The door to the garage opened and five year old Sam leaned out. “Hi, Daddy!”
John touched the button to close the garage door and got out of his car. “Hi Tiger, how are you feeling?”
“Better!” Dressed in pajamas and pink blotches over red spots, Sam dashed barefoot into the garage and leaped into his father’s arms.
“That’s good. Where’s your mom?” Helena’s car was not in its usual spot. “Did she run out on us?” John teased.
Sam frowned. He was such a serious little boy, even when he knew his father was teasing him. “I don’t think so,” he said thoughtfully. “She just went to get her hair cut.”
“Oh, okay. Maria is with you?”
The housekeeper stuck her head out of the laundry room. “Hello Mr. K. Sam! I told you to go get slippers on!”
“Awww, Maria. They’re itchy!”
“Everything is itchy when you’ve got the chicken pox,” his father said sympathetically. “Come on, you can ride into the house. But you’ve got to put slippers on, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
John swung the boy onto his shoulders and carried him through the living room and den and into his bedroom. Grasping Sam by his thighs, John ducked and launched and a giggling Sam flew through the air and bounced onto the bed. Sam giggled. “Wow!”
“Just don’t tell your mom I did that.”
Sam lay spread on the king sized bed. “I won’t. I promise. She’d be mad.”
“Yes, she would.” John headed for his closet.
“Did you come home to play with me?” Sam asked.
“Sorry, kiddo. I came home to pack. Your uncle and I have to go up to the Rock for a couple of days.”
“You’re going to the Rock?” Sam sat up. “Can I go too?”
“I don’t think so,” John chuckled. “Not this time. You’d give all the astronauts up there the chicken pox.”
“No I wouldn’t. They’ve probably already had the chicken pox!”
John glanced over his shoulder at his son. “Don’t scratch.”
“It itches. And there’s no one to play with,” Sam pouted, spreading his hands out by his side again. His cousins, Robbie and Geoff had both had the chicken pox last month and were just going back to school. Tori had them two years ago when she started kindergarten.
“Sorry, Tiger. Maybe if I get packed quick, you and I can watch cartoons before Uncle Alan gets here.”
“I’ll help!”
“You haven’t seen my duffle bag have you?”
“The green one you always use when you go to the Rock?”
“That’s it.”
“I don’t think so,” Sam tapped his head with one finger. Slowly the finger went from tapping to scratching.
“Don’t scratch,” John warned again.
Sam stared at his father for a moment, then with a sly defiant smile reached up and scratched the red blotch over his eyebrow. John grinned and jumped onto the bed next to his son. “Don’t scratch! Don’t scratch! Don’t scratch!” He grabbed the boy by the ribs, knowing exactly where he was ticklish.
Sam wiggled and giggled. John rolled over and lifted the boy into the air. Sam laughed louder. John twirled him around and bench pressed him like a set of barbells. Either Sam was getting heavier, or John was out of shape.
“I think I know where the duffle bag is,” Sam exclaimed between giggles.
“Where?”
“I saw it in Tori’s room. She used it when she went to Miki’s slumber party last week.”
“Why didn’t she use one of her own bags?” John asked, tossing Sam down on the bed next to him.
Sam gasped for breath. “She said hers wasn’t big enough.”
“Why am I not surprised?” John lay on the bed next to his son, catching his own breath.
“Do you know how many pairs of shoes she took for one slumber party?” Sam asked, awed.
“How many.”
“Five. Five different pairs of shoes. And three Barbies.”
“That does sound like a lot for one little girl.”
“And she didn’t like the color of the duffle bag.”
“Well, it’s not her duffle bag.” John sat up. “OK, sport. I’ll check her room while you get your slippers.”
John and Sam headed upstairs. Sam dashed into his room and John crossed the playroom to Tori’s room. There was every sort of pastel plastic toy ever created on the floor. John shuffled as if he were wading through sting-ray infested waters. Next to her bed was a heap of clothing and he detected a bit of olive color toward the bottom. It was his duffle bag. He’d had it for ages. Durable canvas, the bag should last forever. He lifted it by a strap and heard the clatter of small glass bottles as he pulled it out from under small swim suits, shorts, t-shirts and socks. Almost instantly there was a new odor in the air. It smelled like some kind of cheap perfume, and as he looked at the bag, he noticed a suspicious dark spot at the bottom.
“Phew!!” Sam said, standing by the door with his fingers pinching his nose.
John swallowed his own reaction. Helena wouldn’t want Sam hearing those words and would surely blame him if Sam repeated them. But he thought them furiously. He made his way back to the door, still holding the reeking bag. There must have been three different bottles of cheap perfume in the bag, all with their tops loose. The combined odor was almost enough to knock him over.
