Chapter 3

"I have a surprise for you, darling," Gwen told her daughter as they dawdled over a late-morning breakfast.

Cathy stirred her coffee uncuriously. "They want you to turn your article into a full-length book?" she suggested in a flat voice.

"Wish they would," Gwen mused. "We could always use some extra money. Actually, though, I finished it last night after you went off to bed so early, just like the little girl who had a busy day. Maybe tonight I'll rewrite the conclusion. Parts of it still don't satisfy me. But for now, the script goes into an envelope for a well-deserved rest. So, what would you like to do today? It all belongs to us.

She wasn't prepared for the stunned look she saw on Cathy's face. My God, Gwen thought. It's almost as if she doesn't want to spend any time with ma Surely I can't be such a poor second to that girl from down the beach. "Is something wrong, dear?" she asked in concern.

Cathy shook her head. "No," she said tonelessly. If I live to be as old as Methusaleh, I will not understand children, Gwen fumed. My daughter, eighteen and beautiful, and we're like strangers. She knew that part of it was her own fault. She had left Cathy to the care of strangers during the most difficult years a young girl could face, but what else could she have done? If she hadn't gone off on the assignments handed out by the magazine, there wouldn't have been enough money to give a young girl a proper upbringing. And she certainly couldn't have taken Cathy along. No, she had done the only suitable thing-she had found good schools for her daughter, and she had gone out to earn them both a living.

It was all going to be different now, of course. The D.C. job would insure them a home together, their first in nine years, and they had all the time in the world to become a combo once again. They were already making, a good start. They were on a firm and friendly first-name basis, and it would get much, much better.

Yes, Gwen Corby had come a long, long way, and she wasn't a bit modest about it. Had she really once been a frightened, bulge-bellied bride, reciting nervously a set of vows in front of a country justice of the peace, trying desperately to rectify the only big mistake she'd, ever made?

Maybe it hadn't been a mistake after all. That pregnancy, that marriage were both far in the past, but she had Cathy as a living, souvenir of an otherwise miserable experience. She had created that lovely life, and she had worked her ass off to make sure that Cathy's existence could indeed be lovely and untroubled.

And now Cathy was eighteen. Gwen could remember being eighteen. Twenty years ago, and sometimes it seemed like no more than last month. They'd have to talk soon, talk about many things. Especially sex. Of course Cathy knew the rudiments of the subject. But there were things Cathy would need to know. All about the Pill, for one thing. Gwen had no intention of seeing her daughter trapped the way she had been, and she had decided only recently that soon a Cathy turned eighteen, she would do the proper motherly thing and present the girl with her own supply of birth-control pills, just in case. And with them a frank and open discussion of the facts of love. The fairness and candor of her decision made Gwen smile approvingly as she looked across the table at her daughter.

"Better hurry, darling," she smiled. "The sun will be gone before you know it."

Cathy rolled her eyes in reply, rising from the table with unbelievable slowness. She already had on her bikini-she seemed to wear little else here on the Wand-and it transformed her willowy, graceful figure into a creation of inutterable beauty.

Gwen stood up, too, slipping off her house robe. She had intended to surprise Cathy with the revelation that she, too, was already suited up for the beach, but the girl scarcely noticed. This was unfortunate, for Gwen Corby's figure, displayed in her own bikini, was much more attractive than her daughter had ever bothered to appreciate. Gwen, like her child, was built on a lithe, tall frame and now in her late thirties, she was truly at the prime of her life. Her chest was lusciously developed, creamy, full tits almost spilling out of the skimpy bra top, while her waist was trim, flaring out into a pair of svelte, shapely hips and long, athletic legs. Her hair was only slightly retouched in its blondeness, while her eyes were limpid blue of a shade that put to shame the azure of the heavens. Gwen's mature good looks were perhaps the best possible proof that Cathy's eighteen-year-old blooming was no flash in the pan but instead an indication of even better things to come.

Gwen shrugged and slipped out her short beach coat. She opened her purse and began to search for her sunglasses while Cathy slouched with her back leaning upon the front door. There was a sharp "rat-tat-tat" on the outside of the door, and Cathy jumped, whirling round frantically at the sound.

