Candy's Fashion House Ch. 16

Her wet face rubbed on mine. "It's OK , it was meant to be. It's the only way I can accept it. You two are meant to be together. Never forget that." We hugged tightly ignoring the myriad of eyes glaring judgementally at us.

They returned to the table and Brent tried to get some conversation going but it was frosty.

He grumbled aiming his ire at me. "Come on Kelli can we at least try to be friends?"

I glared at him and all I felt was anger. "Let me ask you a question Brent and I need you to be completely honest with me."

He nodded, "Yeah alright fire away, what's the question?"

"Why do you think it is OK to seduce my wife right here in front of me? Don't you care how it makes me feel? You certainly don't respect our marriage that's for sure."

He looked back and forth between the girls and me. He didn't say anything he just sat there.

"You see Brent, that's why I don't like you. You have no respect."

He wouldn't speak. "So let me ask you another question Brent? You say you want to be friends. Would you dance with your male friends wives like you just did with Lauren?"

He was fidgeting around and looked guilty and uncomfortable. "No I suppose not."

"So if that's the case, why would you think it's OK to do it to me?"

He was stuttering and stumbling with his words. "Um I don't really know what to say Kelli. I never meant to disrespect you I thought that seeing as how you guys have an open marriage it would be OK."

"What," I barked. "Why the hell would you think that?" My anger was overwhelming. I was struggling to hold myself in check. "So you just thought because we are all women that the value of our relationship is less significant than if we were man and a woman?"

He started looking nervously from Lauren to Alecia and then back at me. "No Kelli you have got it all wrong. Lauren and I have been out on a couple of dates and she inferred that you guys might all be up for it, you know a foursome."

I glared questioningly at Lauren and she clasped her head in her hands and wouldn't look at me.

Alecia was shaking her head. Her voice was as cold as ice. "Brent I think you need to leave right now."

He looked around. "Girls please, I didn't mean to say anything out of place and I didn't mean to start any trouble."

He tried to get Lauren to talk to him but she was not talking. She was just staring at the table.

We went outside and called a cab, nothing was said all the way home.

When we did get home Lauren ran straight up to bed.

Alecia hugged me. "It's going to be alright babes, take a deep breath and breathe."

We found Lauren curled up in the foetal position on the bed crying.

Alecia snuggled up behind her just wrapping her arms and legs around her. They lay there for ages just lying there until Lauren had got control. "Lauren what's going on," Alecia whispered?

Lauren started to sniffle. "I am sorry; I can't tell you how sorry I am. Lately I have been so mixed up and I have been feeling so confused."

I needed to know what was happening. "Just tell us what the hell is going on. You have been going out with Brent we know that, I don't know if you had sex or not but please just be honest with us."

"I can't, baby please can we just leave it, I haven't had sex with Brent, we just went out a couple of times for lunch, yes we flirted and I sort of said some things to him but I haven't done anything."

Alecia was holding Lauren in a tight embrace and rocked her gently like a mother with a baby.

I was struggling to hold it together. "Lauren you're not being honest, what's been going on with you and Brent".

Lauren was shaking her head from side to side; I had never seen her look so nervous. "I am begging you can we please just leave it."

"Lauren you are scaring me what's going on?"

She burst into full blown hysterics. "No I can't you will hate me."

"I don't hate you but you are making me nervous, are you and Brent in love?"

She screamed, "No! God no, that's not what this is about!"

"Well then what the hell's going on, what's this all about?" She couldn't look me in the eyes. "Come on you may as well spit it out." I barked.

She had buried her head in her hands trying to block us out. "Oh shit, sometimes I...I... Shit sometimes I just need a man! Sometimes I just crave a man's attention, his smell, the feel of his stubble when we kiss, his rough hands."

I was dumbfounded. You could have knocked me down with a feather. "What do you mean Lauren?"

"Oh god please leave me alone. I don't mean to hurt you, it's just everything has been so girly around here lately and I just needed to be around a man. Sometimes I just need a man. She was bawling her eyes out, her body trembling."

"For fuck sake Lauren I was a man, you made me do this, I was a fucking man! Oh my god, you turned me into a woman and told me it's what you wanted. Now you tell me you need a man." I felt betrayed, angry and bitter. "What the fuck am I meant to do now, fuck you waited until I couldn't go back and then you spring this on me."

