Sudden Pleasures

Chapter 8

The leaves had begun to turn, and Main Street in Egret Pointe was decorated once more to fit the season. The trees lining the street were surrounded with tall dried and colored cornstalks tied with wide bright-orange ribbons. Large, fat pumpkins in every possible shade a pumpkin could be grown, along with piles of green, yellow, white, and orange gourds, encircled the trees amid baskets of red and yellow apples. A large banner advertising the local Harvest Festival was slung across Main Street.

"We get to go on Sunday," Ashley told her husband. "We've got the harpies on Saturday. I'm going to ask your mom and Frankie to stay over."

"I thought we were going to have the rest of the weekend to ourselves," he complained. "Besides, Frankie won't be coming. It's parents' weekend up at St. Peter's, and she never misses one. And this is her last, as my nephew graduates in June."

"Can't I ask your mom?" Ashley said. "I like her, Ryan. I have only the barest memory of my own mother, because she died when I was fourteen. Oh, I've got a picture of her, but very few memories. And I missed having a mother. Your mother is cool. Look how she went to Ray to find a wife for you. And look how nice she's been to me, even if I wasn't quite the daughter-in-law she was expecting. Besides, do you want her having to ride home with the harpies and their husbands?"

"You're too softhearted, woman," he said, pulling her into his arms and giving her a kiss. "All right. Ask Ma if she'd like to stay. And call Frankie. She's been worried you'd be upset she couldn't come, but she didn't want to disappoint her kid."

The next day Ashley called her sister-in-law Frankie. "It's okay," she said to her. "I'll just deal with the harpies myself. I was going to ask you and your mom to stay over just to piss them off."

Frankie laughed. "Ma told me you called her this morning. She thinks you're sweet asking her to stay, and of course she's going to do it, because she had such a good time last time. I'm sorry to leave you with the harpies-well, not really, if you get my meaning-but my kid comes first, Ash. You'll understand when you have your own."

"So you'll come for Christmas with him and your mother, okay?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, we'll come," Frankie replied. She paused, then finally said, "You sound different. Really happy. I guess everything's all right with you and my brother."

"If that's your clever way of asking what's going on, I don't mind telling you. It seems that against all odds we have fallen in love," Ashley told her sister-in-law. "We're even talking babies, although I'm not quite ready to give up my birth control pills. I need to get these two new shops open and running smoothly."

"Oh, my God!" Frankie gasped. "I am so glad, Ash! For you and for my brother. He really is a good guy, and I want him to be happy. Does Ma know?"

"We're going to let her figure it out for herself." Ashley chuckled.

"Ashley, don't stop loving Ryan after you've met the harpies. Please!" Frankie said. "They'll start off semicharm-ing, but the mood will degenerate as the day goes on. It's the way they are. They've got the sibling-rivalry thing down pat, I'm afraid."

"I have to admit that I'll be glad to get it over and done with," Ashley admitted.

"I've got to go," Frankie said. "I've got a client coming in any minute. Good luck on Saturday, sweetie."

On Saturday morning they arose, ate a leisurely breakfast together, and then dressed to receive their guests. Ashley was wearing light wool slacks in a red-yellow-and-black Royal Stewart plaid, along with an off-white cotton cable-knit sweater with a round neckline. She had comfortable black leather boots on her feet. Ryan was wearing pale gray slacks and a taupe-colored Italian knit sweater in silk and cotton. He had expensive leather loafers on his feet. They were the picture of wealthy country casual.

At a little after eleven Ashley's cell rang. "This is Ashley," she said, picking up.

"It's Bill, Mrs. Mulcahy. We're five minutes out," a voice said.

"Thank you, Bill. After you drop my guests off, Byrnes will show you around to the kitchens, where you can get lunch and later dinner before you return to town."

"Thanks, ma'am." The phone clicked off.

"Who was that?" Ryan asked.

"The driver," Ashley told him. "We are now about four minutes from touchdown, darling. Gird your loins."

"I'd rather still be up in bed grinding them against yours," he said. "You are too delicious today, baby. And I'm going to be thinking all day about tonight after we wave them off. And don't look at me that way, Ash, all soft and melty-eyed. You want to really start a brouhaha, you'll let me greet the five harpies with a hard-on for my beautiful wife." He sighed dramatically, making a shaking motion with his hand. "Mamma mia!"

Ashley laughed. "You can't be that horny after last night," she said.

"I can't get enough of you," he replied.

"Stifle, big man!" she warned him. "Uh-oh. I hear the limo coming up the drive. Let's head to the door, and remember, smiles, everyone."

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Fantasy Island my foot," he said.

She flashed him a grin.

They stood on the portico of the house, arms about each other as the extra-large black limousine drew up before them in the drive. Bill, the chauffeur, was out of the vehicle immediately to open the door. First out was Angelina Mulcahy. Both Ryan and Ashley greeted her warmly, Ashley giving her a big hug.

