Siblings (13 page)

Chapter 26

Today was Marilyn Symington’s customary shopping day, but instead she headed into town for a tryst with Dr. John Hazleton. She arrived at his apartment a half-hour before John. She used the key he gave her to let herself in. Much to her surprise, John was either there earlier, or had arranged to have someone set up the champagne and stock the refrigerator with hors d’oeuvres, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream. She smiled as she thought,
He’s such a romantic. If I had known it would be as nice as this, I would have agreed to come here months ago. I can’t wait until he gets here.

When John opened the apartment door, he was greeted by Marilyn attired in a center strap teddy that left all significant parts of her anatomy totally uncovered. He quickly rushed over and in a matter of minutes they were on the bedspread of the king-sized bed. The strings from the teddy were on the floor along with John’s clothing.

They made love twice, the second more passionate than the one before. They explored each other’s bodies, searching for every one of the so-called two thousand nooks and crannies. Finally with one cataclysmic climax, they sank to the bed, totally spent.

Breathing heavily, Marilyn spoke first. “That was the most sensuous climax I’ve ever had. It felt as if you put a firecracker inside me and waited for the series of explosions.”

“That was no firecracker I slid into you, that was a stick of dynamite. It appears that we made a propitious change of venue. I’ve never been able to just keep going
like that without a rest in between, but I just couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want it to end.”

“We’re good together, aren’t we?”

“There’s no doubt about that. I knew it from the first time we met. I didn’t say anything right away since you were the wife of an associate, but sometimes things are just meant to be. I don’t see any harm in this, since we’re both in control of our domestic situations and nothing is suffering as a result. Do you agree?”

“After what I just experienced, I don’t give a damn about anything else.”

“We have something special here, and I don’t want anything to get in the way.”

She started to get up from the bed as she asked, “What does a girl have to do to get some of that champagne and goodies you promised me?”

He jumped up. “You, my dear, don’t have to do anything. I provide all the goodies here. You just lay there and let me make up a tray.”

As soon as he left the room, she got up and stripped the bed of its cover, which she carefully folded and placed in the corner. She picked up John’s clothes and put them on a side chair. She examined what remained of the string teddy and decided it had served its purpose. She brought it to the small bathroom, tossed it in the trash pail, and freshened up. Then she returned to the bed, slipped under the sheets and waited for John to return.

Meanwhile John was busy in the kitchen. He placed an ice bucket, in which a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne was chilling, onto a serving tray; added two glasses, a plate of hors d’oeuvres, a bowl of juicy strawberries, a bowl of chocolate syrup, and a bowl of whipped cream. He picked up the tray and headed to the bedroom.

When he suddenly appeared in the doorway, she burst out laughing.

“What’s so damn funny?”

“I’m not laughing at you, John. It’s just that I’m unaccustomed to having room service served by a naked man.”

“If you have any complaints, Madam, you’ll have to take it up with the management. This is the way we do things around here. You’d best get used to it.”

“Oh, I don’t have any complaints. Put that tray down and get over her so I can give you a suitable thank you.”

He put the tray on a side table and rushed over to the bed. Suddenly food and wine became of secondary importance. Contrary to what they had thought earlier, they both had at least one more climax in them.

When the heavy breathing finally abated, John filled up the glasses and brought them over to the bed. He held up his glass for a toast. “Here’s to the most beautiful lovemaking I have ever engaged in and much, much more.”

She clinked his glass. “I second the motion. All in favor kiss me now.”

They put down their glasses and engaged in a lengthy, passionate kiss. His hands traveled freely over her body, and hers over his.

“I feel so alive. You’ve done that for me.”

“I’m more than happy to oblige.”

“I’m serious, John. You know that I love Ron and I wouldn’t do anything deliberately to hurt him, but I’m hooked on you. I can’t be without our time together.”

“I understand what you’re saying, Lynn. We’ve got something here that only comes along once in a lifetime. I know this sounds funny, but I’m guessing that this probably wouldn’t work for us if we weren’t married to other people.”

“No, it doesn’t sound funny at all. I think you’re absolutely right. Not being married to each other is exactly the catalyst that makes this so special.” She stopped talking and gestured to the tray across the room. “Now, how about feeding me one of those strawberries dipped in chocolate and topped with some whipped cream? By the way, did you have someone set up all those goodies for you?”

“No, I came in this morning on the way to the Center and set everything up myself. I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

“Well, you certainly have succeeded. You’re such a thoughtful lover.”

He moved the table closer to the bed. “Now let’s see.” He picked up a cocktail napkin and began the process. “I’ll start with one of these juicy ripe strawberries. I’ll dip it into the chocolate syrup like this, until it is almost covered, then I’ll spoon some whipped cream over it. There, that looks perfect.”

John turned to Marilyn and passed the strawberry under her nose. “How does that smell? Does it have a sensuous aroma that tantalizes your olfactory nerves?”

“Oh, Doctor, I love it when you talk dirty.”

She grabbed his hand and brought the offering to her mouth. After taking a bite, she moved his hand to his mouth so he could finish it. The procedure was repeated four more times.

“I just thought of another way we can use that syrup and whipped cream.” She picked up the bowl of syrup and smeared it on his body and then on her own. Then she covered it with whipped cream. She proceeded to lick up the mixture from his body and invited him to enjoy the feast on hers. Afterward they enjoyed more champagne and a few of the hors d’oeuvres.

John noticed that Marilyn seemed lost in thought. “Is there anything wrong, Lynn?”

