Family (Re)Union

She was rambling. Her accent thickened when she was upset, and he'd always had trouble understanding her then. But he should've checked in on her, like, fifteen minutes ago at least. No, she chided herself, this wasn't his fault in the slightest.

"Just..." he started, then tried again. "How could you not tell?"

That took her by surprise, too. Gerald's cock had proven to be longer than his son's, though not as thick. It also wasn't as rigid, if marginally. "It happened so fast, I wasn't really paying attention."

He cleared his throat. Another bad sign. "Well, I'm assuming you were still somewhat horny from goofing off in the car ride back here, and we've all been drinking. Dad was really out of it, too."

She hurried forward, grabbed the back of his neck, and kissed him as hard as she could, refusing to release him when he pulled back. Once they were both out of breath, she broke off. "I promise you, on anyone's grave you wish, that I did not cheat on you, and never will. Please. I would never do that to you. Neither would your father."

It took a full minute, maybe two, before he sighed and nodded. This time, he looked like he believed her. "Fine. Let's just chalk this up as a really fucked-up, if innocent, mistake. Just tell me one thing."

"Anything."

Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Did you like it?"

Without hesitation she said, "Of course I fucking liked it. If you showed up thirty seconds later, I'd have been screaming."

"Damn, that was too honest. And now I'm jealous."

"Hey, nothing will match the roleplay, or whatever you do in the hot tub."

"Since when do we have a hot tub?"

"Ah, crap. That's right. That's my Spanish boyfriend. I have too many men in too many countries to keep track of."

"What about women?"

"Oh, I gave up keeping track of them a long time ago. Nowadays, we just have orgies whenever I travel for work. Cuts down on the time to wine and dine them all."

She was still holding onto him as he glanced around, his gaze honing in on the shower. She got the idea a moment later. So for the rest of the day, moving from the bathroom back to their now-empty bedroom, she let him prove just how skilled and preferable he really was. Aoife only pictured her father-in-law a couple of times, too.

*****

Aoife rolled out of bed -- literally -- and struggled to the restroom. The sunlight was so bright even with the thin curtains closed that she had no need for an alarm clock. Her whole body ached. It was also operating on maybe four hours of sleep, too. To dispel Rick's lingering doubts, she had done everything she was physically able to please him. He continued to snore softly as she went into the shower to clean up. By the time she finished, he was up and acting just as sluggish as she felt. They brushed hands as they passed each other, but weren't able to even manage a kiss. Besides, after where his mouth had been, she guessed his breath was quite awful.

After dressing, she ventured into the corridor, running into Wesley, who gave her a wink. His wife, Dana, was emerging from their bedroom as they passed.

"Feeling better?" she asked, unable to contain her snicker. Their room was right next door. Aoife blushed a little as she recalled how loud she had been. She waved her cousin off and continued down the hall.

Then the bathroom door opened right before she reached it. Gerald stepped out amidst a cloud of steam, wearing only his pants. After freezing in place, they tried to say something simultaneously, paused, tried again, and gave up. His chest was glistening, and since her hair was still damp, it was too easy for him to imagine her in the shower. She was doing the same to him, after all.

"Well," he said, "I'm looking forward to today. Let's just... forget about everything and enjoy the week."

"Yeah, good idea." He walked by her toward his bedroom down the hall, where his wife was no doubt still asleep.

Aoife decided on wearing the black bikini today.

*****

Rick watched everyone frolic in the shallows as he watched over their stuff. Never having been a strong swimmer or cared much for it, he preferred walking along the beach. For now, unfortunately, he was forced into the task of security guard for sixteen people's supplies. Or rather, fifteen. He hadn't seen Jess since the storm yesterday, though nobody was concerned. At the moment, he was unable to focus on the book he'd brought, too distracted by what he had seen yesterday. A few moments of picturing it again caused another erection.

Seeing his wife with his father turned him on, and stranger still, he wasn't certain he was bothered by that.

