A Valentine's Day Mess

4. The Messenger

Manny paced beside the airport terminal and scanned the horizon to the north. Claudia lost her cell phone signal after she got off the ground, and he hadn't heard from her since. He got his hopes up every time a dot appeared above the horizon; sometimes it was a hawk or a turkey vulture, sometimes it was a small plane, but it was never the small plane that carried his sister south.

It was May when the skinwalker Angelito attacked Claudia behind the hay shed. Each month since then as her period approached he stalked her again. Claudia could sense his presence like a stench in the air. It was July when Claudia and Abuela Ortiz told Idália what was going on, and when Claudia's time came close again she was on a chartered plane where Angelito's couldn't follow her. Now it was Manny's job to keep his little sister safe; he'd done it before and he was ready to do it again.

Manny's phone chimed to tell him he had a message. Claudia texted, "I have a signal! The pilot says we're over Radium Springs and we'll be there in a few minutes."

"I'm waiting," Manny replied. He felt a bulge grow in his jeans and shifted uncomfortably. He didn't know if Claudia felt the same anticipation.

"God it's hot," he thought, and glanced to the southwest. He looked for the thunderstorms that might bring some relief; they boiled up behind Mount Riley, but that was still too distant to help

A plane appeared around the barren little mountains to the north. It circled the field and Manny's phone chimed. "I think I see you," Claudia said. Manny waved and his phone chimed again, "I do!"

The little plane shimmered in the hot air and settled toward the blue mirage that obscured the runway. Once on the ground it slowed and turned back to the terminal, and Manny spotted Claudia waving through a window behind the pilot.

Claudia waited until the pilot opened the door and helped her out. She squealed, "Manny!" as soon as her running shoes touched the ground, but she glanced toward the pilot and stopped herself from throwing her arms around his neck. She touched Manny's arm and brushed her lips on his cheek, but even that sent a thrill through her big brother.

The pilot placed Claudia's luggage—two pink bags, each with a pair of large, gold "C"s beside the handle—on the tarmac next to her and asked, "I'll see you Tuesday morning?" he asked.

Claudia nodded. "That's the plan," she said. "If there's a change, how much lead time do I need to give you?"

"A day's warning would be good," he said, and left them looking at each other.

Claudia gripped Manny's arm and asked, "You don't have to go back to work or anything, do you?"

Manny knew the answer that his sister wanted from the way she tightened her hold on his arm. "No. It's Friday and I have the rest of the day off. My unit manager knows I have family visiting, so she's letting me set my schedule while you're here. The one catch is that there's a staff party tomorrow night and she wants to meet you there."

Claudia relaxed and tugged at his arm. "I love parties, now can we get out of the sun? It was cool when we left town and it's like baking here now."

Manny picked up Claudia's bags, and she walked beside him on the way to his car. "Was there any sign of Angelito before you left?" he asked.

"I could feel him watching the house," Claudia said, "But I don't think he followed us to the airport—at least I couldn't feel him there." They were quiet for a few steps then Claudia added, "I hope this works Manny, 'cause I'm tired of it. I can't go anywhere alone when he's around, and I feel like anyone with me could be a target."

"Better me than anyone else," Manny said. He stowed Claudia's bags in the trunk then opened the car door and warned her, "Don't get in yet. It's hot."

"Híjole, Manny, you're not kidding!" Claudia said. The air from inside the car met her like the blast from an oven. It passed, and then she slipped into the seat and winced from the touch of the hot upholstery against the back of her bare legs.

Manny folded his long frame into the driver's seat and started the car. He turned the air conditioner all the way up, and while he pulled out Claudia adjusted the vents so they blew straight on her. He glanced at Claudia as he got onto the interstate and found her searching through her purse. When he pulled off the interstate again she was brushing her long, black hair up into a loose topknot.

Claudia saw Manny's curious expression and explained, "I'm getting my hair off my neck. It'll feel so much better this way." There was something about his sister's look, or maybe it was in her scent, that made Manny's cock stiffen again.

They both jumped from the car when he stopped. Manny opened the trunk while Claudia looked around to get her bearing, then she said, "Give me your keys. Its 2B, right?"

She snatched the keys away from Manny and ran ahead of him while he pulled her bags out of the trunk and hauled them up the stairs. He found the apartment door open and Claudia in the small living room adjusting to the cool darkness inside.

