Temptation

Kim

I knock on the door as a flurry of emotions overwhelm me. Fear, regret, and insecurity. It's been too long since I saw my best friend. Will she forgive me for my bizarre absence? My frantic questions are quieted when I hear the door open slightly and see Lizzy's dad standing behind the threshold, looking more handsome than ever.

"Hey! Lizzy missed you a lot," he says as he opens the door for me. "Don't tell her I said that though. She'll kill me."

"Aw." I frown and immediately feel guilty. "I've been a bad friend. I hope she can forgive me."

"Nonsense. You've been a better friend than half of those people she's invited over. I can tell you really care about her and that means a lot to her."

"Aw. You're so sweet." I feel my cheeks flush uncontrollably. "Thank you."

"Just saying the truth."

I try not to wince too visibly. If only he knew the truth. That I've been brainwashed by a guy who is so controlling and deceiving, he's separated me from my loved ones and isolated me. I blink back tears and thank Mr. O'Keefe before I head inside.

Luckily I am able to erase the regret and sadness from my face before I see Lizzy. She looks gorgeous as always with her mermaid hair and tan skin with freckles on her cheeks. She's wearing a long, flowing green skirt that makes her look like a sprite. When we hug each other tightly, I find myself lingering in the embrace, wanting to tell her the real reason behind my absence.

"Promise me we won't go this long without seeing each other," she says once we let go of each other. "I'm done with fake friends and cheating partners."

"Aw. I'm sorry, Liz. I'll beat up whoever hurt you."

She covers her mouth as a sob escapes her mouth. "That'd be a long list, hon. They're not worth it, anyway."

I can't stand seeing her cry so I hug her again. To my shock, I see her dad staring at us from the kitchen. He's gazing at me intently, and I feel like I should be perturbed by it but instead I'm liking it. As soon as my eyes linger on him for more than a few seconds, though, he looks away. Maybe my make up smeared and that's why he's staring at me?

"You okay, sweetie?" He asks from the kitchen. "Can I get you something?"

Lizzy sniffles and pulls her head up from my neck. "A margarita would be nice."

He laughs. "Later. Okay?"

Lizzy sniffles again. "Okay. Thank you, daddy." She turns to me. "Want to hang out in my room?"

*

I feel like the worst friend as Liz tells me all the issues she's had over the past years. I quickly realize that I haven't been there for her and what makes it worse is knowing that I could have easily been there when she was confused or hurting. Trust is so easy to break, and I can definitely see how it has affected her spirit. Before she was bubbly, charismatic and lively. Now there's shadows underneath her eyes and it's harder for her to smile. Knowing that she's been fucked over by so many people enrages me.

Hours go by but I don't really notice because I'm too busy trying to make my best friend feel better. When there's knock on the door and her dad says that the margaritas are ready, though, both of us jump up from the bed with smirks on our faces.

"You're the best, dad." She kisses him on the cheek. "I hope you're having one, too."

"I'm having a beer myself," he says with a chuckle. "I might have one later on. We'll see."

I try not staring at him too much. I didn't tell Liz about how I accidentally flirted with him. He cleaned up now and even though he's not shirtless, he still looks gorgeous in a simple black t-shirt that has a Jack Daniel's logo.

"Nice shirt," I manage to say with a squeak.

"Thanks," he says as he hands me my mixed drink. "Jack and Coke is my favorite."

"Weird. That's her favorite drink, too," Lizzy says.

Her dad nods and smirks at me. "Good taste. Did you invite her, Liz?"

"The beach house?"

He nods. "Want me to formally invite her?"

A beach house? With the both of them? That sounds like heaven, especially if I get to see...

I quickly stop the images from infiltrating my brain. Which isn't easy since I honestly don't want them to stop. It doesn't help when he's peering at me over the rim of the beer can.

Lizzy nods. "She should come. It can be my graduation gift."

I raise an eyebrow. "Wait. What?"

"Would you like to come with us to the beach house we rented out next week?" He asks as he sets his empty beer can down on the counter.

"Beach house? But I don't have a job. I wouldn't be able to help you guys out."

"Your boyfriend won't mind, right?" She winks. "And don't worry about the money, I got you. You graduated, you deserve a gift."

"And a vacation," he adds.

All I need is five minutes of them trying to convince me to go. Which isn't too hard since I really, really want to go. Now I just need to convince my boyfriend to not stay mad at me over my decision.

