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When The Stars Align Ch. 01

By: markelly



(My thanks go to Linda62953. She did a great job of finding my mistakes and pointed out the errors in the story line that I missed.)



I've worked it out you know. What it is when the stars are perfectly aligned; it simply means that the cosmos want front row seats, so it can watch one of those perfect storm moments. You know, when everything is set in such a way that life is ready and waiting, to break it off in your ass so they can laugh while it happened.

So now, you have a small glimpse of my world that morning. Enter stage left, me.

I had the biggest presentation of my life to make; this one presentation was going to finally get me that promotion I had been fighting for, for the last year. It was within my grasp. I could almost taste it. Petterson's Jewelry Company had been looking for a new ad agency for almost three months now. The feeding frenzy that followed when the advertising world got that little tidbit of information meant that some of the owners of these same companies would be perfectly willing to eat there young to get that account. Today was going to be our pitch for it. 

My team had been busting it's backside for the last ten days to come up with an ad that would seize the account. The fourteen-hour days, the weekend that everyone had spent in the office while husbands and wives patiently waited for their loved ones to come home, the constant phone calls and interruptions from the bosses upstairs, yet through all this, each and every one of us believed, we truly believed we had nailed it. I had been up all night finalizing everything and was running on an hour of sleep and coffee, loads of coffee.

 *******

Mani's Deli was a Godsend, it had the best ham and mayo sandwich on rye, this side of the river and since it was going to be the closest thing I was going to get for breakfast, I ducked in there on the way to the office. As usual, it was as crowded as you would expect for a place that did such good food. I took a step back, away from the counter and tripped over some woman, causing me to lose the lid on my coffee and practically take a bath in it.

"Lady, I wish you would look where you're going."

The whole place stopped, as if frozen in time. I was still trying to keep the coffee that had spilled onto my shirt from making contact with my skin. That's when the silence made me pause.

"Thank you for your suggestion. I will make an effort not to get in your way again."

Her voice danced in my head. There was an air of confidence about her that made me turn to look at her rather than leave. That's when I noticed everybody in the place looking at me. If the sunglasses didn't give anything away, the folded white stick in her hand sure did. The woman holding her arm showed no emotion at all, I hadn't felt this embarrassed, since asking Becky Steiner what a French kiss was. She laughed so much she just couldn't wait to tell the rest of the sixth graders. 

"Ma'am, my apologies for my rudeness, doesn't even come close to how big an ass I feel right about now."

I was met with silence, from the room and both the women as well. Figuring anything else I had to say would be futile, I nodded to Mani and left, walking past the limo sitting curbside. 

Thankful for the full on bedlam at the office, my mind soon dispatched this morning's incident to history and my team got busy for the presentation in an hour. My boss noticed the coffee stain and I was grateful that I kept a spare shirt in my office. I changed while my boss once again, reiterated how important this account would be to them.

The temptation to say 'no shit' was only silenced out, because the promotion was still being dangled in front of me. The clock inched its way towards ten and downstairs had already sent word up that Victoria van der Vaart herself was heading the team. 

Victoria was camera shy, paparazzi never got shots of her and other than the fact that she was the head of Petterson's Jewelry Company, no one knew much else. People did know this about her, when she speaks, people listen and if they didn't you could, well, kiss your career goodbye. She was shrewd and had steered Petterson's through some very difficult waters to become one of the biggest jewelry stores in the country. Victoria had always sent other executives and their wives to events that her company had to be seen at. The rumor mill would have you believe anything from; the woman didn't exist to she was the biggest bitch in history.

It seemed we would find out, once the big bosses had finished sucking up to her and the people in her entourage. By my best guess, we had about forty minutes before we would be graced with their presence. That was, until Harry got a call from upstairs. Victoria van der Vaart had wanted nothing to do with the sucking up process and had only come here for the presentation. That threw us all into panic mode. Harry left to meet the entourage at the elevator, while my team fussed over nothing, just to look busy. 

Harry came in first, the confused look he had on his face, left me wondering what the hell could go wrong at this late stage. Then Victoria van der Vaart walked in on the arm of the same woman that held her arm at the deli. I've never had to exert so much bladder control in my life before. The whole room just froze for a moment before Harry's voice filled the void by announcing our guest and held a seat for her. The rest of my team finished fussing and I took the podium, thankful that Harry kept Victoria and her friend busy long enough for me to compose myself and to calm the voice in my head telling me, I was so screwed. 



She knew who I was, ten seconds into my preliminary speech. Her lips moved and she said something to her friend, in a language I didn't understand and had never even heard before. It took me ten minutes to set the pitch and then I gave the nod to one of my team and the tape started on the presentation. All I could do was stand to one side of the screen and watch Victoria, as the woman next to her gave her a run down on what was happening on the screen and stopped when the lights came back on.

That old cliché about cutting the atmosphere with a knife, held true at that moment. Both women sat and spoke in that language again for a good two minutes and then stood up. Harry panicked and quickly left his seat to stand next to Victoria ready to answer any question she may ask. I'm sure even he was ready for what came next. They both simply left with her own people in tow, leaving the twenty people in that room confused and in a state of uncertainty. Harry followed them out of the room and returned a few moments later looking just as 'bewildered' as we were. 

Trying to keep my team busy, I had them strip the room down and take a break, reminding them that we still had work to do on the Ferrier's raincoats account. That had to be our next focal point. It didn't stop any of them from turning to look at each other, wondering what had just happened. I made it to Harry's office as he was putting the phone down. 

At least he waited until I sat down before he told me the news, it was clear the bosses upstairs were not pleased, but since Victoria didn't say she liked or disliked the add campaign, they would keep my team together for another two weeks while they made some tentative noises to Petterson's.

It was ten days later that Harry once again broached the subject of Petterson's. Word had come from upstairs that every avenue of getting Petterson's or even one of there spokes people to talk to them had been met with 'we will be in touch' and yet nothing came back. The bosses were going to stick with keeping my team together for the remaining few days and then merge some into other areas but the rest were going to have to be let go. 

I had to do something, these people didn't deserve being let go, so I asked Harry to get upstairs to arrange for me to see someone at Petterson's. Even Harry had doubts; but the one ray of hope was that neither Victoria nor anyone else for that matter had gone to any other agencies since they left us. Harry came to me the next morning with a piece of paper in his hands. 

"I didn't realize your shit smelled sweeter than any of those upstairs. This came from their boss."

The slip of paper Harry handed me was the address of the Marriott Hotel, over on seventh. The time on the paper was seven this evening. 

Harry then chuckled and said, "The boss already had his coat on and was going himself when he got another call saying, the appointment was for you alone." 

Even when I headed for the door Harry told me to go home, get my head straight and go to the Marriott from my place. There seemed little point in arguing with him, so I thanked him and left. Even on the walk home and grabbing, a quick bite to eat left me at a loss on what I was going to do. Pacing my apartment didn't help all that much, either. The phone call from Harry and one from the boss an hour after that, reminded me how vital this above all other accounts truly was, didn't help do much more than dump more pressure on me.

 *******

I recognized the woman standing next to the reception desk as the one who held onto Victoria van der Vaart's arm. We shook hands and I followed her to the elevator, the silence between us felt like the way this was going to play out all evening. The two gorillas that stood on either side of her door didn't put me at ease either. One of them patted me down before he nodded to the woman once again. She knocked and opened the door, gesturing me inside while she followed behind. 

The woman pointed to a seat and watched until I sat, before she moved across the room and knocked on a door and entered. A few moments later Victoria and the woman came out. She walked over to a seat across from me while the woman crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

"Your company asked to see me, to talk to me, why?"

Well, that got us straight to the point I suppose.

"Ma'am my company, hell my people, worked hard on that campaign. I have no need to brag, you know as well as I do, that it's the best out there."

"I'll ask you once more Mr. Ellington, why do you wish to talk to me?"

Some may think her brash, rude even. I actually found her directness refreshing, especially in this city. Where I came from, folks called a spade a spade, but I was left to wonder, if she could handle hearing the directness she shows to others. Even as I gathered my thoughts and wondered where to start, I instinctively stood. The woman leaning against the wall instantly stood straight, shoved her hand into her pocket for a moment and quickly joined Victoria before sitting on the arm of her chair.

"Sit down Mr. Ellington."

It wasn't a suggestion. Being so wrapped up in trying to figure out a starting point, I hadn't noticed the unease Victoria had, of a man now pacing her room. Even as my mouth opened to say something, the door to her room opened and one of the gorillas entered, closed the door behind him and then stood a few feet from the door looking directly at me. 

"Ma'am, I think better on my feet and please stop calling me Mr. Ellington, every time you do that, I look around to see if my father is in the room."

Well, at least she smiled, the tension between both women eased a little. The gorilla just stared right back at me.

"First off, my name's Doug, but I do answer to 'hey'. So feel free to choose which ever to use."

I took one more deep breath and thought to myself, here goes nothing.

"When your company started looking for a new ad agency, ours grasped the nettle. I was selected to get a team together and come up with something that would hook your account, ma'am. Those folks are the best I've worked with and I truly believe that keeping that team together and working exclusively on your account would pay dividends for your company and ours." 

Her head followed the sound of my pacing, I was clearly irritating her, since she now had to divide her concentration.

"So your motive for being here is driven by money?"

Those words made me stop.

"No ma'am, my motive for being here is to stop one of the best teams there is in this city from being broken up and some being let go. Just because you are still pissed at me, for stumbling into you at the deli. Even though I apologized, ma'am if you're going to nail anyone to the wall, then pick me, but don't take this out on a bunch of folks that have nothing to do with this. They're all good folks and deserve the break that your account will give them."

Victoria turned to her friend and once again spoke that language that I didn't understand. Even I had stopped as I listened, not understanding a damn word. Other than shrugging her shoulders from time to time, and looking towards me as she spoke to Victoria, her friend finally nodded her head. The pause was longer this time, just as the feeling 'decision time' had finally come. 

"Mr. Ellington, it's clear to see that you have a fierce loyalty to your team. I'm left to wonder if that same loyalty is shown to your company. I will have my people sign the contract tomorrow afternoon."

Both women stood and started to walk back to the room Victoria had emerged from. Once the silent one held onto her arm, Victoria stopped and turned her head toward me.

"Before my people sign anything, I expect you to resign as the head of the team. Goodnight Mr. Ellington."

It was plain to see from every one in the room, that this meeting was now over. Both women continued towards the far door, talking to each other in that language that I had never heard before and to be honest, never wanted to hear, ever again. The gorilla from the hall gave a polite cough, reminding me, he was still behind me and my presence was no longer needed, in this room. The hand on my shoulder also let me know, I had taken a second longer than he believed acceptable to come to that conclusion. 

Even the walk back to my apartment felt like a condemned man, walking toward the gallows. Seventeen times I was bumped into, as I walked back to my apartment, six of those I was told to mind where I was going, four told me to get the fuck out of the way and two asked me if I could spare some change for a drink to keep the cold out. It still took me until my key entered the lock of my apartment and the door slowly swinging open to find my apartment had been burglarized, before I decided that enough was enough.

I packed what little they had left behind, dropped the key off at the 'so called' doorman's desk and headed home. Happy in one aspect, my old team still had jobs, even if I was told; I had to fall on my sword to do it.

 *******

The phone call from my sister Connie came as a surprise, she asked me to swing by the 'Easy Chair' for a drink. At first, I tried to get out of it, but then being told that she was the oldest and could still bully me around even though I was thirty one, did lead to some family banter passing down the line. Curiosity did eventually get the better of me and I washed up and joined her an hour later.

We met at the bar and decided to slide into a booth for some privacy, after we ordered drinks. The TV in the corner was playing a commercial for Petterson's Jewelry, which alone gave me a rye smile. That whole episode in my life was a year ago, now. Once I came home, I lived with my folks back on the farm for a while before converting one of the barns into a workshop and going back to what I knew best, getting my hands dirty.

"Do you miss it?"

We both looked away from the TV and back to each other, when the commercial had finished. Connie was the mother hen of the family and even though she only had three years on me, she still clung to those years and used them to beat us all like a big stick if she thought one of us was taking a liberty. Family was everything to Connie, she had it drummed into her from both our parents and she in turn kept us all close, more so when Mom died eight months ago.

"Not any more. The big city held a charm for a while and I gave it my best shot, it just wasn't meant to be so I came home and I haven't looked back since. Why do you ask?"

This time Connie looked harder at me, I met her stare. 

"I got a call from one of our cousins over in Locust Grove. He claims someone was sniffing around looking for information on him. Turns out they knocked on his door, scared Jenny to death, she thought he was in trouble when two mean looking 'suits' stood at the door asking for him. Once they realized they had the wrong guy, they thanked him and left."

Once again we just stared at each other, Connie obviously had more to say, she just wanted this conversation to go at her own pace.

"Our cousin told me what they looked like and figured they may well head over here, some time real soon. We all thought it was funny when Uncle George called his first-born son Dougie Ellington. When the suits left, he called me and asked what you had been up to; I had to tell him I had no idea, so now I'm asking."

Shrugging my shoulders brought Connie close to boiling point.

"You have Lou-Lou staying with you Doug. If these guys mean business, I want my niece out of the way and I want to know what you did up in the city?"

Again, I shrugged my shoulders. Not to piss Connie off, God knows it never seems to take much to do that, but it was plain to see she was concerned, not only for me but Lou-Lou as well as dad, if the two 'suits' that I knew nothing about, came out to the farm.

"Connie, I broke no laws in the city, I swear. As for the 'suits' Dougie told you about, they're a mystery to me, just as much as they are to you."

She wasn't convinced, yet I couldn't think of anything else to tell her. When I left that night, I shut everything down; the doorman to my apartment block was given my keys and told I wouldn't be back. Even my security deposit was left behind, with me telling him to get the owners to use it to improve security in the building. I'm sure the cops were never called since no one was hurt and other than the lock on the door, there was no damage to the apartment.

Once the banks opened, I emptied my account and with a goodbye call to Harry, I closed my cell down and dropped it over the next bridge I passed, on the way home. Even that journey took me three days of asking myself, if I had done the right thing. 

My dad told me once, that we all have our own code, morals we live by, that to others would seem stupid and pointless, yet when you get to know those same folks, you find they live by their own code, and they just don't realize it. To me, the folks that now had a job deserved the opportunity that the Petterson account would give them. 

I personally didn't give a damn, about my bosses getting rich off it. The real folks that worked hard on that project deserved to have that account on their resume. If they chose to move on later, they can reap the benefits of knowing it made a difference in their lives. A hard thing to say about the advertising business I know, but this was the human side of it, not the slick money grabbing side that the top floor guys and girls lived for. We drank up and with Connie's warning still ringing in my ears; I headed back home for dinner. 

 *******

It was another three days before things changed more dramatically for me and everyone else for that matter. The doors to the workshop were wide open so I watched the Hummer crawl past the house and stop outside the barn. It may have been a year, but I still recognized one of the gorillas that climbed out of the front, the dark windows giving nothing away about whom, if anyone was in the back. 

I was still wiping my hands on some rags, when they both started to walk towards me. Both recognized the sound of a pump action shotgun being made ready and stopped instantly, their hands half way to the folds in their suits. My dad came around the side of the Hummer, being careful not to get near any of the doors, in case they swung open.


When The Stars Align Ch. 01



"When you came through the gate, I'm sure you gents noticed the sign that said 'Private Property' and the one under it that says 'No Trespassing.' Well folks, you're doing just that and in case you're wondering, this shotgun is registered to me and since this is my property, I'm free to carry it around."

The stand off lasted until I closed the doors to my workshop. It was also then, that one of the tinted windows slid down an inch and a female voice could be heard.

"Please put the gun down Mr. Ellington. I'm about to get out of this vehicle and I truly get upset when people shove shotguns in my face."

Regardless of still having a shotgun pointed at them, both gorillas moved to the Hummer, one stood to the side, while the other opened the door. I'm sure the fact he had his mouth open to protest at the woman wanting to come out of the safety of the Hummer, and be in the vicinity of an old man brandishing a shotgun only to be met with a hand he duly held as Victoria grasped it and emerged into the sunshine. The silent woman followed and again that strange language started, as I can only assume she related the scene in front of her to Victoria who seemed to take it all in her stride. 

"Ma'am I suggest you shut the fuck up."

Dad then looked at Victoria and continued, "Around here we speak American and if your friend can't speak it, she needs to learn real quick."

Victoria simply smiled in the direction of my dad. The two gorillas were still uneasy at some old man having the drop on both of them. The one by the Hummer took exception to dad's comment, and his hand slowly inched towards the fold of his jacket. Now my dad may be old, but that doesn't make him stupid, even the small gesture of lowering his shotgun to the bodyguard's private parts brought about the expected response and his hand went back to his side.

The silent one said nothing. Just glared at dad, who glared right back at her, Victoria quickly picked up on the growing tension and said. "Mr. Ellington, would it help if I asked both my people to return to the vehicle and sit in it?"

"Ma'am what you do with your two 'suits' is up to you. But if they sit in their vehicle, then they sit in the middle of that field behind you."

The silent one looked behind her and then back to Victoria.

"A rectangular field approximately two hundred by one fifty, the field looks like it has recently been cut back so everyone can see if Josh or Marcus leaves the vehicle."

The whole group seemed to be watching and waiting. This was Victoria's call, or so I thought it was, she however seemed to think differently.

"What would you like me to do Doug?"

Only the silent one and Victoria looked towards me, the gorillas and dad seemed to be having there own staring contest.

"The urge to tell you to leave, does seem to be outweighed by the need to find out what the heck you're doing here, so I would suggest your two friends get comfortable with sitting in that field for awhile."

One of the gorillas went to object, the silent one quickly shook her head. The frustration that his charge would be out of his protection was clear to see. I would imagine he had been with Victoria for some time because he kept his mouth shut. The slow walk back to the Hummer and the gesture he made to dad that he was going to put his hand in through the open window to retrieve something, only received a nod from dad.

His hand emerged and he walked towards the silent one with a radio in his hand. He went to walk back to the Hummer but stopped and looked at Victoria.

"Ma'am I'm not comfortable with this."

"I'll be fine Marcus, I have Gretchen with me and I assume that was a radio you gave her a moment ago?"

Marcuse nodded and then added a 'Yes Ma'am,' before he walked back to the Hummer. They got in, drove over to the field and parked. Seconds later a glint of light reflecting off of glass made me suspect that Marcus was watching us through binoculars. 

"Is this her?" My father nodded towards Victoria, while looking at me.

I smiled slightly before I answered. "Yes dad."

Then I looked towards Victoria and said. "Victoria van der Vaart, I would like you to meet my father, James Ellington."

Victoria for her part, still seemed to take the awkwardness of this situation in her stride, and held out her hand, her smile just got bigger and she heard my father approach and grasp her hand, shaking it as gently as I've ever seem him shake anyone's hand before. They exchanged pleasantries, as though what just happened was imagined. 

As my father went to excuse himself, he looked over to me and said. "Play nice, I can't fit anymore bodies in the lower field, the sheriff is already becoming suspicious. I'll send Lou-Lou out later with lemonade."

