The Phoenix Accord Pt. 03

Author's note:

See Pt. 1 for blurb. Also, if you haven't already read Parts 1 & 2, I strongly recommend doing so before proceeding.

All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

Twenty-Seven

"Is Hazel going to be my Mommy now?" Lena asked as John wrapped a towel around her after she had emerged from the shower.

"What?" he exclaimed a bit too loudly. "No! Mommy will always be your Mommy, sweetheart."

"I know that," she replied resolutely. "I just meant is Hazel also going to be my Mommy?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Because she lives here now, like Mommy used to; and she sleeps in your bed sometimes, like Mommy used to; and she tells me she loves me like Mommy does."

"I love you too, sweet pea," he interjected softly, his tone belying the racing thoughts in his mind.

"I know you do, Daddy. So does Grandmother and Grandfather and Nana and Pa-Pa. And so does Hazel."

"You're very lucky."

"Are you and Hazel going to order me a baby brother?"

"Excuse me?"

"A baby sister would be ok, but I'd prefer a baby brother."

"Lena, you're kind of all over the place right now. Your Mommy is your Mommy, and that's final."

"So, what is Hazel?" Lena asked pointedly. Her face then exploded into a brilliant smile, and she asked, "Can she be my aunt?"

"You've already got several aunts."

"But they're not nice like Hazel. Aunt Alexandra is funny sometimes, and Aunt Olivia always gives great presents, but they never tell me they love me like Hazel does."

"I think for now she should just stay 'Hazel', but it makes me happy that you two are so close."

"Because you love her?"

Before the logical, analytical, rational part of his brain (which was dashing full tilt toward his metaphorical brain in a desperate attempt to get him to shut up at all costs) could weigh in, he said, "Yes. Is that ok?"

"Do you still love Mommy?"

"Yes," he answered truthfully. "Not the same way I love Hazel, but your mother and I will always be very close."

"Then I think its ok. Just please be nice to Hazel because she's always so nice to everyone. The other day, I told her I found a spider in my bathroom. Instead of making you come take care of it like Mommy would, or squishing it like you would, she got a cup and a piece of paper and trapped it so she could take it outside. She said spiders were our friends because they eat bugs that could make us sick."

"That's very true. Maybe I should try to be more like Hazel."

"Daddy!" she teased. "You can't be like Hazel. She's, like, a bugazillion times prettier than you."

"That she is, sweetheart," he replied with a warm smile. "Now. I think you should get to bed. You've had quite a day. Did you have fun?"

"Yes," she replied simply. "Nick played my favorite song on the guitar. He even knew all the words. He has a very pretty voice."

"I agree completely, although I think he'd prefer it if you said he has an amazing voice. Boys his age don't typically like to be called pretty."

"Ok," she agreed in the way only young children could. She snuggled down into her blankets and turned on her side before murmuring, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Lena. Sweet dreams."

By the time he reached the door, she was asleep.

He made his way back out to the pool deck, passing a dwindling group of Nick's friends who were watching in awe as he softly played for them. John desperately hoped Nick was granted early admission to university so he could continue his growth as a performer, even though he was certain the young man had enough talent that he could already make a comfortable living playing. The thought of what life on the road could do to someone his age turned John's stomach. He had spent a few minutes at his office earlier researching the best music schools in the country and, even though he was certain it would cause more friction, he had submitted Nick's demo to several of the most prestigious.

He settled into his chair between Hazel and Elaine before scooping up yet another cocktail. He watched the two women regard him nervously, causing him to glance between them several times before ultimately saying, "What'd I do?"

"Nothing," Hazel replied.

"Nothing at all," Elaine finished.

He stood and said, "I'm going to go get started on the cleanup."

"John!" they both yelped as he started to depart.

"What?" he huffed upon turning back to face them. "I've obviously done something to annoy you both. Might as well get some chores done around here while I await my sentencing."

"We were fucking with you," Hazel pleaded.

"Mostly," Elaine amended. "But you should still stay. Hazel has had a wonderful idea for the evening's entertainment."

He glanced between them several times, taking in their obvious inebriation and the naughty expression on Hazel's face, before saying, "I'm not playing truth or dare."

"Damn it!" his girlfriend huffed.

Elaine brightened and said, "How about the game where you drink if you haven't..."

"Or never-have-I-ever," John added. "Come on, ladies. We're not children."

"You're no fun."

"Ok, Mr. Smarty-Pants," Hazel retorted. "Then you come up with something."

"How about complete honesty?"

"Pass," Elaine grumbled.

"Come on," Hazel pleaded with her friend. "What if we say you've only got to say one sentence each turn."

"Fine, but no follow-up questions."

"That'll be an awfully boring game," John predicted. "How about a penalty for questions."

"Remove an article of clothing?" Hazel asked hopefully.

"The kids are right inside," Elaine pointed out.

"If you ask a follow-up, the person you question gets to ask you anything."

"Ooh," Hazel enthused, rubbing her hands together. "I like it. I'll start. I never loved Thomas."

"Who could?" John observed darkly. He then spotted Hazel's triumphant expression and added, "That wasn't a follow-up. Just an observation."

"Damn."

"I lied to him about my birth control," Elaine said softly. She sat quietly for a moment before adding, "Not because I was trying to trap him, but because he made me so unhappy that I thought my only escape was a baby. The greatest day of my life, other than the day Nick was born, was the day he divorced me."

"I... um... damnit," John muttered.

"No cheating," Hazel chided.

"Fine. I'm a serial philanderer," he huffed. "Every woman I've ever been with was in a relationship at the time we first had sex."

"Um... wow," Hazel finally replied after sharing a long look with Elaine. "Although I'm not sure I count. Thomas had served me with divorce papers."

"But you were still married."

"I just have to know," Elaine finally grumbled. "How many women?"

"Four," John replied openly. "Katherine was dating this total toolbox who was just after her money when we met. In the interest of transparency, I didn't know she was dating him at the time. Before her was my long-time college girlfriend, April. She was dating my roommate, who I totally guy-code fouled when I started dating her. But he was a shithead to everyone, especially to her. I never regretted it for an instant. The first girl, however, I stole from my former best friend. We dated for three weeks before she turned me in for the newer model. But I never got my friend back. The things teenaged boys will do to lose their virginity."

"I'm not sure I agree with your assessment," Elaine replied. "All of those seemed pretty defensible."

"I only truly felt bad about the first one, and less so for each one that followed. But the truth remains. Your turn. What's the first irresponsible thing you'd do if you had fuck-you money? Not paying bills or setting Nick up for college or buying a house. I'm talking about the first really extravagant thing."

"Buy a sailboat and sail from Miami to Aruba. And pay someone to teach me how to sail it, I guess. I've always loved the ocean."

"That sounds incredible," Hazel said reverently. "I never knew you loved the water so much."

"It's hard to even get down to the beach some years, but that's always my go-to for vacations."

Hazel took a hefty swallow of her cocktail and said, "I once had sex with four different people in a thirty-seven-hour period."

"Thirty-seven?" John quoted.

"I'm officially counting that as a follow-up question," Hazel declared playfully. "Yes. Although it would also be accurate to say it happened over a one-hour time frame because we were all in the same bed."

"I've been had," John muttered.

"Two girls, two guys, about two dozen condoms and nearly a week of walking funny after I convinced the guys to DP me."

"No, thank you," Elaine interjected. "One penis is plenty."

"I'm forced to agree with your assessment because one of the guys, I think it was George, got a little too enthusiastic and, in a matter of seconds, my back door went from a single-wide to a double-wide. Naturally I screamed, because it fucking hurt. Add to that the fact that those two were skeeved out enough by being naked in the same room; the fact that they touched dicks sent them to their corners like chastened boxers. Let's just say the evening ended unsatisfactorily for all involved."

"Might be exactly what you all deserved," Elaine observed with a chuckle.

John added, "I'm just glad to hear she's learned her lesson. Who knows what this scheming, polyandering minx will come up with next."

Hazel smiled at John and said, "On that note, what's the most lewd or lascivious thing you've ever fantasized about doing to, or with, Elaine?"

"Hazel!" Elaine hissed.

"What? I want to know. And none of those sappy cop-outs like going down on her all night long."

John tried, but ultimately failed, to ignore the grunt of arousal that escaped Elaine's lips at Hazel's comment. Rather than embarrassing him, her reaction emboldened him, and he said, "The shower."

"You're going to have to be more specific, sir. And, no, that's not a follow-up."

"We're making love as the water streams down our bodies. She's bent over and I'm behind her. I'm fondling her tits as I slam into her and she's looking at me over her shoulder in a way which tells me she's about to cum. I finish with her, and we're so worn out that we fall to the tile. As we sit there panting, I look over to see her lazily playing with our combined release as it flows from what, in my fantasy, is her delightfully hairy pussy."

"God damn, that's hot," Hazel sighed. She turned to Elaine and said, "Don't you think, honey?"

"How did you know?"

"Pardon?" John replied innocently.

"About my... bush..."

"I didn't. It's a fantasy."

"Your fantasy is for a woman to have thick pubic hair?" she retorted disbelievingly, "despite the fact that your girlfriend is completely shaved."

"I wasn't talking about women in general. I was talking about you."

"You bastard," she grumbled.

"What?"

"How the hell am I supposed to make responsible choices when you say something like that?"

"I'm not sure. But that's not the most important question."

"Then what is?"

"Since you asked a follow-up, what's your fantasy? And it has to involve all three of us."

"But I'm not bisexual," she replied softly.

"I know. That's what makes me so curious to know your answer."

"We're on a private beach watching the sun set. We're lying naked in the sand as the water laps at our feet. John is between us and we're teasing each other. As things grow more heated, we take turns kissing him and going down on him. Next, we take turns on top of him, one of us straddling his face while the other rides his cock. Then he takes over. We lie side-by-side, holding hands as he takes us each in turn. After we both climax, John covers our breasts with his seed. After he snaps a picture of us so that we always have a memento of our perfect evening, we go for a midnight swim."

"That sounds incredible," Hazel sighed lustily. "You two are nominated as co-chairs for the fantasy committee."

"Oh, come off it," Elaine huffed. "We all know you'd never be happy if you couldn't be with both of us at the same time."

"Not true," Hazel retorted. "Oh, I'll admit I'm plenty attracted to both of you. But the fact that you wouldn't be as into it makes it a non-starter because it would be one-sided."

"I'd make a go of it, for your sake," Elaine said before chuckling and adding, "At least in this entirely hypothetical fantasy world we're discussing entirely hypothetically."

"You're a true friend," Hazel said warmly. "But that's not necessary. I just want us all to be happy together. I guess it's my turn now, so I'll freely admit that nothing would make me happier in this moment than to watch your first kiss."

"The kids are right inside," Elaine hissed.

"It's dark out here. They can barely see us. Besides, do you really think Nick would mind if he saw his mother kiss the best man she's ever met?"

"Maybe?" Elaine whispered morosely.

"Just kiss him," Hazel pleaded. "You both want to; I want you to; you know it will be magical. What's the downside?"

"What if I'm terrible at it?"

John took her hand and said, "We both know that's impossible."

"But I haven't kissed anyone like that in... well... a long time."

"Kissing isn't about technique," he said softly. "It's about the connection two people share."

"What makes you think we have a connection?"

John leaned toward her as he murmured, "The way your breathing is speeding up; the way your eyes are widening; the way you're licking your lips."

"But..." she whispered pleadingly.

He smiled as he let his eyes skim over her body. "The way the goosebumps are rising on the skin of your chest; the way your nipples are pebbling; the way you're clenching your thighs together."

"Oh, John," she gasped before surging forward into him and crushing her lips against his.

Twenty-Eight

John's entire world paused the moment Elaine's lips touched his own. Through her touch, he felt all her pain; and her strength; and her desire. But all of those emotions paled in comparison to the overwhelming goodness of the woman who was melting into his arms. His affection for her surged in perfect synchronization with his lust, and he groaned into her mouth as her tongue hungrily breached his lips.

Their kiss deepened even further as he pulled her onto his lap, and she felt his arousal throbbing beneath her taut ass. His hands slid up her body, memorizing each of her graceful curves as he went. With every movement that brought his touch closer to her breasts, her breathing quickened. As he paused his fingers' journey at the bottom of her ribs, she whimpered adorably in protest.

"Please touch me," she softly pleaded before claiming his lips once more.

His cock jerked beneath her impeccable ass the moment his fingers grazed her breast. He was amazed at what he found there. Elaine's breasts were comfortably D-cups, but unlike Hazel's massive tits which were breathtakingly soft and pillowy, they were firm while still retaining their feminine suppleness. He teased her, trailing his fingertips in an ever-shrinking circle in a lengthy journey toward her nipple. When his knuckle grazed her pebbled bud, she bucked in his lap and threw her head back in silent ecstasy. He kissed her neck and felt as though he could feel her racing pulse beneath her pale skin.

"Yes," she hissed, grinding her ass against his agonizingly hard manhood.

He abandoned his libidinous groping of her breast and slid his hand up to the back of her neck to pull her lips back to his own. Deliberately deepening their kiss while relaxing his body, he focused solely on the exquisite sensation of kissing her. She matched his slower pace, sighing into his lips as her tongue languidly slicked against his own. The relative calmness of their bodies stood in stark contrast to the emotions roiling within the couple. John reveled in the feeling of serenity that enveloped him in a way which surpassed relatively mundane concepts like lust or desire and leapt straight into the realm of soul-melding affection, if not outright love. This remarkable feeling was only heightened by the absolute certainty that her feelings matched his own.

John was brought back to the matter at hand by yet another soft sigh from his partner, and he resumed his careful memorization of her impeccable body. Her lips tasted like citrus and ginger, thanks in large part to the cocktails they had been sharing. He inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of vanilla and honey infusing her hair. His hand slid down to her hip, but she was quick to push his hand lower and encourage him to caress her delectable derriere.

Their lips parted haltingly, with each partner taking turns reclaiming the other's lips rather than allowing their kiss to reach its inevitable conclusion. Her forehead dropped to his as their lips reluctantly parted, and they fought to catch their breath. He gazed into her eyes lovingly and knew with absolute certainty that he would do anything in his power to guarantee her happiness.

Hazel broke the silence by triumphantly whispering, "I knew it!"

"No one likes a sore winner," John replied softly without taking his eyes from Elaine's.

"I'm not bragging, silly," Hazel retorted without rancor. "I'm just so happy for both of you."

"Thank you," Elaine replied sincerely. "And now, you must kiss him. I'm not yet sure what this is, or what any of this means, but I won't allow jealousy to exist between us. If we're to share him, then we do it completely. Neither of us gets anything which is not offered to the other."

"Sounds good to me," Hazel replied as she stood to round the table.

Elaine stood as well and hugged her friend adoringly. John watched unashamedly, not because the sight was in any way lustful, but rather because of the beautiful, yet wholly platonic, love they shared. Their embrace lasted well in excess of a minute, and John knew his own eyes were not the only ones that were misty as they parted. Hazel flowed into his lap as Elaine took the chair beside them.

As soon as Hazel was seated, she exclaimed, "My goodness, you're hard baby."

"What do you expect? I had a hot-to-death MILF making out with me."

"Is that so?" she replied playfully. "Can I assume from your use of that acronym that you do, in fact, want to fuck her?"

"No," he replied with a smirk in Elaine's direction. "But I'd very much like to make love with her."

"Such a charmer," Elaine teased as she stroked his arm.

"Perhaps I should help her out and go down on you first," Hazel mused. "Just to ensure you're at peak efficiency."

"Hazel!" Elaine gasped.

"What?" the blonde replied in confusion. "It's wonderful. John is so gentle, and his cum tastes like salted caramel."

"Ok," Elaine said slowly. "That's good to know, but not really what I meant."

"I'm confused."

"I was just... never mind."

"Please tell me."

Elaine sighed and said, "There's no etiquette guide for sharing a man. Or harems. Or whatever this is called. Believe me, I checked. I know you were here first, so I guess that means you get dibs."

Hazel reached for Elaine's hand and said, "Nothing could be further from the truth. We're equals. In everything. I'm just not sure what I did to upset you."

"It's just... I wanted to go down on him," Elaine pouted.

"Oh!" Hazel replied brightly as she squirmed libidinously on John's lap. "I think he likes that idea. And so do I." She smiled before leaning towards him and murmuring, "But not before I get my kiss."

Their lips met unhurriedly, and she melted into him as their tongues slicked together. Her hands fisted in his hair, tilting his head so she could further deepen their connection. They swallowed each other's loving sighs as the unspoken declaration of love further strengthened their bond, and any lingering doubt he had about adding Elaine to their relationship evaporated.

"Um... Mom?" a deep voice called uncomfortably from the darkness.

John and Hazel sprang apart as though they had been scalded, but Elaine just snickered and said, "What is it, honey?"

Nick stepped onto the pool deck and sent an apologetic glance in John and Hazel's direction, leaving little doubt he had seen them, at the very least, kissing. He turned back to Elaine and said, "Everyone else took off a little while ago and I was wondering if I could head to Brian's for the night."

"What did his..." Elaine began, but Nick interrupted, "His parents said it was fine. They even said they could drop me by the apartment on their way to church in the morning."

"Oh, well I guess its ok with me. Take your phone and don't hesitate to call..."

"I know," he cut in again. "I promise I'll call if I need anything."

She stood and walked over to him, hugging him tightly. He returned it with a sincerity that surprised John, given Nick's age and gender, but warmed his heart nonetheless. They all bid him goodnight and watched him return to the house. Shortly, they heard a car pull into the driveway and the distant voices of Nick and his friend departing.

John broke the silence, saying, "You've done such an incredible job with him."

"Thanks," Elaine replied quickly.

"I mean it. I wouldn't trust most seventeen-year-old boys with a can opener, but he offered to take Lena to the concession stand when we were at that music festival, and I didn't hesitate for an instant. He seems not only incredibly responsible, but also remarkably grounded and just as much of a profoundly good person as his mother."

"Thank you," she repeated huskily as she reached out to caress his cheek lovingly.

"You're quite welcome," he replied as he leaned into her touch.

Hazel kissed John once more briefly before rising and pulling her dress over her head eagerly to reveal her breathtakingly alluring nude body. She glanced between them and said, "Lose the clothes, loves. We're going swimming," before running and diving into the pool.

Elaine sat unmoving for a moment before declaring, "Fuck it," and standing. She removed her skirt unselfconsciously, unzipping it and sliding it over her hips to let it drop to the ground to reveal an emerald-green thong. Her blouse soon followed to expose a similarly colored bra. Both garments were more lace than satin and John was sure that if he were favored with any more light beyond that which filtered down from the house, he would spot alluring glimpses of both her nipples and pubic hair.

She glared at him critically and said, "Not that I mind you looking, but I'm not taking anything else off until you show at least a little skin."

John stood so quickly his chair scraped along the pool deck and whipped his shirt off like it was made of poison ivy.

Elaine guffawed and said, "Better," before unhooking her bra and tossing it after John's shirt.

