I make a pretty good living as a free-lance programmer. I sort-of specialize in writing assembly-language code for microcontrollers, and I'm damn good at what I do — the people I work for are always happy to give me a reference when I need one. That I'm able to meet tight deadlines, too, makes customers glad to pay my only slightly outrageous fees.
Because I can make the income I do, I've never had to go out and get a "real job"; I get to work from home, instead of slogging in to some beige corporate environment. Another benefit is that because I don't have to punch any kind of time clock, and my only job requirement is to deliver good code by the deadline, I'm free to work whatever schedule makes me happy… if I want to take a couple hours off to go play golf on a nice day, there isn't anybody to tell me "no". It also means that I've been able to get to know my neighbors pretty well. The couple in the place south of mine are a couple of retirees that aren't visited by their kids as much as they'd like, though they get to spend plenty of time with their grandkids. Every so often, they'll ask me to come over and deal with some technical issue that they can't figure out; stuff like programming numbers into their cell phones, or hooking things back up whenever she decides their TV/stereo stand has to be rearranged, and that kind of thing.
Across the street is a middle-aged couple that both have to work more time than they'd like to support their keep-up-with-the-Joneses lifestyle. They're a nice couple, and doing the best they can, but argue over money that they don't have, to pay for stuff that they don't need… or even really want.
To my north, a younger couple moved in a few years ago. Bill and Andrea Patterson were just a few years younger than me, with two daughters — Emma, then 3, and Gail, 2, both of them cuties. He was an office drone with some big company, worried about his job more than he should, and had to travel a lot. He made enough money that she didn't have to work, but she had a part-time job mostly for something to do after their girls started school. Bill was about my height, though a little heavy from not enough exercise, with dark hair and brown eyes. Andrea was a couple inches shorter, and somewhat slender, which made her bust look larger than it really was. With pale blond hair that she usually wore in a loose pony tail, and lovely blue eyes, she was always nice to look at. Them being close to my age, and living right next door, I got invited over for back yard cookouts and the like fairly often. In exchange, I gave their daughters permission to use my above-ground pool any time they liked, once they got old enough. They were well-behaved, and intelligent and vivacious enough that I actually didn't mind having them around; I'm usually not much on other people's kids. As a result, they grew up knowing me; I was even closer to them than some of their blood relatives.
All of that changed a couple of years ago when he told his wife that he'd met someone else, and wanted a divorce. She was heartbroken, and tried to find some way to salvage their marriage, but he didn't want any part of it. When she finally got the whole story from him, it turned out that he and one of the female execs at his company had been on a business trip and ended up spending more time together than was necessary. From there, things quickly escalated to the two of them having an affair; he wanted the divorce so that he could go live with his mistress. Realizing that she was fighting a lost cause, Andrea finally agreed.
Their divorce wasn't particularly nasty or vicious, but there was still a fair amount of upset and ill-will by the time it was done. I know, because Andrea would come over to cry on my shoulder… figuratively and literally. After Bill bailed out on her, Andrea didn't have anywhere near the financial resources she did before; she even had to get a regular full-time job to make ends meet, despite the alimony and child support she got from Bill. That meant that Emma and Gail weren't able to do the things that they wanted as much, either — which had them coming over to swim in my pool more than they had before. I said that both of them were cuties, and that was true when they were younger. But shortly after the divorce, first Emma, then Gail, hit puberty and started to grow up — and out. With them coming over to use the pool more often, I got more and better chances to appreciate their developing bodies, and how pretty both of them were getting. I've always thought that pubescent girls had an innocent beauty, and seeing the blond Emma and Gail starting to grow more womanly shapes didn't do anything to change my mind.
One of the things that developed before the divorce was that both of the girls knew that they could come over to my place if they needed help with something when their parents weren't home. It didn't happen very often, but there were still a few times that I'd go over to deal with an overly-aggressive spider or other bug, or they'd want to stay at my place for comfort and reassurance when there was a particularly enthusiastic thunderstorm going on.
