Chapter 32: Variations on a Theme of Love - Adagio con moto

We arrived in Sydney already late and first got Jenny to her flat - and now it was really her flat - and finally, we were home again.

After closing the door, I took a deep breath, turned to Maureen, and hugged her as if I would never see her again. She lifted her face to be kissed and the tension of the last days was slowly evaporating. It was not only the incident at the party, but also the problem with Eileen - what would we do about it? What could we do about it? I decided, however, that this was a problem I would resolve tomorrow, as tonight I was back in the arms of the woman I loved.

I took the luggage into the guest room and Maureen told me to relax, prepare a drink, put some soft music on the stereo (no opera, please) change into something more comfortable, grab a book and relax. She would do the rest. And by the way, she had told Jenny to hurry and come to our flat; she wanted the three of us to be together and make love. She must have felt the same way as I! There would be no competition, no gesturing, no pushing - just affection and love. It did not take long, and Maureen appeared in her usual dress - long, slinky, transparent and with her breasts exposed. She sat on my lap and kissed me thoroughly; then she leaned back to relax.

“I am home now and, in your arms, and that is all I ever want.”

The door opened, and Jenny came in, smiling with happiness that we were together again. She kissed Maureen and then turned to me.

“Are you happy now, oh Lord and Master? You have the women who love you close to you, you can kiss us and do other things to us or with us - anyhow and anywhere - and by the way, Maureen, why are you sitting on James’ lap shamefully disrobed? Could you not wait at least until I arrived, so that he had options? Do you have to grab everything? Just wait a moment!”

She vanished into the guest room.

Maureen and I laughed - it was teasing time again. The door opened again, and Jenny was revealed in her glory, dressed, or rather undressed, in a very short baby doll that did not cover her breasts nor her pussy. The thin light blue transparent fabric showed her other attributes, too, but the main attraction was her smiling face with love in her eyes. She came over and wanted to kiss me, but I turned away.

“You come into our home, kiss my wife, ignore me completely, complain about everything and now you want a kiss? No, milady, a sonorous no to your request. I expected better of you, milady!”

Maureen grinned and told her to remember what advice she had given her once if she wanted to shut me up. Jenny did not take long and smirking mischievously, pushed her top down and presented her breasts to my lips. This invitation I could not refuse and even with one half-nude woman sitting on my lap and one hand on her breast, I accepted the challenge and sucked her nipple into my mouth. She liked it as much as I and only after a discrete cough from Maureen we separated.

“Am I forgiven, oh Lord and Master?”

“For this time only, but remember your priorities in the future, wench!”

We embraced each other, and Maureen offered to prepare a light supper, but demanded that Jenny accompanied her; no unfair activities in her absence!

When I was called to the dining room, it was a beautiful setting; the Wedgwood bone china, the silver cutlery, cold cuts and cheese, my favorite tea, and my favorite ladies smiling at me.

“James, we decided on tea for tonight. We drank so much wine that a change to another liquid is much appreciated. Do you agree? If you want another drink, tell me and I might get it ... wine, liqueur, even vodka...”

I had thought the same way and agreed that today we would relax and there would be no philosophizing about the meaning of life and the combination of grapes. I just wanted to enjoy the company of my lovely ladies. The conversation was lively, the teasing was evil especially when they ganged up on me and at the end, we went happily to bed; there was no mentioning that Jenny might go back to her flat, this was her home.

When I came back from the bathroom the two lay on the bed already, dressed in their big smiles. I pushed myself in between them and they laid their heads on my shoulders.

“This is paradise for me - feeling your bodies against mine, smelling your exquisite perfumes, and sensing your heart and your love, and even being tickled by your hair is wonderful. What could be better than this?”

They turned to me and kissed me, and Jenny said, “My love, could we just be together tonight and do nothing? I love making love to you, but tonight I want to feel your heart beating, your hand on my body and my head on your shoulder. Please? Please, Maureen?”

Maureen sat up and looked at Jenny for a long time.

