Ch. 9 Dinner

Helen was bouncing through the halls next Monday morning brimming with the news of her now non-virgin status. She was at school early just because she couldn't sleep she as so exited to tell her friend Ann the news. They had both been figuratively placing bets on who would loose it first for a while now and Helen was dying to tell her she beat her to the finish line. Plus there was all the steamy sorted details she was going to share with her that would take up lots of time before class even started.

First she'd explain why she left the party almost after just getting there, then a full disclosure of the car-make-up-make-out session, leading to the involuntary discovery of her virgin status. She'd then go into how great Seamus reacted. What he said that night that had revealed to her that she with a guy that cared about her, not just about what he could get out of her. He knew what she needed, what she was ready for, and that he felt as strongly for her as she did for him. She would then cite this as why she made the decision to have hot wild sex with the vigorous, demanding, and oh so orgasmic Irishman. Life was perfect…

…for about two minutes.

"What the fuck were you doing Friday?!"

Helen whirled to find Jake standing right behind her. His lilac dreads only slightly masking the seething anger coming form his eyes. Ann stood like a doe caught in the headlights at his side apparently as shocked as Helen at his livid tone.

"Excuse me?" Helen asked not for the first time completely confused by Jake's pendulum moods over the past few months.

"I saw you leave with him," he said. "What? You dump him on his ass and it takes you less than 24 hours to fucking let him back into your life? What the fuck Helen! You were out! What the fuck are you thinking letting him pull you in?"

The crowd of students around them were suddenly quite; most having stopped walking where the were to stare at the scene. Helen felt two emotions flood her system with the combined force of a hurricane: anger and hurt. She stilled under their grasp the only sign of their presence the tightening of her hands into fists and the welling of tears in her eyes. She rolled her head cracking every joint in her neck and took a steadying breath before speaking in a calm, clear, and hushed tone.

"What Jake, jealous? That I'm in a relationship with someone that cares about me while you're stuck yapping at Ann's heels?"

For that moment Jake's mask of righteous anger was replaced with the horror of a 17 year-old boy betrayed by his best friend. One quick look at Ann to see if she heard and he blushed a dark red. Quickly ducking his head toward the ground to hide behind his hair.

"Seamus and I are going to be together for a while if last night was any indication. And if you can't deal with that…Jake, then I don't really need you as a friend." Jake raised up his tear filled eyes to meet her gaze.

"When you realize what a mistake you made, don't expect me to be there." He turned and made his way down the hall without uttering another word to his once friend, Ann trailing behind him with one last look behind her. Jake left knowing that Helen was someone you don't let go of, and combined with Seamus's background it couldn't end well for her.

Helen would later look back on that moment and blame it on her youth, her naive, and her temper. But at the time she blamed it on love.

Two Months Later

"You miss them, don't you?"

Helen rolled her eyes up toward Seamus form her vantage-point at his feet. On this particular Saturday afternoon they were lying head to feet in Seamus's warehouse loft by the family shipyards. The numerous heavy curtains pulled back from the nearly floor to ceiling windows to flood the eclectic mess that was like home to both of them own. The bookshelves filled with more junk then books, over stuffed mismatched sofas pull from dumpsters, and old hardwood floors the color of weeks old coffee.

"Who you talking about? Connor, Angus? Hell no. Sherry? Well it has been a week." She said continuing to paint Seamus's toes Watermelon Rhine as was her weekly tradition of fucking with him the day before he went to Mass on Sunday. He could always find a way to get rid of it before going but he didn't.

"Have you even talked to them?" She tipped her head back to glare at him.

"No. To both. I don't want anything to Jake, Jake doesn't want anything to do with me, and Ann chose his side. There is really nothing more to it." She finished the last toe and got up. Seamus grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He kissed her long and hard. A wicked grin spread across his face.

"I got a little something for yeah." He sang with uncontrolled glee. She shoved him playfully in the chest.

"If it's anything like the 'little something' you gave me at the theater last Tuesday you can kept it to yourself."

"You're the bloody one that pushed me on the floor and had your way with me!"

"After you put your hand up my skirt! I still don't know how that fucking movie ends. All because of you." She shoved harder. Seamus grabbed two hand full of her ass, laughing at her attempts to get free.

