Leaving Home Chapter 7

Leaving Home
Chapter 7


Jennie and I had been together for five months. It was now May, one of the most beautiful months in the Carolinas, with the temperature in the mid-eighties and none of the oppressive humidity I knew would appear once summer had arrived.

Jennie and I felt like a married couple, but in all this time, I had never told her I loved her—that I was madly in love with her. Why? I was afraid—terrified actually—that she would reject me, worried that she would laugh, and fearful that, as a result of my stupidity, she would leave me.
Things came to a head a week before Memorial Day. Jennie walked into my office, where I was “working.” “Doug, I need to talk to you. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I think I’m taking too much from you. Perhaps I should leave.”

My heart was in my throat. This was the moment I had dreaded for months. I had to convince her to stay. I just had to. I was sure my face had turned ghostly white when I turned in my chair to face her. “Oh God…now you’re going to see what a pathetic loser I can be.” I hung my head and spoke just above a whisper, “I don’t want you to go, Jennie—not now, not ever. I want you. I love you. I’m in love with you. I want to marry.” I never finished that sentence. Jennie was all over me, hugging and kissing me—pushing her tongue into my throat as her glorious breasts pressed into my chest.

Her fingers caressed my face as she whispered, “I’m so sorry I had to do that to you, Doug. I was afraid you’d never get around to telling me. I’ve known that you loved me for months, and—for the record—I’ve been in love with you since our first week together. I’ve never met a kinder, more considerate, and—yes—a more loving man than you. Since you can be a little dense sometimes, I’ll spell it out for you—YES! OUI! JA! SI! Y…E…S. Now I’m going to shut up so I can kiss you, then take you to bed, where we’ll start our celebration because I have something else to show and tell you.” She extended her hand, and I followed her, still in a daze, to the bedroom.

She dropped her clothes into a pile on the floor and then began on mine. Holding my head, she whispered, “Have you noticed I’ve put on a few extra pounds lately?” She took my hand and placed it on her tummy. “Please don’t be angry with me, but I never started those birth control pills. I feared you might send me away, and I couldn’t go without…. You never told me you loved me. If I had to leave, I would take some small part of you with me.”

Could you clarify for me? What was she talking about? “I don’t understand, Jennie. What are you telling me?”

“For a genius, you can be so oblivious. I’m pregnant. I’m going to have your baby. You’re going to be a father.” I was dumbstruck. I stood there in total shock until she gripped my head with one hand and my cock with the other, then gave me the best kiss I’d ever experienced. She pulled me to the bed, and we celebrated all afternoon. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my love, and—yes—I repeatedly told her how much I loved her.

Jennie spoke again when we were both too exhausted to move. “Doug, didn’t you listen to me when I told you about making love to you? Do you remember what I said to you?”

“Something about only lying still when other men fucked you.”

“Yes, and do you know why I was such an active participant and only with you, darling?”

“I think I do now. You did it because you were in love with me?”

“Of course, I will do it with just as much energy and love for the rest of our lives.”

“I can’t believe it. I’ve been so afraid of telling you how much I love you. I was afraid you’d think I was crazy, and you’d run away. I was terrified when you asked if I thought you should leave.” Then my face brightened, and I smiled. “This is the best day of my life.”

Jennie moved up to kiss me. Then she whispered, “Mine, too!” Then she kissed me again. We pulled ourselves into the shower and rejuvenated ourselves under the hot spray. We dressed hurriedly, and Jennie drove me down to Myrtle Beach, where we turned onto 28th Avenue North, stopping at New York Prime, which is undoubtedly one of the area's best and most expensive restaurants. Dinner for two, shrimp cocktails for me, shellfish bisque for Jennie, a split house salad, and a porterhouse for two came to just under $300 with drinks and tips. It was worth every penny.
It wasn’t every day that I became engaged.

We were back in the car and on our way home when it hit me: “Did you say you were...”

“Boy, you sure are out of it today. Is this what you’ll be like when we’re married?”

“I hope so. I’ve never been so happy.”

“I’m glad, Dad. It’s been a perfect day for me, too.” She held her hand out to me, and I took it gladly. I held it to my lips as she drove away.

