Christie's Gone

How, he wondered as he lay back on the closet floor and looked up at the ceiling, would he ever explain this to Christie?

He wouldn't, of course. It wouldn't come up even in the unlikely event that she ever bothered returning any of his e-mails. But how odd would it be to even be able to say, "I've seen your mother naked and she's a knockout!", even given that he never would!

On a more difficult note, he realized as he folded the hankie and got his pants back up, just how would he act normal around Diane for the rest of the weekend? It wouldn't be easy to avoid letting on that he was seeing his old friend's mother in a very different light now! But there was nothing he could do but try.

"The bathroom's free, Tim!" Diane called as she sauntered down the hallway to her room. She did it slowly, hoping to give him a glimpse of her in her bathrobe to ratchet up the intimacy just a touch; but despite his okay from the spare room, she didn't hear the door open until just as she was shutting her own room door.

Remembering his comments about what he liked, Diane put on a nice conservative-looking blue dress for dinner. She was rewarded with a very adoring eye when Tim arrived in a fresh sweater and khakis. "I had Mrs. Chase make your favorite," she said, pointing to the steaming sliced meatloaf on the table as they sat down.

"You remembered that?! How did you even know to begin with?"

"You mentioned it at least once when Christie had you over for dinner," Diane said. She held up her wine glass to clink his, which he picked up with a touch of trepidation. "Happy Halloween."

He looked uneasily at his glass. "Are you sure this is okay, me not being twenty-one for another year?"

"I won't tell if you won't tell!" Diane had rehearsed the line, but she still couldn't quite get it out without a grin. That snuggle on the couch had been so magical!

Tim had the same thought and others besides, and he burst into boyish giggles. "Of course I won't," he said, and they had their toast.

They ate in surprisingly comfortable silence, neither one aware that their wild thoughts were mutual. Sensing an opening that she hadn't quite taken with that moment on the couch, Diane asked, "Tim, did Christie ever have you over for a dip in our hot tub?"

"She said you didn't allow boys in there with her unless you were there too."

"I wasn't born yesterday, Tim. That was the rule, but I'm under no illusions that Christie always obeyed me!"

"Well, I did, when I was in your house," Tim said, not disagreeably. "And surely you know you never joined me in there, since obviously you would have remembered." Acutely aware now of what her breasts looked like under their current lovely blue decor, he added, "I would have, too!"

Diane laughed in agreement. "Then she never invited you to join her on the sly."

"Of course not," he said with a wry grin Diane understood all too well. Of course that silly girl would have only gone behind her back with troublemakers, not with a boy who deserved such a treat!

"There'd be no hard feelings if you had," Diane said. "The rules were really for her friends that I didn't trust, and I always trusted you. In any event, Tim, I think I'll take a dip later on, and you're welcome to join me if you like."

Tim was delighted, and immediately his thoughts flew to just what the dress code might be. But he knew too good to be true when he heard it. "I don't think I packed my swimming trunks," he said. "Not expecting any swimming this weekend, after all."

"Oh, I can find something appropriate for you," Diane said without missing a beat. She was as impressed with his diplomacy as she was frustrated with his gentlemanliness -- didn't he want to have any fun with her? But at least he hadn't said no to her invitation.

He hadn't said no, but he had not yet appeared when Diane turned the water on a couple of hours later. Not wanting to scare him off if he did show up, she put on a swimsuit rather than risk greeting him in the nude, although she did leave the bedroom door open while she changed into it. She also threw caution to the wind and did not tuck her stray pubic hairs inside her suit once she had it on, reasoning that the whole thing could only work if Tim liked his women natural anyway. She had a feeling that he did.

With the hot tub filling up in her palatial bathroom, Diane stood in the doorway in her swimsuit and took a hopeful look down the hallway. There was no sign of him. Yet, she reminded herself, and she headed for the hot tub with the bedroom door still open.

Down the hall, Tim got as far as undressing, and he even toyed with the idea of arriving naked at the hot tub. This he quickly put aside as she had already said something about finding something for him to wear, so at least a bathrobe was in order. He had packed a pair of gym shorts; perhaps they would do? But they were so loose, they'd never keep his erection hidden, and heaven knew there would be one now that he'd seen Diane naked.

