Empty Nesters Ch. 01

"I haven't had a chance to test the pool, Katie-bug," I said, using my nickname for her.

"I can do it; you taught me, last time," she said, as she watched me looking at her. Her eyes twinkled as she turned and opened the French doors that opened onto the patio and pool area.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot," I said, my mind still reeling from the sight of her, in that skimpy bathing suit.

I busied myself in the kitchen, making up a tray of veggies to snack on, during the day. While I worked, I watched her through the windows and the French doors, as she carefully cleaned the pool. Every so often, she bent way over, giving me a very nice view. I was getting stiff, just standing there, watching her as she moved.

I have got to put that out of my head, I thought. I cannot hurt her again.

I went to my room, to change into some swim trunks, and wound up pacing around for a while, letting my arousal subside. Then I grabbed some beach towels from the linen closet, and went out to the pool. Katie was showering off, over by the pool house. Her top had become somewhat see-through, and I began to wonder if I was being tempted on purpose.

"I tested the salinity and pH, like you showed me. Everything looks good. I left the test kit over there, on the table, for you to double check," she said, wetting her long blond hair.

"I'm sure it's fine. I have a guy that checks it, while I'm away and before I come home. I just normally make sure," I said, trying not to look at the very perky, dark aureoles that were now plainly visible through her top.

She had to have noticed my gaze, but she didn't say anything. The day was lovely, and we swam and sunned for most of the rest of the morning. Around 1:30 PM, I asked her if she wanted some of the snacks I'd made, and we had a little snack and a couple of lite beers at the little wrought iron bistro table by the outdoor kitchen. When we'd eaten our fill, I took the tray inside, covered it with plastic-wrap, and tucked it back into the fridge.

"You have quite the set up, here, Dan," she commented, raising her bottle to her lips as I returned to the patio.

"Yeah, I don't really go out, that much, when I'm home. I like it here. The house is secluded, and the view is pretty good, too," I said, realizing my blunder immediately.

"You just won't let it go, will you, you perv?" she chided me as she pushed back her chair and rose from the table.

I was really talking about the house's view of the Gulf but, instead of simply defending the statement, I dove into it, wanting to cut directly to the heart of the issue.

"Oh, you know I was talking about the Gulf, you tease. We've both been squirming, avoiding the incident from that night, nearly six years ago, ever since you got here! I've tried my level best to refrain from bringing the subject up, but you keep throwing it in my face. What gives?"

"I don't... um... What?"

"Don't act all shy and surprised, miss see-through, barely-covers-my-nice-tits-and-ass bikini," I said, smiling and taking her hand. "I really am sorry that it happened the way it did, back then. I've thought about it a lot, over the years. I can't tell you how many times I've picked up the phone, to call you and talk about it, and then chickened out and hung up because I wasn't sure what to say."

"Me too, Dan," she said. There was a long pause.

"What do you mean, 'me, too'?" I prompted her.

"I mean, I'm sorry, too. It really does take two, to tango, you know. Nothing could have happened, even if you did make the first move, unless I went along with it. And, what if it was me, who made the first move? Either way, we're both at fault. I've wanted to call you, so many times but, like you, I didn't quite know what to say.

"I guess I have been acting a bit naughty to you, today," she finally admitted. "I can't remember much about that whole night. We were really drunk. The main thing I remember was waking up, realizing what we'd done, and seeing you like, that. I mean, you had your 'morning wood', and you were pretty big. I don't think I've ever seen one that thick, and I couldn't believe I had somehow gotten it in me. But, the whole plane ride home, I could still feel where you had been, inside me."

"So what do we do about it?" I asked honestly. "I have no memory of the event, either. Just like you, I saw you when I woke up, and how awesome your body was."

"I don't know what to do, Dan," she said. "I don't think I came here to seduce you..."

"Oh, I never thought that. You came here, back then, when I needed you, and now you've come back when you needed me." I said. "But I have to say that what you're wearing, right now, and the way you've teased me since last night, makes me really regret not having any memory of the event."

"So you feel deprived, too?" she queried.

"Yeah, that's kind of it. We did it, but I don't remember and wish I did.... I was deprived of the memory, but still have the shame of having done that to you."

"Shame? You feel shame about it?" she asked, looking shocked.