Once we were home, I put Lady out and prepared dinner for her. After filling her bowl with Dog Chow, I covered the pile of kibble with diced scraps of steak fat from our dinner. After kissing Jennie, I walked to my office before pulling up several airline sites for reservations for three to LaGuardia in New York City. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights, and I sure as hell didn’t want to sit in either Charlotte or Atlanta for two hours to make a flight less than two hours long. Instead, I joined Jennie in bed.

“I’ve been thinking. When do you want to get married, and what kind of wedding would you like?”

“I’m sure you know that I have no close friends other than Amber, the one I phone back home now and then, but if I invited her, my stepfather would be one step behind her.”

“You are an adult now. What could he do?”

“You don’t know him. He’d make up some phony charges to get me back to Iowa. Then he’d chain me to a post, and either beat me or fuck me every day. It’s better for me if Amber stays where she is. As for when: as soon as humanly possible. Is that okay with you?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to. My kiss spoke volumes. We were in bed, naked as always, and fell asleep seconds later. I have a lot to do tomorrow morning.

I was online the following morning, checking the state’s requirements for a marriage license, when Jennie staggered into the office. “Morning, sweetheart; what are you doing?”

“Just checking on what’s required to get a license and if there’s a waiting period.”

“And?”

“We can do both today, but not until I make a few calls.” I rose and pulled my still-naked wife-to-be into my arms. We moved together, full of love for each other. Jennie melted in my arms as we kissed. My hands roamed her body—her skin as soft and smooth as silk—until she broke it.

“You’d better make your calls if we’re going to get married today. I’ll get breakfast started.” One more quick kiss, and she went on her way.

I phoned Executive Jet and chartered a round trip for three. Yes, I was taking Lady with us.

Next, I was on the phone to the Plaza, making reservations for two plus my service dog. Trainer John had given me a dog vest that said, “Service Dog,” with a small oxygen tank and breathing mask. It was aluminum, a replica of the real thing except smaller and lighter, so it wouldn’t interfere with Lady’s natural function. “These will enable you to take her everywhere you go. Tell people you’re susceptible to seizures or something. Nowadays, service dogs are as common as fleas.”

Jennie poked her head in to ask what I was doing. “I think we need to go to New York to do some shopping. It would be best if you had an engagement ring and we should get some wedding rings, maybe a diamond bracelet or two, a necklace, some earrings…whatever we want. I also have a business meeting I have to attend.”

“What are we going to do with Lady?”

“She’ll be coming with us, probably in the seat next to you. I’ll arrange a line of credit with one of my brokers right after we eat.” That’s precisely what I did, calling my representative at Vanguard, where I invested more than two hundred million. We worked out the particulars of the transfer to Harry Winston’s account, including several code words for identification purposes. Jennie and I left for the County Courthouse about forty minutes north of the County Administrative Campus in Bolivia. I wore a grey silk suit; Jennie wore a pearl-colored top with sleeves to her elbows, a pair of black Capri’s, and black two-inch heels. She wore no jewelry other than the ratty studs she’d had when we met. I was sure she’d replace them tomorrow when we set the record for money spent at Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue shop just down the block from the Plaza Hotel.

We walked hand-in-hand into the courthouse lobby, stopping at the information desk for directions. We almost ran down the elevator's wide hallway to the second floor. There was a short line, but we spent the time completing the form. When one of the couples ahead of us was ten dollars short, I gladly paid the difference.

We showed our ID, and I laid three twenties on the counter. Then I asked the clerk where we could go to get married. “Right down the hall in 214. There’s a justice of the peace there all the time. You might have to wait a bit. Good luck.”

We rushed down the hallway, almost passing right by the room. Luckily, a bridal party walked out just as we approached. We walked in and took a number, handing our license to another clerk. “It should be about twenty minutes. Do you have any witnesses or other people in your party?” He told us to have a seat when we indicated we were alone. Another couple slid down the bench with a slight smile as they made room for us to sit.
Thirty minutes later, we were called into the other room. I handed the justice a hundred-dollar bill and gave each witness a twenty.

Even the lack of rings didn’t hold us back. We held hands throughout the ceremony, pledging ourselves to each other before sharing our first kiss as husband and wife. We shook hands and left floating on air. I couldn’t believe I was married to Jennie. We drove home, stopping halfway for a light lunch before going home to celebrate again.

We were in bed early and had fallen asleep almost immediately, so we were practically awake when the alarm went off at six. “Tell me, husband, why we’re getting up so early.”

