Chapter 27

Dad was already asleep in his room when we got home. I was going to let him know I was home, but I could hear the snoring through the door. So deciding not to wake him, I shrugged and went back downstairs. I turned the stereo on softly, and noticed that Holly was sitting on the floor, her back a few feet from the couch. So understanding what she wanted I slipped in behind her and she leaned back and we cuddled.

“Than you so much Pete,” she whispered as I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. “I honestly don’t know what came over me today. But it’s like, I really liked kissing Linda, and it was also, I don’t know. Wrong?”

“Holly, as far as I’m concerned, anything that is not illegal or does not hurt anybody else is not wrong. Why is it wrong?”

“Because girls are not supposed to like kissing other girls.”

“Is that what you feel, what you were taught, or what you think?”

“Well, kinda all I guess. I think in a way I now really get that talk we all had with Mandy the other day. And I think I may be a bit like her, but not quite so much.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, kinda confused.

“OK, you know how Mandy said she doesn’t think she’s bisexual? Oh, what was it. She is probably ‘straight but with a girl crush.’ I think that is kinda what developed with Linda and me. I love her, but like a sister, ya know? Like, I still can’t imagine ever actually, touching her. Down there, ya know? Or her touching me. But kissing her was really nice.”

“OK, then you like kissing Linda. What’s wrong with that?”

“But I’m not supposed to like kissing Linda, I’m only supposed to like kissing Keith!”

“OK, so you don’t like kissing me?”

She inhaled deeply, then sighed. “OK, yeah, you got me there. And in a way, I think it’s more or less the same. Yes, I like kissing you. And I know that I like being just a little naughty with you. But sorry Pete, as much as I love you, I don’t think I could sleep with you.”

“And that’s fine. I love making out with you, but I kinda feel the same way. I can’t imagine myself ever going farther than we have with anybody but Linda.” I took a deep sigh, letting my thoughts try to untangle what I should say, and what I should not.

“Linda has kinda hinted that someday she might want to try a threesome, with another girl. So far to this point, it’s all been fantasy. And you know her agreement with me. Now someday, I may let her fulfill her fantasy of making love to another girl. But she has hinted more than once that if she did, she wanted me to be there and participate.”

I then sighed. “And I just don’t know if I can! I accept our kissing games, because I think we all trust each other so much. I know you will never try to take me from Linda. And I know she will never dump me for Keith. And in reality, for her and I adding Peggy and Mandy into the mix this morning only added one other person. Because there is no way Linda is a threat to Peggy.”

I saw her eyebrows rise up as she tilted her head back to look into my eyes. “Wow, I never actually thought of that. I can’t see you or Keith leaving us for Mandy. And I can’t see Peggy leaving Mandy for any of us. So yeah, adding them really is no competition for anybody.”

“And Linda will never be kissing or fooling around with Mandy. So like I said, that only really adds one other person as far as she is concerned. Now if we can find two bisexual guys, we would have all bases covered.”

“Sheesh, like where do ya come up with this stuff Pete?”

I shrugged. “No idea, maybe because I was hyperactive as a child. My mind is always racing and thinking up strange stuff. But back to your problem. You liked kissing Linda, right? Now here is the million-dollar question. Would you want to do it again?”

“I might,” she softly whispered.

“OK, then I suggest you either come to an agreement with Keith like Linda and I have, or you keep it restricted to such games. But remember this. If we do it again with Mandy and Peggy, they might be hurt if you only kiss Linda like that.”

“I know, and you’re right. But maybe I can keep it restricted to other times.”

“Like when? When would you kiss her otherwise? It’s not like we could do another swap, I’m not kissing Keith!” I jokingly stated. Joking, but also the truth.

She softly said “Like that night a while back, when you two played with us,”

I raised my eyebrow, then got it. “The night we both fingered you two, and you kissed and held hands?”

“Yeah, even that time I was tempted to kiss her, but scared. So instead I kissed her hand. It is actually since that night that I have felt like I wanted to kiss her.”

I squeezed Holly from behind, and thought on this for a minute. “OK, I think I have a bit of an idea. What is one thing that is always in common each time?”