"Be brave, cara ,” Lina murmured softly as one by one Ryan's older sisters were carefully handed out of the car. Their husbands had gotten out on the far side, and now stood bunched together, not quite certain what to do.

"Welcome to Kimbrough Hall, everyone," Ashley said, smiling. "I'm so glad the weather is perfect for you."

"It's a long ride from the city. I am Bride," a tall, dark-haired woman said. She smiled, but Ashley noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"But I hope it was at least comfortable for you," Ashley answered.

"Oh, yes, very nice, but certainly expensive. We could have driven our own cars. I'm Elisabetta." She was smaller than Bride, and her hair was quite red.

"Kathleen," said a third woman, holding out her hand to Ashley. She was platinum blond, and her handshake was feeble and limp.

"Magdalena," said the fourth woman. She was plump, and looked the most like her mother. Her gray hair made her look older than the others, although she was younger.

"I'm Deirdre," the last of the sisters said. Like Bride her hair was dark.

None of the sisters made any move to kiss Ashley.

"Good morning, ladies," Ryan said cheerfully. "Nice to see you all together."

"Yeah," one of the men said with a grin. "If you wanted to take them out, this would sure as hell be the time and place, Ryan."

"It's a good thought, Kevin, but I know how much you guys would miss them," Ryan joked with his brothers-in-law as, laughing, the men came forward, and Ryan introduced them to Ashley. On the whole the men seemed friendlier than Ryan's sisters.

"Come into the house," Ashley invited them, then settled them in the living room. She turned to her butler. "Byrnes, if anyone would like coffee, will you please bring it?"

"At once, Mrs. Mulcahy," Byrnes replied with a slight bow.

"You have servants?" Bride asked as she settled herself in a large wing chair that allowed her a full view of the room and everyone in it.

"They came with the house," Ashley joked, and the men laughed. "Yes, I have servants. They helped raise me after my parents died. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Byrnes the house runs like clockwork. I couldn't do without them."

"My daughters are striving to remain polite, Ashley, but they are dying to learn how you and Ryan met," Lina said. "I hope you'll tell them everything, cara."

Ashley threw her mother-in-law a look of thanks. There were going to be no secrets now, and she was glad. "We were introduced by our attorneys in my lawyer's offices several months ago. Because Ryan and I were faced with a similar problem, we decided to make a marriage of convenience. Actually, it was Lina and Frankie who spoke first with Ray Pietro d'Angelo, and asked him to find Ryan a wife. Ray mentioned this rather odd request to his cousin, Joe Pietro d'Angelo, who is my lawyer."

"And just what problem did you have that was similar to our brother's?" Bride demanded to know. Her face was stony.

"Your father wanted to make certain Ryan married, because he knew that just being consumed by his business wasn't a good idea. A man ends up alone that way. And my grandfather thought a woman needed to be married to be happy and safe. And both of these old gentlemen added clauses to their wills. Ryan had to marry before he was forty. And I had to be married before I was thirty-five. If I didn't marry before that birthday, my father's old girlfriend's cocka-mamie organization, the Society Seeking Extraterrestial Life, or SSEXL, would get everything: my house, my investments, and my monies. For your brother the penalty was as bad. To lose the business he had built up would be terrible for Ryan. I'm sure that now that you've all had time to think about it you appreciate that."

The five sisters all glared at Ashley, and then Bride said, "Your marriage can't be real. I think you should know we've hired a lawyer, and we're going to be suing you, Ryan. You only married to spite us, damn it!"

"Bride, do you hear yourself?" Ryan asked her.

"Fin's will only said your brother had to marry, Bride," Lina said quietly. "It didn't say to who, or even what kind of a marriage. It just said he had to marry."

"But it's a fraud!" Bride said angrily. "It's nothing more than a business arrangement. It isn't a real marriage! They weren't even married in the church by a priest, so it can't be a marriage at all."

"Our lawyer says we may have a case," Kathleen chimed in.

"We were married under the laws of the state, and that makes it legal no matter your religious beliefs," Ashley said quietly. "We signed prenups, and even have a written agreement as to what our marriage is and how it should work."

"There's a sex-is-optional clause," Ryan said wickedly. "And, of course, we exercised it immediately. I can't seem to keep my hands off of her." He leered at his five sisters, who were briefly silent.

"Don't be vulgar!" Bride finally snapped. "So you have sex. Everyone has sex today. That doesn't make it a real marriage in our eyes."

"Sister dearest, I don't give a damn what you think. Or the rest of you, for that matter. Ashley and I are married. We have sex daily when I'm here. We-"

"When you're here? Just what does that mean, Ryan?" Deirdre asked.

"I'm in town two nights a week," Ryan said. "But my legal residence is now here in Egret Pointe. And yes, I still have the apartment. I'm trying to figure out a way to telecommute to the studio and only have to go in now and again. Give it up, girls. You are not going to sell R8cR. And you haven't a hope in hell of getting a court or a judge to say our marriage isn't legal. Besides, we love each other."

"You love each other?" Bride said shrilly.

