First, she wasn't some scatter-brained teenager. Despite her eighteen years she was aware of the world around her and the relationships shared by a man and a woman. While she had no hard evidence to prove her theory, she had the feeling that her mother and father had taken lovers at one time or another during their marriage. She also suspected that each parent was fully aware of what the other did. If so, she felt her mother would understand what had happened between Aunt Mona and her father.
She did. On more than one occasion, she had thought of going to bed with her own brother, especially after listening to Karen recount their love making.
Second, she knew damn well Frank didn't know, or even suspect what had happened between her father and Aunt Mona. She doubted whether the man ever had a thought of sex, least of all considered the possibility that his wife had taken a lover – her own brother at that. Frank just wouldn't believe that such things could happen.
Last, she had considered her own feelings. And, yes, she wanted to be her father's lover – one of them, at least. She had no want to replace her mother. The thought of being her father's wife wasn't what she had planned for her future. But to share his bed was another matter altogether.
Getting him into that bed, or more specifically, into her snatch was another problem.
Linda wasn't a girl. Over a year ago she had felt the thrill of her first lover moving between her willing thighs. It had been a summer romance with the cousin of one of her best friends who had been visiting for a week. When he returned home, she was a woman and he was no longer a boy.
Since then she had taken one other lover, a young man she now had hopes of marrying. But that was in the future, after she graduated from college.
Her father was here and now.
She had no worries of pregnancy. Her own mother had seen to that. A few days before her first date, her mother had taken her aside and talked with her. It wasn't one of those woman-to-woman talks she had heard of from her friends, nor was it a mother-to-daughter lecture. It had been more like two friends discussing what it meant to be a woman. After that talk her mother had taken her to the doctor for a complete physical and a birth-control pill prescription. Her mother had given her the responsibility of controlling her own sex life. Something she had not regretted.
She was a woman, and she knew it. But how was she going to get her father to notice the fact?
As she had realized when watching Aunt Mona and her father, he would never come to her. The only answer was for her to go to him and offer herself. But how and when, that was something she hadn't decided yet.
Linda looked around the camp. Everyone was completing their normal tasks of setting up the tents and getting the fire ready for the evening meal. Then she saw Bret and Karen talking.
Why not?
Bret and Karen managed to get away by themselves simply by taking a walk in the woods and finding someplace to make love. She could do the same thing.
She glanced around and found her father stretched out beneath a tree, resting in the shade. Her heart suddenly doubled its speed. He was alone. If there were a time to do it, the time was now before he became involved in something.
Taking a deep breath, Linda strode toward him without hesitation. Her temples were pounding like hammers by the time she reached his side. She knew he could read what she had planned on her face when he looked up at her, but he just smiled and said, "Hi, Princess."
"Think you could spare your daughter a few minutes?" She forced calmness into her voice.
"Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing really important," she lied. "There's just something I want to show you in the woods."
"Oh?" Her father's smile grew. "What is it?"
"A surprise," she replied. "It's just back up there a bit. Think you feel up to a short walk?"
She held her breath, knowing that she had just given him the opportunity to refuse to go with her. But he grinned and answered, "Okay."
He held a hand out to her as he rose, gripping her fingers firmly. "Lead on."
She smiled and started toward the forest. Once in the trees, she led him directly away from the camp and the others. She had no idea what she was going to tell him when she found the spot she was looking for, but she would think of something. At the moment she had to find a secluded clearing.
"Hey, how far is this?" her father asked.
"Not much further," she answered, repressing the panicky rush that rose from the pit of her stomach. Her eyes darted around, searching for a concealed spot. "It's just right over there."
She glanced at him, her eyes looking back. She could no longer see the tents, nor could she hear the others. Now she had to find the right location.
About fifty feet more, she found what she was looking for. It was a small moss-covered depression surrounded by thick bushes and trees. Unless someone was looking for this place, they would never notice it. That made it perfect for her plans.
Tightening her grip on her father's hand, she led him through the shrubs.
"This is it?" He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. "I don't see anything."
"There isn't anything, except me." No, she realized that was the wrong approach and regretted her words as they came from her mouth. "I didn't want to show you anything…"
"Huh?" His puzzlement grew.
"I just wanted to get you away from the others… so we could… talk," she said.
"Alone at last," her father said with a chuckle. He eased to the ground and sat, patting the moss beside him for her to sit also. "Must be something pretty important to bring us out here?"
"Yes," she began, still unsure of how to handle the situation. "It's that… well…"
"That important, huh?" His expression was serious now, filled with the gentle understanding that was always there when she came to him with a problem.
Linda seated herself next to her father and once again took his hand. "Dad, I saw you and Aunt Mona this morning. I was getting up to see the sunrise and I saw you two by the river."
"And you saw us making love?" His voice didn't quaver.
"No, but I knew what had happened," she said.
He was silent a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "I'm not sure what to say. What happened, happened. I feel no regrets. I know Mona is my sister, but what happened was between a man and a woman. I'm sorry if what you saw upset you, but…"
"It did upset me," she interrupted him. "But not in the way you're thinking. What I saw looked so beautiful. Aunt Mona looked like a sylvan Goddess from Roman mythology and you…" She stumbled over her words. "Dad, I was jealous of Aunt Mona. I wanted to be in her place!"
His head jerked around. He stared at her. His expression was a strange mixture of surprise and confusion.
"I brought you here to show you me, your daughter," she said, words rushing out. "I'm a woman, your daughter is a woman. I want to show you that woman."
His mouth fell slightly ajar. She knew what he must be thinking, but she had committed herself. She had said what she wanted to say and now she wanted him.
Before he could answer, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. Her tongue flicked out and darted between his parted lips. She taunted and teased, but there was no response. He sat there frozen, as though he were a man in a state of shock.
She pulled away a bit, undaunted. Her eyes rose to his. "Make love to me. I want you to make love to me."
Again she kissed her father. Her tongue, like a moist whip, flicked into his mouth, taunting and tapping. Suddenly, she felt him stir. He didn't move away. Instead, his hands were on her waist, holding her.
She pressed closer, rolling the firm, young cones of her tits against her father's chest. She hugged close, so that he could feel her body and recognize its willingness to please him.