"Your roomy is gone for the summer, right?" Claudia asked.

"Yeah. For three more weeks," Manny said. He set her bags on the floor and motioned to a tidy bedroom that opened to the right of the sofa. "I put new linens on his bed and it's all yours." Manny stepped behind Claudia while she looked into her room and touched her arms. "If you want it, I guess."

Claudia spun around and looked at Manny with a big-eyed expression, and laughed. "Dios mío, Manny!" she said, and motioned toward the bed. "Mom can think I'm staying in there, but I want to sleep with you." She stepped close and looked up at her brother. "Manny, I'm so horny I could cry. I need you to fuck me."

"Now?" Manny asked, and when Claudia nodded her head he tugged her by her elbow into his bedroom where the curtains were all drawn against the bright daylight. He stopped her by the bed and pulled on her new topknot to tip her head back. Claudia rose in Manny's arms and he bent to kiss her mouth while he unsnapped her shorts and pushed his hand down into her panties.

Claudia stepped her legs apart and broke their kiss. "Touch me," she said. "I know I'm already wet."

She was. Manny explored Claudia for only a moment before he boosted her onto his bed. He climbed onto the bed behind her and turned her on her hands and knees. He tugged her pants and her panties down to bare her wet slit and she pushed back against his hand while he opened her with two fingers.

"Hurry, Manny!" Claudia panted.

Manny couldn't get his cock out fast enough. He held it in one hand while he pushed his jeans down to his knees and started to work himself into his sister.

Claudia's hands gripped his pillow and then his headboard. She tossed her head back and gasped while her brother's shaft filled her, and she pushed her hands against the headboard to keep from being crushed into it. Her fingers knotted with excitement.

Manny held her hip with one hand and wrapped the other around her topknot to pull her head back, and he slapped his hips against her butt while he fucked her. Manny—like Claudia—could produce only gasps and grunts.

Months of wanting his sister were past. Manny closed his eyes and erupted deep inside her. He gulped air and pulled back, then plunged into her again, and a third time. His balls ached and his cock throbbed. He filled Claudia's wet cunt, then fell to the mattress beside her.

Claudia caught her breath and followed her brother. She kissed his face, his ears, and his neck. "Manny!" she whispered under his ear, "Was that what you wanted? That was what I thought about all the way here." She giggled and added, "I wasn't very good company for the pilot."

Manny rolled Claudia over when he could talk again. He watched her expression and said, "That was exactly what I wanted, and I've wanted it for a long time."

Both of them were still tangled in their clothes. Manny told Claudia, "Stay there." He sat up on the edge of the bed and stripped off his tee shirt, kicked his shoes away and pushed his jeans and boxers down. Manny stood up when he was naked and turned on the television. Claudia laughed at him, so he explained, "That's in case the neighbor downstairs comes home and wonders what's going on."

Manny sat down and started working at Claudia's clothes. He worked slowly. "Is there anything you want to do while you're here?" he asked, while he untied her running shoes and let them slip to the floor.

"Tell stories," Claudia answered. "Two especially."

He slipped his hands down over her ankles to peel her socks down, and paused to rub her feet before he said, "We'll need to go out sometime. I don't have enough food here for the whole time."

"That feels good," Claudia said. She wiggled her toes while Manny kissed them.

Manny pulled Claudia's shorts over her feet and dropped them with his jeans. He stroked the soft skin inside her thighs then took her panties. He grinned at his sister and inhaled her scent from the damp fabric.

"Gross, Manny," Claudia said, but she pushed her knees apart as her brother's touch traveled up, and she gave him room while he explored her soft curls—now a little wet—and hunted for her slowly hardening button.

"Running?" Manny asked. "Maybe a hike? There are some great trails here but we'd have to go early." His voice trailed off while he unbuttoned Claudia's shirt and laid it open.

"That could be fun. I probably should run. Don't forget your party, too." Claudia said. She ran her fingers through Manny's wavy hair while he bent over between her legs to kiss her dark curls, then her belly and her throat. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

Manny pulled Claudia's shirt down off her arms and laid it aside. "I want to do you," Manny said. "Lots of you." He unhooked his sister's bra and freed her beautiful breasts, then dropped it and circled his tongue around her nipple.

Claudia's voice came in gasps, "You can have all of me you can stand." She reached between them, found Manny's hardened cock and giggled. "Manny, you need to let me pee first. Where's the bathroom?"

