Chapter 1

Kate cursed under her breath as she trundled her way through traffic. The 805 was at a standstill, cars inching along, always some fool cutting into the smallest of spaces to gain an extra foot or two. She could see flashing lights half a mile ahead so she knew the end of the jam was close, but it wasn’t going to help.

Why didn’t I get up fifteen minutes early like I planned?

She slammed on her horn as a big lifted truck swerved into her lane, just missing the passenger fender of her Mini Cooper.

“Asshole.”

Denise is going to kill me. I’ll probably end up doing inventory all day.

The day had started out nice. No hangover from the party last night was a blessing; especially considering she had lost track of how many shots Jen had foisted on her. The bar had been a blast, cute guys, great music, lots of free alcohol. Her fake ID hadn’t even been questioned by the bouncer.

Maybe I should give him a call, he was hot.

Finally, she worked her way past the crushed Mazda that was blocking two lanes. The delivery van it had smashed into was already off on the side of the road, but rescue workers were still cutting the little car open with the Jaws of Life. She stepped on the gas and her Cooper shot out into the clear lanes ahead. If she hurried she might make it to work on time.

She was only five minutes late when she pulled into the parking lot of Morveux. Grabbing her clutch and her iPhone, she ran to the door. Denise was already helping a customer and looked up at her as she slid inside. One arched eyebrow and a slight nod at the clock was her only mention of the time. Kate mouthed she was sorry and put her things in the backroom. She paused briefly to look at the mirror and make sure her hair and makeup were fine and then went back into the showroom.

Damn, it’s Jack.

Denise was helping Jack, one of their best customers. He was always in; looking for lingerie or a cute swim-suit for one of his girlfriends. Morveux was THE best boutique in all of San Diego. Any woman who wanted something special for the beach or the bedroom found their way to the shop tucked away in the middle of La Jolla. Lots of rich guys with no clue for fashion came in as well.

Jack was easy. He didn’t come in very often and always knew what he wanted; but he liked to flirt with the salesgirls and gave great tips. Kate wouldn’t have minded giving Jack some of the shop’s special services.

When Kate had started the job during the last spring break she wasn’t completely surprised by the extra attention some of the customers received from the staff. Her friend Jen had worked there a year ago and hinted at some of the things she was expected to do.

Most of it was the run of the mill: modeling the lingerie or swimsuits for indecisive men whose girlfriends always seemed to be ‘about your size.’ Kate knew that was complete crap. Most of the purchases those clowns made ended up being returned by a woman who couldn’t have fit a single leg into the tiny thongs and Brazilian cut swimsuits she modeled. She didn’t care, a little parading around in a barely there thong was always good for extra sales which meant higher commissions and many of the customers tipped as well.

Some customers received extra special treatment. She shivered a little; sometimes that was a lot of fun, other times not so much. Kate quietly straightened a table of La Perla thongs, truly it didn’t need much help, and eyed Jack. He had never asked for special treatment even though most of the girls had broadly hinted they were willing.

Jack ended up buying half a dozen sets of underwear. Kate knew he bought for different girls because there were always a variety of bra sizes. When he walked out of the boutique Denise sighed.

“One of these days I may just drag him into the changing room and give him a piece of my-”

“Ass?” Kate finished Denise’s sentence and then laughed as the older clerk threw a bikini bottom at her.

“For him, just about anything would go. Just delicious.”

“Slut.”

“Takes one to know one.” Denise smiled and then her pretty heart shaped face turned into a frown. “Why were you late? I had to open on my own.”

“Traffic. Some poor Mazda tried to take a Fed-Ex truck on and lost.”

“Ok. Don’t make a habit of it. I’d hate to have to let you go.”

“Sorry Denise. I left with plenty of time. It was totally out of my control.” Kate didn’t think Denise was serious. But she made too much money working at the boutique; nothing short of stripping would be anywhere close. Plus she would lose her employee discount.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take dibs on the specials today.”

“Fine.”

The two girls changed some of the displays, bringing out new bikinis and g-strings, moving some items from the front to the back of the racks. Moveaux was known for its great selection, but sometimes re-arranging made old things new again.

It was a slow morning. A handful of the rich, bored housewives who made up the majority of their clientele, looking for something to either keep their straying husbands interested or something to tease the gardener with,. They were always willing to spend money, but two of them sat around for an hour drinking their Soy Caramel Macchiatos and ignoring their brats who managed to mess up most of the displays. Kate had to bite her tongue from telling the botox injected bitches to mind their heathen children, and only smiled as she rang up the massive amount of frilly things they bought, most without even really looking at them.

It wasn’t until almost noon that she glanced at her phone. There was the usual pile of texts from Jen and Maria, her best friends, chatting about their morning; a couple from some guys she couldn’t really remember giving her number to were quick deletes; a small smile as she read Derek’s, that boy knew how to flirt; and ... shit. Her mom reminded her that Justin, her cousin, was coming over and she had to be there for dinner.

