Rosie and Edelgarde were in one car. Bill found they had pulled next to his car on the loading dock, so when he met up with them, they agreed that he would follow them to that little place he and Rosie had visited which was on his way home.
Bill parked behind Rosie’s car and made his way up to them. He was planning to stand outside the car on the driver’s side so he could just do a quick talk but Rosie invited him into the car. He started to get into the back and she quickly said “Not there stupid.” So he walked around and as he was going to get in, Edelgarde slid out and made it so he sat in the front between them.
“What’s up?” Edelgarde asked.
Bill laid it straight out. All he wanted them to do was to keep talking to Caesar, not about him but about how good the business was and how well the food was going out. He didn’t want them to promote him or push him to Caesar, just to let Caesar know how well things were going. He wanted them to let Caesar know that the food was good and the service was on time and it was consistently so.
Of course they told him it was no problem. They told him they were happy to do what they could for him. They even said if it would put Caesar in his place—something they said was a long time coming—that would be so much the better.
At first as they talked it seemed all business. Bill was glad for that though he couldn’t help but feel Rosie on one side of him and Edelgarde on the other. He could smell them, their perfumes, and he could feel their breaths somewhat as they spoke. He was glad they were getting through what he wanted to, and he was glad they were doing it away from the hotel.
But then Rosie put her hand on his thigh on one side, and Eddie, seeing what Rosie had done, put her hand on his other thigh.
Bill was stuck between them.
“I need to be getting home,” he said.
Edelgarde kissed him first. She leaned forward in front of him as he sat and put her lips to his. It was a full kiss, not a shy kiss, a familiar kiss, one where she was sure of him and what she was doing.
As Edelgarde kissed him, Rosie moved her hand more onto him and she leaned in and put her lips by theirs so that Edelgarde stopped kissing him and kissed her. Then they all kissed.
“Have a good time with Millie today?” Rosie asked.
“What?” Bill said.
“You heard her,” Edelgarde said.
Both of their hands were on him now and he responded because he couldn’t help himself.
“Spill the beans,” Rosie said. “We already know.”
“What do you know?” Bill asked.
“Millie was happy to tell us. So we’ve all told each other everything.”
“Jesus Christ,” Bill said.
“We don’t care,” Edelgarde said. She took one of his hands and led it to her. As she did this, Rosie took his other hand and led it to her.
“But you got to pay for our…” Rosie started but she stopped herself.
“Your what?” Bill asked.
“That was a wrong thing to say,” Rosie said. “What I meant was we don’t care what you do and who you do it with. If you want to be with us, great. And no matter what, we’ll support you against Caesar.”
Edelgarde kissed him again and made herself accessible to his hand. Rosie led his hand where she wanted it.
“You don’t have to stay here now if you don’t want to,” Edelgarde said. “We just thought we’d use the opportunity.”
Bill didn’t say anything. He didn’t hurry out of the car either.
