Siblings with Benefits Ch. 22

After lunch Lisa said they had to get going and before they left us Krissy handed Mark a napkin that she had written her phone number on and told him to call her later that night. My brother had turned beet red and it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Better yet was that not only did he call Krissy, but that night at dinner when Mark would usually just eat and listen to us talk, he had started telling Mom and Dad about Krissy. It was the first time he had ever really talked to them without being coaxed, and they were thrilled. Of course Mark and Krissy would start dating soon after and had lasted almost two years until...

Until Mark's selfish bitch of sister got in the way. If it weren't for me it would be Krissy sitting here with Mark tonight. Krissy, who would be beside herself about Mark's big news, and be even giddier than me sitting in a place like this. On that note I poured another glass of wine and drank half of it in a couple of long swallows. I would not get upset again. This was a big night for my brother. Mark had forgiven me for Krissy, saying that he believed in fate and what happened was meant to happen and that if I needed him then that's where he belonged. No I would not sink into a funk, I would enjoy the night the way my brother wanted me to.

There was plenty to enjoy; the restaurant itself was beautiful, and as I looked around I noticed that we were, by far, the youngest people here tonight. I also caught several people looking at us. Sitting at the next table over from us was an older couple in their sixties and several times when I looked over the wife was looking at the two of us. One time she caught my eye and smiled. I smiled back getting the impression that they were getting a kick out of watching us, as young as we were.

Another table however was watching, us or more accurately my brother, for an entirely different reason. A couple of tables to our left was populated by four women who all looked to be in their thirties or older, all of them were dressed to kill and all very attractive. Girls' night out. Several times when I glanced over they were looking at Mark. A couple of them in passing, but two of them were practically staring. I looked over at Mark and couldn't blame them; he was by far the best looking guy in the place.

The nasty girl in me began to get worked up, thinking about the way they were looking at him. They were twice his age and talking amongst themselves about what they would do to him. Probably talking about how they'd love to tear him apart. Little did they know, I had trained my brother well and he would be a lot more than they had bargained for. On that note I glanced over again and saw one of them; a tall blonde wearing a very short dress with spike heels staring again.

I told Mark to look over at them and smile. He shook his head and said he didn't feel like it, but I gave him the "do it for me" complete with the pout. Mark sighed and said he would go one better. Getting up Mark walked past them to go to the bathroom, as he did it was comical to watch all four of their heads turn. I finished the wine and poured another glass while I waited for him to come back. When he did he slowed down as he passed their table and turning his head flashed his best killer smile at them.

As he came back over, instead of sitting he came up behind me and leaning over, put his arms around my shoulders and gave me a quick kiss on the neck. My first reaction was that he needed to be careful, we were out in public and you never knew. That feeling was quickly pushed to the side as I saw the looks from the other women; the blond was shaking her head and I could practically hear her thoughts; what's that little bitch have that I don't? The answer of course was my brother's undivided attention.

As Mark made his way back to his seat I turned my head and looking the blond straight in the eye winked. She turned her head in a huff and I laughed out loud. Mark rolled his eye and we went back to talking about our future. I was feeling better, and started telling him about my plans to do a series of paintings based on Dante's inferno. As I spoke, I loved the way Mark's focus was completely on me. When he had been speaking I had been listening but was also busy checking out the place and people watching.

Mark on the other hand really did only have eyes for me; and what eyes they were! His ever shifting eyes had locked into that green shade that was my favorite, not just because I loved the color, but I had realized that when Mark was relaxed and happy, that's the color they seemed to stay. Lately Mark's eyes were always green when he was with his big sister and it made me happy. At this point I was pretty happy in general, loving the place, the food, the attention of a gorgeous man, and the wine had also done its share to put me in perfectly relaxed mood.

Speaking of the wine; I went to pick up the bottle and pour another glass when Mark looked at me and said;

"Meg, that's like your fourth glass, why don't you call it quits for now?"

