Life after the Lottery Ch. 62

"Oh, boy," Dawn said.

"I bet this will be all over the internet and the grocery store tabloids," I said.

"I'm sure it will," Dawn said.

*****

Dawn and I were hanging out at the house Monday because Sherri and Brenda were meeting with Linda.

"Anybody home!" Dawn and I heard Amy yell when they came in about 1:00 Monday.

"In the sunroom!" I yelled back.

Amy and Samantha came into the sunroom.

"You better see this," Samantha said as she handed Dawn a newspaper.

"It's all over the tabloids," Amy added.

Dawn held up the tabloid, and we looked. On the front page was a picture of Linda and Rachel standing together at the party. There was an inset of two photos showing their tattoos. The headline read "Ms. Williams with her gal pal and their matching tattoos!"

"Oh, boy," Dawn moaned.

We read through the rag, and there were other pictures, one of Linda kissing Dawn. They had printed a lot of innuendos about Linda and Rachel since they had matching tattoos. The article ended with pictures of Linda leaving with Dr. Kennedy. The final part ended with a comment about Linda and Rachel showing Dr. Kennedy a good time.

"I wonder if Linda knows about this yet?" Dawn said.

"I'm sure she does. I hope this doesn't upset her," I said.

"I better go call her," Dawn said as she left the sunroom.

"The article pretty much said that Linda and Rachel were an item," Amy said.

"Well, I guess Linda will have to finally deal with this."

The three of us sat and looked through the tabloid some more. About 15 minutes later, Dawn came back.

"She knows. She said there are also stories on the internet," Dawn said as she sat down.

"Is she upset?" I asked.

"Not as much as I thought she would be. She said Rachel was upset about it. Linda said she was sort of happy the idea of her being with another woman was out there now."

"Maybe it will work out for the best," Amy said.

Samantha jumped up and left. A few minutes later, she came back with her computer.

"I found one story," she said.

We all looked it over. Being on the internet, it pretty much said the Linda was coming out of the closet about being bisexual. They had a lot of photos from the party; several were of all of us together. Samantha searched the internet for more stories. She sat and looked for several minutes.

"Uh, oh..." came from Samantha.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Look..."

Samantha turned her computer around so we could see. There was a picture of all of us and a headline that read "Linda Williams hanging out with a man that claims to have three wives." Then there was another picture of Linda hugging me.

"Shit!" Came from Dawn.

"Dawn, don't get upset about this," I said.

"I just didn't want something like this in public! Where the hell did they get that?!"

"I'm sure someone that heard James introduce us as his wives talked," Amy said.

We read through what was on that website then searched for more, but that was the only thing about the four of us. Dawn was mad, and she got up and left.

After we finished dinner, Samantha and Amy went upstairs to study while Dawn and I sat in the den.

"Honey, don't get all caught up in this media circus," I told her.

"I just hate how they covered it."

"I guess Linda knew sooner or later the news would get out. The media didn't make as big a deal out of it as I think she was worried they would."

"Still, she is going to have to figure out how to handle it."

"Are you okay with the media playing up my three wives?"

"No...I just didn't want this kind of publicity," Dawn said.

"I don't think it will be that big of a thing, but you need to make sure the girls don't think you are upset over this, Dawn."

"I'm not that upset, I'm just worried it will cause too many questions that they won't be comfortable answering."

"You underestimate them, I think they are ready to take on any questions...I'm just not sure you are."

"I guess I'll find out."

We went to bed after watching the news to see if anything else made it to the gossip shows.

*****

Tuesday I was home with just Brenda and Sherri all day. Dawn had meetings with her advisors and students, and the girls had classes.

Dawn came in about 4:00. I had sent Sherri and Brenda home earlier. She walked to the den and sat on the sofa next to me. I knew there was a problem.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Trouble. I got a call from President Wells before I left. He told me he wanted to see the two of us in his office at 9:00 in the morning."

"What for?"

"What do you think?"

"Did he say something?"

"We said that he needed to talk to us about our...alternative lifestyle."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh! He is a fucking dick head!"

"Well, for now, keep this between us. Don't let the girls know when they come in."

