Dare Me

by River Laurent

  I switched on the air-con and went to the liquor cabinet. Pouring myself an extra-large scotch I made my way out onto the balcony. The evening air was balmy. I took a sip and let myself linger on my high perch, the buzz of the city noise below seeming far away and irrelevant. This was the moment I loved most in my day. Alone, finally at peace with the world, the office far behind me.

  I allowed my brain to switch off as I watched the restless activity of the streets in the distance. My thoughts returned to Madison. She must be nineteen now. That made me feel outrageously old. How did she get to be so grown-up, and I was still the same asshole I’d been nearly two decades previously?

  I wondered what she would make of me now. Maybe I’d be painfully uncool to her. Maybe I would have that slick-older-man thing going on? Not that I particularly wanted her thinking of me like that.

  Girls of her age were not my thing, no matter what they looked like, or how aggressively they expressed their interest, I wasn’t interested. I had absolutely nothing in common with them. That was probably why I was the only person in the city Kevin could trust her with. He knew I shot for more mature women. Women who didn’t play coy, girlish games. Women who understood the score. They knew what they wanted and were not afraid to ask for it.

  My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was my date for the evening.

  “Hey gorgeous,” she purred in my ear.

  I leaned my hip against the metal railing. “Hey yourself.”

  “Do you know what I’m doing right now?”

  “Nope.”

  “I’ve got my legs open in front of the mirror and I’m sliding my fingers into my pussy.”

  I smiled. See what I mean about mature women. “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. You won’t believe how wet I am.”

  “Tell me?” I ordered, my cock twitching with interest.

  “My juices are dripping onto the bed.”

  “Fuck, Victoria,” I muttered.

  “I could really do with a very big cock right now. Wanna come over and play with my pussy?” She chuckled throatily.

  “I can’t,” I groaned, silently cursing Kevin. “I’ve got a house guest I have to go pick up.”

  “A house guest?” Her voice sharpened.

  “Yeah. Kevin’s kid. She’s down from England for a holiday, but Kevin has had to rush off to a business trip. There’s no one to take care of her so she’ll be staying at my place for a week,” I explained glumly.

  “Oh, how nice of you.” She sounded relieved.

  I looked at my watch. “Got to go pick her up now, as a matter of fact.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you at eight?”

  “See you at eight. Don’t tire yourself out too much.”

  “I won’t,” she said with a chuckle.

  I made my way back inside, the cold air felt delicious. I hadn’t realized how hot it was out there. I thought about a quick shower and then decided against it. There wasn’t enough time. I would just pick her up, show her to her room, and then I would have time to get ready for my date. She would probably be too exhausted to do anything more than have a hot shower and drop into bed, anyway. The trip over from England could be a motherfucker. I placed my glass down on the black marble countertop of the bar, and headed for the door.

  Rolling up the sleeves of my pale blue shirt, I hurried down the steps and got into my car. Kevin’s home was only fifteen minutes away from mine, and I managed to avoid most of the traffic so I pulled up outside his place with time to spare. I didn’t know why, but I felt a jolt of nervousness run through my system. Weird.

  I had been to his home a thousand times before. I had spent so many nights there drinking, strategizing and laughing, but this time felt different and I couldn’t put my finger on why. Probably because I really wasn’t looking forward to playing nursemaid to a teenager. I got out of the car and started walking toward the front door.

  Maybe, because I found it hard to think of Kevin as anything other than a bachelor. Of course, I knew he had a daughter, but it hardly ever crossed my mind when she lived in England. Sometimes, when she called on his cell, or I did remember he was actually a father, I’d look at him in wonder, and have an uneasy feeling that time was passing me by and I was wasting my life.

  I walked up to the door and buzzed the bell. His place was more old-fashioned than mine, a converted townhouse that towered over the street below. It was cool and classic, like him. Kevin opened the door.

  “Hey,” he greeted, and jerked his head toward the interior to motion me inside. “She’ll be out in a minute. I think she’s in a bad mood.”

