Chapter 8: Arizona

I took five days to travel from Liz’s home outside Portland to Sedona, Arizona. The weather cooperated and I camped out two of those nights without terribly cold temperatures. When I’d left New Mexico, I’d promised Tama I’d meet her in Sedona. She’d explained to me about the vortices of Sedona, and how they imbue people with unusual strength, guidance, and protection – qualities I’d need for the rest of my life. Tama also had shamanic skills that she promised to unleash on me in Sedona, adding to the transformation she promised during my visit there.

I had several phone calls with Tama synchronizing our arrival times and hotel, and also getting Crystal to join us. Tama was over the moon that she’d get to meet Crystal and that we could share some intimate time together.

Crystal was excited at the prospect of the mystical experiences that Tama promised. Crystal also was excited about meeting ‘my Indian lady friend’ and she promised to make our time together interesting. I suspected that Crystal would be the one surprised by events in Sedona.

I asked Crystal if she’d ride the motorcycle with me from Sedona to Reno where we would be doing the Children’s Fund Telethon. She came back laughing, “YES. I want to be with you on the ride to Reno providing you drive me through the Las Vegas strip at night on the motorcycle. I’ve never been to Vegas, and I’ve always wanted to see it at night with all the lights.”

Crystal then said something that ultimately shocked me. “By the way, Terry knew we were going to talk, and he gave me a message for you.” Terry was more than just our agent; he’d become a close and trusted friend.

“What’s the message?” I asked casually.

“He said to tell you he hired a money manager for you. His name’s Carl Hansen, and I use him too; he’s saved me a lot in taxes and all. I think I’ve mentioned him in the past. He wants you to call him tomorrow. I’ll text you his phone number so you’ll have it.”

“That’s good. Do I really need one?” I had created a joint account with Terry for my professional funds, and had coupled it to my older personal checking and savings accounts.”

Crystal persisted, “Terry thinks you need one now, before the end of the year so there’s time to reduce your taxes and try to make things you want happen, for instance, donating some money to the upcoming Children’s Fund Telethon. Terry suggests that you add Carl to your bank accounts, but you will need to authorize that to make it happen. Carl has had some good investment ideas for my money, so I am sure he can help you invest yours too.”

“Why? What’s the rush?”

“Well, the end of the year is coming, and you should do something to avoid some of the taxes you’d have to pay.”

I asked, “How much is involved?” I couldn’t see any big rush to save a couple of hundred dollars. I thought I might wait until I got to San Diego to honor Terry’s request.

Crystal said, “Well, Terry told me today he just put another five million in your bank account.”

After a very long silence, Crystal spoke in a confused tone, “Jim? Jim, are you still there?”

I spoke slowly, my brain barely in gear, “Five million what?” The number was so big, and it came at me so suddenly, I clutched.

“Dollars.”

“And ... you ... said... another five million?”

Crystal went ‘tsk,’ “Jim, I don’t know how many deposits he’s made into your account, but it’s been at least two or three – maybe more. This is probably the largest, plus I think he only told me about this one because I got the almost the same amount for similar reasons – the royalties for the second and third quarters from our song Texas Dawn and a few other things.”

“Why so much money?” I stammered out in a near panic. My heart had started to race. I felt like I’d won the lottery, but then realized that a mistake must have been made and someone would eventually want their money back. I said to Crystal before she could answer, “Crystal, there’s got to be some mistake. Someone moved a decimal point or something.”

Crystal adopted a tone as though she was being patient with a three-year old, “Darling, I’ve got to teach you the economics of the music industry. You are making money from all the plays on the radio of Texas Dawn plus the other songs you did, or we did together, plus there are your single and album sales – for instance on iTunes or Amazon; there were further proceeds from the three concerts – you do remember that you never got paid until now for the Dallas Cowboys halftime concert we did? Oh, and you get extra loot for that song you wrote that’s still in the top ten, The Wolf on Lone Wolf Mountain. You sold the rights on that to Sony for a pretty penny.”

I couldn’t talk for a moment. I gradually squeaked out, “Do you know my bank account balance?” My knees were weak; I plopped down on the side of the bed.

