Just when I think that life can’t get any worse, I’m proven wrong.

Sometimes life feels like one giant poker game and you never know what kind of hand you're going to be dealt. Will it be a royal flush today, or will you be left scrambling to match a single pair?

Do you see what I mean? There's no fucking telling.

And if you don't believe me, let me paint you a picture.

My first wife, Linda, used to complain about stomach pains and we thought that it was her bad diet. So we threw ourselves into a healthy lifestyle—diet, exercise, the whole thing. We joined a gym and worked out together. You know how they say that dieting and exercising in pairs is better than doing it alone? Well, we thought it was a good approach… until we learned it wasn't enough.

A visit to the doctor showed that it was worse than that. A simple diet couldn’t fix her problem. She had stomach cancer. That's what you call one bad hand of poker. But I took care of her until the bitter end.

Because I’m Daniel Morgan and that’s what Daniel Morgan does. He takes care of people.

I tried to take care of Colt. It was a bit tricky, I'll admit; the boy had lost both his dad and his mom in the space of five years. Also, I had limited exposure to kids before that. So, I had no fucking idea what I was doing, but we made it work, and in those days he used to call me Dad. I mean, I was never really his father and Linda didn’t think it was necessary to make me his guardian in any way when we got married - just because he was already so close to 18. And you know what? We had a great relationship, and even though he wasn’t my son, I treated him as my own.

Years later, a mutual friend invited me to a party and that was how I met Clara. A few dates later and there I was, falling hard for her. I knew I had to marry her. Clara was charming, a flirt, and she had a sense of adventure. Not to mention she had a sexy swagger that made my heart gallop. She drove me crazy in the best possible way.

In a sense, she was Linda's complete opposite. Maybe that was the reason why I was drawn to her, but it all came at a price, I realized she wasn't high on life; she was high on an opioid addiction traveling at 100 miles per hour.

Those days were difficult. But as hard as they were on me, they must have been brutal for both Colt and Karen.

It almost felt like as Clara came into the picture, Colt began to grow distant. Whatever we had built up through our shared loss began to be forgotten. Almost like Colt felt I was betraying his mother’s memory. When that wasn’t the case. At all.

You're probably wondering why I'm even telling you this. The point is, I just want to show that in a lifetime of constantly having the rug pulled out from under me, I’ve sworn off women. Let's just say that there isn't another set of wedding bells in my future. That part of my life is over.

These last few years, I've invested every ounce of myself into my business. Now it feels as if life is back, throwing me another curve ball. Things are taking a turn for the worse, and the business is losing money. My goal is to keep it solvent.

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I don’t even realize that I’ve taken the wrong route off the freeway. I need to backtrack. I look at my watch. Colt and Karen have been waiting for me. They've both should have gotten to the house by now. I need to get home; I’m hoping that they're both still there. The business needs an injection of cash and with Clara no longer around, I need their approval to use her estate, including the house, to grow the business.

This won't be easy for Karen to hear. This is her mother we're talking about, and I'll have to drive the point home that it's been a year. She's still missing, and that means we'll probably never see her again. She's gone for good.

But Karen isn't alone. She's in love with her boyfriend, Zach. She’s made it clear that once college is over, they’ll be moving in together, and most likely after that they’ll get married. I've never liked Zach, but as much as I bristle in his presence, she swears this is the man she loves. So, who am I to stop them from being together?

Colt’s away at college, and he has a promising football career ahead of him. I can’t see either of them standing in my way. But then again, Colt loves this house. It was where he was born and it holds memories of his mom. But he hardly comes home. If anything, it’s me asking him to come to the house most of the time.

He’s always chasing a skirt, or at times it’s chasing him.

In many ways, it reminds of me not so long ago. I mean, Colt and I aren’t that far apart in age. And he’s got those qualities that I used to prize in myself.

Strength. Confidence. The desire to stand up for what he believes in and never back down.

I pull into the driveway and take a deep breath when I see Karen's car parked out front. I hate asking the kids for help. But they’re both adults now, and I need to sit down and talk to them like adults.

I open the door, and the house seems quiet. I’m just about to call out to them when I see Colt’s bag by the foot of the staircase. He’s a bit of a slob. He was always leaving things around when he was younger and it seems as if college life hasn't broken him of his old habits.

"Colt!" I shout out. I wait for a little while. Nothing. "Karen?"

Today’s one of those days where it's so hot that you stick to your clothes. I make a mental note to change out of my work suit, but first head to the kitchen. Just as I'm about to grab a cold beer from the fridge, I catch a glance at Colt and Karen through the kitchen window, and I’m shocked by what I see. Colt’s in his boxers and Karen’s in a bikini that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Her tits are jumping up and down as if they have a life of their own, and she's taking a running leap into the pool. As she runs I see that ass of hers and watch as those ass cheeks flex. My cock comes alive as I see every curve in her body begin to create some sort of taboo sexual desire within me. And as her body hits the water, and I'm taken aback.

