Private Pleasures

Chapter Five

Nora heard nothing from her husband after he had asked her for a divorce. His attorney, Raoul Kramer, had called Rick and said they would all get together after J. J.'s graduation. "No need spoiling the kid's big day," he said.

"It's already spoiled, but maybe a few days will give Jeff a little more perspective," Rick replied. "He can't just dump the woman he's been married to for over twenty-five years without something."

"Sure he can," Kramer laughed. "I'll call you in two weeks, Johnson." And he hung up.

"You looked pissed," his partner, Joe Pietro d'Angelo, said, coming into Rick's office. "Let me guess. The Buckley divorce."

"Joe, we gotta do something. Jeff and his lawyer won't budge. What the hell is going to happen to Nora, and her kids?"

"What did Kramer want?"

"They don't want to discuss anything until after J. J.'s graduation," Rick said.

"Okay, no problem," Joe told him. "They're hoping by putting it off you'll ease up on some of your demands. This is a game, Rick. They won't back down. We won't back down. Jeff Buckley has more to lose than Nora does."

"How do you see that?" Rick asked.

Joe chuckled. "Look, he's divorcing the long-suffering wife for the younger trophy wife. They want to make a nice nest. He's obviously found something, and that's why he wants to sell the house. The kids' college money isn't enough. He wants to be debt free. No mortgage. He paid off the Ansley Court house a couple of years ago. If he sells it, it's all profit except for the agent's commission. And I'll bet he tries to sell it without an agent. No judge is going to let him disenfranchise Nora and her kids. We take it to a judge, and the judge is going to rule Nora stays in the house until they reach a fair settlement. We can hold them off that way, and Raoul Kramer knows it. They want a fast settlement, and we're not going to give it to them unless Jeff gets reasonable."

"Nora wants the house," Rick said.

"I don't think we can get it for her," Joe told his partner. "The best we're going to do is half the value of the house because her father put down half the down payment. And that's the absolute best. Kramer is going to claim she never paid a penny of the mortgage. We're going to have to counterclaim that while she never put money into the house, she did put sweat equity based on her track record as a wife. Nora has always been frugal with Jeff's money. Tiff says she's been wearing the same stuff from Talbots for years. She never buys anything for herself. In other words, her good habits have helped Jeff build the wealth he now wants to squander on a younger new wife."

"God, you're good!" Rick grinned.

Joe grinned back. "I learned a lot at that big practice I worked for in town when I was a callow youth. People with money get real possessive in a situation like this. What do you think Nora will do when this is all over?"

"She's planning to go to the community college to learn computer skills and take a course on how to get a job," Rick said.

"Won't be easy at her age, and with no previous experience," Joe noted, "but if Nora's careful, she'll manage. Has she got an aptitude for anything in particular?"

"You got me," Rick said. "I wonder if Jeff will show up at the graduation. Maureen is friends with J. J.'s girlfriend, Lily Graham. She told Carla that J. J. doesn't want his dad there. That he's really mad at him, especially since he won't pay J. J.'s board at State."

"Yeah," Joe said, "that's something we've got to do for Nora. Tiff was talking to me about it. The kid's got a soccer scholarship for tuition. Why don't the rest of us kick in for his dorm and meal plan? It's only about fifteen hundred apiece. The kid's got a summer job, and he's already lined up an on-campus job. That'll take care of everything else. I'd feel lousy if he lost that scholarship because his father is a horny prick."

"It'll have to come through the girls. I'll talk to Carl Ulrich, and you speak to Sam Seligmann," Rick suggested. "God, I hope Jeff doesn't show up at graduation."

"He's got to be asked, or Kramer will say we're turning the kid against his dad. Judges don't like parents who play divide and conquer," Joe noted.

"I'll check with Carla, but knowing Nora, she'll ask him, because she's just that decent, even if it's wasted on Jeff," Rick answered.

And of course Nora did make certain that her husband was asked to their son's graduation. She had stood over J. J. as he addressed the invitation to his graduation to his father's office, since they had no idea where he was living. After receiving no response, Nora called her husband's office two days before the graduation, but Jeff, according to Carol, his longtime assistant, was unavailable to speak with her.

"I just wanted to know if he's coming to J. J.'s graduation, Carol," Nora said. "We sent his invitation to the office. Maybe it didn't arrive? But graduation is in two days. This weekend."

"Oh, he got the invitation, Mrs. Buckley," Carol said. "I opened it, and gave it to him myself. I can't imagine J. J. graduating already. I came to work for Mr. Buckley the summer just before J. J. started kindergarten. It doesn't seem possible that much time has passed. I'm sure he'll be there in spite of everything."

