Part 7 - Seattle
The days before departure for the trip in the RV to Seattle passed quickly. Margo and I got our end of term work accomplished, and Edith had us in for a talk about next year.
"You are two of my best teachers, but what about your careers? Community college and babies is not good enough!" She frowned fiercely and then smiled. "Perhaps our trip will turn up something exciting."
We walked out, headed for the guesthouse, bouncing off each other as usual. "What was that about?" I asked.
I got an arm around my shoulder and a kiss on my cheek. "Mickey, she's telling us a story about herself. Wants us not to settle for comfortable choices. Thinks maybe she missed out somehow."
"So which of us is going to run for President?"
That got me an elbow and a laugh. "Better get that novel finished, lover, or there won't even be comfortable choices."
She was driving and I leaned back in the passenger seat with eyes closed. The end of the novel was out there, waiting to be grasped and brought to the page. Tom and Eunice and Eunice's crippled brother. I hadn't imagined a Gothic ending. No suicides. No random and meaningless murder. Perhaps lives salvaged from war and turned into hardworking middle class lives was sufficient? I needed to consult with my agent, who was busy stocking shelves in the RV.
Keeping my eyes closed, I said, "Let's offer to help Susan. I need to consult my agent."
"Do you want me there? Perhaps one on one is what you have in mind?"
"You are an evil teasing woman and will suffer!" I sat up and reached ...
"Stay away!" She was parking and running to safety in the big vehicle. I dashed after and up the stair. She shrieked and fell into Susan's arms. I rushed them to the big bed in the back, filling the air with threats and growls.
The agent sat on me, swatting. "Mickey, you can't abuse your future wife and your agent. It's just not proper!"
I wrestled and pinched and kissed and collapsed. They crouched over me, "What is the problem now?"
"Edith scared us. Said living here in a comfortable existence was not good enough..."
The curvy agent settled between us and pulled up the comforter. "Now see here..."
We interrupted with caresses and kisses from both sides. We hummed. I leaned over and gave Margo a fierce kiss. Susan relaxed into us as I said, "I am not giving this up. I am hanging on to the women who make life worthwhile..."
Later, someone poked me awake. "Hiding out, are we? I have a message from Edith. She apologizes for what she said to you this morning and wants a sleepover."
Susan and Margo sat up, hugging and giggling. "Do you suppose she needs comforting?"
Outside, on the way to lunch, I grabbed Emily and ran around in circles. "Put me down, crazy man!" Three women all pounded on me, laughing their heads off. "Mickey," Susan screamed, "the ending is in your head. Just relax and it will come tumbling out."
Emily had leftover barbequed back ribs for lunch. It was delicious and calmed me. Head down, I said, "Sorry for the theatrics, I'll get over it." Susan nudged my hip and whispered, "Let it go for a few days. You are piling block on top of block!"
I nudged her back and asked, "I thought you were angry with me for being late?"
Using my hair for leverage, she arranged me in her lap and leaned down to lick my ear. "You have upended my existence, young teacher. Every time I think of an agent admonition, my body betrays me..."
She hadn't finished her words when I was striding out the door with her body over my shoulder.
"Stop this. You are so rude!"
It took only moments for us to be naked and rolling on the bed in the rear of the RV. "You've finally admitted your body likes me?!"
"No! Never. Stop this awful attack!"
When I was properly inserted and we were tightly coupled, with Susan on top, she sighed, "Mickey, love me please."
We started slow and gentle, but didn't stay that way. The agent and her new author were tense and wound up. I flipped us to missionary and pounded hard. I wasn't lasting and neither was she. "Yes. More. Mickey!" She stretched my name into a wail as she came. I decided to hold back and have the talk we needed. I turned us on our sides and said, "For an agent, you are sure nice to me."
Her whisper was soft, "For an unproven author, you sure take care of your agent."
With clothes back on, we sipped a mug of hot tea together. "Mickey, the visit to the Boeing archives is a good idea. You can flesh out the story, and inspiration about the ending will flow through you and out onto the page."
"I need to tell you about the archives. I have discovered that they are not open to the general public. You have to have a special interest and be vetted before getting access. They are located in a special building in Bellevue with tight security."
"My goodness, what are you going to do?"
