All characters are at least 18 years old.
*****
My heart was racing as I lightly rapped on the front door of Mr. and Mrs. Jennings' house. I tugged aimlessly at the collar of my purple silk blouse. It had a low scoop and a wide collar. I had undone the top button, which showed off the tops of both of my breasts. I considered undoing another button, hoping to catch Mr. Jennings's eye. If I was lucky, I'd catch more than that.
I could hear voices coming from behind the house. The Jennings had invited me over for a cookout they were throwing for their friends. When Mrs. Jennings had invited me, she told me it was their way of showing gratitude for coming on short notice to babysit for them recently. In truth, the cookout was part reward and part job. They had hired me to keep an eye on their baby while they entertained their guests.
I stepped back from the door, and was intending to go around the house to the back yard. As soon as I stepped away, the door swung open and I was greeted by Mrs. Jennings.
"Hey, Jasmine! I'm so glad you could make it," she said, stepping through the doorway and opening her arms.
I closed the gap and embraced her lightly. She squeezed me tightly and patted me on the back before letting me go. I suddenly realized what an incredibly strange feeling it is to be greeted so warmly by a woman who had no idea you had fucked her husband. I could physically feel the guilt roll over in my stomach.
"Thank you for hiring me again," I said.
"No, thank you," she said as she led me into the house. "You did a great job with Alex last time, and since Rachel couldn't make it this time, we knew you were the person to call."
As I followed her into the living room, my eyes fell onto the couch where Mr. Jennings had pounded me almost senseless while she was upstairs sleeping. I didn't see any stains on the cushion and wondered whether Mr. Jennings had cleaned up the evidence of our lovemaking session or had simply turned the cushion over.
She led me into the kitchen where she had been mixing and flattening hamburger meat for the grill. There was a pile of hot dogs and two huge bowls of salad sitting on an island in the middle of the kitchen. At the other end of the kitchen was a spacious dining room dominated by a table made of thick glass. There was a bowl of fruit in the center of it and six black cushioned chairs were lined around it. The far wall stopped next to a sliding glass door that led out to a deck and into the backyard. There were several people standing near the bottom of the deck sipping iced drinks.
"Make yourself at home," Mrs. Jennings said. "Oh, but before you get too comfortable, could you take these out to Harold? He's down by the grill." My heart fluttered at the mention of her husband's name. She handed me a tin platter filled with raw hamburger patties.
"Sure, no problem," I said, accepting the platter.
"If he has too much meat down there, you can bring these back. There are coolers in the backyard and some food already out. Feel free to help yourself to anything," she added as I headed for the door.
"If it's alright, I'd be fine helping myself to your husband's meat," I muttered under my breath.
I walked into the backyard and was greeted by several of the Jennings' guests. As I turned the corner, I saw more people out in the main part of their spacious yard. Everyone looked to be in their 30s or older. Mr. Jennings was standing behind a large charcoal grill. The floppy, white chef's hat and apron he was wearing made him look like a fast food short-order cook. He was talking to another man who appeared to be commenting on either the grill or the food on the grill. Judging from Mr. Jennings's face, whatever the man was saying, Mr. Jennings' wasn't interested. He glanced up as I approached.
"Well, hello there stranger," he waved a spatula at me and offered a smile that immediately made my heart warm. The man he was talking to turned around. He was several years older than Mr. Jennings. His dark hair and beard had taken on a salt-and-pepper appearance. His eyes immediately fell to my exposed cleavage.
I rolled my eyes at him before returning my gaze to Mr. Jennings and returning his smile. "Hi, Mr. Jennings!" I mentally cursed myself. My voice made me sound like a squeaky little schoolgirl. I cleared my throat and tried to lower it an octave. "Mrs. Jennings sent these out. She said if it's too much for right now that I could take them back up to the house."
"No, these are fine, you can put them over there," he pointed to a nearby table. Without another word to me, he picked up his conversation with the older man. "So like I was saying, even if you use wood chips, you don't get the same flavor from a gas grill."
I thought about making a risquΓ© joke about how good his meat probably tasted, but the moment passed. I frowned, feeling a pinch in my chest at the lack of attention. Mr. Jennings hadn't even looked me over. I'd gotten my nails and hair done in anticipation of seeing him again. I stepped around the grill, hoping to draw his attention. He continued to prattle on with the other guy as if I was invisible. I lingered there for a few more moments until it was clear Mr. Jennings was more interested in the aspects of grilling than with me.
I folded my arms over my chest and practically stomped away. I stopped at a cooler on my way back up to the house. I bent over at the waist, hoping that Mr. Jennings might look up and catch a glimpse of my ass in my tight jean capris. Of course, when I glanced back toward the grill, he was still fully engrossed in his conversation. My presence had been completely forgotten.
I don't know what I had expected. Mr. Jennings was married to a smart, beautiful woman. I was just a silly little girl that he'd fucked one night when he was drunk. How could I have ever expected it to mean anything more than that to him? Besides, I had a boyfriend. Still, the rejection from Mr. Jennings was making my blood run warm.
I snatched a bottle of water from beneath the ice and pressed it against my forehead. I shut my eyes and reveled in the feel of the cool droplets of water rolling down my face.
"Excuse me miss, is this cooler taken?" someone said behind me.
I opened my eyes and turned to see a freckled guy in glasses staring at me with a toothy grin. He had flaming red hair that draped over his ears. He was several years older than me but looked to still be waging a minor battle against acne. His wrinkled blue Hawaiian floral shirt seemed out of place for the gathering. As my eyes quickly scanned down his rail thin body, I was pleased that he had at least had the decency not to wear socks with his sandals.
"No, please, it's all yours," I said as I turned away from him and the cooler.
"Hey sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," he said, running to catch up with me. "My name's Patrick." He extended his hand to me. It was warm and clammy when I took it and I had to resist the urge to wipe my hand on my jeans. "So, do you uhh...come here often?" He still had the same silly grin on his face.