One of Catherine’s main worries about Jamie’s engagement to Jack was how careful they seemed around each other. They were sweet together, and he was always very attentive, but they never looked like there was much intensity between them. Obviously, Catherine did not expect her daughter to behave in a scandalous manner, but she never sensed an underlying sexual tension between Jamie and Jack.
With Ryan, however, the tension was so thick you could see it. The energy was just crackling off Jamie as they young women walked down the corridor together. And even though Ryan was much quieter, and more controlled, some of the looks she gave Jamie truly radiated desire.
Catherine was happy to have the young women take her home, but she truly hated to impose. It was clear that Jamie wanted to get her hands on Ryan as soon as possible, and she hated to delay that any longer than necessary. But Ryan was obviously a determined young woman, and Catherine realized that when Ryan said she was taking you home, you might as well get in the car.
As they approached the baggage area, Ryan offered to go fetch the car and bring it up to the curb. Catherine could see the longing in Jamie’s eyes to join her, so she generously offered, "You go with her, Jamie, and I’ll have a skycap bring my bags out."
"Are you sure?" Jamie asked hopefully, sparing a glance at Ryan to see if she approved.
"Of course, Dear. Now you two get going." Ryan grinned at her partner, clearly happy to get her alone for a minute, but Catherine realized that they would have a pretty big distraction if the baby accompanied them. Steeling her nerves, she made an offer that amazed both the young women and herself. "Why don’t you leave the baby with me, Ryan, I think you might need both hands to defend yourself," she added with a chuckle.
Jamie blinked in surprise, but her brow furrowed as she said, "I don’t think she’d like Ryan leaving her, Mom. They’re practically attached at the hip."
"Don’t be so sure, Honey," Ryan corrected her, her eyebrows waggling. "I have a secret weapon. She handed Caitlin to Catherine and extracted the biscotti from her pocket. The little green eyes lit up in delight as the little girl reached for the cookie. Ryan guided them over to a chair by dangling the cookie in front of the lunging baby while Catherine got her settled in her lap. The older woman looked quite unsure of her capabilities, but Caitlin didn’t seem to notice, having eyes only for her favorite cookie. When they looked comfortable, Ryan handed the highly desired object over. "Are you sure you don’t mind?" Ryan asked Catherine as she watched the little teeth immediately begin sawing away. "She’ll get crumbs all over you."
"I’d really enjoy it," she admitted, a faint blush stealing up her cheeks. "It’s almost like having Jamie’s babyhood back."
"Okay," Ryan whispered, as she slowly backed away, watching Caitlin’s reaction to her departure. As quietly as possible she added, "We’ll be back in a few."
She grabbed Jamie’s hand and the pair ran down the wide hallway, then crossed the street and rode the elevator up to the third floor of the garage. Not a word had been spoken on the whole jaunt, but they held hands so tightly that their fingers were beginning to grow numb. They nearly sprinted for the car, and as Ryan hit the remote, the doors unlocked and Jamie grabbed the rear door and opened it wide.
Beaming a lecherous smile, Ryan slid across the leather seating, and waited for Jamie to join her. To her surprise, the smaller woman hopped in, closed the door and maneuvered herself onto Ryan’s lap, her back resting against the far door.
As Jamie settled her weight against her lover’s body, she slowly lowered her head, closed her eyes and parted her lips, welcoming Ryan’s long awaited touch. Tenderly, and with aching slowness, the dark woman brushed her lips against Jamie’s waiting mouth, astounded at the softness and warmth of the lips she had spent every night dreaming about. Jamie moaned against her mouth, needing more–much more. She raised her hands and grasped Ryan’s head and began to kiss her deeply, sliding her tongue into her mouth as Ryan let out a soft moan. Their breath merged as their hearts began to race, the warmth growing in their chests as their bodies molded into each other. Jamie’s caresses became more insistent and more fevered, and within a minute they were panting softly as they sought deeper and firmer contact.
Ryan was quickly losing her ability to reason as Jamie wrapped her arms even tighter around her body, pressing her warm, soft breasts against her. Her senses warred with each other–her body begged for surrender, while her brain urged reason. With a grunt of effort, she gritted her teeth and pulled her head away from Jamie’s ravenous mouth. "Honey," she panted, "we have to stop!"
