A1386G Ch.17

I was pretty well spent after driving four hours and then spending a couple more in the waterpark, even if I hadn't just fucked a woman so hard she was currently giddy and half asleep on a daybed.

So, for the first time, I had let someone else clean me up after sex.

I was still wound pretty tight, just spent for the moment, and being spent didn't help me calm down. So after Marie and Mint's teasing, and Rebecca's encouragement, I was still vibrating with arousal.

Honesty had disappeared and Mint was somewhere between loitering and tidying up, so it felt like I was the only one in the room with Marie and Rebecca. Both of them were now curled up on the daybed, Marie once again laid out limply like a used dishrag across the bed, with Rebecca curling up next to her for a nap.

Marie really was beautiful, her blonde hair spread out below her and her pale skin glistening with sweat as she put a hand over her womb. She was the first person I had fallen in love with, and the first to tell me they loved me. I did love her, but it definitely wasn't on the same level as her near-devotion to me, and she had definitely gotten clingier once Mint was around.

Still, I sat there and I let both of them drift off to sleep for a bit while I recovered. Checking my phone, Kelly had sent me a text reminding me to call her tonight after dinner as well as to not get involved with any of my grandmother's whores. It wasn't the strangest text I had received today, but I always wondered why she had agreed to Dad when she felt like that about any other women he knew?

I sighed as I put the phone away.

"Something wrong?" Mint asked, as she passed behind me.

"Kelly wants me to call after dinner, and I don't think she's going to appreciate that Grandma made you our concierge." I replied.

Mint circled around in front of me, my eyes drawn to her trim hips, enhanced by the lines of her green micro. "She loves you and she cares about you." Mint said. "You're very lucky, you know. You're surrounded by love, and of your parents, she's the one that loves you most. She still loved you and was concerned about you when everyone else focused on Grace."

"I know that," I replied, "I just don't know how to deal with her sometimes. She likes Marie, and she's fine with her having a baby, but she hates you of all people."

Mint plopped down in my lap, facing me and stared into my eyes. "Because she knows what I am and she cares about you."

I tried to look away from her staring eyes, but she held my chin tightly with her hand, so I could only glance away.

"She knows that I'm a seductress and a whore and she's always afraid I'm going to steal you away from everyone and ruin your life and the family reputation." Mint said, with a sigh. "I honestly wish I could. It'd certainly be easier than being in love with someone I can never be with."

"You're in love with me?" I sputtered, rousing Marie and Rebecca out of their slumber.

"Yes, which is why I kept trying to drop hints." Mint answered dejectedly. "Not that I'm going to pursue it. You're better off with those three, and I'm not going to break you apart."

"What do you mean?" I replied.

"You know, I was always jealous of you then, and today the envy I feel inside is just tearing me apart." Mint said, showing me a side of her I hadn't seen before.

"I didn't know that." I said.

Mint sighed. "Steven, I love you but you're not very observant when it comes to people."

If I had missed all that, She was right about me.

"I didn't meet my mother. She didn't love me, I was just a painful reminder of why she had to come here. I wanted to know who she was, for her to give me any sort of love. Iris even told me I wasn't allowed to meet her. So the only person I've known who ever loved me, who ever cared about me was the Mint before me." Mint cried. "But every summer I had to watch you and your sisters be loved and adored by your parents, your grandmother and aunt, and even my boss, while I was just there to be your playmate."

"You were my friend," I replied.

"I was assigned to be your friend. Every year, for a month, that was my job. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and it's why I'm here today, but I had to watch you just get everything I ever wanted. It wasn't fair, and I couldn't help being envious, and try to take advantage of it while I could." Mint continued, never stopping her assault. "And yet you were still kind to me. I wasn't a person, I was a replaceable cog here, and you still treated me better than that. You made me love you."

"I didn't mean to." I replied, as Rebecca and Marie started looking over, and Rebecca realized what was going on. "All I ever wanted was to be your friend."

"And yet you did. I wanted you to save me from this so badly. For seven years I tried to leave hints and make your mothers like me so they'd be okay with me as a gift. Maybe if I had been more assertive, I could've been Marie. I could have been freed from my life here and become your birthday present. But I wasn't and I'm not." Mint said, as she broke down into tears, "I would have traded in my chance to buy my freedom to be a pet bird you keep in a cage in a heartbeat. If you offered me it today, I'd probably still be tempted by it."

"Mint, if I had known." I tried to say, before she kissed me briefly.

