Chapter 35

Gayle wasn’t with Joe much in Seattle. Once she got the copies, she spent her time studying them. Also Joe welcomed Moe, Chandi and Liang back. But playwright and director managed to chat from time to time. Mostly in transit to the shows or to the reading. Or after dinner.

Shows. It was the first stop where shows were added. Two more. Joe postponed his poetry reading to the following night. By then, Sunday, the three visitors had flown back home. And Joanne and Gayle had another night of submission from Joe. His recitation again further enflaming Gayle’s need. And the intensity increased with the results of their stop at a sex shop. Nipple clamps. A small whip. That night, Gayle passed out from the pleasure/pain.

The next morning, Gayle murmured, “I should head back home.”

“Why?” Joe asked. “We’ll have more time to work together.”

“Isn’t Cheryl joining you in Boise?”

“So?”

“Another reunion?”

“It’s only been a few days, but probably.”

“I’ll keep you company,” said Joanne.

“Not if you don’t want to.”

“Of course I want to.”

Realizing the probable problem, Joe sternly commanded, “Quiet Joanne!”

“Yes Joe.”

“First, Gayle,” Joe growled, “Joanne does not sleep with my wives. Not as a group.”

“But Liang...”

“Liang is closest to Joanne. Joanne loves it when we share her.”

“Liang’s like me?”

“No. She’s more like me, but really doesn’t play either side. She’s like my tool for Joanne’s submission.”

Joanne giggled.

“Quiet!”

“Sorry Joe.”

“But it’s more than that,” Gayle muttered.

“Of course it is. Like I said, Joanne’s become closest with her. They missed each other.”

“Liang resented me,” Gayle said.

Joe sighed. “I noticed her look. I talked to her about it. Did you notice any attitude after maybe the first resentful gaze?”

“Uhm, no. But you were with her and Joanne, so...”

“Not until the second night. Her attitude changed before that?”

“I suppose.”

“Yes she was worried and maybe a little jealous. Which surprised me, because I certainly have been with others beside her. But...”

“I’m usurping her place with Joanne.”

“That’s what she thought. I made certain she knew that wasn’t the case. I suppose it was my fault for not inviting her into your bed. But I did want to have my time with her and with Moira and Chandi.”

“May I?” Joanne asked.

“Go ahead, Joanne.”

“You’re getting use to us, with at least me sharing your bed, aren’t you Gayle? And that one night, when I was with Joe and Liang, you felt a bit lonely and abandoned.”

“I ... I had a hard time sleeping.”

“And you want to return to your lonely bed in New York?” Joe asked.

“I guess I’m used to it there.”

“Why?” Joe asked. “You’re a beautiful woman.”

“I ... I had a girlfriend. More of a friend with benefits. But she found a mate.”

“You haven’t?” Joanne asked.

“Too much travelling between New York and London. Too busy working.”

“Why not a girl in every port?” Joe suggested.

“I had that too. Both ended up finding partners. A male one as it turned out in London. Actually the dom we shared. They decided to get exclusive and serious.”

“Because you weren’t around enough?”

“Probably.”

“I can’t demand it, because we know it doesn’t work that way,” Joe said. “Because we know this is more about you than me. Giving you what you want. If you don’t want to stay with us, I can’t stop you leaving. But I’d like it if you stayed.”

“Me too,” said Joanne. “I like you, and I’d rather have someone to share a bed than not.”

“And I can’t promise having every night be like last night,” Joe said.

“I don’t think I could survive,” Gayle chuckled.

“How about if I do promise to be with you after my poetry readings.”

“Sounds ... good,” she giggled.

“So you’ll stay?” Joanne asked.

“I’ll stay.”

“Great!” She kissed Gayle. Briefly because of morning breathe.

“I’ll go fetch breakfast,” said Joe. “You two shower.”

“Yes Joe,” they both said.

Cheryl and Cynthia did return to the travelling troupe that evening. And they did get Joe’s attention, along with Essie and Victoria after Joe’s reading.

