CHAPTER 10:

THE SON AND THE SALES AGREEMENT

Joseph lay in bed, waiting for his wife to get out of their master

suites bathroom. What was she doing in there? How long does it take to

wash your face and brush your teeth? Just as he was about to get up to

go use the bath down the hall, the door flung open. Clarisse leaned

against the door frame in a black slip, which was very, very short.

Well, he thought, why rush the woman?

"Hi", she said in a seductive whisper.

"Hello yourself", he returned.

She smiled and began strolling over to the bed. When she got to the

end she climbed over the foot-board and began crawling up to him,

finally resting with her bottom on his stomach. He put his hands on

her hips as she sat straddling him and smiled up at her.

"I was just about to get pissed off because you were hogging the bathroom"

"I see, and have you changed your mind?"

"No, I'm still very angry. You are going to have to work very hard to

make me forgive you"

"Oh my", she said placing his hands on her chest and leaning down to

kiss his neck, "What did you have in mind?"

"I shouldn't say. It may shock you"

She sat back up and gave him a naughty smile, before yanking the slip

over her head and running a hand down his bare stomach, across his

pajama clad thigh, resting in a vulnerable spot. He let out a groan

and she leaned down once again to whisper, "I thought you were going

to shock me"

"You beat me to it", he said trying to breath.

"Well there is more where that came from", she said in a husky voice as

She quickly sat back up, pulling him up with her. She licked his lips,

but kept her mouth tightly closed teasingly as he tried to kiss her,

she finally opened her mouth, not being able to deny him any longer.

He claimed it hungrily and she reacted by eagerly doing the same. She

broke the kiss abruptly to smile at him coyly before

arching herself back and tossing back her head to offer him her chest

and neck. He groaned as he claimed one and then the other with his

mouth before being able to take it no longer. He spun her over so that

he was on top of her and quickly tugged off his pajama bottoms, the

only clothing left between them.

She pulled him down and licked his ear lobe as she whispered, "Ravish

me my love"

Her words made him even hotter with passion and he was just about to

do as she asked, when their door opened.

"Grandma! Joe! Guess who's... OH AH OH... my God!", Mia closed the

door to finish speaking, "I'm SO sorry. You know you should really

lock..."

"MIA!", Joe shouted, "GET LOST"

"Joseph!", Clarisse scolded him, but half heartedly, so he remained on

top of her.

"Well... I mean are you kidding me?", he said gesturing to the door.

How many years was it going to take that girl to learn how to knock.

"I know, I know darling. Just calm down", she whispered, stroking the

back of his neck soothingly. She didn't hear Mia and assumed she had

left, "Are you no longer in the mood?", she asked with a pout as she

ran her leg up and down his, under the covers.

"The mood WAS ruined. However..", he said emitting a little smile and

kissing her neck, "I might be persuaded to continue, seeing how this

beautiful woman is..."

"Dad? Hey, can you two stop making out for a second so you can say

hello to your only son?", came a male voice at the door.

"Mario!", Clarisse said happily. They had not seen him in months.

"I'm gonna kill him", Joe replied.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So I just got back last night and you two are already abandoning

me?", Mario asked teasingly, the next morning over breakfast.

"I told you. We had this appointment set up for a while, but it won't

be too long. We can meet you for a late lunch", said Joe, who was

happy to be with his son, despite his rather rude arrival the night

before.

"You still haven't told us where you two are going. Is it top secret

or something?", Mia questioned, grabbing another piece of bacon from

the dish in front of her.

"It is indeed", said Joseph, winking at his wife, who smiled back at him.

"Come on, I hate it when I don't know what's going on", Mia said with a pout.

"I'm sorry darling, but this doesn't concern you. Well, it will in the

end. It will effect the whole family, but at this stage its a private

matter between myself and my husband", Clarisse stated, channeling

Queen Clarisse.

"Oh my god! You're pregnant!", was Mia's rather silly reply.

Clarisse laughed, thinking she was joking, naturally. However, she

seemed to be serious.

"Mia, women my age do not get pregnant! As I am sure you are well

aware, there's this thing called menopause"

"Oh, right. But the oldest woman to have a baby was about your age. I

remember learning about it in health class. She thought she was in the

clear too, but it happened"

"Well it hasn't happened to me darling. As much as I would have loved

to have had a child with Joseph, I'm afraid that ship has sailed. Our

meeting today has nothing to do with babies, but it is still a private

matter. I'm sorry darling"

"Aww, and I was thinking I was going to be a big brother!", Mario said

mockingly to Joe, who threw a piece of toast at him, chuckling a bit.

"We should go my darling", Clarisse said to Joseph as she raised from the table.

"Yes", he said looking at his watch, "You two gonna be ok here? I'm

sure Mia wouldn't mind showing you around The Plaza while we are gone"

"Dad I have been to The Plaza before... Well alright, just a couple of times"

"Perhaps you can show Mia around New York then. She has lived here

less then a month and gets, ah, a bit lost at times"

"How can you get lost? The streets are numbered!", Mario said laughing.

"It's still confusing! I'm sure I am not the first person to get lost

in New York City, thank you very much!"

