October l

-- FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

I thrust forward a final time, grunting my orgasm into Dawn's ear as a quart of spunk flowed out of me and into her sucking pussy. My girlfriend dug her heels into my ass, tightening her arms around my back to pull me deeper as she felt the cum flowing out of my body to crash against her insides like waves cresting on the beach. The first wave would start receding only to be met by the second coming forth, and both our bodies twitched and humped together as I finished filling her up with my jism.

"Mmm ... that was a good one, babe," Dawn patted my shoulder.

"Ughh..." was all I could manage to grunt, my mind blank post-ejaculation. I sagged onto Dawn's chest while she rubbed my back, sighing happily.

The morning sunlight came through the shades at just the right angle to fall across my face. It was enough to keep me from drifting back to sleep. And eventually, I recovered enough energy to pick myself off my girlfriend's body and roll to the side.

Once I moved, Dawn reached over to the nightstand to get some tissues and blot herself up before it leaked all over our sheets. But my brain pinged with memory and I quickly stopped her by grabbing her wrist before she could do so. "Don't do that," I blurted.

With the morning rays glistening in her sunny blonde hair, Dawn arched an eyebrow and gave me a quizzical look. "Why not? You got some kinky idea of me going off to class with your spunk leaking into my panties?"

My jaw dropped as I thought about that. "Well, now that you mention it..." But I shook my head and finished, "No, actually. Something else."

"Something fun I hope," Dawn giggled.

Smirking, I kicked my feet off the bed and stamped on the floor three times in quick succession.

Dawn gave me another quizzical look, levering herself up on her elbows but obediently remaining on her back so that my cum wouldn't run out of her. I didn't verbally answer, but just waited all of thirty seconds until the door burst open and a pajama-clad Brooke ran through.

"Ooh! You remembered!" my little sister enthused.

"Breakfast is served," I waved theatrically at my girlfriend, who just chuckled and spread her knees to the side.

Noisy slurping sounds soon emanated from Dawn's crotch, though I could see nothing but the back of Brooke's head as she tongued up my spending. I leaned against the doorjamb, staring back at the girls on the bed. Dawn was half-naked, her pajama top pulled high enough to bare her breasts, the erect nipples still wet from my suckling. She tweaked the eraser-sized nubs herself as she closed her eyes and let her head fall back, moaning erotically as she absorbed the new pleasant sensations. Brooke lay on her stomach between Dawn's legs, with one of my old T-shirts riding up her lower back to expose her panty-clad ass. And you know what I think of my sisters' world-class asses.

Decisions, decisions. Should I go to the bathroom to get ready for the day before Dawn and Kim kick me out? Or should I return to the bed, tug my little sister's panties to the side, and slide my newly-stirring erection into her tight little cunt?

Yeah, it's a hard life.

-- SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"BENNN!!!"

The shrieking voice startled me from my book, popping my head up. I blinked twice and looked over to the desk at Dawn, pausing for a moment to admire how devastatingly sexy my girlfriend looked at this moment. Since it was late evening, and she'd already taken a shower, she was wearing nothing but one of my button-down dress shirts. Her big tits pushed out the material and caused each gap between the buttons to open, so that I could glimpse her creamy titflesh every now and again when I had just the right angle. She didn't even wear a bra beneath it, basically just waiting until some time when we decided we'd studied enough and I could rip apart the shirt and have one last sex romp before falling asleep in each other's arms.

"BENNN!!!" The shriek went off again. "SPIDER!!!"

Another spider. This old house had a zillion places for the damn things to hide and now in my third year in this place, I was used to spider-execution duty. I sighed and closed my book while Dawn smirked. "Want me to get it?" she asked.

One thing that made Dawn pretty special was that she was NOT afraid of the arachnids, camp girl as she was. Of course, camp experience had somehow not fortified the other girls of the house. Brooke and DJ both, along with Brandi and Dayna before them, were petrified of the 8-legged critters. Or at least they so claimed.

"No, no. I got this," I sighed. After all, I'd already closed my book.

"Just don't take too long, okay?" She raised an eyebrow at me, then rather seductively leaned to the side, drawing the fingers of her right hand down the seam of my semi-unbuttoned dress shirt, deftly opening one more button to expose an extra two inches of cleavage to my hungry gaze. "I'm almost done, and I'd rather not be kept waiting."

I realized I'd been holding my breath, and only now exhaled heavily before beginning to pant. With a grin, I nodded. "Got it." And then I hurried out of the room.

I descended the stairs at a jogging pace. DJ would probably have been happier if I'd been rushing full-tilt to rescue her, but she could handle a few extra seconds. And so I arrived at the blonde's bedroom with paper towel in hand. "Where is it?"

"There! There! There!" DJ hopped up and down on top of her bed, distracting me for a moment as her tits jiggled enticingly unfettered beneath her T-shirt. But then I followed her pointing finger and saw the rather large brown spider camping out in the corner just above the white baseboard.

[SWAT-squish]

"Wanna see it?" I turned and asked.

"Uh ... n- no... ," DJ whimpered while dropping to her knees on her mattress, hugging herself in terror.

I gingerly turned the paper towel over, seeing the brown and black mess of crushed spider guts and quickly crumpled the excess paper around it. Then I stood up and carried the entire ball downstairs, got into my slippers, and took the wadded mess down to the trash container outside. I then came back into the house, washed my hands, and returned to DJ's bedroom. It was a lot of work for a single spider, but the girls relaxed much more knowing that even the spider's remains were out of the house. If it had been a little baby, I might be able to get away with just throwing it in the trash, but definitely not one of these big ones. "All done." I waved my hands as proof of completion.

"Oh, THANK YOU!" DJ launched herself off the bed, wrapping her legs around my waist while clutching me like I'd just rescued her from drowning. You'd think she hadn't had me kill a half-dozen spiders in the last few weeks.

"It's okay." I patted her back and let go of her tight ass, causing her to put her feet onto the floor to catch herself. "I'm just going to head up and get back to Dawn. It's our, uh, bedtime."

"Oh, please let me thank you!" DJ rolled her eyes up to me, her crystal blue irises burning brightly.

I sighed, feeling a little overworked. DJ had been briefed by Dayna concerning proper payment for arachnid termination services. In the past month, I'd started to suspect that DJ was NOT in fact scared of spiders, and actually kept them in a hidden cage somewhere to specifically bring them out on cue and therefore give her an excuse to fuck me.

But not tonight. "Sorry. Dawn's waiting for me."

She screwed up her face but seemed to relent. "Just a quick blowjob?" She bit her lip, looking adorable and sexy at the same time with her tousled hair and brief attire. "I'm really wound up right now and I just need to relax. Otherwise I'll never be able to sleep tonight!"

