“Frankie, please. Be quiet.” I looked over the guardrail and saw Mom still out by the pool, waving around a glass of wine. I clutched Frankie’s hand and rushed through the door and up the stairs with her.
When we’d made it safely to our room, she exclaimed, “Why didn’t you tell me, Kandy! I thought it was just a crush!”
“It was just a crush, Frank! I swear it was but—shit.” I shoved my fingers through my hair. I was panicking all over again. What if Dad had been there instead of her? What if he’d caught us instead? I had no doubt he would have thrown Cane over the guardrail if it came down to it. My dad was that crazy.
“Hey—listen to me!” Frankie grabbed my arm and forced me to sit on the bed. She took the spot beside me and looked me straight in the eyes. “Don’t freak out! You know me, K.J.! You know I won’t tell a fucking soul. Cross my heart.” She crossed her heart rapidly, her brown eyes still serious and also desperate for answers. “Now, with that being said, you have to tell me what the hell just happened. You’re lucky it was me who witnessed that and not your dad!”
I dropped my gaze, staring at my legs. I still had goosebumps from that kiss—that passionate, toe-curling, delicious kiss. My heart was still racing. Fuck, my emotions were all over the place.
“Remember that night when my dad got shot?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, Cane came to pick you up.”
“Yeah, well, that same night, he didn’t take me to the hospital because my mom didn’t want him to bring me there, so I ended up staying with him, just in case anything happened. Anyway, we were talking that night, and I was crying and just so sad about Dad. He was drinking, and I asked him if I could have some of what he was having. He was hesitant at first, but he didn’t know how else to make me feel better so he let me have a little. Only I kind of drank the whole thing. It was scotch. It was really fucking strong.”
“Yeah, that shit is strong,” Frank half-laughed, then waved her hand like that part didn’t matter right now.
“So I drank that, and then he started talking about how he and Dad met. How my dad saved his mom’s life, and how he felt like he owed him for life—a lot of stuff that I didn’t know. And then I cried again because I was scared about Dad, and that story really touched my heart. I asked Cane to hold me and then…I don’t know what came over me. I mean, my hand was on his lap, and my face was so close to his, and he smelled so good, Frank. So good. He didn’t want it to happen, but I’m fucking stubborn—you know me—so I got on his lap and kissed him anyway. He stopped me at first, but then I asked him if he wanted me. He told me yes he wanted me and that he hated admitting it.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Frankie whispered. “Then what happened?”
“He kissed me, and then we started kind of dry humping, you know? And then he…finger-fucked me…” I cupped my mouth and stared at my best friend, waiting for her to blast me with judgment.
Only she didn’t.
She let out one loud laugh and then cupped her mouth too, like she couldn’t believe it’d happened either.
“Your dad’s best friend?” she gasped.
“I know!” I wailed. “That’s what makes it so bad. He felt horrible about it the next morning. He couldn’t even look at me, Frank. On the way to the hospital, he called it a mistake and…it kind of hurt my feelings, but deep down I knew it was true. It was a mistake on both our parts, but here’s the kicker.” I held up a hand, like I was holding the power of the universe in my palm. “That’s not the only thing that’s happened between us.”
Her eyes stretched wider. “Wait—there’s more?”
I nodded. “There was one day when my parents were at my dad’s rehab. Cane showed up because he was supposed to be taking my dad to a basketball game.” She nodded, impatiently waiting for the details. “He was sitting in Dad’s recliner, and I went to him and sat on his lap. He was a little more hesitant this time and told me he didn’t want to hurt my feelings again, but I didn’t care. I wanted him so bad that day. I don’t know why. I always get crazy around him, or I act like nothing else matters if we’re alone. So…I pulled his pants down and…gave him a blowjob in the living room.”
“Holy shit, K.J! You are a fucking vixen!” Frankie stood up and held her hands out beside her head, like her mind was blown. Actually, I think she was proud of me for what I’d done. Her smile was bigger and her eyes were wider.