The Cookout

Jack answered the door almost immediately when I knocked, and I handed him a bottle of Merlot. "I remember you mentioned rarely drinking over here, so I thought I might present you with options," I smiled. "I hope you're having red meat. I'm all out of white wine, and I drank all the beer last night."

Jack laughed at me curiously as we shook hands in the foyer, then introduced me to several of the guests. It was a neighborhood party, so I was essentially meeting everyone on the block... mostly bright budding couples with young children trying to make it on a middle-class income. Though it was summer, nearly everyone dressed conservatively. The floorplan of the house was a mirror image of my own, and the space was too limited for a crowd. Everyone was sweating, particularly Jack.

"These are your daughters?" I asked as he directed me through the kitchen to the back.

"Ah yes," he responded. "This is Jade," he pointed to the taller brunette. "And this is our youngest, Julie." I nodded graciously at the pair as they scooted through the tangled furnishings, making their way outside.

"How old are they?"

"Fourteen and twelve," Jack responded. "They were so much easier to manage before puberty." Their father's facial expression was a feigned attempt to present the comment as a joke. I sensed something menacing beneath the surface.

"I've heard girls can be tougher than boys," I admitted. "I'm a long way from having children myself or even getting married for that matter. I don't have the knack for long term relationships." It was at that exact moment Chloe made her appearance, strutting through the door that her children left open.

"I can't imagine why," she smirked, barely giving me a glance. She was dressed comfortably in a maroon tank top clinging tightly to her torso, magnifying the impact of her firm, shapely breasts. Her shorts were a smart, cotton navy. Chloe blew by me like a summer breeze scented with rain and patchouli.

"I believe you said you met my wife?" Jack reached out to slow her down out of courtesy.

"Briefly, when I arrived yesterday."

Chloe looked me over as if she were sizing me up for a midnight snack. "I'm assuming you got yourself unloaded?" She lifted an eyebrow expectantly, and I couldn't help but recall our last glance from the evening before - her twirling nude body in the bedroom, my throbbing erection beside the shower. I jerked off with a handful of conditioner still picturing her gorgeous tits in my mind.

"I absolutely did, thank you." I chuckled to acknowledge her double entendre. "Fortunately, I don't require a lot of furnishings." I couldn't tell if she was trying to be funny.

"Can you help me up front just a minute, Jack?" Her dorky hubby looked perplexed, and I took the open shot he provided.

"Is there something I can do to help, Chloe? I think your husband's locked down with the meet and greet."

Chloe looked over at Jack as if confirming some secret prediction. "Well, if it's no trouble, Seth, I need a big, strong man to help me put up some curtains in our bedroom. You might actually be the better option."

"I'm happy to be of service." I gave Jack a nod, then followed his wife down the hallway.