Best Laid Plans: A Summer Camp Swingers Novel

My eyebrows shot up.

“You aren’t the only one who likes to look.”

“Well, look but don’t touch.”

“Says who?” she teased.

“The rules.”

“The ones you said are made to be broken?”

“Yes, those rules. Now, quit teasing me if you aren’t going to do anything about it.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a grin. “I know I shouldn’t. But… you’re so much fun to tease.”

“Well, I’m also a man who hasn’t had sex—real sex—in months.”

“But Christy takes care of you in other ways, right? I mean— I thought—”

“She does, but it isn’t the same.”

“I know, honey. And I’m sorry. I’ll quit teasing you.”

“Thanks. I’ll survive till I see her, but still… Let’s not tempt fate.”

“Um… no.”

The garage had a side door that opened onto the backyard, so I didn’t have to put on clothes and leave the privacy of the fence to fetch more mulch. I loaded the wheelbarrow and trundled it toward the back fence.

We set to work dumping and spreading bags. It wasn’t difficult, but it took concentration, especially if we wanted to avoid cuts and scrapes from the vegetation. Still, I managed to enjoy the sight of Mom working nude, and I caught her stealing glances at me every once in a while. My dick never grew to its full length, but I was semi-aroused the entire time, which she must have noticed.

“I don’t know about you,” she said as she raked a last bit of mulch around a shrub, “but I’m done. The new plants will keep until tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” I glanced at my watch. “We still have a couple of hours of daylight.”

She shook her head. “I’m bushed. I want a shower and a cold drink, in that order.”

I wiped sweat from my brow and didn’t care if I left a smudge. “Sounds good to me.”

She started to take off her gloves, but then stopped and looked guilty.

“What?”

“Your shower. It’s still full of houseplants. I can move them and clean the potting soil—”

I waved away the offer. “I’ll shower in your bathroom, if that’s okay.”

“You want to go first?”

“Nah. You go ahead. I’ll have a drink and then a shower.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter 6

I grabbed a Coke and held the cold can against my forehead. It felt good for a moment, but I wanted the liquid more than the cool, so I popped the top and drained half of it in one long pull. The fizzy cola bit the back of my throat, but I emptied the rest in a few gulps. Then I crushed the can and covered a belch. I took another from the fridge and drank more slowly.

I hadn’t bothered to put on clothes, since I was going to shower in a few minutes. I’d taken off my shoes and socks, though, and my feet were shockingly white below the grime on my legs. The rest of me was covered in a mixture of dirt, sweat, and sunscreen. Even my penis had a smudge of dirt on it, although I couldn’t remember touching it.

I replayed the afternoon and tried to decide if Mom had been flirting for real. Teasing was one thing—we’d both done plenty of that—but I kept telling myself I was reading too much into her innuendos and suggestions. Our family had long-established rules about no contact between parents and children, although Erin and I weren’t kids anymore. We were both grown-ups, and my mom knew it.

So, why was she flirting with me if she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—follow through? I pondered the question and then asked myself another: what if she wanted to change the rules? A fantasy was fun, but it didn’t affect anyone else. Reality could get messy. That had always been her main objection to us having sex: it would change our relationship.

But our relationship has changed, I reminded myself.

I’d been living on my own for a while. I still came home to visit, but that was all it was, a visit. I didn’t even think of it as “home” most of the time, especially since I didn’t have my own bedroom anymore. But while the sleeping arrangements had changed, our relationship hadn’t, and she was still my mother. Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d been flirting with me for real.

So, what if I were right? What then? Would I break the rules? Would she? Or would we just bend them? And if we did, how far would we go?

“This is crazy,” I said aloud. I was overthinking things, especially about something that probably wouldn’t happen anyway.

Still… what if it did?

“Yeah, right.” I laughed at my own wishful thinking.

After a moment I crumpled my empty can and threw it in the trash. Then I ducked into the guest bedroom to grab my toiletry kit before I headed to the back. The master bedroom door was open as well as the one to the bathroom.

Mom smiled when she saw me. She had a towel wrapped around her torso and another around her head. Part of me sighed with relief. If she really wanted to do more than flirt, she’d have been nude. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, although I shook it off and smiled in reply.

“My turn?” I said.

“Sure.” Her face and shoulders were still pink from the shower. “Although… you might want to wait for more hot water. I used it all. Sorry.”