Holly looked over her shoulder at me, and I could tell she did not get what I was saying. “Well, I was with Linda.”

“No, no Holly, it’s not just that. You were in a sexual situation with Linda nearby. Think back, all the times when you would reach for each other’s hands. Both times you more or less initiated it, and you were, ah, intimate with Keith.”

“Yeah, if you mean we were fucking and working towards an orgasm, yeah.” She then giggled softly.

“No, not quite true. That time in the hotel you kissed the back of each other’s hands, none of us were fucking. But yes, we were trying to give both of you orgasms. It was very intimate, but that was about it. And we pretty much kept it at that level ever since. But think, what changed this weekend?”

“Peggy and Mandy.”

“Exactly. Hold on a second.” I had her scoot down and I pulled two pillows off of the couch and laid them on the floor. I then had her lie down on her side, and I did the same thing facing her. We were about a foot apart, and I had my hand in front of her. Holly reached down, took my hand and placed it on her hip. We smiled at each other as her hand flattened against my chest.

“OK, now think on this for a second. Just nod or shake your head. Do you want to continue the kissing games with Linda and I?” Nod. “OK, do you want to try again something like what happened in the hotel room with Linda and I?” A bit hesitant, but she nodded again. “Do you want to try the kissing game again with Peggy and Mandy also?”

She just took a deep breath, and sighed. “You don’t really want to kiss Mandy or Peggy, do you?” She shook her head no. “But you liked kissing Linda, right?” Nod, and a small smile.

“Yeah, sounds like you have a bit of a girl crush on Linda. No, no, no, calm down, it’s OK. Think on it, in many ways I think you and Linda are kind of the reverse of Peggy and Mandy. You remember that talk we had yesterday. Peggy is bisexual, Mandy is straight but has a crush on Peggy. With you two though it is the reverse. I really do believe that Linda is bisexual, and you just have a bit of a crush on her. And there is nothing wrong with that! Now here is the big question, do you think you would want to be, ah, intimate with Linda outside of the kissing game?”

For the first in a while, she smiled and said “No.”

I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “So this may not even be that much, like Mandy. It may be simply that you want to share the intimacy. I gotta ask, why did you start grabbing her hand like that when we were, ah, in the car?”

She blushed. “Well, the first time, was, like an accident. I think Keith and I were in the front, you two were in the back. And yeah, I was watching you two. Back then she was trying so hard to keep quiet, and sorry, it looked so wonderful. You were trying so hard to get her off, but in a way that blew her mind. And then she was 14, but she looked so much younger. It seemed more, innocent? I know she is hardly innocent, but that is what I thought. Her hands were over her head, and when she got close they kind of flailed a bit. I just had this urge to grab one in my hand, and, ah, she came. She squeezed my hand so tight, and it in a way set off my own orgasm.”

“I kinda thought so. So is maybe more that you simply like sharing pleasure with Linda. OK, let me ask, feel free to avoid this one. Have you thought of being intimate with me?”

She shook her head right away. Then looked in my eye, and slowly nodded. “I know Holly, I feel the same way actually. There are times I think of it, but I know it will likely never happen. You’re my best friend. And as sexy as you are, I don’t think I could. Because it would change this friendship, and maybe not for the better. So how about this? You talk to the girls, and say that should not involve the other girls anymore. You can even say it is about age, as Mandy is only 14, and we are 17. I will talk to Linda, and maybe then her and I can do a similar thing, but just with Peggy and Mandy.”

She looked into my eyes a moment, and shook her head. “Pete, that might not work out all that well. Think about it.” I looked in her eyes, clearly she could see the puzzlement in my face. “Pete, you liked kissing Peggy, right?” Nod. “But if you four did that, you would only be kissing Mandy. And if it was just the four of us together, I would never kiss Linda. And I admit, I did enjoy kissing her.”

“Well, as for Linda and the girls, we might be able to work something out. We actually have talked about that before, and that was the same thing I mentioned to Linda. But I guess the two Carol sisters could swap, even if I did not get to kiss Peggy. As for the four of us, hmm. Remember the hotel?” Nod. “Well, we could try other things, like that again. I don’t think Keith would have a problem if, ah, well, you kissed Linda at a time like that.”

