David and I got to know each when we were about 15, pushed together by parents who assumed that a love of Dungeons and Dragons was more than enough common ground for a friendship. And they were right I guess; we hung out for most of a summer and had a good time.
David's mother , Carol Baxter, was exotic compared to the moms I knew. It wasn't that she was a single parent; it was that she was a single parent who was so obviously doing well for herself. She was a printer's rep, earning big commissions on sales to people like my dad β which I suppose is how they met. And she was young and beautiful β she was, put plainly, very sexy. She kept her dark hair short and framed her emerald green eyes with a variety of stylish glasses. She looked very like the actress Suzanne Pleshette, except that her body was leaner and more athletic. I saw a lot of her body because she and David lived in a condo with a pool and she would often come out with us, in a bikini, sunbathing or swimming endless laps.
Does it go without saying that I fantasized about her? I was horny and shy, my hormones pushing me to places I wasn't ready to go... and Ms. β she
insisted
on Ms. β Baxter's legs and face and butt and breasts were well known to me, familiar. The fact is, I did little
but
fantasize about her; in the private dungeon of my mind, she regularly stripped and opened up her body to me, sucking me shamelessly, begging me to fill her various holes. Her long legs spread wide for me constantly, and she dressed in various costumes and uniforms as my desire dictated. Nurse, hooker, teacher... she played all these parts and many, many more.
So I lived for most of a summer in a state of flagrant, aroused embarrassment. I was uncomfortably tumescent nearly always; when she was actually
present
I was febrile with shame and at the same time rock hard β hiding my ever present erection was a challenge I often failed to meet.
Of course my friendship with David was strained. In fact it was ruined. We didn't talk of it β of
course
we didn't talk of it β but how could he
not
be aware of my furtive, covetous admiration of his mother? Perhaps we could have been lifelong friends, but in the event we drifted apart. He discovered computers and I discovered football and that girls would go out with, and sleep with, a football star. So after that summer David and I never saw each other again. But his mother is no stranger to me.
College, for me, was a blur of frathouse parties, hot dates, meaningless communications classes, and the painful, gradually dawning realization that I would simply never be good enough to play wide receiver in the NFL. So I came back home and started working for my father. It was hard at first, eating words that went back to high school, but I got over it and applied myself and business became something I was good at it - not that it's hard to be a success when your father owns the company. In the process I discovered that there was more to like than hate about old Dad... I swear, I'll be voting Republican pretty soon.
I began to solicit bids and negotiate contracts, and that's how Carol Baxter came back into my life. Dad casually suggested I get new bids on the next year's printing contracts and said I could sign off on whatever decisions I made. This was something of a pat on the back - until then he had made a point of reviewing and signing off on all my work.
So I took it seriously - the company's yearly printing needs are huge and complex and our number is on the cell phone of every printer's rep in town. Carol's firm had handled our printing for several years, but with youthful zeal I started over, letting all involved know that the contract was up for grabs. I spent a full month crunching numbers, comparing contracts, and enduring several expertly choreographed dog and pony shows. And in the end I realized, uncomfortably, that Ms. Baxter's firm had to be let go. Her bid was far too high and her firm's equipment was outdated. Looking at the numbers it was easy to be pragmatic about it; my acquaintance with her was actually rather slight, and the money saved would buy me a new Lexus. And yet... she
was
a family friend; I decided to meet with her and discuss it in person.
"I'm sorry, the conference ran over a little - I hope you weren't waiting too long"
"No Ms. Baxter, don't worry about it." In fact I had been waiting 20 minutes and was fuming a little - I had gotten used to fawning treatment from printer's reps. But my irritation faded as I took her in; she hadn't aged, it seemed, and she certainly hadn't gained an ounce. She was dressed in a plain black dress so perfectly cut it resembled a sheath and her eyes were greener than I had been able to recall. Carol Baxter was a handsome woman.
"Well Mark, all grown up I see. You're not the gangly boy I used to know."