In Unlikely Places (closed for wintersfanatic; incest within)

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Michael rolled over reluctantly to the obnoxious buzzing of his alarm clock, his hand flailing randomly in search of the snooze button. He would have been just as happy to let the clock buzz for the next hour until it automatically shut off, but his sister hated being awakened by the sound of his alarm - especially on a Saturday morning.

"It is way too early to get up on a Saturday," he groaned, finally giving up and opening his eyes to find the alarm, the large LED digits displaying "9:00."

On any other Saturday morning, he would have continued sleeping for another three hours, but he had other things to do. He and his parents had recently decided that it was time for him to move out of the family home and find his own apartment, even though he attended college in town. It wasn't an issue of space in the house; his family was pretty well-off, and they had plenty of room to spare in their spacious five bedroom, three bathroom house. Michael's parents, who were quite a socially outgoing couple, seemed almost eager to have one less child in the house--presumably because it made it easier for them to entertain guests without interference. In any event, Michael's Saturday was booked full of appointments to check out potential rental places.

Rolling himself out of bed, Michael double-checked his schedule on his laptop before stepping out into the hallway, making his way to the nearest bathroom, which he mostly had to himself. It was going to be a long day, and he was pretty sure a shower would be essential to waking him up.

The sun was just starting to rise by the time Samantha awoke, though she remained motionless in her bed while her senses caught up with the rest of her. She hated getting up early on Saturdays, but with practice early in the morning she needed all the time she could get to properly wake herself up. Sam could already hear her parents moving around downstairs, and after a little while the young blond finally sat up and tossed aside her bed sheets.

The shades in her room had been drawn closed from the night before, and she had to avert her eyes when her fingers wrapped around the tiny string cord that she'd pull on to raise the blinds up. Light suddenly flooded her spacious bedroom, and it took Sam a few more seconds to adjust to that as well. Her hair was a tangled mess, but it was nothing that a good shower and blow dryer couldn't fix. Even for an early morning cheer practice, Sam wanted to look her best.

Taking a few minutes to set aside some clothes to wear, Sam grabbed a fresh pair of underwear to change into after her hot shower, which, on average, would last somewhere between fifteen to twenty minutes. One of the perks of waking up so early was that she didn't have to fight with her older sibling over bathroom privileges. Though there were several bathrooms to be found throughout the house, only one of them had a shower upstairs, and it was that exact one that Sam stumbled into just a little after 8.

One of her first acts of duty was to turn the shower on, so that by the time she stepped inside the water was piping hot. She had already shed most of her clothes by now, slipping out of her panties last as she tossed them into the hamper. Sam set a few spare towels out by the sink before she slipped into the shower, thus beginning a long process of washing and rewashing. She would sometimes just stand there while the hot water pelted her body, keeping her eyes closed as she relaxed her overworked muscles. Her hands would become lathered up with soap, and she'd run them up and down her arms, chest, stomach, legs, back and her feet before washing it all off.

Sure enough, it was at least twenty or so minutes later when she finally stepped outside of the tub to dry herself off. She wrapped a large, white towel around her body and tucked a corner inside so that she didn't have to hold it up while she used a second towel to dry off parts of her hair. The electric blow dryer stationed by the sink would finish up the rest of the job, and she smirked at the idea of waking up her brother with all the noise she was making.

Chances were good, however, that he would sleep like a log until his alarm would sound off near his bed.

Sam had finally changed into her new underwear by the time she had achieved a desirable look for her hair, and her impressive chest seemed even bigger inside the padded bra she was wearing. The panties she had put on could probably double for a thong, with the strings riding up in the crack of her ass. If her mother had walked inside the bathroom at this point... Sam would never hear the end of it.

Michael trudged groggily down the hallway, not really paying attention to much of his surroundings in his half-awakened state. He hazily remembered to stop at the linen closet, grabbing a fresh towel from within. His mother made it no secret that she didn't really like him using the towels from that closet -- they were there for guests, she would say -- and he would probably have to take charge of cleaning the linens that week to make up for it, but at that particular moment, it was worth it.

As he approached the bathroom door, he noticed but gave little thought to the fact that it was closed. For whatever reason, his father made it a point to shut all the doors of unused rooms in the house at night. Call it one of his strange compulsions. All that mattered to Michael was that the handle of the door turned freely in his grasp.

When he swung the bathroom door open, however, he hardly expected to see the flurry of golden hair, evenly tanned skin, and what he could only guess was the latest and greatest in young women's underwear.

"Geez, Sammi!" he exclaimed, casting his eyes off to the side, a little too late to avoid an eyeful of his sister's barely-clothed body. "Cover up, will ya? Didn't we talk about this whole locking-the-door business last time?"

The entire family had called Michael's younger sister "Sammi" through her baby years. She had cast off the nickname in favor of "Sam" as she got older, but Michael had seen it fit to resurrect the moniker during Sam's freshman year of high school. He knew it annoyed her, and that was exactly why he used it, especially around her friends. Sure, tormenting a girl just starting off her freshman year of high school with a baby name had been a little cruel, but Sam had already been blessed with the good fortune of being simultaneously popular, smart, and attractive (or so the school gossip indicated; Michael had never really ogled his own sister, even during awkward bathroom encounters).

"So, uh, Sammi, you going to be done here soon, or should I just give up now and go downstairs?"

Sam, or Sammi as her brother "affectionately" referred to her as, was busy brushing her teeth when Michael walked into the bathroom. What happened next could only be compared to watching a crash-test dummy smack into a brick wall, as her older sibling quickly caught an eyeful of her luscious body before averting his gaze. The young blond turned her head to look over her shoulder, though she was too startled by her brothers sudden appearance to actually be mad at him for using such a childish nickname for her.

