The Idea

Author's Notes:

WARNING: Far be it from me to dissuade potential readers, but this submission does exceed the ability of some to consume such a wordy, cerebral piece of literature. If you're looking for a detailed, boring description of all characters in the first three paragraphs followed almost immediately by sex, this will disappoint you. You may want to skip it entirely.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and locations are fictional or fictionalized and any that are similar to real persons, living or dead, places or circumstances are purely coincidental.

Copyright laws are strictly enforced per Terms of Service of this website. No permission for transmittal or storage of this work is given by posting here.

Dillon Wendover smiled when he caught sight of his son stepping off the bus. The fact that his daughter didn't follow immediately didn't worry Dillon at all. The twins were close, but not close enough to spend a field trip joined at the hips.

Cage scanned the parking lot and waved when he spotted Dillon in the car, then started toward him just as his sister, Kota, stepped off the bus.

Field trips for upperclassmen may be unusual these days, but the private school they attended usually followed its own path to a good education.

Dillon could see his son grin as he reached for the front passenger door, and Kota stiffened and came to a halt a few steps behind him.

"Just opening the door for an older lady," Cage chuckled back at his sister.

As the older sibling, Kota insisted the front seat belonged to her. It was her birthright.

Cage had given up years ago on the argument that seven minutes didn't grant anyone a birthright.

Kota faked a smile and fake scratched the bridge of her nose with her middle finger before she got in the front seat. She ignored the hand her brother proffered to assist her.

"How was the museum?" Dillon asked once he got them out of the parking lot and on their way home.

"Fine," his children mumbled in unison without looking up from their phones.

Dillon shook his head and grinned.

With normal children, if he could even call them children anymore since they had already turned eighteen, he would have insisted they put their phones down and engage with him, or each other at the very least, but his weren't normal children.

If he even muttered the word valedictorian they would immediately glare at each other.

Neither one of them had any desire to share that honor with the other, but as graduation day drew closer it looked more certain they would.

"How're you and Dean these days, Kota?" Cage goaded his sister without looking up from his phone.

"Friends," she mumbled a nearly silent reply.

"Hmm, friends?"

"Friends," Kota emphasized.

Dillon had heard that boy's name before, on more than one occasion, and always regarding his daughter's acquaintance with him.

He had even overheard the twins discussing Dean in the context of Cage warning his sister that if she ever tried to sneak Dean into her room he'd rat her out, but that may have been in jest. Neither of his children had ever been a tattletail. On the surface, people would label them as competitive, but in truth, he couldn't imagine two people with a stronger emotional bond.

Kota had simply rolled her eyes and made a face of disgust at her brother in response.

The fact that Kota never talked about Dean outside of Cage bringing him up and her facial expressions when he did, were the only things that gave Dillon any confidence that wasn't a situation he needed to worry too much about.

"Hey! Do you mind?" Cage growled at Kota.

"I don't mind. Don't let me interrupt you," his sister giggled from the doorway of Cage's bedroom.

Cage rebuckled his belt and zipped his pants..

"Knocking is nice."

"I don't expect you to knock on my door when it's open."

Kota looked amused as she leaned her shoulder against his door frame with her ankles crossed, and grinned.

"The door was closed," Cage huffed a little, and raised his eyebrows in a question.

"Then why did it open when I pushed it without using the knob?"

"Unlatched isn't the same as open, Kota."

"Whatever," she shrugged. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before. Why do you always insinuate I have some kind of romance going on with Dean? You know I don't like him, not like that, and not like any way."

Cage watched his sister's eyes drift down across his chest, pause ever so briefly at his waist, then focus on his loafers.

"It's been fifteen years since we've seen each other naked, and that wasn't our choice. Dad made us take baths together under the pretense it saved money. I think it was just easier for him."

"Fourteen. We took baths together until we were four," Kota corrected her brother.

Kota's eyes appeared to be focused on Cage's shoes still, so he took the opportunity to get a look at her, starting with her penny loafers that matched his, along her long, slender calves covered in white, knee-high socks, her pleated black skirt that almost revealed the bottom of her knees, and up her torso surrounded by her loose, black, uniform jacket over a white oxford shirt to her dirty-blond, straight hair, cut just above her shoulders.

