Bad Company

by S. L. Sterling

  Within minutes Mom appeared, closing the door to Leah’s room quietly and looked at me with disappointment. “Logan, how could you?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and headed into my room, Joe and Mom following me. Apparently, they didn’t find the purple vibrator as funny as I had, and I soon found myself grounded.

  “Seriously, it was meant as a joke, nothing else,” I called as they both walked out of my room.

  “You’re still grounded,” my mom replied.

  “Oh, and Logan, tell that to Leah, not to us. I’ve had enough of this—whatever it is between you two. It needs to stop and now,” Joe said before he shut the door to their bedroom.

  SIX

  Logan

  I finally had to tell Mom and Joe about school. The university had written me twice asking if I would accept. Telling my mom that I was accepted by Boston University into their architecture program was easier than I thought it would be. She and Joe paid for my whole first year with no complaint. I picked up a job bartending at the beginning of summer and had saved enough for my flight in the first couple of weeks and was now working on saving for living expenses.

  Mom and I had flown to Boston to check out the dorms on campus and made all the necessary arrangements for moving in for the year. There was a mandatory two-week new student orientation, and I planned to spend the last days of summer getting to know the city and my new roommate before classes started. I seriously couldn’t be more excited to get out of here.

  I spent the day getting ready for my flight to Boston on the following Monday. I was stuffing a few sweaters into my duffel bag when I heard a knock on my door. I looked up and Leah came wandering in.

  “I hope you know I’m claiming this room once you leave.”

  “Did someone say something?” I asked looking around the room. Leah sat on the edge of my bed, twirling her finger in her long red hair and rolled her eyes at me. Since her birthday we had been getting along, no more mean pranks.

  “I will miss you.”

  “Gingersnap, don’t go getting all sentimental on me, you know damn well you’re going to be happier without me around here.”

  “That’s not true,” she said looking up at me.

  “Need I remind you of the purple vibrator I got you for your birthday, or the pregnancy test I hid.” I chuckled. “If you miss me, you are more fucked up than I thought.”

  She got quiet and then asked, “What time do you leave?”

  “Flight is at nine Monday morning. Mom is taking me to the airport. If you want this room, go ahead, it’s yours,” I said looking around the room. Fucking pink carpet, I couldn’t believe I had spent an entire year living in a room with a pink carpet.

  “Can I come?”

  “Nope, I asked that it just be me and Mom, so whatever goodbyes you need to say, it will have to be done here.”

  I grabbed a couple of things and threw them into my carry-on bag, leaving only my laptop on my desk. Suddenly I felt her arms wrap around my center, and her body press tightly against my back. The heat of her touching me went straight to my cock, and it jumped in response. There were no words exchanged between us and as quick as she had pulled her body into mine, she let me go, running from my room.

  It was Thursday night, Joe and Mom had gone away again for the weekend but promised to be home late Saturday night or early Sunday morning to spend the day with me.

  I had been at work for three hours and was busy pouring drinks for the people waiting in line when I saw Leah walk in with Jenna and two guys I didn’t recognize. At closer inspection these guys looked to be in their late twenties. What the hell were they doing? Leah had told Joe and Mom she would be home studying all weekend.

  I watched as the girls slid into the booth first on opposite sides of the table and then the guys slid in beside them. As soon as the line at the bar got to a manageable level, I excused myself for a moment and moved toward their table. Jenna waved at me as I approached and put my hands on the edge of the table then leaned over toward Leah. “Can I speak to you for a moment, Leah,” I asked.

  “No, you may not.” She rolled her eyes at me and then smiled at Jenna and the two guys.

  I ignored the fact she wanted to be left alone. “I thought you were studying all weekend?”

  “Plans change. Now, if you don’t mind, how about you get us two coolers and two beers?” She tore her eyes away from mine and went about her conversation as if I weren’t standing right there.

