Chapter 16

When I awoke the next morning, unusually relaxed and refreshed, I realized there was no rude awakening that night. I slept without any trouble requiring me to perform the breathing exercises Danny had shown me. I wasn’t entirely sure if I should be happy about that, however, since I did not know for certain if it was caused by the exhausting sex, or the fact that I had my big sister cuddled up to me in a loving embrace. Either way, I appreciated it, and would never admit this development in front of Danny.

I carefully extracted myself from her hold, found my shorts, and snuck into the kitchen. Sadly, I had no clue what she preferred for breakfast, so I got a few dough pieces out of the freezer to prepare freshly baked bread rolls, and stocked the small dining table with whatever I thought would go well with them, as well as some fruits. Just in case, I also decided to prepare the classic bacon and eggs. The smell must have woken her up, because, just as I had grabbed a few paper towels to place the bacon on, Ava startled me by suddenly embracing me from behind.

I almost dropped the plate I was holding. I immediately found myself remembering the morning after I slept with Claire. I had worried that she seemed to have fallen under the misconception that we were somehow good after she let me fuck her once. Now, after I had spent one night with Ava, she behaved in a very similar way by displaying affectionate gestures of intimacy. It was massively irritating. I had absolutely no interest in encouraging it directly, but, on the other hand, why should I deny myself the pleasure of having a tight, hot girl wanting me?

“Good Morning, Princess. How are you feeling?” I asked hesitantly.

“A little sore, but also still tingling down there.” I heard her answer quietly without letting go of me.

“Yeah, I had no idea you could get off like that.” I chuckled. “But it’s been a long time since I had so much fun myself.”

“Hmm. I never did that.” Her voice was even smaller than before.

“Never did what?” I asked, confused. “Get off or have fun?”

“No ... when I came. I, like, never did that when I came before.” She sounded quite embarrassed, and I still had to think hard about what she was even talking about. Then I finally understood.

“OH! You mean you never squirted before?”

Instead of answering, she squeezed me harder, buried her face in my back, and released a mouselike sound of protest. This was ... extremely cute, in a way.

“Don’t worry about it. Though, I better pick up some waterproof sheets for my little bedwetter.” I laughed. I couldn’t help but tease her about it after I noticed her embarrassment, and her reaction was to slap my back, which weirdly caused me to wince. My back was burning! Then I remembered how she was clawing at my back during one of her orgasms last night.

“I’m sorry about that too.” she whispered softly, and placed a kiss on my back, right where it was burning.

To my great horror, I felt myself thrown back to the day I sat in front of my computer, with Claire massaging my shoulders and Granny lightly scratching my neck. Those light and intimate caresses they had subjected me to, after I had missed out on any kind of loving intimacy for as long as I could remember, caused an uncomfortable reaction of appreciation in my body. And just now, when Ava lovingly placed that kiss on my burning back to sooth my pain, the goosebumps once again spread over my entire body.

I did NOT want to admit how that small, simple contact made me feel. Luckily for me, Ava did not draw any attention to my circumstance, and simply glossed over it as she spoke up again.

“I don’t know what happened to me. I was ... it was just crazy intense. It was never like that before. I have some ointment in my bathroom. I’ll put it on your back right now.”

“Don’t worry about that, either. And it’s not exactly surprising this is new for you.” I said dryly, to which she finally stepped next to me while still keeping one arm wrapped around my waist, and gave me a rather questioning look. “Let’s sit down first, I’m pretty much done here and it would be a waste to let the bacon get cold and soggy.”

She turned to the small dining area and froze for a moment before sitting down and blinking at the crammed table. I think she didn’t realize how much I had prepared when she came in. I placed a plate with fried eggs and bacon on the table, then took the bread rolls out of the oven, and put them next to it.

“You even freshly BAKED bread!? Why?” she asked incredulously in a loud voice.

“I don’t really know what you normally have for breakfast, so I prepared a little extra. I’m sorry if you prefer cereal, I don’t have any. I kinda got used to having a bigger breakfast, since my days are normally longer with school, then work, and then a few hours in the gym.”

