Chapter 17

It was five o’clock on Christmas afternoon when I pulled into our driveway. I had detoured by my grandparents’ house to look in on Jethro before going home. The doofus was happy to see me and blithely ignored me scolding him about digging up the yard. When left alone, Jethro found ways to amuse himself, usually by swiping anything not nailed down and burying it in the yard. I had to get the shovel, check that he hadn’t buried anything vital and cover up the holes.

My sister pulled into the drive right behind me. She called me over and handed me a grocery bag from the 24/7 Winn-Dixie.

“We are cooking dinner for Mom and Dad tonight. We are going to make it romantic for them, and then disappear.”

I was all for her plan, as much as I groused about it, I still liked seeing Mom and Dad all loving and frisky again. The only fallacy I saw to the plan was Katrina cooking. For all her accomplishments, Katrina was less than adroit in the kitchen. She used to make up all these weird recipes when she was younger. Some of her concoctions would gag a maggot.

She has always loved vegetables, so the nasty tasting green crap found it’s way into everything. She once made Hamburger Helper by substituting broccoli for the hamburger. I told my parents if she committed another atrocity like that, I’d move in with Nana and Papa.

I should have known my sister, as usual, had a plan. She started pulling food from the bag when we were in the kitchen, cooked food from the Winn-Dixie deli. She smiled at me when I heaved a sigh of relief.

“Don’t say it, Bro! Don’t even think it!”

Katrina had bought precooked Cornish game hens and all the fixings. She even bought premade salads. She carefully took everything out of its carton or box and put on serving dishes. She stuck the dishes in the oven and set the temp to low. We set the table while everything was warming up.

Katrina even broke out candles and the wine bucket. She produced a bottle of chilled Chardonnay out of one of the bags and put it in the bucket and emptied the fridge’s ice maker bin over it. She also pulled a huge liter and a half bottle of Riunite part way out of the same bag. I gave her a questioning look.

“Roxie has a fake ID. This is for us, for later,” she whispered conspiratorially.

With the table set we went back to the kitchen and sat in the nook, talking about trivial things while the food heated. Katrina said she was actually looking forward to going back to the academy now. She thought that once soccer practice started things would get even better. She told me that she would be home in a couple of months for spring break. If it was impossible for her to get away, she made me promise to go out to Colorado instead.

At five-thirty or so we put the food on the table, opened the wine and lit the candles. When we went into the family room to get our parents, they looked almost too peaceful to disturb. Mom was sitting on the end of the couch reading some report. Dad was stretched out napping with his head in her lap. Mom was idly playing with his hair as she read. The folks were very pleased with Katrina’s surprise. They gave us big hugs as we made our exit. I had to smile as I saw Dad’s ears turn red at Katrina’s parting comment.

“After you finish supper maybe you can christen the backseat of the Ghetto Cruiser,” she teased.

I followed Katrina to our grandparents’ house and again carried in a couple of grocery bags. Katrina put the Riunite in the freezer then pulled a huge t-bone steak and a package of chicken breasts out of the bag.

“I killed them and dragged them home, so you get to cook them,” she said.

I nodded manfully. It would be my first solo attempt at charring flesh on Papa’s gas grill. I did all the things I remembered Papa doing to the meat before I went outside. Katrina handed me this giant dog bone for Jethro before I went through the door. I fired up Papa’s big Jen-Air grill and as it was heating up, I pulled the shrink-wrap off Jethro’s treat. The bone had to have been half the thighbone of a very large cow. The bone was a mouthful, even for Jethro. When the grill was hot enough, I flung the steak and chicken breasts on it and wandered back into the house.

Katrina was standing at the counter making salads when I came in. She looked over her shoulder and shot me a smile when I wigwagged my eyebrows like Groucho Marx. She knew she was the cause of my reaction because she had shed her jeans and was wearing a super short miniskirt and her two-inch dress uniform heels. She wasn’t wearing stockings but her bare legs looked damned good anyway. When she turned her head back around I stepped behind her and kissed the side of her slender neck. In her heels we were exactly the same height.

“Damn, Trina! You have the longest, shapeliest legs I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks, Bro. I borrowed the skirt from Roxie. It’s short on her but on me it’s scandalous. I figured you’d like it, though.”

