The Sunlight Episodes

When I told Megan I had to get ready for my date with Danielle I was trying to cut our conversation short and keep my focus on Amber. I was trying in my own bumbling way to juggle all three of my new neighbors and our conflicting interests at the same time. However, as it was now approaching one o'clock, I decided I actually did need to do some shopping. There's a spacious new Trader Joe's in town with a great wine selection. I decided to get started on a new collection, the first wine I'd bought in the ten years since my divorce. I'd been living off the past for a long time now. Being with Amber felt like a fresh start.

After getting back home from shopping, I changed into azure blue broad-short swim trunks and a white t-shirt. I do freelance photography once or twice a month and bought the shirt in Oahu at the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore a few years ago. I was shooting the Hawaii Pipe Masters surfing tournament and got the shirt because I liked the blue ocean scene graphic on the front. I'm not the most careful dresser, so when I can coordinate to even an approximate degree, I feel I've done enough.

I was strangely tranquil now that I was out in the sun and walking over to the neighbors, I felt none of my previous anxiety, just a calm and hazy feeling that everything would be okay.

"Nice shorts, David," Megan said. She was watering some potted plants on her front porch as I approached.

"Thanks." I was still working out how friendly to act with Megan.

She was wearing what looked to be the same purple one-piece swimsuit from yesterday, covered with the same short white terry cloth robe. I wasn't sure about her swimsuit because I could only see a few inches of her purple encased bottom poking out at the hem of her robe. This time she was barefoot, no sexy brown shooties. Her auburn hair was pulled back and set in a ponytail.

"Do you like my new swimsuit?" she said, opening her robe and doing a twisting pose strikingly reminiscent to her pre-dinner pose from the night before. Of course then she was naked, but other than that, I had the distinct feeling she was purposively offering me a not so subtle reminder. It actually was a different swimsuit, a little purple spandex bikini with a side-tie bottom and a strappy halter top, but for some reason I decided to say the opposite of what I was thinking, the opposite of what I knew to be true.

"Very nice," I said. "Is that the same outfit you were wearing yesterday?"

"You know it's not, David. . . Why are you acting weird?"

"I'm a little lightheaded. I forgot to eat lunch."

"Well then, you're in luck cause we have some poolside snacks. They're not actually by the pool, they're still in the kitchen just so you know, but I'll get 'em so you can relax! You should wait until after you swim to eat, though."

"Okay, Mom."

"Don't try to be funny David."

Despite what Amber said I couldn't help but still like Megan. She always had this sexy teasing fire to her voice that made you want to get burned.

"Are you swimming with us?" I asked her.

"Maybe later. Mom wants some alone time with you. So I'm banished to the house til, like, three o'clock."

We walked into the house together.

Danielle emerged from the patio wearing a stylish thigh-length white robe with three-quarter sleeves, similar to Megan's, except it was made from the lightweight soft waffle cotton that seems to be so popular at spas and resorts. I gave her one of the bottles of wine I had just purchased, a light Duboeuf Beaujolais, which the sales girl at Trader Joe's said should be served cool and that it was a very drinkable wine, good for a pool party.

"Alright you guys, don't have too much fun. Don't let my mom do anything I wouldn't do. Okay, David?" Megan said, with a semi-serious look on her face.

Since I figured Megan would do just about anything she wanted, I wasn't quite sure what to make of her advice. Maybe it was code for 'don't let my mom do anything I'm planning on doing later,' that at least made 'Megan' sense. But, who knows, double negatives are hard on my brain.

"Don't you have things to do Megan?" Danielle said.

"I can think of a few things Mom. Later, David," Megan said, rolling her eyes at me. In some ways Megan and Amber are a lot alike. Other ways, not so much.

We went out to the patio and sat in the same spot on the same furniture as the night before. Very comfortable chairs with thick burnished copper frames and plush white cushions. Expensive, but too heavy to easily adjust to a better angle for a view of the pool. Also, kind of annoying if the sun is in your eyes, which it was.

