Conflicted

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Mom, I had to. I needed him to know I was here, that things weren’t going to be all right when he got out. He needs to know what an asshole he is for everything he’s done to you and the girls.” Her smile disappears.

  “And what he’s done to you? Is that it? You needed to make sure he knew his son the cop was stepping in!” Oh, shit.

  “Hey, I wanted closure. I wanted to see him one last time, because this is it. None of us will see him ever again.” She shakes her head and goes to the fridge.

  “Keith, I love the way you try to protect us, but he’s your father. We can’t forget that.” I’m trying so hard not to argue with her, but clearly, she’s lost her damn mind.

  “Mom, should I do a play-by-play of what happened the last time dad was here? How awful it was, how he hurt you, and the girls had to see that? Is that what you want? Is that the kind of life you want to continue to live? If it is Mom, this will be the last time I come running home. I made a promise that I would protect you and the girls, but if you let that man back in your life, I can’t do it.” She has tears running down her face, and I feel fucking horrible, but it’s the truth. I want to comfort her, but I need her to understand how serious this situation is. He will kill her. I just stare at her and wait for her to respond.

  “You do not need to remind me, Keith, I am reminded every time I close my eyes. I know exactly what happened, and I know my girls had to witness it. I don’t want to live in fear, but what the hell am I supposed to do? This is all I know.” This time, I make my way over to her and pull her into a hug.

  “Mom, why don’t you and the girls think about moving back with me? I know you don’t like the city, but New Jersey is so close. Campbell and Kenz’s families live there, and they love it. Can you just think about it?” She nods her head, and a part of me is so relieved, but the other part knows it won’t be this easy.

  After my mom finally pulls herself together, she goes to take a hot bath. I sit down on the couch and grab my phone. I notice I have a couple missed text messages, and one of them is from Campbell. He sent me a picture of the ring. It is stunning. I text him back just that, and my phone rings.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, big brother. You have plans for tonight?” I chuckle because what the hell plans would I have?

  “Nope, looks like I’m free. What’s up?” Karen walks in the door with Doug, and they both wave at me. Makes me think Karen will be another hard one to try to convince to move. She’ll want to stick it out here with Doug. This is going to take some thought.

  “What do you think?” Shit, I didn’t hear a word she said.

  “I’m sorry, Connie, what?” She laughs, and I find myself smiling.

  “I said, I can’t get anyone to go to the bar with me tonight, so do you want to come?” This time, I laugh.

  “Damn, I’m your last resort?”

  “Shut up, there was one other person after you.” We both laugh, and I have to say going out for some drinks sounds fucking perfect.

  “Sure, sounds great. What time should I be over?” We decide that I’ll pick her up at eight o’clock and hang up. It’s only five o’clock, so I have time. I go into the kitchen and finish making dinner.

  Doug joined us again for dinner, and Mom and Karen loved it. It was pretty fucking good. By the time we ate and cleaned up, it was time to shower so I could be at Connie’s on time. This would be the first night since I’ve been here that I’m actually going out to do something, and I am fucking excited. Just the thought that maybe I could be distracted for even one night is awesome. I throw on my jeans and a black button-down shirt. I run my hands through my hair and spray on some cologne. I go out into the living room to find my mom watching TV. She turns and looks at me with a big smile. “You look nice. Where are you going?”

  “Thanks, Mom. Going to pick up Connie, and we are going to the bar for a little bit. Can I borrow your car?” She points to the key rack.

  “Keys are on there. Don’t you dare drive drunk.” I walk over and kiss her forehead.

  “I’m a cop. I’m not about breaking the law. I promise I won’t get drunk.” She smiles, and I see the pride in her face. I go over and grab the keys. “Don’t wait up.”

  I get to Connie’s fifteen minutes early. I haven’t been to her place since my last visit. She has a little ranch house, and last time I was here, she had just moved in. I take notice how well maintained the yard is, smile with pride, and go knock on the door before walking in. I literally have the wind knocked out of me when I walk in and see the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. She is sitting on the couch with a blanket on her lap, her brown hair is in a ponytail, and she has a huge smile on her face while she watches TV. She turns and catches me staring. “Hey, big brother. You remember Mel?”

