Sam's phone trilled in the darkness. It was 4am and he had only just fallen asleep; after his wife had left being alone had always been difficult. He'd stay up late watching football -- anything for some noise in the house. He groped in the covers to find the phone, wondering who of earth could be calling him. It was Janna's number; suddenly Sam was wide awake, heart pounding, nauseated from the sudden adrenaline rush. Why was his daughter ringing him at 4am?
"Hello?" Panic rose in Sam's throat. He was greeted by the sound of sobbing from the other end of the line. He softened his voice "Janna, what's the matter?"
"Can you come get me?" her voice hitched "Everything has gone wrong!" She was almost wailing now. Sam expected a few glasses of spirits were involved to get his normally level-headed girl to this state.
"Where are you?" He was already out of bed, dragging last night's jeans on with one hand, half moving towards the door as he dressed.
"I'm at the house. Please come get me, I can't stand being here"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming" Sam pulled his trainers on and didn't bother to change the shirt he'd been sleeping in. It was 4am, who was going to see him or care? He grabbed his keys, got in his car and roared off towards Janna's house. His mind was running as fast as the engine. What had happened? He couldn't help but think it must have been something to do with that scumbag husband of hers. He'd always kept his opinions to himself, but he'd always felt like James had conned her into marrying him too young; all false promises, sunshine and rainbows. But who was Sam to talk or give advice? So, he kept his mouth shut and hoped she'd come to her senses before she got hurt. He rounded the corner to her house, pulling up outside. James' car wasn't in the drive but all of the lights in the house were blazing. The front door wasn't closed properly; he knocked lightly and stepped in.
The place looked like a tornado had torn through. He walked to the kitchen to find Janna slumped over the table with, as he suspected, a bottle of vodka and the empty glass by her hand. Sam crouched beside her and tried to rouse her, being rewarded finally with her lifting her head.
"Janna, what the hell has happened?" Sam had promised himself in the car he wouldn't question her right away, but after the state of the house he couldn't stop himself. There was stuff everywhere, it looked like the house had been turned over by a police search.
"Which bit do you want first?" She slurred as she spoke "The bit where I found out he was cheating on me or the bit where he took all my money?" She slumped back onto the table, her sobbing renewed.
"Come on honey, let's get you out of here. Where's your stuff?" Sam looked around for a bag. Janna hadn't been that prepared; in the state he was in he didn't imagine she'd be able to get much together.
"Got none. Don't know where my bag is. Get it later"
Sam sighed, spotted her handbag and thought it was at least something. "Come on sweetie, let's go" Janna levered herself onto her feet, wobbling alarmingly. Sam wrapped a steadying arm around her and guided her out of the door and to the car. As soon as he pulled away from the house all the upset and tension seemed to ebb out of her; glancing over at her Sam could see she was asleep. Or passed out; one of the two. Whichever one it was, her chest rose and fell gently with her breathing. The white sundress she was wearing was rucked up around the top of his thighs and he found himself distracted from the road at the sight of the creamy expanse of skin.
"You've been alone too long mate. She's your daughter, get a grip!" Sam growled to himself. He was relieved to pull up outside his own house; he'd get her in, she'd go to bed, and he could sleep, forgetting her thighs and how soft that skin looked. He opened Janna's door for her but she showed no signed of waking. He opened the front door and scooped her up like he did when she was young. He took her into the house, kicked the door shut and went back to her old bedroom. He laid her down on the bed; she hadn't stirred on her slightly bumpy journey through the house and he now wondered if he should help her get undressed.
"Just do it Sam, she's your bloody daughter" He took her shoes off and unbuttoned her dress. She'd always loved this sundress and wore it whenever it was warm enough, she never stopped going on about the buttons and how cute they were. Convenient now, he supposed. His body began to react involuntarily, pulse speeding up and his cock stiffening in his jeans at the feel of her soft skin against his fingertips and the sight of her full breasts coming into view. He carried on unbuttoning, her gently rounded belly, lacy white panties and full thighs on show. He shook his head like he could shake the thoughts away and mentally scolded himself. He pulled her dress from underneath her, laid it over the metal bedstead, covered her with a blanket and beat a hasty retreat from the room before his body betrayed him even further. He let go of a breath that he did not know he was holding and glanced at the clock. 5am. It didn't seem possible that it had only been an hour; he was exhausted, collapsing into bed without bothering to take off his jeans. He slept, hoping he wouldn't dream of Janna.
Morning rolled around and Sam awoke to the sounds of breakfast being made from the kitchen. He had not dreamed at all that night and attributed his reactions to Janna's vulnerable sleeping form to tiredness. He hadn't been thinking straight, that must have been it. He was the father, she the daughter. He went to the kitchen, still in last night's clothes. Janna was frying bacon, standing at the cooker wrapped up in his dressing gown. She'd turned back the sleeves as it practically drowned her and though the sight was sweet and more than a little endearing, he wished he'd taken some time to pick her up some clothes.
"Morning honey" Sam stood beside her as she cooked. "Shall I make some coffee?" Janna's pained expression gave him a clue that she was more hung over than she looked.
"There's already a pot on Dad. I'm on orange juice. And painkillers. Do you want a bacon sandwich?"
"Yes please honey. So, last night, I was just -- "
"Not now Dad. Later."
Conversation ceased. He could feel the undercurrent of anger in her words and the way she held herself. If he knew his girl she'd wait until she could tell him calmly; he knew she hated to cry in front of people. When she was little, if she fell and skinned her knee, she'd run off somewhere private to cry. They ate in silence; Sam waiting for her to tell him what on earth was going on. Janna chased crumbs around her plate with her finger and took a deep breath.
"I've known for a while. About the other women, you know? People tell me things" she let out a harsh laugh "I was just storing the information away for a while, you know, biding my time."
Sam took her hand. He could see the tears in her eyes, could see her fighting them back and carefully measuring her words. He'd only get the facts right now, he knew that. He didn't know if the emotions would come or not.
"I confronted him about it when I knew for sure who they were. He was so angry, told me I was stupid for listening to people; he just kept denying it." She took a deep breath. Sam's heart ached on one beat and thrummed with rage on another beat. Who did James think he was?
"He got more and more angry as I talked. I walked out and he must have spun himself into a rage -- I knew I needed to get out of there and get some space" A tear tracked down her cheek. She rubbed it away angrily. "I came back a few hours later to find the house like that. He was gone. My emergency cash, you know, that money I keep in the beehive cookie jar you gave me? Gone."
Sam nodded. He knew better than to speak; she needed to get this out.
"So, I had a bad feeling and checked the bank balance on the joint account. Zero. He's taken it all." The tears couldn't be stopped now "I'd only just got paid, now I have nothing. The bastard took everything." Sam squeezed her hand and passed her a tissue. She grabbed it and rubbed her tears away.
"I'm sorry honey. Stay here as long as you need. I'm here for you, okay? Whatever you need."
Janna nodded, she didn't dare to speak for fear that she would start crying properly, and never stop. Her head was spinning; she knew her father had always distrusted her husband, and she wished she'd trusted his judgement more. James had talked her into paying her wages into the joint account; he'd talked her into renting instead of buying; he'd made her believe that she was the only one for him. 'Just put one foot in front of the other. One thing at a time' she mentally coached herself. She cleared her throat.
