A Phone Call Can Change a Lifetime Pt. 01

Graham droned on about how sorry he was--babbling monotonously about the conference's unexpected extension and how he was just as disappointed as she was that it had happened; again. However, Mia Marlow had become indifferent to all his usual bullshit at this point in their marriage. This conference was the fifth of the year to suffer the same fate. "It was only the second of June," she thought. Surely he realises he's pushing his luck?

Mia was not an unreasonable woman. She knew it was well within the realm of possibility for a conference extension to occur. Business deals needed finalising; these conferences were the perfect forum. Mia had always known how vital Graham's work was to him. She'd seen him grow his company from a three-staff closet in a strip mall to a multi-state entity on the Dow Jones. However, this was the latest in a long list of conferences her husband had attended, resulting in Mia receiving the same phone call. Most people would shrug it off and say, "it is what it is" unfortunately for Mia, she knew the truth. And that made it all the more annoying.

Mia had known to expect her husband's call. Around midday on the second day, like clockwork, Graham would call from the conference with the 'unfortunate' news. Graham could sell sand to the nomads of the Sahara. He was a slick, intelligent man who could think on his feet. However, when it came to this, Graham had become terribly predictable. After hearing the speech many times, Mia learned to preempt what he would say word-for-word. "Hi, Honey. Listen. There are some massive players at this thing. We're making some great progress and want to keep the conversation going, you know. So, we've decided to stay until mid-next week, Wednesday or maybe Thursday. You don't mind, do you? When I get back, I'll take you out someplace nice. Maybe a little bit of shopping; what do you say?"

Mia's reply had become automatic. "Sure, Graham, whatever you think is best." Like a child granted a few extra hours of playtime, Graham never listened to his wife's response, passed hearing that it was okay. He'd be happy to hang up the call and set about enjoying the extra couple of days away. If that's all it was, Mia wouldn't have minded. Mia understood; work hard to play hard. Except, since bumping into Bernie at the local store two years ago, she knew there was more to it.

Bernie was a nice middle-aged man who had worked with Graham for over ten years. Bernie wasn't in Graham's league regarding sales, but he was still one of the more senior players in the company, and the pair would travel the world together, cementing deals left and right. Bernie would play the kindly face cajoling clients, while Graham would swoop in and make the sale when they were ready. And that particular weekend wasn't any different. Graham called early in the morning to relay the sad news that he would have to stay for a few nights. Mia, the ever-faithful wife, was disappointed but supportive. Deciding to spend her evening watching television with a bottle of wine and some takeout, she was in the car park outside the Chinese when she bumped into Bernie.

Bernie recounted the weekend's events that led to him standing in front of Mia at that very moment. As it turned out, the organisers had called the conference off early due to poor attendance. Graham, Sandra and Bernie were all set to leave late on Saturday evening. However, only one seat remained, so Graham and Sandra had to wait for a later departure. Bernie even remarked about the standard of air travel these days. "The flight was almost empty too. I don't know how they make their money."

Once at home, Mia gave her conversation with Bernie little thought, half expecting Graham to walk through the door to surprise her, but he didn't. Waking on Sunday morning, Graham was still not home. Mia decided to call the hotel only to be told, "Sorry, you just missed them. Mr and Mrs Marlow have just left for their picnic. Would you like to leave a message?"

At first, Mia denied it as a fallacy, sure she was jumping to conclusions. She called Bernie again, inventing a story about tax returns and expenses. She asked about half a dozen previous conferences where Bernie had accompanied Graham. Mia held out hope for different outcomes. But after the fourth time hearing, "Yeah, Sandra told me there were no flights", or "Graham tried but just couldn't get extra seats for him and Sandra", or something similar, Mia resigned herself to the inevitable; Graham was cheating on her and had been for years.

"Honey? Honey?" Mia didn't answer. She just put the receiver down and continued staring out the window at the curious blue sedan that had just pulled into the driveway.

The two tall, broad-shouldered men clambered out and stretched. It had been a long day's drive, and they were both stiff and uncomfortable but glad to be at their final destination.

The blonde flicked his hair off his face and rolled his head from side to side, waiting for the inevitable and satisfying click of his vertebrae. The other, a brunette with short-cropped hair, proceeded to curl and uncurl his legs, trying to wake them up from hours of sedimentary driving.

