“How do you find Boston? My son, Frank spends a lot of his time out there.”
“It‘s a lovely chilled town. The people are friendly unlike New York, but they‘ve still got some drive to them.”
“And it‘s not a retirement village like Palm Springs.”
“Mama, there are folk my age living here only they don‘t mix in your circles.”
“The only real downside is there are far too many students.”
Alice laughed.
“It wasn‘t so long ago that we were at college.”
“Yes, but we‘re not there now, thank goodness.”
All four chuckled at that and conversation continued for another hour. Then Mary Lou saw the clock on the mantelpiece and shuffled forward on the couch, play-slapping Bobby on the knee.
“It‘s way past our bedtime, but you stay up as long as you want.”
“Thanks Mama.”
Goodnight kisses ensued and once all permutations had been covered, Mary Lou and Bobby headed upstairs.
“WHAT DO YOU make of Sam?”
“She seems a nice girl.”
“Nice enough for Alice?”
“No-one will ever be good enough for Alice. Not in my eyes at least.”
“It‘s a mother-daughter thing. I get that. But ignoring the inevitable impossibility of her meeting your high expectations... what do you think of her?”
“She makes Alice happy. Did you see the glow in her cheeks each time Sam touched her?”
“I did. They’re a good couple. But you didn‘t answer my question.”
“Ask me again in the morning. There‘s something I can‘t quite put my finger on. Let me sleep on it.”
DOWNSTAIRS ALICE AND Sam had moved onto the patio as it was such a beautiful night. The moon shone brightly and the air was calm. They shared a sun lounger and cuddled in the darkness.
“Your folks are good people. I like them.”
“Yeah? I‘ve known Bobby all my life so I don‘t know any different and my mother is my mother, if you see what I mean.”
“Sure do.”
They both were mesmerized by the moonlight on the ripples in the pool and drifted into silence. Alice stroked Sam‘s thigh in response to Sam‘s squeezing of a breast.
“You‘re very forward for a girl from Boston...”
They kissed and then Alice stood up, stripped down to her underwear and removed Sam‘s clothing. Then she walked to the edge of the pool and jumped in, swiftly followed by her girlfriend. The two splashed about for a while until they wound up in the shallow end and Alice took off Sam‘s bra and then her own. More kissing and hands meandering over each other‘s bodies.
“Shouldn‘t we go upstairs? Your parents are the other side of that balcony, aren‘t they?”
Alice slipped her hand inside Sam‘s panties.
“A bit more time here won‘t hurt if you‘re not too loud. Then you can take me to our room and fuck me there as well.”
MARY LOU AWOKE late next morning. Her ability to get to sleep was hampered by the sounds of her daughter frolicking in the pool with Sam. She preferred not to imagine quite what frolics occurred and kept her mind focused on the euphemism. Like every mother, Mary Lou was protective of her daughter‘s groin and its sexual activity - gay, straight or bi.
Now she was conscious, she had another chance to replay her thoughts about that woman. Sam had said the only downside of Boston were student numbers. That didn‘t sound right. Surely, the biggest issue was that she was thousands of miles from Alice. Perhaps she didn‘t want to state her undying love for her daughter - either because she wouldn‘t have meant it or it would have been too embarrassing. But she had the opportunity to make some polite statement about wanting to be together.
This made Mary Lou want to find out why Sam was holding back. Even if Alice was living in the moment and enjoying the best ride of her young life, Mary Lou needed more. Sam was hiding something from them.
Alice hadn‘t been forthcoming with her about her sexuality, but she‘d assured her mama that she and Sam were able to talk openly together. For instance, Alice wanted Sam to relocate to California but Sam was tied to her job. At the same time, Alice knew they were far too early in the relationship for her to make that kind of demand on Sam.
By the same token, Sam didn‘t like the time Alice spent working in the family business. She didn‘t know precisely what any of it was - Alice made sure of that - but she could tell it wasn‘t all on the level. A casino manager doesn‘t pick up sticks and leave to live above a bordello just because her Mama asked.