“Denise?”

“What’s up hun?

“Any chance I can get off a little early? I’ve got a cousin coming into town and my mom wants me home for dinner.”

“Late and leaving early.” Denise shook her head. “What kind of crappy girls do I hire these days.”

“That’s not fair. Lots of the customers like me.”

“They like your pretty little ass in a thong and your pretty little mouth around their cocks.”

“Bitch.”

“Slut.” Denise laughed. “No problem sweetie. Today is a little slow anyway. So, what’s the big deal? Is he a kissing cousin?

“I haven’t seen him since he was two and I was four. I just remember him as a chubby little kid who was always saying ‘me chungry’.” Kate laughed, clear and vibrant. “I’d forgotten about that. For years I would tell my mom ‘me chungry’ whenever I wanted something to eat. Even some of my friends were saying it.”

“Wonder if he’s still ‘chungry’? He’ll probably be hungry after seeing your little body.”

“Denise! Gross, that’s my cousin you’re talking about.”

“It’s legal in California. I’m just saying.” Denise gave Kate a knowing leer. “There aren’t very many guys who don’t want a piece of you.”

“Not happening.”

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. Monique came by after one and the other two took turns taking lunch. The three of them easily handled the light afternoon traffic. Old man Rodgers stopped in and had Denise and Kate parade around in a dozen tiny bikinis. Apparently his sixty-five year old wife, who weighed at least two hundred pounds, “was about their size”. How she squeezed into the size 0 g-string and Brazilian cut bikinis they modeled for him, was a mystery. Neither girl really cared.

The old perv came by at least once every couple of weeks and bought hundreds of dollars of lingerie and swimwear. He always hinted at bigger tips for something more than modeling, but none of the girls could bring themselves to take him up on the offer. They carefully flirted and teased, always hinting there might be more they were willing to do, but there was no way in hell he’d ever see what was under the tiny clothes they wore for him.

“Kate, go ahead and take off. Monique and I’ve got this covered.”

“Thanks.”

“No worries, sweets. I’m sure he’s “chungry” to see his big cousin.”

“Shut up Denise.”

“Looking at you I’m a little chungry myself.” Monique laughed. She had been filled in on Kate’s cousin and had been going on about being chungry all day.

Kate slapped the sexy black girl on the ass. “Don’t you start too. One pain in the ass is all this place needs.”

Monique turned her round little butt to the other side. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

Kate smacked the other cheek as she walked out the door. “I’ll be in on time tomorrow.”

“You better or I’ll call old man Rodgers and let him know he can have all the extras he wants with you.”

All three of the girls cringed in disgust and then burst out laughing.

Kate’s drive home was uneventful. The 805 had long been cleared of the accident from the morning before and while rush hour was starting, traffic still flowed smoothly. Kate found herself getting a little excited about seeing Justin. She didn’t have much family, not like her friend Maria who had hundreds of cousins of all degrees of separation; just her mom and her since her dad had passed away when she was eight.

Justin was her mom’s older sister’s youngest child. They had moved away from San Diego sixteen years ago and they hadn’t seen each other since. For some reason her mom and her aunt didn’t get along. Kate’s mom had been a surprise, her Aunt Grace was fifteen years older, and Kate got the sense that she always begrudged her younger sibling’s existence.

It might be nice to have actual family around. Maybe Justin would be like the brother she never had. Kate smiled thinking about how she would have fun showing him around even if she couldn’t take him out partying with her friends. He was only eighteen.

What the hell do they do for fun in Colorado? Probably just bull tipping or gopher watching.

When Kate pulled into the driveway of the little two bedroom bungalow they rented, her mom’s old Honda was already there. Kate sighed when she saw it. Her mom should have bought herself a new car instead of scraping up the money to get Kate her used Mini for her high school graduation. Her mom said it was to make up for all the missed birthdays and pitiful Christmas presents she had gotten throughout the years. Kate loved the quick green car, but didn’t like how her mom worked two shifts at the hospital and hardly ever took any time off.

That’s why the boutique was so important. If Kate wanted to go to a University and not pay student loans for the rest of her life, the money from the boutique was the only shot she had.

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Great sweetheart. Do you think you can put the rest of the groceries away.” Kate’s mom was beautiful, but she looked tired. Her soft brown hair was tucked up in a bun, wisps falling around her face and she still wore the scrubs that were her daily uniform. “I want to get dinner in the oven so Justin can have something warm to eat when he gets here.”

“Aren’t we picking him up from the airport?”

“No, he insisted he would take a cab, that he didn’t want us to trouble ourselves more than putting up with him for a week.”

“Okay.” Kate quickly put the few dry goods her mom had bought away. “Do you need a hand?”

