*Author's Note: This is erotic fantasy. It involves sexual situations between consenting adults, all of whom are over 18 years of age. Since it is fantasy and it's my fantasy, I presume a world free of STDs. I hope you enjoy the story; if not, such is life. Comments are always appreciated.
MY STEPFATHER
"Rick, what's the matter?" Ellen asked her son when he entered the kitchen, limping, his face etched with pain.
"I missed a step and now I've got this unbelievable pain in my back," Rick explained, slowly lowering himself into a chair. "I've never felt anything like this. It's hard to breathe."
"You should go see your stepfather," Ellen said. "This is exactly the kind of thing that he deals with."
"I don't want to bother him with something silly like this," Rick said, even after 10 years, still uncomfortable around his stepfather, though he would be at pains to explain why.
"Rick, you need to give John a chance," Ellen said for the umpteenth time, inside deeply saddened by the fact that her son and her husband of 10 years had never seemed to bond in any meaningful way. "He really wants to have a father-son relationship with you, but it takes two."
"I know, Mom," Rick said. "And he is a nice guy. It's just...I don't know. I can't explain it."
"Rick, go see him," Ellen insisted. "Maybe this is a chance to find some common ground. Besides, I just know that he can help you."
At 19, Rick was still trying to find himself, having graduated high school and taking classes at the local college while he tried to figure his life out. At 5'10" with dark wavy hair and grey eyes, he was a good-looking young man, dating sporadically but never getting involved, even though most of the girls that he went out with would have loved to know him better.
His father had stormed out of the house one night, his mother tearfully begging him not to go, one eye black and swelling where he had hit her during another of their frequent arguments. Even though he had only been 7 at the time, it had made a deep impression on him, his mother crying, her blouse torn and one small breast with a large pale nipple exposed. He had tried to comfort her, but at 7 years of age, there wasn't much that he could credibly do or say to make a difference. The scene had been indelibly imprinted upon his mind.
Ellen had met John a year after Frank had deserted her and Rick, never hearing a word from him since, no idea where he had gone. She had been absentmindedly grocery shopping and had crashed into the cart that John was pushing, crying out when her knee banged up against it. He had apologized, insisting that it had been his fault, though she knew better. He was tall, over 6', and his curly brown hair and hazel eyes surmounted a kind, sympathetic face which was expressing concern as he watching her rubbing her knee, which ached painfully from the collision.
Explaining that he was a chiropractor and a masseur and that his office was in the same shopping complex as the grocery store, he had insisted on taking her to his office and checking her knee. Ellen had never known anyone with such a gentle touch as he carefully checked her knee out, informing her that aside from some bruising, that he didn't think that there had been any damage, insisting that she allow him to apply cold packs to it for 20 minutes to help reduce any swelling. To her great surprise, her knee didn't hurt when he removed the cold packs, only felt a little stiff when she bent it, something that he assured her would dissipate within a couple of days.
John had refused her offer of payment, then insisted that she return the next day so that he could check to make sure that she was recovering from the mishap. Ellen had told herself that it was nonsense and felt guilty that he had treated her without payment, so she decided not to bother him further. To her great surprise, she had found him on her porch after hearing the doorbell ring the next afternoon.
"H-how did you find me?" she had asked, stunned and a little frightened.
"When you put your bag down before getting on the examination table, some of your things sort of spilled from the bag, including a credit card," John had explained. "There aren't too many Ellen Duzacks in town."
"I'm sure that there are no Duzacks in town, period, much less another Ellen," she had replied, smiling. "But why are you here?"
"When you didn't come by the office so that I could check your knee, I thought that perhaps it had worsened or something," he had explained. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I felt very bad about hurting you yesterday."
"That's very kind of you," Ellen had responded, "but really, it was my own fault."
"Nonetheless," John had said, "how is your knee today?"
"It's a little sore when I bend it, but otherwise, I think that it's okay," Ellen had replied.
"Since I'm here, why don't you let me check it, make sure that there's nothing to be concerned about?" John had suggested.
Ellen had hesitated, hating inconveniencing him, but at the same time touched that he had made such an effort. Smiling, she invited him in.
"Would you care for something to drink?" she had asked. "Coffee, tea, a cocktail?"
"Only if you're joining me," John had said, "and only if your husband won't mind."
"My husband left me over a year ago," Ellen had explained, sadness briefly showing in her eyes. "It's just me and my son, Rick."
"Then I'll definitely have a drink with you, but only if you let me check your knee," John had said.
Ellen had poured two glasses of white wine, then sat on the sofa while he knelt in front of her, gently checking out her knee. At 5'6" with blonde hair and blue eyes, she had a friendly face, but not one that anyone would ever describe as beautiful. She was painfully thin with small breasts and a boyish ass. She hadn't yet changed clothes after coming home from her job as a receptionist for a legal firm, so she was wearing a mid-thigh skirt and a blouse.
Blushing as John carefully checked her knee, bending it and rotating it to check for any damage or soreness, she realized that he could probably see her panty-covered pussy, though nothing about his behavior could be considered anything but professional. To her great surprise, they had sat talking until Rick came home from school an hour or so later, suspiciously eyeing John as he snuggled up next to his mother.
Having learned that John was not married, she had impulsively invited him to stay for dinner, insisting when he demurred, threatening to send him a check for his services if he didn't, at which point he gallantly acquiesced. After that, she had agreed to go out with him and found him to be exactly as he appeared, kind and gentle with an intense desire to help people in pain.
Rick continued to be distant and distrustful, even after John started spending the night, no matter the efforts he would make to befriend the boy. His father leaving and the way he had left had scarred him psychologically, to the point where he had difficulty in school with his male teachers, though that problem slowly waned. When John had asked her to marry him just after Rick's 9
th
birthday, she had happily accepted.
Though Rick slowly and grudgingly accepted John's presence, he resisted any attempts to grow close, to think of John as a father. For his part, John never pressed, allowing Rick his space and respecting and understanding how he felt, though he never missed an opportunity to treat Rick as his own beloved son.
"If you don't go see John," Ellen said, "I'll call him and tell him and you know what he'll do. He'll cancel his patients and rush home to see if you're all right."
"Okay, I'll go see him," Rick reluctantly agreed.
"Can you drive, or should I take you?" Ellen asked.
"I think I can manage," Rick said.
"I'm going to call him and tell him that you're on the way," Ellen said, reaching for her phone.
Rick had been in John's office many times, but only with his mother when she'd stop by to say hello after shopping, never as a patient and never by himself.
"Rick, come on in," John said when he entered the office. "Your mother told me that you hurt your back."
"I missed a step and came down really hard," Rick explained, wincing with each step that he took. "There was this sudden, searing pain in my low back and down into my legs."
"Come into the examining room and we'll see what's going on," John said, leading the way. "Take off your jeans and shirt and sit here," he instructed, patting the examination table.
