Courting Crazy

by J G Jerome

  I lay back, and the mask slides up to my forehead. Erica is leaning over me. “In for a penny, in for a pound. Right, Jack?” Then she kisses me deeply. I cup her beautiful face as she ensures I know what she thinks about me. Afterwards she says, “Sweet dreams, darling man.”

  Erica reaches for my mask when Solange says quietly, “I’ve got this, Erica.” Solange leans in, and I hold her beautiful face in my hand as she kisses me. Then she says, “Good night, husband of my heart.” Then she crooks a finger at Erica.

  Erica leans forward and kisses Solange. Then Erica wishes her, “Goodnight, darling girl. Sweet dreams of me.”

  Solange pulls the mask down over my eyes. I hear Serena, *Sweet dreams, Jack. With all of those kisses, I imagine your dreams will be very sweet indeed.*

  I think back, *You could make them sweeter, dear Lady*

  I hear her chuckle beside me followed by a lap belt being undone. Then I feel another pair of warm lips on mine. I assume it’s Serena, and I kiss her back like she was one of my own. She’s not shy about playing tongue tag, either. She pulls my mask up, and I see her without her glamour.

  Like L’liana, she has the long points at the top of ears, but the similarities are few other than that. She has a cute, pert nose that a certain deceased pop star would have killed for, slanted violet eyes, pronounced cheekbones, and the smallest of laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. Her ethereal face is framed in silken ash blond locks that are nearly white. Whereas Lili looks like a young girl, there’s no mistaking that Serena is all woman. The fullness of pointed breasts and the slightly more defined flare of her hips. She would be easy to get lost in.

  She smiles, *I’m flattered, my Lord.*

  *Oops! Sorry, Serena. Apparently I was cataloging your charms louder than I should!*

  She chuckles, *You were doing fine until you thought ‘She would be easy to get lost in.’ Honestly, that is one of the most beautiful compliments anyone has ever given me. We should get to know each other better. You must bring your family for my next state dinner.*

  I say out loud, “I am honored for the invitation, dear Lady. I’m sure my family would love to attend.”

  She kisses me again, “Goodbye, dear Jack. I likely won’t be here when you awake.” Then she pulls the mask down over my eyes.

  Solange clasps my hand again, and I fall asleep.

  Chapter 37 - Move to contact

  Four hours later I hear Erica’s voice in my ear, “Wake up, my darlings!” I feel her shake the hand I have clasped in Solange’s. “We land in 15 minutes. I let you sleep as long as I could.”

  I remove my mask and right my seat as I take in Solange’s fussy face at waking after such a short nap. I lean in and kiss her full pouty lips. “I’m sorry, Lover. I’ll make it up to you soon.”

  She slowly blinks her eyes until she’s alert. “You really do need to get your own plane. Being able to set our own schedule would be a vast improvement. Plus, having Erica in the family would be a great benefit,” she says with a mischievous grin.

  I nod, “I agree on all counts. You know, I probably need to transition to getting more staff in place rather than more wives and concubines.”

  Solange shrugs, “I don’t know. I don’t think any of us mind because you ensure we all get time with you. You make each of us feel special. Although, I don’t think I would make it my rendezvous of choice, the whole couch thing was hot. Mari got us all wound when she jumped you. Then when you bent her over the couch and called Christie to lay beside her. Then Charli jumped in line...I just couldn’t help myself. I was suddenly soaked, and just wanted a turn with you surrounded by my sisters!”

  I have the grace to be a little embarrassed, “That’s not something that I expect to happen frequently.”

  Solange says, “My beloved man, I think we should. Or evenings like we had over Thanksgiving where we all just lounged around loving on you and each other. Even those of us that don’t get into the ladies much enjoyed being able to just hold and caress each other. It was beautiful, Jack. We should have those regularly.”

  The late-40’s male ‘executive type’ in front of Solange looks back over the seat. His seatmate is still apparently asleep, so I decide to practice. I look at him and exert influence ability, “Forget what you heard. Instead, you will only remember having a wonderful dream about being married to a harem. Turn around and forget you ever saw us.”

