Taking What's His

“When was the last time you had sex, dear?”

Shit. Here we go again.

“Mom!” I groaned, realizing this was not a polite topic of conversation at my weekly dinner with my parents, especially in the high end restaurant that we regularly attend. I was sure the couple at the table next to us turned their heads in disgust. Thankfully, my father was in the bathroom and my twin brother was in Canada on vacation.

“I know this is uncomfortable for you and talking about it with your mother might seem out of sorts,” she said in a hushed tone. “But I worry about you.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”

This could not be happening right now. I was quite an introverted person and discussing my sex life with my own mother was simply out of the question. And I wasn’t about to tell her that I’d never had it either.

“Tatum is the same age as you. He goes on a different date each week but at least he’s meeting new people.”

My brother was an extrovert. He made friends easily, was the clown of the class, and was even made prom king. Myself on the other hand, I didn’t even want to go to prom but my parents made me. I’m kinda glad they did. Even though I had no date, I spent most of the time on the dancefloor with my friends without a care in the world. It was unusual for me to be so forward. Actually, now that I thought about it someone may have spiked the punch.

“Mom, I’m concentrating on my studies right now.”

I was a student at Columbia University. After high school I managed to get into the Art History and Archeology course as I wanted to focus on Africa and the Middle East. My goal was to gain my graduate degree in Egyptology. Three years after I started at Columbia, I deferred and spent a year in Egypt. When I returned, I picked up the Egyptology course and that’s where I was at right now.

“And I’m proud of you for doing that, darling.” Mom’s lips pursed together. “I feel like you need to give yourself a break. You’ve been running ragged since you graduated high school, hell, even before that.”

There was nothing wrong with working hard to get to where you wanted. That was me. Head in the books, slumped shoulders, and constant caffeine fixes to get me by even though I despised the taste of coffee.

“Please stop.”

“Perhaps I can introduce you to the new guy that started working at the hotel bar.” Mom smiled with bright eyes. “He’s your age, tall and cute.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to be set up with anyone. Please, Mom. I love you. But I’m just not interested.”

When my mother realized it was a losing battle to argue with me, she let out a deep sigh. “Just think about what I said. I don’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life.”

I didn’t mind being alone. Ugh. That was a lie. There were certain things I craved for. Certain things I’ve never even tried. I wanted it all, but I also wanted it to be with the right person. And for that to happen, I’d have to get my head out of my ass and find them. Who had the energy or time for that?

My father returned from the bathroom a couple of minutes later and sat back down. “What did I miss?”

Mom was about to respond but I quickly answered so she wouldn’t bring up my sex life with him. “Oh, nothing. Mom was just telling me how excited she is that you guys are going on vacation.”

Dad narrowed his eyes and turned to Mom. “You didn’t tell her?”

Mom shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“We’ve decided not to go on vacation this year.” Mom leaned forward over the table. “Your father and I have other pressing matters to attend to.”

I had no clue what the hell that meant. “What are you talking about?”

“What your mom is saying is we need to focus on our relationship right now.” Dad cleared his throat. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

So while my mom was trying to pimp me out to the new guy, my parent's marriage was in shambles. I should have known since they’d been arguing so much lately. Well, more than usual. I wasn’t worried about them because they’d gone through this storm before and always came out of it unscathed. At least that’s what they had told my brother and me.

The waitress came by and dropped off the deserts we had ordered. We ate them in silence. It was pure bliss. Dinner with them was a weekly occurrence. If they’d gone on their vacation I would have taken a break from Mom’s incessant nagging about my dating life. As much as I loved her it was just all too much.

Now, I was grateful. I had it better than most. Mom and Dad were well off and were kind enough to give my brother and I our own suites, in the same building of course. It was also a hotel, however some of the guests, including my family, were permanent residents. We had our own space including kitchen and laundry, so I couldn’t complain about that. I just didn’t want them to put a magnifying glass over every aspect of my life. I was somewhat happy.

“Have you heard when Tatum’s coming back?”

I shook my head then carefully dropped my fork down on the plate. “No. I think he mentioned staying longer but I’m not sure.”

