Who Was I Fooling?

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Author's Note

This is part three of an eight-part story. You should read the parts in order, or the story won't make sense.

Part 1 is

here

Part 2 is

here

This story contains content which may not be suitable for everyone. Please read the author's note for details.

I am not getting much feedback or comments on this story. If you like it, please send an email. Thanks!

***

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Who Was I Fooling? - Part 3

The year was 2009

***

As we landed at Reagan National in Virginia, just outside of DC, Landry asked me, "Where are we staying?"

"There's an apartment building on Capitol Hill, a couple of blocks from the congress building," I said.

We took a Taxi over to the building. The booking instructions said to go to the apartment and building. The address where the Taxi stopped was a dual commercial/residential block, with businesses on the bottom floor and apartments above. At the specified address was a door for what looked like five upstairs apartments. It had one of those buzzer setups, so you could ring the person you wanted to visit.

I called the host per the booking instructions. A lady picked up the phone on the first ring. I said, "We are here to check in."

A woman replied cheerfully, "Come on up." A buzzer sounded and the door unlatched.

As we walked upstairs, a woman was standing in the doorway to an apartment. She looked like she was in her early forties, but despite her age, she was stunningly beautiful. Although her face was open and smiling, she was formidable and gave off a "no one tells me what to do" vibe. She had straight black hair with French bangs. She was wearing yoga tights and a matching camisole top. It was high-end workout stuff.

"I'm Vivian Matlin," she said. I'm the host of the apartment you booked. I introduced myself as "Eloise" and my brother introduced himself as "Landry".

She looked Landry up and down and clearly eye fucked him. To my surprise, she then turned to me and did the exact same thing to me. The hunger in her leer for me made me shiver. "My word," she said, "You are just the cutest couple."

I turned to Landry, who gave me a wry eyebrow lift.

Vivian invited us into her apartment.

"We don't get a lot of business from the house trading service," she said. "This will be good though. I'm hoping to spend some time in Barcelona next year and I'm banking points. I'm sorry, by the way, I ordered your gift basket. It was supposed to be here, but the blasted delivery is late."

I thanked her and said the basket wouldn't be necessary. The woman said, "Nonsense. It is part of the service and you should enjoy it all to the fullest. I'm sure you will be delighted with the apartment upstairs. I'm going to need to check your IDs, first," she said.

Landry and I presented our drivers licenses. She glanced at them and handed them back."Same last name? You're married?" she asked with some confusion. "Aren't you a little young for that?"

Without skipping a beat, Landry smiled and said with a weary affect, "Yeah. We get that a lot. It's kind of how our church does it. They married us off shortly after we hit eighteen."

It was so shocking, that I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Oh dear," she said reappraising. "Was it a forced marriage?"

"Not really," said Landry. "When we grew up we were pretty much inseparable. In fact, the people in our church used to call us 'the twins'. When we came of age, it was a foregone conclusion we'd be together."

I made eye contact with Landry who surreptitiously winked at me "Isn't that right, Ellie?" he asked with that same wry eyebrow raise.

Vivian swiveled to look at me. I said, "Yeah, we were as close as a brother and sister growing up. When we were in high school we were just as close, but... well... things changed." I gave out an embarrassed smile hoping that would be convincing.

Landry suddenly broke in. "Once our folks found out that...our relationship progressed, they couldn't marry us off quick enough."

Vivian's delighted face became entranced. "What an amazing romantic story! What brings you two lovebirds to DC?"

"This is our honeymoon," announced Landry. "We're here through the weekend."

"When did you get married?" she asked.

"Two months ago," said Landry. "Like I said, the marriage was less than forty-eight hours after we were caught."

The way he said that was sly and convincing. I marveled at how it suggested an entire narrative while telling her absolutely nothing.