I rolled my eyes at him and grabbing the bottle lifted it.

"Come on Mark! It's okay; it just helps me have a good time that's all."

I went to pour but Mark put his hand over the top of my glass. I looked up at him and was going to tell him to leave me alone when he smiled softly and locking those beautiful eyes into mine asked quietly;

"And are you having such a bad time tonight Megan?"

He was right of course, everything about tonight was perfect, especially the company. I smiled at him and put the bottle down. Mark returned the smile and reaching out, took my hand. I looked at his hand over mine and once again felt that feeling of nervousness, this time however it faded quickly and I simply enjoyed his touch. We finished eating, and even though we were both full, Mark ordered one piece of my favorite chocolate cheesecake for us to share.

I sat there giggling as Mark fed me every other bite. The fact that I happened to look over and catch another look from the blonde at the other table added to my delight. As we had been eating desert the band had finished setting up in the next room and began to play an upbeat song from the seventies, I wasn't sure of the name but it wasn't a ballad and could be danced to.

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "I thought they only played ballroom stuff."

Mark shook his head and asked if I was ready to dance. I told him to give me a minute, then smiled again as he came around and pulled my chair out for me. Feeling bold I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and went to find the ladies room. I once again marveled at how nice the place was as I walked down the carpeted hallway and into the ladies room. After using the bathroom I took a couple of minutes to fix my makeup in the mirror, and as I did I saw the older woman from the next table come in.

I was still at the mirror, when she came over to wash her hands. When I looked over she smiled at me and after I returned the smile, she spoke;

"I'm sorry if you saw me looking at you a few times tonight dear."

"Oh, that's okay." I answered.

"It's just that my husband and I couldn't get over what a beautiful couple the two of you are."

"Thank you!" I told her flashing a big smile. She continued;

"You are such a lovely young lady, and now that I see you up close those eyes just add to it." She shook her head. "They are absolutely amazing!"

I could feel myself blushing as I thanked her again.

"And such a good looking young man!"

"He is isn't he?" I agreed.

"That he is." She laughed and added; "You know my husband actually pointed out the two of you look quite a bit alike."

I felt the smile begin to fade from my face as she kept speaking.

"I have to say, after he said it I had to agree, the two of you could pass for brother and sister."

Not only was my smile gone but I felt myself getting nervous.

"That is of course until I saw how he looks at you."

"Looks at me?" I repeated.

"Dear, that young man is completely taken with you. I can see it in his eyes and you look at him the same way."

The smile returned to my face at that.

"Anyways hon," The woman said. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to tell you that it's nice to see such a young couple so obviously in love with each other. It's very sweet."

At this point I was smiling so hard my cheeks were hurting! I finished fixing my lipstick and went back out to see Mark standing by the doorway to the dance floor. Standing right next to him was the older blond from the other table. I shook my head as I approached, as I could tell by her body language she was trying to get him to dance with her. Any other night I would have not only told him to do it but to grind up on her and get her hot and bothered, but not tonight. No tonight my beautiful little brother was all mine.

There was an almost comical look of relief on Mark's face as I walked up next to them. Mark reached out and taking my hand said;

"There you are beautiful," Bringing my hand up to his lips he kissed it and added; "Shall we?"

I looked over at the blond and gave her a huge smile and a wink. She shot me a look of death then turning, went back to her table. As Mark led me out to the dance floor. I asked him;

"Aww did she want to dance with you Mark?"

"Dance?" Mark rolled his eyes. "Shit Meg, she told me she was staying at the Marriott down the street and tried to give me her room key."

"Well who can blame her?" I asked.

Mark gave me that cute little smile of his, and then taking my hand led me out to the dance floor. As he did, I was once again struck by a wave of nerves; there had to be thirty to forty people on the floor, and we were going to go up there and dance. I told myself to stop being ridiculous, there was no one here who knew us, and besides we were only going to dance. Even if someone did see, was what would be the big deal?