  I’m surprised to see Serena sitting next to me. Something doesn’t look right. She slowly turns to look at me without any recognition in her eyes. I notice the gentleman in her window seat turns at exactly the same time. He has violet eyes. He flashes me a feral smile and then winks at me. The blond next to me mimics his expressions exactly. I reach for her mind, but there’s no one there.

  I think *Serena!*

  She answers immediately, *Don’t worry, Jack! I’m not on the plane. Remember, I said I would likely be gone when you wake. I had to leave, but one of my people continues to project the glamour. All is well.*

  I wave to the guy and send to Serena, *Good news. It was lovely to meet you. I’m looking forward to that invitation.*

  *You shall have it. Until then, my Lord. Safe travels.* Then I feel her leave my mind.

  We land without incident. I’m able to get our luggage out of the bins without accosting anyone. We trundle by Erica and Krista. Krista kisses my cheek and murmurs, “Goodbye, Master.” She turns a bright red. I cup her face and kiss her cheek in return. I wink as I continue on.

  Solange and I both collect a quick peck on the lips from Erica before we hustle up the jet bridge to find ourselves in B concourse. We hurry to the tram and catch a train to F concourse within half a minute after getting to the platform.

  We make it to our gate just as they are making the pre-board announcement. Solange takes advantage of the short break to text Trina, Daphne, and Peg with her new phone to let them know we safely landed in Philadelphia. I go drain Little Jack. I offer to tag team watching her bag, but she decides against it just as the agent announces boarding for first class. We queue up, show our boarding passes on our phones, and head down the ramp. We’re on one of the Canadair RJ 900s operated by a codeshare airline. That translates to having fewer first class seats. We’re seated in the pair of seats on the bulkhead. Our bags barely fit into the tiny bins. Solange slides into the window seat, and then I take mine in the aisle.

  As I’m buckling my seatbelt, I hear a familiar voice say, “Thank you, Miss.” I look up to see my old acquaintance GC. He sees me sitting there, and his surprise stops him in his tracks. He gives an embarrassed “Khm” and raises his bag to the bin before taking his seat across the aisle from me. I smile and nod to him.

  He grimaces and says, “Hello. I’m Gerald Charles Fremont, III. I remember you from a trip a few weeks ago. I’m afraid I acted horribly to you and everyone else I interacted with that day. I had reasons, but none are valid excuses. I hope you’ll accept my apologies.”

  I offer my hand as I scan his brain for damage. “Hello Mr. Fremont. I am Jack Jerome. I accept your apology. Allow me to introduce my lovely companion, Solange Schatten.” I find there are no tracks from Myra’s work.

  He smiles gently and responds with a nod in her direction, “Hello Solange. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” she responds as the passenger queue picks up for the economy cabin.

  I tell him, “I hope you’re having a better day today.”

  The horde of passengers continues past us as he nods, “I am. That was a horrible week. I had four major emotional events in 72 hours that week, and our little altercation wasn’t one of them. The final straw was my grandmother dying. She was the one person that truly believed in me. I was standing there weeping after my father gave me the news, when he tells me ‘Now you’ll never amount to anything.’ I punched him and walked out. After that, I decided I needed to get my act together. I called a counselor that one of my friends recommended highly and went to have a good talk and a good c
ry. After that I started taking accountability for myself, and the counselor is helping me work through my issues. It’s helped my attitude immensely.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, GC. Having a loving, supportive family is very important. I hope you have some friends to support you.”

  He squints at me for a moment. “You called me GC. I remember that from the last time, too. ‘GC’ was my grandfather. Honestly I despised him almost as much as my father. Both of my friends call me Gerry. Would you use that, Jack?”

  I nod seriously, “I’m honored, Gerry.”

  Solange adds with a brilliant smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gerry.”

  I tease him a little, “With luck, your friend count just went to four, Gerry.”

  He chuckles and covers his mouth before responding, “Oh my! That sounds completely pitiful! ” Then he nods, “Four is a good number to start with.”

