Chapter 1 - Troubled Family

 JOE BARLOW

Back in the Sales Rep’s Volvo with him and outside the customers’ offices, I piece together what I need to say to the employee. I don’t want to damage the guy’s confidence. He’s been with the firm for less than three months. But he won’t last many more if he doesn’t win a decent piece of new business. And soon. If he fails, it won’t reflect well on me. He’s not like some of the bums I inherited when I took this job. I’m the one who employed this guy.

“Don’t start the engine yet Jason,” I gesture at him. His face is taut and red, I can see he’s not happy either. “How do you think it went in there?”

“Well, we didn’t get the business,” he shrugs, “So obviously not as well as it could have.”

You’re not kidding. By the time I spoke up to try and dig you out the whole you’d dug with that female buyer we were already fucked. Her business should have been there for the taking.

Whoever said that managing salespeople is way harder than being a rep or an account manager yourself got it dead right. Sometimes I wish I was out of management completely and back on the road somewhere full-time.

Except we couldn’t afford it. Not with Rachel still out of work. Not with a kid and a three-bedroom apartment to fund.

My chest tightens but I take a deep breath. The relaxation stuff that Rachel got me into lately does seem to help a bit with the stress.

Jason drones on with a dry-sounding mouth about what he thought went wrong in the meeting and how thinks the opportunity ‘isn’t completely dead’. He’s deluding himself if he believes that last bit, but it’s Friday afternoon and I haven’t got the stomach for all this right now. I’ve got other stuff on my mind too.

“Look, let’s sit down together in the office first thing Monday morning and go through it all,” I say and gesture at him to drive now. I want to get back to my car and then home at a decent time tonight. “We’ll give it some thought over the weekend and on Monday we’ll see what we can work out to get you back on track against budget.”

My phone rings before we’re out of the trading estate. And there’s a voice message flashing on there too.

I steel myself for a conversation with the Sales Director about how the meeting went.

It’s not him though.

“Hey Eddie,” I say to my bandmate, “You leave me a message too?”

“Not me Dude. But look, I got a problem with tomorrow night.”

“What’s up?” Don’t tell me we’ve got to cancel another gig. He’s done it twice in the last eight weeks. But never at such short notice.

“I got an issue with Tina,” he says and sounds sheepish.

Again?

“Dude, I think she’s playing around again.”

“But you don’t know it?” I twist my body away from Jason a little as he drives.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going on,” he sighs.

“Can’t you sort it out tonight so we don’t have to cancel again?”

“I need the whole weekend with her,” his voice cracks.

These episodes with his Mrs can’t help but remind me of the contrast between him and me.

He’s distraught about Tina with some other guy, while I’m frustrated because Rachel hasn’t done anything similar for ages. Not since she got finished at Traders.

I glance across at Jason but he seems lost in the misery of his latest disappointment.

“I’ll call the venue and apologize,” Eddie says, “They might give us another date this side of Christmas.”

They’d better. I was relying on that extra fucking spending money.

I hang up from Eddie and for the rest of the journey I brood about the band, worry about my job, and think about my sex life. Or more accurately, my lack of the latter.

Jason drops me at the service area where I left my car and we wish each other a good weekend. I really will need to straighten the guy out on Monday morning though.

Inside my own car again and I’m free to fully focus on life at home. Free to picture Rachel at her lunchtime meeting with Evie today. Fingers crossed that my wife’s first get-together with Kev’s wife since Rachel left Traders will have cheered her mood some. Maybe even reminded Rachel how much she enjoyed sex with another guy. Or sex with anyone for that matter

I slow for my turn off the freeway and as I do, I berate myself for my insensitive thinking. Yeah, I’m worried about my job, the band, our finances, and a recent lack of sex, but my wife just lost her Dad. She needs my support. Not my whining.

The phone rings again on my dash and I should have formulated some bullshit summary for my boss about that last meeting, not spent the last half hour wallowing in my personal life. I glance at the screen, but for the second time, it’s not the office.

