Siblings and Lovers Ch. 01

Somehow managing to stifle her arousal, Dana put up her best poker face and nodded. Kyle gave her another signature smirk and headed off to work in his typical carefree way, leaving Dana alone in the house. Aroused and lonely, she decided to introspect on her decision. She analyzed each and every single possible outcome of her decision. The possibilities ranged from hot, intense sex to cold rejection.

In moments of indecision, she remembered her brother's advice: Close your eyes and go with the first thing that comes to your mind. She closed her eyes and thought.

At first there was a pervading darkness. She groped around wildly trying to make sense of it. Slowly, the fog lifted and she was back at the end of her dream from the night before. She was on that boat, with Kyle just about to disappear. She once again heard the last thing he had said.

"For all you know I might be having a similar dream in my bed, wishing it could come true, but too afraid to find out."

The signal was loud and clear. She had to do it.

Immediately her conscience rang alarm bells in her head, trying desperately to dissuade her. She risked making a loving, sibling relationship into an awkward one. She wouldn't listen of course; she was in love, engulfed in the warm feeling. Now all that remained was the seduction.

The clock could not move fast enough as she waited impatiently for her dinner date. She dressed herself up, putting on a beautiful red dress, and far too much makeup. She had never put this much thought into any previous date, but the stakes were much higher this time and she was extremely nervous. It didn't help that some part of her brain kept pontificating on the potentially disastrous endings that this venture could have. But she had had enough of worldly platitudes on whom to love and how much. Who was to judge whether they could be together or not? Who decides what is taboo? There was nothing as pure as her love for him. If she didn't try, she would probably regret it forever. She rationalized her whole argument based on a quote from Tennyson: 'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

Her brother's car pulled up, right on time. She practically tripped over herself hurrying out to the car. As she got into the driver's seat, Kyle let out a low whistle.

"Look at you all dressed up and beautiful for tonight. Wish I had something better to wear."

"Thanks Kyle. Now let's get going. I already made movie reservations. We're going to see Scream 3."

"Wait, a slasher film? You know how much they freak me out, seeing guts and gore spilling out on the big screen," said Kyle with an involuntary shudder. "Wasn't there anything else?"

"All the other shows were sold out. Besides, you have no reason to be scared. You have your big, strong sister to protect you," she said affectionately, patting him on the head.

"By the way, I got the renovation project, just as you said. My best pitch worked. Thanks for the confidence boost. I don't think I could have done it otherwise."

Beaming with pride, the pair went to Rizzo's. They ordered the usual lasagne and ravioli that they had grown up eating. Each passing moment caused Kyle to become more beautiful in the eyes of his sister. She had concluded that what she felt towards him was not raw, animalistic lust as she had thought, but a deep ocean of pure love and affection. Her world began and ended with him. What had kept her from doing this for so long?

After finishing their sumptuous meal, they headed to the Imperium. Once inside, Dana led them to their seats, which were secluded from most others. She watched as her brother flinched each time the knife wielding slasher made an appearance. After about an hour, he insisted on leaving, saying he felt unwell.

"Nothing will ever hurt you while I'm around," she assured him, giving him her most protective look. "Now get over your fear and see this out."

Just holding her hand from the adjacent seat seemed to cause all of his fear to disappear. She looked at him from time to time and mentally pictured what it would be like when she told him how she felt. Their parents wouldn't be home for several days, so she had time to stretch her seduction out, and careful calculate every step.

At the end of the movie, they drove home; laughing and chatting all the way. Upon arrival they went off to their rooms to retire for the night. She knew that her plan was well and truly in motion.

Over the next few days, her affection towards Kyle was boundless. She would make a point of waking up before him and covering his face with affectionate kisses to wake him. Every day, she brought his favourite meals to his room, and they ate them together. She even went to the extent of doing his laundry and tending to the yard on the days he was supposed to.

"Alright, what do you want?' Kyle asked a few days later at breakfast. "You've been awfully nice to me these last few days. So tell me, what is it?"

"What? Can't a big sister be nice to her little brother without expecting something in return?"

"You do know that if you ever want something from me, all you have to do is ask, right? No favours required. Anything, and I mean absolutely anything."

She felt tempted to ask him right then and there, given that he had just given her a free pass to ask for anything. But she restrained herself, feeling it was too soon. She urged herself to wait for the right moment, as it had to be done perfectly.

He kissed her once and left for work, leaving her with her lascivious thoughts as she planned her next move. The way to a man's heart was through his stomach. She knew that at that time, he would have to be well fed. Maybe she would break open a bottle of wine. Not too much though, she wanted him to be conscious enough to know the gravity of what he was doing, yet be willing to overcome the taboo. Failure was not an option.

College passed by in a blur as she kept thinking about how to turn a platonic, yet beautiful relationship into a carnal one, without reducing the inherent affection. She wouldn't let anything disturb them over the next few days, as they built up towards that critical moment. Kyle went about his work and his life without a care in the world, seemingly oblivious to his sibling's desires. Then he came home one day with an important announcement for her.

"I have to go to my New York apartment tomorrow. It's time to take my fledging business to the next level, and there's a lot that needs doing to get it there. My agent has already spoken to clients who want me to meet with them. It's happened more suddenly than I thought it would, but I can't hold off."

"What?!" exclaimed Dana, still reeling from this bombshell. "I thought you would be here for at least another month."

"I know, I thought so too, but I can't miss this opportunity. It's make or break time now."

"When will you be back?"

"I have no idea. I will probably spend six months setting up the office and getting the required paperwork out of the way. After that I might be able to visit once a month, for a weekend."

"That's it?" Dana asked, fighting back her tears.

