The Long Con

Chapter Two

  As Ms. Beverly practically dragged me downstairs, holding my hand in a death grip, she was immediately greeted by the partygoers, giving their thanks for the invitations and wishing her good luck in her new home.
  After humoring her guests, she turned back to me, giddy with excitement. "You'll love my boys," Ms. Beverly smiled at me. Despite her age, her teeth were still pearly white, and the wrinkles on her face were mostly from smiling. Ms. Beverly always treated me like the daughter she never had. She was the kindest person I knew. "I'm excited to meet them," I replied, although I was admittedly apprehensive. I had wondered what they must be like, being raised by a doting mother like Ms. Beverly. I never spoke to Mr. Beverly much, since he had been sick and mostly bed ridden during my time working for Ms. Beverly, but he seemed nice enough on the few occasions we encountered one another.
  As Ms. Beverly still clutched my hand, her eyes were glued to the door, expectantly waiting for her sons to walk through. A few moments later, two tall, and admittedly handsome, men passed through the entrance. They were dressed nicely in suits. I'm a sucker for a guy in a suit. "Aaron, Hayden!" She beamed, releasing my hand to embrace them. "I missed you," Ms. Beverly spoke as she hugged her sons. I couldn't help but notice how different the brothers looked from each other.
  One had dark black hair. It was short but just long enough in the front for a few small strands to rest on his forehead, just above a pair of deep blue eyes. He was clean shaven and his features were sharp and stoic. The other had a fairer head of hair, a dirty blonde with softer features and longer locks of hair that curled at the ends. He had a pair of green eyes and looked much more like his father. A small amount of stubble complimented his face and he seemed to do nothing but smile. He seemed more approachable than his brother, who I had yet to see smile as he hugged his mother.
  "This is Evelyn, she's the one I've told you both about," Ms. Beverly gestured to me as she let go of her boys. "Pleased to meet you," I offered a friendly smile. "I'm Hayden," The brown-haired man continued to smile as he extended his right hand to me. I shook it, although he looked a bit surprised to feel my gentle grip. I'd always despised the concept of a tight grip. "Aaron," The other spoke, extending his hand now as well. His tone seemed less friendly than that of his brother's and his blue gaze looked me up and down, as if he were disgusted by me. I shook his hand as well, feeling more self-conscious now. Ms. Beverly took the opportunity to whisper into my ear, shielding her mouth from the side with her hand. "They're both single," She whispered, and I felt my cheeks begin to burn. She invited me here... to set me up... I cringed at myself, realizing how pathetic my love life must be for her to try to set me up with someone this way.
  I didn't reply to her, and she must've noticed my embarrassment. She excused herself briefly and walked towards the performers. After a minute of standing there with her sons, the three of us watching her to see what she was doing, the music quickly changed and she made her return to us. "Boys, why don't you both take a chance to dance with Evelyn?" She smiled widely, making it obvious that none of us had a choice. Hayden was the first to offer his hand, and after exchanging a few awkward glances with Ms. Beverly I reluctantly took it. This was seriously a brand new low for me. I'd just been trapped into a blind date by an old woman. Sometimes I wished I was a turtle, or maybe a hermit crab so that I could retract into a shell and never leave again.
   Hayden took the lead as we walked towards the center of the ballroom where a few couples danced as well. The band was playing some kind of waltz. Lucky for me, I'd watched these parties often enough while working for Ms. Beverly that the movement's were practically engraved into my head.
  "I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was trying to set me up," I spoke awkwardly, feeling guilty that he had to endure me. Hayden gave a chuckle, his green eyes looking at me as he put a hand on my waist, preparing to dance. "It's no trouble. If anything I should be apologizing for my mother," He joked, his emerald gaze complimented by his ever-so-slightly pigmented cheeks from smiling. I put my free hand on his  shoulder and we began to dance. I tried to replicate what I'd seen before the best I could. "You're not stepping on my toes, so that's a great start," Hayden spoke playfully. "I'm really trying if you couldn't tell," I replied, giving a nervous laugh. I kept glancing down at our feet so I wouldn't trip. "My mother raves about you," Hayden gave another light chuckle. "I feel like I know you already," He joked lightheartedly. "I can't imagine what she must say," I shook my head, giving another nervous laugh. "Only good things, I assure you," Hayden replied. I couldn't help but notice that every time I looked up at him, that he was staring back at me. It made my cheeks flush, but lucky for me, my tanned skin hid most of the pigment. "So do you live in Cali, or are you just visiting?" I inquired. After months of working for Ms. Beverly this is the first time they had come to visit, aside from when they attended their father's funeral.
