Jim's Seduction Ch. 02

When I woke up the next morning, it was with a smile on my face and a sense of deep satisfaction.

And then I remembered the events of last night, and panic set in. That kiss...

I'm not saying it was the best kiss I've ever had in my life. Or maybe I am. I've been with women who can convey with a kiss the promise of a night of unrivaled pleasure, a promise that they can definitely deliver.

Jessica's kiss had a promise in it as well. There was a promise of passion, yes, but the promise was tentative and unsure, reflecting Jessica's own innocence. There were other promises there as well, promises to a soul I hadn't even known I had had five years ago. Promises of light, love, hope, peace...

I shook my head, hoping to dislodge that nonsense from my head. What I needed to do was go downstairs and see what I need to do as far as 'damage control' was concerned.

As it turned out, not much.

When I went downstairs to the dining room, Kate had returned home from her sleepover of the previous night and was sitting at the table, a half-eaten waffle in front of her and a giant smile on her face. Jessica was standing behind her, refilling Kate's glass of milk. Both girls looked up at me and smiled as I sat down at the head of the table.

"Morning, Daddy Jim!" Kate piped before diving back into her waffle.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who likes to sleep in once in a while," Jessica said with a broad smile as she poured me a cup of coffee. Jessica planted a quick kiss on my forehead then asked me, "Can I fix you some breakfast? The waffle iron is still hot and I think this one," Jessica said as she walked over and gave Kate a hug, "is going to want a seconds." Kate just giggled.

"Uh...sure," I answered suavely, startled by the peck Jessica had given me. Not that there was anything untoward in that quick kiss. It was just that Jessica never kissed me. We didn't have that type of relationship. Jessica was faintly humming as she made my waffle, but nothing in her demeanor said that she thought there was anything unusual in what she did. So I just sat there quietly eating my waffle, occasionally answering a question asked of me, but otherwise just listening to Kate tell Jessica about her night over at her friend's house.

As that's how our lives began changing. Have you ever seen those 1950's family sitcoms, where the wife kisses her husband and straightens his tie when he goes to work? Jessica became my 1950's sitcom wife. If I was leaving the house in the morning, she would give me a quick peck on the lips. If I was working at the computer, she would come up behind me, put her arms around my neck, face next to mine, and ask me what I was working on. If Jessica, Kate and me were sitting in front of the television watching a movie, Kate would be snuggled in between us, while Jessica and me would have her arms stretched out behind Kate on the back of the couch. It was still all rated G, and there were no smouldering looks exchanged, or tense moments (at least not on Jessica's part), but things had definitely changed.

During this time, we were making our move to our new home in the Pacific Northwest. Even under the best of conditions, a move across the country can be hectic, but Kate, Jessica and me were enjoying the move. Oh, sure, the girls were tearful in their partings with old friends, and my old company was sorry to see me go (though I had left on very good terms, and had even helped them get a replacement for me). Still, the girls were thinking of it as a grand adventure, and I was looking forward to the challenges and benefits of being a senior partner in a prestigious international security firm.

The move might have been what stopped Jessica from going further than assuming the role of June to my Ward Cleaver. I don't know. But since this increased affection was rated G, I just got used to it and assumed that it wasn't going to go any further. Maybe this was all just Jessica's way of putting that one kiss safely into the past. I don't know. Everything else was normal, so I just decided to quietly adjust to the increased if innocent affection and leave it at that.

And then the school year began for both of my girls.

Our old house was nothing to sneeze at, but our new house was palatial in comparison. It was in a ritzy gated community and included an indoor swimming pool and adjoining hot tub in a greenhouse sort of setting. It also had a fairly large, tall room whose walls were covered in built-in bookshelves which Jessica immediately fell in love with, and made me wonder what kind of budget I would have to set up to fill those shelves to her specifications.

Kate instantly made friends with everyone in her class at her new school, and it wasn't long before we had playdates at our house. I had, of course, found a full time housekeeper/nanny for Kate when I wasn't at home, but Jessica insisted on hosting/chaperoning playdates at our house, and Kate seemed delighted at the prospect. It wasn't interfering with Jessica's studies, but I was a little worried that it might interfere with her social life. But Jessica and Kate were both happy with the arrangement, so who was I to complain?

