John chuckled, feeling a strange mixture of emotions in his chest.
“Is your dad even going to let you drink?” he asked. “I thought you said that-“
“Oh, he won’t even care, not if your mom’s there,” said Kari. “He gets a little weird whenever he talks about her. I think he might have a little crush on her.”
John blinked a couple of times and stared at the phone. Was it jealousy, that he was feeling, or raw bewilderment, or some bizarre combination of both?
“I really don’t know about this,” said John. “What happens if the two of them…” He paused, having trouble seriously considering the ramifications of the possibility. “What happens if they really hit it off?”
This time, it was Kari who went silent, and John completely understood why. The idea was horrifying, and at the end of it was a potential future of twisted family dynamics and broken relationships.
“They won’t,” Kari finally said. “Or at least, they won’t have a better time than us. That’s all that matters.”
“But how do you know?” Even as John asked the question, he remembered the way his mom had acted the first time he’d seen Erik van Katho interact with her, so defiant and rude.
“I know,” said Kari. “Besides, we have some control over it, now don’t we?”
John smiled.
“Yeah, I guess we do,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to tonight, John,” said Kari. “It might not be the first date I imagined, but if it’s the only way my dad will sanction me getting together with you for a night, I’ll take it.”
“Yeah, same here.”
“I have to get going, there’s a lot of stuff I have to do to get ready,” said Kari. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, see you.”
John hung up the phone. His heart was beating fast, much faster than it should have been. What was it about being the Count that made his life so strange?
He climbed off his bed and headed out into the hall. The mansion was silent, but John had grown used to it over the past few days. It was a comforting silence now, the sound of his home.
Olivia was sweeping in front of the lobby’s door, and John walked down the stairs and over to her. She looked cute in her maid uniform, all of her curves threatening to pop out on either end, and surprisingly, she had a smile on her face.
“I’m headed out for a walk, Olivia,” said John. “I need some time to clear my head a bit.”
The maid looked up at him. Her eyes were warm and understanding. Things were starting to calm down between the two of them and return to how they should be.
“Do you want me to come with you, sir?” asked Olivia. She blinked, and then looked as though she had dropped out of maid mode for a moment. “John…”
John stared at her briefly, feeling as though his heart was beating a little faster, and a little hotter.
“Yes,” he said. “I think I’d like that.”
The two of them walked outside the mansion together. John started to head down, towards the road but veered off to the side of the house instead. He hadn’t taken a close look at the lawn before and noticed for the first time the amount of work that had gone into mowing and caring for it.
“Does the mansion have a gardener?” he asked. Olivia shook her head.
“No, we contract most of that work out to a private business.” She was smiling, and her face was glowing. John was a little curious as to why she was so happy, but the feeling was infectious enough to make him not especially care.
“I’ve never been in the backyard before,” said John. “Let’s go check it out.”
He stuck out his arm, and Olivia looped hers around it, her eyes beaming at him with joy and other emotions that John didn’t recognize. He began to skip across the lawn with her, feeling ridiculous, but also as though it was exactly what he needed.
The mansion’s backyard was gigantic. It consisted of a number of perfectly manicured privacy bushes, a large fountain with a statue of a swordsman in the middle, a gazebo, and an outdoor eating area attached to the mansion. At the very edge of it, where the lawn was swallowed by forest, there was a tiny little trail cutting through the center.
“I want to check out that trail,” said John. Olivia nodded, and the two of them skipped over to it.
The trail was bordered by tall, branching trees on either side, giving it the atmosphere of being a tunnel through nature. The sun was out, but underneath the canopy of leaves, there was enough shade to make it feel like evening.
“John, what’s on your mind?” asked Olivia. “I can tell that something’s bothering you…”
She leaned in close to him and squeezed herself against his arm. She was so warm and soft, and John felt like he would prefer to just spend the night with her, rather than having to jump through hoops with his mom and the van Kathos.
“I’ve just been thinking a lot, about everything here on the island.” He paused, and then remembered what had happened that morning. “Olivia, did you hear about the death of that private investigator.”
Olivia nodded, her smile fading a bit.
“Yes, I did,” she said. “It’s terrible.”
John looked at the maid carefully. He trusted her, more than he trusted almost anybody else on the island.
“Olivia, this is going to sound a little crazy, but I think it may be linked to another recent death,” said John. “My grandfather’s.”
Olivia didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally, she looked at John, one of her eyebrows raised and a serious expression on her face.
“I didn’t want to worry you, John, but I know that Count van Ludling didn’t die of natural causes, as much as I can know anything.”
John was a little startled by the confidence in her voice.
“You knew? But why didn’t you say anything?”
Olivia sighed and looked at him very carefully.
“Because I didn’t trust you, not at first,” she said. “I thought… I briefly suspected that you may have been involved, somehow.”
John flinched back and felt his mouth drop open.
“Are you kidding? Me?”
Olivia rubbed his arm gently.
