Chapter 3

The next morning, I did my normal workout ending with a run on the beach. As I slowed near the condominium I saw Mom sitting on the wooden steps at the end of the walkway that spanned the dunes between the condominium and the beach. She looked good and content with her cup of coffee and a slight smile as I walked up.

She stood and asked if I was still up for a walk or if I needed a break. I took her coffee and had a sip. It was almost empty so I set it on the top step and took her hand indicating that I was ready for a walk. The first hundred yards were in silence before she finally spoke in a soft, calm voice.

“Jack, as I watched you run back to the condominium, I didn’t recognize my little boy any more. I saw a fine young man. I spoke to Darcy last night and she told me about my son. As Darcy spoke I could hear in her words that she wasn’t talking about cute, little Johnny and his antics. She was referring to a confident young man. She was proud of the way you handled yourself, the decisions that you made and your confidence. She was so proud of our boy.”

Not knowing how to respond since there wasn’t a question; I squeezed her hand and said, “You all have done a great job raising both Mary and me.”

“I don’t think I can take all the credit because there were times that you did more for me than I did for you. Britt, Darcy, your father, Lilly, Karen and other friends and family certainly played a part along with me. You’ve had a lot of things happen to you at a young age and the fact that you aren’t in permanent counseling is a miracle. You’ve had to move across the country, lost a parent, become insanely rich, and had a mom who is openly bisexual with another couple and many other things. Most people grow up in a more stable environment that is very black and white. You and Mary have grown up in a whirlwind of grey areas or even in some of the black areas that we portray to you as being white. You have to have a very open mind to accept your lifestyle.”

“Mom, I’ve had a lot of love. All the people you mentioned love me. I love all of them. There are parents out there who are against homosexuality until their child comes out as being gay. They still love the child whether they accept their lifestyle or not. Some don’t but many begin to rethink their position because their view changes when they have to hate their own child or change their beliefs.”

“So, we accept each other’s actions because we love each other. I guess that’s as good of a reason as any and I can’t think of another one. I want to be happy and want you happy. I do love you more than anything else in the world. You and Mary so don’t go saying you’re my favorite.”

“It will be our secret.” I said with a smile. “I pushed you to be with Britt. I didn’t know about Darcy or anything else that you did but I knew that he would make you happy. I could say that we live a fucked-up lifestyle but we’re rich so we qualify as eccentric.”

“Smart ass. Yes, we are eccentric and we’re happy. I know what Darcy’s done and what you’ve done. In the past I, would’ve been upset and tried to protect you but you know what they say about people living in glass houses and throwing stones. I’ll keep an eye on you and try to stop anything that will lead you in a direction that’s destructive. Sex can be addictive just like drugs and alcohol. I don’t see the same tendencies that your dad had, so I am going to watch and wait.”

“That’s what moms are for and I want you to be my mom. You’re young and pretty and a friend but I look to you as a mom primarily. I know there might be times where you ask me to do what you say and not as you do. I’ll listen to you but we’re also to the point where I might ask you to explain why there is a double standard or ask you to listen to my reasoning.”

“I think that you’ve earned that. Darcy’s not always the best role model because she likes to push things to the next level. That includes, people, experiences, sex, and domination. She wants to always see how far she can go. She sees that you aren’t afraid to do the same thing. That excites her and she wants to see if two people are better than one. In business, that makes her very successful. In other areas, it can cause problems. I’ll love you no matter what but I don’t want you to have deal with a lot of problems.”

“Life is full of problems but it’ll be easier knowing that you’ll accept me and my actions as well as my problems.”

“I don’t know how much you and Mary talk but even though she’s younger than you, her sex drive and aggressiveness in that area is far ahead of you. You don’t seem in a big hurry, while she has taken Darcy as a role model and is always pushing what she can get away with. I’ve accepted this and talk to her about it often. I mostly point out the potential problems that she could create for herself and the family. So far it hasn’t blown up in her face and I hope it never does. I want you to know that outside of the family, we don’t talk about it but inside the family, we are open in our discussions. I assume we’ll be more open as you, Darcy and Mary keep pushing things. You may see things or hear things that surprise you but you can always talk to me about anything. Britt, Darcy and I’m sure Mary would be willing to talk and listen as well.”

“We all have to make our own beds and lie in them. We should be responsible for our actions and be willing to live with the consequences. I like the golden rule but in sex, I have found that it doesn’t always apply.”