Cage had seen old pictures of their mother, and knew that he and his sister got their looks from her. She had straight, dirty-blond hair, green eyes, and a tall, thin build, just like her twin children. She was almost as tall as their dad in her bare feet, just like Kota. Their dad was, and still is, a muscular man with wavy, dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"Can you just stop making Dad think I have even a little bit of interest in Dean? It's getting annoying."

"I know he doesn't get you all hot and bothered, but you talk to him, and that makes him think you like him."

"His social skills are worse than yours, Cage, and he's only the third smartest person in our class."

"Yeah, but you don't really need to worry about him taking away your salutatorian honors."

"In your dreams. You need to be the one worried about losing that to him. Anyway, Dean's coming over tomorrow. We got assigned that biology project together, and we need to work on it together, unfortunately."

"So you and Dean will be doing some biology? A guy like him, you probably need to worry about his biologicals coming out prematurely and making a mess in his pants."

"That's disgusting, Cage. We're gonna be at the kitchen table and we won't be getting anywhere near each other's biology. Can you just lay off the talk about me and Dean? I would really like Dad to think I have some standards."

"Okay, I'll figure out somebody else, probably a football player with broad shoulders and a big dick, to hassle you about."

"You act like that's somehow worse than the big tits and butts on the bleach-blond cheerleaders you drool over."

"Yeah, cheerleaders are hot."

"So are football players," Kota giggled. "You can go back to whatever you were doing now if you're done with me."

"You barged into my room!"

Kota made no move to retreat from Cage's doorway, and focused her eyes on the center of her brother's chest.

Cage crossed his bedroom and started to close the door, but his sister still didn't move. Instead she leaned her head a little to the side to peer into his room still, so he covered her face with his open hand and gently pushed.

"Okay, whatever," Kota giggled from the hallway as Cage made sure his door was latched.

"Dad, you know Dean's parents, right?" Kota asked mid-way through dinner that evening.

Dillon knew of Dean's parents. They had been introduced once, and they acknowledged each other at various school functions. He owned a car dealership in town, and she had some little shop downtown that appeared to cater to people equally as strange as she seemed to be, mostly younger, and sold crystals, incense, and handmade jewelry, mostly baubles.

Dillon believed they'd never had a real conversation. Dillon had driven Jaguars since his business became successful, and Dean's father only sold new Volkswagens and Subarus.

Dillon knew of Dean, of course, but couldn't picture what the boy looked like.

"Of course, sweetheart," he answered only a little fictitiously.

"We have a science project, and I was assigned Dean as my partner."

"That'll be fun," Dillon answered as enthusiastically as he could muster. He didn't want to stop Kota from talking to him about Dean for the first time ever.

"Probably not, but we need to work on it. Will you be home tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sure. What do I need to do to help?" Dillon answered even more enthusiastically. Neither of his children had asked for help with school work for years.

Kota giggled and shook her head.

"What? I don't mind helping any way I can."

"Dad, I just need you to chaperone. We're gonna be in the dining room, but don't hang out in there. Just be home."

"So you need protection?" Dillon asked in a concerned voice.

"Dad, no. I mean, just, well, his parents want us to be supervised," Kota fibbed a little in the moment and without much forethought.

"So they think you're going to do something wrong?"

"Dad! No..."

"He's not eighteen yet, so they want to protect you from committing statutory rape?" Dillon asked with a laugh.

"God, Dad! Don't be gross. He's eighteen, but I don't care about that..."

"So you'd jump his bones even if he weren't eighteen?"

"Jesus Christ, Dad!"

Dillon and Cage were both laughing pretty hard at that point.

"Men!" Kota groaned and glared at her dad. "No wonder I like girls!"

Cage almost choked as he was taking a drink of water, but Dillon's eyes got huge as he stared at his daughter.

"Kota?" he whispered.

