The Deal (9 page)

Kelsie is pottering around the kitchen, cleaning it so Rob doesn't realise just how bloody messy she really is and as I've ignored her command to go home I'm flicking through one of her travel magazines, uhmming and ahhing at all the beautiful destinations and photographs gracing the pages. It's not until I hear a cough that I break my gaze from the pages and see Kelsie stood opposite me, hands on hips and a stern facial expression gracing her features. She has an apron on with a man's bare chest and a flap which would be concealing a penis (I'm pretty sure she makes Rob wear it) and in this stance I cannot take her seriously. I'm too busy looking at the penis flap than her agitated facial expression. All I do is smile at her and get back to reading about the Sea of Stars beach in the Maldives. Before I can get any further, the magazine is ripped from my hands and I am being dragged from the sofa towards the front door. I know for certain I am going to have red marks around my wrist as Kelsie is squeezing me hard.

“Kels, what the fuck are you doing?!' I screech at her. She gives me a smile and a hug before pushing me out of her front door and I just about catch my keys when she throws them at me.

“Nic, get the fuck home and press pause on this stupid argument. Forget this day happened, forget everything and have sex with that sexy motherfucker like I know you want to. Then talk about it rationally after work tomorrow. Tonight? Just have lots of orgasms,” she says, “Now get lost and let me have my orgasms with Rob.” And with that she slams the door in my face, leaving me staring at it in shock and even more so, I can hear her cackling to herself. I let out a huff and a pout and turn to leave her apartment building. When I get outside, I take a deep breath and begin to walk the short trek home at a snail's pace.

Please just let today be over with.

Craig

I'm pretty sure my dad will be wondering what the hell I am doing here when really, I have only just left. Perhaps hoping that I have come to my senses and realized how fucking stupid the deal is and that Nic and I have 'split up' and I am coming back home. What a surprise he is going to get when I reveal the real reason I am here, and I wonder how long it will take him to shut me down. Let's take a flying guess. . . as soon as the words leave my mouth? Yeah that sounds about right.

I switch off the ignition and tell myself it's now or never. I can see the curtains twitching and I know that my father will be at that door in lightening speed, gloating over the fact that I am back. Building up the courage to get through with this – for my sake and Nic's – I get out of the car and turn to see my father smiling at me, that shitting smug look that I use on Nic, to get my own way, is graced upon his face and I know he is waiting for me to retrieve a bag from the back seat, but he is surely mistaken. If me and Nic did split, I sure as hell would not come crawling back here, no way in hell.

“What are you doing back so soon, Craig? Has Nic kicked you out?” He asks, as I make my way towards him, clutching my car keys so tightly to my palm, I am sure to have marks. But his tone is pissing me right off and if he would only get to know Nic, he would see just how beautiful, in and out, she really is.

My jaw tightens and I resist the urge to say something sarky back to him. Instead I shoot him a fast smile and shake my head. “No, me and Nic are still pretending, so no, I am not back to stay. I actually want to speak to you about something.”

That grabs his attention as he gets out of my way to let me back into the house. He follows me into the living room where I take a seat in the armchair and he takes the other one. I eye my father who raises his eyebrows at me and I frown. At nearing fifty, my father looks haggard. I've never really noticed this before, but he looks tired. He looks worn-out. Bags are under his eyes, his hair is thinning and come to think of it he doesn’t do anything apart from going to work and hanging out with my mother's sister, my aunt, Karen. He doesn’t have a life outside the newspaper and that tears my heart in two. He and mum used to do everything together and since she's gone, he has been on auto; not really getting over the loss of her. My chest tightens at the thought of my mum and my eyes briefly search for the photo of the three of us above the mantelpiece. I was thirteen when she died; I was such a mummy's boy and I think that's why I need to dig up the past. Not just for my dad and Nic's but for my mum too. She would want dad and Peter back together. How it should have been all these years. No one wants to see their parent alone, and despite our differences, my dad needs company and his best friend. I tear my gaze from the photo and clear my throat, leaning forward on my knees.

