The Harper Twins

5. Chapter One

Chapter One

SHE SHOULD BE asleep by now, lost in some dream world with some bare-chested hunk from one of her romance novels. She should be, but she wasn’t, not with her sister in the next room. Aimee Harper lay in her bed, again regretting sharing an apartment with her twin sister, a regret she had almost every weekend. It was three in the morning and instead of the deep silence of night lulling her to sleep, she was being kept wide awake by her sister’s cries of pleasure. Living with Karla really wasn’t the problem; at least, not usually. When Karla first asked to share Aimee’s condo, Aimee thought it a great idea. She could save money for one, which would assist her in her quest to actually do something with her photography hobby, and also have someone to split the household chores. When she didn’t have to remind Karla to do her portion, that is. And, for the most part, they got along as well as most siblings. They bickered here and there, squabbled over who drank the last Diet Coke, and whose turn it was to clean their only bathroom, but they made it work. No, it wasn’t the fault of Karla and her wild nights. The blame lay with their apartment’s thin walls, compounded by the fact that their beds rested along the same wall. That was a fact she needed to remedy first thing in the morning and while she was kept awake by her sister’s one night stand, Aimee mentally rearranged her room three times. That wasn’t enough to distract her from the fact that she was privy to Karla’s moans as well as the bumps of the bed against the wall. She didn’t need to experience someone else’s s****l exploit this Saturday night. She needed an exploit of her own.

With her eyes closed, Aimee took a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions gurgling up inside of her. She should have known how the night would end when Karla brought home… Aimee opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. What was his name? After a minute or two of trying to conjure up the name of Karla’s new toy, she surrendered. It simply escaped her, like so many of the other names of the men her sister brought home. She never kept them for very long, so Aimee saw no need investing in the normal civilities. Besides, knowing her sister, Karla had probably never even introduced him as she scurried the man through their apartment and straight to her bedroom for the predictable conclusion to her night’s activities. As Aimee recalled, Karla had barely even waved on her way through the condo and the man was too intent on Karla’s heart-shaped a*s to even notice Aimee was sitting on the couch in her flannel pajamas, eating popcorn, sorting through her sunrise prints, and watching an old Bob Hope movie. Aimee sighed into her pillow at the image of her Saturday night. Boy, do I live a pathetic life. She really needed to get her car fixed.

The action on the other side of the wall began a steady rhythm that sent tremors through Aimee’s bed, her head bouncing slightly on her pillow. Her sister always brought home men. It was one of the main reasons she wanted out of her mom’s house. She used to sneak boys into her room when they were in high school, which wasn’t all that long ago, though it seemed like forever. Of course, when you’re in your twenties, a year feels like a decade. That’s why we think we have plenty of time to accomplish our dreams. We’re young. There’s always a tomorrow. Still, Aimee preferred Karla’s conquests being sneaked in as opposed to having them pranced in front of her like a prize Karla won at the state fair. Sometimes, it came across like “look what I have that you don’t.” Aimee knew what she didn’t have. She didn’t need reminding.

There were times, like tonight, that Aimee wished her sister still lived with their mother and was not invading her private domicile. Aimee moved to Gainesville to gain some independence as well as some separation. When she returned to help with their sick father, she quickly found her own place to keep that independence. Well, that, plus she was tired of seeing her sister manipulate their mother. How Karla even managed to convince Aimee to allow her to move in was beyond her. Yet, that was Karla, always getting whatever she wanted.

Aimee heard something fall off Karla’s nightstand on the other side of the wall as her s****l cry penetrated the night. As much as she fought it, the sounds were making Aimee’s own juices begin to soak into her panties, as she recognized the scene in the other room moving from foreplay to the main show. She finally succumbed to the growing excitement within her and slid her fingers under the waistband of her pajama pants down to the growing heat between her legs. Karla’s whimpers seeped through the wall, as Aimee rubbed her swollen clit in cadence with the thumps of headboard on drywall. She knew she shouldn’t be doing it, using her sister’s s****l activity to get herself off. It felt wrong—dirty, even—but it was all she had. It had been way too long since her last date and even longer since she had s*x. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time one of the twins used the other’s exploits to get themselves off.