"I'm kidding, Dad. I'm strictly dickly mostly. Usually always probably maybe. It's not like I've experimented with either. I just want you to shut up about sex. It's not gonna happen, especially tomorrow, unless Ryan Gosling accidentally shows up. If that happens, all bets are off."

"Ewww," Cage groaned. "He's ancient. "

"He's hot, and he's got at least a good ten years left before he's too old," Kota argued.

"Have you seen his wife? She has boobs!" Cage bandied.

"Woah, personal? I'm just a late bloomer."

Kota's voice had dropped in decibel level.

"That's what your mom said too. As far as I know, she never bloomed, not even after you kids were born."

Both of Dillon's children stared silently at their dad. Neither could remember the last time he mentioned that person, casually or otherwise.

"Dad?" Kota softly inquired.

"You're beautiful, Kota," he whispered back and stared down at his plate.

Dillon had met his twin's mother in college during their sophomore year, and they hit it off immediately. She studied political science and he studied business. They moved in together for junior year, and the unplanned twins were born mid-way through their senior year.

Dillon asked her to marry him the day after graduation, and she accepted.

The following morning, she left a note that she couldn't do it, and was gone, without the twins. He didn't hear from her for ten years. She called him out of the blue one day, at his job running the company he started, and said she was going to be in town on business and she wanted to see her kids, but neither one had any desire to meet her, and Dillon refused to force them.

She didn't put much effort into forcing the situation, and made no attempts to contact any of them since.

After several minutes of eating in silence, Dillon stood up and took his dishes to the kitchen.

"You're an asshole," Kota growled at her brother when their dad was out of earshot.

"What? I didn't bring up our mother."

"Shut up, Cage. I meant my tits. Just because I don't show them off doesn't mean I don't have any."

"I really hadn't noticed," he retorted.

"They're there, but you sound like you expect me to prove that. It's not happening."

"I meant I hadn't noticed you don't show them off."

"How am I supposed to take that, Cage? I do not show them off. I think I'd have to walk around naked from the waist up to do that."

"Dad was right."

"About what? Stay on topic."

Cage shrugged, but wouldn't look at his sister.

"You're wrong. I don't like big tits."

"And I don't like football players, but I do refuse to date anybody shorter than I am."

"Well, that leaves like three guys in the school for you to date that aren't football players, and one of those is your brother. You're like five-eleven, right?"

"That sounds about right."

"Good thing you didn't say 'dumber'. That would just leave one and I don't even need to add the part about being football players."

"You didn't pronounce the n at the beginning of none."

"That's not even true, Kota!"

"Whatever, but if you're trying to say my tits only look small because I'm tall, I call bullshit."

"I just mean that, well, it was a joke."

"Ah. Joke about your sister's little tits. Not nice, Cage."

"It was a joke when I said she has boobs. She does have boobs, but I never said anything about yours. The only thing I can think of to say about yours would be weird, so I've never said anything about your tits."

"So if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all?" Kota groused at her brother.

"Sheesh, Kota. Weird, I only have weird things to say about your tits, so I don't say anything at all."

"You're such a jerk, Cage!"

"Fine! I don't like big tits, I like little tits, and you have perfect, little tits! Feel better that your brother thinks your tits are perfect?"

Kota, certain her face was as bright red as it felt, slowly turned to look away from her brother. The fact he wasn't blushing and she was, confused her.

"Um, I have homework," Kota whispered, "Tomorrow Dean's going to be here for a couple hours around two. Can you not bother us, please?"

"Sure, Kota. I'll let you and Dean get your biology on in peace."

Kota picked up her dishes and took them to the kitchen, then headed for her bedroom, but stopped before leaving the kitchen.

"I do, Cage."

"You do what?"

"Feel better."

"What do you mean?"

Kota ignored Cage's question.

Cage shook his head. Sometimes his sister really was weird, but he didn't know any girls who weren't. He knew she didn't have homework. Their class schedules were identical except for one class, and they had a field trip today, so no classes to get homework in.

He was happy he didn't get Dean for a partner for the biology project. He got Angie. She wasn't the most popular girl in school since she was in the Drama Club instead of a cheerleader, but she was kind of cute if you didn't look directly at her.