Nora laughed. "I don't want to put you on the spot, Carol, but satisfy my curiosity. Just a yes or no will do. Does she work in the office?"

There was a long pause, and then Carol said, "Yes." She lowered her voice. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Buckley!"

"Thank you," Nora responded. "Tell Jeff I called, and I'd like to know one way or the other if he is or isn't coming."

"Of course, Mrs. Buckley. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Carol," Nora said.

"I hope he doesn't come," Jill Buckley said. She had just arrived home that afternoon. "J. J. doesn't want him there, and for once I agree with my brother."

"He's your father," Nora said quietly.

"He's a creep," Jill replied. "Dumping you for another woman is bad enough, Ma, but trying to make you a homeless bag woman stinks."

"It's a negotiating tactic, Jill. Nothing more. You'll learn that in law school. Do you have your summer course set up?"

"Yeah. If my college didn't require those damned gym courses, I could have been through now," Jill grumbled irritably. "At least it doesn't screw up my waitress job."

"If you had taken those gym courses in your first two years instead of waiting until the last minute, you wouldn't have had to take them this year, and miss the other course you needed and will now have to take this summer," Nora reminded her daughter.

"I hate that phys-ed stuff. I'm not an athlete like J. J.," Jill replied.

"Honey, don't you miss not having a graduation?" Nora asked.

"Nah. Lot of bother, Ma. I just want to go to law school, and get on with my life," Jill responded. "And I've got to start thinking of an internship for next summer."

Nora shook her head. "You're your father's daughter," she said.

"Don't say that!" Jill cried. "I'm nothing like him! I don't want to be like him!"

"Honey, I only meant you were organized, and ambitious," Nora soothed. She hated seeing her children so angry with their father. This problem wasn't really theirs. It was hers and Jeff's. Jill had always adored her father. "You have to be nice to your dad, Jill, when he comes. I don't want him taking away your law school tuition this year. There is no way you could go to Duke without him this year, and he seems to be in an odd mood. Remember that."

"Probably his teenybopper girlfriend has him on drugs. Drugs give you mood swings," Jill said nastily.

"Jill! I have no idea how old or how young this woman is. Don't say things like that," Nora scolded.

"Ma, you know she's got to be younger. When a man has enough money, and is happy in his job, the only thing he wants is red-hot sex. I learned that in psych. I don't think you and Dad were having red-hot sex, if you were having sex at all."

"Enough!" Nora said sharply. "Your father wants a divorce. I'm happy to give him one. Our only disagreement is money. Let it go, Jill. I don't want to hear any more about this. Dad and I will both be happier apart."

And it couldn't all come soon enough, Nora thought to herself. She hadn't seen her husband in several weeks, and to her surprise she wasn't unhappy. In fact she was downright happy, and she was looking forward to starting her own life anew. Rick assured her that they would get a decent settlement out of Jeff eventually. He explained why Jeff couldn't sell the house from under her, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that in the end the house would be sold. That news would come later when there was no other choice. For now it was a huge burden off of her shoulders, as was the financial problem of J. J.'s college tuition.

Carla had come to her with a check for six thousand dollars, and when Nora had demurred, Carla had quietly explained that it wasn't right for J. J. to lose his sports scholarship, and that it was a graduation gift to him from his neighbors on Ansley Court, who had watched him grow up with their kids. It would pay for his dorm room and his meal plan. Nora cried. There was no way she could deny her son this chance. And he was going to write thank-you notes to them all, or she'd kill him!

On graduation morning J. J. donned his kelly green gown and cap. The school's colors were kelly green and white. Maureen Johnson was wearing a white cap and gown, like all the other girls graduating that day. The two families met on the lawns outside. Pictures were taken. Margo Edwards had come up from South Carolina in her gentleman friend Taylor's private plane. They had flown in early this morning, and would be leaving almost immediately after graduation.

"We have a dance tonight at the club, darling," Margo told her daughter. "You know, Nora, you are looking better now than you have in years. You've lost weight, and you have a positive glow about you. If this is what getting rid of Jeff has done for you, you should have done it sooner," she laughed.

Nora laughed too. "Thanks, Mom," she said. And then wondered what his mother would think if she told her about The Channel, and that she was having the best sex of her life with an imaginary lover.

Since Nora had to turn in her car to the dealer, they squeezed into J. J.'s and Jill's two little cars.

"You really should have told me, darling," Margo said. "You can't be without a car. How are you going to get around?"

