Auntie Im's Treat

Clark leaned out off the curb to look around the bend in the street, then looked the other way just for something to do. He checked his phone. She was twenty minutes late, no missed calls. He considered calling her, but he was nervous enough about this trip. He always got tongue tied around Auntie Kim, ever since he was five and noticed her beautiful round breasts, threatening to spill at times from the top of her shirt. He got a little hard thinking about the hug she had given him at graduation, the last time he had seen her. Two years had gone by quickly, he hadn't been back home. He wouldn't even be going to his parents' anniversary party if not for Auntie Kim's offer to pick him up on her way.

He looked at the message arranging meeting time and place, confirming he was at the right address, and Auntie Kim was twenty-three minutes late. His mother had always complained about how unreliable she could be; a free spirit is great to have around, she said, when she decides to show up.

"Clark, is that you?" Auntie Kim walked up behind him, from the direction of the house. Dressed in a blue blouse with a plunging neckline and a skirt that split for her right thigh as she walked, she raised her arms toward him. "It's great to see you, Kiddo! What are you doing out here? Why didn't you come to the door?"

"I... I didn't realize this was... I thought you were... sorry."

Auntie Kim laughed as she embraced him. "You're so sweet, I could just eat you up!" she said. She led him into the house by his hand, then pointed at her suitcase leaning against the island in a huge open kitchen. "Bye Honey, I'm going!"

"It was great seeing you, Kim, stop by anytime," called a voice from the back rooms.

"Grab that," Kim said as Clark followed her to the door. He picked up the suitcase and carried it to the car in the driveway as she popped the trunk so he could put it in.

"Is this your car?"

"You like it?" she asked, opening the shining red door of the Toyota Supra and swinging in behind the wheel.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous. It's perfect for you, too, you look like... You- you look good in it," Clark stammered, blood rushing in both his heads. His jaw hanging as he looked at her, he couldn't believe she was in her forties, in the same great, generous shape as he remembered, and her hemlines had only gotten shorter.

Auntie Kim laughed, shutting her door. Clark rounded the car and took his backpack into his hands, setting it in his lap as he sat in the seat next to hers. "You could put that in the trunk, too."

Clark shook his head. "So whose house is this?"

"A friend of mine. We've been at a few of the same seminars. I got into town last night, so I called him and invited myself over," Kim said as she backed out of the driveway. She pulled off down the quiet street with smooth control and glanced at him with a smile. "Look at you, you've really filled out. You look like a real man, now! How's school?"

"It's good," Clark said, blushing.

"Your mom says you've been so busy, you haven't been home?"

"Yeah."

"Not once in two years?"

Clark shook his head.

"How have you been so busy for the last two years you never made it home to visit your dear old mom and dad?"

Clark shrugged, clearing his throat.

"Been too busy hitting the gym?" she asked, squeezing his forearm. "Or is your girlfriend monopolizing all your time?"

His face burning, Clark tried to get over the stutter he developed just for this occasion.

Auntie Kim laughed, and his difficulties only increased as he became even more flustered. "Relax, Clark," she said, but how did she expect putting her hand on his leg would help with that? "Are you sure you don't want that bag in the back--?"

"No, I do not," he said, somewhat more forcefully than intended.

"Okay, sorry," she said, putting her hand back on the wheel. "Do you have a girlfriend? Your mom said you have a girlfriend." She glanced at him so he shook his head again, and she sighed. "This is going to be a really long drive."

Clark felt his throat tighten, and he fought to control his composure. He told himself that Auntie Kim was right; this was a long trip, and he'd only managed to ruin five minutes so far. "Sorry, Auntie Kim," he said. "I guess I'm just nervous. It's been so long, and I messed up not figuring that you'd be at the place you told me to go. Like, duh, I'm supposed to be smart." He laughed at himself, relieved when she laughed along. "And Marnie and I broke up a few months ago. I haven't gotten around to mentioning it to Mom. Actually, it might be better if you did."

Auntie Kim glanced at him with a smirk. "Like when you got that C minus in dance?"

Clark laughed harder, knocking himself a little looser. "Exactly. It'll be easier to hear from you."

"Well, okay, but she'll want details, so you're going to have to tell me a few. Too busy at school? Or at the gym?"

"School. The gym is just how I've been dealing with stress."

