Chapter 12

Kathleen's children ended up waiting two weeks, rather than one to find out what was going on with their mother. Carol's constant assurance that Kathleen was recovering from her problems was all that kept them patient that long. Putting them off any longer was not a good idea.

On the third Sunday of Kathleen's enslavement, Karin, Gloria, Bud, Jason, and Mark met to figure out what to do. "I can't just keep putting them off any longer," Mark warned the others.

"Tell us about your children," Karin urged.

"OK. Jeanie is just twenty-one and is away at school. She and Kim could be twins, except, well ... Jeanie is in what we hope is just a 'butch' phase."

"That's what Dawn was trying to do to Kim," Bud interjected.

"Our relationship is not good right now."

"Just yours, or with Kathleen, too."

"Jeanie sees a lot wrong with both of us as parents," Mark lamented. "I believe she knows that she is very much like her mother, and is angry about that. She's angry with me because, well, because I couldn't cure Kath."

"Does she see you as a wimp?" Mark nodded.

"Jeanie came VERY early in our marriage. After her, we held off for a while for Sarah, who is seventeen. Again, she is just like Kath."

"The Lewis female assembly line, as Bud calls it," Karin commented to laughter.

Mark continued. "Sarah's a sweetie. Hell, Jeanie was a sweetie until her second year in college." That almost made Bud shiver.

"Josh is sixteen. He's an all-out nerd. IQ off the scale, excellent musician, computer whiz. We have a great relationship with him, except that he kinda walks around with his head in another world, sometimes."

"Wherever did he get that?" Bud gibed. "OK, expert panel; under what conditions does Kathleen get to see her kids?"

"You mean does she get to wear clothes, don't you?" Mark asked.

"Well, does she go home or do they come here?" Bud clarified. "If they come here, what do the other women do? And yes, if they come here, does Kathleen dress?"

Gloria spoke up. "I don't know why we are discussing this as a group. It is Mark's wife and Mark's children. He needs to tell her and them how they will see each other. Then, he needs to tell us what we need to do to accommodate his plan."

After a moment of complete silence, Mark said. "In other words, get off my ass and start doing the kinds of thing I didn't do that got me in this mess. Actually, Gloria, to be strict about it, it's Bud's decision because he is her master."

"Good point, Mark," Bud agreed. "I will just tell my slave that your wishes rule in this case."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I believe Kathleen should stay here and stay naked."

"Reasons, Mark," Gloria prompted.

"OK. So far her slavery has been too much of a lark. If there is any chance of her feeling any humiliation, it will happen when the kids see her naked."

"Taking bets on that working?" Jason queried with a chuckle.

"I'd say it's a sucker bet that she will run to the potty, then act like it's Christmas," Mark predicted.

"Then why bother?" Karin wondered.

"It will do the kids a world of good. I'm going to explain the whole slavery thing to them beforehand. They know the reasons. Jeanie won't be home until end of term, so it's just Josh and Sarah that will be told. Maybe some forced sex ed will awaken Josh to the real world a little. As for Sarah, she needs to see that it is good for her mother. Hopefully, she will get a better impression of her own personality."

"What if she decides to strip and join her mother? It sounds like she is a typical Lewis girl." That was from Karin.

"Oh. Hadn't thought of that. I won't even try to talk her out of it," Mark declared. "Now, Bud, how much warning do you need for Kim and Julie? Oh, I suppose Marilyn and maybe Carol, too."

"None. As far as I am concerned, Sarah and Josh can come and go as they choose. It would probably be best to limit them to two or three hours each visit, if you would, Mark. Kim and Julie will be ordered to remain naked."

"Wow, Bud," Karin exclaimed. "Why would you do that?"

"Like Mark, I feel the need to test this exhibitionist streak. What will it hurt to have one really nice kid get to be around some naked women who will probably get off on the exposure? Josh will be the only boy, right? Marilyn's two sons are away. If Ted happens to come back when he hears about the divorce, well, he's a super nice guy, too. I'm afraid Brad is a lost cause and may never be back."

"So, it's a bit of a psyche experiment?" Jason wondered.

