Maurice & Friends

Caroline Cheetah held her secret close. She had managed to seduce the vice president. She had made love to her late sister’s husband in the intimacy of his presidential boudoir on the train in Turkana in northern Kenya.

Caitlin Cougar looked lovely at the opening of her gallery showing at the arts center. As a nod to my dear friends Sylvia and Bernard Cougar, I had OKAPI’S make some canapés which we placed about with glasses of good wine and champagne. Caitlin displayed several striking sculptures among her pieces. Lachlan purchased one of them and I, another. I saw Sloane Simba as he walked about the exhibit. He left after purchasing a small nude. Caitlin sold most of her works.

Ralph Lyon had his vice president go on another major junket before the holiday season causes the world to hunker down and enjoy togetherness with family and friends, leaving political questions aside for the moment. He wanted Shane Simba to go to Canada and address issues of conservation with the heavily animal populated country. Betty was to accompany her husband. She had Janice Jaguar Gorilla design some flattering winter clothes for her trip to a decidedly wintry and northern climate. They were to take Ralph One, the foremost plane in the presidential fleet. Betty’s hair had grown out enough that she didn’t need turbans. It had an ethereal and very pleasing appearance.

Betty worried about Shane. He seemed drawn and in pain much of the time. She feared his ribs had not healed sufficiently. Always the most satisfactory of lovers, he seemed to be hurting during the process but she didn’t want to mention it to him for fear he would feel as sensitive as most males on the subject. She would catch him staring into space. Finally she bit the bullet one night over strong drinks in their bedroom.

“Shane, you’re not yourself, darling, are you in pain? Please tell me. I want to help you.”

“I screwed Caroline Cheetah,” he mumbled.

Betty felt a chill run through her entire being. Hoping she had misheard, she asked him to repeat what he had just said. His agonizing response said that she hadn’t heard him wrong. Betty sat on the side of the bed and lit a cigarette. She felt as if her life would end within a few moments’ time. Her chest tightened and her breathing felt labored.

“Betty, it was on that damn trip to Turkana. I was drunk and she entered my bedroom on the train. The guards were at supper. I was smashed and she looks so much like Cathy………I screwed her.”

“Shane, I’m going downstairs to see to the children. I don’t want to respond to this yet. I know I’ll fuck up if I say anything now,” she said, beginning to cry as she ran out of the room.

Hours later, after searching the house he found Betty sitting in the pool cabaña, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders to thwart the nighttime chill. He sat down and drew her close to him. She didn’t protest.

“Betty, if you want to leave me, I’ll understand but it will break my goddamned unworthy heart because you are the whole thing to me. I can not really live without you anymore. You’re the best plus point I’ve ever gotten in my life.”

“I will never leave you, Shane. I have wanted you with me for so long I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. I will just have to know that this is the way you are and adjust to it.”

“No, Betty, not the way I am. The way I was. This wasn’t premeditated in the least only drunkenness and weakness on my part. This is the first time and will be the last, I swear this.”

He got up and pulled her to him. He carried her up the stairs and into their room. He made love to her with all the fire and passion of his former

self.

Betty left with Shane three days later, headed for Canada. On Ralph One, they sat side by side after greeting the press corps on board. Caroline Cheetah had not been included in that group. Shane’s face showed no signs of his former anguish. He was cheerful and affectionate. He held her tightly as they walked among the group of reporters and photographers that had accompanied them on the 747.

Caitlin Cougar worked part time at the Daily and continued to sculpt. She had gotten bigger assignments since her series on changing lion prides in Kenya. On a personal level, she was rather baffled. Sloane Simba had not called since he had attended her exhibit at the arts center. She knew that her friend, Jane, was seeing Luke Leoparde. Jane had even been invited on a two day air safari as Luke’s guest.

Caitlin Cougar at her art in her studio…..

