During the earlier call with Aleesha, David couldn't resist a little bit of innuendo despite the ears close to him hearing every nuance of the conversation. After their 'shower' Jo hadn't forgotten the call and asked him about it. It was Aleesha he said, she's as good as one of us so I think a bit of banter shouldn't do any harm. I understand that she is a bit down at the moment as her relationship with Michael looks to be going nowhere. He was hoping that this information would distract Jo but she wasn't having any of it. She asked with a sly grin, "So you wouldn't mind getting into the panties of our lovely PI, huh?"
"Well no, as long as you help" he tried to stop where she was going.
"Huh!" She exclaimed "I thought as much, you randy tomcat, you will need permission!"
'My God she's right but it will be fun flirting with her' he thought and said, "You're absolutely right, or I suppose she would have to be an official member of the group. What do you think the others would say?"
"Definitely No" a voice chuckled from under the covers."
"You naughty girl," he said back to the voice then found her bottom for a light smack followed by some gentle fingering by both David and Jo. Then jealousy broke out on the other side as another voice realised what was going on and added the same opinion, so they split their duties taking one each, swapping sides occasionally just for the fun of it. 'If they are going to leave me,' David thought, with a heavy heart, 'at least they will have good memories for when the going gets tough.'
The next day dragged for David. Bree and Jane were around and kept coming close to him, caressing him and even taking him aside for a quickie from time to time, the gaps between their visits began to get shorter and shorter. He knew they were on a sexual high with expectation and excitement building and building. He felt like the warm up act, or was it goodbye sex? And as that thought took root he started to become really annoyed by being effectively second best. He had to get out, he knew before he boiled over, the jealousy and hurt was becoming too much.
Lauren was around for a while at lunchtime and he took her aside for some advice. He told her how he felt and she understood because there were times when she had felt the same. She put her hand up to stop him. "David, let me deal with this, I completely understand where you're coming from, if they are going to leave, it is not right for them to torment you. Please find something to do away from the house and I will speak to them. You are right they are so excited they are losing sight of the important things and to be honest it's normal, just not nice for the people they are leaving behind."
He took her advice, went to his office to collect his laptop and phones, and decided to take a slow roundabout walk to the bar for lunch. Along the way he phoned Louise to let them know that Aleesha was coming and they were to hand over and 'come back as soon as you can.' "I have another special job for you," and he heard the excitement it engendered in them as she passed on the message.
"Where's the job David, can you tell us about it?
In his present depressed mood he couldn't help telling them about it, so he said, "you better put me on hands free so Amber can hear too." Then he told them about Bree and Jane, and they asked what he wanted them to do. "I want a good photograph of him and I want you to track him back to where he lives, then plant some devices and monitor what his intentions are. I just want you to make sure that they are safe and aren't coerced in any way, do you know what I mean?" They both made their understanding clear in their concerned reply.
He continued "The way they have been behaving there is every chance they will follow him, believe it or not it happened between Jane and me once before." Their surprise at the other end was palpable. "I've not given up without a fight, they know what they will be losing and I've given them one week to make up their minds."
"Will you be there when we get back?"
"Hopefully not, I want to get out of the house but I'll be contactable."
"So, we will get started straight away?" they said determinately to confirm his instructions.
"You might start at Bree's house but check at home to see if they come back at all, if they have any sense at all they will bring him to her house where it's safest. You may even find keys to that house at home to help you get in during the day and set some more devices."
"Do you want reports?"
"Any changes yes, it's important that we protect them if possible, otherwise not unless you need me to take some action like beating the guy to a pulp."
"OK that's fine."
"While you're at it, get as much as you can on him, where he works, where he comes from, you know the things. I think I am going to destroy him regardless because he's a scumbag. I may be unreasonable but I can't help feeling how I do, it was only a week or so ago that they were talking to me about marriage." He was almost breaking down and he tried to pull himself together. Far away in Ohio they could sense it and felt deep frustration that they couldn't be there, this guy was going to be in trouble.
"I am sorry to unload on you ladies, as soon as we are in the same bedroom at the same time I'll make it up to you." The intended humour cheered everybody so that they could disconnect. Louise turned to Amber and said "Ring Aleesha and find out when she is coming, I'll start pulling all our stuff together and make a list of anything left to do."
His next call came to him, Ana rang to make sure all was well with him and to make sure he had everything he needed to know. It reminded him to ask what wine to bring and maybe something for dessert. "I'm looking forward to meeting Zoe. What should I know about her and what will she know about me and what shouldn't I talk about?" He asked.
She told David that Zoe was a personnel manager at another firm in the same building. They had met at lunch in the nearby park. She knew David was an Architect and had a retreat but no details. They talked for a while as he tried to calm Ana, who he felt was very uptight about this evening and the relationship, it was the first time David had seen this side of her. Can I ask one personal question so that I don't say anything out of place. "How do you know she might be into you?"
"There isn't much, she's not overtly gay from what I can tell, she dresses like everyone else at work, smart but feminine. It's the little things like touches and eye contact, the things we women notice"
"I am really looking forward to meeting her, if it goes well I will be delighted." His happiness for her settles part of what she is anxious about, as he had hoped, so they disconnect.
His evening with Ana and Zoe was both fascinating and fun, he watched with a keen eye the subtle interactions between them and found the sexual tension between them intoxicating. Zoe was not what he expected, she had a nice face, not beautiful or exceptionally pretty but there was definitely something about her and he could feel how it drew Ana in. She had a short hairstyle that made the best of her face, carefully applied make-up, but not too much, showing her feminine side as did her clothes. She had a boyish figure that she made the best of, but David felt that her personality drew Ana as much as anything else, she was not overawed by Ana's obvious beauty and charms although she clearly liked her body. David couldn't help but catch her glances at Ana's bust and when she stood up, Zoe's eyes quickly travelled up her legs. He thought that perhaps Zoe was one of the few people who treated Ana like any other girl and would not be easily seduced.
They seemed very wrapped up in each other and although Zoe asked a few well considered questions he sensed that she was just good at it and her first priority was to make sure that David was happy so that Ana was happy. He decided that Ana's assessment had been accurate, there was something in the air between them and after a suitable time he made his excuses and said farewell. Ana escorted him to the door "Thank you so much David, looking at him for his opinion."
"I think she's great," he said. She can't keep her eyes off you so enjoy, there's something between you that you shouldn't let go" Her eyes glistened as he said what she was hoping for, whilst David's heart felt an evitable loss.