She isn't the little girl I remembered.

She's a grown woman.

I watch as she swims up to Colt. They're smiling and splashing water at each other. But there's something in their body language that hints at more. I’m surprised at their closeness because they never really got along when they lived in the same house. Now they’re running around as if they were inseparable. And I don't know why, but part of me feels annoyed about it.

It’s clear that they’re flirting with each other. And come on … a string is practically holding Karen's tits and she’s not even trying to put them back into her bikini top. I'm sure Colt's enjoying that view. Fuck, I'm enjoying the view. As soon as this thought crosses my mind, I feel my cock twitch violently again.

I don’t know why I’m looking at her like this. She's my stepdaughter. I shouldn't be having these thoughts. But I haven`t seen her for months, and now all I can see is that she’s the perfect figure eight. The way her body curves, her firm and full breasts, and even her perfect heart-shaped ass are all causing my cock to pulse and press up against my suit pants. I never knew that she was shaped that way.

Then I look back at Colt, and I can see a hunger in his eyes. He definitely wants Karen, but it's not right; they're brother and sister. I don’t want them messing around like that. But I know that’s not really the thing that’s bothering me. Colt starts to tackle her in the pool, and he’s touching her as if he has the right to do it.

She’s enjoying it. I hate her for loving his hands all over her. She doesn’t seem to be fighting back; in fact she’s letting him do what he wants to her. I turn away and grab a beer from the fridge, and then grab a chilled pint glass from the freezer. I wanted them here to discuss Clara's estate and this house, not for them to get it on.

This is wrong; but if I’m honest, it’s not so much about what they’re doing, but more about the way they’re making me feel.

With my beer in one hand and the frozen glass in the other, I walk outside. The sun is beating down onto the pool deck and if my hands weren't full, I would be shielding my eyes. It's amazing because Colt and Karen haven't even noticed me yet. They stop splashing and Karen swims up close to Colt. Their faces are inches apart, and it looks as if she's going to press her mouth to his, but I don't let that happen.

Standing at the edge of the pool, I cough to get their attention. Both of them look startled for a moment and look up at me, floating apart and creating some distance between each other. It feels as if Colt's annoyed that I showed up, and I think I know why.

Sorry big guy, but the real man of the house is here now.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Colt scoffs, and his blatant disrespect grates on me, but I didn't call them here today to make waves. I'm not here to fight. Instead, I swallow my pride and take a seat in one of the patio chairs.

"It looks to me like you two are getting along just fine without me," I say. I wonder if they can detect my sarcasm.

Colt goes on to give me some sob story about a trip to Bali and that I somehow rained on his plans, but what he doesn't realize is that this is bigger than Bali, or hanging with his fraternity brothers.

I continue, "Look, I'm sure you two have lots of big plans this summer, but before any of that happens, we need to have a serious talk." They both stare at me and I go on to tell Karen that we have to talk about her mother's estate. The way she looks at me when I mention her mother pains me. I know this isn't easy for her; it isn't easy for any of us. I tell her I'm sorry, and in this moment, I want to comfort her. I want to wrap her in my arms and protect her.

She's nods and before I can say another word, Colt jumps in demanding we break the estate up and split it three ways. But what he doesn't understand is that I need to keep it in one account to keep my company solvent. I try to make my point known, but Colt is growing increasingly hostile.

"That's selfish," Colt says.

"I'd say you're being the selfish one here Colt," I reply. He isn't thinking about the family; this is all about him.

"So this is why you brought us here?" Colt asks.

"In part," I say.

"What kind of a parent does that?" Colt snaps.

"Hold on, Colt. That's unfair," I say.

"You know what's unfair? Asking for money that's not yours," Colts replies.

The one person who I want to hear right now isn't saying a word, and I'm momentarily distracted when I watch her start to exit the pool. She swims over to the ladder, her breasts bobbing in the water and when she climbs out I can see the shape of her hard nipples beneath her thin bikini. Fuck, my cock is hard all over again. I adjust myself in my seat and hope that nobody notices.

Colt is staring at her too, and I'd bet anything that he's harder than plywood in that pool right now.

Karen grabs a towel and with one leg raised on a chair, she drags the towel up and down her long, slender legs from hip to ankle in an effort to get dry. Despite my best efforts not to, I can't help but stare.

She then reaches up and squeezes the water from her long blonde hair. With her fully extended, my eyes travel from her neck down to crevice between her perfect breasts, and further down to the edges of her hips and thighs. But she cuts the show short and abruptly wraps herself in the towel, and without a single word to Colt and I, she walks into the house.

Fuck, the more I look at her, the more I want her.