Crystal said, “No, but based on what’s been going on, it’s probably over ten million dollars. Hey, you had two single hits in the top ten and three more in the top forty since your album came out – all this year, and your album has been a best seller since it came out. By the way Texas Dawn went double platinum last week. That’s exceptional, especially for a beginner. This does pay well. Terry calls it the law of large numbers.”

“What’s that mean?” I muttered, still in disbelief about what Crystal was telling me.

“Well on each sale of your album on iTunes you make about a dollar, maybe more. The rest of those ten bucks goes to others, like Sony. The law of large numbers comes into play: if a million people download your album you just made a million dollars. Based on what I overheard Terry tell my sister, you’ve sold more than ten million albums on iTunes alone. I suspect Sony may even give you a bonus payment too, if they haven’t already. Terry will have to tell you.”

I fell backwards on the bed. I’d had good news before, however, this topped anything anyone had ever told me – ever.

I was speechless.

Crystal spoke, “Look talk to Carl, and get your hands around your finances. I’ll text you his name and number so you can call him. He’ll make some tax havens for some of your loot. I’m doing the same thing. As the saying goes, it’s not evasion, it’s avoidance ... but be sure to call him tomorrow. He’s good and I trust him.”

I numbly said, “OK.” I guessed that my simple checking and savings accounts must be overflowing with money – most of it at very low interest rates. The bank must love me.

She went on, “I’ve got to go. Ellen is waiting for me to drive her downtown. We’re meeting some girlfriends for dinner.” After a pause, she added, “I’ve been thinking as we talked that I’ll hire a jet to take me direct to Sedona, so I’ll end up at the general aviation terminal there. I’ll text you my arrival time. Given the distance, it’ll probably be a four-hour trip.”

I mumbled, “OK” again. Crystal laughed. She so enjoyed shaking me off my even keel.

We ended the call with words of love, and then I sat up and grabbed my laptop from my saddlebag. A few minutes later, I logged into my bank accounts for the first time in a couple of months; I seldom went there as I had no bills to pay now that I’d become a motorcycle-riding vagabond. I used my credit card a lot, but I’d set up for the monthly bill to be paid automatically from my over-funded checking account. Occasionally, I used an ATM to get some cash.

My jaw dropped open; I had nearly fourteen million dollars in my money market account. My original savings account remained untouched from when I last left it, except for some accrued interest – a measly ninety-thousand dollars, my share of the sale of my parent’s home months earlier. My personal checking account showed a balance of about a hundred thousand dollars, most of that money from the Kentucky and Indiana concerts months earlier and an advance that Terry had given me for Texas Dawn. This was what I’d been living on as I meandered across the country.

I thought, ‘Fourteen million dollars!” My brain nearly exploded with possibilities. I think I sat for an hour as the wheels spun in my head.

I called Anna next. I didn’t want to tell her what I’d just learned. I wanted to surprise her in some way – to rock her world in a nice way. As we talked, and I caught up with how she was managing with my niece and nephew; I asked what bank carried her mortgage and what she used. I asked the question in the context of wanting to change my own banking accounts when I got to her house so I had something close by to her home. She didn’t get suspicious at my inquiry. I also told Anna about the Children’s Telethon in Reno the following week. I also told her Crystal was going to join me in Sedona. Anna and Crystal had not met, but I’d told each of them so much about the other; I think they both felt as though they’d been lifelong friends.

Anna asked about Lauren. I felt remiss since I hadn’t called her in over a week. I said to Anna, “I haven’t talked to her, but every few days you know I send her an email – like the ones I send you; she asked for them when we first got together back in May.”

A long silence ensured, and I held my breath waiting for Anna to start hitting me over the head for sending her lurid descriptions of my sexual encounters during my road trip. I heard her take a deep breath, and she said in a low and shy voice, “Don’t stop sending them to me. I like them too.”

Anna’s words electrified my mind almost like the discovery of my new wealth. She liked the sexy emails I’d been sending, and she wasn’t mad at me. Her remark made the rest of our conversation go by in a blur. I didn’t hear anything other than ‘don’t stop.’