Jamie’s eyes were already wild with desire, but they grew wider as Ryan’s words registered. "Stop?! I can’t stop," she growled as she slipped her hand behind Ryan’s neck and pulled her to her waiting mouth once again.
Ryan used all of her strength to grasp her ravenous partner by the shoulders and push her away firmly. "Your mother! Caitlin!" was all she could choke out.
That seemed to reach Jamie’s cerebellum. She dropped her head back and tried to control her breathing as she released her vise-like grip on Ryan. Then she shook her head to clear it as she slid her arms around her neck for one last lingering kiss. She smiled at her sweetly as they broke apart and leaned over to whisper in her ear. Blinking slowly, the dark woman shook her head to clear it, murmuring, "You expect me to drive while I’m thinking about that? Cruel, Jamie. Absolutely cruel!"
After they had straightened their clothes as much as possible, they drove like hell to get to the baggage area. A happy Catherine, a giggling Caitlin, and a disgruntled skycap all stood on the sidewalk waiting for the Lexus to pull up. To Ryan’s experienced eye, it was obvious that baby-holding was not something that Catherine did frequently, but the baby didn’t look like she minded one bit. Once again she had her chubby little hand wrapped around the gold chain that Catherine wore, yanking for all she was worth.
Sparing a quick glance in the rear-view mirror to check her appearance, Ryan’s fears were confirmed. She and her partner looked exactly like what they had been doing, but she assumed that Catherine knew what to expect when she sent them off. Still, she struggled to keep her shirt collar closed when she noticed that her neck sported a clear set of teeth marks.
Ryan hopped out after she hit the remote for the rear lift gate. "I’m sorry that took us so long," she apologized when she caught Catherine’s eye.
"Don’t be silly," Catherine assured her. "You were only gone a few moments."
The skycap looked at her like she was crazy, but his attitude improved radically when Catherine handed him a 50-dollar bill. "Thank you for waiting with me," she said politely, adding a genuine smile.
"Anytime, ma’am," he replied, his mood brightening appreciably. "I’ve gotta say, that’s one good-looking baby you have there. She looks just like you."
Catherine was beaming as she got in the rear seat with the baby. "That’s the nicest compliment I’ve had all day," she informed Jamie as she settled in. "He thought Caitlin was mine."
"Gee, Mom, you could easily have a baby Caitlin’s age. You’re only 41."
"I suppose I could," she admitted, "but I think my calling is as a grandmother. I think I’ll be much better at that role."
Ryan opened the opposite rear door and wrestled Caitlin into her car seat, ignoring her pathetic entreaties to be allowed to stay on Catherine’s lap. Her new best friend silenced her when she slipped the heavy gold rope from her neck and handed it to the baby, allowing her to whap Ryan on the head with it several times. "Ah…sorry, Ryan," Catherine blushed as Ryan bobbed and weaved. "I should have waited until you were finished."
"No problem," she smiled, happy that Catherine was being such a good sport. "Did everything go okay while you waited?"
"Just fine, Ryan. She’s such a sweet baby, I can’t imagine her giving anyone a bit of trouble."
"Oh, she has her moments," Ryan assured Jamie’s mother, rolling her eyes dramatically. "But generally she’s incredibly happy."
Ry
an finished securing her cousin, then hopped back into the driver’s seat. "How did your last day go?" she asked, casting a quick glance into the mirror to make eye contact with Catherine. "Did everyone else leave yesterday?"
"Sara took Trey and Stephanie to New York this morning. She’s flying with them to Italy to check them into the treatment center." Catherine shook her head slowly. "There but for the grace of God, go I." She shuddered visibly, enormously glad that she was not the one consigned to chaperone the pair. "Adam and Carolyn left yesterday afternoon. I got the impression that Skip, John, Claire, and JC were planning on staying for the rest of the month."
Ryan had almost no idea what she was talking about, but she knew that Jamie would fill her in later. "JC wasn’t very happy about that when I spoke to him this morning," Jamie related. "He said it’s much harder to suck up to his grandfather when Trey isn’t around. Apparently, he gives a better impression when compared to his cousin."
