Have We Met?
(Player’s Chronicles) Volume I
By
Alona Basque
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Alona Basque on Smashwords
Have We Met?
(Player’s Chronicles) Volume I
Copyright © 2011 Alona Basque
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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DEDICATION:
This story is dedicated to all of those who believe in happy endings. After all, aren’t we allowed to have them in the end?
HAVE WE MET?
(PLAYER’S CHRONICLES) Volume I
Chapter 1: Nate Ashburn
“Oh, Johnny, that was amazing! I couldn’t believe anybody would pleasure me like you just did,” my latest fling just told me in an alluring tone, snuggling dreamily next to me under the covers.
I sat up without delay, just so I could avoid the clinging arms that were trying to hold me down on the frilly pink bed I was currently occupying. I’m not of the cuddling kind. Never was, never will be. It goes against one of my rules, another one of which was never giving out my real name.
“You’re welcome, Angela” I said caressing her long, disheveled hair removing them from the top of her cheek. She was purring but, as soon as I had finished my sentence, her hand, which was up until then engaged in idly drawing zigzag patterns along my six-pack, stopped abruptly.
“My name is Andrea” she whined with a huff and a pout.
That signaled my cue to leave. I leisurely got up and started clothing myself, first putting on boxers, then taking a few steps in order to find my jeans, spread out on the floor and, last my shirt which was all the way across the room. This night’s girl was, all the while, watching me wistfully.
“Can’t you stay the night, Johnny? I’ll let you in the backdoor this time,” she whined, ending her sentence in a purr. I glanced up to her while buckling the belt on my jeans and merely shook my head. I was constructing a proper reply in my head in the meantime, but shit, her name had already escaped my memory.
“Sorry babe, got an early flight tomorrow,” I lied to her giving an easy non-rebuttable excuse and offered her one of my heart-stopping smiles, perfected by long timed practice.
She sat up on the bed and I noticed she grabbed something from the top drawer of the bedside table. She rose from the bed wrapped in the bed sheet, covering her nakedness and approached me slowly. Only then had I noticed how short she actually was, she only came up to my shoulders. She must have been wearing really high heels earlier this evening, when I picked her up from the local bar.
“Okay then, have a safe flight!” She reached up to me, “here’s my number, call me when you’re back in town.” In her outstretched hand she held a business card, which I happily received, but knew that I would throw away the moment I exited the door.
I looked down at the card, faking interest. “I don’t know when that will be,” I said and put on my brown suede jacket.
She raised her body standing on the tips of her toes, “I’m looking forward to your call” she said as she wrapped her hands around my neck and tried to pull me in for a kiss on the lips.
I try not to allow kissing on the lips as much as possible; I find this way too personal and intimate, so instead of my lips, I shifted my head slightly to the right presenting her my cheek at the same time her lips made contact with my face. I leaned in her ear, pressing my face to her cheek and whispered in my well-rehearsed breathless voice.
“Thanks for the ride babe.” I pried her arms away from me and made my way out the bedroom door, without even sparing her a second glance and speedily headed for the exit.
I hadn’t even taken three steps before I heard her shout “See you soon Johnny!” I merely shook my head left and right in amusement as I made my way down the stairs and out the front door.
I sighed in relief and breathed in the fresh night-breeze. God! I hate clingy women! They are definitely the worst ones out of the bunch. I strongly believe that relationships are for people with a fear of being alone. That is not me!
The moment my feet were on the sidewalk, I threw her business card away and reached my jacket’s inside pocket for my blackberry while I kept walking. I wanted to check for any missed calls and, was not disappointed to see that I had a missed call from my mother, who by the way, also sent me a text message and had left a voicemail.
I made a mental note to check those later, since the other missed call I had was from my best friend Chase. I took out the keys to my Porsche while dialing his number. I reached the car as it started ringing and opened the driver’s door. On the third ring, he answered my call.
“Hey-” I said after he said hello.
“Hey Nate, where have you been buddy? One minute you were there, at the bar, busy flirting with some blonde chick and the next thing I know you disappear! I’ve been wondering what happened to you for the past two hours, dude! Don’t tell me, you nailed that sweet innocent little thing, didn’t you?” He didn’t even give me a chance to utter anything more than one word, saying all that in one breath.
A smile cracked on my lips and I rolled my eyes at his accusations. My Porsche purred as I cranked up the engine and I switched the call to hands-free. I put in first gear and drove away from there, heading home. The street lights were dancing in an orange curvy fashion, left and right from me, as I sped, cruising down town.
“Yes genius! I did hit on that ‘innocent’ little thing,” I started saying, “which by the way was a total lie and an act but, of course I nailed her. She was too easy to be innocent.” I was shaking my head again remembering how she clinked on me.
What can I say? Gentlemen are known not to kiss and tell, but who said I was ever a gentleman?
“Yikes! Wow man, it’s so hard to be you, I don’t even envy you!” Chase sneered, sarcasm dripping from each word.
“Damn straight it is” I replied with a smirk
“Dude, what’s the number so far this year?” he asked. “I haven’t even hit fifty yet which is like your monthly average more or less, right?” he was sounding very proud of my…‘accomplishments’ as he usually phrases it.
“A gentleman never kisses and tells kind sir!” I gave him my most accurate British accent. He paused for a mere nanosecond and then I heard his bellow as he laughed incredulously on the other end of the line.
