HUSH [ Book 1 ]

By Devlin De La Chapa

Jane, a naive and privileged high school girl finds her life and the lives of her family threatened after a seemingly innocent house party spirals her into a dark and disturbing world of prostitution at the very hands of her so-called "boyfriend" and her best friend.

*WARNING*17+ Readers ONLY*immense portions of this book contain disturbing scenes.*

• Language: English
• Publisher: Devlin De La Chapa
• Release date: Nov 18, 2013

Devlin De La Chapa

Devlin De La Chapa writes under the pseudonyms SANDRA RAINE, SANDRA REIGN and SANDRA SYN. Devlin lives somewhere in AZ with her family and a yard full of odd things.

Book preview

Prologue

God, help me! My voice pleaded inside my head. Feeling trapped and nowhere to run, I went against Dominic’s rules and picked up the motel room’s phone and dialed his cell beneath trembling fingers. Suddenly the room began to spin. I was starting to feel dizzy, faint, and my eyes were slowly starting to close. I was anxious for Dominic to pick up ‘cause I could feel myself literally on the brink of passing out.

Yeah? Dominic’s voice was harsh, groggy.

D-o-m-i-n-i-c? I slurred through the receiver, half-awake, half-dazed, zero-percent elated to hear is voice.

Jane? He questioned while sounding undoubtedly confused.

No. . .no, I stammered. My mouth was dry. And the words seemed heavy on my tongue. It’s Diamond, I remind myself, It’s Diamond, daddy, I then remind him.

By this point I had envisioned Dominic springing up in his bed, horror-struck ‘cause he blurts, What? Where are you?

My mouth suddenly numbed. I couldn’t speak. The receiver was slipping from my hand. The walls to the motel’s room were closing in. Something began tunneling around the light in the room thus drawing it closer and closer and closer to me up until the light distinguished into an absolute darkness.

Chapter 1

January 1st, 2011-

When you’re part of a crew, part of something that’s bigger than you, something that’s been here longer than you it’s not easy to throw up your hands and say, Okay. That’s it! I quit!, it just doesn’t happen, not in the world I live in, or in any world ruled by coercion, deception, exploitation, corruption, and addiction, and chances of you walking away are slim-to-none.

It’s just passed New Year’s. The man sitting to my right is a businessman who doesn’t bargain. The guy sitting to my left is a business major in one of the most expensive universities in America. The man sitting caddy corner to my right is a prosecutor who doesn’t reason. And the guy sitting caddy corner to my left, and always the driver, is blessed with an arm the skin Gods would kill for.

On the surface, and to the unskilled eye, these men would be perceived as gifted and prominent, worthy to society and all its prominence. But just below that surface, and to the more skilled and inhumane eye, these men are evil at its finest. There’s a Spanish saying that goes: The Devil knows who to present himself to, and in my case, me, the unfortunate Angel.

The streets are long and lonely while houses beam with glittering Christmas lights and warm family gatherings to bring in the New Year in Scottsdale. Stores are closed. Plazas are empty. A gas station or the occasional liquor store is the norm of holiday open in such a little big city.

I didn’t know how long we’d been driving around for but I was starting to feel cold in my red strapless party dress and strappy gold heels and nothing else. There was a draft swaying around in the car even though the heater was blowing rather warm. The driver was smoking, and his window was cracked open to allow the smoke to escape. I shivered in my seat but I make no move to indicate there was a chill stirring beneath me. And the never ending nerves in my stomach began to tighten once I felt the car nearing its destination.

Somewhere within the car a cell phone rings, and the businessman immediately picks up. He turns his cheek and speaks tenderly into the receiver coercing my eyes to falter for only a moment to the rearview mirror since they’d been staring straight for the last forty minutes or so; the nerves in my stomach unexpectedly flutter when the driver’s eyes lock onto mine which, and to my amazement, brought me comfort.

Eventually he did look away, and I looked away, and my heart broke.

