Chapter 17: Forward

The room was dimly lit by moonlight. Roger lay on his back in the bed, his head elevated by a single pillow. Rose lay with her head on his chest. He gently caressed her back and thigh as their breathing slowly returned to normal. The soft cotton sheet was pulled up over their bodies and tucked under her arm.

Their breathing slowed and Roger had his eyes closed, nearly asleep. Rose, however, was wide awake and asked, “Roger, what’s going on between you and Mary?”

In his barely conscious state, Roger struggled to comprehend the question. “Huh?” he mumbled.

She inhaled deeply and continued, “Now that she’s here full time, you should really be getting to know her better and figuring out if you’re compatible. While she was in Atlanta, you only got together with her a few times. I know you two have been screwing. But is that all she is to you?” she challenged.

As he listened to Rose, and the seriousness of her concern became apparent, Roger’s drowsiness receded. Still sleepy and struggling to process her words, he answered, “I hadn’t really thought about it much.”

She lifted her head and pulled away from him a little, so they could look at each other’s faces. She pressed on, “Well, think about it. Now that she’s living and working here, you need to figure out your relationship with her. Is she just a fuck-buddy, or are you serious about her? I know that I brought her into your life, but that doesn’t change the fact that you need to have your own relationship with her.”

He opened his eyes and looked back at Rose. He was more awake now, and he was starting to understand what she wanted. “Well, it’s a little early to consider it a serious relationship. Like you said, we’ve only gone out a few times. It’s definitely more there than just sex, but it’s not serious, either,” he suggested.

With her head propped on her hand, Rose shot back, “You and I were pretty serious after only two dates.”

He sighed and said, “Yeah, but that was pretty unusual. How many people have you heard of falling in love after two dates?”

She thought about his question for several seconds before she quietly answered, “None.”

“Right. And how many couples need several months to figure out their feelings?” He asked.

She sighed, as the reality of his question sank in. She loved Roger, she loved Mary, and she was developing a strong friendship with Jessica. Rose had promised Mary to find a man they could share. But could it really happen?

After these thoughts ran through Rose’s head, she said, “Just promise me you’ll spend more time trying to get to know her. I want her to be happy and I think you can make her happy. But you need to spend some time with her with your clothes on. Can you do that for me?”

Roger chuckled, saying, “No pressure.” He stopped smiling, sat up and, in a serious tone, continued, “You’re right. I really shouldn’t need you to remind me to get to know her better. I’ll start planning some time with Mary where we keep our clothes on.” He then squeezed her affectionately before laying down again.

She relaxed and put her head back on his chest. “Thank you, Roger. I don’t mean to put pressure on you. I know you have your hands full with me and Jessica. I just don’t want you jerking Mary around. I know she’s fun and kinky, but she’s more than that. She deserves to find out if you love each other and all the rewards that come with that love. Just give her a sincere chance to find out.”

He kissed her on the forehead and said, “I will.”

A few minutes later, Rose rolled off Roger’s chest and drifted off to sleep. Roger lay awake for several more minutes, contemplating Rose’s words. He didn’t know how he felt about Mary. He liked spending time with her; the few times they had gotten together, she was lots of fun. Rose was right, he needed to spend some intimate, non-sexual, time with her and find out what feelings they had for each other. Eventually, he turned on his side and also fell into slumber.

Roger sat at the head of the eight-foot-long rectangular glass dining table. Rose, Sage and Cindy sat, respectively, to his left. To his right sat Jessica, Josh and Astrid. Sadie and Tiffany shared the opposite end of the table. As usual, Sadie was the only person at the table wearing any clothes.

During their weekly visits together, over the last month, Tiffany had convinced Sadie that nudity was no big deal. But she was still uncomfortable being totally naked in front of Roger. So, tonight she wore lacy thong underwear that did little to hide her butt, while completely covering her crotch.

Jessica had been pleasantly surprised when she came over last weekend with the children again. She had picked up Tiffany on the way to Roger’s house. By the time Jessica had made sure that Josh and Astrid were properly covered in sunscreen, Sadie had already stripped down to her bikini bottoms. She and Tiffany were taking turns applying sunscreen to each other. Since everyone was so relaxed for the rest of the day, Jessica, her children, and Tiffany spent the night at Roger’s house.

