The food was great, but I’d packed my stomach full at brunch and had trouble finishing more than half my plate. Surprisingly, the girls at my side managed to eat all their dinner, and Beth even got a second plate. There was a ridiculous amount of food for six people, and I imagined they would have left-overs for a week or more.
The conversation while we ate was sparse, but, when Beth filled up a second plate, Aimee leaned forward in her chair, and I felt her hand scrape along the outside of my right thigh.
“Beth, when are you leaving for Italy? I forgot the exact date.”
“January fifth.”
“And then Japan after that?” I saw Aimee smile slightly out of the corner of my eye.
“Yes. I might come home in-between, but Tama has already accepted me into their graduate program.
“Tama?”
“It is a private art school in Tokyo,” Keiko said. “My brother graduated from there many years ago. It is a wonderful university.
“I will be living with Uncle there. I am looking forward to it, well... I am looking forward to Italy as well. The next four years are going to be very busy.”
“You are spending two years in each place?” I asked.
“Yes,” she answered after a few seconds of consideration. “You should come visit me.”
I didn’t answer at first. I actually thought that John, or Keiko, or Aimee would interrupt and say something against Beth’s question. But a few more seconds passed with everyone looking at me, and I realized they actually wanted to know my answer.
“That could be fun. You’ll have to write me when you get to Italy. Maybe you can send me pictures?”
“That is a great idea!” Beth’s eyes grew wide, and her smile was somehow bigger. It was stupid how beautiful she was. I turned my eyes away and back to my plate of half eaten food so that I wouldn’t have to feel my brain melting into my dick.
“Let us get started,” John said from across the table. “Who would like to go first?”
“I’ll start!” Aimee said. “I am thankful for school this year. I am finally taking interesting classes, making great friends, and meeting wonderful people. I am very happy that Eric is here with us today.” She leaned her head on my shoulder and hugged my arm briefly. Everyone else nodded at her words and smiled at the two of us.
“I am thankful and proud of you, Aimee, for doing so well in school. Beth, I am proud of your art and your upcoming travels,” Keiko said. The woman was very reserved, and I guessed she didn’t express a bunch of affection. After she finished talking, she turned to Loretta.
“I’m thankful for all my grandkids and these two girls.” Loretta smiled. “Yesterday, I got my plane tickets to head back home. I’ll be leaving for a few weeks after Beth goes.”
“Back to El Salvador?” I asked.
“Yep. But some of them are in Florida. I’ll visit them there for a few days and then go to El Salvador. Lots of family to see.” I guessed that the rest of the family knew all about Loretta’s kin, because there were no more questions about it.
“I am happy for Eric,” Beth said.
“Anything else?” Aimee asked, and her voice was more than slightly annoyed.
“Well, I love all of you, our house, my art, but I am really happy that you introduced me to Eric. Thank you so much, Aimee.” The older sister seemed shocked by Beth’s sincere words, and she smiled slightly before looking at her father.
“I am thankful for my family,” John said, “and the business that Keiko and I founded. This has been a record-breaking year for us, and we should be poised to do much better next year. I am so proud of the two of you, and I am happy that Beth invited this nice young man to spend the day with us.” I saw Aimee tense next to me, but she didn’t say the obvious words that I thought she would.
The family turned to me, and I guessed that it was my turn to speak.
“I’m thankful that Beth invited me and that you allowed me to come today,” I said to John and Keiko. “For a while, I wasn’t thankful for anything, but life is beginning to feel like it is worth living again. I am thankful to Aimee and Jack.” I turned to look at the girl and saw the confused expression on her face. “And I’m thankful for Beth for getting me back into my music again.” Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that last part, but in truth I was very thankful to the strange young woman. She smiled when I turned to her, and the look on her normally emotionless face was one of adoration.
“I love your music, Eric,” her voice was dark, husky, and sensual. I felt my face redden immediately, and I turned away from her quickly so that I wouldn’t be lost in her piercing eyes. Fuck, this is awkward.
