Felicity

Chapter 38: Audrey

I was then thirty-two. I had married at twenty-four and divorced at twenty-eight. My ex and I mistook lust for love. When the lust was satisfied we had nothing else so we went our separate ways as friends. We had talked about having a family but realized early neither of us wanted children; which turned out to be a blessing.

Every once in a while my ex and I had fucked until she re-married.

I had concentrated my efforts on my career and had risen in the company hierarchy within three rungs off the top.

Then I was fired.

I was stunned. I had made more money for the company than anyone. I got along well with all except one but I still treated her politely.

Her name was Audrey, an intense, humorless redhead with no tits.

She also made a lot of money for the company but was always second to me in that regard.

I wondered if she had somehow engineered my firing.

I immediately decided that was unfair, she did not have a mean bone in her body and we got along well outside the boardroom.

It had been almost a year since I admitted her proposal had a better chance to succeed than mine. She was first shocked then elated.

It had been the only time I had seen a real smile from her. I had decided I liked her smiling at me and had backed her ideas on occasion; she began to back mine on occasion. I saw her smile at me at least once each day from then on.

Somehow that made me happy.

Happier than it should have, I thought.

Our boss, Randall, was a nice guy that had no business running a multi-million dollar company. However a conglomerate owned our company and his father owned the conglomerate.

Randall did not try to hide that he was in over his head and simply relied on Audrey and me to steer him straight. We seldom agreed on what straight was but Randall did have the ability to see both paths clearly and pick the right one.

He was an excellent administrator.

The two people that ranked between him and me were corporate lackeys for his father. We seldom saw them.

On my way to his office it occurred to me Randall would never fire me. He depended on me and we were friends.

As I walked in his office I said, "I take it you had no say in me being fired."

He gave me a look of great relief and nodded. "Correct and I am very happy you could see that. That was my father's idea. George convinced him that you were usurping my authority. I know you were not and would not but they saw my defense of you as proof you needed to go. Sorry. "

"You got fired too?" we heard from the doorway.

Randall and I nodded yes.

Audrey had come to his office to tear him apart but suddenly understood it was not his doing.

"What are you going to do?" she asked him in sympathy.

My opinion of her rose considerably with that question, she was more worried about him than for herself.

"I have both of your cell numbers and have you listed under A & J Consulting Firm. You need to incorporate it, I have already hired you."

"You are going to get in trouble when George finds out," I said.

"Nah, George knows less about this stuff than I do and he would never equate you to the consulting firm. Go collect your severance and clean out your desk. And please look upset when you do.

"By the way your first check as consultants is also in the envelope. Use the money to set up."

"Right chief," Audrey and I echoed.

We suddenly had the same perverse thought and kissed each of his cheeks.

"Oh, you are both so fired," he said as we laughed our way out of his office.

We stomped our way through the offices and to the elevator. Once the doors closed we began to laugh.

She looked cute. I had to fight off the urge to kiss her.

As we got to our cars in the parking garage and loaded our stuff she suddenly stopped and asked, "Do you mind having me as a business partner?"

"Well, I had not thought about that, I mean what do business partners do?"

"I don't know but I have a cousin that's a lawyer, actually I have several cousins that are lawyers, but I have one I could call and make and appointment for us."

"Do that."

"Now?"

"Yes, why not. We are unemployed, it is just barely nine in the morning and we have time to see him now."

"Her. OK but her office is seventy-eight miles away."

"Lets go to the coffee house around the corner, you can call her from there."

We found a quiet table in a corner and I went to get us coffee and kolaches as she called.

As soon as I sat she said, "She wants us to go down now and take her and her partner to lunch. They will be going to Las Vegas for a concert this afternoon."

"Where are they?'

"Felicity. Its straight down the freeway to the coast then a right then a left, it should take us about an hour."

"Like I said, we are poor jobless people, we have the time."

We were not poor people and we were not jobless but it was the appropriate line.

"Do you have your pay envelope with you?" she asked.

"Yes, in my jacket."

"See if the set up check is in it."

It was and it was much larger than expected and so was our severance pay. She was just opening her envelope and just stared at hers.

