Chapter 8: Understanding Cassie's Dilemma

The trip to our parents' place became slow and leisurely as Tandra and I took our sweet time, enjoying both the sights that we'd let speed past us on previous occasions, but that now jumped out and grabbed our attentions, and adding to the growing closeness between us. I called Mom to let her know that we'd be there about eight, that we'd be having supper on the road and not to save us anything, and to request that they leave a door unlocked for us. Tandra begged to talk to our mother before I hung up and took the phone from me when it was her turn.

"Hi, Mom ... yeah, we're on our way. Should be there about eight, Keith figures ... Mom! What do you think! Of course we're still together!" My sister took a moment before she answered our mother's next question, and looked at me with those dream-eyes of hers while she did. "Yeah, I do, Mom. More now than I did at Christmas ... yeah he does, too. I can feel it getting stronger almost every day ... I will, Mom ... yes, I'll try not to! Come on, I'm not that bad! ... you would? ... you did? ... you're kidding? ... and you thought I was a little nympho! I never knew! ... he what?! ... Mom! If you don't stop that, I'm going to have to get Keith to pull over, so I can change my panties! ... love you, too. Talk to you when we get home. Oh, and Mom? I want to hear the whole story when we get home! ... umm, maybe, but that's kind of private. Besides, it's his business as much as mine, and I won't breathe a word to anybody if he doesn't agree to it. Not even you!"

She hung up, then went into a daydream that left a wicked smile on her face.

"What?" My curiosity was killing me.

"I don't know if I should tell you," she teased, that musical twinkle in her voice telling me just how badly she wanted to share some risque tidbit.

"Tandra Celeste! Spill it!" I tried to order her, knowing that either she would do so happily, or keep it a secret for the rest of her life.

"Okay, if you insist," she began, the delight in sharing unmistakable in her enthusiasm. "Did you know that when Mom and Dad were going together, they were in a big accident on the highway because Mom was blowing him, and he came so hard that he slammed the gas pedal to the floor instead of the brake?"

"You're becoming a little vixen, aren't you? Teasing me like this when we're on the Interstate? What would your mother say if she knew?"

"Mom's not here ... but I am!"

Traffic was beginning to slow down for some obstruction. I downshifted from 5^th to 4^th, then let my hand slip off the shift knob and grab my sister's left breast as she cuddled against me, giving it a loving squeeze through her bra in the process.

"Keith! Don't get me started!" she mockingly reprimanded me, then reached down to undo my button and zipper before retrieving my cock and pulling it out.

"I dare you to go for third," she teased. "I promised Mom I wouldn't suck you off, but I never said anything about not jacking you off. So you'd better behave, or you might get us into an accident."

"Did they really do that? What you were telling me?" my lustful curiosity snuck past any restraints I might have had.

"That's what Mom says. She also said that while they were waiting for the police to come, Dad snuck her between two abandoned cars and ate her out. She says that she'd never cum so hard. I think there's more to our parents than we know. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I believe her!"

I had to admit that having experienced our parent's sexual attitudes at Christmas, there was a lot about them that we didn't know. In many ways, I would have loved to hear some of their stories.

Tandra continued to gently fondle my cock for the next hour or so, taking me close to that precipice of release several times without letting me slip over the edge. When I spotted the exit for a roadside rest area, I had to pull off, if for no other reason than to let my excitement die down before we did follow in our parent's footsteps, or in this case, tire tracks.

"You really want me to suck you off in a public place?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

"Sis, you've been teasing me for the last fifty miles. If I don't get some relief, I'm gonna turn blue — from top to bottom!"

"I'm ... I'm sorry, Keith," she looked apologetically at me. "That wasn't very fair of me, and if you did what I did to you, I'd probably rip your nuts off."

"Yeah, you might, but I won't. Besides, you'd look lop-sided if I ripped one of your boobs off, and then I'd really have to pay for my actions, wouldn't I? I mean, what would I have to play with? Hmm?"

"Would you do both of us a favour?" I was asked, but it was more of an order than a question. "Would you just shut up and lean back, please? I really want to do this, and I want it to be as good for you as it'll be for me."