Sam rinsed out her mouth as quickly as possible before she reached for a large towel to cover herself with. There once was a time when neither would be particularly embarrassed about being seen almost stark naked around the other... but that was a long time ago.

Now they were older... and that often led to some very awkward and uncomfortable situations.

"Idiot," Sam said as she wrapped the towel around herself. "The bathroom's yours. I'm all done."

Sam grabbed the rest of her things before moving past her older brother.

"You could have knocked first, you know," Sam added before stepping outside. She felt a little flustered after the incident, but she quickly shrugged it off when she returned to her room. Not only did she close the door, but she also bolted it shut. She shook her head and then shed the towel she had rushed to put on in the bathroom, and she walked around her room for a few minutes while she got a few more things ready.

Sammi came out a few minutes later wearing a pair of navy blue shorts and a halter top shirt, something that served both form and function. Her large breasts felt rather restricted, but that was kind of the idea.

"Think you can drop me off at the school real quick? I got practice in a couple of minutes," Sam said as she approached the bathroom door again, holding her duffle bag over her left shoulder.

"You could have knocked first, you know," Sam's voice echoed in Michael's ears and the confines of the bathroom as they squeezed by each other, both being so careful not to brush up against the other that the situation surely would have been comical to any outside observer.

Michael was half tempted to send a retort Sam's way as she walked away down the hall, but caught himself at the last moment. Their morning bickering was bound to awaken the parents, and that was not something either of the siblings was prepared to handle while standing around in their underwear. Returning to his own morning routine, which wasn't so much a routine as it was whatever came to mind on any given morning, he shut the bathroom door, making sure he heard and felt the 'click' of the locking mechanism before turning away, letting his boxers drop to the floor. He gave the water control knob on the shower a haphazard twist, and immediately warm water began to spray out of the shower head. At least Sam had warmed up the shower for him.

Michael was just rinsing the suds off his body when he thought he heard his sister's voice at the door -- something about a ride. He couldn't quite make out her full sentences over the sound of the shower and the muffling effect of the locked door between them, so he quickly finished his shower, threw a towel around his waist, and opened the door just a crack so they could communicate without (hopefully, at least) shouting.

"You need a ride from me?" he asked, wiping the water from his eyes. "Can't you drive your..."

Then he remembered.

"Oh, right. Mom commandeered your car while her Mustang's in the shop. Sucks to be you, kiddo."

Although he was giving his sister a hard time, Michael remembered the life of a high school senior well enough to know that it really did suck to have one's car appropriated by the parents. He'd managed to avoid it most of the time, but their mother wasn't exactly good at taking care of her car.

"I've got to pass by that direction anyway," Michael admitted. "Will it hold you up too much for me to put some clothes on? Or do you need me to drive you there in a towel?"

With the bathroom door closed, all Samantha could hear was the sound of running of water coming from within. She stood by the door waiting until her brother could offer her an answer, though she was getting rather antsy. Finally she heard the water turn off, and not too long after that the door opened up just a bit. Michael peered out from behind it, clothed only in a towel just big enough to wrap around his waist.

At first he was going to ask why she wasn't going to drive her own car, but he stopped his sentence short when he realized that she couldn't use her car. Mother dearest had need of it, and Samantha's practice sessions usually ran too long for her to warrant using it.

From the hallway Sam leered at her brother when he gave her a hard time about it. In some ways the feisty young blond deserved the comments, as she had often poked fun at her brother in the past. Sibling rivalry at its best.

"Will it hold you up too much for me to put some clothes on? Or do you need me to drive you there in a towel?"

"As much as I'm sure my friends would just love for you to show up in nothing but a towel, I think you should put some clothes on and spare yourself the embarrassment," Sam responded with a smirk as she walked away from the door.

"I'll be downstairs waiting. Hurry it up or I'm going to be late," she called back as she descended the richly carpeted stairs leading to the main floor. Sitting in the kitchen was her mother and father, the latter of which seemed just about ready to head off to work and dressed in a fancy suit and tie. Even though it was a Saturday he still had to head out to the office to put in some extra hours, pulling clients together and netting the family some extra cash (as if they really needed it).

"Bye daddy," Sam said as she kissed him on the cheek, her nose taking in the strong scent of his aftershave. Sam also gave her mother a kiss, though what she really wanted to do was steal her car keys back. She did not, however, give in to such temptations, instead opening the front door where her brothers car lay waiting.

"Embarrassment my ass," Michael uttered under his breath after Sam had walked away.

A few of Sam's fellow cheerleaders had made it no real secret that they were attracted to him. One or two had even tried to come onto him when he was still in high school, although he had always rebuffed them due to his general disinterest in the stereotypical cheerleader type. In any event, though, he was definitely not going to drive out in a towel when he had potential landlords to meet.

Michael brushed his teeth and shaved with his towel still wrapped around his waist, then popped the bathroom door open to return to his room and find some clothes. On his way out, he stopped to retrieve his discarded boxer shorts; his mother would tear him a new one if he left his worn clothes lying around on the bathroom floor. He tossed the boxers into his hamper, lined up along the wall next to Sam's. He was prepared to exit when he paused once more, a glimpse of something pink in his hamper catching his attention. Reaching in and pushing some of his clothes aside, he fished out a pink bra---obviously Sam's.

"Real nice, sis," he grumbled, rolling his eyes while dropping the garment into the appropriate hamper.