  I stood watching them for a second and then went back behind the bar and got their drinks. I had one of the waitresses take the drinks over to them. As the night went on, I kept an eye on them both, but the later it got the busier it got, and the busier I got until finally I lost track of Leah in the sea of people. Jenna was still sitting at the booth with one guy, so I knew they were still there. When my shift ended, I grabbed my jacket from behind the bar and went over to the table she was at and sat down.

  “Logan! Hi.” Jeanna beamed.

  “Hey, Jenna, where did Leah go?”

  “Oh, she is dancing with Tom. They’re right over there,” she said pointing to a group of dancers. I couldn’t see her at first but when the crowd finally parted, I caught a glimpse of her. I saw the way Tom was looking at her and I didn’t like it. He looked at her as if she was something to eat instead of a person and that bothered me more than I cared to admit.

  “Mind if I sit here with you guys?”

  “Nope, not at all,” Jenna said smiling.

  I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled through Instagram, occasionally looking up to see where Leah was. She must have seen me watching her because she finally made her way over with her date to the table. “Hi, Logan.”

  “You almost ready to go?” I asked. There was just something about this guy that made me uneasy and I decided I wasn’t leaving her here with him. Leah had a lot to drink tonight, and he seemed to be too sober.

  “It’s okay, Logan, Tom will bring me home. Go ahead, you’re probably tired, plus I am not ready to leave yet.” Tom looked at me and then at Leah and smiled.

  “Yeah, Logan, I got her,” he said grabbing her ass and pulling her into him.

  This wasn’t a place to cause a scene, so I decided to just go. “All right then, see you at home.”

  “Who was that guy? Your boyfriend?” I heard her date yell into her ear over the music. I turned to look at them.

  “Just my annoying stepbrother, he thinks he’s the boss of me. I hate him.” She answered as she looked me right in the eyes.

  Her words stabbed at my chest, sure we didn’t get along, but hate was an awfully strong word, so I took that as my cue and walked out the front door. As I walked to my car, I realized just how much that comment stung. I unlocked my car and climbed in and was just about to start the engine when I decided to wait until I saw her come out of the bar. I would follow her home, just to make sure she got there okay. I didn’t trust that Tom guy.

  Two hours went by and finally I saw Jenna and the guy she was with leave the bar, Leah and her date trailing behind. Leah was drunk now, staggering across the parking lot, hanging off him, laughing as she walked. They made it over to what must have been his car where he leaned her against the hood and kissed her. Jenna was already in another car and they left the parking lot. I continued to watch figuring they would leave soon but instead of getting into the car, Tom continued to hold Leah up against the car and they were into a deep make-out session. I watched as he kept grabbing at her, running his hands over her, while she seemed to get agitated, trying to push at his chest to get him away. Suddenly his hand was buried down the front of her pants as she hit at him. I felt my pulse race as he grabbed her hands and held them behind her back as he continued his assault on her.

  As anger boiled inside of me, I jumped out of my car and marched across the parking lot. I grabbed him and pulled him off her before punching him right in the mouth, knocking him back. I watched as he fell to the ground then grabbed Leah and pulled her acro
ss the parking lot. I put her in my car, got in and drove away. I was glad I had stayed, if I hadn’t who knows what would have happened.

  The drive home was quiet, she kept her gaze out the window. She had wrapped herself up in my coat, and occasionally, she let out a sob. I pulled the car into the driveway and before I could say anything she jumped out of the car and ran to the door fumbling with her keys and made her way inside. I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel, debating if I should call Joe and Mom, instead of dealing with this on my own. Deciding I wouldn’t say anything to anyone, I walked to the front door and once inside I locked it behind me.

  I toed my shoes off and went into the kitchen. Like always, I was hungry, so I scrounged around in the fridge and grabbed a mishmash of food to snack on. I picked up my plate and turned to sit at the table when I saw Leah standing inside the kitchen door. She had changed into shorts and t-shirt and had washed all the makeup off her face. She looked better now. “You all right?” I asked.

