In Step

Uncertain whether is was due to guilt over where he had come from or just being considerate not to wake his dad, Mark snuck into the house. Perhaps he just didn't want to have to talk to his father yet.

"Got something to hide?"

But that was not to be, Mark realized as George greeted him from the kitchen table. "No, just thought you'd still be sleeping and I didn't want to wake you."

"I got up about a half-hour ago."

Mark nodded.

"That was awfully nice of you to take care of Kendall last night," George offered.

If you only knew, Mark thought. "She didn't want to interrupt yours and Donna's evening, and neither did I."

"Well, thanks again. That was very considerate," he repeated. "And you had your first taste of wine."

"I didn't even drink the whole glass. I don't know why she did that."

"I think it was just her way of taking care of you for helping Kendall."

If you only knew, Mark again thought. "Did she tell you that?"

"No, I just know how she is. But it must have been hard sleeping with two beautiful women."

"

Sleeping

with them?" Mark repeated with a chuckle, then added to gauge his dad's reaction. "Yeah, that would have been fun."

"Hell,

I've

never even done a threesome."

You may yet have your chance, Mark wanted to say. "Well, we all have our fantasies," Mark said before the conversation got out of hand. "Oh, by the way, Donna wanted me to remind you to call her when you woke up; said something about cooking dinner for us tonight."

"I will in a bit."

* * *

"So, when were you going to tell me about you and Mark?" Donna asked as they both sipped coffee on the cum-stained sofa. She'd have to clean that well before tonight.

"Probably the same time you told me that you spied on us."

"Touché," Donna granted. "Seriously, how did it start?"

"The Friday night you and George concocted the stories to get us together. We were watching a movie about two teens engaged in some steamy kissing, which prompted a discussion about kissing. Mark boasted that he could kiss just as good and I called his bluff and told him to show me."

"Which he willingly did?"

"Actually, no. He really is a perfect gentleman. I really had to coerce him."

"My, we are a couple of vixens, aren't we?"

"I guess it's in our blood." Kendall went on, "Anyway, one thing led to another—"

"Which you encouraged?"

"Yeah, why?"

"As long as he didn't force himself on you."

"If anything, I forced myself on him."

"Why the change? To guys, that is."

"You've been telling me I needed to try the other side. The time seemed right and he seemed the right guy."

Donna nodded. "And Tuesday? That was you also?"

"Yes, but he wasn't nearly as difficult to convince."

Donna chuckled.

"And what made you want to spy on us?" Kendall asked, performing her own interrogation.

The older woman told her daughter exactly how it came about. "I didn't say anything because I was stunned. But oddly enough, less because you and he were having sex, than hot incredibly hot it was."

"This explained your little outfit later."

"I guess that was a bit childish."

Kendall grinned. "I wish I'd thought of the outfit first."

They both laughed about it.

"So, for two teens doing it for what I hope was the first time, you both seemed extremely adept."

"Well, for me," Kendall explained with a twinkle in her eye, "it's hereditary and natural instinct."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Donna was quick to add.

"As well you should. "But for Mark, his mother taught him to kiss and told him to watch lesbian porno to learn how to treat a woman."

"What?" Donna's interest perked up. "Do tell."

And Kendall did.

"Well, that could explain the nature of Mark's concern this morning," Donna observed.

"Are you suggesting he was fucking his mother instead of you?"

"It's a distinct possibility. Did you get a sense how much of this George was aware of?"

"Only what he's already said to you; that his mom and dad were really open about sex," Kendall reported, "which would suggest that his mother would not have taught him without his father's knowledge."

"It could mean that. I'll have to think of a way to find out." Eying her daughter studiously, Donna asked, "So, what is it now with you and Mark?"

"How do you mean?" Kendall's inquiry was innocent, but she had a pretty good idea what her mother meant."

"Uh, is it more that just sex?"

"Well, I think it's safe to say I like him a little more than casually and that we get along probably more than you want us to," Kendall explained flippantly. "But I know you don't want us to date."

"I think that's irrelevant now."

