The Switch Pt. 02

"I know, now stop being crazy," I replied.

One thing I didn't know is that you don't tell a woman she's being crazy. I thought Annie would burn a hole in me with her eyes. Annie wasn't a violent person, she wasn't even a person to let things bother her. Each time we left school, the reassurance she gave me made coming home bearable. I told her on several occasions if I was an only child, I would never come back. I loved my parents, but the tension and almost hatred between them was overwhelming. Their rekindled flame brought me hope and happiness for them both.

"I got an idea; let's play poker," Dad suggested.

It wasn't a horrible idea. I loved playing cards and had even won a few online tournaments. The game was addicting, and after my last win, I gave it up. The more I played, the deeper it pulled me in. One tournament wasn't enough for me at my deepest point. For me, I needed to play multiple games at once. The three days I spent playing with little to no sleep, I isolated myself from everyone and became angry if anyone bothered me, it wasn't my proudest moment. I cashed out my winnings, spent some on Dani, myself, and bought Annie a new diamond necklace. She was heartbroken the day she lost the fake one I purchased with my birthday money for her when she turned eighteen.

"I'm down," I said.

"Yes," Dad exclaimed, knowing if I played, everyone else would play too, and he was right.

Dad also fancied himself a poker player. His gentle approach gave him the upper hand before the first card was even dealt. Most people took his tranquility for easy bait, but that was a part of his ploy. He never showed much emotion when he won or lost. Other than a slight closed-lip grin, if he was victorious or just a short questioning gaze while he stared at the cards replaying the hand in his head if he lost. He was my only concern at the table. Dad played a variety of hands, mixing it up to keep you guessing. I enjoyed playing against him. Mom had given him the custom table with an automated shuffler built into it for Christmas several years back. Where most casinos had their name in the middle, our table was adorned with our family's last name.

While Dad and I set up the poker table and a few TV trays for the snacks to sit on, the girls and Dylan went to work on making everyone's favorite mix drink.

"Good luck, pop," I snickered, pulling out the chairs.

"Save it for the lottery. We both know how this will end," Dad let out a hearty laugh.

"Alex, where are you sitting?" Annie asked, walking in holding two drinks.

"Right here is fine with me," I said, holding onto the back of seat one.

Annie, put my drink in the cup holder and placed hers right next to mine. Maybe I was the one who was going to need the luck with Annie sitting to my left and Dad to my right. Annie's poker playing skills were above average, but she did have a tell, and I still to this day hadn't told her what it was.

One by one, everyone started to come into the game room. Dylan was the first. "Where am I sitting?"

"Right here, buddy," Dad patted the seat cushion right next to him while giving Annie a strange look.

Dani was next and only had one place to sit, next to Dylan. Annie was taking up the whole end of the table, making stacks of poker chips to hand out. She didn't need that much room, but it was the only way to ensure Dani wasn't close to me.

"What's going to be the first place prize?" Mom asked, walking in.

"How about the winner gets to pick where we go on vacation next?" Dad asked.

Summer breaks were fantastic. It was along the same lines as our holidays without all the tension. One week was spent with our Mom and Dad, and another week was spent with theirs. It was the definition of having your cake and eating it too.

"I'm in!" I loved the idea.

Everyone else agreed and Annie handed out the chips.

"Start the timer," Dad said and pulled the cards out of the shuffler.

The game was no-limit Texas Hold 'em, a relatively simple game. Each person was dealt two hole cards. The action was on the first person after the big blind. They could call the mandatory minimum, raise or fold, the choice was theirs. After they made their choice, it was on to the next player and so on. With the blinds being small and this a friendly game, almost everyone called if no one raised. Now that all the bets had been placed into the middle of the table, the dealer would burn one card and then flip over the next three. After another round of betting or checking, the dealer would burn another card, but this time only flip over one card. More betting before the final card, the river card. This is where things tend to get interesting, and players turn into bullies. They try and bet large to push you off your hand. The luck part of the game is over, and you must use your skills to see if they are full of shit.

The blinds started at one hundred for the small blind and two hundred for the big. The timer was set to fifteen minutes to keep the game from taking five hours, and the first hand was dealt.