Then and there, as he was getting his gym shorts out of his suitcase, he remembered. He'd seen Diane naked. Because she had showered in the hallway bathroom next door. Because her bathroom was out of order. Or so she'd said, but the hot tub worked?

Did she know about the hole? Did she want him to peep on her?!

Tim promptly concluded that he wasn't up to sharing a bath with her just now, no matter what either of them was wearing. He needed some time to think. And he also needed to jack off again! So he went next door to the bathroom to get some toilet paper and, while he was there, he decided to look for the hole. He switched off the lights and looked for the telltale pinprick of light from next door. There it was, just below the hand-towel rack by the sink, subtle but unmistakable to anyone who knew what it was. And hadn't Diane lingered a rather long time well within its line of view?

No, Tim tried to convince himself, your friend's hot mom isn't trying to seduce you!

But he stayed right where he was -- in the same spot where Diane had undressed -- as he unzipped his jeans and went to town on himself yet again.

Diane, although disappointed that Tim hadn't joined her in the bath, slept well that night. Tim did not, owing to the unfamiliar bed and the near-bursting desire to join Diane in her bed and the growing sense of guilt that came with it and the mix of shame and delight and desperate longing that came with what he'd seen. Nevertheless, he'd come to some degree of peace by morning, when Diane, in her silken nightgown, regaled him with a breakfast worthy of a hotel buffet. "Were you ever here for the brunches I threw for Christie's friends?" she asked.

"Once, for the yearbook committee," Tim said, doing his best to focus only on the food rather than Diane in her intimate clothing.

Diane evidently had no intention of making that easy. Taking the seat just around the table's corner from him, she leaned over to serve herself some fruit cocktail, and also to reveal that she was already wearing a bra -- a lacy black one that blended very well with her nightgown. "I think I remember that," she added, turning to look at him; she gave him just enough time for him to hope she hadn't seen him ogling her breasts, but he couldn't be sure. "You and Christie were the only ones who seemed interested in actually working on the yearbook. All those other brats just wanted to admire my dining room."

"Well, Christie and I were the only ones who were used to this place," Tim offered.

"Don't sell yourself short, Tim," Diane admonished between sips of her coffee. "I knew plenty of Christie's other friends, and there's a reason why I always hoped the two of you would end up together, you know."

Tim grinned, and once again felt ashamed at the thrilling invasion of Diane's privacy that he had so enjoyed. "You're sweet, Diane. Thank you. I guess I just don't want to sound full of myself here."

"That's one thing I'd never say about you, Tim. Honestly, you're much too modest for your own good. Too much a gentleman before your time, too."

At that, Tim wanted to cry when he thought of how he'd betrayed her trust. He also felt compelled to come clean. But he quickly decided that could do no good, and just smiled his thanks through his mild humiliation.

"Now then, the Halloween party," Diane continued. "Are you still interested, and what are you going to be?"

"Yes, and I really don't know," Tim said. "I guess we've got the morning to think about it, and maybe some costume stuff at the community center?"

"I won't have any friend of my daughter's or my own wearing castoffs!" Diane protested. "I have to go to the dancewear shop anyway for my costume, maybe we'll find something for you there, too. I decided last night, I'm going to be a flapper. Now I need tights."

"A flapper...I like it," Tim grinned, his guilt mostly subsided now in favor of a great idea of his own. "Say, do you know if Christie took that green cloak she sometimes used to wear to London with her?"

"She hated that cloak, and I'm sure it's in her closet right here," Diane said. "Why?"

"You mentioned tights. I could get some green tights to go with that and go as Peter Pan."

Diane felt a thrill down her spine at the thought of Tim in tights. But she masked her titillation with a laugh. "Tim, that's perfect! You've got just enough of your innocence left to pull that off, too."

"I only hope Christie doesn't mind me borrowing her clothes," Tim said. "But I do wonder what she'd think of the costume! Too bad she won't be able to see it."

Diane privately disagreed. She did not need competition from her own daughter, thank you very much!

Mindful of the likely rush of last-minute shoppers, they went to the dancewear shop first, arriving shortly after it had opened for the day. Reasoning that there was probably no men's tights section, Tim simply accompanied Diane to the women's department, where she enjoyed the intimacy of helping him decide on the right size for him. "These are going to look adorable on you, I just know it!" she gushed, handing him a medium-sized pair of bright green tights. Then it was up the row to the XXL section for her black ones. "I used to have a pair of these somewhere, but I haven't worn a short skirt in ages," she explained, hoping Tim would get a kick out of the promise of seeing her in one that afternoon.

