I nod slowly.

“Yeah, some guys have a hang up about their daughters joining when it comes time. They think their daughters aren’t a fit for the most bizarre reasons. For example, they have a snaggletooth, or because they’re not great at driving. Trust me, a woman’s driving skills have no bearing on their suitability for membership.”

“Exactly,” says Jess emphatically. “That’s why you need to step in, Tex. You and Rex need to induct Marni without Brent knowing. If that happens, then Brent’s opposition will fall by the wayside because what could he say? That his daughter didn’t like it? That she wasn’t taken care of? That she’s not good material for the club?”

Rex immediately shakes his head.

“Jess, we can’t just bypass the club’s rules. We only meet with women who are members of the club. This would be violating a very important tenet.”

But my daughter’s always been a rule-breaker.

“Tenet? Do you hear yourself? What, are we a bunch of professors wearing bifocals? This is Marni we’re talking about, and she’s already told me that she’s more than ready. She would love to be inducted into the club, and she’s even mentioned she’d like to break the rules herself: she’d like to be inducted by the two of you,” Jess adds slyly.

Immediately, blood rushes downwards and my rod hardens. I can see Rex shifting about uncomfortably in his seat, and I know the same thing is happening to him because Marni’s the ultimate forbidden treat. She’s lush, lovely, and has no idea that how beautiful she is. Women like that are the best because they’re humble and giving, as opposed to being snooty with their noses up in the air.

“Yeah,” continues Jess. “So the two of you should induct Marni, and then after that’s done, Brent will find out. Marni will say how wonderful it was, blah blah blah, and then he’ll re-join Dads and Daughters, and he and I can have our blessed day together.”

Rex stares hard at Jessica.

“If you’re so hell-bent on being with Rex for your first time, then why does he have to be a member of Dads and Daughters?”

Jessica’s prepared for the question, and she smiles at us.

“Because Brent always follows the rules. There’s no way I could convince him to meet me on my own. It needs to be under the auspices of the group, otherwise he won’t do it. That’s why I need your help, Daddies. I need you to take care of Marni really well, so that she sings the group’s praises. Then Brent will re-join and I’ll get my time in his bed.”

I pause there.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Jessica? You’re asking your stepfather and I to bend the club’s strictures. You know they don’t look down on that lightly.”

Rex nods in agreement.

“In fact, we could be expelled if the club finds out what we’ve done. That means your membership will be revoked as well.”

But Jessica isn’t concerned, and she flips her blonde curls back before making an airy wave of her hand.

“Oh, it’s fine,” she says. “Both of you are such worry-warts. Everything is going to work out fine. You induct Marni, knock her socks off, and then everything will fall into place. I promise.”

Our daughter flounces back to her room, leaving us in silence at the kitchen table. The light overhead flickers a bit off the wooden surface, and the yellow linoleum of the floors gleam. The counters are spotlessly clean, and the cheery yellow curtains seem to flutter a bit, even though it’s night.

I exchange a glance with Rex, but neither of us say anything. Are we seriously considering this taboo idea? He stretches a bit, throwing me a glance.

“What do you think, brother?”

I shake my head.

“We can’t do it.”

He smirks.

“Yeah, I know. But what we want, and what we can do, are two different things.”

I nod slowly.

“Marni Nicholas is a real pretty girl. She’s grown up, that’s for sure.”

Rex’s eyebrows go up, and he gets a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You’re telling me. I saw her last week, and she’s like an ice cream sundae waiting to be devoured. Complete with a cherry on top. Or more accurately, her cherry’s inside, ready to be popped by the right men.”

I stare at him.

“Do you hear us, though? If we take her without the club knowing, we’re going to be expelled. We’re going to be permanently black-balled, and then what are we going to do on those long-haul rides? Jerk off to some girlie mags? It’s not worth the risk, my friend.”

Rex merely shrugs.

“I hear you, and yeah, the consequences are real. But Jessica isn’t completely wrong, either. In my opinion, Brent is overreacting. He thinks his daughter is too sweet and innocent for alpha males like ourselves, and there’s some truth to that. We’ve each been with hundreds of women by now. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not right for Marni, or that she’s not right for us. All it means is that she has no experience, and that we’re very experienced men who can show her the way.”