With a sigh he took the bag downstairs and called for Maria. He didn’t think there was anything that could remedy this quickly, but he was going to ask.
The housekeeper clucked over the bag with concern and assured him she could get the smell out, but it would have to be washed and dried and that would take hours. He didn’t have hours. Leaving the bag with her, he headed for the garage, Sam shadowing him, but now clad in slippers shaped like alligators.
His luggage, and Helena’s set, was in the storage room behind the laundry room. He usually didn’t take a suitcase to the Rock, storage on an Eagle was usually at a premium and a soft bag was easier to fit in. Behind Helena’s white cosmetic case and matching carry-on bag was the small soft-side carry-on bag that matched his own navy blue set. He pulled it out and handed it to Sam, then replaced Helena’s bags.
“Hey Daddy, this bag has all sorts of pockets.”
John nodded. It had pockets on pockets and inside each pocket were other flaps and pockets. He found it an annoying waste of space that increased the weight of the bag. Because of that, he rarely used the bag, but it would work better than anything else for this short trip. He followed Sam back to the bedroom and began pulling out the clothes he needed to pack, underwear, socks, slacks and the polo shirts with the company logo that he usually wore on the Rock. He also pulled out a suit. There was a business meeting tomorrow. He would fit it in Alan’s suit bag with his suit.
“What’s this, Daddy?” Sam had been exploring all the pockets. “Is it yours?”
John looked over at his son. He couldn’t remember the last time he used the bag. It was a computer disk in a pastel blue plastic holder. “I don’t think so,” he said with a frown. He never used those kinds of disk holders.
“Can I have it?” Sam asked. Sam was a natural packrat. Even at age five he squirreled away spare parts and cast-off bits of hardware.
John was about to say yes. If he hadn’t needed the disk in all the years it had been tucked away in the bag, the information couldn’t be that important. Then it hit him. He knew exactly what it was and where it came from and when he had last used the bag. “Sorry, kiddo. That is mine and I need to keep it.” He casually took the disk from the boy and tucked it back into an inner pocket of the bag.
“Okay, Daddy,” Sam said with equanimity. “Will you bring me something from the Rock?”
“Sure I will.” He knew that Sam would be perfectly happy with a couple of feet of fiber-op cable or a bent hinge. There would be something to pick up at the construction site.
John turned away and grinned. It had been years since he’d seen that disk. Maybe tonight he’d pull it out and watch again. He glanced back at the little boy stuffing socks into the bag. Sam was so precious to him. He wasn’t sure that Helena understood yet how important this little boy was to him. That was part of the reason he hadn’t destroyed the disk, or admitted to Helena it still existed.
They finished the packing and Sam scrambled off to choose the cartoons they would watch until Alan came to pick him up. He hoped Helena returned before he had to leave. Sam crawled into his lap as Scooby-doo appeared on the screen and John held both his hands to keep him from scratching. Sam reached up and kissed his father on the cheek. John leaned against the little boy. Nothing could replace moments like this, he thought as Sam’s dark curls tickled his nose.
It was well after midnight when John finally headed toward the quarters assigned to him on the Rock. It had been a long day. The trip aboard the Eagle had been quick and there was plenty to do at the construction site once they arrived. They should have had a week to prepare for this inspection, but the investors had moved the timetable up. They met with a half dozen sub-contractors this afternoon and everything seemed to be ready. He and Alan joined Tony Cellini and Guido Verdeschi for a late dinner with several bottles of wine. Guido and Alan had both excused themselves earlier, leaving John and Tony to talk about old times over a bottle of vodka. By the time John headed to his quarters he could feel a mellow glow around his thoughts. He showered and readied for bed, then remembered the disk in his bag. With a grin, he opened the correct pocket and pulled the disk out.
He popped it in the player in the compact little room he was in and leaned back to enjoy it. That cabin in Breckinridge had every electronic toy ever devised and John had played with them all. The editing equipment alone was the stuff dreams were made of. You just pointed at what you wanted and moved it into line and the computer did the rest. The hot tub on the deck came into view and John got a vision of what his dreams were really made of. Helena dropped her towel and stepped into the hot tub beside him.
There had been cameras all over the house and John had used them all. Then, while Helena was out shopping, John had edited this version of their stay. It contained none of the boring meetings he had attended but all of the action between himself and Helena, and from every angle.
He grinned as he heard his voice persuade her to forego the birth control methods. This was it; this was the time and the place where Sam was conceived. It was a momentous occasion to him and he wished he had another glass of Cellini’s most excellent vodka to toast it with.
