Chapter 8

As we shed our coats, we found Samantha lying on the sofa watching television. The candles were out but the tree and fireplace still illuminated the room in a soft romantic glow. She had changed her clothes and was now wearing a short sleeveless t-shirt that barely covered her full breasts, and soft cotton pajama bottoms with the top rolled down to mid hip. Her eyes lit up and she quickly shut off the television when she saw me enter and then they widened in surprise when she saw my mother.

"Oh my," she squeaked, realizing how she was dressed, then composed herself, continuing in a slow measured pace, "this, is going to be interesting."

"Sam, we have to talk," I said, swallowing my fear and hoping for the best, "I just hope you won't hate me."

My words startled her. "Hate you? Never, Jake, what's going on?" her eyes flicked to my mother and back to me, "I thought you were coming back ... alone." She quickly addressed my mother, "not that you aren't welcome, Mrs. Smith, but I thought Jake and I were ... well its Christmas and all so we were..."

"I am well aware of what you two had planned." My mother interrupted softly. "But you have to listen to Jake. He is going to tell you something you may not like. It may make you angry but know that he did it because he loves you. He is doing this now because he loves you. So try not to be too angry."

"What is she talking about, Jake?"

I sat down on the other end of the sofa, my mother sat in the love seat across from us. I summoned up all the courage I could and with a knot of fear freezing my belly I said, "Sam, the way you feel about me right now ... it isn't real."

"Jake, I..."

"Let me finish. It all started the day Thad beat me up and I wound up in the hospital. Something about my head injury ... changed me. I found I could do things, with my mind."

"Jake," Samantha tried saying something again but I stopped her.

"Sam, this is hard enough, just let me finish. Whatever it is you want to say to me now won't be what you want to say when I'm done, so just let me finish."

Samantha sighed, rolled her eyes and sat back into the corner of her end of the sofa with a look of impatience.

"One of the things I can do is change the way people think. Make them believe things that aren't true. That's what I did to you. I made you think that you wanted to sleep with me. That's why your feelings about me have changed over the past few months. I have been slowly altering your perception of me so you would, well, do what we were about to do." As I spoke, I knew what it must sound like to her and my chest tightened, I felt like crying. I fought it but my voice cracked ever so slightly and I knew my eyes were filling with tears.

"I thought it would be okay because my dad did it, but then I found out he didn't so I..."

"Damn it, Jake, I..." she said, frustrated. But I cut her off again, I had to get it all out at once or I would never do so.

I begged her to stay quiet until I had finished. I told her everything, how I started with her liking my eyes and how, when she found me attractive and still didn't want sleep with me I began to make her believe I was sexually attractive to her. How it was done gradually so she wouldn't get suspicious. Somewhere along the way the tears began to spill out of my eyes as I disclosed all the horribly lurid details. I kept talking.

"But don't worry," I assured her after the whole nasty business had been revealed. "we're going to fix it. That's why mom is here. She can do these things too, and she's better at it. She'll make sure you're put back just the way you were. Please don't hate me."

The impatience had grown to anger and she turned on my mother.

"So, you found out what he's been doing and are making him face the consequences, like when we broke Mr. Johnson's window and you made us go to him and confess."

"Actually, no. He felt guilty and asked me to come along to make sure all his influence was removed with no damage to you."

"Yeah, well you just keep your little mind thingies away from me."

She turned back to me, her gorgeous green eyes flashing with anger.

"And you, you idiot..."

"Sam, I am so sorry." I was almost sobbing by now. I loved her so much and to see her this angry was like a knife in my heart. "We'll fix it, just like..."

"Shut up!" she commanded, "What the fuck makes you think I want to be fixed?"

"I promise!" I sobbed, "It'll be like it never happened ... what did you say?" It's amazing how quickly confusion can dry up tears.

"I said that I want to stay this way."

"But..."

"What the hell do you think I've been trying to tell you? If I didn't want to be like this I wouldn't have just sat by quietly and let you do it."

"Huh? You didn't let me. It was like subliminals or something ... you shouldn't have known anything ... let me? Shit, mom, what happened?"

My mother was smiling now. "I'd say you fucked up. So I'm leaving and will let you two work this out."

"You can't go! What if I can't do this?"