We both watched the smile falter on Victoria's lips and then get bigger, once she realized that my father was shining her on. Out of habit, he nodded towards Victoria, paused for a second and said 'Ma'am' as he wandered away, leaving the three of us standing in the clearing.

"May we move somewhere more sheltered, I'm not used to the Georgia sunshine and I'm starting to melt."

That alone startled me out of my daze and I moved towards her, Victoria held out her arm and I held her, as we walked over to the bench, the tree afforded us the shelter from the sun and we could still be seen by her bodyguards.

It was Victoria that spoke, once we were comfortable. "I believe an explanation is required." 

I leaned back against my seat and said. "Sure, go ahead."

Her face took on a look of confusion, Victoria's lips came together and her head seemed to tilt slightly.

"I meant you. Why did you run away a year ago?"

Now it was my turn to be confused. Even as my mind relived an evening of my life I thought was nothing more than history, the ultimatum from Victoria that she would only sign if I was no longer heading the team, the walk back to my apartment and discovering the break-in culminating in me packing what little I had left and coming home. 

As my mouth opened to counter her claim, the most bazaar sight came towards me. Lou-Lou walked down the path carrying a tray with glasses and a pitcher of lemonade, three floppy hats sat squarely on her head. The urge to laugh was close to overwhelming.

"Daddy, grandpa said you have visitors and I have to be on my best behavior. He says you have two women here and I was to bring them hats for the sun."

Both women looked toward the vision walking down the gravel path. Gretchen went to speak, Lou-Lou spoke first.

"I called Grandpa a liar, you and a woman in the same state would be hard to believe, let alone one on the farm." 

Victoria giggled and Lou-Lou came to an abrupt halt. She composed herself real quick, but not before I heard her say. "Oh shit."

The startled look on her face, as she heard her own words caused her to cuss once more before going bright red, clamping her mouth shut to prevent making a bigger fool of herself. Gretchen said something in that language again and Victoria looked towards me, it was clear she wished to state the obvious; I just wandered if she would.

Her voice cracked as she said but two words. "She's blind."

Lou-Lou zeroed in on Victoria's voice and resumed her walk towards us. Stopping at the table and placing the drinks upon it, pulled two of the three hats off and held them over the table. Gretchen took them from her, thanked her and placed one on Victoria and one on herself.

"Yes ma'am, have been since Sammy kicked me in the head when I was eight years old."

Victoria looked towards Lou-Lou, clearly confused by her answer. I guess her explanation wasn't enough. 

"Who is Sammy?"

By now, Lou-Lou had come around the table and started to fill glasses with lemonade. Gretchen once again spoke to Victoria in that language of theirs.

My daughter stopped filling a glass and said. "Ma'am you need to stop that, I'm blind not deaf. What you're doing is plain rude."

Gretchen went bright red and apologized. Looking towards Victoria for some kind of guidance, Victoria seemed to have regrouped and listened for Lou-Lou and where she sat. She smiled as she heard her sit next to me.

"I'm sorry my dear. Its habit for us, my friend and I use our home tongue when we don't want anyone to know what we are talking about. I admit, we use it far too often, you have my word we will not use it around you again."

Lou-Lou smiled. "Thank you."

"Will you tell me who Sammy is?"

A great sadness came to my daughter as she thought about Victoria's question and just how to answer her.

"Sammy was my horse, I was out riding him one day and a snake spooked him. I liked to think he was looking out for me when he reared up and tried to stomp on the thing. That's the last I knew, when I woke up my head was wrapped in bandages and daddy told me I had been in hospital nearly a week."

The sadness that swept over her even now made me hold her hand ever so tightly. My own daughter has had years to come to terms with what had happened, it didn't stop the feelings she had for the horse she loved so dearly, seeping from every pore in her body.

Lou-Lou was late returning from her morning ride, it had worried me. Sammy would never have allowed that to happen, so a friend and I went looking for her. When we found them, my world imploded.

We bandaged her up as best we could before carrying her to my horse and I rode back to the farm with my daughter in my arms. Dixon stayed with Sammy and waited until we could get more help to him. Our whole family closed ranks that day and for many weeks after that, it was left to me to explain that none of us knew what had happened until Dixon at the scene of the accident had worked it out from the tracks. 

The snake had already struck Sammy before he realized he was there, Sammy threw Lou-Lou off with the shock and as my daughter lay unconscious, the snake went for her.

That's when Sammy kicked out at Lou-Lou to put distance between her and the snake, even though he was dying, he rolled over and onto the snake killing it. 

By now my daughters head was resting on my shoulder. I felt her shudder as she once again listened to what her best friend had done to protect her, even when he was dying. 

By the time I looked up from my daughter, both Gretchen and Victoria looked so incredibly sad. Gretchen reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of tissues, pulled one off and handed the other to Victoria. Simultaneously they pulled their sunglasses up and wiped their eyes. Inwardly I smiled and kept the comment I was going to make, to myself.

Victoria pulled in a breath and said to Lou-Lou. "Stand up child and come here."

I felt my daughters body stiffen, when I looked at her she had that determined look on her face. The pause before she said anything, and the way her jaw tightened let me know that she was willing to slug it out with Victoria. She may be twelve but that never stopped her from telling us adults when she felt we were wrong. 

"Ma'am, I gather by your voice and the authority you place in it, you're used to getting your own way. Well on this farm you're plum out of luck, Grandpa owns it so I listen to him and daddy cos he's so cute. You either say 'please' or I ain't getting up." 

I was proud of my daughter when she stood up for herself and actually told Victoria about her lack of manners. 

What she said next made me stifle a laugh. "And where do you get off, calling me child all the time. I'll have you know I'm twelve, not two."

Gretchen smiled and said something in that language of theirs again. Lou-Lou quickly looked her way, making her shrink back slightly.

"I said you have spunk. We are raised with old country values and traditions; we have not been formally introduced to you, so we can't call you by your name."

Victoria nodded at her friend's explanation. My daughter seemed to relax when she understood what Gretchen had said, smiled once again, and then got up off the seat. The back of her hand followed the shape of the table; she stopped when she sensed Gretchen close by. 

"Please stand, Grandpa says I should shake hands with sighted people, but I always think that puts me at a disadvantage, don't you?"

Even as Gretchen stood placing her sunglasses on the table as she did so, I watched as Victoria smiled and gently nod her head. Gretchen then knelt so that she was now at the same height as Lou-Lou, who then held out her hands. Gretchen gently held them and placed them on her face, allowing my daughter to make a picture in her mind of the person she was talking to. Once satisfied with her mental image, her hands came away from Gretchen's face and she then held out one hand so they could also shake hands as well.

"Good afternoon. My name is Lou-Lou Ellington, you're the sighted one."

Gretchen blushed slightly and then smiled. Both hands slid from their grip and Gretchen gently held my daughters arm to guide her over to Victoria. Just as suddenly, my daughter pulled her arm away from Gretchen and once again stood her ground.

"Has daddy met your friend?"

Victoria quickly understood what Lou-Lou not only said, but meant. "We were introduced at the agency your father worked at."

"The way I hear it, you had a stick up your ass that day. So you never actually met my daddy, did you?" 

There seemed to be a conversation within a conversation, going on with these two and it was left to Gretchen and me to play catch up. Victoria stiffened at being told off by a twelve year old. She seemed to take it in her stride, though.

"My dear, I believe you are right."

With that, she held out her hands and after a momentary pause while I realized what she was planning to do, I held them, leaning across the table as I did so. At first, she was hesitant and as her finger tips made contact she seemed to take a sharp breath before she calmed, and continued her mental mapping off my face. Instinctively I closed my eyes, as her fingers moved across my face. Her perfume toyed with my senses, she sure smelled nice.

Finally, she moved her hands away and sat back on her seat, I moved back across the table and watched Gretchen once again hold my daughters arm, Victoria heard them close in and turned in her seat so both faced each other, handing Gretchen her sunglasses as she did so. Both took great care in building their own mental picture of each other before Lou-Lou faltered and stopped, her hands slowly dropped by her side before she once again held out one hand ready to shake with Victoria. 

"Lou-Lou Ellington, I'm pleased to meet you."

"Victoria van der Vaart." She paused for a moment.

"It's ok Lou-Lou, I'm not here to harm your father, but I do need answers."

My daughter simply stood in front of Victoria for a moment longer before she shrugged her shoulders and said. "I know."

She turned and started to follow the gravel path back to the house, paused for a moment and said. "Grandpa said to remind you that Dale is coming by in a couple of hours."

I watched her for a moment longer; she didn't wait for my answer, simply turned and continued to walk up the path to the house. There was something off about my daughter as she walked away, a sadness I hadn't seen in her, since I left for the city.

"Mr. Ellington."

Even as I once again returned my attention to Victoria, I caught Gretchen looking back from my daughter's slow walk up the path. That language passed between them again and I felt like an outsider, I was pissed and since I refused to be the outsider amongst these two, I stood and waved an arm towards the Hummer in the field. The roar of the engine was instant, movement followed barely a second later. 

Victoria stood. "Mr. Ellington we have to talk."

Her voice carried with it a sense of urgency, as angry with them both, as I was, I chose to ignore it. 

"I believe our time is up, if you will excuse me, I have things to do. The fact that you choose to ignore what was asked of you both, from my father and a twelve year old and actually stick to a language we can all understand leaves me with little choice. Your ride is here, go home and leave me alone."

My father and I watched them leave from the porch. We could hear Lou-Lou in the kitchen singing to some song on the radio.

"She's cute. She's not done with you son, find out what she wants and sort it out with her. Connie is coming by later to take Lou-Lou back with her until you get done with that woman."

We could have argued about it, but both Connie and my father made sense. I grunted an agreement and we both went inside to eat. Dad watched the Hummer on the surveillance system leave the farm before he joined us at the table. 

 *******

It was two months before our paths crossed again. I got that feeling from time to time, that I was being watched; it didn't bother me all that much since no laws had been broken. NASCAR was in town, the preliminaries were on and I sat watching, making notes and jotting down times when someone sat next to me. Gretchen smiled, and then watched the scene in front of her for awhile, the urge to ignore her was strong but the warning from my dad was stronger.

We sat for close to half an hour like this until she got up and left, she came back ten minutes later with two cups in a carryall, handed me one and held onto the other. With the noise of the cars, it was close to impossible to hold any form of conversation so neither of us initiated one. The free coffee tasted good though, half an hour later she got up and disappeared again, this time I watched her more closely and her ass sure looked tight in those jeans.

Being a male of the species, I was left to wonder if she was poured into them for a moment, before my attention was once again on track times. She came back with coffee and hot dogs for us both and when there was a pause in the activities on the racetrack we both tucked into them. It was still a full hour before the crowd that had gathered to watch and the people in the centre of the track started to pack up and leave for the day that the noise was once again at an acceptable level to hear each other.

"Are you interested in racing or are you here for another reason?"

Gretchen paused for a moment, watching the last remnants of the crowed leave before replying to my question.

"To be honest, up until today I hadn't realized this sort of thing went on. Can I come back tomorrow?"

Inwardly I smiled, before replying. "Tomorrows race day. It's sold out."

She turned to watch me for a moment and that smile just got bigger.

"I will make a bet with you. Tell me where you're seated and I will bring us hotdogs and coffee sometime during the race. If I do that, then dinner that evening is on you, if I don't then dinner's on me."

Even I had to admit I admired her determination, her smile faltered when I started to shake my head.

"I'm not a betting man, but I'm willing to go along with whatever you have in mind."

Pointing to the seat I had booked for race day, I added. "I'm with a couple of friends tomorrow and it's advisable not to stand in front of them when the race is on."

For a moment, her face remained neutral. A glint of a smile crossed her lips and quickly left again before she nodded her head and stood up. 

"The weather report says it's going to be a good day tomorrow. Do you mind if I make reservations at Gardinies? I do like the fish there and I get to dress up as well."

The small laugh that left my lips was only added to, when I shook my head in wonderment at her.

"You're assumption that you will win this so called bet, sounds like it's going to be real interesting tomorrow."

Gretchen smiled once more before she waved and left, with me watching that ass of hers once again. By late evening the so called bet was a distant memory, my two friends saw to that. To say I was a little frail the next morning would be considered an understatement; both the guys took pleasure in telling me that city life had made me a pussy. 




When The Stars Align Ch. 01



The bet was forgotten in favor of the hangover I was sporting, right up until lap thirty two of the race when two of the cars in the lead had a 'coming together'. What happened next, could only be put down to timing. As the safety car was deployed to give the marshals time to clear the track, three woman walked along the isle to our seats, the wolf whistles and cat calls from the surrounding guys made the two women behind Gretchen stick their chests out even further. Once Gretchen stopped in front of me the two women handed hot dogs and coffee to my friends who just starred at the two hot women standing in front of them. 

The activities on the track seemed to have taken a back seat for the moment, my friends accepted the food and drinks. They even blushed a little when both women leaned in, kissed them on the forehead and walked back along the seating amid more cat calls and wolf whistles before disappearing down one of the exits. Gretchen sat on my lap and handed me my hot dog, holding my coffee for me. Although both my friends had their mouths open, they weren't eating much.

"Hey slick, where have you been hiding this one?"

I still had a mouth full of hot dog, what the hell was I going to say. 

So Gretchen said. "I'm his sex toy. He usually keeps me locked in his bedroom and only lets me out when I beg nicely."

Both the guys roared with laughter. Me, I choked on my hot dog. Gretchen patted me on the back and as I came up for air she handed me my coffee, smiled as innocently as she could, which of course set both my friends and all those around me that heard Gretchen's comment, off once again. I decided that the inside of my coffee cup looked rather interesting right about then. 

I spotted her hand as she placed a piece of paper into my pocket, seconds before she stood, wished my friends a good day and walked down the seating, heading for the same exit the other two women disappeared through.

The safety car dipped back into the center of the track and the race was on once again, the noise level increased and all thought of conversation was put aside, in favor of the race. It was during one of the few other lulls in the race, that I pulled out the note Gretchen had left me.

'Reservations at Gardinies have been made for eight, I will be a fashionable five minutes late. My cell number is below if you change your mind about losing the bet, Gretchen.'

I looked up Gardinies when I got back home, I wouldn't get further than the door in jeans and t-shirt. Although dad watched me leave in a suit, he didn't say much, just smiled and shook his head.

Gretchen was a fashionably six minutes late, although she did say my watch was wrong. She was also right about dressing up, I watched as the waitress walked her to our table, oh boy. Her hair was set back and braided tight to her head, what make up she did have on only seemed to highlight her cheekbones. Yet her eyes shone, even more so when I stood. My mouth took a moment to work without being told to. 

Her dress was almost the same color as her eyes, it stopped at a safe distance between knee and ankle, curved in all the right places and clung to the parts of her that screamed 'I'm a woman in here' as Gretchen turned to hand the waitress her shawl, her dress revealed even more of her. Backless to almost the small of her back and clearly without a bra the front was doing well to hold her tits in and show the shape of them real well. To a guy, that dress was hot yet at the same time built for comfort in mind and to show off the woman wearing it.

She had the fish, I stuck to a steak. We talked about the race and my friends for a while. I even asked her how she managed to get a ticket at such a late date. That's when she gave me one of those all knowing smiles again and told me that Petterson's did a great deal of business with one of the race sponsors, so a phone call and a quick chat with a member of the family got her onto the list for race day. A word or two and a hefty bribe to a couple of the female hired to help, got her the two girls to keep my friends occupied while she did the more subtle approach. 

"Subtle? You sat on my lap and told my friends you were my sex toy."

The smile that came back and the flush of her cheeks made me pause to watch her.

"Yes I did didn't I, gosh I hadn't had so much fun in a while, although you have to admit, your standing amongst your friends went up a notch or two this afternoon."

Nodding my head in agreement was all I was willing to do. The rest of the evening we kept it light and even managed a few laughs. I was still waiting, trying to figure out what was her real purpose for being here and when she was going to drop that tidbit of information into the conversation. It was only when coffees were being served that she showed signs of agitation.

"I need to apologize to you and of course to Lou-Lou. You see for many years Victoria and I have used our home language to our advantage. Both of us use it to keep our conversations private. We know it annoys the board and most of the management at Petterson's but it's our way of keeping the world out and us in."

Gretchen watched as I put my coffee cup down, her face still showed so much uncertainty.

"You two pissed a lot of people off that day with that language thing, and despite repeated requests to stop doing it, you still chose not to. I accept your reasons and understand that you both need an edge over some of the people you do business with, but around real folks who mean you no ill will, you have to stop it."

It was Gretchen's turn to nod her head this time. The pause as she tried to work out how to say what was next on her list, took her a little longer. 

"Victoria still wants to talk to you. Will you come with me tomorrow?"

My father's words made me pause and think. Connie would want this settled either way, and Lou-Lou had to be my priority in all this.

"Where is she?"

The pause was momentary. "Boston."

I never did finish my coffee.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not going all the way to Boston for the day."

There was something in her eyes, desperation perhaps, I wasn't sure. She looked down at her cup and seemed to grow strength from it.

"Victoria can't leave Boston at the moment, its part of the reason why I'm here. Please come back with me, even if it's only for a few days."

There it was again, that something in her eyes that I just couldn't place. The way she held onto her cup made her knuckles white, even when I looked once again at Gretchen, I could see the anxiety build within her.

Nodding my head and saying. "Ok, but I have to be back home by Thursday, I have things I have to do, the rest I can play catch up on, but Thursday I can't miss, even for you or Victoria."

The relief she seemed to feel almost made her look like she deflated, her smile came back and Gretchen quickly talked logistics, in case I changed my mind. We both spotted her taxi pull up and for a moment I wasn't even sure she was going to leave in it, until I told her I would see her tomorrow. We stood and hugged and I watched her head back to her hotel.

 *******

I had never been in a private jet before. I must say, wow. Talk about express check-in and premier service. Oh, to be worth a few bucks. Gretchen was a fanatical conversationalist, until I sat her down and told her that I was on the plane. She didn't need to fill in the gaps because there were no in-flight movies. She gave me one of those wicked smiles and pushed one of the buttons on her seat, a screen slowly came down and the NASCAR race that we were both at, came on. 

During the lull in the race when the safety car came into effect, one of the camera people went looking amongst the crowd. He caught the whole scene with Gretchen and the two girls, even as I placed my head in my hands, all I could think of was that Connie knew and if she knew, so did dad and Lou-Lou. I sure had a lot of explaining to do when I got home, that was for sure. 

It seemed we had no sooner took off than we were back on the ground again, mind you, re-living the scene of the camera man zooming in on Gretchen, as she sat on my knee feeding me and handing me my drink did make for a topic of conversation between us. 

 *******

The limo dropped us off at the front of a four story brownstone building, Gretchen told me that my bag would be taken care of, and that was the last I'd see of it until later that evening. 

We strode into the block and were greeted by Victoria's security team, one of them I recognized. The elevator was a key only affair and took us straight to the top floor, on the way up Gretchen explained that the whole building was owned by the company. The first three floors were the head offices of Petterson's Jewelry Company. The top floor was where Victoria lived, I thought that was odd, but I kept my opinion to myself, for now. 

