Mother of Necessity

Afterward, Beth cleaned herself up, then spent a half-hour in Dylan's room to give him an affectionate farewell. Melinda didn't know what that involved, and didn't ask. Then she left, giving her sister a gentle kiss on the way out. Melinda ordered dinner for the three of them (assuming Justin would either be home in time, or not) and sat down to relax with her game. After the events of the day, Tertiary Existence seemed positively tame.

Dylan emerged from his room once the food arrived and sat next to her on the couch while she played. They ate together in companionable silence.

"So you and Aunt Beth, huh?" Dylan asked at last.

Melinda smiled as she dug fried rice out of a paper carton with chopsticks. "She told you about it?"

"She said she couldn't resist. She said aside from being with me, being with you was one of the high points of her whole life."

Melinda felt her face grow hot as a rush of happiness and contentment flowed through her. "Well, that was nice of her to say. I have a feeling you might be seeing a lot more of Beth in the future, literally and figuratively."

"I'm okay with that."

"You know you have to keep this stuff secret, right? You can't tell anyone, not even your closest friends. And you shouldn't even have those pictures of Bethany on your phone. You make sure that shit is locked down tight. Either that, or you delete those photos entirely. You understand me?"

"I understand. I'll be careful. I don't want people knowing this stuff, Mom."

"Good."

They sat in silence awhile longer. He touched her knee, stroking the flesh with his fingers, slowly trailing up to her thigh. She watched from the corner of her eye, wondering if he was ready to go again already. My god, she thought. She might have bitten off more than she could chew.

"Mom?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Are there really pictures of you and Aunt Beth naked together?"

Melinda sighed inwardly. "Yes."

"And a video?"

"Can I see them?"

"Yes."

She took a bite of food. "Not today, honey. But good things come to those who wait."

# # #

That night, Melinda left the thumb drive on top of Justin's laptop, wrapped in a tiny ribbon with a note apologizing one more time for deceiving him. Hopefully that would help him feel less left out.

She put herself to bed, amused that even in these new transgressive, carnal circumstances, she had to do some deal-brokering to make sure peace remained in the house. She shrugged out of her silk robe and went to bed naked, only draping the sheet across her body.

It was after midnight when she woke, once again sensing the presence of someone in the room. This time, it wasn't a surprise - she'd been expecting, hoping that Justin would come home, find the photos and video, and then come to find her.

He had. He stood over the bed, still in his jeans and tee shirt. He'd probably found the thumb drive immediately upon coming home and watched it. She could see the bulge in his jeans clearly. He looked down at her with a regretful expression.

She propped herself up on her elbows, letting the sheet slide down her body a little. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I didn't want you to wake up yet. Not until I touched you."

"Oh," she replied, a little disappointed by proxy. "Next time, I'll pretend to stay asleep, how about that? Did you like my little surprise apology?"

He nodded, a dimple creasing the corner of his mouth. "I didn't expect that."

"I'll bet. Did you like seeing your Aunt Beth that way?"

Justin licked dry lips. "Yes."

"There can be more of that for us, Justin. Much more. As much as you want."

"I'd like that."

"Do you want me?"

"Yes."

"Then show me."

He began stripping his clothes off with quick, fierce motions. Melinda grinned and pulled the sheet off her body, spreading her legs for him. She felt brazen and exposed, and loved feeling that way. She was more than ready by the time he leaped enthusiastically onto the bed, and she welcomed him with a soft giggle and eager kisses.

"Justin, my sweet boy..."

"Mom," he whispered, and locked his lips with hers.

# # #

Later that week, one of the other waitresses at the restaurant got sick. Melinda pulled a double shift to fill in. She came home after ten, utterly exhausted, and collapsed on the couch. Dylan and Justin were already in their rooms, the house silent. She pulled out her laptop, browsed the web for a few minutes, and then fell asleep for the next ten hours on the couch, still in her work uniform.

She woke the next morning to warm sunlight, the sound of birds, and her sons standing over her. Justin had a glass of water in hand, which he handed to her. "Good morning, Mom."

She drank gratefully. "Good morning. Did you boys just get up?"

"Yeah," Dylan said. The two brothers shared a conspiratorial, almost smug, glance. Melinda heard faint alarm bells in her head. What exactly was going on?

"We heard you come in last night," Justin said. "We didn't know you'd fallen asleep out here."

"It's okay. I actually feel pretty good." She rubbed her eyes. "So what's up with you two?"

"Justin showed me the photos and video with Aunt Bethany," Dylan said.

Melinda winced.

"And Dylan told me about him and Aunt Bethany being together in the first place," Justin said.

"Look," Melinda said. "Mistakes were made..."

"It's okay, Mom, we're not mad," Dylan said.

"Just disappointed," Justin finished.

Melinda felt amusement and anger rise simultaneously. "All right, smartasses, listen here-"

Dylan was the first to capitulate, holding out his hands in surrender.