"Yes, but it's more than that. Think of how it will help Mark's family if the kids feel like they've been a real part of the healing, and Mark made it happen?"

Karin seemed to sniffle a lot at Bud's pronouncements. The others were silent for quite a while. Jason predicted "Kim and Julie won't do a thing to avoid Josh. Marilyn won't dress or avoid him, either. Carol won't skinny dip with Josh around for maybe a week."

"I'm writing that down," Gloria warned Jason. "We'll rate you as a prognosticator next week. Say, doesn't it bother you that Kim, who appears to be your future girlfriend, would be so free to expose herself?"

"In this context, no," Jason assured them. "There are a lot of things in play here, but the feeling that with family is a place where anything is safe is very strong. I think Carol is the best example of that. Marilyn, too."

"Well, I had better go and have a couple of very interesting conversations. I would like their first visit to be after school when Kath is around the pool," Mark said.

Bud did not actually have to alert Kim and Julie. Kathleen got the word out after Mark told her. Along with Marilyn, they came to him and asked for free talk. "No. No free talk about this, now. If you don't want Josh to see you naked, you can stay upstairs or somewhere. Or, you can support Kathleen as you have been doing. This may a little hard on her. Or not." He ended with a grin and walked away.

Mark went home after telling his wife what would happen. He got Sarah and Josh together and told them "I'm sorry everything about your mom has been so secretive and evasive. There were a number of reasons. Here's what is happening. Your mom is living at the Hallers' as Bud's slave. She is naked and has her pubic hair shaved off."

He actually enjoyed letting that sink in and watching the reactions. "Starting tomorrow after school, you are free to go to the Hallers' and see her any time."

"D ... don't we have to call so she has time to get dressed?" Sarah objected.

"She will not be dressed when she is at the house, even when you are there." While Josh sat in stunned disbelief, Sarah made a patented Lewis panic potty dash.

When Sarah returned, Mark told the whole story about Kim, about Julie, and about how their grandparents insisted on their mother's enslavement. When he had finished, Josh kept shaking his head and said "Dad, I can't go there!"

"Sure you can. Your mother will be so disappointed if you don't. She misses you. Look, she is doing something very brave. We need to show her in every way that we can that we are with her. You want her back like she was a couple of years ago, don't you?"

"But ... but ... naked? Isn't that illegal?"

"It is not illegal. It is unusual in our culture, but maybe that is not all good. Pack your swimsuits to school. Ed has the pool heated and open."

When Sarah got up to leave, Mark could see the flush and the slightly unsteady walk. He stayed to talk to his son, determined to talk to Sarah later. "Scared?" he asked Josh.

"Y ... yeah. I just don't see how I can do it, Dad."

"Look, your mother will be showing you everything. It won't hurt you if she sees you've got a hardon."

"Dad!"

"Oh, come on. We've talked enough about that. Remember all of the problems I told you about from my teens? If you can suck it up, walk up to your mom, and give her a big hug, I can guarantee what will happen."

"Wh ... what?"

"She will hug you like she is going to break your back for just a few seconds. Then, she will hurry to the bathroom."

"Like Sarah just did?" Josh interrupted

"It's a Lewis female trait. When your mom comes back, she will grab both of you and bawl like a baby. Oh, she won't even try to hide any of herself. Wear a jock strap if you want, but I'd say just don't worry about it."

Waiting until Sarah got in bed, Mark knocked on her door and sat on the edge of the bed when she invited him in. "You probably shouldn't bother to pack your suit tomorrow."

"Oh, I'd like to swim."

"But you'd rather skinny dip with your mom."

"Da-ad! Josh will be there. And maybe Bud!"

"Bud for sure, and probably Grandpa Lewis. All of the guys you most want to show yourself to."

"H ... how can you say that, Daddy?"

"This last week, during all of the mystery, I have spent a lot of time around your mom, her sisters, Kim, and Grandma Lewis. They are all wonderful, loving women, and they are all very much alike. One thing they all like to do is bare their bodies for men that they love and respect. You are just like them, Honey."

"But ... but ... why are you saying this, Daddy?"

