William and Ed returned to the hotel refreshed from their little swim at the Mayor's house. William felt confident that another candidate had been found with a good chance of winning. They entered the suite laughing about the mayor's reaction on discovering them swimming in the pool.
The laughter turned to surprise when William spotted his mother relaxing in the living room of the suite. She was seated next to Lucy. He said, "Momma Kelly! What are you doing here?"
Seeing that William was surprised, Kelly sighed. It was not a good sign when events going on in his life surprised him. She looked over at Lucy wondering what was going to happen with her. In a sad voice, she said, "I'm here to talk to you and Lucy."
"You don't seem very pleased to see us," William commented with a frown. He looked over at Lucy for an explanation. She shrugged her shoulders suggesting that he knew as much as she did. In fact, she was rather surprised that he had looked to her for information.
Kelly rose from her seat and went over to Ed. She flowed into his embrace. After exchanging a very passionate kiss, Ed whispered, "I take it you want me to disappear and take everyone else with me."
"If you would be so kind," Kelly whispered back, "I'll make it up to you a little later."
"I look forward to it," Ed said with a smile.
William and Lucy sat together on the couch and watched as everyone except Kelly left the hotel suite. Barbara and Sandra looked over at Lucy before beating a hasty retreat. The pair of bodyguards took positions to the front and rear of the others. Once everyone was gone, Lucy turned to Kelly and asked, "What's the matter?"
Not wanting to answer immediately, Kelly went over to the hospitality bar and opened one of the small bottles of wine. After pouring it into one of the glasses, she returned to her seat. Watching his mother, William whispered to Lucy, "This must really be bad."
Kelly took a long sip of her wine. It wasn't a particularly good wine. She took a deep breath and then let it out. She started to say something and then stopped before a single word came out. Finally, she said, "I did something stupid. I didn't think it through and now there's a problem."
"What kind of problem?" William asked leaning forward. If there was a problem then he would try to fix it. He prided himself on being good at fixing problems.
Kelly looked at William thinking that this was one problem that he couldn't fix. She said, "When I gave you advice on picking out your staff, I didn't think about something rather important. You see, it wasn't ever a problem for us."
"What?" Lucy asked looking over at William hoping that he knew what his mother was talking about. He looked just as clueless as she did.
"We're bisexual and you're not," Kelly said.
"We all know that," William said wondering what that had to do with anything.
Nodding her head, Lucy said, "I know how you healed Natalie and Jan."
Shaking her head, Kelly said, "I don't know how to say this."
Thinking that this might be the one time that he wished Momma Kelly was more like Momma Ling, William said, "Just say it."
"You staff wants to sleep with you," Kelly said looking at Lucy.
William snorted and said, "That's what Lucy is always telling me. I don't really believe it, but she insists. Are you telling me that Rock or Colt wants to sleep with me?"
If the problem wasn't so serious, Kelly would have laughed at the suggestion. There were times when William really surprised her. The problem was that this was a very serious matter. She said, "I wasn't talking about them wanting to sleep with you."
Puzzled, Lucy asked, "So who were you talking about?"
"You," Kelly answered pointing at Lucy.
"Rock or Colt wants to sleep with me?" Lucy asked. She glanced over at William to see his reaction. She could discuss the matter with William and possibly find some sort of compromise.
"No," Kelly answered.
"Who wants to sleep with me?" Lucy asked wide eyed. She suddenly understood how William felt when she told him something like that. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling she had ever experienced.
"Barbara and Sandra," Kelly answered watching as Lucy's expression turned to one of surprise. She sighed and added, "I don't know if any of the others on your staff feel that way."
"Why would they want to sleep with me? I don't have any interest in women," Lucy said as if her lack of interest in women would assure that women would not be interested in her. She looked over at William to see if he knew anything about it. Even as she did it, she knew that was a mistake.
Taking hold of her hand, William said, "I know why someone would want to sleep with you. You're the perfect woman. I thought that it was a little odd that they wanted to sleep with me."
"They want to sleep with you, too," Kelly said. She wondered how she was supposed to explain to William and Lucy that they were attractive, wealthy, intelligent, and sexy. It shouldn't have been necessary.
"I don't get it," Lucy said still trying to wrap her mind around the idea that two women like Barbara and Sandra wanted to sleep with her. They could have anyone they wanted. She didn't understand why they could possibly want her.
Kelly rubbed her forehead with the fingertips of her left hand. She could feel a headache developing. Looking up at the ceiling, she said, "I swear, youth is wasted on the young."
Lucy and William were in bed. He was lying along one side of the bed with her lying at right angles to him. She was resting her head on his stomach. Idly, he was running a finger tip around her stiff nipple. She asked, "What am I supposed to do?"
