Chapter 1

“Dad?” Lydia’s voice was muffled as she came into my home office. “What’re you doing? Can we talk for just a minute?”

I sighed, but this was just one of the things that happened whenever I’d try to work from home - My twin daughters Lydia or Lizzie would always come into my office for one reason or another. Usually, they wanted some piece of information or homework assignment that couldn’t wait until after dinner. But sometimes, they needed a parent’s guidance or comfort. This was one of those days.

“What’s up, Lydia?” I smiled warmly.

My little girl looked up at me nervously, her hands clasped behind her back. She wore a cute green sundress today. It hugged her small frame perfectly. And while I never meant to look or notice, her cleavage was undeniable and frankly, unhideable. But of course I only paid it a scant glance before looking her in her blue eyes. At least, that was my goal. In practice though was a different thing altogether.

“Um,” she said softly. “Can ... can I ask you something?”

“Sure, honey.” I sat back in my chair, placing my feet flat on the floor. My eyes roamed over her face and neck, taking note of the soft youthful freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose, her face framed by long straight dark hair. My Lydia was pretty. Too pretty to be honest. Neither she noor her identical twin sister Lizzie looked like girls who were barely in the 6th grade. Not by a long shot.

“You’ve been acting strange...”

I chuckled. “Oh yeah, sorry about that. Been under a lot of stress lately.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lydia replied quietly. She didn’t seem convinced though; instead her brow furrowed slightly as she continued staring at me intently. “Look, Dad, there’s something you should probably tell Mom right now. You might want to go ahead and do that.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s about your new intern, or whoever...”

I froze. My body stiffened. Was Lydia talking about Jules, our latest hire down at the publishing house? How in the world would my 14-year-old daughter have any idea who Jules even was?

“I don’t have a new intern,” I sidestepped. My mind of course wandered to Jules as I said it. I couldn’t help it - Jules was gorgeous, engaging, and Jesus Christ, hot as hell. She was definitely the subject of my daydreams, but no more than that though. There was absolutely nothing between us besides a few glances here and there. I theorized that she’d been looking at me too, but I know that was probably wishful thinking. Lydia pursed her lips together tightly. She crossed her arms over her chest, making a slight huffing noise. That of course made some cleavage ... A lot of cleavage in fact. It was so weird that my 14 year old had tits way bigger than softballs. And at this point, having girls that developed very young, I was used to that. But I digress ... I knew she wasn’t happy with me. And I was still confused as to why.

“Well then,” Lydia started slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, “there’s something else.”

I took a deep breath, trying desperately not to panic. “Okay, what’s up, kiddo?”

“I overheard some stuff about her last night.”

A cold sweat broke out all over my body. I tried to calm myself, hating this line of questioning. But then it occurred to me.

“Were you eavesdropping on me talking to my friend Brad last night?” I asked her.

Lydia nodded silently.

“Were you spying on me, Lydia?”

She shook her head again.

“Then what did you hear?”

Again, she hesitated.

“Come on,” I probed, my annoyance building. “You snuck around and listened to a conversation I had with my friend. So what did you hear?”

“I didn’t sneak!” She protested. “The vent from your bar goes straight to my room. It’s loud enough for me to listen in without even trying.”

I began to stammer, but eventually I got out, “You still shouldn’t have been listening.”

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Dad.” Then she added in a lower tone, “But I heard you talking about someone called ‘Jules’. A lot. Like, a lot a lot.”

My heart stopped dead in its tracks. My mouth went dry. A million thoughts flashed through my mind, each worse than the next. What did I say? Brad and I were drinking whiskey the whole time. I tried to replay in my mind anything I might have said that was incriminating ... Even though there was nothing to incriminate.

My hands trembled slightly as I spoke. “What did I say?”

“That’s the thing. You talked about Jules for almost an hour! For real, dad!”

“An hour!?” I reacted. But it was just locker room talk, I’m sure. “It was nothing important ... I’m positive.”

“No, seriously, dad.” Lydia continued impatiently. “It sounds like you like her a lot.”

“A LOT!?” I repeated.

Lydia shrugged. “You talked about her boobs a bunch of times.”

I blushed. I was busted. My fantasy, my crush on Jules, was discovered.