Annabel cradled her phone in both hands and, with difficulty, pressed the number to speak to her son. ''Hi, Mark. Sorry to trouble you but there's a couple of things I can't do with my hands. Your dad has just gone off on business to the other side of the world and won't be back for god knows how long.'' Annabel felt stupid for having such a silly accident. She had tripped down a couple of steps onto a concrete pavement and had tried to break her fall with her hands and cracked some bones.
Mark, her son, had seen the plaster casts for the fractures on both his mum's wrists and hands. He said, ''The hospital took the casts off yesterday. I didn't know dad had gone abroad. How do you feel?''
''I thought I was going to be okay but my fingers are so weak. I can't open a can of soup or unscrew a jar. Lifting a pan for cooking is a struggle. The doctor said it's going to take three weeks before I get back any strength. The neighbours said they'd help but -''
Mark interrupted, ''I'm going to come over, Mum. I'll pack a bag and I'll be with you in a couple of hours.''
Annabel said she didn't want to put her son to any trouble but he insisted he was going to come and stay. ''But,'' she said, ''you have your own work to do.''
''I'll bring my laptop, Mum, and I can work remotely, so don't worry.''
After their conversation, she felt relieved. Mark was mature for his age of 20 and she welcomed his immediate, no-nonsense reaction to Annabel's distress. There was even a little excitement to have her son stay for a few days. Perhaps he could do some small jobs around the house, she thought, which her husband, Peter, never got around to doing.
In Annabel's bedroom, she wanted to smarten herself up but changing into a dress was impossible. Her fingers were not strong enough to pull up the zip which was too tight. Instead, Annabel opted for a thick roll-neck pullover and slacks. Although her fingers were weak, she applied pink lipstick and looked at herself in the mirror. Friends told her that she looked like a young Eva Longoria from Desperate Housewives (Gabrielle) fame, on account of Annabel's dark eyes and sun-kissed skin tone as well as the dark long hair parted in the middle.
At midday, Mark arrived and held her hands. ''Mum, show me how tight you can grip me. Shake my hand.''
''There. I'm doing my best.'' She looked up at his eyes. ''I can do most things.'' Her voice lacked confidence.
''Most things? You don't need to try, Mum, because I'm here to look after you. In fact, if you force yourself too much you could delay the mending of your fractures.'' Mark gave her a hug.
They chatted in the kitchen while Mark prepared the lunch and Annabel held a glass of wine and sat on the bar stool. She admired his cooking skills and assumed they would be useful when entertaining girlfriends. At least three girlfriends had come and gone with Mark and it appeared he'd dumped each one of them although Annabel didn't know why.
''Have you got a girlfriend?''
He came over and put his arm around her shoulders. ''No, Mum. I find girls of my age boring. I think I prefer older women. Mind you, I haven't experienced an older woman. Not yet!'' He picked up his bottle of beer. ''Are you surprised?''
''Umm.'' She shrugged. ''What age of woman interests you?'' Annabel liked the way his loose white shirt spread open as he leaned on the bar top to look at her. The gap at Mark's neck gave a view of his chest. Her glance had lingered too long and she forced her eyes to make contact with his face.
Mark appeared not to notice her inspection of his body and he said, ''I find I'm more interested in women your age, Mum. About 40 years because they've seen life, had children and probably know what they want from a man.''
''A divorced woman.''
''Or married.''
Annabel reacted. ''That means having an affair, splitting up a family.''
''No,'' said Mark confidently. ''A one-night stand with a married woman is not having an affair in my view. But if I saw her several times it could improve her desires towards her husband.''
Annabel thought it was illogical. ''So, Mrs X gets all fired up with you and tells Mr X. That won't work.''
''Well,'' said Mark. ''Suppose Mrs X does not tell her husband? Mr X might see an increased interest in sex from his wife. You never know.''
Annabel wondered what it would be like to have a young lover and not tell Peter, her husband. ''Affairs mean there are lies told and secrets which can't be good for a marriage.''
Mark put his warm hand over Annabel's and said, ''If I made love to a woman like you, Mum, I would suggest she tell her husband afterwards.'' He twisted his mouth and smiled.
