Chapter 23

The next morning Theresa awoke between her two lovers. She smiled to herself about the feel of them against her body. Then something began nagging at her. One of the bodies was another woman. The other was an older man. Neither was her lifetime mate. She was married to neither of them. The rules said that it was all wrong ... so why then did it feel so good?

She thought about the words Cindy had said the night before. At the time they had all made sense. She had found herself nodding in agreement with almost every sentence.

As she tried to reconcile them with other things she had read, they all seemed twisted and perverted. How could they be both things at once? Which one was true?

She gently kissed her friend on the forehead and then turned to her man. She felt the firm muscles of his chest against her breast and the protrusion of his manhood against her leg. She kissed him on the forehead as well and then carefully extracted herself from between them.

She stood at the foot of the bed looking back down at the two of them. They seemed to sense the vacuum between them and in their sleep seemed to roll towards each other. An arm moved searching over Cindy’s side and sort of pulled her towards him. She responded in her sleep and rolled to meet him. Once together they suddenly seemed content once more. The gap closed. It had all been totally sub- conscious. Something was missing and they had moved to fill the gap. Now they were whole. Without her.

Theresa stood there looking at them feeling like a fifth wheel. Like a spare tire hanging on the back in case it was needed. It didn’t occur to her that what was missing between them, was her. That they had moved to compensate for her absence.

All she saw, was a whole made up of the two of them, that didn’t include her.

She shivered a bit in the morning coolness. A vast empty, lonely feeling swept over her. She felt a thickening in her throat and a stinging in her eye’s. She turned and hurried to the bathroom. Perhaps she could find some reference of stability in her morning bathroom routine. She found little. In the shower tears flowed from her eye’s and merged with the falling spray.

She cried herself out and then stepped out of the shower.

Drying herself, she caught her reflection in the mirrors, partially obscured by steam. She wiped them off with the towel and was surprised by the image that was reflected to her.

She was torn by what she saw; one, an image of a beautiful young woman. Firm of body, yet sensually soft. Her breasts high on her chest. Her nipples puckered up in arousal. Her soft, blonde pubic mound cleft in the middle by the protruding glistening peak of her clitoris. Her hips wide, yet svelte. The sleek line that traced down her side and over her thigh into her leg ... Yet, Secondly she saw an emptiness in her eye’s. A pout on her lips. A scowl on her face. Why the scowl? If she was actually that lovely woman whose image looked back at her, then why should she not be ecstatic with life?

She turned away from her reflection. She dried her hair and combed it out. Trying to see the details to guide the mechanics of her actions without actually looking at the reality of the whole image.

She moved to the wardrobe and again stopped herself from consciousness. Without thinking she selected sheer, light panties, a tight short skirt and a clingy, satiny blouse. When she viewed the result in the mirror she gasped at herself. The satin material of the blouse clung to every curve of her breasts. The dark circles of her nipples clearly defined down to the goose bumps that the image invoked.

She returned to the wardrobe and added a satin bra underneath the blouse. Examining herself once more she found a stunning woman looking back at her. She shook it off and searched out a pair of stockings and suitable shoes.

Averting her eye’s away from the many mirrors, she stealthily crept out of the bathroom and through the bedroom.

She lingered once more in the dim light of the room, viewing the couple snuggled against each other. A part of her mind now placing the sleek, firm woman reflected in the mirror between the two of them. For some reason, it fit perfectly. Now they seemed less than whole without that image between them.

She smiled at them and moved the comforter over the sleeping pair, careful not to disturb them. Feeling a warm, comfortable feeling inside herself. A glowing warmth from the love she felt for each of them. She longed to crawl back in between them. Instead she crept out and made her way towards the kitchen.

She navigated automatically. Her mind elsewhere. Without thought she passed by the kitchen and found herself in John’s laboratory. She turned on the lights and made her way to the second table. There she stood gazing at the beautiful image before her. The machine had completed its task during the night. Cindy’s Doppelgänger now resided suspended within the metal frame. Now a knit body suit clung to her every curve and crevice. The dark firm nipples clearly defined even through the oiled tissue beneath the sheer, delicate fabric.

