Chapter 2

Sometimes when the twins stayed over, we visited the large pub at the end of the road. They had a good selection of beers and decent food, they also had a pool table, which was Zac’s main attraction. I’d given up trying to beat him.

The main attraction for me was Maddy, the barmaid. She was tall, full figured, with fantastic red hair.

“Hey Jim, no kids tonight?” Maddy asked as she poured me a pint.

“They’ll be along soon, just running late,” I replied as I handed her a fiver.

We’d decided it was simplest if they posed as my actual kids, as there’s no easy way to explain why two 15-year-old kids are hanging around with a guy my age who’s not a relative.

“They’re a good-looking pair,” Maddy said as she handed my change over.

“They’re lucky they favour their mother, rather than me,” I replied, dropping the coins into the tip jar.

“Don’t run yourself down, you’re a decent looking guy.”

Willow dashed up at that point, wrapping her arm around me and kissing my cheek, “Sorry I’m late, dad.”

“Where’s Zac?”

“That’s why I’m late, he’s got himself a detention.”

“What did he do...” I asked, sighing, they’re not even my kids but I worry about them as if they were.

“He got into a bit of a fight with someone saying we’re fucking.”

Maddy gave Willow a glass of coke and a food menu without even being asked, that’s what I like about this pub.

“Ahh, this again,” I sighed as we walked over to an empty table.

“Yeah, but now it’s true, isn’t it.”

“Well, it may be, but you can’t let people believe it is. If anyone at school found out, you and Peggy will be in real trouble.”

“Ahh, yes, I see. What about once we’re 16, will it be OK then?”

“I’m sorry Willow, but it won’t ever be legal for you and Zac to sleep together, so you see why you have to be careful.”

Willow looked downcast, “but I love him.”

“I know you do. That’s why I’m OK with you sleeping with him at my house, but you must keep it a secret. You also have to keep it a secret about us sleeping together, especially if I’m posing as your dad.”

Willow threw her arms around me, hugging me tight, “I love you so much Jim. Can we have sex tonight? Zac says he wants to watch.”

“I might just send him straight to his room for getting into trouble,” I told her.

“Yes, that’s a suitable punishment,” Willow replied, brightening up now.

“What time will he be here,” I asked.

“Detention is 90 minutes; he’ll be here about 6 o’clock.”

“Let’s order food but ask for it to come after 6.”

I sent Willow to order the food, I’d already opened a tab, she returned carrying another pint of Doom Bar.

“Maddy fancies you,” she whispered, placing the fresh pint before me, “should I foster this relationship?”

This surprised me. Maddy is always friendly, but that’s a barmaid’s job. She’s much younger than me, she looks to be mid to late 20’s, and I always assumed she had a boyfriend. Well, she’s very good looking, so why wouldn’t she have a boyfriend.

“How do you know she fancies me?”

“Well, she just gave you a free pint, so that’s one clue.”

“Ahh, I wondered about that, because I didn’t ask you to get me a drink.”

“The second clue is she just quizzed me about mum, asking if she’s still around. I took a chance and said she wasn’t, so Maddy just asked if you’re single. You’ll be pleased to know I said you were. So, make sure you’re ready for flirting when she brings our food.”

Zac arrived a little before 6, out of breath and sweating, he’d obviously run all the way from school.

“So sorry I’m late...” he panted before drinking half of Willow’s coke, “a little problem at school.”

“It’s OK, I already told him you’ve been in detention, and why.”

“Ahh, OK. I couldn’t just stand there and let that arsehole spread lies.”

“But it’s not a lie anymore,” Willow told him.

“Well, yeah, but ... Ahh shit, what was I supposed to do?”

“It’s OK Zac,” I assured him, “you did the right thing in the circumstances, because you can’t let anyone think you’re sleeping together. But I’d rather you didn’t get into any more fights, as it may prompt school to contact Peggy, or even involve someone coming round to visit. We don’t want anyone looking too closely at your living arrangements.”

