Always Belle Ch. 14

"Thanks bro," she chuckled at his return quip. "Love you Frank. Have a good night."

"You too Belly. See you and my brother at breakfast tomorrow."

After Uncle Frank left, Belle then stood up from her bed, delicately taking her wedding dress off.

Watching her, I was reminded of just how breathtaking her naked body was. It was wild to think that in a few months, her belly could start showing. Belle then walked inside her en suite bathroom and closed its door.

My thoughts now to myself, I naturally wondered where Uncle Artie was all this time. Was he watching Belle on a live feed somewhere? I was then reminded of the computer I'd seen, sitting on the desk behind me in this secret room.

Next to the monitor was a piece of paper. I took a closer look at the white sheet, realizing it listed all of the names of the guests who were staying at this resort, along with their respective bungalow unit numbers. Interesting.

I then woke the computer up, seeing that some software application was running. It featured a dialog box front and center, designed specifically to input room numbers. Very interesting!

Would this computer allow me to do what I think it would? Only one way to find out...

***

Scanning the list of names and corresponding rooms, I started with my own, typing in my bungalow's unit number. A live feed of my empty bedroom appeared on screen, where I recognized my overnight bag and other things as I'd left them.

Whoa... I guess I did have spy camera access, the power of god at my fingertips! Was this system related to what Leon (or Belle) was using to ping my Maps app? I couldn't totally be sure.

I returned to the list of names, picking out rooms of interest.

For starters, I pulled up the feed of Ox and Sherrie's bungalow. As expected, Ox was alone in the room, lying on his bed. Coming down from his sex high with Belle, the guy was probably gonna get the greatest sleep tonight. Not to mention, Sherrie was at her mother's house, nowhere in sight to question her husband's whereabouts.

Next up on the computer, I inputted Seb and Rita's bungalow, curious whether Belle's bridesmaid would be able to tell that her chef of a husband had fooled around with the bride during dinner.

On their bed, the married couple was having rough sex in doggy style. However, when Rita picked her head up, I realized it wasn't Rita at all! It was Sherrie! The real Rita soon entered the frame in lingerie, walking up to kiss her spouse, before groping Sherrie's ass, enjoying the pounding her female friend was receiving.

Wow! It seemed as if Sherrie had lied to Ox about leaving this resort, taking the opportunity to have her own extramarital adventures. What a new, eye-opening development since I'd last seen the two women, where, at Eden's lunch hour, they had delved into topics of cheating and non-monogamy.

I then inputted Colin's bungalow. His live feed showed him sleeping comfortably in bed. Interestingly, his girlfriend Lily was standing off to the side, wearing a sexy babydoll, actively slipping on high heels and a long, wool coat.

Lily then walked over to her overnight bag, pulling out what looked like a box of condoms. Afterward, she applied a coat of strawberry red lipstick, then vacated the room, whisking away into the night, headed god knows where...

I then nosily switched over to Roux's feed, only to discover it was a ghost town. Then I naturally thought of John, wondering if the pair's flirting had evolved throughout the evening.

Curious, I pivoted to the camera inside John's bungalow. He was shirtless in bed, joined by Roux in her bra, bed sheets above their waists. The two looked like they had just finished being intimate, and were now engaging in some pillow talk.

On the interface, I turned the volume up to listen in:

"Well that was fun! You're a good time Johnny," Roux said, looking enamored with her new lover.

"Glad I met you today," John warmly reciprocated. "How's a girl like you even single?"

"Wanna know a secret? I recently dumped my boyfriend," Roux admitted with pride.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to—"

"It's no biggie. He wasn't a keeper. Between you and me, I wanted to 'open' our relationship, explore new avenues with him. But he was so against it. Funny thing is, I'm pretty sure Darius was already cheating on me. It's whatever. Fuck him."

"Well, his loss is my gain," John kindly smiled.

"Our gain, buddy! I still can't believe I just hooked up with my hot uncle-in-law," she giggled.

"Is that what I am to you? Jesus Roux, we're only like four years apart."

"We're two consenting adults of age, nothing wrong with that! Just lean into it Uncle Johnny. It makes it hotter!"

"Sure niece, whatever floats your boat," he quipped in kind.

