Chapter 1

I love my sister. Cassy and I were never really that close because of the difference in our ages. Not as close as most sisters. Not at first anyway. I was a late and unexpected arrival. My sister was already eight years old when I was born. Until I arrived she was an only child. Cassy was always more of a mother figure, or at least a babysitter than a sister to me. It was a long time before I was anything but an added responsibility to her. We very seldom played together, or at least not until I was older and we could enjoy the same board games.

She was a good sister, though. She loves me and there was never any question about that. She was patient. She watched out for me and helped me with life’s little problems when she could. I suppose it was inevitable that there would be friction between us from time to time. No one likes being bossed around. But I doubt if we fought as much as siblings who are closer in age. There was always a lot of love between us.

We weren’t exactly peers. There were a lot of things we never got to do together because of our age difference. But eventually I came to realize that I couldn’t have asked for a better sister.

Our relationship changed when she married Joe. I suppose that’s inevitable. But I think it had more to do with him than with her. I never quite knew how to take Joe. He’s reasonably good looking, though he doesn’t appeal to me. He’s intelligent. He graduated from a good university and went right to work for a very reputable firm making pretty good money. Cassy loves him so I guess he’s alright.

But I always thought that there was something about him that was ... I don’t know. It was like something was missing. Or maybe it was more along the lines that I got the impression he was keeping something from us, or from her. As if he had a secret.

It probably wasn’t fair since I had nothing upon which to base my opinion. It may only have been that I resented him for coming between my sister and me. But whatever the reason, my opinion of him didn’t change as time passed.

I didn’t say anything, of course. I tried very hard to keep my feelings to myself. But it wasn’t just me. I was well aware that for some reason he was always uncomfortable around me, too. Now that I think about, maybe that was the problem!

In a very good example of very bad timing my parents died not long before I graduated from high school. The official version of the accident report said that dad probably fell asleep at the wheel one night on the way home from a night out with mom and he ran into a tree.

I remain unconvinced. Dad wasn’t the sort of man to fall asleep at the wheel. I’ve always suspected that he was run off the road. Probably not on purpose, of course. My parents didn’t have an enemy in the world. Probably by a drunk or by some kid driving the way teenage boys like to drive.

But I can’t prove it didn’t happen just the way they say it did. I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. In any event, the important thing is that they’re gone now.

I have to admit that Joe was wonderful in that time of need. He took care of their final affairs, making the final arrangements and taking care of probate. He filed the claims with the insurance companies and let Cassy and I get on with our grieving.

I moved in with them until a month later when I graduated from high school. Thanks to the insurance policies my parents had I could have gone to college. But it would have been a waste of money. I was never really a good student, despite Cassy’s best efforts to tutor me and force me to apply myself. I was never going to do well enough to get a college education. I’m the sort of person about whom it is said, “She isn’t really college material.” Yeah, I know. There are lots of people in college who are just as dumb as me. But They have an advantage over me. I can’t play football.

After I graduated from high school I very quickly found a good job with a company that plans parties. I figure that if there’s anything I know how to do it’s how to party.

I was starting at the bottom. But it’s a small company and I didn’t intend to stay at the bottom. Neither of the two women who own the company that hired me went to college. They’re doing well. I saw no reason why I shouldn’t. I was willing to work hard and learn the business from the bottom up.

As soon as I found a job I moved into an apartment. I still stayed close to Cassy. I ate dinner with her and Joe at least once a week. But I never really got close to Joe. Not even when I was staying with them.

Not long after I moved in with them I was able to identify one thing about him that annoyed me. I didn’t like the way he talked to Cassy. He treated her like a child. He was constantly giving her orders and even worse, he was forever correcting her. He seemed to find fault with just about everything she did or said.

Once when Cassy and I were alone together I suggested that they should do something about it, get counseling or at the very least have a nice, hot argument. She never seemed to complain, even when he did it at the most embarrassing times like in front of a waiter when we went out to dinner.

Eventually I realized that she didn’t just tolerate it. Joe was as much a daddy to her as he was a husband! She wanted a father figure in her life, someone to treat her like a child!

It seemed unhealthy to me. But whenever I tried to talk to her about it she just shrugged it off. I think she was more embarrassed that I wanted her to confront him and act more like an adult than by the actual behavior of her husband! I don’t know all that much about sex, probably less than my peers. But the more time I spent trying to figure my sister out the more convinced I became that she was just naturally submissive. To be honest, I don’t know much more about that term than the word implies. I decided it would be best if I mind my own damn business unless I see some sign that she’s unhappy with the relationship she and her husband seem to have worked out, whether consciously or not.