"Christ," he whispered as he gazed at her perfectly formed breasts in the dim light. They were full, with prominent nipples just below the swell and they swayed gently as she moved.

He reached for her, but she said, "Nope. Lose the pants."

He smiled and quickly divested himself from his remaining clothing. He glanced up to find Elaine staring at his midsection, her lower lip held fast between her teeth. He reached down to grip his throbbing manhood before quoting, "You... want... this. Don't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, taking a halting step toward him.

He nodded his head at her panties and said, "What about those?"

Her eyes never left his as she slowly slid her thong over her hips and down her legs. Even in relative darkness, John could clearly see her thick thatch of pubic hair and his cock jerked visibly in anticipation.

Elaine noticed the movement and said, "See something you like?"

"You're incredible," he whispered as he closed the distance between them and crushed his lips to hers. He gasped at the sensation of his cock nestling in her lady garden, especially at the slick heat he found waiting for him. He groped her ass boldly, spreading her cheeks and forcing his cock further into the warmth between her thighs.

"Hey y'all?" Hazel called from the pool. "We're supposed to be swimming. Although I suppose there are worse ways to pass the time than floating in a warm pool while I watch my two favorite people make love."

John and Elaine broke the kiss breathlessly and grinned at each other giddily. He tilted his head toward the pool and said, "Shall we?"

"We shall," she declared, taking his hand and leading him toward the deep end.

They dove in together and surfaced beside Hazel, wrapping her in an embrace. The women took turns kissing him as he fondled them confidently. Each new bit of their flesh which his questing hands found ramped up their collective desire. He knew he was on the verge of losing control when he felt their hands find his cock and he simultaneously teased Hazel's asshole and tweaked Elaine's nipple.

He pulled back and said, "Fuck, that feels good."

Elaine sighed lustily before whispering, "I've always wanted to try this," and slipping below the surface of the water.

"Holy shit," John gasped as he felt her lips encircle his manhood.

"Is she..." Hazel whispered in amazement. John could only nod in response as Elaine gripped his thighs to force him deeper into her mouth. Hazel grinned and disappeared into the water.

He grunted at the sensation of his cock slipping from the heat of Elaine's mouth to the relative cool of the water, followed quickly by Hazel deepthroating him. Elaine popped up and gulped in a breath of air.

She leaned close and sucked his earlobe before whispering, "I want you to cum in my mouth."

"My God, woman. You're going to kill me," he rasped.

"I want this, John. I've dreamed of this. Please."

He could only nod in reply before she once again slipped into the darkened depths of the pool. He grunted in pleasure at the feeling of being swapped between the mouths of two stunningly beautiful, and eager to please, women. Hazel burst from the water and took a deep breath before slipping around behind him. She rubbed her slick breasts enticingly against his back while she kissed along his shoulders.

"I know she wants it, babe," she whispered. "Give it to her."

He only managed to gasp, "Fuck," before his orgasm arrived with devastating intensity. He felt Elaine's grip on his thighs tighten as he exploded onto her tongue. She continued sucking his pulsing cock as countless eruptions of his essence filled her mouth. The sensation of her swallowing prolonged his release to the point where he began to worry about her running out of air. But when he tried to pull back, she only sucked harder. His entire body spasmed in pleasure with every movement she made until he was completely spent.

At length, Elaine rose from the water like a water goddess and inhaled deeply through her nose. She then smiled brilliantly at him before opening her lips to reveal the remnants of his orgasm. She swallowed once more before licking her lips and saying, "Ahhh!"

He reached for her and crushed his lips to hers for a brief, but passionate kiss. As their lips parted, he said, "That was incredible."

"Goddamned right it was," Hazel agreed before he felt her swim away. "And now, I'm going to let you guys get down to the main event."

He turned to see her lazily backstroking toward the stairs and said, "Oh, no you don't. We agreed, honey. Together, or not at all."

"I'm not going to Monaco. I'm just going to go to one of the couches over there and pleasure myself while I watch the hottest sex show in the universe."

John turned to Elaine and said, "What do you think?"

She shrugged and said, "I'll allow it. Especially considering I'll no doubt do the same thing when it's her turn. The fact that I don't want to make love with her in no way diminishes my desire to watch her have sex with you. Especially if it's the really freaky stuff she told me about."

John looked to Hazel and said, "Et tu, Brutus?"

"Oh, hush," Hazel huffed teasingly. "We always knew this would happen. Besides, she begged me. I swear, she nearly crammed her hand down her pants and jilled off right in front of me when I told her about why you had to take your car back to the carwash three times. And, not for nothing, but our girl is desperately curious about anal."

"Is that so?" John asked with a quirked eyebrow as he turned his attention back to Elaine.

"Later," she whispered. "For now, I just need you inside me."

"Then I find myself in the uncomfortable position of needing to upset you." Her eyes widened, so he smirked and added, "Because if I go another second without tasting you, I'll never forgive myself."

"Way ahead of you," Hazel called softly from the side of the pool. They turned to find her laying a towel out on the deck before she took a seat a few meters away.

John lifted Elaine in his arms easily and stalked toward the towel, depositing her on it by gripping her hips and lifting her from the water. She yelped in surprise, but that quickly turned to a sigh as he pushed her legs apart and lowered his face to the apex of her thighs. He inhaled deeply, savoring her aroma as he nestled his nose in her curls to find her slick with arousal despite the pool's water.

He licked along her seam to taste her for the first time and groaned in pleasure. She fell back on her elbows and spread her knees wider to give him better access. He opened her labia with his thumbs and thrust his tongue into her core, receiving a surge of her essence in response.

"Fuck," he whispered. "You're so wet."

She could only moan in response as he took her clit between his lips and sucked on her pleasure bud. He smiled at the way her curls tickled his nose, the deeper he delved. Something about her thick thatch seemed perfect for his amazingly alluring MILF, and it made her even more desirable in his eyes. He pulled back slightly, lapping her arousal off the hair surrounding her opening. Her giggle turned into a sigh as he sank his tongue back into her core. Each thrust into her femininity teased consistently louder sounds of pleasure from her lips. By the time he once again took her clit between his lips, he knew her release was imminent.

He looked up over her body, his night vision granting him an unobstructed view of her impeccable curves. Her thick curls gave way to a flat stomach below her perfectly sized breasts which heaved with each moan. Her prominent nipples hardened even further as her pleasure began to crest. Her breathing quickened and her eyes finally lost the ability to focus on his as he felt her muscles lock beneath him. He continued to lightly tease her clit as her orgasm ran its course, marveling at how her body responded to him.

At length her muscles relaxed, and she fell back against the towel breathing heavily. He climbed from the pool and settled between her thighs, his throbbing manhood at her entrance as he kissed her tenderly.

As their lips parted, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him adoringly before murmuring, "That was lovely, John. Thank you."

"Anytime, darling," he drawled.

She grinned at him and wiggled her hips before saying, "I guess that answers the question of if you're up for more."

"Always," he whispered. "But only if you..."

"Of course, I want to, John. I can think of little else I've ever wanted more."

"Ditto," he replied honestly before self-consciously glancing in Hazel's direction.

She was languidly teasing her clit with a smile on her face. She smiled and said, "I love you too, babe. I'm so happy right now."

"Ready?" he asked Elaine.

She nodded happily and wrapped her legs around his waist to encourage him forward. He sank into her slowly, cherishing each additional centimeter of her achingly tight passage. Her smile only grew wider when he was fully sheathed within her.

"It's even better than I dreamed it would be," she whispered. "You feel incredible. I've never felt so perfectly full."

"You are incredible," he replied softly as he began to thrust into her depths.

His pace built slowly, thanks in large part to how enraptured he was by the way her body moved beneath him. He slowed constantly to dip his head to taste her nipple, or to lick along her neck, or to nibble her earlobe. Through every moment, she gazed up at him lovingly. She seemed to be experiencing a moment of complete contentedness more than being consumed with lust. She followed his eyes as he watched how her body moved and her smile widened as she noticed his fascination with her breasts.

"I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you're a boob guy, considering your girlfriend."

"You're my girlfriend too, honey," he whispered firmly.

"Is that so?" she asked coquettishly, but he did not miss the happiness in her expression.

"Always," he replied confidently.

"Oh, John," she whispered as he felt her inner walls clench around his manhood.

He slowed his thrusts as he watched her orgasm play out across her body. Her rapid breathing caused her incredible breasts to heave in a way which nearly caused him to join her in release, and her legs gripped him tightly to pull him ever deeper into her core. Her hands grazed along his flanks as though scrambling for purchase above an abyss, leaving scratches he could not have been happier to endure.

Her eyes popped open as her pleasure began to recede and she smiled crookedly at him. She whispered, "You have a remarkable cock."

He bowed his head and said, "Thank you."

"No, thank you," she murmured. She glanced up at Hazel who appeared to also be burdened with an overabundance of post-orgasmic bliss and added, "Did you cum?" He shook his head and gave a small thrust of his hips. She smirked and said, "Good. Because the only thing that would make this night better is if I got to fuck you."

"Point of parliamentary procedure?" John asked mirthfully.

She grinned and said, "Just let me get on top and ride that magnificent cock of yours while you play with my tits. Ok?"

"Have it your way," he sighed with mock exhaustion.

He rose to his knees and helped her to her feet before laying down. She quickly climbed astride him and sank onto his throbbing hardness with a loud moan. He gripped her hips, but she frowned playfully and moved his hands to her breasts. She braced herself on his chest and quickly sped up the movement of her hips. A dim part of John's mind reported that Hazel was moaning loudly from her spot on the couch, but all he could focus on was the goddess riding his pulsing manhood.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered reverently.

"So are you," she replied with an adoring smile. "And you feel incredible."

"You have no idea how amazing you feel, honey."

He felt his pleasure begin to build along with her own. Her inner walls gripped him firmly, pleading for him to fill her depths, as her breathing quickened and her nipples hardened under his palms. His hips began to buck beneath her, and she moaned loudly as she met his thrusts with the energetic movement of her hips.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down for a crushing kiss. The moment their lips met; their combined release arrived like a thunderclap. Her body spasmed in pleasure as he began to fill her pleading womb with his essence. She yelped into their kiss as she felt him spill deep within her depths, but her exclamation quickly turned into a moan as his warmth filled her. With each eruption from his spurting manhood, their bodies spasmed again. Their lips parted for want of air, and she sank panting down against his neck.

With a final thrust of his hips, he was spent. He took a deep breath and hugged her tightly before whispering, "That was better than I could have ever dreamed, honey."

"Ditto," she sighed breathlessly. He felt the tension flow from her muscles as she settled against him.

He felt Hazel cuddle up against them and heard her whisper, "You two are so beautiful together. I'm so happy."

"Ditto," John and Elaine said in unison before the threesome chuckled together happily.

Twenty-Nine

"John Logan," he spoke into his desk phone without glancing at it first, silently offering thanks to the corporate overlords who had deigned to grace him with an admin, so he need not screen his own calls.

"Good afternoon, John Logan," Katherine replied in amusement.

"Hey," he said brightly as he leaned back in his chair. "Everything ok?"

"Yes," she answered sedately. "You should stop assuming that I only contact you about Lena, or if something is wrong. I thought we agreed to be friends."

"We did," he agreed. "But we don't talk much. Plus, I guess I'm a worrier by nature."

"I believe you used to say that, as an engineer, you were by benefit of training and experience a pessimist."

"Comes with the territory when you're paid not only to fix things, but to figure out in advance how they're most likely to break. So... how are things?"

"You never were very good at small talk," she replied with a chuckle. "I was hoping we could get together this afternoon and I decided that the friendly thing to do was to call you first rather than inserting myself into your calendar."

"How very plebian of you."

"Hey! I'm trying here."

He laughed and said, "I know. And I appreciate it. Where'd you have in mind?"

"The club."

"You sure you just want to get together? Or is this about..."

"Or wherever you want," she interjected. "Honestly, John. I just wanted to get together. This isn't about parading you in front of my friends."

"I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"No, I deserved it. You name the time and place."

He thought quickly before saying, "O'Shenanigan's. The one near the river."

"Fine," she replied after a perceptible pause.

"Five o'clock work for you?"

"I will see you then," she replied before hanging up.

John smiled at the phone before replacing it in the cradle and getting back to work.

***

"What are you doing here?" Elaine stammered after opening her door to find John standing outside extending flowers in her direction.

"I wanted to see you," he replied carefully.

"But... what about work?"

"I finished up early," he evaded, recognizing that now was not the time to tell her that he had worked through two meals to create this gap in his schedule. "Can I come in?"

She nodded solemnly and opened the door to admit him. He stepped into the small, but exceedingly clean and welcoming apartment. She closed the door behind him and proceeded down the hall. She came to a halt in her kitchen and crossed her arms as she regarded him worryingly.

He extended the flowers lamely and said, "Don't like roses?"

She smiled shyly before crossing the room to take them and inhaling deeply. "I love roses. Thank you."

He stood for several moments before saying, "What's wrong, honey?"

"Why would anything be wrong?"

"You haven't been to the house since the pool party last weekend, and you left there in a ride-share in the middle of the night rather than spending the night with us. Then you picked your car up using another ride-share rather than let us bring it to you. And you haven't replied to a single text with more than three words, to say nothing of the fact that you're not answering our calls. So, I repeat, what's wrong? I know all this is a lot to take in. It is for me as well. But wouldn't it be easier if we all tried to work through it together? Or did you decide it was all a mistake? I mean, I thought we made a real connection, but I guess I could have been mistaken and it was just..."

"John?" she interjected gently.

"Sorry," he replied lamely. "I had this whole speech worked up, but I kind of forgot everything when I was reminded of how beautiful you are. It's just that I... we... don't want to mess up what we think we could have together if we just..."

"Shut up," she interrupted again.

"Ok," he huffed.

"Will you sit?" she asked, gesturing toward the living room.

He nodded and followed her to the couch, where he sat a measured distance away from her. She glanced at the space between them and frowned but made no further movement.

"Do you remember what I told you about Nick?"

"You've told me a lot about him. I mean this as a compliment; but he's basically your favorite subject."

"Indeed. I meant specifically about how I lied to my husband in order to get my son."

"Let's say you allowed him to get the wrong impression."

"No," she replied firmly. "I lied to him. He asked me directly if I was still on birth control and I answered him falsely, intentionally. That information would certainly nullify our child-support arrangement."

"Your secret's safe with me."

She reached over to take his hand and said, "Of course I know that. I would trust you, and Hazel, with far more consequential things than my secrets."

"Ditto," he replied with a smile.

"My point is, I lied to him for my own ends."

"This is all long in the past, honey. If you're not worried that we'll spill the beans, why are you so twisted up about it now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked woefully.

"Perhaps to some," he allowed. "But I'm burdened with half the number of what is clearly the more reasonable of the chromosomes. Might you possibly take pity on me and give me a hint?"

"I'm not on the pill, John. Or anything else. I know I should have told you before we... made love. I was honestly just caught up in the moment. But in the cold light of day, I could not ignore my mistake. Or my deception." She held his gaze with her own before adding, "I care for you, both of you. And I'm so, so sorry that I wasn't honest with you. I just can't bear the thought that you'd think I was doing to you what I did to him."

"No," he replied lovingly. "Never. That was the furthest thing from my mind."

"I had my last period fifteen days ago."

"Ok?"

"That means I was at my maximum fertility on the night we made love. In addition to Nick, I was pregnant two other times before I met Thomas. I terminated both because I was still very young."

"As was your right," John interjected gently.

"My point is... I've known for a long time that I'm a very... fertile woman. It would not surprise me in the least if I'm carrying your child as we speak."

"Would that be so bad?"

Her breath caught and it took her several tries to say, "I won't impose this on you, John."

"Like I imposed the car on you."

"How dare you!" she shouted. "I would never..."

"Hey!" John exclaimed, raising his hand to ward off the blow she seemed poised to deliver. "I was kidding. You know, the things people in relationships do."

"But I lied..."

"No," he said firmly. "You did not."

"I didn't tell you I wasn't on..."

He brought her hand to his lips, effectively silencing her, before saying "And I didn't tell you that I got neutered right after Lena was born."

"What?" she asked hoarsely.

"I'm snipped. As you said, we just got caught up in the heat of the moment. But that's no excuse for not telling you earlier, and I'm devastated to discover that I'm the cause for your unhappiness."

"We really are two peas in a pod," she observed tearfully as she scooted over to nestle into him.

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "We really are. I'm so sorry, honey."

"Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Why not? You did."

"Fair point," she agreed. She waited a beat before saying, "Did you mean what you said before?"

"Almost certainly. But, in the interest of open and honest communication, I should verify the comment to which you're referring."

"When you asked if it would be a bad thing if I was pregnant with your child."

"Oh," he replied quickly before taking a deep breath and adding simply, "Yes."

"You'd want to have a baby? With me? Even though we've only known each other for, what, a month? And we've only been together the one time? And you're only now seeing where I live?"

"Yes," he repeated.

"That's crazy!"

He smiled and repeated, "Yes."

"What about Hazel?"

"Her too," he replied, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

"You honestly expect me to allow a complete raving lunatic to put a baby in me?"

"Yes," he replied with a barely contained laugh.

"I'll think about it," she answered with a jubilant smile. "But you're still insane."

His face grew solemn, and he said, "Just promise you'll stay with us, and always tell us if you're unhappy."

"I promise," she replied as she lowered her lips to his.

***

John departed Elaine's apartment reluctantly to meet Katherine. He wished he had had time for their moment on the couch to build to something more intimate, but the clock stopped for no man. He had thus had to make do with her promise that she and Nick would come over for dinner, and perhaps the evening.

As he entered the dimly lit restaurant, which was in truth little more than a bar, a sly smile crept across his features. He knew Katherine would positively hate this place, with the lingering smell of smoke and the general lack of fastidiousness demonstrated by both the staff and the clientele. He had not, however, chosen the establishment to punish her. At least that was not his primary motivation. It had, in his mind, been a simple test. If she truly wanted to meet with him, with no secondary motivations, the location would not matter. She entered just after he took a seat in a booth along the wall. He smiled at her grimace and half wondered if she would refuse to join him.

She sat without hesitation, however, and said, "This place is lovely. I can see why you love it. I especially like the man sleeping on the bar."

He snickered and said, "Next time, I promise you can pick the rendezvous point."

"I assume this was all a test to ensure I'm not trying to use you again. Can I assume I passed?"

He nodded and said, "How are your folks?"

"Fine. I don't suppose you'll make it to their house for the fourth?"

"Perhaps. But that would depend in large part on what they've been told about our... situation."

"The truth," she replied purposefully. "At least as far as it applies to our relationship."

"Did things not go swimmingly when they met Thomas?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What a disaster," she huffed. "He and Daddy were like fire and dynamite. Thomas is so convinced that he's God's gift to everyone that it never occurred to him that Daddy was patronizing him until dinner was nearly over. Once he wised up, he went on the offensive."