"Well then I feel it is my duty as a New Yorker to show you the ins

and outs of our fair city"

"Well, there you go", said Joe as he left for the door, where Clarisse

had been waiting, "Have fun you two", he said as they left. Laughing a

bit when he got on the other side of the door.

"What's so funny?", Clarisse asked, confused.

"They have little crushes on each other I think"

"Oh, they do not!"

"Yes. They do. I know about these things", he said coyly, as he

wrapped his arms around her waist to steal a kiss.

"Alright, that's enough of that", she said after a few moments, "We

are going to be late!"

"I thought a Queen was never..."

"Oh, shut up", she said smacking his arm and making him chuckle as

they set off for their appointment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I can't believe how much you can eat!", Mario said, laughing at Mia

who was chowing down on a hot dog.

"I'm just trying to experience the city", Mia said in her defense, "I

only had one funnel cake and one hot dog"

"Yeah, but we just ate a huge breakfast an hour ago. Who eats a hot

dog at 10am anyway?"

"Well they are selling them at this hour, so people must buy them"

"Yeah, crazy people like you!"

She smiled and took another bite.

"Alright, here's our first stop"

"The Empire State Building? I was hoping for something a little

more... Exciting"

"Wait till you see the view from the top, its amazing! Plus, then you

can see the whole city through a bird's eyes and never get lost again"

"Well then I'm in"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"This place is fantastic!", Joseph said after they had finished almost

all of the tour of the large Victorian home they had driven out to see

that morning.

"What do you think darling?", Joseph asked excitedly.

Clarisse frowned at him slightly, "We are JUST looking, as I seem to recall"

"Yes, we are. We're looking. So what do you think of what you have looked at?

"You're impossible", Clarisse said laughing, "It's nice", but seeing

his hands on his hips amended, "It's VERY nice. I'm just not sure it's

for us. It's an hour away from The Plaza"

"Perhaps you would like to see the outside now madame ?", the "Real

Estate Professional", as he called himself, asked Clarisse, fearing he

was loosing the sale.

"Yes, I would. You said there was a garden?"

"Oh yes, several gardens actually. The previous owner had quite a

green thumb. There is a green house and some beautiful old trees

scattered about as well"

"Well, let's see it! ", Joseph urged.

As they stepped outside Clarisse gasped. It was truly beautiful. A

large, lovely piece of property with shady paths, fountains,

landscaped lawns and flowers EVERYWHERE. There was indeed a greenhouse

in the distance, as well as some sheds, a quaint tree house, a little

pond and a lovely gazebo.

"Wow! This place gives your garden in Genovia a run for it's money",

Joseph said absently.

"Where?", the young man asked.

"Nothing. Has this home been featured anywhere it looks familiar",

Joseph added trying to change the subject.

"Oh yes, it is featured quite regularly! Would you and your wife like

some time alone back here to get a feel for it?", he asked, noticing

Clarisse wandering off, getting lost in the beauty of her

surroundings.

"Please", Joseph said smiling at his wife's obvious delight at the

beautiful yard.

"When you are ready I will be inside and then I can show you the

master suite, which is all we haven't seen thus far. It has a large

terrace that overlooks the Garden. There is an lovely in-ground pool

to the left of the property as well, if you would like to see that and

the garages are too the left"

"Thank you", Joseph said as he departed to catch up to his wife.

When she spotted him their eyes locked and she gave him a lovely

smile, which made him want to make his way to her even quicker. The

breeze was blowing her hair gently, she was breathing deeply to take

in the scent around her. As he reached her he wrapped his arms around

her, hugging her from behind and inhaling her neck.

"This is just like old times", he murmured in her ear, "Our secret

meetings in the gardens"

Clarisse turned to him smiling, "Those meetings sustained me for so long"

"Myself as well", Joseph said, thinking back, "Let me buy you this place!"

Clarisse broke away from him gently then.

"I know what you're thinking. That it is too big and a lot of upkeep

and we would have to employ people to help us with the gardens. You

are thinking it is too far away from our family and that you would

feel guilty if we bought it, like we were abandoning Mia"

"YOU sir, know me too well", she said with a faint smile.

"Ah yes, but think about this... Think about having our family here in

this lovely place, all the guest rooms for visitors, but still privacy

for US. You and me. JUST you and me. Walking in this garden whenever

we wanted, making love out here if we wanted to. The master bedroom

overlooks the yard as well, so we would never have to leave the

garden. There is a pool, Mia would love that! ...Think about it my

darling... Please"

"I will", she said cupping his cheek with her hand, "Now, let's finish

our walk my love"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mario and Mia collapsed on Clarisse and Joe's sofa, exhausted from

their day as tourists.

"Oh my god, my feet are killing me. Thanks A LOT!"

"Well, it's not my fault you wore those shoes"

"Do you like them? Prada"

"Very sexy"

"Oh my, you ARE like your father"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you both have that Latin thing going for you, you whisper

the word "sexy" and women swoon"

"Oh, so your swooning?"

"No way! That only works on British chicks"

They both laughed hysterically.

