The Party

The scrape of wire coat hangers over the metal bar that supported my closet full of ill-fitting, out-of-style clothing grated my already frayed nerves. My children had made such a stink about having to get up early on a Saturday morning, shower, have their hair styled, and put on uncomfortable, yet adorable clothing to wear to their great-grandmother's ninety-fifth birthday party.

I held up a modest black-and-white polka dot, collared dress with a sigh. I didn't want to go to the party, either. Peals of childish laughter brought a smile to my lips.

I threw the dress on my bed and turned to root through my underwear drawer for a pair of pantyhose, a Disney movie I'd seen more times than I'd care to admit blasting away in the background. I pulled my pajama top over my head as heavy footfalls pound against the pale oak floors in the hallway. Jeremy.

Desire sent a shudder over me and I ran my fingers through my short hair as I faced the closed door, my heavy breasts on full display. I leaned against my dresser, head propped up on my elbow. The mirror hanging on my bedroom door reflected an attractive woman back at me. I smiled. I'd worked so hard to get back into shape since both of my children had started school.

The door burst open and my husband hurried in, still clad in gray sweatpants and a wrinkly t-shirt; brow furrowed and stern. I wanted him to throw me on the bed and ravish me, but he didn't even glance at my breasts.

"You're not even dressed yet," he said.

I flinched, slamming the dresser drawer shut. "Are you kidding me right now?"

He held up his hands, thick biceps flexing beneath his smooth, golden skin. Jeremy tanned so wonderfully in the summer while my own pale, Irish skin burned like a vampire's.

"I'm sorry." His earthy, hazel eyes fell to my breasts. "My mom and my sister are driving me insane. Something happened with the florist, so there are no balloons. Julie is driving around like a lunatic hitting up party stores for balloons and streamers."

My pride returned to me when he adjusted himself over his sweats. I still had it.

I pulled the drawer back open, a pair of dingy, old underwear caught in the corner, throwing the sliding mechanism off track. I swore, reaching inside to yank them free. "I bet they're losing their minds. They take those kinds of things seriously."

Jeremy nodded at my breasts. "My mother is a mess."

I snorted, tossing the underwear on the bed to be thrown out later. "I bet she's going to be a total blast later."

He cupped his groin again, stepping close to massage my shoulders.

I grabbed a pair of pantyhose and shut the drawer, leaning into his strong, gentle touch with a murmur of appreciation.

"You seem tense." He rubbed circles into the nape of my neck with his thumbs. "Don't be. All the food they asked us to make is ready to go. So are Sam and Becky. We just have to finish getting ready, load up the car, and go."

I pressed my back into his chest and he slid his hands to my breasts, cupping and massaging them with reverence.

"I'm about to get in the shower," I said.

He pulled me close, leaning in to kiss my cheek and neck. "Me too."

The marble tile was cold against my bare feet as Jeremy steered me toward the shower. I flipped the light on, the starkness of the clean, brilliant marble blinding me. I loved screwing in our bathroom. All the marble and golden fixtures made me feel like a Roman empress.

"You're so sexy." Jeremy tugged my baggy pajama bottoms over my hips, the fleecy material puddling around my ankles as he kneaded my ass cheeks.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips over his, feeling his passion when he moaned against my mouth. I loved the way his cock pulsed to life beneath his pants.

He teased the corners of my mouth with his tongue. I parted my lips so he could slide it inside, teasing and coaxing me into mimicking his movements. My husband was such a comfort to me; the rock I clung to when the storms of life threatened to blow me off course. I slid my hands under his shirt, running my fingers through coarse body hair, the scratchiness making me wet.

I broke our kiss. "I love your body."

He stepped back, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it over his shoulder. "You like this dad bod?"

I rubbed the soft swell of his stomach. "I love it, Daddy."

He pulled me close, gripping the back of my hair as he pushed me against the clear glass shower door. The cool, smooth surface made me gasp.

"You keep talking like that, I might have to pick you up and fuck you against the wall." His voice was a sexy rasp.

A thundering of footsteps made him twist his face in horror.

"Dad! Sam said I look like Scuttle! I don't look like Scuttle! I'm a red-head like Mommy and Ariel!" The genuine outrage in my daughter's voice made me shake with laughter.

Jeremy whipped around and raced into our bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him. "Why are you in here? You're supposed to be watching the movie."

I turned the knob to hot, waiting for the powerful stream to heat up before stepping beneath the cleansing flow. My clit throbbed beneath my folds. Jeremy was a great father and our children delighted in him, but in that moment, I wanted him all to myself.