"I take it you guys were forced to skip dessert?"

"What makes you think I stuck up for him?" she retorted glibly. "I told him to leave."

"I'm sure that went over like a lead balloon."

"He refused, not surprisingly. But he changed his tune when Enrique and Julio showed up," she said, referring to her parents' gardener and primary driver, respectively. "He tossed out plenty of threats, none of which meant anything. I mean, honestly, I think it didn't occur to him until right at the end that he was anything other than my Daddy's equal."

"The nerve," he teased.

"I'm serious, John. I don't mean this how it will likely sound, but Thomas barely has more money than you do. And it was all the result of a single lucky guess. Yet he behaves like he's a Rockefeller. Not only is it vain, but it's also foolish. Unless he's involved in something which he failed to mention, unlikely considering how frequently he brags about himself, he's likely to run out of money in, at most, a few years."

"Future's getting brighter every day," John said as he raised his beer in salute. "Can I assume, then, that you've given him his walking papers?"

"Nothing so formal, but we are no longer seeing each other."

"So, what's next?"

"Oh, I've formed several close friendships since I changed my perspective. I think especially highly of two well-to-do gentleman who also have a condo in my building in Midtown. They are in a relationship but made it quite clear that they have been looking for the right woman with whom to expand their horizons."

"So, how's that work out?" John asked in fascination.

"Are you genuinely asking about the mechanics because your heteronormative brain can't possibly imagine how two men and a woman could pleasure each other interchangeably? Or is this more about the fact that you're in a relationship with two people of the same gender who are not bisexual?"

"What'd you do, hire a PI?"

"No," she replied quickly. "But I'm also not a fool. They are both very beautiful. And, from what Lena tells me, very kind and loving."

"And now the spy is outed."

"Come off it, John. I'm not pumping her for information. She's just a six-year-old who answers honestly when I ask her how things have been going. She loves Hazel to pieces. And she's nearly as taken with Elaine. But those two pale in comparison to Nick, with whom she's positively enthralled. Does he really play that beautifully?"

"He really does," John agreed with a smile. "Don't tell anyone, but I think he's getting into a very prestigious private music school in Boston. Take any truly gifted musician you've heard on the radio, and there's a fair chance they went there."

"Forgive me for asking, but how can Elaine afford that?"

"By believing he got a scholarship. Which I guess he will, after a fashion."

She smiled enthusiastically and said, "I'm very happy for you. All of you."

"Same here. I really hope things work out with your two fellas. What do your sisters think about everything?"

She shrugged and said, "They still think I'm with Thomas. Alexandra thinks the thing with Daddy was all a stunt, while Olivia is convinced that I'm going to marry him in the hopes of producing the world's most beautiful baby."

"So, why'd you want me to come to your folks for the fourth?"

"Because I'd enjoy having you there, as would Lena. You could even bring Hazel, Elaine and Nick if you like. It might be a little awkward at first, but I have no intention of allowing any of them to make you feel less welcome. I leave it up to you, however."

"I'll think about it," he allowed sincerely.

"There is one other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"That sounds serious."

"I suppose it is, although likely not the way you think. It's just that I realized recently that you're right. I like how things are between us now, and part of that is recognizing that things will never go back to how they were. We'll always be friends, but you've fallen in love with someone else, likely multiple someone's." John only shrugged in reply, so she continued, "And I've finally admitted to myself that I want more than you could give me. It isn't a judgement on you, just the reality."

"What are you getting at?" he asked finally.

"We should speak to a lawyer. It makes no sense for us to wait on this. It isn't fair to you, or your girlfriends."

"So, how do you want to do this?"

"Split custody. Right down the middle. We'll be forced to pick who has final say on a variety of things, because the courts refuse to believe that adults who were formerly in a relationship can be trusted to cooperate. But the reality is that we'll share everything. The house is yours, obviously. As is everything in it. I'd offer more, but I know you won't take it. For myself, I suspect I'll purchase a house in the vicinity, both because I like the area and to make things easy for Lena."

"You could just buy Thomas's house when he finally goes belly up."

She laughed openly and said, "I might just do that."

Thirty

"Holy sh... oot..." Nick exclaimed with a cringed expression as he glanced around the room.

Elaine glared at him and said, "Really?"

"Sorry, Mom. It's just... have you seen this place?"

"Not yet. Why don't you guys go grab a load from the van so I can take a look around?"

"Sure," he agreed before collecting his friend Brian with his eyes and heading down the winding staircase.

They passed John on the way down as he lugged a loaded cooler toward the kitchen before setting it on the counter with a groan.

"We've got two strapping young lads to carry that stuff," Elaine chided. "It'd be a shame if you threw your back out."

He leaned against the fridge wearily and said, "You've convinced me. Where's the beer?"

"Right here," Hazel declared as she crested the stairs holding several grocery sacks.

"Honey," he complained as he hurried in her direction.

"Shut it," she snapped. "I'm quite capable of carrying a dozen kilograms of groceries up a flight of stairs, thank you very much. Now sit. You're going to need your energy later tonight."

John glanced around anxiously to confirm none of the children were about before saying, "Is that a threat, or a promise?"

"No reason it can't be both," Elaine teased before groping his ass on her way past.

Lena arrived at the bottom of the unique stairwell with a crash thanks to skipping the last three steps with a leap. She hopped up and said, "There is a room... on the roof! Can I have it?"

"Maybe for one night," John hedged. "But not tonight. Did you see the floating bed?"

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. "There's no such thing as floating beds!"

"Ok... if you don't want to see it then I won't force you."

Lena stared at him, the conflict she was experiencing evident on her face, until she finally exclaimed, "Where is it?"

"Follow me," he said before leading her out onto the porch.

Moments later, she was gleefully leaping onto a queen-sized bed which cleared the ground by a dozen centimeters thanks to being suspended from the porch's ceiling by four sturdy chains.

"I'm sleeping right here!" she shrieked.

"What about the bugs?"

"Here!" she repeated.

"Fine," he replied with a smile before heading back inside to leave Lena to roll around the bed triumphantly.

"This house really is incredible, John," Elaine said reaching the bottom of the wide, winding staircase that had been designed in lighthouse fashion.

"Wait until you see the beach," he replied with a smile.

***

Later that evening, after they had returned from a quaint local eatery which had signage insisting a lack of footwear was not only allowed, but encouraged, Hazel and Elaine found John seated on the porch tapping away at his laptop. They did not disturb him beyond setting a cocktail at his elbow before sitting in a pair of rocking chairs a few meters away. They sat silently for a few moments as he glared at the screen.

Hazel finally broke the silence, saying, "On top of everything else, it's terrible for your vision to sit in the darkness staring at your screen."

He glanced over at them sheepishly and said, "I know. Just trying to finish a few things up."

"I swear I'm not being a nag," Elaine said gently. "But don't they allow you to take time off?"

"Sure, they do. It's just that a production bug was found earlier today, and I've got to make sure everything's fixed before I sign off."

"So... how's it going?"

"I'm not sure. I'm having trouble getting any of the people testing the fix to respond."

"Who's supposed to be doing this?"

"One of my directors."

"And where is he?"

He smiled and said, "She is who I'm talking to."

"Is she doing anything wrong?"

"No. She's great."

"Then let her handle it," Hazel said gently. "All you're doing by looking over her shoulder is telling her that you don't trust her."

He glanced between Hazel and his screen several times before dropping his head and saying, "You're right."

"So, tell her you trust her and get over here."

He typed for a few more moments before closing his laptop with a flourish and standing quickly. He stretched briefly before dragging a chair over to face the women. He took a healthy sip of his drink as he felt the tension slip from his body. They stayed silent, watching him with small smiles on their faces as he savored his drink.

"Thanks," he gasped as he drained the last of the mojito.

"You're welcome," they said in unison, causing a brief moment of snickering.

"Thank you for this," Elaine said solemnly.

"I'm so glad it came together."

Hazel said, "You never mentioned why you wanted to get out of town."

"I need an excuse to take my favorite people on holiday?"

"Of course not. But the fact that you had mentioned nothing about this as recently as four days ago makes me a tad bit suspicious."

He smiled brilliantly and said, "Fine. Perhaps it is a bit of a celebration."

"How so?"

"I met with Katherine earlier this week. The same day I stopped by your apartment," he finished with his eyes on Elaine.

"And what did Lady Katherine have to say?" the brunette inquired.

He dropped his head wearily and said, "I regret to inform you that she has decided to divorce me."

Hazel and Elaine looked at each other for a long moment before looking back to John in time to spot a hint of a smile on his face.

"Bastard," Hazel snapped, throwing her napkin at him playfully. "You really had me worried for a minute."

"What changed her mind?" Elaine asked.

"She just said she agreed that things would never return to the way they were, and that it made no sense for us to keep pretending otherwise."

"What about Lena?"

"Fifty-fifty split. Which makes total sense. She even suggested a desire to move to the same school district to minimize any disruption for Lena."

"That's wonderful," Hazel enthused.

"Indeed. I'm very fortunate she's been so understanding."

"I'm certainly glad she had a change of heart but forgive me if I'm feeling less than magnanimous toward her and her boy toy."

"Oh, I guess I was so keen on keeping this a surprise that I forgot to tell you the other part. He showed his ass in front of her family, and she kicked him to the curb."

"Awesome," Hazel exclaimed with a fist pump. "I bet that really pissed him off."

"No doubt, although I suspect his play to get Katherine into a threesome also didn't help. Especially considering her idea of a threesome featured a notably different configuration, as evidenced by her current distractions."

"I admit I don't know her very well," Elaine spoke up. "But I'm having trouble imagining Katherine being spit roasted."

"Same here," John agreed. "Especially considering her frequently stated objection to non-vaginal sex."

Hazel shook her head and said, "That still amazes me. Why she'd be fine taking a load on her face but object to other things is completely baffling."

Elaine quirked an eyebrow and said, "Are you suggesting one is more inherently demeaning?"

"Not at all. I guess I just figured she would feel that way considering her conservative nature. Why? Do you prefer one over the other?"

"I'm not sure I've ever done either when it was my idea," Elaine elaborated. She then noticed John's darkening expression and added, "Not that I was strenuously objecting, I just wasn't consulted."

He glanced between them and said, "Everything is always your call. Both of you."

"No," Hazel declared resolutely.

Elaine nodded and said, "I agree. I trust you with my body. Completely. Please don't water down our lovemaking by asking us if everything is ok."

"You can't put this all on me, honey. I'd be gutted if I ever did anything to make you uncomfortable. Either of you."

"Won't happen," Hazel interjected. "You know us too well. We're too well attuned for you to ever hurt us. And this is hardly one-sided. I assume you place the same trust in us."

"Obviously."

She chuckled and said, "Really? Even though I once suggested we try a bit of pegging."

"Yes," he replied with a smile. "But only because I know that your repeated mentioning of that particular activity is only done to keep me on my toes."

"Just remember. I'm always game if you change your mind."

"Forgive my ignorance," Elaine cut in. "I'm a middle-aged single mom and the closest I get to pornography is a really steamy romance novel. What, exactly, is pegging."

"You know what a strap on is?" Hazel inquired sweetly. Elaine shook her head, so Hazel continued, "A dildo, then?"

"Sure. I'm not that repressed."

"A strap-on is just a dildo attached to a harness. Kind of like a rappelling harness, but for fucking."

"And the intent is for the woman to fuck the man?"

"Why not? I mean... the original intent was so lesbians could fuck each other but why let them have all the fun."

"To reiterate," John interrupted. "Not happening. I mean if you two want to have some fun with one, have at it."

"You'd enjoy that," Elaine asked playfully. "Wouldn't you?"

He sighed and said, "We have to separate the typical Cro-Magnon male viewpoint of 'whoa... two chicks doin' it... check it out' from the fact that I greatly care about, and am profoundly attracted to, both of you. I'd get turned on watching either of you do anything erotic. If I walked in on both of you lying in our bed, furiously masturbating; I wouldn't think of it as a lesbian thing. I'd just think how lucky I am to have two supernaturally beautiful lovers who were so comfortable with their bodies."

"What would you imagine we were jilling off to if not each other? You?"

"Doesn't matter," he replied honestly. "All that truly matters is whether you'd tell me to get the fuck out and knock next time or beg me to join you."

"It would be the latter," Elaine predicted confidently.

"Always," Hazel added. "If we're to make this relationship work, we must be completely open about our sexuality. I won't stand for either Elaine or I growing jealous of the other and resorting to score keeping. Or, nearly as bad, John quietly keeping score and ensuring he never pleasures one of us without also pleasuring the other immediately after."

"I don't know," Elaine ventured. "That doesn't sound all bad."

"What if he politely refuses you because I'm away on business and he doesn't want me to get jealous?"

"Point taken."

"I love you both," Hazel said seriously. "And I truly believe the only thing which can fuck up what we have here is resentment: either us resenting each other out of misplaced jealousy or John resenting us because he feels like we expect him to make all the money or do all the work. But none of that can exist, or at least it cannot become malignant, if we never stop talking. I hope we all come together to make love later tonight, and every night thereafter. But I truly feel like this will always be the best part of my day. The three of us just being together and sharing our lives. It doesn't matter what we're doing, just that we're doing it together."

Elaine wiped away a tear before whispering, "That's all I ever wanted."

"I know, honey," Hazel replied reassuringly. "You've been alone for so long, but that's all over now."

"Thank you," the brunette whimpered softly. "Both of you. This is like a dream come true."

Thirty-One

Following their emotional moment, Elaine asked to be excused and headed inside to use the restroom. John and Hazel sat together on the porch, enjoying the quiet of the sleepy island town only punctuated by the occasional passing boat or ship on the Savannah River to their north.

Hazel eventually broke the silence. "Do you think she's ok?"

"Hmm?"

"Elaine. I can see how this could be pretty overwhelming for her."

"Same. It's pretty overwhelming for me, and I haven't been raising a child on my own for the better part of two decades. Plus, I'm attracted to you both. Whereas she..."

"I know. Part of me wishes I'd never told her I'm bisexual. I worry she's really hung up on thinking this can't work if she doesn't force herself to be with me. But being bisexual doesn't mean I have to have sex with everyone."

"True. But that's not really the issue, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

John thought for a moment before replying. "You see a guy, or girl, on the street. Maybe you have a reaction to them, maybe you don't. In that context, you're only different from Elaine or myself in that you can look at all people equally when we filter out half the population automatically. At least where attraction is concerned.

"But we're not talking about strangers. This isn't an abstract concept; it's reality. She's your sister in all but DNA, and she's quite aware that you are attracted to her. This is more analogous to a scenario where two people are friends, but don't share an attraction."

"But she's not friend-zoning me, because we both have you. Were it not for her, I would have been content... no, check that... thrilled. Thrilled to have only been intimate with you for the rest of my life. I'm not losing out by adding her to our relationship simply because she and I won't have sex, I'm winning because in her I get so much more than a sister. I just wish I knew how to tell her that in a way that she'd believe me."

"I'll try to talk to her as well."

Hazel reached out to take his hand and said, "I already know the answer to this. I'm asking mostly to see if you know yet. Do you love her?" John opened his mouth to reply, but she silenced him with a gentle touch on his arm. "Because she loves you, and you're the only man she's ever truly loved. I just want you to be prepared if the question comes up."

John smirked and said, "It's a funny thing. When I was courting Katherine, it was months before I said those words to her. And, once we were married, it quickly fell out of our lexicon despite our generally good relationship. Then I hook up with you two saucy minxes and I can't fall in love quick enough." He stared at her in mock outrage and added, "Did you drug me? Put something in the water?"

She chuckled and said, "If I had those powers, we would have done this trip two years ago."

"Then it must be your inherent goodness that made me fall for you. Both of you."

"Then tell her."

John glanced inside and said, "You don't think it's too early?"

Hazel smiled warmly and said, "It's never too early for someone to speak the words you've waited your whole life to hear." She followed his gaze and said, "Perhaps you should go see what's keeping her. Maybe you guys could have a quick chat."

John stood and said, "Wish me luck."

Elaine reached the stairwell's landing just as John entered the house, having changed from the flowing maxiskirt and blouse she had worn to the restaurant into sleeping shorts and a t-shirt. Between the short inseam of her bottoms and the thin material of her shirt exposing her lack of a bra, she was a ravishing sight even though the outfit's sole focus was comfort.

"Hey," he said quietly in deference to the late hour. "Everything ok?"

"Of course. I just wanted to get changed and wash off my makeup."

"Ok," he replied lamely, suddenly feeling exposed. "Can I get you anything?"

"No. I was just going to make another drink before I joined you."

"Oh. I could do it. What would you like?"

She smiled and said, "I can get it, John. In fact, I can get something for all of us. Why don't you go sit down? You've had a hard day."

"It's fine," he deflected. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you about..."

"Mom?" Nick asked boisterously as he thundered down the stairs.

"Shhh!" Elaine and John admonished in unison.

Nick skidded to a stop as he came to the landing and whispered, "Sorry! Forgot people were sleeping."

"What's wrong?" Elaine asked urgently.

Nick glanced at John before saying, "Oh... nothing."

John glanced between the two briefly before saying, "I'm going to head upstairs and change myself. Good night, Nick."

"Good night, Mr. Logan."

John skidded to a stop and said, "What did I say about that?"

Nick grinned sheepishly and said, "Good night, John."

"Better," John replied with a smile before heading up to the master bedroom. After quickly finishing changing, he proceeded back toward the porch. He was brought up short, however, by the sound of voices travelling with near perfect clarity up the stairs.

"I mean it, Mom," Nick said insistently. "They're great."

"It's not that simple, honey," Elaine argued weakly. "I hate that I've never been able to give you the home life you deserve, and..."

"Mom?" Nick interjected gently. The only reply John could hear was a soft sigh. Nick continued, "You're a superhero. You're the best mom a guy could ever ask for. And I never once wondered what things would have been like if my father had been more involved. That's not because he's a dick..."

"Nick," Elaine chided gently.

"We both know it's true, Mom. And he's way worse to you than he is to me. He's worthless. But I never wondered 'what if?' because you busted your... behind..."

"Better."

"... to make sure I was always taken care of. You say whatever this thing is with John and Hazel is complicated, and you're right. I can't think of a single kid in my school who has more than two parents. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that, for the first time I can remember, you're smiling about something other than me."

"Oh, honey."

"Don't get all mushy, Mom," came Nick's muffled voice, no doubt the result of having been pulled into a hug. "You deserve to be happy. More than anyone on Earth. And John and Hazel are both great."

"I agree," she replied softly.

"Anyway..." he drawled. "I just didn't want you doing anything silly, like telling them you had to focus your attention on me. Or, even worse, refusing them because you thought I wouldn't approve. More than anything, I want you to be happy."

"More than you want to get into the music school in Athens?"

He chuckled and said, "More than I want to get into the one in Boston."

"Wait. What's in Boston?"

"Oops," Nick muttered. "John said it was supposed to be a secret. Forget I said anything."

"Nick," she scolded.