As Helena moaned with pleasure, back arched as she came, he could just see her nipples as she leaned backwards. He felt his own interest increase. The scene cut to the bedroom and a close shot of Helena’s face as he trailed kisses down her body. She was so incredibly beautiful, and the look of arousal on her face was overwhelming. This wasn’t an angle he could usually see. The shot pulled back to a wide shot of the room. He was busily attending to his wife’s orgasm, but now he could take the time to enjoy her reaction which was fueling his reaction on camera as well as his own reaction in life. On camera, he was kneeling above her and she was ready for him. Was he really that big? How did Helena possibly take it all in? Oh, he was watching her do it right then, taking him in, urging him on. He wished she were here with him. He wanted her so much right now, it was painful.
Without realizing what he was doing, he reached for his phone and touched the button that would call his home number. It rang once and he considered hanging up. It was awfully late. But Helena picked it up before the first ring ended.
“John?”
She must have recognized the number on the caller ID.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have woken you.”
“You didn’t. I just went up to check on Sammy.”
“Is he all right?” John sat up, immediately concerned.
“He’s fine. He was running a bit of a fever when I put him to bed, so I wanted to check again before I turned in. It’s gone down some and I gave him a little something to keep it that way.”
“I really hated to leave him today.” The video in front of him was forgotten for a moment in concern for his son.
“Napping in your lap was the best thing for him today. He probably wouldn’t have slept at all otherwise.”
“I just hate that I had to come up here. This was all scheduled for next week, but one of the investors insisted on pushing the time table up.”
“Is everything ready?”
“Oh, yeah. The inspection will be no problem and all the subcontractors were here anyway, so everything is ready to go.”
The plan, when they had first formed the company, was to use subcontractors to build the hotel and John and Alan would be able to bring their families up to the Rock when they needed to work there. But as the children started school, they all realized that living on the Rock would not work for them. Tori and Geoff, and now Sam and Robbie too, needed to be in school and scouts and on sports teams. Taking them away for a few days every few weeks interrupted their routines too much. So, John and Alan spent a lot of time commuting in Eagles.
“That’s good. I’m glad everything is going so smoothly.” The sounds of the disk with Helena in the throes of another orgasm, this one in the garden tub in the huge master bath could be heard. “John, what was that?”
“That, my dear, was you.” John grinned, eyeing the video. Helena was on top this time.
“Me?”
“I had to use a different bag than usual. Tori spilled some of her perfume in my duffle bag. I found that disk we made when we were in Colorado that time. Remember?”
John’s own moans joined with Helena as they peaked together, the water in the bathtub sloshed over the sides from the motion of their bodies sliding together. John licked his lips as he watched Helena pull deliberately up out of the water and completely off of him, then come down hard. Oh, man, was she riding him! He watched himself stroke her breasts and lean up to take a nipple in his mouth. Oh, yeah!
“The… disk?” Helena asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. It was in one of the pockets of the bag I brought with me.”
“John? You promised to get rid of it.”
“I intended to, honey, but we got home and were busy and it slipped my mind. I hadn’t thought about it again until today.”
“John, what if someone else found that disk? What if one of the children had gotten it?”
“Well, Sammy did discover it in the bag, but as soon as I saw it I knew what was on it and told him I needed to keep it. He’s a good kid, Helena.”
“Of course he is, John. But if he’d found it and you weren’t there, he might have gotten curious, thought it was a game or something! And what if Tori saw it?”
The thought of Tori seeing it was somehow more sobering. She was his daughter, and from the moment of her birth he had thought of himself as her protector from all that might harm her. “But she didn’t honey, and it’s up here with me now. It’s safe.”
“Safe!” Helena was not mollified. “On the Rock? How does that make it safe? What if something happened to you and someone went through your things? Did you even password protect it?”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to him, although for a split second he considered lying to her and telling her that he had. “No, but no one is going to go through my things. Come on, Helena, you’re over-reacting. You knew we made it at the time. You even helped pick out the music for part of it.” The music really made it special, John thought. Helena had found several disks of erotic jazz and sweeping classical scores that added just the right touch.
“But…” Helena hesitated. “John, yes, I cooperated, and it was fun to make it.” She was explaining patiently and slowly, that was always a bad sign when she went completely logical. “But I never expected you to travel around the solar system with it. What if someone copied it? Do you want everyone on the Rock to watch it?”
“Of course not, Helena. But that’s not going to happen. Don’t be paranoid.”
“Paranoid? I don’t think so. John, please, just destroy it right now. Break it up into little pieces or find a way to melt it or something. Please.”