Anna was a pretty woman, tall and willowy just like our mother had been. Anna had gone to college on the west coast, stayed out there, married shortly after graduation, popped out two children in her marriage, divorced, and created a circle of friends and a fulfilling job that helped a lot of people and that made her want to stay in San Diego.

Anna’s words about the sexy emails, ‘Don’t stop ... I like them too,’ rolled around in my head the rest of the evening – along with discovering my money. Wow, nothing like blowing a traditional brother-sister relationship out of the water. My mind started to do the jumps I’d fretted about, think about how much I wanted a physical relationship – a deep romantic relationship – with my sister.

The next morning, before I got on the road, I did an intense workout, running eight miles, doing a half hour of wind sprints up and down a hill near the motel, and then doing five rotations through every piece of exercise equipment in the motel gym. With my body then more aware, I sat and meditated for twenty minutes, trying to quiet the many thoughts racing through my mind. Eventually, I gave up. Between learning about the fourteen million dollars and my sister’s words, my head was scrambled for the day.

I thought about the rabid photographer who had decided to stalk me, and if he couldn’t find me, Crystal. As I headed south to Sedona, I stopped and called Craig in Idaho again. After finding out that Julia was still staying with him and that he was frequently ‘fucked out,’ I started talking about Kenesis and what we might do in Reno where I felt sure he’d pick me up again. I also discussed Mils’ comments about using ‘fear’ to get to the man – some way to make him so scared he’d never come near us again. Craig had some good ideas, and I gave him Mils’ phone number and suggested he call.

After we hung up, I called Mils’ and left a message for her to expect a call from Craig. I told her she could share anything with him, and that we also needed some ideas from her. I shook my head and resolved to put Kenesis out of my head the whole time I was in Sedona. When I’d been on TV in Oregon, I’d purposely given some misleading information about my travel plans, avoiding mention of Sedona and instead emphasizing the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas, plus emphasized being in Reno for the Children’s Telethon, even mentioning which casino-hotel I thought I’d be staying at.

Then I called Carl Hansen, my new money manager. We talked for over an hour. As part of our conversation, I arranged for my sister’s mortgage to be paid in full, and for one-million dollars to be transferred from my account to hers; I’d cover the gift taxes. I didn’t plan to tell Anna about her newfound wealth. She would get a letter in a day or so informing her that her mortgage had been paid in full; when she got her bank statement, she’d find out about the other funds in her account. Carl also helped me set up ‘529’ accounts for the college education of my nephew, niece, and my yet to be born son with Summer Ellis.

While I was eating lunch, Crystal texted me that she expected her plane to land about five o’clock at Sedona. I used some apps on my iPhone and figured out that I could spend about two additional hours of ‘tourist’ time before I would have to head to the airport to pick her up. Thus, I started to fill my cell with scenic pictures as I rolled south and took some excursions off my route to see some interesting geological formation or vista north of Sedona. Later, I’d upload them to my computer.

Along the part of U.S. 89 that was straight and flat, I thought of what this area had been like a hundred-and-fifty years earlier. I’d be riding my trusty horse instead of my bike across this part of Arizona. Perhaps this had been an old wagon trail or maybe even a buffalo trail.

I got to the Sedona airport a little early. I hung around the airport, but I did notice tourist signs for the ‘Airport Vortex.’ I’d learned from Tama that Sedona is home to four energy vortices that fill the area with strong and positive spiritual energy. The surrounding hills were magnificent, and I did feel a new inner strength.

At five-twenty an all-white, streamlined corporate jet overflew the airport at a low altitude and circled to land. The last rays of the sun glinted off the wings as the jet turned downwind. I rode my motorcycle to the airport parking area, and watched as the jet made the last wide sweeping turn onto the final approach from about eight miles out. Around me in the distance were the magnificent eroded rocks and mesas with their sandy reds fading as the sunlight disappeared.

I stopped outside a low fence next to Red Rock Aviation, and watched the sleek Grumman Gulfstream flair for its landing on runway three. Puffs of smoke rose from each tire as the jet touched down, and then the reverse thrusters brought the jet to a smooth stop near the far end of the runway. The jet turned and taxied back in my direction. I liked the jet; I wondered how much one cost. I realized that with all that money in my bank account, I might be able to buy a jet like this one. From bike to jet! I liked that thought.

