Family Business

Everyone, this is long. For some reason I can't seem to write shorter stories. If you don't like long stories, please, this is not for you. There is some sex, but not a lot. There are plenty of authors on this site that do that much better than I can.

Finally, if you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Sitting at the airport this Thursday morning I wondered why I wasn't as excited as I thought I should be. Brittany was off with my Mom at Starbucks, I saw my dad wandering back to the gate where I sat. Who knows where Taylor was. It was a last minute thing that he was even here.

My dad sat down next to me and slung his arm across the back of my seat. He studied me for a moment..

"What's the problem Bub?" He asked. "You don't look like you're about to go on any vacation." He stated.

He was right. My mood was less than upbeat. Nine days at a beautiful home near Mauna Lani on the big island of Hawaii, why wasn't I in a more festive mood? I'd: seen the pictures on the website. Beautiful views, tropical vegetation, our own private infinity pool! What else could you ask for?

"Sorry Dad," I said. "I guess I'm just concerned about the business." I told him.

That statement was partially true.

And then my dad went on a long rambling explanation of why we didn't need to worry about the business. We only had two projects going right now. The big one with the deck, pergola and water feature, Albert and Roman were on. They had that under control.

The other job, the Mackenzie's, was much smaller and simpler. Just a small deck and railing job. That wasn't the problem. It was the Mackenzie's. They nit picked every little detail. If it had been up to me, I would've never agreed to take on that project. But Taylor sold it and we were stuck with it.

I gazed down the concourse and saw my beautiful wife Brittany, my mom, and my brother Taylor talking and laughing as they sipped their overpriced Starbucks beverages.

No, I thought, the business wasn't the real problem. Something was off between Brittany and me. This vacation to Hawaii started off as a getaway for just the two of us. Then my mom got wind of it and took it over. It became a family vacation.

I glanced at my big brother Taylor gliding through the airport, not a worry in the world. He was supposed to bring his latest girlfriend, but that relationship fell apart. Then he wasn't going to go. He'd stay home and manage the business, but my mom talked him into coming solo at the last minute. To be honest I can't say I was glad he was on the trip.

Deep in thought I didn't hear the latest boarding announcement.

"Tim," Brittany grabbed my arm, "we're boarding. Come on!" She pulled me up.

Walking down the jetway to board, that tickle of uneasiness remained. I couldn't quite identify the source, but somehow I knew something was not quite right.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

School had always been difficult for me. My early memories of school were negative. Frustration and failure were the feelings I associated with school. As the other kids progressed in reading, writing and vocabulary, I was stuck. I just couldn't read. I now know that I have dyslexia, but at the time there was no diagnosis. 'Some children are just slower' my teacher had said.

I would notice the looks of disappointment from my mother after the latest parent-teacher conference. At one point they talked of putting me in special ed. By the time I realized this was for the mentally handicapped children, fortunately, that idea had been discarded.

Reading for me was slow. I ended up memorizing words. There was no way I could work anything out phonetically, so I memorized. Think about it like this: we all understand the shape and color of a stop sign. And we know what it means. That's how I would read. But as I said it was a much slower process than regular reading. Words were symbols for me. I had to really concentrate. The idea of reading for pleasure was absurd.

The backdrop to my scholastic struggles was my brother Taylor. School for him was easy. And for that matter life for Taylor seemed easy. He was the smart kid, the star athlete, the fun one to be around. My parents were proud of Taylor and praised him often. Particularly my Mom.

It was obvious to me even at an early age I was a disappointment to my mother. My dad was always fairly even keeled about me and most things, not my mother. Her children's success was the barometer that she believed she was measured by. Naturally she gravitated to Taylor.

By the time I reached high school the disparity between my brother and I was stark. He was the popular outgoing athlete and I was the introverted, sullen younger brother. Don't get me wrong, I was a pretty good athlete myself but I didn't command the same respect as my taller, charismatic older brother.

Taylor's senior year, my sophomore year, he was one of the captains of the football team. He received a scholarship to play for a small, somewhat prestigious college back east.

