Chapter 7

The doorbell rang, and my two favorite girls stood there each holding a plate. One plate had an omelet and the other had a half grapefruit. They put the plates on my table and then Alyssa handed me a note. She said, "Mom sent this. I think it tells you what to do with the omelet."

I hugged Ashley first and she went scampering home. Alyssa stood close to me and asked, "May I have a hug, too?"

When I hugged her, she put her head back and gazed at me, giving me a little flutter. Then, she kissed my cheek and moved down to my neck before I could recover. I found my arms tightening around her before I recovered my senses and moved away from her. She said in a mature voice, "Someday, I'd like a real kiss."

"I'm not sure your mother would approve and Cynthia would maim me."

She did her flirty eye move, and said, "I'll have to work on them. You didn't say you didn't want to." She went down stairs.

My hands were shaking as I read the note.

Good morning, Bradford, thank you for the lovely evening. I slept well even after my early morning escape. I'm not sure what Cynthia has in mind, but if it includes me, I'm all for it.

Zap the omelet for thirty seconds and enjoy. I guess you know what to do with the grapefruit.

Laura

Whatever Cynthia had in mind, she wasn't sharing the long-term plan. I trusted her and I was okay with the uncertainty. Still found nothing on the Internet about the situation in Afghanistan. I packed my bag and went to the gym. That's always a good alternative when you have time. When I came out of swimming, there was a message from Anniston. He asked if I could come in for a few minutes in the afternoon. I'd asked him to hurry, so I had to respond to his schedule.

Anniston began, "I see from your notes that you're setting up an education trust for Ashley and Alyssa Tyler in your will. Do you want to control the trust until they are eighteen or twenty one?"

"No, make Cynthia the trustee. If that happens, I won't be around to control it."

"Yes, that's better. Now, about the money for Laura Tyler. Do you want that lump sum or in payments?"

"Which is best?"

"If she gets the money in a lump sum, she'll have to manage it. If you have a financial planner handle it, she can receive periodic payments and will not have to spend time keeping up with the balance."

"Let me call my financial planner and get back to you. I don't think she'll have any trouble with it, though."

"Your insurance money can go directly to each beneficiary. No need to send it to the trust. From your notes, you say that the policy is about $400,000?"

"It's called SGLI for service members. I also bought another $100,000 to make it an even $500K. It's some kind of military special. Service related death only. I didn't think about who to name as beneficiary when I bought it. Wasn't thinking clearly, but for thirty bucks a month, why not make someone comfortable?"

Anniston laughed. "You never know what might happen. You can make someone very happy, but you'll need to get a change of beneficiary form from the company. You can then proportion it out as you like."

We went through several more fine details that would make it a better document and make things easier on the beneficiaries. Sometimes, I hated the thought of his having to execute the will, but that's how it goes. The thought of Cynthia's having to find another man gave me chills. I was already jealous.

He asked, "You want to leave the oil lease revenue to Cynthia and Laura?"

"Yes, it has to go somewhere."

"I suggest that you have it paid to the trust and then have periodic payments made from the trust. If the income gets too large, there may be tax issues."

"Well, the price of oil will continue to go up, so we should have some kind of flexibility in their payments based on inflation or cost of living or the price of oil."

"Let me think about it and draft something."

I stood up to leave and he said, "I will do this as quickly as I can. You need to call the company and get the beneficiary form filled and faxed in, mailing an original signature. Some folks won't take faxes." He shook my hand. "Good luck on finding your friend. If you asked, I would advise you not to go, but you wouldn't listen. Those people will miss you I'm sure."

At home, I checked my messages. I wondered why I needed both a landline and a cell, but when the cable went down, I could at least use the dial-up to the University. Cynthia hadn't called either. I hesitated to call her in the midst of a hard discussion with her parents. She would probably call after while if it was convenient. Laura left a message and wanted to know if we were on for the night.

I called her back. "Hi, we're on for tonight if you're still interested."

"I am. Since I'm sure this bubble is going to break, I want to take advantage of my opportunities."

"I'll be here. No need to knock."

After our lovemaking session, which was on a par with last night, she said, "I could get addicted to these nightly sessions. Not looking forward to tomorrow night."

"I'm glad you came and had a good time. We're both in the dark about what happens next."

When we finished our lovemaking, I spooned her and after a good night kiss, fell into a deep sleep. Sometime later, I felt a warm naked body against my back. I smelled Cynthia. I turned my head toward her and she kissed me, then whispered, "Shhh, go back to sleep. I'll just snuggle up here."

I decided to follow orders. I was too sleepy and relaxed to argue. Why argue when I had a woman on each side? In an eye blink, the alarm went off and Laura reached for it. She rolled over to kiss me and saw Cynthia. She took a deep breath and said haltingly, "Uh, hi, Cynthia. I have to go home."