“Dude, who do you think you’re talking to here?” He managed to say in between laughs. “I’m your fucking best friend. Your wingman when it comes to picking up chicks! Don’t give me that cheap line!” I sighed while he continued his ranting.
“I’m the person who introduced you to the fucking game. Who was it that showed you the ropes, dog? I was your mentor! So are you going to tell me, or should I just assume the worst? Let’s see, last time you told me you were up to 70 since the beginning of the year and now we’re in the first week of February. Was the one you tapped tonight number 71?” he taunted, pressing on my weak spot since he knows me ‘too’ well, trapping me into answering him.
It’s not that I hate bragging, it’s just that I don’t particularly like it, and since he’s aware of this fact, he always tells me the wrong number forcing me to correct him, since I’m not one to disappoint and hate being underestimated. I sighed rather dramatically.
“No, dickhead, it’s…81” I proudly said, my lip curling up to my ears, which I knew he couldn’t see, but was sure he could hear through my voice. I could just imagine his jaw almost slapping the floor the moment I revealed my most recent conquest record. I smirked again and there was silence for a moment.
He broke the silence, “How…did you manage 11 girls in…one week?” he stuttered in awe and I realized he took his time counting and possibly re-counting, hence the silence! I was laughing in my mind.
“Um, group sex?” I said in a ‘duh’ tone.
“Wow.” was all he said.
“Uh-huh” I agreed nodding my head when I realized yet again that he couldn’t see me. I stopped.
“You definitely have got to call me up next time this happens man! Remember? Bros before hoes! ” He sounded like a four year old whining for chocolate. I couldn’t hold myself any longer and laughed out loud at his childish tone.
“Alright man, will do that” I told him catching myself nodding a third time and made a mental note to work on that one.
“Yes! So-o,” he dragged the o in expectation, “when are we hitting the town? Where exactly do you even find all these willing women?” Someone was definitely exited, I thought.
It was as if I could see his blue eyes growing wide while his mind went on overdrive and thinking he would soon be surrounded by a hoard of women all willing of course! Ah! The life of a player, I happily thought.
“Um, let’s see…the bookstore…the library…oh and the museum!” I quickly recounted the incident that occurred last week, the one with me having sex with four women in a conference room at the back of the library, simultaneously that is.
That was, by far, the kinkiest experience I ever had. All four of them ranged in between nineteen to thirty-five age-wise, the oldest being the librarian. We had remained at the library after hours and were role-playing, pretending that the library was packed with people and were doing our best to be as silent as possible, but well, let’s just say that none of them were able to keep the noise down by the time we really got into it.
“Seriously dude?” Chase asked me with doubt in his voice.
“Yup” I said nodding a fourth time.
It grasped me that I had started counting, on top of nodding. While I was narrating my little story of last week’s adventures, it had started to rain, slowly at the beginning, the kind of rain that basically just splashes your car and leaves huge dirt marks afterwards, but soon enough it turned into a full out stormy weather with lighting and the works. I just loved that weather, there was something about storms and driving and night lights are reflected on the street that made me feel like I was literally driving on the surface of the sea.
“Wow. Who knew the kinkiest of kinky are found in the most boring of places? Wow” he said sounding baffled.
“I know right? Wow indeed!” I said, a huge grin forming on my face.
I pulled up the driveway and pressed open the garage door in order to park my Panamera turbo. As soon as she was safely tacked away for the night I cut the engine off. I switched from Bluetooth to my handset and kept on talking with Chase, while closing the garage door with another beep and headed indoors leisurely.
Once inside the house, I started heading upstairs, towards my room, but was distracted by something caught in my peripheral vision. I stopped talking to Chase and my feet followed my vision to the living room where they halted. It shocked me to find the bane of my existence and the one and only person who also happened to give life to me, sitting nonchalantly on my La-Z-Boy, flipping through one of the National Geographic magazines I always kept on the coffee table.
It took me a few seconds to regain the use of my voice. “Ah, dude… I’ll call you later. I just got home and I remembered I forgot to throw out the trash. It stinks in here.” I told him quietly before hanging up, hoping that I wouldn’t get noticed.
I turned on my heel and made haste as silently as possible to the garage, with my car keys in hand, hoping I would be quick enough in order not to get caught. The moment my hand reached the door handle, I heard a distinct someone clearing their throat. I was caught; royally caught!
“Nathaniel Ryan Ashburn, I know you saw me already! So, bring that hide over here to this so called living room you have and greed your mother properly.” I looked at the key in my hand, shut my eyes, sighed disappointedly and finally turned back around and back into the living room to face her. I was so close! I thought to myself, if only I had some mad ninja skills, I would escape my foredooming demise! I felt my shoulders drop a notch. “Hello mother,” I said in an impassive monotone, in deadpan mode one could say. I was now facing her completely.
She scanned me from top to bottom with her calculating eyes. I leaned nearer to her in order to offer her my greetings with our usual kiss on the cheek but she reflexively held her hand up and stopped me.
“You smell of alcohol and perfume. I do not want those lips on my face; God only knows where they must have been.” Mother sneered at me stressing must while she still was holding her hand up as a stop sign.
I just ignored that comment and was screaming inside. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?” I deadpanned again and then bombarded her with questions. “Where is dad? Is Natalie with you? What about Nick?”
