Private Pleasures

Chapter Four

"So, how bad is it?" Rina Seligmann asked, coming through the Buckleys' kitchen door. She was carrying a covered plate of chicken salad sandwiches on whole wheat bread she had made up at Trader Joe's this morning. She set the plate on the table, and pulled off the plastic wrap. "Tiff, where's that iced tea?"

"Right behind you," Tiffany Pietro d'Angelo said, plunking the pitcher and paper cups on the kitchen table next to the sandwiches.

"Worse than we even anticipated!" Carla said dramatically. She had driven Nora to her husband's office that morning, waiting while Nora had her first conference with Rick. "Absolutely everything is in the son of a bitch's name. Everything! He even tried to close down Nora's little household account this morning, but Rick put a stop to that."

"How did Rick know?" Joanne Ulrich was wide-eyed. This was even better than General Hospital.

"Well," Carla said with just the slightest air of self-importance, "when Rick got to his office this morning, he found a whole bunch of papers that had been faxed to him by Jeff's lawyer in the city. Only one bank account was listed, and it was the one here at Egret Pointe National Bank, and it was marked as closed. Well, Rick got on the telephone to Paul Williams at the bank. Paul said the request had come in this morning. Rick explained the situation, and told Paul to hold off until he could get back to the other lawyer. That the account was the only one Nora had, and if he would check back in the statements, he would see only she signed the checks, and they were mostly for household bills and personal expenses even if the account was in both names. So Paul said he'd hold off until he heard from Rick again."

"Well, that news will be all over town by closing time at the bank," Rina said dryly.

"How do you figure that?" Nora asked.

"Paul's secretary, Mae Taylor. She always listens in on his calls," Rina said. "She's the biggest gossip in town, and everyone knows it."

"Then why does he keep her on?" Joanne asked.

"He inherited her from his father-in-law, Lew Burnside," Rina replied. "Lew founded Egret Pointe Bank, and Paul is married to his daughter. When he retired, and Paul took over, Lew insisted he keep Mae on because, he said, she wasn't retirement age yet. But he really wanted to be sure he still knew everything that was going on at the bank. And before you ask, Sam plays golf with him twice a week. Will you all sit down? I'm starving." She reached for a half a sandwich and began to eat.

Joanne poured everyone a paper cup of iced tea, and then they looked to Carla.

"Rick called Jeff's lawyer back again, and told him the account couldn't be the only one Jeff had, because the one he had instructed the lawyer to close was Nora's household account, the only one she had, and she would need it to pay the household bills. That Jeff never used the account. He just made monthly deposits. Rick said the other lawyer seemed surprised at that, and said he'd call him right back."

"And did he?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah. About ten minutes later," Carla said, grinning. "He told Rick that it was all a mistake, and he'd fax Paul Williams immediately that the account was to remain open. Rick told him he wanted Jeff's name off the account."

"Did he agree?" Tiffany asked.

"Oh, yeah, he agreed. Then he said that Rick should know that Jeff was under no obligation to put any more money into the account until a hearing."

"The bastard!" Rina said. "So he's going to play hardball, is he?"

"Yep," Carla said.

"It's worse," Nora told them quietly. "The kids' college funds have disappeared. They weren't on the list of stuff faxed to Rick. Jeff started an investment account for each of the kids when they were born. For college, he said, and he was always so proud of himself for looking ahead like that. You know how the market was after 'eighty-seven, and into the nineties. Jeff's a smart investor. Every Christmas he would show the kids and me their year-end statements. He said he didn't want them to come out of school with debt, like so many kids today. He said his father had done it for him, and he wanted to do it for his kids. That's why Jill was able to think of law school. There was more than enough money in each account, and now those accounts are gone."

"You're sure?" Rina asked.

"We called Jill up at school. I hadn't planned to tell her over the telephone about the divorce, but I didn't have any choice under the circumstances. She said her father had come to her about six months ago with some papers to sign. When she asked what they were, he said they had to do with the changes in the tax laws with regard to her account, and since she was of age, she had to sign the papers herself because he couldn't. She had no cause to distrust him."

"Nora hasn't had a chance to talk to J. J. yet, but Rick thinks he pulled the same or a similar stunt with him too," Carla said.

"My God," Rina said softly. "He's been planning this for months." She turned to Nora. "So what's Rick going to do now?"

"He's thinking about it. It has to be what's best for Nora and the kids," Carla said. "He doesn't want to make a mistake. This lawyer Jeff has hired is a pretty big-name, recognizable divorce attorney."

"Tell him not to take too long," Rina said acerbically. "So, what are you going to do while Rick is thinking?" she asked Nora.

