Avery and Jenna Pt. 09: Visitant

"Avery?" She asked, astonished to see him.

"Erin?" He answered back, admiring how much she had grown since they last saw each other.

"Oh, my God!" She exclaimed, running over to give him a tight embrace. Avery reciprocated accordingly.

"This is amazing! I can't believe it!" She said with high enthusiasm in her voice.

"So, you're the new interpreter?" He asked, sizing up the majesty before him. The business suit wonderfully showed off her tight figure.

"Yeah, I started on Monday, but this is my first time in the building. I'm sitting in on the conference call," she said, placing her hands on her waist. "So, what do you do here?"

"Oh, I'm just one of the investment bankers. Just a tiny cog in the big machine. I've been here for a year. I landed the job immediately after I moved here, so I was really fortunate," he responded.

"Oh! Well, we should get together sometime and catch up," she said, a smile imbedded steadfastly onto her face.

"Sure. I'd like that," he said. Erin grabbed Avery's arm and gave it a squeeze before she walked into the office where a large group of people were in waiting. Avery watched her calves and glutes flex as she walked away, still completely stunned. Carter walked up towards him, bumping his shoulder into Avery's.

"Watch yourself, Wright. You're practically married." He and Avery laughed at the comment and walked into the conference room.

Three hours later, the entire group let out a collective sigh of relief as the meeting ended. Avery immediately collected his stuff and raced for the exit. In lieu of taking the elevator as he did before, he raced down the hallway and turned right. In that corner of the floor was a set of water fountains, a janitor's closet, and a doorway leading to the stairwell. Rather than wait for the elevator to travel nine floors on a busy Friday afternoon, he would just soldier down the stairs. Right before he could open the stairway door, he heard someone calling his name from afar.

"Hey! Hold on!" Erin said as she trailed him in her designer shoes to catch up with him. "I just wanted to have a quick word with you." Avery stood with the door open. Erin slowed down and walked past him through the open door.

"Thank you," she said to him, finding it chivalrous of Avery to hold the door for her. He walked through after her. Once the door was closed, he turned around and was surprised at what transpired next. Erin tossed herself towards him, putting both of her hands onto his chest and slamming him against the door. She pushed with enough force to cause Avery discomfort. Taken aback, Avery barely had enough time to brace himself with his hands. Erin, precipitously, hurdled at him. Her lips tasted of honey and mint. Avery tried to resist but within seconds, he was kissing Erin back. Her tongue darted into his mouth and eddied around his. She moaned contently, as if she were rediscovering something she once loved. Erin, momentarily regaining some composure, leaned away to stop applying so much of her jaw. Avery, in response, moved his lips towards her to continue the kiss.

As their heads switched sides to readjust the kiss, Erin grasped Avery's hand and moved it to her thigh. It felt taut and strong. The muscle was flexed from her standing position. She grabbed the bottom of her skirt and hiked it up quickly until it was bunched up around her waist. She resituated his hand between her powerful legs. Avery took control and started to rub her through her panties and nude-colored stockings. Erin's legs trembled at Avery's touch. Finally, their lips parted. Erin rested her head on Avery's shoulder and moaned into his ear. Avery continued to rub her, sliding two fingers back and forth against her slit. Her panties graciously welcomed his hand; he turned his hand upward and persuaded a finger inside of her. Erin again trembled and made a loud noise as she felt his intrusion. It was, perhaps more than she was expecting, but nonetheless welcome. Avery guided his long finger into her. She was already drenched; he had never explored any part of her other than her breasts, but he traversed the wet tunnel with confidence and feigned familiarity.

"Don't stop," Erin said, moaning into his ear. One of her hands found his stiffening dick and caressed it through his pants.

"I don't want to, but we have to," he said, slowly withdrawing his hand from the warmth between her legs.

"Wait, why?" She said, leaning back to look him in his eyes.

"I'm dating someone, Erin," he said. She straightaway backed from him and lowered her skirt from around her waist.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I heard you say "I" earlier and I just assumed you lived here by yourself and you were available," she said, shaking her body to get her intense arousal under control.

"I'm still with Jenna," he answered, correcting the knot in his tie. Erin looked up at him, seemingly stunned by his comment.

