Thank you, SEVERUSMAX, my Lover, my Master, for helping me write this story.
*
She sat at the table and thought that she had really done it this time. What was she going to do? She had to come up with five thousand bucks and fast; otherwise she was in hot water- literally! Why had she ever borrowed that kind of money from loan sharks in the first place? Damn, she thought it was a sure win when she bet on that horse! Then, in the last lap, it had to stumble and break his leg! Shit- of all the luck! If it weren't for bad luck, she would have no luck at all!
Doretta was trying to see how she could get out of this newest jam! FUCK, why didn't she learn her lesson the last time? She dreaded going to him again! He warned her the last time around what would happen if she got herself into another such jam, and he had to bail her out. Why did her father have to put that fucking clause in his will! When she was 16, and that drunk driver killed her parents, she had found out that her brother was to be her guardian. Anton was 5 years older than she was, and she resented the fact that she could not touch her part of the millions that were left to them without his consent.
DAMN! Why did her father have to be so OLD WORLD! Even her brother had the same Old World attitude as him. She could understand her father, since he was raised in Greece and that was the way his family had lived for centuries. They felt that a woman had to be under a man's influence throughout her entire life, and when he and his bride moved to America, his beliefs had not changed. Worse still, her brother believed the same thing! He had threatened the last time she had messed up that if it happened again she would no longer be a single woman and would fall under the complete authority of a man. Even worse, he claimed to know which man would be ruling her, and he refused to tell her his identity.
She did not mind the Old World manners; she just did not agree with their beliefs that a woman must be under a man's absolute control. The very concept of being dominated by a man terrified Doretta. She was afraid that it would cost her the individuality that she had worked so hard to achieve. That was not an easy job, given her family's way of life. While still a virgin at the age of 24, she was not narrow-minded or vanilla. She had simply not found the sort of man who interested her enough to give him her cherry. Her brother also made this difficult for her. He constantly "discouraged" any male attention, including from his own friends. He was extremely over-protective of his sister, especially since they had lost both of their parents and she was his closest relative left.
The ringing of the telephone startled Doretta. She knew, without looking at the caller ID, whom it would be: it had to be "Big Ed", wanting his money immediately. She contemplated not answering the phone, but knew that this tactic would only infuriate him further. She had put him off for too long already. "Hello?" She answered.
"Ya got the money, sweet cheeks?" "Big Ed" asked impatiently, in a patronizing tone.
"Um...not yet. I'm having problems getting it. Can you give me a couple more weeks?" She begged.
"That's what you said 2 weeks ago. I told you then that it was your last chance. Time's up. I'm getting my money, one way or the other!" He warned her.
"What do you mean by 'one way or the other'?" She asked fearfully.
"If I don't get my money within the hour, you'll find out, Missy. The clock is ticking, now!" He declared and hung up the phone, without saying another word.
Petrified, Doretta looked at the phone, realizing that she was in deep shit. There was no way she could get $5,000 in less than an hour, without going to Anton. What was she going to do? What would "Big Ed" do? She feared what her older brother would do even more than she was afraid of the loan shark. Should she call him? She picked up the phone and decided to ask him if she could have $5,000 to "gamble" with; that might just work, she thought to herself.
She dialed his phone number, waiting anxiously for him to answer it.
Anton looked at his caller ID, noticing that it was Doretta's phone number that was displayed there. His sister seldom called unless she needed something, or was in trouble again. He knew that she disliked the idea of his being in charge of the money. He was not going to give his sister her share of the inheritance yet. She had yet to prove enough maturity in financial matters: in fact, just the opposite. He only hoped that this time she had not gotten herself in serious trouble, but he had a negative gut feeling that she had.
"Yes, Doretta, what is it?" He answered.
"Hi, Bro, why do I have to want something to call my favorite brother?" She buttered him up.
"Any time you start to butter me up, you want 'something'. Now, what is it? How much money do you owe this time, and to whom, or is it that you want to gamble away money again?" He asked her, getting very close to the truth: too close for her comfort. He had always disapproved of her gambling habit. "Uh, I wanted five grand to take Candy to the casinos for a girls' night out? She's been kind of depressed lately, and I wanted to cheer her up." Doretta requested.
Anton objected to Doretta's friendship with Candy, who always seemed to get her into trouble. Candy was also, unfortunately in Anton's opinion, a very modern, "liberated" woman. She was notorious in high school and ever since as indiscriminate with her sexual partners, which was something that Anton frowned upon. He did not hold to the "abstinence until marriage" school of thought, but neither did he like the whole promiscuity business. Candy seemed to have a LOT of "one-night stands".
"No, I'm not going to give you and your 'friend' cash to fritter away on slot machines and alcohol! You're both liable to lose it all, get drunk, and find yourselves 'knocked up' by some irresponsible jackass! If she's so 'depressed', go over there and find an alternative way to cheer her up without blowing a shit load of money and being wasted. That is my FINAL word on the matter! Understand me?" He adamantly declared.
"But..." She started to say.
He interrupted her, saying, "NO, that is my final word! Or is there another reason you need this money so bad as to ask me after you know I already have put my foot down?" He asked her, getting increasingly suspicious.
"No, no not at all. I was just hoping that you would let me do it this one time, since I have been good lately?" She implored.
"You ask me again and I will take you over my knee! I am the head of this family and you will continue to be in my hand until I give you over into marriage! Now, do you want to continue pressing your luck? You are way overdue for a serious spanking, you know." He stated.
"I'm 24 years old, and this is 21st America, not ancient Athens! I'm far too old for a spanking from my BROTHER! I just want to spend time with my best friend! Why do you have to be such a male chauvinist...?" She replied angrily.
"If you say 'pig', I will show you how much of a chauvinist I can be! Feminist slogans are no way of getting money out of me! Like it or not, Dad left me in charge of this family and your money, so get over it! If you want anything, ask me with the right kind of attitude, and with a legitimate reason, not some silly request and a defiant attitude! Now, if you want to continue this conversation, I suggest that you walk up to the main house, and talk to me in person without being a smart-ass!" He interrupted her.
"I'm sorry, Anton! I didn't mean to be defiant and rebellious! I'm just somewhat embarrassed at being treated as a child when I'm in my mid-20s, and most of my friends can do as they please. They control their own finances, but I have to depend on my brother's approval. It's just so old-fashioned." She acted contrite.
"Your friends also get themselves into more trouble than they can handle, especially that Candy! Old-fashioned or not, that's the way we were brought up, and that's the way I will remain! I don't approve of the "modern, feminist" attitude that women have these days. The old ways worked well for Mom. She had a great husband and provider. She never once complained either! Like it or not, that's the way this family will be ruled. We are Greeks, not silly WASPs with more money than common sense!" He stated authoritatively. "Now, come up here for dinner in an hour and a half, and we'll discuss any other requests of yours at that point. Cora will have supper ready at that time."
"Yes, Sir. I'll be up there within 90 minutes. Bye for now." She replied, hanging up the phone when she heard his response.