A Family Affair Ch. 02

*****

Claudia was tired but in good spirits when she got home that evening. After long weeks of arduous work, she had finally crunched the numbers for the expansion out west. The branch office in St-Louis would be as profitable as Francesco's market research suggested. She would meet with him and Riccardo in the morning to prepare the file they would present to Matteo for final approval.

She smiled at the delicious smell which greeted her when she opened the door, then looked at her watch with a frown when she saw Sofia asleep on the couch. It was 11:00pm. Late, but not unusual for her.

The young woman was wearing one of her Boston Celtics jerseys with a black thong. 'Damn she looks good.' The breast half out of the arm opening looked enticing.

She shook herself. This was her eighteen year old cousin.

Kneeling beside her, she caressed her long dark brown hair tenderly before kissing her forehead.

"Sofia." She whispered. "You'd be more comfortable in your bed, sweetie."

"What? Oh! Hi, Claudia. What time is it?"

"Time for you to go to bed."

"I prepared some pasta for you. It's in the oven to keep warm, but I'm not sure it'll still be good."

"It'll be perfect, I'm sure. Now, come on. Let's put you to bed."

She gently pulled her cousin up and guided her to her room. Turning down the covers, she tucked her in. After kissing her forehead again, she stayed sitting on the side of the bed, looking at her.

"Sleep well, honey." She whispered, more to herself than to the young woman.

*****

The days followed a similar pattern for the rest of the week. They'd get up early, spend an hour in the room Claudia had equipped as a gym, shower, eat breakfast and drive to work before the morning rush hour. Claudia worked through the day without even a lunch break, and Matteo or one of the other brothers, would drive Sofia home where she'd prepare something for her cousin who arrived around 9:00pm.

They'd talk about anything but work while she ate and until she was ready for bed, getting to know each other.

Friday evening, Matteo and his brothers staged an intervention and kidnapped their sister from her office at normal quitting time for supper at his place to celebrate the completion of the St-Louis project. It would be in Riccardo's hands to implement over the next several months.

His wife, Maria, gushed over Sofia after slapping her ass for assaulting her husband in public. She pulled her in the kitchen, letting the family congratulate themselves for taking the business one step further.

"How do you like it out here?" She asked her. "It must be quite different from Texas."

"The city itself, not so much. Cement and steel, traffic and crazy pedestrians are pretty much the same all over. What I'm finding tough is getting used to the cold. This time of year, I wear shorts most of the time at home."

"Really? It'll come soon enough. How are you doing at work?"

"I like it. It's quite a challenge working for Cousin Claudia, and I'm only learning the basics yet. I hope I can be up to her standards."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, dear. You won't be. Nobody is. Do the best you can and it'll be more than enough. She respects people who work hard."

"So everyone at work says. They all like her."

"She's a good person. Strong-willed, temperamental, bossy... Well, you get the point. What she is also is a good woman with a big heart. Moreno and Sons is more than a family owned business. These people you hear fooling around in the living room care about their employees as if they were family too."

"I'm beginning to see that. I'm glad... I'm happy to be here."

Maria embraced her as she would one of her children. She had heard some of her story.

"We're happy to have you too. You're welcome among us for as long as you... like." She almost said 'need'.

*****

After supper, Claudia gave her sister-in-law a hand with cleaning up. She loved her dearly. Like Matteo, she has seen her grow from a rough and tumble tom-boy to a beautiful accomplished woman. In a way, Maria was like a second mother to her, having, more than once picked up the pieces when she got her heart broken.

Being a lesbian, she couldn't go to her Mama with some things. She had accepted her when Claudia came out to the family, but she was still a woman from another generation.

"How's it coming along with your cousin?" Maria asked.

"Surprisingly well." Claudia told her. "After a rough start, we patched things up. I find that I like having someone around who's not demanding like a girlfriend, you know. Someone I can just talk to about nonsense things. Like the different kind of panties we prefer, our favorite shampoo and conditioner, how we'd like to slap men who can't look us in the eye when they talk to us, stuff I could never talk to my brothers about."

"So you've adopted yourself a kid sister."