Holly grinned at me and giggled. “I know he doesn’t. After I dragged him to the room afterward he was telling me it was one of the hottest things he had ever seen when we, ah, when we did it.” She has a cute blush.

I nodded. “Linda and I thought pretty much the same thing. And one thing about the kissing games, it builds a lot of tension in each of us. Normally, Linda and I spend a lot of time on foreplay. Not just because we both enjoy it, but she is still, well, rather tight. She is still small, and kinda young.” Holly grinned and nodded. “But after those, there is none. She just wants me in, and in I go. I think if I tried to use foreplay after those sessions, she might rape me.”

We both giggled at that. “Yeah, I’m the same way. I feel your hands on me when it is just the four of us, and you are always so gentle. Oh Keith is gentle too, most of the time. And I love it, and sometimes he just grabs and mauls me, and I love that too at times. But you are always gentle, like I am made of glass.”

“No, not glass my friend. Just very special to me.” We gave each other a hug, and chatted like that. Finally I realized that she was feeling a lot better, and that I should talk to Linda about this tomorrow. She gave me a small kiss, then we got up and I walked her home.

The next day I went to see Linda, and she was alone. We spent several minutes kissing, then she brought me to her room. She cuddled in my arms and I went over the high points of my talk with Holly.

“Yeah, I kinda get it, ya know? I don’t think what she feels for me is actual desire, it’s more like a feedback thing. She knows I enjoy things, and that pleasure in me is what gets to her, not really being with me I guess. I admit, I melted inside when she kissed me and touched me. But, it’s not really sexual, ya know? It’s hard to say the difference in words.”

I then mentioned trying the kissing game with just Peggy and Mandy, and she shook her head no. “No, Holly’s right. That wouldn’t work the same way. I could kiss Peggy, but you could not. And if you did, it would be Mandy and I just cuddling. It’s a dynamic that would be hard to make work, I think.” I told her I would be happy with that, my kissing Peggy was in no way required to enjoy being with the two of them.

Then her eyes got big. “There might be a way, I’m gonna have to think on that, and ask a few questions through. Let me check this out, to make sure it would work. If they agree, I’ll let you know. If not, it’s just another bad idea I’ve had is all.” We then spent quite a bit of time kissing, and we laid on our sides. My baby had not put on a bra that morning, and she snuggled with her back against my chest and pulled my arm over her and cupped her breast with my hand.

And that is how we fell asleep.

I heard a noise, and saw her mom peeking in on us through the crack in the doorway. Linda was still holding my hand on her breast, and we were on her bed! That is a big breaking of her rules! She moved back away, and I woke up Linda. Her eyes got big, and I told her we needed to see her mom. She put on her bra, and we went into the living room.

Rosie looked at us from the recliner where she was sipping a glass of wine, and smiled. Smiled? I was expecting screams and yelling. Linda grounded for months and my being told to not return. “Oh, sit down you two, you’re not in trouble.” Linda and I sat on the couch, about a foot separating us. But Rosie shook her head. “Linda, either hold his hand, cuddle with him, or sit in his lap. That looks like you are two children who are about to be scolded because they were caught doing something naughty.” Linda looked at me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her against me.

“There, that’s better. Yes, I know that you guys broke some rules. He was in your room without me or your sister here. You were lying on your bed, another rule broken. And he had his hand someplace it was not supposed to be, yet another rule. Is that about right?”

Linda and I both nodded, and she took a sip of wine. “You have no idea why I’m not really mad, do you?” We both shook our heads. “OK, you broke a great many rules, and yet it was also obvious that you did not. Ah, you two still don’t get it. OK, let me try this. Pete, I’m gonna talk with the two of you like you were my daughter, so this may sound strange.”

She looked into Linda’s eyes. “Honey, I know most of the time when you’ve been fooling around. No, don’t look shocked, I can tell. For one, there is a bit of an aura around you. Then, well, there is the scent. Let’s just say that I have a sensitive nose, and can smell a great many things, and we will leave it at that. I peeked in on you two when I got home, and you were just cuddling. And by looking at your faces, it was obvious you were both asleep. Linda, you did not have the, ah, let’s just say ‘freshly fucked’ look as if you two had been getting it on earlier. Oh relax Linda! I know quite a bit, I can probably give you a pretty good accounting of what you two have probably been up to for the last year, but that’s not the point. The point is, even though you broke rules, you did not break the major one, get it?”