I exhaled and looked toward the stairs where Dawn was waiting. In the old days, I would have succumbed. In the old days, I HAD succumbed. But not today. "Sorry, kiddo." I quickly pecked DJ's forehead and then left the room.

Dawn was already on the bed, the dress shirt now fully-unbuttoned as she smiled at me. Her book was in her hands, but as I approached, she tossed it onto the floor. "All done!" she enthused.

I grinned and drank in her appearance, from pointed feet, looong legs, neatly trimmed muff just over pink pussy lips already glistening in anticipation, and up to a spectacular torso only half-covered by the dress shirt, which hinted at the treasures beneath. My Dawn was an angel.

But before I could climb onto the bed, DJ appeared at the door behind me, panting after having run up the stairs. "Dawwwnnn," she whined. "Can you share tonight? That spider was HUGE and I'm REALLY wound up now!"

My girlfriend's eyes just sparkled, and a wide grin crossed her face. "Sure thing, kiddo. Come on in."

DJ scrambled past me, and then my eyes goggled as two gorgeous Evans sisters waited for me on my bed. DJ reached down, ripping her pajama top over her head to bare those glorious big titties to my gaze. And she giggled as she lay back against Dawn, who reached around to cup and play with one of her little sister's engorged nipples.

Yeah, it's a hard life.

-- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

It was 3:30 in the afternoon, and a weekday, but the doorbell still rang. Unlike in previous years, when Dayna and Brandi ruled the house, we kept the front door locked to prevent just anyone from walking in.

After all, you never knew when one of the four girls of our current household would get an itch that apparently only I could scratch.

But I wasn't currently scratching anyone's itch (unfortunately). Instead, I was seated in the living room with Dawn, Kim, Bert, and Robin while we did homework, studied, or played video games (that would be Bert). DJ and Brooke were at Vivian Wang's house, since Vivian had a living room big enough to become the froshlings' "clique headquarters" without the older siblings in the way. That left our place to solely remain my crew's hangout spot.

"I'll get it," Dawn volunteered, closing her book and hopping up. She left the room and came back a minute later with a familiar face.

"Hey guys," Gwen called out.

I looked up from my spot on the couch to see Gwen turn the corner into the living room, with Dawn following immediately after.

"Welcome home, dear," I drawled with a smirk.

Gwen blushed and glanced back in the hallway. A moment later Steven Zainal, Gwen's boyfriend of six months, followed after. The tanned, dark-haired young man waved almost shyly at us, even though we were all familiar faces by now.

The recent couple set up shop on the dining table, spreading out their books. But rather than immediately launch into studying, Gwen sat down next to Dawn on the couch and started catching up on gossip while Steven joined Bert in front of the PS2.

I, myself, returned to my homework. The math in our advanced statistical analysis course wasn't difficult, but it WAS tedious. And it required all my concentration not to make a careless error. But just as I started to get back into a groove, a loud voice shattered the silence. "That book, Steven! THAT book!"

I picked my head up and looked around. Gwen was making short, insistent jabbing motions with her hand, pointing back toward the dining table while Dawn looked on. Steven was standing next to the table, looking like a deer in the headlights as he pointed at book after book sticking out of Gwen's backpack. Clearly, he had no idea which one she wanted. "The green one?"

"Yesss, the green one," Gwen drawled condescendingly. "Which other book says 'Biological Psychology' on it?"

"I didn't know you wanted the 'Biological Psychology' one," he stammered defensively, looking even more upset that his girlfriend was nagging him in front of all of us. "You just kept saying 'that' book!"

"What OTHER book would I have wanted? I was just talking to Dawn about-"

"I didn't KNOW you were talking to Dawn about Biological Psychology. I was playing a game with Bert and-"

"Oh! You are sooo unbelievable!" Gwen huffed. "Try paying some attention when-"

"Trouble in paradise?" I cut in, which managed to draw a dirty look from Gwen. "Classic couples conflict. Failure to communicate specifics due to the expectation of sympathetic understanding. I believe you lectured Adrienne and me about just this sort of thing two years a-"

"Thank you, Benjamin," Gwen (the Psych major) snapped, before exhaling and scowling at me. Meanwhile, Steven passed behind her, handing over the book while shooting me a somewhat thankful look. Right or wrong, she looked ready to incinerate me with her eyes for a few seconds. But a moment later, she realized that she'd overreacted. Indeed, she'd asked Steven for a book without specifying which one she'd wanted.

So to my surprise, Gwen exhaled and admitted. "You're right. My miscommunication."

"You need to say that to Steven, not me. But don't worry. Stick with him for another 20 years and you can get away with it."

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows. "With what? Not specifying?"

I shrugged and glanced at Dawn. "Sometimes, yeah."

"No way."

Dawn rolled her eyes at her friend. "Have you SEEN us together?"

"But you're not mind-readers or anything."

"Really?" I smirked. "Dawn, can you get me my next-"

"Book," Dawn finished, reaching into my backpack. "Once you're done with statistics, you'll want the Managerial Accounting book, because you do your homework in chronological order of the classes you have tomorrow. And when you do switch, I'll join you, but not before-"

"Not before you get a drink," I finished, getting up and heading for the kitchen. I rummaged in the fridge for a second before announcing from out of view, "And given the time of day, you're going to want the-"

"Apple juice," Dawn answered just a second before I re-entered the living room with a tall glass of apple juice already in my right hand, while hiding my left hand behind me.

"Because you like the burst of sugar to get you through the next half of studying, but it's not so late at night that you have to worry about having to get up and pee at 3am."

Dawn nodded and then pointed to my hidden arm, adding, "And Ben will have an iced tea, much for the same reasons of sugar but also the quick caffeine boost."

I brought out the glass of iced tea from behind my back, and moved to sit down next to my girlfriend. I handed over the apple juice, and with no communication but our eyes, we clinked our glasses together, and then wrapped our forearms around the other's like in a wedding before tilting the glasses and taking a quick sip each. And in perfect synchronization, we turned and looked at the stunned expressions on our friends' faces.

Only Bert didn't look surprised. Without even glancing back at us, his eyes glued to the television on the still-running video game, he simply drawled, "It's Ben and Dawn. What the heck did you guys expect?"

-- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"What can I say? After two years on their own, they've gotten used to life without us," Dawn rationalized. "DJ has certainly grown up into an independent young woman."

I sighed and dug my thumb into the strap of my messenger bag, briefly tugging it away from my chest as we made the final turn toward the house. "I know, I know. But I still feel responsible for them, you know? Both of them, even DJ. Your own Dad charged me with making sure she stays out of trouble, and I know my own parents expect me to look after Brooke."

"You are."

"No, I'm not. I barely see them. It's been over a month since they moved in, but I feel like the only times I'm ever around our little sisters is when they want sex."

