I Want Her to Know What Love Is C20

In this chapter, another engineer is threatened with blackmail and he has a wife and two kids. In order to keep the kids from having to spend Christmas at a hotel, they're invited to Rooster's. Rooster, along with security finds two thugs in the engineer's house. Greg fucks up enough he can be arrested. This chapter contains oral sex, interracial sex, group sex, a threesome, and discusses gay sex. My thanks to Johnny Galt for his editing assistance. This is a copyrighted work. Do not edit, copy, alter, or publish anywhere else, no matter what format it takes. Don't be a thief. © Copyright, 2025

I Want Her to Know What Love Is, Ch 20

Greg Hudson's Mistake

"Can I come?"

"Fine by me. I'm going there now."

"Do I have to stay in the car?"

"Not this time. He won't be expecting us."

We headed straight to Greg's place.

"How do you know where he lives?" Sonia asked.

I looked at her.

"Oh, yeah, top-secret ninja shit."

"When you have an enemy, it pays to know what his plans are."

"Do you know?"

"Not yet, but I'm doing more digging."

"I'm getting even hotter for your body."

"Keep it on low simmer until we get home."

I got the full Sonia smile.

We marched up to Greg's door and knocked. I don't know if he was expecting someone else, or just didn't give a damn, but he opened the door without looking. As soon as he saw me and Sonia, he tried closing the door again. That didn't work well.

"What do you want?" Greg asked when I pushed through the door, closely followed by Sonia.

"You out of my life for starters."

"What did I do this time?"

"I don't know, Greg, but I'm sure you know. Let's see, more bugs at Maya's, bugs at my house, bugs at work, had to fire my housecleaning staff, blackmail threats to one of the engineers who works for me, idiots waiting for me in my parking lot, idiots trying to break into said engineer's house, threatening me, and getting their asses kicked. You name it, it's got your oily, rancid fingers all over it.

"The thing is, Greg, you fucked up. You fucked up your own life and you're still trying to blame other people for your problems, starting with your marriage. Hell, you could have lived a fairly respectable life working at Cybernetics, but you screwed up again. Can't give up Maya without pissing all over her, her new boyfriend, her new girlfriend. Once you got fired, you could have gone back to running your whores again, but no, why make things easy on yourself? You feel this irrational compulsion to get even for your own fucking mistakes, thereby compounding your problems.

"The engineer tells his wife about his sexual transgressions so he can't be blackmailed, and there are a couple more stooges on his doorstep trying to break into his house. You better hope those two idiots don't spill their guts, because I know you're behind them. If it weren't for the other bugs at Maya's, maybe it could all be blamed on corporate espionage or foreign agents, but no, you still have a bone to pick with Maya because she doesn't want to be married to a pimp who fucking cheated on her for seven years. Right now, you're calling attention to yourself, to your business, and to everyone who works for you, and so far, you've got nothing but hospital bills. Anything happens now, it's not just my buddies you need to worry about, it's the whole federal government. How dim can you be? Grow the fuck up, why don't you?"

"I had nothing to do with anything that happened tonight."

"Oh, you mean the fact that they work for your illegal business doesn't have anything to do with anything? It's just a coincidence, even though the other two idiots worked for you too? What were their names, Vinnie and Stan? Of course, you told them not to do anything without your say-so, so they're either off the tracks again or they finally got your say-so."

"Do you have me bugged?"

"What, stoop to your level, Greg? Why don't you start sweeping your apartment and find out? I'm sure if you pay to have it done once a week, you'll keep me out of your bedroom where I can listen to you banging more of your product. After all, you did send her out to her street corner again, even though it was cold. What did you say to her? Work or go hungry? You're a real charmer, Greg. You're becoming like every other pimp that works in the city. If you ever really started because you were a nice guy protecting the girls, that person died a long time ago, and an asshole took over."

He could sweep the hell out of it every day and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.

"You bastard!"

"You know what they say about sticks and stones, Greg. If I have to come over here again, I'm going to fuck you up, and after I do, I'll let Sonia crush your balls with a nice pair of stilettos. Get the fuck out of my life, or you're going to regret it."

"Is that a threat?"

"More of a promise."

"Well, you can take your whore and get the fuck out!"

I slapped him across the face. It wasn't hard, but it was humiliating. He looked like he wanted to retaliate, but he was smarter than that.

"Call her a whore again in front of me," I said.

"I should have you arrested."

"Did he just slap you, Sonia?"

"He sure did."

"I was just protecting my fiancée, and I didn't do anything more than you just did. Go ahead. Call the cops. I'm sure they have questions after those other bozos got arrested. They probably haven't even had time to give you the bad news. It seemed to me you were waiting for someone when you opened the door, Greg. Like maybe the two I found trying to pick their way into a man and wife's home. Unfortunately, they had to make a stop at the hospital first before they headed to jail to get their phone call. You go after any more of my employees, I will come down on you hard, shit for brains."

"Get out."

"Have a pleasant evening, pimp. Come along, honey."

"I'm so fucking hot for you right now," Sonia said, "a raging volcano."

"I know you are. Let's see if we can do something about that."

Greg slammed the door behind us.

*****

Bobbi was waiting up for us when we got home. Sonia was shedding her clothes as soon as we got through the bedroom door, clothes flying everywhere she couldn't get them off fast enough.

"How did the blow job lesson go? Is Violet going to start blowing her husband now?" Bobbi asked. "How big is Larry's cock?"

"Didn't happen," Sonia said. "Don't get between me and Rooster's dick. It wouldn't be pretty."

Sonia started tearing at my clothes. My undressing pace not matching with her needs at the moment.

"What the hell happened?"

Sonia pushed me down on the bed and mounted my cock, already rock hard from the stroking she'd been doing in the car.

"A couple of thugs were trying to pick the locks on Larry's house when we got there." Sonia moaned as she bounced off my abs on her downward plunge, only to start back up again. "Rooster ate them for breakfast in about five seconds while I called the cops. You should have seen him, Bobbi. He would have made your pussy as wet as mine was. He sent them both to the hospital, crushed trachea and broken nose and concussion." She climaxed, really moaning now. "Then we went to Greg's apartment and Rooster gave him a dressing down before he bitch-slapped the punk. We have an amazing man, Bobbi. I can't believe we both lucked out with him."

She was rocking up and down pretty fast now, fucking herself feverishly.

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. Get undressed and ride this stud's face. Maybe I'll let you fuck him sometime tonight, but don't get your hopes up too much. I am so much in lust with him right now."

Bobbi laughed, pulled off her sleep outfit and climbed aboard my face. Sonia had climaxed twice she was so turned on, before I got Bobbi off once, but it evened out after that as we got into a rhythm.

After I climaxed, Sonia cleaned me off while Bobbi did the honors on her. The immediate needs satisfied, we told Bobbi more about what happened while she played with my cock. By the time we'd finished, I was hard again and this time, the two girls got into a sixty-nine, but it was still Sonia I fucked, unwilling to give me up yet. I got almost as much attention to my balls as Sonia got to her clit, so we were both doing well, and Sonia knew how to lick pussy, so Bobbi was enjoying her time as the bottom bitch.

Another orgasm for me and more clean up, and we took a rest. We got the phone call I was expecting from Larry, saying he'd found a nice place to stay with Violet.

"You're on speaker phone, Larry. Do you have a safe place to stay?"

"We're staying at a Marriott, if that's okay with you, Mr. Johnson?"

"That's fine. Remember to keep your receipts."

"Violet wanted to know if you really think those men were after her?"

"I am concerned it was a possibility, Larry. If all they were going to do is inform Violet of your marital transgressions, they could have knocked on the door. The fact they were trying to break in makes their intentions seem more criminal, doesn't it? I suppose they could have threatened or beaten you, but once they let you go to do their bidding, how would they keep you from immediately calling the police? They had to have some other plan to keep you compliant."

"We're lucky you were coming over," Larry said.

"Fortune was definitely smiling on you."

"We both wanted to thank you for protecting us. Do you think you'll have any problems with the police?"

"No, that was pretty cut and dried as crimes go. I'll have to sign a statement tomorrow, but until the men go to trial, I think I'm done with it."

"Are we still in danger?"

"I don't know. I spoke to the man I think is responsible and warned him to leave my employees alone, but I can't guarantee he'll listen. He's letting his ego get in the way of his smarts. Will I be seeing you at work tomorrow?"

"Is it all right if I take the day off? Violet's still quite upset."

"No, that's fine. Call Bruce in the morning and let him know what happened, but not where you are. Tell him I gave you the time off, and let him know I'm coming into work tomorrow to warn the other employees. Give Violet some love and attention if she needs it. Don't tell anyone where you're staying at the moment except me, the police, and both your parents. Make sure they don't tell anyone else. We want your current location a well-guarded secret until we're sure things are okay."

"Does this mean Violet won't be getting blow job lessons?" Larry asked. "Violet wanted to know if that was still going to happen."

"Not tonight, Larry. I'm sure that will have to wait for another time. Maybe this weekend? I'm just not sure. I'll have to check on some things first."

"Miss Sonia is still willing to provide them?"

I looked at Sonia, currently listening with interest, a hand playing with her pussy.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's still interested. She likes sharing her knowledge on how to keep a man happy."

