The Holiday Party

Part I - The Party

"Here babe," I said, handing my girlfriend my phone as I glanced in the rearview mirror and exited the expressway, "will you text Joe for me and tell him we're almost there? Their house is only a few more minutes away."

Kelsie took my phone and smirked at me slightly, "Are you sure you still trust me with your phone? We wouldn't want a repeat of last night now would we?"

"I don't know," I teased her back, "last night seemed to go okay from my perspective. Unless you have another practical joke planned, I wouldn't want to spoil your fun."

Kelsie and I were in the car on the way to my friend Joe's annual holiday party, a few minutes late but making pretty good time through the light traffic. We had left a few minutes after six that evening to make the hour-long drive north, but had just arrived outside the secluded neighborhood where Joe and his wife, Megan.

Joe, one of my closest friends from law school, had recently quit the corporate consulting job he'd held since we graduated five years previously to take over the daily responsibilities of running his parents' family office, a task that kept him in New York for a decent portion of each week. Megan, Joe's statuesque blonde wife, was the social media coordinator for a local non-profit that worked to protect seabirds, but her natural beauty and imperious bearing hinted at her past as a runway model.

Turning from the road onto a queen palm-lined drive, I pulled in behind a row of cars and put the car in park. As I stepped from the car, I pulled on my coat jacket and walked around to open Kelsie's door. Taking my proffered hand, Kelsie swung her legs from the passenger seat and smoothed her dress as she stood, my breath catching slightly as her beauty struck me anew. After debating several outfits earlier this afternoon, Kelsie had eventually selected a thigh-length red sequined sheath dress that clung to her lithe body, accentuating her rounded bubble butt and prominent, high-set breasts. The back of the dress was cut deeply to Kelsie's waist, revealing an expanse of smooth, tanned skin and highlighting her lack of a bra or any visible tan lines. Kelsie had spent the hour before we left focused on the bathroom mirror, applying makeup and styling her brunette locks in an elaborate updo to achieve a stunning effect. The sight of Kelsie in a sexy dress was a treat as we both worked long hours and spent most of our time together relaxing at home in casual clothes.

"Holy shit!" Kelsie exclaimed, rubbing her arms and shivering slightly as she pulled on her coat and surveyed the imposing house and manicured grounds. "You mentioned Joe's family had money, but this is something else."

"I know, right?" I agreed aloud, "Wait until you see the inside. Joe's house is gorgeous — just the kitchen is enough to make you want to move in permanently."

"Hmm well lucky for you he's already taken, otherwise I'd really have to turn on the charm today." Kelsie teased.

"Yeah, but then you'd have to deal with Megan." I said archly, "she'd eat you alive."

Kelsie laughed loudly. "Well I guess this is best for both of us then, you'll be the only one eating me, thank you very much," she joked, squeezing my ass through my pants before taking my hand as we headed towards the house.

Strolling up the cobblestoned drive, Kelsie snuggled closer to me and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Brr, it's cold out here! I hope the fire pit is nice and toasty."

"I'm sure it is, Joe said he was going to start getting everything ready this morning and people usually start arriving for cocktails around 5:00 so the party should be in full-swing. Usually they have a really good caterer too so the food should be great at least."

A few seconds after I rang the bell a pair of footsteps approached and a staff member in a black caterers' outfit opened the door to admit us inside out of the chill. "Welcome to the Annual Henderson Party," the staffer intoned dryly, "can I take your jackets?"

Kelsie and I shrugged off our outerwear and handed them to the attendant before heading through the foyer towards the sounds of dozens of guests mingling in the great room. Against one wall, a line of white-tableclothed buffet tables held an array of gorgeous dishes and stacks of servingware while tall, slender tables dotting the room bore trays of filled champagne flutes. The enormous room was dominated by a towering, ribbon-festooned evergreen positioned against one wall, stretching up towards the vaulted cathedral ceiling. Thousands of tiny lights twinkled from the branches, lending an illusion of fluttering snowflakes to the festive display.

Taking in the decor, I gazed around the room and sized up the crowd, recognizing a few old friends and familiar faces from previous years' parties. I turned as I heard Joe's voice boom from a crowd of partygoers clustered near the base of the Christmas tree. "Andrew! You made it." I spotted Joe's blonde hair as he made his way through the crowd, emerging to greet me with a hug and slap on the back before straightening and extending a hand to Kelsie as she stood at my side. "And you must be Kelsie, Andrew's told me about you but it's great to finally meet in person."

