Why did I agree to meet with Oliver and Caden? I usually don’t want to deal with people as it is. I guess it took some guts – more like nerve – to show up in person to get what you’re after. They seriously took charge of the whole situation and stayed to fight for me, oh, I mean the house, even after I slammed the door in their faces. And something in the way Caden said “Scarlet Red” caught me off guard. It was as if his words were dripping with hunger… I can’t decide if it’s food hunger or… hunger for me. Wait, stop! That’s ridiculous!
Though… I have this irking feeling that any dealings with them will lead to a lot more than real estate. If what I feel is right, then there’s the question of if I even want things to move beyond real estate. But then I’d need to choose a brother. Currently, I don’t have enough of a read on either Caden or Oliver to make a decision, but boy, did they look good in those fitted grey suits. Even though they’re twins, they have some differences. They both have icy blue eyes that pierce me through the heart and send shivers down my spine at the same time. Both of them have dirty blonde locks, although Oliver’s hair is wavier, and I wouldn’t mind getting my fingers entangled in it. They both are tan with decent builds, although Caden looks like he works out more from the way his suit hugged him tighter in certain places, so he might be able to keep me pinned down-
Wow, I’m getting way ahead of myself! I just saw them for the first time in years and already I’m creating romantic scenarios. All these thoughts are completely unnecessary.
I call Chloe to meet me at Mike’s Diner. She’ll recenter me. I rush to my car and get in. It’s partially because I can’t wait to see Chloe, but now a Scarlet Red combo sounds really good to eat. Seeing Oliver and Caden has scrambled me. Chloe’s description was very accurate; they were better looking than I expected. Who knew those twiggy boys would grow up to be so sexy? Maybe my signature order might help bring me back to my default… or at least temporarily distract me. Temporary distractions are better than nothing.
• • •
I get there before Chloe but don’t immediately exit my car. This is the first time I’ve been out since the funeral. I’d somehow managed to remain cooped up for days and now I don’t know if I’m ready to see anyone. Meeting the twins today was a great example of that. I wait until I see Chloe’s car pull into the parking lot so I can walk in with her. Luckily, she’s still driving her bright yellow Volkswagen bug, and when it arrives, I scramble to her car. Chloe exits and she finds me standing on the curb in front of her.
She gives me an amused look, “Were you waiting for me so we could walk in together?” She runs over to me and drops her arm on my shoulder, reminding me I am distinctly shorter than her. “You know I love you, right?”
I can’t suppress my smile as we walk into Mike’s together. Chloe leads me over to our usual booth, which is empty. We sit down and I am immediately comfortable. Mike’s has always been almost like a home away from home.
As we’re waiting, after putting in our orders, Chloe asks, “So, why’d you call this meeting?”
“I wanted to let you know that you were right about the Blakesley boys. They are very good looking.”
Chloe’s eyes light up with curiosity. I can see the questions circulating in her mind, “You saw them? Spill the details!”
I bite my lip as they bend upward into a smile, “They came over to the house to tell me that they wanted to buy it.”
“Well, what did you say?”
Before I can say anything, the waiter arrives with our food. I wait for him to leave before I continue the conversation. “I said ‘no’ initially, but they asked me to come down to their office so they could show me their full plan and… I agreed to visit them.”
Chloe’s eyes go wide and I can see she is reading way too deeply into this. It’s honestly not that exciting. Okay, maybe a little. It’s a little exciting. “Ooo, visit them? What does that mean?” She makes it sound suggestive.
“It’s just business, Chloe. Nothing that interesting.” But I’m secretly wishing it gets a little more interesting.
“What are you going to do?”
What am I going to do? Prospects are limited, and the twins are offering me a way out. It would be so easy to take it, but the easy way isn’t always the best way. My grandmother taught me that. “I don’t know. I don’t have much money, and if I let them buy it, I could leave Coldgrove. It’d be so easy. But it’s Rachel’s house. It’s where I grew up. There are too many factors.” As I take a deep breath, Chloe places her hand on top of mine. There’s so much going on that it’s making it hard to make a decision right now.
When I get back home, I plop down on the couch. I squirm, trying to get comfortable. There isn’t much to do, and the current choices aren’t appealing to me. My mind finds its way back to the Blakesleys. They really are beautiful, like, unbelievably so. I can’t decide who is better looking. Oliver’s blonde hair and blue eyes made him a classically handsome guy. In high school, all the girls loved him. Well, most of the girls. He seems to keep everything proper; clean haircut, tailored suit, the works. He must exercise a lot of control in… all aspects of his life. Caden’s a little darker. And a little more ruffled. His hair looked as if someone was just running fingers through it. I’d love to run mine through it… and all over his body. He looks like he’d have some interesting kinks, but I want to do all the same things to Oliver. I don’t know who I’m attracted to more.
