Chapter 6

New Year's Eve 1956, Charles and Diana Richards and Tom and Lynda Seldon were celebrating at a party in the ballroom of the hotel they were staying at in Washington D.C. The Bureau had very generously rewarded them with tickets to the party for their quick work. They had discovered the identity that Bradley Williams had assumed and that he'd been traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Singapore for the past eight years.

Charles and Tom clinked glasses. Charles chuckled and muttered, "William Bradley ... how very original of him!"

Tom sat back with a sad look on his face. "I would never have believed that Major Williams would be capable of turning into such a treasonous bastard. Poor Dawn ... I don't want to get back home and have to tell her that her uncle, who had been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, is now a major arms smuggler for Indo-China."

He looked at Charles and frowned. "But we still have to figure out his source. Where and how is he getting the weapons? Until we can figure that out, it will do no good to go after just him!"

His source would just contact any number of other known arms smugglers out there. That's why Bradley must've been thrilled to make contact with Harold Green. His import/export business was perfect for both its ability to acquire the arms and to distribute them anywhere in the world! They were sure that was why Robert Warren or Clark was also involved ... because he had the contacts for Central and South America.

Charles nodded his head in agreement and then shook it worriedly. "Damn ... this could become a major source for the outflow of illegal arms from this country if we don't figure out how to stop them soon!"

Diana and Lynda looked at each other and took deep breaths. Lynda said, "All right, you two. Stop talking about this mess. We're tired of hearing about it! That's all we've heard this week! This is New Year's Eve and this is a party ... no more talk about arms smuggling for the rest of the night ... OK?!!"

Tom sat forward, took his wife's hand and kissed it gently. "Yes, dear. We're sorry. No more shoptalk for the rest of the night. Shall we dance instead?" He stood and helped Lynda to her feet.

Their friends followed them onto the dance floor and were totally wrapped up in each other. They were holding each other close and swaying to a slow, romantic melody. Suddenly, Diana was smashed against Charles by a man who stepped backward right into them.

The man turned around. "Pardon me ... I'm so sorry ... Oh, my God! It's you!"

The woman with him gasped. "Charles?!! Is that you? My God ... you look great! I almost didn't recognize you with a mustache! How have you been?"

Diana was stunned when Charles said quietly, "Sherry ... what the hell are you doing here?"

"Still bitter, huh, Charles?" Sherry asked as she arched an eyebrow at him. Then she noticed Diana. "My, my ... I guess you never really got over me! She looks a lot like me!"

Diana's eyes flashed with anger. She glanced up at Charles. "So, my sexy man ... this is the stupid bitch you wasted seven years on thinking she was me? Tsk, tsk, tsk ... I can see how you mistook her for me. We do look similar. But, I'm really glad she was such a screwed up bitch ... otherwise you might've stayed with her and never known what a mistake you'd made!"

Sherry and Diana stared at each other, sparks of anger and jealousy shooting from their eyes.

Charles was rooted to the spot he was standing on, glancing back and forth between his bitch ex-wife and his new wife ... his true love and soul mate. He pulled Diana to him and said, "Yes, my love, this is the bitch that cheated on me for five years! And this is her bastard lover that I beat the shit out of when I found out about him. Sorry ... I never caught your name ... not that I cared! Are you two married now or is she still enjoying her role as your slutty mistress?"

The man with her grasped her arm and said nervously, "Come on, Sherry. It's time we were leaving."

She jerked out of his grasp. "I'm not ready to leave yet!" Then she got right in Diana's face and hissed, "How dare you call me a stupid, screwed up bitch! You don't know me! And what did you mean Charles married me thinking I was you?!"

Diana remained calm and stared the angry woman straight in the eyes. "Didn't Charles tell you that you reminded him of his 'dream girl' ... a girl he'd seen once at a carnival when he thirteen years old?" Sherry frowned and nodded. Diana smiled widely. "I'm the girl he saw all those years ago ... I'm his dream girl! You were nothing but a nightmare to him!"

Diana's face darkened as she continued. "You proved that when you rejected him and cheated on him with this wimp bastard! You were such a screwed up bitch you couldn't even see that Charles is a real man ... an honorable man ... a man who would've loved you until death! And a man that could've satisfied you way more than this bastard!"

She spun around to wrap her arms over her husband's shoulders. "Don't get me wrong ... I'm glad you were such a stupid, screwed up bitch! Because now he's mine ... we belong together and he's the best lover I've ever had! And I've had plenty!"

Charles wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her deeply until they both moaned in desperation. He slowly broke the kiss. His ex-wife and her lover were staring at them in shock.