"Good night, Mom!" he enthused before storming up the stairs. He favored John with an embarrassed smile as he passed but said nothing.

As John reached the bottom of the stairs, Elaine glowered at him and said, "Boston?"

John glanced up the stairs sheepishly and said, "I must admit, it's possible I overheard a bit of the conversation your incredible son just had with you. It would seem that the acoustics in this place are great."

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide to have sex with you again. A question that is very much up for debate unless you can convince me I shouldn't take extreme measures to punish you for once again going behind my back."

"It's one of the best music performance schools in the country. I sent them his demo and they agreed to let him audition."

"I'm sure they're also free?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

"John!" she huffed as she stomped her foot loudly, the resulting movement of her body doing a great deal of harm to his ability to think clearly. "You can't keep doing this!"

"Why not? What's the point of working so hard to be successful if I can't do things for the people I love?"

"Oh, no you don't! You won't get out of this by distracting me."

"I'm not trying to distract you, honey," he replied quietly. "I'm just trying to make you happy. You and Nick."

"But why?"

"I already told you."

"You can't love me yet!" she objected. "We've only known each other for... what... a few months? Hell, we just had sex for the first time a week ago."

"I told Hazel I loved her about the same amount of time after we first made love. Are you suggesting I'm impulsive? Or perhaps deluded?"

"No," she retorted forcefully. "Obviously I know you love her. But the situations are nothing alike. You'd known each other for years before that, and she'd loved you for nearly as long."

"But love isn't about check lists or pre-qualifications, honey. It's about happiness. I want to make you happy. All of you. I used to read or think about work late at night when I was waiting for sleep, now I think about ways I can make the people I love happy."

"But there's more to love than paying for stuff."

He frowned at her and said, "I know that. But until you start to trust me and let me love you, I'm not sure what else I can do."

It was her turn to sigh morosely. "Of course I trust you. With my life. But I don't know how to do this."

"Do what?"

"Be in love with someone. Loving Nick was the most natural thing in the world. Before I even saw his face, I was prepared to do anything for him. Loving Hazel was almost as easy. She's the best friend I could ever imagine. But that isn't romantic love either."

"Just be patient, honey. Either it will come along one day, and you won't be able to imagine things ever having been any other way; or it won't. Either way, I'll do whatever it takes to ensure your happiness."

She crossed the few steps to stand before him and spent several moments regarding him intently. As he stared into her eyes, he once again saw her soul-deep beauty. It was so profound, it nearly caused his knees to buckle. Just as he opened his mouth to try to reassure her further, she cradled his face in her palms and gently pulled him down to meet her lips. Their kiss lingered, neither lewd nor anxious. Instead, it was a perfect conduit into her soul.

As their lips parted, she spoke the words he had heard with perfect clarity through their unspoken bond. "I love you, John Logan."

He smiled at her goofily and said, "I love you too, honey." They kissed again briefly before he added, "But what about what you said before?"

She sighed and said, "I meant every word. The fact that I'm madly, desperately, irreconcilably in love with you doesn't mean I have the slightest notion of how to be in love with someone."

"Nobody does, beautiful," John whispered gently. "That's the fun part. Spending every day teaching each other how to be in love. I spent nearly a decade thinking love and effort were two sides of the same coin, but Hazel helped me figure out that I had it all wrong."

Elaine's face fell and she said, "Hazel's a whole other issue. She wants something I'm not sure I can give her."

"No, she doesn't. If she did, then she wouldn't love you. I swear to you, she wants your love, and your friendship, far more than she wants your body."

"But how can you be sure? I trust her, but so many people could be hurt if..."

"Because I love her, and I trust her. But the real question is do you trust her?"

"I'd do anything for her. I wasn't kidding about making love with her. I'd honestly do it if it would make her happy. It would just crush me to ruin what we have when she finds out that I don't reciprocate her attraction."

"She'll be happy as long as you reciprocate her love. And so will I. I have no idea why, but I truly feel like we can make this work, Elaine. After all, we love each other. And isn't that the hard part?"

Thirty-Two

"I can't believe this is finally happening," Hazel whispered excitedly as she came in from the porch following John's beckoning head nod.

"I know," Elaine replied eagerly. "Part of me feels like we've been together forever."

Hazel looked at her solemnly and said, "Everything will be wonderful. I promise. Don't worry about..."

Elaine shushed her with a soul-melding embrace and said, "I know. And I should have trusted you from the start."

"Are you sure? You haven't even seen us together yet."

"Yes," the brunette replied serenely. "Because instead of that thought filling me with unease, I feel nothing but anticipation."

"Then what are we waiting for?" John asked before kissing them each quickly, but thoroughly.

"I'll meet you there in a moment," Elaine replied. "I just need to grab some clothes from my room."

Hazel frowned at her and said, "I'm not sure what you thought we were going to be doing, but..."

"It's for the morning," Elaine huffed with a playful grin. "Last time I looked, we had three children in the house. It's bad enough we're not trying to hide the fact that we're all sleeping together..."

John glanced between them and said, "Sharing my bed with two sexy as fuck ladies? I'm not sure I agree with your assertion that this is in any way a bad thing."

"You know what I mean. We're from the Bible Belt. Most of our neighbors still think pre-marital sex is a stoning-worthy offense. Do you honestly think they won't throw up a fuss about you building a harem?"

"I don't like that term," he replied soberly. "It suggests you're not entirely willing."

"Oh, but we are," Hazel murmured sultrily. "We are willing and eager to satisfy your every sexual desire. The sun will never set without one or both of us worshiping your magnificent cock. Or, if you prefer, you can take us whenever it strikes your fancy: kick open the shower door and order us to go down on you; or just flip our skirt up while we're making dinner and go to town. All part of the service from Lucky Logan's Lusty Libidinous Ladies."

John glanced over at Elaine, who nodded eagerly, before saying, "You're both out of your goddamned minds. I don't want sex slaves; I just want to love you and make you and the kids happy."

Elaine nodded happily and said, "We know. That's why we willingly give our bodies to you without reservation." Her eyes flicked to the stairs, and she added, "Shall we demonstrate?"

"That's not necessary," he began, but they each grabbed one of his hands and led him toward the master bedroom.

Upon arrival, Elaine gently closed the door behind them as Hazel sank to her knees. She extracted his throbbing manhood so quickly that he was groaning in response to the heat of her mouth before Elaine could rejoin them. His brunette lover claimed his lips and her fingertips playfully traced along the buttons of his shirt while the head of his cock slipped into the throat of her companion. He split the attention of his hands, one reaching down to caress Hazel's cheek while the other teased Elaine's nipple through her nearly transparent t-shirt.

She broke their kiss breathlessly and glanced down before saying, "Do you want to see them?"

"Always."

She removed the shirt quickly and struck a pose worthy of a Broadway curtain call. "Be careful what you wish for, or I might start doing housework topless when the kids are away."

"Fine by me," he murmured as he dipped his head to pull her nipple into his mouth.

It hardened quickly under his attention and her moans soon filled the room. Hazel pulled back and took a deep breath, heedless of the shimmering bridge of saliva connecting his cock and her lips. Elaine noticed the interruption and bent at the waist to take him between her lips. Her ministrations were no less eager than her companion's, but the tiny differences between their techniques only served to reinforce in John's mind the reality of the situation. As Hazel finished undressing and presented her titanic tits for his inspection, he felt the rapid onset of release.

He pulled his hips back regretfully and muttered, "This evening's going to be over before it starts if we don't slow down."

"That's ok," Elaine pouted. "As long as you fill one of our throats with your seed."

He smirked and said, "Pretty sure the whole point of getting snipped is to make it so there is no seed."

"Your salty, hot, sticky, creamy massive load of cum, then. Better?"

"What would be better is if you two sinfully stacked succubus's get on the bed so I can sample this establishment's bill of fare."

"There's nothing sinful about having larger than average breasts," Elaine offered as she removed her shorts. "Or, in Hazel's case, fucking huge tits." She reached over and hefted one of her companion's F-cups, adding in a reasonable approximation of a Scottish accent, "I mean, would you look at them? They're virtual planetoids. They've got their own weather system."

"They're gorgeous," he said with a chuckle. "As are yours."

"Then you should wrap them around your delightful dick. I'll bet we could lay on the bed in such a way you could do both sets at once."

"All kidding aside, are you sure you're not trying to kill me? I'm trying to think back to remember if either of you got any new abilities after each time we were together."

Hazel leaned into him and kissed him briefly before saying, "Only life-altering happiness thanks to being crazy in love with you."

Elaine leaned in as well, wrapping them both in her arms and saying, "Ditto." She then smiled impishly and began to drop to her knees, lapping at the precum welling up from the head of his cock.

"Oh, no you don't," John chided, before adopting his own (much worse) Scottish accent. "Bed! Now!"

"Have it your way," she murmured coyly before taking her companion's hand.

Words like strut, or saunter, fell far short of the magical way his lovers crossed the room. Their delightful derrieres moved in a mesmerizing figure of eight and it was impossible to miss the jiggle of their breasts, even from the rear. They stopped at the edge of the bed and turned to face him.

As they did, Hazel said, "Wait," before swiping her finger across Elaine's chin and bringing it to her own lips. She lewdly sucked her finger between her lips, sliding it repeatedly into her mouth before ultimately extracting it and murmuring, "Yummy."

Elaine smiled and said, "How is it that our man's cum is so delicious when the admittedly small selection of other men I've tasted remind me more of a week-old margarita?"

"Because he's the one. Trust me, I've been with way more men than you have, and they all made blowjobs such a chore. Why do you think I learned to deep throat? But with John, it's so much better. Just that tiny taste has me so wet." She reached down to the apex of her thighs and teased her clit as her eye's returned to John who was staring at them awestruck. She grinned and lay down on the bed, spreading her thighs libidinously to put her glistening pussy on display. She caused several fingers to disappear into her core and moaned in pleasure.

"You're so beautiful," Elaine whispered. "And so... free."

"You know we love you, honey," Hazel responded reassuringly. "And you know our man loves your body without reservation. Lay with me and let him look at you. You know in your heart he'll treat you right."

Elaine nodded and took her place at Hazel's side. They shifted around for a moment, swapping the position of their adjacent legs a couple times before they found a comfortable position. It was their giggling that finally broke John free of his stupor. That and the sight of Elaine's glistening folds as she spread her legs for him.

He approached the bed and knelt before them before murmuring, "You shaved."

"Only partially," she replied defensively. "I left the top part long, just cleaning up around the edges. I only shaved my actual pussy because it feels more intense this way. Both when you're having sex with me and when you're..."

The rest of her words were lost in a moan as John sank his tongue into her depths. He blindly reached out to his blonde lover, pleasuring her clit with his thumb while her pussy welcomed his fingers. As his tongue languidly lapped along her labia, he was forced to agree with her choices. As knee-buckling alluring as the sight of a bushy thatch of pubic hair on his eager MILF was, he could not deny the perfection that was the feeling of her smooth lips against his tongue. And, as she had said, he could still enjoy the proof of her mature status every time his eyes were favored with the vision that was her nude body. Even now, as he teased her pleasure bud with his tongue, he could savor the sensation of his face buried in her thick curls.

He quickly swapped to Hazel just as he sensed Elaine's pleasure beginning to crest, lapping from her anus to her clit as his fingers kept his brunette beauty on the precipice. He continued to alternate, keeping both his lovers in the throes of pre-orgasmic ecstasy for uncounted minutes. While she had never said conclusively either way, Elaine's urgent yelp followed by chattering sigh when he sank his tongue into her prettily puckered asshole told him conclusively that he was the first to taste her forbidden fruit.

"Is this ok?" he whispered, tantalizingly teasing between her cheeks with the tip of his tongue.

"Yes," she moaned.

Hazel lifted up on one elbow to spot what her lover was doing before leaning over to Elaine and whispering, "Oh, please tell me our man gets to take your virginity."

"But," Elaine objected in lust-addled confusion before realization dawned and she said, "Oh." She gazed down her body at John who was licking slowly along her labia toward her clit so he could look into her eyes. She smiled and said, "I suppose that he does, at that. Does that excite you, my love?"

John's hips bucked at the thought, and he said, "How is it you two have me on the edge of cumming when you're not even touching me?"

"Because you love us," Hazel replied warmly.

He stood and gazed down at them, his cock jerking as they writhed beneath him toying with their clits. He climbed onto the bed and situated himself between Hazel's thighs, sinking easily into her depths as she moaned in pleasure. Her supple body rippled salaciously each time their centers met, but his eyes were glued to her gently jiggling tits. He reached down to pleasure Elaine, his fingers joining her own to keep her on the knife's edge of release.

Their combined moans filled the room, but it was the sight of their tightly clasped hands, and the soul-deep contentment written on their faces which nearly caused him to lose control. Within moments, Hazel's inner walls clamped down on his thrusting member and her muscles locked as her pleasure finally crested and her orgasm exploded with her. He at once both slowed and lengthened his thrusts, moving with a measured pace to both prolong her pleasure and hold off his own.

As soon as he felt her muscles relax, he shifted quickly to Elaine.

"Oh, God," she panted as he slammed into her, causing her breasts to surge lewdly.

He nearly lost himself in the feeling of her tight heat and the sight of rapturous bliss on her face. Within seconds, he felt the telltale signs of her orgasm. He fucked her with abandon, the bed slamming against the wall in time with the loud slapping of their skin.

"John?" she whispered urgently as he felt her constrict around his length like a vise and her body spasmed beneath him in ecstasy. He watched the pleasure play out in her expressions and felt his love for her surge.

At length, she smiled up at him and whispered, "Thank you."

He smirked and said, "All part of the service."

"Speaking of service," Hazel interjected as she got to her knees. "Unless I miss my guess, your pretty pussy is not currently overflowing with our lover's deliciousness. Meaning we, his faithful harem, have failed in our primary duty."

"We can't have that," Elaine replied coquettishly. She looked up to John and said, "Lay down and we'll take care of you."

"I'll lay down... on one condition."

"Anything," they replied in unison.

"If you two start going down on me, I'll go off like a Roman candle..."

"That's the idea," Hazel interrupted.

"I aim to tease several more orgasms from you lunatics before the night is through. So, I'll only lay down if I can continue to taste you."

They looked at each other happily before saying, "We accept," and scrambling to their knees before gesturing to the bed.

He took his place dutifully and they began teasingly caressing his body, moving ever closer to his throbbing manhood.

"I've never sat on anyone's face," Elaine said with a grin.

Hazel smiled brilliantly and said, "Then you get to go first," before swinging her leg over him and sinking onto his jutting hardness.

Elaine looked lovingly down at John and said, "Which way am I supposed to face?"

"It's up to you," John replied with a sigh as Hazel sped up her hips.

Elaine nodded and scooted around to straddle him so she was facing Hazel. He flicked her clit as his hands wrapped around her thighs to grope her ass. Soon, the room was filled with a combination of their moans and the gentle squeaking of the bed. John focused on pleasuring Elaine, no small feat with Hazel eagerly bouncing on his cock. He moved his hands up his brunette lover's body to her breasts. This caused her to sink further onto him, nearly smothering him in the best way possible. He lathed her pussy with his tongue and drank deep of her flowing essence.

Hazel plucked one of his hands from Elaine's breasts to place it on her own. He would argue until he was no longer capable of drawing breath that both his lovers had incomparable breasts, each a study in perfection. The fact that Hazel's pillowy soft F-cups were radically, and wonderfully, different from Elaine's firm, yet supple, D-cups did nothing in his mind to detract from this argument. He groped them each boldly, knowing that they loved his attention to, and fascination with, their boobs.

Elaine rotated her hips above him, grinding her clit against his lips. The knowledge that she was about to cum on his tongue filled him with excitement. Hazel then brought his attention firmly in her direction as she reached behind her luscious ass to slide her hand up his thigh and caress his balls, never slowing her pace as she rode his cock. He felt her inner walls constricting around his manhood and knew her release would coincide with Elaine's. Their combined efforts, and their rising pleasure, served to demolish the last of his restraint. His balls boiled and his muscles locked as the orgasm which had been just beneath the surface since his lovers had first freed his cock was finally unleashed.

He tried to shout a warning, but his beautiful brunette lover found her own release in that moment and was grinding her beautifully bare pussy against his lips. His hips jerked and he erupted deep within Hazel's core, filling her womb. He felt her join him in bliss, her own essence coating his groin as his cock continued geysering deep within her silken embrace.

At length, Hazel sank onto the bed panting leaving Elaine to bend over to take his still throbbing member into her mouth. She sucked eagerly, slurping up his creamy essence, before releasing his manhood and lathing her tongue through his saturated pubic hair.

He took a break from teasing her clit to whisper, "Are you certain you're not trying to kill me?"

"Of course not. Then I'd be deprived of the world's most perfect penis," she murmured before taking his cock back into the heated confines of her mouth.

She sucked him eagerly for several more moments before sliding down his body until she was straddling his thighs and staring at him expectantly as she slowly stroked his throbbing hardness.

"I'm ready," she murmured.

He glanced at his cock and smirked before saying, "So am I."

"I meant, I'm ready to give you my ass. You, and no other."

"Oh," he replied lamely.

"This is going to be so fucking hot," Hazel predicted as she reached to the bedside table.

She handed Elaine the bottle of lube and they worked together to thoroughly coat John's cock before Elaine applied a similar treatment to her puckered star and turned to face the foot of the bed. She then gripped his shaft and positioned him at her entrance before leisurely sinking back onto him with a low groan. John could only watch in amazement as his cock disappeared with agonizing patience into her impeccable ass.

"Fuck," he hissed as her ass met his pubic hair. "You're so goddamned tight, honey."

"And you feel indescribably perfect," she whispered. "I've never felt so wonderfully full in my life."

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever seen," Hazel whispered as she watched in awe.

As Elaine began to bounce her spectacularly shaped ass on his cock, Hazel cozied up beside John and whispered, "You two are so beautiful together."

He smiled at her and said, "You two are the beautiful ones." He slid a hand down to her creamy pussy to pleasure her and added, "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"By being amazing," she replied happily.

She rolled over and knelt over him, offering up her magnificent breasts to his lips. He sucked on Hazel's nipples eagerly while he groped Elaine's ass. Their sighs of contentment filled his ears as he pleasured their incomparable bodies. His hand once again found the apex of Hazel's thighs and he sank two fingers into her slick folds. Elaine's grunts of pleasure began to increase in time with the speeding up of her hips. He felt the exquisite tightness of her ass begin to ripple along his length, heralding her impending release. Gripping her luscious ass enthusiastically, he began thrusting his hips to match her movements.

Hazel whispered, "My ass," prompting him to sink a finger into her puckered star. She hissed, "Yes," and began bobbing back into his hand as he continued to suck her nipples.

"Oh, God," Elaine gasped as she slammed her ass down on his groin a final time. Her muscles locked, gripping him like a vise as her orgasm exploded within her.

"Yes," Hazel sighed as her own pleasure consumed her thanks to the continued ministrations of her lover's fingers.