The next day, Jessica talked to Sadie about how she felt at Roger’s house with everyone else naked. Sadie just shrugged it off. She told her mom that she didn’t think she would ever be comfortable walking around naked in front of Roger. But, if living with Roger made her mom happy, Sadie would be okay with it.

Jessica’s next surprise came a few days later. First, she told Sadie they were going to Roger’s for dinner again on Saturday. Sadie asked Jessica if she could bring Tiffany again. Naturally, Jessica agreed. Then, Sadie asked her mom to take her shopping for some new underwear. Happy that her daughter wanted to spend some quality time with her, Jessica agreed. At the store, Sadie picked out several pairs of lacy thong underwear. Jessica was a little reluctant at first, thinking the sexy lingerie was a little too mature for her twelve-year-old daughter. In an effort to persuade her mother, Sadie pointed out that she wasn’t asking her mom to buy her slutty skirts or blouses to wear to school. Although she was still apprehensive, Jessica agreed to buy the underwear.

Roger, the Carlson’s, the Riley’s, and Tiffany spent Saturday by the pool; the only clothing among them was Sadie’s white bikini bottoms. When everyone sat down for dinner, Sadie appeared in her new black thong. All of the adults noticed the new garment, but no one commented on it.

Once dinner was over, the children helped clear the dishes and went off to do their own thing. Sage, Astrid, and Cindy went upstairs to play a game. Josh went to the living room in the other downstairs wing and started building an airport out of Lego bricks. Sadie and Tiffany went to the third-floor suite to hang out together.

Roger, Rose and Jessica sat at the dining table, each with a glass of wine in front of them. Roger opened the bottle of Riesling he had placed on the table before dinner and poured some in each of their glasses. He raised his glass and toasted, “To friends and lovers and a wonderful future together.” They clinked their glasses together and drank.

After they each had a sip of the wine, Jessica kicked off the conversation, saying, “I’m ready to talk about moving in.”

Roger raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised by the sudden announcement. “Really. What changed?” He asked.

“Well, as you know, the last time we talked about this, my biggest concern was Sadie, and how she would feel about living in a nudist household,” Jessica explained.

Roger and Rose both nodded.

“Last week, she and I had a talk. She told me, if I want to live here with you, she would be okay with it. She’s gotten used to being around all these naked people and doesn’t want to get in the way of my happiness. I was quite impressed with her maturity. I told her I appreciate her understanding on the matter,” Jessica concluded.

Roger smiled and said, “Wow, I knew she was a smart girl, but I didn’t realize how perceptive she was. I’ll have to be sure to thank her. So, what do you want to do?”

“I started looking at the kids’ camp schedule for the rest of the summer. After next week, it will probably be easier to drive them to camp from here for the rest of the summer. Neither Josh nor Astrid has any close friends in Atlantis. Tiffany is now Sadie’s closest friend and she lives a little closer to you. So, if you’re ready, I think we can move in next weekend. Are you ready for us?” Jessica asked, smiling.

Roger returned her smile and affirmed, “I’ve been ready for nearly a month now. How about you, Rose?”

Rose’s happy, if slightly apprehensive, expression was confirmed by her words, “Oh yeah. This will be interesting. I know Cindy and Sage will like living with Astrid. They’ve certainly bonded over these last months.” She lifted her wine glass and proclaimed, “To a new adventure.”

Roger and Jessica followed Rose’s lead and lifted their glasses. They repeated her toast, “To a new adventure,” and finished the wine in their glasses.

After she swallowed, Jessica asked, “So, when I move in, what are the sleeping arrangements going to be?”

Roger chuckled nervously.

Rose cautiously commented, “Now, there’s something we haven’t thought about yet.”

After a few moments, Roger asserted, “I see two options. Either you can both share a bed with me, or I can switch beds on alternate nights.”

Rose beamed and offered, “I’ll do whatever Roger decides.

Jessica searched Rose’s face before suggesting, “Well, I’m not ready to sleep with Rose. So, for now, I think we should alternate nights with Roger. Although, when one of us is on her period, she can probably sleep alone on those nights. Are you two okay with that?”

