Eta Carinae Pt. 11

"I have a question for you," I said.

"Sure."

"If we were not in the dynamic that we are in, would you want to hang out with me? Or did you think you were being stuck with a little brother?" I asked.

He was wearing tortoise shell Ray-Bans and he slid them down to look over the top.

"Paige said that you were straightforward, so I'm going to assume you want a straight answer! When I spoke to Paige and she mentioned your age, I was a bit apprehensive. After we had dinner at your place, I have to admit I was a bit impressed. What sealed the deal was fishing! You demonstrated good seamanship, the boat was squared away with all the appropriate safety equipment! I thought that if I did go over, you could get me back: alive! When we fished, you knew when to talk and when to fish! So, to answer your question, yes. I would hang out with you and I think we have the makings for a good friendship!" He revealed as he flipped his lure into a promising undercut in the bank.

"Cool!" I stuck my fist out and we bumped knuckles. Back to fishing.

I maneuvered the boat up through the narrowing slough system. The reed islands were becoming closer together. There's a whole slough system called 'False Slough' and for good reason! I marked waypoints at every turn. Darrell fixed the GPS. The antenna wasn't connected! He kicked himself for missing it in the first place. The sun was getting high in the sky. We were all hungry and thirsty. We tied off on a grove of trees growing at the edge of the slough. The branches arced over the water that formed a perfect shade. We took off our hats and sunglasses. The stern had 4 comfortable seats with a pedestal table that was set up in a flush mount on the deck. I opened up our cooler and began removing plastic food storage containers. I described what I had brought in detail. They brought a sourdough round loaf of sourdough and we had a long loaf.

"You know who you remind me of?" Paige probed as she ate a piece of cheddar. I slumped.

"I am certain I am going to regret this........who? Correction; whom? Felix Unger, Sheldon?"

"Maura Isles. You know, the Boston cop show." Once again, that impish grin of hers. Waiting to see what I'll do! I thought about it for a minute.

"Sasha Alexander, yeah, I could be her. She's smart, an excellent scientist, and very fit. I really like how she moves. She also has a passion for wearing 5-inch heels!" Mac and 'saluted' with our beer bottles.

"She can be a bit 'chirpy' and 'tweeky'!" I continued, taking a swallow of beer.

"And you're not chirpy and tweeky?"

"I might acknowledge tweeky. I have never been chirpy!" In an animated fashion! Paige smiled.

It was getting warmer and Mac stood to change his shirt. He pulled off the T-shirt he was wearing. He had ink.

"Stop! Let me read your story, so to speak." He knelt down. On his right shoulder blade a large, three-quarter profile of an obvious Celtic warrior, holding a long sword that extended out of the circle. Around that was a knotted circle, an equal beam cross. The piece was huge, about 12 by 15 inches! What stood out was the color, shading, and intensity!

"Dude, this is really gorgeous! I've never seen work like this!" I exclaimed.

"It was done in the Japanese Irezumi style; hand sticking. The ink is inserted at an angle, so color depth, intensity, etc. is much deeper than normal. The guy that did this apprenticed 6 years before he touched a client. Very talented dude!"

"Yeah, I can see that! How long?" I asked as I looked.

He blew out a breath. "I don't know, maybe 28 hours? It did hurt, to a degree. Some of the shading was completed with a machine. That hurt!"

"So, who is he?" Elaine asked.

"MacDonald, Lord of the Isles. The Champion Eternal! Throw Cu Chulainn, Brian Boru, and maybe Naill of the Nine Hostages in the mix too. The Celtic 'Hero of a Thousand Faces'." He said.

"That's really cool! I think we'll have to talk sometime." I commented.

Just outside of the circle was the head of a bear, a salmon, a stag, and an eagle. The background of the whole tattoo was a white-yellow, yellow, to orange, rising sun.

"The animals?"

"My 'familiars', power animals, so to speak." He answered. I picked up the camera and took some good shots! I wish I had my other lens. Make a note.

The left shoulder had a straightedge Greek Hoplite shield, on top of 2 Dory spears. On top of the shield was a Corinthian helmet. Below it was a list of about a dozen names.

"What's written in Greek?" I asked.

"On your feet, or on your shield! These are guys I lost. The way I figure it, the only way we really 'die' is being forgotten. My friends will not be forgotten!" He said with a very serious look on his face. I gave him a slight nod.