"Cameron," The blonde said, "pop the trunk."

Cameron reached down to the steering column and pulled the release. The latch thunked, and the trunk bounced open. "Grab mine too. I best go and see...."

"Cameron!" The boy barely managed to straighten himself before an excited Mia flung herself at him. Cameron caught her in mid-air. She wrapped her legs around her son like a teenage girl welcoming her boyfriend home. Mia began to slip, and without warning, Cameron placed a hand on her backside to stay her descent.

"H--Hey, Mom," Cameron muttered through his mother's onslaught of kisses. Mia stopped momentarily and stared into her son's deep blue eyes before realising the position her over-exuberance had put her in. Releasing her legs and allowing herself to drop down to her feet, she blushed. Burying her head into Cameron's chest, she began to cry.

Not knowing what to do and feeling slightly embarrassed in front of his friend, Cameron pulled his mother close and hugged her tight. It wasn't long before Mia stifled her tears and looked at her startled son. "Cameron, I'm so sorry baby, it's just--it's." Mia didn't complete the sentence but pulled Cameron into another big hug, this time placing her cheek against his chest. She opened her eyes and stood there tightly wrapped in his arms. The tall blonde boy smiled at her politely, standing to the side with his hands behind his back.

"Hi, Mrs Marlow. I'm Brody. Cam and I play Varsity together." Brody quickly dropped his bag and reached out his hand. "I hope you don't mind. My folks are in Europe, and Cam said it would be okay."

Mia released her hug and looked up at Cameron, then back at Brody and back to Cameron. "I'm sorry, Mom. I wanted to surprise you, not upset you."

Mia's cheeks flushed red once more, and she hugged Cameron again. "Oh, Cameron, you didn't upset me. It was just so nice to see you and today of all days."

"Today of all days?" Cameron said as Mia pulled back again.

"Oh, nothing, Baby. Just that your timing's perfect." Mia stepped away from Cameron and turned to Brody. She glanced at his hand and back at his face. Brody began worrying that his gesture was too much until Mia spoke again. "Nope, not today," Mia said before taking four steps and closing the gap between her and Brody. She flung her arms out wide and wrapped them around his shoulders for a hug.

It caught Brody off guard and took him a few moments to react, but realising Cameron wasn't paying them any attention, Brody wrapped his long arms around her torso and pulled her tightly against his muscled chest. They stayed like that for more than the socially acceptable count of three, but neither seemed to mind.

"So," Mia said after letting go of Brody, "how long do I get the pleasure of you two men living under my roof?"

"Well," Cameron swayed back and forth awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "we were thinking about the Summer."

"What about the Summer?" Mia said, wearing an oblivious smile.

"All Summer, Mom," Cameron said. Seeing no change in his mother's expression, he added, "We were going to see about getting jobs down on the pier and working through until the new term. Brody hasn't anywhere else to be, so I thought it would be fun."

Mia's smile dropped as she glanced back and forth between Cameron and Brody. The boys began to look worried. Brody was starting to fidget on the spot. Looking at the two handsome young men before her, she couldn't keep a straight face any longer and burst into laughter. "Of course, you can, Baby. That's a wonderful idea." Mia laughed again when she saw the noticeable relief on both their faces. "Grab your bags. You can show Brody where he'll be sleeping. Did you boys pack an appetite?"

Cameron and Brody glanced at each other before laughing at themselves and nodding in unison.

"Good. You go up, and I'll make you some sandwiches." Mia walked to the gate and turned, "If you're good, I might even let you have a beer each."

"Mom, we're twenty-two," Cameron said.

Mia smiled sweetly and leaned against the gatepost, "Oh baby, I know. But under my roof, unless you're good boys, you don't get treats." Poking out her tongue, she turned and walked back to the house.

Brody lifted the trunk lid and fished out the rest of their baggage. "Dude," he said as quietly as he could. "She's a stone-cold fox." Cameron looked at his friend. A look of mock anger on his face. "She's a damn tease too."

"Dude!" Cameron said. "Don't start this again."

"What? You can't blame me. You're the one who brought it up."

"It was truth and fucking dare," Cameron said. By the exhaustion in his voice, this was not the first discussion on this topic. "And we were drunk. Very drunk."

