Chapter 3

Saturday dawned gray and rainy, and Trevor awoke to the sound of raindrops pattering against his bedroom window. But no mere storm could bring him down, not with the memory of Aunt Teddy's cunt still fresh. Trevor bounced out of bed and sailed into the day, smiling and humming softly to himself.

So pleasant was he, in fact, that he noticed his mother looking at him a bit strangely when he cheerfully agreed to go over to his Aunt Alex's house that afternoon.

"I'm not sure what she wants you for," his mom said, hesitatingly. "She said -- well, it wasn't very clear what she said. Oh, well. Your Aunt Alex can be like that sometimes, I guess. Anyway, I don't have any chores for you, but if you've got a lot of homework to do..."

"Finished it already," Trevor mumbled through a mouthful of cookies and milk, two more ginger snaps trailing crumbs from his fingers as he walked back to the living room.

He was still in a great mood when he arrived at Aunt Alex's house, a huge mansion in a much better part of town than his parents' home. He always expected a butler in tie and tails to answer the door when he rang, but it was just Reed. His smile dissolved in an instant when he saw the dark clouds in her eyes. He started to ask about it, but she shook her head, stone-faced, and ushered him into the posh parlor.

Like most of the house, it was all decorated in whites and creams and crystal. Aunt Alex, in a cream suit herself, was sitting in a corner of the huge couch. She avoided his eyes and just waved a hand to indicate he should take one of the armchairs.

Reed started to sit on the other end of the couch, but her mother looked up, eyes blazing. "We don't need you for this, Reed. Why don't you go -- I don't know. To the mall or something. Just get out."

"But, mother..."

"Out."

"I think I should..."

"You've done enough already, young lady. Now this is between Trevor and me. Go."

A lump the size of a football was gathering in the pit of Trevor's stomach, and another one, smaller but even more sour, was rising up his throat. He felt a little dizzy and had to hold tightly onto the arms of the chair to keep from sliding off to the floor.

"Aunt Alex..." he tried to begin, hoping that if he kept talking long enough he would think of something to say. Aunt Alex didn't give him a chance.

"Stop right there, young man." She paused. At the sound of the front door closing behind her daughter, Aunt Alex went on.

Her eyes cut into Trevor's like lasers, and her hair seemed to be afire, blazing almost as much as the crystal all around them. Her normally perfect porcelain skin was discolored now by bright red patches all over her face, and her hands were clenched tightly, as if she was afraid that if she let go of them she'd leap up and strangle him.

"Reed has told me what happened Thursday night."

Despite the fire in her eyes, Aunt Alex's words were as cold as ice.

"I suspect you had figured that out by now."

"But, how -- why..." Trevor heard the words and wondered who was stupid enough to interrupt Aunt Alex when she was this angry. With a stabbing pain in his forehead, he realized the stupid speaker was himself.

"It seems that my... my daughter (the way she said that word, Trevor thought, it sounded like a curse) was a bit too exuberant in her lust. One of her diamond earrings fell off into your mother's bed. Your mother happened to mention to me that she'd found it; she thought it was your Aunt Teddy's, because of that ludicrous story she told us about... about... about what she said she did on the bed."

Aunt Alex stared at the ceiling briefly.

"I swear I don't know what that sister of mine thought she was doing..."

"My mom?" Trevor croaked out.

"Your Aunt Theodora!" Aunt Alex shrieked. "That... that... vixen! And what a mother she is, seeing my daughter engaged in... in... with her own cousin! And not saying a word to me!"

Trevor carefully kept his face composed. So Reed must have kept Cat out of it. That was unusually thoughtful of her. Not that it was going to help him any. He had the distinct impression Aunt Alex was going to ream him a new asshole, and then turn him in to his mother and father, who'd really give it to him. Trevor tried to burrow down into the plush cushions of the chair, as if he could sink far enough into them to escape all this. It didn't work. Aunt Alex kept on talking, her voice a barely controlled hysteria. He was dirty, filthy, unclean, evil. And those were the nicer words. Somewhere in all the shrieking he got the welcome news that Reed was on the Pill. When he heard that, he inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. But even that was cold comfort when it reminded him that Cat was a virgin, and probably wasn't using anything.

