All characters engaged in sexual activity are at least 18 years old.
Church of Purification
Joey and his sister Brittany had met Emily when they were eleven. It was a blistery cold winter day for delivering their papers. She had given them hot chocolate to warm themselves when they brought the daily news to her machine shop. It soon became a regular stop on their route.
Emily was about forty and apparently wealthy. She dressed in expensive clothes, drove a very nice car, and lived in an upscale neighborhood on the far west side of town. Her husband, Otis, had passed away a few years earlier.
Twins, Joey, and Brit, were from a poor family and the money they earned helped with the family finances. Their father was an alcoholic who rarely kept a job for more than a few weeks. Their mother worked as a waitress in a local bar. The twins did well in school but being poor in a fairly upscale school district limited their chances of making good friends. They had each other and were very close.
When spring arrived, Emily offered them chores at her house to earn extra money. They mowed her large lawn, worked in her garden, washed windows, and did a multitude of other tasks. The money they earned was always given to their mother to help with the bills. This went on for years and they became close to Emily.
As they grew, Brittany became a beautiful young woman and Joey grew into a handsome young man. They would turn eighteen a week before finishing their senior year in high school. Both would earn scholarships but not having financial resources from their family, knew that college wasn't in the cards for them. Both had gotten part time jobs as soon as they were old enough. Most of that income went toward the household. Between studies and work, neither had much of a social life.
About a month before they turned eighteen Brit began spending more time with Emily. At first she seemed troubled when she came home but after the second week she was back to her normal self.
On the Monday before their birthday Brittany went to her brother's room after school.
"Were you able to get Friday and Saturday off?" she asked.
"My boss wasn't thrilled about it, but yeah. What are you planning?"
"Our birthday is Friday. Emily wants to take us out for dinner then have an overnight at her house," Brit replied.
"An overnight?" he asked.
"God only knows where dad will be. Mom's working. I think spending the night in her fancy house could be fun."
"It would be like going to a nice hotel, I guess."
"We've never been to a nice hotel before, or even a cheap one for that matter," she said smiling.
"Is dinner a dress up thing?"
"Emily always dresses up. I'm wearing a dress. She said a polo and slacks for you. No sneakers," Brit advised.
"Does she have work for us on Saturday?" Joey asked.
"Work, no. But she does have something planned," his sister told him hesitantly.
"What?"
"She'll tell us after dinner Friday."
"Do you know what it is?" he asked.
"Part of it, but she made me promise not to say anything."
"Is it something fun?"
"I suspect you're going to love it," his sister advised.
"Okay."
*****
Emily picked them up at six-thirty on Friday.
"Happy Birthday!" she said grinning as they got in her Mercedes.
"Thanks," they both replied.
"We have reservations at St. Elmo's at seven," Emily advised.
"The one downtown?" Joey asked.
"That's the one," she said. "It's very expensive, but I want you to ignore the prices on the menu. Order what you want."
"How expensive?" Brittany asked.
"This is a special occasion. Don't even look at the cost," Emily told them.
"Okay," Brittany agreed.
The drive didn't take long, and Emily pulled up at the valet parking then led them to the door. A man in uniform opened the door and ushered them inside. The restaurant wasn't large, but it was elegant.
"Billington," Emily told the man just inside.
"Welcome to St. Elmo's. Right this way," he replied.
Joey felt underdressed. All the other male customers wore expensive suits. Brit looked at him grinning.
"Classy," she said.
"Very," her brother agreed.
Joey and his sister both felt like fish out of the water. Neither had ever been to a restaurant like this. Emily saw their uneasiness.
"Just follow my lead. You'll be fine," she assured them.
Water and menus were brought almost immediately. Their server arrived seconds later.
"Welcome to St. Elmo's. I'm Lauren. I'll be your server this evening," the waitress said. "May I get you something to drink, or would you like to see the wine list?"
"Dominus Cabernet Sauvignon," Emily replied.
"Is 2019 satisfactory?" Lauren asked.
"That's fine. We'd like the bottle."
"I'll need to see IDs on the young people," Lauren said looking at the twins. Both pulled out their IDs to show her. "Happy Birthday," she told them, smiling.
"Thank you," Brit replied.
"Take your time looking over the menu," she said walking briskly away.
"Have either of you had alcohol before?" Emily asked.
"Dad gave us a taste of whiskey and beer," Joey replied.
"Sip it. Make it last through dinner. One glass is all you're getting. If you don't like it order something else," Emily instructed.
Joey opened the menu. His eyes widened when he saw the prices.
"Holy...," he said.
"Don't look at the prices," Emily scolded. "Order an appetizer, and an entree. We'll get dessert from a different menu."
"The cheapest appetizer on here is thirty bucks," Joey said.
Emily looked at him seriously. "Do not talk about or even consider the cost. This is a special celebration of your moving from childhood into adult life. It only happens once in a lifetime. This evening we're living high on the hog. Order what sounds good to you."
"Yes, ma'am," Brittany replied, looking wide eyed at her brother.
When Lauren returned with the wine they watched as Emily swirled it, sniffed it, then tasted it before giving a nod. Lauren poured each about half a glass. Emily ordered first, followed by Brittany, and finally Joey. He did a quick estimate in his head. Dinner for the three, not counting the wine or dessert, was almost six-hundred dollars.
It took almost two hours to get through dinner. Everything was delicious. Emily didn't even look at the bill before putting a black charge card in the folder.
The drive to Emily's house took about half an hour. Joey brought in the bags and put them in the guest rooms, then joined his sister and Emily in the living room. Emily had poured them each a glass of wine.
"Sit by your sister, there's something I'd like to talk to you about," Emily directed.
Joey took his place on the couch near Brittany. Emily sat in a chair facing them.
"Did you enjoy dinner?" she asked.
