Both my brothers nodded slowly, eyeing me with renewed respect.
"Well if you're into editing, you might want to check out Cinaeaste or Modern Review," suggested Stryke. "Both are trade pubs and have a lot of helpful articles about breaking in as an editorial assistant."
Hmmm, so my brothers weren't just gorgeous, they had brains too. They were headed off into Hollywood, a notoriously competitive arena, but weren't going to try and cash in on their good looks. Instead, it seemed they more interested in writing / producing / directing, and had already begun to research the industry. Very interesting.
And the rest of the lunch went really well, typical boring chit chat getting-to-know-you type stuff, until the very end. We got up to go, my mom leaning over to give Dr. Jones a kiss goodbye, when Saxon turned to me.
"By the way Melanie," he murmured. "Your skirt's tucked into your panties."
I looked down. Oh my god! When I'd come back from the bathroom, I must not have pulled my skirt down all the way, and now the flimsy pink material was tucked into my little g-string, revealing my bare ass cheeks, the strip of lace covering absolutely zero. Even more embarrassing, that lace was darkened with moisture, testament to my heightened arousal around these gorgeous men. Flushed, I hurriedly pulled the material down, trying to cover as much skin as possible.
"Try to wear a longer skirt next time, hmm?" mused Saxon, eyeing me suggestively.
And before I'd even realized what had happened, Stryke swiped a big palm across my ass, my skin burning as he touched me, that large hand warm and hard. Oh my god, wtf? Had my new brother just copped a feel in the middle of a restaurant? Stryke's face was expressionless, calmly neutral, although there was a gleam in his eye.
And just when I was about to believe it was my imagination, Saxon reached between my legs, and lightly tapped the moistness at the crotch of my panties.
"Oh!" I gasped. I wanted to be outraged, scandalized at their bold moves. But it had felt so good, those warm fingers brushing against my secret space, niggling my clit for just a minute before touching my wetness.
And Saxon brought his hand to his lips for a second, tasting a bit, sniffing, before smiling at me.
"Aromatic and sweet, just the way we like it," he murmured appreciatively.
I was now absolutely floored, but fortunately saved by my mom's clucking.
"Boys, it was so nice meeting you, and we'll see you at the wedding okay?" chirped Noreen. "I'm glad we finally got to get together," she smiled. Oh my god, what would my mom do if she knew that my stepbrothers had just fondled me intimately, testing my pussy and behind? Would the wedding still be on?
But I decided not to find out. I was headed to college on the East Coast and my brothers would be on the West. So I smiled politely, my eyes large and my cunny wet, murmuring goodbye to my new steps, relieved yet tantalized at the scandalous meeting.
CHAPTER TWO
Melanie
Mom and Sam got married in a small ceremony at the hospital chapel. It was really sweet, just the four of us, my mom, my new dad, the pastor, and me as the witness. I have to admit – I was kind of relieved that Saxon and Stryke hadn't been able to make it. It was finals week at their high school, and their mom wouldn't let them take any time off from studying. Guess there was no love lost between Sam and his ex-wife.
The wedding was sweet, simple and straightforward. My mom and stepdad hadn't wanted a huge shindig because it was the second marriage for both, so low key and low profile were the way to go. And my mom's quality of life was about to improve – I was finally off to college and Noreen was free to enjoy her golden years with her new husband.
But unexpectedly, I got a call from Mom in the middle of the day, when she normally would have been at work.
"Melly, Sam's been called to Afghanistan," Noreen sobbed.
"What?" I gasped. How was this possible? Sam was a doctor, and sure, they needed doctors in Afghanistan, but he was at least fifty. Did they ship men in their later years off to war zones? How had they gotten his name and number anyways?
My mom sighed.
"Sam's been in the Army reserves ever since he finished active duty," she said. "Active duty was thirty years ago, but you know how he's so patriotic, always diligently showing up for those weekend drills. Well, I guess the government paid attention and now he's been called up," she said sadly.
"Don't worry Mom, I'm sure it's going to be fine," I reassured her. "Sam will be behind the lines, probably restricted to the green zone."
"I'm not sure," replied my mom tearfully. "I hear medics go out into Kabul with the troops, and you know how Sam is. He'd volunteer for the front line just to make sure his brothers are safe."
It was probably true and there was nothing good that could come of this, so I just made soothing noises.
"Don't worry Ma, everything's going to be alright, just hold tight. How long is his deployment?" I asked.
"A year," she cried. "And we just got married!"
"That's no time at all," I soothed again. "The United States isn't going to make you into a widow so fast," I said. Oops, major boo-boo because my mom wailed even louder.
But I hastened to correct my mistake, smoothing things over.
"You're going to be alright, okay Ma? Just go to the hospital as usual, and everything's gonna be fine. The kids at work love you, don't let them down just because of this."
She sobbed a bit more and sniffled, but calmed a bit.
"Thanks Melly. You take care too, okay? How is school? Are the people at Trinity nice? How are they treating you?" she asked.
"It's great, the people are great," I reassured her. And the truth was Trinity was pretty awesome … except for the tuition bill sitting on top of my dresser. I wanted to talk to her about next year's fees but now didn't seem like the time.
"Well honey, we love you but try to save a little during the coming year okay? Sam's going to be paid an Army wage, which is almost nothing, and you know how little I make as a nurse. So be frugal okay, baby? Is there any way you could get a part-time job?"
I could almost hear a big steel door clanging shut on my dreams but I kept my voice steady for the sake of my mom.
"Sure, I can find a job, Ma," I said. "Let me just go to the Student Learning Center and take a peek, they have a job board over there. Don't worry about a thing," I promised.
"Thanks baby," she sniffled. "Hang in there, okay? And you're coming home in two weeks, right?"
Oh shit. That's right, I'd promised to come home to spend some quality time with her, my first visit home since starting freshman year.
"Yep, that's right Ma, I'm going to drive up, so see you then!" I said with fake cheeriness. I hung up on a high note, but my chest felt tight, and a cloud of panic was descending on my brain. Not only was my stepdad going to war, but I had no way of paying next semester's tuition. What was I going to do?
CHAPTER THREE
Melanie
The crowds were raucous and noisy from behind the velvet curtain. I twisted the tie on my g-string and fidgeted uncertainly. This idea didn't seem so good anymore.
I'd been sitting dumbly in my dorm room, staring at the tuition bill again when my roommate Lauren came back from class, dumping her backpack onto the bed.
"Hey Melly, what's up?" she'd asked carelessly, tossing her jacket onto the bed. It was one of the distressed denim ones, the kind that looks beat-up but was actually really expensive.
We'd gotten to be friends over the couple weeks we'd been living together, and I felt comfortable enough to confide.
"Did you get your tuition bill yet?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, that thing," said Lauren, squinching up her nose. "It was fucking unbelievable right? Forty-six thousand? It's fucking grand larceny, and that didn't even include extra fees and housing," she said.
I shook my head slowly, feeling defeated.
"It's just that … honestly, I don't know if I'm still going to be here," I confessed. "My stepdad just got called up to Afghanistan, so he's getting military pay now, and my mom doesn't have the cash to make up the shortfall," I said quietly. "I mean, I love Trinity, but my family can't afford for me to be here, not really."
Lauren was silent for a bit. I could understand her awkwardness. As a rich girl, it was probably the first time she was putting herself in someone else's shoes, and she probably didn't know what to say. But Lauren surprised me.
"Mel, you know I'm not from a wealthy family, right?" said Lauren slowly. "I mean, I have expensive shit and stuff, but I pay for it myself. I don't have a Daddy Warbucks. In fact, I'm footing the bill here at Trinity on my own."