Roy. Lanie’s boyfriend. What’s he doing calling me during business hours?

Maybe he wants the details about tomorrow’s gig. I’m sure Rachel said something about him wanting to bring Lanie to it.

I hit answer.

“Hey, Roy.”

“Joe. Hi. Am I disturbing you?”

“Nah, no worries. Just finished at a customer’s. Or rather a competitor’s customer.”

“Oh, Right. So are you on your way home?”

“Yep. About half an hour off.”

“Cool,” he says but somehow that word always sounds odd coming from the mouth of a junior or trainee finance guy like him. I mean, he’s a nice guy, just a bit awkward.

Shit. Maybe this is the call to tell me and his sister that Lanie dumped him. I’ve always half-expected it.

“Look Joe, I was wondering whether you and I could meet up for a chat one night next week. Whenever suits you. I’d really appreciate it if you could.”

Just me and him? We’ve never done that before. And I’m not sure I’d want to get trapped all evening in his company. Nice guy or not. I’ll be too busy next week anyhow.

“Have you got a problem?” I ask. I still can’t imagine why he’s calling me.

“Kind of,” he says.

“You still at your office now?” I ask him. Maybe I can get this out of the way tonight.

“Yeah, I don’t get away before five. Even on Fridays.”

“Look, I got to almost pass your firm on my way home,” I say and glance at the clock on my dash, “I could probably be there a few minutes after five. I’ve got to collect Rachel later though and take her to my Mom’s to pick JJ up, but you and me could have half an hour or so if that works for you?”

“Yeah, that be great Joe.”

“Say that coffee shop on the corner?” I ask.

“Sure yeah, wherever you want. I just need your advice. I’ll see you there.”

Advice? Sounds like his relationship might be in trouble. But I don’t know what he expects me to do about it.

It’s a warm evening so I park in a space a block or two away and walk to Dalton’s Coffee house on the street corner close to where Roy works. He’s already sat at a table outside.

“Joe, thanks for coming. What can I get you?” he stands up and shakes my hand. His brow’s pinched and he’s got ‘Anxiety’ written all over his freckled face.

If she’s dumped him I hope he’s not expecting any words of wisdom from me about how to win her back. I never managed that with any ex.

Roy sits again and I join him. He signals the waitress and I order a cappuccino with oat milk. We make a little small talk until the girl returns with my drink and a top-up for him. Then, after waiting for a noisy red muscle car to rumble past, I ask him what’s up. I brace myself.

“Well, you know me and Lanie been together for nearly eighteen months now?”

“I didn’t know it was exactly that,” I say and blow on my drink. It’s not that Roy’s a bad-looking guy, it’s just that a girl with Lanie’s looks would be a lot for anyone to handle. Similar to her sister I guess. But I’m pretty sure Rachel’s kid sister is a lot higher maintenance than my wife. “I knew you’d gotten together toward the end of college,” I shrug.

“Business studies,” he nods. “The smartest girl there just happened to be the cutest too,” he says.

“And you snagged her,” I nod my head. He doesn’t look or sound like he just got dumped by the love of his life.

“There wasn’t that much serious competition,” Roy says, “The other guys in our class were either nerds or wasters. Guys who didn’t want to be in college at all. Lanie was smart, ambitious.”

He used the the past tense about her there though. But I wish he’d get to the point.

“So is everything OK between you two?” I take a sip of the coffee and peer across right at him.

“My parents are going away at the end of next week,” he says, “they very rarely do that. So Lanie’s going to stay with me at mine. And what I want to do Joe.., look, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything about this to Lanie’s sister.”

“I won’t,” I shrug. Even though to be honest, Rachel and I don’t have many secrets. But what the hell is this guy talking about?

“I want to ask Lanie to marry me,” he looks into my eyes, “I’m just not sure how.”

