Della Meets an Incredible Fella

* * *

The next day when Della walked her cycle out of the school gates she found Zane in his newly leased Jeep waiting for her.

"Don't kiss me, not in front of these over-sexed girls."

Zane ignored the request and kissed her, Della squirming in his arms as some of the students shrieked in laughter and someone yelled, 'Miss Jones has the hots for a mystery man'. He waved and grinned at the girls and called, "Isn't she a honey. Now run along a do your homework."

"Oh god," he heard Della whimper.

Zane placed the cycle on to the back rack and got into the driving seat. "I think I've found it. It's empty and I have the key and Doreen has two prospects interested in buying the apartment. It's all happening."

"Oh darling, how exciting," Della shrieked, unbuckling and throwing herself at Zane oblivious to the boggling school students.

It was an extensively renovated two-level home, plaster over double-brick painted cream and a new orange tile roof and situated four houses back from the water's edge at Rose Bay. It was also within reasonable cycling distance from Della's school.

The grand vaulted entry went to the far side of the house and had an access 'bridge' across the entrance from the first floor to two bedrooms sharing a bathroom.

"Instead of a music room why not place your piano at the far end of this entrance way?"

"Oh yes," Della said, clutching Zane's arm but I'd first need to check out the acoustics?"

On the left was a big family room that Zane said they could convert into their workrooms. The kitchen had been completed remodeled with new appliances and a breakfast bar. The upstairs master bedroom was huge with a 'his and her' dressing room divided by a passage into a huge bathroom with a Jacuzzi. They returned downstairs and walked through the L-shaped lounge with the formal dinning room overlooking the swimming pool behind the house.

"I love it, I absolutely love it but unfortunately we can't afford a house of this quality in this prime location."

"Can't we? I signed up for it this morning."

"But how can we afford it even with my bank loan?"

"Darling you won't need a bank loan. I don't think you have any idea of how much I'm worth, and that's heaps. One of Australia's best investments is property in Sydney's premiere suburbs on or near beaches. We'll live on your salary; that will be your contribution and you'll have money over to spend on yourself and to save. This will be a perfect arrangement."

"It sounds one-sided to me."

"Well you are not to worry your pretty head about it. I'll get you to sign a document that the house is my exclusive property -- the lawyers will have the right words to describe the situation."

"That would make me feel a lot better."

In another development McNeil emailed Zane to say she and Dan had delayed their arrival a bit to suit their schedules. The arrival date she gave was eight weeks away.

A month later, a week away from shifting to Rose Bay, Della sat watching TV and twitching badly. Zane was reading the first eight chapters of her manuscript.

"Della!"

She ran, skidding to a half in front of him at his desk. "It will require tighter editing but let McNeil's team do that. It's brilliant... well perhaps I should say very good." He held out his arms and Della sat on his knee and hugged and kissed him.

"Email it to your mother in the format I've talked to you about: A covering letter, a brief CV and a two page synopsis and an estimate of the final wordage. I'll make supper while you do that."

"Do you want to edit my rewrite sections?"

"Your mother's team will attend to that. I must not interfere. I want them to see what stage you are at as a writer."

"I might bomb out if you don't tidy it up for me."

"You won't and stop attempting to seduce me into saying it's brilliant."

"Is it?"

"I'll say this: this time you have exceeded my expectations. I want to know what happens next. Now that ought to tell you something. Send it tonight darling."

* * *

In Chicago McNeil viewed the unsolicited submission of eight-chapters in disbelief. At thought she was being suckered, being asked to assess a submission that would have Zane Maddox's footprints all over it. But soon she realized it read nothing like his style. For a start it was written too sensitively and the word pictures drawn suggested a feminine touch. Excitement gripped her. She knew she must not read any farther.

She called Carol Leeds, one of her acquisitions editors.

"Carol I require you to assess this partial submission without discussing it with anyone. You are to make no concessions. This young writer has to be treated like any other would-be writer except she has the lucky break of bypassing our usual screening. The writer is my daughter Della."

"What Della is writing from Australia as well as holding down a new job in her new country?"

"Yes as well as living with Zane Maddox."

"Holy Christmas. Dealing with him would be a heavy workload."

