Chapter 27: Pineapple Signals

MEL

I was kind of embarrassed about Dave’s parents knowing about our Saturday night orgy and all the people that we loved. After also revealing my sideline in pornography, I was surprised that they didn’t react further, even violently to that news. While I did get a chance to tout my successes in real estate, I had moments when I was prouder of my feature-length videos that were online or soon would be.

After Dave’s parents left to drive home, the group of us talked about whether we should do anything different. We decided not, so just carried on as usual. Someday, I’d have to deal with my own parents. They were more wrapped up with my sister’s family who lived almost next door to them, so their focus was elsewhere. Besides, they were a two-hour drive away, so we saw them a lot less.

Dave started his usual week at Dane Cooper working his investment magic, and I had what looked like a busy week ahead in my real estate job. I was already looking ahead to the following weekend, when our usual Sex Club would meet to blow off some sexual steam.

Around midday, I got a brief text from Dave. It was full of hearts and said, ’I was just thinking of how much I love you. More about that tonight. Kisses and such.’ I think without the various interventions we made for each other, I would never have gotten such a romantic gesture from him, especially during a business day.

I pondered that, and then my morning appointment arrived to look at some homes. They were a young couple – Mandy and Neal London – and ... well, they were both kind of hot looking and flirty with me. I could do flirty right back at them. This might prove interesting.

Neal was a mid-thirties hunk with dark hair and a good physique. I guessed that he worked out and also ran to keep in shape. Mandy was a bottle blonde, cute, and sexy, although one might say slightly chubby. With that also came zaftig breasts and a gorgeous ass. I remember thinking that Dave would like being with her because she was substantial yet sexy.

I ran through the computer shows of a few houses with them in our conference room, homing in on their requirements and balancing that against their maximum price. Neal said he was handy, so the possibility of a fixer-upper came on the table, providing it wasn’t too broken down. As we worked, he kept looking at me with some obvious lust on his mind.

We picked three houses to physically see, and after a break, I loaded them into my SUV and we drove to the first home. As we walked through the home and I gave my spiel about the place, there was a lot of touching and coy looks. I found myself playing with my hair and batting my eyes at both of them. Both of them seemed excessively friendly and flirty with me.

The third home had an oblique water view and was the winner. Mandy got really excited about the place, even making a second run through the place, role-playing as though she was the owner and had various things to do, such as preparing a meal, laundry, or overseeing her two young children.

An interesting point about that house was that it was only ten houses from where Dave and I lived. I even pointed out our house to them as we drove past on the way to the home. I also mentioned that if they were interested there was a social life in the place because I thought they’d be good friends. Their children were even of similar age to ours.

I left the couple alone towards the end of the house tour, as I usually did, so they could compare notes and opinions. When I found them again, Neal swept me up in a hug and kissed me on the lips. Wow, I hadn’t expected that. Mandy repeated the gesture.

He effused his thanks for delivering the ‘perfect’ home to them. They wanted a near instant closing and made a lower offer that got accepted almost immediately pending the usual house inspection. Late that afternoon, we finished the paperwork, and cemented in the deal. They happily accepted my recommendations regarding a bank, mortgage, home inspector, and lawyer.

Except for the closing that I would normally attend, the agency was through with their purchase. That was when Mandy pulled me aside as her husband excused himself to go to the restroom.

Mandy came in close and said, “Errr, Melissa, this is kind of a delicate subject, but we’ve each noticed your inverted pineapple necklace. I often wear one, too. Mine is home in Austin for this trip.”

I smiled at them. This was the first person that had commented on my necklace in any manner. I held the pineapple on the gold chain forward, kind of giving her a closer look. I still planned to let her keep the initiative. I smiled and nodded.

Mandy said, “Neal and I were planning to search for a set of like-minded friends after our move. Might you be an entry point for us into a new group?”

I said provisionally, “Maybe. I’m not the only vote or access point, as you might expect. Fitting in is important to our group, and that understates the need to be a loving friend.”

“Would you be willing to talk about your group and maybe introduce us?”

Just then Neal rejoined us. Mandy said to him, “She’s one of us. You were right.”

Neal nodded and said, “We’re relatively new to the lifestyle, but have taken to it rather solidly over the past year. We had a group of twenty friends back in Austin that we’re leaving behind to move here and take our new jobs. We’ll miss them, but will want some new and intimate friends that are similarly inclined.”

I posed, “Open marriage?”

Mandy nodded, “Yes, and happily so. One of the people in our group was even a psychologist. We went through about ten sessions with him as we started in the lifestyle to ensure our marriage was and would be sound as we opened up the gates, so to speak. We’re solid and each other’s primary relationship. We’re just open to taking on other or secondary intimacies.”

I said, “That sounds like Dave and me – my husband, Dave. We do a lot to be sure we’re in touch with each other’s really deep feelings about what’s going on and so on. We’re heavy on communications, especially in the extended family.”

“What’s your group like?”

I laughed. “We’re all over the map. Some of them will be your new neighbors right down the street from you near our house. Our youngest and newest member is eighteen. The oldest is about your age, thirty-six. We and two other couples usually host in the neighborhood because we have the space. We also have children that we put in a ‘kid zone’ at another house on party nights with some good sitters. The group is very caring and close to each other – loving, I emphasize.”

Mandy swooned, “Oh, that sounds wonderful and just what we’re looking for. Please introduce us or whatever it takes for us to ... audition. I know from what you just said that the chemistry has to be there, and I know that can’t be guaranteed. We want a group of close friends and not just similar sex freaks, like us.”

I laughed, “Sex freaks? What do you mean?”

