For as long as Amy could remember, she and her mother had done everything together.



Lauren had had Amy quite young -- at twenty-one, only two years after her older brother Rob. Growing up, their closeness had often alienated her brother, and with their parents divorced and their father out of the house, she knew that Rob had often felt like a stranger in his own home. It almost seemed like a relief when Rob went to college, leaving Amy and her mother alone -- at least for a couple of years.



Amy and her mother were the same in many ways -- the same lean, athletic features, the same brown hair and brown eyes. Even the shape of their lips was the same, full and narrow. And they had similar taste in men -- Scott, her mother's boyfriend, was a blue-collar tee-shirt-and-jeans kind of guy through and through, and Amy's latest boyfriend, Ian, was much the same.



The only major difference was in the level of freedom Amy enjoyed. Her mother, by her own admission, had been given what she felt was too much freedom, and was determined not to let Amy make the same mistakes. She'd encouraged Amy to stay a virgin until college, to "play things safe" with Ian, and not to make her life as challenging as Lauren's had been.



And that had worked out fine for both of them -- until the summer after Amy graduated from high school.



# # #



It was a warm, breezy Friday night in early July. Lauren lay curled up on the couch, watching television, when a knock sounded at the door. Sighing at the interruption of her solitude, she fished the remote from between the cushions and paused the DVD player. She padded to the front door in her bare feet, clad in tee shirt and sweat pants, her straight dark hair held back by a headband.



She opened the door, and her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Ian," she said.



Ian stood on the porch, looking uncomfortable in the battered army jacket he'd inherited from his father, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. His blonde stuck up in tufts.



"Is Amy here?" he asked.



Lauren turned her head a bit, narrowing her eyes at him. "No," she said. "I thought she was supposed to be out with you." Amy had declared her intention to go out on a date with Ian not three hours earlier.



"She was," Ian said. He looked down at his shoes. "We had a fight."



"A big one?"



"A big one," he said.



Lauren stood there a moment, and the silence stretched into uncomfortable seconds. Ian hopped from one foot to the other, clearly discomfited.



"Do you want to come in?" Lauren asked at last.



He nodded. "Sure."



He walked inside, Lauren following him. Lauren liked the house dark when she was alone, and so the only illumination came from the steady, pale light of the television and the faint glow of the of the kitchen lights down the hall.



"Sorry I interrupted your movie," he said.



"This? Oh, I've seen it dozens of times." She grabbed the remote and turned off the television. "Have a seat. Talk to me."



Ian sat down on the couch, and she sat next to him, curling her feet up under her. "Do you want anything?" she asked. "Coffee?" She paused. "A beer?"



"No, thanks," Ian said, rubbing his hands on his knees nervously. He smiled nervously and ran his hand through his hair again, an affectation she found endearing. She remembered when she'd first met Ian -- her first thought had been not of happiness (or concern) for her daughter, but a pang of well-meaning jealousy. Ian was young, athletic, and handsome, but just clumsy and dorky enough to be charming.



"So, what did you two fight about?" Lauren asked.



"Um..." Ian winced. "It's... not a big deal."



Lauren grinned, resting her elbow on the back of the couch. "Not a big deal? Ian, you showed up on my doorstep, and I'm guessing that the fact that Amy is not here means that Amy ran off somewhere. Which means that it's probably a big deal."



"Yeah," Ian said, and sighed. "Look, maybe I should just go..."



"Ian," Lauren said, and placed her hand on his knee. He started a bit, and then relaxed. "You can talk to me. I'm not going to hurt you."



"You might," Ian said.



"Might what?"



"Hurt me. When you find out what..." he trailed off into silence.



"Ian, what are you talking about...?" Lauren's eyes widened. "Oh. I see. That."



"Yeah," Ian said.



"So you wanted to..."



"Yeah."



"And Amy..."



"Didn't," Ian said.



Lauren nodded. "I see." That took longer than expected, she thought to herself. She was certain she'd be faced with this particular teenage challenge years earlier.



"Look, if you're going to lose it on me, just not the face, okay?" Ian joked weakly.



Lauren put a hand over her eyes. "You know what, I think I'm going to get that beer," she said, got up from the couch, and walked to the kitchen.



Ian sat in the dark, listening to the fridge open, the clank of bottles, the hiss of caps being pried off. Lauren walked back with one in each hand, and offered him one as she sat down beside him again.



