Fashion is Our Name Pt. 02

Nicole said, "Since Inish is going away with us today, I am joining the work crew this morning. But let's take a moment to organize the weekend. He will be happy if we do it. I have asked him to take us to a nice place for dinner Saturday night. A real date on his nickel. He can afford us, the lawyers have seen to that. But we have to have proper new dresses for a night in the city. Inish and I will shop tomorrow when we get to town and perhaps we will find something on approval for you, Vicky? On Sunday, he is taking us to a matinee stage performance. Between that, we need to find bedding and sleeping and some camping gear. I was lucky to get the real estate man to have a refrigerator installed today. For tonight and tomorrow night, the hotel has moved us to a suite. After that, we are on the floor in the building!"

Vicky and Inish hugged each other and giggled, "Camping in London, who would believe it!"

Chapter 6 - A Date in London

By one o'clock, the three of them were on the Kingham platform waiting for the London local. Adrian was doing his best to cope with what seemed an awful lot of luggage for one weekend. Nicole whispered in his ear, "You hush your complaints. Your French and English mistresses are accompanying you to London at your invitation. Do not forget that!"

The women did their best to look elegant. Hair up, very nice dresses, low heels and stockings, wafting perfume. He realized suddenly that she was right. What senior at his school would even imagine such an outing? He straightened up and tossed his long locks and gave them lusty looks. At the last minute he had grabbed his school blazer, which brought him to striking distance of the effect Nicole and Inish were having on the people waiting on the platform.

He asked, quietly, "Since I am obviously unfit to be your suitor, I guess I have to be someone's little brother?" He smiled and they laughed loudly, attracting attention. What the bystanders saw were two exceptionally attractive young women accompanied by an incredibly handsome, six foot, broad shouldered young man with auburn hair down to his collar, standing with a confident air waiting for the train. The three of them invited comment as to who was related to whom, if at all, since they did not share family resemblance. One middle aged woman said to her sister, "Must be cousins. I think that one girl works at the Inn."

His mind was full of delicious and risque stories about their journey. But he did want them to have time to shop, so suggested he take charge of getting the luggage to the hotel while they went independently to shop. As they settled on the train, he asked Nicole, "Do you need advice about quality women's stores?"

She patted his hand, "It's a good thing for you I have my own credit card. I spent half a day this week investigating shops. You will be pleased with your women when you see us tomorrow evening."

He smiled, leaned back and closed his eyes. Inish elbowed him in the ribs. "We are having too much fun." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it, his eyes still closed. "Dearest Inish, you are the fairest maid of all..."

She kissed him on the cheek, "You stop that nonsense, you handsome brute. You are just trying to..."

Nicole whispered, "You can't use that line on him, he's already had both of us."

"Why can't we just push him to the floor and beat him?"

"For a little while longer, and especially not until after we have been to his fancy restaurant tomorrow night, we have to be proper ladies."

He squeezed her hand, "You could pretend your brother just made an outrageous schoolboy remark and slap my face."

"You are outrageous, but I'm not hitting you in public."

He kept his eyes closed and chuckled to himself. The two old ladies across the aisle couldn't understand the cascade of giggles that ran through them nearly all the way to Paddington station.

After two trips in the lift to get the luggage up to the suite on the top floor, he was sweating. He changed to a windbreaker and jeans and ran out to visit an outdoor store, which required a half hour ride on the Tube. He'd never been to such a place before, and was overwhelmed with the array of goods and supplies for almost any outdoor activity you could imagine. He located two large blow up mattresses with pumps and pillows and a protective cloth. He bought the six inch variety and hoped that was sufficient for his princesses. He splurged on a giant down duvet with a pastel wildflower design. There was a nice propane stove with a stack of cylinders nearby. He bought several pairs of wool hiking socks in his and women's sizes to wear around the chilly building. Two folding aluminum tables would do nicely to cook on for the moment. Several LED headlamps would handle reading in bed. Going to the checkout, he noticed a camouflage jacket and decided that would help his image. Along with a floppy campaign hat in camo colors and some very dark glacier glasses.

