Jennifer stared at her phone, watching the confetti animation explode across the screen.
“Daily kitchen clean-up: Complete! You earned 10 points!”
It was ridiculous, really—getting excited over a silly digital reward. But as she stood in the middle of her freshly cleaned kitchen, the countertops gleaming and the floor swept for the first time in… longer than she cared to admit, Jennifer couldn’t help but feel a small spark of pride.
She hadn’t felt this productive in years.
“See? Told you it’d work.”
Jennifer turned to see Nate leaning casually against the doorway, arms crossed, with a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. She took a moment to appraise the young man. At eighteen, he towered over her now. His dark curls were still damp from his morning shower, and his brown eyes glistened in the morning light coming through the window. She couldn’t help but think that he looked more and more like his father every day.
“Okay, fine,” she said, waving the phone at him. “You were right. Happy?”
“Always,” he said, grinning as he strolled into the kitchen. “Seriously, though. You’ve been putting this off for weeks, Mom. The app works. Admit it.”
Jennifer sighed, sliding the phone onto the counter. “I’ll admit that it’s working—for now. But we’ll see how long I keep up with it.”
“You’ll keep up with it,” Nate said, grabbing the last apple from the fruit bowl. “You like winning too much.”
Jennifer laughed despite herself. “Winning? All I’ve won is some imaginary points. Not exactly life-changing.”
“Hey, don’t knock it,” Nate said, taking a bite of the apple. “I wrote that app based entirely on proven psychological studies. It’s all about tricking your brain into thinking you’re achieving something big. Fake it till you make it, right?”
Jennifer raised an eyebrow and smirked. “And when did my little technology prodigy become a psychologist, too?”
He shrugged, chewing lazily. “Just trying to help. You’ve been kind of... scattered lately.”
The words stung more than Jennifer wanted to admit. She knew Nate didn’t mean it as a jab—he was a good kid, brilliant and thoughtful in his own quiet way—but he wasn’t wrong.
Jennifer had always struggled with organization, but in the six years since Nate's dad's death, her struggles had escalated significantly. Between juggling her part-time job, trying to keep up with the house, and managing the constant mental checklist that came with being a single mom, she’d been drowning in unfinished tasks for ages. Procrastination had become her default setting, and no matter how many times she promised herself she’d change, nothing ever stuck.
Until now.
It hadn’t even been a full day since she finally gave in to Nate’s relentless nagging and started using the checklist app he designed and installed on her phone nearly a month earlier. And as much as she hated to admit it, something about ticking off those little boxes and earning points was… motivating.
Jennifer turned back to her phone, scrolling through some of the items she’d already tackled since waking up. Clean the kitchen. Pay the water bill. Reply to the emails she’d been avoiding. The sheer number of checkmarks was more satisfying than she’d expected, and something about the reminders of how close she was to reaching the app’s next level made her want to keep working on her list. If that wasn’t enough, the app used AI technology to identify tasks for her, so she rarely had to enter any goals into the program on her own.
“Alright, Mr. Know-It-All,” she said, glancing at Nate. “You win. Your app is actually kind of… great.”
Nate gave her a mock bow. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress the smile growing on her lips. Maybe this was just another phase—another productivity hack she’d try and then abandon. But for now, it felt good to accomplish something, no matter how small.
Nate returned to his room to get ready for school, and Jennifer grabbed her phone off the counter. Her score indicated that she was close to the third level. Feeling motivated, she scanned the list for something to do.
“Load the dishwasher,” she mumbled, clicking on the task to see its description. As she did, more virtual confetti showered down her screen, filling her with a sense of motivation. She read the description, set down the phone, and a few minutes later, smiled proudly as the app shot another blast of confetti across her screen, issuing fifteen points and welcoming her to the third level.
By the time evening arrived, Jennifer had completed enough items on her checklist to find herself fast approaching level four. She had to admit, her son’s app made completing tasks fun… and a little addicting. The more she used the app, the more she found herself looking forward to seeing those little blasts of confetti across her screen. On top of that, when a new task popped up on her screen, she actually wanted to complete it.
After dinner was served and another ten points were earned for cleaning up the mess, Jennifer’s phone alerted her to a new task being added to the checklist. Scrolling to the bottom of the list, she quickly saw the heading for the latest task, labeled “Get Comfy.” Clicking on the heading brought a blast of confetti, filling her with a desire to earn more points.
“You’ve worked hard today,” the description of the new task began. “Ditch your bra and put on some comfy clothes so you can enjoy the evening.” The reward for completing the task was twenty points, which would only leave her a few points shy of level four.
Grinning at the easy points, Jennifer set off down the hall to her room. A moment later, she traded her jeans, blouse, and bra for a comfortable tank top and pajama shorts. Looking in her bedroom mirror, Jennifer ran her fingers through her hair and made sure she was presentable. She didn’t usually go braless while Nate was around, but she had to admit, this was much more comfortable than what she had been wearing. Grabbing her phone, she clicked the checkbox to mark the task completed, and a flurry of confetti flew across her screen, giving her a little thrill.