Claudia was quiet a long moment, looking toward the living room where Riccardo was telling his young cousin about the touchdown pass which had won his high school team the championship. She smiled at how Sofia listened attentively. She had missed so much, being an only child.

"I guess we all have." She said softly. "Ricky's found a virgin audience for his football stories."

"Good." Maria laughed. "Lord knows we've heard them often enough."

They talked about the kids until they were done. Maria held Claudia back before they joined the rest of the family.

"You be careful, sweetie. She's awfully young, and she's your cousin too."

"Oh, I know that, silly. Don't be such a mother hen. It's not an issue anyway. Marco said she was flirting with all the men when he and Riccardo took her to the docks to show her the operations. She's as straight as they come."

"Be that as it may, I don't want to pick up the pieces of your broken heart again. You still haven't gotten over The Bitch." Claudia's ex's name was never spoken out loud within the family.

"I have, mother. I swear. I don't even remember her name."

"Oh, yeah?" Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Just hand it over."

Reluctantly, Claudia did as asked. No one in the family refused Maria's orders.

"Ah ha! I knew it!"

"No! I was going to do it! I swear!"

Maria handed back the cell, minus her ex's contact information.

"Now it's done. You won't have to agonize over it anymore." The older woman pulled Claudia into a loving embrace. "You have to move on, dear. There are plenty of women out there worthy of you who'd love to have a chance to get to know you."

"I know, Maria. I'm just not ready... Soon, but not yet."

*****

The ride home was a quiet one. Sofia could tell something had happened, but she didn't want to intrude in her cousin's personal life.

"Was Cousin Riccardo really such a good football player?"

"He was a local sports hero all through high school. I'm sure he could have made it to the pros, but he preferred working over going to College. As soon as he graduated, he started full-time. He says he'd rather have fun with the boys than risk getting injured every week. Papa brags that he's the best Operations VP the company ever had."

"They sure have lots of fun on the docks. He and Marco know everyone by name."

"They know their wives and girlfriends' names too. They send birthday cards to all of them, their kids too. Wait until you see the company picnic in July."

"I really like it here. I wish..."

"Yes, kid. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. You don't have to go back to Texas if you don't want to. I already talked to Matteo. You have a job at Moreno and Sons every summer and after you graduate, if you're interested."

Sofia would have hugged her cousin, but she settled for putting her hand on hers... for the moment.

"Thank you, Claudia. You're the best."

"You're welcome." Claudia said simply. She didn't trust her voice not to betray her. Sofia's hand on hers awakened emotions she had thought dead forever.

*****

After a heated debate from one room to the other as they changed in their bedclothes, they settled on a common favorite.

While Sofia heated some popcorn in the microwave, Claudia put the DVD in the player. When Brad and Angelina were sitting in the marriage counselor's office, telling him how they met 'five or six years ago' in Bogota, they were sitting at each end of the couch, a beer in hand, with the popcorn bowl halfway between them.

Nearly two hours later, they were sitting side by side, clutching their third beer as the heroes, wounded and trapped in the bullet ridden garden shed decided to go out in a blaze of glory, preferring to die together rather than being separated.

Both had tears in their eyes and wide smiles when Brad told the marriage counselor to ask them the sex question and flashed a ten.

"That was the best finale since 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'." Claudia stated unequivocally.

"Butch who?"

"Are you kidding? It's only the best movie of 1969. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are in a similar situation, except they face an entire Mexican army regiment. Needless to say they don't end up talking about their sex life after. By the way, they're in a threesome with Katharine Ross, a gorgeous woman."

"Never heard of it. I'm not that old, you know?"

"Are you saying that I am?"

The ensuing friendly tussle ended with Sofia across Claudia's thighs, her thong pulled between the crack of her ass, being spanked. The older woman expected that a few slaps would be the end of it, but her cousin surprised her by showing no sign that she wanted her to stop.

Once she had reddened her cheeks, Claudia caressed them before giving her a pat to send her to the kitchen for another batch of popcorn while she set the classic DVD. When she reached for two more beers in the fridge, Sofia took an innocent step back so she would have to brush against her on her way to the couch.

When she joined her, Sofia didn't say anything about her cousin's thighs pressed close together, nor about her hard nipples or the flush coloring her neck and chest. She simply set the warm bowl directly on her crotch and lifted her arm around her shoulders so she could lean on her.

