David Matthews stood in the kitchen, running a damp sponge over the counter for the hundredth time. Tonight was the night. His daughter, Jade, and her friends would be descending upon his quiet suburban home in a matter of minutes. In an effort to distract himself from his divorce-induced loneliness, he'd agreed to host a sleepover for Jade's college cheerleading squad. He hoped that by playing the "cool dad," he'd earn s...

David remembers the way Jade slowly and deliberately traces a finger up his thigh earlier. This memory sends a shiver down his spine. She has a playful, knowing smile on her face, a silent invitation hanging in the air while he is hyper-focused on the mundane task of clearing the table, anything to avoid the delicious tension. He feels like a bomb technician trying to defuse something explosive, every movement deliberate...

David Matthews lay on his king-sized bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep as he stared at the ceiling for hours. Scenes from the theater kept looping in his mind like a broken record, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape them. He was a grown man, yet he found himself attracted to his daughter's best friend. It felt completely wrong, but resisting the desire running through his veins was pointless. He w...