Finally making it out of the bathroom, Michael walked back to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and letting the towel drop. He quickly threw on a clean pair of boxers, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of jeans, shoving his wallet and keys into his pocket. He also grabbed the list of addresses he had written down the night before, silently thankful that he had written out the list already---he would not have heard the end of it from Sam if he had needed to take the time to do it now.

Michael breezed by his parents on the way out the door, briefly giving both of them a quick wave. He noted, with some irritation, that his mother appeared more cheerful than usual, most likely because he was one step closer to being out of the house permanently. When he got out the front door, Sam was already waiting in the passenger seat of his Honda Civic (a hand-me-down from his dad, after he had moved on to faster, more expensive cars).

"What, you couldn't even start her up for me?" Michael teased, as he slipped into the driver's seat and keyed up the ignition.

Samantha, after saying goodbye to both her parents, headed out the front door and towards the chariot that awaited her. Michael's Honda Civic was definitely the kind of car dreams were made of, but he kept it in pretty good condition so she couldn't really complain. The fact that he was also giving her a ride to practice, even if he was headed down that way anyways, helped keep her sarcasm in check.

"Sorry," Sam said, sounding more apathetic than apologetic as she buckled in her seat belt. She had already stuffed her duffel bag into the back seat, and in her mind she was already getting ready for the practice ahead of her.

"What time do you get done with... whatever you're doing after you drop me off?"

Thankfully Oakcrest High School was only a short drive away from their house, though the winding roads and various twists and turns made it seem a bit longer than that (walking to and from the school was pretty much out of the question). Trees whizzed by faster than cars did, as the roads were pretty much empty this early in the morning.

"I mean you can't pick me up, right? I can probably get a ride with like Tasha or Lindsay," Sam said, listing off the names of a few of her friends that her brother may or may not have remembered. They were only two years in age apart, so most of her friends at least knew that Michael existed and was, in fact, her brother (Sam often joked that she had been born an only child). Sam pulled out her cellphone and checked some of her more recent text messages as the car pulled up to the school. She saw a few of her friends already gathered around the gymnasium, waiting by the double doors that were, for the moment, locked. One of the custodians would arrive in a few minutes to let them inside, and for a short while they would have the entire gym to themselves.

"Well, thanks for the lift," Sam said, leaning over to plant a kiss on her brothers cheek as she pushed open her door. Sunlight poured down over her entire body as she retrieved her bag from the back, slamming that door shut behind her.

"Crap, you need me to pick you up afterward, too?" Michael said, his eyes glued to the road as his car hugged the curves of the road. "I mean, I knew you couldn't get yourself home, but I'd figured maybe mom could..."

He stopped, shaking his head and chuckling at himself.

"No, of course she couldn't," he mused aloud. "I wonder who she's going out with today - Charlene? Jill? Not that it matters."

Michael drummed his fingers on the steering wheel a few times as they pulled in to one of the school's parking lots, the one nearest to the gym where Sam usually had her practices. He had apartment and room viewings scheduled throughout the day, and a detour back in the direction of home would probably throw his entire schedule off. Still, she was his sister. She could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but with both their parents almost perpetually absentee, he felt bad not being able to help her out.

"I can probably pick you up whenever you're done," Michael offered, "but I might not be able to take you home right away. Send me a text when practice ends and I can come get you if you don't mind checking out an apartment or two with me. If you want to get a ride with one of the girls, just let me know you're getting home all right."

Michael quickly scanned the group of young women gathered outside the gym, waiting for practice to begin. It was a fairly typical cheerleading crowd -- lots of shapely young women in skimpy shorts, tight tank tops, and ponytails. Very attractive people, to say the least. Though he would never admit it to Sam, Michael would certainly have loved to get his hands on some of those firm asses and perky young breasts, but only for a quick fling, of course. Most of the girls, several of Sam's close friends included, were simply too ... dumb, for lack of a better word, to hold his interest at length, although some of them had certainly expressed an interest in securing him as a boyfriend. If only Sam weren't the only cheerleader on the squad with some brains to go along, Michael would have been more tempted.

"Here we are," Michael said as he brought the car to a stop. "Like I said, shoot me a text if you want a ride."

As she thanked him for the lift, Sam's lips (always perfectly moisturized and protected with just the right amount of lip gloss, of course) grazed his cheek softly in a quick kiss. It was a rare though not entirely unheard of gesture between the two siblings.

Maybe the girl's not such a brat after all, Michael thought to himself as he circled around the lot on his way out.

Nah.

"Yeah I'll give you a buzz when I'm finished. I don't have any plans after practice, but I don't want to be out till like midnight while you shop for a place to stay," Samantha said as she closed the passenger-side door. The window had been rolled down during the short drive to the school, and so she was able to lean forward and rest her arms where the glass used to be.

"Have fun," Sam added with a playful smirk before she moved away from the car and off towards the gym. Of the twenty or so members of the squad that comprised the bulk of the team, only fifteen had decided to show up for their early morning practice. Michelle and Kara would probably be late (as usual), and Sam saw absolutely no sign of Lindsay.

Well there goes my ride home

"Was that your brother?" one of the girls asked, and Sam nodded her head. Ashley Price, one of the freshmen girls on their team, had always had a crush on Sam's older brother, but she had also had a crush on just about every guy in the world she thought was cute. Ashley had, on more than one occasion, sent in letters asking if Ryan Seacrest would go out on a date with her.