As we emerged from the lift we entered the day room, to the left were a bank of TV screens showing all sorts of information and computer terminals. A small open kitchen next to it with closed doors at intervals around the room. The furniture was minimal yet also plush, Victoria heard the lift open and walked towards it to meet us, avoiding all the furniture as she did so.

Lou-Lou had every room in dad's house mapped out in her head and unless you moved a piece of furniture she would never bump into it, it was clear to see Victoria had her own map. It was also clear to see, she lived her private life the way she furnished her apartment, very minimalist. Her hair held back in a loose pony tail, her tits swung in the UCLA Tee shirt she was wearing and the shorts showed a pair of legs that would make a model envious. 

"Doug, I'm so glad you decided to come back with Gretchen."

We hugged like old friends would and I found myself feeling uneasy about it, Victoria then walked towards a couch and asked me to sit, Gretchen walked over to the kitchen and started to make us all drinks.

"I hear you two made national TV."

Gretchen and I looked at each other, she shrugged her shoulders, I felt myself getting warm. 

Victoria giggled and said. "Well, I thought it was funny, it's a good thing Gretchen told me what she had done, before I heard about it from the board. The board of directors believed it showed us in a bad light, since I knew in advance, I killed the story before the board could make anything of it."

By now, Gretchen had made us all drinks and placed them on the coffee table, sitting across from us, she could still see I was slightly confused about Victoria's comment.

"At the moment Doug, there is a great deal of in-fighting amongst the board, most are board members from when Victoria's father ran the company. There are three things that they hate and are doing everything they can to rectify."

By now, I had held up my hand to stop Gretchen. "Wait a minute. This is board room stuff. I have no need to know any of this. I'm just a guy who lives on a farm. I did my stint in the big city; it didn't work out and now I'm back where I belong, which also leads me back to why I'm here in the first place." 

It was clear to see that there was more going on around here than I was being told. The way these two kept looking at each other was a dead giveaway, I was left to wonder if I was going to like what I was eventually going to be told.

Gretchen spoke in that language again. 

Victoria looked directly at her and said. "No Gretchen we agreed, in American or he will think we are hiding things from him."

This time Gretchen looked directly at me, her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed. I had seen that look before, she was sizing me up, it sure felt like the pause was slightly longer this time.

"Doug. We want something from you, we know you are a man of honor and you come from a family that counts its word amongst its highest values. Please Doug, give Victoria and I your word now that you will hear us out and that you will let us give you all the facts, before you decide on what you wish to do. If you agree to that, then no matter what you decide, we will both abide by it." 

Now, was one of those get up and pace moments and I sure took advantage of it. I think Victoria suspected I would and adjusted her seating position so her legs were now under her body as I did so.

"This isn't about why I left the agency anymore is it?"

Victoria shook her head before replying.

"If anything Doug it was the catalyst that started all this, but we can't say more until we have your word. I understand we are both placing you in a difficult position and I'm sorry but we just can't." 

It was clear to see that I wasn't going to get anything else out of them, so I shrugged my shoulders and sucked it up, although deep in the recesses of my mind I was preparing myself for the worst. Not even I was ready for what came next.

"Ok I give you my word that I will stick around, not fly off the handle, and try my best to behave like a gentleman throughout everything you two are about to tell me, until Thursday when I go back home."

Gretchen smiled and then burst into tears. Victoria leapt from her seat and went to her aid. I just stared at both of them not sure what to think anymore. 

It still took awhile before things calmed down enough, for either of them to say anything, Victoria told how her father had started Petterson's and groomed her brother to take over the company when he retired. Both were killed in a car accident in Italy, seven years ago, the board saw the power vacuum that was left and it caused an all out battle in the board room for total control of the company.

The real casualty of all this, was the company. The resulting loss of confidence caused an almost total collapse of the company, both Victoria and Gretchen were still at UCLA at the time when one of the members of the board came and asked Victoria to take over her father's position and become president of the company. Even though he warned her, what would happen if she did, he also told her what would happen to the company if she didn't.

Victoria believed she had no choice and left UCLA to take up her role as head of the board, the bitter boardroom battles that ensued, lasted close to a year but slowly she won one board member over at a time and Petterson's did once again, play a leading role amongst its competition.  

By now, Victoria seemed to have wound herself down and Gretchen seamlessly took over, she even did the pacing thing and I tried hard not to smile, or at least not get caught doing it. 

Petterson's has a mandatory retirement age. Three of the most hostile board members are now eight months away from it and it's only recently that their own long term strategy had come to light. For some years they had combined to force Victoria to deal with one problem after another, making her spend so much time resolving every issue that came along. It was those three that forced the vote within the board, causing them to refuse to once again sign up their regular ad agency in the hopes that Victoria would fail to find one that wasn't even remotely as good.

"Your old team are damn good at their job Doug, not one of them has left and all but one of their commercials has won awards."

I smiled when I looked towards Victoria and said. "I didn't lie when I said they were the best I had ever worked with."

She nodded her head and went back to her tale, Gretchen watched her and frowned as she spoke I started to wonder why. 

"My father inserted a rule, it was meant for my brother. He was a notorious womanizer and dad wanted him settled, since Petterson's is a family company my father insisted that everyone on the board should be married by the age of thirty. Since all of them were, they passed it anyway knowing it was only aimed at my brother."

The pause in the room as Victoria finished speaking left me wondering if I should have picked up on the intent she had placed on what she had said. My first thought, I instantly dismissed as stupid and waited for her to continue.

That stillness as no one said anything, each of us holding onto our own thoughts simply grew into an uncomfortable silence. 

Gretchen adjusted her seating before saying. "Victoria said that she would sign up your company if you removed yourself from the team. When our people turned up at the agency the next day you had resigned, that was not our intent. We wished you off the team, so we could offer you a job here at Petterson's."

Shrugging my shoulders was all I could think to do at first, but neither Gretchen nor Victoria would allow that, the silence that followed left my mind to wonder back to that evening and I explained what had happened on my journey back to my apartment only to discover the break-in. With my own decision made, I simply packed and went home, both smiled when I told them how I resigned and tossed the phone over the bridge.

"Would you come back if we asked you?"

Both Gretchen and I looked towards Victoria as she asked me that question. I suppose I pondered it for a moment and there seemed to be a flicker of something cross her face as she waited for my answer.

"To be honest, no. It was a boyhood dream and I was given the chance to live that dream, but I'm a full time father now and have responsibilities of my own. I did the big city thing with the intention of bringing Lou-Lou with me at a later date. Back then I thought her quality of life would be better. That's a mistake I won't ever make again, her quality of life is back home on the farm, surrounded by people who love her and will always protect her, yet allow her to be the great person she is."

The silence between the two of them seemed to stifle the room. I hadn't planned to say more, as usual my mouth ran away from me.

"I won't allow anyone to take advantage of Lou-Lou because she is blind. My family won't allow that either, my daughter has spirit and we intend to nurture that spirit within her. When she sets her mind on something, she is like a guided missile sometimes and admittedly that can become annoying, but she is all I have left from my marriage. If she grows up to be half the woman her mother was then I will know I did the right thing and left the city alone."

Gretchen tried to stifle a yawn. Victoria heard her and suggested we eat and all have an early night, I guess I didn't get to a have a say in the proceedings. As Victoria headed for the kitchen, Gretchen showed me to my room.

"Since this apartment only has two bedrooms, I'm bunking in with Victoria and you're in my room."

Well, that slowed me down some.

"Wait a minute, why don't I just book into a hotel?"

By now, Gretchen had scooped her arm into mine and guided me toward a closed door in the corner.

"Dearest Doug, you did agree to come and talk to Victoria and you can't do that from a hotel room. I seem to remember you promised to hear us out and since we haven't finished, that promise is still in effect." 

Guys mumble, women hear us but choose not to let us know they do, unless it's to their advantage that is. I had just finished telling myself and her, she would make a great lawyer.

As Gretchen opened the door to her room she said. "I am a lawyer, Victoria made sure I passed the bar before I joined her. I have exclusivity over one client."

My suitcase was already on the bed, I heard Gretchen tell me dinner would be in thirty minutes and that I was to freshen up, just before the door clicked shut and I was left in a room that was clearly a guest bedroom. Taking advantage of the amenities, I showered and changed into casuals, it seemed my version of casual sure wasn't theirs. Both wandered around in t-shirts and shorts for the rest for the evening. The conversation just drifted from one topic to another.

I figured this evening was only to put me at ease. The fact I'm sharing space with two women and a whole pile of bodyguards downstairs wasn't real conducive to my way of being put at ease, but they did their best. As the evening caught up with us all, I headed to bed, still unsure what I was doing here in the first place.




When The Stars Align Ch. 01



*******

As I sat in the day room, the darkness was a comfort to me. I held a glass of water in my hand as my mind wandered back over the conversations we had so far. I'm not even sure how long I sat there, when I heard the click of a door open. Victoria walked toward the kitchen, the oversized T-shirt doing little to hide the swing of her tits and she bent into the fridge to get the carton of milk. It was also clear to see she apparently went for the smooth look. Good manners made me look away. 

"Would you like something to drink Doug?" 

I should have been shocked that she even knew I was here but being around my own daughter made me understand how her other senses had seemed to have sharpened, as a result of her blindness. Thanking Victoria and then telling her I had water, she replaced the carton and joined me on the couch. 

"I heard you leave your room. Something is keeping you awake, anything I can help with?"

The thousand and one questions all seemed to come down to one in the end. "Why me?"

Victoria took a sip of her milk before placing it on the coffee table.

"If I'm not married within seven months I will lose my position on the board. Those three bastards will maneuver one of their own into the position of chairman and even though they no longer hold positions on the board, they will hold sway over what goes on. I can't allow that."

There it was again. That straight way she has of talking to people that too many would classify as rude. Around folks that I deal with, it cut straight to the chase and saved a heck of a lot of time.

"You're a rich, good looking woman. I'm just a guy who lives on a farm, the board will see through what you're doing before you can even sell it to them."

"Did you notice you didn't mention blind?"

It was my turn to look closely at her, now more confused than I was already.

"Just what the heck has that got to do with anything?"

Victoria gave a little giggle, we both heard the door to her room open and she then set about telling Gretchen what had been said so far as she passed us to grab the milk out of the fridge. The light showing me she was dressed in a t-shirt as well, although when she bent down rather than squat to replace the carton it showed Gretchen seemed to prefer trimmed rather than clean. My cheeks felt warm and again I turned away to concentrate on Victoria.

"Let me give you a brief rundown on my dating history. Since I left UCLA and sat on the board I have dated four times, by the time I had been on the fourth date, every member of the board had a dossier on them. Two thought it was neat dating a woman richer than them, it meant I picked up the tab. One tried to get his hand up my dress on the way back from the opera, seems he thought that since I was blind I must be begging for it. The last one forgot to tell his fiancé he was dating me at the same time as he was planning their wedding."

Victoria could barely contain the anger in her voice as she explained how one relationship after another crashed and burned and had to sit through the board telling her how her sordid affairs were dragging the good name of the company through the mud even though nothing ever got to print. It was soon after the last tragedy that she found her own work load increasing. She seemed to be putting out one fire after another until both Gretchen and she were practically living out of suitcases, always on the road.

"If it wasn't the fourteen hour days, it was the constant traveling. Gretchen figured things out and started snooping, when she came to me with proof, my first thoughts were really nasty. In retaliation, I started to delegate the workload amongst the rest of the boardroom. Of course the ensuing battles simply heaped time that could be spent actually looking for my life partner into more fourteen hour days."

Gretchen reached over and placed a hand on Victoria's arm to calm her down. Victoria in turn looked towards her friend and gently nodded to her, her other hand reached over to the coffee table picked up her glass and sipped her milk, she used the pause in conversation as another way of calming herself.

"That pretty much brings us up to date, with the breakdown in re-negotiations with our advertising agency, we cast the net out amongst those in the city. The famous three always seemed to find fault with every one of them, so Victoria and I came with the team that was to see your presentation. When the head of the team did everything he could to de-rail us using your company, Victoria sacked him. That's when your company phoned and asked for an appointment to talk to us."

"Hell, I thought I was having a bad day. Yours went on for years."

Both heads nodded in agreement. By now, Gretchen was snuggled close to Victoria both for comfort and warmth. The ease with which she asked her next question gave me a glimmer into her world.

"Tell me Doug, since my family insulated me in our homeland for ten years and when I came back, I went directly to UCLA. Once there, I didn't often go further than the sorority house, classes and the campus complex. I was pulled back to Boston, when I had barely graduated to fight practically every man on the board on everything from designs to dealing with mining companies and governments. When do I get time to find my soul mate?"

Victoria sipped from her glass once again before she continued.

"I could place an ad in the lonely hearts column I suppose. 'Owner of a diamond company looking for life partner, mustn't be intimidated with the fact I'm worth more than they are and understanding when I'm not always home to cook you dinner. Deemed 'ok' looking for a blind girl, and have all the right bumps and holes in all the right places.' Yes, I can see that working don't you?"

I laughed. I genuinely laughed at her description, Both of them simply smiled and held each other a little tighter for a moment before calm once again settled in the room. It was also time to play a hunch.

"Show me the file you have on me."

Gretchen stiffened, Victoria seemed to have expected my request and told Gretchen where it was. She stood and walked over to a desk by one of the monitors constantly feeding out numbers across the screen, reached into one of the drawers and came back with a file two inches thick and placed it on the table directly in front of me. My hand went to it before Victoria's words stopped me. 

"It will serve no purpose unless you can read Braille." 

The temptation to remind them both that I have a blind daughter was real; when Lou-Lou sat down to learn Braille I was sat right next to her, so for the next twenty minutes I read about my life with my finger tips. After a while, I just closed the file and put it back on the table.

"I hope you didn't pay good money for this."

Gretchen's cheeks flushed. "That file was compiled by the best detective agency in Boston."

She watched me smile. "His in Boston, I live in Atlanta. What's my favorite food, do I shave daily or weekly, how many sexual partners have I had since Carol, what's the name of my first dog. All you have here are words and although most are factual they mean nothing, unless you know the person involved."

I still wanted to press home to both what I meant, perhaps I should have quit while I was ahead, but my mouth just kept going and I didn't see the trap I had set myself.

"It says here, I don't work. I'm my own boss; I have been since I came back from the city. I'm an independent and I have three of the biggest clients any man could wish for and although they are all in competition with each other, they know that the work I do for them never gets given to the competition. That's called trust, lady. I've never had to sign a confidentiality agreement. My word does that for me."

I was so wrapped up in my own opinion and pressing that point home that I just didn't see it coming, it's also why, I suspected, she does really well in the boardroom.

"The trouble with the both of you is that you have haven't been out in the real world, you have guys with suits and guns between you and the people that care about you. No wonder all your dates are assholes since there the only ones that would put up with that sort of shit."

That's when she blindsided me. I could use the excuse of, it was late and I was tired. Hell so were they and I still didn't see it coming.

"You have given me some valid points, Doug. So when you go back on Thursday, we shall come down on the following Saturday and stay for awhile, so please ask your father to pack the shotgun away."

Gretchen just looked at me with my mouth hanging open, not sure if I had heard Victoria correctly. The nod of her head telling me I had, it was only then I realized what I had done and asked myself what I was letting myself in for.

End of Chapter One.



When The Stars Align Ch. 02



(My thanks go to Linda62953. She did a great job of finding my mistakes and pointed out the errors in the story line that I missed.)




Sitting my father down and having a conversation about this with him, left him laughing so much, I'm sure they heard him in the next state.

"Dad, there is something else. As I left, Gretchen told me they are a package deal. If I agree to this, I not only get Victoria, Gretchen comes with her."

My father sat and thought about this for a moment and nodded his head, this time he didn't laugh.

"I suppose, given the amount of time those two have been together, the train wreck relationships that Victoria has had and the constant assault she has had to deal with in the boardroom, it would stand to reason they would seek comfort with each other, both physically and emotionally."

As I stood to make us drinks, my dad continued with his conversation. He told me he had noticed how close they were when they came to visit. The strange thing was that my father seemed to take all this in his stride. We even talked of the logistics of their visit as though it was the most natural thing to have the owner of one of the biggest diamond companies in the world come visit. 

"I must say, you seem to be taking this most bazaar of situations in your stride."

It wasn't until Dad had his drink in his hands that he spoke again, and what he said next made sense to me.

"Son we're Ellington's, we've had to deal with strange situations for generations. I'm not saying we're unique in that, but we have sure lasted longer than others have. Even if we discard generations of our history and concentrate on you, no one could foresee Carol dying in childbirth, or what happened to Lou-Lou. Yes I know you went wild for a while and frankly, I wanted to kill you myself a couple of times but your mother and Connie knew you would settle down." 

We both nodded our heads in agreement.

"I want Connie to keep Lou-Lou for awhile yet. This whole thing needs time dad, and to be honest, I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing. Carol was my life all through college. Then she gave me Lou-Lou and then left us both. Perhaps I'm floundering around and all this was meant to be, or I could be another of her train crash relationships. Hell, I've not even kissed the girl, yet she seems to think I'm the one."

My father listened to me rant and waited until I had finished. It was clear to me; he was holding his own thoughts in check by the way he held his cup so tightly.

"Lou-Lou told me she felt something the day she mapped Victoria's face. Blind people connect with other people on a different level son. I think my granddaughter knew before you both did, the outcome of you going to Boston. She told Connie you would be a changed man when you came back and hoped it was going to be for the better."

As my father spoke there seemed to be steeliness about him, he looked hard at me, almost to assess what he saw in front of him.

"Son, since Carol's death your dick has either been in your pants or you've had your hand wrapped around it and that ain't natural. If this.... this relationship is what you both or rather all three of you need, then grasp it with both hands. Victoria mapped your face. She has seen the real you. Not the one every sighted person sees and she's not shied away from him."

All I could do was nod my head. We talked the logistics of both Victoria's and Gretchen's arrival, he surprised me when he suggested we use the old house. When Mom and dad first got married, they lived in the old house behind the barn I had converted to a workshop. In reality, it was nothing more than a large cabin with two bedrooms. When I came onto the scene, mom insisted dad build out. Rather than that, he built her a new house and the old house became a place for guests.

The next day, dad organized a cleaning crew. A day and a half later, the place was spotless and smelling of all sorts of flowery stuff, we guys have never heard of. On my father's insistence, all of the furniture was placed in one corner. When Victoria gets here, we would spend an hour or so letting her tell us where she wanted the furniture, so she could make her own map as we went along. 

While the cleaning crews were busy, we set about digging a gravel path from the front door outwards, it split after twenty yards, one branch ended up at the front of my workshop and the other led to the front of dad's house. Connie came by and brought Lou-Lou with her, we held hands and walked over to the seat that my daughter had first met Victoria and Gretchen and I sat her down. 

It was one of the strangest 'honey we need to talk' moments I had ever had with my daughter. And one of those times I found out, she sure had Carol's genes. When I had finished explaining my trip to Boston and what all three of us talked about when I was there, Lou-Lou simply sat and pondered for a moment.

"You know, this kinda reminds me of an arranged marriage, only with an Ellington twist to it."