"And who just happened to be wearing a skirt to the darkened public setting. And you liked what I did under that skirt, you repaid me with interest" He took one last hard squeeze and let her go, almost dropping her on the floor. "But that's not what I got for you today."

He leaned over and pulled out a white shirt box from under the bed where it had been waiting. Helen took it in both hands rubbing her thumb over the brown silk ribbon. She eyed him then eyed the present.

"What's in it?" Suspicious.

"Nothing naughty if that's what you're hoping. Sherry helped me pick it out last week." He said rolling to sit on the edge of the bed now. She continued to eye him. He gave an open mouthed laugh and push her off the bed. "Open the damn thing"

She suck out her tongue, pulled the ribbon off in one motion, and pulled off the lid. Helen stopped breathing as she stared silently at the contents of the box. On Seamus's part he had been expecting more of the Helen usual; yelling, jumping, panties flung in his general direction, ect. But the quite, almost reverent, way she gazed on his gift so completely touched Seamus in a way her wasn't sure he could define.

"You do like it right?" He asked shifting uncomfortably.

Helen hooked the straps in one hand letting the other drop the rest of the box to the floor to allow the white poka-dotted brown dress to unfold form its plain confines. Her eyes slid from the graceful curve of the neckline, over the wide matching belt, to the bell shaped skirt bound to swirl around her knees as she walked.

"It's like the one from Pretty Woman." Her hand flew to her mouth as if she was dimly trying to hide her smile.

"Sherry and I found it in a gently used designer store. Dumb shits that wore it once then dumped it for next season.." He tugged at the skirt to get her attention on him. "You always said this was your favorite dress she wore. I thought you'd like one for yourself."

Her head flew up and down enthusiastically. Seamus jumped up from the bed and dragged her to the full length mirror he kept near his bed by her waist. She held the dress in front of her by each strap with a dramatically cocked hip.

"God Seamus it's gorgeous. I hate to tell you this but I don't have anywhere to ware it." She shook out her hair to make her image more convincing. Seamus answered her between kissing each of her knuckles.

"That's the other thing," Kiss. "I was thinking that," Kiss. "We should have," Kiss. "Dinner tomorrow." Kiss.

"Tomorrow's Sunday." Helen reminded off handedly. Seamus switched hands.

"I know."

Helen blinked. Her brows knit together and she blinked again.

"You want to have dinner tomorrow…with your parents?"

He grinned and twisted her around so that she was facing him. He ducked his head down so that he was eye to eye with his bird.

"That's ok right?"

"Are you serious?" Helen asked dubiously.

"More serious than I've ever been." A slow drag of lips across hers before pulling her tight against him.

"Fuck, I got to try this thing on now." Helen said with a hard shove toward the bed. Seamus flopped down without resistance onto his back.

"You take what you're wearing off and you won't have time to get anything back on." He promised.

Helen gave him a long look over her shoulder. Without breaking eye contact she hooked both thumbs under the waist of her shorts and pulled them to the ground. Seamus sat up, fists wrapped in the sheets.

"Oh you're asking for it now girl." He grabbed her hand tossing her against him so that his face was buried in her breasts. Her hands that were threading their way through his hair suddenly stopped.

"I don't actually have to go to Mass with you do I?" She asked showing the first bit of apperception about the whole affair. Seamus laughed.

"After what I'm about to do to you, you'd burn before you got to the pew."

32 Hours Later

"This was a bad idea. I think I'm going to puke."

Seamus looked at Helen who was seated in the parked car with him. She was wearing the dress, the shoes that he had forgotten to give her with the dress, and his St. Christopher medal that she thought might make up for not going to Mass with him. Her make up was subdued as opposed to her usual, hair gelled flat and pulled back in to a giant swirl of a pony tail, and her hands were shaking.

Seamus grabbed her hand form her lap and looked her directly in the eyes.

"You got nothing to be worried about. My mum's a saint and she keeps my da in line. Just remember don't mention religion, the IRA, politics, the English (unless it is in a negative way), lawyers, the value of the American dollar, don't call football soccer, or mention the Dodgers."

"He hates the Dodgers?"

"No he hates their name." A thick Irish brogue dripped form his lips in a tone far deeper than his own. "Dodgers? What kind of name is that for a sports team? These Americans, what, they think they have to dodge away from the ball?"