Theresa found herself becoming aroused by the sight. Her hands drawn to the figure before her. They moved over the replica lightly, feeling the softness beneath the light fabric. One hand moving up to caress a perfectly packaged breast. The other down over the abdomen and over the soft mound of Venus and between the legs. Deciphering the ridges of the labia beneath the light, woven fabric. Her breath caught in her throat. She stopped her investigation only when she caught herself moving towards the face of the image. She had actually been going to kiss the replica!

The realization brought her to her senses ... sort of. She looked longingly once more at the mannequin and then finally actually made her way to the kitchen.

She set about making breakfast. Again without really thinking. She knew what she was going to prepare, without ever consciously thinking about it. John’s favorite breakfast was Monte Cristo sandwiches with dark, rich coffee and champagne orange juice.

John awoke snuggled to a warm body. Without thought he moved a hand slowly to a breast and softly cupped it. As good as it felt, something was wrong. He opened his eye’s. It took him a moment to realize what could be wrong with waking to the feeling of a firm breast in one’s hand. It was the wrong woman’s breast.

Not that there was anything wrong with the woman whose breast it was, but John had purposely bracketed Theresa between them when he had crawled into bed. Now she was gone! Cindy responded to the hand on her breast and rolled towards him as she opened her lovely green eye’s.

“Good morning” she smiled at him.

“Good morning” he smiled back.

They tentatively moved into a light, reserved, morning kiss.

As if on cue, Theresa appeared at the door laden down with a giant serving tray.

“Oh good, you’re awake!” she bubbled, setting the tray down on a dresser.

“Damn, Theresa. It was my turn to cook! Gonna have to flog you if you keep this up!” Cindy said looking up, then to John: “That is still the punishment for an uppity servant isn’t it? Flogging?”

“I take the fifth. Never actually flogged anybody in my life.” John replied.

“No biggie, I just woke up before you and felt like doing something.” Theresa said, selecting two mugs of coffee and handing them to the pair in bed.

“Felt like doing something ... Damn you look fine girl! How long have you been up?” Cindy asked.

“Oh ... an hour or so I guess.” Theresa replied.

John nodded his thanks. Took a sip and slipped out of the bed heading for the bathroom, mug in hand. “Great coffee!” he called over his shoulder.

Theresa watched his bare backside retreating then turned to Cindy, who was studying her closely.

“An hour huh? ... And showered, fluffed, primped and packaged like a million bucks, then made breakfast in your spare time.” Cindy mocked knowingly.

“Oh ... maybe a bit longer.” Theresa demurred, sipping from her own mug of coffee.

“OK ... But you can’t fool me. I know better. Thought I’d worn you out last night. Must be losing my touch.”

“Not that I’d noticed.” Theresa replied absently rolling her eyes.

John returned from the bathroom. Theresa’s attire had prompted him into a terry wrap around robe. He handed one to Cindy, who nodded her thanks. Slipping into it as she slipped away to the bath.

“Breakfast in bed?” John inquired.

“For my man, only the best.” Theresa replied quietly, “Besides, I think I owe you one.” She was thinking of the first morning after she had arrived.

John looked at her a moment and then moved to kiss her lightly. “You look nice.” he said, pulling back.

“Oh ... just felt like something different.” Theresa said.

John eyed the tray. “Monte Cristo’s? Champagne orange juice? Dressed to Kill? Different huh? OK ... who am I to argue with Nirvana?”

“What’s Nirvana?” Theresa inquired.

“Hindu Heaven ... A place of ultimate happiness. The epitome of Pleasure.” John said, selecting a Monte Cristo half.

Theresa looked thoughtful. “Maybe I should read up on it.”

Perhaps that was the way, thought John. Expose her to all religions ... Better yet ... A history of religion showing how belief’s diverged and merged. To Theresa he just nodded.

John moved a small, short table over next to the bed and moved the tray to it. Then climbing back onto the bed he scootched back against the large padded headboard. Motioning to Theresa to sit by him.

She smiled and moved to his side, kicking her shoes off first.

She snuggled to his side and sipped at her champagne orange juice as he selected another Monte Cristo half. Cindy exited the bath and crawled up next to Theresa’s other side.

“Now that I’ve brushed my teeth, may I thank you properly for breakfast in bed?” She said.

Theresa turned to her and they melted into a deep, searching kiss. Theresa’s breath catching in her throat. She enjoyed the kiss much more than she felt comfortable with, but she didn’t fight it. Rather she returned it in good measure.