"Sweetheart, you are at an age where you can't afford not to be realistic about who and what you are. I just know that when you get to the pool with your mom and the other naked women, you..."

"Wha-at? The other women will be naked, too?"

"I'm almost sure they will be. Anyway, you will have a strong urge to join them naked. I want you to know that it is all right for you to do that. The only problem is that your mom may fall completely apart from the emotion. Do you want me to leave work early and be there?"

"P ... p ... please. Daddy, this is so ... so ... it's just not like us."

"I know. But it was not like your mom to have all of her troubles, either. A lot of things just happened to bring us to this point."

"How did Mom end up a slave, anyway."

"When I found out about Kim and Julie, I took her over there and gave her to Bud."

"I remember that last day. She wasn't happy."

"No, she wasn't, Honey. But tomorrow you will see that she is very happy," Mark assured her with a goodnight kiss.

"How am I supposed to sleep?"

While Mark was preparing his kids, Meghan warned Bud "We may have to take care of Kim BEFORE the massage tonight."

"Because of Josh coming over tomorrow? Does that mean she won't be hiding away?"

"Hah! Did you ever think they might? Any of them? Bud, they are all acting like they're going on their first date! It's unbelievable!"

"Marilyn, too? Grandma Lewis?"

"Well, Carol is just kind of watching it all and shaking her head a lot."

Knowing what is going to happen does not automatically dampen the impact. Kathleen knew just when the kids would be there, and that was probably a mistake. Bud could have found a dozen reasons to paddle her during the day, she was so distracted.

Mark had insisted the teens take just one car to school that day. When Kathleen heard them arrive, Bud had to order her to wait by the pool. Mark had waited in the car so he could come in with them.

Walking around the house toward the pool, Sarah broke and dashed to her Mom. There was the predictable squealing and crying as they hugged. Mark put a hand on Josh's shoulder as they stood just inside the gate to the enclosure. As soon as Kathleen looked toward them, Mark gave the boy a little push.

The other women and Chet had arranged to stay inside the patio door from the rec room and let the family meet in private. Mark could not help noticing that his son was walking unnaturally, already as hard as he could get. But he was walking. This was a watershed event for Josh, one the like of which Mark wished he could have experienced back then. He was sure that it would help Josh avoid some of the more painful sexual disappointments Mark had lived through.

Kathleen was terribly embarrassed about what happened next, and the entire extended family had to agree never to tease her about it. Seeing her son walking toward her, she disengaged from Sarah and turned with her arms out toward him. Just before he reached her, a look of pure panic took over her face. She jammed both hands into her crotch and looked frantically toward the house.

Then, she moaned out "OH, NO!", hunched over, turned toward the pool and scurried the few steps into the water with urine dribbling after her. Forgetting that she was standing by the deep end, Kathleen went under and came up coughing.

In the next fifteen seconds, Josh became a man and guaranteed more attention than he could handle from the other women. He was kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt before his mom reached the water. His jeans were not far behind, revealing that he had not worn a jockstrap. As he pushed his jeans down, they tried to take his briefs with them. The underwear, though, caught in front on his raging erection.

Oblivious to anything but his mother's distress, Josh followed Kathleen into the pool with much of his ass showing. Kathleen could swim just fine, but she was not expecting her head to go under the water. By the time she came up coughing, Josh had reached her. He pulled her toward the side and held her tightly with one arm while he used the other hand on the pool edge to move them toward shallower water.

As soon as his feet touched bottom, he stopped and wrapped both arms around Kathleen, who had only coughed a few times and was now crying as she clung to him. Her feet did not touch, so she depended on him, something he probably had not considered.

Kathleen did not consciously do anything wrong - she never would. She was at an extremely high emotional level. Something very embarrassing had happened to her. Now she was being held in comforting arms.

The problem was, this was a very familiar, very meaningful position for her. Many, many times in their pool, Mark would stop in water too deep for her and hold her up. That feeling of being kept afloat by him resonated with her nature. They had a little almost ritual when this happened at night when they were alone in the pool. He would hold her up by her bottom. She would rest her head on his chest and put her hands into his suit to fondle him. He would slip his fingers into the leg holes of her suit bottom and caress her sensitive spots.

