I sighed happily as I logged out of the chat room, it had been a wonderful night and I felt a warm glow as I thought about the last couple of hours spent with my cyber-lover. It had been six months ago that my son had introduced me to the internet and the wonder of chat rooms, his comment at the time that if I wouldn't go out then I could surf instead had made us both laugh. And it had been fun, I'd 'talked' to people of all sorts from all over the world without leaving the sanctuary of my home and then, only a short month ago, I'd met 'Lover Boy', that being his handle. It was as though we'd clicked right off and we began to spend more and more time in private chat together, it wasn't long before I was taking my first tentative steps with cyber-sex, but I had quickly found that I found it both amusing and exciting.

Of course there was little chance that I'd meet 'Lover Boy', even though we had found that we both lived in the same country. It is a strange experience to grow to know a person intimately, their likes and dislikes, their inner thoughts and their sexual desires, yet at the same time not know what they look like or what their real name is. Then again it's that very same anonymity that makes it easier to indulge in the sexual play online and 'Pleasure Girl', which was my online handle, was spending more and more time online with her 'Lover Boy. I laughed at the propriety thought, for all I knew 'Lover Boy' could be holding a dozen similar exciting chats while he was making cyber-love to me, but something told me that wasn't the case.

Sighing again I shut down the computer and headed for my son's room to make sure he wasn't still surfing. At sixteen he was a handsome lad, but he took after me in that he was shy with people, which was why he'd quickly got hooked on the Internet and had passed that on to me. Yet he still had his schoolwork to consider and I was quite strict with his computer use during the weeknights, such as tonight.

"Paul," I said loudly tapping on his bedroom door "you decent?"

"Come on in mum." His voice sounded through the door.

As I entered I glanced at his computer, it was off, but I could tell he had only recently turned it off, Paul smiled at me from the edge of his bed.

"No more surfing tonight young man," I smiled at him "you've got school tomorrow."

"Aw mum," he sighed, "we go through this every weeknight. I'm always off by ten, you know that."

"I know," I laughed "but I'm a mother and it's my job to nag."

He laughed with me then turned to get ready for bed, I bade him goodnight and headed off to get myself a hot chocolate before retiring myself.

"You know what they say about chocolate," Paul grinned as I was leaving "it's a substitute for sex."

I nearly stumbled at his words; my 'Lover Boy' had ribbed me with that very phrase ever since he'd learnt of my love for hot chocolate. Now here was my own son using the same words, exactly the same words!

"Where on earth did you get that phrase from?" I asked looking at my son more sternly than I'd intended.

"From a friend online," he smiled "sorry if it offended you mum."

"It was just a surprise." I laughed "Anyway, bed young man, goodnight Paul."

In the kitchen sipping my chocolate I cursed myself for a fool for reacting as I had to my son's comment, it wasn't even an offensive phrase, but it was one I had thought was a shared thing between my online lover and myself.

The next day I saw Paul off to school then went about my daily routine, the same mind numbing routine of cleaning and baking that I had fallen into since the death of my husband. I'd been shy before his death, but it was worse afterwards, which was why I was so thankful that my son had introduced me to the net. Yet there were times, and this was one of them, when I wondered what could come of such cyber friendships, all the people I knew wore handles to hide behind, just as I did, I didn't really know them or they me other than by the topics we'd discuss or the daft games we'd play.

Then there was 'Lover Boy', he seemed to be so charming, kind yet excitingly forceful in our cyber-sex games. He was also patient, always willing to listen whenever I needed to get my real world loneliness off my chest. More and more I'd found myself opening up to him, revealing more of my inner wants and desires to him than I had to anyone, even my late husband. Not that it was a one-way street, he would share his hopes and dreams with me, and from them I got the impression that he was a sensitive man in real life. Only I had no idea how old he was, nor did he ask me my age, the one time I'd raised the matter of age his reply had been 'Does it matter how old we are?', and of course he was right, we were never going to meet so ages and looks made no difference at all. Yet I suddenly felt that it was important for me to know about him, I'm not sure what it was that brought this need to know out, but there it was. I decided that I would ask to meet 'Lover Boy' at our next meeting, which was two days away on a Friday. As I reached that momentous decision I realised that my thoughts had stopped me doing my chores so I pushed my thoughts aside and got down to the housework.

At last it was time; I'd thought Friday would never arrive. So here I was sitting in front of my computer, my son was in his room, no doubt surfing and chatting with his online friends, I was only interested in one friend. Logging onto the system I quickly made my way to the chat room where I knew Lover Boy was waiting for me. Sure enough, he was already in the room when I finally got there; a smiley appeared on the screen beside his name.