And if the emotions at the heart of the relationship were sound then what was Sam thinking but not saying? What was her secret? Alice was convinced Sam had genuine feelings for her, so what could she be hiding? Something about herself or what she got up to in Boston. By Alice‘s own account, they‘d met in the most random of circumstances and it had taken Sam ages to talk about where she came from.
Perhaps, she had trust issues or her background was so shady she refused to tell a woman she was prepared to travel across country to be with - and who might be involved in criminal operations. That limited the gene pool of possibility to a handful of ideas. If Sam was a criminal then Alice‘s family situation would not be an issue. But if she was at the other end of the honesty spectrum then that‘d make perfect sense.
With all the problems Mary Lou‘d had with people squealing, she hadn‘t looked closer to home. And once this idea arrived inside her head, she couldn‘t shake it: Sam was a stool pigeon and had finagled her way into Alice‘s heart to be a mole for the Feds.
MARY LOU NUDGED Bobby awake. He grunted and tried to roll back to sleep, but she shook his arm until he got the message it was time to talk. She explained what had been running through her head and waited for a response. Bobby plumped up pillows and busied himself to gain more valuable minutes to consider her words and wake up more before speaking.
“I don‘t see it. They‘re a lovely couple: the way they preen each other is adorable. When Alice speaks, Sam is captivated by her voice. It might not be love - who are we to say - but it‘s a mighty strong lust for sure. She can’t fake that.”
“You must admit it’s weird: 'the only downside is students'. Come on, that's not normal. She‘s hiding something and she can‘t be trusted.”
“Alice has been careful not to let Sam eavesdrop on any business conversations. That‘s one of the few causes of tension between them.”
“Because the woman wants to find out what we‘re up to.”
“Because the woman wants more attention paid to her than Alice gives. Bit childish but not sinister.”
Mary Lou crossed her arms and sulked. She didn‘t understand why Bobby couldn‘t view things as she did. He was blind sometimes. Almost like he could see no wrong in people or he had a soft spot for young beautiful women. Men were useless.
“How can you be so sure? Nothing she‘s done since she arrived in this house today signals you‘re right. All we‘ve seen is she‘s a cute ass from Boston... I bumped into them in Malibu too.”
“What? Why‘s this the first I‘m hearing about it?”
“I forgot it had happened after I returned. Besides it was only a few hours. I popped by, we ate and I left. Finito.”
“What the...”
“Don‘t give me a hard time over this. Was just after the Coby Ingham thing and as you know, it took me a while to get my head straight after that one.”
“And here we are again deciding whether we have another stool pigeon.”
Bobby was silent. He had no idea why he hadn‘t mentioned the dinner to Mary Lou. Probably because he reckoned it only right that she should meet Sam before he did. If he‘d been playing his A game, he would have said. Hey, life‘s a bitch and then you die.
“When I met her before, she gave me chapter and verse on the marketing industry. Could have been well-researched patter, but it didn‘t feel like it. She cared too much for it to have been a rehearsed speech.“
/> “Unless she‘s a good actress and practiced the spiel.”
“True, but that doesn‘t change how I felt - or the amount of time Alice has spent with her and not suspected a thing.”
“How were you when you discovered muff the very first time? You reckon Alice was any different?”
“Harsh, Mary Lou.”
“Perhaps. No matter what you say, I can‘t trust her.”
“Fine. She‘s not getting access to anything important - apart from the hand of the fair maiden Alice, of course.”
“It‘s not her hand that either of us are considering right now. And that‘s doubly worse for you, dirty old man.”
The noise from the girls‘ bedroom picked up again at that precise second. Mary Lou and Bobby looked at each other and laughed.
“Full of energy, those youngsters.”
“Let‘s see if we can beat them at their own game.”
They buried themselves under the covers and tried to find new ways to make the other breathe more deeply than they‘d ever done before.
