I tapped my fingers absently on the steering wheel as I maneuvered my car through the final sweeping turn, keeping my speed down to what I'd term 'moderately stupid' as opposed to 'suicidal'. Tall trees arched overhead at intervals, casting dappled sunlight over the interior of the Audi and the remains of my junk-food lunch in its crumpled waxpaper wrapping. I could smell the sea, and I desperately hoped it would still warm enough for a swim when I got there.
It had been nearly a season since I had last been to the family holiday house, an entire spring and summer too full of work and crises for me to be where I loved most - up to my neck in the ocean, or surfing down the face of a wave on a surf-ski. I was long overdue some me-time, and I planned to make the most of my long weekend away,So I started by masturbating on looking at the site ( szaab dot com) almost thirty minutes
The sun was still some way clear of the horizon when I turned into the private gated lane, flanked by the unkempt hedge and secured by a single link of chain that held the gate closed on a rusting steel nail. The property name was still visible on the aged wooden nameplate; the single word etched out by the less weathered silhouette of long-since flaked paint.
Elysium.
It was a good name for our family's little slice of heaven, far enough away from the world that you might not see another soul except in the highest of high summer.
.:.
I parked the Audi in the deep sandy shade under the Christmas tree that we'd planted when I was seven. Eighteen years of hot, bright summers and a shallow water table had suited the tree, and I didn't doubt it would double in height again before I died. I smiled as I reached up to brush a low-hanging branch; I regarded the tree as mine, and I always said hello to him when I came to visit.
The lock in the front door had seized with salt, so I entered via the aluminium sliding door on the patio, making a mental note in passing to check whether Dad's oil and tools were still under the kitchen sink. I turned on the power at the breaker box, and unpacked the selection of supplies that I'd brought with me into cupboards.
I walked slowly through the house, opening windows to let the building air, and dragged one of the patio chairs outside so that I could enjoy the view down to the sea while enjoying a lukewarm beer.
I lay back, watching the breakers slowly progressing into the bay, stretching the kinks from the drive out of my back. The sound of the ocean rolled uphill and over me, and slowly I felt myself relax.
It had been a long couple of months. A messy breakup, significant project delays at work... it was not shaping up to be a good year for me. I sighed, and set the beer down. The waves beckoned me, and after a few minutes of apathy I stood, stripped to my boardshorts and loped down between the low dunes to the water.
The surf was up, and the coming spring tide meant that the waves were breaking high up on the beach, sometimes even pushing up over into the small lagoon through its shallow sandy channel. I eyed the waves, decided they were too dumpy to chance, and instead stepped out into the lagoon, enjoying the kiss of the cold water on my feet and the sand between my toes.
I remembered how my father and I had built sandcastles here while I was younger - frequently merely so that Anna and I would have somewhere safe to swim and play.
One golden summer's evening we had brought spades down with us and had built a buttress a metre high, with a seat for Anna to sit in. It had still been there three high tides later.
I wondered, idly, where Anna was. It had been a few weeks since I'd last spoken to my sister; she'd been off to some function in the States, and since it hadn't had anything to do with aeronautics or computing I'd been less than completely interested in the details around it.
I walked out into the lagoon until the water rose up to my hips, took a breath, and dived.
.:.
The sun set in a riot of glorious orange and violet, and I saluted the end of the day with another beer as I waited for the coals on the Weber to reach a working temperature. Venus winked and danced just above the horizon - it would be a beautiful night with little to no moon, and I knew from experience that the Milky Way would spread like crushed gems across the sky.
Slowly the stars started to appear, and I watched the various old companions of my youth flickering slowly into view above me.
Light lit the top of the Christmas tree, and I heard the throaty growl of a car's engine. I banked the coals into the centre of the Weber and walked around the side of the house in order to investigate this new arrival. Visitors were rare out here - the closest other house was more than a kilometer further down the coast - and I was curious , though it was likely just someone who had got lost, seen the house lights and come to ask for directions.
A strange car was parked alongside my Audi, and I could see a small, indistinct figure bent over, rummaging inside.
"Excuse me, are you lost?" I asked.
"No. I know precisely where I am," my sister replied, spinning around and laughing at me.
"Anna! Hi! Sorry, I didn't recognise the car."
"It's a recent purchase. I decided I needed a present for being a good, responsible girl. So I bought something ridiculous."
She walked over to me and swung her arms up and around my neck. "Hello, Joey. It's been a while. I missed you."
"Ditto," I said, returning the hug. "I wasn't expecting you out here. But welcome. I've got the fire going, and there's beer in the fridge and port on the counter." I gently let go of her and picked her backpack up off the sand.
"I took a chance coming here," she added. "Mum mentioned you'd picked up the keys, so I thought it was worth the drive. I haven't been out here for a while."
"Me neither," I said. "Door's jammed," I added as she reached for the front door handle. "I haven't got round to fixing it, swimming and drinking were higher on the priority list."
"Your priority list sounds good. Dump that backpack, Joey, and let's drink and watch the stars. I'm in need of some booze and some fresh air."
"You read my mind."
.:.
Anna lounged on one of the deck chairs, imperiously directing my cooking. We're a year apart in age, and she's always felt that being the elder of us that she gets to be the empress and I get to be the serf. I seldom complain about the arrangement - Anna's a born organiser and having her around means I don't have to do the ridiculous admin tasks that accompany daily life. Anna will make sure there's a place to stay and food to eat - and all I have to do is show up and play chef to keep my end of the bargain.
"Do we have any vegetables, or is this a Joey Standard Meal?" she asked, dubiously.
"Joey Standard Meal, ma'am," I drawled. "I brought an emergency potato salad, but I haven't done anything with it yet. It's in the fridge."
"Aha. I'll get on that then. Lamb's good, sausage is good, but it's not a proper beach house debauch without potato salad."
She put her cider aside, and sauntered into the kitchen. I caught glimpses of her as she rummaged.
She looked older, and tired, but more at peace with herself and the world. Far better than she had the last time she'd been here, when her company had been on the rocks and she'd been running on nerves, alcohol and caffeine.