“I need to know the truth.” I begin, while watching his face, “The truth about you and Nic's dad. About why you fell out, why you banned us from knowing each other. . .we were five for God's sake, and if it has something to do with Nic's mum?” I rush out the questions hoping he picked them up. This is all I want to know, it's all I need to know. These questions lead to the only answers I want and by God, I will get them one way or another.

I watch him freeze on the spot, not knowing how to answer my outburst. He looks everywhere else but me. I've never really asked them about the past, leaving it as it was, but now I know that Nic pestered her parents and she got shot down, well it's my turn. He sits for a few minutes, and I can see the clogs working in that old head of his. I can't bare the silence anymore and I snap, slapping a hand down on my thigh, making my dad jump at my movement.

“So, am I going to know or not?” I spit out, the damn car keys digging shapes into my palm, whilst I wait for my father to say anything. He gives me a tired look and sighs.

“Just leave it, son. There's no need to dreg up the past.” He replies, not really giving me an answer to anything and I am seething. I need to sort this out, I need to know why and I need to do this before our remaining months are up. I want to start afresh with Nic, no deals or wills held over us, our parents getting along and our love real for one another. I just need to know Nic loves me, and I need to prove that I love her too.

“No, dad, this has gone on long enough. I'm twenty-two now, this all happened way before me and Nic were born, God, it's been bloody years and even now neither of you can even stand to be around each other. Everyone knows about the feud, no one knows why and I
need
to know, I really do.” I hash out and I can see just how frustrated my father is getting with me, and I feel the same about him.  “Please, please just tell me what happened! I love Nic, Dad, I always have and I need to know what happened because I want to be with her, for real. Without this Will hanging over us.”

I watch something flicker in his eyes, shock over my confession? Or maybe realisation that his boy has fallen for the enemy? I watch him get up off his seat and storm into the kitchen, where he knows I am fucking going to follow him. He retrieves a beer from the fridge and hands me one too, then motions to the garden, where he knows we will get some privacy when Karen is around.

“You really want to know?” He sighs in defeat, unlocking the back door and opening it.

Well that didn't take long to break him down.
I think, nodding my head. Signalling to the garden, I follow him outside and down the path to his garden shed, his own little man pad and getaway. I grip the beer can tightly and step into his sanctuary, closing the door behind me. I take a seat opposite him, open my can and take a sip, my father doing the same.

“Well you asked for it,” he begins, and I hold my breath as he begins the pivotal story of how he and Peter lost their friendship. “It all started with Kerry....”

Chapter Eight

Craig

Two hours later, one beer and the fallout has been revealed. It hurt my heart to know that this feud tore apart a strong friendship and I was correct – it was down to Kerry. I ball my fists up when I think back to the story of my dad and Peter and how Kerry just ruined everything. Selfish bitch. Every question I had was answered, and I understand perfectly why our grandparents set that deal for Nic and I...they wanted us to find out the truth about the past and the only way that could happen is if we were married. Married so our families were bonded and so our parents would hopefully sort out their friendship. As that isn't happening any time soon, it's down to me to sneakily sort it all out. Nic would blow a fucking gasket if she found out I knew and I warned my dad not to say anything to her, not to speak a word that I know because it would destroy everything between us.

Three months down the line and it's taken until now to move my arse into knowing the secret that has been causing hassle for thirty years. And knowing the truth? I can say that it will never rip us apart. The feud is not something that will ever break me and Nic apart, in marriage or friendship. And right now, all I want to do is go home, kiss Nic and make love to her. Make it up to her for causing those tears to fall down her beautiful face and for making her run away.

