Mommy Was a Whore

As Gina climbed the stairs to the loft with Nathan she asked, "Did your wife and her boyfriend leave your house in good condition?"

"Yes, surprisingly tidy. They even did the dishes and put them away. She left me a message on the bedroom dresser mirror in lipstick: 'Fuck You for Ruining My Marriage'."

"She blames you?"

"Apparently so."

"Is the divorce underway?"

"Yes, and the papers have been filed. Why do you ask?"

"Perhaps you may wish to socialize with me formally, to be seen openly with me in the city. It's up to you."

"I'd love to take you up on that. Look I'll check with my attorney tomorrow to check about problems. I wouldn't expect so because under divorce laws in this state the grounds are limited to no-fault irrevocable breakdown. Sam has also agreed on terms of settlement with me -- I keep the house and she gets everything else. That agreement could be upset of course but if I go out with you should have no influence on that."

At the top landing Gina kissed him and said he should clear it with his attorney because she didn't want to be responsible for any complications.

"As I said, it should be fine. I saw Sam for coffee this morning; she wanted my advice on which investments to keep and which ones to sell to buy a small house for herself. She doesn't want to sell the boat and I don't blame her, as she loves it."

Nathan pulled off Gina's dress and stood back and whistled.

She blushed a little and looked happy.

"I haven't seen beautiful underwear on a woman like that since on Sam during the early years of our marriage. Is this especially for me?"

"I adore lovely underwear. I have nothing else but yes, for tonight I did go to my top drawer. It's French, disgustingly expensive but makes me feel like a million dollars."

"You are not only a lovely woman to interact with but you have a glorious body -- I can see you work on it."

Gina said coyly: "Some women say my breasts are too big for my frame."

"Well, I won't mind at all if they grow larger. I understand some men who know about such things say women with breasts bigger than rule-of-thumb-size for their frame are usually the most passionate of women."

"I bet that's a lie but come here and get amongst them. Be careful taking off my underwear. Leave my stockings on if you wish. I like the feel of anything against my stockings when having sex, even my own hand. The feeling is so smooth, so sexy. Why don't you put your cock down the top of my stocking and see what he thinks."

"He?"

"Is not female, is it?"

Nathan left a couple of hours later, driving away quietly. Both of them had ended their encounter tired and very happy.

Gina took at call from Nathan next morning just after 9:00.

"Hi gorgeous. I can confirm the countdown to divorce is underway and I can cohabit with you without a problem."

"But..."

Nathan laughed smoothly. "It's okay. Cohabit means, quote 'Living together in a sexual relationship, especially when not legally married' unquote is perfectly acceptable to me. I would like you staying over the occasional night."

"Yes of course and you doing the same with me?"

"Oooh, I like the sound of that. Are you able to meet me for lunch today?"

"Yes, I'd love that."

"Let's meet inside Miss Annie's Lingerie at 1:00."

"Nathan, word will get around you are being a naughty boy?"

"Good, that will save the cost of having to advertise in the newspaper. You are my lady of the moment Gina and long may it last."

Gina couldn't remember being so happy for a very long time.

* * *

The five elderly guys sat at the table and eyed the box of chocolates Gina pulled out of her handbag.

"Chocolates don't go with whisky," said Joe.

Gina snapped back. "They are to eat with coffee after lunch but if you are going to whine I'll give them to Mrs West."

"Okay, okay. No need to get bitchy. I was only mentioning it. Drink your whisky."

Gina slugged her single shot back and asked smoothly, "Now, I suppose you are wondering is I know what it was?"

Trevor said in awe, "Where's the spluttering, red face and gasping?"

"You call that whisky? Someone has been watering it down."

Everyone looked at Ben who scrubbed his jowl and said, "Sorry, I have sinned. I had just enough in my bottle for five shots but added the water when I was old Miss Lott would be joining us and would want a whisky."

Gina said mercilessly, "That was a rotten trick on your pals Ben, you miserably bum. You should have bought another bottle."

"Aye, I admit letting the side down. Well, I'll be off."

"Stay you old coot," Harry West said. "I'll bring out a bottle of good stuff, masking it. Let's see what our water taster can tell us about this Irish Whiskey."

The guys watched as Gina looked at the color, sniffed the tiny tumbler and then threw back the shot, a great smile coming on to her face.