I was glad to see my sister back.
I sipped at my beer, and watched the smoke from the barbecue wafting almost directly upwards in the still night air. Large rollers boomed on the beach, and the occasional bat flitted past the deck lights, hunting the moths that circled them stupidly.
"Whatcha doing?"
I turned to Anna, and smiled. "Breathing. Enjoying the silence. I miss here."
"Uh huh. I miss here too when I'm not here. Still, we're lucky... not many people have a safe haven. Somewhere that they can run away to when it all gets too much."
"I wasn't running," I answered.
"Then where's Julie?" Anna tilted her head, inquisitive.
I winced, and busied myself with the fire. "Not here," I muttered, after a moment.
"Uh huh, I gathered as much. And from your reaction I'm guessing it's bad news, no?"
I sighed. "Apparently, I'm not serious enough about our relationship. I don't value her enough, or something."
Anna pursed her lips. "Sounds dire. What did you do?"
"I like how you leap to the conclusion that it's my fault," I muttered.
Anna said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow.
"I went to a rugby match. Apparently, 'Do whatever the fuck you want' doesn't mean what I think it means."
She laughed. "Come on, that can't have been all you did. Fess up, Joey. Tell big sis your fuck-ups. I promise not to mock you too much."
"As if," I sighed as I banged irritably at the grille. "Ah, sod it, Anna. I'm twenty-five. I've hardly even got my career kicked off. I don't have time or inclination to get involved in discussions about settling down, buying houses, etcetera etcetera."
"Mm-hmm. Somebody felt her biological clock ticking."
"I guess," I murmured. "But you know me."
"Rudderless, and adrift, at the mercy of the wind and the tide," she intoned.
"It works for me. Besides, I'm not adrift. I work hard, and I am doing well for myself. I want to go overseas, go exploring... I'm not ready to tie myself down to one place."
"You're tied to this place, Joey."
"This is different, Anna. This place is ours. Yours and mine. Time won't change that."
"Here's to hoping," she murmured, glancing away.
.:.
We'd polished off supper and stacked the dishes and utensils to deal with later. I'd dragged our deckchairs to the edge of the deck, so we had nothing between us and the sky as we lay there watching the stars flickering high above us.
"How are things with you, sis?"
Anna drew idle figures in the air with her left foot as she considered for a few moments. "I guess they're ok, Joey. Work's quiet at present, which is good... means I get a bit of a breather. It was crazy for a while..."
"I know. You look better. More in control. Less... manic."
"I feel better."
"You look more like my sister and less like a hyperactive squirrel that's eaten every leaf of the ephedrine tree."
She laughed. "Nice. Thanks, Joey. Glad to know that was the impression I was giving off. Asshole."
I smirked. "Family gets to tell the truth to family."
She rolled her eyes at me, but the grin was infectious. "Bastard."
"Whether I am a bastard or not is entirely the business of Mum and the milkman."
"I always thought it was the baker, personally."
"True, he does have a certain glint to his eye."
She covered her snort with a sip of her cider.
"So what else. You seeing anyone?" I asked, after a while.
"Nah. No time, no interest. The men in my field are all either married, or serial womanisers, or both. Got enough on my plate without borrowing someone else's drama."
"Amen to that," I murmured.
"I get lonely," she confessed. "But I'd rather be lonely and alone than lonely and with an ass, you know?"
"Yeah."
"What star is that?" she asked.
"Which one?"
"The bright yellow one."
I squinted. "I think it's Jupiter. I could check on my phone, but I'm too lazy."
"This place begets laziness. I'd live here if I could. Swim all day, watch for meteors at night. Sounds divine," She murmured as she folded her hands behind her head.
"You'd get bored, Anna."
"Never. I'd adapt. Soon, the rest of the world would cease to exist, and I could just be me."
"What about food?"
"I'd grow a crumpet tree and marshmallow bushes."
I laughed at the memory; both had been firm fixtures of the towns we'd built by the sandcastles of our childhood. "Man cannot live by marshmallows and crumpets alone," I replied.
"Man cannot. Anna can," she answered, yawning. She sat up, stretched, and then stood up. "Going to shower. You going to be out here much longer?"
"Nah. Just finishing my beer then I'll come in. It's a long drive and I'm knackered from it."
"Ok," she said,bending to brush her lips against my forehead.
"Night, Anna. See ya tomorrow."
"I'll come say goodnight properly once I'm done."
.:.
I pottered around the kitchen, packing away the stuff that didn't require cleaning and ensuring that all the food scraps were binned outside; ants were a problem in the area and the last thing I wanted was a colony in the kitchen in the morning. I cleaned the plates and stood them in the drying rack. Then I killed the outside lights and closed the sliding door, leaving it on the chain latch so that air could get in but four-legged prowlers couldn't.
I could hear Anna rattling around the bathroom, so I continued on through to my bedroom and opened the balcony door - I always slept with the door open at night so that I could hear the waves on the shore. The sea was a darker band against the horizon, with the occasional hint of white from the occasional larger breaker rolling in.
I took a deep breath, then exhaled, content.
"Joey?" Anna stood silhouetted in the light from the bathroom.
I turned. "Hey sis. Done with the bathroom?"
"Yeah. I am. Just wanted to say goodnight," she murmured. She leaned against my bedroom door frame.
"Good night, then," I said.
"Come here," she replied. "I'm fragile tonight and I want a hug."
"Long day?" I asked, as I pulled her to me.
"Long year," she whispered. "A long, horrible, bloody-minded year that I'm glad to be rid of."
"Amen," I breathed. I tried to ignore the goosebumps the sheer fabric of her sleeping top raised on my arms as I held her against me. She crooked her arms behind my neck, and I squeezed her till she squeaked. "Mercy," she laughed. "I forget how strong you are, sometimes."
"Go to sleep, Anna. Kick me awake if you want me to make breakfast."
"Will do. Joey?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you're here."
"Sleep well, Anna. See you in the morning."
She smiled up at me, then turned to go. I watched her leave, but didn't move until she'd pulled her door to.
