When she stepped into the small police station, he was sitting, leaned back in a swivel chair chatting up a pair of police officers like they were old friends.

"Can I help you?" asked an older woman officer standing behind the counter near the station entrance.

"Hello, yeah, I'm here to bail out Graham Mercer." said Deirdre, gesturing shyly towards the big man holding court in front of his arresting officers.

"That guy's free to go." replied the counter officer in a tired voice.

In the same moment, Graham looked up to see Deidre standing in station lobby.

"Looks like my ride is here." said Graham, standing and shaking the officers' hands on his way.

He walked up to Deirdre and lifted her into a warm embrace. It was only the third time she'd met her husband's half-brother, and his presumptuous familiarity surprised her. True to Graham's reputation, he'd quickly found trouble on his way into town. Mike, Deirdre's husband, had a late shift at the hospital, so she came to bail Graham out. He set her down, noticing Deirdre's flushed cheeks as they separated.

"Alright kid, let's get going." he said, slapping her playfully on the ass. She let out a surprised laugh, catching the eye of the woman officer who gave Deirdre a judgmental look as she watched them leave the station.

"If you want me to give you a ride, I expect to be treated with more respect than that." said Deirdre, leading Graham through the parking lot to her car. Their feet crunched through the autumn leaves as they went.

"What, the ass slap? I was just kidding around." he replied. She shot him an annoyed look. "Okay, I'll be on my best behavior." He gave her an unapologetic grin and held her stare -- not breaking eye contact.

Wordlessly, she relented, shaking her head and betraying a slight smile. The stories that people always told her about Graham were that he was a charmer and a flirt, but Deirdre already knew that. She sat in the driver's seat and unlocked the door for Graham.

"You must have been chauffeuring my half-brother around." said Graham wedging himself into the cramped passenger seat. Deirdre waited a long time while the slow mechanism adjusted the seat to Graham's liking.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Graham took the opportunity to ogle his driver. She wore a white sweatshirt and matching pair of sweatpants which were tight around her hips. Her hair was big and pulled back in a ponytail -- still damp from a shower. She could feel his gaze pouring over her body and swallowed from nervousness.

"I'm surprised you're the one who picked me up." said Graham.

"Mike had a late shift." she replied.

"Right, but there are cousins or even the old man. You must have volunteered."

"We live close, and I was available."

"My mistake. I thought you might have some other reason, like first time we met." said Graham, a coy smile crossed his face.

"You're imagining things."

"I must be." His voice was sardonic. "Still, it's a pretty cute story -- how we met. You've been married for, what, six months? You must have told Mike by now."

Deirdre gripped the wheel tightly and didn't respond.

"Aww, I was only joking. You need to lighten up, kid." he said, hoping to placate her. "It's our secret."

--

It happened four days before Deirdre and Mike's wedding. She had already enjoyed her bachelorette party weeks earlier -- a respectable weekend in New York where she caught a couple Broadway shows with her bridesmaids. But some friends from work hoped to take her out once more before she got tied down. The coworkers, Sierra and Hazel, had the best of intentions, but they were running really late. Their group text debated whether or not they should reschedule the outing while Deirdre waited for them at an upscale hotel bar. She wore a shimmering black evening gown and pair of strappy four-inch heels that made her legs look amazing.

"Can I get you a drink?" Graham asked. Deirdre hadn't even noticed when the handsome stranger sat down next to her.

"Yes, I suppose." she answered. Her inclination was to always say no to such questions. Deirdre was never the type to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but the previous text from her friends emphasized that it was one of her last nights of freedom.

"The lady will have a -- You know what. I'm not going to presume to order. What do you want?"

"Oh, a white wine. Thank you."

The bartender asked her if the open vintage was satisfactory, and Deirdre was rattled by the question. She admitted that she had no idea, but was sure it would be fine.

"Not much of a drinker?" asked Graham.

"No, my friends dragged me out tonight. This is me being adventurous."