Cynthia replied, "Sorry about that. I hope you're okay that I don't show you out."

Laura walked around the bed and patted her back. "No, I can find my way. Sleep well."

Surprisingly, we both slept late. Sometime in the night, I had rolled over to spoon Cynthia and that's where we stayed until she wiggled in the morning. When she felt me move, she turned her head and said, "Surprise."

"Damn right it's a surprise. I thought you were with your parents."

"I was, but I missed you and thought I would come home early to see if I couldn't sneak in and catch you in bed with another woman." She giggled. "Now I have all the evidence that I need, and a witness."

"You caught me red handed. I confess."

"That I did. Tell me how you felt about last night?"

"I had a great time and a complete surprise. I mean, you go to bed with one and wake up with another. That's the stuff porn stories are made of."

"Did you show her a good time?"

"She said I did. She acted like I did."

"Yesterday, she told me that it was one of the better sexual experiences of her life. I'll have to ask about last night."

"I'm hungry."

"Did you buy anything?"

"Melon, strawberries, yogurt, ham, and whole wheat bread. We have eggs and bacon."

"I smell the coffee. Let's do it."

While she made a nice breakfast and she filled me in on the final discussion with her parents. Seemed that she had respected them, didn't argue, validated their feelings about her divorce, and left with everyone feeling comfortable. She saw it as a successful reconciliation.

"I resented my mother's demanding that I marry Blair. Then, I realized that I said the 'I do' at the altar. So, I shared the blame. She had focused me too much on the financial aspects of the marriage and not enough on the relationship issues. I never understood that. We were not in any financial bind. Actually, we were well off. However, I think we're good, now."

"You did very well to keep a level head. You were negotiating your future relationship, not your past one. That's important."

"I felt relieved after our last talk and decided to leave before we had an argument, although I think we covered everything. They were curious about what I intended to do with my settlement."

"I hope you have a good advisor. That's a lot of money to leave around loose."

"I need to go see Laura before she gets away. I'll be back in a little while."

"I can't wait to hear her story."

While she was gone, I once again surfed for news about Afghanistan. I know I wasn't being rational to keep after this, but I needed to know as soon as possible. My search was unsuccessful, and having no urgent business, I decided to go work out. I would drop by and tell Cynthia when to expect me. When Laura let me in, she and Cynthia were sitting close at the table having coffee.

"I'm not trying to interrupt your tea party. I only wanted to say that I was going to work out."

Cynthia walked over and stood between Laura and me. She reached for Laura and brought her into a three-way hug. She kissed me and then motioned Laura to do the same. Then, she said, "Have a good workout. I understand that you also had a good one last night."

She could embarrass me. Maybe I'd grow up and get over it, but she knows how to jerk my chain. I replied, "Last night was quite interesting. Surprises and all. I'll have to tell you about it some time."

When I returned, I found Cynthia making a nice tuna salad, vegetables, and hard rolls. She said, "Lunch in a few minutes. Get ready."

While we were eating, I asked, "What's the grand plan with Laura?"

"Funny you should mention it. We were talking about it. I wish her circumstances were different so that we could all live together. It would be more efficient and I like all of them. So, the grand plan is to work on that one day at a time, unless that does not suit you. You have to be honest."

"I like all of them, too. Were it possible, I wouldn't mind our living with them. The house is certainly large enough. Maybe if we could find a way to do that, we could rent this apartment to someone else and she would have more money."

"She would have a difficult time with Tyler, but maybe someone could convince him that it was in his best interest. I think his problem is that he's a little jealous of her. He didn't want to leave, but he knew she had the right to get rid of him. The fact that she was right didn't change his feelings and she says that he hasn't found another prime lady. I would bet that the reason he has those rules about her dating is to give him time to get her back."

"I will leave managing her ex to you experts since I don't have a lot to offer."

"Yeah, thanks. You may have a role when we figure it out."

"I'll like it better that you guys are good friends while I'm away. I don't want you out trolling either. No, I'm not going to give you my approval to find a lover while I'm away."

"I did not say anything about this situation being reciprocal. Laura and I are both happy just as we are. Another man would complicate things far more than I care to handle at this point in my life. When I was with Blair, I welcomed the chance for you to tempt me from a bad situation, but I'm not in a bad situation anymore."

"Have you and Laura discussed combining our households?"

"I'll bet you can answer that yourself, silly boy. Of course we have talked. We don't have secrets that I know about. She might have even taken Tyler back before she got involved with you. She cared for him, too, but she would never trust him again. See, I know her problems and she knows mine."

"Do I know your problems?"

"My biggest problem is a four letter word that starts with a capital N. I do not trust that group at all. I read in my news briefs that everyone in Iraq is getting extended tours and I wonder how long it will take them to remember you. They just extended another batch of Marines after telling them just six months ago that they wouldn't. They interview the reservists on the nightly news and the poor guys can't do anything about it."

