The day had turned cold, a gray blanket of high fog having draped the Big Sur coast with pale light, and Linda's depression had gotten steadily worse. She had slept late, staying in bed as long as possible without arousing suspicion, yet she still had to face her son, so had feigned a headache to hide her uneasiness.
She had kept conversation to a minimum, and Rick had been sympathetic, promising to stay out of her hair if that would help. Her ploy had worked, and she was able to get Rick to deliver a new message to Valerie Boyd. She was to spend the day resting, and if Valerie had no other plans that evening, she would be glad to visit with her then. Linda had reasoned that she would have the day to pull herself together, although it didn't quite work out that way.
It was four in the afternoon, and Linda was making her third pot of coffee when Rick came back to the cabin with Karen. She was in the kitchen and didn't hear them come in at first.
"Mom…? Oh, there you are!"
"Hi…" Linda felt her face heat up and redden with embarrassment. "Hello, Karen." She hadn't expected Rick to bring the Boyd girl with him, and she felt it impossible to conceal her uneasiness.
"Hi, Mrs. Hall. Are you feeling better?" Karen said, a tone of real concern in her voice.
"Yes, thank you," Linda answered as she turned away, diverting her attention to the coffee pot. Why had Rick brought Karen? Were they planning to stay? She wanted so much to be left alone, to escape the terrible thoughts that had been plaguing her all day. "I'm making some coffee… Do you want some?" She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"If it's all right with you, we're going out, Mom," Rick answered. "We wanted to stop by and see how you're getting along… And, well…" He stopped, looking to his girlfriend for the rest.
"I'm just fine, dear. Don't let my silly headache spoil your weekend!" Linda was serious, and she felt bad enough for having to lie. She did want her son to have a good time, even if it involved sex with Karen. It was too late to undo that!
Rick started again, "Oh, about Mrs. Boyd… I gave her your message, and she said she was very anxious to see you. She's coming here at six… Said she wanted to take you out to dinner… If you're up to it…" There was more, but he would let that wait for Valerie Boyd to tell the rest.
"Mom said she knows just the thing for your headache, Mrs. Hall," Karen jumped in, a pert smile on her pretty face. Then she nudged Rick, indicating they should go.
"That's sweet of her to be so concerned. Rick, I think you must have made too much out of nothing. My headache is practically gone, really!" She wanted to dismiss the idea that she needed care, but there was obviously no point in making excuses to the children. She would find a way of declining dinner with Valerie later.
Linda poured out a cup of coffee for herself and, holding it like a prop in front of her, she motioned with her other hand toward the front door. "You kids go on and have a good time… And stop worrying about me." She hoped her performance was convincing, that they couldn't see through her and know what was really troubling her mind.
"O.K., Mom," Rick said as he took Karen by the arm, leading her toward the front door. "Mrs. Boyd will be here in a couple of hours… You've been alone long enough today," he added sounding more like a parent than a son.
"Nice seeing you again, Mrs. Hall," Karen said at the door, and she hurried out in front of Rick.
"See you, Mom."
Linda waved and watched Rick close the door behind him, her mind once again replaying the scene she had witnessed between him and Karen. Yet, it didn't trouble her nearly as much as what had followed, and she wondered if she was making more out of it than she should.
She had known from the first day she had met Valerie that the Boyd woman was different in her attitudes than herself. So seeing her in such a compromising position last night really shouldn't have been that surprising, but Linda didn't want to face the simple fact that it wasn't Valerie's performance that bothered her. It was what she herself, had done, staying there in the woods and watching the lewd sex act until her own body had become like that of a wanton whore. It wasn't so much Valerie she found difficult to face; it was herself.
To make matters worse, from the moment she had awakened that morning, she was unable to control a demanding itch – a heated need for sexual release – in her loins; and it was this failure of mind over body that had made her depressed. She had wanted to finger fuck and caress again, as she had done the night before; and it had taken all of her willpower all day long to keep from succumbing to the urge. She almost believed that Valerie's presence that evening would be a relief, and going out to dinner with her might actually be good.