I think I got it. “Rosie, you mean you’re not upset because we did not have sex in her room. Right?”

She grinned. “Exactly. That really is the big rule, no sex in this apartment. And the only purpose of all the other rules is really to avoid the temptation of that one. I know you two did not have sex this afternoon. And it is not even really anything about sex, it’s more the age. Linda honey, you’re only 15. Pete here is 17. And in many ways he is the ideal boyfriend. He has his own car, he has some money, and he has a father that trusts him. And your mother likes and trusts him, even when he takes you to fancy hotels for trysts for a weekend.” Rosie took another sip of wine and looked at us both.

“Now Mandy may not be so lucky. She may find a boy who I do not like. Who is a scumbag and only wants to get into her panties. And how could I set limits on her, if I didn’t also have limits on you? Think about it from my side, that would never work, would it?”

Linda got up and gave her mom a big hug. “No mom, I never thought of things like that. But I really do get it I think.”

“Uh-huh, I thought you might. So that’s the real reason for the limits. If I did not like and trust the two of you, Pete here would already be out the door, and I would be grounding you for breaking the rules. But you didn’t break any major rules, just some minor ones. Now also look at it this way. Pete, if instead you had done everything that you two had done today here on the living room rug when I found you as you guys, do you think you would be in trouble?”

“No Ma’am. I don’t think so. Because we really were just sleeping.”

Another sip of wine. “Exactly. In fact, I had been home for about 15 minutes and knew you two were sleeping. Pete, you snore.”

We all laughed at that. “My daughter was not tousled, there was no scent of, ah, excess actions taken. And Linda looked scared, but she didn’t look like she was feeling guilty about anything. Neither did you. As I said, a mother learns these things. And I even bend my own rules. Linda, remember my rules last year when you turned 14?”

“Yes mom. No boys other than the living room or kitchen, and you had to be here any time one was in the apartment. No boys ever in my room without your permission and with the door fully open. You had to meet the boy before I went out with him.”

“Uh-huh. And how many of those did you break?”

“Well, only the last one.”

“And you not only broke it, you actually rarely followed it at all. And that is why until Pete here I forbid you from bringing boys over. The only times one did come over, it was only to get you and take off, never to meet me. When I got to know Pete, I realized he is a very calm and polite young man. You know, there’s only one thing about all of this that makes me a bit sad. I think I would have liked to have known Pete’s mother very much. She must have been a wonderful lady to raise such a son.”

Then I did something unexpected. I went and gave Rosie a hug. “And I think she would have liked you also. I have always tried to make her proud.”

She hugged me back, and I rejoined Linda. “So kind of for the same reasons I let you two break some of the rules, I let your sister break some of the rules. But with her doing it there are nowhere near the same issues or risks.”

“Mom, Mandy has never brought a boy here. Like, ever!”

Rosie just sipped her wine again. “And what is it about having a boy here or not violates the ‘no sex in the house’ rule? I’ve never had sex in the apartment, but I’ve had sex. And I’m pretty sure you’ve never had sex in the apartment, but you’ve had sex. As I said, Mandy is discreet for the most part, that is why I have not come down on her in the same way.”

“But mom, Mandy has never had a boy here!” Linda repeated. Rosie chuckled, I squeezed Linda’s hand, because I got what she was really saying.

“Linda honey, listen to me again. Who says she has to have a boy here to have sex? Oh don’t be shocked, I’ve known about her and Peggy since January. And on more than one occasion after Peggy slept here, let’s just say that I needed to air the room out and change the sheets. But to anybody else it looks innocent, and at least Peggy can’t get her pregnant.” Linda was looking at her with a look of shock.

“And I have been watching you two for almost a year now. I know you were still a virgin until May. I know you got on the pill by March. That means you two are being responsible. You two have also been fairly discreet. And with you Pete, Linda has been much more discreet than she ever was before. So you two run off, and let me enjoy my wine. Oh, and I am going out of town again this weekend, so why don’t you guys set up one of your slumber parties somewhere?”

