Sylvia's Mother Ch. 13

"We'll have to be careful how we act around each other," Karen warned as they walked back down the path toward the road.

"Why?" Jason asked. He was aware things between them had changed, but he wasn't sure exactly how, and he really didn't understand why Sylvia's mother was so worried about it.

Karen stopped walking and turned to face him. "My darling, you're young, and you've had so little experience," she said. "I'm concerned that you and I won't be the only ones who notice that a change has taken place in our relationship. People who have...strong feelings...for each other give off signs of those feelings, even if they don't think they're doing so."

"You mean you think Sylvia or Brenda might notice something different and figure out what we're doing?" Jason asked. He found that prospect a little scary. He was sure the girls would go ballistic if the found out he was making love with their mother.

Karen nodded, her face very serious. "It's entirely possible that they'll notice something's different about us if we aren't careful," she said. "It may sound sexist, but women seem to notice things like that more often than men do." She shrugged. "Actually, I'm more concerned about Brenda noticing than Sylvia. Sylvia is all wrapped up in herself - and Paul - and most likely wouldn't notice if the roof fell in on her. Brenda's always been very perceptive, though. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she noticed."

"Oh, darn," Jason said. "What can we do?"

"All we can do is be very careful to not let our feelings for each other show," Karen said. She shook her head slowly. "I should have thought about this before I let anything happen. Now I'm afraid it's too late."

"OK," Jason said. "I'll try to be careful." Silently he vowed to be on guard about showing his emotions, especially when Brenda was around.

They started walking again and, before much longer, came out on the road behind the cabins. They turned and started back for the Dooley cabin, walking side-by-side.

"Ah...Karen...can...can I ask you something?" Jason said. He felt his face getting warm and knew he was blushing.

Looking puzzled, she glanced over at him and asked, "What would you like to know?"

"Ah...I...I was wondering how...how old you are," he stammered. His mother had always told him it was impolite to ask a woman her age, but he wanted to know how old Karen was and couldn't think of any other way to find out other than asking.

Sylvia's mother laughed. "I'm thirty-seven," she replied. "I would assume that makes me almost twice your age, doesn't it?"

Jason nodded. "Sorta, I guess," he said. "I'm eighteen, but I'll be nineteen in a couple of weeks. I was sick when I was little and started school a year later than most of the kids in my class."

"I see," Karen said. "That might explain why you seem so much more mature than so many of the other boys Sylvia's brought home over the years."

Jason was barely aware of Karen's comments. He was lost in thought. "Thirty-seven isn't really that old," he mused. "I mean, sure, she's almost twice my age, but she doesn't look it. Maybe if I grew a beard I'd look older." Then the reality of what he was thinking sank in. "Jesus! What am I thinking?" he asked himself, shocked. "She's married! And she has two kids and one of them is my age! Just because she said she cares for me doesn't mean she's going to dump her husband for me."

"Jason, are you still here?" Karen asked.

"Ah...what?" he replied, snapping back to reality.

"You kind of went away on me there for a minute," she said, smiling. "What were you thinking about?"

"Ah...I...I was just thinking about how neat what we just did was," he replied. He was afraid to tell her what he'd actually been thinking.

"I asked you if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight," she said. "Hopefully both of the girls will get home at a reasonable time. I don't feel like cooking and I thought eating out would be nice."

"Ah, sure, I don't mind," Jason replied.

They got back to the house and, since they didn't know when Sylvia or Brenda would be coming back, took separate showers and changed into clean clothing.

Sylvia's mother was coming out of her bedroom at the same time Jason was and, when he saw her, a smile formed on his face and his eyes widened. "Wow!" he said softly. She had on a snug fitting bright yellow tank dress that clearly displayed every curve her lithe, lovely body had and ended about half-way down her slim, tan thighs. He couldn't see any bra or panty lines and assumed she was once again without underwear.

Karen blushed a little and returned his smile. "I assume your comment means you like my dress?" she asked.

"I think it's gorgeous," he said. Then, without knowing he was going to say it, he added, "Or maybe you're what makes the dress gorgeous."

"Thank you for the compliment, my darling," she said. "But remember what I told you earlier. You can't imagine how wonderful it makes me feel to hear your compliment, and see that look on your face, but you really have to watch yourself when the girls are around."