Quinn

I know that something's wrong when Kim comes out of the bathroom wiping her eyes and shrouding her face. Maybe it's the paternal instinct clutching hold of me, but I don't like seeing her upset. Five bucks says it's her jealous, immature boyfriend that killed her excitement and is trying to make her feel bad. I only say this because I know; I've had to listen to my daughter's laments about her screwed up relationships. It seems like a lot of young men nowadays just don't know how to treat women decently. This is apparent with Kimmy, too.

I should definitely mind my own business. Kim is an adult, she is way over the legal age at twenty-two. As much as I hate seeing Liz get hurt, I can't control her life. I can't tell her to ignore that guy because he's going go cheat on you and lie to you without even blinking once. Because not only will she feel like I'm lying to her, she'll see me as the enemy. Besides, I've done my fair share of fuck ups. The best thing I can do is promise her that I'll be by her side.

But there's something nagging at me, like a starved dog gnawing at a bone. Why did it feel like there was something going on between Kimmy and me? I've known her for a good ten years so of course I never saw her in an attractive way; she was my daughter's best friend and often times I viewed her as a second daughter. But now that she's a grown woman, she's changed so much. She was always skinny and preferred wearing tomboy clothes, even cutting her hair like a boy's. Now there's no question that she's feminine with her long, raven hair and curvy body. I've been trying my best to keep my eyes above her neck but that's impossible with the way she's looking today with a pair of skinny jeans and a flannel top that accentuates her breasts. I'm such a perv, I find myself wondering what size cup she is as the girls return to the kitchen. I need to stop drinking. It will only make the thoughts worse.

*

Two more days until the vacation begins and I find myself in a predicament. The next day, a Saturday, is hell in the morning thanks to the explicit dream I had of Kimmy. I try my best to not think about it at all, but it's impossible. The dream is just too fucking hot. Lots of moaning. Lots of sweat. Kimmy screaming in pleasure, writhing under me. Even the cold shower I take isn't enough to stave the lustful haze I'm under.

I go through the dream in my head as I fix myself breakfast. I almost pour the entire half gallon of milk into my oatmeal because I am daydreaming of her. The dream was so real, I swear I can still taste her. We were hanging out in the living room, watching a movie, when suddenly she got on her knees and kissed my crotch through my jeans. She looked up at me with those bright green eyes and I couldn't deny my ardent desire for her flickering like a well lit fire at night.

I want you, her eyes whispered to me as she pulled down my zipper and uncovered me. She kissed my hardness gently, making me gasp and involuntarily shiver. The way she was looking at me with those eyes...it was making me ache inside so much, it hurt.

When she made love to me with her mouth...I swear I almost came within five minutes of her sucking me off and moaning around my cock. She was just too good. Her tongue massaged the head while her hand deftly stroked the base. The loud sucking noises she made threatened to send me over the edge.

I was shaking by the time I undressed her and kissed her mouth deeply and passionately. When I licked her neck she arched her back and grazed her bare pussy against my cock. 'Fuck me' she pleaded. 'Please fuck me'.

*

I try to distract myself for the entire weekend. I clean the house like I'm a goddamn maid and even Lizzy notices that something's off because she's peering at me oddly as I sweep the floor for the second time on Sunday.

"Are you feeling well?" She asks me. "You never struck me as the neat freak type. Is there something I need to know?"

Her words hit too close to home. If only she knew what's been going on thru my mind yesterday and today. She would call me a creep, slap me, and not speak to me for a good month. Justly so.

"Nah. Just bored. Did you pack yet?"

"My bag's all ready to go," she says excitedly. "We're waking up at eight tomorrow, right?"

I gulp as I think of seeing Kimmy again, especially after my dream. Maybe if I keep away from her, the rampant thoughts and inappropriate desires will cease. One can hope, right?

*

"There's a problem."

This is the last thing anyone wants to hear on the day of one's departure to a full week of vacation. At first I think she's going to say that she has a court date scheduled for today and that's why she can't go with me, but when she starts fiddling with her phone, I get the feeling that it's something else.

"What's wrong?"

Lizzy scrunches her nose. "Kim says that she's backing out of the vacation."

"Wait. What?"

"I know. Everything was okay as of last night but now she's saying that she can't make it."

Suddenly there's a call coming in on her phone. She picks it up without hesitation and for a long minute there's a tense silence before Lizzy starts to speak.