"When do you think we can go back to our house? We've got Christmas to think of."

"I'll let you know when I've figured it out."

"Thank you," Larry said.

"You're welcome."

Bobbi finally got her shot at my cock, and she seemed almost as turned on as Sonia had been. I wondered if that's why some women liked boxing; the violence turned them on. Or maybe not violence per se, but that they knew they had an alpha male to protect them and their offspring, and they felt they needed to keep me happily in the fold. I could have told them they didn't need to try that hard, as I was plenty happy. On the other hand, it didn't hurt me that they wanted to keep me happy, so I was delighted to let them try.

******

I was at the St. Louis Park police station to read and sign my statement. It looked fine except for a couple of typos, which I changed and initialed. Spell check could only do so much.

"This is fine," I told the officer handling the day shift paperwork. "Have the detectives been able to question either of the defendants yet?"

"Not the one with the busted trachea, but they talked to the other fellow," he replied.

"Did they get anything good?"

"Like what?"

"Like who hired them?"

"They said it was them that had the plan, and other than that, they'd wait until they had a lawyer present."

"That's bullshit. I doubt if they have two neurons to rub together."

"The detective felt the same way. Do you have a suspect in mind?"

"A guy named Greg Hudson who runs hookers on Lake Street."

"Why him? What does he want with an engineer?"

"He could care less about the engineer. What he wants is to get back at me, my sister, my fiancée, and maybe a couple of other folks on his shit list. He needed to bug my offices to see if he could learn anything to help do that. The engineer was needed to place the bugs in my company, since it's a secured space with 24-hour security. That's what they wanted with him. I believe he's also bugged my sister's house, her phone, her car, and purses. He's the only one who'd be interested in her, while the rest could be passed off as corporate or foreign state espionage."

"Why's he have a hard-on for you and the others?"

I gave him the whole sad story, leaving aside that Sonia was a former hooker. Not really pertinent at the moment. I also suggested the bugs at Maya's could be used to learn information about me, my wedding, which she was going to be a bridesmaid in, and also information to use in his own divorce.

"That makes a whole lot more sense."

"You might want to consider running a couple of the Lake Street ladies into their hospital rooms to see if the ladies recognize them. I suspect they're the muscle he uses to keep the ladies in line and run off potential trouble to the girls. If they are, the girls have probably met them. You might want to question Greg, maybe get him a little worried his boys are ratting him out."

"Great idea. I'll pass it along."

Next stop, work. I got with Bruce and gave him all the details, then called a company-wide meeting. Not everyone was there, but the others would get emails or texts.

"Hello, everyone. I wanted to personally let everyone know that Larry Ahlgren's home was almost penetrated by someone who'd threatened Larry with blackmail in order to get him to install bugs or listening devices at our company. Larry informed me of the problem, and we ended the threat of blackmail, but maybe they didn't want to take no for an answer. I was going to meet Larry last night to discuss things when I found two men trying to get into his house. The men were dealt with and promptly arrested. Larry is currently somewhere safe until we're sure the problem is ended.

"That brings up a couple of other issues you should all be aware of. Listening devices have already been found here. They were removed a few days ago, which is why Larry was approached the day before yesterday. They were also found in other locations, including my home. It's important not to talk about secret information in non-secure locations. If any of you are threatened for any reason, please let me or Security know immediately. Unless you've already done something, I'll protect your job while making it impossible for you to comply with any threats or blackmail, but you have to speak up. You do something to harm my company, and you're history and expect to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

"The other point is since Larry was no longer responding to a blackmail threat, they might have been going after his wife last night to accomplish the same objective. I want all of you to be hyperaware from now on. Is there anyone following you? Do you see something out of place at your house or here? If you do, call the police, call me, or call security. If you can, send your families to stay with someone else for the time being. I can't be sure of who's responsible, but I'm fairly certain. He's been threatened with physical harm if he messes with my employees.

"We're going to be doubling security here at the building. If you see or hear anything that needs attention, talk to the nearest guard. If you're worried about something, call immediately, don't wait. Gut instinct might tell you something is wrong before your conscious mind figures it out."

"What if you've already been approached," another engineer said.

"When?"

"This morning."

"You're married, aren't you, Ken, two kids?"

"Yes, sir."

"Call your wife and have her go to the neighbor's or a family member's right now. Take any kids who are home with her. We'll send someone to pick up any kids at school. Tony, get with Ken right after his phone call, to find out where his kids are and what time they finish school or day care. Get Ken to give permission for one of your guys to pick them up. When you're done with that, Ken, come see me in my office. I want to know what they're holding over you."

"Yes, sir," both answered and they left.

"How serious is this problem?" Someone else asked. "Is this corporate espionage or foreign agents?"

"I don't think so, but that's always a possibility, so don't ignore it. The guys at Larry's last night weren't foreign and too stupid to be corporate. They were pretty much low-brow thugs."

"What happened to them?"

"One had his windpipe readjusted inward, and the other one suffered a broken nose and other facial contusions and possible concussion. Then they were arrested, and although both are in the hospital now, prison will follow. Any other questions?"

"Are Larry and Violet okay?"

"Just peachy, thanks for asking. He might be back to work tomorrow once everyone's nerves settle. Anything else?" The room was quiet. "Good. Back to work and have a good day. Try not to worry too much. Police are already looking into this and I'm pressing the right buttons to make sure nothing happens."

I headed to my office to wait for Ken, who arrived thirty minutes later.

"What's going on, Ken? Why did you get approached?"

"I've had gay sex a few times."

"And I assume your wife doesn't know?"

"No. I mean, she knows I'm bisexual. I told her before we got married, but she thinks I gave up guys for our marriage, and I did for the first few years, but the last year, I've cheated on her four times with three different guys."

"Were any of them prostitutes?"

"I don't think so. I didn't pay any of them for sex."

"How do you think your blackmailer learned about your sex?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, unless one of them was my blackmailer. Could that be it?"

"One of the bugs here was found in the break room. Did you arrange assignations while on break?"

"I think I did with one of the guys I was meeting after work?"

"That's another possibility. Is it just sex, or is there something emotional going on too?"

"Just sex. I love my wife and my kids and I'd never do anything to hurt them, but every so often, I need a dick."

"If it comes out, Ken, it will hurt them, especially if your wife is being faithful to you."

"I know. Do I have to tell her?"

"I'm not a big fan of secrets in a marriage, Ken. They almost always come out, and usually at the worst possible time. Even if you or I don't tell your wife, and even if the blackmailers are caught before they can tell her, someone else could say something, maybe one of your lovers has a snit and informs her because you pissed him off. You can't assume she'll never find out. That's always a potential problem and remains one unless she already knows. She's going to be asking a lot of questions now that you've had to tell her to leave the house. Are you going to out-and-out lie to her about what's going on?"

"Shit!" He thought for a bit. "What would you do to keep me from hurting the company?"

"I could put you on paid leave, deny you access to the building during your leave, but that only gives them less real incentive to tell your wife. They could tell her anyway out of spite. I don't think we're talking about good folks here. I'd assume the worst."

"You're right. I know you're right, but this will kill her."

"Ken, be honest with yourself. Even if we ended this threat without your wife finding out, are you going to be able to stay away from dick in the future, or will this be a continuing issue?"

"Honestly, I could probably quit for a few more years like the beginning of my marriage, but I'd probably slip up again in the future."

"Then what's the point of not telling her?"

"Do you think she can live with me doing men on occasion?"

"I don't know her that well. I can't answer that question. What about if the tables were turned, Ken? Could you live with it?"

"You mean if she had sex with a woman?"

"Or a man. Cheating is cheating, no matter who you're with. What if she was cheating on you? Could you live with her seeing another man on occasion?"

"I'd be devastated, especially if she left me."

"What if she didn't leave you?"

"I don't know, maybe I could live with it."

"That's the problem with cheating. Someone is always going to get hurt, and maybe a lot of someones will get hurt. You open a door wide enough and you never know what's going to come through it."

"I hate myself right now. What did Larry do to get blackmailed?"

"It's not my story to tell."

"How did he end things with his wife?"

"He told her, and she made him pay a penalty for his actions, but provided it doesn't happen again or there aren't any other issues, I think their marriage will survive."

"What kind of penalty?"

"Again, not my story to tell. I won't say anything about yours either, but you do need to address it somehow."

"Any suggestions for me?"

I had to think about that for a minute. What would Sonia say? She was the sex expert. Something did pop into my head, and maybe it was related to my own situation.

"Has your wife ever expressed any of her fantasies to you?" I asked.

"Maybe a couple. I'm not sure if she'd ever want them to come true in reality."

"Was one of them a threesome with another man?"

"Well, she definitely said no to a threesome with another woman, but she wasn't quite so positive about a threesome with another man."

"There's your possible in. Maybe you should explore the possibility of a man that both of you pick out, a bisexual male, who could fuck both of you. You could enjoy him together. You both have sex with your wife, and you each share him. You get your dick fix, and she gets her DP or whatever was floating her boat when she told you the fantasy. If everything else is good between you and you haven't been shorting her in the sex department when you got fixated on dick, maybe she could live with that. The question remains, can you live with it, watching her have sex with another man; one you're both sharing?"

"Do you think she'd go for that?"

