Chapter 1

Claire Richardson was excited as she boarded the school bus. She didn't take the time to examine that feeling, even though she was thirty-three years old and was on her way to a High School football tournament. She just enjoyed the thrills that were coursing through her body as she bounced up the steps and entered a tiny world of controlled chaos. The noise hit her like a falling wall as she turned the corner to face fifty-some-odd students, all of whom seemed to be shouting at the top of their lungs. Most of them were boys, a few of whom she knew because her son, Bobby, had brought them to the house for one meal or another, or because they had dated her daughter, Lori.

No one seemed to notice her at first, though, whether they knew her or not. The boys were thinking about the upcoming games. The girls were clustered in little groups that cheerleaders always seemed to sort themselves into. They weren't exactly cliques, because the girls were a team of sorts too, but they had natural tendencies to hang with the other girls who were most like them.

Had Claire stopped to examine the feelings coursing through her body, she might have recognized them as being remarkably like sexual feelings. She might have noticed that her panties were a little damp, and that her nipples had spiked through the cream colored silk blouse she should have known better than to wear to a sporting event weekend. But she hadn't had time to change after work. She was dressed for business, and a charcoal wool skirt slung to her hips, making the jut of her breasts seem larger than they actually were.

She wasn't ignored for long.

Had Claire examined the faces of all those teenagers, she might have noticed that a lot of the boys' eyes lingered on her as she waded slowly through the crowd, lugging her bag behind her, looking for her own children. Or she might have noticed the frowns of some of the girls as THEY noticed who the boys were looking at with that look in their eyes that made the girls get wary and careful.

But it had been a long time since Claire had been in an atmosphere charged so heavily with teen hormones, and the spirit of impending "combat", and she'd forgotten how it affected a person. She'd shut away her own feelings for the last ten years after her husband had said two screaming kids wasn't what he had in mind as his future.

Back when Claire was in High School, she had fought off all the boys, looking to her future and wanting to save her virginity for the man who she knew would sweep her off her feet. It was made more difficult by the fact that she was a cheerleader. She played the field in college too, but when the team won a big game, and a frat on campus threw them a victory party, she had perhaps one too many wine coolers. The star of the game was a boy named Denny, and he had convinced her to give him a kiss because they had won.

Denny's kisses had set her on fire. Her resolve to stay a virgin seeped away like the fluid in her bottle when it was knocked over as he got her to lie down with him on a bed in a darkened room.

And it HAD been glorious. She hadn't had any idea how wonderful a stiff penis would feel stroking the walls of her vagina and scraping along her enflamed clit. Her almost instant addiction to that feeling had led to her lying naked under him time and again. The fact that he'd knocked her up while they were both sophomores in college and that she'd agreed to marry him even though she liked several other boys more had been conveniently ignored when she found out the first boy to get into her panties had made her pregnant. She'd wanted to believe they were in love and nothing either of their parents had said against the marriage had sunk in.

And, truth be told, things hadn't been so bad at first. But when he'd gotten her pregnant again within a year, and the money troubles had started, and he'd had to take two jobs, and couldn't party with his buddies, he'd thrown in the towel. Claire had been left to finish college and raise Lori and Bobby by herself, with a little help from her parents now and then.

So SHE was the one who had to take three jobs, and forego dating or any social relationships outside her jobs. And her determination had finally led her to find something she was good at. She'd taken an entry level job at a bank, and had worked her way up to being the manager of the loan department for the bank. Her single-minded devotion to her two children had resulted in success in the business world, and a comfortable living for them all. But it was at the cost of her social life, as she deflected the well meaning... and some not-so-well-meaning advances of the men she ran into in that business world.

She knew she was beautiful and desirable. She cultivated that appearance, because it had helped her succeed in the banking business. She was aware that she was attractive, and that people saw her as a sexual being - both men and women - but she viewed that side of her as a tool, used only to seal a deal, and not to pursue personal enjoyment. Her fingers did for her what she thought her body needed occasionally, and she had grown so used to the convenience of being able to grab a quick orgasm now and then that she had unconsciously held herself aloof from any relationships with a man that might have been vastly more satisfying.

