres and wine, rather than in lawn chairs in a dirty gym with bad coffee.
Coach Sean was there, but he had obviously had a few and was feeling, um, jovial.
I felt pretty secure that he wouldn’t be booting Charlie off the team tonight, he and those nasty Board people.
And no one had mentioned my ignominious exit from the meet. I relaxed a little more.
A group of parents gathered around Annie, and Tara shoved me towards them. “She’s going to give the annual house tour. You have to go, you’ll die when you see the shit they have in this joint.”
“You come too!” I hooked my arm through hers and pulled her along with me.
Annie led us through the dining room, with a giant table and colorful modern art. “Annie, what is this?” her friend Kyra demanded. “Is this new?”
It was a massive metal chandelier which reminded me of the International Space Station.
“Yes, it’s new. I got tired of the old one. The crystal looked too fussy,” Annie explained.
Tara nudged me hard. “I hate that fucking fussy crystal,” she whispered. I nudged her back harder.
We went past the library, with its tall black doors closed, past Annie’s office (what would she do in there?), into the huge, bright kitchen, busy with caterers, through the butler’s pantry, the breakfast room, the family room, the sun room, and Milos’ study.
It was all absolutely perfect. A little austere to me, but down to the last detail, every room was perfect.
We followed Annie upstairs to the master bedroom, the bathroom with two of everything (including showers—no sharing here), Macdara’s bedroom, about three more bedrooms, and into the game room, where the kids were going wild.
There was ping pong table, a pool table, a foosball table, a karaoke machine, a huge TV, another TV with a video game console, a small trampoline, an enormous dollhouse, books, shelves of fancy dolls, and every other thing a kid could ever want.
It was like walking into a fantasy land.
I looked around and saw Charlie laughing his head off, tie askew.
Every room in the house was like a fantasy, really. I had never seen anything like it.
Annie wrapped up the tour, and we all traipsed back downstairs to the living room and foyer, as Annie called it with a French accent: “foy-ay.” I knew that “lobby” couldn’t have been right.
I saw Neil, who raised a glass at me and walked over.
“Looks like I waited too long to take you fishing,” he said.
“No, I know Charlie would still love to go,” I assured him. Tara started to laugh.
“Sister, you are clueless,” she told me.
“Can I get you another?” Neil asked, pointing to my empty wine glass.
I was a one-and-done kind of drinker. Mostly, I was a none-and-done kind of drinker. “No thank you, Neil.”
“Here,” Tara announced, handing him her empty glass. “Red.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You’ve never been long on subtlety,” he told her, but he took it and walked toward the bar.
“Told you he wanted to get into your pants,” Tara said loudly, poking me.
“What’s this?” Luke asked from behind us.
“I was telling your girlfriend how much one of the other guys here is into her. See you later!” Tara took off, before I could punch her. I had never hit another lady, but there was always a first time.
Luke was laughing. I was not amused. “Did you find Milos?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “He’s not here. He didn’t show up, and Annie is a mess.”
I looked at Annie, who looked as impeccable as always. “Really?”
“I was calming her and my dad down for the past half hour.” He took my hand. “Come say hello to my father,” he said, pulling me towards the door.
“Oh, we’ve already met.” I dug in my heels and pulled my arm back.
“What?” he asked me.
“He doesn’t like me much,” I explained. “It’s pretty obvious.”
Luke grimaced. “He’s just a little stand-offish sometimes. It’s fine, it’s nothing personal. Just come talk to him for a minute, all right? I want him to get to know you. He’s all alone in the library.”
Reluctantly, I followed him back to the library we had passed on the tour. Luke pulled open one of the doors, and held out his hand for me to enter.
George Whitaker was sitting in front of the fire in a tall, angular chair. He looked up, and his face didn’t change one iota when he saw me. “Lucas,” he said, “who is this?”
He didn’t rise from the chair, and I saw the cane leaning on the cushion next to him. “I’m Emily Brennan, Mr. Whitaker,” I said. “Macdara swims with my nephew, Charlie.”
