A knock sounded at the door. The lone figure got up and answered it, not bothering to straighten his mussed hair. His resting-grump-face softened as he saw who it was.
"Janie, decent people aren't up at this hour," he chided with a lopsided grin.
"Sure they are, Randall. Our family are go-getters. Grandpa worked in the coal mine, got up at five in the morning, had six kids. Dad works the law office, gets up at-"
"Fine, fine. Maybe I should say, ONLY decent people are up at this hour."
He squinted at the bright sunlight burning away the remnant of fatigue clouding his mind.
"I never asked if you were decent. Maybe I should have," Janie teased.
"No matter what I dress in, I'm never decent," he replied. "Black sheep of the family and all. Ah, get in here."
He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her inside.
"Have a seat, or whatever." He flopped back down on the couch.
"Steak for breakfast?" she said, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, it's-" he hesitated, decided to be at least a little classy for his sister, "-leftovers. Don't want it going to waste."
"Mm hmm," she said, not sounding entirely convinced.
"So what brings you here at this godly hour?"
"I want a room."
"No."
"I can-"
"I SAID NO. No, no no no no no. No."
"I'm a big girl now. A woman even. You can bring a girlfriend home, I won't mind."
"It's not just that. Shit, Janie, you're so determined to be worldly, but-"
"But what? You think I don't know how earplugs work? You think I won't be bringing a guy home myself?"
"That's not the point. I rent that room out, Janie."
"I know. I can pay."
"Janie, it's not even about the money."
"I know that, too."
"You do? How do you figure?"
She got a sly little grin as she pulled a folder tucked under her arm. She opened it and showed it to him.
"That's... my ad for a room."
"Posted last week," she pointed to the handwritten date on the printout in a sky blue ink and her neat, artistic handwriting. "No takers yet? Women only. Plenty of them around, I see them on the street."
"I'm in negotiations," he said. "I'll post it again if I have to."
"Oh really? Negotiations with whom?"
"I don't owe you anything, least of all an explanation."
She flipped the page.
"Again, my ad for a room. So what?"
"Six months ago, give or take. Vacancy shortly after graduation at the local university. Coincidence?"
He smirked.
"Thought so. You like smart girls, then?"
"Among other things, which I am absolutely not discussing with my sister."
"And this one," she said, flipping the page, "just one week before the last one."
"Janie, why did you print out all of these ads? You're killing the planet, or whatever."
"I'm making a point here. Stick with me, and I'll drive it home. So. A week?"
"No bites the first time around. At least, nothing worthwhile."
"Mm hmm. And again, the time before that, when said hot cheerleader-"
"Med student."
"Hmm. Needed an anatomy reference to study, did she?" she smiled knowingly.
"No. She wasn't studying to be a sex therapist, she wanted to be an anesthesiologist, you dork."
"Ha! You make it sound so lurid, but in truth, it was just a sad ploy to get a hot girl to stay with you for a few months at a time. Bet you never even fucked any of them- what's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. Continue."
"Come on, spill it."
"Not that it's any of your business, but I fucked them until they saw God."
"Pfft. And what does he look like? Surely one of them described it, if that's true."
"Goddess, to be more accurate. Specifically, they saw their own inner goddess - they were magnificent creatures, each one of them."
"And you let them get away!? And this last one... no one's moved in, but you haven't posted again. Why not?"
"I'm really hoping that young real estate agent calls me back."
"What's so special about her?"
"Janie-"
"Don't you patronize me, I'm an adult now. Answer the question."
"Fine. If you must know, I figure I won't mind her long hours, and it would be fun to hear her chat with clients while she's wet and grinding on me. Closing that sale has got to be a great boost for her libido."
"There. Was that so hard?" She grinned triumphantly.
"No, what's hard is getting her to the ninth level of orgasm without popping myself."
Janie took a deep, shuddering breath. "Ninth!?" she finally squeaked.
"Oh, you didn't know about that?" he grinned. "Careful now, you're on the cusp of some seriously life-changing knowledge."
"H-how much do you charge them?"
"Generally, I don't take their money. I have plenty of benefit to myself from the arrangement."
"How so?" she frowned intensely at him, lips pressed tightly together in anticipation.
"Lets just say, I teach them how to catch and keep a man. Top tips to keep him happy and how to recognize the signs that she's really blowing his mind. Hands-on, you know; the work is its own reward. And of course, getting thanked for a spiritual experience of meeting your own inner goddess - why, it's been such a joy. That enthusiasm is next-level. Call it my fetish. Fuck, I can't believe I'm telling you this, you're my sister."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care. You're ineligible, scram."
"Says who?" she smiled innocently.
"SAYS EVERYONE!" he exploded. "Don't you get it? You're talking about incest. There's basically no higher taboo that exists."
She was quiet for a minute. "Can't we work something out?"
"The Randy Treatment cannot be appreciated in anything other than its full form. At least a month of proper confidence-boosting, standard-raising, and sexual growth is required to provide my satisfaction guarantee."
"TM."
"Huh?"
"I swear, you said 'The Randy Treatment' with a TM after it. Like, a trademark."