"Surprisingly, Della tells me she's the fittest and happiest she's ever been in her life. And I believe she's unlikely to return here."

"Wedding bells?"

"She won't talk to me about it but Zane says she's expecting him to propose with the warning it better sound genuine otherwise she's returning home. So he's working on it, waiting for something profound to happen to push the right button."

"That sounds awfully complicated."

"It is and he blames me, saying Della is so much like me. I called him an asshole for saying that and amazingly he just laughed, making me think Della is taming him. This writing push is all him. He's been coaching her but I'll be surprised if you find anything in those pages that sounds like him or even suggests his influence. I've read the first few pages and then called you. Carol, you are to assess this commercially, one hundred percent. Go soft because the writer is my daughter and I'll whip out your ovaries."

"God McNeil, don't scare me like that."

Carol returned next morning and placed the partially completed manuscript in front of Della. McNeil's tight lips loosened into a smile when she saw the attached sticker: 'Refer to Acquisition Panel. Acceptance recommended by Carol'.

"So you think it's that good?"

"Yes, some rewriting will be required. It's highly charged with emotion and this writer loves her characters and she keeps them going forward apart from the requisite upsets. We'll sell heaps of this book. What was your opinion?"

"Keep this confidential Carol. I read the first twelve pages and thought if the decision is made to reject this manuscript then I'll personally publish it."

"You won't have to do that McNeil. We have a new writer called Della Jones about to enter our stable. If she marries she can still write under the name of Della Jones."

"Well that will probably be decided before we publish. Thanks Carol I'll call her with the good news. Please send her the usual letter of conditional acceptance and get her signed up and the minimum advance paid."

"Minimum?"

"Yes, I don't want to give her a swollen head."

CHAPTER 6

Della received her mom's call and then signed a contract under the terms of conditional acceptance and later received an advance payment of $5000 that peaked her excitement. From there it was all down hill. Della was now under pressure to finish her manuscript with ten weeks. Fortunately by the time she received that deadline she and Zane were well settled into their new home and her work permit had arrived. At school she had the pressure of the end of second term concert by senior school pupils, to free them from that pressure at the time of final exams near the end of year. Della was responding to Zane's urgings to treat the school and the home pressures as being different and separate because that would lessen the concept of a heavy weight to carry. Zane also convinced Della to stop writing by 10:00 each evening and then to review her day and evening in the bath. She slipped into that routine and claimed to have found it mentally calming.

Zane relaxed too, believing a potential crisis had gone and then began noticing changes. Being a guy, he noticed the drop off in sexual activity. He was virtually left to having to ask for it, spontaneity between them evaporating. He blamed himself for pushing Della too fast with her writing. He ought to have not submitted until she'd had a completed manuscript to send off. Now she had a panicky young editor emailing her two or three times a week repeating the same request: "I need more chapters."

"This is damn irritating, keeping me off balance," Della replied. "I'm calling mom to call that damn bitch Megan off my back."

"You do no such thing. Reply to the damn bitch you're working on it and that meets her minimum expectations. Go near you mother about your writing and you can kiss goodbye your career in writing. Her people will see her interference as becoming greater than your talent.

Della stormed off frustrated, crying.

Zane that she was twenty-six years old and she didn't need him to telling her how to keep relaxed by drinking less alcohol and reducing outside commitments. Perhaps that was a near-fatal mistake. He didn't notice it at first but she began drinking more and associating more with her girlfriends.

Zane put Della to bed and thought that's twice that week she'd had a skin full. Hmmm. On the next Saturday when he suggested a bike ride she replied she wished to work on her novel but an hour later she came out in riding gear, kissed him and left him startled, saying she was off cycling with a couple of her girlfriends from school. Zane's response was to go to the fitness center and punch the crap out of the punch bag and almost got into a fight with another guy who wanted the heaviest bag Zane was monopolizing. The female duty manager stepped in before any punches were thrown and took Zane to the refreshment center. Kylie and Zane began chatting and he found she knew who he was and read his books.

Eventually front office called Kylie. But then Zane was focused on her. "Want to do a movie this afternoon?"

"I have a husband Zane."

"So?"

Kylie licked her lips.

"Kylie?"