"But, for seven years you didn't know, and I was too cowardly to just say it. Thanks to that, no matter what I did, you were just my friend when I needed a saviour." She paused for a second, and I saw Rebecca hold Marie back out of the corner of my eyes.

Marie struggled a bit, and Rebecca shushed her while putting her in a headlock.

"Then today, you just show up with a girlfriend, and two other women, one of whom you four all but told me is going to have your child. Like you expected me to be happy for you. Do you know how much it hurt seeing the four of you from the bar? But, I had to swallow all of that because I know you'll be happier with them than I could ever make you, and I know you love Marie."

"I'm so sorry," I replied.

"And yet, I found out you can't even show her that properly." Mint said. "I'm green with envy, and yet here I am mad on her behalf, because you can't give her what she really needs!"

Marie looked a bit less irritated at hearing that, while Rebecca somehow looked more annoyed.

"I expected better of you." Mint replied as she pushed me back in the chair. "Marie is repressed enough that she can break down and stop crying completely at the drop of a hat, and yet she's having to compete with another woman. Do you even know what she needs? She is crying out for the comfort and intimacy I never had, and you're still making her question who is first in your heart."

"Mint, that's enough." Rebecca said from her seat.

"No it isn't." Mint shot back, "Steven, if I were you, I'd grab hold of her and I'd never let her have the slightest doubt she's loved. I'm sure Rebecca feels the same way about how you treat Marie."

"Mint." Rebecca said more insistently. "Stop."

"Fine, but I do want to be a bigger part of your life when I'm finally free. All of you." Mint continued. "Even if just as a friend, and even if that's years away. At least promise me you'll let me have that."

"How much do you have saved up?" I asked, as I let her rest her chin on my shoulder, glancing over at a sullen but sympathetic Rebecca, and a jealous Marie.

"Three hundred fifty." Mint replied. "Nowhere near enough yet, and I know you can't afford me, or give me the nest egg I need without marrying me."

I nodded.

"You know, Steven or I could just buy you, and bring you on as a personal assistant." Rebecca said. "Even if it's just a matter of getting the money out of the trust and getting approval, it can't be that hard."

"Buying me out is going to be three million dollars, I don't want to be owned and under the control of Steven's mothers, and I won't have enough of my own money to feel comfortable being just another part of your household." Mint replied, as she got up and sat on the arm of my chair to face everyone.

"Do I get a choice in this?" I asked.

"No," said Mint and Rebecca simultaneously.

Marie didn't know how to respond, so she just sat there. Looking at her, I felt a great deal of sympathy. Rebecca noticed that, and hugged the shorter blonde. "That wouldn't affect you or the baby." She said to Marie.

"I don't like this." Marie said, as she got up, and walked over to sit on my lap and hug me. "I understand how you feel, but I'm not going to give up what I have with my Master because of someone else's confession."

"We will actually need an assistant though." I replied, as I stroked Marie's hair.

"Master, you should deal with that when it comes up." Marie said, as she leaned into my shoulder. "I don't think your parents would appreciate you asking for money to buy a friend because of something you might need in a few years."

I nodded.

"She's right." Mint replied. "We'd all need to think about it anyway. So there's no point in making plans now."

"Also, it's too hot." Marie said. "Master, can we go on the rides again?"

"A slide sounds so nice right now." Rebecca said, as she stood up to take a shower,. "When Honesty gets back, let's go out again."

I acquiesced.

About ten minutes after that, once we had all washed off, Honesty returned, turkey leg in hand, and we got dressed, or undressed, enough to go out.

Marie was completely naked, and just stayed that way because she didn't want to keep taking off and putting on her pareo while we went around, and shoved it in the bag Honesty was holding onto. Meanwhile, Honesty was also completely naked and unlike Marie, self-conscious about it. Not enough to stop eating a turkey leg, but still blushing across her entire body. It was a sight to behold given that she was six foot two and had abs glistening in the sunlight from a mixture of sweat and turkey grease.

By comparison, the rest of us were more normally clothed. Spent sexually and emotionally, I had worked my way back into my squarelegs, and joined Rebecca and Mint in being the only members of our group still in the swimsuits that we had started the afternoon in...

... for a while anyway. Rebecca and Mint were racing down the speed slide when Mint's top finally came undone. I knew Mint wasn't the most endowed creature on the planet, but I had figured a top that small would either have come off sooner, or was firmly taped down.