Oliver would probably make a move first; he was always the bolder one. I think about what his hands would feel like on my breasts. Would he be gentle or rough? I pinch my nipple and imagine it’s Oliver. I envision his mouth sucking on my tit. As he sucks, my mind runs a little wild, and then there’s someone tugging on my hair. I look up and see it’s Caden. He wraps my hair around his fist and twists my head away to reveal my neck. As Oliver works on my breasts, Caden nips at my neck, placing kisses and bites along it. The feeling of both of them touching me feels amazing, even if it’s only in my mind. Oliver trails his mouth down to my panties. My hand follows his trajectory, and I put my hand into my underwear. I slip a finger inside myself and imagine Oliver sliding his tongue inside me. He sucks on my clit and Caden massages my breasts. It all feels so wild then my body shudders as I orgasm. I lay still for a second before removing my fingers and going to the kitchen to wash my hands. I turn the faucet off then fall into a sitting position onto the ground.
What just happened? It started as a typical fantasy, one I’ve had before. Oliver touching me was a nice thought, but the addition of Caden was unexpected. I never thought something like that could turn me on. Would I like something like that to actually happen? It doesn’t even really matter. It’s all a fantasy anyway. It’s not as if I’d even do something like that. It’s too outrageous. I get back on my feet and grab some Oreos from the cabinet. I plop back onto the couch and turn on the T.V., hoping to drown out any Blakesley boy thoughts.
The T.V. doesn’t do much to distract me, and I think about my earlier conversation with the twins. Oliver said Caden would pick me up tomorrow, but they didn’t say what time he was coming. I remember the card Caden gave me and pop up off the couch. I’m trying to recall where I placed it. I go check the dish by the front door, and thankfully, it’s there. I love being surprised by the fact that I can be organized. I see Caden’s cell phone number and type it into my phone, but I don’t press the call button yet. My finger hovers over the call button as I bite my lip, anxious to call him. I push through it and make the call, listening to the phone ring. Each ring feels like I should hang up, but before I can…
“Hello?” His voice sounds gruff and gravelly. I gasp, realizing how late it is and worry that I woke him up. I silently curse myself for not having more sense. A few more seconds pass without anyone speaking and again Caden says, “Hello?”
“Hello! Hi, sorry…” I’ve completely forgotten why I’ve called. How can I be so aroused by a simple hello? These boys are going to be my undoing. I can feel it.
“Scarlet?”
Oh, dear god! It’s too late. How do I explain this insanity? He must think I’m insane for calling him so late and wondering why I am calling him so late and wondering what I am doing with my life and wondering why I am a mess! It could’ve waited until tomorrow. That would’ve made much more sense. Go to sleep, wake up, call Caden in the morning. Proper social etiquette isn’t that complicated.
“Yeah, it’s Scarlet. It’s… me…”
“Is everything okay?” That’s a valid question. Calling someone whom I saw for the first time today after years of no contact, at a highly unsuitable time, could warrant some alarm. It could warrant a lot of alarm.
“Everything’s fine. I’m just calling because… I didn’t know what time you were coming to pick me up tomorrow because we didn’t talk about that and…” My voice trails off, because as I say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. I hear Caden laugh and it’s clear he also finds this situation ridiculous. Or maybe he thinks I’m ridiculous. Jesus Christ. I’m ridiculous.
“What time would you like me to pick you up?” He says it so darkly, almost discreetly; I can practically hear him biting down on his bottom lip, grinning on the other side. It sounds so suggestive I almost feel as if he’s not just talking about coming to get me tomorrow. I entertain the idea of telling him that he should pick me up right now. Deep down, I hope he would say yes, but that would complicate things. That’s not something I need right now.
“Umm, you could pick me up around noon?” Wait! Crap! That’s lunchtime. I’m going to be hungry, but I can’t take that back. I’ll just eat… beforehand? Of course. That’s logical. My thoughts are not working too well right now. Obviously… because it’s an ungodly hour.
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“Noon. Pick me up at noon.” My words are breathy, and I’m sure he can hear it. I sense that he’s playing with me.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up at noon.” There’s silence for a brief amount of time then Caden interjects, “Is there anything else?” Nothing that I want to tell him. Nothing that I should ask for. Nothing appropriate.
