Jeff woke up with Violet in his arms and her head resting very comfortably on his chest. He looked down at her beautiful face then rested his head against the pillow as he thought, 'I can get used to this, very quickly.'
Violet woke up when she felt him stir ever so slightly. She opened her eyes and lifted her head to gaze at the face of the man that she hoped would stick around. "Good morning again Jeff, did you sleep well?" She then kissed him.
Jeff returned her kiss, then asked, "What time is it?"
Violet turned her head to look at the crazy contraption she crafted and mounted on the wall that she used as a clock. It consisted of three glass tubes she bent into weird shapes. Each once contained a different primary colored liquid that represented hours and minutes. After looking at the levels shown in the tubes, she then turned her head back to Jeff and answered, "About 9:45."
Upon hearing the time, Jeff let go of her and bolted out of her bed. "Crap, I'm going to be late for a meeting. Where the heck is my clothes?" he asked as he frantically looked around the room for his clothing.
Violet finally got a real good look at Jeff's half-naked body as he ran around her bedroom in just his shorts. Her eyes traveled from his broad chest and strong back, to his six-pack of abs, to his tail and butt, and finally, his long and muscular legs. She licked her lips and let out a growl of appreciation, then grabbed his tail when he was close enough to her and pulled him back onto the bed.
"Violet, what are you doing? I have to get to that meeting before.." Jeff started to say but was interrupted by Violet holding her left index finger to his lips and saying, "Call Francine and let her go in your place. You have better things to do."
Jeff noticed a glimmer in her eyes that he did not see before and quickly determined that Violet wanted him to stay with her so they could get to know each other better. He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Oh, what better things do I need to do?"
Violet lifted her right leg over his legs and straddled his waist before she leaned forward so her breasts were pressed against his chest, then answered, "Keeping your new girlfriend warm for one, then taking her to your apartment so we can back up some of your stuff and bring it back here."
"And why do I need to do the latter?" Jeff asked as he draped his left arm around her.
"So you can start to move in here, with me. I.. kind of like waking up with your arms around me," Violet answered before she rested her head on his right shoulder.
Jeff stroked her back as he contemplated what Violet had just told him. He admitted this was a very large step to take considering they had just met but he could not deny that he liked having Violet close to him and having her fall asleep in his arms was a bonus. "Alright Violet; on one condition."
She lifted her head to look into his eyes, then asked, "What would that be?"
"We take this slowly. I really like you and I don't want to rush things. I want to get to know the Violet that is not running around in tight leather pants in some seedy bar. The Violet who is smart, independent, and downright beautiful is the one that I want to know better. Ok?" Jeff asked.
"Hmm, I think I can live with that," Violet responded. She then laid her head back down on his shoulder and played with the fur on his chest.
"Let me call Francine and ask her to attend my meeting as my proxy. Knowing her sisters the way I do, they had already told her that I kissed you back at the bar and I am sure there is going to be a lot of questions she is going to ask," Jeff said. He then lifted Violet off of his body and went to get his phone from the other room. He quickly returned and sat on the edge of her bed and asked, "Do you want to hear Francine freak out?"
Violet pulled the covers up to her shoulders, turned onto her left side to face him, and replied, "Sure."
Jeff gave her a quick kiss then dialed Francine.
Francine was already up, dressed, and out for her run when her phone started ringing that was attached to her right arm. Since she had the phone set to answer any calls automatically, the music she was listening to stopped and she answered, "Hello."
"Francine, its Jeff. I need you to attend a meeting with Joe and your father this morning at Paulie's for me. I'm sort of occupied," Jeff said.
Francine stopped running and asked, "Occupied? As in occupied with a certain waitress?"
"Ugh, yes Francine. I'm with Violet," Jeff said. "Why do I let your sisters talk me into things?"
"Because you love them Jeff and now that you met Violet, do you like her?" Francine asked as her tail swayed in anticipation of his answer.
Violet was giggling with her paws covering her mouth.
Jeff heard her, cupped the phone so Francine could not hear him speak, turned his head to face Violet, and said, "I'll get even with you later." He removed his hand but did not remove his gaze from Violet and answered, "I do like her. I'm done playing twenty questions from you. Please go and find out what else Joe wants me to do and no, you aren't getting a cut on the action either."
"Wait a minute! I get to handle the meeting and possibly sell more of your stuff and I don't get a cut of the profits?" She yelled as her tail bristled out. "So why am I going to do this for you?"