"So, you're not alone?"

"I am actually, it's looking like they won't make it after all."

He could sense Deirdre's growing comfort with him and, as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them, Graham took the moment to look her over. As she sipped her wine, she could tell his eyes were on the deep-cut V neckline of her dress. Her friends weren't showing up, but maybe this was what that night was supposed to be. In an uncharacteristic display of playfulness, Deirdre quickly darted her eyes towards him, hoping to embarrass the stranger by catching him looking at her cleavage.

She was certainly successful at catching him peering at her breasts, but he was not embarrassed. Graham slowly looked up and gave her a confident smile, causing Deirdre to blush.

"You have a ring, are you married?" he asked, observing the diamond band when she rested her arm on the bar.

"No." she wasn't, at least not yet. He hadn't asked if she was engaged, and she saw no reason to volunteer that information.

The two strangers quickly fell into a comfortable conversational rhythm. She finished her drink, then another while he talked her ear off. Graham could tell the charming woman was trying to keep personal details to a minimum. Pretty soon, Deirdre found herself leaning close to him and giggling at his increasingly flirtatious comments. Graham had even managed to slide his arm around her waist.

"You know, I was thinking I might go up to my room soon." said Graham.

"Really, and why would that concern me?" Deirdre replied in a conspiratorial voice.

"I was thinking you could join me, and I might see what you're wearing under that dress."

"Oh, bad luck for you then."

"Why's that?"

"It's humiliating to admit, but it's laundry day."

"And?" he asked in minor confusion.

"Is it possible you'd still invite me up, even though I'm not wearing anything under my dress." she whispered into his ear -- her voice low and breathy.

He leaned in and kissed her red lips as his hand slid down from her waist to her butt. Deirdre's heart was racing, and she thought to herself that it could be "Just this once." Her phone buzzed loudly on the bar top.

"One sec." she said breaking the kiss and leaning over to grab her phone. It was a text from Hazel:

We're here, where are you?

Her first instinct was to text back that she'd already left and then sneak off with the handsome stranger, but she didn't get the chance.

"DeeDee!" Deirdre's friends shouted in tandem. They spotted her sitting at the bar from the lobby and rushed over.

Deirdre quickly turned and stood up, giving her friends a saccharine smile.

"Dee, your lipstick is all messed up. You're gonna need to fix that before we hit the town." said Hazel.

Deirdre never looked back at her soon-to-be brother-in-law and her friends didn't seem to notice him. She left the bar, assuming that would be the end of it -- a crazy little almost-dalliance that came to nothing. Even though she tried to convince herself the encounter with the stranger was unimportant, Deirdre thought about it constantly.

In the following days, the kiss quickly became a bittersweet memory. The indecency of her reminiscences sent a wicked thrill through her body but, because the rendezvous ended abruptly and unfulfilled, she was always left with a deep sense of longing after.

Thanks to the hum of busyness that preceded the wedding, not even Mike noticed the daze which Deirdre was living in. Indirectly, she heard that Mike's brother Graham was in town for the wedding, but Graham no-showed for the rehearsal dinner and Mike was dubious that they would really see him on the big day.

The wedding ceremony went smoothly. Deirdre was teary-eyed and nostalgic -- remembering and appreciating the life she'd built with Mike over the three years they'd been together. As the wedding procession filed out and Deirdre clasped her new husband's hand in hers, she overflowed with optimism. That was, until she reached the final row of chairs. There sat the stranger, his eyes locked upon the dazzling bride.

Aside from a frightened look on her face and a little confusion when her husband tried to explain to her that this man was his brother, Deirdre survived the moment unscathed. Graham's presence affected her for most of the night. She avoided looking towards his table and drank more than she planned to compensate for her discomfort. At some point in the evening, she heard a rumor that the groom's brother left early with one of Mike's coworkers, and that was the last she saw of him.