He took it with a smile. "Thanks," he said quietly.



Lauren flopped back down on the couch, taking a drink -- a long one.



"Do you hate me right now?" Ian asked.



Lauren stroked her hair, tilting her head aside and looking at him. "No," she said finally. "I'm just a little... you know how close Amy and I are."



"I know," he said.



"And you know how protective of her I am. I've tried to teach her to be careful about this kind of thing. I don't want her first time to be because a guy pressured her into it."



"I didn't press--"



Lauren held up her hand. "Just let me finish. I don't want her first time to be something she's going to regret, with some guy who might leave her, or hurt her, or try to make her do something that she's not ready to do. And I don't think that Amy is ready, Ian. And I don't think that she thinks she's ready, even if you think that she's ready, or that you're ready, or..." She sighed. "I'm babbling. You made me babble."



"It's okay," Ian said. "Lauren, I just want you to know that I don't want to hurt Amy. I love her. I'm in love with her. I think. I mean--"



She smiled. "Don't hurt yourself, Ian. I was a teenager once too. It's confusing.



He nodded. "I just... want to take things to the next level."



"Amy's eighteen, Ian. She's going to college in the fall," Lauren said. "She has school to think about. She's going to have an amazing career and an amazing life. And I'm not saying that you can't be part of that life, Ian, but I just don't think Amy is ready for a lot of complications."



"So now I'm a complication," Ian said, his eyes hardening, then finished off half his beer at a pop.



"No, no. I'm not saying that. For all I know, Ian, you could be the love of Amy's life. But you're young, and she's young, and you're both... young, and so many things could happen, and are going to happen, and I just don't want Amy to make the same mistakes I made." She put her hand on his knee again. "Do you understand that?"



Ian nodded slowly. "I understand. You want me to stay away from Amy."



"No," Lauren said with a wince. "I'm not saying that either. Ian, I know you have... things you want. I understand that. Things you want more than anything." She uncurled her feet and leaned closer to him.



"Ian, I want to propose a deal to you. And you can take the deal or not. And it's going to sound weird, but just don't freak out. Okay?"



Ian laughed softly. "If you don't want me to freak out, you're not doing a very good job."



She grinned, then bit her lip. "I know. Just hear me out, okay?"



He looked at her, puzzled. "What kind of a deal?"



Lauren took a deep breath. "If you wait... if you and Amy wait, until she's had a chance to get settled at college, and concentrate on her classes, and get her life together... I'll give you what you want... from her."



Ian blinked and sat silently. She held his gaze, slowly realizing that he wasn't putting it together. Then something clicked in his brain, and his eyes widened.



"You can't be serious."



"I am serious," Lauren said. "Do you think I'm attractive, Ian?"



"I..." Ian's mouth worked silently for a moment. "Of course. You're beautiful. But--"



"All I'm asking is for you to wait," Lauren said, "and in return, you can do whatever you want with me. Anything at all that you want." Lauren's hands crept up Ian's thighs, coming to rest on the crotch of his jeans. Ian gasped sharply and started a bit, but didn't move away.



"That's totally insane," he said. "What if she finds out?"



"We'll make sure she doesn't," Lauren said. "She'll be at college at least five days a week, Ian, and you'll be here. And I'll be here. We can do whatever you want, Ian, and no one ever has to know."



"That's cheating on Amy."



Lauren sighed. "Ian, don't make this more complicated than it needs to be. If you want to say no, you can walk out of this house and we can never talk about this again."



"I'm not--" He fell silent, staring at the hand she'd placed on his leg.



Ian didn't move. The silence stretched out again. Finally he spoke.



"Okay."



"Really?" Lauren asked. "You're sure."



He swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm sure. If you... if you're okay with it."



"Okay with it? Ian, it was my idea."



"I know. I, uh... sorry. I'm nervous."



She grinned. "Don't be." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then grinned wickedly. "I'll bet you're incredibly tense. Do you want to start right now?"



"What?" Ian asked. Lauren slid off the couch and knelt in front of him, insinuating herself between his thighs. "Here?"



"Where else, sweetie?"



"But... what if Amy comes back?"



"I don't know, Ian." With a small smile, Lauren worked expertly at the zipper of Ian's pants, lowering it slowly, her eyes locked with his. "Is that a chance you're willing to take? Or not?"