She didn't see the famous scene. She was asleep in what had become her favorite position.

Claudia watched the blank screen for a long time.

With a trembling hand, she shook the young woman gently. Sofia knelt on the couch, rubbing her eyes, while her cousin tried desperately not to stare at the firm breast which had fallen out of the basketball jersey she had adopted. When Sofia leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips, her bare nipple brushed Claudia's arm. Neither mentioned it.

That night, Claudia did something she hadn't done in a very long time. She locked her bedroom door and opened her bedside table's drawer. When she reached for her favorite toy, it was wrapped in one of Sofia's red silk thongs.

*****

The next morning Claudia shuffled, puffy red-rimmed eyed and groggy from lack of sleep, to her gym room. She groaned when she saw the reason for her sorry state all sweaty from working out on the weight machine, still in her bedclothes.

She was at the door, on her way back to bed, when Sofia reached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Aren't you going to train with me?"

"No. I don't feel like it this morning."

"Why are you wearing your gym clothes then?"

"Why aren't you?"

Claudia tried to shrug off the hand touching her, but she could only make a half-hearted effort.

"I... You're..." Unsure if she hadn't overstepped her bounds irrevocably, Sofia wrapped her arms around her cousins' waist, pressing her overheated body against hers. She was encouraged by the soft moan she heard, but it could mean anything. She didn't even know if Claudia was bi, let alone if she liked women, particularly given her lack of reaction to her seduction attempts the night before.

"Don't, please. You're my cousin."

"So? Ever heard of kissing cousins?"

In a Hail Mary move, Sofia moved her hands up to cup the older woman's breasts. Either Claudia reacted the way she wished or she had shot her last chance to hell.

With a cry, Claudia threw her off and ran to her room, locking the door behind her. From where she stood in the corridor, Sofia could hear her gut-wrenching sobs.

She had blown her only hope at happiness.

*****

Father and son were eating breakfast, talking animatedly about the trip to the sporting goods store they would take after baseball practise when Matteo's cell rang.

"MATTEO! SHE'S GONE! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I SHOULD HAVE... SHE'S GONE, MATTEO!"

"Slow down, sis. Who's gone? What happened?" As he was talking, he signed to Maria that she would have to take Leonardo to the park. This sounded important.

"It's Sofia. She took one of my duffels and packed a few clothes. She left her key on the dresser. She's gone!"

"Okay. Where are you now?"

"I'm driving around the neighborhood. She can't have more than an hour's lead. I was... It's my fault! It's all my fault! I should have... I shouldn't have..."

"She has a crush on you and you think you did the wrong thing by pushing her away?"

"How...? How did you know?"

"Poor Claudia, even a blind man could see she's in love with you. And Maria told me how you pined for her last night. What happened?"

"She came on to me... Hard. That's what happened. I thought she was straight. I... I didn't expect it."

"You say an hour. Do you think she could have taken a bus to the airport?"

"The credit card's a fake. Her creep of a father didn't give her a penny, only a one-way plane ticket. She only has a little money she saved up."

"So scratch the plane. What about the train or the bus?"

"Those aren't cheap either for such a long distance, although she may have booked a seat to get out of the metropolitan area. She's Moreno enough to try to hitchhike her way to Texas."

"She may be a fighter, but she can't be that crazy... Wait a sec. I've got Marco on call waiting... Yeah, brother, what's up? She did...? Well, I'll be a... No, it's perfect. Allentown, you say? Thanks. I'll let you know the details later... Claudia? She wheedled a ride to Texas with one of the cousins who's driving to Laredo."

"I should never have shown her how to access the trucking schedule. How long ago did they leave?"

"Thirty minutes ago. You were a bit off with your estimate."

"He can't have gone far on I-78. I can catch up with them."

"Don't kill yourself or risk getting pulled over. The dock manager didn't fully buy her story, so he called Marco, then sent him a text. He's going to stop at a truck stop near Allentown and wait for our instructions. It's exit 57. Go South on Leigh. There's a Papa John's and a McDonald's. They'll be in the McDonald's by the time you arrive. Do you want to pick me up?"