I don’t know what to say. He’s asking her now? So soon after her Dad died?

“I’m sure it sounds kind of lame,” he says and looks down at the table, “but I can’t ask any of my buddies for advice. None of them are married. And I know you only get one chance at something like this. I don’t want to blow it. Her Mom’s always saying how Lanie’s similar to Rachel in a lot of ways and you guys always seem so happy together. I just wondered if you could give me any pointers.”

“You finance guys sure do like to cover all your bases,” I smile at him, grateful that I don’t have a session of consoling to contend with. “The accountant at my firm is the same.”

“Lanie says I over-analyze,” he smiles.

“No one can tell you what to say to your own girlfriend,” I shrug, “How to propose to her.”

“If my Dad was still around or if I had an older brother I’d ask their advice too,” he says. “I mean, I’ve looked online but it’s all general information there. You know her whole family, Joe.”

Yeah.

I gaze at him and can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. He clearly adores Rachel’s sister. He probably feels similar to me when I was younger and desperate to land Rachel.

“You really think this is the right time to propose to her Roy?” I ask around my cup. “So soon after Harry..”

“She’s struggling with all that,” he sighs, “I can’t deny it.”

“Exactly,” I nod, “Rachel is too.”

Especially as my wife knew her Mom cheated for years on that poor bastard Harry.

“The thing is Joe, since Lanie dropped out of Uni after her Dad died, she’s kind of …, I won’t say ‘gone off the rails’, but you know, she started going out a lot at night with that McKenzie girlfriend of hers. Mckenzie’s single. I think she’s a little wild too.”

“Look, you’re both still only young,” I say and look right at him. I know only too well the ‘pain’ of having a hot wife or girlfriend who stays out partying late without you. Only in my case, I get off on that pain.

“We’re not that young,” he says, “You guys were engaged when Rachel was Lanie’s age, right?”

“Not far off,” I shrug.

“I don’t want to lose her,” he says and looks down at the table again.

I guess this must be a difficult conversation for him.

“I want to show her how much she means to me. I want us to settle down,” he says.

“Yeah, but if she’s not ready to…,” I say and my words trail away.

“I just think that if she was certain how serious I am…,” he scans my face like there’ll be answers there.

“She’s probably just blowing off steam when she goes out,” I say, but I’ve seen the way Lanie dresses for a night out. “Her way of processing what’s happened at home.” Despite Roy’s anxiety, the way my head works, I can’t help but picture Rachel’s leggy young sister and imagine what she might do on the town with her ‘wild’, single friend.

“I’m hoping that if I get the proposal right, something that’s not too cheesy, and it makes her realize how much she means to me, then she’ll kind of come to her senses. I’m saving up for a house for me and her, Joe.”

“Well you know Lanie way better than me,” I say, “and I can see how much you care about her. But honestly, if it were me, I’d maybe hold off. Give her more time to grieve or whatever. I mean, if Harry’s death hit her hard enough to make her bail from Uni, then it must have rocked her.”

“Maybe,” he sighs again, “I told her University isn’t the be-all and end-all. Her dropping out at least means we’re not miles away from one another for months on end. She could do what I’ve done. Get an apprenticeship. Get trained up in a career. Get paid at the same time and we could save together. But she won’t even think about that at the moment, either.”

“Talk to her dude. She’s your girlfriend. Sound her out. But give her time. Then when you’re sure she’s ready, that’s when you ask her,” I shrug. “Look, I’m sorry I can’t be any more help. But like you said before, you might only get one shot at this. You don’t want to blow it by rushing or pushing her. Honestly though Roy,” I say and swipe at my phone for the time. “I got to go. Duty calls. I need to collect everyone and then after my Mom’s, I might suggest to Rachel that we call in at your future mother-in-law’s too. We haven’t seen Sophie in a couple of weeks.”

Roy smiles and nods his head.

“Good luck Roy, but give Lanie time.”