"I'm taking J. J.'s car for now. I'll drop him at work and pick him up every day. That way I'll have the car for errands, and he's not taking it to college anyway this year. He's got it exclusively Friday nights until Sunday church. It won't be so bad, Mom," Nora said. "Besides, I've got to pay the insurance now."

"Jeff is a monster!" Margo said, and she turned to her escort. "This is a perfect example of his perfidy, Taylor. Didn't I tell you?"

"Now, honey, don't you go getting yourself all upset," Taylor Bradford said. "I think your Nora will just be fine, won't you, girly?"

"Yes, I will," Nora agreed sweetly, and she winked at him.

They were all laughing as they parked and got out of the car. J. J. and Maureen ran off to join their classmates. Nora and her family walked to the soccer field, where chairs had been set up for the graduation. The day was sunny, with a light breeze. It was perfect June weather.

"Who is that?" Carla asked as a sleek dark gray limousine pulled into the parking lot. "Oh, Jesus, Nora! It's Jeff, and he's brought the Jennifer with him."

"I cannot believe the effrontery of that man!" Margo gasped.

Nora stared. Well, there was the answer to her question. The next Mrs. Buckley was not a great beauty, but she was a very striking young woman. Tall. Blond. Willowy.

Nora instantly regretted her mauve-and-green floral dress. While it certainly fit her better than it had in a long while, it wasn't the kind of dress in which you wanted to meet your successor. It screamed ordinary. The Jennifer was dressed in a pale gray silk suit with a fitted jacket. She was wearing a pair of the highest sling-back heels Nora had ever seen. They were straight out of Carrie's closet on Sex and the City. Her blond hair was pulled back neatly.

"Let's get out of here," Carla hissed. "I don't want to be introduced now."

"Agreed," Nora said. "God, I look so fat in this dress, and she looks like she lives on lettuce leaves."

"You do not look fat in that dress!" Margo said loyally. "You look lovely."

Oh God, Nora thought, lovely? She didn't want to look lovely. She wanted to look smashing and sexy. She wanted to look like she looked in The Channel. Oh, Kyle! She hadn't seen him since Jill got home. Jill was a night owl, and there was no chance to sneak into The Channel with Jill home. But right now she wanted to look like she did with Kyle, and she wanted to have him on her arm. Wouldn't that surprise old Jeff?

They found an open row, and crowded in. The Seligmanns, the Pietro d'Angelos, and the Ulriches were already waiting for them. Just enough chairs, including Margo and Taylor. No room for Jeff and his Jennifer. Too bad.

"Jeff just arrived in a big limo with his Jennifer," Carla hissed to the others.

"Such a nerve," Rina said. "I wouldn't want a nerve like that in my tooth."

"Do you think they'll come back to the house for the party?" Tiffany asked.

"It's his son's graduation," Nora whispered at them. "I'm sure he'll come back, and please, for the love of God, no confrontations. I've got enough trouble, and the lawyers start talking again on Monday. We don't want Jeff feeling hostile."

"I can't talk to him, Ma," Jill said. "That woman with him isn't much older than I am. It's embarrassing."

"No, Jill, what's embarrassing is wearing a seven-year-old flowered dress when your husband's next wife-to-be looks like she stepped out of Vogue. So shut up, and be nice to your father," Nora snapped irritably. "This situation isn't about you. Got it?"

"Good for you, girly," Taylor Bradford murmured, and he patted her hand.

The graduation ceremony began. It was like every graduation day. Pomp and Circumstance. Welcome to Parents and Guests. A small speech by the principal. The Salutatorian's Speech. The Valedictorian's Speech. The Awards. The Conferring of the Diplomas. The Dismissal, when all the mortarboards went flying in the air to the happy shouts of the graduating class. And it was over.

J. J. headed toward his family. "I saw him," he said to his mother.

"Be nice. Remember what we talked about," she warned him.

And then Jeffrey Buckley and his companion were upon them. "Congratulations, son," he said. "I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Heidi Millar."

The girl quickly held out her hand. "Your dad speaks highly of you, J. J.," she said.

To Nora's relief, J. J. shook the young woman's hand. "Thank you," was all he said.

"Nora, Heidi Millar," Jeff said.

"You'll come back to the house, of course," Nora responded. "We're having a small celebration before J. J. goes off with his friends." She quickly turned away, as did the others.

"Of course," he said jovially.

"I can't believe you asked him to come here with his… his woman!" Jill raged at Nora in the car.

"I had no choice, Jill. Now behave yourself," Nora snapped.

"Grandma!" Jill turned to Margo.