I slid my fingers over my hip to my bald pussy, noting the hot wetness on my skin. I could've taken care of myself, but knowing Jeremy, he'd want to pick up where left off later. Instead of stroking myself to bliss, I reached for my shampoo bottle, the snap of the lid opening bringing to mind popping balloons, bad pasta salad, and a bitchy sister-in-law.

###

Later, my children charged through their grandparents house, shocked and awed by the white-and-silver balloons my husband's baby sister, Jenni, had artfully arranged around the small, cozy rooms. A hideous, little white dog with thick, milky cataracts in its eyes and patchy fur barked constantly; small, but needle sharp fangs bared.

Lulu belonged to Julie, Jeremy's middle sister. Whoever came up with the idea that pets take on their owner's personality must've had Julie and Lulu in mind.

"Wow, you guys look so great," said Jenni, a petite brunette with long, loose curls, tattoos, and a nose ring. "You belong in a catalog or something."

Sam furrowed his brow in confusion. "What's a catalog?"

Julie rolled her eyes behind the rim of her wine glass while her dog latched onto her brother's pant leg, snarling as it jerked its head back and forth.

I handed my mother-in-law, Donna, a tray of cold macaroni-and-cheese, all ready to be heated up in the oven. I typically enjoyed other people's dogs, but if Lulu would've escaped outside and gotten hit by a car, I would've laughed the whole way home from the party.

I opened my mouth, but a pleading look from my husband silenced me.

Donna came back into the room, wide-eyed and stammering. "Thank God you're here. I've been so worked up since this nightmare with the florist. I just want my mother to have a good time."

Jeremy handed her another tray, that one laden with deviled-eggs, the crinkle of aluminum foil faint beneath the snarling dog. "Oh, Mom, it'll be fine. Grandma will just be happy to see us all."

Donna nodded, but the critical glint in her eyes as she watched Jenni help my kids tape balloons to a door frame made me tense up. "It's just that at her ninetieth birthday party, your Aunt Dot had the most wonderful balloon arch. I'll have to dig out the pictures and show you."

She headed back into the kitchen, muttering about the money Dot had dropped on decor and how she couldn't keep up. Dot's husband was an oral surgeon for God's sake.

Jeremy bent over, reaching for the desistable dog. "Come on, now, Lulu. I thought we were fri-"

The dog startled, yelping and lunging at his hand.

I cringed, anger bubbling up out of me like lava. "What the fu-"

"Hey!" Jeremy handed the snarling, trembling dog to Julie, a big smile on his face. "No harm done. She didn't even break the skin."

Julie cradled the dog against her chest, downing the rest of her wine. "You scared her. Poor Lulu doesn't see so well. You need to be more careful."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"How old is this dog now?" Jeremy wasn't smiling any more.

"Wow, we did such an amazing job." Jenni took a step back from her spectacular balloon arch, her thick hair shiny in the sunlight pouring in through the crystal clear windows.

"Amazing!" Sam pulled at the collar of his crisp, starched blue polo shirt, a bright smile on his face.

My anger faded. He looked so much like his father.

Jenni reached toward Becky, taking her hand and pulling her close. "What do you think?"

My daughter was shyer than her brother. She stared at her shoes, a small smile on her lips. "I think it looks very nice."

"Will you help decorate outside? Grandma and Grandpa have the yard all nice for lots of people." Jenni's grin was just as sweet as it was goofy.

Sam's face lit up and he ran off, his feet pounding on the dark wood floors.

Jenni laughed wildly. "Sammy, come get balloons!"

Becky turned, glancing around the green leather furniture for her prized possession: a soft, faded, pink baby blanket. She let go of Jenni's hand and grabbed it, draping it over her shoulders, the pale rosy color the same as her sparkly tulle skirt. "I'll help, Aunt Jenni."

"Wow." Jenni giggled. "You're so beautiful and kind." She beamed at me, her eyes sliding in and out of focus. "Just like your beautiful mom. Wow, Molly, you look so gorgeous. I love that dress. You're such a snappy dresser."

"Thanks, Jen." I wanted some of whatever she was on.

Sam ran back into the room and the three of them ushered dozens of balloons to the back door, their joyous expressions and sweet laughter making me smile. When they were out of sight, Julie put Lulu down, the wretched beast hobbling into the kitchen to bark at Donna.

