My Little Step Secret

Meeting the stepbrother

This man had Frankie squeezing her thighs together and he was about to be part of her family. It felt like a cruel joke. He made his way around the table from his Mother to his brother, greeting Frankie's father and Zachary with a handshake and a delicate welcome to Zoe too, never looking at Frankie. Slightly offended as he took the seat nearest to his brother, despite his name card being next to Frankie, leaving an empty seat between them. Frankie picked up her half-full glass of champagne, gulping it down as smoothly as possible. Portia decided at that very moment to bring Xavier's attention to Frankie, interrupting his conversation with Zachary. "Xavier darling, this young lady beside you is Francine, your new sister." This caught Frankie off guard, the word sister causing her to choke on her drink. Both men looked over to take in Frankie. Zachary laughed out loud for all to hear, causing the rest of the table to join in, including Frankie. Xavier did not laugh, he was just taking her in, being under his intense gaze made Frankie blush. He was even more handsome up close. He was of larger build, he filled up the space, muscly but lean. He wasn't, by Frankie's definition, a pretty boy like most in this society, preened and polished to perfection. He scrubbed up ridiculously well, there was no doubting that, but there was a roughness to him. His brunette hair reminded Frankie of melted rich dark chocolate, in its depth of color and its shine. His hair was tapered and faded flawlessly and quaffed back at the top. His hair stylist was undoubtedly a pro in his field. It was as though there was no transition between his stubble and his hair itself, it came together perfectly. A small scar on his top lip was barely noticeable. Frankie wondered if his barber had slipped once.

The courses came and went, each one delicious and just enough to ensure there was room for the next. Frankie did not want to be there, she was dreaming of getting back into that shower and curling up into the fresh hotel sheets for the night. She was tired when she arrived. Now she was exhausted - physically and emotionally. "So tell me Portia, how old are your children?" Bradley feigned interest. "Not children." Zachary piped up, clearly unimpressed with the word choice, as if being someone's child made him less of an adult. Frankie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Very true, very true." Bradley chuckled, looking at Portia intensely. Portia big brown eyes were open wide, like a deer in a headlight. After a moment she exhaled a breath and laughed awkwardly. "Ha you will have to excuse me, you know I almost forgot for a moment there. Zachary here is 23 years old and still my baby..." She pulled a kissy face playfully at her son, and swallowed heavily, wiping her mouth with the napkin before continuing. "... and Xavier here is 25." She cleared her throat smiling. "Do you have any children Bradley?"

"God no, the closest thing Brad has to a child is our Francine." Alistair laughed, answering the question for him.

"It's true," Bradley added smiling, trailing his fingers up and down Frankie's arm, much to her disgust. Hearing him say she was the closest thing to his own child made her feel a way she couldn't quite explain. All she knew was she wanted to be as far away from this man as possible.

Xavier excused himself from the table, advising he would be gone for a moment. "It's probably a business call, he's an important man my son. He is learning the ropes of his late father's business. It should become official at the end of the year." Portia was a proud mother, it was clear to everyone around just how much she loved her children. "Your husband passed. I am so sorry to hear that. My condolences to you and your boys. That must have been difficult to deal with." Frankie was genuine with her words, and Portia's eyes softened with her kindness. She looked over at Zachary too, who was uncharacteristically quiet for the first time that evening. He too felt gratitude for her kind words, pulling in Zoe and holding her close. "Thank you, darling, your kindness is moving."

Xavier quickly returned with a drink in hand, a Negroni. He took a sip whilst standing and placed it on the table before taking his seat once more. A waiter promptly approached the table to hand out fresh glasses of champagne. The waiter wanted the ground to swallow him whole as the champagne bottle slipped from his grasp, onto the table and sprayed up Frankie. Startled she jumped to her feet, whilst her father began to yell. Frankie cut him off mid-sentence addressing the waiter himself. He was only young too, 18 maybe 19, as he spluttered his apologies at her. "No harm done!" She said with as much conviction as she could, though truly she was a little annoyed, but it's not like it was intentional, and who would it help to kick up a fuss? This is meant to be a celebration. "That's quite alright, that is enough apologising." She turned to the table squinting her eyes at her father, a sign to leave it alone. "If you would excuse me for a moment." There were a number of smirks among the guests, they love a bit of drama, Frankie was used to them, a smirk she had not intended to see was on Xavier, it was subtle, as he sipped his drink but she was sure it was there.

The hairdryer did dry the dress well enough but did little to hide the spillage, as it was clear on the fabric of the dress. This would be a good excuse to leave early following the end of the meal. Unenthusiasticly, she returned to the table to find the seat she was in had been removed. This left the seat beside Xavier as the only one free. Portia spoke up to explain "The seat was far too wet, Darling. We did ask for it to be replaced but they informed us they are all out. Xavier was kind enough to say you could move nearer him. I hope that is quite acceptable to you?" It was. It really was. Frankie was silently thanking her guardian angel for this one. It was clear to Frankie Bradley found this less than acceptable, which made her enjoy it all the more."