I looked around desperately to find either my father or any of my siblings here as well, but since none of them showed up for the roll call I had just made, I realized that I was stuck alone with the devil herself. I groaned mentally.
It never was a good sign when mom showed up in my domain and at this ungodly hour nevertheless. She never felt comfortable being here. ‘This cannot be good’ I almost said out loud, but managed to keep it in.
It took her a couple of moments before she gave me a reply, which I was devastated to hear and would rather she, had never come in the first place. On the other side, my instinct was still dead on, dreading her reason for being here, that is.
“Your Grandfather James passed away.” She casually said and continued without giving me a chance to interrupt. “We are leaving for France in a couple of days in order to attend the funeral and meet with the lawyers for the opening of the will. That should give you enough time to get your affairs in order I presume?” She asked me in a tone leaving me no other option from the affirmative one and was currently busy staring at me waiting for my reaction.
For a second it seemed to me that she was amused with my astonished face, but quickly shook that thought away. The time was not an appropriate one for a clash with mother.
I was sincerely shocked at that piece of information mother just threw at me. I could not believe that my most favorite person in this family was gone…. dead, deceased, not present amongst the living any longer. I wanted to cry. My fondest childhood memories were with Grandpa. I know I’ve always been his preferred one amongst both children and grandchildren. Being his first grandchild also had a say in that but, now I had to comprehend and acknowledge the fact that he’s no longer in this world I’m in. I had to accept that? My brain refused to get a grip on this information and I sincerely thought there was a blank in my head for a while.
“The limo will be here to pick you up on Tuesday, at 8:30 sharp. Be ready and bring a suit.” Mom said as she stood up placing the magazine back on the coffee table and made her way towards the front door. I followed her out the door, just to make sure she did actually intent to leave, not just my house but the neighborhood as well.
I saw mother’s town car pull up in front of my lawn. How could I have missed it earlier? The chauffer hastily exited the driver’s side in order to open up the back passenger’s door for mom to enter. The moment before she entered the car, she slightly turned her head to the side, her back to me and took a last glance in my direction. “Don’t forget; Tuesday 8:30 in the morning.” She said over her shoulder.
The urge to roll my eyes came to me and as hard as it was I managed to resist it. I hated her insinuations, she always presumed that I would forget or be late, or both. I guess she does have the right to do so, since I have been neglectful in the past as far as family functions were concerned. There was no chance I would miss this one though. “Yes, mother; I will see you Tuesday at 8:30 in the morning without delay” I echoed in monotone.
She merely nodded her head in approval. I figured she was pleased of my non-fuss agreement over the time. As soon as her town car was out of sight, I caught myself taking in a big breath of air and sighing. I headed back into the house. I locked my front door, setting on the alarm system, since I didn’t want any more unwelcomed guests arriving unexpectedly. My mind floated to the days I had spent with Grandpa Jim.
James Elliot Ashburn was the owner and sole founding member of Ashburn Media. He originally started out as a broadcaster in a radio station when he was still in his teens, but being a pioneer himself and needless to say a very headstrong clever man, he quickly evolved into creating his own Radio Station at first. He then expanded to TV, creating several TV channels and a couple of News Crews, even a cable TV provider. Then, as business grew, home and cellular phone lines were added to the company’s ventures and soon enough towers were built all over Europe. The bigger the company got, the more popular the demand became until it finally arrived in North America as a conglomerate.
Alongside Grandpa James, one would always find Grandma Juliette. A proud and strong, yet lovable, woman that had put her husband’s needs before her own at all times and was very family-oriented. They had married at the very young age of fifteen, which I was also very surprised to hear about. It was an arranged marriage. When I curiously enquired Grandpa James about it, he chuckled and said that it was love at first side; lucky them.
In a way, I was lucky myself, since I have never been forced into an arranged marriage, well up until now that is. My parents always took a contemporary view regarding the marriage department. That is a blessing since I would literally hate them if they sucked me into one of those. I cringed at the mere thought!
I decided I needed a stress reliever so I sent Chase a text asking him to meet me for a drink or two, downtown. I didn’t have any idea as to what was waiting for my after the funeral ceremony was completed on Tuesday. I quickly jumped in the shower to get ready for a boys’ night out in town.
Just as I was out of the shower, I grabbed a towel off the rail and before I wrapped it around my waist, dried my hair and body, then went in front of the bath mirror to brush my teeth clean. Once I was done with washing myself clean, I entered the walk in closet and chose an outfit to wear. I put on a burgundy button down shirt and a back fitted shirt on top of it, rolling the sleeves all the way up to my elbows. I was whistling a cheerful tune of a song I had heard while in the car, but I couldn’t put a finger on the title no matter how hard I had tried.
I slipped on a pair of faded blue jeans on top of my silky black boxers and wore a pair of shoes, sprayed on some cologne and headed to the mirror to fix my hair, which basically consisted of me running it through my gelled up fingers and let it go all on its own. No matter how hard I tried to tame my hair, it always went back to its messy ways. I checked myself out in the mirror; ‘damn, I’m hot!’ I proudly said to mirror-me.
It’s not that I usually ogle at myself or that I am conceited in any way – more than normal – it’s just that the mere look of myself, makes me want to swoon over blue-green eyes that girls often refer to as sapphires or emeralds, depending on the lighting. With tousled brown hair and perfectly straight nose which complemented luscious full lips, I was the epitome of a good-looking guy of godly proportions.