I wondered sometimes if she wanted Joe to be a father figure to her now to make up for all the years she functioned almost as a surrogate mother to me. Taking care of me really cut into her childhood. I felt guiltier than ever whenever I thought about it. I think that as a result I began to take it a little easier on Joe, though it wasn’t always easy.

Another big change in Cassy’s life, the thing that really began to drive a wedge between us, came about after they’d been married for nearly five years. They were trying to get pregnant but not having much luck.

After convincing Joe that they needed to talk to a doctor about it they discovered that although Joe isn’t completely sterile, he wasn’t putting enough tadpoles to work to get the job done. And the ones he did produce were a bit too lethargic to do more than paddle around for a little while where Joe deposited them. They didn’t even try to swim upstream.

They tried everything except artificial insemination, a method with which Joe had a big problem. He didn’t want some other man’s sperm in his wife’s womb no matter how it got there.

They started looking into adoption but were discouraged for a lot of reasons which Cassy didn’t want to talk about, at least not with me. But they were told by the people they talked to that there was path to obtaining a child that might work for them. That was when she and Joe decided to start taking in foster kids.

My initial reaction was that taking in a foster kid or two seemed like a noble thing to do. I was less convinced when I met the not so young boy who The Department of Social Services put in their home. They showed up at Joe and Cassy’s door one day with a fifteen year old black gangster! The kid was sullen and, at least when I was around, he seemed very threatening. The kid is bigger and stronger than Joe and, not to put too fine a point on it, he scares the shit out of me.

They told Joe and Cassy almost nothing about the kid’s background. Only that they had been forced to remove him from the home and that they couldn’t put him in a home with other children.

That in itself struck me as sounding pretty ominous.

I tried to keep an open mind. I wanted to like the kid, if for no other reason than to please Cassy. It wasn’t going well. He never said anything to me that I could report as being objectionable and not come away sounding like I was picking nits. Not at first, anyway. It was more his demeanor that made me very uncomfortable.

For one thing, after spending months getting to know him I doubt very seriously if he could pick me out in a line up. He never saw my face! He openly stared at my boobs whenever we were in the same room. He didn’t glance at them. He stared!

And the things he said! Calling them innuendos is being generous. Every time he opened his mouth the things he said bordered on sexual harassment! And it wasn’t just directed at me. He talked to Cassy the same way!

At first I waited for her to say something to him. Or better yet, to call DSS and have them come and get the little pervert. But Cassy only blushed and ignored his rude behavior. I wondered if she thought that he just needed to get it out of his system or something. But I bit my tongue for as long as I was able. I thought I owed her that.

I continued going to their house for dinner once a week for several months after Ty, his full name is Tyquan Brown, came to live with them. But each time I returned to their home not only was his behavior more objectionable, but I began to notice changes in my sister and Joe that I found disturbing. Every time I showed up for dinner it seemed more and more like Ty was in charge!

I tried to talk to Cassy about it but just as with everything else that I perceived as a problem in her life she wouldn’t discuss it. What was more disturbing, though, was that she didn’t deny it! The situation in their home was way beyond creepy by that time. It was scary.

Finally I couldn’t take it any longer. I told Cassy that if she wanted to meet for lunch I’d be happy to make time for her. But until they either got rid of Ty or got him under control I wasn’t going to be coming back for dinner anymore.

She seemed very upset when I told her I didn’t want to be around Ty anymore. If I didn’t know better I’d have said she was scared. But his constant staring, his foul language and his ever more obscene remarks, all unchecked by Cassy and Joe, were extremely offensive.

I was totally honest. I told her how I felt about Ty and his crude behavior and I also pointed out that the change in the way she and her husband acted scared the hell out of me.

I saw that kid order them around, both of them! And they did whatever he asked ... I mean demanded of them! It was sickening but I didn’t know what to do about it. All I could do was stay away.

Cassy tried to assure me that everything was fine. She begged me not to stop coming to dinner. Again, she sounded scared. It was as though she feared she’d get in trouble if I didn’t show up once a week to be sexually harassed by the boy who was supposed to be in their charge but who seemed to have reversed that relationship.

Nearly a month went by without hearing from my sister. I felt bad. But I couldn’t bring myself to return to their home until that boy was gone. I missed my sister, though, and one day I called to invite Cassy to lunch.