Helen stared laughing.

"No? Really?" He nodded.

"Same line…every time. I am begging you of all the subject s to avoid, avoid that one the most."

"Got it." She said leaning in to kiss him silly. And she would have to if they hadn't been interrupted at that moment by a knock on the window. They both slammed back into their seats to look out the passenger window. They both stared blankly at the middle aged male man dressed in a 3-piece suit despite the warm night.

"Dinner will be served in 10 minutes Mr. O'Grady." Seamus reached across Helen to roll down the window.

"Tell my da we'll be in right quick, yeah?" The man nodded and returned to the open doorway. Seamus rolled up the window. Helen was looking at the house that the man had disappeared into.

"How much does a house like this run for anyway. I'm thinking somewhere between a Ferrari and selling your soul to the devil. Complete with minions and cronies." Helen was turned away so she didn't catch the look that pasted over his face. He hesitated before answering with a clearing of his throat.

"Nah nothing like that grand. My da made a lot of money in the family business and pissed off a couple of people doing it. He's more managerial material now but all the same he keeps a couple of his buddies around just in case yeah see. So just pay them no mind and enjoy yourself ok?"

"Hey now you sound nervous."

"I just don't want you to get a wrong impression of my family is all." He opened the door signaling that it was time. Seamus stuck out his hand as he came around the car and they walked hand in hand up the pristine white steps.

"Are those doors real hardwood?"

"Yep, made by hand in Ireland. Like all good things." He whispered in her ear.

"Oh and you too, right?" Seamus pinched her ass.

"Shut up. In this house I'm an angel and you're the evil temptress."

"The Angel Seamus, nope never met him. You're doing this to distract me aren't you?"

"Yes, tell me when it starts working." He pushed open the door and hauled her inside before she could change her mind.

They stepped into the marble entrance hall. Tastefully painted walls holding up eleven foot ceilings, museum quality art work hanging from the walls, statues propped on pedestals, huge tropical plants growing beside hardwood panels. A grand staircase on the other side of the hall lined with family photos worked its way to the upper story. The lone sign of mess was the abandoned dog toy by the doorway.

"Don't worry the rest of the house is hardwood. Every other year my mates and I have to refinish it." Seamus laughed swinging her around the room by their joined hands.

"And I do believe that it needs it again this year. Don't you agree Seamus?"

As the female speaker walked into the room Helen immediately saw the family resemblance. It wasn't the hair, for hers was deep auburn red mixed with brown highlights. The eyes were the wrong color, light green instead of dark drown. But it was there in the features. The curve of an eyebrow, the shape of the nose, or the way her jaw met her neck. But the intelligence in the eyes, the refined way she carried herself, and the breeding evident in her voice as all her own.

"Mum, didn't see you there!" Seamus glanced from her to Helen. "Mum, this is Helen Zass, Helen this is my mum Eilis O'Grady."

Helen stuck out her hand with a grip on Seamus in the other.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. O'Grady. Seamus has told me great things about you." She said. Eilis shared a sly smile with her.

"So I take it he hasn't told you much about us then?"

"Not really?"

"Don't worry about it dear. If Seamus was being a thoughtless dolt you're not to blame." She said patting her hand kindly. Helen snorted through her nose trying not to laugh.

"OY!" Seamus yelled pulling them apart. "That's enough of that business!" Eilis winked at Helen behind his back. Helen was really starting to like her.

"Here's my shining boy! You took your own time getting here." An older slightly shorter version of Seamus walked in. Thick brows, straight black hair curling behind the ears, with beefy arms and shoulders. He wore a trendy suit rolled up to the elbows, no tie, and huge glittery expensive watch secured to his wrist. "Saints preserve us Seamus! What are you wearing?"

Seamus looked down at his dress shoes, slacks, and soccer jersey.

"What? I wore the slacks."

"I'll wear your hide if you don't stop acting like a fucking brat. This boy here thinks that just because he's my first born son he can get away with murder." He leaned in toward Helen with a wicked grin. "And he's right."

"Da." Seamus in a tone that clearly said 'knock-it-off-its-not-funny'. "Helen this is my da Michael O'Grady, da this is Helen Zass."