His lovers moaned in pleasure as their release consumed them. He continued his attention on both of them until they finally collapsed, completely spent. They sank onto the bed on either side of him, panting happily as they tried to regain their breath while savoring the connection they shared.

"That was..." he began.

"Wonderful," Hazel finished at once with Elaine murmuring, "Perfect."

"But he didn't cum," Hazel complained teasingly.

"But I did," he replied wearily. "Perhaps you remember. It was inside you, after all."

"But we both came, like, three or four times," she complained.

"I'm on empty," he panted. "Completely spent."

"We have the rest of our lives for him to cum as often, and in any way, as he chooses," Elaine interjected contentedly.

He kissed each of their foreheads in turn before saying, "It's a good thing I love you two, considering that you're both certifiably insane and quite possibly trying to kill me."

They chuckled before Elaine said, "Not insane. Just happy. And I love you both."

Hazel reached across to take Elaine's hand, lacing their fingers together as she whispered, "I've loved both of you for so long, I can't tell you how happy this makes me."

"Thank you," John said to her somberly. "This never would have happened without you."

She sighed and said, "You don't have to thank me for this, babe. It was a goodness."

"And it always will be."

Thirty-Three

It was not until most of the way through his first day back at the office that John realized why he felt so disconnected from his subordinates. Meetings which he had grown accustomed to being an exercise in boredom had become genuinely fascinating and he found himself paying much closer attention to his inbox full of weekly status reports than usual. It was not until Peter poked his head through John's office door just before noon that he realized just how different his morning had gone.

Peter stared at him for several moments before getting his friend's attention by finally saying, "Another working vacation?"

John glanced up belatedly before saying, "Um.. no, actually. I tried, but it was suggested to me that I was undermining my team morale, perhaps even meddling, by keeping an eye on things. So, I shut the laptop and enjoyed a few days off."

"Good for you, although I'm surprised Katherine of all people would make that suggestion."

John gestured with his chin at the door, which Peter dutifully closed, before saying, "I guess I owe you a few updates."

"Oh, shit. What happened?"

"We're getting divorced," John replied simply.

"God damnit," Peter grimaced. "I'm so sorry. You didn't cheat on her, did you?"

"No!" John replied reflexively. He then took a breath before adding, "I mean, not really."

"You either did or you didn't."

"We'd already separated before I got with Hazel."

"Hazel? Your stacked neighbor?"

"The same."

"So, what led to the separation?"

"A lot of things, in hindsight. We just realized that while we get along fine and we're still good friends, we aren't in love anymore. The divorce is entirely amicable, we agreed on everything over lunch."

"That's... shocking. I'd have thought she'd take you to the cleaners."

"Not all rich people are sharks, my friend."

"I guess?" Peter hedged. He then regarded John for several moments before adding, "It's really just you two deciding you're not in love anymore?"

"Yeah. I mean it became quite evident we were better as friends than partners when she told me she was having an affair with Hazel's husband."

"What? Wait, was this before or after you separated?"

"Before, obviously. It was what kicked off all this upheaval. That plus the fact that instead of coming clean, she tried to convince me to get with Hazel, painting the whole thing as a straightforward swap. It was only after I refused that she confessed to having started the affair weeks earlier."

"Wow. Although, to be fair, you did still get with Hazel."

"And Elaine," John interjected.

"Elaine?"

John smiled crookedly and said, "Another of Thomas's ex-wives."

"Thomas being your neighbor?" Peter asked in confusion. Receiving a nod in response, his eyes widened in amazement. He fiercely whispered, "You're telling me you're now with both women?"

"It wasn't the plan, at least not my plan. It just sort of happened. But I'm not sorry it did. All that, plus things still going well with Katherine, feels like a dream come true."

"Incredible. Of all the people to effectively stumble their way into a relationship with two women who make him happy, I can't imagine anyone deserving it more."

"Thanks," John said quietly. "It's been really great. I still have no idea how we'll manage social situations, but if that's the biggest problem we have to deal with, I'll call it a win."

***

"I've got news!" John shouted as he walked through the door from the garage after arriving home, but his mood was quickly dampened as he took in the atmosphere in the house. Gone were the normal sounds of children playing and his lovers happily chatting as they prepared dinner. Instead, he heard a silence which he could not write off to the fact that Lena was scheduled to spend the week with Katherine.

He wandered through the house, finally hearing muffled voices as he approached the bedrooms. He walked into the master to find Hazel and Elaine seated on the bed, their eyes puffy. They looked toward him somberly but said nothing. He glanced between them several times before lamely repeating, "I have news?"

"You too?" Elaine whispered somberly.

"What's going on?"

"You first," Hazel replied with feigned enthusiasm.

"Come on," he complained.

"Is it good news?" she pressed. "Because we could sure use some."

"Yeah. It really is. That school in Boston I told you about? They emailed me and said they want Nick to audition! Isn't that great?"

All of John's fears about something being seriously wrong were realized when Elaine responded to his news by bursting into tears. He was across the room in a flash to comfort her, but rather than sinking into his embrace she stiffened.

"What the fuck is going on?" he whispered desperately.

"Thomas dropped by today for a visit," Hazel replied flatly.

"What the hell is it with that guy? Divorcing you both and treating you like shit isn't enough for him?"

"Nothing will ever be enough for him," Elaine spat furiously. "Not until he's extracted every drop of happiness from everyone who has ever dared to cross his path."

"He served Elaine today," Hazel elaborated.

"For what? They were divorced nearly two decades ago."

"He's challenging Elaine's custody of Nick."

"That's crazy. He's been with her his whole life. Thomas barely knows Nick."

"Because we dared to seek our own happiness," Elaine supplied.

"He saw us," Hazel interjected. "That night, by the pool."

"He mentioned that in his filing?"

"No. He drew Elaine out with the promise of paying off the child support he owes. They met up at a lunch spot no doubt chosen because it's so loud she couldn't record him. He told her he'd seen everything and that he would take Nick away from her if we didn't, as he put it, start behaving ourselves."

"You're part of this too?" John asked in disbelief.

She frowned and said, "I'm not a rat, if that's what you mean."

His face fell and he gasped, "No! That's not what I meant, baby. I could never think that of you. I just meant that he's trying to hurt you as well."

"I would have been hurt regardless," she replied angrily, "because Thomas is hurting the people I love. But, to answer your question, yes: he has also included me directly in his blackmail dickishness."

"I'm so sorry," John replied softly.

She sighed and said, "I'm not angry with you, babe. Just the situation. It has me so angry I could..." she paused and frowned. "I don't know what. Something really bad."

"If this is blackmail," John interjected in confusion, "what is it he wants?"

"For us to leave you, obviously," Elaine muttered bitterly.

"But... why? What business is it of his if you're with me? Or is this more about him not wanting you to be with anyone?"

"It's about you," Elaine replied, looking him in the eye for the first time since he entered the room. "And Katherine."

"And there it is," John said angrily. "He's alone, because she wouldn't put up with his bullshit, and you're both happy. And his infantile brain can't figure out any way to be happy other than making other people in his orbit miserable."

"That would seem to sum things up rather succinctly," Elaine agreed sarcastically.

"So, what, exactly, does he want?"

"For us to leave you. If we don't, he'll take Nick from me. Or, failing that, bury me in legal fees until I give up. Either way, he wins and I lose."

"But I don't understand how he can contest something that's been established for Nick's entire life. Especially when he's just a few months from reaching his majority."

Elaine sighed wearily and said, "Because he has video of Nick's mother, with her demonstrated lack of good judgment and inability to keep the best interests of her child in mind, engaging in a drunken threesome in public in full view of her son and his friends."

"But the kids were all gone before we did anything!"

"Not according to the evidence Thomas is prepared to present. And we have nothing which proves otherwise. While I know Nick left just before ten, I certainly didn't note the time when I, how did Thomas put it, started sucking your dick in the middle of the backyard like a common whore."

"I'm going to fucking kill him," Hazel seethed.

"No," Elaine corrected. "We can't touch him, or I lose Nick."

"I still don't understand how he's able to do this," John complained. "Just because you can't prove a negative shouldn't allow him to use the courts to blackmail you."

Elaine regarded him angrily and said, "It's not just that we had sex, or that we had sex in public. It's also the fact that Hazel was with us. It doesn't matter if Thomas can or cannot prove Nick was in the house. The fact remains that we engaged in actions which nearly all of our friends and neighbors would find abhorrent. If this winds up in front of the wrong judge, it won't matter that Thomas has, as near as makes no difference, ignored Nick for his entire life. All that will matter is that his mother is a slut. I'll lose him. As for his age, that doesn't matter either. If Thomas manages to screw up Nick's admission to music school, he'll never forgive me. And, even if he did, I'd never forgive myself."

John looked between them for several moments before saying, "And Hazel?"

"Thomas agreed to hold off on proceeding with his legal action if we agree to his terms, although he notably did not offer to rescind the filing. In return, we are both required to leave you. Immediately. Any contact between us after today, of any kind, will be considered a breach and he'll immediately proceed. According to him, he's already found a sympathetic judge and can have a protective order put in place in under forty-eight hours which will prevent me from having any contact with Nick."

"That fucking bastard," John hissed.

"Are you sure I can't kill him?" Hazel offered in a tone which left strong doubts in John's mind as to whether she was being facetious.

"That would lead to the same thing," Elaine replied morosely. "I'd lose Nick. Thomas certainly has considered that contingency and has files in a safe somewhere which would serve to implicate me as an accomplice."

"There must be something we can do," Hazel sobbed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue she snatched from the bedside table.

John looked between them for several moments before saying, "Just a minute," and standing up. He hurried downstairs, visiting several rooms in the basement. By the time he returned, it had been considerably more than a minute, but his companions were still where he had left them.

"What is that meant to be," Elaine asked with a nod towards the case John carried.

He set it on the bed beside her and said, "He's got us boxed in. If we fight him, we're playing into his hands. Same thing if we meekly accept his terms. The only way to beat him is to change the game. But we can't do that tonight. He had the element of surprise and used it to his advantage. So, for the time being, we have no choice but to accept his terms."

"I won't leave you," Hazel declared firmly.

"I don't want to leave you either," Elaine added.

Hazel glared at her in response to her less emphatic statement, but John's heart shattered at her uncompromising love for her son. It reminded him that, were he faced with a similar conundrum he would make the exact same decision. The fact that leaving John was the last thing her soul wanted paled in comparison to her responsibility as a mother.

He pulled them both close, kissing them in turn, before saying, "I don't want you to go either, but go you must." He looked to Hazel and added, 'She must place Nick above us, honey. And above herself."

"I know," she grumped. "I just fucking hate this so much."

"As do I."

"Where will we go?" Elaine asked plaintively. "I owe two months' rent on the apartment."

"After all that, he still didn't pay?" John asked in amazement. "I would have thought that would be part and parcel to him gaining the upper hand legally."

"He said he's been placing the money in a trust, and that his lawyer said it was ok given the circumstances."

"Don't worry about the apartment," John reassured her. "Or about the plane tickets to Boston next week."

"I have one-hundred and twelve dollars and thirty-seven cents in my checking account, and no credit cards."

"I have a bit of money saved up," Hazel offered. "And I got an advance on a speaking gig next month."

"Hazel," Elaine sobbed. "I couldn't."

"Neither of you need to worry about money," John stated firmly. He set the case between them and said, "There's one hundred thousand dollars in there."

"What are you, a drug dealer?" Hazel asked mockingly.

"Katherine was brought up to always keep quote, enough, unquote, cash around the house in case something came up. There's a safe in the basement. Technically, it's her money, but I'll pay her back once I get to a bank. You two take it. Try to pay cash wherever possible rather than depositing it so the government doesn't take undue notice. Elaine, I assume you can pay your rent in cash since I know they have an office."

"I'm not sure one way or the other," she stammered. "And I'm not taking your money."

"Yes, you are. Because this is the only way I can take care of the women I love right now."

"John!" Elaine snapped angrily. "I won't take your..."

"Enough!" he shouted heatedly. Both women recoiled visibly, causing him to take a deep calming breath before saying, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"It's ok," Elaine replied sincerely. "But I can't..."

"Please," he said softly. "This fucking asshole is trying to take everything from us and I'm helpless to do anything for the women I love right now, except for giving you the money I know you need. Both of you. You beautiful ladies own a piece of my heart, and I own a piece of yours." He shook the case and said, "That means we share everything, from our happiness to our fucking money. Please let me do this for you, at least until I can come up with something better."

Thirty-Four

"Hey bud," John said softly from the door of the room which Nick had taken to using when he was at the house. "Need any help?"

"No," the teenager replied morosely. "I've got it. It's not like I had a chance to bring that much over, anyway."

"Did you get the guitars from downstairs?"

"I just had the two over here."

"I meant the rest of them."

Nick frowned and said, "I can't take your guitars, John."

"You're not taking them, because you're both coming back once we work everything out. I'd just rather you had them since I'm sure they'd prefer you playing them to me staring at them."

He shrugged and stared at his packed bag on the bed for several moments before muttering, "I just don't understand why we have to leave at all."

"I know it's hard..." John began, but Nick cut him off by snapping, "Do you?"

John sighed and sat on the bed before saying, "I was going to say that this is hard on all of us, and it is. But this must be harder on you than any of us."

"What makes you say that?" Nick asked sarcastically. "The fact that my mom has told me to move twice in two weeks. The first time with barely any reason she was willing to give and the second time with no explanation at all?"

"Has she ever given you a reason to mistrust her?"

"I mean... there's the whole Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and Easter Bunny thing," Nick retorted with a wry smirk.

John returned the expression before saying, "I'll take that as a no then, and assume you believe in your heart that she wouldn't do this without a damn good reason."

"I'd be more likely to believe her if she'd just tell me why we're moving. Again."

"All I can tell you is that her reason for discretion has nothing to do with her trust in you. Please believe that she only has your best interests in mind."

"If that were the case, then she'd listen to me when I tell her I want to stay."

"Just because she can't tell you what's going on doesn't mean she's ignoring you. She loves you more than life itself, Nick. You must know that."

"She says she does..." Nick muttered before trailing off.

John groaned in frustration before saying, "You're her whole life. There's nothing she wouldn't do for you. Your safety, and your happiness, are paramount in her mind."

"That's why this is happening, isn't it? Something to do with me."

"What makes you say that?"

"She's seemed happier these last few months than I could ever remember her being. That's obviously due to you. And now we're leaving and she's miserable. The only explanation is that she's doing this on my account. I just can't figure out why."

John remained silent, not daring to risk making things worse by telling Nick the truth but deeply troubled by the thought of the youth thinking the upheaval his life was going through was somehow his fault. At length, he said, "I wish I could give you the answers you seek. All I can tell you is that you did nothing wrong. How could you? You're the most impressive, and talented, and mature, and kind, and respectful young man I've ever met. You're a million times the man I was at your age. Trust your instincts, and trust in your mother. I promise this will all be over soon."

***

"Christ," a voice called out from the darkness. "I thought they'd never leave." A growl rumbled in John's chest as he turned toward the voice, but he said nothing. At length, Thomas strode into the pale light cast by the spotlight mounted just below the roofline, a wide smile on his face. "Howdy neighbor!"

Several possible retorts flashed through John's mind over the span of scant milliseconds, including things which had a mandatory prison sentence which was measured in decades. But it ultimately occurred to him that it was possible Thomas was foolish enough to incriminate himself, so he opted for angrily muttering, "You're trespassing,"

"Is that any way to treat your liberator?"

"What do you want?"

"To talk to you," Thomas enthused. "Can I come in?"

John took several moments to answer, but he ultimately decided on a strategy. Outwardly, he shrugged and turned toward the house. As he climbed the stairs, he extracted his phone and activated his voice recording app before dropping it back into his pocket. He led Thomas down to the bar, selecting a beer for himself before leaning angrily against the wall.

Undeterred, Thomas grabbed a beer for himself and took a seat on one of the stools. He took a long pull before grimacing and saying, 'That's awful. How anyone can stand IPA's is beyond me."

"No one forced you to drink it," John grunted with scarcely disguised hatred.

"Why can't you stock zero sugar hard seltzer?"

"You do realize there's carbs in alcohol, right."

"Whatever." Thomas shrugged before taking another drink. "I can live with this."

"What do you want?" John repeated.

"I just wanted to hang out. You know... now that we're both free of those whiny money pits."

"Hang out?"

"Sure! There's a new sushi place by the river I've been meaning to try."

"And you figured that, now that you drove away all the women in my life, there was nothing to keep us from being bros?"

"Why not?" Thomas asked cheerily. "We both have our health." He let his eyes travel slowly up from John's feet before adding, "At least, reasonably so. We're... fairly... good looking. We're single. We're friends."

"Come again?" John asked in slack-jawed amazement.

"Don't be obtuse. We've hung out plenty of times. Surely you can't hold a grudge over something as insignificant as a woman." He smirked before adding, "Or, in your case, women. They're nothing. Millions more where they came from. Hell, I'll bet we could find a dozen more ten times as attractive in less than an hour. What do you say?"

"Fuck off," John muttered quietly.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," John replied more firmly. "Fuck. Off."

"What the hell's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me?" John gaped. "What's the matter with you, you self-obsessed sociopath? You intentionally attacked two women who did nothing to harm you. In fact, they both did quite a bit to make your life better, just by stooping to your level while you were with them."

"You can't be serious. You're prepared to make a fuss over two women who barely have enough self-awareness to remember that socks come before shoes when getting dressed. Have you even been to the new brew pub north of Midtown? That place is lousy with top-shelf pussy."

"Are you insane? They're both brilliant!"

"Hardly. Elaine is clearly too stupid to figure out how birth control works. And Hazel is either too ignorant, or too self-destructive, to understand the impact being morbidly obese can have on your health."

"Morbidly obese? Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," Thomas replied gregariously. "I'm sure you've seen her naked. All those rolls..." he trailed off with a shudder.

"She's fucking gorgeous. In fact, she's perfect. They both are."

"How can you say that? Hazel is... what... twenty kilos heavier than Elaine even though they're basically the same height. How can they both be attractive in that case?"

"What do you do? Break out the ruler and the scale before you date someone?"

"I don't need to," Thomas replied smugly. "I have an excellent eye for these things."

"I see. So you can tell from across the room if a woman has a BMI over twenty?"

"I can certainly see whether they're a fatty or not."

"It's no wonder you're alone," John muttered. "Have you ever talked to anyone about your narcissistic personality disorder? I've heard there are some new medications on the market which could be quite helpful with your condition. Perhaps hemlock?"

"I'll have you know my body is a temple," Thomas replied as he finished his beer. "You have no need for quack remedies when you live a clean life."

John shook his head as his neighbor's ignorance, and the irony of the situation. "A clean life which includes pointlessly attacking innocent women?"

"They're not innocent," Thomas retorted sharply, showing the first signs of anything other than merriment since he had stepped out of the shadows. "They betrayed me."