  I’m sitting on the couch just relaxing after a shit day at work. I sat for hours with the victim of a robbery trying to draw up a sketch. When I was done, she said it looked nothing like him. This went on for three hours until finally I got one that looked like him. I love my job, I really do, but sometimes I want to curl in a ball and scream.

  I always wanted to do something with my art degree, but I didn’t know what. My father is a cop, and he suggested I think about being a sketch artist for the police department. It didn’t take long for me to decide that was exactly what I wanted to do. I love being able to help find a fucking scumbag; it’s an amazing feeling.

  Anyway, I’m cuddled up on the couch in my sweats watching ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ and I know Connie is pissed because she wanted to go hang out at the local bar. I just wasn’t up for it tonight, and being that she is my best friend, I knew she would give me a bunch of shit before she finally moved on to asking someone else. I am smiling at the TV, and I have this feeling that someone is staring at me. I turn my head and Goddamn, the hottest guy I have ever seen in real life is standing in my living room. Just as I am about to ask who he is, Connie comes in the room. “Hey, big brother. You remember Mel?” Holy shit, this is Keith. I didn’t recognize him at all, which is ridiculous considering Connie has pictures of him. He just looks so incredibly sexy in person. I met Connie in college, and we’ve been friends since. I only met Keith one time, and I had a major hangover. It must have been really bad because I’d definitely remember the guy standing here. He looks over at Connie then back at me. Suddenly, I wish I had my hair and makeup done, with my favorite black off-the-shoulder dress on.

  “No, I don’t think we’ve met before.” I need to close my eyes for a second because I can actually feel my panties getting wet from that sexy deep voice.

  “Yes, you did. My freshman year of college, you came home, and I introduced you guys. Mel, you remember, don’t you?” I turn to look at Connie, and she looks fucking hot. Damnit, I want to bury my head in these covers.

  “What? Oh . . . ummm . . . I . . . ummm . . . I was hungover, so I don’t really remember other than you telling me.” I look back over at this sexy ass guy, and he gives me a grin and wink. Oh, yes, these panties are going to need a change.

  “Well, shit. Keith this is Mel, my best friend; Mel, this is Keith, my big brother.” We both smile at each other, and son of a bitch, I feel myself blushing. That is so out of character for me.

  “Nice to meet you, Mel.” I once again feel my panties getting wet from his voice, and I try squeezing my legs together to give myself a bit of relief at this point.

  “Nice to meet you too, Keith.” I can’t believe how breathless I sound. I must look like the biggest tool to this guy. I’m sure he has some beautiful goddess waiting at home for him anyway. He’s from New York, for Christ’s sake.

  “Keith, give me ten minutes, and I’ll be done. Mel, you good?” She laughs, and I flip her off. Yep, real lady like. I’m sure he’s really turned on now with me in my sweats and ponytail, flipping off his sister. Ugh, what a fucking idiot I am. It only gets worse when he comes to sit in the chair closest to me by the couch. Fuck, I want to throw the covers off, but odds are h
e’ll see the effect he has on me, plus I’m in sweats.

  “So, Mel, that’s an interesting name.” He smiles, and I can’t help but smile right back.

  “It’s short for Melissa.” He nods his head but doesn’t say any more about it.

  “You didn’t feel like hanging out at the bar tonight?” Shit, had I known he was coming, I would have my hooker heels on as we speak, but I can’t suddenly dress to go. Connie would rip my head off.

  “No, I had a shit day at work, so I was just trying to relax tonight.” He gives me the sexy grin again, and I swear I feel like he is checking me out, which is totally ridiculous.

  “What do you do?” I sit up a little straighter, and I smile this time. I love the look of shock on guys’ faces when I tell them I work with the police. Most of them look scared like I might have drawn them before.

  “I’m a sketch artist for the police department.” He laughs and shakes his head. What the hell?

  “Are you kidding me? I work for the NYPD; I’m a cop.” Holy shit, that’s right. How the fuck could I have forgotten that? Connie has told me so many times.