“Maybe after dessert we can go back into the music room, or perhaps we can do some games in the game room?” Keiko spoke before the silence following Beth’s admission grew too oppressive.
“I want to hear Eric play more,” Aimee said quickly.
“I agree with my sister,” Beth said in a sing-song voice.
“I hate to be taking all the attention,” I said.
“Why don’t we play a few more songs and then go to the game room. We can have dessert there.” John settled the discussion and stood from his chair. He grabbed his glass of wine and the bottle and motioned for the rest of us to follow him into the hallway.
“I’ll clean this up and meet you all in there soon with dessert.” Loretta said with a smile.
I fell into line behind Keiko and felt someone grab onto my right hand. It was Aimee, and she pulled herself near me while I walked behind her parents.
“I think that we should-” Aimee’s whispered words stopped when Beth slid up on my left side and wrapped her arm through mine. I thought Aimee would let go when Beth grabbed me, but instead she just glared at her sister and pushed herself into my side more. It was awkward because we were both trying to walk. If their parents turned around, they would see the display, so I tried to wiggle loose from both of them.
By the time I escaped, we had made it to the music room, and I immediately went over to the beautiful Martin guitar that I had played earlier.
“Will you both play?” I asked John and Keiko.
“Sure! I think my hands are recovered, but I’ll probably have blisters on my fingers tomorrow.” John walked over to pick up his Ovation guitar, and Keiko wordlessly took her spot at the piano.
We played a few more songs while the girls sat at opposite ends of the big couch. John and Keiko were focusing on the music, so I doubted they saw the glares that Aimee was shooting Beth. I could see them though, and I guessed from Beth’s lack of concern that an eruption was going to come soon.
“Satin Doll and then go to the game room?” John asked.
“Sounds good.” Keiko flipped to the song, and I saw Aimee slide across the couch and sit closer to Beth when I began strumming the first chords.
John and Keiko were watching the sheet music, but I’d played Satin Doll eight hundred thousand times and could watch Aimee whisper into Beth’s ear. The older sister looked angry, but Beth’s blank expression didn’t change. I didn’t need to have superhearing to understand what was being said. I was sure that Aimee was telling Beth to back off from me.
We moved into the next phrase of the song, and it was my turn to solo. This got attention from both of the girls, and Aimee’s angry scowl turned into a beautiful smile when I turned to them and played. When my solo was over, I passed it to John, and the older man played his best one yet. Then Keiko had a turn, and it sounded wonderful. Once we finished playing, the girls clapped and got up from the couch.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” Beth stated before walking out of the room.
“We will go grab some more wine and meet you all in the game room,” John said before Keiko followed Beth into the hallway.
“Finally, we are alone.” Aimee brushed the front of her lavender butterfly dress and took a few steps toward me.
“I’m having a great time. I’m glad I came over.” I tried to think of something to say that
would keep our conversation pleasant.
“Me too. If only Beth wasn’t acting all weird with you. I’m sorry about her.”
“What did you say to her on the couch?”
“I told her to leave you alone for the rest of the night. It is obvious that you are humoring her, but she is acting like a child. You aren’t interested.”
“She did invite me tonight.” I shrugged.
“I thought I invited you a few weeks ago? When we were talking about my birthday party. Don’t you remember?”
“I was a little flustered during that conversation.” I smiled at her and searched my memories.
“I was too. Damn, you are a good kisser. I want to do it again.” She moved the rest of the way toward me, and her hips pushed into my right thigh. “You are coming to my birthday party right? It is in a few weeks.”
“Of course!” I hadn’t thought about Aimee’s party in the last week. I’d been too occupied with Kelly, Beth, Kim, Katherine, and my music. Jack would be at her party though, and I didn’t know how Aimee and I were supposed to be acting around each other. She was touching my arm now, and I saw the tip of her tongue slide across the fullness of her red lips.
“Good! I was thinking that I should break things off with Jack after the party.”