Kendall knew her mother was looking for more, but for some reason, the teen wasn't ready to give it. "Look, it's as I said, you encouraged me to try sex with a boy, the time seemed right and Mark seemed like the right guy. I enjoyed it enough the first time to want to do it again; and the second time was good enough to go once more last night and this morning. As long as it keeps being good, I'd like to do it again. Beyond that, I don't know."

But as the phone rang, Donna saw volumes more in her daughter's expression than she was telling.

The caller was George.

"Just getting up?" Donna asked.

"About an hour ago."

"How late did you have to stay?"

"Two-ish, I guess."

"Wow."

"Actually, as much as I grumbled about having to be there, I think Peter is on to something," George reported. "He's got some expansion ideas that are pretty solid. Apparently, his wife leaving him was a wake-up call. It showed him that if you don't take care of things, they might not last. Business has been good so he was content to just let it coast. Now, he wants to assure its longevity. But not enough people at the office recognize that. They think Peter is just going off the deep end. And that thinking could be harmful to their futures. So, I'm taking him seriously and I think it will work well for me later on."

"That sounds good, George."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away."

"Not at all. I'm glad to know that. It can only help me also."

"You're right, Donna," George agreed. "You and I could have bright futures with this company."

"So, you expect to be called in again after hours?"

"Not this weekend. Peter was going away for a few days."

"But next weekend?"

"Possibly. But believe it or not, Peter was very apologetic after he realized I was taking him seriously. Said he'd try not to disturb my weekends. Of course, I told him it was no problem, but he said he'd only do it if a brilliant idea occurred to him that was too good to wait until Monday."

"Well, since you don't have to worry about it tonight, why don't you and Mark come over for dinner?" Donna offered.

"I really wanted to finish off the special evening I had planned for last night."

"There's always afterward."

"Absolutely. But what I was going to say was that on rethinking it, I would rather finish part of it with the kids there, so dinner at your house would be perfect."

"Now, you've really piqued my interest," Donna said playfully. "I don't know if I can wait."

"You can."

"Okay, be like that," she teased. "And you can come over anytime; the earlier the better."

"I have a few errands to take care of, but we'll come as soon as I finish, late afternoon."

"Perfect. See you then."

* * *

It was weird for Mark when he and his dad arrived at Donna and Kendall's home. The secret Mark now shared with the ladies about their escapades hung heavy in the air creating a sexual tension that seemed not to have any possibility of dissipating any time soon. Even just the hugs that the women gave him by way of greeting were electrifying. He hoped his dad didn't pick up on any of it. It was doubtful George would, as he seemed to have his own preoccupation. Certainly, it must have to do with what was supposed to be last night's special evening with Donna, but what was now going to be a special afternoon with

all

of them.

George had given no hints as to what "special" meant, and Mark had been too preoccupied with the mixed emotions he was experiencing regarding his feelings toward Kendall and the predicament he had gotten himself into with her and her mother to consider what his dad was planning. But he should have guessed that he would not have to wait long for it to be revealed with Kendall around. As she was want to do, she grabbed the bull by the horns.

"So, George," the teen said, "why is this going to be a special evening?"

He clearly had his own timetable and had not expected to be called on it right away. But he quickly shook off his deer-in-the-headlights expression. "Well, I was going to save it for a little later, but I can see by the expressions on your faces that won't work. And if last night had gone as planned, you'd all know by now." He turned and glanced round the living room. "Let's all take a seat. Donna, over here," George said, directing her to the easy chair.

Mark and Kendall sat on the sofa, but not too close to each other. They gave each other questioning looks.

Then in one seemingly swift motion, George looked like he was going to sit on the ottoman facing Donna, but instead reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and went down on one knee. "Donna, I love you very much." He took her hand. "Would you marry me?" In his hand, he held up a small box with an engagement ring in it.

Donna's other hand instantly went to her O-shaped mouth to cover her surprise. "Oh, my!" Her eyes welled with tears.

Mark should have seen this coming, but he hadn't. He experienced an instant of annoyance because his dad had not mentioned what he was planning beforehand. But it quickly passed as he realized it was his dad's life. Beyond that, he simply turned to Kendall to see what her reaction was.

