Best Laid Plans: A Summer Camp Swingers Novel

We went to Lenox Square Mall and did more window shopping than anything, although I bought myself a couple of new shirts and ties. We ate lunch and chatted about mundane things before we meandered around the mall again. She bought a few things for the house and I splurged on a present for Christy, a pair of aquamarine earrings that matched her eyes. (Okay, maybe I was feeling guilty).

I checked my watch as we left the jewelry store.

Mom saw the gesture and did the same. “Two thirty! Oh my God, we have to go!”

We made it home before three, but Mom still rushed into the house and disappeared into her bedroom. When she emerged about an hour later, she looked like something out of a magazine. She’d curled and styled her hair and wore more makeup than usual, but the effect was sexy instead of garish.

Her outfit was the real surprise: a sexy flight attendant’s uniform. The blazer accentuated her curves, while the skirt barely reached the tops of her thighs. She wore a shelf bra that exposed her nipples through the sheer blouse, and she’d rounded out the costume with a garter belt, stockings, and fuck-me heels.

“Wow,” I said at last. “Just… wow.”

“Do I look okay?”

“You look amazing!”

She glanced at her watch and then looked panicked. “Will you put some beer in the fridge? I forgot.”

“Relax, Mom. Dad isn’t going to complain about warm beer. Not when he sees you like that.”

“Do I really look okay?”

“Look at it this way, if he’s a few minutes late, you won’t have to worry about your outfit.”

She wasn’t paying attention and didn’t catch my meaning. Her brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because it’ll be on the floor and I’ll be fucking you.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. Then she touched my cheek and sat on the couch. She crossed her legs demurely, but I caught a flash of light brown bush and pink lips as she did.

We made small talk as we waited, but she wasn’t really paying attention. The minutes ticked by, and she checked her watch again at four thirty. I didn’t think she’d make it to five o’clock, but she did, although she jumped when the phone rang. I answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Paul, it’s your dad. Is your mom there? Never mind. Of course she is. Just tell her that we landed okay. Bad thunderstorms from here to the Midwest. We’re just getting the edge of it. Tennessee and Kentucky are getting hammered. But we’re down safe, and I’ll be home in about an hour.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her.”

We said goodbye and I relayed the message.

Mom relaxed visibly. “I hate the weather,” she said after a moment. “I never worry about anything else, not even other women. But the weather…” She stared out the window at the steady downpour and said absently, “At least it isn’t the North Vietnamese.” She took a deep breath and managed a smile.

We watched TV for a while and finally heard the sound of the garage door about six thirty. Mom leapt to her feet and checked her outfit.

“You look great,” I said. Then I smoothed my own shirt and khakis. I wasn’t trying to make the same impression that she was, but I wanted to look nice for my father.

He appeared in the kitchen a minute later. He’d ditched his raincoat in the garage, but his suitcase and bulky Jepps case were both wet. He set the bags on the linoleum and took off his peaked uniform cap.

“Hi,” he said to Mom, who rushed into his arms like a scene from a movie.

“I was so worried,” she said as she hugged him tight.

“Piece o’ cake,” he said. “Just a little rain.” He nodded a greeting over her head, and I returned it before he shifted his attention back to her. “Let me take a look at you.” He held her at arm’s length and made a point of admiring her. Then he reached into her blazer and traced a finger over her nipple.

“You’ve been home five minutes,” she said, “and that’s all you can think about?”

“What’ve you been thinking about?”

“If you were okay!”

He laughed and lifted her chin. “Who’s the best pilot you know?”

“You.”

“See? Besides, nothing’s going to happen to me. Not with you to come home to. Seriously, babe, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” He chuckled. “And other parts.”

She rolled her eyes, but his attitude was infectious.

“But first,” he said, “what’s a guy have to do to get a cold beer around here?”

Mom jumped as though she’d been pinched. “Damn! I forgot again!” She fetched one from the fridge.

He popped the top and took a long pull. “That’s nice. Now, how’s about some hot action?” He set the beer on the counter and made a show of unzipping his fly. “After all, we know where this is going to end up.”

Mom tried to look demure but couldn’t manage it. Instead, she almost vibrated with desire and sexual tension. She’d been worried about him, true, but now he was home safe, and she’d been horny all day.

“Well,” she said at last, “if you insist.”

“That’s more like it.”