The Price of Curiosity

"I didn't mean to…"

All I had done was catch the scent of my classmate's mother's stockings, and that alone was enough for her to drag me into a room and punish me for it.

What terrified me even more was this. Somehow, unbelievably, my classmate was about to start calling me Dad.

My name is Joseph Chapman. I met one of my best friends, Lance Ellis, in college. When the holidays came around, he invited me over to his place.

Lance lived with his mom. It was just the two of them in a big house.

The moment I stepped inside, I noticed a pair of women's high heels sitting neatly on the shoe rack. Inside one of the heels was a pair of worn stockings. They looked… weirdly tempting.

While Lance was not paying attention, I quietly reached out, picked up the stockings, and brought them to my nose. I breathed in.

The salty, musky scent filled my mouth, and my body reacted instantly.

My heart jumped. I hurriedly put them back exactly where they were, afraid Lance might notice.

"Mom, I brought Joseph over!" Lance called out toward his mother's room.

A moment later, the door opened.

A stunning woman stepped out. She wore a sleek, form-fitting dress that hugged her slim waist perfectly. She moved with a kind of effortless charm that made it hard to look away.

I felt like my nose might start bleeding. She… was damn gorgeous.

She smiled warmly at me. "You must be Joseph. Have a seat."

She pointed to the couch, then turned to pour me a glass of water.

Meanwhile, I was already struggling to keep myself together. I hunched forward slightly, trying to hide it, and shuffled awkwardly toward the sofa.

Lance noticed and frowned. "Joseph, why are you walking like that? Are you feeling okay?"

He stepped closer, like he was about to help me.

I waved, almost frantically. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

I sat down, adjusting my clothes to cover myself as naturally as possible.

Just then, Lance's mom, Anna, walked over with the glass of water. She leaned down slightly as she handed it to me.

I took it with both hands. Before I could stop myself, my eyes drifted. From the angle of her collar, everything beneath was completely visible.

I froze.

My hand holding the glass went stiff midair.

Anna seemed to notice. Her gaze slowly shifted downward… to between my legs. The corner of her lips lifted into a faint, knowing smile.

Being looked at like that made my whole body feel hot and tense.

Then she said casually, "We have a guest, and I'm not even wearing stockings. That's not very proper. I'll go put some on."

She walked over to the shoe rack, heading straight for the pair of heels and the stockings beside them, and my whole body tensed.

Oh, no.

There was still… evidence on them. It probably had not even dried yet. If she found out, how was I supposed to face anyone ever again?

"It's really fine," I blurted quickly. "Lance and I are close. You don't have to be so formal."

Anna picked up the stockings anyway and smoothed them out. "That won't do," she said lightly. "It's your first time here. Stockings make it more proper."

I watched as she slipped her toes into the fabric, slowly pulling it up along her legs. It was strangely mesmerizing, and at the same time, my heart pounded with pure panic.

'Please don't notice,' I thought. 'Please don't notice.'

However, after putting them on, Anna lifted her foot slightly and glanced down. Then she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God… why are my stockings damp inside?"

She raised her head and looked straight at me. Her eyes carried a sharp, searching edge then. In that instant, it felt like all the blood in my body froze.

I sat there, completely stiff on the couch.

Lance looked back and forth between us, confused. He had no idea what was going on.

Anna's voice turned icy. "Joseph," she said, "come to my room for a moment."