“I don’t think that anymore,” she said. “It was just that at the time of his death, it looked as though you were one of the few people with anything to gain from it.”
John took a deep breath. He’d wanted to clear his mind by going for a walk, and it felt as though it’d had the exact opposite effect, in the end.
“Look, I think that someone else did have something to gain, Olivia,” said John. “And whoever it was is still playing a very dangerous game, against me now. I had spoken with Alison Orton the day before her death, and she told me that she was investigating me.”
Olivia didn’t look very surprised.
“She investigates everyone, John,” she said. “I would be more concerned if she hadn’t been investigating you.”
John had no reply. Olivia was watching him carefully, and after a moment she ran her hand along his back.
“John, your grandfather made enemies during his life, without ever meaning to.”
“What do you mean?” John watched as Olivia leaned in closer to him and dropped her voice to a whisper.
“Your grandmother, Julia, was a very popular woman in Blackthorn before she married your grandfather,” she said. “Or at least, from what I’ve heard.”
John nodded and waited for her to continue.
“One of her suitors was the young Erik van Katho.” She smiled at the look of curious surprise that appeared on John’s face. “He was almost twenty years her junior, but he was rich, and it tore him apart when she chose your grandfather over him.”
“But that doesn’t sound right,” said John. “I thought that they were friends after that, my grandfather and Erik van Katho.”
Olivia nodded.
“Count van Ludling wanted to stay friendly with Erik van Katho. That’s why he tried o marry his daugh
ter, your mom, off to him.” Olivia smiled grimly. “But, of course, that never materialized, in the end.”
Rather than clearing things up for him, the new information only made John feel more confused. He shook his head and was struck by a quickly growing desire to have a strong drink.
“My mom and I are going over to the van Katho’s tonight,” said John. “She’s going to be there with Erik, and I’m going to… well, I’m going to be on a date with Kari.”
“Oh.” Olivia paused and blinked at him a couple of times, looking taken aback. “Oh wow. That’s nice, I hope you have a lot of fun, sir.”
John could hear the jealousy in her voice even as she shifted back into her neutral, professional mannerisms.
“Olivia, it wasn’t my idea. I heard about it from my mom, and Kari was the one who arranged it.” John took her by both shoulders and stared into her eyes, dead set on getting her to understand. “If it goes well, maybe our families can go back to being friends. If Erik van Katho does have something to do with anything that’s happened, this might be a chance for things to be smoothed out.”
Olivia forced a smile at him.
“Of course, sir,” she said. “I hope things go well. I’m happy for you, really.”
John sighed. He really needed that drink.
The two of them spent a couple more silent minutes out in the forest before heading back. John held Olivia’s hand and tried to get her to soften and go back to the happy mood she’d been in before. She didn’t give in, though he could sense that she appreciated his effort.
She left to work on chores once they had reentered the Ludling estate, and John headed upstairs. It was late in the afternoon, and he only had a little while to prepare for the night. He headed towards his room, and then stopped in front of his mom’s bedchamber, noticing that the door was left open a crack.
He couldn’t resist peering in, and what he saw on the other side made his heart skip a beat. His mother was sitting in front of a wide mirror, putting on her makeup. She was wearing a white strapless evening gown, and her hair had been twisted up into a bun.
“Mom…” John tried to pick his jaw up from the floor as he ogled her. Natalie smiled at him in the mirror and then turned to face him.
“You should start getting ready, sweetie,” she said. “We’ll be leaving in a little less than an hour.”
“Uh, yeah, of course.” John couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Her gown pushed her breasts together in a way that showed them of perfectly, turning them into a banquet of seduction. Around her neck, his mom had on an expensive looking pearl necklace, but he only barely noticed it, her boobs drawing most of his attention.
“Is something wrong, honey?” Natalie set her makeup wand down and stood up, taking a few steps towards him. The gown clung to the rest of her body tightly and shimmered with sparkles. Every curve and contour of her butt was perfectly visible in the back. John couldn’t believe how attractive she looked, and suddenly felt his palms get a little sweaty at the idea of her being dressed like that around Erik van Katho.
“Wow, you’re not holding back tonight,” he said.
“Do you like it?” Natalie did a pirouette, and John felt his cock hardening in his pants as his mom’s boobs jiggled slightly. “I want us to make a good impression tonight, and change the dynamic between our two families.”
“Well, this will certainly change things, that’s for sure.”
There was a loaded, silent moment between them. John was still staring, and Natalie was watching him and blushing slightly, clearly enjoying the attention.
“Come here,” she said. “Give me a hug.”
John walked over to her and slowly wrapped his arms around her. His erection poked awkwardly into her stomach, impossible to hide. It felt so good to have her against him, her breasts so soft and tempting, and terrible ideas began to run through his head.
“I should… probably go and start getting ready,” he said.
“Yeah, you should.”
They continued hugging for a moment longer, and John thought he could feel his mom rubbing against him with tiny, subtle movements. He began to push back a little, letting his cock rub on her, grinding against her soft, busty body.