17
ALICE DROVE SAM around Palm Springs in her soft top sports car. She pointed out its sights - few as they were - and stopped outside Montgomery High.
“Best days of your life?”
“Nah. Loved the classes, but I was never one of the popular kids. Tried to keep myself to myself, but with Frank in the same place, it was hard to hide for very long.”
“Geek girl?”
“Yep. If Frank hadn‘t been my brother, I‘d have had on okay time.”
“Did he seek the limelight and drag you along too?”
“Er no. He played the fool, got into heaps of trouble. Teachers expected me to somehow be responsible for his nefarious activities. Kids thought I was cut from the same cloth as him because we are twins. Frank believed every day was party time. Still does.”
“Pain in the neck but fun to be around.”
“That‘s Frank, through and through.”
“Any happy memories at all?”
“Prom night. Peter Hatheway gave me a corsage and picked me up in a stretch limo. We danced and drank the fruit punch laced with hooch. He took me by the hand and we went round the back of the buildings and out onto the running track. Lost my cherry on the pole vault mattress. Biggest bounciest bed I‘ve ever been on.”
“Was the sex any good?”
“Not for me. First time anyone gave me an orgasm was you. Before that, I was flying solo.”
They kissed to reinforce the special bond Alice felt for Sam.
“How about you? Any man been worth it for you?”
“One or two, but that doesn‘t matter because I‘m with you now.”
Alice squinted at Sam, not knowing what to make of that last comment. Against her better judgment, she let it alone. This was neither the time nor the place.
“Hungry?”
“Ravenous. Where do people go to eat in this town?”
THE WOMEN SAT down at a circular booth in the Palm Springs Country Club. By association, Alice was known there although she hadn‘t visited the place for a while. The red leather seating was threadbare when her mother first came there in the Seventies and nothing much had changed - the menu had been reprinted. The restaurant and bar continued to have a mixed clientele: it was the golf course's nineteenth hole, there were ladies that lunched and a meeting room for local businessmen. Nowadays, it had gained a reputation as a cool drinking hole for the children of the wealthier members of the community.
Alice ordered linguini with clams in a white wine sauce and Sam tried the steak. Their cosmos arrived and they chinked their glasses to toast their first drink of the day. As expected, the food tasted wonderful. The decor was shabby chic, but the proprietor cared about his guests‘ palates.
Once their plates were empty, they ordered more cocktails. Before the waiter returned, a pair of dudes came by and introduced themselves as Brad and Martin. They chatted for a minute or two.
“Mind if we sit down?”
“By all means.”
Alice and Sam glanced at each other. The way the boys behaved, they clearly were something in this town - or thought they were. Both were clean shaven and wore designer casual wear, so they had money if nothing else. Alice leaned over and whispered in Sam‘s ear.
“How much do you think we can scalp them for?”
“Few hundred. Whoever screws them over the most: loser buys dinner.”
A nod by way of contract and they switched on their smiles.
“Shouldn‘t you boys be out working? In a supermarket or however you earn your living.”
“We have investments that do the work for us. Let the chumps toil - we prefer to play.”
“What‘s your handicap?”
“Huh?”
Sam sighed disdainfully and pointed at the eighteenth green outside.
“Oh, golf. Not my idea of a game: chasing after a ball you‘re always hitting away from you. Makes no sense.”
Alice laughed at Martin‘s comment. Bobby said the same thing, but it didn‘t stop him from teeing off every week.
“You like games, Brad?”
“Sure do. I‘m a gambling man so I prefer the odds stacked in my favor, but any card game floats my boat.”
“Me too. There‘s nothing like the thrill of taking a leap into the unknown.”
The waiter arrived with the cosmos and Brad put green on the table for payment. He looked at Alice and she nodded consent, so the waiter picked up the cash and walked away.
“Thanks for the drink, Brad.”
“My pleasure.”
“If you don‘t play golf Martin, how do you spend the hours between waking up and falling asleep?”
