Chapter 5

Selene was asleep in her bed. We still had a couple of hours before we had to meet the ladies at the mall, so I let her sleep. I'd bathed her, stripping her clothes off her body, and changing her and her bed, I laid her down in it. She was asleep before her head touched the pillow.

I was feeling washed out. Without thinking, as I sat on the couch, a hot steaming coffee on the table in front of me, I picked up the phone, and dialled Katrina's number. After four or five rings, she answered.

'Hello? Katrina Meadows speaking!'

I went tongue-tied for a second, and then I said, 'Hello, Katrina? Robert here.'

'Oh, hi, Robert!' she said, 'What's up? Are we still on for shopping later?'

'We are, ' I hastened to assure her. 'I just needed someone to talk to, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you.'

'Not at all, Robert, ' she said. 'How can I help? What's happened? Is Selene okay?'

I went silent, and then I told Katrina what had happened, leaving nothing out. I needed to hear her voice, I needed to hear what she would say, what she might have done in my situation.

Katrina listened silently as I spoke, giving soft murmurs of sympathy as I emptied myself of all the pain and anger I felt.

Katrina stopped me talking, saying firmly, 'Don't move, Robert. I'm coming straight over. I'll bring Kasey with me. We'll be there soon!'

'You don't have to, ' I said. 'We'll meet you at the mall later. I want to let Selene sleep for another hour, and then we'll get ready.'

'Nonsense, ' she replied. 'We are coming over! See you soon!'

To forestall any more arguments from me, she hung up.

When Katrina and Kasey walked in the door, Katrina came straight to my arms and held me in a gentle hug, while Kasey rested her hand on my arm briefly before walking past us to enter Selene's room. Kasey's face was sombre and worried. She had only thoughts for the child asleep in her room.

We heard a murmur, and then there was a heart-breaking wailing sob as Selene woke to find Kasey in her room.

I heard Selene sobbing before her door shut. Then making herself a coffee, and filling my cup from the percolator, Katrina came to join me on the couch.

'Kasey really cares for Selene, ' Katrina told me, holding her cup in both hands, her legs tucked under herself as she sat beside me.

'My sister has a very calming and compassionate influence, when she wants to show it.'

Katrina looked at her cup, and in a quiet voice, she said, 'You said she called you 'daddy'. Was that the first time she's ever called you that?'

'Yes, ' I replied. 'But, ' I frowned, 'I don't know whether she was seeing me standing there, or her real father, Trevor.'

'In her fear, she may have just seen her father, your brother. But, ' she pressed, 'what were you two doing when she called you 'Dad' or 'daddy' the first time? Think back, Robert. This may be important!'

I had to think. My thoughts chased themselves around my head, refusing to be still. I was worried about Selene, I wanted to get up and see how she was, to hold her, to tell her everything was alright now.

'Let's see, ' I said, concentrating.

'Selene was tearing her room apart, looking for clothes to wear tonight, even though I'd told her that we were dressing casual. Then she wanted to know what Kasey would be wearing. It was just before I teased her, and she hit me.'

'That sounded painful, when you told me about it, ' Katrina said, taking a sip from her cup.

'I was more in shock than anything, ' I told her. 'It wasn't until I went to straighten up that it really hurt!'

'Now that I remember, it was just after I told her we were dressing casual. She said, 'Dad, this is Kasey we're talking about!' Selene really wanted to make an impression on her, to dress for her benefit.'

'Yes, Kasey has that effect on the young girls who fall in love with her!'

Katrina thought for a moment, and then said, 'She could have just had a slip of the tongue, Robert, or, she could be starting to see you as her father now.'

I looked at her in surprise.

'Lord knows, ' Katrina said, waving a hand, 'if anybody, you're the only one to have shown the poor girl any love and proper attention in her life! It would be the most natural thing, for her to see you in that light! You have been a father to her, Robert, despite your physical relationship!'

I had to sit back and digest that. 'Uncle Robert' had just become 'Dad.' Or did he? I had to talk to the young girl to really find out for sure.

The bedroom door opened, and Selene came out, hesitantly. Kasey shooed her along, taking her into the bathroom to get herself together. We heard the toilet flush, and then the bathroom sink tap going. Not long after that, both girls stood before me.