She undid the snap of his jeans, curling her fingers around his underwear, and pulled down. Ian was already erect, his cock bobbing out.



"Oh shit," Ian said.



"Oh my," Lauren whispered, putting her hand around it gingerly. "Ian..." She gave him a squeeze, a grin spreading across her face, stroking him gently up and down.



"Am I?" Ian said weakly. "I didn't... I never, uh..."



"We can stop if you think it's too risky," Lauren said, enjoying teasing him. The doors were locked and bolted -- it would take Amy a few moments to get her key in both doors, and she was confident this wouldn't take long. But she wasn't going to tell him that. She was enjoying his discomfiture too much.



Ian swallowed hard. "No," he said. "Don't stop."



Lauren sat back on her heels, biting her lower lip, and then lifted her tee shirt over her head. She was wearing nothing underneath, and her breasts jiggled as she tossed the shirt onto the couch next to him. Her small nipples were pale and pink in the dim light. Leaning forward again, she pressed her breasts against his knees and ran her tongue along the length of his cock, holding it gently between her fingers.



"Oh my God," Ian said, putting a hand on her bare shoulder. "Lauren..."



"Do you like this, Ian?" she asked, and flicked her tongue around the head of his cock.



"Yes," he breathed.



"You want more?" She kissed the underside of the tip gently, flicking the point of her tongue against it.



"Yes."



Lauren grinned and took him in her mouth, wrapping her lips around his cock. Ian groaned and put his hand on the back of her head, barely touching her hair, lifting his hips.



"Jesus... Lauren..."



Lauren moved slowly at first, using mostly her tongue, but then taking his cock all the way into her mouth, down her throat. For the next few minutes, there was no sound but Ian's heavy breathing and the faint slurping sounds of Lauren's mouth on his cock. He squirmed and moaned softly, clearly struggling to control himself, and she savored his tension. As his breath began to quicken further, she lifted her head from his lap.



"Do you want to come?" she asked.



"Do I..." He looked down at her as if utterly perplexed.



"Do you want to come?"



He nodded frantically.



"Then go ahead whenever you want, sweetheart." She lowered her head again, taking him into her mouth once more, cupping his balls in one hand, the other hand squeezing the shaft. Ian drew a shivering breath, his head gripping her hair. She went back to work on him, her head bobbing up and down as she sucked his cock.



"Oh God... Laur..." Lauren suddenly stiffened, a surprised murmur coming from her as he came in her mouth. Her hands gripped him as she swallowed, then lifted her head, coughing a bit, a dribble of come leaking from one corner of her mouth. His whole body was quivering.



"Oh my goodness, Ian- - oh!" An unexpected spurt burst from Ian's cock, splattering against her chin and breasts. Lauren giggled, daubing at the pearly mess.



"I'm sorry," Ian said breathlessly.



"No, sweetie, you did wonderfully." She grabbed the discarded tee shirt from the couch and cleaned off her chin and breasts, then wrapped it around his cock gently, wiping him off. She looked up at him, grinning mischievously.



"Did you like that?"



Ian nodded weakly. "Yes. It was... unbelievable."



"Good," she said, and leaned down to kiss his still-erect cock. "Because you can have more, you know. A lot more. All you have to do is ask. Do we have a deal?"



Comically, she extended a hand to him, daubing at the corner of her mouth with her other hand. After a moment, he took it and shook.



"We have a deal."



# # #



Scott returned to his modest apartment after a long night of catching up on work at the auto shop. Even though it was summer, it was dark and raining out when Scott found Amy sitting outside the apartment in her coat, her knees up under her chin.



He parked the truck and got out, looking at her quizzically at his girlfriend's daughter.



"Amy, what are you doing out here? It's late."



"Can I have a cup of coffee?" she asked.



"It's late," Scott said.



Amy looked up at him, her face tear-stained, lower lip quivering. Her brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, giving her a winsome look that tugged at his sympathies.



"Come on in," Scott said with a sigh. "I'll get you some coffee."



Ten minutes later, Scott brought her a strong black cup as she sat at the kitchen table. The shades were drawn, and Scott locked the front door before coming to sit down across from her.



Amy took a long sip of the coffee, then wiped at her cheek. "It's really good," she said, her voice thick.



Scott put a hand on hers. "Amy, what happened?"



"It's Ian," she blurted. "I don't know what to do..."



"Ian?" Scott's voice rose. " Amy, did he hurt you?"