"Is Greg here yet?" Sam asked aloud, wondering if anyone had seen the custodian that was supposed to let them indoors. A few of her friends shook their heads no, and Sam let out a quiet sigh. The longer he took in getting the doors open, the less time they had to practice. Though many of the girls were seasoned veterans to the team, they all knew the true value of hard work and practice. Sam was just about to put her bag on the ground when Mr. Winters came hobbling around the corner of the large brick building, jiggling a set of keys in his hands while he kept himself propped up on an old walking cane.

"Speak of the devil," Sam thought to herself, and she stood aside as the elderly custodian began unlocking the doors. The old geezer was a man of few words, though it was rather obvious what he was thinking when surrounded by a fleet of pretty young girls.

Soon the gymnasium was alive with the sound of loud music, and for a few hours the girls all practiced their routines in preparation for the games ahead of them. Safety mats had been placed strategically around the gym, offering a bit of a cushion in case there were to be any accidents (which there probably were). All the girls knew the risks involved, and luckily so far no one had yet to be seriously injured while performing.

Practice was just about coming to a close when the Varsity Boys basketball team came bounding through the doors, and from the opposite side of the gymnasium Sam could practically hear them whistling like a pack of wild dogs.

Some of the guys respected the girls privacy, and acted like gentlemen.

Most, however, did not.

Putting some things away in her bag, Sam saw one of the guys walking in her direction, and yet she made no attempt to initiate contact with him. Robert Clausen often acted as if they were a thing, a delusion of his that often put her in an uncomfortable situation. She had told him repeatedly that she wasn't interested, but he just wouldn't take the hint. He still didn't.

"How was practice?"

"Fine," Samantha responded, and she tried to avoid as much eye contact as possible with the 6'2" starting senior. She stuffed a few items in her duffel bag before she zippered it up, then hoisted it off the bench with her tired arms. Sweat lingered all over her tanned body, especially on her toned stomach that was practically glistening under the lights of the gymnasium.

"Can we talk?"

"Sorry, Rob. I have to catch a ride back home," Sam said as she began walking away. "Good luck at the game, though."

Once outside she pulled out her cellphone and dialed her brothers cell.

As he pulled up to the first red light leaving Oakcrest High School, Michael fished his list of addresses and appointments out of his pocket and scanned it over. The list of addresses was scattered all about town, a mixed bag ranging from houses in well-to-do subdivisions like the one in which his family lived to the new upscale (but expensive) apartment complexes that had sprung up around the local outdoor shopping plaza to the older apartment buildings near the community college where Michael had his classes. His first appointment was in a suburb near Oakcrest, so he pointed his car in that direction and was on his way when the light changed.

By noontime, Michael had seen several of the places on his list, though most of them were for rooms in shared houses or multiple-bedroom apartments. Several of the houses in the suburbs appealed to him, thanks to their spacious living rooms and backyards (some even with swimming pools and hot tubs), but after spending twenty years sharing a roof with three family members, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about sharing his next place with people he didn't know. He was heading toward the shopping center to sit down and gather his thoughts before his next appointment when his cell phone, sitting in the cup holder, started to vibrate, his sister's name showing prominently on the caller ID block.

"Hey, I'm driving right now," he said sheepishly when he answered -- he had never been good at driving and talking. "But if you're done with practice, I'll be over there shortly."

He looked at the time display in his dash; he had about half an hour to pick up Sam and head over to his next appointment, a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment a ways across town. He figured he had enough time to make a quick stop before going back to Oakcrest.

When he did pull into the mostly empty parking lot at Oakcrest, Michael drove by a few small groups of cheerleaders on foot, apparently walking home from practice. Being a typical red-blooded twenty-year old male, he couldn't help but sneak a peek at the well-toned girls as their breasts bounced freely up and down beneath their cotton tank tops. One of the girls, apparently not at all offended when she caught his gaze, flashed him a flirty smile and waved. Michael returned the smile and nodded his acknowledgment while trying to remember her name -- Alicia? Arlene? Ashley, maybe. Not that it mattered; although she was cute, he vaguely remembered Sam mentioning that the girl was a freshman -- jailbait through and through.

Pulling up beside the gymnasium, Michael saw his sister leaning against the side of the building, her duffle bag slung over her shoulder. A couple of guys in basketball warm-ups were gathered around her, probably engaged in some sort of pissing contest trying to one-up each other with tales of their athletic achievements. If Michael had to guess, Sam wasn't even paying attention; she quickly gathered her belongings and headed toward the car, dismissing the entire circle of guys with a wave.

"Hey there," Michael greeted his sister as she slid into the passenger seat. "Have fun with the douche patrol over there?"

Michael took a quick glance at Sam before putting the car into gear. Like her teammates, her training clothes were visibly damp and her skin shimmered slightly with a thin sheen of sweat, which was also causing locks of her golden hair to stick to her cheeks and shoulders. Somehow despite it all, she still managed to smell pleasantly fragrant, for which Michael was quite thankful.

Reaching behind his seat, he procured and offered her a brown paper bag containing an energy bar and a bottle of water.

"I know it's lunchtime," he explained, as they pulled back out of the lot. "But I've got two more places to check out before we can head home and grab some food, and I didn't want you to starve to death on me."

Samantha stepped outside the gymnasium and pulled out her cellphone, and she quickly dialed her brothers number before placing the phone up to one of her ears. Her clear blue eyes took in her surroundings, though she could have kept them closed and yet still be able to find her way around without hurting herself. It took a few rings before her brother finally answered the phone, which shouldn't have been much of a surprise considering how horrible he was at multitasking.