"No, but thanks for the offer, it's my mess and I'll clean it up myself. I owe you, brother."

"Let's call it even for all the times you saved my bacon and leave it at that. Let me know how it turns out."

"I will. Bye."

*****

Claudia sat in her sports pick-up, parked in front of the company truck, thoroughly embarrassed.

After crying herself to hiccups, she had reached for the cream-covered dildo she had slept with, cradled between her breasts, and pushed aside Sofia's red thong to masturbate to repeated orgasms. When she finally stopped, exhausted, she had come out of her room as she was, ready to face the consequences of her unnatural urges, only to find Sofia gone.

She had searched the apartment desperately before coming back to her cousin's room where she found her drawers open, a few t-shirts and panties missing. The Larry Bird jersey neatly folded on the bed and her key on the dresser.

In her panic, she had put on the basketball top Sofia had slept in for days, slipped on the first pair of sandals she saw and grabbed her wallet and keys without another thought than the woman who had pieced her broken heart together in such a short time was gone.

When Matteo gave her directions where to find her, going home to change had been the furthest thing from her mind. It was only when time came to go into the fast food joint that she realized she was almost naked.

She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw her cousin walk down the lane of parked trucks, coming her way. She gave a silent prayer of thanks for her stubbornness which had made her buy the oversized truck instead of the more sensible one her brothers insisted she get. At least Giovanni wouldn't be able to see inside the truck.

Sofia hesitated when she recognized her through the windshield. To her credit, it was short lived. She took a deep breath (which did all sorts of wonderful things to Claudia's nether regions) and continued.

"Hey, cousin, thanks for taking care of her."

"No problem. She's all yours now. If you ever want a ride for real, kid, let me know."

"Sure thing, but I'm afraid I'm going to be tied up in her dungeon from now on."

"There could be worse things." He laughed, then climbed in his rig.

"Wait a sec. I have to get my duffel bag."

"Forget the bag. Get in here."

"You don't understand. I really have to get it. Trust me."

Sofia caught the luggage Giovanni dropped to her, made her way to the passenger side door and climbed in. She stopped short, one foot in and the other one still on the running board, when she saw Claudia.

"What? You never saw someone who was so worried she picked up the first thing she found before running out of the house"

Sofia stared at the full-figured body wearing only the thong she had seen last when she wrapped it around her cousin's dildo, and, from the looks of things, toy and panties had seen some serious use. A deep breath confirmed what her eyes told her.

"Is this a fashion statement?" She gestured at the jersey which was loose on her, but somewhat tight on Claudia, given her generous bust which overflowed at the low neckline and through the wide arm holes. She couldn't miss the large nipples visibly hardening under her appreciative gaze.

"Can we talk about this on the way home?" Claudia could see the triumphant expression on Sofia's face. Given the decision she had come to earlier, she found that she welcomed it.

Throwing the duffel bag on the back seat of the king cab, The young woman would have sidled to Claudia's side if she hadn't stopped her with a thumb cocked in the direction of their cousin who stared at them with a wide grin.

"Let's not give this truck driver any more reason to gossip."

"On the contrary, let's give him plenty. I owe him for the ride and for waiting for you."

Sofia crawled on hand and knees to reach Claudia faster and threw her arms around her neck. Their kiss left nothing to the imagination, to their cousin's glee. She was discreet though, as she slipped her hand inside the famous number 33 jersey and fondled the breasts she had fantasized about for so long.

The older woman was just as passionate in her response. After caressing Sofia's breasts, her hand was on her way to its ultimate goal when Giovanni interrupted them by blowing his air horn. When they looked at him with huge smiles, he pointed down the lane where a group of truckers were sauntering their way. After blowing him a kiss, Claudia started the engine and drove away.

As soon as they were on the highway, she set the cruise control to the accepted limit for trucks or she would have put the pedal to the metal in her hurry to arrive home.

This left her bare thigh free for her passenger to caress. She felt obliged to return the favor.

The young woman slowly, sensuously took off her t-shirt and bra. After fondling her breasts, she put on the tight cami she retrieved from her bag. She might as well be naked for the little it covered.

"We're going to give the neighbors quite a show when we get to the building." Claudia quipped.