"You must be under a lot of stress. So, what happened? Tell me everything."

Clark settled into the bucket seat, feeling like he was thirteen again and he could tell Auntie Kim anything. Well, almost anything. "We met at work last summer break. She's a cashier in the cafeteria, and I do prep."

"You're a cook?"

"No, I never cook there, just chop stuff. We started hanging out, then sort of dating, then real dating, I guess, by the end of the summer. When we went back to class, we tried to make it work, but she wanted more time than I had."

"Such a driven young man," Auntie Kim said, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "I hope you let her down gently."

"Oh, she dumped me," Clark admitted. "I kept getting wrapped up in coursework and forgetting to meet her, not returning calls... I was a bad boyfriend."

"Well, bad for her, maybe," Auntie Kim gave a haughty shrug. "I hate when men cling and want to spend just all the time together, you know?"

"I... I guess. Anyway, she found out I'd started going to the gym, and that was kind of her last straw. She'd been complementing the changes in my physique until she found out it took up my time. It didn't help when I told her I work out to reduce my stress, and she kept causing more."

"Ooh," Auntie Kim said.

"Yeah. I still see her at work, too. It's been awkward. I'm going to look for another job when I have time."

"That all seems very reasonable," Auntie Kim said. "Why didn't you tell your mother?"

Clark looked out the window as they turned a corner, rubbing the back of his neck. "She was just so happy that I had a girlfriend."

Auntie Kim laughed, and as always, she looked gorgeous while doing it. The morning sun shone through her deep auburn hair and over her plump lips as they curled into a smile. Clark adjusted his backpack again as her face turned and their eyes met. "Her loss. Lots of women out there appreciate a man with a lot going on."

Clark laughed self-consciously, a high nervous sound that made him even more self-conscious.

"I mean, looking at you now, all grown up, I kind of wish I hadn't promised your mother I'd never sleep with you."

Clark's jaw dropped. "You what?"

Auntie Kim laughed, slapping the wheel. "Dang it, I also promised I wouldn't tell you that."

"You what?!" Clark asked. "Are you being serious right now?!"

She glanced at him, winking.

Clark's mind raced with all the possibilities of why she might say such a thing, his heart pounding in his ears. Was it possible his mother really told Auntie Kim not to sleep with him, a clear indication that Auntie Kim actually did want to sleep with him? She was probably just kidding around, she always had a weird sense of humor, but what embarrassed a few short years ago, he suddenly found arousing. "Did you promise about this trip specifically?"

Auntie Kim laughed, "No, you were about eight or nine. You brought us cake, and you did this adorable thing where you bowed and kissed my hand."

"I remember."

"Do you really?"

"Yes, Milady." He's been obsessed with knights and chivalry when he was nine.

Auntie Kim laughed, and when she glanced at him, she seemed to be blushing. "Well, I said something about if you were ten years older, and your mother took me to task. 'You're his godmother for fuck's sake!'" She imitated Clark's mother, and it made him smile as always, "'Just because you'll do it with anybody, you'd take advantage of my poor innocent boy!'"

Clark swallowed slowly, "She... she thought you'd do that?"

"Right? Just because I sleep with a lot of people, it doesn't mean I don't have standards. It just happens that anyone I want, I get."

"Well, except me," Clark said, and she glanced at him with an eyebrow raised. "Since you promised my mom."

"Right," she agreed, laughing. "So tell me about school."

Clark told her about school, the heavy classwork that came with a biochemical engineering degree and Auntie Kim seemed to be awake at the end, which was good because she was driving. She told him about her recent projects, like the consulting job for the hotel where they would be staying that evening. In one way, their conversation felt a little like a time machine, like the last two years hadn't even happened, but in another, their relationship had a whole new dynamic. Now that Clark was an adult, one she found attractive judging by her glances, he felt more confident. He felt like she was interested in what he said and not just humoring him. Now that he was more mature, he was able to imagine with more realism that she would spend the evening seducing him. That would be great for when he was alone in his hotel room later, masturbating.

With the good conversation and the pleasure of looking at Auntie Kim, the day of driving flew by. Every time he made her laugh, he tucked the sound and image carefully into his memory, for later. He loved to make her laugh and smile, make her glance at him with her brow arched, and when she touched his arm or hand for any reason. It happened a lot over eight hours, but it never stopped thrilling him to feel her warmth on his skin.

