Chapter 21

When Matt picked up Beth on Sunday afternoon to drive back to school, the mood between them was very strained. Other than a few polite questions and short answers, there was silence until they were several miles down the freeway.

Suddenly, Beth started giggling uncontrollably. Matt first looked at her in puzzlement, then in disbelief. When she did not stop, he startled to chuckle, carried along by the musical quality of her laughter and his own guess at what she was laughing at.

"Beth Berg, I'm Matt Kessler, and I'm very pleased to meet you," he said when he could catch his breath.

"My pleasure, I'm sure," she said, unsuccessfully mimicking a very formal manner. That brought on more laughter.

"I'm sorry I came across as such a tongue-tied jerk yesterday," he aplogized.

"Well, I sure did a good impression of a prudish pre-teen the way I ran off."

"Prudish? Not hardly. Beth, it wasn't my own nervousness that had me tongue-tied, you know," Matt told her, then almost gasped when he realized what he had said.

"Well, I didn't walk away because I was disgusted at the sight, either. Quite the opposite, if you noticed," Beth admitted.

Both had made statements far more bold than their usual style. Perhaps meeting naked for the first time had the effect of lowering barriers. Whatever the reason, the conversation flowed very nicely from then on.

"Beth, I really want to be home as much as possible with everything that's going on with my family, but it's a long drive and I hate the bus. Any chance you would want to drive back with me the next few weekends? We could split the driving and the other person could get in a few hours of study."

Matt's question came when they were almost back at school. By that time, Beth had forgotten any lingering animosity she had held because of Dottie. Spending several hours with Matt each weekend sounded like a very good idea indeed.

Warren stayed until very late Sunday night, reluctant to leave Dottie. Julia had considered letting them use one of the center rooms, and that would probably happen soon. She wanted to give it a little more thought first, though.

Julia's big decision for Sunday was what to do about Floyd. The suggestion to have him do a series of investing discussions was an excellent one. However, Julia felt very strongly that he should qualify to continue as a resident, first. As things stood, she should send him home for the good of the other residents.

Mary had asked Julia if she and Floyd could have the free section to themselves Monday. She wanted a chance to convince Floyd to get serious about his improvement. They had not slept together the previous week because he had not met his goals. He had failed the past week, as well, so they would be apart for at least one more week.

Of course, if he was sent home, they would be apart a lot longer. Mary knew it would be foolish for her to leave yet. It had become critically important to her to meet her goals - to succeed at something important. Also, her new-born relationship with her daughter was more important even than Floyd. Julia would certainly not allow Floyd to visit and sleep with her after he was kicked out.

Julia knew the Halls would have sex if she gave them exclusive use of the free section. That was not in the spirit of the the reward system she had been trying to use on Floyd. A few of the sleeping rooms in the new section had been finished, but the plan was to keep them sealed off when it was open for general access. That could be done electronically from a central panel. If the Halls wanted to have sex, it would have to be out in the open.

Her first inclination was to tell Mary no, that the section would be open to everyone. That would effectively stop the sexual activity. But Mary dropped the clinching argument: she wanted to find out about Floyd and his parents. Julia had felt all along that their marriage was severely hampered by that one big secret. She, of course, knew the secret, but was code-bound not to tell.

From her first contact with them, Julia had not found Mary and Floyd to be likable. In fact, the only positive attribute she could find was their firm commitment to each other. As she had watched Mary change and grow, in her own words leaving Floyd behind, she became concerned for the relationship. Some of Lindsey's comments deepened that concern.

The real problem was that Floyd was pretty much the same old Floyd. He was a little thinner and he was getting a lot more sex, but that was about all. Interaction with the other men had not brought about the same change in perspective and outlook as had Mary's experience.

"How do you plan to get him to talk about his childhood?" Julia had asked.

Mary's instant flush told Julia the general approach Mary planned.

"You're not going to withhold sex are you?" Julia asked sternly. "That's never healthy for a couple."

"No, I... I..." Taking a big breath, Mary blurted out "After we made love, I was going to use o... oral sex. He... he's never had that, and..."

Professional detachment was Julia's hallmark, but sometimes... This was not an official session, and the determination of this once-prudish woman to do whatever it took to help her marriage was truly touching.

"Have you ever done it before, Mary?" Julia asked, taking both of Mary's hands in hers and knowing the answer. When Mary just shook her head, Julia told her "I'm afraid that if you try it for the first time on him, you may not like the result. Can't you just talk him into telling you?"

"Oh, I've tried that for years. Julia, it's like he has kind of a wall built around him right now. The only way through it is his, uh, his cock. I just thought I could, uh, influence him with something new and, uh, sexy."

"What made you decide on a blowjob?"

"Oh, that was just part of it, but isn't that something that really gets to men?" Julia sat in expressionless amazement as Mary described how she planned to fondle and caress him, holding him back from coming unless he told her what she wanted. Running through Julia's mind was 'Barbara, you done good!'. There were many unbelievable changes happening at the Tee, but this conversation had to rank right up there.

"It really is a good plan, Mary, but I think you had better not try the blowjob until you've had some practice."

