My Friend's Dirty Uncle

“Of course. Have I ever let you down?” I heard Kristi say, before she called back to me. “Hey, is it okay if I go out tomorrow with Justine? She wants to go shopping and show her cousin around a little. I thought it would be fun,” she mentioned casually, like it was no big deal.

It was strange that Kristi was asking me, as she had never asked for permission before. Was she dropping a hint, somehow or other? Had she caught onto my real motives?

But my niece’s expression was casually innocent. Besides, I wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity.

“How about I give you a ride tomorrow?” was my nonchalant offer.

“Sure thing,” Kristi chirped, innocent as an angel. “Thanks!” she added before bounding out of sight and leaving me on my own. Slowly, I made my way to my room, shutting the door and sitting on my mattress. Because was I really scheming to meet up with the beautiful Dani again? A girl my niece’s age who’d likely just graduated from high school, young and pure?

But the memory of those soft curves pressed against my hardness and the sweetness of her mouth drove everything else out of my mind. Because I had to see the beautiful Dani again … even if this was wrong.

Chapter Five

Dani

“Oh my god, I can’t believe you! I leave you for ten minutes and when I come back, you are making out with Hunter Maddox!” Justine crowed with delight as we made it back to her car on the street.

“You know who he is?” I asked as I climbed into the car.

“Who, Hunter? Everyone knows who he is. He’s prime real estate around here. I can’t believe you kissed him! He’s so hot, Dani!”

I touched my lips. If we hadn’t been caught, I would have thought it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a figment of my imagination.

“How did it happen? You have to tell me everything!” gushed my cousin.

“I honestly don’t know. I can’t really explain it. We didn’t really talk.” I tried to replay our conversation, but our steamy kiss was all I could think about. All the words jumbled in my head, as if they’d happened, but I couldn’t remember. If Justine hadn’t come, who knows what would have happened?

I paused. “Justine, who is this Hunter Maddox person?”

She giggled.

“Hunter? Just the most eligible bachelor in like, the entire United States. I’ve only known him for as long as I’ve known Kristi, but the man is legendary. Big heartbreaker in high school, even bigger heartbreaker now.”

“Did he go to school with you?”

“Oh no, he didn’t. He’s almost forty.”

I gasped. Forty? I was only eighteen! I’d known that he was older than me, but I was surprised he was that much older. “What was he doing at a high school party?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “That seems weird and desperate.”

“Oh gross, he’s not like that,” Justine prattled, as she started the car and turned down the highway back to the house. “He’s Kristi’s uncle. He lives two hours away but comes over during the summer to visit Kristi and her brother. Plus, he has a business or something.”

I took a deep breath, calming down. So he wasn’t some creepy stalker. “Oh, so he was supposed to be there. I get it.”

“I actually don’t really know,” said Justine airily. “Kristi mentioned a few weeks ago that he was going to be in town, but it’s not like we expected to see him or anything. Hunter doesn’t hang out with us, he’s forty, like I said. It’s just that he stays at their house when he’s in town.”

“Oh,” I said in a small voice.

“Kristi and Aaron basically send the summer doing whatever they want. Their mom always disappears for a few weeks, so they’re essentially on their own. Their uncle is supposed to watch them, sort-of, but he’s busy too. The Maddox Media empire is pretty large after all. Besides Kristi and Aaron are pretty old, so it’s not like they need a babysitter or anything.”

“Maddox Media? That sounds familiar,” I said, brow wrinkling as Justine turned into the street where her house was.

“No shit, it’s the biggest media company around. You know the TX network? They’re in charge of that. Hunter’s like, a billionaire,” Justine added in a hushed voice. “It’s totally nuts! Every woman’s trying to land him.”

The TX Network was one of the most popular channels on TV and hosted a variety of popular shows. I wasn’t much of a TV person, but even I knew this network, what with its hits in the last couple years.

“Oh my god,” I said, as Justine parked her car. “I could tell he was rich, but that’s really crazy.”

“See? Prime real estate,” she said as she got out of the car. I followed her into the house. “He’s super rich and super cute! A perfect combination if you ask me.”