  “Take it as a compliment,” I said with a shrug. “I can’t think of many people who’d be pissed they didn’t get to spend time with me.”

  “Fair point.” He grinned. I heard footsteps on the stair, and glanced up. And my jaw dropped.

  Whoa! That was Kevin’s daughter! Since when?

  She was fucking gorgeous.

  My gaze swept up and across her body as I took in every inch of her as she bounced down the stairs. And bounce, her round, full breasts did. Magnificently. She wore a cream top that cut off a couple of inches above the waistline of her skin-tight shorts, revealing a band of skin the color of thick cream. Her long legs were bare, and her blonde hair was scraped back into a ponytail that accentuated her high cheekbones. Her mouth was plump and daringly red. Whatever happened to the flat-chested, shy girl who couldn’t look me in the eye?

  I closed my mouth with a snap, and for all our sakes, did my best to cover my pervy reaction. I didn’t want Kevin thinking I had designs on his daughter, and I certainly didn’t want such an idea getting into her head either.

  “You’re not going out wearing that?” Kevin frowned.

  She rolled her eyes. “Why not? Is it cold outside?”

  I tried not to smile.

  “Does your mother allow you to go out dressed like that?” Kevin demanded. He looked like he was doing his damndest to keep his temper in check.

  “Just chill, okay. It’s not like Uncle Quinn hasn’t seen me naked before.”

  My eyes nearly fell out.

  “Madison,” Kevin roared.

  She shot a look at me. It was totally conspiratorial, as though she was inviting me into a secret game with her. “Do you mind if I come to your house dressed like this, Uncle Quinn?”

  Whoa! This girl was pure trouble. I glanced at Kevin. He looked furious and frustrated. Ah, the joys of being a father.

  “Well?’ she prompted.

  I shrugged. “I’ve got no problem.”

  She turned and met her father’s gaze rebelliously, as though daring him to force her to get changed.

  Kevin’s jaw tightened, and I could tell he wanted to press the issue, but he didn’t have time to argue with her any further. A taxi had just pulled up outside and we could all see it through the window. He let out a sharp sigh and changed the subject. “You want help with your bags?”

  “I’ll get them,” I offered quickly, keen to get out of this room so I could escape the tension between father and daughter. I had no idea how much of a dad Kevin could turn into all at once.

  “Thanks for doing this,” Kevin reiterated as I made my way toward the small cluster of bags parked by the door.

  “Not a problem,” I replied. I felt Madison’s eyes on me as I picked up a pink knapsack, hefted it over my shoulder and grabbed the matching suitcase.

  “Right, I have to go.” Kevin glanced at his watch, and made his way toward Madison. “I’ll see you soon, hon. Have a good time, and keep in touch, won’t you?”

  “Okay.” She hugged him back. “Hope you have a good trip, Dad.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said to her before looking at me. “Take care of her for me, Quinn.”

  “Of course.” I nodded, and watched as he made his way out the door and down toward the taxi waiting outside.

  The two of us were left alone in there for a moment, and I found my eyes creeping
back toward hers. She was staring at me. There was something in her eyes. Some kind of blue fire. I looked into it and got trapped in that flame. I couldn’t look away. Time passed. It felt like an eternity. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and like some lost soul my eyes latched on the sight. My breath caught in my chest. “Mine.” I heard the word like an angry growl in my head.

  Jesus! The fuck are you doing, Quinn?

  I dragged my eyes away. “My car’s outside,” I rasped.

  She nodded, color rushing into her cheeks.

  “We should,” I said. My voice sounded harsh and raw. So not cool. What the hell was going on with me? Tripping up over myself like some clueless teenager. I needed to get my shit together. The sooner the better.

  “After you, Uncle Quinn,” she replied, and waved her hand for me to go out in front of her. The way she said Quinn made my gut clench.

  “And you can drop the Uncle routine. It’s making me feel like I’m a hundred.” I scowled. I had the feeling I had lost control of the situation. My dick was thinking for me.

