Chapter 38: Coming out of the Woodwork!

December 29, 1991, Chicago, Illinois

“Hey, Jason!” I said shaking his hand.

“Hey, Steve! We missed you last summer. But I guess you had a more important event to attend!”

“Let’s just say being in Brooklyn, Michigan while my wife delivered would have landed me in more trouble than a driver called to the ‘Big Red Truck’ for a conference with Big Bill!”

Jason laughed, “Mr. France is, indeed, a man to be feared. Anyone who could stare down Richard Petty and the rest o’ the boys when they tried to form a union is one tough dude.”

“We’re glad you’re here. Jesse has been looking forward to it. He’ll introduce you to his ‘cousin’ Nicholas.”

“That’s your friend Bethany’s son? The one whose dad was murdered?”

“Yes. But come on in. No need to stand in the foyer.”

“I’ll take your bag,” Abbie said, smirking, though Jason couldn’t see that since she was behind him.

“Uh, OK,” he stammered.

“Jason, it’s cool,” I said. “You know me.”

Abbie waltzed off with his bag and he leaned close.

“But she’s one of your girls!” he whispered.

“And so was the amazing young woman who became your wife. I don’t have that kind of relationship with Abbie. I didn’t stand in your way then, and I won’t now.”

“No, you didn’t, but in your own house?”

“You mean in Abbie’s house? She lives here and it’s as much hers as it is mine, no matter whose name is on the deed.”

“So long as you don’t got no problem with it.”

“Jason, at this point, nothing would make me happier. Just don’t try to drag her away from the kids. They might have a word or two to say to you!”

He laughed, “Naw, it ain’t even remotely close to that point! Well, I guess you know her.”

I chuckled, “I’d lay $10 on her meeting you at the airport, kissing you like you haven’t been kissed in a long time, and telling you EXACTLY what she wanted to do with you when she got you here.”

Jason blushed!

“You could have knocked me over with a feather!” he said.

“And you protested, because you were thinking of Stephie, didn’t you?”

He nodded, “You know me pretty well. But Abbie just kissed me again, and well, you know...”

I chuckled, “I do. Make yourself at home. The house is yours for the next week!”

“Thanks! Now, where is my buddy?”

“Jesse!” I called out. “Jason is here!”

“Yes!” Jesse exclaimed from the other room. “Nicholas! My race car friend is here!”

I went to the kitchen to work on dinner, and Bethany joined me to help.

“I thought Kara was helping tonight,” I said.

“She let me take her place,” Bethany smirked.

“In your dreams, Sweetheart!”

“You want to hear my dreams?” she giggled. “They all revolve around you taking me in every way possible, in every position possible, to the point we’re both covered in cum and my juices!”

“You’re not fighting fair, Bethany!” I growled uncomfortably.

“What? You can’t handle the thought of me sucking you and having you cum all over my face and boobs?” she smirked. “And having cum leaking from everywhere else?”

“God DAMN it, Bethany!” I swore. “Did Kara put you up to this?”

“I might have,” Kara giggled from the doorway between the kitchen and the hall.

“I’ll deal with YOU later!” I laughed.

“Ooooh! Please! Promise?” she said saucily.

“I think I’m going to borrow Elyse’s flogger!” I threatened.

“I think we should!” Kara smirked, then ducked as I threw a wet dishtowel at her.

“Are you three going to tease me mercilessly about this?” I sighed.

“Only until we come to some decision,” Kara said, popping back around the door frame. “You know how complicated this is.”

I nodded, “I do. Now, can we PLEASE make dinner?”

“You should probably let us, Kara,” Bethany said. “There is a ravenous horde of younglings out there that need to be fed and watered!”

Kara came over and gave me a quick kiss, then left the kitchen.

“Sorry,” Bethany said with a smile. “She put me up to it.”

“Right,” I smirked. “And she had to twist your arm?”

“Well, no,” she said with a giggle. “And it was a bit over the top!”

I leaned close, “If we decide it’s OK, that’s EXACTLY what you’re going to get!”

Bethany shuddered.

“See, two can play the same game!” I chuckled.

“Jerk!” she laughed.

December 31, 1991, Chicago, Illinois

“You’re sure about this?”

“Positive. It’ll make me VERY happy,” I said.

“Then we’ll do it.”

“Good. I think Jason will really enjoy the New Year’s gala at Alex’s place. And I think you will, too.”

