Chapter 19

I watched Josh with his parents. He loved them in spite of how they felt about him, and that made me proud. With his abilities to read their emotions and translate their attitudes into thoughts, he had to know he disappointed them, but he handled their negative attitudes and emotions about him well and didn't take them personally. His mother loved him but just couldn't bring herself to accept his apostasy, and his self-righteous father remained in denial, fervently believing his prodigal son would someday return to his heavenly Father's loving embrace. Mr. Johnson never missed an opportunity to test Josh's readiness to return to the religion of his youth, pressing and pushing Josh at every turn.

Unfortunately, Josh wasn't the only object of his father's proselytizing. I had to handle the subtle or not-so subtle pressure Mr. Johnson applied on me to accept Jesus Christ as my savior and guide Josh back to the true church so I could live with my faithful husband in Paradise for time and eternity. For Josh's sake, I tried to handle the pressure with grace and understanding and, for the most part, succeeded, but a couple of times that night I came close to telling the pushy cuss to get off my fucking back.

We were gathered in Josh's boyhood home to celebrate his nineteenth and Sandy's twenty-first birthdays. Both birthdays had come and gone, but Josh's mother used Sandy's first visit to Phoenix in almost three years to celebrate the occasions.

Josh and Sandy's birthdays were two days apart, and on Sandy's birthday Josh was in New York City for his final fitting for the clothing he'd purchased at Giliberto's. I was still working for Olsen, so I couldn't be with them. They celebrated in high style, sharing their festivities with me telepathically.

Josh and I celebrated his birthday when I joined him in New Orleans two days later. Sandy would've joined us, but her mother arrived in New York City for the mother/daughter reunion the same day Josh left the Big Apple. Although Sandy thoroughly enjoyed her reunion with her mother, I think Josh and I had more fun, and the New Orleans trip kicked off my first real estate venture. I'd located a buyer, meeting him while still working for Olsen, but Olsen didn't have a property the buyer wanted. When I told Josh about him, Josh became quite excited about the prospect, so I checked with Harry, and he gave me the green light to follow up with the buyer. I arranged a meeting with him to review his wants and needs, and Josh and I met him in New Orleans where he lived. After our meeting, Josh and I decided to remain in the Big Easy for the rest of the weekend to play like tourists, no not like tourists; we were tourists.

We rode through the French Quarter in a horse-drawn carriage and down St. Charles Avenue on a streetcar. We strolled down Bourbon Street, stopping here and there to listen to the fantastic music played in the various nightclubs, and even took in a transvestite floor show. That was something else again. Those strange young men sure did make beautiful women. We also enjoyed the scrumptious flavors of New Orleans' cuisine, and of course, we made love passionately and often.

I was wrong about Elizabeth Angleton. She wasn't bi-curious, or at least not curious enough to fall prey to Sandy's subtle seduction attempts during the dinner the night before Josh and I left New York, and again during a private lunch Sandy arranged with Liz mid-week after we left. At Sandy's request, I connected with both of them at the luncheon to listen to Liz's thoughts, and after a telephone conversation with Sandy afterwards, Sandy backed off. Sandy and I also talked about her motive to initiate a love affair with the beautiful woman, and our discussion brought out some of the pain I wasn't aware of that Sandy carried in her present life from many of her past lives. The pain and how she handled it made me appreciate and love her that much more.

"I know I've been obsessive about Liz," Sandy had said to me on the telephone that day. "But put yourself in my place. Let's say you die and remember this life in your next, not in general, but rather in great detail. You love Josh..."

"You, too," I said interrupting her.