Kasey had her arm around Selene's shoulders, the girl standing slightly behind the taller, older girl. Kasey half-turned, and putting her hands on Selene's shoulders, she steered the young girl toward me, making her stand before me.

'Tell him, ' Kasey murmured. 'Talk to him, it's okay, he loves you, he won't hurt you.'

Kasey was now standing behind Selene, and the older girl's eyes bored into mine.

Her fingers flexed, she was just as nervous as the younger girl standing before her.

'Da ... Uncle Robert, I'm really sorry I hit you! Please, I ... I'm sorry!'

I stood up, and Selene's eyes went round and large. Her ice-blue eyes were still frightened. I stepped up to the girl, my niece, and wrapped her in my arms, kissing the top of her head, smoothing her hair down her back.

'It's okay, honey, ' I told her. 'It's okay, really.'

'No-one's going to hurt you, Selene, ' I told her gently. 'You took me by surprise, that's all. I think my pride hurts worse than your fist!'

Then holding her away from me, I asked, 'Where the hell did you learn to hit like that? Damn, girl, that punch was a fucking beauty!'

I laughed, and slowly, a tentative smile creased her face.

'I had to fight off a couple of guys who thought they could take me by force. After that guy beat the crap out of me, I decided that no-one was ever going to do that to me again!'

Katrina was looking at Selene with a worried frown. Kasey, however, was livid.

'Someone tried to take you by force? Who was it? Where is he? Tell me who he is, I'll kill the bastard!'

Selene gave her a sad look, and said, 'It's okay, Kasey. The cops did that for you. Those guys are gone, now.'

'Selene, you and I have to have a very long talk!' the young woman growled.

Selene grinned, and gave Kasey a hug, squeezing her tightly. Her head was resting on her breasts, and inhaling deeply, she said, 'Mmmm! Kasey, you smell wonderful, and you really do have wonderful tits!'

Kasey was momentarily at a loss for words, and then hugging Selene back, she laughed.

'So do you, squirt!' she chuckled.

I sat back down, and Selene sat on my lap. She snuggled in, with Kasey sitting next to me on my right, Katrina on my left. Kasey began to finger-comb Selene's hair, more as a gesture of support than anything. Every so often, she'd brush the backs of her fingers against Selene's cheek softly. Katrina inched closer, and put rested her hand on Selene's knee. I had my arms around her waist.

'Why did you hit me?' I enquired.

My lovely little eleven year old looked off into space, thought a moment, then said, 'I was so upset, Uncle Robert. I couldn't find anything to wear! Everything I pulled out was horrible! I couldn't let Kasey see me in my 'little girl's' clothes! I wanted something, I don't know, grown-up, I suppose! I was panicking so much! I lost it when you started teasing me!'

Selene looked down at her hands, wringing them in her lap.

'When you teased me, I knew you were just having fun, that you didn't mean anything by it, but suddenly, you were like, my father, you know, standing there. He used to tease me too, but in a nasty way.'

'I hated you! It was like, all-of-a-sudden, everything came out of me, I couldn't stop it, I had to hurt you! I wanted to kill you for everything, the rapes, the beatings, the shit that Trevor did to me, because just then, I didn't see you, I saw him!'

Selene twisted in my lap, wrapped her arms around my neck, and began to sob again. Her body shook as she cried into my shoulder. She had so much grief, I was sure that it was going to take years for her to finally get it all out of her system, if at all.

Many long minutes later, she hiccupped, and sitting up, she wiped her tears away with the heels of her hands. Katrina and Kasey had leaned forward, and sat very close, petting her, stroking the sniffing girl, their eyes wet with tears, soft words and sounds in their mouths.

'When we were standing in the shower, I sort of came to myself. I was wondering why we were in the shower, with our clothes on! Why were we, anyway?'

I looked at Katrina. She nodded, glancing at the girl.

I took a deep breath, unwilling to tell her, knowing that if I did, she might or would be extremely embarrassed.

'Because, ah, because you had wet yourself, Selene. You were so afraid, when you thought I was going to hurt you, that you wet yourself. You did it again when I had taken you to the bathroom, and I was carrying you.'

