Punishing the Brats

“What could you possibly ask me that I’d be afraid to tell?” Dylan asked, grinning back. “Matt here knows everything about me. I’m not afraid to tell you anything. So, where does that leave us?”

“Oh?” Chastity asked, accepting the challenge. She wasn’t about to let him win this one. “Fine. Truth time.”

“Shoot.”

“Are you attracted to me?”

Silence fell on the table like an anvil from the heavens. She watched, satisfied, as the two men looked at each other, a grin creeping onto Dylan’s face.

“Well, come on,” she said. “It’s truth time, remember?”

“Chastity,” Matt said, the tone of his voice changing, telling her he wasn’t particularly happy about the question.

“What?” Chastity blurted, a little defensively. “He asked me what I could possibly ask him. Well, there we go. That was what I could ask him that he wouldn’t want to answer.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Matt,” Dylan said, cutting in. “Don’t worry so much. She’s had a bit to drink.”

“Well?” Chastity demanded.

“Yes,” Dylan said with a sigh. “But, in all honesty, so would every straight male from here to Venice.”

Chastity blushed, not expecting the nice words. “Oh,” she stammered. She absently fiddled with her hair. “You think so?”

Dylan exchanged a look with Matt, who relented with a slight nod of his head.

“Yes,” he said. “Sure. You’re an attractive young woman. Not exactly uncommon.”

Blood boiled in Chastity’s veins. “Couldn’t you have just said yes? Did you have to add the part about it not being unusual? You know, a girl likes to feel attractive sometimes!”

She got up, slapped her chips away, and walked off toward to get another beer. She heard someone following, and thought it was Dylan coming to apologize. Storming out onto the beach, she turned around, ready to flip him the bird.

But it was her step-father, Matt.

“Chastity, honey,” he said, walking up to her and corralling her in his arms. He gave her shoulders a squeeze, and shook his head, brow furrowed in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, looking away. “I don’t know.”

“Is something going on? You’ve been all over the shop today, you know?”

Chastity rolled her eyes. “If you’re asking if I’m on my period, I’m no-”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not asking that. My guess is you wouldn’t have gone swimming, anyway.”

“Ever heard of a tampon, Matt? Girls go swimming with those, you know.”

He looked at her for a moment, before grinning. “Yeah, but you were learning to surf, falling over, bum in the air and everything. Not sure you would have taken that risk in those skimpy little bikini bottoms you were wearing.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said slapping his chest and walking off into the night, kicking up waves of sand.

“Come on,” he said, jogging up beside her. “Tell me what’s bugging you.”

“It’s not really bugging me,” she said, taking a sip from her beer. “It’s just that… oh, I can’t.”

“Can’t what?”

“Can’t tell you.”