"I don't know, Ken. I'm sure you know her better than I do. I've got another woman in my life, and she's going to be a permanent part of my life, for better or worse, just like Sonia. It seems to be working for us. We're not jealous of the time our partners spend with the other one, but it's not for everyone. But remember, if you're all having unprotected sex with each other, someone other than you could provide your next child. Can you raise another man's child as one of your own? You can't go into this half-assed. You'll need to commit. Your wife will need to know you commit for this to work.

"You can't get jealous of what she does with him, and throw it into her face if you get into an argument. It has to be all for one and one for all, or it's never going to work. That, I can guarantee. It might not anyway, but that's the chance you take. I suggest you think about it, and consider all of your options, or they're going to get taken away from you by someone else, including your blackmailer."

"Thanks, Mr. Johnson. I appreciate you talking to me like this."

"Well, none of it is my decision. You need to figure out what you're going to do, and how you're going to do it. When did you have to decide by or your wife would find out?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight isn't very far away. If you need to take the afternoon to get your head on straight, take it, but I'd expect your wife will know by their deadline unless you fix it first."

"Yes, sir."

"Let me know how it works out. Go home, Ken."

"Yes, sir."

*****

When I got home, I explained to Sonia about Ken, his blackmailer, and my suggestion to him.

"Damn, baby, how progressive is that?" Sonia laughed when I told her.

"Well, I just took our situation and flipped it on its ear. The third party has to be bisexual, enjoying sex with both men and women equally, or it won't work. Everyone has to get something out of it, but it is a possibility if they find the right guy, and if Ken's wife was really fantasizing about an MMF threesome. They've also got two kids, fairly young, so I wonder how they'll handle that."

"And you immediately had him tell his wife to leave the house and ensured his kids were protected?"

"If it happened once, it could happen again until we're sure who's behind it."

"Is there any doubt in your mind?"

"No doubt, but no proof either."

"Are you going to listen to him some more, see what his plans are?"

"After suggesting last night that his apartment was bugged, I doubt he'll be having any useful conversations until he's had his own residence swept.

"Why did you hint that it was bugged?"

"To throw doubt on his plans and what I know, to make him waste his money sweeping his apartment, car, and other places for bugs. Only having access to what he discussed in his bedroom wasn't very helpful to me anyway, as it was mostly sex. I'd also like him to leave the house to make plans. I've got an experienced PI watching him now. He's going to be watching where Greg goes, who he sees, recording what conversations he does have outside the apartment."

"How can he record conversations outside of the apartment?"

"A parabolic microphone aimed at conversations. Did he have an office or someplace that you met him for sex?"

"I usually blew him in his car, and the sex was in the motel I used for johns. I'm not sure if he had an office somewhere. All our business was discussed in his car or my street corner, or via text."

"Well, if he has an office, the PI will find it. I hired him for his expertise in following people."

"On another note, Violet called again, hoping to reschedule her blow job lessons."

"Does she really want to suck her husband's cock that much that she can't wait?"

"I've thought about that since she called again so soon. To be honest, I think she's hoping to see your dick. She obviously didn't see it when you licked her, and look at you compared to Larry. She's got to be wondering what your cock looks like compared to her husband's. I think she saw you and that's one of the reasons she wanted to fuck you instead of just oral sex. You are the king of the henhouse and she wonders about the rooster and how you're keeping two hens satisfied."

"Then you definitely can't demonstrate blow jobs on me."

"As disappointing as that is to me, I think I'd agree with that. I'm so proud of you and your manly cock and I love to show you off to all the other hens, but I'm not looking to cuckold her husband because I gave him blow jobs."

"Then you can reschedule whenever you want, even during the day. Just use one of your toys to demonstrate with."

"Aye, aye, Captain. I'll take care of it tomorrow during the day. Hopefully, Larry is back at work and he can enjoy the results of her training when he comes home. Let me know how the thing with Ken goes. I'm sort of interested."

"I am too. His deadline for agreeing to plant bugs was tonight. He doesn't have much time before his wife finds out anyway."

"What's her name?"

"Barbara."

"You're kidding?"

"No, why?"

"Barbie and Ken?"

I laughed. "Well, I always thought of them as Ken and Barbara, so I didn't make the connection, but that is pretty funny."

"Yeah, all they need is an Allan or African-American Brad for their throuple. Add a Midge and they could have group sex."

"You know all about Barbie dolls, do you?"

"I was a girl. I had a Barbie, but I really got more into the Christie and Nikki dolls, who were black like me."

"How strange was it growing up in a white household?"

"It was the only thing I knew, so not that strange for me or Jared. Maybe it helped to integrate me with the white kids in Waverly. I knew white. I didn't know black. Having a white grandmother has helped Tommy with the white kids. He got along well with everyone."

"He's a good young man. I can see why people would like him."

"How is it that you have such an integrated outlook? Jared and I were the only black kids in Waverly."

"Both Mom and Dad told me to judge people by their actions, and not by what color they were, or what religion they practiced. That's why I hated jocks. Their actions sucked. Despite being a jock, Jared treated me fine. You didn't mistreat me as much as ignore me, which was a whole lot better than most of the other cheerleaders. Then, I got in the army and at the lower enlisted ranks, almost half are minorities. If you have a racial bias down there, half of the people won't watch your back. We had to depend on our brothers, and if they were off, we managed to get rid of most of the bad apples. I'd trust most of them almost as much as my family, and in some cases, more, depending on the family. I have to wonder about Greg Hudson's family. How did he become what he is?"

"Did Maya have much contact with them?"

"Not too much. He came to the U from down South some place. She met them at the wedding and a couple other times, primarily when she had her kids."

"I kind of like that we're racially mixed."

"I do too. I'd worry about raising Tommy in a split society without someone who'd lived it like you have. It's why I thought your parents were so amazing. They didn't see color, they saw need. I admired them for that."

Sonia laid her head on my chest. "The fact that you can admire that is what makes you special. The way you treat Tommy means so much to me. You're just as colorblind as my parents were. You see need, not color. Belinda needs a father, and you're happy to step into the role."

"Tommy saw it too. It means he was raised right."

"Can I be a bad girl if you promise not to use the slave trainer on me?"

"Ooh. What's my bad girl doing this time?"

"Wanting to show off your dick to all of the poor hens who don't have what I have so they can envy me."

"Is that the reason you wanted to use me as your demo dummy?"

"One of the reasons. The other one was her poor attitude towards whores and sucking cock in general, because this whore owns this dick," she grabbed my crotch, "though I'm perfectly willing to share with Bobbi, but I wanted her to compare what I have with what she has, and realize the whore won the jackpot."

I laughed. "I get the impulse. It's the only reason I ever wanted to show up at a class reunion, to rub the jocks and cheerleaders' noses in it. I guess that's worth a couple of swats anyway."

"Good."

******

I got a call from Ken around five, just after the kids got home. I excused myself and found some privacy to talk.

"What's up, Ken?"

"Maybe my marriage. I'm not sure yet. Barbara was pissed. I talked to her about the idea of sharing another man with her, and she's considering it, but I'd say it's forty-sixty at the moment as to whether it survives or not."

"What did she say about the sudden move?"

"That's part of what pissed her off the most; that I might have put our whole family in jeopardy because I needed a cock. I think the whole thing would have gone down better if I'd approached her in the first place and we could have decided together what we'd do, and not that some thugs might be after us now because I was a cock-sucking cheater."

"Do you blame her for the way she feels?"

"No. I really can't. She's right."

"Where did you end up?"

"At her parents at the moment. They're pissed at me too. I think they want Barbara to divorce me. I'm wondering how welcome I am in their home."

"How are the kids taking it?"

"They don't really understand much yet, just that there's a lot of yelling and screaming."

"How old are they?"

"Seven and four."

"Can I call you back in ten or fifteen minutes?"

"Sure."

Bobbi wasn't home yet with Jeremy, but everyone else was there.

The kids were upstairs getting ready for supper, so I spoke to the rest of them.

"There's a fellow at work, married and with two kids, who had to vacate his home suddenly due to the Greg Hudson mess. He's currently at her parents, but everyone is pissed at him because of what he did to get on Greg's radar. He's hoping his marriage survives, but it probably won't if he stays there, because her family is recommending that the wife divorces him. The kids are seven and four. If we invite them here, the kids will have other kids to play with and the atmosphere might be more conducive to a cooling-off period. I'd like your permission to invite them here."

"For how long?" Ann asked.

"Through Christmas, I guess. After that, it might not make any difference where they are, and I can put them in a hotel like Larry and Violet, but maybe we can help save his marriage, and I don't want the kids living in a hotel for Christmas."

"What did he do?" Benson asked.

"He's bisexual, and cheated on her with some men on four separate occasions over the last year, sex only, no emotional involvement."

"I don't have a problem with it," Sonia said.

"Good. You're my sex counselor and I'm hoping you can help defuse the situation."

"It's not like I can teach Barbie how to suck dick like a man. I'm not sure I can help."

"But you do know people and their sexual foibles, so I'm hopeful."

Sonia smiled at me. "More stray kittens?"

"I guess it feels that way. Ann, Benson?"

"It's your house, Rooster," Ann said.