  Her eyes rolled down my body. “Well, you sure don’t look like you’re a hundred, Quinn.”

  Oh, fuck. I’m really losing it. I straightened, rolling my shoulders back, I pushed the door open and headed for the car. As I loaded the luggage into the trunk, I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of her long, smooth legs as she climbed into the back seat. I had to fucking force myself to look away. I could tell already: this would be a long, long week, and I hadn’t even gotten her back to my house yet.

  Madison

  As soon as we arrived, the gardener, or a man who could have been the pool boy, since he held a long rod with a net attached, met us at bottom of the steps up to his house.

  “You want me to help with those bags, Mr. Jensen?” he asked, nodding to the luggage Quinn had hauled out of the trunk of the car.

  “Nah, it’s fine, Steve,” Quinn said, and the guy’s eyes slid over to me. He looked like he was eyeing up a feast, and I felt a flush rise up my cheeks. It wasn’t difficult to tell what he was imagining. He probably thought Quinn planned to sequester me in his house for a week of…

  I looked away, but the truth was I wanted him to think I was with Quinn. Quinn was a delicious hunk: everything a girl could ask for. Tall, dark, broad shoulders, dreamy green eyes, a sensuous smile. And muscles and tattoos to die for. I still remembered the bed of roses and leaves covering his back and the snake rising up his spine. It’s mouth open and dangerously fanged.

  How long had I been crushing on Quinn for?

  As long as I could remember. I think I even told Dad when I was seven that I wanted to marry him when I grew up. Dad laughed and thought it was really cute, but I didn’t think it was funny at all. I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t be my husband.

  But it had been a long time since I saw Quinn. I was thirteen, and I had such a massive crush on him I couldn’t even answer him when he spoke to me. What an idiot. For years after, I cringed whenever I remembered what a dork I had been that day.

  Well, he was still as tall, dark, and handsome as ever, though he had a few specks of grey in his hair these days. I wondered if he had a girlfriend, maybe even someone serious. But then, he wouldn’t be looking at me in a way that made my blood heat up.

  A gust of wind blew hair into my face and I reached up to sweep it back. The action made my top ride up a couple of inches, and Quinn’s gaze flew to the exposed skin. Wishing I had gone for some tanning sessions before I came over, I quickly yanked my crop shirt down to cover my white stomach, and Quinn turned his head away.

  We walked up the steps in silence. When we stood outside a sleek polished wood door, Quinn grabbed a set of keys from his pocket and pushed one into the lock. He pulled the door back for me to enter first. A gentleman. Just my kind of man. I went in and glanced around the place with my eyebrows raised.

  Damn, his place was fancy as hell.

  Quinn dropped my suitcase on the floor and went past me toward his liquor cabinet. I watched him pour himself a generous measure of whiskey. His shirt-sleeves were rolled up, showing off his strong arms, as he downed his drink in one go. As if he really needed it. His eyes swept briefly up and down my body. I straightened and met his gaze confidently.

  After a long, heated pause that seemed to hang in the air between us he finally spoke, “So, how have you been?”

  “Good,” I said casually. “I’ve just finished my A-Levels.”

  “Jesus, that’s crazy.” He shook his head.

  “Yeah,” I agreed with a shrug. “I can’t really believe it myself, to be honest.”

  “Going to college?” He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke. Ruffling it and making it look all sexy and divine.

  “Mom wants me to, and Dad has said he’ll find me a place over here, but I haven’t decided.”

  “Would you like to come back here?” He looked surprised.

  “Maybe.” I cocked my head. “I want to study to be a translator.”

  “What languages?”

  “Italian and Spanish.”

  “I see,” he said, before pouring himself another generous measure of alcohol.

  “Mind if I get one too?” I asked.

  His eyes narrowed. “Are you old enough?”

  “Of course,” I said airily, and dropped my bag on the floor next to me.

  He looked at me with raised, disbelieving eyebrows.

  I crossed my arms. “The legal age for drinking is eighteen in England. In fact, you’re even allowed to drink beer and wine in public places at sixteen and seventeen if it’s bought by an adult and consumed with a meal.”

