Chapter 11

Holly finally went home, replete with assurances that she would be invited back by Kate at a future date to be determined. Pete wandered into the kitchen, catching me sitting in a dining chair with his mother's head in my hands guiding her while she slurped on my meat. "Um, Kate says we're moving in."

"Yeah," I grunted. "I figure it'll make life simpler, don't you?"

"Yeah..." Pete watched his mother stick her nose in my pubes, bemused. "Things sure have changed."

"For the better, I hope," I grunted.

"Yeah..."

"If this bothers you..." I offered.

"I'm starting to get used to it," Pete smiled crookedly, "but it makes me a little horny."

I nodded. "Makes sense. Shit, we just shipped out the last of the unaffiliated pussy, didn't we?"

"Holly? Yeah. She doesn't..."

"Actually, she might. She gives head."

"No shit?"

"She did me."

"Everybody thinks..."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "She's kind of unhappy about that. Where's your sister?"

Pete blinked.

"I'm just trying to assess the level of privacy," I explained.

"She went with Holly."

"Where's Michael?"

Pete got real cautious. "He went home -- his momma wanted him to do some stuff, I think."

"So that leaves us," I concluded.

"Yes."

That left us in a bind. I had a couple of possibilities -- and neither of them was exactly the best way to handle things at this juncture. I could offer to get him off -- which might undermine his new-found masculinity in front of his mother, not to mention embarrassing him -- or I could encourage him to fuck Karen. He would do it -- I'd have done my mother at his age -- and Karen would allow it -- but it wasn't smart and might prove equally damaging. The best solution required a little willpower on my part... "We're done here," I told Karen. "Go on back to what you were doing when I interrupted you." She pouted a little so I kissed her cheek. "You were doing fine, but I don't want to get Pete all hot and bothered. Run along and I'll fuck you later." I got up and, waving Pete before me, left the room.

In the TV room, I settled onto the couch and waved Pete into a chair. "Are you okay with what's happening?"

"You mean moving?" Pete asked.

"Everything," I replied.

"Where will I sleep?"

"Here," I waved at the room, "Or the basement -- until we can put up a room for you somewhere. I felt like I needed to give your sister the spare bedroom." Pete nodded. "What about ... that?" I threw a thumb at the kitchen.

"It takes some getting used to."

"That's fair," I agreed. "She's gonna be naked in the house..."

"Yeah."

"You'll need to get used to it."

"I'll get there," he agreed, "but..."

"Watching her fuck and suck... ?"

"Yeah."

I sighed. "You know, Son, just about every boy wants to stick his dick in his mama -- I did, too. Usually, it's kind of unthinkable -- she takes care not to start anything and you're too scared. I'm kind of jerking the rug of respectability out from under her -- and that leaves you both vulnerable. She's gonna let her hair down -- probably pull a train at some point -- you understand?"

Pete nodded. "Several guys?"

"Right. Maybe more than once. There will be other shit, too. She WANTS to do wild shit -- and doing you qualifies. I could turn you two loose on one another -- but I don't think it's smart." I rubbed my razor stubble. "You're at kind of a crossroads -- and your momma is right there in your face going from angel to slut. It's only natural to kind of want to drop the barriers and TREAT her like a slut. In fact, there's even a little revenge component there to be dealt with. But what you need to do is accept her on her terms, for what she is -- and if you pork her, that's going to get in your way. Once you've settled out, you might decide to give her a nasty little thrill for her birthday, or whatever -- as long as she's on birth control, incest isn't an issue scientifically, even though it is morally -- but you need to have your feet on the ground where she's concerned first. She's a woman. She has feet of clay and a big wet pussy and she's gonna use it. When you are okay with that we can move on, but I really don't think you're there yet, do you?"

Pete grimaced. "Probably not."

"So, how is Joy?" I changed the subject.

"Pretty neat, but..."

"Go ahead."

"I don't know if she's it, long-term."

"Don't worry about that," I told him. "She has needs. You have needs. It's not just about sex. She needs a man to answer to and to grow a little self-respect. You need a woman who'll do what the fuck you tell her when the fuck you tell her and how the fuck you tell her. Both of you get what you need for now -- the future will take care of itself. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face."

Pete nodded. "Why did you ask about Michael?"

"You know why, or you wouldn't have asked," I replied. "I figure, though, that's another thing we need to keep a handle on until you and your momma are solid with the new situation. I don't want to embarrass you with guy stuff in front of her and put you in a position where you feel like you have to call her a slut or something to justify yourself."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I won't. I don't know where Michael sits, anyway -- once might have been enough." I peered at him. "What about you? Was once enough?"