“We have a ten o’clock appointment at the Wilmington airport.”

“They’re going to let Lady on the plane with us?”

“Sure, dogs fly all the time, even flying commercial. But, as you know, I’ve arranged for a charter.”

“A charter?”

“Yeah…you, me, and Lady with the flight crew and a steward. I have to find that vest that John gave us.”

“Look in the hall closet. Should I get a suitcase? How many nights should I pack? What kind of clothes will I need? Oh, I’m so excited!”

“There are two 24-inch cases in the closet in the blue room—one for each of us. We should take a carry-on for toiletries, shaving—you know…whatever. I’ll put Lady out and come right back to help you.” I kissed her quickly and led Lady down the hall.

Jennie had the bed made and the open suitcases on it when we returned. “We have reservations for five nights, so I’m taking two suits and maybe four shirts. I’d take that coral dress you look so good in and some casual clothes. Leave room in your suitcase so we can seriously shop for you. If necessary, we can always get another bag or two. Would you like to meet my mother?”

“Of course; you’ve never mentioned your parents or anything about growing up other than studying at MIT.”

“We can talk at length on the plane. We’ll fly into LaGuardia and take a limo into Manhattan. It’s not that far, but we could spend close to an hour because of the traffic. Well, you’ll see for yourself once we get there.” We spent almost a half hour packing before taking a quick shower. Jennie was right. The vest was in the hall closet. Lady stood perfectly still while I fitted it around her shoulders. It looked to be comfortable and didn’t restrict her movements at all.

I locked up, and we were heading north by eight. Wilmington was almost an hour away, and we needed breakfast before boarding the plane. We could eat on board, but I hated eating in the air. I occasionally suffered from motion sickness. I’d been sick several times on ocean cruises but never on either of my small boats. I found that difficult to explain and even more challenging to understand.

We stopped at Golden Corral in Shallotte for their weekend buffet and ate heartily. I had no trouble bringing Lady into the restaurant. She stayed at heel whenever Jennie or I went to the buffet but sat quietly at our feet, even when I slipped her a piece of bacon. We left at nine sharp, and I pulled into the general aviation lot at the airport at 9:40. I removed the cases from the trunk while Jennie held Lady on her leash. We met the pilot inside the building, and he helped us with our bags. They even had a special harness to secure Lady in the seat. They’d covered the seat with a soft terry-cloth slipcover, both for Lady’s comfort and to protect the leather seat from Lady’s claws.

Jennie had Lady lie across the seat with her head across Jennie’s thigh. I clipped the short harness into the seat belt buckle. The steward explained that this was just for takeoff and landing when the inertial stresses were most significant. There I go again with nerd speak. Inertia seems to push you back into the seat when the pilot rams the throttle forward. It’s complicated physics, so please –take my word for it.

We had just taken off when Jennie released Lady. She curled up at Jennie’s feet. Jennie looked across the aisle with a smile and asked me about my parents. “I grew up in East Setauket. That’s a community on the north shore of Suffolk County in Long Island. My father is a professor of chemistry at Stony Brook State University, about two miles from our home. He must have done well because Mom was the only stay-at-home mother in our neighborhood.

“I attended the public schools there in what’s known as the Three Village School District. The schools there have an excellent reputation. I’d guess that more than ninety percent of the graduates go on to some form of higher education. Like most kids, I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license. I was so proud when I drove Mom’s car to the university to show it to him. Instead, I opened the door to his laboratory to find some fat bitch lying across the lab table with my dear old dad behind her; his pants pooled up around his ankles.”

“Oh no, Doug; how terrible for you!”

“He was so occupied that he never even noticed I was there. I walked up almost within arm’s length before speaking. “I thought it was dangerous to sit or lie on a lab table, Dad—something about acid on the surface. It's good to see you’re following a good, safe lab procedure. Don’t ever speak to me again. You’re dead as far as I’m concerned.” I turned on my heels and left, but not before seeing that he never missed a beat.

