Closer Than Blood

“You’ve gotten bigger, haven’t you?” she said playfully. Parker tried to suppress a proud smile, but it was impossible.

“Shut up,” he said, not meaning it.

“That’s embarrassing. But I’m glad you noticed.” He kissed her again, his tongue exploring the warmth of her mouth.

“I’ve grown up a lot since last summer.”

“You have,” she said, proffering a condom from the bed stand. She rolled the wrapper in her fingertips.

“Want me to put it on?” she asked, pulling away from his embrace. Parker shook his head.

“I don’t want to wear one. I want to feel you.”

“You can feel me just fine. I don’t want to get pregnant.”

“Would it be so lame if you did?”

“Let’s ask your father that question, Parker, when he gets home from New York.” She put away the condom for a moment and concentrated on pleasing him with her hands. Parker stretched out on the bed and looked up at the gauzy canopy.

“You could lie to him. You know, tell him that it’s his baby. That would be kind of funny.”

“That wouldn’t fly at all. He’s had a vasectomy. I thought you knew that.” Parker shook his head.

“Figures. The asshole didn’t want to have any more kids. Never wanted the one he had.” Tori put the condom on Parker and they kissed, first slowly, then a little faster. She pushed his shoulder back and crawled on top of him.

“I’m going to make you scream,” she said.

“And you can’t stop me.”

“No,” he said, bracing himself as she moved onto him.

“No, no. Don’t ever stop.”

“I want this forever,” she said.

“I want you forever. We are soul mates.” Parker’s body started to shudder, his legs tightened, and his eyes nearly rolled backward. She felt so good. She was so beautiful. And she loved him so much. There could never be a better woman for him. Nowhere on earth.

“We are soul mates,” he said.

“Yes, baby, we are.”

“I want us to be together, too. For real.”

“I know. I know. But, you know, that can’t happen.” Parker indicated for her to stop.

“Because I’m younger?”

“Age is a number. Don’t even go there. You are more of a man now than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“More than my father?”

“Parker,” she said, leaning over him.

“More than my dad?” he asked again.

“Yes, baby, you are. You’re nothing like him,” she said, grabbing his hard penis again.

“You’re so much more.” Parker closed his eyes, allowing her to play with him.

“I wish we could be together like this forever,” she said once more.

“I wish he was gone,” Parker said, his eyes open a slit.

“You might not understand,” she said.

“But there’s more to the world than our love.”

“No there isn’t.”

“Trust me. There is.”

“What are you getting at, Tori?”

“I signed a prenup. If I leave your dad, I’ll have nothing.”

“Do you care about money or do you care about me?”

“Don’t be silly,” she said.

“I care about both.” Parker pushed back, turned away, and sat on the edge of the bed, his back to Tori.

“Look,” he said.

“I will do whatever it takes to have you.” Tori moved across the bed and put her arms around Parker’s shoulders.

“I’ll think of something,” she said.

“I promise.”

Tori poured red wine into two glasses and handed one to Parker as they sat in the living room and snuggled on the couch. They had made love for the last time before Alex would return from his business trip. All evidence of what they’d been doing that long weekend had been erased. They’d showered. The sheets in the guest room had been laundered and the used condoms had been wrapped into paper towels, tucked inside a plastic bag, and shoved into an empty pickle jar before being deposited into the trash.

“A pickle jar, nice,” Parker had said. Tori smiled.

“I thought so. It works on so many levels.” As the clock ticked toward Alex’s arrival time, the joy of their tryst faded. Reality was a car ride away. A tear rolled down her cheek and she looked away toward the TV, the news flickering on mute.

“Tori,” he said.

“What is it?” She faced him.

“Parker, I’ve been thinking about us. I just don’t think we’re ready. This thing is going out of bounds.”

“You mean that I’m not ready, don’t you?” His face was contorted in anger, not scarily so, but his eyes popped and the veins on his neck filled with blood.

“That I’m not mature enough.” Tori shook her head slowly, deliberately.

“No, I didn’t mean that. I mean that the world won’t understand our kind of love. It doesn’t fit into the way things should be.”

“Just because you’re older doesn’t mean a thing. I’ve looked it up. We could go to France or some other country where we could live in peace, where people understand that love has no limits, no boundaries. Mexico maybe.”

“You are so young, Parker. I don’t want to hurt you. But there’s no way we can live on love alone.” She took a sip of her wine, swirling the red liquid in her glass. Her hands trembling just a little. Just enough.

“I think you judge me more than the rest of the world would judge us. Sometimes, Tori, you can be a real bitch, you know.” She wiped her tears and forced a smile.

“I like it when you get a little mad. It shows me that you care.”

“I’m more than mad. I’m pissed off. I want you and me to be together.”

“Look,” she said, “this is very complicated. I know we are not related by blood, but people would judge us harshly. I don’t need a Woody Allen/Soon-Yi drama here.” He didn’t get the reference. He’d never heard of Woody Allen or Soon-Yi.

“We have that little problem beyond all of that. It is legal and it is real.”

“I’ve thought of it,” he said. Resolve had replaced anger on his face.

“I know what we can do.”

“What’s that, Parker? I’m not seventeen. I just can’t throw my things into a backpack and leave for Europe or Mexico or wherever. I can’t live that way.” Parker grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Let’s get rid of him,” he said.

“How do you mean?” Her eyes were wide, but not overly so. She knew the answer, of course.

“Kill him.” Tori leaned closer and planted a kiss on his lips. Parker could taste the salt on her skin and he set down his glass. Next, she put her hand on his crotch and loosened the buckle on his belt.

“I love you,” she said.

“You would do that for me?”

“I would do it for us,” he said.

“Do you know what you’re saying, Parker?” Parker leaned back while she brought him to climax.

“Yeah,” he said, barely able to get out the word.