Ryan gave her partner a half smile, unsure of what her reaction should be. It’ll be a cold day in hell before I try to compete with my cousins for my grandparents’ favor, she thought. Of course, my grandparents are about 1,000 pounds away from being on the dole, but I can’t imagine feeling that way even if we were wealthy. I think these kids just don’t have any moral fiber! Looking at Catherine in the rear view mirror, Ryan said, "I’m sorry your vacation was so stressful for you both."
"Thank you, Dear. But to be honest, I had a wonderful time."
"You did?" Ryan asked in amazement, thinking that the events Jamie described would have ruined the trip for the entire family.
"Yes, I did. I actually feel quite guilty about it, but I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I think I learned more about my daughter in the last week than I had learned in the previous 21 years," she said softly, "and I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the young woman she has become."
"You shouldn’t feel guilty about that," Jamie insisted. "We did have a good time together, but you were also really helpful to Claire and Sara."
Catherine nodded, acknowledging Jamie’s point. "I think it made me feel guilty to see how poorly my cousins’ children have turned out, given that I didn’t perform any better as a parent than they did."
Ryan saw the sad look in her eyes and tried to lighten the mood. She shot Catherine a big grin as she heartily agreed with her assessment of Jamie, "She is extraordinary, isn’t she?"
Jamie reached over and squeezed her knee affectionately. "Enough, you two! You’re embarrassing me."
Ryan gave her a smile that was filled with love as she reminded her, "Don’t be embarrassed about being special, Jamie. You should take pride in who you are."
Jamie returned her smile, blushing a little as she said softly, "I do, Ryan." From her vantage point of the back seat, Catherine couldn’t help but watch the interplay between the young lovers. Whenever traffic slowed to a stop, Ryan would reach over and touch Jamie’s leg or grasp her hand. For her part, Jamie was touching some part of her partner on the whole ride. They didn’t speak a lot, but they gave each other loving, longing looks every time they had the opportunity. Catherine noticed that even though Ryan’s voice was calm, her hands shook a little as she held the wheel. She knew from their disheveled appearances that they had done more than steal a few kisses in the parking lot, and she wondered if they would be able to make it home safely. Ryan seemed more distracted than was probably safe, and she worried that also having to watch the baby would make it worse. Jamie was clearly not making matters easy for the brunette, squeezing her thigh and trailing her hand up her leg in a fashion that was obviously more stimulating than comforting.
By the time they reached the house, Ryan’s jaw was set in a tight grimace and her hands were gripping the wheel painfully hard. Her manners took precedence over her desires, and she hopped out quickly to unload the bags, then nearly dropped the heaviest one on her foot when she was hit in the face by the notion of what she way about to do. Am I abso-fucking-lutely insane?? Jim orders me to stay away from Jamie, and I not only flaunt his order, I bring his wife home from the airport! Jesus! I hope he doesn’t pull a gun!
Catherine came around to the back of the car and Ryan stuttered, "I…I…I’ll just take your bags up to the door. I’m sure you want to spend some time with Jim." There was a definite look of panic in her clear blue eyes, and Catherine immediately grew suspicious. She didn’t think it wise to question Ryan at this point, but when she told her, "Jim’s out of town until next weekend," the young woman immediately relaxed. Hmm…I think my husband has been up to something. Ryan is usually not nervous like this. I wonder if I can track the little rat down and find out what happened.
Ryan was just running the last of the bags up to the door, anxious to get back into the car and head home, but Caitlin had begun to fuss the last few miles and now she let out a yell that made her needs quite clear. Ryan realized that the baby was hungry since she really had not eaten much all day. The last thing Ryan wanted to do was take her out of the car and feed her, but she realized that the second rule of childrearing was ‘don’t let your sexual frustration get to the point that you neglect your child,’ so she asked Catherine, "Do you mind if I bring her in to feed her?"
"Of course not, Dear," she said quickly. Her estimation of Ryan’s good qualities rose another notch as she realized that she was making sure the baby’s needs were satisfied before her own.
