Sunday afternoon, early October

"Yes yes yes yes, oh god oh god don't stop don't stop!"

I didn't. No way I was stopping.

"Yeah yeah yeah!"

In the next moment, though, I had Kathleen's legs back against her shoulders as I throbbed and spurted as deep inside her as I could get, and I had to stop then.

"Oh, god."

"You can say that again."

She smiled up at me, her lips soft and a little puffy, her eyes dreamy.

"Oh, god."

"Hah hah hah."

I softened and slipped out and moved off her. She turned into my arms and kissed me.

"So, pal, you liked that picture, huh?"

"What's the deal, Kathleen?"

She laughed.

"The deal is, John, we have a very cute daughter."

No kidding, I was thinking. Slim but curvy in the right places, just like her mother. Her mother's grey eyes. Sexy in a swimsuit, too, like that was a surprise. But in her underwear?

"OK. And?"

"I mean, she's probably tearing up her freshman dorm and breaking hearts left and right even as we speak."

I looked at my wife.

"How about you start with who took the picture? I want to have a few words with him, especially if it was one of her creep high school classmates."

Most of Chloe's friends were normal-looking kids, whatever "normal" means these days, but then there was that kid with a ring through his nose and a ponytail, and he wasn't the only weird one. Not my type at all, until Chloe told us he'd been on the honors list every semester since middle school and was in line to be valedictorian. That didn't make him look any better to me, really, but I figured at least he probably wasn't a total stoner.

A giggle.

"A few words with her, actually."

"Huh?"

"I took the picture, silly."

"When? Where?"

"In Florida. Don't you remember? Chloe came down to Orlando at the end of my conference in February. We went to Disney World and we did a little shopping, too."

"Yeah?"

Kathleen put her lips right against my ear and her hand on my cock.

"It was her idea. Chloe picked them out. She said dusky rose was your favorite color."

Boy, the kid got that right. It's not as though the bra and panties were all that revealing, but her smooth skin and the color packed a wallop. Did Chloe know her mother was wearing dusky rose the night of our first time? I started to stiffen again and I thrust against Kathleen's palm without thinking.

"I can tell you like that idea, right? That she knew, I mean."

Like it? Is she crazy? I was practically ready to come again just hearing Kathleen tell me the story. I mean, this isn't the first time I'd gotten a hard-on thinking about Chloe. Never done anything about it, although there's been more than once when I've found it necessary to pretty much jump Kathleen's bones after watching Chloe in her bikini at the pool, or on a Saturday morning in t-shirt and panties. I wasn't sure Kathleen had noticed.

"Kathleen?"

"You heard me."

"You mean she wanted to do this, right?"

"Yes."

Kathleen paused.

"You know something else? I know you've been watching her."

She rubbed her palm flat against me. I shoved back.

"You think I didn't know why you jumped me those times?"

"Um, well."

She curled her fingers around my cock and began stroking.

"You know something else?"

Her hand was moving a little faster now.

"Chloe knows you were watching her and she liked it."

I was getting close.

"And you know what's more? I liked being jumped. Especially then."

I erupted into her hand.

Saturday afternoon, late October

"So, tell me about Chloe. How do you know what she wants?"

Kathleen is in charge of my life, you might say. I like it that way. You'd be sorry if you thought I was a wimp, though. The Gulf War (the first one, I mean) was enough to convince me the Army wasn't going to be my calling, but I did learn some useful skills.

I write about some of it. I might not be Tim O'Brien, but I'm not too bad, either. People pay me for my stuff.

Kathleen had proposed the terms early in our marriage: "John, you write and I'll run things, OK?"

That sounded pretty good to me, and that's the way it's been. My stuff gets published here and there, mostly short fiction. I've got a novel in my head but not much on paper yet.

The best part was all the time I got to spend with Chloe when she was little. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Some funny looks from the husbands of our neighbors, at least at first, but when they realized I wasn't on the make for their wives, we all got along. I think there was more than one disappointed wife when they found out I wasn't interested, but that's life, you know?

At least they realized I was a doting father and the designated parent representative in our family to all school events, not a pervert who liked to hang around children.

Kathleen declined an offer of partnership at her firm. Those long days don't go away when you make partner. You get saddled with more schmoozing, much of it at night, trying to drum up business. Instead, she took a salary cap in exchange for limited hours. Kathleen's decision suited Chloe and me just fine. We were comfortable financially, and Chloe and I got to see more of Kathleen, too.

So, yeah, Chloe and I got along fine. In fact, we'd sort of grown up together, you could say, but there's always that special thing between mothers and daughters, right?

Hah, that's a joke, you idiot, I told myself. Sure, there's a special bond between them, but there's one between fathers and daughters, too, you know. It's not all sex, either, buddy, remember that. At least that's what I told myself.

