Chapter 5

(Fifteen years earlier)

The next day, after Roger had returned, Margo met Donna at lunch time. She told her about the three naked days, and a little of the kinds of conversations they had. Donna was incredulous, and kept asking Margo how she could stand to do that. When Margo told her about shaving her pubes, Donna thought she was joking, until Margo tried to pull her toward the Ladies room to prove it.

"OK, OK, I believe you. You are some kind of exhibitionist!"

"No, just a desperate mother trying to use anything I can to make up for what I haven't done right. And it wasn't all one-sided, you know. I enjoyed looking at him. He has a nice body and a very nice package."

"That's more than I wanted to know, Margo. What do I care what his body looks like? And what do you mean by his package?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. His cock and balls, of course. And I can tell by the color of your face that you do care, or at least you are curious. Say, I'll bet Dex has a nice package, doesn't he?"

"Whaat? I have no idea! I mean, I've noticed a pretty good sized bulge in his pants, but I've certainly never seen him naked!"

"Hmmm! With a good looking guy like that around the house, I would have thought you would have found a way by now. How about your Dad?" The girl's blush was a dead giveaway. "Aha! You have seen your Dad! When did that happen?"

"Margo, that's way too private. And it only happened once."

"Isn't your curiosity just killing you?"

"Sometimes I do get frustrated."

"You and Dex seem so close, and he was used to being naked with his mother. Why don't you get naked with him?"

"I... I don't know how I would do that."

"Well, he works out and showers every morning, doesn't he? Just climb in the shower and offer to wash his back. When you're done in the shower, get him to stay naked. Oh, and it would be lots more fun to wash everything. Then have him wash everything. She laughed as the girl blushed furiously."

"This means I'll have to be naked, too, doesn't it?"

"Don't you want to be?"

"Margo, how do you know all this stuff about me?"

"Hey, I was a virgin teen once. And I've seen you and Dex together. The sexual attraction is obvious."

"But we're cousins! He's almost like my brother. We could never..."

"I know, I know. But wouldn't it be nice to learn from each other and enjoy each others' bodies?"

"I'll have to think about that, Margo. Say, the next couple of weeks are going to be really crazy. My brothers will be home, Mom's having her big party, and our house will be a zoo. It's for sure I'm not going to try anything with Dex until Chris and Ron go back to school."

"I'll see you the Monday Summer School starts, OK?"

Every time her brothers had come home the past year, Donna had watched them more and more closely. Chris, especially, showed much of the personality she found so attractive in her father. A little more than four years older than her, he was the one who pulled baby sitting duty before she was old enough to be left on her own. She could not recall him ever taking out his unavoidable frustration on her when his plans were disrupted to take care of her. He even unashamedly took her along to activities with his friends on numerous occasions. They often teased him, but he seemed able to shrug it off.

The events of the past year - the encounter with her parents after Kathy's death and her relationship with Dex - had given her a much deeper appreciation of the kind of young man her brother was. She found herself regretting the fact she had so seldom expressed her love and gratitude to him.

When Chris and Ron arrived home on the Friday that finals ended, she greeted them both with a full body hug. She noticed right away that Chris had something weighing heavily on him. After a happy family dinner, Ron left to see some buddies, and Chris went to their shared bedroom to unpack and pull out his laundry. Donna noticed that he had been up there quite a while, and went up to check on him. She found him lying on the twin bed, his arm covering his eyes.

She entered the room and closed and locked the door behind herself. She turned off the overhead light and turned on a small lamp on the dresser. He had watched her as she moved around the room, wondering what she was up to. He was just as puzzled and more than a little alarmed, when she plopped down on the bed, nearly on top of him, and gave him a brief, but energetic kiss right on the mouth.

"Donna!" he said, showing his alarm, "What are you doing?"

"Just lovin' up my wonderful big brother a little bit. Isn't that OK?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Then hug!" He rather tentatively put his arms around her, but jerked back when his hand fell on the bare skin of her back exposed by the cut-off shirt she was wearing. "Hey, Bro', put your hand back there! I don't mind, and I'm sure you've felt a lot more of Patty's skin." She instantly knew she had screwed up, as his whole body went slack.

"Ohh, Chris! I'm sorry I said that. Are you missing Patty already? Is that what's been bothering you?"

"Um, yeah. But it's worse than that. We broke up."

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I thought you really loved each other."