"Just kidding, Mom, just kidding. Actually, we're sorry we went behind your back. Even though you went behind ours first."

"And now that pretty much everything's out in the open," Justin finished, "We have an idea. Something that will make us all pretty much even."

Melinda sat back on the couch, raising her eyebrows. "And what proposal is that, exactly? I'm listening."

The brothers looked at each other and grinned.

# # #

A week later, Melinda and Beth sat in front of the bay windows of Beth's apartment, feet on the sills, enjoying homemade cocktails. An orange sunset had just begun to spread across the western horizon. The demolished remains of a thin-crust vegetarian pizza lay on plates between them.

"So tell me everything that's been going on with your depraved home life," Beth said. "I've been so busy with exams, I haven't had a chance to keep up. I want all the sordid details, of which I'm sure there are many."

"God," Melinda said. "Instead of two surly, lazy teenagers, I'm now living with two insatiable sex machines. I think I made a terrible mistake, Bethany, and not because it's morally wrong. I'm satisfied but goddamn exhausted."

"Obviously, I need to come over more often and tag in," Beth said. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you in your hour of need."

"I'll try to forgive you." Melinda sipped her drink. "Let me put it this way. Justin has come to this point where he's developed certain tastes, and isn't shy about expressing his desires. So he's asked me, very politely, if I'll walk around the house in just my underwear, or in a skirt and no bra. For easy access. When the weather hit a hundred and five, he even asked if I'd just go naked. Which was fine. But the minute one of them catches sight of me, like in the hall or laundry room, I'm basically not getting anything done for the next few minutes."

Beth laughed brightly. "God, that sounds just awful. How do you live?"

"I get by somehow." Melinda stirred her drink. "It's going to be a problem come autumn. Either our heating bill is going to go way up, or they'll have to develop a fetish for sweaters and wool socks."

"They're young, that's not too ridiculous. What about Dylan? Does he have any special proclivities?"

"No, he's not too particular. Frequently horny, but he seems up for anything. He does keep asking when you're coming around again."

Beth burst into laughter. "Oh God, I'm sorry!"

Melinda grinned. "It's fine. I think you made quite an impression on him that one day."

"What makes you say that?"

"Remember when you said he could come on you wherever he wanted?"

"I really do."

Melinda sighed and pulled out her phone. "And you know how everything's out in the open now, and we all know about everything that happened? Well, I didn't break the news quite the way I should have, and Dylan and Justin found out about some things on their own. They decided that instead of sulking or being mad about it, they would plot some... revenge on me. To be fair, they did phrase it in the form of a request, which I granted. And I was instructed to show this to you when I had a chance, just so there are no secrets."

"Okay, now I'm really curious," Beth said.

Melinda handed over the smartphone, which had cued up a video. Beth hit play and sat back.

The video showed Melinda on her knees, dressed in her waitress uniform. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup mostly gone. The first few buttons of the uniform were undone, revealing deep cleavage. The camera was obviously shooting from a phone, and Beth could hear Dylan and Justin talking, Melinda acquiescing to some request.

Then Justin stepped into view, his pants unzipped, his hard cock thrusting into frame. Melinda opened her mouth and accepted it with a faux-reluctant murmur, looking into the camera.

Beth's jaw dropped. "Oh my god, this is amazing. Is this like revenge roleplaying? They wanted you to wear your work outfit?"

"Dylan's idea," Melinda said. "Maybe he has a thing for costumes or uniforms or something. At least it's not identifiable, in the worst-case scenario that thing gets out in the wild."

The video continued for several minutes of Melinda sucking Justin's cock, following his occasionally delivered instructions. The camera POV shook a little, then tilted down to reveal Dylan fumbling with his own zipper. Then the camera was handed off to Justin, and Dylan stepped into frame. He put a hand on the back of Melinda's head and pulled her forward, pushing his cock into her mouth with a sigh.

Beth had been reclining back in a relaxed position. Now she sat forward, legs crossed, color in her cheeks. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. God, please tell me they both go at you simultaneously at some point. I know it's too much to ask-"

"Just keep watching," Melinda said, finishing her drink. "I'm going to go make myself another right now, if you don't mind."

"Uh-huh." Beth didn't look away from the screen.

By the time Melinda came back with a fresh cocktail, Dylan was nearly done with his turn. The camera POV jolted, shook, blurred, then shifted. The angle changed, showing Melinda again, with Dylan and Justin standing on either side - from about the waist down. Melinda knelt between them, looking breathless and aroused.

"Oh shit."

"They had to go get the tripod, which they bought for this very purpose," Melinda said. "This was all part of their little plan, you see. They thought ahead."

"Monsters," Beth said.