“I guess you’re right, but what can I do to stop the rumours?”

“How would the other kids react if you came out, Zac?”

“Most of them wouldn’t care, but the same dicks who claim we’re sleeping together would have a field day. I’d be off the football team in an instant, not because the PE teacher would throw me off, but because he would be afraid to stand up to the likes of Mason and Josh.”

“I see, so not really any better than the current situation.”

“Nope, I’ll try ignoring it, see if they get bored.”

“I’d come to school and have a word with someone if it would help, though I’m not sure they’d listen to your neighbour.”

“Let’s see what happens tomorrow, I gave Josh a pretty impressive black eye.”

“You’re my hero, Zac,” Willow cooed as Maddy brought our food, and a drink for Zac.

“Macaroni cheese, great choice,” Zac exclaimed as Maddy returned with my Steak and Kidney pie, she leant very close as she put the plate down, I got a good view down her blouse.

Willow was smiling as Maddy left the table, “what did I tell you,” She laughed, “oh, my drink is empty. Seeing as you had most of it, give me a pound Zac so I can get another.”

Zac pushed a coin across the table, Willow grabbed it and skipped to the bar.

“We’re sleeping at home tonight,” Willow told Zac as she resumed her seat.

“OK,” he replied after swallowing a mouthful of his macaroni cheese, “not that it matters, but is there a reason?”

“Because Maddy finishes her shift at 10pm.”

“And?”

“Don’t you notice anything? She fancies Jim, so I’ve told her we’re staying at our mum’s tonight, instead of dad’s.”

Zac looked across to the bar, then at me.

“Isn’t she pretty,” Willow cried, “I think she’d make a great pretend step-mum to go with our pretend dad.”

After eating, we’d normally go home and watch TV, but Willow insisted we stay for a bit longer, so we watched Zac beat four people at pool, then watched the second half of the England Women’s football match on the big TV.

As the game ended, I felt someone brush my arm, I looked away from the TV to see Maddy standing next to us.

“I finish in a few minutes; Willow says you’ve got some good wine in the fridge.”

“I always have good wine in the fridge, and some even better red wine in the larder.”

“Don’t go anywhere mister, I’ve got a few tables to clear, then I’m done.”

Willow clapped her hands and cheered as Maddy walked away, swinging her hips as she went.

“Oh my god, this is such good news!”

“What if Jim didn’t like Maddy?”

“Do you even have eyes, Zac. Where has he been looking all night every time we come here?”

“But why is he looking at Maddy when you’re here?”

“Oh Zac, because he’s an adult, and whilst I’m the most fun he’s ever had, sometimes adults like to spend time with other adults. Plus, it means we get more time together.”

A moment later Maddy returned, she took my hand, “lead me to the wine,” she whispered, her low husky voice doing interesting things to me.

“I thought you were staying at your mum’s tonight,” Maddy asked as Willow and Zac followed us from the pub.

“We are, mum’s house is right behind Jim’s.”

“That’s convenient,” Maddy replied, smiling.

“It’s how we met.”

“How you met your dad?”

“Oh no, Jim’s not our dad, that would be weird if we’d only just met. Our real dad is in the wind. We met Jim when he moved to the area a few months back. He was kind and friendly, so when mum is away, we stay at his house.”

“So, your mum is away tonight?”

“Yeah, but we’ll be fine staying at home alone, we’ve been doing it for years.”

“Why don’t we have a chat over a glass or two of wine, then you can go home.”

“That would be nice. We need to pop to Jim’s anyway to pick up clean uniform for tomorrow.”

“I hope Willow hasn’t said anything too weird,” I asked as I poured Maddy a glass of nicely chilled Pinot Grigio while the twins collected clothes and books for tomorrow.

“No, she’s confirmed a suspicion. You have a London accent, the kids don’t. They look nothing like you, and you look far too relaxed for someone who’s living with a pair of teenagers.”

“They kind of live here half the week...”

“But they’re not your responsibility, so there’s less pressure.”

