Joint Venture

by Tey Holden

  “For God’s sake! How many commuters are there in this town? Five?”

  “I don’t know, sweetie, but however many, it’s their thing and they can do whatever they want.”

  Karen chuckled. “So, are they an item for sure?”

  “I’d say they are. I suppose you wouldn’t get into a fistfight for just anyone, would you? Plus the dating looks pretty regular and,” Addy whispered in Karen’s ear not wanting Alex to hear her comment, “they were in the bedroom when Mary got there.”

  Karen kissed her on the neck. “Nope. I would only punch someone for you, or for Alex.”

  Addy grinned. “Larsen, behave! We are not alone.”

  Alex had a huge smile on her face. She loved to watch her moms ‘play’ as she called it. “Mommy Karen, can you help me with my homework later?”

  “Sure, baby, but I need to make a phone call first. Go get your books, and let’s meet in the rec room in a few minutes, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  Karen dialed the number for the firehouse and sure enough Mary was there. “Hi Mary, this is Karen Larsen. Do you have a few minutes to talk?” Karen chuckled, thinking of her question. Was she interrupting Mary from putting out a fire somewhere?

  “Yes, Karen, anything for you.” Is she flirting me with me? Karen raised her left eyebrow and looked at Addy, who was lovingly looking at her from across the kitchen island. Addy smiled wickedly. She knew all of Karen’s mannerisms and gestures and suspected what was going on. Karen rolled her eyes. “Listen, the reason I’m calling is because I heard what happened with Marshall and Carol, and I was wondering if we could talk about it.”

  Mary was silent for a while. “Yeah, yeah, that Marshall woman is a trouble maker. Do you want us to meet at the pub tonight? Maybe we can have a beer while we talk.”

  Karen again looked at Addy and opened her eyes simulating shock. Addy chuckled. Karen had forgotten about Mary’s ‘come ons,’ and that was the reason Addy didn’t want Karen talking to her. She wanted to spare Karen the aggravation.

  “Well, Mary, I’m kind if busy right now, Addy is making dinner, and I have to help my daughter with her homework, but what if you come over to my office tomorrow morning at around ten o’clock, then we can talk.” She thought it prudent to mention Addy and her daughter. Addy bit her lip and smiled knowingly.

  Karen thought of a few words to put Mary in her place, but she had to maintain a sense of decorum for her family’s sake. She couldn’t bring herself to Mary’s level. The only reason she’d make it a one-on-one with Mary was if she ever came on to Addy. That’s where she’d draw the line. But Mary was too smart. She knew that Addy was out of reach for her and that Karen stood well grounded between them, so she would never dare to go there.

  “Sure, I’ll come to your office or anywhere you want me. I’m still going to the pub tonight, just in case you want to drop by and have that beer.”

  “Thanks again, but I can’t. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  When she hung up, Karen shook her head. “That woman has some nerve!”

  “Do you have a date?”

  Karen grinned. “As a matter of fact I do.” She pulled Addy between her legs and placed her arms around her waist resting her hands on Addy’s rear. Karen was sitting on one of the kitchen stools. “I happen to be craving this gorgeous brunette, with a very sexy ass who dropped by my office this afternoon. It was the thought of that cute butt filling those brown pants that brought me home early today and not Mary, for your information. So, what do you say to that?”

  “Nice ass, huh?”

  Karen grinned. “Gorgeous.” She kissed her.

  “As long as we are comparing notes, I also happen to have a date with a very sexy blonde, who happens to be craving me, and who drives me nuts wanting to exercise all sorts of rights and privileges over me.”

  Karen continued grinning. “She does, huh?”

  “Yes. She is very bossy.”

  “So, are you letting her exercise all those rights and privileges?”

  “Each and every one.”

  Karen grunted, “Adriana, you have a way to—.”

  Addy kissed her to stop her from talking. Alex was not very far from them, and she was always watching them.

  “Blondie, you’ve got me going too, but you have to help our child with homework.”

  “Aaaah! I don’t know how I’m going to get my mind into that when it is so immersed somewhere very soft and—.”

