Chapter 20

With my discovery of Brianna's offer to Charles, I felt much relieved about the situation. I fed the three weary travelers well when they returned home. Sarah helped with the salad, but I had made the broccoli and green beans in the steamer. I opened bottles of Jennifer's wine and we took what we found. It was quite good. Sarah sent Charles and Jennifer off to the hot tub and warned them not to stay too long. She is the perpetual mother. After a half-hour, the lovers went to Sarah's house and Sarah and I went to the tub.

We were alone. Sarah sighed, and then said, "Charles choked up today during the interview. After the program was over, he sat with his head in his hands and sobbed. Jennifer and I tried to comfort him, but it took an hour. We finally took him to the hotel."

"That sounds serious. Post-traumatic stress, I believe. Maybe when our resident psychotherapist is here at the same time, she can talk to him."

Afterwards, I bathed this lovely blue-eyed blond in my shower and rubbed wet oil all over her body. She responded to my oily touch as I massaged her tight neck and shoulders. I dried her with a large towel and kissed her several times. In bed, we fucked. That's the best description I can offer.

Saturday morning, miss beautiful blue eyes blinked her long eyelashes at me as I slowly awakened. She stroked my hair and said, "Are you okay? This is all of a sudden."

"I don't know. I like it when you're here. Jennifer is leaving and Rachel must go back to school."

She pushed her head back and said tersely, "Well, I understand that I'm just a convenient fuck with collateral PR duties." Her tears flowed.

I reacted. "Sarah, I'm very confused by the all the..."

"I'm sorry. That was unfair of me. I'm frustrated by the times, too. I like it here."

I slapped her butt hard. "If that's true, then stop complaining. I don't know what I'm doing either."

"We're having a planning meeting this morning. We should go down and fix breakfast and get things going."

I held her. "I'd like it just as well if you stayed with me through this crisis. I'm not sure what happens then."

"I will. We need to get through it together. I'm much more comfortable on the road if I know I have a home to return to."

Sarah found frozen blueberries and made pancakes and obscene sausages. After a while, Charles and Jennifer came to eat with us. Jennifer said, "Sarah, I appreciate your letting us stay at your house, but I didn't feel comfortable fixing breakfast yet."

Sarah said brightly, "Take charge of it, girl. It's all yours."

Rachel came in and greeted everyone, looking cheery. I took her aside and told her about the Charles situation.

She said, "I'll talk to him."

Cathy and Brianna were thrilled that they didn't have to fix breakfast. They giggled. As breakfast came to an end, Jennifer said, "I'd like a family meeting."

We all put our cards on the table, so to speak. Jennifer and Charles wanted to rent Sarah's house until the media blitz was over. Jennifer gave permission for Brianna to stay with me until the next school year. Sarah seemed happy to have both girls in my house with her. Brianna and Cathy let out a loud shriek of joy.

Charles said, "I'm thrilled to be able to make money after that crisis. I'm even happier that I can make it on TV and in a book, both of which the kidnappers would hate. I will make sure that they know their actions made it possible for me to make a lot of money to free other people who hear the message." He smiled at me. "Well, I will have a book with Jordan's skillful writing."

Rachel put her hand on top of his and asked, "Charles, may I talk to you?"

He looked surprised and then at Jennifer. She nodded and smiled. He replied, "Yeah, okay."

Rachel took him up stairs and into the guest room.

Sarah took me into my office and said, "Are you okay with my being here full time? I know you're in love with Jennifer, but that will have to wait. Can we be partners until the thrill is over and everything settles down?"

"Sarah, I like you and will be happy to have you in the group until, as you say, 'everything settles down.' I enjoy your company when we're together."

It must have been an hour later when Rachel and Charles came back downstairs. His eyes were red and swollen. Rachel said, "Charles has agreed to go to your psychotherapist, Jennifer. I need to call first thing Monday and get him an appointment."

I was not surprised that she had been able to convince him to get therapy. She took me aside and said, "When he was in the hospital in Germany, his psychiatrist made him agree to seek therapy when he returned. Things happened so fast here that he put it off. I think he now sees the value, particularly after he told me what happened in New York."