“Well, there is that.”

Willow came stomping into the kitchen with her school backpack.

“I made a lot of noise in case you were kissing,” she said, helping herself to my glass, “oh, this one’s nice, you brought out the special one for Maddy.”

“We’ve not got to the kissing stage yet,” Maddy laughed.

“Yet ... so you might progress to that stage once we’re out of the way.”

“One lives in hope,” she replied, “but first I want to hear your story.”

Once Zac returned, we moved to the lounge. I was pleased that Maddy joined me on the small sofa, Willow sat on the floor beside Zac’s chair.

“So, we know Jim isn’t your dad,” Maddy started, she laid a hand on my knee as she spoke, sending a shiver up and down my body, “I kind of guessed, but it was none of my business, maybe he’s your stepdad, maybe he’s just your mum’s boyfriend, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re all happy. Anyway, what concerns me more is you’re about to go home to an empty house, and you say you’ve been doing this for years.”

Willow sipped her wine and took a deep breath, “mum’s a member of a commune ... you know the one off the A590, past Kendal?”

Maddy nodded and smiled, “now it makes sense, please, carry on.”

“So yeah, mum and dad both lived there, that’s where they met, I think. When they married, and mum was having us, they left the commune and moved into our nan’s house. They stayed away from the commune for a few years, until we were about 5 years old. Mum went to college in the evenings, got a bookkeeping qualification; dad worked at the bus depot. Once we were in primary school, mum went to work at the commune a few days a week, doing their books, because they make a lot of money selling their arts and crafts things. Then dad was fired from the bus depot, and he joined mum back at the commune. When we were about eight or nine, they started staying at the commune the odd night, and this is when the problems started.”

“Problems?” Maddy asked.

“You know the rumours about that place?”

“The sex parties?” Maddy replied.

“Yep, those.”

“I see, did your parents participate?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know about mum. She’s gorgeous, so I’m sure there were plenty of men and women interested, but she’s never said whether she joined in.”

“But your dad...”

“Yep. He was particularly interested in one young family, mum thought he was interested in Crystal, the mother. I’ve seen Crystal, she’s stunning. I don’t think mum would have been worried if he was having sex with Crystal, or Dean, her husband. The problem was, dad was interested in Raine, her daughter.”

“Ahh, and Raine was...”

“I don’t know how old she was, but Crystal was mid-20’s at the time.”

“Fuck, so your mum kicked your dad out.”

“Something like that...” Willow replied.

“Where is he now?”

“Somewhere in the Irish Sea...” Zac replied, without emotion.

“Ahh, that’ll do the trick.”

“So, where’s your mum now?”

“At the commune, she’s back tomorrow we think.”

“And when she’s away, you stay here.”

“We do. Do you want to see our room?”

“Room, singular.”

“We’re twins...” Willow replied simply.

“I see, and you’re OK with that?” she asked me, “well, of course you are, or they wouldn’t be here.”

“Are you OK with it?” Willow asked, “I realise it seems odd, but we’ve had to raise each other from being little, so we’ve always been super close. I don’t want to weird you out or anything, because I think you like Jim, and I love Jim and want him to be happy...” she was almost crying by the time she finished.

Maddy held out her hand for Willow, she pulled her into a hug, patting her back like she was consoling a small child, “does your mum know?’ she asked in a whisper.

“I don’t think so, she’s never caught us, but she’s not been around much.”

“Does she know about your sleeping arrangements here?”

“She’s not been in the house, she met Jim once, in the garden, but that’s all.”

Maddy finished her wine, then she took my untouched glass and finished that, “OK, why don’t you two go to bed, and keep your door shut. Me and your ‘dad’,” she said that with air quotes, “will have a chat. I have a few tests I use to check whether a guy is worth spending time with. Very few people pass all the tests.”

“How’s Jim doing?” Willow asked.

“OK so far,” Maddy smiled.

“What are the other tests?”

