The Forbidden Apple (ShowmeyouLoveme x Orpheus001)

James Wytte was a guy who had everything he could ask for. Money, Girls, A Famous Name, and the looks, the problem with all of that was he needed more substance in his life than form. Although he was brought up in a lifestyle where people were shallow and never looked past the other’s designer outfits. He had somehow managed to escape the shallowness. He yearned for people who were more like him, the only problem with that was, he could not be seen hanging out with a kid from downtown. That would ruin the family name as his father put it. The standards set before him were quite high and the expectation that he would live to those standards.

His hate for his Society and Social standing was not only because of the shallowness but because his father although seemingly the perfect figurehead of excellence on the outside was not even an ounce of it inside. He saw his father once maybe twice a year since he was only 9. His mother had died when he was only 5 and since then he had only grown up with maids or nannies. That was probably one of the reasons why he had hated the life he had, even though so many would kill for it. It wasn’t the fact that he was ungrateful; it was merely the fact that there was a lack of genuine love in his life.

The thirst to prove himself and get his father’s approval in any way or form, he had gone to business school finished top of his class and yet was ignored by his father for the most part. Even though he had been quite good, his father did not want James anywhere near the business. He had a trust fund and that was all it was. Money was all he had for his son, and James had made his peace with the fact. Once that was done he focused and used his trust fun to open a chain of restaurants. It was something he enjoyed and loved. They had gained quite a bit of popularity and now worked as a nice distraction from his otherwise boring life.

James Lived at the end of Wytt street named after his fore fathers who had all been living on the same street in the same mansion that he now lived in. His room held a lesser view, of the street overlooking all the other houses from the end of the street. It had been the same view every morning with the trophy wives getting up in the morning and peeking in on neighbors and gossiping about who had an affair with who. Or who had been wearing the least expensive dress at a party. The Wytte family was above the gossiping and if his father had any interest in James, he would have been bombarded with proposals for marriage from various other families. But that was not the case, his father rarely attended any parties and as such it was his duty to *represent the family*.

The early morning jog was the few times when he found himself really happy. It was a time when he could blend into the crowd and just be like many of the other people around the city. He looked out of his window and saw the usual sprinklers going the wives either talking over the fences or looking through the windows at each other. The only irregularity in that perfect or rather mundane image was the house which had just recently been occupied. Every morning since the last few days the house was sold there had been no such activity. James had first planned to buy the house as a bachelor pad for his friends since he was not allowed to throw parties in the mansion, but he had waited too long and the family had paid a higher price for the place.

That was the usual schedule he had looking out of the window and then turning around to change into his running clothes. He stepped out of his room and jogged down the stairs as the maids greeted him. The only person he really adored talking to was the woman who had raised him and that had grown harder now as she too in fear of losing her job had distanced herself from James on his father’s orders. He smiled at her and wished her a good morning before he stepped out of the house and headed straight towards the road ahead. There was a park not too far away from the Mansion. He had never seen a single person get out of their homes for a jog, everyone in this neighborhood competed over the best exercising machines or gyms.

His usual routine lead him right past the house of his new neighbors and that was the route he had taken again. The fresh air was quite wonderful It wasn’t very long before he saw a large movers truck pull in to the street and stop right before the house. His jog had taken maybe 5-10 minutes for him to get there as he approached the large house he heard a woman inside the house. There was no car outside which probably meant her husband or boyfriend wasn’t home. The gossiping ladies outside could be heard laughing at her. This was not the first time either although no one said it out loud they all talked about each other behind their backs.

Maybe today would be different? James opened the small gate to the fence as he saw one of the two guys go into the house with the boxes he waited till he was out and he knocked on the door lightly waiting for an answer, even though it was open, it was only polite…

James had seen the house before but he had thought about the interrior completely differently than the couple who had just moved in. But that was nothing unexpected seeing as he wanted a bachelor pad. He looked through the door before he was invited in and smiled lightly. The woman standing there was older James was only in 24 so He was not really use to of seeing women of her age that often unless it was at one of the parties the neighbors or his father had. Even then He found her rather attractive. His eyes for a moment went over her attire and the messy pony her hair was in. Clearly he had barged in while she was not expecting guests.