“Jenny, you crept into our heart and have become a member of our family. I trust you, but I always was a bit jealous when I saw how James looked at you and you at him; the love between you is so obvious, however, that I don’t know how you hide this in the office. I know that I’m his love forever - the blessing promised this, but you’ve come closer and closer to us and especially to me. What changed everything for me was that stupid incident at the party. When these idiots were threatening James, you stepped immediately to his side, defending him as I was doing on his other side. You did not think whether it was dangerous or not; you acted exactly the same way I did. This, Jenny, changed the relationship between us. Jenny, you’re no longer only my friend, my sister, you’re now myself, part of me, someone I trust completely - especially with James, and if you accept this and want the same bond that I feel with you, I’m yours.”

Jenny jumped up and flew at Maureen (and on the way hitting my stomach first with her elbows and then with her knees, which was not completely pleasurable I must say), and hugged her.

“Maureen, I agree, I agree wholeheartedly. I want to be with you, I want to be your other half, all you want I want, too.”

They kissed each other, with love, affection, and great dedication. Even considering that I was completely ignored, I enjoyed the spectacle. They cried, smiled, cried again, and finally, relaxed, turned to me.

“What do you think, my love? Do you want to accept Jenny as my other half? Trust her as you trust me, love her as you love me? No, let me re-phrase this, my love. Our love is special and always will be, but Jenny does not have to stand on the outside, looking in. She can be with us, enjoying our love and we will enjoy hers. It is a different love, but as deep as mine. I do not have to loan you to her as I did before; she’s yours as I am, and you’re ours, as you are mine. It’s a complicated situation, but I’m certain that we’ll make it work and all we need is your decision, darling.”

All I could do was to cuddle them in my arms, and first kissing Maureen and then Jenny, I said, “So it will be. Not two, but three against the world.”

The situation was getting too serious for me, so I asked Maureen. “Where are the swords?”

They looked at me as if I had suddenly gone overboard and I must admit that, occasionally, I had my silly moments. They looked at each other and probably thought that something had gone to my head. Jenny asked, “Swords, James?”

“Where is your basic education, my ladies? Gene Kelly? Dumas? The Three Musketeers? One for all and all for one? We need swords!”

Now they were certain that I had suffered something serious during the last moments.

“The Three Musketeers, James? There were four, if I remember right!”

“Well, we are four, too, even if the fourth is far away. I meant it as a gesture, a confirmation. But if you want to be serious, I’m deliriously happy with your decision, to have you around me without having to worry all the time if I might hurt the feelings of one or the other. This means on one hand that we free to show our feelings, but on the other hand we’ve to be careful not to exaggerate. Basically, in my opinion, the only thing that has changed is the depth of our mutual feelings. It’s difficult for me to describe what exactly I feel either about you or about myself, but the only thing I’m absolutely certain of is that I love you from the bottom of my heart and that you love me the same way. The rest we’ll resolve together!”

“James, you’re almost perfect, but may we ask you to control yourself in certain moments? We have a major epiphany and change in our relationship, and you want swords? All you had to say was ‘Yes’, kiss us and we would be happy. Now I’ve Gene Kelly in my mind and that the girl he loves dies. James, this is not the picture I had in my mind!”

I realized that there were moments when a joke was appropriate, others when they were not. I sat up (difficult because Jenny was still all over me) and apologized. Thank heaven it was not too onerous - all I had to do is kiss first Maureen, then Jenny, and to promise not to do it again. Unfortunately for my efforts, Maureen looked at Jenny and shook her head - just wait for the next time!

We lay down again, with both in my arms. I felt something different now. It was as if a group of three people had joined to be one - everyone different, but all one. They gave me their breasts to kiss and fell asleep. I needed some time; what had happened? It was wonderful to have them happy together and with me, and I was looking forward to seeing how the relationship would deepen. I also wondered what we would do about Eileen. She was not included in this new group, but needed our and especially my love, and even more the physical confirmation of my love, but that was a problem I would resolve in the future.

Before I fell asleep, I sensed a certain presence that reminded me when Maureen had given herself to me for the first time. It seemed to be a grey, happy mist that surrounded us, and I heard a voice.

