Emily Untethered Ch. 01

After her classes that day were done, she heard someone call her name and spun, figuring it was one of Mike's sisters.

A familiar face beamed at her from across the patio she was in. It took her a moment to place it but she grew elated when she recognized an old friend.

"Dakota!" she yelled, jumping up excitedly. Dakota had been one of her best friends in high school. She was a religious girl, just like Emily, but had a wild streak.

"Oh my gosh girl! What are you doing back in Texas?" the petite girl said, coming over and practically leaping at Emily.

"Oh, long story, I'll tell you all about it later," Emily said, and the two girls fell into a familiar rhythm of constant chatter, talking about what had been going on and what they had been doing.

"I heard that your mom had left," Dakota said after they'd reached the parking lot. "I'm sorry."

Emily shrugged. "I'm done with her," she said, her face growing cold.

Dakota put a hand on her arm. "Well if you need to talk, you know where I live. Do you still have my number?"

Emily looked at her phone and thumbed through her contacts. After getting Dakota's new number, she dropped it back in her pocket.

"It's so good to see you again!" Dakota said happily. "We've got to hang out soon."

Emily smiled and nodded. "I've got to make dinner for Daddy and we're supposed to have a talk. I've probably got time this afternoon, though."

Dakota thought for a second. "I promised Eric that we'd have some quiet time today; my dad should be working late."

"Eric?" Emily asked.

"Yep, new boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, quiet time."

"Oh, it's not like that," Dakota said, playfully glaring at Emily.

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure," came the reply.

"It's good to see you again," Emily said, pulling her long lost friend in for another hug, wondering briefly if they'd still be friends after Emily admitted what had happened.

They had been close in high school but it was through church, not school, that they'd grown that way. Dakota was an only child, like Emily, and was closer to her dad, just like Emily. Her mother had passed away when Dakota was young, succumbing to cancer. She rarely spoke of her, and when she did it was always in a sad, somber tone. It clearly still bothered her. She was a cute little redheaded fireball, always getting into trouble. Her dad had turned to the Church after his wife had passed, but had stayed single.

Emily figured he was relatively attractive, never understanding why he'd never remarried. He'd never even had so much as a date, as far as she knew. That thought brought her dad to mind, and she really couldn't picture him getting remarried either. She clicked open her car door and hopped in.

Dakota barely topped 5' tall, and while Emily was only a few inches taller, she seemed much bigger than her friend. Dakota usually kept her hair long, and had throughout all the time she'd known her, but today she'd been shocked at how short it was, barely reaching her shoulders. She'd always been a promiscuous girl in high school, as some religious girls were apt to do. As far as Emily knew, she'd never gone all the way and had intercourse with a guy, but she'd been gone for over a year.

"I'll bet she's not a virgin anymore either," Emily thought, though she doubted it was to the extent that Emily had been broken in. That thought brought back a flood of memories, some pleasant and some painful. That's what confused her so much. Why did she feel so very bad about what had happened, and yet so very aroused and excited by it. She thoroughly enjoyed it, that was clear.

She drove home and decided to put off studying to lay out. After seeing how pale she was in the mirror, she decided a little sun would do her good. After eating a quick lunch, she headed out and stepped gingerly around the pool to the chairs laying out on the small deck.

*****

John shut the door to his truck and headed inside. He'd left an important file at home, and skipped lunch so he could come retrieve it. He called for Emily to say hi, but she didn't answer. He peered out the back porch and saw a blonde laying out by the pool. He headed to the backdoor and looked out.

Again, his brain took a snapshot. Laying out in a yellow bikini, clear as day, was his wife. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a sloppy knot, and she was wearing some dark sunglasses, but that was his wife. Her breasts were rising and falling rhythmically, her tiny nipples pressing ever-so-gently against the flimsy material. He glanced lower, her taut stomach glistening with oil, or sweat, he couldn't tell which. Her yellow bikini bottoms were modest enough to cover all of her womanly parts, but he could just make out the outline...

He slapped himself. "That lying cunt left you," he thought. "She's off fucking the New York Knicks and you're watching your own daughter sunbathe." He turned then and headed upstairs, grabbing the paper and leaving quickly, feeling like the worst father in the world.

