Dear Prudence

"I know that," Gregg continued, "but somehow it just seems different this time."

"Could it be," Brooke silently thought to herself, "that this time, people are going to see you with me and say, wow, she's with him."

"It's supposed to get a little cooler tonight," June said as she reappeared with a white wrap for Brooke's shoulders. "You might need this."

"What would I do without you," Brooke said, thanking the thoughtful woman.

"Let me get that," Gregg said as he took the cover from the older woman and draper it around Brooke.

"I guess we'd better get going," Brooke said as she felt Gregg's strong arms wrap around her for a moment.

"You two have fun," June said as she opened the door for them. "You can tell me all about it on Monday."

Living alone, Brooke had no need for a full time housekeeper. June had a family of her own and went home to them every night and on weekends.

"Now, this is nice," Brooke said as she looked at the late model Porche 911 Coupe parked outside of her building.

Gregg quickly turned off the alarm and opened the passenger door for Brooke. A friend had an earlier model of the same car, so she knew just about what something like this cost.

"It's nice to see that you're enjoying some of your success," Brook said as she settled into the plush leather seat, giving Gregg a view of her rounded breasts as they strained against the top of her dress.

"Actually," Gregg said after a moment's hesitation. "it's Mom's car. I have an Escort, but I really didn't think it would be as much fun pulling up to the Awards in that."

"One of these days, you're going to have to sit down with a lawyer of your own and figure out exactly where all your money has gone," Brooke thought as Gregg walked around the car to the driver's side. "It's a pity it's not really my place to suggest something like that."

Much to Brooke's relief as they moved through the half full streets, Gregg was a very careful driver. Normally, you put an teenager his age behind the wheel of a high powered car like this, and the first thing that goes out the window were little things like traffic regulations and speed limits.

In no time at all, they were pulling into the large parking lot of the hotel where the National People's Awards Banquet was being held. Gregg was a little nervous when the red-jacketed attendant took the keys and roared off with his mother's car. It was obvious that the parking lot attendant didn't have his sense of caution when driving a car like that.

"Don't worry about it," Brooke said to him as she took his arm in hers. "The car will be fine."

Unconvinced, he followed her lead and walked past the long row of onlookers and through the even nosier gauntlet of reporters and photographers that framed the door of the hotel. They both said a few forgettable comments to the outstretched microphones, moving inside as quickly as possible.

"There are times I really hate reporters," Brooke said as they made it to the relative quiet of the hotel lobby.

The younger man nodded his head in agreement, not really knowing why. He knew that if it had been his mother on his arm, she would've talked to the press until they ran off in search of more important game.

"Brooke, darling, how nice to see you again," a feminine voice called out from the couples left.

Both of them turned to see, Kate Douglas, the star of "Angie O'Neil", coming towards them. She made a big show of giving Brooke air kisses on both cheeks and telling her it had been much too long since they'd had a chance to get together.

Actually, it had been forever, Brooke thought. Aside from a few appearances at Network functions, she barely knew Kate.

"And who's your charming young friend?" Kate asked as she turned her attention to Gregg.

Brooke couldn't help but think that the look on Kate's face was similar to that of a lioness who'd just been presented with fresh meat. It was no secret that the forty-four year old had a thing for much younger men. No so much of a thing that she'd bring one of her boy toys to a public function like this. The initial impression that Brooke had been that adventurous was what had drawn her to them when she'd spotted the two of them walking in.

"Oh don't you know, Gregg Newman?" Brooke said in her sweetest voice. "He plays my son, Carter on the show."

"My, I didn't recognize you," Kate said, her tone loosing some of the enthusiasm it had held a moment before. "You look so grown up, not like we see you on the screen every week."

"He's eighteen, Kate," Brooke said, wondering why she felt the need to say something like that.

"Is he now?" the longer haired redhead said, her eyes now displaying renewed interest.

"Of course," Brooke said in a tone that gave warning that Gregg wasn't a new piece of candy for Kate to devour. "I'd never come to a dinner like this with an escort that might send tongues a wagging. After all, who'd want a repeat of the Angela Foster affair?"