“You have done right, my son. You have these two to care for, to protect and to love. Do this from your heart and you will be rewarded for the rest of your life...”

The alarm clock woke us up and we had to rush. Even so, they remembered local rules and after gulping down a roll with jam and tea, Jenny ran down to her flat, to change and to the office. I don’t know what happened during the night, but it seemed that they were more open to each other, friendlier, and less formal. Maureen and I had a bit more time, but I decided to set an example for my staff on the first working day of the new year, and to be early. When I arrived the people at the reception waved and wished me a Merry New Year, and when I arrived on my floor the redoubtable Miss Parker was sitting already at her desk, sorting mail, and preparing my day. To my surprise, Peter was shortly behind me and even the others dribbled in. The work atmosphere had changed dramatically from the day when I had arrived in Australia.

With people around us, I wished Miss Parker a Merry New Year and asked her whether she had received the presents she deserved. She looked funnily at me and said that yes, she was satisfied. They were all wonderful, but one specifically was what she always wanted. Peter looked at her and then at me and followed me into my office.

“What do you believe she meant with the ‘special present’? Where did she go over the holidays? Does she have a special friend now?”

I told him to worry about his own problems and not bother the others; if he wanted to get more information, he could ask her directly. He shook his head and said that he had learned his lesson. Mary Ann would decide on her own what she wanted to tell you, but what a loss for mankind. I assumed he meant for men, still believing the lesbian gambit.

Mary Ann reminded me that Sir Allan wanted to see me as soon as possible and she would advise when he arrived. Peter was visibly jealous, but I just looked at him and he vanished. I walked through the offices of my staff, complimented everyone, and wished a year as successful as the last one. Then Mary Ann called me to go to Sir Allan.

Irene was nervous and showed me in; he looked very tired and asked me to close the door.

“James, I’ve bad news. Ellen did not feel well during the holidays, and I took her to the hospital. The doctors didn’t find what the cause was; the only opinion they gave me was that it was very serious. I’ll fly out tomorrow night to the States and have already a reservation for her at the Cleveland Clinic. This means that I’ll be absent for at least two weeks. I’ve spoken to Bill Cunningham, and he agreed that you’ll be the Acting President while I am away. I’ll need you these two days at my disposal to tell you about ongoing projects outside of your area and keep you up to date on everything I had planned this year. And don’t tell me that you cannot do this - I know it, my boss knows it, and especially you know it, even if you profess doubts - this is your chance, James. We are basically a marketing company and you managed to take this company out of a rut that it had been for at least three years. I didn’t want to happen this way, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Come back in an hour and we’ll plan the next two days.”

This was a real shock for me.

“I’m very sorry to hear this about Ellen. Can Maureen call her before you leave for the States? I’ll make certain that she has the time to visit her if you believe this would help, and I’m certain that Jenny would also like to see her before you leave. The rest I’ll manage with your help, but what is important is that Ellen improves.”

“I would like this very much; ask Maureen to call her at eleven o’clock after she has woken up. And you know that Jenny is always welcome in our home!”

I was shocked but did not know what else I could do to help him. I advised Jenny and asked her to talk with Irene to organize Sir Allan’s trip; if there was any problem, I would pay for an upgrade to first class out of my pocket. I also called Maureen and she immediately told me that she would call Ellen to see whether there was anything at all she could do to help. Jenny also asked whether she could have the afternoon off, and she would get somebody from the secretaries’ pool to substitute for her during the afternoon. I agreed to everything and went back to discuss the agenda with Sir Allan. It was difficult to look at other departments with problems and opportunities I had not considered before, but with my knowledge of the company and Sir Allan’s guidance we managed to get things in order.

At the end of the afternoon, he told me that my two ladies had been with his wife and while physically she was not better, mentally she had improved a lot.

“Thank you very much for your help. I’ve been alone with Ellen for such a long time that I didn’t realize how the good will of other people we appreciate and love, can help. Maureen seems to have become the daughter we lost, and Jenny is not far behind her. And James, don’t underestimate yourself; it’s no wonder that the people around you seem to grow in commitment and understanding. I’m very proud of you!”