"A pretty name for a pretty girl." He remarked kissing her hand. Michael stepped back putting an arm around his wife. Helen blushed slightly. She tried for humor.

"I get that line a lot but usually in a different context." Michael's eyes turned serious.

"No I'm pretty sure this is the same context." Helen felt a sliver of ice flip over in her throat. Seamus laughed tugging lightly on her hand.

"My da's a comedian. He's been faithfully married to my mom a long time. He just likes people to think he hasn't." Eilis slipped her hand inside Michael's suit jacket and pulled him close.

"I put up with him because I have a sense of humor and absolute faith in his honesty." A long kiss with a lingering look followed this statement. Michael had a huge wolfish grin and a raised eyebrow.

"These two, they never let me have my fun." He eyed Helen over from across the hall. "But you don't seem to thrilled either, so let's go eat."

Michael hooked his arm through Eilis's and lead the way through entrance hall, the plush living room, and the old fashioned sitting room into the formal dinning room. A long dark wood table against the side wall acted as a buffet generously heap with silver platters, dishes, and plates. The main table was identical save the place setting for four and it's enormous size.

"Mum likes multi-course dinners but da likes to eat all at once. So they do it this way." Seamus whispered in her ear. Helen nodded.

"I know you said you weren't hurting for money but I had no idea." She answered back. Seamus ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Yeah um…you know that little thing you didn't want to tell me because you thought it would change our relationship? This is my thing." He said quietly. Helen laughed.

"Well we all have our issues." Seamus laughed and steered her toward the buffet were his parents were already helping themselves.

"We have a cook because we don't have the time to do it ourselves but we only hire servers for very large parties." Eilis explained as Helen came up next to her. Helen nodded taking her plate from Eilis's offering hand. "Seamus helps with that job every time we have a just family get together. When we have one of those we send all the staff home so that we can cook and present the food we prepare."

Helen glanced at Seamus who was following their conversation with undisguised distress. Helen could just see him swooping into a full room full of happy bustling relatives balancing heavy platters of steaming food on each shoulder. Setting the food down with a false flourish and being the happy recipient of hardy back slapping from an approving uncle or cousin. She smiled when he rolled his eyes up into his head before leading the way back to the table.

Helen was mildly surprised when Seamus set his and her plate down before pulling out the chair for her. He jerked his head toward the chair with a hurried look of 'hurry-your-asrse-up-before-they-relize-I-don't-usually-do-this-sort-of-thing'. As she stepped in front of the chair as Seamus mouth shadowed her giving her directions.

"Stand as close as you can to the table and I'll push the chair up behind your knees, then sit." Helen smiled winningly at Mrs. O'Grady across the table where her husband was doing the same for her. When they were all seated, Mr. O'Grady at the head of the table with Mrs. O'Grady and Seamus on each side with Helen on Seamus's other side, the conversation resumed.

"Do you have a lot of family parties?" Michael looked up at her over his plate.

"Not as often as we'd like to or as many members as either. It's hard when most of your family lives abroad." He commented.

"But you have some family over here right? Conner and others? Is any of Conner's family over here in the states?" Michael snorted through his nose and went to work on his dinner with renewed vigor. Eilis gave him a harsh look and smiled kindly at Helen.

"My husband isn't every fond of the reason Connor's with us in America. Connor doesn't have any immediate family here but he is here with a lot of extended family. It makes for difficult family politics." Eilis explained.

"I never really understood that. I mean he and Seamus are cousins and friends what's the politics side?"

"The simple answer is that Connor is fifth in line to take over the family business. The harder explanation is that Michael is not the first born in his family. His sister Mary is, she feels that she should inherit instead of Michael. When we came over to here to expand the market Mary's husband Alexander stepped into Michael's shoes and has been making play to take over. Connor's has an older brother David who's being set up to take over operations in Ireland after his father and Connor's being set up over here."

"But you're so tight with him?" Helen asked completely confused. Seamus shrugged.

"He's family. I've known Connor ever since I was born. His da's an asrse but Connor doesn't have to be like him. Honestly I don't think Connor likes his da much. If I had to pick someone to second me in a fight it would be Connor, plain and simple."

"So my brother-in-law wants a proxy and my son wants a second. And I have to be nice because they're all family." Michael sighed. "But the fact is our business was made by O'Grady's and it's going to stay an O'Grady business."