My brother and his friends decided to get together and buy a large warehouse in the city. They’ve been spending the entire time since high school working on turning it into a nightclub. Of course, that couldn’t happen without the help of our rich parents, but if it was as popular and successful as they thought it was going to be, then they’d get their money back and then some. It took a while for them to plan and get approval before they could even start on construction.

Since there’s been a few delays for some certifications, my brother and his friends decided to go and spend a week in Canada. He actually asked me to come along but I declined. As much as I love my brother, and we’re kinda close, I didn’t want to be the only girl traveling with a bunch of buffoons.

Dinner finished quickly after that. My parents paid the bill and the three of us walked to our building which wasn’t too far from the restaurant.

Grant, the doorman, had been working there for years. I remembered him as a kid and he would always have a magic trick up his sleeve for me. Of course, as I got older, he kinda stopped, but was always so kind to me. My parents adored him too.

“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Pierce.” He nodded and they acknowledged him back. “How are you doing tonight, Miss, Tiffany?”

“Well thank you, Grant.” I smiled as he opened the door.

“I believe a package has been delivered for you and is at the front desk.”

“Thanks, Grant,” I replied. “Have a good night.”

He tipped his head and kept the door open until my parents and I walked in. Now when I said my parents were well off, I wasn’t being modest. They’d owned a few hotels in New York and this was one of them.

The floors and walls were laid with marble stone. Bright lights shone above illuminating the entire lobby. There was a twenty-four hour concierge desk which was manned by Hutch and Sean, alternating between them. The desk itself was made from stone and had gold veins through which appeared lit up.

It was Sean’s turn tonight and he glanced up at us from his desk and smiled. “Good evening.”

I turned to Mom and dad, wished them goodnight before asking Sean for my mail. Before mom walked away she gave me that look. You know. The one that begged me to think about what she said.

I rolled my eyes internally before they finally went into the elevators.

“Hey, Sean. You’ve got something for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, then handed me a small paper package. It was tied up with brown string and a whole bunch of masking tape. “Came in just an hour ago.”

“Thank you,” I replied, then wished him a good night before I went to my suite.

I had a feeling I knew what was in the box. While traveling around Egypt, I purchased a small cat statue from a market stand. Unfortunately, I had misplaced it but it seemed as though my new friend, Cleo, had found it.

I unlocked the door to my apartment and went straight into the kitchen, dropping my bag onto the counter. Opening the package wasn’t easy. I had to get a knife to slice against the string and masking tape just to get to the box inside. As soon as I opened it I noticed the cat was secured in bubble wrap. Beneath the item were photos I hadn’t seen before but remembered taking.

Egypt was a beautiful country. They had relaxed their rules on photography while we were there, though we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside any of the tombs or in the pyramids. It was important for us to abide by the country’s rules and respect the incredible culture we were studying. It was an honor and privilege to be there and I never wanted to take it for granted.

After placing the cat above the mantelpiece over the electric fireplace, I heard my phone buzz from the kitchen.

It was my alarm going off as a reminder to not only feed my brother’s cat but spend time with the little furball. I’d been going to his apartment every night since he left for Canada.

Unlike me, my brother was afraid of heights, so his apartment was ten floors below mine. I took the elevator down and went straight to his place, unlocking the door with the spare key he left me.

I clicked my tongue and called out her name. “Here, Bella. Psst Psst Psst.”

The cute little thing emerged from my brother’s room and ran straight toward me. Bella rubbed against me, purring and sliding between my legs before heading straight into the kitchen. She jumped on the counter. I opened the pantry door where her food was stored and she was being a noisy little thing. Clearly she was starved. The food I gave her earlier during the day is never enough.

“You’re lucky you’re so adorable.”

Cats were revered in Egypt, and I had an affinity for them myself, however, I still preferred dogs. After emptying the can of kitty food into her bowl, I cleaned and added new water in the second before placing it down on the drip mat.

“Well, there’s a view I haven’t seen in a while,” A voice said behind me.

Without thinking, I immediately turned and punched the person right in the face.

“Ow! Fuck!” he yelled, then rubbed his jaw, taking a minute to ease the pain. “Nice to see you too, Tiffany”

Shit.

There stood Shilo, my brother’s best friend, whom I haven’t seen in almost a year.

And he was all but nearly naked.

Damn.