I was not accustomed to praise but kept quiet and we ended the discussion with his guidance how to handle some specific problems. The rest, I should manage how I thought best, and he had all the confidence in the world in me. Irene was crying when I left; I stopped at her desk and asked whether there was anything I could do. She shook her head.

“Mary Ann already called me and changed the flight plan; they will now fly first class and have a stopover in Hawaii for Lady Ellen to relax. You know what a wonderful person Mary Ann is? And you are not too bad yourself because I know you organized everything!”

I denied this and said that Mary Ann had done all this on her own, and all I had done was to point her in the right direction. Irene shook her head.

“James, I know better than this. I know that you paid for the upgrade of the tickets, but I will not tell Sir Allan. He believes that this was a promotion of Qantas and he accepted it as long as there was no obligation to the company. Both of you are wonderful people, and both of you are so difficult to manage...”

The temp was better this time and did not create any problems. When I came home, Maureen was already waiting for me, and Jenny arrived a few moments afterwards.

“James, I’m really worried about her. She’s so pale and without any initiative - she responds, but she doesn’t act on her own. When Jenny talked to her, she smiled, but I could not see any motivation in her eyes, she just responded. At the end, she was a bit better, but James, I don’t have good feelings about this; you better come to the airport tomorrow to say goodbye. You never know what will happen in the States.”

Jenny did not want to stay the night and when I saw Allan the next morning, his face showed appreciation of our help, but also the resignation that it would require a miracle to resolve the problem - and miracles do not happen very often. Jenny had taken a day off to take care of Ellen and I took Allan to the airport. Maureen was already there sitting beside Ellen, holding her hand. There were a few teardrops before they boarded the plane and he turned to me.

“James, I trust you with our company, but even more, I see the effort you, Maureen, and Jenny have made to alleviate our problem. We’ll never forget this.” and he looked at his wife. “James, we already consider Maureen as our daughter and we’re very fond of Jenny, too. You have shown that you are a human being, after all, and whatever happens, consider yourself as part of our family, too. I’m not very much into public emotions, but I’d like very much to hug Maureen and Jenny, and you, too.”

He opened his arms and Maureen jumped forward and placed her arms around his shoulders and gave him a kiss. Jenny repeated the action and when Allan looked at me, I stepped forward and hugged him. I had never done this before, not even with my father except in out last days together, but it felt natural and necessary. Then it was Ellen’s turn and with her the tears could not be avoided - they flew freely. Finally, they boarded, and we left to go back to our flat.

We were not in a happy mood and decided just to have a light supper and go to sleep. Jenny stayed with us and even feeling her body against my back, all I could do was to think about the couple we had left at the airport and what would happen to us in the future.

It was difficult for me to sit in Sir Allan’s office (somehow, I could not call Allan by his first name, when we were in the office) and go through the day’s routine. Irene was very helpful, and a part of the weight dropped off my shoulder when she informed me that the hotel had confirmed that the couple had arrived and that they were looked after with all the care in the world.

My workload seemed to have doubled looking after Marketing and all the other departments. Everyone helped and with Irene watching the company (I remembered that she once told me that she was the president of the company’s rumor mill) and Peter acting as my deputy in Marketing, the first days were busy, but still manageable. We continued our runs at night, and I was slowly getting back in form; Maureen and Jenny added martial art classes remembering the incident on New Year. I talked to Allan every night and Maureen and Jenny managed to have occasionally a brief conversation with Ellen. The situation was serious, and we did not hear anything encouraging from Allan.

On Friday we decided to go out for dinner and try to change our moods. Jenny had by now brought most of her stuff to our flat and installed herself in the guest room; that is, her garments were in the guestroom, and she was in our bed. I called Luigi and reserved a table for three. There was the usual problem of getting the two ladies into the Porsche and I looked around to ascertain that nobody was close. That picture was reserved for me! When we arrived in the restaurant, there was the same moment of silence I was now accustomed to.