She closed her eyes and pictured her own body sprawled on the bed, her legs spread as she envisioned Clint Asher from three doors down plunging his c**k deep inside of her p***y, opening her up with his massive organ. She had been using him in her fantasies for a while and his powerful face popped easily into her frenzied mind. It was her cries now echoing against the walls, as her hips thrust upward to meet his in a sweaty pounding of heated flesh. Her swollen n*****s were pinched and flicked, sending orgasmic shocks throughout her body. Clint’s body grazed against her clit, not her fingers drawing wet circles around the hood of her swollen pearl.

A scream split the night, shouting out her o****m, as her body twitched underneath her fingers. Her heart pounded, as her eyes flew open at the realization that it was her scream, not her sister’s, that ripped the silence. She covered her mouth with the hand that was pinching her n****e just a second ago, as her chest heaved with the l**t that coursed through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying no one heard her, but knowing there was no way they missed it. Even with her sister’s own cries of s****l pleasure, Aimee’s pierced the apartment. Oh, great. Please don’t let that man spend the night.

That man was Brad Pennington, and he did spend the night. He was standing over the stove when Aimee trudged her way out of the hallway, and he spotted her before she could duck back into the bathroom and freshen up. He stood about three inches past six feet and came equipped with a thick chest and flat shoulders that Aimee could probably rest her morning coffee on without fear of the mug falling. He was bald and clean-shaven with a smile that she was glad he decided not to hide behind facial hair. He was obviously a morning person, because even after being up until four in the morning doing the nasty to her sister, he cheerfully made breakfast and had already swallowed half a pot of coffee. At least he left her some. He wore blue jeans with his smile and nothing else. Aimee glanced over the counter and wasn’t disappointed that even the man’s feet were sexy. How in the world is Karla so damn lucky?

Aimee realized she still wore her baggy flannels and tried to hide behind the island counter, as she raked her fingers through her long, blond hair. She really wished Karla would give her some sort of warning before allowing her to wake up to someone in their kitchen, especially a sculpture like Brad. Yet, Karla was never that proactive and Aimee highly doubted the other Harper sibling was likely to start anytime soon.

“Wow,” he said, as he turned and filled a mug with coffee, setting it in front of her when he finished. “Karla didn’t tell me you two were twins. I bet people confuse the two of you all the time.”

“Even with her hair dyed brown. It gets annoying.”

“Well, I’ll do my best not to add to that annoyance.”

“Isn’t it great waking up to a bare-chested man cooking breakfast?” Karla appeared out of the hallway in her silk robe, which barely covered the bottom of her a*s. Even though she tried to appear as if she just woke up, Aimee knew Karla had brushed her shoulder-length chocolate hair, fixed her makeup, and roughed herself up in just the perfect way. Karla was never a mess without it being on purpose, and she never allowed the men she brought home to see the natural side of her in the morning. “Always make them think you wake up gorgeous,” she told Aimee when they first moved in together. She would wake up before her date did and make sure her “morning face” was exactly as she wanted it. “Did you two introduce yourselves while I was sleeping in?”

Aimee fought not to roll her lake-blue eyes. “Actually, I just woke up myself. I thought it was you frying the bacon until I remembered you don’t cook.”

Karla ignored her. Instead, she walked over to Brad, the top of her head just barely reaching his shoulders, and ran a finger down his flat chest, “What can I say? My talents aren’t in the kitchen.”

Brad grinned at her, revealing his perfect white teeth, as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure the talents I experienced last night could be used anywhere.”

This time Aimee did roll her eyes. She coughed a couple of times, as well, to get them to pry their eyes off each other. She stretched her hand out across the counter at the mountain of a one night stand her sister attempted to climb. “Hi, I’m Aimee, her sister.”

After prying himself from Karla’s embrace, Brad wiped his hands on a towel he had tucked into his waistband before shaking her hand. “Brad, Brad Pennington. I hope my being here doesn’t bother you. I promise, I’m a good cook.”

Aimee shrugged her shoulders. “Not at all. Karla’s men always cook me breakfast the morning after screwing my sister. I haven’t cooked a weekend morning in ages. What are we having?” She tried to smile syrupy sweet.