"I knew I should've worn my mesh suit." Mint muttered under her breath as she slipped out of her bottoms, and wrung both parts of her suit out before putting them in the bag.

Rebecca was just laughing next to her as she fixed her own top. "Maybe I should just join you three." Rebecca said. "It'd save the work, and this is Boca. God would forgive me for dressing like a local."

"Miss, you don't have to. Your suit is cute, and a free woman going around in the buff gives everything very different vibes compared to when we do it." Mint replied, as she glanced over at Honesty and Marie, who were just standing there watching and snacking on churros without a care in the world.

"Honesty, where did you find a churro?" Rebecca said, completely derailed. "And give me some."

"Mistress, there's a churro machine at the snack bar." Honesty replied. "If Steven's grandmother said we could just charge to her room, I'm gonna do it."

"You're going to make me look bad." Rebecca countered, as she stormed over. "Not to mention ruining your diet."

"You know today is my cheat day, ma'am." Honesty replied before tearing some off for the smaller girl.

"That doesn't mean you can just do what-mph." Rebecca said as Honesty shoved a three inch piece of churro in her mouth. The fried dough just made the anger dissipate from her body, and Rebecca stopped to eat it before continuing on. "We shouldn't just eat junk food. It's close to five right? We should start thinking about dinner."

I shrugged. "There's a bunch of dinner places here that are pretty nice, and we can use grandma's status to just get a table." I said. "Mint knows all the options better than I do though."

Mint stood there for a second, tying a towel around herself, before speaking. "So, in the adult section there's a chophouse and a sports bar that are pretty good, but you have to be down for the vibes in both."

"Vibes?" Rebecca asked.

"You know how Carnism is like this invisible ideology tying meat consumption to virility, patriarchy and all that?" Mint said, "And free people go nuts for it?"

I was a little lost, and Rebecca was kinda confused, but Marie and Honesty seemed to get it. If nothing else, they could explain later if it turned out to be important.

"Well, it's not invisible at either of them. Especially the sports bar, since the guests are horny, drunk and not weighed down by a one pound Delmonio." Mint continued. "The steak place is absolutely worth it, but I always want to take a nap afterwards."

Marie raised her hand. "I'd actually like something where I could eat something vegetarian, or maybe just a little lighter than a steak." She said.

Honesty hemmed and hawed a bit for contributing. "I still need to hit my macros, so I need to get steak or fish. It's a meat day for both of us."

"For you. I had fish for lunch, so I'm up for whatever." Rebecca countered. "As long as it isn't tacos or anything like that."

I shrugged when Mint looked at me to make a decision. She frowned.

"Isn't there that one Japanese place?" I said, "I didn't hear anything about it being replaced."

"It's still there." Mint replied as she lightened up. "It has wagyu to go with a decent vegetarian menu and sushi. But it's not in the adult section, so we will have to get dressed."

The three other girls muttered various sounds of agreement or disappointment, and I swear I saw Marie clench her fists in victory out of the corner of my eye.

"We'll live." I said, as I stood up. "So back to the room?"

"Might as well." Rebecca said, as she started to towel off. "Mint, do you think you could get us a table in an hour and a half?"

It was unusual and a bit uncomfortable walking into a restaurant I had eaten at twice a year for most of my childhood with a woman on each arm and two more following behind, but this was my life now so I just ran with it.

The dining room was actually a lot more intimate than I remember, or Mint had gotten us a table in an area I hadn't sat in before. While the rest of the dining room was open, airy and just a mixture of light wood furniture and neutral colored fabrics, our table was in a quiet nook, with a sliding door separating it from the rest of the dining room. The woods were the same, but the chairs had been replaced by tatami mats and low backed cushions, and the table itself was large enough Honesty and I could have almost laid side by side, although with our feet dangling off the table.

Given that we were five people this was an excessive amount of space, but a welcome amount of privacy considering how some of us were dressed. The staff had probably diverted us that way to keep us out of sight, and I tried to not be embarrassed. This also meant no Omakase, but that was fine.

I was fairly reasonable in a sport coat and some linen trousers with a printed shirt, and Marie's cocktail dress was downright conservative for everyone else, only really having some lace trim around her hem and bust, but otherwise reaching her collarbone and knees with little fanfare. We also ended up sitting next to each other at a corner.