Meanwhile I played JV football, was on the track team, and wrestled varsity. Though my parents never missed one of Taylor's football games, my wrestling matches were rarely attended. My senior year I placed fourth at state at 156 pounds. A fairly decent accomplishment. My dad showed up for the tournament, but not my mom.

It would be hard to call Taylor and I buddies. There were times I was swept up in activities with him and the popular crowd, but it was rare that he would seek me out and invite me to participate. Within our family Taylor was unarguably the star. I was relegated to the background.

My mother was the energy in our family. She wore the pants. My easy going dad just came along for the ride. This relationship was particularly pronounced because we had a family business, Designed Outdoor Spaces. Originally it was called Frank Boucher Landscaping, and my dad had run it with a few seasonal employees.

When my Mom got involved it changed. We took on bigger projects, did more construction, hired more people and expanded the scope of the business. My mom felt we needed a name that matched the scope of our business.

And she was right. Certainly my mother had her weaknesses, but have no doubt, she was smart and driven. Though my father was nominally listed as 'president' of the company, my mom ran things.

All through high school Taylor and I worked for DOS (Designed Outdoor Spaces) on weekends, vacations, and throughout the summer. I liked the work. The challenges I had reading shaped the way I learned things. I paid close attention, extremely focused on the goal. This served me well within the family business. This was one of the few areas in which my skill surpassed Taylor's.

When Taylor and I worked together it was always a competition. Who could do things faster, who was stronger, etc. It wasn't long before I began beating Taylor at these competitions regularly. This infuriated him. His younger, smaller, brother was outdoing him.

He rationalized my superior workmanship by saying the work was 'blue collar. That he was a 'white collar' type. The work was below him, and on and on. The summer I graduated Taylor stayed back east to do an internship. I worked for the family business that summer. I have to admit I felt far less stress with Taylor not around.

My plan was to go to community college in the fall and continue to work at the family business, DOS. By the end of the summer I was running a crew by myself. My dad ran the landscaping crew, and Roman, our grouchy, long term employee, was in charge of the construction crew. My mom ran the business from the home office.

The office was in a shop on my parents' large three acre property. On the property was our newer family home, the large shop with the office at one end, and the original small older house that was now vacant on the property. The land was worth a lot of money. Prime land was valuable in Central Oregon.

Throughout high school I'd had a few girlfriends. Nothing too serious, nor long term. In high school I was always known as Taylor's little brother, so much so, I began to think of myself like that. My confidence with the opposite sex was not particularly high.

I had several buddies from high school who went to the local community college with me. The social life was not nearly the same as the reports we got from friends who went off to the universities in the Willamette Valley.

Parties multiple times per week. Fraternities and sororities, football games, and dances. My buddies and I were invited to these and quite a few weekends we went over to soak in the true college experience. We would then head home normally hungover and slightly depressed about the idea of living at home and going to the local community college.

One weekend we went to an all campus party in Eugene at a large barn slightly out of town. This was the type of thing where you paid an entrance fee and then drank kegged beer until it was gone.

My buddies and I drifted apart and I found a spot at the far end of the makeshift bar. Hanging at the bar had a couple of benefits. You didn't have to stand in a long line to get a fresh beer, and second, everyone passed by you to get their beer, so you got to see a lot of people.

Of course as a healthy nineteen year old, I was focused on women. Currently, I had no girlfriend. Amongst the many attractive co-eds I noticed a tall blond, maybe fifteen pounds overweight or so, but her shape was proportionate. The tight yellow sweater accentuated the proportions.

"Hey," I said to the blond in yellow, "can I help you get a beer?" I asked.

She stopped and looked at me, a half smile on her face. She looked me up and down, still not speaking, just looking at me.

"What?" I questioned, unsure of her reaction to my simple question.

"Sure," she finally said. "It will save me from all the guys trying to bump my boobs waiting in line."

I couldn't help it, her mention of her boobs made me glance down at them. I quickly looked away.

I told her to take my place at the edge of the bar and I'd get her the beer. I had gotten to know the bartender and he served me quickly. I moved back to where the blond was and noticed some tall fraternity type talking to her.