“No, you don’t always want what others want from you except happiness and contentment. The actions don’t always create the same response. We all give Christmas presents but you wouldn’t like a new purse and I don’t want a new knee board for behind the boat but we both want to get each other gifts that make the other happy. In sex, you’re giving gifts that make the other person happy even though you might not want that same gift yourself.”

“I’ll agree with that if you’ll agree to turn around and walk back. I am hungry and this conversation could get embarrassing if we start getting into the gifts we’d both enjoy.”

That got a smile from Mom and we turned and walked back down the beach. As we walked, it felt like I’d received a free pass to do whatever I wanted but also felt like I should be able to look my mom in the eye and tell her any and everything that I did. This gave me the feeling of freedom but also of responsibility or accountability.

Mary was in the pool when we walked by and there was another girl that looked to be about her age sitting on the steps next to her. She introduced Mom and me to her new friend, Shelly. The long blonde hair and small bikini made me take a good look at the girl before we said our goodbyes and went up to the condominium.

After a shower and late breakfast, I got out a book to read. Mom gave me a second look when she walked into the living room and asked about the romance novel.

“It was Darcy’s suggestion about understanding the relationship that most women fantasize about. To be a good lover, I should know what the women are looking for. I promised to read a couple and so this is part of my homework for my new boss and job.”

Darcy was walking by and said, “He’s doing great and is a natural. I think with a little bit of training and observation, that he will have the ladies eating out of his hand and any other part of his body whenever he tells them to.”

Before Mom could respond, Karen came in the front door. She’d flown in on a company chartered jet after she finished taping one of the weekend news shows. Darcy squealed at seeing her. Karen got a wave off to Mom and me. Britt, who was walking out of the bedroom, got a quick hug as did Lilly before Darcy dragged Karen back to the bedroom.

Mom and Lilly went down to the pool while Britt and I shot pool. The golf tournament was on TV in the background. He mentioned the same types of things that Mom had earlier but it was relaxed and low key. He did mention that Darcy had the tendency to push things too far and I shouldn’t feel obligated to be her pawn in the chess game of life. I could stand up to her and say “No,” whenever I felt like it.

He won the second game after I’d won the first. I told him that I’d be careful around Darcy and be my own man, once I figured out who I was.

“Jack, that’s all I can ask. Darcy mentioned sleeping with you. I am fine with that because she feels safe with you. She tells me everything. If she never tells me that you forced her to do something that she didn’t want to do, then we are fine. I trust you and I trust her just like your father trusted your mother and me.”

Britt went down to the beach to do his daily run and I went back to my book. Enjoying the air conditioning, I could hear Darcy and Karen in the master bedroom. Darcy and Karen were both getting loud when Mary came in with Shelly to get some lunch. They stopped in the entry as Darcy was telling Karen what to do with her cunt and how good it felt.

Shelly started to blush but Mary led her into the kitchen to fix some lunch. I set down the book when they came into the family room to eat. Shelly was from Tampa where her father was a doctor. He’d just been married and her new stepmom was with them. It was a honeymoon of sorts but her dad and stepmom were going skiing in Aspen after Christmas as their real honeymoon. Mary had invited Shelly to spend the weekend with her and everyone seemed to agree that it would work.

Mary spoke to Shelly, “Shelly, can you go get us a couple sodas from the fridge? Get me a Tab and whatever you want for yourself. You can take my plate back and bring us the chips. Thanks.”

My eyebrow went up as Shelly left the room with both of their empty plates. Darcy and Karen could still be heard.

Just above a whisper, Mary said, “By tonight, she’ll be my Karen. She wants to be a good girl. The drinks are just baby steps. I might ask you to join us after I find out what her real fantasies are.”

Smiling, I said, “Just let me know, Sis.”

They were drinking their sodas when Darcy came out with a t-shirt on and Karen wore a bikini. Mary introduced Shelly while Darcy and Shelly looked each other over closely. They both seemed to approve of what they saw.

It felt like a good time for me to take my leave. I went down to the beach and walked about a half mile up to where the public beach was. Technically all beaches are public up to the high tide mark but this is where there was a parking lot, a mass of people and some permanent volleyball courts set up in the sand. I’d seen them during my runs and walks on the beach but had never seen them in use but today they were all being used and there were others waiting to play. The matches were two on two. Teams were guys, girls and mixed. I watched a couple matches and asked some of the players standing around if there was some order to the play and if I could play since I didn’t have a partner?

