Rub Me the Right Way Read online

  “Until next week. Just...please? I want to wait.”

  “All right.” Cole held back a sigh of frustration. He supposed she wanted to prove that their relationship was about something more than just sex. He could respect that.

  She walked him to the door, where they shared a long and intimate kiss. Then he headed home, filled with sexual frustration, but also with hope for the future. He might be leaving her tonight, but he knew he would be back, and soon, everything would be the way it was supposed to be.

  Chapter 13

  Over the next few weeks, Amanda almost felt like she was in a real relationship. Cole was only in town a couple of days each week, but even if he couldn't be there for long, he flew out in order to spend time with her and James. Some nights, after they put James to bed, they made love long into the night. James even seemed to get used to the idea of Cole being there in the morning when he woke up.

  Cole spoiled James each time he came to visit. He brought clothes, toys, and books. On the third visit, he brought James a bicycle. James was so excited that he made them take him outside right away so he could start learning to ride it. He wobbled a lot, but the training wheels helped him stay upright.

  When James's birthday was approaching, Cole asked Amanda, “Can we do something for his birthday? I was thinking of a party at my parents' house.”

  They were sitting in the kitchen, talking over a couple of cups of coffee. James was in the other room, reading some of his new storybooks. This was the first time Cole had asked about doing something with his family. And it made Amanda realize they were finally at a serious crossroads.

  “You want to introduce him to your parents?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah.” Cole shrugged. “I mean, they're his grandparents.”

  “Right.” Amanda tapped her fingers against her coffee cup, thinking it over. She knew this was a step they needed to take if this relationship was ever going to work. It would be the big test. If Cole could really introduce James to his grandparents, it would mean he was really taking responsibility for his son. Making him a part of the family.

  If they could do that, Amanda realized, it would mean that all of this was finally real. She wouldn't just be the girl Cole was sleeping with. He would be declaring to everyone that he was a father, and that would be the greatest gesture he could make.

  “It sounds like a great idea,” she said.

  They worked out all of the details, though before the party itself, Amanda insisted that they bring James to meet his grandparents first. Cole made arrangements for them to have lunch at his parents' house, and they drove down together one afternoon. Amanda made sure to dress James up in his best clothes, in order to make a good impression. Cole's parents had briefly met James at the wedding, but this was something different altogether.

  Cole's parents greeted them warmly at the door. His mother gave Amanda a big hug, talking about how much she had grown up over the years. Aside from the wedding, Amanda hadn't seen them much since the days when she and Michelle used to hang out in high school.

  They sat together in the living room, eating a simple lunch of sandwiches and finger food. They made small talk for a while, while Amanda tried to figure out how to bring up the subject they'd really come there to discuss.

  “So,” Cole's mother said, “Michelle tells us that you two have been seeing a lot of each other lately.”

  Amanda blushed and looked at Cole, meeting his eyes. She hadn't realized that Michelle had been talking about them to her parents. “Yeah,” Amanda said. “Things have been...going well.”

  “I always liked you, Amanda,” Cole's mother said. “You're such a sweet girl. So down to earth. I think that's exactly what Cole needs.”

  Amanda's blush deepened. “Well, thank you. I'm glad to hear it.”

  Cole's father looked her up and down with a stern gaze. “I hate to be the sour grape in this conversation,” he said, “but I'm afraid I have to point out that I'm not sure it's appropriate for our son to be dating a woman who already has a child.”

  “Dad,” Cole said, giving him a stern look.

  His father held up a hand. “I'm not trying to make any accusations or anything. But it has to be said.” He looked at Amanda. “Cole makes quite a lot of money, I'm sure you know that. Now, I'm not saying you'd get involved with him just because of that, but I'm sure that it's crossed your mind that getting your hooks in someone like him would mean quite an easy life for you and your son.”

  “Getting my 'hooks' in him?” Amanda scowled at him. “Excuse me, but I don't think—”

  “Amanda,” Cole said, putting his hand on her knee.

  She frowned at him, biting back her harsh words. She wanted to yell at his father, to tell him that he had no right to accuse her of something like that. Not after all the years she'd spent raising James alone, with no support from Cole or anyone in his family. But the look on Cole's face kept her quiet. These were his parents. It was his place to tell them.

  “Mom,” Cole said. “Dad. There's something I need to tell you.”

  “Oh God,” his dad said. His frown deepened.

  Cole's mother just sat back on the couch, folding her hands in her lap.

  Cole took a deep breath. He looked to Amanda. She smiled at him and put a hand on his knee.

  “Amanda and I didn't just get together,” Cole said. “What I mean is, this isn't the first time we were together. Back when we were in school, there was a...well, I mean we...”

  Cole's father turned and looked at James.

  Amanda cleared her throat. “Cole and I spent a night together,” she said. “Five years ago.”

  Cole's mother turned as well, looking at James. James sat off to the side, eating a sandwich and looking through one of his books. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to what the adults were talking about.

  “Cole,” his father said. “Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?”

  “Well,” Cole said. “Mom, Dad. You're...well, you're his grandparents.”

