Chapter 15

Friday came and still no word from Philly on the DNA study using Joe’s file, but they had picked up the Blue Solstice and spent a good amount of time riding around, breaking it in. Joe took it on a few local low mountain trips running it through its paces, making sure he knew the handling and feel. As much as he hated to admit it, it felt like a German precision auto in many ways and he was quite satisfied. He was especially happy to know that when he and Selena changed cars she was going to get a dependable car that would serve her well in any situation. He was calling the car a short-vette or poor mans Vette when he first got it, but began to refer to it as his Blue Solstice or The Pontiac as he gained respect for it.

Sunday morning came and Selena began what was a normal chore in the old days, laying out the travel cases for another week in New York. When 911 occurred they were, more or less, living in New York, but prior to that they were only there 4 or 5 nights a week, depending if they drove in Sunday night or Monday Morning.

She was carefully folding some of her new unworn things as she prepared her attire for each day she planned to spend at Wall Street Global Group, when their home phone rang. Joe had been on the computer when the caller ID popped up on his screen.

“Essy, it’s Philly. Why don’t you come in here and we’ll speakerphone.” He called up the hall.

She was already on her way in, sensing this was “the call” and sat next to Joe intertwining her fingers with one of his hands as he clicked to answer.

“Hi Philly, we’re on speakerphone, so we’re both here.” Joe said answering.

“Hello, I hope you’re both doing well. I have the news you’ve been waiting on and you can decide if it’s good or bad news. The baby that Selena gave birth to was most definitely the product of both of you. There is no doubt.” Philly said as she left the words to hang for Joe and Selena to consume.

The silence was deafening to Philly who wondered how Selena would accept the news.

“Selena?” Philly asked after 20 or 30 seconds.

“I’m here,” she said with a flutter in her voice. “I sort of expected this to be the case. That night was so special and I felt so different the next morning. After your call the other day I spent some alone time to accept the fact this could be true and I recalled wanting to say something to Joe when he was driving me back to work that day, but obviously that opportunity never came.” She said while fixing her eyes to Joes before continuing. “I’ve decided that this is a good thing for us in the fact it was something we wanted to happen, and it did. We would have wanted to raise our own child, but fate made that impossible for us then, and improbable for the future. Yet still, our love will live on somewhere in this girls life, hopefully.”

The line stayed cold for a few minutes as Philly swallowed Selena’s words and evaluated the tremendous progress she had made in her recovery. Before she spoke, Joe broke in.

“It’s reality, Phyll. We don’t think it would be fair to all three of us if we brought another child into the world now, but knowing she is out there makes a difference.”

“I could have called you yesterday with the news, but I did a little investigating for you. She is in a wonderful home with 2 parents married 15 years now. She’s very athletic, playing little league baseball, gymnastics and currently in an indoor girls soccer league. She’s an A+ student, jumped to the 5th grade. She is 8 years and almost 6 months old, born on Mother’s Day, May 12th 2002. Her adoptive mother ran a day care pre-school so she was essentially learning numbers and words with the other children. She did try to go to kindergarten, but complained she was in baby school. Deciding she was socially mature enough to handle it, she was placed in 1st grade at 5 years old, and then skipped 3rd grade because of her reading and writing skills. She is an 8 year old, in class with mostly 11 year olds, but she looks and acts mature enough that she goes un-noticed.” Philly said, as if reading.

“Where did you get this information from?” Joe asked while Selena beamed with pride, as her eyes got wet and she fought tears.

“She’s in a huge rural school district and I combed it for familiar names and I found a college roommate of mine. I had her ask an administrator and counselor if she knew of her and she gushed that she was “so special”. Now, you promised before that you wouldn’t try to find her and I’ll hold you to that.” Philly said before Selena qualified their promise.

“Well, we would like to see here, and I mean that in the literal sense, see her, and not interact with her. Her life sounds idyllic and I wouldn’t want to change that. I’ve, ... er ... WE have come to terms with the fact that having our child in the world is still a testament to our love and that getting involved with her would serve no one any good. Philly, I think you’ve learned in the last couple weeks that we handle reality well once we’re together and serve our support systems. I really would like to see her. I know it would be both joyful and heartbreaking.”