My cousin then scooted closer to him, getting more comfortable. "Your sister looked so beautiful today."

"She's only a model, haven't you heard?" He smiled.

"Okay smart ass," she prodded his chest, smiling back. "I'm curious, are you and her close?"

"Eh, maybe not so much now. But growing up, yeah, Belle and I were like any normal brother and sister."

"Tell me more. I've always been curious about other siblings."

"What about?"

"I guess I find that stuff interesting, how the whole dynamic works. Take me and my younger brother Colin. We fought and bickered a lot as kids. We still do. But at the end of the day, he's an idiot whose back I've got no matter what. Someone messes with him, I'm ready to break kneecaps."

"I guess Belle and I are kinda like that. Maybe less at the extremes," he chuckled. "Growing up, my sister and I did everything together. Swimming classes. Riding bikes in the neighborhood. We basically had the same friend group until high school. Then, when she turned 18, she moved far to start her modeling career. As for me, I stayed local for college, got a job nearby after. So naturally, Belle and I kinda drifted as a result. Since then, we've both just been doing our own thing."

"How often do you get to see her nowadays?"

"Never as much as we'd like. Life always gets in the way, as they say. But it's been cool getting to catch up with my sis this whole week. I'm so happy for her! Your uncle seems like a great guy, a perfect match."

"So Johnny, you hinted earlier that you and Belle had a younger brother? Why wasn't he at the wedding?"

John suddenly looked reticent. "Uh, that's because he's, um... he's not with us... anymore."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay... It happened a while ago..."

Roux took a moment to process his confession. "Um, Belle's never mentioned him..."

John let out a deep breath. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Why's that?"

"Well, Belle took it really hard. For the longest time, she blamed herself. Or I dunno, maybe she still does..."

Roux stared at him, silently mouthing words to herself, probably debating how to sensitively follow up. "Can I, can I ask what happened?"

John paused, probably wondering whether to divulge more. But he then let out a deep breath, seemingly for courage, then turned to face Roux. "A week before Noah passed, Belle had flown back to our hometown to visit us. She was already a working model at that point, busy all the time. So her visits, they were few and far between... On this particular trip though, she was extra excited to see us. She had planned this whole itinerary: bowling, dinner, ice cream, the works. Probably sounds like the same bubbly Belle you've come to know, I'd bet."

Roux subtly nodded her head, unsure where John's story was headed.

He went on, "That day though, things didn't go as planned... Noah didn't want to join. He was already an introvert by nature, but I dunno... He just refused to get out of bed. And Belle wasn't having any of it. She was so annoyed with him. That he wouldn't just get up. Like it was as easy as that... She completely lost her temper about it, yelling, screaming, berating our brother to his face. It was so unexpected, such a spur-of-the-moment type thing. Then they started going back and forth, exchanging insults, saying hurtful things. It got ugly. I had to break them apart..."

"Wow... that's... I can't see Belle ever screaming at a loved one. Sounds so unlike her."

"If I had to guess, I'd bet that my sister was probably stressed and sleep-deprived. I knew she'd been working and traveling non-stop. Her visit to see us was likely an escape, her relief. And so, when the day wasn't panning out as she'd thought, it must've lit some fuse inside her. One I didn't even know she had..."

John took a breath to gather himself, then continued, "Sufficed to say, Belle ended her visit on bad terms with Noah. A week later, he... he left us..."

"Oh John, I'm so sorry..."

"The tragic irony of it was that she really was the best older sister to him... She'd make extra time for our brother, at the expense of her own friends. She knew Noah didn't have many of his own..."

"That's more like the Belle I know."

"And even after she moved away, she told me that when she felt more settled in her career, she had a plan to take Noah with her on photoshoots, show him different parts of the world, y'know, to get him out of his shell... Because the days that he was open, he really was a joy to be around... Noah had this contagious laugh. And this endearing way of making odd observations. Like if people on the other side of the equator ate breakfast foods at dinner time. Silly shit like that... Belle loved it. Loved whenever she could get him to open up... It was like her sunshine."

"Your brother sounds like a great person. I wish I could've met him," Roux said comfortingly.