  They looked at James again. He finally looked up from his book when he realized everyone was staring at him. “What?” he asked.

  Cole's father scowled. His mother started to beam, covering her mouth with her hands. She got up and crossed the room, kneeling by James's chair and stroking his face. “Oh,” she said. “Oh my. My precious little angel.”

  “Cole,” his father said. “Are you sure about this? I mean, we could have a paternity test done...”

  “Dad, come on,” Cole said, rolling his eyes. “Believe me, I'm sure.”

  “I wouldn't lie about this,” Amanda said. “If I had wanted to, I wouldn't have kept it secret for so many years. But I didn't want to be a burden.”

  Cole's father rubbed his chin. He got up and started pacing around. “Well, if this is how it is. I mean, if you're sure, and you're sure this is what you want.”

  Cole squeezed Amanda's knee, a wide smile on his face. “I'm sure, Dad.”

  His father stood over Amanda, looking her up and down. “Well, then. I suppose I should welcome you to the family.”

  Amanda smiled, feeling a warmth spreading in her chest. She got up and gave Cole's father a hug. Then she picked up James and explained to him that these were his grandparents.

  They spent the rest of the day catching up. Cole's mother asked a million questions about James, wanting to know every little thing about his life. His father focused mostly on practical concerns: how was his health, and was he showing signs of proper development. When Amanda explained that she hadn't been able to afford to take James to the doctor for years, he insisted on setting up an appointment with a pediatrician, promising to take care of the bills.

  By the time they left that night, James was tired from all of the attention, though he seemed excited to know that he finally had grandparents, and a real dad. Cole and Amanda took him home and tucked him into bed. Then Amanda took Cole's hands and led him into her bedroom.

  She pulled him into bed, h
er movements slow and sensual. She was filled with warmth and desire, and she was finally starting to accept that everything was going to work out.

  She made love to Cole, basked in the moonlight that streamed in through the window. She held his hand against her chest, their fingers intertwined, while he filled her and pleasured her. Their bodies were as one, and it was everything she could have hoped for, everything she could have dreamed for.

  And she didn't give a single thought to using protection, for even though she knew she might get pregnant again, she was more than ready to bring another child into the world. They were a family now, and their family bonds were growing with each passing week. She could already see the future, and she knew that she and Cole were meant to be together. It had taken them a long time to get to this point. They had missed out on a lot of time together, years lost that could never be regained. But now that they were building their relationship, they were going to do it right. And when James, one day, had a little brother or sister, that child would grow up in a house with two parents who loved each other, who needed each other, and who would provide their children with every opportunity that they could possibly imagine.

  After he came, Amanda held Cole against her chest, stroking his hair and whispering softly to him in the night. They held each other close, and for the first time in a long time, Amanda went to sleep without any fear. Because she knew that the man who held her in his arms would keep her safe, keep her close. And she knew without a doubt that when she woke up in the morning, he would still be there. and he would be there every morning after, for the rest of their live.

  ***THE END***

  STEPBROTHER ALPHA’S BABY

  Chapter one

  I thought that I had it all and my dad was always that big shot that had me rolling in luxury. I had nothing but the best. I didn’t even know that there was anything to worry about until it was too late. I lived thinking that money grew on trees. Any time that I asked for something, it would be given to me freely without reservation or hesitation. Growing up, I was forced into culture and religious beliefs by my dearly departed mother.

  I also had a naughty and rebellious side of my father that was most likely the cause of my father going prematurely gray. Thankfully, it didn’t make him look old. It made him look sophisticated and worldly.

  You’re welcome dad.

  “Jessica, I want you to come down here and apologize to your brother.” I heard my father’s voice and I knew that I was in a bit of trouble. It wasn’t anything that I couldn’t get out by batting my eyelashes or feigning innocence. It would work on my father, but my stepmother Allison was another story altogether. She never let me get away with anything. The days of having my father wrapped around my little finger had vanished a year ago.

  My father was a bit of a playboy and he used his good looks and charming personality to bed down several different playmates. Thankfully, his bedroom was on the other side of this large estate and I could barely hear anything. The most that I got were mumbles and girlish glee, but it was what happened a year ago that changed everything.

  We had the most amazing collection of cars and they started to dwindle, as my father started to sell them off to keep the roof over our head. He claimed that it was only a precautionary measure, but I knew that being a real estate mogul didn’t help matters. The bottom had dropped out and he was one of the few that had stuck it out to the bitter end. We downsized everything, but our home was a heritage that was passed down by his father and his father before that.

  I knew that there was only so much that I could do and ignoring my father was not going to be seen in the best light. My father the consummate player had fallen for a well to do socialite. Allison was born with this silver spoon in her mouth. Her family came from old money revolving around a media empire. Why she wanted to get sidled with an instant family was beyond me. It must have been love. It was the only thing that would explain her need to drop into our lives.

  She didn’t come alone and her main bit of baggage was her twenty year old son. Anthony was one of those guys that thought the world owed him something.