Nora sighed. "I'll have to call my mother and tell her. Dad left her very well fixed. I think she'll help out until we get this straightened out. Of course I'll pay her back. She's not going to be happy to have her life disrupted, I'm afraid."

"Where does she live?" Rina said.

"In one of those elegant, perfectly manicured little retirement communities on the Carolina coast," Nora replied. "Dad moved them down before he died. It's a life-care community. He wanted her taken care of when he wasn't around to do it. I've been taking the kids down twice a year to visit. She never really liked Jeff. She'll be surprised, but not particularly devastated."

And Margo Edwards, Nora's mother, was indeed surprised by her daughter's news, but not because of the divorce. It was the timing that she found curious. "I thought he would have done this ten years ago," she said.

"What on earth would have made you think that?" Nora demanded of her parent.

"Well, other than the illusion that his marriage created for all to see, it was obvious he didn't love you anymore," Margo responded. "Didn't you realize what was going on, Nora? Of course I never told your father of Jeff's infidelities. It wasn't really necessary that he know unless, of course, he had divorced you while Dad was alive. Then I would have said something."

"I'm surprised you kept something from Daddy," Nora said. "He did rule the roost in our house."

Margo laughed. "There were a lot of things I didn't discuss with your father, Nora, and he only thought he was in charge, darling. A wise woman lets a man believe that, and she picks her battles carefully." Then she sighed. "At least the house is in your name. Is it paid off?"

There was a long pause. Nora swallowed hard, and then she said to her mother, "The house isn't in my name, Mom. Nothing is in my name."

"Jesus Jenny!" Margo Edwards swore volubly. "The lying SOB! When you bought your house Jeff had the ten percent for the down payment. Your father gave him an additional ten percent so the mortgage would be smaller. It was done on the proviso that Jeff put the house in your name. I put that idea in dad's head so you would always be safe. And I was there when your father brought it up to Jeff, and he agreed he would do it in exchange for the additional ten percent. You're sure the house is in his name?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm certain. But it is paid off," Nora said.

"How much money do you have in the bank?" Margo asked.

"It's the end of the month. Probably not more than fifty dollars," Nora replied.

"No, honey, not your household account. Your other accounts. CDs. You know."

"Mom, I've got a bank account for the house. Jeff puts money in it once a month, and I pay the bills. I don't have any other bank accounts, or CDs."

"Why not?" Margo's voice had suddenly hardened.

"Where would I get the money from?" Nora said helplessly.

"I used to take money out of my household account and squirrel it away," Margo said. "Why didn't you, Nora? I didn't think you were that stupid. A woman has to think of herself."

"Mom, Jeff gives me just enough money each month to pay the household bills. If I run over the previous month's amount by more than five percent, I have to show him the bills, and justify every expenditure. I am allowed one credit card, and before I use it I have to tell him what I'm buying and why. He's always been a bear where money is concerned. But he has always kept us comfortable. I have had no cause for complaint until now. I thought people got married till death did they part. My grandparents did. You and Dad did. Jeff's folks did."

"Why didn't you tell me this, Nora? Why didn't you tell me that your husband is a control freak? This borders on abuse, darling, and you have been standing there, and taking it. I don't understand it!" Margo was now sounding exasperated.

"I was only doing what you did, Mom," Nora said. "Jeff always said you had set me a wonderful example of how to be a good wife."

"Good grief!" Margo said. "Listen to me, Nora, although frankly it's a little late for me to tell you this, but I will anyway. Your father was raised by his grandparents, who had been raised in the Victorian era. He thought a wife should be meek and mild, and defer to her husband. That was the kind of wife he wanted, and I loved your father dearly. So I gave him that kind of a wife. But I was never that kind of a woman. Ever! Your father never controlled me the way Jeff has obviously been controlling you, darling. If I thought Dad was going in the wrong direction, I would cajole him into turning about. You know how he always wanted to invest in so many crazy schemes he was sure would make him rich, yet he never did. It was because I convinced him otherwise, and I did it in such a way that he always believed he had come to the conclusion all by himself. And when those schemes blew up, he would brag about how astute he had been to avoid it all. Don't you remember?"

"I do," Nora said slowly. "But Jeff is different than Daddy. Daddy had a sweet nature, Mom. Jeff has always been bound and determined to have his own way. Once I loved him dearly too."

"I never liked him," Margo said, "but then, you knew that, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"There was something about him, but I could see that nothing I would say was going to change your mind, and Daddy thought he was just the right man for you. I tried to show him otherwise over the term of your engagement," Margo said, "but that was the one thing in which I failed. I am sorry, darling."

