Chapter 18

The next morning, Emily woke up early, threw on some clothes, and rushed out the door to her car. She had to pick up her brother from the frat house and get them to their parents’ place as quickly as possible. Something is wrong with Mom, she kept thinking.

Her WE gently tried to reason with her. Emily, if you would just listen, your mother is perfectly fine. She is having fun and earning money for the family. There is no need for you to rush off like this.

But Emily wasn’t listening. She was too emotional, too wound up. Her mother would never strip. Something had to be wrong.

At least she allowed her WE to help her find Joshua. As she pulled up to the Alpha Sigma Rho frat house, she barely had time to steel herself before stepping inside. The moment she opened the front door, a wall of scent hit her—sex, sweat, and far too many bodies in one place. The unmistakable aftermath of an all-night orgy.

She gagged and pulled her shirt over her nose, breathing through her mouth to block out as much of the stench as possible.

Joshua was sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep, using someone’s back as a pillow while another person had their head resting on his legs. Around him, the rest of the room looked like a tangle of naked limbs—bodies draped over couches, tangled together on the floor, completely unbothered by their own nudity. Gross.

Joshua’s frat, Alpha Sigma Rho, had thrown a joint party with Omega Delta Tau, teaming up to host a massive orgy with the women of Delta Kappa Phi. Apparently, the night had been a success. Too much of a success, Emily thought with disgust, her eyes skimming over the scattered bodies.

“Josh.” She nudged him with the toe of her shoe.

He groaned, shifting only to pull the person he was cuddling closer.

“Josh!” she said again, more insistent this time, bending down to shake his shoulder. “Get up.”

One bleary eye cracked open. “What, Em?”

“Get up. Something’s wrong with Mom.”

That got his attention. He lifted his head fully. “What’s wrong with Mom?”

“I don’t know yet. Just get up, I’ll explain on the way home.” Emily took in the state of the room one last time, her nose wrinkling in distaste. Tits, ass, pussy, and dick everywhere, and she felt nothing but revulsion.

Joshua sat up and stretched, carefully moving the woman resting on his legs. According to his WE, her name was Karen. Her pale skin and long black hair triggered a rush of pleasant memories from the night before, making him smile as he gently shifted her off him.

He got to his feet and stretched again before heading for the door.

“Are you going to put on some damn clothes? At least shower? You stink,” Emily snapped, watching him.

Joshua grinned. “Rule 8, baby!” He threw his arms wide, stark naked, shaking his hips at his sister.

Emily groaned, turned her back, and marched outside.

A few minutes later, Joshua did take a quick rinse-off, not out of modesty, but because he didn’t want to smell himself either. When he emerged freshly showered, Emily was sitting on the front steps, arms crossed impatiently.

“Okay, I’m clean. But you owe me a Starbee’s for waking me up this early.” He stretched again, running a hand through his damp hair.

“Fine. Whatever. Just get in.”

Once he had his drink in hand and the caffeine started waking up his brain, Emily finally explained what had her so worked up.

“I called Dad last night. I had this feeling something was wrong, so I checked in on him.”

Joshua took a sip of his drink. “Okay ... so far, so good.”

“Well, when he answered, he was at a strip club,” she said, eyes darting over to gauge his reaction.

Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Okay. And?”

“There’s a new one in town, apparently. A bunch of good reviews on it, which I don’t understand. Dad was there—and I was already shocked about that. But then, I heard him sigh, you know how he does that heavy sigh when something’s bothering him? So I asked him what was wrong.”

“Uh-huh...” Joshua said, sipping his coffee.

Emily shot him a glare but continued. “That’s when he sent me a WE link of what he was looking at.” She clenched the steering wheel tighter. “And that’s when I saw it. Dad was watching a dancer. A woman in a purple wig. It was Mom.”

Joshua just blinked at her, unimpressed.

“She was dancing, naked, in front of a room full of men. Just putting everything on display—our mother!”

Joshua shrugged. “So?”

Emily nearly slammed the brakes. “So?! Mom would never do this. There has to be something wrong.” She looked at him incredulously.

