Get-Together Summer

by Lotus Oakes

  Dirk only looked at him once, as they were heading up the stairs and into the house. His expression was unreadable, but something about it was almost solemn, weighted in a way that Simon could feel settling on him like a tangible force.

  Once inside, he thought about fleeing to his own room, but Dirk simply kissed Haley’s cheek and said he would get dinner started, then strolled on to leave them both alone in the wide entrance hallway. Haley watched him go, but when Simon began to edge for the stairs, she turned on him, crossing her arms again.

  “Simon, come on,” she said. “If there’s something wrong, tell me.”

  “There isn’t.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets now and hunched his shoulders. It went against all of his instincts as an Oakley, with all those years of his father urging him to stand up straight and to carry himself with pride, but he didn’t really want to meet her eyes. “I just didn’t sleep that well, that’s all. That’s not a crime, is it?”

  “I never said it was.” She took a step towards him, uncrossing her arms to reach for him again. “Come on, Simon—”

  Her fingertips brushed his cheek lightly and it took more effort than he wanted to admit to not just jerk away. Even then, Haley pulled back a little, though she didn’t yet drop her hand. He still couldn’t quite meet her eyes, even though he could feel the weight of her gaze on him. When he still refused to say anything, though, she sighed and crossed her arms again. The move looked almost defensive now, as if she were attempting to tuck herself up smaller before him. “You know, you can always say no, right? Dirk’s not trying to bully you or anything. He’s just that sort of guy.”

  I don’t want to hear it, Simon thought, but all he managed to say was, “He’s too loud.”

  “He’s enthusiastic,” she said, and ran a quick hand through her hair. “I didn’t really like it that much at first either, okay?” She made a brief face and shrugged. “He comes on really strong sometimes. But if you give him a chance, he’s a really easy guy to get to know. I think the two of you could be good friends.” The look she gave him was anxious, and she made a half-aborted move towards him, her hand half-rising but not quite touching his.

  Briefly his earlier fantasy flashed through his mind, the sprawl of Dirk’s legs around him and hard arms wrapped securely around him from behind. He shook his head fiercely to clear it.

  “Really,” Haley protested. “He’s really not a bad guy under all of the posturing, no matter what he’d like you to believe. Or what you’d like to believe.”

  He gritted his teeth before he could find the will to speak again. “It’s really fine,” he said. “I’m just not feeling well. For real. It’s just a headache. Because I slept badly.”

  She tilted her head. He knew the look on her face too well: not quite disbelief, tempered by a heavy layer of concern. There were some downsides to knowing someone this well, and being known in return. “Go lie down then,” she said finally. “We’ll call you when dinner’s ready, and if you’re not hungry, we’ll save some for you, all right?”

  “I don’t want leftovers,” he said, but it was a weak complaint, more grateful for the excuse she was handing him. Haley rolled her eyes but waved him off, turning back to the kitchen. Simon went about halfway up the stairs, going slowly as possible, then crouched down, straining his ears. The rest of the house was silent enough for their voices to carry:

  “So, how was it?”

  “He’s still upset about something, but he won’t tell me. I think maybe he’s scared of you.”

  “Scared? Seriously?”

  “He’s not really used to people that his father doesn’t introduce to him. You’d know what I mean, if you met any of his ‘friends.’”

  “Don’t care for them much?”

  “They’re awful!” There was a sharp note in her voice, rising close to true distress, and Simon winced to hear it. “It’s like you can see the slime coming off of them, it’s so gross. I’m surprised they let me still talk to him. He’s my cousin, but they act like they’ve got more right to talk to him than I do!”

  Simon swallowed and began to creep slowly down the stairs, one at a time, keeping his body pressed to the railing. The resentment in her voice surprised him; he’d always known she wasn’t too fond of his friends, though he’d never really bothered to ask why.

  “You are his cousin, though, so who the hell’s gonna tell you no?”

