Aunt Tina, Recovering Slut Vol. 01

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All characters are over the age of 18.

A quick note. Our male main character is in the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard calls their ships - cutters. It's something that will come up frequently, so I figured I'd give a heads-up to all you landlubbers out there.

Aunt Tina - Recovering Slut Vol. 1

Chapter One

My father had repeatedly told me as I was growing up, to be careful of the decisions and subsequent actions you make in life. Because there is no fate, no destiny. Nothing is pre-ordained. Our lives are the sum of our decisions and actions. Nothing more, nothing less. As a teen, that was just more blah blah blah from my old man. I would nod my head and say, "Yes sir," in the hope he'd wrap up the philosophy lesson so I could get on with whatever he'd interrupted when he decided we needed to talk.

As I got older, my father seemed to get a lot smarter, as one after another, his dad-isms came back to haunt me.

I was never going to be the college type. I hated school and was generally bored to tears. I put forth minimal effort in school, but even so, managed to graduate with a 3.2 GPA. My folks were happy, but Dad always knew I had it in me to do better, if only I'd try.

"Gabe, if you'd only study for an hour a night, you could bump those up to straight A's and then the colleges would come looking for you!" was his frequent mantra.

The one time I saw real pride in his eyes was when I announced I was entering the Coast Guard. My grandfather had been a Coast Guard enlisted man and my dad had tried to enter as well but had been deemed medically ineligible due to a range-of-motion loss in his right shoulder. From a surfing accident when he was my age. One of his own decisions and actions, he'd point out to me, which changed his life.

***

I entered the Coast Guard two years after high school. Certain things change when you become reliably employed. I was stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia at the time. I'd just finished my culinary specialist school and was working at the base dining facility. I was promoted to petty officer third class, got a pay bump, and then the credit offers came rolling in. And then ... I met a girl. An insidious combination of circumstances, I am here to tell you.

Two years later, I was ready to transfer to my next duty station. I was also single and deep in debt. How deep? Well, let's just say that it made the Coast Guard more than a little concerned. I stopped home in Jacksonville on my way to my next unit in Port Canaveral, Florida. I really needed to talk to my folks.

***

"No Jimmy. I won't call her." My mom's voice was highly agitated. My dad sighed. I was listening to them from my room upstairs. The kitchen was at the bottom of the stairs and my room was at the top. Well it wasn't really my room anymore, it was the guest bedroom now. All my stuff was boxed and stowed in the garage.

"She's a stripper for Christ's sake," Mom exclaimed.

Dad cleared his throat. "Dee, please listen. She lives just a few miles from that base. The Coast Guard will pay Gabe a monthly stipend to live off base. If he could live with her, for a few hundred a month, he could pocket the rest and pay off his debt that much faster." His voice was pleading. "And you know as well as I do, she only did that for a little while after her first divorce. Your mother told us so."

"No Jimmy, you don't know her the way I do, what she di..." Mom cut her statement short. "Tina is not to be trusted!" I think my dad realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "Okay, babe. Okay. It was just an idea."

The problem was that it was a really good idea.

Tina is my mom's older sister, by three years. To call them estranged is the understatement of the century. I do not know the whys and wherefores of it, but when there is a family reunion or party, my mother won't get within twenty feet of her. It's been that way my whole life.

The last time I saw Aunt Tina was when my cousin Frannie and I graduated high school. There was a big party. Tina was very attractive, medium height like my mother, but curvier. Bigger in the bust and the hips. Apparently fond of high heels. I could definitely imagine her shaking her ass on a stage, but I don't seem to recall her as flirty or brazen.

After such a party, Mom would always rant all the way home about everything about Aunt Tina. Her slutty make-up, her shoes, her clothes, the way she walked, how she liked to touch everyone. It would go on and on until my mild-mannered dad would finally lose his temper and tell her to shut the hell up about it. Mom would get quiet and wouldn't mention her again until the next party.

