The Imperfections

Looking a little more focused, he nods his head. “All right.”

“You’re gonna be brutally honest,” I state, pointing at him. “You’re not gonna fucking lie to me and give me some apologetic half-truths, either. Whatever you did, be a man and own it. I find out you’ve left shit out trying to cover your ass, you’re going to be the problem I take care of. Only way I fix this for you and send you back to my sister is if you can be a man worth having, and that means no fucking lying. It’s cowardly, and my sister deserves better than a fucking coward.”

Theo swallows and nods. I can see the color rising in his cheeks, either anger or embarrassment. Frankly, I don’t care which.

I lean back. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

He sits there for a second, trying to figure out how to begin. I can see him weighing what he wants to admit against what I’ve demanded. He doesn’t want to come out on the wrong side of me, but he must be smart enough to realize he’s more likely to end up there by wasting my time than by fucking some other bitch.

He’s right. Not much pisses me off more than having my goddamn time wasted.

“All right, so, I guess I should start—” He stops and clears his throat. “About a year ago—well, it was a year ago. A year and couple days,” he amends nervously.

“Calm the fuck down,” I tell him, keeping my voice even.

Nodding too quickly, he says, “For our anniversary last year, I hired this babysitter. This 17-year-old had gone door to door, passing out flyers advertising her babysitting business. Anyway, her name was Alyssa and I had her come watch the boys so I could take Bri out for the evening.”

“All right,” I say, showing him I’m still calm.

“And it worked out really well. She was great, and the boys loved her right away, so we kept hiring her any time we needed a sitter. Then about six months ago, Bri and I were both working late one night, so we had Alyssa come over and watch the boys in the evening. I got home first, and it had been a long day, just a long, miserable fucking day. So I get home, walk through the front door, and the house smells so good I instantly feel just a little bit better. Alyssa’s a great cook, and sometimes if she’d watch the boys in the evening, she’d make dinner if she knew Bri wouldn’t be home to do it herself.”

“What’d she make?”

Caught off guard by my conversational tone, he hesitates. “Uh, spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. She made the garlic bread homemade. It was real good.” He clears his throat and goes on. “Anyway, I haven’t eaten since lunch so I figure I’ll eat. She hasn’t had a chance to eat, so I tell her to grab a plate, you know? She made it—she shouldn’t have to go home hungry.”

“Mm-hmm,” I murmur noncommittally.

His dread grows, so we must be getting to the good part. “The boys—you know how they are, can’t sit still. They ate some but then ran off and started playing in the other room. Me and Alyssa kept eating, and I can’t say how it happened, I guess I just needed to blow off steam and she’s—she’s not what you’ll think she is. She’s not some sexed-up high school slut. She’s really sweet and a great listener, just… easygoing and friendly, and I don’t know, somehow the conversation got flirty.” He stops and darts a glance in my direction. “I turned it flirty. It was me. I don’t know why. I didn’t think anything would come of it, I just started teasing her, and she started blushing.” He cradles his forehead in his hand and sighs. “I didn’t mean for anything to happen. I didn’t even think she’d—but I took her to show her something on the computer in the spare bedroom. We were in there alone and the door was closed and she was leaning over my shoulder to look, and then before I knew it, I was kissing her and backing her up against the bed. Then we were on it and I was taking all her clothes off, and before I fucking knew it…”

I narrow my eyes slightly at the way he trails off. “Say it,” I snap.

He swallows audibly. “Before I know it, I’m balls-deep inside the tightest hole I’ve ever fucked,” he finishes miserably. “She was a fucking virgin. I didn’t know. It happened so fast, Brant, I don’t—I wasn’t even nice, didn’t even get her ready. I didn’t eat her pussy, barely fingered her. I was a fucking animal, devouring her like she was the first morsel of food I’d come across in ages. It felt so fucking good, I didn’t even feel like myself while I was with her. I came inside her, and I didn’t wear a condom or anything since it was so spontaneous.”