As the game progressed, Annie seemed to relax and become a bit more friendly. But, she never missed an opportunity to point out Dani and Dylan's flirtatious behavior toward each other with her knee. They certainly seemed like a couple in love, but I didn't doubt that Annie and I also gave off the same impression.

Mom was the first one out, followed by Dylan. Mom took on the responsibility of getting drinks for everyone, while Dylan became the full-time dealer. Dani was the short stack, and each time she entered a hand, she raised all in. Even being called and winning a couple of times, the blinds' size kept her at a disadvantage. It was enlightening watching their interaction with each other. I felt like less of a piece of shit having had sex with Annie multiple times. With the power of knowing they had been sexually active with one another, I knew that it wasn't their first time.

"All in," Dani said.

Dad folded.

Looking down and seeing pocket Jacks, I made the call.

"All in," Annie wasted no time going over the top of me.

Annie had almost as many chips as I did, and if I called, I would be in Dani's position, having to go all-in every time I played a hand. After giving it some thought, I folded, figuring she had Aces or Kings.

"Aces," Annie called out.

"Shit! Just Queens," Dani hung her head, seeing she was way behind.

"Jacks?" Dad asked, looking at me.

"Nah, tens," I lied, couldn't let him know how good his read actually was.

Unlike what you see on TV, the flop was out, followed by the turn and the river without pausing between cards. Dani had lost and was out of the game.

"Yes!!" Annie cheered loudly, letting the alcohol control her emotions.

"That's not very polite, Annie," Mom frowned at Annie for her outburst.

"It's okay, I'm tired and drunk anyway--time for me to pass out. Night, Alex, and good luck."

"Goodnight," was all I could get out.

The 'Night, Alex' comment threw me off. Dani sounded like my sister before I inserted my cock into her and changed our relationship.

"It is getting late. Do you guys want to continue this tomorrow evening after Christmas dinner?" Dad asked.

"Sounds good to me. I'm pretty drunk myself," I was the first to agree.

"I don't mind, as it will give me time to decide where we are going on our next vacation," Annie laughed.

"We'll see about that young lady," Dad chuckled, hugging Annie before heading off to bed.

"You ready for bed, babe?" Dylan asked Annie, walking up and putting his arm around her.

"I'm going to help Alex clean up a little. I'll be in shortly," Annie squirmed out of Dylan's arm.

"Okay, I need to get a shower anyway. See ya in a few."

Dylan barely made it out of the door, and Annie launched herself into my arms.

"You need to calm down," I said, leaning back to look into her eyes.

"Don't be a wuss," Annie replied, forcing her face closer to mine and placing her lips on mine.

"Hey, guys, wha...." Dad paused mid-sentence.

They say people have two reactions under distress, fight or flight. I'm here to tell you I have neither. I froze in place, unable to do either. I would like to think if it was Mom, I would've been able to use the flight mode, but it wasn't looking good for me. Annie was the one who broke the kiss and slowly turned her head toward our father's.

"Dad, we were just...," Annie paused and looked to me for help.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I dropped my head and turned in his direction.

The only thing that kept repeating in my head was, the first person who speaks loses. It was the longest thirty seconds of my short life.

"You two must know that what you're doing will cause many problems," Dad said calmly.

"Dad, we are in...."

"Annie, please think long and hard about what you're getting ready to say to me. Since you were very little, I've told you both that words mean something, and you can never take them back."

"Dad, can we talk about this tomorrow?" I asked.

"That's a wonderful idea. Mom wants to know if you guys want French toast for breakfast or pancakes?"

"French toast," I answered for both of us.

"I will let her know. Love you both, and get some rest, Santa is coming," Dad gave both of us a genuine smile before he left us alone again.

"Fuck! Now what, Annie?"

"That went way better than I would've ever expected. Now is probably a good time to talk about my plan. Dad is going to want answers, and we need to be on the same page."

"Ya think?" I shot back.

"Hear me out before you start asking questions, Okay?" Annie asked.

"The floor is yours."

Before seeing them tonight being so affectionate to each other, I only worried they would deny it, but now I knew for certainty that what Annie had told me was the truth.

