Silk Encased Steel

Chapter two

Valentina waited the entire plane ride to feel guilty about the one night stand that was so out of character, not to mention merely hours after her ending things with Todd. Instead of guilt she felt herself blushing as flashbacks of the night came and went, the visuals made her fight squirming in her seat.  The feeling of his body weighing hers down, his hand tangled in her hair pulling her head back firmly, those big hands.. Steel encased in silk hands.

She decided as she stood waiting for her bags that she just wouldn’t feel bad about it. A  really hot night with JT Brodie was something she would have in her memory bank for years to come. She worried at the fact that everything from then on would be unfairly compared to it though. As her mind drifted once again she forced herself back, she had to put it behind her. Her goal  for the day was packing  the jerks' belongings up and have them waiting for him to pick up when he got back into town the next day.

She knew it would hit her soon, the fact that a 3 year relationship had imploded, the fact that she had ignored that sick feeling in her stomach for months. That feeling that said something was wrong, it was silenced and pushed away in  an effort to move forward, to move on to a marriage that definitely was a mistake. The grief would come, but not yet. She had been furious for a few hours, then relieved that she hadn’t been crazy, then numb. She still felt angry, like she wanted to just burn his s**t and be done with it.  She hadn’t told anyone she was coming home early, so she stood  in the snow and cold waiting for a cab wishing she had a ride. Wishing she had some support. She knew she would have to call her family soon to let them know she was back, she just couldn’t stand the thought of their faces, their pity, she didn’t want to hear the supportive words and see the sad eyes. She just wanted his s**t gone, she wanted to curl up alone with her dogs and be numb for a little bit longer.

She  closed the door  behind her, her two labs Fitz and Cooper bounding in ahead sniffing happily after being picked up from the neighbours. She looked around the home that she had bought a few years before, very glad that she had bought it alone and Todd hadn’t moved in full time yet. Though their reticence to make it permanent was just  more proof that she should have ended it a long time ago.  “Happy Birthday to me...” she muttered as she flopped down on the couch and stared at the wall.

“What are you up to?” Karol asked, walking into the kitchen and finding her son sitting at the counter with a laptop and one of his protein shakes. She knew that at 8 o'clock he had been up for a few hours already and had gotten a workout in so he could relax a bit with the rest of the family when they got in. His work ethic had always amazed her and caused her pride at the same time. Her three sons were all driven, and big, she thought as she looked into the almost empty fridge. They had only been there a day so far for the holiday and already she was glad she had hidden away their dinner ingredients in the garage fridge.

JT glanced up, “Just updating some of my fan sites.” He answered, quickly closing the computer.

“Stalking is more like it.” Luke mocked walking in  the room.  JT shoved his brother when he went to sit down beside him, “Ohhh you haven’t told mum about that huh...”

Karol turned and stood against the opposite counter with her coffee, knowing she had the expectant mom look on her face. Her sons could never hold out against the don’t you have something to confess look.  It worked for the broken vase 20 years ago and hadn’t stopped working since.

“JT met a girl.” Luke sang. He caught his little brother's dirty look, “He has been cyber stalking her ever since waiting to see if she brags about it to  all her friends.” He went on not caring about the consequences.

“JT!” His mother admonished,  “I raised you better than stalking.” 

JT sat back and stared at the ceiling in exasperation, “I’m not stalking her Ma..”

“You slept with someone who didn’t sign a non disclosure agreement?!” Corey his younger brother crowed walking in and swiping the laptop  away, “That is a travesty.”

JT knew his family loved to tease each other mercilessly, and him in particular about his lack of dating and trust issues, “they don’t sign non disclosure forms, just take a blood oath.” He spat back good naturedly.

Corey laughed, “Oh good so you won’t mind if I friend her on your behalf right now, press of a button...” 

“How the hell...!” He shot up. Corey danced away with the computer, “Come on you’ve used the same password since you were 15!”

Karol shook her head as JT took off after Corey, “Don’t break anything!”  She  returned her attention to her oldest Luke, “Come on spill it, you know you want to.”

Luke shrugged, “All I know is he had an encounter with some girl he just met and has been obsessing for two weeks now. He likes to stalk the social media a bit too much. I think he may need an intervention.” At his mothers look he added, “What even the football star can have a mental break down you know!” 

She threw her hands up in the air, she had no clue how she had raised these three without  strangling them at one point or another.  They were all wonderfully athletic, kind, polite but exactly like their father when it came to their humor and teasing. Karol hoped from the shout she heard that Corey had pressed the button, JT had become more and more suspicious and withdrawn when it came to women. At least anything in a serious sense with women. She didn’t have any illusions about her sons s*x lives, but JT worried her. His success had caused him to put up a wall between himself and the world, uncertainty on who was out for money and who was genuine. She could see he was lonely. 

“He actually pressed the button!” JT grumped placing the laptop back on the counter in only a semi triumphant return. 

“I can’t feel my arm,” Corey complained  rubbing the spot that was hit, knowing he wouldn’t get any real sympathy  from their mother.  

“Are you interested in this woman?” Karol asked ignoring their  antics. JT just shrugged. A few hours later Karol watched him check his phone again, she smiled slightly knowing that he was waiting for the woman to accept.