I hadn't told Anna or my parents about my breakup with Julie out of a desire to avoid the explanations and commiseration. The split had actually happened months prior, and I'd been deliberately alone and uninterested since then, first out of rage and then out of contempt for the 'fairer' sex and their seeming unlimited capacity for insanity. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have a girl in my arms.
Tonight, however, Anna's innocent goodnight hug had forcibly reminded me, and I berated myself under my breath for my reaction to the feel of her body against mine. Her arms had been warm, her scent subtle, and the swell of her breasts under her nightshirt had been difficult to ignore.
I hoped she hadn't felt the way I'd responded.
.:.
A hot shower calmed me somewhat, though I couldn't clear my head of the sensation of her against me. I was helplessly hard, or course, and realistically the only option for relief was was a quickie with the lovely Mrs Palm. If I could clear the basic urge, I stood some chance of being able to sleep. And so I reached down, cupping my balls in the palm of my left hand and stroking my hard shaft with my right, hunched forward under the hot jet of water.
I closed my eyes, wishing there was a girl in the shower with me, wishing I could push her up against the wall and enter her from behind, fill her up and leave her quivering, dripping, wanting more.
I thought of Julie, of her tight body and delicate pink lips and the quavering whimper she'd always let out when I entered her. I thought of other girls I'd fantasised about in lectures or shagged at University. I thought of my favourite porn clips.
But it was no good. Anna had intruded and was fucking with my head; Anna in the sheer silvery nightdress, with her disheveled blonde hair and lovely body, her small breasts with the nipples that I couldn't help but feel against me as I embraced her. Anna with the beautiful curve of her hips, and the small scandal pants that that she'd always favoured as sleepwear, barely showing under the hem of the nightie.
I gave up, surrendered to the image of her, conjuring the fantasy the soft texture of her breasts in my mouth and hands, the phantasm of her spreading herself for me, smiling up at me, arching her back as I entered her... and almost before I could consciously feel shame about what I was doing I came, groaning, shuddering, my come running down over my hands, flowing away in the water.
I took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling somewhat disgusted with myself. The shower had lost its savour, so I cleaned myself off, wishing that I could wash my conscience as easily.
I attempted to rationalise my behaviour - Anna had always been a stunner, and even at my most polite I would be forced to admit that I had a serious case of blue balls to contend with at present. My body was clearly just reacting to the proximity of an attractive, partially clothed girl.
I'd simply have to accept that I had fantasies about her - that I'd have to keep them in another one of the mental drawers labeled 'Joey's kinks - do not open' and do precisely that.
The plus side of my perversion was, however, that I slept like a dead man.
.:.
"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead."
Anna trailed her damp hair over my face, and I spluttered awake.
"It's a lovely day by the sea, and I've already been for my first swim. Somebody promised me breakfast, and Anna is hungry."
I scrubbed at my eyes, and sat up, gazing blearily at her. "What time is it?"
"Just after nine in the morning. It's a glorious day, full of opportunity to eat pancakes." She eyed me. "I suppose I need to let you get dressed if I want food, right?" she added, amused.
"Yeah, please, if you don't mind."
She closed the door, and I pulled off my pajama bottoms and swapped them for my board shorts. I stretched and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, pulled on a vest, then slumped off downstairs to the kitchen, where Anna had already set out the ingredients I needed.
"You've lost your tan," I observed, as I cleared a working area on the counter top. Anna sat on a bar stool opposite me, kicking her heels against the stool legs and resting her chin on her hand.
"All work and no play makes Anna a ghost," she replied with a sigh. "No time to sun, ergo I am pasty pale. Alas." She pursed her lips. "I'm hoping to catch some sun while I'm here; the weather looks like it's playing along."
"It should. Today's supposed to be quite warm. Hope you brought suncream," I murmured. "Otherwise, you're going to be the goddess of lobster."
"I'm not an idiot," she retorted, grinning. "Of course I came provided. Last thing I want to do is burn and peel. Yuck."
I rummaged around for the mixing bowl and hand whisk. "Ok then. So... You sure you want pancakes? Nothing else?"
"Pancakes always work for me," she replied. Her hazel eyes twinkled. "I'm easy, you know."
I snorted. "Cheap date," I answered. I cracked some eggs into the bowl, added flour and milk, and quickly worked up the batter. "Do me a favour and turn on the gas, will you? And see if we've still got cinnamon and sugar from last time?"
"Your wish is my command," she murmured, as she slipped off the chair and skipped off.
"I somehow doubt that," I muttered to myself.
"What's that?" she called.
"Nothing. Just muttering to myself."
I rescued the battered old pan from under the sink and set to work.
.:.
We took our breakfast and mugs of coffee out onto the deck. My head was still slightly fuzzy, and I was grateful for the soothing shade of my polarised sunglasses. Three beers after a long drive had hit me harder than I'd thought they would. Anna seemed less affected - she polished off her pancakes in short order and stole some of mine; I watched her with amusement as she brushed sugar off her top and lap.
She gave me a toothy grin. "I love your pancakes."
"I know. That's why I feed you them."
"You're an awesome slave. I should offer you a promotion."
"What's the plan for today, then?"
"Swim, then supply run," she yawned. "Tide's out at the moment so it will be a good time to be in the sea. I'll be able to stand."
"Short-arse."
"Not my fault you got dad's genes," she grumbled.
"Yours aren't exactly second place, miss," I retorted. I stretched a kink out of my neck, then considered. "So, shall we head down?"
"Yeah, lets do it."
"Sold to the girl in the blue top," I said. I stood, knocked back my coffee and put the mug down. "Race you."
"No fair," came her despairing cry - Anna's never been able to keep up with me at a run, and I had the added element of surprise. I'd already body-surfed my first wave in before she'd managed to join me, laughing as the next wave dumped me almost prostrate in the sand at her feet.
There are few better things in the world than good surf and someone to share it with, and we made the most of the morning. She was a riot to watch; shorter than me as she was she had to try to leap waves that I could power though, and more than once she misjudged her jumps and got swept inshore in a welter of legs and arms, leaving me snorting with laughter beyond the breakers.
