by Ava Frost
“You should have known better Zoey,” I said to myself as I wiped the mirror and gave myself one last once-over before stepping under the hot shower. Almost instantly I felt the tension in my body dissolve as the hot water jetted down over my head and down my back. As long as I was clean and fresh, my mom and dad would have no idea about my alter ego, as I liked to call it. Always the role model child with the good manners and bright future, little did they know what happened behind the scenes when they were not around to watch me. They always had high expectations when it came to me, hoping that I would be the first one in the family to graduate from college and make something of my life. Okay so it’s not like I’m throwing money down the drain, I studied, and I studied hard. My grades were above average and my professors gave me good reviews. Sure a lot of it was pretence when it came to family matters, but since my first year at college, I only ever had to pretend once or twice a year when I actually went home for the holidays.
I finally turned the shower off and reached for the towel, wrapping it around me. This day was going to be trying, no doubt.
“So I’ll see you after the summer holidays?” Alice asked as she sat on her bed with her laptop.
Alice was the nerdy girlfriend all girls should have, the one who covers for you when you sneak out of the dorm room at midnight and the one who lends you her homework to copy from. Not that I made a habit of it, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“Yeah, my dad’s taking us all to the lake for a week and then he’s taking my mom to France for three weeks while I hang out at home.”
“Why aren’t you going to France?” she asked absentmindedly while clicking away on her laptop.
“I didn’t feel like going, and they need some alone time.”
It’s been a tough year for mom and dad after dad’s affair and mom going off the rails they needed some time to rekindle the romance, and besides, I wanted to catch up with some of my friends from school. The last thing I wanted was to be the third wheel on the trip.
By the time I was dressed there was a light knock on the door.
“That’s them, are you sure you don’t want to come along?” I asked Alice one last time. I hated that she always stayed here during the holidays.
“No I’m good thanks. I have some studying to catch up on,” she said and smiled, “You can tell me all about your holiday when you get back.”
“Ditto,” I said and hitched my bag over my shoulder.
As I opened the door I froze, instead of my mom it was Uncle Jayce, my dad’s best friend and my heart immediately skipped a beat. I used to have a major crush on him when I was fourteen, and although it lasted for longer than your average crush, I knew it was nothing more. He served in the Special Forces with my dad, and they were best friends for years until he got married and moved away.
“Uncle Jayce, this is a nice surprise,” I said and dropped my bag to give him a hug, as I always used to do.
“Hey Zoey,” he said and hugged me back. I could have sworn he hugged me longer than was deemed necessary and when he finally let go he chuckled, “I think we’ve moved past the Uncle stage, you’re not fifteen anymore.”
I felt the heat rise up in my cheeks and I quickly bent down to pick up my bags, and mumbled, “Bad habits die hard.”
I couldn’t believe how good he looked, although almost seven years had passed since I last saw him, he still looked as fit as ever and other than the few streaks of grey that peppered his dark brown hair, he didn’t look a year older.
“Tell me about it,” he said and reached to take my bag from me, “Your parents are in the car, we couldn’t find parking so I came up to get you.”
He was tagging along on the lake trip? I thought in a panic as my stomach twisted at its own accord, and all I managed to utter was a simple, “Oh.”
The walk to the car was painstaking; it felt is if my ovaries were busy doing gymnastics and my hormones were cheering them on. My crush was back with a vengeance and the fact that I was no longer a hapless teenager wasn’t helping at all.
“You’ve grown up,” he said and I knew he was making small talk.
“It’s what people do,” I said and laughed, “I would say you grew old, but I think the clock stopped for you at thirty something.”
He threw his head back and laughed, and my insides did a triple twist and a backflip. The sound of his baritone voice strung strings that have never been played.
“You’ve always had the ability to make me laugh Zee,” he said calling me by my pet name.
“It’s Zoey, I’m not fifteen anymore,” I corrected him and deliberately flipped my hair back over my shoulder, moseying off towards my dad’s car.
Chapter 2
It’s been a while since I last saw Jeff and the family, and the last thing I expected was to see Zoey all grown up. Not that I expected her to still be fifteen, but hell, nothing prepared me for the surprise that waited when that dorm room door opened and she stood in front of me with her hair still damp, a tank top that exposed her firm stomach and a pair of shorts that just managed to cover her ass. I had to use the little control I still have to remind me that she was Jeff’s daughter and almost twenty three years younger than me.
When she sauntered off towards the car, I got a good glance of her fine ass and long athletic legs and I had to do everything in my power to control the natural reaction of certain parts of my anatomy. It was bad enough that I haven’t had any sex since Gillian and I split up, but now I’m drooling like a teenager and craving a girl young enough to be my daughter. I suddenly regretted coming on this trip. If Jeff wasn’t so persistent in taking me along, I would have been more than happy to just chill at home and throw myself a pity party every night until I finally got over the divorce.
A five hour trip to the lake in the back of a car next to a sexy young woman was going to be my end if I didn’t get a grip and soon.
