"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.