"Really? I heard she broke up with you," she said, taking the tie out of her hair. She started to fasten a new ponytail, making sure to arrange it perfectly.

"She did. We got back together."

"I see." She finished with her hair and then adjusted her navy jacket. "Well, let's just forget this happened, shall we?"

"Sure."

"Great! Excuse me," she said, running by him. She escaped the awkward situation through the doorway, returning to the conference floor. Avery cleared his throat and made his way down the stairs, still shaken up by Erin's actions.

REGRETS

Avery sat at the bar, enjoying a double gin and tonic. He needed it after the unforeseen episode with Erin. He was astounded to see her after so many years. They never actually had a solid period of dating; their time together amounted to little more than some random touching and kissing. Avery's first fantasy involving Jenna was during a heavy petting session with Erin; he tried to put the memory out of mind with no success. She had aged gracefully. He closed his eyes and reminisced about what she tasted like. The gentle kiss of peach on her skin. The pastel blue polish on her nails. The matching small hoop earrings. Her ass had filled out since they last saw each other. Avery always admired Erin. To him, Erin was royalty. She had a confidence about her that was relaxing and intimidating both at once. She was as smart as she was beautiful. Her eyes seemed to have become a cooler shade of blue as she grew into herself.

Avery tossed the fantasizing away when he saw Alicia walk into the restaurant. Her hair was dyed blonde and cut shorter than he remembered. Much like Erin's hair, it once stretched down her back almost to her waist. Now, it was just barely to her shoulders. She was conservatively dressed, adorned with a pair of tan pants and a violet dress shirt completing her outfit. Small diamond studs accentuated the delicate curves of her ears. She possessed no necklace, nor anything on her wrists, save a leather-banded watch on her right arm. Encircling her small frame was a buttoned black petticoat. Her shoes were, too, conservative; a simple shade of black with a flat heel. He hopped out of the stool and hugged her tightly. Alicia reciprocated, closing her eyes as she held her stepbrother.

"You look so good," he said, releasing her. He pulled out the stool next to his for her to sit.

"Thank you! You as well," she replied, placing her purse on the bar.

"What are you drinking?"

"How about a vodka and cranberry juice?"

"You got it." Avery called the bartender over and put in Alicia's drink order before sitting down in his spot next to her. He was positioned at a corner of the bar. Alicia sat on the corner seat adjacent to him.

"So, how are you doing?" He asked, taking a sip of his almost empty glass.

"I'm well. Thank you. How have you been?"

"I'm well," he answered, still smiling at her. A moment passed and Alicia began to laugh.

"What?"

"Just, you. You seem so happy to see me."

"I am! How long has it been? About two years, right?"

"Maybe even longer than that. You were still an undergrad and it was around the time you got back together with Jenna," she answered. The bartender, a tall, slender, dark-haired woman, placed a thin coaster onto the bar before placing Alicia's beverage on top. She took a small sip of it. "So, first, how are things with you and Jenna?"

"They're good. They're very good."

"So, no more Mika? She's gone?"

"Yeah. She moved out of Maggie's apartment after Spring Semester ended and no one's seen or heard from her since. My guess is, she felt really embarrassed about the situation and wanted to get away from it all. Which I don't blame her for because we wanted to leave, too."

"Well, it sounds like all the calamity worked itself out. To be honest, from what you told me, she sounded like a real flake. I, personally, hate it when people run hot one moment and cold the next. I just want everyone to be honest and upfront with me, you know?" She took another sip of her drink after finishing her statement.

"Agreed. I enjoy Jenna's straightforwardness. It's easy to comprehend. She's not always changing her mind," he said through swallowing the rest of his drink. He signaled to the bartender to bring him a second drink.

"So, the two of you have been together for a long time. Are you hearing any wedding bells in your future?"

"Maybe. We both agreed, after Mika, that we wouldn't push each other for marriage until we were certain we were ready for it. But I can honestly say, there's no one I would rather be with than her."

"That's good. I'm happy for you. I think she's good for you."

"Speaking of dating, are you seeing anybody?"

"I was, it's over now," she responded, taking a long sip of her drink.

"Was he too clingy?"

"No. She was her own woman," she answered.

"You were with a woman?"

