What My Brother-in-Law Whispered to Me at the Table

Mariela looked at herself in the mirror in her room and knew, with calm certainty, that that dress was going to cause trouble. It wasn’t vulgar. It was fitted in all the right places, short just enough, and it clung to her hips in a way no man in the family could ignore. She turned halfway and studied herself over her shoulder, pleased with the curve the fabric drew.

—That skirt again? —Beatriz, her mother, appeared in the doorway with her arms crossed, though there was no real severity in her voice.

—What’s wrong with it? —Mariela smiled, still looking at herself—. I like how it fits me.

Beatriz came in and stood behind her. The two of them shared the same silhouette: narrow waist, wide hips, that inheritance of women who attracted attention without trying. Her mother adjusted a lock of hair and looked at her in the reflection with a mix of pride and warning.

—What’s wrong is that half the family is downstairs, and you know the effect you have. Don’t play innocent with me; I was the same at your age.

—Was? —Mariela arched an eyebrow, amused—. Mom, you still make other women’s husbands forget what they were saying.

Beatriz let out a low laugh, one of those laughs that recognized the truth without quite admitting it.

—Behave yourself, that’s all I ask —she said, giving her hip an affectionate pat before leaving.

Mariela stayed a moment longer. Behave myself, she thought. The idea seemed boring. She went downstairs knowing perfectly well who would be waiting below, and exactly how he would look at her.

***

The patio smelled of charcoal and meat over the coals. Uncles, cousins, neighbors: the usual family gathering, with the long table dressed in a white tablecloth and plastic cups scattered at random. Mariela greeted an aunt who hugged her warmly, and while she returned the embrace with her back to the house, she knew they were watching her from the kitchen.

Inside, Beatriz looked at her brother Ramiro with narrowed eyes.

—I know that look —she told him—. You were checking out my daughter’s body.

—I’m not going to lie —Ramiro raised his hands, guiltless—. She takes after you, Bea. Simple as that. I remember how the boys from the neighborhood didn’t want to leave the house, and it wasn’t because of the food.

Beatriz wanted to be offended, but half a smile escaped her.

—You’re shameless.

—I’m honest. There’s a difference. —Ramiro moved closer to the window—. And look, I’m not the only one. Check out your son-in-law.

Beatriz followed his gaze. At the far end of the patio, Tomás, the husband of her eldest daughter, had stopped paying attention to the barbecue. His eyes were fixed on Mariela, on the way the dress moved when she walked.

—Oh, Tomás —Beatriz murmured, more amused than scandalized—. So proper-looking.

—Everyone looks proper until they stop looking proper —Ramiro said, and there was something in his tone that made his sister glance at him sideways.

***

Mariela sat down beside Tomás with a plate in her hand. They were at one end of the table, far enough away to talk without anyone hearing them.

—You look incredible today —he said, bluntly.

—You think so? —She held his gaze while taking a bite—. My mom says I’m asking for it.

—Your mom’s right. That dress should be illegal. —Tomás lowered his voice—. You’ve made things difficult for me all afternoon.

Mariela felt the heat rise up her neck, but she didn’t look away. For months she had noticed the way he looked at her at every gathering, the way he lingered a second too long when he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. And if she was honest, she had encouraged it.

—And my sister? —she asked, just to test the waters.

—Your sister’s asleep on the couch. The pregnancy leaves her exhausted. —Tomás leaned in slightly—. I’m not going to lie to you, Mariela. For a long time now I’ve been thinking about you more than I should.

—That’s wrong —she said, but she was smiling when she said it.

—Very wrong —he conceded—. Do you want me to stop?

Mariela set her fork down on the plate. She looked around: no one was watching them, the barbecue smoke covered everything, the voices blended into an easy murmur. She was twenty-four years old and knew exactly what she wanted.

—No —she answered softly—. I don’t want you to stop.

Tomás swallowed. Now he was the one who seemed nervous.

—Then come into the house in five minutes —she said, standing up calmly—. Upstairs bathroom. If you dare.

And she walked away, feeling his gaze burn into her back with every step.

***

In the kitchen, Beatriz had seen everything through the reflection in the glass. She saw her daughter stand up, saw Tomás freeze for a moment, saw the path each of them took.

—They went upstairs —she said, not quite knowing why she was saying it out loud.

Ramiro stood behind her. They were alone in the kitchen, the rest of the family scattered across the patio.

—And does that bother you? —he asked.

Beatriz thought about it. She expected to feel indignation, the weight of what was proper. Instead she felt something else, a warmth she recognized from long ago and had spent years pretending not to remember.

—It should —she admitted—. But my daughter’s grown. She knows what she’s doing.

—Just like you did at her age —Ramiro said, and this time his voice was closer, almost in her ear.

Beatriz went still. She felt her brother’s body a breath away from hers, his heat against her back. These were things that were never said, never done, things that lived in the silences of family gatherings like an underground river.

—Ramiro —she said, without turning around.

—I’ve spent my whole life looking at you, Bea —he murmured—. And I never touched you. Not once. But today, I don’t know, seeing you there…

She closed her eyes. Outside, the voices continued, oblivious. Upstairs, the silence of a closed door.

—Once —Beatriz whispered, more to herself than to him—. And no one will ever know.

***

In the bathroom, Mariela had barely closed the door when Tomás reached her. He took her by the waist with both hands, looking at her as if he still couldn’t believe it was happening.