Maybe it wasn't about his father. Perhaps he just got aroused by seeing her with another man. He'd often worried about her sleeping with someone else, especially after their wedding. She had quite a few very good-looking men and women who traveled with her on assignments, and many she interviewed put him to shame. Plus, those ones often had money. He was no slouch in that department, though he wouldn't be buying a Bentley any time soon, either. It also wasn't the first time since they'd gotten together that she slept with someone else. She'd asked permission then, upfront about everything. It'd been a roommate of hers that was moving to England for a job, and though they had run into each other a couple of times since, their parting as roommates was a big deal. The girl was quite hot, too. Rick trusted his wife, knew that she was faithful, even if he did worry on occasion. But this was a different matter. She'd had sex with her father-in-law, and he was turned on by it.

Chris and Bree, whom had already struck up quite the friendship, came back to their camp and sat under the umbrella. Rick waited until his erection abated enough to stand without being obvious, and left the young couple to their privacy. He caught Aoife's eye and waved, pointing in the direction he was heading. She waved back just before being pounced on by one of her cousins.

The beach was busier today, with several stereos blasting music, cars driving to and fro, and large groups of people having little parties like his own was doing. The weather wasn't as brutally hot today thanks to yesterday's storms cooling things a little, and there was no sign of rain on the horizon. He dodged kids and Frisbees as he pressed on, enjoying the relative solitude so he could think. Aoife likely won't say it aloud, but it was obvious she was thinking about his father. The sideways glances, subtle flirtations, and the way they were staying near each other in the water, yet neither had struck up a conversation yet. They were being coy, probably just as uncertain about how to feel as he was.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't recognize his own name when it was called. At first, he assumed it was another Rick the caller was addressing, then he identified the voice. He turned toward Jess as she waved him down. She was on her stomach, working on her tan. Since she was so pale, the freckles along her shoulders had grown more pronounced before the rest of the skin darkened. He also took note of her strap being undone, as was the woman's who lied next to her. The stranger leaned up, giving him quite the view of her cleavage. Her tan was quite dark, her body toned. He quickly thought of every non-erotic thing that may help as he reached them.

"Been wondering where you were," he said.

"Aww, you were thinking of me? How's the party?"

"Bring your friend over and find out."

"No thanks. I'd rather not subject her to a UFC match. Your wife is vicious."

"Not as bad as your sister, though."

She nodded at that. She then introduced him to Selene, who checked him out without shame. Over the next few minutes, he discovered she was a local yoga instructor, had roots in Scotland, and generally preferred married women. She finished by saying, "I still can't believe you dumped this lady for her cousin."

"Excuse me?"

Jess quickly cleared her throat. "I was telling her how you and I were pretty close to tying the knot back then, until Aoife came along and botched it all up."

"At least you two had, how did you put it, one last snog before the nuptials."

He gave his cousin-by-marriage a mock glare. "We did, did we?" He'd never seen her so embarrassed before, even after he had turned her down on his wedding day. Smirking, he said to her friend, "Sorry, but it wasn't a snog, as she put it. Aoife doesn't count oral as sex, so she helped my nerves."

"Tsk, so nothing too exciting."

"Nope. I didn't say my vows with stained drawers."

Jess propped herself up on her forearms, her breasts hanging down and exposed enough for him to admire. He kept his gaze strictly on her face. Most of the time. When she noticed Selene wasn't looking at her, she mouthed, Thank you, then said, "I've been working on him every chance I get to do more. If only we didn't live in different countries."

Without thinking -- or perhaps because he'd been doing too much thinking on his walk -- he said, "If you get permission from Aoife, then you can name the time and place."

"Really?" asked Selene. "And what're the chances your wife will be into that sort of thing?"

Jess' smile widened. "Not bad, actually. I know about Mary." She glanced around, acting all conspiratorial and leaning in toward her new friend. He found himself tilting forward, as well. "Like myself, she swings both ways. And apparently, her college roommate and her were very close. As a going away present, she asked Rick here for a free pass for a night. He gave the go-ahead without hassle."

"We were still dating and I just don't count woman-on-woman. Call it my chauvinistic side."

"Did she ever tell you how she had Mary look me up?" No, she did not. "That girl was adorable. And frisky."