"But you live here, and it's going to be more work for everyone. I won't do it if I don't have a majority vote in favor."

"You can have my vote," Benson said, "as long as they're gone by New Year's."

"Mine too, same conditions," Ann said.

"I'll text Bobbi and get her vote," Sonia said, "although she's already outvoted."

"I still want her opinion. She could sway votes with a compelling argument. Call, she's already in the car and can't text," I said.

"Got it."

Sonia rang Bobbi and put it on speaker. "Hey, lover, you want me to pick up some groceries on the way home?" Bobbi asked.

"Nope. Rooster wants to invite another family over who might be a target of Greg's, because he doesn't want the kids to spend Christmas in a hotel. Kids are age seven and four, and the other adults voted for, but Rooster wants to see if you have objections that could sway the vote. It will probably help that we have other kids here to play with."

"He's not a child molester, is he?"

"Nope, but he is a cock sucker, but I doubt he'll get any cocks here, but it might cool the wife down enough to save his marriage. Right now, he's at his in-laws and they're pushing for the wife to dump him."

"For how long?"

"Just past Christmas for the kid's sake. Out before New Year's."

"I guess I can vote for."

"Thank you for making it unanimous. We'll see you in a few." Sonia hung up and said I had Bobbi's vote, even though we heard the whole conversation.

I gave the two ladies a quick smooch on the cheek and left the room to make my call.

"Ken, I have a proposition for you. I'd like you and the family to come to my house through Christmas. I've got the room, the kids will have three other kids of around the same age to play with, and we won't be pushing Barbara to get a divorce, although we also won't be pushing her to stay married. That's between you two. It might allow for a little cooling down period, especially around the holidays. After Christmas, we'll need to make other arrangements, maybe a hotel or something if the company issues aren't resolved by then, but I don't think your family should be in a hotel over Christmas."

"That's a very kind offer. I'll ask Barbara."

"If she has questions, I'll be happy to talk to her any time after 7:30. We'll be eating soon."

"Thanks, Mr. Johnson."

"Take care, Ken."

It was pretty much 7:30 on the nose when Barbara called. I was monitoring the kids' homework, but they were doing well, so I left them to their own devices to take the call.

"I'm sure you're calling because you have questions, Barbara. Fire away."

"Do you know what Ken did?"

"He told me, so yes."

"What do you think about his behavior?"

"I don't think he should have done it without your knowledge and consent. Cheating in one's marriage is never a good thing."

"So, you think I should get a divorce?"

"I didn't say that either. The decision on whether or not to divorce should be yours and yours alone. I think that it's a big decision, and probably best not to make it in haste, with some deliberation and possibly even counseling, but it has to be your decision, not mine, not your parents, not Ken's, maybe not even your kids, although I hope they have some input. You're the one who has to live with the decision, nobody else."

"Why are you offering your home?"

"Because it seems like your parents are trying to push you in a direction it may not be in your interest to go, and I definitely think there should be a cooling-off period to think about your options and how all of them affect you. I had another couple in the same straits as you, and I put them in a hotel, but I don't think your kids should spend Christmas in a hotel. I have a large home, plenty of bedrooms, with a kid's room your kids should love."

"Do I have to sleep with Ken?"

"Up to you. I have a separate bedroom he can sleep in. My cook used to use it, but he's going to marry my future mother-in-law, so he's got other quarters now."

"I have to admit things are so chaotic. All this yelling and screaming. I just want some quiet to think."

"Understood. Except for Christmas when I'll have a load of company, you'll have plenty of quiet."

"Where do you live?"

"Near Lake Harriet, I can give you the address. You're welcome to show up tonight if it's before ten. I don't want the other kids to be kept up too late by any commotion; otherwise, tomorrow morning works. I'll be home all day."

"Thank you. I think we'll take you up on it."

"You're welcome. I'll text the address to this phone."

"That's fine."

Bruiser was in bed, Scout and Tuffy getting ready, and the rest of us ready for some serious fooling around when our doorbell rang a little before nine.

We got up and threw on some sweats and answered the door, expecting and finding the Knudsons at our door. Barbara was in front, Ken behind her, and the kids peeking around his legs.

I invited them in and squatted down to the kids' height.

"My goodness, who do we have here? Are you Santa's elves?"

The eldest, a girl, laughed. "No, my name is Kathryn. This is my brother, Kenny."

"Kathryn, Kenny, welcome to my home. This lovely woman is Sonia. She's my fiancée, who I intend to marry in February, and this is my very good friend, Bobbi. I love her too. My name is Robert, but all my friends call me Rooster. You can call me Rooster too. If you come with me upstairs, I'll show you to your room. I think you'll like it. If your parents wait here, I'm sure we have things to talk about. Is this suitcase your clothes?" I asked.

"Yes," Kathryn said.

"Is it okay if I come up and tuck them in?" Barbara asked.

"Of course. Can one of the ladies get you something to drink while you're busy?"

"A nice glass of white wine would be nice if you have it."

"We have it. This way, children. We're going to ride an elevator."

I carried both bags of luggage, kids' and adults'. The four of us went to the third floor. Since Tommy and Belinda were both still up, I introduced the kids to them.

"Tommy, Belinda, this is Kathryn and Kenny. Due to some problems cropping up at their house, they're going to be staying with us through Christmas with their parents. This is their Mom, Barbara Knudson. This is my son, Tommy, call sign Scout, and my daughter, Belinda, call sign Tuffy. If you want, you can have call signs while you stay here. Why don't you think about it and tell us tomorrow what call sign you'd like if you want one? We'll be happy to call you Kathryn and Kenny if you don't. Kids, I want you to be nice. They're having a tough time now because they had to leave their house at Christmas. Tomorrow, you can show them your games and the entertainment room. They'll be sleeping in the kids' guest room for the next week, okay?"

"Sure, Dad," Tommy said. "You're going to love it here, Kathryn. We've got a pool and everything."

"It's time for bed. Turn out your lights. One more day of school before Christmas vacation starts."

"We will."

I showed Barbara and the kids their rooms, which the kids thought was great, and Barbara tucked them in after they brushed their teeth and put on their jammies.

"What do you guys want for breakfast?" I asked.

"Can we have pancakes?"

"Pancakes it is," I said. "We'll see you in the morning."

I showed Barbara her room and left the other bag for her. "Where's Ken sleeping?"

"In a small room on the second floor. I'll show him his later."

"Thank you for this."

"You're welcome."

We went back downstairs and Barbara got her glass of wine. Ken had a glass of something stronger and brown like scotch or bourbon. He looked somewhat morose. I'm sure the last few hours had been pretty rough, but like a lot of things in life, he brought it on himself.

With just the adults there, we made more complete introductions, telling them Bobbi was a full partner in our relationship, although neither one of us would be able to marry her.

"Whose idea was that?" Barbara asked.

"Mine," Sonia replied, "for a lot of reasons, but we meshed so well, and Bobbi was just getting over the death of her Army husband and her kids needed a dad, and Rooster is the best dad in the world. I'd say we all love one another and what each of us brings into this relationship."

"Is it all right with the two of you if you tell us what you've discussed so far and if you've come to any decisions or conclusions yet?" I asked.

"Does everyone know what Ken did?" Barbara asked.

"I told everyone when I asked their permission to invite you," I said. "As you can see from our own relationship, we're not that surprised or shocked by same-sex partners."

"Am I living a lie? Is Ken gay?"

"I suspect you know the answer to that better than we do, Barbara. Was the sex you had with Ken the same frequency as other married couples of your acquaintance? Was he enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy sex with you? Did he engage in all normal marital relations doing everything you expected? Did you consider your sex life good? If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then I'd say he's not gay, but bisexual. He told me that you knew that before he got married. Was that true?"

"Yes, but I thought he gave all of that up when he married me."

"I'm sure he thought he had when he told you that."

"Then why is he having sex with men again?"

"Ken, you have to answer that question," I said. "Whatever you do, be honest, not only with Barbara, but yourself, no matter what the consequences are. You'll never be able to fix what's broken by lies."

Ken paused, thinking. "I never intended to be with another guy, Barbara. I'm happy with our marriage and our family. I love you and I love our children, but after so many years being without something I used to enjoy once in a while, I just got to missing it. Maybe like a food you suddenly get a craving for you haven't had for some time. I saw a guy I was attracted to, and we had sex, and I remembered all that I'd enjoyed about being with a man again, mostly sucking a nice hard cock, because I could have anything else I wanted with you but that. I felt guilty when I did it, but I enjoyed it enough I had to do it again. I wasn't in love with them. I had no feelings for them, but they had something I needed. I'm sorry I was so weak."

"Are you going to do it again?" Barbara asked.

"I could probably avoid it for a few years, Barbara, like when we first got married, but being honest, I suspect I'll slip again in the future. That's as real as I can be. I hope that this doesn't ruin our marriage, but I can't promise I won't do it in the future, because I couldn't keep my promise last time. I don't want to promise something I may not be able to keep."

"What if you bring home a disease?"

"I've only had sex with men who were tested. I had to provide proof to them too."

"What was that nonsense you mentioned about some kind of threesome?"