“Oh ... uh ... thank you!” she answered sheepishly.

“Now ... about last night. Can I be brutally honest with you?” She immediately nodded her head, showing no hesitation whatsoever. “Okay. It makes no god damn sense that you’re able to effortlessly take a cock down your throat in a proper face fucking, but at the same time never even knew that you could squirt! That sounds like your sexual encounters until now were somewhat one-sided in the pleasure department.”

She just looked down at her plate, shrugging her shoulders.

“They just used you to try out all the kinky shit they got into their heads, enjoyed the easy access you provided, and thought it’ll be alright to not waste time on your other needs. After all, you seemed to like it. But the way I see it, even if you like to be submissive and used, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other things in addition to it, and make the sex even better for everyone involved. As proven by my back, that currently feels like you traced a map for all of Colorado’s hiking trails onto it.” I grinned.

“But...” she paused to think about something. “What did you mean by ‘it’s not surprising’?”

I made sure to look her directly in the eyes before answering.

“Like anyone would be shocked to learn of Aaron and his Golden Boy only being concerned with their own needs.” I said in a mocking tone, and her eyes widened a little.

“What!? But you...” her voice trailed off, seemingly unsure how to say whatever was rushing through her mind at the moment.

I chose my next words carefully. Not to manipulate her, but because I genuinely believed it to be true, and knew how dangerous it could be for her future. It was the same reason why I warned Uncle John about it, to make sure it wouldn’t happen to Maggie.

“You know ... I’ve spent a long time hating you all with a passion. Logan and Aaron even more than the rest of you, if that’s even possible. So, feel free to completely dismiss what I’m saying as anger, bitterness, or just me shittalking them. But honestly ... All I did was prod your body for a while, to see how you react and where your sensitive areas are. I got you horny as fuck, and then kept you going for a while, so when the final release came, it was way more intense. That’s called foreplay, Princess. It’s nothing new. I’m not some sexual genius. I’m not even especially experienced. Tess was the only woman I ever slept with long enough to learn anything from, and beyond her, I only ever had sex with Claire and you.” I sure as hell would NOT tell her about fucking her best friend’s mother! “So, I didn’t really do anything special or groundbreaking last night.”

She looked at me in surprise, but I soon saw the realization set in as she seemed to go over her former sexcapates in her head. I decided to give her the time she needed and waited for her to speak. Which she did after a few minutes of us silently chewing our breakfast.

“You know, it wasn’t always like that. When we started, it was a lot of fun. But after a while, it was only really good when Mom and Danny were there too. And then, after a little more time,...” she trailed off and her eyes locked onto the table. “But I did enjoy it ... kinda...”.

I found myself reminded of the conversation I had with Danny on the sofa, when she told me about how their orgies had lost their meaning. Somehow, what Ava had just said played right into that notion of them no longer doing it out of love and mutual understanding, but more to explore their kinks and have fun. That, in turn, reminded me of her reaction to my finger prodding her ass, causing an uneasy feeling to settle in my stomach.

“You know, I can masturbate to a tree if I try long enough.” I said in an aloof tone.

“ ... What?” she blinked at me.

“That doesn’t mean I’m into trees. It doesn’t even mean that I enjoyed it. It just means that the nerve endings in my dick have been stimulated to send signals to my brain. It’s what nerves do. And it’s a completely involuntary process. Just like when you pinch your arm hard enough, the nerves in your skin will do what they’re made for, send the signals, and you will feel pain whether you like it or not. That’s biology. Not lust.”

She stared at me with a perfect poker face before speaking again.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that, just because we have orgasms, doesn’t necessarily mean that we were into whatever led to that orgasm. It’s easier for guys to understand that, because we grow up with awkward boners. We get erections for no goddamn reason all the time. It’s a purely physical reaction that’s completely detached from our brains. I imagine that’s harder for girls to wrap their heads around.”