We both smiled and then a thought struck me, something that dad had said and something I had seen my own daughter do.

"Honey, you mapped Victoria's face. When you did that, I noticed that you frowned for a moment, you felt something."

At first, my daughter tried to brush my question away, but I kept at her.

"It was just a feeling dad. For a rich girl she sure is lonely. Grandpa told me that she came here with men with guns to protect her, I know rich folks do that sometimes, yet when I mapped her face their was a sadness about her."

Lou-Lou reached out her hands and I held them in mine as she squeezed them.

"Remember last summer you took me fishing down by the creek. We sat all day and talked. Just as we were fixin' to leave, that catfish pulled on your line. You took close to half and hour to get that damn fish out of the creek. The line you used should have snapped, but you adjusted what you were doing to what needed to be done to get him."

My own daughter nailed her argument then and there.

"That's Victoria at the moment dad, she is scared and desperately lonely. In a world that men hate her and want her gone, she has no one but Gretchen and that's so dreadfully sad. Oh she will fight you, she will no doubt scream and shout at you, but I think in the back of her mind she has met her mate and now both your hearts and minds have to find a way to fit together."

As I pondered what she had said, Lou-Lou never let go of my hands. When I told her that for a twelve year old she sure spoke better sense than most of us adults, she just shrugged her shoulders and said she was her mother's daughter. As my body moved to hug her, my cell phone rang. Gretchen was telling me that everything was set for their departure tomorrow and they would be at the airport around three that afternoon. I handed Lou-Lou my cell so she could talk to Gretchen while I went to talk to my dad.

They were still deep in conversation when I returned ten minutes later. Lou-Lou handed me my cell back and walked back to the house. As I talked to Gretchen, I watched my daughter. Was it me or did my own daughter walk with a bounce in her step now?

"So, we have a cabin all to ourselves?"

"We moved all the furniture to one side and once Victoria decides where she wants stuff put, we can call it home. How long are you two going to be here?"

The giggle that followed let me know ahead of time that I was going to like her answer.

"Victoria is in a board meeting at the moment, she plans to drop the bomb at the end of the meeting. She has more than enough work for them all to keep them busy until the next meeting in six weeks time; she is slowly learning the meaning of the word 'delegation' so I'd better go and get ready to pry her out of the board room when the shouting starts." 

We said our goodbyes, dad, and I went back to putting some finishing touches to the cabin. Connie came back later that day with towels and bedding. We both looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders; she just said 'men' as she set about making the beds with Lou-Lou's help, both were gone an hour later.

 *******

I watched her plane land; it still took another twenty minutes of hugs and putting bags into the car before they were ready to leave. The suit I knew as Marcus detached himself from the other two bodyguards and handed me a piece of paper. He explained that he had argued with both Victoria and Gretchen about leaving them both unguarded and had been over ruled, the number was a direct line to him and I was to use it anytime, day or night.

"I can have people here within the hour. Other than that, I wish all three of you a pleasant holiday."

Neither one of us were dumb. Boston is more than an hour by plane, so he had people closer than that on stand-by. Strangely enough, I liked the guy, so I said I would keep it close by if I needed it. He seemed to relax a little and we shook on it, before he turned to the girls and told them that he expected them to keep in touch, even if it's only by post card.

Dad and Lou-Lou were waiting on the porch when we got back. Connie wandered out of the house as the car came to a stop. Everyone was formally introduced and we all set about sorting the furniture. Both dad and I watched a strange bond start to develop between Victoria and Lou-Lou. 

As furniture was being placed, my daughter would occasionally recommend an alternative, both would walk from the item they were next to and mentally map it. It would then be moved and inch or two either way or discarded for something more practical and once again would use there own starting point before both would agree.

The hour time frame turned into three before Victoria and Lou-Lou were happy with the outcome. With one more trial run from the door with neither of them banging into anything and me left in wonder as to how they did it, both announced the furniture was in all the right places. The few bits that remained were put out on the porch to be taken away later.

When I had returned, Victoria and Lou-Lou sat at one end of the couch deep in conversation. Gretchen pointed to the coffee pot on the cooker and joined the other two on the couch. By the time I had my coffee, there was a knock at the door and Connie entered. She scanned the room and once she spotted Lou-Lou, reminded her that they had dinner to cook before her husband came home and disowned her for being a bad wife. They would be leaving in ten minutes. 

My daughter giggled and then hugged Victoria, stood and turned to Gretchen, waited for her to stand and hugged her as well. Her head turned in my direction and she gave me one of those smiles that said I couldn't hide from her. We both walked back to the house, Connie and dad were waiting by her car both deep in a very animated conversation with each other. Lou-Lou heard my dad use the name Dixon before they both noticed us approach. My daughter gave a squeal of delight that her friend was coming to visit. 

My sister managed to get my smiling daughter into the car, the hug and kiss goodbye were genuine. Once the car was out of sight, I turned on my dad.

"Want to explain or do you want me to wait until Dixon gets here and I ask him?"

My father was already headed back into the house; the temptation to follow him was close to overwhelming.

"Is something wrong?"

Spinning around to see both the girls on the gravel path and not even hearing them approach worried me a little. I'm sure the taking of a deep breath didn't go unnoticed.

"Not that I know of."

Squeezing myself between both girls I asked them if the would like a small tour of the place. Both accepted with glee and we wandered around. I explained to Victoria that the gravel paths only went from the main house to the seating area we had our first sit down talk, although it did branch about half way and went to the stables, while the other branch went down to the creek. 

The path from the cabin went to the main house and my workshop, both said the creek in unison and I smiled while I shrugged my shoulders, thinking that this was something I was going to have to get used too. No sooner had we got there, than Gretchen said two words in that language of theirs and then seamlessly changed back and set about describing the scene in front of us.

"Oh Victoria, we are going to love this place, they have a boarded area directly from the edge of the gravel path. It extends out over the creek by twenty foot by about thirty wide and sits three feet over the top of the creek. We can sunbathe out here. The creek looks to be about thirty meters wide at this point although it does drop further down. Plenty of trees so we won't burn and lots of areas we can sunbathe and relax."

Even as Gretchen was finishing up describing what was in front of her, Victoria was already taking her sneakers off and pulling her jeans down. Gretchen simply watched for a moment and then shrugged as she followed suit. They were down to their underwear by the time she had finished explaining more details of there surroundings. Victoria held out her arm and both walked to the edge of the platform, sat down and sighed as their feet sank into the water.

We watched as Victoria closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the warmth of the sun. The smile was real and her whole body finally relaxed for the first time since she got here. It was a good ten minutes before anyone spoke again. It seems that Victoria's determination for this to work came to the fore when she did say something.

"Your favorite food is Chicken Caesar Salad. You developed a taste for it at one of those fancy restaurants and whenever you go to any restaurant that has it on the menu that's what you have, other than that, you have steak. You shave on a daily basis, the only change to that is when you're troubled, in which case you don't shave at all."

By now Gretchen had turned to me and shrugged her shoulders, it was apparent that Victoria had found all this out from someone and I could well hazard a guess who. 

"You haven't had a sexual partner since Carol died and for many months after her death the only women that could even talk to you, were female members of your own family. You had a dog once, your father gave you one and he bit you. That same day you gave the dog back to your father and never had one since."



The shocked look that Gretchen gave me, made me blush.

"You haven't been intimate with anyone since your wife died?"

I'm sure the flush to my cheeks was noticeable.

"Your new source of information, aka my daughter, has had limited success. You don't actually think I'm going to discus who I date with my daughter do you?"

Both stayed silent, waiting for me to fill the void with answers. At first, I was reluctant to re-visit that part of my life, the years may have continued, but that never stopped the pain, eased it a little perhaps. However, the emptiness that was my life back then was never going to be filled, because my priority was always going to be my daughter. 

Slowly my thoughts turned to words as I explained that the sudden death of Carol took us all by surprise. It also seemed in times of crises, women can be more resilient than men. Mom and dad took care of the funeral arrangements and between mom and Connie; they took care of Lou-Lou. It took me a great deal of time to bond with my daughter; I didn't hate her, far from it. But I couldn't look at Lou-Lou without seeing Carol and the cycle of despair, the sheer hopelessness of the situation would once again surface.

Six months after her birth, I turned up at Connie's and asked for my daughter back. The months and indeed years that followed have been what every parent has experienced with their children. The day of Lou-Lou's accident brought home to me the tenuous link I had left with Carol, and any thought I had of ever dating again, was removed from my thoughts.

 *******

We must have spent close to an hour sitting by the creek with our feet in the water before I reminded them both; none of us had sun block on. My shirt got used as a towel and we all headed back to the cabin. 

It was Gretchen that broke the silent walk back. "How did you end up in the city?"

"I was ganged up on. Dad and I were at the feed store; Cassidy Miller was a school friend of Carols and mine. She walked right up to me in the middle of the store and demanded a date. She even told me to my face that she expected dinner and dancing, lots of slow dancing. I turned her down and she went bright red, slapped me and stormed out of the store."

Both had the same look that Cassidy had so I knew they sympathized with her.

"Dad said nothing all the way home. The next morning Mom, Dad and Connie sat at the kitchen table. Dad told me that I had been living like a hermit for far too long and I needed to snap out of it. The language that ensued would have made a sailor proud. Dad gave me a name of a lawyer he knew in the city. He told me to get my life back and start living again because he was fed up of seeing me existing, rather than living."

Even though I had read most of what happened next in Victoria's PI report I gave her the 'me' version. My parting words to my parents were, 'that I was going to make a success in the city and came back for my daughter.' Leaving her was the hardest thing I had done, since watching her mother's casket being lowered to her final resting place. Dad's lawyer friend found me a place to live and I started on the ground floor for the agency a week later.

Since I had no life or any friends, I was soon racking up the hours at the agency and started to get noticed. My ideas were being listened to and a couple of promotions later saw me with the Petterson's account landing on my desk.

"I also feel I should dispel the thoughts you're both still having. Six months after I moved into my apartment block, Marsha came into my world. She was only interested in a 'friends with benefits' relationship since she was still working her way up the promotions ladder as well. Neither one of us had time to go looking, so when we did meet up; we never saw the need to leave my apartment."

Although I was expecting some sort of question and answer session, nothing was said on the subject. It was clear to see from the look on Gretchen's face that she fully intended to take her PI to task when they both returned to Boston. While I was making us all drinks, both the girls disappeared into one of the bedrooms and came out five minutes later in what seemed to be their standard casual wear, an oversized UCLA T-shirt and nothing else. Victoria's orientation of the room was amazing to watch as she chatted to Gretchen while walking over to the couch.

"We have a problem, Gretchen and I are willing to accept that we can't do anything about it tonight, but in the morning things will have to change."

You can imagine the things that skipped through my head and in what order. What came out of Gretchen's mouth next had me doubled up and crying with laughter.

"The bed's too small; we need a bigger bed since all three of us are going to be sleeping together."

Both sat and waited for me to calm down a little, well a lot to be honest, since I seemed to have stunned them with my answer.

"Doug we understood your reluctance back in Boston, it's another reason why we gladly came here. Nevertheless, you are not sleeping away from either of us and you are not taking us individually to your bed. I get the piece of paper saying I'm your wife, but we get a ring each because in our eyes all three of us are married to each other."

Even as I wiped the laughter tears from my eyes and digested what Victoria had just said, it was plain to see that they had thought long and hard about this. It was just a shame they never told me their thoughts back in Boston. The devil in me wanted to test this theory.




When The Stars Align Ch. 02



"Am I going to start finding nylons hanging in the bathroom from now on?"

"Only if you want us to, Gretchen and I usually wear dresses or business suits, although I can see us both going to town for a whole new wardrobe while we are here, we can add nylons to the list if you wish."

I knew I was being baited for an answer and quickly moved onto my next question.

"Do either of you snore?"

It seemed it was once again Gretchen's turn to answer. "No we don't, we got curious once and taped ourselves. A few mumbles and a cough now and then but no snoring. You on the other hand will find yourself being pushed onto your side a couple of time a night since you do, and before you try and deny it, we heard you back in Boston when we started work and left you to sleep in."

This was starting to feel like a game of truth or dare.

"So what happens when you get your monthly visit, do you both get crabby?" 

Gretchen was quick to reply. "I get cramps and I feel like shit for a few days, once it's over, I get super horny for two days and then calm down. Victoria and I are a week apart, her birth control is different to mine, it had to be because she always went straight to bitch for a week and was hell to live with. Now she just bleeds heavy for three days and then gets super horny."

You know, there are times I just should have kept my mouth shut, this was one of them. Both wore one of those 'that will teach you for asking' smirks.

Victoria yawned and I realized just how long their day had been so far. They were right of course; the bed was fine as a double but tight for three adults.

"You can get those off as well."

I was in my shorts, turning around and being greeted with the sight of two very hot women totally naked, their t-shirts now draped over the corner of the bed. This left me in little doubt they wanted to establish their own rules and right from the beginning of this relationship. It seemed pointless trying to hide my erection so I didn't; both the girls felt it rub up against them as we all tried to make ourselves comfortable.

The strangest thing was, that night, I slept more peacefully than I had since Carol's death. I was so used to waking in the middle of the night, be it for a drink of water or even to sit and watch the walls for an hour while I chased away the nightmares that had became second nature to me. This morning I woke with my hand cupping Victoria's breast, it was obvious to me by her breathing that she was awake. She made it obvious to me that she knew I was when she pushed her ass back into my groin.

"I know as my future husband you have first dibs on these, but do you realize how long you have been playing with that one. That hard on you were sporting when you came to bed may have dozed off when you did but it soon woke up and spent the rest of the night bumping into places Gretchen and I would dearly like to have it."

Victoria placed her hand on my hip and said. "Doug we understand and will wait for you. But please hurry."

I'm so glad she couldn't see the flush of my cheeks. "We need a bigger bed."

She gently patted my hip once again; a small giggle left her lips.

"Yes honey, we do."

 *******

We decided to hit the town with just a cup of coffee in us; we would swing by the diner and discus the game plan while we had breakfast. They seemed to have two priorities, clothes and a bigger bed. Other than that, it was an orientation of the town and back to the farm.

Ever been shopping with two women on a clothes hunt? It's bad enough when I'm clothes shopping for my daughter, but this just got plain ugly. They were both insistent on boots and Stetsons and paraded up and down the shop wearing various colors and designs, I did tell them both that if they let out one single yee-haw I was going to get up and leave them there. When Victoria asked the cashier were she could buy some chewing tobacco, I hauled her ass out of that shop before he could answer her. 

So five hours later and the back of my truck full of bags of clothes, we headed home. Both the girls were chatting so much that it took them until the gates to the farm to realize something.

"Wait we haven't shopped for a bigger bed." 

As luck would have it, the van from Bernie's Beds passed us on the way out. Cody gave me a wave as he passed and Gretchen was frantically explaining what had just passed us to Victoria who then burst out laughing. 

"Let me guess, it was when we were giving you a trial run of Victoria's Secret new line in Basque's?"

Both girls giggled as they remembered me getting up and leaving the shop after the second time they both came out of the changing rooms wearing one each and asked if their asses looked big in these. 

"You girls are just not safe let out on your own, you're even worse with a guy present."

By the time we had parked and walked in the front door of the cabin, my father was walking out of the bedroom with a few tools in his hand.

"Your new bed kinda looked a bit flimsy in places, so I've added some supports to take the punishment. I left the sheets and stuff on the bed, so it ain't been made yet."

I felt the heat rising up my neck and attach itself to my ears, the small smile on dads face let him know he had struck a cord with what he was really saying, but this was my father and that's never stopped him coming out and saying it anyway.

"Son you have two very healthy and sexed up women standing next to you and judging by the state you left the last bed in, you best get a move on. Those two ain't going to wait forever."

The flush on my cheeks was one of anger that he was once again interfering with my life. The silence was broken in the most unusual way.

My dad said one word. "Victoria."

It took barely a moment for her to answer. "Plan A was to leave him to get comfortable with the situation and continue to let him know that we both love him and wanted this. That lasted all of one night when that hardness of his kept bumping into both of us all night, we switched to plan B, which was to give it another couple of days and if he hadn't come around we were going to lube up and slide on." 

I spun round open mouthed, when I heard what she had said. Both seemed to be standing just a little closer to each other now. 

"So you both planned to take advantage of me."

Gretchen's hand inched towards Victoria's, there fingers interlocked.

"Honey, taking advantage of you is such a nasty way of putting it. We prefer to think we were helping you make a final choice and the right choice when you made it."

Gretchen's voice grew in confidence as she continued. Victoria just tightened her grip to let her friend know she was in complete agreement with everything she had said so far.

"You told us you hadn't slept so soundly in many years. Well, we were wide-awake most of the night with your cock being pushed into one or the other of us and both of us praying that you would slip up and slide in. Trust me when I tell you, you would have slid in, both of us were so wet and up for it that if you had started it, you would have been a drained heap by morning."

So there it was. Not arrogance, just a statement of intent. I won't say there were bells ringing, lights flashing and the girls covered in a 'come get me' aura. These two had started with an ulterior motive, to get Victoria married, somewhere along that journey they had discovered the human side of what they planned and both wanted it. I had never heard of a polyamory relationship until I had met these two and I truly doubt, they had either.

Their love for each other was willing to allow one more person into it. Both chose me and it was now time to decide what to do about it, I suppose even that small statement was wrong in some ways. The way they interacted today with each other and me, made my heart skip many a beat. This was the 'them' they were only willing to show the person they trusted the most. If this morning had shown me anything, it showed me that we fit, not in a coupling way, but as equals. 

I could feel, almost touch the bond they had for each other. The reason I could do that was because that same bond extended out and held me in its grasp. Every sentence that was started by one of us, was always was finished by another one of us. A small smile came to Victoria. She loosened her grasp of Gretchen's hand, walked up to me and gave me a hug, Gretchen followed suit.

Once Victoria pulled away, she looked at me. Her eyes may be dark to her but they held such light and shone so beautifully, these truly were the windows to her soul.

"I know you can feel it now. Gretchen and I are going to make the bed. Our clothes can stay in the truck for now, see you in a moment."

Both walked over to my dad wished him a good evening and kissed him on the cheek as they walked toward the bedroom.

"Shall we flip a coin to see who gets dibs on him first?"

"Hell no, you'd cheat on the blind girl."

"Are you saying I would ever cheat you?"

"Why not, I would."

As they both broke into laughter Victoria's blouse and Gretchen's t-shirt had already hit the floor before they had even gotten as far as the bedroom. My dad and I just stood and watched this and shook our heads.

We walked to the door of the cabin; my father turned to me and said. "Son if you're waiting for some sort of sign from Carol that what you're doing here is ok with her, then you'll have a long wait cos she's dead and has been for some time. It's time for you to stop being as dead as she is and start to live again. I'd say you have two very capable women ready to help you do that."

 *******

When I closed the door, my head rested on it. He was right and I hated it sometimes, but he was right. Carol had been a part of my growing into adult life and became my life all through college and what I thought was going to be the rest of my life. That was never meant to be, I felt myself sigh, Carol's parting gift to me was our daughter and I would love that girl right up until my last breath.