He knew he'd need to do most of the work, so saw no point in working with her on it at all outside of school.

Dillon stopped in the kitchen on his way out to the garage. He had remembered a box of pictures of the kid's mom from when they were together, and he wanted to show Kota she got her diminutive bustline directly from her mother.

He hoped if Kota saw how good her mother looked in a bikini, maybe Kota wouldn't be so self conscious about her tits.

His intention to simply pass by without being noticed seemed like a good one, but he overheard their conversation.

Dean asked if he could see Kota's room. She giggled and told him her dad was home, so Dean asked if he could come back and see it later when he wasn't. She giggled again, and told him "We'll see."

Dillon didn't like the way that sounded, but Dean was gone by the time he returned from the garage after failing to find the box he went to look for.

Kota was still at the dining room table, gathering up some papers and putting her laptop in its case.

"Hey, Kota. How was the work meeting?"

"Thank god that's over," she sighed.

"So you have the project finished?"

"Since I did most of the mental, heavy lifting, Dean's going to type it up, then email it to me for review. I might fill in, make changes, or correct some things, but once I've had my way with it, we'll be done."

"He seems nice," Dillon told her in his sincerest tone of voice. He didn't want to discourage Kota if she liked him. He would do what he needed to do to keep him out of her room though.

Kota just rolled her eyes before she headed for her bedroom.

By Monday morning, Dillon's brain had come up with an idea for the new problem of Dean. He knew his children were adults, but still, at eighteen, he felt he needed to protect them, and having boys in Kota's room was definitely not something he wanted.

The thought that he may have been overprotective their entire lives might be why the matter of boys in Kota's room, and as a passing thought, girls in Cage's room, was just now something to be concerned about.

Once he got to his office, Dillon immediately called the company that installed and monitored the security system for him, both at his company and his home.

Dillon thought his idea was perfect. He could observe without being intrusive. The twins would never know, and he could protect them from making a huge mistake.

Dillon's acute awareness of how much sex could change one's life might have been the driving force behind his idea.

The security company would install a tiny digital camera in the cold air returns in both Kota's and Cage's bedrooms. The cameras would be virtually impossible to see without climbing a ladder, and would give a view of the entire room.

The motion-activated cameras would connect through their wifi, so would require very little installation, and could be viewed in realtime from the new, dedicated pc they would set up in Dillon's study or any smartphone with the software and password.

The new system would also send alerts to Dillon's phone when the cameras were activated.

Dillon thought his flawless idea was great, and couldn't think of a single downside. What could possibly go wrong?

Kota scowled hard at her laptop screen and her territorial instincts flared, just like they had the first time the administration had ordered a locker search at her high school. Those instincts still bristled each locker search, but Dad had signed the mandatory release giving them permission.

When they had first moved to their current home a few years ago, she took it upon herself to monitor their wifi connection. She knew Dad wouldn't even think about it, and Cage probably wouldn't bother, but she didn't like the thought of anyone else getting free wifi from them, or possibly having access to their computers.

The homes in their new neighborhood were large with huge lots. The lot for her house encompassed more than six acres. She had even walked the perimeter with her phone to check if their wifi reached that far, so she knew someone would need to be inside the property line to access it. That didn't stop her from checking a few times a week for new connections.

Today was the first time anything besides their three computers, three cell phones, and five televisions had connected to the wifi, but now there were three new connections, and not previous connections. The new devices had connected, and stayed connected.

Two of the names of the connections looked almost identical: a string of random numbers and letters, but both were formatted the same. The third name, Secret Computer, concerned her most.

"Cage would name a secret computer 'Secret Computer'," Kota giggled then opened Windows Explorer and clicked on Network.

She laughed again when Secret Computer appeared under the three other computers, so she clicked on it.

She briefly stared at the popup asking for a password, then sighed before she typed SYLVIA101683, even after her first thought was that it was Cage's secret computer. Cage wouldn't have put a password on his secret computer just like he didn't on the one that wasn't secret.