I let the seat recline, then laid back while Tandra sucked me until I came for her. Maybe it was the relief that I finally got, or maybe it was because we were in an open parking lot with lots of people around. But in truth, I think it was because it was my sister loving my body. All I know is that the relief I sought was overshadowed by the joy of sharing our little tryst with the woman I loved more than anything else in the world.

"Mmm, you still taste good," Tandra smiled, traces of my seed still peeking from the corners of her lips.

"Remember what Mom said that Dad did when they had that accident?" I tried to remind her.

"Umm, yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"See that dumpster over there by the washrooms?" I gave her another hint. She glanced out the window, then turned back to me with another one of those wicked smiles of hers.

"You wouldn't!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Now?"

"Damned rights! Out you get, Mrs. Hayes. Your husband is about to make you squirm with delight, and he's gonna love every second of it!"

As if she was daring me to follow through, Tandra opened the car door and got out, standing in front of the car as she waited to see if I was all talk or ready for action. As soon as I got out and took her hand to lead her to the back of the metal bin, she almost ran with lustful anticipation. I did take the time to check that we would be alone and uninterrupted, but once my sister had me trapped between her thighs, they could have had a Presidential election and I wouldn't have cared. By the sounds of Tandra's semi-muffled screams, I don't think she could have, either.

It was a bit of a push at the end, but we did manage to arrive just before eight-thirty. Mom was out the front door like a jack rabbit when we drove into the driveway. She hugged me warmly, then almost crushed the life out of her daughter as they embraced like long-lost lovers.

"How come you're so late?" she expressed her worry. "We thought you might have been in an accident."

"Well, you said I couldn't ... you know ... while we were driving, right? S-o-o-o, Keith had to pull into a rest stop first," Tandra giggled her confession.

"You didn't!" Mom exclaimed, but that twinkle in her eye let us know that she found the thought erotically titillating.

"Umm-hmm," my sister giggled a little bit louder, "and then, when I finished, he did me, too!"

"Keith Hayes! You didn't?!"

"Did so too, Mom. Your daughter is becoming a bit of a minx these days, which may be a part of why I love her so much. But I don't think that discussing our love-life in the middle of the driveway is such a good idea, do you? Let me get these steamer trunks of hers," as I referred to her oversized suitcases, "upstairs. Then I think I could use a cold beer."

"Spoilsports! You're going to keep all those juicy tidbits to yourself, aren't you?" Mom chided us, then was gracious enough to lend a hand, although I did note that she only tackled the overnight flight bag that my sister used for her makeup and bath items.

Dad came out to help me, which I very much appreciated. It still took us three trips each to lug everything into the house.

"We set up your old room again," Dad let me know as I dragged Tandra's biggest suitcase up the stairs. "I hope that's still okay for you two."

I had to smile with the memory of our last Christmas together, and the unexpected change in our life that had been the result. As I walked into the room, I could see that Dad had tied the legs of the bed together again, just as my sister and I had done the last time we were home.

"Yeah, Dad, it's perfect," I reassured him. He sighed his relief, although there was a hint that he sometimes regretted the leniency he'd granted us. Still, it was good to know that our own parents accepted who and what we were. "Thanks ... for everything, Dad."

"My pleasure, Son ... I think."

Sitting back in our parent's living room and relaxing was the best part of the day — well, second-best, anyway. Mom had a million questions about the time between now and when we'd seen them last. Tandra and I took turns relating all that had happened, but condensed the part about our time at the Sommers' estate.

"That girl that was attacked, what was her name? Beckie?" Mom brought the subject up. "How's she doing?"

"Beckie's fine, Mom," Tandra filled in for me. "She stayed at our place for a few weeks, then moved in with ... one of her family members that lives about a half hour from the university. She still stays whenever we have a big project to finish, and we're becoming really good friends."

"I'm so glad to hear that your brother isn't monopolizing all your time, Baby," Mom ribbed both of us. "Speaking of friends, do you see anything of Cassie Mansden any more?"