After awhile, he lost touch with his aunt's tirade. His mind seemed to swim free, and he let his eyes wander -- furtively, because once Aunt Alex caught him at it and redoubled her rant - - flitting from one fancy fixture to another. It all seemed unreal, like a movie set. He grasped at the straw and fantasized himself in a film, or a TV show maybe, just a character who'd gotten stuck in an awful plot line. Pretty soon there'd be a commercial break and when they came back there'd be some neat resolution and everyone would live happily ever after. His Aunt Alex would smile and say "Trevor, it's all right. Trevor..."

"TREVOR!"

He blinked twice. This was no TV show. Aunt Alex was on her feet, inches from him, her hand poised to slap him if he continued to ignore her. The gorge in his throat rose to his mouth and he was ready to throw up.

"Do you think you could do me the courtesy of paying attention when I'm talking to you?" Aunt Alex spat out the words as if they tasted bitter.

"Yes, ma'am," Trevor answered meekly.

"Well, that's very kind of you," she drawled, continuing to stand so close he could feel the heat of her breath. "Now just what do you think your mother and father are going to say when I tell them what you've been doing?"

There was a pause, and when it lingered on Trevor decided the question wasn't hypothetical. He was wrong. Halfway into a reply Aunt Alex barked him into silence.

"I'll tell you what they're going to say," she railed on. "They're going to disown you, if they have half a brain between them. Or... or... or something. I can't even think what's punishment enough for what you've done. Ground you permanently? You seem to get into trouble quite well at home. Send you off to military school? Only if they made you eat a pound of saltpeter for breakfast.

"But nothing they did to you could hurt half as much as knowing what you did would hurt them. You didn't think of that, did you, when you let your cock do your thinking for you Thursday night?"

Trevor's eyes were so filled with tears that Aunt Alex's face was just a watery blur to him. He tried to blink them away, but more poured out and trailed down his cheeks.

Aunt Alex's voice did not seem to soften. "Go ahead, cry. Cry for an hour and you won't even come close to the tears you'll wring out of your mother. To have raised a son like this! Georgie doesn't deserve this pain. She doesn't! She doesn't!"

Then she burst into tears as well, bawling as she sagged back against the couch and fell onto the cushions. Her body was wracked by sobs and she buried her head in her hands.

Trevor, weak as well, managed to drag himself over to the couch and put his arms around his aunt for comfort. He kept a light touch on the fine linen of her suit as he settled in next to her, their wails mingling.

When she looked up at him at last, her eyes were red and her hair was mussed. Black smudges of mascara streaked her cheeks.

"How can I tell your mother what you did?" she asked, her voice a hoarse whisper.

Trevor felt so guilty he would have crawled over hot coals. "You don't have to," he said, stopping to sniff. "I'll -- I'll tell her. I promise."

"No, you can't," Aunt Alex said. "No one can. No one should. It would kill her. Georgie is so devoted to her family, it would just kill her."

"But, Aunt Alex..."

"No." She straightened up as if stiffening her spine would stiffen her resolve. "You are not to tell your parents. They must never know what happened Thursday night." She paused, staring off into the distance. "But it must never happen again, understand? You will never even touch your cousins from now on. You know that, don't you?"

Trevor hung his head. "Yes, Aunt Alex."

"Say it like you mean it, Trevor."

He pulled his head up and looked her in the eye. His lower lip quivered a bit, but he took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Yes, Aunt Alex. It will never happen again."

She looked away. "Well, that's settled," she said to the wall.

Trevor hauled himself to his feet and started to leave. He heard the soft swish as Aunt Alex whirled on the couch. "Wait just a minute, young man!"

He faced her. "What? You said it was settled?"

"Well, yes, that we won't tell your parents and you won't do it again. But..."

"But what?"

"But -- but that doesn't seem like enough. You should -- you should be punished. Shouldn't you?" Her brows lifted. "At least - - I mean -- well, it seems like you should."

Trevor was so confused he felt like he was lost in a maze. His emotions had been snapped back and forth so quickly and so often in just a few hours that it almost seemed as if he had no feelings left. With a sigh, he sank back into the armchair. "So, what's my punishment?" he asked, his voice flat.

Aunt Alex stood up and paced. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know what I can do to you."

"Look, Aunt Alex, do whatever you want, but I'm already as sorry about this as I can get."

"You don't sound very sorry now."

Trevor twisted his head down and to the side, frustrated. "I am, honest. I'm just all worn out, that's all."

"Well, I can't just let you off like this."

