Sowing and Reaping Chapter 1

Beth looked out over the landscape of freshly churned dirt and newly planted seeds. She was very proud of the little garden she had managed to carve out of her back yard, and was looking forward to the fresh homegrown vegetables it would soon yield. She also loved that it gave her an excellent excuse to wrangle up her nephew, Simon, for free labor.

He was a very good kid and she loved him like a second son, her own son having left two years ago to attend a college across the country. This was Simon’s senior year and as he was to leave soon, so she wanted to make the most of it.

That’s why she loved the gardening, because it gave her the perfect excuse to spend the quality time she so loved to share with him. They had always been somewhat close, but they had become thick as thieves after her son had left and Simon had progressed through high school. The gardening reminded her of the time she and her own son had shared when he was still home, and it had become her favorite part of the week.

Today that quality time was becoming a source of concern for her. Simon was past due to work and she had been forced to start without him. In the few weeks she had been setting up the garden, Simon hadn’t so much as been ten minutes late. Now he was over a half an hour late and she was becoming very concerned. She didn’t think he would blow her off and she knew he wouldn’t do it without calling.

She was afraid that it might be more trouble at Simon’s house. As Simon’s senior year had gone on, Jordan, his father had increasingly been putting pressure on him. It was now to the point that Jordan was regularly berating his son; she had been worried for some time that if it kept up, an actual brawl would break out between the two of them.

Her spirits immediately lifted at seeing Simon’s monstrosity of a car wobbling down the road. He and his friends had salvaged the car and it looked like a rolling junk heap. The car was an eye sore and had caused more than a few fits of rage from Jordan, but despite herself she couldn’t help but love the great ugly thing.

As the car hit the driveway with a hollow clunk Simon called out too her through the open windows.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

“Its fine,” she called back.

As the car rolled to a stop and he got out she could see he wasn’t in the best sort of mood. As he approached her she looked and saw that his eyes were red.

“What’s wrong honey?”

“What? Ouh… Ah nothing, why do you ask?” his voice betrayed his shame at crying.

“Well your eyes are sort of red? Did you get something in them?” She knew very well that he must have been crying, but boys his age were loath to show, what they thought, was weakness.

“Ah no, it’s just my allergies acting up. I took a pill but it doesn’t seem to be working, I was sneezing the whole way here.” He tried to sell the story but it was flimsy at best.

“OK, well if you need another just tell me and I will grab you something from the house.”

That was fine, he would tell her in his own time, and she was a patient woman.

“Now that we have that settled, where have you been?” she accused in mock exasperation.

“There I was, working my poor fingers to the bone, and where were you?”

“I.” She cut off his excuse.

“I’ll tell you where! Out doing god knows what with god knows who?” she proclaimed it into the sky in a way that couldn’t help but come off as comical, adding in flamboyant hand gestures for good measure.

“So, what was it then: Girls, drugs, gangs, maybe a little of all three?”

He was grinning by now and surprised her by warping his arm around her shoulder. This was very strange behavior for Simon. Who, unless extremely upset, never so much as hugged his own mother.

“Well it started like this see.” He began, making flamboyant gestures of his own.

“This girl came up to me and said ‘want some crazy memories.’ To which I had no choice but to reply yes.”

She started to laugh. She loved the stories he made up on the spot.

“So the next thing I know we are in the middle of a speed boat chase and this girl is telling me to ‘shut up and get down.’”

They had made it to the garden by now, but she didn’t have the heart to interrupt his story. It was rare that the renditions got so outrageous.

“So I guess the moral of my story is that you shouldn’t smack a cop on the ass.” He blushed a little at this last bit. He never swore around her, but whenever he slipped she delighted in teasing him about it.

“Really, on the Ass.” she made sure to emphasize the word.

He blushed all the more and looked away from her. Seeing his guard down she tousled his hair and laughed as he jumped away from her.

“Come on! Your hands are covered in mud!”

“So is your hair,” she said with a wicked grin.