"This is more money than a teacher makes in a year. I need to show this to Helen."

"Who is Helen?"

"A teacher cousin. Are we going to keep the money secrets from each other?"

"No," I said and put mine on the table.

She put hers next to it and the difference was one cent in her favor.

"He likes you better than he likes me," I whined.

"Yes, and don't forget it," she giggled.

I again had to fight off the urge to kiss her.

We stayed to drink the coffee and eat our pastry then she drove us there in fifty minutes. The little lady had a lead foot.

On our way she told me about her hometown and seemed surprised I had never heard of it. She described the resort and the Bed and Breakfasts then went into details on some of her friends. It was clear to me she loved the place and its people.

She parked by an office building just into the new part of town. She explained it was the line past which the last hurricane had had destroyed the place.

We went into the building and took a right and she yelled her arrival to everyone. A small redheaded flash flew to her and gave her a hard kiss right on the lips.

Her cousin Clara looked just like her except she had noticeable tits.

Her partner Fiona was the definition of a blonde bombshell. She kissed Audrey right on the lips too.

Clara filled us in on the procedure to incorporate and reminded Audrey that the office could be anywhere, even the town of Felicity.

She added that with today's electronics we did not even need to share an office although she strongly recommended we did, fewer misunderstandings that way.

Clara then casually mentioned that her building had room for two and a receptionist/secretary on the second floor.

She said there was a website building firm in town and we could be in business in two weeks.

We signed forms and handed her the set-up check.

"This is a lot more than I need. I will keep it until your are in business then give you back the rest for your office lease. By the way the best accounting firm in town is at the other end of the hallway."

Clara handed the check and the papers to her secretary with a kiss then took Audrey's hand and we walked to an Italian restaurant two blocks away into the older part of town.

I was rapidly getting an entirely new perspective on Audrey. She was animated, laughed a lot, and was always kissing someone.

Among others two stunning blondes ran out of a ladies gym and just mauled her with kisses, then ran back to the gym.

Everyone was happy to see her.

After the three kissed their way to a table and we sat I said, "Apparently we have two weeks of vacation. My first in two years," I said.

"My first in three," Audrey said. "I had never taken a vacation until I got fired."

"You should get fired more often," Clara said.

The hostess came over and kissed all three with an extra bit of lip for Audrey. I was introduced to her and she kissed my cheek then asked what I wanted for lunch. She took my order and left without asking the other three.

"Why didn't she take your orders?" I asked.

"She knows," Audrey said.

Clara said, "Come to Vegas with us, Ruthie has shows the next four nights. Her Felicity fans are going to the show tonight, this will be Fiona and my second one, our first since she and Sean married and with Nancy in the show."

"How are you getting there?"

"Felicity Air. There may be some seats left, let me call Carly."

"Who is Ruthie?" I asked.

"A good friend," Fiona answered. Those were her first words to me. She had a British accent.

It eventually dawned on me that Clara's partner was not a business partner but a personal one. They still seemed like an odd couple, a diminutive redhead and a tall blonde. However there was definitely a palpable bond between them. Somehow I was happy to see that.

All three noticed my smile for them.

Audrey seemed to be proud of me for some reason.

Clara interrupted our devouring of the linguini and shrimp lunch and said, "There are three open seats, do you want two of them?"

"Yes, but we don't have any clothes other than what we are wearing."

"We will be there early enough to do some shopping.

Marissa!" Clara called to the hostess/manager/co-owner.

"There is a seat available, go make juicy promises to Julian and go pack."

Clara got a wild kiss on the lips and Marisa ran into the kitchen then ran out to a car.

"When are we leaving?" Audrey asked.

"Now," was the answer and we stood and paid our bill.

I had been included in the proceedings but was trying to come up with a reason to beg off. The big problem was I had not driven and Audrey obviously really wanted to go so I kept my mouth shut and went to their airport.

There were about fifteen people walking to a jet on the tarmac all carrying bags. I was carrying Clara and Fiona's bags.