I reach the tree-lined street and apartment building where we live a short while later. I find a parking spot not too far from the entrance and lock the motor. I’m still wondering whether I could have been more helpful to Roy. The guy is obviously worried about losing Rachel’s sister. But what else could I tell him? His timing’s not great right now.

I cross to the other side of the street and our four-story building and I never thought this before, but I guess Roy must look up to me. I guess that’s natural. I’m older than him and already married to one of the hot Machin girls. I smile to myself and as I reach the entrance, I check the time again on my phone.

We’ve still got an hour or so to get something to eat before we need to head out and pick JJ up.

“Hey Rach,” I call from inside the front door and hang my jacket up on one of the hooks there.

“At last,” she slinks barefoot into the hall in her silky, pink dressing gown with her golden-brown hair up on her head. She’s got eye makeup on and the gown clings to the curves of her full hips and tits. Her bare legs below are glossy. Even with the extra pounds she’s put back on post-Traders, she looks good.

“You been in the shower?” I ask and loosen my tie. I kiss her cheek. She smells good too. Lemony.

“Nuh-uh,” she shakes her head and takes my hand. She gives me a dirty smile.

No way.

“Come with me please Mr. Barlow,” she smiles and leads me down the hall to our right, in the direction of our bedroom.

Fuck me, it’s been ages. My heart thumps and I run a hand over the silk-sheathed orbs of her butt in motion. Is this Evie’s doing? Rachel spending time in her company again?

“So look what I found at the bottom of the wardrobe,” she says in our bedroom and points at the woodblock floor alongside our bed.

The rug has been moved aside and I gape at the thick, pink suction cup dildo standing ominously upright from its base on the floor. Thick veins like worms coiled around its shaft.

“You found it?” I mumble because what else do you say when you come home to this? I’m pretty sure Phil first suggested I buy that thing for her years ago. When he was ‘grooming’ my wife to let multiple men have her at once.

My cock stiffens rock-hard in my pants.

“Have you been…?”

“No of course not,” she squeezes my hand and looks genuinely shocked at the suggestion, “I was waiting for you to come home.”

“Oh wow, yeah, right,” I pull her into my arms and kiss her mouth, I run my hands all over her warm silky waist, then her hips and butt.

“Take your clothes off,” she whispers.

I don’t need telling twice. I rip my tie right off and unbutton my shirt.

“How do you want me?” she asks and undoes the knot in the pink belt around her waist.

“I don’t know,” I say and honestly, I don’t care, I just want sex. I fumble with the belt of my pants.

“I mean I could suck it while you do me from behind,” she says and uncovers her tits, “Or..”

“Why don’t I sit on the bed?” I say and look away from her exposed body to the peach-colored blanket, “You could squat on the dildo and let it fuck you while you suck me.”

“Mmm,” Rachel tosses her dressing gown to the bed, and then naked she squats above the upturned phallus, her tits swaying as she does.

“Fuck, it’s good to see you with another cock again Rach,” I push my pants and shorts to my ankles and stroke.

“Mmm, How long is it since we used this?” she murmurs and feeds the shiny head to her tightly-trimmed bush.

“I don’t know,” I shake my head and watch her. I stroke.

“Uhh,” she groans and settles on the huge, fake penis. Her mouth remains open, her head back. Her tits rock slowly as she begins to ride. “Sit on the bed for me,” she gasps.

“Yeah,” I say and shuffle across to sit in front of her. “Can you reach OK from there?”

“Mmm,” she moans and leans forward, tits swaying heavily under her and the dildo implanted deep in her pussy. I spread my legs and stroke in her face. She grabs it from my hand and working her hips and ass back at the dildo, she strokes me and kisses my balls.

“Uhh, Rach.”

“Mmm,” she murmurs and plants kisses on the underside of my shaft. Further away and the other sides off her shoulders, the dildo slicks in her pussy, and the muscles in her big round butt clench. She pulls my dick into her mouth. She sucks all down the length.