"Do you love them?" William asked thinking it was a good question from which to start the conversation.
Lucy answered, "Yes, I do. The problem is that I don't want to have sex with them."
William ran his finger across her chest and started circling the other nipple with it. He said, "I don't want to have sex with them. I don't have sex with them. I make love to them."
"I don't think I could do that," Lucy said. The whole idea of doing things with a woman made her very uncomfortable.
William ran a finger down to her belly button. He said, "No one is asking you to do that."
Thinking about how Barbara had acted the previous night, Lucy sighed. She said, "I saw how upset Barbara was last night. She must really be hurt that I won't sleep with her."
"If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong," William said. He ran a finger up from her naval to between her breasts.
"How does that apply?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know. It makes me wonder if we aren't short a rule or two at times," William said with a chuckle. In a more serious tone of voice, he said, "It will harm you if you are forced into doing something that is against your nature. I guess we have to decide if it really is against your nature. Their desire makes them strong. If they try to push you into it then we'll need to protect you. At the same time, their desire makes them weak. If you act to exaggerate the problem, then we'll need to protect them from you. The problem is that you aren't doing anything other than being yourself and they are being their selves."
"It sounds complicated," Lucy said with a frown. She thought she understood the two rules, but this particular problem forced her to accept that some problems weren't always a matter of right and wrong, but a complex balance of opposing forces. She realized that was the reason for the different styles in solving problems that she had observed among the Druids. Some waited until the problem manifested before they reacted with overwhelming force. That was Ling's approach. It was brutal but effective. Ed preferred to apply a little force well before something had a chance to develop into a problem. William was somewhat in the middle.
"If it wasn't complicated then we wouldn't have a problem," William said with a tired smile. He ran his finger back to her nipple and slowly rubbed it.
"That's a little distracting," Lucy said swatting his finger. His touch was heating up her body.
"Good. Maybe it will take your mind off your problems for a minute or two," William said with a smile. He returned to running a finger around her nipple.
"Why would they want to sleep with me?" Lucy asked sitting up. She grabbed his hand in the process. His touch was driving her crazy.
"You're asking the wrong person that question. I'm a little prejudiced concerning that matter. I don't understand why someone wouldn't want to sleep with you," William answered.
"You're not being helpful," Lucy said rolling her eyes. She released his hand and turned to face him sitting tailor fashion.
William rolled over onto his side. He ran his finger over her lips and said, "I have always loved your long brown hair. I think you have the most beautiful face that I've ever seen. Your body is perfect. I marvel at your breasts. They are the perfect size and very sensitive. I can't find anything about your body that doesn't fill me with desire for you.
"I love your mind. When you apply your mind to a problem, it takes my breath away. I find your concentration and attention to detail extremely sexy. It is an amazing thing to watch. The most astounding thing to me is that your intellect is balanced by common sense. Your mind is disciplined.
"When you look at me with love, I have no choice but to surrender myself to you. Every cell in my body responds to that little look of desire that you have. My temperature rises a full degree.
"When I watch you dealing with other people, I'm struck by how caring and sensitive you are. You're honest and forthright in your feelings. You touch people. It isn't a superficial touch, but one that reaches into them and touches their spirit. You let them know that they aren't alone. You let them know that they aren't unloved.
"I can easily see why they would want to sleep with you. If they've spent any time around you then they've seen the same things in you that I have seen. They have no choice except to desire you."
Lucy moved over and started kissing William. His touch might have kept the embers of desire alive, but his words had fanned them into a bonfire. It took considerable effort on William's part to douse the flames of desire. When he was done and they were relaxing in post-coital bliss, she said, "Go sleep with them tonight."
"Why?" William asked feeling like it was a rather unusual thing to ask him to do considering what they had just finished doing.
"I need to be alone while I think about this," Lucy answered.
"Are you considering making love to them?"
Lucy covered her eyes and answered, "I don't know. I feel guilty for not sleeping with them and causing that much pain. I would feel even worse for sleeping with them."
"I understand," William said. He ran a hand through her hair and said, "I want to stay here with you."
Enjoying his caress, Lucy said, "I love you so much."
"I love you too," William said.
Changing her mind, she patted the bed beside her. In a tone of voice that conveyed her vulnerability, she said, "Stay here with me and hold me."
William and Sandra had just finished laying out the campaign strategy for May Erl's bid for the Senate. It was a comprehensive plan that detailed the sequence of political ads that she should run. It identified the timing at which the ads were released. The campaign was designed to put all of the potential criticisms up front to defuse their impact.