“No. That’s all. Thank you.” I stay on the line for a bit longer then hang up. I stare at my phone, waiting to see if Caden will call me back, but he doesn’t so I go back to the couch to lie down. On the surface, the conversation sounded pretty innocent, but it felt so electric. I didn’t expect Caden to be so bold. Maybe it’s because I called him so late at night, but earlier today he was quite meek. Oliver seemed like the bold type. Maybe they both are.
I get comfortable and cover myself. Sleep doesn’t come immediately, so, instead, I start to think about Oliver. How would the conversation have gone if I called him? That would’ve made even less sense since Caden’s picking me up, but I’m still curious. I tap my fingers on my phone, contemplating calling Oliver, digging myself further into my hole. Ultimately, I figure it’s a bad idea and put my phone down. I turn on my side and make quick work of falling asleep.
Chapter 4
I wake up and remember Scarlet’s late night call. I smile, thinking about how breathy she sounded. When I asked her for a time to pick her up, I hoped she would say I should go and get her then and there. I really wanted to see her, but I don’t think I would’ve been able to. Oliver wouldn’t like that… for multiple reasons.
I get out of bed and go for my morning run. My body is asking for things I’m not prepared to give it, I push myself harder than usual, running off my desires. Working out is a temporary distraction, but my brain can’t move away from thoughts of Scarlet. She’s the focal point. Every step I pound into the cement is a metaphoric pounding I want to give Scarlet. After trekking a few miles, I return home and step into the shower. The water cascades my back, and I rest my hand against the shower wall. My dick twitches, not letting me forget how much I crave this girl. I bang my fist against the wall in anger. I can’t get sidetracked! Especially not like this. Oliver would kill me and I could never betray my brother like that… But it’s just so hard to not want her.
I finish up getting ready, eat breakfast and wait for an appropriate time to leave. She said twelve, so I’ll pick her up at twelve. I could go into the office, but I’m sure Oliver would pick up on my mood. He somehow always knows when something is up with me; it’s our twin intuition, “twintuition” as we sometimes called it. Instead, I pick up a book but can barely get passed the first chapter. My mind is too jumbled and starts remembering the Scarlet from high school. She was a pretty girl and seemed to keep busy with school activities, and she was always kind to everyone she came in contact with. On multiple occasions, Scarlet would buy lunch for other kids who didn’t have money for the school meals. On rainy days, I saw Scarlet offer her umbrella and walk with people home. And every once in a while, when the school held fundraisers, she was spearheading it, organizing volunteers and leading them. Scarlet was amazing.
• • •
Eventually my watch indicates it’s time to leave so I head downstairs. Nicholas and the car are waiting for me. I get inside and we drive to Scarlet’s house. During the ride, I take the time to try and gain some perspective. Oliver and I have great plans for the town. If we can get the Red house, we’ll be well on our way to reviving Coldgrove. These plans aren’t completely new. Our father tried for years before but never had any success. Now a new opportunity was presenting itself. Even if Scarlet was initially hesitant, she must be eager to sell. Coldgrove obviously makes her antsy. She hadn’t been here since graduating high school. I highly doubt there’s been a sudden change of heart regarding her opinion on the town.
We arrive. I sit in the car for a couple of minutes. I take a breath and compose myself. Nothing needs to happen; all I have to do is escort Scarlet to the office, and Oliver and I will persuade her to sell us the house. It’s what we do for a living, and this situation should be no different from any of the others. It’s just like any other job we’ve had. Simple. I get out and approach the front door. I give a strong knock and wait. I’m not waiting long as Scarlet quickly comes to the door, and once again, I’m floored. Every time I see her, it’s like the first time. She’s drying her hair with a towel and tells me to come in.
“Sorry, I’m running a little late. I’m a bit of a mess.” A sexy mess.
“It’s no problem. Should I wait for you in the car?” I awkwardly stand by the door, unsure where to go or what to do. Scarlet smiles and says,
“You can wait here. I’m almost done. I just need to grab my bag.” Scarlet runs into another room, out of view. She’s back soon, bag in hand. “Yup. I’m ready to go.” She’s a lot more enthusiastic than yesterday, which puts me in a better mood.
“Perfect. The car is outside.” We go out and I let her into the car. I’m about to slide in next to her when I briefly excuse myself. “Could you give me a minute? I want to talk to my driver, Nicholas.”