  “Shit, that’s right. I’m sorry I forgot.” He tilts his head to the side and looks at me in a way that I can only describe as curiosity.

  “Why would you be sorry? We don’t even remember meeting before, and I can honestly say I don’t know how that is possible. So, Mel, are you from around here?” My heart feels like it is beating out of my chest. I’m just staring at him thinking how can the sexiest man I’ve ever seen be saying things like that to me? I mean, maybe he is just saying that to be nice, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels like he meant it as a compliment. “Mel?” I look up into his unbelievably blue eyes and smile, and then I realize he is asking me something.

  “Oh shit, what? I’m so sorry?” I definitely feel my cheeks blushing now. He chuckles, and holy shit, is there anything unattractive about this man?

  “I asked if you are from here?”

  I clear my throat and attempt to speak without sounding like I’m mid-orgasm. “No, I’m actually not from anywhere. We moved a lot when I was growing up. I’ve lived on the east coast, the west coast, in the north, and in the south. After college when Connie asked if I wanted to move in with her, I thought it might be nice to stay put.” He adjusts his position and even that is sexy.

  “That is amazing that you’ve seen so much of the country. I’ve only been here, New York, obviously, and New Jersey. Oh, and a day trip into Pennsylvania.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see New York during Christmas time. I want to go ice-skating, to a play, and see the tree. I think it would be amazing.” I blush once again when I realize I’m sitting here talking with this god as if he’s my friend.

  “Why does that embarrass you? Those things are icons and should definitely be seen.” I once again feel like my heart is going to explode, and my palms are actually sweating. He is making me feel all these things that, honestly, I’ve never felt before. Shit, answer him.

  “I just shouldn’t be sitting here telling you a dream of mine. I’m sorry.” Right as he is about to say something, Connie flops down on the couch and breaks his concentration on me. Bitch.

  “What the hell are you two up too?” I flip her off and once again want to hide under the covers.

  “Just getting to know each other. You ready?” She jumps up off the couch and grabs her purse.

  “Hell, yes. Let’s get our drink on, big brother.” He gets up and follows her to the door but turns before he walks out and looks at me.

  “I’ll talk to you soon, Mel.” Before I can respond, he gives me a wink and walks out the door. I fall back onto the couch and sigh. What the fuck just happened here tonight?

  Connie and I have been at the bar almost four hours already. It’s nice here, but it actually makes me miss home more. Connie is off talking to the third guy of the night, and I feel more like I’m babysitting than hanging out at a bar. I’m sitting at the bar with my back leaning on it and watching my sister flirt with all these men. Not exactly the fun night I was looking for. I’m sipping on my third beer just taking it all in. “Hey, handsome.” I turn and notice a blonde girl trying to be sexy. She has a tight blue strapless dress on and way too much makeup. Definitely not my type, and if I’m being honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about Mel since we walked out of the house. I felt so many things talking to her. She is sweet, smart, funny as hell, and she works for the police station. Just listening to her talk had my cock straining in my pants, and I had to try to adjust the way I was sitting so she didn’t notice. One thing that stood out to me was when she told me about all the things she wanted to do in New York. I fucking really like that she felt comfortable enough with me, even though we just met, to tell me that. I saw the embarrassment after she was done talking, but she still told me. I know that she is attracted to me as much I am to her. I could see it in her face, the way she blushed, and in her body language. She kept adjusting the way she was sitting, which makes my cock hard just thinking that she may have been wet talking to me. “Hello?” I look back at the girl standing beside me and feel like a fool for zoning out.

  “Hi.” I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but I’m definitely not interested, even if I am turned on. She reaches over and runs a half-painted fingernail down my arm. It takes all my willpower not to cringe; however, she did manage to take away my hard-on.

  “I’ve been watching you, and you look lonely. How about I help you fix that?” Yep, I just threw up in my mouth. She’s a hooker. I gently remove her nasty fingernail and smile at her.

  “I have a girlfriend.” She gives me what I think is supposed to be a sexy pouty face, but it looks like she is trying to eat her upper lip.