"I was! Nicole. For almost a year. The situation just became too complicated. She hadn't come out to her parents and she wanted me there when she did. Which wasn't the problem. Her parents were surprisingly supportive of it. Everything was fine until the last two months. After that, she and I argued about nonsense, non-stop, until the end."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Arguments aside, it was a very pleasurable experience. And who knows; there may be another girl in my foreseeable future."

"By the way, guess who now works at the same bank as me?"

"Not someone you've had a sordid affair with, I hope," she snickered, finishing off her drink after a few large gulps.

"Erin. Do you remember her? The blonde chick from high school I used to talk about a lot."

"I honestly don't remember. You're kind of a man-slut. You've had so many girls come and go. It's hard to keep track of them all," she said with both satire and resolve in her voice. Avery, momentarily disquieted from her comment, finally spoke.

"Anyway, they hired her as an interpreter for this big Korean firm we're representing now."

"Do me a favor and try to behave yourself," she said.

"I'll do my best," he responded sarcastically. Alicia slammed her glass down onto the bar and looked at him fiercely.

"Do you ever stop and think about the affects you might have had on any of these women? On Jenna? Sara? Mika? Or me?" Avery was shocked to hear her include herself. "You can be so impulsive sometimes. And afterwards, you second-guess whether you love Jenna or want to venture off with your current infatuation. It's distasteful and it's fickle. What's worse, you call me and tell me about it, as though I want to know who you've been fucking."

"Whoa! Whoa! Where is this coming from?" He questioned, thanking the bartender as she brought over a second round of drinks for them.

"Just don't do anything you'll regret, Avery. Erin may not be worth it and Jenna may not stick around if anything happens. I know I wouldn't," she answered back, taking a big gulp of her second drink.

"Do you regret what happened between us?" He asked. Alicia put her glass down and sighed deeply.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah, honestly."

"I hate it. I wish we never did anything. I think it was disgusting."

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean, come on. I'm sure there is a sizable number of instances where stepsiblings got too close and became intimate. They may think it's okay because they're only related through marriage and not blood. But I think it's still wrong, and I deeply regret having sex with you."

"I don't regret it," he replied, taking a swig of his beverage.

"Of course, you don't. You don't have any respect for me. I was just a hole for you to fuck."

"You think I don't respect you?"

"Actions speak louder than words. You fucked Jenna, maybe Sara too, the same day you came home and fucked me. I never said this to you because I didn't want to start a fight, but when you told me you had fucked Jenna the same day as me, I felt like a cheap whore."

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings," he answered, looking down at the bar.

"The next time you decide to cheat on Jenna, don't tell me. She has my number, after all, and I don't want to be your moral compass anymore," she quickly snapped, finishing her drink and picking up her purse. "This was fun. We should do it again sometime."

"Yep!" Avery said, embarrassed about the whole situation.

"Can you cover me?"

"Yeah, I got it," he said, waving his hand for her to leave.

"Cool. Thanks for the drinks, little brother. I'll call you later." Alicia approached Avery and gently kissed him on the forehead before fastening the button on her coat and walking away.

"Bye Alicia." Avery sat at the bar, completely dejected by the events of the day. He finished off the contents in his glass. Rather than follow his stepsister out of the bar, he called the bartender over for a third glass. While he waited, he heard his phone ring. He had received a text message. He opened his messenger and noticed the text was from an unfamiliar number.

[Hey, it's Erin. I just wanted to apologize for coming onto you like that earlier. I really hope it doesn't make things awkward at work between us.]

Avery did not even think twice about what he was going to say. After Alicia's thorough tongue lashing, and the substantial amount of alcohol he imbibed, he felt he was only good for one thing: cheating on Jenna.

[Where are you right now?]

At that moment, Avery did not care about what anyone thought of him. Her response came less than thirty seconds later.

[I'm at home. Why?]

Avery took a deep breath and began to type a reply. He looked at the clock at the right corner of his phone. Jenna suggested they reconvene at five-thirty, so that gave him a little more than three hours to do whatever he wanted.

[Do you mind if I stop by?]

Regardless of Erin's answer, he was going to leave the bar. He called for the bartender and handed her his credit card to charge the drinks. There was a long pause after he sent the message. He wondered what Erin was thinking. After getting back his credit card, he signed the receipt. Before he could finish, his phone chimed in with the verdict.