“I drove home in a fog, and it’s a miracle that I didn’t kill someone on the way. Mom knew the instant I walked into the house from the expression on my face exactly what had happened. ‘Dear God,’ she told me. ‘You caught him, didn’t you?’ It turned out that she had caught him on three separate occasions. I thought that I loved my dad before that day. After that, I couldn’t have hated him more. I’ve never spoken to him since…not even a single word. There wasn’t much he could have done about it. I was much bigger and stronger than he was. About a month after graduation, I left home in September, and I’ve never returned while he was there. I’ve seen my mother quite a few times, but never him.”

“I feel so badly for you, Doug. That’s as bad as my story.”

“No…not even close; I never had to suffer physically the way you did, and when I left home, I went to college for six years. You had to worry about your survival every day, but no more…never again.” I rose from my seat and walked to Jennie. Our kiss would have lasted longer were it not for the steward who asked us if we wanted a drink. We declined. It was too early for alcohol, and the flight was only two hours long. I kissed Jennie quickly and returned to my seat.

Using the in-plane phone, I placed an important call. I had just ended it when we were told to prepare for landing. Jennie called Lady up to her position on the seat, and fifteen minutes later, we were on the approach path, flying low over Flushing Bay to the runway that extended almost to Riker’s Island. Ten minutes after touchdown, we pulled into the General Aviation area and stopped. The door opened, and I walked out, turning to help Jennie and Lady down the steep steps. Our stretch limo awaited us just outside the fence.

We left the airport at 12:43 and pulled up in front of the Plaza fifty-one minutes later. The bell staff couldn’t get to our bags fast enough. Ten minutes later, we had registered and were shown to our suite. It was exactly as requested—more than nine floors above the street with views of Central Park just across the street. I locked our few valuables in the safe, and we removed our clothes and moved them to the dresser and closet.

Once that was done, we went to the elevator to get Lady into the park. I had brought a garden trowel and a supply of plastic bags to dispose of her waste. Her bowls and a ten-pound bag of Dog Chow would do for the next five days. We crossed at the light and stepped into the park.

“So this is Central Park. It’s beautiful and so big.”

“It is great, Jennie, but it’s a good place to stay away from after dark. It can be dangerous, with groups of street punks looking for an easy mark.”

“Is that why we brought Lady?”

“It’s part of the reason. I’ll buy you more than a hundred thousand dollars in jewelry. That alone is reason to be careful. Of course, if we get robbed, hand over the cash and the jewels. They can be replaced; you can’t.” Lady had sniffed around a few trees before squatting to do her business. I was right behind her to clean up her mess, which was fortunate because a city cop was only twenty feet away on the footpath. I knew the law in New York City was often ignored, but not by me. I dropped the bag in a trash receptacle, and we crossed the street to the Plaza, then turned left, walking about a block and a half to Luke’s Lobster for their lobster roll and Cokes.

After lunch, we went back toward Fifth Avenue and turned south. A block later, we entered Harry Winston’s. The service here has always been, well, let’s call it “attentive.” A forty-ish woman greeted us. “I was told to ask for Martin,” I said as I handed her one of my business cards from when I was CEO of Software for Idiots, Inc. She retreated to the rear of the store, returning less than two minutes later with the manager. My contact at Vanguard had phoned him to discuss the transfer of funds. He was told it had been done probably dozens of times and was one of their preferred means of payment. There were no credit card charges, and the payment was made immediately. I asked to see an assortment of engagement rings.

Jennie was offered a seat at a low glass counter as Martin first measured her finger while an assistant brought out four trays, each with at least twenty rings of various sizes and designs. She looked at me and said, “I don’t want to spend too much.”

I grinned as I replied, “For you, there’s no such thing as too much. Find the one you love and ignore the price. We’re here to spend money, and I have more than enough to buy out the entire store.” I leaned down to kiss her. I could see the shock in her eyes. She knew I was rich but much more decadent than she thought. I’d explain everything to her tonight.

Martin showed her maybe twenty designs to see what ring she wanted. Once that was decided, the question of size was asked. Jennie was tall but slender even after gaining weight over the past few months. Her fingers matched her body—long and slim. Even though I could afford the giant ring in the store, a vast ring looked ridiculous on her finger. She finally decided on a blue-white stone of two carats in a yellow-gold setting. I thought it was perfect.

“Okay, wedding rings next. We were married yesterday.” This was easier; Jennie loved the first one she was shown—a band surrounding her solitaire with a circular ring of smaller diamonds totaling three carats. My matching ring was a simple band of gold with three small matching diamonds. We put them on immediately. I could see the love in Jennie’s eyes when she looked up at me, but I wasn’t done yet.