I put her bags in the trunk, shifted my painful erection into place and got into the car making sure there was enough space between Zoey and I.
“Zoey you remember Jayce, don’t you?” her mom said when I got into the car.
“Yeah I remember him, but I thought this was a family vacation,” she said and I could detect the annoyance in her tone.
“I know, that was the plan but Jayce has been going through a real hard time, haven’t you?” her mother said and turned her attention to me.
Great, now I’m going to have to converse with her.
“It could have been worse, I did decline the offer but unfortunately your dad didn’t want to take no for an answer,” I said and shrugged. I was not going to give her reason to blame me for her parents’ choices; that was all on them. Right now my main focus was to force myself to look out of the window instead of at her silky thighs and long legs. It was absolute madness.
An hour later the tension had eased off, and we were all enjoying each other’s company, even Zoey got more comfortable and had kicked her shoes off, curling her legs up on the seat. Her toes were only inches away from touching me and I made sure I stayed on my side as much as I could.
“So what happened between you and Aunt Gillian?” she asked out of the blue.
“It just didn’t work out, she had an affair and that’s pretty much it,” I didn’t feel like elaborating, the fact that Gillian ran off with her boss wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.
“Did you have an affair?” she asked and raised a brow.
That should have offended me, but it didn’t because the way she raised her brow and the smile that tugged on the one side of her mouth, leant a different tone to the question she asked.
“No, it was the other way around; I guess she fell out of love,” I said and glanced out the window.
Zoey chuckled and then leaned over, “Love doesn’t exist. She wanted to fuck someone else, simple as that.”
Hearing her talk in such a foul manner had all my blood drain from my head to my cock. I was in big trouble and there was no
where for me to run, unless I considered jumping out of a moving car. I opted not to answer her and instead I smirked and looked back out the window knowing that anything I said and did would come back to bite me. Instead I thought back, reminding me of the little teenager she was, maybe if I thought of her as a teenager instead of a grown woman it would be easier.
Back when Jeff and I were in the Special Forces I spent many weekends at their place, especially when we got weekend passes in between missions. Jeff was like a brother to me then. The more I thought about those times the more it started to dawn on me that I always liked Zoey, first it was because she was so feisty and she always stood up for what she believed in, later it was because, well just because. The day I got married was the last time I saw her. I remember her sitting in the church, and once at the reception but somewhere between the vows and me leaving and pulling a string of cans tied to my car with Gillian next to me she disappeared. I never considered that the shy fifteen year old who ducked away from me all the time would grow up to be so tempting.
We pulled in at a gas station to fill up and I silently thanked Jeff. I needed to get out of the confined space and get some fresh air, but even as I took a walk to the men’s room, her scent clung to my nostrils. I splashed my face with cold water and took a leak before heading back to the car.
Jeff and Margret were nowhere in sight, but Zoey stood leaning against the hood of the car with her legs crossed at the ankles. Her head was tilted back and her hands planted either side of her as if she was basking in the sun. I took the moment to study her, from her elongated neck and the slight curve where her neck met her shoulder, over her tits which would fit perfectly into my hands, or mouth, and further down. The denim shorts she wore were at least two sizes to small, and from where I stood it looked as if the fabric was nestled between the folds of her pussy. By the time I looked up again she was looking straight at me with her head tilted against her shoulder and her long black hair swaying in the wind.
She was deliberately trying to seduce me; I realized and stalked over to her then grabbed her by her arm and pulled her aside.
“Look Zee… Zoey, you really need to consider how you come across, there are some sick folk out here and they might consider your actions to be an invitation,” I stated bluntly and let go of her arm.
“The only sicko out here is the old man looking at a woman who is young enough to be his daughter and getting a hard-on,” she said with a hint of laughter in her voice, and then she reached and cupped my crotch and squeezed it.
“For fuck sakes, stop what you’re doing, you’re playing a dangerous game,” I warned and swatted her hand away, “Your parents are in the store, what if they see what you’re doing?,” I said.
“Well, they didn’t see,” she teased and then blew me a kiss and sauntered past me with such confidence, she would put the First Lady to shame.
I glanced after her and only when Jeff and Margret got back in the car, did I eventually get in, only now Zoey took the liberty of resting her feet on my lap. Yep… she was playing a dangerous game.
Chapter 3
Right, so I was playing with fire, but who cares, my mom and dad were all over each other like high school sweethearts and Jayce and I, well neither of us had any one to keep us company, besides it was innocent flirting, no harm intended. We arrived at the lake five hours later, mom and dad went for a walk while Jayce unloaded the car. I, on the other hand opted to watch him and let me tell you, those biceps that flexed under his black T-shirt every time he lifted something heavy, really did things to me. At one point, he stood against the car with his arms folded simply staring at me, if his intensions were to intimidate me, it was working, because when his gaze became far too intense I ducked into the house and fled to my room.
