"I've got nothing better to do, and I don't like how we ended our call." Summer grunted as she stood tall, her slim body covered by an expensive looking business suit. "I feel so fucking fat today."
Rolling her eyes, Autumn pulled her key out while also trying not to think about what she'd done after the phone call.
It's okay, Summer. Remember your ex, Carter? Yeah, he fingered me after our conversation. All is fine.
Opening the door to her apartment, she flicked on the light, throwing the keys onto a tray.
"You got your car fixed?"
"Yeah."
"Who by?"
"I don't remember the name." The lies were just mounting up. Grabbing two glasses from her cupboard, she kicked off her pumps, and walked barefoot toward her sister, who had already removed her jacket.
"I hate being all formal at times." Summer removed her scarf, and Autumn saw the love bite on her neck.
There was no way Autumn was getting naked in front of her sister. The bruises on her hips would give away what she'd been up to.
"The guy that gave you that hickey still in the picture?"
"Ugh, Brad is always in the picture. It's part of his charm."
"Brad? Your boss."
"The one and only."
Autumn stared at her sister, worried about her. "Don't you think that's a bit risky?"
"Not really. When I first slept with him I didn't know he was the boss. Now I know, and even though I try not to get into bed with him, it's hard. You wouldn't understand."
Taking a seat on the sofa, Autumn forced a smile. "You're right. I wouldn't."
"What can I do to convince you to go on a date with David?"
"Seriously? You bring wine, and you think you're going to get me to agree to date him?"
"What's the big issue? You'll like him. He's reliable."
Rolling her eyes, she sat back. Her anger started to build as Summer tried to sell David to her.
"He's totally your type."
Autumn thought about Carter. He was totally different from every man she'd been with. "What makes him my type?" she asked.
Summer opened her mouth, then closed it again.
"Is it because I can't get anything better? I'm the dumb baker, who can't read and write."
"Autumn, I've never said that."
"Not tonight but I know you have, or at least you've thought it." She drained her glass of wine, standing up to go to the fridge. They were sisters, and with it came a great deal of give and take. Sometimes she thought Summer was a selfish bitch, after all.
"Sweetie, I don't mean it that way."
"Then what way did you mean it? ‘Of course he's your type, Autumn, it's because you're as boring as he is, and you'll have dull sex, and create other little drones that will do the whole conforming crap'!"
"I didn't mean it that way."
"No? Then how exactly did you mean it?" She spun around to see Summer standing on the opposite side of the counter. Stepping forward, she pressed her palms against the counter, and glared at her.
"I don't know. All of your other boyfriends, you have to admit none of them were exciting."
"All of them were pushed on me because of you. All apart from one, my prom date!" She slapped the counter, glaring. "I'm done, Summer. I'm done being your good little sister that will date the men you can't be bothered to be nice to. I have my own life, and it doesn't revolve around your career."
"You're being completely unreasonable."
Staring at her sister, Autumn pointed to the door. "Get out. Get out now before I say something that I fucking regret." Glaring at her sister, she handed her back the wine. "Take it. I don't need this. I don't need anything."
"Autumn, please."
"No. I'm done. Get out."
She urged her sister out, slamming the door closed, then locking it. Going toward her fridge, she pulled out her half-full bottle of wine and poured herself a glass.
"Stupid!" Sitting on her sofa, she turned on the television.
Time passed. She didn't know how much, and then she was grabbing her cell, which had survived its fall when she'd been kissing Carter.
In her cell was also his number. She stared at the number, and thought about what she was about to do.
What was the problem?
Summer had moved on, and wasn't even thinking about Carter.
Any obligation she had was gone.
Opening up a fresh message, she took a couple of minutes to think about what she wanted to say.
Autumn: Yes. The answer is yes.
Message sent, she drained her glass of wine, and headed toward the bathroom. She needed to wash off the day's work. She stank.
****
Denny told him he was out of his mind, but Carter didn't care. From the moment she sent that text, he'd known that he needed to see her, needed to look into her eyes as she answered him.
"Yes. The answer is yes," didn't exactly tell him what she was thinking or feeling.
Running fingers through his hair, he knocked on her door.
When she didn't answer straight away, he knocked again.
"I'm coming." He heard her shout through the door. In the next second the door was opened, and she was standing with her hair bound up on top of her head, with nothing but a towel wrapped around her. "Carter."
"Do you answer the door to all strangers in a towel?" he asked.
"Erm, no. I thought you were my sister. She was here a little while ago, and we got into an argument."
He tilted his head to the side, watching her. "Is that why I got my answer?"
"No. It's not. You got that answer because I finally realized that I didn't do anything for myself. I did it all for everyone else. The baking was the only thing that was mine. Nothing else."
"Why?"
She hesitated, and released the door, letting him inside. He flicked the lock into place as he entered her apartment. The space was entirely hers. The walls were a light cream, and the floors were wood with a couple of carpets along the bottom. Pictures of her family were everywhere. He liked it.
"Why what?"
"Why did you do everything else that everyone else wanted you to do?"
She stood, staring at him, and he saw her flushed and slightly damp body. That one look was all it took for him to get hard.
"I don't know. Because I felt like I was such a failure that doing what they asked was the only thing I could do?" She shrugged, holding onto the towel as if it was a lifeline.
"Is this because of your dyslexia?"
"Don't bring it up. Don't make it sound like it's not a big deal."
"It's not a big deal."
She released a sigh. "You don't know what it's like to be compared."
"Compared to Summer?"
"Yes. I bet you even compare the two of us."
"Baby, you don't have a clue what you're talking about because right now, I'm not comparing you. In fact, I've never compared the two of you."
"Really?"
"What exactly am I supposed to compare the two of you with?"
"I don't know. You slept with the two of us."
"That's not how I work. I've slept with a lot of women, Autumn."
"Great, that's just great."
"No, it's not, not really. None of them have made me come after them."
"Come after them?"
"Do you think I go to the workplace of the women I fuck? No. That's not something I do. I'm not the kind of guy to go around chasing after women. I've never had to."
"What are you trying to say?"
"This between us is something that I can't even begin to describe, okay. I don't want it to end."
She licked her lips and nodded. "I don't want it to end either."
He stepped toward her. "And I don't compare you with anyone else I've been with, because the truth is, they don't compare." He grabbed the knot of her towel and tugged it open. "Now, how about you make it up to me." He took hold of her hip and pulled her close. He noticed the bruises from his fingers, and he liked it. The marks on her skin were from him, and seeing them, only brought out his need to claim her even more.
"How can I make it up to you?" she asked.
Releasing her, he removed his shirt and then his jeans. He removed the condom from his pocket, and placed it between his teeth, careful not to bite down. Next, he took hold of her hands, and moved them both back. He sat down on the sofa, and removed the latex from the wrapper, sliding on the condom.
"Come and sit," he said. "Take my cock."
He held his cock, and beckoned her over to him.
She hesitated for a second, and he knew he needed that shit to stop. She had nothing to feel hesitant about. Not at all.
"I won't bite, unless you ask me to."
"That's not exactly comforting."
"It's okay. Come on, baby."
She said nothing as she stepped toward him. Taking hold of his hand, she placed one knee on the sofa beside his knees, and the other on the other side. Placing his cock at her entrance, he watched as he slid slowly inside her. She took him inch by glorious inch.
Autumn released a little moan as she did. On the last couple of inches, he took hold of her ass and slammed her all the way down.