As her first semester progressed, Jessica began having study groups over at our house. And this is where things began changing between us again. Jessica had told me that she was having some friends over to study in the library, and when I got home, my intentions were to poke my head in, say hi and see if anyone needed anything, and then leave. I knew the last thing a bunch of college kids wanted was an old guy trying to hang out with them.

Instead, as soon as I stepped into the library, Jessica spotted me and the smile that appeared on her face lit up the room and my heart.

Jessica immediately got up and moved toward me, her face lifted up for our (now) customary greeting peck. To be honest, I wasn't going to offer Jessica a kiss because I didn't want to embarrass her in front of her new friends. But when Jessica presented herself, I leaned in to give her what I thought was going to be a quick peck. Instead, Jessica gave me a kiss with heat. It wasn't like the one we had shared after her Pretty Girl date, but it wasn't a friendly, familial peck either.

Jessica turned around while sliding her arm around my waist and facing her seated friends. "Guys, this is Jim. Jim, this is Larry, Mac, Kim, Caitlin and Teri, my study group for Botany."

The kids all gave me nodded hellos, though I think I detected more than a little disappointment in Larry's eyes. I nodded/mumbled hello to Jessica's friends, still a little stunned from the kiss she had just given me. "I was about to make dinner and I was wondering if anyone would like to stay?"

Jessica squeezed me with her arm around my waist as she beamed at her friends. "Didn't I tell you how sweet he was?"

Everyone accepted my offer (including Larry, who seemed to do so sullenly), so I hastily made my escape to the kitchen.

I was pretty much going on automatic as I got stuff ready in the kitchen. OK, I admit it, I was flustered by Jessica's kiss. Fortunately, the logical part of my brain provided a reasonable explanation. Or at least, I was trying to find a reasonable explanation. One of Jessica's study mates, Larry, obviously had more than a passing interest in her. Maybe this was just her way of keeping him at arm's length.

Yes, in retrospect, I admit it was pretty weak reasoning on my part. All I can say in my defense is that I was very, very flustered.

Fortunately, when I came off automatic, I hadn't chopped off any fingers while preparing supper.

One of the tricks I had learned early on when I became an adoptive father was to make big batches of something and then freeze it, so I (or Jessica) could unfreeze it if our respective schedules were too hectic that day to make a proper meal. In this case, I thawed out a couple of batches of frozen spaghetti sauce, made a salad and some garlic bread, and supper was ready.

When we all sat down for supper, Jessica sat to my right (with me at the head of the table) and Larry immediately grabbed the chair to her right. Kate walked up and gave Larry a pointed glare. "I ALWAYS sit next to Momma Jess at supper," she announced.

Two things you might have noticed already. Kate was never anything but unfailingly polite to adults, and until that moment, she had never referred to Jessica as "Momma Jess."

Jessica smiled as if nothing unusual happened. "Larry, would you mind taking another seat?"

I think Larry wanted to say something, but decided against it. Instead, he grudgingly moved and took a vacant seat at the end of the table and remained quiet for the entire meal.

The dinner went very well, with Jessica playing hostess, getting up and refilling drinks and taking away dishes and especially at getting everyone to open up. I was to learn Mac and Caitlin were a burgeoning couple, and that Mac was attending college on an ROTC scholarship with the goal of becoming a Marine officer. Mac's family was a four-generation Marine family, but Jim would be the first in his family to have a commissioned rank.

Kim was almost a stereotypically shy Asian student, and would have probably been as quiet as sullen Larry at the end of the table if not for my little Kate. Outside of her anomalous "applied brattiness" she had used on Larry, Kate was her usual adorable self, and was using all her charm to pulling Kim out of her shell.

When dinner was over, Jessica suggested that they call the study session at an end for the night and instead just enjoy some coffee in the den. Larry, who hadn't mumbled a sound during dinner, said he had to leave early, then asked Jessica if he could talk to her.