I closed my eyes gently, visually remembering my first crush of him, my first kiss with him, and the love I surrendered to him, the driver. The guy blessed with the arm. The guy the skin Gods would kill for. Behind my closed eyes, and the private of all my gullible thoughts, the life I envisioned before was nothing to the life I was living now, with him. I was just one of those silly girls caught up in a fantasy that all girls fantasized about followed by that, and often heartbreaking fairytale, of marriage, family, and eternal happiness. But now as I sat here statuesque, almost a year and half later, looking nineteen as opposed to sixteen, alone, stolen, broken; unbecoming, undignified, unsanctimonious, had I longed for that fairytale-with him.

My eyes shot open, and reality immediately settled in.

The car parks. The engine turns off. The doors swing open, and the men step off, including myself. The prosecutor takes me by the arm and we follow the businessman into the lobby of an upscale hotel. We casually stroll pass the desk clerk, a heavy set man in his late thirties with dirty blond hair and passive blue eyes, stiffens a nod in our direction particularly at the businessman who returns the same gesture. A couple in their fifties, I presumed, strolled passed us, snuggled and content against one another while the intoxication of the beautiful woman’s expensive perfume breezed past my senses coercing me to envy her. My head turned around to stare at the woman who also turned around to stare at me, and only for a moment did we become one with each other. The prosecutor tightens his grasp around my arm and ushers me quickly into the elevator. I take my place in the center. As the elevator doors close, the woman slowly disappears from my sight. I bowed my head in shame.

The elevator doors open on the sixth floor of a penthouse suite. The prosecutor takes hold of my arm again and leads me to the door. There was a do not disturb sign hanging on the brass plated knob. The prosecutor gives a swift knock, and the door opens with a man as old as the prosecutor. He’s holding a drink, nodding and smiling. But then his smile soon broadens with an utmost approval when his eyes sweep over my presence; I immediately shy from him.

I hated when they looked at me like that, with interest, ‘cause they weren’t really looking at me, they were looking through me; through windowless eyes possessing souls that possessed no souls; eyes I instantly recognized on men of no conscience, no fear of consequence, or of God, forever deeming themselves righteous and religious despite their hidden weaknesses behind their families, their communities, their churches, their good names.

The businessman and the driver usher the man to the middle of the open living room suite and they start to converse leaving the prosecutor and the business major by my side, to keep watchful eye of the men who were busy keeping an interested eye on me.

There must’ve been at least nine men inhibiting the spacious suite. Some were dressed in their holiday attire, and others were casual. They were well groomed and kept and they smelled of money which explained the expensive suite.

I tried hard not to make eye contact with any of the men simply because I didn’t care to know what they looked like or who they were personally or what they wanted; to me it was the comparable in any town, in any city, in any other hotel or motel room; they didn’t care to know me as I didn’t care to know them as it was all about money and sex.

From the corner of my anxious eye, I glimpse the man handing the businessman a thick letter sized manila envelope and the two nod, parting ways with the businessman gesturing the prosecutor toward a room just across the living room suite. The prosecutor nods and leads me to the other room which was a bedroom. I stepped into the room with the door closing behind me.

It took me a few seconds when a room was foreign to me to take that initial step forward and case the room, case my surroundings in case I found myself in a predicament I would have somewhere to protect myself. The room was grand with a private balcony; the bed, king sized; the furniture, good quality; the master bath, white and roomy.

I crossed to the dresser and settled my purse on the counter and retrieved my cosmetics case before settling it in one of the empty drawers. I studied myself in the mirror from my hair to my make-up to my dress. I shivered and tried to comfort myself from the shame and embarrassment and the all too familiar horror that tended to await me at the turn of a door knob. I glanced through the dresser’s mirror and the man holding the drink earlier was now standing at the bedroom door. He smirked before downing the rest of his drink. He settles the empty glass onto a nearby table and begins loosening his tie. As for me, I unzipped the cosmetic case and pulled out a bottle of valium and popped a pill into my mouth and swallowed hard. My face soured from the coarse taste of raw medicine forcing its way down my throat. The man must’ve thought my expression was in regards to him ‘cause he mumbled something about him being gentle and polite while in my company, and I really didn’t care to hear it ‘cause to me it was something a pedophile would say when handing his victim a Barbie, anything to shut the little girl up.

