Chapter 1

“Hi, I need to talk,” Molly said into the phone. “Can I come over?”

“Oh, Hi to you too,” Brett replied. “Uh, sure. I’m just home by myself. Is everything OK?”

“Yes ... no ... Shit, I don’t know. I did something really, really stupid and I need to talk.”

“OK, of course. Hubby’s off to work already. Can you give me a clue?”

“When I get there. I’m leaving now. See you in a few.”

Molly hung up and grabbed her purse before Brett could say goodbye. When she arrived at her friend’s house, Brett was waiting for her at the back door.

“Honey,” Brett said, “what’s up? You sounded distraught on the phone. And you look stressed-out right now.”

“I am, both,” Molly replied. “Oh shit, I’m such an idiot.”

“Well, come in, Mol. Sit down, tell me what’s going on. Coffee’s made.”

“Great, get me a big cup, right away.”

Sitting on the couch, large mug of coffee in hand, Molly began.

“OK, so, you know how close I am with Nick, right? We’ve always had a special relationship, even more than most moms and their sons.”

“Yes, I know that.”

“And you know how we horse around all the time?”

“Yes, I’m aware. And I’ve told you many times that I think you take it too far. Whether he’s your son or not, he’s a teenage boy. I know you say he doesn’t see you as a woman, which I can’t even grasp. But still, you are a woman and he’s a testosterone factory.”

“I know, Brett. I know you’ve told me that. Bob has told me that too, many, many times. You both had the right idea.”

“Molly, what the hell happened?”

“This morning, Nick was lying on the couch in the family room, under a blanket. I had just finished working out and I was walking by.”

“You finished working out?” Brett asked. “I didn’t think you ever finished working out.”

“Very funny,” Molly replied.

“I suppose you were wearing a pair of those tiny, silky athletic shorts and just a sports bra.”

“No! I had on socks and shoes too.”

“So, you were pretty much naked.”

“Shut up, Brett! I was not. Besides, Nick sees me like that all the time.”

“Whatever. Go on.”

“So Nick was watching something on TV. And I came up behind the couch and started joking with him. I said he should quit being lazy and lying around. That he should have worked out with me.”

“Molly, he works out almost as much as you, between wrestling and his other sports.”

“I know that, Brett. I was just giving him shit, OK?”

“Yeah, of course, I know. Go on.”

“So he told me to leave him alone and stuff like that. And of course I didn’t. I reached over the couch and started poking and tickling him. And he kept telling me to knock it off.”

“And you didn’t listen. I know how this story goes, at least so far.”

“Yeah, so far. So I kept it up and he kept telling me to stop. And I finally jumped over the back of the couch, on top of him.”

“You’re right, you’re an idiot, Molly.”

“I know, I already said that, Brett. So I’m still horsing around and tickling him and he’s grabbing my hands and telling me to stop. And I start saying, ‘Why? Why don’t you want me to tickle you? Come on, tough guy! Can’t you handle it? Can’t you handle your mom?’ And pretty soon, he started tickling me back.”

“You didn’t give him much choice, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. Well, by now I’m straddling him on the couch and we’re poking and tickling each other and we’re both screaming and laughing. And I say, ‘Why don’t you want your Mom tickling you, you wimp? You can’t handle what Mom can dish out?’ And then I realized why Nick didn’t want his mother tickling him just then.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I felt him under me. And instead of jumping up and running out of the room, I ... I started grinding on him.”

“Are you saying ... He had an erection?”

“Yes, he had an erection.”