Courtship by Proxy

"Oh that silly thing," she scoffed. I held to it, but it didn't help my marriage one bit. I was divorced within two months, and that's when I was finally able to start exploring my own sexuality and discovering the real benefits of being a woman."

"Well, even if you're free to explore your sexuality with anyone you choose, and I am flattered beyond words that you would consider me, I am going to have to decline your offer. I want my exploration to be only with the woman I love and for hers to be only with me."

She considered his response and said, "You accepted a physical relationship with Tara as a proxy for Bubbles, why not me?"

"Because you're proposing things that I want to do for the first time with Bubbles and not one of her proxies. Tara sought to take things between us further too, and I told her something very similar to what I am telling you. The shared pleasure between two people means too much to me for one of them to venture out and explore on their own. Sorry."

"No Kyle, actually I'm not sorry at all," she said. "After learning of you and how you protected Tara's virtue even after she practically begged you to take it made me curious if it was just her, or if you were as good as you seemed. I decided to test your resolve so to speak. I'm glad you passed."

Kyle laughed, "Well you are quite the temptress Lauren. So what is your real agenda as my companion if it isn't my sexual education?"

She took his hand in hers and said, "Your early departure has changed my original agenda for our time together. I now need to focus on explaining a few things to you for Bubbles since she probably won't get a chance before you two meet."

"Okay," said Kyle.

"First of all, I believe you fully recognize that Bubbles loves you."

"I do," agreed Kyle.

"Good, but I want to try and describe the depth and intensity of her love, and the tenuous nature of her emotions concerning you."

"I would never hurt her," Kyle said.

"You might do it without knowing," Lauren told him. "You have come to love a woman through physical interactions with her proxies and a few hours of conversation with her directly. You may have expectations of how you two will 'fit' or otherwise be physically compatible that leave you disappointed when you meet. She wants you to know that you will have options."

"Options?"

"Yes Kyle, Bubbles would be devastated if she sensed that you ever just settled for her. Your happiness is the essence of who she is and you need to realize that. If for whatever reason you find Bubbles lacking, you need to know that you have Cammy, Tara, and now me waiting in the wings for you. We're your options Kyle. You would have all the best of Bubbles' love for you packaged in the physical specimen of your choosing."

"I can't believe what I am hearing," Kyle said. "Do any of you think I am so superficial that what Bubbles looks like would matter at this point?"

"Kyle, you misunderstand. Bubbles is beautiful in her own right, and you yourself have commented on this in the past. Remember Kyle, you do know Bubbles. You two have met before, so it is not her appearance that concerns her, it is your rejection of who she really is once you meet her. It's not like she's a first cousin or someone that would present legal challenges for you two having a relationship, but there may be other challenges for you personally. That's why she wants you to know that you have options."

"Oh man this just keeps getting more bizarre," Kyle moaned.

"There's another thing that Bubbles wants you to know Kyle," she continued.

"Of course there is." He looked at his watch to see how much longer this fight would last.

"While Bubbles would step out of the way for one of her Sisters if that is your choice, she won't share you with Karen Mayes. You need to make a choice between them, and do it soon."

"Funny you should mention it," he said. "Right before this flight I called Karen and told her I had met someone else and no longer harbored any regret or guilt related to whatever Karen thought I had done to her. I tried to achieve closure between us, but Karen rejected it. I was going to mention my conversation with Karen the next time that Bubbles and I talk."

"What do you mean 'she rejected it'?" Lauren asked.

"It was actually kind of spooky," Kyle said. "She said that closure between us would come when she decided and on her terms. She went on to say that she would not allow a relationship between me and another woman, admitting that she had interfered with every girl that I dated in high school to insure that they would not go out with me a second time."

"It's probably all bluster," said Lauren, "but I'll make sure Bubbles knows."

They spent the rest of the flight in lighter conversation. Lauren explained how she had married a minister and couldn't exist within the sexual mores he tried to impose on their relationship.

