Page 6 of Band of Brothers - MFMM Menage Romance (Sweet Treats 8)
“Well!” she says brightly. “It seems Owen really didn’t tell you much,” she says. “And you just turned eighteen, right?”
I nod.
“Yes, about a month ago. I’m an adult now. No more permission slips from my dad, although I fake signed them all the time. Just kidding, I didn’t.”
My joke falls flat, and Alizeh merely continues thinking. I wonder if she even heard me. She’s tapping her nails together now, and the clickety sound gets under my skin. I’m tempted to tell her to stop, but it seems rude.
“Well, why don’t I tell you a bit about the club then?” she begins brightly, looking at me.
“Sure,” I say nonplussed. “No problem.”
“Well, the club is a club for long-haul truckers,” she says with a smile. “It’s a difficult job. Our men are on the road for weeks at a time, if not months. As a result, many years ago some long-haul truckers banded together to form a group.”
“Dads and Daughters,” I interject quickly.
“Yes,” Alizeh nods. “The truckers often had needs on the road, and they wanted a way to meet those needs. This was ages ago, when there wasn’t internet or even satellite TV,” she adds quickly. “That’s how long we’ve been around.”
I nod, getting a little confused.
“Sure, but why does that matter?”
Alizeh nods.
“Well, the truckers wanted to meet women in a natural way while they were on the road,” she begins.
“Couldn’t they just meet someone the old-fashioned way, at a truck stop bar?” I interject, wrinkling my brow. “I realize this is pre-internet, but surely there were bars back then.”
The other girl shoots me a chilling look.
“Yes, but please let me finish my story, June.”
I hold my hands in apology.
“Sorry, sorry. Go right ahead.” Mentally, I’m rolling my eyes but I manage to keep a smile pinned on my face for good measure. The “mentorship” my dad hoped for is really not working out. Already, I can tell that I have nothing to learn from Alizeh, and that she’s not interested in me either. But the other girl continues.
“So the truckers wanted to meet women, and they came upon an ingenious solution,” she says in a light tone. “Many of the men had daughters, and they decided to trade daughters, if you will. I don’t like to use the word “trade,” actually,” she corrects herself. “Maybe “swap” is a better term.”
I stare at her.
“What does that mean?” I ask, trying to understand. “I don’t get it.”
Alizeh lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Of course you wouldn’t, June,” she says. “You’re not that type of girl.”
At this, I’m offended.
“What do you mean, I’m not that type of girl?”
Immediately, Alizeh looks penitent and she apologizes.
“I’m sorry, June. I didn’t mean to say that, and that was unkind. I just … well, I want to help Owen, but I don’t know how,” she says helplessly. “He hasn’t told you anything, and we’re due at the hotel in two hours.”
“The hotel?” I ask, my brow scrunching. “My dad definitely didn’t mention we were going to a hotel. This lodge in the forest was already a surprise to me.”
The blonde girl nods miserably.
“Yes, there’s a hotel. We’re at the Lodge, where you’re going to be pampered, and then we’ll bring you to the hotel, where the initiation will occur.”
I scrunch my nose at her.
“Pampering? Like getting my nails and hair done? Sweet! I love spa treatments.”
I don’t ask her about the initiation because, to be frank, my mentoring with this woman is done. I’ve decided that Alizeh has nothing to teach me, and evidently, she thinks the same. She purses her lips and whispers a curse under her breath, but like a lady, I ignore it. Instead, I smile brightly at her.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go for a day of pampering!” I say merrily. “Girls rock!”
An uncertain look comes over Alizeh’s features, but then her brows lift and she smiles.
“Yes, let’s do that,” she says in a firm tone. “I’ll tell you more about what to expect as we’re getting our nails done. I have to get this one fixed,” she says, staring at her left ring finger where the sparkles seem to have fallen off. “It tore, and it looks terrible. Come on, June. This way,” she says, leading me down the hall.
I trail after her slim figure in this exotic hunting lodge in the middle of the woods. What was my dad thinking, bringing me here and pairing me with this nincompoop of a woman for some girl talk? We have nothing in common, and Alizeh definitely has no wisdom to impart. But just a few more hours of this, and I’ll be done for good. I’ll be able to put my dad’s fears to rest once and for all before heading out into the world to follow my own path. Or so I think.