“Most are to be carried out in private,” Maddy replied with a grin, “but one is a straight up question, can you name all of Girls Aloud?”

“Seriously, Girls Aloud?”

“You wouldn’t believe the number of men who ask me to name the Beatles. I was 4 when George Harrison died, there’s only been two Beatles alive for most of my life, so how is that a fair question?”

“How old are you, Maddy?” Willow asked.

“I’m 26, how old are you, Willow?”

“We’re 15, nearly 16.”

“How long have you been sleeping together?”

Willow bit her lip, nervous about answering.

“It’s OK Willow, nothing we say tonight will leave the room.”

“I taught Zac how to get me off when we were 10, and I first went down on Zac when we were 12.”

“Have you had sex?”

“Mmm, Zac is gay, we tried to have sex for ages, but he couldn’t keep it up. I wasn’t angry, just frustrated. We finally had successful sex, with Jim’s help, a couple of months ago. We had sex without Jim’s help last week.”

“Do I need to know how Jim helped?”

“That depends on your opinion of bisexuality...” Willow replied.

“Well, some of my best nights have involved my girlfriends.”

“Then I’m sure you can guess how Jim helped Zac stay hard long enough to make love to me.”

Maddy moved her hand up my thigh, a reassuring reaction.

“You’ve had long enough to come up with an answer, Jim, I’ll accept 4 of the 5 members of Girls Aloud...”

“OK, there’s Cheryl, I think she was Cheryl Cole then. The redhead one, Nicola ... I want to say Roberts, is that right?” A gentle squeeze of my thigh suggested I was right, “The blonde one who died, Sarah Harding. The Irish girl, Nadine something ... Coyle...”

“OK, that’s 4, give me the 5^th member and I may just marry you...”

I could picture her, brown hair, from Yorkshire, could I remember her name though, nope, I could not.

“If you can lip read, I think Willow can help you,” Maddy laughed.

“But that’s cheating,” I replied.

“Kimberly Walsh!” Willow told me.

“Of course...” I replied, slapping my head in exasperation.

“Your honesty is refreshing Jim; I shall give you another chance to win me upstairs.”

This was the news Willow wanted to hear, “Come on Zac, we’ll go home so the grownups have got some privacy.”

“It’s OK, you can stay,” Maddy told them, “I’d rather you weren’t home alone.”

“You’re not a screamer are you,” Willow asked, “because that would be embarrassing.”

“I’ll be as quiet as a mouse,” Maddy replied, “now come here so I can kiss you goodnight.”

Willow went to kiss Maddy’s cheek, but Maddy moved, and she landed on her lips, they kissed for a few moments and the room became very hot.

“Oh wow!” Willow gasped as she came up for air, “make sure you win Maddy, because I want to kiss her some more.”

“I hope he wins, because I’d kind of like to keep him,” Maddy said as she kissed Willow once more, a quick peck this time.

Willow took Zac’s hand, leading him from the room, she waved to us from the doorway, telling us to “have fun kids” as she left the room.

Maddy turned to me, touching my cheek tenderly with her fingers, “so, do you want a taste of what I just gave Willow?”

“I’m not going to say no,” I replied.

“Only if you can name all of Little Mix,” she laughed.

“Ahh, shit, I don’t even know who they are!”

Maddy was laughing as she kissed me, “I’m surprised Willow hasn’t made you listen to them.”

“She probably has, I’ve just not learnt the names of the bands yet.”

“Anyway Mr ... oh my god! I’m about to rip your clothes off and I don’t even know your surname!”

“Parr, James Parr, or Jim to my friends.”

“Pleased to meet you Mr Parr, I’m Madeline McKenzie, Maddy to my friends and lovers. Now where was I, ahh, ripping your clothes off.”

“Please don’t rip the shirt, Willow bought it for me.”

“I have very limited patience Jim; you have 15 seconds to remove the shirt, or I will rip it off.”

Maddy was smiling, but I wasn’t about to test her patience, so I unfastened the buttons and removed it as she unbuckled my belt and removed my trousers.

