A Quiet Lady's Place 02: Anna

"Trez and I were unexpectedly summoned to headquarters this week for two days of executive meetings. They were closing our East Coast Consulting operation in six months. We were given a difficult choice between resigning from SEE TECH or relocating to the Seattle Corporate Headquarters.

"We departed Seattle angry and heartbroken with the SEE TECH ultimatum. Trez felt I needed a break for a few days from this stressful situation. She suggested that I stop in Savannah and relax at Tybee Island on my return from Seattle and possibly visit my family near Augusta.

"Studycation-6 was currently in session, so I could hang out with Shels, Ames, Moon, and a few of their local Tybee friends. Upon arrival, I really was not in a good mood because Trez and I had deadly serious decisions to make in the next two months.

"One HUGE issue for me was that a Senior Director, who was previously unknown to me, called me in his office and offered me a $750,000USD bonus if I came to Seattle alone. They did not expect Trez to relocate because of Sarah and wanted me to stab Trez in the back.

"I was absolutely livid, offering to stick my foot up his rear-end. I owe Trez my life, career, and financial stability, which helps support my younger sisters. Trez took me under her wing, teaching me about the business world. She treated me with the love of an elder sister while also being firm regarding our responsibility to SEE TECH. Within three months of meeting Trez, I had risen from a minimum wage coffee run-around girl at the Augusta Bomb Making Plant to Trez's PA with a $47,000USD first-year salary package at SEE TECH.

"Trez realized that SEE TECH had crossed a RED LINE with me but counseled me to be calm since the dust had not settled on the East Coast Office closure. She told me they were testing our resolve, so we'd show them. We quickly checked out of the hotel, went to SEATAC, and hopped redeyes east. We never said a word to anyone at SEE TECH corporate, then turned our corporate phones off and began using our unlisted personal mobiles.

"The SEE TECH director that tried to trash Trez has been frantically trying to contact me. He was probably newly hired or just promoted to the director level. He was unaware that Trez had a $1,000,000USD payout and me, a $500,000USD payout, for closing the East Coast operation before 31 DEC 2027. It will cost corporate nearly $2,000,000USD in total to close our division in six months.

"I arrived here and just wanted to be alone in my misery, but it did not happen. From the moment I arrived, those two loudmouth friends of Shels have been trying to harass or pick me up, often bumping into me, acting like they were in a strip club or something. Both the guy and especially the girl would not take the hint that I just wanted to be left alone for now.

"After settling into one of the guest rooms, I felt terrible for not being hospitable to Shels, Ames, and Moon since arriving. I freshened up, dressed, and was on my way to the lounge area. That was when Anna Lee, searching for a glass of wine, bumped into me. I yelled at her, thinking she was the loudmouths bumping into me again. She yelled back, and when seeing my tears, Anna Lee graciously pulled me into a wonderful hug, later on giving me a soft kiss that I never wanted to end.

"We talked and talked, standing in that exact spot for nearly forty minutes after realizing we were a bit connected through mutual acquaintances. Anna Lee learned about my work problems, and I learned how much she missed being with the twins at the Resort, so she was also miserable.

"Our bad moods seemed to evaporate the more we talked and teased each other, especially since Anna Lee was caressing my booty. We decided, what the hell, let's be Anna Lee and Mary Beth, special friends having fun, which is the first time I have liked hearing my first and middle name together."

After Mary Beth finished talking, Anna Lee warmly hugged her, saying to Rach, "I do not feel either of us are in a party mood tonight. We will go up to my en suite guest room, howl at the moon, and sip Cabernet, relaxing from today's trials.

"We will take the late hotel shuttle to the Resort and stay there with Krista and Kara tonight. Having the cute little twins sleeping beside us is the perfect answer to our problem(s), allowing us to comfortably settle in for the night.

"I will phone Clancy from upstairs, informing her that Mary Beth and I are returning to the Resort at approximately midnight. I will ask her to place Krista and Kara's pallets where we can easily slide in, waking them tomorrow morning with lots of surprise kisses."

Mary Beth quickly concurred, saying, "Rach, Anna Lee's idea is just what we both need tonight. I already have strong feelings toward her, but being chaste, I want us to learn more about each other before sex enters the equation. Anna Lee made me laugh tonight for the first time in four days, bringing out the real me. I want to sit upstairs with her now, to enjoy more hugging, kissing, and talking, before going to the Resort and seeing our twins!"

