BETWEEN MY LIPS

Benjamin looked like a smudge on our antique, walnut wood, hand carved, deep burgundy, tapestry upholstered couches. Behind him, the painting Adoration of the Magi by Rembrandt hung on walls covered in subtly patterned oak leaf embossed wallpaper in soft sage green. My father was standing, unlike Benjamin. He was beside the antique Chinese vase that rose above his knees. Mom was sitting on the armchair that was placed on the other side of the vase. The reflections of the crystal chandelier overhead danced across the marble floor beneath my feet, its warm ivory veining glowing against the room’s muted earth tones.

I was confused, frustrated, scared, and brave at the same time. Confused because what the hell was Benjamin doing here? Frustrated of assuming that he caused my dad's rage against me. Scared of my dad's anger, obviously, yet brave enough to stand behind my feelings and determined to continue a relationship with Eduardo.

“What took you so long?” asked Benjamin shamelessly. His smirk made his bruised face even more disgusting. His left arm was in a cast.

“You did a great job, Eduardo,” I said to point out Benjamin's situation.

“I wish you hadn't interrupted me; that would have been my masterpiece,” he responded.

“ENOUGH!”

Dad's shout cut the air like a sharp knife cutting a piece of paper.

“Tim, hold your horses. All you are doing is blaming Emily without listening to her,” said my mother as she stood up.

Dad acted like Mom didn't say a thing and kept yelling at me. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Emily! How come you have the guts to mock Benjamin?”

“I cannot believe that you are yelling at me because of him, Dad! What is the matter with you?”

“And you are talking back to me instead of knowing your own fault and apologizing to Benjamin? You and your meddlesome bodyguard should have known your limits!”

“He did his job!” I said.

“Do not defend a servant that I pay for to go against me!”

Dad was insulting Eduardo; I could not bear that.

“He has done what you pay him for!” My voice rose a bit higher.

“Please, do not argue with Mr. Arquette because of me, Ma'am.”

“Don't tell me what to do, Eduardo. Obviously, Dad is being scammed by Benjamin.”

My words multiplied my dad's anger, and I saw him walking to me with nothing but pure anger as he was shaking his finger at me, calling me a “brat.” Eduardo stepped between us to protect me and faced Dad's slap.

I started shaking because of the frustration and shock. If it weren't for Eduardo, I was going to be slapped by Dad. I couldn't help my tears.

“Were you going to slap me, Dad?” My voice was covered with a veil of disappointment.

“Tim, come to your senses! That's enough!” That was my mom talking.

“Don't be a fool, Lena. I slapped him because he thought that Emily needed to be protected from me. I am her father!”

“Act like a father then!” My voice raised. “You are almost going to punish Eduardo for protecting me and me for being protected.”

“Benjamin told me everything. He was greeting you warmly and like a gentleman, and your primate bodyguard attacked him to beat him to death. Not only that, he was your friend in high school; his family and ours run businesses together. You tell me, Emily, since you see yourself as a businesswoman at heart: Do you think throwing our family affairs to the garbage for a meddlesome bodyguard makes sense?”

“So, Benjamin came here all the way from Mexico City to complain about me to you, and you believed him, really?”

“He called me before his ambulance plane arrived to tell me about the things. I invited him for dinner to make things up. You owe him an apology with your bodyguard. Or else, your bodyguard is going to be in jail because of attempting murder, and we will have a lot of struggle in business.”

I started laughing in utter astonishment. “What if I say he slandered us?”

“Why would Benjamin do such a thing like that?”

“I am your daughter, Dad! Why do you think I would say such a thing like that?”

“Can you prove that I am lying, Emily?” said Benjamin shamelessly. “I have evidences as my scars and medical records. What is in your pocket, huh?”

“I need to go to my bedroom. I need a few moments alone with Eduardo.”

My request was quite surprising, even for Eduardo, and everyone shouted “What!” at the same time.

“You guys heard me right. I need to be alone with Eduardo for a moment. The evidence will be ready by dinnertime.”

“This is such an odd thing to require, Emily. What are you going to do with your bodyguard in there? Are you going to play the same games that we played in high school?”

I didn't need to do anything to prove Eduardo's innocence. Benjamin was giving himself away anyway. Dad slapped him immediately after his reckless words.

“Watch your mouth under my roof about my daughter! I would have been praying to my God if I were in your position. If you manipulated me against my precious daughter and made me yell at her, I am going to put you in a worse position than this, and you will be begging your God to get back in this position to feel healthy. Do you get me?”

My dad was finally coming back to his senses; that was a relief. I took Eduardo upstairs to my bedroom.

“Emily, what is your plan?” he asked. His silliness was so cute.

“I wanted to take advantage of you,” I said with all my cheekiness.

“Seeing you like that kinda gives me relief, but tell me, what is your plan?”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, then caressed his collar. There was an additional button on his collar that was recording everything as hidden security footage. He probably forgot that he was wearing it. “Do you remember this button, you silly?” I said.