He gave her an exasperated smiled in return. She was worried by this; in all the time they had been together he had always been hypersensitive about getting dirty. He had always done his best to keep mud off his person whenever possible. She knew that if he was letting dirt in his hair go unchallenged, he must have really been upset.

In truth she knew that he actually hated gardening. On the few times she had seen him doing any yard work at his house he was always muttering and cursing under his breath. She had long mused that he would have been more at home in a parking lot than the Garden of Eden. He only did it because she was the only person in his family, as far as she knew, that teased him and treated him like a normal person.

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up and get to work. I’ve already got the corn rows lined up, but the tomato rows are getting weeds, you can start there.”

“OK, but let’s skip the preening. I figure I owe you an extra hour for being so late.”

She paused for a moment.

“That’s the spirit! OK, you have your marching orders.”

They whiled the next three hours working and tending their garden. They normally only got in about one hour, and never more than two. However Simon was engrossed in the work and she couldn’t help but think that it might be good for him. Not to mention the garden wasn’t likely to get this kind of quality attention again.

Sadly for the both of them there was only so much work they could do at one time. After three hours they had exhausted any conceivable excuse to keep going and were left sweating, dirty, and leaning on each other.

She smiled as she looked at him. “So now that my nephew is dead and you are wearing his skin, are you going to take me to your leader?”

He sighed deeply from exertion.

“So now what?” he asked.

She noted the hint of sorrow in his voice and wished he would just tell her what was so wrong.

“Well I don’t know about you, but I need a shower.”

She took his arm in hers’ and leaned on him. Looking up into his face she saw that his hair, now extremely dirty and sweaty, had fallen into his face. She couldn’t resist brushing the hair out of his eyes. If he had blushed at that, then he went absolutely scarlet when she pulled herself up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Ah! That’s so gross, why are you being all weird?” He had a childishly sour expression.

She burst out laughing.

“What!?” he said.

Still hanging on him and between giggles she said “Your face!”

He rolled his eyes but didn’t push her off. They went into the house like that, him looking tortured and her holding his arm and laughing.

“OK, you wait here and help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. I am going to get a shower. When I get out you can take one yourself.”

“I don’t have any clean clothes.”

She looked him up and down. Sizing him up and taking in his measurements. It struck her that he wasn’t just her little nephew anymore. He was more of a man now than a boy. She knew he still had some growing up to do, but he had started filling out his clothes nicely. His strong jaw line and wavy hair were very reminiscent of her son. His hair had darkened a little and now did a fair job of setting off his eyes. She had always taken pride in his eyes; they matched hers to a tee. She felt a little guilty, thinking that in another time and place he could have swept her right off her feet.

“I have some of Thomas’s old cloths in the closet, you can use those.”

“Thanks. By the way, what do you hear from Thomas these days?”

“Very little I’m afraid. It’s normal though, he’s a man now, doesn’t need his mother checking up on him every minute.” She was saddened by her own words.

He made a noise of disbelief. “If you were my mother I wouldn’t mind at all.”

He paused and added in a dark voice, “Sometimes I really wish you were.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.” but even as she said it she couldn’t help but feel a strong affinity to him and his words.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that.” His eyes dropped to the ground as he said it.

She cupped his face in her hand and started to massage and tug on his ear with her thumb. It was what she would do with her own son, when he was really upset.

“Young man, after our showers are done you and I are going to have a talk about your so called allergies.”

He looked at her without emotion. Trying to play dumb she supposed.

She fixed him with a look that said he was going to comply. It was a look only a mother can properly give.

His face sagged dejectedly, “OK.”

He plopped down at the kitchen table in the way all teenage boys seam to do. She wished that she didn’t have to make him confess to her, but she knew that he didn’t really have anyone else. His parents were out of the question, as they were almost certainly the source of his woes, and his friends would just give the same old ‘fuck the old people’ rhetoric teenagers had been giving since the beginning of time.

“OK honey, I am going in for a shower, you make yourself something to drink at least.” She placed her hand on his shoulder as she said it; she was disheartened to feel him stiffen under her touch.

