Chapter 50: Unleashing Her Inner Cougar

May 25, 2001, Rutherford, Ohio

🎤 Steve

In the end, I managed to get two hours of sleep after Trudy and I had screwed ourselves silly, relaxing in the whirlpool tub between each very energetic coupling. When we’d awoken to my alarm, we’d had a very slow, sensual screw before showering together. After we’d dressed, we stood just inside the door to my room and embraced.

“I doubt there’s a happier fifty-three-year-old woman in America this morning!” Trudy declared. “Or one who is more sexually satisfied!”

“Glad to oblige, Ma’am!” I replied. “And the ‘coming attractions’ from fourteen years ago certainly lived up to their billing!”

“What happens in Milford stays in Milford ... and Rutherford!”

“You know I have to tell my wives, right?”

Trudy smirked, “Jessica gave her blessing.”

“And when was that?” I asked, unable to hide my annoyance.

“Don’t react that way!” Trudy scolded, sounding like a ‘mom’. “When I called her about lunch yesterday, she laughed and said she understood what I hoped would happen and that you were free to respond however you felt was best! This was NOT like Melanie procuring for you!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You knew?”

“Has Melanie EVER been subtle?”

“No,” I said, laughing and shaking my head. “Never.”

“Anyway, I asked Jessica if she was sure and she laughed and said it was up to you to manage your relationships. And you know I had the test long before I talked to her.”

“Sorry.”

“Given your history with Melanie, I understand why you might react that way. No regrets, Steve.”

“No regrets.”

“And you got a first! My first man young enough to be my son!”

I laughed, “I’ve unleashed your inner cougar!”

“There is something to be said for youth and stamina!” Trudy said with a smirk. “But now, if I don’t leave, you’ll miss your breakfast meeting!”

“Hmm...” I smirked.

We exchanged a kiss and left the room. I walked her to her Lexus, we hugged again, and once she’d driven away, I walked to The Yolk’s On You for my breakfast meeting with Liz and Paul Reynolds. I saw them sitting in a corner booth and they waved me over to join them. We greeted each other and I sat down in the booth next to Paul.

“Our attorney is happy with the terms and the language in the contracts,” Paul said without any preliminaries.

“Perfect,” I said. “Then we can sign and I’ll call the bank to transfer the funds. I didn’t realize until I saw the plans that you lived in a house behind the motel.”

“The original owner rented it out, but we decided moving in made the most sense. Liz’s mom lived with us at first. We really like the house, and it’s nice to be close to our businesses.”

I nodded, “I very much liked it when my company offices were a short walk from the house. I have to drive now, though I could take a bus or the L if I really wanted to. When do you plan to get started?”

“Looks like the construction company can start on the expansion around August 1st. As the plan says, once the eighteen new rooms are ready, we’ll close the old ones and begin the remodeling. That way we don’t have to close.”

“I did like the mix of old/new that you went with, keeping the old rooms in the 50s style, while upgrading the fifty-year-old wiring and plumbing.”

“Some people love nostalgia! I even had one older couple ask about the Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed! I did some searching and I actually found six working units and I’m going to put them in the six largest rooms in the old portion of the motel. I’ll keep the 25¢ for fifteen minutes system, too.”

“That’s awesome!”

“I also found a place that takes modern TVs and puts them in old-style wooden console cases. The consoles are new, but they’re made in the 50s and 60s style.”

“When you’re ready, let me know! I’d love to see the rooms restored to their past glory!”

A waitress came to take our order and I made my usual very specific order.

“Still on that diet?” Liz asked when the waitress left.

“For life, most likely,” I replied. “But it doesn’t bother me, really.”

“Did you let Emmy know you were in town?” Paul asked.

I laughed, “No, but she saw my car and pulled me over!”

Paul laughed, “Of course she did! She’s going to make a great Sheriff. She’ll keep people in line, but mostly won’t stick her nose in their business. That’s how people in Harding County like it.”

“Me, too. I wish I could say the same for the Chicago PD!”

Paul took out a pen and handed it to me. I signed each of the documents, which included duplicates, then handed him the pen. He signed and then handed me my copies. With everything completed, I took out my mobile phone and dialed the bank in Chicago. I spoke to my ‘Personal Banker’ and instructed her to transfer the funds to Paul’s account. She confirmed the wire transfer order and I wrote down the confirmation code.