It was almost an accident that she had met Coach Bondurant, or "Chuck" as he demanded she call him. She knew he was her son's football coach, because Bobby talked about him like he was a legend. But, when he applied for a loan to buy a house in Hillsdale, where she lived, and, because he was single and young, with a sparse credit history, his file was brought to her for approval. She had decided to meet him in person.

That he was five years younger than she was something she noticed, but didn't dwell on. He had a good job, and, as far as she could tell, was good at that job, so she had approved the loan. Having been turned down by two other banks his thanks had been effusive, and her casual "You coach my son Bobby" had generated praise for her as a mother.

That was what made her give him another look. Being a mother was her pride and joy.

And that look had turned into a chat, and that chat had resulted in his solicitation for her to be a sponsor for the regional championships that the team was going to attend. When he explained that the team, along with their supporting cheerleaders, would be staying in a motel for several nights, and that adults were needed to chaperone them, and that the cheerleading coach was eight months pregnant and couldn't go, and that he was having a hard time getting a female to agree to come along for the ride, Claire made one of those snap decisions that she had learned to trust.

She agreed to do it.

There had been little time to plan or think about things before it was time to pack her bag and get in her Lexus to drive to the school. Bobby and Lori had already made arrangements and were already gone as she backed out of the driveway and drove to Hillsdale High School. She was thinking about trips SHE had taken as a cheerleader almost twenty years ago. She had seen what some of the cheerleaders did with the players when adults weren't watching. And she knew well what football players were like. "Denny the Derailer", her former husband, was a linebacker who had battered down her defenses as effectively as he battered down the defenses around the quarterbacks he sacked.

She hadn't thought about Denny for a long time, moving on with her life. He dropped a card to the kids once in a while, but neither of them had ever seen him once they got old enough to remember him. They knew who he was, but had no real feeling for him. The three of them, Claire and her two children, had poured all their affection into their little family.

Maybe it was the remembrance of that wild night when she lost her virginity... and got pregnant with Bobby... that re-awoke the emotions coursing through her as she boarded the bus that day. If so, she wasn't aware that she was excited in the same way she'd been excited that fateful night so long ago. All she knew was that she was excited, and she was having fun BEING excited. There hadn't been much excitement in her life for a long time.

At any rate, as she bumped and jostled her way down the aisle of the bus, pushing past students, looking for her children, she looked like she felt. She was a woman who made the boys turn their heads toward her, admiring the thrust of her breasts through the silk blouse, including the prominent nipples that pushed through her thin Victoria's Secret bra.

She saw Bobby and Lori sitting together in a seat toward the back of the bus and an even warmer feeling raced through her. They were talking to each other animatedly, obviously fond of each other, and that made her feel good. So many brothers and sisters fought constantly, but that was something she didn't have to put up with.

And there were other students involved with them, leaning over the back of the seat in front of them, or standing beside them. They were obviously popular. It made her feel successful as a parent.

Lori saw her first and smiled widely as she waved. She stood up and called out "Hi Mom!"

As Lorie's voice pierced the cacophony of sound teenagers looked to see Claire making her way slowly toward them. She heard one boy say "That's your mom? Wow!"

That simple comment, made by a boy young enough to be her son, caused Claire to blush. The compliment that, from an older man would have been shrugged off as normal, jarred her into thinking about her attractiveness in a different way than she usually did. There was a strange mix of emotions that flooded through her as she thought briefly about the irony of the fact that a mere boy's positive appraisal of her appearance meant something to her, while the same thing from a man would have been deflected like a poorly thrown pass.

"Mom!"

Claire's eyes darted to her daughter's face, which was showing a mix of surprise and embarrassment. Lori was looking at her mother's breasts. Claire looked down and saw immediately what Lori was embarrassed about. Claire had very prominent nipples most of the time, and they were advertising their presence plainly.

