Page 18 of Sexploration

One thing I know for sure, Josie won’t be leaving with anyone but me tonight. I’ll fight off every single man in that bar if need be. No way in hell I’m letting any of those assholes anywhere near her.

If anyone is going to go with her on this littlesexploration, it’s me.

* * *

My stare is glued to the stairs, my muscles taut with tension. Josie is taking forever. I’ve been waiting down here for her at least thirty minutes. The sooner we get to the bar, the sooner I can get her back here. Though I’m still kind of hoping she’ll call the whole damn thing off.

“August!” June shouts into the phone. “Are you listening?”

“Yeah, I heard you. Tomorrow at noon. But technically, I’m supposed to be out of town, so—”

“No fucking way,” she screeches. “You’re coming.”

The twins and I take turns looking in on Mom. She’s a little better now. They finally found a mixture of medications that work for her. She still has episodes, though, going days, sometimes weeks at a time not being able to get out of bed. I pay all her bills and make sure her fridge stays stocked. The girls are responsible for helping her keep up with doctor appointments and making sure the apartment stays clean. We all agreed to get together and share a meal or something once a month—pretend to be a normal family, if only for a day. But it can be so exhausting. You never know which version of her you’re going to get.

“Don’t make me drive over there and get you,” Mae threatens in the background.

Another fun little quirky fact about our mother, she named all of us based on the month we came into this world. I’m not sure what she would’ve done if the twins had been born on the same day. Luckily for her, Mae was born at eleven p.m. on May thirty-first, and June arrived an hour later at twelve a.m. on June first.

“Fine...” I sigh, dread already settling on my chest. “I’ll be there.”

“This whole thing was your idea, you know?”

I roll my shoulders, guilt weighing on them. “I know. Sorry. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“That’s right... Milo said you were helping Josie today. How’s she doing?”

“She’s fine.” My brow knits as her words fully sink in. “Wait... when did you talk to Milo?”

“I don’t know... the other day.” There’s a defensiveness in her tone, like someone who’s been caught doing something bad. “I commented on one of his Instagram posts and we started chatting back and forth. It’s not a big deal. Don’t go all big brother on me. I’m twenty-two now, a full-fledged adult.”

“Technically, you’re still twenty-one. It’s not your birthday yet, missy.”

“Okay...well, if I’m old enough to drink, I’m old enough to—”

“Do not finish that sentence,” I groan, my stomach churning. “I do not want to think about my little sister doing... that. Especially not with my best friend.”

“You can’t be serious.” She chuckles. “Like you have any room to talk.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Please. You’re not fooling anyone. I know exactly why you canceled your trip.”

“Because Milo asked me to.” Now I’m the one who sounds like they’re trying to hide something.

“Isn’t that convenient for you,” she taunts. “You get to play the role of protective hero and be all alone with her in that house. Sounds like a real burden.”

The little shit has a point. The idea of Milo and my sister talking doesn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies, but I’ve got no leg to stand on. Not while I’m waiting here hoping tonight will end with Josie in my bed.

I give up on even trying to come up with a smartass response when Josie appears at the top of the stairs, my heart skipping a beat. She’s wearing a pair of black jeans that hug the curves of her thighs with a band tee and a pair of red heels. Dark eyeliner is making her blue eyes pop, and there’s a very seductive shade of red painted on her lips. Her hair is in a mass of thick waves, wild and sexy as if she’s already been fucked.

She’s stunning, and I amsoscrewed. It’s going to be damn near impossible to keep people away from her tonight. Every single person with a pulse will be trying to take her home.

“I’ve got to go, asshole,” I tell June as Josie makes her way down. “Love you. See you tomorrow.”

By the time she makes it to the bottom of the stairs, I’ve got an Uber driver on the way. Though I’m half tempted to cancel it and carry her right back up those stairs, straight to my bedroom. Given the appreciation in her stare as it traces over my body, I’m betting she wouldn’t put up much of a fight. But something tells me she needs this.

JOSIE

---