First Class Seductions
FIRST CLASS
SEDUCTIONS
Jessica Collins
Multiple Streams Publishing
Copyright ©2012 by Multiple Streams Marketing, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author's creative imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks are not authorized, sponsored nor associated with the trademark owners.
Cover Design Copyright © 2012
Other Books by Jessica Collins
The Wedding Ring
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FIRST CLASS SEDUCTIONS
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Dedication 5
Chapter One: Roots 6
Chapter Two: Open Doors 19
Chapter Three: Tip of Paradise 30
Chapter Four: Crazy-ccino 48
Chapter Five: Morning Treat 56
Chapter Six: Trekking 61
Chapter Seven: Caves 64
Chapter Eight: Offering 68
Chapter Nine: Target, Shoot, Strip 72
Chapter Ten: Check-in, Check-out 77
Chapter Eleven: Anticipation 81
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my amazing best friend and lover who has given me the strength and support I so desperately needed to make this dream come true. You are the wind beneath my wings that allows me to soar and the master of my universe. Thank you for allowing me the time I needed to make this possible. You are my hero.
Chapter One: Roots
Click.
It’s the most beautiful sound in the world. The printer starts to do its job and the one who just clicked the mouse just can’t stop smiling. Finally, Tréasa Whelan finishes her thesis in Comparative Languages. It was the hardest yet most enjoyable task in her life as an International Studies major. But making the decision as to what course she was going to take after high school was even more exhausting. She recalls how strenuous the days were back then. Sending letters of application to the University of Southern California was almost an impossible task. She worked so hard on her essay. She knew that if she made government procurement in relation to the minorities of the US, she would hit a sensitive issue that would get the attention of the evaluators. Sure enough, she was accepted into the College of International Studies. Years after her very first class, Tréasa is even more than excited because when she submits her thesis that afternoon, she is sure to march with her graduating class.
Tréasa’s kitty heals softly tapped on the marble floors as she hurriedly walks towards the faculty. Right outside is her professor who greets her with a nod as he puts on his reading glasses.
“Here you are, sir,” Tréasa said as she hands over her thesis folder. “Do I get extra merits?”
“For being the first one to submit? Definitely,” the professor replies. He takes his time scanning though the pages of Tréasa’s thesis and mumbles a little as he reads parts that highlight each chapter. After a few minutes, he closes the folder and tucks it into his right arm. “An A+++ for this one, Whelan.”
“Thank you, sir,” Tréasa says. The tenured professor signs the first page of the thesis. Tréasa has to have that part of the folder photocopied to include in her graduation requirements. Once she does that, she can finally submit everything to the Dean’s office and just wait for the fateful day.
“Good job, Whelan,” the professor adds as he shakes Tréasa’s hand. “It has been an adventure having you in my class.”
“More than an adventure to me, sir. Thank you,” Tréasa retorts as she squeezes the old professor’s hand and smiles.
Tréasa has always managed to make it to the top of her classes since the first day she started her education. She was categorized as an achiever and the perfect student—beautiful, slim, compassionate, fair, and hard working. Clearly, she was someone to be envied or idolized but whatever she did, the esteem didn’t go to her head. All she wanted was to give her best in everything she did. To excel was just the gravy.
Every handsome, rich, or athletic boy aspired to be her boyfriend. The unpopular ones were thankful enough to have her smile their way. Tréasa was an almost perfect girl who was reachable but seemed untouchable to many. She took advantage of how others see her in a good way. When she was in her grade school years, she secretly made it a point to get back at the bullies in school. Tréasa was never caught because of her reputation. The bullies themselves never even knew it was her who drenched their change of clothes in their lockers; poured root beer on their plant experiment; placed army ants in their schoolbags; and replaced their chocolate drinks with sour milk.
Only a handful of the bullied students knew it was her who fought for them secretly. Tréasa was like “Zorro” to these students. She was happy to help. Tréasa always told them that she did it for everyone, even those who were bullied in other schools. Tréasa may be the perfect student but it didn’t mean she had the right to insist that the rest aren’t. Up until the last day of her college days, Tréasa kept that part of her and it certainly felt good to see other people get what they deserved.
Tréasa gets into her car after placing her belongings in the trunk. She is going home. The City of Angels is where everyone wants to live. It’s where Hollywood is, after all. She squints in the mid-morning sun as she drives through the busy streets of her hometown. She didn’t inform her family that she’s coming home that day. Tréasa always wants to surprise them. She stifles a laugh at the thought of how her parents will be so surprised when she pulls into the driveway.