Her eyes went round in surprise, then blinked shut as she offered up a prayer of thanksgiving. "Hi, Jen!" she gushed so enthusiastically her caller was taken aback. Gwen moved towards the door, smiling her own greeting.

"Gods," Cathy moaned, turning to her mother. "I absolutely forgot all about Jennifer, Gwen! I promised her I'd help her look for seashells today."

Gwen looked at the girl on the other side of the screen door. Jennifer nodded agreeably.

"Oh, I see," was all she said, and that in a disappointed voice. She let her hand drop, and the sunglasses bumped her smooth thigh.

"Yeah," Jennifer was saying. "We were gonna hunt seashells for my collection. I have a whole lot of them," she added in a flash of inspiration. She wondered what the fuck Cathy was up to.

The girls walked down the driveway, Cathy skipping into the lead as if her sandals were aflame. She led the way across the two-lane asphalt highway and up the dune which rose between sea and sound there at the narrowest portion of the island.

Jennifer caught up as they moved up the sandy hill, and she reached to grab Cathy's swinging hand, linking their fingers together. "Hey," she called. "What the hell was that all about?"

Cathy wriggled her hand free of Jennifer's. The girl was always doing that-holding hands, touching her-and she wondered if Jennifer might not have some latent lesbian tendencies. They were far enough from the beach bungalow to allow free speech, but Cathy's voice was still low and soft. "It's Gwen," she said. "We were supposed to have the mother and child reunion today, but I'd already made some other plans. You really saved my ass, Jen. Thanks a lot." And she turned to go, down the sea side of the dune, but Jennifer ran along behind.

"What kind of plans?" she was asking.

Cathy spoke as she walked. "Well, I met this guy yesterday, and-"

"I thought you got sick," Jen protested, remembering how Cathy had excused herself and gone away on her own.

"Oh," Cathy said, remembering, too. "Well, I only thought I was sick," she lied. "I sat down for a while and I felt better. Anyway, I met this guy, and we agreed to get together today, but Gwen finished her article last night and she decided we ought to spend the day becoming good old chums."

Jennifer nodded, beginning to understand. She was not an overly intellectual girl but she had a sharp, cunning quality to her mind that sometimes left Cathy slightly uneasy. In the few days they had known one another, Cathy had not come to a final decision as to precisely how much she disliked Jennifer, but for now the girl was a godsend and Cathy could afford to be charitable.

Jennifer was almost lovely, though Cathy had some reservations about that. For one thing, her hair was an unfortunately carroty shade of red, and even now, cut short in a shag trim, it was clearly on the coarse and stringy side. She had a pretty enough face, with green eyes, and the freckles which dotted her body in profusion gave her a deceptively wholesome appearance. Jennifer was built generously, with full hips and a busty profile, while her bikini emphasized this development by being extremely skimpy. A tiny, soft-looking roll of girl-fat flirted with the waistband of her bikini bottom, which rode dangerously low on her body. Sometimes little curls of red muff hair slipped out of the leg opening, and when the girl had been in the water, the panties tended to slip a little lower in front, so that the uppermost beginnings of her beaver were put on innocent display.

She wore her bra just a bit looser than it should have been, so that every step she took made her lush tits bounce and jiggle in a way that made theft plea for attention and inspection all the more obvious. Taken in all, Jennifer was a luscious piece, 100 percent girl, but Cathy could not warm up to her reciprocally. There was something in the shadows of Jennifer's green eyes that left Cathy feeling nervous and uncertain, anxious to be alone.

Just as now. She wanted Jennifer to go away, now that she had served her purpose. Chris was waiting for her up the beach, and he was all that mattered. She had no interest in spending any more time with Jennifer and wondered how she could make the girl understand that simple fact.

They hurried up the beach, Cathy walking steadfastly with her single purpose in mind, Jennifer tagging along, her mouth spraying the seaborn breeze with a stream of incessant chatter and questions, most of them about this guy, the one Cathy seemed so disinclined to talk about.

"Did he fuck you?" she asked suddenly.

"Of course not," Cathy snapped. "We just played David Bowie records and dressed up in each other's clothes."