“I keep myself busy: hosting pool parties, hanging with beautiful people - like yourselves.”
Sam and Alice smiled and fluttered their eyelids. These saps were one hundred per cent ego with no space for anything else.
“Haven‘t been to a pool party in years...”
Martin heard Alice‘s cooing and got the hint.
“Fancy coming over now? I can make some calls and get the gang over later.”
ALICE AND SAM stood opposite Brad and Martin with martinis all round. Martin had made a big deal about how to concoct the perfect vodka martini, so he‘d set himself up to fail. The cocktails only disappointed but the women weren‘t here to critique his bar tending skills. Alice had parked her soft top at the front of the house next to Martin‘s Italian beast of a sports car.
“Here‘s to partying on down.”
“I‘ll get some music going.”
Once Martin returned, electronic beats poured out of the PA pumping onto the poolside veranda. All four tapped their toes and a minute later, the boys had grabbed the girls by the hand and encouraged them to dance. Five or six tracks on - who was counting? - and slower rhythms hit the air and the couples paired off for more intimate moments.
Alice wasn‘t too happy with Martin‘s octopus hands but when she glanced over to the other couple, Sam didn‘t appear to be annoyed that Brad‘s hands were clamped to her ass, squeezing her like a used sponge. To her surprise, Alice minded though. The point of being here was to rob the overgrown kids and her jealousy spurred her on to go for broke.
As Martin kissed her on the neck, she undid his shirt and put a hand on his belt buckle. Sam saw what Alice was up to and followed suit. Neither of the boys objected and their egos bloated a little more than was usual as the women undressed them down to their shorts.
“Now you‘re turn, but don‘t get fresh. I‘m keeping my undies on... for now.”
The warmth of Alice‘s whisper against Martin‘s earlobe was more than enough to get him to follow her orders to the letter. Brad copied his friend with a similar warning from Sam, who then walked him over to the base of the diving board. She sat down, legs apart, and reeled him in toward her until she was able to wrap her thighs around him. Christmas was coming early for Brad it seemed.
Martin stepped forward, wit
hin an inch of Alice, who embraced him again and shoved a hand down his shorts to maintain his interest. She twisted the two of them round so she could see the diving board and monitor what was happening with her Sam. The sight of Brad‘s pure white ass nestling above the waistband of his bermudas told her he was at the same level of excitement as Martin.
The women winked at each other and made their move.
“Let‘s get naked and then we can fuck in the pool.”
Martin nodded and whipped off his shorts then called over to his friend while Alice slowly undid her navy and white striped bra.
“Come on guy! Get with the program.”
Brad kept a hand on Sam‘s breast as he looked around, assessed the situation and grinned.
“You up for some more fun?”
“The sooner you stop talking, the quicker we‘ll be fucking.”
His smile was so broad, Sam saw his teeth. Her bra was already on the floor. She took her time, putting her hands on her hips to avoid undressing further. Five seconds later, Brad and Martin were in the water with their hard-ons. Alice and Sam reacted fast by grabbing the boys‘ clothes and throwing their own back on before the guys could do anything.
Alice palmed Martin‘s car keys he‘d dropped on a patio table and turned to face the pool.
“Sorry boys, we‘ve changed our minds now we‘ve seen your equipment.”
Sam laughed to emphasize the point. Then they both dashed to Alice‘s soft top.
“Take my keys and follow me. Don‘t ask questions: there‘s no time.”
As she spoke, she looked back and saw Brad and Martin heading toward them. Neither man was in a particular hurry so they didn‘t know about the car. Sam appeared flustered but hopped into the driver‘s seat nonetheless. Alice unlocked Martin‘s vehicle and they sped off, leaving Martin to swear at them in the distance.
Alice kept a steady pace below the speed limit until they arrived at the airport parking lot. She drove to what she hoped was its furthest corner and carefully parked. Sam sidled over and let Alice take over the wheel.
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