"I might be to blame for that, Barbara," I said. "Living in an unconventional relationship of my own with two primarily heterosexual, but mildly bisexual women, I wondered if you could do the same. I asked Ken if you'd ever expressed any fantasies about threesomes. He said you were adamantly opposed to another woman in your bed, but might have had some interest in another man, although he wasn't sure, and he didn't know if it was a fantasy that you wanted in reality.

"I don't believe any marriage can survive infidelity as cheating, something that you do, but you keep from your spouse and don't give them the same opportunity of sex with others. But if you did have an interest in two men in bed with you, that would provide you with something you wanted with something that Ken wants, another cock. If you were to choose a bisexual male as a partner, he could have sex with you both."

"Would he live with us like Bobbi does you?"

"He wouldn't have to. Maybe you only set something up once a month like a date. It's apparently something Ken isn't looking to do full time, but something he would like to have occasionally. You'd have to set the parameters of how it works together. If you don't both get something out of it, it won't be successful, no matter what you choose to do. If you do it that way, you'll both be seeing your spouse have sex with another person. Ken has to watch you have sex with another man, you watch him have sex with the same man, and they can both have sex with you together, to meet any fantasies you might have. Obviously, if it's something you both enjoy, it may become more frequent, and if you choose the same person to have sex with all the time, you could both develop feelings for the other person, and it could turn into something more permanent, like my relationship with Sonia and Bobbi, but it doesn't have to. As long as you limited it to no more than once or twice with the same person, I doubt anyone will form an emotional attachment.

"I warned Ken that if it did become more permanent, and you were both having unprotected sex while you were fertile, he could end up raising a child who is not his own. That's something else that needs to be taken into consideration if this is something you pursue. If you don't want to try doing that, then by Ken's own admission, he may have sex with other men again, and unless you can live with that, your marriage might be over. You have to decide if all the other things Ken might bring to you as a husband and father are worth knowing he spends time with a man a few times a year. I think he should tell you if he does so it's not cheating, if you want to know. If you'd prefer to remain ignorant, that's up to you."

"Do you really think this permanent threesome can work? I want to hear from the two women."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have invited Bobbi to join us," Sonia said. "I've always enjoyed sex with a woman when I had it, and once I knew Bobbi could too, I trusted that Rooster could keep us both happy. I've not been disappointed yet. We get along well together, and enjoy one another's company even when we're not in bed. Rooster treats our children equally, and as if they were his own. He tries to ensure he spends quality time with both of us. For us, it seems to work, and I have to give a lot of the credit to that to both of my partners, because we all want to make it work."

"I agree with everything Sonia just said," Bobbi added. "I don't know if it will always be this easy, but I'm as happy as I've ever been, and I had a good first marriage before my husband's death."

"What do your children think of it?"

"The two oldest are happy as clams to have a father who cares for and loves them as much as Rooster does," Bobbi said. "I don't think my youngest understands all that's implied by the three of us sharing the same bed, but he loves living here and having another boy to do things with. We still don't know if they'll be teased or ridiculed in school once word gets out about our living arrangements, but I feel like we have a sound foundation to build on, nor does my family appear opposed to it, so that's good."

"Why is this happening? Why did we have to leave our house?"

"My company does a lot of work with the government on classified projects. There is always the risk of corporate espionage or foreign agents trying to get access to those secrets and projects. I don't believe that this is the case this time. I think someone is trying to ruin my life, Sonia's life, and my sister's life, a man who used to be married to my sister. He screwed up and she's divorcing him. He tends to blame everyone else for his own mistakes, which included being a pimp for a lot of hookers on Lake Street. I gave him a legitimate job at Cybernetics so he could give up his prostitution business, and possibly save his marriage, which gave him access to our company. When my sister decided she was getting a divorce because of his former business, and his sex with the women he ran, he started planting bugs in her house, my house, and my business, hoping to use the information to ruin our happiness the way his was ruined, and to help in his divorce proceedings. We found the bugs at all three places, and removed them.

"Since they got removed, both Ken and another of my engineers were approached by blackmailers trying to get them to put bugs back in the business, which otherwise has tight security. One of Ken's dates with a man was made in the break room, where we found one of the bugs, so he was a target for blackmail. I was going to the home of the other fellow who was being blackmailed, and I found two men trying to get into his house. He'd already informed his wife of the reason they tried to blackmail him, so he could tell them to go to hell. The fact that they hadn't taken no for an answer concerned me. As soon as I knew Ken was being targeted, I had to assume they might go after his family too. That's why you needed to leave the house so quickly, and my security guys went to pick up your children. I don't want anything happening to my employees or their families. I'd be happy to put you up somewhere else, but I don't think children should spend Christmas in a hotel. That's the reason this is happening to the best of my knowledge."

"What are you doing about it?"

"Whatever I can. I've already put four thugs in the hospital and gotten them arrested. I'm trying to pinpoint proof of who's doing this so they can be arrested, and I've threatened the suspected perpetrator with bodily harm should anyone be injured by his activities. I know the police are already looking at him, but he's been careful so far. All I have are suspicions because the other types of espionage wouldn't be concerned about my sister. She wouldn't have any knowledge they'd be interested in. It's late, and I know you've had a hard day, with a lot of intrigue and jolts to the sanctity of your marriage. I suggest you try to get a good night's sleep, and further discussion can wait until morning. I'll show Ken to his room."

"Barbara, please let me stay with you," Ken pleaded.

"Not tonight, Ken. It's too fucking soon. I just learned about all of this shit today, and I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I need space to think."

"Come on, Ken. She's right. She needs to think. At least her parents aren't pushing her one way or another, but this is her decision. You can't make it for her. This time, you screwed up. Hope that you've done enough good in your marriage that it outweighs what you put her through today."

I steered him to the stairs and Benson's old room. I handed him a toothbrush since he didn't have their luggage and told him to sleep as best as he could. I left a note for Benson that we'd have pancakes in the morning, early enough for our two kids to catch the bus and Bobbi's last day at work, but make enough for the other four to eat when they got up, whenever that would be.

Joining my two honeys in bed, I kissed and hugged them both, glad I wasn't in Ken's shoes. We skipped the sex tonight, both due to the lateness of the hour and out of respect to the others in the house at the moment.

******

We were up with the children getting them ready for school. Benson prepared pancakes and Ann was making bacon and sausage. Ken was the first of the Knudsons to get up, and he was wearing his clothes from yesterday, his luggage being in Barbara's room. Our two kids were already on the bus and Bobbi gone with Jeremy before Barbara appeared with her two children. I made sure that I introduced Ann and Benson to them when they showed up.

"This fine fellow is named Benson, and he's our primary chef and major domo of the household, call sign Chef. This lovely lady is Ann, who's going to be marrying Chef on the same day Sonia and I get married. Ann is Sonia's mother, call sign Nana Ann."

Kathryn said, "Ann is white and Sonia is black."

"Kathryn!" Barbara said. "How rude."

"It's not rude," I said. "It's the sign of a curious mind. She obviously can tell the difference and is curious how that comes to be. It's okay. Ann and her first husband couldn't have any children, so they adopted Sonia, another Black child named Jared, and a handicapped boy named Fred. Ann's husband died of a heart attack a few years ago, Jared was killed soon after, Fred is currently in a group home, but he'll visit for Christmas too."

"Ann and her husband adopted three hard-to-adopt children and gave them all the love they needed to become functioning, happy adults. That's why there's a difference in color. It's part of the reason that I love Sonia, because I know how she was raised by Ann, and what a quality person she is. It takes a lot of love to do what her parents did."

"What a sweet thing to say," Ann said.

"It may be sweet, but it's also true. My mom really respected you for the things you did. She made sure I knew about it too."

"I didn't know that," Ann said, teary-eyed.

"Now you do. So, why don't you three have seats at the table and have your fill of pancakes, and then I can show you around a little bit before we talk about the next few days? With Christmas coming up, we're going to be busy."

"What about Dad?" Kenny said.

"He got up earlier than you guys did, so he already ate. He's welcome to have more if he wants."

"Will you need any help cooking for the Christmas guests?" Barbara said.

"We're doing something a little bit different this year since we'll have more people than usual. Sonia's family, Bobbi's family, my family, and now your family. Everyone is bringing one dish that they really like and know how to prepare well. We'll have lots and lots of food. I'll be providing prime rib and a ham and the alcoholic beverages. If you want to do one dish, that will be fine. We'll have a bunch of tables set up in the party room. I expect like sixty people at the moment. We haven't heard from all of them yet."

"I hope some of my Delta Force buddies can show up, but that's always up in the air. We extended an invitation to Bobbi's in-laws, in Iowa, but we haven't heard from them yet. Christmas being in the middle of the week may be making things difficult for some people to attend. We've got a huge tree in the party room and lots of Christmas decorations in there for the season, and there's already lots of presents."

"We forgot our presents, Mom," Kathryn said. "We left without a lot of stuff."

"I can arrange for some security to go back to your house and get anything you want or need, Kathryn."

"Why do we need security?" Kathryn asked.

"We think there might be a bad person who wants your Dad to do bad things, who might hurt the ones your Dad loves to force him to do those things. That's why you had to leave home so suddenly. Everyone wants to keep you safe."

"Are Mom and Dad going to get a divorce?" Kenny asked. Ken and Barbara flinched. "I heard them arguing yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa."