I did not want to have this conversation because I had no knowledge about my duty assignment. Obviously, something was being held up due to a lack of a decision. My orders were not lost. The first delay, before the 'copter crash, was caused by the Chief's using the back channels trying to get me into a full class. After he did that, the next delay has to be related to the mission in Afghanistan. I knew that situation could break at any minute, or not break at all.

"I understand your concern. I wish I had more information, too."

"It's a big Navy. I'll bet they need people in Afghanistan just as they do in Iraq."

"Maybe if I do well in the desert training and pass the physical, they'll let me reenlist. They pay huge bonuses right now."

"You know, I can make sure that you don't pass the physical. We have many knives in the kitchen and you can't stay awake all the time."

"I wouldn't even consider it. I have too much going for me right here."

She made fresh coffee and filled my insulated cup. While we sat on the couch, she asked, "Will you tell me about what happened to Charles Bradford growing up that made you such an enthusiast for danger? I mean, other than the normal macho crap."

"Hey, we make it possible for you to live a good life. You can go to the market without my permission and rarely encounter any danger."

"I know the drill. Although I don't like all the unnecessary killing, I appreciate the sacrifices made by the military. I just wish our President had to live with some of his own bad decisions."

"Yes, he has made some. He made quite a few blunders before going into politics. A baseball or football team, I think. He also inherited some bad news. As I read the history and politics about the conversion from the draft to the all-volunteer force, I shudder sometimes. I suppose Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon all believed that a volunteer military was a good idea."

She replied, "One of my professors did quite a study of the implications of doing away with the draft. He worried that the President could commit the country to all kinds of military interventions without getting the Congress to declare war."

"He could have done that with the draft, too. I mean, he is our Commander in Chief, like it or not."

"I know. The professor's argument revolved around the idea that without a draft of middle class and upper middle class kids, there would be no important people to protest unwise military interventions. Unfortunately, most Americans were willing to go along with eliminating the draft and letting someone else's kid do the fighting. That left no one to protest except the peaceniks and the anti-war groups and that would never be enough. The hawks just ignore them."

"I don't think the Imperial Presidency is a good idea, either. Never have. In part for the reason you just mentioned. No one to counterbalance the rich and powerful in Washington. When was the last time you heard a big-time defense contractor calling for bringing the troops home?"

"I won't hold my breath."

"I'm hoping that Afghanistan and Iraq won't turn out as badly as Viet Nam, which was another bad decision by a president. I've never understood what Uncle Sam gained by that war."

"Precious little from what I read. Cost us 50000 young people and six tons of money. Sounds a lot like Iraq." She poked me. "However, that doesn't tell me a thing about Charles Bradford that I asked about. Tell me about growing up."

"The long or short version?"

"Start on the long one. If I can't handle it, we'll make it chapter 1 and continue later. Start with a memorable event and then work forward and backward. Here, I'm living with you and I don't even know if you're a sex offender."

"Only once. Actually, I was never convicted, but I was guilty. When I was eighteen, I was repeatedly seduced by a younger girl who was not of legal age."

"Poor helpless victim. Did she use force or blackmail?"

"She first applied phereomonic force. Then, she purposefully triggered my testosterone generator causing severe lust and excitement in my loins. She finally ensnared me by spreading her stun juice all over my tongue with hers. When she had me helpless on my back, she applied the same juice to my hardened cock. I had no way of escaping, so I simply did what she ordered me to do."

"Charles, that may be the most creative bullshit I have ever heard. That's right up there with some of those coming out of Washington. I suppose you did nothing to defend yourself."

"Oh, I did. I figured that if it worked for her, it would work for me. I spread my stun juice all over her pussy until she screamed for help from her Deity. I wanted to make sure that she didn't escape, so I held her down with my body and inserted my belaying pin to hold her in place. It took several pushes to get it fully in place and to insure that she was safely contained. Just as she was raising her hips trying to throw me off, I sprayed my own palliative juice to daze her, at which time she screamed surrender and spread her stun juice on my tongue again."

Cynthia laughed. "I'll bet I don't have to guess what a belaying pin is. You should major in creative lying. I believe that's a major in the political science or communication department. Oh, maybe it's in the ag school in animal husbandry." She poked me. "Okay, smartass get on with the real story. I think I'll hold my questions if you're going to give me crappy answers like that."

"My Dad taught me to swim and ride bikes when I was about four. Don't remember exactly. Sometime later, I found myself on the swim team with daily practices. That went on for years as I moved from one age group to the next. When it wasn't raining, I rode my bike to practice. Then, we started going to meets."

"How old were you?"

