Carrying a canvas bag laden with brightly-colored gifts, I make my way up to the Crawford family’s front steps. I ring the bell, anticipation zinging through me. Is she here already? Will she give me a look of utter loathing before proceeding to ignore me for the entire evening?
How hard will I come later, when I jerk off to thoughts of dominating her and wiping that scornful look off her face?
If past experience is any indication, I will come very fucking hard.
The door swings open. I shove my horny thoughts aside and put a blankly pleasant expression on my face.
“Hey, Tag.” Anna, Janie’s older sister, gives me a puzzled look. “Didn’t you get my mom’s text?”
“Uh…”
“She probably mis-texted; she does that all the time. Joe couldn’t make it tonight. Some work thing, he says. I bet he’s just holed up with a new girlfriend.” She rolls her eyes. “We’re rescheduling for the twenty-eighth. Are you free?”
I’ll do whatever it takes to make myself free. “Yeah, no problem.”
Anna gives me a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry you drove all the way out here.”
“It’s no problem, really.” Fucking hell. I thought I would get to see Janie.
“Do you want to come in for a beer or anything?” Anna asks. “Shoot the shit with Dad?”
I’m about to say yes, because their dad, Reginald, is awesome. Way better than my piece of shit, deadbeat sperm donor. But before I can answer, Anna looks past me and her eyes light up. “Janie, what the heck? I thought you were in Colorado!”
She’s here. My girl is here. I turn around, only to see the delight on Janie’s face transform to disgust. Fuck, she really hates me. It’s my own goddamn fault—I’m the one who broke up with her, not the other way around.
She quickly recovers and smiles with those gorgeous, red-painted lips. “Surprise! I came back early. But...what did I miss? Is everyone okay?”
I want to ask what she was doing in Colorado, but I know if I did, she’d be lightning-fast to tell me it’s none of my concern where she goes or who she goes there with or what she does there.
And she’d be right.
“Yes and no,” Anna says. “Stupid Joe asked if we could reschedule. I think he used you not being here as an additional reason to change the date.”
“Of course,” Janie says, rolling her eyes and looking every ounce the spankable little girl. “Glad to be of service to our debauched brother’s excuses. I guess I’ll come in and say hey to Mom and Dad.”
“They’ll be so happy to see you!”
Janie shoves past me and into Anna’s embrace.
Anna looks over Janie’s head. “They’ll be happy to see you too, Tag.”
“Actually, Tag has somewhere to be. Right, Tag?” Janie turns to glare at me over her shoulder.
I’m tempted to push the matter, to go in and drink a cold one with Reginald, and brave the icy looks Janie will undoubtedly hurl my way. But instead I offer the women an easy shrug and say, “I’ll be back on...when’s the new date, again?”
“The twenty-eighth—” Anna starts.
“The twenty-eighth of never,” Janie interrupts.
I laugh. “See you all on the twenty-eighth, then.”
“Bye, Tag. See you soon.” Anna waves.
I pause on the porch as the two of them start inside.
“Come on, Janie,” Anna whispers. “Give the guy a break.”
Janie plugs her ears. “La la la, can’t hear you.”