With the new jacket on, weighted down with several enormous sacks, he was quite a sight in the subway and in the hotel lobby. Once the woman at the desk recognized him, she had a great laughing fit. "Adrian, you are an absolute scream. Wait until the ladies see you. They just came back ten minutes ago."

He went on up and used his passcard quietly. He had trouble seeing through the glacier glasses inside, but he did glimpse Inish in her underwear go shrieking into the bathroom, and Nicole looking like she needed to repel boarders.

"That wasn't fair! You scared the devil out of us."

He drew himself up as tall as he could, replaced the glasses, and said, "Me Great White Hunter. You now my slaves."

In their underwear, two gorgeous women pounded on his camouflage. He picked them up around the waist and threw them into the middle of the bed and leaned on them. Their struggles were delightful.

"Be careful, or I'll tell you stories of ritual skin carving in deepest Africa. Very bloody."

Nicole was pulling his hair. "No stories until you take us to the pub around the corner for a pint." Inish sat on his butt and made terrible threats on his person. The smell of aroused females was in the air.

Still laughing, they got into what passed for bohemian clothes and went off to the pub. Adrian was in black and had the glacier glasses on. He looked rakish. The women were acting like college girls and butting into him on the sidewalk.

His hands darted to forbidden places, causing more giggles. "Have you been into the dope again? We don't want to get picked up."

Luckily, the same dark table at the rear from the previous weekend was free and they piled in around it. After three beers arrived, Nicole said, "I will always sit here and keep glancing at the door for the assassins after hearing Adrian's story."

He smiled to himself and sipped his brew. The girls were laughing at him and making put down coed remarks. He really was on a date in the city with pretty girls. He stared and they asked what he was doing. "We are on a date and I have to steal a kiss."

"Oh, you are so young and foolish." But they leaned in for a kiss anyway. The waitress came up and recognized them. "Oh my, you have found another pretty girl. I don't have any chance left, do I?"

He stood, took her hand and kissed it. "They give me nothing but trouble. When do you get off work?"

She pushed him back in his place. "You be careful, or these two will be nasty and you won't get any!"

This got laughs and giggles and they gave her their orders.

Inish said to Nicole, "If he wants trouble...?"

"I'll tell you, he won't warm my bed tonight..."

He handed Inish his phone, "Give Vicky a quick call and say we are missing her and ask what train to meet."

Vicky was in the middle of serving dinner, but thanked them for the call and said she would be in at 11.

Nicole punched him lightly, "That was thoughtful. Maybe you don't have to sleep on the floor after all."

It began to drizzle as they left, and the three hurried to the hotel. In the room, the women wanted to see what was in his giant packages. He dragged out one of the folded and compressed mattresses. "This is for when you exile me to the floor." They pushed him down and sat on him, pulling more things out of the shopping bags. "Look at this. We are supposed to cook on that? Where are the pots?" He tickled them, "Make a list, I didn't dare invade the chef's space to buy pots."

He asked about the dresses. They humpfed and told him there had to be some girl secrets and he would find out tomorrow. They wanted to know what proper clothes he was wearing and what restaurant he was taking them to. He was silent about the clothes bag in the back of the closet, and the reservation that Tom Carruthers had helped him with.

Inish and Nicole put on the LED headlights and turned out the room lights. He started taking off their clothes. "These lights are for running naked through the forest on moonless nights."

They stood shining the narrow beams around the room as he got their bras and panties off. Nicole shone her lamp on Inish's pretty breasts and caught Adrian's hands creeping up. She said, "What if I'm huddling behind a tree and some forest creature grabs me? I would scream and faint dead away."

"I will always be there to catch you." His hands were on her front now. They threw the lamps on the floor and pushed him to the bed. "You heard what the waitress said, you aren't getting any tonight."

He had a hand in each crotch, rubbing hard. They were juicing on him. He sucked on the nipples he could reach. Suddenly he collapsed backward, eyes closed, hands motionless.

They sat there, waiting. He didn't move. They leaned down, "What's wrong?"

He said, "Come closer."

They lay on top of him and pulled up the bed quilt. He took a quiet kiss and ruffled their hair.

"He's being too nice. It's a trick."

