Chapter 5

I trudged up the front steps onto the porch, several 20-packs of beer tucked under my arms and a brown paper bag swinging in my hand. The door was open and I stepped inside.

“I’m home!” I called.

McKenzie’s answer came drifting down the stairs. “Down in a minute!”

I checked the clock on the living room wall. It was 6 o’clock, so McKenzie’s friends wouldn’t be arriving for another two hours.

I set the heavy cardboard boxes on the kitchen floor and knelt to start unloading beers into the fridge.

McKenzie traipsed down the stairs two minutes later and stood in the doorway, waiting for me to glance over before she made her entrance.

“Wow...” I murmured.

My stepdaughter bit her lip and glanced down, pleased. “You like?” she asked.

I grinned. “I’ll bet your mother would love that outfit,” I teased.

McKenzie looked hot. Her long, chestnut hair had been curled just enough to add some extra bounce and her makeup was, as I believe they say, on fleek. She wore an olive green top, cutoff to show her flat midriff, and a pair of jean shorts that were criminally short, exposing those long, athletic legs that I could practically feel wrapping around my waist.

The 18-year-old rolled her eyes at me. “Good thing she’s not here,” she answered, sashaying toward me. “Because I’m not wearing it for her.”

I stood to meet her and she wrapped her arms around my neck, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me lightly.

“I’m wearing it all for you...”

I growled softly in my throat. “Good,” I told her, then stepped back and jerked my head at the boxes. “Now help me get these ready for your friends.”

McKenzie wrinkled her nose but did as she was told, crouching beside me and slotting can after can into orderly rows as I emptied the boxes. “I don’t suppose now is a good time to mention,” she said. “But I really don’t like beer.”

I smiled over at her. “Don’t worry. Your stepdad isn’t totally one dimensional.” Still kneeling, I reached over into the brown bag and pulled out a handle of liquor by the neck. The brown liquid sloshed as I set it on the floor. “Fireball...” I reached in again and pulled out three more. “Fireball. Vodka. Vodka.”

McKenzie beamed. “Now we’re talking.” She moved in closer and her hand rested on my thigh as she kissed me a second time.

I leaned into it, enjoying the cherry taste of lip gloss on her mouth.

She pulled back finally, breathless, eyes shining.

“And...” I added. “I have some mixers in the car, if you’d be so kind.”

McKenzie stared at me in disbelief. “You are so awesome!“ she told me, then stood and dashed out, returning a moment later with several liter bottles of soda.

“Alright, mister,” she told me once everything had been put in the fridge. She leaned back against the counter next to me, fingers playing across my knuckles. “I just went to a lot of effort to make myself up all nice and pretty for this party. But...” A smile played across her lips.

I raised my eyebrows, but then pulled in a breath as her hand slid down my chest and rested lightly on the front of my sweatpants.

“For going above and beyond the call of duty...” she murmured, turning and falling gracefully to her knees. “My Daddy deserves a reward.”

I groaned as her hands began to work, sliding gently, teasingly up and down my thighs. My cock began to stiffen, my body tingling in anticipation. “I can get behind that,” I muttered.

My stepdaughter’s eyes looked up into mine, wide and adoring. Then, slowly, her fingers hooked under my boxers as well and she tugged.

My pants hit the floor and she kissed gently up my thighs. My breath hitched, my length swelling to half-mast.

“Mmm...” McKenzie moaned softly, leaning forward, her breath hot on my skin. Her eyes drifted down my body and locked onto the object of her desires. Her eyelashes fluttered and she softly kissed the head of my shaft.

I swallowed, flexing my fingers as blood rushed south.

Then, hands still on my thighs, she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around my cock. Her tongue swirled gently, lovingly around the head and then her cheeks hollowed. She sucked me into her mouth, my rapidly hardening length bathed in a glorious heat.

She began to bob forward and back, my cock growing harder and harder as she moved.

“Fuck...” I groaned. My head fell back and I focused on my breathing, my heart pounding in my ears.

Her fingers rose gently up my legs and then cupped my balls, gently massaging and adding a whole new sensation to the mix.

“Ohyeah baby ... Just like that...”