Landry suddenly laid his hand on top of mine and he interleaved his fingers with mine. I turned to look at him. He smiled the smile of true love and ducked in to kiss me. I was in such shock I didn't know what to do. His lips were suddenly on mine. I was so shocked, I just let it happen. I felt my skin flush and my heart started pounding. I could feel the warmth of his breath coming out of his nose onto the skin above my lips.

He was poking at my closed mouth with his tongue. Without even thinking about what I was doing, I parted my lips and his tongue darted into my mouth and dragged very lightly across my taste buds. My body was suddenly awash with arousal. I felt my nipples stiffen and a massive sudden release of moisture happened between my legs. Once I opened my mouth, Landry really pressed into the kiss. I felt myself moan into his mouth.

After getting carried away and lost in the kiss for a while, I came back to myself. I had reached up and cupped the side of his face. I had no memory of doing that. I became hyper aware that we were carrying on and making a scene in front of a spectator and that kissing my brother was something I shouldn't be doing. Teasing this woman with a silly story had been fun and spontaneous, but it had escalated too far too fast. I took my hand off of his chin and pressed my palm flat on his chest and pushed him away.

As he was pushed away from me, his face was filled with a confused and disappointed lust.

I flicked my eyes meaningfully at Vivian. "Landry, not in front of other people! You know how I feel about having spectators."

I looked back at Landry. Rather than looking at my face, he was clearly ogling my erect nipples which were visible through my blouse. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, which caused Vivian to laugh.

"Well, you two lovebirds are absolutely the most fetching young couple I've ever seen! Come on, let's give you the tour." Vivian stood up and walked us out of the apartment to the stairs. She climbed up and as I walked behind her, it put my face at ass level on her. The three dimensional contours of her ass were amazing-- it was one of the best I'd ever seen. Her yoga tights were so tight I could see every fold of her vulva from behind. There was clearly a wet spot underneath at the opening of her vagina. I figured my brother's antics must have gotten her aroused.

At the top of the steps, there was only one door. She waived an access card in front of a black panel next to the door. There was a beep and the door unlatched. Vivian pushed it open and stepped inside.

The door opened up into a large combination living room, dining room, and kitchen. The living room had hardwood floors, with an oriental rug. There was a leather couch with two leather chairs arranged in a conversation group around a coffee table. There was a large flat panel TV mounted to the wall.

On the left hand side of the room was an open kitchen with a countertop with stools between the kitchen and the living room space. At the end of the kitchen was a breakfast nook with a large dining table with eight chairs. Opposite of the kitchen was a wall consisting entirely of glass, which overlooked a rooftop garden.

Vivian showed us the kitchen and asked, "Do you plan on cooking meals during your stay?"

"Maybe breakfast," I replied. "We're dining out for lunch and evening meals."

Vivian said, "Well, we do provide a free continental breakfast each morning. There is an incredible artisanal coffee shop around the corner. They hand-roast their own ethically-sourced beans. Next door to the coffee shop is an amazing pastry shop. They have the most exquisite croissants you've ever tasted. We will place a basket at your door every morning between six and seven AM. Will that do?"

"That sounds amazing," I said.

"Come, I want to see your face when you see the bedroom," said Vivian with glee.

She walked us through a doorway at the far end of the room. To the immediate left was a walk-in closet which could have housed a half dozen full-sized wardrobes. The only thing in there were spare blankets, sheets, and pillows. Opposite of the closet in the hall was a large master bathroom. The bathroom had a glass-walled walk-in shower large enough to fit four people. Next to the shower was a whirlpool bathtub that was big enough to accommodate another four people. In a little alcove was a toilet and a bidet. It was very nice. The end of the hall opened up into a huge bedroom.

In the room the only piece of furniture was the largest bed I'd ever seen. Two nightstand tables sat on either side of the bed. The bed itself was a four poster bed, and the headboard was against the wall with the doorway.

The walls on all three sides were made of floor to ceiling glass. It overlooked a continuous rooftop patio, that had an extensive garden. The patio went all the way around the building to where the living room was. The views through the glass were amazing. To the left, you got a view of the Capital Dome, a sliver of the SCOTUS building, and the Library of Congress. Straight ahead and to the right were views of residential areas, various businesses, and a half dozen parks.