"Oh hello Tiffany, I am James Wytte" He said with a light smile as he took a step towards her and took her hand shaking it lightly he smiled at her. "Oh well, I just had my eye on this house when you guys bought it, so I was just hoping to meet the couple who did buy it." He said with a light smile as he took a look around at the house and it seemed that she was the only one who was in the house by they way she had been working and the lack of direction from a male. "Besides, I think you should throw a party, the people here, they really are into their parties and their clothes" he said with a light grin. He was wearing a light grey t-shirt that was snug and a dark blue hood on top with blue running trousers that were loose around his leg. His hair was combed back and although he had been running 5-10 minutes he was not sweating, and looking at the woman in front of him he was glad.

He smiled a little and took a look casually around the house " I love what you have done with the place, although, if you need any help, feel free to ask, Its not like my mornings are that busy besides you look a little short handed." He said with a smile as he looked at all the boxes that were still unpacked it seemed like she had quite a job to do if she was going to do it all on her own it could take a couple of days or more.

James chuckled lightly when she said that she knew she had to have it. "Well who am I to take away your perfect home from you, after all I just needed a place to party" He said with a light grin as he moved around the room a bit more casually it seemed she was friendly and quite open. "Plus, I wouldn't want to get on the bad side of such a beautiful woman" He said winking at her jokingly as he took a look outside the house through the window and smiled when she appreciated his idea. "Well, parties are a critical part of life here" he said elaborating a little on why he had suggested it. Although when she said she needed an excuse to go out shopping he took a mental note of it, although not really sure why he did.

"Well in that case, I can help you with the heavy lifting, it seems there is a lot of that to do around here" He said and grinned when she joked at her husband's expense. He could tell from the hints she dropped intentional or unintentional, that he was working a lot. And the fact that he had wanted his room ready, meant that he expected her to get it done. "Oh, I thought there were some moments involved before you just gave the guy your number" he said grinning as he caught the phone and typed his number in. "So have you moved from another neighborhood? Or ?" he inquired in a casual tone he took a look at one of the more heavier boxes and said "I don't really mind, I just go for a job daily, its sort of a routine, though its not something I really have to do, besides helping a neighbor, whats more important right?" He said with a light smile.

He looked at the thinner boxes and said "Well if there is a hammer and some nails, we can really get to work and get things settled down over here." He picked up the smaller box and carried it to the side of the room "Let me know where you want them." He wasn't thirsty or hungry for that matter so he didn't bother with the water just yet.

"There is no group, everyone just likes to run on their machines here, I prefer some fresh air" he said with a shrug "maybe I can recruit you and start a trend?" he asked playfully, it was clear he was friendly, maybe a little too friendly. "Trust me you aren't taking me away from any thing really, but if you really want to do something, how about you call me when you want to go out into town for shopping, maybe buy me a drink and that would be all" he said offering her a way to pay him back of sorts for his help. Although it was more about getting to know her. Most of the women around here were either in their late 40s or early 50s and they weren't all that attractive, and she seemed just irresistible for some reason. Someone he believed he could be good friends with.

He took up the pictures and grabbed the hammer and some nails to get to work making sure the walls were right, and placement was good before he started hammering them in.

He had imagined this to be a short visit, he had expected her to be less welcoming, or at least he had expected that she would be a bit more reserved with a stranger, but it seemed that around her there was no need to formalities and niceties, she seemed easy going which was unlike most people he knew. It was refreshing. “I am glad I can be helpful” He said when she decided it was a party she would throw. James watched her with surprise at her next question he had just expected her to shy away from the question “Well you know usually when a gorgeous girl like yourself asks for a guy’s number, it usually takes time, I was just a bit surprised at how quickly you asked” He said playfully. It was true, and although he had no shortage of girls asking for his numbers but mostly it was because of his family money, this woman however had no idea about who he was.

Once she was back from the Garage with the hammer and nails he took the frames and started with the certificates, he had done some work like this before but it was at a friend’s beach house where they had stayed for over a month and that was an entirely different type of work. It was mostly fun. He heard her explain that she had moved across the country, which meant that she was a complete stranger here, and may need a guide. It was a good way to get to know her, but he didn’t push that idea to her yet, after all they had barely just met, he didn’t want her to think he was some stalker.

James chuckled a little at her when she showed her confusion about Broadway he simply chuckled it away. He was not the most interested person when it came to Broadway. He decided not to comment on the matter so he wouldn’t seem too ignorant or proud whichever it was. “Well to be really honest with you, I haven’t ever been interested in Broadway” he said finally admitting and shaking his head a little.