  “You don’t know these people!” There was a thud, like a stomping foot. “They’re just — they’re gross! They’re gross, and their parents are gross, but Uncle Walt eats it up because he needs that ego boost or something, and they’re not even his friends. Even Mom likes it sometimes, you know? It’s like if you have enough money, then that suddenly becomes an excuse to ignore all the things you don’t like …”

  “Aw, babe, it’s not that bad.”

  “How is it not?! I’m so tired of it—”

  He heard a shuffling noise, and the metal clanking of pots, and the rustling of drawers opening and closing. “You turned out all right, I think. If you were really as snobby as the rest of them, I wouldn’t be here.”

  Haley sighed, loud enough that Simon could hear it clearly. “Or maybe I’m just a bored rich girl looking for a quick fling with a bad boy.”

  “That’s all right too.”

  “Is it?”

  “Yeah, so long as there’s only one ‘bad boy’ and by ‘fling’ you mean for a pretty damn long time. Years, maybe.”

  There was a pause, and then Haley laughed; it was a bright sound that startled Simon to hear, and he shrank further against the railings for a moment. “Stupid, you don’t get to just redefine things to suit you.”

  “Maybe I do, what about that?”

  There was a pause and rustling, and then Haley’s voice, more breathless: “Hey, come on, what about dinner?”

  “Ovens take a while to preheat. We’ll be waiting for a bit.”

  “Not that long!”

  “I don’t take nearly as long, baby.”

  She burst into laughter again, quickly followed by Dirk doing the same. Simon made it to the bottom of the stairs and continued to creep slowly along the wall. “Oh my god, you really just said that, I can’t believe you! How am I supposed to take that seriously?”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t, and that’s when I’ll catch you.”

  Simon stopped just short of the corner that turned into the kitchen, listening to the sounds of rustling, and then the sound of a kiss, soft and long, punctuated beginning and ending by a few stray giggles. “Dirk, come on …”

  “I’m trying to.” He sounded piteous now. “But I need your help with that.”

  “What are you — hey! Put me down! Dirk!”

  There was a thud and a clatter, and Simon dared to peek around for just a moment. Haley was seated on one of the counters now, with Dirk leaning up between her legs, and she was flushed and scowling, though her eyes were bright. It reminded Simon too much of his dream, and he ducked out of the way before she could glance around the kitchen at all.

  “You’re awful. What if Simon came down?”

  Simon went very still, his breath catching in his throat. His chest felt like some icy hand had reached inside and given it a hard squeeze.

  “We can be quick,” Dirk wheedled. “If you can be quiet, I’ll make it fast for you.”

  “What if I don’t want fast?”

  “Then don’t worry about him and have fun with me.”

  Simon pressed his back hard against the wall, covering his mouth with a hand, as if he could suffocate himself. He heard them kiss again, slow and lingering.

  “But what if he really did see …” She sounded more uncertain now, wavering in the face of whatever Dirk was doing to her.

  “I don’t know.” There was an odd note in Dirk’s voice again, something teasing and something probing. “I think maybe you’d like that, Haley.”

  “Wh-what?”

  “You like pretending you’re such a good girl,
don’t you? But you’re kind of into that sort of thing, you can’t fool me.” There was a creak and then the smooth hush of skin sliding over skin. “I think you’d like it if someone saw you like this, or maybe even later on, all spread open … or maybe not just anyone, but someone specific?”

  She whimpered, a small strangled noise, and Simon finally dared to peek around the corner again.

  Her dress was hiked up, the hem over her breasts and a corner of it held in her mouth, as if to keep it in place. Dirk was rubbing his hands up and down her sides, from just under her breasts to the bend of her knees, spread around him. Her face was flushed and her head was turned slightly aside, like she couldn’t quite look at what he was doing to her. He leaned forward to press his mouth over the curve of one breast, just above the cup of her bra, and sucked hard for a moment; when he pulled away with a wet pop, there was a bright red mark left on her white skin.