As far as those two younger women, they tended to sleep with Joe when he was available. In other words, when he wasn’t sleeping with Joanne. When he was, they stayed on the tour bus with the kids, who thought it more adventurous to sleep there. Charlie looked after them in their absence. Victoria slept with Charlie on those nights the young ladies joined the kids in the bus. But it wasn’t conducive to privacy, so sex happened when the lovers decided it was late enough that everyone else was asleep. And it was quiet and relatively brief. Surrounded by conversation, also quiet when it got late.

More and more, Charlie and Victoria’s relationship resembled a combination of Shawna’s relationships with Joe and Eddie. Mostly great conversation interspersed with pretty good sex. Every once in a while one or the other, depending on who was horniest, would lead the way to an empty hotel bedroom for a loud and unrestrained fuck. Not as often as one might think, what with two young libidos, especially Charlie’s. But his passion and desperation he had at the Cube had quieted. Probably because there was no longer the wall to worry about of future separation. They were together, and would be for as long as they wanted it.

Even in the fall there would be no separation. Victoria found a school, NYU Polytechnic in Brooklyn which seemed to accommodate her specific interests. And an eccentric ship designer who lived close to the old Brooklyn shipyards who was willing to accept her as a sort of intern/assistant. Not a paid position. Her father actually paid the guy to work with her. The old fellow definitely needed the extra money.

Only Chandi wouldn’t be in school cum fall. Much discussion had gone into her decision. Wanting to stay with Joe and Moe. Mostly Moe wanted her to stay with them. Joe was more ambivalent. Not because he desired her less. But because, like with any of his lovers, he wanted it to be fair for her. But Chandi had become more of a wife to Moe. So, because of that, because it would make both of them happier, especially his second wife, he was on board when Chandi decided not to enroll for her PhD. Not at Columbia, which had accepted her, because her focus in anthropology, that of the impact of the slave rebellion in Hispaniola and how it affected the culture in the Carribean and New Orleans, would make research happen in a different place. How the African culture, which had a spark of pride, synthesized with other cultures. Things like Voodoo. And even the mix with Native American culture as seen in Zydeco, rebellious pride from two oppressed races. It would make more sense for her to locate close by her focus. Tulane had accepted her.

Instead of going there though, at least officially, she would be Joe’s researcher. And her own, actually. Though unassociated with any school, she would create a thesis parallel to Joe’s creating a fiction from her research. And Joe would be help her with her thesis. Whether she would get her doctorate after her thesis had been completed, hopefully at Columbia, would be decided in the future.

It would mean much travel for her. To archives in the Caribbean and Louisiana. To find anyone who had sustained the oral history. And Joe would accompany her some of the time. Wanting to be in the places and amongst the people his novels would be set as much as wanting to be with her. Including sailing on Julian’s schooner, tracing the path of slaves and Europeans and trade. Although the European part might have to be a later excursion, since it looked like, if as many of Joe’s crazy company of wives, lovers and kids who wanted to join them did join them, it would probably be Christmas holiday and winter when it could happen. Travelling north would be a bad idea.

Unlike many long tours, the combined tour of MIRE and Joe’s readings made sense. The caravan of tour bus driven by Belle and Trevor’s limo traveled south through Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix and three cities in Texas, with their longest stay in New Orleans where the New York contingent joined them. Chandi remained the full week there, exploring the city with Joe. North after that to Nashville, Memphis, St Louis, Kansas City and Minneapolis. East through Chicago, where they paused, again joined by the New York contingent, with intimate visits for Joe with Max, Caroline and Constance, Joe introducing Gayle to Constance, hoping they hit it off and maybe Gayle would want to work with his aging, brilliant lover, and they did hit it off, but not enough for Constance to invite Gayle into her bed. And Joe, Liang and Joanne made a brief jaunt to Milwaukee to meet with the lesbian publishers while there. Then west to Ann Arbor, Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, the final show of the American tour.

A week of rest in New York. Joe and Gayle meeting with Hal, the collaboration on the play finished after the two had worked on it throughout the tour. At least until production began and final touches needed to be made. But that would wait until fall.