"Can you imagine what your grandmother would say if she heard you say

that about her, oh man I would love to see that"

"What about your dad? Joe would try and prove that he could make any

woman swoon, but only if my grandma played the party of "any woman".

Those two only have eyes for each other"

"For sure! I have seen my dad walk by some gorgeous women and not even

notice them, he's got it bad, has for years"

"Oh, but YOU notice!"

"Well, I'm a single guy. Some day I want to be as in love with someone

as my dad is with Clarisse, but it hasn't happened yet. I haven't met

THE ONE"

"THE ONE, oh yes... And who is THE ONE for you?"

"Smart, pretty, sexy, funny, family oriented, laid back, likes staying

in, but up for going out sometimes too, you know... Someone like you"

"What? Well, some of that describes me, but not the... sexy... part.

Also, the smart part is only when I'm on my game, sometimes I can be a

total idiot"

"Oh that's right, I forgot. She's got to be modest too"

"Well, aren't you clever!"

"Well, now I'm hoping CLEVER is on YOUR list. By the way, you are

really smart and I think you know it. Also, you are incredibly sexy,

but I'm not sure yet if you know that"

Ok, Mia thought. This was starting to get weird. This was Joe's son!

Nothing could happen between them. Could it? God, he was so sexy. Why

did he have to be so suave? This was Joe's son, if it was anyone else

then things would be different, maybe they could have some fun and if

it didn't work out... Oh well. Not that she was looking for

meaningless flings, OR meaningFUL flings for that matter. Oh, this

just couldn't happen.

"Does anyone walk around thinking they're sexy?"

"Lots of people. It's a confidence thing. If you sat on my lap right

now and said "kiss me", I would. I wouldn't do it because I had

planned to or because I thought I should, but because you used your

sex appeal in such a way I could not resist"

Don't do it Mia! No! He wants you to do it, that's why he said it.

"That's ridiculous!", she said trying to laugh and subtly move away

from him a bit on the couch.

"Try it"

"What?", she said spinning to face him.

"Try it if you think it's so ridiculous! Prove me wrong", he said with a smile.

"Oh, you are GOOD"

"You should really wait to say that until after we've kissed", he said

playfully.

Mia raised her eyebrows and she got to her feet. He thought he had

pushed her too far and was about to apologize when she moved over and

sat on his lap. Both of them smiling at one another.

"This IS ridiculous", she said nervously.

"Oh yeah, then why are you doing it?", he whispered.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Mia angled her head

as they moved closer until their lips lightly touched. He licked her

lips slightly to wet them, then slowly moved his tongue inside. The

kiss grew hot and passionate very quickly and Mia found herself

wanting more of this man. She gripped his shirt, wanting to rip it

off, but managing not to. His hand moved over her back and she could

feel his excitement below her. They slowed down a bit, both knowing

this couldn't go too far. He broke the kiss first.

"See. Do you still think you're not sexy?"

"Well, I, I'm... Perhaps I should get off your lap now", she said as

she placed herself back on the sofa, farther away then before.

"Ah, I guess I should apologize", he started, "That wasn't very

gentlemanly of me was it?"

"What? Oh please, I did that of my own free will. Besides I have not

been kissed in a long time. It was nice, that is to say it was good

for me to, you know, kiss someone again"

"I hadn't kissed anyone in a long time either. I thought it was nice

too", he said sincerely.

They looked at each other trying to understand what the last ten

minutes had all meant. When the door opened.

"Hey kiddos! Sorry we are so late getting back. Today's meeting took a

rather unexpected turn", Joe said happily, "What have you two been up

to?"

"Nothing", they both replied quickly, causing Joe and Clarisse to both

look at them questioningly.

"I showed Mia around the city. She ate about a million hot dogs. We

just got back", Mario said smiling as he dodged a pillow Mia hurled at

him.

"Well", Clarisse said happily, "We have news! You can tell them darling"

"No, no you should do the honors my love. This is all for you", Joseph

said lovingly.

"Oh, but I thought you were just as excited about it as I was", she

said with a slight sadness to her tone.

"Of course, of course! You know how happy I am about this! It was my

idea, but I love that it makes you happy! That is, for me, the best

part"

"Oh my darling, you are so sweet", she said as she placed her hand

behind his head running her fingers in the hair at the base of his

neck, "It is for US then"

"Yes, US. I love you", he said as he got a little lost in her eyes.

"I love YOU", she said softly as she pulled him in for a soft kiss.

"Ah, excuse me!", Mia interrupted, but this time feeling like she had

the right, "Weren't you about to tell us something?"

Joseph and Clarisse ignored her briefly as they finished their tender

kiss, gazing at one another after it broke.

"What?", Clarisse asked of Mia and Mario, a smile on her face, as

Joseph wrapped his arms loosely around her from behind.

"You were about to tell us something", Mario said, then rolling his

eyes at Mia who chuckled.

"Oh! Yes, we have news. Big news!", Clarisse said to her granddaughter

and step son, then looking up at Joseph who's chest she was leaning

against, "Let's tell them together"

"Ok, ready?"

"WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!"

... TO BE CONTINUED