Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Emily's Lessons (Mf, rom) by Jay Cantrell

   Normal disclaimers apply.  If you are younger than 18, or this material
is illegal where you live, please don't read this.  The following depicts a
consensual sexual relationship between an adult and a child younger than
18. If this type of material offends you, please don't read this.  Oh, and
if you just don't want to read this, well, don't read this.

   Chapter 6 Reflections

   By the time I got myself back to my apartment, my mind was reeling.  I
couldn't believe what I had just done.

   I had taken advantage of a 16-year-old girl.  Just because I could!

   As I lay on my couch, my jumbled thoughts haunted me.  Pictures of Emily
raced through my head.  I could still feel her mouth on mine.  I could
still smell her perfume, her shampoo.

   What was happening to me?

   I truly thought I had been in love with Susan.  Unrequited, yes, but
love nonetheless.  Now I knew I wasn't.  But was I in love with Emily?  How
could I be?  Look what I had just done.

   When I finally slept, things were no better.  I dreamed I was with
Emily, kissing, touching and making love to her.  It was so real.  I could
hear the headboard of her bed hitting the wall.

   Then another hand touched me, an unseen hand, scaring me so much, I
awoke.

   What I saw scared me more: Susan standing in front of me.

   "How in the hell did you get in here," I practically screamed at her. 
"Why are you in my apartment."

   My reaction frightened her, I could tell.

   "I'm sorry," she stammered.  "It's almost noon.  I was worried something
had happened.  You never sleep this late.  I knocked and knocked, but you
didn't answer.  So I got your spare key and came to check."

   After my initial shock wore off, I felt bad, but resolved to put the
deadbolt on in the future.

   "I'm sorry, Susan.  You just scared the hell out me," I told her.  Then
I noticed how she was dressed.  Or rather, almost dressed.

   She had on a bathing suit that covered very little, and I was very glad
I was lying on my stomach to hid the stirrings that hadn't gone away from
dreams.  My mind flashed back to Emily.  How could I have betrayed her like
that.  Sure, she had asked me to kiss her.  But I am the adult, I am
supposed to protect her from people like, well, me.

   "So are you coming or not?" Susan broke me from my thoughts as I
realized she was still talking to me.

   "What?  Where?" I asked.

   "Are you OK?  You look terrible.  Are you feeling OK?" She said.

   I really wasn't sure.

   "Yeah, fine," I told her.  "I'm just not a morning person.  What were
you saying?"

   "Well, sleepyhead, Emily and I are at the pool taking in this glorious
day, we wondered if you wanted to come down and relax a little?"

   I did what any red-blooded male would do when faced with the prospect of
spending the afternoon sunning himself with two beautiful, under-dressed
women.

   I lied.

   "Sorry, Susan.  I have a lot to catch up on," I said.  "Maybe some other
time."

   She looked at me funny.  I wondered if she could read my thoughts.

   "Oh, pooh," she started.  "It's 90 degrees out there today, and it is
supposed to rain all day tomorrow.  Catch up then."

   "I can't," I lied again, suddenly getting a little irritated with Susan.
"I have gotten pretty far behind over the past month, and I didn't get to
do any work yesterday."

   Susan's face started to redden.

   "I guess I have pretty much sent Emily to live with you, haven't I?  But
you two get along so well.  Why didn't you tell me?" she wondered.

   A day ago, I would have had an answer for her.  Now I didn't.

   "I really didn't look at it that way.  There wasn't a problem with Emily
being here.  She keeps herself occupied and sometimes is pretty helpful in
catching little mistakes I miss when I am working," I replied.  "But, I
don't know why you don't spend more time with her.  She's a pretty great
girl.  A lot of fun."

   "She says the same thing about you," she told me.  "I want you to know
that you put together a lot better birthday party for her than I could
have. She hasn't stopped smiling all day."

   I was relieved to hear that what I had done hadn't been too traumatic
for her.  Now if I could get over the trauma of it, too.

   I realized Susan was talking still and I had no idea what she was
saying.

   "Huh?"

   "I said, 'She's the one who kept pestering me to come and see if you
were coming down,'" Susan repeated.

   "Give her my apologies, but I have to catch up on some stuff," I said,
and Susan finally got up to leave.

   "OK, your loss," she grinned back, catching me watching her butt shimmy
to the door.

   Embarrassed at being caught, I blushed.  "Yeah, I guess it is.  Have
fun."

   I hoped that for the next few days, I could avoid them both and let me
come to grips with what I had done to Emily.

   I should have known better.

   Chapter 7 The Confrontation

   After Susan left, I wandered to the shower to try to wash away some of
the guilt I felt.  It was still there as I dressed in a pair of shorts,
combed my hair and brushed my teeth.  The fact that the shower didn't ease
my mind didn't surprise me much.

   The fact that Susan was sitting on my bed when I came out of the
bathroom sure did.

   "Holy shit!  What is it with you, just walking into people's houses?" I
asked, more than a little miffed at the situation.  "You think you can just
wander in here any damned time you feel like it?"

   "I talked to Emily, she told me about last night," she said simply. 
"When I told her you weren't coming down, she started to cry.  She's been
so happy all day, then out of the blue, she's bawling."

   I wished I could crawl into a hole.

   "I didn't mean for it to happen," I started, the visions of
shotgun-toting fathers and more-than-friendly cellmates back again.  "I, uh
...." I couldn't finish before I started to get overwhelmed.

   "I think it is just about the sweetest thing I ever heard," Susan
exclaimed.

   Now I knew things were not right.

   "Just what did she say?" I had to ask.

   "I told her truth," a voice from behind me said.

   I spun around to see Emily standing in the doorway to my bedroom.  She
was wearing a green one-piece suit that almost matched her eyes, except her
eyes were red from crying.

   "I told her that after you tucked her in last night, you found me crying
because.  You talked to me, asked me why I was upset.  And I told you why:
I had never had a real kiss.  You gave me a kiss to make me feel better,"
Emily continued, now starting to smile.

   "Uh, yeah," I stammered.  "I guess that's what happened."

   "Is that why you didn't want to come down, Joe?" Susan asked.  "Because
you feel guilty about kissing Emily?  You shouldn't, you know.  You gave me
a kiss to make feel better right before that.  Are you guilty about that?"

   "No, Susan.  I'm not feeling bad about that," I told her.  "We're
friends."

   "Are we not friends, Joe?" Emily asked, and I could tell the waterworks
were going to start again.

   "Of course we are," I tried to calm her.  "I hope you know how much you
mean to me.

   "I, Susan, can I talk to Emily, alone, for a minute?"

   "Ok, but no funny stuff you two," she said, with a big smile.  Susan was
enjoying this.  She had no idea what I was feeling toward her niece.

   As she walked out of the room, Emily could tell something was wrong,
simply because my eyes didn't follow Sue's butt like they always do.

   "You're really mad at me, aren't you?" she asked, now fully in tears
again.

   "You?  Sweetheart, I couldn't be any less mad at you if I tried," I told
her, honestly.  "I'm mad at ME.  I took advantage of you."

   As I sat at my desk, trying to figure out what to say next, Emily came
and put her arm around me.

   "Do you really think that?" she asked, quietly.  "Because you didn't. 
If anything, I took advantage of you.  Susan and I both do, everytime we
get the chance.  Turn around here.  Please?"

   I complied, and she sat down on my lap and put her head on my shoulder.

   What she said next, I'll never forget.

   Let me know what you think.  Especially if you don't like it and can
give specific reasons why.  Although it might take a while, I will reply to
each intelligent message.  I would appreciate any feedback you might have
to offer.  cantrell_jay@yahoo.com