The Last 24 Hours Ch. 05

The driver of the Bonneville came over and handed me the keys. After signing the paperwork he got in the Taurus and it drove off. I went into my apartment and walked to the refrigerator and took a pitcher of orange juice out and poured myself a glass. I put the orange juice away, picked up my glass and went into the living room. Josh was sitting on the loveseat drinking a glass of iced tea.

"Ok. You say they are not my daughters. There is no way to know that yet." I said. Josh just looked at me for a moment and said. "Have a seat Alex." He waited until I had taken a seat in my recliner and said, "The lab had enough time to run a preliminary analysis on your blood and the twins' blood. You have type O blood. The girls have type AB blood. O is a recessive blood type. Types A and B are dominant blood types. For the twins to be yours you would have to have either type A or type B blood." He shook his head and said "They will continue to run the full DND profile but there is no way the twins are yours." Josh leaned over to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said "I am sorry Alex, I really am. Go take a shower, we need to leave soon. " I stood up and went into my bedroom to get a change of clothes.

I went to the shower in the master bath attached to my bedroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it. I felt soiled, unclean. I stripped quickly and got under the spray. I picked up the soap and it hit me. It was official. I wasn't their father. I had tried my damnedest to be but evidently that wasn't good enough. "It sure as hell hurts like they were mine." I whispered to the empty room. I felt the tears well up and knew that if I started crying now I wouldn't stop.

I leaned my head against the cool tile of the shower wall and tried to calm down. This has to wait I told myself. There is a beautiful lady who loves you waiting to have dinner with you and you've made her wait quite long enough. I finished my shower as the hot water turned tepid.

I walked into my room and found that someone had rummaged my closet and drawers laying out clothes. I decide not to be upset about it. The choices were actually quite nice. A Navy Brooks Brothers Blazer with stone colored pleat front cotton trousers, a light green shadow striped dress shirt and matching tie to complete the outerwear all hung on the hook on the back of the closet door. What lay on the bed however, is what caught my attention.

A small plastic wrapped package lay on top of the comforter. On top of the package was a note which read:

I hope you don't think less of me if I tell you I've had these for the last nine months and never dared hope I could actually give them to you. After this afternoon I think it's worth the risk. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything but I wanted you to know that I am taking a proprietary interest in you. I lost you once because I was to shy and afraid to say anything. I never make the same mistake twice. We are waiting in the living room and I hope you will wear these tonight. I love you, Beth

I picked up the package and realized that it was a pair of men's blue silk briefs. I un-wrapped the briefs shook them out and started to laugh. On the back was printed "Property of Beth Ann Taylor" in bold white letters. I put on the outfit she had selected for me and finished my grooming. I looked in the mirror over the dresser and liked what I saw for the first time in months.

I looked like was alive instead of the walking shell that I had resembled since this all began. I straightened my tie one last time and headed for the living room. Josh was standing near the door and holding his cell phone. As I came out of the hall he hit the send button.

"Come over here and stand next to me for a second." He said. As he spoke I heard Beth's phone in the guest room behind me alert her that she had received a text message. Beth came into the room and I forgot how to breathe.

Beth was wearing a stunning blue gown that matched the color of her eyes. The hem struck her about mid thigh showing off her incredible legs. She wore a pair of matching heels that brought her almost to my height. Her hair again was styled into an elaborate braid that she had draped over her left shoulder and down her breast. She wore the necklace of pearls that I had given her for what I had thought was her twenty-first birthday. She wore a pair of matching pearl earrings that her grandmother had giver her for the same birthday. Yes we had conspired shamelessly. Her grandmother passed away a few months later and Beth never wore them except on very special occasions.

Josh leaned over and said "Breathe Alex. If you pass out on her, I'll feed you to the sharks." I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding. I stepped over to Beth and took her hand. Her make up was subtle and expertly applied. She never wore much, she didn't need to. A little eye shadow and lipstick were all I noticed. She looked radiant, absolutely beautiful.

I took her other hand and said "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Aphrodite on Olympus is weeping in anger at having been displaced by you." She bowed her head a little and smiled at me, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Flatterer" she said in a silky sultry voice. I placed a finger on her chin and raised her face to look at me. Looking into her eyes I said "It is not flattery when it is the simple truth. I have never been blessed by a vision as lovely as you before. You look amazing."

She smiled and the room faded from my view. The only thing I could see was Beth. I wanted nothing more at that moment than to kiss her like we had at the park earlier. I leaned in and as she closed her eyes I closed mine. "I'd tell you guys to get a room but as we haven't even left the house yet. Could you wait till after we eat? I'm starving already!" Josh's voice was like sandpaper on my mood.

I had forgotten that we had an audience. I turned and had thoughts of how to hide Josh's' body. I had taken one step toward him, when my stomach rumbled loudly announcing that it wished to hire Josh to sue me for non support. I looked at my abdomen in horror, a blush running all the way from hairline my waistline. Beth didn't help matters by dissolving into gales of laughter. Afraid of what else could go wrong I told them both "I'll be waiting in the car."

No I wasn't in the car when they came out. As Beth and Josh came down the walk I opened the driver's door for her and helped her into the rental. I told Josh "Take your own car. Beth and I still have a few things to talk over after dinner. By the way you could have told me she was only seventeen when we met. I think when I think things over I might just be pissed at you." Josh paled as I spoke. He is one of the few people who has ever seen me well and truly angry. It scared him badly and he never forgot it.

I walked around to my side of the car and got in. I handed Beth the keys and we drove off leaving Josh standing on the sidewalk. "That was mean. You know he is afraid of your temper." Beth said with a laugh. The sound of her laughter had once again entranced me. It took me a second to realize that she was speaking to me again. "Alex? Alex, are you okay?" I smiled.

"I'm alone in a car on my way to dinner with the most luscious creature God ever turned his hand to making and she is here to be with me. How could I be anything but okay?" I took her right hand as I spoke and brought it to my lips and again kissed the finger tips. A shudder ran through her and she quickly pulled her hand away.

"God you are dangerous, you now that? You stay on your own side of the car or we'll never make it to the restaurant in one piece." She smiled as she spoke and the heat in her gaze made things low in my body respond in a favorable fashion. This night held definite promise.