Emma's Family

“Oh my god. Relax,” Emma said as she fished her keys from her purse.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Relax? Relax? Twenty minutes ago, I had been at the cusp of losing my virginity with my crush. I had basically chucked my chances of it happening into the ocean, then was dragged over to her house to meet her family. Family. I needed a god damn moment.

Emma didn’t give me my moment. Door unlocked, she led me inside. The house was on the small side. A duplex that was showing its age. The area was nothing like my neighborhood with claustrophobic streets and close houses. My Audi stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other vehicles.

Inside, there was a humble warmth to the decor. The place was far more cluttered than my house. I don’t think her family had more stuff than mine did, but that there was a lot less space to put it in. It gave the place a lived-in feel that was missing from the almost sterile organization of mine.

“Sorry for the mess.” She sounded embarrassed and purposefully didn’t look my way. “Wasn’t expecting guests.”

“It’s fine.”

Not saying anything, she closed the door behind me and led me up the sharp stairs to the second floor. I slowed as the pictures on the wall caught my attention. Emma as a kid. Now there was a sight. The woman holding her was almost a splitting image. If that was what she was going to look like when she was older… I approved. The man was a towering brute, his wife’s head not even reaching his shoulders. His smile was something else. It was like he didn’t know how to hold back, looking like a man who had won the lottery. Twice.

The pictures told a story as I climbed the stairs. The wedding photo at the beginning. A very pregnant woman and proud father posing. The photo that had caught my eye. A slightly older Emma grinning with missing teeth as she stood next to… a sister? Emma had a sister? Her father was bald in that one and I felt myself smiling. Surrounded by women like Emma, I’d lose my hair too.

But my smile fell away. The man had a hand on each of his daughters’ shoulders as they smiled for the camera. His smile, goofy and full of life wasn’t the same.

The girls grew in each picture, but the woman never returned.

She was waiting for me at the top of the stairs. She hadn’t said anything, just watching me look at the photos. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

“Good news?”

She grinned. “You only have one parent to impress. The bad news? It’s my dad.” She winked. “No pressure.”

Right. No pressure.

Wasn’t he a cop too? Fantastic.

She giggled as I made my way to the top. “You’ll be fine. He doesn’t bite.” She frowned. “At least, I don’t think he does.” Concern fell over her face. “Actually, I’ve never introduced a guy to him before.” A rollercoaster ride as she was suddenly chipper again. “Anyway. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

We got to her room before her words really hit me. “Wait. What do you mean you’ve never introduced a guy to him?”

“Exactly what I mean. Never dated a guy before, so…” She shrugged.

So I was going to be the first one? But we weren’t dating either.

No. Stay down hope, you little monster. Go back in your hole and stay there.

I followed her into her room. It was surprisingly normal. Cluttered, but in an organized way. Funny part was, I’d already seen a lot of it. Right there was the bed she had posed on when she first sent me pictures. God, that seemed like a lifetime ago. How innocent those times were.

Her gaze followed mine as she smiled. “Familiar?”

Not wanting to go down that path, I asked a question of my own. “So you’ve never had a guy over before?”

She had that foxy smirk again. “Oh, I’ve had plenty of guys over. Just none that ever met my dad.” My shoulders fell. Damn. Walked right into that one. “Friday is his ‘hang with the crew’ day so he comes back later than normal. Maybe you’ll be lucky and we’ll miss him.”

“Yeah…”

She huffed, planting her hands on her hips. “What? You don’t want to meet him?”

“I—I do—”

“Sure doesn’t sound like it.”

I was about to answer when a new voice came from behind me. It scared the shit out of me as I jumped, spinning around with my hands up. “Who’s this?” The mini-Emma ran her eyes over me. I don’t know if she wasn’t impressed, or if that was just how she was. Her expression hadn’t changed in the brief time I’d seen her. She looked around me at her sister. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, but if you’re going to fuck him I would be quick about it. I told you last time, I’m done running interference on Dad.”

