Competition

“Careful, Eva,” Sakura whispered, “You might make him cum.”

My eyes flew open and I raised my head at her comment, just in time to see David come up behind her. “What exactly is going on?”

“…uhm” I managed as my eyes shot to Eva. She was leaning forward with her upper chest against the table top so you couldn’t see what she was doing. That didn’t mean you couldn’t easily get the wrong idea as her arms continued to piston away.

She grinned and asked in a husky voice, “Why Dave? Does it look like I’m doing something wrong?”

His expression went from leering to lustful and back to his normal leer in about two heartbeats. He quickly glanced around the area to make sure no one else was observing the activity. “You can’t do that here!”, was stage whispered with near panic.

Eva sighed. “I’m just rubbing his knees is all. We could tell they were bothering him. What did you think I was doing?”

“Let’s just say that it looks far more intimate than that. Can you at least wait until you get home to touch each other, please?” He spun around and left looking somewhat worried that a customer would associate him with the visual at the table. Not that there were any customers to see it.

We all laughed quietly while I got our lunches out of my cooler and started handing them out. The conversation quickly turned from making fun of David’s assumption to the practicality of actually living together. All three girls lived separately in the only apartment complex in town. It’s situated literally at the farthest point in town from their college. Their school is in the next town over but doesn’t offer enough low-cost housing. I, on the other hand, live ten miles outside of town in the direction of the college.

My first thought was that there was zero chance that I’d allow them to move in. But as the evening progressed the girls continued to discuss it and practically begged me to take them in. They all agreed that it was more than fair for them to pay me almost the same rent that they’d been paying. Pointing out that I had been subsidizing their hours and the money should be mine anyway. Then they argued that A: It would help them out to save even a little on rent. B: I was already feeding them. C: They could save money on gas for school and to work by carpooling. And D: It would make getting together for study sessions easier, (even though they studied during most of the after-lunch work hours.)

They were all laying on the ‘Dad’ angle rather blatantly and I’ll admit their puppy dog eyes were wearing me down. And like I said, I cared for all three of them as if they were my own girls. So, I relented enough to agree to continue the conversation after work.

They followed me home and stood gawking at the sight of my house. After breaking through an eighth of a mile of trees to the acre of landscaped lawn fronting the impressive façade they were barely able to get out of their cars.

Now, I’m not saying that it isn’t a nice house. It’s just that it isn’t as big on the inside as you’d think it was from the outside. With four bedrooms and two full baths upstairs and a professional kitchen, pantry, dining room, living room, media room, and three lavatories downstairs, it’s set up more for entertaining than actual living. The side-facing, four-car garage with a bay for a bus-sized RV, very deceptively adds to the façade. Most people would guess the house had at least eight or ten bedrooms.

I finally coaxed them in and gave them a quick tour. When we settled in the living room, Ruby made herself at home behind the wet bar as she commented that it was a shame I had converted one of the bedrooms into a workout room. I asked why before realizing they were hoping to get their own rooms.

She started loading the top of the bar with beer until she noticed a case of bourbon that my grandparents bought when they got married. “Wow!” she exclaimed holding up one of the bottles and blowing the dust off. “Nineteen fifty-seven, Woodford Reserve!”

The statement caused Eva and Sakura to hop back up and head to the bar. “It’s a full case! Why haven’t you opened any?”

“It belonged to my father. I remember it always being there with strict instructions to never touch it. I have no idea what they were saving it for, but even after they left, I never thought to touch it.”

“Dad, they’ve been gone for more than ten years. Don’t you think we should use this to toast to our new living arrangement?”

“I never agreed that you could move in! I agreed to discuss it. Besides, as you pointed out, there aren’t enough bedrooms.”

All three girls leaned their heads together holding the bottle up and gave me their puppy dog eyes while saying “Pleeeeeease!” at the same time.

“I would have been a lousy father,” I thought to myself, as I sighed and nodded. “We can try some, I guess.” Inwardly I was cringing at the thought that I could get at least ten grand at auction for it. Probably a lot more. If I’d been in want of money there would have been zero chance I’d open one.