"I figured I was responsible, Katie-bug," I said sadly. "I would never intentionally hurt you. I love you so much."

"Oh, Dan," she said, as she hugged me tightly.

All I could do was hug back. The whole time I held her, my manhood was just filling and filling. The feel of her arms around me was pure heaven, her scent was making me crazy, her nipples were pressing into my bare chest, and the memory of my glimpse of her, lying naked and beautiful beside me flooded my brain.

"I love you so much, Danny. I know you'd never hurt me. I just need you to help me through this," she whispered in my ear.

"I'm here for you," I whispered back. My trunks were really straining, now.

She finally noticed the effect she was having, on me. "Oh, Dan, I'm so sorry." She patted it briefly and, then, with a choked cry, turned and ran into the house.

I didn't really know what to do. I felt bad, but I didn't have much control over how my body was reacting to the physical contact she'd been giving me. Slowly, the swelling was going down, and I decided I'd head inside and work on some dinner preparations. I figured I'd make some shrimp Alfredo over wilted spinach, rather than a bunch of pasta, since we already carb'd out at breakfast.

The first thing I did was go change back into some baggy clothing that I'd held back from my heavy days. At one point, I'd weighed as much as 275. Even at 6' 3", that's too much. I had a pretty low self-esteem at the time, stemming from the divorce, and there is always bad food to eat on the rig. It took a lot of willpower to get back to my 220 and maintain it. That still had me as bulky, but I had a lot of muscle. That was the period of my life when I converted one of the rooms in the house to an exercise room.

Walking back into the kitchen in my frumpy clothes, I started to make the sauce. I cooked the onions and garlic, first, in some olive oil, then strained them out and used the flavored oil to cook the shrimp. My recipe for Alfredo sauce uses cream cheese, milk, a little half and half, and a little butter. With the sauce made, all I needed to do was wilt the spinach lightly in the microwave. It was quick, easy, and not too fattening, but still comfort food. I liked to call it healthy comfort food.

I wasn't sure what to do about Katie. I'd figured she'd come out when she smelled the food, but that plan wasn't working. At least, it didn't appear to be working, yet. The sauce would keep for at least an hour, I figured, so I turned on the news for a bit. After thirty minutes or so, I went to her door and knocked.

"Katie, I'm really sorry, about earlier. Don't you want to eat?" There was no answer. I cracked the door and found her on the bed, asleep. She'd change clothes, too, and appeared to have cried herself to sleep. I felt like a real bum, and I desperately wanted to fix this situation between us, if I could. Kneeling on the floor beside the bed, I stroked her hair and whispered, "Katie" a few times until she stirred. "Hey, I just wanted to tell you how bad I felt about earlier."

"Oh, Dan. You need to stop apologizing to me! I was the one teasing you. Then, when you responded to our physical closeness, I lost my nerve." She reached up and hugged me to her. Then she whispered to me. "I love you, and my body wants you, too. I just need to wrap my head around that."

"Hey, we have all the time in the world, for whatever life has in store for us," I offered. "You don't have to do anything for me. I'm here to support you. I love you so much, Katie. I just wish I could take your pain on, for you."

"You do, don't you?" she whispered, hugging me closer. We stayed like that for several minutes until her tension relaxed. Finally, she asked in a soft voice, "What smells so good?"

"Oh, I made some shrimp Alfredo sauce to go over wilted spinach. You hungry?" I asked finally, breaking the embrace.

"You don't know how hungry I am." she sighed, sitting up and scooting to the edge of the bed. "One more hug, little brother." She hugged me again as I knelt. Then she got up and accompanied me out into the kitchen.

"Won't be but a minute or so; I just need to reheat the sauce and steam the spinach for about 30 seconds," I told her, as she pulled up a bar stool to the granite island where I was cooking.

The kitchen had a nice work triangle and was really another reason I'd held on to the house. It had a big island with a gas cook top at one end and space to eat at the other. It also had a really modern stainless steel vent hood that, although I rarely used it, made it look like a professional kitchen. As the sauce came back to a boil, I sprinkled a tiny bit of water on the spinach in her bowl, covered it with a plate, and placed it in the microwave for 30 seconds. At the ding, the sauce was just right and I put a generous serving on top of the wilted spinach.

"Here you go," I said, placing it at her seat. "Would you like some grated Parmesan and black pepper?"