Honesty was somewhere in the middle, and sat opposite the rest of us, with her back to the door. Her black-calf length capris, and white trimmed blazer were reasonable and nice looking. Unfortunately, Rebecca had taken away most of her clothing, and so all she really had on under it after her blazer was hung up on the wall was a mesh bra and a pair of pasties. If she didn't already have a jacket, I probably would have offered mine because of how cold the outfit looked.

Rebecca and Mint were in particularly showy outfits, a pair of gowns which revealed more than they hid. Rebecca's metallic gown had a plunge neck that went to the bottom of her breastbone, and matched with a side slit that ran from hip to hem. Mint's halterneck gown was more conservatively cut, actually going down to ankle length, but I could see her panties and a pair of pasties through the almost sheer fabric. The two of them sat next to each other in a corner, with Rebecca directly across from me.

All of us still had swimwear on underneath, or packed in the bag Honesty was carrying around.

After our drinks were ordered and the door closed by a disgusted waitress, I just looked at the girls. "Alright, show of hands, who has eaten sushi before" I asked.

Everyone's hand went up aside from Marie's. Mint glanced over at her, and immediately started making cheaters for her chopsticks.

"Okay, Marie, I'll talk you through this." I said, as she started scooting even closer to me.

"Master, I do know how to order food." Marie replied indignantly. "And I can use chopsticks already. I'm not a child."

"Okay, so then it's just what different things are." I replied, as she narrowed her eyes at me.

Marie flipped open the menu, and immediately made for the side dish section as I got an order card ready. Across the table, Rebecca and Mint readied their own card, and Honesty just giggled while staring at the menu.

"What's ganmodoki?" Marie asked, as she scrutinized the menu.

"It's a tofu fritter with carrots and gobo in it." Mint replied. "It's surprisingly hearty."

Marie gave her a side eye, and then looked over at me. "Master, can I have one, and an order of Agedashi dofu?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Yes, you can order whatever you want." I replied, as I tried not to glance at her puppy-dog eyes.

"Are there sardines?" Marie asked, with her same expression. I looked over at Mint, who had probably eaten her way through this entire menu already.

"Iwashi," Mint said, without glancing away from her card. "It's preserved differently, but it's a sardine, it's in the nigiri section."

I added that down, plus the rest of Marie's order, including an oshinko maki with egg that looked delicious enough I wanted to share. My own order was fairly simple comparatively, largely just a spread of nigiri and hosomaki. My usual Hamachi, Isaki, and Ahi nigiri, two tobiko gunkan, and a single spider roll.

By the time the waitress, who apparently knew Mint and kept shooting me dirty looks, returned everyone was ready to order, and aside from Honesty handed over their order cards.

Honesty on the other hand. "I'll have the Omi tenderloin, the pickles and a brown rice kappa maki." She said between giggles. "To start."

Rebecca shot her a dirty look, but continued to drink her chuhai until the waitress left. "Really, the wagyu?" Rebecca said.

"Mistress, Master Steven's grandmother is picking up the tab and told us to eat as much as we wanted." Honesty replied, as she sipped from a glass of water. "I, for one, intend to be full."

Mint laughed, and I barely managed to avoid laughing as well. "Actually, what is your dynamic, and what are the rules?" Mint said, between giggles. "I haven't seen anyone from outside that forward in years."

"Honesty is my maid, childhood friend and close companion, she's allowed to be informal with me or make decisions that won't embarrass me." Rebecca replied, before looking over at Honesty. "Like blowing her macros by ordering a steak at a sushi restaurant."

"A half pound of wagyu isn't going to blow my macros Mistress." Honesty replied. "Your rice might blow yours though. We might have to work it off tonight."

"Maybe if Mint joins in." Rebecca said. "Actually, how is that going to work out. Steven? Would your grandmother let me borrow Mint for the night?"

"I was assigned to all of you." Mint said, as she pointed at each of us with her chopsticks. "I'm clean and I can fuck anyone if you ask. Policy is you need to use protection for my sake. I can also coach you or teach you some new things, because I am trained for that."

"You can teach us things?" Honesty replied. "Like what?"

"Pole dancing, erotic dance, tennis, most sex acts, card games, I could probably even help with math tutoring." Mint replied absentmindedly, as she counted them off on her fingers and Rebecca's jaw hit the table. "I've had to study and get good at a lot of things so I can buy my freedom and retire on time."

"Wait, Tennis?" Rebecca asked. "How does tennis fit into that?"

"The boss thinks it's a good sport for health and a lot of our guests like to play." Mint replied. "So we all have to learn to play, and we can get pretty good. I'm passable at best."