"They're freshmen in college. First time away from home, and you expect them to want to just hang out with big brother and big sister? Is that what you did?"

"You were there. We DID spent a lot of time at the house," I pointed out.

"Only because our friends came to us. We practically spent every free minute in the living room because that was clique central. For Brooke and DJ, that means Vivian Wang's."

"I guess. I dunno. I just thought ... at least with Brooke ... that she'd..."

"Miss you?" Dawn finished.

"Yeah."

"It's not like you don't spend ANY time together."

I leveled my gaze at my girlfriend.

Dawn read my eyes and cracked up. "Okay, well, so most of your time spent together is scratching her various itches. But it's still time together."

I shook my head. "But is that all I am to her anymore? A convenient dick while she does this long-distance thing with Andrew?"

"You're her big brother. Nothing will ever change that."

"I don't feel like her big brother. We were close in high school. I kept an eye out for her, watching the guys she flirted with and being there to give her brotherly advice. I thought it would be the same now that we're together again. I expected things would be the same. But I haven't been doing those things because she's never around."

"She's not fourteen anymore. She's a big girl."

"I guess. It's just hard to let them go."

Finally, we reached the house. With the end of our walk, I put a cap on the conversation and told myself to just let it go. I gave Dawn a hopeful smile, and as I reached for the front door, I acted on an impulsive idea that I hoped would lighten the mood.

"After you, mademoiselle..." I drawled in a really bad French accent as I opened the front door. Bowing theatrically, I gestured inside. And playing along, Dawn curtsied beautifully and replied "Why thank you, monsieur" before walking past me.

She was nearly run over by a Mack truck.

"Whoa, whoa!" Dawn screeched after she and Brooke collided.

"Oops, sorry!" Brooke steadied herself by grabbing onto Dawn's shoulders, breathing fast until the both of them regained their balance.

"Hey, we were just talking about you," I began. "How are things going with classes? I know we haven't had much time to talk but I thought I could give you some advice on-"

"No time," Brooke cut me off. "I'm late for meeting the girls." She hoisted her backpack and started down the porch steps.

"Hey, don't I even get a hug goodbye?" I complained.

She didn't even stop while turning around. My little sister just flashed a grin at me as she hit the sidewalk. And then she was off, walking at double-speed.

Dawn slipped her arm around my waist, hugging herself against my side. "They grow up so fast..."

-- SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

The four of us in 'The Family' took a trip into San Francisco, partially to visit Dayna and Brandi and partially to play tourist. We spent a few hours at the Academy of Sciences and had a picnic at the Palace of Fine Arts, among other diversions. The whole trip had been spur of the moment, Dawn's brilliant idea to let us spend some time with our siblings.

After dropping off Dayna and Brandi, we'd even taken a detour down to Atherton to visit Paige and little April. The newest addition to the extended Jacobsen family had arrived exactly a month ago. The elfin ears and dark auburn hair were unmistakable. And I had to admit to daydreaming a little bit when Dawn held baby April in her arms, looking serene and amazingly beautiful (Dawn and April both).

It was almost sunset when I turned the Mustang into the driveway back in Berkeley, and just as I was putting the car into park, a Honda sportbike pulled up as well.

"Hey, Kim," I said while getting out of the driver's door. The others chimed in with greetings of their own.

"Hey, guys," the leather-clad biker chick replied while pulling off her helmet and shaking out her blonde-streaked hair. She also quickly unzipped the jacket, which was great for protection but not necessarily the most comfortable garment.

While Brooke and DJ immediately headed for the house, Dawn and I walked up to our roommate. And as Kim dismounted the bike, on impulse I reached to the handlebar and asked, "May I?"

With an amused smile, Kim nodded and gestured to the bike. "Go right ahead."

Grinning, I swung my leg over the gleaming mass of black-painted metal. Instinctively leaning forward into a forward-riding position, I wondered what it would feel like to blitz down the street at 100mph, feeling the wind whipping over my face.

"Wow ... that's pretty sexy."

I turned to see that Brooke and DJ had stopped to look when I climbed onto the bike. It was DJ who had made the comment, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Mmm-hmm..." Dawn drawled, folding her arms beneath her breasts and subconsciously lifting them together.

Well that settled it. I was going to have to get myself on a bike more often. I waggled an eyebrow at my girlfriend and then shot a look over to Kim. "You're going to teach me how to ride."

Kim stood up straight. "I am?"

I chuckled. "Sure. You owe me for getting you a place to live on-campus. You didn't have to waste two hours a day riding back and forth to Sunnyvale all summer. So you're going to make it up to me by teaching me how to ride." I gave her a look of innocence, as if I'd just made the most logically obvious statement in the world.

Brooke stifled a giggle and Kim just rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. But after another moment of thought, she shrugged and said, "Yes, sir."

-- MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"Alright. See you Wednesday." Professor Isakova closed her binder at the podium, and the room was suddenly filled with the sounds of more binders being closed, being stuffed into backpacks, and students getting up from their chairs in the lecture hall.

I was just packing up my own things when Viktoriya's voice sounded off again, this time much closer. "A very nice presentation this morning, Benjamin. Your team made some excellent points on Monetarism."

I glanced up and smiled at the beautiful Russian brunette. Her tone was casual, like any professor chatting with a favored student. But I noticed the extra glint of fondness in her blue eyes. Blushing, I nodded and then shot a glance across my teammates. "Actually, you should be congratulating Sasha. She's the one who organized most of it. The Monetarism analysis was all her."

"Indeed. Excellent work, Miss Serafian," Professor Ice stated a little more loudly, looking at Sasha warmly.

"Thank you, Professor," the comely brunette replied while blushing.

Five minutes later, my team of six was packed up and settling around our usual spot at Faculty Glade. We fished out our lunches, but before I could take a bite, Sasha set her drink aside and commented, "You didn't have to do that, Ben."

Regretfully, I pulled my mouth away from my sandwich and looked over at her. Sasha had a soft expression on her face, her big dark eyes rather doe-shaped toward me. It was an expression I didn't see very often, since she was usually very focused and intense, especially with her schoolwork. "Do what?"

"Praise me in front of Professor Ice."

"Why not? You deserved it."

"The Monetarism thing was your idea."

I snorted. "But YOU did the research. She was praising your analysis, not the concept."

"Still."

I shrugged. "It's nothing, really."

Sasha nodded and then held up her chicken bowl. She dug in while Bert clucked over Chevelle's lunch.

"What IS that?" Bert asked warily. "I thought I saw that stuff growing in the bushes outside the classroom."

"Pretty close. Want to try some?" Chevelle offered up her bowl.

"What? Gross!"

"They're just leaves."

"You pick them yourself?"

"Some of them. There's a garden in my backyard."