“Let’s wait a few months until you’re situated in your life and your future and then explore a way to possibly see her. Now I want you both to promise me, and promise each other you won’t do anything stupid concerning this.” Philly said. “I’ve done a lot more than I should have on this and could get into some privacy issue violations. Do we all understand?”

“Yes, we’ll police each other if we have to.” Joe said as Selena kissed his hand.

“Please do, I’ve got enough shit raining on me here and I don’t need any legal problems to jeopardize my job.” Philly said as her voice broke.

“Is there anything we can help with? Now that we’re getting on our feet here we have a lot of resources at hand. Just know you can depend on us, you’ve been so great in getting us together.” Joe said, feeling concern.

Philly broke down and cried, regretting she let her emotions leak through.

“Maybe I just need to talk to someone and get it off my chest. My husband left me and my life is a mess. I did something stupid a long time ago, I had an affair with an old boyfriend. It was so long ago that I thought I could get it off my chest, proving I had moved on from it since our marriage had flourished so much since then. I was wrong. He was devastated and walked out the door. He’s been back a few times to get things when I’m gone, but he won’t answer my calls and won’t answer his page at work. I want to stalk him and face him, but my job is so involved right now that I can’t. I’m in a partnered practice and I have commitments.”

“You definitely have to face him. Leave him a note at home where you know he’ll see it and pour your heart out, letting him know you can’t live like this, not knowing where he actually stands, since he won’t talk. Give him a time and place to meet and talk and see what happens. He has to know you still love him. Just word the proposal carefully, and good luck.” Selena said to the speakerphone as she stood and hugged Joe’s neck as she spoke.

“Selena may be right, he needs to know how you feel, and that you’re hurting. If he still loves you, and you know he does, he’ll want to come to your aid. Just be sure you give him a definite time and place.” Joe said.

“You’re talking about a long term marriage and relationship going down over a single, regrettable act. He has to face up to it now, just like you did when you admitted it. Remind him that you flourished as a couple even though the affair existed and he wasn’t aware of it. It was a flaw and we all have flaws. If your love for each other is true forgiveness is part of the whole package. You know there are happy couples who have an argument and let tempers flare, causing one of them to make a regrettable statement. One of them takes offense and walks out the door and ends the relationship, over a single word or phrase said in anger. Don’t let this happen to you. Save yourselves.” Selena added.

“I suppose that’s a good idea, and by the weekend we both may have more free time to meet. Thanks for your concern and I’ll talk to you both soon. Goodbye, you guys.” Philly said as she hung up.

Joe and Selena hugged as she sat on his lap in the computer chair. She kissed and sucked at his neck as she cried quietly, tears running down her face.

“The baby we always wanted happened, conceived in our love, and after all you went through she seems to have survived to be normal. I was afraid that all of the drugs and turmoil they put your body through would have produced a flawed baby. We are just as perfect as we thought.” Joe said with a sad chuckle as he hugged her tighter.

“I suppose that, if not this way, we would have no child. I just can’t accept her never knowing us, or us her.” Selena whispered through her ragged voice.

“She’ll be told she was adopted at one point, she’ll need that information to go through life. At some juncture in time we’ll have to let the parents know who we are and if she ever wants to seek us, we are willing to be found.” He told her as his eyes welled up and he rubbed her back to soothe the pain she felt right then.

“Do you suppose if the parents knew some of the circumstance of WHERE their baby came from and then saw our story, our pictures, that they might see the resemblance, because, they said she looked mature enough to pass as a 5th grade student. I suspect she has a lot of your features. If that’s the case, they know we are out there. I suppose that’s a wishful dream.” Joe said exhaling deeply, letting Selena fall back a little so he could face her nose to nose.

“We have to compose ourselves and get back to our task at hand.” He said as she nodded and hugged him once more before standing and walking back to her packing.