Sloane was having regular sex with Linda Cougar interspersed with, and intermittently alongside, Caroline Cheetah. Caroline and Linda had gotten acclimated to the joys of a threesome directed and choreographed by Sloane Simba. On one of her alone times with him, Caroline had told him of having had sex with Shane on the presidential train. Sloane had thrown his head back and roared in glee at this disclosure.

“So, he’s back in business, is he?” laughed Sloane. “I had better hone my act. He’s some fierce competition.”

Both Linda and Caroline realized that Sloane never took them to dinner or any of the other minutiae of male-female bonding. He would meet them at the pub, just by happenstance, knowing damn well they would be watching for him. He’d buy a couple of drinks and head them off to his place in Lyon Towers. It wasn’t that Sloane was tightfisted for once there, he gave them the best liquors available and his bill in Trojan and Sheik prophylactics must have been tremendous. With the heady degree of sexual activity during female enhanced evenings, he used an amazing number. Sloane also enjoyed an upstairs romp with Simone Serval in her leased penthouse on occasion. She would have called and after seeing the other female/females off, he would take the elevator to Simone’s digs.

On a Saturday late afternoon, Sloane phoned Caitlin who was sculpting, her smock laden with the dust and debris characteristic of her art.

“Will you join me for dinner at OKAPI’S?” he asked.

“I’m filthy. I’ve been sculpting all day.”

“You have a shower, don’t you? Get cleaned up. I’ll pick you up at 8:00.”

She was dressed in her most becoming and sprayed with her finest fragrance when he drove up. He wore a wonderful sport’s jacket of camel hair over a white linen shirt. His abundant mane was scented with expensive cologne. The restaurant was already full with an elegant crowd of A-list animals and people. They were seated at a table already set with an iced bottle of champagne. The waiter opened it and poured. Sloane lifted his glass to Caitlin’s.

“Here’s to you and a successful first art exhibit in Kenya.”

“Thank you, Sloane. And thank you for inviting me tonight and for buying some of my work.”

“I really like the piece I bought, Caitlin. If I invited you for a weekend at my new place in Mombasa, would you come?”

“I would have to think about it. I know that if you tried to make love to me, I couldn’t resist you.”

“You’re not a virgin. You’ve been with Luke Leoparde. Why not with me?”

“I’m no virgin, Sloane. I had a relationship in America even. I just know if I succumb to you, I will sink beneath the waves in your life.”

He lit cigarettes for both of them, never taking his eyes off of her.

“That’s not necessarily so, Caitlin. My mom swears I have something different with you than with the others.”

“Are there many others, Sloane?”

“Yes, there are. I have a very lively sex life, Caitlin; I won’t lie to you about that.”

Their entrées came and they chatted around the former subject of sex and all its implications. When they reached her cottage he came in and accepted one drink, kissed her on top of the head and left saying:

“Let me know about next weekend at the beach. You can always reach me on my cell phone during the day.”

Christine Cheetah placed a call to Simone Serval and asked her if she’d be interested in doing a musical comedy on stage. The arts center had never staged one before. Christine, Micah and I thought it might be a good diversion from the former heavily dramatic productions. We gave her a selection to choose from. Simone selected Pajama Game, a tried and true product of the American Broadway Theaters. Christine had seen it twice in her years living in Manhattan and thought it would be well suited for Simone’s sparkling personality.

Having established a future project, the little cat pulled her children from school and took them to Paris, London and New York for shopping and general fun. Luke Leoparde, who had come to take them to his place in Mombasa, was informed by the nanny that they would be gone for sometime. He had wanted them to get to know Jane. He didn’t quite know why but he did.

Betty was with him all the way as her husband was assaulted by thrilled females trying to get closer in Montreal. They were booked in the 835 square foot presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton where they dined on Lobster the first night in the LE CAFÉ DE PARIS restaurant in the hotel. The next day they were taken on a flight over the Tundra with the deputy prime minister and his wife. Their last day was spent in Quebec City where another five star hotel beckoned. The entire trip was wonderful in the fact that Shane watched over Betty’s every need and mood. He made love to her each night in the luxury of their suite. He was attentive to a fault. She had not totally regained her strength after her chemotherapy and tired more easily. He sensed this early onset of fatigue in her and would conclude any activity so they could go to their room and rest.