"I know. I'm using Josh as an example. You love Josh deeply, and guess what? In your next life after the memories arrive during adolescence, you'll still love him, and you'll miss him desperately. You'll come to terms with the love you feel so strongly as well as the intense grief gnawing at you because you will truly be a different person. However, if one day you see a man who could be Josh's identical twin, your love for Josh will come crashing in on you once again, and with the rush of love comes the pain of loss. That's why I avoid the locales of my immediate past lives. The pain can be debilitating. Seeing Liz brought back the love and the loss I felt for Baltje, and I wanted to physically rekindle that love and, in so doing, cast away the grief. Intellectually, I knew what I wanted wasn't truly viable. Liz isn't Baltje; she just looks like Baltje, and the luncheon today helped me come to terms with that fact again. I'll deal with Andy and Liz as Andy and Liz in the future, not as Andries and Baltje."

"Won't you still feel some pain when you see her?" I asked.

"Yes, but partially thanks to you, Nicole, I'm no longer emotionally connected with her as Baltje. She's Liz, and frankly I like Liz as a person in her own right. She has many qualities Baltje didn't have. She's incredibly talented, and deep down she's quite happy and has a mischievous streak in her not present in Baltje. I think Liz and I can become friends."

I told you I could trust Sandy's decision, Josh told me silently. The inveterate empathic snoop had been listening in on our conversation.

That was then. Now, Josh's father had just asked us to join him in family prayer.

"You don't give up, do you, Dad?" Sandy said with a grin.

"I believe in the power of prayer, Sandy. I..."

"I don't," Sandy said. "So, here's the deal. If you and Mom want to pray, have at it, but I'd feel like a hypocrite if I joined you. It's been a nice party, and I'm really happy to see you and Mom again, so please don't ruin the celebration by turning it into a Sunday school."

"Humph," he muttered.

Whew! I thought. Tough! She called him out and took him to the mat for the count.

If only that were true, Josh told me with a thought. Before we leave, he'll be off the mat and ready to do battle with the Devil in Sandy or me. He'll never relent. His faith is too strong to let him back off. Sandy can't let him be what he is anymore than he can let Sandy be what she is. I can let him be. That's why Sandy had to leave, and I was able to hang around until I met you and wanted to live with you.

I parked my Lexus in the garage, and as I walked into the townhouse, I started to strip. A new game was afoot. My telepathic connections had told me Josh and Sandy were relaxing in the hot tub - and they weren't alone. About a half-hour ago, Sherry had come calling, and she'd joined them in the throbbing, soothing water. All of them were au natural, or as Josh would say - nekkid. I'd chuckled when I heard Josh's silent cry for help.

Sandy's playin' games again, he'd told me with his thoughts. Here's the scenario. Sherry doesn't know Sandy's my sister. Sandy introduced herself as Wilma when she opened the door to Sherry's knock and invited Sherry to join us in the hot tub. Since then Sandy's been... well, aggressive with me, and Sherry's wonderin' what's goin' on, where Wilma fits in our relationship, for instance. What's more, Sandy is attracted to Sherry, and vice versa. The game is in serious need of a wild card, and that's gotta be you, Nicole. Hurry!

I'd hurried. I enjoyed Sandy's games.

"Nicole!" Sandy exclaimed when I stepped out onto the patio. "Nothin's goin' on, honest!"

I giggled. "Yeah, sure, Wilma. Have you fucked him yet?"

Sandy grinned. "Nope. Got him nice and hard for you, though. Jump his bones. Sherry and I wanna watch. Don't we, Sherry?"

Sherry's laugh was obviously nervous. "That's up to Nicole."

I moved into the water and onto Josh's lap. I gave him a quick kiss and wrapped my hand around his erection. "Yup, he's hard. Sherry, did I mention that Josh has a sister?"

"No."

"Well, he does. Her name is Sandra, but Josh and I call her Sandy, and Sandy loves to play games. She's a novelist, you see, and she sets up scenes and uses real people to play the parts she creates. This scene might end up in her next novel."

I moved up and swiped Josh's cock through my pussy, settled it in place and slowly sank down around his length. "Sherry, meet Sandy, except I think you know her as Wilma."

Sandy stuck out her lower lip with a fake pout. "Spoilsport."