When the crowd saw Audrey behind them they all ran back to us and kissed her on the lips and hugged her. Some of the ladies kissed my cheek when she introduced me to them. Apparently just knowing Audrey made me their friend.

As we boarded the pilot and co-pilot, both were women, visited with the passengers and kissed all the women on the lips. Audrey introduced me to them and I got hugs. There were only four guys on the plane but we were treated well. As soon as Marissa ran onto the plane we took off.

Most of the conversations on the way were about what was new in Ruthie's concert and whether someone named Nancy was going to have more than five songs. The one named Carly, a clone for Clara and Audrey, came by and after drowning Audrey in kisses gave her two tickets and told us we would be staying at Caesars Palace. We had the room Adrian and Martina had reserved.

"They went to Puerto Rico this weekend. You will not need to pay them back, they do this often," Carly said.

That sent me into a period of concern; Audrey and I were to be in the same room. Awkward was a good term for the conundrum. Audrey did not seem at all concerned and visited with family and friends.

A guy that introduced himself as Marshall sat with me as Audrey visited down the aisle and sat with his wife.

He told me that everyone hoped I was a good guy and would treat Audrey well.

He advised me that Audrey was still mourning the death of her mother three years before.

She had left town to grieve in private but many in town had visited her in the city to lift her spirits. She was better but this was just her second trip to town in three years.

He also told me that she was not a "fanatic" in her lesbianism, and winked as he returned to his seat.

It had never occurred to me Audrey was a lesbian. Maybe sharing a hotel room would be OK. I however felt disappointment for some reason.

I now understood the humorless part of her life.

As soon as we landed we were picked up by a bus and driven to our hotel. Audrey and I immediately went to a clothing store but by the time we got there we had decided to wear our work clothes to the concert and just buy clothes for the rest of our stay which would be until Tuesday. That was when the plane would come back for us.

We had our work clothes dry-cleaned as soon as we returned to the hotel and I took my shower first. By the time Audrey got out of the bathroom we had our clothes back and made it to the theater with five minutes to spare.

Again a lot of people hugged and kissed Audrey including two tall older redheaded women. Audrey just flew into their arms and they drowned her in kisses. The lights were lowered before I was introduced so we sat and waited for the curtains to open.

I was in shock when they did, the most popular female singer in the world was center stage and the previously most popular singer in the world was backing her up. "Who was Ruthie?" I wondered.

Halfway through the show Melody began to kibitz with the ladies in the front row. We were sitting in the middle of the second row.

I was again shocked when the star stopped in mid-kibitz to tell Audrey she was very happy to see her.

I did not pay that much attention to popular music and even though I had heard Melody's songs before I was not ready for the amazing show she put on. She even covered songs by a long dead diva. The crowd was mostly women with a smattering of gay men and couples, all stood to give an ovation when the show was over.

One of the tall redheads came over and took Audrey's hand and led her to a foyer next to the stage. Audrey took my hand and led me alongside her as she clung to the bigger of the two women. We ended up holding hands until a door opened and we were led backstage.

As soon as Melody saw her she opened her arms and Audrey jumped into them and gave her a big kiss.

"You must be Jack, good to meet you," a tall redheaded guy said as he shook my hand. The two tall ladies kissed us and walked on.

"Hi, I'm Nancy. Glad you got Audrey to come. She has said very nice things about you."

I was stupefied, a multi Grammy winner had introduced herself to me and it got worse when Audrey introduced the star of the show as Ruthie.

As it turned out the guy that had welcomed me first was her husband and band manager. I stood next to him as he explained the Melody/Ruthie deal as the women kissed him each time they walked past. Some kissed my cheek before they introduced themselves.

I was in a confused swirl until we left the stage.

Audrey and were both hungry so we went to a famous Chinese restaurant in Caesars. Several of Audrey's friends were there and I managed to hear some of the gossip. All seemed to like me for some reason.

Audrey related to them how our day began and all laughed at the deviousness of our former and future boss.

I also heard Audrey agree to meet two of the ladies in their room a little later.

The food and conversation were exceptional, I was well entertained.