  I chuckle back. “Well, it really has been a pleasure meeting you this time, Gerry. I’m going to try to get about another hour of sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us. Enjoy the flight.” I pull my mask out of my pocket, put it on my head, give Solange a little kiss, and then pull the mask over my eyes. I lean into the seat as much as I can without reclining it and breathe deeply. Solange holds my hand, and I drift off. I’m awakened as the jet takes off. So, once we’re in the air, I recline my seat. Solange leans on my shoulder, and we drift back off.

  The Hispanic male flight attendant wakes me to bring my seat forward for landing. I nod to him and caress Solange’s beautiful face to wake her. Her eyes spring open.

  I tell her, “Time to prepare for landing, Hot Chocolate.” She gives me a brilliant smile, kisses me quickly, and then sits back in her seat. We pull them our seats forward to the smiling approval of Jose, the flight attendant.

  I look across to see Gerry staring at us. He says, “I thought for sure you hit it off with that beauty from the other flight. What happened there?”

  I laugh quietly, “We definitely hit it off. We got married. I met Solange through her. We’re actually going to meet her later today.”

  He’s flabbergasted. He leans in to whisper, “So you have one of those ‘open marriage’ arrangements?”

  Solange leans across me, “It’s complicated, Gerry. It would take hours to explain, and it would probably still blow your mind. To keep it simple, Myra and Jack are very much in love with each other, married, and both are my lovers. Does that help?”

  I think to myself, ‘The poor boy will have an aneurysm if he sees me with one of the other ladies.’

  I tell him, “It is definitely complicated, yet still very simple. Remember my comment on the support of a loving, supportive family?” He nods seriously. “Meeting Myra has given me a very large, loving, supportive family. Solange is a member of that family.”

  “I probably should let that topic alone despite my curiosity,” Gerry says. “The way you say that makes me think digging further will take me down the rabbit hole. What do you do for business, Jack?” he asks.

  “Well,” I respond. “That is another interesting question. I lead a holding company that has several growing concerns under it. I’m in Hartford for both the holding company and my IT company’s business. What do you do, Gerry?”

  “I’m in finance and accounting,” he responds. “My dad is President and CEO of Fremont Financial. We do accounting, financial consulting, investment portfolio management, etcetera. I’m working with an insurance company account in Hartford - High Street Mutual. Do you know them?”

  I nod, “Yes. I did a system implementation for them about three years ago. They were a real mess. You have your work cut out for you there.”

  I grins, “Truth!”

  Jose straps himself into the jump seat, and the wheels touch down less than a minute later. We’re at the gate quickly. As the seatbelt lights come off, I stand and pull our bags down. I offer Solange a hand out of her seat. She smiles and kisses me again before taking her bag in hand and leading us off the plane. I follow the glorious view of her swaying hips up the ramp.

  As we exit the jet bridge into the boarding area, Gerry calls out to me. “Jack, if you ever need a CPA or financial advisor, please give me a call.” He is holding his card out to me.

  I tell him, “I just might be in the market for that skillset, Gerry. I was thinking to keep it in the family, but I’m willing to talk.”

  I take his and retrieve one of my Verdic Holdings cards from my coat. I think it’s the first one I’ve handed out. He takes it and reads it. “Holy shit. Verdic Holdings? Really? My father has been going nuts trying to pierce the veil around your company, Jack.”

  I tell him, “It’s a privately held company, and I like it that way. Private. If you want to make points with your father you could do that. I would prefer you don’t.”

  He looks at me for a moment before saying, “I can honor that, Jack. Call me when you are ready to have that chat. I look forward to it.”

  “Will do, Gerry. Good luck at High Street,” I wish him.

  I turn to see Solange putting her phone away. I ask, “Finished checking in with our family?”

  “Yes, my Lord. Shall we go meet Supreet?” she asks.

  “Let’s”

  We march off in a hurry out past security, out to the arrivals pickup. We get out on the sidewalk when I hear, “Jack!”

  I orient to the sound and see Supreet in a loose ankle-length knit dress and slip-on flats. Her beautiful black hair is braided. She is a beautiful woman, no matter what she is wearing or how her hair is styled.