"No, Jill, your mother did exactly the right thing. Your father isn't divorcing you, darling. He's divorcing your mother. Now behave. Taylor and I can only spend another hour with you before we leave, and I want to have nice memories of my grandson's high school graduation."

Jill slouched down in the car, scowling. "I'll speak to Daddy, but I absolutely will not talk with that woman," she said.

Nora's hands clutched the wheel of the car. If Jill started a brouhaha, she was going to kill her. She angled her way from the parking lot and headed off home. She had to get there before Jeff, and in her rearview mirror she could see the limo making its attempt to leave. She pressed down on the gas pedal and stared ahead.

Rina and Joanne were at the house ahead of her. They were already putting the sandwiches out on the silver trays. Tiffany was putting the finishing touches on the sheet cake. She was their cake decorator. No one else ever bothered to do a cake once they learned how clever Tiff was. The rectangular pastry was bedecked with a soccer field design complete with goal, and a figure kicking a ball between the posts. Tiffany was just finishing up the writing. "Congratulations, Jeff" was emblazoned across the cake.

The women hurried out to the brick terrace off the den, where a table had been set up, covered with a lovely white linen cloth edged in delicate lace. There were heavy paper plates with a graduation motif, cups, and silverware on the table. The cake was set in the center with plates of small sandwiches surrounding it. Nora had used a mix of her good china, her silver, and paper goods. Margo and Taylor came from the kitchen, each carrying two pitchers of lemonade mixed with iced tea. Nora liked the way Taylor Bradford seemed to fit right in with them. Trust Margo to have found the right man whether she married him or not.

Then Jeff arrived with Heidi, behaving very much like the lord of the manor. He seated his companion by the pool, and hurried over to the table to fetch her refreshment.

"Where are the glasses?" he wanted to know.

"We're using paper cups," Nora replied quietly.

"You know I don't like paper," he said irritably. "Go and get me two glasses."

"You haven't been gone so long that you've forgotten where the glasses are, Jeff," Nora said dryly. "If you want glasses, go and get them yourself. My days of servitude are over. Please try and be pleasant for J. J. sake."

"What the hell has gotten into you, Nora?" he demanded.

She smiled brightly at him. "I have guests to attend to, Jeff." And she walked away. Inside she was shaking with her anger. How dare he bring her replacement into her house, and behave as if everything in it, including Nora, were at his pleasure.

It was a brief party, because J. J. desperately wanted to join his friends. Maureen would be having the big party tonight, but Nora knew there were other parties going on even now that the two kids wanted to go to. She got J. J. to come and make a ceremonial cut of his cake. Tiffany came then to slice up the cake for the guests.

"The girls and I want to go now," J. J. said to his mother.

"Go on, but say good-bye to your father first," Nora advised her son.

Reluctantly J. J. walked over to where his father sat with his girlfriend. "I'm going now, Dad," he said.

"Sit down for a minute and visit with us," Jeff said.

"Mo and Lily are waiting for me, Dad," J. J. said.

"Sit down!" Jeff snapped. "You haven't said a word to Heidi."

"What do you want me to say, Dad? You're dumping my mother. You've taken away my college funds. What am I supposed to say? Thank you?"

"Heidi is going to be your stepmother, J. J.," Jeff said.

"So?"

"I want you to know her, and like her," his father responded.

"Look, Dad, I don't want to know her, and I'll never like her. Got it?" J. J. told his father. "I'm eighteen now. I won't have to come to you every other weekend like some of my friends do with their parents. It's over between us. You gave me life, but not much more. You never came to my games, or the plays I was in, or the mountain house." He turned to Heidi Millar. "I hope you aren't planning on kids, ma'am. He's a lousy father."

Heidi Millar's cold gray eyes looked directly at J. J. "I don't think you have the right to speak to your father like that. You obviously have no idea what a wonderful and talented man he is. You're angry because he won't pay for your schooling. Why should he pay for a boy who obviously has no respect for him? You, your sister, and your mother have lived off of Jeff's hard work and generosity long enough. It's past time you took care of yourselves."

J. J. stood up. "So long, Dad," he said.

Jeff stood up too, holding out his hand to his son. J. J. looked at the hand, laughed, and then turned away. Jeff Buckley's face grew florid with his anger at the snub. "Your mother," he snarled, "is obviously working very hard to turn you against me. It won't help her to do it at all."

J. J. turned, his fists clenched, to glare at his father, and it was then that Taylor Bradford stepped into the fray. He put his arm about the boy, murmuring as he did, "The man ain't worth it, son. Go on with those two pretty girls waiting for you," and he gently pushed J. J. in the direction of Lily and Mo. Then he turned back to Jeff Buckley. "I think you've just about worn out your welcome here today, sir. Why don't you take the young lady and head back to town?"