Danielle said maybe we could sit and talk for awhile before swimming. She wanted me to tell her more about where I'd traveled recently and where I was going next and when. Lots of questions. Sometimes, I told her, I don't know where I'm going until a week or so before I leave. I wanted to leave it at that but for some reason I decided to open up a bit and told her that my ex-wife is an editor with National Geographic and she's the one that gets me most of my work. She even works out my itinerary and schedules my flights.

"Sounds like you two are still close."

"She lives across the country in Washington D.C. She also spends a lot of time in New York," I said. "She only visits California two or three times a year."

"No, I mean, you're still friends."

I knew what she meant, I was just trying to avoid the subject, but I decided to give in and tell her the whole story.

I told her that Katie and I were both eighteen and just out of high school when we were married. We were childhood friends, that she had moved here from Seattle to just two houses down the street when she was six, and her parents were still there living in the same house, and that I saw her dad washing his car in his driveway about fifteen minutes ago on my walk over here and I waved to him and he smiled and waved back and that he still called me on my birthday to see how I was getting along even though I told him he didn't have to do that anymore, that I was fine, that Katie and I had been divorced for ten years now and I was moving on, that my living alone here and rarely dating was by choice and not some wild fatalistic hope that she would come back to me.

I should have stopped right there but I was on a roll of reminiscing.

I told her how my parents were both killed in a car crash when I was sixteen and my sister, who was twenty-two at he time and attending USC, dropped out of her last year of college to move back and live with me until I turned eighteen and could legally be on my own and live in my own house without child services taking hold of me and tracking my every move.

Unable to stop myself, I told her how Katie and I were married two weeks after graduation and for a time we were as happy as two people could be, until things slowly started to unravel when she received a late scholarship to Stanford and had to relocate north to Palo Alto. She rented an apartment near campus and I would stay with her on the weekends and make the three hour commute back to San Luis for the work week. I had just landed my dream job, a paid apprenticeship with one of the best travel photographers in the country, but his office and lab was way south in Malibu, close to four hundred miles from Palo Alto.

We were kids, so we of course decided we could make it work, we promised we were friends and lovers for life, but the truth is we were just three months into our marriage and we were already moving in different directions on slow moving trains that would never get switched around, never get back on the same track.

I know that sounds like a lot of talking but it only took me about ten minutes. Still, I had never talked so much about Katie to anyone and I was already feeling like it was a mistake.

"That's so sad, David." Danielle said. "You don't think you'll ever get back together?"

"She has a boyfriend," I explained. "She stays with him in New York City on the weekends. They've been engaged for about three years now. So I'm sure they'll be getting married."

"Hmmm, maybe so. You said three years?"

I was desperate to change the subject. I decided to just nod thoughtfully like I understood her point. Then try to steer the conversation over to Amber and Megan.

"You know last night was great. A really nice dinner," I said. "It was a little awkward at times though, especially at the dinner table. Seemed like there was some tension between Amber and Megan."

Danielle looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.

"They don't get along anymore. They were inseparable as little girls. Now they can hardly stand to be in the same room together. It's a long story, David. I'm sure you're not interested."

"It's just kind of surprising." I said, urging her on. "Amber seems like such a sweet girl, very tenderhearted. What could they have to really fight about?"

"Amber has always been overly sensitive, David. If that's what you mean by tenderhearted. She also has had a regrettable tendency to fall fast and hard for the wrong boys and now that she's grown, I'm afraid it's going to be for the wrong men. Then she looks to blame others when it doesn't work out."

I could see her point about falling fast. Even the wrong man part was probably true. The blame part, however, was what I was interested in exploring, Danielle seemed to be taking Megan's side.

"So she blames Megan for. . .?"

"She accused Megan of seducing her high school sweetheart last year and causing a bad breakup. I never saw any real evidence. You saw last night Megan's just a tease. I think it was probably just some horseplay in the hot tub. Kids being kids. But Amber tore into Megan and has never forgiven her. She won't let it go. Honestly, it was for the best, however it happened. Amber is a beautiful young girl with so much potential. She cannot be seriously involved with anyone at her age. I won't allow it. That was my big mistake, David, getting involved with their father when I did. You know what I mean? You made the same mistake."