"Here you go," I said as I handed the blond the beer.

I also stepped slightly in front of the taller guy.

"Hey pal", he said. "I was talking to Brittany. Move on."

I turned and looked at him. From all my years wrestling I had been intimidated and had learned how to intimidate with the right kind of look. A challenging stare that said 'do you have the balls to take me on?'.

I calmly focused that look on the fraternity guy. He tried to hold my stare, but I think he saw something in me he didn't want to mess with. With a curt nod he walked off.

I looked at Brittany and she now had an expression on her face when she looked at me. I think when she first noticed me she saw a medium height, lean, suntanned average looking guy. Now she noticed the little edge I carried. Her expression now seemed a bit more pleased..

"I'm Tim," I said, "and now I know your name is Brittany." I held out my hand for her to shake.

She kind of giggled and shook my hand. The soft warmth of her hand contrasted with the roughness of my work calloused hand. She held my hand a little longer than normal.

"Brittany Robinson." She told me still clasping my hand.

We talked and I learned about Brittany and she asked about me. She was studying graphic design. She seemed slightly disappointed that I lived in Central Oregon and didn't go to school at the university.

As the evening progressed it became more crowded and louder in the rustic barn. I moved closer to Brittany so I could hear her. A bit later I snaked an arm around her with my hand lightly holding her waist. We were in our own little cocoon of intimacy as the party raged on around us.

I began wondering what the final chapter may be for this evening. On the one hand I would love to fuck her, on the other hand, so far I liked her. Would sex too soon sabotage any possibility for a longer term relationship?

Shortly, an announcement was made over an electronic megaphone. The buses that had taken people to the barn were heading back to campus.

"Oh, that's me." She said and looked at me.

We both just kind of stood there, surprised by the abrupt ending to this pleasant evening.

"Brittany," I said. "It was great to meet you, and I, uh,...." I stuttered, not quite sure what to say.

"Here," she said, "give me your phone."

I did and she created a new contact 'Brit!'. She gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the lips, and then hurried off toward the buses. She glanced back once smiling, kissed her hand and blew me the kiss. This had been a good night.

Throughout the following week I thought about Brittany. She had a pretty face and had beautiful blond hair. As I said, she looked a little heavy, not too much, and the heaviness added to the size and shape of her beautiful breasts. She was my type for sure.

I had classes all day Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday and occasionally on Saturday's I worked for the family business.

The Tuesday after meeting Brittany I was working on a hardscape installation on a job in Sisters. Roman Kralj was the lead on the job. Roman had worked faithfully with my dad for years. He was very good at what he did, but he could be an asshole.

He always treated me and even Taylor with contempt. One time, when we were in high school, Taylor and I, in a rare show of solidarity, went to our dad and demanded he get rid of Roman.

Our father ignored our complaints and told us that Roman was the best employee we had. He went on to tell us Roman was never late, was never sick, understood the business and was loyal.

"It's either him or us," Taylor threatened our father.

"I think McDonalds is hiring." He told us, never once looking up from the paperwork he was working on.

That Tuesday I guess I was daydreaming about Brittany and Roman lashed out at me.

"Pay attention, prost!" He yelled at me. A large stack of pavers nearly fell on my foot.

"You are at job site! Not in your warm home. Pay attention, dangerous when you not thinking about the job." He scolded me.

He pissed me off. Where did our employee get off bossing me around? Later, I got to thinking about it and Roman was right. Me or someone else could easily be hurt on the job site. I decided to apologize to Roman, because I felt bad and also, maybe he'd be a little easier on me.

"Roman," I said, "uh sorry I messed up today." I told him.

I expected some type of reply. All I got was a serious stare from Roman. That was it. Oh well, the guy, as I said, was an asshole.

Later that week I texted Brittany. I asked how her week was going and told her me and my buddies were heading to Eugene this coming weekend. I asked what she was up to that weekend. By Thursday night I hadn't heard from her. Huh, I thought. My spirits got a little down.

But then Friday morning she sent me a message.