"How? How did they betray you? They don't owe you allegiance. You divorced them. Furthermore, you threw Hazel out with no warning. And that's to say nothing of the fact that you kicked Elaine to the curb the second you found out she was pregnant with your fucking child."

"You're goddamned right I did. I have no desire to be with a woman who can't be counted on to take her fucking birth control."

"You know it's not one-hundred-percent effective, right? Or are you truly that fucking stupid?"

"I am in control of my body," Thomas replied regally. "I don't think it's too much to ask my partner to do the same."

"I need you to leave," John seethed through clenched teeth.

"Why? We haven't even had dinner yet."

"I will never have dinner with you. I'd sooner break bread with a clan of rabid honey badgers. If you fell down the steps on your way out and broke your neck, I'd sit calmly on the porch and make a video of you taking your last breath as your terror filled eyes pleaded with me for reprieve. You're the worst human I've ever encountered. No small feat, I assure you considering I once spent a summer working as an intern in the state house of representatives back when I was briefly pre-law. You've never done a damned thing that people will remember when you're gone outside of the pain you've needlessly, and selfishly, inflicted. All you have is a bank account. And, from what I hear, a weekend with Katherine's family demonstrated rather succinctly how little that is worth in the circles in which you so desperately wish you ran."

"You know nothing!" Thomas spat furiously.

"Oh, really?" John replied smugly. "How's that bank account been treating you recently? Is the stress of your extravagant lifestyle placing a burden on your nest egg which your evidently lost Midas touch with picking stocks can't cover? Too many companies in which you invested heavily so they'd allow you on their board, only to have them go belly up a year later because they were just as phony and hollow as you are?"

Thomas's face split into a rage filled mask and he tensed up, going so far as to pull back his clenched fist. John stood calmly, the possibility of significant facial damage taking a backseat to gaining a legal upper hand on the pitiful excuse for a human before him.

Ultimately, Thomas relaxed and smiled maniacally at him before saying, "Not too neighborly for you to spew such lies about me. I'm almost glad I got Elaine and Hazel away from you before you could infect them with your hateful worldview." He chucked his beer bottle in the sink, where it shattered noisily before heading toward the stairs. He stopped on the bottom step and turned before saying, "As for Katherine... we'll see how her family changes their tune once I officially transition from her fuck buddy to her father's trusted confidant." He headed up the stairs, calling out, "Have a good evening, neighbor," before slamming the front door.

Thirty-Five

"Where is everyone?" Katherine asked breezily as Lena stormed up the stairs to divest herself of items which she moved between her parents' houses.

"You didn't hear?" John grunted morosely.

Katherine glanced around worriedly before whispering, "No. What happened?"

"Dreamy McFuckface next door, is what happened."

"Oh, Jesus. What did he do now?"

"He filed for custody of Nick is what."

"Why?" Katherine asked in genuine confusion.

"He's blackmailing her," John explained wearily. "Both of them, really. He oh-so-graciously agreed to hold off proceeding if both of them broke off all contact with me."

"I'm so sorry John."

"No more than I deserve," he muttered disconsolately.

At that moment, Lena came thundering back down the stairs and leapt into his arms. He hugged her warmly and felt her love envelope him, but his eyes remained haunted. His attention stayed focused on his daughter throughout the process of putting her dinner on the table. While a distant part of his mind was aware that Katherine had not departed, he truly did not give her presence a second thought until she pulled him from his reverie with words spoken barely above a whisper. "Can I speak to you on the deck?"

He glanced between his soon-to-be ex-wife and his daughter several times before she added, "We'll still be able to see her. I'll only need a few moments."

He nodded and preceded her outside. As the door closed, he turned to face her and said, "What's wrong now?"

"It's Thomas," she replied simply.

John's expression darkened, glancing momentarily at the cursed house next door, before he returned his attention to Katherine and whispered, "Did he hurt you?"

"What?" she gasped, genuinely taken aback. She hastened to add, "No. Of course not. But I think there's something you should know."

"That he makes his morning smoothies using only the finest quality puppies?"

She shuddered and said, "Thanks. That will haunt me." She shook her head again and sighed before saying, "Thomas invested heavily in Daddy's company."

"Doesn't seem to fit his normal preference for high risk, high reward start-ups who he can muscle his way onto their board by dropping a million bucks buying up a controlling share of their stock."

"Indeed, although I suspect that is his aim, nonetheless."

"But... how. Your dad's company is worth billions, not to mention being publicly traded. Thomas could spend every penny he's got and still not own a noticeable percentage."

"True. However, being publicly traded, any shareholder who owns at least one percent can run for the board."

"How can he afford that?"

She shrugged and said, "In truth, he can't. But that didn't stop him from leveraging himself six-ways-to-Sunday to buy the shares anyway. I'm not sure if it's part of a scheme to get me back, or if he simply believes it's a good investment. But he's spent the last two weeks flying all over the country wining and dining the other board members."

"Why are you telling me this?"

She glanced around furtively before softly saying, "Because they found something."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know," she huffed in frustration. "I just know that Daddy told me about this last night, and that he very smugly reported that information was being sent by courier to the other board members which would most certainly keep, as he put it, that smug bastard, from ever being elected. He wouldn't tell me what it was, but it must be pretty damning for him to be that confident."

"Why? Wouldn't the board do anything he told them to? It's his company, after all."

"It was his company. Now he's in his mid-sixties and the whispers about it being time for him to take his, quote, well-earned retirement, unquote, are getting louder. The fact that Thomas was telling everyone who would listen how much the company needed a youthful, dynamic leader only fueled those concerns."

"Thomas being the youthful, dynamic leper... I mean leader... in this case?"

Katherine nodded and said, "Precisely. You know Thomas. He's nothing if not charming. And my father is no fool. If he's this certain he's defeated this challenge to his position, it must be something Thomas would rather not be made public."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'm your friend, John. And because it kills me to see you this miserable. It wasn't as you said earlier. You don't deserve everything he's done to you. None of you do. Hell, even if I didn't still care about you, I'd still tell you because Lena's just as sad. You heard her when you were making dinner. She's gutted that they left."

"What are you suggesting?"

"You work for the company," she hissed fiercely. "You must be able to find whatever they discovered on the servers, or something."

He grinned crookedly and said, "Ten years together, and you still don't have the foggiest idea what I do."

"Shut up," she huffed with a smile on her face. "I'm serious. At worst, I'm giving you information you didn't have before. At best, you'll have what you need to make him back off so you can get your family back together. You need to fight for them, John. And for yourself. You guys deserve to be happy."

***

Later that same night, long after Katherine had returned to her condo and Lena had gone to bed, John sat motionless in front of his laptop. On the screen was a password prompt to gain access to the file repository utilized by his company's board of directors. He had spent the last hour trying to avoid this moment, coming up with and immediately rejecting hundreds of strategies which would grant him access without his intrusion being tracked. Ultimately, he had been hoisted by his own petard. While his area of responsibility as a vice president of information technology did not specifically include information security, he had been specifically assigned to ensure that the information he sought was as secure as technologically possible. That assignment was both the reason he knew he could get access, and the reason he was nearly certain such access would not go unnoticed.

As he sat frozen by indecision, he remembered Lena's tearful goodnight from hours prior. She had tried to understand the changes in her life, but John knew it was unfair of him to hope that someone her age could rationally grasp all the changes she had been forced to endure in a few short months. Having her parents separate was bad enough, in his mind. But introducing, and then ripping away, two additional remarkable maternal presences in her life was too much.

"Fuck it," he muttered and reached out to hit 'enter' on his keyboard. "It doesn't matter what happens to me, as long as they're happy."

He spent the next thirty minutes searching through the morass of chaos created by a collection of entitled luddites in their attempt to catalog every passing thought in the certain knowledge that they were doing a great service to their descendants. He finally stumbled across what was listed as a report from a company called Beeks Security dated one week prior. It was immediately evident upon opening the file that it was, for all practical purposes, a background check on Thomas Meade. However, it was far more thorough than the standard employment verification. It went in depth on every company with whom he had ever been affiliated and every significant purchase he had ever made.

As was standard for this type of document, there was no summary at the outset that called out the investigation's pièce de resistance, so John had to read every boring word. It was not until near the end, in a section which detailed his stock transactions, that John found what he sought.

"Mother fucker," he whispered in amazement as he began copying files to his personal file share in the cloud.

He spent another hour searching, figuring the damage was already done. He found a few more mentions of Thomas, but nothing as incriminating as his first groundbreaking discovery. As he looked, he began formulating a strategy to use what he had uncovered. He quickly rejected his first impulse as sophomoric and preposterous, but seemingly endless contemplation failed to reveal a better strategy.

"I guess it's a trope for a reason," he muttered as he opened his word processor and began composing a document he titled, 'reckoning'.

***

"Finally decided to take me up on my offer?" Thomas asked triumphantly as he took his seat.

John had chosen an upscale local eatery which had clearly been designed with more of an eye toward the food than the ambiance. The open kitchen and its boisterous staff filled the interior with a cacophony that only worsened the stress-headache he had been suffering from since first formulating his plan the night prior. On the table before him sat an unmarked folder containing a single sheet of paper. He sat placidly staring at his companion but did not respond to the latter's greeting.

Thomas appeared to not notice John's silence, or his unsettlingly calm demeanor, until after he had ordered a cocktail and was on his second piece of bread. He regarded John for a long moment after sampling his drink before finally saying, "What?"

"I want you to drop the suit against Elaine and pay every cent of back child support you owe her."

"Why would I do that? For the first time in decades, she's actually behaving herself."

"She's not a pet, you miserable bastard. She's the mother of your child. Not that you've ever given a damn about him."

"Is this really why you asked me here? To make me listen to more of your complaining about those two lazy bitch..."

"Enough!" John barked, loud enough that heads from every surrounding table turned toward them.

"You're making a scene," Thomas pointed out uncomfortably.

"You have no idea what I'm prepared to do," John replied with steely resolve. "I want you to drop the suit..."

"No," Thomas cut him off pointedly. "Now, shall we eat, or is that all you wanted?"

John hefted the folder and said, "You're not curious what's in here?"

His guest sighed and said, "I'm sure you'll tell me no matter what I say."

"It's a press release, of sorts. I figured you'd be interested, considering its about your favorite subject."

"And what is that?"

"You," John replied with a sneer. "Oddly enough, it also touches on your second favorite subject: using beautiful women and then casting them aside the moment they no longer serve your immediate needs."

"Is this about Katherine? Because I assure you that she and I are still very much an item. It's hard to believe that she never shared you with another woman considering her fondness for pussy."

John only smiled at Thomas's attempt to shock him. Or, even more pathetic, anger him. He then glanced back at the folder before him and said, "It tells the tale of your friendship, if it could be called that, with a woman named Charlotte Mason."

Thomas's smile disappeared in an instant, his expression turning into something far darker. He then got control of his features once more and calmly said, "I assure you that anything you've heard from her is nothing more than groundless, and slanderous, allegations."

"I didn't speak to her, you contemptible prick. I did, however, stumble across her affidavit which states that she was a project manager for a firm you invested heavily in over twenty years ago. A firm which, one week after you sank every penny you had into it, announced the invention of a new video compression algorithm which would allow easy sharing of video on social media. You then sold your stock a month later for over seventy times what you paid for it."

"So? I played a hunch, and it paid off."

"The affidavit further states that Ms. Mason informed you of the coming announcement in return for your promise to give her twenty percent of your proceeds."

"If that were true, then the government regulators would certainly have acted on such a filing," Thomas sneered.

"She didn't report it to the government," John replied calmly. "She was trying to get a job with another, much larger, company in Silicon Valley and their background check noted the coincidence of her leaving the company shortly after their announcement. She provided the statement in an attempt to establish her own innocence. Unsurprisingly, it did not work, and she was forced to leave the industry altogether. So, come to think of it, in addition to making Elaine whole and leaving both her and Hazel alone forever, you will also pay Ms. Mason what you owe her."

"I repeat," Thomas stated smugly. "Why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, this press release will go to the board of every company in which you currently own any stock. Along with the promise that the same release will go to the FEC one week later unless they publicly renounce you for the wretched piece of rat shit you are."

"You can't possibly be serious." Thomas replied shakily.

John glowered at him before saying, "Do you honestly think so highly of yourself that you'd think I'd give even a second thought to ruining you? The only reason I haven't sent this yet is because I don't give a shit about you. All I care about is the happiness of those I love."

"Love," Thomas scoffed. "A fairy tale we tell children."

"Maybe for you," John shrugged. He tapped the folder and said, "What's it going to be? Leave them alone forever, or become a pariah?"

"So what, if you send your silly letter? I'll just invest overseas. I assure you there are plenty of places to put money where they couldn't possibly be bothered by our government's regulators."

"You're out over your skis, Thomas," John teased. "I know how much debt you had to acquire to attempt to buy your way into Katherine's father's company. If all your investments simultaneously demand you sell, you'd be ruined. You won't have to worry about where you can park your precious money because you'll be living downtown under an overpass."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'd cut your throat with this fucking butter knife in front of all these people if that's what it took to get you to leave the women I love alone. Do you honestly think I'm bluffing about ruining you financially? Again, the only reason I haven't done it yet, is because blackmailing you serves my purposes more, today... at this moment, than does ruining you."

Thomas stared at him for another moment before finally saying, "Fine. Have it your way."

"Tomorrow morning, before ten AM, you will withdraw your filing challenging Nick's custody."

"Thomas, Junior," Thomas corrected.

"Nick," John declared firmly. "Furthermore, you will send Elaine and Hazel separately notarized documents outlining the threats you made, and the terms you required them to meet, before stating that you immediately withdraw those threats."

"You're out of your goddamned mind if you think I'm going to admit to blackmail."

"You will do it." John hissed angrily. Thomas made to stand in a huff, so John added, "Because every company you invest in gets added to my list. And, lest you think you can employ something even more sinister, the mechanism which distributes those press releases is completely automated. Unless I go to a specific, and constantly changing, website every week and enter an algorithmically determined passphrase, that release goes out. It's very simple: make amends to the women you've harmed, and we never speak again. But if you fail to do everything I've outlined, you'll lose all that you hold most dear."

"I'll get you for this," Thomas growled.

"Why? All I'm asking is that you display the faintest glimmer of decency, unlike you who attacked several women just because you decided they were weaker than you. Do as I've instructed, Thomas. Then, all you must do is to leave them alone forever. If you comply, we'll never speak again. Hell... you can forget that any of us ever existed."

"Gladly," Thomas snarled before getting up and stalking out of the restaurant.

Thirty-Six

John walked through the front door of his office building the next morning unable to shake the sensation that he was headed to the gallows. Upon reaching his office, he sat motionless at his desk without touching his powered-down laptop. He spent the time, much as he had for the entirety of the sleepless previous evening, trying to figure out his next step after the other shoe inevitably dropped. But, as is so often the case with impending doom, he had found difficulty focusing on anything other than his imminent calamity.

Ryan finally entered John's office sixty-one minutes after the latter's arrival and said, "What the hell is going on with you?"

"Good morning," John countered sullenly.

"Cut the crap. I just had the CFO in my office talking about a data breach at the highest level. And it was done using your credentials."

"I see," John replied resignedly.

Ryan regarded him queerly for a moment before saying, "Thing I can't figure out is why you would have allowed a backdoor into the executive file repository. You spent months testing that system. How could you have been so careless?"

"I take full responsibility."

"What? No lengthy explanation as you waterboard me with all that mindless techno-babble about why this was at once necessary and not your fault?"

"It was totally my responsibility, and something I never should have allowed to happen."

Ryan looked at him queerly for a moment before saying, "That's better." He remained silent for several more moments before looking down at his phone and then back to John. At length, he said, "Wait a minute. How'd you know what the hell I was talking about if this was a breach?" John merely sighed in response as he counted silently to himself. He reached thirty-seven endless seconds before Ryan finally said, "It was you!"

"It was me. But I was only doing it to..."

"Not another fucking word," Ryan declared firmly before he stood up. He added, "And don't move a muscle," before hurrying from John's office.

John could only shake his head ruefully in response, wondering to himself how long it would take Ryan to figure out the logical inconsistency of why John would come into the office in the first place if his intention was anything other than facing the music. At this point, he could only hope that the ends would justify the means.

***

It was several hours after dark when John finally exited his office after a grueling day of meetings. The penultimate encounter had been the worst: a two-hour face-to-face with Katherine's father in which John had confessed every detail. He had texted Katherine in advance to give her fair warning of the coming storm, but her careful editing of the truth in her interactions with her family had guaranteed the outcome. In the eyes of her father, John was the homewrecker. The man who had abandoned his faithful wife to start a harem. John suspected his fate had been sealed in any case, but the fury in the eyes of the man who had once called him the heir apparent to the company's throne was unmistakable.

As he approached his car, his phone rang insistently. He glanced at the screen before answering by saying, "I'm sorry Katherine."

"What happened?" she barked urgently. "Daddy's blowing up my phone calling you a traitor and saying he wants me to, quote, reign hellfire on you, unquote, in the divorce."

"Hardly surprising," John muttered as he dropped into the driver's seat.

"John?" she spoke softly. "You have to tell me what's going on."

"Your father's company kept very detailed records, even at the executive level. After we spoke the other night, I dug through them to figure out what they knew about Thomas. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it in such a way that they didn't know it happened. When I was called into his office to explain myself, I had to tell him everything."

"You mean... everything?" she whispered worriedly.

"Don't worry," he muttered resignedly. "I only told him about the parts which directly involved me. I can assure you that you're very much in the clear. At least as far as he's concerned."

"But John," she wailed. "That means he'll think you're a worthless bastard who left me for two other women. Knowing him, he could even get the impression that you broke Thomas's marriage up as well."

"That's about the size of it."

"Christ," she murmured reverently. "It's a wonder you're still breathing."

"He did give me a thorough ass-chewing; a not-ineffective weight loss strategy although I can't, in all honesty, recommend it."

"This isn't funny," she growled. "How in the hell am I supposed to get through the fourth with everyone thinking I'm a helpless victim who can't even keep her husband?"

"I'll be honest, Katherine. That's the least of my concerns right now."

"Why? This is a catastrophe. I'll never live this down."

"If it's any comfort, I can't imagine I'll be around your family ever again so I'm sure it'll be easy for this to quickly fade into a memory. And before you think I'm being churlish; I'm not saying I'll avoid them out of a sense of shame. I'll just be way too fucking busy. Speaking of which, we'll likely need to tweak our time with Lena a bit. I don't have the specifics yet, but I'll likely need to spend a lot more time on the road in the near future."

"Why, did Daddy put you on inspection duty again?" she retorted playfully, referring to a time before they were married when John was tasked with visiting nearly three hundred retail locations over the span of a handful of weeks.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear earlier. I was generously given the opportunity to resign my position with immediate effect. The offer came with several stipulations, but I decided it was in everyone's best interest for me to accept nonetheless."

"What?" Katherine shrieked. "You quit? Why?"