"Sure, I know. We were all in the same state. But you were the only one of us to answer the question, 'who's the hottest woman you know?' with, 'My mom'"

Cameron let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "Fine. But can you drop it? At least while we're here. You know? In her house."

"I could, but can you? You literally just grabbed her butt. Don't deny it. And you can't deny that hearing your mom tell us to be 'good boys' and suggesting 'treats' wasn't sexy as fuck, either."

"That was just...a figure of speech, nothing more, don't overreact. And yes, my hand did touch her butt. She jumped at me; for fucks sake. What else could I do?"

Mia froze halfway up the path. She had returned to ask them to run to the store quickly and inadvertently overheard their conversation. Shocked and quite panicked, Mia wasn't sure what to think. It was true that Cameron put his hand on her backside, but it was also true that she hadn't given him much choice; unless he meant to put his hand there. Mia quickly dismissed the idea, but not before feeling an eerie chill run up her spine, a feeling that wasn't wholly unpleasant. For a brief moment, she thought back to the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her and his thick fingers gripping her butt. Then Mia heard the car's trunk close and quickly returned to her senses. Turning around, Mia ran for the kitchen. Ducking through the door, she disappeared just before the boys walked into view.

Mia spun on the spot and gripped the counter behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to clear the memory of the boy's conversation. They were joking; they must have. "It's all innocent." She thought. Mia opened her eyes, and she let her gaze fall to her phone on the kitchen table, and she immediately remembered the conversation she'd had a few minutes earlier with her husband. She replayed Graham's words as she watched the two tall, broad-shouldered boys drop their bags and smile at her. "Not boys." Mia thought, smiling to herself. "They're very clearly men."

Mia's new house guests quickly discovered they were more tired than they had thought and crashed out by early evening. On the other hand, Mia was more awake than she could remember. She had spent the evening making Brody and Cameron feel at home. She eventually relented and allowed them to have a few beers. Mia didn't intend to stop them but enjoyed teasing them. Besides, the gratitude shown by both of them when she returned from the kitchen with two cold beers was worth it.

By eight o'clock, they were both dropping off to sleep. Cameron was the first to give in. He stood up and shuffled over to his mom to hug her, keeping his hands far above her waist this time. Brody threw in the towel a minute later and, seemingly without any reservations, did the same thing. Mia was a little surprised but enjoyed the hug nonetheless. This time, now that Brody had shed his jacket and a thick jumper, Mia could feel all Brody's muscles tense as he pulled her close. Letting Mia go, Brody took full advantage of Mia's billowing neckline to check out the valley her breasts were creating as they were squeezed together under her t-shirt. Mia's heartbeat spiked when she spotted his gaze but did not attempt to cover up. Instead, she allowed Brody to decide when he'd seen enough. Before letting go, Brody looked at Mia and whispered a thank you. Mia wasn't sure whether this was for letting him stay, the beers, the sandwich, or the view. "Any time." She whispered. Whether her reply was for letting him stay, the beers, the sandwich, or the view, Mia wasn't sure either.

The following morning Mia danced around the kitchen, flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so happy. Mia often felt lonely, but her mood had lifted. These two young men had been in the house for less than twenty-four hours, and they'd made her feel more like a woman than Graham had in twenty-seven years. So what if one of them was her son? He's a red-blooded man and subject to the same natural impulses any man is. It just happens that his mother is causing those impulses. Look, don't touch, that's what they say, right? No one ever died from a bit of window shopping. Mia thought, spinning on the spot.

As Mia spun around like a top, she became aware of others in the room. Slowing down and letting out a happy sigh, Mia brushed the hair out of her eyes and smiled across the laden kitchen table at a pair of men staring back at her. Cameron and Brody were still shaking off their sleepiness as they tried to take in the sight of Cameron's mother. Mia was wearing a white sports shirt, barely long enough to cover her butt and perforated with tiny holes making it somewhat transparent.

Cameron looked at Brody, and Brody, in turn, looked back, both of them with looks on their faces that said, "Are we still dreaming?" It was the exact look Mia was hoping to see.

"There are my handsome men," Mia rounded the table with her arms out wide. Throwing one arm around Cameron and the other around Brody, Mia pulled herself up on tip-toes to plant a kiss on each man's cheek. Breaking the embrace and walking behind them, Mia shepherded them towards the table. "Sit down, gentlemen, eat up."