"Ooo, yes, just the cheese, please," she affirmed.

As I ground the cheese, I realized I hadn't gotten any utensils. "Let me get you some utensils."

"This looks nice, Dan," she said, sniffing it deeply.

"I like to cook, when I'm home. So much of what I get on the rig is pre-made, or over-cooked, or unhealthy," I said, as I handed her a knife, fork and cloth napkin. "The pepper grinder is here, if you change your mind." I placed it on the island between us.

I started fixing my bowl the same as I'd done for hers, then pulled a stool up opposite her and started to eat. Then, feeling stupid, I asked, "Hey, did you want some red or white wine with this?"

"Oh, um, yeah. What do you have, that would go well with this?" she asked.

"I have a really excellent Riesling, that's chilled," I told her. "I also have a nice Sangiovese that I love with any meal. I have a bunch of other stuff, in my wine cellar.

I really had around 100 or more bottles in my collection. It was something else I had spent some of my money on, while upgrading the house. It wasn't really a cellar, since we don't have many basements in Corpus Christi, but it was a temperature and humidity-controlled room. That was where I was building my small collection.

"I think I'll try the Riesling," she said. "You're supposed to have white wine, with crème sauce dishes."

Pulling the bottle out of the little wine refrigerator under the island, I got out the corkscrew and opened it up. I presented the cork to her with a little flourish, as I'd seen the sommelier do at a couple of the posh restaurants I'd visited. "Here you are, Madame; does it suit you?"

She smiled a broad beautiful smile as she sniffed the cork. Her eyes twinkled as she answered, "It smells fantastic, kind sir."

"Excellent; I'll pour you a glass," I said with a little bow.

As I got down some glasses from the rack, she watched me intently. I poured hers and gave it to her, to taste. "How is it?" I asked.

"It has a very nice flavor. I think it'll really go nicely, with this meal," she said. I finished pouring her glass and then mine. As I was sitting down to take a sip, she asked me, "Do you treat all of your dates to such finery?"

I nearly spit my wine out my nose, at her bluntness. "Well, um..." I stammered, trying to recover. "I don't have many dates, these days. As I might have mentioned, already, I have a lot of trust issues." I took another sip of wine, hoping to actually swallow this one correctly.

Her eyes betrayed her mirth, as she continued, "You don't have to work so hard, for me, Danny."

I nearly choked on that sip of wine, too. I'd heard that little line before, and it ended with, "I'm a sure thing."

Stunned at the turn in her mood and tone, I was quite happy that she was happy. "I generally like my dates to be happy and comfortable. There should be as little tension as possible. I'm so happy you came."

That was another poor choice of wording, on my part, but there was no way to recover from that one, without calling further attention to it.

Reaching across the bar, she took my hand. "Thanks, little brother; you really are one of the good ones."

We finished eating, shortly after that. I pushed my plate back from in front of me and sat there, sipping my Riesling and admiring her face. At length, she looked me directly in the eyes, "What?"

"Nothing, Sis. I was just looking at you." I looked away, feeling the tension between us returning. It felt pretty precarious, just then. "You're very pretty in this light. I'm sorry that I was staring." I got up to start cleaning up the kitchen.

"I told you to stop apologizing, Dan," she responded. "I just wondered what you were thinking. I wasn't accusing you of anything. Here, let me help you with all this."

"You don't have to do that, Katie-bug," I said instinctively. "I just want you to begin the healing process."

"I like cleaning, little brother" she said, giving me a hug as she rounded the counter. "It clears my mind. It helps me feel better about myself, when my surroundings are tidy. Your house is very tidy; it puts me at ease. I just want to do my part, as long as I'm staying here, to help keep it that way."

We cleaned up the cooking area and placed all the dishes and pans in the dishwasher. Then I poured myself another glass of wine, held the bottle out toward her, and asked, "Would you like some more?" She nodded, and I poured.

She walked back over to the recliner sofa and sat down in the middle, and patted the seat where I'd sat the previous night. "Come sit with me," she pleaded, gently.

"Of course," I said, assuming my place beside her.

Snuggling up to me she sighed. "I'm thinking about going back to school."

"Hey, that's a good idea," I encouraged. "Are you thinking of completing your engineering degree?"

