From the moment Staci Simba sat on top of Ashley Lyon and unbuttoned his shirt, it dawned on her that she would love him as she had no other.  Everything was set in motion for a major and very heady affair.  Neither knew where it would end but Ashley Lyon had only loved two females definitively.  One was his first big love, Janice Jaguar and the other was her daughter, Leah Simba.  He had undergone a brief and rocky marriage to Betty Chimpo which had evolved in the first French Procedure pregnancy occurring in Kenya.  For Staci, it had been a fling with Luke Leoparde, a marriage to lion doctor, Juma Mnyama, an affair with a human, Stanley Morrison, a brief liaison with Tanzanian president, Pete Levin and NOW Ashley.  As Ashley drove home from Staci’s house that cloud covered very late, dark night, he pondered the complications.  The first was his marriage to Lucy Cougar.  After that was the history he had sustained with the Simba pride.  He had married Leah, Roy Lee and Janice’s daughter, become great friends with Shane Simba through their water sports and his marriage to Shane’s niece.  His link to Shane was compounded by the fact that they had shared a wife, Betty Chimpo.  Of course, Ashley was only friends with Betty at the time Shane had married her.  They had remained friends.  This was a horse of another color now.  Ashley had just bedded Shane’s daughter and was feeling very much like falling in love with her.  They had parted quite passionately, vowing to see each other again – immediately. 

            Two found out first.  Ashley Lyon was with his partner and dearest friend, Luke Leoparde, in the hangar of the safari club.  They were about to take off for respective safaris to Tanzania and Ethiopia. 

“You are one preoccupied bugger, Ash.  What’s going on with you?” noticed the very finely tuned and astute Luke. 

“I think I am in love, Luke.  You’ll never guess who she is.”

“Well, I know damn well that’s its not your wife as it should be.  I don’t have a clue.  Please enlighten me.”

“Staci Simba.”

Luke’s jaw dropped.  “Oh shit, Ash.  You couldn’t have chosen a worse one.  Shane Simba’s first born and much doted on daughter who knows her own mind no better than he does or her late mother did.  You do remember Catherine, don’t you, Ash?  With the leather whips and other paraphernalia?  That female has a shitty heritage, Ash.  I loved her once.  She’s very tender and sweet but completely confused as we all would be if we were the offspring of that infamous couple.”

“Damn, Luke, you don’t go easy on her, do you?  She has been remarkable growing up in the spotlight as she has and losing her mother at such a young age.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Ash, I still love the hell out of Staci Simba, but she remains confused.  And by the way, I believe you have a major complication such as a wife and two recently born cubs not to mention the fact that you’re older than Staci’s dad.”

“I’ll think of that tomorrow, Luke,” said Ashley, hopping in his plane.

“Okay, Scarlett O’Hara, have a safe flight,” chuffed Luke. 

Ashley taxied to the runway and took off in the bright light of the morning as Luke looked on. 

            On Staci’s part, she chose her stepmother to confide in.  She and Alexandra were riding their horses in the late afternoon. 

“I had a remarkable time last night, Alex.  I think I may be in love and over Juma.”

“Oh Staci, how marvelous, I am so happy for you,” enthused Alexandra, turning slightly in the saddle and facing Staci. 

“I don’t think Daddy will be happy with my choice.  He’s married.  It’s Ashley Lyon.”

Alexandra looked slightly surprised before gathering her wits about her once more. 

“Staci, I think you don’t have to tell him right away.  Why don’t you and Ashley sort things out before you tell Shane?  He has so much on his plate running the country.  He adores you so, Staci, he’ll naturally worry.  Does that sound like a good idea?”

“Yes, Alex, I’ll wait and let things sort themselves out before I tell Daddy.  You’re right.”

Staci riding with her stepmother, Alexandra Simba.....

            Alexandra Simba was worried about her husband these days.  Although perfectly contented and having improved greatly in his health, he still looked tired.  He was moving Kenya into the 21^st Century as fast as he could which was no small feat.  She was by his side as much as possible and running the social events for him but that still left much on his plate of a national nature. 

“Why don’t we retreat to the bush house until after Halloween?  You can work early days and kick back, Luv, you look very tired.  I don’t want anything to happen to you, Shane.”

“I have to arrange these state visits that are in the offing, darling,” he said, giving her a kiss on the lips. 

They were in the mansion of an evening and preparing to attend a function at the arts center.

“Shane, this is what you have a vice president for, Luv.  You don’t leave anything to Daniel Lyon and I am sure he wonders at that.”

“Do you think Dan feels left out of the fray, Alex?” he asked as if the thought had just occurred to him. 

“I am sure he must.  Why don’t you let him take over the state visit agenda and you take a bit of a rest from that part?  I don’t want your health to break again.” 

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow, Alex.  That’s a good idea.”

“You’ve made most of the really important good will junkets so give it a rest, Luv.  I have slated us for Christmas in England.  I have warned my sister-in-law that things must run as smoothly as cream or we will depart in a huff,” she laughed. 

“Don’t threaten her too badly, darling.  I have never met them and don’t want to get off on the wrong foot when we do arrive.”

Shane discusses his being overworked with his wife before a party at the arts center.....