McKenzie sighed contentedly, the vibrations exquisite on my manhood. Her other hand joined the mix, stroking up and down on the parts of my length she couldn’t fit inside her. She continued to tug as she pulled back, gazing up into my face.

“You like that, Daddy... ?” she murmured. Her hand sped up then slowed down, toying with me. “You like your slutty little stepdaughter on her knees for you... ? Playing with you ... Just waiting for tonight when she can spread her legs and take your cock deep in her needy little pussy... ?”

I grunted and grabbed her head, pulling her back down onto my length.

She groaned happily and sucked me deep, my cock sliding into her tight throat and pulsing with lust.

My palms wrapped around and my hips gently thrust forward, pushing me deeper. Slowly, I began to pick up speed, staring down into her gorgeous face as I began to fuck her mouth. She had stopped moving, letting me take control until my balls were slapping her chin with every plunging movement.

McKenzie’s face was a mask of desire, eyes wide and shining as I used her body for my pleasure. She moaned again, her fingers undoing her tight shorts and diving between her legs. They began to circle, her breath fast and short in her nose.

I could see her nipples hardening through the thin fabric of her top and I lowered a hand to cup one of her tits. I squeezed, feeling her nipple against my palm.

She groaned and shuddered, her body growing closer and closer to the edge even while I drove deep into her mouth and her tongue bathed my length with lavish affection.

The teenager gasped as I pulled back, my red, throbbing cock sliding between her lips inch after inch until it was swaying before her, glistening wet with her saliva.

I was panting, my body tight and begging for release, but I clamped down hard. “Let’s...” I gasped and then blew out a breath. I started over. “Let’s wait for later, angel.” I sucked in air and could feel the pulsing in my temples. “I have big plans for tonight and I’m going to need all my stamina.”

McKenzie looked up at me, her shining eyes disappointed. Her hand wriggled out from her shorts and her fingers gently wrapped around my girth. She started to stroke again. “Really, Daddy... ?” she murmured. Her tongue swirled around the head. “Are you sure... ?”

My eyelids fluttered and I let out a guttural groan, but I slowly stepped back and out of her grip. My body protested, my length throbbing with pent up desire. I nodded.

“What plans?” McKenzie asked, slowly zipping up her shorts. She rose to her feet, tugging up my sweats, and pressed close to me. She pulled my clothes back over my cock, leaving an obvious tent between my thighs. She patted the bulge. “Anything I can do to ... help... ?” She squeezed softly.

My breath shuddered at her touch but I coughed and cleared my head with a swift shake. “Actually, angel,” I told her, bending close to her ear. “I can’t get it done without you...”

Loud electronic music shook the living room as I stepped in from the kitchen. I rolled my shoulders and took in a slow, steady breath. It used to be that large crowds had intimidated me. I’d had trouble interacting outside my small circle of friends and the idea of approaching total strangers had petrified me. Now, confidence pulsed in my veins and I casually popped the top of my beer open with a soft snap.

My eyes scanned the room, taking a sip as I took in the sight of excited teenagers. Most had a drink in their hand, but I wasn’t worried. I’d had everyone put their keys in the front hallway and all the designated drivers, at my instructions, had given my stepdaughter their ID’s for safekeeping. A few of them had been uncertain, but McKenzie had convinced them that I wasn’t just being a dick. I was doing it for everyone’s safety.

Out in the backyard I could hear more of them. In total, thirty-five or forty kids between the ages of 18 and 22 roamed my house. The only place off limits was upstairs.

I spotted McKenzie chatting with a few of her friends and walked over. My gait was slow and casually confident, and my eyes surveyed the room with an air of ownership. Several girls on the couch glanced over at me as I passed by, each one taking in a deep breath and then closing her eyes for a moment before resuming their conversation as though they hadn’t noticed.

I’d made sure to spray myself with a generous dose of my BDE cologne before coming downstairs to make my appearance, and I felt a warm, satisfied glow knowing that it had the intended effect. I still wasn’t sure how it worked — Some sort of pheromone thing, maybe? — but it did, and that’s what I cared about.

McKenzie glanced up at me as I appeared by her side, bumping my hip and raising a red, plastic cup in one hand. “Hey, John,” she said. “Nice of you to join us.” Her tone was carefully neutral.

“I hope you’re having fun, honey.” I smiled blandly down at her before turning to face the others.

