The Empath Cycle: 2010 Carpe Diem - Book 2

Since then, the two women had discussed the situation and had experimented with the early signs Anne-Marie had identified. They were both on the lookout for them when emotionally charged situations occurred since they seemed to be the trigger. As much as they wanted to keep this private, they knew they would have to talk to Ryanna about it at some point.

As a scientist in the field of para-psychology, she was probably the best person to help. Plus, they trusted her as part of Sylvie's family since they all had shown they trusted Anne-Marie and Ann with their own secrets.

Ryanna and Julia had been frequent visitors since the week they had chauffeured the two women morning and night. Both of them therapists, they had been a big help to Anne-Marie after she had a low level relapse on their first day back from St-Jovite. They spontaneously offered their help when they saw her in distress. After discussing it with Anne-Marie, she had authorized her therapist from the support group to share her file with them and she had told them her story while in the security of Ann's arms.

They had told Ann and Anne-Marie their family and clan's history from its early days in the forties and of their own peculiar family arrangement. Because of their involvement in the events which had almost cost Ann her sanity and Sylvie her life, they disclosed information known only of a select group and yet more known only by the family, Mr. White and Professor Williams, though Ann had already discovered all of Sylvie's research and breakthrough while searching for a way to help her.

All in all, they were becoming good friends, often keeping Anne-Marie company on evenings when Ann had to actually attend her classes at the HEC or joining them for an evening at home or on the road. They loved to ride as passengers behind Ann and Anne-Marie. They overplayed the biker chicks role outrageously. They couldn't wait for the women to drive them to the compound on their Harleys, but Ann was reluctant to go back.

At the time Ann had set, the photo of her as she was embracing her mostly naked girlfriend on the hood of their brand new car faded in on her middle screen.

At the same time, she felt a quiet breath on her ear as a soft voice called to her.

"It's time, my love. Come back to me. You know what they say about all work and no play making Ann a dull girl. I need you to come play with me. I want you, my love..."

Ann reached over her shoulder and brought the mouth closer so she could kiss it tenderly. While their mouths were joined, Anne-Marie moved to her favorite place, on Ann's lap.

"It's too bad we can't end the day's work at the office the same way." Ann sighed. "There would be too many jealous people. As it is, we have to be careful with our PDA."

"Do you mean like when you barge in my office and use my body for your own pleasure?" Anne-Marie asked, eyes lowered coyly.

"I wish. You're the one who teases me and then throws me out on wobbly legs."

"Well, you're sitting now, but if you keep your hand between my legs, you're going to have to carry me upstairs."

"We're really going to have to get a folding bed down here."

"Remember the work and not-work thing? Down here is work and... Nghhhh! You... Yes, my love! Take me! Take me now!"

"I thought you'd see it my... Mphhhh..."

Route 148 was clogged with week-enders, as usual, but they enjoyed the scenery nonetheless.

They stopped at the Zouk, a log house-type restaurant, for a quick lunch on their way to Lac Simon for an afternoon of sun and fun on the beach.

They had come across it while searching the net for sights to visit in the Abitibi region and, for once, the weather cooperated. The sun was high and warm. They meant to spend the afternoon soaking the rays before driving leisurely back with a stop for supper at one of the quality restaurants in Montebello.

As usual, they attracted a crowd, mostly male, of gawkers who wanted get a good look at the two foxy women riding old school choppers. The lady at the reception area of the municipal park directed them to a quieter part of the beach where, she told them, people kept mostly to themselves.

Once parked, they walked across the knoll which separated the beach area from the rest of the park. A hundred feet to their right, they could see families setting up for the afternoon. Below them and to the left were mostly couples or singles. At first, they didn't notice anything special since they were sitting or lying in the sun with only a few swimming or playing in the water.

As they got closer, they realized they were on a nudist beach. They stopped in their tracks and looked at each other questioningly. Anne-Marie took her partner's hand and laughed.

"What do you say, my love?" She asked. "Ready for your first experience in true exhibitionism? Don't look so scared. I heard of these places. The etiquette specifies that you don't do things overtly sexual, so all we'll do is soak the rays, swim, and enjoy ourselves. As the lady said, people tend to keep to themselves so we won't be bothered by men who can't take no for an answer."

