The Ties that Bind (Kingdom) (3 page)

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. He wasn’t good enough for her. He was never good enough for her, and she’s better off without him.”

“He is good enough for her. Stephen Blackman is exactly what and who Hope needs in her life, and if I have anything to do with it, he will be in her life for the rest of her life.”

“I’ll fight you on this, and you know I’ll win.”

“I would expect nothing less from you, Mason.”

Hope had heard enough. Her head was spinning with their constant back and forth jibes for supremacy. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t want a damn thing to do with either of them. They were as bad as each other. No wonder she was such a monumental fuck up.

Chapter 3

Steve knew he was awake, but his mind almost refused to accept it. He knew there was something his subconscious was attempting to pull up, but currently recollection eluded him. Using his other senses, he concentrated on his surroundings in an attempt to focus his mind.

He could feel that he was laying on his back on cotton sheets, his naked body attested to that. He could hear the sound of an air conditioning unit as it droned in an attempt to cool the air, but his body still felt sticky with sweat.

Running his tongue across his lips, Steve was aware of the horrible taste of his mouth. The taste that normally came the morning after an over indulgence of alcohol.

Flashes of light passed behind Steve’s closed eyes, and he instantly recalled what had taken place at the house between Hope and Jason. His hands fisted in the material of the bedding as his breathing intensified until he was panting. Fresh sweat broke out across his body as his agitation grew.

He didn’t want to remember, but he had no control over the direction his thoughts took him. Over and over again he heard her, Hope. He heard the way she had blatantly propositioned his best friend. The way she threw herself at Jason, refusing to take no for an answer.

He replayed the way he had stood outside the balcony door and heard it all. He recalled How he had felt as the woman he loved above all others, had ripped his heart out of his chest leaving behind a gaping hole that sent shockwaves of pain through him with every breath.

Steve’s eyes popped open in an attempt to push away memories of what had taken place. Gazing up at the ceiling, he attempted to regulate his breathing, to take short breaths, but it was no use, calm eluded him.

Not wanting to look but knowing he had to, Steve slowly turned his head, and only just managed to hold in his groan at what he saw. Spread out beside him were two women he had no recollection of ever having seen before.

Steve’s eyes sprung to the nightstand. He had no recollection of the past night. He wasn’t concerned with the time, he just wanted there to be evidence that he had used protection.
Please let me have had enough of my faculties in place to have used protection… please… please.
The prayers played again and again in his head as he tried to focus his eyes.

There it was, a box of condoms. Steve breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes settled on the box. Giving up a prayer of thanks he again turned his eyes back to his bed partners who were both still dead to the world.

Looking at them, Steve felt the bile rise within him, and he knew he had to get away from these nameless women as soon as possible. Sitting up too quickly, his world tilted on its axis. His head spinning, the residue of alcohol still in his system, almost found a way to his throat. Gulping for breath, Steve somehow managed not to empty the contents of his stomach where he sat.

Grabbing a sheet that was pooled at the end of the bed, he fought through the pain that hammered away in his head. Standing, Steve wrapped the material around his body, toga style. Sheet in place he looked over at the sleeping women only to see that one of them looked back at him. Her crystal blue eyes regarding him in a way he could only describe as vacant.

Licking his lips, Steve tried to speak and failed. His throat was dry, and the taste in his mouth again caused bile to rise within him. Breaking eye contact with her, he looked around and spotted another door, which he hoped was the bathroom. Heading in that direction, he pushed open the door and exhaled. Closing it behind him, Steve braced his back against the wooden panel and closed his eyes. Blurred flashes of the night before began to move through his mind in rapid succession, but they all passed too quickly for him to hold on to.

Steve tried to bring up a solid memory of what for most men would be a fantasy come true. He drew a blank. He could remember nothing of the night he had spent with the women.

Steve knew he had a healthy sex drive. It had been that way since he and Jason had first discovered girls at the age of fourteen. In this day and age that might be old for some, but he and Jason had been kept busy by his parents, their days filled with school and sporting activities. Their tough schedule had left little to no time for girls.

Once he and Jason had hit puberty they had been plagued by the demands of their bodies. They had spent countless hours talking about it, and Jason seemed to have all the answers to any question Steve had asked. Steve later found out that Jason acquired his wealth of knowledge through accessing the Internet and somehow managing to wipe the memory clean so that his parents never found out what he had been looking at.

Steve also remembered the
talk
he and Jason had endured from his father about the
facts of life
as he had termed it.

Twenty-One Years Earlier

“Take a seat. We need to have a talk. Your mother thinks the time has come for us men to have a talk about the facts of life.”

Steve and Jason looked at each other, and both of them broke out in a sweat of embarrassment and agitation.

“Now your mother and I know that you have both been, how can I say this? Let me start again. You have both reached a time in your life where you are beginning to experience certain changes in your bodies.

The way you boys are dealing with these changes is perfectly normal, both your mother and I want you to know that. You both have nothing to be ashamed of. However, your mother, as the only female in this household needs for you both, although she has not voiced this in so many words. She needs for you both to be a little bit more... discreet in your… again, how can I say this delicately? Nope, can’t think of a delicate way to put it, your incessant jacking off! For the love of God, if it’s not one of you it’s the other, and God forbid that you should both feel the need at the same time!”

At that moment, it was Steve’s earnest prayer that the floor would open up and take him. He even contemplated shouting
fire
,
fire
. He knew the thought was foolish, but at least he would be doing something, anything to distract his father and lessen his mortification about what his father had just said.

Looking over at Jason, Steve saw he was bright red with embarrassment. His father had gone on to ask them what they actually knew about the changes they were experiencing and Steve was struck dumb.

