"I can take off my own shorts, thank you very much," I scolded.
"Fine," Clarissa said, sounding a little hurt. She rifled through the pile of dresses she had chosen. She glanced up at the floor-to-ceiling mirror revealing my nearly-nude body in all its humiliating glory.
To my surprise, she whistled at my reflection
"Damn, Lily, where've you been hiding those curves?" she exclaimed.
Her stare made me uncomfortable. I blushed.
"Knock it off," I whispered through my teeth, grabbing the first dress I could reach and practically yanking it over my head to cover my body. It was a tiny black dress and it barely fit. I got so tangled I nearly tripped and fell in the tiny dressing room. Clumsy old Lily.
Clarissa was nodding with approval when my head reached the neck hole. When I turned to look in the mirror I was horrified. The dress barely covered my ass! But it hugged my body like a glove and made me look hotter than I had any right to. Still, this was WAY too revealing.
"No way," I said, watching Clarissa's grin widen. "I look like a slut."
"I know it," Clarissa nodded. "That's the one."
II.
Dad was working on his motorcycle when Clarissa and I drove up. I don't know anything about motorcycles, but this one is older than I am. Dad already owned it when he and Mom started dating. It's one of my earliest memories, the roar of the engine and my little arms holding onto him for dear life as he drove me around the neighborhood. He always made me feel so safe.
///
That was long before Mom died. These days, Dad spends more time cleaning and tinkering on his Hog than he does riding the stupid thing.
When Dad heard me and Clarissa pull into the driveway he sat up and wiped his brow and quickly pulled a white T-shirt over his muscular frame. Clarissa purred from the driver's seat.
"Mr. B is so fucking hot," Clarissa said. "Swear to God, I'd take him for a ride anytime. Then I'd beg for more."
"Shut up," I snapped. "That's my dad your talking about."
"Ooh, touchy subject." Clarissa raised her eyebrow. "Just sayin', it must be torture sharing a roof with the most eligible bachelor in Santa Fe. You must be wet all the time."
"That's disgusting," I groaned.
"Fine, be that way. But don't be mad when I'm sucking your daddy's cock in about five minutes. You can watch if you want."
I rolled my eyes. Clarissa was all talk. Sometimes I wonder why we even spend time together. She is a real piece of work.
Clarissa jumped out of the car and pranced over to the garage. I chased after her, feeling angry and flustered. Clarissa tried to make small talk and was practically waving her tits in Dad's face. It was embarrassing to watch, to be honest. I could tell Dad noticed her attention, but he didn't seem to enjoy it any more than I did. He averted her gaze and turned his blue eyes to me.
"Lily," he said. "You're really not coming to your own birthday party tonight? What do you want me to tell Grandma and Grandpa?"
He was sweaty and his white T-shirt clung to his chest and biceps. Why did his tattered blue jeans have to fit him so perfectly? It made me think things I shouldn't. Clarissa was standing behind him, just out of his field of vision, and pretending like she was sucking a dick. Very mature.
"Tell them the truth," I sputtered. "It's my eighteenth birthday and I already have plans. I don't know why you have to get together today of all days. Why not tomorrow or anytime this summer?"
"Because we made reservations," he said, sounding a little hurt.
"Well, it's not my fault you didn't check with me first," I fumed.
I don't know why I've been so mean to Daddy lately. I know he loves me, but my feelings have been a complete jumble.
I stormed through the garage to the door to our house. Clarissa chased after me. I heard her flirting with Dad even as she was following me through the door and into the washroom beside the kitchen. It was so annoying to hear her talk to him like that, as if she was on his level.
Dad could have any woman he desired, but to my knowledge he had not been on a single date in the six years since Mom died. When people asked him about moving on, he always said he was focused on raising me first. But now I was eighteen. I didn't know what the future held for us, whether our relationship would change once I started college and whether there would be a new woman in his life. He deserved to be happy, but I didn't have to love the idea of it, did I?
Maybe things were already changing between us. I had not exactly been daddy's little angel during my senior year of high school. No, I wasn't sleeping around, but I was always ready to snap at the smallest sign of conflict. I should have behaved more respectfully. I knew I was in the wrong, but I couldn't help my rebellious streak.
"Your dad has the most beautiful eyes," Clarissa said.
"Zip it."
"And that smile," she said dreamily.
"Enough."
"I bet he's got a big, fat cock, too," Clarissa grinned.
I shut my eyes, clamped my hands over my ears and let my voice drown out anything else my best friend had to say about my dad's anatomy.
"La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!"
Clarissa and I were standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom upstairs. She had talked me through all my misgivings about wearing such a slutty dress, and we were putting on makeup for our night out. The conversation eventually turned to the boys in our class. Doesn't it always?
"Seriously, though," Clarissa said. "Why haven't you ever dated any of the guys from school?"
"They're all so immature, you know?" I replied. "I'm just not interested in guys who can't even carry on a conversation."
"An older man, then," Clarissa said.
My face flushed red. Clarissa noticed my embarrassment and burst out laughing.
"You little tramp," she teased. "You need a man with experience, then. Since you have no interest in the super-sexy man downstairs, I know just where to find your very own Mr. Right Now."
///
I was highly skeptical, to say the least. "Oh really, Miss Know-it-all. OK, I'll bite. Where would I meet such a man?"
"The Palace, of course!" Clarissa said confidently.
"A casino?"
"Sure, why not?" she answered. "As of today you're a legal adult, which means you can legally gamble. And only the highest rollers play at the Palace, not the little-boy pretenders we'd meet at any old club. Plus there's a dance floor, and the bartenders don't check ID. Prince Charming will be sweeping you off your feet in no time."
"Wow, what a stellar idea," I deadpanned. "Really, a genius plan, Clarissa. One thing, though. Don't you need a lot of money for the Palace's security guards to even let you in the door?"
Clarissa smiled slyly. "Way ahead of you, Lily," she said. "All I need is for you to open your dad's safe."
"You must be joking," I said.
"Come on! We both know about the stash. There's no need to pretend that it isn't there, just waiting to be used."
"That's my college money and you know it," I said. "No way. Absolutely not. Dad's taking the cash to the bank any day now, and he expressly forbade me from touching it before then. He's going to demand that every last dime is accounted for."
Clarissa pouted. "I'm not saying we spend it all! But they won't even let us in the casino if we aren't flashing any cash! Anyway, it's your money. Your mom left it for you. Now you're an adult and you should be able to use it any way you like. And tomorrow we put it right back where we found it, no damage done."
My eyebrow raised at the prospect. Could I really get away with it? If the money was just a prop to get us in the door, then I didn't really have anything to lose. I reluctantly agreed. Clarissa's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Tonight is going to be a night you'll never forget! Now, let's go open that safe!"
See what I mean about that rebellious streak of mine?
III.
Spare me the lecture. I know it was a stupid idea, and I know I shouldn't have let Clarissa talk me into it. But I did, and there's nothing I can do about that now.
We opened the safe and grabbed the money-my money. Clarissa and I pulled sweaters over our skimpy dresses to not raise any eyebrows. We made a beeline for Clarissa's car, not even bothering to say goodbye to Dad.