Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.
*****
"It's nice to meet you, Angelo." I said as I shook the hand of my soon-to-be step-brother.
He was tall, muscles tensing against his black t-shirt, dark eyes peering down at me with a bright yet...somewhat off-putting smile while his strong hand gripped mine. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't at least a little bit intimidated to be standing in front of him with my far smaller frame.
At first glance, he seemed a bit scary, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get along with him considering that we were two completely opposite people. I liked books, I liked videogames, I liked animals, I liked going out to shop.
Angelo had entirely different interests. He liked sports, mountain-climbing, hiking, working out, wrestling, smoking, drinking, partying, and overall just the stark opposite of me. He's been out places, traveled, met people, done things...I guess that would be a rather easy thing to do for someone like him. Not to mention that he was a little older than I was; I was eighteen, not even in college just yet, and he had recently turned twenty-two, just going into his very last semester.
He was handsome, I had to admit. He took after his gorgeous Greek mother who was soon going to be my step-mom.
Angelo had dark olive skin with a perfectly chiseled jawline and wavy jet-black hair that just barely brushed over his broad shoulders. His muscles? Ripped to shreds. His hands? Large and strong. His smile damn near twinkled under the light, and did I mention that he was 6'4"?
His dark eyes had something sinister about them, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He wasn't innocent, I could tell that much.
I began to grow nervous as I felt his grip nearly crush my small hand. Perhaps that it was simply his size that was putting me off, but whenever I would look up into his eyes, he would return a look that I didn't quite understand.
"What do you think, Eve?" My father asked after Angelo and his mother had gone outside to grab their bags from their car.
"Ramona's great. Beautiful. Fabulous personality. I love her, but...I don't really know how I feel about Angelo though. I dunno." I admitted quietly with a shrug as I kept my gaze down.
Father simply chuckled and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Baby girl, don't worry. I know Angelo looks a little scary at first. I'm sure he and you will do just fine. Besides, you won't see him too often anyway. He's got his own place for when he leaves for his school semester in the fall. This'll just be for the summer. But listen," He carefully turned me to face him. "I really, really love Ramona. So...promise that you and Angelo will at least get along enough so it's not hellish when he is here?"
"Of course," I quickly said with a nod as I reached over to give my father a small hug. "I promise."
Well, I promised that I'd behave myself. I promised that I'd try to get along with Angelo as much as possible. I promised that I'd be the most excellent stepdaughter I could be to Ramona, but...I don't think Angelo exactly lived up to the 'angel' part in his name.
As we all sat around the kitchen table that night, enjoying a quick little dinner, Ramona and my father talked about what they were planning for their wedding that was going to take place in just less than a month, and I listened with excitement, although every time I glanced at Angelo, he was looking at me. Not just a normal look, but a look that I didn't quite understand.
His dark eyes were intense, and I secretly wondered if I was somehow annoying him with my excitement for the wedding. Maybe he wasn't as happy as I was for our parents? Did he not like my dad? Or...did he not like me? I couldn't read his face, but he was looking at me like I was dinner instead of the food that was already on the table.
I'm not going to lie, I was relieved when dinner was finally over and I was excused to go.
I stood alone in the kitchen while our parents had a quick smoke outside. I sang 'Phantom of the Opera' under my breath as I washed the dishes, seemingly lost in thought. I suppose if I were paying attention to anything I would've noticed Angelo coming up behind me.
"And do I dream agaaiin~ For now I fiiind~ wh-" I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand brush over my waist. With a start, I turned around and nearly backed into the counter when I saw Angelo standing over me.
"Oh, s-sorry, I didn't hear you come in." I said as I quickly reached over to turn the sink off and adjust my hair. I hoped that I didn't look too flustered at the fact that he had caught me singing, but when I peered up at his face, he didn't seem like he was in the mood to be teasing me about it. "Did you need something?"
"I've been wanting to get you alone." Angelo told me. He wasn't much of a talker, but when he did, I honestly will admit that it was soothing to listen to in a strange way. He had a deep voice with just the teeniest tiniest little hint of a Greek accent that wanted to be there but wasn't quite there. He spoke low as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him but me.
"Oh. Well, was there something you wanted to talk to me about...?" I asked hesitantly. I figured that this might be about our parents, but I was sorely, sorely mistaken.
He moved closer to me, now a little too close for comfort, and I found myself being pressed against the edge of the kitchen counter. His hand remained on my waist.
"Y'know, you're real pretty." He murmured to me, his other hand coming up and moving my honey-blonde hair out of my face. I found myself confused by the sudden compliment but still flattered all the same even though having his hand on me was rather unsettling.
"Oh, thank you. I...I'll be honest, I didn't really think that you liked me all that much. You...weren't too talkative at dinner." I said with a slight smile, but the air suddenly hitched in the back of my throat when I felt his hand snake lower down my waist. I gazed down at his hand, now resting on my hip. I had a bad feeling about this. "Uh...why are you touching me like thaโ"
"Am I making you uncomfortable, Eve?"
I wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. It was a simple question. Just 'yes' or 'no', so why on earth did I stutter as if I were unsure while his hand snaked around and pressed against the small of my back? Why didn't I just answer 'yes' when he pulled me so close that I had become pressed against him? Why did I respond with, "Angelo...w-why are you t-touching me like this...?" instead of "stop touching me like this"?
"Because I want to touch you," was his answer. I wasn't entirely sure what to do just then to be completely honest. His eyes were boring into me like a hawk about to chow down on the little mouse that it had just caught. I felt as if I were shrinking underneath his gaze. I felt like a teeny tiny little kitten trapped underneath a giant Doberman.
Was he really doing this? Was I too scared of his intimidating demeanor to stop him? He was so much larger than me, and he was not being subtle when I felt his grip on my hip tighten ever so slightly.
His other hand moved up and rested just below my breast, and I suddenly felt all the blood rush to my cheeks. His hands were strong, and every time they moved, I half expected his touch to bring pain, but surprisingly, it was gentle. Even so, knowing that he wasn't going to crush me didn't seem to calm me down.