“Helena, I don’t want to. And I don’t see why I should. Honey, you look so gorgeous on it,” his voice turned seductive. “Why don’t you watch it with me once. I know you’ll change your mind. You look… so… hot.” He was distracted again by the video and the sight of Helena walking seductively toward the bed with a ‘come hither’ look and a very fetching teddy. She fingered the lacy strap and lifted it off her shoulder. Then she moved her hand down her body. Oh, he wanted her here!
Helena wasn’t so distracted. “John, I really don’t care what I look like. I’m flattered that you’re enjoying this so much.” She could obviously tell that he was enjoying it just from the tone of his voice. “But I want that disk destroyed, now.”
John was glad he couldn’t see her since she was surely giving him ‘The Look’. The look she was giving him on the video wasn’t the same at all as she crawled across the bed, letting him peak down the teddy for an exquisite view. “Helena, I really did not call you to fight. And I have no intention of destroying this video now or ever.” He was angry, himself now, and almost not in the mood to continue watching. “Maybe I’ll just leave it up here so you can’t tamper with it.”
Wanting the last word, he pressed the button to disconnect. He watched the video for another moment or so, then cut that off too. It was his video, made completely with her consent and he wasn’t going to ruin it, he thought stubbornly. He had a moment of regret for cutting off the call so suddenly, but firmly decided it was for the best and turned over, determined to get some sleep.
Helena looked at the phone in amazement. He hung up on her! And he refused to destroy the disk! The only way he could leave the disk up there was to leave it with Tony Cellini. Tony had been her patient! This was just unconscionable! She paced the living room, no longer thinking of sleep. What could she possibly do to get it back?
She needed help. And, as usual, she turned to the one person who had always been there for her. She dialed Mel’s number.
“Hey,” was the quick response from her sister.
“Hey yourself. Did I wake you?”
“No. Susie has an earache. I just got her to drop off, so I haven’t been to bed yet. You know, it was a lot more fun staying up til the wee hours of the morning when I was dancing the night away and having wild passionate sex.”
“I’ll bet,” Helena said, distractedly.
“What’s the matter, Cake?”
Helena took a deep breath and told Melissa everything. She told her about the trip to Colorado, the playful erotic mood they’d been in at the house they were staying in; the video toys that seemed designed for someone to make erotic movies. She told Mel about the phone call from John and his refusal to destroy the disk and how he had hung up on her. “I have to get that disk back, Mel. I just have to,” she ended.
Melissa had listened with few questions or comments, but she chuckled now. “Maybe you should have thought of that when you made it.”
“It was just… the mood of the place,” Helena tried to explain, at a loss for words.
“Oh, I’m sure of that. Reg and Trent call it their ‘love nest’ and Reg loves to indulge all of Trent’s hobbies. Did you know that Trent was a professional photographer before they met?”
“No, I didn’t. I barely even knew them then, although I had heard you speak about Reg once or twice. Mel, after we left, John and I even talked about getting rid of the disk. He just didn’t do it. Now he won’t. I’ve got to get up there and get that disk.”
“It’s not going to be easy. That inspection is base-wide. The UN Space Authority takes safety very seriously. No one but authorized personnel are allowed in or out this week.”
“John was authorized?”
“And Alan, and myself and the group of investors we were meeting with.”
There was a quiet pause. “You’re on the list?”
“Yes,” Melissa admitted. “And I’m not breaking into your husband’s room to look for that disk. I love you, Cake, but I really don’t want to run the risk of looking at it, even by accident.” Mel thought about that for a moment. It wouldn’t be the first x-rated tape Mel had seen, or even the first with someone she knew in it. But she had no intention of watching her sister in one. Usually she found them cheap and tacky, and those weren’t adjectives she ever thought of in connection with Helena.
“Nor do I want you to,” Helena responded quickly.
There was a moment of silence between then. Then they both realized the solution.
“You could—“ “Why don’t I –“
They spoke at the same time then broke off.
“We haven’t done that since tenth grade,” Helena said.
“No, but we pulled it off then, and I’ll bet we can still do it,” Melissa said thoughtfully, remembering a particular Physiology exam that Helena took twice while she took both French exams in exchange. “Our hair is cut almost alike and the same color right now. You could use my clothes and makeup. It would work.”
“But what about the business meeting?”
“I can brief you. Mostly they’ll be asking questions of John and Alan. I just need to sign some paperwork and it was just as easy to arrange to do that when everyone is on the Rock as to send all the papers back and forth.”
“But, signing your name…”
“I’m giving you my full permission. Besides, if I’m not mistaken you had me make out a will when I was heading for Nepal once, and I gave you power of attorney. It’s never been revoked.”
“I… suppose…” Helena said thoughtfully.
“Look, Cake. I’m supposed to leave the Cape at 9:30. I’ll drop by and pick up Tori as usual in the morning and hand you over the clothes I’m supposed to wear. Then I’ll stay home with Sicko Sammie while you take my car and head for the Rock.”