"One, I helped you build your science project or actually built your science project while you were out on a date that your parents didn't know about and two, you want to see Joe happy and in love again, don't you?" Jeff said.
Francine walked over towards a lamp post, leaned against it, then answered, "Yes, I want to see Uncle Joe happy and in love again Jeff. He has not been the same fun loving uncle I knew growing up since Aunt Bev was killed."
"That is what I thought you would say Francine. I'll tell you what I am going to do as payment, do you remember how your laptop is always crashing when you are looking at those websites of men in.. how do I say this gently, less than appropriate attire? How about I fix that for you," Jeff said.
Francine's body became rigid and asked, "How do you know what I look at on the web?"
Jeff and Violet chuckled then Jeff responded, "I put the service in your house Francine and I monitor it so your father doesn't accidentally bring down the entire network. There is not a keystroke that anyone makes in that house I don't know about."
"You have a deal Jeff I'll head over there right now. Who else is going to be there?" Francine asked as she started running towards Paulie's café.
"Your father and mother, plus Al, Paulie, and I think Rick is going to be there as well as Joe and possibly Anne. No one you really don't know," Jeff said.
"Rick is going to be there!?" Francine asked. "Now I'm kicking myself for not showering and dressing for this. I was sort of hoping for a ride on his bike, then possibly a date."
"Francine, sorry to disappoint you but you are not the type of person he wants to date," Jeff said.
"What's wrong with me?" Francine asked.
"Nothing is wrong with you at all. He's gay Francine," Jeff answered.
Francine stopped in her tracks, then said, "That explains a few things, why are the good men either taken or gay. See you later so you can fix my laptop." She tapped her phone to disconnect the call.
As Jeff put his phone on the nightstand, Violet asked, "I thought you said she was going to freak out?"
"I guess I was wrong, now if I remember correctly. I owe a certain girlfriend a little payback," Jeff said as he rolled over so he was lying next to her and started tickling her sides.
Violet started laughing as Jeff tickled her, then after a minute, she became the aggressor, wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck, and sealed their mouths together in a searing kiss.
Luckily for Francine, she was only a few blocks away from Paulie's when Jeff called her so she only had to make a slight detour in her routine. She stopped in front of Paulie's, opened the door and entered.
Paulie heard the door open and turned to the front of his café before he started to say, "I'm sorry but we are.."
Francine ran over to her uncle, wrapped her arms around his portly form, and said, "Hi Paulie! It's been too long since I have seen you. How have you been?"
Paulie's face lit up when Francine embraced him. He fell in love with her on the day she was born and she wrapped her tiny little hand around his finger for the first time. "I'm alright Francine," he replied and pulled back before he asked, "Why are you here?"
"Uncle Jeff asked me to fill in for him since he is otherwise occupied with Violet," Francine said then wiped her brow with her left hand and asked, "Can I get some water, please?"
"Sure thing Francine, your parents are over in the corner. I'll bring it over to you," Paulie said before he headed off behind the counter to get a glass of water for his niece.
Francine walked over to the table where her parents were sitting and noticed as she approached, their hands were lovingly intertwined. "Aw, isn't that sweet. I told you mom, dad still loves you to death. Now go and give him a kiss." Francine said.
Both Frankie and Emily looked at their youngest daughter then Frankie asked, "Why are you here Francine?"
"This again," Francine said. "Jeff asked me to cover for him so he could spend time with his new girlfriend. I think he is either at her place or she is at his. I heard Violet giggling in the back ground."
"Whoa wait a minute, Jeff has a girlfriend? Does that mean I'll have to start cooking for a plus one?" Emily asked.
"You might mom," Francine answered, "Then again if they were doing what I think they were doing, you might be cooking for a plus two."
"Jeff is a complete gentleman Francine; he doesn't even flirt with the women at the gym. So he wouldn't do that, until he got to know Violet much better, "Frankie said.
Emily turned her head to stare at her husband, then asked, "So you about Violet too, dear? Why didn't you tell me?"
"If I did tell you what Sapphire and Crystal had planned, you would have tried to stop them. I met Violet once and even though she is a little..um.. unique, she is very nice and smart. She will be perfect for Jeff and who knows? In a few years we might even hear the pitter patter of little feet on our floors again," Frankie answered.
"I hope so Frank, he is like my little brother and I don't want to see him hurt," Emily said.
