In The Garden Of Snakes (An Erotic Summer Tryst) (5 page)

“Get off!” She pushed him. “It’s not me who
needs you. Kiss her.” She pointed in my direction.

The urge to flee was incredibly strong.
“Uh…I’m good.”

“She’s about to bolt.”

“No she’s not. Come on, Jess. Kiss him. He’s
not bad.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly.

“No problem, Romeo.”

I gripped the towel; the bikini top was
hardly sufficient. Stuart’s eyes roamed over me, from the top of my
head to my face, lips, neck and lower. He seemed to be taking a
thorough inventory. His eyes softened, and his mouth turned up in a
hint of a smile. That smoldering, interested look made my tummy
tingle.

“Don’t be shy.” He scooted closer. “You’re
like a skittish little colt.” He touched my face. “What pretty blue
eyes.” His proximity was alarming. The scent of perspiration with a
hint of cologne teased my nose. It was a decidedly masculine aroma,
heady and unfamiliar. A thumb grazed my lips, the edges dipping
into my mouth slightly, wetting the finger. He zeroed in on my
lips. “Just a baby kiss for a baby girl.”

Carmen watched us, playing with her hair. She
seemed amused and more than a little eager, waiting for Stuart to
make the next move. Her plans for my seduction had fallen into
place, as evidenced by the smug little glimmer in her eyes. But, I
had yet to give in. I hadn’t moved an inch for fear that I really
would run away. In that moment, as I stared into the mysterious
dark eyes of a stranger, feeling the heat coming off him, something
shifted within me. Another little wall in my armor had fallen
down.

He leaned in. “Oh, no,” I whispered.

“Yes.”

His warm, wet lips covered mine, while his
hands gripped my head, because I had tried to move away from him.
It was an involuntary response. His beard felt rough against my
skin. He was hard and forceful, where Carmen had been soft and
light. A thick tongue entered my mouth. His arm went around me, and
he pulled me to him, the towel falling away. I found myself crushed
to the steel wall of his chest, while he devoured me, practically
eating my tongue. This was entirely different than kissing Carmen.
He scratched my face with his stubble, his tongue all but gagging
me. I suddenly panicked, pushing against him.

“No!”

“Jesus, Stuart. What a fucking pig. It’s her
first kiss. You were supposed to be gentle.”

His face was in my neck, kissing and sucking,
scratching me with his beard. “She’s so sweet.”

“Get off!” He was all sinew and muscle and
stronger than I was by a mile. “Stop!”

Carmen smacked him. “Stop it, Stuart!”

“Shit! Sorry.” He looked aroused and angry.
“You fucking wanted me to kiss her. So I kissed her.”

“You were supposed to be gentle. Ugh. What a
moron.”

“I was gentle.”

“The hell you were.”

I held the towel around myself. “I’m going
back. It’s been interesting.”

“Now look what you’ve done. You scared the
shit outta her.”

“I fucking hate virgins,” he snapped
irritably. “I gotta get back to work. I’ve wasted enough time
already. You bitches amuse yourself some other way.” He got to his
feet and stalked off.

“I’m sorry, Jess. Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“He’s not usually like that. I don’t know
what the fuck is wrong with him.”

“It’s okay. No harm done.”

“He wasn’t like that the first time he kissed
me. He was so sweet and gentle. I thought he’d be like that with
you. I didn’t think he’d try to friggin’ eat you,” she laughed.
“What a disaster.”

“Let’s go lay out.”

“Yeah.”

That evening, after dinner, we all gathered
outside around an enormous fire pit to watch a Hollander family
slide show. The slides were decades old. We sat on cushioned seats
with blankets and the sound of crickets serenading us. Abby and
Madison roasted marshmallows on long sticks, and the adults drank
wine, chatting and laughing amongst themselves. Uncle Henry
operated the projector; a white screen suddenly sprang to life with
an image of a smiling couple.

“Omigod!” blurted Roberta. “Isn’t that Rose
and John?”

“It is,” said Joseph. He sat with his wife,
Constance. Rose was in her wheelchair with a blanket around her
shoulders.

“Oh, dear. Look how young I was.”