I know, right? I’m hot! One cannot deny one’s hotness! And to top it all off, I wear a rocking body of medium built and hard chest, not to mention lovely six pack abs that I was lucky enough to get through good genes passed down to me, and okay, a little bit of exercise on the side.
I smirked and puffed up with pride, as I headed towards my car. I drove to Chase’s and my favorite local hangout bar, which was located a good twenty minute drive downtown from my house. I parked and got out my Porsche and saw a long line-up waiting to enter the bar, but with my popularity and… money, I don’t do line-ups.
I met Chase at the entrance where he was waiting for me and we both went in the bar/restaurant called Crave. Once we cleared the double glass doors, we made our way to the bar section of the establishment and grabbed our usual bar seats. Chase turned his head to my direction with his hand on my shoulder. I looked around for the bartender until he noticed us and nodded in acknowledgement.
“Hey man,” he started with a head shake. “You are aware that today is Sunday, right?” I looked at him briefly before my reply, he was right; I never did this on Sundays. Sundays were my days ‘off’. “Yeah man, but I needed the release since I’m leaving in two days’ time,” I said, a small frown taking shape on my face.
Right then, the bartender came to us with our usual drinks in each of his hands and placed them neatly on the bar counter in front of us. We were such frequent customers, that we never had to actually place an order any more. We nodded our heads in gratitude before we each took hold of our drinks and turned around in our seats to people-watch.
“What do you mean you’re leaving? Where are you going to? Why are you going? How long will you be gone for? Where are you going to?” Chase asked in a breath before he took a swig of his Heineken. I chuckled at his questions.
“You’ve asked where twice already buddy! I’m going to France with the family. Grandpa Jim past away and we’re having the funeral in Paris…”
A stroke of genius hit me, “…hey, you should come with!” If Chase was with me, it wouldn’t be so bad I thought. I mean, I will have my siblings with me but, having my best friend there would make the whole mod-dad ordeal so much more bearable. Plus his family is close to mine and vice versa. It’s like we’re related, more or less.
He didn’t need a lot of time to think over this idea. “I guess so… I’ve got nothing else to do anyways! School doesn’t start until Friday, so I guess we’re set to please some French ladies” he said with an evil grin on his face as he rubbed his palms together. I laughed at his enthusiasm. At least one of us was excited about this tip.
Ugh, I had totally forgotten all about school. You might be thinking, ‘why does this guy bother with school, having all the money I got,’ but let me remind you, or should I say rephrase. My family is loaded, not me. Who knows when I’ll actually have to work to sustain myself? I’m one of those types that are always prepared for the worst case scenario. So, for those reasons and many more, but mostly because my parents made me, I’m in my final year of college, taking Business Management – Corporate Level – as per my parent’s ‘request’.
Oh, I failed to mention earlier that I am also the heir to the multibillion dollar media corporation Grandpa Jim built. I don’t even want to think of what awaits me now that he’s gone, because I’m pretty sure it means goodbye freedom, hello boredom. I envy my two younger siblings, since they are not expected to be responsible for, or even involved with the family business.
Natalie, my sweet little sister is only eighteen and nothing like what our mother wants her to be – prim and proper that is – which also makes her my favorite sister. Well, she’s my only sister so I guess she would be either way! Then there’s Nicholas – Nick in short, my twenty year old younger brother and a pain in the ass, not to mention a kiss-ass! He tries to please everybody and he’s a bit of a momma’s boy. People often mistake him for me since we do look alike a lot, except that I’m taller than he is and hotter - ha! Don’t tell him that or he’ll flip.
You already know my name, Nathaniel, AKA Nate or, for most of my one night stands… well, whatever name comes to mind at the time. Why do I use fake names? Well, it has something to do with my standing in society. Some women just come up and directly approach me asking if I am ‘THE’ Nate Ashburn. I’d mostly deny that since I hate the attention. Don’t be fooled, I love the attention, just not ‘that’ kind – the kind that these bed-warmers and gold diggers offer to me – all in all fake.
Speak of the devil, I noticed a tall brunette making her way casually towards our direction, with a redhead in tow. Once they were within arms’ length, she threw herself at me. I put my hands around her shoulders holding her up in order to stop her from stumbling. “Hey handsome,” she purred seductively. “Care to join me and my friend here for some group fun outside these walls?” her purr turned into her licking the back of my ear.
I could smell the scent of an intense fruity perfume mixed together with the stench of alcohol on her. I felt like gagging just by getting a whiff of that. I made an annoyed face and looked over to the redhead who was currently draping herself around Chase. I pulled on her arm and heard a gasp leave her mouth at the touch of my gingers. She stumbled towards me and landed between my legs. I caught her and took a whiff of her scent. She smelled like strawberries; much better than her friend the drunken disaster.
“Sorry babe.” I nodded my head towards Chase and let the redhead settle on my lap. “Maybe you should get together with my friend over here.” The drunken disaster of a brunette, took a good look at Chase, measuring him from head to toe, before raising her shoulders in an unconcerned shrug.
We hung out with them for a couple of hours before things got heated enough that my redhead, whose name I’d already forgot, suggested we went to the bathroom for a quickie. I’m not known for turning down offers like that and I excused us from the bar, leaving Chase and his brunette fondle each other to their satisfaction.