Anna Lee added, "We are not pleased with how tonight went because you wanted us to have fun and enjoy ourselves at your home. If there is time next week, please schedule another party, maybe at the end of Studycation6-MINI. Hopefully, we can all enjoy a wonderful evening of socializing and dancing once tonight is history." They both firmly hugged Rach and then started walking toward the main house holding hand in hand.

Rach said, "You two share something special, and who knows, maybe there will be a Charleston wedding in one or two years. I will come for you at 11:00 PM and take you to the resort shuttle's departure point."

Once in the guest en suite, Anna Lee pulled Mary Beth into her arms and kissed her sweetly, which felt so nice that she kissed her twice as she softly cupped Mary Beth's bottom. They walked arm in arm onto the patio, sitting together in a single easy recliner.

Anna Lee sat first, pulling Mary Beth close, resting partially on her lap. "I want so much to kiss and caress you for the next two hours, but there is much in our lives we need to talk about tonight. There are five days of Studycation remaining plus two days rest before driving back to Charleston. We will not share much alone time until settled in at Eva's home in Charleston, which could be nearly two weeks.

"Is this what you want for us, Mary Beth? We stay together in Charleston for two or three weeks sorting out your Seattle situation and my Krista and Kara issues?"

Mary Beth agreed, saying, "I also feel the need for us to have a good long open conversation about our lives going forward, especially relating to the twins. I have not met Krista and Kara, yet I feel as if I already love them very much!"

Anna Lee, "Yesterday, I was kind of badgered into coming here tonight and socializing with people in my age group. I was a little flustered but not angry since Rach just wanted me to relax after the past three grueling years of studies while also working full-time at EXTV. I am now so happy that I came, then bumped into and now falling strongly for you, Mary Beth Jones!"

Mary Beth gasped loudly, saying, "Oh, Anna Lee!"

"Please let me finish, sweetie, and then your turn?" Anna Lee said, cutely smiling.

"I am nearly twenty-three years old, which is almost your age. I am also chaste and have never even dated anyone. I grew up in rural Western, SC. Our family moved closer to metro Charleston when I was thirteen years old. I had two sisters, Susan Ann, aged 9, and Megan Amy, aged 6. I have always enjoyed distance running and had planned to try out for the high school track team, but things didn't work out for me.

Anna Lee went on to tell Mary Beth her detailed history from that move until tonight's meeting at Rach and Kelly's home.

"Until meeting you tonight, I had never thought about loving another female, nor had I ever kissed or intimately touched another girl or guy. So, in essence, l have gone further with you tonight sexually than ever before in my life. I absolutely loved teasing you and holding your hand as we walked and talked. My absolute favorite thing was kissing you, especially when I also fondled that cute little booty of yours.

"I do not want Krista and Kara to ever leave me and return to Columbia. I am falling deeply for you and want you in Charleston with the twins and me," said a teary Anna Lee. "It is kind of crazy and scary to think that six weeks ago, my life was empty. Then seemingly in the blink of an eye, Krista, Kara, and you have become the cornerstone of my happiness!"

Beth started slowly with, "Please kiss me again and again, Anna Lee. Since my story almost completely mimics yours, I will not repeat everything, simply confirming that I am chaste and falling hard for you. My parents and two sisters live outside of Augusta. I have generously shared my financial rewards from SEE TECH with them. I never thought I would meet my soul-mate, someone who honors their family and loves children as I also do. Just in the blink of an eye tonight, Jesus blessed me with you!

Mary Beth then kissed Anna Lee deeply several times, saying, "Anna Lee, please caress my booty right now. You are the first and only person in my life to touch me intimately, and my body belongs to you only!

"I know that I will love and adore the twins because I love children. I firmly believe the twins will love my being a part of their lives. If you want me in your and the twins' lives, I am committing right now to living in Charleston as a mom to the twins, your girlfriend, and hopefully your future wife! Both Charleston and Savannah had been on my radar to settle down since N. Florida was fairly isolated. Trez agreed with my choice of either city as a base, so I will keep working with her at SEE TECH or forming our own consulting business. I will now permanently relocate to Charleston if you want me."