"I know, I know," she cried as she was reaching out for me. "I don't want to hurt you Kelli. I love you. God you are beautiful and sexy, she turned quickly to Alecia, tell her baby isn't she beautiful?"

Alecia nodded coldly. "Of course she is."

I could see the hurt on Alecia's face. She was hurting as much as me. Realisation spread across Lauren's face as well. "Alecia baby I didn't mean that. I love you as well. I love you as much as I love Kelli."

I couldn't talk I was sitting there in dumb silence trying to figure out what to do. "Lauren, you tell me you want to spend eternity with me and you love me, I don't know what to think. On one hand you tell me you love me, on the other hand you tell me you need a man, I'm to girly for you?"

"Baby you aren't to girly for me I love you. I love Kelli, god you have completed me. The moment I saw you in those panty's I realised this was possible. The moment I saw you in makeup my heart flipped I was blown away. You were always meant to be a woman, Kelli is who you really are."

She looked anxiously at both Alecia and I, her eyes darting back and forth. "This is so hard to say but yes I sometimes have this desire to be with a man. Ever since Kelli appeared out of my fantasy I realised that we would become girlfriends and we could share a man, that way we could still be together but also be with a man. It would be the best of both worlds."

Alecia cried. "What about me Lauren, what about me."

"Alecia baby I always wanted you to be part of this. I thought once you became comfortable with Michael you would see the possibilities. Baby from the first time we all made love I saw you were really comfortable being with him. I knew that you might grow to like a little male intervention. This doesn't have to be a bad thing. It could be something we all do together."

"Lauren you scare me sometimes. How you can be so, so... So...So fucking stupid. Kelli is not a man. Yes I love being with her. Yes she has a penis but she was never a man. I told you I couldn't be with Michael. Kelli is as close to a man as I will ever get. God you can be so self-centred sometimes."

It developed into a full blown fight Alecia was angry, I was angry.

Lauren didn't know which way to turn. Our house isn't that big and there is only a small amount of space, once three people start to fight there is nowhere to hide. I got up and went into the study for the night. I was lying there trying to clear my head. The tears were rolling down my face and I couldn't find the switch to stop them. I didn't want either of them to know how much this hurt me I swallowed them down and curled up into a tight ball and cried myself to sleep.

I woke in the morning with my resolve hardening with every step. I wasn't going to put up with her total disrespect. She was driving me crazy. She turned me into a woman and then tells me she needs a man. Well fuck that.

Alecia was the first one down, it turns out she slept in the spare room, she was as angry as me.

I was making coffee when she walked in behind me wrapping her arms around my waist. "Hey lover." she cooed with her velvety morning breath caressing my neck. "I am sorry for what happened last night. I don't know what to say, she is being crazy."

I turned in her arms and embraced her as I spoke. "What the hell am I supposed to do now Alecia? What the hell. This was all her idea not mine, she forced me to do this. Shit I don't know what to do"

"Relax that's the first thing. We can work it out, I am as angry as you. I never wanted any of this. Don't get me wrong I love and adore you, but if you weren't so fucking gorgeous I wouldn't be here. Babes, you are a gorgeous strong powerful woman. You have to put this behind you. That's what I am going to try to do."

When Lauren came down she sulked around and we all tried as hard as possible to stay out of each other's way. It was easy for me; I jumped on the bike and went for a ride. As always it did help to clear my head and I felt a little more relaxed by the time I got home.

As I took my gear off and wandered into the house they were cuddled up all lovey dovey on the sofa. When they saw me walk in Alecia signalled for me to come and join them. She is a lot more forgiving than me that's for sure.

I shook my head. "I am going to shower and change."

She looked disappointed but didn't argue.

I took my time in the shower enjoying the needle points of the massage jet beating against my tense muscles. As I walked down into the lounge they were making out, not just petting and kissing, Lauren was laying on top of Alecia and their legs were intertwined and they were rubbing and humping each other, their moans and whimpers proof of the fact they were both enjoying it. I turned and went back up to the study and focused on my investment portfolio. I channelled all my energy into working and studying. I had the door shut and some music playing so I didn't hear them from the lounge.