"Yes," Ashley said. "Isn't it wonderful? All the years Ryan and I looked for love, and only thanks to those silly wills were we fortunate enough to meet, marry, and then fall in love. It's a miracle, a fairy tale, a dream come true."

"Ridiculous!" Magdelena, silent up to now, said. "No one falls in love that quickly. Love at first sight is a myth. The pair of you are just doing this to cheat us."

"Please," Ashley said. "You are guests in my home, and for us to get into a quarrel like this is terrible. I invited you so I might meet you and get to know you and your husbands. I've planned a lovely day. I want to show you Egret Pointe. My ancestors were among the group who founded it. My brother and I were the last Kimbroughs. Ryan and I have really fallen in love. We're happy, and I want you all to be happy too."

"That's real nice of you," Kevin McGuire, Kathleen's husband, said. "I agree with Ashley. Ryan is married. The money wasn't ours to begin with, so let's cut the crap and be a family, like we should."

"Kevin!" his wife exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Kev," Robert Napoli, Deirdre's husband, spoke up.

"We all do," Frank Butler, Magdalena's husband, said, and the other men nodded.

"All very well and good for you men to say. It wasn't your father's money," Bride responded sourly.

"It wasn't your father's money either," Bride's husband, Pete Franklin, said. "Your old man was a great craftsman, Bride, but his business couldn't have taken in more than a hundred thou a year until Ryan took over. Ryan made the money, and Ryan saw that Fin remembered each of you generously. The guys and I have had enough of the five of you whining and bitching about it. We let you do what you wanted with the money you inherited, and you all pissed most of it away. Too bad. Boo-hoo. This ends today. Get past it, girls." He turned to Ashley and said, "Welcome to the family, sweetie. Ryan sure got himself a pretty girl. And a smart one too."

Ashley stepped forward and gave Pete a hug. "Thanks," she said. "But how would you know if I'm smart or not?"

"I'm an accountant," Pete replied. "You got one store, you're opening two more. You sell what women want. You're smart."

Ashley laughed. "Yes," she said, "I am." Then she turned to her other guests. "I thought I'd show you the house and grounds. Then we'll have an early lunch. This weekend is our annual Harvest Festival, and I thought you might enjoy going later. But if not we'll just sit and talk. Ryan and I plan to go tomorrow either way."

"How lovely, cara ," Lina responded. "Yes, I for one would love to go to this festival. Do they have handicrafts?"

"Oh, yes," Ashley told her. "The festival proceeds all go to our local hospital. There are homemade treats, knitted goods, birdhouses, and our local author signs her latest book. Her publisher donates the books so everything can go to Egret Pointe General Hospital."

"Who's the author?" Bride asked, curious in spite of herself.

"Emilie Shann is her pen name. She's really Emily Devlin. She'll probably be there, although she does have a new baby. She's old Egret Pointe too, and way back we're probably related. I'm sure a Kimbrough married a Dunham somewhere along the way." Ashley laughed.

"Emilie Shann lives here?" Elisabetta's eyes were excited-"I love her books! And especially since she's gotten sexier. Do you know her?"

"Yes," Ashley said. "We went to school together."

"We've got to go to this festival," Elisabetta said. "She is my favorite author. Do you think she'll sign a book for me?"

"For a price, sure," Ashley said. She was secretly tickled that her sister-in-law was one of Emily's fans. "And remember, it's all for charity. But now, how about Ryan and I show you the house? Frankie did our bedroom suite, and it's lovely."

"Even the floral chairs," Ryan said, and his brothers-in-law chuckled.

The Mulcahy sisters were, in spite of themselves, fascinated by Kimbrough Hall. The wide boards in the floors amazed them, and Ashley was quick to tell them that the boards came from trees found growing in the area when the house was built in 1724, a year after the town was founded. "My ancestor, Edmund Kimbrough, wanted to replicate the manor house in England where he had grown up."

"There's a house like this in England?" Magdalena asked.

"Yes, in Devon. It's also Kimbrough Hall. That branch of the family is still going strong."

"How did your family make the money to build a house like this?" Elisabetta inquired. She taught history in a local city private school.

"Rum, molasses, and slaves to begin with," Ashley replied. "Pretty much like all the successful early families. Then in the 1840s we got into the China trade. And some of the family's fleet were whalers. And then the Kimbroughs got involved in helping to build railroads, started a few banks, and eventually got a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Grandfather sold that before he died. The Egret Pointe National Bank is mine, or rather the Kimbroughs'. I'm on the board, of course, although I have little to do with running it." She smiled at them. "My late mother's family came here from Ireland in the middle of the nineteenth century, before the Civil War. They were all shopkeepers, so I guess I come by it naturally. Nobody left on that side. They weren't much on reproduction, I'm sorry to say."

Ryan's five older sisters looked slightly shell-shocked by this recitation. Their husbands were openly impressed, and perhaps just a little bit awed. This was certainly going to erase any doubts the harpies had about Ashley's motives for marrying him, Ryan thought as he caught his mother's eye and winked.