Manny rolled onto his back and waved to a door beside the bed. "It's here he said. Hurry."

He laid with his arms and his legs apart and listened over the sounds from the television to the quiet tinkle from the bathroom. He closed his eyes and recalled the touch of his sister's lips, her scent, the taste of her skin, and his cock ached for her. Manny was so caught up in the memory that he was surprised when Claudia climbed over him and settled her weight on his hips.

Claudia picked up his hard dick and said, "Manny, eres obsceno! But in the most exciting ways." She leaned over him and trapped his arms against the mattress. She sniffed at his neck, dragged his skin between her teeth, and started grinding against his shaft.

"I want it in you," Manny said and Claudia said nothing. She smiled at her brother, then rose off his hips and guided his cock into her. She settled down slowly to take him deeper while Manny groaned and arched his back. She was warm and wet around his shaft and every movement she made excited him.

"Good?" Claudia asked, and grinned at her brother's distracted expression. She resumed her grind, but now against the firm spot at the base of his shaft. She caught her breath and sped her sinuous movements. Claudia leaned over her brother and supported herself with one hand on his chest. Manny cupped her breasts in each hand and rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. A thin line of drool dropped from the corner of her mouth and fell on his shoulder.

Claudia's hand on his chest gripped his muscle while her motions became erratic. She reached her other hand to balance herself and grasped the skin over his ribs, then he felt her body tighten around his cock. Claudia was blinded by her climax; she tossed her head back and caught her breath, let out a gasp, and collapsed on Manny's chest.

Manny rolled Claudia over beside him and didn't let her pull away. He gripped her by her topknot again, pressed her onto her back in a sweaty embrace and kissed her open mouth. He thrust into her slowly at first then faster as her excitement returned.

Claudia's breath grew hot on his cheek; she turned her head to break their kiss and gulped for air while her brother plunged into her. She lifted her legs around his hips and knotted her fingers in his hair. She bit off a groan while her climax came, and the spasms coursed through her body.

Manny pushed himself up to watch his little sister relax. Claudia was a beautiful mess, and his excitement overcame him as he watched her. He clenched his teeth and again he emptied himself into her then fell onto the sheet beside her.

Claudia was exhausted and Manny was spent. She curled against him with her head on his shoulder, and he pulled the bed sheet over them both. He held his sister close and safe, and they slept until the thunder woke them.

Manny found Claudia sitting up next to him with the sheet across her lap. Lightning flashed on the other side of the curtain and briefly lit the room, then another peal of thunder shook the apartment. Claudia reached up to free her hair from her topknot and shook it out. It fell over her shoulders, and its untamed waves hid her face in shadows.

"How long have you been awake?" Manny asked. He lifted his head to check the clock; the room was too dark for the time of day.

"I'm not sure," Claudia said. "I've been thinking and watching you sleep, but I don't know how long."

"You could have watched TV instead," Manny said with a laugh. He rolled over to lay his head on his sister's lap and looked up at her. "What were you thinking about?" he asked.

Claudia plucked a lock of wavy hair off his forehead and set it in place. He couldn't see her expression, but her voice seemed far away. "Ximena," she said. "Ximena just wanted to get away from the lightning and out of the rain. Can we tell her story?"

Manny needed only a moment to realize what his sister was talking about. "I remember," he said, "It's hard to understand things that happened ten generations ago when El Salvador was so different."

"You listen then, and I'll start it," Claudia said. "Ximena was younger than I am now when she met Juan Francisco. She ran to the ranch house and stopped on the portico while lightning crackled over head—just like now—and then the rain came down. She watched from there with her hands clutched around herself. She didn't hear Magdalena come from inside so she jumped when Magdalena asked, 'Are you lost?'"

"Ximena said, 'No,' then changed her mind. 'Si, I think I am.'

"She had stopped by the side of the trail to pick blackberries. When the storm started José and the handcart he pulled to their new home were gone. She ran the trail to find him, but she must've taken a wrong turn, so now she sheltered on the portico and wondered where her husband went.

"Magdalena was an old woman and her lined face reassured her. Ximena said, 'José is probably looking for me now.'

"Luna stepped around Magdalena. 'Not in this rain,' she said. Luna was younger than Magdalena, and her expression was—well—a little scary. She swept her eyes down Ximena and said, 'I have a bad feeling about this. You shouldn't be here. Go—even in this storm.'