It slowly dawned on them that, lying there with his two girls folded warmly into him, he had just gone to sleep. They played kissyface across his chest, sighed, and slept themselves.

The busy week extracted a full night's sleep. The sun was bright when bodies stirred. It was cosy under the quilt. His front was against Nicole's back, and she had Inish pressed into her. He wasn't even jabbing them with an erection. His hand maneuvered gently around her soft boobs. Inish said, "I can feel him molesting you back there."

"Yes, it's very nice."

Inish turned over and kissed both of them. "Adrian, your stories have got me thinking. We need to make Vicky think she is something special. What if she is our mother and has been trying to protect our virtue from you. Secretly, you have already had us, but we are pretending you haven't. You decide the mother must be seduced in order to get at the daughters."

Nicole laughed, "Inish, you tramp! He is going to have you kidnapped for sure. That is a terrific idea. We have to give Adrian pointers on seducing older women!"

They jumped up and ran to the bathroom. By the time he got there, they were in the shower, and there wasn't room for three, sadly. He settled for holding large bathtowels for them, and rubbing the bodies dry inside.

"Take a moment to make a list and we will go to a department store after breakfast."

It wasn't long before they found themselves in Selfridge's, only a few blocks away on the far side of Oxford St. He saw a big hit on his credit card coming. The prices were unbelievable. That seemed to be the definition of upscale. Nicole whispered to him, "Be thankful we aren't at Harrod's. That will do you for upscale. What about an oriental rug for the floor in the bedroom?"

He was imagining that in the enormous space of the second floor of the building when he realized she was laughing at him. He answered levelly, "That would improve on the ground cloth, wouldn't it?"

It was almost eleven and they decided to collect Vicky on the way back to the hotel. He slipped the cabbie twenty pounds and said he would be back directly.

The rendezvous was perfect, he arrived at the head of the track just as she trundled up with a very reasonable wheelie suitcase. He took charge of it and guided her to the cab. After she was in the rear, with Adrian on a jump seat in the middle of a big stack of bags, there was an explosion of high pitched giggles from the back seat. Vicky said, "What on earth have you bunch been up to?"

Inish started the charade. "Now mom, we've just been out for a little shopping. We do have to have things for the new place." She couldn't keep a straight face and dissolved in laughter, Nicole along with her. Vicky looked at him inquiringly over bodies and bags.

"Don't mind, mum, it will work out."

She mouthed at him, "Mum?"

He smiled and nodded. She frowned.

The cabbie got a very large tip in addition to the fare. The hotel doorman hustled their sacks inside to avoid the public spectacle. This time, it took three trips in the lift.

He opened the fridge and asked, "Soda or beer?"

Three beers and a soda. Right in character.

Vicky asked, "You are going to tell me what's going on?" There was a half smile on her pretty face, with its mature crow's feet around her green eyes. Her pixie nose still had a few freckles after all the years. He didn't know whether there were any serious men in her life after she left her husband. He said to himself there were lots of reasons to pursue older women.

The girls said, "You have to try the dress on, there is still time for alterations," and pulled her into the bedroom and closed the door. There were noises coming through but he couldn't understand. He made a show of stacking things in some order and wondered how all this was going to be transported to the new building. He called down to the bellman and asked about hiring a small commercial van. He was offered the services of an uncle who was in the drayage business and would be free on Sunday morning. Better, he thought. Things were coming together.

He knocked on the bedroom door, but loud shouts told him, "Not yet!" His stomach was rumbling and he said, "Lunch!"

In a few minutes, the three of them came out, smiling. Nicole said, "We've already done a few tucks and it is perfect. And no, you can't see it until later."

He said, "We are taking the Tube to the south side of the river for lunch and then going to the new building for an inspection. Wear your walking shoes."

With mother to supervise, the daughters were remarkably well behaved. He was amused, because a hovering male could not fail to detect a rising female tension. He decided the evening was going to be fine and made a quick call to provide the mandatory confirmation the restaurant required. "Yes, Mr. Compton, we will see you at seven."

