LUSTING AFTER MY STEPBROTHER

Chapter One

~ Tamara

"What do you mean you are getting married?" I asked with my eyes wide as saucers as I stared at my father, who looked as idiotic as ever, leaning against my wardrobe, smugness oozing from him.

I knew he had something up his sleeve when he'd insisted my sister 'Abrielle' and I move over to stay with him. I'd kicked against the idea from the onset, but Abrielle had talked me into it. Something about getting closer to our father since we'd been distant since our mama passed away five months ago. Yes! Five f*****g months! And now our father was getting married? He was not even giving our late mama a chance to rest in her grave properly. It's like he was just waiting for her death, so he'd jump into bed with the next woman.

Mama had loved him. She loved him with all her heart. She loved him even when he hit her. She loved him even when he was never there, both as a husband and as a father. Growing up, she played both roles—Mother and Father, while he would leave us alone, always on business trips and stupid fake meetings. She'd endured all his blatant lies, cheating, and misbehaviour. All she deserved was some f*****g respect.

"Aeilia, please, we can talk about this calmly. As a family," Abrielle said, her voice as soft as always. My sister was the softest person I knew. A complete opposite of myself. It didn't baffle me that she was still calm after what Dad just said.

"Calmly? As a family? We won't be that family anymore when he marries someone else." I said, my eyes solely on my sister.

"It is not your choice to make, Aeilia. The wedding is in a few days, so get prepared. Everything will change. Everything, including the way you talk to me."

A bitter laugh found its way to my mouth. The way I talk to him? Wow, just wow.

"I'm not going to be quiet and watch you marry someone else to replace Mama. I'm not going to lick the ass of your new wife, just so you know." I finally turned around so I could look him in the eye, where I searched for the tiniest bit of remorse. But I found none. He was really doing this.

"Is that the way you talk to your father?" Dad's voice rose, his languid position shifting into something fierce, and for once, I thought he would hit me. He had the same fury in his eyes as he always had when he hit Mama.

"What kind of a father are you? Mama has barely had any time to rest in her grave, and you are already replacing her. She loved you!" I yelled, venom filling my voice.

"And she's gone."

My eyes turned glassy. "You are a terrible father," I mumbled, letting the tears spill over my perfectly made-up face. At the moment, I didn't care if my sister spent so much time on my makeup. I couldn't keep the liquid in my eyes.

"Aeilia," My sister called my name. I could hear the hint of warning she had in her voice.

"I hate you, old man, I hate you. I wish you were not my father. I wish Mama had never married you. If she hadn't, she'd have found someone better, and she'd still be alive. You deserve to go to jail, you car—"

No amount of words could have prepared me for Dad's next line of action. My cheek stung, a hellish pain igniting. Dad had just hit me.

"Say one more word about how bad I am, and see to what extent I can go. Don't push me, Aeilia. You," Dad glanced at Abrielle, who had cowered in fright, her eyelashes fluttering. "Talk some sense into her. The wedding is in three days. I'll have the designer come in today and take care of your outfits."

"I'm not attending!" I yelled, my sob louder than my yell, while my sister held me to her body, as tightly as she could.

"Ssshhh!"

"You have no choice. Do you want what happened to your mama to happen to you?" Dad's gaze, devoid of any emotion, held my teary ones.

"No, Dad, no. I'll talk to her," my sister softly said again.

"Screw you, old man. Screw you and your bitchy wife to be," The words left my mouth leaving me tongue bitter. I'd never raised my voice at my Dad. Never questioned his actions because my mum demanded we accord him the respect he deserved. She'd drilled those words into my and my sister's heads since we learnt how to talk.

"You don't mean that," Dad said, and he left my room.

I gasped as I cried harder, the reality of things taking a toll on me. He was really getting married. We would have a new mum—no! A step mum. I had to get used to it.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Aeilia. You know him. You know how he is. Look at your face... Does it hurt?" Abrielle's palm glided over my cheek, her face a mirror of my tear-stricken face.

"He's getting married, big sis. Mama's memorial is in three days. He chose the day Mama died to get a new wife. She doesn't deserve this—" I hiccuped again and again.

"I know. I know he was cruel to her, and she deserved better. And if there's one thing I as well, it's that Mama would have wanted you to accord respect to him. Aeilia, he's capable of hurting you, you know that. Hitting you— hitting you is proof that he'll do anything."

I'd stopped crying, leaving my face messy from running mascara, messed up makeup and a runny nose. "So what?" I asked.

"We let him do what he wants to do. He'll do it with or without our consent anyway. Let's stay out of his way and pretend all this never happened. Can you do that for me?" Abrielle asked softly. "If not for me, for mama, please?"

I nodded at the mention of Mama. I'd do anything for her. I'd have died in her stead. I loved her that much. "Is Aaron still coming?"

