Chapter 11

‘Please pass the broccoli,’ Red said. His mouth was permanently set in an almost painful-looking smile.

With a rather forced smile myself, I passed him the platter of fried cruciferous vegetables.

We’d been rather awkward around Rowena, and were still. We had sputtered and smiled and shook her hand--Mel had hugged her, her protruding belly pressing into Rowena’s soft middle. (I’m ashamed to say that it made me hard watching them embrace.) Then we had all sat and tried to eat together in some semblance of normality.

Initially, at out gaping expressions, Red had shot a fierce glare. It said, ‘Be NICE. Best behavior.’

We weren’t about to be unkind to her anyway, we were just surprised to see Rowena--but we shut our fish-mouths and metamorphosed into graceful hosts.

‘So, Rowena.’ Mr D’Mitri swallowed with some difficulty and forced a smile to his lips. ‘How long have you two been together?’

The D’Mitris weren’t about to be shocked about this turn of events, or at least not for long. Their eldest was engaged and expecting a baby; surely their sixteen-year old son dating a woman eight years his senior, OUR ENGLISH TEACHER, wouldn’t throw them off for very long. They would soon become accustomed.

‘Roughly two months.’ Rowena smiled, but those of us who knew her could easily make out the strain on her face. She was finding this awkward too, weird. ‘But I really think we’ve hit it off.’

Pause. Did the D’Mitris know of Mel’s involvement with the woman before them?

‘Well, that’s good,’ Mrs D’Mitri said pleasantly. ‘It’s nice that Red is finally finding someone.’

‘That’s one thing he won’t tell me,’ Rowena said thoughtfully. ‘He refuses to tell me what his real first name is.’

There was another awkward pause and then everyone except Red and Rowena burst out laughing. Red glared at us, and Rowena simply looked confused.

‘Perhaps we should let him tell you when he’s ready,’ Mel suggested, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye, and then she fell against me in another laughing fit.

‘Okay,’ Rowena said slowly. The subject didn’t come up again the entirety of dinner.

We did, eventually, relax. Mel and I knew Rowena quite well, of course, even if Mel had been dominated by her. There were some minor slip ups--Mel almost called Rowena ‘Mistress’ at several points in the evening, but I think it was only the three of us that noticed. She also naturally deferred to Rowena, keeping her eyes downcast and immediately fulfilling any requests her previous mistress asked for.

I think Rowena was secretly pleased at the power she so obviously still had over my Mel.

We saw her off. Red went to start his vehicle, the D’Mitris said their goodnights, and then it was just us three in the dim hallway light, standing together slightly tensely.

‘I hope none of you mind,’ Rowena said quietly. ‘I really like your brother, Mel. Not just for sex.’

‘You’ve already done it?’ Mel gaped.

‘No,’ Rowena said, her voice firm and disapproving. ‘We have NOT. Not yet. I want a real relationship with him, not built on physical desire.’

‘I’m sorry, mistress.’ Mel let the word come out and lowered her gaze, body submitting.

‘That’s all right, Melody,’ Rowena purred, evidently pleased. I bristled a little as her finger dipped under Mel’s chin and pulled her face up to look directly in her eyes.

‘It was nice to see you again, Burton,’ she said, nodding in my direction, her finger still under Mel’s chin. I nodded in reply, silent.

Then she leaned forward and kissed Mel on the mouth gently, and stood straight.

‘Goodnight,’ she said, her voice quiet but strong. And she left.