             Luke Leoparde and his strangely acquired wife, Jane the lioness reporter, were melding into a very comfortable couple.  Jane, as was her very practical nature, had managed to work her way past the hurt that Shane Simba had caused by allowing her cubs by him to be adopted by Luke.  Of course, that was Shane’s way except for his children born in wedlock.  Jane had requested they be adopted but then had been stung by the easy acceptance of that idea by the lover she had adored and often still longed for.  Now with Luke’s older sons in school in England and their young ones at home, they were much fulfilled parents.  Jane had borne two mixed leopard-lion cubs by Luke.  They were reaching that adorable stage when their ilk is the most appealing.  A female who looked like a leopard and a male who looked like a lion were the apple of Luke’s eye.  Andy and Catherine, Jane’s two by Shane, were also much loved by Luke.  Jane and Luke, when Luke was not on safari, sought out their great friends,  Ashley and Lucy Lyon as well as Jack Tarzan and his live-in lover, Betty Chimpo.  When Luke returned from his most recent air safari to Ethiopia, he told Jane of Ashley’s budding love affair with Staci Simba.

“Oh, shit, poor Lucy,” Jane groaned. 

“Well if anything does come of this love affair, then Ash will remain tight friends with Lucy.  I don’t know how he manages but he does – every time,” marveled Luke. 

The two took their nightcaps to the main veranda to enjoy the night sounds of the bush.  Luke and Jane were an example of marrying one’s best friend. 

Jane and Luke Leoparde attend a recent ballet....

    Sean Simba, seeing Ashley Lyon at the home he shared with his sister on Leoparde Drive, kept his counsel.  After all Ashley was the brother of his beloved and revered coach, Junior Lyon as well as the assistant coach, Charley Lyon.  He saw Staci lead Ashley to her bedroom upstairs.  After several hours, Ashley came down stairs with Staci and discussed Sean’s heady first game of the season.  When Ashley left, it was almost midnight. 

“Staci, are you seeing him?” asked Sean.

“Well, duh!!!! I just spent two hours with him in my bedroom, so yes, I am.  Are you going to get funny about it?” she asked, very much on the defensive. 

“He’s older then Dad and married.”

“So what?  Don’t get all tight about it, Sean.  I happen to be in love with him.”

“Okay, don’t get your knickers in a twist….it’s your business.  After all, I’m your younger brother, not the older.”

            That weekend Staci and Ashley went to the home in Mombasa that had been Staci and Juma Mnyama’s wedding gift from Shane.  Both were avid water sports fans.  There they sailed, windsurfed and swam.  Ashley took the deep sea vessel out and they spent one night aboard trolling the deep for night catch.  It so happened that Roy Lee and Janice Simba were in Mombasa too, that weekend.  They both saw Staci sailing with Ashley but decided to keep their respective noses out of the situation.  In Roy Lee’s eyes, his brother was capable of keeping tabs on his own kids.  

Staci and Ashley jog while in Mombasa...

            Staci loosened up under Ashley’s laid back and jovial personality.  Ashley had developed a personality akin to his father, Ralph Lyon.  She loved Ashley’s funny sense of male chic.  Staci, who had lived in the shadow of her father’s sartorial splendor, adored Ashley’s funky of sense style.  Since they both flew and owned planes, this was also an outlet for the couple, allowing them to make quick trips to the Great Rift Valley when free.      

            Lucy Cougar Lyon didn’t notice that her husband was missing in action. . That was Ashley Lyon’s marital style.  He owned a huge safari company with Luke Leoparde and conducted business and air safaris almost constantly.  Ashley was seldom home.  Lucy adored her husband and was content to run his beautiful and elaborate home, raise their new cubs and hold the title of Mrs. Ashley Lyon. 

             Imani Lyon paid her weekly call to her grandparents, Mildred and Ralph Lyon.  Ralph had a rather jaundiced opinion of the teenage cub who he considered a trouble maker.  Mildred, because she was Ashley’s daughter, simply doted on her.  The lioness slipped Imani large bills whenever she visited.  These she promptly took to Dodi Dik Dik Lyon’s tent and bartered for pot.  One tidbit she dropped with her grandparents was the fact that her dad was now seeing Staci Simba.  She had seen him enter Staci’s home while visiting her mother, Leah, next door.

“Damn,” grunted Ralph, thinking of Ashley’s unfortunate alliance with Sylvia and Bernard Cougar’s daughter whom he was bound to leave and hurt. 

“Maybe they are just friends, dear,” reasoned Mildred, who seldom harbored a negative thought about her favorite child. 

“My ass, Millie,” grumbled Ralph. 

            Imani’s mom and Ashley’s ex-wife, Leah Simba, had run into that hard nosed streak that Staci Simba had noticed and found intolerable in Juma Mnyama.  She was working long hours running her mother’s fashion empire JAGGERS and Juma was beginning to be a bit unpleasant about it.  He also worked long hours in his position as the government’s head of the AIDS program.  However, when Juma was free to do other things, he wanted his fiancé by his side.  Leah was working overtime to get a Christmas collection together.  Her partner in this project was the new lion designer, Duke, who felt no compunction in commenting on Leah’s angst riddled conversations with Juma over the phone. 

“What a putz,” commented Duke one day while refining a sketch of a velvet smoking jacket in Leah’s office. 

“No comments, please, Dukes.  It all gets too much,” requested Leah. 

The two had become quite close as is often the case with an interesting straight female and talented gay male.  Duke and Leah often spent more time together in the average work day than she spent with any other including Juma.  This had been pointed out by Juma in their last verbal conflict. 

“You are just too luscious to be hanging out with your dreadfully plebian lion male.  You should branch out.  That President is sooo divine,” trilled Duke. 

“That president is my freaking uncle, Dukes.  I don’t do my own pride males,” she giggled. 

“So sad, that,” he crooned.  “Well, I am going to have a huge soiree when my house is finished.  I will bring in an entire new contingency for you too choose from.  Never fear, dear Leah.”

“I can’t wait.  Now, I think that lapel is just too frou frou for a male’s jacket.”