  She nodded and walked past me to the fridge pulling a bottle of water out. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” Her voice shook. She unscrewed the cap from the bottle and took a sip of water. I put my plate down and went back to the fridge for a bottle of water for myself. As I went to walk past her, she grabbed my shirt and leaned in, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I looked down at her, her eyes met mine and she looked me deep in the eyes. It was the first time she had really looked at me in almost four months. Those beautiful green eyes staring back at me, I wished the moment could go on forever. My eyes washed over her face, to her lips and back to those green eyes and as if in slow motion I raised my right hand to her cheek and slowly leaned into her, our lips meeting. For an entire year I had dreamed of kissing those lips and now as we stood in our parents’ kitchen, I was kissing her, my stepsister.

  As my tongue parted her lips and jutted into her mouth, I felt my cock jump with excitement and harden. I knew she felt it too, because suddenly she pulled away, embarrassment filling her face. Before I could say anything, she ran from the room and I heard her bedroom door slam shut.

  SEVEN

  Logan

  I tried to talk to her after I realized what had happened between us. I had called to her from downstairs and even went to her room to try to speak with her, but instead of coming out of her room she asked that I leave her be. So, I jumped into the shower.

  I held the towel around my waist but because it was a smaller one, I had to hold both ends closed with my hand. I was just about to my room when Leah shot out of her own room and right into my chest. The contact caused me to jerk backward, losing my grip on the towel.

  It fell to the floor leaving me standing there completely naked, her eyes wandered my body. I could see her cheeks get that rosy colored hue to them while her eyes widened as she looked down to my cock. Perhaps she had never seen a naked man before, maybe I was the first. As my eyes washed over her I could see her nipples poking through her tank top and when our eyes met, she cleared her throat and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

  I took a step toward her leaving my towel on the floor in the hallway and smashed into her lips once again, only this time I let my hands wander, running my palms over her hardened nipples. I was hard as a fucking rock and wanted her to take me in her hands, but she didn’t, she kept her hands placed on my chest as if she was going to try and stop me from what I was doing.

  As our lips parted, my lips traveled to her neck, and I heard her small voice as she said, “Logan, we can’t do this.” Instead of pulling away, she continued to kiss me for a minute before she pushed away from me and quickly turned and headed back into her room. Separating us by shutting the door. She left me standing stark naked in the hallway with a raging hard on. I had no idea what I had been thinking, but she was right, this couldn’t happen.

  When I woke on Saturday, I got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. I had hoped to talk to Leah, so I could apologize and pray to god she didn’t speak a word of this to our parents. However, I found a note on the kitchen table telling me she was already up, and she’d gone to stay with Jenna.

  Mom and Joe returned home early Sunday morning followed by Leah a little later. We spent the day as a family; we went to church as we did every week where I prayed for forgiveness for what had happened between us. Then like always we went for breakfast. She acted as normal as always, never looking or speaking to me. Although that wasn’t the part that hurt the most, Monday morning she didn’t even get up to say goodbye before I left.

  At first, I thought I had dreamed the whole kiss thing, but as I stood at the airport, I could still taste her and feel her soft lips on mine. Mom stood beside me as we checked the board with all the flight information. “Looks like your flight will be on time,” she said pulling me out of my memories.

  “Yep.” I stood there trying to fight what was eating at me. Aside from Leah occupying my mind, I was suddenly very worried for my mother. I was worried that Joe really couldn’t be trusted, and I was concerned for her welfare. I mean once I was gone, who would be there for her if things fell apart.

  I stood there watching the flight board fighting back the urge to say anything to her at all.

  “You sure you have everything dear?” she asked placing her keys into her purse and sipping from her coffee cup.

  I don’t know what came over me, but the words fell from my lips before I could stop them. “Mom, can I tell you something?” I asked her, looking down at the ticket in my hand.

  “Of course, sweetie, anything.”