The jet made me think of Kim Hume. I missed Kim, and had only traded emails with her for the past month or two. I must find a way to talk to her soon. She was a pilot and flew jets like the little number that Crystal had chartered. Maybe we could see each other soon. I knew Crystal wouldn’t mind, particularly if I could get the two of them together. Maybe Ellen too.

After parking right in front of me, the stairway from the jet unfolded to the ground, and Crystal bounded down the stairs in her western boots, jeans, and a tight checkered shirt unbuttoned nearly all the way down to her navel. I’m sure she kept the flight crew amused. I liked that she had an exhibitionist streak in her. I’d never articulated that thought before, but it was accurate.

I hopped the low fence, and caught her as she flew into my arms with a flurry of kisses and a not-so-subtle grinding of her hips into mine. I got hard immediately.

“I’ve missed you so,” she kept saying repeatedly. I agreed. We kept kissing each other, and instantly reconnected on many levels.

A dashing young man looking every bit the pilot with aviator sunglasses came down the stairway a few minutes later. He brought two small duffle bags and her jacket over to us. “Miss Lee, where would you like these?”

I volunteered, “Over here; they’re going with us on the motorcycle.”

Behind me near the fence, the Harley sat already piled high with my various bags and the travel guitar. I’d found time to practice almost every day, a must for my country music career. The pilot looked puzzled about where I’d put her two bags; however, he handed them over to me, bid Crystal goodbye, told her he hoped to be of service again in the future, and then strode off to check-in his aircraft with the airport manager and probably get refueled.

Crystal and I walked around the fence to my bike, and I strapped her bags on the front with my supply of bungee cords. I gave her a helmet to wear, and we motored downhill to our hotel – The Lodge at Sedona, an ultra-high-end resort and spa designed to pamper their guests, at least that was what I’d been told a few days earlier when I read about the reservations for the three of us. The building and service didn’t disappoint from the time we walked in the door.

As Crystal removed her helmet and shook out her long hair, I went to the front desk to check-in and was told that Tama had already arrived. I did the rest of the paperwork to make the Lodge happy, and then a young man working there appeared with a luggage cart. He seemed surprised when I led him outside to my overladen Harley. We unloaded everything onto his cart, I moved the motorcycle to a protected area, and then followed him up to our suite.

We found Tama in one corner of the living room soaking in a large whirlpool tub and spa surrounded by soapsuds. She waved hello and smiled warmly at us and at the bellhop who politely tried to ignore her obviously naked status, although Tama didn’t seem bothered at all. I tipped him well after he unloaded his cart, and we shut the door behind him. Between Crystal and Tama his eyes were rolling around in his head.

When I turned back to Tama, she’d already gotten from the tub and wrapped a large towel around herself. She came up to us, “You must be Crystal. I’ve wanted to meet you for weeks, ever since Jim told me about you and the relationship you two have. I feel I’ve known you for a long time, and through Jim, I know we think alike.”

The two women kissed on each cheek, and almost as an afterthought they kissed a little more slowly on the lips, almost as if each woman were testing the other to see how far she’d go. After they parted, Tama came into my arms and we kissed. Somehow my hands found her magnificent ass, and I held her and pushed our hips together. She gave me an extra nice smile and another hot kiss. Crystal looked on in amusement.

Tama turned away from us with a half-smile and said, “I thought we’d go out for dinner. There’s a great place for supper near here called Elote Café. The name sounds better in English than Spanish – it means corn cob, but the food is excellent, and there are no old corn cobs around.” She gave her delightful laugh that helped us all relax as she and Crystal got to know each other.

Tama turned to get dressed. The towel around Tama got tossed on the bed revealing her spectacular nude body to Crystal and me. She had beautiful reddish-brown skin unmistakably Native American. Moreover, unlike many of her relatives, she was trim except for full and natural erect breasts that showed her excitement at our arrival.

Tama rummaged in a small suitcase, pulled out a dress, and slipped into a bright western motif dress without bothering with a bra or thong. Even in the remaining light coming in the window I could see the shape of her entire body and lush pubic hair through the thin fabric as if she were nude. This would be an exciting evening.