Eddie had actually worked with the two during the tour. Gayle thought there should be two more songs, and Eddie worked with Joe on them. In fact Joe had been involved more and more in Eddie new rock songs as well. Lyrics exclusively. Eddie worked out some new songs with Rhonda, who, more and more, discovered she could create a catchy tune. They even managed to add a couple to Rhonda’s set, worked on in a borrowed studio in New Orleans and at Max’s gallery in Chicago and during some extra-long sound checks. It seemed that Rhonda had subverted Eddie’s need to rehearse a song to death. It helped that her songs remained simple and folkish. Joe and Eddie’s newest compositions wouldn’t be added. At least not until Europe.

Like Joe had felt when he returned home from the Caribbean before heading to Minneapolis to start putting together Myth, he longed to stay in his familiar huge bed with his wives and lovers. Most of the others had similar ambivalent feelings. Charlie loved the suite Tony and Laura had created for him in the former storage area beside Joe’s, Moe’s and Cheryl’s offices. Joanne loved her room too. On the same floor as Joe’s expanded master bedroom, but with some distance. Sort of the guest wing. Eddie loved all that had been done to make the basement apartment and studio his and Rachel’s. He wanted to stop and work on the new MIRE songs with Joe, but with the others wanting a break, he only had the last few days with Joe and Belle and Charlie and the veteran drummer. Really only Rhonda and the younger kids were impatient to head to Europe.

Joe and Gayle met with Hal a couple times while in New York. Once with Gayle mostly talking, presenting her vision. The second time they went and toured the Broadway theater they would use to rehearse and perform Myth. Charlie accompanied them there. And Cheryl.

Cheryl calmed Hal’s nervousness and excitement being around the beautiful boy. The group met both times at the townhouse instead of heading out to Montauk. The second time of course just the base. Meeting there before the tour and returning afterwards. Hal had been to the house before.

After the meeting in Montauk a month before with Cheryl and the uncomfortable and revelatory encounter with Hal’s wife, Hal accompanied the group back to Manhattan via helicopter the following morning. Instead of letting Hal go off to get drunk again, Cheryl insisted he let her show him her home. There she provided him with a Bloody Mary and a brunch that helped him recover from his hangover. The tour of the expanded townhouse, with only Tony and Laura there to meet, began at the huge master bedroom with the huge bed, and ended in the padded room in the basement.

There, showing him the bondage equipment and gaging his reaction, only the anal stuff seemed to garner any reaction besides amusement. Nervousness and excitement instead. For the butt plugs, the smaller dildos designed for anal probing, and the harness worn with them.

She nudged him to sit on the bed. Knelt in front of him. Undid his pants.

“Cheryl?” he swallowed.

“A reward I bestow for anyone helping me and my family. I hope you’re not going to refuse me.”

“Uhm. No.”

“Good idea,” she giggled and took in his flaccid penis. The type that started small and grew to respectable proportions. Not as long or thick as Joe’s, but respectable.

She soon had him fully erect, his glans being massaged by her throat.

“Fuck!” he moaned.

The vibrations of her sort of giggle, inhibited by his glans shifting in her throat made him moan louder. And not long after she sensed an expansion. A throbbing one. She pulled him out of her throat and tasted his ejaculate. A bit on the sour side. Nevertheless, she swallowed it all.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“What for?” she smiled. “I’d say it was a compliment. Take off your clothes and lie down.” She began to take off hers. He delayed until her blouse came off. “I hope you don’t mind my more womanly figure,” she grinned.

“Uhm ... not at all. You’re beautiful.”

After both got naked she crawled between his thighs and renewed her attention to his cock with her mouth. Sensitive at first, and slow to rise again, especially compared to Joe, it finally began to harden.

“Oh,” he said.

“Surprised?” she asked.

“Sometimes ... it can take a while.”

“Not with me it doesn’t,” she giggled, returning her mouth to his cock. Her fist that replaced it remained fisting his shaft.

Once nearly hard, she slid over him. “Another advantage of bigger tits,” she grinned and surrounded his cock with them. Fucking him with them. She grabbed a condom packet which she had placed near his head and rolled its contents on. “How do you want me?” she asked.

“Uhm, from behind?”

She giggled. “Should I fetch the KY?”

“Really?” he murmured, hardening further.

“Just start in my pussy, lover,” she said, getting up and bringing a small table beside the bed. Along with the KY, she placed a strap on and one of the smaller, narrower dildos.