Pete pursed his lips, then bit them, looking away. "No."

"We'll have to break Joy in right, then, so she doesn't get excited if it happens."

Pete nodded.

I could tell he was bothered. "What's wrong, Son?"

"I don't know..."

I chuckled. "You don't know which side of the fence you're gonna come down on?"

"Yeah."

"Wait and see. One day, you'll know. Between now and then, enjoy both sides so you have a sample to make your decision from."

"Okay."

"Don't worry, Son. Your mother won't care. And you KNOW I don't!"

"Thanks Cletus."

"No sweat." I stood. "Go for a swim?"

"Sure!"

So we played grab-ass in the pool. After a bit, Michael came back and added to it. We were hanging off the edge at one point and I asked Michael, "So, did you have a good time?"

"Shit yeah!"

"What do you figure was the best?"

"Aw, I dunno. It was all different." He lowered his voice. "Pete's mom was pretty good."

"What about Gina?" I asked.

"Well, it was good, but she doesn't know that much. Besides, she was all hot to tell me it wasn't going to happen again."

"You never know," I told him. "She's not tremendously popular, I figure, and not tremendously outgoing, either. You're a sure thing -- she might be back." I omitted the idea that she might return for ME... "What about Joy?"

"Well, I don't want to horn in on Pete..."

"Pete's worried that Joy isn't a long-term thing for him. I think she's good for him right now, but he might be right. I'd be up-front with Pete about it -- he might be more than happy to share," I related. I paused for a moment. "Pete won't ask you about this, so it's up to me to be nosy. What about the other thing?"

"What oth ... Oh." Michael's face took on a serious expression. "It was good."

"But?" I prompted.

"No buts. But no butt, either."

"Ah."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not for me," I muttered. "What if you're offered?"

"I might..." Michael puffed a sigh. "But I don't think I'd want to return the favor."

I shrugged. "I told you before that I wouldn't press you on that. Just, you know, don't hurt anyone's feelings."

"Cool."

Pete swam up. "What's going on?"

"Just shooting the breeze," I told him.

Jean showed up about two-thirty in a bikini -- very fetching. The boys were long gone; I was lounging on a floater. I waved her over. "Want to sit on my lap, little girl?"

Jean managed to smile, rather than crapping on me. "You're incorrigible."

I nodded. "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." A thought occurred to me. "Speaking of tough jobs..."

Jean's shoulders drooped. "What?"

"You need to take care of Pete occasionally."

"I thought Joy had that?"

I looked around. "Do you see Joy? I don't."

"Oh." I watched her wind herself up. "Cletus, do you really think that's right? I mean..."

"If I'd had a grown woman helping me through the storms of puberty, I'd have been a much happier young man!" I cut her off. "It's your duty to your sex to see to it that he learns how to please women and doesn't go hog-wild. Besides, I'll feel a lot better about watching Michael ride Karen..."

"Well, good for you!" Jean retorted sarcastically, "I'd HATE to have you feel bad about siccing teenage boys on women twice their age!"

"Come on, this is important," I chided. "You did a good job with Michael, but Pete needs more. You're the premiere woman in my household..."

"I'm what? Cletus, I am NOT a member of your household!" Jean protested.

"Okay, Heather is -- I'll go talk to her..."

"YOU WILL NOT!"

"That does it!" I rasped. "SHUT UP and GET OVER HERE and LISTEN to me!!"

Jean gave me this look that protested that I had no right to talk to her like that -- but she swam up, anyway. I dumped myself out of the floater and hauled her in with her back to me. She was still being mulish, so I just hauled her in and held her loosely with an arm under her breasts until she relaxed a little. I'd figured out a couple of days before that Jean had a critical behavior pattern; she would fight and argue and stand her ground -- UNTIL you indicated to her forcefully that you weren't going to take no for an answer. At that point, she would cave without even thinking about it. Oh, she still thought she was fighting, inside her head, but she was defending and delaying, not attacking, and prepared to lose ground. I'm sure it worked for the vast majority of her conflicts -- but if anyone really stood up to her and got in her face, her body signaled unconscious surrender before her brain realized it.

"Pete needs a certain touch," I explained. "Karen and Kate have been telling him that being male is being inferior since before he could walk -- and it's gotten worse since first Kate and then Pete hit puberty. The other message they've been sending is that it would be nice if he were a little more feminine -- and you can imagine what that's done to his public perception. Now, they did this because they're both potential sluts and they needed to keep him from smelling juice and going after one of them..."