Finally, after what felt like an illicit, unspoken eternity, John managed to pull back. He hunched over, suddenly very self-conscious of his boner, and turned to leave.
“Sweetie, I love you,” said his mom. “Don’t stress out about tonight. It’s all just good fun.”
“I know mom,” said John. “I love you too.”
He took one last look at her as he stepped out the door, feeling a little confused and guilty about just how undeniably turned on he was by her body and then headed for his own room.
CHAPTER 25
It only took John a couple of minutes to pick out a nice combination of dress clothes to wear. There were a number of outfits hanging up in his closet, and he ended up picking out a dark blue dress shirt with black pants, which fit him surprisingly well.
He headed downstairs and found that his mom and Olivia were already waiting for him in the lobby. Seeing Natalie with her outfit and makeup complete, smiling patiently at him, made him feel strangely nervous. This was a first date for the both of them, and it somehow felt as though there was more on the line than just a kiss at the end of the night.
“Ready, honey?” she asked him.
“Yeah mom, I’m ready.” John leaned in towards her and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. He’d meant it as a friendly, platonic gesture, but the second his lips made contact, he felt a strange heat begin to spread across his face.
“It’s just going to be a fun night, for us and the van Katho’s,” said Natalie. “We’re getting to know them a little better, that’s all.”
John shrugged.
“If that’s all, why do we even need to get all dressed up?”
Natalie set her hands on his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. John felt his face heating up even more as he struggled to meet her gorgeous gaze.
“Trust me, sweetie,” she said. “Everything that happens tonight is for the good of our family.”
John nodded, but on the inside a sickening pit was forming inside of his stomach. The front door opened, and before he could analyze his emotions any further, Olivia had stepped back into the lobby.
“I’ve brought the car out front. We can leave whenever the two of you are ready.” There was a strange tremor of emotion in the maid’s voice, almost as though she wanted to say something that she knew she shouldn’t.
“Excellent. Thank you, Olivia, we’ll get going right now.” Natalie smiled at her, and then looped her arm through John’s and led him out to the car.
The stars and moon were out overhead, and even John couldn’t deny the romantic effect they gave the night. He climbed into the backseat of the car next to his mom and then waited as Olivia chauffeured them across the island.
He was still nervous, and there was no real hiding it. Erik van Katho was not somebody he would or could ever trust. If it were just John and the other man, on their own, the situation would be manageable, or at the very least, straightforward. But with his mom and Kari thrown into the mix, they were playing a very different game.
“Sweetie, don’t be nervous.” His mom smiled at him and rubbed his knee encouragingly. “I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I didn’t know what I was doing.”
John sighed.
“Well, I’m glad that at least one of us does.”
Erik van Katho was waiting with his daughter in front of the door to their mansion. He was dressed much like John, except his dress shirt was red, and he’d included an expensive looking watch on one wrist.
Kari, on the other hand, looked like a promiscuous princess, her expensive black evening gown showing off more cleavage and thigh than John ever would have thought her father would let her get away with.
Having the two of them wait outside felt like an overly formal gesture, but then again, John didn�
�t really have a good sense of what was appropriate in the world of old money he found himself suddenly caught up in. When the car stopped in the circular driveway, Erik walked down the steps to it, opening the door for John’s mom with a small smile on his face.
“Natalie,” said Erik. “I am so glad that you and John decided to accept our invitation. You look amazing.”
John watched his mom in disbelief as she took the hand Erik van Katho offered to help her out of the car.
“Yes,” she said. “I believe we got off on the wrong foot when I returned, you and I.”
Her smile was warm and friendly, and John could tell that it delighted the man. His heart felt like it was beating violently, and he wished that he’d tried harder to talk his mom out of the night.
“John,” Kari called to him from where she was standing, at the top of the steps. “Aren’t you going to greet your date for the night, and kiss her hand?”
The smile she gave him was laced with sarcasm, and John laughed, despite himself. He looked back over at his mom, who was whispering with Erik about something, the two of them close to each other but far enough apart to keep his mind at ease.
“Of course, Princess van Katho.” John bowed mockingly. “It would be my divine pleasure to kiss your dainty hand on this beautiful night of nights.”
His mom shot him a disapproving look, but Kari laughed and blew him a kiss. John jogged up the steps to her, feeling much more optimistic at his prospects for having a fun night.
“Don’t worry, there are bottles and bottles of wine waiting for us on the dining room table,” whispered Kari. “You aren’t the only one feeling a little nervous.”
“Let’s head inside, shall we?” Erik van Katho had put his arm around Natalie’s waist. John felt strangely protective of his mom, but she had a smile on his face, and there was nothing he could object with that sounded reasonable.
“Yeah, come on John.” Kari eased against his side, pushing her breasts against him and getting even closer than his mom had been with her father.
The four of them walked into the lobby of the van Katho estate. John had forgotten just how big it was, as though it was specifically designed to outsize the Ludling mansion.
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