"I never thought of it as a mistake. More like force of circumstance that drove us apart. I never regretted my time with Katie. Not once. I still don't."

Danielle had been sounding very cold and controlling. I was seeing her parenting skills in a different light now and feeling Amber's need to be free from that control.

"Well, that's you David. Men are different. Plus, your situation was tragic, you needed someone in your life."

I didn't like where the conversation was headed. I felt like Danielle was psychoanalyzing my marriage from a superficial understanding. I was unconsciously shaking my head no, saw Danielle looking at me, and quickly stopped.

Then, out of the blue, Danielle said: "David, I know what's going on. You need to watch yourself with my daughter."

"Excuse me?" My heart was suddenly pounding in my throat.

Not only was I shocked. I was confused. I didn't know if she was talking about Amber this morning or about yesterday with Megan.

"I think you heard me, David."

The words she was saying didn't match the tone of her voice. At least from my perspective. The words were cutting, each word a little razor, slicing into me and sending a cold chill flowing over my skin. I felt the shivers. But when I looked at her she was smiling and there was concern in her voice, even kindness.

"You mean, Megan? I should watch out for Megan?"

"Amber."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I think Amber has a little crush on you," Danielle laughed. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but you really do need to watch yourself."

"So not talk to her? You want me to avoid Amber?"

"No. Don't be silly. Just be aware. Try not to lead her on. A crush for Amber can escalate quick."

I had misread the meaning of her words. She was warning me not accusing me. She patted my hand and scratched a finger up my arm stopping just short of my elbow and gently pinched me and tugged on the hair.

"You have goosebumps, David."

"I caught a chill in the air."

"It's eighty-five degrees! I think I freaked you out about Amber," Danielle laughed. "Don't worry David. You can be friends with her. Just set clear boundaries. She's a good girl, she'll understand."

My mind drifted to the morning and to Amber. The good girl talking herself into being bad. Her first orgasm was now ringing in my head. Amber was riding me again, grinding into me, her sexy voice and words again calling out to me: "David, fuck it all out of me!" Her voice loud, cracked and throaty. Then much more softly. "All of me, David. Make me good, again. That's it, baby. Fuck all the bad girl out of me." I could feel her whispering, once again in my arms, with her pussy clinching on my cock.

I must have closed my eyes for a moment because when I opened them Danielle was standing up and undoing her robe.

"I think it's time for our swim, David," Danielle said, a hint of blushing in her face.

My daydream about Amber had me hard, my erection obvious to anyone who cared to look. I adjusted myself as best I could and folded my hands in my lap.

"It's okay sweetie. You take your time," Danielle laughed. "I'll get in first."

She tossed her robe in her chair, gave a little pose, and turned to the pool. She was wearing a new swimsuit. A flame red halter tankini. The material was nylon and elastane, similar to spandex in tightness but with a more lush look, and in the bright sun it gave off a two-tone shimmering effect. On Danielle it was dazzling, licking at her sexy curves. I like the versatility of tight elasticized tankini tops, Danielle could have pulled the top down more leaving maybe an inch of skin showing above her panty bottoms, instead she chose to scrunch it up a bit and splashed out a good four inches of her tight and sexy tummy.

She walked over to the edge of the pool and slipped one heel off and then the other. I didn't notice her shoes before but they matched her suit. Satin red sandal pumps with white accents. She dove in the deep end and went under, coming up toward the middle of the pool where she could stand with her breasts above water, her body was glistening and her hair sopping wet. She pulled her hair behind her head, tightening it together in a handheld ponytail, wringing water out and smoothing it back. Her nipples were hard and the fabric of her swimsuit offered a tight and clingy outline to her breasts.

"Come on in, David. It feels wonderful."

I didn't see why not. I was here to swim. I pulled my shirt off and hopped over the edge, the water encasing me in an oily warmth.

"Pretty warm water in here," I said. A little too warm for swimming I thought. Eighty degrees is about tops for a refreshing swim.

"I like it heated up. It's relaxing, don't you think?"

"Very warm. Feels like about ninety degrees or more."

"Is that too hot for you, David?"