My words obviously affected her, as she looked back at the table and contemplated them. I decided to let her make up her own mind. If she wanted to get into that further, she would let me know.

“Danny...” she started carefully. “She also said that it was different in the past.”

“She’s right.” I said, and she looked at me in a mixture of surprise and doubt. “Remember, I walked in on you all on your sixteenth. I’ve known about what you all did since you joined them. That was actually why I started removing myself from the family. Not because I was pissed that you wouldn’t include me in the fun, that actually didn’t last long after I objectively thought about it. I wasn’t attractive to you, and I was in no position to somehow demand sex from anyone, so I reluctantly accepted it. But seeing them all work together to give you pleasure, caring for you, lovingly stroking your hair and back ... while I hadn’t gotten even just a hug in years at that point ... that kinda broke me. So, yeah, I know it didn’t start out that way. Probably grew complacent with what you all had.”

I had kept all emotions out of my voice while casually placing some bacon and my fried egg in my bread roll. When I looked up, however, I could see sorrow and regret in her eyes.

“I’m so sor...” she started, but I had told them once before that I didn’t care about hearing their apologies. So I talked right over her.

“Here’s my next suspicion that you’re free to dismiss because of my past with you all. You only liked it with them because you never knew any better. With how often I could hear you all go at it, when I was still living in that house, I would’ve expected each and every one of you to be able to write a new Kamasutra. And you didn’t know you could squirt? That never happened before!? Come on, give me a break!”

“Are you saying they’re just bad in bed?” she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“No, not necessarily bad. But I AM saying that Aaron and Claire have been married for ... What ... Twenty-one years? So, by now, Aaron should know what he’s doing. But then you yourself just said that the sex with him was only good when Claire or Danny were there as well. Now look at Golden Boy. He’s been at college for over four months now. Someone as good looking, charming, and presumably gifted but definitely experienced as him, should be literally drowning in pussy over there. But has he ever missed a single weekend coming back home, to stay with someone he met over there? Sure, I could be wrong. Maybe the women in your family are just that good, so no other woman can compete. I’m pretty sure, though, that he would be laughed out of the building if he ever told one of those college chics about his protein injections.”

She did not respond to that. Instead, she just seemed to contemplate that information dump I just dropped on her while I finished my own breakfast. I think that little reminder of Logan’s cringy pick-up lines at the end of my speech, went a long way in making her see things for what they really were. When I was done and had placed the leftovers in the fridge, Ava jumped up to help.

“I’ll do the dishes! You cooked!”

“Thanks.” I said, and opened the dishwasher for her, causing her to look somewhat forlorn before I checked my watch. “I should hit the shower. I’ll have to do some grocery shopping, since I didn’t have a chance during the week. Then I’ll have to meet someone at noon. Do you have plans, want to stay in, or should I drop you off at the house?”

“Oh! No ... I have some homework left to do, so I can enjoy a free sunday.”

“Alright. I’ll be back at around Three, since we’ll have to pick up Mia and Jack for our next training session.” I said, and left for my bedroom.

First order of business was to pack the cash I’d need for the meeting with Danny and John, then grab the printouts from the houses in foreclosure I had picked out. Then I made my way into the bathroom and mentally practiced my sales pitch under the shower. I had no idea if it would work, but I decided to just trust in their wish to prove themselves to me. Then I stripped the bed again to let the mattress air out, and left the apartment.

I actually went to an Ikea and got new sheets before taking care of most of the grocery shopping. Then I drove to John’s house and simply sat in my car, waiting for the clock to strike Twelve. I was nervous as hell, trying to resist the temptation to just drive back to my apartment. Earlier, I had decided that it wouldn’t be a loss if they screwed me over. But with all that cash in my passenger seat, actually seeing how much that is, that resolve had crumbled. When the time came, I just sighed, grabbed the bag, and got out of the car.

I was greeted with a hug from Danny and a handshake from John before they led me into their living room to sit down. Danny started the meeting with casual smalltalk, something I also never understood when it happened in meetings with clients at work, but then she tried to ask me how my nightly disturbances developed given how Ava was now in my home.