We talked for a while. The conversation lulled for a long pause and Mac broke the silence.

"Have you two thought about what the next step is?"

I thought for a long minute.

"Well, according to the latest polls, I'm white, male, and straight. So therefore, I am a patriarchal, misogynistic, homophobic, racist bigot. I am not wanted here! It's been expressed to me in very eloquent terms!"

"Well, you're seriously fucked up, dude!" Paige observed smiling.

"I do have a retort for all the 'package' labeling."

"Please, carry on," Mac interjected.

"I'll address each point in turn. I am a white male. No denying that. I am also a man. What makes me a man is different from being male. That's a different discussion. Now, being patriarchal. Me holding 'sway' over women, because of my sex, doesn't compute in my world! All but a few of the women I was surrounded with were incredibly strong! They've earned and demand respect! Growing up, I watched closely how she and her five-inch pumps climbed over those who thought she wouldn't fight!" I explained. I took a swig of beer.

"As for what the difference between man and woman is, I think the core aspects are identical. A person of moral fiber and ethics. Something else, before womanhood goes off on men about how they're treated, I think they need to take a hard look at themselves. Specifically, how women view and treat themselves and each other! I see how women look at each other, the vitriolic stares. Or, how about porn sites with homemade videos of 'My whore wife gets her greedy holes filled!'. As for being a bigot and a racist, I'll have to ask Manny and Rosie! Now, for the last couple of points, concerning the 'alphabet soup' groups. Whatever two people do behind closed doors, as long as it doesn't include kids, have at it! I am not phobic; I don't fear gays or anything else. I don't want it in my life. And that's a choice that I have!" I concluded.

"I like it! A bit idealistic and I think the 'logic' is going to trip you up, but very good!" Mac said with a nod.

"My company has decided to move west coast operations to Colorado Springs. The tax base for the City and California is not sustainable. That will be a loss of around ten-thousand jobs!" Elaine said after a few moments.

I gave her a confused look. First I'd heard of it. I picked up that we'll talk later. "How about you two?" I asked.

"Well, we're going to talk. A number of variables to consider. One is her and I not being too far apart. That's gone on for too long!" Mac replied.

"Maybe we might consider looking for that something together," Elaine suggested. "After all, our relationships are rather unique and not understood by society as a whole!" She continued.

"Or by us, for that matter!" Paige gibed. We all had a good laugh.

"So what do we call ourselves?" Mac thought out loud.

"Fantastic Four has been taken," I said, cutting a piece of cheese.

"The 'circle' sounds sort of lame." Added Elaine.

"A fellowship! We share a common bond and goal." Paige verbalized unconsciously.

"Yeah, I like it. What are we a fellowship of?" I responded.

We all were silent for a long moment.

"It seems that the common thread with both of our relationships is DNA." Mac observed.

"How about 'The Fellowship of the Helix'?" Elaine offered. We looked at each other.

"Fellowship of the Helix it is!" I said and we toasted.

"I think we'll need a 'sigil'." I said, swallowing my beer.

"All in favor of making David keeper of the sigil, say 'aye'!" Paige pronounced. Unanimous 'aye'. This is weird!

"You got it, baby! We want to see good work too!" Paige said, pinching my cheek. I just looked at her

It was moving toward 2 o'clock and it was getting hot! We decided to call it a day and cruise back to the launch. It had been a great day on the delta! The drive back was easy. We dropped off Mac and Paige, then drove back to San Rafael to put the boat in storage. Fortunately, this will be the last time.

*****

The next week I busied myself with coming up with our sigil. I used Inkscape to create the artwork. I figured we might have made cups, so I decided on an SVG image. I found a Celtic knot work circle that fit. After racking my brain and surfing a number of abstract topics, I landed on something. I found the symbol of the Druidic Order. Yep, the Druids are alive and well in Britain! I didn't find a copyright, so I used it. I found a four-segment 'ladder' piece of DNA and the plant clan badge for MacDonald and Campbell of Cawdor. Cawdor is the origin of Caulder. I put the two plant sprigs on top, the Druid symbol in the middle and the DNA splice on a curve that matched the circle. I put Societas on top and Helix on the bottom of the outside of the circle. I liked it! I sent the image out to everyone and awaited feedback. Paige was the only one with a suggestion. She found a Celtic circle she liked better and wanted a more Gaelic typeface. I did the edits and got the nod. Now, what to do with it?