"Well, come on now," Ashley said brightly as they moved from the formal dining room to the breakfast room and the library. "There's the rest of the house to show you." She led them upstairs, flinging open the door to the first bedroom. "The rumor is that President Washington himself stayed here once when he was either coming or going from New York, the capital in the early days. It was this bedroom."

Everyone looked around the room. The furnishings were definitely eighteenth century. Even the draperies at the windows and the bed hangings looked authentic.

"Not many people know that New York was the first capital," Elisabetta remarked. "Are the hangings real?"

Ashley shook her head. "Very good reproductions. The originals were in the room until about twenty years ago, though. But they just became too hard to clean."

The other bedrooms were admired, and then they came to the bedroom suite shared by Ryan and Ashley. The sisters pushed into the parlor, taking everything in.

"Nice couch," Robert Napoli said with a grin. "Looks real comfortable."

"Shut up, Bob!" his wife said.

Both Ryan and Ashley laughed.

"It is comfortable," Ryan allowed.

The sisters next looked at the master bedroom, and someone gasped at the size of the bed.

"We needed it extra-large because your brother is such a big fellow," Ashley said.

"I saw dormers on the roof," Kathleen remarked.

"There's a third floor. In the old days when the house had a full staff of servants they lived there. Now it's pretty much empty. Just attics and storage," Ashley told her. "Well, this is it, ladies and gentlemen. I expect that luncheon is ready by now, and Mrs. B. really doesn't like to be kept waiting."

She led them briskly downstairs again to the dining room, which was set with embroidered linen place mats. There were place cards at each setting. Ryan sat at the head of the table, Ashley at the foot, and Lina had been put on her son's right. Byrnes, along with a girl brought in for the day, served. There was clear soup to start with, and Waldorf salads were set to the left at each place. A large roast turkey was set on the sideboard, and Byrnes carved, laying bits on each plate, which the maid then distributed among the diners. The side dishes were then passed about. There were mashed turnips, French-cut green beans, and sweet potatoes whipped with butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon.

"I wasn't certain what you would all enjoy, but I know everyone likes turkey," Ashley murmured. "Bride, do try some of those tiny corn muffins. Mrs. B. is famous for them. And the cranberry that's in the sauce comes from a local bog. They grow wild."

"The veggies are all from the estate garden," Ryan told their guests. "And the turkey is local. When was the last time any of you ate so fresh?"

"I suppose living in the country has some advantages," Bride allowed.

Ashley couldn't help but notice how quiet the table was as her husband's relatives ate, and ate, and ate. There were audible sighs of bliss when the dessert was served on individual plates. It was chocolate mousse with fresh raspberries. Finally every morsel had been consumed, and they began to rise from the table.

"Let's go to the festival now," Ashley said brightly. "Bill can follow Ryan and me. Byrnes, tell the driver we need him, and why."

"Yes, Mrs. Mulcahy," Byrnes said, and he hurried off.

"Well, you know what the prince of Wales always said," Ashley remarked. "Never miss an opportunity. If anyone wants the bathroom I think the time is now. There's a powder room, second door on the left in the hall, and one with every bedroom upstairs." She grinned as her guests scattered.

"Well," Ryan said when they were alone, "I don't know if I could say you've won the harpies over, but you've kept them from fighting. It's amazing."

"The day isn't over yet," Ashley warned. "I could kiss your brother-in-law Pete, however. He really put everything in perspective with that little speech of his. I never saw anyone so outraged as Bride when he was speaking."

"The in-laws are all good guys," Ryan told her. "Pete generally lets Bride have her head, but when he's had enough he says so, and she generally listens. They've all had enough. None of them ever counted on getting R &R. For them it was a long shot. They're all smart guys, and they knew I wasn't going to let it go over that damned clause in Dad's will. But if it weren't for that clause," he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her heartily, "I would have never had you, Ash. My sexy, smart, beautiful wife. When are we going to start making those babies?"

"Soon, I promise," Ashley said. "Oh, let go, Ryan! You're starting to get a hard-on. What if the others see?" She pulled away from him.

Their guests returned. The limo was waiting outside, and with Ashley and Ryan in her Solstice leading them, they made their way through town to the Egret Pointe Harvest Festival. Within the big car the sisters had to admit being charmed by the town, with its little shops and ice-cream parlor. They asked Bill to slow down long enough to catch a glimpse of the windows at Lacy Nothings, which were now filled with baskets of autumn vegetables, small piles of colored leaves, and mini rakes among the blue, green, and violet lacy bras, thongs, teddies, and nightgowns. Finally they arrived at the festival, and Bill parked the limo in an adjacent field next to Ashley's sports car.

With Ashley leading them they walked among the aw-ninged tables and booths where a variety of handmade and homemade goods were on display for sale. Soon Ryan's brothers-in-law found themselves loaded down with all manner of purchases being made by their wives. Deirdre and Kathleen were expecting new grandchildren, and there was a booth offering handmade baby garments both sewn and knitted.

