105: In the Blood

Lionel and Sugar showed up at the ranch before Independence Day along with their kids, Leon, Leann, and Honey. It was great to see them and I think Lamar and Donna were happy they'd moved out of the barn duplex. For all its appearance as a simple little dwelling in the village, Lamar and Donna had a huge house and absorbed Lionel's family without a problem. The kids showed up at the silo the next morning. Sugar stood at the door with Honey in her arms and watched as we went through the children's forms. Leon and Leann kept up as well as all the others.

"Lionel's doing a great job training the kids," I said when we came out.

"Hah!" Sugar barked. "That man's forgotten more than these kids know. He's off running around the country playing with that little round ball and sending home his millions. I'm the one taking these little ones to the dojo and working out with them every day."

"Sugar, really?" I said.

"Here! Hold my baby," she said pushing Honey into my arms. "I'll show you something."

Holy shit! She sure did. Sugar stripped right there on the steps and walked into the center of the dojo. First off, Sugar had changed. She was no longer quite as round as she had always been. I wouldn't call her svelte by any stretch of the word, but she was thinner and shapelier. Which just made her boobs look even bigger with their almost black areolae capped by long nipples. Her pussy was fat and puffy and shaved clean. She went to the center of the room and began to warm up. In a few seconds, she was flowing smoothly from one form to another. In ten minutes, she motioned to Judy to come and face her.

The two didn't waste time getting into it. Judy was obviously at a more advanced level than Sugar, but they worked well. After about fifteen minutes, the women backed off and bowed to each other.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Lionel said from beside me. I hadn't even heard him come up behind me.

"She sure is," I agreed.

"And don't you forget it," Sugar said as she reached up and dragged Lionel's face down for a steamy kiss, right in front of the children. "You ever start fooling around on the road when you're gone and I'll rip you a new one."

"I am pure as an Indiana rainstorm," Lionel said. "I've got everything I want waiting for me right at home. And it just gets better every day."

"Bring along those children and come wash my sweaty titties in the outdoor shower." The shower turned into a free-for-all with the children running from showerhead to showerhead as the adults tried to get the sweat off themselves. Lionel did, indeed, wash the sweat off Sugar's boobs and she seemed to enjoy it a lot. Judy made sure I treated hers the same way.

"I might stay in the dorm tonight," Judy said. "Unless someone invites me to the master suite where I gave my virginity to the cock that's poking me in the ass right now."

I kind of thought an invitation to the master suite was a great idea.

Lionel, Lamar, Whitney, Carl, Doug, Josh, Geoff, and me. When we all got together, there was really only one way it could work out. We'd paved the studio parking lot and installed the old basketball hoop at one end. We figured we'd have kids who would want to play eventually. Until then, we had a place for us 'old guys' to relive our high school glory.

We played ball.

All the kids wanted to watch, of course. Our wives and cónyuge came out to keep them corralled. Before long, cold drinks and sandwiches started appearing. Then there were chips and Robyn's fried chicken. By mid-afternoon, there were blankets spread out all around and we were having a clan-wide picnic. Rich came out to join the game and when George heard we were playing, we had full five-person teams. We laughed, clowned, and generally had a great time. Lionel and I even did our trick shot for old-times' sake. I know there were some cameras out taking pictures. We were definitely ready for another shower by the time we stopped to eat at the picnic blankets spread under the trees at the end of the parking lot.

"God! I am not that out of shape," Doug swore. "I work for a living and playing a little basketball shouldn't wear me out like that." I motioned to him and the two of us walked over to the showers.

"You doing okay, Doug?" I asked. "You've been holding your side a lot while we're playing and frankly, you look like you've lost weight. You never had extra weight to start with."

"You and our wives. Can't get anything past you, can I?" Doug laughed. Then he sighed as the water ran down over us. "Doctor says he thinks it's an ulcer. I can't believe it, but it's true I've had a lot of stomach upsets. I've been trying to be careful of what I eat. Sometimes I just don't feel like having anything other than a glass of milk. Why would I get an ulcer? I've got a good job. Carl and I really enjoy working for Ron and we've each got a crew now. You know their new house isn't going to be a manufactured home? Carl and I are building it. Money's not a problem. I've got five fantastic kids, three wives, and a husband," he laughed. I looked at him.