William had taken care in designing this particular campaign. He wanted to place the opponent in the position where a character assassination would backfire. Americans liked to hear stories about people who sinned and then repented. They liked it when an underdog rose up from the ground to stand tall and proud. She would be a heroic figure rather than a fallen woman. To try and use her past against her would be political suicide.
Sandra had been absolutely amazed at the subtlety of William's campaign strategy. The first three ads didn't even identify the political office that she was trying to capture. Her opponent wouldn't even be able to respond until after she had solidified her support. Sandra had been in awe of the amount of detail that William had been able to provide in such a short period of time.
It had been hard working with William for the entire day. He had listened to her ideas and complimented her when she made good suggestions. The constant attention and appreciation had slipped through her defenses fueling her desires for him once again.
Several times, Barbara had come into the room to help. Whenever William praised one or the other, the pair of women exchanged glances that spoke volumes about the effect that William had on them. They knew that they would have to turn to each other for comfort later that night.
Barbara had just entered the room when William slipped a stack of papers into an envelope. He glanced over at her and then handed the packet to Sandra. He said, "Have Colt deliver this to the mayor's house."
"Okay," Sandra replied thankful that the intense work session was about to come to an end. She didn't know if she could have taken another hour of it.
"You've been a great help. I don't know what I would have done without you. I hope that I didn't overwork you," William said looking over at her with concern evident on his face. She looked a little tense and that worried him.
"You didn't," Sandra said squirming in her seat.
"Why don't you and Barbara go down to the spa for a little while? It would do you both some good to relax for a bit," William suggested.
Barbara looked at William and shook her head knowing that he had no idea what effect his words were having on Sandra. She said, "I think we can manage to relax a little better in our room."
"Oh," William said. He looked at the pair of women and said, "I'm worried about you."
"Don't worry about us," Barbara said slipping a hand down to rub Sandra's back. It was a little caress to let the other know that she was there for her. Sandra pressed back against the hand appreciating the gesture.
"Lucy and I are concerned that this trip has been a little too much for you," William said looking at the pair of women.
Hearing Lucy's name, Sandra decided it was time to change the topic of conversation. She held up the packet of papers and said, "I need to get this to Colt."
"Okay," William said with a frown.
Appreciating what Sandra had done, Barbara said, "I'll meet you in the bedroom."
"Thanks," Sandra said. She made a little gesture like she was eating.
Nodding her head, Barbara said, "Sandra and I are going out for dinner tonight. We'll be home late. Don't wait up for us."
"Okay," William said with a worried look on his face. The entire day had been spent tip-toeing around the issue. Kelly had taken Lucy out to shop with the ever present bodyguards. Ed was off to the local IRS to see what he could do to help them. William knew the situation was pretty bad if his father would rather visit the IRS than stay at the hotel.
Ed shuffled out of the bedroom in his normal early morning mental fog. Kelly followed behind him smiling as it took two attempts for him to grab the handle of the coffee pot. Ed was basically a sleepwalker until after his second cup of coffee. After finally getting a grip on the handle of the coffeepot, he filled a cup with coffee. He put the glass pot down on the counter and shuffled towards one of the chairs.
Seated in a chair across the room, Sandra watched Ed go through his early morning ritual. She asked, "Is he always like this?"
"Yes," Kelly answered while fixing a cup of coffee.
"Oh, I thought it... ," Sandra started to comment and then stopped.
"You thought it was because I wore him out last night?" Kelly completed with a grin.
Blushing, Sandra said, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"Don't be sorry," Kelly said. She looked over at Ed and smiled as she recalled the previous evening. She said, "For your information, you might be surprised to learn that he wore me out last night."
"I didn't mean to pry," Sandra said.
"I know. You were just wondering why he was shuffling around like a zombie," Kelly said. She looked around and asked, "Where's Barbara?"
"She's sleeping in late," Sandra said. She looked at the expression on Kelly's face and laughed. She said, "Okay. I wore her out last night."
"Because of him or her?" Kelly asked going straight to the matter.
"Both," Sandra answered unable to look at Kelly. She thought they had done a better job of hiding their feelings.
Nodding her head, Kelly sat down next to Sandra. After taking a sip of her coffee, she said, "They both love you, you know."
"I know," Sandra said. The sad thing was that she knew it and it didn't help. It only made matters worse.
Kelly sighed and looked at the closed bedroom door knowing that William and Lucy were sleeping behind it. She said, "I feel sorry for you."
"Why?"
Looking over at the younger woman, she said, "He's blind to your desires. She's unable to satisfy your desires."
"I know," Sandra said looking over in the direction of their door.
"I fear that you may find working for them becoming harder as time goes by," Kelly said. She felt that it would ultimately force the two women to leave William's employment. That would be a tragedy for everyone involved. She looked at the door for a second and then said, "He's the easier problem to solve."