"Aunt Alex, I'll do whatever you say. Anything! You're right, I deserve to be punished. Name it." He wasn't sure whether he honestly felt sorry he'd done it, at this point, or he was just sorry Aunt Alex had found out. But he had to do something to end this nightmare. Whatever punishment she could dream up, it couldn't be worse than having to endure this inquisition much longer.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"How about -- no, that won't work." Aunt Alex continued to pace, back and forth. Trevor tried to watch her, but it felt like having a front-row seat at a really slow tennis match. Every now and again she would stop and open her mouth, but then she'd shake her head and keep going. "I've got it! -- But, no."

At last she flopped down on an arm of the couch. "I give up, Trevor. What could I possibly do to punish you? It would have to be something that would convince you it's wrong it take advantage of women like you did with Reed."

Trevor thought about that for a second. Him taking advantage of Reed? Just what kind of story had she told her mother? But it wasn't worth trying to argue; he knew it wouldn't matter. His aunt was still talking.

"Something that would give you an idea of what it feels like to have someone treat you as just an object. To lie to you just to get a sexual favor -- and to have lied about your own brother's c-c-" She stopped abruptly. The silence stretched on and Trevor could hear the ticking of a clock -- or was that his heart?

He couldn't stand it. It was one thing for Reed to suggest that he was the villain, but to say he'd used Evan's cancer -- well, OK, he hadn't stopped them, but it's not like he came up with the idea. Trevor burst out: "But, Aunt Alex, I didn't lie. I didn't say I was the sick one. Reed just assumed I was, and -- well -- all right, maybe I should have told her, but gosh, you know how Reed gets, and I just couldn't stop her..."

"But she said..." his aunt began. Another silence seemed to stretch out forever. "Are you sure... ?"

Trevor nodded his head vigorously, in reply to her and to his own thoughts. That was it, he decided. Aunt Alex must have mentioned to Reed that Evan had cancer; that had made Reed made enough to blurt it all out when her mom confronted her with the earring. Lucky thing she came to her senses before she tattled on Cat, too.

"Well..." his aunt stammered.

He could see she was confused. It seemed to Trevor that his breath was getting louder and louder.

Aunt Alex's voice was softer, now, and trembled. "But -- you did -- with Reed -- and that's not right," she said, finishing on a stronger note. "And you still should be punished for that. But..."

Then Aunt Alex rose and walked briskly out of the room. At the archway to the stairs she stopped. Without turning around, she spoke. "Trevor, aren't you coming?"

He looked left and right. Nope, no one there; she must be talking to him. And she hadn't waited for an answer, either; she was already going up the stairs. He jumped up and trotted behind.

As he got to the foot of the stairs, Aunt Alex was disappearing down the hallway at the top. By the time Trevor got upstairs, she was nowhere in sight. He called for her but got no answer. He had to prowl down the hallway, peering in door after door. Each room had some opulent furnishings that would arrest his attention for a moment before he could shake his eyes free to make sure his aunt wasn't around.

Finally he found her -- in her bedroom.

Like the parlor, this was a study in white and cream. The huge, four-poster bed had a lacy comforter, thrown back at the head to reveal white silk sheets and pillowcases. He stared at the bed as he stepped into the room. Trevor was so transfixed he didn't notice anything else until he heard the door slam shut behind him. He turned and saw Aunt Alex, standing arms akimbo.

"Take your clothes off," she said, flatly.

Trevor's cock swelled at the words. He wondered a little at why Aunt Alex had so suddenly switched from punishment to pleasing him, but remembering his time in Aunt Teddy's bed he wasn't going to waste time arguing. In a flash he was out of his clothes and leaping onto the bed. It sunk under his weight, smothering him in silk and lace.

"Get off the bed," Aunt Alex ordered.

Trevor shrugged and got off.

"Stand up straight," she said. Aunt Alex, still fully clothed, walked around him like he was a Ming dynasty vase, staring him up and down. Trevor's budding erection withered under her gaze. He tried to cover himself up with his hands, but a sharp look from her made him snap his arms to his side.

As his aunt strutted around him, tut-tutting from time to time, it seemed to Trevor that the room grew chillier. Goose- bumps rose on his arms and legs. His fingers and toes grew chilled. Every now and then he would slump a bit, only to straighten when Aunt Alex cleared her throat sharply. Whenever she came around to the front of him he looked down in shame, seeing the spike heels of her pumps pushing the thin cloth of his T-shirt into the plush carpet.