"You lying toad Harry West," she said. "There's no 'e' in this whisky. It's Scotch and pure."

"There you go boys, a genuine whisky drinker. Sorry I tried to fool you Gina."

"I bet you are sorry."

Lars said, "Can you tell us where it's from?"

"Yes, without a doubt. I've been there. It is dryish and peaty and strongly smoky with hints of heather honey and sherry. Beautiful. Islay whisky. If it isn't I'll give you twenty bucks each."

Harry smiling proudly unwrapped the bottle to reveal the label of Bowmore 12-year old whisky from the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

The guys clapped and Dot West arrived smiling with a huge platter of ham and a mixture of breads, cheeses, tomato and sliced onions.

"I've been listening to you old coots trying to show your male superiority with whisky to this lovely woman," said Dot, patting Gina on both shoulders after handing Harry the platter. "Now as soon as I clear away the table to want you to pull out your files and tell Gina everything she wants to know or get any new information she wants. When buying this ham this morning I rang into Fleur Castle who runs the Blacksmith's Retreat in Oxford Hollow. Gina here owns that property and is the great-great-granddaughter on her mother's side of Silas Youngerman. So you've being asked to deal with no outsider when it comes to Gina."

The 'boys' looked suitably impressed. At the end of the meeting Gina's only two real pieces of new information were next it useless: The exact date of Sergeant Palin's warning dash had apparently never been recorded and there no known record of where retired Sergeant Palin lived out his life in Palin.

Lars said, "I think the problem is Sergeant Palin was ridiculed by his contemporaries and I've read a letter once stating that he permanently injured his hip in his run to warn the camp and was paid off by the army shortly after that and returned to the camp to try to clear his name. But I've not seen anything to state he had evidence that the Indians turned away at the sight of troopers or about him living here but as kids we were taught he lived and died in Palin. Funny that. Perhaps he was so unpopular no one really cared whether he lived or died. It was like that for folk without money in the old days and who were buried in unmarked graves.

Two days later Dot West called Gina, who was reading in the guest's lounge at the retreat and said she was about to leave for a historical meeting and she thought the gathering might interest Gina.

"Historical? Oh all right."

"There will be members interested that you connect back to Silas Youngerman."

"Yes of course, where will I meet you?"

"I am going by cab. Will collect you within ten minutes."

Gina grabbed her book and shouted "Oh crap -- ten minutes. And rush off to the loft, taking two steps at a time to comb her hair and fix her face.

"Ohmigod," Gina said, looking at the former council offices that obviously had been at great expense obviously and now operated as the home of the Palin Founders' Society headquarters.

Dot said almost as an aside, "With marriages between families over the years about three-quarters of the people in this city have a connection to one of the forty founding families who settled in Palin in the decade 1871-1881."

About 150 people, the majority women, were at the meeting and when the president asked where any visitor present. Dot West rose and proudly introduced Gina Lott, maternal great-great-granddaughter of Silas Youngerman who built the main building of the Blacksmith's Retreat in Oxford Hollow, that she now owned and currently was staying there.

That was greeted with warm applause. The president offered a personal welcome and then said, "Excuse us everyone, Doris our family historian has the Youngerman family tree up on her computer. Doris, what can you tell us?"

"Here it is Madam President. Zac Youngerman died two days out from the camp that became Palin in late 1871, drowning when struck by a plunging horse in a team pulling a wagon. His wife Sarah nee Zimmerman gave birth to Silas three months later on the 8th of December 1871 Silas married Helen Smith. They had two children and the eldest Carl married Elsie Owens and they had seven children and the line to Gina continues with Frederick marrying Gina's maternal grandmother Flossie and they had six children, the youngest being Gina's mother Eva. Is our record correct Miss Lott?"

"I was not aware of Mac and Sarah. That is profoundly interesting to me. I believe our family knowledge was lacking because great-great-grandfather Silas was kicked in the head by a horse when he was about twenty, he thought, and lost a good part of his early memory as a result. It was so tragic -- my grandfather told me his father was such a kind man with a wonderful way with horses."

"Well Miss Lott," said the president Mrs Zoë Ross. "It is a great honor to have you here because you are one of only five people in our entire city linking back to the very first recorded arrivals. None go farther back than September 1871. With Silas being born in December his mother must have arrived sometime in September 1871."