She turned pink and said she had access to his phone number. She'd call him sometime.

Zane thought she'd never call him but Kylie did, just after noon next day.

"Hi, what are you doing?"

"Moping."

"Oooh."

The way she said that got Zane's motor running. "That American woman I've seen you photographed in the Sunday papers with and sometimes at the center lives with you doesn't she?"

"Yes."

"Is she in the room with you?"

"Yes."

"So your responses to me have to be deceptively short."

"Yes."

"And life is a little bumpy at present."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Here's my address. My husband has gone off with the boys to football and won't return till goodness knows when, and drunk. I'll serve late lunch."

"Just a minute."

Zane didn't hold his hand over the phone. He asked Della did she want to go out that afternoon.

"No I'm working on this fucking novel."

"All right if I go out harbor fishing with Bruce Mansfield?"

"Yes, it will leave me in peace and quiet."

"Yeah Bruce, I have a leave pass you little ripper."

"I heard her swear. American women usually don't use bad language. She must really be under pressure."

"See you within the hour mate."

"Oooh, are you hoping to mate with me?"

Zane snapped his phone shut and dropped it as if it were a hot brick.

He went off and changed into an old shirt and shorts.

"Kissing him Della told him to pack sun protection cream and take a full water bottle.

"Yeah, good thinking."

Zane drove to Bankstown dealing with Sunday drivers. He thought he must remain loyal to Della and not fuck Kylie if her mind was on that. She appeared to be his age, forty. He'd certainly kiss her and perhaps feel her up but not fuck her, right.

"Right," he said aloud with conviction.

Kylie let him into the homely apartment. She closed the door and pulled up the hem of her sundress and said, "Lick me."

Zane dropped to his knees and went in like a hungry dog waiting for dinner. Well he was only doing what a woman expected from a man.

He pulled the leg of the panties aside and found she shaved. He worked his tongue and then Kylie, standing and holding on to his hair, groaned and said, "Use a finger love." Zane inserted a finger and as he inserted another she creamed over his hand and said "Wow. Let's have a bite."

She meant lunch because she walked out to the back patio and sat at the table. She picked up a full glass of wine and a bottle of beer awaited Zane.

Kylie looked up at him and grinned. "Don't you want to wash your face? You chops are dripping my juices?"

"Nah."

"Oh god," Kylie said, shaking a little and pulling her top down to display a half-decent pair of knockers. "I've found myself a real man."

"This will be a oncer. We are finding it tough going at home at the moment."

"I understand. Just the one breakout is acceptable to me," she said, probably lying through that toothy smile.

Seated by then, Zane fancied his boner was about to lift the table.

"We'll just have this shrimp and prawn salad and then fuck before having more food. Is that okay?"

"Good one doll. If I'm eating your food I expect to give you something in return."

"Oooh."

Zane pulled off the panties while Kylie spilled her tits and licked one.

"Get into it doll. Participation is what I like."

Kylie stared at him and pulled her legs up around her ears, presenting herself wide open.

"Oh mate, what a box to plunder," Zane said, dropping into slang because he was out in Bankstown.

"My fella is a senior nurse at Lidcombe Hospital and I reckon he's getting almost his fill from his nurses."

"So you thought a fill from me would go with Sunday lunch?"

"You're funny," Kylie said, pulling his engorged red dick into her as they both watched the invasion. "Rub my tits will you. There's been no working up to this."

Zane bit a fat nipple. Kylie bucked and said "Oh Christ" and her motions seemed to suck Zane deep into her.

"Are you protected?"

"My tubes are tied if that's what you mean. I've had two kids and that's enough."

Zane looked around wildly asking where were they."

"At my mother's dipstick," she laughed. "Now concentrate and fuck the ass off me."

* * *

Zane wearily began the drive home and remembered to stop off and buy from fresh fish fillets. He arrived home and called out "Hi."

There was no answer.

Zane found her nude, asleep on the bed, her legs wide open and thought oh now, she was waiting for sex. And then he noticed the slender golden vibrator still inserted and dampness on the bed cover below it. He grinned with relief. She'd not be interested till the morning, if interested, and that was a great relief to know.

An hour later after showering he began pan grilling the fish in a little butter and called out, "Della, dinner."