All three girls bounced in glee as they lined up four highball glasses, dropped a single ice cube in each, and proceeded to fill them almost to the rim. They giggled at my wide-eyed expression as they brought me my glass and sat. “To our new home!” Eva toasted while the other two joined her but paused while looking at me.

I studied each one, finding myself liking the idea of having someone around. Especially people I loved. I’d been more or less alone my whole life and the idea was melting my closed-off heart.

They all started to look a bit worried as my pause began to draw itself out but that too was working against me and I suddenly just knew. I’d never be able to disappoint my daughters. Yes, I had just realized that I had already adopted them in my heart and wasn’t about to turn them away. “To your new home!”

Squeals of joy went up, followed quickly by clinking glasses and the downing of too much liquor. I couldn’t believe how smooth the sixty-five-year-old bourbon was and I found myself draining my glass. I looked around realizing the girls had all done the same!

“Oh my god! That is sooo good!” exclaimed Sakura while Ruby ran to retrieve the bottle.

I’m not much of a drinker and could feel the warmth quickly spreading throughout my system. The girls all had youth on their side and hit the collage bars semi-regularly but I had at least seventy pounds on them. If I felt it that quickly, I assumed they were feeling it too. “Easy girls. This isn’t that watered-down stuff you get at a bar.”

As our glasses were refilled I was given surprisingly loving expressions. “Ah, Dad. That’s so sweet. Worried we’ll get drunk?”

“Driving drunk isn’t safe and you know it. I’m assuming you’re going back to your apartments until you can move your things.”

“Why? It’s Friday,” began Sakura. “We don’t need to get up for school. Can’t we enjoy the evening and just stay in our new rooms?”

I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly worried about being alone with them. After all, I’d spent the last several years alone with some or all of them for hours at a time. It might have been the fact that we weren’t in a public place. Or that we were drinking together for the first time and I didn’t want to do something to embarrass myself. Maybe it was that as their ‘father’ and I was supposed to look out for them. But subconsciously I think I was worried that three strikingly beautiful young women with adoring expressions might stir up ‘other’ feelings.

“Which is another thing,” I began. “I need to move all of my fitness equipment. There’re only two extra rooms at the moment. You’d have to share if you don’t wait?”

Eva grinned and edged closer to me while looking into my eyes. “That’s easy, Dad. I get the single room because I’m your favorite. Everyone knows that.”

“I’m his favorite!” exclaimed both Ruby and Sakura at the same time.

I knew I was in trouble when all three glared at the other two and then simultaneously turned back to me and asked, “Daddy, who’s your favorite?”

I had to laugh! Not only were they acting like I imagined real sisters would act in the situation but they had all called me “Daddy” for the first time as a manipulative tool! I was not going to throw myself on that grenade. Nope, uh -uh, no way!

“I don’t have a favorite, girls. This is something you’re going to have to figure out on your own.”

Again, all three whined as one, “But Daddy!”

I was laughing harder and shaking my head. The whole time trying not to spill my drink as I sipped it. “You three need to decide who gets the single room. The other two can move in next weekend and still get their own rooms. There’s no need to get competitive.”

As soon as I said the word “competitive”, I knew I’d stepped in it. All three girls were competitive, physically and academically. Not necessarily with each other but they were always trading stories about winning everything from bike races to board games and from soccer to classroom debates. I recognized that they were of one mind and that ‘the game was on’! They gave each other the stink eye, squared their shoulders, and chugged their drinks as if a verbal dare had been issued.

Within seconds the last of the bottle had been divided up between them and downed with the same determination as the prior glasses. They didn’t like it much when I quickly jumped up to prevent the retrieval of a second ten-thousand-dollar bottle of liquor. Nor when I forbade them from drinking anything else the rest of the evening except water.

Maybe I was catching on to the whole father thing after all. But, then again maybe not, since my tongue and fingertips already seemed a little numb. At least my knees didn’t hurt anymore.

Then it hit me that it had been a liter bottle! While I attempted to calculate how many equivalent drinks we had consumed in under five minutes, I tried to sound stern. “Find some other way to figure it out because I love you all equally and I won’t pick a favorite.”