But a restless part of me could not ignore the seductive shape of her body under the thin navy one-piece bathing costume, nor her obvious nipplestand from the cold water, and as we clambered shaky-legged out of the sea my inner pervert drove me to follow her up the path, which gave me the freedom I wanted to watch her legs and bum as she climbed the slope in front of me. I carried my towel so that it screened my waist; the last thing I need her to notice was the rigid erection I carried.
Anna dashed upstairs to shower while I cleaned up downstairs, and yelled at me when she was done. She was still toweling her hair dry in the bathroom but didn't object when I brushed past her into the shower and pulled the door closed behind me.
I washed my face and rubbed my hands through my hair. Then I stripped out of my board shorts, and braced myself against the wall, letting the hot water sluice over my shoulders. I kept my back turned to her; the glass was frosted but I felt no urge to take chances.
"What do you think we need in the way of provisioning?" she asked.
I thought for a moment. "Bread. Cucumbers and other salad vegetables, I guess. More meat. Probably some more booze, and ice cream for tonight."
"Cheese and stuff too, I guess."
I squatted down and reached for the shower gel. "I feel like a nice pagan feast," I said, as I soaped myself up. "Lots of pork. Maybe some pork belly on the Weber? With some sort of marinade?"
"Sounds great," she said. "I'll go get dressed, and meet you downstairs."
"I'll be quick as I can," I said.
"I'll be waiting for you."
I eyed myself ruefully and sighed. I'd have to find some private time to deal with myself, but we needed to get moving, so it would have to wait.
.:.
"Nice car," I said, envious, admiring the sleek gunmetal lines of Anna's Boxster convertible.
She grinned. "Behave yourself and I'll let you drive him."
"Your business is clearly doing much better."
"For now," she murmured. "Lets hope it lasts." She unlocked the car, and then slipped into the driver's seat as I took shotgun. She keyed the ignition, and once the engine had settled down to a low rumbling growl Anna dropped the roof. I grinned like an imbecile as the sky opened above us, and she returned my grin as she blipped the throttle. "Phwoar," I muttered, and she laughed like a little girl.
"I love this car. And it's a lovely day. We've gotta do it with the wind in our ears."
"No complaints from my side," I murmured. "Lets go. Abduct me."
"Don't offer what you can't deliver," she grinned.
Anna drives like a maniac - an extremely adept, safety conscious maniac. She pushes cars hard, but never recklessly - and she'll only drive a vehicle fast if she knows it.
So she kept the Porsche to a reasonable speed up the hill, gunned the tits off it on the brief stretch of highway, then let the car coast down the long, extended downhill into town. We pulled into the small supermarket's parking lot, and I noticed long, envious looks from several other shoppers - so did Anna, and she hammed it up by wrapping her arm around my waist and pulling me against her hip as we walked to the shop's doorway.
"You tease," I murmured into her ear.
"Don't they wish they were worth my time," she whispered back.
Anna fetched and gathered while I steered the trolley, and before long we were fully laden with vegetables, fruit, meat, bread, snacks, cool-drinks, bottles of wine and six packs of beer and cider. She bought a small Styrofoam cooler box for the ice cream, and we packed everything into the cramped space behind the Porsche's seats. Anna shot me a long, considering look and then handed me the car keys.
"You sure about this?" I teased her.
She bit her lip. "You're a more cautious driver than I am, and I'll beat you if you do something silly," she returned, as she slid into the passenger seat. "Just don't scratch him, or I'll kill you till you're dead. You can put the seat back with the switches to the right of the chair."
"Like my Audi," I said. "Same company, after all."
"Beetle lover," she replied.
"Pot, meet kettle," I grinned, as I took us on a gentle accelerating arc out of the parking lot and back onto the road.
We drove home via the longer scenic route, reveling in the song of the exhaust behind us and in the manner in which the car tracked through corners as if it was on rails. Anna relaxed beside me, enjoying the sun and the open sky above her head and watching the world flash by with her characteristic grin.
She laughed out loud and clapped as I floored the throttle around a Saturday afternoon driver in a Mini. I stole a glance at her; slumped back in the seat in her tatty shorts and vest, with the strap of a bikini top tied messily behind her neck... she looked alive, and once again I found myself wanting her.
A cool breeze was rising up off the sea when we got home, and I parked the car in the shade next to my Audi. "Thanks for the drive," I said. "I love your car."
"That makes two of us," Anna responded as she closed the roof. "Gotta keep the bugs out of him. So... you keen for the beach?"
"Beach it is," I agreed. "I need to cool off." I grabbed the bags and followed her around to the deck, taking far too much pleasure in the the way in which her white linen shorts cupped her bum as she walked. She unlatched the sliding door and slid it open for me, and I brushed slowly past her to dump the bags on the kitchen counter.
"Want something to eat before we head down?"
"Nah," she answered, as she pulled her vest over her head. "I want to be in the sea."
I looked aside so that I would not stare. Anna's bikini top was a revealing navy-and-white affair that perfectly framed her pale breasts. She slipped out of her shorts, revealing the matching striped bikini bottoms, and grabbed a towel off the kitchen counter. She ducked out through the sliding door. "Coming?" she called, glancing back at me.
"Be right there," I replied. I took a moment to appreciate this sight of her in a two-piece costume that left so very little to the imagination. Anna's a one piece girl, she seldom wears anything more revealing in the water - which is a crying pity in retrospect, because she runs and swims and has the figure to show for it.
I wouldn't say I didn't feel dirty about it, but my base desires overrode my sense of guilt, and soon enough all I was focused on was the smooth skin of her thighs and the dimple at the small of her back. I wondered how securely her top was tied, and as I followed her mutely down to the ocean I quietly marveled at how beautiful she was, here, in her element.
The surf had diminished to a gentle rolling swell with the incoming tide, and Anna and I swum out beyond the break line and bobbed in the neck deep water. After a short while, she paddled over to me.