"Oh, Mom, didn't you always say I had to learn the hard way?" Nora half laughed.

"Well," Margo responded, and her voice was brisk, "now the question is, what are we going to do? Do you have an attorney?"

"Carla's husband, Rick. Jeff has some big-city divorce guy," Nora told her mother.

"Who?" Margo was instantly alert to danger.

"Raoul Kramer, I think his name is," Nora answered.

"Certainly isn't stinting himself," Margo said dryly. This was not good. Raoul Kramer was a vicious divorce lawyer who always got his clients exactly what they wanted. He was ruthless, and was apt to make mincemeat of that nice Rick Johnson. Still, there was no need at this point to frighten Nora. "Tell Rick to call me tomorrow, darling, and I'll send him a retainer for you. I know he'd do it for free until it's settled, but no need for that. And give me your bank account number. I'll wire you ten thousand dollars to keep you going, Nora. And Nora, if you need more before a preliminary hearing, I want you to call me immediately."

"Mom…" Nora's voice cracked.

"Oh, shut up!" Margo said. "Now, darling, I have to run. There is a very delightful gentleman waiting to play tennis with me."

"You have a boyfriend?" Nora had never heard her mother speak of another man.

"I haven't decided yet, darling. One thing I do know. While I do enjoy sex, I am simply not of a mind to marry again, and break another man in," and she laughed at her daughter's small gasp. "Nora, I may be past seventy, but I do enjoy a good bang now and again. Gotta run, darling. Taylor is beginning to stamp his feet." And the phone went dead.

Nora put the portable down. She had learned more about her mother in this one phone conversation than she had in all her life. She was rethinking her parents' marriage, but then, no matter what Margo had said this afternoon, she had never said that she and her husband had been unhappy. Nor had Nora seen any evidence to the contrary. What a jerk I've been, she thought. Jeff was right. Dumb! She had been dumb, and now she had to live with the results of her stupidity. She stood up and, walking from the kitchen, went out the door and across her back lawn to the Johnsons' house. It was after five, and she knew that Rick would be home. "Hello!" she called as she walked into Carla's kitchen.

"We're in the family room," Carla called back.

Nora joined them, accepting the glass of wine Carla handed her. "I just talked with my mother," she began. "I'll give you her number, Rick. She wanted to send you a retainer. Says she knows you're a good guy, but you should get paid something. You can tell her anything you want. I've just discovered something I never knew."

"What's that?" Carla asked, curious.

"My mother is cool," Nora said with a smile. "When we got finished talking she told me she was off to play tennis with a gentleman. And that she enjoys a good bang now and again."

Carla shrieked with laughter, and even Rick grinned.

"Omigod! If my mother ever said anything like that to me, I think I would die," Carla said, but she was still giggling.

"I know. I would have never expected it from Mom," Nora admitted. Then she continued. "She's wiring me some money so I can keep going, I feel terrible having to have asked her, but I had nowhere else to turn."

"Jeff's name is off the account," Rick said quietly. "At least your moneys will be safe. Nora, I have to tell you that I don't think much of a guy who would try and cut his wife off without a penny."

"My mother says my dad gave him ten percent of the house's down payment so we could put twenty percent down, but on the proviso the house was in my name," Nora told Rick.

"Any paperwork on that?" Rick asked anxiously.

"You would have to ask my mother, but I suspect no. Dad was trusting. I guess that's where I get it from." She drained her wine and stood up. "I've got to go home. J. J. and I are having supper together before he goes to the movies."

When she had gone, Rick Johnson looked at his wife. "This isn't just going to be messy. It's going to be nasty. Jeff wants to put the house on the market so it can be sold before school starts next autumn. Seems there's a co-op in town he and his next wife want to buy outright, without a mortgage. I suspect that's where the kids' college money has gone to as well. And don't you tell Nora that. I'm trying to keep her calm and strong for what's going to come. When Raoul Kramer gets a wife like Nora on the stand, she suddenly becomes a gold digger who has been leeching off her husband's hard work for years. Judges don't like women like that."

"But Nora isn't like that at all!" Carla said.

"Raoul Kramer will make her seem that way. I've got to make her the victim of a husband who's discarding the wife who has been loyal and faithful, for a trophy wife," Rick said. "Funny thing is, Nora is really reasonable about this. She wants her house, Jill and J. J.'s education taken care of, and enough support to get her through until she can get some training and enter the job market. I'll bet she runs that house on a dime."

"Rick, honey, you have to get her what she wants," Carla said.

"Baby, I don't know if I can. Jeff has planned this very carefully, and Raoul Kramer is the best. I'm just a small-town lawyer. This is really out of my league," Rick told his wife.