I stepped away from the dresser and faced the man who was now unbuckling the belt around his trousers. I took a deep breath and strained a smile as I slowly reached for the zipper on the side of my dress. Sensing my apprehension and me sensing his impatience, the man then crossed to me in hastened steps and shoved more money into my hand. Yeah, I can honestly admit as my eyes stared down at the crisp, clean bills, the man was truly a pedophile, and me, his victim, the little girl being handed her Barbie. Anything to get me into bed. Anything to get him to crawl on top of me. Anything. . .

Chapter 2

October, 2009-

My new life started in Tanya Ray’s bedroom.

Tanya was a Junior. She was sixteen, and the captain of the cheerleading squad who approached me one day out of the blue and after practice to say she was impressed on the way I moved, how I wasn’t afraid to sway my hips a little while the other girls moved like zombies. She made me laugh. But my laugh should’ve been more of a red flag rather than flattery.

Within days, Tanya and I became BF’s. We started kicking it at school, after school, at the mall, at the football games. We talked and text constantly on our cells. We shopped every weekend. And we went to all the school parties.

Then one day when Tanya’s parents went out of town she invited me for a sleepover. I obliged because she was my bf, or at least I thought she was.

We were lounging in her bedroom when her brother Dominic, the starting Quarterback on our high school’s football team, walked into her bedroom and started flirting with me which I thought was odd considering he never looked in my direction whether at school or when I visited.

I immediately found I was uncomfortable being in Dominic’s towering presence: he was 6’1, and 187 pounds of pure athletic muscle. And aside from being one of the hottest guys at our high school with his sweet smile, his gifted charm, and brisk hazel eyes, he had a girlfriend named Toni, and she was just as equally hot as he was.

But tonight, of all nights, I couldn’t comprehend his intentions with me until he casually sat down beside me on Tanya’s bed and stole a kiss from my lips which took me totally by surprise, and flattered my ego. And even though the kiss was rather exciting for me because it was my first, I couldn’t help but to indulge when he leaned in and stole another.

Suddenly I found myself lying on Tanya’s bed with Dominic over me. The intensity of our kissing ultimately lead him to do the unthinkable: he started feeling on my breasts, in between my legs, on my butt, and somewhere during his feeling on me, his fingers began unbuttoning my blouse and my jeans. And as much as I wanted to get up from Tanya’s bed and run ‘cause I was scared and inexperienced and feeling shame for what I was doing, I couldn’t. I found I was too busy enjoying myself to understand the consequences that would soon haunt me. And so I stayed there beneath him as his hands triumphed into getting me completely naked.

Somewhere within my newfound passion I tried explaining to Dominic that I was a virgin and I wanted him to take his time with me but he ignored me and continued kissing on me and feeling on me and so I dismissed my plea to him. I figured he knew what he was doing considering his experience just by the way he was handling me; just by the way he wasn’t shy about stripping away his clothes and exposing himself to me.

I had to admit Dominic had a beautiful body and a beautiful penis ‘cause he just felt so beautiful against me. But then that beauty faded the moment he pinned my arms over my head and pried my legs apart with his, and only then did I find myself screaming out from the pain of breaking flesh.

Dominic immediately slapped one hand over my mouth and continued to shove himself deeper in me while still keeping me pinned beneath him. And between the sheer horror in my eyes, and my muffled screams, my grief left him feeling less-than-compassionate toward me ‘cause he refused to look at me; his eyes were shut, his breath was heavy and hard, and his thrusting ultimately subsided into soft brutal ones as did the unbearable of my pain ‘cause I was no longer screaming. And the once sheer horror in my eyes now gave way to tears of shame, anguish, and regret.

