“Isn’t that a song?” my dad says, but he’s frowning now.
“It’s not a song!” Mom throws back her hair, and I step between them before she decides to put on a dramatic—and orgasmic—performance for his sake.
“Okay, peace out, guys.” I lift my hands. “Mom, take a deep breath and hold it, counting backward from one hundred.”
“What? I’ll suffocate!”
“You won’t know until you give it a try, will you?”
“Candace, is it true? You have two boyfriends?” Dad’s expression is mostly confusion, with a dash of concern. “Why on earth would you need two?”
Is it too early to start drinking? I mean, it must be night time in Australia, and I need something strong to get me through this visit.
I open my mouth again.
“For sex!” Mom wails. “She wants good sex and one man is not enough. That’s what I’ve been telling you all along. We women need more sex. Candy needs more sex.”
Not really. I…
The sound of the key turning in the lock distracts me. The apartment door opens, and my two boyfriends walk in—with my mom’s words still echoing in the room.
Joel and Jet share a quick, bemused look.
Then Jet says, “Hell yeah to having more sex with Candy, but who the fuck are you?”
Ow. Shit.
***
“We weren’t expecting you,” Joel says stiffly, shaking my dad’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Riley.”
I stand there as Joel smooths things over and lick my lips, staring at the way sweat molds his T-shirt to his hard chest and broad shoulders. There’s a tinge of red on his cheeks, from running and the cold air outside, and God, those sports leggings cling to his muscular ass and thighs, leaving little to the imagination.
I fight to tear my gaze away.
It’s a losing battle
.
Until Jet steps closer, extending his hand to my mom and giving her a rueful smirk. “Mrs. Riley.”
Joel is a hot male specimen, but Jet is one panty-melting piece of eye-candy with his spiky dark hair and smoldering gaze. He may not have Joel’s presence, but he makes up for it with the insolent tilt of his head and the smokiness of his voice. Not that his ass is any less spectacular in those black sports tights.
Mom takes his hand, her jaw kind of slack, her eyes glazing over. “Hello,” she whispers, her voice breathy.
Ha. Bullseye. Struck by the dangerous, wild Jethro charm. I knew this would happen.
Then Joel moves in, stretching out his hand at her, and her dreamy gaze moves to him and lingers.
Yup. Joel is dangerous, too, with his rock star looks, the dark hair that keeps falling in his bright blue eyes and his megawatt smile.
My boyfriends are devastatingly attractive, even if I’m the one saying it. I did fall in unbearable lust with them, before I fell in love. It’s common for girls, and often men, too, to be left staring after them on the street. Nothing unusual there, and I’ve been trying not to think about it. After all, they don’t flirt with other girls, or men. It’s me they look at, me they come home to.
However, this is my mom, and it’s weird and awkward, and I feel like screaming.
Then I catch Jet rubbing his temple, and I realize I’m not the only one stressed by the situation. Jet gets headaches when he’s under pressure.
Shit.