"It was already too late for Ximena," Claudia said, and shrugged. "Juan Francisco came to see who was talking. He was a big Criollo, and still young. 'Su nombre?' he asked when Luna and Magdalena stepped aside.

"Ximena was shy. She looked down to hide her eyes and answered, 'Ximena Garcia. Mi hombre es José.' She didn't dare resist when Juan Francisco tucked his hand under her chin and lifted her head. She was mestizo and—you know how it was then—that meant the Church was the only thing that kept him from doing anything he wanted to her."

Claudia watched her brother's eyes drift shut. "Manny!" she said, "Are you listening to me?" She pinched Manny's nose so he couldn't breath. The way his eyes and his mouth popped open made Claudia laugh.

"Manny pushed her hand away then held it to his chest. "Every word," he said, and continued the story himself. "Juan Francisco saw her dark eyes, her high cheekbones, and her long, narrow nose and decided that she was mostly Pipil. But as the mestizos did, she spoke Spanish, wore a small cross and dressed in a full skirt and blouse. Ximena was pretty, but not refined.

"He held Ximena's chin up and opened her blouse. She flinched, but never took her eyes off him. Juan Francisco didn't touch her, but her breasts looked round and plump, and he liked that.

"He told Magdalena, 'She can stay and help you in the kitchen.' Juan Francisco looked down Ximena's open blouse one more time before he let her close it, and then smiled and said, 'Don't worry, we'll find your José. I'll have my vaqueros look for him.' Then he told Luna, 'Don't let her leave.'"

Thunder rattled the window beside the bed and a gust whipped rain against it. Manny paused to listen, so it was Claudia's turn. "If Ximena ran right then, maybe the story would be different. She decided to stay and wait for José to find her, or maybe for Juan Francisco's vaqueros to find José.

"The kitchen work was hot, but Ximena didn't care. They gave her food and a pallet to sleep on, and she didn't have anywhere else to go.

"It was just two nights later when Luna hissed at her in the dark, 'Come with me.' Ximena thought that maybe they found José. Luna pulled her out of the cell they shared in the servants' quarters, took her to Juan Francisco, and then left her by his bed.

"Juan Francisco confused her when he gave her a beautiful blue skirt. After that he sat on the edge of his bed and made her kneel in front of him. He unbuttoned his breeches and his thick cock stood up for her.

"Ximena blushed and tried to push away. She moaned, 'Ai, no! I won't dishonor José,' but Juan Francisco didn't give her a choice. He held her and opened her blouse, squeezed her breasts, and rasped in her ear, 'Suck me, Ximena.'

"He pulled her braids and forced himself between her lips. Ximena had to catch her breath and blink back tears before she could go on. She hardly knew what to do, and she worried that Juan Francisco would hurt her if she did something wrong."

Claudia laughed, "Ximena didn't need to worry about that. It wasn't long at all before he wrapped his arms around her head and choked her while he came. He fell back onto his bed, and she gasped, and sputtered, and wiped her chin."

"Just like that, the next day Ximena kept house with Luna instead of working in the hot kitchen for Magdalena. Luna watched her stitch and rolled her eyes. 'Niñas sew better than you,' she said. Luna took her to the portico and taught her to stitch.

"That night Luna led Ximena back to Juan Francisco. She was afraid, but he gave her a new white blouse then sat on his bed and pulled her close. She tried to push him away, but that didn't work—he was too strong. He sucked her nipples then made her kneel between his legs.

"She leaned on his thighs and closed her lips around him; she slipped her tongue around him, and let him slip to the back of her mouth. She worked his cock with her hands and her mouth until his grip closed on the back of her head, and then he grunted like an animal and pumped his cream down her throat."

Claudia looked away from Manny when lightning lit the room and thunder shook the bed. When it passed she looked back at her brother and continued her story.

"Ximena kept house with Luna each day, and Luna taught her stitches and corrected her Spanish. At night Ximena served Juan Francisco, and she prayed for José to find her.

"'Why doesn't Juan Francisco have a wife?' Ximena asked while she stitched with Luna.

"Luna laughed. 'He has a wife,' she said. 'They were betrothed when they were niños and they don't get along. He keeps her in a house in the city and prays to never see her.'