"Oh, you're probably right," Mary said as her face fell. "I... I was pretty scared of doing it anyway."

"Unless you could find someone to practice on," Julia added, watching Mary's reaction very closely.

"What? Julia, how could you suggest that? I could never... !" Mary sputtered.

"Mary, we're talking about the health of your marriage here. I think you're right that he needs to tell you. I also think your approach is a good one: fuck his brains out then tease him 'til he can't say 'no'. It has worked for us women forever. It just takes some confidence, and that only comes from practice."

"Well, I'll practice on Floyd a few times before I ask him, then."

"Um, I'm afraid you won't have that chance, Mary. I'm sorry, but unless something changes right away, I'm going to have to send Floyd home."

Mary looked like she might become just a puddle on the floor. Every bit of life seemed to leave her. She did not cry, but for a bit, she would have looked less miserable if she had.

Then, the new, determined, resolute Mary took over again, and her back straightened and her shoulders squared. "I... I guess it will just take longer, then. I'm going to make my goals and look like I should. I'll never be a raving beauty, but it was enough to get him to marry me. I'll practice, and it will be enough to get the truth out of him."

Julia sent Mary off with an unprofessional but heartfelt hug.

"How do you feel about loaning out your lover's cock?" Julia asked Lindsey, intentionally going for shock value.

Fortunately, Lindsey was sitting down when Julia asked, so her near-faint did not make her fall. Quickly, Julia told Lindsey about her mother's plan, and about Floyd's impending departure if something didn't change.

"And you want her to practice on Mark?" Lindsey asked in disbelief.

"Can you imagine her even thinking of touching another man's cock?" Julia asked.

"But why would she touch Mark's then? And take it in her mouth!?"

"Come on, Lindsey! You must realize your mother is more than a little in love with your fiance."

Lindsey dropped her face in her hands for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed. But I never thought... If she feels that way, wouldn't it just make things worse?"

"Your mother is a faithful, devoted wife who has come to view her marriage in a whole different way. She doesn't like what she sees, and it frightens her. She has figured out the key problem and worked out a way to go after it. She just needs some help along the way."

"But my husband's - I mean fiance's - cock is such a personal, private thing! It's not right for anyone else to touch it."

"That's true, Lindsey. Mark's body is your most personal, intimate possession, and I'm sure he feels just as strongly about it."

"Then why are you even suggesting... ?"

"Just think about this, Lindsey: if you're serious about a new relationship with your mother, what better way to show it than by giving something intimate and precious to you." Julia left Lindsey deep in thought.

"You want me to do what!!?" Mark almost screamed later that night.

"I want you to let Mom practice blowjobs on you," Lindsey repeated as calmly as she could. She could hardly believe she was saying it. When Julia left after their conversation earlier in the day, Lindsey thought Julia was totally crazy. Running around naked was one thing, and she had gotten used to that. But sexual touching was something she could not be casual about. Mark was hers, and she felt very possessive about that.

Throughout the rest of the day, she could think of nothing else. Her mother had always considered oral sex the worst kind of perversion, yet she was now considering using it on her father. Was it just part of her recent sexual awakening? Or was she really feeling desperate about her marriage?

Lindsey was sure that if Mary went in to Floyd unprepared and tried to use her mouth on him, she would do more harm than good. Yet, Mary seemed determined, and lately, her determination had to be taken seriously. Lindsey approved of her mother's burgeoning sexuality. It had been an unexpected connection that had brought them closer. Mary's plea for help and advice from her daughter was the strongest indication of her concern for Floyd and his lack of progress.

Would it be that bad for Mark? She had heard the jokes about no guy ever turning down a blowjob. Would she be able to handle it? Did she want to give that kind of gift to her mother?

That instant was the first time Lindsey realized that she truly wanted her mother to succeed, to achieve some of the happiness she herself had with Mark. Mary was truly turning into a different person, a person that Lindsey could not help but admire. Did she now love her mother? She could not say that yet.

In the midst of her mental turmoil, Lindsey had to chuckle. Did loaning her fiance for oral sex training fall under the Biblical 'honor they father and thy mother' dictum? After the humor passed, she had to admit that she had decided to do it.

She had expected some resistance from Mark, but not the violent reaction she got. In one sense, it made her feel good. But having decided, she was determined to get his help in tutoring her mother. The argument raged for quite a while, with Mark obviously upset, and not faking it.

"Is this mine?" Lindsey finally asked as she gently grabbed his penis. Mark had already figured out that he wasn't going to win, and he had no response for the argument he knew was coming.

Mary had enjoyed a cozy soak with Lindsey and Mark, something that had not happened very often. When they rinsed off in the showers, they did not dress, but walked back to her room with her. She had noticed that Mark seemed a little nervous all evening, while Lindsey was unusually keyed up.

At Mary's room, they surprised her by both coming in. "Mom," Lindsey said, "I want you to use Mark to practice before you go to be with Dad."

"Practice what?" Mary made no connection with their conversation about oral sex.

"Blowjobs, Mom. You know, what we talked about a couple of nights ago."