Diana smirked at them. You have the gall to stand there and look at us like that? Damn, Charles ... that one poke up her ass before you kicked her out obviously wasn't enough to pull the stick out of it! A devilish grin came over her face. "Oh, and by the way, Sherry ... he may have been a pain in the ass to you, but he's brought nothing but pleasure to mine!"

Sherry's face reddened and her mouth dropped open as she gasped loudly.

Her lover frowned and looked at her as he asked, "What did she mean by that?" He didn't get a chance to ask Diana what she meant. Sherry grabbed his arm and dragged him away quickly.

Diana looked up at Charles, not sure how he was reacting to her last comment. He was standing there with a smirk on his face as well. They both chuckled and then burst out laughing. Charles hugged her to him as they continued dancing.

Tom glanced at Diana as she moved fluidly in her husband's arms. His eyebrows went up as he felt tingles in his loins. He looked back at his own beautiful wife. He loved Lynda ... but damn ... Why did Diana have to wear that dress tonight? She looked practically naked and she sure knew how to move her body...

Diana glanced at their friends and she noticed the way Tom was looking at her. She grinned and closed her eyes. I think Tom likes my dress a little too much! Maybe I shouldn't have worn it ... Why were you so insistent that I wear this dress tonight, sexy man? Her eyes popped open when he spoke aloud.

"You know it's my favorite ... I bought it for you on our honeymoon! You look just like Marilyn Monroe in this dress. No ... even better than her! The way the creamy silky material clings to your body and shows off your beautiful, generous breasts ... Every man here tonight is staring at you, pretty lady ... you can't blame Tom for that!"

Lynda noticed the look on Tom's face when he glanced at their friends dancing nearby. His eyes traveled down Diana's body and lingered on her shapely ass. Lynda clenched her jaw. She knew he'd never betray her ... But what if she helped him... "I see the way you're looking at my best friend. She has a beautiful body, doesn't she? I know you've wondered how it would look to watch her and me together..."

Tom's eyes nearly bulged out of his face. "WHAT?!! Where would you get an idea like that?" he asked nervously.

Lynda laughed. "From Diana. Charles told her that you two had mentioned fantasizing about her and me together. She thinks it's hilarious! I think it's funny, too! That you'd fantasize about me with Diana ... but not yourself. Why? Or have you also fantasized about being with her?"

Tom closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. "Lynda ... why do you want to hear about my fantasies?"

She touched her husband's cheek gently until he opened his eyes to look at her. "Because ... you're my husband and I want to share everything with you." Even her best friend ... just once ... hopefully for a miracle to happen...

"Tom ... I've been thinking. I really can't stand to see my best friends in such pain when you and I are so happy! Diana jokingly said something that's made me think that we could help them ... and I want to." She leaned close to her husband and whispered in his ear.

Tom drew back to stare at his wife in stunned silence for a moment. "No, Lynda. I could never do that. I love you too much and I care about Charles too much to ever do that. Besides, he'd never agree to it and I don't think Diana would, either. How did you come up with such a crazy idea?"

Lynda took a deep breath. "It wasn't just me. Charles and I have talked about it a few times. He's explaining it to Diana now. See?" Lynda inclined her head toward their best friends.

Tom looked over at them. Charles was staring intently at Diana, but his lips weren't moving. Diana's face slowly went from sadness to utter shock. She looked over to see the same shocked expression on his face.

She looked back at Charles and frowned fiercely as she shook her head ... her lips clearly uttered the word, "No!" Charles put his hands on her cheeks and kept staring at her. Her face crumpled as she began to cry and she buried it on his chest. Charles wrapped his arms around his wife and turned to look at them.

Tom frowned sadly at the look of utter hopelessness on his partner's face. Then his best friend was staring at him with painful pleading.

Oh, Charles ... he couldn't seriously want him to do this? How could he ask this of him? How would any of them be able to live with that?

Tom looked at his wife again. "No, Lynda. I can't do this. You may feel like we're helping them, but I don't see how it won't do anything other than ruin our friendship and our trust in each other! I won't lose the best friends I've ever had by interfering in their lives this way. Even if I did agree to this ... I'm not sure how I'd feel if it worked! Knowing that I ... I can't even imagine it. And you ... how would it really make you feel to know that I would be the biological father of your best friend's child?"

Lynda winced slightly to hear him actually say the words. "Charles and I have already thought about that. We think we've come up with a way so that even if Diana does get pregnant, none of us will know for certain that it's yours." Tom frowned at her. "Just come up to the room with us and we'll explain everything."

Charles and Diana walked up to them. Charles and Tom stared at each other for a moment. Diana heard her husband clearly.

I know what I'm asking of you. It's not been an easy decision. But I love her ... I'm asking this for her. Please help me...

Tom just continued to stare at his partner as all the same questions and doubts floated through his mind again. He finally decided that he'd listen to their idea, but it didn't mean he was going to agree...