Linda sat down and sipped her coffee, forcing herself to not look at her watch. The time was moving too slowly, had been all day, and checking the time every few minutes didn't help. She thought to make the day go faster by thinking up excuses for declining Valerie's invitation out to dinner, but in the back of her mind she actually was talking herself into going. Maybe she could even get into a serious discussion with Valerie, confide in her, and get some of the answers she wanted to hear? Valerie might tell her she had no reason to be afraid of men, that men were not the brutes that she believed them to be… and yet… thinking about the two men with Valerie, Linda knew they had to be animals. And she was not that kind of person, she was not the type who would enjoy being raped by a drunken sailor, or take pleasure out of lewd and indecent acts! Or was she?
Gulping down the remainder of her coffee, Linda looked at her watch knowing she dared not sit and think another moment. It was becoming a losing battle, and she would simply have to put it out of her mind. It was four-thirty, which left her an hour and a half to get ready before Valerie was due. The way she felt, that really wasn't much time.
Getting up, she went into the bedroom, wondering what to wear for the evening. She had no idea what kind of dress was required in a tourist area like Big Sur, nor for that matter what kind of restaurant Valerie had in mind. She decided she would simply have to wear the nicest thing she brought, a cocktail dress, and if that was too dressy, then it would be easy to change after Karen's mother arrived.
She took the dress out of the closet and then began taking off her clothes, stripping in a hurry. When she nakedly walked into the bathroom and reached into the shower stall to turn on the water, Linda caught a momentary glimpse of her reflection in the mirror out of the corner of her eye. Automatically, the young mother began wondering how her body might compare with Valerie's; and, at that moment, her curiosity won out. It shamed her to admit it, but the voluptuous ripeness she saw reflected in the mirror made her feel very proud, for she had a far better figure than Valerie. Was that possible? She studied the image before her. Yes, it was true! There was a sensual softness to the rounding of her curves and her breasts were like two ripe melons seen in the moonlight. Her stomach was firm and her waist small. Her buttocks jutted out in two firmly rounded identical moons and her stomach, seen in the mirror, swooped down to her sparse blonde pubic hair which was wispy and soft.
Her thighs and legs were perfect, like the shapely legs of a thoroughbred showgirl. Naked, she was sexy and desirable, there was no question about it! Her face? And eyes? She turned away from the mirror, damning herself for the carnal thoughts that seemed to stream uncontrollably through her brain. What had gotten into her?
Steam was rising from the shower stall, and she reached in, turning the cold water faucet to adjust the temperature to a cooler level than she normally set. She had to do something about her thoughts, and a cold shower was one possible solution. But it didn't help, as the touch of the needle-like spray against her naked body seemed like a thousand tiny fingers stimulating her nerves. And for the hundredth time that day, she thought about Valerie, bending nakedly over the table, legs so wide apart, with that man, Ray, wetly licking his long tongue around and up inside her pinkly quivering cunt. Linda wanted to touch herself and think about how Ray's tongue would feel against her own moist pussy.
"God!" she yelled out loud. She made the water colder still and hurried to wash herself, but despite the coolness of the water, she was perspiring when she stepped out of the shower.
She toweled herself vigorously, then ran into the bedroom to get dressed, and while she pulled on her clothes and brushed her hair and put on a touch of make-up, she gave serious thought to her earlier idea. Maybe, if she had a couple of drinks to loosen her up, perhaps she could find the courage to talk to Valerie about her problem. She would have to be careful not to give herself away, but she thought there was a chance that the more experienced woman would somehow be understanding. And at the very least, Linda needed some excuse to justify and retrench the feelings she'd kept for so many years. A talk with Valerie should reaffirm her own opinion of men; that they are nothing more than brutes and animals, out to humiliate and debase women. When the young mother sat down in the living room twenty minutes later to await Valerie's arrival, she didn't even consider the possibility that a talk could have the opposite effect… and prove her long cherished opinions wrong… horribly wrong.