The sun beat down mercilessly on the cracked pavement as I paced anxiously in front of the dilapidated house, my hands sweating and my mind racing. I should’ve gone with my brother, but he’d insisted it was better for me to stay behind and handle whatever came next. Little did I know just how wrong I’d be.

It had all started when my sibling, fresh off a flight from abroad, arrived bearing an assortment of mysterious packages he insisted needed delivering. The name on the cryptic addresses meant nothing to me, so I reluctantly handed over the care package, along with explicit instructions to drop it off personally.

Apparently, his discretion was nonexistent, for as soon as he pulled up at the appointed location, the lady of the house swept him up, abandoning her young son of no more than two years old, to collect the ‘goods’ herself. I’d heard nothing but static until an hour later, when my phone buzzed with an unknown number.

“Hey, where you at?” a husky voice purred, the deep undertones sending a shiver down my spine despite my embarrassment at the situation.

“My place,” I managed, my face heating up as I tried to decipher the context.

“Well, hurry up then,” she spat, before cutting the call abruptly. Five minutes later, my brother was at my doorstep, looking like the cat who got the cream.

“Well, sis? What happened?” I prodded, half-expecting a grand tale of conquest.

He flashed an enigmatic grin and plopped down on the couch, dragging a hand through his tousled hair. “Let’s just say she made it worth my while,” he chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief.