These things happen, right?
When Jack stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the twentieth floor, he cleared his mind of everything except for what was needed for his job.
No more thoughts of naked, heaving bodies... spurting fluids... or his sister’s delicate hand in places it definitely shouldn’t be.
* * *
Jack poked his head through the open doorway of his boss’s office. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
Mr. Morton glanced up from his desk. Even though it was only five-thirty in the evening, the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him proved that it was pitch black outside. Such is wintertime in Chicago!
“Yes, Jack. Remember when I mentioned that if you didn’t have something I liked by this morning, I’d go with Tom’s idea? Well, as a bonus I gave you the entire rest of the day... and I still don’t fucking like what I see.”
Jack instantly panicked; his eyes working back and forth as stepped inside his boss’s office and quietly shut the glass door behind him. “B-b-but the whole team agreed this is a much stronger campaign, and the word play—”
“Word play?” bellowed Mr. Morton, thumping his fist hard on the desk. “We’re dealing with fucking teenagers here! If you want to be edgy, then you’ve got to bash them over the head with it! Not coyly insinuate something that three-quarters of them will never even think to get! Jesus, Jack... have you forgotten everything you know?”
Jack stared down at his glossy leather oxfords and remained silent.
“Now, I know losing your fiancée was very hard on you, Jack...”
“You have no idea, sir,” he whispered somberly.
“And, you know you have my continuing sympathies. But Jack... that was over a year ago. We’ve cut you slack – a hell of a lot of slack – and I’m doubtful that my bosses will let me cut you any more. Tomorrow morning, you’d better pray that Matsukisha is thrilled to hell with Tom’s idea... because if they aren’t, and they decide to put their money with some other firm... then I can’t promise I’ll be able to help you.”
“I understand, sir.”
“We’re counting on landing what’s surely going to be the biggest media blitz of the Christmas season, and if those fucktards over at Turbine Creative get the brass ring instead of us... there will be cutbacks. And if our rising star has fallen and can’t get up... then the dead wood will be the first cut from the team.”
Jack snorted. The seriousness of his boss’s threat was undermined by his mixing of clichés – but he still got the picture.
Following his chewing out, Jack returned to his temporary office and sat staring at the blank computer screen for the next hour, wondering just how things had gone so horribly wrong with his life. Had he truly lost the magic touch? Was he destined to be forever mediocre? Johanna had made him a better man in practically every aspect of his life. Without her by his side, it just seemed like he had no drive. There was no one he wanted to please, to impress, to provide for.
Did he even have anyone left in his life who honestly cared about him?
Ellie! Shit, our dinner!
Glancing at his watch, Jack knew that if he was going to make their reservation at seven, he was going to have to leave right now.
* * *
Jack and Ellie met up in the subdued restaurant lobby, him wearing his slightly crushed suit from work, and Ellie in an elegant black evening gown. Jack couldn’t recall his sister wearing this particular gown before, so it must have been a recent purchase.
The formally-attired maître d’ seated the pair in a private booth in the corner, which was so dimly lit that Jack felt tempted to take out his phone just so he could read the menu. Live piano music played softly in the background.
After ordering drinks – a stout beer for him and an iced tea for her – they made small talk until ordering their entrées, the conversation shifting smoothly between personal topics such as Ellie’s classes, her finances, their parents, while Jack deftly skirted any questions about his dreadful performance at work. No point in dumping his work stresses on his little sister!
By the time their entrees were served and Jack was into his second beer, he felt ready to casually introduce the elephant in the room.
“So, Ellie... I’m so happy to see you’re eating something real tonight. Besides for that pizza, it seems like your girlfriends barely eat anything at all.”
Ellie smiled as she took the first slice into her ricotta and spinach-stuffed chicken breast. “Us girls have to maintain our figures somehow, you know. And don’t tell anyone... but the secret is I skipped lunch. My tummy’s been gurgling all afternoon, but there’s no way I wanted to sit here pecking at a wimpy salad while you tore through that big, juicy steak.”
Grinning with carnivoristic delight, Jack rotated his plate so that the peppercorn-encrusted New York strip would be directly in front – artistic mountain of grilled zucchini be damned! His fondness for red meat was almost legendary among his circle of friends.
“Well, from our chats, I never imagined that your new roommates would be such an upfront and, uh, outgoing bunch.”
Ellie snorted into the straw, blowing bubbles in her iced tea. “That’s kind of an understatement, bro! But, again, I’m real sorry about that. I hope they didn’t freak you out too much. I had them all promise they’d behave while you were here, but I guess that didn’t last very long.”
“I can’t lie, El. In my wildest dreams I’d never expect the kind of stuff that went on this morning... especially from Beth. I’ve still remember her in braces and pigtails, and I really don’t think I’m ever going to get the image of her having sex with Mark out my head!”