Dominic stopped thrusting, and his hand that had been clasp over my mouth was now grasping his member while something warm and wet oozed over my stomach.

After a lingering moment Dominic kissed me brusque on the cheek and jumped up from the bed and walked to Tanya’s bathroom as if nothing tragic had just happened. A second later he emerged wiping himself with a towel. I quickly sat up but I flinched when I felt a pressure from within my vagina tensing up. My face soured, and I moaned.

It hurts the first time, Dominic Ray, the star Quarterback, the hottest and most popular guy at our high school, cared to say. Here, he said handing me the dirty towel, clean up.

I swallowed my throat and felt for the cleanest spot on the towel. Before I dabbed the towel over my stomach however, I made it a point to touch the milky film which almost instantly dried between my thumb and forefinger. From a close distance I could smell its scent somewhat pleasant and brackish.

It’s cum. Taste it, Dominic then urged with a devious smirk. He slips on his jeans and muscle tee and then back into his Jersey. I touched my fingers to my tongue; it tasted just the way it smelled. Next time you can suck on my cock and swallow my cum, he proposed with that same devious smirk. I looked up at him appalled.

"Excuse me?" And I must’ve sounded mortified as well ‘cause Dominic chuckled and picked up his Nike’s and slipped them back on. What do you mean by ‘next time’? I pried, ‘cause according to me there wasn’t going to be ‘a next time’ especially if sex felt the way it felt with Dominic. I mean, and suddenly I found I was confused, true I’ve seen my share of people having sex in TV shows and in movies thus leaving my imagination to believe there was some sort of pleasure. And nowhere had I ever seen a high school girl or a woman for that matter being tormented by the same pain I had just experienced while their boyfriends were thrusting away on top of them. Was I missing something here? Did I do something wrong? Did Dominic do something wrong? Or was sex really like this for every female and they just didn’t’ tell you?

Yeah, next time, Dominic said seriously pulling me from my thoughts. I found myself shaking my head in protest and that’s when he grasped my chin firmly and threatened, "There WILL be a next time, Jane, or else?"

I abruptly pulled back. Or else what? I dared to challenge him. And no sooner had Dominic laid me out on the bed. I quickly rolled on my back and stared up at him in a state of shock and awe while my right cheek burned; I never had a guy backhand me before, not even my father or my brother whenever I stepped out of line with them. . .but Dominic. . .

I quickly sat up when I witnessed Dominic’s open hand curling into a fist. And his violent action forced me to seek comfort against the bed’s headboard. Dominic doesn’t say another word nor does he make another attempt to strike me down. Instead he stormed out of Tanya’s bedroom without as much as a glance back. My trembling fingers then quickly wiped the tears from my eyes as I got up and nervously dressed. But the remnants of my losin’ it only compelled me to sit back down ‘cause my body felt raw and bruised, and my morale, tainted and tarnished.

Eventually I walked into Tanya’s bathroom and sat on the toilet. As I pee’d, it stung. And when I wiped, I noticed I had wiped up some blood. Had I started my period? I began to ponder but the intense pain throbbing inside me wouldn’t allow me to concentrate on anything else.

My vagina felt like it had been stretched from one end of the world to another. Like someone grabbed a firm hold of my vaginal lips and pulled, expanding my tiny hole into a massive hole, like a hive, allowing its bees to dive right in, grazing my insides with their potent stingers; this is exactly how I felt with losing my virginity to Dominic.

I cried for what seemed like hours was only a few minutes when Tanya came knocking on the bathroom door. Then I broke down again and told her what had happened.

And what struck me as shockingly odd was she wasn’t the least bit surprised; it was as if she had already knew how Dominic was with girls. And her advice, Don’t tell anybody or it’ll ruin his football career, was far from compassionate.