"Quite a bit, actually," I took back the lead. "She's going with my physics partner, and I think it's getting serious. You should see her, Mom. She positively glows when Bill's around. They're good for each other, and seeing her that happy does my heart good. I never thought that when we broke up, things would turn out the way they have."

"She was good for you, though, Son," Dad confirmed what my sister had said, months earlier, "although I won't discount my daughter's influence. But you've changed since you left last summer. Even your uncle mentioned that, although it was a few years since he saw you. It's almost as though he has a spy at Hendrickson. And knowing my brother, I wouldn't put it past him. He's always on the lookout for undiscovered talent. But speaking of, have you called him back regarding his offer for the summer?"

"Not yet. I'd call him now, but it's a little late, isn't it?"

"It's three hours ago in California. But it's up to you. Just don't leave it too long if you're at all interested."

"I've thought a lot about it, and I think I'm going to go for it. My only question is whether Tandra will be able to come with me. Think Uncle Barry would put up with both of us?"

"Hard to say ... but Rose would be in seventh heaven if you both went", and his sly smile told me exactly what I wanted to know.

A call to California yielded my uncle's answering machine. I left a message that I was still interested in his offer. I also let him know where we were, and how long we'd be there, asking him to call back as soon as he could. It wasn't until Saturday afternoon before he returned my call.

"So you want to be a CGI artist, do you?" Uncle Barry introduced the subject.

"I think it beats the heck out of being a business administrator, and everyone I talk to says that I light up whenever the topic comes up. Cassie, Tandra, Beckie, Bill, even Carson."

"Carson? I don't recognize that name, or maybe I've forgotten if you mentioned it when we were all together last" Uncle Barry asked for more details.

"Carson Sommers, Beckie's father. He's a computer..."

"I know who Carson Sommers is, Keith. I just wasn't ready to put the two names together. You say that he thinks you'd be a good CGI artist?"

"Umm, yeah, he does. I couldn't get those programs that you sent me to run on that old desktop of mine, so Carson lent me a bigger machine. Still haven't put it together, but I'm getting curious to see what your programs can do, and how they work. Why?" There was a long pause before my uncle went any further.

"Keith, Carson Sommers is one of the top computer assemblers in the country, but more than that, he has a Midas' touch. If you can, try to get him to notice you. He may be your ticket to wherever you want to go in life."

I was going to tell my uncle all about our relationship with the Sommers, but something stopped me. Looking back, it may have been one of the smartest moves I never made, at least at that time. Beckie and Carson's personal lives were their own, and not something to let anyone else know about. We owed both of them that much privacy. But I promised Uncle Barry that I'd heed his advice.

Once off the phone, our parents had more questions than a Trivial Pursuit game, only half of which could I possibly answer before being bombarded with several more. It was Tandra that finally called Mom and Dad off me as she sternly told them that they were being entirely too snoopy.

"So you've actually met Carson Sommers?" Dad asked as though both shocked and impressed.

"Yeah, we have, Daddy," Tandra answered for us. "He stayed with us when Beckie couldn't drive home, and we were at their place just before we came down here. Why?"

"Mr. Sommers has quite a reputation in the business world. He's honest, fair, and yet still manages to hold the respect of those he deals with. That's a rather uncommon thing these days. What's he like?"

"Very much like our father," my sister told him, but not in a way that would seem like she was sucking up to him. "He's warm and caring towards his daughter, and open, honest, and generous with those people he considers to be friends. Oh, and open-minded, too. He found out about Keith and me, and I thought our goose would be cooked over it. But he accepted us the way we are, just like you and Mom did. I like him, and so does Keith. Carson Sommers is really quite a nice man."

"Umm, there was a rumour about him and his daughter for a while. Any chance that's true?"

"Good question, Dad," I jumped in. "What was the rumour?"

"That he and his daughter were lovers. Like I said, it was a rumour, but no one's been able to prove or disprove it."

