The continuing story of the OWLS Club.
You don't have to have read the original OWLS Club to appreciate this new storyline. It isn't similar to the original.
This is a slow burn, a romance story in many different shapes and sizes. Things start to take shape in this chapter. Some may find it a little sad but hopefully by the end of the complete story, it will all make sense.
It is a mystery, there is murder, some gore and violence and some sex between consenting adults, who happen to be gay or Bi women. You will notice some old familiar names and many new ones. This chapter will jump around a little bit as it brings 3 different stories together. Enjoy the ride.
A word of warning, the story starts to get a little dark, so if you are sensitive to such things, 'look away now'.
Timeline -- March 3rd.
Cynthia smiled to herself after letting her dear friend Myrtle know that she had been successful in getting the apartment needed by the Matron, underway. The 6-week deadline will be met, she thinks. Cindy now had to put her energies into finding four leasees for the boutique areas on the ground floor.
Mia Di Lombardo managed to get the work completed on the top floor apartment without calling in too many favours and not too much overtime. She was happy with the outcome. It did come at the expense of foregoing work on the retail spaces on the ground floor. Loise Camerota was the extra pair of hands she needed, Mia wanted her as a site foreman, but she won't wear that title, but Site Supervisor was acceptable. She was a smart woman, tanned, tattooed, muscled, fit and trim, very much in the same mould as Mia. She didn't let the fact that she was younger than most of the tradies on site bother as it didn't bother them, her intelligence and ability to work with everyone made her popular, and she got things done. The additional time allowed both the Architect, Erica Wilson and Emily Ambrose, who is the wife of Mia and an interior designer the additional time to ensure the spaces were in keeping with the upmarket part of town.
Timeline -- April 12th.
The Matron smiled as she thanked Cynthia for the apartment, she acknowledged it was of the highest standards of workmanship and well worth their investment. Even though she had not contributed anything to it. All of her 'innovations' were accepted and implemented. Duly the DoD [Department of Defence] had leased the warehouse from the AFT [Ambrose Family Trust] at a tad more than the going rate for space in the Port. She also advised Cynthia that there were going to be two tenants on the ground floor at her asking price, not necessarily the going rate.
Timeline -- April 14th.
The apartment was unique, it was a young person's domain. Fully electronic. The glass was auto-tinted and fully reflective keeping the city sounds out. It also had other surprising features not disclosed to all. It was bulletproof. It had two double bedrooms complete with en-suites. Each en-suite was big even by Australian standards, with a two-person shower, a double bath come spa and an adjacent dressing area with a walk-through robe to the bedroom overlooking the cityscape. The bedroom was sparse or minimalist as it would be described in a brochure if it ever came onto the market. A large King size bed was located in the center of the room decorated in a plain but in-vogue lemon theme. It was light and airy. The flat ceiling had been removed and now followed the roof line and four fixed skylights had been added to allow for extra light as the tall skyscrapers surrounding the modest-sized seven-story building was in total shade from the hot blazing summer sun. A bonus in the summertime but a bitch to heat come winter. Cynthia had requested that some additional lighting be added to the exterior of the roof structure to add some ambience to the bedroom.
Mia scratched her head when asked to do it, not sure that anyone would need any encouragement once they got into bed. Every time she took Emily to bed she didn't need some sort of romantic setting to get her in the mood, Emily was enough. To each their own she thought.
The living area was also large and opened space. However, two spaces were set aside for more private endeavours, a small theaterette for four people complete with an 85" screen and access to every subscription service allowed in Australia. Plus an office space, which was the heart of the whole place. The Kitchen was well-spaced and had a small but necessary butler's pantry and utility room, leading off of it.
The dining and living area was combined into one, ideal for entertaining. It was a magnificent small city apartment that if it ever came onto the market would indeed bring a figure in the high seven figures.
The entrance was a pièce de résistance [piece of resistance] and all electronic, the front door to the apartment could only be opened once the access lift was activated by a code. Even though there was a staircase with the last set of stairs leading to the apartment being lit up by touch. Once at the door, if you were an invited guest your presence would be announced to the occupiers by way of a chime. [ding dong Avon Calling] You were monitored the moment you entered the building. CCTV cameras were set up in numerous locations, covering every aspect from the ground floor to the apartment. All were recorded and displayed on a small compact display in the office, the kitchen, the living area and the main bedroom. Mia couldn't understand why Cynthia had been so insistent on such an elaborate and expensive security system. After all, Adelaide wasn't anything like Sydney or anywhere else in the world. Cynthia was taking her instructions from others. Those CCTV cameras were also monitored by others not more. than 100 yards away.
Mia picked up her phone and rang Erica Wilson. "Hi Erica," She answered when she heard her on the other end of the line, "The cleaners are just finishing off so if you want to call the boss and have a look-see, now is the time,"
"Thanks, Mia she is picking the other Erica up and heading into town as we speak. Cynthia is driving this though so you should get her to approve the final finish and get her to sign off on everything,"
"Yes, Emily and I were discussing that last night, I think she is talking to her gran today sometime," Mia explained.
"Do you know what she wants to do with it? I mean I can't see her wanting to move in, a strange situation, even by the Ambrose way of doing things," She told her.
They congratulated each other on achieving the desired outcome, even if their budget was exceeded not because of anything they had done or not done but by others insisting on certain things. Emily had outdone herself in decorating the whole place. It appeared that Kathleen wasn't too perturbed at the cost overruns, and neither was the family's accountant, her niece Miriam.
Kathleen arrived via the rear entrance with both Erica Marsden and Evie in tow. She had left Michelle at home. And met Mia who explained what was happening on the ground floor. Cynthia arrived with both Myrtle and another woman. Kathleen noted how she carried herself and knew from the start this stranger was no ordinary woman. She greeted Cindy with a hug and a kiss, as she did with Myrtle, who had become well-known to her from her many visits to the OWLS Club in Port Adelaide. She was greeted with a warm hug and Myrtle had a sly grope of her well-endowed chest as they greeted each other. Hopefully unobserved. Kathleen didn't mind, she rather enjoyed Myrtle's company.
"Kathleen Ambrose, I'd like you to meet an old friend and colleague of mine from Canberra, Tilley McMahon," Myrtle said by way of introductions. She also let Kathleen introduce both Erica and Evie or the 2Es as they were affectionately known.
They shook hands and Kathleen felt the strong firm grip the woman had, which only confirmed to her that the first impressions she had were correct.