“No, it’s okay. Got it under control.”

Kate kissed her mom on the cheek, getting a tired smile in return and went to her bedroom. She texted Maria and Jen and told them she would probably not be heading out that night and then told the two they couldn’t come bother her cousin because she didn’t want to scare him right away. That got a lot of mad face emoticons and lol’s.

She heard the shower running in the one bathroom and knew her mom must be getting cleaned up when she heard a knock on the door.

He must be early.

She didn’t know what to expect when she opened the door but the young Greek god standing there was a total surprise. He was around eight inches taller than her in her bare feet, with that lean muscular look peculiar to soccer players. His short, spiky blonde hair accentuated his green-hazel eyes. He had a few days growth on his cheeks and chin, just enough to look ... really, damn sexy.

Oh, he’s a keeper. I’ll have to beat Jen and Maria off with a stick.

“This is 1328 Beryl, right?” He had a bit of a worried look. “Kate?”

Kate realized she had been staring at him for a little too long. “Justin?”

A sigh of relief. “For a minute I thought that my uber had left me high and dry. I wasn’t sure if he understood English at all.”

Kate laughed. “Come in. We didn’t expect you for a bit. My mom’s getting ready.” She paused for a second and then gave him a big hug. “What am I doing? It’s great to see you, Justin.”

He hesitated for just a second and then hugged her back. His strong arms wrapped around her smaller frame and pulled her tight. Kate liked the way he smelled, he had a faint smell of cologne, spice and leather, not the blast of Axe that some boys thought would make the girls come running. She finally let him go and his arms slid away, maybe a touch reluctantly.

“No problem. Thanks for putting me up while I check out SDSU and UCSD. Both are recruiting me and I wanted to get a feel for the city.”

“I’m glad you came. You can put your stuff in my room for now. We’ll figure out where we’ll put it later.”

Justin only had a small duffle and a backpack and stowed them next to her bed.

“Kate listen for-” Kate’s mom stopped, blushing just a bit.

The bathroom door was right across from Kate’s room and she was still wrapping the towel around herself as she came through the door. Like much of their stuff it was threadbare and probably a bit too short for a shower towel. It barely covered her upper torso and her long legs disappeared just under the bottom edge. Kate thought her mom’s legs were some of the best she had ever seen, toned calves from standing all day and great muscle tone.

Justin didn’t seem fazed. “Aunt Ginger, it’s great to see you.” He reached out to shake her hand.

“Come here.” Ginger pulled the boy into a huge hug. She was no bigger than her daughter and despite being almost forty only weighed a few pounds more. Still her nephew had no choice but to be hugged-hard-and he hugged her back. As she let him go her towel slipped, exposing her back and the top of one well shaped butt cheek.

“Oops. I should go get dressed.”

Ginger clutched the towel and went to her room. Kate was amused that Justin’s eyes followed her down the hall.

“C’mon Justin, let’s go check on dinner.”

Dinner was great. Ginger was a good cook, when she had the time, and her Shoemaker’s chicken and parmesan rice were delicious. Kate and her mom drank Chardonnay. Even though Kate was barely twenty, her mom let her drink at home. Ginger always said the alcohol laws were silly, denying certain adults the right to drink. They offered Justin something and after a bit he had a beer.

Justin was funny and easy to talk to. He told stories of being the youngest; he was ten years younger than his next oldest sibling, which had Kate and Ginger crying from laughing. Kate thought she could hear something else in the stories, but didn’t want to pry.

After dinner they sat in the living room. Kate and Ginger continued to drink wine, two buck Chuck went a long way. Justin was on his third beer and seemed to be enjoying himself. Kate frowned when her phone buzzed from Maria and Jen texts.

“What’s wrong?” Justin asked.

“Nothing. My lame friends want me to go out with them.”

“Sounds fun. I’d love to meet them.”

“They’d love meeting you too, probably steal you away from me.”

“I doubt that. Cousins come first.”

“I like that.” Kate smiled. “This is really my first cousin experience.”

Ginger yawned. “I’m beat. If you two go out, don’t come back too late and make sure you lock up. I have a three a.m. shift so I’ll be gone by the time you get up.” She put her wine glass in the sink, kissed both of them on the forehead and went to bed.

“We can go out if you want.” Justin said.

“They’re going to want to hit the bars.”

“No problem.” He pulled a card from a thin wallet. “Montana driver’s license. Says I’m twenty-two.”

“Where’d you get that in Colorado?”

He laughed. “I don’t live on a farm. Colorado Springs is the big time.