The woman in her was proud of them. The mother in her immediately recognized that her daughter would think she was improperly dressed.

Never mind the fact that Lori had inherited her mother's nipples and that she often showed hers off too. What Lori thought was fine for herself did not apply to her mother.

"Sorry." said Claire to her daughter. She looked at Bobby who was also staring at her chest interestedly. There wasn't anything she could do about it now. If she covered the tips of her breasts it would only draw more attention to them. And she was used to men staring, so she decided to tough it out. "I'll change when we get there." she said.

"I would hope so." said Lori, looking around. She counted at least five boys who were staring at her mother. The look on their faces was just like when they stared at her or one of the other girls. It was her first lesson in how an "older woman" could be a turn on for a younger man. She'd have never believed that her mother would draw stares and looks like that, even though she thought her mother was beautiful. The emotions she felt at that moment were distinctly uncomfortable. For the first time in her life she saw her mother as potential competition! That thought made her laugh. What boy would want her mother... really. She laughed. "Never mind. I'm being silly. You want to sit with us?"

That sent another shot of warmth through Claire as her children, rather than being standoffish that their mother was there, welcomed her. There wasn't any place nearby to put her bag, but a boy offered to put it in the back with the other luggage, which was piled high on the last two rows of seats.

By the time she sat down, Claire Richardson was an overflowing jumble of emotions, almost all of them pleasurable. She was immediately surrounded by boys who, for some reason, wanted to talk to her children. It made her feel young again.

At least until all the kids started calling her "Mrs. Richardson." That brought her back to earth pretty quickly. But even then it was obvious she was being accepted by the kids, and that made her feel almost as good.

She had barely settled in, squeezing Bobby and Lori up against the window of the bus when Coach Bondurant got on the bus. He called the role, and, when he had decided everyone who was supposed to be there was, he introduced her.

"Mrs. Richardson has kindly agreed to chaperone this trip." he announced. "I know you won't give her any hassles... RIGHT?!" A chorus or 'RIGHT's was yelled out in that tone of voice that kids all use to let adults know they've said something stupid, even though they are expected to agree with it. Coach Bondurant went on. "AND, just so we all understand each other, Mrs. Richardson was a cheerleader when she was in High School, so she knows all the tricks. Don't think you're going to be able to game her, because you aren't."

Claire wanted to giggle when there was a softer chorus of sighs that clearly indicated some hopes had been dashed, both male and female. The coach waved her forward and, as she left, she heard a boy whisper behind her. "Man Bobby, your mother is HOT!"

There was a smack, as of a hand on an arm and Lori yipped "Shut UP Thomas."

Claire just grinned and went up to talk with the Coach. He had saved a seat for them, it turned out, because he assumed she'd want to sit with him rather than the students. As she sat down she saw that his eyes were fastened firmly where every other male's eyes had been. He looked up and caught her... catc hing him. He blushed. "Sorry" he said. Then he smiled. "But I'm normal I guess. I hope you won't hold it against me."

He sounded so sincere that she decided not to react as she normally would have reacted. "I suppose I could give you another chance." she said. "I didn't have time to change into something more appropriate."

"Thank you." he said and, to her surprise, he sounded like he meant it. "Sit down and I'll show you the schedule and go over the expectations of the school board.

It never occurred to Claire that his thanks might be for more than just... another chance.

He hauled out a thick three ring binder and flipped it open to a list of rules and policies that the board expected the team to follow on trips like this one. He was all business now. "You can read over these in the room tonight, or as we drive if you want." he said. Then he launched into explaining a matrix of lines with names beside them of all the schools that would be playing at the tournament, explaining how losses and wins affected lines that didn't have anything beside them. Claire began to remember how things worked and soon they were chatting about their chances of advancing, and his tactical plans. Claire loved football. It was one of the few sporting events she followed and watched on TV. That her children were like-minded made their weekends full of sports, both inside and out of the house. The bus started off and the noise level abated somewhat as kids began to cluster into smaller groups and have their own discussions.