Fortunately, Mary was standing near the bed, and she just sat down hard. For several seconds, she just stared at Lindsey, then at Mark. Finally, her gaze dropped to his crotch briefly before she blushed and stammered out "You... you mean g... give Mark a b... b... blowjob?"

"Yes, Mom, that's what I mean. If you want to try to do it to Dad, you should have some practice."

"And you would let me do that, Mark?"

"Mary, it's not my decision, and honestly, I didn't want to," Mark answered. "But this," and he gestured at his crotch, "belongs to Lindsey. It's what she wants."

Mary started crying softly, shaking her head back and forth. "Lindsey, that is an unbelievably loving offer. Thank you! But I can't do it with Mark. It's not because I'm worried how it would affect you two. I think your relationship could handle anything."

"The reason I can't do it is because of me. Me, and my commitment to my husband. I would lose something in my own mind if I gave in. Part of me really wants to. I... I think you both know how I feel about Mark. And his, uh, penis makes me want to touch it."

"But don't you think it would help you with Dad?" Lindsey asked, not having expected her mother's response.

"Probably, Honey. But sex between me and Floyd has always been just for us. If I'm clumsy, learning with him will be part of our togetherness. Believe me, I intend to learn lots of new things. You probably realize that I have discovered I like sex a lot. I want much more of it in our marriage. But it will only be right for me if we learn it together."

Lindsey had a real twinge of conscience at that point. She doubted Mary knew about Barbara's 'tutoring' of Floyd. From what she had just said, she would be hurt if she found out. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, Lindsey asked "That's a big reason you're worried about Dad's progress, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Mary answered. "I see all the wonderful relationships around here, and I know sex is an important part of them. I want that, and I don't even worry about it being sinful anymore. We're married. God must have given us sex for more than just babies."

Lindsey sat by her mother and hugged her, and she didn't have to think about it. Nothing was said for a while, and Mark was greatly relieved at Mary's refusal of the offer. His relief was premature, though.

"Mom, would it help if I showed you some things?" Mark thought he had developed a lot of control since he first heard of Transformations, and he had stayed soft when Lindsey offered him to her mother. Now, however, he shot straight up, and did the coverup thing with his hands.

He was standing in view of both women, and his movement drew their attention. Lindsey giggled and Mary gasped. Then, Mary shook her head and said "Oh, Honey, I know you want to help, and it warms my heart. But I couldn't watch you. I haven't changed that much yet - I may never."

Mark managed to soften quickly after that, and they said their goodbyes and left. It was Lindsey who towed Mark right over to the center section. "We'll change the bed when we're done. I need it RIGHT NOW!" she told him as they ducked into the first room. He did not argue.

Floyd had agreed to quit work early on Monday and meet Mary in the free section. He had a feeling she was going to be angry with him, and he felt his penis twitch a little bit at the thought of a scolding from her. He knew he was not doing well on his exercises. He had lost about fifteen pounds, but it hardly showed in the mirror.

He was putting in pretty full work days, and that made it harder for him to really get into his exercises. Still, he knew that was just an excuse. He could not put his finger on why he was not working harder. It was expected of him, and maybe it was a little rebellion against expectations.

One thing he had no question about: he was anxious for sex with his wife. That desire should have been enough to motivate him toward his goals, but for the last two weeks, he just couldn't force himself. The fact the she had lost over twice as much weight gave him a little of that old feeling of inferiority and subservience. He had been in awe the times they had exercised together, fearing he could never match her intensity. Maybe he had just quit trying to keep up.

Mary was waiting just inside the door when he came through, and she charged him and practically jumped on him as she kissed him fiercely. He was momentarily stunned, but the sheer sensuality of their naked contact and the obvious love she expressed soon had him giving back full measure.

They kissed for a while, then Mary did something totally unprecedented: she just dropped both hands and cupped his genitals between them. Then, keeping a firm but gentle hold, she backed toward the pool deck. He almost felt like laughing, but as she pulled, she rubbed a thumb over his glans. That was no laughing matter at all, and he hardened quickly.

When they reached the first lounge chair, she pushed him back onto it. In a move that emphasized the new agility she was gaining, she straddled him and sat on his thighs. She was still a substantial woman, but that was a maneuver she could not have attempted just a few weeks earlier.

So far, not a word had been said. When she moved forward with the obvious intention of inserting him, he remembered his 'training' and said "Wait!".

"Don't worry about me right now," she told him. "And I'm on the pill, too!"

That said, she raised up enough to settle down on him. Even with almost no contact, she was surprisingly moist, and after a dozen or so strokes, she was resting on his hips. She sat still and told him "Honey, I miss sleeping with you so much! Please, please try to get us back together."

Before he could respond, she started moving back and forth, and he did not feel like talking. Following her carefully though out plan, Mary started a long sequence of escalations followed by backing off. She was determined to take him to a level of arousal where he had never been before. It was hard to talk to Lindsey about sexual technique, but once she had worked up the courage to ask Dottie, her friend had been eager to help. Dottie bent over backwards to make Mary feel more comfortable and not embarrass her.