My life since the incident at the deli had changed dramatically. It brought me home and back into the arms of people I shouldn't have ever left just so I could fulfill a childhood dream of earning my fortune in the big city and whisking Lou-Lou away to a better life. Yet, it was just that incident, at the deli that brought about a better life. Initially three people's lives will change and as that change expands outward, it will start to affect other lives.

"Your father's right Doug. We could wait but we're not going to."

As I turned to watch two very naked women slowly walk toward me, the stirring in my pants started to give me away.

"The only things we offer are us and our love. On the surface they are words, but honey when they come from two women that only want you and for you to be happy those are the most powerful words on this planet."

They matched each other pace for pace, the fullness of Gretchen's breasts as she walked made them swing ever so slightly, her stomach was tight and her hips, although slightly wider than Victoria's were still breath taking. Her pubic hair was trimmed and shaped in what she told me later as a landing strip because the one guy in her life needed directions toward the fun bits. Gretchen's legs were firm and shaped, this girl spent time working out and I had seen the effort she put into doing just that back in Boston, when I walked past the gym they had in their apartment.

"Honey, the more time we spend with you, the more we know you are him. All we can do is show you on a daily basis that we both love you, there are no rules, other than you must take us both together the first time. If you wish us to sleep with you individually after that we will agree to it, but not the first time."

Both girls were now, almost half way across the day room; it was exquisite to watch them. They were a matching pair yet each an individual in there own right. Victoria's blonde hair was longer than Gretchen's brown. Her hair hung loose down her back. Her breasts were smaller than Gretchen's yet her areola were bigger and her nipples although not totally aroused had already changed to a deeper red and her nipples became thicker. Her stomach was as tight as Gretchen's and the clean area around her pubic bone left little doubt what was on display. 

"We are here and we are not going away, unless you specifically tell us to. We both know you're afraid. We were, when it finally hit us what we were planning. Come with us Doug, understand us and please love us, tenderly would be nice although we are both open to a little roughness as well."

They giggled at Victoria's attempt at humor and when I blushed, she must have sensed it because her hand came to my cheek and she smiled. 

"Even the blind girl can see through you Doug, always remember that. We are going into the bedroom now. I want you to take a shower and join us, we are going to share every secret we have about each other and in return we want every secret you have, ok?" 

I held her hand to my cheek and nodded my head; both girls had tears in their eyes and such big smiles on their faces to back them up. Once again, on some silent command one or the other gave, they turned and walked back to the bedroom as I watched. My eyes started at their shoulder blades and stopped at their asses, refusing all commands to move, until they disappeared into the bedroom. 

 *******

As I approached our room, I could already hear moaning. If the noises from this room hadn't made me hard, the sight in front of me sure would have. The scene had me rooted to the spot. Victoria was on her back and Gretchen was on top of her in a sixty-nine position. Gretchen was so engrossed in devouring Victoria's pussy that she didn't know I was there, until Victoria spoke.

"Oh good, you're here. I've been busy on your behalf and spent some time rimming Gretchen. She's about as pliable as she's going to get, so Doug, please stick your dick in her ass."

Gretchen visibly stiffened, yet her head remained buried in Victoria's clearly soaked pussy. The moan of expectant pleasure caused through her body was causing Victoria to arch her neck, desperate to bite back her own moan. I felt a small tug on my cock, Victoria's hand had wrapped itself around my cock and the distance between us diminished; there is something deeply erotic, watching with your own eyes as a woman placed your hardness directly at another woman's ass and knowing the outcome.

As my hands finally grasped Gretchen's hips her head came away from Vitoria and looked behind her, if the smile on her face hadn't made my cock twitch, then the flush over her upper body would most certainly do what happened next. My cock got harder and with a firm grip, I slowly inched my way into Gretchen's ass. 

Her whole body seemed to stiffen and relax at the same time, her moan gave her away again and then she hissed and I stopped and after a moment, she relaxed.

"Sorry, I've never had a real one in there, I thought I could take it all in one go. Please go gentle it's getting my body to adjust, that's taking the time, other than that I'm pleased to say you're a perfect fit and...."

I inched forward once again and she groaned, I heard her say 'that was nasty' to herself as her ass relaxed rather than clamped and by now, I was halfway in. Victoria spit on my cock and with a finger rubbed it around both Gretchen's anus and my cock and I just felt like another pint of blood had poured into my cock.

Gretchen yelped. "Vicky, stop whatever you're doing, I'm not sure how, but our husband has just gotten bigger." 

All Victoria could do was giggle and say, "Oh goody, I can't wait for my turn."

That comment earned her a slap across the pussy from Gretchen.

"Please stop. I need time to adjust and whatever this bitch is telling you to do, you can ignore as well. Only plastic and rubber dicks have been in both our asses, the real thing is taking me a moment to get used to."

Although Gretchen was being serious, I'm embarrassed to say, I actually thought it was funny. The giggle that came from underneath us proved to me that someone else thought so as well. My cock still throbbed and Gretchen's ass still clenched when it did, and at the moment, we were both at an impasse.

"Vicky honey this isn't going to work. He's bigger than our toys; I can't get our husband in any deeper. Please help me baby."

Instantly I felt Victoria shuffle slightly under Gretchen, within a second, a slow moan emanated from Gretchen as she slumped forward. I hadn't anticipated her movement and my cock slipped out an inch. From the sucking and slurping noises coming from underneath and the long moans from above, I don't think she had noticed. 

A hand went between my legs and held my ass. When Victoria heard the right moan from Gretchen, she would gently push my ass to let me know when to push in a little more. I quickly realized what she was listening for and adjusted my inward movements accordingly, soon her hand left my ass. Well, once she had a good long feel that is. 

Victoria seemed to put it to good use though, the squelching sounds that were now added to the sucking and slurping sound, told me poor Gretchen's pussy and clit were in for a sore time when all this was over, and then skin touched skin.

Gretchen's body once again tensed, she wriggled her ass a little and lifted her body so she could once again look at me.

"Vicky, he's in, I did it." The smile just kept getting bigger. "I'm his now honey, I have a husband and he's all the way in my ass."

Another giggle emanated from below us.

"I told you we should have butt plugged that scrawny ass of yours, so you would get used to this and we wouldn't have spent the last ten minutes breaking you in."

Both giggled, it still didn't stop the sound of a slap across Victoria's pussy and the gentle moan seconds later. Victoria used the pause in the activities to push cum from Gretchen's pussy up to my cock, instinct made me withdraw from her about an inch and she coated as much of me and Gretchen's ass as she could. 

She had slowly eased herself out from under Gretchen, I watched Victoria for a moment as she run her fingertips up the side of her friend, when her hand came to her hair she grabbed hold and pulled her head back. Both shared a kiss and Gretchen's pussy juices, my cock twitched in her ass and Gretchen giggled as their kiss ended.

"Our husband likes the show we're putting on for him."

"You know he's going to fuck the shit out of you now, don't you?"

Even as Gretchen nodded her head at Victoria she turned to look at me, there was something. I truly wish I could explain it, sadness, and a conflict within her perhaps I'm just not sure. The one thing I was sure about was this wasn't going any further, I held her more firmly and started to pull out.

"Stop, please stop. I see it in your face; please leave it there while we explain."

She didn't even give me a chance to answer her.

"We never explained this to you and we should have, but after what your father told you this evening, we wanted you before you could have second thoughts. We are all realists here. Vicky will get the ring I will never be allowed to wear mine in public as long as I'm Victoria's companion, lawyer and the board sits. We will make love tonight, loads of love but it's important to me and Vicky that you have our asses first."

Victoria grasped Gretchen's hand as we both listened to Gretchen. 

"Call it a mental state of mind if you wish. We are not slaves and you taking our asses first don't make us such. But all three of us will know, we gave ourselves to each other tonight, from now on, regardless of where we all are, Vicky and I will always feel you in our asses and know our husband put his dick in there first. Vicky will have a ring on her finger, she will always feel that, but we will both have that feeling of you in our asses."




When The Stars Align Ch. 02



The fear was still there, from both of them this time.

"No, this is wrong and it's hurting you."

"Doug, please stop. As I said we should have spoken to you about this, trust me when I tell you that Vicky and I want and need this. I promise you on all that I hold dear, we will talk as soon as you have had both our asses, and we need this Doug, please."

To emphasize her point, her skin had once again touched my skin. She gave her ass a little wriggle and smiled. My first instinct was to pull out and leave the room, the fear on Victoria's face that I would do just that, held me there. I was never big on rules, common sense was always my guide and with my dick once again buried in Gretchen's ass, it seemed that common sense might have to be spelled out to these two.

"Listen to me, the both of you. Ok, so I'm stuck in Gretchen's ass and I will admit to feeling rather good about it, even though a part of me is still concerned about her discomfort. I will agree to go as far as what you two have planned for tonight, but that's it. We sit down and get ourselves on the same hymn sheet young ladies or the divorce comes before the wedding, do you get my drift?"

Two things seemed to happen in quick succession. First, I couldn't believe I had just admitted to myself that I would even marry Victoria and second, was Victoria throwing herself at me, sticking to me like glue and sobbing, as she thanked me. Gretchen gave a small grunt, as the movement in her ass was unexpected.

"Hey girlfriend, you can thank our husband when he's got his cock in your ass, as for now it's in mine so let him alone and come down here. I need desert while he's making himself at home back there."

Victoria laughed this time. We kissed and she whispered in my ear that she would feel me soon and couldn't wait. She then proceeded to kiss her way down my body, stopping at the connection I had with Gretchen, she seemed to spend some time licking her way around that and then up Gretchen's back. Just watching, let alone feeling all of that, made me twitch once again in her ass, she moaned, and her head came off the pillow.

"You have got to be kidding me, how can you keep growing?"

All three of us laughed. By now, Victoria was lying in front of Gretchen whose own hands had wrapped themselves around one of Victoria's breasts and she practically devoured it. Both moaned in unison. The wet sound came next and I instantly figured out why she was laying at that angle. Victoria had her fingers deep in Gretchen's pussy. She let me know this on a couple of occasions when she wrapped her juice soaked hand around my balls.

"Ok my husband, can we start off gentle, please? I just need my body to get used to you back there."

No sooner had she finished saying that, than her mouth opened wide once again and devoured Victoria's breast. Not a sentence seems to go by now that the words 'my husband' doesn't come out of either of their mouths. I just smiled; neither of them was looking at me, so I figured I could get away with a smile. In their minds and thoughts, I was just that. That conversation would still go ahead, it had to, we kept missing important parts, body language and even words for it not to.

Gretchen's own move backwards reminded me where I was and my hands once again held tight to her hips, the soft sigh and faint 'yes' just before her head once again bobbed up and down on and around Victoria's tits. I was still determined to go slow and easy and after maybe two or three minutes of making sure I only came away from her an inch or two, the little cries turned to moans and she began to push her ass back at me. 

I'm sure the distraction, caused by what Victoria was doing helped as well, judging by the little mewing sounds coming from her as her mouth broke free of one of her friends tits just long enough to go hunting for the other one. My concentration once again turned to Gretchen as she suddenly positioned her weight onto her elbows and then leaned down to kiss Victoria. The steady thrusts into her ass meant they missed the first time but connected as I pulled back once again. As Gretchen released her lip lock on Victoria, her hand gently rested on Gretchen's cheek.

"Isn't it so wicked when we have our husband in our ass?"

Gretchen moaned as I stopped fucking her ass and buried my cock as deep into her as I could. 

"Oh fuck honey; you are going to love this. I'm just so glad we waited for our husband to do this."

I picked up the pace a little and her head once again devoured one of Victoria's tits while her fingers pulled and twisted the other breast and nipple. A long steady muffled moan escaped seconds later. Gretchen was also using her own body to experiment as I thrust into her. At first, she would clench her ass as I pushed into her, the 'ouch' that followed made her change her mind and tried clenching as I pulled back. She must have liked it that way, because the 'oh fuck' that followed barely a second later sure made Victoria giggle once again.

"Has our husband found a hot spot in that skinny ass of yours Gretchen?"

Both laughed, the gentleman that I was, merely pushed deeper into her and kept that rhythm. Gretchen quickly picked up on the change of pace and rhythm and again attacked Victoria's tits. My mind quickly picked up the slight change in motion from Gretchen's ass as I thrust into her. The moan wasn't from what I was doing; it was Victoria trying as hard as she could to push as many fingers into her friend's pussy as she could. 

All semblance of anything other than carnal came to all three of us as the smell of sex interacted and attacked all our own senses. In her defense, Gretchen moved a hand away from Victoria's glorious tits and attacked her pussy with a vengeance. Victoria's body would arch at every thrust her friend made at trying to get not only more fingers into her, but deeper as well. 

Suddenly Gretchen let go of her friend, lifted herself off Victoria and arched her back as she cried out. "Oh God, oh my God, OH FUCKING SHIT!" 

Her entire body tightened as she had a huge orgasm. I felt her ass clamp down tight onto my cock, trying as best it could to rip it from my body and I began spurting cum deep into her ass. With one last effort Gretchen swung her hand and slapped Victoria hard across her pussy, the sound shook me for a moment and focused my attention on Victoria.

Her body arched one more time and she came, as her own hands instinctively moved to protect her abused pussy. Her body slowly assumed a fetal position right in front of Gretchen who, although still in the process of coming down from her own orgasm, moved her arms to hold onto her friend as her own orgasm devoured her. I waited until my cock was soft, before pulling out and lying down beside them both, the sound of wheezing like an old man became clear to us all and both girls giggled when they realized it was me.

How long were we all laying there? Who knows or even cared. It was Gretchen who eventually moved and moaned as she did, she kissed me and thanked me before turning her attention back to Victoria, who needed both our help to sit up and rest against the headboard, her tits still moved at an extraordinary rate as she pulled air into her lungs.

"Well, that was fun. Doug, honey neither of us is brave enough to suck you clean so could you please wash your cock before it's my turn."

I both smiled and shook my head at her comment, she had spent time rimming and sticking her tongue into Gretchen's ass to get her ready for me, but neither of the girls wanted to get me hard until I was clean. Women's Logic, you just have to admire it.

Even as I moved to sit up, I knew I had to say something and it had to be now.

"Victoria. Are you a pain junkie?"

Gretchen quickly looked at her friend and went to sit next to her. I held her wrist and stopped her, Gretchen watched it all and Victoria heard it all.

"Yes and no. Does it bother you?"

"Some yes. It's not in me to hit a woman, not even if she has a board around her neck saying take a swing at me, it's not going to happen Victoria."

"Even if I told you that whatever you do it will never hurt me?"

"Sorry Victoria, I don't give a shit. I'm not going to slap you around if that's all that gets you off."

The smile on both their faces got bigger.

"Thank you."

I replied with the only statement my now confused mind could think of.

"For what?"

Victoria reached out for me, I met her half way, holding onto her hands, and gently resting them back onto her lap, my own hands covered hers.

"Thank you for being you. I will admit to liking my sex rough sometimes, but it's not conditional for me to have an orgasm, tender can be just as pleasant honey."

"Then why?"

She paused for a moment while she thought how best to answer.

"I can only answer for this instant, Gretchen had a head start. She had our husband's cock in her ass, she wanted above all for us all to come, as close together as possible and she knew the easiest way to get me there. Remember Doug we are both different, the skinny ass over there lights up real fast and when you get her there you can keep her there all night."

Even my quick glance at Gretchen saw her cheeks flush with embarrassment, yet she still nodded at what her friend was saying. Victoria remained silent, that link that they have between each other seemed to have taken over because Gretchen spoke.

"The thing with Vickie is, that I can get three or at best four orgasms out of her before she passes out, she will literally pass out. The first time she did it I freaked."

Gretchen moved to place one of her hands over mine and Victoria's before she looked directly at me.

"It's an example of how different we are and how we like to be treated in the bedroom Doug. We will all be learning new things about each other, it's what people in relationships do, they learn and adapt."

Her smile grew.

"You just get to learn twice as much, because you have two wives now."

Both giggled and even I will admit to a small laugh. There was an honesty about these two that started with my time with them in Boston and it's never seemed to let up. Subtle hints were never their forte. Both started to lean over to my groin area and sniff, they even pulled that Yuk face after they had. I believed it was time for me to wash up, when I looked at both from the door they were hugging each other, their smiles a permanent fixture on their faces. 

I meant what I said to Victoria. If she needed someone to slap her, it would have to be Gretchen, my whole being said it was wrong to hurt a woman. It would be a deal breaker if they tried to change my opinion of that, but somehow I didn't think either of them would.

The thing about relationships, even marriage is that you meet your partner or in my case 'partners' half way and know that they would happily feel the same. I had the bare bones of a plan. I just hoped that Gretchen would catch on real quick because with Victoria's hearing, it would be impossible to pull her to one side and give her a heads up.

Gretchen had already started to warm Victoria up when I came back from the bathroom. Inwardly I smiled and shook my head at these two, they fit each other like a glove, they were the left to the others right and yet they both decided that I was going to be the middle of the three of us. Carol had been my world and I never looked beyond her until Lou-Lou arrived, that same feeling was within me now, with these two women. 

Until I had met Victoria and Gretchen, I had never heard of a poly family. If I had sat back and thought about it, the whole idea other than the carnal thought of two women in my bed at the same time, I would have never believed it would ever work. Yet seeing how these two acted around me, I just knew it would. We all had a vested interest in this and I didn't mean keeping Victoria on the board of directors. 

Mentally we have shifted our attitude to take this relationship to its conclusion and not a hint of jealousy had crept into it at any level. They may have had a head start when it came to their own bonding together but both took the time to wait for me, if they thought I was dragging behind. 

"Ah ha, well our husband as you can see, I opened her up for you, all that remains now, is to tie a plank to you so you don't fall into that fat ass of hers. Although I'm sure those child bearing hips of hers will catch you before you fall too far."

Victoria had to stop eating Gretchen because she was laughing so much, in retaliation Victoria lent back and pushed her pussy back onto Gretchen's face.

"Jealousy was never a good side of you Gretchen, but does my fat ass as you call it, have competition with those store bought tits of yours?"

Whatever Gretchen said in retaliation was missed to both of us since Victoria's pussy was still stuck to her mouth. Victoria did give a yelp and moved her pussy away from her.

"No dining out on the goods sweetie, I'll make you a snack later."

Both girls started to giggle again and all I could do was smile at them both. The interaction between them was something else, a warm feeling came to me then and I realized something. For the first time since Carol's death I was, content. Even as I sat on the edge of the bed and watched these two, I knew I was probably the luckiest man alive and for a second I was sad about that.

Victoria seemed to sense something and climbed off Gretchen; her arm swept the area she knew I was sitting and connected with my shoulder. Her hand gripped me tightly; Gretchen quickly picked up on the change of mood in the room and automatically reached out for my other shoulder, both finally sitting either side of me.

"Doug honey, are you ok?"

I nodded my head and then drew breath. 

"As I grew up I would never have imagined my life would be were it is now. I had a fun time in Boston and an even better time, here with you two. You both took a man who was doing nothing more than taking one day at a time and turned him into a married to two women type of guy and I would never have believed that to be possible."