Still, there sure as hell there was something going on between them that I wasn't a part of.

"Hey, where are you?"

Kathleen poked me.

I shook my head. Admired Kathleen's curves and smooth skin in the afternoon sun beside our pool. Late October, yes, but one sun-filled Indian summer day after another. Perfect for swimming and sunning. We were alone, no need for swimsuits.

"Thinking about Chloe."

"Remember last August, just before she left for college? We were all out here together?"

I remembered.

"Chloe and I took our tops off. Remember that?"

Oh boy, did I. They were on their tummies so I couldn't see much, but their bareness and tiny bikinis meant I'd had to excuse myself and go inside, straight to the bathroom, my suit down and my cock out even before I'd closed the door. Three strokes. That's all it took.

Another poke.

"Hey, pal. Are you with me here?"

I shook my head again, trying to clear it.

"Sort of. I guess."

Kathleen shook her own head, but she put her hand on my thigh. That felt good.

"Anyway, it's not as though you could see anything, right?"

"No."

"Chloe asked me what was up with you, although I think she knew. 'One word, ' I said to her. 'Boobs.' You know what she did then?"

I shook my head. Words wouldn't come.

"She lifted up a little and turned on her side to face me. 'Like these, you mean?'

"I was speechless, pal, I can tell you."

Kathleen's hand on my thigh moved a little higher.

"I asked her what the heck she thought she was doing. That little minx. She knew exactly what was going on."

Kathleen cradled my balls gently.

"'Just this, Mom, ' she answered. And she leaned over and kissed me, lightly, on the lips.

"Sweetie, I have to tell you that once again I didn't know what to say. I looked at Chloe for the longest time. She didn't move. Looked back at me with that Zen look she has, you know the one? Where you can't tell what she's thinking? I didn't know what was going on, but I have to tell you I wasn't as upset as I thought I'd be.

"In fact, it was a little bit the opposite, you know?"

I hadn't known, but I was starting to get the picture. I was rigid now, and Kathleen moved her hand from my balls and began stroking me. She paused, leaned over a little more and kissed me, her lips parted, her tongue offering a challenge to mine. It was a quick battle, over practically before it started, and Kathleen backed off and resumed her story.

"After a moment, I glanced down and saw her nipples were erect. She saw me looking and grinned as she looked back at my breasts. My nipples were as hard as hers.

"'You OK, Mom?' She was still grinning. I was starting to smile a little myself. I leaned forward and kissed her lightly. 'Time to cover up, sweetie. Your dad will be back in a few minutes.'

"Her grin got wider. 'Maybe next time I'll wait for him.' She kissed me again, not so lightly this time, jumped up, gave me a little wave and walked back inside, wrapping herself in her towel as she went. A minute later you came out of the house looking, I have to say, kind of stunned."

That's because Chloe had let her towel slip when she passed me in the living room. She had winked, too.

I started to tell Kathleen this but it was too late. Kathleen leaned over into my lap and her tongue was wet and warm and it couldn't have been more than a minute before I erupted. She swallowed it all and licked up a little bit at the corner of her mouth.

I watched Kathleen take a swig of her beer and spit it out. She smiled, and I think I heard her giggle.

"She has really nice boobs, too."

As if I didn't know.

Sunday evening, first week in November

Kathleen and I were just finishing dinner that evening when Chloe called.

"Hi Dad!"

"Hi sweetie, how are you?"

"Good!"

"What's new?"

Well, if you've ever had a kid at college you probably know how these conversations go: a little about last week's paper and she stayed up really late, a roommate story or two, how bad the food is, blah blah blah. Never anything about how drunk she got on Saturday night, funny about that. There are some things you probably don't want to know about, anyway. We got through the pleasantries pretty quickly.

"So, Dad, did Mom show you anything?"

What the hell? I won't pretend I didn't know what she was talking about, but I still had no idea what to say. "You looked so hot I wanted to eat you up," didn't sound right, even if it was true.

"Um."

"Dad, the photo?"

"Yeah, sweetie, she did."

"Did you like it?"

"You looked really cute, Chloe."

"Did you like the color, Dad?"

"You know I did."

She giggled.

"Good!"

"Sweetie, I think I'd better put your mom on the phone. Here she is."

Kathleen grabbed the phone and made a shooing motion with her hand. That was OK with me; I had urgent business in the bathroom, and I barely made it. Stayed out of the kitchen and I couldn't quite hear Kathleen's end of the conversation, but there seemed to be a lot of giggling and laughter. Then Kathleen raised her voice.

"OK, sweetie. Go ahead and send them. I think you know he'll like them."

Kathleen came to sit beside me in front of the fire, but she wouldn't tell me what that was about.