"Ohh, I love watermelon pickles," Magdalena said, and promptly bought six jars, along with three more of corn relish, and several jars of jam.

Coming into an open space, they saw a gentleman seated above a vat of something green, a crowd gathered before him.

"What on earth is that?" Bride wanted to know.

"It's the Dr. Sam Dunk," Ashley told her. "Dr. Sam is the chief of staff up at the hospital. Everyone just loves him. His family have been the town doctors since we were founded. You get three balls and three tries for two dollars. If you hit it just right he goes into a vat of Jell-O. All the money is for the hospital. He's really a very good sport about it, and the Dr. Sam Dunk always earns a lot of money. Anyone want to try?"

Her new brothers-in-law all bought their three balls, but none of them could hit the target properly. Even Ryan tried. And then Ashley sauntered up, waving her two dollars, and the crowd began to chuckle.

"Here comes trouble," Dr. Sam called from his perch above the Jell-O. "Hello, Ashley. I suppose you're going to try to dunk me, like you do every year?"

"And you're going down like you do every year," Ashley taunted him. Twice she made a big issue of winding up for the pitch, and twice she missed, but Ryan could tell she was missing deliberately, and he could see Dr. Sam knew it. The third ball hit the target square-on, and the physician was dumped into the green Jell-O, to the cheers of the onlookers and the clanging of a bell. "See you next year, Dr. Sam," Ashley said as she moved off with her party.

"Pretty good pitching," her brother-in-law Kevin said. "Was it a lucky pitch?"

"Nope," Ashley said with a grin. "Actually, I could have dunked him every time, but Dr. Sam and I have a deal that I'll do it only once each year. I used to pitch on the girls' high school softball team."

"Is the author here, Ashley?" Elisabetta asked eagerly.

Ashley looked around, and finally she spied Emily Devlin in her author persona of Emilie Shann. She was seated at a card table beneath an awning, but the pile of books before her was down to three. Ashley led her party over to the table. "Hey, Emily!"

"Ashley." Emily Devlin looked up, smiling, from behind her table.

Ashley spied a basket beside Emily's chair. "Oh, here's your little baby!" She squealed, genuinely excited. The baby gave her a toothless grin.

Emily smiled happily and, bending down, lifted the infant up. It had a headful of dark hair. "Meet Sean Michael Devlin," she said. "Born the twenty-ninth of June."

Ashley sighed, and all the women with her cooed and commented on what a lovely little boy he was. "These are my sisters-in-law," Ashley said. Then she pointed. "Bride Franklin, Kathleen McGuire, Magdelena Butler, Deirdre Napoli, and Elisabetta Sweeney, who is a huge fan of yours, Em. Will you sign the new book for her?"

"Sure I will," Emily said with a smile at Elisabetta. "How do you like the sexier books?" she asked her.

"I love them!" Elisabetta gushed. "I mean, I always loved your books, Ms. Shann, but last year's The Defiant Dutchess was incredible. Soooo romantic! I hadn't gotten the new one yet." She looked down at the books left on the table. "The Playful Prince," she said. "I'm going to like it, aren't I? Is it as sexy?"

"Sexier," Emily promised Elisabetta.

"She has an excellent role model for her heroes," a tall, dark, and very handsome gentleman said, coming up to the table. He bent and kissed Emily. "Time to take the heir and go home, darling," he told her. "Hi, Ashley."

"Hi, Mick. This is Emily's husband and editor, Michael Devlin," Ashley introduced him to her guests. "Mick, this is my husband, Ryan Mulcahy."

The two men shook hands, and Michael Devlin said, "I've been meaning to get in touch with you. I'd like to do a coffee table book on restorations. Can I call you?"

"I'll be back in my office Tuesday," Ryan said.

Michael Devlin nodded and, bending, picked up his son. "I'll meet you at the car," he said to Emily.

"Gotten that van yet?" Ashley teased him.

"The basket fits in the back of the Healy very nicely, thank you," Michael Devlin said with a chuckle. "But I expect we're headed that way." Then, with a smile, he nodded at them and walked off carrying his son.

Emily signed Elisabetta's book, but Ashley would not let her sister-in-law pay for it. "A little remembrance of your day," she said, smiling. "Em, I'll take the other two books. Just put your name in them. I'll give them to Nina and Brandy."

The sun was sinking low on the horizon now. Ashley led her party back to their limo. It followed her back to the house, where Byrnes was waiting with tea, finger sandwiches, and small cookies. It was getting chilly as the day came to a close. And finally Ryan's sisters and their husbands took their leave. They were surprised that their mother was remaining behind.

"So Lina and I can visit," Ashley said sweetly. "It was wonderful meeting you all. I hope you'll come up over the holidays." She and Ryan waved them off as the limo drove away down the hilly drive. Then they joined Lina in the comfortable den, where Byrnes had already lit a fire.