Are you kidding me? I was completely astound. You want me to keep quiet about what happened? I mean. . .Jesus, Tanya, Dominic practically raped me, and then he hit me-

It was just a slap, Jane. She then mused through a bored roll of her eyes.

"Excuse me?"

Excuse you! Tanya’s voice suddenly turned cold, and I stepped back when she stepped toward me. Her lips pursed and her eyes dimmed harsh. "If you say ANYTHING to ANYONE about what happened here tonight, girl, I kid you not! I’ll go to Toni and tell her you seduced her man!"

"Tanya?" My voice cracked, my heart broke.

Tanya stepped back and surveyed herself in the mirror for a few seconds. She fluffed her big blond curls and touched up her pouty lips with one of the many lip glosses adorning her vanity’s counter. After she was done pampering herself, Tanya shifted her attention back to me and smiled and said, Let’s go have some pizza.

Dominic was already downstairs in the family room shoving pizza into his mouth and watching a previous recorded football game. Tanya and Dominic exchanged a few brief words, a laugh, and suddenly I wasn’t in the mood to eat. I wanted to go home but I had already agreed to spend the night so I was forced to eat pizza and watch the football game. I was silent the whole time.

After an hour or so, Tanya picks up her cell from off the square glass coffee table and begins to text. Dominic then stands to his feet and holds out his hand to me as if he were a gentleman and I was a lady.

Ready for round two? he winked.

Chapter 3

Fall Break-

Lying next to Dominic was like lying next to my brother.

Dominic and I are naked again. For the last few days we had been locked up in his room doing nothing else except for having sex. And the more I had sex with him, the less my vagina hurt, and the sexual pleasure started to kick in but even more so after Dominic secretly confessed he was grooming me to be his girlfriend.

During our sessions-which Dominic dubbed-he coached me on how to move in bed, how to respond to his sex, and the use of other sexual positions. He had me sit on top of him. He had me get on my hands and knees. He had me bend over the bed, over a chair, and he had me bend down right in front of him. And he had me give him blow jobs, hand jobs, and tit jobs.

There were times when Dominic was pretty rough with his teachings though. And there were times when he was gentle which made sex with him rather confusing to me. Then there were times when he wanted to kiss me, and there were times when he didn’t. But the one thing he wouldn’t do after sex was hold me or caress me ‘cause he, too, immediately turned cold, kind of like the way Tanya had turned cold on me when I had accused her brother of rape and abuse.

I glanced to my left, toward the clock on the nightstand: it was three in the a.m. during one of my sleepovers. I was starting to feel tired, drowsy, and my body was starting to take a toll, especially between my legs ‘cause it started to hurt again. But Dominic wanted me to stay awake. He threatened that if I fell asleep he would hit me, and so I stood awake to avoid him hitting me.

Dominic’s bedroom décor was a cross between a sports bar and a garage station of pin-up girls in string bikinis. I hadn’t recognized any of the models, and I didn’t care too although I could’ve sworn one model resembled a famous celebrity.

By four-thirty, and after a few more rounds of sex, I was finally allowed to go to sleep.

When I awoke some hours later I noticed Dominic had left me alone in his bed, something he never did. I anxiously glanced at the clock, it was now passed nine in the a.m. I stretched, got up, got dressed and headed to Tanya’s bedroom but she wasn’t in her room either. I then headed downstairs and found her sitting in her ultra-gourmet kitchen drinking a cup of cappuccino and scanning an issue of Vogue.

Hey, I said settling myself onto one of the bar stools adorning the breakfast counter. Tanya casually glanced up and barely smiled. Mind if I grab some cappuccino?

Suit yourself.

I made myself a cup and sat back at the counter. I sipped the foam for a minute or so before breaking the unbearable silence with, Um. . .where’s Dominic?

Tanya shrugged her shoulders and continued scanning the magazine.

Maybe he’s at Toni’s? She finally answered after my cup of cappuccino was half-emptied.