  “You’d definitely like it,” he crooned, his voice low, and this time when he smoothed his hands down, he hooked his fingers into the band of her panties and tugged. She lifted her hips at that, letting him slide them down and off her legs before dropping them to the floor. “You’re kind of a show off, aren’t you, baby? You know that’s how I first noticed you? Some hotshot rich pretty girl thought she’d be better at shooting than I was? You can’t just let that sort of thing go.”

  Haley mumbled something, then let the dress slip from her mouth to repeat herself. “I was better at shooting than you.”

  “But you were bragging about it so much,” he purred. “It was like nothing could touch you, huh? But everyone was looking at you when you did those demos, and I think you liked it. I think you like when there are people looking your way. But maybe you’re used to it too, huh? Maybe it’s because you’ve decided to ignore them all unless it’s the one guy you know best.” He turned his head and nipped her ear, following when she shivered and jerked back. “What if that pretty cousin of yours also decided to look, huh? What if he just happened to poke his head in and see you like this?”

  His arms slid up and back; there was a snap, and her bra came loose abruptly. He only pushed that up, with the folds of her dress, leaning to rub his cheek against first one nipple, then the other. Haley caught his shoulders for balance, squeezing her eyes shut and moaning. She was blushing harder now, squirming in place, until Dirk had to catch hold of her hips to keep her from slipping off the counter.

  “Everyone looks at you because you’re pretty,” Dirk murmured, his voice muffled now as he nuzzled between her breasts. “But you expect that, don’t you? You like walking into a room and knowing everyone’s eyes are drawn to you. People look at you and they want you, and that’s what you like, right? But he’s pretty too, isn’t he? All of you Oakleys, you’re all so goddamn pretty, it’s like you don’t even have to think about that. Maybe you’d rather think about this instead, think about him looking and seeing you like this. What if he liked it, huh? What if he was watching right now, touching himself because he was looking at you?”

  She shivered hard and hunched her shoulders, turning her head away; her blush spread down to her breasts. Dirk kissed the top of one, then the other, and his voice was richly amused. “I think you do. You like just imagining it, you want him to be jacking off to you like this. That’s what you’re doing right now, aren’t you?”

  “N-no …” Haley squirmed in place, her fingers flexing on his shoulders. She was blushing harder than she had been the first time Simon had watched them. “I, I really am worried if he catches us … h-he might be upset …”

  “But are you worried enough?” He reached up and took her chin delicately between his fingertips, turning her back towards him. She blinked slowly, flushed dark pink, lips parted. “You just say the word, baby, and I’ll back off.”

  Haley bit her lower lip, then let her teeth rake back, leaving it plumper and redder than before. “Dirk …”

  He leaned up and kissed the tip of her nose. “Or we can keep going, if you like that.”

  She took a deep breath. For a moment Simon expected her to say no, to push him aside and fix her clothes, and and once again be the same careful Haley he’d always known — but then she leaned down, her forehead against his, and wrapped her arms loosely around his head in a hug. She glanced at the doorway, as if searching for someone, but Simon pressed himself flatter to the wall and held his breath, and she looked away without saying anything.

  “It’s all right,” she mumbled. “I guess. This once.”

  Dirk reached to curl his arms around her, holding her for a long moment, then pulled back, gently unwrapping her arms from him and placing her hands firmly on the counter top once more. Simon couldn’t see the expression on his face, but from the way Haley’s flush deepened, he imagined it had to be suggestive. “If you want it, pretty girl, you’ll have all you want.”

  She leaned back on her hands, shoulders still hunched up, chin lowered nearly to her chest. “What if I said make it good?”

  “I’ll always make it good,” he said proudly, then reached to palm her legs open wider. His body was in the way of being able to see anything, but Haley turned her head slightly again, biting her lip hard once more.

  “Look at how pretty,” Dirk crooned, reaching to brush a finger up between her legs. She moaned, squeezing her eyes shut, and Dirk reached out to hook his other arm around her waist, dragging her in a little closer before he began to rub with his other hand: Simon could see the steady smooth motion of his arm, and after a moment Haley’s hips began to rock, her breath coming in short sharp pants through her nose. “Fuck, aren’t you the prettiest girl.”