"Nothing has been decided yet, but your Dad did do a foolish thing so he's in a time-out at the moment. Despite the arguing, they're still trying to figure things out. When they do decide, I'm sure they'll tell you. It's something your Mom needs to decide without anyone else telling her what to do. Nobody here will tell her what she should do so she can decide for herself."

I told Ken he might want to get what clothes he might need for the next couple of days out of his suitcase, and then he and Barbara could make a list of anything else they might need from the house for them or their children.

When he walked out, he looked pretty dejected. Despite it being his fault, I still felt sorry for the guy. I could tell he really did love his wife and family. Larry was the same way. He loved Violet but needed his blow jobs. Damn, people sure were fucked up.

Ken gone, Barbara said, "You've got a nice touch with kids."

"I'm certainly getting more practice than I used to."

I went to see if by any stretch of the imagination, Greg had said something stupid the last day. I scanned through the cloud recordings, and as expected, there was nothing interesting recorded. Probably worried he was bugged. Maybe the PI, Jenkins, would have gotten something, but I'd have to wait to hear from him.

By the time I got back to the kitchen, the kids and Barbara were finishing their breakfast. I gathered the Knudsons and showed them the party room and the pool on the first floor, including the sauna and where we kept the towels. On the second floor, the gym, the game room, the entertainment room, and where Ken was sleeping so his wife and children could find him. On the third floor, everyone already knew where anything important was. I didn't take them to the fourth, because there wasn't anything for them.

"The fourth floor has two big bedrooms. One used to be a guest room, but Benson and Ann have it now, and the other one is for me and my ladies. We're going to need help keeping your room tidy. I had to fire the cleaning crew because that was the only way my house could have been bugged. There's almost always someone in the house, and I have a pretty good security system. So, Kathryn and Kenny, I'm expecting you to keep your room picked up. We'll be having a lot of company in a few days. We'll make sure all the rooms get dusted and vacuumed, but that's harder to do if your rooms aren't neat. We'll try to keep everyone entertained while you're here.

"The entertainment room has lots of movies and video games to play. Tommy and Belinda can show you where everything is. You absolutely have to have an adult with you when you go to the pool or the gym. The door to the pool will be kept locked, but I'll show your mom and dad where the key is kept so they can take you swimming if no one else can go."

"We don't have our swimsuits," Kathryn said.

"Let your Dad and Mom know that's one of the things you want picked up from your house. We'll make sure you have it. Until you get it, one of the other kids might have something you can borrow. I know my nephew is Kenny's age, and he leaves a suit in the kid's room for when he visits. Belinda might have something that fits you, Kathryn. You'll need to check when she gets back from school."

"When can we get our stuff?" Kathryn asked.

"As soon as I know what you want. I don't want you going back to your place, so try to describe it with as much detail as you can, and where it might be found, although we can probably take your Dad with us, as they won't want to hurt him, since he's needed."

"We should get started on our lists then. Let's sit down and see what we can come up with," Barbara said. "If Dad is going, he might be able to add something we forgot to add to the list."

They sat down together and made a list of anything they thought they couldn't do without for the next few days. When the list was done, Ken showered and changed his clothes while Sonia and I showed Barbara where everything was in the kitchen and the laundry room, also showing her where we kept the key to the pool room.

At one point, Sonia said she was hoping to get pregnant, and Barbara suddenly slumped down on a chair and started crying.

Sonia put her arm around Barbara and asked her what was wrong.

"I'm pregnant. I just found out the day before yesterday. I was planning on waiting until this weekend to tell Ken, so we could celebrate a little, our Christmas miracle. Then this thing happens, and I don't even know if I should keep the baby. It's part of the reason I'm so fucking mad right now. We really wanted this third child, and I don't even know if I can keep it. Why the hell did this have to happen now? Why couldn't he keep his promises to me?"

"Oh, Barbara, I'm so sorry," Sonia said.

"Why don't you take her up to our room where you can have a little privacy?" I said. "Ken should be back soon."

"Damn it, Rooster. Why can't more men be like you?"

"Why?" Barbara asked.

"You want to know the main reason we have Bobbi in our life? Because I wanted Rooster to have sex with her so she'd know how good it could be, and that she could still find someone to love again after her husband died. Rooster knew I'd had sex with girls before and that I enjoyed it. So, instead of just agreeing to have sex with Bobbi, he told her that the only way he'd do that for her is if I was a part of it. That there was no way he'd leave the love of his life alone while he had sex with another woman.

"Bobbi never had sex with a woman before. She hadn't expressed any interest in it, but she definitely wanted sex with Rooster, because honestly, who wouldn't. Not only that, he'd done so many nice things for her, she was halfway in love with him already. That's the reason all three of us ended up in bed, because he wouldn't do it without me there. Bobbi had to agree that I'd be there before he had sex with her. That's how she learned she could enjoy sex with me.

"If it had been Rooster who was bisexual and wanted to have sex with another man, he'd have made sure I was a part of it first. He wouldn't have just done that to me. I've never met anyone who was as considerate to the feelings of others as he is. That's why you're here. He couldn't let your kids stay in some hotel at Christmas. He hoped that by getting you out of your parents, there'd be some way he could help you to save your marriage if that's what you wanted to do. He's got more empathy in his little finger than most people do in their whole bodies. Come on, dear, let's go have a chat, but no more wine, okay? Not until you know what you're going to do."

They left and Ken came down after they were gone.

"Where's Barbara?"

I shook my head. "Talking to Sonia. Ken, you really picked a bad time to fuck up."

"Is there ever a good time to fuck up?"

"No, but some times are worse than others, and you picked the absolute worst."

I left him standing there wondering what he'd done this time. I called my security team and told them I wanted a couple of guys to meet me at Ken's house at two this afternoon to pick up more of the things his family would need for the next few days.

When Sonia and Barbara reappeared, both of them had red eyes from crying. Sonia muttered "Asshole" when she saw Ken, loud enough that he could hear it, but not loud enough for the children to hear.

We had soup and sandwiches for lunch, then Ken and I got in the Genesis to go to Ken's. My two guys were waiting on the street for us to show up, sitting in their vehicle to stay out of the cold, the engine running. They got out and approached my car. For some reason, something didn't feel right to me. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up.

"Hey boss, you ready?" Gerald said.

"Wait a minute. Ken, look around and tell me if you recognize all the cars in the neighborhood. Something doesn't feel right to me."

My two guys got more alert and started looking around.

Ken looked up and down the block, swiveling around to look behind us.

He turned back to me and said, "I don't recognize the gray sedan two doors down on the left. Most of the folks in this neighborhood have SUVs, pickups, or minivans, and almost everyone is working this time of the day. Most vehicles are in their garages if they aren't at work."

"Maybe that's what set off my alarm. It's almost the only car out in the driveway. Gerald, call the local police and tell them to send two cars, no lights and sirens. I think we have a burglary in progress, but I don't think it's at that address. I think it's at Ken's, but they didn't want any cars in his driveway to tip his family off."

"You got it, boss." He made the call.

"You think they're in my house?" Ken asked.

"That's where I'd be waiting on a cold day for someone to show up. Probably entered the back door so no one could see if the door was busted in. I'm glad we didn't pull into your driveway. Maybe they're still fat, dumb, and happy."

The first squad car arrived in five minutes, the second in ten. The first officer to arrive had approached us as soon as he got there, wondering why we'd called.

"Ken here, lives in that house across the street. He's not staying there currently because we were concerned his family might be in danger. We came to pick up more things for his family. The gray sedan two doors down on the left isn't a recognized neighborhood vehicle. We think there might be one or two nasty gents sitting inside his warm house waiting for someone to enter. Probably entered through the back door. If you need more assistance, my two guys and I can cover the front while you and your partner enter the back. They're both ex-cops working security for Cybernetic Electronics, and I'm ex-Delta Force, and we're all licensed to carry. I'll take out my gun if you want our help."

The second cop arrived and conferred with the first one. They also radioed their watch commander.

"There are a couple more officers headed our way, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't arm yourself until after they get here, so arriving officers don't get too jumpy. They'll see the badges on your security uniforms, so they should be okay. When they're here, we'll make entry front and back, and if you guys could watch the sides, we'd appreciate it."

"No problem. Ken, give the officer your key so they don't have to bust your door down."

Ken handed them the key. Two more officers arrived within five minutes. The first two to arrive were going to take the front, the last two the rear, and I armed myself and I took the side of the house opposite the driveway, while my two security guards took the side of the driveway.

The officers timed their entries to coincide and caught two heavies flat-footed in the living room, eating Christmas cookies and drinking Ken's booze. You can't get good help these days. They got marched out in cuffs. I gave them a good once-over when they were stuffed in the back of the squad cars in case I ever met them again. I made sure they knew it too. I pretended to point a gun at them and pull the trigger. They'd been warned.

The first officer came to talk to us.

"You were right, they busted the back door in. Can you give us more details of why you suspected Ken Knudson's family was in danger?"

"No problem. My company does classified work for the government. Ken is the second of my engineers to get approached with a blackmail scheme wanting him to place listening devices at the company. The first guy had two fellows trying to break into his house after he told them to fuck off. I caught them in the act. I figured if they were using more coercive methods on the first guy, they might on the second one as well, so we moved the family out of the house to increase their security. They're staying at my house for the moment. We came to pick up some more things the family needs for Christmas when we ran into this situation."