Joe watched the sway of her cute ass and felt a charge in his loins. 10 years ago he would have stood and acted on the jolt to his loins, but today he let it pass. He never loved her more than at this moment, but, proving his love was something they didn’t need to constantly show anymore. There were times and places when their ardor would overflow and the thought he had at that moment would come out of the vault to be cashed in.

“Joe?” She called out, “Do you think we can get a suit off the rack for you today to hold you until you see a tailor in New York?”

“I suppose.” He said dreading not having something made for him. “Hopefully no one will see me in department store rags.”

Life had restarted once again for Joe and Selena, their knowledge of what they learned that morning tucked away for another day.

The day of packing, shopping, studying the market, and making New York City arrangements ended early for them. While Joe caught the sports scores Selena got up to shower and get ready for bed. He decided that riding through the mountains with the top down had left him a bit gritty as well and he walked into the bedroom just as she came out of the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around her.

“No hugs for your greasy face and body, I was filthy from the top down ride. I’ll be in bed, I’m so tired.” She said as she made a cross with her fingers, as if to shoo a vampire away.

Joe chuckled and went in and stripped and washed himself top to bottom as well and longed for a long restful sleep for the early start in the morning. He found a pair of boxers on his side of the nightclothes pantry and took a towel to finish drying his hair as he opened the door to go to the bedroom. There, Selena was a sight curled up on the bed as if waiting for Joe to pull up the sheet for them. She had fallen asleep and her sheer white teddy had ridden up to show the bare bottom he so longed to look at.

Once again he felt the familiar tingle in his loins of wanting to make love to her, taste her, and feel her body next to his, but he let the urge pass. He finished drying his hair went to her mirror and combed it before taking the sheet and, in one motion, slid into bed pulling the sheet over both of them. He closed his eyes and stretched his whole body from the tips of his pointing toes to his inter-twined fingers behind his head. He held the stretch as long as he could and just as he was about to let his rigid muscles relax he felt the weight of Selena upon his chest as she laid her head and upper body upon his as she rest her head just over his heart. He felt the warmth of her cheek there framed by the coolness of her just dried hair.

“I love you, Joe. You make me feel so complete. You help me understand and accept the things this world hurls at us when I can see no answer or reason. You hurt with me, you joy with me. We really are one. I’m so glad you’re my husband.” She whispered through a breath Joe knew was on the verge of tears.

He exhaled a deep cleansing breath from his stretch and put his hand on her head as he felt a warm tear fall to rest on his skin. He stretched his other arm to lay a hand on the rise of her bottom.

“You know that I could say the same to you, you are the rest of me and I love you more than words can say.” He told her as his voice broke as well.

She clenched him hard to herself as if someone might try to take him away.

“I want to make love to you with my hands and my mouth, and for you to do the same to me. I know you’re tired and hope you don’t think that’s too selfish.” She said sincerely.

“I would spend my dying breath loving you, if I had to.”

“Keep that a long way off, we have so much to enjoy in our lives together and we’ve been so close to our mortality, and that scared me, thinking I might never get to make love to you again.” She said as she rose back to her knees and shifted her body so she could face his tenting boxers.

“I’ve had you in my mouth so many times and each time is more exciting than the last. The velvet feel of the tip on my tongue and the pulse of your heart on the big vein against my tongue when I close my mouth over you, THAT’S so exciting. You taste so delicious and masculine, I can’t wait for you to take these off.” She said as she reached through the front slash and pulled him out and covered the tip with her lips and tongue.

“Mmmm, there is no taste in the world like you. It flares my nostrils when I inhale and taste you, and what it does to my pussy you’ll taste later. Let me get these off you.” Selena purred as she clenched the waist band and encouraged him to raise his ass up so she could remove his shorts.

“Oooohh, your balls look so full, you only had me yesterday. Have you been staring at my ass again? I know it makes your cock jump when I walk away, that’s my stealth tease. I know I don’t even have to try.” She said as she filled her hands with their weighty cum treasure and she pushed her mouth over him again, lightly working her tongue and jaw as she manipulated the creamy feel of his sack.