—Tell me you’re sure —he asked.

In answer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was a hungry kiss, from months of restrained glances, and Tomás answered by pulling her against him. He traced her back, slid down to the curve of her hips, and drew her to his body. Mariela felt how much he wanted her and a shiver climbed up her thighs.

—Lift my dress —she told him in his ear.

He obeyed slowly, sliding the fabric upward, revealing the curve of her ass barely covered by a black lace thong. Tomás went breathless.

—God —he murmured, running his hands over her—. You have no idea what you do to me in this.

—I have a pretty clear idea —she smiled, and kissed him again.

Tomás gently turned her until she was facing the sink. Mariela braced herself on the edge and arched her back, offering herself, looking at him through the mirror. He leaned over her back, kissed her nape, her shoulders, while one hand slid between her legs and confirmed how much she wanted him too.

—You’re soaked —he said, his voice rough.

—For you —she answered, without shame—. For a while now.

He moved the lace aside and sank his fingers into her wetness, slowly at first, then more firmly, while Mariela spread her legs a little more and let out a broken moan. Tomás looked at her in the mirror, turned on by seeing her so surrendered, and made her turn just enough to kiss her mouth hungrily. Mariela undid his pants with impatient fingers, slipped her hand inside, and felt the hard, hot cock throbbing in her palm.

—You’ve spent the whole time thinking about putting this in me, haven’t you? —she whispered, stroking him with her hand.

Tomás closed his eyes for a second.

—Ever since I saw you come down those stairs —he admitted—. I haven’t thought about anything else but putting my cock in you and making you scream.

Mariela let out a short, excited laugh, and sat on the edge of the sink without letting him go. He moved her thong aside, positioned himself between her thighs, and brushed the head of his cock against her entrance, pushing just a little, just enough to draw a gasp from her.

—More —she asked, digging her fingers into his shoulders—. I want to feel all of you.

Tomás obeyed slowly, entering her centimeter by centimeter, clenching his jaw while she took him in with a deep moan. When he was inside her completely, he stayed still for a moment, breathing with her, feeling the tight heat of Mariela’s pussy close around his cock.

—Fuck… you’re perfect —he growled.

—Move —she ordered, already trembling—. Don’t make me wait.

He began to thrust into her with a firm rhythm, short at first and then deeper and deeper, making the sink creak under the weight of his body. Mariela threw her head back, planted one hand on the wall and the other on Tomás’s nape, pulling him closer to kiss his mouth, bite his lip, devouring him while his cock filled her again and again. The wet sound of their bodies mixed with the distant murmur of the party, and that turned her on even more.

—Like that, like that —the young woman panted, looking at Tomás in the mirror while he fucked her with a rhythm that grew firmer and firmer—. You have no idea how much I wanted this.

—Since the first time I saw you in that dress —he replied, out of breath—. I couldn’t think about anything else.

Mariela straightened, wrapped one arm around his neck over his shoulder, and turned her head to kiss him while they stayed joined. The kiss was clumsy, urgent, full of the electricity of what was forbidden. Tomás squeezed her breasts over the dress and then slid his hand down to rub her clit with his fingers, trying to make her lose control faster. Mariela shuddered, her legs already weak, and opened her knees wider on the edge of the vanity to let him go deeper.

—I’m going to come —she warned him between gasps—. Don’t stop now, please.

—I’ve got you —he murmured—. Let go.

Tomás changed the angle, holding her by the hips and fucking her from below, drier, rougher, making Mariela bite the back of her hand so she wouldn’t scream too loudly. Then, without pulling his cock from her pussy, he leaned in to kiss her neck, sucked on her skin, and spoke in her ear with ragged breathing.

—That’s it, let me see you come. I want to feel how you squeeze me when you cum.

Mariela gave a cry and her body went into a long, violent spasm, her skin prickling, her hips trembling against Tomás’s hands. He held her until the wave passed, kept moving inside her, slower now, helping her squeeze the last shudder from the orgasm before he began to lose control himself. A few seconds later he tensed, drove his cock all the way in, and came with a muffled groan, flooding her pussy while pressing her against the sink.

They both stayed motionless, breathing hard. Mariela still had her legs open, feeling the warm semen overflow inside her, and Tomás rested his forehead against her back as if he never wanted to move again.

—This can’t happen again —she said, though her smile said something else.

—No —Tomás agreed, smoothing her hair—. Until the next family gathering.

***

In the hallway, Beatriz straightened and smoothed her dress with slightly trembling hands. Ramiro hugged her from behind for a moment, the two of them silent, knowing that what had happened would be sealed between them forever.

—Do you regret it? —he asked.

Beatriz turned and held his face with one hand. She looked at him for a long moment, her brother her whole life, the best-kept secret of them both.

—Not at all —she said—. But nobody knows about this. Never.

—Never —Ramiro promised.

They separated just in time. The bathroom door opened and Mariela came out first, cheeks flushed, her dress perfectly back in place. She crossed paths with her mother in the hallway and for a second the two women looked at each other, understanding everything without saying a word.

—I told you, Mom —Mariela murmured as she passed, with a mischievous smile—. I take after you.

Beatriz watched her go downstairs toward the patio, toward the barbecue smoke and the carefree voices of a family that would never suspect a thing. She let out a low laugh, shook her head, and went down after her daughter to keep pretending, as always, that nothing ever happened in that house.