Her Mafia Brothers

Fun on the stairs

Nick looked at me sternly and for a second I thought he was going to smack me again, but instead he let me go. Immediately, I reached back to rub the sting out of my butt.

"That hurt," I grumbled, pouting.

"Good!" He started walking up the stairs and picked up the mattress. "Let's get this put away and I'll show you how to bounce down the stairs properly."

"What?" I looked up at Nick, certain I'd heard him incorrectly. "You're going to help me bump down the stairs?"

Nick grinned and nodded. "Sure, why not? It's fun!"

"But... but you just spanked me for trying it!" This was so confusing.

"No, I spanked you for your bad attitude and potty mouth. Not for playing. You're allowed to play, little sis. This is your home. You're allowed to have as much fun as you want to, in it. Damon and Alex might not approve, but they're not here. Right now it's just you and me so let's have some fun!"

He picked the mattress up, un-wedging it effortlessly, and held it above his head. I followed along behind as he carried it easily up the stairs and into my room, where he returned it to its rightful place on my bed base.

"Let's get your bed made first," he said, flicking the sheet out before spreading it over the bed. I was surprised he even knew how to make a bed. I was pretty sure they had staff for that. I didn't want to ask him, though. Not after he'd just spanked me. My butt still hurt from where he whacked it, and I didn't want to push my luck.

He helped me make my bed, or actually he did most of it while I watched, tucking everything in nicely, then he slung his arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room.

"That mattress was far too big and heavy to slide down the stairs on," he told me. "You need something light. Come on."

"How do you know what will work?" I ask him, curious. "Did you bump down the stairs once, too?"

"Of course!" He grinned. "All of us did. I think Logan still does, when nobody's looking."

We stopped outside a big cupboard in the middle of the hallway that I'd never noticed before and he pulled out a small foam mattress covered in blue and yellow teddy bears. It looked like a mattress for a baby crib or something, but it also looked like it would work.

I followed along behind Nick as he carried it to the top of the stairs and set it down. He positioned it right on the edge of the first step and sat on it, then sat me down in front of him, between his knees. I wrapped my arms around his legs, holding on tight, bracing myself against him.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded excitedly.

"Go!" Nick yelled in my ear, and he pushed off, sending us hurtling downwards at a crazy pace, bouncing on each step as we went. I shrieked loudly, Nick laughed in my ear. It was so much fun! When we made it to the bottom we skidded several metres across the polished wood floor, narrowly missing the wall.

"Oh my god that was so much fun, can we do it again?" I begged and Nick grinned at me.

"Sure, why not. But maybe just a couple of times. Damon will kill me if I get you all hyped up so soon after you've been sick."

I gasped. "He'll kill you?"

"No, of course he won't kill me," Nick scoffed. "It's a figure of speech. A bad one, obviously. I meant he'll be mad. I don't like making my big brother mad."

I smiled, relieved. "Does he scare you too?"

Nick laughed. "I think Damon scares everyone. It's part of his job."

Nick carried the mattress up the stairs again, settled us both on it at the top, and pushed off again. This time I think we went even faster than before! I squealed the whole way down, holding tightly to Nick's legs, as we bounced and slid. We skated across the floor again but this time Nick leant right over sideways, gripping the sides of the mattress to make it turn and we spun around almost in a full circle.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't even breathe. I hadn't had that much fun in my entire life!

"One more time? Please?" I begged my big brother and he hesitated, then picked the mattress up.

"Last one. I don't want to be in trouble with Damon any more than you do."

"Does Damon spank you too?" I asked, even though I couldn't imagine such a thing. Nick could be pretty scary himself, when he wanted to be. I knew he would have no trouble standing up to our eldest brother.

Nick chuckled and reached out to ruffle my hair. "Do you think I'd let him?"

"Well no.... But..." How does one say no to Damon and get away with it?

"Damon has lots of ways of upholding discipline. He's the leader of the Mafia - he has to know how to keep people in line. The only person he spanks is you."

"And Logan," I said.

"Yes. And Logan, very rarely."

"Well that's not fair." I pouted.

"What's not fair?" Nick looked confused.

"Never mind," I said, sensing that Nick would probably side with Damon in decreeing that I have not been unfairly spanked yet. "Let's have another ride."

"Okay," Nick agreed. "But this is the last one. And then you've got to do something quiet, okay?"

"Swimming?" I asked hopefully. But Nick shook his head.

"No. Quiet and relaxing."

"Baking?"

"If you can do it by yourself without burning the house down, sure. I'll get Maria to help you find everything you need."

So that was how I spent the rest of my afternoon: another bounce down the stairs, and then I made brownies. Maria helped me find the ingredients and bowls, and showed me how to work the oven, and I made them all by myself. She showed me how to contact her if I needed help, but I didn't. I was fine.

I was just finishing up washing the dishes I had used, and pulling the brownies from the oven when Logan arrived home and challenged me to an Xbox tournament. Which of course I lost.