Soft pink lips, courtesy of my favorite gloss, accented my blue eyes perfectly. My coffee-colored locks fell in waves around my shoulders. The black skirt I shimmed into fit like a damn glove, but the centerpiece of my look was an emerald-green chiffon top that was sheer enough you could see my bra-less chest if you looked intently.
"What do you think?" I asked my brother who was busy shoveling cereal into his mouth and staring at the paper on the kitchen table. "I've got a date with Andy and I want the look to convey the fact I need to get laid without looking like a hooker."
"Don't you have a friend who can help you with this sorta shit?"
"Lex, please just tell me if I look a prostitute," I huffed, putting my hands on my hips.
He looked up from his paper mumbling something about being busy. His eyes trailed over me and the look of annoyance melted from his face, turning to wide-eye wonder before he pulled the paper in front of his face. "It gets the message across."
"Oh, quit being a baby. We are both adults now. I can't count how many times I heard you and that empty-headed cheerleader humping." Lex looked slightly affronted. "Your room is right next to mine, remember? You're lucky mom and dad were so oblivious. Thankfully, now we're in college, they don't give a shit."
The memory of some stereotypical perky blonde moaning out my brother's name came to the forefront of my mind. She'd have secret sleepovers after every football game my brother scored a touchdown for our small-town team. I hated her and her panting over every orgasm I suspected she faked.
"Her name was Daisy, and she wasn't bright, but the empty-headed mate was that guy you were having obnoxiously loud sex with during your freshman year. You came home for winter break, and mom and dad were in Colorado, so you brought home that oaf."
"His name was Reggie, and he was stupid, but knew how to curl make my toes curl." I didn't really like Reggie, honestly, but I knew Lex was going to be bringing some moron home to hump during the break. Finding someone to have a short-term relationship over the holidays at college was incredibly easy, but choices were slim. I checked my teeth for lipstick in my compact mirror and caught sight of Lex staring at me in the reflection of the mirror. "What?"
"Nothing," he growled, returning to the paper.
Andy honked the horn from the driveway, and I rolled my eyes. I found that the men I dated had the mannerisms of a highly functioning caveman, and Lex often teased me for it. This was just another example of a loser I picked up, again.
"Well, I guess I'm off."
"Hell, no!" Lex said, as I grabbed the door handle. "You are going to let him treat you like that?"
The horn blasted again and I winced. "It's no big deal."
"Wait here," he instructed with ferocity before stomping out to the driveway. "Hey, asshole! If you want to take my sister anywhere, and leave with all your limbs, you better walk your ass to the door, knock, and ask her if she is ready, like a man instead of some fool douchebag who needs his ass kicked."
I was slightly appalled, but something in my stomach flipped, cheering. Suddenly, my nipples were very sensitive to the sheer chiffon rubbing against them in their unsheathed glory. It tickled in a way that was so delicious, making my skin tingle.
Andy begrudging got out of the car with his hands in the air, following Lex up the driveway. My brother walked in the door and slammed it shut, Andy cut off in his wake.
"Where do you find these pricks?" he asked, returning to the kitchen counter and munching on his cereal dinner.
"Kate, are you ready to go or not?" Andy asked after a knock prompted me to open the door mechanically.
I nodded, taking a look at my brother as his hand ran through his thick loose curly head of hair. "Yes," I finally answered. "This is my big brother, Lex. He's a junior at- "
"Yeah, I met him in the driveway." Andy scoffed, interrupting me. "Got a full ride scholarship and thinks he's some kinda god."
"Hey," I snapped. "That is my brother and he worked really hard for everything he has. One more comment and you can forget tonight."
"Fine, sorry. Let's just go."
The dinner was painfully boring. Andy talked about his parent's beach house in Key West, the Porsche his dad promised to buy him as a graduation present if he went on to medical school, and how tight his uncle was with the Dean of Admissions. The tingle of anticipation that triggered my body into wild response had dissolved, and I was chewing my nails with boredom before our entrees arrived.
"Your brother is a piece of work," Andy said, switching topics as he poked at his steak. "Does he always treat other people with that much disrespect? Your tits look amazing in that top by the way."
I sat my fork down and narrowed my eyes. "I think you were the disrespectful one. It's good manners to at least walk to your date's door."
