Family Ties

I was still sitting there an hour later. My Coke was long gone, I was stiff from not moving, and I hadn’t thought of a way I could’ve handled things better. Differently? Yes. Better? Not much.

I turned off the lights and stereo and went up to bed, where I spent another miserable hour lying awake and brooding. I was on the verge of sulking when someone knocked on my door, just a soft tap-tap, but unmistakable in the quiet of the night.

I looked at the bedside clock and debated whether to answer. But then I thought about Christy standing outside my door, waiting, hoping, and eventually walking away dejected.

My stupid imagination will be the death of me, I thought irritably. Then I heard a soft scuffing as she turned to go. “I’m awake,” I called hastily.

The scuffing stopped.

I rolled out of bed and opened the door.

Christy stood in the hall in her plaid pajamas and bunny slippers. She looked as miserable as I felt.

My throat was suddenly dry, and I had to swallow to moisten it. “You wanna come in?” I said at last. “We could talk.”

“I’d… like that.”

I stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

She walked past me and offered a wan smile. “Don’t you ever wear clothes?”

“I’m a nudist, remember?” I closed the door behind us. It was a symbolic gesture more than a physical one.

“I suppose I am too… if you’ll still have me.”

“Sure. You wanna start over?”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” I paused and silently rewound. “So, would you like to spend the night with me?”

“Yes, please.”

“I should warn you, I sleep in the nude.”

She laughed and looked me up and down. “I never would’ve noticed. But I kinda like it.”

“Good. Then maybe you could join me.”

“Would you like me to undress for you?” She smiled shyly.

“I’d love it. Just a sec.” I threw back the covers and crawled to the far side of the bed, where I lay on my side. Then I propped my head on one hand and used the other to shamelessly stroke myself.

“Oh my gosh,” Christy said. “You have no idea how sexy that is.”

“That’s why I’m doing it. Well, also ’cause it feels good, but I could do it under the covers and it’d feel just as good.” I shrugged. “I guess I like putting on a show.”

She smiled hesitantly and put on a show for me. She wasn’t confident or experienced enough to make it a real striptease, but I wasn’t going to complain. Besides, she kept glancing at my dick as I slowly stroked it, so it was completely hard by the time she took off her panties and dropped them to the floor. She climbed in beside me, and I pulled the covers over us. My erection pressed into her hip as I rolled toward her.

“D’you wanna talk about earlier,” I asked neutrally, “or just forget it, like it didn’t happen?”

“I… think we should talk. I should, at least.”

“Okay,” I said slowly.

“I’m sorry. I— Don’t look so surprised! I know when I’m wrong, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Well, I am afraid, but you know what I mean.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and… you were right.” She huffed in exasperation. “You’re gonna make me self-conscious if you keep looking surprised.”

“Sorry. It’s just…” I couldn’t come up with anything, so I shrugged instead. “I guess I didn’t expect you to realize it. I’m sorry for what I said, though. I could’ve— no, should’ve been more diplomatic, but…” I shrugged again. “My choices were basically go along or say no.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she said. “Go along, I mean. I…” She paused to find the right words. “I know I get flirty sometimes, especially when I’ve been drinking.”

“You can say that again. No, really… say it again.”

“Fine. I know I get flirty sometimes, especially when I’ve been drinking.

And I say things I don’t mean, except I do mean them, just not… you know, like… all the way.”

“Alcohol lowers your inhibitions,” I said, and she nodded. “But they return when you’re sober, and you end up feeling guilty.”

“Like now. Only, I don’t feel guilty about anything we did, just how I acted. I was really mad at first, but then I couldn’t sleep, and the champagne started to wear off—my stupid metabolism—and I felt really bad. You were just trying to… um… protect me. From myself, I guess.”

I nodded.

“I want you to know, though… I really wanna do those things, the ones I said. You can have your way with me, and you can make me… you know.”

“Suck my dick?” I offered.

She nodded. “Just… when I’m ready.”

“I know,” I said softly. “And I’m willing to wait.”

“Thank you. If it makes you feel any better, I really, really wanna do the second one.”

“All you have to do is ask.”

“When I haven’t been drinking.”

“Right,” I said.

“Only… do you want me to stop altogether? Drinking, I mean. I will if you want. I swear. I’ll never—”

“No. Alcohol isn’t the problem. Right now, it just means you don’t worry about trying to be a good girl. You can say what you want, ask for what you want. The real ‘problem’ is when you haven’t been drinking.”

She heard the quotes and didn’t object.