Her sister turned and glared at her before giving Brad’s chest a kiss. “Yes, what is for breakfast?”

He glanced back and forth between the two sisters, not sure what was really going on. He must have decided to just ignore it as sibling barbs, because he said nothing about Aimee’s comment and simply announced the morning fare. “And it’s almost ready. Will your boyfriend be joining us?”

“Boyfriend?” Aimee felt her eyebrows pinch together with her confusion. What in the world has Karla told him? “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Oh.” Now Brad looked confused. “Sorry. I just… Well, the walls are extremely thin. I know you heard us because, well, we heard the two of you. I just assumed he spent the night, as well.”

Aimee felt the redness of her embarrassment warm her cheeks as she ignored Karla’s smirk. “No, it was just a quick booty call. He left right afterward.”

“Oh, well, I made too much food then. Sorry. Where are your glasses?” He pulled three glasses from a cupboard Aimee pointed out to him and then poured everyone some orange juice.

“Oh good.” Karla patted his flat stomach as she passed him. “I’ll just go freshen up a bit and join you at the table. I’m not sure how you can stand looking at me fresh out of bed like this.”

“Because I saw you freshly tucked into that bed,” he said, and Aimee could have sworn his eyes sparkled. Why were men so corny after getting their rocks off?

Soon they were sitting around the table, dipping bacon in syrup and eating pancakes. The breakfast conversation turned to other things and Aimee was able to eat without feeling nauseous watching her sister drool over her latest catch. Brad worked in real estate and seemed pretty successful at it. Aimee wasn’t surprised. He seemed a natural salesman just from what she witnessed that morning as he maneuvered her sister. Of course, Karla was better at the manipulation game and, while Brad probably thought he was playing Karla, Aimee knew he was the one being played. Her sister always worked an. Always.

Karla held a piece of bacon between her fingers as she said, “I told Brad about your car problems. He has a friend he’s going to call and hook us up. He might be able to help us get it running smooth again.” She smiled at Aimee just before taking a bite of her bacon.

Unbelievable was all Aimee thought as she stared at her sister. She was right about who was being played, but she hadn’t considered that it was for her benefit and not Karla’s. She glanced over at Brad. “That’s really nice of you, but I’m sure we can manage. I have some money set aside I was going to use for the Decades of Rock concerts in a couple of weeks. I’d rather it go toward getting the car fixed.” She glanced back at her sister, hoping Karla felt the daggers she was sending. “I would hate to take advantage of a friend.”

Brad finished swallowing his eggs as he waved off her words. Men just loved to be the white knight and when you combined that with giving them a piece of a*s, a girl could usually get anything she wanted. Karla was a pro at the game, even though it turned Aimee’s stomach. “It’s not a problem. His name is Mitch Greenway, and he runs his own shop over on Hillshire. I’m sure if I call him, he’ll give you girls a good deal and he’s damn good at what he does.”

So is Karla. Aimee kept her eyes on her sister who just sat there smiling sweetly.

After breakfast, Brad left and Aimee went to her room leaving Karla the dishes. Of course, Karla wasn’t happy about being stuck with cleanup duty. She would rationalize that Aimee owed her since Karla arranged to have someone take a peek at the car. However, Aimee didn’t care and, even though she still planned on talking to Mitch Greenway about the car, she was going to insist on paying full price. She wanted no special treatment based on how well her sister f****d one of his friends. Aimee would not be the reason Karla w****d herself out.

It had always been that way, it seemed. Karla could always worm something out of any man she met. It started in middle school when the seconds-younger Harper sibling realized that, with a shake of her a*s and a low-cut blouse, she never had to write her own papers ever again. Of course, as she moved into high school, it cost her more to get what she wanted. A hand job. o******x. However, the gifts were more expensive and her men older. High school boys didn’t have as much as college men. Her body was her asset and she used it to manipulate people any way she wanted. While Karla f****d her way to graduation, Aimee busted her a*s to earn everything she received. Karla quit college, not even finishing her Associates Degree, and bounced from job to job. Aimee, determined to make something of herself, escaped to Gainesville, attending the University of Florida. It turned out to be the change she needed in her life.

