Seduced by Two

I rolled my eyes. “Horrible,” I mumbled. “I’m so sick of Mom and Dean right now. They keep treating me like such a little kid.”

Megan nodded sympathetically. Like me, she’d grown up with strict parents. But her parents had gotten a divorce while she was in high school, and after that, Megan’s mom turned out to be pretty wild. She lived at home, too, but unlike me, she had basically free reign. She also had her own car, and she’d had three boyfriends. I was worlds below her in terms of experience.

“Well, I’m going to Boston again this weekend,” Megan said. She smirked. “Why not tell your parents that you’re staying over with me and come with? Amanda is so much fun,” she gushed. “When we were there, she took me to this brewery and there were so many hot guys working. I got like, six phone numbers.”

My palms itched at the thought of getting even one phone number.

“Wow,” I said. “And, um, I don’t know. I feel really weird lying.”

“Kristin,” Megan said dryly. “You have to do this, girl. You owe it to yourself.”

I slumped down in my seat and sipped my coffee. “I don’t know,” I mumbled. “It really seems like a bad idea. You know how strict she is.”

“If you don’t lie to your parents and sneak out, I’m coming over there and kidnapping you,” Megan said. “Okay?” She smirked at me and suddenly, I was reminded of why we were such good friends. She’d always been able to read me like this – it was one of her best qualities.

“Okay,” I agreed. “But if I get in trouble…”

“You won’t,” Megan promised. “Trust me. We’ve got everything taken care of, and you’ll be home right after breakfast the next day.” She giggled. “I hate driving with a hangover, but it’ll be worth it.”

That night, I went home and told Mom and Dean that I had a big test in biology the next week, and that Megan and I would be studying together over the weekend. It didn’t hurt that her older brother, Michael, was in med school. Mom bought the lie immediately. I didn’t even have to sweat too much. I guessed they were still distracted about Andrew, because normally, I would have had to face a lot of questions if I told my mom I was just going to leave like that.

As Megan and I drove into Boston, my excitement took over and I forgot about being nervous. Her cousin, Amanda, was basically everything I want to be in the future – gorgeous, sexy, funny, and with a great job that let her rent a fabulous apartment. She took us out dancing, and to breweries, and out to dinner with her friends at this gorgeous restaurant that overlooked the bay.

“This is so cool,” I said, sipping at my spiced caramel martini. It was so sweet I couldn’t even tell that I was drinking alcohol. “I love it here.”

“I come here all the time,” Amanda said. She pointed over my shoulder, towards the bar. “One of my friends works there, you see that blonde guy?”

I nodded, blushing. “He’s really cute.”

“He’s gay,” Amanda said with a laugh. “So don’t think too much about him. But he’s really sweet, and he always gives

me free drinks.”

Just then, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I frowned when I realized that it was Mom.

Fuck, I thought. What does she want?

When I showed Megan, she shook her head. “Don’t answer,” she said quickly. “She’ll leave you alone if you don’t pick up. Just tell her you were studying and you didn’t hear it go off.”

But seeing Mom’s name on the screen gave me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Nervously, I bundled up in my coat and went outside, wishing that it wasn’t so loud.

“Hi,” I said. “What’s up?”

“Kristin, where are you?”

My heart sank. “Um, I’m at Megan’s,” I said. “We’re studying, remember? I told you I’d be spending the night here.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me,” Mom said. “Where are you, Kristin?”

A lump formed in my throat and my skin suddenly felt too hot and too tight for my body. I was gripping the phone so tightly that my hand was numb.

“Kristin, if you don’t answer me, I’m calling the police,” Mom snapped. “So you’d better tell me. Now!” She ordered loudly. “Where the hell are you?”

“Um, I’m in Boston,” I squeaked quietly. “With Megan. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“The hell you will!” Mom yelled. “You’d better walk through this door in one hour or else!”

“I can’t,” I replied. “Megan won’t leave – Mom, we’ve had a few drinks, it’s not safe if she gets behind the wheel of a car!”