by Terri Lane
There were so many things wrong with that statement it was utterly ridiculous, but I’d learned that there was no point in voicing any of my opinions. Mom would never hear a bad word said about Hank, she thought the sun shined out his ass, so it was easier for me to keep out of the way. That was what I usually did, and they seemed content with that too. I was only here tonight because it was a ‘special occasion’.
Soon I’d be gone for good. I would make enough money from my (okay, slightly illegal but who gives a shit?) motorbike racing and in the garage to move out and live by myself. I didn’t care where I ended up living, as long as it was away from these two idiots and I did it by myself. If there was one thing I’d never be it was in debt to them.
“Oh look, here they are!”
I rolled my eyes at mom as she waved frantically. She’d even been slaving away in the kitchen all afternoon, acting like the perfect housewife which was utterly absurd. I never understood the point in being fake, the truth would come out eventually anyway. Especially with this one. It wouldn’t take the girl long to recognize what my mom truly was…unless she was thick as shit, in which case I held no sympathy for her whatsoever.
“For goodness sake, Leo, will you at least smile?”
I was just about to defend myself, to insist that no I wouldn’t fucking smile when I didn’t feel like it, when the words absolutely died in my throat. She stepped out of the car, her natural red hair flowing down her back, her hazel eyes sparkling with a sense of disbelief. She was wearing a simple tee shirt and skinny jeans combo, but the way it clung to her curves was fantastic.
I could instantly tell that this girl wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before. All the women I knew were a lot like me; tattooed with a bad attitude, or gorgeous but they really knew it. None of them were rosy cheeked and actually sweet.
It was safe to say that I was intrigued, but the thing that got to me the most was the knowledge behind her eyes. She knew that this was all bullshit, just like me. We had something in common already and we hadn’t even spoken yet.
“What did you say her name was?” I practically whispered as my heartbeat skipped just that little bit faster. “And are you absolutely sure she’s related to Hank?”
“Karly,” she called out warmly, totally ignoring me. “I hope you’re okay after the long journey. I’ve cooked you a lovely dinner because I know you must be starving.”
“Erm, yeah, thanks.” She shot her dad an uncertain look which sent laughter bubbling in my chest, almost as if it was ready to explode free from my mouth. “That sounds…lovely.”
I opened my mouth, almost ready to ask her why she’d bothered coming to this mental house when she clearly didn’t want to, when reality hit. That would be a shitty thing to ask when I recalled the reason; her mother got sick, she looked after her for years, then her mom died. It might’ve been a while ago, but I could recall how long it took me to get over losing my dad, and I was only eight years old at the time. And he hadn’t died, he just didn’t want us anymore.
Instead I chose to remain silent as I ran my eyes over my new ‘family member’, trying to work out how I was going to act around her. All of a sudden the idea that I wasn’t going to be around enough to get to know her felt absurd.
I wanted to know everything.
“Oh, and Karly, this is Leo.” Mom suddenly seemed to remember my existence. “He’s my pain in the ass, but I hardly ever see him anymore.” She smiled and ran her hand over my shaggy hair, clearly trying to embarrass me by acting like I was a child. “So I wouldn’t worry about him too much.”
Almost as an instinctive reaction I held my hand out to shake hers, and as her fingers slid between mine I felt an electrical sizzle and everything became instantly clear to me. This girl wasn’t my real step-sister, I didn’t even know her until today, so it was perfectly acceptable for me to plough her into next week…or at least until I grew bored of her.
Oh, it was on, I couldn’t stop myself from smirking when I realized that the game had begun.
***
Karly
The hairs stood up on the nape of my neck as I became acutely aware of Leo’s intense gaze on me again. I couldn’t stop myself from shifting where I stood, and that made me feel…odd. I couldn’t really explain the way it made me feel, but it wasn’t anything that I’d ever been through before.