"I live further upstate. In Sacramento," Hayden answered. That would explain the lack of visits. Even though he lived in the same state, Cali traffic was the worst. The closer you got to LA, the worse it was.
"Where are you from?" He asked, trying to keep the conversation going. "Florida," I reply, glancing down at my feet again as we dance. "You're an East Coast girl, then," Hayden chuckled. "That's a while away. Do you have family here?" He asked me. I was surprised that we were able to hold a conversation, especially since it was forced. "Nope, just me," I give a small smile, glancing up at him. "Pretty brave of you to move to LA, across the country, and alone," Hayden mused, obviously curious. No one moves to LA without a reason, after all. "I don't know if brave would be the word for it," I gave a small snicker.
Seconds after the words leave my mouth, the song ends and so does our dance. "Well, Evelyn, it was nice talking to you," Hayden smiled, removing his hands from me, and I followed suit. "Likewise," I gave him a nod and he walked off, disappearing into the crowd.
I walk off to find Ms. Beverly, glancing around for her. I notice her across the room, talking with Aaron. They're separated from the other guests, and I notice her body language when she's talking to him. She seemed irritated, and I assumed she was arguing with Aaron. I made my way over to the two, wanting to make sure everything was fine. When she noticed me a smile returned to her face. "I saw you and Hayden got along," She smiled. I glanced at Aaron, whose hands were tucked into his pockets. "Well enough," I nodded, returning my gaze to her. "You and Aaron should see the garden, you know. It's really lovely," Ms. Beverly grinned. Aaron didn't seem to have much of a reaction, but he offered his arm. At least he's a gentleman. "Sure," I nod, humoring her and taking Aaron's arm.
He escorted me out the back and into the garden. I released his arm once we were outside and he didn't say a word. I shift awkwardly as he reached into his suit, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "Want one?" He offered, holding the open pack towards me as he pulled one out and brought it to his lips. Normally I'd be off-put by a smoker, but he made it look good. That or I really needed to get laid. "No, thanks," I declined politely, shaking my head. With that, he lit it and tucked them back into his suit. I watched as he took a drag, the smoke filtering out of his lips as he took the cigarette from his mouth. "I'm sorry," I uttered out nervously. "Sorry?" He perked a brow, appearing confused. "Yeah. I'm sure you were expecting this just as much as I was. I didn't know your mom was setting me up," I laughed nervously, still feeling self-conscious. "Then you don't know her that well," Aaron snickered, taking another drag of the cigarette. As I looked away from him, I realized I hadn't actually looked at the garden. It was beautiful, like something out of a movie, or a fairytale. There were neatly trimmed rosebushes, all in bloom. They cradled a walkway between them, leading up towards a lit up fountain. "Oh, wow..." I breathed in awe, my gaze now locked onto the garden, almost forgetting that I was in the presence of another human being. "You like it, huh?" He mused, seeming to observe me. I turned my gaze back to Aaron, who I notice has moved a few paces closed. "You don't?" I reply, giving a slight tilt of my head. He'd barely looked at the scenery. We locked gazes for a moment and he moved closer once again, this time more noticeably.
I take a small step back, intimated by his closeness. "I didn't say that," He said casually, as if his body wasn't inches from mine. "I... um..." I felt myself at a loss for words. His gaze seemed to bore into mine with intensity, causing me to break eye contact. "You're awfully quiet," Aaron snickered, obviously amused to see me flustered. "Sorry," I manage out, still unable to look directly at him. "There's that word again," He spoke, flicking his still-burning cigarette onto the ground. I stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond to him. I glanced up to meet his gaze again and before I could react, his tall figure leaned down and pressed his lips onto mine. What is he doing?! I was alarmed at first, ready to shove him away from me, but once I tasted his lips I was no longer in control of my body. I couldn't explain it. I kiss him back and taste the cigarette he'd just smoked on his lips along with a faint hint of mint. After a moment I pull away, not wanting to seem desperate. "What was that for?" I asked, reluctant and feeling awkward as I looked at him. He was still leaning down and I noticed a mark on the side of his neck. "I wanted to," He shrugged, standing straight again. Before he moved I got a small glimpse of a tattoo, although too soon to see what it was. Of course. He's one of those. I thought with disappointment. He was a smoker, he kissed me because he "felt like it", and he has a tattoo.
I think I'm dealing with a fuckboy.

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s p i c y
Hope you guys are enjoying the long chapters so far! Comment thoughts and/or questions and I'll make sure to reply! Let me know what you guys think so far, it'd be a big help. Hopefully I'll crank Chapter 3 out sometime within the next few days. Happy reading! ❤️