The look she got from me, after I threw a side glance at John, made it clear that I did not appreciate her telling him about that, and that I was anything but eager to discuss this in front of an audience. Yes, in her mind we were all family, and yes, in her mind they were all trying to help me, but those nightly events were embarrassing for me. My opinion of her as a therapist plummeted once again. John seemed to immediately realize what just happened, and tried to take over by changing topics.

“So, uh, what’s that favor you want to ask of us? Does it have anything to do with what happened between you and Aaron two days ago?”

“Yes. How’d you guess?” I was confused.

“Since that evening, things between him and Claire are ... strained, to say the least. I actually saw her throw stuff at him last night! Whatever he did, she’s not happy with him. Which has us quite confused, since we all saw how happy they both were after you and Aaron came back from your car. I didn’t want to get involved in their bickering, so I don’t know any details, but then you asked about this secret meeting.”

“Really? Interesting.” I mused, not entirely sure what to do with that information.

With what little I had just learned, I couldn’t tell whether Claire was mad about Aaron taking my money, or about something else. Maybe I should have just used the bugs I still had on their phones to listen in on them, but I really didn’t care enough about them anymore. So, my curiosity about their affairs was limited, and I had more pressing problems on my mind.

“Tim?” John’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I saw him and Danielle look at me concerned. I realized they were hoping for some insight from me.

“Well, they’re broke. So broke, in fact, they can’t pay for Logan’s board and tuition. But, instead of asking their Golden Boy to get a job, or apply for federal grants, or take out a student loan ... Aaron’s taking the money from my bank account. He told me how Logan would lose his scholarship if they failed to pay, and they had to pay within two weeks, so I agreed. That’s what made them so happy.”

I saw John’s expression change to surprise when hearing about them being broke, and then to disbelief when hearing the rest of my rant. I just shook my head and released a mirthless chuckle before I continued.

“You know, when this whole shitshow with Logan started, I had twenty grand in my bank account. I had just started to think about trading in my rusty Jeep for something with an actual roof instead of a tarp, and maybe even with working seatbelts. Now I’ll barely make rent next month, especially with the extra expenses for Ava, since I don’t expect Aaron and Claire to pay for her meals. I’m not sure why Claire would have a problem with it, though.”

“What!? Why wouldn’t she have a problem with that?” Danielle asked in indignation.

“Your husband just said it himself. You all saw how happy Aaron was after our talk in the car. Claire knew all about their money troubles, so, going by her reaction when we came back into the house, she must have known that our talk had somehow solved that problem. She knew where that money came from, but didn’t look like she had a problem with it then, so why should she have a problem with it now? She probably just learned that Aaron also took Ava’s birthday money.”

“He even took Ava’s birthday money!?” John asked incredulously.

“I gave her a thousand bucks, since it was her eighteenth after all. He also pocketed the four grand in cash I dropped the day you all came back. And Claire pocketed the eight grand she took from my bank account for hotel rooms, despite you all camping out here.” I said, while waving my hand across their living room.

Now both of them just stared at me, not knowing how to respond to that.

“Tim...” Danielle finally spoke in a desperate tone. “There HAS to be another explanation. Claire was devastated the day you left again. I just can’t imagine...”

“I really don’t care anymore.” I interrupted her. “The money’s gone. I managed to work it in a way that I have enough to pay my bills on the first, and maybe even part of my first college exams.”

“College exams?” John asked, now totally baffled.

“Yeah. I need to get some of the IT-certifications that are essential in my line of work. With how my job description evolved over the last year, I realized that I have to do something to secure my position. But the first set of certifications alone will cost me around four grand, so ... I’ll just have to talk with Bill next week. Maybe he’ll agree to pay for some of them as some kind of professional training. But that would only solve my immediate problem, anyway. I seriously doubt Aaron could come up with another twenty grand for Logan’s tuition within the next six months, so then we’ll be right back to where we’re now.” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

John and Danielle seemed consumed in a half whispered, yet still heated, discussion between themselves, trying to make sense of that new development they had no idea about. Then John seemingly remembered the original reason for our meeting.