"You'll do it," Carla said. "You may be small-town, but you're a fighter, honey. Nora is in good hands with you behind her."

"I'm going to try," he said. God! Carla's blind faith in him made it even harder. He dreaded going into the office tomorrow and calling Raoul Kramer. The guy's client list read like a who's who of the rich and famous. They loved him, but he had the reputation of being a snake who devoured his opponents whole. Poor Nora! Other than her fidelity and good reputation as a wife, Nora didn't have a leg to stand on. How could Jeff Buckley be so rotten? He couldn't be certain until he spoke to Kramer what he'd do, but he was going to fight like hell to get Nora Buckley an even break.

The following day he called her. "Hey, kiddo, it's Rick. Make me a sandwich. I'm coming by 'cause we gotta talk."

"Turkey or ham?" she asked.

"Turkey," he replied.

"What time?"

"About twelve thirty."

Nora was irritable. She hadn't been able to get back to The Channel since Friday night because J. J. was home in the evenings studying for his finals. She missed Kyle. She missed the raw animal sex she had enjoyed those two nights she had been with him. For the first time in her adult life she felt there was someone who cared about her. Really cared. And she wanted to be with him again. If only there were a television in her bedroom, but Jeff would never hear of it. She wondered how much it would cost to have the cable company put in another connection. But then, Jeff had exited her life but for the formalities.

Rick arrived exactly at twelve thirty. "Carla's out," he said to Nora as he came into the kitchen, and sat down. "I knew she would be. I didn't want her over here sticking in her two cents, and she would be."

"Tell me," Nora said quietly as she set the sandwich before him, and sat down with her fat-free yogurt.

"He wants to sell the house right away. He's got a bid in on a co-op in the city," Rick began.

"Let him get a mortgage," Nora said. Her heart was racing. If he took the house, where was she going to go? Where were the kids going to go when they came home?

"The lease on your car is up, and he's not renewing it. You can buy the car from the dealer for eighty-seven hundred dollars," Rick said. He bit into his sandwich, unable to meet her eye.

"With what?" Nora said.

"He's canceled the car insurance on your car, J. J.'s, and Jill's," Rick continued. The sandwich tasted like sawdust in his mouth. He gulped some iced tea.

"What else?" Her voice seemed to her to be coming from a very long way away.

"He's paid Jill's first year at Duke Law, but says that's it. She'll have to manage to get student loans for her other two years. He won't pay for J. J.'s college. He says his son is eighteen now, and he's not legally responsible."

"And?" Nora's face was emotionless.

"No alimony," Rick finished.

"What am I supposed to do, Rick?" Nora asked quietly.

"He says you've got a college degree, so get a job," Rick told her.

"What about the eight thousand dollars my dad gave him to buy the house? He told my father he'd put the house in my name."

"Jeff's lawyer says there is no proof of that, and that the money was a gift to Jeff. Unless your mother can help us prove otherwise, we're stuck. But listen, Nora, this is just the opening gambit in this game. Now we negotiate to try and get you and the kids better terms. Will your mother buy the car for you?"

"It's too much money right now," Nora said. "She's already given me ten thousand to tide me over. And she's sending you a check. Did you speak to her?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah. And you're right. She's a cool lady."

"We can turn J. J.'s car into the family car. He won't be happy, but I told him he couldn't take it to State in his freshman year anyway. But how much is the insurance going to cost me?"

"We can handle that for you," Rick said. "We'll put J. J.'s car in your name 'cause it will give us a better rate. Jill is working for her pocket money, so she'll be okay. J. J. got a summer job yet?"

"At Handlemann's Nursery," Nora said. "He's already working weekends, but it's too late to get him any student aid for this year. How could Jeff do this to his own son? And because he wants to buy a co-op for his girlfriend! Rick, what am I going to do about J. J.'s college? The scholarship covers tuition, but he's got room and board."

"We'll work that one out," Rick told her. "State is cheap for in-state kids. The big problem is the house. We can't let him sell it out from under you, Nora. I'm going to go into court tomorrow and get a restraining order. His lawyer can get it lifted, but we can tie them up long enough to get through the summer. And at that point we will have come up with something, or maybe he will be more reasonable."

"Don't bank on it," Nora said grimly. "When Jeff wants something badly enough, he will move heaven and hell to get it. You don't know what he's like."

"Well," Rick said, "we'll just have to move heaven and hell to keep him at bay."

Nora gave a small laugh. "I never realized you were a knight in shining armor, Rick," she said.

"I'm second-string, honey, and I'm up against the first string, but I'm not going to let Jeff leave you homeless and penniless, Nora." He stood up. "Thanks for lunch," he said.