"I was thinking of you, love." Ann answered. "Back home we had a pond where all the young people went skinny dipping. I don't mind showing my body. If you consider the size of the bikinis most women wear and the Speedos for men, we might as well all be naked anyway. It was okay to do what we did the other day because nobody could really see us, like you said. This is different. I was worried..."

Anne-Marie hugged her fiercely. "You are just the best girlfriend ever, you know that? I don't mind showing my body either if it means I get to ogle yours. Come on then. Let's get naked!" She laughed.

As expected, all they got was a look to see who the newcomers were before people went back to their own business. If anyone enjoyed their nakedness, they did it discreetly. There was no sign of sexual activity of the beach, but the couples in the water tended to be quieter than their counterparts on the family side.

Anne-Marie insisted Ann spread sunblock on all of her body, not only her back.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be sexual." Ann teased as she thoroughly massaged the cream on her girlfriend's breasts.

"Overtly sexual, my love. Overtly being the operative word here. Did you notice the couple in the water a few minutes ago? Yes, the white man with the black woman. Didn't you see the satisfied grins they sported when they came out of the water? And those two men who walked hand in hand in the bushes at the end of the beach? I bet they'll come out of there in the water and swim their way back here."

"It's that etiquette thing? I can understand it. That way they keep things mostly private so others aren't involved. It's like we are all on our own secluded private beach."

"You've got it, my love. Like many things, it's a convention. As long as we all play by the same rules, everybody is happy and a nudist beach is tolerated a few feet away from a family beach."

"Yeah! I suppose some little boys and girls get an eyeful on the sly like we did when we got old enough to be allowed to go skinny dipping with the older kids. It's not much different."

"Exactly and I... Please, the... I'm... Mphhhhh!"

Anne-Marie shuddered and kissed Ann to muffle the sounds as she came on the hand which had been discreetly active between her legs as they talked. She fell in her girlfriend's arms as she caught her breath.

"That was cruel and unusual. Thank you. I've never tried to keep it all inside as I came before. It's... special."

"I thought you might like it." Ann giggled softly.

Later they frolicked in the water where Anne-Marie got even by demonstrating how long she could hold her breath underwater. Then they put on the bikinis they had brought to walk, hand in hand, to the snack-bar for refreshments.

All in all, it was a pleasant afternoon.

They ended the day on the living room couch with Ann in her own favorite position, head on Anne-Marie's lap. Soft jazz was playing and a few candles added to the mellow mood.

"The only thing missing to make this the perfect romantic evening would be a bear skin in front of a fireplace." Anne-Marie mused.

"I'm perfectly happy just being here with you, love." Ann said as she brought Anne-Marie's hand to her lips and kissed it. "But a fireplace is nice too. If you want one, I can build it for you. One of my uncles is a mason and I worked for him a whole summer. The rocks are expensive, so we'd have to find a place to pick them. It's easy when you know where to look. Then we'd probably have to reinforce the structure of the house..."

"Enough already." Anne-Marie laughed. "You're too literal. I was only trying to set a mood. I've made all the ameliorations I mean to do on this house and you've rewired the basement for our equipment. This was never meant to be a permanent place for me. It was practical when I moved out of the condo. Now we should be looking for a place of our own."

"I can afford to share a mortgage now that I've been hired full time. When the girls have found another roommate, I'll have that money too."

"They said they already found another of your friends from back home who is interested. Martine told me she should be moving in in August."

"You know, you're the only person I've heard call her by her given name and not end up on his or her ass with a fat lip since she turned fourteen." Ann laughed.

"I don't believe you. She's such a nice woman. I really hope things work out between Matt and her."

"I'm sure they will. I got this feeling when we met him. I think there's more to him than meets the eye."

"I trust your feelings, my love. So, where would you want to live?"

"With you, of course." Ann said with feeling.

"Me too, my love. Me too. I meant a place we could make our own and build a future together."