Grabbing a stack of her prints to sort through, she flipped on her stereo and stepped out onto her balcony. The morning was bright and cheerful with a warm breeze carrying the scent of the ocean to where she sat. She loved living on the beach. It was the main reason she chose Sea Breeze Condominiums. The fact that the condo was equipped with a balcony that stretched along the living room as well as her bedroom was an added bonus. Karla offered to pay more on her rent if she could have the back room, but Aimee wasn’t having it. It was her condo. Karla could have the room closest to the bathroom. It would help with her morning ritual when her boyfriends spent the night. The beach view was Aimee’s. She had to admit, the beach had a soothing effect on her. It calmed her just to sit and watch the waves roll in, redecorating the shell-covered shore. She loved the beach. It was the ocean she didn’t care for, too many unknowns slinking around her ankles that she couldn’t see. She saw Jaws. Teeth, sharp teeth, lingered under those whitecaps. She’d stay on shore where it was safe. Safe was good. Very good.

As a pelican nose-dived into a cresting wave, Aimee began to thumb through her photographs of the sunrise. The manager at Duffy’s Steak House was expecting her to drop off two of her prints for his walls that week. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to use two sunsets or toss in one of her osprey photographs. It might be good to mix it up a little. Give the people a selection. Of course, the sunsets weren’t the same, so there were choices there, as well. What are you going to do, Aimee?

She started taking photographs in high school, even joined the photography club and all that. One of her teachers made her enter some contests and, to her surprise, she even won a few. In college, while she studied for her Computer Criminology Degree, she sold a few photos to magazines and even participated in a couple of art fairs. Those she really enjoyed, because it put her in front of real people. Maybe I should do a few more of those.

Aimee’s cell phone trilled and a quick glance at the caller ID showed it was their mother. Aimee gave a quiet groan before answering. “Hello, Mom.”

“Good morning, baby doll. I’m surprised you’re up so early.”

“You called hoping to wake me up?”

“Well, no, but it’s Sunday, and I assumed you would be out hitting the town with your sister last night. I know how you both enjoy your Saturday night dancing.”

“Karla enjoys dancing, Mother. I enjoy sleeping at a regular hour.” Her mother didn’t need to know that her daughter just didn’t have a date. “Why do you keep forgetting that I’m not like my sister? Besides, I’m trying to select some prints to hang in that steak house that opens next week. They’ve agreed to display some of my pieces to sell.” Aimee doubted her mother ever forgot the twins were only alike in appearance. It was more like her mother hoped Aimee would somehow get a life. What Karla had, however, was not a life. It was a STD waiting to happen. “Why are you calling, Mom?”

“I wanted to invite the two of you to dinner tomorrow night. I was thinking of buying a roast and it’s just too much for me to eat alone. I don’t want it to go to waste.”

Aimee closed her eyes. She loved her mother, but she dreaded family meals. Mainly because Karla manipulated her mother as much as she did everyone else, and Betty Harper refused to see what was being done to her. When their father was alive, he was able to keep Karla from taking advantage. He was the firm one with a strong work ethic. People needed to earn what they received and not be given free handouts. He believed a person appreciated what they earned more than what they were given. Of course, Karla would argue that she did earn what she received, but she couldn’t exactly tell their father how she earned it. Not and remain alive, that is. Now, however, it was almost as if Karla made up for lost opportunities. It was nauseating to watch.

“Have you already asked Karla?” The deciding factor.

“Yes, and she said it sounded like a great idea. Now, how about you?”

Trapped. If she were going to protect her mother from some pitiful ploy of Karla’s, she would have to go. She shouldn’t have to babysit her sister or protect her mother. She forced a smile into her voice. “I’ll be there. What time?”

The weekend was turning out to be a real waste of time, and she was tired of being cooped up in her condo. She needed a break. With hopes of salvaging some peace and quiet, Aimee slipped into her bathing suit, a two-piece that didn’t really compliment what she saw as flaws to her body, pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail, and headed for the condo’s pool. Perhaps frying her flesh under the sun’s ultraviolet rays would melt some of the negativity out of her. If that didn’t work, there was always that bottle of tequila above the fridge.