>Lover Boy: Hi gorgeous.<

>Pleasure Girl: Hi handsome.<

We started chatting about events in our lives since our last meeting, shared the ups and downs and getting them all into perspective in the process. As always I felt comfortable 'talking' with him, but at the same time there was something on my mind that had been lurking there since our last meeting.

>Lover Boy: So what you wearing tonight PG??<

I laughed at his opening that I knew would lead to another bout of cyber-sex with him, we'd played this game so many exciting times in the past, yet I still loved the thrill that came over me when he asked that question.

>Pleasure Girl: Blouse and skirt. ?<

>Lover Boy: And... ?<

>Pleasure Girl: And what? <

>Lover Boy: LOL! Tease! And what else? <

>Lover Boy: What is under the skirt and blouse? <

I told him what else I was wearing and was not at all surprised when he asked me to take off the blouse. Sure I could have told him I'd taken the item off, after all he couldn't see if I had or not, but that would be cheating to my mind, besides, I knew that it would only get in the way later. For the next hour we played and teased each other via our keyboards, at his words I'd stroke my body, as I knew he touched his to my words. Strictly speaking cyber-sex is masturbating, but it seems more intimate somehow, more thrilling to know that you were sharing the experience with another. A couple of times my moving hands and fingers sent a thrill of climax though me, by his words that appeared as I climaxed the second time my Lover boy had brought himself off as well.

As always Lover Boy and I stopped typing in our post-orgasmic bliss, it was a strangely shared moment of silence that he always waited for me to break. Only tonight it was interrupted by a sudden gentle knock at my bedroom door.

"Mum," came my son's voice "are you alright?"

"I'm fine Paul, just... uh..." I replied breathlessly while trying to think of an excuse to explain whatever it was that had drawn him to my door "tripped."

Even to me it sounded as lame as hell, I wondered what it was that had drawn my son out of his room, I didn't remember crying out as I came, but I must have. Lame as my answer had sounded Paul seemed to accept it, though I did wonder if he really believed me. He wished me a goodnight and I waited for the sound of his door closing before I turned back to my computer.

>Pleasure Girl: God, my son nearly came in! <

>Lover Boy: You are a noisy climaxer. LOL! Think he fell for 'I tripped'??<

>Pleasure Girl: I am NOT a noisy climaxer! Anyway how would you know? <

>Lover Boy: Ah, now that is something you'll need to figure out. <

All I could think was that at some time or another I'd told him I was noisy when I came, though I couldn't honestly remember if I had or hadn't mentioned this. He teased me some more, and I teased right back, but all the time there was something nagging at me, something he'd typed and I'd missed the significance of it. I scrolled up, but every time I got near where I thought his words had been he would throw new text on the screen for me to respond to. All too soon I knew the comment or words I wanted would have scrolled off the system completely, sighing I decided to get the other thought in my mind out into the open.

>Pleasure Girl: LB, can we meet IRL? <

For the first time the screen did not come back with an instant response, I began to worry that I'd scared him away as the time went by and still no response appeared onscreen.

"Oh damn!" I cursed at the silent screen "When will I learn to leave well enough alone?"

>Pleasure Girl: LB? <

>Lover Boy: Sorry, you took me by surprise with that question. <

I breathed a sigh of relief that he was at least there.

>Lover Boy: PG, I don't think it a good idea for us to meet IRL. <

>Pleasure Girl: You're married aren't you! <

>Lover Boy: <sigh> No, I'm single, but I still don't think it a good idea for us to meet. <

>Pleasure Girl: But why not? <

I know it was wrong of me to persist, but suddenly I knew that I had to meet this man that had brought me so much happiness of late. At the same time I was puzzled, I'd thought he had really liked me, yet here he was trying to dissuade me of the idea of us meeting. In front of me the screen had gone still again, I knew I was risking driving him away with my persistence, but something inside me was telling me that our meeting was important. After ages text started to appear on the screen again.

>Lover Boy: You'll be hopping mad if we meet, is why not. <

>Lover Boy: And I'd rather not have you mad at me. <

>Pleasure Girl: Why would I be mad? I don't understand LB. <

>Pleasure Girl: If promise not to be mad will you meet me? <

>Lover Boy: You won't be able to keep that promise. <sigh><

>Lover Boy: But if it's that important to you... <

>Pleasure Girl: Yes it is that important to me! <

>Pleasure Girl: Please LB just say where and when, I'll be there! <

Once again the screen became still for an age before his reply slowly formed.

>Lover Boy: I still don't this is a good idea, but the time, right now... <

>Lover Boy: As for the place, count to 30 then look behind you. <

His reply made no sense at all, but he remained silent to all my attempts to get him to clarify what he meant. What the hell did he mean by count to thirty then look behind me, more than a thirty count had passed by this time and I felt myself tremble as I slowly turned my head to look over my shoulder towards my bedroom door.