"No!" Amy said, sniffling a little. "We went out, and had some dinner -- a really nice dinner -- and then we were going to..." she paused, sniffling.



"You were going to... what?"



"We were going to have sex," Amy said. "I even put this on for him..." Amy opened her coat, revealing the short skirt and blouse of her school outfit underneath, the first three buttons of the blouse undone. Scott drew back, straightening his cap.



"I wore this for him because I knew he liked it, and then we started, and all of a sudden I just wanted to stop... and he wanted to keep going, and then we had this huge fight about it, and he ran off, and I didn't want to go home because I knew Mom would be furious with me, and..." Amy trailed off, her eyes red.



Scott sat back in the chair, looking very uncomfortable. "So you and he didn't..."



Amy gave a tearful laugh. "No, we didn't. I wanted to, and then I started thinking... what if we weren't meant to be together? What if Ian isn't the one? Mom always told me to be careful to make sure that my first time was with someone I trusted, someone who wouldn't hurt me... and I thought about the time that Ian told me he loved me and I didn't say it back, and I thought, what if I still didn't feel that way, and... I... I just don't know."



"Amy," Scott said. "I..." He shook his head, completely unable to come up with something to say. "I'm sure that someday, uh, somebody will come along who you can trust, and, uh, on that day... you'll trust them... and it will just be right." He really wasn't very good at this sort of thing. Amy was adorable, and he couldn't deny he had some paternal feelings for her -- their age difference, and the fact that he was dating her mother, disallowed much else in the way of emotion. Even so, the raw vulnerability in her expression stirred some feelings he would have rather not admitted to himself.



"I'm tired of waiting for it to be right," Amy said, finishing her coffee. She shrugged out of her coat, pushing rain-damp hair out of her eyes. "I'm tired of waiting for everything to be perfect. When I was in high school, I thought, if I can just get to graduation everything will be right, and I can maybe relax. And then when I got into college, I thought, maybe now things will be right for awhile, and sure, my course load is insane and my professors are all crazy, but maybe I can relax, because I made it and did something right. And then when I came back for break, I thought maybe Ian and I could just... be... right..."



"Amy," Scott said, taking her hand again. "Calm down, it's going to be okay."



"I'm just tired of everything having to be perfect," Amy said. "I'm tired of having to always be perfect all the time, and always do everything right, and always worry about whether or not the decision you've made is the right one... do you know what I mean?" She looked him in the eyes, putting one hand on top of his.



"Yeah," Scott said. "I think I can understand that."



Amy sniffled, looking towards the familiar green wall and bank of signs behind the apartment counter. "You know, sometimes I think -- I wish -- that I could just get it over with, you know? I wish that I could just get it out of the way, and not worry about whether or not it was the right guy, or the right day, or the right reason..." She sniffled again.



Scott wasn't stupid, and he could see where this was going. He had to derail this train as quickly as possible. "Amy..."



She stood up, crossed to him and sat full in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.



"Can you just hug me, Scott?" Amy asked. "I don't want anybody to yell at me, or lecture me or tell me everything's going to be fine. I just need someone I trust to hug me."



He put his hands on her back, slowly. "Sure, Amy, he said. "No problem."



They sat there like that for a short while, Amy's face nestled against his cheek, her fingers absently tickling the back of his neck. After a few moments, Scott shifted under her, trying to push her away.



"Amy, you're soaking wet," he said. "I should get you a towel or something, so you don't catch cold..."



"I'm okay," Amy said, lifting her head. She looked into his eyes, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I can handle myself. Thanks, Scott." She kissed him on the cheek, slowly, then withdrew, looking into his eyes again.



Scott shifted. "I should really get that towel --"



Amy shifted her own weight, pinning him to the chair. Her hands tightened on his shoulders. "I don't need a towel," she said. "You'd never hurt me, would you, Scott?"



"Amy," he said. He tried to think of a way to exit from this situation gracefully and not further hurt her feelings. "Of course I wouldn't."



"And I can trust you... can't I?" Amy asked, reaching up to take his cap off. putting it on the table next to the coffee cup.



"Of course not. But listen, Amy..."



"Scott," she said, interrupting him. "If I needed something from you... a favor..."



"Amy, if you're thinking what I --"



"No, please," Amy said. "Please listen. If I needed you to do something for me, would you do it? For me? Please?"



"You don't know what you're saying."