"I'll bet he really is out of sight," Jennifer said insouciantly. "I mean, if you let him screw you. You're not the kind of girl who'd let just anything that came along have a crack at your goody-box. Jeez, I really want to meet him."

Cathy was on the verge of telling Jennifer to fuck off when she looked up, and there, standing ankle deep in the waves that rippled onto the beach, was Chris. She squealed a greeting, waved her hand above her head, and ran to meet him.

He swept her up in his arms, swinging her round with her heels in the air, then eased her back onto the ground as she rubbed against him for a hello kiss.

"Oh," Jennifer said, breaking their concentration. "He really is cute!" She stepped closer, holding out her hand. "I'm Jennifer," she smiled. "Jennifer Pendexter."

Chris took her hand and squeezed it in his. "I thought you might be."

"Oh, has Cathy mentioned me?" she asked ingenuously. He let go her hand. She cocked her head to one side and regarded them through half-shut eyes. "You two make a cute couple," she announced. "You even look alike." They scoffed at her with their eyes. "No, really! I mean, you're almost the same size, same facial structure, blonde hair, sexy blue eyes. Gee, I don't know which of you is the cutest."

"You're full of shit," Cathy said. She hugged against Chris once more, brushing her hair against his cheek. "Look, Jen," she added, "thanks again for helping me out. If you ever need a favor-"

"Uh, Cath," Jennifer whispered, tugging at the girl's arm and pulling her off to one side. Chris released his hold on Cathy's waist and she went with Jennifer. "Listen," the red-haired girl breathed into Cathy's ear, "I've got a really freaky idea. Since all three of us are in on it-you know, deceiving your mom and all?-why don't we-I mean, you know? Did you ever make it in a threesome?"

"No!" Cathy snapped, trying to move away. Jennifer's hand pew tight on her elbow, and she felt herself being pulled once more into earshot.

"Listen," Jennifer urged. "It's far fucking out, if you know what I mean. First you and I get it on while he watches. You know? Just some kissing and feeling and maybe a little mouth work to juice things up? And then, once he's turned on-and guys always get turned on watching two girls going at it-then we take turns with him, one at a time. And finally, when he's ready to bust from being so horny, both of us pile onto him for a gang-bang that's like nothing you can ever imagine in your screwiest dreams." She put her hands on Cathy's shoulders and moved her lips so close to the girl's ear she might as well have been kissing it, and her tits bumped insistently, again and again, upon Cathy's bare ann. "How about it?"

"Absolutely not!" Cathy growled, shaking herself out of Jennifer's grip. "I've never heard of anything so disgusting in all my life!" She bounced across the interval between them and snaked her arms around Chris' waist, rubbing him imploringly.

Jennifer shrugged. "I thought you might go for it," she said offhandedly. "It's a lot of fun. If you do it right."

"What is?" Chris wondered.

Cathy spoke up in a piping, offended voice. "She wanted to make it a threesome! You and me and-her!"

Chris smiled wryly and gave his head a little shake. "I guess not," he said. "Not if you don't want to."

"You mean you don't care?" Cathy demanded.

"It has its merits, sometimes."

"Well, not now! After all," she added, giving voice to her suppressed feelings, "she doesn't really want you. I think she wants me! I think Jennifer's a dyke."

Now it was Jennifer's turn to smile wryly. "Not really," she said. "I mean, not exclusively. When I see something cute, I just naturally want to fuck it. Who wants to get into a rut, for Christ's sake?"

"Why don't you go away?" Cathy demanded. "Just go somewhere and leave us alone! I'm tired of you always trying to feel me up, anyway."

"Okay. Maybe I'll go back by your place and have a talk with your mom. I suppose she doesn't know that mommy's little girl is getting it on with some daddy's little boy, does she?"

Cathy's lips twitched uncomfortably. "Look, Jennifer," she said, "I don't want to make it with you, or with any other girls for that matter. I like guys and that's it. Now, why don't you just be nice and leave us by ourselves?"

"Why don't we all go off by ourselves?" Jennifer countered. "I mean, you might change your mind." She smiled Madonna-like. "One never knows, does one?"