Before I left, for the sake of family peace, I told them I would live in the barracks on base. By far the least expensive alternative. But by then I'd already peeked into my grandmother's phone. I had Aunt Tina's phone number and what my mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

***

My Aunt Tina walked into the diner a few minutes late. I'd called her that morning and asked to see her. She looked nervous. She was dressed in a knee-length, floral-patterned halter dress and wedge sandals. I rose and gave her a hug as she approached the table.

"You look very nice," I said honestly. Tina looked around as if expecting to be ambushed. "I'm guessing your mother doesn't know you called me," she said wryly.

I shook my head. "No. I wouldn't have bothered you, but I'm in a tough spot. I got your number from Grandma's phone."

Tina relaxed in her seat. She looked up and our eyes met. Her hair was dark brown, wavy, and hung to her shoulders. Her eyes were light brown with flecks of gold and her makeup was light and perfect. Her lips were full and shone with lip gloss. I had some very un-nephew-like thoughts at that moment. She was very attractive. My mother is too I suppose, but in a different way. My mother is pretty. Like Julie Andrews. But Aunt Tina is more ... sultry, like Lauren Bacall. I bet the boys were lined up around the block, back in the day and probably still are.

"So, you've gotten yourself in some money trouble, huh?" she asked softly. I nodded and then filled her in on the whole sordid tale. Our food was ordered and served before I was done. Tina didn't take long to think about it.

"Okay, you can use the guest room. Kick in for food and utilities, clean up after yourself, do your share of the chores, and we're square."

I was surprised. "No rent?" She shook her head. "The house is paid for. How umm ... how long do you think you'll be staying?"

I tapped my fork nervously on the plate. "I think about ... a year." Tina blinked hard. "But ... I'm stationed on a cutter and we'll be deployed more than half that time. When we're at home port, we work Monday through Friday and I'll have overnight duty every three or four days, so you won't see me every day."

She looked into my eyes again and then dropped her gaze to examine my upper body. She smiled. "It might be nice having a man in the house again."

I wasn't sure of what to make of the look on her face. She looked me in the eye and grinned. "The girl that got you into this mess ..."

I mhmm'ed around a mouthful of food and her smile got mischievous. "Was the sex worth it?"

Thinking back, I grinned back at her. "Yeah, it sure as hell was."

***

I called my dad the day before I moved in, while he was at work and told him what I'd done. He was sort of relieved and pissed at the same time. "Boy, don't ever let your mother find out. You gotta make Tina swear to keep the secret. Or your ass is so much grass."

"We've already come to that agreement. She doesn't want to cause any more problems with Mom. Dad, can you tell me what the hell there is between them?"

I heard Dad clear his throat. "I'm sorry Gabe, I'm not certain I know the whole story myself. It's something about a boy in high school. That's all I got."

***

I was walking up the front walk of Tina's modest home just as she was leaving for work on Friday. I'd had overnight duty the day before and had taken a day of leave to give myself a three-day weekend before my next duty day on Monday. I had my seabag over my shoulder.

"Oh, there you are. Good timing, I'm just heading to work." She fumbled in her purse and pulled out a spare key. "My room is on the right past the garage door and the guest room is off to the left, past the kitchen." She motioned with her head as she talked. "The other bedroom is my knock-around room but you're welcome to use it as well."

I nodded. She looked me in the eye. "How old are you now, Gabe?" she said seriously.

"I ... I'll be twenty-three next month, Aunt Tina," I ,.

She smiled but it had a hard edge to it. "Twenty-three, that's a good age." She shouldered her bag and fished her keys out. "You're an adult, so I don't need to tell you what a breach of my trust it would be if you were to be snooping around in my bedroom, do I?"

The thought had never occurred to me. "Of course not," I said confidently.

Her smile softened and she reached up and caressed my cheek. "That's good. Go get settled in. Will I see you tonight?" She seemed to notice her hand on my face and her expression fell and she pulled her hand back hurriedly.

I shrugged. "I have no plans."

She turned for the driveway. "Okay, maybe we'll get some DoorDash and get to know each other. I'm afraid I don't keep much food in the house. I don't really cook much. See ya!"

I smiled and waved. She was wearing a very business-like skirt and blouse with sensible heels. She made it look good. She turned back to me at the edge of the walk. "One last thing Gabe. We don't really know each other as nephew and aunt. I didn't get to watch you grow up and I wasn't there to be an aunt to you, so the title seems kind of disingenuous. So how about you just call me Tina?