"Anyway, we are very fond of Connor. He has been Seamus's best friend since they could walk. I remember this one time they stole a crate of fudge that we were going to serve at a party later that week," Eilis started laughing. "We fond them sick to their stomachs in a crawl space under the house. And they were just five at the time!"

Seamus was glaring at his mum darkly from the other side of the table. He was the only one not laughing.

"What is this story time? Why the gab mum?" Eilis looked at Helen before answering.

"Because this is the first time you've brought a girl to Sunday dinner. So I know I can tell her about you because I know how you must feel about her." Seamus spared a deadly glare at his mother before dropping his gaze to his still fork and knife.

Helen had a slight smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth when he bit the bullet and looked at her.

"You didn't mention that I was the first girl to come to meet your parents." Glee and restrained humor dripped from her every word. Seamus kept staring at Helen, he licked his lips.

"Well this is going better than I thought." Seamus muttered turning back to his plate.

"Seamus, you should really use your words before creating situation like this." Helen said pulling him close so she could kiss the side of his head.

"What talk when you can act right?" Seamus said with a joking shrug. Eilis smiled and Michael just looked between Seamus and Helen with blank faced interest.

"Quite right. Why that has been true for you since…"

Dinner went like that for the next hour and half with Eilis O'Grady leading Helen through story after story from Seamus adventurous past. Seamus jumping into explain or defend him self when he got the chance. While Helen alternated between laughing her head off and telling Seamus to be quite. Michael said surprisingly little but kept a watchful eye on the entire proceedings. After dinner they had desert and after that fresh coffee for the conversation lasted far longer than the food did.

"Saints preserve us, I think I still have the pictures!" Eilis cried at last. Seamus shot out of his seat in alarm.

"Pictures? No, no I don't think so. Anyway it's getting late and still have to drive Helen home so maybe we should be-"

"Nonsense son. Helen seems as though she'd enjoy seeing a few pictures in the family albums and I know your mum would joy showing them. We can have a drink in the study and talk while they have at it. Ladies." Michael said with a nod before rising. Seamus stood glaring at the situation in general before he was forced to trail after his da to the study by the front entryway.

"Lord da? 'He could get away with murder'? Jeez do have to put me on the spot like that?" Seamus said flopping down into one of the room's leather armchairs.

Michael quietly made sure the study door was closed before walking sharply up behind Seamus's chair. He grabbed the back of Seamus's chair in one powerful hand and slammed the chair, Seamus and all, backwards onto the ground. Seamus cracked his head on the hardwood floor so hard that the only sound to escape his mouth a lone choked off gasp.

"Damn careless of you Seamus." Michael said before snapping a quick kick to Seamus's side. Seamus's eyes rolled back into his head as he tried to remember what his lungs were suppose to be doing.

"You tripped me!" Seamus growled out between his clenched teeth.

"That's not what I was referring to." Michael said crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against his massive desk. He watched impatiently as his son rolled onto his knees and slowly got his feet under him.

"Then I pray to God almighty tell me what the FUCK that was all about!" Seamus yelled holding a ginger hand to the back of his head.

"I was talking about you unprecedented lack of future thinking." Seamus eyebrows pulled together in puzzlement. "Not clear enough for yeah? Ok, how about how you've let a wisp of a girl who got a hold of your dick get a hold of the rest of you?"

The outrage came first and stayed strongest. Followed closely shock and disbelief. With the shame of a son disappointing his father a pale shadow playing faintly in the background.

"W-what?" Michael rolled his eyes to glare at the ceiling.

"You've known the girl for what? Three months? Four? She's here in my house asking about my family matters and my family history? You're so fucking invested between her legs you can't pull your head out to see what else is going on!" Seamus had to close his mouth, which had fallen open while his da was talking.

"What the hell da? She's my girl. Of coarse she's going to want to know about me. Why the hell shouldn't she?" Michael leveled a heavy look on him.

"Do you remember what happened to Charlie's wife?"

Seamus took a step forward before he could stop. His body trembled with the effort not to throw himself at his father for even mentioning such a thing.