He pointed to the last court and said, “There is a sign-up board down there. Just put your name down. If someone wants to play with a specific person they should let you skip them or ask to skip you but other than that, the next two on the list play against the winners of the last game to end. If you win, you keep playing. If you lose then you can add your name to the bottom of the list.”

After thanking him, I added my name to the list. There was a guy on the list before me and a girl put her name on the list after me. With five nets going and two people removed from the list after each game, the wait wasn’t long. I ended up playing with a girl named Kim. She had on a bikini and sun glasses. I introduced myself as I dropped my shirt and walked onto the court.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever played with you before. Are you here on vacation?”

“Yes, I’m staying at the last set of condos down the beach. I saw the nets and came over to see what was going on. I haven’t played beach volleyball before but have been watching to see how it works, I’m sorry in advance if I mess up and we lose.”

“It’s just a game. We can just plan to have fun. I try not to take this too seriously. Some people think this is the Olympics or something.”

We played and I tended to chase and dive after balls a lot but my work above the net paid off and we beat the team we were playing. Kim seemed happy and gave me a few more pointers as we waited on our opponents. She had directed me during the game and I was improving as I learned from my mistakes.

The next game was against a couple of girls that played together often and worked well together. My height and jumping abilities helped us to again win by a narrow margin. Kim was quick and could dig, pass, and set very well. The games were all friendly with handshakes after the games and congratulations from the losers.

As our next opponents stepped onto the court, Kim said, “These two think they are great and that this is life or death. They’re good but they take it too serious. Don’t let their mouths throw you off your game. Just keep up what you’re doing and have fun. Don’t stoop to their level.”

There wasn’t much else I could do so I just nodded and did as she said. A couple well placed spikes and a dink had them down early and their mouths started running. I didn’t let it bother me but then they started to talk about Kim. The next spike went right for the loud mouths face. He deflected it with his hands but shanked it out of bounds.

“What the fuck,” was his reaction to the spike. He looked like he wanted to come under the net but his friend calmed him down.

They did rally back and beat us by two points. They were too busy congratulating each other to shake hands or meet us at the net so we just walked off. I wanted to rinse the sweat and sand. Kim said, “Do you want to go down to the water for a bit or use the showers by the bath house?”

“I could take a dip in the Gulf. Want to join me?”

She was nodding while we walked that way. She’d picked up a towel and I grabbed my shirt. We dropped our stuff on the shore and ran out and dove into the water. It was about chest deep when we stopped to talk.

“Jack, you did well today. I thought it was going to be one and done but one of the better teams beat us by only two points. You can be my partner any time.”

“Thanks, Kim, I had fun. I live in Nevada and play mostly indoor volleyball on my school’s team. I have seen a few sand courts around but they seem to be popping up more.”

“The sport is taking off. This is my second year playing beach volleyball. Last year maybe three courts would be in use and today you saw the people waiting to play. You’re from Nevada. I’d think you would want to go someplace cool or to the mountains for vacation.”

“I was born in Winter Park, FL and a friend owns the condominium. I came here a lot when I was growing up. My work had me in town and I’m staying here for three days before I fly to Miami on Tuesday.”

“What do you do for work?”

“I work for Sport Support.”

“I love my Bolts.”

“I’m glad. They seem to be talking off and I’m visiting a few of the schools that we supply and sponsor with our products. The Gators, Bulls, Knights, Hurricanes and Seminoles I think are on the schedule before I fly home.”

“Those are some big-name schools. I go to UTC and play volleyball there. I was just a freshman last year but we did all right.”

“Which UTC do you go to?”

“I play for the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.”

“I don’t think we sponsor them but I could check. Would your school like to wear Bolts?”

“Nobody sponsors us. The girls’ volleyball team wears Bolts already but just our practice and game gear.”

“I’ll stop by tomorrow and you can get me the name of your coach or athletic director. I’ll try to set up a call or a meeting. I think that Tennessee has Adidas but I don’t know about UTC.”

Kim bit her bottom lip while she was thinking. “I’m going out with some friends tonight if you want to come along?”

“Sure. Can you pick me up or do you want to give me directions?”

“I can pick you up around eight o’clock. Do you want to meet me in the parking lot or should I come up?”