"So, my children, it is love, is it?" she said with a smile. She was seated in a wing chair by the fire, a cashmere lap robe over her knees. Her beautiful Ferragamo shoes were set neatly by the chair. Angelina Mulcahy was seventy-three, but her dark hair, slender figure, and beautiful skin made her appear younger.

Ryan bent to kiss his mother. "Yeah," he answered her. "It's love. Go figure."

Angelina turned to Ashley.

"Love," the younger woman confirmed unabashedly. "I never thought it could happen to me."

"You loved the others," Lina said, "didn't you?"

"Not like I love your son," Ashley told her mother-in-law.

Angelina nodded. "Then I am content," she said. "Perhaps I should have returned home with my daughters." Her warm brown eyes twinkled.

"We're putting you in a room at the end of the hall from us," Ashley teased her.

Angelina laughed heartily, shaking her finger at her new daughter-in-law.

Ryan grinned, very pleased to see how well the two women got along. He poured them all small glasses of wine from a tray on the table. They toasted each other and sat talking quietly until Byrnes arrived, pushing a trolley.

"I thought you would enjoy eating by the fire tonight after your busy day," he said.

"What smells so good?" Ashley asked him.

"Corn chowder and toasted cheese bread," Byrnes said, handing them each a napkin. Then he began to ladle out soup into earthenware mugs. When Byrnes had handed them their mugs and spoons, he uncovered a plate of buttered cheese toast. "There are baked apples and a pot of tea below," he said, pointing to the second level of the trolley, which was electrified. "When you're ready I'll come back and take the cart." Then he was gone.

"You are very fortunate," Lina said.

"I know," Ashley agreed.

"The toast is delicious," Lina complimented.

"Mrs. B. makes real cheese bread," Ashley said.

They ate their supper, and then Ashley got out a Monopoly set.

"I haven't played since the children were young," Lina said. And then she proved herself to be a most formidable player, beating them both, taking all their money, and easily winning several games.

"You haven't lost your touch, Ma," Ryan said. "She used to beat us regularly."

"You could have warned me," Ashley said, smiling.

"I think it is time that I retired," Lina told them both. "It has been a long day." She slipped into her shoes and stood up. After kissing them both, the older woman left them in the comfortable den. Byrnes returned and removed the cart with its dishes.

"Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Mulcahy," he said.

They bade him good night. Ashley now sat in her husband's lap, and began kissing him little kisses on his mouth. His hand slipped beneath her sweater to unhook her bra. He grasped a soft, warm breast and began fondling it tenderly. Ashley kissed him more deeply now, and one kiss blended into another until it was impossible to tell where the kisses both began and ended. His thumb was now rubbing her nipple. He pushed her sweater up higher and, dipping his head, took the nipple in his mouth.

"Oh, that's nice," Ashley murmured as he began to suck on it.

His hand now unzipped her slacks and slid into her panties, down, down, to her plump pussy. "All day I've wanted to fuck you," he said low in her ear. "All day long while my sisters carped and nattered and gushed, I thought about fucking you." The tip of his tongue encircled the shape of her ear. "Did you know that's what I was thinking? Did it make you hot to think about my big cock pushing into you, Ash?"

"You're so bad, Ryan," she murmured against his mouth. "And yes, I knew. You had half a hard-on all day. I hope your sisters didn't notice." She nibbled on his lower lip. "Tell me how badly you want me. Tell me what you're going to do to me, darling."

"First," he began, "I'm going to find your naughty little clit, baby." His finger slipped between the lips of her labia, stroking, seeking. And then he found it.

"Ohh," Ashley said. "Oh, that's so nice, darling. Yes. Don't stop!" She squirmed her bottom into his lap, grinding deeply as she did. The delicious tingling tension was beginning to build within her. She was very wet, and he was going to bring her to a clitoral climax fairly quickly. She sighed and moaned low when he did. Then she said to him, "Do it again, Ryan. That was so good!"

"You're a greedy little witch," he said. "And I'm getting hotter than a firecracker, baby." He began to play with her clit again, and within minutes she was climaxing again.

He thrust two fingers hard into her cunt, moving them back and forth quickly.

"Oh, yes, darling!" Ashley gasped. "Do it! Do it to me! No! Don't stop!" she complained at him when he withdrew his fingers.

"You're having all the fun, baby," he said to her. "I need to have a little bit of fun too. Ever get screwed on the floor before a fire?" Ryan asked as he gently dumped her out of his lap. "I want to do it now. And I want to do it there," he told her, pointing to the floor before the fireplace.

"What if someone comes in?" Ashley said.

"Who's going to come in?" he countered. "The door is closed. My mother has gone upstairs. The Byrneses are in their apartment over the kitchen. This is the perfect time and place. Come on, Ash. Let's get out of our clothes and do it right here and now." Ryan kicked his elegant loafers off his feet. He pulled his sweater over his head and tossed it on the couch. Undoing his belt, he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Then he stepped out of them, pushing them aside with a bare foot. "Come on, baby," he crooned at her as he slid his silk jockey shorts over his narrow hips, and the wad in those shorts was suddenly revealed to be a massive erection.

