A Step Too Far - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It wasn’t until dinner that Teddy met Morganna’s oldest daughter, Nimue. She arrived to the table in her sundress with a paperback book in hand. Teddy noticed that Nimue was slightly taller than her sister or mother, but still not up to his height, especially barefoot. For some reason this gave him comfort. He could take some peace in the knowledge that he was effectively the man of the house and of different genetic stock that these interloping women who had invaded his home. Nimue's demeanour was more quiet and restrained than Vivianne’s, but Teddy felt her sea-blue eyes assessing him from the moment she entered the room. Nimue’s skin had been kissed by the summer sun and trace of freckles dusted her cheeks. Strawberry blonde hair spilled down over her shoulders and a silver yoni amulet dangled in the soft cleavage between her perky breasts.

Teddy tried to introduce himself, sticking out his hand and starting to stand up, but Nimue simply nodded at him before sitting down at the table and opening her book.

“Oh, you met my sister, Nimue,” Vivianne announced as she entered the room. She had put on jean-shorts over the bottom of her moist blue one-piece swimsuit. Vivianne took a seat beside Teddy and pulled her wet hair up with a bright pink hairband. “So what do you think of our new stepbrother, Nim?”

The young woman across from Teddy and Vivianne lowered her book and looked at Teddy. “He’s kind of what I expected, after meeting his father,” she said.

Vivianne laughed in a giggling manner and both sisters shared a smirk.

Morganna came out of the kitchen and stepped up to the dining table. “Teddy, could you please help bring dinner to the table?”

Teddy had wondered where the food was, but hadn’t expected to be asked to help serve it. “Now?” He asked.

“When else?” Vivianne replied. “Come on. Show mom you’re not a totally spoiled boy.”

“Okay, okay,” Teddy sighed and hopped to his feet, heading into the kitchen. Morganna smiled at him as he walked past. Nimue didn’t even look up from her book, which she had already turned back to.

Teddy had never spent much time in the kitchen. Mostly, he tended to zip in and just use the microwave or toaster oven, before taking his ramen, burrito, or another easy to prep meal back to his room. Or he’d grab something on the way to the big television that dominated the living room - what had once been a Victorian parlour. Now the kitchen was brightly lit, with various dishes of hot food on the stainless steel counters. It was an expensive kitchen, but Teddy had only ever seen it in full use when his father had hired caterers or other staff for a rare party or investor meeting at the house.

“Just grab the main dishes and bring them out. Then you can get the drink pitchers,” Morganna instructed.

“Can’t Vivianne or Nimue help out as well?” Teddy asked.

“Nimue already set the table earlier, while you were upstairs in your room playing…or whatever it was you were doing with the door closed,” Morganna said.

Teddy felt colour rising into his cheeks at Morganna’s insinuation and the way she’d made him sound like a boy. “I was just taking some time to unwind. I wasn’t ‘playing’,” he said.

“Oh? I thought I heard video game sound effects coming from your room.” Morganna folder her arms over her chest and looked at Teddy expectantly.

“Well, yeah, but that different,” Teddy explained. “It’s entertainment.”

“Don’t you ‘play’ a video game?”

“Yes, but you know what I mean. I was using my computer.”

“You were using it to play video games,” Morganna nodded. “So you were playing while my daughter worked to make the table nice and I made you dinner. Frankly, it’s rather juvenile. How old did you say you were again?”

“I’m 19!” Teddy said. He picked up the first dish, which was heavier than he’d expected and began to walk back to the dinning room while Morganna watched.

“Mmhmm…” She said. “My friend Andrea will certainly have a lot to say about you when she comes over. You are exactly the kind of boy…or man, that she studies at the university. Maybe she can help you better fit into my household.”

Teddy was moving back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, bringing in the food, while Morganna talked to him and watched him with an assessing gaze. Finally he brought in several drink pitchers: one containing some sort of fruit punch, another with ice water infused with cucumber slices and mint leaves, and a third pitcher of chilled milk. The last pitcher was a bit of an odd choice on such a warm day, but everything about his new step-family was weird.

“Okay, thank you Teddy,” Morganna said. “Take a seat and we can dig in.”

“Did I hear that Andrea is coming over?” Nimue asked, reaching for some mashed potatoes.