“What about Susie?”
“I’ll just bring her over there with me. She can keep Sam company.”
“And get the chicken pox.”
“Everyone has to get ‘em sometime,” Mel said philosophically. “I can just count out the twenty-one days and arrange my calendar accordingly.”
Helena opened her mouth and closed it again. Her sister was a good mother—better than either of them thought she would ever be. But sometimes her parenting philosophy simply wasn’t in tune with Helena’s. Helena couldn’t see herself ever willingly exposing her child to a disease, even a fairly benign and common one.
“So, you up for it? You sounded desperate enough when you called me.”
Helena sighed. “I suppose I am. I have to get that disk back. Don’t I?”
“If you’re asking my opinion, I think, yes. Like you said, there’s too much potential for someone else to get hold of it.”
“Mel? Have you ever done anything… like that?”
“With Alan, or with someone else?”
“Either.”
“Once. A long time ago. It was… mostly a business transaction, with someone I trusted, and still trust. But they were stills, and I burned the negatives myself. He kept the prints. Of course, that no longer means a lot, since you can now do all sorts of scanning and computer enhancing.”
“Do you ever worry about it?”
“Not really, but I know you. This is going to tear you apart. So, see you in the morning?”
“I’ll be ready.”
By Noon the next day Helena was walking through the airlock on the Rock. The pumps she wore had heels a bit higher than she was used to, and the powder-puff pink business suit had a shorter skirt, but she pulled on her sister’s confident air and gave the airlock attendant a smile and a wink calculated to look just like Melissa’s. Helena gave her blonde hair a toss and headed for the conference room where Mel told her the business meeting would be held.
She made it through two airtight doors with ease. Melissa’s pass card, which also served as a communications device on the rock, gave her authorized entry. She turned a corner to see Alan approaching, deep in conversation with his companion, a slight dark man of oriental descent. They were smiling amiably as Alan came to the punch line of the story. They looked up and spotted her at the same time. Helena felt a moment of panic, then took control and smiled at the man who was supposed to be her husband.
“Alan! There you are,” she said breezily.
Before Alan could reply, the man with him reached out his hand. “Mellu-chan! It has been too long.”
Helena had no choice but to take the stranger’s hand. “It’s good to see you again,” she said formally.
Both Alan and the man in front of her looked startled. Helena knew she had already made some kind of blunder and had no idea what it was. Melissa had coached her this morning about the people attending this meeting. She knew them by name and had corresponded by email with three of the investor’s representatives and had met two of them on her last trip from Japan. But she didn’t know them personally. This man seemed to expect Melissa to recognize him.
Alan took her elbow and said quickly, “How’s Susie? Did you ever get her to sleep last night? You must be exhausted.”
Helena readily accepted his rescue. “She dropped off to sleep around two this morning, but tossed and turned all night.”
“Poor thing,” the strange man said. “She’s such a beautiful little girl. Alan was telling me that she was under the weather.”
“Taro, can you excuse us for a couple of minutes?” Alan said quickly.
The man whose name appeared to be Taro nodded and grinned at Alan. “Certainly, my friend. Mellu-chan, I brought a surprise for you. Other than myself.”
“I look forward to it,” Helena said, choosing as few words as possible. She could feel her confidence slipping. Who was this man and how did Mel know him?
Alan tugged her away and through the first door they came to. Helena was surprised to find it was a small cramped room stuffed with cleaning equipment.
“What the hell is going on?” Alan asked as soon as the door was shut.
“What do you mean, flyboy?” Helena tried for her very best impression of Melissa.
“Cut the crap, Helena. I know it’s you. Is something wrong at home? Where’s Mel?”
Helena relaxed slightly. Somehow she was just as glad that Alan knew. “She’s fine. How did you know it was me?”
“Well, for starters, the way you greeted Taro.”
“What do I do wrong?”
“Mel would have been more likely to stick her tongue down his throat than shake his hand!” Alan said, agitated.
“She told me she didn’t know any of the investor’s representatives.”
“He’s not a representative. Taro Murata is the investor. He and Mel have known each other since her traveling days. At the last minute, he decided to surprise her.”
Helena thought for a second. “Mel knows him. Really knows him.”
“Yeah, yeah, like in the biblical sense. We usually stay at his estate when we need to be in Tokyo. Now, tell me, Helena. What’s going on?”
Helena leaned against the closed door. “John and I had a fight. He has this disk that I wanted him to destroy. It’s… pictures of him and me.” She couldn’t look at Alan as she explained this. “He told me he wouldn’t bring the disk back to Earth and wouldn’t destroy it. Alan, I just had to get the disk back.”