He walked with Vicky as the girls skipped ahead. He noticed that Nicole was enjoying pretending she was twenty rather than thirty. And looked it too. He slipped his hand in Vicky's and said, "It is wonderful you are along. Don't worry about those two, they are having a good time and pretending they are just college girls."

"They are giving me fits with this mom stuff. I feel old enough anyway."

"You know what the story is? I am a notorious, guileful seducer of older naive women. They fall for me right and left. I have been pursuing the daughters with no luck, and they have told me to go after their terribly attractive, sexy mother."

She laughed, "I'm attractive, sexy and naive? It will take me a minute to get into role." He leaned into her with a kiss. "You are sexy as all get out, and not the least bit naive, I think."

They decided a return visit to the Tiger's Inn would be fine. There was even a selection of salads so they didn't fill up before the grand dinner. He asked Vicky, "Mrs. Sansome, are there any attractions you would like to visit while you are down with us?"

She gave him a hard stare about the form of address, and said, "Why, Adrian, it is kind of you to ask. Is there time to see a rug store or two? The carpets in the front room are in poor condition."

The girls were almost in giggles when they realized the carpets in the front room actually were in bad shape and a rug visit would be a good idea.

"Wonderful idea, mum," Inish said, chewing on some lettuce.

Yesterday's storm had cleared off and sunshine followed them to the building. Inish and Vicky were impressed by the dark caveness of the first floor and liked the view at the top of the stairs much better.

Vicky nudged him, "We are camping out here?" Her look was troubled

He marshalled them over to the crude bathroom and pointed out that the water heater for hot water was working. Standing in lonely splendor a few feet away was the new refrigerator. In all directions were great expanses of wooden floor, some of which was newly scrubbed.

"It's only camping for now, mum. The architect and the contractor are going to talk to Nicole this coming week. Think of the possibilities of a loft living complex all to our own design."

They craned their necks around, peering at the steelwork supporting the roof nearly twenty feet in the air. Their faces suggested almost too many possibilities. Which is what architects are for, he thought.

He asked, "Well, am I shot down about the camping? We can extend at the hotel if you like."

Vicky turned and boxed his ears. "Now you listen to me, young one, don't over read your mother. I'll be doing the deciding about camping, thank you very much. I'll remind you that when I was your age, we didn't get a shower. If we were lucky, there was a copper tub. Otherwise, we were standing in a cold bathroom with a washcloth." She waved at her faux daughters. "Those two imps can wash up cold just as well as their mother."

Then it all broke down and they were in a hopeless tangle of laughs and hugs. She said crudely in his ear, "Your mom my ass. You brought me down for a roll in the warehouse, and that's what you are going to get. If there is anything left over, these two can have it!"

This brought out new gales of laughter. Vicky leaned down and wiped her fingers on a clean spot. "Could be worse. When my father took us camping, we got a hole to squat over, and no complaints, please."

He explained about the van service tomorrow and said, "Unfortunately, we will have to change for the theater here, if that's ok."

"You did say camping, didn't you? We will just have to manage."

She pulled her daughters close. "You have been meddling in your mom's sex life, have you? There's a risk you run doing that. What if she belongs to a secret club that has a cellar full of kinky stuff? In a place like this building, you could be strung up for a long time with no one noticing." Her tone was low and evil. The daughters were looking worried. "You wouldn't."

She put her arm around him. "He tells me you have been two timing him. Punishment may be required."

The message was received. Don't mess with Mom and her marvelous body too much. I kissed them all to restore spirits and they went off to find a rug store.

The very first store had a rug that would grace the Inn wonderfully. She blanched at the price. He whispered in her ear, "You have come to London to spend Adrian Compton's money. It is a small reward for your tolerance in putting up with an unruly lodger. Permit me to buy it for the Inn."

At the second store, there were two others that were very attractive and this time Inish and Nicole insisted on buying. The rugs would go by post to Kingham.

She was a little teary as they walked back to the hotel. "I take back what I said. I love you." She wrapped her fingers in their lovely hair and pulled gently.

In the room, surrounded by piles of stuff, he put in a room service order for a round of gin and tonics, and told everyone to relax. There were nearly two hours before dinner. He had ordered a limo for the delivery to the restaurant, but didn't reveal that just yet.