"Who the hell are you?" Jeff demanded to know.

"Taylor Bradford of Bradford, South Carolina, sir. I'm planning on being Margo's husband one of these days real soon. So as the patriarch of this family, I'm telling you to git."

"Taylor Bradford of Bradford Industries?" Heidi said, and when he nodded she continued eagerly, smiling her best smile at him. "We've been trying to get your business, Mr. Bradford, for our agency, Buckley, Coutts and Wickham."

"I don't think I'd count on my business now, missy," the older man said. "Your driver's waiting."

"I haven't seen my daughter yet," Jeff said stubbornly.

"You can say your heys on the way out." Taylor Bradford smiled.

Heidi Millar stood up. "Come on, Jeff. This is already old, and I'm bored." She took his arm and they moved off, but Jeff guided them to Nora, determined to have his say before he left.

Nora was sitting with her mother and daughter when Jeff approached. She stood, smiling weakly. "Going so soon?"

"You're going to be sorry, Nora, for turning my son against me," he growled at her. "I'm not going to forget this, and come Monday you're going to wish you hadn't done it, you embittered bitch."

The look of surprise on Nora's face was instant. "I didn't turn J. J. against you. What happened?"

"He was rude to me, and Heidi," Jeff said angrily.

"He was incredibly awful to his father," Heidi Millar added. "He said the most terrible things. It's no wonder Jeff is washing his hands of him!"

"My brother is a good kid," Jill said, jumping up to defend her sibling. "He's hurt because of what's happened. You can't blame him."

"He's a nasty little brat," Heidi responded.

"Do you hate me, Jilly?" her father asked.

"Of course not, Daddy, and neither does J. J. I'm just upset that you are being so unfair to Mom. How is she supposed to live if you won't pay her alimony, at least for a little while? And where is she supposed to live if you sell our house?"

"Jill!" Nora put a hand on her daughter's arm, in a warning gesture.

"Your mother has a college degree. Let her get a job like everyone else these days," Jeff said, ignoring his daughter's query about the house.

"You just better be careful, Jill," Heidi said. "If your father hadn't already paid your tuition at Duke this year, you wouldn't be going. And it's the last time he's going to pay for you. I hope you understand that."

"Get out!" Nora said. Her eyes were filled with tears, which were beginning to spill down her cheeks. "Get out, Jeff, and please, don't come back. And take that girl with you. I wanted you to come to J. J.'s graduation today. You're his father. But you've spoiled the day for us all. I hope you're satisfied."

"You've gotten old and bitter, Nora," he said cruelly.

"Jeff, you wanted a divorce. I said you could have one. But just bear this in mind- I will not let you have my house. Do you understand me? You will never have this house! If you want to start again, then do it all the way. Take a mortgage like all young couples do," Nora sneered at him, the tears still pouring down her cheeks.

"You will get nothing from me, bitch! Nothing!" And then he spun about and dragged Heidi with him as he headed for the limo.

Nora was shaking with anger now, but she couldn't stop crying. Taylor Bradford pushed a paper cup into her hand. Nora drank, and then began to cough. "It's whiskey!" she gasped.

"Yep," he agreed. "Nothing like a little drink to calm the nerves, honey."

Nora began to laugh, and looking at her mother, she said, "If you don't marry him eventually, Ma, I will." Then she drank down the rest of the potent liquid in the paper cup. And she did feel better. "Nobody leaves here till those damned sandwiches are all eaten," she said. And the tension broken, her friends began to eat and talk again.

Margo put an arm around her daughter. "That was hard," she said, "but you did just fine. I never thought I'd see the day when you stood up to Jeff Buckley."

"A lot of things are changing, Ma," Nora admitted.

"We're going to have to go soon," Margo said.

"I know. You've got a dance at the club," Nora answered. "I like Taylor. I wouldn't mind if you married him."

"We'll see," Margo replied.

"He's very rich, isn't he? I mean, you flew up in his private plane," Nora said.

"He flies the plane himself," Margo told her, "although at his age he has another pilot with us, and yes, dear, he's very rich."

"Wow! Mom, you really surprise me," Nora told her parent with a smile.

Margo laughed. "Thank you," she said. And then she grew serious. "I would have never thought you would be so good about what's happening, Nora. I'm proud of you, darling, and until you get on your feet I will help."

"I'll pay you back one day, Ma," Nora promised.

