My Little Step Secret

Sharing the penthouse

The elevator dings as the doors open, revealing the penthouse suite. Thankfully, after the little disaster with the champagne, everyone felt it was best if Frankie left early. That worked well for her. She was so exhausted the thought of keeping up with meaningless conversations was too much to bear. Before anything else, she kicked off her shoes. She had considered leaving them strewn across the room since she would be alone tonight, but thought better of it and had placed them neatly in her room. She had enough alcohol for one night. In fact, she was feeling a wee bit tipsy. Coffee was probably a good idea. Calling down for room service she requested coffee, before unzipping her mauve dress and stepping out as the material landed in a pile on the floor. She locked the bathroom door. It was something she learned long ago that when someone can walk into the place you are staying, do not leave yourself vulnerable. Debilitated, she grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste, brushing her teeth while she showered, she opened the shower door to toss the brush into the sink, soaking the bathroom floor in the process. Using the soap in the shower, she used it to clean her whole body with the help of a new honeycomb sea sponge, grown offshore near a remote island. It was a lovely sponge, and paired with the shower gel it created a silky smooth lather. Too tired to start her skincare regime, she used the sponge to clean under her eyes from the mascara she was sure had smudged. The time seemed to stand still when she was in the shower, the massage heads allowed the water to caress her body with such precision that she never wanted to leave. Though Frankie was sure if someone from Watersave, a local charity with the sole purpose of saving water and reminding those that don't that they are committing a sin, knew how long she had the shower running after she was clean, they would have gathered a group of angry activists with their pitchforks and torches to take her down. With that thought in mind, she finally turned the shower off, grabbing one of the bath sheets left out. There was something about the way a hotel towel felt against her skin that brought her such joy. For that reason, and that her father told her he and Portia would not be staying in the penthouse that evening, she decided a towel was all she needed to wear.

She strolled out into the main lounge area. Room service had been and gone, leaving a bowl of decadent chocolate truffles, milk, sugar and a very large cafeteria filled with some of the finest coffee money could buy. Frankie poured herself a cup with milk and one sugar. The first sip was heavenly. Frankie's love for coffee had grown tenfold since she started college. She is pretty sure now she is 70% coffee instead of water. After the meal she had just consumed, she was satiated, the truffles would be unnecessary - that didn't stop her from biting into the first one, drool pooling in her mouth as she grabbed a second to take with her, coffee in tow. She took a seat on the sofa, a white towel wrapped around her as if it were straight off the runway. She felt more comfortable right now than she had this whole evening. Between sitting with Bradley's groping, Frankie had desperately searched for a different word. He had been so tender with her in the past, but despite the past, she couldn't choose a different word. Then Xavier's silence, he spoke very few words to her, nothing that could be considered a conversation. That left her uncomfortable in a different way. He smelled delicious. Thoughts like that she had to get out of her head, he was going to be her stepbrother, he was not an option - forbidden.

Sipping on her coffee, she was daydreaming about him, how it would feel to have him hold her in his strong muscular arms. The ping of the elevator doors startled Frankie, causing her to spill coffee down her chest and down the front of the white cotton towel. Stepping out of the elevator talking on his mobile was the same man who was crowding her thoughts, her stepbrother, Xavier. "s**t! Sorry, listen, I have to call you back." He advised whoever was on the other end of the line. He was just as startled by Frankie as she had been by him. "I'm sorry, I had no idea you would be staying here. No one told me you would be..." Frankie's voice trailed off. He stepped towards her, her heart racing "You make it a habit of spilling every drink?" he said in jest. She was confused, following his pointed finger to her coffee-stained towel. As realization hit, she chuckled. "Yeah, it looks that way." Xavier reached into his suit pocket, pulling out a clean, pressed, handkerchief. The distance between them closed, as he reached out to give her the cloth. Lips pursed, she smiled, accepting it, her finger rolling over the embroidered X. "Thank you." She whispered breathlessly. She felt frozen, staring into his blue eyes. They were beautiful, detailed as though the oceans danced in his eyes. She dabbed her chest with the cloth, more out of politeness the necessity, then attempted to return it to its owner. "You keep it."