“The money should be in your account within a couple of hours,” I said.

“We really appreciate this, Steve,” Liz said.

“And I thank you for the opportunity to invest.”

We had a nice breakfast, and once we’d finished eating, we shook hands and I bade them ‘goodbye’. When I left The Yolk’s On You, I walked across the street to Lou’s. It wasn’t open for business, but Lou let me in. We had a good talk, and about an hour after I’d arrived, I got in my car for the drive back to Chicago.

May 25, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

“What movie did you get, Birgit?” Tiffany asked when she arrived at my house to set up for a girls’ movie night, and we went into the sunroom.

“She’s All That,” I said. “It’s about a bet that a guy can turn any girl into the Prom Queen.”

“Cool! PG?”

“PG-13,” I replied. “I know that’s the highest I can go without some of the parents freaking out, especially with Ashley’s friends being here. If it were just you, me, and Rachel, then I could get anything!”

“No boys, right?” Tiffany asked.

“None!” I declared. “Dad is driving back from Ohio, but he’s going to see Pearl Harbor with Jesse and his friends. Albert is going with them, too. They won’t be home until around midnight!”

“Awesome!”

“I thought you liked boys!” I protested.

“I do! But they can be a real pain when we’re trying to watch ‘chick flicks’!”

MC and Suzanne came into the sunroom just then.

“The pizzas are ordered,” Suzanne said. “They’ll be here about 6:00pm.”

“Thanks!” I replied.

“What are your moms doing tonight?” Tiffany asked me.

“They’re going out with Jesse’s moms, Aunt Kathy, and April to a club. MC and Suzanne are our ‘adult supervision’.”

“But they’re totally cool!” Stephie said as she and Ashley came into the sunroom.

“Like your parents are such ogres!” MC said shaking her head.

“Hey, I’m here!” Amber called out.

“Sunroom!” I called back.

She walked in and I heard the doorbell, and ran to answer it. It was Aunt Kathy dropping off Kristin and Katherine. They came with me to the sunroom while Aunt Kathy went to the coach house. Over the next ten minutes, May, June, Juli, Rachel, Susie, Ellie, Jasmine, Julie, Laurie, Hannah, Leslie, and Naomi all arrived. A bunch of moms checked to make sure we had adults with us, and MC talked to each of them to reassure them.

“Did you promise no giant lesbian orgy?” I asked MC after Naomi’s mom left.

All my friends giggled.

“I made sure they knew nothing inappropriate was going to happen, you goofball!” MC replied.

“Bummer!” Amber teased.

“Ewwwwww!” a bunch of the girls squealed.

“Then I guess we need some boys!” Tiffany declared.

“Yes!” a bunch of the girls agreed.

“I think that’s what all your moms were worried about!” MC said.

A bunch of us older girls laughed, because we knew that was EXACTLY what the moms were worried about.

🎤 Jesse

“TWENTY girls?” Mikey asked, shaking his head. “I hope they’ll be gone by the time we get back to your dad’s house!”

We were waiting for our table to be prepared at Ed Debevic’s.

“They will,” I said. “I wouldn’t go anywhere near the place with my sisters and all their friends there! Talk about estrogen overload!”

“Jesse,” Dad said with a smirk, “I remember you lobbying for no sisters!”

“And you see how well THAT worked out,” I groused. “You achieved perfection and just had to keep trying!”

“Birgit does say that!” Dad teased.

“I meant ME!” I said firmly.

“Arrogance is strong with this one!” Jerry teased.

“We can seat you now,” the pretty hostess said.

She led all of us to a group of tables which had been pushed together to make room for our large group and we sat down. An even cuter waitress came to the table and I laughed when she plopped down in Dad’s lap and started taking our drink orders. Dad smirked and loosely wrapped his arms around the girl. When she finished taking our orders she got up, winked at Dad, then left our table.

“I need to learn how to make that work!” Kenny declared.

“No, you do NOT!” Sheila said firmly.

“Wives and girlfriends tend to frown on that kind of thing,” Mikey said. “Jesse’s dad seems to be able to get away with it!”

“Exactly!” Kenny replied with a grin. “That’s what I need to figure out!”

