Ask Me to Stay

Chapter One

VERA'S POV
———
It had always been just my sister and me. She truly raised me. After my dad died and my mom ran, all of the responsibilities fell on her. Even on the worst days, she made sure to show me that she didn't regret taking custody.
I was thirteen when she met Dominic, she was twenty-seven. Our parents had her young and then waited until they were fully settled and ready for another kid to have me. And on top of that, Kara and I's father cheated on our mom, resulting in my older half-brother, Blaine, but even through that, they stuck together. Dominic wasn't that older, thirty-one. And now I'm sixteen and we're celebrating my sister's 30th birthday.
———
I swung my legs under the bar, looking over my shoulder towards the many clusters of people in our backyard. Kara insisted on doing something bigger for her birthday rather than just Dominic taking us all out to dinner.
"Can you at least pretend to look like this is fun?" Dominic barked from the spot beside me, his hip leaned against the bar.
"Can you at least pretend to care if I actually am having fun or not?" I snapped, instinctively raising my glass to my lips. Out of nowhere, Dominic's ring-clad hand roughly yanked my drink from my hand.

"What is this?" He hissed, swirling the drink around while staring into the fogged martini glass.

"Nothing! It's fucking water!" I snapped, reaching for the glass. Without hesitation Dominic downed the glass, keeping his eyes cemented on mine. He licked his lips and sat the glass down, flicking it towards the bartenders