Linda and I went and had dinner, then I put the top down and we cruised Van Nuys Boulevard for a couple of hours. Finally it got dark, so we headed over to the park behind the baseball field. I think we both knew that tonight was just about cuddling and talking. I put the top up as she prepared the backseat. Then we crawled into the back and cuddled. We talked about the almost Twilight Zone conversation we had with her mother. “Pete, I can’t believe she knew! And she seemed so calm about it!”

“Well babe, now that I think on it, I’m not real surprised.”

“What do you mean, not be surprised?”

“Hmm, have you ever read any books on human sexuality?”

“Sure, we all had that in 6th grade.”

I chuckled and squeezed her. “No baby, not sex education. I mean on actual sexuality. The Hite Report, the Kinsey Report, stuff like that.”

“No, but I think I’ve heard of them.”

“OK, I know we have Hite at home, it’s in a box somewhere. I read it when I was about 13, and some of the passages are a bit graphic. But there is some interesting stuff in there also, about how women feel and think. I used to read through it fairly often, I kind of consider it in many ways my sexual instruction manual. If I follow what it says, the girl I am with is happy. But here is the thing that matters. It said if I remember right, that around 75% of women will have at least one lesbian encounter. And that does not require actually having sex, just being intimate with and getting sexually excited with another girl. Most normally between the age of 12 and 20. And consider this weekend, by the definition of the book all four of you girls had lesbian encounters. Peggy and your sister were much more overt and sexual. But there is no denying that you and Holly shared one as well. It was erotic and intimate, but not really sexual. So looking at the odds, is it really unimaginable that she might not have had something similar when she was your age.”

She mulled that over, then nodded. “Yeah, it’s possible. I know she has never really said anything bad about gay people. So at a minimum she is accepting at least. And to be honest, it surprised me when she admitted she has had sex since dad left, but I never even suspected.”

“Yep, and I will have to ask about a sleepover. I don’t think dad is leaving town this weekend, so it may end up with Mandy at Peggy’s house, and you with Holly. Then we can just take off during the day and have fun together.”

“Hmm, that sounds nice. I like having fun with you Pete.” I pulled her face up for a soft kiss when suddenly a flashlight was in my eyes!

“Miss, are you alright?”

What came next was the hardest 45 minutes I had experienced to that point since my mom died. Seeing the car parked the cops came to investigate. Thankfully the only clothing we had off were our shoes and socks. First they separated us, and Linda was talking with a female officer as I had a male cop grilling me. No, she is my girlfriend. Yes, we have been together for over a year. No, she is here with me willingly and her mom knew she was with me. No, we were not having sex. No, we were not going to have sex, we were just cuddling and talking.

They ran my driver’s license, and then called Rosie. She showed up about 30 minutes into the ordeal. Yes, she knew the two of us were out together. Yes, it was with her full permission and blessing. Yes, she believes us when we said we were not there for sex.

“Officer, if these two wanted to have sex, trust me when I say they would be much more careful than to try it here!” Thankfully, both cops chuckled. When they finally agreed to let us go, I went up to the one that had grilled me and stuck out my hand.

“Officer, I’m sorry for what happened. And thank you, I really do believe that you were trying to protect my girlfriend, and I am glad for that.” He shook it back, and thanked me for being so calm about it. Rosie looked at us and sighed, then peeked into the back of Scout for the first time.

“How long had you two been here before you were, interrupted?”

“Hmm, maybe an hour, an hour and a half? Something like that, right Linda?”

Linda nodded, and affirmed it was the truth. Rosie just chuckled. “And I know you did not come here for sex, because in an hour and a half you could have had a lot of sex before being interrupted. You two follow me home.” It was obviously an order and not a request, so follow we did.

Once we were settled in the living room Rosie went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine and two more glasses. She told me to call my dad and ask if I could stay the night. “Ah, you want me to what?”

“Stay the night. And yes, I am giving permission this night to sleep with my daughter. As in Ess Ell Ee Ee Pee. OK, never mind, Linda, give me the phone.”

