Chapter 24: The Wedding Gift

The flight was tranquil, the food was good, one wine was excellent and the vintage Dom Perignon outstanding. I revised my presentation once more, read a book and slept well.

In NY they picked me up at the airport. After having a shower and a light meal in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel, close to Central Park and within walking distance of the office, I went to Mr. Cunningham’s office. He was already waiting for me with my sales statistics on his desk.

“You’re doing an outstanding job, James, congratulations. You’re doing well for the region, the company and yourself; keep it up, my friend! You’ve already passed your year’s quota comfortably and since the year end is not far away, you might very well end up as the top sales manager in our company. This will look good on your résumé.”

He introduced me to some of his colleagues and told me to be in the office early the next day, as he wanted to go through some other points with me. Then he sent me to the hotel to relax. It was a grand hotel and well decorated in a beige range of colours. They had given me a suite (and it must have cost some money), comfortable, with modern light Scandinavian furniture and a balcony overlooking the park. I ordered room service and enjoying the lights of the city and my life.

I called Maureen to tell her that everything was OK and spent some time talking romantic nonsense.

The next morning, I was early at the office as ordered, discussed my priority projects and told him about my upcoming wedding. Then the meetings started. My presentation went very well and the sales following our efforts were proof of our success. Then the others entered - new products, new rules, new services, another reorganization; some items boring, others interesting. Late at night I spoke with Maureen who told me not to worry since things were going well in Brisbane.

We had Saturday free, and I spent the day shopping for my ladies. I went first to Bloomingdale’s but did not find anything interesting. Walking down Fifth Avenue, I saw Takashimaya and bought a beautiful very light and almost transparent grey scarf for Eileen, the fabric similar to the long gowns she used to interest me in her. Farther down was Saks and I found a wonderful Hermès scarf for Maureen and two ties for me. I added Balenciaga and Celui perfumes to my bag and finally became courageous and bought a little Gucci evening clutch for Mary Ann - obviously in a blue colour.

That was as far as I dared to go and, since I did not really understand the intricacies of the female taste in bags, shoes, and dresses, I concentrated on jewelry. Tiffany never could be wrong, and I found some nice diamond earrings for Mary Ann, a beautiful emerald ring for Maureen, and a ruby brooch for Eileen that would match her hair.

I also met my colleague who had moved to the States before I arrived in Sydney, and who’s flat I had rented. He confirmed that he was willing to sell the apartment and wanted to know whether I was interested in purchasing it. He had decided to stay in the States for the foreseeable future and found a nice apartment in NY but needed a significant amount of money as a down payment. I had discussed this with Maureen already, and we were both willing to acquire the flat if the price was right. To my surprise, he offered a serious discount it the deal could be done in the next two weeks. I told him the money was no problem, but I had to check all legal formalities. We shook hands and, depending on what the solicitor would say, the flat was ours.

The formal dinner was in Le Bernardin, a famous seafood restaurant. As expected, it was outstanding and, to my surprise, they presented me with a wonderful Steuben vase as a wedding gift. Mr. Cunningham went out of his way to emphasise my professional and private success - Maureen’s ears must have rung when he said that I was lucky to have one of the most beautiful women he had ever met as my future wife, and we all said goodbye and went our way.

The Sunday flight back was again uneventful, and I was able to organise my notes to be able to instruct and orient my staff for the two weeks I would be absent. Maureen was at the airport to pick me up, and her eyes lit up when she saw me. Her smile was so happy that I saw some people starting to smile also, just looking at her. She flew into my arms and time stopped. The need to breathe finally forced us apart, and I looked at her. She was lovely, dressed in a light summer dress that showed off her figure to great advantage and with her opal pendant between her breasts. She hugged and kissed me again.

“I missed you, my love. I missed you so much!”

Seeing that we were an obstacle to the flow of people trying to get out, I pulled her to the side and asked, “Is everything OK? Are you well?”