  “Sssh! Go! Get it over with! Save the sweet talk for later.”

  “What sweet talk? Me? I can barely put two words together on my dates with you.” Karen kissed her and went to meet Alex. Addy remained smiling. It was true. All Karen ever said when they made love was Addy’s name in different tones and pitches.

  ***

  The next day at ten o’clock, Mary walked into Karen’s office. In person she appeared to be more reserved. Karen also thought that perhaps, since it was only ten o’clock in the morning, she still hadn’t had her first beer!

  “Hi, Karen.”

  “Hi, Mary, please, come in.”

  Mary sat down and looked around. “Nice office. Good taste.”

  “Thanks. Mary, I wanted to talk about what is going on. As you know, Marshall manages our stables, so when this matter happened, we immediately became concerned.”

  “She was at Carol’s. She was acting as if Carol belonged to her. You know, Carol and I were together for over four years. We were intimate.” Mary smiled.

  Oh, Lord! Do I need to know this? “Yes, but you are no longer together.”

  “No. She left me. I sort of got a bit involved with Sarah, and she found out and well—.”

  “So, since you are with Sarah and Carol is no longer with you, what is the problem with her seeing Marshall?”

  “I’m no longer with Sarah. She kicked me out when she found out about the quarrel with Marshall.”

  “I see.” Karen pretended she didn’t know the details of the story.

  “I had too much to drink the other night. When I saw Marshall there, I got jealous and flipped. Carol was my girl, and I don’t want her with anyone.”

  “Well, Mary, Carol has a right to choose who she wants to be with, just like you did when you started seeing Sarah.”

  “I may still have feelings for her and want her back. I think that Marshall woman already got in her pants!”

  “I don’t know about that Mary, that’s really none of my business.”

  “But it’s my business! Carol is my woman!”

  “Mary, she was your woman, but you left her for Sarah, and now she has found someone else. You need to accept it.” Karen had to set the record straight for Carol and Marshall’s sake.

  “Sarah was a mistake. She was just a fling.”

  “Mary, I don’t know what to say to that. Is there a way that Addy and I can help you?”

  “Nah! I was just joking when I said I’d sue you. I won’t. You are nice people. I just need to find me a job. I took out my anger on a customer at the hardware store and they fired me. I don’t even have a place to live. I’m staying at the firehouse. I’d be in your debt if you know of any job openings and could refer me.”

  Karen was thoughtful. “Let me see what I can do.”

  “Thanks, Karen. You and Addy are good people, and she’s a gorgeous woman. I’m sure you are getting more than you need there.”

  Karen opted to ignore that last remark and continued to focus on the task at hand. “Listen, if I help you find a job, do you promise to leave Carol alone?”

  “I don’t know Karen, I want her. She’s a very gifted woman.” Karen wasn’t sure if Mary was referring to Carol’s ability to bake, or to what other gifts, but Karen was not going to go off on a tangent and kept it professional.

  “Carol is a very nice lady, and she deserves to be happy. She is also a grown woman and can make her own choices. She is now dating Marshall, and you have to accept her choice.”

  “What would you do if
you were me?” Karen didn’t know what to answer because her first thought was that she would never cheat on Addy.

  “I really don’t know Mary, we are all different people.” This was true. Thankfully!

  “Well, you think about that! I want her back. I miss her. I have needs.”

  Oh God! I don’t want to hear this! Karen was already in fast mode trying to cut the conversation short.

  “Well, let me see what I can do about finding you a job. You are a hard-working person and deserve a chance. What about Sarah? Why don’t you go back with her?”

  “She’s all about her son. I didn’t have kids because I don’t like them.”

  “But you knew she had a son when you moved in with her.”

  “Well, I wasn’t thinking about the son at the moment. If you know what I mean!” She snorted laughing. “Then it became clear that he was very much there all the time. I couldn’t even walk around in my underwear, or sleep naked because the brat would come into the bedroom every morning.”