"Fuck!!" Dawn exclaimed and got up and headed up the stairs.

The girls called before they came home and asked if they could stop and get pizzas. When they came in, I yelled for Dawn to come and eat. When she came down, she had on her "I'm pissed" sweats.

"You look like you have been cleaning," I said.

"Cleaning up my room," was all we got.

Amy and Samantha were talking about school while Dawn was quiet.

"Dawn, are you upset about all of this?" Amy asked.

"Just pissed."

"We didn't get any questions today," Amy added.

"Good."

"But...when we do, we will proudly tell them the truth, and if they don't like it we will tell them to...fuck off!" Samantha said.

That got Dawn to giggle. After that, she lightened up, and we all talked about a few things while we ate.

*****

After dinner, I was in the study working on some things when I got an email from Linda; I opened it.

'I guess the cat is out of the bag. Have you all had any reporters calling you?

Linda'

I sent her back an email and told her that our phone number wasn't public and that we hadn't heard from any reporters. A few minutes later, I got another email from her.

'They keep calling the office. People here are talking. I don't care, but I have let it be known that if anyone talks to the press they are fired. Have you all had any fallout from the internet story?

Linda'

I sent her back a reply.

'Possibly. Dawn got a call from the President of the University today. He told her that he wanted to meet with us in the morning about our alternative lifestyle. She is pissed.

James'

I sent it and went back to work. A minute later my phone rang. It was Linda.

"Hey," I said.

"What does he want to talk to you all about?" Linda asked.

"I'm sure there is going to be fallout from that story on the internet about me having three wives."

"What kind of fallout?"

"Plenty, I am sure. I guess the university figures people will put two and two together and figure out that Dawn is the one running the program. I'm sure they don't want that kind of press."

"You think they will make her resign?" Linda asked.

"I don't know. She is pretty upset."

"Hmmm. What time is your meeting?"

"She said 9:00."

"Okay. Don't tell her we talked about this. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

Samantha came in the study about 8:00 and sat down.

"Dawn is still upset, isn't she?"

"She is worried that you two will get more questions than you want to answer."

"We don't care. Dawn needs to chill out about it."

"Why don't you go talk to her."

She left the study. When I went to bed at 10:30, I found the three of them asleep in the bed. I got undressed and eased in next to them.

*****

When the alarm went off at 5:00, Amy and Samantha groaned. When we got out of bed to get ready, the two them went to their rooms while they bitched about us getting up so early.

When Dawn and I were getting ready at 7:00, the girls came back and wanted to know where we were going so early.

"We have to meet with the President of University this morning," I said.

"Why?" Amy asked.

"He wants to talk about the publicity we got," Dawn huffed.

"Oh, no. Is this going to be trouble?"

"We don't know," I said.

"Tell him to fuck off," Samantha said.

"I may," Dawn replied.

"No, you won't," I told her.

We all ate breakfast and Dawn and I headed out about 8:15.

We pulled into the parking lot, and parked in Dawn's reserved spot near the front of the administration building and got out. It was about 8:45 and we started walking toward the building. When we got there, we saw a big black limo sitting at the front door as we went inside. We went down the hallway to the President's office.

"Good morning you two," his secretary said. "Ummm, go on in."

We walked to the President's door, and opened it and walked into his office. The first thing we saw was Linda and Rachel sitting there while the President sat behind his big desk.

"Good morning," was all he said. "Please have a seat."

We looked at Linda, and she looked at us and smiled. Dawn and I sat in two of the big chairs.

"Dawn and James, Ms. Williams was here waiting on me this morning when I arrived. She said she wanted to talk to me about the donations for the new program. When she found out I had a meeting with you two this morning, she said she wanted to be present for this meeting. Now that you are here, I guess we can proceed," the President said.

"Before we get started, I just wanted to be here to tell you how happy I am that we were able to raise enough money to get the new program going," Linda said. She reached over, and Rachel handed her an envelope.

"President Wells, I have the check for $70,000,000 right here," Linda said as she held the envelope.

"Thank you, Ms. Williams. I know we will be putting this money to good use."