There was only silence on the phone for the longest time. I assumed she was thinking about it. But later I found myself wondering if she was asking Ty for permission. I had no reason to think that. But the last time I went to their home he was much more the parent than the child in that house.

After an uncomfortably long pause, Cassy sighed and said that she couldn’t. She was too busy. But she begged me to come for dinner.

I restated my objections to Ty and his outrageous behavior and that was pretty much the end of the conversation.

After reaching out and being rebuffed, I resolved to wait until my sister called me. I had done all that I could reasonably be expected to do to stay in touch. I feared that it would be a long time before I saw or heard from Cassy again. So I was pleasantly surprised when only a week and a half later she called.

I hoped that she was calling to invite me to lunch in a café in town. Or better yet to tell me that Ty was gone. But no such luck. She called to tell me that she and Joe had to go out of town to some company function in a resort town in the southeast. They were flying down in a company jet and attendance was mandatory. Her problem was that no children were allowed. She was calling me because she was desperate to get someone to stay with Ty.

I flat out refused. I told her to take him back to DSS or hire someone from Craig’s List. She wouldn’t even consider those options and I began to find myself backed into a corner by her pitiful begging and the desperation in her voice.

More than anything in the world I didn’t want to do this for her. I can’t stand that kid and I’m quite honestly afraid of him. I don’t think I was overreacting. I felt as if I had every reason to feel threatened by the little pervert.

Cassy insisted that he has changed, that he’s much better behaved now. I didn’t believe it for a minute. But I owe a lot to my big sister and in the end I found it impossible to say no. I held my nose and agreed to watch him from after work on Friday until I went to work on Monday morning. But I warned her that the first time things got out of hand I was calling DSS. I refuse to put up with his crap.

She promised breathlessly that he has given his word he would behave. I packed a bag to take to work with me the next day. I’ll drive straight to Cassy’s house after work.

Cassy’s promises that Ty has reformed did nothing to reassure me. All that evening and the next day at work I felt my fear of that fifteen year old boy grow. The idea of being alone in the house with him until I went to work next Monday made my blood run cold.

Several times throughout the next day at work I nearly called Cassy and told her I just couldn’t do what she asked. But each time, before I could make the call I reminded myself of how much my sister did for me when we were growing up. She sacrificed a lot of her own childhood to serve as a stand-in mother for me. She helped me with my school work when the teachers couldn’t get me to understand something. If it weren’t for her I might not have graduated.

But she did much more than that. She contributed more to my education than help with algebra and science. She filled me in on sex when my hormones started raging. She answered all my questions, even the ones I didn’t know enough to ask. I knew what to expect as I went through puberty thanks to Cassy.

Better than that, she told me about masturbation. She made it clear that it was normal, that everyone does it, and even told me how she did it. And when I finally reached the point that I was starting to think that having sex with a boy might not be such a bad thing after all, she took me to the clinic and made the embarrassing process of getting birth control pills bearable.

The big day, or night, finally arrived when I was fifteen and Doug Taylor was all too happy to relieve me of my virginity. Later, when I confided in her, Cassy assured me that everything that happened was normal.

She explained that it wasn’t really Doug’s fault that the experience wasn’t all I expected it to be. She told me Doug probably knew even less about sex than I did. As far as he knew, foreplay consisted of getting my clothes off and groping my boobs, probably for the first time in his life, too.

As unsatisfying as sex with Doug had been, though, it was still extremely exciting. I discovered that being touched by a boy was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be. And the thrill I got when he undressed me and I stood naked in front of a boy for the first time was almost enough in itself to make the experience worthwhile.

There were several more boys with whom I shared that experience before graduation. As my lovers and I grew older and began to acquire some skills in the area, the experience gradually improved. I lost my fear of male sex organs and even began to grow fond of them.

Cassy advised me on oral sex, too. I can’t claim to be an expert yet. But I’m getting better. I’ve even reached the point that I swallow now, though it isn’t always easy. I still gag sometimes.

That all makes it sound like I’m quite a slut and I have sex a lot. I don’t. I’ve only been with five boys in school and with one man after graduation. I learned from that last experience that graduating from high school doesn’t give a male any special insight into pleasing a woman.

Lately I’ve been too busy to go out and meet men because of my new job. I suppose if I’m honest I have to admit that I’d probably have been with more of them if I had the opportunity. I do enjoy sex. I enjoy it even when it isn’t all that good. I can’t help but think that I have my sister to thank for that, too.