“It was a million degrees out there and we didn’t really take any water breaks, so if I come out to find you dead of dehydration and stubbornness I will be very cross with you.” She worked at making her voice light and joking.

He only gave a sad grunt to acknowledge.

She didn’t think there was anything more to be gained by talking to him further.

Simon watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. He was so angry with her, why did she have to bring up the fight, and how did she always know every little thing about him. She was the only person he knew that could just pull his whole soul out and put it under a microscope. Even as he had the angry thoughts there was a nagging feeling in the pit of his chest that told him just how much he needed her.

“Great, now I can’t even think badly of her without feeling all…” He didn’t know the right word.

He turned to the kitchen and made himself a glass of ice water. He was surprised at how thirsty he was once he started to drink. He downed another glass and a half before feeling satisfied and full. He sat at the table and started to idly run his fingers through the condensation that had gathered on the cold glass.

However before long he was bored and feeling a little apprehensive and ran his fingers through his hair. His hair felt gritty and he darkly thought that this whole gardening things was about the stupidest thing he had ever done. As far as he could see the only upshot was his tan. Still he couldn’t deny that he did it because he liked his aunts company, and while the fact irked him to no end, he knew that he would do just about whatever his aunt told him to.

By this time he had started walking to the living room in the center of the house. He was just wandering aimlessly and started to look at the pictures on the walls and tables. They were just one of the many differences between his house and his aunt’s. At his house there were maybe three pictures in the entire place. Here there were dozens of them, just in this one room. They weren’t out of the ordinary, just family and friends at various events. Quite a few of Thomas from different ages, he even showed up in a few, and he felt an odd sort of affinity to the ones he was in. He liked that, in some small way, he never left the house that had come to symbolize someone who really loved him.

He was jarred by his aunt’s voice calling out to him.

“Simon. Simon, come help me with this thing.”

He started walking toward her voice but he couldn’t shake feeling he had been caught in something crude and dirty, the feeling followed him into his aunt’s room.

He entered her bedroom to see her raped in a towel and standing on the tips of her feet, reaching for a box in her closet. He looked at her and, maybe for the first time, saw that she really was one of the most naturally beautiful women he had ever seen. Her long sandy blond hair, perfect womanly curves, and full and beautiful face showed a woman that was the picture of mature sensuality. It wasn’t that she was showing herself off or uncovering too much, indeed she had probable been covered less when they were working outside. However the towel just seemed so provocative to him that he couldn’t help but stare openly.

He stood frozen for a few seconds before his aunt jogged him to attention.

“Simon? Why are you just standing there? Come and help me with this you dope.”

As he started walking he was made aware of the throbbing erection he was sporting. He panicked for a moment but thought that as long as he didn’t face her directly she wouldn’t notice.

“What am I getting?” he said as he walked up, careful not to show too much of his forward profile.

She stepped back and pointed with the hand that wasn’t keeping her towel up.

“You see that box?”

“This one?”

“That one!”

“This one?”

“That one!”

“This one?” he was openly teasing her now.

“God will punish you young man!” she couldn’t help but laugh as she said it.

He half turned to look at her but his eyes became focused on something just past her.

“What’s the matter?”

“I… I just saw that picture on your night stand.” There were two pictures, one of her son, and the other of Simon.

“What? Ouh, that’s just my two best boys,” she said warmly.

“Now go get that box!” She swatted at him playfully.

He made at getting the box, but still wasn’t doing well.

“God, there isn’t a man alive that can find his own ass.” She moved up next to him and added her hands to the fray.

With no small amount of struggling and uncoordinated swatting they managed to get the box down. By this time her hair was all over her face, and her towel had come askew.

Simon practically threw the box with the effort of prying it free. The box hit the ground and Simon slammed into her from the motion of throwing the box. He knocked her back and she had to grab onto him to stop herself from falling. She over compensated and instead ended up plastered to him to stay up.

Simon was making a stupid, sort of scared face at her.