HE decided to concentrate on work and they had a good rhythm going as the work seemed to be getting done quickly for the moment. “Well, you know I had a course, but I have never really been trained by anyone, mostly because I prefer to run, and work out at home, Trainers can be a pain, I hate being told what to do” as he continued with the frames, there were only a couple left and he decided to finish those up as quickly as he could and said “Well I don’t mind showing you around, plus I do get discounts at some pretty exclusive places, mostly because of my father.” He said winking at her “I like to share my luxuries that’s all” He said grinning at her. “Usually when I go with out with my friends it’s mostly for a couple of weeks at a time, but other than that we mostly see each other on weekends.” He said with a light smile “ I do have to work most of those nights so that time is cut short really My mornings are usually wide open because my restaurant opens at 6 pm and most of my friends are asleep till the afternoon” He said grinning. He was not the kind to get wasted every night.

He had decided to start a business of his own if his father was not going to pay attention then he was going to do it on his own. “So tell me, What kind of places would you like to go to and see?” he asked her with a grin “I can most probably find you a good place to get anything” He said with a smile as he finished the last frame and turned his attention to her “So what is next? Frames are all done.” He added stepping back to look at his work and evaluate it.

James chuckled a little at her comment, if she really she knew what she wanted and she got it, then she would be more sure about throwing a party. It seemed so far that her husband had a tight control over how things were done and she went along with it. He laughed and said “Well, I could tell you what to do if that’s all you need to work out” He said with a grin although he had not expected her to ask to join for the runs he was more than grateful “Well I go for a run every day around this time, So be ready, and I do hope you can keep up” He said teasingly as he continued pushing several boxes aside so the room was more clear and he could walk around easily.

That was when she bowed down and he could help but laugh “Well the pleasure is all mine, as for my father, well, he is Mathew Wytte, the street this house is on… is named after my great grandfather. Also, my father has passing girlfriends who go shopping all the time, and that is why my father usually gets a good discount but I doubt he even knows about it, see he is never in town to actually notice me, much less go for shopping” He said casually. It took him a few moments to see the books in the boxes and it was clear there was a problem here everything seemed so perfectly aligned that it almost seemed like they were packed with instructions.

“My restaurant…? Well if you go there without me you probably need to wait a couple of weeks to get a reservation” He said with a grin. It was true, although it was just the one James knew how to run a business well and his restaurant was doing quite well so well that he didn’t need his father’s trust fund “Well, it’s not a bar and grill. In this neighborhood people would probably not even come close to a place like that, It’s more of a luxury river view restaurant there is a great view good atmosphere, and it’s very expensive, that’s how I make the money” he said smirking it was clear there was a hint of teasing in his voice. Although the restaurant was indeed a luxury restaurant with a river view. “Although if you ask my opinion I do prefer a good steak and it has a very good variety of steaks almost anything you can think of” he said winking at her.

Once the boxes of books we open he got back to working and that was when he could really see how meticulous the packing was. “Damn, If I ever need to move I am telling you to pack my things” He said with a grin “ I can barely find things when I pack for vacation” He said grinning at her as he started arranging the books exactly as she had asked. It was getting done more quickly than she could have done it on her own which meant this room would get done much sooner than he anticipated. “So if you still want to see my restaurant, and you don’t have any plans, maybe we can sometime, Or if you need a reservation just let me know” He said with a grin. It was then that his phone rang.

“Sorry I have to take this” he said to her in a polite excusing tone.

It was his manager and the restaurant had already opened. The ingredients started coming in early in the morning mostly fresh fruits and vegetables. The manager had called him because the chef in charge had not arrived who usually did the sorting. “Just get a hold of someone does it look like I know my fruits? Get someone else to do it, and get a hold of Henry, If tonight’s dinners get a bad rating I am not going to be in a very forgiving mood” he said to him. He had worked very hard to get the restaurant where it was and the critics rolled in unannounced which meant they had to be on the top of their game every day. There was a good chance they could get lucky, but he was not really the kind to believe in luck. Once he had hung up he returned to his new ‘friend’. “Sorry about that, so what about that heavy lifting? I don’t see any big boxes for this room, once we are done with the books we can maybe grab a break” He said with a smile as he continued to put the books in the row and looked her up. While it had not been her intention his eyes lingered over her for a moment. She was definitely good looking. “So your husband what does he do for a living? Seems like he is a pretty busy guy, he isn’t around much I take it?” He asked casually.

