In former times, not so long ago, this would have brought a smile to Helena’s face. Now, the mention of the name Peabody made her cringe. Her mother, in her infinite wisdom, had disowned her after the debacle that was supposed to have been Shane’s wedding to Carmen. Wiping out most of her personal fortune, which, had been, in fact the family fortune. Personally, Helena had virtually no money. Now, she was trying to find a job, to no avail. She’d been blackballed in the business community. Her sister, Harlequin, had quickly over taken the reigns of the companies. Instantly promoting Tina to Helena’s old job, and keeping a close eye on absolutely everything that was going on in the world of Peabody.
“Yes, one and the same,” smiled Helena wryly.
“Nice neighborhood,” winked Lindsey.
“Yes, Bette Porter, the said friend that I’m staying with, lives to your left, and the home after that is a few other of our friends, Jenny Schecter and Shane McCutcheon.”
“Did you say Bette Porter?” asked Lindsey, a soft chuckle in her throat.
“Yes, I did.”
“Dean Bette Porter?” chuckled Lindsey.
“No way,” laughed Mel.
“You know Bette?”
“Not really, but she did hire me,” said Lindsey knowingly.
In the VanGuard/Kinnetic offices of Los Angeles, the corner office door is locked. Soft grunting can be heard from behind the locked door. Banging, things falling on the floor, groans and long interludes of pleasure.
“Fuck, Brian….,” groaned Justin. Feeling Brian slumping up against him, sweaty and spent, at least for now.
“I just fucked you, what more do you want,” laughed Brian, ruffling Justin’s blonde hair.
“I want to fuck you,” grinned Justin. In bliss because, after all this time, they were finally together. At least, for a short time. Justin, now based in New York, was in LA for a month long showing at the CAC of his latest work.
“We have to get the rest of the munchers stuff to their house, in west HOLLYWEIRD! Can you believe them, they bought a house on munch box lane?” said Brian in disgust. Quickly putting his clothes on, Justin put his on more slowly. Watching Brian’s sculpted body slip into his clothes.
“Oh, we can’t forget to pick up Gus at Sam’s. Or did you tell Sam to bring him to Munch Box Lane?” asked Justin with his sarcastically wicked tongue.
“Shit, I forgot….,” grunted Brian. He grabbed his cell phone, and saying his sister’s name into the phone. Instantly dialing her number, wondering what Lindsey was going to say when she found out he had handed over their son to Samantha so that he and Justin could have a quick, well, not that quick, afternoon fuck.
Gus was sitting in the front seat, asking his aunt hundreds of questions at a time, Sam answering them patiently. Downshifting the sleek sports car, looking around the crowded street.
“Jesus, which house is it? There are two moving vans…,” grunted Sam. Her grey eyes sweeping over the two houses, side by side. She decided to stop at the first house. “Ready there sonny boy?” she asked Gus.
“Uh huh, are they here?” he asked. Unbuckling his seat belt, the metal head of the belt twapping the window hard, making him jump.
“They are somewhere, we could go around yelling olly, olly, oxen free…” suggested Sam.
“I don’t get it,” he said with the same infection that his father had in his voice.
“You’re to young. Come on, bub.”
They got out of the sleek sports car, Sam grabbing Gus’s hand as they approached the house. Swinging the young man’s arm, then scooping him up and slinging him over onto her back.
“Hello,” said a smoky deep voice from inside the truck. Sam leaned in, smiling slyly. Her hip slamming into the truck, and as Gus moved his foot, he knocked her cell phone off her belt.
“Hello, hi, bonjour and … Oh, yeah…,” muttered Sam as Gus pulled on her hand. “Um, I’m looking for Lindsey and Mel?
“Sorry, you got the wrong house,” said Shane, leaning sexily against a box. Sam licked her lips and then reminded herself that Gus was still sitting on her back.
“Oh, they must be next door, cool, thanks.”
Sam walked away, bounced Gus around as they moved down the cracked sidewalk. Shane leaned out of the truck, watching her walk away, thinking that was one sexy butch.
“Isn’t that an odd coincidence that we moved in next to your boss?” asked Mel, lugging the last of the boxes into the living room. Wiping her brow with her forearm.
“Yeah, rather odd. It’s all good, I wonder where Brian is?”
“Probably off fucking his brains out!” countered Mel, then clasping her hand over her mouth when JR extended a hand. Mel dug into her pocket, dishing out a dollar bill. It was a rule in the house, no swearing and when the children caught them doing it, they got a dollar. Mel was already half way to Gus’s first year of college tuition.
“Thank you,” giggled JR, rushing off into what she’d chosen to be her room.
“Is this muff diver’s central?” called a voice from the doorway.
“Sam!” rejoiced Lindsey, seeing Gus on Sam’s back, giggling about something or another. Sam knelt, letting Gus’s feet hit the ground and he launched himself into Lindsey’s arms.
“Hey Linds, Mel. Bri isn’t here, is he?”
“No,” Lindsey said, trying not to smile.
“Off fucking his brains out…” both Sam and Melanie said in unison. Gus put out both his hands to either side, wiggling his fingers in a ‘give it to me’ gesture. Both Mel and Sam dug into their pockets, slapping a dollar bill into each of his hands.
“Oh yeah, give it to papa,” grinned the young man.
“Go unpack, your room is the first one to the left….,” instructed Lindsey, laughing at the two swearing women.
Mel and Sam watched him go, looking at one another, shrugging, “Well, he is like his father,” laughed Sam. “Show him the money…”
“No, like, cute, sexy, cute,” said Shane to Alice as they stuffed the last box into the van.
“That’s good,” said Alice. Her mind distracted, as usual, by the thought of Lara. Losing Dana to cancer had been one thing, but losing Lara to a job had been another. The lovely red head had chosen a job instead of her, and that still stung.
