Used to getting her way, Dominique couldn’t see past her anger at not being able to control Jake and hear the truth in his words. “Why especially Justin?” she countered. “Why are you so interested in my son?”

“Because he reminds me of myself at his age,” Jake said. “When I see that unsure, lonely look in his eyes... it’s like I’m looking in a mirror. Here’s what I will say... the changes occurring in and to Justin’s body are perfectly normal occurrences. He isn’t some creature from outer space just because he’s curious about the opposite sex. Sometimes these subjects are better handled man-to-man, baby. That’s why he sought me out and shared what was on his mind.”

Dominique fumed in silence, begrudgingly admitting that much of what Jake said was probably true. She thought back to an article she’d read on single parenting. In it, a father was quoted as saying that “while a female can nurture and love her son, it takes a male to turn a boy into a man.” Dominique had balked at this ideology, knowing that no one knew her son better than she, or loved him more. But that was before last Sunday and the naked pics, before she’d entertained ideas of him masturbating and growing pubic hair. Now, she wondered... was she properly equipped to turn her spunky boy into a responsible man?

Jake spoke into the silence. “Why don’t you come over?”

“I can’t. Justin went for pizza with some of his friends and Tessa’s off today. I need to be home when he gets there.” And she also needed to pout some more, but Dominique withheld this information.

“Then I could come over there.”

“Jake, you know how I feel about that. I’ve already broken rules with you as it is, and Justin is already too attached to you... as it is. I don’t want to give him the wrong idea about us, or send you the wrong signal.”

“And what signal would that be? That what we have here could be more than a sexual fling, could actually grow into some kind of relationship?”

“You know I don’t think that’s a good idea, and you also know why.”

“What I know,” Jake purred, his voice dropping lower and bringing a shiver to Dominique’s spine, “is that there is a certain woman I want to kiss right now, in several places...”