“I can’t believe you could get us tickets today! Only about ten hours before it started.”

I chuckled, “Alex held back two tickets for me because he suspected I might pull something like this. He extracted a favor from me in return, though.”

“Which is?”

“Next year, I have to take Kara and Jessica there on New Year’s. Elyse will handle things here. And if you happen to invite Jason back, and you like Alex’s gala, then you can go again as well.”

“You don’t have to pay for it! I have more money than I can possibly know what to do with at this point!”

“Save and invest, as we talked about, and you’re already doing. When the kids are grown, you’ll have enough money to do whatever you want.”

“I think you pay me too much!” she protested.

“Go ask Matthew and let me know what he says.”

“Forget it! He treats me like Birgit treats you!”

“Exactly. Now, run along and have some fun!”

She gave me a quick kiss, then went to join Jason in the sunroom where he was rough-housing with the boys. I went to find Elyse and check on the party planning.

“Do we have everything?” I asked.

“Stephanie and Ed just ran to Jewel for a few things we’re short on. I told them to get milk, too; that stuff goes like water around here.”

“With six kids living in the house? And Jesse eating here often? Are you surprised?”

“No,” Elyse laughed. “Between that and toilet paper, I can think of a couple of companies we could buy stock in!”

“And diapers. Why do you think I have holdings in P&G and Johnson and Johnson?”

Elyse laughed, “True. I forgot you had those in addition to your tech stocks.”

“And a few others. Putting everything in one sector is really dumb. And you know I watch the tech stocks. It’s too easy to blow it, well, like Apple is.”

“But you’re holding on to that stock and buying more!”

“My broker says I’m ‘locked-in’ or ‘fixated’ but I just don’t see them going away in the long run. But I bet both sides of the street. I do own Microsoft stock. Hell, look how much of their stuff we use and our customers use!”

“True. Anyway, I think everything is set. I did hear from Doctor Barton that Fawn is going to join us. He wasn’t sure when he initially responded early in December. And Melanie called. She’s bringing her new paralegal. I told her it was OK. I guess she knows all the Navy boys?”

“Yes. She worked for Karl at RTC. She knew Nick and Bethany. Her name is Grace, I think.”

“Jeri called and asked if she could bring someone.”

“Uh, isn’t she coming with Howard? Did I miss something big?”

Elyse laughed, “No, sorry. A friend. She met someone at the last Windows Users’ Group who is a new college grad and doesn’t really know too many people in Chicago. Jeri thought the party might be a way for her to meet some people.”

“I assume you said ‘yes’?”

“I did. Her name is Kajri.”

“Indian?” I asked.

“Ex-pat, I guess. According to Jeri, her dad is a Brit and her mom is Indian.”

“Did you hear from Gina Swanson?”

“Not directly, but I guess Jess talked her into coming.”

“Cool. And the babysitting is all set?”

“Keisha, Jill, and Sarah. April wasn’t feeling well, but I figure three will be enough, despite the army of kids that will be sleeping in the coach house!”

“Carrying triplets? I can’t imagine any of you girls would be feeling well!”

“Kara,” Elyse said with a smile. “She was the happiest, most relaxed pregnant woman I’ve met in my life.”

“She always said that being a mom was her true calling,” I said.

“Yeah, but pregnancy SUCKS!” Elyse said fiercely. “Getting pregnant is great. Having kids is great. The nine months in between, plus labor? You can keep that!”

“I hear you. I watched you, and the other girls, go through it.”

“Since I have you alone for a moment, are you sure about Ed and Stephanie?”

“As sure as anything I’ve ever been sure about. Why?”

“She’s been acting very odd for the past several months. Out of character.”

I nodded, “I know. And I know what’s going on. I have to ask you to trust me on this, please.”

“Like I’m trusting you with whatever is going on with you, Jess, and Kara? Whatever the big secret is that you won’t tell?”

“Elyse, seriously. Drop it. You can NOT know. You don’t WANT to know. You remember that thing you promised me that you were silent as the grave on?”

“Yes.”

“This is potentially far more damaging. It won’t go in my journal. And I can never tell you. I’m sorry.”

She cocked her head and looked at me.

“You know I’ll take that as a challenge.”