She nodded and replied that now everything was OK, as I was home and with her. We left for the parking lot, and she proudly drove the Porsche to the highway. I was certain that many men seeing her in the convertible ignored me completely or were very jealous. At home, she closed the door and rearranged herself once more around me, her arms around my neck, her lips on mine and her hips pressed against me. Then she let me go and told me to have a shower. She said that she would prepare a light lunch since she knew that I had to go to the office afterwards; there wasn’t much time left until I had to leave again for Brisbane. I did as I was told and, as always, the food was wonderful, but her smile looking at me was so much more invigorating. She was with me and she loved me - just looking at her eyes showed everything.

I told her about my time in New York and asked her how Brisbane went. Apparently, there had been some administrative problems, and the caterer caused an explosion from Eileen, but the rest was under control. She would fly to Brisbane on Wednesday and I would follow on Friday. Saturday would be the great event and Sunday we would be off to Bali for a two-week honeymoon.

I asked, “How did Eileen and Mary Ann get along? Any problems?”

Maureen smiled and replied that it had been surprising how well the two had hit it off; Mary Ann was on her best behaviour and slowly received Eileen’s acceptance.

“It was surprising how easily Mary Ann conquered Mom. She was never submissive, defended herself, helped out and showed her intelligence and her love for us. We’ll see what happens. I asked her to come with me to Brisbane, is that OK with you? Mom agreed that I could have Mary Ann as one of my bridesmaids, and we’ve all grown attached to each other. Considering the short time we’ve known each other, this has been a miracle.”

This meant that I had to hurry to get my things organised in the office, and I rushed off. Mary Ann was waiting for me, a picture of demure beauty, dressed in her white blouse and the dark blue narrow skirt that had become her office uniform.

“How was your flight, Mr. Winter?”

Her smile was dazzling and her eyes sparkling. She was somehow different from the last time I had seen her, more secure of herself, standing proud, and open for admiration.

“Thank you, Mary Ann, especially for the upgrade. It made the flight more comfortable, and I had time to rest. As always, you’ve been very good!”

She looked around and whispered that, with a little TLC, she could even be perfect. Would I be interested in handling the treatment?

Then she became the efficient assistant again and handed me all my mail, properly organised, many with a recommendation from her or one of my staff attached that I could either accept or change. To my surprise, I did not have to change too much. They were all well-trained and now used to my way of thinking. In the afternoon I asked for a sandwich and tea, and Mary Ann brought it in a nice porcelain cup on a silver platter. I looked at her and she shrugged.

“I didn’t like your old office serving pieces and bought a new set just for you. And for me when we’re alone, my love...” and she glanced at me, with love and hope in her eyes.

“Maureen asked me to be one of her bridesmaids - James, may I, please? I so much want to be there, and being invited to take this position is a great honor for me. I know that we order you around most of the time, but at the end it’s always your decision. May I accept it, please?”

I coughed, “I thought I was the Lord and Master of the house; now you admit that you all order me around most of the time?”

She smiled, “Darling, we’ll always let you have your say ... and then we’ll tell you what to do. Doesn’t this make your life much easier?”

Honesty can hurt occasionally, but she was telling the truth.

Then she continued. “My love, we know what’s good for you and we always think about what’s in your best interest. But remember - all you have to do is tell me what you really want, and I’ll do it, immediately, not hesitating and with trust and love!”

Seeing that the door was partially closed, I took her hand and kissed it. “You’ll always be welcome in my life, darling, and I’ll be very pleased seeing you standing there.”

Her smile lit up my office and she touched my shoulder. “I’ll never disappoint you, darling, and I’ll be always there for you, whatever you want.”

Then she turned back into her office persona, and we arranged the next day so that she could go with Maureen to Brisbane. She had one more comment to make.

“By the way, Peter asked me out for dinner and I told him that I had to study at night; however, I did accept his invitation for lunch on one of the next Saturdays. He’s really a nice guy, but I can handle him. I got another lesson on oenology, with special attention to Australian grapes. It was interesting and I hope that I can delay the lesbian gambit; but it’ll come, I’m afraid.”