After hours of driving, Tréasa finally makes it to the house she grew up in. Her mother, Hilda, is tending to her vegetable and flower garden while her father, Smith, mends the fences. It’s a Sunday and everyone’s home away from their coffee shop and deli business until after lunch. At least that was the routine she’s familiar with. Tréasa honks and in less than a second, Hilda jumps up and briskly walks towards Tréasa’s car.
“Young lady, why didn’t you tell us you’re coming home today?” Hilda says trying to be upset at her daughter. She then smiles and hugs Tréasa as she gets out of her car. Smith joins in the moment and embraces his wife and daughter.
“I just wanted to surprise all of you,” Tréasa says. “You should’ve seen your faces.”
Tréasa looks around for his brother.
“Where’s Gilbert?” she asks.
“With his girlfriend,” Hilda replies.
“Lucky him,” Tréasa comments. “You didn’t allow any boy near me when I was his age.”
“He’s male, dear,” Smith defends. “It’s important to establish the maleness of the wolves in our clan.”
“Right,” Tréasa heaves. “And the female wolves are left to be chaste until the alpha male of the pack says it’s good to go.”
“Well, if you have found a suitable male, why not?” Smith answers back. “Enough about that, my dear graduating daughter. Let’s have an early luncheon. My love…”
Hilda removes her gardening gloves and approaches her loving husband with
a kiss on the lips. The three enter the house and clean up to prepare their lunch.
The Whelan family has always lived a modest life since they set foot on American soil. The first Whelans—Trevor and Amanda—were the foundations of their coffee shop and deli businesses. The couple’s dream was to start a new life in the US and introduce the Irish flavors in their new foreign home. Trevor and Amanda Whelan bore their clan’s seal, which is the wolf. Their ancestors always conquered lands by working hard on them and harvesting their rich bounty. Trevor and Amanda wanted to continue the legacy in America, which held so much promise to them back then. They never missed an opportunity to enrich what they had. Every resource was put into good use. They started their business with just a few crates of their products from Ireland. When they had enough profits, they had products from Ireland shipped to them in America. They never had a rest day. They started to work very early in the morning and never closed until there was no one on the streets anymore.
Trevor and Amanda’s hard work yielded a coffee shop and deli business that they passed on to the next generations of the Whelan family. One shop gave birth to another one and this continued until there were finally thirty Whelan Coffee Shop and Deli stores all over the US. Smith and Hilda own seventeen of the entire lot. The rest are owned by Smith’s two sisters—Sylvia and Margret. Both married and each has two sons (about five years older than Gilbert) to leave the business to.
When Tréasa was born, Smith decided that he wanted her to inherit the company. Tréasa didn’t want to be stuck with the family business but she didn’t want to break his father’s heart. Day and night, Tréasa prayed for a sibling to be born. Sure enough, after eleven years, Gilbert Whelan was born.
At a very young age, Gilbert already showed interest in the family business. He constantly asked questions about coffee beans and cured meats. He always wanted to go with Smith to their 70-acre farm in Ohio. Tréasa already went there every time school was out. She and Gilbert would help in the farm wherever they were needed. Tréasa’s favorite area to help in was the dairy. She loved taking care of the cows and the calves. Gilbert enjoyed being in the coffee roasting plant. He loved counting huge containers of coffee beans and sorting out the various flavors. He always loved to smell the aroma of the beans as they were being roasted. Smith masterfully supervised the roasting of his coffee beans. As a perfectionist, he made sure that every batch was to his liking. This was what Trevor passed on. Smith saw to it that they had every roast was perfectly according to Whelan standards.
Before Tréasa went off to college, she gathered all her courage to let her father know that she didn’t want to be the heir to the company. She said that she could help a little or perhaps hold a position but running it was not for her. That same day, Tréasa received the acceptance letter from the University of Southern California as a student of International Studies. She immediately shared the good news to his family. Having realized that it was Gilbert who truly has the interest and the gusto to pursue the family business, Smith smiled at his daughter and embraced her. Tréasa knew then that her life was going to be a lot different than what she was brought up into.
Maria, the only housekeeper in the Smith Whelan’s house, brings the chopped ingredients to Hilda, who is masterfully sautéing the onions and garlic. Hilda has never wanted anyone to cook for her family but herself. She believes that it is her role as wife and mother to nurture her family in every way. Preparing the family’s meals is a very sacred aspect in her life. Hilda considers herself the queen of the kitchen and that means she is the only one who will cook, unless anyone else would like to volunteer for a time. It is never a task for her to do many chores I the house. She would rather have only one housekeeper to help her and accomplish a lot, than command a battalion of maids and not have the results she wants.