Abrielle nodded. Good. A change of topic was all we needed at the moment. And my sister's boyfriend, visiting in a few hours, was perfect for that. "My makeup is ruined." I smiled.

"He won't care," My sister smiled back at me.

"What? What kind of first impression will that make?" I giggled. Seeing my sister's long-distance boyfriend for the first time occupied my mind while I shut thoughts of my Dad out. Aaron and Abrielle met each other at high school, and they met in a museum in this town, such a cute meet-cute. When we moved away, they'd turned long distance, and now, since we were back, he was coming to see her. I could tell she was nervous from the way her eyes glanced around every object in my room.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. I am perfectly okay. I'm just nervous. You know it's been so long—"

"So long since you saw your boyfriend. I know. And you've FaceTimed him every weekend, so what's the big deal?"

"Aeilia, it's not the same as seeing him, feeling him, touching him. You'll understand when you have a boyfriend." She finished bringing her hand to touch my cheek, which I swatted away.

"I don't need one." I bit back a frown.

"If that's what lets you sleep at night, keep telling yourself that." Abrielle laughed, clearly mocking me.

"I meant that." I scowled deeply.

"I know you did. Tell me what? You're not lesbian and you've kept it away from me, right?"

"f*****g no." My scowl dissolved into a horrified chuckle. "I'm not a lesbian."

"How'd you know?" Abrielle's eyes shot up curiously.

"Because— because I love d***s," I started.

"Sure you do. Have you seen one? Up close?"

"I don't have to. I just like reading about it and what it can do," I finished, laughing along with Abrielle.

"Enough with such talks, Aeilia. Here's what, since you'll be attending a new school and stuff, you'll get a boyfriend. Don't even say no. You're 17, and soon you'll be in college. I'd say you get yourself a hot boyfriend and have fun before college life sets in. You'll be too busy for all that once you get into college. So?" Abrielle raised her eyebrows at me while I frowned.

"So what?"

"So what do you say, dummy?"

"Fine. I'm not promising you anything, just so you know." I smiled.

"That's something at least. I'm going downstairs to see if everything is set. You'll be fine, right?" She asked, staring at me with nothing but pure concern, and I nodded, then she left.

With Abrielle gone, thoughts about my Dad fluttered in. How he'd forced me and my sister to leave our old town and move over to live with him in Connecticut. How we'd been ignorant of his plans all along. He now wanted to ruin our lives by providing a stepmum we didn't want. How Abrielle seemed okay with this new development. I felt a little guilty thinking about my sister that way but I just couldn't f*****g help it. I knew she was scared of our Dad, but she hadn't even shown a slight dissapoval when Dad broke the news to us. Mama deserved that at least.

Speaking of mama, my gaze travelled through my room and it settled on a photo hung on the wall. I hadn't noticed it until now. It looked old, dusty, and it had a few scratches here. I walked to where it was and plucked it out of its hanger.

"Mama?" I whispered to myself, smiling back at my mama's smiling photo. She looked what— 27? She was so happy, young, prettier than I remembered. Her red hair fell across her shoulders, down till it crossed her butt. Green eyes shone with life, not like the last time I saw those eyes. They'd turned sunken, devoid of life.

For once since I turned 13, I loved my green eyeballs, my flaming red super long curly hair, my dimples, my petite frame—all of em. Because how could I not? My mama looked just like me when she was my age. They said I was her replica. Opposite of my sister, who'd gotten jet black hair and the deepest of blue eyes—almost sapphire.

"Aeilia, he's here. Aaron is here." My sister's voice travelled from downstairs up to my ears, and I sighed before taking a cloth to wipe every speck of dust and dirt from the photo. After I'd done that, I placed it back on its hanger.

"Aeilia!" Abrielle shrieked again.

"I'm coming!" I had to yell back. No way I was going to meet her boyfriend with my face looking like a clown. I made my way into my ensuite. Wipes would do, I didn't need makeup anyway. I hurriedly wiped off the sticky mess, dumping used wipes into the sink until my face looked like it was supposed to. Long lashes, Big Doe eyes that housed my emerald irises, the plumpest rosy lips you'd ever find, slender neck that my red choker lay, medium sized boobs—I used a size C, small waist, wide hips, down to my slender legs.

"I'm coming up there to get you, Aeilia!"

I snapped out of my self-absorbed trance. "Coming,"

"How long does it take to—"

"Here. I'm here, sis." I said, beaming once I got down the stairs and face to face with Abrielle, who regarded me with a frowny face.

"Aaron is here," Her frowny face metamorphosed into a nervous grin.

"I know. Where is he?"

"He's waiting in the living room. I'm so nervous, Aeilia. It's been so long since I saw him,"

"Come on, big sis. Let's go meet your boyfriend."

I threw my hand over Abrielle's shoulder, and for once since the start of today, I had a gut feeling that my whole life was going to change soon enough.

Well, my name is Tamara Aeilia Ivers, and this is my story.