“I know how sexy you are, and I know how you look outside of those clothes. But, when it’s covered and I see your form, I just go crazy.” Joe groaned as he arched his back in shudder.

“Really, what are you going to do when I swing my leg over and put my ass in your face?” She whispered before she sunk her mouth over him and did just that in a somewhat crab-walk.

The ass he so admired was now presented before his eyes close up. The smooth curvature of the moons of her bottom ran deep into the usual pantied mystery of what lay in between, the fleshy mound on which her visually percepted virginal vagina was mounted. The thick lips were just blossoming as she spread herself over his face. A few swipes of his tongue would turn what looked like that of a young girl to a dewy coral set of lips that led to a mouth hungry to be probed by a man’s penis. A clear drop of woman fluid hung at the hairless upper juncture where her clitoris lay. He snaked his tongue to capture it and touched the electrical field surrounding that magic button and he felt her mouth thrust down hard over his penis. Hungry for more of the same he swiped his tongue back again and drilled hard on her sex nerve.

She pulled her mouth off of him and gripped his wet cock using her other hand to bring a ball from his sack to her lips as she gently stroked him. The shiver that went through him forced his face up a bit, his tongue tip following the groove of her slit and skidding into her asshole as he instantly recognized the bittersweet flavor. He mashed the flat of his tongue to it as she lifted her head to consume the head of his dick, before he recoiled his tongue and drove its tip to its wrinkled center. The intrusion sent her mouth over him hard, momentarily past the opening of her throat causing her to choke and give him up and call out, “Oh Joe fuck me in my hiney. Let me feel you there again.”

Joe didn’t hesitate from his licking, only to say, “I thought you wanted to save it for Jamaica.”

She continued to pump her mouth over him, slowing as she thought his words over. She let him free and arched her back away from his mouth.

“You’re right, but push me over. I’ve got a doozie in the chamber.” She knowing she had been so close to cumming but not getting it yet.

Joe pulled her back to his face and drove his tongue to her clit and licked like he was mad at it, as she suckled the head of his cock and she stroked him. Then he drove his middle finger of his left hand abruptly up her little poop-chute causing her to stun loudly around his cock before pushing her mouth fully over him, into her throat.

As he fucked his finger in and out of her spit slickened hiney she began to rock her face over him in earnest. He knew he couldn’t last long and sucked hard at her clit as he punched at her little hole. Just as he began to spurt into her mouth she began her orgasm, squeezing his finger tight in her ass and pushing her pussy hard to his face. She screamed around his cock as she swallowed his sex juice, at last satisfied, stopping only when she became exhausted. She licked lightly at his balls before falling over beside him, his middle finger slurping from her.

When they both caught their breath she got up and threw Joe her damp hair towel to clean himself and she went to the bidet to rinse and wipe herself, coming back to cuddle and go to sleep.

“Jamaica should be interesting, your finger felt like a rolling pin in there.” She said with a giggle and they quickly dozed off exhausted.

When the local radio news gently awoke the lovers in the morning it was the first time they truly felt like life had returned after the nine year hiccough. They were going to shower and get a quick coffee and drive to New York City, as they had dozens of times before. Joe would check in to the Four Seasons after dropping Selena off at Wall Street Global offices. Although this would be a day of reacquainting and renewing old relationships, a process Joe had grown to revile, he was excited. He hated having to repeat all of the things he had explained over and over again, but he felt with his friends in The City there would be less of that.

New York was Joe’s town. He liked the fast life and the fact he could afford to live it. He enjoyed the finer things in life that were so readily available there. There was a time when he enjoyed the women of New York and their fast style where he grew his sexual confidence that flowed from his personality. Although he loved to be flirted with, and to flirt back, there was no question where his heart laid. Selena was the true love of his life and no one could ever step into that path to block him. Even women that thought they had his heart and could win him forever, timidly backed away and either went off smitten or became a trusted friend and confidant. Selena has accepted all of his female friends because she knew she could trust him after doubting him so often.