"Husband?"

"Hey. It's too hard to call you my wife's husband. We're all cónyuge. Speaking of which, I think Rachel's getting an itch she wants you to scratch. The twins will be a year old this fall. She's always said she wanted you to be the father of one of her kids," Doug laughed.

"Doug, she's your wife!"

"I married her. She's our wife. Really, Brian. Do you consider the twins and James any less your kids than C-Rae and Matthew? No more than those two are any less my kids. I wouldn't mind having a couple more around the house. Sandy's started making noises about wanting to get in a mommy way. I figure if I do Sandy while you're doing Rachel, everyone will be happy."

Holy shit!

The day Whitney left to return to duty in Stuttgart, I received an engraved invitation. It wasn't exactly engraved, I guess. Calligraphy is what it was properly called. But it was very formal and actually came in the mail.

Nicolette Duval, Céleste d'Chevalier, and Nat Hart request the pleasure of Brian Frost's company at the Writer's Cottage on Saturday, the Nineteenth of July, at seven in the evening. This event is to celebrate the release of Miss d'Chevalier's latest novel, The Anarchist's Cookbook. Gifts are not expected. Please dress to be seduced. This is a private party, by invitation only. RSVP to Miss Duval.

There was even a stamped return envelope for my response. Apparently I was not to mention this in general conversation.

After I'd posted my acceptance, I walked over to visit Leonard. His house was bustling. He welcomed me in and I sat with Mama Bear, Susan, Bob, Pam, and Laurie. He passed sandwiches to me as they concluded their discussion. All six of them were headed to New York the following week and then to Paris. He was preparing a buying trip. Laurie had replaced Nancy on Fashion Week as one of the models. She didn't have the classical beauty that Pam had, but was such a girl next door that you couldn't help but love her. She was beginning to fill in for Amber as host of Fashion Week now when Amber was on the road. In Paris, they'd be hosted by Heaven and introduced to several fashion designers while Pam did a new photo shoot. As long as they were there, Leonard was having Pam and Heaven model several of his latest fashions for his winter catalog.

"Now that we have that out of the way, what can we do for you, Patrón?" Leonard asked. "How do you like the line-up of clothes for this fall's shows?"

"The clothes are incredible. I'm beginning to feel like Elaine," I said. "I can't believe you are providing my wardrobe."

"You have single-handedly launched my entire men's line," Leonard laughed. "We're keeping it very exclusive and every piece is handmade. You would not believe some of the people who have requested my personal presence to tailor their wardrobe. They really don't get it."

"As long as you are profiting, I'm good with being your advertisement. I've got a little problem, though. I don't know what it means to 'dress to be seduced.' I'm supposed to go to a private dinner party and that was the instruction."

"Oh! I see," Leonard said nodding.

"Go naked," Pam suggested.

"No, that would mean he'd already been seduced," Bob suggested. "It should present a bit of a challenge. She should have to work for it."

"But you want to have access," Susan suggested. "He shouldn't wear armor."

"Subtle ways that she could slip a hand up his sleeve or a foot up his pants leg," Laurie chimed in.

"Would anyone like another sandwich?" Mama Bear asked.

I wasn't sure about the way I was dressed. Was I dressed to be seduced? Well, yeah. I guess I was. Or for a Renaissance Festival. The shirt was open at the collar and down several inches. It was a kind of blousy thing like a pirate's shirt that laced up the front. I wore a loose-fitting vest over the top. The slacks were trim, not quite tight. Leonard had put the whole outfit together without buttons or zippers. The front of it had a rectangular panel that had Velcro closures and could be literally torn open. Leonard had made sure that I had loafers that looked good and that I wore them without socks. My red house belt was tied around my waist outside the shirt. I guessed I was ready for whatever Nicki had in mind.

Liz had topped the whole thing off with a henna tattoo on my chest. Yes, it was a rose, but not quite like Nicki's. It bloomed out of a heart that was on fire. She'd found a stencil at a head shop in Nashville. And it wasn't visible with my shirt and vest on unless I bent over or shifted in such a way that the shirt gapped that direction. She called it tantalizing. Each of my cónyuge examined the whole outfit and checked to make sure I wasn't wearing underwear. That had predictable results, especially when each of them kissed me passionately before I left the house. I had to shift things around just to walk down the driveway.