"Thanks, doc, for doing your magic again. Jennifer really benefited from that guy and I hope Charles will, too."

"I now have to get Jennifer to get him to the gym and out running. He told me that he hasn't had any exercise since well before the abduction. He went into a deep gloom when she left and just sat around." She then took Jennifer upstairs.

When they came down, Jennifer came over to me and asked, "Will you take Charles running? We picked up his outfit when we were in Pensacola. His company brought it back from Annistan with his other clothes. He needs exercise bad. It isn't like him to sit around doing nothing."

"I'll be glad to, but we need to get everything out in the open. He has to agree to participate without being coerced."

Jennifer said to us all, "Come here everyone. We need to have a brief meeting."

"Now Charles was a part of my family?"

"When Charles was in the hospital in Germany, he promised his psychiatrist that he would go to therapy when he returned. He hasn't done that, but we'll get him an appointment tomorrow. He also agreed to increase his physical exercise. I'll take him to the gym, and Jordan has agreed to show him the good places to run around here." She paused and breathed. "We all know what we're up against. He had a bad time when he was in captivity."

I went over to him on the couch. "Charles, would you like me to show you where I run? There's a nice trail."

He wasn't enthusiastic, but he said, "I'll go to Sarah's and get my gear and be back in a few minutes."

I looked at Brianna. "Go get dressed. Run with us."

She appeared to be shocked. I glanced at her and nodded my head. She went slowly to her room. We were ready when Charles returned.

When we started, she said, "Jordan, I don't know how far I can go."

Charles laughed. "Neither do I."

I replied, "When Brianna turns back, go with her. No reason to overdo it today. She can show you the way."

After about a mile and a half, Brianna was breathing hard as was Charles. She said, "I have to go back, Jordan."

I said, "Okay, why don't you show Charles the way back. No need for him to get cramps."

They ran side-by-side at a slower pace and appeared to be talking. I watched until they went around a bend in the trail. There was a note when I returned saying that Rachel had gone to the University. Jennifer and Sarah had gone to the mall and the supermarket. Brianna was sitting at the counter in her running clothes drinking water.

She said, "I read the note and I waited. Will you give me a shower?"

I went over and kissed her, holding her sweaty body against my sweaty body. Then, I held her face in my hands looking directly into her eyes. "Nothing would make me happier than to get you clean. Come on."

She threw her arms around me and we kissed again. Within a minute, we were standing in the shower enjoying the warm water. I asked, "Do you want the works or just a shower?"

She put her breasts against my chest and looked up. "I would like the works." She turned and put her butt against my crotch and put her head back, waiting for the shampoo.

As a massaged the shampoo into her hair, I asked, "Did you have a nice chat with Charles?"

"I was afraid to talk to him, after all I said, but he told me about some of his times working on the power system. He wanted to know if I was happy living here. I told him that I really wanted to stay. He acted surprised."

"Think you'll be able to forgive him?"

"As you said, it is for me. I have to. He was nice to me today."

I pulsed the shampoo from her hair and let the showerhead go all around her scalp. "Remember what to do next?"

She turned around and put her mons right against my thigh as I leaned against the wall. She said, "Yeah, I remember this. Rachel said she was going to shave herself."

I teased. "Her legs?"

"Yes, but also her-uhh-you know."

"Tell me. Use the proper word. She doesn't have a 'you know.'"

I'm sure she was blushing, but I couldn't see clearly. "Uhm, she said she was going to shave her-pussy."

"Did she offer to do you?"

She pushed back in horror. "Yes, but I'm certainly not going to do that. All those girls on the swim team would see it."

I knew her basic motives. "Well, when you grow up a little more, you might reconsider. I think your friends would be envious. You would thrill your boyfriends. They may even have seen a shaved pussy on the Internet. Of course, I don't think Jennifer would let you, anyway."

She sounded defensive. "If I wanted to, I would just do it. She wouldn't even know until we were in the hot tub." She shuddered. "Everyone would see it in the hot tub."