  I was sitting on my bed in the Lotus position with the flecks of moonlight coming through the window. It was pretty damn cool to be this flexible and big boned.

  I could see the bathroom and the illumination of the light underneath. I remember lying here many nights hearing him in there showering and wondering what he would look like completely naked.

  “Jessica…Sarah, get down here and you are trying my patience. If you don’t want to lose television privileges and your phone, you will make an appearance whether you like it or not.” Using my middle name with my first meant that he was serious. One thing that I couldn’t do without was my phone and I pretty much had my whole life inside that thing. I even had some risqué photos of my stepbrother. I’d caught him on a couple occasions with his shirt off and was able to subtly take a few quick snapshots for my fantasy life. A six pack and muscles busting out all over the place fueled many nights alone in the room.

  “OKAY…OKAY…I’m just finishing up some homework. Give me about 5 minutes and I’ll be happy to come down and face the music.” He had always considered my homework to be the one thing that I could not slack off on. He expected nothing but the best. I had an IQ that was the equivalent of Einstein himself. I didn’t have the social skills and only one real friend of the gothic persuasion. Helena was a Greek transplant to the school and we had become fast friends, despite the fact that she wore dark makeup and clothing that made her look like she was in mourning 24 hours a day.

  I looked out the window and I saw his black jeep. Anthony was quite the ladies’ man and his idea of making a commitment was paying for dinner and expecting something in return. I didn’t think much of him when he first got here, but I did notice that I had those butterflies whenever he was around. I was constantly looking in his direction and biting my bottom lip with the anticipation of seeing him without his clothes on one day. He had the football player body and the gym in the basement was now getting used too. It was pretty much a second thought, but then he came along and brought with him those muscles that probably could easily carry me all over the house.

  I stood at my mirror looking at my body and knowing that calisthenics and Yoga had made me the vivacious woman that I see looking back at me. My lips were adorned with the slightest bit of makeup. It was just enough to enhance my already natural beauty. I was at the perfect height at 5’8 and was carrying 160 pounds in all the right places. I had the kind of ass every woman was jealous of with more junk in the trunk. A modest pair of C cup breasts rounded off my figure. I had been told by several boyfriends that I had the most amazing green eyes that they had ever seen in their lives.

  I was getting ready for bed and was wearing nothing, but a pair of very sheer panties and a white man’s shirt. It made me feel like I was closer to my father by wearing his stuff. It seemed a little silly and maybe a little creepy to some, but this was something that was between me and my father. There was nothing unsavory about our relationship. I wouldn’t consider wearing his shirt to be that strange.

  I came out into the hall and I bounded down the stairs. Anthony was standing there in a pair of black chinos with a silver belt. His shirt consisted of a pullover blue Henley. His dark hair was combed straight back and that clean shaven look was only making it the much more difficult to be around him without wanting to do something.

  “I don’t know what this is about, but I do hope that we can dispense with pleasantries.” Anthony had his keys in his hands and I could tell that he had found that small tiny little dent in the back of his bumper. It was so small that you would have to literally be looking right at it to see it. “If I didn’t put the dishes away, then I apologize. I’m sure that I can get to them later.” I was showing a bit of attitude, but it was mostly for Anthony’s benefit.

  “Anthony has told me that you took his jeep for a joy ride. I told him that there was no possible way that you would
do something like that, but then I thought about Helena. She’s always over here and to be honest I find her to be a little off putting. I believe that she might be a bad influence on you, but I would never tell you who you can be friends with. Before you say that you didn’t do it, remember that we have cameras outside in the yard.” I’d almost forgotten about that and there was virtually nothing I could do that my father wouldn’t find out about.

  “We didn’t go very far. We went down to the lake to watch the fireworks the other night. It wasn’t even my fault. Some drunken jock bumped into it with his jaguar. I was only told this after the fact, but it was so small that I didn’t really concern myself.”

  “You’re going to have to work it off. I suggest that you give your brother your expertise with organization. I walk by his room several times and it looks like a tornado went through it. Your punishment is one week cleaning up after him.” I didn’t enjoy being made into his personal maid, but it did offer me a unique opportunity that I never expected. I would be able to go into the inner sanctum of his bedroom. It was always off limits before, but now my father had given me the perfect way to take a look around.

  “I’m going to be out until curfew anyway. By all means, you can tidy up. Just don’t come crying to me when you find some old pieces of pizza or dirty underwear.” He patted me on the head like I was some tiny little pet. “Just make sure that you’re done before I get home.” What he didn’t want to mention was that he usually came home, but not by himself. He was always sneaking young impressionable girls up to his room. In the last year, I counted at least 30 different partners and all of them left with a smile on their face. Our bedroom was right beside one another with a connecting bathroom. You can imagine that their screams to God were not exactly in a religious way.

  “I’ll spend an hour in there and whatever I don’t get done today, I’ll finish up during the week. I apologize for what happened to your jeep, but it isn’t anything more than a nuisance. You could probably have it hammered out very quickly. You really didn’t have to squeal to my father.” I made him look like he was some kind of snitch.