Joshua rolled his eyes. “You’re being dramatic. Mom’s fine.”

Emily clenched her jaw. She wasn’t going to let this go.

Joshua sighed, leaning back in his seat. This was about to be a long drive and their house was just across town.

Emily skidded into the driveway and barely put the car in park before throwing open the door. She stomped toward the house, keys in hand, every step brimming with determination. Behind her, Joshua moved at a steady, unhurried pace, sipping the last of his coffee. He knew his sister was on a tear, looking for a crisis that wasn’t there.

Emily jammed her key into the lock and pushed the front door open, stepping inside with sharp, searching eyes. Nothing was out of place. The couch, the coffee table, the pictures on the walls—everything was exactly as she remembered from her last visit.

She strode down the hall to her old bedroom. No changes there either. The same familiar space, untouched by time. A growing frustration settled in her chest. Where is it? Where is the proof that something is wrong?

Finally, she turned to her parents’ bedroom. Her pulse pounded as she eased open the door.

The curtains were drawn, the room bathed in the soft glow of morning light filtering through the fabric. On the bed, her parents lay nestled together under the blankets, wrapped up in each other’s arms. Peaceful. Content.

Emily froze.

She had expected something obvious—some sign of distress, a broken lamp, a pillow thrown across the room, her father sleeping on the couch. Anything. But instead, she found them curled together, sleeping soundly, her father spooning up behind her mother, his arm wrapped around her body.

Her hands clenched into fists. How? How could her mother do what she did last night and then come home to this—to them—as if nothing had changed?

Moving closer, she dropped to her knees at the side of the bed and reached out to touch her mother’s hand.

“Mom.” Her voice was a whisper, hesitant but insistent.

Linda sighed in her sleep, shifting slightly, but didn’t wake.

“Mom, it’s me. It’s Em.” She squeezed her mother’s fingers, bringing the hand to her cheek, instinctively seeking comfort from the woman she had always trusted. Her mother’s warmth, the familiar weight of her hand—it soothed her in ways she didn’t expect.

Linda stirred, her eyes fluttering open. A soft, sleepy smile spread across her lips as she took in her daughter’s face. “Hey, baby girl.” Her voice was thick with sleep. “You okay?” Her thumb gently brushed against Emily’s cheek, a tender motion that had calmed her daughter since childhood.

Tears burned at the back of Emily’s eyes. “Mom ... I was so worried.” Her voice trembled. “Dad showed me what you did last night. I don’t understand. Why would you do that? It’s ... it’s gross.” The words tumbled out in a rushed whisper, urgent and desperate.

Linda inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly as she blinked herself fully awake. She shifted under the blanket, carefully lifting Mark’s arm off her waist before sliding out of bed.

Emily jerked her gaze away as her mother stood up, her breath catching in her throat when she realized Linda was naked.

Linda stretched lazily, her body moving with the ease of someone completely comfortable in her skin. Without a hint of hesitation, she walked toward the bathroom, not bothering to grab a robe or cover herself.

Emily stared at the floor, mortified, her face burning. What the hell is happening?

The toilet flushed, then the shower started as Emily knelt on the floor. She was looking at her father, the man who loved her unconditionally, who danced with her and played with her, but now, something was different and she couldn’t put her finger on it. He looked like the same man, but something was different and it made Emily uneasy.

The shower shut off and then after a minute, Linda walked out of the bathroom clean and dry and fully awake.

Linda held her hand out to her daughter and Emily got up and reluctantly took her mother’s hand and allowed herself to be led out of the bedroom while Mark slept.

“Mom. What is going on? Dad said and showed me that you are stripping? What is going on?” Emily said, once they were away from the door.

Joshua was sitting in the kitchen counter sipping coffee that he had made and gave his mother a wolf whistle when she walked in.

“WOW MOM!! Looking good!!” He said, looking at his mother.

Linda paused, struck a pose giving him a chance to look at her, then laughed and went to give him a hug. They hugged their nude bodies against each other and Joshua wrapped his arms around his mother’s nude body without shame or reluctance.