"We still do. We're just not in love enough to think about marriage. We've known for some time, but it's still hard. We'll always be friends, but I'm going to really miss her."

"And the sex, too, huh?"

"Donna!"

"Oh, come on. I may be a virgin, but I'm not ignorant. I know you were sleeping with her. I think that's great, and I'm sorry you're hurting. Now, about that hug. I really would like my hunky brother to feel me up a little."

Chuckling in amazement, he wrapped his arms firmly around her and rubbed the bare skin of her back gently. She, in turn, hummed contentedly as she wriggled her breast against his side, and laid her head on his shoulder. "You know," he said, "I have to apologize. You turned into this gorgeous woman so fast I hardly noticed. You're sure not the little girl that tagged along with me any more, are you."

"Huh, uh! Not for a long time. It's OK, though. I didn't pay enough attention to what a stud you turned into, either."

They cuddled silently for a while, then he asked, "Donna, aren't you worried whether it's right for us to be like this?"

"No, I'm not worried. To tell the truth, I'd like to send Ron to my room and sleep here with you tonight. Oh, we wouldn't have sex or anything, but I've come to realize that right here is one of my safe places." There was another comfortable silence before she said, "Chris, I really am sorry that you're hurting. I just know that you'll find someone perfect for you. I'll even be your agent."

He couldn't help but chuckle again. "I can use all the help I can get. I'm broke, I owe a ton in student loans, and I have no idea where I'm going to find a job. It'll take one hell of an agent to sell that package to any girl."

"If they're stupid enough to just look for numbers, they don't deserve you, anyway, and you sure don't want them."

"Geez, Donna, you've grown up a lot more than just this beautiful bod in the last year."

"Yeah, I guess. It's been quite a year. What with Aunt Kathy, and Dex, and a dumb play on my part."

"I guess you and Dex have been getting along pretty well, huh?"

"Don't take this wrong, Chris, but he has kinda taken your place as my big brother."

"But he's younger!"

"On the calendar, maybe, but otherwise, he's more adult than most adults. With what he's been through, he either had to grow up fast, or go to pieces."

"Well, I certainly don't feel bad that he's taken my place. I'm glad he's there for you. I have to admit, he's amazed me in some of our discussions about business. He asks some questions that would probably stump my profs. Say, Sis, you seem really relaxed and open about sex. When we were growing up, it was always sorta hidden and not mentioned."

"Well, I can tell you that Mom and Dad have a great sex life. I know you won't take this the wrong way. I want to tell you about the night Kathy died." She proceeded to give him a full, detailed account of what she had seen. He listened quietly, and sniffled a little bit. To his chagrin, he found himself completely hard when she finished her tale. Almost reflexively, he turned away slightly, and she detected it. Surprising herself, she put her hand right on his cock, and quickly traced its length and thickness with her fingers before pulling her hand back. She couldn't help exclaiming "Wow!"

"Donna!"

"Relax, Bro'! I'm sure no expert, but that feels huge! You know, if I'm going to be your agent, I need to know what I'm selling, don't I? This package won't be a tough sell at all." Embarrassed beyond words, he could only groan. She turned slightly on her side, grabbed his hand and held it right on her breast, resisting his efforts to pull it away. "There, now we're kinda even, so you can stop being so embarrassed." She kissed him again. "Chris, I am so glad you're my brother, but a real part of me wishes you weren't."

He gradually recovered from her little shock treatment, and they lay together renewing their relationship for another hour. Karen beamed happily when she saw them come down the stairs hand in hand. It never occurred to her to be concerned that they had done anything wrong.

It was the Saturday after the teachers had completed all their end-of-school duties. By dint of personality, Karen had become the social leader for a group of about twenty teachers who had been friends for a number of years. This would be the eighth annual end-of-school barbecue for the group. The Ferguson house was not any larger than some of the others' in the group, but they did have a large yard, and they did have Karen's love of parties.

Wednesday before the party, Hank Ballard called to say he could not attend the party this year. This was a real disappointment to Karen, as Hank was a truly unique individual. He was a music teacher at the Junior High level, and an accomplished performing musician. He was also one of those naturally funny people you always loved to have at a party. Her disappoint was only partially at the loss of their resident comedian, though. Hank had been terribly hurt when his wife left him five years earlier. He was one of the gentlest, most considerate people on the planet, and everyone loved him. It was not enough for his wife, though, and she tore his heart out when she left. Karen wanted him at the party because she was concerned about his welfare. The last year, in particular, he had become more secretive and reclusive, even though he seemed somehow happier.

