Sleeping With Boys

She woke up only because he was leaning on her.

Molly cracked her eyes open and saw him bundled up and lying on her side, the pair of them piled up like lincoln logs on top of the living room couch. She struggled to get herself free from the twist of quilts and chenille blankets, clumsy in that haze that's somewhere between REM and sobriety.

Steven leaned over and almost tumbled on top of the curvy blond, peering into her cloudy blue eyes. "What are you doing?" he boldly asked, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. She gave some sort of gratuitous answer, wanting to conceal her slumber and disinterest in the movie playing in the VCR.

She shifted and pulled away from his grip, but still, he clung on wanting to be next to her, wanting to feel the comfort of her. "I want to make you a happy girl." The innocence and sincerity of his statement made Molly smile.

Steven stood up and put his hands down his pants. Molly stared at the back of his head as he explored the biology of his being, shocked he would be so open about his stroking. He started pulling his track pants down a bit when Molly finally spoke up.

"Steven, don't do that."

Short and sweet, Molly did not want to make a big deal about his forwardness, trying instead to play it cool and calm. She really needed the money and his little ticks weren't enough to scare her away.

Forty bucks wasn't going to make a huge dent in her finances, but it would be enough for her to maybe cover her electricity bill and a few pints of cheap domestic beer at the local dive. Molly wasn't so public about her moonlighting gig, but as time marched on she started adding more clients to her calendar, a tidy list of customers all begging for her expert services.

Steven came back to the couch and begged to touch her. "C'mon, I want a hug," he exclaimed, throwing his arms out in initiation. Under similar circumstances, Molly hadn't really experienced as much affection. Usually she was the one doing all the kissing and hugging, trying to warm up the other party. But Steven was different. Molly put her own arms out and wrapped them around him, hugging tight and smiling at the endearing connection between the two.

Molly and Steven froze when they heard the garage door open. The two squeezed tight, knowing their time together was coming to an abrupt end.

Donna walked through the door, worn out and looking to put her feet up for the night. She stopped short and looked at the two in their tight embrace and kept on walking. That's just the way Steven is, Donna thought as the older woman walked to the kitchen table, fumbling through her purse.

Steven pulled away from Molly, awash in guilt after getting caught in a weak moment of affection with the younger, prettier woman. He pulled the blankets off him and rushed towards Donna with open arms and a smile meant to ask for forgiveness. The older woman rolled her eyes and looked back down at her satchel full of paper scraps, pens and tubes of lipstick. Steven threw his arms around her, holding on for dear life when Donna returned the embrace and then patted him on the rear end.

She shook her head as she pulled out two 20 dollar bills. "Go give these to your girlfriend," she whispered, looking at the young woman sprawled out on the couch, exhausted after the long night with Steven.

"Thanks for babysitting me," the four year old shouted as he jumped on top of Molly.

"You wear me out, Steven. But I'd do it any night of the week," she said, as she hugged the boy and said goodbye.