“Yes, later tonight,” Morganna smiled. “Karla may join her as well.”

“Oh nice! Last time they were with that guy…what was his name?” Vivianne asked.

“Spencer, I think,” Nimue said.

“Yeah, that was it,” Vivianne giggled as she plucked a vegetable from her plate and began to eat. “He was so polite and short.”

Morganna smiled. “Karla was dating him. I think he was a secretary at her firm, but they’re not together anymore,” she explained.

Teddy chewed his fish quietly. More strangers were coming over. Where on earth was his father?

“Seriously?” Vivianne asked. “He was like Teddy’s age, maybe a bit older. Isn’t Karla like…”

“She’s in her late 30s at least, no?” Nimue speculated.

“Girls, it’s not polite…but yes, she’s 37,” Morganna nodded. “Karla prefers younger men. She doesn’t really understand why I married Reed. She also thought he was too assertive.”

This time it was Nimue who laughed, but it was a secretive laugh, and Teddy met her deep blue eyes briefly, as she looked at him, then back to her plate.

“That’s awesome,” Vivianne said. “But Andrea seemed to be very familiar with him too. I guess they all hung out, and with you too.”

“Well, Andrea is the one who really got them together and made Spencer…fit into Karla’s life,” Morganna said.

“What do you mean?” Teddy said. He gulped down some milk with his potatoes and looked at Morganna. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he was increasingly worried about the women who Morganna counted as friends.

“Well, young men, such as yourself, sometimes need a little shaping and guidance - especially if they want to date a successful woman like Karla,” Morganna explained. “But since you are curious, perhaps Andrea can explain her work at the university to you in person when she gets here later tonight.”

Vivianne grinned. “Oh, this should be interesting,” she said.

“But you can’t hide in your room and play,” Morganna added. “It would be impolite, especially after asking about my friends. You should socialize, get to know them.”

“I wasn’t…I won’t…” Teddy sighed in frustration. The three women watched him as he worked out what to say. “It’s fine. I wouldn’t mind meeting your friends.”

“Good,” Morganna nodded.

Teddy took another sip of milk. It was rich and sweet. Way better than anything his father ever bought. He was surprised none of the women were having any. They were all drinking water, except Vivianne, who had mixed some fruit punch into her water. Teddy assumed they were all trying to watch their weight. There was no way the milk was fat-free.

“Have you heard from my father lately?” Teddy asked, trying to change the topic.

Morganna’s expression shifted and she leaned back in her chair. “Not really,” she said. “He’s been gone for over a week, and I have barely heard anything. He never used to do this when we were dating.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of the way he is though,” Teddy explained.

“Well it won’t work in our marriage,” Morganna said. “He needs to tell me where he is more, what he is up to. I told him I was going to straighten out his financial accounts with my accountant and lawyer. He really should be here to go over the details more. There have been some odd discrepancies.”

Teddy furrowed his brow. His father had always kept his business dealings largely to himself. Teddy knew not everything was ‘above board’, but he also knew his father had a system and had done very well for himself by his own rules.

“I don’t know if you should be messing in his business that way,” Teddy said.

Nimue scoffed. “Are you serious?” She said. “They’re married. His business is my mother’s business now. Do you think your father is some big man genius and that women are too dumb to understand finance?”

“No,” Teddy back-peddled, surprised at the sudden expression of opinions from Nimue, who had said little up to this point. “I just meant that…well, I don’t know. It’s my father’s career.”

Vivianne smiled and raised her eyebrows as Teddy struggled to explain himself to her sister.

“He’s like some boy getting annoyed at his father’s new special lady,” Morganna said to Nimue. “He thinks that his father’s work world is a man’s world, and that I have intruded on their lives and threaten his father’s role as head of the house.”

“Well, to be honest, you kind of do,” Nimue said.

“Does that frighten you, Teddy?” Morganna tilted her head, looking at Teddy with curiosity. “To imagine me as the head of the house? That I could infringe upon your father’s provider status, or even fill your father’s shoes?”

Teddy pushed his plate back and scooted his chair back, his face red with humiliation and anger. “Stop it,” he said. “Now you’re putting words in my mouth.”

“Am I, or did I hit too close to the mark?” Morganna pressed.