When we reached the middle of the dance floor Mark turned and putting his arms around my shoulders, pulled me close to him. There was a ballad playing and I slid my arms around his waist and we swayed slowly to the music. It was the end of the song and the next one that came on was a much more up tempo dance remix. I stepped back and started to move a little quicker but still stayed close to him, not wanting to draw attention to us. Mark rolled his eyes and said;

"Oh come on Megan! We're here to dance not waltz!"

With that Mark pulled away and went into a greatly exaggerated spin that made me laugh. Mark came back up to me and grabbing my hand spun me into him where he quickly dipped me. Bringing me back up, it was my turn to spin away. Like Mark I went into it faster than I normally would have, loving the way my hair flew out around me and the skirt flared up around my thighs.

I came to a stop to find Mark right up in front of me. As the music picked up I lifted my hands over my head taking my hair with them, and started swinging my hips to the beat. Mark came up and putting his hands on my hips kept pace with my movements, then as the song neared its end, spun me so my back was to him and putting his arms under mine, held me as I dropped down and kicked my leg straight up. As he pulled me back to my feet, I noticed several people watching us.

The song stopped and as we waited for the next one Mark unknotted his tie, and rolled his sleeves up. I loved that look on him; the nice dress shirt, but with his muscular forearms exposed. The music kicked up again and taking my hand Mark smirked and asked;

"Hey sexy, ready to show off?"

Not only had I taken three years of modern dance, but at the urging of his karate instructor Mark had taken dance lessons to improve his balance. Like anything else he tried, my brother, of course was a natural, and the two of us proceeded to take over the floor. We danced up close, and then would back away, swinging and swaying in perfect harmony with each other. At one point we turned our back's facing away from each other as we danced, then turned back to find ourselves still in perfect rhythm.

By the third song I became aware of less people dancing and more people watching us. Rather than be nervous I found I was caught up in it. Not only were my brother and I the best looking couple in the place, but by far were the best dancers. I began to relax more and more as we danced. Between the wine and how much I was enjoying being with Mark, all my prior inhibitions were quickly disappearing.

I started to revel in the fact that I was out in public dancing with my beautiful little brother, and that everyone around us just thought we were a gorgeous young couple out having a great time. As Mark spun me around him I caught a glimpse of the older woman from the bathroom, and remembered her saying how in love my brother and I looked. She had also mentioned how much we looked alike. Why had no one else noticed? It then occurred to me that quite simply people didn't think that way. People saw us as a couple tonight and just assumed we were. We were hiding in plain sight!

As we continued to dance my focus shifted from the people around us to the amazing man I was dancing with. Once again I was just blown away by how attractive my brother really was, and even better, how good we looked together. As we continued to dance it was as if we were an extension of each other, our bodies flowing together as one. Mark's hands were on my hips, and mine on his shoulders, and as we continued to move in the same fluid motion, I stared into his beautiful green eyes and realized why we were so good together.

At this time we had been lovers for over a year now. My brother knew me like no other; knew my body better than any man ever had, or ever would. But it was much more than physical; so much more. In my brother's arms I felt loved and adored, safe and protected. As Mark slid his arms around my waist from behind and we started swaying to the next song, I realized that we were comfortable dancing for the same reason we fit so perfectly in each other's arms when we slept. It was just like Mom had said; "Like you'd always been there, and always would be."

As the song wound down and Mark held me tighter, resting his head on my shoulder and playfully nuzzling my neck. I was reminded of what Mark had said many times before; that we were two halves; on our own just broken pieces, but together we were a perfect whole. We completed each other.

We went back to the table during the next song, to catch our breath, where I basked in the comments we received from people walking by, telling us how fantastic we looked out there. Mark was sitting with his chair facing the dance floor, and after pausing to pour a glass of wine and take a few sips, I went over and handed him the glass. As I did Mark patted his knee. I hesitated but only briefly before sitting on it.