"All we have to do is sit Dani and Dylan down and confront them about their relationship. Tell them we know that they are in love with each other and we are happy for them. Also that we will do whatever we can to help them hide it from everybody. Once they come clean about it, we will tell them about us, but not until they come clean just in case it was a one-time thing. I don't want them having the upper hand. I want to do it tonight, so they have time to sleep on it if they don't confess."

"It's an excellent plan, but how does that help us with Dad?"

"If they confide in us and we confide in them, we can use each other to help the other out. Everyone knows how close we are as couples, and we'll use that to our advantage. We will build our houses next to one another in a nice neighborhood, put a gate in the fence between our homes, so no one will see us going back and forth. So from the outside looking in, we'll seem like the perfect couples and neighbors. That way, Dad can feel better about it, knowing we're not going to come out as brother and sister who are in love and ruin our lives."

She really had thought this all out, and it could work if we could talk them into it.

"We better hope they come clean because if they don't, we're fucked," I said before walking

toward the door.

The closer I got to my door, the more my heart pounded in my chest. Just control your breathing was on repeat in my head. We both had so much riding on this.

"Whose room are we doing this in?" I asked.

"If we do it in my room and Dani freaks out, she'll just leave and come back to your room."

"Go get Dylan, and I'll wake Dani up." I couldn't believe we were doing this.

I didn't have to wake Dani up. She was waiting for me completely nude and with her legs spread.

"Lovey, please come and put your fat cock in my tiny pussy," the words every man wants to hear from their girlfriend.

"This will sound weird, but Annie and Dylan are coming, so hurry up and put some clothes on," I looked around the room for her suitcase.

"Why?" Dani was displeased.

"Just hurry, damn it," I didn't have time to argue with her. Annie was sure to burst in at any second.

"Fine," Dani sat up, slid to the edge of the bed, and stood up, but it was too late.

Dylan was first to enter and stopped in the door frame seeing Dani standing there fully nude.

"Gooo, don't act like you've never seen her naked," Annie shoved Dylan in the back, forcing him into my room.

"What the fuck?" Dani did her best to keep up the secret. She used her left arm to cover her breasts and her right hand to cover her hairless mound.

"Just get dressed, we all need to talk," Dani looked worried, hearing my flat tone but did as I asked.

Whether it was the alcohol or knowing what was coming, Dani dropped her hands to her side and was now standing there fully nude for everyone to see. Her ass shook, and her breasts bounced as she strutted across the room to her suitcase. Laying her bag flat, she bent only at the hips while facing away from us. Her inflated clit protruded from her visibly wet pussy. The way she was putting clothes on was like watching her strip in reverse and without music.

"What's so important that it's keeping me from having my pussy stretched open?" Dani asked, annoyed, flopping down on the end of the bed.

Her question made me very aware she didn't have a clue what was coming. It was undoubtedly the booze, and I began to second guess myself. Maybe now wasn't the time to have this conversation with her so intoxicated.

"Dani, do you love Dylan?" Annie didn't have my doubts and proceeded with her first question.

"Of course, I love my brother. Why wouldn't I?"

"This will go a lot faster if everyone is truthful. Dani, are you in love with Dylan?" Annie asked, point-blank.

"Ewww, no. Why would you ask that?"

"Just tell the truth, Dani," Annie pleaded with her.

"I may be drunk, but you're not talking me into being in love with my brother," Dani was sticking to her guns.

"Fuck it, I told Alex about you and Dylan fucking in the hot tub. Now, do you want to change your answer?" Annie had enough.

I certainly wouldn't have been as blunt as my little sister, but it was time to face the music. Dani couldn't even look at me and began to pick at her fingernails nervously. I felt bad for her being put on the spot and having to answer for both of their actions.

"Dylan, are you in love with Dani?" It was my turn to ask some questions and apply the pressure evenly.

His silence spoke volumes.

"Dani, I know as weird as this may sound, I'm not mad at you. I just want to know if you're in love with him or it was just something that happened?" I made sure not to sound as if I were interrogating her.

Annie sat down on the bed next to Dani and placed her hands on top of hers.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Dani finally spoke after a couple of uncomfortable minutes.

Hearing the words was hard to swallow. Yes, I was in love with Annie, but I hadn't had sex with her until I found out Dani had cheated on me. The feelings I had when Annie informed me of her and Dylan's doings, I was sure she would have the same reaction when she found out about Annie and me.

