Chapter 51: A Tranquil Takeover
I changed seats and let her drive back to Sydney. She had put the hood down and with her funny little hat looked the perfect rich young society lady. We arrived home before Maureen and Jenny immediately put everything away. She left, got flowers and fresh food, and I looked after the music. Then we waited.
Suddenly I felt Maureen arriving (the magic still worked!) and after a few minutes, she came through the door. I knew that Jenny was beautiful, but now ... now Maureen had entered the contest. Jenny was the classical beauty, Maureen the happy and joyful one. I could not decide who was more beautiful, but I started to wonder deep in my heart, whether I could ever choose one over the other. I would work, however, that this cruel choice would never appear!
I got up to welcome her home, but she just ran forward and jumped into my arms. "My love, I missed you! Do you still love me? Did this hussy take you away from me? Tell me everything!"
I could not follow her order because she was glued to my lips, her arms were around my neck and her legs around my hips. She was easy to carry, and I brought her to the living room and sat down, with her on my lap. She would not let go, and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Jenny looking at us, half happy because we were together again, half sad because she knew that now Maureen was back to be the center of our life.
Maureen must have felt that because she turned around and called Jenny. "Darling, I missed you, too. Come here and give me a kiss - I will not leave James' lap for one moment!"
Jenny came and embraced us both. She kissed Maureen and then took a step back, but Maureen called her back. "I want a decent kiss, not a peck on my cheek, my dear!" and now the kiss was serious, on the lips and all. Did I see a little tongue coming out? When they parted, Maureen did not let her go but pushed her to me. "I want to see another serious kiss; after all, you had enough time to practice!"
It was a funny image: Maureen on my lap looking at us approvingly and Jenny embracing us, kissing me deeply. Did I already say that I was living in Paradise?
After the first emotion had calmed down, Maureen got up to change and drew Jenny with her.
"James, get a book or do something; I'll need some time with Jenny."
I got that book on economics that I was never able to finish; the subject was interesting, but the French author was convoluted, mixing an absurd attempt of economics with a French state-oriented philosophy. The French economists loved it, but others thought it was complete nonsense. I decided I had enough; perhaps the university might like a donation of this book with some others I had read, and which had not impressed me very strongly, either. Perhaps with a warning: 'Not to be handed to young, impressionable students! '
I was on my second drink and the second Mozart violin concerto when they came back. It was a pleasant sight: Maureen with her standard long transparent gown with her breasts exposed, and Jenny with her pullover with the big holes. Maureen grinned. "James, my dear, I know everything. Every single item! So when will we be going there?"
I protested, since I needed first to recover first from the abuse I had received from this young woman, and then I had to think about our trip to Germany in two weeks' time. But I promised that we would do it soon and then decided to challenge them.
"If you manage to take over NSW Trucks without problems and integrate it into NT within six months, I'll pay a week for the three of us." Maureen looked at Jenny and licked her lips.
"Jenny dear, let's do it faster..." Jenny nodded. "If we do it in three months' time, is there a bonus?"
I agreed but warned: "If you don't do it well and within the time limit you just stipulated, all bets are off, and I shall look for another woman to go there with me."
Maureen laughed, but Jenny's eyes were sad. "James, could you really do this? You promised never to leave me!" I perceived that she was still not completely assured of her position in our group.
I went over and hugged her. "I apologize, my love, the joke was not appropriate. Obviously, I will never leave you, but ... if you don't do what you promised within the three months, the spa is off the books. Take this as a lesson: Never promise anything that you have not thought through!"
She sniffled trying to reverse her remark, but this time I needed to teach a lesson; I would do anything for them, but they had to think before they spoke. Maureen glanced at her.
"Dear, you don't know James yet? Don't play these games with him."
Jenny took a deep breath. "Well, then you'll probably not see a lot of me over the next three months. I will deliver, James, what I bet, and I expect a very long weekend with Maureen, you and me in the spa. OK?"
I nodded. "Bet accepted."
Now Maureen looked at me. "James, be careful: she'll work 18 hours per day and there'll be no time for you or me, so think once more." This gave me no chance to back off and the bet was sealed.
Jenny offered to prepare dinner so that Maureen and I could have some time for ourselves. We sat and she leaned into me with her head on my chest, and I put my arm around her shoulder.
"My love, Brisbane was fine, and NT accepted your plan, Simon has the financing set up, and everyone is eager to go. We'll have to work fast to integrate NSW Trucks and I have my plans for this; perhaps we can sit together tomorrow morning and agree on it. Mom is better; we went to the doctor and she got new medication and she was less tense at the end. She misses you and sends kisses, embraces, and the love of her puppies."
Maureen smiled, as she went back to the last days with her mother. "It was funny: there we were sitting discussing business and all the time your name would pop up: what would James do, how would he handle this, what would he say. And in the middle of this, she would jump to a memory how you had kissed her the first time or laughing about our first morning at the pool. And New Year's Eve! It was difficult to bring her back to business, but we agreed on everything: our plan is a go!"
She stopped, hugged me, gave me a long and caring kiss, and then regarded me with love.
"May I talk about ourselves for a moment? I missed you, James, I missed you so much. It was strange to be on my own and not having you close to me at night. I definitively don't want to sleep anymore alone in my bed!"
There was a comment from the door. "Hear, hear. Ten minutes, darlings."
She lifted her face to be kissed and the ten minutes passed rapidly; when Jenny called us, we had to take a deep breath to come back to the real world. I pulled her up and used the opportunity to brush my lips over her breasts.
"I don't want to be alone either, my love."
I wondered for a moment about my comment: saying to Maureen that I didn't want to be alone anymore after having had Jenny with me all the time? Did this make sense? Perhaps the only meaning was that I did not want to be alone anymore with just one: I wanted both with me all the time.
Dinner was easy and Jenny made no apologies. "Maureen, we had every night outstanding food and good wines and I'm certain that you and Eileen did not have bread and water. I prepared cheeses, toast, tea and that is it. Have fun!"
They were excellent cheeses, but there was more attention on the conversation than on food. Maureen filled in some details of her discussions in Brisbane and I saw Jenny using her computer in her head: how could she fulfill the promise in three months?
Suddenly she asked: "I don't have to do it on my own, do I? I'll have your help, yes?"
We assured her that we all would work 18 hours every day if she did it. She had made the bet, but we three had to complete it. After all, she would not go on her own to the spa...
I helped clean the table and we retired to the bedroom. Jenny glanced at Maureen. "My love, it's your night. I will just help James to get you ready."
Maureen laughed happily. "Getting me ready? I've been ready for the last three days!"
Now we all laughed, and I turned to Maureen, hugging her. "My love, I have missed you!" and kissed her forehead.
She clung to me, rubbing her head against my chest. "Darling, I want you to take my gown off, I don't want to do anything - only to be loved."
I picked her up and her gown slipped over her shoulders, falling to the floor. I laid her on the bed and looked at her: a wonderful, beautiful woman, and all mine.