Christian and Grandpa Fred sat with Sonya.
Christian glanced at his paramour often, their eyes communicating
their desire. Watching them reminded me of how they had made love
in the barn and the way I had felt seeing them in that intimate
embrace. The slideshow went on for almost an hour, picture after
picture documenting the history of the Hollander’s. It was like
looking into a window to the past. There had been images of Carmen
and I when we were younger, tanned and smiling, on cookouts and
church excursions. Her father, Joseph, had looked youthful, his
hair dark without the gray and his face without wrinkles.

The warmth of the blaze made the coolness of
the evening bearably pleasant. I ended up on the grass, with
Carmen’s hands in my hair. She was combing through the thick
strands with her fingers, which felt wonderful. Little tingles went
up and down my spine at the feel of her gently detangling the
strands. Rose and Grandpa Fred returned to the house, as did Abby
and Madison. The adults drank and laughed, swapping stories from
the past.

“Remember that trip to Florida when the Ford
blew a tire,” said Uncle Henry. “We nearly wrecked the damn
car.”

“I remember that,” said Carmen. “We had it
towed and then a storm came in and we were stuck in that cockroach
infested hotel. Ugh.”

“That’s what family vacations are all about,”
laughed Joseph.

“God. When my best friend Lori and I went to
Cancun, she got food poisoning,” said Roberta. “She spent four days
in the hospital hooked up to an I.V. That was a disaster.”

“No more so than when we went to that island
off the coast of Australia during Cyclone Justine,” said Constance.
“Ruined the entire week. There was a Japanese couple on their
honeymoon. I’ve never seen a woman so unhappy.”

Everyone laughed at that. I stared into the
fire, thoroughly enjoying the feel of Carmen’s hands in my
hair.

Constance stood up. “I’m getting more
wine.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Roberta. “I gotta
pee.”

Sonya and Christian sat together with a
blanket around them. “This has been the best week,” he said,
smiling. “You guys are awesome.”

“Thanks, Christian. Glad you’re having fun,”
said Joseph. He glanced in my direction. “How are you enjoying your
stay, Jessica?”

“I’m…it’s good.”

He gave me a considering look, making my
tummy tingle, which was peculiar. The firelight softened his
features, lessoning the stark lines of his face. He hadn’t asked me
a hundred and one questions about my life, which was a relief. He
seemed relaxed and content, sipping his wine. His gaze strayed on
us, flitting to Carmen and then me.

I glanced up at Carmen and smiled. She
whispered, “I can see straight down your shirt.”

“You perve.”

To my surprise, she touched her lips to mine,
a spontaneous kiss that I hoped no one saw. Her tongue gently
licked my lip, and I opened my mouth, kissing her deeper. The hand
that had been in my hair suddenly slid to my throat, her fingers
pausing over the pulse in my neck, which had kicked into high gear.
She tasted like wine and marshmallows, sweet and delicious.

Maybe you’re a lesbian, Jess. Oh, God. Mom’s
gonna freak out.

No, I’m not a lesbian. I just…like kissing
Carmen.

It’s cause you’re afraid of men.

No I’m not.

Oh, yes you are.

Her hand drifted down my throat to my chest,
where she dipped into my shirt, touching my breast. I shivered with
arousal, my pussy clenching from the contact. I knew we would spend
the night fucking each other, and I couldn’t wait to get into bed
with her. Someone clearing his or her throat broke the spell, and I
swallowed my embarrassment, my cheeks tingeing red.

Christian grinned at us. “Somebody’s had a
lotta wine.”

Joseph stared at me, clearly shocked. I guess
he hadn’t been expecting
that
. That had been the most risqué
thing I had ever done in my life. Being in this house had affected
me on almost every level. I was doing things I never imagined
myself doing and loving them. I’d worn a bikini for the first time
today, and I had made love to a woman, repeatedly. Just now I had
kissed her in public in front of her friends and family, profoundly
shocking her father.

Oh, God
.

Joseph continued to stare, which was
puzzling. It seemed as if a thousand different thoughts were racing
through his mind, his eyes never leaving me.

What the heck is he thinking?

“Would you like to explain that, Carmen?” he
asked.

“How do you mean?” Her hands were in my hair
again.

“That kiss. Is there something I should know
about?”

“Not anything that’s your business, dad.
No.”

“Have you had a lifestyle change?”

“If I have, so what?”

His look was considering, his eyes pinned on
me. “What about you, Jessica? Is there anything you want to
confess?”

