Living with Aunt Sarah

The next day, I woke up, hungover, to the sounds of Rick and Aunt Sarah arguing. After cleaning myself up, I took some Tylenol and went downstairs.

"Oh man," I thought to myself. "They're talking about last night."

As I made my way closer to the kitchen, I began preparing for whatever was about to happen, even if that meant getting kicked out. I tried telling myself that maybe I was better off just moving back in with my mom.

But I soon found out that wasn't the case at all.

They were arguing, but not about me. From what I could gather from the next room, Rick hadn't come home until early that morning. Both sounded upset so I just slowly made my way back to my room.

I waited in bed and closed my eyes until I heard three very distinct words coming from Rick.

"...about time he got a fucking job..."

And then the door slammed. I just prayed he slammed it.

It was. I went back down found Aunt Sarah was bent over the island in the kitchen in a silk bathrobe. Her hair was tousled and she was biting her hand. I couldn't tell if she was crying, but if she was, I wanted to give her space. I backed up I've again, but this time she heard me.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked. She turned to me and I found she wasn't crying - just hungover like me.

"Just the door slam," I lied.

Even disheveled, Sarah looked so gorgeous in the bathrobe. It was a typical pink that clung to her body but only went down to just above her knees. My eyes wandered down from her knees to her feet and I remembered every detail of what happened the night before.

"Sorry if we woke you," she said.

"You didn't," I lied again. I couldn't help myself, but I had to add, "Everything okay?"

"Rick didn't come home last night," she said. "The idiot said he crashed at the bar. But I don't believe him. Or maybe I do. I don't know. All that matters is this."

In her hand was the piece of plastic. I looked closer and saw it was the corner of a wrapper from a condom.

"Oh shit," I said. "What did he say about that?"

"He didn't," she said. "He didn't see me pick it up after it fell out of his pocket."

It was then that I realized just how close we'd become. Why my aunt was confiding this to me, I didn't know - maybe she was lonely without Abby and with a husband that was most likely cheating on her. I didn't really care though. I was happy to be that person for her.

So I said, "Are you going to confront him about it?"

"I don't know," she said and palmed the wrapper. "If I do then...then it becomes real, you know?"

I walked over to her so I was on the other side of the island where she was bent over.

"You deserve better. Do it or don't - it's not my place to say. But whatever happens, I'm on your side." And then I smiled and placed my hands on hers. "Plus he's an idiot if he's cheating on you. You're one of the kindest and most beautiful people I know."

Yeah, it was sappy, but I had to take that chance. She smiled back in response and reached out to stroke my cheek. It was warm and tender, almost maternal, but I didn't care.

"You're a smart kid," she said. "If only Rick were a little more like you."

I kind of frowned at that. "If Rick were more like me he wouldn't have a job."

She broke away. "So, you heard more than you let on."

"Just a little," I admitted. "He's right, you know? I can't mooch off you guys forever."

"You're not mooching," she said.

"Well, you may think that," I replied. "But I can't help but feel I may not be wanted here."

"I want you," she said and then quickly added, "here."

"Well, I still need a job," I replied.

Aunt Sarah looked off in the distance like she had an idea and smiled. She told me of one of her friends (one of the few who worked) that had a job at the local newspaper. She said she would ask her about something the next time she saw her.

I thanked her, she cooked breakfast, we ate, and I left to go work on my resume for this lady. Before I left though, Aunt Sarah stopped me.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" I said.

"Well, we are going to have to talk about last night sometime," she said. The blood drained away from my face as I remembered it all. She saw this and cracked up. "Relax. None of it was your fault. We both had too much to drink and things got a little out of control."

"To be honest," I replied. "I'm kinda glad it did."

Aunt Sarah said something, but I didn't hear it as I was already on my way back to my room. It wouldn't be until later that I did find out what she said.

"Me too."

#

The following weeks moved by pretty quick. I got a couple part time gigs: one at the paper and one washing dishes at one of Rick's bars. Both of which I knew Aunt Sarah had a hand in.

The bar was the worst. Disgusting work, bad pay, and a manager who I think Rick must have paid to make my life a living hell. But I couldn't complain. I had my other job to look forward to.