"Mint, I've seen you beat touring pros." I replied, as Marie scooted around the corner and leaned into me to get more attention. So I started scratching her head with my off hand.

"So not very good means?" Rebecca said.

"I'm not good enough to place in a tournament here." Mint replied, before looking over at me. "It wasn't as much fun as spending time with you though, so I didn't get as much practice as everyone else."

I nodded. "You three should probably take some lessons with Mint or the instructors here." I replied. "It'll be more fun than just hanging around by the pool or wandering between the spas, and my sister should have the equipment back at the house if you find something you like and want to keep practicing."

"Aww, Marie, I could teach you so much." Mint said, staring at the other girl. "Like do you want to learn how to dance?"

Marie thought for a moment, glanced over at me, and then back at Mint. "Maybe."

"Honesty, you're learning to pole dance." Rebecca replied without hesitation. "Someone here should know how to do it, and I can already bounce quarters off your abs."

"Mistress, are you sure you didn't want to see about a rigging class?" Honesty replied thoughtfully.

Mint and Marie laughed as Rebecca blushed bright red.

Finally the food started arriving, interrupting everyone's trains of thought, and refocusing our attention on our hunger.

"What did you get?" I asked Rebecca, as I looked at a pair of deep-fried rolls that had some fish, avocado, and sauce draped over the top.

"The super roll. It's an ahi cali roll with more ahi and avocado on top." Rebecca said, "Trade you for a nigiri?"

I nodded, and she transferred one onto a plate, and I did the same with a Hamachi Nigiri before we swapped plates.

This was apparently a sign for Mint to get competitive, and so she had to be involved as well. "Stevie, would you like a piece of my green bean roll?" She said as cutely as she could before just shoving a piece of it next to Rebecca's piece.

I ended up trying Mint's first, it was a little spicy from the sauce, and some ahi and chili oil on the top, but it was crunchy and familiar enough that I nodded my thanks in between bites.

Rebecca looked expectantly at me, and I at her super roll. The warm, deep fried exterior was nice, but the rice had melted into a confused mess, even if the cream cheese and avocado were still deliciously cool, and the cucumber crisp. Still, the peanut flavor and the sauce helped to pull everything together, and it felt almost improvisational. "I've never had it before," I said. "I think I might order one for myself."

Finally, I looked down, and I saw Marie expectantly holding up her oshinko maki, and it was exactly what I needed then. It was light, sweet, and had a little bit of a crisp bite from the takuan, but the egg gave it just enough savory flavor to not feel too light. I hugged Marie closer, and I could feel her blush.

Rebecca and Mint then swapped their rolls and got into some argument between bites, I think just for fun, while Marie and I kept eating, and Honesty systematically demolished her steak without so much as a glance up. I enjoyed the smooth texture and light, sweet flavor of my Hamachi as I watched the argument unfold, especially when it got around to lacrosse. Apparently the two were really into minor league play, and that got really local. Rebecca was a Threshers fan, Mint was a Hammerheads fan, and I became a lot more concerned about if everyone would be able to actually get along.

Like the debate before me, my tobiko gunkan was messy and composed of a lot of small items which would either pop or get all over the place when I bit into it. So I mostly didn't bite in, and just sort of swallowed them whole. With that done, I moved on without lingering, since that would just invite trouble.

Although I had to cajole Marie into eating a piece of the Otoro, I had the pleasure of watching her rethink some decisions as she bit into the tender, buttery fish and experienced all those creamy, savory and slightly sweet flavors. She sat there for a moment after having eaten it, smiled at me, and with a "Master, I enjoyed it, but it's too sweet for me," she returned to her humble egg and takuan roll and took another bite.

"Yeah, Otoro is good, but I usually want something different." Mint replied. "How was the Iwashi?"

"Delicious." Marie responded.

"It's actually part of my usual order when I'm here." Mint replied. "Usually guests end up going for either the tuna, or rolls, but after you've eaten it a hundred times you want to try something new."

"You don't have to rub everything in you know." Rebecca said. "The rest of us don't all get to live in a five star resort. I haven't had sushi since my birthday."

"If you want my job, you can have it." Mint replied. "I'll take Steven and Marie, and you can be the one working eighty hours a week, living in a dorm and soothing the egos of dentists and day traders every day."

"Okay, life in paradise sucks, I get it." Rebecca said dismissively.