She wanted passion, excitement and adventure, and he wanted sex solely for the purpose of procreation. She found herself in a lesbian relationship with a neighbor who awakened her further and she soon sought out an agent to help her get into exotic dancing, modeling, and finally adult movies. She seldom performed in movies anymore, but she did enjoy the dancing and escort work. She made Kyle promise that he would contact her if he had a bachelor party so that she could be the entertainment.

When they were deplaning, Lauren kissed him as passionately and as deeply as Cammy and Tara had and he could have sworn she was one or both of them.

After recovering from their kiss, she said that she was going to wait at the gate for her next flight. Apparently, she was going to be taking a red-eye back to the east coast due to a commitment she had for the next evening.

Kyle arrived at his apartment just after 5:00pm. He had already planned on taking Thursday and Friday off, so he didn't even bother to start unpacking his luggage that night. He had just finished his dinner of leftover chicken enchiladas when his cell phone rang at 6:30pm.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your dinner?"

Kyle started looking around for a camera. "Hi Bubbles. How did you know that I just finished dinner?"

She laughed, "Because I can hear the dishwasher in the background and didn't assume you would run it before you put your dinner dishes in it."

"Right," Kyle said. "In that case the only thing missing from dinner was my favorite companion. I miss any opportunity to share something in my life with you."

"Oh Kyle, I feel the same way. I want to apologize for Lauren and her little game with you today. I didn't know that she was going to tempt and test you like that."

Kyle laughed, "That's okay. Did she tell you that I checked to see if her tattoo was real?"

Giggling, Bubbles replied, "Yes, and I thought that was a perfect response by you."

"How was your day?" Kyle asked. "I know I threw a wrench into the works with my change of plans, but I really will make it up to you this weekend. I promise."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart. If I didn't have to occasionally adapt to meet your needs and desires, it would be due to you not being in my life. Consequently, I will never complain about a change in plans because the alternative would be unbearable. However, to answer your first question, my day was good. Since I didn't have to prepare you dinner for tonight, I went into my office to get ahead on a few things for when I am out of town."

"When do you get into Orange County?" he asked?

"I am scheduled to arrive late tomorrow. I will call you before I take off to let you know if everything is on schedule."

"Do you want me to pick you up from the airport?" he asked hopefully. "I don't care how late it is."

"Thanks Kyle, but my transportation and accommodations for Thursday night are already arranged. I have laid out Friday morning and afternoon for some last minute preparations for meeting you. Just think, in about forty-eight hours from now, we'll be together."

"Finally!" he said.

"Yes indeed," she agreed. "Now Kyle, fill me in on your conversation with Karen Mayes. How did you happen to speak with her today?"

"My uncle asked me - no he 'told' me to call Karen and get closure with her before my mom drove him crazy. He provided me her number at work and made me promise to call her before she flew to California for the reunion. Apparently, Karen has never let hers or my mom know her feelings about me so they still hold out hope for her and I getting together,"

"Why haven't you explained things to your mom by now?" she asked.

"I've tried," he said, "but when I can't answer the obvious questions about why Karen wouldn't talk to me or anything, my mom dismissed me as just 'being afraid of commitment'. My uncle and I are in agreement that until Karen confirms my story, our moms won't give up on us."

"I take it Karen doesn't want to do that?"

"Apparently not," he said. "She said closure between us will be on her terms and happen when she is ready. She did admit to being the reason why no other girls in high school would ever go on a second date with me, and implied that she would prevent you or any other woman from getting serious with me."

"She's too late where I'm concerned, but I may have a suggestion that could force her hand, at least as far as your moms are concerned."

"I don't know if forcing her hand is smart, but I would love to hear your ideas," he said.

"Why don't you introduce me to your mom this weekend? Once she sees the love between us, she'll have to face reality, and she'll start that by confronting Karen about you and me."

"In principle, that makes sense, but if Karen is staying with her mom while in town for the reunion, there is a very good chance that any confrontation will also include her directly. That could get ugly, and I don't want you to have to be portrayed in an unfavorable light the first time that you meet my mother."