Frankie hugged his wife nice and tight, then said, "I don't want to see him hurt either Em but I trust our daughters. If they think that Violet is going to be perfect for Jeff, then she will be." He then kissed his wife on the cheek.
Francine took a seat next to her father when Paulie showed up with four glasses and a large pitcher of water. He started pouring the water into the glasses when they all heard a loud motorcycle pull up in front of the café.
Paulie turned around towards the front of his café and said, "I guess Rick is here."
Rick parked his bike in front of Paulie's café, dismounted his bike, and hung his helmet on the right hand grip before he walked into the café.
Just as soon as he entered, Francine crashed into him and said, "Rick! I want you to take me for a ride!"
Rick hugged her, smiled, and said, "Hey Francine. As much as I would love to take you for a ride on my bike, I think your father would kill me if I did." Rick lifted his head towards Frankie then asked, "Am I correct Frankie?"
"That would be correct Rick, there is no way any of my daughters are getting on the back of that thing," Frankie replied.
Rick looked own at Francine, then said, "Sorry kiddo, I love you but I want to keep my head attached to my body. Come on, let's go and take a seat with the rents and catch up. I want to hear what that brilliant mind of yours has been up to."
Joe and Anne arrived a few minutes later and Joe noticed Rick's bike parked in front of the café. They parked a few blocks over instead of in the lot across the street then Joe shut off his car. He turned his body in his seat to face Anne, then asked, "Are you ready to meet one of the moteliest crews you will ever meet?"
Anne let a giggle escape her mouth, then she caressed his left cheek with her right paw and said, "If Emily is any indication of how this crew is going to be, then I will be fine. Let's go and meet your friends."
Before she opened the door and got out of the car, Joe pulled her to him and gave her a passionate kiss.
Anne fisted the lapels of his shirt as she returned his kiss and deepened it by slipping her tongue into his mouth, begging him to take this further.
Joe pulled back from the kiss but leaned his forehead to rest against hers. He then said, "You are going to kill me by kissing me like that Anne. You have no idea how your kiss affects me and maybe tonight, I'll show you." Joe let her go and got out of the car before he ran over to her side, opened the door, and extended his hand to help her out.
Anne took his hand then got out of the car and started walking towards the café. She stopped to watch Joe close the door to the car and got a good look at his firm backside in his pants. She lifted the corner of her mouth, narrowed her eyes, then she grabbed his butt before she sauntered into the café with her hips swaying for his behalf.
Joe almost jumped out of his skin when Anne un-expectantly grabbed him. He turned his head to see her tail slip inside Paulie's and heard the door close. "I'll get even with you later my love," he said with a smirk on his face.
As soon as the door closed, Anne covered her mouth with both of her hands and started to laugh.
Emily heard Anne's laughter and went over to her. She then asked, "What's so funny Anne?"
"The look on Joe's face after I grabbed his firm behind on the way in here. He looked like he had seen a ghost or something," Anne said as she looked Emily in the eye.
"You grabbed Joe's butt?" Emily asked then started to laugh herself. In between the boughs of laughter, she said, "Beverly was the last person to grab Joe like that and he got even with her that night."
"Oh, what did he do to her?" Anne asked.
"Nothing she didn't like. She got pregnant that night if I remember correctly," Emily answered.
"Then he is going to be staying in the spare room tonight or at his place. I love him but I am not ready for that," Anne said.
As Anne finished speaking, Joe walked into the café and heard the end of Anne's and Emily's conversation. He went over to Anne, wrapped his arms around her waist, and asked, "Not ready for what?"
Upon hearing Joe's voice and feeling his arms around her waist, she turned around in his arms, interlaced her fingers against the back of his neck, and said, "Your form of retribution, Joe."
Joe turned his head ever so slightly to face Emily and asked, "What did you tell her?"
"That you got Beverly pregnant that night after she grabbed your behind Joe. Remember, you were staying at my house because yours was still being finished. You both were quite vocal that night," Emily said.
Anne started to giggle again as she watched Joe's face turn red with embarrassment. She then caressed his cheek and asked to change the subject, "You have a house? Can we go see it?"
"Sure Anne, how about we go right after breakfast? I need to get a few things if I am going to be staying at your place, at least for the near future," Joe said.