She smiled and added that at one point she had to put him in his place when he made a comment about me that she didn’t like. But he apologised and it was forgiven; she said, however, that it wasn’t forgotten. I asked her to be gentle with him; he would never hurt her and could be helpful in her career.

“Nobody makes any negative remarks about you in my presence, darling, even as a joke! Get used to it!”

When we finished, she said that she would dearly love to come and stay with us, but tonight was for Maureen alone, and there would be other days and nights for her. I was surprised by the quiet certainty in her voice when she said this, but let it go; I would find the explanation shortly.

When I came home, Maureen was at the door, undressed in her favourite outfit, the slinky transparent gown, her breasts exposed and the thousand-watt smile on her face. We kissed and then I was told to shower, change and join her for a drink and dinner. I did this, and we sat down at the table to discuss the next few days. I got more details about the Eileen-Mary Ann situation (everything under control), the wedding ceremony (still problematic due to the extension this event had taken), the honeymoon (a beach hotel in Bali), the purchase of the flat (get the lawyer going); and then we ran out of subjects to discuss. I looked at her and my eyes showed I wanted her in my arms and us making love. She smiled again and said that she would clean up tomorrow; would I please take her now to the bedroom and make love?

It did not take long to divest her of the gown and for me to take off my clothes. I re-acquainted myself with her body, investigating every bit with my hands and lips. She offered herself to my caresses and did not hesitate to respond in kind. As always, I paid special attention to her puffy areolae and stiff nipples, and she started to moan with pleasure. Then I wandered down to her pussy and the moaning increased. I parted her labia with a finger and then licked her inner wall; she could not stop moving around and slowly her clitoris appeared. I sucked it reverently, and when it was upright, I bit it gently and she simply exploded. Her juices were flowing, and she pulled me up to kiss me.

“Now take me, my love. I’ve been waiting for you all this time and I’m ready. Please, darling!”

I entered her easily and she started to thrash around, mumbling incoherent sounds, thrusting her hips against mine, trying to draw me in deeper and deeper. I followed her and our rhythm started to match each move - she pushing upwards, I pushing into her. She tried to draw it out but was not very successful. Then I could not control myself anymore and my juices filled her explosively; she yelled my name, embracing me with all her force and offered herself completely to me. I thrust once more with all my force and she exploded once more, accepting my seed and giving me her love and trust.

When I tried to move away she clung to me, not letting go. “Stay in me, I need this. I want to feel you. I want to feel our juices mingle and I want to feel your body pressing down on me.”

After a while I felt her relax and turned her over, with her rolling on top of me, still connected within. Now, our juices started to flow out and I felt my stomach getting wet; she looked down and wiped the fluids off with her finger, looked at it and then slowly licked it clean.

“This is us, my love. This is you and me, combined in one single matter, and one day, because of this, we’ll have children. We’ll watch out for them, protect them, and educate them. All of our future is here...” and she reached down once more to get more fluid on her finger and offered it to me. I swallowed it and she kissed me with deep love. Slowly she rolled off me and lay at my side, with her arms around my shoulder, her head on my chest and a leg on my hip.

“My love, I’m leaving tomorrow for Brisbane and taking Mary Ann with me. As discussed, I want her to be at my side to help me, as Mom seems to be overwhelmed by this wedding that’s become a monster mega-event. It’s grown completely out of control, and I need help to avoid a catastrophe; I don’t know what got into Mom - we’ll have more than five hundred attendees! I had to call off the TV coverage! Can you imagine the logistics? But with Mary Ann at my side, we’ll handle it.”

I agreed, and with a last kiss, fell asleep. The morning was hectic as she had to pack and I had to go to the office. Mary Ann was already there with my mail and some documents I had to sign, and told me that she had scheduled a meeting for me with Sir Allan during the morning. She said she had to leave early to pack her own things and smiled.

“Poor little boy will have to sleep on his own tonight! Do you want company? I have that sexy little nightgown that’s never been worn; do you want to see it? With me in it? Shall I tell Maureen that I can’t travel until tomorrow?”

