Going Home - New Work

The pins and needles sensation that preceded my impending release began in my scrotum and spread slowly. I was barely aware of it when Gwen's body stiffened and she cried out softly, 'Oh, my god! Jonas, don't stop!'

My upper body was resting against Gwen's legs, the back of her knees near my shoulders. Knowing we were both approaching our denouement, I was driving into Gwen as fast and hard as I could. Gwen's eyes suddenly locked on mine, her mouth opened, the muscles in her neck strained, and she exhaled hard. Her whole body began to shake. Her legs straightened forcefully, practically launching me away from her. Gwen stifled a cry with her hand balled into a fist as her hips bounced uncontrollably. She covered her mons and labia with her free hand and bucked nearly violently.

I fell back onto the mattress, landing on my haunches between Gwen's legs. My erection shot a stream of ejaculate across Gwen's torso. It struck Michelle's cheek and traced a line across Gwen's breasts and abdomen. My hips drew back reflexively as the second stream raced up my cock. Michelle began moving toward me as soon as she felt the warm fluid first strike her cheek. The full force of the second ejaculation struck her face as she moved across Gwen toward my cock. She crawled the last inches across Gwen and encircled the crown of my cock with her lips. She cupped my scrotum and sucked me in.

The feel of Michelle's hot mouth on my erection was overwhelming. As her lips traveled the length of my shaft, my body went haywire. She sucked several more emissions out of me, each sending a shockwave through my nervous system. Michelle sucked hungrily even after she could coax no more from me.

I was still rigidly hard when my crown popped from between Michelle's lips. Michelle grinned slyly at me as she backed away from me, across Gwen's torso. Her chin rested on Gwen's body as she backed up. She turned her head slightly and trailed her tongue across Gwen's body, wiggling her tongue back and forth through the trail on semen smeared on Gwen. Michelle smiled at me one last time and turned toward Gwen, grabbed Gwen's chin, and kissed her. I saw their lips part and watched their kiss in fascination. Their tongues caused the cheeks to rise and fall as they engaged in a passionate French kiss. Just knowing Michelle was sharing what she drawn from me stimulated another weak ejaculation from me.

When their kiss ended, Gwen rolled toward me and rested her forehead against my chest. She was still breathless from the passionate kiss she and Michelle had exchanged. Michelle spooned against Gwen's back, rested her arm on Gwen's waist, and her hand on my upper thigh. We were all soon asleep. I slept so soundly I never realized Michelle left us to tend to Elizabeth's feeding.

My alarm went off at four. I'd been neglecting physical training since getting home. It was only a matter of time before that became an issue. I changed and left the house. The five-mile run I forced myself to complete was torture. I was sore and nearly exhausted when I got back. I was annoyed that just a couple weeks of idleness have degraded my physical conditioning so much. But despite everything, I still completed the five miles in under forty-five minutes. I needed to improve upon that. I dragged myself upstairs and took a shower. The hot water relieved the soreness but did nothing to replenish my energy. I resolved to be more diligent about staying in shape.

Gwen was up when I came out of the bathroom. I could smell coffee all the way upstairs. I dressed and headed downstairs. Gwen had bread in the toaster and ham and eggs in the frying pan.

'You don't have to get up this early, honey. I can fix my own breakfast,' I told her as I embraced her from behind and kissed the back of her neck.

'Mmmmmm,' she sighed as I kissed her. 'I'm not going turn down that offer,' she added with a grin. 'Pour your coffee and have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready. Do you want me to make a lunch?'

'I'll grab something from the cafeteria,' I answered as she set a plate with a slab of ham, three eggs, and toast in front of me.

Gwen kissed the top of my head as I tucked into breakfast. 'I'm going back to bed until the twins wake up,' she said as she left the kitchen.

It didn't work out as she hoped. Elizabeth was screaming at the top of her lungs. I heard her from the kitchen. The little thing had a helluva set of lungs. Sara met Gwen at the top of the stairs. I heard Michelle's distinctive heel-heavy footsteps. Gwen returned to the kitchen with Sara trailing right behind her before I finished my eggs. Seth was only a few minutes behind them. By the time I was ready to go, Michelle and Elizabeth had arrived in the kitchen, too.