“No, you won’t! You guessed there was some big hidden issue. That was obvious. But that’s it. It HAS to be it. No digging. No snooping. No asking. Not even a mention of it again. Please. For me. I hope you love me and trust me enough to do what I’m asking.”

Elyse nodded, “I do. But...”

I shook my head firmly, “No ‘buts’.”

“OK. I promise.”

I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly. She’d been the one I’d been most worried about. She was really the only one in a position to detect what had been very slight signs. But she knew about me going to talk to Al Barton, and that, combined with a few other minor things, had twigged her to the fact that there was something my wives and I were dealing with. This was the second time I’d asked her to back off. I was more forceful this time, and hoped that she would keep her word.

The New Year’s Eve party was, as it had been every year we’d had it, a smashing success. There were more than a few interesting moments. The first was when I’d gone to check on the kids and the babysitters. Keisha had pulled me aside to thank me for the good time she’d had and to comment that she was happy to know what it was like to be with a man instead of a boy. I’d thanked her as well, and got the distinct impression that she wasn’t going to ask my wives for another time.

Jill, on the other hand, made it quite clear that she WAS going to ask again. As I was leaving, she stepped out into the backyard with me and told me how much she’d liked it, and that she’d asked Jessica if she could have another chance. Jessica hadn’t answered, saying she needed to talk to Kara and me.

“I just want the chance to be the innocent babysitter seduced by the naughty dad,” she giggled. “Instead of the other way around!”

I laughed, “You had fun with that idea!”

“So did you, MR. ADAMS!” she giggled, before turning to quickly go back inside.

I had just shaken my head, adjusted my slacks, and gone back into the house. I wasn’t sure if Jessica and Kara would agree, but Jill had just made a successful argument with ME! I chuckled to myself, realizing that was EXACTLY what the little vixen had intended. For a seventeen-year-old, she was a crafty one!

The next interesting moment came, as I knew it would, when Fawn asked me to dance. To a slow song. A furtive glance around the room reassured me that Al and Belinda weren’t present, which made it less risky, though not completely so. When (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life started playing, she stepped right up to me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. She rested her head on my chest, and I felt the pressure of her young firm body against mine.

“I had so much fun with you in New York,” she whispered. “Those were the best days of my life!”

“I really enjoyed it as well,” I said.

“Then come to New York again,” she whispered. “I want to feel you moving inside me one more time.”

That had caused the very reaction I’d been fighting from the moment the song had started, and which, obviously, she wanted, since she gently ground against me. When the song finished, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, then went back to stand with some of the single sailors that Karl and Howard had brought along.

“I see she got to you,” Kara giggled.

“Yes, and she knew exactly what she was doing, too! It’s my own damned fault! At least Al and Belinda aren’t up here.”

“She waited for the right moment,” Jessica said. “I’m guessing she told you what she wants?”

“She did,” I sighed. “And I think it’s a doubly bad idea now.”

“Let’s talk later, Tiger. It’s part of the much larger conversation we’re having.”

“Deal,” I said, just as Gina Swanson stepped towards me.

“Hey, wingman! How about a dance?”

I chuckled, and took her hand. The song was Rock this Town by the Stray Cats, and we danced to the fast beat.

“Not bad for a computer nerd,” she laughed.

“One with a 3rd Dan Black Belt,” I said. “I do know how to move!”

She winked, “So the rumors say. But I don’t care about that!”

“Good! You going to take me up on the friendship then?”

“I had a good talk with Jessica and I think it’s a smashing idea. Drinks next Friday night? You and me?”

“Prowling?” I chuckled.

“Not yet. I’m still pissed off enough at ‘Mr. Wonderful’ that I have a bad attitude towards men. Present company excepted because you aren’t trying to get into my scrubs. But when I do start looking, having you next to me will keep some of the baser element away!”

I chuckled, “Oh sure, and having you next to me will keep all the pretty, worthwhile girls away because they’ll think I’m taken!”

“Which might just be your wife’s plan, Mister Doctor Adams!”

I laughed, we hugged, and I walked back towards my wives. I was stopped by a short, thin, or one could say, waifish, woman about my age I didn’t recognize.

“Hi, I’m Grace,” she said.

“Ah, the ex-JAG legalman! Welcome! I know we’ve talked on the phone; I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to greet you earlier, but the party was already going when I saw Pete and Melanie were here.”

“No problem. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am and how good a guy your friend Nick was.”