"Those aren't the only things growing in your backyard," Dawn drawled.

Chevelle laughed. "Every plant has a different purpose. These raw dandelion greens contain a lot of prebiotic fiber."

"Those are raw dandelions? You mean the flower?"

Chevelle laughed, and actually nodded.

"And I'll bet that stuff is steamed tree sap."

"Fermented bean paste."

"Eww."

Kim piped up. "It's miso soup."

Chevelle nodded. "Which is a fermented bean paste."

Bert took a second look, and then sighed. "Oh."

Shaking my head, I merely returned to my old-fashioned turkey/avocado/bacon croissant.

Yummy.

-- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

It was 1:34am when the front door opened and Brooke flounced in, followed immediately by Meli Kanemura and Meli's roommate, Alexis 'Lexi' Gilmore. All three girls were giggling, but stopped immediately upon seeing me standing in the hallway. I blocked their path with my arms crossing my chest and a rather menacing expression on my face.

"Ben?" Brooke frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you know what time it is?" I growled, my tone one of statement and not question.

My little sister furrowed her eyebrows, "Like 1am or something. So?"

"So?" I seethed. "I TOLD you to call me if you were ever going to be out after midnight. Especially on a school night."

"Ohmigawd..." Lexi couldn't help laughing while covering her mouth to try and stifle herself. There was a wobbly-ness to her movements that wasn't quite coordinated. And now that I got a better scent, I smelled the distinct aroma of hard liquor.

"And have you been drinking?" I snapped, focusing on my sister.

"Jeez! Gimme a break, Dad..." Brooke whined.

"Brooke can handle herself," Meli piped up, coming to her friend's defense. "This isn't-"

"GOOD NIGHT, Meli," I cut her off, turning my cold glare to the pretty Hawaiian. I also turned to the third brunette. "Good night, Lexi."

Meli tried again. "But-"

"I said GOOD NIGHT," I growled, cutting her off.

Seeing an opportunity to escape, the roommates quickly hugged Brooke and said their goodbyes. "See you tomorrow," Meli finished before going out the door.

When they were gone, Brooke whirled on me with a righteous fury in her eyes. "Jeez, the fuck was that about?"

"You're late," I replied coldly. "Period."

"So what are you gonna do? Ground me?"

"If I have to."

"Oh, come ON."

"I'm dead serious."

"Ben! This isn't HOME. I'm eighteen! I'm in COLLEGE!"

"And you kept ME up wondering where the hell you were!" I seethed. "You're not picking up your phone. DJ was home two hours ago telling me you went to some party. And it's a fucking SCHOOL NIGHT! You have class in six hours!"

"Fuck, DAD."

"I'm not DAD. But if he were here, he WOULD ground you and you fucking KNOW IT!"

"But like you said, you're not him."

"Is this what you want? You want me to call Mom and Dad and ask THEM if I have permission to ground you?"

"NO!" Brooke instantly replied, scared I'd actually do it.

"Then freaking CALL ME. Okay? You know I don't think you should be out drinking past 1am. Especially on a school night. But you're right, you're in college, and I'm not your father. But I AM your big brother and you know I couldn't handle it if something ever happened to you."

"I'm sorry."

"Do you understand what it did to me the last time I got this worried about you?"

"Jeez, I'm sorry!" Brooke whimpered, for the first time looking truly apologetic. It was enough to take the wind out of my anger.

"Just ... midnight, okay? And if it's going to be any later than that, just call me and let me know you're okay. Is that so much to ask?" I exhaled slowly. "You make me worry, little one."

"I'm not so little anymore," Brooke pouted defensively.

I sighed and reached forward, pulling my sister into a bear hug. "You'll always be to me."

-- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

It was 9:52pm when the bedroom door opened and Kim walked in. Per the directions she'd been given, she approached me and then knelt on the floor in First Position, her legs together beneath her while she sat on her heels. The pretty Japanese babe extended her chin and put her hands together as if praying. And held between her hands was the leash that attached to the leather collar adorning her graceful neck.

I muted the sound on the Warriors-Blazers preseason game. It was almost over, and a blowout for the Warriors, so I'd lost interest. I was a Lakers guy, anyway. But I checked the clock and took note of the time. "You're early."

Kim quivered, lowered her head, and stared at the floor dejectedly. "I ... I couldn't wait ... I thought perhaps you might be lenient, Master."

I wasn't Kim's master. We were just friends, and she still belonged to Viktoriya. But Viktoriya didn't have a dick, not a live flesh and blood one anyways, and Kim had been granted permission to have sex with me on one night a week, at one specific time: Thursdays at 10:00pm. She couldn't even have sex with my roommates, only Dawn when she joined us on Thursday nights. But having some fantastic orgasms helped Kim unwind after the school week, and put her in a relaxed frame of mind before going back home to visit her family on the weekends. She hadn't gotten properly laid since our LAST Thursday night session, and the poor girl was positively quivering in anticipation.

But despite my empathy for her sexual frustration, I got a bit of a power rush every time Kim and I played this game. And feeling a cold rigidity settle in my core, I waved my hand dismissively and repeated, "You're early."

Kim whimpered.

I waved over to Dawn, seated at her desk. "Do you want to play with her for a few minutes?" I asked my girlfriend.

Only now did Dawn pick her head up, so engrossed in her studies she had been. She blinked as she realized that Kim was present, and then raised her eyebrows as the question her ears had heard only now transmitted into her brain. "Oh, uh, sorry but no." Dawn then turned and packed up her book. "Actually, I'm going to have to leave you two alone for this one. I've got a test tomorrow."

I nodded and leaned back against the pillows. Dawn's test was for the one class she didn't have with me, hence my freedom to zone out to the Warriors game. Dawn hoisted her bag, and then came over to kiss me. And with an apologetic look to a still-kneeling Kim, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

I un-muted the TV. Again, the game was of little interest to me, but protocols were protocols. I glanced at the clock, noting the time, but otherwise ignored Kim's presence. And she herself remained in that kneeling position, certainly uncomfortable on the hardwood floor, with her head down in obeisance.

But then the clock silently turned 10:00pm. I saw it, and waited an extra few seconds to see if Kim would speak up. But when she didn't, instead remaining silent and respectful, I sat up and swung my legs off the bed. And feeling that power rush coursing through my veins, lighting my limbs on fire and stiffening up my prick, I pointed to my fly and stated, "You may begin."

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Kim's lips. She crawled forward and then reached up to slide her hand through the flap of my pajama pants. And after carefully extracting my semi-hard prick, she blew on it before opening her mouth and taking me inside.

Yeah, it's a hard life.

-- SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

Sunday mornings were perhaps the only time of day when Dawn and I were guaranteed to see our little sisters in private. Kim went home nearly every weekend, and our other friends didn't have much reason to stop by this early. Similarly, DJ's and Brooke's little acolytes had their own family or other things going on, and their freshmen clique wouldn't rendezvous until the afternoon at the earliest.

So it was over breakfast when I tried to reconnect with my little sister. "So how're classes treating you? Any harder than High School?" I asked.

Brooke glanced up at me, taking in my earnest expression and inane question. "Seriously? When did you turn into Dad?"

I grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just wondering. I remember my freshman year being a lot harder than High School ever was. Between the new campus, all the diversions of college, and-"

"All the diversions of having BOTH Adrienne and Dawn under one roof, you mean," DJ interjected, giggling.

Dawn came to my rescue. "We just want to know how things are going. It's been a couple of months and you two seem to be settling into college life pretty well. But we ARE your siblings and we've been through this before. We just want you to know that we're here for any advice."

"Did Brandi and Dayna give you two this little speech?"

I nodded. "Actually, they did."

Dawn blushed. "I'll admit, it felt like substitute parenting back then, too."

"It's cool," Brooke drawled. "We've got things under control. Good grades, good friends, no boyfriend hassles. We're good." She glanced at DJ, who just shrugged.

"I'm here if you need me," I advised.

"I know, I know," she replied dismissively, turning her attention to her food.

All I could do was sigh and focus on my breakfast as well.

-- WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"I'll raise you... 50 cents." I stacked two quarters and pushed them a few inches in front of me. Then I buried my nose in my cards, trying not to look at anyone else.

"He's bluffing," Robin drawled, pushing her glasses a little higher on her nose.

"How can you tell?" Bert queried, leaning in and attempting to scrutinize my face. I sighed and gave my best friend a blank look.

Gwen began, "Easy, he's-"

"Hey-hey," I cut her off. "Bert and Robin can talk. They're still in. You already folded."

Gwen smirked, but shut up.

I glanced over at Dawn, who gave me a bemused smile.

"See, even Dawn knows he's bluffing." Robin head-nodded to my girlfriend.

"Fine. Call." Bert pushed five dimes into the middle.

"Me, too." Robin put in a quarter, two dimes, and five pennies.

I sighed wearily, but did not yet flip over my hole cards. "How'd you know?"

Robin smirked. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

"Only when I actually have to speak. I didn't actually say anything."

"But you still have a bad poker face."

"The odds were against you," Kim stated evenly. "You seemed to be angling for a straight draw. But the odds of you having both the needed Jack and King are only 5%."

Bert nodded and flipped over his cards. "Two pair."

Robin grinned. "Straight, Ace-high."

"Ouch!" Bert complained. "I shoulda known you had something when you kept harping about Ben's bluff."

"Yes, you should've," I admonished my friend. "But more importantly, you shouldn't have listened to her at all."

I turned over my seven and jack of hearts, to go with the Ace and Queen of hearts from the flop, along with the little deuce of hearts that had just now shown up on the river.

"Shit!" Robin complained.

"Flush beats a straight every time," I chuckled while reaching forward to collect my winnings.

"How did-? But your face was..." Robin sputtered.

"My face was fake. I was acting, and it's easy to look guilty when you know you're being deceptive."

"But even Dawn thought you were bluffing."

"I wasn't smiling because I knew he was bluffing," Dawn explained. "I was smiling because I knew he wasn't."

Bert sighed. "Okay, new strategy: Watch DAWN'S reactions whenever Ben raises. If she's smiling, get the hell out."

-- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

I turned off the ignition, feeling 150hp die between my legs. The Fireblade had as much thrust as a Honda Civic, despite weighing only a fifth of the compact sedan. I had to admit, it was quite the power trip to straddle the thing.

My forearms were trembling just a bit as I remained perched in the seat. The vibration of the engine took a second to fully go away, and that entire time I felt like I was still connected to the metal beast. Plus, as long as I was still holding the handlebars, the girl behind me kept her arms wrapped around my waist.

Breathing hard, she lifted the visor of her helmet and gasped, "I thought I told you not to go that fast just yet."

"I had it under control," I chuckled right back. "Couldn't help it though. I felt... good. That's quite a rush you get while doing that."

"I know..." There was a crooning note in her voice as she said it, and I realized that I wasn't the only one with adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Without a second's further thought, I ripped my helmet off and twisted in the seat. Kim let me pull her helmet off as well, and then I was fiercely gripping her cheeks between both of my gloved hands as I pulled her face to mine for a kiss of such intensity that it would have registered somewhere on Adrienne's nuclear scale.

A minute later, I pulled back with my lower lip still quivering. Kim's eyes were on fire, and for a second I thought about fucking her right here on the bike.

But we were in a public place, and I quickly scanned the area to see if anyone was watching us. There wasn't, and I dismounted the motorcycle. "Go upstairs. Straight to your room," I commanded. "Leave your leathers on for now."

Kim looked scared. "Really?"

I grinned. "It's Thursday."

"It's not 10pm yet."

"If Viktoriya wants to complain, tell her I'll just fuck her brains out, too."

-- FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"tweet, tweet" the birds high above chirped to each other.

The creek that ran alongside the glade babbled as the water wound its way westward.

The wind rustled the leaves in the trees.

"Ben? Earth to Ben?"

I blinked twice and looked up to see my true love staring down at me, her face oriented at a 90-degree angle to my own. She grinned, flashing me twin rows of perfect teeth. And her sunny blonde hair cascaded down, just tickling my cheeks as she leaned over.

"Where did you go?" she asked mirthfully.

"Nowhere," I mumbled distantly, before my consciousness fully came back to me. Blinking, I added, "Isn't that the point? It's Friday."

Dawn chuckled. Even though we had no immediate assignment today, my project team had gotten in the habit of having lunch together every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday anyway. The sun was out, and it was unseasonably warm. So rather than discuss our project, we simply ate our lunch together and enjoyed the day.

"We need you to break a tie," Dawn explained. "I mentioned how we were watching Pirates of the Caribbean last Friday, and we're disagreeing over which guy is sexier: Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner."

I sat up, raising my knees and wrapping an arm around them to keep myself upright. "You're asking ME?"

"Chevelle and Kim both say Captain Jack. Sasha and I both say Will."

I glanced over at the sixth team member. "And Bert?"

"Bert refuses to choose. He's citing male indifference."

"So why don't I get to claim male indifference?"

Dawn beamed at me. "Because unlike Bert, I know you're comfortable enough in your masculinity to take an objective look at the two options and make a decision."

I lowered my eyelids halfway. "A decision about which guy is sexier."

"Right!"

I rolled my eyes. I took a deep breath, and then with a little shrug, answered, "Will."

"See!" Sasha crowed.

