"Your uncle is gorgeous," Sandra whispered into her best friend's ear.
"Sandra!" Michelle smacked the girl next to her lightly on the arm. "He's twice your age. Well, almost."
"I know, but just look at that body."
The two girls were lying atop on a large beach towel. Sandra was propped up on one elbow. Michelle reached behind her back, tied the strings on her bikini top, and then sat up on the blanket beside her friend. She followed Sandra's gaze.
Uncle Mike and several other family members were playing volleyball a few yards away. The teams were uneven, four on five, but her uncle easily made up the difference. Both girls watched as he spun the ball, tossed it upward, and then leaped in the air to serve. His muscles glistened in a sheen of sunscreen lotion and sweat, and Sandra moaned with delight.
"Yeah, he does triathlons and stuff," Michelle murmured. "I guess he has a pretty good bod."
The ball rocketed to the far corner of the court. Michelle's dad and older brother both dove for it, but neither had a chance. Both came up with a face full of sand, as the ball hit the line. Michelle's mom was playing the net on Michael's team. She shouted in triumph.
"Ha! Game point, we win!" She ran to give Michael a victory hug, and squealed when he hugged her back. "Oh yuck! You're covered in sweat. Go take a dunk in the ocean."
Michael flashed a pearly white smile. "Exactly what I was thinking. Who's in?" He sprinted down to the surf, racing in-laws and family to splash in the waves.
Michelle was now watching Sandra, who hadn't taken those big brown eyes off her uncle once.
"I know that look, Sandra Connors." Michelle grinned. "Don't even think it."
Sandra batted her eyelashes in mock innocence. "Who me?"
"Eww, gross. I can't believe you're thinking about THAT. With my UNCLE!"
Sandra smiled, and turned her attention back to Michael. "I can't believe you're not."
* * * * *
It was the second week of summer. Both girls had just finished their senior year in high school. In a few months, Michelle would be heading off to UCLA. Sandra still hadn't figured out what her plans were. She wanted to backpack across Europe for a year, and was hoping she could talk Michelle into postponing school for a year, and joining her.
This week, Michelle's family was gathered for their annual family reunion. Michelle had talked her parents into letting Sandra come along, too. With all the visiting family, there wasn't enough room for the girls in the main house. Michelle's parents had brought along a tent for the girls, which they had set up in the backyard. The girls loved it. It was a quiet retreat from the occasional chaos of the beach house.
On the second morning of their stay, Michael was walking by the girls' tent. He heard some rustling inside.
"God damn it, I just got these nails done." It was Sandra's voice, cursing to herself.
Michael didn't think she had heard him, and didn't want to startle her, so he coughed before stepping closer to the front door flap.
"Hello? Anything I can do to help?" He peered in through the screen window.
In truth, Sandra had seen him coming all along, and she had spun her trap well. Michael found her squatting near the far wall of the tent. She was wrestling with the zipper of the opposite window flap, which appeared stuck.
Sandra didn't turn to face him immediately, which afforded him a moment to admire her sensuous curves. Already she was dressed for the beach, wearing a red and white stripped bikini. Her skin was golden from long hours in the sun. She had a thin waist, and wide hips that shaped her perfectly round ass. Her legs were long and slender. Silk black hair flowed down her back, falling just below her shoulder blades. Michael swallowed, and had to remind himself that that this girl had only just graduated high school. Sandra was 18, he knew, but her body was going on 24!
"Having trouble with the zipper?" he asked.
Sandra looked over her shoulder, and smiled. She had beautiful eyes, full-bodied lips, and a wonderfully innocent face. Her body was half-turned, and from this angle Michael glimpsed her ample breasts as they jutted outward, barely contained in the thin fabric of her bikini top. Sandra caught his quick southward glance, and smiled.
"Oh, hi! Yes ... it's stuck. Think you could give me a hand?"
Michael crouched low to enter the tent. Sandra had already turned her attention back to the zipper, when Michael came up behind her.
"Here, don't force it," He put both arms around her, taking her hands to stop her from ripping the fabric.
Sandra thought she was going to melt. He was so close, so warm, and he smelled of sandalwood. Was that aftershave, she wondered, or did he always smell that good?
"The edge is caught in the teeth," Michael told her. "Pull it back a little bit."
Sandra leaned back into him, her bare back touching his crisp, white T-shirt, and the strong, lean frame beneath it.
"I meant the zipper," Michael laughed.
"Oh. Right," Sandra tugged at the vinyl cloth while he tugged the zipper back. It came free, and Michael was able to reverse direction, and finish zipping the window flap all the way shut.
"There ya go," he patted her on the shoulder and started to back his way out of the tent.
"Mr. Peters, wait!" Sandra lunged toward her beach bag, and brought out a tube of sun block lotion. "Could you, umm, maybe do my back?"
Michael knew this was asking for trouble, but she already had her back turned toward him and was pulling her long, black hair out of the way. She was crouching in the tent. They both had to because the tent ceiling was so low.
"I don't want to get burned," she waved the sunscreen tube in one hand.