“So, I assume this favor you need is about money?” he asked, and I placed the printouts between us on the table. He looked them over before giving me a questioning look. “Foreclosure Homes?”

“Think you could afford to buy these two?”

“Tim...” Danielle started. “Those two amount to $142,000 dollars! That’s a lot of money!”

I reached down, grabbed the bag with the cash, and placed it on the table as well.

“That’s $150,000.” Their eyes flew wide open upon hearing my words, then they grabbed the bag and checked it. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I did my homework, so I know using cash to buy real estate would conflict with the AML regulations and provoke the authorities to check where the money came from. So, here’s my idea. You actually buy these two properties. With your money, for yourself, and in your name. The cash on the table is an insurance policy, for you to know that you don’t actually lose any money. Use it how I did until now, and spend the cash on your grocery shopping, car maintenance ... stuff like that. Anything below three hundred, you can easily pay for in cash without anyone even raising an eyebrow.”

“Not to pry ... but ... we thought you burned the money?” Danielle commented, with a mischievous smirk.

“I may have kept two or three bricks to make up for what I lost during the whole ordeal.” I said, using Aaron’s assumption as a believable excuse. “And now you know why I asked to absolutely not tell the others. When my bank account gets closed because the parents emptied it, I don’t need the grandparents to take that cash as well. I hear Grandpa Mike was very eager to plan how to use it for himself as soon as he learned about it.”

“Yeah.” John said, throwing an uncomfortably apologetic look in my direction about his father’s behavior. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell. But how does buying these houses fix your money problem?”

“The money you’re holding now is exactly half of what’s in thee bricks. The other half could be used to fix both houses up. For the first one...” I said, and pointed at the printout of the one I was talking about. “ ... I’d like to see how much more we could sell it for, after it’s fixed up. See If the profit from reselling it is worth the cash we have to put in.”

“Well, it’s worth a try, I think. I’d like to talk to a friend of mine before that, though. I don’t even know the property values in that area, much less if people are even looking to buy out there.” John remarked, and I nodded my acceptance. “And what about the other house?”

“That’s a three bedroom condo close to the main HCC campus. I was hoping we could use that to clean what’s left of the cash after the renovation.” I paused, took a breath, and continued. Now came the hard part. “We could ‘rent it’ to Ava and Maggie once they start college. I’d give you ... I don’t know ... about eight-hundred dollars every month, and you bank it as if they had paid their rent in cash. Then, I would write you an Invoice for IT security consulting or something, for a little less than the rent, since you’ll have to pay taxes on the property and the income from it. You could rent out the third room to someone else, maybe Ava and Maggie know a friend who’s looking for a room close to college, and collect actual rent from them for yourself.”

As expected, John and Danielle shared a long look that did not seem too happy. I thought I presented a quite lucrative opportunity for them, seeing how they would not lose any money, while having the prospect of receiving some regular extra income. But, of course, there were strings attached. With their properties also came along some obligations the landlords had to uphold. And, most important of all, using their daughter in the scheme was a hard sell. After a while, Danielle spoke up.

“Can we think about it?” she asked, surprisingly carefully.

I got the impression that she was way too conflicted about this. Sure, she had assured me to help without even asking what it was about, grateful for the opportunity to show her sincerity in wanting to rebuild our relationship. But that was before I had proposed to use her daughter for money laundering! I fully expected her reluctance. There was no need for her to feel bad if she refused my offer.

“Of course! John’s idea to talk with someone who actually knows about real estate is a smart move. Just let me know what they say. And I’ll leave the money with you, just so you can spread it out on your bed and roll in it.” I said, causing John to chuckle before I continued while wagging my finger at them. “But don’t have sex on it unless you decide to keep it.” That part caused Danielle to chuckle. “Oh. And don’t say ‘Yes’ because of my comment about barely making rent. I have enough for my next rent and the utility bills left in my account. Since I got a company car with a gas charge card, that won’t be a problem either, and, as I said, I have some cash left over for grocery shopping. So I won’t starve in the foreseeable future. Take your time and think it over thoroughly. I won’t hold it against either of you if you don’t want to do it.”