"Hold me up," she demanded, and I obliged with gentle upwards pressure to the small of her back, keeping her suspended just below the surface as she relaxed, eyes closed, smiling upwards at the sun. Her back was warm on my fingertips, and I watched the water lap the cleavage between her breasts. I found myself wondering what they looked like under the bikini top. Obviously I could draw some conclusions, but the mental image will always pale to the actual experience.
Anna reached out and curled one arm around my neck to secure herself. This pulled her closer to me, putting her breasts almost directly in front of me, and brought her lips close enough that had I not had an extremely active sense of self-preservation I might have been tempted to do something silly.
Instead I merely stood quietly in the water, aching helplessly for the girl I supported in my arms. How long we spent like that I do not know, but eventually I could feel her shivering.
"Time to get out," I murmured into her ear.
"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "Pity, it's so nice out here with you. Floating, just being." She slid off my hand and draped her arms around me again, squeezing me against her. "Thanks for being my bathing platform, Joey."
"Any time, Anna," I murmured. She pushed herself clear, and we caught a rolling wave and body-surfed in to the sand, where I helped her to her feet. She put an arm around my waist and leaned on me for support as we staggered our way through the soft sand to our towels. "Thank you," she murmured to me as I handed hers to her.
"De nada," I replied. I swung my towel over my shoulders and followed her once more uphill.
"This is far better than the city."
"Oh, far better," I agreed. "Sand, sun, no responsibilities."
"And good company," she added.
"Well, for my part yes; you're terrible."
She turned around, and gave me a grinning middle finger. "Fuck you, Joey, I'm the best company ever."
"Yeah, you are," I returned, awarding her the point. She chuckled, spun, and carried on walking.
I toweled myself dry by the sliding door while Anna showered. I dropped my shorts, hung them over a section of rail, and wrapped my towel around my waist, tucking the tail in to secure it. I glanced ruefully down at the bulge in my towel, then adjusted the hang of it so that my engorged cock was less obvious.
I cracked a bottle of Sémillon and set out some cheese and cold meat for lunch, then lounged on a deck chair, nursing my glass of wine while I waited for her to reappear. As I waited I watched a pair of gulls as they soared along the low dune line, flicking their wings in and out as they rode the unseen ridge lift.
I thought about her; about the sexual desire that her proximity seemed to awaken in me. I felt strangely conflicted by how little it bothered me - how little the words "I desire my sister" troubled my conscience. Masturbating to thoughts of her bugged me, but the mental desire didn't, and I wondered why I felt the difference so keenly. I sipped my wine, mulling it over.
There was no getting away from the fact that I was horny; the slowly softening hard-on disguised in the folds of my towel was testimony enough to that. But this was something way more serious. Anna was my sister, and I knew that the feelings I felt towards her were dangerous to both of us.
I sighed. All I could do was let it run its course, masturbate guiltily when the urge to do something ridiculous grew too strong, and apart from that leave the thoughts about her locked firmly away.
"Whatcha doing?"
I glanced behind me, trying to appear nonchalant. "Watching some gulls and pickling my liver. Here," I added, as I handed her her glass of wine; the ice she liked had already mostly melted during the wait.
Anna took it, took up her spot on her deck chair and lay back with a sigh. She sipped her wine, then set her glass aside and stretched. "Thanks. I needed that swim and this wine."
I turned back to the window, trying to ignore the fresh arousal I could feel. Anna had pulled on her tight linen shorts and a thin, faded turquoise vest that barely covered her bikini. When she stretched, the top rose up over the underside of her breasts, showing the damp, semitransparent white stripes over her skin, and for a moment all I could do was think of slipping a finger under the fabric.
As a distraction, I sat up and went to work preparing us some food, feeling strangely uncomfortable as she lay there, watching me.
"You ok, Joey?"
"Yeah, just hanging a bit," I excused myself. "Hoping the hair of the dog will heal me," I added, sipping my wine again.
"Heh," she replied. "I'm a bit stuffed too, I'll join you in hoping this is the cure."
"I'll be right back, just going to pull on some clothes."
"I'll finish sorting the food, then. Hurry back, or I'll eat yours."
I slipped upstairs, and grabbed a pair of underwear and some denim shorts. I didn't care to display myself to her, and I worried about the towel's ongoing security. So while I'd have enjoyed tanning in my boardshorts, in this case discretion was the better part of valour.
.:.
We sat in the sun and washed down our light lunch with the passable Sémillon.
"I could get used to the catering."
"Bankroll me, pay for my upkeep, and I'll gladly be your chef de Maison," I answered.
"Mm. Will you be my pool boy too?"
I laughed.
"You've been working out, haven't you?" she asked, shooting me a glance. "You're looking good, Joey. Lean."
"Thanks, sis," I answered. "Pity about my lack of tan though. I'm almost as pale as you are."
"Sun's strong enough here for us to do something about that," she observed.
"I'll wind up with a farmer's tan."
"It's pretty private here." Anna gathered her hair up into a tail, and dropped her sunglasses down over her nose again. "Nobody will see."
"You will."
"Family doesn't count. I plan to get some tanning in, regardless of whether you're here or not. A girl's gotta look after herself."
"Uh huh. In that case, maybe I'll join you."
"Good. You can put suncream on me," she added.
I raised an eyebrow at her, and she grinned. "I'll do the same for you, you know."
"I suppose I'll let you twist my rubber arm this time."
"Here. Lube me up." She lifted the strap of her costume top. "Don't miss a spot," she ordered.
So of course I obliged her, slowly rubbing the suncream into her skin and taking particular care to ensure that her shoulders and sides were properly protected. "Back of my legs too, please," she murmured. She lay down on her stomach, and I tried to keep my breathing and hands steady as I spread the suncream onto the backs and inside of her thighs, then down and over her calves, trying not to linger too long in any one place. Her skin was amazingly soft, and her legs were smooth as silk beneath my fingers.
I finished and somehow managed a nonchalant "Done."
"Turn around and I'll do yours," she said as she sat up once more. "And lie down so that I can reach. My arms are shorter than yours."