Dusk was falling firmly into night when she pulled into the shining plaza of what had to be the fanciest hotel in the city. The sheltered driveway was around a huge, well-lit fountain surrounded by small but colorful garden plots. By the time Clark finished marveling at it, valets had opened the doors and ushered them out. One of them greet Kim by name, standing very close to her, and then spared a sneer for Clark as he rounded the front of the car.

Auntie Kim glanced at Clark, smiling as she whispered something, and the valet laughed as he stepped back, then caught her car keys. "Take extra special care of her for me, okay Bobby?"

"You bet, Mrs. H," Bobby said, sliding into the seat.

Clark watched the car roll away until Auntie Kim beckoned him forward with a tug at his hand. "Mrs. H?" he asked, still looking back.

"His last name is Hernandez. Just wishful thinking on his part, as I keep telling him."

Clark tried to work out a witty comment but remained stuck on the fact that Bobby Hernandez wasn't much older than he was.

"Pick that up for me," said Auntie Kim, pointing at her suitcase. "Let's go up to the room first, then we'll have to do a bit of shopping, then dinner."

"What are you shopping for?"

"A jacket for you, for starters. I bet you were planning to show up to your parents' do in that hooded sweater, weren't you?"

"It's my best hooded sweater," Clark said. "Listen, Auntie Kim, I'm already mooching this ride, I can't let you..."

"You can't let me?" Auntie Kim cut him off. "You listen, Clark. Dragging you back home to go to this party is my anniversary gift to your folks, and I'll be damned if my present is going to show up wrapped in a hoodie. You won't ask for anything, so I'm just gonna give it to you. You're going to take it, and instead of arguing with me, you're gonna say 'thank you, Auntie Kim, you're beautiful when you're being so kind and generous.'"

"Thank you, Auntie Kim. You're so gorgeous when magnanimous, it makes me want you to give me even more stuff."

She laughed. "I'm only going to buy you stuff I like, though."

"That's probably for the best, but I was referring specifically to dinner."

"Of course, kiddo," she said, linking his arm with hers. "This whole weekend is my treat. I could see the look on your face when I described the restaurant, but money is truly no object here."

"Thank you so much, Auntie Kim," he said. "Your generosity is only surpassed by your loveliness." He added, "I'm really hungry."

"Do you want to grab something from the café while I check in? Don't ruin your appetite though."

"Never," he said, trying not to let his gaze wander over her curvy form as he stepped away from her. "I've always got an appetite."

"Put it on my account. Anything you want, it's on me."

"Thanks, Auntie Kim," he said.

The muffins were eight dollars each! Cookies were four, pieces of cake twirling beneath the lights in the display case ranged in price from sixteen to nineteen dollars. Clark rubbed the back of his neck. "Two chocolate chip cookies and a cup of coffee, please, and Kim Merchant said to charge it to her room."

The barista looked him up and down, appearing unimpressed. "Your key?"

"Kim went to go check in, she said..."

"I need a key or cash."

"Keep it, then," Clark said. Walking back across the lobby, he met Auntie Kim and she already looked annoyed, so he didn't mention being turned down at the café. He didn't have to.

"Who was working the counter?" she asked, leading the way back.

"I didn't catch his name."

"I can already guess," she said. Her cheeks and lips were flushed, her eyes narrowed as they entered the café off the main foyer and set on the barista. "Yup, exactly what I expected."

The Barista paled when he glanced up and noticed their approach. His lips moved in the words, 'oh shit'. He tried to look busy as they reached the counter, then greeted them with a smile and a very poor attempt at surprise, as though just noticing who had come in. "Oh, Ms. Merchant," he said. "Welcome back, can I help you?"

"You can explain to me how you keep forgetting about the arrangement I have here."

"I... I didn't, but..."

"I was standing right here when Carol explained to you that anything I want, anything my guests want, is provided without delay. This man is my guest, so give him a fucking muffin."

"He asked for cookies, and I didn't think he could be a guest of yours. The way you've gone on about your standards..."

"I didn't realize I was such hot shit around here people pretend to know me just to get free cookies!" Auntie Kim said. "You think this guy is below me, you little prick? Below you? Because he doesn't fit the mold? Because you think I bring too many guests here for the night? Because you don't get that this snobby fucking attitude of yours is what I find so unappealing? Give the man his fucking cookies."

