Sharon was away two months for work, and I was left to deal with our toddler. Since I was also working full time, we frequently relied on babysitters. At this point, we had a decent rolodex of nannies to call, and this weekend I was getting some long-overdue time with the boys. Friday through Sunday we'd be hitting bars, going to the beach, working out, and eating. It was about the only thing I was looking forward to while my wife was away.
I had booked Celine, a lovely, heavy-set middle-aged woman to live here all weekend with Caleb, our toddler. She was kind, nurturing, commanded respect, and could cook like a champ. Her bill was well worth it.
The week leading up to Boys Weekend was dragging. I couldn't stop thinking about Friday afternoon when I'd be free to party. I was also thinking about how much I missed Sharon. She'd been gone a little over a month and I was lonely. We made a great team raising Caleb, and I discovered how much I had taken physical contact for granted. Going a few days without ever being hugged someone is...strange. I missed it. Thank god for Caleb. We shared a lot of quality time when I got home from work and he made missing Sharon a little easier.
Thursday finally rolled around and my cellphone rang during lunch. It was Celine.
"Hi, Celine, what's up?"
"Hello, Bill. I have some bad news. I've got a family emergency and I need to leave town for a week. I'm so sorry to have to cancel on you last minute."
I paused for a moment to take this in. First, I felt frustration, but I knew I needed to respond without a hint of it.
"Celine, it's ok. Please go take care of your family and don't give it another thought. I'll find someone else. Family is more important."
"Bill, you're a good man. Listen, I made some calls this morning to try and find a replacement this weekend and I have someone--if you want the referral."
"That would save me a lot of trouble, actually. Who is it?"
"It's my niece, Sasha. She's young but very responsible. She can stay the whole weekend, just like I was going to, and I taught her to cook, so you can only imagine how well-fed Caleb will be."
"But if she's family, wont you need her to stay with you this weekend?"
"Different side of the family. So she's ok."
"Oh. Well, ok. That would be great. Just text me her contact info. I hope everything with your family resolves well."
And with that, plans had begun to shift. Celine, always the professional, had set me up in spite of her situation and my anxiety was lifting slightly.
I asked Sasha to come to the house at 5pm on Friday so I could show her around the house, introduce her to Caleb, and get a read on her character.
Sure enough, I heard a car pull up a few minutes before 5pm and when I opened the door a minute later, a young woman was walking up to the front door.
She was about 5'4", with wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. She was stunning actually. I usually don't lose my composure around anyone but I felt a slight need to have her think I was cool. It was a very uncool feeling, but it amused me to feel that way.
"Are you Sasha?"
She never broke eye contact with me.
"Yeah, hi. Bill, right?"
"Yes. Come on in. I'll show you around and you can meet Caleb."
She stepped in and looked around, considering. I showed her around the house before showing her to her bedroom, which was on the left up the stairs.
"It's not huge, but we've got a queen in here, so hopefully it's comfortable."
"It's great, thank you. I like your house."
This was the first time she expressed any approval.
"You can thank my wife for that. She's the decorator. Oh, before I forget, you have your own bathroom through this door here," I said, indicating a door to the right once you enter the bedroom. "The only thing is, the shower is broken. Toilet and sink work fine, but if you want to shower or anything you'll have to use the master. I'll be gone until pretty late every evening so it's yours all day!"
"That's fine, thanks."
"My wife buys loads of bath bombs and never uses them so you're free to take a couple if you want. If you forgot a toothbrush or anything, we've got extra. Just let me know what you need.
"Thanks, Bill."
I was a little nervous making sure everything was set for Sasha but she seemed totally unfazed. At first that made me even more nervous, but I just realized she was smart, confident, and cool-headed, so I didn't need to worry. She carried herself with maturity. It put me at ease.
I introduced her to Caleb next and her demeanor changed. She started smiling a lot more and her voice pitched up a bit. She got down on his level to introduce herself. Caleb seemed uninterested at first, but after a few minutes of engagement, he got the idea. Phew.
"Ok, do you need anything else before I head out?" I asked.
"Nope, you go have fun."
"What a relief. Ok, my Uber is here. I'll be back pretty late so don't get freaked out if you hear the door open. You have my cell if you need anything. Don't hesitate to call!"
"I don't think I'll need to, but ok. Thanks."
She was good to go.
I hugged Caleb goodbye and left for a night of bar hopping.
It was around 1am when I caught an Uber back to the house, not wasted, but drunk. I had an amazing night and was so relieved I had another two days to look forward to. I opened the door slowly and tried to be as quiet as I could, but my feet were a little heavy and a little clumsy. It was quiet. The lights were out on the first floor and it seemed Sasha and Caleb were fast asleep.
I took my shoes off and crept upstairs after grabbing a tall glass of water from the kitchen. I was parched. A lot of beer, sweat, and laughter had dried me out.
Up I went and on the left I could see that Sasha's room light was still on. "Ok, glad she's comfortable." I thought to myself, and continued to my room. When I got to Caleb's door, I opened it very slowly and in the soft glow of the moonlight, I could see him fast asleep. Perfect.
I closed the door slowly, let out a long sigh of relief, and finally went to my room. I opened the door and the darkness felt so good on my eyes. I pulled off my shirt and pants, sloppily throwing them on the floor to leave for sober Bill to deal with, and flopped onto the king size bed. The sheets were cool, soft, and clean. I took a big inhale and smelled the detergent, glad I had washed the sheets last night.
I was trying to sleep when a nagging voice in the back of my head said I should pee and brush my teeth first. I ignored it for a few minutes, but I wasn't going to be able to sleep without these evening rituals, no matter how tired I was. So I slowly lifted myself off the mattress to shuffle to the bathroom. I adjusted the wedgie in my boxer briefs and felt myself start to get hard. Damn I missed my wife. Maybe it would go away before it became too distracting to sleep.
I got to the door and noticed for the first time that the bathroom light was on. I left it on all the time and it drove Sharon crazy. It was a bad habit, I'll admit. I opened the door and made my way to the sink. I turned on the cold tap and splashed my face with water, wiping a layer of sweat and bar smog off my skin. I grabbed my toothbrush and paste and brushed as with as much energy as I could muster. While I brushed, my left hand made it down to my erection which was straining a bit now, especially since I had to pee. It felt good to apply some pressure to it.