Both of them nodded with visible relief on their faces. Apparently, my impression of Danny was spot on, and this little speech had removed quite some pressure they felt. We said our goodbyes and I made the drive back home, realizing that it was way earlier than I had anticipated. Even after stopping at another grocery store to buy all the stuff that needed to stay refrigerated, I walked into my apartment with little over two hours to spare before we would have to get on the road to pick up Mia.

After storing the groceries away, and covering my mattress with the new waterproof sheets, I found Ava actually studying in her room like she had claimed. This was new for me, since I had never taken her to be the studious type. Though, honestly, how was I supposed to know anything about her anymore?

While watching her for a while, without her noticing my presence because she was totally focused on reading a worksheet while wearing headphones, I had to grin at the way she chewed on her pencil. She had that look of mad concentration on her face that was cute in a way. So, I decided not to disturb her, and instead started preparations for tonight’s dinner.

The two hours of free time were just enough to get the sauce ready before we would have to leave, and, if I made some extra, I could freeze it and then serve it with some pasta during the week. I chopped the celery, carrots and onions, and threw them in a pan to fry with minced meat. Just when I added the rosemary and garlic, the smell had summoned Ava into the kitchen. She sauntered over to me, and, just like in the morning, wrapped an arm around my waist in an intimate gesture that I still was not sure whether I liked it. I still thought of her as one of my tormentors, but she sure as hell was hot, and I didn’t have to feel affectionate towards her to enjoy her body.

“What are you making?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the pan, but leaning her head against my shoulder while watching me blend the pan’s contents with some red wine.

“You cool with lasagna for dinner? It’ll take a while, so I thought I’d start the ragu and bechamel now. When we’re back from training, we just have to layer and bake it for half an hour. I also picked up some garlic bread.”

Her answer consisted of squeezing my waist while releasing a soft humming sound. She just watched me work the stove for a good while before speaking again when I added the tomato puree and water

“Damn, it already smells great. You told us that you could cook when you made those pancakes, but I really had no idea.” She paused, her grip on my waist loosened a little, and her expression changed to show a little pain that she quickly hid by turning her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” I hummed, not expecting this sudden turn of topic, and unsure how to respond. I felt like it wouldn’t help anybody if I, yet again, threw accusations around, or pointed out where that distance between us came from. “Well ... just for that, I won’t make fun of the way you chew up your pen when you study.” I grinned, not looking at her.

“Wha...!?” I heard her gasp before her demeanor changed again, and she looked at me bashfully. Instead of saying anything more, though, she turned and walked back into her room.

I could be wrong, but I thought I saw her lips curl up into a little smile before her face was completely turned away from me. I continued the dinner preparations while chuckling to myself. Teasing her was fun. By the time I had the bechamel ready, the ragu had blended nicely, so I just let it simmer so it could reduce until we had to leave.

I was mentally going over the previous training session we had, when we walked into the Miller house and found the entire family dressed in gym clothes. Interestingly, while Nora seemed excited, Mia sat in an armchair with a pouting expression, and right next to her stood George Miller, who gave me a particularly disparaging look that threw me off. While Ava immediately joined Mia and Jack to chat, Nora took me by the arm to pull me into their kitchen under the pretense of packing up some water bottles.

“Spill it, Loverboy, what did you do to my little girl?” she asked with a wicked grin on her face as soon as she had closed the kitchen door.

“Come again?” I wasn’t sure what surprised me more; the question about Mia, or being called ‘Loverboy’.

“Oh please, you think I didn’t notice the way she acted towards you? Especially the difference in how she treated you before and after your training yesterday? Something happened that had her wanting for more, and she refused to talk when I tried to tease it out of her.”