"Here you are, sir," said the barista, not without sarcastic emphasis on the last word, as he handed the cookies over on a plate.

Clark took them off the plate and took a bite of one. "Thanks," he said.

"You still want that coffee, too? How do you take it?"

"Sure, thanks," said Clark. "Black."

"A pleasure to serve the newest boy-toy of the illustrious Kim Merchant," the barista assured him with a smile and a wink. "Enjoy your stay."

Clark stepped back with his coffee and took a sip as Auntie Kim stepped up to the counter. "My standards certainly aren't defined by your approval, you waste of breath."

"It's none of my business," he said, straightening his tie. "You've made that clear."

"Good. Come along Clark," she said. She turned on her heels and Clark watched her a moment, shoving the entirety of the second cookie in his mouth so he could pick up her suitcase.

"You must have a huge cock," the barista said, his voice low. He frowned at Clark shaking with cookie-muffled laughter. "What's your secret, you lucky little fuck?"

"It's a secret," Clark replied with his mouth full before following the woman from the café. She moved fast across the foyer, up the huge set of steps that narrowed by about half as it curved around the reception area. He had to jog up the stairs to join her side by the time they reached the second floor.

"Are you okay, Auntie Kim?" he asked.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry about that."

"About what? Walking too fast?"

She laughed. "No, about that guy being a dick to you. About my reaction to it. I was already annoyed because they shifted my reservation."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a convention at the arena tomorrow, antiques or something. They filled up, so they changed my reservation to my usual room." She stopped at a dark oak door labelled, 'Executive Suite' and slid her key card through the slot.

The lights came on as they entered the elegantly furnished sitting room of the suite, the kitchenette and very large closet on the right side. Clark walked past that, placing Kim's suitcase on a round table and sliding his backpack off to set on a chair. "This is really fancy," he said, looking around at the amenities.

"Only one bedroom, though," Auntie Kim said, frowning. "How do you feel about the couch? I could have them bring a cot up."

Clark fell onto the soft, luxuriant cushions of the sofa and bounced into laying position. "It's nicer than my bed," he assured her, putting his hands behind his head. At first, he thought his easy-going approval put a smile back on Auntie Kim's beautiful lips, but the movement of her eyes over his body as she stood over him made him reconsider. He liked her attention but became self-conscious in it. He cleared his throat as he sat.

"Sorry," she said, snapping out of her daze. "I must be tired from the road. Let's get you dressed and then we can eat and go to bed. I mean I can," she corrected herself hurriedly. "We'll eat but not... I'll go to bed, you'll go to couch."

Clark liked the way her cheeks darkened in his gaze as he stood next to her. "Sure thing, Auntie Kim," he said. "Thanks for everything. My desire for you to buy me stuff is only matched by my desire for you." He laughed awkwardly when she stepped back side-eyeing him. "Too much?"

She laughed back, shaking her head as she walked to the door. He wanted to step up behind her and hold her but didn't. He wanted to touch her so bad he ached, but he didn't. His heart began to beat faster when she took his arm again, holding his hand. She told him as they walked about how the hotel had several high-end boutiques, explaining the synergy of the operation. She picked him out very nice clothes that had no prices, even the socks and underwear were probably worth a fortune. She bought him a pair of shoes and a pen that came in a case. He didn't want any jewelry, but she still bought a silver cross on a thick chain because his mother would like it. Outfitted, he looked at himself in the full-length mirror. As he straightened his tie, Auntie Kim came up next to him. Her plump lips parted breathlessly but closed again without saying anything. She blushed as she nodded. "Presentable," she said. "I guess we can finally get something to eat."

Clark rubbed his hands together, then offered her his arm. "Milady," he said, bowing like he had when he was nine. She took his arm and leaned against him as they walked to the restaurant. She was obviously proud to be seen with him, and that made him proud.

They shared a bottle of wine at dinner, though not evenly. She said he could just have one glass, but he didn't mind. When Auntie Kim drank wine, she was so much fun. She was bubbly and couldn't seem to keep her hands still, always stroking her glass or her face, the edge of the table, sometimes his hand or his arm. She laughed at almost everything he said, and her strange sense of humor got even more brazen, until it was harder to tell if she really was just kidding.