"That makes sense," Tim said, doing his best not to let on that her hopes were fulfilled and then some. He hurriedly changed the subject, not trusting himself to keep it clean. "I'll need a hat, too, let's see if they have anything that'll work."

He found a friar's hood in the right color that Diane reasoned they could fashion into a cap, and some felt that he could pin over his sneakers for the right effect. Diane insisted on paying the bill ("Think of all the work you saved me with those books!"), and it was off to the community center to set up.

"Man, I've missed this place!" Tim said as they arrived in the auditorium, where a few other volunteers were already working. "So many great memories!"

"You won't be surprised to hear you're the first of Christie's friends I've ever heard say that," Diane said. "They mostly just recall their teenage angst."

"I had plenty of that too," Tim admitted. "But looking past that now, what a great time! What a great place to be a teenager, too, when I think of where we lived before..." He let out an appreciative sigh that once again set Diane's heart aflutter.

But there was no chance for her to respond, as two of the other volunteers -- Mr. Branagh from the elementary school and Mrs. Vlangas the librarian -- had spotted Tim and rushed over to say hello. "Welcome back, Tim!" Mrs. Vlangas declared, helping herself to a hug that Tim willingly returned. "You preferred us to a college party?"

"I really do," Tim said. "No fun really in everyone just getting riproaring drunk when I have so many great memories of here!"

"God, I wish we'd hear more of that!" Mrs. Vlangas gushed, and she promptly carted him off to bend his ear about college and help her with twisting the orange and black streamers.

"Kid's one in a million if he'd rather be here, huh?" Mr. Branagh said to Diane.

"He really is," Diane agreed. "So how can I help?" And for the next few hours she contented herself with admiring Tim from afar as he stretched and bent most enticingly to hang the streamers and other decorations. Helping Mr. Branagh and a few other parents with the tables and chairs and the bags of candy on each kept her busy, but also allowed for plenty of subtle looks at Tim. If only she could tell what he'd seen and what he was thinking...but she could only guess. And flirt harder! But seeing him in those green tights would make that inevitable, she figured.

The setup was done by early afternoon, and then there was a bland but paid-for lunch of sandwiches and chips. Once again Diane could barely get near Tim through all the other volunteers who wanted to catch up, but once again it seemed just as well as they were in public and the party was still hours off. She was still debating what her next move ought to be as they were driving home to change clothes for the party. A little flattery couldn't hurt. "I certainly admire you for being brave enough to wear those tights in public," she said. "Back in elementary school Christie's class put on Alice in Wonderland and the battles we fought to get the boys to wear tights..."

"Same thing happened at my school," Tim said, recalling the bad old days before his family had moved. "I was one of the cards and I had to wear bright red ones. I remember the whole class laughed at me the first time they saw me in them. But..." his voice trailed away and his face curled into a shy grin that Diane could only just catch as she kept her eyes on the road.

"But?" she prodded.

"But I really liked the way they felt!" he burst into nervous laughter. "I guess that's why I got the idea today for this costume. The one time a year it feels safe to wear something girly, I guess."

"Oh, Tim, that's lovely!" Diane said. "I mean, I'm so sorry you don't feel comfortable wearing something you like most of the time, but...it's good to know you feel safe sharing that with me, you know. I always wanted to be That Mom, you know, the one all the neighborhood kids felt safe confiding in."

"Oh, you were, Diane!" Tim said. "We all looked up to you, especially the ones who knew your story."

"I always told Christie not to make a big deal of that with her friends," Diane said.

"She didn't, really. But we knew." Then Tim had to turn away and look out the passenger side window, lest he give away what else he now knew about Diane.

Diane didn't mind. Her heart was fairly bursting, and she was feeling some new resolve to push a little harder with dear Tim.

First order of business for them both, she decided, was a shower after the long and hard work on the setup. "It wouldn't do for us to be all sweaty for the party, would it?" she said as they made their way upstairs from the garage. "Besides, I always like a shower this time of the afternoon anyway. Don't you?"