"Is the sex good?" Honesty asked.

Mint just shot her a dirty look from across the table before continuing on with her life. "Anyway, Marie, what's Steven's favorite position." Mint asked as she looked over at the smaller blonde girl.

"Missionary." Marie responded without hesitation. "Master is very affectionate in bed, and so we usually end up face to face if we're not all sleeping together."

I almost choked on my food, and had to take a second to stop coughing.

"Aww, that's adorable." Mint replied. "It's good that you managed to bring that out of him."

"Marie, you don't have to tell her everything." I said after a drink of water.

"But master, I'm not telling her everything." Marie said, as she looked up at me. "And I don't want her thinking you're some brute when you're worked up."

"Aww, Stevie, you've gotten pretty good." Mint replied fawningly. "I remember when you were a clumsy virgin and I had to teach you everything."

"Please don't remind me." I sputtered, as I remembered a lazy afternoon in a hotel room several years ago.

Rebecca and Marie looked at me expectantly, the smaller of the two glaring up at me from under my armpit.

"Mint accidentally seduced me when we were fifteen." I replied. "It was pretty casual, or I thought it was, and then I had to go back home and it was over. I also slept with Christie, Nepeta and a few others while visiting here and that was just business. Anne did it too, because Dad just said we should play the field and get some experience."

Of everyone else in the room, Mint seemed a bit more smug than she had been, Marie and Honesty looked disappointed, not that Honesty had stopped eating at any point in all of this, and Rebecca was definitely going to press me for information later.

"Anyway, does anyone want another round or dessert?" I said, trying to avoid anything more embarrassing.

There were some noncommittal shrugs, and eventually Marie ordered some more Iwashi, Rebecca and I ordered tarts, and Mint got mochi.

"Is there anything we can do after dinner?" Rebecca said, looking over at me after the waitress left again. "That isn't watching a movie in bed or going to a brothel."

I shrugged. "I either played games with Mint and my sisters, or we just watched movies with grandma and Aunt Alice." I replied. "Mint, do you have any recommendations?"

"There's a cabaret, and at night we turn the adult waterpark into a night pool and club." Mint replied before returning to her sushi. "Our House DJ is actually pretty good, even if he is kind of a dick."

"What's the dress code for it?" I replied, as I ignored how annoyed Marie looked, and how utterly uninterested Honesty was.

"Clothing optional, and play isn't allowed in the waterpark after sunset." Mint replied. "Pretty much everyone is just in a swimsuit and cover up though, with maybe half the guests going nude. The Eros Forum people are probably going to trend more swimsuits, while the oceanographers party pretty hard."

"That sounds fun." Rebecca said between bites. "I don't think I've gone dancing since I met you, and I want to see what you three do."

The change from the day to night layouts of the waterpark was impressive. Lights had emerged from hidden spots to string across the river, others lit up the water and trees, and a sound system and DJ booth that had been hiding by the splash pad had been revealed. Lasers were shooting through the air in time with the music, and the entire area had a much cooler vibe than earlier, with the night air mixing with the neon lights to make the waterpark feel like somewhere much more comfortable than Boca Raton in the summer.

Honesty and Rebecca were on the splash pad turned dance floor with Mint. Honesty even seemingly forgot that she was only in a pareo and actually enjoying herself, dancing with a lot more skill and coordination than I knew she had. I had joined the three of them for a moment, but eventually I needed to sit with Marie. She wasn't doing too well between the noise, lights and a full stomach, and so ended up floating in the lazy river with me where it wasn't as bad.

It was actually nicer than in the morning, because there weren't all the exhibitionists and other perverts out, and everyone was just at the party to blow off steam after a day of conferences. Just with a few nudists involved here and there. They were fine, since it wasn't in our faces and I'd had a chance to build a tolerance now.

We were about halfway through the loop when Marie finally decided to call it quits. "Master, I don't think I can stay down here all night, I'd like to go back to the room and sleep." She said, looking green around the gills, as she looked away from me with a mixture of regret and disappointment playing across her face.

"Then we'll go up." I replied. "Can you hold on long enough for me to tell the girls we're going?"

She nodded.

I ended up hauling her out of the river when we were near the entrance, and leaving her in a chair by our locker when I went to find Rebecca and Mint.

The two of them were still on the dancefloor, Mint grinding up against Rebecca, the two flirting and obviously having a great time. Honesty was nearby, leaning against a wall and drinking something fruity looking.