"Yes, women shave for two reasons. First, they like to show off. Second, it makes them feel sexy in their panties. Third, their boyfriends like it that way."

By now, she was grinding her bush against my thigh and getting warmed up. I said, "Just think how great it would feel with your bare pussy slipping against my thigh."

"Oh, Jordan. Cut it out." She kept humping and breathing harder. I put the conditioner in her hair and began massaging it in by piling the hair on top of her head and using my fingertips to rub her scalp. I felt her shudder. "Oh, my God. Oh." Her loud noises actually hurt my ears in the small space.

She was still breathing hard. I said, "If you ever change your mind about shaving your pussy, I'll be glad to help you." I rinsed the conditioner out of her hair.

When I finished, she pushed against me and said, "I'll remember that offer if I ever need help. I think you've been reading too many Internet stories. I don't want to shave my pussy and I don't want to take you in my butt." She took my hand and led me dripping from the shower. She leaned over the counter and wiggled her beautiful hips as she reached around to find my stiff cock. Then, she reached under her crotch and seated it perfectly as she pushed back against me.

I stood still and let her do the moving. "You feel wonderful in there, sweetheart. You're wet and swollen and tight. Keep that up." I put my arms around her and took both breasts in my hands as I pinched her nipples. I guess the shower and talk of shaving her pussy excited her because she had her second orgasm quickly. I withdrew when she stopped pulsing.

She turned around and put her head on my shoulder. "That felt wonderful, Jordan. I always want you."

"I want you, too, sweetheart. I'm glad you ran with me and talked to Charles." I spatted her butt. "Now, we have to go see the others. They should be back by now."

"I'm using your robe. I don't want to put my wet jogging stuff on my clean body." She walked out to her room.

Charles was reading the paper when I went back downstairs. I showed him the bar. "The bar is open. Please help yourself anytime. I won't push you, so you'd be better off just getting your own favorite. If it isn't here, we'll get it."

"Thanks, Jordan, I think I will. I see that there's plenty of Bourbon, so that will be fine." He made his drink. "I want to thank you for taking me running today and feeding me. I'm still confused by all this activity and may have forgotten to tell you."

"Not a problem. You do have a complicated life right now." I noticed that Brianna was coming downstairs wearing her wonderful tight jeans and wedge heels. She sat on a barstool and listened.

"Yes. The company is pressuring me to come back to Pensacola or transfer to one of our facilities near Orlando. They also have other locations that I haven't checked. They need engineers. I'm not ready to go back full time. Don't know how long I can stay out on paid leave."

"Are you inclined to go back? Do they have contracts that you would enjoy working on?"

"Yes, I could pick from four or five. However, I'm amazed that I like this strange life we now have, being a half-way celebrity."

"I think you should enjoy it while you can. Hell, you risked your neck for it."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess I did." He looked at me seriously. "I have to thank you for taking care of Jennifer when I couldn't. When I heard about the hurricane, I was scared for her and I couldn't get out of Israel for ten more days. If she'd been my wife, I could have come right home."

I felt strange about the situation with Jennifer. "When I said I would keep them until they decided what they wanted to do, I meant it. Both of them work hard to make the household run and they have been absolutely no burden." I saw Brianna smile and blush.

"Both of them almost fell apart when we went down in the motor home to see their damaged house. Before inspecting it, Jennifer thought her main problem was finding a contractor to repair it. When she realized that she had no home, no job, and no community, she had a very hard time." I looked at Brianna. "Both of them did."

Charles said, "We talked about our situation many times when she was in Annistan. I'm not sure that she could rebuild, even if she received a large settlement. The building codes have changed so much that she would have to start over."

"That would have been my best guess after seeing the property."

"The government put such pressure on my company to keep me on the job and the company kept making the deal more attractive. I made a big mistake and accepted a two-year commitment. That's when Jennifer told me she was coming home and wouldn't return."

"She was angry and hurt when she realized her situation. She had to go through the same with Daniel-among other issues. Rachel convinced her to seek therapy and I think she improved after that."