"You only ate half your sandwich," she admonished him.

"I'm not hungry, except for a victory over Jeff Buckley," Rick told her, and then he was gone out her kitchen door.

The telephone rang. It was her daughter. "Ma, you okay with all of this?" Jill asked. "It must have been one heck of a shock."

"It's bad, baby, but Rick is going to do his best," Nora said.

"I wish we had the best to handle this," Jill said. "This kind of thing is really over poor Uncle Rick's head."

"He's all I can afford," Nora answered, "or rather, Grandma can afford. She sent him a retainer. Your tuition has been paid at Duke for the coming year, but you'll have to get student aid for the other two years. Daddy says he won't pay. And I don't know where we're going to get the money for J. J."

"He's not paying for J. J.? Ma, that is so unfair! Why not?"

"I think he's taken your college funds for the co-op he wants to buy. He's trying to sell the house out from under us too," Nora told her daughter.

Jill shrieked, "Ma! This is terrible. It's like he's trying to punish you, but you didn't do anything. Are you sure I shouldn't come home this summer?"

"You've got another course to complete if you're going to Duke this fall, Jill. You were accepted on the proviso you finished. I don't want you deferring law school. There is nothing you can do to help, and we don't want to give your father an excuse to not pay that first year. Rick says this hardball is just a negotiating tactic."

"Ma, this is really gross of Daddy," Jill said.

"There is more, sweetie. Your car insurance is going to be changed, but don't worry," Nora said. "But I did want you to know when you get the paperwork. Okay?"

"Why is the car insurance changing?" Jill demanded.

"Because I'm going to be paying for it," Nora told her. "Now, Jill, I don't want to discuss it any further."

"You aren't telling me everything, Ma," Jill Buckley said.

"Jill, the divorce between Daddy and me isn't your problem. It's my problem, and I'm going to solve it. Your brother understands that, and is studying his brains out for his finals. I want you to understand it, and finish up so you're ready for law school in the fall. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Have you met her?" Jill asked.

"Who?" Nora was puzzled.

"Daddy's little bimbo," Jill replied.

"No, I haven't, and to be honest I don't know anything about her. I assume she works with your father in some capacity," Nora said.

"I hate her!" Jill said. "I never even want to meet her! I don't have to, do I?"

"You are of age, Jill. That decision is yours, but you might want to meet her at least once for Daddy's sake. If you don't, he'll say I'm turning you against him. I really don't need that right now."

"I can't believe how good you're being about this," Jill remarked. "What are you going to do now? I mean after the divorce. Both J. J. and I will be away. You'll be all alone. I hate to even think of it."

"Well, don't, then, honey," Nora said. "I'm going to learn how to operate a computer, and then I'm going to check over at the community college to see if they have a course or a seminar about getting into the work force for the first time for old broads."

"Ma! You are not an old broad," Jill said, but she was laughing. "Does this mean Daddy isn't paying you alimony? I can't believe it!"

"Jill, we haven't settled anything yet, but I don't want to take money from your father any longer than I have to take it. I want to be useful in another capacity from the one in which I have been. I married your father right out of college. I'm a dinosaur in this day and age. A woman who never worked. It's past time, and I'm kind of excited thinking about it."

"And you might meet another man," Jill said slyly.

"I don't think so," Nora replied.

"Oh, Ma, do you still love Daddy that much?" Jill asked.

"I'm afraid I don't love your father at all, honey," Nora responded. "I probably haven't for some time. I just didn't realize it. I went about doing the same things year after year. I wasn't unhappy, but neither was I happy. I want an opportunity to live on my own now, but I'll always be here for you and J. J. to come home to, Jill."

"I gotta go now, Ma," Jill said. "I've got a class. I love you!"

"And I love you, Jill. I'll see you for your brother's graduation, okay?"

"Yeah. Bye, Ma!"

"Bye, sweetie!" And the phone clicked off. Nora set it down. She looked out the kitchen windows into her backyard. The pool was open. The bright scarlet rhododendrons were in full bloom, as were the pink azaleas. The lawn was a deep green, but it needed mowing. She'd have J. J. do it before the weekend. The lawn always grew so quickly in the spring.