"You don't need me any more, and whatever it is that you have to do ... well, you won't want your mother watching." She moved to the foyer and donned her coat, looking back, "Good night, Samantha, it was very nice to see you again."

My mind was spinning and I was terrified. I watched my mother leave, I was too afraid to look at Samantha. She sat silent but didn't get up so I spoke, still unable to look at her.

"What did you mean when you said that you let me do it?"

"I heard you, Jake. That night in your yard." Her voice had lost the anger and I found the courage to look at her and saw her eyes had softened as well. "It was weird, but I heard your plan to change me, to make me find you attractive. Only I didn't exactly hear it, I sort of thought it, but I've known you for so long, it just sounded like you, and the way you were looking at me, I just knew it. I didn't know what the hell was happening, but I knew you were doing it. Then I got the idea that I should think you had nice eyes. I haven't known what you've done since that, but I was looking for changes so I've noticed how my appraisal of you evolved as the weeks and months went by."

"But ... but why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wanted it. More than anything, I wanted it."

"What? Why?"

"What do you mean why? I love you, Jake. When we were little I used to daydream about you and me being married and having kids. If it weren't for you I never would have gotten through losing my dad. We got older and you became the the most wonderful person I knew. You're smart, considerate, generous and you have never let fear dictate your actions. What's not to admire?"

I was still confused but my heart was soaring. She loved me even before I meddled. But then...

"So why did I have to do this? Am I so ugly that even though you cared that much and wanted it, you couldn't bring yourself to have a physical relationship with me?"

"It wasn't your looks, Jake." Now it was her turn to look away. She seemed nervous, almost scared. "It ... it was never your looks. You're ... a boy."

"You're saying I'm not mature enough?"

She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face me.

"I'm saying that I'm gay, I'm a lesbian. I have never been attracted to any boy or man or whatever. Didn't you ever find it strange that I never talked about anyone I dated? Didn't you think it odd that you never saw any guys coming here to pick me up for a date? I mean, I tried to keep it quiet, I didn't want you to know – I didn't want anyone to know. But, are you telling me you never suspected?"

"I never wanted to know anything about your social life. It hurt since it didn't include me." I was digesting her words and it dawned on me that I had changed her in a fundamental way. She was a lesbian and I made her want sex with a man.

"I'm sorry, Sam. If I had known I wouldn't have..."

"Fuck! You are undoubtedly the most intelligent dumb ass I have ever met. Didn't you hear me? I want to make love to you."

She slid down to my end of the couch and wrapped her arms around me pressing me back against my armrest. Her mouth sought mine and for several moments I was lost in as passionate a soul kiss as any man and woman ever shared.

"Did you like that?" she asked softly, her arms still wrapped around me. "I liked it, and I like that I liked it. Don't you get it? I love you Jake Smith, I've always loved you and it used to break my heart that I never felt anything physical. I thought about just doing it anyway ... giving myself to you. But I ... that wouldn't have been fair to you ... you deserve a woman who is as enthusiastic about loving you as you are her. I couldn't have given you that. But now I can, now we can love each other properly. So ... don't you dare change me back."

Her mouth again met mine and this time I kissed her back with all the passion I could muster. I was in heaven. It wasn't just that her voluptuous body lie on top of mine, it wasn't just that her hands were tangled in my hair and running up and down my side as her tongue did its best to wrap around mine, it wasn't even that I could feel the heat from her sex pressed against my raging hard-on. She loved me! She loved me every bit as much as I loved her. We would be together for the rest of our lives.

As our kiss continued I noticed she was unbuttoning my shirt. We sat back up and she slid it off my arms. Her fingers traced the lines of my chest. She gave a little shiver and she smiled at me. "God, you're beautiful." Then she leaned in, licking and sucking my nipple for a few seconds before beginning a gentle trail of kisses that moved slowly up my body until she was sucking at my neck right below my ear. My nerves jangled with delight. My body was alive with sensation.

I tilted my head to kiss her neck and the smooth softness of her skin under my lips and tongue excited me further. She pulled back and stripped off her t-shirt revealing her amazing tits. I had seen most of them before, I told you she was seldom modest around me but this was so different. Instead of me sneaking furtive glances hoping she wouldn't notice, they were being displayed to me, offered to me. She wanted me to look, she wanted me to touch.