He was quickly by her side and hugged her, helping to soothe her. Unable to hold back any more, she cried on his shoulder for a long time. He gently comforted her, saying they would be together soon; that all she needed to do was graduate, and then she could get a job in the Big Apple later that year and be with him.

He went up to his room to change as Dana went into panic mode. She didn't have any time left. Her carefully constructed plan seemed to be falling apart. This particular vicissitude had blindsided her. She was still digesting the news when a quiet voice spoke up somewhere in her mind.

"No, you are not going to let this opportunity pass you by. You have pushed this down way too long, you will not do this any longer."

"You're right," said Dana, silently speaking to herself.

"Yes I am, now hurry up. You don't have much time left."

Dana stood up, resolute in her choice. The endgame of her scheme would have to abruptly change. There was no other way out.

She was going to seduce him that night.

Immediately, she went into a flurry of activity, shopping for ham, pork ribs and salmon. This was Kyle's favourite food trifecta. While he was upstairs packing his things, she cooked up three of his favourite dishes for dinner.

After he finally finished packing up all his clothes, he came down for his last dinner at home. As he descended the stairs, he was greeted by a distinctively different dining room. All the lights were out, instead there were two long candles burning brightly on the table. Also, Dana was looking more stunning than ever in that red dress. The table was laid out with his favourite food.

"Since this is going to be your last night here for some time, I wanted it to be special," said Dana with a sultry smile.

Kyle went over and sat beside her as they began eating. Dana was entirely preoccupied, and was sure that he was picking up on it too, given some of the puzzled looks he shot her way. He seemed to relax as he dug into the sumptuous banquet laid out for him.

"I was thinking, since we won't get to spend much time together for the next year or so, how about you spend tonight with me?"

"Are you sure? Don't you need your privacy when you sleep?"

"Remember when you were young, how lightning frightened you? During the particularly stormy nights, you would come over and sleep with me. If I didn't mind it then, why would I mind now?"

"I guess I could. I'll just get changed and come up."

She smiled as he left; still knowing she had a lot to do. She opened a bottle of her parent's favourite red wine. She grabbed two goblets out of the cupboard and headed upstairs. In her room, she dimmed the lights and put on her flimsiest negligee.

Kyle had just finished dressing and came to her room. He opened the door just enough to get an eyeful.

"Sorry, I should have knocked," he said apologetically. "I'll just leave you to get dressed."

"No, don't go. This is what I'm comfortable wearing."

"Are you sure? That thing reveals more than it hides."

"Hey, we're siblings. It's not like it's anything you haven't seen before. Come on in."

She offered him a glass of wine as he entered, surveying him over the rim of her own glass. Dana patted a small part of the bed right next to her, asking him to come over and sit there. He innocently complied. She then used the remote to switch on the music system. The track she had selected was one of the most romantic compositions of all time and a personal favourite for the family: Speak Softly Love from The Godfather.

Soon the room was resonating with the beautiful symphony. She could feel her brother losing himself in the soothing music. She drained her wine in one gulp, knowing she would need as much courage as possible for the next act. The culmination to weeks of build-up was here. It was now or never.

Just as the music started building towards the crescendo, she knew the moment was perfect. Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned over until she was lying on top of him. He looked at her, puzzled.

"Dana, what..."

He was cut short as she gently placed her mouth over his. He was lying with his head against the headboard, which allowed her to use both hands to hold the back of his head. Her tongue forced its way past his lips and deep into his mouth. Years of fantasies and wet dreams all flooded back to her in a single massive deluge as she sank into the kiss. She was barely aware of her actions, her body on auto-pilot. Her tongue gently caressed the inside of his mouth as her hands roamed over his back. She took the time to gently prod his tongue with hers, but it seemed paralyzed from shock. They remained in this state throughout the duration of the musical climax. She finally she raised her face from his, a radiant smile on her it. A blank expression looked back at her.

He looked at her for a few long moments, seeming to be in shock from what had happened. Then, finally, the expression changed into one of disbelief.

"Did you just... try to SEDUCE me?"

She stayed silent, knowing it was obvious. Kyle's expression turned from disbelief to incredulity as he slipped out of bed in a hurry.

"Oh my God," he said to himself over and over as he held his head in his hands.

She watched in slow motion as he just stood there looking down at ground. When he raised his head, she saw an emotion she never expected. She had anticipated seeing emotions ranging from acceptance to awkwardness in varying degrees, but what she saw on his face was something entirely different.

Grief.

His cheeks were tear-stained and a dark, hollow sadness enveloped his face. Those childish eyes had lost their sparkle and were instead windows to her betrayal. It seemed like an eternity until he spoke again.

"Why? Wasn't I good enough as a brother? Was that why you wanted me in this sick way? I am your brother for God's sake."

Numb with shock, she just listened and watched as her plan led to this terrible, twisted end.

"When I was with you all those times, I didn't pretend to be anyone. I was naked in my truth and laid myself bare for you. I trusted you with everything and this is how you abuse that trust?"

She had a plethora of jumbled thoughts running through her mind, but no clear words. She just gaped as he went on.

"I need to go. I need to be away from you. As far as possible," he said, his voice tinged with betrayal.

He turned to open the door.

"Kyle, wait ..." Dana said, finally finding words.

"Don't Dana, just please don't. I need some time alone."

As the door slammed shut behind him, the full weight of what had just transpired hit Dana like a sledgehammer to the gut. She was overwhelmed by the sadness that followed. Several tears streamed down her face involuntarily.

"I told you so," her conscience said from somewhere deep inside.

These words echoed around in her mind. Then a stronger voice took hold of her.

"You have to fix this. Go after him now, or you will lose him for good."

Gripped by this new found resolve, she stood up and sprinted out the door after her brother.

She was going to make it right.

She had to.