As she began to move away she realized why he was doing an impression of a halfwit. His manhood was pressing very insistently just below her navel. She was suddenly aware of how much her towel had fallen and loosened in places.

“OK Simon, I need you to stay very still. Can you do that for me?”

It took him a moment “Ahh… Sure.”

“OK, then stop making that face please.” She found the expression infuriating but wasn’t sure why.

She awkwardly managed to pull her towel up and extradited herself from her nephew. A nephew that still looking like he had just come to in the middle of trying to fuck a badger.

“Honey? Honey it’s OK.” She tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

“I. I’m really.” He tried to babble out a few more words before she cut him off.

“It’s fine, look.” She pointed to the troublesome box “There’s the box with the cloths. Take that and use the shower downstairs, there are towels and everything you will need in the bathroom.”

He made to speak but she cut him off.

Placing her hand on his shoulder she said “Honey, it’s really fine. You’re a seventeen year old boy, I know how it is.” She tried to sound reassuring.

He paused for a moment and then just nodded. He grabbed the box and moved out of the room as fast as a person can without sprinting.

She sighed. “Well… That went well.”

She sat down on her bed darkly thinking to herself that it was just her luck that the farthest she had been with a man in almost nine years, was with her own nephew.

It had been nine years since she had last been with a man, and that was little more than a one night stand. After Thomas’s father had walked out, she had sworn off men to concentrate on her son. Now she was almost forty-two and had no prospects. She had been trying to go on dates for the past few months, but it was amazing how little talent was left.

Even worse than her insult to injury was the fact that it would make it that much harder to get Simon to open up to her. Now that he felt like he was somehow a pervert for what was just the body’s natural reaction to stimulus.

It wasn’t as though he had been trying to peep in on her while she was showering or something like that. It was just what happened, especially at that age. Her son had spent his last two years at high school, perpetually at nothing less than half-mast. She wished she could explain that to Simon, but she didn’t have the slightest clue how to go about that conversation.

She tried to veer away from the line of thought and instead busied herself with getting dressed. She thought for a moment about what to wear and decided to put on one of her favorite blouses and some shorts. The outfit looked really nice and she had even worn it on a few dates. She thought for a moment that she might want to dress down, considering, but decided that she liked dressing up when she could and thought it would be a vote of confidence to Simon.

Now dressed and putting on a little makeup she started to wonder why Simon’s house was becoming such a problem in the first place. It was true that Jordan had never been an exceptionally feeling or openly affectionate man, but after Simon had started high school he had been steadily turning into a total son of a bitch. Now into Simon’s senior year he was insurable. He was even on edge with her the few times they had occasion to talk. Always going on about ‘responsibility’ and making ‘hard choices.’ As if she, a single mother and damn good one at that, needed lectured by her brother-in-law. She doubted that her sister was doing much to offset the problem either.

Simon wasn’t crazy for not confiding in his mother; her sister was one cold blooded woman. Even as a child she wouldn’t cry, or laugh, or do any of the things normal children did when emotional. She was always, endlessly, even keeled. She imagined that confiding emotions to such a woman would be unbearably awkward.

In all honesty it was a true marvel that Simon had as few interpersonal quirks as he did. She imagined that much of that was due to the fact that Simon and Thomas had always been close growing up, with only the two years difference they usually ended up playing together after school. Moreover they usually played at her house, probably because Simon’s house was so sterilized.

She took a moment to remember the times when her two favorite boys had played at her house: Thomas trying to be cool and ‘all grown up,’ and Simon tagging along, no matter what Thomas said. She allowed herself to get lost in those memories for a moment; it was a luxury she rarely afforded herself but so enjoyed when she did.

She stayed like that until her makeup was done and she looked adequate to her own appraisal. She listened for the water of the shower but didn’t hear anything. Deciding to meet Simon, she walked out of her bedroom and made her way into the living room. She was just about to sit down when she saw Simon walk into the room.