"Don't look to us for an answer," I struggled to keep the truth just below the surface without bending it. "Even if it turned out to be true, I wouldn't say a word, in light of the way he's treated us, and the way he's always looking out for his daughter. If it had been Tandra that had been attacked, you'd have been right there almost as fast as Carson was, and you know it. That's the kind of man he is. What he and Beckie do behind closed doors, if anything, is their business, just like Tandra and me."

"Keith," our father chuckled," there's almost more in what you haven't said than what you've told us. But you're right. It is none of our business. Maybe we should keep it that way."

"Thank you, Dad. If there were rumours about Uncle Barry and Aunt Rose, you'd crush them if you could, wouldn't you? That's how we feel about Carson and Beckie. Whether they were true or not wouldn't matter one way or the other to us, but we'd do everything we could to protect our friends."

"We're proud of you two," our mother put in. "You've both become very responsible young adults, and your father's right. You both have changed since last summer. As much as I have a hard time understanding how you two live your lives this way, I don't think I could think of a better match for either of you."

"Mom," Tandra started to try and ease our mother's concerns, "according to the State, Keith and I are husband and wife, and while that may not be completely true, that's how we feel about each other. Might as well get used to it, because that's the way it's going to be for as long as one of us is alive."

My sister had been holding my hand as we talked openly with our parents, and her words had me pulling her closer to me so that I could show her my affections. I kissed her lightly but lovingly on the forehead, and felt both her smile and the pressure of her leaning into my kiss.

"I may never get used to seeing that," Mom let us know. The smile of warmth of a mother for her offspring betrayed her, though. She loved to see it, and loved the idea that we'd both found our special someone. It was almost as if it didn't matter that we'd been born of the same womb.

That visit was the last we'd spend with our parents before the end of the school year, and one that their attitudes, love, and acceptance felt like the best gift they could have ever given us. While I was beginning to look forward to the last leg of the semester after our break, I was also reluctant to let go of the peace that we'd enjoyed. But it was a long trip back to Hendrickson, and I wanted to get those miles behind us so that we could return to the life we were building. With that in mind, Tandra and I set a tentative departure of noon the next day.

I tried to wake up at the sound of my name being hollered up the stars by our mother the next morning, almost resenting the intrusion. Tandra and I had gone to bed with all intentions of just sleeping and nothing more. However, the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go astray, and ours had been no exception to that rule. It had started with a few relatively innocent caresses on my cock from my sister's gentle fingers, and escalated from there. By the time we finally did fall asleep, it must have been close to one in the morning. What time it was now, I had no idea, nor did I really care.

"Keith? Is that Mom screaming at us?" Tandra moaned as she, too, fought to wake up.

"Must be," I volunteered. "Dad never sounds like that."

"Going to go see what she wants?"

"Do I have to?"

"Asshole," then she struggled up to my lips and kissed me before adding, "but you're my asshole."

"Anatomy never was your long suit, was it, Sis?" I teased her, and got my balls squeezed for my trouble. "Witch!" I cursed her before returning her kiss, then crawled out of bed.

"What is it, Mom?" I called down as I headed for the stairs.

"Your uncle's on the phone for you. Might want to get your sister up while you're at it. He'll probably want to talk to both of you.

I gave Tandra the good news, and she slid out of the bed more than she actually got up from it, then headed directly for the bedroom door to join me.

"Might want to put a robe on first, Precious," I reminded her of her nakedness. She took stock of the situation, then reached behind the door and pulled her terry robe off the hook on the back of it.

"That's something that I won't miss when we get home. Wearing clothes is a pain sometimes," she let me know.

Dad had answered his brother's call, and the two fo them were catching up as my sister and I made our way into his den.

"Barry, the kids are here now. I'm going to put this on the speaker, then slip out and give you some privacy," Dad suggested.

"Nothing that you shouldn't hear, if you want to stay, Ed," his brother invited. Dad seemed to agree to the idea, because he hit the speaker button, but never moved from his chair.

"Good morning, Uncle Barry," I greeted him.

"Morning, Keith. Is your sister there too?"

"Right here, Uncle Barry," she answered his enquiry.

"Sorry to get you two up, but I wanted to talk with you before you left for Hendrickson. Your ... Rose and I talked over about you two coming out here for the summer, and I don't have to tell you how enthused she is. Anyway, we wondered if you'd be alright with staying here with us?"