Gretchen went to say something I had to put my finger to her lips. I knew what I had said so far to them may have sounded off so I needed to finish what I needed to say, before either of them interrupted me. She looked at me for such a long time before she slowly nodded her head and my finger left her lips but not before she kissed it as the pressure left her.

"I came out of the bathroom and watched you both for a moment and I felt content. Like I was supposed to be here with you both, and the moment I felt that, one of those profound moments occurred to me. I was home and that home included you both, it may be a day to early to say to you both that I love you, yet when I stood in the middle of this room and knowing you two were here with me, I simply couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be."

For such a long time silence ensued as both girls grasped what I had said and tried to think of an answer. It wasn't a competition for sentimental statements, I was asked and told both of them how I felt about them. They knew it was genuine because that warm feeling hadn't gone away and sure didn't intend to anytime soon. 

Both women leaned into me and rested their heads onto my shoulders; they were twins with the wavelength they were both on. I could only hope to attune myself to it. They both kissed my neck and the warm feeling grew within me adding to what was already in there. 

They even paused in their activities together for Victoria to say, "Doug honey, I understand what you're saying and you are after all playing catch up. Nevertheless, you're almost there honey and when you are, that's the Promised Land. You have two wives and both will love you unconditionally, we don't mind that you can't tell us yet that you love us. We're women, we have patience, and we can wait. Just remember the second those words leave your lips, we will be all over you like a rash so you may have to be careful where you say it, ok?"

The pause was momentary, the smile that grew should have warned me, and the words that she said to Gretchen just confused me. What happened next will live in that section of my mind known as fond memories, it seems since I've been with these two, that section of my mind just keeps growing.

"Gretchen, I think he needs headphones."

Instantly she giggled and adjusted her position, barely a second later, Victoria did the same. I quickly looked at both of them and checked there hands for a set of headphones, when Gretchen watched me do that she giggled again.

"Its ok honey, we have our own way of giving you a set of headphones, just lie down and relax. This comes with a guarantee; if the headphones don't work you get your money back."

Feeling even more confused I complied and moved to the middle of the bed as both the girls moved to stay either side of me and lay their heads next to my ear and what followed got me so hard, it actually hurt. Both set about whispering into either ear, their erotic thoughts, dreams and sexual wishes. My mind raced to listen to one or the other then both, my thoughts would build a picture from what they were saying and when my eyes closed, project that image for me to see.

Sweat started to form on my brow as both girls continued there assault on my mind, whispering their own wishes, hopes and pornographic dreams. I had already seen, touched and played with their naked form, my imagination had little work to do picturing them through those whispered moments. Just as quickly both girls stopped, the silence made me sad; it craved those images once again. My mind screamed into the silence demanding more. 

As my eyes opened both girls started again, as one finished a sentence, the other would continue. Eventually I had to close my eyes again as my mind raced over the words quietly building the most erotic picture in my head. My own closed eyes acting as a backdrop for those images to push my mind to even more pornographic heights, I could feel my heart race and my cheeks flush at the sexual secrets these two women whispered into each ear and just as quickly, it all stopped. 

A hand enveloped my cock and just held it; I could feel both girls move around the bed and then stop.

"Doug honey, its time to take your second wife."

A second later Gretchen's mouth descended over my cock, soaking it with her saliva. She wrapped her tongue around it several times making it as wet as she possibly could. Just as suddenly she stopped, the warm air challenging the wetness of my cock making it twitch.

"She's ready my husband and so are you."

Victoria was on all fours beside me, as I opened my eyes hers looked towards me and I felt just a twinge of sadness that the eyes that were dark to her could never see the love that looked back at her from mine.

"It's time Doug; I could lie and say I've waited a lifetime for this. But, I think you know I've wanted this since Boston, the difficulty we both had keeping our hands off you was immense, we don't have to do that anymore. You are our husband, so please be so kind as to perform your husbandly duties on this ass of mine."

"You say the most romantic things."

Gretchen giggled in the background and Victoria smiled before saying.

"What can I say? All that time at college reading all those bodice rippers may not have gone to waste after all. Don't you just love a college education? Now climb up here and be a little gentle my husband I want to make the same noises Gretchen made, please."

I defy any red-blooded male not to take up any woman, on an offer like that. As I took up my position behind Victoria, Gretchen knelt beside her, both hands on her ass. As soon as she had pulled Victoria's ass cheeks apart she spit on her rose and looked up at me, her face took on one of embarrassment.




When The Stars Align Ch. 02



"Not very lady like I know, we need to add KY to our shopping list, lots of KY to our shopping list."

Victoria started to laugh; she just couldn't help herself when she repeated what I had said moments earlier.

"You say the most romantic things."

The slap across Victoria's ass from Gretchen was playful more than painful.

"Oh, shut up and take it like a woman."

With that she guided my cock to Victoria's hole and withdrew her hand to rest once again of Victoria's ass cheek. Even when my cock touched her bud she stiffened, I waited for her to relax and started again, once again Gretchen spat on her friend, her finger rubbing her spit around both her friend's anus and the tip of my cock.

"Vickie you need to relax more, you're getting married and you're giving your ring to our husband."

I watched fascinated at what Gretchen was saying was having the desired affect on her friend. Victoria relaxed and caught me un-prepared, almost half the head of my cock had entered her before I had realized. The groan from Victoria stifled what she said, so she turned her head from the pillow and said,

"We needed more practice before we agreed to this, if our husband ever dares call himself Joe average in the cock department again, I will personally invest in a Braille tape measure to prove him wrong."

This time I couldn't help myself.

"Can't you just tell a married woman? She barely has a cock in her ass and already she's bitching about it."

That set both women off laughing, Victoria took the opportunity to push back and the bulbous head of my cock entered her, just as suddenly her laugh turned to a groan of pleasure as her anus shrank back hiding the head of my cock now inside her. Victoria paused and I did the same before looking up at Gretchen who was smiling back at me her eyes clearly showing signs of being close to tearing up.

"That's right. Gang up on the blind girl."

Gretchen's answer to that statement, she once again spit on Victoria's ass and used her finger to spread it around. The humor was still in the air but the task at hand took precedent for now and inch by inch between all three of us, my cock bottomed out in her ass. The sigh of relief was audible even though her face was buried deep into the pillow at the time.

Slowly Victoria raised herself onto all fours and once again groaned, she gave her ass a wriggle just to make sure her own body wasn't lying to her. The smile as she turned to face us, made us smile as well.

"Is there any chance you can leave that in there and come back tomorrow?"

The temptation to call her bluff was just too great, so I slowly started to pull out of her. Victoria immediately backed up and matched me shaking her head as I did.

"Since possession is nine tenths of the law, it's in me so therefore its mine."

It didn't take Gretchen or me long to figure out what Victoria was up to, so I held her hips and gently started to push into her. For a time, all I did was move back half an inch and push into her again. The invasion into her ass started to settle and her own body gave her away once again, as Victoria rested her head on the pillow and moaned. With so little movement on my part, I knew I could last awhile, but her body wanted more.

With every withdrawal from her ass, she pushed herself back. When I thrust forward, her little yelps and moans telling all in the room, she was enjoying herself and she wasn't the only one. The look of pure lust on Gretchen's face didn't go unnoticed, she got to see what was happening at the business end this time around and judging by the hardness of her nipples and flush covering her neck and threatening her cheeks it was plain to see, we would be doing this more often.

Every time Victoria opened her mouth she gasped, "Oh fuck... Oh, fuck... Oh Fuck!"

As our bodies forced each other together, she was close to her own orgasm. Victoria tried to adjust her position, to fend off her orgasm as long as she could so she could feed off every sensation ripping into her body for as long as she could. I held her in place, Gretchen watched as her friend tried to wriggle into another more comfortable position but my hands on her hips held her still. She looked up at me clearly confused and all I did was nod my head for her to move to another part of the bed.

It took three attempts at gesturing before she moved, still unsure as to why. The panting from Victoria meant she had but seconds before her own orgasm would take her from me, I gave her four more thrusts into her and then moved my arms around her waist. Her body lifted off the bed and her own body weight settled onto my cock as she screamed out her own orgasm. Victoria's own pussy now became exposed to Gretchen and the look she had on her face showed me she suddenly realized why I moved her.

Gretchen was like a starved woman to a meal. She just dove straight in and went to work on Victoria's cum soaked pussy sending her friend into another orgasm that had her screaming again. Her own hands held her friend to her pussy refusing to let the pleasure she had both in her ass and pussy go, her own body would try to sink down onto Gretchen's face only to know her limited movement with me in her ass.

She wriggled she tried to lean into her yet my arms around her and cock within her caused her frustration at her limited movement to retaliate by holding her friends head tighter and trying so desperately to force her head into her pussy. Victoria screamed one more time before her own orgasm frustrated at its own limited movement turned on her, her ass clamped down on my cock as I came for the second time that night into one of my wives ass's. 

Finally, she let go of Gretchen's head and her hands clamped themselves to her own tits, pushing them into her body and then releasing them, only to pull hard on her nipples forcing the true shape of her tits to look more like cones. Suddenly her whole body sagged, the only reason we knew she was still with us was the wheezing and the moan as my deflated cock left her ass. Gretchen took that opportunity to move out from under and I placed Victoria gently on the bed. 

Moments later Gretchen and I lay on either side of this glowing woman who could do nothing but wheeze and smile at the same time. Her hand touched Gretchen's hip and her finger tips followed the contours of her body until she felt her neck. Her whole hand rested on her jawbone Victoria's finger gently squeezed her friends head and then rested back onto her hip. Her other hand sought me out and once connected to my own hand gripped it even more tightly.

"If I knew being married would have been this much fun, you would have never have left Boston without the aid of a wheelchair, husband of ours."

All I could do was smile, as I leaned into her, kissed her ear and whispered that she was welcome. Sleep took her from us moments later; Gretchen reached over and touched my cheek. The warmth of her touch stirred something within me.

"I understand and when she wakes Vickie will too. The weight of her on your cock must have been intense, you said you would never slap her; you never told her you would do what you could and wrestle with your conscience later. For what its worth and I know you will tell us both the same soon, I love you husband of ours." 

Gretchen didn't let me dwell too much on answering, she simply smiled once again and snuggled into her friend who groaned and instinctively moved her arm to hold her. Gretchen followed her friend into the land of hopes and dreams minutes later judging by her regular breathing. I got up, took a shower, put on a pair of shorts, went, and sat on the porch for a while.

The stars seemed brighter this evening, I did wonder if that was down to a mood change or the weather. The cynic in me would say the weather. As my mind processed my thoughts, a little smile came to me, a smile I hadn't had since Carol was in my life. I'm married, not in the biblical sense maybe, to society what we had set out to do would be frowned on by many and if I were honest, one of my own eyebrows would rise in surprise if I had come across this with someone else.

A warm breeze picked up and gently brushed my face and a tear came to my eye. In that brief moment that that breeze touched me, nothing moved, there was no sound to herald the coming of that breeze, the plants didn't move and the trees kept their own vigil. I have never been a religious man, the only times I was ever in a church was for weddings, funerals, and social occasions to raise funds for the church in town. 

Yet my heart told me my father was wrong about one thing and as I sat back on that chair and quietly cried, I knew. "Thank you Carol, it means so much that you will let me do this. I love you baby, but I have to let you go now. I will kiss Lou-Lou for you; I promise, be at peace wife of mine and thank you."



End of Chapter Two.



When The Stars Align Ch. 03



 (My thanks go to Linda62953. She did a great job of finding my mistakes and pointed out the errors in the story line that I missed.)




The sun had just started to peak over the top of the mountains, the weight or rather the warmth on my lap a telling sign. Victoria was curled into my lap with a blanket covering both of us. She moved to get a little closer; my arms went around her nakedness and held her to me.

"I got up to go to the bathroom. When I couldn't find you, I woke Gretchen and she found you out here. You scared us both. Please don't do that again. Although you were asleep, Gretchen said you had a smile on your face and you looked content."

She still smelled of sex, even after all this time; I placed my nose to her hair and smelled her. The hardness that followed didn't faze me in the least. Victoria adjusted her position, and went fishing for an entrance into my shorts. Her hand wrapped itself around my cock.

"I have yet to be confident enough to do outdoor sex and other than Gretchen, I don't do audiences. Your father is coming down the path."

It was only when she finished speaking; I heard the gravel beneath his boots. Gretchen came out onto the porch just as dad got to the steps of the cabin; the blanket wrapped around her, a telling sign that she was naked beneath it.

"A good morning to you all, I'm heading into town do you need anything while I'm there?"

Gretchen mentioned that we needed more coffee and bacon but other than that, we wished him a pleasant journey and he left. The smell of breakfast followed Gretchen out of the door and I scooped Victoria up into my arms and carried her inside. The blanket never made it past the door despite Victoria trying to hold onto my hardness and the blanket at the same time, I guess it took mere seconds to decide her priorities. 

Breakfast carried us over to mid morning, neither of the girls wanted to get dressed and who was I to complain about that. I did manage to get them in the shower though. We made a discovery then, they're just not built for three adults. The girl's cunning plan of course was for me to take two showers. Someone had to wash their backs, sides, and well, all of their fronts of course. Nevertheless, I was under orders, what's a guy supposed to do in those situations.

A week seemed to slip by and other than swimming in the creek, we never traveled far, the girls made sure of that. Connie invited us all over for a cookout. I never realized the logistics of a cookout before. We had to make a trip into town for more groceries; the girls were adamant that they couldn't turn up at a cookout empty handed. Hell, what did I know, I usually just turned up. That comment alone, got me one of those looks from both the girls.

I trusted Connie and yet again, I was proven right in doing so. When we got there, the party was restricted to her family and ours. We knew there was time yet to introduce Victoria and Gretchen to the rest of the family. Tonight wasn't going to be that night. Lou-Lou stuck to Victoria like glue and not only acted as her arm but also her partner in crime. Dad and I could often hear laughter coming from the seats out by the barn. When girls get together, it usually spells trouble for us guys. Add to that, a daughter that knew too much and two wives hungry for that information and you could figure out my concerns.

The trip home was so full of innuendo that even dad got flustered and told them to cool it. At his age, he's likely to get a heart attack from the stuff coming from the back seat of the car.

"Son, you had better hurry up and marry these two. Judging from what's coming from the back seat your ass is already hanging out there. These two know more about you than any man should be comfortable with one wife knowing about him, let alone two."

That set both of them off. Laughter between the two ever so slightly drunk women filled the car for the rest of the journey. Dad helped me bring the girls in, placing Victoria onto the couch before he looked at both of them, shook his head and wished me luck and left. The morning found them both in bed and in each other's arms while I took the couch. The smell of coffee brought on the sound of the shower, the conversation and laughter between the two increased. 

When they exited the shower, I put breakfast on, ready for when they were dressed. That was a mistake. Both girls emerged from the bedroom with a towel wrapped around their hair and around their bodies. I managed to get a kiss from each before they said anything to me, the look they both gave me said enough.

"We woke up and it was clear you slept on the couch."

"If you're asking me if I regret it, then yes. I don't take advantage of women who have more than a little alcohol in them. Moreover, if you plan to do it again, then expect the same response. Don't get me wrong here, I don't begrudge you getting a little wasted; everyone is entitled once in awhile and with what you two have had to put up with over the years. It proved to me that you trusted us enough to take care of you when you did."

Judging by the smiles on their lips, it wasn't the answer they had expected. But, it sure took the wind out of their sails when they tried to get back to their original conversation.

"You're our husband, you should never sleep on the couch when one or both wives are in the cabin."

With breakfast now on the table, the conversation waited until we finished. Then it was Gretchen's turn to try another angle.

"Ok. We won't ever drink again or if we do either one of us stays sober or we drink in moderation. Neither of us is comfortable with you sleeping on the couch."

"Girls I'm not sure you understand my view on this. You two have a right to drink, I don't drink and haven't for some time, that doesn't mean you two have to stop. It's clear to see you don't drink all that often, judging by the amount you both had yesterday. You both clearly enjoyed yourself yesterday and as word spreads, I can guarantee you're going to be asked to more cookouts, just enjoy them and try not to get drunk."

Victoria seemed to take my meaning the wrong way. "We are not drunks."

"I never said you were, judging by the amount you had to drink, you both drink very little. All I'm saying is that around me, the farm and the family you can relax and know that none of us have a hidden agenda towards either of you."

I must have said something right because the towels parted and settled over the back of the chairs. They stayed there for the rest of the time we sat and talked. I did mention to the girls that I had to open the barn later in the afternoon because someone was coming by to pick up a part. That got us into the conversation of what I had been doing since I came back from the city.

"For some time our family have been on the periphery of NASCAR Racing. When I came back home I got back into it. I design specialized parts for cars, sometimes I will test parts the other race companies give me for efficiency and to make sure they don't do nasty stuff like blow up at full revs."

"So the day I came to see you at the track, it was business?"

Smiling as I remembered that day and the day after, Gretchen noticed and blushed, evidently figuring out why I was smiling so much. Victoria sat in silence for a moment, her brow creased and then she said.

"What else do you do?"

I paused before replying and regretted when I did. "I don't understand your question."

Victoria wasn't about to let this slide. "Yes you do, I sensed it. You chose your words carefully, meaning you do something else."

Gretchen had lived with Victoria long enough to place great trust in her friends instincts and shuffled her seat to sit next to her, waiting for me to explain. Perhaps it was time, this needed to be discussed between us sometime, I suppose now would be as good a time as any.

"To answer your question would take this conversation back some years, our family were ridge runners during the prohibition years. We were smart in as much as we never made the stuff, we just transported it and we were good at it as well. There are some back roads we used that even today aren't on maps."

Victoria sat and listened while Gretchen got up and made us all a drink. She could still hear us from the kitchen and I raised my voice slightly so she could do so comfortably. I went on to explain that the head of the family back then was Walter Ellington. He never had a college education but most called him street smart. He knew there was money to be made during the prohibition, just as those that quickly went about building stills to make moonshine.

Even deep in the woods, stills couldn't be moved and were sitting ducks. He knew the real money was in the transportation. Our folks had moved around the mountain ranges for years on horseback, often not seeing anyone else for days if not weeks. Walter got the family together and we became ridge runners. One of our cousins took Walter into the city and he bought a truck using a false name. As soon as he got the truck back, he kept it in the mountains, stripped it down and then went about making it ready for the mountains.

One truck led to two and then three. It got to the point that if you wanted your booze moved, you talked to Walter. He also knew that it wouldn't last. To him the business of moving booze during the prohibition era was a one off windfall that couldn't be left to others to take advantage of and as quick as they made money he squirreled it away. Buying land, getting each of the children in each of the Ellington families a better education, sending the eldest in the families off to college, it was as though he had a tick list in his head that would improve the whole family. 

Walter made sure that none of the Ellington's ever flaunted the money they made as ridge runners. They still worked farms, tended cattle and lived as if every cent was earned. He saw the end of prohibition two years before most of the others did and called a halt to the transportation of alcohol. Walter Ellington was the head of the family so what he said happened. By now, it was in our blood. Walter knew it and turned those in the family who couldn't let it go towards racing cars at county fairs. That was the early start that became NASCAR.