“Oh, Dios mío!” he mumbled in Spanish. That reaction made me giggle.

I turned on my old laptop to cut the moments when Benjamin was abusing me. Making it on my phone was possible too, but the laptop was an easier tool for this purpose. It took about ten minutes for us to prepare the footage. When it was ready, I emailed it to Dad and Mom directly. They were watching the footage while we were making out for a little bit before coming out from my bedroom. Eduardo pressed me against him and my door as he was kissing my neck. His arms were wandering between my waist and hips... He was gentle around my waist, but his touch was greedy when it was around my hips. My fingers were gently touching his soft, curly hair.

“We need to stop here!” I said.

“You are making me walk on a knife's edge, Emily. You cannot leave me like that.”

“We need to stop.”

“I don't want to let you go.”

“Wait till the night, ok?”

“It's easy for you to say.”

“It's not easy for me to wait, either. Let's deal with the dirt outside. Then I’ll be all yours throughout the night.”

“I am all yours, Emily.”

I grabbed his chin for a rough kiss filled with lust.

When we were in the living room, there Benjamin was on the floor as he was enjoying his main course, my dad's fists.

“So, you are enjoying your dinner already, huh?” I said with joy.

Eduardo kneeled next to Dad. “Mr. Arquette, please let me throw the trash,” he said.

When dad realized Eduardo was next to him, he paused for a second.

“No, you get yourself ready for dinner, son. You are our honored guest tonight.”

Dad was trying to figure out a way of an apology to Eduardo, obviously.

“Please, let me handle the garbage, Sir. Save your time time to show some compassion to Madame Emily.”

Dad finally figured out about how much I would be hurt, thanks to Eduardo. He stood up and stepped to me. He was full of regret; anyone could tell at a glance.

“Emily, I am sorry for buying Benjamin's crap. I should have asked you first.”

“Apologize to Eduardo; you assaulted him to his very core.”

“Emily, don't embarrass your father,” Mom said.

“She is right. I owe an apology to him. He has done what he is obliged to, after all.”

My dad's men were taking Benjamin out like garbage.

My dad opened his arms and asked, “Aren't you gonna cuddle your dad?”

I didn't hesitate a second to cuddle him. A few tears of mine wet his shirt.

“I am sorry, baby girl. I should have asked you first.”

“You yelled at me for the first time in my whole life; I was scared.”

“I was actually mad at Eduardo.”

“I am sorry to interrupt, Sir, but please contact me for this kind of situation next time.”

“This guy is really good at his job,” my dad said to mock Eduardo.

I heard Mom saying, “Aren't you guys hungry? I am starving.”

So this was the cue for dinner. Our dinner guest was Eduardo instead of Benjamin as it was supposed to be.

“Pardon me for being so curious, Mr. Arquette, but didn't you say you have business affairs with Mr. Benjamin's family?” said Eduardo.

“So what if we had? Do you think I would continue my affairs with those people after that? He literally abused my daughter recklessly in public. He was almost going to hit her if it weren't for you. What kind of a man would swallow his dignity for money? Tell me.”

“Would you accept another company's offer after cutting things with Marker Group?”

“I didn't think that through, actually. However, finding a new investor right away sounds fair.”

“Enough with the business,” Mom said. “I want to talk about nicer things as we are about to have our desserts.”

“You are roasting right,” my dad said. “Shall we watch the game, Eduardo? Do you like basketball?”

“I am actually a fan of soccer like the rest of the Latin people, but I enjoyed watching NBA games when I was in medical school.”

“Oh, you are a med school dropout, right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Did you think about going back to school? I mean, you are still young and a brilliant man.”

“I am pleased to be at the Arquette’s service now, Sir.”

“Let me know if you change your mind. I can arrange a scholarship for you. I would love to have someone as neat as you practicing as a doctor in my hospitals.”

“I assume you would be more pleased to have me at your daughter’s service.”

“That’s also true,” he said.

It was getting late after the game, and we headed to bed. Mom asked the chief of our servants to prepare a bed for Eduardo in the staff quarters, but I refused. I wanted Eduardo in the next room, and my excuse was that he was our guest for the night.

I entered my bedroom, knowing that Eduardo’s was next door. I rummaged through my lingerie closet to find something sexy, grabbed my silk, black, mini nightgown that had lace guipure on the cleavage part. I put on the nightgown only, no underwear inside.

I sneaked into the next room, where Eduardo was lying in bed wearing only his black boxer shorts. He got up and sat on the edge of the bed. I knelt in front of him, looking at him with hungry eyes. I felt his fingers around my chin.

“Are you going to do what I am thinking, Emily?” he asked with an excitement that he was barely able to hide.

“Yes, I want to feel it between my lips,” I answered with a filthy grin on my face.