Melinda’s shame

The light outside steadily increases in brightness, signaling dawn's fast approach. There are signs of activity on the second floor of the house. Lara and Cheryl meet each other after leaving their respective rooms.

Their current attire is less provocative than their work attire and is typical for an average village woman. They both wear a colored overdress over a long white chemise. Cheryl's dark brown overdress is tight against her curvy body. The laces at the front of Lara's forest green overdress stretch apart taut due to her massive chest.

They eye each other with only a slight trace of surprise before quickly swapping to warm smiles. They both walk towards each other with one hand folded over the other in front of them. Their postures are extraordinarily similar.

"Good morning, Lara."

"Good morning, Cheryl."

"I'm a little surprised you woke up so early, Lara," Cheryl says.

"Well, we are probably both up for the same reason. Aren't we?" Lara says knowingly to Cheryl.

"I suppose so." Cheryl looks around before focusing on a door near the end of the hall. "Melinda is usually up around this time, isn't she?"

Lara turns to look in the same direction. "Should we check in on her?"

Cheryl shakes her head. "She's probably exhausted from worrying so much. Let's just let her rest in today."

"Hmm, alright."

The two walk downstairs and half expect to smell a delicious smell waiting for them. There is only an empty dining room and kitchen.

The two are saddened to see Kael not up. They understood how much Kael loved to cook. They could only imagine how devastated he must be from last night.

"Poor little Kael. I hope he gets better soon," Lara says.

"Let's just focus on the little things for now," Cheryl responds. "A warm breakfast will soothe his wounded emotions."

The two set out to work in the kitchen. Out of all the women in the house, Lara and Cheryl are the most skilled at cooking. While they do not have extraordinary senses like Kael, they have many years of experience behind them.

Both of them are widows and used to take care of their husbands. Cheryl's husband died in the last war, and Lara's husband died on a hunting trip.

Soon, the clattering of pots and pans resound throughout the first floor. The two of them cook with great zeal. Soon, lovely scents waft out of the kitchen. They prepare many dishes and even some cookies to go along as dessert.

Thea walks down the stairs and enters the dining room while the two work in the kitchen. Unlike the other two, she dresses in a rather provocative manner.

A black sleeveless dress exposes the smooth alabaster skin of her lovely shoulders and slender arms. It hugs her close, showing off her curvy body.

She is a little surprised to see the two of them in the kitchen rather than Kael, but she quickly brushes it off. She walks over.

"Mind if I help?" Thea asks the two.

"Sure! More hands make light work," Cheryl says, a little shocked.

Thea hardly helps out with any housework. It is not that she isn't capable like Cheryl and Lara. However, her troubling past makes it difficult for her to do so.

It is not like she does not help out around the house. She works on maintaining the household's financials and dealing with their taxes. She also is the one that goes shopping for anything expensive that requires negotiations.

"Why don't you help with the salad, dear?"

"Sure," Thea replies, acting taciturn.

The two don't mind her reserved manner. Despite seeming otherwise, her behavior is more open than with others. She is especially cold towards customers of the brothel. However, her attitude only adds to her charm.

The three are in the middle of putting on the final touches of the meal as two women walk downstairs, yawning. The two of them are in summer dresses.

Donna's blue dress reaches down to her ankles. Bella's white summer dress reaches down to her knees. Unlike Donna's dress, Bella's is tight against her body. It leaves very little to the imagination.

Donna eyes Bella's ass before complaining. "You better not ruin my dress. I don't see why you had to borrow it anyway."

Bella smirks after a yawn. "I just wanted to show off how it's supposed to look. You can barely fill out yours."

"That's how it's supposed to be!" Donna quickly retorts.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I'll change after breakfast. I just needed something to wear."

Donna grumpily crosses her arms while Bella walks with a carefree gait. The two soon arrive in the dining room. They see the other three beginning to set the table. They look around in search of someone, only to be disappointed.

"Kael hasn't gotten up yet?" Bella asks.

The other three shake their heads in response.

"Where is Melinda? Is she not up yet either?" Donna asks.

"She might be just as depressed as Kael. She wasn't up when we came downstairs," Lara says.

"Why don't you two go check on her," Cheryl says. "The two of you should also go wake Kael up."

Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier. Melinda is resting peacefully in Kael's bed. Her soft breaths take in Kael's lingering scent. Her eyes slowly open as she awakens.

Melinda habitually tries to stretch her body, but she is unable due to the confines of the bedsheets. She smiles a little, noting Kael's care for her while she slept.

She looks from side to side but cannot find Kael anywhere in the room. A sense of loneliness fills her.

She thinks back to the events of last night, blushing when she recalls how Kael dominated her. She shifts around like a giddy schoolgirl until she remembers how Kael is her son. Inside her is a conflict of intense shame and sexual heat.

In the end, her guilt wins out. "What have I done," she mutters. Melinda knows she only intended to save Kael from his sorrows, but she loathes how easily she fell into debauchery with her son. There was no need for them to go as far as they did last night, yet she barely did anything to stop it.