"All right," Cathy agreed. "You can come along if you want to. If Chris doesn't have any objections to a threesome, he certainly shouldn't care if you watch. But I hope watching turns you on, because that's all you're gonna get to do. If you put your hands on me one more time, I'll break your goddamned fingers!"

In the woods, standing on the moist green grass banking the sheltered pool, Cathy glared a reply to Jennifer's toothy smirking smile, then reached up defiantly and unhooked her bikini bra. She turned toward Chris, who still wore his tank top and cut-off jeans, and she melted into his arms, presenting her face to be kissed. Her eyes closed and her head dropped back slightly as she accepted the pressure of his lips, and she reached for his hand, placing it atop her tit. His palm cupped her soft warmth and her brown nipple rose to attention in his firm grip. Cathy's lips parted and his tongue stole into her and she no longer cared that Jennifer was sitting on the grass only a few feet away, watching all that went on, smiling a smug, bitchy smile.

Their lips smacked in parting, and Chris began to kiss his way down Cathy's neck, onto her boobs, his warm mouth lingering nicely upon each nipple in its turn. Cathy stroked his blond hair as he nursed her tit, and she spoke to him in a soft low voice, calling him private and tender names as his lips first rolled upon, then seized and tugged at her stiff little papa. She could feel her nipples growing stiffer, firmer, tighter, in the cuddling grip of his mouth and his spit flowed upon the hard young blossoms of her jugs.

His hands smoothed down her sides, catching for a moment at her waist, then sliding southward, down her flanks. He worked his thumbs into the waistband of her bikini, playing with it, giving it teasing little jerks as if he were unsure whether or not to strip her of her panties.

"Go ahead," Jennifer encouraged. "Take it all off."

"Go to hell," Cathy groaned, throbbing with delight as he continued to suck her titties. She brought one of her hands down to join his and she started to pull at her panties in real earnest. Chris got the message, and he slid the tiny garment down over the ripe curves of her ass, halfway down her legs. She brought her knees together and the panties fell to her ankles, allowing her to step out of them.

"Nice," Jennifer commented. "How about you, Chris? What kind of body do you have?"

"Show the bitch," Cathy ordered, and Chris raised his head. He laughed gently, then slipped his tank top over his bead. Cathy reached out to touch the soft, downy hairs upon his chest, nearly invisible in their blondness against his golden glowing skin. She rubbed her hand across his flat chest and her fingers pinched at his male nipples until she felt them growing hard and stiff, just like her own had already done.

"Is this what you really want?" he asked her. "I mean, I don't care, but do you?"

"I don't have any choice," Cathy grimaced. "She won't leave and I'm horny." And besides, she confessed to herself, there was something perversely exciting about getting naked and fucking in front of a third party. Cathy had never done anything like that before. All her past encounters had been straight one-on-one-one guy on one Cathy-but this was something new, something freaky in its own way. She knew that her half-formed impressions had been right, that

Jennifer had been interested in her body, that the frisky, off-again, on-again touches of the last few days had in reality been explorations of Cathy's potential for lesbian lovemaking. Well, so what? She hadn't fallen for it. She'd kept her cool and ignored Jennifer's covert approaches, and now it was paying off. Jennifer was going to watch Cathy balling with a gorgeous guy, and she wasn't going to have any part of it for herself. All she could do was watch.

Chris stood there looking at her, his cut-offs still fastened in place. "Well, get with it!" Cathy giggled, but before he could do as she commanded, her hands were upon him, unbuttoning him at the waist and dragging down his short jeans. He wasn't wearing a damned thing underneath, and his cock flopped into sight as the cut-offs went down. It hung down from his groin like a weary snake, resting upon his heavy balls. Yesterday his prick had gotten stiff as a poker from rubbing and kissing her. Today he'd already sucked and felt her, and his cock was still soft.

She took his dick between thumb and forefinger and shook it playfully. Life seemed to burst aflame inside his meat, and she knew that he wasn't quite jaded with her yet, that there was still plenty of action left in Chris Robinson. She wrapped her warm hand around his rod and felt it begin to engorge within her cuddling grip. His cock became stiff, bullish, and she dropped to her ass on the ground to help the process along.