Julie smirked. Her eyes were pretty like Jeremy's, but they lacked any of his warmth. "Don't you think Becky's a little old to be dragging that old baby blanket around? God, what is she now? Eight? Nine?"

Julie didn't have, want, or like children, yet she was somehow a font of parenting advice and sneering judgment.

"No," I blurted. "I don't think that at all. And she's five."

Jeremy cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "Where's Dad? He should be helping Mom."

Julie rolled her eyes. "He's in the basement watching golf."

"Of course," said Jeremy.

Donna hurried out of the kitchen, ancient oven mitts with burned black edges over her hands. "Julie, if you don't shut this disgusting hellspawn up, I'll put it in the oven."

Julie's eyes bulged as she turned on her stylish, floral print stiletto heels. "Don't you dare-"

Donna's pretty blue eyes met mine, her voice pitchy with panic. "Did you forget the meatballs? I paid a lesbian over a hundred dollars for toothpicks with my mother's face on them."

Julie shoved past her mother, static from the latex decorations making her dark hair stand on end as brushed past them with a squeak.

Jeremy put his hand on my arm. "They're in the car, Mom. We're just catching up with Julie."

Donna scoffed. "You wanna hear about that fucking mongrel's five thousand dollar surgery? It ate her underwear and had to have the blockage removed. I'd have let it die slowly."

"If you don't quit being mean to my dog, I'm outta here!"

At the sound of her mistress's screaming, Lulu began to howl.

"What the fuck is going on up there?" Jeremy's father's voice boomed up from the basement. "Shut that fucking dog up or I'll kick it to death!"

Julie's heels clicked across the floor as she hurried to scream down a dark staircase with threadbare berber carpeting. "Go back to your golf, you lazy sack of shit!"

Jeremy led me through the front door. "Come on, baby."

Stepping out onto the concrete stoop was like escaping Hell, cloudless blue sky and gentle fall sunshine a balm to my weary heart. Summer lingered on in the breeze, its warmth pleasant blowing over the back of my neck.

Jeremy guided me down the stairs and I took heart in my children's laughter carrying out front from the back yard, Jenni's goofy whooping just as endearing. At least they were having fun. They didn't know Aunt Jenni was stoned out of her gourd.

"Is your hand really alright?" I asked. "That evil thing needs to be muzzled."

He shook his head, his hair the same rich darkness as Jenni's. "It's fine. She didn't hurt me. That dog is neurotic as it is because Julie won't let it die. Lulu's gotta be twenty years old. My sister's torturing it."

We approached our beat up SUV, the rear door open to the street of cute little salt-box houses and tidy lawns, mowers rumbling in the distance. I couldn't help but wonder about the families who lived in them. They couldn't have been as insane as mine and Jeremy's.

I stepped off the curb, crawling into the back of the car to grab the tray of meatballs. I put my hand in something sticky. Those fucking kids.

Jeremy cupped my ass, the fabric rustling as it slid over my skin. "You so sexy, baby. You know, I could crawl in there with you and close the hatch. We can fuck in the back like two bored teenagers sneaking away from the party."

I laughed, grabbing the tray and pulling it to the edge of the trunk as I slid out of the car, the soles of my dark ballerina flats clapping against the asphalt. "People talk a lot of shit about shower sex, but I think car sex is worse."

He grinned, eyes crinkling up at the edges as he cupped my face in his hands. "I like all sex."

"And you're so good at it, too." I kissed him, his mouth making me swoon.

He pushed his tongue past my lips, the smooth muscle twisting and flexing as he teased me.

I moaned, thinking about how good that would feel on my clit.

His hands moved to my waist and I broke the kiss, whispering, "I'm not wearing any panties under these hose."

His eyes widened, a hungry smile on his lips. "You naughty girl."

I kissed him, leaving a trail of hot pecks over his jaw. I was tempted to let him fuck me in our car.

The screech of tires and the blast of a horn made me jump out of my skin, a beat-up red Chevy Cobalt slowing as it pulled up alongside Jeremy and I. It stopped and the passenger window rolled down, a greasy, long-haired man leering out at us. Freddie.

It took every effort not to sneer at Jeremy's cousin. I handed Jeremy the meatballs and turned to close the trunk.

"What's going on here?" asked Freddie.

"Just carrying some food in," said Jeremy.

"Sounds kinky. Wait a second for me to park and I'll come watch." His car rumbled away.

"Such a charmer," I muttered.