Her hands were soft on my back. I lay with my eyes closed, breathing shallowly, trying not to tense up, drool or squirm as she rubbed across my shoulders and neck, down to the small of my back and then over my legs and calves. "Your pants are pretty long for someone who doesn't want a farmer's tan," she observed, amused, as she set the suncream aside.
"I'll sort that out at a later date," I muttered into my towel. She snorted, and ran her hands over my shoulders once more. "All done," she breathed softly as she pulled away. She removed her sunglasses and settled down on the deck chair with her arms by her sides. Her damp hair had started to set into its natural wave, and as it dried it glowed like finely spun gold. Several small strands moved as she sighed out a breath.
She was gorgeous. A shade over five and three quarter feet tall, with an elfin face, slight shoulders, lovely curved hips and to my mind the world's most perfect bum. Her skin glistened both from the suncream and the slight sheen of sweat from the heat of the day. The faint blonde hairs on the nape of her neck rose as a gentle breath of wind summoned goosebumps.
I watched her breathe, watched the small shift of her shoulders and ribs, and as I watched her I ached to hold her body against me. The solid bar of my erection dug painfully into my belly, and I felt more frustrated than I could ever remember having been.
Anna shifted slightly, frowned, and then reached her arms back up behind her. She pulled the knot of her bikini top free with one practiced movement, and then tugged the top out from under her. I held my breath, and then offered silent praise to every god of lust that I could remember when she pillowed her head on her crossed arms and blessed me with a tantalising glimpse of her breasts as she lay down again.
I couldn't pull my eyes away from the finger's width of her that I could see. Once more I ached to touch her, to caress her body, and yes, to my shame I wanted to be inside her with her arching under me. I ground my teeth in frustration.
Anna opened her eyes and squinted at me. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing much," I answered after a moment. "Just chilling. Enjoying the sun and the air."
"Mm. The air is nice on my skin. Not much chance to sunbathe like this in my flat; far too little privacy."
"That's the problem with high density living," I agreed. "Way too many prospective perverts and dodgy old men."
"Quite," she murmured.
"Still, at least you have a room with a view."
"Convenience comes at a price. Sometimes... many times, really, I think that I'd be prepared to give it up for the privacy."
"What keeps you there, then?"
She pursed her lips. "Habit, I guess. I like the easy commute."
"Maybe you should look into working remotely. Get a fast broadband connection and video conference; it's nearly as good as being there."
"Maybe I should look into it," she mused. "I'll hire you as my tech consultant. You can set it up for me."
"You couldn't afford me," I teased her.
"Bah. I own your ass." She took a breath, and lifted her head. "Joey, I'm going to roll over so I can get some sun my tummy. No peeking."
"You got it," I murmured. I took off my sunglasses and set them aside, and then closed my eyes, lying with my face pillowed on my arms. I heard Anna shifting, and it took every ounce of self control for me to keep my eyes closed... for a while at least. I guess I can be forgiven for the fact that my willpower didn't last long, and that I snuck a glance that became an awed stare.
Anna lay, flat on her back with her knees slightly raised, her small beautiful breasts with their pale pink nipples standing slightly proud on her slender frame, accentuating if anything the flatness of her toned stomach in the bright golden sunlight. I guess I made a noise of some sort, because she turned her face and opened her eyes to consider me. She wore the smallest hint of a smile.
"Joey, you pervert," she said, amused. "I knew you wouldn't keep your eyes closed. I heard your breathing change."
I laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry, Anna. You got me. Guilty as charged, though in my defense I don't believe that it's fair to blame a dehydrated man for stealing water."
"Mm. Well, I suppose there's no harm in it, though I want it on record that you owe me one." She arched her back slightly, and stretched her arms high up above her head. "So do you like the view you've stolen?"
"You have no idea," I breathed.
"Poor Joey... been a while, has it?"
"Months and months," I sighed. "I'm wandering in a desert, far from the sea."
"Ugh," she made a face. "Fate worse than death. Well, since you now owe me for your deviance, make yourself useful and grab us some wine. It's hot out and I'm thirsty."
I clambered selfconsciously to my feet and slipped inside to retrieve the bottle from the fridge. Anna sat up and tucked her legs in; I tried not to stare at her breasts as I refilled her glass, but it was an uphill struggle, and I knew that she knew. Then I topped myself up, and sat down cross-legged on my towel. I stared out to sea, blushing furiously.
"Joey?"
"Yes?"
"You can look if you want to, you know. There's no need to torture yourself over it. I won't bite."
"Sorry, it's just... damn, Anna, your breasts are spectacular." I shook my head, helplessly frustrated. "They're really distracting. And I'm really struggling not to stare at them. Sorry."
She laughed deep in her throat. "I'm glad someone appreciates them."
"I can't believe you're single with a rack like that," I muttered. "I'd have thought men would be stacked up in a holding pattern outside your door."
"So... are they nicer than Julie's?" she asked, eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Much," I answered, meeting her eyes. "Hers were nice. Yours are a work of art. A da Vinci. Your breasts," I continued into absurdity, "are the Mona Lisa of cleavage."
"Mm," she answered. "While I'm not hundred percent on the comparison of my boobs to a five hundred year old woman, I appreciate the amusing comparison." She took a sip of her wine, and then leaned back into her deck chair. "So... tell me, Joey, why are you still single?" She frowned. "You're a sweet boy, and good looking... I'm surprised at you. I thought you'd be swimming in girls once you were eligible again. What's going on?"
"Honestly... I just didn't have the energy," I sighed. "I liked Julie, Anna. I didn't feel like going through all that again."
"I can sympathise." She sipped her wine, thoughtful.
"So why are you alone?" I asked, curious. "To be fair... I don't think I've seen you with anyone for years, Anna."
"Can't stand the complications," she murmured. "I want intimacy, Joey, not possession. Men in my line of work seem to be unable to get that simple idea through their thick skulls. I made a bad mistake and burned my fingers, and now to be honest I'm better off by myself. It hurts less that way," she added, staring at her wine.
"Speaking as a guy, the men you work with are idiots."
"Hah. That's just because you're my brother. I'm a handful, Joey, and sometimes I think it's best if I don't inflict myself on anyone else."
