When We Were Married Ch. 05C

Kelly had put her fingers to her lips and was looking at me in a way I'd never seen before. I realized she wasn't seeing me as Daddy. She had never seen me with another woman in her entire life. BJ was grinning and mouthed the words silently, "way to go, dad."

I locked eyes with Debbie and couldn't read her at all. All I knew was that seeing her without warning just made me realize all over again how fucking, unfairly beautiful she was.

"Look, I realize you guys were trying to surprise me....."

"And we did," my mother said, throwing a look back over her shoulder at Debbie.

"You did. I'm sorry....you got a big shock....but I did -- we did -- too."

"Who-" began Kelly.

"Just a minute," and I turned my back on them and opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. Aline had her back to me, her panties pulled up and she was vigorously drying her mane of black hair.

"I'm sorry, baby, it's like something out of a bad situation comedy. I had no idea they were coming. They thought they were going to give me a nice surprise."

"Your family," she said, turning to face me. Her entire body was still mottled with red splotches indicating a body-wide blush. "I feel like such an idiot. How can I show my face now?"

I pushed her hands aside, swept her bangs back from her face and kissed her hard.

"You put on that dress, and a bra, and come outside with me. You're a friend of mine from the cruise ship and you're visiting. I don't have anything to apologize for, and neither do you. I'm a grown man, a free man, and you're a grown woman. A beautiful woman. I want to show you off to my family."

She kissed me back, then said, "That's the first time I've seen her in the flesh, Bill. I had no idea -- she's impressive. What is she doing here?"

"I have no damned idea at all. Probably, I'm guessing the kids talked her into it. Something about burying the hatchet. But let her eat her heart out seeing me with you. The bitch deserves that and a lot worse."

I started to open the bathroom door, then added, "And make sure you wear the Fleur de Lis."

When I stepped out the whole crew was crowding into the area between the kitchen and small living room. Debbie was standing between Kelly and BJ at the front.

"Who is she, Dad?" Kelly started again.

"Her name is Aline des-Jardins. She was an officer, a crew member, on the French ship I took that cruise on, the Bonne Chance. We got to know each other on the cruise. She had two weeks off from the ship and she honored me by becoming my guest here."

BJ just grinned and high-fived me. I returned it.

"Why didn't you just tell us you had other plans," my mother said. "It wouldn't have hurt my feelings. We could have gotten together some other time and you'd have been able to spend time with her without...us showing up and trampling all over your apartment."

"I wasn't lying, purposely, Mom. I've been working hard and trying to spend time with Aline. She's only here a short time and I thought it would get...complicated..introducing her and explaining...things. I had no idea everyone would pop in. We were just going to grab a bite to eat and then hit the bed."

Clarice just rolled her eyes when I said that and grinned. I got the impression she was enjoying her sister's discomfort.

"She's....," Debbie spoke for the first time. "She's very beautiful, Bill. I'm glad....you've found a...friend."

"Thank you. Yes, she is very beautiful, and I'm very lucky."

The bathroom door opened and I looked back to see a vision in black step out. She was wearing the classic "little black dress" which looked like it had been painted on her. Even though she was wearing a bra, it didn't look like it. The Fleur-de-Lis looked as big as an orange gleaming in the center of the black dress.

I stepped back and put my arm around her and faced my family.

"Aline, this is my family. This is Debbie, my ex, Kelly, my daughter and BJ, my son. And..."

When I'd finished she stepped away from me and faced them.

"I...wish to apologize.....I...am...embarrassed to have put on such a display..."

My mother stepped around Debbie to take Aline's hand in her own. She looked up at Aline and said, "You have nothing to apologize for. We barged in on you. People that show up where they're not expected can't take offense at what they're not supposed to see."

"Thank you. You should be proud of your son. He is a very well respected litigator. He is the kind of man other attorneys want to be like."

"I am proud of him. And I know that if he likes you, you must be a special woman."

She reached out and touched the Fleur de Lis.

"That is so beautiful."

Aline touched the stone.

"Yes. It will always be very special to me, because it was a gift to me from your son."

"It is very beautiful. They can do wonderful things with costume jewelry. It looks real."

Debbie had stepped to within a foot of Aline. I wasn't holding my breath, but it felt like I should be.

"Yes, they can, but this is real gold and a real diamond. But I would treasure it if it were paste. It is not what it's made of, but what it represents."

"Shipboard romances are sweet. Ephemeral, but sweet. You were together for what, a week? Bill moved very quickly. Bill was a nice man, but he never moved that quickly when we were together. And he was never that dashing."

"Bill is a dashing man, a very...seductive man. Perhaps after a long marriage, you just didn't make him feel that...dashing...anymore."

The two woman, hot and blonde and cool and brunette held each other's eyes, Debbie looking down slightly. She stared at the Fleur de Lis and then looked over Aline's chest.

"I had thought that France was a more advanced nation, more medically and technologically advanced."

Aline just stared back. The question was implicit in her gaze.

"I would have thought that more French women would be aware of, and take advantage of implants where....nature has been...not quite so generous. In today's world, no woman has to remain flat chested."

And she took a deep breath and slowly let those heavy breasts jiggle to drive home her point.

A small smile played on Aline's lips.

"In France women do have implants...where they're needed and wanted. I would have thought, however, that in a country as great as this, more women would be aware of the possibilities of liposuction. After all, today there is no need to have those ugly rolls of fat on the stomach, thighs or the ass."

Her gaze played on Debbie's golden body and then the two women just locked eyes.

There was another lingering silence and then Debbie looked at me and said, "Happy Birthday, Bill. I do hope you have a good time tonight. And, Ms. des-Jardins, I hope you enjoy the remainder of your time in our country."

Looking at Kelly and BJ, she said, "If your father wants to go out tonight, I want you to go and have a good time. I'm just not feeling real well right now. I'm tired and I'm going home to get some sleep."

She shrugged off her mother's attempt to talk to her and just stared at Clarice for a moment, then shook her head, and walked out of my condo. I should have felt better at that moment than I did. I should have felt better than I had in the last five months since I'd first heard that phrase, "when we were married." I had a beautiful woman at my side. I should have felt better than I did.

Life is funny sometimes.