Melinda wonders if last night is something she wanted all along. She finds the very thought almost repulsive, further compounding her feelings of inadequacy she has for herself. Not only is her body disgusting, but her character is as well.

Melinda contemplates how she should face Kael in the future. Kael's underlying source of his depression remains unaddressed. However, she does not know if she can continue any further wanton acts.

Having tasted such a delicious forbidden fruit, Melinda will surely lose herself if she continues to consume it. While Melinda ponders over her dilemma, something outside the window shocks her. The sun rears itself over the horizon, a sunrise signaling a new morning.

A new morning means the other women in the household are awake. Unfortunately for Melinda, she should also be downstairs with them. Instead, she is naked and lying in Kael's room. She scans her body and knows that only one thing will come into the mind of anyone who walks into this room.

She quickly rolls along the bed to unravel the bedsheets binding her. She springs off the bed in a single spry motion. Two globs of water appear above upturned hands. She brings her hands together to form a large ball.

She splashes the water against her face. Instead of going everywhere, the water streaks across her body. It combs through her hair, washes her lovely face, and cleans all residue on her nubile body.

Melinda opens the window before flicking her right hand towards it. The glob of water shoots out of the room far into the distance, spreading apart in a twinkle of drops. Her skin looks pristine with nary a trace of water left behind.

Melinda usually dislikes cleaning herself like this. She usually enjoys the soothing sensation of a bath or basking in the warmth of a shower. However, time is of the essence since someone might catch her at any moment.

Melinda looks at the bed and notices a few stains on it. She is unsure of whether they belong to her or Kael. Nonetheless, she blushes a little from the naughty scene they paint.

She shakes away her daydream since she has no time to waste. She goes to the end of the bed and grabs the sheets before flicking them up.

As the sheets make a wave, a streak of water rides along the crest of the wave. The sheets are spic and span when the water reaches the head of the bed. Like before, Melinda throws the water out the window.

Melinda looks around the room for the final piece of evidence she needs to clean up the scene. She finds her dress and panties strewn at the side of the bed. She picks up her wrinkled clothes before washing them like the bedsheets.

Melinda quickly slides her panties up her legs and throws her black nightgown over her head. Because of her exceptional control, she can pull all the water out of her clothes, leaving them dry.

She quickly checks over everything to make sure she missed nothing. Then she slowly opens the door to Kael's room before peeking her head out into the hallway. She looks and sees no one around.

She quickly leaves the room and turns around the shut the door. She slowly closes it to avoid causing a disturbance.

A sigh of relief escapes her mouth when she closes the door. Unfortunately, her stress builds back up when she turns and sees Bella and Donna looking at her.

The pair peculiarly look at Melinda holding the doorknob to Kael's room. They did not see her leave his room, but the shock on her face screams out something suspicious.

"Good morning, Melinda. You're up a little late, aren't you?" Bella asks.

"Well," Melinda quickly composes herself. Her initial shock is the only evidence of her nervousness. "I found it hard to wake up this morning."

"I see. I suppose yesterday was rough for you." Bella pauses to look at Melinda's face. "Strange. You look a little different today."

Melinda grows nervous at Bella's inquiry. She prays that she left nothing behind. "Different how?"

"You look," Bella takes a measured pause, "gorgeous today."

The reply is not what Melinda was expecting. "Gorgeous?"

Bella does not readily reply to Melinda. She is stuck processing Melinda's appearance. At first, she wanted to probe Melinda's suspicious behavior. However, Melinda's current looks are drastically different.

Her skin has always been very smooth. However, Melinda currently looks several years younger. Her fair skin seems to shine. Her hair is glossier, and her eyes sparkle with a gem-like luster.

Bella turns to Donna and whispers in an audible tone, "Does stress make you pretty like that?"

Melinda's appearance also takes Donna by surprise. Only Bella's silly question breaks her from her shock.

She admonishingly slaps the back of Bella's head and harshly whispers back, "Don't be ridiculous." Donna pauses for a moment before continuing. "Though, she does look different. Younger, almost glowing."

Melinda can still hear them and is confused by their conversation. She did not have the opportunity to check a mirror, but she does not believe she looks as different as they say she does. After all, she knows that her routine this morning was rushed.

Melinda places a hand on her face to feel any difference. Her skin might be softer, but she knows that it might be in her head. It does not feel like an earth-shattering difference. While Melinda is distracted, the two advance on her.

"How did you sleep?" Donna asks Melinda.

"Um, fine," Melinda stammers, stepping back as the two lean into her personal space.

"Just fine? You should have gone to bed pretty late last night. Not to mention you were probably worrying about Kael?" Donna presses.

"Uhh, well," Melinda starts until Bella interrupts her.

"You did something different in your routine, right?" Bella presses Melinda.

"No, nothing di-" Melinda blanks for a bit. She remembers that she did do something different last night. Perhaps the two of them noticed the afterglow from it. She blushes at the thought, but her reaction signals to the two that Melinda is hiding something.