Two seasons ago, Angela Foster, star of the now canceled and best-forgotten "Highway Patrol" had showed up at the dinner with a heavy set Hispanic woman. She turned out to be, of all things, part of the actual California Highway Patrol. The fiction was that she had brought her to the dinner as a thank you for some professional advice about her role. That hadn't held up too well when later in the evening, the two of them had been found in a state of semi-dress in one of the restrooms. They had been locked in, at the time of their discovery, a very graphic display of Sapphic love.

"No, who'd want a thing like that?" Kate repeated, remembering that Angela's career had tanked within twenty-four hours after pictures of the two of them had hit the tabloids. Some things were best kept private and out of the public eye.

"Well, maybe we'll see you later," Brooke said as she led Gregg away.

"She seemed nice," Gregg remarked as they made their way to their table.

Brooke didn't answer, just smiling instead. She knew however that given the chance, Kate would've been more than happy to show Gregg how nice she could be. A quick image of a half-naked Kate on her knees, with Gregg's cock in her mouth flashed through her head. If it wasn't for the fact that Kate would've lost all interest in him the minute she came, Brooke didn't think that might've been such a bad thing after all.

There were over fifty different shows represented at the dinner, and someone had gotten the idea of arranging them according to the last ratings. As a result, the cast of "Dear Prudence" found itself in the middle third of the ballroom, which wasn't a bad place to be, as far as seating went. You were close enough to pay attention to what was going on up at the podium if you wanted, and still far enough away if you wanted to ignore it.

Harry Hamilton sat at the far end of the table, along with is wife of thirty-two years, Alice. Normally a rather plain woman, she was a living example of the maxim that if you have enough money, anyone could be made to look good. The dress alone she wore cost more than most of the hired help around them made in a year.

Magazines liked to run stories about how theirs was one of the longest running marriages among TV actors. It usually got a mention when some other marriage came apart.

If they'd bothered to dig a little deeper, they might've come up with a much more interesting story to tell. Almost from the time Harry had gotten his first big break and moved to California, the future All American Dad figure had been involved in one indiscretion after another. It had finally got to the point where it seemed that the only woman not sharing his bed was his wife.

A fact that no longer bothered Alice at all. Soon after her own arrival in what the preacher back home had warned her was a modern day Sodom and Gomorra, the dark-haired girl had discovered an overwhelming interest in the members of her own sex. It was an attraction that she would've hardly been able to pursue in the small community they had grown up in and one in which she had never wavered in since.

Also at the table was nineteen-year-old Paige Harrison, accompanied by her live-in boyfriend, Stick. He was a drummer in what Rolling Stone had described as an up and coming rock band. Six months before, she had almost created a major scandal by appearing nude on the cover of the band's first CD. Thankfully, the Label that was putting out the disk was a subsidy of the same parent company that produced Prudence. They pulled the jacket before it could be shipped and substituted another in its place. It wasn't so much that she was nude that concerned them, after all many actresses appeared in the buff these days. It was the fact that she was simulating oral sex on the drummer that they objecting to. At least the assumption was that she was simulating the act.

The designer ensemble she had picked out for the evening made Brooke's seem almost chaste. In Paige's case, she hadn't bothered with a bra, built in or otherwise. Everyone at the table had a clear view of those big nipples that had driven a generation of young teenage boys wild.

"Where's your Mom tonight, Gregg?" Harry asked as Brooke and Gregg took their seats.

"She's not coming," Gregg said, a touch of satisfaction in his voice.

"Now there's a reason to celebrate right off the bat," Paige cut in.

It was no secret that she and Juliet had a conflict predating that day she and Gregg had been caught playing doctor in the dressing trailers. Even though there had never been a repetition of the episode because Paige had come to the conclusion that cute as he was, Greg was too much of a Mama's Boy for her tastes, the hostility had continued. Most of it had centered on the idea that the show's producers spent too much time advancing Paige career at the expense of her son's. Which was total nonsense as everyone connected with the show knew. It anyone had come out of the sitcom with a bright career ahead, it was Gregg Newman.