What was not to like? She gave a little shiver when I kissed her neck again and said, “Thank you.”

I could have stayed there ogling her all evening, but my stomach reminded me about the big slab of dead cow with my name on it, searing on the grill. Twenty minutes later we were sitting cozily in the nook chowing down.

“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” Katrina asked.

“Uh, well, I have guests coming over,” I said.

“Guests as in more than one girl?”

I nodded affirmatively. “Caroline and Amanda.”

She repeated herself, “Two girls?”

I nodded again hoping she’d let the matter drop. She didn’t. She badgered me until I gave her a heavily edited version of the two girls and me.

I dropped my fork when Katrina nodded and said, “Been there, done that.”

“Really?” I squeaked.

“Yes, really,” she chuckled, “it’s not that uncommon nowadays. It has been a while since I have been with a woman, I’m definitely male oriented, but every so often I meet a woman that I’m attracted to. Being in the academy I don’t act on any of them, though, because of Borkowski starting the lesbian rumor. That little Caroline is full of surprises, isn’t she? She is as big a horndog as you are.”

“She’s not the only one full of surprises,” I said.

After dinner we retired to the family room. Katrina broke open the Riunite and poured us a water glass full over ice. It was the first time I’d ever had the stuff and I had to admit it was pretty good. It tasted like slightly tart Seven-Up. Katrina and I (after the second glass, mostly Katrina) swilled the wine and talked about relationships. I told her about my difficulties with Shelia Cavanaugh. She shared with me the dilemma she had finding a guy she could relate to, feel comfortable with and still be sexually attracted to. She sat down her glass next to the almost empty bottle and turned more toward me.

“So far, Baby Brother, you are the only one who has met all three requirements. Isn’t that a hoot?”

I figured it was the wine talking and disregarded most of what she said.

“What about Buck Gomez, he seems your type.”

Katrina glanced at me sharply.

“Buck comes close but he is like Mom, way too involved in his work. We decided that it was too risky trying to carry on something while I was a cadet. If we were found out it would end his career and I’d be out on my ass. He was only the second closest to you, though, the first was Richie Caldwell.”

My ears perked up at that, but she didn’t divulge any more information. I guess the wine has loosened my tongue as well.

“Must be genetic because I’m about half way in love with his mom.”

Now it was Katrina’s ears perking up. “Ms Caldwell, the lady on television?”

I nodded but didn’t go in detail. “Of course I’m half way in love with Rachael, too. And probably more than half way in love with you.’

We went to bed about midnight. I had to help Katrina, as she was a little wobbly. My sister was pretty funny when she’d had a few. She kept giggling about everything. I stripped down to my shorts as she fumbled with her clothes. Finally she gave up and flopped on the bed.

‘You take them off, Johnny,’ she slurred, “they won’t cooperate with me.”

I managed to get her unclothed down to her thong and under the covers. She snuggled up to me, kissed me on the cheek, and was out like a light.

I thought Katrina would be hung over the next morning. Instead, she got up all motivated and went for a run. I was sitting in the kitchen with coffee and the newspaper when she came back. She gave me a sweaty little kiss on the cheek and did a few stretches. When she bent at the waist and wrapped her arms around her knees I was highly impressed. She was as limber as a contortionist. I commented on it.

“I’ve always been limber and the martial arts training helps. Wanna see something I learned watching Ms Fitness America on ESPN?”

When I said sure, she dropped to the floor in a push up position then scissored her left leg up over her left shoulder. She did a couple of push-ups that way then swapped legs and did a few more. I thought it was about the coolest thing I’d seen in a while. Being a horny teenage guy, I immediately though of some interesting sexual applications for a talent like that. I applauded her performance and she curtsied cutely.

“Thank you, now I’m going to take a nice hot shower,” she said.

“Need someone to wash your back?” I asked hopefully.

She laughed and swatted my arm as she headed out of the kitchen.

“I’ll be out in about fifteen minutes. Mom and I are going to hit the after Christmas sales today. Ask me nice and I might buy some stockings.”

I skipped Mass and puttered around cleaning the house as I waited for Amanda and Caroline. They arrived at one, and by one-fifteen we were all naked on the bed. I was a horny boy after going without for four days, and having Katrina around me so much. Thankfully, Caroline and Amanda were in about the same state. Caroline, as usual, was orchestrating the festivities. Before you know it I was in Amanda for the first time without a rubber as she crouched above Caroline in a torrid sixty-nine. The feeling was so indescribably good that I didn’t last long, but Amanda was right with me, moaning her own climax as I gushed into her.