"We, um... We found his note afterward... We learned he'd been struggling for a long time... The week of my sister's visit, he must've been fighting his demons extra hard that day. There wasn't any way for Belle to know that. For any of us to. I just know that we both really miss him. A lot." John's voice shriveled into air, choking up on emotion.

Roux was speechless, searching for any words of consolation. She lay silently on her side, watching John stare at the ceiling, probably reliving painful memories in his head. She then rested her head on his chest, caressing his opposite arm.

I exited John's feed, taking a moment to ruminate on his story.

I couldn't believe I hadn't known this about Belle. I knew almost every photoshoot she'd done, collected tons of images and videos of her for my spank bank. But I never knew, or I guess never cared to look up, that she even had siblings. One of whom apparently passed away.

Suddenly, Belle's showing of emotion earlier made exponentially more sense, when a tear rolled down her cheek after watching my mom and my uncles embrace each other. Just now, I felt like I had learned so much more about the real Belle than I ever did over all these years.

Like puzzle pieces snapping into place, I was then reminded of specific, telling interactions. At the mansion during Uncle Frank's stay, he'd made what he thought was a harmless joke about offing one's self in response to a grueling spin class. Belle admonished his humor, telling him not to make jokes like that.

Then there was that time in Italy, at that dinky hotel where Belle and I had crashed for the night. She had randomly asked me if I ever had thoughts of hurting myself. That she'd be there for me if I ever did. That we could always talk about it.

My eyes then caught movement through the spy mirror.

Belle exited her bathroom in a short, light pink nightgown, hair still a little wet from a shower. She then sat on her bed, fiddling on her phone.

The sight of her alone suddenly made me sad, thinking about the tragedy she'd endured in her life. I then randomly got mad at Uncle Artie. Where the hell was he? At this point in the night, he should've been here with his wife, holding her close, comforting her or something. Anything but being absent.

Just then, I saw her putting her phone to her ear. Out of reflex, my hand gravitated to my pocket, anticipating her call.

"Hey babe," she warmly said. "Are you still having your fun?... Yeah, we finished. It was good. Your brother came loaded," she chuckled. "So did Ox... Yup, tell you about it later... What time do you think you're coming back to our room?... Okay no problem. Take your time... I love you too."

That must've been Uncle Artie, somewhere out there in the world, I guess having his own "fun." With another woman? I could only guess my uncle and Belle must've been swingers. Or have some type of open relationship.

This newfound detail about their dynamic was changing my entire perception of Belle's escapades. As turned on as I'd been watching her fuck other men, there was now some underlying logic to her actions, that she wasn't necessarily doing it without permission, or solely for her own pleasure.

The dirty part of my brain then somehow felt disappointed, that I'd been duped this entire time. That Belle wasn't this promiscuous slut excitingly going behind my uncle's back. Then I realized how stupid I sounded, asking myself if I really preferred her to be some kind of cheating sex addict than an honest partner to my uncle.

In hindsight, their arrangement made more sense the more I thought about it. They traveled so much for work. Apart for such long spurts.

I then thought back to all of Belle's past affairs, trying to compute whether they all unfolded as she or my uncle had always intended. I wondered if they'd granted each other hall passes, filled the other in when they reconnected. Or perhaps they selectively kept the other in the dark, the mystery of the unknown just as, if not more, arousing.

Fuck man, this was definitely information overload! The inside of my brain now felt like it was mush. Shit, and it was late too. This felt like the right time for me to go, let Belle be on her wedding night. No more spying.

Wanting to return this room how I found it, I pressed the red button below the spy mirror, waiting for the framed painting to lower back down over it. Instead, the section of the wall in front of me started to protrude and slide open, making a whirring sound. Oh fuck...

I stood paralyzed, unable to move my feet, scared to death of what was literally unfolding before me. The section of the wall had fully slid open to the width of a double doorway, revealing my presence.

Belle was still on her bed, now staring at me through the opening between our rooms.

It felt like an eternity, with both of us looking at each other in silence. I watched as her face cycled through a spectrum of emotions. Fear. Shock. Anger. Annoyance. Regret. Sadness. Then finally one of acceptance.

She then bravely broke the ice, softening her face to project patience, empathy. "Hi Ken."

(To be continued...)

***