“Dad, you met Emily outside of the Athletic Center,” Luke expanded. He took my arm, and led me over to the chair facing George Whitaker, then leaned against it as I sat down. Mr. Whitaker stared at me, his face impassive. I felt like I was going to be interrogated, but he didn’t say a word.
“Annie’s still upset,” Luke mentioned.
His father raised his eyebrow. “Lucas, do you think you should be discussing family affairs in front of—” he paused a little—“Emily?”
It wasn’t what he said, it was how he said it. He could have easily substituted “this person” or just “this thing” for my name. The subtext was clear.
“Emily and Annie are friends,” Luke told him.
“Really?” his voice dripped with disbelief. “Ana?s didn’t mention that to me when we were discussing the Brennan family.”
I was sitting poker straight. “What were you discussing, Mr. Whitaker?”
“Your sister and my son had a relationship. I’m sure you are aware of it.”
Luke’s hand dropped to my shoulder. “It was a long time ago. Cassie is married now. She has a family.”
George Whitaker stared at the hand on my shoulder. “Yes, a married woman.”
I cleared my throat. I was done here. “Luke, we should be getting back. I think your sister was serving dinner soon.” I stood up, and shrugged his hand from my shoulder. “It was nice to see you, Mr. Whitaker.”
He nodded at me.
When we were back in the foyer, I turned to Luke, eyebrows raised. “You see?”
He took my hands. “Ok, it’s true that my dad wasn’t too fond of your sister. Maybe that’s rubbing off a little bit onto you.”
“A little bit?”
“He’s not a very warm person. He never has been. I’m not worried about his opinion, if that’s what you think. I spent a long time trying to please him, and now I leave that to Annie.” My hands still in his, Luke tugged me closer. “Ok?”
I nodded. “Ok.” That creepy old man could kiss off, as far as I was concerned.
Dinner was, to put it simply, the best meal I had ever eaten in my life.
Whole life. There were all these courses served by waiters (waiters in a house!) and every course had a different glass of wine to go with it.
I could feel my face was flushed with the alcohol.
I kept glancing down to the head of table at Luke, who had his eyes locked on me. It made me flush more.
We all stood up to have dessert back in the living room. As everyone trailed after Annie, Luke put his hands on my waist and pulled me back. “Did you go on the house tour?” he said softly in my ear. His words were warm on my neck.
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Did she show you the guest bedroom?” His thumbs rubbed up and down my sides.
“No, I don’t think so.” I leaned back into him.
“You really should see it.”
No one was in the foyer as he pulled me across it, down a hall, and opened a door. I went in front of him, and as soon as he closed the door he put his arms around me, yanking me against him. I felt him hard against my back.
“All night long,” Luke murmured, kissing the back of my neck, down the sides, dragging his lips to my throat. “All night long I’ve wanted to get my hands on you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he ran his hands up and down my body, palming my breasts, kissing my neck. That neck kissing was driving me crazy. I shivered all over, and he laughed quietly. “Like this?” he asked, as he ran his lips over the nape of my neck.
“Yes, please,” I murmured, and he laughed again.
Then he put his hands on my thighs and pulled them slowly up under my dress, pausing at my stomach, then sliding them into my underwear. “Ok?” he asked against my neck.
“Mmmhmm.” I was drunk from all the wine from dinner, and I was drunk from the feel of his touch on me. He slid his fingers into my folds and I gasped, my hands dropping from his neck and clenching on his forearms. He stilled.
“Want me to stop?”
“No, don’t stop.” Never stop.
Then his fingers were everywhere, circling my clit, dipping in and out, rubbing, wet, seducing.
I couldn’t catch my breath; it was coming in pants and gasps.
Then he curled his two fingers and touched deep inside of me and I came, hard, shaking.
“Luke! Holy, Luke, Luke!” He was grinding against me and then he growled into my neck, and we both stood leaning against each other, breathing hard, coming down.