"I know," Jason said, taking a step toward her. "But they're not here yet, are they?" Boldly, he pulled her into his arms and clamped his lips on hers. Their tongues lashed and, as the kiss wore on, they groped at each other's bodies. He confirmed his speculation that she wasn't wearing underwear.

Finally, panting and red-faced, Karen tore her mouth from his, stepped back out of his arms, and stood there, looking at him wide-eyed. Her nipples, hard as rocks, had jutted out of the bodice of her dress. "My Lord!" she said softly, sounding overwhelmed. "I...I don't believe I...I've ever been kissed like that before!"

"Me, either," Jason said. He was finding it difficult to breathe and was shaking a little.

"We...we have to be careful...so, so careful..." Karen whispered.

Just then they heard the door open downstairs. "Mom, are you home?" Sylvia called.

"I'm up here, Sylvia," her mother replied. "I'll be right down." She turned to Jason and, very softly, said, "Let me go downstairs first." She looked down at his middle. "After you've...ah...calmed yourself down...you can come down stairs."

"Ah...yeah...OK," Jason said.

Sylvia's mother headed on downstairs and Jason went to the bathroom and managed to reduce his swollen penis by applying folded washcloths soaked in cold water to it. When it was no longer as stiff as a steel bar, he went downstairs and found that not only had Sylvia come home, so had Brenda. Unfortunately, Sylvia had brought Paul with her. He was sitting on the arm of the sofa, next to Sylvia. He was wearing a blue and white striped tank top and cutoff jeans that showed off the muscles in his arms and chest. That he was there didn't really bug Jason too much, but the fact that he was openly staring at Karen, who sat in a plush chair opposite the sofa did; it bothered him a lot.

"Mom says Paul can go out to dinner with us," Brenda announced, looking a little smug.

Jason wasn't exactly sure why she did stuff like that. Did she want to make him feel bad? Two days ago her comment, and Paul's presence, would have destroyed him. Now it didn't really matter. He could have cared less what Sylvia did, or who she did it with. "Sound good to me," he said and smiled inwardly at the confused look that appeared on Brenda's face when she saw that he wasn't upset.

Paul gave Jason a disdainful look. "How ya doin', Jethro?" he asked. "How come you ain't been hangin' around with me and Sylvia? We been having a lot of fun. You're missin' out on a heckuva lotta good times."

"My name's Jason, and I have been enjoying myself," Jason replied calmly. "I'm just not big on climbing mountains and stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, from what Sylvie, here, says, I kinda figured that," the other boy said. He smirked at Jason. "You sure as hell ain't the athletic type, are you? What is it you do? Debate, or something? What kind of geek shit is that?"

Jason felt a surge of anger. Paul was everything he had always hated: smug, egotistical, and crude. And he probably had money, and would wind up having an easy time of life.

"Enough!" Karen said, frowning. She stood up. "I think we should get going."

Sylvia and Paul drove in Paul's jeep, a bright red one with huge tires, chrome wheels, and a chrome roll bar festooned with lights. Jason, Brenda, and Karen took the family's station wagon. Jason got to sit in the front seat, with Karen, while Brenda wound up in the back seat.

Karen took them to a small Italian restaurant located in a resort town not too far from the cabin. They were seated in a booth and again, Jason got lucky. He and Karen sat on one side of the booth, while Paul, Sylvia, and Brenda sat on the other. The restaurant was cozy, and the lighting was dim. After the waitress took their order, Paul and Sylvia babbled to each other about all the fun they'd been having running around the woods and boating and swimming and stuff, and Brenda was telling her mother about the training she was getting at the stables.

Jason sat there, listening, feeling more than a little left out. He almost jumped when he felt Karen's hand fall on his leg and give him a squeeze. He had a pretty good idea nobody else at the table could see what she was doing, and if that was true, then they couldn't see him if... He dropped his hand into her lap and found that, because her short skirt had ridden up when she slid into the booth, his fingers were lying on the warm, silky skin covering her leg.