He’d been strange, ever since we shook hands outside, and I wasn’t sure why. I kept rolling over possibilities in my mind and coming up with nothing. It couldn’t be a jealousy thing for me coming unexpectedly into his family, we were both way too old for that and he really didn’t seem to care, and it couldn’t be a hate thing because we didn’t even know each other. Maybe he was just judging me for looking so plain when he was so clearly making a statement with his own outfit. Maybe he was just that sort of person. Well tough shit, I had no intention of changing for anyone. Even if he saw me as a small town nobody I didn’t care, I’d lived long enough in my own skin to feel comfortable enough within it.
“So, Karly,” Shelley started, using that infuriatingly kind tone of voice that I just knew wasn’t real. She wanted to put up a front, to ensure that we all got along which was the last thing I needed. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself? It’d be lovely to get to know you better. We’ve unfortunately missed out on so much.”
For some reason I wanted to stir up a reaction in her, I felt compelled to say something shocking to wind her up, and despite the fact that it wasn’t like me at all, I let my mouth get the better of me. “Oh, so you want to know about what you’ve missed?” There was a sneer in my tone, one that I could barely control. “Well, when I was five years old, I had a bust up with my best friend, Lola, that went on for weeks. You wouldn’t believe the classroom politics that surrounded that one.” I just wanted to remind them of the magnitude of everything that my dad hadn’t been around for. “Then, when I was twelve, puberty kicked in and I felt like being a bitch to everyone in sight…” Shelley didn’t look impressed at all, but the snort that came from Leo was unfortunately enough to have me continuing even if it wasn’t the best idea. “Then at sixteen I was fired from my first job because I turned up with a terrible hangover one day. I mean, I puked everywhere.” More laughter, followed by more tutting. “Then I became lost and isolated when all I had was me and Mom.” Uh oh, when did this become a serious thing? And why couldn’t I stop talking? “Then I had to struggle every damn day to keep a roof over our heads while also keeping her alive.” Tears pricked my eyes as my loss overwhelmed me once more. “But it wasn’t enough, and once she was gone I had no one and nothing.”
A thick silence clung to the air, one that was filled with so many unsaid things it was unbelievable. I found it difficult to breathe, I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I scraped my chair loudly back and made my way to the dining room door. There was no point to this anymore, it wasn’t doing any good. I never wanted to start off on bad terms, but it was too late to change that now. The damage had unfortunately been done.
“Thank you for dinner, Shelley, but I think I just need a rest. Which one is my bedroom?”
She could’ve kicked me out at that moment, which might’ve been what I was angling for, but from somewhere deep down she managed to muster up just enough dignity to answer me in a nice way. “It’s the first one on the left at the top of the stairs. I’ll get Leo to drag up your suitcase later.”
I was too drained in every single way to carry on, so I trudged my weary body up the stairs and I crashed hard onto the bed without even bothering to look around to get to know my new surroundings. I just needed to sleep this off, just for a moment. I figured that maybe after a nap I’d be able to look at things with a much clearer head…
But the funny thing was, however tired I felt, my wired brain wouldn’t shut off for long enough for me to get any shut eye, instead it whirred around and around, trying to figure out what it was about Leo. He had me intrigued in a way that maybe I shouldn’t have been.
<
br /> The thing was, he was very clearly a good-looking guy, even if he wasn’t my type (not that I’d been with enough men to know what ‘my type’ was, or if I even had one). His dark hair was cool, his tattoos were kinda sexy, and he had a rugged look that women probably went wild for…but he was dangerous in every single way too. He was the sort of man you had a wild, rebound fling with before finding the nice guy to settle down with…probably. If you were that sort of person.
Anyway, that wasn’t the issue. I desperately needed to know what his problem was with me, why he felt the need to keep looking at me in that way. Maybe it was a really good thing that he was hardly ever around, so I wouldn’t need to wonder too much after all. It would soon all be irrelevant.
“Karly?” All of a sudden I heard his bemused voice outside my bedroom door, which bolted me into an upright position. Being around him with other people there was hard enough. How the hell was I supposed to speak to him alone. “Karly, can I bring this case in or are you naked?”