After a morning hug and kiss in bed they had said little to each other as she went about the business of getting ready and Joe packed the car. When they finally met in the kitchen for coffee their looks to each other were smirky and smoldering remembering the night before. What had began as tender oral lovemaking, ended a bit kinky and rough. Had they been writing a book about their lovemaking, last night would have been a whole chapter. It would have been called Naughty Satisfaction and Appreciation.

Selena felt no shame for how much she appreciated and craved sexual contact with her husband. Joe had no misgivings either and worried if he might be able to keep up with her as years passed. He recalled the marathon bouts in their Jamaican visit when they first wantonly opened up their wild sexuality. He had told her then that days and nights like that, 5 orgasms for him and countless for her in a 18-24 hour period, only happen a few times in your life and you live off of them forever. He remembered at least 4 or 5 of those bouts already and knew they were in store for quite a few more. As sexual as she was, you couldn’t help but wonder if those who saw her in public thought of her as a kindergarten teacher or bank teller. Her look was so sweet, always dressing tastefully, while still hinting at the perfect body her clothes hid. The topper, of course, was her intelligence and gentle heart that fulfilled the package for him. He called himself lucky for not being able to remember the nine years they were apart.

As they zoomed south on the New York Thruway to The City they spoke little, except for glances back and forth that smoldered sex and passion. Certainly they both replayed the evening in their minds and not until they had to make a comfort stop did they begin to speak. Once back in the car they spoke of how they planned the day and what they might do in the evening.

“I know we have to placate some friends and go through the hugs and tears routine, not that I won’t be happy to see them, but I just want to go back to normal.” Selena said.

“It sounds silly, but we don’t understand how astonishing we are. You are going to have a very trying day with everyone at work. I suspect you’ll be pretty well emotionally drained by tonight; I was going to suggest Joe and Shanna come over to our suite. I still feel like my job is to protect you somewhat from getting too stressed out and I’m seeing too much emotion for one day.” Joe said reaching out for her hand.

“That would be nice, and have dinner sent up?” She said, brightening at the prospect.

Before Joe could answer her, Selena’s cell phone lit up and the Blue Tooth App in the dash lit, displaying Wall Street Global Group as the caller. She opened the speakerphone.

“Good Morning Selena, this is Ross. I suspect you are on your way in and I have to warn you of a situation. There are about 5 camera crews waiting for you to arrive outside. We’ve called the Police to be sure that traffic can still move on the street, but I wanted to warn you.”

“Oh God! Someone must have tipped them, but I won’t let them stop me. We should be there within 40-45 minutes. I don’t know what they think they’re going to see and I have no intention of speaking with anyone. I’m so sorry for causing this fuss.” She said as she looked to Joe.

“You needn’t apologize for anything my dear. Maybe we’ll release a statement later that will satisfy them. As long as you’re sure you want to run this gauntlet, we will support you to the fullest.” He assured her.

“After all I’ve been through, I can handle this. See you soon.” She told him in a determined tone.

Although Joe could pay only 75% attention to the conversation he was quite aware of what was going on. Her closing comment to Ross told him that she WAS ready for all of this and her steeled determination of any task at hand was not softened or tarnished by the nine year ordeal.

“I guess this means most definitely, that if Shanna and Joe can’t make it to our suite, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to meet them. I don’t want to put you through having reporters follow us around.” Joe said as he put his hand on her knee and squeezed.

“How long will this go on? I don’t want to be a celebrity, at least not for this. When I was going to be a news reader I sort of liked the idea that I might be recognized, you know like I was for doing WSG statements. I knew most of the people who recognized me were investor types, not sensationalists.” Selena said with a sigh.

“Hmmm, I wonder if we agreed to do ONE, and just one, face to face interview for TV or newspaper, if they would all go away.” Joe wondered aloud.

“I doubt it because we have to involve the hospital too much and if they go asking questions, ... the rape and our baby may come up. We have to protect our child even if we don’t know her.” Selena said stifling a tear.