Chapter 3

They dressed slowly and got something to drink. Both Mark and Gail were strangely quiet. For Mark, he couldn't stop thinking about one major thing. He wished he wouldn't have come so quickly. Perhaps he shouldn't worry; after all, she DID come.

Unbeknownst to Mark, Gail had a glaring fault. It was that she never appreciated what she had. She was always looking for something or someone better. Her mom was right in her assessment of Gail. Gail found herself wishing that Mark was as good a lover as his brother. Joe had given her much more intense climaxes. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help comparing the two brothers. Her doubts would be their undoing.

For the next several weeks, their time alone seemed less and less special. The sex was good; at least it was for Mark. For Gail the sex was just okay. She kept wondering if there was someone else that was a better lover than Mark, or at least as good a lover as Joe. Even though Mark was special, Gail had never really gotten over his older brother. It wasn't that Mark was an inadequate lover. In fact, he was pretty darn good in bed. But, Joe's longer cock had reached places that Mark's cock never could. That was the sad truth.

It had reached the point in their dating relationship that Mark assumed that he and Gail were dating each other exclusively. When Mark said something about the upcoming Friday night, Gail told him that she could not go out with him. She offered no explanation. It surprised Mark but he trusted her and didn't give it another thought. He then mentioned Saturday night and she told him that she couldn't go out with him then either. She said that she was attending a slumber party with several of the other cheerleaders. It bothered Mark. "She would rather go to a stupid slumber party that be with me," he muttered to himself.

In reality, someone else had asked Gail out, and she just couldn't bring herself to say no. He was the star running back on the football team. She had accepted dates with Bart Johnson for both Friday and Saturday nights. She hated to lie to Mark, but in case it didn't work out with Bart, she wanted a fall back position. If she was truthful with Mark, and it didn't work out with Bart, she risked ending up with nothing and no one.

Mark spent a very boring weekend, alone. It was the first time in months that he had nothing to do socially. He sure missed Gail.

Monday, at school, Gail wouldn't even establish eye contact with him and he knew something was wrong. He tried to figure out if it was something he did or said that had hurt her feelings. He could think of nothing. "Oh well, maybe she's not feeling well", he thought.

Tuesday, Gail wasn't at school. Mark realized that his theory might be correct, that she just wasn't feeling well. Wednesday, as he finished basketball practice that afternoon in the gym, he saw Gail. The cheerleaders were working on cheers in the far side of the gym and Gail seemed perfectly all right to him. When he finished showering, he came out the side door leading to the foyer area. He saw Linda, peeking into the gym. She told him that she was there to pick Gail up after practice.

"Odd", he thought, "she normally rides home with me."

The cheerleaders finished their practice and moved toward the door. Because it was dark out, Mark and Linda could see into the gym, but the cheerleaders couldn't see out. The cheerleaders were all chattering.

Susie, one of the other cheerleaders, asked Gail, "How are things with Mark".

The other cheerleaders got quiet and Gail answered, "I'm going to dump him. He's nowhere near the lover that his brother was, and probably never will be. I had originally hoped that my going out with Mark would make his brother jealous and maybe he'd want me back. That didn't work. It's time to move on to bigger and better things, if you know what I mean."

Susie said, "What's so bad about Mark? He's cute and a very good basketball player. Besides, I'd love to have a boyfriend as considerate as Mark."

Gail replied, "Mark's a nice guy, but he can't hold a candle to his brother in the cock department. I've started dating Bart Johnson. He's not nearly as smart or gentlemanly as Mark, but he's hung like a mule."

Both Mark and Linda heard every word that was said. Linda looked sharply at Mark when she heard her daughter's reply. Mark was crushed! His eyes filled with tears. He couldn't hold back. The tears flowed like a river. Linda felt so sorry for Mark. She knew what it was like to be dumped. She touched his hand with hers and said, "Mark, I'm so sorry. I just don't know what to say."

Mark was sobbing, and replied," Do me a favor. Don't tell Gail that I overheard her. I don't want her to see me crying. It will just make her feel bad and I DON"T want that. Promise me you won't tell!"

Linda replied, "I promise I won't tell her." Linda watched as Mark ran to the foyer entrance to the basketball dressing room, so that the others wouldn't see him. She felt sadness for him, but she also felt a great amount of respect. Having heard probably the worst news of his life, Mark was still enough of a man to spare Gail's feelings. He left so that Gail wouldn't see him crying and feel bad for him. Linda found herself wishing her ex-husband had been half the man Mark was. Her eyes filled with tears of sadness for her daughter's soon-to-be ex boyfriend. She truly knew the empty sadness that he felt.

Mark was shell-shocked. He got home and went immediately to his room. He heard the doorbell ring, but thought nothing of it. A few minutes later, his mom knocked on his door and handed him a letter in a sealed envelope. He opened it. Oh my God, it was Gail's version of a "Dear John" letter. She didn't even have enough class to tell Mark to his face that she was dumping him. Mark sobbed into the pillow. He feared that he would never get over this setback. It seemed that he would always be in his brother's shadow.

Mark was so devastated that he didn't even go to the football game Friday night. He stayed in his room with his door closed. His parents had gone away for the weekend to visit his mom's sister.

