Chapter 3: More Elizabeth

Missy met me at the back door with a coffee and my usual muffin in hand. "He didn't call, so I couldn't make it last night," she said, wistfully.

I took the coffee and muffin from her, too stunned to know what to say. Why was she playing dumb? "That's okay. I know you would have come to the cottage if you could have."

"Maybe tonight," she said, expectantly cheerful.

"I hope so," I said, backing away.

"Hey, aren't you going to check to see if I'm wearing panties this morning?" Missy asked, smiling wickedly.

Was she really asking me to put my finger in her pussy after what she'd witnessed last night? Dutifully, I stacked the muffin on top of the coffee cup and reached under her uniform skirt with my left hand. Missy spread her legs to accommodate my hand. I rolled the flesh of her inner thigh as my hand moved upward, slowly inching my way to her junction.

"Hurry," she whispered, crouching slightly to meet my hand. Just as I felt the moist fabric, she pulled away, saying, "She's coming."

I hadn't heard anything, but I took Missy at her word and pulled my hand out from under her skirt. She was right; Elizabeth appeared, wearing tan slacks, a silk blouse and sandals. The two women exchanged a glance as the maid made room for the boss's wife to ease by.

"Have a good day, missus," Missy said and Elizabeth responded with a curt, 'Thank you'.

I walked briskly to the car with Elizabeth right behind me. "Backseat," I heard her say and opened the back door for her. I arranged my coffee so it wouldn't spill and started the car. We were barely out of sight of the house when Elizabeth spoke.

"What did she say?"

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that she was leaning forward, mouth open, expectantly watching me.

"She acted as though she didn't see anything, so I didn't ask her what she wants."

"Damn!" Elizabeth said, leaning back in her seat, looking frustrated. "She's biding her time, wanting me to crack. We'll have to stop. Don't even try to touch me again, Victor."

"Maybe she didn't see anything. I'll try to find out tonight," I offered.

Elizabeth, if she detected what I was saying, didn't react to my statement about finding out what Missy had seen. "Did you happen to see my suit?" she asked.

"I found the two pieces next to the pool. They were still damp. At first, I thought to hang them in the shower to dry, but I thought better and hid them under a stack of clean towels," I said.

"She'll find it. She goes through my things when I'm at work," Elizabeth said, sounding and looking totally crushed.

We were parked in front of the office, neither of us getting out of the car. Elizabeth was chewing on her bottom lip, contemplatively.

Should I tell her that I was sorry that it happened? No, that would be a lie. She was obviously sorry she'd let it happen. But she had, hadn't she? It was partially her doing. She could have sent me to the cottage, waited a few minutes, put her suit back on and gone into the house as if nothing had happened in the pool. Missy hadn't seen anything until Elizabeth followed me into the cottage. I decided that it was more than partially her fault that Missy had seen us.

"Why don't you fire her?" I asked, not that I wanted Missy gone. I was only offering a solution to our mutual problem. Still, there was the possibility that Missy would tell Tuck what she had seen, especially if she were out of work.

"Frank would never agree to it. She was here before I came," Elizabeth said.

Who was Frank? I decided she must be referring to Tuck. She got out of the car and I hurried to unlock the door. She looked back as I followed her up the stairs, giving me a 'don't-watch-me-that-way' look. I couldn't keep my eyes off her ass as she ran up the stairs.

Telephone calls and the fax machine kept me busy until nine A.M. when Elizabeth stuck her head around the partition to ask if I wanted coffee. I followed her into the combination kitchen and break area. The coffee was already made. She poured the steaming liquid into two cups, and we took our seats at the table.

"I know he's sleeping with her. I'd love to catch him," she began, obviously wanting to talk. I assumed she was talking about her husband and his ex-wife.

"He didn't come home last night?" I asked.

She shook her head. Was that a tear running down her cheek? "He never does."

I was wondering what she meant when she explained. "Vera only takes one day off at a time, but it's never the same day of the week. She tries to keep me guessing, but I can almost pinpoint the day because it's always when the girls are working."

I remembered that Vera was not at the mid-town restaurant when I took Tuck there the day before. I also remembered that he had not ordered an alcoholic beverage. Elizabeth must have known that her husband wouldn't be home. That's why she took a chance with me. It was so simple. Why hadn't Missy figured it out? Ah, she didn't have access to the sisters' schedules.

The telephone rang. I started to get up, but Elizabeth shook her head and told me to let the answering machine get it.

"I take it Caroline and Sarah live with their mother?" I asked.

"Yes, they have a larger home than ours. It's near the mid-town restaurant."