"How long?" I asked in the same calm manner.

"Since we turned eighteen. After our birthday parties and our parents went to bed, I asked Dylan what he wished before blowing out his candles. I only asked him the question because of the look he gave me just before he did. The fear in his eyes scared me...." Dani's emotions were getting the best of her, and she needed a break.

"The fear of losing her was too great, and she saw it on my face. She was the only thing I wanted, and I knew college and some guy would do just that. We talked in detail about how we could be together and how difficult it would be with our parents being who they were. We came up with a plan to find a brother and sister close to the same age to date so we could be together. I knew that I would have to share her, but it was better than losing her," The pain in Dylan's voice was real as he gave us the short version.

"So you were just using us?" I beat Annie to the question.

"Only in the beginning, Alex. Dylan and I both wanted to end it with each other as our feelings for you both grew. We weren't looking for love, but you two are impossible not to love. The first night we had sex, Dylan and I agreed that we couldn't do this to you or Annie. I was in love with you and still am. I know this is hard for you to understand, but you can't help who you love. I just happened to fall in love with my brother. I'm so sorry, Alex," Dani broke down.

The combination of keeping the secret for so long, having been caught, and the possibility of being publicly shamed was too much.

"Dani, it's ok. We totally understand what you are going through," Annie took a slow, deep breath before continuing. "I'm in love with Alex. We didn't have the same plan as you two, but we want to be together just like you and Dylan. I have come up with a plan to make that happen. Would you like to hear it?"

Dani had stopped crying the moment Annie spilled our little secret. I watched as her eyes darted around the room and back and forth between Dylan's and mine. The emotional rollercoaster she climbed aboard was the exact one I just exited. I had made peace with my decision, and ultimately, she would do the same.

"Yes," both Dylan and Dani replied almost in unison.

Annie spent the better part of an hour extensively going over how it would work and answering any questions they had. Watching Annie explain the ins and outs was impressive, and when she finished, all the questions had been answered, or so I thought.

"I love the idea," Dani's words carried a hint of worry.

"What's wrong, Dani?" Annie asked.

"Eventually, it will have to go back to what we have now, and I don't know if I will be able to leave Dylan the next time."

"It never has to go back. Why would you say that?" Annie needed the reason.

"Because I want kids," Dani slapped her leg. "I won't miss my children's sports, plays, and God forbid, something happens to one of them, and they won't let me in the hospital, because I'm not the child's mother."

Dani's concerns were valid and things I hadn't thought about. My own apprehension began to fill my thoughts. Kids were very important to me. I never thought about how many kids I wanted, but I always assumed I would have at least two. It really boiled down to one thing, and if Dani couldn't deal with it, they would have to figure out their relationship. I wasn't the mastermind behind this plan and looked to Annie for guidance for a workaround.

"I'll figure it out, trust me," Annie sounded confident, but I was skeptical.

"Between the flight, alcohol, and poker game, I'm worn out. Let's talk about this more tomorrow. Alex, are you ready to come to bed?" Dani asked.

Oh shit, that was my first thought.

"Ummm.....,"

"I'm going to sleep with Annie, and Dylan will sleep with you. You two take Annie's room, and I'll set an alarm for first thing in the morning before our parents wake up, and we'll switch," I said, purposely cutting Annie off.

I went along with most things for most of my life, but Dylan fucking my girlfriend, his sister in my bed, wasn't ever going to happen. And was she serious asking me such a question?

"So we're never sleeping together again?" It was evident that this was bothering Dani.

"Why would we? You have Dylan, and I have Annie. This is what you've wanted all along. Let's take your advice and get some sleep. We'll all talk about this tomorrow."

"You're right. It's just habit, I guess," Dani tried to sound giddy and thrilled as she popped up off the bed, but her undertone told a different story.

"See you guys in the morning," Dylan said just before closing the door.

"Is she for real? Did she lose her fucking mind? Whatever, I'm not tired; wanna take a shower and fuck?" Annie started the questions annoyed but quickly moved on.

"Yes, to all the above," I said, flinging my clothes off on the way to the bathroom.