***

I moved my meager belongings into Tina's guest room in about twenty minutes. My clothes and uniforms, laptop, shoe-polish kit, and a clothes iron. The room was furnished with a full-sized bed, side table, a small desk and chair, and an old sitting chair in the corner. The closet had one of those organizers that basically takes the place of a dresser while still providing room for hanging clothes.

The house itself was a 1990s vintage single-story ranch, which she had gotten in her second divorce in lieu of alimony. Three bedrooms, two baths. I set my toiletry bag on the sink and dropped my bathing needs in the shower caddy that hung from the shower head.

I peeked into her knock-around room and found it to be a reading and hobby room. It featured a nice big overstuffed reclining chair with a hanging light and a well-appointed bookcase that took up most of one wall.

On the other side was a set of shelves that held various threads, yarns, and other tools needed for needlepoint. I was a little surprised, but I really shouldn't have been as my mother does needlepoint as well, taught by her mother. Several large, completed pieces covered that wall, but they were vastly more intricate than the stuff my mother does. It was very impressive.

I moved to the kitchen and found myself very disappointed. She had the absolute bare minimum for a person to live by themselves. A four-piece dish set, the same amount of cutlery, and the smallest set of pots and pans known to man. The frying pan was the most used piece in the kitchen. Appliances were limited to a blender, a well-used coffee maker, and a microwave. There was next to nothing in the refrigerator or pantry. There were a few frozen meals in the freezer.

I looked around and spoke out loud to myself. "Nope. This will not do at all."

***

I heard Tina's key in the lock around six. I heard her heels on the tile at the door and her keys jingle as she set them on the end table next to the door. Then it got quiet.

She turned the corner and peered into the kitchen where I was working. She looked at the food I was preparing on the counter and the pots going on the stove, with a look of total amazement. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the smells of the roasting pork loin. I reached over and turned down the temperature in the oven. She looked at me with her eyes wide. "What in the heck is going on in here?" she asked excitedly.

I cleared my throat and wiped my hands on the dish towel. "Dinner." I grinned. "I'm sorry, but I really don't do take-out."

"But how ..." she started but faltered.

Chuckling, I replied. "I didn't tell you what my job is in the Coast Guard?"

She shook her head briskly. "I figured it was something ... technical."

I stepped over to stir my sauce on the stove. "I'm a cook," I said with a grin.

***

Tina wiped her mouth with a napkin and pushed her chair back. "Damn, that was good." She sighed and put her hands on her stomach in the universal sign of having eaten too much. "I've been in this house for twelve years and have never had someone make me dinner."

I looked down at my plate and slid my chair back. I couldn't help but think of what a shame it was that someone had never done that for her, but I kept it to myself.

"Well, the fridge and the pantry are full. I took the liberty of buying a few small appliances and a set of cooking knives that I will need." We both stood and she walked over to the fridge.

"Holy Hannah and her sisters! Are those vegetables? And fruit?" She closed the fridge and opened the pantry. "Wow. Spices!" She grinned at me. "In my house. Who'd have thunk it?"

We both laughed.

***

We sat in the living room, and I walked in with two wine glasses and a bottle of a very decent Lambrusco.

She held both glasses as I poured. "Wow. A bottle of wine. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me," she smiled slyly. I laughed. "Nope, I'd be better dressed if I was in seduction mode."

Tina laughed merrily and handed me my glass and was about to take a sip when I raised mine in a toast. "To you, Aunt Tina, for helping me when I really need it. Thank you very much."

She smiled sweetly and raised her glass. "You are very welcome." We both sipped the wine. The sweet berry flavors added a taste of dessert to the evening.

She lowered her glass with a pleased look on her face. "Although too much of that good cooking and I'll be moving up some dress sizes. I'm gonna have to step up my workouts at the gym."

I saw her look my body up and down with a slight smile. I'm of medium height and build, with brown hair and eyes. I didn't date the prom queen, but I've never had a problem getting a date.