Flabbergasted at what I heard, I stared at the young teen. She couldn’t have been more than fourteen and perfectly encapsulated the angsty, bored teenager. Unlike her sister's long, silky hair, hers was cut so that it was a few inches above her shoulder. She was also already taller than Emma by an inch or so. Her eyes lacked the blue intensity of her sister and were a rich brown. They were sisters though, no escaping that. The raven hair. The facial structure. The identical way her eyes seemed to drill into you and somehow make you feel inadequate. The teen looked like an awkward mismatch of her sister. Like someone was trying to assemble a young woman and mixed in kid parts by mistake.

Ah, the awkwardness of puberty. So glad those years were behind me.

“Isaac, this is my wonderful sister, Emily. Emily… be nice.”

“Hey,” I said with an awkward wave.

“‘Hey’” she repeated with an ocean full of snark with an iceberg of mocking goofiness as she mimicked my wave with perfect sarcasm. Her eyes went to her sister. “Where’d you get this one? The Weeb convention?”

“Emily.” Emma’s voice cracked like a whip.

She rolled her eyes and sighed as if her world was collapsing. “Fine. Jesus.” Brown eyes drilled into me with all the intensity of her sister. “Nice to meet you.” Wow. It sounded like she actually meant it. I was about to respond when she fired out, “Enjoy plowing my sister. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be in my room. Next door. Where I totally can’t hear what’s going on and in no way will be judging your performance based on how fake Emma’s moans are.”

“You little shit.” Emma was a blur as she shot past me. Cackling, the thud of footsteps, a slamming door, and a few choice words followed in short order.

Emma returned a moment later with a stormy expression on her face. “Sorry about that. What?” she asked, reacting to my horrified expression. “Ignore her. She—”

“My god.”

She looked apprehensive.

“There are two of you.”

Her punch came swift and hard.

Rubbing my sore arm, I grinned. “Don’t worry about it. She’s cute.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to look horrified. “She’s fourteen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fuck off. You know what I meant.”

Emma chuckled. “Attitude aside, she’s a damn genius when it comes to taking photos.”

“Wait…”

“Yep,” she said, confirming my unasked question. “All those pictures here were taken by her. The artsy ones at least.”

I glanced over at the bed, a discomfort creeping up my back. “Does she… know what you do with them?”

“Yeah.” I stared at her. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

“Nothing.”

“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. She gets to practice her photography skills. I get to dangle myself in front of horny guys and tantalize them with something they’ll never have. Win-win.”

Looking back on the photos, they did have an artistic flair and professional quality to them. I was in complete agreement with Emma. Her sister was a damn genius.

Emma was smirking at me. “What?”

“You were thinking of me naked, weren’t you?”

I chose to ignore that. “Beyond trying to embarrass and terrify me, why are we here?”

“I need to get ready for tonight. You didn’t honestly expect me to go out in this, did you?”

“What’s wrong with that?” My eyes ran over her. Blouse and skirt. It was a bit above what she had been wearing most of the week, which was jeans and various types of shirts.

She only shook her head. “Boys.”

Without warning, she began to unbutton her shirt. My eyes widened as I did an about-face. I heard the giggling as my face heated. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to unbutton me? You did such a good job earlier…”

“I’ll wait outside,” I said, making for the door.

“Why?”

“Why? Because you are changing.”

“And?”

“And…”

“Isaac. Look at me.” Slowly, I turned around. Her blouse hung halfway open as her bra peeked out from underneath. Seeing her like that reminded me of—

I jerked my mind away from the thought. No point regretting paths not taken. I’d made the right decision.

Sauntering over to me, she was grinning from ear to ear. Her hand ran down my chest, her lower lip rolling into her mouth. Her eyes flicked up at me, completing her irresistible look. Fuck me. I made the right decision. Right? Right.

She moved closer, body nearly against mine. Her head went back so she could look up at me. God damn that sultry look of hers. Made my legs jelly every time.

“You’ve already seen numerous guys use this body to pleasure themselves,” she breathed, volume low that I had to strain to hear. “Don’t you think we’re a bit beyond false modesty?” Her smile widened as she stepped away. “Besides, haven’t you done the same thing?” she asked, turning her back to me before walking across the room.