"Kyle, if there is one person in this world that intimidates me less than Karen Mayes, you would be hard pressed to name them. Trust me, she won't cause me any problems. Karen would avoid causing me problems at any cost."

"You two must have some history," he said.

"We definitely do," she said, "and the pain she caused you has always been a major point of contention between the two of us. You apparently didn't mention to her that I was the woman you had fallen for, otherwise you probably would have received a different response from her."

"You're right," he said. "I haven't figured out how to announce you to anyone based upon not knowing who you are. I'm afraid people would not understand my falling for a mystery woman. I can hardly believe it myself, and I'm living the experience."

"Fair enough, but that will be remedied in a couple of days, and then I don't know about you, but I'm going to be shouting my love for you from the rooftops."

"I'll be right there beside you Bubbles."

Kyle looked at his watch and wondered for the hundredth time in the last few hours if Bubbles would call him tonight. She had called him that morning to wake him, as she had done every day this week, and he treasured hearing her voice as the first sound of each new day. She had promised to call him before boarding her flight, but he wasn't sure of an approximate time for that.

When his cell phone rang, he saw from the display that Cliff was calling him. "Hi Cliff, what's up?"

"Hey Kyle, are you in town or on the road?" Cliff asked.

"I got home yesterday afternoon and I'm here until the start of next month. Why?"

"Great," Cliff said. "I need a favor. I just got called into surgery and I won't be able to pick up some of the gift basket stuff from US Toys as I promised Linda. Could you swing by and pick the stuff up and then drop it off to Linda and her committee members at the Doubletree Hotel?"

"Sure Cliff, that won't be a problem," he said. "US Toys is right around the corner from the hotel, plus this will give me a chance to apologize again to Linda for not attending the reunion. What time does this have to be done by?"

"Thanks Kyle, you're a lifesaver. US Toys doesn't close until 9:00pm, but the sooner you can get the stuff to the hotel, the earlier the committee members will be able to finish the baskets and go home. The stuff at US Toys is paid for, so just say you're from our class to pick the stuff up and they should have it ready for you."

"Okay," Kyle said, "let me get some shoes on and I'll head out right now. By the way Cliff, I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"Sure Kyle, but make it quick. I need to go scrub in."

"Do you know a friend of Linda's that goes by the nickname 'Bubbles'?"

"Of course," said Cliff. "So do you."

"So I've been told," Kyle said. "What's her real name?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Cliff said as he started to laugh. "I've got to go Kyle. Thanks again for your help." The call was disconnected.

Kyle found Linda and her committee in a small meeting room off the bar and lounge area of the hotel. Linda saw Kyle enter carrying the box of supplies and rose to greet him.

"Just set the box over against that wall Kyle and we'll take it from here."

Kyle set the box against the wall where indicated and when he turned around he found Linda standing right in front of him with three ladies behind her. These women had been sitting together at a table talking and did not appear to be working with the rest of the committee on the baskets.

Linda approached Kyle, put her arms around his neck and said, "Hello Kyle Mason. My name is Linda Saunders and I'll be your companion for this evening."

Chapter Seven - Linda

"I've never had a married woman as a companion before," laughed Kyle, "but based upon the way that Cliff obviously set me up for this, any regrets I may have contemplated are quickly diminishing."

Linda kissed his cheek, giggled and said, "Reign it in there cowboy, this is a platonic, informative companionship session only. I want to introduce you to a few of my Sisters..."

Linda indicated the three women standing behind her, "First, I would like you to meet Cameron Bellinger, or Cammy as we call her."

A very buxom blonde wearing rimless glasses and standing about five foot three stepped forward and shook Kyle's hand. Her touch was warm and friendly, but nowhere near what he had experienced previously with "Cammy". Plus, Kyle found her homely at best. She just smiled at Kyle's confused expression and stepped back.

"Next," Linda said, "I would like you to meet Tara Greene." An even shorter woman of Asian heritage with spiky black hair, the piercings and snake tattoo that Kyle remembered, plus obvious nipple piercings stepped forward and shook Kyle's hand.