"What did Mr. Knudson do that made him a blackmail target?"

"Something that would piss his wife off. That's all you need to know. Same with the first guy, family business."

"So is it foreign agents or corporate espionage? If so, we should notify the FBI."

"While it is a possibility, I don't think so. I think it's a disgruntled former employee that has a bone to pick with me and my family. He's a pimp and runs hookers on Lake Street in Minneapolis. He was married to my sister. I gave him a job briefly so he could get out of the prostitution business, and perhaps save his marriage to my sister for the sake of her two kids, but he never gave up the business fast enough for her, plus bugged her residence, so they're getting a divorce. He's got reason to want to see several people hurt as a consequence of his own actions. I've got a PI looking into his affairs to see if we can't pin this shit on him for sure, but he's the only one who'd have reason to bug my sister's place, and we found bugs there at the same time as we found them at my house and the company, all tied to the same shipment to a Minneapolis store."

"Who's the pimp, and is Minneapolis PD looking into him?"

"They are, and his name is Greg Hudson. If these two will admit to working for him or getting paid by him, you might have enough to arrest his ass. The St. Louis Park PD is handling the first break-in case. They were going to try running a couple of Lake Street hookers into the goons' hospital room to see if they could recognize the muscle. You might want to do the same in the event these men aren't talkative, to see if they're the pimp's muscle."

"Why were they in the hospital?"

"One of the men flashed his gun at me, so I busted his trachea and broke the other guy's nose and gave him a concussion."

The officer laughed. I shrugged.

"You'll probably need to come to the office to sign complaints and statements."

"Tell us when and where, and we'll be there. Is this considered a crime scene now, or can we go in?"

"You can go in. They ripped off all the wrapping paper on the Christmas gifts, but it should all be there. If it's not, let us know what's missing, and we'll check our property inventory to make sure it wasn't something they had in their pockets."

"Thank you. We'll make sure the back door gets secured. If that car isn't registered to that address, and I'm assuming it isn't, you might want to tow it before the owner gets home."

We went through the back door to check out the damage. They'd need a new door, so I called a guy to measure the door, get a replacement, and replace the locks, just in case.

"Gerald, I'll need you two to stay here until they can fix the door."

"Don't worry about a thing," he said.

We went into the living room. As the officer said, wrapping paper was everywhere, and all of the presents were opened. I told Ken to take pictures of all the gifts so he and Barbara could identify if anything was missing, while we cleaned up.

At one point, Ken held up a stick test and said, "What the hell is this thing?"

"That's a pregnancy test," Gerald said. "My wife and I just found out she's pregnant."

"Congratulations," I said.

"Why is your pregnancy test here?" Ken asked.

"It's not his, dumb ass." I said. "Merry Fucking Christmas to you."

"Oh, fuck! What did I do?"

"I told you it was the worst possible time to fuck up."

Ken sat on the floor and started crying.

The two security guards looked at me, eyebrows up, wondering what the hell was going on.

"His wife is really pissed right now. They might be getting a divorce."

"Ah, shit. Sorry, man," Gerald said.

"Quit sobbing and get busy, Ken. You're crying over spilt milk," I said. "Nothing to do for it now but give your wife reasons to stay with you. We'll figure something out. In the meantime, you've got a job to do. Your family is depending on you to bring their things to my house and put your house in order. We don't know where to collect their things from. After you finish taking photos, we'll put all the presents in garbage bags, and you can rewrap them at our house. Get off your ass."

"Boss," Gerald said. "Don't be mean. He's hurting."

"I'm not trying to be mean. I feel sorry for the guy, but since he brought this on himself, not too sorry, and he still needs to take care of his business. He can cry tonight in bed. I'll give him a beer to cry in."

"No, you're right, Rooster," Ken said. "I did this to myself, so now I need to man up and take care of business. You've done more for my family the last day than I have."

"Rooster?" Lars said.

"His army call sign," Ken said. "He told my whole family to call him Rooster. His whole family has call signs now."

"Can I call you, Rooster, or is that reserved for the ones staying at your house?" Gerald asked.

"You can call me Rooster if I'm not reaming you a new one. If that's the case, keep your head down and say, 'Yes, sir, Mr. Johnson.' That's a good tip even when your wife is pissed at you. Listen, I'm going to warn our families we had a little trouble. It got handled, but we're going to be a little late. I don't want anyone to worry. That way I won't have to say, 'Yes, ma'am, Miss Sonia. I apologize for letting you fret.'"

"Amen to that," Gerald said. "I'll do the same thing if the door takes longer to fix than my normal working hours."

I stepped into the kitchen and called Sonia. "Hey, Rooster, you going to be much longer?" Sonia said. "Chef is wondering when to start supper?"

"A couple of guys broke into Ken's house and trashed their Christmas presents. They were waiting for someone to get home. The Maple Grove PD arrested them, but we've got some clean-up to do. Everyone's fine, their door is getting fixed, but I anticipate another couple of hours before we're home."

"Are they at the hospital?"

"The police were nicer than I would have been. Ken is taking pictures of the opened presents so they can determine if anything was missing. He found the positive pregnancy test. Barbara had wrapped it up as a present. You might want to warn her that he knows."

"How's he taking it?"

"Not too good at the moment. I expect him to grovel when he gets home."

"Groveling might be good," Sonia laughed. "Maybe we should give Barbara a big paddle and let her whoop his ass."

"I'll suggest it to him," I laughed. "But not everyone likes spankings as much as you do, and you always get sex at the end. I'm not sure Barbara's ready for that."

"I'll let Chef know your timeline. Be safe."

"I will."

Rejoining the others, Ken finished the pictures, and we packed everything in yard trash bags to haul back to my house. Then we got the items everyone wanted, putting those in more suitcases, including swimming suits for everyone, more clothes, and some other personal items. Ken and Barbara hadn't packed much to go to her parents, not knowing how long they might be gone. I figured it was longer now.

The guy fixing the door arrived before we left, so hopefully the other two wouldn't have to stay too late. Gerald said he'd lock up and leave the key on the counter before they left. Ken could come in through the front door. On the way back, I told Ken that Barbara had talked about whether or not she'd keep the baby.

"The fact your house got broken into may make her even madder, because that can be tied to your infidelity as well, or she might be thinking you might have gotten hurt, and realized how much she loves you still, but you don't know how it's going to go.

"If she's getting divorced, she probably won't keep it, Ken. Adding more responsibility with one less person to help out would be tough for her. Don't pressure her to keep the child now that you know. Let her decide if she can forgive you first. I'm willing to make a quick stop on the way home to get some flowers so you can start doing some major league groveling."

"Will it help?"

"I don't know. It will help more than doing nothing at all. Sonia suggested we give Barbara a big paddle and let her tan your hide. I don't know if that will help either, but if you offer, it shows remorse. On the other hand, if she's mad enough, she may go a little bit crazy, so that's pretty iffy. I don't think those things should ever be done in anger. I'm not sure I'd want her whaling on my ass as mad as she is now."

"Do you do that to each other?"

"We do it for fun sometimes, an erotic spanking more than punishment, as a form of foreplay. Sonia will say to me, 'I've been a bad girl, Daddy. I think you should spank me,' but it's all for fun and games. I'd never hit her in anger. I'm not a spouse abuser."

"How do you draw the line?"

"Respect a safe word. Sonia usually says 'Uncle', if she's had enough, and she only used that once when she told me to spank her until she said stop."

"Has she ever spanked you?"

"With her hand, not a paddle. There's usually lots of touching and fondling thrown in there."

"I'll buy her some flowers. I'll try anything at this point."

We swung into a florist, and he picked a couple of different arrangements, one more 'forgive me', and another one more Christmasy. He also got a card, in which he humbly apologized for hurting her.

******

Chef made Hungarian goulash for supper, and the smell was wafting through the house when we arrived. I got kisses from Sonia and Bobbi. We carried the unwrapped presents into Ken's room for rewrapping later. As I suspected, Barbara was even madder, but at least some of that anger seemed directed to the perpetrators instead of Ken. They hadn't told the children, and I tended to agree with that decision. If they asked why presents had different wrapping paper, that was one thing, but if not, they didn't have to know someone was in their house. It's supposed to be a haven.

Ken gave Barbara the flowers and the card, but didn't say more at the moment, which I thought was wise. We could talk about everything when the kids were upstairs for good or in bed. He brought the suitcases upstairs except the one he'd packed for himself, which he brought to his room. I learned that Tommy and Belinda had spent time with Kathryn and Kenny, showing them how to operate the equipment in the entertainment room, and all five were watching a movie at the moment, waiting to be called to supper.

"What happened?" Bobbi asked.

"After the kids are in bed," I said. "Let's break bread, have a good evening, then we can chat."

"Just tell me, how much damage to my home?" Barbara asked.

"Broken back door, getting fixed as we speak. The wrapping paper's been picked up, the presents recovered on the whole. Nothing else."

"What do you mean on the whole?"