When she asked why he couldn't come, he gave some lame generalities which she did not buy at all. "Henry Ballard, you know better than to try and bullshit me. You had better give me a damn good reason, or I'll come over there and drag you to the party!" He spluttered and evaded for a few more minutes to no avail, before conceding to the inevitable. The story he told was very touching.

Genevieve (Jenny) Frankel was an unfortunate American classic story. Blessed with a truly exceptional voice and the rhythm and ear to go with it, she was a star in the making. To her upper class parents, stardom meant the Met, and that is where they poured their money and their efforts. No tennis, skating, or gymnastics parent was ever more focused, nor drove their child harder. Jenny's entire high school career was in music specialty schools, some of the time away from home. Piano was an integral part of her training, as well, and by her teens, she was quite accomplished at the keyboard.

With a naturally sweet disposition, Jenny made it all the way to fifteen years old before the inevitable rebellion set in. Her parents did absolutely nothing to provide her any social life, and in fact fought off any 'distractions' that interfered with her music. On the few occasions she was caught listening to popular music or watching MTV, their reaction was unbelievably severe. Dates were beyond discussion.

It became clear to the teen that her parents concept of love was seriously flawed. Her own love for music was genuine, but she was caught in what she increasingly felt was a prison. Lacking the resources and the confidence to break away, she bided her time until she finished her high school studies at seventeen, and through two years at Juliard.

The good thing about Juliard was the opportunity for a lot more social contact than she had been allowed before. The bad thing was her complete lack of preparation. For the first year, she kept to herself, dressing down to hide her obvious good looks, and avoiding all social gatherings. Her parents assumed she was continuing to be their committed future star. Her real motive was simple fear.

Adrian LeBrieux could not believe such a girl existed, even in America. Totally innocent in sexual matters, yet too lovely to disguise in her dumpy but expensive outfits. A scion of French old money, he was the reigning king of Juliard. Handsome, dashing, and talented, he had spent his first three years conquering the cream of the female student crop. He had considered the pickings rather slim until he encountered Jenny. It took a single meeting for him to make her his senior project. He was in no hurry, either, as he had plenty of action other places. He would court her and make her fall in love with him. It would almost be too easy.

With consummate skill, he started his campaign with casual dates in a group setting. After two or three outings, he progressed to dinner dates, then dinner and a movie or a concert. From the very first, he encouraged her to upgrade her appearance, and by the holidays, she had abandoned her frumpy wardrobe for stylish, if still somewhat conservative attire. She was also spending time on grooming, surprising even Adrian with her beauty.

Totally unequipped to deal with his skilled seduction, and desperate for love, she fell quickly and hard. By Thanksgiving, she could barely focus on her studies as she spent her time waiting for their next date.

At Christmas, she went home to a stunningly hostile reception. As soon as they found out about her romantic interest, they hounded her to break it off and concentrate on her studies. During the whole ten day visit, there was not one sympathetic conversation. It took their extreme treatment, but the rebellious streak in her was fully exposed. She nearly flew back without the plane in her anxiety to see Adrian.

Some tender kissing, handholding, and brief hugs had been the extent of their sexual contact so far. She came back wanting more, and wanting it badly. If he had paid her parents, Adrian could not have gotten them to advance his project any faster. The innocent enthusiasm with which she kissed him and clung to him almost broke through his resolve to add her to his trophy case. It did cause him to prolong his ultimate conquest, because he could probably have taken her in January, given the state she was in after her disastrous trip home. Over the next few weeks, a good deal of petting was added to their dating routine.

Early in March, Jenny got a call from a girl with a French accent, identifying herself as Angeline Rouchard, a fellow student. She asked Jenny to meet her for lunch, and insisted it was very important. At lunch, Angeline gently, but with heart-breaking impact, laid out the truth about Adrian. She gave Jenny the names and numbers of five current students who had been bedded and abandoned by him. She then described Adrian's MO as if she had been watching Jenny's relationship.

Jenny was so distraught she was barely functional. She did not react with anger because Angeline was so gentle and so sincere she believed her immediately. The French girl helped Jenny home, and skipped classes to stay with her. She ordered in dinner, which Jenny barely picked at. When it came time for Angeline to leave, Jenny was calling on some previously untapped reserves of strength, and had regained control of herself. Adrian chose that time to call and ask her out again. She did not explode, but told him she was busy. When he asked her for a different night, she made more excuses. Angeline heard the conversation, and gave Jenny a warm hug. She explained that Adrian's family thought they ruled France. They took what they wanted without regard for anyone else.