“Neal and I think about sex all the time – almost. I think we got the ‘oversexed’ gene.”

I volunteered, “Our initial group started on this road because our marriages had fallen into a shallow grave as far as sex was concerned. We wanted to do some serious resuscitation to that part of our lives. Maybe we went overboard, but we’re ecstatic with the results. Our group’s intense interest in sex is little over a year old, in fact.”

“That was us in Austin – about a year into this. We started for kind of the same reason, too. We just happened to know that one of our neighbors was a declared and open swinger, so we asked about what was really going on, and soon we had a bunch of new friends – friends with benefits.”

I glanced at my wrist watch. I was thinking about dinner and such.

I turned to the Londons and asked, “Are you free for dinner. I think we’ll be going out to a very casual sports bar and restaurant and taking the kids. Could you join us. Dave will be there, and at least two of our wives – maybe the whole extended family.”

After a short silence, Neal blurted out, “Two more wives? Yes, we’ll join you. We’ve got to see this.”

DAVE

The text message to the family read, ’Gecko’s for dinner. Want to introduce you and family to Mandy and Neal London – cute, sexy, hunky. Sold them white house near canal down the street from us, AND they also saw my upside-down pineapple necklace. Interesting discussion followed and they would like to belong to our Club. What say?’

Dave responded, ’C, T, W, and I will meet you there in 30 with kids. Bring ‘em on. 143.’

Mandy London was a solid woman in her mid-thirties. Mandy was a paralegal hoping to get a job locally. Neal, her tall husband, was being transferred to take over a new hotel that the Ritz Corporation was building on the waterfront about four miles away. The place was nearing completion according to the newspaper.

Neal shared that they had two children – a boy, seven, and a girl, almost six. He spoke with a slight English accent, and I thought of Edwin and Chelsea Benton. He’d been born in Austin of English parents and some of his parent’s accent stuck. He was also a Longhorn; he was quick to inform. He even made the school sign with one hand.

Mel and the couple were already seated, and both seemed pleasantly surprised to see my arrival at the long table followed by Cindy, Trish, and Wendy, as well as Beth and Scott. Mel and I orchestrated the introductions. Our two kids each had an iPad and immediately and quietly tuned into whatever seemed to interest them on the Internet. This was pretty normal for them when we went out to dinner.

I made a point of not only welcoming them to the city, but also to the neighborhood. Since they were both easy on the eyes, I could easily imagine them joining our Sex Club. I’d explained about that potential to the teens as we drove to the restaurant, but guessed that Mel was also examining that potential.

Because of the kids, some code was used to chat and refer to the Club. Neal said that he hoped ‘to meet and participate with our group sometime’. I discerned that Mel had told him a little about our neighbors and friends, but without giving too much away.

I asked about their transition from Austin where they then lived. They’d be returning there the next day to wrap up their current posts, and pack up their home and family. Mel got a text, informing the couple that their offer on the home had been accepted and that their request for a closing in a week was also part of the deal.

I asked what Neal’s role would be once in the city since the hotel he would be running wouldn’t open for perhaps four more months.

Neal said, “Initially, jobs! I have about five-hundred jobs to fill. Many will require training and indoctrination to the company culture. I’m not alone. There’s a woman from HR that’ll be moving here, too, only from San Francisco. The two of us have to hire almost the whole staff: desk clerks, security, maids, laundry staff, concierges, bellhops, parking valets, lifeguards, landscapers, accountants, other back-office staff, and more. We have to set up the whole payroll and what not related to all of them. Some of our staff will have to go to another hotel for training or indoctrination to the company culture. We’ll be borrowing people from other hotels, too.

“Our first round of hires will be some of the various department managers – those that won’t also be moving here permanently or on loan for a year or two. Our chef will be coming from Washington accompanied by a couple of sous chefs, so we don’t have to worry the kitchen as much, except for restaurant staff – for example, waitresses and bus staff.

I explained what I knew about the local labor market. Things were tough. Nearly every place had a ‘Help Wanted’ sign visible, especially the restaurants. Further, the inner city and barrier islands had no homes or apartments on them that were affordable by low-end or hourly workers.

I suggested that after they sorted out their Austin home, that they return and join us some Saturday evening for one of our neighborhood parties. I emphasized a few words and whispered a few others, so that Neal was sure exactly what the invitation entailed. Mel mentioned her morning coffee group.

MEL

The Londons got a lawyer that I recommended to represent them for the closing on their new home. That event went smoothly about a week after they saw and put in an offer on the property. The previous owners’ movers had emptied the place and a squad of cleaners swept through the home by then. The house inspection items were considered minor.

The Londons didn’t appear for another week on a Thursday, the day their moving truck arrived in town with their possessions from Austin. Mandy texted me to let me know what was going on. I’d given her my personal phone numbers.

I drove by their house around noon and then at five p.m. A crew of movers were actively carrying boxes and furniture into the house. I caught a glimpse of Mandy at the front door directing the disposition of each item.

An hour later, Dave and I left Beth and Scott with our teens and walked down the street. We had a bottle of wine, plastic cups, and a corkscrew.

Mandy saw us and rushed out to greet us with hugs and a kiss. She was so stressed that she was nearly in tears. We calmed her. I noted that the truck was almost empty. Inside the house there were boxes everywhere.

Mandy said, “Oh, you are lifesavers. I’ve been dreaming of a glass of wine since breakfast. This whole thing is stress producing.”

“Where’s Neal?”

“Still in Austin with the kids. They fly in tomorrow. The truck got here faster than we planned, so I hopped the jet to meet them since I’d already stopped working. The kids were with their usual sitter while Neal folded up stuff on his present post and handed off to the new guy.”