"Not entirely," I said. "I'm playing a part in your scene, Sandy, and the game's still afoot. You told me to fuck Josh, and that's exactly what I'm doin'." I started to slide on his cock. "Ooh, that's nice. Josh, waddaya think? Should we let 'em watch?"

"Argh! You're as bad as Sandy."

"Maybe. But I'm in character. I'm fucking you, aren't I?" Tell me, lover, I said to Josh silently. How are they reacting?

Your move shocked Sandy, but she's delighted with the twists and turns you're offering. Sherry's just plain shocked, but she's also hot as a firecracker.

Do they want to watch?

Yup.

What about you? Does the audience bother you?

Nope, makes me hot and bothered, though, and you don't need to tell me what the audience is doing for you. Whew! You're steamin'!

I chuckled. Yeah, I am. How would you like to turn this scene on its ear?

Waddaya have in mind?

Will Sandy play now that Sherry knows she's your sister?

Not with me, but... would you be upset if Sandy got it on with Sherry?

Nope. Follow my lead.

"Ah, Sherry, I need some help here," I said.

"Oh, what kind of help?"

"Your mouth on my clit."

Sherry laughed. "Have you got a snorkel stashed nearby?"

"Hmm, I see what you mean." I moved off of Josh's long one and told him to hop up on the edge of the hot tub. When he was situated where I wanted him, I settled on his thighs again, but with my back to his front.

Am I going too far? I asked Josh silently.

Not yet.

I rose up a little, and then settled around Josh's cock again, emitting a soft sigh of pleasure. "There, Sherry. Now you don't need a snorkel."

If she puts her mouth on your cunt, you'll be going too far, Josh advised me silently.

Oops, too late. Sorry? Oh, Josh, her mouth feels so good! Is Sandy upset?

Yes and no. Mostly, she's feeling left out.

That can be remedied, but let's let her stew for a second or two. No, on second thought, making Sandy wait seems cruel.

"Ooh, Sandy, Sherry's good," I said. "Would you like to find out how good?"

Sandy didn't respond verbally, instead she thought, Nicole, sometimes you can be a real bitch... but this isn't one of those times. Yeah, I'd love to have her taste me, but... how is Sherry taking my involvement with you and Josh?

"Good," I said to answer her silent question.

"Everything's fine, Sandy," Josh said to reinforce my answer. "Sit next to me. It's been a lifelong fantasy of mine to watch you have sex with a woman."

That did it. Seconds later, Sandy was sitting beside Josh with her legs spread and Sherry's talented mouth danced over her pussy.

Did I miss Sherry's mouth on mine? You bet, but some saliva on my fingertips let my fingers glide over my clitoris as if they were a tongue.

One of you will need to take care of Sherry when this is finished, Josh thought.

Why one of us? You're still in the game, aren't you? I teased.

This isn't a game anymore. This is sex, Nicole. Fucking. Sucking. We've turned Sandy's scene into a porno flick.

Serves her right. She started this. We'll finish it.

Josh chuckled out loud, and then thought, Sandy's not upset. She's having a ball. Oh, fuck! She's also coming!

Josh groaned. Sandy cried out, and I felt Josh's cock swell just before his juices shot into me. I didn't come. I was hot, but not at the edge. I also wasn't concerned. I'd get mine. The question was, from whom?

Bad! Bad to the bone, and I love it... and you, Josh thought as he continued to ejaculate in me.

Will Sandy play with me? I asked Josh silently.

Maybe. Whew! That was one mighty fine climax.

Well, well, Sandy didn't hold the edge on purpose, I gathered from her thoughts. She'd wanted to be the first to come.

Oh, oh, Josh thought. We've played into Sandy's hands, Nicole. She thinks foregoing sex for fun because we're in love is silly.

And I'm just as guilty as the two of you, Sandy told us loud and clear with her thoughts.

Since living with us, Sandy had learned she could think sentences as if she was conversing verbally with us, and we'd respond verbally. In this manner, she didn't feel as left out of Josh and my silent conversations.