Tuesday evening, the following week

"John!"

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

I finished loading the dishwasher and walked into our den office where Kathleen sat in front of our main machine.

"What's up?"

"Chloe sent us some pictures."

I felt a little flutter. After my conversation with Chloe on Sunday, and listening to Kathleen and Chloe giggle and conspire on the phone, I knew something was going on.

Kathleen opened the attachments. I just about had a heart attack.

"What the hell?"

Kathleen laughed.

"Kathleen, what is this?"

"Pictures from Chloe, pal."

Yeah, I could see that. Except I couldn't believe my eyes. Chloe lying on a bed on her stomach. Her bottom smooth and tight and bare. Chloe and a friend, a girl, kissing. Chloe at the pool, kissing a boy? girl? I couldn't tell. His or her face was obscured by long hair, but those hands cupping Chloe's rear end looked like they knew what they were doing.

"Kathleen, what is this?"

"Our daughter wanted to give us a little thrill. What do you think?"

My daughter wants to thrill me? I won't pretend I wasn't turned on, but I wondered where Chloe was going with this. Hell, where was Kathleen going?

"Here's another, John. Close your eyes."

I did. I heard some clicks and a rustle.

"OK, take a look."

I thought I was going to have a stroke. Or come in my pants. Or both.

It was a cabin of some sort, to judge by the rough logs and, god help me, moose heads on the walls. But that wasn't the central attraction.

No, the central attraction was Chloe, nude, lying on her side facing the fire, her back to the camera. She was mostly in shadow, yes, but the light from the fire outlined the long smooth curves from her shoulder to her middle to her hip and thigh.

"Kathleen?"

"Yeah?"

"She's gorgeous."

"There's one more, John. Close your eyes again, OK?"

I heard another couple of clicks.

"OK, look."

I thought my heart would stop. Really.

It was the same setting, but Chloe had rolled onto her back. Now the light from the fire outlined one breast, her erect nipple and her flat stomach. Her near leg was partly raised, her hip prominent, but not so high that I couldn't see a little of her fur, just a bit. Her face was mostly in shadow, but I thought I saw a little smile.

"Kathleen, what did she say about these?"

Kathleen looked up at me. I leaned down and kissed her, first gently, then a little harder.

"She said she had something she wanted to show us. Well, show you, really, I think. She asked me if it was OK."

Kathleen kept her head tilted. I kissed her again.

"I told her I was sure you would like them. Was I right?"

I kissed her again. Her lips parted, and I was breathing hard before we separated.

"Yes."

Kathleen smiled.

"Good."

Friday night and Saturday morning, weekend before Thanksgiving

I'd spent the last week trying to figure out what I wanted with Chloe, with Kathleen. The first part was easy: I wanted to take Chloe to bed and do my best to pound her into the mattress and hear her scream at the moment of her climax. I wanted Kathleen there, too.

I was pretty sure Kathleen had her own thoughts about Chloe. Her smiles and Cheshire cat grins as we looked at the photos of Chloe told me as much. What's the harm? I thought to myself. Chloe's an adult, at least nominally, and she seems pretty certain she knows what she wants. She's not even financially dependent on us anymore, thanks to two merit scholarships and a gift from her grandmother.

It would be one thing if she were in middle school, or something. Sure, I said to myself, that would be too young, wouldn't it? Also, if she'd never displayed any interest in me or Kathleen, that would be a different story, too, right? I opened a bottle of wine Friday night, late. Had a glass. Pondered. Had another glass. Then another.

It didn't help. It only got me sloshed, and things weren't very pretty the next morning. At least it was Saturday.

So I did what I've done my whole married life: I asked my spouse.

"Kathleen, be honest. What do you think Chloe wants? Is she really trying to seduce both of us, or me?"

Kathleen gave me her "are you really that stupid" look. I get that a fair amount from her. This time, though, she somehow made it less tart than usual.

"John, I think the answer's pretty clear, don't you? She wants you, yes, and I think she wants me, too."

"How do you feel about that?"

God, I was sounding like a very inept TV interviewer. ''You've just lost your husband, Mrs. Lincoln. How do you feel?''

"I feel horny."

Well.

"Me, too."

I poured myself another cup of coffee.

"She's not a virgin, right?"

"What do you think, John?"

"To judge by the photos, it's not very likely, but who knows?"

"Exactly."

"I guess it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Exactly."

"I really want her, Kathleen."

Kathleen hugged me then let me go and smiled.

"You aren't the only one, pal."

"So, how do we handle this?"

Another tart look.

"Where's your brain? We let her lead, of course."

"She's coming home for Thanksgiving weekend, right?"

"Yup."