Sheila made a face, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. I was sure Kenny would never cheat on her, and she knew he was just teasing.

“Good luck with that!” Lieutenant Knox said. “Are you graduating?”

“Yes. So are Jerry and Mia. They’re headed to UW and I’m going to the University of Maine.”

“Hockey, right?” he asked.

“Is there anything else?”

“No!” came a chorus from my friends and me.

“Does everyone here play?” Lieutenant Knox asked.

“Pretty much,” I replied. “Well, Albert and Matthew don’t.”

“I don’t,” Shelia said.

“Who’s the best?”

“Depends,” Jerry said. “Goalie? Jesse for sure. Forward? Nicole.”

“Gee, thanks, ex-boyfriend!” Mia groused, but I could tell she was kidding.

“You’re a better two-way player,” Jerry said, “but she’s the best forward for sure. Mikey is the best defenseman.”

“Mia goes both ways,” I smirked. “Who knew?”

“Listen, ‘Block’ head,” Mia growled.

“Bring it, ‘Mama’ Mia!” I replied.

Everyone cracked up as the waitress and two waiters brought our drinks, and then the cute waitress and a second almost as cute waitress, took our food orders. The cute one sat in Dad’s lap to take his order.

“A pair of breasts and a side order of thighs,” I heard Dad whisper, and the waitress giggled, but then aloud he said, “The chopped salad.”

The waitresses left once they had all our orders.

“I’d get slapped if I tried that!” Kenny said.

“Because I’m at the point where I’m harmless,” Dad replied. “She can flirt safely because I’m at least fifteen years older than she is.”

“How is that even fair?” Kenny groused.

“She also knows she’ll get a larger tip!” Jerry said. “I see that ALL the time. If my mom isn’t with us, the young waitresses flirt with my dad and he leaves a larger tip. If she did that with you, she’d be afraid you actually meant it, if you know what I mean.”

“You think Dad didn’t mean it?” Matthew asked with a smirk.

“He said it in a way that she would think he was teasing and responding to her flirting,” Jerry said. “So in a sense, it doesn’t matter.”

“Very perceptive, Jerry,” Dad said.

“Hey, when your role becomes analyzing everything, you analyze everything!”

“You’re going to make a great coach, Jerry,” Dad said.

“Thanks.”

🎤 Steve

“She wrote her name and number on the check, didn’t she?” Natalie asked quietly as we walked from the restaurant to the theater.

I chuckled, “Good call. She did.”

“And?”

“What’s your opinion?”

“A cute college girl who wants to fuck!” Natalie laughed. “I mean, seriously, if she didn’t want that, she wouldn’t have given you her name and number!”

“OK, that much I figured out on my own,” I chuckled. “I meant what you would advise.”

“I thought giving that kind of advice was Suzanne’s role.”

“It is, but not exclusively. What do you think?”

“She didn’t strike me as either a subversive or an intellectual, so it would just be sex for fun, so I’d advise ‘no’.”

“Interesting. Why?”

“Later,” she said quietly. “Too many ears.”

She was right because several others in our group were now close enough to hear. I’d have a chance to talk to her later, as she was bringing Mikey and Nicole to the house, rather than taking them to Oak Park. The group finished the walk to the theater, we all bought our tickets and took seats in the center about halfway back.

Three hours and twenty minutes later, everyone headed to their cars. I’d come alone, but Matthew, and two of his friends would ride with me, while one of them would ride with Mia. About thirty minutes later, we were home. Kara and Jessica had gone to bed, as Jessica had to be up early for her shift, but Suzanne was waiting for us.

Matthew and Albert got his friends settled, and I suppressed a smirk when Nicole and Mikey disappeared downstairs, presumably into one of the guest rooms. I didn’t have a problem with it, but I knew Nicole’s dad would have lost his mind at the thought. Natalie stayed so we could have our delayed talk, and after I asked Suzanne to wait, Natalie and I went into my study.

“First, what did you think of the movie?” I asked.

“The love story really kind of sucked. I don’t know enough about the military or war to comment on the rest.”

“The combat sequences were OK at best. I don’t think forty-five minutes were necessary, though some of the special effects were outstanding. As for the rationale behind the attack, well, like most movies, it doesn’t do justice to the complex factors that led to the war.”