Elizabeth must have seen me frown, perplexed. Her questioning expression was so caring that I leaned over to kiss her. She pulled back, horrified that I would try to kiss her.

"I thought Eric and Caroline lived together. He said something about an apartment the first day we met."

"They do. It's at the back of Vera's house. There's a separate entrance, I think."

"You haven't seen it?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Only from the street. I've never been inside," she said, getting up to signal it was time to go back to work.

It was a busy morning. I had my hands full, sending and receiving faxes, answering the phone, and checking the computer for emails. At one point, two telephone calls came in at the same time. I was trying to take care of the first one so I could answer the second call when I heard Elizabeth talking in a louder than normal tone.

"Trudy has the day off, Frank. We're busy. Can't one of the girls ... I'll send him, but let him come right back here because we're busy. Don't you dare, Frank."

I was filling out a 'while-you-were-out' form when Elizabeth came around the partition. "He wants you to pick him up. Take him where he wants to go and hurry back," she said.

"Where is he?" I asked. I watched a sad expression appear in her eyes.

"I'll draw a map," she said.

"Will you be all right alone?" I asked, wanting to show my concern for her.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just don't bring him back here," she said, letting her hand linger on mine as she handed me a hurriedly-drawn sketch.

The sketch showed the mid-town restaurant, as a familiar reference point. The address where I was to go was on a parallel street. It was easy to find and I was surprised to see that I was in a neighborhood of large homes. I pulled into the drive and Tuck came out, followed by Vera. He was dressed the same as the day before. She looked stunning in a long, colorful skirt and white blouse, silk, like the one Elizabeth was wearing that day.

They got into the back seat, and Tuck told me to take them to the mid-town restaurant. He was in a jovial mood. "Did you have any trouble finding us, Victor?"

"No, Sir." I responded, wondering how I was going to refuse to drive him to the office if he demanded that I take him there.

"This wasn't necessary, Frank. I usually walk to work," Vera scolded her ex-husband.

"Only the best for my honey," he said.

I drove the few blocks and stopped the car at the rear of the restaurant. Vera thanked me for the ride. Tuck invited me inside to have lunch.

"Thank you, Sir, but it's pretty busy at the office," I said, hoping he would remember what Elizabeth had told him.

"I'll call you when I'm finished here," he said, getting out of the car and following Vera through the back door.

Driving back to work, I put the known clues together. This was my fifth day working for the company and I was getting the picture. Vera and Elizabeth had both referred to Tuck as Frank. Vera had taken Thursday off. When would she be off again? Being able to calculate this would give me an opportunity for another night with Elizabeth. I had to get my hands on the sisters' work schedule. Did Tuck really sleep with his ex-wife?

Would Sarah show up at the cottage on Tuesday night after her shift? Would she tell me if her parents slept together on nights when her mother was off from work?

I was still contemplating the clues when I climbed the stairs to the office. Paramount in my mind was finding out what Missy had seen and what she was planning to do with her information. What would she want in return for silence and how high was Elizabeth prepared to go to secure it? I had my work cut out for me. Work hell; my brother would never believe the fun I was having.

Elizabeth was busy sorting incoming faxes when I went behind the partition. She turned and smiled at me. "Where did you take them?" she asked.

How did she know it was both of them? "To mid-town," I said.

Her body grazed mine as she left the work area to go back to her office. It was as slight graze, not a bump and run. If she noticed the graze she didn't show it.

I managed to get back into the stream of things, answering the phone, telling callers that both Betty and Trudy were out, taking messages or transferring calls to Elizabeth's extension. It was eleven-thirty before I knew it. Elizabeth came into the work area and asked what I wanted to eat.

Thinking she was going to send out for sandwiches, I said anything would be good. Instead of leaving to order our lunch, she lingered. It made me nervous for her to watch me work. I dropped the stapler to the floor and turned my body, intending to bend down and pick it up. I felt my right thigh rub against her left thigh. She didn't move, and I found myself searching her eyes for an indication as to what I should do next. She tilted her head, tantalizingly. I kissed her, lightly on the lips and felt her hand on my arm. The kiss increased, becoming intense.

I heard the phone ring. Did Elizabeth hear it? She showed no sign that she did. Her arms were around my neck and my hands were cupping the cheeks of her ass. Her tongue fought with mine as she wiggled her ass while rubbing her tummy against my cock.

The phone continued to ring as I lowered my lips to nibble on her earlobe. She tipped her head back to give me better access to her neck. Didn't she hear the phone ringing? I touched my lips to the upper part of her breast when she pushed herself away.

"Phone," she said, mumbled really. Elizabeth's face was flushed, and her hair was out of place.

"Tuck's," I said into the receiver.