A young man and young woman had been chatting with my stepdaughter, the guy switching his cup to his free hand before offering me his hand to shake. “You have an awesome house, sir,” he said. “Thanks a lot for letting McKenzie host here.”

I was put off for a moment by being called ‘sir.’ Even at the office, sir was only a term for the higher-ups, and my team just called me ‘John’ or, jokingly, ‘boss man.’ Then I realized that, as the Man of the House, it was only right for visitors to treat me with deference. I shook the kid’s hand warmly. He had a firm, mature grip that matched his outfit: button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of bright summer shorts. He looked like an adult at a laid-back work function. “Glad you could make it,” I told him. “What’s your name?”

“Bryan,” he answered, then nudged the girl with the elbow of his drink hand. “And this is my girlfriend, Liz.”

The girl beamed up at me. It was only 9:30, but I could tell she was already tipsy. “Hi!” she said, her bubbly positivity evident in her voice. “I’m Elizabeth. Really cool party. My parents would never let me host anything at our house. You must be a great dad.”

I smiled noncommittally down at her. She was cute in a sweet, girl-next-door kind of way. Her short blonde hair was pulled back and her black-and-white striped top was tucked into a knee-length, red skirt. “I aim to please,” I answered with an inclination of my head. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I’m going to borrow your hostess for a moment?”

I steered McKenzie away and toward a clear corner. “Any more expected arrivals?” I asked, taking a sip of my beer. I was feeling a little buzzed. It lowered my inhibitions, made me want to do more than just admire my stepdaughter’s sexy outfit, but I kept myself in check. Time enough for that later, I told myself.

“Umm...” My stepdaughter’s eyes surveyed the living room and then, together, we walked toward the backyard.

Some of the guys had put together a drinking game on the ping pong table and there were several small knots of teenagers in conversation scattered on the grass and patio. It was the first party I’d been to in a long time with fewer men than women, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was at an all-you-can eat buffet of young, gorgeous babes.

“Everyone here?” I asked.

“Not quite,” McKenzie said, finishing her perusal of the guests. She turned to find me standing right behind her, and I watched her eyelids flutter as she breathed in my heady scent. Her gaze dipped down my body and then back up. Her lips parted and I could hear her breath speeding up.

“Breathe, angel,” I murmured, rubbing her upper arm gently. “Deep breath and focus, okay?” I met her glazed eyes with mine and lowered my hand to my side.

She shook her head and blinked several times, then her light eyes cleared and her lips curved into a wondering smirk. “Oh fuck you smell good, Daddy...” she whispered. “I can feel myself getting wet for you. Right here in front of everyone...”

I smiled slightly and gestured with my chin out over the backyard, but inside I could feel my core turn molten with desire. All I wanted was to take McKenzie upstairs, throw her down on a bed and fuck her sweet, teen body over and over again. I controlled myself. Later...

My stepdaughter turned and leaned back against the wall next to me, surveying the space and taking a few more deep breaths. “Miranda still isn’t here, and she’s the one you’ve got to meet. Brooke is running late and she said she was bringing her boyfriend, bleh. Other than that, just a couple of the guys and some girls who said they’d be here around 10.”

I nodded decisively. “Alright then.” I took a swig from my beer and grimaced. “You’re right,” I told McKenzie, shaking my head and chuckling. “This stuff isn’t really that great.”

My stepdaughter grinned and jerked her head towards the kitchen. “Then I know just what we’re going to do.” Putting her hands to her mouth, she called out into the yard. “Who’s ready for some shots?!”

I watched in disbelief as McKenzie threw back her head and tossed a third shot down her throat. One by one, the four other girls and three guys in the line did the same, grimacing and shaking their heads.

My head buzzed but I knew that in a couple of minutes the two shots I’d taken would be hitting me hard.

I rested my hand lightly on my stepdaughter’s shoulder. “You going to be okay?” I asked.

She bumped me playfully with her hip and grinned. “Don’t be a buzzkill, dude,” she teased. “Not after I keep telling my friends how cool you are.”

I shook my head, smiling and raising my hands in defeat. “You got it, Kenz.” In the back of my mind, a mantra had started to play on loop.