“So my ditzy wife came up with this plan,” Alan said with a sigh. “Helena, you two aren’t teenagers any more. She’s not necessarily replaceable. Our business pretty much hinges on the funding she put in place. This isn’t the kind of stuff you fool around with.”
“Please, Alan. Just help me get the disk back and I’ll go home.”
“It’s not that simple, “Alan said, shaking his head. “If the UN inspectors find out you’re not who you say you are, there could be all kinds of repercussions. Fines. Even jail time.”
Helena paled. “Mel didn’t mention…”
“She wouldn’t. Sometimes she thinks she’s a little too invincible.”
“Without that attitude, we would still be on Alpha,” Helena reminded him.
Alan nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her dearly and will forever be grateful for her fearlessness. But it’s bound to get us into trouble every now and then.”
“What should we do?”
“Well, for starters, we’ll let Taro in on it. He’ll be game. He’ll probably think it’s funny.” He took her elbow again. “Come on.”
Helena hesitated. “Alan, what if someone sees us walking out of a cleaning closet?”
He grinned at her and leaned over and ruffled her hair a bit. “No worries. Just look like you just gave me a blow job… and enjoyed it.”
Before she could make a comment, Alan opened the door and led her back into the hallway. Just in case they were seen, Alan put his arm around her and pulled her tight against him.
Two technicians were just rounding a corner. Alan leaned over and said at a volume they were sure to overhear, “That was great honey. We’ll get the paperwork out of the way quickly, then see about a little zero gee encore.”
Helen hoped she wasn’t blushing as they made their way toward the conference room.
Taro met them in the hallway and Alan immediately pulled him over to the side and held a whispered conversation with him. Taro eyed her carefully and grinned appreciatively. “You are as lovely as your sister,” he said softly just before the door opened. “She should have told me.”
Taro put an arm around her waist and pulled her inside. Alan leaned to her ear on the other side and told her they would have to get the meeting out of the way first before she would be able to do anything else and that he and Taro would distract John for an hour after the meeting. She nodded and smiled at him, hoping to give him the same kind of smile Mel would.
She glanced at the others in the room. John was there, along with the firm’s attorney. There were also two Japanese attorneys who stood as they entered the room. Taro led her to the far end of the room. A table had been set up and a chef stood behind it.
“I know all your weaknesses, Mellu-chan,” Taro was saying. “So I brought along my chef to prepare your favorites.”
Beside the chef, on a bed of ice, was spread a wide array of seafood. As she watched, she was sure the octopus twitched.
“Oh, Taro. You shouldn’t have.” Helena hoped she sounded sincere.
With quick motions the man behind the table cut off the choicest slices and arranged them artistically on a plate of fine china with gold trim. She thanked the man, who bowed low and began fixing other plates.
The others in the room moved up to partake of the delicacies. She nodded to John as he approached and John gave her a smile in return, but didn’t appear to recognize her as anything but his sister-in-law. She took a place at the conference table and stared down at the food. How did Mel eat this stuff, she wondered. Then she remembered their first visit to a sushi bar. They had been with their grandmother on a trip to California. Melissa had taken to sushi as she had taken to every other exotic experience in her life, with complete relish.
“You do not eat,” Taro said, appearing at her elbow and choosing the seat next to her.
She braced herself and met his eyes. Smiling her sister’s smile, she replied. “It’s a piece of art. I was just admiring its beauty.” Before she could stop herself, she picked up the seafood and took a bite. Continuing to smile, she said, “It’s very fresh. You can’t get anything like this in Florida.”
“Run away with me,” Taro suggested playfully. “I will feed you like this every day.”
Helena laughed and looked over Taro’s shoulder at Alan. “You make a tempting offer, but my heart belongs to Alan.”
Taro laughed with her and turned to Alan. “I will never give up, Carter-san. One day she will come to her senses and choose me.”
Alan gave an easy grin. “She knows what she likes, mate. And I know how to keep her happy.”
Helena wondered how her sister could managed to bewitch so many men and keep them all happy. It was a puzzle she had never figured out. Melissa had never been able to abide jealousy and seemed to choose men who could reveal their passion for her without jealousy.
Melissa had assured Helena that John would be leading the meeting. All she needed to do was show up and sign the papers handed to her. Early in the formation of their company, John and Melissa had found control to be an issue. Once they spelled out each other’s duties and agreed that money matters and routine matters of the day to day business of the company were Melissa’s concern while anything having to do with the company’s projects were John’s territory, they got along much better.