“No,” I shot back a bit too quickly. “No, I’m not.” And then the door swung open…
***
Leo
I practically kicked the door open I was so keen to speak to Karly again. After that shit storm she caused with the family I wanted to know her even more. She was a surprise, all wide eyed and innocent to start with, but there was an undeniable spunk under the surface which I really did like.
As she was revealed, her messy hair and stilted smile made it really challenging not to just throw her down onto the bed, to ravish her where she was. I needed to have just a little more self-control than normal, just because our parents were downstairs probably with half an ear pressed to the door.
“Did you not bother to bring anything with you?” I teased as I dropped the case near her. “Or are you preparing for a quick getaway, hence the outbreak before?”
“Can you blame me?” she shrugged and fixed her eyes on the ground, as if she didn’t want to be revealed for actually having some vulnerability. “I didn’t even want to come here, I was railroaded into it. As soon as I can, as soon as I earn enough money I’ll be gone.” Her tone was jovial, but there was an edge there, I could detect it however small it was. “It isn’t exactly like I know my dad, so it really doesn’t matter. He won’t miss me when I’m gone again.”
As intrigued as I felt, this wasn’t supposed to be a fucking heart to heart, that wasn’t the sort of guy I was. I didn’t sit and listen, I made women feel better about themselves by screwing them. With that in mind, I took a step closer and let the smile play on my lips.
“You know what would really freak everyone out?” Her eyes snapped up at me, she actually liked the fact that I was on her side. “If they came up here and caught us going at it hammer and tongs.” I slid next to her on the bed, right up in her personal space. She flinched, which only meant I was getting under her skin. “If they saw our naked bodies writhing…” I gently brushed her cheek which made her shiver. “Sweating…” I moved my fingers down to linger on her neck. “Screaming.”
Karly was panting, her breasts were noticeably rising and falling. My words were tantalizing her, tempting her. Maybe this woman was innocent and sweet, maybe she had no idea of the things that I could do to her, but from the way her lips were moistening, she wanted to find out…
But then I tucked my fingers under the edge of her top, and I could see her entire expression change. The magic broke, the lusty haze vanished, and reality kicked in. “No,” she shoved me backwards, panic crossing her face. She glanced towards the door, as if she expected her dad and my mom to actually be there. “No, that isn’t going to happen. Are you insane? We can’t…we couldn’t…”
She got so flustered it actually made me laugh. I wasn’t used to hearing the word ‘no’, even as a prerequisite to the inevitable ‘yes’, but I wasn’t annoyed. To be honest her flustered refusal just made me even more determined. I would get into her panties, no matter what it took.
“That’s a real shame,” I sighed while standing up and aimlessly pacing the room. “It could’ve been so much fun. I have a feeling that you haven’t had…fun in a while.” From the way her face reddened, I got the strong sense that maybe I could push this one step further. “Or maybe not ever.”
She sucked in a deep breath, which caused me to cock my head to one side. Had this woman actually never experienced an orgasm before? This was going to be so much fun! My imagination ran wild with ideas.
“Well you know, if you ever want to change that,” I moved nearer to her once more, enjoying the way her body betrayed her and visibly reacted to me, “I’m always here.” I pressed my lips up by her collar bone so she could feel my breath tickling her hot skin. “I could put you through your paces, make you open up in ways you didn’t know you could. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be corrupted, exhausted, worn out, but in sheer bliss. I will have made all your fantasies come true. Any time.”
With that I pulled back and I left her alone with her thoughts. I knew I’d gotten to her, I felt certain that my words would be reverberating through her brain, sending her wild. I needed to get out now while she was in that heightened state of mind. I had a feeling that keeping her on edge was the best way to move forward.
A deliciously excited feeling filled up my chest as I thundered down the stairs and towards the front door. I loved having a new project, even if it was a woman rather than a bike to fix up. I had a feeling that the anticipation Karly had careering through my veins would drive me forwards and help me to win tonight. I always did better when I had a thrill for life, which unfortunately had been less and less recently.