“Well, actually there is something on my mind. I know I shouldn’t get involved and this is hardly the appropriate place to discuss this, but I am concerned about what’s going on between you and my husband at the Center.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I’m talking about that business with new applicants and John’s job as the CEO.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t get involved. Office politics often get unpleasant. I’m just doing my job and your husband and Peter Mickelson are interfering. I don’t want you worrying your pretty head about it.”

“Don’t be condescending with me, John. We both know how important this is. I’m not asking you to do anything for me because of our being together, or for you to do anything that’s against your principles, but I want you to do me just one favor and then I promise that I won’t bring it up again.”

“You know that I’ll do just about anything for you, but it depends on what it is you want.”

“I know that you and Ron are having a disagreement over how the Center is being operated. He thinks that you’re going to attempt a coup to remove him from his position as CEO.”

“Wait a minute; he was the first to start trouble. He threatened to have me replaced as the chairman of the New Business Committee. I’m just protecting myself.”

“Be that as it may, you know as well as I do that this in-fighting is no good for the reputation of the Center. I’ll get Ron to back off trying to unseat you if you will do the same about him. The Symington Medical Center is all that he has. He’s poured his life’s blood into it. He can’t lose it now. Will you do that for me?”

John was hesitant to answer. He mulled the matter over in his head before replying. “It’s against my better judgment, but I will. I really don’t have the time or the proclivity to take on a fight of this nature, anyway, but I’m still not going to add any new practices this year. To tell you the truth, my life would be a lot easier if I didn’t have to spend time playing politics with your husband and Pete Mickelson. You have my word that I’ll smooth things over.”

Marilyn leaned over and gave him a passionate kiss. “Thank you for doing this for me. You won’t regret it.”

Ten minutes later they shared a shower together as they cleaned up before leaving the apartment.

“Next week?”

“Next week for sure; same time.”

They held each other tightly and shared a lengthy kiss before she turned and left the apartment first. John didn’t notice the tears in her eyes; tears of relief. John left the apartment a half hour later after making the bed and cleaning up the kitchen.

***

The next morning, John called Ron’s office. Ron was meeting with Peter Mickelson at the time and when he saw who was calling, he clicked on the speaker.

“Ron, this is John Hazleton. I’m calling to apologize for flying off the handle the other day. I understand your concerns about the fiscal situation, but I still believe that we shouldn’t rush into filling the two open slots. We have to look at long range benefits before jumping into anything. I understand that adding Wallington Vein and Laser would take care of the open space we have, but it’s important that we make sure we have all our ducks in order. I hope you understand that. I believe that you’re doing an outstanding job as CEO and that goes for Peter as well. Forget what I said about unseating you. In fact, I want to offer my assistance in whatever way you need it to help you and Peter get past this year-end situation.”

Ron looked at Pete in astonishment. He shrugged as he replied, “Apology accepted, John, and I want to add mine. Lynn and I had a long talk about this and she helped me realize that all this disagreement would accomplish nothing but weaken the prestige of the Center. I know that neither of us wants that. Peter and I will do the best PR job we can to get past this dip in profits, but I may take you up on your offer to help smooth things over with the Board of Directors. We’ve all worked hard to get the Center to where it is today and I know that if we continue to work together now, things will be bright for the long term. Thanks for calling, John.” He turned off the speaker-phone.

Peter looked at Ron in disbelief. “That’s the last thing I would have imagined happening. Did you really discuss this with Lynn?”

“Certainly. She always senses when something important is bothering me. It’s good to let cooler heads prevail sometimes. I think that we’ll be able to work with John, and with his help, I know we’ll start the New Year on a favorable note.”

“I sure hope so.”

Chapter 27

“Your name again?”

“Mrs. Sadie Madigan.” She spoke hesitatingly, occasionally glancing at the twenty dollar bill that PI Robert Rousch held in his hand.

“How long have you worked for Dr. Hazleton?”

“I’ve been cleaning his apartment twice a month for the last year-and-a-half.” She volunteered, “I don’t think he uses it much; he certainly doesn’t live there. That’s not unusual. I have half a dozen clients in the building that use their apartments as a backup in case they’re in town late.”

“That’s interesting. Did you ever come across anything unusual in Dr. Hazleton’s place?”

“What do you mean by unusual? Everybody’s lifestyle is different. It’s difficult to say what is unusual and what’s not. All I can say is that I only have to change the sheets occasionally, clean the bathroom and kitchen. Other than that, I just dust and vacuum the place once a week.”

“I don’t quite know how to ask this, but have the sheets ever looked as if he was not sleeping there alone? You know what I mean.”

“You mean, does it look like he’s having sex with somebody? Yes. In fact something unusual happened yesterday. Dr. Hazleton asked me to make an unscheduled trip to clean his apartment. When I changed the sheets I found some stains. The bed cover had some too. I had to wash them both. I also found something unusual in the wastebasket in the bathroom. It looked like something made out of nylon straps connected to a small patch of satin. I think it was one of those sexy getups. I threw it out. When I clean the kitchen I usually compact the garbage, but it had already been done. There was a distinctive odor of strawberries. I threw everything out along with two empty wine bottles I found in the kitchen trash basket.” She thought for a minute and concluded, “That’s all I can tell you.” She reached out for the money and he released it.

“What you’re telling me is that Dr. Hazleton sometimes entertains a woman in his apartment.”

“It could be his wife, you know.”

“With sexy undergarments? Well, I suppose that is always a possibility. You’ve been very helpful, Mrs. Madigan. Here’s my card. If you think of anything else or notice anything odd in the future, give me a call.” Gesturing to the bill that was now firmly clasped in her hand, he said, “There’s more where that came from. Keep your eyes open and get back to me right away if you have anything.”

She looked at the name on the card. “I will, Mr. Rousch.”