Kate texted her friends back and told them to pick them up in an hour. She let Justin get ready first. He came out of her bedroom wearing jeans and a tight polo. She dithered a bit before deciding to wear a flirty little sundress that hit high on her thighs and gave the impression of being see-through when the light hit just right. It was one of her favorites, hugging her body in all the right spots. The spaghetti straps didn’t let her wear a bra, but her perky breasts, right on the cusp of a C, were little affected by gravity. It was almost a shame, she had so many nice bras, one of the perks of working at Moveaux. She picked out a tiny thong, hardly more than a wisp of silk with thin threads holding it together. A pair of four inch nude heels and she was ready to go.

She slipped into the bathroom and fixed her hair and makeup. She was ready with a few minutes to spare and went back into the living room.

Justin turned and stared, mouth slightly agape. “Wow.”

She spun, her light sundress flared around her thighs giving the impression that it showed more than it actually did. “What do you think ‘Cuz? Think the boys will like?”

“This boy does. If you weren’t my cousin I’d do my best to get you to go out.”

“Well you already succeeded. We’re hitting the town right now.”

“No way Kate. If girls looked like you back home, I wouldn’t have left Colorado.”

“No girlfriend?”

“Not currently and none of them could hold a candle to you. I may be scared from other women forever. Who could look better than my Kate?”

Kate laughed. She knew Justin was just teasing. “My Kate? I like that. Tonight I’m your Kate, the other boys will just have to suffer.”

The two were still laughing when there was a knock. Kate winked at Justin before answering it and then barely cracked the door. Poking her head out she whispered, “Be nice. He’s from Colorado and just got here.”

Maria and Jen were dressed to impress as well. Jen had hip-hugging jeans that were painted on and a glittery halter top that stopped right below her breasts leaving her smooth tanned belly exposed, showing off her diamond stud belly piercing. Maria wore a tight deep plunging black dress and both had tall high heels on. They were both a couple inches taller than Kate’s 5’4”, but otherwise were completely different. Jen had a runner’s build, long and lean with legs that went up forever in her jeans. She had small breasts that were saucily perky under her halter top. Maria had huge breasts, D’s at least, that appeared even bigger on her thin frame.

The two of them nodded and Kate swung the door open. They both expected a total backwoods dweeb, at best a blind struck cowboy, but were dumbstruck when Justin stepped forward. Kate put a proprietary arm around Justin.

“Girls, this is my ‘cuz. Justin, the hussy with the belly ring is Jen and the big breasted bimbo is Maria.” Kate laughed. “They’ve been my best friends since fifth grade.”

“Where have you been hiding this delicious hunk of man beef?” Maria batted Kate’s arm aside and gave Justin a hug. “Ooh, he smells good too. If he’s dumb he’s a keeper.”

Jen hip checked Maria out of the way. “Hey, let us normal chested girls have a turn.” She hugged Justin as well, throwing her arms around his neck. “Let me show you around town. I know lots of fun things to do.”

Kate lightly pushed Jen away. “Don’t let these manhunters scare you. This is their “we’re going to devour you” act. They’re actually pretty harmless.”

“I don’t mind. They seem nice.” Justin had a huge grin on his face, obviously enjoying the byplay.

The four of them piled into Jen’s Range Rover and she headed over to the 710, one the biggest and busiest nightclubs in Pacific Beach. The girls knew the bouncers well and we’re sure they wouldn’t look at their IDs too hard. When they got to the bar there was already a long line, even though it was only ten o’clock, but the bouncer let them in with a wink and a smile. He didn’t even check their cards.

Inside the music was thumping and the floor was full of people drinking and dancing, talking loud, faces flushed from the heat and the excitement. Heads turned, mostly men but quite a few ladies, as the four walked through the building. In an ocean of eights, they were tens.

There were multiple dance floors separated by different bars. The girls immediately headed over to one and got a variety of fruity cocktails. Justin got a beer, a local one the girls told him was good, and watched the chaos. It didn’t take long before the vultures started circling. One would-be-Lothario after another came by the group and tried his weak pickup lines on one of the girls. All went away alone.

It didn’t take long before the girls dragged him on the dance floor. All three were great dancers and Justin proved to have at least some sense of rhythm. The girls didn’t let him rest, when one of them got tired they would go get more drinks, but they kept him on the dance floor, working and sweating. Kate thought it was funny how her friends were doing their best to get him worked up. They were good at it, always brushing against him, slipping away and then returning, moving with the music. Justin was cute, a good dancer and easy to play off of. Kate noticed more than one girl and quite a few men eying the group jealously.

As the night went on, the four were getting a little buzzed. True they were dancing, working off some of the alcohol, but the drinks kept flowing. After a while, Kate joined in the teasing as well. She would sidle up to Justin and carelessly rub her ass against his crotch, or “accidentally” brush his arms with her breasts. It was exciting. The pounding music, alcohol, dancing all generated a natural buzz that just screamed sex. She could feel her body responding. Her nipples were rock hard and her tiny thong was soaked with her juices.