“It looks like someone is pleased to see me,” she whispered huskily before taking me in her mouth, “who gives better blowjobs, Willow or Zac?” she asked as she came up for air.

“Willow has the most skills, but Zac earns points for enthusiasm,” I managed to reply as she took me deep and did things with her mouth that Willow could only dream about.

“Is she this good?” Maddy asked, a cheeky grin telling me she didn’t expect an honest answer, but I gave her one anyway.

“Give her time and practice, and she will be.”

“I’m happy to give her lessons.”

“Does this mean you’re not going to cut and run tomorrow.”

“Oh no, Jim Parr, I’m not that kind of girl. You’ve passed all my tests, I’m sticking around.”

“Even though I’ve slept with both the twins?”

“Because you’ve slept with them both, any man who willingly screws a lad just to make his sister happy, is a man I want to know better. Besides, given the chance, I’d sleep with them both, they’re gorgeous. Willow has a fantastic figure.”

“So do you, Maddy...”

“And you haven’t even seen me naked yet, it’s about time we fixed that...”

Maddy stood and started to dance, unfastening her blouse as she swayed.

“This is where a Little Mix CD would come in handy...”

“As long as it’s not Shout Out to My Ex.”

“Hahahaha ... see you do know who Little Mix are. No, I was thinking of something more obvious, Strip.”

“I don’t know that one.”

“Do you have a Bluetooth speaker?”

“Willow’s is under the TV I think.”

Maddy fetched her phone from her jacket and switched on the speaker, a moment later I was treated to a slinky funk beat, and Maddy dancing sexily around the lounge.

“I did a bit of stripping when I was at college,” she told me through her legs as she bent over, legs straight, palms on the floor, her naked ass in my eyeline. “Should I take it up again?”

“You’d make decent money,” I told her.

“Maybe, but my body is mine, I’ll choose who gets to see it. Right now, this booty is for your eyes only.”

With that she pushed herself off the ground and spun around to face me. Wearing just her shoes and bra she looked stunning.

“Do I pass your test?” she asked.

“You passed it hours ago; this is the icing on the cake.”

“Take me to bed, Jim.”

“The 5^th step creaks,” I whispered.

“And you think those two are asleep?” she replied, “they’re awake and waiting for us, I guarantee it. Which is their room?”

“On the right at the top of the stairs, mine is at the end of the hallway.”

To confirm the twins were awake, Maddy gently pushed their door as she passed, it bounced off something hard and we heard a yelp.

Maddy turned to me, smiling as she walked onto my room.

“That was mean,” I whispered as we entered my bedroom.

“You’re right,” she replied as she unclipped her bra, “I’ll go and apologise.”

I watched as Maddy walked back to their room. She was utterly confident as she strode down the hall, as naked as the day she was born, not a hint of shyness, proud of her body.

Love, lust?

Who can tell, right now I wanted her more than anything else.

She knocked on their door, “it’s only me, I just want to say sorry for knocking someone out.”

“It’s OK,” Willow cried, pulling the door open, “I shouldn’t have been listening, but you were playing one of my favourite songs.”

“Did I hurt you?”

“No, I fell over and the door hit my knee. I’m fine.”

“Are you going home tomorrow, sweetie?”

“Mum will be back, she’ll expect us home.”

“Super, could you ask her if I could have a chat some time.”

“You’re not upset with her, are you?”

“A little, but I want to reassure her that I’ll be around a lot, she should be more comfortable about letting you stay if there’s a woman in the house.”

Willow paused, thinking, “does that mean what I think it means.”

“Probably,” Maddy replied as she backed away from their room, “now get to bed. If I’m awake I’ll walk you to school in the morning, I heard what you said before in the pub, I want to speak to your pastoral team and get that rumour squashed flat.”

“We don’t want any trouble!”

“Ahh, I love causing trouble,” Maddy told her, “but on this occasion, I just want to stop the rumours.”