Danielle waded over to me, putting her arms around my neck. She pressed herself against me, her pussy rubbing on my cock. I was still somewhat hard but had lost most of my erection. She kissed me, her tongue pushing hard against my teeth. I tried not to kiss her back.

"What's the matter David?"

"I just thought we'd swim. Mind if I do some laps?"

"You go ahead. I'll watch."

In college I was on the swim team for a semester before quitting. I like to swim but the constant competition bored me. Katie was always the competitive one. I've long since lost my most athletic tone, putting on ten pounds and an inch or two on my waist, but I'm still fit enough. Just last year I was still doing one mile ocean swims once or twice a week, clocking myself in at thirty-five to forty minutes. If I pushed myself and trained a bit I thought I could still make the half hour grade for open water swimmers.

Now I was doing laps in Danielle's pool, slicing at a fast pace through the fifteen meters of water, back and forth I went doing under water turns at the deep end, trying to think of a way out, any way to get back to the patio and still be able to look into Amber's eyes.

I did about twenty laps before the heat of the pool got to me and I stopped in the deep end, treading water, to catch my breath.

Danielle clapped. "Good for you, David. I had no idea you could swim like that!"

I was still treading water when Megan came out onto the patio. It was actually a relief to see her. Her presence was sure to solve my Amber concern.

"David, you're a swimmer, that's awesome," Megan chirped. "Mind if I join you guys?"

It wasn't really a question. She had her robe off and was doing a cannonball three feet from me before Danielle could say a word. Her splash made a racket and threw water ten feet in the air. She surfaced right next to me.

"Mom, did you see David? I watched him from the kitchen!"

She was treading water next to me. One hand underwater holding onto my cock, squeezing on me, making me grow in her hand.

"I saw him, Megan."

"David that's so sexy. The way you just forcefully plow through the water like that."

"I like to swim," I said. "Mostly in the ocean. The water here in the pool is really too warm."

"It made me tingle. All that power! My pussy is already clinching!"

I thought it was odd, bordering on bizarre, that Megan would talk like that, like she was all lathered up, and with her mother hearing every word not fifteen feet away.

Megan released me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me from the deep end to the middle of the pool. All three of us now standing in four feet of water facing each other not an arm's length apart. Megan and Danielle were looking at each other and smiling like they were sharing a private joke. Then Megan's bikini bottom floated to the top of the pool, bobbing in the water between the three of us.

"Oops, I was playing with the strings on my bikini bottom and they came undone," Megan said. "Look into the water David. Can you see my bare pussy down there in the water?"

Danielle waded closer and touched my arm.

"It's okay David," she whispered. "We've done this before. It's not really her first time and I can just watch if you don't want the both of us."

Have you ever had one of those "Chinatown" moments when it seems like everything you thought you knew gets turned on its head? A moment of both sudden clarity and extreme disillusion, where a new window opens and light should come shining in, but the glass has shattered into a million pieces, and darkness is all you see. At the end of the movie Chinatown, the character played by Jack Nicholson has that kind of moment and it leaves him cynical and jaded with the realization that some people can do anything they want and get away with it. It's not a perfect parallel but I felt like Danielle and Megan were doing exactly what they wanted and that no one else mattered. Not me. Not Amber.

"I think. . . I heard something from the house," I said. "It's probably Amber. She's home, right?" Of course I knew that she was home.

"I just checked in on her not ten minutes ago," Megan said. "She was asleep. Knocked out."

"Don't worry, David," Danielle said. "If she comes out and sees something, she'll just turn around and go back inside. She knows I play sex games."

"With Megan?" I said.

Danielle shrugged her shoulders. "Well no, not with Megan."

"Who cares what Amber thinks anyway?" Megan said.

"Well, I care," I said. "I care what she thinks."

I wasn't necessarily making a value judgment. I had a threesome in Montreal a few years ago. So there's that. But a mother/daughter thing was outside my wheelhouse. And when I put Amber into the mix it sent me into major freak out mode.

I had pulled myself out of the pool and was sitting on the edge, my feet dangling in the water. Danielle and Megan were both now standing in the water in front of me a few feet away.

"We can still all be friends after," Danielle said. "Neighbors with benefits!"