"Looks like the Coast Guard keeps you in shape. Is it hard being a cook? To stay in shape, I mean."

I laughed. "Not yet." I knocked on the wooden coffee table. "Ask me again in ten years."

Our evening stopped short of a second glass of Lambrusco. When I offered, she rose and sat on the edge of the couch next to me. "No thank you. I think I'm going to grab a shower and hit the sack. But thank you so much for tonight. It means a lot to me." She stood up and took a few steps. "As I said, we hardly know each other, but you seem like a really decent guy, Gabe. I'm glad you're here." Then she smiled and walked into her room and shut the door quietly.

***

Around ten on Saturday, we ran into one another at the coffee pot. Her eyes flew open wide, and she flinched when she saw me.

"Ho jeez, Gabe, you startled me. I totally forgot you were here. I guess there's going to be an adjustment period, isn't there?" Tina said with a big exhale.

I smiled widely at her and looked down her body. "Yes, very clearly there is." Tina was wearing a short cotton nightgown that was probably not supposed to be sheer but after years of washing, it had become so.

She looked down and noticed the same thing I was enjoying. I could clearly see the outline of her full breasts and the darker skin of her areola. To her credit she didn't act embarrassed, she just frowned deeply and turned around, and headed back toward her bedroom. I could see the outline of the panties she was wearing, and I admired her shapely legs. "Pour me a cup, will you?" she asked loudly with a slight edge to her voice.

She returned a couple of minutes later dressed for the gym in jogging shorts and a halter top over a sports bra. I handed her a mug of coffee. She met my eyes. "I'm ah ... sorry about that." I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. "Don't be. I quite enjoyed it."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "That's not something a nephew usually says to his aunt."

I turned and headed down the hall to my room. "You said it yourself. We don't really know each other that way. Do we?"

I was being quite serious at that moment. Because of the separation between us my whole life, it was impossible to see her as anything other than what she was, a very beautiful and shapely older woman. I could already see that being around her was going to be very distracting.

***

I spent that weekend learning the area. Port Canaveral is on the west coast of Florida and a stone's throw from Cocoa Beach, which has some of the best beaches and surfing anywhere on the east or gulf coasts.

Monday morning Tina and I met at the coffee pot again. I was wearing my tropical dress blue uniform as I knew I had an early quarterdeck watch that morning. The tropical uniform is a light blue, short sleeve dress shirt with ribbons, name tag, and rank insignias. A pair of dark blue dress trousers and black shoes with a high shine.

Tina smiled when she saw me. She was wearing a conservative skirt and blouse and was carrying her shoes. "Now that I could get used to." She said as she reached up and adjusted my name tag. "A handsome man in a uniform." Our eyes met and we held that gaze perhaps a trifle too long.

"You look terrific yourself. I'm sure you get lawyers handing you their numbers every day."

After Tina's second divorce, she took a stenographer's course and has been working full-time at the local county courthouse ever since. She makes a very decent salary. She has the added skill of being fluent in Spanish which makes her indispensable in Florida. With the house paid off, she's doing pretty well, even in this lousy economy.

She frowned. "Occasionally. But I throw them all away. You know what they say about mixing work and pleasure, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the Coast Guard has some pretty strict rules on that as well. Fooling around with shipmates is a quick way to become a civilian again."

She looked down at the floor. "It's a lesson you only need to learn once."

***

That week I took Tina down to the base on her lunch break and got her registered as a dependent. This gave her base privileges and access to the base exchange here and the nearby Air Force Base. There are very few secrets on a small base. Coast Guard Station Port Canaveral has two large cutters and one small one, with a few additional land-based support units. As military bases go, it's pretty tiny. Maybe six or seven hundred people in the whole place. It didn't take too long for it to get back to my ship, that I was seen with an attractive older woman.

I'll admit, I loved the attention I got. I was inundated with questions from my shipmates, in the days following. I told them nothing. I just smiled and said that my social life was no one's business but my own. That only served to fan the flames of rumor even higher because my answer sort of precluded the possibility that Tina was a relative. Suddenly I was the new guy, living with a local cougar. After a few days, I told Tina about it at supper.