then.
The flat land and track homes whizzed by him as he headed North on the highway, hundreds of other cars racing along beside him as he surged through the rush hour traffic. What was really bothering him, he realized, as he cut through the winding hilly slopes of San Francisco, was the kids. Laura kept telling him that they'd come around, but so far all efforts on his part to make friends with them had failed. And Laura wasn't really much help in that department. Several times he'd tried to persuade her to go on a family outing with them… but she always protested, saying how much more she preferred being alone with him! Even dinner now at the house usually meant just the two of them, for the children had taken to eating earlier and going off to their rooms. They seemed to feel ill at ease in their own house.
He had to do something about it. Even though Laura was a lovely, charming woman, he had to admit that she did not seem to be the best mother in the world at the moment. True the circumstances were extraordinary… a woman widowed for such a long time, was bound to respond with more fervor to a new marriage than others might. Yes, he figured, gazing at the Golden Gate bridge looming in the distance… it was up to him to make everything work out.
He decided to take them out to dinner. Laura had said something about the hairdresser's that evening. She'd recently gotten in the habit of going to a very chic coiffeur, Mr. Joseph, and as with most of his customers, she took an appointment whenever she could get one. That would be perfect, he thought, stepping on the gas and passing a dawdling VW… he'd take them out somewhere nice, talk to them, get to know them… make friends. This decision had the effect of removing a great weight from his shoulders, and he began to mentally try out some topics of conversation that the two teenagers might find interesting. He supposed the boy would be interested in sports… he'd seen some track trophies in his room… and the girl, MaryAnn… what on earth could he say to her? He visualized her now, a truly beautiful little girl, just teetering on the brink of womanhood… her complexion fair and clear, with long straight light brown hair, that he knew would get lighter as the summer progressed. He wondered if she had any boyfriends… a girl as bright and pretty as she ought to have many… and yet so far as he knew neither one of them had had any visitors at the house. Well, he'd just have to find out all these things tonight. If he was going to be a father, he was going to try his best to be a good one anyway!
Rick and MaryAnn took the same bus home from school together. MaryAnn walked slowly down the block toward their house, keeping in step with her brother. She was glad that he had persuaded her to go to school that morning. Something about the pure boring normality of school had made her feel a little better. Still, just walking beside Rick was enough to reawaken her dormant, secret desires. She turned toward him before they reached the house.
'We mustn't ever, ever do anything like that again,' she said with a serious expression in her eyes.
Rick's eyes blazed into hers. His cock tingled madly and his blood was pumping wildly. 'No,' he answered, 'I suppose not!'
'Friends?' MaryAnn asked, smiling.
Rick took her extended hand in his, feeling violent thrills race through every inch of his body. 'Friends!' he replied solemnly.
When they entered the house they found a note from their mother.
Gone to town to do some shopping and then to Mr. Joseph. Don called and is taking you two out to dinner tonight. Wear your good clothes… MaryAnn, be sure to wear a dress!
Love, Mother
They looked at each other in mutual disgust, and then, retired to their rooms to rest up for what they knew would be a trying evening.
Don was wearing his best suit that night, and he'd even had the car washed on the way home from work. He was pleased to see that the kids were looking very spiffy too, having never seen them wearing much else but dungarees and sweat-shirts. MaryAnn was sitting beside him in the car and Rick was in the back seat. Surprisingly, a familiar scent was wafting toward him from his teenaged charge.
'What's that you're wearing, MaryAnn?' he asked, trying his best to sound genial and fatherly.
'Mom's Ma Griffe,' she replied without hesitation.
'Oh…' he fell silent. 'Does your mother know you use it?'
'No… she'd probably have kittens!' Rick piped up from the back.
Don thought it best to change the subject… but it was a little disturbing to him nonetheless to continue to sniff the perfume he had come to associate so closely with his wife, emanating so sexily from the presence of his fourteen-year-old stepdaughter!
'You both look awfully nice tonight…' he tried.
'This is Mom's dress too.' MaryAnn offered, interrupting.
Don took his eyes away from the wheel a second, rapidly taking in MaryAnn's composed form beside him. She was wearing Laura's dress! One of Laura's tiniest mini-dresses fit MaryAnn like a normally hemmed dress, falling nevertheless way above her knees, although not up to her thighs the way it fit her mother. What Don couldn't believe (and he was noticing it now for the first time) was that MaryAnn was filling out the top of the low-cut crocheted dress almost as amply as her mother!
He gulped and returned his eyes to the wheel when he saw that MaryAnn was following his gaze down the cleavage of her bosom, and he sensed Rick observing from the back seat. Suddenly he knew that the evening was not going to be the simple, easy dinner he had planned, and that he might as well prepare himself for it now.
'Mom would have a baby, if she knew!' Rick volunteered.
Somehow Rick's reference to Laura having kittens, and then to her having a baby, had an unsettling effect on Don, and he started to wondering just how much the kids actually knew about life. He and Laura had never discussed it… but somehow he was sure that Laura was not the type to sit down and have a long talk with her children about sex.
He pulled into the gravel of Faro's parking lot and came to a stop. Silently, the trio walked into the restaurant, MaryAnn teetering on chunky heels that nonetheless gave her young slender legs a very womanly look. Her mother had insisted she wear a dress out to this dumb dinner, she thought, instead of her favorite outfit, pants and sneakers… so it served her right that she was wearing one of hers!
They settled into a booth, and Don blushed to see that his wife's dress dipped far lower than he'd thought. Why he could almost see MaryAnn's nipples! He ordered a martini for himself immediately, and was glad when MaryAnn held the menu up in front of her to examine it. When the waiter came to get their order, he found himself becoming furious and embarrassed at the same time when the older man's eyes dwelled upon his stepdaughter's bosom for an unusually long time. Only by coughing and raising his voice did he manage to get the insolent waiter's attention.
As they were ordering, Rick smiled to himself at the scene. The least they could do was get a little fun out of the evening, he and MaryAnn had decided before leaving, and it looked like it was going to be a riot, judging from the events so far!
They all had antipasto and MaryAnn ordered eggplant parmesan, as well as veal scaloppini. Rick decided to try the stuffed clams. Don ordered spaghetti with white clam sauce.
The dinner was progressing without further incident, until Rick suddenly piped up, 'clams are a sex food, I understand.'
Don poured himself a glass from the carafe of wine he'd ordered.
'May I have some, Don?' MaryAnn asked, her eyes boldly examining her stepfather's face. She was recalling how he'd looked the night before, completely nude… his big thing bloated and thick between his legs.
'Uh… well, OK… but maybe you kids should cut it with a little water…' Don was still thinking about Rick's clam remark.
'Oh, Mother lets us drink wine,' Rick said. 'It's OK.'
Don watched helplessly as the kids gulped down two glasses of red wine before he could do anything about it. Then he suddenly decided to take matters into his own hands. After all, he was a grown man… their new father in fact… he'd better take charge now or never!