"The Ellington's have been in or amongst the scene ever since. Some of us became drivers, some like me liked to tinker and were happy just making them go faster. When I came back, I just picked up where I left off. Converting the barn into a workshop took the longest. I went to see some of the race companies and when they found out I was back, they shipped some of their problems to me." 

What followed was a deluge of questions from both of them, I answered as best I could although some I flat out refused to answer. Walter Ellington may have passed on generations ago but his rules regarding our past, still remained to this day. Just as his legacy of seeing to it that all the Ellington children of that era and for generations to come were taken care of, the strength of that legacy made us what we are today.

The questions became never ending, resigning myself to the fact that these women who were now a part of my life, needed a glimpse of it. I held both their hands to silence them and even that took awhile.

"Ok, ok I give in. Let me make a couple of calls. You two need to get dressed and I don't mean dresses. You're going to need jeans and shirts and none of them fancy bras either. I know you both have sports bras so get them out as well as boots. I'm sure I can beg borrow or steal the rest."

That set them both off once again, I just picked up my cell and walked out of the cabin and made some calls from my workshop. It was the only place quiet enough. As luck would have it, one of the NASCAR teams was doing a promotion day at the track, which came in real handy since it meant I wouldn't have to wait for one of their guys to pick up the part waiting for them, I could deliver it. I of course, leaned heavily on a few favors and got us in as guests. It was time to go and find the girls and let them know we would be leavening in an hour.

One of the teams mechanics met us at the security gate and hitched a ride back in. The team was hosting one of their major sponsors. I had a talk with a couple of people, twisted an arm or two, begged a little and smiled an awful lot. That alone got us into the courtesy tent with the sponsor. The girls went all conglomerate on me then and started networking. I found Phillip Ambridge III, the owners called him 'three', the rest of us called him Phil.

Phil had been team chief for the last eight very successful years and the owners kept their hands to themselves and simply took the praise for his efforts. Phil looked on it as a fare exchange of labor. By the time I had found him, Victoria was already deep in conversation with him. Her sense of being able to find the right person in a crowd was uncanny. Gretchen swooped in and whisked Victoria away while I spoke to Phil. At first he flat out refused, I knew this was going to cost me something and after awhile we struck a deal.

"Listen Doug, what worries me is the blind girl. I could get Max to take it easy on her and keep it under a hundred, I'm sure she wouldn't notice."

"That's where you're wrong Phil, you have to treat both girls the same or she will know. Don't ever treat her as dumb. It ain't worth it in the long run and you could well lose a fan if you try."

Even as we talked, he still watched her mingle with the sponsors. I was almost sure she sensed him watching her. In the end, I got him on my side and as the cars came in off the track, I was able to get the girls a ride. They were so hyped up that they jumped at the chance. The team brought out the two-seated version of the racing car. We kitted them both out and the team drivers took them onto the track.

I sat in the control booth and listened as the cars reached a hundred, both the girls had already started to scream on the way round. I nudged one of the tech guys and asked if he could tape this. He just smiled, slipped a tape into the machine, pressed record and told me to remind him, never to piss me off. By the time both cars had gotten up to a hundred and thirty, you could hear the girls screaming above the noise of the engine. 

The whole thing lasted three laps although I'm sure they both felt it was more than that. Phil and I both agreed that because of Victoria's blindness we needed to get her in first. The groan could clearly be heard from Gretchen when he radioed over to Benny that he needed to do another lap to give us time to get Victoria out of the car. The engine noise only increased slightly this time so it was fair to say that he was taking it easy on Gretchen.

As Max came to a stop in the pit, the mechanics automatically gave the car a check over, ready for the next volunteer. What none of us took into consideration was that Victoria's heightened senses could well be her own undoing. I managed to help Victoria out of her seat, she was a bit wobbly on her legs, her other instincts must have been working in overdrive throughout the three laps and it was only now she was finding her feet again. 

The weak smile didn't fool anyone, the sudden look of panic made a couple of us understand what was coming next. She pushed me to one side and threw up over one of the mechanics that wasn't quick enough to move out of the way. I waved one of the hospitality ladies over and she helped Victoria to the women's bathroom so she could 'freshen up'. 

Gretchen fared slightly better, as her car came to a stop alongside Victoria's she was already hitting the catch to release the safety harness. By the time I got to her, she ran past me, much to the amusement of the mechanics that now started to swarm around the car. She made it to the men's bathroom before she lost her breakfast. We all stood and waited apprehensively for her to exit. The round of applause when she came out through the door turned her beet red with embarrassment. 

She rode the applause well though and even milked it a little with a curtsy. Even the folks from the pit crew could see she took the jesting well and a few actually asked her if she was ok. I stood back and watched her, I had known it all along yet it was times like these that it could be seen more clearly. She wasn't afraid, she stood tall amongst a group of people that do this for a living and the curtsy was to show that whatever they could send her way she could deal with. 

The look she gave me when she managed to separate herself from the crowd, reminded me that it would serve me well to sleep with one eye open for the foreseeable future. The fact I was relaying to Victoria what Gretchen had done, and the applause only led to her doubling up laughing so much. Well at least it mellowed Gretchen's mood and both took the experience on the chin although I doubt either one would be so quick to volunteer ever again.

Phil came over, hugged both girls and said he hadn't laughed so much in some time as he escorted us to one of the tents for light refreshment. I didn't need to remind the girls that they now had empty stomachs so a light meal and plenty of liquids were in order before we left. The crew and even the drivers wandered up and joined us for a chat over the time we were there, most I knew and introduced them to Victoria and Gretchen. 

Apart from the slight sickness episode, both girls freely admitted that they enjoyed themselves although from now on it would be from the safety of a sponsor's tent or the stands.

I of course saved the best until last. On the way home, I slid the tape into the machine. The fight that ensued between the girls to get the tape out the machine and toss it out of the window was one of those, I wish I had a camera moments.

*******

Lou-Lou came over every day, the bond between all three girls made me smile and even I gave a quiet prayer of thanks that they liked each other. Some days my daughter would turn up and they would spend their time doing nothing but talking. Times like that I left them to it and either sat with my dad or worked on some unfinished stuff in my workshop. Other times, all three would insist I took them into town. The clothing shops were hit often while I went and hid in the diner across the street.

The girls still sunbathed down by the creek while I was working in the barn. I had already warned them that although I had cleared most of my work for their visit I still had a couple of bits that needed my time. Thankfully, they accepted that and I did make it up to them by offering to take them back to the track anytime they wished. I never did understand why I was met with silence at that offer.

It was when I was closing up the barn that my world was pulled back to reality. A horse and rider came around the side of the barn. It was the first time I had seen Dixon since Lou-Lou's accident. He climbed down from his horse, tied her up and walked into the barn; I looked around once and then followed him. Dixon started one of the machines and motioned that I stand next to him, what he told me next made me angry and confused at the same time.

"I know you have some tough decisions to make Doug, I will come by tomorrow for an answer. I'm sorry, truly I am."

"Does dad know?"

Dixon nodded his head; I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. My father was after all, the head of the family just as I knew he could have made the decision himself. Yet he chose not to interfere in our lives and I knew what had to be done now. I just had to figure out how to get the girls on board and make my insane idea work. We shook hands and as Dixon left, I closed up the barn sighing to myself as I walked back to the house. Dad sat on the porch watching me; he only nodded as I walked in and up to Lou-Lou's room.




When The Stars Align Ch. 03



For the next hour, I sat in front of my daughter's typewriter, explaining the conversation I had with Dixon. She was only to nod her head when she had finished reading and understood what I had put on paper. She was then to agree with everything I was going to say next. I paused before I pulled the page out of the machine and then I added one line I hoped she would take to heart. 

A quick look around my daughter's room also got me a felt pen and in big letters on another sheet of paper I simply wrote 'act normal', even I smiled to myself when I wrote that, what we were doing was nothing like normal. I just hoped that Gretchen wouldn't give herself away.

Dad hadn't moved from his seat on the porch, his shotgun still lay across his lap. I paused for a moment and leaned up against one of the step posts, we both looked out across the yard and the fields beyond.

"Do you think you can make it to Walter's cabin in an hour?"

My father simply nodded, not taking his eyes off the view in front of him.

"Oh, you may need to go see Wendell, he's got some sort of transmission problem, I told him you would swing on by and fix it for him, he's expecting your call."

"Sure thing dad, I planned to take the girls shopping anyway, since he's on the way we'll drop by."

Dad nodded his head again. "I'll call and let him know you're on your way, Becca could do with some adult company." 

With that, I stepped off the porch and walked back to the cabin. Gretchen was just opening the door when I got there, her smile quickly turned to confusion when I held her arm, turned her around, and headed back into the cabin. With the door closed, I thrust a sheet of paper into her hands and made sure she read it.

"Gretchen we're all going into town soon, can you check on what we may need?"

At first she just nodded, by now I was half way across the day room as Victoria came out of one of the bedrooms. Quickly changing direction, I stood against her and kissed her, thrusting another sheet of paper into her hand as I did so. When we came up for air, I guided her to a seat and sat her down, the sheet of paper now spread out across her lap and her fingers deftly reading the Braille dots as Gretchen and I worked out a shopping list between us.

It was clear to see Gretchen wanted to know what was going on, more so when we could both see the anger on Victoria's face.

"Oh, Doug we have to go to the pharmacy as well, in our rush to get here I forgot some things."

By now, Victoria stood next to Gretchen, the sheet of paper changed hands and now both knew what was written on it, Gretchen was more worried than Victoria. Time was getting away from us, I made sure the girls quickly changed into clothes they had bought in town before they grabbed a coat each and we set off, the music station in my station wagon was turned up, so neither of them could talk over the top of it.

A half an hour later, I pulled into Wendell's place, he and Becca already stood by their pick-up. Once I got Victoria into the back of his pick-up, Gretchen quickly followed, I tossed him the keys to mine and we set off again. As we drove away from Wendell's place, I watched as he and Becca climbed into mine and headed into town.

It was Gretchen who spoke first. "Ok, I give up just what the heck are we doing?"

"I figure the note was self explanatory, someone is watching the cabin and they are real good at it. I needed to get the both of you out of the way so we could talk."

"Victoria Ellington."

This time Gretchen and I looked towards Victoria, the pause in our own conversation clearly let her know we were waiting for her to explain herself.

"It was the last thing you wrote in that note, you said. 'You may not have a ring on your finger but to me you're an Ellington and we look after our own' I went over it twice to make sure I knew it by heart." 

Gretchen smiled and I just shrugged my shoulders before saying. "I assume you have no objection to that?"

Victoria quickly shook her head.

"Ok, ladies I suggest you buckle up and either hold onto each other or something solid that isn't likely to move if we hit something." 

Before they could say anything else, I had put my foot down; the click of seat belts was heard seconds before I slammed the breaks on to swing a sharp left onto one of the fire roads up the mountain. I couldn't afford the time to look in my rear view mirror to see what they were hanging onto, with the thud and 'ouch' I heard when I hung an even sharper right and continued up the mountain. I could only assume it was each other they were hanging on to. 

Being paranoid in our family became second nature back when we were running booze. Walter Ellington shifted the money around so well, no one in our family figured any of it out until Walter died and a new head of the family was in place. Even my dad shook his head in wonder at the legacy that man left this family, one of them was over a thousand acres of land. Half meadow and the other half was the side of the mountain than run alongside the meadow.

Dad told me and when I was old enough, he showed me where the Ellington's hid the trucks and cars they used when they were ridge runners. I spent the next thirty minutes heading towards and doubling back around before the pick-up burst through some bushes and into the clearing coming to a stop a couple a feet short of the only structure in the clearing. 

Even when I switched the engine off, nothing in the back moved. Both the girls were clinging onto each other their eyes tightly shut, I wasn't even sure they were breathing until Gretchen let out a gasp and opened her left eye to see if it was safe enough to open both eyes. When she did, she locked a glare on me.

"Are you fucking crazy, if you want to inherit Victoria's money you need to marry her first before you kill her?"

The rest I lost when she went into that strange language of theirs again. I can only assume, judging from the dirty looks I was getting, as she was saying what ever it was she was saying, that it wasn't very complimentary. Victoria set off in giggle fits; I opened the back door and helped them both out. Dad already had coffee going on an open fire inside the old shed. He watched from a safe distance and kept his mouth shut while the rant continued. 

I let her go on for another minute or so before my patience wore too thin to even listen to her anymore. Pulling her close to me by her blouse I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her, she punched, she kicked she even tried to bite me. Her arm actions slowly stopped and she in turn wrapped her own arms around me, hell she even joined in which I was pleased about. 

My fathers comment reminded us of where we were. "When you two decide to come up for air, coffee's ready."

Our lips parted moments later; Gretchen's eyes opened a moment after that. Her green eyes really are something any man with a pulse can just sit and stare at, that's when she's not being all bitchy and cussing up a storm of course.

"I will remind you as often as you want me to Gretchen, you're an Ellington now. You're not the only one looking out for Victoria anymore, you need to step aside a little and make room for the rest of us honey."

The air seemed to leave her body and she smiled. Her head rested on my shoulder, the sigh that left her lips told me she understood my meaning. Her hand came up to my neck and her head once again came away from my shoulder as she leaned in once more for a kiss before we both walked over to the fire. Dad had already sat Victoria down on a fold away chair. I let Gretchen take the seat next to her.

Victoria led the way in the curiosity stakes that day. "Will you tell us why all this secrecy is necessary?" 

Dad just looked at me; they were my wives as far as he was concerned so I got to fill in the gaps. He would back me up on anything else.

"From the day you came here, you have been watched and not by us. Dad had one of those nagging feelings, so he switched on the security system around our land, you don't see much of it and what you do see is more for show than anything else. He still didn't find anything but that nagging feeling stuck with him for a few days, and in the end, he sent for Dixon."

Gretchen interjected. "Wait a minute, is that why you gave your dad that look when he mentioned Dixon a week or so ago, you knew something was up then didn't you?"

Shrugging my shoulders gave me the moment I needed to form my reply. Since dad only had a feeling and not much else, it seemed pointless going to the girls and telling them that. What I was reluctant to add to that, when I told them, was that when Dad had one of those feelings people took notice. The fact he called on Dixon, meant he was taking the girls security very seriously; Dixon spent a few days around the place and then went to dad and told him. My father pointed him in my direction and Dixon told me everything. 

"Dixon knows someone is on our land. But he's smart and obviously has forces training since he doesn't stay in one place for very long and covers his tracks real well."

I watched Victoria reach across and grasp Gretchen's hand. Dad and I left them to their thoughts as we sat and sipped our coffee.

"I can't escape this can I? It just seems to go on and on."

Gretchen was out of her seat quickly, pulling Victoria to her feet and hugging her tightly, gentle shushing noises could be heard as Victoria burst into tears on her friends shoulder. It still took her a few minutes to calm her enough to sit her back down again. Gretchen turned and saw Dad and me in the same place still sipping our coffee and her eyes blazed. An angry retort on her lips yet never spoken, her eyes grew wide and those lovely green eyes shone once again, a grin even came to her lips before she said.

"Let me guess, you have a cunning plan and since we are Ellington's now you are going to take care of it."

Dad took exception to her sarcasm. I couldn't blame him so I let him continue.

"Sit down girlie, and less of the attitude. I would have taken care of this a few days ago, but you're my son's wives and out of respect for him, I let him tell you. Yes you're Ellington's now but if you change your mind on that fact, don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way off the farm."

Gretchen blushed and lowered her head for a moment before she looked at Dad once again and apologized. Dad looked over to Victoria the softness of my father's voice coaxing a response from her.

"Vickie darling, I need you to be the bravest you have ever been."

Gretchen still held tightly to her friend's hand. We watched as Victoria's demeanor changed, she was no longer the frightened little girl anymore.

"How do we know whoever it is isn't watching us right now?"

"A man on foot and trying to be quiet can't move all that fast, best guess is he's also tracking you electronically as well. That's why your cell phones are still at the cabin. Since the clothes you're wearing are store bought from here we know they're not tagged either."

A smile came to her lips and her head rose to look in the direction of my father.

"That's why we changed vehicles as well."

My father looked at me this time. It was then I put my cup down and explained that's why I insisted that the girls made a shopping list, when we left Wendell's place, he and Becca took our vehicle and at this moment in time are doing our shopping for us.

"Both of you need to know this, Dixon told me and I agreed with him so I'm telling you. Whoever is on our land knows Dixon is out there and is better than he is. It's only a matter of time before Dixon catches up with him and he can't afford that, so his window to do whatever he's been paid to be doing is diminishing by the hour."

This time I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the firestorm, as I outlined the plan Dixon and I had discussed in my workshop. Gretchen stood and told us that hell would freeze before she would allow that to happen. Victoria waited her out and then started to ask questions, I answered as honestly as I could and slowly between Victoria and me, we got Gretchen on board.

"Gretchen, you need to hear me out. On the farm, you have ten people looking out for you both at the moment, state wide you have over one hundred and twenty. I could give you the countrywide figure if you wish but I think you have an idea of what I'm saying. You're both family and here, we look after our own."

We could tell she was still struggling with herself.

"I told you over by the pick-up that you're not the only one looking out for Victoria anymore and as you can see, I meant it." 

A wry smile came to her, Victoria smiled at the same time and I figured we had a deal. Both still insisted it was sealed with a kiss, dad even got in on the deal, as both the girls gave him one as well, and it's been sometime since I've seen my dad blush so much.

The drive down the mountain was at a more sedate pace this time. We met Wendell and Becca at the gas station outside of town. Wendell handed me my keys and told me I owed him a tune up and service on his pick-up for putting him through the torture of having to go shopping. Becca hugged both the girls and they went into a huddle for a few minutes, judging by the giggles and looks towards us I could imagine they weren't swapping cooking recipes.

*******

Two days later Gretchen got a call, she needed to be in Boston the next morning; the whole conversation sounded all legalese so Victoria and I left her to it. Ten minutes later, she joined us on the porch. All three of us suspected this would happen, but kept our own thoughts to ourselves, as she packed I called over to dad and asked him if he wouldn't mind taking her to the airport. 

When they left, Victoria and I opted for a sun bathing session down by the creek. It hadn't taken Victoria long to get used to the gravel paths and negotiated them with ease now. We were both still wet, neither one of us wanted a towel; instead we opted for the sun to dry us. 

"I love this place is their anyway we could..."

The sudden pause made me look towards her and that was my first mistake. At first it was the look of total confusion, Victoria went to say something and that's when my world went dark. Victoria's scream followed me into unconsciousness. 

*******

My father was sitting reading a book over on the couch when I opened my eyes; Lou-Lou was asleep across his lap. The tube in my mouth tasted awful I had the patience to let it be and watch the scene in front of me. My daughter suddenly gasped and dad dropped his book as Lou-Lou quickly sat up.

"He's awake."

Dad quickly looked over to me and saw me smile, well as much as I could with a tube down my throat.

"Well I'll be damned, sweetie you're going to have to tell me how you can do that some day."