"What the hell's going on there?" a female shouted at me. I recognized the voice. It was Vera.

"It's been ... hectic here, Mrs. Tucker."

"Victor? I didn't mean to yell at you. One of my servers hasn't shown up. Please tell Elizabeth that I need a replacement and I need her right now.

I glanced at the clock as I put my hand over the mouthpiece and whispered the message to Elizabeth. It was eleven-forty-five. Had we been making out that long?

"Ask her who didn't come in," Elizabeth said.

"Mrs. Tucker wants to know who didn't report to work," I said to Vera.

"What the fuck difference ... I'm sorry, Victor. Find out when I can have a replacement here."

I didn't bother to put my hand over the mouthpiece this time. "She wants to know when she can expect the replacement."

"Who's out?" Elizabeth asked.

"I heard that!" Vera shouted. "Tell her to send me a replacement and I'll take care of disciplining my employee. I don't need Elizabeth to tell me how to run my business."

Elizabeth must have seen it in my eyes, but I relayed the message anyway, although not in Vera's words. "She won't tell me," I said.

Elizabeth had lost the standoff and she knew it. "I'll see what I can do," she said, heading to her office. I told Vera that I would call her back as soon as Elizabeth found a replacement.

"Please call me as soon as you know, Victor," Vera said and I assured that I would call her.

Elizabeth had to make three calls before she found an off-duty server willing to report to the mid-town restaurant. "They're at home, but they won't come to the phone because they don't want to work for Vera," she said when she told me the name of the replacement. I called Vera.

"What's her name?" Vera asked when I told her the replacement would report for duty in fifteen minutes.

"Mrs. Tucker said you'll find out when she gets there," I answered, holding the receiver away from my ear, expecting to be reprimanded for being impertinent. Vera thanked me and hung up.

Elizabeth, who was watching, didn't know that Vera's response had been civil. She gave me the thumbs up sign and then came near enough for me to pull her to me.

"You didn't say what you would like to eat," she said, tucking her head into my chest.

"You," I said, feeling her body shake when she got my meaning.

"Oh, Victor, I wish ... I wish last night had never happened. It's all I've thought about since."

"I want more of you," I said.

"I shouldn't be alone with you. I'm old enough to know better," she said, lifting her lips to be kissed. We were back at it when the phone rang. She heard it before I did and pulled away.

"That damn phone," she said, stomping into the kitchen, leaving me with another hard on and the phone to answer. It was Sal, Tuck's cousin, wanting to know where Tuck was. I told him Tuck was at the mid-town restaurant.

"Good!" Sal said, "That means he'll be sober. I need a golf partner." Then, in a low, confidential voice, "Don't say anything about this to Liz. We usually tie one on after golf. You will probably have to pick him up at my house tomorrow, not too early though, okay?"

I assured him that I wouldn't say anything to Mrs. Tucker and he told me that I was a good kid.

The ringing telephone kept me from running into the kitchen to give Elizabeth the good news. As I spoke to the caller, I considered the situation. Tuck wouldn't come home again tonight. That meant that Elizabeth could come to the cottage without fear of being caught by her husband. But what would we do about Missy? She had promised to come to the cottage. Elizabeth could tell Missy to stay in the house and listen for Tuck to call.

I gave the caller so many excuses that he said he would call back Monday when he could speak to someone who knew what they were doing. By the time I got rid of the caller I had a plan in place. I would level with Elizabeth by telling her that Tuck would not be home, but that Missy had promised to come to the cottage, and that this was our best chance to find out what the maid wanted in exchange for her silence.

Would Elizabeth go along with this plan? It depended upon which was more important to her; getting laid or gaining Missy's silence. From the way Elizabeth had reacted before we were interrupted, it was the former. I knew what I had to do; satisfy Elizabeth's needs first, and then have my fun with Missy, with Elizabeth's consent.

She turned from the stove when I burst through the swinging door and it was clear by her slackened jaw and dilated eyes that she knew what was going to happen. She retreated, seeming to turtle, accepting the inevitable as I closed the distance between us.

"Wait," she said, calmly. Her eyes never left mine as she felt for the knobs on the stove. With only a slight tremble of her fingers, she found the knobs and extinguished the burners. "You lock the door. I'll change the answering machine to pick up on the first ring," she said.

The words were still floating in the air when I descended the stairs, threw the latch, and placed the closed sign in the window. When I reached the top of the stairs I heard her voice coming from her office, "I'm in here."

I went to the office door and looked inside to see her standing next to the desk, unbuttoning her blouse. She was taking her time, but this was no striptease. She was simply removing her clothes, like she would do when getting ready for bed.