She came out in a gown and a little red faced. "Um, did you come into the bedroom?"

"No," Zane lied. "Just glanced in and saw you were peacefully asleep so left you to it?"

"Left me doing what?" Della said stiffly.

"Sleeping."

"Oh, come here and let me kiss you. This looks lovely. Caught by your own hand?"

"Of course. Terry took the rest of the catch home as he has a big extended family."

"I thought you went fishing with a little ripper called Bruce."

Zane swallowed hard. "I did. His older brother Terry came out with us. Terry has four kids and his wife's parents are living with him."

"Oh god, how lucky I am to have only you to care for. I excelled myself at writing this afternoon. Want to read it."

"Of course I do darling. You know I support you to the hilt."

"Ah the hilt. Do you mind if we wait till the morning. I'll feel more like clamping around it then."

"You're a little ripper darl."

She grinned and when biting into the fillet said, "Oh my, there's nothing like fish straight from the sea."

Zane had already made the discovery so was ready for her.

She said coolly, "This fillet has been dipped in flour and breadcrumbs. We don't stock breadcrumbs?

Zane smiled reassuringly. "Terry arrived with a cooler, flour and breadcrumbs. His wife is Italian and insists he breadcrumbs them straight out of the water."

"Oh, the clever lady. It means her kitchen is not messed up."

He read that new writing and sighed, thinking it was rather pedestrian. Casey O'Reilly was becoming noticed on Broadway but everyone liked her and she liked them.

Zane wrote in red type: For goodness sake Della, keep Casey being overall nice but remember she has red hair -- she's occasionally bound to stamp her foot and times and tear hair -- not hers. Have her feuding with the principal female singer of the cast. It's also about time you had theatre critics no longer ignoring her or panning her. Instead have one of them one night writing so his sub-editor would seize the line for a heading dump on Casey: 'She's fast emerging as a new diva and isn't it about time we had one?'

Kylie called in most afternoons to be fucked after finishing her shift at 1:00 and she appeared not to notice it had become almost mechanical. Then on the second Thursday afternoon she wanted it in the ass and Zane said he didn't do ass. They shouted at one another. She showered and left screaming at him she'd find a more accommodating lover and that was the end of Kylie although they would continue to chat at the fitness center because it was part of her job to interface with members.

On that Saturday morning just as Della took a fat cock into her mouth she smiled and said, "You have been incredibly sweet to me easing back on your demands in recent days. I haven't permitted this since college days but would you like to take my ass?"

Zane had been waiting patiently for this offer ever since the first time they'd had sex. "Anything to please you baby.

He sweated and wince, she sweated and groaned and after almost fifteen minutes of nervous tension, both asking was it worthwhile, they continued awkwardly until they had their biggest rest, all of it in.

"My cock will be black and blue tomorrow," Zane complained and Della said optimistically now he'd stretched her it ought to be much easier in future.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

They grinned and she, in doggy position, said, "Start pumping darl. This is research for my novels."

Zane went in and out a bit at the time, getting her used to the feeling. "Careful if it's your heroine getting it up the ass Della. Some readers will find it unacceptable and take a dislike to your heroine."

"Some of your heroines take it up there."

"Yeah but that's an advantage of being a male writer; some of those disapproving readers know that's the sort of filthy thing males do to a lovely woman. Also the readers who follow me become used to the heroine getting it this way and that way and even gets fucked down her throat because that's what my heroines get in my novels."

"Why didn't you tell me this before I allowed you to jam it up my ass. It was fucking painful for a while Zane."

"I was hoping you'd scream yelling for me to pull out, and the pain would remind you not to allow your heroines to be despoiled. How would I know you'd be under me bucking and yelling at me to slam you harder and not to stop until I filled your back passage with sperm?"

"Zane Maddox, you are disgusting, that's what you are," Della sniffed hobbling off to have a warm bath. "Read what I wrote last night you bastard. My computer's open."

Zane had expected to read Casey was throwing the occasion tantrum and now Zane found she called the stage director 'an hysterical bitch' every time when the director threw a wobbly when something went wrong during rehearsals. When the production began to run Casey had the sense to pull in her horns because abuse could upset members of the case when the pressure was on to perform perfectly.