"Honey, you're going to inherit it anyway," Margo said. "You need it now, and frankly it gives me pleasure to see you make Jeff Buckley's life a little difficult."

"I want the house, Ma! I don't care about anything else, but I want the house," Nora told her mother.

"I'm sure Rick will do his best for you, darling," Margo assured her.

"Time to go, honeybunch." Taylor Bradford had come to where they were seated. "Car is here, and Hal has the plane ready. We got a nice tailwind, and should be home in no time at all so you can get yourself all gussied up for the dance tonight."

The two women stood up, and Nora put her arms about Taylor Bradford, giving him a big hug. "Thank you for bringing Mom, Taylor. You're welcome in my house anytime." Then she stood on her toes and kissed his ruddy cheek.

"I got two sons, girly," he said. "Wouldn't mind having a daughter like you at all. Even at this late date." And he kissed her cheek heartily.

"Good-bye, darling." Margo kissed Nora, and gave her a quick hug. "Tell J. J. to look in the graduation card I gave him." She turned and kissed Jill. "You did very well under the circumstances, darling. Grandma was proud."

"I wanted to smack him," Jill admitted.

"So did I," Margo replied.

"Then we both did very well," Jill chuckled.

The guests were gone at last. Carla stayed to help Nora clean up. Jill had gone upstairs to pack. She was taking an early-evening flight back to her college.

"The Channel tonight, you lucky girl." Carla grinned at Nora.

"I don't know," Nora said. "What if J. J. comes home? What does it look like to people on this side of reality when we're on the other?"

Carla shrugged. "I have no idea. But J. J. won't be home until dawn. Our party starts at nine, and when it finally ends they're all going up to the mountain house for a long weekend. No chaperones." She waggled her eyebrows at Nora.

"I had forgotten that they were going up," she said. "Yeah, maybe I could get The Channel tonight. I haven't been able to get there with Jill home."

"Call now," Carla encouraged her. "I'll finish the cleanup. Just a little cake to put away anyhow. I've packed two sandwiches for Jill to have on the plane."

"You are an angel," Nora said, picking up the telephone handset.

J. J. came home to change for Maureen Johnson's party. He had been at his girlfriend Lily's party. Jill was just going out the door to her waiting Cassandra cab. He hugged her. "So long, big sis. When will I see you again? Before I'm off to State?"

"Not till Christmas, kiddo," Jill told him. "I've got just enough time between finishing my course and orientation at Duke to pack up and get there."

"Where will you live?" he asked, walking with her to the cab.

"Duke hooked me up with two other girls, and we've rented a house," Jill said. "I've got the money from working and saving almost everything Daddy sent me. No more where that came from. Miss Icy Eyes is going to get it all." She gave him a quick kiss. "Don't screw up, J. J. It will be tempting to party, party, party, but that first semester is important. I've been there. Besides, the whole neighborhood helped get you there. You don't want to disappoint them." She got into the cab. "So long!" She blew him a kiss as the cab revved up and sped off.

"No pressure," J. J. mumbled to himself as he went into the house. "I'm home," he called to his mother.

"I'm upstairs," Nora said, and heard him taking the steps two at a time. He came into his room. "I packed a few things for you for the mountain house," she said. "Why don't you take them over and put them in Mo's car? Or are you riding in Lily's?"

"Lily," he answered, "but Mo'll take my stuff up, and if I toss it in her trunk now, I won't forget. Toothbrush, razor, etc.?"

"Yes," she said.

He sat down on the edge of the bed. "You don't mind being alone this weekend? We probably won't be back till sometime on Monday."

"Actually I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet," Nora told him. "I've never minded being alone, and I'm going to be in a few weeks when you head off to State. And you're going earlier than most kids because you're on a team, honey."

"Ma, maybe I ought to put off college for a year. Until this thing with Dad gets straightened out," J. J. said.

"You can't do anything to help, honey, and you'll lose your scholarship if you don't go now. It's alright, J. J. Now shower and change before you go, and don't forget your duffel. I'll put it downstairs by the door."

She left him, thinking he was a sweet kid, and so protective of her. She ought to feel guilty for wanting him gone, out of the house, but she didn't. She was through being superwife and supermom. She wanted to be that woman who lived in The Channel. She wanted to be fucked in every way imaginable by Kyle, and Rolf, and whomever else she could think up. She wanted to be licked, and she wanted to suck cock until she was mindless. And she was no longer shocked by these thoughts.

Smelling of soap, shampoo, and aftershave, J. J. kissed his mom before he left for his party. With a grin at her, he picked up his duffel. "Have a good weekend, Ma," he said as he headed out the door.

