The things you hear through the window

Lily runs up and throws her arms around me; I put a swim shirt and trunks on before coming outside, so I can hug her back without worrying about her soaking my clothes. I hear a chorus of welcome from the others. My daughter kisses me on the cheek before returning to the pool. “Did you girls bother to have breakfast before coming out?” I ask, laughing.

“Of course we did, Mr. Harrison,” Bailey says. I’ve told them all more than once to call me Ben, and most of the time they do, but sometimes it suits their sense of humor—Bailey’s especially—to address me formally.

“You obviously haven’t seen the kitchen yet, Ben, or you wouldn’t have needed to ask,” Meaghan adds slyly.

“Hey, I cleaned up!” Bailey retorts indignantly.

“By your standards, maybe,” Meaghan smirks. Bailey splashes her hard, and the water war is on. In between shrieks, I say, “Don’t worry about it—I’ll go clean up.” Among the shrieks are disappointed moans, and one voice calls out, “Come back out soon!”

In the kitchen, I find the aftereffects of eggs and bacon for seven. I’ll need to run to the store today. I’d better make a list. I leave the mess and walk to my office for pen and paper. (Yes, I could use Evernote, but if I’m going to make a list in a messy kitchen, I’d rather use paper.) I put a shopping list together, then turn my attention back to the cleanup.

The windows are open, so I can hear everything going on outside. The shrieks have subsided and the splashing has slowed. I wash up with my mind in neutral. Suddenly, my ears grab hold of my thoughts and wrench them into focus. I hear Bailey say, “Come on, Jessica, listen to me. No, I don’t think your swimsuit’s ugly, but I don’t think it makes you look good. You don’t have to hide your body like that. You’re hot, girl! You could have any guy you want. Why not show off a little bit? You’ve got it, you ought to show it!”

I nod, though of course they can’t see me. I can’t hear Jessica’s reply, but I hear Bailey. “What do you mean you can’t have the man you want? Is he taken? No? Then trust me, he’ll go for you.”

More indistinct sounds, then Bailey laughs. “Fuck, girl, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all want to fuck Lily’s dad!” I freeze—my mind freezes—even my heart seems to stop. What?! “Scarlett most of all.” My mind fills with pictures of Scarlett in her tiny bikini, then starts imagining her without it. “She’s actually been after Lily about it. Lily still thinks it’s kinda weird, but she finally decided if one of us could make him happy—fuck, if all of us could make him happy—she’d be good with it.” My brain grinds to a halt again. “I think Scarlett may have talked her into helping set her dad up.” By now, my cock is longer and harder than it’s been in years, and my hands are trembling.

“Ohh,” Bailey says, sounding compassionate now. “You don’t just want to fuck him—you really have a thing for him, don’t you?” More indistinct sounds. Now my mind fills with thoughts of Jessica in a swimsuit snuggled up to me—only with no one else around. I imagine turning to kiss her and popping one of her big tits out of her suit; I imagine making her moan by playing with her tit, then sliding down to suckle her nipple. “No, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Bailey says decisively. “Look, I think Scarlett has made up her mind to have a go at Ben, but she just wants to fuck him.” I can hear the girls start moving away from the window. “If she gets lucky,” Bailey continues, her voice fading, “maybe . . .”

My heart is pounding; my head is spinning; my cock is threatening to declare independence and go after the girls on its own. Maybe, indeed.