--

"You're not in any trouble -- legally?" asked Deirdre. They had driven in silence for several minutes after Graham brought up their first meeting, and she was desperate to end the uncomfortable atmosphere that was mounting.

"The other guy was agitated and went after me. We were both arrested but, after dragging me to the station, the Keystone Cops finally got their facts straight." said Graham.

"So, you did nothing wrong?"

"Come on, you know me. Innocent as a newborn."

Graham's defining feature might have been just how easy he was to talk to. Even when he overstepped or said the wrong thing, he would simply flash his broad smile and make a joking quip and people seemed to forget they were ever upset with him. It was the reason Deirdre immediately liked him the first time they met, and the reason she still thought of him.

It really was stupid of her to insist on "helping out the family" by picking up Graham that evening, but he had an irresistible pull on her. She feigned outrage when he alluded to their first meeting, but there was nothing behind it. That evening was the moment over which she had obsessed for months, and maybe he thought of it too. Her prospects were paper thin, but she was an abject woman, indistinct from her unlikely hopes.

As Deirdre turned into her quiet cul-de-sac, she saw Mike's car parked in their driveway. It didn't make sense, but he was already home. Her selfish fantasy would be postponed indefinitely. She parked on the street and exited the car. Graham followed her up the midnight dark driveway. The lights inside the house were all turned off, aside from the small light eschewing dimly from the kitchen which was always kept on.

"This way." said Deirdre in a muted voice.

She led him around the side of the house and to the backyard. The ground was slightly damp and covered in the freshly dropped leaves of an old maple. A set of wooden stairs led to a large deck and the rear entrance of the house. Graham was about to climb the stairs when Deirdre grasped his large right hand with both of hers.

"Yes?" he asked. Graham knew the answer to his question. He could see it plainly in her pleading eyes, but he needed her to say it.

"I shouldn't, but maybe just this once. We could be together." She embraced him firmly as her body was shivered with nervousness.

Deirdre expected him to say no, that he would push her away and wake up her husband and tell Mike what a wretched woman he was married to. She held onto Graham as hard as she could, fearing his inevitable response. But he didn't push her away. He took her face in his hands and kissed her hotly. As their lips intermingled, Deirdre leaned back unconcerned about anything outside of meeting his lips and finally tasting him once more.

The pair overbalanced and slid down to the ground below. Graham had the presence of mind to shift his weight and avoid landing on top of her. He found himself, flat on his back, looking up at Deirdre as she laid on top of him. She was down in the mud and had leaves in her hair, but none of that mattered, she finally had what she wanted.

She lifted his shirt and feverishly trailed down his chest with kisses. By the time she reached his belt, she was frantic and unbuckled it with salivating impatience. When his belt was off and his jeans unzipped, Deirdre eagerly reached her hand in his pants and pulled his erect penis free. It was a cruel thought on her part, but she indulged herself. With Graham's large penis inches from her face, she now understood the source of the "half-brother" jokes which had long bothered her husband.

"He's not wrong." Deirdre thought as she ran her saliva-wetted lips along Graham's shaft. When she first met Graham, something uncoiled in her mind, and Deirdre spent the last six months feeling half-fulfilled by Graham's half-brother. But that night, her hunger would finally be slaked. She looked up, wanting to see her lover's expression while emphatically sucking his hard cock.

Suddenly, the pair found themselves bathed in bright light. Mike was awake and must have switched on the exterior light from inside the house. Deirdre and Graham clambered to the wall adjacent to the deck staircase. It offered them a dark corner to hide in.

They could see Mike from their hidden vantage. He was still inside the house looking out at the deck and didn't seem like he just witnessed his wife spitting on his brother's dick. Deirdre was very turned on and took Mike's unconcerned expression as a good enough reason to start again. She took Graham's erection in her right hand and began to masturbate him, all the while keeping an eye on Mike who was still peering out the window. Not one to shy away from a risky situation, Graham reached his under her sweatshirt and pulled down her bra and grabbed her breast.