Selene 's face went white with mortification. She looked at Katrina, who nodded, and then she whipped her head around, seeing the confirmation in Kasey's eyes that her idol, her crush, knew all about her humiliation.

Selene wailed in extreme shame, wanting to flee the room in disgrace. She tried to bolt, but Kasey grabbed her, and held her tightly until the girl stopped fighting to get away. Fresh tears burst from Selene's eyes as she wept bitterly.

Kasey held her head firmly against Selene's, her eye scrunched shut, tears coursing down her cheeks. Her mouth was open, and she panted, trying not to cry as well.

'It's okay, baby!' she said, over and again. 'It's okay, it's okay.'

Kasey rocked Selene, until finally, the girl calmed down. At first, I thought that Selene had gone to sleep again, but she said quietly and weakly, 'You don't hate me, Kasey?'

The young woman leaned back, and asked in confusion, 'Hate you, darling? What for? Why should I hate you?'

Selene's eyes were showing how much she was suffering. Blushing a deep red, she whispered, 'Because I pissed my pants?'

She looked up at the young woman holding her, and said in abject sorrow, 'I pissed my pants like a baby! I wish I could die!'

Her eyes still streaming tears, Kasey kissed Selene, on the cheek, on her forehead, on her lips.

'I could never hate you, my darling, ' she said, stroking her face, 'I love you! I don't, ' she struggled for words, 'I can never, ever hate you!'

Selene looked at Kasey, and in a small hopeful voice, she said in amazement, 'You love me?'

A look of joy came over her, and with a happy cry, she threw herself into the older girl's arms, hugging her tightly.

Leaning back, Selene looked at us 'older' people, and sitting up straight, she sniffed, and said, 'Hey? I thought we were going shopping!'

'Well, that's definitely a good way to cheer a girl up!' Katrina said blandly, her eyes dancing with mischief.

We all had a blast at the mall that night. We sought after, and found, the 'perfect' couch for the office. It was deep and comfortable, long enough for me to lie down on, and as I lay there trying it out, I didn't want to get back up again. The women grabbed my hands, however, and pulled me away from it.

Katrina had measured the doors it had to go through, and with a bit of wiggling and shoving, we managed to have it situated into the spot picked out for it. The moving guys were very patient!

That night, after our trip to the mall, we sat around the living room. The girls had gone off and done some 'other' shopping as well, leaving me to my own devices, and were now sitting in a huddle, on the floor. I have a soft carpet, and our shoes were left at the door.

They had their bags beside them, clothes and shoes the main articles they were pulling out and showing off and comparing. Then the lingerie came out, and they laughed loudly in mock outrage as they waved those scraps of silk, satin, and cotton about, grinning in delicious devilment.

The girls put their heads together, and shooting sly looks at me, delved into their respective piles, and grabbing a set each, they went into Selene's bedroom, giggling and tittering coyly.

I had bought four pairs of silk boxer shorts, two red, two black. They were open at the fly, held closed by a small button. While the girls were in the room getting changed, I stripped off, and put a pair of red boxers on. Then I sat back down and waited to see what they had picked out and would wear what when they came back into the room.

The girls came out of the bathroom in single file, walking softly into the living room. Selene first, Kasey second, with Katrina bringing up the rear. They were visions of adorable loveliness. I sat there, breathless and lost for words. All were silent, standing there tall, proud, and beautiful.

They'd brushed their hair, and added a touch of make-up. The level of excitement in the air rose as they saw what I was wearing, or lack of it, and as their eyes went to the boxers I was wearing, they all watched in fascination as my shorts tented with my burgeoning erection.

Katrina nodded slightly in approval.

Even though Katrina and her sister were wearing lingerie, this was the first time I'd seen them without clothes on. Not counting when Kasey had exited Selene's room that time. I had other things on my mind, just then. I had only noticed her bare upper body in passing. Katrina's body drew my eyes, and my appreciative gaze. Her body was, oh my God, it was perfect! Slim, with small rounded breasts. Her waist had the classical curve at the waist, her hips slightly more flared than the other two girls.

A memory came to me then, making me flush. I had a memory of my father lewdly commenting on a woman who had hips like Katrina's. He pointed to her, and said, 'Look, boy! She's got good child-bearing hips! Not like your skinny fucking mother!'