And then suddenly Nora began to consider if this was the last spring she would sit here and look out at her backyard. She had designed the layout of the garden herself. Worked with Mr. Handlemann to oversee the plantings all those years ago. It was so perfect, and she wasn't ready yet to give this all up to strangers. Whatever happens, she thought grimly, I am going to keep this house. Jeff is not going to sell it so he can buy his damned co-op for some other woman! Let him take a mortgage. If he wants to play, he's got to pay. I deserve my home. All he did was pay a mortgage. He never told me, but his mother did. He didn't save the money for the down payment. His father gave him the ten percent, and my father gave him the other ten percent. I made this house what it is. It's mine! I won't let him take it from me! And then she began to cry. She wept herself into a small headache before her tears finally subsided. Nora got up and, walking into the powder room, grabbed a handful of tissues and blew her nose. Then she washed her face. J. J. would be home from school soon, and she didn't want him to catch her crying.

I need Kyle, she thought again. How am I going to access The Channel if my son is upstairs doing his homework? But if someone walked into the den while I was in The Channel, what would they see? She had absolutely no idea. She had to take the chance, and it had to be tonight. Then she laughed softly. The Channel was like some sort of drug, and she was hooked. She went back into the kitchen, called Suburban Cable, and ordered The Channel for this evening. She could go on it anytime. She'd wait until J. J. was fast asleep, and she'd keep the sound on mute. And having made that decision, she felt better. A whole lot better. She let herself think about Kyle's hard young body. His big tireless dick. The mouth that kissed so well, sucking on her lips, her nipples, and her clit. She could almost taste him in her mouth, and felt herself suddenly wet with need. The sound of J. J.'s car screeching into the driveway drew her swiftly from her reverie.

She got up, and with a familiarity borne of habit, she opened the fridge and pulled out a soda, setting it on the table. Then, going to a pantry cabinet, she got out a bag of his favorite cheese crunchies. She smiled, remembering that as kids, her children had had to eat those damned cheese things in the kitchen, and then wash their hands before going anywhere else in the house. She had learned that after finding yellow cheesy fingerprints on the living room couch.

"Hey!" J. J. came into the kitchen, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the cheese crunchies and soda. Pulling the bag open, he stuffed some in his mouth, then opened the can, drinking some of it down immediately.

"Hey," Nora said back at him. "Sit down. We have to talk."

"What's up, Ma?" he asked her.

"Rick came by earlier. I gave him a sandwich, and we talked. Daddy's lawyer is a tough guy, and it looks pretty bad right now, but Rick says it's just negotiating tactics."

"How bad? And Ma, remember I'm eighteen now. You don't have to soften it for me like you do with Jill," J. J. told his mother.

"You may not be able to go to college this year," Nora began. "Dad says he's through paying. He paid Jill's first year at Duke Law, but after that, she's got to get aid. He says he won't pay for your first year at State, and it's too late for us to go for aid. Grandma's already shelled out fifteen thousand dollars to help us. I just don't know if I can ask her for more, and you can't pitch a tent on campus."

"What happened to my college fund? The one he was always shoving in our faces every Christmas morning, and bragging about?" J. J. wondered.

"Those papers he asked you to sign a couple of months ago, right after your eighteenth birthday?"

"Yeah, something about taxes," J. J. said.

"That's where the money went," Nora said.

"You mean he stole our college funds?" J. J. was outraged.

"Well, honey, it was his money, after all," Nora began.

"Oh, crap, Ma! Don't defend him. Please don't defend him! Every efffing Christmas for as long as I can remember he was waving the year-end statement at us, and saying how we'd never have to leave college with a lot of debt. That his father did it for him, and he was doing it for us. What a scam! Where's the money gone?"

"I don't know," Nora lied. "Maybe it's just one of those legal negotiating tactics that Rick says we're going to see a lot of, honey."

"I'm going to lose my soccer scholarship if I don't go this year. They're not going to hold a sports scholarship until I can come."

"Well, he has paid your sister's first year at law school," Nora reminded her son.

"Yeah, he would. Jill was always his favorite," J. J. said almost bitterly. "And think of the bragging rights he's got. 'My daughter is at Duke Law.' He's probably yapped about it so much already that he couldn't not pay. He knows Jill will get the moneys she needs for her other two years. Besides, it actually isn't costing him any more than if she'd done her undergrad work in four years instead of three. He's always been a cheapskate, Ma, and you know it. Damn! What the hell am I going to do?"

"J. J., you wanted the truth, and I've told you the truth," Nora said. "We will find a way, I promise you. But there's more, honey. My car's lease is almost up, and I can't afford to buy it. It has to go back to the dealership. Your car is about to become the family car. I'm sorry. Daddy won't buy the car for me, and he won't pay for car insurance either. Rick is seeking insurance we can afford."

J. J. looked up at her. His face was that of the Jeff she had once known. "Ma, why is he doing this to you? To us? What did we do wrong?" His voice was strained.