But the important thing was that Sam had a ride, even if she had to sit tight for a few minutes while he drove over to the school. Most of her friends had already left by the time Michael arrived, though a few jocks managed to keep her company while she completely ignored them. While her attention was aimed elsewhere, she did catch a few of them bragging about how many points or rebounds they had managed to accumulate in the past few games.

Spotting her brothers Honda Civic pull into the parking lot, Sam bent down to pick up her things. Once again she felt the leering eyes of her classmates pour down over her body, but it honestly didn't bother her.

Boys will be boys.

Sam actually smirked when she slid into her seat, as Michael was also keen to notice just how typical most of the guys were in her school (the same could also be said for most of the girls, actually). While Sam young, blond and busty, she excelled not only in athletics but in academics as well, putting to rest the common misconception that all blond cheerleaders were ditzes.

"You know I could probably get every single one of them to do my homework for me if I asked them to," Sam said as she buckled her seat belt into place, then reached up to tie her hair back into a ponytail. Though she had had plenty of time to rest after her intense practice, tiny beads of sweat still coated most areas of her body, especially on those regions not covered by her somewhat damp clothes.

Michael showed an extra bit of thoughtfulness that surprised even his sister when he pulled out a brown paper bag from behind his seat. Inside Sam found a small energy bar and a bottle of water, and she smiled after unwrapping her "lunch". It wasn't much of a meal, but it would at least hold her over until she could get some real food.

"Thanks a lot," Sam said with a smile after she drank a good portion of the water. In a brief moment of carelessness, Sam let a few drops of water escape from the cap and they landed squarely on her chest. The occurrence didn't bother her all that much, but there was a slightly visible wet spot shown even against the dark shirt she was wearing.

"So am I like staying out in the car while you check these places out? Or... do you want me going inside dressed like this?"

Pulling up to a stop sign, Michael took a glance over at Sam. He certainly would not have taken her into a job interview dressed as she was, but he didn't see the harm in bringing her along to see apartments. The remaining damp spots on her clothing, including where she had spilled a few drops of water, were already drying up; he figured that by the time they got to the next place, they'd be gone all together.

"I'll remember to crack the window for you," he joked, giving her a playful wink. "I'm kidding. You can come with me. The first place we're going to is one of those new corporate complexes anyway. I could walk in wearing rags and they'd only care if my credit checked out and my deposit cleared."

When they arrived at the complex, Michael fell into a momentary silence at the impressiveness of the design. Like so many new professionally-managed apartment complexes, this one had all the trappings -- lots of parking, pristine modern buildings, fountains throughout the property, a huge pool -- and of course, a somewhat pretentious sounding name.

"Continental Point," he read out loud. "This is the place. Pretty ritzy for a bunch of apartments, huh?"

He pulled into one of the parking spaces designated for potential tenants and brother and sister hopped out of the car, following a series of signs directing them toward the main leasing office. The sound of running water from the fountains filled the air, and a mix of plants growing in various ornate planters that lined the walking paths cast shade along their brief walk to the office.

When they entered the leasing office, they were greeted by a representative who Michael guessed was probably just a few years older than him.

"Good afternoon folks," the man said, rising from behind his desk. "How can I help you today?"

"I've got an appointment to take a look at some apartments," Michael told him. "Michael Clarence?"

The leasing agent typed something into his computer and nodded a few moments later, reading from the screen.

"Ah, yes," the man said. "I have here that you're looking for a one bed, one bath unit."

He glanced over at Sam before continuing.

"Will your, um, partner be moving with you as well? This would be a lease for two people?"

"Partner?" Michael asked, raising one eyebrow as he puzzled over what the agent had just said. "I don't..."

Then it dawned on him.

"Oh, you mean Sam?" he said with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, no, she and I aren't... Sam is my sister. I just picked her up from cheer practice."

"Ah, my mistake. We do get a lot of couples coming in here. I shouldn't have assumed. Let me go get the keys from the back office and I'll start showing you around. Give me just one moment."

As the leasing agent hurried off behind a closed door, Michael shot a glance at Sam.

"I bet that doesn't happen every day," he said, with a bit of a wry smile. "How does it feel to be my, erm, what did he call you? 'Partner?'"

"Continental Point," Michael said, as if savoring the flavor of a juicy steak."This is the place. Pretty ritzy for a bunch of apartments, huh?"

"It's pretty nice, actually," Sam agreed, her eyes taking in all the perks that the Continental Point had to offer. The excessive amount of parking, while nice, was not what had attracted the cheerleaders attention. What she noticed, above all the others, was the gigantic pool. A pleasant smile crept over her face as they walked towards the main office, though Sam felt somewhat... under-dressed for the occasion.

Samantha kept rather quiet as she and her brother walked inside, and she immediately noticed how much cooler it was indoors (courtesy of the lovely air conditioner). The agent whom Michael was scheduled to meet didn't seem to be that much older than her brother, but he carried with him an air of experience and professionalism.

At least it seemed that way...

"Appearances can be... deceptive," as Brad Pitt once said in the movie Burn After Reading

Samantha smirked as she looked around the office, stopping to look at the various pictures that lined the shelves and bookcases before her ears picked up the word 'partner'. She raised an eyebrow as the agent had glanced her way, obviously assuming that she and Michael were a couple.

Wait... what?

Samantha was just about as confused as her brother was, but Michael had always been a bit quicker on his feet, and he quickly quelled any misconceptions about the pair. The agent apologized and then walked away to retrieve the keys to the apartment. Sam raised an eyebrow at her brother when he turned around to look at her, and she just simply rolled her eyes at him.

Even if they weren't related...