Maureen was stunning - her red hair carefully made up and I was not disappointed for the hours they had left me on my own to visit the hairdresser, and a short black cocktail dress with a decent décolleté emphasized by her opal pendant and her earrings, a light blush on her cheeks and gloss on her smiling lips, and a small golden belt showing off her slender figure. Jenny was as beautiful in a light blue silk blouse with two buttons undone, showing her opal pendant, a narrow skirt reaching her knees, her long black hair in a ponytail, with her diamond earrings from New York, and an equally fascinating smile on her lips. She was as slender as Maureen, with a long-distance runner’s figure, and I was proud to be beside them.

Luigi was again over the top. “Count de Winter, Countess, Miss Parker, how wonderful of you to come! I have something very special for you - you remember the first time you came here? I received today more of the Wagyu Kobe beef, and I’d be honored if I could prepare it for you. Would this be okay? And can I bring the wine list, Countess?”

I glared at him, but he ignored me - I was good PR for him. The two lapped it up and soon we were back to the wine selection. I threatened them that if they could not come to a decision in ten minutes, I would select the wine. I took Jenny’s arm and walked her over to the bar asking what she wanted; she looked at me and asked with a mischievous smile, “We do have vodka at home, don’t we? I want just a glass of mineral water, please. You two can drink the wine and I’ll drive back!”

I took a deep breath - driving my Porsche! I had let Maureen drive it now several times and I could not in good sense tell Jenny no, even if I wanted it.

Luigi came to get us back to the table - a decision had been made. I took him aside and told him if he were to make the same scene once more about Count and Countess, I would never come back; I did not want publicity whenever I went out with my ladies. He promised to behave in the future, but I told him that I was serious.

The meal was up to Luigi’s pretensions and the bill had a good discount on it - PR commission? We had a problem when we went back. I had driven the car to the restaurant and Jenny, even having some little problem, had fitted herself in the back seat. Maureen could not do this in her dress, so she had to stay in front, and I had to go back. Maureen looked at me and then at Jenny.

“Are you certain that you know what you’re doing? We’re putting our lives in your hands!”

Jenny looked at her. “You let me drive your Mazda and I know that the Porsche is in another class, but I promise that I’ll be careful. You know that I wanted to take a car with a driver, but you always prefer the Porsche!”

Maureen laughed. “My car is very nice, thank you, and I love it, but it’s even smaller than the Porsche; I also know that James wants to drive his car. If he lets you drive it, the last barrier has dropped!”

Then Jenny looked at me “Trust me” and I climbed into the back seat, Maureen sat in front and Jenny behind the wheel. There was silence as she adjusted her seat, checked the brakes, and put the car in motion. To our surprise she drove well and competently, and we arrived safely at home.

The question was obvious. “Where did you learn to drive this way?”

The answer was typically Jenny, “I went to driving school and had some colleagues who drank too much, so I was always the designated driver. The Porsche is something out of my class, but I decided that I could handle it. I admire your trust, James; I know that men actively dislike loaning their car to a woman, but you did not hesitate - thanks. Do you remember that once I asked you to let me drive the car and I would reward you for it? Tonight, is the night - whatever you want, my love, is yours.”

When we came in the message light on the phone was blinking. It was a message from Allan that Ellen had worsened and that he did not know when he could come back. I should continue as I was, and Mr. Cunningham had already agreed to it. This killed any thought of fooling around and we went to bed just to hug and be close to the other.

The next morning Maureen asked me whether I would agree that she would fly to Cleveland to be at Ellen’s side in this critical moment.

“James, I love her as I love my mother and she’s alone in a hospital, and Allan is probably devastated with nobody he knows around him. I believe that I could give them support in this moment. I know that I would want it if the situation were reversed. I don’t know how long I’ll be there, but not more than a week. You´ll not be alone - Jenny will be here every night so that you don’t have to sleep on your own, and shell make certain that you behave. Is this OK, Jenny?”