The night proceeded pretty much as everyone expected, with all the most popular shows getting most of the awards. With only five years behind them, the bare minimum to at least have some worth in syndication, "Dear Prudence" wasn't going to get the recognition that many longer running shows got when they reached the end of their runs.

The cast members talked about their plans for after the show. Paige was going on tour with her boyfriend's band as lead singer. Harry was planning an extended vacation, without his wife. She made it clear she was more than happy for his planned extended absence. Brooke was just going to take it easy for a while. And Gregg, well Gregg was going to star in a new film called Teen Vampire. He'd done a few Made For Television Movies during previous summer hiatus, but this was his chance at the big time.

Before you knew it, the night was coming to a close. All the awards had been given out, and the television crews were packing up their gear. Harry was the first to say goodnight, leaving his wife behind to take the studio limo home. By the time she got there, he would undoubtedly have his manhood already buried in the eighteen-year-old pussy of his latest groupie.

Paige and her boyfriend were off to a late night party, one that they invited both Gregg and Brooke to come to as well. She promised Gregg that if he came alone, she'd make sure one of her friends rocked his world.

Brooke left it up to Gregg, who politely declined the invitation. It'd been a long day, he said, and he was a little tired. Paige was tempted to point out that it had been just as long a day for all of them, but then let it pass. Some people, she thought to herself, were just meant to lead boring lives.

With everyone leaving at more or less at the same time, it took quite a while for one of the attendants to bring around Gregg's car. It was one of the reasons that most people made use of the studio cars. Those that did, were already on their way.

The same driver who had parked the car turned out to be the one who brought it back. While Gregg gave the car a quick once over, making sure there where no marks that he'd have to explain to his mother, Brooke slipped the young man a tip. It wasn't, she thought, the type of thing that Gregg might remember.

Finally satisfied that the car was in the same shape in which he'd left it, Gregg opened the passenger door for Brooke who slipped inside. She heard the attendant, who was watching her dress ride up her legs, whisper, "caliente mama."

A smile filled her face as Gregg closed the door behind her. "Hot mama" indeed.

The streets were a lot more open than when they'd traveled them earlier in the evening. It took only half the time for Gregg to reach Brooke's beachfront condominium.

After he walked her to the door, she asked if he'd like to come in for a few minutes. June had gone home hours ago, and she really hated going into an empty house alone.

Stepping inside, Brooke quickly punched in the code for the alarm system, an action that simultaneously turned on a number of lights. Gregg insisted on going in first, which Brooke let him do.

"Would you like something to drink?" Brooke asked as she went straight to the bar. It had been a long time since she'd gone to an event and drank only non-alcoholic beverages. She deserved a nightcap, she told herself."

"Mother says I really shouldn't drink." Gregg said, realizing that she wasn't talking about the soda he'd drank before.

"Well Mama isn't here," Brooke grinned as she poured her drink and then held the bottle over an empty glass, waiting for her guest's reply.

"I guess one drink wouldn't hurt," the dark-haired young man finally relented.

"That's the spirit," Brooke laughed as she filled his glass.

"This is really a nice place," Gregg said as he looked about the large apartment. "One of these days, I hope I can have a place of my own as nice as this."

"Well if there's one thing I can say," the redhead laughed. "I might not have had the best choice in husbands, but I certainly had the best choice in divorce lawyers."

The condo, along with a very generous cash settlement, had come from husband number two. No one was exactly sure how much that was, or why exactly her ex had been so willing to make a quick and private settlement to their marriage. The prevailing rumor was that he had been gay, or that he'd been caught with someone underage. The truth was something far different and to Brooke even a little comical. To Lance Brannigan, star of a dozen action films, the truth had been a lot worse.

Unlike marriage number one, where her husband had indeed been cheating on her with a girl in his office, husband number two had been faithful. In a town where image was everything, he had a secret that would destroy the one he had spent so many years building. Simply put, the Man of Iron, as he was sometimes billed, was a man of straw. The action hero was no hero in the bedroom. No amount of patience or instruction on Brooke's part seemed to make a difference. When other things went sour in their marriage as well, he was willing to do most anything to keep that little secret out of the public record.