My fondness for sex isn’t all I have to thank Cassy for. On more than one occasion she convinced a bully giving me a hard time that it was in his or her best interests to leave me alone. I could probably go on for several pages listing the things she has done for me. But because of all those things I now feel obligated to repay her by watching Ty for her. It’s one hell of a price to pay. But it’s the first time I can remember her ever asking me for anything. As onerous as her request is, I know I have to do this for her.

For all those reasons I found myself driving toward my sister’s house after work with a knot in my stomach like you wouldn’t believe.

Cassy met me at the door and gave me a huge hug. We haven’t seen each other for almost a month and a half and we both feel bad about that. She thanked me for coming but something about the way she’s behaving just didn’t seem right. She had trouble looking me in the eyes and she was blushing. But she tried to act normal as she and Joe rushed around preparing to leave for the airport and the plane bound for Hilton Head.

I couldn’t help but notice that Joe is also behaving even more strangely than usual. For a change he isn’t ordering Cassy around. And he wouldn’t look me in the eyes, either. As strange as Joe’s subdued behavior was that was nothing compared to the blithe response I got when I asked about rules and guidelines for Ty.

Joe went past me, carrying their suitcases out to the car. Cassy tried to cover up a guilty look on her face with a pasted on smile and said, “Oh, that’s alright. He knows the rules and he promised to behave.”

I stood there with my mouth open as she hurried out before I could sputter out a shocked response!

After closing the front door I turned to find Ty staring at me from the door to the living room with a huge smile on his face. He glanced at my breasts, but only briefly. Then he looked me in the eyes and said, “Dinner is almost ready. Come on into the dining room and have a seat.”

He almost sounds like a normal human being! And only a glance at my breasts! I don’t know why he finds my chest so interesting. It isn’t like I have huge boobs. I’m a small woman and my breasts are a nice, full, B cup. They’re perfectly proportioned for my small frame. But they don’t deserve all the attention Ty has been giving them since he came to live with Joe and Cassy.

I followed him into the dining room and he shocked me again when he held the chair out for me. There was a respectable bottle of red wine on the table, already open and breathing. From it he poured me a glass of wine for which I was very grateful. As he poured my wine he sounded so mature, so reasonable when he said he’s glad I agreed to come over and take care of him.

He seemed to put a little too much emphasis on his words when he said “take care of” him. But it may have just been my imagination.

I took a sip of my wine and he went out to the kitchen. He returned quickly, making two trips with a mouth watering roast, gravy, mashed potatoes and creamed corn. Cassy had gone all out before she left!

Ty tried to set my mind at rest while we ate. He was on his best behavior all through dinner. He asked me about my work, though I knew he couldn’t care less. He spoke a little of current events. I got the impression he had selected a few topics for discussion from the newspaper just for this occasion. He didn’t really seem very well informed on any subject.

Throughout our delicious meal he kept his eyes off of my boobs and made none of his usual suggestive remarks. I might have even relaxed a little if I wasn’t certain he was acting totally out of character and I wasn’t equally certain he’s just trying to calm my fears so he can pull something on me the moment I let my guard down.

As the meal progressed I did begin to relax despite my misgivings. I don’t totally trust Ty. And I’m still not happy about being roped into being here. I’m especially unhappy and more than a little nervous about being alone in the house with this obvious delinquent. Despite all that, I enjoyed my meal, drank far more than I should have of the delicious wine, and I began to feel a strange, warm sense of wellbeing come over me.

I sat there after the meal was finally finished thinking I should get up and put the leftovers away. But I couldn’t seem to make myself move. Not until Ty said, “Laura. Clear off the table and join me in the living room. I’ll bring your wine.”

For some reason I can’t remember finding it at all strange he’s telling me what to do. And strange as it seems, merely hearing the words from his mouth gave me the necessary impetus to stand and clear the table. I put the leftovers away and added the dishes to the dirty dishes already waiting in the dishwasher. I turned it on and calmly joined Ty in the living room.

Ty is sitting on the couch. I retrieved my wine glass from the coffee table and sat in a comfortable chair facing him. He continued to behave himself. He sat there smiling. His smile seemed a bit too smug, a little too confident for some reason. But my warning bells are no longer ringing.

We sat across from each other in silence. He watched me drink my wine until my glass was empty. He got to his feet and refilled it without asking if I want more. I had already exceeded my limit. But I found that I really did want another glass.