Almost as though she read my mind, Tama caught my eye, “Unless I’m backlit, nothing shows, so stop leering at me. We can play later, if Crystal doesn’t mind.” She winked at the two of us.

Quick as a flash, Crystal said, “Oh, Crystal doesn’t mind a bit. Crystal wants to play too ... and if I may say so, you are truly beautiful ... very beautiful.” I didn’t think I’d be able to see Tama blush because of her dark skin, but I was wrong.

Crystal and I cleaned up a little; each of us refreshed after our travels. We left the Lodge and Tama drove us to the restaurant. The owner-cook recognized Tama immediately, and the two hugged in recognition, laughing about how long it had been since she’d been there.

We shared a deep conversation over dinner. After the ‘small talk,’ we talked about our concepts of spirituality and life purpose – not small topics, yet one that revealed much about ourselves to the others. When it came to those topics, I wondered how many people had actually self-analyzed what they believe in, and whether it made sense and was credible. Tama emphasized that this self-knowledge would be important to us over the next few days in Sedona.

After our long, leisurely dinner, we drove back to the Lodge at Sedona. Crystal announced that she wanted to try the whirlpool tub, and so she stripped her clothes away, and ran the tub water. A minute later, she slid into the warm water with a huge sigh.

As Crystal soaked, Tama and I sat nearby on the sofa making out and petting in between segments of conversation. I’d been stroking her breasts through the thin dress, enjoying the tactile sensation of her erect nipples on my hands. When Crystal got out of the tub, she wrapped a towel around herself. Tama stood to face Crystal with a coy smile.

Without further prelude, the two women kissed, lingering longer and longer on each subsequent kiss. In the process, Crystal’s bath towel came undone, and slid down her body to the floor. Tama immediately took advantage of her nakedness, and started to pinch and massage one of Crystal’s white breasts.

The kisses became French kisses with lots of tongue, the two sharing their new lust for each other equally it seemed. Crystal unbuttoned Tama’s dress in record time, and soon Tama’s dress slid down her body to the floor as well enabling the pair to fully explore with new passion.

I found the contrast between Tama’s dark skin and Crystal’s whiteness startling and arousing in so many ways. I made a note to suggest to Brite, my photographer friend, that she do some erotic photos of the two women. They were spectacular together. Tama’s nipples were a chocolate brown to Crystal’s pinker hues. Tama carried an untrimmed bush of dark pubic hair, and Crystal maintained a manicured landscape with only a small ‘landing strip.’ Both women had long hair below their shoulders: Tama’s luxurious black so prevalent among the tribes, and Crystal glowing brunette tresses.

The women ground their hips into one another for a minute, before pulling apart slightly so they could reach each other’s slit and start to excite the other even further. I moved off to the side, dimming a couple of the harsher lights in the room. If this is what two women I cherished wanted, I wanted to provide a suitable setting.

I heard Tama utter, “Sofa.” She directed Crystal to the sofa and had her lie back, so she could bring her mouth to Crystal’s pussy.

I stood in the dark shadows a few feet away, marveling at the beauty and the love before me. I watched as Crystal surrendered to Tama’s tongue, fingers, and even her hand as she got fisted by her new lover. Crystal flooded the locale with girl juice, and then I could see her crest in both excitement and orgasmic pleasure. After about ten minutes, and several peak experiences, Crystal pleaded with Tama to stop and let her recover her senses. Tama leaned back away from the soggy pussy she’d created.

Crystal sat up, and kissed Tama. “Now it’s your turn. I want to taste you in the worst way. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this for a long time, ever since Jim told me about you.” Now, she became the aggressor, pushing Tama back and smoothing her body all over.

Crystal told Tama, “You have such beautiful breasts – and your skin is so lovely, and I love its color.” But any further words were withheld as she lowered her mouth to Tama’s moist pussy with her tongue extended. First contact appeared to be Crystal’s tongue directly on Tama’s clitoris. Tama’s whole body jerked and spasmed at the sexual touch. “My God,” she whispered. Crystal’s entire face disappeared as she munched into the mat of pubic hair; she brought a hand up and thrust three fingers into Tama’s cunt, twisting and vibrating them to excite.