“Of course. No problem.”
I shut the passenger door then head to the driver’s door and tap on the window. Nicholas brings his window down and looks up expectantly.
“Yes, sir?”
I ask him for a pen and paper and direct him to take us to a different address before we go to the office. He agrees and I hop in next to Scarlet.
“Is everything okay?” Concern is on her face, and my immediate reaction is wanting to comfort her. Instead I let her know,
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just needed to speak with Nicholas. It’s not very important.” However, it is, but I want it to be a surprise. Before arriving at her house, I was ready to suppress all my feelings, but the moment I saw her, I knew that would be impossible. There was no way I could look at Scarlet Russell and convince myself to feel nothing. I’d have to be a fool.
As we drive, Scarlet is looking out the car window. I’m not sure what to say. She’s quiet and seems quite contemplative. Her personality really has undergone a major shift. Before all the tragedy hit back in high school, she was extremely lively. She’d talk and laugh, always generally in a good mood, but now there is a reservedness to her character. I’d seen some of it in our final year of school but not up close.
The car arrives at the address I gave to Nicholas, and Scarlet turns to me, confused. “This can’t be your office? Right?”
I smile, mildly amused by the look on her face, “No, no. This isn’t where my brother and I work. Would you mind stepping out of the car? I want to show you something.”
Her body tenses up as she looks out the window, trying to take in her surroundings, “I really think we should be heading to your office.”
I move out of the car then turn back and offer my hand to her with my most sincere smile, “Trust me.”
Scarlet turns her gaze to me then ponders for a moment. She then nods and takes my hand – her skin is soft as silk. We’re parked near a wooded area not too far away from our former high school.
“What are we doing here?” She doesn’t look at me; instead she’s staring deep into the woods. I don’t see anything to indicate fear, so I lose some of the anxiety I was holding in regards to bringing her here. I was worried she’d think I was being creepy.
“Do you remember… what happened here?”
She finally looks at me, but I don’t see any recognition.
“Care to take a walk?” I try to flash her my most reassuring smile. She says yes and we go into the trees. It’s not a densely wooded area nor is it particularly large. There are a few trees, but they give decent enough cover. Deeper inside, though, it can feel like being in a forest. We get to a spot where I used to come after school to be alone. “This is where I used to hang out after school sometimes.” Much of the setup I had is gone. Probably destroyed over the years.
“I know. I’d always see you heading in after school.”
“You did?” I’m surprised she even noticed something like that about me. I never thought Scarlet actually knew who I was back then. We’d spoken a few times, and Oliver and her… they spoke quite a bit, so she must have known a little about me.
“Were you trying to hide it? If so, you were doing a poor job.”
“No,” I say, feeling a little embarrassed now. Maybe I made a few too many assumptions. “I just didn’t think you were paying attention to me back then.”
Scarlet tilts her head and clearly she’s thinking. Ultimately, she ignores my statement and walks further in. She appears to be looking for something. Her eyes are searching skyward, and I think I have an idea of what it is she’s trying to find. Before I can say anything, she locates her objective, “So, it’s still there.”
I go stand by her and look up to see an old wood platform I had built. “Yeah it is. Your memory’s pretty sharp.”
Scarlet turns her face away from the treetops and looks back at me, “I also remember what happened here. It’s not something to forget.”
I guess it was dumb of me to think that she wouldn’t have any memory of what took place. My self-esteem was so low back then, and it looks like remnants of that are still in effect.
“I never got the chance to thank you. You were one of the few people who stood up for me.”
“I’m sorry they treated you that way. I’ll never understand why people feel the need to hurt others.” She wraps her arms around her body. We don’t speak for a few seconds. Then Scarlet looks back up at the platform and asks, “Is it still safe to go up there?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t gone up in years.” I highly doubt it is, though. I assume there’s been no upkeep, and after years of neglect, it can’t be too sturdy. While I was skilled, I don’t think I was a master builder.
“Why don’t we find out?” Before I can protest, Scarlet has gone off towards the base of the tree.
“What are you doing?” I go after her with the intention of not letting her go up there. There’s no chance in hell it’s still safe.
“I’m going to climb this tree and sit on that platform.”
That doesn’t sound very smart. I don’t want to insult her, but I don’t think she is thinking clearly. “Scarlet, I don’t think that’s a very good idea. It’s been years and I don’t think anyone’s been taking care of it. If you go up there, it might collapse under you.” And I do not want that to happen. It would seem she’s gotten more reckless over the years as well.