“Earrings next; let’s see what you have. I want to see some posts and some bangles, some gold, and some with gemstones.” Jennie bought ten earrings, some with diamonds and other gemstones and others in fourteen-karat gold. I loved the one-karat diamond studs. She wore them when we left the store but kept the ratty posts she had worn since we met. “They were a gift from my father…my real father before he died.” Martin cleaned and placed them in a Harry Winston box with our purchases.

I also bought her three necklaces and three diamond and gold bracelets. They all looked beautiful on Jennie. The final tally was more than $300,000. Martin phoned Vanguard and gave them the agreed-upon code I provided—sixteen alphanumeric characters. The funds were transferred from my account in a second and confirmed by their bank in less than a minute. Martin offered a guard to accompany us to our room, and we gratefully accepted even though we had our guard in Lady.

Jennie took me to bed when we returned to the room, claiming that we needed a “nap.” Some nap—I thought a nap meant sleep! Trust me; we didn’t sleep, not even a little, but I never complained…not even once. She rubbed that delectable body over mine, pushing her nipples into my mouth as her hands sought my cock and ball sac. Moving down, she kissed my head, ears, face, and mouth. Her tongue teased me, darting in and out of my mouth as it wrestled with mine.

She pulled back long enough to tell me, ”I love you, Doug, and I always will. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t imagine a better man or a better husband.” Then, as if to prove her point, she wrapped her hot, tight canal around me and slowly eased herself down my pole.

Making love with Jennie was never dull. She rode me today with an even stronger sense of determination than ever. I looked down to see her clit grinding into me. Her legs stretched at 180 degrees, forcing her nubbin from its hood. It was engorged—red and swollen—in her ardor. Jennie’s actions showed how much she wanted to cum, and, of course, she was having an incredible effect on me, too.

My hands on her hips could feel the tiny tremors coursing through her body, growing in intensity with every mutual thrust. After almost fifteen minutes, her motions became irregular, frenetic, and uncontrolled. She was thrashing wildly when it finally hit. I was sure she was going to scream as she often did when we were in our bed at home, but she moved down to clamp her lips into mine at the last second. My mouth swallowed her unfettered roar as well as her unfettered passion. Her actions triggered my reaction. I came as hard as she did, lifting her bodily with my thrusts five times until I collapsed onto the sheets, Jennie’s body compressed onto mine.

We lay there for several minutes, recovering from our bodies' stresses. I lightly ran my hands over her silken skin, absolutely amazed that this beautiful creature loved me—that she had willingly agreed to be my bride and share my life.

Jennie slowly raised her head and spoke, “Doug, do you remember when you gave me that two million dollars?”

“Of course, you needed that credit to help establish your identity, and if you hadn’t married me, you would have had to pay taxes on it. See how lucky you are.” I couldn’t resist a brief chuckle.

“Well, I’ve been thinking. I need to give that back to you. Also, I should agree that I wouldn’t get any of your money if we divorced.”

I looked up, an expression of shock on my face. “You’re thinking of divorcing me?”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry. I’m never going to do anything like that. I love you more than I love my own life. It would be best if you didn’t think I married you for your money. I survived when I was broke before, and I could do it again if I had to.”

“Thank you for both offers, but my answers are ‘NO’ and ‘NO.’ I told you I had over a hundred million, but that was a white lie. Well, maybe not a lie, but not the whole truth either. When representatives of the brokerage firm approached me, they offered me five hundred million. I learned a long time ago never to accept a first offer. I told them I’d probably make that much in my first two years if I sold the program for five hundred dollars a pop. Overall, I planned to make ten million international sales over five years. After that, they’d peter out to maybe 100,000 a year.

Using those figures and what I knew about their projected commissions, I managed to bump them up to one point five billion. That’s what I sold the company for. After taxes, I still had roughly 800 million. I’ll go over my investments with you when we get home again. Keep the two million for pocket money.”

“Two million? Pocket money? Damn, Doug, you’re incredible; no wonder I love you so much.” She didn’t kiss me then, but she did snuggle up closely to my body. Then she laid her head on my chest and fell asleep. I remained awake, barely until it was time to shower and dress for dinner.



To be continued