Sunday before Thanksgiving

To:"Chloe" <Chloebaby@xxx.edu>
Fm:jmwilson@gmail.com
Subj:What's with the moose heads, anyway?

Hi Sweetie--
Your mom and I love the photos, especially the ones of you in front of the fire. Want to tell us more about that night? You looked delicious, and I mean delicious!

Love,
Dad

To: "Dad" <jmwilson@gmail.com>
Fm:Chloebaby@xxx.edu
Subj:RE:What's with the moose heads, anyway?

Hi Dad--
I felt delicious, too! Ryan and Sylvia were there with me, and we got pretty mellow! It was so warm and comfy that we sort of decided to go bare and enjoy the fire.

Nothing happened, though! Well, almost nothing, anyway. Sylvia gave me a backrub. (Giggle!)

Then Ryan gave Sylvia a backrub. All over! OMG!

I'll tell you and Mom about it over Thanksgiving, OK?

Love,
Chloe

I printed off the exchange and gave it to Kathleen. I liked the way she smiled when she finished reading Chloe's reply. I liked it even more when Kathleen grabbed me and took me to our bedroom and had her way with me.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving

Chloe's train arrived on time around 3:00 pm. A sea of people, bags, backpacks, overcoats and hats, but I saw her waving from the platform and it only took me a couple of minutes to push through the crowd and meet her at the gate. She was smiling and happy and I responded to her extra squeeze with one of my own, not letting her overnight bag and backpack get in the way. Maybe I even lingered a little when I burrowed in past her scarf and kissed her on the side of her neck. I nuzzled her a little, too. She didn't seem to mind that, and she snuggled in my arms.

I pulled back to look at her, my hands on her waist. Ever since she was little, I've looked into her grey eyes and I see her mother and I'm lost. This afternoon was no exception.

"Dad? Dad!"

I shook my head to clear it. I seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Are you there, Dad?"

Gave her one last squeeze and let her go.

"You bet, sweetie. Let's get out of here."

Twenty minutes later and Kathleen and Chloe were hugging and squeezing just the way Chloe and I had done at the station. I saw a couple of neck nuzzles, too.

Chloe scooted upstairs to dump her stuff and shower, and I ordered the pizza. Extra cheese, extra sausage, side of hot wings, the works. It was cold and I was hungry. We'd have plenty of home cooking tomorrow.

Later that evening

An hour or so later the pizza was gone and the three of us were sprawled in front of the fire, Chloe on her tummy, me propped against the sofa with Kathleen in my arms in front of me. I was about to speak, but Kathleen beat me to it.

"Sweetie, the moose cabin, you were going to tell us, right?"

Chloe turned from the fire, rolled on her side, her head on her arm. Her Zen smile was back.

"You guys sure you want to hear this?"

I laughed.

"You bet, Chloe."

"Mom?"

Kathleen didn't say anything. She snuggled back against me and I started to knead her shoulders. I couldn't see her face, but I bet she was smiling.

Chloe crawled right up to Kathleen. Her t-shirt was loose enough for me to watch her breasts swing as she moved. My sweatpants were loose and I'm pretty sure Kathleen could feel me stiffen against the small of her back.

"Mom?"

I heard Kathleen giggle.

Chloe leaned forward and kissed Kathleen on her mouth. Then she worked around to Kathleen's neck. When Chloe turned her face up to me I saw "Yes" in her eyes and kissed her myself. Kathleen laughed and kissed Chloe once more, on the cheek this time.

"Sure, sweetie."

Chloe moved back in front of the fire and stretched out again on her tummy.

"It's Sylvia's uncle's cabin, and Sylvia's been going there since she was little. Her uncle lets anyone in the family use it whenever he's not there, which means she can go almost whenever she wants."

I was kneading Kathleen's shoulders again.

"So anyway, we'd just finished mid-terms and Sylvia asked me on Friday if I wanted to go with her and Ryan. We left Saturday morning and got there mid-afternoon.

"It was too cold to swim in the lake, but we hiked up the ridge behind the cabin and lay out in the sun for a while.

"We all took our shirts off."

Chloe gave us another of her Zen looks.

"Anyway, it's not like it was the first time Ryan had seen us topless."

I felt Kathleen twitch. Chloe noticed.

"Hey, Mom, it's no big deal, you know? We even have 'Naked Thursdays' at school, where lots of kids run around nude. Not everyone takes a towel with him like you're supposed to, so you kind of have to watch where you sit in the dining hall, though."

I could have done without that image, thank you very much.

Chloe laughed.

"Anyway, we were all pretty relaxed by the end of the afternoon. Ryan grilled burgers for dinner. We each had a couple or three beers while we ate and afterwards we ended up in front of the fire feeling all full and satisfied and warm and toasty."