“Hi baby boy.” She said, holding her son.

“Mom.” Emily said, watching.

Linda moved to the coffee pot, poured coffee into a cup and then used a bit of cream from the jug before sipping it. She turned to her daughter who was still standing there watching this all going on with her arms crossed under her breasts, a frustrated look on her face.

“Honey. There is nothing wrong.” Linda said calmly.

“Then why? How can nothing be wrong and you doing that?” Emily said, pointing toward the front door.

Linda put her coffee cup down and then moved to her daughter. She put a loving hand on her shoulder and tried to capture her eyes, but Emily was having trouble looking at her.

Honey. Look at me. Linda finally had to say through the We to get her attention.

open up to me. Show me what is going on. Linda said, reaching out to her daughter through the WE.

Emily finally relented, and the moment she connected with her mother, a flood of raw, unfiltered emotion came crashing through the link.

A lifetime of shame, insecurity, and fear spilled out in an unstoppable torrent—her frustration with never having a perfect body, the awkward fumbling in the back seat of a car that had left her feeling more embarrassed than desired, the shock of her first period and the fear of people noticing, her deep discomfort with Rule 8 and how it clashed with everything she had been raised to believe. Then, the bigger fears—the terror of losing her parents, the creeping worry that their marriage might not last, the unbearable humiliation of her mother stripping and what her friends would say if they ever found out.

Linda staggered under the weight of it all. She had never known—never imagined—how much her daughter had been carrying. She had always been a present, attentive mother, yet here was her baby girl drowning in burdens she had never shared.

Emily gasped, her chest rising and falling in uneven breaths, and then, just like that, the dam shattered. A strangled sob ripped from her throat, and her knees buckled beneath her.

Linda caught her before she hit the floor.

Emily collapsed against her mother, her body trembling, her arms clutching at Linda in a desperate, childlike need for comfort. Deep, wracking sobs tore through her as years of pent-up fear and anxiety finally broke free.

Joshua, startled and confused, hesitated for only a second before instinct kicked in. He lunged forward, helping steady his sister as Linda guided her onto the couch. Emily curled into her mother’s embrace, clutching at her as if she were the only solid thing in a world suddenly spinning out of control.

Linda held her tight, rocking her gently, whispering soothing nonsense, running her fingers through her daughter’s hair as Emily sobbed into her chest.

Joshua sat nearby, his usual confidence shaken, unsure of what to do. His mother had this under control, so he stayed put, watching as Emily’s cries slowly softened into hiccups and sniffles.

Mark walked in, his brows furrowing at the scene before him. His eyes flicked from his son to his weeping daughter, then landed on Linda, silently asking what had just happened.

Mark walked in, his brows furrowing at the scene before him. His eyes flicked from his son to his weeping daughter, then landed on Linda, silently asking what had just happened.

But before he could say anything, his face brightened at the sight of his son.

“Joshua! My boy!” He grinned, arms open wide.

Joshua hesitated for half a second before standing and stepping into his father’s embrace, the two sharing a firm, manly hug.

When they pulled apart, Joshua stepped back, allowing his dad to kneel beside the couch, his focus now entirely on Emily.

The family remained together as Emily slowly regained control of herself, her sobs quieting, her breathing evening out. Her tears had finally run dry, leaving her feeling hollow yet strangely lighter. She shifted slightly, lifting her head from her mother’s chest, and met Linda’s gaze—those same warm, loving eyes that had watched over her since childhood.

Linda leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead, as she had done countless times before, then pulled her firmly against her body hugging her, another sign of motherly love.

“Mom?” Emily quietly said.

Linda responded with an equally quiet ‘yes honey.’

“I can’t breathe.”

Linda quickly released her daughter as the family laughed, breaking the tension in the room in one quick moment.

Mark laughed, slapped his knees, got up and then bent over and kissed his daughter on the temple before going into the kitchen. “Everyone still love french toast?”