On the screen, Melinda took turns sucking on each of them, stroking the other with her hand, then swapping sides. It went on for some time - Beth got the idea everyone involved was more than a little nervous. Melinda paused frequently to look up at one or the other with an encouraging expression before going to work on him again. Finally, she looked up at Dylan with a smile, and said something Beth could barely hear through the phone:

"Come for me, Dylan."

That seemed to do the trick. Off-camera, Dylan began to groan, and both boys moved in, changing angles.

"Oh my god," Beth said. "Are they going to-"

Before she could finish, Dylan came full into Melinda's face in the video, splattering her glasses, her cheek, even her forehead. Melinda opened her mouth in astonishment, and the rest struck her lips and chin.

"Oh my god, there's so much," Beth said. "Are you kidding me?"

"Wait," Melinda answered.

Before Dylan was even finished, Justin moaned loudly, angling his cock toward his mother's mouth, and came. The other lens of Melinda's glasses were covered, the rest spraying her cheek, neck, the collar of her uniform. On the video, Melinda burst into gasping laughter as the sticky white ran down her face. She withdrew, taking off her glasses. Her face looked flushed and vulnerable without them, but she seemed ecstatic. Dylan handed her a towel, which she took gratefully. A jumbled conversation started, then the video shut off.

"Holy shit," Beth said. "That was so nasty hot. I can't believe it. Was that all their idea?"

"Well, they do watch a lot of porn. I think they were conditioned to like it."

Beth handed back the phone. "Sure. I mean, I like it. But did you?"

Melinda smiled. "Yeah. My heart was pounding the whole time. It felt so dirty and... I don't know. Wrong is too strong a word. Naughty isn't strong enough. It was weirdly liberating. That the three of us could do anything we wanted like that. That probably sounds crazy."

"Nah, I get it. That's amazing, Melinda. You have to get me a copy."

"Why don't you come over, and we'll make another one? You, me, and the boys?"

Beth made a soft moaning sound. "Oh. Yes, please. As soon as exams are over, I'll take a week off and there will be nothing but depravity."

"Sounds like a plan."

They sat together for awhile in comfortable silence. It was Beth who finally spoke.

"Cliff and I have been seeing each other. Like, really dating. It's been going really well. I just thought you should know."

"I'm glad to hear that," Melinda said. "Not, like, in a sarcastic way."

"It might be getting pretty serious. I like him a lot. I might love him."

"That's fantastic. He deserves somebody who can give him what he really wants."

"You're not mad?" Beth asked.

"Not at all," Melinda asked. "Although, does that put a damper on your coming over for incestuous depravity?"

Beth shook the ice in her drink. "Oddly enough, no. He's not threatened by it. He says it's fine. Which makes him simultaneously weird as shit, and also more perfect for me than any guy has ever been."

"Never let him go."

"He still wants that threesome, though."

Melinda grinned. "Sure. Let's make that happen. After exams?"

"After exams."

They clinked glasses.

# # #

Later, as Melinda drove home in her relatively new Subaru, she thought about how much things had turned around. The car was literally the most reliable she could get for the money she had. It would probably serve her without issue for years to come. The diner had given her a raise, and she was quietly putting in applications elsewhere in town for jobs with more promising long-term prospects. There were rumors of Justin making assistant manager at the car wash, which wasn't much, but it wasn't nothing either. Dylan had job interviews lined up, and it was likely they could get him a loan for a cheap used car soon.

She and Beth were close again - closer than they'd ever been. She and Cliff were still good friends. Nothing had been ruined. And her home life with the boys... well, that could scarcely be going better.

The lights were on when she pulled into the driveway. She locked up the car and walked inside, expecting to find the usual mess and the boys sprawled on the couch. Instead, the garbage had been taken out, the floor tidied up and vacuumed, and some of the household junk cleared away. It was still far from perfect, but it was pretty nice.

Dylan and Justin emerged from the kitchen, smiling.

"Hi, Mom," Dylan said.

Melinda closed the door behind her and put down her purse. "Okay, what's the occasion?"

"We just wanted to show you how much we appreciate you," Justin said. "And everything you've done for us."

She stepped into the living room, eyeing them dubiously. They approached to meet her, all smiles.

"I don't buy it," Melinda said, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

Dylan put on a frown. "Okay, you got us. We do want something."

She smirked. "What?"

"You," Justin said.

Without further preamble, her sons began undressing her. Buttons were unfastened, her shirt lifted over her head, her bra undone. They'd gotten very good with practice. Soft hands caressed her, her boys kissing her on the back, shoulders, arms, breasts, lips. In between lavishing this affection on her, they took turns disrobing themselves.

"Oh shit," Melinda breathed, trying to find herself in the midst of this onslaught of attention, feeling disoriented with happiness. She hadn't expected to find herself amazed at how being with her boys made her feel, how thrilled and aroused she could get - but it looked like she was wrong again.

As Justin pressed his naked body against hers from behind, Dylan held her gently by the throat, kissed her passionately, and whispered in her ear.

"Mom. Language, please."