“That doesn’t matter to me right now. All I want to do is get up into this tree and sit down on that wood platform.” She circles the tree, looking for a way up. She finds the notches I carved in order to scale the tree and starts to climb. My instinct is to grab her, but that would probably cause more problems.
“Jesus, Scarlet! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
She’s about halfway up at this point, and I regret my decision not to forcefully remove her from the tree. “Maybe.”
I watch as she gets closer. She reaches the platform and gets on. It creaks slightly under her weight, but to my surprise, I don’t hear any sudden crash. I can no longer see her, but she pops her head over the side. “Come up!” She motions for me to join her and waits, watching. I look around and loosen my tie. Scarlet is dressed more comfortably, but I am wearing my work clothes. I take off my suit jacket and gently lay it on the ground. I haven’t scaled this tree in a long time. I put my foot into one of the notches and my hand in another. I have no idea how Scarlet managed to get herself up there and make it look so easy. I’m making progress, but it’s slow and with much hardship. I must look like an idiot. She yells encouragement at me as I get closer to the platform, and when I finally reach her, she helps to pull me onto it. Once again, it creaks slightly, but there’s no crash, boom, bang. I lean against one of the trunks in order to catch my breath but mostly calm down.
My heart is racing. “I can’t believe I just did that.” I haven’t been up here since high school. There was no logical reason that would’ve warranted me coming up here. “I mean, it was totally dangerous and stupid.” Chance of injury was, and kind of still is, very high.
“But it paid off. It’s lovely up here.” We take a few seconds to take in the surroundings. There’s a decent view of the nearby area, and the air feels calmer. “I remember the last time I was up here. After those boys tried to… hurt you, you invited me to take a look.”
“I was surprised you said yes. I always thought you thought, I mean, if you thought of me at all, that I was a weirdo.” I was awfully quiet as a kid. Textbook nerd, going off on my own to read or build wood platforms. Not a full-blown loner, but not too far off.
“You were a bit weird but also intriguing. Your brother sometimes talked about you, but I didn’t know how to approach you. It seemed like you preferred to be alone. That day, I followed you because I was hoping we could maybe be friends… Stupid, right?” She looks away from me, a half-smile on her face. I think over her words, stunned. Scarlet Russell wanted to be friends with me in high school, and I was too oblivious to notice. All that time spent pining after her was wasted. I begin to scoot over to her and Scarlet turns to me. Her face begs a question in its expression, but she remains silent. I reach her and place my hand over hers. It’s small and warm. I bring it to my lips, placing a kiss on the top. She makes a small motion to jerk away but ultimately keeps her hand in mine. We put our hands back down on the platform, but then I place my other one against her cheek. She leans her face into my palm and takes a deep breath, eyes closed. I move my face until it’s inches away from hers. She opens her eyes, and we stare at one another.
“Do you still find me interesting?”
It takes a second for the question to register, but once it does, Scarlet lets out a small laugh. “‘Interesting’ is such a throwaway word. I find you unexpected.”
I don’t take the time to think about her response. Instead, I place a soft kiss on her lips. She kisses me back with a gentle tentativeness. I use my tongue to open her mouth and the kiss deepens. Her hand goes into my hair and tugs at it. She moans into my mouth, and I trail my hand down her body. When I reach the edge of her shirt, she breaks the kiss. We’re both breathing heavily. Scarlet places the back of her hand against her mouth, wiping it slightly. She removes her other hand from under mine. “I’m sorry.”
“No worries,” I say quietly. Honestly, I’m deeply disappointed. Maybe I’ve waited too long. She obviously feels something for me, but with the years we haven’t seen each other, I could’ve simply missed my chance. Story of my life.
“I think we should leave…”
Even if there’s no chance, I can’t let things lie. I have to at least make an attempt. “Scarlet, I know we’re going to my office to talk about selling your house, and I have a suspicion that once it’s out of your hands, you’ll leave town. But what if you didn’t leave? I know it’s been a while, but there’s something here and I think-”
“I just want to keep things business. I shouldn’t have let that happen. I can’t get distracted. But you’re right; I want to leave town. We should go meet your brother and see if what the two of you are offering is right for me.” She doesn’t wait for my response, opting to make her exit from the platform. I give her some space. She reaches the bottom and then I make my descent. The air between us is thick and neither speaks. She follows me back to the car, and we ride the rest of the way in silence. Now, it would appear I’ve missed my chance.