Jason stepped up to the plate and spoke for them both. His voice taking on a monotone quality as he recited what sounded like all the many facts he had picked up during his Internet trawls.

His father had eased back in his chair, folded his hands across his abdomen and listened to the whole spiel without interruption. When Jason was finished, they all sat in silence for a few moments before his father spoke.

“Stephen, am I correct in thinking that you understand all Jason has just said?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Good, very good. I only have a few more comments to make, and then I’ll leave this subject alone. I want you boys to know that there is never anything wrong with partaking in consensual sexual activity. You boys are only fourteen years old so, of course, I would much rather you both refrained from said activity until you are much older. I of course understand that I cannot stop you if that is your mind-set. All I can say is, enjoy these years as boys, you will be men soon enough, don’t rush it.

I also want you both to know that your mother and I are here whenever you need us. I know I don’t have to tell you again of the importance of being gentlemen. I know that lesson has already been imprinted in your minds. Isn’t that so?”

After hearing their choruses of, “Yes sir.” He continued.

“So these are my rules: You will always treat women with respect. You will never raise a hand to a woman. You will never force a woman into doing something against her will, and you will always use a condom when having intercourse for the protection of both you and your partner. Do you both understand my rules?”

He and Jason nodded their heads quickly wanting nothing more than to get away from having to endure another moment of the conversation.

“Good. This didn’t take as long as I thought. I think I can still get in a game of golf. You can both go. Just remember what I said, and keep the noise down!

Oh, one final word of advice.” Both boys stopped in their tracks. “I’m going to tell it to you just the way my father told it to me. When you reach that particular point in your lives where you are contemplating sleeping with a woman, always remember, never, and I mean never, remove your draws before your shirt. You’ll only end up looking like a damn fool. That’s about it, you can both go.”

He and Jason exited the room like the hounds of hell were nipping at their heels. To this day, Steve could still hear the sound of his father’s laughter as it followed them through the door and down the hallway.

Present Day

Jolting himself out of his reverie, Steve used the bathroom, and brushed his teeth in an attempt to rid his mouth of its disgusting taste. Pausing for a moment, he looked into the mirror conducting a study of his reflection.

Apart from his bloodshot eyes, he looked perfectly normal. He had no bags under his eyes to reflect a night of decadent excess, no haggard look to show just how devastated he was actually feeling. Nothing, just the same face that he saw each and every day.

Steve knew he was a handsome man, maybe even too handsome. When he was younger he had come to blows with men who thought because of his exceptional looks he could be taken advantage of. He also knew that because of the way he looked, he could probably get any woman he set his mind to seducing. He had also been propositioned by enough men to know if he were so inclined, he could probably take his pick in that arena as well.

Steve stared at his too handsome face dispassionately as he took in his features one by one. He had seen it all before, what attracted others to him. Yet what he wanted more than anything eluded him.

More than anything Steve wanted his life to be stable, to be a representation of the life he had lived while growing up. He wanted a family, and children with a woman who would be proud to stand beside him in their walk through life. Hope, always his thoughts returned to Hope. He knew he still loved her. Even through her betrayal of his trust. Steve kept asking himself the same question repeatedly, how did one turn off feelings of love? He had yet to come up with a plausible answer.

Steve knew what he needed was the familiar, the one person who had been a constant part of his life since childhood. The person who knew him best. The person the woman he loved had propositioned in the most warped way his mind could conceive.

Hearing Hope’s words still rocked him back on his heels. They didn’t make sense. How did she think she would be able to get away with such a thing? Why Jason? Why his brother? What was missing from their relationship that would push her to betray him in the way that she had? Why, why, why? The same questions resounded within Steve’s mind without cessation, and no matter how he looked at it, it didn’t add up.

Yes, Hope was self-centered. Anyone who knew her knew that about her. But she was also one of the kindest people Steve knew, and she also valued what few friends she had. Aviva was one of the few that she not only valued but also loved and respected.

Although Hope had never admitted it to Aviva, she had given up one of the most lucrative jobs of her career, a shot at hosting her own television show. Hope had called Aviva with the news only to find out that she was ill and had dropped everything to go to her aid. Hope had never told Aviva what she had given up, she had also swore him to secrecy.

When he had asked her why she didn’t want Aviva to know the truth, the simplicity of her response had surprised him.

“She’s my sister and she needs me.” For Hope it had been that simple.

Knowing all that he did about her, Steve understood there was something else going on. But he couldn’t decipher it. Something was missing from the tableau.

But first he had a situation that he needed to deal with. How the hell was he going to get rid of the women in the next room? Should he pay them? Should he just tell them it was time to leave? What was the correct protocol? If he could remember how they had hooked up in the first place he would have more of an idea of how to proceed. As it was, he was working blind.

Turning away from the mirror, Steve pulled himself up to his full height of six foot five and took a deep breath. He needed them gone. But first he needed to be clean. Stepping into the shower, he allowed the water to wash away some of the cobwebs that still clouded his brain.

Fortified, he opened the bedroom door, ready to deal with the situation he found himself in.

Re-entering the room, Steve saw that both women were now wide-awake, and his overriding thought was how to get rid of them without causing too much offense. That they would be offended was almost a given, he just needed a way to minimize the situation.

“Ladies, thank you for spending the night, but it’s time for you to go.”

Steve paid close attention to their reactions as his words registered with them. He saw the exchange of glances that passed between them and a spark went off in his head. Something seemed off kilter.

His being with these women didn’t sit comfortably with him. He knew he was going through a bad patch with all the changes that had taken place in his life of late. However, finding himself in a hotel room with two strangers was out of character for him. Also, why was his memory of the past night such a blur? He could recall some aspects of the night while others remained clouded. Something was
obviously
off. Adding to his confusion was their reaction to his dismissal of them, it was all wrong.