James laughed a little at her and said “oh we will see who slows down, who knows might even give me a reason to train harder, competition is always good” he said with a light grin. Although as soon as she commented on his father his face dropped and he struggled a smile “My father is busy with work and women, that’s the two these he always manages to make time for, I guess that’s why he is who he is.” He said smiling at her as he continued to work.

He was glad that the topic moved to his restaurant although he didn’t want to brag about it, he was just not ready to talk about his father. “Well, knowing the owner always gets you the best service that is for sure” he said with a light smile. “it’s not like you have to be with your husband to enjoy a good steak you can always drop by and we can go, it’s a sin to starve anyone when they are craving a good steak” he said grinning at her.

It was clear she was very good at planning things by the way they were packed and almost within an hour the room they were in was completely done “I don’t know I might have to think about that, see I am not that good with warnings, I am more of a go with the flow kind of a person, I don’t plan things out all that much. But the way you talk about it, I would rather have you enjoying your day then have you packing for me” He said with a grin “Sounds like a terrible chore”.

Once the room was finished they moved to the next one. He took a good look at the mount and started off with the instructions inside the box he wanted to make sure that things were done right, he didn’t want to look bad in front of her after all. “Don’t be silly, they don’t really need me there, you know how some people can be they like to complain about everything, it’s usual for the manager to whine a little otherwise he isn’t doing his job right” He said winking at her. He took a few minutes before pulling the mount out of the box and managed to narrow down the screws and places marked once it was done all that had to be done was making sure that it was hanging just right. Not tilting, it took a few minutes to get it done and the mount finally went up after 20 minutes.

“Well that sounds like quite a job he has a lot of good places to go to and some perks, clearly he gets paid quite well if you can afford this place” He said with a grin “But I always believed that work shouldn’t be your life, I mean what’s the point of all that money if you don’t even have time for family right?” He asked with a light smile. Clearly it was a nerve for him, his father had never been around, and all he ever had for his son was money. “But I think it would be good for you to settle down and this is quite the place to do it, it has all the qualities of a good neighborhood. Gossiping women, little book clubs and wine testing parties, all the things people need” he said almost as if he was bored.

He picked up the TV once the mount was up and slowly placed it on the wall and stepped back. “Damn, I hope it looks right? Because honestly speaking that is the first time I ever did that” he said with a grin.

James could not help but chuckle when she mentioned billing him if the TV fell, and rightly so he was the one who had put it up “By all means you have the number call me up and I will deliver a new one to your house personally” he said with a grin. Once the room was done he decided to stand up against the wall to relax for a while and watched her. Their eyes locked for a second before she mentioned a break.

“Well if we are going to take a break it better be a proper one, now if I made you run on your break I would be a good trainer… quite persuasive some would say” he said with a light grin when she continued to tell her plan for the day he could not be more thrilled she seemed comfortable in his company, and not only that she wanted to spend more time. “Well the plan seems quite great to me, since my afternoon is pretty much empty” He said with a light smile as she ran upstairs.

He heard the car pull in as well and thought about looking but decided against it. The man it seemed was her husband by the way she talked to him and it pretty much cleared up soon after their few exchanges. It was clear he was possessive and quite controlling and he caught the way she looked at him. Not hate, but there didn’t seem to be love for his words either. “Well I am just helping a neighbor out” he said before he was cut off and the two continued again.

A part of him thought about telling the man who he was and then he would be more respectful to him, No one ever cut him off the way he did, thinking he was something big. James was sure he had misunderstood him to be just some guy from the neighborhood, deciding not to let that moment rule his decision he stayed his tongue and soon the man was gone.

Once he was out he relaxed again and said “Damn he is a piece of work” He said that under his breath and that was all he wanted to say. “Oh don’t worry about the run, I am sure we can go for one tomorrow, or another time, Seems like you have quite a lot of work cut out for you already” He said with a smile and shook his head lightly “You wouldn’t need to wear a dress to look good, besides, you’re my friend, you don’t need to dress up” He said with a light smile as he took a napkin from the side to clean off the sweat he had on his face and said “Or, we can go now, pickup that pasta maker take a trip around town and be back before 4 PM. But we can’t go for a run if we do that and I might have to go change and grab the car” he said with a light grin.