"Because the other option was that I would be terminated for stealing corporate secrets, something which would have prevented me from ever working in the field again. As for the rest, I almost certainly would have been forced to surrender the stock, regardless."

Katherine's reply led him to temporarily pull his phone from his ear as she shouted, "They made you give back your stock? But that's your entire retirement, John! I thought you told me that last Christmas's bonus finally took you north of ten million."

"It did," he replied simply.

"I won't let him do this to you, John. This is unfair. You weren't stealing corporate secrets, for God's sake. You were just trying to keep your family together. Don't go anywhere. I'm calling Daddy."

"No," he interjected firmly. "You won't. I knew this would be the price when I hacked their secret files, but I did it anyway. I'm honestly lucky they didn't call the cops."

"But John!"

"No, Katherine. I made a choice, and I'm going to deal with the consequences. All calling your father would do is convince him this was all your idea."

"Who cares?" she huffed. "At least you wouldn't be starting over."

"But I'm not starting over," he explained patiently. "Because they've agreed to keep this under wraps, I'm just a senior executive who has decided it's time for a career change. I've already got a few leads on a new gig. I'll be fine. In any case, all that matters is their happiness. And Lena's."

She sighed and said, "Just let me know when you figure out your schedule. I'll make sure Lena spends as much time with you as possible."

"Thanks."

"I hope for your sake this was all worth it."

John felt his phone buzz and looked down to see a text message in the group he had with Hazel and Elaine; a thread that had been devastatingly silent for the last several days. As he read the message, a smile spread across his features and he said, "It was worth all this and far more."

***

"Hi," John said weakly after a puffy eyed Elaine opened the door to her apartment.

"You're really here," she whispered weakly. "It's all real."

"I sure hope so," he replied softly. He glanced over her shoulder and said, "Where is everyone?"

She distractedly said, "Inside. Nick's sleeping and Hazel's doing something on her laptop. Those letters we got from Thomas... that was your doing?"

He grinned crookedly and said, "I told you I wouldn't let him get away with it." He glanced behind her again before adding, "Can I come in?"

"What?" she replied absently before her eyes widened and she said, "Yes! Of course! Come in, please."

She moved aside and gestured for him to enter. He stepped through the threshold and waited for her to close the door. They then stood for a moment staring awkwardly at each other before a strangled sob escaped her lips and she leapt into his arms. He embraced her tightly, feeling their collective worry dissipate with each passing moment.

"Who was it?" Hazel's voice called out before he heard a shriek and suddenly their embrace became complete.

"Hi," John repeated with a chuckle.

"Oh, babe," Hazel whispered. "I missed you so fucking much."

"Language," Nick chided gently from the end of the hall.

John tipped his chin in the youth's direction and said, "It's good to see you, Nick."

"You too," came the hoarse reply. Nick smiled in his direction before adding, "I'll let you guys catch up. Will you be here in the morning?"

John looked down at Elaine, who only nodded firmly. He said, "Looks like it."

"Ok," Nick replied with a shrug. "Good night."

The women gradually led him to the couch where they nestled against him anxiously. Once the tears had dried, they took a moment to enjoy each other's company and share the occasional kiss.

At length, John murmured, "So... how was your day?"

Hazel snickered and said, "I'm pretty sure fourteen years have elapsed since I woke up this morning."

"So, what word from Assface Von Fuckhead?"

Elaine said, "I think you very well know what he did."

"I honestly don't. I won't deny that I had a little chat with him last night, but that doesn't mean he followed my instructions."

"He completely reversed course, is what he did. He sent me two checks, one for all the back child support he owed plus everything he will owe through Nick's eighteenth birthday and the other for someone named Mason. He also admitted, in writing, to how he forced us to leave you and promised to leave us alone from now on."

"Sounds familiar," John replied. "Are you satisfied he's sufficiently atoned?"

"I wouldn't mind if he also turned himself into a eunuch with a rusty garden trowel and tattooed every nickname you've ever called him on his forehead," Hazel offered. "But I'll take it."

"How did you do it?" Elaine whispered.

"I gave him a dose of his own medicine. I found some damning information about how he made his money and made sure that information would be shared with all his investment partners if he didn't play ball."

"That's incredible," Hazel enthused. "How'd you find it?"

"Katherine gave me a tip about my former company finding something when they did a background check after he bought a big chunk of stock. So I did some digging and discovered that his 'lucky' first windfall was actually the result of insider trading. Then it was just a matter of pointing out how fucked he would be if that information became public."

"That's incredible!"

"Wait," Elaine interjected. "Former company?"

"It was my decision," John said with quiet intensity. "I knew there would be a cost, and I paid it happily. What matters is that we're together now and Thomas will never separate us again. The fact that I'm in the market for a new job is unimportant."

Hazel nodded firmly and said, "I think it was time for you to switch jobs in any case. Your position was always overshadowed by your relationship with Katherine, and her father. They didn't appreciate you, or everything you ever did for them."

"Perhaps," John allowed. "It's academic at this point in any case. I've got a few leads on new jobs, including an interview in the morning."

"That's great!"

"How can we help?" Elaine asked softly.

"I've got a cleaning crew coming by the house in the morning to do a deep clean. If you guys could keep an eye on things there and then meet with the realtor if I'm delayed, that would really help."

"Realtor?"

"Yeah. I can't justify the mortgage on that place right now, especially considering my financial situation."

"Our situation," Elaine corrected.

John was relieved they didn't press him further. He had no intention of deceiving them, but he also knew they would feel guilty if they discovered the truth of his financial ruin. He smiled down at their beautiful faces and whispered, "I really missed you both."

"You'll never have cause to miss us again," Hazel replied confidently.

Thirty-Seven

The warbling sound of a ringing cell phone wrested John's attention from his laptop screen. He looked anxiously before finally spotting the device dancing across the bedside table, thanks to its urgent vibrating. He hurried over and managed to tap 'answer' before the call went to voicemail.

"Hello?" he huffed breathlessly.

"Hey babe," came Hazel's breezy reply. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Just took me a minute to find my phone."

"How's," she began before pausing for a moment and sighing wearily. "I forgot where you are today."

"Bismark," he replied. He then added, after receiving nothing but silence from Hazel, "North Dakota."

"There's no such place."

"I assure you," he replied with a chuckle as he glanced out the window. "It's very real. It's not even particularly unpleasant during the fall although I'm not looking forward to coming back here once winter arrives in earnest."

"When does winter start there?"

"October, from what I've been told."

"Goodness," she replied woefully. "How long until you return?"

"Who knows. I just go where they send me. Pretty sure next week is Spokane."

"Are you going to be able to leave on Wednesday night this time?"

"No. At this point I'll be lucky to get out on the eleven AM flight on Friday." He could hear her sigh over the phone and easily picture her frown as she tried, and ultimately succeeded, in keeping herself from voicing her displeasure. He added, "I know, sweetheart. This isn't what you signed on for when we got together."

"You know we only want what's best for you," Hazel whispered sorrowfully.

"I know."

"I was also hoping I could set up a meeting for you on Friday."

"What kind of meeting?" he asked wearily. "I'm not sure I'll be any use to anyone once I get back in town. Lena's got a performance at school on Saturday night, and I've got a ton of stuff the realtor wants me to do at the old house on Sunday. I was also, selfishly, desperately hoping I'd be able to make time to take two jaw-droppingly gorgeous women out to dinner on Friday night."

"Are they prettier than me?" she asked playfully.

"No one is prettier than you, my love. At best, there is one other woman who is your equal. Fortunately for you, she lives, at most, a few meters from you."

"We accept your invitation, as long as you don't plan for it to be only dinner. Our bed needs warming, sir. And only one man will ever be invited to do that job."

"I am your humble servant, miladies," he replied with a knowing smile.

"You'll both be my servants when I'm giving my new vibrator a test drive while my two favorite people put on a performance for me."

"I look forward to it, although I should do it more often. I knew this consulting gig would mean time away from home, but I've spent the last three months away more than I'm there. It's not fair to you, honey. Any of you."

"It is what it is, babe. But that's part of the reason I'm trying to set this meeting up for you. I'm not judging you for taking the first job that came along considering all you had to give up. Something, by the way, I'm unsure how to feel about... especially the part where you hid that detail from us."

He let the silence linger for a moment before sighing and saying, "What was I supposed to do, honey?"

"Be honest with us. Always."

"You're right," he sighed. "I just couldn't bear you both feeling guilty over this. I would have given up far more to secure your happiness."

"I know," she replied gently. "And we would do the same for you. Which is part of why I'm trying to set up this interview. We don't mind you working yourself like a rented mule in the short term. But this can't become your life again. Not if there's an alternative."

"I don't mind."

"But we do," she retorted firmly. "And not just because we miss having you in our bed. Your happiness matters to us, just as ours' matters to you. You're not happy living this life, John."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Be back in Atlanta by two PM on Friday. And bring your A-game."

"Do I get to know anything about this meeting in advance?"

"I'll send you the details on Friday morning so you can review on the flight."

***

"I'm home," John called out as he bumbled his way through the front door of their cramped apartment bearing the trappings of a modern-day IT road-warrior.

"Daddy!" Lena shrieked as she raced toward him.

He dropped his suitcase and laptop bag before kneeling to greet her. He hugged her tightly and said, "I missed you baby girl."

"Elaine and I were making peanut-butter fudge cookie-brownies!"

"I'm almost sorry I interrupted."

"Your timing is impeccable," Elaine said from the doorway to the kitchen. "We just put them in the oven."

He stood to greet her with a brief kiss before saying, "I missed you too, beautiful."

"Daddy," Lena teased as she retreated, skipping gaily toward her bedroom.

"What?" he asked with mock confusion.

"We've been talking about displays of affection."

"What brought that on?" he asked without a hint of judgement.

"A boy in her class tried to kiss another boy. Her teacher didn't handle it well and took the time to pull each parent together at pickup to tell us about how she basically spent the whole afternoon lecturing them about appropriate contact."

John's features clouded and he said, "Having met that small-minded idiot, I can imagine what her true objection was."

"Indeed. So, Lena and I spent the afternoon talking about what was and wasn't appropriate, and where, and when."

"And her complaint a moment ago?"

Elaine shrugged and said, "She asked me why you act so different toward Hazel and I in public versus at home while you treat her and Nick, as near as makes no difference, exactly the same."

"Any hint of judgement or remorse?" John asked worriedly.

"None at all. She's very happy, John. She did a video call with Nick this afternoon and he played her a new song he wrote for her."

"How's he settling in up in Boston?"

"Just fine, although I still miss him terribly."

"It's only been a few weeks. Let's give him until Halloween before we go visit."

"We can't afford that," she chided.

"We'll make it work," he whispered confidently.

She sighed and said, "I do miss my son, John. But he is truly doing just fine. This is his chance to gain some independence and decide what kind of person he wants to become."

"What are you saying?"

"He's supposed to be gone. You're not. I won't have you taking on even more work just so I can take a frivolous trip to Boston to intrude on my son."

"I would have gone with you," he retorted lamely.

"I know you would have, dear man. But I'd much rather you take a day off than spend even more of your free time working."

"I really do love you," he whispered before kissing her tenderly.

"I love you too," she murmured as their lips parted.

"In any case, I had a meeting today which might make things..."

"How'd the interview go," Hazel's voice called out so exuberantly from the entryway that he could hear the door rebound off the stopper and slam back into her.

"Interview?" Elaine asked quietly, her lips still scant centimeters from his.

"I was getting there," he replied softly. "Although I admit that it's hard to concentrate on anything else when you're standing this close."

"Are you asking me to back off?"

"Never," he declared before kissing her again.

"John? Did you hear me?" Hazel shouted before rounding the corner and stopping short. "Oh."

"Come here," John beckoned.

She flowed into the couple's embrace and allowed John to claim her lips. He kissed her thoroughly, savoring the fact that the calm which had washed over him when entering Elaine's presence was now made complete with Hazel's arrival. In some ways, he thought of the pair as sorceresses. Each alone made him incomparably happy, but when he was with both his happiness rose to stratospheric levels regardless of what they were doing. Everything from making love to trying to figure out what to make for dinner filled him with such serene contentment that he hardly minded the grueling hours he worked to support them. The only thing which truly bothered him about his work was how much time he was forced to spend away from them. In truth, he would have worked far harder even if his only reward was one additional smile from each of his lovers.

He pulled back from Hazel and smiled warmly. "I missed you too, beautiful."

"I bet you say that to all the ladies."

"Just two," he replied with a wicked grin. "How was your day?"

"Terrible," she huffed. "Because there's this guy in my life. And I really like him, but sometimes he's kind of a lot. Like when he won't tell me how his interview went!"

"I give," he retorted with his hands raised. "But you beauties need to sit on the couch. I can't think when you're this close to me."

"We'll see how well you can think later tonight when Elaine's grinding her pussy into your face and you're balls deep in my ass."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to form a coherent thought until then," he replied with a grin.

"I was promised dinner," she retorted with feigned disappointment.

"We'll get there, unless you try to overload my brain again. A man can only resist so much temptation."

"I'll be good," Hazel promised. "For now."

"Well, I won't," Elaine cut in. "Unless someone tells me what's going on."

"I got John an interview with that company I was telling you about a few nights ago. It was this afternoon."

"So," Elaine prompted. "How'd it go?"

John glanced at Hazel and said, "Good. I think. Although I certainly understand why Hazel kept the details quiet until the last minute."

"Why?"

"Because the company's mission is collecting and using data to support women's issues. I'm not sure I saw two other men in the entire office. It wouldn't have been hard to get up in my head about it. But, as it stood, I went in reasonably ignorant and with the mindset of 'what's the worst that could happen?'. I have no doubt it helped."

"Did they offer you the gig?"

"No. But I still feel like the interview went very well. And, even if I don't get the job, I still think that's the kind of field I'd like to go into. I think I've had my fill of companies whose secret, or not so secret, mission statement is nothing more than making money. I think it would feel good to work toward making the world a better place for Lena instead of just trying to make enough money that she can endure living in the hellscape the one percent would build for us."

"Hear, hear!" Hazel declared. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

John smiled at her serenely and sank back in his chair. It took him several moments to notice that she was practically vibrating with nervous energy. He glanced between the women several times before saying, "What?"

"I have news as well," Hazel replied excitedly. "I just got signed to a seven-event deal for an upscale women's clothier chain. I'll be doing a series of regional annual meetings all over the country."

"That's wonderful," Elaine gushed, hugging the woman who had become so much more than her best friend warmly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks," Hazel sighed happily. "I'm really happy about it. It also means we can finally end the charade."

"What charade?" John asked, suddenly quite nervous.

"Would you relax?" she teased. "We're not leaving you, babe. Ever. What I meant was that we can stop pretending this is our home. Whether you get this job or not, my speaking work means we can finally move back to our true home, and I can stop coming up with creative ways to sabotage that annoyingly effective realtor you hired."

"You've been the reason the house won't sell?" he asked in amazement.

"Of course. Why else would it still be on the market? It's incredible. But it's also our home."

He frowned and said, "I should be furious with you."

She stood and crossed to his chair, Elaine following close behind. They settled into his lap as she said, "You should... but you aren't. Because you know I'm right."

He looked to his brunette lover and said, "Were you in on this?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged innocently.

"Fine," he grumped. "We can move back to the house. As long as we're all going."

"I've already given notice on the apartment," Elaine reported happily.

"Don't I get a vote in anything?" he complained.

"Of course," Elaine replied with a smirk. "You get to pick where we go to dinner; and whether or not you'd like company in the shower before we depart; and whether we make slow, sweet, passionate love or you fuck us so hard we require medical attention."

He kissed her slowly, but thoroughly, before saying, "I suppose I can live with that."

Thirty-Eight

"All right everyone," John cut in, interrupting a spirited debate amongst his employees about preferred Thanksgiving sides. "As much as I appreciate the camaraderie, I think you'd all prefer I get to the last slide for today's meeting."

"Fine," they grumbled good naturedly.

He glanced around the table at the seven women and three men who comprised his senior leadership team and smiled at how well they worked as a group, both professionally and personally. Only four of them were holdovers from when he had started his new job as chief information officer of the politically motivated organization with whom Hazel had arranged an interview several months prior. Since onboarding, he had transformed their entire information technology division and hired entire new departments to support his vision for the future.

John smiled broadly at the group and said, "Everyone's holiday just started. They're not company holidays, but everyone gets Wednesday and Friday off. Tell your teams, I want hands off keyboards until Monday morning. Our people have been busting their asses to get things up and running. They deserve a holiday. And so do you."

A jubilant whoop arose as one from the team and they quickly filed out to spread the news. The only holdout was a woman named Donna, a software architect who was also his longest tenured employee. She looked at him severely and said, "What's your game?"

"Pardon?"

"We have a ton of work left to do before we'll be ready for the election next year. You really think it's a good idea to give everyone five days off?"

"People write bad code when they're tired."

She scoffed and said, "That's what quality assurance is for."

"People also find new jobs. And the good ones never complain, they just pop by your desk one morning and tell you they're gone in two weeks. We'll get far more out of this team by setting boundaries and prioritizing our work than we will telling them they have an impossible amount of work to complete and expecting them to work around the clock until its done."

"But how will we ever finish?"

He shrugged and said, "We won't."

"But the election..."

"We won't finish everything, but we'll finish the important bits. We'll also have people come to us and suggest solutions we never even considered. Because they're not being overworked, and because we're taking the time to make sure we're building the right software. Trust me on this, I've been in every kind of shop there is. The only ones who ever change the world never forget that their most important resource is their people."

She shrugged and headed for her desk, but he could sense that he had made an impression. He had known when he accepted this job that it was a monumental undertaking, but he also had the confidence of the CEO that he could make good on his promises. A big part of that was building the best team in the business. And, thus far, the strategies that he had worked out, with Hazel and Elaine's eager assistance, were proving more successful than he had dared to dream was possible.

He did a sweep around the office, shooing a few reluctant developers out the door before he made his way to his trusty, if ancient, hatchback. The text he had sent his partners offering to make any stops they required left little doubt what lay in store for him upon reaching the house. It had been six months since Elaine had joined John and Hazel in the relationship that had irrevocably changed all their lives, and their plans for a celebration were both extensive and X-rated. Hazel had landed an hour prior and would likely arrive at the house as he did. Nick had driven down from college for the holiday so he could take more of his equipment back to school upon his return.

John entered the house boisterously, loudly calling out, "Honey, I'm ho... lee shit!"

Elaine glanced past her knee at him and teasingly said, "Something the matter?"

She was wearing what he suspected was an apron, but it was difficult for him to be certain considering she was bent at the waist with her impeccable derriere facing in his direction. She was also, other than the apron and a pair of black eight-centimeter pumps, completely naked. From his vantage point, he could clearly see her lower lips glistening with excitement and her puckered star calling out for his attention.

"What about the kids?" he hissed.

Without moving to straighten from her bent over position, Elaine said, "Nick took Lena to a movie. I figure we've got ninety minutes until they return. So, I guess the real question is, what do you intend to do about it."