  He nodded. “What would you like?’

  “Mmmm…I don’t know yet.”

  Quinn gestured over to the liquor cabinet. “Be my guest.”

  “Awesome. Thanks.” I made my way across the room, grabbed myself a glass, and filled it with the same Scotch he was drinking. Meeting his eyes over the rim of the glass seductively, I took a long sip. To my horror the liquid burned my throat and threw me into a fit of coughing.

  “Are you all right?” Quinn asked, a frown on his face.

  Totally embarrassed, I banged my chest a few times. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just went down the wrong way,” I choked out.

  “Okay,” he said, but his lips twitched.

  “So, where’s good to eat around here?” I asked, desperately trying to erase the juvenile incident.

  “There’s a Thai place a few miles away.” Quinn jerked his head in the direction of the street below. “I’ll give you the address tomorrow.”

  I twirled a lock of my hair in my fingers. “Maybe we could go together?”

  His eyebrows nearly shot off his face.

  I stopped twirling. “I mean, just to catch up.”

  “Of course.” He gazed out the enormous windows and looked down at the city spread far in the distance with scowl. “That sounds good. I have to work a bunch but, uh, I’ll try and clear at least one evening.”

  “Thanks for having me. I know it’s short notice, but I promise I won’t get in your way. Dad told me you’ll be working a lot and I’ll hardly see you. We’ll be ships in the night.” I grinned.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” he muttered, his eyes sliding away from mine. He downed the rest of his drink, and I saw clearly from the expression in his eyes that there was something else going through his mind. Maybe he was distracted with work or something. I had dropped in on him pretty unexpectedly, so I couldn’t expect him to be on full form right off the bat.

  I bowed my head and carefully braved another sip of my drink. It was strong and heady, and I could already feel my head starting to swim slightly. I’d been traveling the last twenty-four hours straight and the heat, tiredness and the spirits in my glass swamped me all of a sudden.

  I stifled a yawn. I didn’t want to seem rude, but I was so exhausted all I wanted was to crawl into bed to catch up on some of the sleep I’d skipped out on during the trip across. “I should, uh,
I should probably get some sleep.”

  He nodded.

  “Uh, where will I sleep?”

  He put his empty glass on the bar counter, and strode over to my suitcase. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

  His behavior and the fact that he obviously didn’t want me to be there made me feel a little out of place, as though I was intruding on adult shit. Which was weird because he was only about twenty years older than me.

  “Yeah, your bedroom is through there…” he said, jerking his head in the direction of a corridor leading off the open-plan living space. Almost in a daze I watched him hook his powerful hand around the handle of my luggage. He was so gorgeous I could have watched him forever.

  “Are you coming?” he asked impatiently, and I followed him quickly, my shoes clacking on the polished wood.

  He showed me to an immaculate room as perfect as the rest of the house. I guess he must have a maid in every day, because I couldn’t imagine him making his way around here in a frilly apron with a feather duster. I had to purse my lips together to keep from laughing aloud at the image, and I straightened my face, when he turned back toward me.

  He looked at me suspiciously, but I blinked up at him innocently, and I saw his chest rise as he took a deep breath. It was pretty obvious, I was trying his patience.

  “This alright?” He gestured around. “I hardly have guests around, but you can probably tell, I’m not a particularly hospitable person.”

  “No, it’s all great,” I assured him, and I wasn’t lying. This was way nicer than Mom’s house.

  “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He stepped back, moving closer to the doorway, putting space between us. “There’s an ensuite through there, and I’ll leave a spare set of keys on the table when I go out tomorrow.”

  “Thanks.” I offered him an exhausted smile, and he returned it. And there it was again! That something between us, which he obviously didn’t want to put a name to, or acknowledge heating up the air between us. Both of us were silent as our eyes devoured each other, and for a second, my heart leapt up into my throat, and I had to swallow hard to make the flutter in my chest disappear. I was dead on my feet, but I hated to let him go.