There was something about the bed which was off. Vivian walked over to the nightstand and opened up a drawer. "The cuffs and restraints for the bed are in this drawer. The attachment points are all metal carabiners, which you will see at various points all over the bed frame." She slid the drawer closed. "If you need instruction or tips on how to have fun with those, let me know. I'm an expert and I'd love to help you learn."

It took me by surprise. I looked at my brother, and he gave me a wry amused look. Without skipping a beat he said, "Now you can't get away from me!"

This caused Vivian to laugh.

Vivian walked over to a panel on the wall. She said, "When the lights are on at night, you can see into the apartment from a mile away, so use this panel here for privacy." There was a panel that had several buttons on it. When she pressed the various buttons, the glass became less and less transparent until it was solid black.

She said, "Let me show you the patio."

She walked us outside. On the patio facing the Capital Dome, was a hot tub in a private alcove in the garden. I could see from Landry's face he was all about using that hot tub. Vivian demonstrated the controls for Landry.

The portion of the patio which was off the end of the bed had an open section that was large and empty. "That's a great place to do yoga when its warm enough," she said. "It might be a little chilly for that right now, especially in the early morning."

She walked us around and on the side with the glass wall of the living room, there was a table with seats and several lounge chairs.

We walked back into the apartment and she said, "I hope you two love birds enjoy your stay. If there's anything I can do, anything at all, just call the number you called before. We receive the highest ratings for service here and I take pride in that."

She handed Landry a couple of the access cards. On her way out of the door, she gave me an unexpected hug in which she clearly groped my ass.

As soon as the door closed behind her, I wheeled and said, "What the fuck, Landry?"

"What's wrong?" he responded.

"Why did you kiss me like that? That's not right!" I practically shouted at him.

He looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, I was having fun teasing Vivian and it got away from me."

"Why did you tell her we were married?" I asked.

"I didn't, Noise. She assumed we were married. I just gave her the backstory she wanted to hear," he said.

"What on earth possessed you to do that?" I asked.

"To be honest, I really didn't like how she was looking at either one of us. I had the feeling that if I told her we were brother and sister, she'd make a determined run at one or both of us," he said.

I considered this and realized he was probably right. I had been eye banged and groped by Vivian, despite Landry giving her the indication that we were married religious conservatives.

"Ok, I understand that, but we can't kiss like that," I said. "That's not right."

He defended himself. "You certainly acted like you liked it. If it bothered you then I promise you it won't happen again."

"Whether or not it was pleasurable is beside the point," I said. "You shouldn't be kissing me like that."

"Why not?" he asked.

"It's wrong!" I said.

"You know, I've been thinking about this ever since you talked me into fooling Arden into thinking we were having sex. Why is it wrong?"

When I didn't answer, he said, "Look. Clearly it's not something you wanted. I'm sorry I kissed you without your permission. I promise you it won't happen again. Do you forgive me?"

His facial expression was deeply concerned.

I punched him on the shoulder. "Of course I forgive you, dummy."

"It was a good kiss, though, wasn't it?" he asked. The way that he did it was so slyly audacious I laughed out loud.

"It was pretty good," I said, "which is why it will never happen again."

***

That evening, I texted Vivian and asked her if she had a recommendation for a restaurant we could walk to. She recommended a mom and pop Mediterranean restaurant which was two blocks over.

It was very chilly that night with a strong breeze coming in over the river, so Landry and I were bundled up. He had on a puffy down ski coat and a toboggan hat. I had on my knee length woolen coat and ear muffs.

Landry and I got to the corner and there was the coffee shop Vivian mentioned to us. It was doing pretty good business and the redolent smell of fresh-roasted coffee was extremely inviting. Next to the coffee shop was the pastry shop. The pastry shop closed at five. As it was just after six, the lights were off in the main area, but the lighting was on in the back room. Landry and I stood staring at the sign for a long time. It read "Lahela's Bakery Express." It was one of our mother's stores.

