I stumbled through the front door, a bit drunk but still trying to be as quiet as possible. I didn't want to wake up my Step-Dad. He'd told me to be home by 9 which was stupidly early, so I'd ignored him. It was now 11:55. I didn't want him to know that I'd disobeyed him so I needed to get into bed without waking him up.
As I closed the front door, I heard a noise from the living room. I cursed under my breath, realizing that I had been caught. When I peeked inside, I saw my Step-Dad sitting in his armchair, his arms folded over his chest. His eyes bore into mine, and I could tell by his expression that he was not happy with me.
"You're back late," he growled.
"Soz, lost track of time," I said with a little shrug to show that it wasn't a big deal. My mom and gone away to China on a work trip and wouldn't be back for 3 months. She'd only be gone a week and he was already getting on my nerves.
"That's not good enough, Katie. That's not good enough at all. Sit down, I think it's time we had a chat about your blasΓ© attitude to my authority," he said, pointing at the sofa.
I couldn't stop the laugh that came tumbling out of my mouth. "I'm 18 years old, Rick, and you're not my dad. I'm going to bed."
My Step-Dad stood up, his imposing figure looming over me. "Just because I'm not your real father doesn't mean I don't have authority in this house. You're living under my roof, and you will abide by my rules."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said, turning to leave.
Before I could reach the stairs he was on his feet, his hand closing around my wrist. His grip was tight, and I could feel his strength bearing on me. "This is my house you're living in and I am going to teach you some respect no matter what it takes," he said, snarling.
A shiver ran down my spine at the intensity in his voice. I tried to pull my wrist free but it only made him grip tighter. "What are you doing?" I yelled.
"I think you need to be taught a lesson," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Since you like to disobey me so much, maybe I should punish you the way you deserve."
"I'm not a fucking child, Rick! I'm 18 years old!" I yelled as he dragged me into the living room.
"You may be 18, but you're still living under my roof and you'll follow my rules or face the consequences," he said, his voice low and commanding. I could feel his breath on my face, and I was unnerved by the intensity of his gaze.
He pushed me down until I was sitting on the sofa and then he stood in front of me, forcing me to look up into his commanding gaze.
"Now, I'm going to give you one chance to apologize to me and promise you will show me the appropriate respect, and we can call it a night. No punishment needed."
But I was used to getting my own way and I wasn't about to back down now. "I'm not apologizing for shit, you're not my dad," I retorted, my eyes blazing with anger.
My stepdad's jaw clenched at my words, and suddenly I was being pulled up off the sofa and back to my feet. I glared up at him, but there was something about the way he was looking at me that made me uneasy.
"If you were my daughter I would have raised you better. I certainly wouldn't have allowed you to go out dressed like a slut," he said, his eyes roving over my dress.
The words hit me hard, and I suddenly felt self-conscious about the way I was dressed. I was wearing a tight mini-dress that accentuated my curves and showed off my legs. I suddenly became aware of how exposed I was feeling in front of him.
"I'm not dressed like a slut," I protested, my cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. "I can wear whatever I want."
My heart was pounding in my chest as he took a step closer, his hand reaching out to touch my dress. "This dress is too revealing. It shows off too much of your body and it's not appropriate for a young lady like you."
I bristled at his words, my anger flaring up once more. "I don't care what you think. It's none of your business."
My breath caught in my throat as he leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. "If you're under my roof then it is my business. I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget," he whispered.
He sat down on the sofa and before I could even protest he yanked on my arm and dragged me over his knee.