“Uhhh.” I felt my heart sink at the thought of my friend’s future pain. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Don’t be like that.” She narrowed her eyes. “Jack will get over it. I want to be with you as soon as possible. He’s a nice guy, but my legs get wobbly and my head spins when I am around you.” She leaned in closer to my face, and her arms wrapped around my back. I knew she intended to kiss me, but I didn’t know how to escape the situation without pissing her off.
Didn’t I want to kiss her? Hadn’t I already kissed her?
“Ahh hemmm.” Beth interrupted her sister’s raised mouth. Aimee gasped and turned against me to face her sister.
“I thought you went to the bathroom,” she snarled.
“I did. To wash my hands. You are standing really close to my boyfriend. I hate to sound territorial, Sis, but he is my date for the day.” Beth tilted her head and smiled sweetly. Something told me that she would have said the same thing had she found us fucking each other on the couch. It was as if Beth knew that Aimee had a thing for me, maybe she knew I felt an attraction to her sister also, but she didn’t care.
“Not this again! What is wrong with you? He is into me. You are just a kid.” Aimee crossed her arms, and I recognized the angry posture. Ugh. I was going to have to sneak out of the music room again.
“Okay. He is into you. I’m just a kid.” Beth said the words, and Aimee’s mouth hung open in surprise. I think mine did as well.
“But I like Eric, and he accepted my invitation to come today. You’ll be the center of attention on your birthday, and all the boys will want to flirt with you. I’ll be in Italy on my next birthday. I might not ever see him again after I leave.” Beth shrugged her pretty shoulders, and it made her red dress dance like a waterfall.
Aimee didn’t say anything for a few moments, but she did close her mouth. I wondered if what Beth was saying was just a game. Maybe she knew that this was a strategy that could get her sister to leave me alone, or maybe she was admitting that she had no chance with me and just wanted to enjoy the rest of the day. Either way, her words seemed to have worked, because Aimee slowly nodded and then smiled.
“Okay, Beth. Sorry. I know you like him. You’re right about everything else; once you leave for Italy, he won’t think about you anymore. So, if you want to pretend that he’s into you tonight, go for it.” Aimee’s words were cruel, and I felt a sudden distaste for the older sister, but I also didn’t know the exact dynamics of their relationship. Beth and Aimee lived their entire lives together, and I was sure that Beth normally got the upper hand in their arguments.
“Yay! Thank you, Sis.” Beth floated across the floor to us and took my left hand in both of hers.
“Let’s go to the game room.” She tugged on my arm, and I pulled free of Aimee. The three of us walked into the hallway and then across the few rooms to where the various game tables were stored.
“Ahhh. We were starting to worry where you three were,” John said as soon as Beth led me into the room.
“What game do you want to play, Eric?” Keiko asked. I looked at the pool, foosball, and ping-pong tables. I was equally terrible at all three games.
“We have an odd number of people,” I said.
“One of us can sit out depending on the game,” John smiled.
“Let’s do ping pong then.” I pointed at the expensive-looking table.
“I will sit out the first round.” John found a stool and then picked up his glass of wine.
“Eric is on my team!” both girls said at the same time.
“We will switch up partners. Beth and Eric can be on a team first since he is her guest,” Keiko said softly.
“Okay,” Aimee puffed and moved to stand by her mother. I guess the truce between the sisters was only temporary.
“We’ll serve,” Aimee grabbed a ball and hit it over the net to Beth.
The girls were good at this game. Even Keiko was great, and it became clear very quickly that I couldn’t really hold my own against the two women. They grasped my lack of skill quickly and were soon hitting every ball in my direction.
Beth was no slouch. She positioned herself on the center line of the table and ended up fielding most of the hits heading in my direction. We were still outmatched though, and the game was over quickly.
“Good game!” I was actually breathing heavily.
“Yeah it was!” Aimee stuck her tongue out at me from across the table. “It’s a good thing Beth was over there to protect you, or I would have eaten you alive.”
“Okay, I’m up. Winners switch, so Aimee you sit out.” John took his daughter’s place.
“Try to hit to Dad’s outside. Mom is too tough.” Beth leaned up into my ear to whisper our strategy.
