I was babysitting for Jeff on a stinker of a night. Jeff is a single parent. According to my mother, his wife had an argument with a train and lost. My mother expressed surprise that the train survived the encounter. Anyway, she left behind Jeff and two cute little kids, Bobby and Marie, now aged three and two, respectively.
Jeff had helped put the kids to bed and then shot through for his night out. He doesn't get that many of them. I watched TV for a few hours and finally went to bed myself. Jeff didn't know when he'd be back so I'd agreed to sleep over.
I had a little problem about going to bed and that was the weather. It had been a hot and sticky day and that had segued into a hot and sticky night. Normally not a problem but there had been an accident earlier that day. A car had hit a pole carrying both normal power lines and some high voltage power lines. The result was that the high voltage lines dropped onto the low voltage lines and sent a power surge through nearby properties. It turned out that Jeff's AC didn't have a surge protector and it blew its guts out, leaving us with no air conditioning.
As far as I was concerned it was too hot to wear anything to bed so I went the full nuddy look, just using a light sheet to protect my modesty. I got in about two hours sleep and then the crying started. It was little Marie, I just knew it. She was normally a complete angel but sometimes she turned into a fallen angel, a raging demon escaped from hell itself.
I listened to her, telling myself that she'd calm down and go back to sleep. I was lying, and I knew it. If she woke Bobby I'd have two little fiends on my hands. Reluctantly I got out of bed and went to comfort her. No, I did not bother to put anything on. Who cares if a two year old sees you naked?
I patted her back and spoke softly to her and she cried.
I rubbed her back and spoke softly and she cried.
I gave her a bottle of water and she sucked for sixty seconds and then resumed crying.
I picked her up and walked with her and she cried.
I said the hell with it and went back to bed, talking her with me. In my room she wouldn't wake Bobby.
I slipped under the sheet again and laid Marie on top of the sheet. Talking softly and gently stroking her back, relieved when she fell asleep. I decided to leave her right where she was and settled down to sleep myself.
I came awake again when my light went on. Jeff was standing at the door, looking worried, but I saw that change to relief as he spotted Marie asleep on the bed next to me.
"Um, she started crying and wouldn't settle, so I brought her in here where she wouldn't disturb Bobby," I said quickly.
"Not a problem," Jeff said with a smile. "I just got a bit of a shock when she wasn't in her cot. Seeing she's sound asleep now I'll transfer her to her cot and you can enjoy a peaceful night."
He came over and lifted little Marie gently up off the bed. All would have been fine if she hadn't being clutching hold of the sheet with a death grip. Marie went up and the sheet went with her as Jeff stepped back a pace and there I was, stretched out on the bed naked.
He blinked, and I saw his eyes sweep over me, getting a good look. I could feel myself blushing, too startled to try to cover myself with my hands. I also felt a rush of heat in my groin as his eyes went over me and I could feel my blush getting deeper.
He didn't say a word. Not to me, anyway. He just cooed softly to the sleeping child in his arms as he extracted the sheet from her grip.
"OK, Marie, honey, let daddy have the sheet. You don't need it now and I think Fiona wants it back. There's a good girl."
With the sheet out of the tiny monster's clutches Jeff calmly dropped it back over me, giving me a wink and a smile. I just lay there, red of face, feeling hot and bothered.
One thought did cross my mind as Jeff carried Marie away. There was no way he was going to look at me in the future and see a child. What I'd shown him, albeit by accident, was the figure of a full grown woman.
As I settled down to try and go back to sleep various thoughts kept crossing my mind. Was it my imagination or was that interest I'd seen on his face. Had he liked what he'd seen? He'd sure looked hard enough. Did he know I was now eighteen? I have been for months. Would he come back in after he'd settled Marie? That thought was making me nervous. What would I do if he did? What would he do if he did?
I was busy convincing myself that he wouldn't come back when there was a gentle tap on the door. Stupid me. I hadn't turned the light back off. Before I could say anything the door opened and Jeff came in.
I got in the first word.
"Ah, there's no need to apologise," I said quickly. "Accidents happen."
"Apologise? Don't hold your breath waiting. No, I came back to reassure you. I thought that a sweet young child like you might be nervous after that little accident, afraid that I might come back with evil intent."
Sweet young child? Was he blind? Did my figure look like a kid's? I gave him the evil eye.
"The thought never entered my mind," I said airily.