*****

Emily heard the sound of her dad's truck roaring to life and stood, heading over to the edge of the fence where she could see the driveway, only to see the rear of his truck as it pulled in to the street and sped off. Confused, she headed back to her chair to lay back down, but heard her phone notification go off and leaned over, retrieving it from her purse and peering down at it.

"Hey girl, Eric had to work. Still want to hang out?"

Emily smiled and texted back quickly.

"K, be there in 5," came the reply.

"I'm out back, just come around the side. Bring your suit."

A few minutes later, Dakota's hands appeared at the top of the gate, reaching for the latch. As the gate opened, Emily sat up and waved.

Dakota came over and set her backpack and purse down.

"Your Dad home?" she asked.

Emily shook her head. "You didn't notice the lack of a pickup in the drive?"

Dakota stuck her tongue out. "Smart ass," she chided, and proceeded to pull her clothes off.

She'd never been a shy girl, and more than one party had ended with her without her shirt on, but she'd never gotten a reputation as a slut. Mostly because she wasn't one.

"So where did you meet Eric?" Emily asked, looking up at her diminutive friend as she stripped down.

"A party I think," she replied.

"You aren't sure?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out a blue bikini with barely enough material to be considered a swimsuit, and pulled it on to her naked form.

"Well, there was a different Eric, but I think I met him at a school thing."

"Good lord girl, how many boyfriends do you have?"

"As many as it takes," came the expected answer.

Finally securing the tiny bikini in place, she settled into a chair beside Emily.

"So," Emily said, settling into a discussion with her long lost friend. They spoke for a long time about Eric, and how Dakota had yet to go all the way with anyone.

"You're kidding! I thought for sure you'd have done it by now!"

Dakota shrugged. "I know I'm a wild religious kid, but I'm not in a big rush to start having sex. I do everything else though, I'm not some kind of prude."

Emily laughed easily. "I'm glad you can see the distinction."

There was a pause and then Dakota finally asked, "So what happened?"

Emily told the story, and for about an hour, Dakota just listened. When she'd heard the entire thing, she sat quietly for awhile.

"Say something," Emily said, finally.

"I just..." Dakota said, and fell silent, thinking.

Emily felt a tear at the corner of her eye, and brushed it away. She thought for sure Dakota would understand.

"I just can't believe that you did all that. You used to be a church going girl, like me! I mean, I'm not judging you, but oh my God!"

Emily lowered her head, feeling ashamed for the first time in a long time.

"No, Emily, I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry! I'm just shocked! You did so much, I mean, gosh what was it like?"

Emily turned and looked at her like she'd just sprouted wings. "It was fun. It was sex. If you haven't had it, you can't understand how much fun it was."

"You don't seem bothered by it at all," Dakota said. "That's good."

Emily shrugged. "It's bothering me more than you know."

Dakota looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.

Sighing Emily cleared her throat and adjusted herself on the lounge chair.

"I enjoyed all of the sex, even the weird deviant stuff. All of it. But I'm ashamed of what happened. I feel like I'm not worth anything, but when I think about a specific thing that happened, like giving Shawn a blowjob, I get all..." she paused, "...wet and horny," she finished. "I mean what kind of freak enjoys something she regrets, gets off on it?"

Dakota was quiet for a time, considering her words before speaking. "You don't regret it, you said so a few minutes ago. What you're feeling isn't regret, over the act at least."

Emily shrugged.

"I don't think badly of you," Dakota said finally. "Parts of me wish I could have been there with you, if not to just look out for you."

"I just wish I could put it all behind me and move on, but when I try and rationalize it all, I get horny and have to masturbate."

"Well, why don't you find a boyfriend? You're pretty, and you've filled out since high school."

"You know, I thought my boobs had gotten bigger," she said, peering down. "I didn't know they could do that after high school, without getting pregnant, that is."

Dakota snickered. "You had room to grow though," she jabbed.

That made Emily laugh, and she began to feel better. Dakota prodded Emily for some details about what had happened, which she reluctantly provided, and eventually it was time for Dakota to get home.

"You know, I thought I was the experienced one here, maybe I should be asking you for tips," she said as she stood up to leave.

"Gotta leave?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I've got studying to do, and Eric will probably come over after work."