As soon as I pulled out of Amanda, Caroline rolled the bigger girl onto her back. “Watch this,” Caroline said. I was bug-eyed as Caroline bunched up her fingers and started working them into Amanda sperm slippery snatch. When her fingers were in to the third knuckle, Caroline folded her thumb inside her fingers and rotated her slim hand until it sunk into Amanda. I was worried it might be hurting Amanda but she was actually humping up, moaning for more. Caroline used her other hand on Amanda’s clit. The dual stimulation soon had Amanda screaming like a banshee and flopping all over the bed.

So, okay. Yes, the sex was great; and, yes, Amanda and I went around the world. For two hours we fucked and sucked and had wild monkey sex. Of special interest to me was the way Caroline completely dominated Amanda. It was as if Amanda had no will of her own when it came to dealing with Caroline and sex. I wasn’t too sure how I felt about that. Sure, I knew it was Caroline’s nature to be the aggressor when it came to sex. But the way she ordered Amanda around and the way Amanda slavishly complied was disconcerting. Amanda spent almost the entire afternoon with her face between Caroline’s legs. I was going to have a private talk with each of them soon.

I was bushed when the girls left so I took a shower and a short power nap. I woke up at five and called Dee. I hadn’t bothered her on Christmas day with her family, so I still had her gift certificate for the photographer out in my truck. It turned out that she was shopping at the mall also and had just run into my Mom and Katrina. We agreed to meet up Tuesday afternoon and exchange gifts. We couldn’t get together tomorrow, Monday, because Katrina was flying out at noon. The thought of my sister leaving made me sad. It was fantastic having her around and I was going to miss the hell out of her.

At six that evening I went back to our house and we had a nice family dinner. The four of us joked and reminisced. Mom and Dad were a little subdued because Mom was flying out tomorrow, too. Yet we were all happy because, as a family, we were even closer than before. Katrina and I hung out until ten, I kept Katrina company while she packed then we left to give our parents some privacy for their last night together.

We were both quiet as we prepared for bed. Katrina stripped while I was facing away removing my own clothes. When I slipped between the sheets she was already there. I lay on my back propped up against the headboard and she molded herself against my side.

“You changed the sheets,” she said.

“Yeah, once a week whether they need it or not,” I answered blithely.

“I see. So it didn’t have anything to do with you rolling around in them with two other girls, huh?”

“Not a thing.”

“Well, they feel and smell nice, thanks.”

“Not a problem.”

The conversation lagged at that point, even though we were both wide awake. I was thinking about how natural she felt in my arms and how lonely it would be not waking up next to her. Katrina must have been thinking something similar because she sighed and sniffled.

“Turn off the light and snuggle with me, Johnny.”

I flipped off the bedside lamp and burrowed under the covers. Katrina turned on her side facing me and tugged me until I was nose to nose with her. She bracketed my face with her hands and kissed me tenderly on my lips.

“I’m going to miss you, Johnny. I feel closer to you than I have ever felt with anyone in my life.”

I told her I felt almost exactly the same way. She smiled at that and kissed me gently again. We decided that we would stay in close touch from now on, more phone calls, more e-mails. We ended up sleeping as if we were intertwined snakes. She wrapped her long lean body around me and held me tight.

“This has got to last me until I see you again,” she explained.

One thing about growing up, you learn stuff every day. In one short week I learned that my sister was not the invincible super woman I’d always thought. Neither was she some aloof, preoccupied brainiac á la our Mother. I didn’t mind she had a vulnerable side. I was just glad I could be there for her.

The next morning we all said our goodbyes at our house at ten in the morning. Dad was driving Mom down to Patrick Air Force Base to catch the daily flight to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. I was taking Katrina to catch her one o’clock fight from Orlando. She had to change planes in Dallas but would still be in Colorado Springs before dark. I walked Katrina all the way to the security checkpoint. I was the envy of a lot of men as she clung to me there in the concourse. She kissed me fiercely and repeatedly and even cried a little. It must have been allergens in the air or something because my eyes were watery too.