'Hey you, big party at The Commons, Saturday night. I'll wait for you, see you there'.

Suddenly my spirits were back up. My buddies and I planned to go to the football game on Saturday and now we knew where the party was after.

By the time we had arrived at The Commons it was a scene. The party was actually in the parking lot. Tents and canopies set up all over the place. You paid a flat amount to get in and they gave you a wristband for the kegged beer. Once we were there, I wondered how I was ever going to find Brittany with all the people.

I needn't have worried. Within ten minutes she had found me. She greeted me with a big hug, squishing her breasts against me. She'd already had a few drinks I could tell. I took a moment to look at Brittany, holding her hands and taking her in. Beautiful blond hair, a pretty, happy face, bright red lipsticks.

And then I looked at her body. Yeah, still a bit heavy, but that was okay. She was wearing a low necked tight bright red top. Much of her breasts were visible in this particular shirt. I couldn't help myself, I stared at her tits probably a moment too long.

"Easy big boy," she said as she noticed my stare. "Try to maintain some eye contact." She told me with a laugh.

"Sorry," I replied, "but.... " and I just nodded toward her cleavage.

She laughed once again, grabbed my hand and we headed off happily into the midst of the party.

We had a great time. I learned a little more about Brittany. She was majoring in graphic design, with a minor in computer science. She must be smart, I thought.

I knew a lot of the kids there and everything was positive. We hung with a group of her friends for a while and I met a few people. As we were standing there this bigger guy walked up and hung around the fringe of our group. Suddenly, I recognized him. He was one of the players for the university football team. His name was Donovan Mims.

I remembered when my high school football team played Mims' team my junior year. Mims was from Redmond, in our league, and geographically fairly close to my high school.

We won, but Mims was the star. Now I looked at him. Big, broad through the shoulders and muscular. About 6'2, three or four inches taller than me. He had the same athletic confidence that my brother, Taylor carried.

Just then Brittany asked me to please go get her another beer. It took maybe ten minutes. When I returned I saw that she was in a discussion with Mims. As I walked up, she broke away and came back to me. He gave me a look and then he walked off.

"What was all that about?" I asked her.

She was quiet for a moment and then just shook her head, as if it was of no importance. I let it drop. The good feeling and fun of the party returned and I forgot about that odd interlude.

The party wound down. It was late and the kegs were dry. Brittany and I were in a dark, fairly private corner of the parking lot. We started kissing. Both of us had quite a bit to drink though neither of us was drunk.

We continued kissing in this secluded area, our bodies pressed tight together. I could feel the large pillowy breasts pressed into me. I was positive she could feel my prominent erection pressed tightly to her groin.

My hand wandered to her breasts. I rubbed the outside of that tight red shirt and immediately felt her erect nipple through the cloth. The shirt was so low cut, access to the actual unclothed tit was easy. I unclasped her bra and the large breast sprang forth from the slight confines of the shirt.

My lips found her bare nipple and I sucked the swollen tip and grazed my teeth on to the sensitive flesh. She moaned and grabbed my erection. Just then a car turned the corner and for a moment the headlights illuminated us. Her one free tit was exposed for that brief instant as the car passed.

Brittany quickly shoved her breast back into her shirt.

"Where are you staying tonight?" She breathlessly asked me.

For a moment I wondered if this was an overnight invitation. I told her I was staying on the floor of a buddies dorm room.

"That's too bad," she said. "And I don't want our first time in some dingy alley," she told me as she looked around at our surroundings.

"I'd get in big trouble if I tried to sneak you into my sorority room." She told me. "Walk me home." She told me.

We walked the dark streets of campus toward her sorority. She hugged my arm, her breasts pushing prominently into my side. I had a major erection during the entire walk home.

Too soon we were at the doorway of the large brick sorority house. We stood there, hugging and kissing for a few minutes. My erection nearly tore a hole in my pants.

"I guess I gotta go in," she finally told me. I nodded.

"Call me this week,". She said, "I can't wait to see you again." She added. "And next time let's figure out this privacy thing." She told me with a laugh.