  She shook her head, but he pressed closer again, and Simon saw him take the tip of her nipple between his teeth, tugging it back until she whined, arching towards him, as if in some attempt to relieve just some of the pressure. He continued pulling until it slipped from his mouth, then leaned in and this time took the nipple between his lips, cheeks hollowing a little as he sucked, still continuing the steady stroking motion of his hand. Haley whimpered, covering her mouth with one hand, the other curling into a fist against the counter top.

  Finally Dirk pulled away, looking satisfied; Haley’s nipple was wet and red, hard enough to be a small nub amidst a sea of goosebumps. He brought his hand up, apparently meeting her eyes, and took his finger — the same one he’d been teasing her with — into his mouth, sucking with exaggerated pleasure around it. Haley half-opened one eye, then squeaked and turned a little further away from him, shivering.

  Dirk pulled his finger from his mouth with a wet pop and leaned forward. “Can I, baby?”

  Simon didn’t know what he was asking for, but Haley apparently did, she rolled her hips and ducked her head, but after a moment nodded minutely. Dirk leaned to kiss her cheek, the gesture sweetly chaste, then ducked down, starting a series of small nipping kisses from her collarbone down to her belly, and then even lower. Simon half-started forward, his own mouth suddenly and intensely dry, but managed to stop himself at the last minute. Even if that was the fantasy that Dirk was weaving for her, he doubted either of them really would be pleased with his presence.

  As he watched, Dirk tugged both of Haley’s legs up, guiding them to drape over his shoulders. He tilted his head up for a moment, as if watching her face, then leaned forward and down. At first he seemed to just remain still — and then Haley cried out, sharp and high, her back arching and both of her hands coming to clutch at Dirk’s head, tugging at handfuls of his hair. He moved almost obediently, allowing her to direct him, but also moving his head in his own determined pattern, slow and steady. Under the sounds of Haley’s moans, there was a soft wet noise, and Simon almost groaned himself when he realized.

  It was like his dream, he thought again, in a haze between arousal and panic; like his dream but reversed, with Dirk’s head between Haley’s legs and Haley possibly able to see him if she could focus through her own pleasure …

  Dirk moaned himself after a moment, hitchin
g his hands around her hips and dragging her in even closer. Haley half-curled over his head, still whimpering incessantly, her mouth open and slack and her eyes tightly shut. Her legs curled more securely around Dirk’s head as well, as if to hold him closer.

  It didn’t take long at all, really; after a few minutes Haley cried out, her entire body jerking as if shocked, and tossed her head back in a curtain of pale blonde hair. She remained like that as if frozen, and Dirk slowly pulled away, audibly licking his lips.

  “Yeah,” he purred, sounding all too pleased with himself. “Just like that, baby.”

  She began to slump and he straightened, pulling her more comfortably into his arms. Simon recoiled a little, ready to flee if they moved or even turned, but to his relief, all he did was support her, rubbing her back with low soothing words. After a moment she rallied, petting his back with slow clumsy fingers.

  “See,” he said. “I made it good for you.”

  Haley laughed, her voice just faintly rusty, and she tugged a little on the end of his hair. “Bragging.”

  “Hell yeah, I’m gonna brag if I do something good.” He reached up to curl a hand behind her neck, tugging her down for a slow kiss. It merged into a few others, slow and easy, and that somehow was the harder thing to watch. “Now, if you’re gonna be nice and help me out, that’d be really appreciated …”

  “Maybe I’m too tired now,” she said, but she was smiling, smoothing both of her hands through his hair and then taking his face in her hands. “Or I’m too hungry to want to do anything but get dinner started.”

  “Haley!”

  She laughed and kissed him, then slid off the counter with a small thump. Simon leaned forward again, minutely, watching as she tucked her hair back behind her ears and knelt down, reaching to undo Dirk’s fly with surprisingly practiced fingers. How long had the two of them even been doing this? he wondered. In all their correspondence leading up to this vacation, Haley had only mentioned Dirk a few times, but with all their ease now, he had to wonder …