Oh, I groaned with a hint of dread.

Tanya quickly picked up her head and laughed. Don’t worry, Jane, he’s not goin’ to tell Toni anything.

A sigh of relief escaped me. Good, I whispered ‘cause even I knew I had been spending a lot of alone time with Dominic ‘cause Toni had already confronted Dominic earlier in the month about our sudden closeness leaving Dominic to fib about how he was tutoring me in math.

Toni was sixteen and also a Junior. She was slightly taller than me and equally beautiful to Tanya; everyone swore the two could have easily passed for twins given their blond curly hair, their pouty lips, and smooth, flawless complexions. But the only thing that separated Toni from Tanya was her popularity, and Tanya from Toni, cheer captain.

Now as for me, I compared to neither of them. First, I was shorter than the two. Second, my hair wasn’t blond and curly, it was brown and straight, and my lips didn’t pucker. And my complexion, aside from colorless and barren, needed a good tanning. My aunt Sara once compared my beauty to that of a post-Elizabethan tragedy ‘cause she said I looked best when I didn’t smile. Now if that wasn’t a low-blow to my already teenaged insecurities.

Settling the magazine aside, Tanya mused, Want to go to a frat party this weekend?

Um. . .

My cousins are throwing the party. It’ll be fun.

Another sigh of relief escapes me. Um. . .sure.

Tanya lights up. Good! Now let’s go shopping for some party clothes.

Cool! I cheered.

Tanya drove us to the Biltmore Fashion Square Plaza in her new 2009 Black BMW Sedan. It was her belated sixteenth birthday gift from her parents; the beamer still had paper plates.

I think this dress is a little too short? I complained to Tanya as I stepped out of the dressing room to survey myself in the standing mirror.

It looks great! Tanya praised as she tugged at the lycra spandex dress which hugged my curves dangerously. It was pink, long sleeved, and slightly low cut; it made my boobs look big. I like it. She then commented after studying my appearance closer. This is definitely the one!

Oh, I don’t know, Tanya, I stated in doubt, if my dad sees me in this, he’s going to have a freaking heart attack!

Tanya stands behind me. Holding out both my arms with hers, she then suggests, Buy the dress, and you can change at my house. I nodded ‘cause it was a good idea, at the time, anyways.

Think Dominic will like my dress? I casually, but cautiously, pried Tanya the minute we pulled onto the circular driveway to her house. I had asked ‘cause Dominic’s Hummer, an SUT model, was parked on the driveway indicating that he was.

Tanya and Dominic’s house was a contemporary mansion complete with separate servant quarters, tennis courts, an elaborate exercise room, and the backyard was built entirely in the landscape of an oasis complete with a lake and a waterfall for a swimming pool. Their home was voted best in contemporary living in the Better Homes and Garden magazine-twice, and it was recently showcased on HGTV for most extravagant homes in Paradise Valley.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray were Lawyers with offices in LA and New York but they mostly practiced here. It was rumored they had a private jet but neither Tanya nor Dominic would comment when asked.

Listen, Jane, Tanya began to say as she cut the engine to her beamer and shifted in her seat. Taking both my hands into hers, her voice then lowered to a serious note. If I were you I wouldn’t worry too much about Dominic. I mean I know you like him a lot, and I don’t want to see your feelings get hurt if it doesn’t pan out between you two the way you want it to. I mean the best advice I can give you, and if you want to make Dominic happy, is to do whatever he asks you to do, and don’t ask questions, okay?

God Tanya could be so sweet and so convincing when she wanted to be, when it worked to her advantage that was. And I should’ve taken her so called bf advice as another red flag, and not necessarily to heart.

Tanya said you bought a dress. . .I hear it’s sexy? Dominic’s sudden, yet unexpected entrance, startled me as I was already lost in thought about him as I waited for Tanya to come downstairs to the kitchen. My heart thumped as soon as my eyes locked onto his. I added a nervous nod in response to my new dress and I meant to say something more about it but Dominic pulled me close to his body and kissed me hard on the mouth.