"So are my stories going to get Eric #2 some quiet time?" she asked.

Dakota shook her head. "He's not a boy I'm going to sleep with, just one to fool around with."

"Is it Eric #2, or do you prefer Eric the Second, Earl of Notgettingany."

Dakota giggled. "He'll survive."

"Bye girl," Emily said, waving as she disappeared out the side gate.

She stood then and looked at the time.

"I'd better get started on supper," she thought, and headed inside. She was just finishing up when her dad came in, looking more weary than normal.

"Hey Daddy. Everything okay?" she asked, stirring a pot of boiling pasta.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Just lots of stuff to do right now."

She looked back down at the stove. "I saw you at lunch," she said.

*****

He froze, his heart pounding. "Fuck," he thought. "She saw me! I'm the worst dad in the world, mistaking my own daughter for..."

"You were pulling out of the driveway," she clarified, turning and glancing at him. "Did you forget something?"

"Oh," he said, relief washing over him, briefly wondering why he was relieved. "Yeah, I did. I figured you were asleep, so I tried to be quiet." She didn't know that he'd been watching her like some pervert from a hidden window.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I decided I needed some sun, so I was outside by the pool."

"I'm gonna go change, and then we can eat supper and talk."

She nodded. "It should be done in a few minutes."

He couldn't help but notice again how much she looked like her mom. She'd stopped wearing her hair in the twin braids that he was used to, he suddenly realized. "That must be it!" he thought.

She really did favor her mother over him and with her hair down it was even more pronounced. He quickly pounded upstairs and changed, re-emerging a few minutes later in a t-shirt and some shorts. They sat and chatted about work and school, Emily telling him about Dakota.

"I hope you two can be friends again," he said eventually. "She's a nice kid."

Emily laughed and he turned to look at her.

"What?"

She smiled and shrugged. "She's not a kid any more Daddy, and I wouldn't exactly call her nice."

He looked at her and then back down at his plate. "I don't wanna know," he said, shaking his head.

As Emily stood to clear the table, John joined her and they cleaned up the mess together.

"So, part of our deal was you talking about what happened with... mom," Emily prodded eventually.

He nodded, expecting, but dreading this conversation. Sighing, he reached for a beer from the fridge and then glanced over at her and offered her one.

She shook her head and headed towards the living room.

"That's my girl," he said proudly.

She turned and rolled her eyes, settling on the couch as he joined her.

"Well," he said, inhaling deeply. "Where do I start?"

She shrugged. "Just talk."

He took a long draw from his beer and sat quietly for a few minutes before beginning. "Your mother was always distant. I know you've noticed that. She loved you very much, but you weren't planned. I don't think she ever planned to have kids. Even when we were young, she was very money oriented. My job doesn't exactly rake in the dough, and so now she's gone."

Emily looked over at him, leaning her head on her arm which was propped on the back of the couch. "Just keep talking," she said.

He exhaled, defeated. It was clear that he wasn't getting out of this. "Well, after you were born we slowly stopped having sex. We used to be pretty damn insatiable. We'd fuck..." he stopped, glancing over. "Sorry."

She chuckled. "It's okay, just keep talking."

He nodded and continued. "We'd... make love at least a few times a week. After you came along, she was obviously busy with you, but even when you got older and we actually had time to ourselves, she still didn't want to. I resigned myself to not getting any anymore, and I wasn't going to cheat on her."

"You haven't had sex in years?" she asked, surprised.

He shrugged. "I mean there were special occasions when she wasn't being a complete..." he stopped and glanced at her again.

"Bitch," Emily finished.

He chuckled. "I just chalked it up to her being her and we fell into a rhythm. I wouldn't ask for it, and she wouldn't give me any."

Emily sat quietly, listening.

"After you moved away, I thought maybe we'd rekindle the old passions," he said, his face turned towards his lap. A single tear worked its way from the corner of his eye. "I'm just so damn mad, you know?"

"Oh believe me, I know," she replied.

"I just want someone to explain why! Why! Why didn't she just talk to me and tell me what was wrong? She never said what was wrong. Was I supposed to magically know what it was?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, comfortingly, as he brushed a tear away.