Sam actually couldn't really come up with any plausible reasons as to why she wouldn't date Michael if given the chance. He was strangely handsome, charming and sometimes funny, and very personable. Those were just a few of the admirable qualities that Sam looked for in a man, and sadly most of the guys in her school were lacking in just about all of them.

"Well, as your partner, I hope you don't expect me to cook dinner for you."

"No cooking?" Michael said with mock surprise. "Sammi, dear, that may be a deal-breaker. I'm afraid it's over between us."

Capping off the joke, he leaned over and placed a kiss on Sam's forehead. Like the rest of her, her hair smelled sweet and fragrant, no doubt as result of the large quantities of shampoo and conditioner she went through -- he had seen the economy-sized jugs that passed in and out of their bathroom.

A few moments later, the leasing agent return with a fob of keys jingling in his hand. Had he come back in any earlier, he would surely have been even more baffled by the apparent gesture of affection shared between the two people who had just claimed to be brother and sister.

"We are all set to go," the agent said, smiling, oblivious to the joke that Sam and Michael had just shared at his expense. "We've got a couple of units opening up in the time frame you've given us, though they're all the same design, so I'll just show you one of them that is on the third floor of one of the buildings. If you'll both follow me... unless of course your sister would like to wait here."

Michael looked back at Sam. He had noticed how she had been just as interested in seeing what the complex had to offer as he was on their way to the office, and figured she'd enjoy the time a bit better if she got to have a look around as well.

"No, she'll be coming with us," he told the agent. "That way she can see all the amenities I'll be enjoying while she's stuck at home with mom and dad."

Michael grinned at the agent, who offered up only a polite smile in return. He did not need to look over at Sam to know his little sister was probably staring daggers at him, though she certainly would also have known that he was just teasing as usual. The agent led Michael and Sam out of the office and along the cement pathways that snaked through the complex. As they walked, he explained the shared amenities available to tenants -- the pool, plenty of parking, a sauna, a fitness center, and various other facilities.

When they reached the apartment unit that the agent wished to show, Michael was once more taken aback by the luxury and detail that had been put into everything. Like the rest of the complex, the actual unit was impressive. Sunlight poured in through windows, which lined many of the walls, some spanning from floor to ceiling. The kitchen was fully loaded with granite counters and new appliances. The bathroom was equally well-constructed, with a separate bathtub and shower.

The last surprise came when Michael asked the agent what the monthly rent would be. It was on the high end, as was to be expected, but not nearly as high as the complex could have charged for such an apartment. Most college students would probably have some difficulty affording the rent, but with his mother seemingly quite eager to foot part of his bill to get him out of the house, Michael could probably pull it off without much trouble. He told the agent that he would take an application and think about it.

"That was quite some tour, wasn't it?" he asked Sam when they got back into the car. "I mean... wow. I knew these new places they were building were fancy, but I wasn't quite expecting this. I'm almost afraid that mom will try to move here if she ever comes to visit. Almost."

"Aww, and the relationship was just starting to get good," Sam joked once her brother "ended" their partnership. "No sex for you," she added in a hushed tone of voice just after he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. The agent arrived shortly thereafter, and he held the keys to one of the apartments that they would be scoping out.

Sam trailed after her brother who walked next to the agent, and she kept rather silent throughout the entire tour. At one point during the preview Sam thought she saw the agent checking her out, but as soon as she made eye-contact with him he quickly diverted his attention elsewhere. Whether he was actually looking her up and down remained a mystery, though Sam kept a close watch on him throughout the rest of the tour.

Once the exhibition was over, Sam saw just how pleased Michael was with the whole situation. The house was damn near perfect, if only a bit pricey (not that that really mattered, of course).

"I might end up moving into one of these apartments, actually. They're pretty nice," Sam said as she scooted into her seat, closing the door behind her before she buckled herself in. The strap from the seat belt was nestled directly between her large breasts, and she felt a little... constrained.

"But you'll definitely have to let me come visit. I promise I won't trash the place," Sam said with a smile as they drove away from the apartment complex.

Continental Point... It had such a nice ring to it.

"So where we headed next? Any more places to check out, or is it time to go home?"

"Just one more place," Michael responded to Sam's query, giving Continental Point one last glance over his shoulder as he backed the car out of its parking space. "It'll probably be quick though, and not too much different from this one. If I end up living here though, you can definitely come visit... as long as you bring some cute friends."

As predicted, the last complex on Michael's list -- Lakeside Trails -- was quite similar in terms of amenities to Continental Point. Michael made certain to mention to the leasing agent that Sam was just his sister, particularly since the agent this time was a rather attractive brunette. She was sporting a diamond ring on her left hand, though, so she mostly just provided some additional eye candy during the tour.

At the end of it all, though, Michael was fairly certain that his decision was already made. The rent at Lakeside Trails was more in line with what he would have expected for that type of complex.

"What do you think, Sam?" Michael asked, as he drove homeward. "Any reason I should shell out the extra each month for Lakeside, instead of going with Continental? Other than the good looking woman in the leasing office, of course. I don't think she's worth the extra rent."

Michael felt his stomach begin to stir with hunger as they wound their way along the streets back to their house. He couldn't wait to see what kind of food his mom had whipped up for lunch. Unfortunately, it seemed he would be disappointed. While Sam headed upstairs to drop off her stuff and get changed, Michael found a note in their mother's handwriting left on the kitchen counter.

Went out for the day with the girls, it read. Probably won't be back until late, maybe not until tomorrow.

