Mia rolled over, unfurled her arms and legs like a newly blossoming flower, and yawned. Opening her eyes, she found herself in her bedroom under a soft cotton sheet. A little disorientated, wondering how she got to bed, Mia thought back to her early morning antics and smiled. Her hands reached for her breasts and gave them a playful squeeze as the memory of her son's strong hands flooded back. Mia's eyes closed again, and she allowed the feelings to grow. She arched her back, caught her hardening nipple between her fingers, and pinched. "Oh, Cameron!" She moaned and instantly fell back against the bed, her eyes open wide. A dread began creeping through her as the reality of the morning took hold; Her smile faded.
What they had done, what she had allowed to happen, was unthinkable. In isolation, it was a beautiful coming together of two adults exploring and playing with one another. However, her common sense told her it was a sinful and abhorrent act between two family members. What frightened Mia more than anything was that she enjoyed it. Mia couldn't remember the last time she'd felt such a loving, tender touch. It hurt Mia to think back that far, not only because it highlighted how long her husband had been cheating on her.
Throwing the sheet back, Mia reluctantly got out of bed. "Perhaps I don't need to speak with him. Maybe we can just carry on as normal." She thought, then quickly dismissed the idea. Mia straightened the sheets and pictured waking up in the bed, only this time not alone. She imagined Cameron lying beside her with those big muscular arms wrapped around her as they slept. His tan torso would cast a startling contrast against the white linen. His dazzling blue eyes and tousled brown hair made her think of those greek statues, like Michaelangelo's David or The Thinker. Mia felt her heartbeat rising and quickly shook the image from her mind.
Mia changed into a tank top and shorts before heading downstairs to find Cameron. Thinking through how she could address what happened made Mia's head spin. Part of her knew what they had done was wrong, but a large part of her didn't care. And that was the problem. Mia had lived so much of her life doing the right thing and toeing the line that she was tired of it. What had it gotten her? A wealthy husband who spent his time either working all hours or cheating on her. "Hell, he probably cheats while he works," she thought.
Mia looked around her house as she descended the stairs. Beautifully adorned, spacious and grand, Graham spared no expense with the luxury furnishings and artwork lining the hallway. If there was one thing she couldn't fault her husband for, he knew how to spend his money. Mia didn't want for anything. It was partly for that reason Mia felt so much pain.
On the one hand, she had a husband who neglected and cheated on her but gave her everything. On the other, she had a man who had shown her more love and compassion in a single hour than in the last twenty-five years of her life. A man who she could not, or should not, be with.
At forty-four, Mia had nothing in her name except a psychology degree. Apart from the occasional attempt to help family, her degree had remained untested. The house was paid for, but it was in Graham's name, as were the cars, the holiday home in Florida and their various other rental properties. Mia wasn't sure when it happened, but around the time she became pregnant with Cameron, her future was decided for her. Mia had allowed Graham to dictate her life ever since the birth of the one and only child. Mia had wanted to have more children, but Graham had a vasectomy without discussing it with her, something else to add to the list of her husband's shortcomings.
When he was young, Mia didn't resent being a stay-at-home mom, and she doted on her little boy every second of every day. At the time, she remembers commenting to Graham how his frequent business trips would end with him missing much of their son's formative years. Mia pictured Cameron's first words, his first steps, and learning to ride a bike; Graham had missed so many firsts. Mia started to shake angrily as she imagined what Graham was getting up to while their son grew. She hated herself for letting him ignore them both and for being so naïve about the truth. "If nothing ever happens again, at least Cameron made me feel something again." She thought. Then quickly added, "What do I mean 'If'? Jesus Mia, get a grip; he's your son."
Downstairs was deathly quiet. Mia walked through bright bars of light shining through the window in the lounge as she approached the door to the deck. The clock on the mantle read eight-forty-three. She had been asleep for over an hour since her exercise with Cameron. Mia couldn't remember the last time such exertions had left her so exhausted, and certainly not caused by someone else. Mia was daydreaming about her son again when something caught her eye through the window. She pulled up the blinds and saw Brody stretched out on a lounger.