"You too, honey," Nora told him, watching as he made his way across the lawn, where even now a crowd of kids was gathering. She shut the door, and threw the bolt. She checked the central AC, and set the thermostat at seventy-two degrees. She went into the kitchen and shoved a small ham-and-cheese into the microwave. When it was done she sat down at her kitchen table, and looked out into her beautiful backyard, and ate her sandwich and drank her lemonade/iced tea mix. As she always did, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the counters. Returning upstairs, she showered and got into a clean nightshirt. Then she went downstairs to the den. It was still not quite eight o'clock. Nora sat down in her recliner, and considered. It was still light. Maybe she should wait until after nine. No. The den faced the back of the house. No one was going to see her. The doors and windows were locked. The clock struck eight, and Nora eagerly punched in The Channel. The television clicked on. The dark screen lightened, and there was her apartment. Eagerly Nora reached out and put her palm flat against the screen.

She was here at last! She sighed with relief. Where was Kyle? And then she saw a note propped up on the coffee table. She walked over to it, and read, "Wasn't certain when you would get back. Dial 1, and I'll be right there. Kyle."

Nora picked up her telephone, and pressed one. An automated voice greeted her. "Your message has been received. Kyle will be with you shortly." Then the phone clicked off. Nora walked into the bedroom and shrugged off her shorty robe. She was bored with it now. She opened the closet its full width and stared at the clothing. On one end was a line of slinky negligees in silk and satin, with lace, in luscious colors. She debated which one she would wear, trying to decide between a lavender silk and a pale green silk with lace.

As she stood deep in thought, she was suddenly grabbed from behind, a blindfold tied over her eyes. Her wrists were bound with silk. She was shoved facedown on the bed, her legs pushed apart. She felt a single finger pushing between her ass cheeks. She could feel it touching her anus. Her breath was coming in short pants as she struggled not to panic. No word was spoken by her attacker. The finger rubbed her. It was slick with oil. She couldn't help herself. She squeezed the finger with her butt muscles. The finger pressed against her extraordinarily sensitive flesh. She squealed, but the finger went no farther. It just continued to rub at her until she was wiggling with rising excitement. Her ravisher's other hand slipped beneath her, and another finger found its way to her clitoris. Both fingers rubbed, and stroked, and pressed at her flesh, until she thought she would go mad. Unable to contain herself she hissed, "Do it, damnit!"

The finger between her ass cheeks pushed into her anus just a single joint's length.

"More!" she pleaded.

The finger sheathed itself fully, and she moaned. "Yes!" Her sphincter muscle tightened about the digit, making it almost impossible for him to withdraw it, but he finally managed to do so, smacking her butt as he got free.

"Do not move," Kyle's deep rough voice growled in her ear. "If you try to get away, I'll catch you, and you won't get fucked for a month."

She heard him go into the bathroom, the water running in the sink, and then finally he was back. She could smell the soap. He had washed his hands.

"Now, Nora, get your butt up," he ordered, and he shoved a pillow beneath her belly.

She felt him behind her, but he entered her vagina, much to her relief, and as he pushed forward he made contact with the spot she had never believed existed. The legendary G-spot. Slowly, slowly, very slowly he rubbed it with his hot penis. Nora thought she was going to explode with the incredible sensations that began to sweep over her. "Oh, my God!" she gasped. "Oh, my God!"

He laughed in her ear. "Found it, didn't I?" he gloated. "Now, baby, I'm going to fuck you until you come, and come and come! Do you know how much I've missed you? I've had a hard-on for almost a week now." He pressed down with his penis on that sensitive spot, and Nora thought she would dissolve in a puddle of lust. Nothing had prepared her for this.

"I couldn't come," she said. "My daughter was home, and she's up half the night."

"Couldn't come?" he teased. "Well, baby, you're going to come now, and a lot later too." He thrust hard now.

"Oh, please, yes, Kyle!" she begged him. "Do it to me, darling! Do it to me!" The slightest movement of his dick and the sensations were overwhelming her. One orgasm after the other came until she was weak. Finally he let his load explode into her, and collapsed atop her for a few minutes. "Untie me," she finally said, and he did. Nora removed the blindfold. "That was very exciting," she said with understatement. "Can we play that game with Rolf one day?"

He grinned weakly at her. "Anything you want, my lady."

"I didn't know I wanted that," she said, referring to their encounter.

"You had a bad day," he said. "I thought it would help."

