Chapter 9

The next month was fairly calm. The work around the farm progressed. Malinda and Teresa had many long talks that often resulted in both of them crying but Marlin told them that was good. It meant emotions were being let out and dealt with. The two women couldn't argue since they felt the closest they had for over seven years.

Tess and Marlin had many talks too, mostly with Tess sitting on Marlin's lap playing with his hair and delving into his "pretty" mind. Of course they talked about privacy and emotions and even sex so far as a seven-year-old could understand.

Melody maintained her position as "Woman of the House" with Teresa helping out as much as she could. But it seemed that as every day passed Teresa became more passive and remote, sometimes just staring off into nothing except when Marlin was around and then she was focused on him, although she tried to be inconspicuous about it. The change was obvious enough that Melody and Malinda were talking about it one day when they thought they were alone.

"I don't know what Mom's problem is," Melody sighed and shook her head.

"She's mooning over Marlin like she was a school girl," Malinda added.

"You think she needs a little cock to pep her up?" Melody giggled.

"God, you are so bad!" Malinda giggled right along with her. The both heard a rustling behind them and turned to see Tess standing behind the couch where they were sitting.

"You're talking about Grandma, aren't you?" she asked.

"Don't you know it's impolite to listen in on other peoples conversations?" Melody inquired lightly. "I thought you and Uncle Marlin had been talking about privacy."

"Well," the young girl looked down and shuffled her feet. "We didn't talk about that exactly."

"Oh, Lord. She sure is learning from him," Malinda chuckled.

"That not always a good thing," Melody grumped as Malinda twittered. "All right, sweet thing, come around here. I assume you have something you want to add to the discussion?"

"Yes," Tess nodded. "But first: What's a cock?" Melody turned bright red and Malinda laughed so hard she fell off the couch.

"What's so funny?" Tess asked puzzled. "Auntie Melody said maybe Grandma needed some cock and I know some people call a rooster a cock but I don't think Grandma wants a rooster." Malinda had started to get up but fell down again and just sat on the floor trying to breathe while Melody sputtered and mumbled trying to force something out.

"Oh, dear," Malinda wiped her eyes as she finally plopped back down next to her sister.

"Uncle Marlin will tell me," Tess said forcefully. "He tells me everything if I ask about it even if I can't always understand it. He says someday I will and I should be ready for that day."

"Yeah, he would now, wouldn't he?" Malinda muttered and then tried to become serious. "Very well. I'll try to do as good a job as he does. He talked to you about sex, right?"

"Yes," Tess nodded. "He said its nature's way of making babies. He said it's a lot of fun because nature wanted people to enjoy it so they would do it a lot and have a lot of babies. Like what you three do except you won't have babies yet, just a lot of fun.

"He said I won't understand it yet until my body is ready and then I'll go crazy for a while until my body settles down. He said that hunger you all feel is..." She chose her words slowly and carefully, "Sexual, desire. Yes that's what he said it was."

"I wonder when we'll settle down," Malinda murmured to Melody who turned red again and bumped her with a shoulder.

"But I still don't know what a cock is," Tess continued.

"Oh, boy," Malinda sighed. "Well, cock is another name for a boy's penis, a kind of bad word. Uncle Marlin told you about penises, didn't he?"

"Oh yes," Tess smiled brightly. "He said that is how the boy plants his ... sperm ... into the girl and the baby gets started. He wouldn't show me though," She looked disappointed. "But it all sounded very messy..."

"Only if you do it right," Malinda whispered to Melody who turned red again and hissed, "Would you shut up!"

" ... but he promised I would understand when I got older.

"Cock, cock, cock," Tess tried the word out as her Aunt Malinda tried to keep from laughing hysterically and Aunt Melody came very close to apoplexy.

"Cock, yes. So, Auntie Melody you were saying Grandma needs a boy's penis to feel better?"

"Ah ... ah ... well," Melody sputtered.

"Yes, that makes sense," Tess nodded as if something was becoming clear. "Grandma has those same hungry feelings the two of you do about Uncle Marlin. But they're not exactly the same. It's like she's hungry for something else, too, but I can't understand it. Maybe I should just ask Uncle Marlin about it."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Malinda blurted out and then calmed down. "You know he would never talk to you about something you felt inside of Grandma unless she gave her permission first."

"True," Tess looked thoughtful. "But I'm talking to you two about it."

"Yes, but we are women and have a right to be nosy, busybodies; especially when it concerns our mother," Malinda told her. "It comes with the tits ... er, breasts."

"That doesn't make sense, Auntie Mandy," Tess scrunched up her nose.

"Just like the sex thing it will when you get older," Malinda assured her with a chuckle.

"Oh, okay," Tess nodded.

"So Grandma has the same hunger for Uncle Marlin that we do, huh?" Melody mused.

"Yes. Well not exactly the same, but it burns just as bright as yours does," Tess nodded.

"I wonder if Marlin has that same hunger for Mom?" Melody looked at her sister and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, yes," Tess nodded again. "He hungers for her a lot. I asked him about that and he said most men get that same hunger for a pretty woman but that a man can and should control it even if he can't stop it. He said its nature again."

"Oh, he did did he? Well, well, well..."

"Tess. Would you mind leaving your Aunt and me alone?" Melody asked and then turned to her sister. "We have some plotting to do."

"But I don't understand why you don't want me to come with you," Marlin asked again. "I wouldn't mind seeing the Coronation Day fireworks."

"I'm sure they aren't going to be anything like what you are used to in the capital," Melody patted his cheek. "Anyway Mom is just mopping around the place and we want you to keep her company.

"Besides we have something else we want you to do tonight," she added. Melody and Malinda were standing with Marlin out on the front lawn.