And excite Tama she did. Tama writhed and rolled from side to side beneath Crystal as she repeatedly had her small orgasms. Crystal looked up at me at one point, the area around her mouth and chin covered with saliva and pussy juice, gave me a smile of satisfaction, and dove back into Tama’s quim.

As the sapphic pair met and pleasured themselves, I had stripped away my own clothing and remained in the shadows slowly stroking my shaft to granite hardness as I enjoyed the erotic show Tama and Crystal put on. After many minutes of pleasure, Crystal looked up at me and said in a sexy way, “It’s about time we had a male cock in here,” she pointed at Tama’s pussy; “or in here,” and she pointed at her own cunt.

I slid up behind Crystal, rubbed my shaft around her twat, and slowly entered her. I heard a long, low, satisfied sigh come from her as I started to pump into her. I reached around her with one hand, found a breast, and further excited her already erect nipples.

After a few minutes, Crystal rose from her kneeling position and pulled away from me; “It’s time for you to fuck Tama too – I want to watch.” She grabbed my shaft, briefly popped the entire rod into her mouth, and then led it – and me – to Tama’s gaping hole.

Tama reached up with her arms and pulled me to her, her mouth alive with kisses and oral excitement on whatever body part I brought near her. She sucked on my middle finger at one point, as my cock pistoned in and out of her body. Crystal’s head was right there next to our coupling, watching with lust and approval as I now brought pleasure to Tama.

I warned of my impending cum. Tama said, “Not in me. Crystal and you should share these love fluids.”

Crystal lay back in an overstuffed chair next to the sofa we’d been using as our base. I sank my cock into her gorgeous vagina, rubbing her clit as I did. Two minutes later, I blasted my cum into Crystal just as she crested in her own orgasm. For a minute of pleasure, we froze in position as my body surged my ejaculate into her. The rest of our bodies were lost in the overwhelming feelings of pleasure.

After we parted, Tama carefully maneuvered in front of Crystal, encouraging her to pull her legs up. She went down on Crystal lapping at the semen so obviously flowing from her vagina. Crystal closed her eyes and entered another sphere of joy.

Tama held our hands as we walked along an open space on the way to the Cathedral Rock Vortex, the first she’d decided to take us to that morning. “Sedona is special, but no one is sure why. Special energy rises from Mother Earth here.” She pointed at a juniper tree twisted axially along its upward growth. “Many trees near each vortex prove the presence of the vortices by their helical spirals of the trunk and branches. Many people with unusual sensitivity feel the particular power of the vortices, and can tell which parts of their own energy centers resonate with it.”

“Do you feel them?” Crystal asked.

Tama paused and looked at us both, “Yes. My sensitivity to forces such as these is one of the reasons my tribe anointed me a shaman. Not only that, but I can share my sensitivity with others, bringing to them the same special benefits of the vortices that I receive.” She smiled at us.

We walked along a small stream that drew near what Tama identified as Cathedral Rock. Tama stopped and had the three of us hold hands in a small circle. “Close your eyes. Feel in your inner most soul that your feminine powers for good are augmented. Your power to feel and exhibit compassion, kindness, patience, and love is growing to a level far greater than what you brought here. You can be as a mother to many others, particularly when you see the good consequences of the acts about to be performed.”

As she talked, I could feel something inside me expanding with these positive emotions for good. I allowed myself to center and focus on these new feelings, even meditating as we stood. After a short time, I felt Tama let go of my hand.

I opened my eyes.

Tama spoke softly, “Jim, you are gifted. You allowed the energy of vortex to flow in your body without restriction. You were lost to it for over five minutes. I’ve never seen anyone do that other than other shamans. Maybe you have ‘the gift.’ Maybe you should be a shaman.”

I told her, “I am honored by your comments, but the capabilities of a shaman are far beyond anything I can do or even think about. I felt the things you spoke of deeply. I felt ... profound.” I turned and looked at Crystal; she smiled and nodded indicating that she too had been enriched by the experience.

Tama next drove us in her car to a place near the airport – a place I’d seen the day before. At the base of a small hill, she turned and led us upward past more twisted trees. The view of Sedona was magnificent.