"I know. You'll have to be patient with me. This is the first time I have to think about the future in a concrete way. Let's set aside the idea of building a life together and... raising a family for the moment." She finished hesitantly.

Anne-Marie lowered her head and kissed her lovingly. "I would love to raise a family with you, my heart. We would be the best parents ever. Oh, I love you so much."

Eventually, they got back on topic.

"You still have at least a year's work to finish your doctorate. " Ann said. "And I need to get at least an MBA. I spoke to a couple of people and a normal Masters would be just as valid, but the MBA is recognized widely as specific to the business world and will get you the best introduction in any business. Now, I'm perfectly fine at the firm, but if I'm to think of the future, I have to consider this."

"I didn't mean to move this year. Only that we consider it as a step in our plans. While you're at it, if you want to build a résumé, why don't you get the licences for all the trades you're qualified for?"

"They're just hobbies. It's nice to be able to do things, but I don't want people to look at me funny."

"They wouldn't, my love. But if you don't want to, that's fine with me. I know you're the best and I'm proud of you even if the rest of the world doesn't have a clue how wonderful you are."

Ann blushed as she always did when Anne-Marie praised her and expressed her supreme confidence in her. It fanned a growing flame in her heart, a beacon by which she was lighting the path she was walking with growing confidence.

"Ryanna told me they own a brownstone on Sherbrooke Street." Anne-Marie said. "She said it's been in the family since the early forties and in the last ten years, they bought the two neighboring houses and a couple more in the area. That's how they manage with Sylvie and Patricia working in the city full-time and Karlie half the week. Mr. White has an apartment in the city too. He goes back to St-Jovite regularly during the week because of his other obligations and to see his family."

"How can they afford all that?"

"Ryanna said they inherited part of it, but Karlie took it to another level entirely. She says it had been a hobby for a couple of their mammies and had been managed by a holding since their deaths. When Sylvie came into her inheritance, she put the whole thing in the names of all her wives and Karlie took charge of that part. She was already an up and coming contract lawyer when she diverted part of her week to a St-Jovite cabinet specialized in property law instead of becoming a partner. She diversified both practices which brought them more money. At the same time, she learned another side of the law and opened their own company to buy and manage proprieties not only in the Laurentians, but also in Montreal. They rent at a reduced rate to family and clan members who work or study in the city."

"That doesn't help us. We still have a couple of busy years ahead of us and we couldn't afford two houses anyway."

"You forget I have some money sleeping in an investment fund. It's making fair interest, but we could try our hand at real estate. I'm sure Karlie would give us some pointers."

"But it's your money." Ann protested. "I wouldn't want you to risk it unnecessarily. We can wait until I'm able to contribute too."

"You're so sweet, you know. It's our money. It's just sitting there. With my income as an engineer, I don't need it for the day to day expenses or even for the unexpected. Almost every year, I put more money in in for fiscal reasons. With you being in business administration, why not make it work for us in a more immediate way?"

"I suppose." Ann muttered, already thinking ahead.

"My love, stay with me for now." Anne-Marie said in her soft voice. "There's no hurry. We will talk about it some more and we should meet with Karlie to get her input. In fact, why don't we go to St-Jovite for one of the two coming long week-ends?"

"I don't know. They're sure to ask questions we're not ready to answer. Meeting with Ryanna and Julia here is fine, but going back there... I'm..." Ann hesitated to finish her thought.

"There's no need to worry, my love." Anne-Marie told her, cradling her head to her bosom. "They are really nice people and they'll respect our privacy. If they don't, we're gone. It's as simple as that."

"You're right, of course." Ann conceded. "With you by my side, I'll learn not to turn away from my fears and to face them. What would I do without you?"

"I don't know, but it wouldn't be for long. I feel as if I've been looking for you all my life. Even in my darkest hours, I always knew there was someone waiting for me. If the Universe hadn't brought us together now, it would have happened sooner or later because I wouldn't have stopped searching."

"In a way, I think I have too. For the first time, I can think of a concrete path in my life instead of living only in the moment. I have goals now that I have you to share them with."

The conversation inevitably turned mushy, then squishy.

