53: Holiday

The next several days were a constant coming and going of people. All the seniors, except Rich and Amber, went home for Christmas. Rich and Carl's parents came to the ranch and were put up in the spacious Casa del Sol. The triplets went to Louisville with promises to be back the day after Christmas. Maggie steeled herself to go to Chicago. It was too bad her parents had never moved from the house where she was raped. Under some pretense of going to tour the law school at Northwestern, Lamar offered to drive her. She, too, was planning to return the day after Christmas.

I planned to do something very nice for Lamar sometime soon. He didn't plan to be out of sight from where Maggie would be. I had a feeling he'd sleep in his car.

Rhonda and Donna spent Christmas morning with their parents, but were back by dinner time. April went to Fort Wayne. Elaine spent Christmas Eve with her parents at her brother's house and came back for Christmas dinner. Since my folks and Doreen's parents were all at the ranch, we didn't leave.

We had a small Christmas tree in the bay window of our living room, but had all decided we wanted a big one in the studio like last year. It would come down on Boxing Day because Rhonda was going straight back into production on Elaine's show on the twenty-seventh. That threw another wrench into our works. We were all under pressure to get more shows in the can before the new season began on February first. With Nicki home to work on scripts, Rhonda had filled the weekend and Monday with audiences and filming. She'd then done the same starting Friday after New Year's Day and continuing almost non-stop until we returned to classes on the thirteenth. We'd planned to be in Seattle from the fourth through the eleventh. Rhonda would not be joining us.

I'd also be missing the next taping of Redress. Maggie was wisely slating the early winter taping in the southern states, beginning in Arizona. Joanne planned to attend the Copper Bowl in Tucson to watch her boyfriend play. Of course, this was also Vaughn's last college game, so it was unlikely Adam would get much opportunity to play. They would tape in Tucson the following week. Somehow, Maggie had arranged for the high school girl they were redressing to attend the game with Joanne. Sora and I were the only ones not taping over the break. Lauren would have a whole new college crew to break in when we started up again. Sora was taking a longer break.

"We're going to do two a day in May," she explained. "Our goal is to have a full fifteen week season of dailies ready for fall. It will be the same exercise team with no guests. Then we'll close it down until there's a new concept. Really, they could just rerun our current set and no one would know. They are watching to exercise, not be entertained. I'll consider leading a hot yoga series after that."

I definitely wanted someone to go with me to Seattle. Not just Addison. Not just Doreen, Rachel, Sandy, and Doug. I was being really selfish. I knew that and it didn't make a difference. I wanted someone to make love to in Seattle, not just to be a companion.

John and Bea flew down on Christmas morning, bringing Josh's dad, Don, with them. The Duvals brought Nicki and Liz back. We had a relaxed and happy Christmas with the whole clan circulating into the studio for the Christmas buffet. At one point I found myself with both Eleanor and Matthew in my arms as we stood looking at the tree. Ellie's little hand was stretched out making clutching motions but I think she was taking hold of imaginary sparkles and not really reaching for the tree at all. Her little arm reached and her fist opened and closed, but it wasn't actually toward the tree she was looking at.

Matt, in my other arm was alert, but focused almost entirely on me. His arms were wrapped in his blanket.

"You look pretty natural there, Brian," John said. "With all the women you have, I think this is the position you should get used to." He chuckled as I gulped. "I understand you made a good deal in New York. Congratulations. How about the other shows?"

"Fortunately, all I have to do is show up and cook for mine and I do that almost every day anyway. Elaine's show is going to be the real driver. We're appealing to a young women's audience and the stations are eating it up. High school through early twenties," I said. "I'm told that is an extremely important market and we are beginning to get network sponsorship inquiries. I'm just not sure that Elaine wants to use her show to promote tampons."

"Have you thought about creating your own cable network? You sold your show to the Lifelong Women's Network. Perhaps you should be competing with them, instead."

"It's an incredibly big, scary world out there, John," I said. "We're just moving into our twenties. Most of us have two and a half years or more of college to go. The only ones who are really ready to make the move are Rhonda and Elaine."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to think and dream, son. You have a beautiful family. You'll take good care of them."