They kept caressing each other surreptitiously while Sylvia's mother continued to talk to Brenda, and Paul. Jason didn't feel at all left out any more. Just when things seemed to have settled down, a big, ruddy-faced man wearing wrinkled khakis and a bright yellow shirt that had an alligator embroidered on the front walked into the restaurant. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, his graying hair was cut short and the shirt showed that he was beginning to get a bulge just above his belt. He looked around and focussed on the table where they were sitting. With a wide smile on his face, he started toward the table.

"Karen, I never expected to see you here!" the man said. He had a rich baritone voice that caused other people in the restaurant to turn and look at him when he spoke.

Jason looked across the table and saw Brenda rolling her eyes and looking disgusted. "Who is this guy?" he wondered.

"Duke, how are you?" Karen replied. She had kind of a half-hearted smile on her face.

"I'm a hell of a lot better now that I've seen you, babe," the man replied. His eyes surveyed her boldly. "Damn, Karen, you look good enough to eat in that dress! If I was your old man, you wouldn't be going out in public looking like that."

Karen blushed and didn't say anything, but Jason did notice that she removed her hand from his leg and that made him feel a little disheartened. "I should have known something like this would happen," he thought glumly.

"How about I join you?" Duke asked. Without waiting for an answer, he slid into the booth next to Karen. "How come you're not on your way home?" He looked around. "Hey, where's Miltie?"

"Milton had to go home because of some problems at work," Karen replied softly. "We - the girls and Jason and - I decided to stay a little longer."

The fact that Duke had joined them in the booth meant she was pressed a little tighter against Jason. Normally, that would have suited him just fine, but the fact that Duke was pressed against her on the other side didn't please him at all. "Why the hell did that asshole have to show up?" he thought bitterly.

"Milton tell you I got a new sailboat?" Duke asked. "She's a real beauty. A forty-footer this time." He winked at Karen. "Sleeps six. You oughta see it, Karen. Got lots of deck space so you can lay out there and get a tan and all. Deck's real wood too, teak. You gotta see the finish on it. Damn stuff shines like it's under glass."

"It...it sounds nice," Karen said.

"It's fantastic," Duke replied. "Say, seeing as how you're stuck here with the kids, why don't you come over tomorrow? I'll take you for a sail, show you how nice it handles. She's really a sweet-handling craft. Has lines almost as good as yours." He winked at her again. "You got a bikini, don't you Karen?" he went on. "That's the cost of admission for good-looking women. They gotta have a bikini." He chortled. "The smaller the better, really. And they gotta be wearing it to come aboard." He grinned across the table at Sylvia and Brenda. "Same thing goes for you, two, girls."

"Duke, it's nice of you to invite me," Karen said, "but, well, we have company and all and..."

"Company?" Duke asked. He looked around. "What did you do, leave them back at your cabin?"

"Ah...no...Jason, here, is visiting us and..." Karen began.

Duke leaned forward, smiled at Jason, then he sat back. "Hey, he and the girls can come along, too," he said. "You girls have bikinis, don't you? Jesus, what girl doesn't? Right?"

"I don't, Mr. Mack," Brenda replied, her voice dripping with venom. "And besides, I've got things I have to do."

Jason smiled across the table at Brenda. He was starting to like Sylvia's sister. He was starting to like her a lot.

Brenda's sharp reply caused Duke's cheery façade to fade momentarily, but he brightened right up. "You've got a bikini, don't you Sylvia?" he said. "Wanna come for a ride on my boat with your mom and me?"

"Can...can Paul come along?" Sylvia asked. It was clear from the look on her face that she was thrilled by the idea.

"Sure, sweetie," Duke said. He chuckled. "Paul, you don't have to wear a bikini, though."

Their pizzas arrived and, since Duke was there, Sylvia's mother invited him to eat. Everybody was quiet while they ate, except Duke, who kept talking about his boat and all the fun they were going to have on it, waving his arms, and spraying bits of food all over the table while he did. He kept insisting that Karen - and the girls - had to join him on his new boat the next day and said he wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

He kept talking, even after they finished eating but, Jason noticed, their unwelcome guest didn't make any effort to pick up the check.