Once Red and I made it to the washroom, she pulled me by the hand into one of the larger stalls – the one for the handicapped. She then wrapped her hands around my neck cheekily and pulled me in for a kiss. I dodged her lips by trailing kisses from her jaw line to her collarbone, as I gently but firmly pinned her against the wall.
While I pressed on with my caressing her curves with my fingers, I continued on the trail of salty river I placed on her. I could feel her heaving and releasing small gasps of air, which made my mind swirl. I found myself entangled with her in an awkward embrace and she giggled as I felt her hands on my jeans and heard the buttons pop one by one.
It never failed to amaze me how most women were more straightforward and aggressive than guys and still manage to look cute and feminine while at it. She took me in almost all at once and I shivered, taking a nibble harder than I originally intended, I felt her flesh redden and heard her muffled scream as our bodies habitually started dancing and swirling. She really knew how to dance I thought, not forgetting to look at how hot she looked with her hair disheveled and her makeup smudged.
It really was beginning to feel like the air supply was getting shorter and shorter by the minute. I was more than ready to go, it felt like hot air was escaping the pores of my body at her every move and touch. She then paused for what felt like an eon and I heard a rip sound and then, felt the familiar slippery sensation as the condom was wrapping me, constricting me. Wow, I thought, she did come prepared! That was freaky and very hot at the same time! She had just got me even more excited.
Entering her was an easy task since our bodies had found their rhythm and my hands were playing with her as much as she’d let me, making her squirm around. I never could get the same sensation of that particular moment when a new territory was won over and fully explored. I felt my eyes roll back and my muscles tighten as my breathing shorten and sweat dripped more and more getting mixed up with saliva. I found myself swimming in her juices right from the get go and the salty air just made me gasp. It truly was the high I needed.
We had been going at it for a while and the whole time she’d childishly keep a good bite down on my shoulder, as revenge for my refusal to kiss her on the lips. Because of her immature vengeance, we were somewhat quiet; except for moments so intense it seemed impossible not to let it all out somehow, where she’d squeal while I plunged deeper and deeper. I had noticed that every time she would stretch her neck all the way back, her veins clearly tense and drops of sweat trace down her sternum and in between her cleavage. It was such an erotic scene my heaps never needed me to tell them what to do until we both climaxed and our chests were the only parts left going up and down in a hectic pursue of oxygen.
Once we relaxed a little bit, I let her get dressed and exit the washroom stall ahead of me. I quickly gathered myself and disposed of the used condom before wiping myself clean and made my way to the sink in order to wash. I rested my hands on the sink counter for a moment before I removed one hand to pull my phone out of my jeans. I needed to tell Chase that I was leaving for the night, through the backdoor. I sent him a quick text, never waiting for his response as I made my escape to the parking lot and to my Porsche which was obediently waiting for me. I petted her before I entered and headed back home.
Chapter 2: Nate Ashburn
“Care for another drink Mr. Ashburn?” the flight attendant asked me with a come-hither look on her face.
“Yes please thank you” I replied nodding my head as I lifted the empty glass for her to retrieve.
A few moments later, she came back with a glass of whiskey on the rocks, replaced it on my tray and showed me a flirty smile before she turned away from me. I watched her walk towards the back of the plane with her hips swaying from side to side. Once she was out of sight, I downed the hard liquor in three gulps as it numbed the boredom that I was feeling.
“Keep them coming sweetheart” I told the flight attendant as she passed by me and grabbed my empty cup.
She batted her eyelashes and nodded her head. Of course she would try to bag me, since in her eyes I would bring her money and fame if we ever got together. Little did she know that all I could ever see in her was a good fuck… mediocre in the least…I wouldn’t know how other people perform, but for my part, I know that I always bring my best game on.
“Nathaniel, slow down on the alcohol, I don’t want to be embarrassed by your drunkenness,” mother hissed at me from across my seat. I waved a hand in dismissal.
“Oh, relax Mother, it’s not like I’m drowning myself in booze, you know” I jeered, earning me a glare from the devil herself.
“Mom, leave Nate alone, you know he hates flying” Natalie said with a roll of her eyes as she went back to plugging the ear-buds of her MP3 player.
I guess she overheard mom chastising me for my drinking. Mom crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in annoyance for getting tag teamed by us.
“Dude, are you feeling alright? You know your mom might be right, you have been drinking a lot more than usual” Chase said to me quietly.
“I’m fine man, you don’t have to be a kiss ass like Nicky over there” I said to him as I took another sip from my newly refilled drink.
Jeez, thanks a lot Chase, I thought. I wonder whose side is he on to nag on me like a girlfriend would. That’s another reason why I don’t have girlfriends or relationships. I don’t think I can tell anybody yet about my fear of commitment.
Well, you can’t really blame me for the way I am, if you’d like to blame someone, blame HER! SHE is the one and only reason why I, Nathaniel Ryan Ashburn, dashing bachelor and well sought groom for many, many girls, am a dive-and-dash guy, a no-kissing-on-the-lips guy, and a no-falling-in-love (ever!) guy. All these things that make up the way I am now are all due to Her – all because of Her. Someday, I will divulge that Intel on the next poor soul interested enough to hear about it. But that day is not today.