"It's not like that." Seamus said, his voice hard as polished steel. Michael nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right. At lest with Charlie's wife she was invested. She was going to stick around. She wasn't some temporary roll in the hay. Gathering information before she ships off to locations unknown."

"It's not like she's a fucking cop da! She fucking hates them. Lofty fuck-heads that don't do shit but harass people! Her words not mine." Seamus's voice seemed to keep rising while his father's only got calmer, colder.

"No, son she's not a cop. But she's not going to stay. One day she's going to be an angry ex with an active mouth. And soon enough someone's going to listen to the words she has to say about you. I'm not saying you can't tell her things about your self, just don't tell her anything important. Unless you can deal with the mess afterwards." Seeing Seamus's expression Michael sighed and laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

"Hell Seamus she seems like a fine gal. Don't hesitant to bring her around again sometime. Your mum seems to be very fond of her." He patted Seamus's shoulder before turning to the scotch on his desk. He pulled out two glasses and poured an equal share in each one.

Michael laughed while handing Seamus his portion. "She's not even Catholic for crying out loud!"

Seamus stared mutely at the contents of his glass while his father tossed back his glass with another chuckle. His hands has lost the angry tension that had over came him only moments earlier. His breathing had slowed and his eyes drifted to the door.

"It's late. I promised I'd have her home before midnight. I'll see you next Sunday." He set his glass down and was out the door before his father could stop him. Seamus wasn't sure he could remember that last time he'd lied to his father's face.

In the car Seamus was fuming. His entire body was coiled tight and he could feel himself moving too quickly, flipping the turn signal too hard, or accelerating just a sliver too fast.

His father thought he was an irresponsible child that he couldn't judge the people he was with. Hadn't he proved himself that he had the balls to run the business, to take care of problems that arose, or what to tell to who. Honesty Seamus loved working for his father, sometimes he was a real hard ass but he enjoyed the work and the personal connection he felt doing it. Sometimes he had to do the tedious shit like unload the important shipments off the ship but the protection and extortion was very satisfying.

Seamus took the protection part of the business more seriously than most who ran the gamut. He took a reasonable calm approach with those who paid and in return he gave them top quality service. In his mind there were two types of protection rackets: were their silence is assured through fear or just a touch of gratitude. If someone hassled the people under the O'Grady protection they paid of it and were marked. After a fun session in one of the O'Grady warehouses Seamus would chop off the tip of a finger. Which finger and how much of it depended on how much they moved around.

When his father asked him to deal with a troubled associate he not only did it; he reviled in it. If someone betrayed the family they got his A-Game. He and a Connor had brought this one guy down to the warehouse and started tearing into him. Toward the end they gave him the option of splashing battery acid into his own eye or they'd keep going. Just to show how much they respected his choice they dropped him at the hospital afterward. He almost never had to kill them; most were never that dumb.

"Your dad scared the shit out of me."

Seamus was brought back to the car in a hurry.

"What's that?"

Helen shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He suddenly noticed how distance she'd been since they got in the car. She hadn't said a thing since they left the house, which for Helen was about as big a sign as there was.

"Your mom was great but…your dad was…sort of scary as hell." Seamus pressed his fist to his temple and took a long drag through his nose.

"Did he say anything too you?"

"No." She sort of laughed under her breath. "Nothing like that. He just…" Helen trailed off and didn't finish. Seamus started tapping the stirring wheel trying to wait but his patience didn't last long.

"He just what?" She shook her head and hunkered down sideways in the seat facing him. "Do you remember the time in the bar last month when that guy took a shot at me and you beat his face in? You had a look in your eyes that…if it had been directed at me I wouldn't have felt safe around you ever again. As it was I was very flattered. Your dad has those eyes all the time."

"Yeah, my da's a tad bit scary. He is who he is. He protects the thosehe loves and handles the rest as it comes." Helen brought his hand away from his temple.

"And you love me right?" Seamus looked down at hers hands wrapped around his.

He pulled her close and whispered against her lips.

"I couldn't stand to live without you."

The kiss was long, slow, and sweet. If only it could have stayed that way.

AN: I LIVE! You poor people I am so sorry I took me this long to up date. Most of you have probibly given up by now but those who haven't know this…I WILL FINISH BOTH CHARLE'S ANGELS STORIES. Review and let me know you're still out there.