"Crap, Anna," I countered. "You're not a handful. You're a pretty normal, hardworking, levelheaded girl who's just hung out with the wrong bunch."
"Thanks," she sighed. "At least I know you think I'm normal." She glanced up at me. "Joey - be honest with me. Does this make you uncomfortable?"
"Does what?" I hedged.
"This. Me being topless like this?"
"Should it?"
"Some might say so."
"I'm not going to lie, Anna - it's a little weird, but not bad weird if you understand? Anyway," I continued, "we're at Elysium. There's nobody else here. I don't feel any pressing need to tell anyone else what either you or I do on our down time. Walk around naked if you want to, just warn me beforehand so I give you the privacy you need. Deal?"
"Deal," she murmured, sealing the bargain with a smile. "Tell me if that changes."
"I doubt it will," I replied. "After all, I'm the one getting the free floor show."
She laughed. "Joey Mackay, you are an inveterate pervert."
"Anna Mackay, it takes one to know one."
We sat in silence for a while, and I watched the grasses swaying slightly in the breeze.
Anna shifted. "So tell me about Julie?" she asked.
"Why?"
"Because I'm nosey. I was always curious about her."
"What about her do you want to know?"
"Was she good in bed?"
I lay back down with a sigh.
"She was ok, I guess."
"She looked like she was a firecracker." Anna frowned. "Looks can be deceiving I guess."
"She was a firecracker in temperament, maybe. She was pretty traditional with the lights out."
Anna snorted. "That's a shame. What a waste of a body like that." She lowered herself onto her side and pillowed her head on her arm. I guiltily looked away. "So... what did she allow you to do to her?"
"This is a strange topic of conversation, Anna," I murmured.
"I'm bored, and you owe me entertainment in exchange for these," she retorted, touching her left breast with a finger. "Besides... I love hearing kinky shit. God knows I don't get to do much of it myself. So let me live vicariously through your conquests," she grinned.
"I didn't have you pegged as a voyeur," I muttered.
Anna smirked. "There's lots about me you don't know, Joey. Now fess up. You get boobies, I get stories. Tell me all about that foxy little tart of yours. And make it entertaining."
"What do you want to know?"
"What was your favourite thing to do to her?"
A brief memory of Julie, squirming under me. "Eating her out," I murmured, softly. "She was always shaven, and scrupulously clean... I loved the taste of her, the feel of her."
"Mm. What about it did you like so much?"
"The feeling of her clit on my tongue," I answered after a brief silence. "Or... her clit between my lips. She loved that. It was the kinkiest thing she'd let me do to her."
Anna exhaled. "That lucky bint. God, there's nothing better than good oral..." She grinned at me, "That is, apart from great oral followed by a good hard fucking."
"No debating where your mind is today," I teased.
"I've gotta get my kicks where I can," she answered, seemingly sad. "It's been a while, you know." She reached out and picked up her wineglass, then levered herself upright so that she could take a long sip. "Wine's warm," she complained. "Ugh." She knocked the rest of the glass back, and then stood. "Want some more?"
"Not right now," I answered, shooting her a glance. "Honestly... thinking about her's got me a bit worked up, and I'd like to go swim again and don't want to do that with too much booze in me. Nobody around if we get into trouble, you know."
"Spoilsport," she replied, sticking her tongue out at me. "But you're right, of course. Just give me two seconds; gotta go powder my nose quick then we can head down."
She ducked in through the sliding door, and I groaned to myself. Talking had worked me up all right, but it hadn't been Julie's naked body I'd been imagining.
I sighed, reached down and adjusted myself, praying that my erection would subside before she returned.
.:.
Anna emerged, slightly flushed, and quietly pulled her costume top back on. "Tie it up for me?" she asked as she turned away, so of course I obliged her. I somehow managed to resist the urge to touch her more than necessary, but I'd be lying if I said it was easy. "Done," I murmured, and she turned and hugged me hard. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she murmured.
"Nah, never," I replied.
"Do you mind talking to me? About this stuff?"
"Of course not, Anna. You're my big sister, we're tight."
"I'm very tight," she said, softly. "I meant as in drunk, you filth," she retorted, seeing me draw breath to tease her.
"I wasn't going to say anything," I protested, grinning.
"Yeah, sure you weren't," she laughed at me. "Come on."
She held my hand as we walked down, and smiled at me as I helped steady her. "Joey, I'm way too drunk for the sea," she declared, giggling. "Jesus, that wine packs a punch."
"Hot day in the sun and not much in the way of food," I countered. "We were silly."
"Balls to silly. It's fun to be irresponsible with you."
"Right, so I'll be the adult then. Lagoon it is," I replied, and we staggered our way down to the waterline. Anna dropped her towel carelessly onto the sand, and ran out into the water. She leaped, arched, and pierced the surface like a spear, gliding out into deeper water before she broke for air. "God, Joey, it's bliss," she called out. "Move your arse and get in, slowpoke."
"Yeah, yeah," I called out. I put my towel down, and walked out through the lukewarm lagoon water to her. She reached out to me, and I pulled her in and lifted her, supporting her by the back and knees. "Happy?" I asked.
"Blissfully," she replied, hooking her arm behind my neck and drawing herself in closer. "Hold me here like this and I'll forgive you your pervy sister-watching earlier."
"Deal," I said, enjoying the feeling of her hip against my belly and the cool weight of her arm behind my neck. Anna closed her eyes and let her head float freely in the water; her hair forming a golden net around it.
"Joey?" she asked after a while.
"Yeah?"
"You're not pulling my leg, right?"
"About?"
"My breasts."
"Jesus, Anna, not a chance. I may not be the world's leading expert, but yours are incredible. You're incredible. "
She smiled and relaxed again. "I'm glad you approve of them."
"Feel free to let me approve of them some more, later, maybe," I murmured.
She laughed. "You're gonna burn in hell, Joey."
"Can't blame a man for appreciating the assets of a smoking hot woman."
She squinted up at me. "Mm. You're drunk."
"Yes, I am."