Anna Lee had six inches in height, as well as a few pounds on Mary Beth, so she easily picked Mary Beth up and moved inside before flinging them both on the bed. They were all over each other for nearly thirty minutes of passionate kissing and playing booty/boob games before cooling off.

Anna Lee tenderly kissed Mary Beth, proclaiming, "This is the absolute best day in my life, holding you in my arms and you committing to love our twin girls. We will most likely encounter intense opposition to getting full custody and later adopting Krista and Kara. Still, we can absolutely succeed in working together as a loving couple. Let's lower the heat for now since we will soon return to the Resort to be there when the twins awaken in the morning."

Anna Lee continued with a wicked grin, "I am claiming you as mine on our first free Friday in Charleston. We will party at A Quiet Lady's Place, EXTV's favorite restaurant and lounge. I have never been there before, so we will enjoy it together on our first visit."

Mary Beth's squealed loudly, "We belong to each other and the twins from This Moment On!"

***

Later that night, after washing up and changing to their PJs, Anna Lee and Mary Beth quietly climbed on sleep-pallets next to Krista and Kara. They both quickly drifted into a peaceful and contented sleep.

Anna Lee gently woke Krista with soft cooing kisses, while Mary Beth did likewise with Kara. Both girls giggled in surprise as they were awakened, Krista quickly hugging Anna Lee. Kara hesitated a moment before also throwing herself into Mary Beth's arms. The twins were in mommy heaven crawling all over mom-Lee and their new mom-Beth.

They slowly eased the twins out of bed, cleaned them up, and then went over to the breakfast buffet, which would start serving soon. It was not an easy task since Krista and Kara were all juiced up, with each having their own mom to hang onto.

Rach and Kelly usually taught and entertained the preschoolers in Studycation on Tybee. This year, Anna Lee offered to help them since more younger children joined the MINI group every year. Now that Mary Beth was also staying at the Resort for the remainder of Studycation6-MINI, she would also help teach the MINI group.

Anna Lee, Mary Beth, Krista, and Kara were having so much fun on Tybee that time seemed to fly, and it was now day 10 of Studycation-6. Anna Lee routinely phoned Marion on alternate days, checking in and updating her on the twins' activities/health. She finished her update on the past two days, followed by a quick summary of what had transpired since she and the twins arrived on Tybee. She primarily focused on the past seven days after Mary Beth arrived from Seattle.

Anna Lee then concluded her update saying, "Mary Beth and I have discussed becoming a couple in-depth. After returning to Charleston in five days, we plan to immediately apply to become Krista and Kara's Foster Parents. Additionally, we want the twins to live with us in Charleston while we work out the details with the Columbia Foster Care Service. Our ultimate intent is to marry and adopt Krista and Kara within two years."

There was a foreboding silence after Anna Lee's last point. Then Marion responded, "The two of you taking the girls in as foster children present a real issue. I will do some investigating while also alerting Pastor James, as well as Eva, of your and Mary Beth's intentions."

Anna Lee was very hurt by Marion's comment, which she did not understand. She said, "The twin girls are now living in substandard housing conditions without a family. What's so wrong with Mary Beth and me giving them a loving home?"

Marion replied, "I have to be blunt. The people responsible for approving your request would see you and Mary Beth as two single women or a lesbian couple. In either case, that would disqualify both you and Mary Beth based on the foster care services rules."

Anna Lee replied, "I understand your comments on our requesting custody of the twins, but we promised Krista and Kara to protect them. We will not accept the foster care service's groups' probable denial. Krista and Kara deserve happy lives with abundant joy and love. We will fulfill our promise to them without fail."

Mary Beth got real teary during Anna Lee's conversation with Marion. She was absolutely sure she would stand strong for Kara and Krista. She had just decided to call Trez and Sarah, informing them about this issue, when Anna Lee's phone rang. A breathless Marion James said, "I just received a return phone call from the Columbia Foster Care Service administrator. They are demanding the twins be returned to their office within twenty-four hours."

Anna Lee screamed, "What!" She started sobbing, asking herself, "Why is this all happening now?"

Mary Beth quickly phoned Trez and Sarah, boohooing wildly about what just happened with the twins. Trez tried to calm Mary Beth down while Sarah was contacting '2' by phone.