"Likewise." Kelsie said warmly, shaking Joe's hand. "Thanks for having me! You have a beautiful house, and the tree is absolutely breathtaking."

"Well thank you, but I can't take any credit for that, it's all my wife, Megan's doing. She put me in charge of the bar for the night but other than that I'm pretty much useless. Speaking of Megan," Joe continued, looking around the room, "she's around here somewhere, I know she's been dying to meet you."

Following Joe's gaze, I spotted Megan across the room talking animatedly with a short, pixie-cut sporting blonde in a black cocktail dress. I raised a hand in the air and waved, "Hey, Megan!"

I saw Megan's eyes widen at the sound of her name, her face breaking into a beaming smile as she recognized me. Megan waved back at me before she quickly excused herself from her conversation and strode towards us, heads around the room turning to follow her swaying hips as she seemed to glide across the thick Persian rug covering the center of the floor. Megan was dressed for the party in a chic, long-sleeved green tunic dress that stretched tight across her ample chest and hugged close to her flat belly before flaring just below her hips to drape around her long, fit legs. Diamond studs sparkling at her earlobes matched the gleam of a heavy tennis bracelet as it dangled loosely around one wrist. The outfit was topped by Megan's dark blonde hair pulled back into an elegant chignon, accentuating her slender neck and high cheekbones. Taking in Megan's bright eyes and the arousal-like flush spreading up her neck and into her cheeks I sucked in my breath; I could tell that she was thoroughly enjoying her party already.

"Andrew!" Megan squealed, striding forward to embrace me in a big hug and squeezing her large chest against me so I could feel the soft crush of her tits. "I didn't know you were here. I've been pestering Joe all day with questions about when you were coming."

"Sorry we got a bit of a late start," I apologized as Megan released her hold, "here, meet Kelsie."

Megan embraced Kelsie, pulling her in to kiss her quickly on both cheeks. "It's so nice to finally meet you! And let me just say, if you left late because you were picking out that dress it was worth the wait. You look gorgeous." Megan complimented as she eyed Kelsie with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Maybe we can trade style tips sometime."

"Yeah! I'd like that," Kelsie beamed, stepping slightly closer to Megan as the taller woman's magnetic presence washed over us.

"Hey I've got an idea," Joe chimed in, "Let Megan give Kelsie the royal tour, she loves showing off the house. Andrew, let's grab some drinks from the kitchen. My older brothers are out back so we can go say hi and catch up. I have a few questions about the non-profit designation stuff you mentioned in your email actually."

I groaned to myself inwardly. Here I was in an enormous house full of expensive booze and holiday food, standing with my beautiful girlfriend and stunningly gorgeous friend and already we were talking about work. But Kelsie and Megan seemed to get along, and I did want to catch up with Joe's brothers so I nodded in acquiescence.

"Yeah, I want to see the whole house!" Kelsie chirped excitedly, squeezing my hand. "Andrew, will you be okay without me for a few minutes? I'm going to pump Megan for details about all of your past girlfriends," she teased.

"Yeah of course! Go have fun," I said, leaning down to peck Kelsie's cheek. "We'll probably be out back when you're done." I looked pointedly at Megan and childishly stuck out my tongue; I couldn't let her get away this easily with ditching me to talk about work. "But if you're going to ask about my ex-girlfriends, make sure you ask about Megan's too."

"Heyy!" Megan cut in with a laugh, "you're such an asshole! Oh my god I hate you." She batted playfully at my shoulder, taking Kelsie by the waist and turning to snag two champagne glasses from a nearby table before the two sauntered towards the main staircase.

"Come on, let's go get some drinks," Joe led me across the room towards the kitchen and poured each of us two fingers of rye whiskey before we headed for the patio. Stepping through a pair of French door into the brisk air, Joe and I spied his two brothers standing by the edge of the swimming pool, each clutching a tumbler full of brown liquor as steam rose from the surface of the water into the dark night.

As we strolled towards the pair, I took a sip of whiskey, feeling the smooth burn as it slid towards my stomach. Something about this whole evening seemed strange. Joe had been a little off so far, normally he was the life of the party and enjoyed mingling with guests, but tonight he seemed distracted and quiet.

"Hey, Andrew," Tony shook my hand with a firm grip, "did you just get here?" Tony was the spitting image of his younger brother, but stood a bit taller and carried a middle-aged thickness around his midsection.