Jennifer, with only five points remaining to advance to the next level, meticulously scanned the checklist to identify any unfinished tasks. As if on cue, the app dinged, and a new task appeared at the bottom of the list, labeled “Family Time.” Jennifer clicked on the item and, after the obligatory confetti blast, found yet another easy task. “It’s movie night! Cuddle up with Nate on the couch and watch a movie together.” Promising another ten points and promotion to level four in the app, Jennifer couldn’t say no.
Heading down the hall into the living room, Jennifer found Nate with his nose buried in his phone.
“Hey, kiddo,” she smiled. “I’m in the mood for a movie. Why don’t you cue something up, and let’s have some quality family time?”
“Sure,” Nate said with a grin as he slipped his phone into his pocket. “What do you want to watch?”
“Your choice,” she said in reply, taking a seat next to him on the sofa as he pointed the remote at the TV. Nate picked out an old sci-fi flick, and in no time at all, Jennifer was curled up next to her son, resting her head on his shoulder. It had been a while since she’d sat down with Nate to watch a movie, and honestly, she missed having moments like this. Sure, the points were motivating, but deep down, she knew that she really did want to spend time with her son.
It was getting pretty late after the movie ended, and Jennifer knew Nate had school the next morning. Sending her son off to bed, she picked up her phone and immediately opened up the checklist app. Her finger tapped the checkbox next to the line for family time, and almost immediately the app went wild, flooding her screen with confetti as a little chime played. “Welcome to level four!”
Jennifer’s heart nearly skipped a beat at the excitement of reaching the next level. As the list populated with a few more items, she rose from the sofa, grinning ear to ear as she worked through each item. In short order, the doors were locked, the lights were off, and one final load of laundry was started for the day. Arriving in her bedroom, Jennifer reveled in the delight of completing everything on her list.
Setting her phone on the nightstand, Jennifer climbed into bed, feeling better about herself than she had in ages. Just as she was about to set her alarm for the following morning, her phone dinged, letting her know there was one more task lined up for her on the checklist. Curious to see what the app thought she needed to be doing in bed, she opened it up and found one final task for her day, labeled “Self Care.” Intrigued, Jennifer clicked on the task. As she read the instructions, her eyebrows arched.
“Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your home. Spend a little time before bed enjoying yourself. Touch your body. Have a steamy fantasy. Bring yourself to climax. Most importantly, have fun.”
Jennifer read the instructions three times, making sure she wasn’t misinterpreting them. At first, she was concerned that Nate was programming kinky stuff into his little app. As she considered the task’s instructions, her mind replaying the images of the colorful confetti that accompanied them, she quickly dismissed that idea. The app is AI-powered, she reminded herself. It’s not Nate’s doing; it’s just a computer-driven algorithm. The app must have a way of knowing what she needs, she realized, becoming aware that she did feel a little bit turned on from her incredible progress over the day. She hadn’t really thought much about sex since Nate’s dad had died, and she could probably count the number of times she’d gotten herself off in the last year on one hand with fingers to spare.
Jennifer read her screen twice more, becoming more and more aroused by the idea of following the app’s suggestion and getting herself off. Finally giving in to her growing desire, she placed her phone down on the bed beside her, closed her eyes, and brought her hands up to her breasts.
At first she moved slowly, letting her fingers trace her nipples through the tank top’s soft fabric, occasionally squeezing one of her breasts gently. As she became more and more worked up, her ministrations grew more passionate. Wanting more, Jennifer slipped a hand under her tank top while the other hand slid under her shorts and between her legs.
The woman whimpered softly as she realized how wet she’d become in such a short time. While her left hand continued playing with her tits, her right started working up and down her slit, parting her pussy lips and letting her wetness spread onto her fingers. Jennifer let out a groan as her index finger brushed up against her clit. She’d nearly forgotten how good that feeling was. One little brush against her clit led to another, followed by another. Soon she was furiously stroking her clit as she whimpered and moaned.
Remembering the checklist’s instruction to have fantasies, Jennifer pictured various men having their way with her. At some point, her mind drifted to Nate’s father. He always fucked her so well. She loved the way he could make her scream in pleasure as he used her. As that thought passed through her mind, Jennifer found another thought coming up with it. She found herself wondering if Nate would be as good a lover as his dad had been.
For some reason, as soon as that thought popped in her mind, Jennifer had the hardest time shifting away from it. Stroking herself closer and closer to orgasm, she tried to think of other men. She tried to think of Nate’s dad. She tried to think of the guy her best friend tried setting her up with. She tried to think about anyone. Each time, she found herself thinking about Nate, wondering what his cock looked like. Wondering how it would feel in her hands. Wondering how it would feel between her legs.
Sweating and moaning as her fingers stroked her clit faster and faster, Jennifer couldn’t take it any longer. With a long, low moan, she came hard, her body convulsing as she thrashed her head on her pillow while the warmth of her first orgasm in months coursed through her.
When she finally came down from her orgasm, Jennifer grabbed her phone, opening up the checklist app. She smiled, watching confetti rain down her screen as she checked the item off the list. As it did, all her concerns about Nate crossing her mind during her self-care session. After all, it wasn’t like she was really doing anything wrong. She couldn’t control what she thought about, and it’s not like she’d ever act on those thoughts. She was just completing her checklist.