"I sure do!" Tim's heart was pounding and his stomach doing flip-flops as he realized another show was on tap. For a wonderful moment, he hoped she might invite him to join her. When she didn't, he continued. "Yeah, it's just a great way to relax and refresh." He grinned at her as he thought of the possibilities.

Diane was thinking of those same possibilities, and she felt the invitation on the tip of her tongue. But he had passed up the hot tub last night, she recalled just in time. If he wanted some fun this time around, surely he'd make the offer, she reasoned, since she'd done her part to let him know she was open to such things.

Tim wondered did Diane realize he'd figured her out on the ruse about her bathroom? He opted to hint at as much. "Since we're sharing the hall bathroom, you want to go first?" he asked.

Hadn't the silly boy realized she'd lied about that? But Diane took it as a sign that she shouldn't push too hard. "Sure, Tim. Thanks. I'll try to be quick."

"Nah, take all the time you want," Tim said, doing his best not to sound too eager. "We've got all afternoon, after all."

As soon as Diane was off down the hall to drop off her coat and purse, Tim ran back to the living room to grab up a few tissues from the cocktail table. He was safely ensconced back on the closet floor, pants off and tissues at the ready, when Diane turned on the bathroom light. She was barefoot but otherwise still fully clothed in the sweatshirt and jeans she'd worn to the community center.

Tim had figured his luck couldn't possibly be as good today as yesterday. But Diane in fact stood in exactly the same place as she pulled her sweatshirt off at a leisurely pace, giving him a long and delightful look at her breasts at full attention in the same black bra he'd spied at breakfast. They stood out more proudly than ever as Diane kept her arms raised to pull the sweatshirt off first one arm, then the other. Then it was off with her jeans, once again bringing her well-filled-out panties into view. They were black and the stray hairs were harder to spot against the dark fabric, but Tim could see they were there even before she pulled them down to reveal the full glory of her huge bush.

"Ohhhhhh..." Tim didn't realize he'd sighed out loud until it was too late, and for a moment he was terrified that Diane must have heard. But she showed no sign that she had as she unfastened her bra and once again unleashed her massive breasts. Tim couldn't resist some more heavy breathing as he rubbed himself hard and fast into an intense orgasm just before Diane disappeared into the shower.

It was only as he stood up and attended to the mess that Tim got to wondering. Wasn't it a bit too perfect? Diane standing in exactly the right spot twice in a row and undressing much more slowly than she really needed to?

In the shower, Diane was having the same thoughts. Surely the silly boy must have put two and two together by now! Too polite for his own good, that's what Tim was. She was just going to have to clue him in a bit harder. Only fair, she supposed -- he was only trying to be a gentleman after all. Had he even been watching? She could only hope! Acting upon that hope, she unhooked the shower head and set it to pulse, and held it against her pussy for a quick but delightful orgasm. In keeping with her hope to let Tim now, she did not try to hide her heavy breathing and moaning as she enjoyed the sensation, and she could only hope he would hear.

He didn't hear, for he'd closed the closet door to undress for his own shower. Once again working through his post-come shame at what he'd done, this time he resisted the temptation to take another look once he heard the water shut off. It just wasn't right, after all, and he didn't need to deal with getting hard while wearing tights at the party either! Tim was still wondering just how he'd handle that when he heard the bathroom door open. He waited a few minutes for Diane to make her way down the hall -- meaning he once again missed the show she hoped to put on for him wiggling her ample behind on the walk -- and then slipped discreetly into the bathroom.

Diane opted for a dark red bra to peek out from behind her black dress; it would match the red feather boa Tim had suggested for her at the dance shop. Her new black tights were a thrill to put on when she remembered what Tim had said in the car, and she enjoyed a look at herself in the mirror before putting her dress on -- what would Tim think of this view? She was tempted to find some excuse to venture down the hall dressed only in her underwear and tights, but nothing passed the smell test and she contented herself with slipping the short dress on but not fastening it yet. Then it was on with all the costume jewelry she dared wear to the community center (it wasn't as though everyone there didn't know she was rich, she reminded herself), the faux-diamond headband and the long black gloves, and finally she wrapped the boa around her neck enticingly. A look at her back with two mirrors confirmed Tim would get just a teasing look at her bra straps when she asked him to zip her up, and then she slipped into her shoes and pranced down the hall to wait for him.