The paper was kind of boring for the most part, but I got paid more than minimum wage, so I couldn't complain. And Aunt Sarah's friend, Cass, (who turned out to be the editor) was pretty easy-going.

I don't know what I did, but Cass apparently took a shine to me. She had me working more with her, proofreading her articles, showing me a few things about writing press releases, and we eventually had a thing every morning where I brought coffee and she brought breakfast.

It was then that I started to notice how she preferred to wear her hair down more and more. If she did have it up, she was also wearing glasses. And she began wearing skirts, but they seemed to be possibly a size to small on her shapely legs.

To be blunt, I could tell when Cass started flirting with me. It was little comments at first, but it became less and less subtle as time went on. But I didn't mind. She was attractive - late 40s, blonde, and it was hard not to stare at her ass when she was in heels.

She had me working more and I was home less. I was busy most days and some nights and slept in between, so I didn't really see Aunt Sarah that much. I would work out with her every once in a while, but that was the extent of it. I felt like we were drifting apart and I felt awful - I didn't want her to think it was because of her.

Then Thanksgiving came around. Aunt Sarah and I decided to road trip to my parents' place, which was a 2 day drive: The plan was to pick up Abby on the way on day 2. Rick didn't go - he said he was going to spend it with his parents, who lived in the city.

Aunt Sarah and I traded off driving her giant Escalade on the interstate. We talked, listened to music, ate junk food - the usual road trip stuff. At one point we got on the topic of work - specifically the paper.

"How do you like it there?" she asked from the passenger seat.

"It's good," I said. I could feel her gaze on me, but I didn't take my eyes off the road.

"How do you like working for Cass?" she asked.

I told her it was a great experience and how exciting it was - blah blah blah. Aunt Sarah was still looking at me.

"Do you want to hear something weird?" she asked in a strange tone. I nodded. "I think Cass has the hots for you. She's been mentioning it at yoga."

"What?" I asked. "What does she say?"

"Nothing much," Aunt Sarah said. "She thinks you're funny and cute. She usually brings this up after talking about how her ex was so boring in bed. You can connect the dots from there."

I wasn't sure what to say because I could tell she was testing my reaction to this news. But why? Was it some form of playful, schoolgirl thing where she sees if I "like" one of her friends and then she passes that along to said friend?

"That's...interesting," I said, trying not to give much direction one way or the other.

"What would you do if she came onto you?" she asked.

"I don't know..."

"Just imagine it: you have a late night at the office, it's just the two of you and you just finished a long project together. It starts as playful teasing because you're happy to be done and one thing leads to another..."

"I get the picture."

Sarah broke into a smile. "I'm just joking around. I mean, she's too old for you."

My heart kind of sank at that statement because Cass was Aunt Sarah's age, although maybe a couple years older. But then I saw it as an opportunity to mess with my aunt.

"Who cares about what happens between two consenting adults?" I said and winked to her. "As long as no one gets hurt, right?"

"I guess you have a point," she said.

I couldn't help myself. I knew I was getting risky, but I had to. So, I said, "Like you said, what happens after work hours is no one's business. So, maybe I should pursue this thing with Cass..."

"I wouldn't recommend it," she said, getting really cold all of a sudden. "Not to tell you what to do or anything, but she's kinda crazy. There's a reason her husband divorced her."

"Understood," I replied.

I think she felt bad because the next thing I knew, she was placing her hand on my wrist that was on the armrest. Her hand was cold, but I could still feel a warmth radiating from it. Or maybe it was the warmth of the blood rushing to my face as well as...other areas. "I just want what's best for you...especially after the fiasco with whatsername."

"Thanks, Aunt Sarah. I really appreciate you looking out for me," I replied and smiled. The smile was partly from that - the fact that she was looking out for me - but it was also because I knew.

She was jealous.

#

When we finally pulled over for dinner, it was pretty dark and the cold was really starting to creep in. We ate at a little diner next to the hotel that Sarah had gotten a room for us at. It was a 2-bed, which I kind of assumed she'd get.

Nothing of real importance happened the rest of the night. We were tired and went to bed pretty early. When I got up the next morning, Aunt Sarah was already out of the shower and putting makeup on. I was worried about some awkward encounter with her needing me to leave the room while she got out of the shower and into her clothes or something, but she'd either done so in the bathroom or while I was asleep.