We still tried to eschew gifts other than simple tokens. I still wrote an individual card to everyone I knew. I'd delivered fifty here at the ranch and mailed two dozen more this year. I wanted each of my cousins and our parents to know that I thought of them. I wasn't sure what Coach Hancock, Ms. Sullivan, Ms. Streeter, and Ms. Hammer thought about receiving Christmas cards from me, but they were important in my life.

Once the remnants of the celebration were cleaned up and we made sure everyone had a place to sleep, my family went back to the house.

Mom, Dad, and Anna took a bottle of bubbly to the master bedroom and we didn't hear from them again that night. The Duvals had a hotel room, so John and Bea took the guest room at the studio. Don Whitaker bunked in the guys' dorm. Dinita took our second guest room and lounged comfortably with us in the living room. It was funny, she was often included in our conversations and didn't seem to even notice when two or more of us got particularly involved with each other. We didn't go too far when parents were near, but we were naked and sometimes a kiss got a little carried away.

Josh, Cassie, and Mary settled down with me when we went up to bed. I'd had some nice, intimate cuddles with each of my other hearthmates except my novia. And I noticed that Josh had some serious cuddles from Liz, Nicki, Samantha, Rose, and even Rhonda. I was thinking the Maypoles we sported as we headed to bed were here in the wrong season.

We had built our little routines this fall and I easily spent as much time with Cassie, Mary, and Josh as I did with any of my other lovers. We would start out as Mary and Josh, and Cassie and me. We would play for a while—sometimes a long while or even all night. But there would be no penetration. Oh we got really close. It wasn't at all unusual for me to spurt directly into Cassie's rectum while we both came, or to batter her clit with my sperm as it rocketed out of me. But we never quite made it all the way. I was beginning to think that we never would. We were all being intimate and coming away satisfied. Eventually, Cassie and Mary would switch. Josh and I would don condoms and then enter our lovers.

"I saw how disappointed you were when Rhonda said she couldn't go to Seattle," Cassie said. We were in one of our favorite positions as I lay on my back and she slid her wet pussy and clit back and forth on the underside of my cock.

"It's nothing, really. I'll be going with my other family. I have no trouble spending a week sleeping with the mother of my child." We laughed and she slid up so the tip of my cock was rubbing on her clit. She leaned over and kissed Mary, who was on her back as Josh did the work on her clit.

"I could go with you. I mean if you'd like to have a little extra company," she whispered. She was grinding intently on me and our breath was coming in gasps.

"Really, Cassie? Would you like to come?"

"I'd really like to come ... right now," she said.

Too many things happened at once. I can always tell when Cassie is about to come. I could feel her tense up. Then I felt her lurch forward and pound herself back on me, taking me all the way into her hot, wet inner sanctum. I froze.

"Josh!" Mary gasped beside me. I looked over and realized he was buried to the hilt in her. I was too stunned to come. As she stopped quaking, Cassie pulled herself off of me and Josh retreated from Mary.

"Merry Christmas, novia," Josh and Cassie said together.

"I think we'd better dress these guys before we violate the rules any more than we have," Cassie whispered to Mary. They kissed again. In a minute, Josh and I were both dressed in condoms and I was fully embedded in Cassie's snug, warm sheath.

"This wasn't an accident," Josh said as he slid in and out of Mary and she gasped. "We've talked long and intensely about it for months. We love you. We both love both of you. It doesn't mean I want to have sex with you, Brian. I love you like a brother. And like a co-husband."

"I love you both," Cassie repeated. "And I do want to have sex with you, Mary. Lots. It's been foolish for us to wait so long."

I was lost to any further explanation from that point as I reveled the feel of being in Cassie. What she feared eight years ago, she fully embraced tonight. We made love. I held her in my arms. My first, elementary school girlfriend that I met in the woods and kissed. The girl who challenged me to debate in front of the entire school and school board. The girl that took off her clothes at the campfire and asked me to touch her and later, to show her what boys were like so she would be ready for Josh. The girl who lay on my bed as Josh slowly pleasured her and invited Rose and me to share the bed with them. My friend Josh's lover. We made love and lost ourselves in the loving and the giving.