As they all went to sit down at the table with Frankie and Emily, Al arrived in front of the café just in time to hear the exhaust of some sort of hot-rod pull up. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw an older model Dodge Challenger painted in metallic purple pull up in front of the café and park next to Rick's bike. As he admired the car, the driver got out and closed the door.
"Is this Paulie's Café?" the driver asked.
Al looked up from the car to the driver, then asked, "Yes it is. Nice car by the way, is it a 69 or a 68?"
"It's a 69," the driver responded as he walked around the car and stood in front of Al. "I'm Don, Rick asked me to meet him here."
Don was wearing a red T-Shirt that was very tight to his well-formed upper body, a pair of snug jeans which did nothing to hide the muscle tone of his legs, and a pair of brown leather boots. His brown hair was slicked back and he had a single earing in his right ear.
"Rick is already here and probably starting to get on Paulie's nerves by now. Let's head inside and I'll buy you a cup of coffee if you will tell me how you managed to keep those three carburetors in time," Al said.
"Deal," Don responded and followed Al towards the door.
Al opened the door and let Don enter before he did and closed the door behind him.
Rick heard the door open and turned his head towards it. He saw Don enter, followed by Al, and then got out of his seat. Rick went over to Don, put his hands on Don's waist, kissed him, then said, "Took you long enough to get here."
Don put his hands on Rick's waist and said, "Sorry lover, I had a little trouble getting Nina started. You know how temperamental she can get."
"Don't I," Rick said. "She left us stranded out in the woods during our last date. Although, what you did to keep me warm, I liked, a lot."
Paulie heard Rick's speech, shook his head, then said, "I don't want to hear this. Sit down and order something. We are here for one reason alone and not to hear about your romantic lives."
Both Rick and Don turned their heads towards Paulie and said, "Yes, father," then took their seats at the table.
After everyone was seated and placed their breakfast orders with Paulie, Joe rose from his seat, cleared his throat, and said, "Glad you all could make it. I've known all of you for years and one of you since birth. I consider all of you my family and I am grateful for your friendship. As you all know, ever since Beverly was killed, I was a very broken man. A few nights ago, I met a woman, not just any woman, a woman who has captivated my heart again and made me want to change my life." He turned his head to look at Anne and smiled, before he continued, "Being with Anne makes me feel whole again and I love her."
A small tear left Anne's eye when she heard Joe tell his friends that he loved her.
"Please don't do that Anne," Joe said. "Tears don't belong on such a beautiful face." He then lifted his gaze to the rest of the group, then said, "I have left the family and start to work in the Crime Lab for the Enforcers on Monday morning. That being said, the family is going to do everything they can to try to get me back. Jeff and Frankie have already wired Anne's apartment with the best security stuff out there. But being a reporter makes her a very easy target for them. I have already put a kid on pay role to watch her, but he is young and is not going to be enough to go against the family. So, the question is, what are we going to do to make sure my girlfriend stays safe?"
"What makes you think they are going to go after Anne Joe?" Al asked after he put his mug of coffee down.
"They didn't take no as an answer when they asked me to make more powerful explosives for them. They went after the one person that mattered to me, my pregnant wife!" Joe said. His tone changed and he started screaming, "She was going to give me the best gift a woman could ever give a man, a child! My former employers killed my wife and un-born child to send me a message Al! They took everything from me without batting an eye! Don't you think that they are more willing to try to kill Anne just the way they murdered Beverly?" Joe slumped down in his chair after he finished, leaned forward and out his face in his hands, then started crying.
Anne was out of her seat and to his side. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed his right cheek, then said, "Joe, I have you. Go on and cry if you want to."
Francine went over to them, wrapped her arms around them both, then said, "Uncle Joe, I will do whatever I have to in order to keep her safe. Joe, I want the uncle I grew up with. The man who taught me to love chemistry, the man that stayed up with me when I had a nightmare and my father wasn't around, and the man who I love."
"Joe, I never had a choice in the matter when it came to the family," Frankie said. "My father was their muscle and so was my grandfather. I was expected to fall right in and take their place which I did. After I was assigned to you all of those years ago, I started to attend college. If it wasn't for you Joe, I never would have met my wonderful wife and have three beautiful daughters. So, as my daughter stated, I will do anything needed to make sure that Anne is safe. Are you guys with me?"
Everyone looked at each other, then over to Joe who was still crying in Anne's arms.
Paulie pulled a kitchen knife out from under his apron, then said, "We are with you Frankie, tell us what we have to do."
End of Chapter