Almost as soon as everyone was seated, John brought the meeting to order, thoroughly going over each aspect of the morning’s inspection, and making sure the investor was satisfied. At first, he paid no attention to Taro or Helena, but Taro asked a question and John looked in their direction. His eyes met Helena and locked with hers for only a moment.
But in that moment, Helena could tell. He knew exactly who she was. There was almost an electric current running between the two of them. He hesitated only a moment, glanced back at Helena and turned back to the agenda for the meeting. Helena endured the meeting, and signed her sister’s name to the documents handed to her.
Taro leaned close to her the first time and said softly into her ear, “My guess is you hold her power of attorney.”
Helena’s hand paused over the document, but she nodded and began to sign.
“Excellent,” Taro whispered. “Simply have her fax a copy to my private line. All will be well.”
Helena nodded and passed the document to Taro. As soon as she was finished she excused herself, mentioning needing to use the powder room. John knew she was here. She wouldn’t have much time to find the disk. She slipped out of the conference room and hurried down the hall to the apartment they always used while staying on the Rock. Her card opened the apartment door and she looked at the two bedrooms. She and John usually shared the bedroom on the left and Alan and Mel took the one on the right. Even without their wives they would surely still occupy the same rooms. She chose the bedroom to the left and touched the plate to open the door. It was unlocked.
Stepping through the door, she was certain this was her husband’s room. She could smell a faint trace of his after-shave.
The room was unadorned and impersonal. As usual, John had unpacked and everything was in its place. John was one of the neatest men she had ever met. She looked in the entertainment deck first. There was no disk. She turned to the closet and found his bag on the shelf above the hangers containing his clothes. She opened the small pouch on the front and was pulling out the disk when she heard the door open behind her.
She replaced the bag and turned around. For a moment they simply looked at each other.
John gave a half smile and said, “I knew I shouldn’t have hung up on you.”
She looked him in the eye. She loved him so, and hated being at odds with him. “I was so mad at you.”
“Is that why you decided to switch places with Mel?”
She sighed and nodded.
“I would have brought the disk home,” he said. “But I would like the chance to convince you not to destroy it.”
“John…”
He stepped forward and gently took the disk from her hand. He touched her cheek softly and smoothed back her blonde hair. “Look at a little of it with me. Please,” he said, seductively.
She relaxed slightly and he interpreted that as assent. He moved to the entertainment deck and loaded the disk. She turned toward the screen and he moved to stand behind her. She saw two happy loving people taking pleasure in each other.
John placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. His voice whispered in her ear. “You are so beautiful. Even after two kids and all these years, you are so incredible. Even across the room you have an effect on me.” He moved his hands up and down her arms, his fingertips barely brushing the sides of her breasts. His breath caressed the back of her ear and she shivered.
The images on the screen were erotic but John’s seductive actions were having more of an effect on her. He was undressing her slowly, and pressing against her from behind, letting her know his interest. She leaned back and relaxed, letting him draw off her jacket, unbutton the silk blouse and unfasten her skirt. She smiled as he fingered the lace of her pink bra and matching panties.
“Very nice,” he murmured.
“They’re Mel’s.”
“Don’t give them back,” he commanded.
She had to laugh. “Are you mad?”
He shrugged, continuing his caresses. “I think you may be crazy, but no, I’m not mad. Last night, I wanted you here so bad.”
He ran his lips down her neck to that spot he knew would drive her crazy. He slid two fingers inside the panties and caressed her gently, moving deeper with each stroke.
She gasped and leaned back against him. “John, I…”
“Shh,” he whispered into her ear. “Just relax and enjoy, Helena. My love, I want to give you pleasure.”
She was practically incoherent. John knew her well and knew just what she liked. He held her steady, his other hand gently moving the lace away from her tight nipples, caressing each one in turn. She grew wetter under his ministrations and his rhythm stimulated her to orgasm.
She turned around and put her arms around him. Both were well aware that these actions always made her want him more, and he wanted her with equal intensity. After a long slow kiss he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
By coincidence, the video had shifted to John slowly removing his clothes for her so she had a double view. She noticed a few more gray hair on the chest of the man before her, but it had been five years since that video was made. The gray only served to make him look more distinguished. She did love him so.
She reached out for him and he came to her. She was very ready for him and he entered her slowly. They both savored the sensation. She drew him deep inside her and gave out a soft moan. “Oh, John.” There was a mirroring moan from the stereo.
“Helena. I hate it when we fight,” he said softly into her ear.
“Fortunately, we don’t do it very often,” she replied, holding tightly to him.
“And making up is usually a lot of fun.”
They laughed together and lost interest in talking.
The commissary was empty at this time of day. Taro slid another beer across the table at Alan. “Have another.”
Alan twisted off the cover of the cold Yebisu and took a long swallow.