Two hours later, The Law Firm's office phoned Anna Lee, saying, "Do not give the twins up to anyone before Attorney '2' meets with the four of you. Hide out for a few days if you must, possibly somewhere near Tybee or Savannah, right after the Studycation6-MINI finishes. Do not cross the state line into South Carolina for any reason before clearing it with Attorney '2'.

"The Law Firm's understanding from Trez and Sarah is that you two, specifically, Anna Lee, have documented legal custody of the twin girls until forty-eight hours after Studycation6-MINI ends on Tybee, Island. That gives us a five-day window to work on protecting Krista and Kara for the short term. At the same time, Attorney '2' will pursue a permanent custody resolution.

"Once Attorney '2' gives the all-clear, please drive to Charleston the next morning without stopping for any reason. When the four of you arrive in Charleston County, do not re-cross any county lines until approved by Attorney '2' or her Law Firm representative.

"Attorney '2' and Jai departed the Law Firm for Charleston approximately thirty minutes ago. Their first stop will be at the foster care service house in Columbia. She will keep you, and Mary Beth updated on this mobile number, and she also has Mary Beth's mobile number."

After their emotions had settled somewhat, Anna Lee asked Pam and Jenny to watch the MINI group, as she and Mary Beth needed to talk with Rach and Kelly.

Krista and Kara were just having a fantastic time at Studycation6-MINI, playing and learning with all the other children. They were completely unaware of the unfolding drama facing moms-Lee and Beth, who were trying their best to protect them.

Rach poured them all a glass of Cabernet, asking, "What is the problem?"

Anna Lee repeated her entire life history since meeting Krista and Kara in Columbia, SC, nearly six weeks ago and now their current dilemma. She went on, saying, "The twins are pretty fragile and vulnerable to any major disruption at this time. They have enjoyed living in a stable and loving environment for the past five weeks.

"Mary Beth's arrival on Tybee was a magical moment for Kara, who instantly claimed her as mom-Beth. The twins are now fully opening up emotionally with us. I am scared that Krista and Kara's recent gains will rapidly regress or maybe even completely shut down if they are abruptly tossed back into the foster care service house."

Mary Beth jumped in and added that she and Trez had resigned their jobs at SEE TECH since neither would agree to relocate to Seattle. However, SEE TECH had not yet officially accepted their resignations. Mary Beth will be based in Charleston. They will be in a consultant partnership or remain employed by SEE TECH. Money will not be an immediate problem for them since SEE TECH must pay out $500,000USD to Mary Beth for breaching her contract by prematurely closing the East Coast office.

Anna Lee added, "Mary Beth and I are now in a committed personal relationship and will share a rental townhouse in Charleston. My bank account is also flush, as I have wisely invested 75% of my total EXTV bonuses since 2021, with the other 25% gifted to specific WCCC's youth programs. Also, I was recently promoted to EXTV's Marketing Director, almost doubling my annual salary.

"Eva had previously offered me the rental of her eight-room townhouse when Eva and Clancy's family moved into their newly constructed home. She offered me a great rental price of paying the annual property taxes and the monthly maintenance and utility bills. With eight rooms, the townhouse was initially too large for me alone but will now be the perfect size for the four of us.

Anna Lee continued, "We are here asking for a huge personal favor of you. It may be somewhat illegal, but our advice is from '2', who is en route to Charleston with Jai, is as follows ..."

She gave Rach and Kelly an overview of the problem of protecting the twins until they can meet with '2' and that '2's' Law Firm told them to hide out for a few days after the Studycation6-MINI finished. Anna Lee added, "We are completely legal with Krista and Kara until 48 hours after it ends. The Law Firm also said it would be best to stay somewhere in the Tybee/Savannah area until '2' gives us the okay to return to Charleston."

"Do you have or know of a fairly remote and safe place we can stay for up to a week?" queried Anna Lee. "We would slip out of the Resort on the evening of day 13, realizing we will miss some festivities. However, we think the foster care service may be spying on us. They approved my bringing Krista and Kara to Studycation-6, so they know we are at the Resort."

Mary Beth added, "Something smells with this entire situation. The foster service administrator met Anna Lee when visiting Columbia with First Lady Marion to inspect the Summer Splash site. She requested his approval to order a KFC lunch spread for the foster children and staff. He also knows the twins have already been with Anna Lee for nearly six weeks, so why would she now be unfit as a foster mom for the twins?