It was striking how much like Thomas he looked, now sporting his old polo and jeans, he really looked the part. She was a little surprised to see that the polo was a little small and acted as a second skin: showing off his muscles and masculine outline. His clean face and swept back hair showed a man, young and full of vitality.

For his part Simon was equal captivated by his aunt’s appearance. Her summery outfit and natural beauty created an appearance that was very alluring.

The mutual tension hung in the air for a few seconds before they remembered themselves.

“To think, this whole time a handsome young man has been helping me garden. I always thought it was a muddy homeless person,” she said it to lighten the mood more than anything.

He grinned in spite of himself. “You look very nice Aunt Beth.” His voice didn’t sound as confident as he had hoped to make it.

She motioned him to sit on the couch, he did so and she took the place immediately next to him. He was a little uneasy when she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and squeezed him close to her.

“There, now you can’t run when I make you talk about your feeling.”

He knew it was a joke but it had more truth than he found comfortable.

“Look, about what happened in your room.” She cut him off.

“Simon. I told you its fine. Besides, you think I haven’t felt a penis before?”

His face went bright red; she thought it was cute that he was so innocent.

“Yeah…. Well…. Not mine and I still didn’t want you to think.” She cut him off again.

“That you were seconds away from having your way with me!” she said in mock horror.

He gave a sheepish look and she waited to let him have his final say.

“I guess… I guess, I love you is all, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to mess that up.” His voice was awkward with the weight of sincerity.

She took his face in her hand and moved his head to look at her directly.

“No matter what, I will always love you.” Her words were from the heart and meant the world to him.

He surprised her by turning completely to her and giving her a big hug. Simon wasn’t used to giving hugs and the couch made it a little awkward, but it was theirs, and they both needed it.

When the hug ended they returned to the way they had been, Simon on the far left of the couch and Beth in the middle, her arm fastened around Simon’s shoulders.

“Thanks Simon, that was really nice.” She was hopeful at this point, Simon was really trying to open himself to her, and for her part she wanted to make it as painless as possible.

He shrugged, a little self-consciously.

“So what happened today?” she searched his body language for what he might be feeling.

“Nothing, just the normal stuff.” His voice and body was seeping anxiety.

She paused for a moment and said “I wish you trusted me.” She worked at making her voice sound disheartened.

She knew it was a low blow. Moreover that it wasn’t true, but she had to get him to open up somehow and it was a tried and true gambit.

“I Do trust you!” his voice was full of earnest sincerity.

She rubbed his shoulder and squeezed him closer to her. He didn’t make any protests.

“I know you do, it’s just I can tell you are really upset right now and you won’t tell me why.” She felt bad for manipulating him like this, but it was for a good cause and she only had his best interest at heart.

Simon was defeated, he loved his aunt, and if telling her what happened was the only way to prove it then he would do so.

“Today at school I got a C- in pre-calculus,” his voice sounded hollow, even to himself.

“I’m sorry Honey.” Her voice was comforting, but it only acted to anger him.

“Well you’re the only one! When Dad found out he went berserk, told me my life was going to shit, that I wasn’t going to get into any college with grades like mine!”

His voice was getting louder by the second but she held fast, knowing he needed to let it out.

“Told me that it’s because I never work at anything and ‘life isn’t a Fucking carnival Simon.’ I study my ass off every night; most of my friends are out hanging-out. Not me though! No, I’m stuck in my room listening to what a worthless piece of shit I am!” he was on the brink of tears.

“And my mother is just such a Fucking treat, never lifting a finger to defend me, never saying that I do work hard. Never…. Never even once, saying that I am doing a good job!”

Beth couldn’t stand it anymore. She grabbed him with her other hand and pressed his face into the base of her neck. He fought it at first but relented, trying with all his might to keep the tears at bay.

She couldn’t believe things had gotten that bad. It was worse than she had ever suspected. She didn’t think Jordan was beyond such asinine behavior, but she never thought her sister would let something like that go on.