I headed over toward the dancing girls, and leaned over to Rebecca, "Marie's not doing well with the party, so I'm going to take her back to the room, so she can get some sleep." I said, having to shout slightly to get over the music.

"Take Honesty with you. Mint and I are going to stay down here though." She shouted back, while slapping Mint's ass. "Tell Marie I hope she feels better."

So, I collected Honesty as Rebecca and Mint continued to have fun, and we took our clothes while leaving the bag and locker for Mint to deal with. Honesty ended up trailing behind us, and I almost forgot she was there. By the time we were out of the park, Marie was feeling better, but we kept going. She didn't seem to want to turn back, and I didn't want to override her on the few times she stood up for herself.

"So what do you think of Mint?" I said, as we walked down the path back to our building. "And be honest."

"I don't know Master," Marie replied nervously. "She's trying to look out for me, but I can't trust her yet, especially with your grandmother around. I want to like her, because she's your friend and Miss Rebecca gets along with her, but I'm not there yet."

"You don't like my grandmother?" I replied.

"Master, she terrifies me." Marie responded, as she clung to me. "I don't know if you've ever thought about it like this, but she built a machine here that burns through bodies, and she doesn't seem to care about the cost of what makes her money."

I nodded. It wasn't anything new to me, but unlike my father or Mint, Marie wasn't inured to it yet. Honesty made some noises of agreement behind us.

"You heard what she said about girls like me." She shivered. "I know you probably love her because she's family, but I can't avoid thinking about that when she looks at me. About what I'd be if she owned me."

I stopped walking, and stood there for a moment as my thoughts processed. "No, you're right." I replied, sighing. "I know what Mint has gone through, and my grandmother was being weird at lunch. If Grandma is planning something, then Mint isn't going to participate."

"And you're sure of that? Because I think Mint would replace me if she could." Marie replied as we started walking again.

"No, she can't and she won't. Mint is too desperate for a family to leave you out, and we're a package deal at this point." I replied, smiling. "Besides, she's nowhere near as cuddly and affectionate as you are. She won't curl up in a chair with me, doesn't cling on to me like the world's cutest barnacle, and hates waking up with someone else holding her. Plus she can't run a floor buffer. She definitely can't replace you."

Marie actually laughed at that. "You actually remember that?"

"Of course I do, it was the day I met you." I said. "Just like I remember meeting Rebecca and Honesty for the first time in a furniture store, and you motorboating Honesty the same night you met her."

Honesty grumbled a bit as Marie kept laughing.

"Besides, I've seen Mint's room." I continued. "She can suck your soul out of any orifice you ask, but there's always some piece of clothing dangling from a wall sconce."

"Eww," Honesty said from behind us, and Marie silently echoed the sentiment.

"Yeah, that's why I avoided going there for the last couple of years." I replied.

"Anyway, Master." Marie said after thinking it through., "Having Mint around, and finding out about your relationship with her has made me feel lost. Like you barely open up to me, but the second she's around you have this whole big emotional thing and start talking about saving her and your regrets. I know she's your friend, but you promised Miss Rebecca you wouldn't put me aside, and as much as she might like Mint, she isn't going to like you breaking a promise."

"She's not going to be serving inside the house if I buy her just off her skills, and that's actually the most candor I've ever seen out of her. I didn't know she was capable of that." I replied. "Physical intimacy is a different thing, but that's work for her. If I hired her instead of bought her, she probably wouldn't give me more than a hug. It won't change anything."

"Steven, are you still going to think like that when I'm showing?" Marie asked, cutting directly through protocol and the obliqueness she so often used to protect herself. "I only got through my last pregnancy because of my sister, and I barely made it through the last month with all of you. I cannot go through this one by myself, and for the sake of your child I will need you to keep me close and give me the support and affection I need. Whatever anyone else says or does, you promised all of us that, and you absolutely need to show me that."

"Yes." I answered, shaken by her conviction. "Mint's like a cat, she's either very needy or will refuse to open up and even touch people. She's good at her job, and what I'd want her to do, but she's also nothing like you." I then paused to grab Marie and pull her into a hug, hoping that'd be the end of it. "Anyway, when we go back do you want to watch a movie, or are we just going right to bed after a bath?"

I could feel Honesty's eyes narrow as she glared at the back of my skull. Marie also wasn't too happy about it, but she powered through.

"I'd actually like to just take a shower and go to bed." Marie said coldly. "If you have any better ideas Master, I'd love to hear them."