In April, Nicki had purchased five wooded acres from Mr. Smith across the road from the ranch. As soon as it closed, Ron was out there putting in a foundation. Rachel had designed the Writer's Cottage and Doug and Carl took charge of building it. Nicki moved in near the end of June, but none of us had been invited to see her new place.

I guess 'moved in' was kind of a strong phrase. She'd furnished it and had spent a few nights there. Mostly, she was still with us at night in the big bedroom until this week. I guess I was the first to be privileged to look at it. Nicki felt she needed more isolation to be able to write effectively and even though she didn't want to be separated from the rest of us, she needed a private space. Her first two books had earned back her advance and she was actually receiving a royalty check every three months. Added to the healthy salary she was drawing as head writer for Hearthstone Entertainment, she was doing pretty well.

Walking up the flagstone path to her door was like entering an enchanted forest. It was funny. As soon as Joanne had decided to build her dream home, we'd had all kinds of planning discussions so it wouldn't look so big as to be out of place in the village. Her place was big enough that the entire Garcia family lived in one wing as caretakers and there were still more rooms than the big house. Lamar and Donna had built a house that could absorb Lionel and his family as guests without strain. But Nicki had chosen an actual cottage on a huge piece of wild property.

I knocked on the door.

The vision that opened the door was incredible.

Nicki is a couple inches taller than me. Her blonde curly hair fell softly to her shoulders. Bare shoulders. I have to admit that with children, I have seen nearly all the old Disney movies. Wouldn't you know that Rose had the entire collection of fairy tales in a video tape library and she took great delight in having the whole family gather to watch one. Well, Sleeping Beauty wears a pretty daring dress for a Disney princess. It is completely off both shoulders with a flare that puffs out around her upper arms and long sleeves. And a plunging neckline. Perhaps not as plunging as Nicki's neckline. It was open enough that I could clearly see her rose tattoo. And the skirt may have been long, but it was tucked up with the hem in the waistline exposing her right leg up to her thigh. She was barefoot.

"Mr. Frost, we are so pleased you could be with us this evening," she said. A royal we? Of course, the invitation did come from all three of her. "We have a shoeless household, if you wouldn't mind." There was a mat to the left of the door and I slipped out of my shoes, thankful Leonard had made me wear loafers.

"Miss Duval, Miss d'Chevalier, and Miss Hart, I thank you for your kind invitation. What a lovely cottage you have," I said. Nicki giggled.

"Please let me show you my home, sir," she said. Well, I think I could see most of it. "This is the public area. I'm afraid it is much too hot to have a fire in the fireplace tonight. But it is a cozy little retreat for as many ... as there are here now," she giggled again. "As you can see, the table on this side of the room is a comfortable dining spot for us and for our guest. The kitchen is modest, but I am not much of a cook. Should you need it, the salle de bain is at the end behind the kitchen. It is a bit more luxurious than you might expect, but a girl has to pamper herself where it counts. Here, we enter the private quarters. My study."

"Wow! If I may say, I understand fully how you would want a space like this for your work," I said. Damn! What a gorgeous room! The walls were lined with bookshelves. I had no idea Nicki had so many books. She really did need this space. She had a large desk. I knew she had a computer somewhere, but in the center of the desk was a nice electric typewriter. She also had a comfy chair positioned in a little bay window overlooking the wildness of her back yard.

"You are too kind. Of course, you may wonder about my sleeping arrangements. My personal space is ... up there," she said pointing to the staircase next to the bathroom that I'd scarcely noticed. "And that's my humble abode. All tidily compressed into nine hundred square feet. Please have a seat by the fireplace and let me bring you a cocktail."

I sat in the loveseat where she directed me and couldn't quite see into the kitchen where she clinked some glasses together and I heard her pouring something. She came out with two champagne flutes, but I could tell just by looking that it wasn't just champagne. There was a maraschino cherry floating in it. She perched on the edge of the loveseat next to me and turned to raise her glass. We touched the edges of the flutes together gently.