"I'm sure you will. I know Dawn is very excited about being able to get things going quickly. I was talking to Dr. Smith last night, and he told me you wanted to meet with him and Dawn this morning. I wanted to be here when you congratulated the two of them for the success they had Saturday night in getting your program up and going. I thought if you were going to take the time to meet with them personally to thank them this morning, I should be here," Linda told him.

"Well...uh...sure," the President stumbled.

"And President Wells, I just want to thank you for being so willing to work with me," Linda said.

"Well, of course, we are always more than gracious to work with you, Ms. Williams."

"That's good to know President Wells. I was worried that after all the publicity from the party, you may have second thoughts about accepting my money."

"Oh, why?"

"Well, President Wells it is not every university that would be willing to be publicly connected to someone that is bisexual, like myself. I try and keep it private, but you know how reporters are. They drew their own conclusions from the party. I guess it is all in the media now and I can't keep it private anymore. But, in today's world, I guess being outed as a lesbian is not as big of a deal as it used to be, is it...President Wells?" Linda asked and stared at him.

"Uh...well...I guess..."

"I'm just happy to know that the university is not hung up on issues like that. I mean, with this new modern program you have started for nurses, it shows how this university is moving in the right directions. I'm pleased to know that you wouldn't let something like your biggest donor being bisexual stand in the way...or the fact that the new Dean of the Advanced Nursing Program is also bisexual. That is very progressive of you...President Wells. I commend you."

"Oh, well..."

"I'm sure my situation with my lover Rachel will become more public," Linda said as she reached over and rubbed Rachel's leg. "It's good to know that I have the support of the university and that you don't consider my ALTERNATIVE lifestyle an issue, President Wells. I know Dawn and James will be happy to know that you are such a progressive thinker and don't have an issue with their ALTERNATIVE living arrangements," Linda said, emphasizing the word alternative strongly.

"I am so happy for them, they have found two loving people that they now consider as their wives. I mean, that is such a loving relationship...don't you think so...President Wells?" Linda said and waited.

"Oh...well...I'm sure they have a special relationship..."

"Oh, they do! Since they are very...VERY...close friends of mine, I know personally just how important Amy and Samantha are to them, just like Rachel is very important to me. We have all talked and had some worries that our alternative lifestyles could be a problem for the university...but I am so happy that is not the case...is it...President Wells?" Linda said and sat there looking at him as she fanned herself with the envelope.

The President was quiet for a moment.

"Of course there is no problem with it, Ms. Williams. Like you said, things are changing."

"That's great! I'm looking forward to helping the university as it moves forward into the future. As a matter of fact...I have been thinking about how big this project is going to be, and I think that it will be just too much work for Dawn to take on in addition to her continuing to oversee the program. So, I have a solution that will help her and you. I have worked with large programs in the past like this, and they seem to run better when there is someone from the outside taking the reins and making sure all the pieces are fitting together. I think to take the burden of this undertaking off the university and off Dawn, I'll provide a professional project manager to oversee this undertaking...at my expense of course. I think a professional that has handled projects like this before would make sure that the program, the university, and I get my monies worth. I know just the right person to come in and run this project. Don't you think that would be a great idea, President Wells?" Linda told him.

"Well..sure...if you think that is best Ms. Williams."

"I believe it would be. I'm sure you have no one on staff that has handled a project of this size. I have the people and the resources to bring this all together in one nice package. I'll get my people working on it right away. President Wells, I'll have the person I have in mind to head this up contact you as soon as possible, does that work for you?" Linda said as she handed the envelope back to Rachel.

"Well, of course."

"Great! And, one more thing, I think it would be best if I form a new non-profit to oversee the project. All of the donations can go directly to it instead of the university, that way I can make sure my money...and the other's is being well spent and looked after. It can control the cost and the money as it is needed. I think that would be best, don't you President Wells. That way, if there are any issues the university doesn't want to deal with, I will have the people in place to make sure that my money is being well spent and that there are no problems of any kind that can't be dealt with that might cause any of the donations to be withheld. After all, I wouldn't want to feel like my generous donation has any strings attached...would I?" Linda said and sat up in her chair.

