Christina defined hostess - trim-waisted, organized, efficient and a sweet smile that she shined on every new arriving guest. Enthusiasm. The ability to mix a drink. She had always loved to give parties, and this year, her husband had begrudgingly assented. Paul liked going to parties. He just didn't like disrupting his home life with arrangements and messes and late-leaving guests. As Christina prepared hors d'ouevres in the incredibly immaculate kitchen, Paul sat on the sofa drinking the first nog of the night, waiting for the first arrivals. The Christmas tree glimmered with light, throwing colors on the packages below, glinting off the curled ribbons.
Christina brought out two evenly distributed and arranged plates of shrimp roll with kale, bending her pretty form down to the knee-high living room table. Paul swigged his nog and gazed at her tight little ass and straight legs. Quite a nice little conquest, back when he won her....now, just another day of married life for him. She straightened, smiling, and pulled her tight white cashmere sweater down to her waist.
"How do I look?" she smiled at him.
Nodding at her, with no emotion in his voice. "You look like a million."
The slight start of a frown on her lips was interrupted by the doorbell.
An hour later, the party was going smashingly. Twelve guests, chatting, laughing, eating, drinking. Some were old friends that they had known for years, mostly couples, but a few singles, too. They had invited the neighbors Josh and Trudy from next door. And Edgar Filler, of Filler Home Roofing, a handyman and regular guest this year as he had redone their roof and added an addition onto the house. Christina had little time to talk, but managed a word here and there between her trips to the kitchen. The latest arrivals were Laura and Kristen, two new women at Paul's firm. Christina hardly had time to be introduced. The men in the room took more time getting to know them. Kristen was petite and perky, in her mid-20s, with a high-pitched little laugh and a fast way of talking. Her teeth were perfect, her nose a little button that scrunched up when she listened to others talk. She dressed appropriately for the holiday with a snow-speckled sweater and tight black stirrup/ski pants. The droopy red Santa hat sat teasingly ascant on her head. Her busy energy drew attention to herself.....complimentary from the men, reserved and haughty from the older wives. Laura, dark-haired and darker-skinned, also in her mid-20s, held herself much more maturely. Paul had taken the fashionable wool coat off her shoulders when she had arrived, exposing her bare shoulders and the crossed back straps of her tight black dress. He grinned (working on his third nog by this time) and had trouble keeping his eyes off her. At 5'10," she was noticed. Most of the men engaged her in conversation, but she wasn't a talker and she seemed always to end up just at the outside of a ring of chatters, observing and seeming quite content, her dark eyes taking in the people, the room and the goings on. Paul was dogged in his awareness of her, and several times when Christina came in to refill drinks she caught him checking out Laura's curved bosom or long legs. Always the good hostess, she kept her thoughts to herself, and managed pleasantries and warmth to her guests. Paul lifted his fifth nog to his guests.
An hour later, Paul was slumped at the edge of the sofa. As he powered down more and more, his attention for Laura finally lagged as too much for him and he became content with inane chatter with whoever was nearby. The Christmas music was fairly loud by now and so the voices rose to match it. The number of guests had risen to 22 and Christina no longer could keep up with her perfectionist duties. Josh, with a very exuberant tone, was telling jokes. Mitch Jacobs, an old friend of the family, was cornering Trudy with tales of travel in Asia. Kristen, the petite blonde, was dancing to an upbeat Christmas song, much to the delight of the nearby males.
Laura walked into the kitchen and found Christina there, pulling some new finger dessert out of the oven, some kind of cherry pastry with chocolate on top. Laura, disapproving of Christina's toil, frowned a little, then walked forward.
"Miss Hostess," she smiled. "It's time you tasted your own cooking and start having a good time." She took her finger and drew it across one of the pastries, collecting chocolate and cherry filling onto her finger.
Christina just looked at first, and smiled slightly, a little unsure of how friendly this woman was meaning to be. The kitchen was warm and her skin was warm and she felt a sense of relief that this attractive young woman was more interested in her pastries and her well-being than in her husband. Laura held her finger out before Christina.
"Come on. Have some." She moved her finger closer, just under Christina's lips. "You've been such a dear and talented hostess. Relax and enjoy this." Laura smiled down a warm and very inclusive smile. Christina hesitated, giggled and sucked the sweetness off Laura's finger.
"Mmmm. That's good." She giggled again. "If I must say so myself."