We took off, picked up Abby at her dorm a few hours later and got to my mom's in the evening. After a couple drinks, my mom went to bed while I hung out with the other two. Soon after, Aunt Sarah went to bed in the guest bedroom after giving both of us a hug goodnight.

Abby was a funny girl. She was very smart, not really needing too much assistance from Rick to pay for college, but had gotten into trouble plenty of times for things my mom wouldn't tell me about that I later heard from Abby herself. We were kind of close like that.

Her dad had died in an accident and mine had left my mom for someone else to start a new family. So, we were always kind of close, despite the distance in our homes

"How are you liking my room?" she asked from one end of my mom's couch.

"It's fine," I said. I kept flipping through channels as we talked but I could feel her looking at me. "I've been sure to save one of your pillows strictly for farting into."

"Ha ha," she said and rolled her eyes. "Is it very...noisy?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Have you heard my mom and Rick get it on yet?"

Now she had my full attention.

"Yeah," I said and laughed nervously. "It's weird, but at least it's only happened a couple times since I've been there."

"Wait." She looked confused. "A couple times?"

"Yeah," I said.

Abby looked off into the distance and shook her head. "He's cheating on her again, isn't he?"

Again? I thought. How many times did this happen? I scratched my head, unsure of what to tell her.

"Is he?" she asked and then, "Does my mom know?"

I sighed. "She seems to think so."

"That piece of shit," she said. I could see her shaking with anger. A large part of her rebellious side stemmed from the fact that her dad died when she was so young. I understood though - my dad was just gone.

"Listen," I said and leaned forward. "I don't know anything for certain. I know he's been busy..."

"Busy, I'm guessing, at one of his bars," she said. "Do you know who he cheated with last time? One of the bartenders."

I remembered the one from the night of his party. Abby read this on me.

"So you've seen Rick, The Douchey Flirt," she said. "Now I just miss the times when I could hear them fuck."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's not your fault," she replied. "Just do me a favor, since you're living in my room and all."

"What's that?"

"Don't let her do anything stupid for a while," she said. "And keep your phone on you - I wanna finally nail that asshole."

And that was the end of that. Thanksgiving went without a hitch. Delicious food, more alcohol, and just a genuinely good time. The next day we took off and dropped Abbey off at her dorm. She reminded me to have my phone on me before she left.

And then it was just Aunt Sarah and I. We drove the rest of the day until we got to another hotel. Two beds again, but I didn't really care. I'd pretty much resigned myself to thinking nothing was going to happen.

After dinner, Aunt Sarah bought a handle of vodka and went back to the room. We were tired, but it was still pretty early in the evening, so we weren't sure what to do. After an hour of getting buzzed and not finding anything on the TV, Sarah came up with an idea.

"I didn't see anybody down there if that's what you're worried about," she said.

"I'm more worried about the water," I said. "Public pools kinda gross me out."

"Oh, don't be a wimp," she said. "You can shower afterwards."

I agreed when I realized I'd get to see her in a swimsuit. As I waited for her to put on her swimsuit in the bathroom, my mind was a flurry of imagination, trying to guess what she would be wearing. What I saw when she came out was even better than anything I could think of, let alone describe. The bikini underneath her tunic was black as far as I could tell, with thin spaghetti straps tied off loosely. All it would take was a slight pull and she would be compeltely exposed, but I restrained myself.

We slipped on our shoes - I forgot flip flops so I wore my tennis shoes - and we made our way down to the pool. When we got down there, I saw the pool was empty and breathed a sigh of relief. We went in and I noticed they had a hot tub on the far end. I nudged my aunt and pointed at it.

"Might be a nice way to relax," I said.

"You can if you want. I'm going for a swim," she replied and shed her tunic.

My jaw unhinged at the sight of her. She was tan, even for November, and I could see where her curves came and went. Her legs were long and muscular, rising up to a plump ass and wide hips, a stomach that had a little extra cushion to it, and her tits, which were just barely being held in her bikini top.

My aunt walked forward, to the shallow end of the pool and dipped her toe in. She smirked and said, "It's not bad."