Joshua was first to respond with ‘heck yes!’

Joshua went to the kitchen to help crack eggs while the women collected themselves but still ready to communicate or help or eat, both ready for anything.

Linda got up suddenly, remembering that she has laundry to do in order to work tonight.

“Come with me honey.” Linda said, offering a hand to Emily. “I want to show you something.”

The women moved off together going to the basement and the duffle bag that Linda had dropped when she got home last night. Linda moved to the washing machine and unzipped the duffle bag and then started taking things out and putting them into laundry bags for washing.

“See this? This is the set I wore for your father when he arrived at the club. See this set, I wear this under most of my costumes and this set is just for fun since the sequins pinch between my legs.” Linda said, sorting out her undergarments then putting them into the laundry bag. This included the tasseled bra and panty set as well as a sequined set that seemed to reflect all of the light in the room. Emily just stood there, seeing items, lingerie, that she had never seen before in her life. They were colorful and tiny. She was used to seeing her mother’s under-things as ‘old lady’ panties. This was something that was the opposite of that and it was shocking to her.

“Mom. What is it like to be in front of all those men dancing?” Emily asked as the washing machine started with Linda’s clothes carefully placed in it.

Linda smiled, turning toward her daughter. “It is surprisingly exciting.”

“Really? Were you nervous the first time?”

“Of course I was. I was terrified, but I swallowed it down and went out there and gave it the old college try.” she said, using a phrase from a past movie. “Once I was out there, I just moved, letting the music wash over me and I moved around the stage trying to be sexy. I had the WE show me some movements that had been recorded by professionals, so that made it easier. But it was just me on stage and I gave it my all.”

“What about taking your clothes off? I suppose that you had only been naked with daddy. What about that?”

Linda had to think for a moment before she spoke. “Honey, you know Rule 8 is in place and being naked in public is a common occurrence, right?”

“Sure mom. I see guys and girls all the time in class or just on campus.”

“When I did take my last item of clothing off, I was nervous, sure, but I did it and the men in the crowd all cheered. They can see a naked woman at any time, anywhere, but they were cheering me on, doing the same thing just on stage, dancing to music while doing it. I don’t understand the psychology of it, but they loved it. Their cheering spurred me on and I got even more excited about being naked in front of them. When I got done the first time after being on stage, I counted my tips and was amazed by it all. The guy had thrown one hundred dollars on stage to me just for taking my clothes off while dancing around on stage. I could hardly believe it.”

“What about sex? I read the reviews, the dancers at that club are having sex with the patrons. What about that? I mean, you’re cheating on daddy aren’t you?”

“It depends.” Linda said, but held up her hand before Emily could protest. “It isn’t cheating to me or to your father. They may get to touch me and be with me physically, that is just external stuff. They don’t get to connect with me and see ME.” Linda said, emphasizing the word ‘me’ in her explanation. “They get to experience Roxy not Linda, only your daddy gets to know Linda. Now, if he and I were to go to one of these parties that our neighbors throw, then that may be cheating since I would be doing it as Linda, but even that would be out in the open with the full knowledge of your father just as he was doing the same thing in front of me. Cheating implies that you are doing something wrong behind someone’s back. If they know about it, then it isn’t cheating, since you will have agreed to it beforehand.”

Emily stood by her mother as she spoke, taking in all of her words and thinking about them. She was right. Cheating does involve lying and deception, but sex with strangers still bothered her even if she was doing it in public as this Roxy character.

“Mom, can I tell you something?”

Linda just moved closer and hugged her daughter whispering, “Sure honey. Tell me anything.”

“I’m a virgin.”

Linda simply nodded her head. “That’s ok. There is no shame in that. Why are you telling me this?”

“You saw what happened to me in that backseat when I was a teen, well, after that sex just didn’t seem to be arousing to me. It was just gross and I’ve never gone back to try it again.”

“What’s gross about it?”

“Um, the smells mostly. Though the feeling of his stuff was gross as well?”

“What about the sights of naked bodies? Does that gross you out as well?”