"Ken took pictures of all the stuff they unwrapped. If there's anything missing, we call the police and check the property inventoried when they arrested the two guys to see if they put anything in their pockets or on their wrists. You can check his photos for gifts you know you wrapped. They were pretty much caught in the act of eating your Christmas cookies and drinking some holiday cheer. Everything else looked fine according to Ken. My security guys are staying there until the house can be locked up."

"You got anything to say?" Barbara asked Ken.

"Just I'm sorry. Sorry for everything, and I love you. I know I don't deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me."

"Nothing about the baby?" Barbara said.

Ken paused, remembering what I told him. He finally said, "I love you're pregnant. It's what we both wanted, but I know... I know that raising him without me would be hard. I know you need to know if I'm going to be around to help you. I made it so difficult for you to know I'm going to be there for you, that you can trust me. I'm so sorry. So, so, sorry."

"Why don't you all eat without me?" Barbara said. "I just don't have an appetite right now." She left for her room, softly crying.

Ken stood there, helplessly, not knowing what to do. Not much to do, really.

"I'm going up there with her," Sonia said.

"I am too," Bobbi said. "Do this: Send up two big bowls for Sonia and me, and a half bowl for Barbara in about a half hour. She might feel like eating then. We'll encourage her to eat something. Just give it some time. The kids have been dying to go in the pool since they got home. Feed them, then take them swimming."

"We'll handle it," I said.

"Thanks." Bobbi gave me a smooch and caught up to Sonia, taking her hand.

We called the kids down on the intercom and fed them, telling them they could go swimming as soon as they ate a good meal and put their dishes in the dishwasher. They all had some of the goulash, then got into their swimming suits. Jeremy and Kenny got water wings, and the other three swam without them, Ken and I keeping an eye on them.

Around nine, I got a call from my PI, Mr. Buddy Jenkins, who pretty much blended into the woodwork, which is what made him so good for surveillance missions.

"Do you have good news for me, Jenkins?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do tell? What's the scoop?"

"Hudson met some guy at the Ridgedale Mall food court this morning. I got some pictures and some audio. He was apparently hiring the guy to break into some guy's house. I didn't get the address because he wrote it down and passed it to the guy, but he was clearly hiring for a burglary."

"I just happened to be present when a couple of burglars were arrested this afternoon. Did you catch the name attached to the address?"

"Sure, Ken Knudson."

"Gotcha, you motherfucker. Jenkins, contact the Maple Grove PD and give them your information. That was the residence I was at this afternoon. Can you text me one of the photos you made?"

"Yeah, give me a second."

It took closer to a minute, but right there on my phone in living color, was a picture of Greg and one of the guys arrested. Fuck, this was so sweet.

"Bingo. The other guy was one of the two arrested. Greg is fucking nailed to the wall. Call the police immediately and ask when they want you to drop it off. Buddy, you're worth every penny I pay you."

"I'm glad you think so. I can always use referrals."

"You'll have them from me. Talk to you later." I hung up. Raising my voice to be heard over the screaming in the pool, I said, "Kids, get out of the pool. You need to get ready for bed. Busy day tomorrow. Let's go, chop, chop."

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Tommy asked, getting out of the pool and helping Jeremy.

"Last-minute Christmas shopping. We've got guests for Christmas."

"You don't have to do that," Ken said.

"But we want to. Kathryn, how would you like your call sign to be 'Princess'?"

"Can I?"

"I don't know why not. Nobody else claimed the name. Kenny, what do you think of Mighty Might for your call sign?"

"Mighty Might is here to save the day, Grrrr."

"There you go. Off to bed with you now. Don't forget to brush those teeth. It wouldn't look good if Mighty Might had brown teeth, would it?"

"Does everyone have to do what I say?" Kenny asked.

"Nope. I'm top dog of this henhouse, Mighty Might, but you can tell everyone what we're going to eat for breakfast, so what's on the menu?"

"Waffles."

"Waffles it is. Mighty Might has just decreed waffles for breakfast. Let's go, gang. Tuffy, Scout, herd them all to bed."

"Aye, aye, Top Dog Rooster," Tommy said.

And just like that, the pool was empty, and we could lock up. We went to the kitchen and I saw three more dirty bowls, so Sonia, Bobbi, and Barbara all ate. Good. I put the bowls in the dishwasher, left a note for waffles at eight, then called Maya.

"What's up?" Maya asked.

"Greg should be arrested in the next couple of days."

"For what?"

"Conspiracy to Commit Burglary."

"Who? Your place?"

"One of my engineers. He was trying to get more bugs planted at work and was attempting to blackmail one of my engineers, and we caught two guys at the engineer's house and have a recording of him plotting the burglary with one of the caught burglars."

"What a fucking piece of trash I married. I hate myself. I was so fucking blind. What is wrong with me? I can't believe I was even considering giving that asshole a second chance."

"I wasn't much better, Maya. Greg fooled a lot of people. I gave the asshole a job, which might be the reason the engineer was getting blackmailed. I don't know. That sob story about his first hooker made me think there might be a shred of decency to the guy, but if that person existed at one time, he killed him while doing his business."

"Live like a low life long enough, other low lifes rub off on you."

"I guess that's right. I should warn Sonia."

"Why?"

"Once Greg gets arrested, I'm sure he's going to spill his shit all over the floor hoping to rub everyone's nose in it. At least Tommy knows already."

"Yeah, you're right. He'll want to raise the biggest possible stink he can. Don't worry, Rooster. We'll all stand with her."

"Thanks."

"Where is Sonia anyway? I thought you'd have told her first."

"She and Bobbi are consoling the engineer's wife. She learned some things yesterday about her husband that upset her pretty bad and she's pregnant with her third, and her marriage is up in the air."

"Nothing as bad as Greg, I hope."

"Not quite, but upsetting nonetheless."

"Thanks for the update. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Rooster," I heard Sandy say in the background. "Take care of those honeys of yours."

"Hi, Sandy. I will. Behaving yourself?"

"Hardly. Maya is delicious."

"TMI."

She laughed and they hung up.

I went up to the fourth floor and found Bobbi and Sonia had brought Barbara to our room for the seating area.

"Do you need me to leave?" Barbara asked.

"Maybe not, but give me a second. Sonia, do you care if Barbara learns about your previous profession?"

"I guess not. Why?"

"Because Greg has finally done enough to get arrested, and I'm reasonably certain it's going to come out and go wide when he is."

"That's great news."

"Who's Greg?" Barbara asked.

"He's the man we suspected was behind the attempted blackmail of Ken, and the man who did conspire with the men arrested for the burglary at your house. My private investigator got conversations and photos of the two men at the Ridgedale Mall this morning, plotting to go to your house. The evidence is being presented to the Maple Grove PD either tonight or tomorrow morning. They should issue a warrant for his arrest based upon the evidence."

"Does that mean this is over and we can go home?"

"I would say not until he is arrested, and possibly not even then depending on whether or not he can bond out."

"I hate that we're a bother to you."

"You're not a bother," Bobbi said. "The kids are doing great together and you need to have some friendly faces around. You were a big help around the house today. We're honored to share our home. Honest."

"Thanks. What was the bit about Sonia's prior profession?"

"I used to be a hooker, and Greg was sort of my pimp. When Rooster introduced me to the rest of his family, all of this stuff came out, and Rooster's sister, Maya, learned her husband was a pimp, and he'd been fucking all of his whores on the side. His life went to shit, and he's been making everyone else's life shit ever since. Tommy found out about me because Greg made a point of telling his daughter, who frequently visits. I guess that was the worst thing that happened as a result. Rooster and Bobbi have known and supported me through all the drama, and we're hoping that will come to an end eventually, although not without more drama."

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope. I know your life sucks at the current time, and I don't envy you at all, but it's important to remember that everyone has problems, and not let the problems get bigger than they have to be. My life will go into the toilet for a while, but people will still love me, pull me out of the shitter and wash me off, and life will go on. It's not the end. You will get through it as long as you have support from friends and loved ones.

"I married an alcoholic who drank himself to death after giving me a son I essentially had to care for myself, plus a mother who could help with child care, but who had financial worries of her own. I turned to prostitution to provide for both with a somewhat good living, and I thought that's the way it would end for me, an old whore giving cheaper and cheaper blow jobs as my looks went. But despite all of the previous shit I put up with, and the shit yet to come, I've got Rooster, Bobbi, Tommy, my Mom, and Benson, all sticking by my side, helping me get through it."

"Maya said you'll have her support as well," I said, "and I think you can include Sandy in that."

"There you go, Barbara. Maybe it's not the end of the world yet. If I were you, and this is just a suggestion, I'd borrow a big paddle from Rooster and whack Ken's bare behind a few times. Turn his ass a nice rosy red and tell him he'll get worse next time if he doesn't straighten out."

"Are you joking?"

"No, and I'm not saying you should do it if Ken objects, but sometimes, when we're bad, we need a little reminder. Who knows, you might find a new form of foreplay, and tell him if he wants to suck a dick, he can suck your big strap-on after you fuck him in the ass."

Barbara looked shocked for a few moments, then started laughing. "Be careful. I might use some of those suggestions."

"Feel free. I feel like I'm going to start charging for my sex lessons. I've got all this experience I'm not using anymore. It should be put to good use."

When Barbara left, she had a smile on her face, so maybe she was on the road to recovery. Tomorrow was a brand-new day.

******