It was not quite the same familiar situation. It was daylight and Mark was not holding her bottom. But everything was foggy right then and she felt his erection. Oh! Mark was already excited! Cool! Totally unconcerned about slipping under water because Mark would never let it happen, she let go her hold on him and reached into his suit for his penis. There! Now Mark had hold of her bottom. Wasn't it wonderful that he would still put his hands there. It had gotten so squishy since they closed the pool last fall.

For Josh, it was an instinctive reaction. When his mom let go, he could feel her start to sink and reached lower to hold her up. His hands found her ass cheeks and held on.

Kathleen was just starting to notice that Mark's suit felt different against the backs of her wrists when the swollen shaft in her hands started to pulse. Oh, my! He had never come this fast before. He...

She snapped her head up to see the face of her son, eyes squeezed shut, look of almost pain on his face. The mind fog dissipated in a split second. Part of her mind felt horror at the mistake she had made, but part was flooded by love for the way her son had looked out for her. He was such a thoughtful, caring man, just like his dad. A man. Yes, he was, and he was having his first orgasm by a woman's hand. She was sure of it.

This should not be happening, but it was, and she would NOT let it be disappointing for her baby. Putting her head back against his chest, she stroked him through a third, then a fourth jet. When she felt a fifth building up, she slid one hand down to see if he had inherited his father's sizable balls. The organs jumping in her hands felt familiar but different and she had a little shudder herself when there was a weak but still amazing seventh squirt.

By this time, the caring mother part of Kathleen had fully awakened. Pushing down the encroaching guilt, she kept her head on his chest and talked soothingly. "Honey, keep ahold of my bottom. Don't let me slip down. I need to talk to you about what just happened. I ... I was so upset and confused, I thought you were your dad. We do ... this is something we do sometimes. Please don't be embarrassed. I'm proud that you're such a man. We need to have a good talk about what your old mom is really like. This wasn't supposed to happen, but you know what? I'm glad it did." While she talked, she had not let go, and was, in fact, fondling him gently.

Because her mind was so occupied with other images and happenings, Kathleen did not notice what Mark was doing. Looking around, he spotted a pail and used it to rinse the trickle of urine off the deck. Then, he took his almost catatonic daughter's hand and led her toward the patio door. Once inside, he told the small crowd "I hate to interrupt your afternoon. Something pretty intense is going on between Kathleen and Josh right now. Can they have some time alone to sort it out. I think it could be important for both of them."

'Of course. You don't even have to ask'. Those and similar comments came from everywhere. Mark was not concentrating on Sarah, but Carol was, and she came up to put an arm around the girl. Seeing two naked aunts and a naked cousin casually mixed with some clothed people did nothing to erase her catatonia. "Your dad told you what you would find here, didn't he?" Carol asked.

"Y ... yeah, but ... but until I saw..."

"I know you expected to spend time with your mom, but let's give her some time with Josh. There's someone I want you to talk to."

There was a place in the pool to sit with water up to Kathleen's shoulders. They had just gotten seated and Kathleen had pulled Josh's arm around her when Mark came up to the pool edge and tossed them Josh's swimsuit. "I'll pick up your clothes, Josh," Mark called out. "I'm really proud of you, son!"

Kathleen grabbed the suit and stuck it under her leg. Grinning cheekily, she turned toward Josh, grabbed the waistband of his jockeys, and said "Raise your bottom." When he hesitated, she urged "We can talk so much better when we're both dressed the same."

"But ... but I'm..."

"I wouldn't expect you to go soft, yet. That's why I want your pants off, so I can get a good look at it. It felt so good in my hands." Josh moaned, but let her pull his shorts down. He finished taking them off himself. Rather dramatically, Kathleen grabbed them and threw them well up out of the pool.

When she had snuggled back into him, she could look right at his crotch. "I'm sorry about peeing on the deck like that. I just got so emotional when I saw you. I think all of us Lewis girls have that problem."