"No fair," Chevelle protested. "He's only choosing Will because YOU did," she claimed, pointing at Dawn.

I frowned. "While it's true that Dawn and I happen to agree, I didn't pick just because of her."

"So you actually think Will Turner is sexier than Jack Sparrow?"

I shrugged and nodded.

"Explain."

I thought about it, raising my eyebrows while collecting myself. And a moment later, I explained, "While I can understand the appeal of Captain Jack, from the whole rock star attitude and easygoing confidence, I just happen to think Will is a more empirically attractive male. As a character, he's strong, loyal, and dedicated to his woman. Will would stand by you forever, while Jack would love you and leave you in a heartbeat. Witness how all those girls kept slapping Jack after he pissed them off."

Sasha gave me an evaluative look. "You – Mr. Big Ben reputation – citing loyalty to one over many conquests?"

I chuckled and shrugged. "Don't believe the hype."

"Oh, so you're saying there's no truth to the rumors that you slept with a few dozen girls last year, especially down by Sorority Row?"

I blushed and glanced back at Dawn. But with a wry grin, I just shook my head and said, "Out of respect for any ladies, I won't comment on that. And if I may point out, you were the one that said reputations don't always reflect reality."

Sasha bit her lip and looked embarrassed.

"You're missing the point," Chevelle whined. "I'm not talking about long term relationships. I'm asking which one of them is sexier."

I blinked. "Well, I would think that long-term potential would have something to do with sexual attraction."

Dawn coughed, not quite covering up her derisive laugh.

"Okay, fine, fine," I conceded. "Lots of girls like bad boys and don't factor in long-term when it comes to raw, lustful attraction. So purely on physicality, Orlando Bloom is tall, strong, young, vigorous, and handsome. Johnny Depp is equally handsome, and in his prime might very well outdo Orlando. But this isn't 21 Jump Street. I'm 20, and to me, Johnny Depp is just... old."

"But he's sooo dangerously sexy..." Chevelle breathed, and then twinkled an eye at me. "Kinda like you."

I chuckled. Chevelle made no secret of her rather carnal desire to fuck me, that uncensored mouth of hers running off with regularity. But at least she hadn't acted on it since the aborted study session at her pot-laced house.

"Different desires. You and Kim picked Captain Jack. Dawn and Sasha picked Will Turner. If you're looking for me to break the tie, I picked Will, and I gave you my reasons." I reached my arm around Dawn's shoulders to my left, and also around Sasha's shoulders to my right. Unlike in the past, she didn't recoil from my touch, having gotten used to it over the past few weeks while realizing that neither Bert nor I was going to make an unwanted pass at her. "Three to two. We win."

"Fine," Chevelle sighed in mild disappointment.

"Hey! Get your fucking hands off her!"

Abruptly, I released both girls and turned around. Sasha's meathead boyfriend and his pal approached, climbing up the hill. She exclaimed in surprise, "Rod?"

"What's he doing touching you?"

Sasha frowned. "It was nothing! We were talking."

"Looked like you two were going more than talking."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous? You KNOW what this guy is capable of. Stand up! You're coming with me!"

"Rod!"

"NOW!" he barked.

With her lower lip quivering, Sasha looked down for a moment before obeying. She got to her knees, collecting her things before standing up beside her boyfriend.

The hairs on my forearms were on edge. I didn't feel threatened by Rod, even if he was bigger than me. No, I was watching Sasha very carefully, my White Knight instincts rising up. I didn't think Rod was an abusive boyfriend, not in a physical sense. But at the same time, he clearly was the dominant one between the two, and my gut feeling told me that not everything was quite right in that relationship.

Looking a little pale, Sasha turned to face the group, mouthing, "I'm sorry." She then immediately turned and started walking away.

Rod waited a moment longer, glaring at everyone but most specifically at me. And then he turned and caught up to his girlfriend, with Meathead #2 in tow.

Something told me this wouldn't be the last time I'd be seeing that guy.

It was 3:30 in the afternoon when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," DJ volunteered, hopping up off the couch. We were re-watching Pirates of the Caribbean on DVD (again), and it wasn't really holding her interest. Although she and Brooke spent most of the weekdays at Vivian Wang's house, much of the clique separated on the weekends and dated on Fridays, leaving our little sisters to spend some of that time with us. DJ left the room and came back a minute later with a familiar face.

"Howdy!"

I looked up from my spot on the couch to see Faye Nguyen turn the corner into the living room, with DJ following immediately after. The pint-sized Vietnamese girl was quite the physical contrast to DJ, and I mused for the umpteenth time about how they made for an odd-looking pair of High School best friends. Blonde, blue-eyed DJ stood 5'9 1/2", with a sweater-busting pair of 34DD knockers. Faye had jet black hair and dark eyes, stood only 4'11", and weighed 90 pounds soaking wet. But they'd grown up together since Junior High, and had been inseparable ever since, save for DJ's annual trip to Morris Camp. I'd even met Faye several times when DJ and I dated briefly last year.

Dawn and I both waved at the same time, replying cheerfully, "Howdy!" The others all head-nodded their greetings as well.

Politeness out of the way, Faye immediately turned to DJ and grabbed her best friend's hands. "Ohmigawd. Tammy just called me and said that Marytina's is having a big Fall sale this weekend! The stuff is flying off the racks. Wanna go?"

"Seriously? Yeah! Just lemme grab my purse!" DJ immediately turned and darted into her bedroom.

I glanced to my side and elbowed Dawn in the ribs. "Do you want to go?" I knew that all the Evans girls were fans of Marytina's. The boutique clothing store on Shattuck had originally been found by Dayna back in the day, and the styles had been passed down from sister to sister.

Dawn thought about it for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "No, no. I shall resist temptation. I have more than enough clothes."

"Don't I know it," I grumbled. Houses built back when this one had been weren't designed with walk-in closets. Dayna had managed to find space for all her clothes because she was the only one living in the Master Bedroom. But the closet couldn't handle both Dawn's AND my stuff.

Dawn elbowed me in the ribs, somewhat harder than I had done to her.

"Okay! Let's go!" DJ appeared back in the hallway. Faye grinned and turned to leave, but just as they were about to disappear, DJ stopped herself by grabbing onto the archway. "Wait ... uh ... Brooke? Wanna come?"

Up until Faye's arrival, my little sister had been watching the movie next to DJ on the other couch. She looked up from the movie, and after a second's hesitation, shook her head. "Nah, I'm good. You two go ahead. I wanna finish this."

DJ and Faye looked at each other, shrugged, and then nodded. "K," DJ replied. "I'll call you if I see something cute you'd like."

Brooke smiled in return, and then watched her friends leave.

A minute later, I heard my little sister sigh in a somewhat resigned tone. It was almost unnoticeable, but still enough to get my attention. And I glanced over at her.