"That's okay," she says. "We'll pick you up wherever you are, Kimmy."

She looks at me for confirmation and I nod.

Kim

I can't believe I'm being such a drama queen. But I really feel shitty and I need to be away from that dickhead Kyle before I say or do something that I regret. Like telling him that he's an asshole fir making me feel like complete shit for no reason.

According to him, though, there is plenty of reason for him to be furious at me. The biggest reason? That I decided to go on this trip without his confirmation. I should have asked him if it was okay. Even now I'm shaking as I remember how he called me a selfish bitch for the entire weekend. Every time I tried to get close to him he'd push me away, both physically and emotionally. We'd be in the same room, sitting on the couch and we wouldn't say a single word to each other.

By the time I see a shiny blue Honda Accord pull up in front of the bus stop that's three blocks away from Kyle's apartment, I feel the sadness subside. Until I hear my phone go off and I see that it's Kyle.

"What do you want?" I ask briskly.

"If you go on this vacation, we're over."

My throat closes up. Tears fill up my vision. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, even though I don't like the way it's making me feel. We've been going out for a year. The first six months were picture perfect, with him spoiling me out of his free will and pampering me with kisses and snuggles. He made me feel so loved and cherished. But it wasn't perfect. He's an awfully selfish lover. He never really cared for me sexually, ever since the beginning. There was only one time he made me come, but that was only when I was pleasuring myself while he was behind me.

I'm feeling like a royal bitch so I take a deep breath before I say, "You're a lousy lay anyway. Bye."

The relief I feel is instant. I hang up the call and put the phone on silent. If he calls me, then I won't be tempted to answer it. The moment I see Lizzy, I feel a burst of happiness pulse within me. When I see Mr. O'Keefe in his aviator sunglasses, I get an additional shot of adrenaline. He looks like he could be on the cover of Men's Magazine , he's so gorgeous. How old is he again?

"Kimmy!" She wraps her arms around me the moment she sees me. "Do you want to get into the backseat? Or do you want to be copilot? I'm a horrible copilot. I give out horrid directions."

I glance at Mr. O'Keefe but he's busy looking at a print out of a map. Sitting next to him sounds thrilling, as dumb as that sounds. Even though he doesn't think of me that way, I'd love to help him out with directions, right?

*

An hour later Lizzy is snoring lightly in the backseat while I stare at her through the rearview mirror. The rock station is playing through the stereo and a lot of the songs remind me of Kyle. He's a big fan of rock bands like Shinedown and Three Days Grace. I try to hide my disdain over the selection of songs but apparently it's failing because Mr. O'Keefe keeps glancing at me as we drive straight on the highway.

"Don't like the tunes?" he asks. "I can change the station."

I frown. "It's okay. I just don't like the memories associated with some of these bands. I'm more of a classic rock girl."

"Really?"

He seems genuinely impressed. Maybe he thinks I'm joking around?

"Mhm," I say as I nod. "I like Deep Purple and Heart, to name a few. Then I like a lot of eighties music like Prince and Def Leppard."

"You have great taste in music. Especially for someone so young."

"Thanks." I feel myself blush. "What about you?"

He keeps his gaze on the road as he changes the station. "Pretty much the same stuff you just mentioned. Maybe you can brainwash Liz into liking some of it."

I laugh. "That'd be hard. She loves her contemporary pop."

I swear I can see him roll his eyes, but it's hard to tell behind the sunglasses. I glance at my phone to check the time and am pleased to see that we only have two hours to go before we arrive at the beach house at Vineland Beach in New Jersey. I just can't wait to dig my toes into the warm sand and hopefully get a nice tan. I get to catch up with Liz, too and possibly flirt with cute guys. Anticipation rushes through me.

*

The beach house is so beautiful and we're lucky enough to get the top floor that has the deck. Since the house is two blocks away from the beach we get to see the ocean pretty well from our vantage point. I'm pretty quick in unpacking my luggage but Elizabeth is another story. I feel so bad for her dad who pretty much has to carry all of the heavy bags and suitcases filled with clothes.

"You do realize that we're only staying for a week, right?" he asks as he plops the bags down in her room. "Not a month. A week."

Liz rolls her eyes. "You just don't get it, dad. Clothes get dirty at the beach. Sand gets on your shorts and shirts. You need at least two pairs of clothes for each day, if not more for emergencies."