Now he had to sit down, propping one leg up to hide the tent-effect in his swimming trunks. It wasn't effective enough, as both woman glanced down and grinned. Like any man, even with a wife that constantly assured him she found him more than satisfactory, he fretted about certain features of his body. And after seeing his father being quite gifted, he'd felt somewhat less. So their quick judgment wasn't unwelcome in the slightest.

Selene now rose to the same position as Jess. If anyone was sitting behind him, they'd have a nice view, but the woman showed little concern for modesty. He wasn't complaining, either. "If you two get permission from this wife of yours, I'm joining in."

"Naturally," he said. Jess gaped at him before laughing. Hey, if Aoife could have a quickie with his father, then he sure as hell could flirt with these two. Yet, he was surprised at how true that statement was. He wasn't angry at his wife, and had no plans on ever betraying her, but if she actually did acquiesce, he'd probably go for it. That worried him a little.

Just a little. Not like she'd ever say yes, anyway.

He sat with them for a while longer, sharing stories about the early days of their marriage, most of their problems having stemmed from cultural gaps. Jess apparently spent so much time traveling back and forth from LA that she was practically indoctrinated into American life. Selene, despite having family in northern Great Britain, had never been there and loved hearing his early impressions of Ireland and England. By the time he resumed his walk, he saw how happy Jess was in talking to the yoga instructor, and why she was enamored with her. He was happy for the girl. Aoife told him about her troubles in love, so he silently wished her luck as he continued on his way. Now, unfortunately, he had two fantasies going through his head the entire time.

*****

Aoife was pretty sure the gathering only included a dozen and a half people. Sometime after Seamus and her dad dragged out a cooler filled with Guinness, though, their party grew double. It wasn't too hard to pick out the Americans -- they all had tans -- yet there were other foreigners amidst the crowd. She overheard her mother having a debate in German. Her uncle slapped one guy on the back and declared Russians weren't too bad after all. Her mother and Aunt Lily stood back to admire a couple of dark men in bright speedos. Meanwhile, Bree and Chris had snuck around the minivan for a make-out session that left her jealous. Where was Rick?

"This is getting a bit hard to follow," said Gerald. He had to lean in due to the cheerful cacophony going on around them. Contrary to most of the group, his breath didn't reek of alcohol, but mint. So either he was being a teetotaler today, or had taken the time to freshen up before approaching her. She hoped it was the former, simply because the latter got her too excited.

"Just run with it," she said. "Wherever my clan goes, chaos follows. Sometimes the police, too."

"Don't worry. I'm making sure that everyone with a beer is legal. I'm not convinced that boy your aunt dragged off is, though."

"Mallory?" She glanced around. The woman was usually easy to pick out. Despite being somewhat stocky and not the most physically attractive woman, she knew how to get nearly any man to bed. "Great, the cougar strikes again. And if you're curious, her kids don't all have the same dad. She's never been married or even in a relationship very long."

"That... sounds complicated."

"Not really. She loves her kids, and us, and those are the only connections she needs."

He thought about it, then agreed. She personally preferred settling down, yet thanks to Gerald, she now worried if she wanted to wander. He stood so close that he was lightly pressing against her shoulder, and she had no inclination to step away. The heat of his skin reminded her of when he pressed up against another part of her body. Jess caught her eye and waved her over, breaking the spell. She excused herself, escaped the mob, and went over to her cousin, spying the hot woman from yesterday.

"Seen Rick?" she asked.

Jess nodded. "I think he's on his way back. We ran into each other not long ago. I see they've started a beach party. So much for a quiet family reunion."

"Have we ever had one of those?"

"Not in my lifetime." Her smile took on a sly note as she ushered Aoife a little further away. "So, Rick. We got to talking."

Please don't say he was venting, she thought. If he was, then he'd been hiding how upset he was from her. She smiled, keeping a straight face to hide her apprehension.

Instead, Jess asked, "Remember Mary?"

"How can I forget?"

"And remember how easy going your husband was about the whole thing?"

"Yeah?" Jess made an odd gesture, like a sideways nod, and it took Aoife a full minute to figure it out. "You want permission. To screw my husband." "Maybe. Ugh, this is more awkward than I'd planned. Okay, this probably sounds better in my head, but I think trying out new things..."

"Yes."