I was about to remind her that we’d never actually had sex when her words played back in my mind. “…use this body to pleasure themselves.” Right. How many times had I used the pictures and videos she gave me to masturbate? I was every bit as guilty as the guys in the picture were. The methods differed, but the end result was the same.

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I had a private showing of Emma changing. It wasn’t as sexy as I thought it would be. She simply… changed. No teasing. No suggestive looks. Certainly no flirty atmosphere. After the buildup, it was an anticlimactic way for this to end. Wanting to fill the silence with something, I began talking about the session tomorrow. She wasn’t much for conversation, but kept up well enough—that is until I apparently became too much of a distraction.

Kicking me out of her room so she could get ready, I was left with simple directions to the kitchen and to, ‘Make myself at home.’ It was awkward being alone in a house I’d never been in before. After finding my way down to the kitchen, I decided the safe thing to do would be to wait for Emma to finish up and come get me. My phone helped kill time. I looked up at the sound of footsteps. It wasn’t who I expected it to be.

“What are you doing here?” Emily asked from the entrance to the kitchen.

“Waiting for Emma.”

She stared at me, a thin smile forming. “I know I said to be quick, but don’t you think that was a little too quick?” She moved over to the fridge. “She’s not going to invite you over again with that level of performance.”

What the hell was wrong with this family?

“We aren’t—”

“I’m fucking with you, dude.” She popped open the door and looked around before pulling out a can of Coke. Pausing, she glanced over at me and held up the can with a silent question on her face. I shrugged and nodded. With a second one in hand, she kicked the door closed and moved over to plop down in the chair across from me. Snapping open the tab, I took a sip. Emily stared at me with all the intensity of her sister. I felt like I was in the middle of an interrogation and she was playing both good cop and bad cop. “She didn’t fuck you.”

I shifted uncomfortably. This one had a mouth on her. “You don’t know that,” I said defensively. I don’t know why I answered that way. The way she stated it felt like a dig at me, but I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or not.

She quirked an eyebrow. “You droned on for ten minutes about Dungeons and Dragons. I’m surprised she didn’t kick you out sooner.” Leaning forward, she placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “Word of advice? Not exactly the sort of topic that makes panties drop.” An all too familiar grin started to form. It wasn’t exactly the same. I don’t think anyone could quite top Emma’s ability to nail the perfect balance of arrogance and playfulness. “What? I warned you the walls were thin.”

“You also mentioned something about not judging.”

She held up her hands, palms facing me. “Fair enough.” She took a sip before giving me another look. This one was almost as if she was searching for something.

“What?”

“Trying to figure out why you are here.”

“Emma and I are meeting her friends here in a bit. She wanted to change outfits.”

“Yes, but why are you here.”

“Not sure I understand.”

“I don’t either. Emma doesn’t introduce her boy toys. The only reason I know some of them at all is because I happen to talk to some of the regular ones from time to time.” Really wasn’t sure I enjoyed having this sort of conversation at the best of times. Emily being Emma’s younger sister upped the discomfort factor by at least ten. Her nonchalant attitude was certainly strange. I avoided speaking by sipping at my drink.

“You simping for Emma?” My strategy backfired as some bubbly fizz burned the back of my throat. She sat silently as my coughing fit passed.

“That—”

“You seem like the type. Pretty girl way out of your league gives you some attention. Makes you feel special. Suddenly you find yourself doing things you never thought you would, all to make the girl happy.” She paused. The only thing different about her intense stare was the color of her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, a grin on her face. It was a twist on what I was used to seeing with Emma. “What? Hit a bit too close to home?” she asked after my extended silence.

Bristling at the smug superiority she was displaying, I was about to fire back a denial when I caught myself. She was right—at least on how Emma and I started out. I bent over backward for her. I let her drive over my mental and emotional sanity and for what? Some nudes? A pittance for what I had put myself through.

And that was the kicker. I couldn’t lay the blame all at her feet. I let her. Even knowing how terrible it made me feel and how it twisted me, I did nothing to stand up for myself. Even if things seemed to be heading in a healthier direction now, that past could never be erased.

