"Liana, don't worry. We're going to have a great time. You'll really like my dad." Jack took his eyes off the road briefly to flash me a smile.
We had been dating for 3 months and had seen each other almost every day since he asked me out and I still hadn't been able to get over just how gorgeous he was. German father, Italian mother, "my axis of evil" I had taken to calling him, Jack was a joy to behold. He was tall and broad shouldered, with thick brown hair and grey-blue eyes and full lips that were just begging to be bitten. Like I said, a joy to behold.
We, along with Jack's brothers, were heading to Jack's father's house for the weekend, sort of a family get together. All the partners were coming. Having never met Jack's father, or any of his family, I felt at a disadvantage. If the rest of Jack's family was anything like Jack, I would be fine. The only thing Jack warned me about was his mother. About 10 years back, once the three boys were done with school, she had asked Jack's father for a divorce and then disappeared. Jack's father had remained a bachelor ever since. If I could just steer clear of speaking of divorces and Italians, I should be fine.
The butterflies in my stomach went nuts as we headed up the long driveway to the house. It came into view and took my breath away. It was like Jack's father had built his own little piece of Germany. On a fair bit of land, which was green and dotted with large trees, stood a large house with dark timber frames and a thatched roof. It was gorgeous. As we drove closer to park at the house, the crystal water of a pool sparkled. If we had a good time this weekend as promised, I was definitely coming back here.
Everyone else had already arrived and we parked beside the three other cars. We decided to leave everything in the station wagon and get the meet and greet done with first. There was plenty of time to unpack later. Jack rang the doorbell and I straightened my dress. Jack said this was casual, but I still wanted to give a good impression. I just hoped that I wouldn't come off as some stuck up princess. I was still fidgeting when Jack's father came to the door. I stopped dead in my tracks the second he opened the door. He had Jack's eyes, mouth and build. Everything else was different. His hair was dark blond and grey, he was slightly taller, and he had the jaw line and cheekbones of a typical German man, all edges. The butterflies increased tenfold as I watched Jack and his father laugh and pull each other into a tight hug. It had been a while since Jack's last visit. Once they pulled away from each other, Jack began the introductions.
"Dad, this is Liana. Liana, this is my dad, Lars." He said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my dear." Lars had a voice of silk, one you hear on the radio. His German accent wasn't as intense as it would have been 30 years ago, only certain inflections remained. It was gorgeous. He was gorgeous.
"Thank you, and it's lovely to meet you finally too." I stuck my hand out and Lars laughed at me, grabbing my hand in his and pulling me close for a hug. One hand slid down my back, resting a little too low on my hips and it sent a chill down my already trembling legs. His body was rock solid and he smelled amazing, like fresh air. The hug didn't last any longer than it should have, but as I pulled away from him, his eyes searched mine. It was clear that the instant attraction was mutual. In a flash, his expression changed. Lars clapped his hands together, grabbed Jack and I by the shoulders and steered us inside to see everyone else.
I felt Lars' hand leave my shoulder and when I turned around, he was gone. Jack was leading me through the house and out the back where everyone else was sitting. Two young children were splashing in the pool, a beautiful redhead was dangling her feet in the water beside them, most likely their mother. A carbon copy of Jack was standing at the barbeque, and he was the first to notice us.
"JACK!" He shouted, abandoning his post and running at us. Everyone else looked up and came towards us, except for the three in the pool who smiled at waved.
"Everyone, hi!" Jack laughed. I smiled politely beside him. I felt overwhelmed and a little average in this crowd of incredible looking people. "Guys, this is Liana. Liana, this," he said, indicating the man from the barbeque, "is Gavin. Over by the pool is his wife Sarah and their kids Livvy and Kate." Gavin pulled me in for a kiss and hugged Jack quickly before heading back to the cooking. "And this is Joey and his partner Peter." Another carbon copy of Jack was found in Joey and Peter didn't look too much different. We all hugged, beer was forced into our hands and we enjoyed the sunshine.
"Liana, Jack. Would you like some help bringing your things in from the car?" Lars had stepped outside.
"It's ok, dad. We've only got one suitcase and we brought a case of champagne, so I could probably manage it on my own." Jack said as he drank heavily from his bottle.
"You stay here and bond with your brothers. Liana, you get the suitcase, I'll get the champagne." Lars offered.
I managed to stutter in agreement. Just as I was starting to relax, those butterflies had come back. Jack handed me the keys and rubbed my arm when I gave him a nervous smile. I followed Lars silently through the house and out to the cars.
"Um, everything is in the boot." I said as I unlocked the station wagon. Lars gestured for me to lead the way.
I could feel his eyes on me as I lifted the lid and reached inside and pulled out the small suitcase and set it on the ground. I turned and looked at Lars, his eyes were boring into me. I turned back to the car to get the champagne, which had moved all the way to the back of the boot during the drive. Great. If I leaned any further forward, my dress would show off everything. I feigned not being able to reach.
"Lars, I'm sorry. Can I get your help? The champagne has moved all the way to the back and I can't reach it."
Lars pursed his lips slightly. "Yes, you can."
"Sorry?"
"I said yes, you can. You can reach the champagne." The smile that played on his lips was devilish.
I was stunned. I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to process what he was saying. Ordinarily, his response would have been considered rude but obviously he was just being perverted. Which is still rude, but this, this did something to me.
"Ok. Fine." I shrugged.
I reached back into the boot, my arms reaching for the box. I could feel the hem of my dress at the back of my thighs, the material moving in the light breeze. I stood with the box in my arms, turned and handed the box to Lars. Electricity sparked where our fingers touched. Lars handled the box of champagne like it was nothing.
"Let me show you where to put your things." He said with a tight voice. We walked back inside the house and placed the champagne on the hallway table and almost immediately took the suitcase from my hand. "Up." He gestured for me to head up the stairs first. I knew exactly why.
To my shame, I must admit that I moved my hips a little too much, showed myself off in a way I shouldn't have done to my boyfriend's dad. Lars wore a very self -satisfied smile when he moved past me at the top of the stairs. I followed him down a long mezzanine corridor. It over looked the open living area downstairs. We walked past three doorways before Lars stopped and opened the door to a bedroom and placed the suitcase inside.
"This will be your room. That," he nodded to the room at the end of the corridor "is my room. The others are taken by the rest of the family. The door at the other end is the bathroom. There's also one in my room, if the children are using the main one. Both of them have a shower, a large bath..." Lars' voice drifted off as he made his way closer to me.
My eyes widened at the thought of sharing a bath with him. I knew I should move away, take a step back, but I was frozen. One last step from him and Lars and I were almost nose to nose.
"Liana, you're exquisite." Lars whispered. His warm breath brushed against my skin, leaving chills behind.