"What shall we drink to?" Brooke asked as picked up both drinks.

'To a really wonderful evening," Gregg said as he took his glass from her and held it up, looking at the amber liquid within.

"And the company that made it such a good evening," Brooke added as she tapped the edge of her glass against his, before talking a large swallow.

Gregg followed suit, immediately gagging as the fiery liquid burned his throat.

"Easy, honey," Brooke said, patting him on the back. "This is all new to you. Just take little sips."

Regaining control, Gregg did just that, only letting a small taste past between his lips. This time, he managed to handle it much better.

"It was a fun evening," Brooke said as she put her now empty glass back on the countertop. "I really had a good time."

"Me too," Gregg agreed as he put his glass next to hers. A glass still half full.

They stood there for a long moment. Gregg looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead looked down at his watch.

"It's pretty late," he said when he saw the time. "I guess I'd better get going."

"If you want," she responded, thinking that it was hardly late at all.

She walked Gregg to the door and was about to open in when she felt him stop. Turning to look at him, she saw the same look on his face that had been there before he looked at his watch.

"Gregg, is there something that you wanted to say?" she asked.

His face turned red with embarrassment, causing Brooke to wonder what could cause such a reaction. Finally, gathering up his courage, he said what was on his mind.

"I was wondering if, ... I mean I wanted to ask if it, ... if it was okay if I gave you a kiss goodnight?"

Brooke almost laughed but managed to keep from doing so. It was such a charming moment.

"Oh course you can kiss me goodnight," she finally replied. "What sort of date would I be if I denied a nice young man like you such a simple gift."

A bright smile on his face, Gregg leaned forward to bring their lips together. His kiss was soft and warm, Brooke thought, just as a young man's should be.

As their lips pressed together a second time, Brooke's eyes opened wide as she felt Gregg's tongue slip between her lips, pressing against her own.

Her first reaction was to put a stop to it here and now, but something held her voice. It was after all, just a kiss. Was it so much to let him have a moment's enjoyment.

A heartbeat later, Gregg took an action that couldn't be ignored. The touch of his hand upon her breast caused her to call out his name in surprise.

"Gregg!" she cried out. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" Gregg said as he pulled away from her. "I wasn't thinking, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do?" she repeated. "Gregg, I'm old enough to be your mother!"

"I've never thought of you like that," he quickly added. "old I mean. I've always been so attracted to you, spent so many nights thinking about what it would be like to be with you."

"I don't know what to say," Brooke answered. "Haven't you ever been with a girl your own age?"

"I've never really been with any girl," Gregg said surprisingly. "Mother always told me that if I was with a girl and something happened, it could damage my career."

"Not to mention loosen the hold she has on you," Brooke thought as she looked into his eyes and saw a mixture of both sorrow and longing.

A few months back, when Gregg had turned eighteen, Harry Hamilton has told her what he really would like to do for the kid is take him out for a night on the town and get his ashes hauled. Brooke had talked him out of it at the time, assuring the actor that she was sure a good-looking kid like Gregg had no problem in that department. Now she wasn't so sure that might not have been a good idea after all.

"Gregg, honey," she said in her most reassuring voice. 'I'm not angry at you, but you have to realize that it really wouldn't work out between the two of us. Think about it a minute, I'm twice your age. What kind of relationship would we have? You've seen the way the tabloids tear people in our business apart. Your mother is right in that aspect at least, much as I hate to admit she's right about anything."

"I really never thought about having a relationship," Gregg admitted. "I just thought about me and you doi..."

He paused in mid-word, realizing that the way he was saying it felt so cheap and dirty.

"You just thought about you and I having sex?" Brooke completed his sentence.

"Not sex, making love," Gregg corrected her. "I wanted you to be my first. You've always been so nice to me. Always making sure that I was part of everything. You helped me with my acting, teaching me all the things you've learned. I love you so much, I just wanted it to be you."