“No, you’re right,” I said as I ran my fingers over the can. “I was crushing pretty hard on Emma there at the beginning. Did a lot of things I’m not proud of.” My eyes focused on her. There was steel in my voice, forged from the resolution in my gut. “But I’m not the same person I was then. I’ve done a lot of growing since I met your sister, and most of it was because of her. Do I still like her? Yes. I do. Our relationship isn’t the same as it was back when I first met her though.”

There was a moment of silence before she let out a long breath, sinking back into her chair. “Oh wow. She really has her claws in deep with you.”

I shrugged. “Maybe so, “ I said as I lifted my can. “But she’s the one who isn’t letting go.”

Emily looked like she was going to say something but stopped. She suddenly had an acute interest in the Coke can. “You want to date her.” It sounded as if she couldn’t believe it. Like Emma, I had a tough time getting a read on her. It was a different sort of issue. Where her sister purposefully played coy, Emily seemed unsure of herself. She was completely different than how she was a moment ago. Where Emma’s confidence was a natural part of her, I don’t think it was the same with her younger sister. I barely knew her, but I had a gut feeling this was closer to who Emily was rather than the sassy girl I had met earlier. The other girl had been a front, but why?

My gaze didn’t waver as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat not making eye contact. “I do.”

Her eyes briefly met mine. “Seriously?” I nodded. “I’m sorry about before. What I said…”

“Why the sudden change?”

She looked embarrassed, a little pink in her cheeks as she sunk into her chair. “I…I thought you were like…” she mumbled.

“The other guys?” She nodded with a grimace. “No worries. I’m fully aware of what your sister gets up to.”

“And you still…?”

“In a heartbeat.”

There was a long silence. “Good luck.” The sincerity in her voice surprised me. “What? We may get into it from time to time, but I love my sister. She—” Stopping suddenly, she shook her head and went a different direction. “Clearly you are something to her or you wouldn’t be here. I…I don’t want to give you any false hope or anything, but she seems a lot happier now than she used to be. Never really understood what changed but with you here…” She gave me a small smile as her cheeks turned a deeper red. “Now I feel really bad about earlier. First impressions are important and—”

“No worries. To be honest? It was worth seeing Emma get a taste of her own medicine for once.”

Giggling, she held her hand to her mouth. “For someone who enjoys dishing it out, she can’t take it for shit.”

“Good to know.”

“Ah, I should have known you would be down here causing trouble.” We both turned to find Emma moving into the kitchen. My god. She had dialed things up to eleven again. This was on par with when she came over for DnD. No, this was a bit extra. I had to pick my jaw up off the table. “Exposing all my secrets?” she asked with an accusing tone.

“Have to give the poor guy a fighting chance. Wouldn’t be fun otherwise.” Sliding out of her chair, she stood next to me. “It was nice meeting you, Isaac.” She gave me a big smile, holding out her hand. Only then was I able to break free of the spell Emma cast on me. I took it and gave it a shake. For a brief moment, the Emily I’d been talking to slipped out. “Hope to see you again.”

I watched as she shared a look with her sister as she passed. I didn’t know how to interpret either of their expressions. Emma was all smiles as she approached. “Ready?”

Nodding, we left without another word. “Emily didn’t say anything strange to you, did she?” she asked when we were in my car.

“Strange?”

“Never mind.”

“She’s a good kid.”

“Agree to disagree,” she said with a smile that said otherwise. I made it to the end of the street when her smile widened even more, eyes tracking the car that passed. “You know, maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t take me up on my offer earlier.” My chest tightened when I realized what she was referencing. My knuckles were white as I gripped the wheel tighter.

“Yeah?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “You’d probably be balls deep in me—Oh who are we kidding. You’d be completely spent and I would be wondering where to get my refund for the five-minute guarantee.”

Not willing to let her needle me, I decided to push back. “Bullshit. I’d be rocking your world right now,” I said as I glanced over. Her eyes were sparkling in a way that made me uncomfortable.

“Really?”

“Guaranteed.”

Her lips parted in a smile. “As great as that sounds, it might have been an awkward way to meet my dad.”

“Huh?”

“The car we passed at the four-way stop back there? That was my dad.”

My face was probably white as a sheet. Emma was having a hoot though, laughing as she held her stomach.

Maybe Fate was telling me I’d picked correctly after all.