"Yeah, it feels like the right thing to do. I have money coming, from the house settlement. I just think it would give me something else to focus on, other than the betrayal and loss," she said, stroking my knee.

"You're welcome to stay here, while you go. Texas A&M has a campus, here," I offered.

"That might be just the thing, little brother," she said, sitting up and leaning in, toward me.

I wasn't expecting it, at all, when I felt her place her lips on mine. I didn't kiss back, at first; I was feeling pretty confused. Then, I noticed that she wasn't really in a hurry to move her lips from where they currently rested, and I timidly joined in the kiss. Time seemed to have become elastic, stretching out to where seconds grew to be minutes long. Then, suddenly, our lips were slightly open, our tongues were touching, and electricity came alive between our mouths. Her hand slipped, almost unnoticed, to the nape of my neck, resting gently there but not letting me retreat. Eventually, though, our mouths parted and a soft moan emanated from her throat.

We pulled slightly back, then, our faces a scant hand's breadth apart, our eyes locked intently on each other. I was trying to still my whirling thoughts, and I figured that she was making an effort to do the same. After what seemed a long while, she blinked and her face took on a rosy hue as she blushed beautifully.

"I don't know why I did that," she told me with an embarrassed grin.

"It was very nice," I reassured her, lightly touching her face.

She fell silent, then, and I waited for her to respond. When she didn't, I spoke again.

"You know I love you, and that I would do almost anything, for you..."

"Yes, and you are helping me. But I should have asked, first," she said, kind of admonishing herself and turning her face downward towards her lap.

I moved my hand to her face, put the tip of my finger beneath her chin, and gently tilted it back to look at me. "You don't have to ask, Sis," I whispered.

She smiled, then snuggled into my chest and relaxed, and we just sat there for an hour. It was nice just to hold each other. I would occasionally stroke her hair, and she would occasionally shift or stroke my knee. She was clearly waging an internal struggle.

"Dan, could we sleep in a bed tonight?" she finally asked.

"Oh, sure." I laughed. "Sleeping on the sofa wasn't really my plan, last night. It just kind of happened that way."

"W- Would you mind... if I slept with you?" she pressed.

"I have a California king bed, that you're welcome to share. It's wider, and a little longer than the one in the guest room."

"I just want to be held. Last night was so nice, but I woke up with a little cramp, from sleeping on your chest," she giggled.

"Okay; well, let me change the sheets on it first," I offered.

"You don't need to do that; I like how you smell. It reminds me of, um..." she cut herself short.

Rescuing her from her own words, I quickly said, "Well, I'm pretty tired and you still have some dark circles under your eyes. Are you ready to go to bed now?" I asked, stroking her long blond hair lightly.

"Yes; I just need to get my nightgown from my bag, and brush my teeth." She stood and headed back the hallway.

"Okay, I'll go get into some boxers and a tee shirt," I called after her. I usually slept naked, but felt that might be too frightening.

In my bedroom, I hastily slipped out of my baggy track suit and into a pair of boxers and an old NC State tee shirt. As I brushed my teeth I thought to myself, If anything is going to happen, tonight, or whenever, I want her to be the instigator. Finishing in the bathroom, I turned out the lights, taking a moment to shove a little night light into an outlet over the counter. It wasn't very bright, but its glow should help Katie find the bathroom easily, in the middle of the night.

She met me in my room a few minutes later. Her gown was knee length, and looked like silk. The chest area was a bit more open than I was expecting, but not too revealing. I turned down the covers on the bed, and asked, "Which side do you prefer, Katie-bug?"

"I like to sleep on the bathroom side," she said smiling.

"That would be the left, then; I'll take the right," I said, walking around to that side to climb in. The AC was still running and I pulled up the covers as I got in.

Katie got in and snuggled her back up to me. I turned off the touch lamp on my night table, and we quickly drifted off to sleep.

I awoke slowly, in the early morning. I was dreaming about something and, in that 'twilight' state between sleep and wakefulness, I was thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. After a few moments, I noticed a pressure and wetness on my penis and I woke more completely. Katie was under the covers, with her head at my crotch. After another moment, I could feel her working me harder with her mouth. I just lay there, not saying or doing anything, for as long as I could. Another five minutes, and I was nearing the point of no return. She was expertly working me, there, in no uncertain terms.