She wasn't certain she was breathing at that point. He really had the most wickedly delicious body. She reached out to caress his big cock, but he moved away.

"Not until you get out of your clothes," he told her, shaking a finger at her.

Ashley had taken her leather boots off earlier. Now she pulled off her sweater, her slacks, and her bra. She cupped her breasts in her hands, as if offering them to him.

"Get rid of the panties, baby, or we can't play," he said.

"You take them off," she teased him.

Ryan reached out, but Ashley shook her head.

"With your teeth," she told him.

"You are a very bad girl," he said, but, kneeling, he pulled the scrap of silk and lace off with his teeth.

"I need to be spanked," Ashley told him, stepping away from her last garment. As he stood she grabbed one of his hands and began to suck his fingers one by one in a very provocative manner. "Bad girls," she said as she sucked, "are always better for a good spanking, Ryan, and I've been a bad girl."

"Get over here," he said roughly, sitting back down in the chair and pulling her over his knee. "Yeah, you really do need a spanking, baby." His big hand fell on her plump buttocks, and she squealed. Jesus, she really knew how to turn him on. This was a whole new side of his wife. He smacked her several times until her cute butt was beginning to get pink. "Are you going to be a good girl now?" he said.

"No!" she told him.

His hand came down a few more times, and the pink deepened. "You're a very disobedient girl," he scolded her as he spanked her. "Now are you going to be a good girl, Ashley?" He gave her a final whack with his big open palm.

She didn't answer him at first, and then she said, "Maybe."

He laughed. "Okay, that's good enough for now, baby."

She scrambled off of his lap. "You really know how to spank a girl," she told him. "I like being spanked now and again." She knelt before him and took his dick in her hand. "Have you ever been spanked, Ryan? I mean by a lover?" She kissed the tip of his penis, and then began to lick about the head of it.

"No," he answered her. "Do you want to spank me, Ash?"

"Sometime. Not tonight," she said.

"Have you ever spanked a man?" he wondered.

"Not in this life." She giggled. Well, the Channel wasn't really this life, was it? The Channel was a fantasy world. "But I've always wanted to, Ryan. I hear a good spanking can make a man's cock hard for a very long time." She took him into her mouth and began to suck.

"I could have never found a woman like you on my own," he told her. "You've got a libido as hot as mine, Ashley. Ohh, baby, that's nice, but don't make me come. I want to fuck you hard and deep before that." His big hand stroked her dark head gently. "The lawyers were just considering how to save our inheritances when they matched us up. They could not have known how good a match it was going to be, could they?" He closed his eyes and briefly enjoyed her mouth on him. She sucked him gently, teasingly, not enough to bring him on, but he wanted to put it in her. "Enough," he said. "On your back, wife, and spread yourself for me now." He slid between her thighs as she quickly complied with his command.

Her tongue ran over her lips. "Do it!" she hissed at him. "I am so hot for you, Ryan. I'm going to explode if you don't get that big cock of yours into me now. Ohhh, yes, darling! Just like that. Hard! Deep! And fast!" Her eyes closed as he filled her and began to fuck her just as she asked of him. Her legs wrapped about him, allowing him deeper, and she moaned with pleasure as he touched that wicked little spot that always started her toward the edge. But this time he would touch it once or twice, and then avoid it for several more strokes of his big dick. Her heels drummed against his back, and he laughed softly.

"Don't like being teased?" he taunted her. "Funny, I like teasing you." He touched the magic spot again several more times before drawing away, and Ashley whimpered beneath him. He felt her nails begin to dig into his shoulders.

"Oh, Ryan." She gasped. "Don't. Make me come, darling! Make me come!"

"Not yet," he told her. "You're too greedy, Ashley. You want to savor this."

"No, damn it, I want to come!" she yelled.

He put a hand over her mouth. "We don't want to draw attention to what we're doing, do we?" He laughed. She bit his hand, and he pulled it back with a yelp. "Okay, you little bitch," he growled at her. "You want to come? Then I'll make you come!" And he honed in on her G-spot, fucking and fucking and fucking her until she climaxed with a small scream of pure pleasure.

"Oh, God, that was so good." Ashley sighed gustily.

"Was it?" he purred in her ear. "And in just a little while you're going to do it again, baby, because while you're satisfied, I'm sure as hell not."

And then she realized that he was still in her. And he was still very, very hard. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to be so greedy."

"Yes, you did," he responded. "But you're going to pay for it, wife." And he began to move on her again, this time with long, slow strokes of his cock, and Ashley was soon moaning, her head thrashing as he began to bring the passion in her out again. She had never felt so overcome with such undiluted lust as she did now. Her legs, which had fallen away from his torso when she had last come, now encircled him again. And he was going deeper and harder, harder and deeper. Her nails raked down his long back, and he stopped briefly to catch her hands up and put them above her head, where he might control her better. "You like this, don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yes! Yes!" she whispered back. "Kiss me, Ryan!"