After the divorce, with Andrea working full time, they gradually began to turn to me more and more. Not for dealing with bugs (Emma was quite capable and willing to dispatch them by that time), but more as a substitute father figure. I'd brought it up with Andrea, and while she wasn't happy about it, she realized that they needed SOME adult male figure in their lives after losing their father. She did tell me that if they ever got in the way of my work, or became nuisances, that I should send them home; otherwise, she was just grateful that I was willing to give them the attention they needed. I asked if there was any subject she needed or wanted me to stay away from with them, and she managed to give me a half-grin before answering "If you're asking that, then I think it would be a good idea if I said 'no'." I quickly assured her that neither of them had brought up anything special; that I was just trying to find out ahead of time. I could see that she was relieved, but she still told me "Even so, it still seems like a good idea for them to have someone I can trust to go to. I'm only going to ask that you let me know if anything comes up that you think I need to be aware of, and that you don't say anything bad about Bill — he's still their father, and he does get custody of them sometimes."
After I assured her that I'd be happy to comply with both requests, she just smiled and said
"Thanks, Gary. I appreciate that."
Several weeks after that conversation, Andrea came over one evening. Even though I was always glad to see her, I could tell that there was something on her mind as we idly chatted. I finally just came out and asked her "Andrea, I can tell that there's something going on with you tonight. You want to tell me what it is?"
Realizing that she'd been busted, Andrea blushed before telling me "My boss talked to me the other day, and told me that he'd like to promote me a level at work — but that he can't until I get this one certification; something I have to take care of on my own. I've checked around, and there's a place not too far away where I can get it. I've got the money to pay for getting there, and the test, and everything; there's just one problem that I can't seem to get around."
From the way she'd acted, and how she was telling me all that, I pretty much knew that I had to figure into whatever solution she'd come up with. "What is it?", I asked, "You know I'll help, if I can."
Somewhat nervously, she told me "There isn't any way I can take the test for the certification without spending at least ONE night away from home. Would… would you be okay with watching after Emma and Gail? For just one night? It could be here or at my place; either one would be fine with me, and I'd be glad to give you some money for a pizza or something so you didn't have to worry about feeding them. I know they wouldn't be any trouble, because both of them like you so much. And…"
Waving my hands in the air, I interrupted her to say "Sure, I can keep an eye on them for a night; that's not a problem. Don't worry about getting them fed, either. Go take your test and get certified for whatever, so you can get that promotion and start making a little more money. I know you have a hard time keeping up with everything, sometimes."
From the look on her face, I knew that she still thought she was asking me a big favor (she wasn't), and that she was grateful that I was willing to help her out that way. It didn't take us long to work out the details; I had only my bed at my place, so me going over to her house so the girls could sleep in their own beds was a no-brainer. I agreed to let Andrea cook supper for us before she left, so that all we'd have to do would be heat it up when we were hungry. Despite her assurances that it was fine for me to use her bed, I told her I'd just sleep on the couch, since it was easily large and comfortable enough for me. Emma and Gail would be informed in no uncertain terms that whatever I said was law until she got home, just to make sure they behaved themselves; I knew they would, anyway, but it made Andrea feel better to tell me that she'd say it. There were a couple of other things, but they were fairly trivial and easily dealt with. Andrea was going to call to make her appointment to take the test the next day; when she got home, she'd be able to tell me when I'd be pulling Substitute Parent duty.
We chatted a little bit longer before she told me that she needed to get home again. On her way out, she thanked me again (a couple of times) for agreeing to help her out.
She let me know the next evening that her appointment was for Tuesday of the following week.
That easily fit with what I had to do, and I reassured her that I'd be able to look after the girls without any problems.
The next time Emma and Gail came over, both of them were happy for their mother, and delighted that I was coming over to spend the night with them. I let them know that I was glad to keep them company, and that seemed to be all they needed to hear before they went out back to swim for a little while. I welcomed the opportunity to stay inside where I could watch them without being noticed, entranced by their lithe figures in the bikini swimsuits their mother let them wear. Both girls had small, but noticeable, busts (Emma's was naturally a trifle larger); and both of them had firm little asses that were a treat to watch. At their age (14 and 13, at that time), they still looked a little coltish with their long, slender legs — but that was part of their beauty, to me. As they splashed around in the cool water, I caught occasional glimpses of hard nipples denting the cups of their bikini tops.