"Cletus!" Jean swatted my arm, but her outrage covered mild amusement.

"Hon, I'm calling a spade a spade, here," I replied. "Why do you think you're in position over both of them when I can dick Karen any time I want and Kate will probably fall, too?"

"Cletus, I just can't be your woman."

"That's one of your better qualities," I murmured, more or less ignoring the content of the protest, "You're independent to a point, but you know when to let a lost cause go. Pete needs for you and Joy to give him self-confidence and self-respect and help him learn how to overcome conflict and appreciate women for what they are."

"You're not listening to me." The comment wasn't particularly freighted with emotion -- it was just her putting something out there.

"You'd be right. I'm waiting for you to realize that you've hit one of those lost causes and shut up about it and step up to the plate. I could always use Heather as a backup, but you're a MUCH better candidate in every way..."

"I'm not seeing a lost cause, here," she muttered.

"Okay, you can lie to yourself about that for a while. We're talking about Pete."

"Why can't Joy handle this?"

"Two reasons -- inexperience, and the fact that she has no self-respect of her own. Pete has no problem being ascendant over her -- but he also needs to be able to deal with someone who has a sense of self-worth."

"And I'm it."

I squeezed her against me. "Come on, it isn't like you're going to your death."

"No, you're right," Jean agreed. "He's a sweet boy." She eyed me for a bit. "What were you planning to do if I refused?"

"Tie you out spread-eagle for him to use, then stick you in a kennel with vibrators for company," I replied, poker-faced.

"Thank God I'm learning to be reasonable."

"Amen to that," I agreed. "Oh, by the way, disassembly of my computing platforms will not get you off the hook, so don't. I figured I'd tell you before the idea occurred to you -- no offense..."

Jean leaned up to give me a look, then sighed, settling back. "Would you really have tied me out?"

"We'll never know, will we?"

"Do I have to, uh, initiate?"

"Not really. Just be receptive. Maybe advertise a little. This is serious -- the kid was under the impression that he had no choice but to be gay. You don't want to see that, I'm sure. Can you handle it?"

"Yes, Boss."

"That's a good girl." I hugged her against me. I knew she wasn't thrilled with the plan or me -- but she would go along. As for the household thing, she was already committed -- she just wasn't ready to admit it to herself. I knew it -- and she KNEW I knew -- but that didn't mean she was ready to capitulate, yet...

Jean rubbed my arm. "Cletus?" she said diffidently. "About Heather..."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't ask me to make a promise that neither she nor I are going to want to keep."

"But ... Why?"

"Aside from the fact that I think I'm a better candidate for busting her cherry than some pimple-faced kid who's never seen a pussy in real life? Because she does, too," I replied. "Besides, we're not talking about Heather moving into my bed -- just a couple of critical early experiences and a little mentoring -- that's all. I have bigger fish to fry."

"If you do, why bother?" she asked.

"Because I think it ought to be done right," I explained. "Most of the reason that sex is fraught with danger is because of ignorance -- and if you'll forgive me for saying this, one of the sources of that ignorance is you!"

"What? Dammit, Cletus!" She started struggling in my arms.

"So I'm wrong? Or it just hurts a little?" I pressed, not letting her go, but allowing her to turn in my arms to face me. "You've told her everything she needs to know -- or did you just try to scare her to death so she wouldn't go near a boy? Was that your concept of everything she needs to know?"

She started beating my shoulders with her fists. "Damn you! You're just like my ex! Domineering, rational, you pretend to be logical, but you're not! Controlling..."

I grabbed her wrists. "I assume those aren't compliments..." She tried to kick me, and I considered tripping and dunking her -- but her face collapsed from anger to pain, so I let go of her wrists one by one so I could haul her against me. She shook and sobbed and dribbled salt water on my shoulder while I rubbed her back and murmured, "You did fine with Michael, but you did almost as badly with Heather as Karen did with Pete. Do you WANT her to be a lesbian?"

"No!" she choked out. "I just didn't want her to get hurt..."

"Like you did," I finished for her. "Now I've wandered in and all of the fancy plans and defenses you had built up are as ineffective against me as they were against him..."

"You're worse!" Jean whined, whacking me on the shoulder again. Women and assault and battery... "He at least covered over his worst traits in public -- you just throw it all out there for the world to see just how weird and strange you really are ... You're demanding and abusive..."

"Abusive? Me?" I blinked. "Really?"

"Of COURSE you are! Just look how you..." She ground to a halt, looking thoroughly flustered.