He was glad to have the time alone to grieve without his parents asking too many questions.

Saturday morning, Mark received a phone call from Linda Davis, Gail's mother. She said, "Gail and the others just left for a 2 day cheerleader workshop. I thought this might be a good time to explain to you some things about Gail. Hopefully, after getting to know more about her, it will ease your burden."

Mark replied, "I don't think that anything will ease my burden, but I'm willing to hear what you have to say."

Linda said, "If you're free for lunch, we could discuss it then. I'd rather tell you these things face to face. How about 12 noon today at my house?"

Mark replied, "See you at noon."

Mark arrived promptly at noon and rang the doorbell. Linda answered the door and invited him in. She was wearing shorts and a floral print blouse. Linda hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Linda had him sit in the living room, while she put the finishing touches on lunch. She asked if she could get him something to drink and a moment later, she brought him a glass of tea. As she walked toward him, he noticed that her breasts were swaying. She was not wearing a bra. The top two buttons of her blouse were undone. Mark didn't remember her blouse being partially unbuttoned when she answered the door. When she bent to place his glass on a coaster, her top fell away, exposing her bare breasts to his view. Mark was powerless to do anything but stare. His cock tingled and started getting erect. As she straightened up, she noticed Mark's stare and blushed.

She walked back toward the kitchen and Mark stared at her legs and butt. They looked every bit as nice, if not nicer, than Gail's.

Lunch was ready and she called him into the dining area. They made small talk while they ate the chicken Marsala that she'd prepared. When they were through eating, they went into the living room. They both sat down on the couch, leaving a respectable distance between each other.

Linda began, "First of all, I'd like to tell you how sorry I am that Gail hurt you. She's entitled to her opinion, but I am sorry you found out that way. Secondly, you need to know that Gail has never appreciated what she's had. She always had to try to do better. She's like her dad in that regard. She's not really concerned with whom she hurts, as long as she can keep trying for something or someone better. Third, it's obvious you were intimate with my daughter. That's okay. I knew that she was intimate with your brother as well. You have to understand that no matter how good you are, there is always going to be somebody better, younger, stronger than you. My husband left me for a much younger woman. You know what really hurt that most? I tried to be the best and most unselfish lover possible to him. He never was an unselfish lover back to me, and he rewarded my efforts, " she paused and started sobbing, "by cheating on me and dumping me."

At that point, Linda broke down and started crying uncontrollably. It was they first time she'd cried since she found out her husband was leaving her. She'd just been numb, since the day she found out.

Mark scooted over and took Linda in his arms. He held her tightly to him, as she cried. Mark said, "Go ahead, and let it all out."

She did. She spilled her guts about everything. Her husband expected her to service him in every way possible, including oral sex, yet he wouldn't even go down on her. Not once had he even tried. He told her that real men didn't eat pussy. Mark knew that was rubbish. All Linda did was give, give, give and all her husband did was take, take, take.

When she finished winding down, Mark looked into her eyes. They were as deep as oceans and every bit as blue. In her eyes, he saw something very familiar. He saw her pain. He saw her despair. He saw her doubts. He understood it all.

Before he knew what was happening, he kissed her. Not a light, "young man to ex-girlfriend's mother" peck, but a full, deep kiss. She kissed him back swirling her tongue against his. After the kiss he looked into her eyes and saw something else. Hope.

Their lips locked again, tongues swirling, and bodies pressed together. After the kiss, the realization hit him, what they'd done. He said, "I'm sorry Linda. I had no right to do that."

She said, "Mark, look at me. I don't know how to say this. We both hurt. We both need something, bad. I think I know what that something is. I need you, and you need me. If you don't agree, please go home, and never mention any of this to anyone. If you do agree, please follow me.

It took Mark all of one second to agree with Linda. He did follow her! He followed her down the hallway to her bedroom. After he entered her bedroom, she closed the door. Even though they were totally alone in the house and Gail was not due back until Sunday afternoon, it was just a habit with her. You close the door when you're about to have sex. Her heart was racing.

Linda faced Mark and began unbuttoning her blouse. Mark stood frozen, staring as each button opened to expose more of her luscious breasts. When she finished unbuttoning her blouse, she shrugged the shirt off. The movement caused her breasts to sway. The blood flowed to Mark's penis and it immediately started getting hard. Linda's breasts were a work of art. They were slightly smaller than Gail's C cup breasts, but they were just as firm. The nipples were more erect and the areolas were larger in diameter and puffier. What a beautiful sight to behold! The upper portions of her breasts were tanned nicely, leaving the lower portion starkly white. Her puffy pink nipples stood out even more against the white background and Mark started to move toward them. He couldn't resist the urge to suck her nipples. He'd actually seen her breasts twice before, but it was always just a glimpse. Now he had time to stare. As Mark moved toward Linda, she held a hand up, signaling him to hold his ground and let her finish undressing.

Linda was nervous. It had been a long time since a man had seen her breasts and it had been even longer since a man saw and appreciated them. Damn her ex husband! She looked at the pure lust in Mark's eyes and realized that he saw and appreciated her ripe breasts. She instinctively knew that Mark would appreciate her whole body. She found herself wondering if he'd go down on her. She felt her pussy moistening.