Chapter 37

By the time everyone headed to Barcelona for winter break, both the new MIRE and the J’s had released CDs for holiday buying. Both bands had the same lineup, just fronted by different people, and the songs by and large were written by the lead singers. Eddie had helped considerably with the J’s songwriting but would take no credit. A small tour, November and most of December, crossed the country and played at large venues, the J’s opening for MIRE. With the tour and Rachel’s promotional talent, the albums did better than expected. For the J’s especially, cracking the top fifty in sales. And Eddie had his first number one hit in over a decade. A second hit came in fifth. The album neared the top, hovering at third when they flew to Europe.

The tour coincided with Joe’s book tour. The book became a best seller as well, despite or because of its controversy.

The tour also gave Joe a chance for a couple nights with Maria, and a couple of days visiting Rhonda and Theresa. As Rachel had predicted, and with Cheryl’s help, both women found a single distributor, MCA Universal, though separate beyond that umbrella, with Theresa producing for the Canadian market and Rhonda more, well, universal. Both albums would come out in early spring, the tour for the release would have an obviously pregnant Theresa, and would be kept mostly in the western states because of it, though the Canadian part would actually include much more Eastern cities like Quebec and Montreal for the Francophones. Europe would be the next tour, after the East Coast, but that would have to wait for the birth of little Bobby.

Once winter vacation arrived, and the entourage flew to Barcelona, it was an emotional greeting when Katrina met Joe at the airport. Less apparently so when José greeted Stuart, but neither showed emotions well.

Joe had invited everyone, including Ginny and Sandy and their choral group. Ginny and the group had come down to record their voices for Eddie, though they hadn’t joined the earlier tour. Stuart provided some synthetic noises. Joe and Eddie had gone up to Boston not long after Eddie returned home, Eddie to be with Ginny and Joe as well, but also for Joe to visit his son and his son’s girlfriend. Ginny had become Ginger in Boston for a night, and in New York, with Consuela joining in the libidinous fun.

Rachel wanted a quick tour of Europe since everyone would be there. Joe was reluctant, wanting time with Alejandra and his play, but finally agreed.

It was nearly as an enthusiastic a greeting when Joe and his large contingent arrived at Alejandra’s and Al’s opulent house. But Joe sensed the ambivalence in Alejandra.

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked after the lengthy kiss.

“Al is dying,” she told him. “Colon cancer that’s become malignant.”

“I’m sorry, Alejandra,” Joe responded gently.

“The problem is, I’m not,” she admitted. “I know somewhere inside him is the man I once loved, but he made it impossible to find it. His possessiveness ended up overwhelming him during my shoot in Italy. To the point where I feared for my director despite his protection. Some favors could easily be made between the Syndicate and the Mafia. I had signed a contract for just the one film because I feared what ended up happening. And telling Al that, that it would just be the one film helped him ease off. But it really was the last straw. An opportunity to work again, maybe several times, with a really good director who had also become a friend, and by the way not a lover, because I really didn’t want to play with his wife,” she laughed sadly.

“So Al wouldn’t want his wife to be in America working,” Joe nodded.

“To the point that it would have been dangerous for you.”

“And you kept it from him.”

“I thought it was best.”

“You know Rachel has some say in the Syndicate.”

“Quite a lot I’ve heard,” Alejandra nodded. “Perhaps enough to jeopardize Al if he were to cause you any harm. But his possessiveness could very well make him ignore his immense survival instincts.”

“So you wouldn’t have actually come to America?”

“I thought ... I didn’t know what to think. Maybe I’d just find a way to kill the bastard so as not to be blamed. I really couldn’t take it anymore, now that I finally was having a chance to do what I always thought I was born to do. But it seems I don’t have to.”

“So you hate your husband.”

“I hate that I want him to be dead. That he made me want that. I was once almost as vicious as him, but I didn’t want to be like that anymore.”

“You were never that vicious, Alejandra.”

“Maybe not. Maybe I just wanted to please that beautiful young man who had pulled me from the depths of desperation. Being young, I could mold my morals to his. With age, I realized my mistake. I realized his trap. And I guess I accepted my fate until you came along.”

“I’m glad I did.”

She laughed. “And I’m glad you’re not apologizing. But please apologize to your wives and friends. I need you.”

“I’m exhausted, Alejandra.”

“Then sleep with me. The rest can come when you’re rested,” she laughed.

He nodded. His apology was directed at Katrina, who accepted reluctantly. “Tomorrow?” she asked.

“Tomorrow I’m yours.”

“We’ll take good care of her Joe,” Consuela smirked.

“That we will,” said Ginny.

When in bed, naked and cuddling, Joe finally asked Alejandra, “Where’s Al?”