  “Well, she doesn’t have to know. I won’t tell if you don’t tell.” Damn, this girl is persistent.

  “No, I’m going to have to pass.” She stands in front of me with her tits almost falling out of her dress and puts her hands on my thighs.

  “Come on, big guy. You don’t need to fuck me. I’ll just give you a blow job. Cheap too.” I smirk, and she thinks she’s reeled me in.

  “First of all, I already told you no. Second of all, it is illegal to proposition someone. Third, I’m a cop, and if you don’t get your hands off of me, I will arrest you right now.” She ran so fast that I’m sure one of her tits popped out. I laugh and finally Connie comes walking over.

  “Hey, big brother, having fun?” I cock my eyebrow and look at her. “Okay, so I guess you are ready?”

  “Connie, I’ve been ready. I was waiting for you. Let’s get the hell out of here before another hooker tries to pick me up.” She spins around and starts hysterically laughing. I’m glad someone found tonight funny.

  On the drive back to her house, I realize just how trashed she is. She’s falling asleep and slurring her words. “Damnit, Connie, how much did you drink tonight?” She turns her head with her eyes half closed and smiles at me.

  “Enough to . . .” And she falls asleep, un-fucking-real. I just hope I get her drunk ass home before she starts puking.

  Thankfully, I park my mom’s beat-up Toyota Camry in front of Connie’s without her puking. She is still sound asleep, so I go over and open her door. I lean in, unbuckle her seatbelt, and lightly touch her shoulder. “Connie, come on, we are home.” She moans but doesn’t move. “Connie, wake up. You need to get into bed.” She turns on her side like she is getting more comfortable. Holy shit, I’m going to have to carry her in. I reach in and put one arm under her legs and the other around the top of her back. I carefully pull her out of the car and hold her. I kick the car door closed and walk up to the house. I fucking hope it’s unlocked because I have no idea where a key would be. I stand on the porch and try to open the door with my hand by her head, but it’s just not working. I have no choice but to throw her over my shoulder and hold her like this. I chuckle, thinking she must really be piss drunk if that didn’t wake her. I use my now free hand, open the screen door,
and turn the knob on the front door. Fuck, it’s locked.

  I look around to see if there is another way, but what the hell would I do with Connie. I hate to knock and wake up Mel, so I jiggle the doorknob one more time. This time, the door swings open, and a very sexy, scantily dressed Mel, with sleep in her eyes and hair all over the place, is standing there. “Shit, I’m sorry, Mel. I didn’t mean to wake you. Connie got trashed and passed out, and I don’t have a key.” I know I should be carrying my drunk sister to her room, but fuck, I can’t take my eyes off Mel’s sexy body. She’s wearing a white camisole top with no bra, and I can see her hard nipples poking out. And, she’s only wearing a thin pair of white lace panties with her top. My cock is so hard I don’t know if I can walk at this point.

  “Oh shit. Bring her in.” She realizes what she is wearing and tries to cover herself, and I see her blush. I wink and walk quickly past her but turn around.

  “Mel, where is her bedroom?” She giggles and leads me to it. This makes walking all that much more difficult because I’m watching her tight ass. She opens a door and turns on the light on Connie’s nightstand before pulling back the covers. I gently lay Connie down and cover her. She’s my little sister, no way am I undressing her. It’s bad enough I’m carrying her and walking around with a hard-on because of Mel. When I stand up, Mel puts a small garbage can by the bed and turns Connie onto her side. She walks past me and out of the room without a word. I kiss Connie’s head, turn off the light, and walk out closing the door behind me. Luckily for me, I bump right into Mel, still dressed the same. I am holding my hands in fists at my side to keep from pulling her to me. We both stare at each other, and it feels strangely intimate. She breaks the silence first.

  “Thanks for bringing her in. It’s not easy doing that by myself.” I give her a confused look and lean my shoulder on the wall.

  “This happens often?” I don’t fucking like this. She’s following in the wrong footsteps, if that’s true. Mel puts her head down, and her messy hair curtains her beautiful face, but I notice the slight nod. “Fuck.” She looks up quickly.