Page 1 of Untouchable

Chapter One

Jo

My sister Siren balances in downward dog as a baby goat hoofs over her calves and up onto her back. She squeals in disgust. “Don’t let that thing shit on me, Jo!”

A baby goat named Rascal does, in fact, climb up on top of Siren and leave her a gift.

“It’s just a little poo. You’re fine.” I grab the broom from the corner and sweep up the mess before the timer goes off and goat yoga dismisses for the night.

Siren stands and flips her red hair back and away from her face. “Okay. I love you, but I’m not coming back to this.”

I grin and wave to folks as they leave the little faux barnyard I’ve created in the empty warehouse space I rented out earlier this year. The floors are matted with soft material that keeps the goats safe, while also providing a gentle environment for humans to stretch out on.

It’s also easy to clean, which is clearly a priority.

There’s still so much I want to do with this place. Goat yoga, puppy yoga, cat yoga. Animals are good for stress, and at the end of the day, that’s what yoga promotes.

“You’re a diva.” I grin toward my sister. “No one else is complaining about my cute little friends.” I lift up my favorite little goat. Her name is Petunia. I never knew goats could be so affectionate, but they’re a lot like dogs. Some of them love snuggles while others prefer to be on their own. Petunia loves snuggles.

Siren reaches out and scratches her between the ears with two fingers, as though she’s not really into it. “Whatever. You’re so cute, just like a dog.” Her tone is sarcastic. I should’ve expected as much.

“I thought you loved animals.”

“No, I love cats. They clean themselves, they use a litter box, they’re smart, and they hate people almost as much as I do.”

I roll my eyes at my sister, whose straightforwardness can’t be hidden, though I appreciate the effort. “How’s school going?”

She drags in a deep breath. “I think I’m failing Chemistry, so there’s that.”

“You tell Dad yet?”

“Umm… do I want to listen to a lecture all weekend? Not in a million years. Besides, he’s still all depressed about Mom’s wedding. My life failures will only make things worse.” She steps over a pile of goat droppings and walks toward the door. “I have some time to get my grade up, so… we’ll see.”

School has never been my sister’s thing. She’s the entrepreneurial type. The kind that would’ve been better off working her way up somewhere or temping for some rich guy who’d she’d eventually marry for his money.

“If studying doesn’t work,” she laughs, “there are always blowjobs.”

“God!” I bite back a smile. “Why do I think that’s an actual option for you?”

“Because it is.” She flips her dark red hair back away from her face. I’ve always been jealous of the way she looks. While I got the dirty blonde hair and the brown eyes, she got bright red locks and these big blue eyes that everyone compliments. I swear, they’re the actual color of the sky. She’s a knockout, and she knows it.

It’s how she got her nickname, Siren. Everywhere we went, people would notice her like she had a siren on top of her head. That, and the red hair thing.

“Look, I can’t spend another year at that college, so if blowjobs are what gets me out of it, I guess I’ll have to buck up.” She laughs as though she’s kidding, but I’m not sure.

The room has cleared out for the night, but one man walks toward the door instead of away. He wasn’t in my class today. I’d have remembered him. This man is a giant, inked up, flannel wearing biker. I know for sure I didn’t have any of those. If I had, I’d have kept the class going an extra hour or more.

His brows wrinkle downward as he looks toward my sister. Of course, he notices my sister. “Siren?”

And, of course, they know each other.

She glances up at the man and grins before tipping up onto her toes for a hug. “Ox! Fuck! It’s you. How long has it been?”

“A while.” The man glances toward me, then back toward the only girl that matters. “How ya been?”

“Good. Busy. School shit, you know? Life is stupid. What about you?”

“Started a security firm. Here for my first job, actually.” He glances toward me again. “Are you Jo?”

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