An hour later, Maria and Hilda serve the sweet and sour chicken that Hilda has been perfecting for three days already. Smith looks at the dish and searches for another one that would wet his appetite more. He has been Hilda’s taster during the trial period and he already decided that he has had enough sweet and sour chicken to last him ten years of his life.
“Smells delicious, mom,” Tréasa says as she smells the dish that passed her as Hilda placed it on the dining table.
“I’ll have the baked salmon, my love,” Smith says as he waits for Maria to give him a big serving. Hilda looks at her husband and blows him a kiss from across the table.
“How was your thesis, my dear?” Hilda asks as she serves her daughter a chicken thigh and some sautéed vegetables.
“It was very exciting, mom,” Tréasa replies. “I didn’t even know I was done until I checked the number of required pages.”
“That’s amazing, dear,” Smith comments as he cuts a small piece of salmon on his plate. “You really love what you do. I admire you for that.”
“Thanks, dad,” Tréasa retorts. “What time will Gilbert be home? Let’s surprise him, shall we?”
“Let’s do it in the coffee shop,” Hilda suggests as she sits beside her husband at the round dining table. “I told him to stop by and try the Goliath banana split I just created the other day.”
“And I have just the perfect idea to go with that suggestion, mom,” Tréasa says.
As Maria cleans up, Smith, Hilda, and Tréasa stay at the front porch for some Eiskaffee, which is the family’s favorite coffee variant. Tréasa made hers with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. She always tried to have Eiskaffee in college but there were only two places that came close to how she wants it.
It’s good to be home. Tréasa thinks to herself as she enjoys the sensation of vanilla ice cream melting in her mouth.
“Hi, mom!” Gilbert says as he plants a soft kiss on her mother’s cheek. Smith pats his son’s back as he sits beside him by the counter. “Where is it?”
“It’ll be right out,” Hilda replies. “I didn’t want to place it in the freezer. I wanted it freshly made for my only son.”
“That would bring out more of the flavors, right, my love?” Smith adds.
“You know me very well, my husband,” Hilda says as she winks at her husband.
Just then, a server in the shop’s uniform came out with a large glass platter of banana split and a huge bucket of long fries. The fries are covering the server’s face. Gilbert has absolutely no idea who the girl behind the fries was. Tréasa smiles at her brother as she places the order in front of him. It took a moment for Gilbert to look back at the server to thank her because of the big order of banana split and fries. When Gilbert finally sees his sister, he gets down from the barstool and gives her the tightest huh ever.
“When did you get back?” Gilbert asks. His smile is already from ear to ear but to Tréasa, it’s still getting even wider as he speaks.
“Just this morning. A few minutes after you left, probably,” Tréasa replies as she reaches over the counter for two long spoons and some ketchup. “So, who’s the lucky girl?”
“You told her?” Gilbert asks his parents. Smith and Hilda just shrug their shoulders They start eating the Goliath banana split without Gilbert noticing. Tréasa joins them every time she pauses.
“What, I don’t have the right to know about my baby brother’s girl?” Tréasa asks as she gives him a playful look with a raised eyebrow.
“I meant to introduce her to the family when you get here but you’re… surprisingly here,” Gilbert explains as he bites on a long fry.
“Well, I guess I should prepare for meeting my future sister-in-law,” Tréasa retorts as she winks at Hilda. “When do you want it to happen?”
“The day after tomorrow, since you’re already here,” Gilbert says as he dips his bitten fry into some ice cream.
“We’ll make haste in preparations, then, my good prince,” Hilda jokingly says. “My king, would you like to help me make such preparations?”
“With all my heart, my queen,” Smith answers as she kisses his wife’s hand. “Anything for the young prince.”
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Gilbert gives his parents a worried look. He turns to Tréasa who tries her best to stifle her laugh. Smith and Hilda always have that flare for medieval drama. Tréasa thinks it started when they got hooked on medieval TV series that seemed to be the fad for quite some time. The couple even patterned a couple of their gatherings on medieval celebrations a few years back. Tréasa remembers how she dressed up as a medieval lady in waiting and Gilbert as a squire. Maria was a kitchen wench then. Of course, Hilda was Queen Guinevere and Smith was dressed as King Arthur. It was their 45 wedding anniversary party and they wanted it to be extra special. And indeed, it was.
The morning’s rays hit Tréasa’s face the next day. The smell of blueberry cheesecake pancakes creeps into her bedroom. Tréasa smiles with her eyes still closed. It’s the day she’s supposed to go shopping with Hilda for the big introduction day. She squints at the bright Los Angeles sunshine and goes about her morning rituals. Tréasa makes it early at the breakfast table.
“I guess the pancakes woke you up,” Hilda says jokingly. “Maple or strawberry?”