“If you want to meet the other seven people at the condominium then you can come up but plan to stay a while so they can all meet you. Otherwise, I’ll just meet you down stairs. When you pull in, go to the left and we are in the building closest to the beach.”

I had dinner with the family and Shelly. Britt grilled some fish and Lilly made a salad and other veggies. It was all very good. I mentioned my date and Mary asked me about Kim. I mentioned the volleyball on the beach and said, “It might not be a bad marketing move to sponsor some of these tournaments since the people playing and watching are our prime market.”

Darcy looked at me and thought for a minute. “Okay, make it happen.”

“When I said we, I meant the company and someone that knew what they were doing.”

“Figure it out Partner. We don’t have anyone that does that so figure it out. Hire someone if you need to.”

“Yes Boss.”

“Good Boy.”

She was ready to duck if I threw something at her but I didn’t. Mary wanted to make sure I was looking good for my date. When I got out of the shower, she was in my room, looking through my clothes with Shelly. I had a towel around my waist and a tooth brush in my mouth as I walked into the room.

Mary smiled at me. “Hey Partner. You jumped into that one at dinner. Darcy’s always one to give it back to you unless you already have everything figured out and would just be doing it for busy work. You’ll have fun. You should tell her the first one will be on Maui and then expense the whole thing. She’d just laugh and give you points for the move but if you pulled off the tournament it would be all good in her eyes. She really wants to see what kind of cost and exposure would be involved at a local level.”

Mary sat on the bed next to Shelly after she’d laid out a pair of boxers, shorts and golf shirt. They were all Bolts and a pair of top siders were on the floor. I could have picked them up and taken them to the bathroom to change or kicked them out but Mary was doing something so I just dropped the towel and got dressed while they watched. I’d already shaved, brushed my hair, and put on deodorant. I walked back to the bathroom to spit out the tooth paste and rinse my mouth. Mary gave me a hug and wished me luck on my night then stood while Shelly did the same.

Trying to figure out or understand her was pointless so I just went along with it and made my way out to the parking lot at 8pm. Kim was driving a Toyota Corolla. We went to a dance club just off St. Armand’s Circle. Kim knew a lot of the people and I was introduced to a few as we had a few dances. Kim wasn’t old enough to drink but had a few sips of mine. She looked good and felt good when she rubbed against me.

It was about eleven when we slipped out and she drove past the condominium on the way to the public beach. We left our shoes by the bath house and walked on the beach while holding hands. I had a thought and asked, “What are you doing for the summer?”

“I am working at a sandwich shop to save up some money. I work five days a week. Minimum wage sucks but it’s something to do for the summer.”

“Why don’t you come over and work for me or ‘Sport Support’ for the summer?”

“What would I do?”

“I was talking to the CEO about watching you run around in your Bolt bikini today playing volleyball and thought we should sponsor a tournament. Someone needs to organize and run the volleyball tournament. I can’t do it all.”

“That sounds like fun but how big is this going to be? Do we have time? I have school starting in the middle of August. That’s about ten weeks from now.”

“So, we shoot for a final tournament in nine weeks then four others to qualify. ‘The Gulf Coast Bolts Challenge.’ We have five weeks to set up the first one. We could do it here. Then Pensacola, Clearwater and Naples could be the other stops. Based on the best site, we can have the top teams from each event play in the final tournament. Can we do that?”

“You’re serious, aren’t you? It would be a lot of work but I think it could be done. Clearwater has more nets and players. They’re also central to the west coast of Florida. If you’re offering a job and it pays more than minimum wage, I’m in.”

“You’re hired. You start Monday morning.”

She jumped into my arms and gave me a kiss but was soon out of my arms and dancing around, she was so excited. She dropped me off soon afterwards and I gave her the number of the condominium. I told her that I wouldn’t be playing volleyball the next day because I had a business plan to write. She told me to write a good one and I got a real kiss. One to end a date properly and let me know that there was more and better to come.

As I walked in, it was only around midnight. The place was quiet but the door to Mary and Shelly’s room was partially open. It swung open when I walked by and Mary asked how it went. I told her it went well. I looked over her shoulder to see Shelly naked and spread eagle on the bed. She didn’t seem to be tied there but was grabbing the sheets in the corners with her hands and her feet were stretching for the corners at the foot of the bed. Mary stepped aside and motioned to Shelly with her head.