When the first round—or fifth, depending on how you count them—was over, Mary and Cassie faced each other as lovers and I entered Mary from behind as Josh did Cassie. I reached across and embraced my novia as Josh linked arms with me to hold the girls between us.

John and Bea knew at breakfast. They had come to the house to join us and we were all in our house robes. In honor of the occasion, Rose had prepared a green gi for me that would match my novia. Soon we would all change them to red. John held out his arms to us and Cassie rushed into them. He kept motioning with his hands until Mary, Josh, and I were included in his embrace.

"May God bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. May He lift up his countenance upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord give you peace and love all the days of your lives. Amen," he said. He explained to me later on that this was the oldest Christian blessing that had survived the centuries and come down to us, an audible link with the ancient world.

Our casa and parents all gathered around us and Rose stepped forward.

"I believe that was your handfasting ritual," she said. She had the spool of red thread in her hand and we held all four of our hands together as she wound the thread around us. When we had broken the thread and the girls caught the pieces to tie around their wrists, Rose said, "In the interest of modesty, we left your red gis on the bed upstairs." The four of us grinned and ran for the stairs as the family laughed.

"How long does it usually take to change clothes on an occasion like this?" Dad asked as we were leaving.

"All day," Rose said.

It didn't. Though we kissed and hugged each other when we were naked, we did dress and each helped tie the others' belts.

Later in the day, the parents all left and the clothes started coming off. Rhonda was trying to get things ready for filming starting Friday, but Samantha and I convinced her to take some time off. She was happy she did.

"You should," she whispered as we came down from a fantastic orgasm and Sam got off her face.

"Should what, lover?" I asked as I stretched out beside her.

"Should take Cassie to Seattle. I know you'll be busy with family things, but you need time together. It will be good for you. A honeymoon."

"Are you going to be there with a camera?" I laughed.

"Okay. I'm meddling," she giggled. "But you know you aren't going to get as much time with her here as you want. You have too many demanding little bitches like me wanting time with you."

"I think it was Sam and me who demanded time with you," I said. "And now I think Sam needs something from both of us."

"Oh yeah," Sam moaned as Rhonda turned to kiss her.

"Thank god that's over," Maggie said when she and Lamar walked in. "Do you know what this guy did? He was so sweet! He stayed outside in his car and kept watch over me."

"Nah, that's not what I was doing. I didn't trust leaving my car in that neighborhood," Lamar laughed.

"Is it that rough?"

"All those Koreans!" Lamar said.

"I finally convinced him to come in on Christmas day and have dinner with us," Maggie said.

"I think it was your parents who needed to be convinced," Lamar answered. It was good natured. Maggie was still in awe of Lamar, but also very thankful. They were still going at it when Danielle came bursting through the back door, glanced around, and threw herself into my arms.

"We're back!" she said. "Merry Christmas! Did you get any presents? Is there turkey left over? Hi, everybody! Merry Christmas."

"That girl has been jumping around in the back seat ever since we left Louisville," Debbie said when she came in. She was carting two bags of groceries. Dorothy had two more right behind her.

"Do you have mistletoe? I need a kiss," Dorothy said.

"You can have a kiss without mistletoe," I said. "Ask Lamar."

"I'm headed home," Lamar said. "I need to stretch out on my giant bed so I can get some sleep."

"Is it giant enough for three?" Dorothy asked. Lamar fled.

Cassie slipped up beside me and managed to get between Danielle and me. She rubbed up against me and I welcomed her for a kiss.

"Danielle. You left your bags of groceries in the car," Debbie said. "You can't get undressed until you bring them in." Danielle took a look at Cassie and me and ran back out the door. "I don't know what you've done to our sister, but she's completely addicted to you," she said as she approached me and I gave her a little kiss. I didn't let go of Cassie as I collected a kiss from Dolly as well. That one was a little more intense.