Jeremy sighed, giving me an encouraging smile. "Hang in there, baby. We just gotta get through this afternoon. Randy and Ashley are bringing their kids, so hopefully Sam and Becky will wear themselves out playing and go to bed early and we can go to bed and screw."

I forced a smile. Either that, or they would get overtired and turn into horrible, whiney monsters.

"I left my purse on the front seat. Go on in and I'll catch up." I moved around the side of our car to open the passenger door.

I reached over the faded, pale leather seats for my grubby brown leather purse on the dash, heat spilling out of the car like a hot oven. I pulled my phone out, checking for messages.

My mother has sent me a lengthy block of text about my brother's most recent stint in rehab, punctuated by a picture of her and her newest husband on a beautiful beach in the Bahamas. I had not seen my mother in person in two years. We had only been communicating recently because I'd had to beg her to help my poor, fucked up little brother.

I put my phone in my purse and carried it inside, doing my best to ignore the snapping mutt at my heels.

###

Donna grew increasingly frantic as more guests trickled in with happy, relaxed smiles on their faces. I did my best to help her reheat food and stick the toothpicks with Grandma Peg's face on them into the meatballs I had made at 6 o'clock that morning while Jeremy and Julie ushered guests out to the back yard. Lulu had been shut in an upstairs bedroom.

"I have birthday napkins in the laundry room. Get them." Donna stomped over to the top of the basement steps. "Rick! You get the fuck up here right now and get outside or I'm divorcing you!"

His laughter echoed up into the kitchen. "You'd die before you let me live out the rest of my days in peace!"

Donna launched into an expletive laced rant while I slipped into the laundry room off the kitchen. A utility sink and a bright white washer and dryer lined the back wall, a pile of neatly folded t-shirts resting on a strategically installed shelf above them. To my left, a grocery store's worth of cereal boxes, canned goods, paper towels, toiletries, and a box labeled, "Mom's Party", rested on metal shelves that took up the entirety of the wall. I could say a lot of things about my mother-in-law, but "unorganized" was not one of them. I grabbed the box and hurried back to help poor Donna.

The birthday girl arrived not long after, a serene smile on her ancient face. Peg wore a loose, bright floral print blouse that elderly women seemed to favor, stylish khaki slacks, and pale pink loafers. If I lived to be ninety-five, I hoped my hair kept its thickness and turned milk white like her's.

Pale and prim Dot had her mother's left arm and her short, gray-haired husband, Gus, had her by the left. Even with thick glasses, Gus' dark eyes were beady.

Donna hurried forward and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"There's my sweet girl." Peg had a beautiful smile.

"Happy birthday, Mom. Come on out back. Everybody's excited to see you." Donna shouldered Gus out of the way and took her mother's arm with such smooth deftness that I almost missed it.

She and Dot led Peg toward the back door, the self-satisfied smirk on Dot's face as she surveyed Jenni's balloons making me grind my teeth. Gus followed after them like a dog that had been kicked one too many times.

I turned back into the kitchen, Julie popping a meatball into her mouth with a glass of rich, red wine in her hand. She was kind enough to hand it to me. "Nice job on all the food. I hate to admit it, but you really are a good cook."

I stood in the doorway, stunned as she picked up the tray of meatballs and carried them away. That was the nicest thing she's ever said to me. I downed the contents of my glass with a shrug before heading outside to the party, monogrammed napkins in tow.

Jeremy smiled at me from the shade of a patio umbrella while his cousin Randy prattled on about sports betting apps. He'd made five hundred dollars gambling on fantasy football the previous year and been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, he lost twice that amount chasing another dopamine hit.

Sam, Becky, and their three older cousins played with balloons on a beautiful, green lawn while Jenni laughed hysterically at something Freddie said. His gaze kept drifting down to her breasts. She didn't seem upset about it, so I pretended I hadn't noticed.

Peg grinned at me from her seat in a cushioned patio chair. "None of my granddaughters are as pretty as you. Who might you be, my dear?"

I couldn't help but smile as I approached to kiss her cheek. "I'm Molly. I'm married to your grandson, Jeremy."

"Oh, how nice." She turned to watch the children at their play. "That little red head must be yours, then. I wondered. She's very pretty like you."

Donna beamed. "That's my granddaughter, Mom. Rebecca."

I moved to sit next to my husband.

I relaxed as the party kicked off into full swing and everyone basically ignored me. I had another glass of wine and ate some of the food I'd made while Jeremy's family members made passive aggressive, back-handed compliments to one another. Peg seemed to be having a good time, though, and that was all that mattered.