“Oh, yeah,” I groan and hold onto her head.

She sucks me back and forth with each push and surge to and from the other cock.

“Does it feel good, Rach? Does it feel good to have two again? Two cocks inside you?”

“Mmm.”

“Tell me, tell me Rachel. Tell me how good it is.”

“Mmm, it’s good,” she slobbers around my dick.

I hold her head with one hand, reach down underneath her with the other and squeeze her swaying tits. “Did you have a good time with Evie this afternoon? Was she talking about Traders?”

“Oooh,” she moans and then pulls me out of my mouth and kisses it again. Her head and shoulders and whole body move faster now, pussy working the dildo, “She was telling me what she’s been doing there.”

Oh yeah? What did she say?” I thrust my hips up from the bed at her.

“Mmm, lots of guys.”

“Did it make you jealous? Shit, Rach. Did it make you remember what you used to do? Make you want more cock?”

“Mmm,” she sucks me deep, her hands gripping my thighs. “Uck-urgh, uck-urgh.”

“Oh Rach, I’d love you to do it with another guy again.” I feel both her tits now as she sucks me and fucks it. “God, I’d almost forgotten how incredible your fucking body is.”

“Uck-urgh, uck-urgh,” she nods and chokes in motion with her backward, downward thrusts.

“Rachel, you suck cock so good,” I groan and let go of her tits, my head rocks on my shoulders, “Everyone always said that about you. Uhh, all the other guys said it. All the other guys you sucked off.”

“Uck-urgh, mmm,” she moans from the back of her throat and I’m out of her mouth again. She jacks me in her face. She looks up at me with those big gray-blue eyes and dilated pupils, smiles, and then sucks again.

“It was always so hot watching you in that gloryhole Rach, imagining how much pleasure my wife’s mouth was giving other guys.”

“Mmm,” she rubs her tits against one of my legs as she sucks and she grinds herself on the dildo.

“We don’t need Traders,” I gasp and hold her head with two hands again. I’m not gonna last much longer. “We should just go out together next time we’re on our own.” I don’t want to mention J.J. or babysitters in case it puts her off what she’s doing. I hold the sides of her head and push my hips at her, “We could pick up some guy in a bar, uhh Rach, let him take you outside and fuck you, oh yeah.”

“Mnng, mnng uck, uck, uck.”

“Oh shit, Rach, oh shit, shit,” my shoulders clench and I hold her head tight, balls spasming as I cum.

“Mmmmng,” she moans and her head moves side to side between my legs, like she’s savoring what I’ve given her. And like I’ve seen her do so many times to other men.

“I love you so much Rachel,” I gasp and caress her hair and her lowered head.

She looks right up at me and then, head back, she swallows. “And I love you too,” she says with a gasp and a smile and then kisses my softening dick.

Later, on the way to my Mom’s for J.J., I’m in two minds about telling Rachel that I met with Roy. And about him planning to ask Lanie to get married. But I gave him my word. So for now at least I’ll keep quiet.

At my folks’ house, while Rachel talks to my Dad and brother in the living room before we leave them, Mom pulls me to one side in the kitchen.

“How’s Rachel been feeling?” she whispers to me.

“I think she’s getting back to her old self,” I say quietly and let’s hope the ‘evidence’ in our bedroom earlier won’t just be an aberration. “Thanks again for minding J.J., Mom. We better get off though. We’re going to call in on Sophie too.”

“I don’t know what the latest fall-out was between those two,” Mom sighs, “but if any good came from Harry’s death it might be that it’s brought his family close again. Such a pity he wasn’t here to see that.”

“I know,” I nod. I wonder how my Mom would feel about ‘Harry’s family’ if she knew the ‘latest fall-out’ between his wife and eldest daughter was the result of a jealous squabble at an adult club? While they were both working there.

That doesn’t bear thinking about.

