Chapter Five
"Milo, what did you say to the reporter, and it also looked like you pushed her and she landed on the ground. Whatever you said or did certainly straightened her out."
"I was a little rough on her at first. Remember I have had experience with beautiful women using their guile to get what they want.
"I just told her that she was here to get a story. She had said she was looking for human interest and I pointed out where she could get some. As far as landing on her butt, she fell when her shoe heel broke off."
"I wondered what you would say. She told me everything you said. You called her a whore."
"No I didn't. I said she was acting like one. There is a difference. Look, beautiful women are like goldfish and they don't mean much to me anymore. I had one once and they are always twisting and turning and showing their glitter for some man to catch them. My ex was all glitter and gold. Burgess started fishing in my waters and Jean swam right up and was caught. Where does that leave me?"
"Milo that is the bitter-most comment about Jean I have ever heard coming from you."
"Miss Trevor struck a nerve with her beauty. Just because I decided not to fish doesn't mean I didn't want to. After all I am a man."
"You are that, Milo. You certainly are."
"Ash Baby, would you watch the girls, I really have to get some water on those shrubs." It was nearly nine p.m. when I finished and knew things would last over the weekend. When I got upstairs the girls were in bed and Ashley had soup on the stove ready to heat.
"You didn't have to stay now that the girls have gone to bed."
"I wanted to stay. Milo, I have to talk to you. You are driving yourself way too hard. Your diet is crap. Only once have you taken the time to prepare yourself a decent meal. What you are feeding the girls isn't any better than what they got with their mother and you bitched about that."
"You sound like my mother."
"If I do it is because she was a smart woman. First, I am going to reduce your rent. I'd like to say forget it entirely, but I know you won't allow that so I won't. The six hours you feel you have to work to pay the extra rent, I want you to work in the kitchen providing meals for your daughters and yourself, and yes, sometimes for me too. Would you agree to that?"
"I know you are right about the meals. I will have to balance working so much against wanting to get ahead as soon as possible."
"If it is money that bothers you, why did you give away a million dollars?"
"Ashley, you gave me the stuff downstairs in good faith to help me out and it will help me out a lot when I sell some of it. Your primary concern was to empty out the space down there. But if you knew you were giving me a million bucks, you wouldn't have. Say all you want to about it, if I had taken the stuff and made a million bucks off it, wouldn't you have resented me? Think about it."
Ashley was silent and I could see that she was considering what I said. Finally, "You're right of course, but are you sure my feelings are worth a million bucks?"
"Here let me show you how sure I am." I took Ashley in my arms and kissed her like I had wanted to ever since that first night at the cabin when we had watched the moon come out while sitting on the little porch. Ashley momentarily resisted and then she let herself go and returned the kisses as passionately as those I was giving her.
"How did you dare do that? You've been so careful to not cross any line."
"I dared do that when I saw how mad and jealous you were of Miss Trevor this afternoon."
"Am I that easy to read?"
"I don't know, but you were this afternoon. Was I wrong?"
"No you weren't wrong. Where do we go from here?"
"Maybe I was too forward, but where would you like it to go?"
"Can we discuss this before we go any further? I'm single, you're single so we wouldn't be breaking any laws if we started a relationship. In that context, would you like to continue?"
"Yes I would. I agree though that we should sort this out. First of all I have two little girls in the next room. I am hoping someday they will be living with me. I don't want to jeopardize that situation so I am going to have to be very careful not to give Jean anything to use against me."
"I want them living with you too. That way I can see them as often as I like if we do get closer."
"How close is close?"
"As like being mother to them? If you fell in love with me and proposed ? yes, I would mother them. There is one thing though I would insist on. My child is to bear Calvin's name when it is born. If any wedding comes about, it would have to be after December fifteenth of this year."
"I could go along with that, but that is an awful long time away."
"Yes it is, but that would be only what the world sees. If a couple were discreet there might be some physical interaction before then."
"Why Ash Baby, I do believe you are willing to be seduced."
"It appears that way doesn't it?"
"When would that be happening?"
"Not tonight, but as soon as possible. We are tied up this weekend and Tuesday you are having the ceilings done. By Wednesday I will be having the screaming meemies. All you have to do is find a discreet place and tell me when and where."
"I can do that and I will work it out. Count on it." Ashley stayed awhile longer. I didn't push her and she didn't ask for more. Funny how I felt like a school kid again. That night my dreams were all nice, especially as Calvin was in one of them. I didn't remember much of it when I awoke in the morning. I do distinctly remember him slapping me on the butt and saying "Congratulations."
Ashley & Milo Page 11