I told her to go away and tempt another man since I was already promised to two women. She tilted her head, looking at me and asked herself, “Two women? Let’s see, Maureen and who else? Did I receive certain promises I don’t know about? James, we’ll have to talk about this; not today, but soon!”

She walked away, moving her hips sensuously and, looking back, blew me a kiss. The morning moved on, and when I spoke with Sir Allan, he told me that Mr. Cunningham had already called him and confirmed that everything had gone very well. My presentation was excellent, but the best part was where I showed our year-to-date sales. It was the best performance this year within the Group and if nothing went wrong, we would be number one in sales in the Group, at least percentage wise. Other companies were bigger, we were better. I also asked him for a recommendation for a solicitor to handle the purchase of the flat and he suggested a friend of his he trusted. I contacted him after I left Sir Allan and set up a meeting in the late afternoon.

My staff was very happy with the praise I could communicate from headquarters and a sizable bonus in sight, and the appreciation of the Group for an outstanding performance was certainly good on their résumés. We discussed what we had to do the next two days and then set priorities for the two weeks of my absence. Things seemed to be under control. Mary Ann vanished before lunch and Peter appeared to take me to lunch.

“James, thank you once more for having me as your best man. You’ve become a good friend, and you can count on me whenever you need it. But tell me one thing, what do I have to do to get Mary Ann interested in me? I took her out for lunch twice, and all I can say is she is a fascinating woman; smart, beautiful, charming if she wants to be. But I made an innocent joke about you, and she just froze and glared at me as if I had committed lèse majesté. She really likes you and defends you with daggers and claws; I know that you’re a good guy and an excellent people manager, but what did you do to deserve such loyalty? The only time she seemed to be interested in me was when she asked me to tell her more about wine; the different grapes, the basics of winemaking. Do you think that she might accept an invitation to visit some wine growers?” I made some appropriate noises of support, but I knew that soon he would be very disappointed.

When I met the solicitor, he went through the documents I had accrued and those my colleague in the States had given me, and said that there seemed to be no problem but time; with me going off on my honeymoon, any possible problem would duplicate. He seemed to be resourceful, however, and offered several options. I told him that I would talk to my bank manager and that he should spend some time finding a solution by tomorrow morning. I went home and called Maureen; there seemed to be a bit of panic in the air and the conversation was rather short.

The next day I managed to get the two professionals together and by noon we had an agreement. I called the guy in the States, told him what I had done and sent a copy of the proposed documents over to him. He sent the draft contract back already signed and I told the bank to release the first payment to him. We had our own home now.

The sales office was in turmoil as I wanted to finish my work, and everyone was jumping through hoops to make it happen. Peter was a tremendous help and later Sir Allan called that he would come to my wedding; what a pleasant surprise! I had learned to respect the man not only for his position, but also for his leadership and character.

One more lonely night, and when the morning dawned, I was ready for the huge change in my life. I was going to marry the most gorgeous woman in the world, and I would have her for the rest of my life!

I went once more to the office to pick up the last documents I had to check and sign, as I could do that on the plane, and received a big hurray when I left for the airport. Australians are different people, but nice. They also told me that their wedding present was already in Brisbane.

The flight was without problems, and the documents on the purchase of the flat were checked and signed, the bank manager advised that the payment had been deposited in the account in the States, the solicitor promised to handle the rest and when we came back to Sydney, all would be resolved.

To my surprise, Maureen was not at the airport, but Mary Ann picked me up. Her smile was lighting up the airport and she hugged me.

“Darling, Maureen couldn’t make it. She’s close to a nervous breakdown and Mrs. Monahan is closeted in her hotel and won’t talk to anyone. What a mess! But you’re here now, and we’ll resolve this. Let’s go and calm Maureen down!”

She kissed me and took my arm, dragging me to the car. Eileen had graciously provided the Mercedes with a driver, and we were rapidly taken to her house. Maureen was as beautiful as always, but she seemed close to screaming.

“My love, you were absolutely right! This is a circus! What am I doing here? Let’s run away and just have a little private ceremony, you and me and Mom. And Mary Ann, of course. She’s been a true friend and help - without her I’d be in the hospital!”