I don't know how much later it was but there was a tap at the door and Alecia popped her head in. "Babes we are going to bed if you want to join us." She was smiling, "come on babes we can make this right."

I shook my head, "No thanks you have fun, I will be sleeping in here tonight."

She shook her head. "Don't be silly, come to bed, you can't hold this against me. I didn't do anything wrong. Come on honey it's probably going to be noisy, you won't get any sleep anyway!"

I repeated my refusal. "No you do what you feel comfortable with. If you are comfortable with her cheating and lying well so be it."

After she closed the door and I gave them some time I went down to the kitchen and cooked myself some dinner, I decided to go with macaroni and cheese. I had it in the oven and was relaxing with a beer in the lounge when Alecia came down. "Wow that smells so good babes I could smell it all the way up in the bedroom, is there enough for me as well?"

I nodded. "Yeah of course." I am never able to cook just for myself.

She disappeared back up the stairs and she came back down with Lauren hand in hand.

I dished up the dinner and called them into the dining room.

We sat in silence eating and staring around the table at each other.

Alecia eventually broke the silence. "Kelli, why don't you come to bed with us tonight? We miss you, there's too much space in that bed without you taking up all the real-estate."

I shook my head. "Thanks but no I can't, I think it might be to girly with me in there as well."

Lauren looked at me angrily. "That's not what I said, I just meant that the house is all... oh never mind, I don't want to fight. Dinner is lovely by the way."

Alecia interjected. "Please babes come to bed with us. We can still share a bed. Remember what they say about not going to bed angry."

"I said no Alecia and I mean it. I am afraid I feel too angry and I don't want to ruin your night. I am as mad as hell inside and my stomach is churning and I don't know what to do. I have just found out my wife thinks I am to girly and she needs a man, not a cross-dressed fucking freak she wants a man. A real man who makes her feel like a woman." I threw my fork down and stormed up the stairs and slammed the study door behind me.

I curled up on the bed and was sobbing my eyes out when the door opened and Alecia walked in pulling the door shut behind her. She climbed up on the bed and curled up tight behind me. "Hey babe you aren't a freak or a crossdresser, you are beautiful and kind. You are so sexy and amazing, we love you just the way you are. Lauren is just confused, I know this must be harder for you than us, but she is feeling confused as well. Never forget that we love you. We both do."

We both lay there cuddled together before she stood up. "Come to bed with us please, don't lie in here by yourself. We both want you with us."

I stayed in the study for the next few days; I was going to work early and coming home late trying to make sure I didn't have to deal with them.

Candy sensed that I was in trouble and we talked, she comforted me and gave me some advice. "Kelli you have undergone some huge changes. Michael was an introverted guy who never fitted in. He had no real friends and he was ridiculed and put down by the men around him. Now as Kelli you are this amazing sexy woman who has the world falling at her feet."

I wanted to say something but she shushed me.

"Sweetie all that matters is when you look in the mirror do you like what you see? Does seeing that sexy gorgeous woman looking back at you make you smile? If so it is the right decision. Lauren is probably trying to adjust as well. Then you throw Alecia into that mix and you are trying to fix a problem which has three sides rather than two. Alecia is probably just as angry as you. Just take time, be yourself."

I chuckled, "That's the problem Candy I don't know who I am anymore."

It came to a head after I spent the week avoiding them, Saturday there was no hiding, I did some laundry and they were wandering around the house. We kept bumping into each other. Finally Alecia cried. "Enough this has gone far enough. I love you both but I can't live like this. I can't handle the stress and tension." She grabbed both of our hands and tugged us into the dining room and made us sit down at the table.

"OK," she commanded. "We either sort this out right now or I leave. Lauren do you have any idea how much you hurt us."

Lauren was sitting quietly. "I know I screwed up, I screwed everything up. Kelli I love you I really do. I would never change any part of our journey. I look at you growing more beautiful every day and I thank my lucky stars that you found me and want me. Alecia is right I had no right to say the things I did I am sorry, but I don't know what to say to fix it."

"I can't believe you sometimes Lauren. You pushed me down this path. You made me dress like a woman because it's supposedly what you wanted. Now you want me to become a homosexual because you want me to try it. The world doesn't revolve around you. I am not having sex with men just to please you."

She couldn't answer she just stared at the floor.