As I hopped onto my bike, and I revved up the engine, I chanced one glance backwards and I was rewarded for that decision. Karly was trying to hide, but I could see her peeping around the corner, watching me. To show off I flicked the bike into a wheelie before burning off down the street much too quickly. I appeared dangerous to her, and I wanted to highlight that further, I needed her to know that I would be one hell of an experience to remember.
She wanted me, I knew that now for sure, it was only a matter of time, and I seriously couldn’t fucking wait!
***
Karly
As I stared out across the slightly crappy diner where I’d been offered a job only the day before, because they were utterly desperate for staff, I finally felt positive. It was so difficult living under my father’s roof, I hated every second of it. I constantly felt like I was in a play, that I was acting out a role, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. To be perfectly honest, I found it an even more exhausting experience than when I cared for my mom. At least I could happily be myself during that time, at least I wasn’t tiptoeing around people so as not to cause any more upset.
My dad spoke to me about my outburst, and he made it clear that he expected me to respect Shelley. I wanted to, because it was the right thing to do and I couldn’t stop being a bit of a goodie two shoes, but at the same time it made my desire to get out of that home even more intense.
This job, even if it only paid me a pittance, was a stepping stone in the right direction. All I had to do was save up enough money to get out on my own, and all by myself too. I hadn’t had any help to get this far in life, I didn’t want that to change now. I certainly wasn’t about to start asking for handouts from the family that really didn’t feel like mine.
“Hey,” the other waitress, who appeared to have a couple of years on me, eyed me curiously while loudly popping her gum. “My name’s Annie, who are you?”
“K…Karly.” I wasn’t sure why, but whenever I was presented with someone a whole lot cooler than me, I instantly fell apart. Annie had long, sexy dark hair, big red lips, and legs that went on for days. She even managed to make the awful white uniform look nice, whereas I looked like a bag of crap. “I’m Karly.”
“Yeah, you new?” Her clipped tone made me even shyer. “You ain’t from around here, are you?”
“No,” I sighed deeply,
hating the fact that it was so obvious that I wasn’t from the city. It would’ve been a lot easier to just blend in. “I’m not.”
“What brought you here?” Annie leaned on the counter, actually appearing interested in me. All that made me do was harden my expression and blurt out the cold, horrible truth.
“My mom died, so I came here to live with my father who I don’t know, and his wife. The ex-model Shelley freaking Mealanson.”
“Mealanson?” Annie repeated with wide eyes, totally ignoring the tragic part to my tale. “As in Leo Mealanson?”
“Erm, yeah I guess so. She does have a son named Leo.” Not that I was thinking about Leo, at all. I spent most of my time pointedly not thinking about him and avoiding him as much as possible. It was very challenging since he always seemed to be there (which was not what Shelley promised). “Why, do you know him?”
“I know him,” she chuckled loudly. “But not like most chicks know him, if you know what I mean?” If I didn’t get that, she sent me a wink to give me the total idea. He was a player, he slept with lots of women, the obvious flirting with me is just part of his game.
For some reason, even though I suspected that to be the case, the knowledge that it was made my heart sink. Why I’d want to be special to someone so obviously not for me, I wasn’t sure. But then again, my emotions couldn’t be trusted to be smart on my behalf.
“Although I wouldn’t mind, he’s super freaking hot. And you get to live with him. You lucky bitch.”
“Oh well, I…he’s hardly ever there, so…” I had no idea why I was lying, it just felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t want Annie to realize just how messed up I was over Leo. It was totally embarrassing.
“Have you watched him race?” she gasped, tossing her hands above her head as she spoke. “He’s like a freaking God out there on the tracks!”
“Race?” I’d seen him tearing around outside the house on his bike, but that was it. I hadn’t ever seen him do any more than that, I hadn’t even considered that he might. “Where does he race?”