That Friday, Elaine did a 'work from home'. I plan all my chores and errands on all the weekdays, so we can have the weekends together. I worked on a Fiverr project in the morning and then after lunch, I went to the market for the weekend eats. All my shopping stops are in a ten-block radius so I can use my bike and knapsack. I left around 1 o'clock and returned at four or so. There were lines, traffic, and asshole people; a normal shopping trip. I don't feel like a hunter-gatherer much! I returned home and opened the front door. I immediately caught the 'scent'; Emeraude! My woman wants to play!

My last take away from our 'coupling' was the feeling of having the male Sex Magik, as it is spoken of in some circles. I found my sexual sword. It's something to be used carefully! I said hello and darted to the kitchen to put away the food. As I was doing so, I wanted to be 'cool', no matter what the situation was. I wanted to put away the 'boy', the young man part of me. It's time! I don't know about other guys, but I didn't have any idea about how to be suave, smooth, and maybe unflappable. I thought about Mac. Nothing seems to shake him up! Always with something witty and clever. Maybe he's a good start.

I finished with the food and shot around the back hallway. I passed by the main room, where she was sitting, and said I was taking a shower. I did a quick, but close shave. Good mouth maintenance, combed hair, trimmed nails, checked nose hair, I'm ready to rock! I put on a pair of black pleated dress trousers that hung just right. With that, a nice white shirt that she bought me. I had on a pair of 'ass floss' shorts. The things we do for love! I felt and looked put together. Time to dance!

I walked into the main room and Elaine was sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. There was an empty glass sitting on the service tray. I walked over.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked casually and nonchalantly.

"Yes actually. I'm waiting for my boyfriend." She said, immediately playing the 'game'.

"May I sit with you until he arrives?" I said innocently.

She paused and looked at me. Her eye makeup 'theme' was a teal-aqua and what she did with it was off the hook, though more subdued than usual.

"Please! I'll enjoy the company!" She said with the slightest of smiles.

"He won't be jealous or angry, will he?"

"Of course not! My partner trusts me implicitly" She returned.

"Sounds like quite a guy!" I said, taking my time sitting.

I poured myself a glass of wine and freshened her glass. I took a moment to take in what she chose to wear this evening. She had on a white, '40s style dressing gown, that went to her mid-calf. It was a gauzy, see-through material, the stuff that you're just able to see what was underneath! She had on a pair of white stockings with white leather pumps. The rest I'll have to wait for. I love unwrapping gifts!

"You look quite svelte this evening! Is there a special occasion with your partner?" I asked, moving a bit closer.

"Nothing in particular. I just want his attention." She said with a side-eye.

"What would you do with it, if you had it?" I asked, looking over my wine glass.

"I would entice him with passion, and sensuality! I'll fulfill his deepest desires." She whispered, turning slightly.

"I'm beginning to think he might not show! What would you think if I entertained you tonight?" I said, looking into her eyes.

"I would say that's rather forward! Do you think you could fill his shoes?" She shot back.

"Probably not. I'll just bring a whole new set of shoes to the dance!" I said as I stroked her cheek.

"So, where is this guy of yours? I wouldn't want all of this to go to waste!" I followed on, running my fingertips down her arm. She shivered. Before she could respond, I leaned over her face, leaned forward, and turned my head. She turned to meet my mouth.

"I'm not easy you know!" She said in a faint whisper.

"You are far too complex and mysterious to be 'easy', my love," I said as I gently bit her lower lip. I wouldn't let her pull away, so she pressed forward. Our kisses speak paragraphs! She started to stand. "I want to dance."

Once again, Peggy Lee's sultry voice singing Fever filled the room. I took her in my hand, and we ended in an embrace, swaying to the music. Elaine unbuttoned my shirt, in a very sultry fashion. Off it came on the back of the sectional. I pulled the bow loose on the satin tie around her waist. I stood behind her and slid off the dressing gown, laying it down. She had on a beautiful, sexy bra! The top half of the cup was a see-through lace and the bottom was white satin. Of course, her enormous nipples were pushing prominently into the fabric! We danced a bit more and I found my trousers falling on the floor. Her bra had a back closure that I defeated rather quickly! Elaine suddenly saw the bra straps moving down her arms and at me agape! I couldn't help but grin. I felt as if the white of her lingerie had shifted a dynamic between us! Maybe I'm just seeing another facet of myself.