They came over again a couple of days later, and I let them talk me into joining them in the pool.
A water fight gave me the opportunity to see that their suits weren't quite as opaque when wet; the bumps of hard nipples told me were to look for nipple colors — I couldn't see a color for Emma, and Gail's looked to be a dark pink. I couldn't see any indication of the color of their pubic hair, which suggested that they either didn't have any, or it was as blond as what was on their head — both choices appealed to me equally. A little later, we got into a dunking contest, which gave me the chance to get their nubile young bodies in my hands and arms as we tried to push each other under the surface. By the time we got out of the pool, I was actually looking forward to spending the evening with them…
When the fateful day arrived, Andrea came over to get me about an hour before she had to leave; that let her make sure I heard her tell them to behave themselves, and that they knew what their bed time was, and that they should go to bed just like they always did. The girls exchanged a look with each other at that, but I didn't think anything of it. Some time later, the cab Andrea needed showed up, and she left to catch the train that would take her the couple hundred miles to the town where her test was given. Emma and Gail wanted us to play a board game, but I told them that they needed to take care of their homework first. Andrea had told me that both of them had schoolwork to do almost every night, and I thought there was a pretty good chance that they'd try to get out of it without their mother there. The expressions on their faces told me that they'd tried to put one over on me, and it hadn't worked; with the admonishment that they needed to take care of school first, both went back to their rooms, leaving me alone to watch a little bit of television.
Not being much of a cook, I carefully followed the printed instructions Andrea had left for the casserole she'd made for us. My timing was almost perfect; the girls came into the kitchen to ask about supper just a couple of minutes before the timer went off, letting me know that the food was ready. Supper was casual, and informal; when it was over, both of them got up and quietly went about taking care of the dishes and leftovers. After they were done, I told them that I'd take both of them on in the board game they'd wanted to play. After Gail had beaten Emma, and thoroughly trounced me, the three of us sat in the living room to watch television. When their bed time came, both of them got up and let me know they were going to bed — and asked if it would be okay for them to kiss me good night. I said that it would, and they hurried back to their rooms to get ready for bed.
My attention was on the TV, so I didn't notice when they came back into the living room until one of them cleared her throat. When I turned toward them, I wasn't anywhere near ready for their appearance — all either of them had on was a (very!) brief pair of panties. No shirt, no top, no bra, nothing to conceal their breasts. After I managed to drag my eyes up to their faces, I asked "And just what do you think you're doing, coming in here like that?"
Emma just smiled, and told me "Mom said we should go to bed just like we always do — and this is it. Honest, you can even ask her when she gets back."
Gail calmly informed me "Besides, we saw how you were looking at us in your pool the other day, and we thought you'd like to see what we look like.", followed by Emma's nod of agreement.
Somehow, I didn't doubt that that was exactly how they "dressed" for bed each night. With Gail's invitation that I could look at them, I did just that.
As I'd thought, Emma's bust was a bit larger than her sister's — but not by a whole lot. Her areolas were just a trifle darker than her skin, which easily explained why I hadn't been able to see them through her bikini top. Each was about the diameter of a nickle, and sported a nipple that was perhaps a quarter of an inch across, and the same high. Her breasts were each roughly the size of half an orange, and rounded. When I looked at Gail, I saw that her areolas were rose pink, and slightly puffy, with nipples that were perhaps the size of a Navy bean. Her breasts were a bit larger than half a tennis ball, and more conical than rounded. I couldn't see a mark or blemish on either girl, and their skin looked like pale pink porcelain, it was so fine and delicate in appearance. My eyes dropped to their panties, and I saw that both pairs were sheer enough to let me see that each girl had small, sparse patch of hair only marginally darker than what was on her head.
After I'd done my best to memorize the sight of them, I told them "You're lovely — both of you.
Thank you for letting me see you like this, though your mom would have a conniption if she ever found out you did it. Now, off to bed for you both."
First Gail, then Emma, stepped forward to give me a kiss on the cheek before turning and walking back toward their rooms — giving me the pleasure of watching their lovely little butts as they moved away from me.