"You did, didn't you!" Bella exclaims while pinching Melinda's face.

"You have to tell us!" Donna shouts as she joins in Bella's efforts.

Melinda feels extremely troubled. There is absolutely no way she can say anything about last night.

Melinda pushes them away and shouts with authority, "Enough!"

"I didn't do anything different last night, and I won't entertain any further discussion."

Bella and Donna grumpily look towards each other. They will not let Melinda keep a beauty secret to herself. It is one thing if it is her natural beauty. However, if she has a method, then it must be shared.

"We'll have to get some backup," Donna whispers to Bella. Bella nods back.

Melinda can only feel exasperated at their mischievous antics. She does worry about the other women ganging up on her. The other three are sharper compared to the two rascals in front of her. She feels the urge to hide her face behind her hands.

"Anyway," Bella looks Melinda up and down once again. "Why aren't you dressed yet?"

Melinda feels another flash of stress coming on. It seems like the two of them are sharper than she thought.

"Well," Melinda quickly tries to come up with an excuse. "I was just so worried about Kael. I wanted to check on him first."

Donna chimes in next. "How is he doing?"

"He wasn't in his room. Isn't he downstairs cooking breakfast?" Melinda asks.

"From what you said yesterday, it sounded like he wouldn't be in the mood today," Donna replies.

Melinda has a slight trace of unease, worrying she gave something away.

"Where is he then?" Bella brings up.

Melinda's unease turns to panic, worrying Kael ran away despite her efforts. Fortunately, her worries are blown away by a loud voice.

"I'm home!" Kael sings out from downstairs.

The three react to his voice and race downstairs. They arrive at the front door together with the women in the kitchen. Standing there is Kael in wet clothes. His clothes stick close to his body, stunning the women with a feast for their eyes.

Cheryl is the least stunned and quickly walks over to Kael to fret over him.

"Kael, what happened to you?" Cheryl quickly looks Kael over to make sure nothing else is wrong.

"I went out for a run, but I slipped and fell into a stream." Embarrassed, Kael avoids looking at the women.

"And you ran back in these wet clothes? You're going to catch a cold," Lara says as she comes over and begins inspecting his clothes.

"Sorry, Auntie Lara. I wanted to cook breakfast, so I raced back here."

"You need to worry about yourself more. We took care of breakfast for you," Cheryl replies, checking his wet hair.

"Okay, Auntie Cheryl." Kael feels fuzzy from the care the two shower on him. He smells the sweet scent coming off their bodies and starts to feel a little hot. Strange colors seem to fill his eyes, and he feels a little dizzy.

Steadily, he grows more conscious of the proximity of their curvy bodies. His hands unconsciously reach out for them, but he quickly pulls them back. Kael realizes something is different with him, and the change scares him.

He pulls away from the two doting aunties and walks over to his mother with a smile on his face. "Mama."

Melinda couldn't peel her eyes away from Kael's body when she first saw him. The visible contours of his body made her burn. It wasn't until Kael addressed her that she broke from her reverie.

Kael looks a little confused when he sees her attire. "You haven't changed ye-" Kael begins until Melinda grabs his hand.

"Let's get you washed up for breakfast," Melinda says, pulling him away from the crowd of women.

Leaving them behind, Melinda pulls Kael aside in the middle of the second-floor hallway.

"Listen, Kael. You can't mention anything about last night, okay?" Melinda says, troubled.

She is conflicted with what she is about to say. However, she knows that she needs to put her foot down if she wants to continue to see him as her son.

"We also can't have sex anymore. It is probably best to forget about last night," she says, downtrodden.

"No," Kael replies immediately.

Kael's response widens Melinda's eyes.

"Don't ever ask me to forget about last night," Kael says in a commanding tone, "I will forever treasure the memory."

Kael's tone softens. "However, I don't want to trouble you. If it helps, we don't have to have sex anymore. Thank you for pushing yourself for my sake, Melinda."

Kael grips Melinda by the chin and kisses her on the lips before walking away to the bathroom. Melinda's mouth drops a little, agape.

Kael resolved the main issue plaguing Melinda, but she felt no relief. She closes her mouth and feels a sense of shame. Her son's resolve is firm, unlike her own. She sulks towards her room to change her clothes.

Meanwhile, Kael stands in a wooden shower. Gravity pulls cold water from the water tank above the house through the metal showerhead over Kael.

Kael is not as calm as he appeared when he left Melinda. He can barely remember what he said to her. His vision was from the swirl of emotions he had when he heard her words. He even forgot to mention what happened to him at the river.

He feels a little pain from the confrontation with his mother. Her troubles mar the wonderful image he has of last night. Kael can only fret about what was wrong with what they did.

Kael also feels unsettled by his body. He was never so conscious of his aunties' bodies before. The heat he felt downstairs made him feel strange. The sudden lack of control over himself worried him. Kael is especially concerned since his mother treats last night as something shameful.

He cups some cold water in his hands and splashes it on his face. He can only murmur to himself that everything will be fine.