Chapter 1

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Cameron came through the front door at 3:07 p.m., readjusted her backpack, and then pushed the door closed behind her.

“That you, Stuff?”

Cameron muttered an obscenity and twisted the lock button vertical with her thumb and glanced at the alarm keypad. Sean hadn’t activated it when he got home, and she wouldn’t with him there.

“Stop calling me Stuff!” she yelled hotly. “You know I hate that!” She eyed Sean enter the dining room with a sandwich in one hand, and a pair of Diet Cokes in the other. She prepared to have one chucked at her, and still bobbled it clumsily after it hit her in the chest and bounced off. “Ow!” she complained loudly. She watched Sean watch her rub her right boob.

“I hate you some times!” she hissed.

“Of course, you do. What’s not to hate.” Sean was her 2-year older brother. “Any tales from 9th grade you want to share today?”

Cameron glowered at him. She was a Sophomore, not a Freshman, but Sean always called her a 9th-grader, even in front of her friends. She wanted to rub her right boob more where the can had whacked it, but wouldn’t give Sean the pleasure. She tapped the lid to hopefully settle the contents, and then pried up the ring with her fingernail. It popped threateningly, but didn’t overflow.

“We discussed loathsome older brothers and how they should all be exiled to Somalia.” Cameron had a vague idea where Somalia was.

Sean grinned condescendingly. Popping his Diet Coke, he took a sip and said: “Much as I’d like to discuss the intrigues of familial discord today—” He waved the sandwich at her. “—I got a question for you.”

Cameron immediately tightened. This had to do with the incident two weeks ago, she just knew it. “No!” she said, heading for the stairs.

“You haven’t heard the question yet,” he objected.

“Stop being an asshole, Sean.”

“It’s $500 this time.”

Cameron stumbled and almost fell. She grew red-faced at Sean’s answering snicker. Being pigeon-toed made her prone to tripping up as she walked. So did being a hopeless klutz.

She placed the Diet Coke can on the end table next to the couch and grasped the strap of her backpack with both hands and shifted it on her shoulder. “What?”

“$500 is a lot of dough, Cam.”

Her scowl intensified and so did her already-furious blush. “I told you no more,” she growled, heading for the stairs again. “Don’t ever bring it up to me again.”

“You’d have to show your face, this time, though.”

Cameron stumbled to a halt again, cursing her brother. She could feel the grin widen on his lips.

“You can hide your face if you want to when you’re nude, he said. It’s only your body he’s interested in, anyway, Cam.”

Cam seethed. Sometimes she really hated her brother.

“No harm, no foul,” he said.

Clutching her backpack strap, Cam turned to face him. “If I had a gun right now, I’d blow your fucking cock off, Sean.”

Sean winced. “I’m fine if you say no. $500 is a lot of money, though. Especially for a few pictures in your bedroom.”

Cam eyed him hatefully. “It’s not you taking off your clothes, asshole!”

He winced again. “I’m not the one he wants to see.”

She turned back toward the stairs. “I never should’ve said yes. I’m never doing it again.”

Sean shrugged in defeat, “Fine. I’ll let him know.” He waited until she set a boot on the bottom riser to head up. “He’s not the only one that enjoyed seeing you topless, you know.”

Cam stumbled with her right boot on the 2nd stair up. Half her reason for not wanting to do it again was having her brother ogle her breasts. The first time was humiliating enough. She looked over her shoulder. “That’s just perverted, Sean.”

Sean shrugged again. “Truce-mode?”

Truce-mode made it possible to talk without fear of trading snipes and insults. They’d used it 2 weeks ago to work out the details of her 1st photo session upstairs. She turned on the bottom step to face him again. She kept her hand on the rail for balance.

“I’m still not doing it. Not for you, not for him.”

“I ain’t got $500 to offer you myself,” he said softly.

She released the railing and gripped the strap with both hands, growling, “It was bad enough the first time. No.”

“Fine. I’ll tell him no.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it!” She turned and glared at him, and he glared back. “Tell me I’m wrong, Sean!”

Sean matched her glare for an additional five seconds and then looked away. “Just go upstairs. I don’t care what you do,” he amended, waving her off. “I gotta work on my car, anyway.” He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving her standing angrily on the bottom step.