What on earth was I thinking flirting with an older man? So fine, he hardly looked forty six, but nonetheless I was playing with fire and I was going to get my fingers burned. I glanced out the window at my mom and dad as they walked hand in hand. Were they also pretending with each other or where they genuinely in love? I remembered the day my mother called me in tears after finding out that my dad had an affair with another woman. She was devastated and I was pissed off. I lived my entire life believing that my dad worshipped my mom. He always treated her with such respect and love; it never once occurred to me that his eyes would wander. Then there was Jayce, I never liked Gillian, but still he was very much in love with her when they met and when they got married it was a matter of promising forever. Love was a sham, an excuse for people to spend thousands of dollars to have one special night, make babies, buy cars and then fall into a game of infidelity.
A knock on the door drew me out of my train of thought and I went to open it.
“Zoey, we need to talk,” it was Jayce standing at my door and my heart leaped in my chest.
“Talking is such an insipid pastime, there are more fun things to do,” damn, why did I automatically switch over into flirt mode when I was near him? “Fine, what do you want to talk about?” I said and stepped out of my room into the hallway, closing my door behind me. There was no way I was going to let him come into my room, that was just looking for trouble.
I saw the muscle flex in his jaw and I rolled my eyes, “Look I was just fooling around, I’m not fifteen anymore, so if you expect me to be the innocent little coddled up teen my parents raised me up to be, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
“That’s just the fucking problem,” he snarled under his breath, then without warning he stepped forward pinning me up against the wall with both his hands planted either side of me, “You aren’t that teen anymore, you’re a grown woman and making such inappropriate jokes with hot blooded men is going to get you in some serious trouble.”
I could feel his breath on my face, and my body responded instantly. A shiver of anticipation ran up and down my spine and my nipples grew taut against my top. Nevertheless, he was right, I wasn’t conducting myself respectfully at all, but I could hardly contain myself. And now with him so close to me the wicked temptress that I always try to suppress was rearing her head.
“Oh come now, you’re a big boy, surely you won’t let a little girl like me seduce you against your will, would you?” I teased and dragged the tip of my index finger down his throat and stopped just above the V-neck of his shirt.
He wrapped one hand firmly around my wrist and pinned my hand against the wall, his lips inches from mine. Outside I heard my parent’s approach which only caused the tension to build. Jayce leaned in as if to kiss me, but instead he dragged his nose along the side of my face and pressed it into my hair, his full body weight bearing down on me.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish Zoey,” he said and then abruptly let go of me and stalked away.
I let out a shaky breath and slumped back against the wall. My heart was racing and my hands were trembling, not out of fear, but out of anticipation. I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted a forty six year old man to kiss me more than I wanted a double deluxe caramel milk shake, and trust me I was willing to sell my body for one of those milk shakes, they were so good.
“Hey honey, are you settled in,” my mom asked and I jumped just a little.
“Oh, uh, yes I’m settled, did you enjoy the walk with dad?” I asked and gave her a wobbly smile.
“It was lovely, I’ve always enjoyed coming here and being away from the hustle of everyday life,” she said and then peeked into my room, “Do you want to come help me get dinner started?”
And face Jayce, hell no!
“I’m a bit tired, but sure, why not,” I said cringing.
“You should have an early night, as soon as dinner is done you can get to bed,” my mom said and started towards the kitchen.
I tip toed behind her glancing around for any sign of Jayce who seemingly disappeared into thin air.
By dinner time there was still no sign of Jayce and I felt too awkward to ask about him, my dad also didn’t seem too phased by the fact that he was mis
sing in action, so I left it. I spent the rest of the evening talking to my folks about my studies and my friends. My dad once again asked what I planned to do once I had my Bachelors since he couldn’t see how theatre and music could create a sustainable income unless you became super famous. He always wanted me to become an accountant or a lawyer, but it wasn’t my scene. Of course mom backed me up all the way until my dad finally gave in.
“Jayce glad you’re finally back, can I get you a beer?” my dad asked and I shrunk into the couch.
“Yeah that would be great, thanks,” he said and sat down opposite me on the sofa, pretending I wasn’t even there.
“Where you able to figure what was wrong with the motor?” my dad asked.
So that’s where he was all this time, at the boat house.
“Looks like one of the gears got stuck; I’ll head to town tomorrow and see if I can find a spare, then we can take that baby out on the lake.”
“Great, maybe you can take Zoey along and you can stop at the grocery store for a few bits and pieces?” my mom said and that was my queue, time to flee to my cave and hide for the rest of the night and plan how I was going to get out of this trip to town.
“Well I’m off to bed, I’m really tired,” I said and stood up keeping the fleece blanket wrapped around me. I kissed my mom and dad goodnight, awkwardly shifted past Jayce and headed for my room. As I walked away I heard Jayce comment on how much I’ve grown and I my heart once again flipped like a pancake in my chest. A crush as a fifteen year old I could understand. Kids have them because they look up to role models; it’s a harmless infatuation that never leads to anything. But now I was much older, and a crush is no longer just a crush, especially if the other person leads you to believe that you stand a chance.
It felt like I had a stone lodged in my heart and it wasn’t going to go away in a hurry.
Chapter 4