"Yeah...water." He said flatly, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the back door. "You're such a spoiled brat! This isn't torture, Vera, it's your sister's fucking birthday party! Why can't you just be happy?!" He growled while pulling me through the house and upstairs.
"Why are you such a dick? It was one drink. I don't know any of the people there, save you, Kate, and Beck. If you want me to mingle I'm damn well not going to do it sober!" I yanked my arm from his grip but his fist around me only tightened.
"No, Vera! You're gonna sit in your room and finish all that homework you said you needed to get done earlier." Really? He's giving me what I want? I stopped my protest and shrugged. "Phone..." He stated, holding out his hand.
"No," I yelled, pulling away again.
"Phone." He repeated.
I sighed and aggressively ripped my phone from my pocket, slapping it onto his palm.
"Have fun, Vera." He chuckled while letting go of me and pushing me gently into my room, stuffing my phone into his pocket.
I plopped down on my bed, looking around my room for anything that could entertain me. Guess it's time to reread The  Hunger Games.
———
I poked my head out my window and look around the backyard to see if the party is still going. There were a few stragglers but for the most part, everyone's leaving.
I slipped out my door in baby blue fuzzy socks, having showered during my time out. A thin sheer cropped tank top clung to my braless chest, a matching pair of pajama shorts hugged my round bottom.
I tiptoed down the stairs, looking around to see who all was left as well as where Dominic was.
"Vera!" Kara whispered from the kitchen, grabbing my attention. Someone was asleep at the island, and a few more sprawled about the house.
"Happy birthday, sis." I breathed out with a smile before wrapping my arms around her.
"Thanks, babes. Now please find me a water bottle and some Advil..." she groaned, dramatically rubbing her forehead. I giggled and gathered her request. "I think Dom still has your phone, and I'm not mad that you drank, just ask next time..." she mumbled as she crept up the stairs groaning.
Pride filled me, knowing she was more on my side of things. I searched around the house looking for Dominic to both get my phone and rub in my victory.
I find the man sprawled across the sectional sofa, in the corner by the L-shaped part. I gently felt his right pocket, forgetting which one he put it in and I sure as hell wasn't waking him up. After feeling the empty pocket I sigh and step back, looking at all my options. The sofa was too wide to reach over him, plus that would result in my tits in his face, and with the way he was laying, I would have to dig into the couch to find his pocket. 
Finally, I decide on the fastest but most risky option. I plant my knee on the small space of the sofa beside his, placing my other between his thighs. I shove my hand between him and the sofa, searching for his pocket.
"Vera! What the fuck!" Dominic shouts, raising his hands above him as if he was being arrested.
I freeze, looking down at the position I put the both of us in. Me on his lap, straddling his one leg with my hands trying to get in his pants.
"Fuck..." I groan, still frozen.
"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing?" He asked in a flat tone.
"Uhm I...My uh...you still...phone?" I stutter out, completely unable to make a coherent sentence.
"Jesus Christ, Vera! Are you gonna get off or wait until someone sees us and thinks we're...just get the hell off me!" He growls, placing his hands on my hips and push me back gently.
"Wait wait I'm gonna fall..." I yell, grasping at his shirt and then his waistband trying not to fall off the sofa.
"Vera!" He shouts before I roll off, pulling him with me so we land with him on top of me.
"Jesus just give me my god damn phone." I groaned trying to get away but trapped between him, the sofa, and the coffee table.
"I'm trying to get off, my fucking legs are asleep!" He grunts, sliding down my body to get off me. His head was just above my chest when his sliding caused my shirt to pull down revealing my boob. We both looked down at it and then at each other. In a split second, we were apart from each other and across the room breathing heavily.
Silence fills the room after a few moments, but I fast-walked towards him with my palm out and not making eye contact.
"Phone," I state.
"What?" He asks in out-of-breath confusion.
"Phone...give me it," I whisper. He places it in my hand making sure not to touch me in the process. I glance down at my phone and then back up to the profile of his face.
"Vera..." Dominic breathed out before I scurried away upstairs.
———
The next morning I laid in bed until well past the time Dominic left for work. Just in case I pulled on the baggiest sweatshirt and pair of joggers I on.
When I walk to the kitchen I don't see anyone so I pull down my hood and push up my sleeves to my elbows. I open the fridge and look around for something to make for breakfast.
"Ahem..." A ring-clad finger gripped the edge of the fridge door, pushing it closed and tearing down the barrier between me and my new worst nightmare.
I turn around and head towards the pantry, hoping he's not actually looking to talk to me.
"Vera...please come out of the pantry. I have something to ask you." Dominic's voice put me on edge, made me feel like every decision I made was a trap. But I walk out anyways, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.
"First and foremost I would like to apologize for last night, I was drunk and I know that's no excuse, but I am sorry for making you uncomfortable, especially in your own home." He lifts an arm to scratch the back of his neck, stretching the sleeves of the white compression t-shirt. He must have been working out... I shake my head, pulling my eyes away from my sister's boyfriend's muscles.
"It's not like you did it on purpose, Dominic, we can forget it happened and move on," I stated flatly, trying to move past him.
"Topic number two..." he breathed out, stepping to the side so I wasn't completely trapped between him and the pantry door. "Would you like to go out for breakfast? Your sister and I had plans for today but she got called into work."
"Oh so the only reason you're asking me is because you're bored?" I say with a smirk. I flash of worry crosses his face, confusing me, but it's gone before I can fully understand it.
"No...I was asking because I felt like being nice, clearly, you don't, so me myself and I will go to iHop ourselves." He shot at me before grabbing his keys and walking towards the door.
"Fine..." I mumble, iHop being my soft spot.
"What? Didn't catch that." He yelled from the door, not even turning to face me.
"Fine!" I hissed while I walked towards him, raising my brows at him so he'll move out of my way.
"Just get in the god damn car." He breathed out, chuckling as he opened the front door to let me out.
———
The ride to IHOP was silent for the most part. The many layers covering my body forced me to put my window down, filling the car with a waffling sound.
"We can listen to music if you'd like?" Dominic motioned towards the radio before returning his hand to the wheel. "The aux is in the glove box."
I nodded, opening the compartment and retrieving the cord. I scrolled through my Spotify, looking for something suitable. Something not too explicit and not too clean, something okay for someone who just saw my tit before going and sleeping in the same bed as my sister.