I kissed everyone goodbye before pulling my jacket on. Neither Gwen nor Michelle looked happy at being up so early. Elizabeth was perfectly content now that she was changed and getting fed. The twins were full of energy, much to Gwen's chagrin.

It was just a few minutes after six when I hit the driveway. Bobby wasn't due until six-fifteen, but he was already standing by the rear passenger door.

'Good morning, sir,' he said, snapping a salute.

'Good morning, Bobby.' I ignored the sir. It would take some time for Bobby to accept I truly didn't want to be called sir when away from JPL and no one else was around.

That day went without much trouble. The personnel working on the projects were diligent and eager to please. Even my call to Capt. Duren was completed without apparent tension. I explained the security concerns I had. He agreed but wanted to examine the facility with JPL security and construction personnel before allowing work to proceed. He was in his office at the Pentagon for the week. He promised to meet with me the following Tuesday.

Gwen and Michelle began interviewing domestic help before the week was out. They didn't find anyone that they felt comfortable with. The agency they were working with needed a few days to find other candidates. I was confident someone would eventually be found. But I suggested that Gwen explore another possible source. I suggested she call Gabriel, the owner of the Mexican Restaurant in Pasadena we still frequented on those rare occasions we could get out to dinner. Nearly everyone the agency sent was from the Mexican community in and around Pasadena. Maybe he could suggest someone.

Gwen called Gabriel at his restaurant. He was far too busy to talk to her then but the girl that answered promised to have him return Gwen's call. When Gwen spoke to him the next morning, he promised to talk to his wife and a few other people. He called again three days later with a handful of names and phone numbers.

I called my friend Montoya and asked if he knew a better immigration attorney than the one I had originally used. Montoya suggested I contact a man named Robert Zimmer. Zimmer was a partner at one of the largest law firms in Los Angeles, one which also had offices in New York and Washington, D.C. He dabbled in immigration law, mostly on a pro bono basis. When I called Zimmer's office, I was initially told that he wasn't taking on any pro bono work at that time. I told his secretary that I wasn't looking for pro bono representation. I was willing to pay his regular hourly fee for the work. She put me on hold. When she returned, she was ready to make an appointment. I asked if was possible to meet with him in the evening or on a weekend, explaining that I was an Army officer and would have trouble getting away from my work during regular business hours. Another brief period on hold got me an evening appointment early the following week.

When I got home, I called Western Union and arranged to send a telegram to Paulette asking if she was interested in returning to the United States. I received a reply a few days later saying that, yes, she would like to return. I composed a letter to her that night explaining that I was retaining an attorney to expedite her return. I made sure she understood I couldn't promise success, but I would do what I could.

When Capt. Duren showed up at the lab, he was pleasant for a change. It made me even more uncomfortable in his company. We walked the building with the Air Force captain responsible for security and the civilian construction manager. Afterward, we met in a conference room and put together a plan to subdivide the lab. The construction work was going to be disruptive but would only take a few weeks.

After the construction and security meeting, Duren followed me back to my office. I had hoped our business was concluded. Despite his pleasant demeanor, I knew I couldn't trust him. We had too much contentious history that couldn't be erased with one pleasant morning and afternoon. He wanted to discuss project finance when we got to my office. Tenney was taking emeritus professor status at his university and had decided to step back from the project, which meant I would become senior scientist in addition to my current responsibilities. With the additional role, came authority to commit funds. I could authorize purchases up to fifty thousand dollars. Anything above that, required Duren's approval. He had a limit of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. There was no expectation that any purchases would exceed Duren's approval, but there was a procedure for getting even larger expenditures approved.

Being able to make purchases to support project work would make life easier for me. I'd have to document everything including a justification but that wouldn't be a problem. But something about it didn't sit well. And I told Duren I had reservations. His response that I was an officer and a PhD. I needed to step up and take responsibility for my work. But I still remembered having to fight for every nickel I spent during my PhD project. And how difficult it was to get his approval for every purchase. Something about it smelled fishy.

Gwen and Michelle met with the women Gabriel suggested. They also met with several more women from the agency. They decided they wanted to hire a girl that Gabriel recommended but wanted me to meet her first. Gwen invited her for dinner. I was late but arrived only a few minutes after they finally decided not to wait any longer before eating.