I swallowed hard. “No.”

His expression now veered towards anger,
which was strange. His reaction to having witnessed his daughter
kissing a girl had disturbed him. “Well, it’s late. I’m heading
in.” He got to his feet, snatching a wine glass off the table.
“Good night, folks.”

“What the hell is the matter with him?”
whispered Carmen. “It’s not like he’s in any position to judge me.
He fucks around on Constance all the time.”

“He does?” Joseph stared at us, watching us
whispering.

“She fucks around on him too.”

My pristine image of him was now thoroughly
ruined. This was the man who had taken us on camping trips and
canoe rides down the river. We’d attended baseball games together
and fireworks on the Fourth of July. What Carmen had said couldn’t
be true, could it? He wandered off with his hands in his pockets,
the wineglass in the crook of his arm.

“We should go to bed,” said Carmen.

I tingled thinking at that suggestion. “We
should.”

She took my hand. “Good night, everyone.”

Christian winked. “Good night, lovers.”

“Way to keep a secret,” quipped Sonya. “I had
no idea you were so…
close
.”

Carmen bristled. “I’m not a lesbian. We’re
just…oh, never mind. Good night.”

“Good night.” I waved to Carmen’s Uncle Henry
and her Grandpa Fred.

Once in my bedroom, she turned the light off
and opened the French doors. “It’s so pretty out here.”

I joined her, standing on the balcony,
glancing down into the garden. There were lights along the
walkways. “It is.”

Her arms went around me. “Your boobs felt so
good.”

“You really freaked your dad out. He looked
mad.”

“I don’t know what his problem is. He’s no
saint.” Her lips touched my neck. “I can’t wait to get you
naked.”

“You’re so bad.”

“Yeah.”

Hands were on my breasts, my nipples
hardening on contact. I tingled everywhere, my tummy especially,
and, as she kissed me, the strangest images drifted through my
mind. Instead of Carmen’s lips on me, I felt Joseph’s, which was a
disturbing and sobering thought. Why would I think of him at a
moment like this? He’d always frightened and intimidated me with
his domineering personality.

“Let’s get naked!” Carmen whipped her shirt
over her head. “We should sixty-nine.”

“If you say so.” I dropped my shorts and took
my t-shirt off. “Who’s on top?”

“I am.”

“Okay,” I giggled.

We spent the night pleasuring each other to
orgasm, over and over, until we collapsed in each other’s arms, her
face in my boobs. She seemed to prefer sleeping like this. As the
first streams of sunlight poured in through the opened French door,
I perceived a series of soft clicks. It was like the way my phone
sounded when I took pictures. I opened an eye and got a shock.
Joseph was in the room! He stood at the foot of the bed and held
his cell phone, pointing it at us. I glanced at Carmen and found
her face in my chest, my naked breasts on full display. The sheets
had tangled around us, and my legs were entirely exposed, as was my
hip, and a portion of my bottom. Carmen was without the benefit of
a sheet.

“What are you doing?”

“Evidence.”

“What?”

“I should text these to your mother.”

I sat up, grabbing a sheet and waking Carmen.
“I hope you’re kidding.”

He smiled slightly. “I should.”

“P-please don’t.”

“Dad? What are you doing?” Carmen sounded
groggy.

“Nothing to worry your little head over. I’ll
be in the studio, if anyone needs me.” He left the room.

“Oh, holy shit!” I muttered. “He fucking took
pictures of us naked!”

Carmen yawned. “He’s just gonna paint
‘em.”

Horror had me jumping from the bed. “No! Oh,
hell no.” I grabbed my t-shirt, tossing it over my head. I slid my
shorts up hastily. “He has to delete those!”

“He won’t. It’s no big deal. He’s painted me
naked before.”

I raced from the room. “Shit!” Her laughter
followed me. I found Mr. Hollander on the staircase. “Wait!” He
turned to look at me, his eyes skimming my chest. I hadn’t worn a
bra, and I knew my nipples were hard. “You have to delete
those.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, omigod, yes. Please. Nobody can see
them.”

“I thought lesbians were proud of their
sexuality?”

“I’m not a lesbian.”

“Really?”

I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin.
“Yes.”

“This is a whole new side of you, Jessica.
What a difference a day makes.”