“In the basement,” Alejandra told him. “His hospice. The room’s a veritable hospital room, because he can afford it.” Then she laughed.

“What?” Joe asked.

“My last torture,” she explained. “I found the prettiest dark haired Spanish girl and the prettiest boy to attend him. And the asshole’s asshole makes it so he can do nothing about it.”

“He really makes you your cruelest.”

“I know,” she said. She kissed him. “Sleep, my lovely man.”

She let him rest, sleeping herself. Not quite sunrise she awoke and awoke him with a blowjob. He pulled her pussy over his mouth and made sure she came before he did. “Be right back,” she said after his ubiquitous after blowjob kiss.

A few minutes later a pretty Catalan woman accompanied her into the bedroom carrying a tray. Coffee, fresh orange juice and some reheated frittata. “Thanks, Ellie,” said Alejandra. Ellie smiled at Joe before leaving.

“Is Lizabeth here?” Joe asked. He sat naked on the bed and watched Alejandra remove her housecoat and join him in the same state.

“In Amsterdam studying,” Alejandra told him. “She’ll be here in a couple days.”

“Good.”

“I hope Celia wants to see her.”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“Because she became your wife?”

“You know that doesn’t matter.”

“Just making sure.”

“So Lizabeth hasn’t found a mate?”

Alejandra pouted contemplatively. “Maybe she has. Her letters, she started using we. But she never explained it. And I guess I never asked.”

“Would she invite someone here without permission?”

“To surprise me,” Alejandra smiled.

They finished eating and drinking. Joe removed the tray, placing it on the vanity, the chair there helping to keep it even, sort of. He returned to the bed face first, Alejandra already with her legs spread. He did his inimitable teasing until she cursed him for it and he crawled up and sank in, and a couple strokes later she climaxed powerfully.

“Joe,” she murmured as it abated, and he kissed her gently. She pulled him into a much more passionate kiss. When it ended, she moved from beneath, coaxed him to turn over and kissed her way down to his penis. After several minutes of sucking she impaled herself on his cock. She rode him slowly, made love to him, the kisses thorough and intense, with eyes gazing into eyes in between. When the ride became faster, her approach to another orgasm provoking it, his mouth moved to her aging tits, sucking each nipple and finally nibbling one, helping to send her over. His hands grasped her ass, age making it less resilient as well, and he pulled her against him, pubic bone against pubic bone, extending her climax.

Finally she lifted off, marveling at his continued erection, kissing it, before settling beside him, head low and ass high. Joe got the message and moved behind her. “Fuck me until you cum, Joe,” she insisted. Which was what he did. His fingers rubbed her clit. Her hands squeezed her hanging tits. She came a couple times before he did at the tail of her last one. “Yes,” she moaned. “Fill me with your fucking cum.”

After, they rested, Alejandra cuddled against his side. “How I missed you Joe,” she said between kisses.

“I have the play for you to read,” he told her.

“Business already?” she laughed.

“Part of the love,” he told her.

“I know. Could you read it to me?”

“Perhaps have Katrina help?”

She laughed. “She misses you almost as much as me most likely.”

“It would just be better, but yeah,” he laughed too.

They bathed after that, sensuous but not sexual. Except for frequent caresses of sensitive areas. Someone had brought Joe’s bags to the room while he slept, and they dressed.

Everyone ended up gathering in the huge gathering room of the mansion. A ballroom really. A table had been brought to the middle of it, and several chairs, four of them surrounding the table. Charlie joining the other three, reading the male parts. Joe read business. He sat beside Alejandra and Charlie sat beside Katrina, each sharing a script.

When they finished to unexpectedly loud applause from their audience, Alejandra grinning widely and kissing Joe enthusiastically, which brought laughs, a beautiful young Catalan woman dressed in nurse clothing tentatively approached her and whispered into her ear. Alejandra nodded.

“Please excuse me,” she said.

“Al?” Joe asked the obvious.

“He’s dead,” she said unemotionally. “I must say my goodbyes to him, even if he’s no longer there, and let his lawyer know. He’ll take care of ... things.”

Joe nodded and watched her leave with regal grace.

“Wow,” said Katrina.

“May I sit?” the nurse asked Joe.

“Of course.”

“His last words,” she started carefully in broken English. “Before I...”

“Helped him die,” Joe said.

“Please?” she looked worried.

“No one will know.”

She nodded. “He want you to know what a bitch Alex is. His word for her. We could ... hear her bed.”

Joe sighed. “Understood,” he said. “Do you understand why she was so cruel?”

“No.”

“Alejandra is a remarkable woman.”

“Yes,” she agreed.