"Honey, I don't know. You know there's another woman involved. I think your father wants everything to be perfect for them. The problem is he can't make it perfect without a lot of money. He wants to sell the house. He's taken the college funds for himself. He's jettisoning his old life to make a new life. He doesn't know what else to do, I'm afraid. But J. J., I don't want you to worry. I'll do the worrying for this family. You need to concentrate on your exams. I will not let your father sell this house from under us. It is my house. Our home. He's not going to get it. Okay?" She tipped his face up to hers, looking directly into his blue eyes. "Okay?" she repeated.

He gave her a weak smile. "Okay," he said. "But I think Dad's a real shit, Ma, and don't yell at me for using that language."

"Not this time," Nora told him. "I am forced to agree with your rather astute assessment, my son." She gave him a small smile.

J. J. grinned back. "I don't mind if I have to stay home. You need someone to look after you," he told her.

"You are going to college, young man," Nora said firmly. "And I'm going to learn how to operate a computer, and take a course in how to get a job so I can support myself, and you. It's an adventure, J. J., and I'm actually looking forward to it."

"You are the greatest, Ma," he replied. "I would have thought that you would have gone to pieces over this, but you haven't. You're real strong. You even seem happier, and you're even starting to look different. Prettier."

"Thanks, babe," she said. "Now go study, and I'll start dinner." His words surprised her. After he had disappeared from the kitchen, she walked into the hall and looked at herself in the mirror. Was she beginning to lose weight? And her face seemed to have lost those stress lines she had been wearing for months. Nothing like a whole lot of loving to make a woman feel better, Nora thought mischievously. She could hardly wait to get to The Channel. She returned to the kitchen and began getting the supper ready for the two of them.

Afterwards she curled up in the den with a magazine, waiting, waiting for her son to go to bed. Just before midnight he came down, got himself a glass of milk, and said, "I'm going to hit the sack now, Ma. You really should go to bed yourself."

"Good article," she told him, waving the magazine. "I'll be up eventually." She heard his footsteps retreating back upstairs. She waited another hour just to be certain. Then she crept upstairs, and peeped in his room. J. J. lay deep in sleep. Taking the empty milk glass, she slipped from the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. Hurrying back downstairs, she put the glass in the dishwasher, and then almost ran into the den to turn on the television, her eager fingers punching in sixty-nine. And there was her apartment on the screen. Nora placed her hand flat against the screen, and to her vast relief was immediately in the living room.

"Kyle!" she called. "Are you here?"

He came through the open bedroom door, and Nora flew into his arms. He kissed her hungrily. "God, Nora, I missed you! You said you'd come last night."

"I couldn't. J. J. is home at night now. Kyle, if he came into the den now, what would he see?" she asked.

"I guess what's here," he told her. "I don't really know."

"Then I can't stay," Nora said. "I can't take the chance of his seeing this."

"Don't go," he begged her. "I need you, baby."

She could see the thick ridge beneath his black silk boxers. "I need you too," she said. "But it's too dangerous, Kyle."

"Look," he began reasonably, "from the other side you can just see the living room. If we went into the bedroom and closed the door, if anyone came into your den, all they would see is the living room. And if the kid's asleep, Nora, we have time. Is he a sound sleeper? Does he wake up in the night?"

"J. J.?" She laughed. "No. When he socks, he's good for at least six hours."

"Then we can take an hour for ourselves, can't we?" he tempted. "I've got some very nice champagne on ice in the bedroom, and I've been eating raw oysters all evening waiting for you." He pulled the sash of her robe open, and began to play with her breasts. "It would be a shame to let this go to waste," he told her, pulling his penis from his shorts. "I want to do you, Nora. I need it. You need it too."

She swallowed hard. She did need it. All afternoon she had been thinking about screwing him. "You're certain if we close the bedroom door, we'll be safe?"

"Pretty certain," he told her, pushing her through the bedroom door, and kicking it shut behind him. He took her head between his hands and kissed her again. "Just an hour, Nora. Then I will let you go."

She shrugged the silk robe off and reached down to fondle him with both hands. Reaching beneath, she cuddled his balls in her palm. They were cool to the touch. She tickled them lightly with her fingers.

He slid to his knees, and began to kiss and suckle on her breasts. He blew soft little puffs of air onto her flesh. His tongue lapped at her torso. Then his hands slipped around to hold her firmly by her thighs. His tongue poked between her nether lips, seeking her clit, and when he found it he began to tease at it with quick jabs.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Nora said breathlessly, feeling the heat begin to rise up within her. "Oh, Kyle, that's so nice, but I really need to be fucked, darling. I've been dreaming about it all day."

He stopped and stood up. "A little more foreplay, Nora. It's nice, and it will make what comes even better."