After a few more drinks went down the drain, the alcohol had accumulated enough to numb my mind into oblivion. It was also the right amount consumed to contain the hyper side of myself from thinking about HER. I would have hated it if my sleep was deprived due to some cold hearted bitch. Sleep took precedence over Her anytime! Oops, was that too much I wondered? On second thought, not really… Oh well.
I was jolted awake by someone shaking my shoulder gently. When I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Natalie looking down at me.
“Come on, Nate the plane is almost empty. You don’t want the she-devil to give us the evil glare” she said with a chuckle.
I smiled at her as I unbuckled my seatbelt, but then it took me a while to stand up, get my carryon luggage from the cabin compartment, thus when I made my way to the exit Natalie was way ahead of me. I rushed to catch up to her and when I finally caught up we were already at the bottom of the stairs. I went next to her and draped an arm over her shoulder.
“So, Cricket, got any boyfriends lately?” I asked her with a teasing tone.
Cricket has been my nickname for her ever since she was three years old, because she loved copying the sounds of the little critters. Whenever we went camping, she would constantly mimic their sound which was adorable but, I have to admit, became annoying after the ninth time. She shrugged her shoulders in response.
“Eh, I went on dates with a lot of guys but no repeats. So, no boyfriends” she said nonchalantly.
I raised an eyebrow at this. She’s a looker, my sister. She has long blonde hair and baby blue eyes that turn grey when she’s upset or mad. She’s slim and has the Ashburn confidence. So, I can see why guys would flock her everywhere she goes. Plus, our last name always follows her around. Can’t really escape that!
She hates some of the guys in school because of that, as she claims that they are douche bags that just want to get into her pants just because of who her family is. I don’t blame her for playing the field. I just hope she’s being careful enough not to get hurt in the process of playing the game.
Karma can be a bitch sometimes… What? Just because I’m a player doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t have a heart; or at least know the inner workings of things like fate and destiny. Not to mention that a lot of chicks dig that kind of stuff!
“Wow! I didn’t think I’d ever see the day you’d follow in my footsteps! I’m so proud.” I teased her. She hit my chest with her elbow and rolled her eyes in mock disbelief.
“I’m no whore,” she said with a laugh as she squirmed away from me in order to join the rest of our group, who were currently retrieving their luggage from the carousel. I was the only one who did not bring a luggage other than the carryon I had with me on the plane. I did send out my suit ahead of me though, so that I wouldn’t have to carry it around with me. I love traveling light.
As for my hate of flying, it’s not that I actually hate it. It’s more the long distance flights I hate, since they tend to get very boring. Especially trans-Atlantic ones like the one I just had to suffer through.
We quickly got our luggage, went through passport control and took the side exit door which was assigned to ‘jet owners’ only’ to find the limo waiting for us to get in. The driver got busy loading the suitcases and I was left there standing. The air in Paris was always murky, I noted. Guess it must be from all the smokers, which reminds me! I placed my carryon on the pavement with one hand and pulled out my pack of cigarettes from my jacket’s inner pocket with the other. I took a stick out and lit it up. Mother’s radar never fails, and she instantly made an ‘ahem’ noise with her throat, which I might be wrong but, sounded more like gagging.
“Nathaniel” she said stressing the last syllable of my name for emphasis as she usually does, “put that disgusting death stick out this minute!” Venom dripping from her voice, she erratically waved a hand in front of her face, trying to swat away the smoke from reaching her.
I moved away a couple of steps only to lean against a pillar. I couldn’t handle her complaints. What a hypocrite, I thought. I distinctly remember her smoking in the past, dad still does, although only the occasional cigars. I leaned on one foot and watched mother as she gave instructions to the chauffer on the proper way to handle luggage when loading them in the trunk. I rolled my eyes out of habit. What an anal fiend! Just then, both Chase and Natalie made their way to where I stood.
“Hey, can I bum a smoke?” Natalie asked while she placed her hand inside my jacket to help herself to my pack. She pulled one out and offered the pack to Chase as well. He took one out of the pack, lit his cigarette and extended the flame to Natalie.
“Help yourself. When did you start smoking?” I asked her after I took in another drag of what my mother likes to call a death stick.
“Oh, when you live with the devil, you’re bound to start smoking!” she said while releasing out a puff of smoke through her lips. I nodded my head in a ‘so true’ manner and put out my cigarette in a nearby ashtray – gotta love the French, I mused.
“Nate,” Chase started, “is that all you brought with? One small carryon?” he looked at my luggage in disbelief. “I gotta hand it to you on the whole traveling light thing, I wouldn’t be able to do it that light!” He actually sounded impressed and chuckled at the thought while putting out his cigarette the same time as Natalie. We all made our way to the limo.
We drove through the Paris nightlights until we reached my grandparents’ French Villa. As soon as we entered through the huge elaborate gate doors, I felt a pang in my heart. Nostalgia hit me as memories of previous summer vacations came to mind. I had spent most of my childhood summer breaks in this place. We would always come here for at least two weeks each summer before we went somewhere else for the rest of the summer. It always had the feel of a safe haven to me.
Grandpa Jim’s Villa was one of those usual classic French Villas. You would find the long driveway with tall trees along the sides shading the way to the mansion as soon as you entered the gates. I’ve never seen them in bloom since we only ever visited in the summertime, which was a nice change. Various types of shrubs and marble fountains were separating the two roads outside the mansion, one for entering and the other for exiting.