She embraced Mary Ann and kissed her on the mouth, and Mary Ann responded in kind. I was surprised, what had happened here in Brisbane? I was certain, however, that someone would tell me one day - isn’t the husband always the last one to know?

“James, we have to run around all afternoon and you’ll have to stay here on your own. You know the house; food and wine are well stocked, there are books and music, and perhaps you could even lie down and relax. Tomorrow will be worse. I’ll keep in touch,” and, kissing me, she left. Mary Ann followed her but turned around and came up to me.

“FYI, I’ve been given permission to kiss you whenever I want, and it doesn’t have to be a chaste little peck. So come here!” and she took me in her arms and really, really kissed me. Suddenly, we heard Maureen calling, “Time out, Mary Ann! We have to go!”

Reluctantly I let her go, the touch of her firm body against mine was wonderful and her lips were very sweet. Then I remembered that I was going to be married to Maureen tomorrow, and here I was kissing another woman, and enjoying it!

They left and I was alone, again. I made lunch, had a glass of wine and relaxed, and the idea of lying down for a while was quite tempting. Sir Allan had invited me for dinner and when I woke up it was time to shower, change and get to the restaurant. There was a message from Maureen on my phone not to be late and to come home early, since tomorrow was a busy day.

Sir Allan, his wife and I had a wonderful relaxing conversation. We talked a bit about the company and my plans for the future, more about my family and the possible connection between our ancestors, and music and theatre and God knows what else. Then he said that he had been told to remind me to get home early, and they said goodbye.

When I arrived there, a note, in Maureen’s handwriting, was attached to the door. I was told to get a shower, change into something comfortable and search for her gift. The house was dimly illuminated, and some classical music played in the background.

I went to our bedroom and found another note, that read, “James, this gift is from me; take it with love and open it gently. I give it to you with my love and my blessing.”

I looked around, did not see anything, and left the bedroom to find out what this meant. There was music coming out of Eileen’s bedroom, and when I opened the door, Mary Ann lay nude on the bed, with a glowing but also hesitant smile, her arms open and her legs slightly spread.

She was a picture of beauty. Her long black hair surrounded her face, her sapphire eyes were glowing, deep pools filled with love and full of life and joy, and her tongue was licking her lips. Her firm breasts were proudly presented, with small dark areolae and very stiff, upstanding nipples, her waist was narrow and her pronounced labia were open for my inspection. Her legs were long and slender - runner’s legs. I came closer and she said, “I was told to give you a message that Maureen said you would understand: ‘anytime and anyhow.’”

Then she opened her arms even wider. “Come here, my love. I’ve been waiting for such a long time to be with you, for you to make me your woman, for my life to change. If you want me, I’ll be yours forever, only yours, and nobody else will ever touch me. I know about you and Eileen, and they accepted me as the third part of your family. We discussed this for a long time, my love, and if you want us, we’ll always be there. You and Maureen bonded in heart and soul and always will be first, and Eileen and I will be your partners in love and happiness. We’ll protect both of you with our life; you have our hearts in your hand, and we trust blindly that you’ll always be ours and protect us.”

She looked at me, waiting for my response. I wondered for a moment what really had happened between them. The picture before me and the message I understood well, since it was the confirmation that only I would recognise, that if I wanted to accept her, she was welcome in our hearts. I remembered Maureen’s words, that she knew what she was doing, and I only could hope that she was right.

Could I handle it, however? Could I make three women happy? I looked into her eyes, which were anxiously waiting for my response. Then I took a deep breath and decided to let the future decide for itself where our path would lead us. Maureen was the one who had started this, and if she wanted to risk hurt and pain, or gain happiness and joy, who was I to reject it?

I smiled and bent down to kiss her, then I took off my clothes and lay beside her. She was beautiful, her eyes were sparkling now, knowing that I had accepted and wanted her; then she stretched and kissed me, her hands caressed my body and a sigh of contentment escaped her lips.