"Nothing in this world has ever felt as awful as this...divorce...or whatever you wanna call it. Nothing else has made me question my existence as a human being. This is the worst thing I've ever had to go through, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I keep thinking, if she was the love of my life and she threw me away, what the hell am I going to do?"

Emily hugged him for a second. "You'll always have me."

He nodded.

"She started going out with some friend from work, some woman I never met, named Stephanie. She went out with her nearly every week, and for awhile, her mood improved and she seemed like she was her old self. Her goodbye kisses in the morning didn't seem so distant."

Emily propped her head back up and continued listening.

"Then, one day, she was just gone," he said. "I called her number, but it had been changed. Half of the money in our account was gone. She hadn't told her friends anything, or they were phenomenal actors. They seemed just as upset as I was." He rubbed a hand up and brushed another tear away.

"I'm just angry, so God damn angry. I had contented myself to living with that..." he stopped, searching for the right word.

"Bitch, lying cunt?" Emily offered.

"Emily!" he exclaimed, shocked.

"Well, it's true," she said.

"Watch your mouth," he scolded.

"Oh Daddy," she said, rolling her eyes. "Aren't we a little past that?"

He glanced at her again and shrugged. "Probably. Anyway, I'd contented myself with living with that... hag... for the rest of my life. I'd told myself I was lucky that I had it so good, that I could be alone, and I still had my daughter!"

Emily smiled. "You'll always have me," she said.

"The thing is, I shouldn't have been content. I should have known what was wrong, and I should have done something about it. The truth is, she wasn't the real problem. I mean, she was, but I should have been the one that fixed it, instead of her."

"Did Stephanie know where she went?"

He smiled. "I went up to where she'd said she met Stephanie, and they'd never heard of her. Stephanie doesn't exist. But, there was a Stephen that worked there."

"Oh!" Emily yelped, surprised.

"Yep," he said. "Apparently he had just moved to New York with his girlfriend, some older woman named Christy or Christine, or something close to that."

"That bitch."

He nodded in agreement. "I got the papers a few weeks later. She gave up all rights to the house and got half of my assets. You're over 18 so you weren't in the decree. She did mention that if there was something to sign to give me custody, she would. Her lawyer didn't seem to like her very much, but he was bound by law to represent her fairly. He said he didn't have to like it, though. He told me a lot he probably wasn't supposed to."

Emily sat in silence for a long while.

"Wow," she said eventually, turning to look at her father. "Daddy, I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you."

He waved his hands dismissively. "You were off in California, living your own life. I'm glad you weren't around to see her turn into a demon."

"I'd choose you over her every time, I hope you know that," she said, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing. "Even before I knew what she truly was, I'd have chosen you."

"Well, I've got to get some work done. Would you like to talk a little later?"

She nodded. "I can always exercise while you work. We can talk when you take a break."

He smiled and she went to change into her yoga shorts and a sports bra. A few minutes later, he was sitting at his desk, typing away at some form on the computer when she came in. He cleared his throat and forced his gaze to remain on the computer screen. She moved to the stationary bike and began to pedal. Eventually, she had worked up a fine sheen of sweat and was breathing hard. She went and grabbed a sports drink from the fridge and sat on the ground, catching her breath and resting. Setting the drink aside, she turned and spread her legs. He glanced over and immediately regretted it.

She was facing in his general direction. Her pale legs were stretched outwards and she was working them slowly apart, pulling herself forward with her chest low to the ground. He noticed the intricate motions and waves the muscles in her legs were making as she slithered forward, her face flat on the ground.

He forced his gaze back to the computer screen. "God dammit" he swore, silently. "Daughter."

He glanced back over briefly a few minutes later to see she had altered her position and was doing some weird move in yoga.

"DAUGHTER!" he thought. "Knock it off, you fucking creep."

He forced his gaze back to his screen and finally finished the rest of the work he'd set for himself to get done tonight. She was spread eagle again as he pushed back in his chair. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Good, you're done. Come help me for a second."

"Did you get stuck?"

She giggled. "Nope. Come push down on my back."

He came around behind her, avoiding looking down at the soft round curve of her buttocks and with a single hand pushed on her back slightly. Her legs were straight out to the side and he pushed her chest flat to the floor.