"What?" he asked puzzled.

"We want you to fuck Mom's socks off tonight," she grinned.

"What?!" he practically screamed.

"Yep, you heard right: We want you to take mom to bed tonight and make her the third happiest woman in the empire. Marlin," she said seriously, "Mom has it bad for you and we know you have more than a little desire for her. You do think she's pretty, don't you?"

"Tess," he hissed. "She's going to get a lot of reminders for this."

"Don't blame her," Melody scoffed. "She's only seven. We weaseled it out of her." She came close and laid her head on his chest. "Marlin, our mama is one of the most important people we have. We love her and she is hurting now. She wants you so badly, she can hardly look at you now. Won't you do this for us? Love our mama?"

"This is a really bad idea," he sputtered and shook his head.

"If it turns out badly we'll make it right and take the blame," she reached up and kissed him. "By the way we're getting a room at the boarding house tonight because we don't want to walk back when it's so dark. The two of you will be alone all night."

"This is insane!" he hissed.

"Please do this for us," Malinda moved closer and nuzzled his neck before kissing him lightly on the lips. "She needs you almost as badly as I do. Please help her. You've helped me so much and now she needs you."

"Go get her, Tiger," Melody slapped him lightly on the chest just as Tess came running out of the house whooping like a madwoman. Without letting him say another word they left him sputtering in the dusty road.

"Can I get you anything?" Teresa asked as she walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Nope," Marlin closed his book and looked up at her.

"Then do you mind if I sit here with you?" she asked. "I promise I won't bother you."

"And I should complain about having the company of a beautiful woman on a pleasant night like this?" he smiled. "Of course I wouldn't mind."

"You are so funny," she snorted and set her drink cup on the table. She was wearing a long robe and big fuzzy slippers and Marlin thought he could just see a nighty peeking out from the fold of the robe. Turning around to sit down she caught her toes on a table leg and suddenly was falling backwards screeching. Marlin caught her easily and gently settled her down on his lap.

"Ah, now I have you just where I want you," he cackled evilly.

"And just what are you going to do with me," she asked with a giggle.

"I haven't got that far yet," he admitted. "But there is something I do need to talk to you about." She looked up at him expectantly seemingly unconcerned about her placement or his arms around her. "Your daughters set you up tonight."

"What?" she asked frowning.

"Your daughters told me to take you back to that bedroom and make love to you all night," he nodded. "They even got a room in town so we wouldn't be disturbed."

"That's crazy!" she started to struggle. "An old woman like me? Are they insane?"

"That's exactly what I told them," he chuckled. "Well not the 'old woman' part. You're not old and you're every bit as beautiful as your daughters are. It's plain to see where they got their beauty. Now stop struggling," he ordered and she immediately froze and when he tightened his grip she completely relaxed in his arms.

"So you are going to take me back to the bedroom and rape me," she stated in a flat voice.

"I wouldn't even joke about raping you," he replied vehemently. "After what your family has gone through..."

"It wouldn't be rape," she said very quietly.

"They said you had some desires for me and knew I had them for you," he continued pretending he didn't hear her.

"You do?" she blinked in surprise.

"Of course I do," he nodded. "I'm a normal man. You are a beautiful woman and even more than that you are a tremendously good person. Naturally I would feel both an emotional and sexual attraction to you."

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked blinking.

"No. I said you are beautiful," he chuckled.

"No, I'm not," her voice quivered. "I'm old and I'm saggy. I'm not pretty at all."

"All right," he said with exasperation leaning slightly forward and standing up with her still in his arms. She yelped in surprise. "Enough of this nonsense. If you don't believe me when I tell you then by God you are going to believe me when I show you!" With that he carried her back to his and the girls' bedroom.

Melody and Malinda had a full length stand-alone mirror placed up against one wall and he stopped in front of it. He stopped in front of it and gently set her feet down but didn't take his other arm from around her. Then using both arms firmly on her shoulder he turned her around until she was facing the mirror.

"What do you see?" he demanded.

"An old woman," she whispered.

"If you say that again I will spank you," he said giving her a little shake. "It won't be a reminder, it will be a real spanking. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," she murmured.

"What was that?" he asked loudly.

"Yes, sir," she replied strongly. "I understand."

"Good," he smiled as they looked at each other in the mirror. "Now, get rid of those ridicules slippers." She immediately kicked them off and away. Releasing her shoulders his hands went down to her waist and around to undo the knot in the robe sash. Teresa gave a little gasp but remained still. His hands moved back up and pushed the robe down off of her shoulders. He continued pushing it down until her arms were free. Catching it he flung it to the side. Her nighty was plain and functional. With two shoulder straps to hold it up, it covered her from breasts down to below her knees. With great deliberation he reached up again and began to pull the straps over her shoulders and she began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Stop that," he ordered softly and she froze. She still shook a little but not as much. "You like doing what you are told don't you?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"Did you always like doing what you're told?" he asked again as he continued to very slowly moved the straps down her arms.

"No. Yes. I don't know," she admitted.

"Did your husband tell you what to do?" he continued as the straps moved down and the top of the nighty followed. She gasped loudly when the top moved down her breasts, caught momentarily on her nipples and then popped over them. With nothing to hold it up it fell the rest of the way and pooled around her feet.

"No," she said. "Tom would never do that."

"Did you want him to?" Marlin asked his hands sliding back up her arms to her naked shoulders.

"I never thought of it," she admitted. "I don't know what I would have felt if he had tried."

"So this is something recent," Marlin stated more than asked. His thumbs were now together and gliding down her spine with his fingers trailing over her skin and again she shivered.