We arrive outside my Mom-in-law’s around twenty minutes later. There’s no car on the drive these days. Sophie had to sell it to raise some short-term funds. Whatever she did with Phil and others behind Harry’s back, he sure seems to have got his own on back her by leaving her financially in the shit. No life insurance and apparently a load of debt as well as the outstanding mortgage. Rachel says her Mom has even talked about having to sell up and downsize. Not easy with two daughters still at home.

One of them emerges through the front door before we reach it.

Lanie and another long-legged girl. Both dressed to kill in short skirts and heels.

“J.J.!” Lanie rushes to her nephew and hugs him. But no wonder her boyfriend is out of his mind at the prospect of losing her. She’s a stunner. Head to toe. Like Rachel at the same age. Hell, like Rachel is now.

“Hey Lanie,” I say, and then the sisters hug.

“Joe, have you met my bestie Kenz?” Lanie asks.

“I don’t think so,” I smile at the slender, dark-haired girl with eyes painted like a Goth.

A car horn sounds and now there’s a cab behind us at the end of the drive.

“My Dad’s here,” the other girl says and then she and Lanie hold onto one another’s arms as they hurry down the drive toward the taxi, heels clicking on the paving stones.

Force of habit and I glance across at Talbot’s gleaming, overly-polished silver Chrysler on his driveway. We haven’t heard from that asshole since Harry was alive. Maybe even he has some reserves of decency buried somewhere deep inside and he’s conscious of a family grieving.

Lanie left the front door open so we head straight inside.

“Mom, it’s Rachel,” my wife calls from the hallway. There’s no one in the living room. “We brought someone to see you. Just been round to pick him up from Joe’s Mom.”

“Grandma?” J.J. runs unsteadily ahead of us toward the kitchen.

Sophie greets him and us at the kitchen door. She sweeps him up off his feet and hugs him to her big bosom. She’s in a short skirt that shows a lot of leg. Behind her at the kitchen table with a coffee mug in one hand is Paul Bailey. That lanky buddy of Talbot’s.

Cozy.

“Grandma was just having a nice glass of red wine,” she says and sets J.J. down again. “Will you have one with me, Rachel? Joe, can I get you a beer?”

The bespectacled Bailey gets to his feet, all six feet something of him and he stoops to kiss the side of Rachel’s face. “So sorry to hear about your father.”

My face flushes. This guy watched Talbot fuck my wife in his grubby bed. He saw my wife spanked by him in front of us both. Bailey moves away from my wife and offers me his hand. I shake but don’t make eye contact.

Here’s one widower who’s wasted no time getting his slimy ass around here to ‘pay his respects’ to my wife’s highly-sexed mother.

A toilet flushes upstairs and then footsteps down the creaking stairs that sound surely heavier than those of Rachel’s youngest sister.

Talbot appears with slippers on his feet and newspaper rolled up under one arm.

What the fuck?

“When did you get here?” He glares at Bailey.

We could ask you the same fucking thing.

“Den, my man,” Bailey offers Talbot his hand, “I was passing and thought I’d call in to see how this young lady is doing,” he smiles at Sophie. “You were upstairs. You’re not the only neighbor who’s concerned about her.”

Rachel sighs and grabs the red wine bottle from the worktop.

Both men glance at the back of her in her tight blue jeans as she stretches up to a high cupboard shelf for a wine glass.

“Sophie’s doing fine thank you very much,” Talbot mutters but then his deep frown melts and he smiles at Rachel. He nods at me.

“Oh Dennis,” Sophie shakes her head, “Paul was only..”

My phone rings in my pocket and I hold it up to excuse myself. I head out into the hallway and close the kitchen door behind me.

It’s a relief to get away from an unexpected and unsavory situation that was beyond awkward.

What the hell is Sophie doing having those pair in the house? And Talbot with his fucking slippers on and using her bathroom! He lives right next door!

I peer at the still-ringing phone and don’t recognize the number.

