The New Year's party was a family affair. Not on the Eve, of course, which was more for friends, but at this year's gathering, Lori was bringing her new boyfriend josh to meet the family.
He was a tall, good-looking kid, a little on the thin side, with thick brown hair and blue eyes. Lori walked him around, doing the introductions, and he was polite but quiet, probably shy.
"This is Aunt Joan and Uncle Cal, Josh. You're gonna love them. They're so much fun!"
Cal stuck out his huge paw and it swallowed the young man's hand as he gave it a hearty shake. "Nice to meet you, Josh," he roared.
Joan followed, extending her manicured fingers for a light shake, their eyes meeting. "Hi, welcome," she said in her husky, throaty voice. She held his hand for a second too long as her eyes searched his, then she released it and the young couple moved on.
"He seems like a nice young man," Cal confided.
"Yes, they make a lovely couple, don't they?" she replied, watching them move to the next introduction.
There were more than 30 people in attendance, so having much more than a perfunctory conversation was rare, but Josh sensed Aunt Joan watching him and when he glanced in her direction, she'd raise her glass to him and smile. She was attractive, he knew, and younger than Uncle Cal according to Lori. She also mentioned that they owned a beautiful lake house and Cal had done quite well in the stock market before retiring.
Goodbyes were brief but Joan caught his gaze again, mouthing "Bye" as they left.
The relationship grew and Josh proposed to Lori. The family was reunited for the engagement party, with Lori's father picking up the tab at a fine restaurant.
At one point, Josh made his way to the bar, ordering a beer, when Aunt Joan appeared at his side. "Congratulations Honey, welcome to the family," she almost whispered. He looked down at her, maybe 5'5" with dark brown hair and blonde highlights, framing her green eyes. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other better soon. Cal and I think the world of Lori and we're happy to have you."
Josh smiled and replied, "Thank you, she's very special."
Joan smiled widely. "Of course she is. We'll have to have you two up at the lake house some time soon, to really get to know you and welcome you properly." She winked at him seductively, then moved away, still maintaining eye contact.
Josh didn't know why, but Joan made him uncomfortable. Was she flirting with him? Or was she innocently being nice to the newcomer? The tone of her voice said the former but he had to assume the latter since she was more than twenty years his senior and married.
He tried to erase her from his mind but there was something so sexy and seductive about Aunt Joan.
Summer came and Lori said, "Cal and Joan want us to go up to the lake with them. Isn't that nice of them? It's the week we're both on vacation, so it will work out great."
The last thing Josh wanted was to spend a week with his wife's aunt and uncle. Cal was a big outdoorsman, while Josh grew up in the city, never venturing beyond Central Park in Manhattan. But, how could he tell Lori that Cal intimidated him and so did Joan? After a mild protest, it was decided: they were going.
The house was beautiful, with large windows looking out on the lake and mountains beyond it. Cal and Joan welcomed them at the door, with Cal grabbing their bags as Lori stopped to kiss Joan, who then turned to Josh with open arms. "Josh, thank you so much for coming. It's so good to see you."
Her arms went around his neck and pulled him down to kiss his cheek as Lori looked on, beaming, happy that Josh was so accepted. As Joan kissed his cheek, she whispered, "Hi, baby," then released him. He felt the blood rush to his face, hoping no one saw the blush.
After the grand tour, they settled on the deck for cocktails as Cal went about barbequing the steaks. "It's a man's job to handle the grill. Let the little ladies manage the kitchen," he boasted as the females smiled at him.
After dinner, Josh helped clean up and carry the dishes into the kitchen where Joan was rinsing and stacking in the dishwasher. "Oh, thanks, honey. You should be relaxing while us women do the cleaning."
He laughed politely. "It's the least I can do."
She stood upright, all 5'5 of her, and jutted out her chest, which looked both firm and soft at the same time. "Yes it is, but we'll talk more about that later." She winked at him and smiled, looking him over, especially at his crotch.
I knew it, he thought, she's flirting! What do I do? He awkwardly smiled back and returned to the deck.
"Josh, Uncle Cal just told me that some friends I made while vacationing up here as a teen are getting together tonight. I know you're tired from the long drive, but would you mind if I went for a while? I'd really like to see them again."