"Of course not. I think this sounds like a great idea. There shouldn't be any problems going forward, Ms. Williams."

"Great, I didn't think there would be. I know Dawn is looking forward to running this program as long as she wants...don't you Dawn?" Linda said looking over at us.

"Of course I do. I know that I have the full support of the university and President Wells," Dawn said smiling.

"Great! I know this program's success will be tied to Dawn's experience and expertise, I know the donations are. I hope she is able to run this program for as long as she wants," Linda told the President. "I just wouldn't feel confident about my money being used properly if the program was not under her guidance."

"Dawn, you know you have my full support," the President said.

"Oh, President Wells, I'm so sorry for going on and on about this. I didn't mean to take the time you set aside to congratulate James and Dawn. I'll get out of your hair," Linda said and stood.

Rachel stood smiling from ear to ear and Dawn and I stood up. Linda kissed Dawn, then me.

"I'll see you two later, let me know how your meeting goes," Linda said. "President Wells, thank you for seeing me on short notice. I'll be contacting you to follow up soon and make sure there are no issues to keep us from proceeding," Linda said.

"No problem, Ms. Williams. Anytime."

He stood as Linda and Rachel left his office.

"Sounds like Linda has some good ideas," I said to the President as the three of us stood in his office.

"Yes...yes, it does."

"President Wells, did Linda pretty much cover everything, or do we still need to talk about our...ALTERNATIVE FUCKING!! LIFESTYLE?!" Dawn demanded.

"I think everything is under control, Dawn. Thank you and James for stopping by."

"No problem, anytime," I said as we headed toward the door.

"I do have one question?" The President asked.

"What would that be?" Dawn replied.

"Are those two young ladies really your wives?"

"Not legally of course, but yes," Dawn told him.

"Fascinating," he mumbled.

We walked toward the door.

"Fucking dick head," Dawn mumbled as we went out.

When we walked out the front door, Linda's limo was still there, and she and Rachel were standing outside talking.

"Any problem?" Linda asked.

"None!" Dawn said then laughed.

"Wait until he meets the project manager," Linda said. "I'll see you two later."

*****

As we drove back to the house Dawn was stewing; I knew that.

"Hey, stop worrying about this...I think Linda took care of it."

"Still..."

"Are you thinking you will get some more push back?" I asked.

"I really don't care."

"Dawn, you need to chill out about it, if you are stewing about it at home, the girls will get upset."

"I'm fine, I just hate the academic stuck ups."

"Then you need to show them we are better than that."

"I will...I just hate Linda having to do that."

"I think she enjoyed it," I said.

Dawn snickered.

"I do too," Dawn said.

*****

Dawn and I were sitting in the den after lunch working on our computers. Sherri and Brenda were busy and kept asking me questions about their travel plans.

"What did Katrina say?" I asked Sherri.

"Oh, she is thrilled about going with us."

"Good. I think she can give you some good advice. Let her go with you as long as she wants."

"James, may I ask you a question about Katrina?"

"Sure."

"She seems to be very close friends to you and Dawn. May I ask if she is a real close friend?"

"Katrina and her husband are very close friends of ours. I think you have that figured out, Sherri."

"Okay...I was just...wondering..."

"Sherri, Katrina and I are very close," Dawn said looking at Sherri. "Does that answer your question?"

"It does, thanks."

"I'm sure the three of you will have a good time while you travel," Dawn told her.

"Good, she asked us to dinner at their house Friday night to discuss our plans."

"Then you will have time to discuss everything," I said.

"Sounds good," Sherri said smiling as she looked at Brenda.

They went back to the study.

"Maybe you should tell Katrina what is going on with the two them," Dawn said.

"I think she will figure it out."

About 3:00, Samantha and Amy came in from school.

"So, how did your meeting go this morning?" Amy asked.

"The situation is under control," I said.

"What does that mean?" Samantha asked.

"Linda told the President to go fuck himself!" Dawn exclaimed.

"What?"

"Linda was there with Rachel when we arrived. She had a long talk with the President about how his view of our alternative lifestyle and how it would affect her donations," I said.

"Oh, I see, so everything is cool?" Samantha asked.

"Linda took care of the problem."