Setting her in my lap, I hugged tight and said, "One of my college professors used to say that you could test the mettle of a man by seeing whether he could seize victory from defeat. I have a thought to try out on you. What if I finish the novel more or less as it has developed, but leave little clues that suggest more to the story. In other words, there will be a sequel, possibly more than one. Tom gets more and more involved with engineering design and management. There is a lot of Boeing intrigue out there for me to build novels around. They will allow me to research plot twists and turns for the sequels after they see how successful the first book is."
She pinched my ear. "This is not seizing defeat, Mickey. You haven't received your first rejection notice. Recovering from those one paragraph letters is a true test. But let's not go down that road. I like your idea. On our trip you can visit places like the Museum of Flight. Maybe you should go to the archives building and explain your interest about details of B-17 history and the advantages to Boeing of having a personal interest story built around their warplane."
"You are such a great cheerleader, I thought you would be upset."
Pulling my hair, she said, "No more mush. Only two days until we leave and this RV is not ready. Are you going to do the grubby chores with the tanks?" Her gaze was fierce, daring me to object. I reached for a boob tip under her tee and pinched as I nodded agreement and jumped away before her hand could connect with my head.
Susan's comment about the tanks got me going on finishing the drain and water line extensions from the guesthouse. By four, the flexible hose was connected to the black water tank and its smelly contents were flowing into my new riser next to the vehicle. No leaks, and no bad smell in the air.
I was cleaning up when Cait and Naomi arrived, waving grade sheets. "We got A's!" They did somersaults into my arms, screaming as their butts got pinched. The others gathered around, smiling and laughing at the overflowing enthusiasm. Cait shouted to me, "We can leave now!"
Emily whispered in my ear that she was making a big batch of spaghetti for dinner and I needed to supply a hearty red wine. Grabbing Margo and Susan, I drove off in the truck to the wine store in town. They lounged together in the passenger seat, reaching out to attack parts of their lover. I gave them a fierce look, "You two have all the plans for our time in Seattle in good order? Who is going where and when? Appointments have been made? Handouts are ready?"
There was abrupt silence until they realized I was teasing. "Mickey, you are bad!"
Pulling into the parking lot, I attacked across the console. "If I am driving, you are responsible for logistics! You'd better install a printer and WiFi in the RV. Publish a POD every morning. We have eight excited bodies to deal with!"
There was a big hug next to the truck, with the women promising no schedule screwups in Seattle. As we walked into the wine store, they poked me and exclaimed, "Now you have to get us there, loudmouth!"
When we returned with wine for the spaghetti and for the trip, there were bodies in the hot tub, and bodies on the swing. I was invited to the tub, but declined, saying it was Ladies night. I accepted the offer of a margarita and a chance to sit next to Edith, who gave me a hot kiss and whispered that she was free to go in one more day.
Priya climbed out of the tub, grabbing a towel and walking her naked self into my lap. "You have been neglecting me. It's true we have to get the devils into university, but we have to get me enrolled for my final term. Also, there have to be promises about visits." She stopped talking and pulled my head down for a flaming kiss. There were hisses from several directions.
Underneath the towel, I took a firm grip on a warm boob and said, "No deal unless I have approved plans and permits for Emily's remodel before you go back to school. Architects have to earn their keep."
Her whisper was loud, "I AM earning my keep, right this minute." Another torrid kiss sealed her control over the builder. The hisses turned to laughter. Edith poked me. I jumped up, leaving the towel behind and advanced on the kitchen with a squirming body over my shoulder being paddled. Emily looked up and smiled. "Priya, be careful with threats or you will end up with a red behind."
I passed through to the bedroom and launched her from the doorway. She landed, legs spread and eyes daring. "Finally, I am getting some attention..."
Clothes on, I hugged her and licked here and there. She sighed, almost a sniffle, "Mickey, you are too damn nice to us. Nobody in my family would give me the time of day right now, much less a job and many design challenges. Promise we can keep on like this."
I sat up with her between my legs. "One of these days you will be a practising architect with award winning houses, and they will recognize your talent. You can even report that there is a boyfriend, without releasing any details. I could dress up as a tough builder guy with my leather bags and we will drive to Tacoma. Your Mom will be horrified and you can laugh all the way through it, telling her that living with me is so much fun and you may never get married."