As we reached the end of the long driveway, a huge square fountain made out of heavy stone and marble faced us. It held the gold statutes of a man and a woman entangled with heavenly creatures spewing out water. I remember playing in there with my siblings when I was a younger. I loved exploring the huge artifact, though it lost its appeal nowadays. Grandpa Jim once told me it was sculpted in the early 1800s when I was scolded for scribbling on it with a nearby rock.
We were going to be staying in the main part of the mansion. There were three other buildings that comprised of the whole thing, but they were used as servants’ quarters and guest houses, but the main house was strictly for family use only. Grandmother Juliette, or Grandma Jules as I call her, made the exception of allowing Chase stay with us in the main house since he’s my best bud and all.
“Nathaniel, it’s so good to see you again! You never come to visit your old granny anymore” Grandma Jules cooed in French as she pulled me in for a fierce hug as well as kissing both my cheeks in greeting.
“Mamie, I’m very sorry I have been busy with my studies” I lamely said back in perfect French. She clicked her tongue in chastisement with my reason.
“Not good enough of a reason. Your brother and sister have come for visits over the summer for the past few years” she scolded as she lightly slapped my right cheek in an amorous way. What did I say earlier? My grandparents really do love me.
She went on with greeting the rest of the family and ushered us in the main house. Apparently, we only had about an hour to refresh and get ready for the funeral. It was going to start soon at the nearby cathedral. The reason for the time constraint was that a lot of the people who were attending the funeral were mostly business people, which meant time is money.
I showed Chase to the room he would be staying in and made my way up the double staircase and into my quarters. I entered the room I’ve used since the very first time I visited with my grandparents. I took a long glance at the room. My youth’s heirlooms could be found throughout the place. I was very fond of that room since it held precious memories of my innocent past.
My eyes fell on my designer suit that hung neatly inside the walk-in closet. I went there to grab it and found all sorts of other clothes that Grandma Jules always kept stocked for me. I noticed she updated my wardrobe with the latest fashions once more. I felt a smile creep on my face as I look through my newest clothing collections in colour coded form.
With that, I stepped back and made my way to the en-suite bathroom, stood by the fireplace. Yes, the bathroom held a fireplace as did most of the rooms in this place. Apparently, the place was far too big and at the time this mansion was build central heating was not an option, although Grandpa Jim had it installed when they moved in, the fireplaces stayed as they were one of the original features of the house.
I debated on whether I should have a bath or a quick shower, while running a hand through my hair. Letting my hand drop to my side I decided to take a full bath in the claw-footed tub. I opened up the fountains and waited for the tub to fill as I went back to the bedroom to take my bathroom essentials and underwear.
Something caught my eye as I was heading back to the bathroom. There, on the night stand, was a framed picture of me and Grandpa James in front of the Eiffel Tower when I was 8 years old. He held me as I sat on a ledge by the bridge with the Eiffel Tower as the background. I had my arms around his neck as we both had goofy smiles on our faces.
“I already miss you old man” I whispered as I looked at the picture.
I felt moisture fill my eyes. I really loved my Grandpa Jim the most. He was the only one who ever accepted me for who I am without questions asked. Grandma Jules was right; I haven’t been here for a long time, after graduating high school must have been the last time I visited. But Grandpa Jim and I always had secret meetings between the two of us whenever he ended up in North America on one of his business trips.
I never hesitated to drop whatever I was doing at the time, just to spend a few hours with him. It’s not that we did anything spectacular really, we mainly talked, people watch, or whatever we decided, which included going to a gentleman’s club one time. Neither my parents nor my siblings knew of our secret outings.
He was more like a father/brother/friend figure to me than a grandparent. I shook my head as I remembered the time when we arranged to meet up at a strip club in Vegas and he got a girl to give me a lap dance. I remember stressing about how on earth would he manage to get an eighteen year old in there, but Grandpa Jim had a fake ID ready for me when I met him there. He had said that he’s not getting any younger and that he might not be able to see me turn twenty-one, but he did, and we revisited Vegas on that occasion as well. That was the last time I saw him though, which was almost four months ago.
I made my way to the tub, stripped and submerged myself in the warm water, trying to relax my jetlagged body. I remembered that particular day I had arranged to celebrate with my friends, but I held off all the plans we had made at the last minute, since I knew Grandpa Jim would be coming to visit me. He always did so on my birthdays, he never missed one.
He looked lively to me once he showed up, but for some reason I could sense a serious air around him. His words came to mind; he had told me that I was slowly becoming a man of my own power and how I would soon need to have a woman by my side, supporting me just like Grandma Jules had supported him. At that time I had laughed off the idea and I remember telling him how I was too young to even start thinking about such things, let alone get a girl to be in control of my life.
He made it clear to me right then and there that a woman was not someone to be following behind or ahead of me. She would be my equal and that when I did actually find someone like that, I shouldn’t let her go. I humored him by saying I’d stop fooling around and try my best to find the love of my life. He seemed satisfied with my answer.
But, of course I never actually followed through on that promise, since I was just not ready to commit myself to a one-woman show, let alone have anything to do with that thing called LOVE.
With all that reminiscence, the water got lukewarm and I decided that it was time to step out of the tub before I froze to death. I needed to start getting ready for this business themed memorial anyway.