"Sure, that'd be great," Tandra enthusiastically wanted to accept.

"Umm, what about ... privacy, Uncle Barry?" I needed clarified first. "I know that you know about Tandra and me, and we know about you and Aunt Rose. But all that under one roof at the same time could get a little uncomfortable, couldn't it?"

"That was one of the things we talked about. There's a loft above the garage that you two could use, if you'd like. It's not fancy, but you'll be comfortable, and you'd have your privacy when you wanted it."

"That would be great," I joined in my sister's elation. "The only other concern was finding something for Tandra, so we can pay for her next year at Hendrickson. Is that possible?"

"Already covered. Rose has something for her in the English department at UCLA as a research assistant, if she's interested." The beaming smile on my sister's face answered that question in a hurry.

"I'd say that was a yes, by the look on her face," I let our uncle know, then added the bombshell of information that would blow him away, "Oh, and by the way? Officially, we're husband-and-wife now, just so you know."

"You're what?!" our uncle exclaimed in disbelief. "How the hell did you pull that one off?"

"We'll tell you all about it when we get out there. Never know when Ma Bell might have her hearing aid turned up," I piqued his curiosity some more.

"They have names for people like you, Keith Hayes!"

"Yeah, and so do I," Tandra added to his mirthful chuckle. "I love my brother, but he can be an asshole at times, if you know what I mean."

Our uncle said something to my sister's comment, but it was lost in his laughter. He also wanted to know when we'd finish our school year, then added ten days to give us time to drive out, and do a little sightseeing while we were at it. I'd never been west of the Mississippi in my life. Travelling all the way to the west coast would definitely be an adventure that we'd want to enjoy and take our time doing.

"If anything comes up to change your plans, call me," our uncle implored. "There are some people out here that I really want you to meet, Keith. So keep me posted?"

We agreed to do so, and let him and our father go back to their earlier conversation. Mom had breakfast on the table, so we sat down to eat before going back upstairs to shower and get dressed. Maybe that was a mistake, because Mom kept adding to the stack of hotcakes faster than we could wolf them down. I felt like I'd just gained twenty pounds before I managed to push myself away from the table.

Dad came in a few minutes after we'd sat down, and seemed to be staring at his daughter for some unexplained reason. A quick glance showed me that her robe had ridden up, exposing part of her behind. I think our father was enjoying the view.

"Don't mind her, Dad," I quipped to him. "She can be quite cheeky first thing in the morning." Then before my sister could get a word out, I turned and pointed a finger at her before adding, "and don't say it, Mrs. Hayes!"

"Okay, I won't. But you are."

"Yeah, but I'm yours, or so my wife keeps telling me,"

"Ungh! Why couldn't I have been born an only child?" she grumbled.

"What, and miss all this loving? " I teased just before kissing her temple

"Asshole!" she finally spat out at me. " I hate it when you're right!" That got a chuckle out of me, and raised eyebrows from our parents.

After breakfast and a long, leisurely shower together, it was time to pack our bags, then haul them all down to the car. Dad stayed out of the way while we stuffed clothes into the small buildings that Tandra called suitcases, and it was impossible to miss the fact that over half of the items hadn't been worn. I made a mental note to tease her about that when we got back to Hendrickson. Our father gave me a hand lugging everything downstairs, leaving me to wonder if he was trying to get rid of us so that he and Mom would have some time to themselves. Somehow, though, I didn't really believe that, although the time with our mother made sense.

The trip home was a lazy and relaxed one. We stopped at a couple of rest areas beside the Interstate, but without the same sexual antics that we'd engaged in on the way down from Candle Lake. It wasn't that we weren't interested, but traffic seemed heavier than usual, both on the road and in the rest stops. There was no sense pushing our luck by being discovered and having to explain ourselves afterwards while getting our asses out from between a rock and a hard place. Just the thought of phoning our folks to tell then we were in jail on some morals charge was incentive enough to develop some much-needed, though unappreciated, patience.