“Do you think they are all right?” Taro asked, concerned.
“Oh, I expect that if they were still fighting, one of them would have left by now. They’re making up.”
“You’re sure? She is a beautiful woman. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”
Alan chuckled. “He wouldn’t hurt her.”
“She is, like a work of art. As her sister is.”
“She’s married too, Taro. Speaking of her sister,” Alan pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’d better give her a call.”
He chose John’s home number from his phone’s list and it rang twice before a familiar voice answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, love.”
There was a moment’s silence before Melissa said, “Alan?”
“You’ll be happy to know that John and Helena are currently in the apartment making up.”
“… you… knew?”
“Of course, silly. You expected us not to be able to tell the difference?”
“I guess that was pretty optimistic. But it did get her up there. How did John take it?”
“He made it through the meeting, then followed her out the door and we haven’t heard from them since.”
“Hunh. Well, good for them. The inspection go all right?”
“Just fine. There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.” Alan handed the phone to Taro.
“Mellu-chan.”
“Taro? What are you doing there?”
“My schedule was free and I had the chance to come visit some of my dear friends. But one of them was missing.”
“If I had known you were coming I wouldn’t have let Helena take my place.”
“I thought as much. Now I will have to duplicate one of those exquisite pictures I have of you to simulate the beauty of you and your beautiful sister. You never told me you had a twin.”
“Taro, my dear. If you do that, I’ll be sneaking into your bedroom to destroy them.”
“Mellu-chan. You are always welcome in my bed. You have only to ask.”
Alan raised an eyebrow at his friend. Taro merely winked at him and Alan returned to his beer.
“Your wife might object to that, however. Those pictures…”
“Are safe,” Taro finished for her. “And forever will be, my friend. And you’re right. My wife would possibly not be so understanding. Nor would my friend Alan. We are becoming to old and too full of other obligations for such things.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Besides, our friendship is much too valuable to me. Perhaps we should arrange a marriage between my oldest son and your Susie. Alan was showing me pictures of your daughter. I think she will look much like her mother.”
“I expect she will also be independent like her mother. An arrangement like that probably wouldn’t work out.”
“I expect you are correct. I am disappointed that I didn’t get to see you. I brought a sushi chef to prepare all your favorites.”
“Oh, my! How did Helena react to that?”
“With great politeness. I take it her tastes are different from you.”
“Quite different, I’m afraid,” Melissa sighed.
“You must promise to visit soon. This summer, perhaps?”
“Summer would be easiest. We could bring the children then.”
“That would be delightful. I will look forward to it with great anticipation. You must invite your sister and her husband as well. I would like to meet them under… happier circumstances.”
“I’ll do that. Taro, I am so sorry I missed seeing you.”
“I regret it as well, Mellu-chan. I return you to your husband.”
Alan took the phone back.
“When are you coming home?”
“This evening. Everything is wrapped up for now. As soon as John and Helena surface, we’ll head back down. I’m all packed.”
“Good. I’ll wait and have dinner with you.”
“I’ll call just before we leave. Hopefully we won’t be much longer.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
“Right.” Alan closed the connection and put the phone back in his pocket. He looked at the empty bottle in his hand. “Got any more?”
Taro smiled and set two more bottles on the table.
The disk was over and the screen blank. John and Helena lay curled together on the bed. John stroked her hair gently.
“Our little boy was conceived that weekend. That makes it even more special.”
“But you understand my concern? I don’t want anyone else finding it and watching it. Now or fifty years from now.”
“Yes, I understand. What if…” John thought for a moment. “What if we encrypted it with a key code and you keep half and I keep the other half?”
“Then we could only watch it together.”
John moved his hand down her body. “Sweetheart, that’s the only way I want to watch it.”
She smiled at him. “And you owe me a weekend away because of all the stress you caused me.”
“Anywhere in the world,” John promised. “Just make arrangements for the kids and tell me when to pack.”
“All right. Encrypt the disk.” Helena looked over at the clock by the bed. “Aren’t we supposed to go back home this afternoon? It’s getting late.”
John looked at the clock. “It is. Ok. Can you pack while I run this through the computer?”
Helena agreed and began to dress.
Just as she put the last articles away, John handed her a strip of paper. It contained a string of twenty numbers and letters, some of the letters were upper case, some lower case.
“That’s your half. Keep it somewhere safe.”
Helena nodded.
“Now, to get you off the base, you need to be Melissa again.” John picked up the discarded identity tag and hooked it onto the pink jacket Helena wore. “But please promise me not to switch with her again.”
“I promise,” Helena said, then gave John her sister’s wink and smile. “As long as you behave, Big Boy.”
Maureen J. Long