By now, my daughter was shuffling towards me her arms outstretched ready in case she bumped into anything other than the bed. Dad walked behind her and settled her onto the bed and pushed the red button, Lou-Lou held me tight and wouldn't let go. The room quickly filled with nurses and doctors, poor dad had to pry my daughter off me so they could get to me. She was in tears but at least she had it together enough to understand that the doctors and nurses had a job to do.

Thankfully, the tube came out first and even though I was prepared, the second it hit my gag reflex I vomited. The nurse was ready thankfully, and smiled as she held a container for me, the inevitable questions and tests followed, the urge to ask some of my own had to take a back seat. At best, I could only manage a whisper, so one of the nurses had to lean her head next to me so I could talk. The police were next in and made themselves comfortable, although that in itself was a waste of time since I didn't know anything short of being hit and a scream but they seemed satisfied with my answer.

Lou-Lou came crashing back into the room, my father in hot pursuit, if it wasn't for the fact I was in the hospital, I swear that one scene would have been worth a good laugh and one of those you keep to embarrass your daughter with when she brings her first boy friend over to introduce. She threw herself onto the bed and laid alongside me, I even had to shuffle over some so she didn't fall off the edge. Dad tried to get her off the bed and back onto the couch, he may be the head of the family but even he knew he was wasting his time.

Connie arrived as dad just about gave up and sat on the couch himself, she scanned the room and although the smile was brief, the water in her eyes told me more. Connie knew my daughter wasn't going to move so didn't even bother saying anything and joined dad on the couch. The one man I didn't expect to see waited by the door, still unsure if he should enter.

"Uncle Dixon you need to get in here, don't make me got off my daddy's bed and come get you."

My father and I looked at each other and smiled. Dixon would only ever allow Lou-Lou to talk to him like that; their bond was the tightest I've ever seen between two people that weren't related. He hesitated for a moment but came in and stood with his back against the wall, he looked at dad who then nodded his head. Dixon was never one for conversation and this must have been the only time he had been around this many people. 

Dad understood that it was left to him to say anything. "She's safe son. The feds have her in protective custody along with Gretchen. How much do you remember?"

Even in whisper mode, I managed to say I didn't remember much. When dad left with Gretchen, Victoria and I left about mid-day and walked down to the river, we had been there about an hour when something caught Victoria's attention and I looked towards her rather than up the path and that's when it all went dark.

At first, my father was reluctant to speak in detail with my daughter in the room. We all realized it would take more to pry her off the bed and out of this room than either of us had so we let her sit and listen. She was an Ellington and she knew more than she ever let on most of the time anyway, so dad filled in the blanks. Dixon had eased off on following whoever was on our land, the day of the phone call to Gretchen. We all knew it was then that he was going to make his move.

It was why we went to the creek for the afternoon as Dixon was already there. He went there when dad let him know about Gretchen leaving. He made good use of the time at the creek, while waiting for us to arrive. When whomever it was emerged from his hiding place and hit me, Dixon took him out before he got to Victoria.

Lou-Lou felt my body tense as the implication of what my father had said came to me.

"Daddy don't you dare, you're safe and so is Victoria. Uncle Dixon was looking out for you both. Remember that ok, she's safe now."

Once Dixon stood face to face with the intruder, the outcome was inevitable. Dixon was a full blood Indian and the day he stood next to me in my workshop and told me that someone was out there, he wanted to know if Victoria was an Ellington. When I told him that Victoria and Gretchen were soon to be my wives, he simply nodded his head and told me that Lou-Lou needed a mother.

A man with hundreds of years of tradition and values like Dixon, would die before any harm would come to Victoria and the man hunting her stood in the shadows of someone like Dixon. The urge to kill him was only held at bay by my father telling Dixon that they needed him alive, so he would flush out those that had hired him. The hand-to-hand fight was quick and uneven since the people of Dixon's tribe knew only one way to fight and that was to keep going until every ounce of blood has left your body.

My arm came up and I held my daughter even tighter. As Dixon and I looked at each other, we both knew that keeping this man alive was perhaps the hardest thing he was ever asked to do for the Ellington's. I'm sure the bond between my daughter and Dixon had a lot to do with it. He now looked on Victoria as Lou-Lou's mother and keeping her alive was his priority even if he had to suppress the urge to kill anyone that placed the well-being of his best friend in danger. 




When The Stars Align Ch. 03



My father ignored everything and continued, "Dixon restrained him and calmed Vickie down enough for him to drag her over to you, it was only then she calmed. I called the Sheriff who then called the state troopers. Son this thing just kept going up and up. By the time the Feds turned up there was quite a party going on down there."

My dad chuckled and Dixon just stood and blushed.

"The guy's name is Josh, one of Vickie's security team. He's already rolled over and implicated three of the board members."

Dad stopped talking when he noticed someone standing at the door. Marcus hesitated and my Dad waved him in, it took him a moment but he came in and we shook hands.

"I'm sorry, Josh was one of ours. I picked him for my team so I have to take responsibility for him."

I shook my head. "You can't fight human nature, someone got to him because they knew they could. You're still the head of Victoria's security team and when all this is over you still have a job to do."

We could have said more. We just didn't need too, a man like Marcus took things like this personally. They would do better because they had been given a second chance. Both the girls were alive and would still need looking after. Dad took him outside for a coffee, an hour later he came back alone.

I was in the hospital for another week. It seems when Josh slugged me my brain was bruised and they induced a coma until the swelling went down. The extra few days while I was awake was to make sure there were no after effects.

*******

Dad kept up with the news of the forthcoming trial, I buried myself in work. He would give me the abridged version if I asked; it was rare that I did. Gretchen came home a week later along with Marcus and half the team. Marcus and a new guy called Tony stayed with dad up at the house the rest of the team took up half the rooms down at Candice's boarding house in town. Gretchen and I never moved out of the cabin, hell she refused to get dressed until it was time to leave again.

The day she was going to leave, I placed a ring on her finger. She was pissed that I didn't give it to her earlier. She would have made sure her thank you would have been more memorable than a kiss. She punched me on the arm when I told her that was why she got it on the way out the door. I gave her Victoria's ring as she left with Marcus, the ring was returned three days later with a note telling me that it didn't count unless I was on one knee and to make sure I gave her the ring the first day so she did get to thank me in a memorable way. 

Marcus turned up a few weeks later with another note in hand and told me he was under orders to wait for a reply. He sat with Dad and both resumed their chess game as I went and sat down by the creek, my fingers followed the Braille across the page with ease.

My Dearest Husband.

The court date is already set and soon everyone will know when it is. I want so much for you to be there but I need you not to be.

You are my husband and have every right to be by my side. Please Doug, stay away. When all this is over and the newspapers and TV are done with us, I need to be able to return to my old life and with a husband that won't have a camera in his face every waking moment.

Before all this started, I treasured my anonymity. Now I crave it like a starved animal. We know that won't be for months if not years to come, but I need to be able to come to the farm, live a life in our cabin and always in our bed knowing that this island refuge is where Gretchen and I can be free.

The cameras will leave and I pray that we will quickly become old news. But, I desperately want to keep you, Lou-Lou and your father away from that. I even plan to state my full name as van der Vaart rather than Ellington so the papers never make the connection. I am Victoria Ellington and will be to my last breath. So please Doug and from one Ellington to another, do this for me. 

I truly love you, with all my heart.

Yours always,

Victoria Ellington

*******

Although Marcus was waiting for an answer to the letter, he never got one until the following day. My thoughts and emotions went from acceptance that I couldn't change the outcome by being there to total rage that my wife would have to take the stand and face three men that conspired to have her killed and the man they paid to kill her.

I personally asked Dixon to keep the man hunting my wife alive. He also knew that I was placing his own life on the line to do just that. The scream into the darkness was born out of frustration. My own wife was asking me to stand aside because she knew that keeping me at a distance kept the press away from the one place she now called home. Every ounce of my being, burned with frustration, a man was born to protect his own. 

To stand in front of them and defend them all with our dying breath and yet I was being asked to stand aside. To trust in others to do what us Ellington's and the Dixons of this world would do out of instinct and that was to protect our own. Once again, I found myself looking down at the creek. The moon was my only guide as I sought an answer to my wife's plea to stay away and let the law do its work. To allow Victoria to take the brunt of this so that people like my daughter would never have the knowledge of doing something as simple as walking down the street without the fear having camera's thrust into her face.

Victoria's anonymity was everything to her and she wished to pass on that gift to Lou-Lou. Yet to do that she had to stand in front of the cameras and have the worlds press finally see her. My mind was still in chaos as the sun came up and caught me sitting at the waters edge, the rays danced across the water changing colors as it traveled down stream. The warmth of the day filled me with pride, I understood her better now. Just as I would stand against the tide to defend my family, which was exactly what she was doing.

She was protecting her young; Lou-Lou was everything to her. She stood tall against the storm that approached because family was just as much on her mind as it was mine. I was seeing this part of Victoria for the first time and I believe that letter was simply her way of telling me she wanted this so she could protect us as we protected her. It didn't stop me from wanting to pull her across my knee and slap the dumb bitch, but I knew why she sent that damn letter now. I didn't like it but I agreed to it.

Dad said he planned to watch the whole trial. Dixon and I went hiking for a month. I couldn't sit and watch it, seeing both my girls on TV and not holding their hands as this went on, went against every thing I was brought up to believe. We look after our own and right now, I had to trust others to do just that.

A month later Dixon dropped me off outside dad's house. I was still fishing around for a key from my rucksack when a voice I hadn't heard for awhile spoke.

"Mr. you had better shave and have at least a shower and then a bath before you come to our bed and especially between these legs or you can use your hand until you do. You look like Grizzly Adams."

That didn't stop me from grabbing Gretchen and hugging her as I swung her around, she squealed and punched my chest but I simply didn't care anymore. Hell, I even got a kiss out of her before she remembered her threat.

"How long have you been here?"

Gretchen's face turned serious, when she explained that both she and Victoria turned up three and a half weeks ago. The trial all but collapsed when one of the board members decided to cop a plea and turn states evidence against the other two. With his and Josh's testimony Victoria was no longer needed, they got back as quick as they could but I had already gone native and since Dixon was with me there was no telling were I was.

"I'm telling you now buster you have one pissed off wife on your hands."

Her cell in hand she quickly dialed and although I only heard one side, it was enough.

"He's back. I'm amazed you can't smell him from there."

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't touch him with yours the way he is at the moment."

"Just tell Marcus to execute plan A and hang on for the ride, he's had everything on stand-by for two days now ready for this call."

"Well, I'll do my best but he looks and smells disgusting, I'm not letting him in the cabin like he is at the moment."

"Ok bye."

She closed her cell and pointed at me.

"Shower first and then bath, and if there is nothing floating to the surface I may join you for the bath. That is after you have a shave. Oh, and by the way, welcome home husband of mine."

Under Gretchen's watchful eye, I showered at dads and the shaved. True to her word she even made me shave twice telling me that there was a months worth of 'yuk' on my face and it needed shifting. When she was happy I was given a robe and marched back to the cabin, Gretchen dropped a bag containing my clothes on the porch next to my dad and asked him if he would burn them later just to make sure whatever I had brought back with me was actually dead.

Dad laughed so much I didn't hear his reply. I made us coffee's and Gretchen ran a bath, she even watched me sit in it, ignoring my erection but carefully watching in case anything did float to the surface. Once satisfied she undressed and climbed in across from me, minutes later her legs were on my shoulders as we went at it like bunnies. We tossed some towels over the water now on the bathroom floor and continued fucking each other on the soaking towels.

The hummer skidded to a stop by the steps to the cabin. Marcus just managed to get the door open before Victoria opened it herself, he helped her to the cabin door and then walked away to join dad at the house, that chess game still needed a few moves before either one of them would concede.

Gretchen and I were waiting for Victoria as she came through the door. She didn't seem to object when we ripped her clothes off, dragged her into bed and proceeded to double-team her for the next hour.

To the sound of all three of us still wheezing, Victoria said, "Can I have my ring now?"

That set Gretchen and me off and we couldn't stop laughing.

"Well, I was going to ask when I came through the door but you two couldn't wait."

The pause was momentary before she added, "Mind you neither could I." 

*******

Dad gave us the cabin and the land down to the creek as a wedding present, the girls cried when he handed them the deeds. Victoria sat Lou-Lou down and had a girlie talk. She wanted her to come and live with all three of us. My daughter only agreed if she could have her own room and we promised to sound proof it. Gretchen told me that was one of the few times Victoria had ever blushed and was at a loss for words.

Victoria asked Marcus to walk her down the aisle and give her away. It was his turn to be at a loss for words. I wonder how often a bodyguard gets to hug his boss. His wife smiled through the whole ceremony and took loads of pictures of him giving his boss away on her wedding day, when he went and sat with her for the rest of the ceremony both of them had tears in their eyes. 

The minister didn't see me holding onto Victoria and Gretchen's hand when it came to say 'I do' the other two bridesmaids maneuvered themselves into a position to make sure the wedding guests didn't either. Lou-Lou and Becca made great bridesmaids although three months later I did get a call from Becca cursing me for getting her pregnant again. 

When I reminded her that I had nothing to do with it, she told me that Wendell wouldn't let her out of her bridesmaids dress until he did her in it. When I asked her if it were a boy would she call it Doug, the words 'cold day in hell' came loud and clear as the phone went down. The next day we emptied the only flower shop in town and sent her the lot, she didn't send them back so we must have done something right.

Soon after the wedding, both the girls needed to return to Boston. Gretchen called it the night of the long knives. Victoria totally decimated the board, ridding all influence left from the three treacherous board members. By the time the dust had settled, there were now six new board members in place and every single member of the board now took up the slack that both the girls had been doing for the last two years. 

Her grip on power within the board room was such that even Gretchen had to persuade her to tone it down or she would end up spending more time in Boston looking over the shoulder of every board member than she would at home with her husband.

Both the girls insistence that our marriage to each other would work was shown when Shauna came onto the scene. Victoria and Gretchen spoke less of that language of theirs around Marcus now, when Victoria mentioned that with Gretchen spending time at the farm she would need a live-in assistant. Marcus mentioned that his daughter would be leaving college in a few days and could well put that degree in business management to good use. It seems the interview lasted as long as it took Victoria to map out Shauna's face.

Shauna thinks its great living in one of the most secure buildings in the country and the bonus being her own father is the head of security. Of course women being women, it didn't take Shauna long to notice that both the girls wore identical wedding rings. She asked her dad if they were gay since she had never seen a husband, her mom showed her the wedding pictures and reminded her that she was taking exams at the time of the wedding so they didn't take her with them.

The girls individually rotate between the farm and Boston, and make time to be here together as well, I never know sometimes which one of my wives I'm going to bed with. The girls just smile and remind me that that's what makes our marriage more fun, I am a realist and both have admitted that when they are in Boston or on a business trip, they still sleep together. Hell they had been sleeping with each other for years before I had met them, why would I stop them now I'm married to both of them. 

We did modify the cabin here and there. The bathroom got a bigger shower and we added another room. Lou-Lou got her wish and lives with us, so we added a bathroom to her room as well as the soundproofing she asked for. She still yells at us to keep the noise down from time to time. We tell her, "We didn't hear her complaint over the top of the soundproofing." 

I'm still an independent and still play with bits of engines. Both the girls are now avid NASCAR followers, although they have politely declined another go around in one of the cars, after the first time. 

The one time I actually felt our ideal world might come crashing down around our ears was because of Matthew. Well that's not quite true, the words that left Victoria's lips were 'honey I'm pregnant'. What happened next showed me how sensitive Lou-Lou still was. Those three words that I believed I would never hear again had just been spoken by my wife on her return from Boston.

What neither of us realized at the time, is that my daughter was on her way out of her bedroom when she heard Victoria tell me. The door to her room slamming shut told us both so much, the destruction of her furniture had both of us running to her room with me sticking my shoulder into the door to unlock it. Restraining my daughter, while my wife tried so desperately to calm her took its toll on all three of us.

Lou-Lou had the strength of anger, despair and years of nightmares. I ended up lifting her off her feet in an effort to restrain her. Two people that loved that child so deeply and we could do nothing, as she screamed at both of us, her words coming so fast that neither one of us could understand any of it. We had to remove her from her room and Victoria wrapped her in her arms. When we finally got her calmed, we all sat down in the day room.

Other than tears between all three of us, not a word was spoken for a long time. Victoria and I sat stunned at what our daughter had done and still unclear as to why. Gretchen found us in the day room a half hour later, non of us willing to question Lou-Lou but ready to wait her out and let her speak first. 

When she spoke, it damn near broke all our hearts. "You're going to die just like mommy did and daddy will die inside all over again."

Victoria burst into tears and wrapped her arms tighter around our daughter. I went to hold her, but was pulled back by Gretchen, who pulled me further away from them. I had known this woman well enough to understand the look in her eyes when she pulled me away not to resist.

"Your choice, therapy or let your wives deal with this?"

Well, that was a no brainer question, although to this day I still wonder, at how these two women can understand so much at such a young age and have their own version of dealing with things. Gretchen closed Lou-Lou's door and pulled me into ours.

"Get the sheets off the bed and pull the mattress outside, we need to make room in the day room but that can't be helped. Once we are done you, need to get into town before the store closes. We need a large tub of chocolate and a tub of strawberry ice cream and I'm sorry my husband, but you have to stay at the big house tonight."

It suddenly dawned on me what she was doing and all I could do was smile and shake my head, both my head and my heart knew that she was right. The girls were going to have a damned slumber party in the middle of the day room and between all three of them, get to the demons in our daughter's head. 

I also added two boxes of tissues to her impromptu list, knocked once and left it all by the front door before joining dad to watch the Monday night football game. The next morning I found all three on the mattress in PJ's and wrapped in each others arms, I still have that picture, not only in my head but I took one with my phone as well. It sits above the fireplace and constantly reminds me of the tightness of the bonds that all three of these girls have.

Lou-Lou got to rub creams onto Victoria's stomach during the day to help with stretch marks, I got the evening duty. Matthew was born eight months and a day later and our daughter dotes on him. A year after that of course I was asked to bring the mattress back into the day room, I was then handed Mathew and told to go and watch the Monday Night game with dad again. 

It's not often a man smiles when he's kicked out of his own house. It seems dad knew ahead of time, this time around and had moved Mathew's crib in as well. I have that picture of the next morning right next to the first one and of course our daughter performs her duty on Gretchen's stomach with as much diligence as she did with Victoria. The only thing that spooked me was that eight months and one day later, well it spooked me, the only thing the women did was shrug their shoulders and say 'so what', Sarah was born. 

Victoria is still worth loads of money. When I asked her once how many zeros, she replied more than the fingers of both hands. That did make me pause for a moment, but then she still goes to the bathroom and leaves the door open when she does, so that much money hasn't made her posh. 

About a year into our marriage dad was reading the paper to Victoria while I was in the workshop. It seems the local council said it was going to have to close the library, due to the budget cuts. It didn't take folks long to figure out whom the mysterious benefactor was that kept it open or who added another wing to the local college eighteen months later. She still always asks either Becca or Lou-Lou to go to anything that needs a ribbon cutting though.

Ten years on Victoria Ellington can still walk down Main Street and be recognized by all the folks that live around us. Not once has anyone published a picture of her in any paper.

The End.