Alecia tried to get the conversation going but Lauren and I just sat quietly.

Slowly as the day passed the anger dissolved into a thick murky tolerance, none of us prepared to budge.

Things seemed to rumble along from day to day we were getting by I guess is all you could say. We weren't fighting but we weren't loving either.

Work wise it became apparent that I was unable to keep up with the demands of running the business from the office by myself. Siobhan's role had grown and she couldn't help as much as she used to. So we decided to take on a PA slash girl Friday.

I ran the ad and we were inundated with applicants, we didn't get one or two we got hundreds.

The one that interested me the most was Maddison from Lauren's Firm. Her resume wasn't that good, in fact she had very little experience, however all I could think of was how hot she looked and it excited me to steal her from Lauren's firm.

I set up the interview and when she turned up she looked gorgeous, wow she was so sexy.

I asked all of the normal interview questions, but then I asked her to tell me why she applied, making sure she understood I wanted to know the real reason, I didn't want her to answer with things she thought I would want to hear, I wanted to see the real Maddison.

Her passion amazed me, it was like when Josh talked about architecture or Candy talked design. She was passionate and enthusiastic, and she was very familiar with our brand. She explained it was because Lauren talked endlessly about it at work. When she saw the advert she wanted in, she wanted to be part of something alive and bustling. She was sick if the hum drum legal world. She wanted to be on the edge of something thrilling and wonderful.

I hired her on the spot, I reinforced that this position was PA to me and I required her complete honestly and loyalty. I reinforced that Lauren and I didn't always see eye to eye on the company direction and I needed her to be on my side. She needed to forget her relationship with Lauren and focus on supporting me.

She smiled and agreed. We sealed the deal with a quick kiss.

The next night Lauren was a bit reserved at the dinner table and she mentioned that Maddison was leaving to work somewhere else. I innocently asked where and she said Maddison had been very secretive and didn't tell anyone where she was going. I decided that now wasn't the right time to tell her.

Things were tense at home mostly because I was still feeling the anger surrounding her seeing Brent behind my back. I don't know if it was just that or whether there was something else but she seemed incredibly withdrawn. Things had definitely been going downhill a little since the Brent incident and I got the feeling she wanted to see him again. The whole thing was twisted, and it was screwing with my head.

When she did eventually find out about Maddison working for us she flipped out, she went ballistic and I found myself sleeping in the spare room again.

Maddy turned out to be a real highlight, she was so full of brightness and enthusiasm, she worked hard and Candy and Siobhan loved her as much as I did. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone around the office and it was a lot brighter because of it.

Maddy was also deeply protective of me, even Lauren had to fight her way past her before she could get through. That turned out to be a godsend as things became tenser at home.

Lauren took some time to get used to the fact that Maddy was working with us. Every time I mentioned her name she got grumpy.

In the end I had to find out why it upset her so much.

She got all huffy. "OK tell me why you hired her? And remember I have seen her CV I know what she is like."

"I hired her because of her passion, once we sat down at her interview she knew everything about our company and she really understands fashion. Yes she would struggle at some places but she is perfect for us."

"So her looks didn't even come into it? The fact that she is gorgeous didn't come into it?"

I blushed, "Well I would be lying if I said otherwise. Why do you care? You want to go off and fuck Brent. Why shouldn't I have the same rights?"

"Fuck you Kelli. She was my confidante and my friend. Now she is gone and I have no one to talk to at work.

Lauren was grumpy and Alecia and I were giving her a wide berth most of the time. The only time she seemed to perk up was in the bedroom where she seemed to be hotter than ever.

One night against my better judgement I let them drag me off to a club. Once we got there Lauren dragged us out onto the dancefloor where she got right into it as always. Grinding and dry humping both Alecia and me. It didn't take long before we were surrounded by guys forcing their way in. Alecia pulled me in close and we danced tightly together. Lauren on the other hand danced and flirted up a storm with them. She was wilder than I had ever seen before, she was all over them, caressing and kissing them right in front of us, she was challenging me I could see it in her eyes. It came to a head when she and the guy she was dancing with came back to our table and they were kissing and cuddling, the guys hands were all over her boobs. Alecia could see the horrified look on my face and she hugged me. "Babes it's just some flirting and teasing. She is trying to push your buttons."