While Duke continued to babble about his boat and tell Karen how much fun they would have when she went out on it with him, they managed to get out of the booth and leave the restaurant. Duke was parked closer to the building than they were, and kept Karen at his car, talking, while Paul and Sylvia got in his jeep and left. Brenda and Jason, who both were more than tired of hearing Duke, walked to the Dooley's station wagon to wait for Karen.

"That man is such an incredible asshole!" Brenda snorted as they walked across the parking lot.

"Yeah, he sure is. Is he some kind of friend of your parents or something?" Jason asked.

"He and Dad go fishing sometimes," Brenda said. "Actually, it's probably more accurate to say they go drinking in a boat sometimes. What pisses me off is that he wants to get in Mom's pants and he's so sickeningly obvious about it." She looked at Jason carefully as she said it.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that's what he was up to," Jason replied.

"You don't really give a shit about Sylvia, do you?" Brenda asked, surprising him.

"What?" Jason replied. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if somebody I cared about had invited me to go to the mountains with them and then dumped me for someone else when we got there, I'd either be pissed or depressed," Brenda said. "When Paul showed up, you sure didn't seem any more pissed than he usually makes people, and I haven't noticed you acting too depressed, either. Until..."

Jason, who was watching Sylvia's mother and Duke talking on the other side of the parking lot didn't realize Brenda had stopped in mid-sentence for a few seconds. He turned and looked at Sylvia's sister. "Until...until when?" he asked.

Brenda, who had a knowing look on her face, grinned at him. "Until Duke showed up," she said. "What's going on? Do you have a crush on Mom, Jason?"

Jason felt his face getting warm, knew he was blushing, and was glad they were in a dimly lit part of the parking lot. "What do you mean, do I have a crush on your Mom?" he asked.

"Well, you and she have been spending a lot of time together," Brenda said. "And she is pretty. Personally, I think she's a lot prettier than Sylvia."

"Yeah, me, too," Jason thought.

"You should have seen the look on your face when Duke the Puke showed up, too," Brenda continued. "You looked like you lost your best friend or something."

"The guy's a real jerk," Jason responded. "He spoiled the whole night."

"How come, because he kept Mom tied up all night talking to her?" Brenda asked. "Come on, Jason, I'm not stupid. I can see that something's going on."

Jason decided to try another tack. "Ah...so...so what if I do have a crush on your Mom?" he asked. "That's kinda my problem, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Brenda admitted. She paused and a thoughtful look formed on her face. "You know, now that I think about it, Mom's been acting a little funny this weekend, too. I mean, she gave in a lot quicker when I asked if we could stay than she usually does. And she isn't all over Sylvia about bringing you and dumping you for Paul the way I figured she'd be and..."

"Maybe your mother knows Sylvia's going to do what she wants to do anyhow," Jason said. He desperately wanted to change the subject. Karen was right, Brenda had a lot more insight and maturity than her big sister did.

"Yeah, but before this, she'd have probably grounded Sylvia for doing the shit she's been doing," Brenda said. She opened her mouth, as if she was going to pursue her line of questioning, when Jason interrupted her again.

"Your Mom finally got away from that guy," he said. "Here she comes."

Karen walked over to the car and, by the time she reached it, the two teenagers were already inside. She slid behind the wheel and started the engine. "I don't believe that man," she said as she pulled out of the parking lot. "He just won't take no for an answer."

"So does that mean you're going over to go for a ride on his new boat tomorrow?" Brenda asked from the back seat. When Jason turned and looked at her, Sylvia's mother shrugged.

"I tried to tell him I couldn't, but I'm not sure he heard me," Karen replied. "I...I'm not sure going is such a good idea, but Duke is so insistent and..." She shook her head. "We'll have to see."

Jason wasn't sure what her response meant. Did she really want to be with Duke? After all, he was an adult, and all. He wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure how to, especially with Brenda in the car, so he stayed silent, as did the car's other two passengers, for the remainder of the ride home.

"I'm beat, I think I'm gonna go to bed," he announced the minute they were in the house. He ran upstairs, to his bedroom, stripped off his clothes, and climbed into bed. As he lay there in the darkness, all he could think of was Sylvia's mother, lying on the deck of a sailboat in a bikini, while Duke leered at her. And, as the upsetting images continued to play through his mind, tears filled his eyes.