Shanghai
The sun shone relentlessly through a betraying crack in the curtains, falling upon the exposed back of one of the room's occupants. She groaned at the warmth heating up her caramel skin then untangled her legs that were entwined with another before kicking back the sweat damp sheets that had twisted around their bodies. Her eyes fluttered open as she sat up, scanning the room briefly and confirming she was in her apartment.
She lid off the bed, stretching as her feet landed on the cool tiles of the floor. She peered over her shoulder at the man still asleep on her comfortable mattress and with a shake of her head she headed for the bathroom to take a shower.
Silently, she cursed herself for allowing the events of the night before to occur. Countless times she had promised herself it wouldn't happen again but it always did and they were hooking up regularly now; she doubted they would stop anytime soon.
Before she could reflect on it any longer, the shower curtain was pulled back and she came eye to eye with the familiar face. He had a tired smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, his beard was scruffy and his hair was sticking up at random angles.
She couldn't help but smile back.
Slipping in next to her, he slowly pulled her into his arms, and his mouth started a feverish assault on her neck. With a sigh she succumb to his wants and after cleaning each other off they dried off and got changed.
He began to look in the kitchen for food but when his search was fruitless he took her hand and they headed out of the apartment building and across the street to an identical complex.
A pang of guilt coursed through her when she looked over at him. He was always so good to her and although there was an unspoken understanding between them, she could tell that sometimes he wanted more than just sex. Those were the nights that he took it slow, his touch was gentle and his kisses felt real. It was then, that even if for a fleeting moment, she left her guard down.
Once again she was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt herself being tugged out of the elevator. She nodded at the security guard stationed outside the penthouse apartment then slid her hand free and knocked on the solid door.
A few moments later the door was pulled open but the person quickly headed in a different direction. Stepping inside, they laughed at the scene in front of them. Their very large friend was chasing after a small dog they had never seen before, looking helpless and exhausted. Sharing amused smiles they went to help; he went after the dog and she led the girl into the living room, nudging her to sit down.
"Thank God you're here!" Letty exclaimed before groaning, her hands moving to rest on her swollen stomach, gently poking back as the baby presumably kicked. "Mia, I'm too fat for this."
Vince came back into the room the brown furry animal in his arms, sitting next to Mia. He rolled his eyes hearing Letty. "Girl you are not fat, you're ipregnant/i."
"What's the difference, fat, pregnant..." Letty mumbled as the puppy scrambled out of Vince's arms over to its new owner. She sighed and stroked it lightly.
"What's with this little guy anyway?" Mia asked, reaching over to pet the animal.
Letty rolled her eyes. "Alex thought it was a bright idea to get it for the baby yet."
"Every kid should have a pet sweetheart."
They turned their heads towards the direction of the voice and saw Alex, Letty's husband, coming in the front door with a bright smile. He leaned down and kissed Mia's cheek before moving to sit next to his wife, giving her a loving kiss.
As Letty pulled away, licking her lips she pouted. "Baby isn't even born yet." She whined. Alex tugged her onto his lap and chuckled, she just glared in return.
Alex was the son of Irish business tycoon Connor O'Reilly. He was tall, lean but defined, he had slightly shaggy, dirty blonde hair and mischievous hazel eyes. He was well-mannered but with a somewhat brash sense of humor and was playful but appropriate. Not to mention he had an accent that would make any woman melt. To look at them Letty and Alex were an odd pair, chalk and cheese, but they made it work.
Letty had met him when he visited a car dealership his father owned in Ontario. She had been filling out an application form for a mechanic position when she caught his eye. He had asked her out right there and then. She had turned him down but still got the job. After a few weeks of receiving chocolates, flowers and jokes with her morning coffee she reluctantly agreed to go on one date. One turned into two that turned into three and so on and they became near inseparable.
Mia had surprised herself by how much she liked him. After all wasn't her brother supposed to be Letty's soul mate? However, she grew to tolerate Alex and then to like him. When Vince was released from his short sentence in jail he had joined them in Canada. He became fast friends with Alex, shocking the girls.
The couple got engaged on their one year anniversary and married on their second. The ceremony was small, taking place in Alex's hometown of Dublin. Vince had been the best man and Mia was the maid of honor. She would never forget standing there, partially numb, watching her glowing best friend say her vows to a man that wasn't Dom. She had prayed desperately that her brother would burst through the church doors and claim Letty back as his own.
That never happened. A tear had slipped down her cheek. This was it. Any hope she had been clinging to was shattered as she heard Letty say a shaky 'I do'. She knew when Letty turned to take Alex's ring from her that the girl was thinking the same thing. In that moment they all gave up on him. They decided it was time to move on with their lives.
The move to Shanghai came just after the wedding. Alex needed to go and oversee the opening of a hotel and the construction of several apartment complexes. When seeing his new wife upset about leaving her friend's behind he asked them to come along. And they did. There was nothing to hold them back, they had no real life in Ontario. Jesse and Leon were no where to be found so they didn't think twice. Soon after the move, Letty became pregnant and the temporary stay became permanent.
"Mia!"
She blinked at the sound of her name, snapping out of her daze. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in Letty gripping tightly at Vince's hand and Alex running around frantically getting things together. Then she finally understood.
Letty was in labor...
L.A – 13 years earlier
Dom's POV
They say that when you fall in love it changes your life. That's true. At least for me anyway. I didn't know it at the time but looking back on it I remember the exact moment I was a goner. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but I suppose I deserved it. I was knocked down a lot of notches that day.
It was her twelfth birthday. We were all at her house, playing basketball in the driveway as our parents talked in the back yard. It was me and Mia against Letty and Vince. We had it in the bag. But Mia and Vince were soon too occupied fighting over technicalities to bother taking part.
A fake move to the right threw Letty off and I smirked. She glared. I'll never forget running towards the basket, about to reach up and put that sucker in when I felt it. It was like being tackled by a professional football player. It hurt, a lot. Imagine how much my male ego suffered when I looked up from my position on the tarmac to find her standing over me grinning.
Yep, it sucked.
Big time.
Not only was she a girl, she was tiny girl. I had just reached near six foot and building muscle. She was barely five foot back then and she was as skinny as a rail. I remember clearly too, Vince and Mia howling with laughter at my expense. Even our parents couldn't contain their chuckles.
When Letty offered me her small hand I decided to take the opportunity as a chance to gain some of my man hood back. She was one step ahead. Knew what I was thinking. She withdrew her hand and shook her head, walking off to join the others.
My head dropped to the hard surface and I lay there. Thinking. Had I really just been taken down by Letty? Couldn't it be a horrible dream? I was humiliated. Thank God only our families were there to see it. Vince had even promised to keep it a secret. He didn't want to be associated with a guy who couldn't hold his own against a girl.
Once I recovered, and it took a good five minutes, I got up and slunk into my seat at the table. I snuck a glance at my attacker, she smiled. And I don't know at all why I did what I did but…I smiled back.
--
Please Review!
Lex