“This is what I’ve been dreaming of all year; having you in my bed, touching you all over and being touched by you.”

She hesitated and said, “My love, I’m still a virgin. I want to give myself to you, for you to be my first and the only man who will ever touch me. I know that you’ll be gentle, but do whatever you want. I do understand the message: ‘anytime and anyhow.’ Maureen showed me the note to you, and she smiled when she wrote for you to ‘open your gift.’ So, open me up gently, my love. And I have one more thing to tell you - when I got to know you better and started to have hopes for us, I went on the pill. We’ll only have children if you decide it, my love. But that’s enough serious talk; please love me now.”

She spread her legs wide and took my hand, laying it on her pussy. “This is yours, only yours.”

She looked up into my face and offered me her lips. I nibbled on them and caught her full lower lip gently between my teeth, stretching it and letting it pop loose. I gave her a full kiss and our tongues duelled for a minute as she rubbed against me. There was no reason to hurry; we had all the night for us. As I stroked her hair, her glorious, long, black hair, a sensual perfume wafted over to me. Her eyes were dark blue, almost black now, and smiling at me. I kissed them and slowly drifted down her face, touching her pert little nose, her wide smile, with her tongue slipping out and hunting mine. I let it capture mine and we battled a while; when she finally won, she pushed her chest forward.

“I know that this is one of your favourite pastimes - caressing and enjoying your women’s breasts. Since I’m now one of them, go ahead, my love.”

I stopped first at her ears, licking her earlobes, and she moaned satisfied. Then the journey continued, and sliding down her slender neck, I arrived at her proud breasts. I looked at them. I had seen them before and had even touched them, but now I had full and unrestricted access and I intended to use that to the full extent.

Her areolae were small, smaller than Eileen’s or Maureen’s puffy ones, but very dark. She was visibly excited and her stiff nipples were extended. I did not touch them immediately - first I circled her proud mounds with my hand, and then gently squeezed them. They were elastic, and moved easily but maintained their firm structure; it was an exciting game to see how long I could play with them. She protested that she wanted no teasing; she wanted me and pulled my head to her breast. I followed orders and started to feast on them, taking a stiff nipple into my mouth and sucking it, tonguing the nipple, laving it with love and, finally, biting it gently. She thrust her body up toward my head and came - not yet an earth-shattering climax, but a nice introduction to the pleasures of the body.

“Now the other one, please...” and she moved her other breast into my mouth. Her breasts were just the right format; medium size but very firm, looking upwards with her nipples, and satisfyingly sensitive to my kisses. This time her reaction was not so immediate, but she was quite happy that I stayed at her other nipple with the same intensity. Then she pushed my head downwards, looking for other pleasures.

“This was very nice, my love, but try a bit farther south and you’ll see what happens. And by the way, I also have official authorization to call you ‘my love.’”

My lips were slipping down and I arrived at her labia. She had shaved her pubic hair into a little heart, pointing to her entrance, and her skin was like silk to my touch. She was like Eileen, with crinkly inner lips protruding from her labia into the open, like a butterfly opening its wings. Her labia were quite expressive, enclosing the delicate inner lips and forming another door to her inner walls. I touched them, and she thrust them into my hand, then she reminded me that I had not only hands, but also other means to excite her.

She was quite forward, my lady, but she obviously had been instructed by Maureen, and especially by Eileen. I bent down and kissed them lightly, and she whispered, “This is it, my love. This is what I want now, but remember that you’ll have to take me completely!”

I opened her labia with my finger and touched her inside; then a second finger entered and presented her bright red inner lips to my eyes. She moved around and started to moan, and when I kissed her labia I tasted her bright flavour, not the dark earthy one of Eileen or the fresh light one of Maureen, but her very own concentrated, slightly acidic and lemon-backed taste. My tongue entered her inner wall and licked her slowly, and whenever I touched her, she increased her moaning. I teased her clitoris and it emerged out of its protective hood and stood tall. It continued to swell until I could grasp it like a tiny penis. I took it between my fingers, stroking and licking it until she exploded in orgasm.