Chapter 1: Largo Sustenuto

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 the incident at the party and 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 said that 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, gesturing, or 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, 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, 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, my Lady, a sonorous no to your request. I expected better of you, my Lady!”

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 we separated only after a discrete cough from Maureen.

“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 accompany her; no unfair activities in her absence!

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

“This is a 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 hearts 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 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 threatened 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, and you acted exactly the same way I did. You did not hesitate one moment to defend James, which changed our relationship. Jenny, you’re no longer only my friend, my sister, now you’re 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 wholly pleasurable, I must say), and hugged her.

“Maureen, I agree, I agree wholeheartedly. I want to be with you, and 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 they ignored me completely, 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? The three musketeers? One for all and all for one? We need swords!”

Now both were convinced that I had suffered a serious breakdown 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 that we are free to show our feelings on one side, 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, and others were not. I sat up (difficult because Jenny was still all over me) and apologized. Thank heaven it was not too demanding: all I had to do was kiss first Maureen, then Jenny, and 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: all three different, but all one. They gave me their breasts to kiss and fell asleep. I needed some time; what had happened? It was perfect 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 union 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 the same as 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 saying:

“You have done right, my son. You now 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, the two 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 they seemed more open to each other, friendlier, and less formal. Maureen and I had more time, but I decided to set an example for my staff on the new year’s first working day and be early. When I arrived, the people at the reception waved and wished me a Happy New Year, and when I came to 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.

Looking at the people around us and watching us, I wished Miss Parker a Happy New Year and asked her whether she had received her deserved presents. 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; he could ask her directly if he wanted more information. 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 the men in this world. I assume that he still believed 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 drained 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 the cause, but they believed it was dire. I’ll fly out tomorrow night to the States and already have 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’d 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 principally 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 shock for me.

“I’m very sorry to hear this about Ellen. Can Maureen call her before you leave for the States? I 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 were any problems, 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 challenging to look at other departments with problems and opportunities I had not considered before. Still, we managed to get things in order with my knowledge of the company and Sir Allan’s guidance.