I try my best to not laugh out loud but it's hard. I focus on unpacking my stuff as Elizabeth and her dad argue over who's the more stubborn one. It's kind of adorable. It makes me wish that I had that sort of relationship with my dad. Instead he's out drinking and spending all his hard earned money on gambling. Yup, I have a real father figure.

"Kimmy! Come downstairs!"

Lizzy's voice beckons me downstairs, where I see her producing a concoction out of orange juice and vodka. I look at her oddly as she shoves the mixed drink toward my direction.

"Here, drink," she says cheerfully. "We have to get a buzz before we head out later."

"We're going out later?" I ask in surprise. "This is news to me."

"To the club. They got a really nice one out here. It's gay so everyone's cool and down to earth."

"Awesome."

I smile as I remember how open minded her dad is. When she nervously came out to him last year, he wasn't the least bit surprised. Even though he took her seriously, he just smiled and said he always knew that she was bisexual. He reassured her that it wasn't going to change the way he saw and loved her. His reaction was so perfect, it made her cry.

She tilts her head. "You don't want to go, do you?"

"Maybe." I yawn and stretch my arms. "I'm ugly, though. What will I wear?"

"Um, excuse you!" she says angrily. "Take that back."

I sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling very well right now."

"We're having drinks this early?"

Quinn is such a nice name and it really suits him. I don't know why I think of this as I stare at him. He takes off his sunglasses and puts them away in his pocket. His face is so perfect, does he have any idea of how beautiful he is? I know I sound so shallow but I can't help it. I grab the mixed drink from Elizabeth and take a hurried sip. It reminds me of a tropical island far away from drama and bullshit.

"This tastes really good," I say.

Lizzy smiles triumphantly. "See? It's not too early. Now it's time for the beach."

Quinn

It's so hard to not stare at Kim at the beach. Luckily my shades protect me from where my gaze is set at, but sometimes I swear we lock stares. She looks like a mermaid with her long, wavy hair and smooth, tan skin. I bet she smells so good. But I don't want to be a creep and sniff her. That would definitely set the wrong mood. So I do my best to ignore her sexy legs and hearty laugh. I try to check out other women. But I keep falling back to Elizabeth. She has the same music tastes as me. That's impossible to find nowadays. I wonder if I would have a chance with her if I were younger? If only. I highly doubt she'd want to date an old geezer like me.

The beach is wonderful until a storm rolls in, threatening to blow us away with its high winds and ominous, black clouds. We barely make it to the beach house as the rain begins its unrelenting downfall. The raindrops sound like bullets against the roof, but it's soothing. It quickly becomes apparent that Kimmy thinks the same, too. She's already nestling herself in the corner of a couch, nursing a teacup. My daughter, on the other hand, is restless as she stretches out on the sofa and groans.

"I can't believe it's raining!" she exclaims in annoyance. "We're going to be cooped up here all day." She pouts and crosses her arms.

"Maybe it will stop," Kim says before she blows on the hot liquid. "It can't rain forever."

I'm curious as to how the weather is going to turn out so I look at my smartphone and am disappointed to see that it's supposed to be cloudy almost all week. When I look up, I see Kim staring at me before she quickly looks away. This is going to be a very long week if we're stuck inside because of the rain.

"What are we having for dinner?" Elizabeth asks as she pats her belly. "I'm getting hungry."

"Maybe some salad?" Kim asks with a hopeful tone. "I don't think I can do a big meal. Unless you guys are in the mood for it."

"Ooh! Make your bean salad, dad!" Liz asks excitedly. "It's healthy and scrumptious."

I laugh. "That sounds good. Sounds like a plan."

*

After dinner it quickly becomes apparent that the girls want to drink but it's still pouring heavily outside. Luckily I brought a mixer and a full bottle of tequila for the week but now I'm starting to doubt that it's going to last us all week. I'm putting away dishes when I hear laughter from the girls' shared room. The door is slightly ajar but I've been doing my best to ignore their conversation. But suddenly they've gotten really loud.

"Your dad is so hot," Kim's voice filters through the slightly cracked door. "There, I said it."

My hand freezes midway as a cup almost falls from my grasp. Did I just hear her correctly? She thinks that I'm hot? Maybe I misheard her. But then Liz starts to laugh uncontrollably.

"Shh, he's out there. He might hear you. And yeah, he's handsome, but he's my dad! That's kind of weird, Kim."