"Yeah, I brought my girlfriend, Kelsie. She's inside with Megan but I wanted to say hello."

Tony and Eric both grimaced, leaving me slightly confused. "Oh awesome," Eric said quickly but only somewhat reassuringly, "we're actually about to head inside to warm up too, introduce us to Kelsie when you guys are finished out here?"

"Definitely. Enjoy the party." I responded, shaking Tony's hand again as the two men turned towards the house. This was definitely strange. As Tony and Eric headed inside I pulled Joe towards a pair of deck chairs arranged under a tall outdoor heating lamp. "Everything okay, man?" I asked, "You seem a little distracted tonight."

Joe sighed deeply and shrugged at me. "Yeah, I wanted to talk with you. Megan and I have been having some problems lately, actually I didn't need that tax advice but I'm hoping you can recommend a good divorce attorney." Joe looked shell-shocked.

"Wow. I had no idea." I said gently, not sure how to continue. "What happened?"

"It's not the end of the world, just the usual marriage problems. Megan and I have been together since we were 19, and after more than ten years it feels like things have gotten stale. We've been seeing a counselor and I'm hopeful but it's been a rough couple of months."

"I'm sorry, Joe," I said, trying to express my empathy without prying too deeply into what was obviously a sensitive topic. "Just let me know if you need anything. I'll ask around about a lawyer but I'm pretty sure there's a lady in our Miami offices that everyone swears by."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Joe smiled weakly at me. "But would you mind not mentioning any of this, especially to Megan? I don't want to jump the gun on a separation and if she knew I was talking to a lawyer she'd be livid."

"Of course. Now come on, let's get back to the party and try to enjoy ourselves."

Subdued, we heading back towards the house. Stepping into the warmth, I nearly collided with Kelsie as she headed outside. "Hey, how was the tour?" I asked, kissing her on the lips as I tried to put on a cheerful expression.

"You were right about the house. It's like an HGTV ad come to life! But I don't think Megan was feeling well," Kelsie continued, now turning to Joe, "She said she was going to lay down for a few minutes. I think the wine gave her a headache so I left her to rest while I came to find you two."

"Oh that happens sometimes," Joe waved his hand dismissively at Kelsie's concern. "She's probably just dehydrated. I'll go check on her, do you mind entertaining yourselves? Food should be out in a few minutes if you're hungry."

"Nah we're good, go take care of Megan and we'll see you later." I said agreeably.

Kelsie and I wandered back to rejoin the party, talking animatedly about the home's features and the relative merits of the Hendersons' dual-headed shower. After introducing Kelsie to Joe's brothers, we spent the next several hours mingling with the other guests and enjoying the spread before the party began to die down as people headed home to sleep off their full stomachs. Megan and Joe eventually reappeared to make the rounds together, thanking each group of guests for attending the party and making sure that everyone was on their way home safely. I wanted to say goodbye to Joe, so Kelsie and I lingered briefly near the buffet, each grabbing a handful of glasses and heading for the kitchen to help clean up. "Did you have fun tonight?" I inquired as I began to rinse them in the sink. "I'm pretty tired but I'm glad we came."

"Yeah I had a great time," Kelsie said grabbing a towel and drying dishes as I washed and handed them to her. "Megan is hilarious and all of your friends were really cool, hopefully we can hang out together some time soon. Maybe we should host a party." Kelsie mused.

As we talked, Megan and Joe stepped into the kitchen, both looking exhausted. Joe waved at the sink, "Just leave that stuff, the caterers will take care of it in the morning."

"Rich people." I rolled my eyes at Joe's suggestion, "Why pay somebody to wash your dishes when you have such incredible dishwashers right here and willing to work for free?" I ribbed, splashing water at Joe and Megan teasingly as they took seats on barstools placed along the kitchen island.

"Hey speak for yourself!" Kelsie laughed, "I thought we were getting paid!"

"Nooo don't encourage them," I said in mock exasperation, pointing to the pile of wet glassware in the sink. "Back to drying dishes."

Megan choked at our banter as she sipped from her glass, barely catching herself from spewing a mouthful of wine all over the dark granite countertop. "Is he always this demanding, Kelsie? Poor you, working for free all because you're dating this idiot."

"Nah I don't mind so much, I guess I like having someone boss me around," Kelsie said nonchalantly.

"Is that true in the bedroom too?" Megan inquired teasingly, laughing as Kelsie's crimson blush matched her dress.