I turned on my early 2000's bops playlist and laid my phone in the cupholder. When I looked over at Dominic I could see the slight smirk growing on his face.
"What?" I snapped, Hey Ya playing in the background.
"Just amused by your choice in music..." he laughed, sending me a grinning face.
"My music taste is great...I'm not the one who thinks listening to Frank Sinatra is cool." I retort, turning my chin up with a smirk.
"Yeah...you can keep believing that." He scoffed before leaning back in his seat and relaxing his grip on the steering wheel, relaxing the conversation into silence.
———
When the car eased to a stop, I wasted no time getting out of the car. I thought I could outrun Dominic but his much longer strides fell into a calm rhythm beside me. He reached the door first, opening the door for me while absently checking his phone.
"Two..." Dominic mumbled before the hostess could even ask how many? I shot him a glare but his face was still glued to his phone.
"Dominic! Why are you being so rude to her?!" I snapped after the woman seated us.
"I wasn't being rude, Vera." He said flatly, still not meeting my eyes.
"Yes, Dominic, you were! And you get mad at me for having an attitude." I scoff and roll my eyes.
"Vera Adams!" He snapped, piercing blue eyes finally meeting mine. "Never, and I mean never, roll your eyes at me!" His voice was scarily low and calm.
What was wrong with him? He never got this mad over me rolling my eyes at him before.
I let out a deep breath before shaking my head and flipping open my menu, already knowing what I'm getting but wanting a barrier between me and Mr. Hot-Head.
———
"Who are you texting?" Dominic asks after a sip of coffee, pulling my attention away from my phone.
"No one," I answer calmly, taking another bite of chocolate waffle.
"So it's a boy?" An amused smile lands on his lips as he looks across the table at me.
"Yeah, his name is 'none-of-your-god-damn-business" I hiss, glancing down at his phone that was laying on the edge of the table face down. "Who are you texting?" I ask with a mischievous smirk.
"Oh, this? Her names-" He pauses when the phone buzzes. He flips it over, making sure not to let me see the caller id. "I said not now..." he growled into the phone while he stood from the booth, heading towards the bathroom. "Next time I tell you something..." then the bathroom door closed behind him.
I waited a few moments, but then our waitress came with the check so I packaged up my leftovers and walked out to the car.
A few minutes pass. I pull my feet off the dash when I see him exit the building.
"Could've waited for me." He mumbled as he climbed into the driver's seat and buckled in.
"Could've not taken a ten-minute phone call during our bonding session." I cried out, exasperated and amused.
"It was important, Vera. You wouldn't understand." He breathed out, leaning back and rubbing his forehead.
"What wouldn't I understand, Dominic, you're a fucking architect, you build things, that's simple," I yelled with my hands up.
"I didn't say it was work-related!" He snapped. Checking his phone again before sitting it down on his thigh, face down.
"Are you cheating on my sister?" I blurted out, my eyes widening at my own words.
"No, Vera, of course not!" He yelled, an irritated look on his face.
"Then why are you being so cagey?" I asked, turning my body towards him.
"Vera, your sixteen, you simply would not understand, okay? Drop it." He hissed before turning the car on and pulling out of our parking spot.
"It wasn't a boy." I sighed after a few minutes, silent minutes.
"What?" He asked, sounding tired.
"It wasn't a boy that I was texting." I retreat, looking out the window.
"Oh...so...Uhm...are you like into girls? That's perfectly okay, I was just asking, and that won't change anything." He cleared his throat and out of the corner of my eyes, I could see his grip tighten.
"No, Dominic, I'm not gay. Not that it's wrong, I'm just saying that it wasn't a boy." I explain oddly.
"Oh okay," he sighed, "is there a boy? Like at all?" He mumbled, glancing over at me.
"No...not really," I answered, kinda uncomfortable.
"Oh okay...good." He breathed out, nodding with a frown of agreement.
"What do you mean, good?" I question, looking across at him. "I'm not that fucking ugly!" I snap, kind of hurt.
"I didn't mean that Vera, you're far from ugly." He said defensively. "Trust me..." he added.
"Yeah because you would know." I scoff, shaking my head and rolling my eyes again.
"I mean..." he whispered, glancing over at me again, clearly not having caught my eye roll.
"Dominic!" I yelled, pushing myself against the car door, farthest away from him. "One, never speak of that again. two, you can't judge someone on one singular boob."
"It wasn't a bad boob!" He yelled razing his hands in a cowering motion before slapping them back down on the wheel.
"So you did look! Oh my god!" I cried out closing my eyes and curling into myself.
"I mean me and it were breathing the same air! It was hard not to look." He yelled, shaking his head. "But it's fine, it was an accident, it happens."
"No, Dominic it doesn't!" I cried.
"Stop talking about it!" He yelled back, us both very embarrassed.
"Jesus..." I breathed out, a laugh erupting from me out of nowhere.
"Christ..." he finished, laughing too.
The ride home continued like this, amused comments of last night and a lot of weird but welcomed laughter.
———
"Yeah...it was weird. We were actually getting along." I sighed, looking into my phone camera. Maddy was looking back at me, a surprised look on her face.
"It's about time," she laughed. "How am I supposed to admire that god of a man when he avoids you all the time."
"He avoids me all the time...until this morning." I shake my head and push away the thought. "And he is not a god."
"Vera, baby, he was sculpted from marble, he is the definition of the perfect man." Maddy sighs idyllically, her eyes fluttering closed.
"No...just incorrect," I state flatly not wanting to venture into the topic of my sister's boyfriend's hotness.
I'll admit, he's not ugly. He works out, keeping up with the muscular but thin build he's had since he and my sister started dating. His jet black hair is always combed back nicely, only ever messy when he gets out of the shower or finishes at the gym. And he has these starling pale blue eyes that catch me off guard every time they meet mine. He once ate a hot pepper and teared up, even then they were crystal clear and knee-weakening.
"Agree to disagree, but please back up to when he asked if you were gay?!" In the middle of Maddy's request, my door opens and Dominic leans in.

"You told her?!" He questioned with a dramatically offended face.

"Wait he's here?!" Maddy squealed. "Mr. Monroe please come into view so I can see this play out?" She yelled not really expecting an answer.

"To clarify, Maddy, she made not a boy sound like not my preferred gender. Next time, Vera Adams, be more clear about what you mean!" Dominic yelled dramatically.

"Yeah, Vera Adams!" Maddy added with a triumphant grin.

"Bye Madeline!" I yelled holding up my middle finger before clicking "end call". I looked up at Dominic and raised a brow. "Yes, father?" I asked sarcastically.

"That's gross." He fake vomited before rolling his eyes. "Your sisters working late and I'll admit, I'm bored. So, my sweet, sweet Vera...come play Minecraft with me?" He held out his hands like he was praying, sending me dramatic puppy dog eyes.

"Minecraft? Really? Guess it's the architect in you." I shrug and climb off my bed. A little uneasy about this new version of Dominic, the nice version of him apparently...