His lips eagerly found hers, and his tongue slipped into the hot cavern of her mouth, thrusting in time with his penis. Ashley sucked on the tongue, clutching it even as the muscles in her vagina were suddenly contracting about the massive cock fucking her. He groaned, and she pushed her hips up to meet his downward thrust. They would come together this time, and when they did it was in an explosion of beating hearts, a roaring in the ears, and a flood of their juices mingling hotly togethet

"Oh, my God," Ashley finally managed to gasp as she pushed him off of her. "I have never in my life had such incredible sex. Are we alive?"

"I think so." He groaned and, reaching out, took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss. "You are an incredible woman, and I am so glad we found each other. I love you, Ashley," he said. "I never thought to say that to a woman and mean it, but I love you, baby."

"I love you too," she admitted softly. "I never believed in fate before, Ryan, but I sure as hell believe in fate now. Only something like fate could have brought us together. It would appear that we are perfect for each other."

They lay silently and quietly together on the rug before the fire for some minutes, and Ashley thought afterward that perhaps they even dozed off for a short time. Finally he said, "We'd better go upstairs, baby. I'm falling asleep with all that terrific exercise." They didn't bother to dress, because they knew that no one was about. Lina would be fast sleep in a guest room, and the Byrneses were at the other end of the house completely. Gathering their clothing, they hurried up the wide staircase, down the broad upstairs hall, and into their own bedroom suite, where they fell into bed, exhausted from their passion.

Ryan awoke earlier than the woman by his side. After showering and dressing, he kissed his sleeping wife and went downstairs to the kitchen to put on the coffee. To his surprise his mother joined him almost immediately. She had obviously been out walking.

"You're up," he said to her. "Good morning. Juice? We have orange, pineapple, and tomato."

"Pineapple," Lina said. "I can have orange any day."

He poured it for her, handing her the glass.

"You are happy," she said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I owe you one, mamma mia," he said. "I love her."

"You might not have," Lina reminded him.

"Ashley says it's fate," Ryan told his mother.

Angelina Mulcahy smiled. "She believes in fate?"

"She didn't, she says, until now," Ryan answered.

"Fate is what brought your father and me together," she told him.

"You were happy," he said.

"We were content," Angelina Mulcahy said candidly. "And no matter that he was Irish and I was Italian; we had much in common. A religion, a work ethic. But I never loved Finbar Mulcahy. I was fond of him, yes. But I never loved him."

"But you had seven kids!" Ryan exclaimed.

"We both liked sex," she said bluntly. "I know that isn't something a mother should say to her son, but that's the. truth of it. Your father and I enjoyed a healthy sexual relationship. That was another thing we had in common. That and we wanted a family. We never meant to have seven kids, but your father wanted a son, and I kept having girls. And then after you were born we tried for another boy and got Francesca. That's when we decided the pope be damned, and your dad started using condoms until I got through the change. Do you know how lucky you are, Ryan? You actually have fallen in love. It's a blessing, mio figlio."

"I never knew just how much until now, Ma," he told her. "Want some breakfast? I make pretty good scrambled eggs. I learned from an expert."

Angelina smiled. "Where is Ashley?"

"I'm letting her sleep," he said. "Eggs?"

His mother laughed. "Yes, please," she said. Then she grew serious. "Tell me, Ryan, does she love you? And will you give me grandchildren?"

"She loves me," he responded, "and she says as soon as she gets these two new shops open and going, she'll throw away her birth control pills. Haven't you got enough grandchildren, Ma?" he teased her.

"I have grandchildren," Angelina said. "But no Mulcahy grandchildren."

"Ashley wants kids. Don't worry about it," he told her.

"The couple? They don't work on Sundays?" Lina wanted to know.

"Sundays and Wednesdays are their days off," Ryan said as he took eggs from the fridge and began breaking them into a bowl. "Hey, how long has it been since you and I had breakfast together, Ma?"

She smiled. "Give me the bacon, Ryan, and I'll start to fry it up."

Together mother and son fixed breakfast: scrambled eggs and perfectly cooked crisp bacon to be served with a plate of Mrs. B.'s mini cranberry-apple muffins that had been left in the pantry for them. When it was just about ready Lina filled a plate and gave it to Ryan.

"Take Ashley some breakfast before we eat. You have obviously worn her out."

"She can keep up with me." He grinned.

"Much too much information," Lina told her son.

"After what you told me?" he said, laughing.

"I told you nothing that you did not already know, Ryan. If your father and I had not liked sex, you and your six sisters would not be here. You were not, after all, delivered by the stork, now, were you?"

He picked up the plate she handed him, along with a cup of coffee laced with half-and-half. "I won't be long," he said with a grin.

"If you are I will know what you are doing, won't I?" Lina teased.

Laughing, Ryan hurried up the back staircase to take his wife her breakfast. Both his wife and mother were to be reckoned with. He was glad that they were friends.