"...can give you both new ideas to work with. Eh?"

"I said, yes." She leaned over and peered around her cousin at the babe standing behind her. "If she's involved, I'm game."

"Eh?" She looked back and forth between them, then pointed, trying to wrap her pretty little head around it. "You mean, like, a foursome?"

"No! Not me. I've got other plans."

"Other plans. I'm lost."

"Come with me, talk with me." In truth, the plan was just forming as she ushered her cousin and the mystery girl toward their cars. They caught Chris feeling up Bree, with Jess putting on the big sister act quite well, sending the kids scurrying off. Over the next few minutes, Aoife rattled off the basics of what had happened between her and Gerald, Rick's discovery, and her own growing feelings on the matter. She wanted to finish what Gerald had started, plain and simple. There was no way she was going to do it behind her husband's back, and since he'd continued to resist Jess' seductions, this was the best idea. Both of the women were already on board with the plan before she got halfway through. By the end, the new friend, Selene, had decided on a place on the beach, generally out of sight, and where the lifeguards had no problem looking the other way. And since there was some kind of small festival along the beach in the opposite direction on Thursday, that area should be pretty empty.

Now it was all on Aoife to arrange for both of the guys to accept her offers. Regardless of what Rick had told Jess about jumping at the chance if Aoife gave permission, she wasn't sold on his conviction. He'd never even brought up the idea of a threesome before. As for Gerald, despite his closeness, she saw how much he loved his wife throughout the day. He'd get her a drink whenever she needed it, massaged her shoulders without her asking, and even went on a brief walk with her. Considering how flushed they both were, she wondered just where they'd found the privacy. It was far from a sure thing with him.

They shook hands on the arrangement, and left Aoife to do her part. She spotted Rick coming back to the party just in time.

*****

As the beach party winded down, thanks to a dangerous lack of beer and Seamus passed out under an umbrella, Rick found his stepmother chatting up some other beachgoers. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her interacting much with the rest of the family. No one had shown each other any animosity or even acted discourteous. Yet even those part of Aoife's clan by marriage acted like sisters, whereas Becky, and even Aunt Carolyn in some ways, kept their distance. Perhaps they just didn't fit in. Becky especially, given how she'd only been a part of his family for ten years. Rick was raised solely by Gerald, who'd never had a girlfriend longer than six months. His work more often than not took precedence over his love life. But he had never been a distant father. For that, Rick was eternally grateful.

As he started toward Becky, forcing himself to at least be friends with her, Emily intercepted him. "Ah, Ricky! You're acting a tad standoffish today."

"Sorry. This vacation is... more energetic than relaxing, and I've got a lot on my mind. Nothing to worry over."

She caught him watching his stepmother and sighed. "Now that isn't true. She's a lovely woman, if somewhat reserved. I don't think we're her type of crowd, to be honest."

"She's a suburbanite born and raised. Likes the cities, but not the crowds."

"A housewife that has struggled with the wife part, I hear. Oh, don't look at me like that. I am not judging. Your father told my Dorian and I all about it right after it happened."

"Really? I had to hear about it from George, and damn near a year later."

"Well, Gerald and Dorian are quite good friends, I'll have you know. And if I must assume, he kept mum so as not to worry you, or let you be angry with her. They've been in therapy for a long time, and he owned up to his mistake."

"How was it his mistake?" He knew the answer, yet suddenly felt very protective of his father. And his own failings.

"Neglecting the love needed for a proper marriage is easy to do, and hard to realize. It's not even about sex. Just being there, present, romantic. If that part is skipped, then the lonely party needs validation, or they just give up. What she did wasn't such a bad thing. In fact, it helped my own marriage."

He tried to accept her words, wondering if he had purposely let Aoife have that fling with her roommate just to test his own resolve back then. He'd tried harder since, doing everything he could to let her know how much she means to him, despite their out-of-sync work schedules. Her infatuation with his father, and lack of any regret, scared him. After a few moments, everything his mother-in-law said finally sunk in, leaving him stunned.

"Oh yes. We both did."

"Wh-when?"

"I think Aoife was in first grade? Yes, that's right. Seamus was in far better shape back then, and even bigger because of his muscles."