"I don't remember exactly, but I have a CD around here somewhere that I made from scanning early swim meet results. Anyway, the coach made us swim in all events. If he caught us loafing in any, he would make us practice only that stroke."

"Did you like swim practice?"

"I don't know. It was something we had to do to stay on the team and go to meets. I think I didn't like it as much in the cold weather. One meet, I won a couple of heat ribbons."

"Heat ribbons?"

"Some meets give a ribbon to the winner in each heat. They always group the heats with others whose times are about the same, so there is competition. The winner gets a blue ribbon."

"How about school?"

"School was okay. We had to go, so I went."

"Your grades?"

"I was a good student. Didn't get into much trouble back then."

"Tell me more about swimming."

"I won more and more heat ribbons until I was finally competing in the fast heats. Winners in the fastest heats get medals. So, I kept swimming faster and getting more medals right through high school."

"How did you first decide to like girls?"

"Some of the older guys would hang around with girls. I was tall. Somehow, the medal winners kind of hung out together at the meets. We would sit around forever playing cards and listening to music until our events were called. One of the girls, Nicole, sat beside me most of the time. I also noticed some of the girls in class. Anyway, one of the older guys said to another, 'Have you seen how good Nicole looks in her new team suit?' So, I noticed how good she looked and that she sat by me."

"Leave it to the girls to figure things out."

"She also sat next to me when we went out for pizza after the meet. Anyway, one Sunday after the meet, she told me that one of the other girls wanted to ride back in the car I came in and would I mind swapping."

Cynthia giggled. "I'll bet you never saw it coming did you?"

"I didn't mind sitting with her. She was a fox. I was surprised that we ended up on the back seat of the van together. By then, even I figured out that this wasn't chance."

"God, give him some credit. At least he finally noticed."

"We talked a while. She sat close to me and I could feel her in her warm-ups. I'd been on the Internet and picked up some ideas about girls, so I cautiously put my arm around her and held her."

Cynthia laughed. "If it weren't for the Internet, lots of women would still be without dates and many of them would never enjoy good sex. They have some good teen coaching on there."

"Actually, I read that she was showing all the symptoms of being interested in me. Sitting next, saving me seats, then we were unexpectedly in the back of the van. What I knew about kissing, I'd learned in truth or dare or other parlor games for kids. I tilted her face up and kissed her. She kissed back. We hadn't gone very many miles before our tongues were exploring and I was faced with a serious boner."

"Happens to guys all the time. Did it bother you?"

"Only when she turned around to face me with her ribs in my lap. I knew I was goring her then. She didn't withdraw and we spent a hundred miles hugging and kissing."

"No touchy feely?"

"I put my hand under her warm-up and felt her back. Didn't go for the butt or boobs, though. Once, when we came up for air, she said she liked kissing me and I told her I liked kissing her, too."

"Is that all you said?"

"When we were getting close to home, I whispered that I liked riding with her and hoped we could do it again. She said she would work on it."

Her sarcastic self was showing when she said, "You gave her lots of thrills, I can just imagine. Did you see her at school?"

"One day after the meet, Nicole came to my cafeteria table and sat. When others left, she told me that she had arranged for us to ride together to the next meet."

"You didn't try to see her before then?"

"Not much chance. I had no way to go to her house except my bike and it was a little far. I did ride over to see her after we knew each other better."

"Knew in the Biblical sense, I suppose?"

"Getting close, I thought. I read up on what I was supposed to do and listened to some of the older guys talking about how to get it on with girls. Some of it made sense. She asked me over one Saturday after practice. I went home, got my bike and condoms and went to her house."

"You thought that this would be the great day?"

"I had my hopes up. The second time we were in the car coming home from the meet at night, I unhooked her bra and caressed her lovely breasts. She liked that."

"I believe I can empathize with her. Done right, it's quite a turn on as you learned the first time you took me to Boomer Lake."

"So, I decided to explore farther and put my hand in her panties. It was awkward, but she moved her leg and gave me easy access. So, I stroked her clit as I had seen pictures. Must have done it right, because she came quickly. When she made her noise, the kids on the seat in front of us awakened and turned around."

"Caught with your hand in the honey pot?"

"My instructions from the Internet were to do it again. So, I gave her my towel to cover her mouth and brought her off several times. She must have liked it because she endured smelling a towel reeking of chlorine. When we arrived home, she told me she wanted me to come over on Saturday. Her parents apparently played golf all day. So, I went. Through with chapter one, or should I continue?"

"Hey, you're on a roll. Can't leave the poor girl hot and frustrated, so continue. How old are you?"

"Seventh grade, I think. She was a year older and didn't swim in my age group."

"So, at thirteen, you had learned enough from the Internet to do nice things with girls?"

"I watched other people and saw some videos. She liked me and that made moving ahead a little easier."