I want to fuck my stepdaughter so badly it almost hurts.

That first week I’m living with Julia, I throw myself into my work just to avoid having to see too much of Sydney. Julia couldn’t care less, since this whole thing is fake, and at least when I’m working I can distract myself from picturing what I’d do to Sydney’s young, tight body.

I want to dominate her, completely and totally. It’s the only thing I can think about these days, that and the lie that I’m living. I asked Julia early on why we don’t tell Sydney the truth about what’s happening, but she was adamant we don’t. She doesn’t want her daughter to become the kind of person that she’s become, willing to fake a marriage for her own gain. I suspect she’s actually worried that Sydney will blow the whole thing.

She’s not a good actress, that’s pretty obvious. Every time I flirt with her, she teases right back, although I’m not sure she’s even aware that she’s doing it. The fucking worst part of this all is that she knows she wants me as much as I want her, but we can’t do anything about it.

She’s probably freaked out that I’m her stepfather. She definitely can see through this little ruse Julia cooked up, but she’s keeping her mouth shut about it, at least for now. For my part, I don’t let myself get too close to her.

After a week of living together, Julia comes to me early in the morning on a Monday. I’m still groggy but it’s better if I get up and get moving, since Sydney doesn’t get up until around nine.

“Connor,” Julia says from the bathroom. “Come in here for a second.”

I grunt and step into the bathroom, leaning against the frame. “What’s up?”

“We need to go see my father.”

I pause a beat. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. It’s been long enough. It’s time.”

I nod. “Okay then. It’s the whole reason we’re married, I guess.”

“Good. Tonight?”

“Fine. What time?”

“Six. He’ll be asleep by seven. Meet me here at five thirty.”

“Fine. See you then.” She nods and goes back to putting her makeup on. I retreat, get my work clothes on, and head off to my job.

It’s a simple security gig for a local college, but it pays well and it’s easy work. I get to spend the whole day worrying about meeting Julia’s father instead of imagining Sydney naked, at least.

The father wasn’t at our wedding for obvious reasons though he was invited of course. He’s very, very sick, and the strain of getting out of bed is enough to send him into coughing fits, at least according to Julia. He knows about me, but I haven’t met him, mostly because she wants us to feel like we’re definitely ready before doing it.

I don’t feel definitely ready, but I have no choice. The whole point of this marriage is to fool this dying man into believing that his daughter is giving in to his wishes, and so I have to meet that man in order to trick him. I wish I could do it some other way, but this is the job I signed onto, and I don’t leave a job unfinished.

The day speeds past and soon I’m forced to head back home, although it’s not exactly my home, not really. It’s a job that I’m forced to live.

Julia is already there by the time I walk in the door. She frowns at me and glances at her watch. “Late,” she mutters.

“It’s two after,” I say.

“Late,” she repeats, her frown deepening. “Go get changed. Put on that gray suit.”

I sigh. “Yes, dear.”

She doesn’t smile.

I head upstairs and get changed. I hate wearing these suits, but I know I have to. The world Julia lives in expects this kind of clothing, although it’s uncomfortable and totally impractical. When I’m dressed, we head out the door. Julia drives, which doesn’t surprise me, and fifteen minutes later we’re parked out front of her father’s mansion.

Mansion is maybe an understatement. It’s more like a compound. The main building is enormous, at least three stories, maybe four, with what are probably over a hundred rooms.

“Now, be polite,” she says. “My father is going to want to know about you. Stick to the military service.”

“Understood.”

“You’ll be fine.” She glances at her watch. “He just took his medicine. So he likely won’t last long. Ready?”

“Let’s go.” She nods and I follow her out of the car. We head up the steps and enter the absurd building.

Just like I guessed, there are more rooms in this place than I can count. It would probably take me a month just to explore the whole thing completely. There are staff members wandering the halls, people that clearly cook and clean, although I don’t know why. As far as I know, only one person lives in this enormous old house, and it’s an old dying man.

Mitchell Hall, the scion of the Hall family, lives in a single large room on the first floor. It looks like it used to be a library, but now it has a large fireplace with a fire going and a big hospital bed with Mitchell himself on it. He’s being read to by a nurse when we walk into the room.

“Wall Street Journal?” I mumble to Julia. She gives me a tight smile and nods once.

We head close to Mitchell and he looks up, his eyes deep blue and alert. He’s frail and old with thinning gray hair, a thin, gaunt face, a large hooked nose, and gray whiskers on his cheeks. The nurse stands and leaves as soon as we reach his bed.

“Father.” Julia says. My heart starts beating faster but I control my nerves. “This is Connor. I told you about him.”

“The husband,” Mitchell says, more of a croak than a word. “So this is him.”

I step forward. “It’s good to meet you, sir,” I say. I shake his hand, and it’s surprisingly strong for a dying man.

“You married my daughter,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “Why?”

I pause, slightly surprised, and glance at Julia. She nods once, her face straight and serious. I look back at Mitchell, still locked in the handshake.

“Because I love her,” I say.

He hesitates a moment before letting the shake drop. “So you say. How did you meet?”

“On vacation,” I say, the old story. “In Jamaica.”

“And what do you do?”

“Private security,” I say. “I was a SEAL for most of my life, though.”

I notice him lean toward me slightly more, a gleam in his eye. “An actual SEAL?” he asks. “No bullshit?”

“No bullshit, sir,” I say. “Gave my life to service and left with a few scars.”

He nods once and drops his eyes from mine. He looks at Julia. “Come visit me again,” he says. “And bring your husband.”

She smiles. “Okay, father. I will.”

Mitchell turns away from me and Julia gestures with her head, calling me toward her. We leave Mitchell’s bedside.

“That’s it?” I whisper to her as we head out. She shuts the doors behind us.

“That’s it,” she says. She glances at her watch. “Nurse must have given him his meds a few minutes early.”

“You’re really timing this down to the minute?” I ask, not sure whether to laugh or not.

“You don’t understand, do you?” She stares at me. “This is an operation, Connor. There is a lot at stake. He seems to be interested in you. Now we just have to keep coming back, keep telling the same story, make him believe it. We have to sell it.”

I nod once. “I understand, Julia,” I say. “Just not the sort of family I’m used to.”

“What sort of family are you used to, then?” she asks, a bit harsh.

I pause a second then sigh. “Sorry,” I say. “That wasn’t fair.”

“No, it wasn’t. But I don’t care. So long as this works.” She heads toward the entrance without another word.

I follow her, glancing around as I go. There’s so much money, so much opulence and power in this place, and yet it all looks old, like it hasn’t been updated in a century. That’s probably the case. There’s a thin layer of dust on much of it, and the place feels more like a tomb than a home.

This is the game I’ve signed on for, and I better get used to it. I need to convince Julia’s father that this is for real, and hopefully she inherits the company and not her brother. It’s time I accept the job fully and embrace it.

There’s only one thing still standing in my way, however, and that’s Sydney. As much as I hate to admit it, she’s a distraction, and I don’t know what to do about her.

One thing at a time. At least her father likes me, for now. I’ll figure out what to do with Julia’s daughter soon.