The sentimental female in her had her duplicating her mom's reaction: initial tears of joy. But as her mind quickly processed what this meant to her, the weeping turned to agony, though no one would know to interpret them as such. The reason for this emotional one-eighty was the realization that Mark would become her stepbrother, and as such, they could and would

never

have any kind of normal relationship.

For Donna, she knew she had to give an answer, and quickly lest he think she wasn't sure, and she knew she wanted that answer to be yes, but her mind was suddenly replaying the incredible sex she and her daughter had had with Mark, the son of the man who was asking to marry her, and suddenly, she didn't know what to do. But fortunately, reason kicked in. Of course, she wanted to marry George; she fucked her own daughter, and now had fucked her future stepson, and whether or not any of it could or should happen again would have to be dealt with later. For now, "Oh, yes,

yes

I'll marry you, George."

This brought a fresh round of sniffling from Kendall.

"Oh, thank you, Donna. I promise I'll do everything to make you happy and give you the most wonderful life you can have."

"Oh, George, thank

you

. You've already made me happier than I've ever been."

The two adults pulled each other close and engaged in a passionate kiss.

Mark took the opportunity to again face Kendall. "Wow, you are really happy for them, aren't you?"

She forced a smile and let him think she was. Now was not the time to discuss her feelings. It was her mother's time, and Kendall really was happy for her parent despite her perception of what it meant for her.

Donna and George were like giddy school kids the remainder of the afternoon and evening, and to some extent it was contagious; at least, enough for Kendall to dry her tears and hold her concerns in limbo until she and Mark could discuss the ramifications of their parents' nuptials. The adults randomly discussed their future as various topics occurred to them, often asking for the teens' opinions.

No one had an idea for a date, except that the adults wanted it to happen as soon as possible. They toyed with the idea of the four of them visiting a Justice of the Peace (since none were particularly religious) as soon as a marriage license could be obtained, but decided they owed it to their friends to have a small ceremony and reception. So, then it became a matter of how quickly they could secure a place to have it and how many people would be invited.

Then the discussion migrated to residences. Where would they all live? Sell one of the houses and move in to the other? George's was larger, making it more realistic; Donna's was the first home she had actually owned, though only for a few short years—everything prior had been rentals—so she was not opposed to selling.

"Why not sell both and buy a new one?" Kendall suggested. "That way, you're both starting out with something that is both yours with no history. You could even get a four bedroom so Mark and I would have our own rooms and there'd still be an extra guest room."

"That's not a bad idea," George admitted.

"Yes, I like it, too," Donna agreed.

"Mark," George asked, "how would you feel about that?"

It wasn't spoken, but of course, the underlying question there was the issue of Mark's mother. And while it would be the last part of her for father and son to divest themselves of, it would also be the next step in moving on. "Well, not to be blunt, but Kendall's right, you and Donna need to start fresh and not have the ghost of mom haunting you." He could see by their expressions that maybe he hadn't chose his words carefully enough. "Besides," he added, "I'll be going off to college in the fall." He really didn't know what else to say, so he let it go there.

But that was another damper.

"Oh, wow," George said sadly. "I hadn't thought about that."

"But you'll come home on weekends and holidays," Donna pointed out.

"Aw, do I have to?" Mark joked. "I'll be in college. I'll have to party on weekends."

"Yeah, 'cause you're such a party animal," Kendall remarked. But that was only to cover up another sad realization. Not only was he going to become her stepbrother, preventing her from dating him, he was going away to college leaving her all alone.

They all laughed, and already they felt like a family.

A while later, George was able to catch Mark alone. "It occurs to me that I should probably have discussed with you asking Donna to marry me prior to popping the question."

"I was miffed at first," Mark admitted. "But it passed quickly. I mean, it's your life to choose."

"But it

does

concern both you and me."

"But in the long run, you're the one who'll have to live with her. As I said, I'll be off at college. Joking aside, if I really didn't like Donna, I would come home as little as possible. But I

do

like her, and I couldn't be happier for both of you."