Mia pulled a chair out for each of them and pushed it into the back of their knees, forcing them to sit. Brody started eating almost immediately but never took his eyes off Mia, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by the older woman. Cameron, however, was still trying to shake the morning fog that clouded his head, not quite sure what was happening. "Mom, is that my shirt?"

Mia spun around to look at her son, flashing a toothy smile, "I figured you'd grown out of it, besides I reckon it kinda suits me. What do you think?" Mia did a twirl on the spot causing the shirt to billow and rise, exposing the lower halves of her cheeks. Mia had decided to wear a navy blue lingerie set with boy shorts. They still rode up a little high between her cheeks, and they didn't leave much to the imagination being so tight, but there was more fabric, and it covered more skin than any of her other underwear. Mia may have decided to have some fun, but she wasn't a whore, after all. When Mia stopped twirling, she looked back at her son. Cameron wore a look of complete shock, and Mia wondered if this was a step too far but pushed on regardless. Crossing her arms and taking hold of the hem of Cameron's shirt, Mia lifted the shirt over her head in a sharp rapid motion. "I'm sorry baby, here, take it back." She said, exposing her body to her son and his friend.

"NO!" Cameron shouted, leaping to his feet and rushing around the table. He stepped in front of his mother, blocking Brody's view, and grabbed for her arms. Pushing them down and reversing the striptease, his mother was in the middle of performing. Mia tried not to laugh at her son's obvious embarrassment when she saw his red face. "It--It's fine, mom, you can wear it," Cameron said, his hands tightly wrapped around Mia's as the shirt came to rest in its original position.

Cameron's knuckles brushed against the top of Mia's thighs, and it caused her breath to leap into her throat. Mia knew Cameron felt it because he looked down to see what he'd touched. A moment later, he raised his head to look his mother in the eyes, only he didn't remove his hands. Mia could see the wheels turning in her son's mind. Cameron's eyes glazed over as he stared at his mother. Cameron opened his mouth to speak, and no words came out. "It looks better on me anyway, don't you think, baby?" Mia whispered.

Cameron said nothing. He looked down at his shirt and her body. Mia could feel his stare snaking through the holes in the fabric. Cameron swallowed and nodded twice. Mia sprung up on her tip-toes again and kissed her son. Half on the cheek and half on the lips, just enough to make him feel it.

Mia paused before she spoke. Cameron's hands had moved to her hips, his fingers were strong, and Mia thought she could sense the tiniest hint of a squeeze. "Eat up before it goes cold, baby," Mia whispered. Cameron just nodded once more. Mia lowered herself to the floor, and Cameron returned to his seat. Before sitting, Cameron glanced up at his mother, who smiled back. Cameron pulled his chair from the table, and at that moment, Mia's eyes darted downwards; "Was that because of me?" She thought, biting her lip.

It was Mia's turn to swallow hard as her blank expression fell on Brody's broadly smiling face. Flushing red, Mia darted out of the kitchen. Turning the corner, she leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths.

"Dude, your mom was so checking out your boner!" Brody said, laughing through a mouthful of eggs.

Cameron looked down, then up at Brody, unsure what to say, "Fuck off, dude, no, she wasn't."

"She was dude, and the second she realised I'd seen her, she blushed and ran." Brody gestured over his shoulder with his fork and took a bite from a piece of toast. "You're so in."

Cameron didn't respond. He turned to his plate, picked up his coffee and took a big gulp.

Mia closed her eyes and listened to the two men talk in the kitchen. How could she have been so stupid to let her lust get the better of her? Teasing was pushing it, but Mia never considered the effect it would have on her son. Things had gone too far, too quickly, and she was going to have to put an end to it.

Cameron's alarm clock hit eight the following day, and the shrill beeps rustled him from a deep sleep. Cameron stretched and pulled himself out of bed. Heading for the bathroom, he met Brody on the landing, standing by a window overlooking the pool. "Hey", Cameron said as he stepped up beside his friend.

Brody didn't speak; he just flicked his head to direct Cameron's attention to the backyard. Mia had been out since seven and was coming to the end of a strenuous yoga routine. The boys didn't speak; they just continued to watch as Mia stretched and curled her body into several different positions putting her tight-fitting lycra clothing to the test.