Isabella Fast was a tiny little sprite, she couldn't have been more than five-three or weigh more than one hundred pounds. She was twenty-two-year-old that had come to the U.S. with her parents as an infant. Her entire family had become citizens. Her husband, an Anglo man born in the U.S. had died in a construction accident after they had been married less than a year. I quickly liked her. She was a bright, energetic high school graduate. She spoke Spanish and English like a native. Sara took to her immediately. Seth was shyer with people he didn't know but would follow his sister's lead. Isabella had her own car, which was a plus.

After dinner, Isabella stayed and played with Sara and Seth for a little while. Gwen and I watched the three of them together. Out of the blue, Seth decided he wanted to play more actively. He grabbed onto Isabella from behind and hopped up onto her like he wanted a piggyback ride. She was sitting but grabbed his legs while he had her around the neck. She smiled and started bouncing up and down on the floor. He giggled like he did when I gave him a bouncy piggyback ride. Sara tried to hop aboard from the front.

That was a bit too much. I interceded, first pulling Sara off and then Seth. 'Alright, you guys. Isabella isn't here so you two can ride her like a horsie,' I told them. 'You can only do that with Daddy. Okay?'

Isabella almost seemed disappointed. 'It's okay, Mr. Taylor. I like to roughhouse a bit. I play rough with my nephews. They are six and eight, bigger and much rougher,' she told me.

Gwen took the kids upstairs to get them ready for bed. That left me alone with the black-haired, brown-eyed Isabella.

'Isabella, where do you live?' I asked.

'I live with my parents in Van Nuys since my husband died, Mr. Taylor. I would like to have my own place, but I only work part time now. I cannot afford my own apartment,' she told me.

'We're going to convert the loft over the garage into living space. It will be available for your use if you wish and part of your compensation. You won't be expected to tend the children most nights. Your evenings will be your own. You'd be welcome to join us for supper but only if you like. Your workday will end when any of us are done working for the day. Gwen, Michelle, and I target an eight-to-five day for you, Monday through Friday. Gwen will work here so I'm sure she'll spend some time with the children each day. You won't be completely alone with them.'

She thought about the offer for a minute. 'I would like that very much. My parents like having me around but I want to live on my own. Can I ask a question, Mr. Taylor?'

'Certainly. I'll tell you anything you want to know.'

'The woman, Michelle. She lives here, too? Will I be helping with the baby?'

'Yes, Michelle lives here. In the beginning you won't help much with Elizabeth. But eventually, Michelle will go back to work. You'll be responsible for taking care of her, too. But we're also looking to bring back someone that was with us before. If she can't or won't come back, we'll get additional help.'

Isabella had a curious look on her face. Like she had another question. But if she did, she didn't pursue it. Gwen and Michelle joined us now that all the children were ready for bed. The twins were playing with toys in the next room. Elizabeth was in her bassinette, kicking and waving her arms, fascinated by the mobile above her.

I was satisfied with what I heard over dinner and what I heard and saw after dinner. Gwen and Michelle returned to their discussion with Isabella and I took my leave to do some reading. Isabella left about a half hour later. Gwen and Michelle joined me in the den, Michelle plopping down next to me on the couch and Gwen displacing my arm from the armrest.

'Well? What do you think?' Gwen asked. 'We both like her.'

'I like her, too,' I responded. 'You sure she can handle the kids?'

'She takes care of her sister-in-law's kids now but that coming to an end shortly and it's only part time,' Michelle told me. 'Even if you don't like her, Gwen and I think we should hire her.'

'Hey, I already said I like her,' I responded. 'I won't see much of her so it's really up to you two.'

'Jonas, there's one more thing,' Gwen said. 'I think she's already figured out Michelle, you, and me. She asked a couple questions at the end of her initial interview about how Michelle fit into the household.'

'We told her I live here and left it at that,' Michelle told me.

'She asked me if she would also be helping care for Elizabeth. I told her eventually, when Michelle goes back to work.' My brain was working overtime. Wondering what kind of problems might crop up. Our relationship would be difficult to hide from someone on site every day.