Michael shook his head, letting the note float back onto the counter. Sometimes he felt like he could count the number of times he had seen his parents throughout his lifetime on his fingers. He often wondered whether his parents weren't both cheating on one another -- with his dad at work almost all the time and his mom constantly out with "the girls," it certainly would not have surprised him. Admittedly though, his parents had quite an active sex life when they were both in the same place -- he'd had the misfortune of discovering this firsthand during a family vacation a few years back.

"Sammi!" he called out, as he started rummaging through the fridge. "Mom went out with her friends. What do you want for lunch?"

Sam had been the first of the pair to enter inside the house, and she found it to be quite deserted. Their father was off at work no doubt, and mother dearest was nowhere to be seen. That left the entire house practically to themselves...

"I'm going to change. Call me when lunch is ready," Samantha said as she ascended the richly carpeted stairs before heading off to her bedroom. She set her duffel bag down on one of her chairs before she shut her door. The young blond crossed her arms over her large chest and wrapped her fingers underneath her shirt, lifting it up and over her head before tossing it aside rather carelessly. She bent over slightly to slide her shorts off, leaving her with just her underwear on.

Ugh, I feel gross Sam thought to herself as she walked over to one of her dressers. Sitting on top of it was her i-pod player, and it was hooked up to a special speaker system that would allow her to broadcast her entire music collection throughout the entire room. Every so often Sam would find herself dancing along to the beat, completely oblivious to the world around her.

She soon fell into that very same routine after turning her i-pod on, placing it on shuffle so that she didn't have to bother searching through her endless list of artists before finding the right song.

Samantha liked a little bit of variety in her life, and her choice in music exemplified that trait exceedingly well. With her door shut Sam didn't even hear her brother calling out to her, and she continued rocking on in her own little world, clothed only a tight-fitting bra and her panties.

"Sam?" Michael called out again, after confirming that the fridge contained at least the makings of a couple of sandwiches. "Hey, Sammi!"

Although he was not overly concerned necessarily for his sister's whereabouts, seeing as it was a large house, Michael set down the plates he had gathered and proceeded to the stairs.

"Sam, are you up here?" he called up the staircase.

When he received still no answer, he ascended the stairs, heading for Samantha's room. When he reached her door, he could hear her music blaring quite loudly from within -- most likely the reason she was not responding to any of his inquiries.

"Cheerleaders," he said to himself, shaking his head. "Always dancing."

He rapped his knuckles against the door, quietly at first, then a bit more forcefully. Still no answer. Hesitantly, he tried the door handle and found it unlocked. Cracking the door open slowly, just enough so that he could peer inside, Michael found his eardrums immediately greeted by the sound of Sam's music, which seemed to be at least ten times louder without the door to drown out the sound. He couldn't see much through the sliver of an opening he had created, but he did catch glimpses of movement, as well as the sight of Sam's tank top discarded on the carpet.

Twice in one day? She's going to kill me for this.

Pushing the door a little wider, Michael stuck his head into the room. Sam's back was turned to him, her tanned body bare with the exception of her panties and the narrow coverage of her bra straps. Her entire body moved in rhythm to the music that was blaring throughout her room and her blonde hair swished back and forth across her back and shoulders -- a young cheerleader at her finest.

If she weren't my sister...

Michael cut the thought off right there. She was, unchangeably, his sister, and they'd certainly been through too much together for him ever to think of her that way. Or so he told himself. He'd seen her literally the same day that she was born, after all, and every day since then.

"Sam!" he yelled over the music, tearing his eyes away from her and directing his gaze to the ground, shielding his glance with one hand, just in case. "Sam!"

He reached over with his free hand and dialed down her iPod volume a few levels. He could feel her gaze as she turned in his direction.

"I knocked this time," he said to her, still looking down at the carpet. "Just needed to know what you want to eat - mom didn't exactly whip up anything before taking off with her friends."

If there was one thing in the world that Sam could add to her bedroom, it was a dance pole. She thrived off music, her body moving in innocent seduction as she closed her eyes and imagined that she was dancing with the man of her dreams, their bodies rocking against each other while the darkness of the club provided them with privacy. She could feel his hands on hers, their legs brushing up against one another until she began grinding her hips against him.

Lost in her own little world, Samantha didn't even noticed that her brother had entered into her room until the music began to fade away.

Suddenly the young teenager found herself back in her bedroom, and she turned around and gave out a startled yelp when she saw Michael standing there with his eyes looking down towards the ground.

"Holy fuck," Sam said with genuine shock and surprise, and her heart felt as if it were beating a million times a minute. Even though she was wearing underwear, Samantha still felt like she was standing in the nude, and her arms instinctively went up to shield her more intimate parts. It was a rather futile effort, as her arms clamped down over her chest only managed to deepen her cleavage.

With Michael looking away, Sam managed to retrieve a loose designer tee-shirt and some shorts, and she quickly slipped them on.

"You can look now," Sam said, and there was no mistaking the annoyance in her tone. "Whatever we have downstairs is fine. Doesn't matter to me."

Sam clearly was not happy that Michael had walked in on her, though she really hadn't left him with many other options.

"Okay, well, I'm making myself a sandwich," he told her. "I'll make you one too, if that's all right."

He started to back away, but looked up at her, dressed in a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Sorry about walking in on you again," he said. "I know it must be... troubling. I guess I'll be out of your hair once my application for my apartment goes through, right? Anyway, I'll have your lunch ready downstairs whenever you're all set."

He set out to leave, but paused once more.

"And hey, for what it's worth coming from your big brother, you look pretty good."

