A Dirty Secret With My Best Friend’s Dad

~Sienna~ The gate screeches as I push it open and step into the compound. It’s late, the night thick and silent, but I know this house too well. I spent a summer here once with my best friend, Nova, and her family. I key in the house code Nova sent me. The alarm beeps softly as the door unlocks. I slip inside the luxurious lake house. My throat tightens. I don’t bother with the lights, flicking on my phone’s flashlight instead. The last thing I need is someone calling the Garrisons and reporting an intruder. I pass through the vast living room, barely glancing at the elegant décor. My chest burns, my jaw clenches. I refuse to cry. I won’t give those bastards the satisfaction. My steps slow when the gleam of crystal glassware catches my eye. Dropping my bag on a couch, I walk to the bar and sink onto a stool, my black dress riding up my thighs—but I don’t care. No one is here to see me. I close my eyes, the memory hitting me like a wave. The reason I’m in this dress. The reason I’m here at all. I dressed to impress my boyfriend—my ex-boyfriend now—because I thought he was going to propose. I found the ring in his pocket last week but said nothing, wanting to be surprised. When he invited me to dinner at a fancy hotel, I thought this was it. My heart was a drum in my chest. Until my phone buzzed. An anonymous photo. Him—and a friend I once trusted—tangled in a kiss. The same hotel room number attached. I remember standing there, staring at the screen, my hands shaking, refusing to believe it. Julian wouldn’t. He hated cheaters. He always made me believe he was different. But he wasn’t. I stumbled into the hotel, my legs trembling in my heels. I hesitated between knocking and walking away—but my need for truth won. The door opened, and the world fell apart. A gasp tore from my lips, eyes widening as my hand gripped the doorframe for support. There they were—Julian and Everly—tangled in a mess sheets and clothes, groaning and moaning shamelessly. How long had it been going on? How could I have missed it? Everly always claimed she couldn’t stand him. I should have known that kind of hate was envy in disguise. The two of them scrambled out of the bed when they saw me, but I still caught the proud smirk on Everly’s face. The photo wasn’t anonymous. It was her. She wanted me to see. I swore I wouldn’t cry. Neither of them was worth it. Blinking away the sting in my eyes, I grab a bottle from the shelf and pop it open without checking the label. The cherry burn fills my mouth. “Ugh… strong,” I mutter, taking another gulp. Of course it is. The Garrisons never settle for less than premium—filthy rich, powerful enough to buy the country and still have change left. Unlike me. Just me and my mother, scraping through life. I never knew my father—he died before I was born, without ever acknowledging me. I learned early that I’d have to fight for everything I wanted. And I have. But tonight, I’m tired of fighting. I left the old neighborhood, earned my degree, and chased the dream job. I thought I’d found the dream man too. Until he destroyed everything. The bottle’s half empty when I slide off the stool, the room spinning softly around me. “Whoo…” I breathe, staggering toward the couch. I sink into the cold fabric, cradled by silence. I lift the bottle again, finishing it off. My throat burns, my face flushed. The alcohol blurs everything—the pain, the humiliation, the betrayal. But it’s not enough. I need to forget. Julian can go be with Everly, I don’t care—not anymore. I’ll be with who I want or at least the version of him that lives in my head. Yeah. I know it’s wrong. But it’s beyond my control. Crushing on my best friend’s father is wrong, but I can’t stop. I tried to pretend otherwise, to lie to myself, because I was supposed to be the good, loyal girlfriend. But now, I can’t lie to myself anymore. My fingers hike up my dress, my thighs trembles, a cold sensation sweeps over me. I close my eyes, my breath shallow. I pretend it’s him—his thick veiny hands brushing over my p***y. The other hand reaches into my dress, grabbing my t**s. “f**k!” I shiver, rolling my n*****s with my thumb. Oh, yes. Just thinking about him already makes me wet. I slide aside my g-string, slipping a finger into my entrance. “Hmmm.” My breath becomes rush, moanig shamelessly into the darkness. I move the finger in and out, fondling my t**s at the same time. A soft sound escapes me, half a sigh, half a plea. My heart races, my body reacting before my mind can stop it. Fuck, I could feel him like that, thrusting into me. “Ohhh. Norman…” The name slips out before I can stop it. In my head, he’s not Mr. Garrison like I’d always addressed him. He’s just Norman—the man who shouldn’t be mine, but somehow already in every forbidden thoughts. “Oh my God,” I whisper as my finger moves faster, my hips tighten around it. I’ve make a mess of myself. My hand coated in my wetness, dripping down the floor. My body shudders, an electrifying shock sizzle through me— But a loud bang suddenly erupts the quiet. My eyes snap open. I freeze, my hand slipping out of my entrance in a flash as I cover my thighs. What the hell was that? My head snaps toward the sound—another slam, sharper this time. My pulse spikes. Nova had told me the house was empty. “Go to the lake house,” she’d said. “He’ll go to your apartment first. You’ll be safe there.” But someone’s here. I grab the empty bottle, my hands trembling as I edge toward the hall. Footsteps echo across the marble floor, steady and sure. The door bursts open just as I duck behind it, bottle raised, ready to defend myself. A figure steps into the light. Our eyes lock. The bottle slips from my fingers and crashes to the floor. “Sienna?” The voice—deep, familiar—freezes me. Before I can breathe, he’s in front of me, his hands catching me as my knees give way. Strong arms sweep me off my feet. A soft gasp leaves my lips as my hands clutch his shoulders. His scent—warm, masculine, achingly familiar—wraps around me. He carries me effortlessly to the couch, holding me close, his chest solid against mine. My head rests against him, my heart racing in rhythm with his. My grip tightens on him, my eyes rising to his face—creased with worry and concern for me. My pain ebbs under his touch. Mr. Garrison. The object of my imagination. My best friend’s father. Norman. The man I should never want. And yet, all I can feel is the heat of his body and the safety in his arms. My heart beats faster. My skin tingles. I should pull away. I don’t. Because right now, it feels too good to remember that he’s the one person I can never have.