The Man of the House protects his household. The Man of the House keeps his women safe.

I shrugged it away. I’m in control of this, I ordered. I don’t have to mindlessly obey the BDE recordings. I’m doing this my way. I watched as McKenzie wobbled slightly and gripped the counter, then centered herself. Even if I’m it means I let teenagers pull foolhardy, teenager stunts.

So, instead of stopping her, I just decided to move the party elsewhere. I clapped my hands together, getting everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said as eight sets of eyes turned my way, the men looking attentive and the women even more so. “What do you say we head to the couches and play another game?”

We crowded into the living room, a dozen of us circling around the coffee table. McKenzie scampered over to the bookshelf in the corner where we kept our games and scooped up a deck of playing cards. She held it up towards the group.

“King’s Cup?” she asked, and there was a chorus of approval. “We have a winner!” she declared enthusiastically and wove her way through the furniture to plop down on the couch across from where I sat, sinking deep in one of the comfy leather chairs.

Quickly, she spread out the cards in a fan surrounding the red, central ‘King’s Cup’, which was filled to the brim with one of the beers from the fridge.

“Everyone have a drink?” my stepdaughter asked, and then the game began.

I hadn’t played drinking games in half a decade, so as we commenced it was clear that I was far behind on the rules. The first card flipped was a seven, and as I watched everyone’s hands skyrocketed up to point at the ceiling. Seven is heaven, I remembered belatedly, but I was already the last to move.

My stepdaughter shook her head with mock sadness. “Drink up, John,” she said, as the circle of teenagers grinned at me. “Looks like you’re really in for it.”

I took a bemused sip and did my best to follow along as McKenzie reached for the next card. She flipped it over.

Eight.

I wracked my brain. Eight is... ?

“Mate!” The 18-year-old crowed, and her hazel eyes scanned the circle before meeting my dark brown gaze. “Father, dearest,” she said, and her friends laughed softly. “Whenever I drink, you drink,” and she took a long, slow sip from her cup.

I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m too old for this,” I joked, and then matched her drink with a swallow of my own. As the guy next to McKenzie reached for the next card, I felt a soft bzzz in my pocket and tugged free my phone.

It was Barbara.

Since our short text conversation yesterday when she’d confirmed her safe landing, we hadn’t spoken. “Everything going well?”

My eyes scanned the circle. Everyone still alive and breathing? Check. Having a good time? There was a brief bout of laughter as something happened in the game and I smiled to myself. Check.

“Everything good.” I responded. “Kenz’s party is a success. Everyone seems to be having fun.”

The little bubbles bounced on my screen, then: “Such a good stepdad. :) And you? Having a fun evening babysitting all the drunk teenagers?”

I snorted a soft laugh. I snapped a quick picture of the game and sent it her way. “Babysitting? I’m participating!”

“Dad!” McKenzie’s voice cut through my focus on the screen. “Your turn.”

I tucked the phone back in my pocket and glanced up to a sea of expectant faces. The turn had revolved halfway around the circle and gotten to me. It was my turn to flip a card. “Sorry, everybody.” I leaned forward with a groan and flipped the nearest card.

Jack.

My eyes narrowed as I tried to remember the rule, and then I looked around with wide eyes and a sheepish smile. “A little help?” The shots had definitely hit me by now, my vision going fuzzy around the edges as I forced myself to focus.

The girl sitting nearest me, a busty Latina in a skintight white dress that complemented her tawny complexion, held up three fingers at me. “Never Have I Ever,” she said, and I blew out a stream of air.

“Oh boy,” I said, and everyone laughed. Shaking my head, I held up three fingers with everyone else. Now, everyone was looking at me expectantly. “Uhm...” I struggled to come up with something I hadn’t done, always much harder when you’re tipsy and faced with the need to think quickly. “Never have I ever smoked pot?”

There was another round of giggling as almost everyone in the circle lowered a finger.

McKenzie waited, a thoughtful expression on her face as several of the people nearest turned to face her with expectant looks. Then, meeting my eyes with a rueful grin, she lowered a finger.

I wasn’t really surprised, but it was my job to play the role of ‘only adult in the room.’ I shook my head in mock disappointment. “My little princess...” I mused loudly in false dismay. “Whatever will I learn about you next.” Then, I joined the circle of chuckles as we turned to the Latina girl.