"This is amazing," Gina said. "I am so happy to learn of this."

"Madam president, this disclosure has come as an unexpected bonus for Gina I am sure but I brought her here today for a different thought it seems rather related matter. May Gina inform you and the meeting of her quest madam?"

"Certainly Dot. Gina, please come and take the rostrum. We shall be delighted to hear from you."

Gina began by saying no publicity was being sought for the venture just now, so she would appreciate what she was about to say would remain confidential "within this room."

"I am committing to leading a campaign, if I can gather people to support me, to have this city publicly and prominently acknowledge the only person credited with the founding of this city, the man whom the city is named after, Sergeant Palin. It is an injustice, in my view, that Sergeant Palin has been placed in oblivion like this instead of being remembered and honored. It does not matter to me that he rode to the camp of pioneers to warn them that the Indians were coming but the warning was regarded as a hoax when the Indians failed to show up and attack, thank goodness. Why would a man ride his horse to death and then pound three miles after apparently injuring his hip when his horse fell fatally to deliver a hoax message? It just doesn't add up. It is understood he later returned to try to clear his name and stayed on and for some reason those transient pioneers who stayed here with him decided to name their tiny town Palin's Folly, a name later shortened.

"I have made a startling discovery about a forgotten memorial attempt of considerable significance and Dot's husband Harry West remembers the proposal being discussed when he was a young man. That's all I wish to say at this moment because wheels are in motion. Details will be released when we are well prepared. You people are here today because you associate with the history of this city. I say it doesn't matter whether or not Palin's folly was true or not. An Indian raiding party could have diverted after seeing troop movements and there were plenty of them when this county was a frontier. What matters is a Sergeant Palin existed and our city is named after him. Every city and town I know anything about honors its founder in perpetuity. I have made it my task to convince the people or Palin to honor the man whose name was taken for this city. Thank you."

As Gina returned to her seat the president stood and led a standing ovation and pledged the support of the Palin Founders' Society to ensure the city once again renewed the debate one the controversial issue of honoring the founder of Palin.

Gina hugged Dot and thanked her for giving her the opportunity to associate and to speak.

* * *

Fleur had to go to the cabin she and Adam owned at a lake, half a day's drive away, to close it up for the winter. She invited Gina to go with her and stay over the night. Adam urged them to stay another night and have some fun and they decided to do that and they set off like two teenagers in Fleur's small but peppy SUV. They stopped only for take-outs so arrived just after 11:00 and after unloading provisions set off on a hike on walking tracks festooned the lake area.

There were only six cabins on their side of the lake, spaced roughly 20 yards apart and only one other appeared occupied. People called Murchison from the state capital owned it and often rented it out. As Fleur and Gina neared the end of their walk their saw two heavily dressed guys hauling up a boat at the Murchison's cabin.

"You guys look frozen."

"Yeah," said one of them. They looked about forty. "But we got a small haul of fish. Like a couple?"

Fleur smiled warmly, "Oooh, yes please."

"You're a flirt," said the guy and Fleur said, "And you're cheeky. Why don't you clean them for us and bring them over and stay for a drink. I have brandy; it's a good warmer."

"Any chance of a beer?" said the taller guy glancing at Gina and Fleur said yes. If they wanted to chill their insides that was their look out."

"Light a fire to warm us," said the cheeky one. "Why don't we bring over a proper feed of fish and we'll cook them with fries while you ladies put your feet up. We're out of bread."

"We have some and I can do deserts for four."

"Good on you green eyes. What's your name?"

"Fleur and this is Gina."

"Hi flirty Fleur and quiet Gina. I'm Terry and this is my boss Giovanni."

"Hello Terry," Gina said and she gave Giovanni a longish greeting in Italian.

He was delighted and answered her in his language and then, "You are not Italian no?"

"No, but I returned from Rome recently after working there for several years as a corporate hostess and interpreter. As I speak five languages it was suitable work for me."

"I'm frozen. Come on Gina, we can chat up these guys later. Just show up when you're ready Terry."

Once out of earshot Fleur said, "We could score tonight. That Italian guy couldn't keep his eyes off your tits."

The women had a problem though. They'd come in lakeside winter gear, not packing anything that looked vaguely like 'l-want-to-be-fucked' clothing.