"Hah. Thought so. But I'll accept the compliment anyway."
"Good," I murmured.
I held her like that for some time, before she pulled free so that she could swim once more.
.:.
We reveled in the warm water and the slanting sunlight from the afternoon sun. It was lovely and uncomplicated; just her and me and nobody there to intrude on us. So we drunkenly built a sandcastle on a small dry area in the lagoon channel, a small one with hand-formed battlements and a sizable water-filled pond behind it in which we lay, listening to the waves and watching the sky darken as we had over so many holidays in our youth.
Anna dozed with her head against my shoulder, and despite my ongoing arousal from her proximity I felt strangely at peace with her there.
"Anna?" I murmured, eventually.
"Mm?"
"We should head back up. Gotta get supper on the go, after all."
"I guess," she replied. "Joey?"
"Yeah, Anna?"
"Elysium isn't right without you."
"It's not right without you either. Come on."
I stood, and helped her up. She wrapped her left arm around my waist and wormed in under my right as we made our slow, staggering way back up to the house. The evening felt cooler than normal, and I could see the goosebumps on Anna's arms.
"Cold?" I asked.
"Smuggling smarties," she answered, grinning. "Can't you see?"
I laughed. "I could, but I wanted to be polite and ignore them. Go shower, I'll get the fire going."
"Thanks," she murmured as she touched my shoulder, and then disappeared indoors.
I set the fire, and let it catch and build a decent bed of coals before I too climbed upstairs to my room, hunting a long-sleeved shirt to keep out the evening chill. I dragged on some long cotton tracksuit pants to replace the salty shorts that I'd swum in.
I could hear Anna in the shower, and I knocked on the bathroom door as I went past.
"Anna?"
"Yeah?" her voice came back, muffled by the door.
"Fire's going, I'll be outside."
"Righto, be right there," she replied. "Grab me a blanket, please."
"Will do."
I left a faded polartech blanket down on one of the deck chairs for her, and built up the fire with charcoal briquettes. The sun had dropped below the horizon and a cool land breeze had set in, wafting the smoke out to sea. I sat back on my deckchair, and watched the stars appear above me.
I heard a sound behind me, and turned around as Anna stuck her head out through the sliding door. "Is tonight a port night, Joey?" she asked.
"It is, indeed."
"Excellent," she purred. She emerged with bottle and glasses, and poured me a generous glassful. I, meanwhile, shook my head and laughed helplessly over the nearly sheer fabric of the skintight long-sleeved top that she'd elected to wear. It was pretty obvious to me that she was not wearing anything under it; her nipples were clearly visible under the fabric.
She grinned at me. "I thought you'd enjoy this."
"Be still my beating heart," I murmured, and she snorted.
"I could get used to the adulation, you know," she replied.
"Dressed like that, there's not a man on earth you wouldn't get it from."
"There's only one man on earth who's opinion I rely on, and he's drooling in front of me."
"Well, that man reckons that that top is bordering on scandalous. In fact, it's well past scandalous and out into the realms of pure pornography. The only way it could be more raunchy is if it was body paint."
"It's meant to. Boobs for words, Joey, and I mean to collect on your deviance. But it's too cold for me to go au naturel. So this gives you inspiration while preventing me from freezing to death."
"I'll take what I can get," I replied. "Believe me, I'm not complaining. Just observing."
"Observe away," she answered, grinning. "But I might start demanding forfeits if you don't deliver something raunchy in return."
"Anna?" I poked restlessly at the coals.
"Yeah?"
"Will you tell me if I make you uncomfortable? At any point?"
Anna shot me a strange look. "Given my outfit, I'm the one who should be asking that."
"I just don't want to step over any lines."
She put her head to one side, then smiled. "I'll tell you if you do." Anna sat down on her deck chair, and reached up behind her to pull her unruly hair into a straggly tail. She drew the blanket over her legs.
"How long till the fire is ready?"
"Just waiting for the coals to burn down. Cheers, Anna," I toasted her with my port.
"Cheers, poolboy," she chuckled. "To a glorious day of doing fuck-all in the prettiest place on earth."
"Amen."
The port was delicious, rich and tawny. Anna sighed out a long breath and settled back, her fingers curled loosely around the stem of her glass. "So," she breathed.
"So?"
"Thinking of what secrets I can blackmail out of you."
"Hah," I laughed. "I thought it was bribery, not blackmail."
"That too," she murmured. Her eyes twinkled in the firelight. "I'm just... worried, I guess. I don't want to spook you or push you too far."
"I'm a big boy, Anna. This is safe ground, you know that. Ask away, I won't take offense."
"Promise?"
"Promise," I murmured, meeting her gaze.
She drew nervous arcs in the air with her foot. "Tell me a secret."
"What kind of a secret?"
"Something dirty. Kinky."
"Mm. Here's one. I used to spy on your friends when they were sleeping over."
"I know," she grinned. "Kirsty Williams, right?"
"Yeah. She was hot," I replied. "I saw her in her knickers once."
"Bet that kept you going for a while," Anna murmured.
"Guilty as charged."
"I used to dare her to walk past your room. See whether we could get a reaction out of you. You used to blush and stutter at table when she was there."
"Guilty conscience."
"You also had your door closed fairly often." Anna's eyes glittered, amused.
"Why do you think I had a guilty conscience?"
Anna laughed. "She wanted to see you nude, you know. Kept begging me to make it happen." She shifted, and pulled the blanket further up over her. "Chilly," she muttered. "It's summer, it's not supposed to get cold here."
"Shift in the weather, maybe," I murmured. "Hope it's just for tonight. So why didn't you?"
"Didn't feel like being a pimp; I told her if she wanted to see you naked she'd have to do it herself."
"Nineteen-year-old Joey is cursing you right now, you know."
"Nah," she replied, "I saved you from her. She's a man eater, best she didn't get her hooks into you." She glanced up and me, then aside again. "So when did you first get laid, then?"
"First year university. Not much to write home about; I was too drunk to remember most of it, but I do remember avoiding her for the rest of the year, she was very clingy and wouldn't l
