I couldn’t believe what I had done. I had gone to Alec’s office with the intent to fuck, and I did. It had been fantastic. I just wasn’t sure what I felt.

On Saturday morning, my phone rang, and it was Alec. I was glad to hear from him. A part of me had been nervous that it was over now, that because we had slept together, he wouldn’t be interested in me anymore. It was ridiculous because I had been the one to instigate the whole thing. Still, I had been a virgin and losing it was a big deal.

“Do you want to come on an outing with me and Beth?” He asked.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“Beth has a school assignment that I’m helping her with and we have to go to the museum for it. I was wondering if you want to come with us?”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me, and smiled. “I would love that,” I said.

They picked me up about half an hour later. When I got into the car, I turned around and said hello to Beth. She looked even more sullen than the night I’d met her.

“What is this assignment about?” I asked.

“It’s about customs in the Regency Era,” Beth said.

“Oh, that’s interesting,” I said. “I’m assuming it’s for History?”

Beth nodded, rolling her eyes at me. “Well, it’s not for Mathematics.”

Alec looked in the rearview mirror. “Beth, be nice,” he said. He shot me an apologetic glance.

“It should have been about human interaction,” Beth said. “Then I wouldn’t have to go to a museum at all. I would just have to watch the two of you make out, and I would know everything I need.”

I glanced at Alec. His eyes were trained on the road. I understood now what he had meant when he’d said that Beth would chew me up and spit me out.

“I’m sure your father’s old enough to do he wants,” I said to Beth.

Beth nodded. “Yeah, but then he would also know to take it to the bedroom and not be doing it in front of his daughter.”

She was quick on her feet, with a sharp tongue and there was no arguing with her. I knew that if I took this further, I would only get angry. We drove the rest of the way to the museum in silence.

At the museum, Alec and I trailed behind while Beth walked around, finding her facts. We walked close to each other, shoulders brushing every now and then. I wanted him to touch more of me. I wanted his hands all over me. I started remembering what we had done in his office, and I shivered. We were out in public, and we couldn’t do anything indecent, but God, I wanted to.

“Are you just about done?” Alec asked Beth after we had been wandering around for an hour.

“Are you?” Beth asked, glancing at me before giving her father a defiant look.

“Beth! That’s enough!” Alec was getting angry. I wondered what his wrath was like as a father.

Beth didn’t look scared of him. She pulled an irritated face, shot me another glare, and said to Alec, “I can say the same about you.” She stormed away, pushing past me.

Alec sighed. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her today. I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head. There wasn’t much that I could say about that. Beth was thirteen, hardly an age we could give her a spanking. It was clear Alec, and his daughter had a lot to talk about.

When I finally got home, much later, Brandi was watching TV.

“How did it go?” She asked, not taking her eyes away from the screen.

I collapsed on the couch and groaned. “She hates me.”

Brandi looked at me, frowning. “Who?”

“Alec’s daughter, Beth. She was such a little bitch today. I don’t know how I’m going to do this if she’s going to be such a pain in my ass all the time. It’s not like I’m trying to impose, ruining their relationship. We’re not even doing anything in front of her.”

Brandi nodded sympathetically. “I get that she is a problem, Izzy, but maybe you should stick this one out.”

I blinked at her.

“I’m just saying,” she said, “since you’ve been hanging out with this guy, you seem different. More on top of your life, happier. It seems to me like he’s good for you.”

“I didn’t know that there was anything to see,” I said. “I just don’t know how we’ll be able to make it work with a teenage girl that’s giving me so much shit.”

Brandi shrugged. “You know how teenagers are; it hasn’t been that long since we were there. Maybe you’ll grow on her.”

“I doubt it.”

I didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t known that there was any kind of difference in who I was, but Brandi picked it up, and if she thought that this was a good idea, maybe I had to give it another chance. Really, if I could see Alec without his daughter involved, that would be great.