"And last, but not least, I would like you to meet Lauren Wragg." While taller than the others, this woman was still significantly shorter than the person that Kyle has met claiming the same identity. Definitely not the Lauren Wragg that he had met yesterday.

"So this was all a game," Kyle said as his anger started to grow. "There never was a Bubbles. There never was a 'Sisterhood' helping to make me fall in love with one of their own."

"That's where you're wrong Kyle," replied Linda. "And that's why you are here tonight – to learn about love."

Kyle was not mollified. "Bullshit! Where's Bubbles then? Where are the women that she said were the same ones you just introduced? Whe..." His cell phone rang. He checked the display and saw 'unknown caller'. "Great," he thought. "This could be Bubbles, or it could be that psycho Karen Mayes." He chose not to answer.

Linda interrupted his rant further, "If you're going to yell, there's the door Kyle. Feel free to leave at any time. Walk away from the greatest love of your life because you are too impatient to listen to the truth. Get lost loser. I told her you weren't worth her efforts."

Kyle turned and walked out of the room. He was livid. He was confused. He was curious. Rather than going to his car in the parking lot, he walked over to the hotel bar and ordered a beer from the bartender, Steve.

His cell phone rang again and this time he decided to answer it. What else could go wrong?

"What?" he said in the way of a greeting.

"Kyle, it's me. I am so sorry. If I could get a faster flight out there I would be there instantly to explain things in person, and if Linda isn't in front of you within two minutes licking the top of your shoes in apology for what she has done, I'll kick her ass all the way to Santa Monica when I do get there."

Kyle looked up to see Linda rushing out of the meeting room and looking frantically around. She spotted Kyle at the bar and rushed over to him.

"Linda's here," is all he said into the phone.

"Okay. Kyle I need to get on a plane, and I need Linda to explain things to you. Please be patient and remember – always remember that I love you. I'll be with you tomorrow, Kyle. I hope you'll still want me. I love you Kyle Mason." She disconnected the call.

As soon as he took the cell phone from his ear, Linda threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. "Kyle I am so sorry. I told Bubbles that she was better at this stuff than me, but she insisted that you had to know tonight, and she couldn't be here to tell you. Please forgive me."

"Okay," said Kyle, "start at the beginning. Who were my proxies if they weren't the women in there?" He pointed to the meeting room.

"That's easy," Linda said. "They were all Bubbles. One woman appearing as three to be with you. Do you think she would trust the man she loves to another woman – even one of her Sisters?"

"Why?" asked Kyle.

"Why what?" Karen asked.

"Why the charade? Am I perceived as so cruel and brutal that women have to disguise themselves to be around me? From what I hear that Karen Mayes has said about me, I could almost understand women running at the sight of me. I assume because Karen Mayes and Bubbles are both Sisters, that Karen's feelings about me have influenced Bubble's tactics. Am I right?"

"Kyle, I can say with absolute confidence that Karen Mayes' feelings for you directly influenced what Bubbles did to get you to recognize your love for her. You still love Bubbles don't you?"

"Of course," said Kyle, "but I think I may have jeopardized things the other day."

"What happened yesterday?" asked Linda.

"I think I may have antagonized Karen Mayes a bit too much. "Linda, you and Karen were friends. Why did she shut me out of her life? I mean, I know that she equated me calling her a friend with the definition of friend when a boy and girl decide not to be more – such as you and I did, but why didn't she ever say anything to me or let me know how she really felt?"

"I really hoped that you would get this from her at some point, but that seems unlikely now," Linda said. "The basic problem with Karen was that she loved you too much at a time in her life when she wasn't prepared to deal with the risk that her feelings for you presented her."

"Because of her father and brother?" Kyle asked.

"Probably," said Linda. "The two male role models in her life had been taken from her and were soon replaced by you, Kyle. You were her rock, her security – much like a father and older brother would be, but you were also absolutely her heart's sole desire from the time she first saw you. Her and I were best friends, and when you and I explored being boyfriend and girlfriend, I thought that Karen would have a fit. That never happened because Karen knew that we would never hit it off as a couple, and she patiently waited for us to learn that on our own."