  I paused still not sure how to tell her what was on my mind. “I’m worried, Mom, about you.”

  “What? Why?”

  I swallowed hard, “What if Joe turns out not to be the man you think he is?”

  “What do you mean by that, Logan?”

  “Well, it’s just you’ve given up everything, Mom.”

  She frowned at me. “Logan, I haven’t given up everything.”

  “Yes, you have. As soon as you married and moved in with Joe, you gave up your independence and became the happy little housewife. Look at you.”

  Mom looked at me, I could see the tears building in her eyes, but I didn’t care. I was worried about her and she needed to know it. I wanted her to know that I thought she had made a mistake; people weren’t that happy together.

  “Look at you. You guys got married and in less than a week you had given up your job, our home, even your car. I mean what happens if he leaves, Mom. Where are you going to go?”

  “Logan, that is enough. Joe isn’t going anywhere, and I haven’t given up anything, I traded it for a better life for us and I have a car. We are in love, Logan, and once you understand what that is you will understand what we have.”

  “No, Mom, seriously. What if he leaves? I am sure you didn’t think Dad would leave.”

  “Logan, I can assure you Joe is not going anywhere. Your father died, Logan, he didn’t choose to leave. You can’t even begin to compare the two. Now what has you worried? Are you worried about school?”

  “It’s just, I’m leaving, what would you do if he left.”

  “Logan don’t be ridiculous. Now your plane . . .”

  I cut her off; it wasn’t funny. “You walked away from everything you used to be and now you have nothing, Mom. Nothing. It’s not good, you really shouldn’t be so trusting. That’s what you always taught me.”

  “Logan . . .”

  I didn’t give her a chance to speak. I knew my words hurt, the tears in her eyes told me so. I picked my bag up off the floor and threw it over my shoulder. “I’ve got to go.” I walked away without a hug or another word to my mother and when I had walked through security, I turned around to see her wipe her cheeks from the tears that were now running down them.

  EIGHT

  Leah

  Dear Diary,

  Is it wrong I can still feel that kiss we shared? His taste still lingering, his tongue sweeping thro
ugh my mouth and his hand on my cheek. Is it wrong that I liked it? It’s finally Thursday, he comes home tomorrow after being gone for two weeks. We are picking him up from the airport after Dad is finished work, and he will be with us a few days until his classes start. I even bought all the ingredients to make him his favorite cookies, and before he leaves, I will make him a batch to take to school with him. Even though he says he doesn’t like them when I make them, I think he secretly does. I can tell by the way his blue eyes dance when he sees the plate.

  I tapped my pen on the edge of my diary.

  Summer was ending and soon school would be starting. Since Logan had left, granted it had only been two weeks, things had become routine around the house. I had spent a lot of time alone, not for any reason aside from the fact that I wanted it that way. I was still messed up from that night and I had no one I could talk to about it. I had really wanted to talk to Logan about it, but I was too embarrassed to leave my room before he left. I mean how could you look your stepbrother in the eyes after seeing his little, okay big buddy and getting so turned on that you wanted him to take you right in the hallway. So alone was a good place for me to be.

  Dad and Anna would get up early every morning and head down to the water for their morning walk, but I stayed in bed. They tried to get me to go with them a few times but eventually they stopped asking. Then Dad would leave for work and Anna would spend her mornings with her face buried in her books and the afternoon making us delicious meals and deserts.

  I had taken an interest in interior design and decorating and had started looking at colleges to attend even though I still had the last year of high-school to complete. I had decided I would go to school in the city so I could live at home. I had purchased a bunch of magazines and Anna had spoken to one of her friends who worked at a firm here and she allowed me to come in and shadow her job a couple days through the week. I pulled a few ideas from what I had learned from her and the magazines I had read and re-decorated my bedroom. Anna had liked what I had done so much that she asked me to provide a few updates in Logan’s room. I pleasantly surprised Anna with what I had done, and she asked me to help her with a few things around the house.