He lay atop her on the bed for several long minutes, kissing her face, his arms wrapped around her. His body against hers was wonderful. Then at a whispered command Nora drew her left leg up and Kyle pushed his penis into her wet vagina. He fucked her slowly, stroke after stroke after stroke, until she was almost ready to scream. He stopped and murmured another command in her ear, and his tongue licked it for emphasis. Nora raised her right leg, but she did not wrap her limbs about him. She just brought them up. He remained buried within her, and then he began to slowly move on her once more, bringing her almost to the point of orgasm, but stopping again. He whispered again into her ear. Nora raised her legs up farther, rolling backward to raise her hips, allowing him the deepest penetration yet.

She could feel him inside of her. Hard. Oh, God, so hard. She squeezed him with her vaginal muscles, making him moan. Then he began to pump her, and Nora's head began to spin with the pure, hot pleasure he was giving her. She screamed as her own lust burgeoned and then burst in a mutual orgasm, Kyle coming in fierce hot spurts, and her own juices drenching his penis. "Oh, God, that was perfect!" she gasped.

"You think?" he groaned, falling back.

Nora was immediately atop him. "Yes!" she said. "I wish I'd known sex was so good before this. Think of all the fun I've missed. I'll bet Jeff never had it this good. He sure didn't give it to me like you do, Mr. Gorgeous."

He grinned up at her. "Remember, I'm everything you ever wanted, Nora. That's the way it works here in The Channel."

"I wish I could stay here," she said. "Oh, not forever. Just for a little while to get away from everything unpleasant that's going on in my life right now."

Kyle looked thoughtful. "I never heard of anyone taking their vacation here, but I suppose you could ask the administrator, Mr. Nicholas."

Nora rolled off of her lover and, propping herself up on an elbow, looked down at him. "The administrator? You have an administrator? What does he do?" She was surprised. There was someone who ran The Channel? Of course there had to be someone in charge. Was he here, or was he there?

"Mr. Nicholas is in charge of The Channel," Kyle said. "I really don't know what he does, but I suppose someone had to create all of this, and all of us."

"And I can see him?" Fascinating, Nora thought.

"Sure! I can make you an appointment, but let's make it when you don't have to worry about your kid. You don't want to rush an appointment with Mr. Nicholas," Kyle told her.

"Have you ever met him?" Nora asked her lover.

He nodded. "You'd like him. Everyone does."

"Other people from my reality have talked to him?"

"Yeah. Some people who visit The Channel are content to just enjoy their fantasies, like your girlfriends Carla and Tiffany. Others are curious, and want to know how it all works, so they go to see Mr. Nicholas."

"You know Carla and Tiffany?" Interesting.

'I know of them, but no," Kyle told her. "I don't know them. I don't fit into their fantasies like I fit into yours, Nora."

"How do you know of them?" Curiouser and curiouser.

"Because I know everything about you, darling. Remember, I'm a part of you," Kyle told her, and then he pulled her down and kissed her.

Nora sighed. "I have to go," she said softly. "I'm so afraid that J. J. will wake up and come looking for me, and find his mother starring in a porn movie." She drew away from Kyle. "Tell me, what should I wear to see Mr. Nicholas?"

"You've got a closet full of nice things, Nora. Open it, and look," he told her.

She got up, and walking across the bedroom floor to the mirrored walls, behind which was a closet, she pushed open one of the doors. Inside was an entire wardrobe of clothing. It was all beautiful. All expensive. And all in the colors she loved. She turned. "Mine?" she asked Kyle.

"All yours," he said. "Like?"

She pulled out a silk wool suit in palest heather mauve. "Oh, yes, I like very much." She put the suit back.

"The Channel offers you everything you want, Nora," he told her.

"That suit sure didn't come from Talbots, like most of my stuff," she noted.

"Your wardrobe here is a bit more elegant, more upmarket," he said.

Nora bent and, picking up her shorty robe, slipped it on. "I do have to go," she said to him.

"When will you be back?" he asked her.

Nora shook her head. "I don't know. With J. J. in the house, I have to be careful."

"I'll be waiting," he promised her.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"How do I get back before closing time?" she wondered aloud. She hadn't even considered that when she made her plans to come tonight.

"Just touch the screen of the plasma telly in the living room. When you turn it on you'll see your den. Good night, Nora, my love."

She blew him a kiss, and hurried back into the living room to turn on the television. When the screen lit she could see her den, in the dimness. Reluctantly she reached out and put her hand flat against the screen. She didn't want to go back, but she had to if she was going to beat Jeff. And no matter how the cards were stacked against her, Nora had already decided her husband wasn't going to get his way this time.