Brooke looked the same as always, staring at the screen with an unreadable expression on her face. But a few seconds later, without a word she uncrossed her legs, stood up from the couch, and went into her room.

The action in and of itself wasn't unusual. Everyone who regularly hung out in the living room could come and go as they pleased without having to explain their behavior to anyone, and often did. But I knew something was off. And as I watched my sister disappear and then close the door, Dawn nudged me in the ribs again.

I turned to look at her, and the message in Dawn's eyes was clear: 'This is your chance. Go after her.'

I nodded and got off the couch. And then I went to knock at the door.

Her response came immediately. "Come in, Ben."

Silently, I slipped through the door and closed it behind me. "How'd you know it was me?"

Brooke sat up in bed and shrugged. "Just knew. You've been looking for a chance to be 'big brotherly' for a while."

I chuckled and crossed the room. Though dressed, Brooke had moved beneath the covers of her bed for extra warmth, and she now lifted the covers so that I could slide in beside her. Once I was sitting three-quarters upright against the headboard with my lower back supported by an extra pillow, she dropped the blankets over my lap and laid her head against my chest, wrapping her right arm around my belly.

"How ya doin' kiddo?" I asked while lowering my chin to the top of her head and stroking her back.

"I'm okay."

"If you were okay, you wouldn't be in here. Is this about DJ?"

Brooke scowled slightly and then glanced up at me. "It shouldn't be a big deal."

"But it feels like one," I intoned.

She took a deep breath, and then exhaled, "Yeahhh..."

"Talk to me."

"She's my best friend, you know? Only ... I don't think I'm hers. Not for the past couple of months at least."

I nodded knowingly. "To be fair: Faye was up in the Bay Area first."

"To be fair: I've been DJ's best friend since we were born," Brooke sniped.

"So you don't like Faye?"

"No, no. Faye is ... really, really nice. I can't hold anything against her. And I can't really hold anything against DJ, either. You're right, Faye was up here first. They've been best friends 11 out of 12 months of the year for the last six years. I can't expect to just come in and supplant her."

"I know exactly how you feel."

"No you don't."

"Of course I do. Don't you think I went through the same thing with Dawn and Ryan?"

"That was different. For one thing, Dawn and Ryan had a romantic relationship. From what everyone else said, you and Dawn worked out just fine being best friends from Day One, going to class and hanging out together. Brandi told me Dawn spent more time with you than with her boyfriend."

"Oh, uh ... well..." I stammered. Brooke had me there.

"And besides, you were with Adrienne. So even when Dawn wasn't around, you had your girlfriend at the time."

I frowned, not able to come up with an immediate response.

"But me? I have no one. DJ's hanging out with Faye more than with me. Andrew is up in stupid Oregon. And I'm here all alone. None of my high school friends came up here."

"Kady's at Stanford," I offered.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Stanford is FAR. Plus, Kady's been in college a year already, and she has her own group of friends, too."

"Well, you've got me."

Brooke sighed and laid her head back against my chest. She was quiet for a moment, but then exhaled. "You're my brother, not my friend. It's different, AND you have your own group of friends, too."

I just went quiet and rubbed her shoulder.

"I mean, I shouldn't have assumed DJ would drop everything, her entire NorCal life, to hang out with me. But I kinda did, and now I'm not sure what to do."

I shrugged. "You have other friends. It's not like you had DJ around for the past ten years. And there's what, six or seven different girls you've brought by the house?"

Brooke raised an eyebrow to me. "Scoping out your next conquests, Big Ben?"

I rolled my eyes. "Aren't you getting to know them?"

"A bit."

I took a deep breath. "Look, I was pretty much in the same boat you were when I first got to college. I didn't know many people, just Dawn and Adrienne. I had to get out there and meet Bert and Kim. And even though Gwen and Robin came with Dawn, I still got to know them as friends as well. The key is to think about it as a new experience. There's this big, massive campus for you to explore, filled with literally thousands of new people to meet. Yeah, it can be a little intimidating, but you're not totally alone. You've got connections, you've got older siblings, and whether DJ is best friends with you or Faye, she's still around. And you KNOW she still cares about you. She stopped and invited you shopping, didn't she?"

Brooke gave me a weak smile, conceding. "She did. But I didn't want to feel like a third wheel."

"You're not a third wheel. Ask her. You know DJ will say she has TWO best friends."

"Maybe, but we're still pretty separate best friends. That's why I feel like a third wheel around them."

There was something in the way Brooke had emphasized the word 'separate'. "What do you mean?"

Brooke shot me a look, hesitant to reveal whatever was on her mind. But after another moment's thought, she decided she could share and took a deep breath. "I don't just miss DJ as a friend. I miss her ... well ... you know..."

I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what could make Brooke hesitant to just say the word. But then it hit me. No matter how ... ordinary ... we could make sex, the term always made people gun-shy. "Sex?" I chuckled. "You saying DJ's not screwing you enough?"

Brooke moped. "Well ... yeah. I mean, I'm not interested in guys right now. I really want to stay loyal to Andrew, and you're ... well ... I know you make time for me, but with Dawn and Kim and DJ..."

"I'm stretched a little thin," I conceded.

"Yeah. And with DJ in her no-dating phase while she concentrates on studies, I sorta thought we'd help each other take the edge off."

"Don't you?" I arched an eyebrow, recalling how that very morning I'd heard some pretty interesting noises coming out of DJ's bedroom.

"Sure, sometimes ... It's just, DJ and Faye, they're ... well they're not exactly girlfriends ... But for the last few years, they've been hooking up pretty regularly themselves. And while DJ tells me she's cut back a bit with Faye to make time for me ... I'm still..."

"Getting shafted?"

Brooke raised her eyebrows, smirking at me. "I think the point is that I'm NOT getting shafted enough."

I sat up straighter as realization dawned. "And Faye doesn't want to share, does she?"

Brooke shook her head. "DJ's brought up the idea of a three-way, but Faye just doesn't know me that well yet. Again, she's really nice, and I think we're friends. But I think she still sees me as the competition. It's like ... I'm you and Faye is Ryan. And we've all heard by now what Ryan thought of you."

I winced. But after taking a deep breath, I nodded. "Yeah, I know how you feel. But believe me, the relationship you have with DJ is special, just like the one between Dawn and me. And look how that turned out."

"I guess so." Brooke gave me a hopeful look and sighed in resignation. She leaned back against my chest, wrapping my arm around her waist and stroking it absentmindedly. I simply held her, reassuring my sister with my presence that I was there for her support.

Suddenly, Brooke perked up. She glanced over to the desk, and slid out of bed to retrieve her purse. "Hm. Just had an idea."

"Clearly."