As soon as we got back to our room Audrey changed into a t-shirt without bothering to go into the bathroom. She simply turned her back to me took her dress off and put on the shirt. She had been and was still braless. She wore bikini panties.

She left barefoot after advising me, "Don't wait up."

I was exhausted and was soon asleep. I did feel Audrey get in bed but did not fully wake-up. I had no idea what time that was.

I was up first the next morning and took a shower. As I got dressed I looked at the bed and saw that Audrey was not under the cover and that her t-shirt had rolled up.

She did have tits, they were small but she had the most beautifully delicious puffy nipples I had ever seen.

I felt my mouth water.

I decided to let her sleep and get breakfast somewhere but before I made it to the door I decided to tell her where I was going.

I covered her with the sheet and knelt next to her. I moved her hair to one side of her face and again had to fight the impulse to kiss her.

I said, "I am going out to find breakfast."

"The buffet at the Bellagio, save me a seat," she mumbled.

I smiled and agreed to do so then left. The Bellagio was across the street from Caesars so it did not take me long to get there. What did take a long time was deciding the priorities for my first plate. I had already decided there would be several trips to the buffet. On my way to find a table I ran into Sean, Ruthie's husband. He pointed at a large table that had a blonde; the bands string players, and two older women.

I was about to continue my search for a table when the blonde with glasses saw me and waved me over. She turned out to be Ruthie.

There was no way for me of telling she was also Melody.

As soon as I sat Ruthie asked me if Audrey was still in bed.

I said yes but expected her to join me eventually.

I was introduced around and learned the older women were Sean and Ruthie's mothers. The string players turned out to be husband and wife.

Sean returned with a big plate of sausages covered in sausage gravy.

"Where is that?" I asked.

"On the table at the front," he said. "Is Audrey joining you?"

"Yes, at least she said she would. She sent me here."

"It may be a while, Sis and Trini are still sound asleep. It was their first get-together in two years and I doubt they got any rest," Sean commented.

Nancy and her friend Carmen joined us and we all scooted over some. The two tall redheads, sisters Mo and Wendy, and a blonde named Marie, one of the backup singers, joined us and we had to find a bigger table.

Mo was the woman Audrey had clung to the previous evening.

Audrey came over and after kissing everyone but me she ended up sitting on Sean's lap. He decided to go get more food and simply lifted Audrey to my lap.

"I am going to follow him, save my seat," I said and lifted her to the bench. When we returned Audrey sat on my lap then ate a third of the food on my plate.

Ruthie said to me, "The smaller the redhead the faster the metabolic rate, the more they eat. Karen and Maggie are the only two that out eat her, so to speak."

Laughter followed that remark.

I had not noticed until she got up to get more food but my free arm had settled around Audrey's waist as we ate. She had not objected. When she returned she again sat on my lap even though there was now room at the table. She put my arm around her waist and continued eating. I ate a third of the fruit on her plate.

Eventually we quit eating breakfast and most decided to go back to bed. Several of them had to work that night.

I had never been to Vegas and as it turned out Audrey had not either so we decided to see the sights.

At the Venetian we rode a gondola and got that picture then bought tickets for The Blue Man Group. We toured the Wax Museum then did some more shopping, we got swimsuits and sunglasses.

As we walked I asked Audrey to describe for me the people I had met and was likely to meet. I specifically asked about Trini and the one everyone called Sis.

"She is Sis to Sean but Cis for Cicely to everyone else. Marti is their Mother. They were from California then Marti moved to Florida then Sean and Ruthie met at a lesbian biker bar and the rest was history."

"Lesbian biker bar?"

"I'll take you there.

Oh, Cis and Trini refuse to admit they are a couple."

She told me about her lesbian trysts with them and the fact she and Sean had fucked. So had she and Ruthie, Carly, Clara, and Edie, among others. She explained that many women in Felicity were gay and many more were bisexual.

"Ruthie, Edie, and Carly are lesbians that fell in love with men. There are several others that fit that classification you have not met including the couple whose tickets and hotel room we got.

No one in town is shy about showing their love so there is a lot of hugging and kissing but those do not necessarily mean anything, well except I love you.