He looked like a god—powerful and sexy. The beads of water clung to his skin like they didn’t want to leave. The cut of his muscles put the football jocks I’d known in high school to absolute shame. He was the man that filled my spank bank growing up. I have never been able to forget him. I still use the vision of him and his gorgeous dick almost every night before falling asleep. I shake my head of the memory and smile at both girls.
Finally, we get our hair done. I have my honey-blonde hair touched up, styled, and perfected. When we walk out, people take notice. We all feel like a million dollars, maybe more, shopping bags swaying from our arms.
“Now where to, babes?” Laurie asks playfully.
“Obviously, we can’t go home with empty bellies,” I remind them.
Kathy snorts but doesn’t say anything more. We end up at an astoundingly upscale restaurant that’s right on the water. The three of us are seated immediately and offered wine, menus, and appetizers. We get a French appetizer I can barely pronounce and two bottles of Dom.
“Oh my god, Kath, that dress you got is going to make your boyfriend die.” Laurie squealed.
“Which boyfriend though?” She snorts, and all of us dissolve into giggles.
We have a full four-course meal, but I notice Kathy doesn’t eat all of anything. She eats half, then sets the rest to the side. Laurie skips a whole portion of what she ordered. Are they insane?
I finish my tiramisu and soon we find ourselves again in our luxurious limo. Kathy and Laurie check their phones. I know it’s getting late, but I’m not ready to call it a night. We’re having too much fun.
“Should we go to a club and show off our great looks?”
“No. I need to drop you off, babe. I have to meet one of my guys tonight, I’m sorry,” Kathy says. “He loves when I call him Sugar Pops. How weird is that?”
We all laugh, then Laurie glances between Kathy and me, biting her lip. I can tell she has something juicy on her mind.
“You know, your dad is kinda hot, Claire.” Laurie winks at me. “He’s got a bit of a George Clooney vibe going on. I love that older man salt and pepper look.”
“Ew. Forbidden territory, bitches.”
“Yeah, let’s stop by Claire’s house first to drop her off and help carry her bags in so we can say hi to Mr. Donovan,” Kathy teases. But they just let me out at my house and drive off, shouting their love as they drove away. I roll my eyes and open the front door, wishing I had somewhere more exciting to go. As soon as I get inside, I know what’s going to happen.
I expect the light to flick on. I expect to hear Dad’s shoes on the tile. I expect his huff. It doesn’t affect my mood at all anymore.
“We talked about this, Claire. No more ridiculous spending.”
“So, I can’t treat myself occasionally?”
“Not if you’re spending this much in a single day!” He shakes his head.
His constant disappointment makes me miss Mom. She’d at least try to understand me or what I was going through. She just knew how to make things work. But Dad just had to mess it all up. Just couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and ruined our family.
“So what’s it going to be this time? What are you going to take away? My card? My car? What?”
“I’m cutting you off completely, Claire. You haven’t given me much of a choice.”
“Okay.” I just shrug. I’ve done foot stomping and screaming matches with him, it doesn't matter. That’s what he likes—the explosive arguments and melodrama, then the buying back of his affection. That’s how it’s been in this house for years. I’ve gotten so used to it, and frankly, I don’t have the energy to deal with that anymore. I know this is an idle threat. “And you’re doing this for how long? Until I get a job?”
“For good.”
“Sure. Cut off support from your only child. Way to go, Father of the Year. I guess I should have expected it. You’re as lousy at being a father as you are at being a husband.”
His face flushes red, then a color closer to purple. “You need to understand,” he points at me, “the cost of your choices. You don’t get how money works, so now you get to learn. Move in with a friend and start paying rent. Get a fucking job. Spoil yourself. I’m done. You are out of here.”
“What?” It doesn’t make sense. “Dad, you can’t just go back on our agreement. You said I had three months to get everything in place after I graduate.”
“And you ruined it in a week.” He shakes his head at me.
“We had a deal. You said if I focus on my studies and graduate from college with a good gpa, you’d take care of everything else for three months until I get a job!”
“Give me a break. You have no intention of getting a job. You haven’t even tried looking for one since you got here! All you do is go out with your friends and spendmymoney.” He wasn’t wrong, but the accusation was still hard for me to hear. “But look, I’ll cover your first month. You keep saying you’re an adult. Now is your time to prove it.” He walks away as my bags, and my jaw, hit the floor.