Chapter 2

Monday morning, work was interrupted for an impromptu celebration when Sylvie arrived around 9:00am.

John produced bottles of cold non-alcoholic bubbly and real glass flutes for all to toast her return after the unspecified illness which had laid her down.

At the progress review meeting, Ann sat in a chair by the wall instead of what had become her usual, expecting Sylvie to assume the role of moderator. Since she was the first there, as usual, the rest of the team were confused when they came in. They stood, milling around until Yan arrived. He looked took the situation in and grinned. He gestured to Jules and they lifted Ann, chair and all, and moved her to her regular place at the table.

"I understand the need to change things sometimes, but I don't get why you would want to exchange a nice comfortable chair for this one. Ah, well, I guess that's why they give you the big bucks."

"But I thought Sylvie..."

"She's the team leader. You're our Project Manager. In here, she's just another engineer... who's late, I might add. So let's get this meeting started."

When Sylvie arrived half an hour later, the meeting was in full creative mode. Frederic had mentioned an article he read over the week-end and that sparked a discussion on a different approach for the next stage of the project. Ann was in the process of steering it back to the practical aspect of the idea when Sylvie walked in quietly and took a seat at the table.

She contributed to the discussion, but mostly listened and watched. As the meeting was concluding, she spoke to the team.

"I apologize for being late. I had a call from the client. He offered to give us an extension because he's having troubles with the unions and the building won't be ready on time. I told him we didn't need it. In fact, last week I met with a new client for a special project. The preliminaries are already in the works on their part. They wanted to know about our availability."

"What kind of project is it?" Jules asked.

"You all remember the special project of a few years back? Well, it's version 2.0 of the same project. There has recently been a major theoretical breakthrough and there is empirical data to back it up. Jean-Luc, I'm going to need you to finish what you're working on ASAP. Do you think you can be ready at the end of July?"

"I see no problem with that, Sylvie." Jean-Luc answered. "The basic research is completed and I'm well along with the application the client needs."

"That's good. When you're ready, I'll brief you. As to the current project. Do you expect any delays, Ann?"

"I... You should ask Yan, boss. He was in charge while you were gone." Ann said.

"I know, Ann. He showed me the stage-schedule you drew and told me you had things under control. So, I ask again. Do you expect any delays?"

Ann looked around the table and took strength from the encouraging nods and smiles she got.

"No, boss. We'll be ready by the original deadline." Ann told her, gaining confidence as she spoke. "Nadine had a bug with part of the design, but Anne-Marie helped and she's back on track. Jules was stumped for a while last week, but it was nothing a good trouncing at 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' couldn't cure."

"Good. So we're on track. I'll call the new client to let them know we'll be available in the fall. On a more somber note, I had meant to give you the week between the civic holidays off because these will be two short weeks of work, but we can't waste even three workdays next week. So I'll ask you to give me a full day of work both Wednesdays and we'll take four-day week-ends. I'll make it up to you at Christmas time. What say you, team?"

The enthusiastic chorus of 'yeas' was a clear and definite answer.

When Sylvie asked Ann to step in her office for a moment, the icy shiver she had felt at the announcement about the new project returned with a vengeance. She hesitated at the threshold. Only the thought of Anne-Marie's unwavering support made her go in. She sat straight, frozen at the thought of what was sure to come.

"Ann, I need your help." Sylvie began.

'Here it comes.' Ann cringed inwardly.

"Robert's team is falling behind and he asked if you could help them." Sylvie said. "I know you're still learning your way around the job, but they could use your input."

Ann sat there, stunned by the unexpected turn in the conversation.

"If you can't do it, I understand." Sylvie said, misunderstanding Ann's hesitation.

"No! No! I can do it, boss. It's not a problem. You just took me by surprise, that's all."

"Okay then. He's waiting for you in his office."

"Thanks, boss. I'm on my way."

"She actually thanked me for doubling her work load." Sylvie told Jack as they met for lunch in his office. "She thinks she's off the hook for the project."

"How long can you hold off asking her?" Jack sighed. "Ryanna needs to know if she can approach her with this."