The boyishness of her son was obvious to Annabel. He argued sincerely with words and killer eyes. ''I don't know what Peter would do if I told him I'd been unfaithful.''
Mark turned to check the cooking and stirred some sauce. He turned sideways towards the window and Annabel noticed how well his jeans fitted him and she let her eyes linger on the bulge between his legs. She laughed. ''I'll let my friend Bev know you're available!''
Mark retorted, ''Pur-lees no. Bev is not my sort. You are my ideal woman.'' He paused and laughed. ''You know my friends have talked about you being a MILF. Do you know what that means?''
His words 'you are my ideal woman' were still reeling through her mind as Annabel blurted out, ''No, I mean, yes. I do know what MILF means.'' She couldn't imagine having sex with any man so young, let alone her son. ''Why do you find a woman like me, at my age, attractive? In bed I mean. You know, sexually irresistible?'' She raised her eyebrows and took a swig of wine to give her strength.
''I don't have a good answer for that. I just find you, or someone like you, sexy and arousing.''
As Annabel crossed her legs she found her mind crowded with thoughts. Was Mark hitting on his mother or was it playful banter? And to have sex with any man was, surely, a betrayal of her marriage? Should she tell Peter of this conversation?
Lunch was ready and they talked of other things but she still kept in mind their previous exchanges. In the afternoon, Mark did his computer work and Annabel went for a walk to clear her head. On her return, she decided on a shower and a change of clothes. An expensive lace top and a skirt would portray herself as an elegant mature woman who was above all this sex talk.
To undress, Annabel had to swivel her bra so that the elastic clip was in front and she just managed to unclip it. The shower was a problem because the squeeze tube of gel was a job that her husband, Peter, would have done for her. Frustrated and wet after dropping the gel tube and sponge, she grabbed a large towel, marched into the bedroom and called for Mark. On his arrival, he saw his mother with just a towel covering her.
''Would you mind, please, squeezing soap on my hands?'' Annabel led the way into the bathroom. ''Look the other way, Mark, while I get back in the shower.'' She paused as the water drenched her hair and body before continuing with Mark. ''You can turn around and squeeze soap onto my hand.'' Annabel kept her body mainly turned away from her son with her hand outstretched through the gap in the shower door. After several squeezes and gently using her hands to wash, she wondered how to do her back.
He said, ''Don't overdo it. Use your fingers without putting pressure on them.''
She heard Mark and knew that he was right. ''What else can one do?''
''I'll do your back.''
Before Annabel could say anything, he had fully opened the screen door to get in. ''Face the wall,'' he said.
''But you've still got your clothes on!''
''Yes, I'm getting wet. Hang on.'' He got out.
Annabel put one hand on the wall and regretted saying anything about his clothes because he swiftly discarded everything and came back inside the cubicle. Her senses were heightened as Mark used the sponge to spread lather all over her back. The way he did it; the right strength, the soothing push under her arms and armpits (which she loved) and the calmness sent her into a dream world. Annabel managed to say, ''Thank you, Mark. We can finish now.''
Mark got out, took a towel and his clothes and said as he left, ''Call me for any reason, Mum.''
Annabel sat on the edge of the bath wrapped in a towel. The invigorating effect of having her back washed by another man surprised her. She reminded herself that it cannot and mustn't go any further than that. She rubbed her wet hair with the towel.
She chose her clothes, managed to put on her panties and called for Mark again. ''Sorry about this,'' she said as he came into the bedroom, ''but I can't manage all this.'' She had covered her breasts with a folded arm.
''No need to say sorry. I want to help.'' He kissed her on the cheek. ''Now, what can I do?''
She turned around and positioned her bra. ''Can you clip me at the back, please?''
He fiddled a little with the two clips which made Annabel smile. ''And can you help me with my shirt? It's going to be a struggle to do the buttons.''
In helping her with the white cotton shirt, he may have taken a bit longer to gather it at the front and fasten the lowest button first. His fingers were near her pubic bone and she debated why she had worn white panties with a top fringe in lace. But it was too late now as he must have seen it. The over-slow progress up her shirt with each button made her inwardly smile but resulted in her nipples becoming hard. The bra had matching lace and to her embarrassment the trace of her nipples was obvious.