Slipping inside the flat, the faint light from our bedroom is eliminating the room and I follow the path towards the glow, wondering if Nic is up or asleep, whether she is still upset. I hold my breath, debating whether it’s best to sleep on the sofa tonight, but I’m being greedy and selfish and I need to hold Nic, especially after finding out about our fathers fight. She is petrified about it and as much as I want to tell her that everything will work out, I can't let her know I have asked and found out about it. She would never hear me out and she'd leave me. . . I have to keep it a secret for now.

When I reach our bedroom, I can't help the smile that creeps up. Nic is snuggled under the duvet, kindle in hand and a small smile gracing her peaceful features and I can see wet tracks on her cheeks. I bet I know exactly what book she's been reading. It's one of her favourites and you can bet that she will read it once a month and when she gets to the end, will sob her little heart out – every damn time – and then sigh in relief when everything turns out okay.  I make my way over to her side and take the Kindle from her hands, placing it on her bedside table. I move around and swiftly slip into bed beside her, wrapping my arms around her body. I kiss her shoulder and let my mind wander to a night not so long ago when we had a go at recreating one of her favourite scenes...

“So baby, what smutty book are you reading now?” I send a smirk in her direction, and she quickly shoots daggers at me before getting back into the story. “You know, all the dirty talk and sex must get you so horny, you must get so drenched from reading how hard and fast and deep they fuck.” I can see I'm affecting her; her chest is rising and falling faster and a red tinge is blotching her chest and face, but she tries to ignore my words, concentrating on her kindle.

I take a step closer towards her and snatch up her kindle. Nic is fast on her feet though but not fast enough to grab the device back from me. I can see her eyes widen and she pleads with her eyes for me not to read it – but I’m a bastard and I go against her wishes.

My eyes skim the passage she is reading and my eyes bulge out of my head. FUCK! This is some dirty shit she is reading and fuck, is this guy for real? He's some macho, alpha piece of shit that has girls dropping their knickers for him and oh, of course, he is just the most amazing douchebag in bed, that he has the girl screaming at just a single touch. Does Nic seriously like this crap?

I turn towards her, but she's not in the room anymore. I can hear her stomping around our bedroom, obviously pissed off that I stole her kindle and read her smut. The only reason girls buy a kindle is for this – for them to hide the sex books they all secretly have...and my girl definitely has an array of smut ready to turn her the fuck on.

Then an idea comes to my mind, and a smirk appears. Grasping the kindle in my hand, I storm into the door and slam the door shut. I see her jump then turn around, hands on hips, glaring at me. Is there anything this girl can't do to turn me on?
“Give it back, Craig!” She pouts, holding out her hand to me. But I have other ideas in mind, one that forces her to find her favourite sex scene so we can recreate it. I shake my head and look back down at the porn then back to her. I hear a little gasp and I know that my eyes have turned a darker blue. Nic tells me that they turn when I'm horny and they always make her breathless. I hand over the kindle to her and ask her to pick her favourite scene. She gives me a look, but gets right to it. JESUS CHRIST! Has she been thinking of this too? Or does she get her rocks off to this scene all the time? I rub a hand over my face and watch her click through the device before handing it back to me. She looks sheepish, she's biting her lip and my God, I cannot wait to read this filth and get down to fucking the shit out of her.
That
will make her forget about whoever she is visualising fucking this girl and she'll be thinking of
us
when she reads her smut from now on, I'll make sure of it. I can feel her watching me intently, waiting for a reaction to the scene she has just picked out and as I read it, I try not to let my reaction show too much – she would be loving it – so I flick through the pages, until the scene is over and turn off the kindle.

I walk towards her side of the bed, skimming past her and place the device on the bedside table. Whatever the fuck I just read, that will come to life in a few seconds, but at this moment, I like taking her by surprise, not letting her know just how affected I am by that sex scene. I turn around slowly, and what I can only guess is a predatory grin splashed across my face by the way she is cowering, taking small steps backwards until she hits the wall. I cage her in, hands either side of her head, my body flush against her and she can most definitely feel how hard I am for her. ALWAYS for her.