Caitlin was only interested in Catherine at this point, so the older woman carried her into the house, calling out for one of the servants as she entered. Turning to stare at Jamie, she looked chagrined as she said, "Everyone’s gone. I forgot that the entire staff has the month of August off, since I’m always gone."
The look on the older woman’s face was a cross between puzzlement and panic, and Ryan briefly wondered if she even knew how to make coffee in the morning. Oh well, she can afford to eat all of her meals at restaurants, or she could always hire a substitute cook for the month.
"Are you okay with this, Mom?" Jamie asked, her concern evident. "This is a big house to be alone in."
Catherine snapped out of her reverie and assured her daughter, "Oh, of course, Honey. I just forgot that everyone was gone. I’ll be fine."
Nodding suspiciously, Jamie led the way into the kitchen to get the baby set up. Ryan had seen very little of the house on her ill-fated visit, and she looked around the kitchen with obvious interest. "Wow, this is a beautiful room, Catherine."
Catherine gazed around the kitchen, trying to see it through Ryan’s eyes. She had decorated the entire house in keeping with the style of the exterior, so the home was done in a French provincial style, a little bit more formal than the house in Pebble Beach, but not too stuffy. The kitchen was beautifully decorated, and even though it contained every modern appliance, it could have been lifted from a country estate in Provence.
Jamie took a bottle of breast milk and heated it up by running it under warm water while Ryan sorted through the baby food jars to pick one that Caitlin might be interested in. She put it in a bowl that Catherine provided, and Jamie quickly heated it up.
A rustic, farmhouse-style table stood next to the semi-circular banquet under a massive window, and Ryan sat down with the baby on her lap. Jamie brought the dish over and they took turns trying to get some of the food into her. Caitlin was becoming proficient at feeding herself with her own little spoon, but Ryan wanted to make their stop as quick as possible, so they took over. Caitlin was much more interested in taking food from Jamie today, probably because Ryan was serving as the mother substitute, so after a while Ryan just sat back and let Jamie take over.
Catherine sat across the heavy oak table and watched her daughter with amazement. "Where did you learn how to handle a baby so efficiently?" she asked, looking slightly envious.
Jamie blushed a little as she replied, "I guess from Ryan." She gazed up at her lover with deep affection as she added, "I don’t know how I’d be with a difficult baby. Caitlin’s such a dream that it’s e
asy to make her happy."
"Did you help raise younger siblings?" Catherine asked Ryan, remembering that there were a number of children in her family.
"No, I’m the baby in the whole clan in America."
"Ahh…I recall that you mentioned that," Catherine said.
By this time, Caitlin had eaten all of the solid food she was interested in, but she definitely wanted her bottle. Jamie put her on her lap and scooted over next to Ryan. When Ryan slid her arm around Jamie’s shoulders, Caitlin sprawled across both of them as she leaned back against Jamie’s breasts to drink her milk. Jamie leaned her head against Ryan’s chest and sighed contentedly. "I’m going to have to work hard to get some weight back on you, Sweetheart," she said as she tried to find a cushy spot. "You’re just skin and bones. I can’t believe you lost so much in one week!"
"I probably lost four or five pounds," she admitted sheepishly, guessing it was more like ten. "It was hard to adjust to the meal schedule. It seemed like we were practicing when I was hungry."
The baby started to kick her leg reflexively against Ryan’s thigh so she quickly moved her free hand down to cushion the blows. Catherine gazed at the scene with rapt fascination. Jamie looked so blissfully happy in the intimate setting that it was almost embarrassing to watch, but neither woman seemed self-conscious about her presence so she stayed right where she was.
About halfway through, the baby stopped for a break. She looked interested in moving around, so Catherine stood up and extended her hands as she requested, "Let me walk her around the house for a few minutes to burn off some energy."
Jamie handed her over and snuggled closer to Ryan. "Are you sure you don’t mind?"
"Of course not, Dear. I really enjoy holding the little angel. It’s been years since I’ve been around a baby." After she had her settled on the floor, they started to walk around the huge kitchen. Catherine delicately asked, "Will you two have any time alone this week?"
Fidelity - SF6 Page 34