[Sure! I just got home from the gym, so I hope you don't mind if I'm a little sweaty.]

Avery did not mind that one bit; the very thought of Erin's adult body covered with a thin layer of salty liquid created a noticeable budge in his pants. He left a ten-dollar bill on the bar and headed out. Realizing he would almost certainly get pulled over from his inebriated state, he decided to leave his car in the parking lot. Once Erin responded back to him with her address, he punched it into the maps app on his phone; her apartment was on the other side of the city, too far to walk. He ordered an Uber to escort him.

WHAT ASSUMPTION

Avery tipped the driver five dollars before opening the door. Before him was a modest-looking apartment complex building. Every unit had either a patio or balcony. There were four apartments for each of the three floors. Her apartment letter was K, so it was a fair assumption she was all the way on the top level. He walked toward the stairs of the red brick building. With each step, he thought about Alicia's words. He may not have regretted having sex with her, but he was capable of feeling regret. Alicia had been harboring those feelings about their sex he did not understand or share. They never spoke about it afterward, so it was a fair assumption it meant nothing to her. He did not know if anyone, other than Alicia, felt regret for doing anything with him. Why should he feel guilty because of his many sexual encounters? His girlfriend, Jenna, certainly felt no regret, nor Jenna's best friend, Janelle. It was a fair assumption he would never know how Mika felt about it, though her silence gave him some idea. What about the others? Tiffany? Jessica? Catherine? What was done was done; worrying, at this point, was foolishness.

At last, he reached the top floor. When he saw her door, he straightened his back. He knew his BAC was peaked and did not want to give the impression that he was there just because he was drunk. After some gentle knocks and a few seconds succeeding them, Erin opened the door. She had swapped her savvy business attire for a pair of charcoal yoga pants and a black and royal blue workout shirt. Her hair was let down. Being out of the ponytail, the length could be ascertained without obstruction. It was considerably shorter than he remembered, cut to just above her shoulders. Clad with a regal smile, she stood to the side as he walked into the charming apartment. It was more spacious than the exterior made it out to be. In one of the corners was a large computer desk and matching bookcase, stuffed with various books. There was a long couch in the center of the living room. A medium-sized flat screen television sat atop a tall, dark brown stand with several drawers. In the opposite corner of the apartment was a small dining room which connected to a roomy kitchen with a small bar. There was a card table in the center of the dining room, but there was still enough space to comfortably maneuver through the area.

"Did you find the place all right?" She asked, closing and locking the door behind her.

"Yeah. I took an Uber," he responded, walking over to the computer desk to look at her books; their subjects included various cultures and languages.

"Can I get you anything? Some water or coffee?"

"Coffee would be nice," he responded. Nodding in acknowledgement, she strutted into the kitchen to honor his request. He surveyed his surroundings but unmasked no evidence of anyone else living in the small apartment with her.

"You know, this neighborhood's kind of rough. You live here alone?"

"Yeah. It was all I could find in the time I needed it. You're my first visitant."

"Interesting choice of words. Visitant," he replied to her.

"But appropriate. Do you have a preference?" She shouted from the kitchen.

"Whatever you make is fine," he answered. He walked over to the square table and sat down. His head was still swimming, albeit not as strongly as it was. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers. The afternoon was crashing upon him, and the alcohol only aided his drowsiness. Coffee was exactly the thing he needed to perk up. Within a few minutes, he could smell the aroma of French vanilla. Erin soon emerged from the kitchen with two similarly-sized mugs, one black and one a moss color, and placed them both onto the table.

"Do you still take it plain?" She asked.

"That's right," he said. She smiled and slid a mug over to him. The slight numbing affect from the alcohol helped him drink the hot beverage with little effort.

"Well, this is nice. How long has it been since you and I last spoke?" She inquired. "Excluding earlier, of course."

"Well, excluding earlier, it's been almost five years," he said, drinking about half of his cup of coffee.

"Wow. It's been that long. I can't believe it," she said, holding her mug with both hands. "You know, I almost didn't take the job at Warren and Hines. I also interviewed for a teaching position in South Korea, but Warren and Hines offered me more money. Money I need to chip away at my enormous student loan debt."