“Oh,” he murmured, getting harder still.

“Make room,” she said and he slid onto his side while she went to hands in knees. He moved behind her. She looked between her thighs, finding his covered cock and rubbing it against her slit. Focusing it on her clit. It wasn’t the sexiest of moments. He wasn’t the sexiest of men. His belly was round and soft and tended to roll a bit when he moved. Nevertheless she wanted him in her. Her pussy had dampened but not enough. “Just a second,” she said and grabbed the nearby KY. A dollop in her palm slicked up his covered cock. Another greased up her slit. Only then did she nestle his glans there. “Push,” she said.

He did. Slowly entering her. Carefully. Perhaps used to small spaces. Women who resembled girls with narrower hips. Women who resembled boys.

Once fully in after several deepening thrusts, she told him, “Just fuck me. As hard as you want.”

He held onto her hips. She needed to add her own additional pleasure. Pulling nipples. Rubbing clit. But his fucking became vigorous. “Yes!” she approved, enjoying the friction inside her. It took him longer to cum again. But that wasn’t saying much. Definitely quicker than she needed. But she didn’t expect to cum.

“I guess we’ll wait for the buttfucking,” she giggled as he withdrew his sagging penis from her cunt. “At least you buttfucking me.”

Sliding from underneath him, she rolled off the bed and put on the strap on. “Lie on your back, Hal,” she said, grabbing the KY and slicking up the slim dildo sticking out from her groin.

“I thought...” he started.

“I want to watch you,” she grinned. “And have your penis available.” As sort of illustration, her hand went to it once he rolled over, removing the loose prophylactic containing an ounce or so of semen and placing it on the table.

“Lift and spread,” she giggled, finishing fisting the faux penis with the KY filled hand. His legs went up and back. Her fingers entered his anus. “Good boy,” she said, and pressed the small dildo at his smaller hole and pushed in. Her hand took hold of his penis. Pulling on it while she began thrusting. Slowly getting it hard.

She didn’t play mind games. She didn’t pretend to be Charlie. Not that first time. But he managed to get hard.

She withdrew from inside him at that point, removing the strap on, and they changed positions. “Slick up my asshole,” she told him.

His cock, already slicked by her fisting hand, found its way into her butthole. From behind. She had to bring his fingers around to thrust them into her empty pussy and rub her clit. Once left there, she fondled her nipples. “Oil your cock some more,” she told him when his thrusts began to quicken. After he did, and it became much more pleasurable, she told him, “Let yourself go. Fuck me hard, Hal.”

He lasted longer than the other times. More than twice as long as the second. But not long enough to bring her over. She actually didn’t expect it.

But the third time she was with Hal, the second just being a blow job after the discussion about the production, she brought Charlie into the bed with them. Not literally. That would never happen. At least in the way she had him imagining his figure of lust or disturbment. Fucking him with the narrow penis. This time from behind. Her hand reaching down to fist his cock. Her breasts wrapped so he couldn’t feel them press against his back as she whispered in a lower register into his ear about her being Charlie. The wrapping unseen by him, since she’d have him wear a blindfold.

Amidst his ejaculations, she grabbed his cock hard. “Ow,” he moaned.

“You do this for real and I tear it off, Hal. Understand?” Cheryl growled.

“Yes!”

“Promise!”

“I promise.”

She eased off. Stroked out the last of his cum.

“But,” he murmured. “Could we do this again? I mean, you sleep with me?”

“Maybe,” she said. “If you’re a good boy.”

“I will be. I promise.”

“We’ll see.”

When his orgasm ended, he turned over, sobbing. Cheryl removed his blindfold and settled her body atop his.

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled.

“I know,” she said, kissing the tears on his cheek. “If you weren’t I wouldn’t be here.” Then she told him, for the first time, her encounter with his wife.

“Her pool boys,” Hal sighed.

“Why don’t you join her since that’s how things started?” Cheryl asked him.

“The young men wouldn’t be interested.”

“Not bisexual.”

“Or if they are ... I’ve gotten old and fat.”

“You could do something about that. About the fat part at least.”

“I’ve never been that disciplined,” he replied. “And I do like to eat. But...”