As they were dressing, Fleur pulling on a polo jersey over stretch French terry pants and slippers, she moaned, "God, I feel like a ploughman's wife in this outfit."

Gina said lightly, "Does it matter -- or were you hoping to be seduced?"

Fleur licked her lips.

Gina giggled.

Fleur said, "Oh I'm not that obvious, am I?"

"Biting one's lip is a giveaway of nervous sexual tension. If you want to bring one or both of them on to you, remove your bra."

"But I'll flop?"

"Exactly and pray tell me in our cabin with the drapes drawn what else is there to look at?"

Fleur hesitated.

"Go on, just do it."

"I don't want both."

Gina drawled, "Well I'm not fussed. Take your pick. You have the bedroom or stay out here and we could end in a groupie."

"A groupie. Ooooh. I've never had a foursome. I wouldn't know what to do."

"Just sprawl there making yourself accessible and you'll automatically become a participant."

Fleur, now oozing sexual tension said, "Well I don't know."

"Well don't worry. If they are good guys, and I think they are, the only thing that will happen to you is what you want to happen to you."

"Do you really think so Gina? You sound so much more experienced than me."

"I suppose I am dear, I suppose I am," Gina said, finishing her makeup. She was dressed in a fitted stretch checked shirt, a buttonless vest and flannel pants with bell-bottoms. I feel like and probably look like a door girl at an apartment tower."

"You look lovely; I could fuck...oops what am I saying."

Gina smiled and urged Fleur to switch her mind to another track and to smack her cheeks.

Fleur smacked and now had two pinker cheeks. She groaned it hadn't worked.

"I hope the fish are not contaminated with anything that will leave us with food poisoning."

"Oh god, foot poisoning, way out here. I can't bear the thought of it."

Gina said the lake was so large contamination was unlikely and anyhow if that happened no one would fish it and there would be warning notices everywhere.

They set the table and when Fleur answered the door to Terry's knock she was so relaxed she said "Oh it's you?" and he followed her in like a puppy. Gina said to Giovanni, "Please come in." He smiled gravely and apologized for not having brought a suit to the lake and received a beautiful smile. He held out a small twig of something and apologized for being unable to find a wildflower.

"Thank you. I don't have a buttonhole or broach -- just place it on top of my breast. It may stay there for a second."

"There is quite a plateau at the top," Giovanni said admiringly. "It might stay there for a long time."

"Please close the door," Gina said and when he turned from that task she took his arm into her crook and led him the short distance to the sofa where Fleur sat, looking at her, mouth open. Fleur recovered and took orders and served drinks. When Terry was at the bench unwrapping the fish she went over, casually placed her arm around his and said, "What lovely fish."

Terry thanked her and then said he would need both hands to cook.

"Oh yes of course and with me gone you'll have more room. Will you please kiss me adieu."

It wasn't a request but an order. Terry obliged and didn't rush it.

"Our hostess and chef are hitting it off," Gina said, casually draping a hand on to Giovanni's thigh.

"Yes, it is nice to see," he said, placing an arm around her shoulders. "You have magnificent breasts."

"Ooooh. What do we have here? A breast man," Gina whispered, nipping his ear with her teeth and emitting a soft growl that the other two would not be able to hear. As Fleur approached Giovanni shuffled apart from Gina. He smiled at Fleur and said, "This is very nice in this neck of the woods, yes?"

"We think so Giovanni. May I top up your drinks? I think we have a really memorable evening to look forward. So often I get bored with all the downtime here at the lake."

Well, thought Gina. If the message had not gotten to the guys it had been sheeted home now. Guys knew how to give a girl a memorable evening -- or at least their version of that -- and guys loved hearing women say they were bored, believing they had the answer to boredom.

Gina thought she'd like to have sex after dinner. The appeal of sex remained with her. She decided, however, she would not have sex unless condoms were involved. The peak time for conception had passed but conception was still possible. Also she'd concluded it was irresponsible of her to have more than one partner when attempting to conceive. She had no wish to put Nathan at risk or to be unsure of who was the father of her child. No, if she missed out on sex tonight, no matter. From tonight she would only have sex with the man of her choice to father a child with her and at the moment that was Nathan. From tonight vaginal sex would not be available for any other guy. If he became steamy hot she might offer the guy an alternative.