I leaned over, hooked my forearms under her thighs, and lifted her in a 'curl'. She laced her fingers behind my head and I walked with her into the bedroom. I pressed her against the wall and began kissing her neck and shoulder. Elaine took a hold of my nipples and began her strega ways with them!

"This is so not fair!" I grunted.

"Yeah, I know." She whispered back, tweaking the very ends of my nipples. I finally put her down. She'd won! I walked her over to the bed and sat her down. I slipped off the shorts I was wearing and stepped forward. My cock was hard, very hard! I pressed myself forward, placing the head of my dick on her lips. She looked up at me and took the shaft completely in her mouth. She then turned me and pushed me down on the bed, holding me in her mouth.

She proceeded with the most unbelievable blow job ever! I was getting close to orgasm and Elaine slowed down and moved off me. Not to tease, but to make the evening last a bit longer. I reached into my drawer and produced the frenulum ring.

"You're rather fond of that ring?" She observed.

"I like the results! The butt stuff was fun, but this gives me 'range'!" I said slipping it on.

"I'm able to ride the wave with you. Now, you need to lay back." I directed.

"I do?" She replied coyly.

"Oh yes!" She did so.

"Now, slip your hands behind your knees and pull up and out."

"Like this?" She said as she pulled her knees back and placed her arms in front of her thighs. That had to be one of the most erotic sights ever! She began to lightly touch her pussy and looked at me in a most inviting way.

"I need attention." She pouted.

I laid down on the bed and inched my way toward her. Her scent, combined with the perfume moves something deep in me. Maybe I am part animal! My face ended up in the same place it always does, her pussy! I started by kissing the pubic mound. She responded by pulling her thighs back further. Breaking with my usual routine, my tongue found her clit. It was very swollen and wet! I always begin with her clitoral hood and not the clit itself. She's too sensitive! I was inspired and took her wand vibrator out of the nightstand drawer. I turned it on to a medium setting and pressed into her vagina. As I did, I worked my tongue all over her clit hood. She was writhing in pleasure! She came a couple of times and I decided to dial back the vibrator. I reached that point to where I had to be inside her! Pushing everything else out of the way, I mounted her like a man possessed! No matter how excited I become, I always slide in slowly and savor the experience. Everything else is a matter of course. How do these things happen?

*****

Manny sent me an email concerning his cousin's new bar restaurant in Pacifica. Luis, his cousin, just opened a place and was sending out invites for this huge grand opening. I followed up with a phone call and Manny gave me the 411. Luis's idea was an eatery, and cigar bar that was similar to those found in Vera Cruz. The theme was much more Carribean than what would typically be 'Mexican'. The food, culture, dress, etc. is tied closely to the Maya-Aztec cultures. The place looked like fun! The big event was on the coming weekend.

Mac and Paige met us at our house early Saturday and we took the truck down the coast to Pacifica. Pacifica is a sleepy community on the peninsula and tends to be a tourist magnet. The drive down Highway 1 was initially foggy. By the time we got to Rockaway Beach, just south of Pacifica, the sun had burned the fog into a light haze. Luis's place was on the Boardwalk. There were a number of overpriced shops, the women wanted to poke through. We went into some consignment shop that had a ton of kitschy, '50's looking stuff. Mac and I split off and wandered down the kitchen aisle. Mac found one of those old hand crank egg beaters. He looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. He walked around the corner where the girls were and I heard Paige yelp, then say something in Scots or Gaelic; who knows!

"I guess she didn't think it was much of a sex toy!" He said, turning the corner.

"No sense of humor" I laughed.

"Women!" He said under his breath.

We continued looking and I found a guitar. It was old, cheap, had a warped neck, the frets hung off like a saw and there were only 4 strings. Perfect. I put my foot up on a lower shelf and strummed a dissonant, cringing chord.

"I gave my love a cherry, that had no stone...." I sang, affecting a baritone voice.

A hand grabbed the neck, it was Elaine's. I looked at her.

"I'm self-taught, you know!" I said with a Cheshire grin.

"Why don't you two go out and sit in the sun!" She kissed me on the cheek.

Mac and I shrugged then left. We picked up a coffee from the Cafe next door and sat down on one of the benches. Mac put on his Ray-Ban's and looked at me.

"Superior female vision!" I couldn't help but grin.

"California girl watchin' in the summertime! Doesn't get much better!" He said, scanning the scenery.

"Ummm, I heard they're trying to make it illegal."