When we did get back to my grandmother's suite, Honesty and Marie went right to our bathroom and the massive shower, while I poured myself a glass of water and sat in a chair by the picture window in the living room. When the water did turn off half an hour later, Marie and Honesty were quieter than usual, and I still just sat there with my thoughts, for what felt like an eternity before I worked up the courage to apologize.

I was about at the bedroom door when I heard the entrance to the unit slam open, and Rebecca and Mint march in. Walking back into the living room, I saw the two of them separating their stuff and unloading a few boxes of take-out. Mint acting very professionally, and Rebecca was swooning a bit, slightly glittery, and had Mint's lipstick on her neck.

"You two had fun." I observed.

"We talked shop, and then I rewarded her for being a good girlfriend to you, and a good mistress to Marie and Honesty." Mint said as Rebecca started giggling again. "How is Marie doing?"

"She got better once we were outside the park." I replied. "It was probably just the lights. But she thinks you're trying to replace her, and that better not be the case."

"Shit. Fuck. Really?" Mint said. "Of course I don't want to replace her. She's a maid, and she's your maid. You and I both know I can't do housework. If I was going to try and replace any of those three it'd be Rebecca."

I glanced between the two. That sounded like something dangerous to admit next to my fiance.

"No offense, but like I did want to marry him before any of you were in the picture." Mint said as she looked sheepishly at the slightly love-drunk girl next to her.

"If you keep kissing me like that, I'd let you do it any time." Rebecca giggled as I got a whiff of her. She was definitely drunk as well.

Mint just sighed. "I literally just did what I do with Christine, and she's like this. I can't tell if I should be amazed, or questioning how you ended up dating a lesbian?"

"She wanted me to fuck Honesty for her because she has a bad hip." I replied as Mint looked at me in disbelief. "No, really, ask Jimmy."

"And it was great!" Rebecca continued. "Also, Marie is sho cute and cuddly, I couldn't say no to her."

"How much did she drink?" I sighed. This was a lot more drunk than I expected her to be.

"A Zombie and a Tom Collins." Mint replied. "I ended up getting Marie some soup, and takeout for everyone else while I had her eat a burrito to sober up."

"Steven, they were delicious, I would've kept going but Mint cut me off." Rebecca said, clinging to the table. "And you two need to apologize to Marie and clear things up. I don't want my little snow bunny feeling insecure."

"Wow, you are really drunk." I replied, as I picked Rebecca up to sit her in a chair she couldn't slump out of. She tried anyway.

"That doesn't make me wrong." Rebecca called out. "And I want you two to make up because I don't like the people I love getting hurt, or the people who love them."

"Mistress, that comes with the territory for you." Honesty replied as she walked out into the living room. "Also, are you trying to collect another one?" She groaned as she inspected Rebecca's neck.

"It's not my fault you're all so adorable. I love all of you and I want you all to myself." Rebecca yelled out with a dopey smile. "And it's all good, because if God wanted me to be monogamous he wouldn't have given me three holes and ADHD!"

"There's four of us now." Honesty observed, as she gave Mint a distinctly unamused look.

"Then one of you can play with my boobs!" Rebecca shouted.

That was the signal for Marie to come out of the bedroom, wearing one of my shirts and not much else. "Master, why is everyone shouting?" She said bleary-eyed. "The neighbors probably heard everything and I want to go to sleep."

"I tried to seduce your master's girlfriend so she'd like me enough that I could join you all up here instead of sleeping in my room tonight and I accidentally let her get drunk." Mint replied quickly as her facade broke. "I'm not trying to take your place or anything, It's just I really don't want to be alone tonight."

"I heard all of it and you could have just asked us." Marie said in a very tired voice. "Master, it's past my bedtime. Are you going to come to bed?"

"We need to clean Rebecca up first." I replied. "You can go back to bed, we'll join you after she doesn't smell like a still."

"Thank you Master," Marie yawned, as she turned back around.

"Mint, go with Marie and go to bed. She's in charge." I continued. "Honesty and I will clean up the lush."

"You two should kiss and make up." Rebecca said from the floor. "You both love him, so just fuck it out like adults. It's what Honesty and I do whenever we get mad at eachother."

"Mint, get in here and eat me out so I can sleep." Marie continued from the other room as she flopped on the bed. "After everything you've done today, you can at least do that."

"Yes ma'am." Mint replied, happier than she'd been all day.