He flashed her a playful smile, and thought for a moment he could see Sam writhing in her own skin at the very comment. As much as living under the same roof with her annoyed him at times, he had to admit he was going to miss taking jabs at Sam from time to time; it had taken him almost all of his twenty years to figure out the best buttons to push, after all.

Making his way back into the kitchen, Michael prepared a sandwich for each of them and set the plates out on the breakfast bar. Looking back into the refrigerator, he pulled out a can of Pepsi. He was tempted to raid his father's beer stash instead, but figured it was perhaps a little too early in the day to get into the alcohol just yet.

As he was about to bite into his sandwich, Sam still nowhere to be seen, his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket. "MOM" blinked across the caller ID block.

"Hello?" he answered.

He was immediately greeted by the sound of loud music and women laughing gleefully in the background.

"Michael dear? It's mom," his mother's voice chirped, a little too cheerfully; she and her friends were probably onto their fifth pitcher of sangria, at least. "Did you pick up your sister from cheer practice hun?"

"Yes, mom," he told her, slightly impatiently, staring at his uneaten sandwich. "We got home awhile ago. Saw your note."

"Oh, good," she continued. "Listen sweetie, I just wanted to let you know that the girls and I are having a last minute girls' trip today, it's at some fancy hotel that Marie's husband just opened up. Out of town. I spoke to your father, he's going to meet me here at the hotel later tonight if he doesn't have to stay in the office all night long. As you can imagine, we won't be coming home tonight."

Too much information, mom, Michael wanted to tell her. Instead, he kept the thought to himself.

"No problem, mom. Sam and I can fend for ourselves for one night. We've done it plenty of times."

"Good, good. I knew I could count on you, dear. Take good care of your sister. I have to go now, the girls are getting impatient. Bye!"

And with that, the call clicked dead on her end.

"Lovely," Michael grumbled, finally sinking his teeth into his sandwich. Sandwiches would hold them over for lunch, but dinner was an entirely different animal.

"And hey, for what it's worth coming from your big brother, you look pretty good."

Samantha felt her face flush for a brief moment, but she quickly covered it up and put on a more annoyed look. Her brother had grown adept at being able to drive her near insanity one moment, then do a complete turnaround and offer her a compliment. It was maddening, but life would certainly be less interesting if he was nice to her 24/7.

The younger sibling turned around on her heels as her brother left her room, and she could hear him move down the hall and towards the stairs where the sound of his footsteps would become mostly inaudible.

"Ugh," Samantha groaned rather loudly, and she moved to close her door again. With her inner sanctum disturbed by her brothers "intrusion", Sam felt rather restless now. She was full of energy... but the moment was lost.

Sam sat down at her computer desk and forcefully tapped one of the keys to draw the slumbering machine out of its hibernation mode, then waited for the login screen the appear. Within the span of only a couple of minutes Sam was busy firing off almost a thousand different instant messages to her friends from school. There was talk of parties and classes, of boys, girls and teachers. Much to her chagrin several friends inquired as to her brothers current status, meaning that they wanted to know whether he was single or not.

What the heck did they even see in him?

Sam mostly avoided the topic altogether, and her stomachs constant growling eventually drew her away from her room and down towards the kitchen where she found her brother feasting on a sandwich. A plate had been set aside for her as well, and Sam grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before sitting down to enjoy her meal. She noticed a rather perturbed look on Michael's face, and she raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"What's the matter with you?" Sam asked as she bit down into her own sandwich, setting it back down on her plate before taking a few sips from her water.

"What's the matter with you?" Sam asked, when she arrived for lunch.

Michael pondered for a few moments just how much of his phone conversation with their mother he wanted to disclose to Sam. It would've been enough just to say that the parents weren't coming home for the evening, but he concluded that if he had to wrestle with the mental picture of his mom and dad having way too much fun at some fancy hotel, so should Sam.

"So you remember that time I walked in on mom and dad when were on that vacation in Florida?" he asked rhetorically, gulping down a bit more of his soda. "Well... I think they have a repeat planned for tonight at some hotel they're staying at. That is, after mom and her girlfriends engage in some drunken debauchery all day long. It creeps me out just thinking about it."

He polished off the last bite of his sandwich before continuing.

"So, in conclusion, mom and dad won't be home tonight. We've got the place to ourselves. I don't know what your plans are for the night, but I was thinking about ordering in some delivery, maybe getting into mom's wet bar for some liquid relaxation."

It was kind of a lame plan for a Saturday night in such a big house, but Michael wasn't really in the mood to round up too many of his classmates. Getting up early and spending the day driving all over town had worn him down a bit, and he was looking forward to a little bit of quiet time.

"Okay, gross. Thanks for the... ugh," Sam groaned after her brother reminded her of the time when their parents engaged themselves in a certain recreational activity whilst vacationing. Thinking of her mother and father in such a way was threatening to her health and sanity, so Sam had to quickly turn her mind elsewhere lest she become a wandering idiot for the rest of her life.

Thankfully there was some good news that had emerged after her brother finished relaying their parents' message, and Sam smiled at the prospect of having a night off from their parental units.

Michael had suggested they spend it simply ordering dinner while also dipping into their mothers stash of booze, but Sam had a different idea in mind.

"Oh come on. We get the house to ourselves... and that's your master plan? We should have a party," Sam suggested with a little bit of a twinkle in her eye. "I'll get some of my friends over, and you can call... well you can call whoever," she added before getting up from the table.

"You do have friends, right?" Sam asked as an impish grin spread across her face, and she put her empty plate into the dishwasher before she leaned up against the sink.