Simon had sagged and was now leaning his head in between the crook of her arm and left breast. They were very close and she could feel Simon getting ahold of himself. She just sat there, running her fingers through his hair and making quieting noises to him.

After a few minutes Simon slowly raised himself up. She was glad that he was feeling more under control, but sad that the moment of closeness had ended.

He looked her full in the face and said “See, I trust you.” His words were accusatory and filled with the hurt he had been consumed by.

The statement tore at her heart. “I know you do honey.”

“I know you do.” She was still rubbing his back.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He was wiping his face. Now that he was coming more firmly back to reality he felt ashamed of his cruel words.

“I deserved it.” She felt truly awful for delivering him to such painful emotions at the behest of such a cruel ploy.

“I love you Aunt Beth, that wasn’t fair to say to you.” His voice was almost back to normal.

“Would you just lean on me… just for a moment more?” she desperately wanted a moment of trust and understanding to wash away the ugliness that had just transpired.

He didn’t answer but leaned down so they were cuddling next into each other.

“I need to get going soon.” His voice sounded sad.

“No!” she felt a flash of anger at the thought of delivering him back to his parent’s house.

“I mean, it’s Friday, and you don’t have school tomorrow.” She leveled out her voice,

“I have a lot of stuff to do around the house tomorrow and I will be damned if I’ll let free labor wander off.”

“What about my parents?” his voice sounded hopeful.

“I will give your mother a call. Besides, you haven’t slept over here in a long time; I miss those late night sleep-overs.”

“OK.” His voice was enthusiastic now.

“And tomorrow I will get this place fit for a queen!” he looked to her and beamed.

She couldn’t help but smile back “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“So now what?”

“I will call your mother and I don’t know about you, but I feel like watching a movie. Maybe we will see what’s on Netflix and just veg.”

“Sounds awesome! I should study for a while though.”

“For tonight, forget the studying, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.”

He smiled broadly. “Sounds amazing! Just a night of hanging out with the prettiest woman I know!”

She couldn’t help but smile at his brazen complement.

Beth called her sister and informed her, in a less than cordial tone, that Simon was spending the night and would be spending the next day doing odd jobs for her. Her sister didn’t put up much protest at hearing the strangely cold tone Beth was using.

“Well, sounds like he will be kept well in hand then.”

“Yes, he will.”

“Fine, thank you for the call.” She hung up.

Beth wanted to strangle her sister, but she knew that such an action wouldn’t help anyone. He took a moment to collect herself and go back into the living room. Simon had found a schlocky action movie and immediately began trying to sell her on it. She turned her full attention to Simon.

“Fine, but I get to talk through the movie” she loved to critique the awful movies Simon loved to watch.

“You do that anyway?” he was smiling at her, pleased that he was going to get his way.

They spent the remainder of the day watching movies and joking to each other about the assorted movies. Soon the day was spent and Beth was almost ready for bed.

They were in the middle of an angsty teen movie she hadn’t really been paying attention to. It was nearly unwatchable but Simon liked it and they were going to bed soon anyway.

“Hey Simon, have you lost your virginity yet?” she knew it was a good line to make him blush himself right off to bed.

“No… I haven’t even French kissed a girl.” His voice was regretful but had almost no trace of shyness. This was very new?

“Really? Well don’t’ feel bad, it will happen when it happens.” She was astounded that he would face the subject so openly with her.

“Yeah, I almost got to French kiss at a football game, but I was way to nerves and chickened out.” He turned to her, looking for her to continue the conversation.

She was dumbfounded. Simon usually blushed profusely at any hint of sexually aimed questions. Now he was openly pursuing the subject?

“Sorry to hear that…” her voice was suspicious.

“Yeah, I think you met her, she’s Zoe. You know, we’re dating now actually.”

She did know the girl; she was a spoiled bitch and had always rubbed Beth the wrong way. She was oddly glad that Simon hadn’t yet been very intimate with her.

“Yes. I seem to recall, she’s a very nice girl.” Her voice was still suspicious.

He abandoned any presence of watch the movie now. “Yeah, she’s really awesome but, I don’t know, we always seem to end up fighting?”

