Chapter 1

MANDY I was so excited when my parents told me Brian was coming for supper tonight. Brian is my dad’s best and oldest friend, and he’s also the man I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember. I’ve never told anyone how I feel about him, but I recently turned 18, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep it a secret. When I hear the doorbell ring, I run for the front door, eager to see his beautiful face again, but when I open it, I feel like my whole world has collapsed. Standing on the step is Brian, looking perfect and gorgeous as usual, but next to him stands a leggy blonde with her arm wrapped possessively around his. “Hey, kiddo,” he says with a big grin. I can barely manage a small smile before standing back so they can come in. He notices my unusual behavior but doesn’t say anything, just quirks an eyebrow at me, silently asking me if I’m okay. I can’t bring myself to look into his deep brown eyes, the ones that are as familiar to me as my own, so instead I duck my head and lead them down the hall to the kitchen where my parents are getting the food out of the oven. “Hey, Brian,” my dad says, clapping him on the back. He holds his hand out to the blonde. “You must be Raquel.” Of course her fucking name is Raquel! I try not to snarl when I look at her. She’s perfect, of course she is. Tall, slim but curvy in all the right places, with big blue eyes. I suddenly feel very short and very ugly compared to her, and I don’t like it. I especially don’t like the way she looks at Brian. He’s mine, lady! I want to scream at her and kick her in the ass, but I take a seat at the table and ignore the confused looks I’m getting from Brian over her head. I tune out whatever the hell my parents are talking about with the perfect Raquel, but my head jerks up when I hear my name. “And this is our daughter Mandy,” my mom says to her. “Nice to meet you,” Raquel says with a big smile. I smile, or try to, but I’m pretty sure it probably looks more like a grimace. “Brian told me you just turned 18. That’s a pretty exciting age. Any college plans?” I suppress a groan. The last thing I want to do is have a conversation with the woman who’s touching my Brian. A part of my brain corrects me that he’s not actually mine, but I tell that part to go fuck itself and keep my voice even as I respond. “No, not really. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.” “Well, you still have plenty of time, I suppose,” she says and then quickly turns back to my parents. “Is there anything I can do?” I ignore them and go and let Daisy in. She’s my pit bull mix, and I love her more than I can possibly say. As soon as I see her happy brown face, I can’t help but smile and feel better. She runs to me with that sort of pure joy that only dogs seem to be able to pull off, and I wrap my arms around her. She gives my cheek a lick, making me laugh, and then she runs to her second favorite person in the world. Brian bends down when he sees her, giving her a good scratch behind the ears, but it’s Raquel’s reaction that has us all turning our heads. “Oh my god! Get that thing away from me!” She’s taken a step back and has her hands held out as if to ward off the hounds of hell. We all just look at her as if she’s lost her mind, especially when Daisy just sits there looking up at her with that classic pit bull smile. “It’s just Diasy,” Brian says, trying to reason with her. “She’s harmless.” “Is that a pit bull?” she asks, and I swear I hear a tremor in her voice which makes me want to laugh and roll my eyes all at the same time. “She’s a mix,” I say, squatting down by Brian so I can pet her. “Brian got her for me for my 16th birthday.” “Well, just keep her far away from me,” she says, and I notice that she’s not nearly as pretty as I thought she was. Her face looks more pinched now, and her anger has really accentuated all those fine lines around her mouth and eyes. “Gladly,” I say in a tone that has her narrowing her eyes. I stand up and head toward the stairs, Daisy following along by my side. The muffled voices of my parents float up to me, but I can’t make out anything they’re saying. I sit on my bed with Daisy, giving her extra love to make up for Raquel. I can’t believe Brian would date somebody so horrible. She didn’t deserve him, and the image of her clutching at his arm was going to haunt me for a long time. My stomach growls when I start to smell the grilled hamburgers and my mom’s cheesy potatoes, but I refuse to leave Daisy and go down. Instead, I sprawl on my bed and smile when Daisy immediately cuddles up next to me. I pet her soft brown fur as my eyelids eventually grow heavy. The next thing I’m aware of is a warm hand on my face. Somewhere in the back of my brain I register the smell of Brian’s cologne, and I lean into his touch and give a soft moan. My nipples harden immediately at the smell and feel of him, and I feel the same familiar wetness between my legs that I always get when I’m around him. I’m about to run my tongue up the palm of his hand when I hear him say, “Mandy, wake up. I brought you some food.” I slowly open my eyes to his smiling, amused face. Returning his smile, I raise my arms into a long, lazy stretch, and I inwardly give a happy squeal when I notice his eyes drop to my tits.