We had just started moving toward the den when Larry asked this. Jessica was in front of me and stopped. She moved back to me and slid her arm around my waist. "Of course, Larry. What did you want to talk to me about?"

I could tell Larry wanted to talk to her in private, but didn't know how to ask. Instead, he stood there stupidly for a minute, muttered "Never mind" and said something about seeing her on campus.

I never did see Larry at my house again, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Jessica led me to the one of the love seats in our den, where she curled her feet underneath herself and snuggled up against me (another first). Mac and Caitlin took a seat on the couch, with Mac putting an arm around Caitlin. Kate grabbed Kim by the hand and asked if she could show Kim her porcelain doll collection.

"Kate, I think Kim might want to stay down here with the grownups," Jessica said with a laugh.

"It's okay, Jessica," Kim said with a blush. "I don't mind."

With a triumphant smile, Kate pulled Kim upstairs to her bedroom.

"Jim, you're daughter is adorable. I don't think any of us has ever seen Kim really smile like she has tonight."

I lifted up a hand and laughed. "I cannot take any credit. I just keep the roof over our head. Kate being a little angel is all her own doing. Well, with some help from 'Momma Jess.'" The last must have been the right thing to say, because Jessica just lightly punched my bicep and then snuggled into me again.

Mac asked me some questions about my time in the Corps, and I told him that when it came time for his first posting, to give me a call, and I might be able to help him get to where he wanted to go (I still kept in touch with some guys who were still in the Corps, and they were all senior noncommissioned officers now. In the Corps, generals make decisions, but sergeants make things happen).

We were halfway through a second cup of coffee when Kim came back downstairs. When she saw all our eyes on her, she blushed. "Kate told me it was her bedtime, and had me read her a story before I tucked her in."

"Well, we should be getting back to the dorms," Mac announced, standing up. "Jim, Jessica, thanks for dinner. I hope all our study sessions are this good!"

Considering how Jessica had been acting all evening, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Mac was addressing us like a couple. But all in all, it had been good evening and, outside of Larry, I thought Jessica had found herself some very good friends. Jessica gave all three of her friends hugs goodbye, I got a firm handshake from Mac and a hug from Caitlin and even one from shy little Kim.

When we closed the door, Jessica turned to me with wide eyes. "You got a hug from Kim! You have no idea what an event that is. She barely lets me hug her."

"I think you're being impressed with the wrong person," I said with a chuckle, as I motioned with my thumb in the general direction of Kate's room. I was about to bring up Jessica's behavior tonight when she interrupted me by putting a hand around my neck and pulling me down for another one of those quick heated kisses.

"I knew all my friends would love you, Jim," she said with grin. "Now why don't you go check on our angel while I clean up down here." And with that, Jessica disappeared into the kitchen. I stood there, somewhat befuddled, before I roused myself enough to go check up on Kate. I found my little angel fast asleep, but with a smile on her face and, as confusing as things were for me right now, I knew all was right in my world.

Well, all may have been right with my world, but it was still confusing as hell. For one thing, Kate decided to make the moniker of "Momma Jess" permanent, which delighted Jessica to no end.

When Jessica saw me off to work in the morning (she didn't have to leave for morning classes until I was out of the house), she'd give my tie a tug and one of those short heated kisses of hers and send me on my way. That short but hot kiss of hers was also her "Thank you" kiss and her "Let me introduce you to a new friend" kiss. But otherwise, things remained ... I can't say normal, but I will say unchanged.

I also (finally) started getting a social life. Since I lived in a gated neighborhood for "McMansions", I wasn't expecting to intermingle with my neighbors. As it happened, Kate's best friend in the neighborhood was being raised by her grandfather, John Robertson, a successful, retired contractor who had also served in the 1st Battalion Ninth Marines during the Vietnam war. We got along instantly. John's wife Melissa didn't approve of me at first, since it appeared to her that I was dating/living with a woman young enough to be my daughter. Eventually, though, Melissa changed her mind about me. And through John, I started making other friends. It was kind of nice to have friends in your life that had nothing to do with your professional work.

And as my life got better, if more confusing, another change was on the horizon.