“I think she’d be flattered to hear that. Beth’s told me she’s always kinda liked you... in that way... which might have something to do with her behavior.”
Jack coughed softly. “I swear, Ellie... it’s like she wanted me to watch. The problem was, I kept flashing back to that time when I helped dad teach you girls to ride two-wheel bikes. At first you were too scared to even try, but when Beth started doing it all on her own, suddenly you’d do anything to be better than her. So, you put your mind to it, and ended up riding twice as far!”
Smiling fondly at the memory, Ellie took another slice into her chicken. “I remember that. We were always competing with each other over practically any stupid thing. And now, there she is... riding boys like it’s her purpose in life. I’ll say she’s damn good at it, too! I never knew she had such a crazy nympho in her ’till we got to college.”
Jack awkwardly swallowed a half-chewed mouthful of steak that slid down his esophagus like a painful lump. Was Ellie trying to hint that she was still competing with Beth in other riding activities? “Uh, yeah... but it’s not even just her, Ellie. What about Rachel? Monday morning she was prancing around the living room stark naked!”
“I don’t recall you mentioning that one before,” remarked Ellie, giving him a piercing look.
Jack felt his face turn red. “Uh, at the time it didn’t seem... well, appropriate to bring up.”
Ellie chuckled good-humoredly, obviously pulling his strings. “Don’t worry, Jack. Rachel already told me you really liked her piercings.” She placed heavy emphasis on the “sss” sound. “I actually think it was her, rubbing off on Beth, that got this whole benefits thing rolling. I mean, Rachel was the one who knew Mark and first asked Beth to come room with them... and then Beth invited me along. And yada yada yada, here we are.”
“So... you’re saying it’s perfectly normal for the three of them to just walk around stark naked and just start having sex anywhere, anytime? Even in front of total strangers?”
“It’s a brave new age, bro! But no, seriously, when we have company they’re usually more discreet than that. I know they’ve never done anything like that in front of their family – Mark’s mum still thinks he’s a virgin. Isn’t that cute? But I guess since they know the two of us are super close, they feel free to act around you like they do me.”
Jack smiled uneasily as he chewed, pleased to hear that his sister still considered them close... but more than slightly disturbed by the second half of that statement. “So, you’re actually comfortable with them doing that kinda stuff right in front of you? God knows I’m no prude, El, but it still came as a major shock to the system.”
“Oh, sure, they’re a bunch of horndogs... but I’ve learned to tune it out. I’m sure they’re just showing off for the thrill of it anyways. They’re probably just trying to get a rise out of you.”
“Um, what sort of ‘rise’ do you mean?”
Ellie laughed and took a sip of her drink. “Oh, the naughty one you’re thinking of, I’m sure! But don’t tell me that when you were in college you weren’t fucking your brains out, Jack. I know how many girlfriends you went through – it was like a semi-weekly event. Hell, I’m sure half the restaurant already thinks the two of us are an item!”
Realizing that Ellie was right, Jack glanced around the restaurant uneasily. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I sound like mom, but I do worry about you living there. That kind of reckless behavior can’t be healthy.”
“It’s just sex,” mumbled Ellie through a mouthful of food.
“Sis, it’s almost never ‘just sex’. Emotions get involved, and when something happens – and it always does – somebody inevitably ends up hurt.”
“We’ll see. I know they’ve already talked about that, and no one is expecting romance or exclusivity. It’s purely for fun and pleasure. You’re just not used to the idea yet. See how you feel about it after living with them for five months straight! It’ll all seem perfectly natural!”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Explain again how none of this ever came up in our chats?”
“It’s just... it’s just you’ve had enough on your mind lately.” The unspoken truth hung in the air for a long moment. “And anyways, with all the homework and studying I have to do for my finance and business classes, I honestly have bigger things to worry about than how and where my friends hook up.”
“Just mind the puddles of cum?”
Ellie giggled and crinkled her nose. “Yeah... I’ll admit, those can be a little gross. This morning wasn’t the first time I’ve been surprised by one of their sticky little gifts. I try to train them, but they’re like puppies whizzing on the rug. I think the real problem is Mark – I’ve never seen a guy that makes so much goddamn cum, certainly nothing like Chris or Adam, although maybe you—”
Ellie suddenly stopped speaking and blushed, nervously shuffling julienned pieces of green bean around the plate with her fork. Jack remembered Chris as the older and rather strapping boy who lived next door – he’d always had his suspicions about Ellie and that guy – and Adam as one of Ellie’s official high school boyfriends.
“You know, maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this sort of thing after all,” she finally said with a disappointed sigh.