I pressed my face into the window. All there was to the shop was a counter and some storage. On the back wall was a chalkboard mentioning items and prices. The prices for everything were covered over with a card which read "out".

There was a back room, which was lit, but it was not large enough to actually contain a bakery. I guessed that the baked goods must be baked elsewhere and trucked in. I confirmed my hypothesis by noting that there were a half dozen roller carts on the wall behind the counter.

I wondered at seeing this for the first time. Our mother abandoned us six years ago. In that time, she'd built an entirely new life for herself, including a chain of bakery stores, and starting a whole new family. The store was an artifact that proved beyond any doubt that my mother well and truly moved on from my brother and me. I was filled with complicated emotions. I was sad for my own loss and abandonment, angry at her indifference to her own children. I felt longing that I could be back as a part of her life. I also had a stupid irrational hope that she would just step out of the back of the store and sweep me back into her life. I hated myself for thinking that last part.

As I began to pull away from the window, I saw motion from the back room. A short black woman wearing a chef's uniform came out of the back room. She was laughing and talking loudly over her shoulder with someone. She set a dozen boxes down on the counter and then turned and faced the door to the back room.

Another woman stepped out of the back room wearing very fancy street clothes. Her dress was a colorful designer sack dress and she was wearing very high heels. She looked like a million dollars. In an instant I realized it was my mother. Her hair, which had been a short bob when she abandoned us, was now long. She had it straightened and pulled back into a single loose low ponytail. It had obviously been colored from her light brown into a natural auburn. She was laughing and obviously imitating a man's hand gestures as they talked. At this imitation, the black woman laughed so hard, she threw her head back and howled at the ceiling. I could hear her laugh through the thick commercial glass.

"Oh my God!" said Landry, and I sensed him step to the glass next to me. "Is that mom?" he asked, sounding very excited. When he pressed his own face to the glass he said, "That is mom! We've got to get out of here."

Landry's motion attracted the attention of my mom and the lady in the store. They both swiveled to look straight at us. For twenty heart breaking seconds, my mom just stared at us. It was clear she saw something familiar there, but she did not recognize us at all. Mom said something to the black lady, gave her a hug, then turned and left. The black lady picked up one of the boxes from the counter and walked over to the door.

My brother grabbed my hand and started to pull me away. As we walked, the black woman opened the front door to the store and said. "Excuse me!"

I stopped and turned. This forced my brother to come to a stop too. She walked over to us. "I'm sorry that we're closed. We were mostly sold out too. If you want to come back tomorrow, we open up at six AM. In the meantime, Lahela asked me to give this to you as a little gift."

She held the box in front of me and opened the lid. Inside were four of mom's hot cross buns. I couldn't believe my eyes. Landry couldn't believe his either. We'd made those buns with mother on Good Friday every year.

"We're going to do Hot Cross buns on Easter week this year. Lahela was proofing the recipe and we're giving out the proofs as free samples to our regular customers. These are for you. On the house."

As we sat at the table for two in the restaurant, the box sat between us like an elephant in the room. Somehow it was gratifying to know that Landry was as emotionally distraught as I was.

"She still looks young," he said.

"She dyed her hair," I said.

"She did?" Landry asked. Neither of us had seen a picture of our mother since she left. Dad took them all down and threw them away.

"Mom had light brown hair," I reported. "Not auburn."

"Still, she looked good, didn't she?" he asked.

"That was a lovely dress. Designer stuff," I said.

"Do you ever think that there was more to the story? That mom didn't just get tired of us and leave?" he asked.

I considered for a long moment whether to say what I'd learned from dad.

"I talked to dad about it a few weeks ago. He told me stuff I didn't know that puts it into a better perspective," I reported.

"What is it?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Do you remember when she went on the book tour, she was doing baking clinics?" I asked.