Because of the pandemic, most of my direct family had been locked down in our Parisian penthouse for three months with no end in sight. The government announced that only one person could leave the apartment building once a week to visit our nearest supermarket.
With my husband confined to his sister's house in the UK, unable to travel home to be with us, the only person who could to leave our apartment to shop for groceries was my adult son. The rest of us didn't have International driving licenses or insurance for the family car.
At twenty years old, Jake was intelligent and capable, perhaps not so experienced as me navigating supermarket aisles, but he was doing a great job for all of us.
His two sisters, Emma and Claire, helped put together our weekly shopping list, giggling while talking Jake through tampon sizes, vaginal wash selections, explaining the difference between lady shaving and men's razors.
"Fuck ladies, that's a lot of batteries this week. We only need these for air-conditioning and tv remote controls, right?"
"There are other uses for them, dear brother."
Emma smiled, nodded gently and winked, hoping her brother might catch on without an obvious prompt, but he didn't, so I whispered in his ear. My daughter's laughed when Jake's face flushed bright red and he got embarrassed.
I was fortunate that my kids were great friends. Each was born more or less one year apart, with Jake being the oldest and, honestly, a total mommy's boy. The girls, aged nineteen and eighteen, were more inclined towards their dad, but that dynamic prevails everywhere in society, so it never bothered me.
When my daughters left Jake and me alone in our living room, I noticed a sadness in his expression, so I hung around in the kitchen, sipping coffee, hoping he might open up and share his woes. Eventually, having almost run the clock down, I had to speak up.
"Are you okay Jake?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, mom. Just missing Cindy is all."
"They say the airports will open again by February. Your girlfriend can fly here straight away."
"That's still five months away mom."
"I feel for you, big guy."
He slipped off the kitchen stool, grabbed his car keys and the shopping list. Jake kissed me on the cheek and headed for the private lift lobby that would whisk him to basement parking.
"Let me get this shopping in mom and after it's stowed I'll call Cindy on zoom."
"Okay, honey."
My son was always a good boy, and I was pleased he'd grown into a great man, helping everyone in the family however he could.
He'd become seriously ripped, training in the apartment building gymnasium twice a day and swimming in its pool for a mile every night. I was glad he worked out because it was easy to see Jake was a testosterone eruption of a man, frequently pacing in front of our panorama penthouse suite windows, staring out over parkland and the city like a caged tiger.
He returned from his shopping excursion after two hours, helping my daughters and me unpack and stow our groceries. I made a quick lunch of creamy cheese pasta, knowing that Jake would need carbs later on for his gym session. He took a smaller glass of wine than my daughters and me because training and a call with Cindy were important.
My son placed the blister pack of AA batteries on our kitchen breakfast bar, smiling at all three of us. I broke off two, Emma took another two, but Claire didn't take any. Jake looked at her quizzically but said nothing. When the girls returned to their rooms after lunch, I sidled up beside my son, pouring him a half glass more of the crisp, icy Chardonnay we'd started.
"Claire is still a virgin son, so she doesn't enjoy the sins of latex toys except for a clitoral tickler with its USB charger unit. Your sister doesn't want to risk splitting her hymen on a pretend cock. She wants the real thing."
"Jesus Christ, mom, that's an over-share."
I chuckled, a little surprised by his shock because, like my daughters, Jake had a very open upbringing where all kinds of sexual taboos were discussed. I wondered if perhaps my husband might have skipped a few talks.
"There are very few secrets between a son and the mother who cleans his room and does laundry son."
"Oh, fuck... mom I... err, sorry... but."
I placed a finger gently against his lips, smiling lovingly to quell any embarrassment. He hid behind an oversized wine glass, sipping frequently while trying to press his hard on back down into a pair of sweatpants incapable of hiding it.
"Shhh son. Everyone has carnal needs."
"Yeah."
"It looks like you're struggling with yours, though, Jake."
"I sure miss Cindy, mom and I don't just mean for sex."
"I know, baby. Are you still calling her today?"
"Yeah. I need to do that now, actually."
Jake downed the last of his wine, rinsed, then wiped his glass clean, putting it away before darting off to his room. When a tiny click told me he'd locked his door from the inside, I smiled, hoping Cindy would put on a great fuck show for my son.
I went to visit Emma in her room, wanting to discuss Jake and the possibility for us to help my son. When I broached the subject, tackling it head on, my eldest daughter almost fell off her bed.
"Fucking hell, mom, you're suggesting outright incest."
"Yes. I'd like to go first on my son, but I think some variety in his bed might ease Jake's demeanor considerably and help his mental health."
"I agree. My brother needs to get some pussy, mom. He's like a stallion, stamping the ground with a constant semi-hard cock while eyeing up three broodmares from his stall."
"With you, me and his sister being the broodmares?"
"Yeah... but Claire is still a virgin mom and... fuck... isn't this whole idea illegal?"
"Not in France, honey. You just can't get married."
"Whoa... are you saying I can fuck Jake, or you can, for that matter, and the police wouldn't care?"
"There is no law against it here."
"That's strange."
"Don't ask, don't tell, Emma."
"I'll have to think about it, mom. I'm not sure, because me fucking my brother still feels wrong."
"Do you like Jake?"