After Mark emptied the glass and put it down I swung my legs over his so I was sitting on his lap. I was aware that this was probably a little improper for where we were, but the people dining had their backs to us and everyone else was on the floor. I put my arm around Mark's shoulder and leaning over kissed him on the cheek. Mark smiled up at me;

"Having a good time, beautiful?"

"Best night of my life!" I told him laughing.

Mark smiled;

"I love that laugh Meg, I really do."

"And I love that smile Mark."

The current song ended, and as the next one began I stood up and taking Mark's hand, took him back out to the floor. We stayed out there for the next few songs, dancing away and having a great time. We didn't show off as much as we did the first time, but were still getting quite a few looks from people. I hadn't been exaggerating when I had told Mark that this was the best night of my life, and we hadn't even gotten to the surprise yet!

We finished another dance and as much fun as I was having, was thinking of calling it quits. Between the wine and the dancing I was feeling a little too warm and was also getting anxious for what the rest of the evening had in store. I mentioned it to Mark who nodded, but as we started to walk off the floor the band struck up again, this time it was Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart and Mark pulled me back onto the floor with him.

I started to say something but as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me close to him what could I say? I put my hands on his arms and we started swaying slowly to the song. At first I had put my head on his shoulder as we danced, enjoying the smell of his cologne and his breath in my ear. I also loved the way the hard muscles of his arms and shoulders felt as I slowly rubbed my hands up across them.

Mark's hands slid down my back to my hips and turning his head he began nuzzling into my hair. I sighed contentedly as his lips found my neck for a quick kiss. As the song continued I let myself melt completely into his arms, leaning into his chest and letting his hands on my hips guide how I moved with him. I slid my hands under his arms and across his back and hugged him even tighter. Could it get any better than this?

A moment later, Mark's hands slid up my sides and continuing all the way up found my face and gently lifted my head up. As I looked up my eyes found his and as we danced I found I couldn't look away. I felt my heart begin to beat faster and just like that Saturday morning weeks ago I felt something in that look. There was more there than just affection for each other as siblings much more. From the look on Mark's face I knew he was seeing and feeling the same thing.

When I had first looked up he had been smiling but now he appeared serious and I could feel his body begin to tense up. I felt as if I should say something but wasn't sure what, and in all honestly didn't want to ruin whatever was going on. As I continued to look into my brother's gorgeous eyes he cocked his head slightly to the side and leaned forward. Not thinking I also turned my head and as I had that morning in the attic, I closed my eyes and parted my lips.

Mark kissed me. As soon as he did I felt the spell begin to break. We couldn't do this, we were in a public place! I started to pull away but Mark's hands held the back of my head. Not roughly, but just enough to prevent me from breaking the kiss. Mark's lips softly brushed across mine then kissed me again more firmly. I felt one more brief twinge of what if? But then with a small whimper in the back of my throat I surrendered to my brother and kissed him back. Mark sighed deeply and moving his hands from my face put his arms around my shoulders as he continued to kiss me. I felt as if I were in a dream; was I really standing here in full view of dozens of people kissing my brother?

I found I know longer cared. Mark was right, we were at the other end of the state from where we lived and there was no one we knew here. I relaxed even further and kept the kiss going our mouths opened, tongues gently teasing and exploring. The music stopped but we continued to kiss and sway back and forth as if the song were still playing. After another minute Mark pulled away from me and looking into my eyes took my hand and asked if I was ready to get my surprise.

I told him that I was more than ready and as he went back to the table to pay the bill, I went quickly to the ladies room to freshen up a little bit. I was on my way out and was looking for Mark when I heard a voice behind me;

"Megan?"

I turned and felt a twist in my stomach as I recognized Ginny, one of my Mom's friends who lived down the street from us. I had gone to high school with her daughter Julie, and her and Mom played cards together every Tuesday.

"Um hi Mrs. Hunter." I said.

"That is you!" She exclaimed coming up to me. "I thought it was, but I was sitting across the room."

"How are you?" I asked nervously. Sitting across the room watching...