"Oof, I walked into that one," Kelsie admitted, glancing at me with an embarrassed grin.

Silent until now, Joe looked up from his phone and cut in with a yawn, "Sorry guys, but I'm beat." Standing from his stool, her stretched his arms behind him. "I think I'm going to call it a night, you guys okay here?"

"Wait no," I responded, "I didn't realize how late it got. Let me just grab our coats, Kelsie can you get an Uber?"

"Sure, I'm ready for bed too!" Kelsie said brightly, dropping the dish towel to reach for her purse. The enthusiasm on Kelsie's face did little to hide the sleepiness in her eyes as I realized I was exhausted too.

"Why don't you guys stay the night?" Joe interjected, "There's no point calling for a car now, it's already after midnight. Plus this way we can make breakfast in the morning and hang out for a bit before you have to drive back."

"Yeah for sure," Megan agreed. "I had the maid make up the guest bedroom down the hall just in case you decided to sleep over so it's all ready for you."

I glanced at Kelsie and saw her nod slightly. "Actually that sounds great," I said, "are you sure we aren't imposing?"

"No, be serious. How many nights have you crashed here? You know where everything is, just make yourselves comfortable. Oh and there are plenty of clothes in the wardrobe if you want to borrow some. Just let one of the staff know if something doesn't fit and we'll rustle something up."

"Yeah. Okay sure." I pulled Joe in for a hug, "Thanks for everything, as usual. We'll go get some sleep and see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, see you tomorrow." Joe headed down the hall towards a rear staircase leading to the master bedroom.

Taking Kelsie by the hand, we headed for the hallway leading to the first-floor guest bedroom. As we entered the softly-lit room, Kelsie turned her back towards me and bent forward slightly, sleepily indicating that she wanted me to unclasp the zipper at the back of her dress. As Kelsie stripped, I moved to the wardrobe and opened several drawers before finding one filled with sleepwear. "Here, do you want me to grab you something to sleep in? It's supposed to get colder tonight so we'll be chilly in the morning."

"Just a t-shirt or something," Kelsie laughed tipsily to herself before breaking into a yawn, "it doesn't really matter I'm going to sleep like a bear."

Chuckling, I selected a soft cotton nightshirt and tossed it to Kelsie as I stripped down to my boxer briefs. "I think I'm going to jump in the shower before bed, I need to rinse off I feel like I smell like woodsmoke," I complained.

"Ok babe," Kelsie said through a yawn as she turned down the covers, "sorry but I think I'm going to get into bed now, I can barely keep my eyes open."

Crossing the room I waited for Kelsie to climb into bed and arrange the covers before leaning to kiss her forehead gently. "Goodnight," I murmured, "I'll be in bed in a bit."

After a quick shower in the large bathroom across the hall, I dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist, tossing Kelsie's dress and my bundled clothes into a laundry basket near the door. Stepping out of the doorway into the darkened hall, I heard soft footsteps padding towards me from the kitchen. Megan approached in the dim light, wearing a matched set of silky pink pajamas. "Hey..." she said softly, standing in front of me, "I was just getting ready for bed and saw the light under the door."

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to rinse off before bed." I said, keeping my voice low to avoid waking Kelsie as she slept nearby.

Megan smiled devilishly. "Yeah I'll bet Kelsie gave you a good workout."

"No," I laughed shyly, feeling myself blush. "We were talking with Joe in the kitchen. Kelsie's already asleep, the champagne went straight to her head I think."

"Haha mine too!" Megan laughed, looking at me knowingly. "You know how I am. But I don't want to keep you up," Megan said in a throaty voice. "I'm sure you need to get to sleep too..."

I smiled tiredly, nodding but saying nothing.

Megan stepped closer to me and placed one hand on my chest, the warmth from her palm seeping into my bare skin. Standing on her toes, Megan tilted her chin up towards me and paused inches from my lips as she locked her eyes on mine. "Goodnight, Andrew. I'm *really* glad you and Kelsie made it this weekend," Megan breathed, before closing the distance between us to meet me in a searing kiss. Shocked, I kissed her back reflexively, feeling Megan's tongue snake between my lips to explore my mouth as her hand reached up to pull my head down towards hers. Sinking back to her feet and breaking our kiss before I was fully cognizant of what was going on, Megan stepped back, placed one finger on her lips, and winked at me before turning and disappearing back down the hallway towards the stairs.