Jenny nodded and told her to organize her luggage whilst she was organizing the trip. My only input was to demand that she travelled first class since the trip to Cleveland would take almost twenty-four hours. There was a United flight through Los Angeles, but she would have to leave early the next day and we had to be at the airport an 8.15 in the morning. She should leave the return open. Maureen kissed me and said that only for that couple could she leave me alone, but her other half would care for me. Then she ran off to get her things packed and Jenny spent the next hour organizing the flight, the hotel in Cleveland (we knew where Allan was staying) and she booked an apartment in the same hotel, and a limousine pickup in Cleveland. At midnight everything was resolved, and we went to bed.

Jenny pushed Maureen to me. “Darling, you’ll be alone for at least a week; use this moment to feel James’ love and protection!”

We made love in a very gentle way, but it was as satisfying as if we had gone through the Kama Sutra. Perhaps even more so because I could feel the love pouring out of my wife’s heart. Jenny had been looking at us and when we finally lay back, she had tears in her eyes.

“You two are so beautiful when you make love, and you seem to be in your own paradise for these moments and nothing else exists. James, one day please make love to me as you do to Maureen!” and she embraced us.

Maureen turned to her. “Jenny darling, when you make love, I have the same feeling. Remember that we’re one now!”

I was happy with Maureen, and I was happy to have Jenny with us.

We fell asleep rapidly and the alarm clock woke us up too early, but rules had to be obeyed. Maureen was almost at the bathroom door when I whistled. She knew what to do and when it was Jenny’s turn, she promised me that at night she would dedicate more time to me and ran off to the guest bathroom. I helped Maureen to shower and dried every bit of her lovely body, but there was not enough time to fool around. Breakfast was short and we went to the airport, but this time with a driver. Jenny had almost discretely commented to the airline company that Countess de Winter would use United because of some recommendations she had received, and the service staff was waiting for us. Countess here and Countess there, and this time I was quite happy about the fuss, as I knew she would be well looked after. One last kiss and she vanished through the boarding gate.

Jenny and I looked at each other and I hugged her. “Now we’ll be on our own, my love, but Maureen will always be with us.”

She nodded and when we got back, we completed our breakfast, and she sat down to study and I to go through some proposals my marketing staff had prepared. We broke for lunch, and I took her to a little restaurant at Bondi Beach (nothing fancy, but solid food). It was hot and the sun was brilliant in the sky; there were some clouds on the horizon, however, perhaps threatening an afternoon thunderstorm. Afterwards, I let her drive the Porsche again and told her the way to the place where Maureen and I had started our time together. I took out a blanket and we sat in the same place looking over the harbor and the sailing boats crossing each other. It was a beautiful hot afternoon, the sun was shining, some clouds were chasing each other, and the breeze coming in from the ocean cooled us down a bit. We heard the waves crashing against the rocks and the birds yelling their heads off.

I told Jenny how it all had started; the party I almost did not go to, the Grange Hermitage that made Maureen look at me, Joan Sutherland singing in Norma, and the freckle hunt, the famous freckle hunt. Jenny smiled and pointed out that she had two freckles also and that she was willing to sacrifice herself, so that I could continue my medical studies on whether long-term kissing could make them go away. She lay down and pointed out that there were buttons that could be opened and a bra that could be removed, and the experiment could continue.

It was an invitation that I could not refuse, and I spent my time between her lips and her breasts. It was affection and love, not passion at this moment and it was a lot of fun, with her comments on my medical curiosity, eventual other intentions, and my lack of capacity to tease and to kiss at the same time; for her it was proof that women could do parallel processing while men were interested in only one thing, and that was themselves.

It went on and on until I decided I had enough and really concentrated on her; as a natural consequence she stopped to tease, and an eventual moaning turned into quite intensive desire to be satisfied. I was very happy with myself as she suddenly yelled my name and pushing my hand onto her pussy, she came very satisfied indeed. When she recovered, I wondered aloud, “I remember someone saying that women have the capacity of parallel processing; what happened to that capacity at the last moments? You did what you accused us of - you concentrated on your own pleasure! Hah!”