Beating the Odds

The morning sun was already bright, turning the pavement gold as Joey and Donna strolled along the river, hand-in-hand. The breakfast rush had passed, but the streets were still lively—Saturday mornings were popular for runners, dog walkers, and couples. But no matter how many couples they passed as they walked, none quite felt as out in the open, none drew as many stares as he and his mother did.

Not that anyone knew they were mother and son. No, to the world around them he was simply a young man who had struck gold. A beautiful woman, older and more experienced, willing to dress as she was, ending up with someone like him would be unlikely, maybe impossible. But each step he took with her gripping his hand, looking at him like a fangirl would stare at a teen idol, proved that the odds could be beaten. Let them stare, Joey figured. Maybe it was time for people to stop dismissing guys like him and start believing that the impossible could come true.

Her outfit—bubblegum pink crop top clinging like plastic wrap, tiny low-rise shorts that made people do double takes, sparkly platform sandals—wasn't exactly designed to blend in. Joey's mother shimmered. Literally. Glitter on her eyelids, shimmer powder on her abs, lips glossed in some candy hue. Her toned legs looked dipped in oil, and her pigtails bounced with every step. The whole idea of his mother, the strong, driven, professional woman, as beautiful as she was, showing herself off in public like that was ridiculous.

And yet Joey couldn't help but feel something unexpected: Pride. He knew that it was his power that had made his mother that way, but still, the idea that he would be the cause of any woman to act that his mother had become made him feel special. Important. Wanted.

His mother.

Donna.

She wanted him.

She wanted him so much that she would shed her usual professional veneer and put herself on display acting and dressed like a young, slutty, love-drunk woman. Yes, Joey shouldn't have been surprised. Not only had his history teacher and multiple girls from school all started throwing themselves at him because of his power, but this was something else.

Looking up at her face as they walked, he could hardly think of her as his mother anymore. She was Donna, the hot woman he'd kissed at brunch. The woman who had woken him up with a blowjob the other day. The woman who seemed intent on showing him a good time that warm Saturday morning. Women like her—who looked, dressed, and acted like her—had, until then, only existed in fiction. Something he'd read in an online post, a creation of a porn-centric culture that used women for pleasure. Joey had never thought he'd be with a woman like that, that a woman like that would want him.

Not only did that feel good, but every stare from a stranger, every jaw that hung slack as they passed, vindicated him after years of being dismissed, neglected, and disregarded. Joey was the kind of guy who got girls like that.

Joey Granger.

Chick magnet.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," she said in a lovestruck tone, noticing that he was staring at her.

"Lucky?"

"Joey, sweetie," she cooed, squeezing his hand, "You're, like, my perfect guy. Being with you is so totally hot."

"Mom," Joey said, blushing, "You don't have to act that way. You're fine the way you are."

"Obviously not," she skipped in front of him and took his other hand in hers while she walked backward, facing him, "You were, like, ignoring me before. It's my job to make sure you're satisfied, but I can't do that if you only want to spend time with those younger ladies. So if that's what you want, that's what you'll get."

"Seriously," he tried to emphasize, feeling himself unconvinced by his own argument, "You are a beautiful woman. I just needed time to get used to the fact that you and I... um..."

"See? You can't even say it!" she giggled, "This is the new me. At least when I'm not at work. There I'll go back to being the old me, the boring me. But for us, for this, you get the fun one! And trust me when I say it," she leaned forward and used her arms to squeeze her breasts together, "This version of me knows how to have fun."

Joey swallowed hard. He wasn't sure what to make of his situation. He was resigned to the fact that there was no changing his mother back, but that came with consequences. The changes he had implemented on her were perhaps the most dramatic of all the women. She was sexually fixated on him, utterly obedient, and completely not jealous, at least when it came to the other women he'd changed. He could hide from her all he wanted, but that would most likely make her life much worse. She considered him her perfect man, the one she wanted to be with more than any other, the one she considered irresistible. The consequences of running from these changes would be severe on her, and he wasn't sure he would be able to handle that.

Besides, she was a hot woman who was throwing herself at him. All he had to do was ignore that one fact...

She stopped walking, leaned forward, and kissed him. This time there was no hesitation on his part. They had already shared a kiss at the restaurant. The rules of engagement had been altered. This was his new normal. He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her body, his fingers feeling the heat of the skin on the small of her back. She smelled great. She tasted better. The woman, this goddess, was all he could think about in that moment.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

There was a small part of him, hiding away just beyond his conscious mind, that was fully aware of every person who passed them as they embraced each other. Each individual who looked at them in shock, admiring the fact that this young, skinny, nobody was able to land such a gorgeous creature. Joey didn't just love the new Donna.

He loved the new Joey.

"Thank you," Donna said, coming up for air, still so close that he could feel her breath.

"I, er," he tried to respond.

"No," she cut him off, giving him another quick peck on the lips, "You have no idea how much I needed that. I can't believe how long I've been wrong about my life, about what I wanted. You were right there the whole time and I was too blind to see it. So thank you. For the kiss. For explaining things. For everything."

"You're welcome?" Joey said, mostly unsure of how he felt about the whole thing, but significantly less ashamed than he thought he would be.

"So what do you say?" she swung around beside him again, taking his hand in hers and started pulling him along, "How about I find a proper way to thank you? There's a hotel coming up, and we've got hours to burn. How about I get us a room and you show me what I've been missing all these years?"

Joey looked up ahead at the looming building in question, then over at his eager mother and swallowed hard.

And then nodded.