Rose nodded and Roger replied, “Works for me.”

Roger took Mary’s hand as she emerged from her parents’ apartment in a thigh-length, multi-colored sundress with a pinched waist.

Quickly looking Mary up and down, he commented, “You make it very hard to keep my hands to myself.”

She batted her eyes and innocently asked, “Why do you say that?”

“Well, I know what you look like underneath, and what you’re wearing highlights your great figure.” Eyeing the scooped neckline, he lightly ran the back of his fingers along her breastbone, saying, “You’re showing enough cleavage to draw a lot of male, and some female, attention. And for those who prefer legs, you’ve got plenty of that on display, too.” He grabbed her butt and gave a firm squeeze, noting, “The lines of this dress show off your wonderful, shapely behind.”

“Yeah, but you’re the only one who’s allowed to touch. Think you can keep the wolves at bay?” she smiled coyly.

He smiled and replied, “Let’s just keep the flirting to a minimum today. You could start a riot, if you’re not careful, and I’m just one man.”

They headed down to Roger’s car and headed off to the West Palm Beach art and music street festival. As they drove with the top down, Mary tilted her head back and allowed the wind to whip through her hair. They parked in the Convention Center lot and walked, clasping each other’s hands, through Howard Park towards the Armory.

They meandered among the vendors and listened to the jazz ensemble that played on a nearby stage. After a few minutes of strolling, Mary stopped and turned to Roger, asking, “So, do I get to choose something to add to your art collection?”

“How do you mean?” he wondered, not sure what she meant.

“Well, Rose chose that Taylor Vanderbeek painting you’ve got, and Jessica picked out the iris painting. I was hoping I would get a chance to pick something out for you,” she explained, grinning widely.

“I see. And, do you have something in mind?” Roger asked, his growing smile showing how much he enjoyed her enthusiasm.

“Nothing specific. I’ll try and find something here. The two paintings they picked are both very colorful, so we need to make sure it blends in. Let’s keep looking around here. I’ll let you know if I see something.” She grabbed his hand and they continued strolling through the vendors.

After about an hour and a half, they had visited all the stalls. Mary had seen two works she thought would fit in at Roger’s house. She led him back to the stall with the first prospect. The artist, Pierre Leung, painted female silhouettes on black backgrounds. Each painting featured a silhouette of a female figure facing in a certain direction. Depending on the perspective of the piece, it highlighted different body parts. For example, one painting showed the form facing away from the viewer. In this case, the side of one breast and her butt cheeks were prominent. The painting that Mary was considering showed the form facing the viewer and depicted the entire front of her body. The artist used about five colors in the red, blue, and green family. The figure’s head was tilted down, and her modest breasts were quite visible, but her hand concealed most of her pubic region.

Roger spent several minutes considering the painting that Mary suggested. He appreciated the colorful depiction of the naked female form, but ultimately said that he didn’t really like the painting.

The next artist booth where Mary stopped featured bronze statues ranging from one to two feet in height or length. They generally depicted people engaged in various activities. For example, one sculpture featured two children sitting on a bench reading a book. Another depicted a man riding a surfboard.

Mary pointed at a figurine of a woman lying on the ground with her head propped up and her hair hanging down. Her bare buttocks were facing toward the viewer. Mary asked Roger if he might like a larger version of the sculpture out by his pool. He considered the question and gazed at the figurine for a few minutes, circling it several times. Finally, he told her that, for the right price, he would consider it.

Mary approached the woman sitting in the corner of the booth and asked if she had a larger version of the sculpture in question. The woman, who introduced herself as Nicole, the artist’s wife, replied that they did, indeed, have a four-foot version of “Aurora”, as the sculpture was called, in their studio. Roger asked what the asking price was for the larger sculpture. Nicole explained that the larger piece sold for thirty-three hundred dollars. Roger offered twenty-nine hundred dollars and requested delivery. They agreed on thirty-one hundred delivered, and Roger wrote a check. Nicole promised that her husband, Lincoln, would deliver and set up the statue on Thursday.