Before getting dressed, I brushed my teeth and styled my hair. I didn’t want to give off the impression that I did not own a comb. I used so much hair gel that my head felt heavy and my hair stiff, but I was lucky enough my hair decided to behave today. Whew! Thank goodness for that! At least, that was one thing the she-devil would not be able to complain about.
I wore black from top to bottom; from my boxers to my tie and everything in between. I sprayed on some cologne, went with the Givenchy this time. Then, after double-checking the final result in the mirror, I started walking out of my suite, but before completely stepping out the door I backtracked to grab the picture from its frame and placed safely inside my jacket pocket. Smiling sadly to myself, I shut the door closed and went downstairs.
I found everyone waiting around the back patio while having a shot of espresso. I took a seat next to Dad and Natalie. A servant placed some bite sized finger snacks as well as a fresh cup of espresso in front of me. I nodded in appreciation. With all the hurry I had forgotten my hunger but it was now coming back to me and I quickly placed a bite in my mouth.
“After the funeral ceremony ends, we shall meet back here along with James’s lawyer for the Will reading.” I heard Grandma Jules announce to us in a grim expression. I felt the food get stuck in my throat and felt my eyes water for a second before I contained them.
I stood up at once and placed my arms around her shoulders rubbing them soothingly. I knew how hard she was trying to put a strong front before us – her family. When she had said Grandpa James’s name, I could hear her voice cracking a bit. She just looked up to me and said words of gratitude for consoling her through her eyes. The only act she did was to place her free hand on top of my own, which was still holding her shoulders lovingly.
I smiled down at her. She was now the closest connection to Grandpa Jim I had left. One by one we finally all got up and started heading towards the front of the mansion, when ‘Lucifer’ arrived in one of her designer black velvet floor length dress.
Seeing her dressed in an all-black outfit just gave me the chills. I know you’re probably thinking I’m being really harsh to my mother, but tell you what; I’ll give her to you to have as a mother for just five minutes, no more, no less. When you’re free to tell me how you enjoyed the last five minutes of your life her of course, that’s if you didn’t snuff it before the end of the five-minute agreement.
“Nathaniel, straighten your tie and jacket” she said, glaring at me. The woman was impossible. She could clearly see I still had my arm around Grandma Jules’s waist, supporting her as we made our way to the limo. What did I tell you? So, what do you say? Do we have a deal on those five minutes I mentioned earlier? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
“Natasha. Leave the boy alone. Why don’t you bother with your own attire? You’re wiping the floor or haven’t you noticed?” Grandma Jules said in her own glare towards the she-devil. I was pleasantly surprised at Grandma Jules’s spunk!
Ah, I knew there was a reason why I loved Grandma Jules so much! She’s always defended me against evil. As soon as the devil was faced with Grandma Jules’s glare, she backed down and silently apologized to her. That was something I had never actually seen or heard coming from mother. I swear I saw her shoulders shrug for a second! I guess it would be pushing it too far to apologize to me. Oh, well, it was still better than nothing, I mused.
Just then, I felt Natalie’s hand link with my free arm. I reflexively turned my head in her direction and saw that she was also wearing all black – Gucci with swirl patterns and black decorative glittery sequins.
“Hey Cricket, how are you feeling? I know you were close to Grandpa Jim” I asked her quietly as we got in the limo.
“I miss him already” she said quietly in a shaky voice with a bit of sniffling. I wrapped my arm around her as I nodded my head and kissed her temple.
“Yeah same here, I miss him too” I told her.
“You know Nathaniel; you look so much like James did when he was around your age; always a ladies’ man,” Grandma Jules had a faraway look in her eyes and soon a sad smile formed on her face after she told me that.
“Thanks Mamie,” I replied and returned the smile to her. “If I live my life as colorful and eventful as Grandpa Jim’s had, even in the tenth degree I would still die a happy man.” This made her smile in appreciation.
We reached the Cathedral in less than ten minutes. I didn’t have the strength or mentality to look out the window whilst in the car; even though sightseeing was one of my hobbies when commuting. Especially when the scenery comprised of endless green pastures, they would always calm my restless heart, but not today as it turned out.
We entered the colossal engraved wood doors of the Cathedral and took the family-designated seats at the very front of the atrium. People kept on flocking around us in order to offer their condolences and some of them even tried to extend their sympathies with us. I never left Grandma Jules’s side throughout the ceremony. Not one bit.
Dad was on her other side, also making sure she had a strong hand when she needed one. My dad, Jason Emil Ashburn is the younger of the two children that my Grandma Jules and Grandpa Jim had. His brother Joshua Emery Ashburn is the so-called black sheep of the family. His absence was not amiss among the guests though. It has been two decades ago since Uncle Joshua’s relationship with his parents became estranged. It was around the time Grandpa Jim made the decision that my dad is the better choice for a beneficiary after he passed on.
After the funeral ceremony, we lowered Grandpa Jim’s coffin six feet underground in an enclosed tomb along with past Ashburn ancestors. When I took a peek inside Grandpa James’s coffin to say my final goodbye I was shocked to see him in plain white clothes.
From what Grandma Jules had said, he always wanted to die as the simple man he was and not as the multibillionaire that he became. I figured that made sense, since no one can take his assets to the afterlife, maybe as far as the grave, but then why risk having your grave pillaged? I shivered at my insolence and quickly shook my thoughts away. The funeral had ended without much trouble, apart from Uncle Joshua’s notable absence that is, but we had already expected that.