“I don’t know. I just haven’t gotten to the point where I’m aroused or turned on enough to know. The very idea of the smell of some boy’s body against mine just grosses me out. Then to feel his stuff on my hands...” Emily said, then shuddered in revulsion.

Linda thought for a minute, then reached out to the WE for help. You heard her? Is there something wrong with her olfactory senses that is making her grossed out?

Maybe. The WE said back to both women. Take a dryer sheet and smell it Linda, then have Emily smell it. That could be a test to see if her senses are heightened.

Linda took a dryer sheet, sniffed it and then Emily did the same thing. The WE came back quickly. Her senses are heightened as well as being wired to a different part of the brain. She is stimulating a part of her brain that shouldn’t be stimulated like this. Hmm, how can we fix this? The WE asked, actually having to research for an answer instead of just knowing the answer.

Your WE will try and find an answer. For the time being just know that this is a birth defect in your brain and that you are perfectly normal otherwise Emily. Your mother loves you, your father loves you, your brother loves you as well even if he doesn’t know how to show it.

I do too know how to show it. It’s just more fun to poke fun. Joshua said through the family link to everyone.

Emily and Linda left the laundry room and went upstairs to eat as a family. The day may have started off emotional, but right now, this was normal and Emily needed normal.

Later that day, Linda threw on some clothes and got ready for work. Emily watched her mother move through the routine, still struggling with the idea of calling it work. Stripping was work? That was a funny thing to call it.

“Mom, one last question. Is it easy to do? The stripping?”

“No,” Linda answered immediately. “It’s hard work—and really great exercise. Feel my arm.”

She stepped closer, flexing her bicep.

Emily let out a small laugh but reached out to test the muscle. To her surprise, her mother’s arm was solid.

“Huh.”

Linda grabbed her duffle bag, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she kissed Mark goodbye. As she headed out the door, Emily followed behind, hesitating before blurting out, “Can I come with you?”

Linda paused, surprised, then smiled. “Sure, honey. Come along.”

The ride was quiet, Emily lost in her own thoughts. When they arrived, she stepped out and took in the club’s exterior. It was part of a strip mall, wedged between a coffee shop on the right and an office building on the left. Other than the illuminated sign reading Club Velvet, the brick façade was unremarkable. No flashing lights. No dark, pulsing music spilling from the doors. It wasn’t menacing or unwelcoming like she had imagined. It was just ... a tinted glass door with the club’s name printed neatly across it.

“You coming?” Linda called, already a few steps ahead.

Emily flinched, realizing she’d been frozen in place. Quickly, she fell in beside her mother as they entered the club.

When they stepped in, they heard the music, but it was something she had heard on the radio just yesterday. The dancer was on the stage, swinging around the pole then moving along the stage, showing off her flexibility as well as her private parts as she enticed the half dozen men sitting near the stage, they were smiling as well as tossing or handing dollar bills to the dancer as she performed.

The dancer had blonde hair, which she was tossing around as she moved, wearing nothing at this point, giving everyone a chance to see those parts that men love to look at.

The waitresses were standing near the bar chatting and smiled as Linda passed them as she walked around the big stage heading to a door toward the back of the building.

Emily followed behind her mother and entered the dressing room area. Several other women were there in various stages of undress as they prepped for their next dance or were simply relaxing.

Several of them greeted Linda with ‘Hey Roxy!’, ‘Yo Girl’, as Linda moved to a locker and wedged her duffle into the locker.

“Who’s your friend Roxy?” a woman asked, wearing only a pair of panties letting her bare breasts move freely.

“This is my daughter, Emily.” Linda said and Emily shook the other dancer’s hands.

“Are you going to try out at the club?” Another dancer asked.

“No. No.” Emily said, shaking her head and hands. “I just wanted to see the club for real. Mom didn’t tell me she started working here, and I was slightly shocked.”

Linda let out a snort of a laugh at her statement. “Ok, yes, I was very shocked. There, happy now?”

The other dancers laughed and Emily just stuck her tongue out at her mother who laughed even more.