He sounded troubled. "I really don't want to go to a shrink. I ought to be able to get through this by myself. When I had that crying fit the other day, I thought I had lost my courage."

"When my wife died, she left a large black hole in my life. Some friends dragged me off to grief counseling after seeing my miserable self for a couple of weeks. I stayed in the group for several months and came away with the feeling that I had gained a lot from the experience."

He asked, "Why did you quit going?"

"I felt guilty when I did. New people were coming in each week and the older members helped them. The leader made it a kind of obligation to help others. Truth is, though, I met Rachel, and she made me glad to be alive again."

"Rachel urged me see the error of my ways about therapy. She also made me realize how difficult I made it for Jennifer. I barely know her and I think of her as a friend."

"We went through hell around here while you were a hostage. I'm sure nothing as bad as you were going through. She and Sarah pulled Jennifer through the crisis."

"I worried about her and Olivia. I'd seen TV interviews before in which the families of the victims had to talk. I could only imagine what Olivia was going through." He laughed. "Olivia told me how guilty she felt when she accidentally revealed Jennifer's name."

"Jennifer became an instant hot property. At the time, I thought Sarah was too opportunistic to exploit Jennifer and your plight so soon. I was wrong. She caused Jennifer to get her mind off you and onto her cause. I think she helped Jennifer appreciably by getting her involved."

He said, "You know, I was in that dingy room not knowing what would happen. I thought I was over. Out of nowhere, I worried about whether my will was in order. Then, I wondered whether my insurance policy would pay if my death were a result of military action." He paused and sipped his drink. His eyes brightened. "Then, I spent a lot of time focusing on a problem I had with the power grid. I think I solved it. Then, I couldn't even brag about it to anyone." He laughed.

"I guess you've heard the joke about the engineer and the guillotine?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. She fixed it. I like the one about the engineer who had a wife and a girlfriend. When he was away, they each thought he was with the other and then he could go to the lab to get some real work done."

Before we could continue our joke session, the women returned with groceries and goodies. I realized that I liked both of Jennifer's choices in men. Charles was my adversary, although I'm not sure he knew it. Strange that I enjoyed talking to him. I remembered my therapist laughing and saying that men bonded through joke telling. I understood his point.

Charles went to the car to bring in groceries. Brianna came to me, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered, "Jordan, I didn't feel anything drip out of me. What happened?"

"I think I was too stressed. I didn't squirt anything."

She looked worried. "Did I do something wrong?"

'No, we just didn't have time."

She grinned. "Speak for yourself. I had time. You drive me crazy like that."

I went into the kitchen and heard them discussing dinner. Sarah was counting and asked me, "Will Rachel be here?"

"I don't know. I'll call her and ask."

"Olivia is coming, too. If you have an extra leaf, we should put it in the table." She laughed. "I'm not sure that you should pick up any more strays."

"C'mon, Brianna. We need to put a leaf in the table."

She smiled and twitched over to me. She whispered, "Okay, lover."

We walked to the closet where the leaf was stored. I was standing in the door, which blocked the view from the kitchen. Because the ceiling was slanted under the stairs, I wanted the shorter Brianna to go inside and lift the other side of the table leaf so we didn't knock other things over. That closet was full of junk and it took both of us. As she moved by me to slip inside, she took my head and kissed me soundly with tongue. When she pulled back, she said, "Thanks for a nice shower."

Over the top of her head, I saw Charles standing there watching. When he went back to the kitchen, I said to Brianna. "Charles saw you. I warned you about being impulsive. Now, you get to tell your mother what you did. Soon. We're in real trouble."

I saw tears come up in her eyes. Oh, Jordan, I'm so sorry."

"Too late. Help me with this leaf and then go wash your tears out and get your mother alone. For God's sake, don't let her it hear first from him."

Jennifer worked hard in the kitchen to get the meal together. Brianna helped, but couldn't have a private conversation. By the time the meal was about ready to serve, Rachel came in. A few minutes later, Olivia arrived. We had a great meal together with good conversation. Charles related some of his stories about his captors. He didn't speak Arabic and no one spoke any English that he heard.