Her eyes were on me, and I could see that through her buzz she was starting to feel the effects of being in such close proximity. Her pupils were dilated and her full lips were parted slightly. Then, when she realized that we were waiting on her, she coughed distractedly and rattled off. “Never have I ever been drunk with my parents.”

I snorted and kept all three fingers aloft, glancing around. My parents were hardcore Christians, so I’d made certain that whenever we drank together I kept all my wits about me. Otherwise I never would never have heard the end of it.

Only two of the others put their fingers down, McKenzie once again and the guy next to her who’d already flipped a card. “I sense unfair discrimination,” McKenzie protested, shaking a small fist at the girl.

“Oops,” the Latina answered, eyes widening innocently. “Sorry, babe.” The dark-skinned beauty smiled teasingly. “I guess you shouldn’t have invited your dad to come drink with us.”

The turn passed around and I lost fingers to “Never have I ever flirted with someone on a dare” — it was college, everyone does stupid shit in college — and “Never have I ever gotten a ticket” — though, to be fair, everyone speeds from time to time.

McKenzie was next, but first came the young man sitting to her left. He looked a little older than the others, but maybe it was just his air of maturity and the calm, collected way he sat with his back straight and his hands folded in his lap. He cleared his throat and looked around. He was tall and wore a slim blue button down and skinny jeans that made him look even reedier. He, too, was down to a single finger. “Never have I ever...” he paused theatrically. “Fantasized about someone in this room.”

It was a good one, and everyone in the room cast a glance around the circle to subtly check. As they did, the Latina girl leaned in close to me and told me in a stage whisper, “Nigel can only say that ‘cause he’s gay.”

“I heard that!” Nigel interrupted loudly, but it was with a good-natured grin. “And,” he added, spreading his hands, “guilty as charged.”

The group all laughed, and while everyone was distracted people were subtly lowering their fingers, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Glancing around, I could see that every girl had lowered a finger, and McKenzie was taking a hasty swig of her drink.

She pointed at me, “That means you too, John,” she laughed. “Twice, since I drank and you definitely lost your last strike. I know you’ve been flirting with Adrianna there.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. “Nice to meet you, Adrianna,” I said, turning and holding out my free hand to the curvy Latina. “I’m John. I’ve been fantasizing all about you since we first met twelve seconds ago.”

She pressed her warm hand into mine. “Of course you have, John,” she answered. “I have that effect on people.” She winked cheekily, but she held onto my hand a beat longer than necessary, and I could see the soft glow of a blush on her cheeks. It could have been the alcohol, but I knew it was my cologne and the Alpha Male energy I exuded like an aura of power around me.

Our interaction prompted a short bout of amusement, and then eyes turned expectantly to Adrianna.

She started a little as she realized it was her turn, and as she reached for a card I felt another insistent bzz in my pocket. I fished out my phone and then stood, holding up my empty red cup. “Just gonna go refill this,” I told the group. I checked the message as I walked into the kitchen.

“Fun!”

Barbara’s text included an image of her own, a selfie of my wife with several of her coworkers. It looked like they were at the hotel bar, and seated next to her was none other than my very favorite salesman, Aaron Burns.

I felt my breath hitch, and my heart beat swifter for a moment. He’s going to fuck my wife... The thought echoed through my mind for a moment before my inner Alpha could react.

Stop it. Get yourself together, man. They can do whatever they want, because you are in control. You will win in the end. You will always win in the end.

The phone vibrated again as she captioned the photo. “Out with the work fam, but missing my home fam. ;)”

I smiled, calmer now. Whatever happens there happens, I told myself. You can’t control it. All you can control is the here and now. I looked up from my phone, then, and realized I wasn’t alone in the kitchen.

The cute blonde from an hour or so earlier — I searched my brain for a moment... Elizabeth! — was leaning back against the counter, a trio of shot glasses on the counter next to her. Two of them were already empty, and as I watched she tilted back her head and the third shot slid down her throat.

I frowned slightly. The girl was only medium height and slimly built, and I wasn’t sure how much she’d had to drink but adding three shots on top of that seemed a bit excessive.