Over the next two weeks, Adrian tried repeatedly to make a date with Jenny, but she rebuffed him each time. Angeline made it a point to spend as much time with Jenny as possible, realizing there was no one else for the distraught girl to turn to. Finally, Adrian demanded to know what was going on. Jenny reluctantly agreed to meet him at a coffee shop. She called Angeline, who agreed to accompany her.

At the scheduled time, Angeline was not there, and Jenny had to face Adrian alone. She summoned all the courage she had, and told him she knew all about him and did not want anything more to do with him. He unleashed his full arsenal of charm and persuasion, but she would not budge. As the conversation went on, she became more and more distressed at Angeline's absence. When it was time fo leave for a class, she suddenly felt very light-headed as she stood, and was barely able to leave the coffee shop, trying to resist Adrian's offers of assistance.

Jenny would never be able to recall the next two hours with any clarity. Muddled images would haunt her forever: Adrian helping her to his car; being carried up the steps to her apartment; clothes being removed as she lay on her bed; unbelievable feelings of arousal; useless struggle and pleading; pain; shame; staggering to answer a pounding on the door; Angeline crying in anguish and frustration; Angeline speaking long and angrily in French on the telephone.

Whether 'Ludes' or 'Roofies, ' the effect wore off after a few hours, and the realization of what had happened overwhelmed Jenny. While still groggy, she kept chanting over and over, "I was a virgin. He raped me!" As more awareness returned, she asked Angeline to help her get to a hospital. The doctors took blood samples that proved the use of drugs. The medical report showed the presence of her freshly torn hymen, and a swab contained some sperm.

Because of the allegations of rape, the police were brought in. From the medical evidence and Angeline's account of being detained on her way to the coffee shop, a warrant was issued for Adrian. It turned out he had already fled, and was on a flight to France as the girls were being interviewed. Angeline had called Adrian and warned him that she was going to testify against him. She was confronted with a terrible delimma: she had come to genuinely care for the naive American beauty, and she was incredibly angry about what Adrian had done. At the same time, the LeBrieuxs could ruin her own family if she testified. The best solution for her was for Adrian to flee.

Cementing a bond that was to last a lifetime, Angeline moved into Jenny's apartment, and by sheer force of will, pulled her through the inevitable shock, anger, and depression. She was able to use some unsuspected influence to gain Jenny some leeway on her course work, without revealing the true reason. There was no way she could make amends for her countryman's crime, but she gave it everything she could.

One subject that was totally ignored in the aftermath of the rape was pregnancy. On Jenny's part, it was because of naivete. To Angeline, it was no real threat, abortion being a common contraceptive method in France. It was one more gut punch to Jenny when she found out just before the term ended that she was indeed pregnant. Angeline was appalled at her friend's refusal of a discrete abortion. Even though Jenny was not religious, the idea was something she just could not accept. There were numerous tearful discussions between the two before Angeline reluctantly accepted her friend's wishes.

Jenny had determined that her parents would never know anything about the rape. Pregnancy, however, ruined any chance of that secret surviving. Probably the hardest thing she had ever faced in her nineteen plus years was the conversation on her arrival home after school closed. The result was even worse than she had feared.

The first round was over how she had gotten pregnant. She told them the truth, but they did not believe her. They knew she had broken up with Adrian, but she had never actually identified him. The next round was about abortion. The final skirmish was about giving the baby up for adoption. When they could not get her to budge on either option, they threw her out. The entire encounter had been devoid of any sympathy or tenderness. As she hurriedly packed what she could get into a few suitcases, she was almost relieved, even while she was scared to death.

College life in the big city had given Jenny some awareness of survival in the modern world, and she was able to get registered into a motel, prepaying for a week on the credit card her father had not yet canceled. She was also able to get $500 from ATMs. Her main problem was that she knew almost no one in town, and certainly no one she could call on in her current situation. She had neither a car nor a driver's license. Angeline would be leaving for home in three more days, and had insisted Jenny keep her updated on what was happening. When she heard about the eviction, she tried to talk Jenny into coming to France with her for the summer. Just the thought of any possible encounter with Adrian made that offer unthinkable to Jenny. True to form, Angeline dropped everything and hopped the next flight to help Jenny as much as she could.