The Love of a Stepbrother

Chapter 10

The ride to the restaurant was spent in a blissful and comfortable silence, as William drove and Simone, sitting in the passenger seat, looked out the window. It was a peaceful atmosphere, one Simone didn't want to ruin, and thus she remained quiet.

The restaurant was fancy, but Simone had grown used to such settings for business. It was nothing she hadn’t been expecting already, even though she still felt ill at ease sometimes.

Only the best for the elite, she reasoned as she followed William to a private room which no doubt cost her rent and more.

They had only just sat down when someone knocked on the door. And soon, appeared a woman whose outfit wasn’t quite business-like, and for whom being demure hadn’t been an option that day. Her cleavage was nearly on full display. And though Simone was all for women's rights, she just felt less than, because she wasn't well-endowed in the chest area herself.

Simone blinked her eyes a couple of times successively, wondering what the woman was up to, and why William had yet to be his usual unpleasant self.

“William,” the woman let out excitedly, her baby blue eyes shining, her sole focus on the man sitting next to Simone. “It’s been so long.”

“It has been indeed, Julie,” he retorted with a curt nod, his expression neither welcoming nor dismissive.

Despite his flat tone, the woman still made doe eyes at him, and Simone had to refrain from making any comments that might get her in trouble – not yet anyways.

She also hated that she was watching her stepbrother with such keen interest, but she didn’t want him to be enamored with anyone but her if possible. William, like the gentleman he was, soon offered Julie to take a seat with a wave of his hand.

Simone was just about to object and tell him that they were here for business, when she caught sight of the case Julie was carrying, and wondered if she was the business partner they were supposed to meet. Soon, it turned out that her suspicions were correct, and Julie began to talk about designs, and show William sketches of her new jewelry sets.

The woman was nothing if not skilled, and Simone had to admit that she was jealous. Truth be told, when the woman began to talk about her sketches, she stopped trying to seduce William… But Simone knew it was but a reprieve.

William seemed to like what he saw, only making a couple comments about stones and the materials – technical stuff which Simone didn’t even know he was into.

When it was time for dinner, Julie, who had ordered wine, called for a toast, “To our future collaboration.”

William simply nodded at her, the ghost of a smile stretching his lips, as he drank to the same toast. Simone had to do the same, as the situation called for it.

Simone didn’t know how William did it, charming women left and right, but she knew she had no claims on him, and shouldn’t be so jealous… but maybe it was precisely because she didn’t know where they stood that she was this agitated.

Simone was ready to ask to be excused and flee to the bathroom, where she would hopefully calm down. But then, William bumped his knee with hers and left it there. It almost felt as if he was trying to reassure her or calm her down somehow…

And heavens have mercy, it worked!

For the first time since Julie entered the private room, Simone chanced a smile at her, and this latter mirrored it without delay.

“You have a beautiful PA, William,” Julie all but whistled in appreciation, a teasing undertone to her words. “I am envious.”

“Thank you,” Simone let out softly.

William simply chuckled before saying, “I do, don’t I?”

The dinner soon concluded with an agreement to meet again sometime next week, for the finalization of the contract.

** ** ** **

In the car, as William deftly drove through the near-empty streets of the city, Simone was just about ready to doze off, when he let out, “Julie isn’t into men, and I would dare say you caught her eye.”

“She’s not into men?” Simone echoed after him incredulously, unable to believe him even though William wasn’t one to lie to her. What about the way she kept looking at you? She was ready to ask but held back.

“I have known her since college,” came his flat answer. “And I have only ever seen her with women as partners.”

“Oh?”

He chuckled at her response, before adding, “I felt that would help make you sleep at night.”

“Hey! What do you mean by that?” Simone was horrified, and could barely believe that William lost all gentlemanly manners, and called her out on her jealous act.

“I mean to say that I don’t care for Julie in such a way. Never have. Never will,” he said in a tone of finality.

Before long, as the car stopped in front of the building where Simone lived, she unbuckled her seatbelt and was just about ready to hop off, when William grabbed her hand.

Simone’s eyes were wide as she looked at him, anxious to know what he had to say, what he would do, but oh so scared at the same time… so much so that her heart thudded in her ears.

“I want you to become my lover,” he declared after a beat, his deep chocolate brown eyes looking her straight in the eyes, making her mouth parched. “I am giving you 1 week to decide.”

“Huh?” Simone was dumbfounded to say the least, having least expected that.

Was this a joke? It couldn’t be, not from the way he spoke. Hell, William rarely ever made jokes.

“Let’s give this a chance? Hmm?” His soft whisper was the last thing she heard before he placed a chaste kiss on her lips.