"Your daughter has it, too," he was able to say. When she asked how he knew, he related their conversation yesterday. Having an event to talk about was a good icebreaker and Josh relaxed a little.

"I guess this was a shocking way to discover that your mother is a horny bitch," Kathleen told him. "You may not realize it, but your sister is, too. Matter of fact, all women are. We just have to keep that fact secret because that's what society expects."

"Yeah, Dad has talked to me about that," Josh let her know. "He said that women think about sex way more than us guys do. That's pretty hard to believe."

"Believe him, Sweetie. There is no better example than me. You haven't done any dating yet, have you?"

"Nah. Guess I'm just a chicken," he lamented.

"Well, I promise you that before the summer is over, you will be confident enough to ask a girl out. I still remember those days. I'll bet your dad told you the girls are at least as nervous as you are, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Don't know if I can buy that."

"Buy it. Believe it. I know your dad has talked to you quite a bit about girls and sex."

"Says he wants me to miss a lot of pain he went through," Josh explained, sounding more relaxed by the minute.

"Being a slave has made me think hard about a lot of things. I sure could have done more to help your sex education."

"Aw, Mom. You guys are great parents. Sarah and I talk about how lucky we are all the time. That's why it was so tough when you got ... I mean when things..."

"When I blimped out and got depressed. Just say it," Kathleen scolded. "What do you think of your dad's solution."

"Pretty radical. I don't know how you can do it, Mom."

"That's just it. I don't DO anything but what I'm told. I think for me to get better, it was the only thing that would work."

"Will it happen again?" That revealed how much it had troubled, Josh.

"Your dad is learning to do some thing differently to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Did he do something wrong?"

"No, Hon, he didn't. Say, if I arrange for you to talk to a professor of psychology, would you be willing? I know you have called yourself a nerd. Professor Montague got his PhD at twenty-one and had his first date after that. I think you could learn a lot from him."

"Sure. How do you know him?"

"He is part of a team with two women psychologists who are helping out with these slavery projects. He will be out here to interview all of us."

"Uh, Mom, uh, when he inter..."

"Yes, I will be naked, just like now. Master Bud ordered it, so I have no choice."

Josh paused and looked sideways at his mother before pointing out "But you like it, don't you? I mean having men see you naked."

"Awwww! You know your mom's secret. That's not fair," Kathleen fake pouted. "I have a much bigger exhibitionist streak than I realized. All of us women do. It's only with men we like and respect, though. I think in a few months, Professor Montague will marry Kim."

"Really? But what about that Kevin guy? I liked him." That was a perfect opportunity to recount what had happened to Kim, repeating a lot of what Mark had told them the day before.

Just then, Kathleen saw Meghan's car drive in from her tutor session. "Say, Hon, do you remember a girl named Meghan Solberg? I think she was in your class."

"That was last year. She had a, um, bad rep. Word is she got pregnant and dropped out."

"The word is wrong. Meghan did have a bad rep, but she is a changed girl. She has applied to be declared an adult and is now living here at Julie's full time. She and Bud are in love."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. It's quite a story. She was a slave for several months. It completely changed her, and it's gonna change your fat ole mom, too."

Restraining herself from what she really wanted to do, Kathleen handed Josh his suit and turned away so she would not cause him to lose the softness he had achieved while they talked.

In the house, Carol had taken it upon herself to introduce Meghan to Sarah when Meghan walked in. Sarah was just as skeptical as Josh had been, but after twenty minutes of conversation, she became a convert. The fact that Bud was in love with the blond beauty was the deciding factor. Bud ranked VERY high on Sarah's personal scale of heartthrobs.

There was no more activity in the pool that day, so the predictions of Sarah stripping with her mother were not tested out.

On her own, Kathleen came up with the idea of the teens running with her after school. She could not go very fast, but neither Sarah nor Josh had been into exercise at all.

It was after their first run that Sarah just stripped and went into the pool with Kathleen. Bud was there and made sure Josh wore his suit.

"Josh, because of what we are trying to do with this slavery business, it's important that only the women are naked. Believe me, it doesn't bother them at all. Look at your sister. I'll bet this is her first time naked around a man. How long do you think it will be before she stops grinning. Oh, by the way, be sure and give her lots of compliments on her body."