“Hello? Joe Barlow here.”

“Hey Champ, How’s it hanging?” The voice says and what I do recognize is the southern twang in his accent.

“Phil?”

“You OK to talk, Champ?” he asks, “You on your own?”

“Kind of,” I say.

What does he want? The last time I saw him he was sacking Rachel.

“Might have a proposition for you if you’re interested,” he says.

“A what?”

“I don’t know if you heard, but Richmond acquired a small chain of more adult clubs. Three more venues for the Traders’ portfolio.”

“Right,” I say. Is he offering Rachel another chance and her job back? Why call me, and not her?

“And when we’ve sorted through all the staff we inherited we’ll be recruiting,” he says.

He does want her back. My heart speeds up. Would she do it? Would I want her to go back there? After the way they treated her? Wouldn’t me and her be better just looking for one-night stands for her? Like we talked about earlier tonight?

But the money…And watching my wife act like a real whore…

“You’re offering Rachel her job back?” I whisper with my hand cupped around the mouthpiece. And for almost the first time ever with this guy, I feel like I’m the one with the power.

He needs my wife back at Trader’s. He wants to stay in Richmond’s good books. They’ve got three more clubs to staff. Five in total.

“Here’s a funny thing Champ, we had a new couple apply for a trial shift a week or two back. Sexy, dirty-blonde wife with a narrow waist and great ass. Five-six, with big fake boobs. DD or something like that. Lip injections, the lot. Named Shiloh. A couple of years older than you guys, but blue eyes and pretty. A goer. Thing is, her husband’s got the same name as you. But we don’t call him that. Because you’re the original Joe at Traders. And, there’ll only ever be one Rachel.”

“Right,” I say.

“It’s a possibility we could take your wife back,” he says and the third word takes me by surprise. “Richmond takes a pretty dim view of staff arguments in front of clients. But he listens to what his clients tell him, and your wife is missed.”

I can’t help smiling.

“No one forgets a body like hers, or her appetite for cock,” Phil says.

“Right,” I say again, but this time my balls bristle. I glance at the closed kitchen door where beyond it, voices chatter and J.J. shouts.

“Look, what I’m thinking Joe, is that although Richmond has those strong views about staff acting up in front of clients, I reckon there could still be a route back here for her. A little bird tells me she might be interested. And that Sophie could probably use the money too now she’s on her own.”

How does he know all that? Evie? Is she the ‘Little bird’? Did Kev’s wife report some discussion she and Rachel had over lunch today?

And is that what Rachel told Evie? That she misses being at Traders?

My cock stiffens up in my jeans.

“I haven’t had a chance to see Sophie in a while,” Phil says, “I’ve had a lot on. And I thought it best to let her calm down after the fallout. And after her loss too of course. But I’m gonna talk to her as well about this.”

He wants Sophie back there too?

“See, I thought you could talk to Rachel with the proposition first too,” Phil says, “I reckon the way to overcome Richmond’s objections would be something real special. An attraction like a regular family offer on the menu at Traders.”

“A what?”

“Rachel and Sophie,” Phil’s voice turns throaty, “Instead of arguing with each other, we get them to perform together. To take on the same guys at the same time. You imagine that? Mother and daughter? And then who knows? Maybe at some point in the future, we get them to help recruit young Lanie as well. Offer the trio in one serving. VIP clients only, of course. I reckon Richmond could be all ears.”

Author's Notes

Let me know what you think, and what you hope happens next? Which character's storylines are you most excited by? I toyed with the idea of including a few in-story images in between scenes but in the end decided they would be a distraction. Do you agree?

Chapter 2: (from the POV of Lanie's boyfriend Roy), will be available at the same time next week.

© 2024 Tinto Selvaggio. All rights reserved.

All sexually active characters portrayed in this ebook are consenting adults eighteen years of age or older. As a work of fiction, any similarities to any situations or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.