Her immediate thoughts surprised her: "Young men are certainly built differently from what I remember in my youth." Mia thought as her eyes travelled over the golden hills of Brody's chest and across his undulating sculpted abs. His body shone and glinted as the mix of oil and sweat reflected the sun. It all became too much for Mia as her eyes travelled slightly lower. The sensations of grinding against her son came flooding back to her, and she gasped with a sudden, uncontrolled moan. She let go of the blind, causing it to skitter down to the foot of the window sill. Mia slapped her hands over her mouth and froze in place. She could see Brody lying in the garden through the sliver of daylight at the edge of the blind. He turned his head slightly but didn't move. Mia turned away with a mischievous grin.
Heading back to the stairs, Mia made her way to Cameron's room. The door was ajar. Mia placed a flat palm on the softwood and pushed gently. Three thin slivers of light crept through his blinds into the dimly lit room. "Cam?" she whispered. Dust floated and flitted about in the gloom. His bags still sat untouched at the end of his bed. Cameron himself was lying on his stomach, facing away from the door. Mia looked down at her son lying peacefully in front of her. His long legs were hanging off the end of the bed. She glanced at her son's half-naked body as he slept and felt her heart race. The excitement of being so close to this man was becoming too much. She could feel the touch of his hands on her breasts and his breath on her neck. The image of her lying in his arms came back to her. Deep inside, the first tingles of a fire sparked to life. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but it was useless.
Mia hesitated, spun on her heels and swiftly tip-toed to the door. "Hey, mom," came the half whisper behind her. She froze on the spot. His voice sounded just as soft as before; it made her shiver. The echo of his breath teasing her ear earlier that morning caused her eyes to close. Mia bit her lip, trying to stifle a moan that rose from her chest. She cursed herself for ever entering his room.
"I didn't mean to wake you," she said. Mia didn't turn around. She had been confident before seeing her son lying there, but now she feared that facing him might prove too much to take. The bed creaked. The shadows cast across the room by the rays of sunlight were disturbed by something moving behind her. She was a second away from speaking when she felt a hand on her shoulder. A light pressure turned her around, but Mia couldn't bring herself to look at him, and instead, she closed her eyes and dropped her head.
Cameron smiled and laughed softly. He placed a finger beneath his mother's chin and gently lifted her head to face him. Mia opened her eyes slowly and saw Cameron standing in front of her in nothing but a pair of tight boxers. Mia lost control of her eyes briefly as they darted all over his incredible body, repeatedly stopping in an area no mother should ever be caught looking at. "I'm--I'm sorry I woke you, Baby. I just..."
He could sense her struggling. His mother was usually so calm and assured no matter the situation, but the woman in front of him now was nervous and uneasy. Cameron was no stranger to the attention of women. He'd often experienced women stutter and stumble over their words when trying to speak with him; He enjoyed teasing them. However, something was endearing about seeing his mother like this; it only made him love her more.
Cameron made the most of it by stretching as he yawned, flexing his biceps and making himself as big as possible. Mia's eyes grew wider as she watched her son while trying to steal glances at his boxers. Cameron reached out and took hold of her by the shoulders; she stared into his blue eyes and lost herself momentarily. Cameron bent forward and kissed her gently on the cheek. "It's okay. I understand." Cameron straightened up. Mia's brow furrowed, and she tilted her head in an unspoken attempt to get an explanation. "You're worried that we crossed a line. Well, you're right. Things will never be the same between us."
He stepped away from Mia and picked up his T-shirt from where he'd thrown it earlier that morning. Pulling it over his head Cameron turned to face his mother. "Things will be better. Far better. I know you're scared, but you don't need to be. I love you, and not just the love a son has for a mother, but as a man loves a woman. I won't force you to do anything you don't want, but I can't stand by and let you be ignored any longer; that ends today."
Mia tried to interject several times, but every time she tried, Cameron answered her before she'd even asked the question. "But, your--father."
"Is a cheating piece of shit. Yes, I know."
Mia looked at Cameron dumbfounded, not able to respond.
Cameron looked at his mother's stunned expression and realised how blunt he was. "I'm sorry, mom."
"You know?" Mia's eyes started to tear up.