Finally arriving home again, I pulled up as close to the front of the apartment as I could, then unloaded our grips into the lobby before moving the car to its designated stall. My sister questioned that strategy, although I did point out to her that it was over twice as far to the building from our parking spot, which would make the job tougher. But by the time I got back inside, Tandra had manhandled our luggage into the apartment. Remembering how heavy they'd been, I could easily understand why she seemed winded.

"Still think you needed that much stuff for only one week?" I chided her as we moved everything into the bedroom.

"Ass... : she started to curse me before I cut her off.

"Don't, Sis. I'm too tired tonight to fight and argue. What I need is a long, hot shower, my little sister's body in my arms, then the rest of the night making love with you."

"Shower first? Isn't that like putting the horse before the cart?"

She took a deep breath, obviously catching a whiff of her brother's sweaty scent in the process.

"Yech! You're right. Shower first, then all that other good stuff."

Once under that spray again, we took the time to gently wash, rinse, and enjoy each others bodies, with the added bonus of a couple of mind-blowing orgasms thrown in for good measure. It was while drying each other off that my sister mentioned the Sommers' estate, and those unbelievable showers in the suites that we'd enjoyed.

"This place might not be quite on par with the Sommers', but it's home. I'll get used to our little shower again, just as long as you're in there with me," she let me know, that loving warmth of her tone caressing my senses. I had to agree with her, though. There was something about our apartment that made it special for me, too. She stands about five-foot six, weighs about a hundred and ... well, you get the idea.

That night we were in bed by ten — and asleep just after one. In between those two time markers, my sister took me, once again and for several times, to that special place that only we knew about. By the time she was satiated, I was exhausted. Both of us slept soundly, and I don't think we moved an inch after Tandra settled into her favourite position again.

The phone rang somewhere around seven the next morning. It was Bill, checking to make sure we'd made it back, safe and sound. It was unlike him to call first before coming over, and I asked him why he'd called.

"I need to talk to you, Keith. Put the coffee on, and I'll be over in about ten minutes."

Bill's tone sounded worried, and that left me feeling unsettled. Had he and Cassie had a fight? Was there a problem between them that had come up after we'd parted company from Sommers? I didn't know, and that lack of knowledge left me feeling very uncomfortable.

"Bill?" Tandra asked as she woke to the looks of concern on me.

"Yeah. He says he needs to talk before we head out for class. I've got a bad feeling about this, Sis. I just hope he and Cassie aren't fighting about something. Might as well put the coffee on, because he'll be here in ten minutes or so."

Bill arrived right about when he said he would, and while Tandra bustled around in the bedroom getting dressed, I poured coffee for all of us, waiting for Bill to spill his guts. I could see that he really wanted to get whatever was bothering him out into the open, but waited until my sister joined us.

"Remember how Cassie said that she'd be alright if we had a baby?" he started to explain. "Turns out she isn't. She really believes that she conceived sometime last week. Now she's as scared as a church mouse, and the idea of abortion has come up more than once. The thing is, I have no problem with being a father, or starting to raise a family. Hell, I'd even go so far as to marry her, if that's what she wanted. But she's afraid that being pregnant is going to get in the way of that last year she wants so bad. I've tried to convince her that being parents will be something that'll bring us closer, but she's not buying it. Right now, it's pulling us apart ... and I'm scared."

We sat around the table for a couple of hours, trying to convince Bill that everything would work out. I missed my Calculus class, and Tandra skipped one of her Composition lectures, but they almost seemed inconsequential in comparison to the dilemma at hand.

"Bill, let me have a couple of days to talk to Cassie," Tandra pleaded. "I think I have an idea what's got her panties all twisted — and it isn't you, or being pregnant. I don't want to go into it any further until I find out, though. But if I'm right, this whole thing will straighten itself out. She needs you, Bill, so don't take after my brother and become an asshole about it. Deep down inside, she loves you, probably more than you know. Hell, it's probably more than she knows. Just hang in there. And in the meantime, I have a class to go to that I'd better not miss, or I'll end up taking that damned English History course again next year."