Chapter 25

We made quite a scene at the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport. Not so much the lengthy hug and kiss between me and Clara, but her kissing the lips of Alexa and Joseph kissing Josh's lips probably disturbed many of the surrounding travelers.

"This is my sister," I told Clara. "Linda's now one of the Tasty Twins with Alexa, so I'm not sure if I lost or gained a sister."

"The tasty triplets," Clara decided. "You forgot about your southern kin, the brother with your name."

"Of course," I nodded and chuckled.

Clara gestured to a short, stocky dark haired man standing just behind her with intense dark eyes on a smooth, round face the color of leather, the eyes focusing lasciviously on Alexa. "This is Raoul," said Clara.

"I'm Joseph also," I said, shaking his hand, a firm grip. After briefly meeting my eyes they strayed to my sister and hooked in.

"I am very please to make acquaintance," he said to her, shaking her hand longer than Linda felt comfortable with. He had a thick accent and a deep, macho voice.

Leaning down to pick up her bags brought my ear to Clara's lips. "I found a man, Joseph. Molly said to bring him. He charmed me, made me feel wanted. It was bullshit. You still want me?"

I dropped the bags and picked her up, her legs wrapping around my waist as we kissed passionately. It answered her question but I had my own. "Why is he here?"

"He is with Joseph, though he does not know this. He is what you might call a hedonist, a pleasure seeker. Another professor Joseph. He writes essays in praise of philandering."

I dropped her gently to her feet and nodded. "We'll talk when we're alone with Molly."

"Where is she?" Clara asked, following me out of the International exit area and to the SUV with Fanny waiting behind the wheel smiling and waving at her.

"She's recovering from promotions this morning and needed her space." I swung her bags into the back of the SUV. "The airport would have been too much."

Clara nodded. "But how will we fit?"

"Turn around, sweetie," I said.

She squealed when she saw the slender and brilliant African American, her choreographic collaborator and good friend sitting behind the wheel of Josh's truck, a really nice one with room for four in the cab. Lance and Josh had just returned from LA, flying there after Christmas with his family in Pittsburgh, and they drove to Minneapolis together, Josh bringing his sculptures/manikins to do some art. Somehow they made it through the New Years Eve snowstorm the day before.

Lance jumped out of the truck and embraced Clara. They talked briefly before Lance needed to assist Joseph and Raoul with their bags, placing them in the uncovered truck bed.

Entering the passenger side first, Clara crawled in and embraced and kissed Fanny a little awkwardly.

"Bonjour ma petite chou."

"How are you, Fanny?" Clara asked, rubbing Fanny's round belly through her open coat and over her long sleeved white turtleneck shirt.

"Trop grande. I should have mated with a smaller man." Fanny gave me a cross gaze but couldn't hold it. She met my smile with her own. Pouting or smiling, she still looked gorgeous.

Giggling, Clara disagreed with Fanny's complaint. "Not your style, ma belle."

"Oui, c'est vrai, " Fanny sighed. "Ready? Allons s'y."

"Lover? Clara's here and looking sweet," I said into my cell phone to Molly.

"Could you guys go out for dinner or something. I'm sure Clara's starving."

"Of course. We'll even have a couple drinks afterward."

"Thanks."

"I love you,"

"I love you. Just a couple hours."

"We'll come home about 8 or 9."

"Take your time. I do love you."

"I know. We will. See you." Ending the call, I turned to Clara with a smile and asked, "Hungry?"

"Starving."

"Where to, Joseph?" asked Fanny.

"Take 77 north and stay on it for awhile," I answered.

"What about your boyfriend?" Alexa asked Clara.

"True for about a month," Clara replied. "No longer. I have my man. Mr. Macho Professor just made it more obvious."

"He's kind of intense," said Alexa.

"He gives me the creeps," my sister added and everyone except me and Fanny chuckled. Linda continued, "I didn't want to say anything."

"He is a creep," Clara said.

"Who?" asked Fanny.

"Molly and Joseph insisted I find someone just for me," Clara began in reply. "My ex-roommate raved about a professor of philosophy she had. I know, bad luck with professors, but I like intelligent men. I guess it's not about being book smart. So I attended his lecture and agreed with her. She introduced me and he must have tempered his leer. I sensed his attraction, but it wasn't wolfish. We had dinner and breakfast if you know what I mean. We talked a lot and he showed genuine interest. He did tend to focus on Joseph's harem, saying he thinks wide open relationships are natural to humans. I tried to make it clear about the bond you guys have and me too, but he told me limiting experience lessens a person's life. I should have heard alarms go off in my head but I figured at least he was honest unlike my previous boyfriends. And the other conversations were pretty interesting."

"Get to the sex, sweetie," said Fanny. We chuckled.

'It was good," Clara sighed, holding my hand.

"Just good?" asked Fanny.

"He knows his way around a woman's body. A man's for that matter. The guy could write a textbook on the building of orgasm. Yeah, it was really good, but ... clinical. It's like he watched my reaction to his touches and his thrusts, you know? I mean again a vast improvement over my former boyfriend, and if I never met you, Joseph or all of you, his ability to ring my chimes might have been enough. That first night I figured I just missed you and the love we have in bed and out. I enjoyed his company for the most part and he seemed to be genuinely interested in me. Our love might develop out of that."

"Pull over to the curb, Fanny. We're here. It's a Spanish restaurant." We parked across the street from the small white stand alone building.