“Did you like the movie? I mean, as a movie?”

“I’d give it a ‘C’, I think,” I replied. “As you said, the love story wasn’t great, and I felt the dialogue was corny and flat.”

“So, not buying the DVD when it comes out?”

“Probably not. So, the reason for your advice?”

“Permission to speak candidly, Captain?” she asked.

“Granted,” I chuckled.

“Well, to be blunt, you get plenty of pussy. You can afford to be very discriminating. There’s no need to have ‘dalliances’ which don’t further your goals. It makes WAY more sense for you to take Elsa, Nickie, Kim, and Tessa to Saint Martin in August than to bang a random airhead college girl. Those four will all be more than happy to be initiated into the Southside Philosophy Club and they have the intellectual power to contribute, and have at least some subversive tendencies.”

“An interesting observation that has a ring of wisdom.”

“Thanks! There is a bit of self-interest, but it also works to your advantage. You’ll have more time for your wives, Suzanne, and me. That keeps us happy which keeps you happy!”

“A very good point,” I replied.

“And then there’s Rachel, who is waiting for you, and who, on her eighteenth birthday, is going to want to have the most outrageous, over-the-top, erotic sexual experience known to man so she can tell her mom about it!”

“That’s not a surprise, really.”

“It shouldn’t be! I do have one other point, but it’s completely out of line and something I can only say once, if I even say it.”

“Go on,” I said.

Natalie was quiet for a bit, obviously considering if she should say what she was thinking. A couple of minutes passed before she smiled and nodded, then spoke.

“Birgit’s band of teen subversives are all going to come to you to be deflowered, so you’ll have plenty of virginal teen pussy available if you want it. And any one of them is smarter than that airhead waitress at the restaurant. That’s it, never to be said again.”

“An astute observation with a ring of truth. But, are you sure that waitress wasn’t acting?”

“Positive. She’s a natural airhead! It was all in her eyes. She’s vapid. Oh, sure, she probably is managing in nursing school or primary education or whatever, but she’s not an intellectual. ALL your girls, including my little sister, are intellectuals. Well. Mia isn’t, which is why that flamed out.”

“You’ve been talking to Suzanne.”

“Obviously!” Natalie said laughing softly. “That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?”

“Yes.”

“Let me ask you something that I think I know, but I think it’s better if you say it. What’s your history with girls who aren’t intellectuals?”

“Not very good,” I replied. “That said, there haven’t been too many.”

“Take it from the opposite direction then.”

“The more intellectual the girl, the better and longer-lasting the relationship, with the medical doctor and the PhD in chemistry being the strongest, followed closely by the Master’s in Electrical Engineering and the Master’s in Finance.”

“And the girl you love the most having a JD. So, you and airheads?”

I chuckled, “You win!”

“What?! Not ‘I hate you’?”

I chuckled, “That’s for when I don’t like the conclusion. You told me a few minutes ago that a group of four, hot, intelligent, subversive girls want to have sex with me! Darn!”

Natalie laughed, “Bummer, right? So forget the airhead. You don’t suffer fools at all, and avoid them like the plague! You tried with Mia, who’s not a fool, but she’s also not up to your intellectual level the way Leigh is. Or Rachel. Or, and I’m NOT suggesting this, Libby. Jesse has the same disposition. So does Birgit.”

“No boy toys for my daughter?”

“Not if they don’t have an IQ of at least 120!”

“My turn to be direct,” I said. “What’s your plan?”

“Truth?”

“That always seems to work best.”

“Once I graduate, I’m going to attend «Европейский университет в Санкт-Петербурге» to get my PhD in Russian History.” (“European University at Saint Petersburg”)

“That sounds like a very good idea,” I replied.

“And until then, I’d like to have that relationship we discussed.”

“Your exit strategy?”

“Yes. Call it June of 2004. And yes, I talked to Liz. And Lyudmila.”

“Proof you’re at least as smart as I think you are! You don’t think you’ll meet the right guy before then?”

“To be honest, I’d much rather be close to you. And besides, I suspect there is at least one good Russian man in Saint Petersburg who will be interested in a «сексуальная американская девушка»!” she said in a pretty good Russian accent. (“sexy American girl”)

Even with my limited Russian, I knew those words.

I chuckled, “I think that goes without saying!”