Brooke turned around, then reached up and flicked a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. Tucking it behind her ear, she grinned at said, "I got it. I just need an Adrienne."

"Huh?"

"Your little friend Meli? She's been dropping a few hints to me here and there, like that party she took me to last week. I wasn't really encouraging her, since I was trying to prove to DJ that she was still my best friend. But if she's going to stick with Faye, well ... Meli IS pretty tasty, isn't she?"

There was an innuendo in Brooke's voice. She wasn't asking hypothetically; she really wanted me to confirm my opinion of Meli Kanemura's 'tastiness'. "Uh, no comment," I muttered.

"Uh, huh..." Brooke rolled her eyes, an evil grin on her face. She held her phone up, but paused before pressing the TALK button. "You know, that's one more reason to hang out with her more often. You've definitely got my curiosity up about what went on between you two."

All I could do was arch an eyebrow in surprise. But rather than try to dissuade her, I just chuckled and remarked. "Well tell you what: Come by my room tonight, and if you tell me what you learned from Meli, I'll let you play with Dawn and me. Deal?"

Brooke looked up at me with a wide smile. "Deal. Thanks for listening, big brother."

"Anytime, little one."

-- SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"Seriously, the next time Gwen tells you she's found this 'fantastic new restaurant', tell her to actually TRY it before she recommends it," I grumbled as I walked up the steps onto the front porch.

"It wasn't THAT bad," Dawn soothed, squeezing my right hand.

"Not that bad? My stomach is already queasy. I'm going to throw up." I removed my right hand from hers, and then covered my belly as I felt noxious gasses lurching up my esophagus.

"Okay. So it was a little greasy."

"Little?" I choked down for a moment before raising my right hand over my mouth, and then cut loose with a loud [BRAAAAAAAP]

Dawn stopped in her tracks, giving me a bemused smile while I recovered from the monster burp. Patting my back, she asked, "Feel better?"

"Ugh..." I sighed and then took a deep breath. "Actually ... yeah."

"See. It was just gas."

"Yeah, gas from that crappy food."

Dawn rolled her eyes and fished her keys out of her purse. She put them to the front door and then led us inside.

We were just passing the hallway when the door to Brooke's bedroom popped open. Startled, Dawn and I came to a halt. But we weren't nearly as startled as the girl on the other side.

"Eep!" Meli Kanemura backed into the room, abruptly covering her fully naked body with her arms. After goggling at us for half a second, she spun about and darted back into the room, grabbing her shirt off the desk chair and holding it up in front of her.

Brooke sat up on the bed, looking out in surprise. "Ben? Dawn?"

"Um, hi..." I managed to stutter.

"What are you doing home so soon? Thought you guys went out to dinner."

I grumbled and Dawn explained, "Dinner didn't really agree with Ben."

"Oh." Brooke nodded and then blushed at Meli. And while the tall, slender Hawaiian babe had begun to calm down, she was darting her eyes back and forth between us and my sister and clearly still uncomfortable.

"Well, we'll just get upstairs." I grabbed Dawn's hand and started tugging her down the hallway. But I couldn't resist glancing back straight at Meli and giving her a little grin. "Nice to, ah... see you again."

Dawn whacked my arm, then rolled her eyes as SHE now led me to the stairs and up out of the way.

-- MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2004, JUNIOR YEAR --

"Ben?" DJ called up the stairs. "Can you come to my room? There's something I need you to take a look at."

Her voice wasn't urgent, like it would have been over a spider or some other hazard. Most likely, some other damn thing had fallen apart in this house, like an electrical socket burning out or a wall shelf collapsing.

Dawn and I had just finished taking a shower together, and Dawn was still drying her hair. While we hadn't had sex under the spray, there had been lots of groping and fondling, and I had a throbbing erection that seemed to be physically tugging me left and right as it searched for pussy.

I WAS planning to use said erection on Dawn. It was late in the evening, and we really had no better opportunity to fuck each other's brains out. But when I looked over at my girlfriend, she shrugged helplessly and gestured out the door. DJ needed me.

"Be right there," I called with a resigned sigh before tugging on light pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. And after ogling my naked girlfriend one last time with regret, I hopped down the stairs and then knocked at DJ's door.

She called out, "Come in."

I walked through the door and stopped dead in my tracks. DJ lay on her back across the bed, her head propped up by a pillow. Her blonde hair was pulled back tight against her scalp and then tied off in a long ponytail. She wore rather severe makeup, with heavy black mascara and eyeshadow. Around her neck was a leather collar, albeit without a D-ring or other leash. And the black theme was further continued down her body with a tiny black G-string over her pubis and a matching black demi-bra with half-cups that exposed her nipples.

Right beside her, with identically ponytailed hair, makeup, and leather collar, was Brooke. Unlike DJ, my sister's more modest bosom was fully covered by her bra. But as she spread her legs to the sides, I saw that her panties were crotchless, with a gaping hole in the fabric that fully exposed her pussy and anus. Also, Brooke wore sheer black stockings connected to a garter belt around her waist.

And there was one final touch: the two scantily-clad 18-year-olds were handcuffed together.

"Wow," I croaked, my jaw on the floor. "I don't think I've ever seen this look on you two before."

Brooke grinned. "I know. Adrienne sent this stuff to us out of the Frederick's catalog. We've been saving them for a special occasion."

"Special occasion?"

DJ glanced over at Brooke, leaning forward and pecking her best friend's nose. "I realized I haven't been a very good friend to Brooke these past couple of months. She and I got to talking, and we decided to do something fun together."

"And you came up with this?"

Brooke nodded. "We've never tried the whole BDSM thing, but now seemed like a good time to do it. Just ... be careful with those toys, will ya?"

There was a folding TV tray next to the bed. On top of it were various bondage instruments, from blindfolds to riding crops and even a thin whip. I'd used all of them at some point during my rather varied sex life. But despite my familiarity, I squirmed a bit inside at the thought of using them on my little sisters, DJ included in my extended family on that note.

"Uh, I'm not sure I want to use this stuff on you two."

"That's why we want you to," Brooke explained. "Neither of us is really submissive. But we want to try this. People always talk about how a little pain can make sex really, really intense. And we trust that you won't seriously hurt us."

DJ giggled. "Besides, there's someone else to help keep you in check."

"There is?"

"There is," Dawn answered from behind me. I whirled around to see my gorgeous girlfriend dressed in her own black outfit: a boned-corset and black leather pants finished off with four-inch heeled boots. She'd put on black lipstick and wore a black domino mask over her eyes and nose. Like the others, she'd tied her hair back in a severe ponytail. And reaching forward, she picked up the riding crop and immediately slapped it against her open left palm.

"Of course, ladies," Dawn drawled with a slightly evil grin. "I think you should be more concerned with Ben keeping ME in check."