"Aw, thanks, Mark." They shook hands and hugged.

These types of conversations carried them through a delicious dinner. After the meal, Kendall became anxious to be alone with Mark to discuss the massive change they were all facing. Furthermore, she could see that their parents were pretty eager to consummate their engagement; as if their constant touching—though not yet inappropriately—and stealing kisses were not enough of a clue. Finally, she joked, "Why don't you two get a room?"

"Or better still," Mark added, "pick a house and we'll stay at the other one."

It was amusing that the two adults seemed almost embarrassed to admit they wanted to go do what their children were suggesting.

"Or they could just go into mom's room."

"That would be awkward," George commented.

"We're not kids anymore," Kendall pointed out. "Whether you go in the bedroom, to your house or to a hotel, we'll know what you're going to do,

dad

."

"No you won't," George countered. "It so happens I have a new wine at home I want Donna to try. I meant to bring it, but forgot."

"Oh, dad, that was so lame," Mark said.

"Yeah, and I don't think you need to get her drunk first," Kendall chirped in.

George stood. "Come along, Donna. We don't need to take parent abuse."

Again, they all laughed.

"You guys make a note," Kendall suggested. "When we start looking for a new house, let's make sure the master bedroom is on the opposite side of the house from the other bedrooms."

"Like we didn't already think of that," George said facetiously.

One more round of laughter.

"You guys going to be okay?" Donna asked as they headed for the door. "I'll leave the keys to my car in case you need to go somewhere."

"Don't you want to pack a bag?" Kendall asked flippantly.

"What could I possibly need?" Donna returned in kind, stepping closer to hug her daughter. "You two behave yourselves," she whispered.

"Likewise."

"As if."

When they were finally gone, Kendall turned to Mark and hugged him tightly. "Oh, lord, this is the worst thing that could happen," she moaned.

"You mean them getting married?"

They returned to the sofa. Kendall had a denim dress on that buttoned up the front from top to bottom. She'd had the first two buttons undone, which exposed just the top of her cleavage. It was thankfully short, with the last button about six inches from the hem. She undid another button up top and two on the bottom so she could sit comfortably. The result, of course, was more cleavage and way more thigh.

"We'll be stepbrother and stepsister before long," she pointed out. "That positively precludes us dating."

"Is that all you're worried about?"

"I really wanted to have a normal relationship with you, Mark. You're the first boy to come along that I've wanted that with. Now—"

"No offense, Kendall, because I would like to have a relationship with you also, but it would never have been normal as long as our parents were even dating, let alone now getting married. And if that wasn't enough, there was our threesome last night and this morning. How many of your friends have had threesomes with their mothers?"

"Your point is well taken," Kendall acknowledged. "Did that bother you having a threesome with my mother?"

"Probably not as much as it should have," Mark admitted. "Although now that she's going to be my stepmother . . ."

"You don't think guys fuck their girlfriend's mothers or their stepmothers?"

"No one I know."

"So, you're the first on your block to have one?"

"So, it would seem."

She pushed him down to a supine position on the sofa with his head propped on the couch's arm. She then wedged herself between him and the sofa back, her head on his shoulder, her arm around his chest, her leg draped over his but not over anything vital.

"Was it

my

mother you were really fucking—or

yours

?"

"Oh, what a sick, twisted little mind you have."

"But you love it. And what was your answer? I didn't quite catch it."

"You'd just love for me to say my mother, wouldn't you?"

"Just be truthful. I'm in no position to judge you."

"Well,

truthfully

, it was your mother," Mark answered honestly. "Because the entire time I was doing it with her, I was questioning the sanity of

what

I was doing with her."

"I believe you," Kendall said softly, then leaned up to peck him on the cheek. "But all kidding aside, I'm truly happy for my mother and George. However, I really am disappointed for us. I was hoping in your inimitable wisdom you'd have a solution."

"Okay. What kind of solution are you looking for?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, Kendall said, "One in which we can be together, see each other,

go out

."

"If they take your advice on a new house, your first two requirements will be met."

"That's not enough. I want all three."

"So demanding. Where are

you

going to college?"

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."