Nora rolled over, and lay with her head on his chest. "It did, Kyle. I needed to be taken and satisfied like that." She kissed his nipples, licking at them provocatively. "How did you know I'd had a bad day?"

"I always know how it is with you. It's my job, Nora." He put his arm about her.

"You do your job well, darling," she told him.

"I spoke to Mr. Nicholas," he said to her.

"Mr. Nicholas?"

"The administrator of The Channel. He says you may have an appointment with him anytime you want. He says he's looking forward to meeting you."

"Oh." She had forgotten.

"Don't you want to stay in The Channel, Nora? Have you changed your mind now, darling?" Kyle wondered.

"No, but I'm not ready yet. I have to get my son off to college. I have to see what kind of a deal the lawyers can work out between Jeff and me. I can't take my vacation yet. It was sweet of you to speak with Mr. Nicholas, Kyle."

"You really ought to see him soon, Nora. You don't know when you'll need to escape from your reality, and you need to know what will happen if you do, don't you?" Kyle pressured her gently.

"You could be right," Nora considered. "If I need to make a quick getaway, it would help to have his approval, wouldn't it? Can we arrange it now?"

"Why not?" he said, and he reached for the phone. "Mr. Nicholas's office," he said, and then, "Good evening, sir. Nora Buckley is ready to make her appointment with you. Yes, of course." And he put the phone back in its stand.

"Well?" Nora said anxiously.

"I have to call back in a few minutes. His assistants are all on a break right now. He can't make any appointments without them, because he's never certain of his schedule." Kyle laughed. "You'd think someone that important would have all the information he needed at his fingertips. I'll tell you what, Nora. Go shower and get the smell of sex off of you. I'll pick an outfit for you to wear."

Nora got up and went into the bathroom, where she showered, and then reentering the bedroom, she said, "What have you chosen for me?"

He held it out. "Simple and elegant," he told her.

Nora looked at the dress. It was a wrap style, a dark green silk with a deep V neckline and long fitted sleeves. "It's lovely," she said. Lovely, but not like the damned floral print she had worn today to her son's graduation.

"But first these," he said, laying the dress on the bed and picking up a green lace garter belt. He hooked it around her, and then ordered her to sit while he rolled the sheerest nude stockings she had ever seen in all of her life up her legs, then hooked them neatly to the belt. "No bra," he said. "Your tits are too good."

"Panties?"

"Nope," he told her. "Too much trouble getting off when you get back, and I'll be waiting for you. The kid is out, and we've got the whole night ahead of us, Nora."

She stepped into the dress, while Kyle pulled it up and zipped it. Then kneeling down, he slipped sling-back heels on her slender feet. When he stood again, he put her back from him and whistled. Then he pulled the mirrored doors shut, and said, "What do you think?"

Nora stared. She looked absolutely marvelous. Far better than Heidi Millar, and here in The Channel she was probably Heidi's age. "Give me a brush. I need to do something with my hair," she said. "I'll put it up."

"No, down," he disagreed.

"I'll look like a tart out of a 1940s movie," she protested.

"We'll compromise," he said, brushing her long red gold hair out. Then he picked up a large tortoiseshell barrette, and gathering her hair into a single thick strand, he fastened the clasp. "Elegant. Goes with the dress. Doesn't look like a schoolmarm."

"I am hardly schoolmarmish in this dress with no undergarments," Nora laughed.

Kyle took a bottle from the dressing table. Uncorking it, he dabbed a little perfume in her cleavage. The phone rang, and he picked it up, putting down the scent bottle. "Mrs. Buckley's penthouse," he said. "Yes. Of course. I'll send her right down. Thank you, Margaret." He put the handset down, and turned to Nora. "Mr. Nicholas will see you now."

"Will you come with me?" she asked, suddenly nervous. She had never left her fantasy apartment other than to go back to her reality.

"I'm not invited," Kyle said. "You'll be alright, Nora, and I'll be waiting for you to get back. Remember, we have a couple of hours left." His hand went beneath her elbow, and he led her to a double door of heavy bronze. It was an elevator. Rolf came this way. Kyle pressed the button, and the doors opened soundlessly.

The elevator was of polished pecan wood. There was a mirror in its rear, beneath which was a small red leather bench. A little crystal chandelier was fitted into its ceiling. He ushered her in and, leaning over, pressed a button. "It's okay," he said as the doors closed softly. She couldn't feel any movement, and yet she knew the elevator was going down. For a moment she grew claustrophobic, and then she took a deep breath. It was all an adventure, and she suddenly realized she could hardly wait to see what came next. The elevator stopped suddenly, and its doors opened. Nora stared at what was in front of her.