  Inwardly, Karen sympathized, but she had to cut this short. The conversation was going in the wrong direction. “Okay, Mary. I’ll let you know if I hear about any jobs.”

  “Thanks, Karen. And call me if you ever want to go out for a beer and some fun.”

  Karen couldn’t end the conversation fast enough the minute Mary mentioned the walking around in her underwear and the sleeping naked part.

  ***

  “So did you talk to her?”

  “Yes, she wants me to help her look for a job. Maybe we can find something for her far away, in Glasgow maybe.”

  “Karen she’s not going to leave here. She likes to volunteer at the fire station and she’s not going to leave that, and besides she still has the Carol thing and who knows? Maybe Sarah will take her back.”

  “You are right. Her life is here. Do you think they might want to hire her as a first responder permanently? On the other hand, I don’t know if I would want her rescuing us if we needed rescuing.”

  “What? And miss your chance to get mouth-to-mouth?” Addy laughed.

  “Very funny, missy! You wouldn’t say that if she was pretty!” Karen mocked.

  “Of course not! I wouldn’t have even let you talk to her!”

  Karen smiled. She loved it when Addy became possessive. “Still, I think the best solution is to get her out of the area, so that she’ll leave Carol alone. Maybe if she meets someone someplace else, she’ll forget about Carol. After all, she said she has ‘needs.’”

  “What? Don’t tell me that she told you that?” Addy laughed and made Karen laugh as well.

  “Yes, she did. She also said Carol was a gifted woman, and no, I didn’t ask in what way. I was not particularly interested in knowing which gifts she was talking about.” Addy was still laughing.

  “I also know that Sarah didn’t allow her to walk around in her underwear, or sleep naked because of her son, and that she was thinking of other things, and not the son, when she got together with Sarah.”

  “Oh my God! She told you of all that?”

  “Yes, the woman has no shame and she invited me to the pub again, so there. Now you know it all. I spent half the time avoiding certain subjects. That woman is terrible.”

  “Oh, she’s got nerve! Trying to roll on my turf!”

  Karen smiled and said nothing. She knew Addy was kidding. “I’m going to talk to James. He might know of a job with one of our distributors, and we might just be able to send her away somewhere.”

  “No harm in trying.”

  ***

  Karen called James immediately. While she waited for James to pick up she talked to Addy. “I’m moving on this quickly. I want that woman out of here. She’s trouble.” Then she spoke into the phone. “Hey James, how is it going? Listen, do you know of anyone who might have mentioned that they were looking for help or labor of any type? No, nothing managerial, yes, that sounds better.” Addy was listening.

  “Mary Salter. Yes, her.” Karen continued her conversation with James. “Because we need to get her far away from here. No!”

  Addy chuckled. She could hear James at the other end asking Karen if she had tried to come on to her or to Addy.

  “There are issues between her and Marshall because of Carol. Yes, it appears they are together. Okay, I’ll send her over and you can give her the details.”

  “Well?” Addy asked as soon as Karen finished her conversation.

  “James knows a distributor who is looking for a driver. The distributor owes James a favor because he hired that new woman to help JP with the hospitality events. Mary might like driving around. She might find more women if she expands her radius of operation. What do you think?”

  “Excellent!”

  ***

  A few minutes later, the phone rang and Karen picked up. “Hi JP.” Karen’s tone was a bit moody. She knew JP was the gossipy type and was already looking for the latest scoop.

  “Hi! I don’t know if I want to talk to you,” JP said as soon as Karen had spoken.

  “Is that why you called me? To tell me you don’t know if you want to talk to me?” Karen replied.

  “Very funny. I think I would rather speak to your better half, who always treats me nicely.”

  “Let me get her.” She gave the phone to Addy. “He wants you.”

  “Oh my God! What did I do to that woman to get this kind of treatment? If it weren’t because I know the two of you, I’d say she’s not getting any! She’s lucky to have you. Anyone would have kicked her ass a long time ago. She can really be moody!”