“Yeah… Just the way things go sometimes.” She was entertaining the idea that Simon had suffered micro stroke in the last five minutes.

“Hey Aunt Beth, why don’t you have a husband?” his voice was innocent enough.

“How is that your business young man.” She regretted her snap words the moment she said them. She could see Simon withering into shame before her eyes.

“Sorry honey, that’s just a tender subject.” Her voice was apologetic.

He turned away from her “Its fine, I didn’t mean to pry.” He sounded hurt by her rebuff.

She sighed “I wanted to concentrate on being a good mother. Now that I’m 42 and counting, there aren’t a lot of men that are looking to marry someone like me.”

He turned back to her, tentatively asking “What are you like that a man wouldn’t want?”

She felt naked before his open curiosity, but felt that she would do more harm than good by rebuffing him further.

“Well, basically I’m not a twenty year old playboy centerfold.” Her words had bitterness to them that she didn’t expect.

He looked blankly back “Yeah you are? I mean you aren’t twenty, but you are really pretty.” His voice still had that almost innocent quality that she found disarming.

He couldn’t understand why his aunt wasn’t the center of attention to every man she met. She was incredibly alluring, with her curvy, full body and she was about the nicest person he had ever met. It didn’t make sense that she wouldn’t be an object of lust for everyone she met.

“How long has it been sense you’ve had a boyfriend?” he knew he was pushing his luck, still he was very curious.

She paused for a moment “I haven’t really had a boyfriend sense Thomas was born.” Her words let him know he had reached the end of the rope.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you. I think it’s really awesome that you worked so hard to give Thomas a good childhood.”

“I know you mean well honey, it’s just a sore subject, like I said.” She left it at that.

They sat in silence for a moment before Simon worked up the courage to ask what he wanted to ask.

“Could you teach me?” his stomach was doing cartwheels.

“How’s that Honey?” she didn’t seem to understand.

“Could you… Could you teach me how to… French kiss?” he felt sick with nerves, but kept going in spite of himself.

She looked at him for a moment before answering “Why would you ask that?” her voice was incredulous and shocked.

In that moment Simon hadn’t seen anyone more beautiful, it gave him the courage to press on with his insane request.

“You’re the only one I have ever opened up too, the way I feel around you… Its different from anyone else I have ever been with…. I love you.”

Beth was struck speechless.

“Aunt Beth, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Your hair, your eyes, and well, everything! I love you more than anyone else in the world and… I feel safe with you.” He was laying his heart bare to her and hoping for a miracle.

She couldn’t think, what he was saying was insane.

He took her hand in his. “I know it’s not a normal thing, but its how I feel. Don’t you feel the same way, even a little?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She bit her lip “Honey, I think you have it wrong. I love you very much, but only as a Nephew.” Her voice sounded like a person trying to find their way back to familiar ground.

He leaned into her. “Isn’t it hard not having anyone to be with? I know it is for me.”

Her mind was flooded with the years away from male companionship, and now the crushing feeling of losing her only son.

He leaned into her. He cupped his had around the base of her face. She felt tears in her eyes.

“I can be what you need Aunt Beth, anything you need me to be.” He was past the point of no return and knew it.

She whispered “I love you but…”

He took his chance; he pressed his lips to hers, pressing and molding her mouth to his. He was surprised when she raped her right hand around the back of his neck, pressing him in all the harder.

They kissed like that for a moment, then again and again. Her lips were moist and he could feel her breath on his face whenever they broke.

She raped her left hand around his ass and urged him onward. It was her tongue that darted agents his lips first. He felt it and was confused for a moment, then realizing what it was, opened his mouth without resistance to her, he used his tongue to meet hers in the middle. He wasn’t sure what to do and instead focused on tasting and feeling his aunt’s tongue and mouth.

Beth was on fire; she was past all reason and was now kissing her own nephew. She didn’t care; Simon loved her and was devoted to her. He wanted to be the man in her life and she didn’t care that it was wrong. She was all Simon had, why shouldn’t she take him as her own?