She let her head fall back against his chest, and he leaned down and kissed her neck while teasing her hard nipples beneath her shirt. Deirdre turned to meet his lips and, as they kissed, she took down her pants and underwear about halfway down her hips. The tender flesh of her bare ass was exposed to the cold air, and Graham couldn't help himself, slapping her right ass-cheek, hard. The sound cut through the still night.

"Shh. If you're going to get us caught, I at least want to get fucked first." whispered Deirdre.

She continued to watch Mike as he stared out the windows. He now looked curious, she was sure he heard them. But that didn't stop her from leaning against the dark edge of the railing and presenting herself to her new lover. She looked back at Graham and swayed her hips. He took his cock and put it between her legs, grazing it along the damp edge of her vagina. Deirdre's body quivered -- begging for him to penetrate her. She looked back towards the windows, but Mike was gone. In that very moment, Graham pressed the entirety of his length inside of her.

"Ah!" she moaned, unable to keep it in.

Graham held her hips in his strong grip and repeatedly drove himself into her. She felt exquisite but managed to stifle her moans -- instead letting out low, pitiable whimpers. Because of Graham's thrusts and Mike's apparent absence, Deirdre allowed herself to be pushed forward. She now hung slightly over the railing, her face peeking in and out of the light in the tempo of their sex. The door slid open. Deirdre dashed backwards and tucked herself in the dark nook between the staircase and wall.

The two of them waited and listened, keeping very still. They could hear faint footsteps approaching them and stopping about halfway across the deck. Deirdre was in agony, waiting crouched against the side of her house. She was close to her orgasm and wanted terribly to finish. Eventually, the footsteps headed back towards the house, and they heard the telltale sound of the back door sliding shut.

Deirdre didn't wait. She got down on all fours and stuck her ass out toward Graham. He got on his knees and penetrated her sopping vagina. His thrusts pressed her into the ground, smearing the cold grey mud on her clothes and hair. As his intensity increased, her breaths became quick and jagged. She did a commendable job keeping her voice down, considering the incredible pleasure she felt building inside of her. But that didn't stop the crude sounds of their bodies colliding as Graham fucked her faster and harder.

Deirdre's quaked as the devastating orgasm overtook her. With her tensed face shoved against the ground, the smell of clay and leaves intertwined with her pleasure. Deirdre's mind, wild with ecstasy, formed a new memory for her to cherish. As she finished her climax, she slipped forward separating her from her lover. With her body still humming with pleasure, she turned and took his dick in her hands. Graham's erection was now dripping with her fluids. He got to his feet, and she leaned forward and licked the head of his cock, massaging its base with her soft fingers.

Graham's breathing sped up and she knew he was getting close. She sucked on his penis, making sure to tease her wet lips upon the sensitive its sensitive tip. She looked up at him and then past him and used her free hand to pull up her sweatshirt. Deirdre twisted her hard nipples, putting on a show for their enjoyment. Graham's body began to stiffen.

"I can tell you're close. Do you want to come on my tits with this big dick?" she said, rubbing him vigorously. He nodded in agreement, thinking that she somehow looked even better with the smear of mud on her pretty face. "Good boy."

Deirdre smiled and rolled her hands along his well lubricated dick at an accelerating pace. He grasped the nearby railing and his body went still, and then, he erupted. Deirdre held tight and slowed her hands as his pulsing red cock spewed warm white jets of come onto her breasts and her neck and her hair.

He groaned deeply as he ejaculated, unashamed of his pleasure. When Graham finished, Deirdre kissed and licked the come dripping tip of his penis for a long time before standing up. When she finally did, Deirdre casually turned and walked up the stairs, pulling up her mud-caked sweatpants as she went.

"I'm going to shower and go to bed. You two can fight over who sleeps on the couch." said Deirdre, passing her dumbstruck husband who stood on the staircase.