  “Hi JP, you can say whatever you want to about her, you know those green eyes have me under a spell. So not having any is not an issue with her. What’s up?” JP laughed. He always liked Addy’s frankness. Karen on the other hand rolled her eyes and mumbled something about there being no privacy in this house.

  “I heard about the cat fight and wanted to know more from you.”

  “JP you have to keep this to yourself. Marshall and Carol are family.”

  “Honey, for that matter, Mary is also, isn’t she?”

  “Not that kind of family! I mean real family. We care for Marshall and Carol. We don’t care for Mary.”

  “Okay, so do tell!”

  Karen rolled her eyes as she passed Addy on her way to the rec room with Alex, both carrying toys and other games.

  “So that’s what happened.” Addy told him.

  “My God! That Mary has some nerve just going there demanding Carol as her woman! Who does she think she is?” He laughed. “Hey, do you want to go shopping tomorrow morning?”

  “Sure, are you picking me up?” Addy replied already suspecting the answer.

  “Oh dear, I was going to ask you if you could drive. Lately my sciatica is hurting, and I can’t press the pedal without hurting.”

  “Okay, JP. I’ll drive. I’ll pick you up at ten, we can have lunch at the shopping center.”

  “Okay. Thanks dear. Ta, ta!”

  Addy went into the rec room. “Well, the usual happened. He invited me to the mall, and I end up driving.”

  Karen chuckled. “Sucker! You’ll end up paying too!”

  “If I didn’t have so much fun with him, I’d say no.”

  Karen smiled and continued to play with Alex. Alex seemed engrossed in her computer game and Karen took advantage of her distraction to talk to Addy. “Addy, why do you tell JP those things? I don’t know that I like it.”

  “What?”

  “About whether I’m getting any or not.”

  “Ker, I only say it in jest. Did it bother you? I just think that because JP is how he is, if I didn’t go along with his play, he would really think that something is wrong. Or God knows what he might think! So I sort of tell him what he wants to hear or already imagines.”

  “It’s just that I got on his case once because he was talking lightly about our relationship, remember?”

  “Yes, you did, I remember.”

  “I don’t think our p
rivate affairs are any of his business. Our relationship is out of bounds for him and he should know better. If you don’t help me keep him in line, he’s going to continue doing it. And one day he’s not going to find me in the right mood, and it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “Ker, I didn’t know my playing his game made you feel bad.”

  Karen didn’t reply. “I don’t know exactly how I feel, but I don’t like you putting out there what we do or don’t do. Sorry.”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I guess I didn’t think enough about it. I won’t joke with him like that anymore. In fact I will request more respect from him.”

  “Good luck! He is hopeless as far as I’m concerned. I don’t know how James puts up with him.”

  Addy smiled and looked at Karen. “Because he gets plenty?” Then she laughed.

  “You are just as bad as he is!” Karen added.

  “Yeah! But I’m only bad with you, and you like it.”

  Karen grinned and went back to the floor to play with Alex. Addy nudged her with her foot.

  “Stop it, woman!” Karen continued to grin.

  Alex noticed the nudge and smiled. “Is M’Addy tickling you, Mommy?”

  “Yeah! Why don’t you defend me?”

  “I will!” Alex got up and launched herself at Addy.”

  “Oh no! I’m being attacked again!” Addy laughed and fell onto her side on the sofa unable to contain a very strong and determined Alex.

  Karen had to get up and pull Alex by the waist to remove her from Addy. Karen lifted her up in the air and Alex pretended to still be trying to grab on to Addy who was still bent on her side on the sofa laughing.

  “Come on savage girl. Let me take you to your bed.”

  Alex continued to laugh. “But I’m winning Mommy!”

  “Leave Mommy Addy alone.” She looked at Addy who was regaining her sitting position again, her hair was all ruffled, and her cheeks were red from laughing. “Are you okay, babe?”

  “Yes, take that thing away from me!” She was referring to Alex who once Karen put her down came over and kissed her.

  “Good night, M’Addy. I love you.”

  “I love you too sweetie.”

  “Come on! Upstairs! Now!” As they went upstairs Karen asked, “what are we reading tonight?”