She spurred him on with her tongue, using her grip on his ass to push him on top of her. Simon slowly rose on top of her until he was bearing down on her. She broke the kiss and tightened her grip on the back of his neck to force him to look at her.

“You love me don’t you Simon!” her loins were on fire.

“Yes!” his face was flush and his penis felt like it might burst right there.

“You will be my man, won’t you?”

“Yes!” he leaned in for another kiss but she stopped him.

“And you won’t leave will you!” she stared into his eyes, eyes that were mirrors of her own.

“Never.” He leaned down again, this time she let him.

His tongue moved into her mouth and danced with hers, it was rapture and he couldn’t believe it was actually happening. His hands moved down to start to remove her shirt but she stopped him.

If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. She would train and teach her nephew to be her perfect man. It was crazy and if anyone found out there lives would be over. Still, she knew that Simon could be the answer to all her problems and she his. Now into madness it was worth the risk, she wanted it more than anything she had ever wanted before.

“Stop Simon, don’t do that.” Her voice was husky.

He looked confused and a little scared “But I thought…”

“And you are right,” her words flowed like silk.

“But you asked me to teach you. Well, I will; I am going to teach you everything there is to know.”

He still was confused but wasn’t about to disobey her.

“It’s time for you to go to bed Simon, tomorrow we will start our lesions.”

He looked disappointed and searched her eyes for a way to stay. Finding nothing he got up and moved to go to the spare room.

“Wait Simon.” She was drinking in the sight of him.

“I want to clean those clothes tonight.” She gave him a wicked look. ”Take them off.”

He wasn’t sure what this meant but wasn’t about to argue with her. He removed the polo and gave her a questioning look. She gave him an encouraging look and he started to remove his pants. As he did she moved to stand behind him, moving her hands over his chest and working their way down. One hand found his left nipple and the other moved under his underwear.

Simon had to remind himself to breath as her hand slowly found and grasped his throbbing shaft. She started to nibble on his ear and tweak his nipple. He leaned into her, spreading his hips and drinking in the sharp ecstasy of her hands.

They stayed like that for several sweet minutes. She breathed into his ear “Hmm yes, very dirty indeed.” She was working his penis in a slow steady rhythm.

“What?” His mind was far too preoccupied to understand her cryptic sentence.

“Your clothes. They must be very dirty.” She gave his nipple a hard tweak.

He moaned involuntarily.

“Why?” he breathed.

She lifted her hand from his manhood and raised it to his face. “Spit.”

He didn’t move. “Into my hand Simon. You need to spit into my hand.”

“Why would…” she forced her hand into his mouth, grabbing ahold of his tongue and twisting her hand around in his mouth.

“Your clothes are dirty because you’ve been getting dirty thoughts on them.” She removed her hand from his mouth and resumed her strokes with her newly slickened hand.

He moaned again. “Next time I will just spit.” He was ready to burst, it wouldn’t last long.

She continued her ear nibbling and whispered “No, I liked my way much better.” She could feel his penis swelling for the climax.

She stopped her stroking and kissed his shoulder. “Sleep well Simon” she added in a mischievous lilt “And remember, if you touch yourself you’ll go blind.” She moved like a shadow from the room and was gone before he had time to realize her trick.

He looked around, realizing she wasn’t there his body sagged.

“God damn it!” his penis felt like steel, but was beginning to relent to the rooms emptiness.

He moved to the spare room and sat on the bed, his mind was a whirlwind and he couldn’t fathom what he had just set into motion. He moved his hand to his shaft and started stroking absently, but his aunts parting words plagued his mind. The sweet warning to keep from pleasuring himself stuck in his mind, he fought the words for a moment or two, but couldn’t shake them. His hand fell to his side and his manhood started its slow descent into dormancy.

He got up to get under the covers. As he did he looked out of the window at the garden.

“Guess there’s more than one good thing about that garden after all.”

He slid into bed and went to sleep.