"R ... really! But I thought I should pretend not to notice."

"Huh, uh. Notice all you want," Bud counseled. "If the women see you looking, don't turn away embarrassed. Smile and let them know you like what you see."

"Wow! That's different!"

"I guess it is. Your dad is finding out that one of his mistakes is not telling your mom what he thought about her appearance. He was trying not to upset her, and she was upset because she was afraid he didn't care," Bud tried to explain.

Josh just looked at Bud and started laughing.

"Good idea, Josh. Sometimes when we can't figure out women, we just have to laugh to keep our sanity." How often did Bud wish someone had told him those things at Josh's age. Then, he once again mentally thanked Cassie. She had, in fact hammered home the way things really were with women, rather than what he had been told.

Bud watched Josh carefully, and before long, the boy got in the pool and approached his sister. Bud could not tell what Josh said, but it must have been both teasing and complimentary. Sarah gave a little slap at his shoulder, but could not hide a jaw-breaking smile and a radiant blush.

"I think the pussy shaving ritual needs a end," Bud worried aloud at the advisory meeting the following Sunday.

"Why do you say that?"

"Doing it once a week for ten weeks will take a lot of the meaning out if it. Plus, rather than any humiliation value, the women seem to, uh, treat it like a reward."

"But sexual rewards are a valuable part of managing a slave," Gloria pointed out.

"I understand that, but this is my mom, my sister, and my aunt. By rights, I should never even see them naked, say nothing of touching their genitals," Bud worried.

"I'm sure there will be three disappointed women," Karin pointed out.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," Bud lamented.

"Well, the list of things we underestimated or miscalculated is pretty long," Gloria pointed out. "It appears that not much you could do to your slaves would truly humiliate them.

"Bud, I think just dropping the shave is the right move. You are correct, it was never intended to be the high point of their week. I do think you should make them stay bare for the duration, though."

"I'll tell them."

Mark had been a tremendous support for Kathleen during her first weeks of slavery. Of course, that first incredible session of high intensity sex made him a strong believer in the project. In many other ways, too, the wife he treasured was instantly back. Her physical condition was the one thing that would take time.

Because he had to leave on a business trip the day after Bud enslaved his wife, Mark had a lot of time to think. A major goal of her slavery was to lose weight and improve her conditioning. Knowing that made Mark feel guilty. His own attention to conditioning had been spotty, at best. Blessed with an unusually high metabolism, Mark's only weight problem had been underweight. His build was basically good. It was his muscle mass and tone that he did not like to compare.

Kathleen would be much more aware of conditioning when her project ended. He did not want her to be ashamed of him. Also, Karin and Gloria had stressed that he needed to be more involved in all parts of her life in the future. Exercise was likely to be a big part, so that needed to be something they shared.

That first day out of town had been tough. He wondered how Kathleen was doing. Disciplined and consistent use of his exceptional intelligence were traits that had brought Mark to the top rank of consulting engineers. He berated himself for not applying that same discipline and consistency to the care of his body.

His nice hotel had a good workout room, but he had to pick up some clothes and shoes. He wisely did not start on the weight machine, but spent time on the bike and finished on the treadmill. Even a half hour of that left him embarrassingly weary. He forced himself to repeat the session morning and evening for the duration of his trip.

Back at home, Mark began getting in the pool as soon as he had finished his bathroom needs upon rising. Always an early riser, he was usually swimming while it was still dark and the water felt warm in contrast to the cool spring morning air. He was only an adequate swimmer, but once he set his mind to it, he made it a goal to improve his efficiency. Mastering the racer's turn took a couple of weeks, but he was persistent.

The choice of swimming versus running or cycling was because of the upper body benefit. Already, he had felt very self-conscious getting into the Haller's pool with Ed, Bud, and even Chet there to show him up. That needed to change.

Deciding to start with weights, he chose a machine that used bands for resistance. None of the family would ever be serious muscle builders, so the more purist free weights made little sense. If Kathleen should work out alone, he liked the safety aspect of being able to just let go without any danger of injury.