“That’s the advantage of being married to a lawyer, Susie.” I joked. “You could persuade me to do anything if you talked to me like that.”
She smiled broadly.
“Well, as a lawyer I should tell you I also explained to her that having sex with her father or stepfather is, strictly speaking, illegal, whatever your ages, and that she must never tell anyone about her Grandfather and me or I could go to prison.
“I also told her that she should think hard about whether she wanted the same relationship with you and that if she decided she did want it she must remember that, although she would have my approval and help if she wanted it, in the end you are married to me, not to her.”
My head was swimming with bewilderment by now, but Susie hadn’t finished.
“I suggested she thought about it carefully and made a cool and calm decision one way or the other. That if she said no, you and I would understand and would still love her as a daughter; that it was entirely her decision and she shouldn’t feel under pressure either way.”
“And what did she say?” I demanded, eager to know.
“She said she would think carefully about it. Mike, she hasn’t spoken to me about it again so I don’t know for certain what she thinks.”
I felt crestfallen. How could Susie have told me such a story but without an ending?
“But since then.” She continued. “As I said, I’ve seen all the messages she’s been sending out to you; all the open doors and flashes of knickers; all the short skirts and coming downstairs in her night clothes; all those looks across the breakfast table.”
“And I missed the significance of them all?” I asked, feeling very stupid.
She nodded.
“Mike, I’m pretty sure she wants you!”
“But I need to be absolutely sure!” I asked. “I can’t possibly make a move unless I know for certain. I can’t take the chance of ruining my relationship with Sophie through a –misunderstanding on this scale.”
Susie thought for a minute.
“I’ll go and talk to her in her room now. Go and have a shower – you look hot and sweaty! Neither of us will want to get close to you when you’re like that.”
And with that she abruptly left me sitting at the kitchen table and went upstairs.
The next twenty minutes were some of the longest in my life. After Susie’s footsteps had ceased, I followed her upstairs, straining unsuccessfully to hear the conversation I felt sure was taking place behind my stepdaughter’s bedroom door. There were murmurs but no words could be distinguished.
Disappointed, I went into our bedroom and across to the en suite bathroom where I undressed and stepped into the shower. The warm water immediately made me feel better, and as I soaped myself all over I began to fantasise once again about what being in bed with my stepdaughter might really be like.
Images of my sister Sarah flashed through my mind and inevitably to my groin where without my realising it, a huge erection was developing.
I was washing my hair vigorously and hadn’t noticed Susie entering the shower room. She, however, immediately noticed both the soap suds on my face and the erection slapping against my lower belly.