Then, I noticed that she had a crestfallen expression on her face and I realized that something must have happened. “Hey,” I said softly, approaching. “Elizabeth, right?”

The teenager turned her head and then flinched when she met my eyes. She was definitely a bit more than tipsy at this point, and the sight of an adult had her worried. “I’m sorry, sir,” she said, looking down. “I’m not too drunk, I swear. I just wanted to catch up with everyone else.”

“Don’t worry about it...” I brushed the apology away like a pesky fly. “Did something happen? Are you alright?”

The girl shrugged. “I’m fine,” she answered despondently. “All good here.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head, and she looked up at me in surprise. “Something happened,” I told her gently, leaning against the counter a few feet away. “You don’t have to tell me what it was if you don’t want to, but is there anything I can do to help?” I’m not really sure what it was that prompted me to get involved. Maybe I’m just a nice guy. But I think it was the protective Alpha Male inside of me. He saw a woman in need and rushed to take control of the situation.

The sad lines in Elizabeth’s face drew tighter, and I almost regretted my question. Then, she burst forth, “I can’t believe he’d do this! With that bitch Tiffany? Right in front of me?”

“Oh...” I murmured, comprehension dawning. I thought I caught the gist of what might be going on. I fought the urge to rub her shoulder comfortingly — You’re still her friend’s stepdad, John, don’t be creepy — and instead blew out a long sigh. I reached over and picked up the handle of whiskey. I poured several splashes into my cup and then scooted around her and bent over, opening the fridge to find a mixer. “Something happen with Bryan?” I asked casually as I pulled out one of the bottles of soda.

Keeping her talking seemed like the best idea at this point, since it would keep her from drinking. I straightened, focusing on mixing my drink and giving her a bit of space.

Then, I heard a soft sound next to me and when I looked over I saw that the blonde’s hands were over her mouth as she choked back a sob. “How could he do this to me?” she asked softly into her hands. “I thought he loved me...” Her eyes were a watery blue as they looked up at me.

Oh God... I thought. Teenage drama. Perfect. But instead of saying any of that I simply shrugged helplessly at the young woman. “I don’t know what to say, Elizabeth. It sounds like a rough spot. I can tell you, though, that this,” I gestured vaguely at the shot glasses, “is not going to help. And I have an idea of something that might.”

She looked skeptically up at me, sniffling.

“You may have noticed,” I said, leaning in conspiratorially, “that I’m a bit old.“

Elizabeth snorted out a soft laugh at that, and I smiled back.

“Some of my new friends,” I jerked my head in the direction of the living room, “are playing King’s Cup in there and I think it might be better if I was replaced by someone more hip.” I widened my eyes meaningfully at her. “Someone like you, maybe? Help me out?” I smiled disarmingly, trying to send out a relaxed, calming energy.

The teenager pressed her lips together, and I could see she was on the verge of saying no.

I did rest my hand lightly on her arm then, and she looked up into my face, surprised. “Please?” I asked again, and this time I gave my voice a little extra. I felt the soft, rumbling thunder in my chest and saw the blonde’s eyes widen slightly.

Her pupils dilated and then her breathing slowed down to match mine. She blinked after a few seconds and nodded as I stepped back. “Give me a minute,” she said, tugging a paper towel from a nearby roll and dabbing at her makeup.

As she did, I grabbed a fresh cup and filled it with water from the tap.

A dozen seconds later, Elizabeth looked up. Her face was still flushed with alcohol, but in the semidarkness of the next room her puffy eyes would be impossible to notice. “How do I look?” she asked softly, almost shyly.

My eyes traced her face. She actually looked really pretty, and I wondered what Bryan had been thinking. I gave her a thumbs up. “Looking good,” I told her, smiling. I offered her a fist bump and she laughed softly as she touched my knuckles gently with hers. She started to walk past me but I held up the new cup in her way.

She looked up at me in surprise, then took it meekly.

“Drink it,” I ordered. “It’s good for you. Take a little bit of time off from the hard stuff, okay?”

Elizabeth nodded obediently and took a sip, then headed into the other room with a little more spring in her step.

I leaned back on the marble countertop, blowing out a breath and fishing in my pocket for my phone. I swiped it open again and stared at Barbara’s text for a moment before I started to type a message of my own.