Gwen and Michelle looked at each other. 'Okay, we'll offer her the job. Paulette figured it out. There's no reason to think Isabella wouldn't eventually figure it out, too,' Gwen said. Michelle nodded.

Isabella started work the following week.

Construction at the lab went smoothly. Project work stopped during construction. All the equipment was crated. With the exception of the officers working under me, a Navy lieutenant, and Air Force captain, and two Army lieutenants, everyone took leave during construction. A few weeks after Duren's visit, I received several boxes of invoices and bills of lading. There was no organization to any of it. The paperwork had just been stuffed into the boxes willy-nilly. I knew I'd eventually face an audit of project spending. I had to get it organized. I would be staying late to get it organized and make sure I understood where the money was going. One precaution I took was making sure these documents were filed separately from those received after I began authorizing expenditures. Phyllis offered to help get the invoices and bills of lading organized but I declined her assistance. All that paperwork gave me an uncomfortable feeling. I wanted to examine everything that was in it.

Construction at the house was another matter. Gwen and Michelle interviewed several contractors for some minor work on the loft. Two insisted on talking to the 'man of the house' before they even looked at the work. They were dismissed on the spot. I was home on a Saturday afternoon and witnessed another one attempt to ignore Gwen and Michelle and talk to me. I told him to talk to the women. It was their project, not mine. He looked at me and said something to the effect that I was a pussy-whipped. I laughed heartily when Michelle threatened to kick his ass if he didn't leave immediately.

They finally found a contractor willing to give them an estimate. Montoya once again helped, providing several names to Michelle. Gwen and Michelle hired two of them. One to complete the renovations to the loft and another to build Gwen's studio. Both projects went reasonably well though not without some issues. The additional work on the loft put the project about eight hundred dollars over budget. Gwen insisted on 'borrowing' the money needed to complete the work.

Sgt. DeMateo arrived promptly every morning to take me to work and took me home each day regardless of how late I stayed. I asked him what he did between his responsibilities to me. He told me only that he did routine security work each day and had a handful of others to supervise. I thought the answer was somewhat evasive, but his only responsibility to me was driving me to and from work.

Bobby continued to address me as 'Sir,' despite my entreaties not to. After he had been driving me for a several months, I'd given up. I went outside one morning and as every other day, he greeted me with 'Good morning, sir.'

I shook my head in frustration at him. 'Good morning, Bobby. How about you just greet me with a good morning? Skip the sir and skip the Jonas. My wife will have my head if she ever hears you call me sir. She'll think I'm getting too big for my britches.'

Bobby hesitated before responding. 'Sir, my boss will have my head for being disrespectful of an officer. And he scares me more than your wife. If you don't mind, can we stay with sir?'

I laughed. 'Bobby can I trust you to keep a confidence?' I asked.

'Yes sir, just don't tell me any secret stuff, okay? I made my stripes because I do what's asked of me. I do it well. And I know enough to keep my mouth shut, and not ask questions about the stuff that goes on at JPL.'

I laughed. 'No military secrets, Bobby. We'd both get in trouble. Take a wild guess what I was doing last December,' I told him.

'I can't imagine, sir. I'm not privy to what goes on in officer's country.'

'I was standing in line waiting to board a transport ship with my unit,' I told him.

'They took away your combat command to send you here, sir?'

'I didn't have a command, Bobby. I was a grunt. A PFC fresh out of Advanced Combat Training on my way to Korea.'

It was a good thing we were still sitting in the driveway. A dumb-founded Bobby stared at me in obvious disbelief for a good thirty seconds. When he found his voice, he said, 'E che cazzo? Questa è una stronzata!'

'Si, soldato semplice. Non è una stronzata.' I told him. I confirmed I was a private. And what I said wasn't bullshit.'

'Parli Italiano?' he asked, incredulously.

'Sì, abbastanza per andare, Roberto.' I responded, telling him I understood enough to get by. 'But I am a major now, Bobby. Start the car and let's get going.'

I told Bobby a bit about my little saga on the drive to JPL. I also told him I expected him to keep what I told him to himself.

'Does anyone else know about that, sir?' he asked as he drove the twisting road I lived on.