Chapter 24

Emily was a few minutes late because of her extended stay at Marie's office and Alice was already seated at a table in the Grill Room just off the lady's locker room overlooking the tennis courts. On the way to their table she stopped several times to chat with friends.

"Sorry about that Alice but this is my first time out since Jax injury and everyone is asking about him."

"Yes. I heard about Jax almost as soon as I got back. You know how gossip flies around here. How is he and more important how are you?"

Alice Buford Longstreet was Emily's oldest and dearest friend. They had been roommates at Bryn Mawr and bridesmaids in each other's weddings. Beau and Carlton were golfing buddies and the four of them had spent a week together in Hilton Head last summer. The guys had played golf everyday but one when it rained and the women had spent their days by the pool or shopping or both. This year it was just as well Alice and Beau had gone to Italy because any plans they might have made would have been changed when Jaxon got hurt. Emily knew where the bodies were buried in Alice's cemetery of dalliances and on occasion had provided cover for her whereabouts. Alice was not a loose woman but rather than be thought a tease she always said yes.

Alice had honey blond hair, bright green eyes and was the same age and height as Emily although somewhat slimmer without the breeder hips and with smaller albeit very inviting breasts. She had a very pretty face but unlike Emily Alice was not a true blond as could be attested to by more than just the ladies in the locker room shower. She was wearing an A line lime green linen mid-calf skirt with a coral sleeveless button up the front shirt open for her cleavage to announce its presence, three strands of unmatched gold chains hung from her neck and a wide gold bangle bracelet and a large filigreed gold ring on her right hand and bone single strand sandals. Her nails and toenails were painted a matching coral which showed off her terrific tan to full advantage.

"You look wonderful. Italy seems to have agreed with you. You'll have to tell me all about just as soon as I get some wine. I see you have one," Emily said just as their waiter came to the table.

"Can I get you something to drink Mrs. Overton?"

"Yes Tim I'll have a glass of Proseco?"

"Any special vineyard?"

"You pick. Surprise me. I'm sure it will be good."

"A little flirting with the young boy, what's happened while I was away?"

"I'm not flirting Alice. For havens sake I just told him to bring me whatever came to mind. Besides I like them a little beyond high school."

"I don't know, I hear that young dick is mighty good. Especially to women our age."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Emily asked beginning to feel a little warm and uneasy.

"You know we are in the prime of our sexual lives and our husbands just want to watch TV. Young teenage boys have recovery power. They can go all night I'm told on good authority."

"On whose good authority?"

"Some of the ladies here at the club."

"They wouldn't happen to include Helen Patterson and Eleanor Walters by any chance?" Emily asked.

"Why no but tell me more. Has Helen been pressing those gigantic tits against some young lad?"

"Something like that."

"Like what? What did she do?"

"Well I accidently saw some of Jax journal entries on his laptop and there was something in there about Helen."

"Just how did you ACCIDENTLY stumble onto Jaxon's laptop?"

"I needed a phone and my iPad was in my bedroom and I used his laptop to look it up and I kind of wandered when I finished."

"Wandered my ass. Doesn't he have it password protected. All my kids do. They know mom would be checking on them if she could at least on those still at home." Beau and Alice had five with three at home. They had spent two weeks in Italy with their parents and the next six between their grandparents in South Carolina and those in Palm Beach.

"Because he can't use his hands he had to tell me his password so I could open his facebook account for him. He has the cutest password.

"Yes Tim we'll have two more please."

"Just what did you wander upon accidently?"

"Helen and Jax were the only ones in the Grill having a coke after morning tennis and Helen let her halter drop. Instead of grabbing it she just stood there watching Jax starring at her tits. Then she asked Jax to hold her tits up while she tied her halter," Emily said as she took a sip of her wine.

"Damn, that's pretty brazen in the clubhouse. Actually it's pretty brazen anywhere."

"That's the least of it. Eleanor and Jax were seated having a coke after their match and she ran her hand up under his tennis shorts and would have grabbed his dick if someone hadn't come in. Also she rubs her ass against his crotch whenever she gets the chance."

"Damn it doesn't sound like Jaxon is their first. They seem to know how to create interest. Has anything happened?"

"I don't think so. I'm sure Jax would have recorded it in his journal if it had but he is all into his classmate Sharon Wheatley."

"What is Jaxon now, fifteen?"

"Yes, this month."

"Well you may as well let him have a good time while he can. He will be starting with young girls soon enough. It's safer with older women they're protected while young girls are too scatter brained to worry about such things.

"You speak from experience I presume."

"More than I care to recount. Just what was this cute password you mentioned?"

Emily took another sip of wine to get time to consider if she wanted to tell Alice but she decided that Alice wouldn't embarrass Jax by saying it to him. Finally Emily said, "Bigdick and some numbers."

"Big dick?"

"Yes, some on the lacrosse team started calling him that this past year in the showers."

"Another reason Helen and Eleanor may be interested. You know you can see a lot outlined against tennis shorts. Are you ready to order?" Alice asked as she saw Tim approaching the table.

"Yes I'll have the Crab Louie with avocado and another glass of Proseco."

"I'll have the Caesar salad, hold the anchovies, with chicken breast and another wine, please Tim."

"Caesar dressing with that?"

"Yes, the Caesar please."

Over lunch Alice regaled Emily with her and Beau's trip as well as the side trips they took. When they were in Lake Como they saw George Clooney. "Oh my God he was beautiful. He was there with his latest girlfriend, the cocktail waitress from Vegas, she has to be less than half his age.

"From Lake Como we drove to Milan, which is just south of Lake Como, for a few days and then we flew to Venice. God I could stay there forever. Just roll me out to the Plaza San Marco and let me sit while beautiful young men bring me wine. It is gorgeous Emily. We went to a party every night. That's all the upper crust in Venice do. They live in these palatial homes that you wouldn't know were there until you go inside and they have parties inviting each other. We got all the invitations because Beau's firm has an office there. You ride up to a dock like affair in a boat to enter. From the dock all you see is a wall. Once inside you're sure that the king and queen will appear shortly. They drink all night and sleep all day to get ready for another party the next night.

"Every place we stayed Beau's company has some kind of connection so Beau was able to charge his part of the trip off as a business expense. You should start pestering Carlton about something like that. He is after all the European representative for his firm."

Emily told Alice about Carlton being in London on an unexpected business trip for a week and a half and that he had only gotten back yesterday. "We have a trip to London planned for September but I'm not sure I'll be able to swing a sojourn through Europe."

After the delights of their trip Alice told Emily about the women who were supposedly screwing young boys. Emily only knew one of them, the one who was a tennis player. Maybe she would take another trip onto Jax's laptop. Alice didn't know the names of the boys. All she knew was that they were working at the club for the summer. She guessed that the boys were probably seventeen or thereabouts if they were summer hires.

After the dishes had been removed and they were on what would be their last glass of wine something that had been trying to claw its way from the murky depths of Alice's memory became clear and she asked, "While Carlton was in London you were home alone to care for Jaxon?"