She stepped down the ladder, beckoning me with her eyes, and I followed. The water was kind of cold, but that was good because I could feel myself starting to get an erection from the excitement. We waded around for a while and eventually swam to the other side of the pool, clinging to the edge so we didn't go under.

"It feels so good to stretch out my legs," she said and brought her toes to the surface.

"Tell me about it," I said. My aunt swam towards me and grabbed the wall right next to me so we were about a foot apart.

"So," she said with a devious look on her face. "Are you really attracted to Cass? Be honest."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. She's very good looking. But, I don't know. I mean, she's my boss and everything and I wouldn't want to make things weird between she and me or you and her."

"So, you don't mind that she's older?" Aunt Sarah asked.

"If we're being honest," I replied. "I think it's kinda hot. And part of me also doesn't care because I haven't been laid in months. Sorry if that's too much info or whatever."

She shook her head and giggled.

"Okay," I said. "My turn to ask you a question. And you have to be honest."

"It's only fair," she said.

I took a deep breath and asked, "A couple weeks ago, why did you kiss me?"

"I was drunk," she replied matter-of-factly.

"We both were," I said. "But the alcohol didn't just put the idea into your head."

Aunt Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I got jealous of seeing Rick flirting with another woman. He doesn't really flirt with me much anymore. More like a quick roll in the hay once a week for a couple minutes and done...sorry. TMI?"

"You're fine," I said, though I could feel myself getting jealous. I reached over and grabbed her by the arm. "You're a good person, Aunt Sarah. A catch, really. Rick's an idiot."

"Oh, stop," she said and splashed at me. She made her way to the ladder and said, "Maybe time for the hot tub?"

I watched her climb out the pool, stepping up to the ladder and pulling herself up. She stuck her ass out as she went up and kind of shook it back and forth, whether on purpose or not, I didn't know. But I wasn't complaining - the way that little triangle of fabric clung between her cheeks left little to the imagination. I followed after her and by the time I had ascended, she was already ankle deep in the hot tub.

I stepped in after Sarah, slowly because the water was so hot. She sat on one side and I sat on the other. We talked for a few minutes about nothing in particular and I began planning my next move. Should I slide over? Should I make a move for her to slide over? When we're next to each other, do I just go for it?

The answer was none of the above. Before anything could happen, a couple of guys came into the pool. Both were pretty drunk, dressed in gym shorts, and in really good shape - I felt like a toothpick compared to them. They minded themselves for a while in the pool but it didn't take long for them to notice Aunt Sarah.

"Mind if we join you?" one of them asked. They had a serious surfer dude vibe going on - blonde hair, defined abs, and the kind of tan you can only get by being on the beach every day.

"Mind your own business," is what I wanted to say to him, but didn't get the chance even if I had the nerve to say it.

"The more the merrier," Aunt Sarah said with a bubbly smile.

They both climbed in on each side of us, but were a little closer to Aunt Sarah. They introduced themselves as Robb and Jed and asked us where we were from, where we were going. My aunt did most of the talking, but she didn't tell the truth. She told them that we worked for a paper and were on the way back from a story. My aunt said she was my boss.

As time went on, I noticed them getting closer and closer to Aunt Sarah, flirting with her. Robb even went so far as to turning to me and saying, "Bro, your boss is banging."

But what drove me crazy was she flirted back - complimenting their stupid tribal tats, feeling their muscles. The three of them started to get kind of handsy like that. Mostly above water, but Robb and Jed were more adventurous due to their drunken state. Honestly, my first thought was to leave - I was irritated and at that point I felt like I was just in the way of whatever was going on.

But I didn't. I couldn't just leave her alone with these assholes. Especially after my promise to Abby.

I saw one of them start to put his hand down the water on the inside of her thigh. My aunt tensed up for a moment, made eye contact with me, kind of winking as if to say this was payback for trying to make her jealous earlier. Then she turned back to him and raised a brow like wasn't going to stop him. But she did stop him. In fact, she got up, slowly enough so they had a view of her ass and then turned around and got out of the water.

"How about some jets?" she asked. Everyone agreed.

When she returned to the hot tub, she sidestepped Jed and took a seat next to me, pressing her shoulder into my chest. She grabbed my hand and gently stroked it as Robb and Jed spouted off some story about a bar they had come from. Luckily, were apparently easily distracted.