"It's also good manners to put out after your date buys you a steak dinner," Andy smiled, taking a sip of his wine. "Is your piece of shit brother aware of that?"
"Enough," I sneered, waving to the waiter and beckoning him over. "Can we get these boxed up to go?"
The waiter nodded, and scurried off with our plates. Andy had a creepy smile etched on his face. "You didn't even take a bite yet, but if you want a piece of me now let's just slip off to the bathroom."
My first reaction was to slap some sense into him, but an evil idea crept in, taking over the feeling. "Oh, that's a great idea. You go sneak in the women's restroom now, and take your pants off. I'll be in as soon as the waiter gets back.
Andy tossed some cash on the table and practically sprinted to the bathroom. Sending a text message to Lex, I begged him to pick me up. A few minutes later, the waiter returned with our to-go meals. Handing him the cash, I grabbed the bags and walked to the front of the restaurant. Putting on a concerned face, I hurried to the manager at the hostess desk.
"There is a strange man in the ladies bathroom. He has his pants off. You might want to call security."
The manager's eyes widened with shock, and he took off to the bathrooms. I strode out feeling somewhat guilty, but knowing he deserved it. Walking outside, I stood in the awning where Lex pulled up a few minutes later, rain pouring down from the sky illuminated by lightening.
"What happened?" Lex asked, pulling away from the restaurant, buckets of water practically making it impossible to see.
"He's a jerk, but I did get us a steak dinner."
I filled the car ride home with every detail of my short evening, down to Andy being pant-less in the women's bathroom. We laughed, and enjoyed our ill-gotten dinner in the living room the moment we arrived home. It wasn't the night I had in mind, but still good. Lex and I had grown apart since we both entered college this time together refreshed our sibling status.
The lights flickered after a long roll of thunder practically shook the walls. They attempted to stay on, but lost the fight, sending the house into darkness. Using the lights from our cell phones, we managed to round up some candles and flashlights.
"This is actually really, great," I confessed, finishing my beer. "How long has it been since we had dinner and a beer together without mom ushering us off to some adventure?"
"I dunno," Lex said, scrunching up his face and looking at the ceiling in his thoughts. "A long time. You know mom can't sit still. Hence, why she and dad are off on some themed cruise. Want another beer?"
"One is my limit," I said, putting the empty bottle on the coffee table with our cleaned plates. "I've got to get up early tomorrow for work."
He nodded and began peeling away the label from his beer. "I'm sorry about your evening. I hope I didn't ruin it."
"It's not your fault Andy was a douche canoe. I didn't like him, really. I more or less wanted some company and a few orgasms that I didn't come from a vibrator." I laughed, stretching my arms over my head. The sheer fabric once again teasing my skin, my nipples poking up in answer, creating two bumps in the chiffon covering my chest. I felt Lex shift, pulling away from me on the sofa. "I should change out of this."
"You don't have to," he offered, successfully pulling the label off his half-drank bottle.
I didn't know what the comment was supposed to mean. Maybe he didn't notice how the soft material made my body respond. Or maybe he did. The thought of it sent a pleasant shiver down my back. "What?"
"Nothing," he exhaled, taking a drink from the bottle. "I just want you to be happy."
Something inside me knew it wasn't "nothing" and wanted to know more. I stared at him as he focused on a candle burning in the darkness. The sound of rain beat down on the roof, and he was not letting his gaze move from the light.
I put my hand on his cheek and moved his face so it had to meet mine. His chocolate brown eyes were soft, but burning like the candle in front us. Something pulled me to him, and feelings I pushed back for years came bursting into my head.
Slowly, I leaned forward, gauging his reaction to my intrusive move. His eyes shut slightly, but he didn't pull away. My chest was practically heaving forward; my heart beating in rapid thumps I couldn't ignore. My hand still on his cheek, my lips touched his in a way that wasn't innocent, but gave him a chance to retreat or surrender to the feelings.
Moving his mouth with mine, we crossed a line that was blurry for years, but ignored because he was my brother, and I was his sister. Something fell into place with the slow kissing that grew into a rapid hunger. His hand climbed up my leg, along my hips, and up to my neck. He pulled me closer with a gentle force that would let me easily escape. He kissed me with a deep and even pressure.
For a moment, we broke apart. "Do you want me to stop?" Lex asked, letting me go.
"No, please don't stop," I panted.
"Should we pause, and think about this?"