Once they were gone, I sat back on the couch again and started wondering what had prompted them to give me that little show. Yes, Gail had said they thought I'd like to see what they looked like; and yes, Emma had said that was how they always went to bed — but I didn't think for even a moment that they didn't know what Andrea had meant about them going to bed, or that there wasn't something more involved than just letting me look at them.
For the rest of the evening, I couldn't figure out what was going on with them. But by the time I was ready to go to bed, I'd decided that I was not only willing to accept whatever they offered, but even see how far I could get them to go with it.
Both girls turned up fully dressed for breakfast the next morning, and after they'd left for school, I went back to my place to work. Andrea got home late that afternoon, and came over to collect the girls, who had come to my house after school. I didn't have any trouble convincing her that they hadn't been any trouble at all, which pleased all three of them. Andrea told me that she'd passed the test, and would have her certification within a week — and then hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, thanking me for helping her get it by watching out for her daughters.
While she wasn't movie star material, Andrea was still attractive and had a nice shape, so I was glad to be able to hug her back. When she'd released me, she told me that I was invited over the following Sunday for a special meal to thank me. I told her it wasn't necessary, but gave in when she insisted.
Emma and Gail both came over to use the pool on Saturday, and after they'd been in the back yard for a little while, I went out to check on them. Both told me how happy their mom was to have been able to take the test, and that her boss had promised her a promotion by the end of the month.
As we were chatting, I make a point of letting both of them see me looking them over; after a bit, I casually commented "After I stayed with you the other night, and the way you came in to kiss me good night, I thought you'd be letting me look at you more."
Gail asked what I meant, and I told her "After you let me see you like that once, it isn't like you've got to hide yourselves, or anything. And I told you that I thought you were both lovely, so you don't have to worry that I won't like how you look, either. I guess you're not as grown up as I thought you were, after that."
Both of them looked at me for a few seconds before Emma asked "You… you really liked how we looked? You didn't think our boobs are too small, or anything?"
"Of course I liked how you looked — didn't I tell you that? And no, I don't think your boobs are too small. As a matter of fact, I think they're very nice — both of you."
Gail hesitantly told me "We weren't sure you really meant it when you said we were lovely; we thought maybe you were just saying that to make us feel good, or so we'd go away."
When she was done, Emma asked "It's really okay with you if we show you our boobs again?"
I answered them by saying "I think you know that I have never lied to you" — both nodded, because I hadn't — "so why would I say something like that if I didn't mean it? It's certainly okay with me if you want to show me your boobs, if that's what you want to do. I think both of you are very pretty, and your breasts are nice to look at. Even if you wanted to just go around topless over here, it would be okay with me. But it's up to you whether you think you're mature enough to do that or not, of course." With the tall privacy fence around the back yard, nobody was going to be able to see the relatively secluded corner where the pool was.
As I figured, the suggestion that only mature people would be agreeable to going topless hit them in a sensitive spot; one of the things I'd learned over the years was that pubescent girls almost always want to believe they're more mature and adult than they really are.
But I changed the subject to something else, and we chatted for another few minutes; when their was a lull in the conversation, Emma looked at me, then her sister, before reaching back and unfastening the top of her bikini — then removed it and set it aside. A few moments later, Gail did the same thing, leaving me sitting there with clear views of two pairs of firm young mammaries. I didn't make any big deal out of what they'd done, however. I just smiled at both of them, then went back to talking to them as though half-naked teenyboppers was something I saw every day. After a bit, both of them stopped looking quite as nervous; by the time I had to go back to work, they were as calm and relaxed as they could be. Inside my house, I looked out at them and watched as they decided to go for another dip in the pool — without bothering to put their tops back on.
I checked on them a few more times while they were at my place, and they didn't put the tops of their suits back on until right before they went home.
The next time Gail and Emma came over, they were on their own in the back yard; I was busy with a tricky bit of code I was working on. When they first showed up, I noticed that both kept their bikini tops on; but when I looked at them a little later, both had opted to shed them, to my pleasure.
When I went out to check on them, both looked a trifle nervous at first, but when I didn't stare or say anything, they settled down again quickly enough.