It certainly wasn’t Jack’s first choice for dinner conversation either, but he knew if he didn’t take the effort to bolster his relationship with Ellie, he might lose it altogether.
“Well, sis. I like to think we’ve always been close... and... I do want you to know that you can always come to me with whatever’s on your mind... and I’ll try to help you through it. I probably haven’t been doing a good job of showing it so far, but I promise you there will never be any judgment. At least nothing like mom or dad. Just my support.”
Ellie smiled lovingly. “Thanks, Jack. That really means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, sis. I’ve missed you so much these past few months, I’m thrilled we’re finally able to spend some time together.”
“I’m just glad you finally agreed to come! I was really worried you wouldn’t,” she admitted with a curious twinkle in her eye.
“Nah. I just didn’t want to be a bother.”
“You’re never a bother to me.”
“Thanks, El. Not all sisters feel that way about their brothers. Especially steps.” Jack paused for a minute, chewing on a piece of steak. “But moving back to awkward subjects... about what happened in the kitchen this morning...”
“For goodness’ sake, Jack! I already told you. I was just helping you out with something I know you’d never do yourself. What’s the big deal?”
“Please don’t get defensive, El. It’s just that I’m your brother, and that kind of—”
“Stepbrother, and you know that makes a big fuckin’ difference. But I like to think that lets us be even closer, because I don’t have the genetic compulsion to rebel against you!”
Despite the serious subject matter, Jack snorted. It was true: Ellie, even at her absolutely worst, had always been logical and well grounded, and never flighty or mindlessly rebellious. Or, for that matter, do anything without a good reason. Maybe he should cut her some slack.
“Well... okay. I guess we can treat that as a one-time event. And before you ask, I’m man enough to admit that – although horribly ill-advised – it did actually help.”
“See? What’d I tell you?”
“Yeah, well... don’t go making it some kinda thing, okay? Steps or not, folks just wouldn’t understand. Anyways, there’s still the question of you and your friends. I know this is college, and god knows I did some crazy shit when I was in college, but please be honest with me, El. Is there anything I should be worried about?”
Blushing again, Ellie took a sip from her drink. “No.” She didn’t elaborate further.
“And if you did, uh, hook up with Mark, or anyone else, you’d be sure to use the proper protection?”
“Jack!”
“I just want you to be safe, Ellie. You’re the most important person in my life now.”
Ellie smiled softly and reached across the table to hold her brother’s hand. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt myself, Jack. And this might be considered too much information, but I haven’t actually slept with anyone since back when I was going steady with Adam.”
Experiencing a confusing mixture of both relief and discomfort, Jack placed his other hand on top of his sister’s. “Okay. Just be sure to always use your head.”
“Of course. But enough about my sex life, okay? I say it’s high time we talk about yours.”
“Oh, sis, I don’t think—”
“Hey Jack, fair is fair! You talked about me, so now I get to talk about you. Have you been seeing anyone since I left for college?”
Jack sighed. “No.” He knew she wouldn’t be happy with that terse answer.
“But you promised, Jack – promised that when I left home for college, you’d start dating again!”
“Oh, Ellie. You know how much Johanna means... how much she meant to me. Somehow, even thinking about dating another woman feels like I’d be cheating on her.”
Ellie frowned and laid down her fork. “You know that’s not logical.”
“But it’s how I feel, and I can’t help that. Friends keep trying to set me up on blind dates, and I keep turning them down.”
“But that’s not right!” exclaimed Ellie, banging her hand a little too hard on the table and rattling the plates. “It’s been well over a year since Johanna passed away, and I know for a fact she wouldn’t want you sitting alone at home completely consumed by work. You are kinda handsome, you know, so you need to get out there and get on with your life.”
Jack grunted. “Uh, ‘kinda handsome’? Thanks for that...”
“Okay then, very handsome! But you’re still a guy, and if being around Mark all this time has taught me anything, it’s that guys have predictable physical needs. I think it’s totally unfair that you’re making yourself suffer like a monk.”
Jack now knew exactly how Ellie must have felt when he was talking about her intimate life: embarrassed and uncomfortable. “I’m not suffering, sis. I’m okay by myself. Really. Besides, when I’m at home I have the internet and two hands, so I’m definitely no monk.”
Ellie wrinkled her nose. Jack thought she might be
showing disgust at the idea that her big brother might actually masturbate like every other guy on the planet, but then he realized she was merely being playful.
“Well, yeah, there’s that... but self-help can only get ya so far before you need some action with the real thing. When’s the last time you even spoke with a woman who didn’t work for you?”
“Does tonight count?”
Ellie laughed and resumed eating. “Okay, you got me there. Still, you know I’m right, Jack. Mom doesn’t like the idea of you being all alone either. More than anything she wants you to be happy again – just as much as I want you to be happy.”
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