Shane and Betty in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada…..

Caroline Cheetah had taken her niece, Staci Simba, from her grandparent’s condo. They were in route to the Lewis Lyon Mall and Barnes & Noble for a book spree. Caroline was feeling especially upbeat and chatty today.

“How would you like more brothers and sisters?” asked Caroline, lighting a cigarette.

“I’m not going to have anymore. Betty had an operation. Daddy says there are enough of us anyway.”

“I’m sure daddy’s not right about everything,” giggled Caroline, exhaling a stream of cigarette smoke.

Staci, blowing the offending smoke away from her face, gave her aunt a perplexed look and asked no further questions. She wasn’t fond of the satisfied smirk on Caroline’s face.

On Thursday night, Sloane Simba’s bed held Caroline Cheetah. She had come there with Linda Cougar. When it came time for activity, Caroline begged off.

“Feeling under the weather, Caroline?” asked a nonchalant Sloane, not really caring one way or another.

“I think I’m regnant,” announced Caroline, causing Linda to leap up in the bed and Sloane to get a disturbed look on his face.

He threw up both paws in the age old gesture of saying ‘don’t look at me, babe!’.

“I hope you’re not going to try and pin this on me, Caroline. I always cover my ass. My tab for rubbers is sizable but money well spent.”

“No, don’t preen, Sloane. The litter is Shane’s. You’ll just be the merry, uh shall we say, half-uncle to them.”

“Oh my God!” exclaimed Linda.

“Why don’t you quietly get an abortion instead of breaking up his marriage, Caroline? I’m sure he’d be glad to pay for it,” asked Sloane.

“Oh no, dear Sloane, you miss the point completely. I have wanted Shane for some time. I think I may just end up with him now. He loves his children.”

“He loves the ones by his dead wife. He won’t be fancying yours, I’m sure,” snarled Sloane.

“I am his deceased wife’s sister and a dead ringer for her,” snapped Caroline.

Sloane had liked Betty when he met her at the pride Sunday brunch. She had seemed very nice and friendly to all his relatives and was extremely kind in making the initially nervous Caitlin feel at home. He hated to see her get screwed by Caroline and her wicked designs on her husband.

“You’re dreaming, Caroline; if you think Shane’s going to leave Betty for you. You’ll just make an ass of yourself in the offing and ruin some cub’s lives,” said Sloane.

“I’ve already dropped a hint to his daughter, Staci, about more little brothers and sisters on the way,” giggled Caroline, who underestimated Sloane’s loyalty to his pride.

He pulled her off the bed and tossed her clothes to her.

“Get the hell out of here, you abysmal bitch. Don’t ever come here again and if I see you in the pub, forget we know each other,” he growled.

“Oh my, so there’s honor in thieves after all,” sneered Caroline, before being pushed to his door and shoved in the hall.

The door slammed behind her with a click to the lock. Linda sat back thinking this was the grandest happening ever- one major opponent down and no more to go. She expected him to return to his sexual activities. She was surprised. He told her she had to depart too.

“I have to make some calls,” he told her.

When Linda had huffed from his apartment, her high booted heels sounding along the parquet floors as she left, slamming the door behind her, Sloane picked up the phone and dialed Caitlin’s number. She answered.

“Caitlin, I hope you will really think seriously of going to Mombasa with me on Friday. We can do as you like. If you don’t want to make love, we’ll make it a platonic outing.”

“I’ll go, Sloane. Can you pick me up at the Daily building? I have to finish an editorial.”

“See you there.”

Sloane lay back on his couch and lit a cigarette. He was weary of decadent females that thought nothing of breaking up someone’s marriage. He knew Caitlin Cougar was different and would never consider doing that.