And Rosie called my dad. She went into the kitchen and they talked quietly. Then she came back in. “OK, he said you can stay here tonight. Because I have a feeling this is a wine night, and I am not about to have you drive home after that.” And with that she poured us both a glass of wine and topped off her own glass.

“OK, I do believe you, both of you. I imagine after earlier you two had a lot to talk about, right? Yeah, not surprised. And, let’s just say that I’m not a total stranger to having a cop shine a light in on you in the back of a car. At least you two were fully dressed, however. And I trust that you have someplace you go that is more, ah, secure?”

“Yes Ma’am, we normally go to a more secluded place. Tonight we just wanted to chat, so we went there instead.”

“Good, as I said, discreet. In case you didn’t know, it’s not unusual for a cop to linger back and follow a couple they have broken up after being caught ‘in flagrante delicto’ to see where they go next. By bringing you both here, is there no chance they find any other places you two go to. Plus they are probably sure I am reading the two of you the riot act. But it did bring immediately to mind the problem that is coming up, that I don’t think you two have considered.” She looked at both of us. I remembered the grilling, and the raised eyebrows at my age and Linda’s, and the hushed conversation between the male and the female cops. And I got what she was implying. “You mean come December, right?”

“Bingo. Linda honey, you don’t get it, do you?” Linda shook her head, and looked a little concerned. I squeezed her tight against me.

“Baby, by the end of the year, you’re going to be 16. Me, I’m shortly afterward turning 18. At this point, it is legally a gray area. Neither of us can consent to having sex right now, but neither is it actually illegal. So long as there is no force or anything, right Rosie?”

Rosie nodded. “Pretty much. Oh, they might go after if there is a big age difference, like say a 17 year old boy with a 12 year old girl. Or if one is say in a position of authority, like a teacher’s aid and a student. But right now, nobody will really care. But Linda, what about next year? Pete here will be a legal adult. And at that point if you two are caught he could go to jail for rape.”

“Mommy, Pete would never rape me!”

“Shush, not actual rape, ‘statutory rape’. In other words, sex with a minor. In the eyes of the law you will be 16, and not legally able to consent to sex. And he will be a legal adult, who should know in the legal sense that having sex with an underage girl is wrong. As in 5 to 10 years in jail wrong.”

“Rosie, I actually have thought of it. And it honestly scares me. But I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Well, for one you will have to be a lot more discreet! Luckily for you, in almost all of these cases it is only prosecuted if the parents want it prosecuted, or if you are actually caught in the act.” She drained the half glass of wine, then poured another.

“And as much as I can’t really approve of Linda and you having sex, I know I can’t stop it. And I really do believe you love each other, so that is a good thing I guess. No mother wants her baby growing up so fast that she is having sex in Junior High. We want you to stay virgins until you are married. But that was normally not the case in my generation, and not likely the case today. So we hope to be supportive if and when it does happen. And when it does, we hope for the best. And at least you two do seem good for each other. Now, since we are on that subject, what are your plans Pete? Get a job, college, what are you going to do next year after you graduate?”

I then held Linda as I explained that I had already been talking to some military recruiters. That kind of caught her off guard. After all, with my shoulder-length hair, I did not look like “military material”. Then I explained how my dad got his training from the Army, and I had been considering the same path.

“I figure I can do four years. That gives me training and an income. If I like it, I might stay in. Or I might just go to work in the civilian side afterwards.”

“Any specifics yet?”

“Well, mostly I have been talking with the Marines lately. They have a really good radio repair program, and the training is all here in California. San Diego for boot camp, then 29 Palms for the radio school. And with Camp Pendleton, Tustin, and El Toro there is a good chance I may get stationed close by.”

“But there also is not.”

“True. But we will see. And who knows, Linda may decide to follow me for college, we still have years to decide on things.” Finally the wine was all drunk, and Rosie bid us goodnight. We both got undressed and Linda pulled on a nightshirt and we cuddled in her bed until we fell asleep.

When I woke up the next morning Linda was already in the kitchen with Rosie. They were having breakfast and after a kiss I joined them. I said I needed to go home so I could shower and change clothes, and Linda asked to be picked up at 5 so we could go out.