Whoa, Dominic! I exclaimed, pulling back.

What’s the matter, babe, he teased, cinching my waist and ushering my body against the breakfast counter. This time he pressed his body hard against mine and kissed me again. Only this time his kiss softened both gentle and inviting. Once we broke for air, he whispered, Get on your knees.

"Wh. . .what?" I stammered in disbelief as my eyes self-consciously glanced over both our shoulders. I mean we were in the kitchen, and Tanya was somewhere lurking.

You heard me, Dominic stated firmly. Suddenly he wasn’t so sweet, he was demanding.

Dominic, I began to plead, but he ignores me. Instead, he grasped both my shoulders and pushed me down onto my knees. Tears of shame instantly cloud my eyes. And my hands trembled when I reached for the button on his jeans.

Chapter 4

Friday-

The fraternity party was tomorrow. And I was a nervous wreck.

When I asked my parents about going to a party in Tempe I thought for sure they were going to object, but to my surprise they didn’t. Now I went from being a nervous wreck to being flat out excited! I text Tanya right away and told her the news. She was thrilled ‘cause I didn’t have to lie as I originally thought I would have had too.

Afterwards I headed to dinner with my family.

My mother loved Applebee’s every other Friday night. To her it was like eating at McDonalds, and she reminded me of Grace Kelly with all her feminism in fashion and poise. She was very quiet, very reserved, and very beautiful, and my father liked her that way.

As for my father’s poise, well sometimes he was no walk in the park. He was a few years older than my mother, quite handsome, charming at times like Dominic, which explained my attraction toward him, I assumed, and his word was always final unless it benefited him; that’s why I was surprised about asking if I could go to a frat party in Tempe. I mean I knew my mother was going to say yes ‘cause she said yes to everything I asked for, whenever I asked. . .But my father. . .well, I had to work him a bit, even if it meant turning on my girlish charm to convince him otherwise; an act my father always tended to fall for in the end.

But lately it seemed like my father said yes to everything, including my spending my school nights sleeping over at Tanya’s, and that alone left me a little suspicious. Now I know this sounds quite groveling of me to ponder about ‘cause girls my age would kill for the opportunity to spend a school night at their bf’s during the week, but my father used to be overprotective of me which I took as a phobia. I mean, I couldn’t even go to the girl’s restroom in a public place without my brother Doug, who was four years older than me, and always trailing closely behind. It was my father’s way, and I quote him, taking care of you, unquote, pause, even, as he went on to explain, if I’m not there to do the job.

But now that Doug was in college, I figured my father would’ve stepped in his shoes, but he hasn’t as of yet.

Lately my father’s been in his own world; his investment business that he built from the bottom up almost twenty years ago recently bankrupted due to the global recession. The high-end clients he once serviced pulled their accounts from one day to the next just to avoid becoming victims of fraud and embezzlement. It was a real blow to my father’s business, and his ego, and as a man who feared the possibility of becoming the next Jerk shuffling down the street in his robe and down-around-his-ankle pj’s. . .But my father managed to save enough money, despite our pampered lifestyle, to get us through the recession for the next couple of years.

My parents’ home was no contemporary mansion like Tanya and Dominic’s but it was huge and equally extravagant; me, Tanya and Dominic, we all lived in the same area, not more than a mile from one another. And even though my parents’ home possessed no oasis or a full scale gym, they did possess tennis courts, an Olympic size swimming pool, and a pond with a few live ducks as added decorations. And like Tanya, my bedroom also had its own bathroom, fireplace, and adjacent dressing room, only my bathroom didn’t possess a Jacuzzi as with Tanya and Dominic’s bathrooms. I did have a car, a 2008 Lexus Sedan. I had credit cards, gas cards, and an open checking account which I hardly ever used since my father lost his business. I guess I was