"You're a wicked, evil woman," he whispered huskily.

"And you love me for it," she replied, just as lustily.

"You're goddamned right I do," he grunted as he began hurrying in her direction. He awkwardly slid the last few meters, dropping to his knees as he slowed. He misjudged his lunge slightly and had to grip her thighs tightly to keep from knocking her over as he drove the tip of his tongue into her asshole.

"Oh, John," she moaned as she pushed back against him.

"How much did I miss?" Hazel called out from the door to the garage.

"N... nothing," Elaine gasped as John's tongue pierced her puckered star.

"Goddamn, that's hot," Hazel replied as she entered the kitchen.

John pulled back slightly, stopping only to flick his tongue at Elaine's clit before saying, "Nothing? Have my skills degraded so much? Perhaps I should start watching porn again to improve my technique."

"Quit fishing for compliments, handsome," Elaine replied brightly as she turned to face him.

Both John and Hazel were stuck momentarily motionless at the sight of Elaine's full D-cups overflowing her apron. The latter was the first to recover and quickly finished undressing. She strutted over to Elaine and wrapped an arm around her waist. The two kissed briefly, little more than a sisterly peck, before returning their attention to their lover.

He gazed up at them adoringly, as mesmerized as ever by their beauty. On his left was the alluringly curvy Hazel, with her soft voluptuousness featuring her spectacular F-cup breasts and her rounded, loving face which was perfectly framed by her shoulder length blonde hair. On his right was the elegantly beautiful Elaine, with her creamy skin, long black hair and exotic charm. Between the pair, they embodied every fantasy John had ever dared to imagine, especially considering the libidinous way they gazed down at him.

"Christ, you two are beautiful," he whispered.

Elaine glanced behind her before saying, "While I will truly never tire of you looking at me like that, time grows short. Only seventy-eight minutes remain until the children return."

Hazel smiled and said, "I suggest we revisit the toe-curlingly, life-alteringly, adoring worship later this evening when the children are sleeping."

"Those aren't words," Elaine observed with a chuckle.

"Do you want to debate semantics, or do you want our dear lover to fuck us so hard the neighbors file another complaint at the next homeowners' meeting?"

Elaine smiled brightly and said, "Definitely the latter. Come on!"

She grabbed Hazel's hand, and they raced toward the stairs. John got to his feet and chased after them. He reached the master bedroom just as they leapt cackling onto the bed. As he divested himself of his clothing, they situated themselves so they were lying on their backs side by side. Hazel reached over to the bedside table and, after rummaging around for a moment, extracted a modestly sized glass dildo and a vibrator which looked like a ray-gun from a sixties sci-fi movie.

John climbed onto the bed and quickly dove between Hazel's widespread thighs, sinking his tongue into her soaked opening as he sank onto the bed. She sighed in contentment as he lapped along her slippery slit, tasting her with an almost desperate energy. He reached out his right hand and blindly sought the glass dildo Elaine was using to tease her own entrance. Taking it from her, he thrust it into her core with agonizing patience. With his left hand, he reached around Hazel's thigh to seek out one of her titanic tits, groaning in pleasure when his questing digits found their prize.

Throughout the movement of his hands, John's tongue never stopped lavishing praise on Hazel's luscious pussy. He tasted her from clit to asshole and loved every glistening millimeter. He sensed her orgasm arriving rapidly along with her desperate need for release. He knew instinctively that she wanted, even needed, to cum quickly before settling into their lovemaking, so he focused on her clit.

Within seconds, she was thrashing beneath him and her panting filled the room. She gripped his head between her hands and pulled him eagerly into her throbbing clit. He cheered silently, his vocal cords being quite useless at the moment, at the way she used him for her pleasure. Their love for, and comfort with, each other was complete. He knew that just as he loved the way she was grinding her sex into his mouth to extend her own orgasm, she would love it just as much if he gripped her by the hair as he came down her throat.

As Hazel's orgasm began to recede, he felt a tug at his hip and realized he was no longer pleasuring Elaine. He allowed her to rotate his lower body and groaned in pleasure as his cock popped free of its confinement. He distantly heard a coo of pleasure before the warm heat of Elaine's mouth surrounded his manhood. He rose up from between Hazel's thighs to find his brunette lover's body stretching along his, except inverted. He licked along her thigh, which was conveniently next to his head, and she obligingly lifted her leg to allow him to slide beneath her. She settled onto him, taking his cock even deeper into her mouth as his tongue delved into her feminine folds.

He could not define in words the differences in taste between his lovers, a strange position in which to find oneself considering they were quite different, yet somehow simultaneously both pure perfection. He embraced her waist tightly, pulling her closer and shivering in pleasure at the sensation of his cock slipping into her throat.

Moments later his pleasure rose to even higher levels as Hazel joined the fun once more, lavishing praise upon his balls with her tongue. The sensation was exquisite, and the pleasure they were giving him was complete. Without warning, he felt himself succumbing to their ministrations and exploded down Elaine's eager throat. He heard her yelp softly in surprise as she pulled back slightly so he could fill her mouth. His body spasmed violently beneath his raven-haired beauty as his hips jerked with each additional torrent. He felt the heated warmth of his release streaming down the sides of his manhood, only to be lapped up eagerly by Hazel.

He felt Elaine straighten above him and had a perfect image in his mind's eye of her stretching languidly above him while his cum dripped off her chin onto her perfectly shaped breasts. He could feel Hazel's tongue daintily tracing through his chest hair to lap up the small dollops which slid from the tips of Elaine's nipples and her body started to quiver in anticipation of her rapidly approaching release.

John tongued her asshole lewdly, lubing it up thoroughly before he returned his attention to her clit. He slipped a hand around her thigh to tease her ass.

"Yes," she hissed as his first knuckle disappeared into her forbidden embrace.

Just as he felt Elaine nearing her first orgasm, he felt Hazel slide down onto his once again turgid manhood. His free hand rose up, like the undead trying to break free from the grave, seeking out the four most perfect breasts in the known universe. He groped them libidinously, switching frequently between Elaine's marvelously shaped D-cups and Hazel's truly spectacular F-cups.

"You two are so beautiful," Hazel whispered as she gradually built up her pace on his cock.

John smiled to himself and caused another digit to disappear into the creamy perfection of Elaine's ass as he thrashed her throbbing clit with his tongue.

"I'm cumming!" Elaine shouted wantonly as she ground her clit against John's tongue. He felt her crash forward, and knew from the change in Hazel's movements that Elaine had fallen into her arms. He continued pleasuring her clit and teasing her pretty asshole until he felt the bone-deep shudder which signified she was spent.

She rolled to his side and laid panting beside him, her creamy skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. His eyes fell to Hazel who was gazing down at him lovingly. His hands found her breasts, almost of their own accord.

"All yours," she murmured happily. "Always yours."

"I'm the luckiest man alive."

"Fuck, you feel good."

He pulled her down and kissed her briefly before whispering, "Lay down. Together."

She smiled in response before rolling off him and joining Elaine at the head of the bed. They smiled triumphantly at each other and joined hands before gazing down at him.

"I love you both so goddamned much," he sighed reverently.

"Ditto," Elaine replied with a smile just as Hazel nodded and said, "Same."

He crawled between Hazel's thighs and sank into her velvety embrace. It never failed to amaze him just how wonderous the sight of her stunningly curvy body moving beneath him as they made love was. And it was more than just her amazing breasts. It was every square centimeter of her body which had been, he was quite certain, designed by a higher power with sex in mind.

"I love the way you look at me," she whispered adoringly.

"I can't help it. You're so fucking sexy, honey."

"I love you so much."

He leaned close, kissing her deeply without ever slowing the thrusting of his hips. As their lips parted, he felt the tightening of her inner walls around his pulsing manhood. He nipped her ear and said, "I want you to cum for me.'

Elaine, who had rolled over and was mere centimeters from Hazel's other ear, said, "I want to watch, dears. I want to see the instant he takes you over the edge."

"Oh, fuck," Hazel gasped as her muscles seized, almost as if her body was preparing itself for something monumental.

John thrust again, going deeper than before to heighten her release as she quivered around him. Her moans quickly turned to screams and he heard his name echoing off the walls as she rode out wave after wave of pleasure.

"That was beautiful," Elaine whispered in awe as she kissed John's upper arm.

He turned to her and said, "Your turn."

"Oh no, I already came once."

"Once?" he scoffed. "I'd never stoop to allowing one of my true loves to settle for one measly orgasm."

"But I came again watching you two," she objected, waving the vibrator like a conductor's baton for emphasis.

"I don't buy it," John retorted. "I didn't hear a peep from you."

"With as much noise as Hazel was making, I could have made a frozen margarita and you wouldn't have heard."

"Flag on the play," Hazel interjected weakly. "Too much pre-fucking jabbering. If you don't make with the love, I'll sentence you to ass-fucking only."

John shrugged and said, "Ok," just as Elaine smirked and said, "Fine by me."

"Then get to it. In all seriousness, the kids will be home any minute."

Elaine rolled onto her back and crooked her finger alluringly at John. He climbed between her thighs and accepted the bottle of lube Hazel offered. After making the appropriate preparations, he placed the glistening head of his cock against Elaine's slippery puckered star. She nodded; her face filled with eager anticipation. He pushed slightly and watched in amazement as the head of his cock disappeared into her ass.

"My God, you feel incredible," she whispered.

"My thoughts exactly, my love," he replied softly.

He bent to suck on her nipples as his cock made the achingly slow journey until his pulsing shaft was completely enveloped. He paused for a moment to allow her to adjust to his girth before beginning to thrust his hips. He picked up speed slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"That's so fucking hot," Hazel gasped, the dildo and the vibrator filling her hands as she pleasured both her holes.

The sight nearly caused John to lose control, but Elaine's slowly building release gave him pause. He had promised her another orgasm, and he would be damned if he let her down. His eyes grazed up her body, taking in the devastating jiggle of her breasts each time he thrust into her and the breathless anticipation in her eyes. Hazel was just above her, leaning against the pillows as she fucked her own ass with the dildo and pleasured her clit with the vibrator.

"John?" Elaine gasped urgently. "I'm so close."

"I'm with you," he gasped excitedly.

He thrust a final time before exploding deep in her ass. The first eruption of his molten cum deep within her triggered her own release and she screamed his name in ecstasy. Hazel's voice joined Elaine's moments later as the blonde brought herself to completion. John's body spasmed helplessly as countless jets of his essence filled his raven-haired MILF.

When he was spent, he leaned forward to claim first Elaine's and then Hazel's lips in a brief, but passionate, kiss. As their lips parted, they heard two very different voices call from downstairs, "We're home!"

John rolled to the side and took a deep breath before sighing, "Home," with unreserved contentment.

Epilogue

One Year Later

"Good morning," Katherine murmured contentedly around her steaming cup of coffee.

"It is indeed a very good morning," John replied brightly. "Sleep well?"

"Marvelously."

She waited while he collected his own coffee before joining her at the table.

He looked around slowly before saying, "I still can't believe you did all this."

"It was my pleasure, John."

They sat in the aft dining salon of a forty-meter, three masted sailing yacht anchored off the coast of St. Maarten. The vacation was her gift to him, something she had insisted on when he had mentioned wanting to take Lena on a trip over the holidays. He had certainly had something thriftier in mind, his only requirement being that his unconventional family take a cruise. It would also not have been his first choice to have Katherine and her lovers along for the trip, but he was increasingly coming to agree with his partners about the rightness of his ex-wife joining them as their holiday progressed.

"Good morning," Lena enthused as she burst from below decks, closely followed by her friend Ingrid.

The pair made a beeline for the table where there was a platter filled with pastries and fruit waiting for them beneath a glass cover.

"Watch the railing," John warned as the pair looked down into the water as they munched on croissants.

A frequent topic of discussion leading up to the trip had been whether to require personal floatation devices for the youngsters when they were above decks, but the decision had been made to allow them to go without while the ship was at anchor and they were being supervised.

Within ten minutes, the remainder of their touring party had started breakfast. It was a collection which any unknowing observer could easily assume was three distinct families, especially considering the threesome of adult males and females and the pair of both twelve-year-old girls and twenty-year-old boys. John would have started their trip labeling them two families, one with Katherine and her partners and the other with John and his lovely ladies along with Nick and his boyfriend Zhou with Lena being included in both groupings. However, the more time he spent with Katherine and her partners Richard and Harold, the more John felt like they were one big family.

Once breakfast wrapped up, they weighed anchor and headed southwest, ostensibly toward Panama but their true goal was just to sail into the open water of the Caribbean Sea. The ocean was smooth as glass, which suited the mood of everyone onboard perfectly. They spent the time busily readying themselves since even in such a luxurious craft it was a bit of a labor to cycle through the tiny showers.

Just six minutes before the clock in the main salon clicked over to two in the afternoon, the ship's PA crackled to life. "Attention all hands... attention all hands... we have entered international waters."

Within moments, all the ship's passengers had assembled on the bow along with an all-important member of the crew. John looked in amazement across the assembled group. Katherine stood smiling between her partners wearing a flowing yellow sundress and designer sunglasses while they were dressed in sky blue cuffed button-up shirts and white slacks. Ingrid stood in front of Katherine wearing a light green frilly jumper while Zhou stood beside Harold wearing a white polo and coral shorts.

John stood beside the uniformed captain wearing a white linen suit and feeling, despite the assurances of his handsomeness from his lovers, very much like the star of an infamous eighties show about drug trafficking in Miami.

Soft Baroque music began playing from the ship's PA just before Lena appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a pure white sundress and holding a bouquet of local flowers, her dazzling smile rivalling the early afternoon sun for its brilliance. She was quickly followed by the identically dressed Hazel and Elaine with Nick, whose suit matched John's, standing between them. Elaine's sundress did little to hide the pooch caused by their daughter who was scheduled to meet the world three months hence. Hazel's baby bump was barely noticeable, her pregnancy lagging Elaine's by three months.

The wedding was brief, but it still left most of those in attendance with misty eyes. Once the captain announced their union, a cheer went up from the crew which had silently assembled behind them. The passengers came together, exchanging hugs and handshakes while the crew popped the champagne and sparkling apple juice.

Hazel's tears were flowing freely, leading John to pull her close and whisper, "You ok, honey?"

"Yes," she enthused. "I can't believe this actually happened."

He cradled her baby bump and said, "Believe it, my love. You're both officially stuck with me forever now."

Elaine, who had joined their embrace, kissed them both warmly, although her lips lingered significantly longer against John's. She then smiled and said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

They settled back into a couch near the railing and took a sip of their beverages. Katherine wandered over and said, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Elaine replied genuinely. "This was better than my wildest dreams."

"You all deserve it," John's ex replied with a warm smile.

He grinned up at her and said, "How long until we do this trip again for you to tie the knot with your fellas?"

"We were just talking about that," she replied coyly. "I figured that since it will likely be challenging for you guys to travel internationally for a few years once my niece and nephew-slash-niece are born, that maybe we could just do it... tomorrow?"

"That's great!" Hazel gushed.

"Are you sure?" Katherine asked hesitantly. "I don't want to butt in on your wedding cruise."

"Of course," Hazel replied.

"I agree," Elaine added. "That's truly the only thing that could make this week any more perfect."

"John?" Katherine asked quietly.

"It's perfect, honey. Except are you sure you're ok doing this without your family here?"

"Everyone who truly matters is already here."

"Then it's a date," John announced happily.

Katherine sighed and said, "I'm going to go get Lena changed, since that flower girl dress will need to do double duty."

"Shouldn't you also tell the grooms-to-be the good news?"

She glanced back at where they were standing arm in arm, gazing at her adoringly, and said, "I think they already know. But, yes, I'll tell them as well. But this day is about you guys."

John settled back, his arms around his wives, and sighed contentedly. He glanced at them both in turn before saying, "I never thanked you."

"For what?" Elaine asked in confusion.

"For making my dreams come true."

"It really did come together perfectly," Hazel agreed.

He nodded and said, "It's more than this most perfect of days, because every day since I fell in love with my soul mates has been the new best day of my life."

"I don't know," his blonde-haired wife with curves that could make his cock stand at attention, even doing the most mundane of tasks, replied softly. "This day will be pretty hard to top."

"Indeed," his raven-haired wife who was the embodiment of maternal love while simultaneously being the sultriest vixen in the known universe, agreed. "But that is only because we have yet to experience our next best day." Her hand cradled her swollen belly as her daughter let out a particularly energetic kick, as though already anxious to join the conversation.

John kissed them both thoroughly, letting their love surround him. "I couldn't have said it better myself. I feel as though this was always the life we were meant to live, and I'll never stop being grateful." He stood and offered them each a hand to help them stand. They flowed against him as he whispered, "It appears that our guests have decided to spend our trip back to St. Maarten sunbathing."

"I do believe Katherine has taken it upon herself to give us some alone time," Elaine said softly.

"I see," John replied with an air of confusion. "I wonder what she expects us to be doing?"

"Celebrating?" Hazel offered.

He shrugged and said, "Very well. Perhaps a bit of dancing... or sampling one of those delightful rum cocktails the bartender is showcasing... or perhaps a nap... it's been a long day."

"This is my first official decree as your wife," Hazel declared seriously. "You have thirty seconds to get to our cabin."

"And thirty seconds after that to get rid of those pesky clothes," Elaine added in the same tone.

Hazel nodded and said, "What you do next is your choice, but I'll start seriously questioning my own judgement in life partners if you haven't buried that magnificent cock in one of us thirty seconds after that."

"Well, we couldn't have that," John replied softly.

He preceded them down the steep, narrow stairwell, their pregnant condition at the forefront of his mind. But he quickened his pace once they reached the carpeted deck at the base of the stairs. While he did not consult a stopwatch, he believed that Elaine's triumphant moan as she sank onto his throbbing manhood meant that he had made it under the wire. Hazel's brilliant smile as she straddled his face reinforced his jubilation. As he watched, Hazel leaned back against Elaine and the latter kissed the former's cheek tenderly as they both gazed down at him lovingly.

As they sped toward their mutual release, John felt the last vestige of doubt and anxiety from his former life leave his body. He honestly could not have attested to whether he had in fact succumbed to heat stroke eighteen months prior while dangling from the ladder alongside his house and fallen to his death only to have been transported instantaneously to the heaven in which he did not believe. And, in truth, he could not have cared less. Heaven for him was where his soul mates were, whether it was in the ethereal plane or on a yacht lazily steaming across the Caribbean hours after he promised to love, honor and cherish them for the rest of his days. And he would never stop giving thanks for the good fortune which had allowed him to rise from the ashes of a life of mediocrity destined to end in heart failure to find his own personal version of Paradise.

The End

Thanks so much for taking the time to read John's tale. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review.

The Phoenix Accord

by Jake Lazarus

Copyright © 2023 Jake Lazarus

All rights reserved.

This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the author (except for the use of brief quotations in a review).

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.