Then she bit my ear lobe.
It was a light bite, not enough to break the skin or even make me yelp. But it surprised every inch of my body and sent goose bumps down to my toes. I was instantly hard, and I first thought about moving the paddle in front of my groin before I wanted to pull away from her.
Her teeth left my ear quickly, but the painful erection stayed, and I could see Aimee glaring at the two of us from her seat. I thought she had forgiven Beth, and maybe even been cool with her sister flirting with me. But the rage in her blue eyes told me that she had seen what Beth did and wanted to slap her sister silly.
“You can serve.” Keiko tossed me the ball, and I started the game. John wasn’t as skilled as Aimee, and I followed Beth’s strategy of hitting the ball to his outside. It seemed to work, and we quickly took the lead. When we came within three points of winning, John and Keiko switched sides and the change in position threw off my aim a bit. They briefly tied us before we pulled ahead for the win.
“Beth is out, and I am in.” Aimee shot off of her stool and snatched the paddle from her sister’s hand with the speed of a viper. Keiko served, and for a while we were in a dead heat. Then Aimee hit a few surprise points and got us the victory.
“I’ll sit out.”
“There is beer in the fridge if you want one,” John said. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw that it was almost nine.
“I’m going to have to head home soon, so I’ll pass on the beer.”
“Awww, it is early though,” Aimee whined.
“Takes me about forty-five minutes to get home,” I shrugged, “and I’ve cut into your family time a bunch already.”
“We stay up very late, Eric; you are no inconvenience to us. Besides, we haven’t had dessert yet.” Keiko smiled at me, and, on cue, Loretta walked into the game room wheeling a multilevel dining caddy with a silver pot of coffee resting on the top level and other silver covered dishes below.
John and Keiko moved
to help her again, and I was soon passed a big plate with a slice of pumpkin pie, ice cream, and some sort of rich chocolate mousse. There was also coffee, and I took a cup of it, but declined John’s offer to add brandy, scotch, or Irish cream to the liquid. For a second, I wondered if he was trying to get me drunk, but I realized that he was just being an excellent host. Then it hit me square in the chest.
These people actually liked me.
Oh sure, Aimee and Beth wanted more from me than friendship. But Keiko had been very kind, and John had gone out of his way to welcome me. He had even let me stand up to him a little with the talk about Aimee and Beth. I still felt like I was overstaying my welcome though maybe I just couldn’t feel comfortable with these people.
Maybe I would never feel comfortable with another family. I’d always think about my own.
“The pie is delicious, Loretta,” Aimee said over my thoughts. I quickly took a bite of the dessert and agreed with the beautiful girl.
We all drank some coffee and chatted about how she made the dessert and what each of our favorite foods were. It was a good conversation, and the feeling that I was imposing on them began to fade. After what I thought had been a few minutes, the coffee ran out, and Loretta went back to the kitchen to get us some more.
“It is probably time for me to leave now,” I checked my phone and saw that an hour and a half had passed quickly. Yeah, it was time to get out of here.
“Thank you very much for coming over.” Keiko approached me and wrapped her slender arms around my neck. I gave the beautiful woman an awkward hug and then shook John’s hand.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Beth pouted, and I saw Aimee’s face scrunch up like she had just tasted a lemon.
“I’ll come with you,” the older sister said.
“That is okay, Sis. Eric is my guest. You should just say goodbye to him here.” Beth smiled at her sister.
“Fine, I will,” Aimee hissed at Beth and then stepped toward me.
“Goodbye, Eric.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and then pushed her lips into mine. Oh, shit.
I was paralyzed for a second, and my mouth hung open with surprise. I couldn’t believe that Aimee dared to kiss me like this while her father, mother, and sister watched. This wasn’t just a little peck either. Her tongue pushed into my open mouth and made a lick across my own tongue. My hands had wrapped around her waist when she hugged me, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the kiss for a few seconds. Then I realized what the hell I was doing, and I gently tried to pry her off of me.
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