“He held her back in this ... very rich cage for many many years. Made her very very unhappy.”

“Was he a terrible man?”

“Yes...”

“Isabel.”

“Yes Isabel. A terrible man.”

“I could tell. He flirt with me? Not so strange, yes?”

“You are a lovely woman.”

“Gracias. He angry. Because I no flirt back? I do sometime. But ... uhm ... funny? He ask me leave so alone with Pedro? Pedro sick after. He tell me terrible man pay, but no more. He say he want quit. But I ask to him to stay. No more alone. Understand?”

“Yes Isabel.”

“I done here.”

“Goodbye, Isabel.”

“Goodbye Joe. She is what you say. Remarkable,” she smiled and left.

“Uhm, Joe?” Katrina said from across the table.

“Yes sweetheart?” Joe asked.

“Could I ... do you think maybe I could play the young Alex character?”

“And I could play the Al character?” Charlie asked.

Joe laughed.

Charlie smirked. “It’s not you Kat. He intended to ask me.”

“I did,” Joe admitted.

“Well, I’m definitely in.”

“Good. So Katrina? Have you acted?”

“I have. In school. I’ve always taken classes in theater along with my literature classes. A couple little productions in Valencia when I was a teenager. But of course there’s as much hope being an actor as being a poet.”

He gazed at her. More pretty than beautiful. Neither slim nor tall. She had presence, but not charisma. But Joe wondered if that mattered. Having a young version of Alejandra as far as looks. But he decided she did have a look that he wanted. A youthful innocence mixed with a proud incipient rebelliousness.

“You know we’re talking about Broadway,” he said.

“A place for veteran actors,” she accepted sadly.

“Let me see you audition. You have audition pieces?”

“A couple.”

“Good. Work up one from one of the girl’s monologues. And one from her friend’s.”

“Maybe her friend?” Katrina cheered up.

“What I was thinking was if I decide I’d like to work with you, perhaps another actress and you could ... not so much compete, but trade roles. See who works best.”

“But ... wouldn’t you want to hire someone who maybe looks more like Alejandra?”

“Maybe if I find someone like that,” he laughed.

Charlie and Katrina laughed too. “I can see the problem,” Katrina said. “She’s a bit unique.”

“Would you like to see her when she was young?” Joe asked.

“I’d love that,” Katrina exclaimed.

“Me too!” Charlie was just as eager.

“Unfortunately it would be downstairs, and...”

“Understood,” Katrina nodded.

“Tomorrow?”

“Cool.”

Eddie sat beside Joe. “You okay?” Joe asked. “I seem to remember you liked the guy.”

“You never understood our relationship,” Eddie responded sadly.

“Can’t say that I did.”

“When I first met him, he was still really handsome. Like an aging Adonis. Rachel actually recommended I be with him, but I wasn’t exactly reluctant about it. She told me it would be cool if I decided not to. So I wasn’t pushed into it. But I found him incredibly charming and funny. I think when he got fat and jowly, that’s what kept my interest. His death ... affects me, Joe. But I think more the mortality of it. Having someone I knew intimately die. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t the least bit interested in being his lover anymore. His looks, yes, but also what I learned about him.”

“Alejandra.”

“And Celia and Lizabeth, and being part of that slavery world.”

“Rachel is too.”

“I know. And that fucking Russian who lives in my studio in LA. I don’t know if I forgive her or just accept that she’s an evil bitch. Just Rachel being Rachel. I guess I love her despite herself. And that’s a lot of why I wanted you to fuck her the way you do. That only way you could do. You’re like her father confessor,” he laughed.

“I suppose I am,” Joe laughed too. “And speak of the devil...”

“Hey,” Rachel said, sitting in Joe’s lap. “You okay Eddie?”

“Weirded out more than anything,” Eddie admitted.

“Yeah. Me too. Good that he’s gone, hunh Joe?”

“Fuck you, Rachel.”

“Yeah, fuck me,” Rachel agreed sadly. “Rache the Bache. Again. Truth is, I’m glad he’s dead.”

“You are?” Joe asked.

“Yeah, Joe, I am. I worried the asshole would have you killed, you being with Alex and encouraging her and wanting her in your play that you wrote for her. No, I could say I’m not the least bit sorry he’s gone.”

“Do you think he willed Alejandra his estate?” Joe asked.

“If he wrote a will at all. If he didn’t, it would be hers. If he did, who else would he give it to?”

“Charity?” Eddie offered.

Joe laughed. “Sweet revenge, especially those who would benefit.”

“How do you think Alex would survive?” Eddie asked.

“I’d make sure she was okay,” said Joe.

“Me too,” said Rachel.

“Really?” Joe asked.