"How?" Sandra asked wondering how dealing with William was ever going to be easier than dealing with Lucy.
Kelly laughed at the fact that Sandra had missed the obvious and said, "You just have to tell him what you want. You have to say to him, come to my room tonight and make love to me until morning. He'll be there."
"I guess we know that," Sandra said feeling miserable. She had discussed that in great depth with Barbara. She looked down at the floor and said, "The really perverse thing is that if we have to ask, we won't enjoy it. If he were to offer before we are absolutely desperate, we wouldn't want it."
Kelly shook her head in dismay despite understanding what Sandra was saying. The situation was even worse than she had thought. She wondered who she could talk with that might be able to fix this situation. It was bad and she didn't see any way for it to get better without a much more serious intervention. She asked, "Do you know if women have been trying to get to him?"
Sandra snorted and said, "Tons of women have been after him this trip. They ask him if they can do anything for him and he sends them to Barbara to see if she needs some help."
Kelly laughed and hit her leg with her hand. Eddie was having the same kind of experiences and he didn't have a clue. Barely able to control her mirth, she said, "You've got to love Carter men. They are just so oblivious to the effect they have on women."
Sandra looked over at the coffeepot. Ed was busy trying to pour his second cup of coffee. Gesturing towards him, she asked, "Even Ed?"
"Ed is just as bad as William," Kelly said with a smile. She took a sip of her coffee while watching Ed over the lip.
Ed walked over to where Kelly was sitting and took a seat beside her. After taking a sip of his coffee, he asked, "Who is as bad as William?"
"You are," Kelly answered with a smile.
Ed shook his head and then yawned. He said, "I thought you promised not to make fun of me until after I've had two cups of coffee."
"We were talking about the effect that Carter men have on women," Kelly said patting him affectionately on his thigh.
"Oh," Ed said, "I never understood that."
"I know dear. That is part of your charm," Kelly said. She looked at Sandra and said, "That is a part of their charm."
"I know," Sandra said feeling very depressed.
William and Lucy were busy eating breakfast when Barbara and Sandra sat down at the table. William looked over at Lucy who was studiously concentrating on her food. Realizing that she was leaving it up to him, he said, "Barbara, could you make arrangements for Lucy to return to Arizona this afternoon?"
Surprised by the request, Barbara said, "I thought she was going to Texas with us."
"We changed our plans," William said. He looked up in time to see Ed leave the bedroom and stopped his explanation. It wouldn't do to stretch the truth in front of his father.
"Okay," Barbara said.
Wondering why William hadn't given an excuse for the change in plans, Lucy looked up and saw Ed. She said, "Good morning, Ed."
"Good morning," he answered. He sat down at the table and looked at the food. It was standard hotel breakfast fare comprised of scrambled eggs, toast, juice, bacon, fruits, and coffee. The eggs were hard and dry, the toast dry, and the bacon was stiff. He sighed and said, "I really miss Marguerite's cooking."
Sandra said, "Lucy is leaving today."
"Ah," Ed said loading up a plate. He looked over at Lucy fully aware of the reason for her departure. By the time he had become fully awake that morning, Kelly and Sandra had finished their discussion. Kelly had told him in the bedroom that a disaster was just waiting to happen.
Lucy was tempted to comment that he didn't seem surprised, but held her tongue. There was no reason to bring up a bad subject. She didn't need to bring it up. Barbara glared at Ed from across the table and said, "You told her!"
Shaking his head, Ed looked over at his bedroom door where Kelly was cleaning up after their little morning activities. He turned back to look at Barbara and said, "No. I told Kelly and Kelly told her. There's a big difference."
"We really need to talk," Sandra said touching Barbara on the arm. She hadn't talked to Barbara since her conversation with Kelly.
Crossing her arms, Barbara said, "She didn't need to know."
Ed cringed at Barbara's lie. Barbara was fully aware that Lucy needed to know. She wanted Lucy to know. It was like having a nail driven through his brain. Much sharper than he intended, he said, "Don't ever lie to me like that again. You know that she needs to know!"
Barbara started to say something, but Ed held up a hand. He said, "Don't even try it."
"But..."
Pushing his plate of eggs away, William looked around the table. Barbara was furious at Ed. Sandra was upset. Ed was frowning at finding himself in the middle of this mess. Lucy wanted to crawl under the table. In a stern voice, he said, "I will fix this problem right now. Barbara and Sandra will return to Arizona. Lucy will go to Texas with Ed and me."
"What about Kelly?" Lucy asked. She knew that the bodyguards would be coming with them no matter what.
"She has an errand to run," Ed answered realizing what William was going to do. He nodded in approval.
Lazlo Zalezac