  I wave, and then we navigate our way across the street. She is standing next to a black Tahoe. We meet her next to the SUV, and I pull her into a hug and give her a warm kiss.

  She responds, “Hmmmmm. I’ve missed you Fiancé!”

  “I’ve missed you too, Sweetheart,” I tell her. “This is Solange. Solange, this is Supreet.”

  Supreet releases me and hugs Solange and tells her, “Welcome, sister.” They peck each other’s lips, and then Supreet goes all business.

  She leads the way to the back and takes Solange’s bag and puts it into the back. I put mine next to hers. I see a large equipment bag in the back that looks to only be about ¼-full. Supreet directs me to the back seat as Solange gets into the front.

  Supreet starts the vehicle, buckles in, and clears to the left before pulling out into early morning traffic. As she drives, she briefs us. “Jack, I know you’re in a hurry to get going. I think I’ve arranged things to assist. I checked into the Goodwin last night. We have their largest suite as a base. We’re going there first, then you can change into your tac gear, and we can head out to the Goblin King’s Court. I will be going with you. I am known there. Although, I’ve only been there a couple of times, it should be enough to get them to open the door. I think this vehicle is big enough to carry us all and any rescued family. I will accompany you through the portal and immediately check in with Cernunnos. It is protocol for the host, and I don’t think there is any need to break it. After that, I am at your command, my Lord.”

  Solange nods, “Esmerelda is going to meet us on the Winter side of the portal. She’s a Night Hag, essentially a human-sized bat-sidhe hybrid. She’s also of the host. I don’t know her well, but she has always been forthright with me despite their reputation for being ‘tricksy.’ She will take us to Myra.”

  “Okay,” I say. “Let’s get to the hotel, pull L’liana through, and get ready to roll.”

  “Who is L’liana, Jack?” Supreet asks.

  “She’s an elven maiden. Very gifted in all varieties of manipulating matter and space, very gifted in technology, and a telepath. She’s coming with us to witness for the Elven court and provide extra battle strength if needed,” I tell her. “Plus, she will eventually want to be a concubine or wife.”

  Solange laughs, “Right now, they just fuck like bunnies whenever the opportunity arises.”

  “Oh my,” Supreet responds. “Are huge orgies going to
be part of my life going forward?”

  Solange touches her shoulder, “Only if you want them to. Jack and I were discussing that earlier. I suspect there will be some events that seem like that, but I think it’s going to be more of Jack filling all his free time loving each of his ladies individually or in threesomes. You get to choose what you want, and we will all love you and support you regardless.”

  Supreet asks me, “So, which number of wife will I be, Jack?” It’s the second time she’s asked.

  “Definitely number three, Darling. Kristina is going to be number two. Chelsea will be number four,” I explain.

  “What about Trina?” she asks.

  I shrug, “She wants to be owned by me rather than married to me. If that changes at some point, then she will come into whatever number is next. If it changed today, it would be number five. You’ve not met Christie, Georgia, Chelsea, Tiphanae, or Selene yet. Christie and Georgia are both opting for concubine for now. As I mentioned, Chelsea will be wife #4. Tiphanae and Selene are still getting acclimated - no sex with either. Georgia is likely never going to be a wife. She’s more bent towards being owned than Trina and Daphne combined.”

  Solange says, “I think Charli will want to marry eventually. Especially now that she is having your baby.”

  I nod, “Yes. I think you’re right about that. Liesl and Geri may want to marry, too. What about my Hot Chocolate?”

  “Hmmm,” she murmurs. She turns and says, “I don’t know yet, Jack. I am very happy with being your concubine. Maybe I’ll change my mind when you breed me.” She smiles and then turns back to the front.

  “Fair enough, Beloved”

  Supreet says, “There are waters in the cup holders.” I crack one and drain it immediately.

  Solange asks, “How long until we are in the room?”

  “Ten minutes,” Supreet responds. Solange shrugs and follows my example.

  Shortly after, we are through Hartford’s burgeoning rush hour and pulling in front of the Goodwin hotel. We get out and grab our travel bags. Supreet tells the valet, “Leave it here. We’re leaving again in less than 30 minutes. She hands him a twenty.”