“Bingo,” Nimue said cooly.

Teddy shook his head, standing up to leave the table and go back to the safety of his room. “No! You don’t know me, or about us as much as you think you do. I just met you today and you think you have me all figured out already. It’s all pointless, anyway. You’re not the head of this house! My father is.”

“Your father isn’t here. I am,” Morganna said firmly, rising to her feet. “You could say I actually am the head of the house until he comes back from whatever little deal he thinks is more important than me and his new step-daughters. Here I was, so amicable; I cooked you dinner. I even let you play by yourself all afternoon in your room, and this is how you talk to me?”

Teddy blinked as an unexpected swell of hot emotions rose up inside him. This wasn’t fair! He was in his own home. Who was this woman to lecture him on doing things he’d always done? On just living his own life? Teddy struggled with feelings of insecurity and guilt inside him, but also with anger and a bit of fear that so much about the place and world he felt safe in was coming apart.

 But something else was wrong. Morganna was looking slightly down on him from where she stood in her heels. She had been the same height as him when they’d talked earlier in his room. Now with both of them standing, she seemed to be slightly taller than Teddy. At first, Teddy thought he was imagining it, that his emotional state had gotten away from him. He straightened his back in the face of Morganna’s lecturing tone, her self-righteous claim to be the head of the house. But she was still looking down at him.

“Mom…it happened, it’s happening, just like Andrea said it would!” Vivianne exclaimed, gasping.

Morganna looked confused for a moment and then looked at Teddy, a look of realization on her face that slowly shifted to deep satisfaction as she looked down at herself. Her blouse seemed to strain over her chest, her legs seemed to be practically poured into her business slacks.

“I think you’re right,” Morganna said slowly. “I…unnnggghh…”

The top button of Morganna’s slacks burst open and the brass teeth of her zipper opened slightly, revealing a glimpse of shiny silver panties. Morganna’s head rose another inch in height as she ran her hands over her hips in a sensual motion.

Teddy backed up a step, looking up in shock at Morganna. Never in his life had he witnessed something so incredible and strange. To see a woman grow right before his eyes. It was strangely erotic yet also frightening.

“I AM the head of the house,” Morganna repeated, her voice now even more confident and strong. “I bet I could literally fill his pants and shoes now, and you certainly look more appropriately sized. You know, this wasn’t supposed to happen until I was alone with your father again in a few weeks. I guess you just triggered something with your little attitude. You share the same genes too.”

“H…how…” Teddy croaked.

Morganna was breathing heavy, clearly still heady from what was happening to her body. “Now you’ve seen just how serious I am. You have no idea how much work has gone into this. How many hours of ritual practice. How much research. But we hadn’t accounted for you. I’m not going to have some whiny little boy stand in our way or question me as I manage what is now mine!”

Morganna strode around the corner of the table toward Teddy and looked down on him, a couple inches taller in her heels. She wasn’t just taller; she was slightly bigger now. Her entire frame had seemingly swelled in size. Her shoulders, hips, and head were somewhat thicker, bigger. Morganna’s breasts had risen higher, growing in fullness, and several buttons on her blouse seemed ready to pop right open. The whole comparison between Morganna and Teddy had shifted. Her presence was more imposing and she was undeniably more sexy.

 “Now, clear the table and do the dishes,” Morganna said. She tried to pull the zipper up on her slacks. Teddy glanced down at the sight, the glimpse of silver satin.

“And stop looking at my mom’s thong,” Vivianne added with a snicker.

Teddy gasped and shook his head, starting to explain. “I wasn’t looking at it!” He exclaimed, to embarrassed to question the pronouncements Morganna had just reeled off.

 Morganna eyes widened slightly with mirth.

He couldn’t do this. It was too much. Overwhelmed, Teddy turned and simply ran out of the room, bounding up the stairs toward his bedroom. Behind him he heard Morganna calling after him. “Get back here. You have dishes to do!”

“What a brat!” Teddy heard Nimue exclaim. “Not even any thanks for his dinner.”

“Oh, that was awesome…” Teddy heard Vivianne begin, before he slammed the door shut in his room and rushed to his desk.

Teddy grabbed his phone with a shaky hand and pulled up his father’s number. This was ending. Now.