Chapter 18: The Last Holdout

We’d managed to capture four adjacent tables in Coyotes, the bar and lounge where I’d been the subject of a bet that resulted in me proposing to Mindy and subsequently marrying her about nine months earlier. Each table was small, enough to hold a few beers and one or two plates of bar food. The Friday night band seemed loud, as usual, and conversation was limited to between numbers, band breaks, or during the quieter slow dances.

The ‘women folk’ were gathered around two of the tables: Mindy and Margo – my official and semi-official wife, Beth – Doug’s fiancée, Heather – Kent’s fiancée, Jessica – Kyle’s wife, Tina – Wade’s wife, Taylor – Mindy’s sister, Kat – Mindy’s niece, Tali – Mitch’s wife, Dana, Kim – Phil’s wife, and Connie – Bill’s wife. Margo and Kat were drinking soft drinks because the former was pregnant and the latter was underage. The ‘men folk’ were around the adjacent two tables: Blake, Doug, Kent, Kyle, Mitch, Wade, Phil, and Bill.

Coyotes was pretty full, especially of young studs in their twenties and thirties like most of our group, except the studs were all looking to score some sexy girls to enjoy an evening and night of unrestrained sex with.

The women in our group were dolled up to the nines, and looked hotter than sin. Lots of cleavage showed, and every skirt hem was close to illegal in most states. Several of the girls had proven to all of our group that they were commando, and of the remainder the brassiere market must be suffering because they weren’t wearing any.

We all liked to dance, so often several seats were empty as various couples or combinations were on the dance floor shaking their booty, occasionally with some ‘outsider’ that asked one of the women to boggy with them.

Kat captured a seat next to me. She reached over and held my hand. I squeezed hers as she snuggled against me. She said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kat.” We’d spent the prior night together. She’d stayed with us as she visited a couple of colleges in the vicinity trying to make up her mind which of them to actually attend. We’d made love three times and then she’d slept in my arms. Taylor had been part of the mix and so had Tali. I was popular with our houseguests.

A slow number came on and Kat urged me to dance with her. We got out on the dance floor and she cuddled into me. We kissed some.

Kat finally said, “I have a delicate subject to ask you about and I hope you won’t reject the idea out of hand.”

I was suspicious, “Go on.”

She said, “I’ve decided to go to Stanford. It’s only a few miles from your condo. I am hoping you’d allow me to live with you while I went to school there. I promise...”

I interrupted her, “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, you can live with us.”

Kat got teary, “Oh, God, you’re so nice. I have more to ask.”

“Go on.”

“I want to be your third wife. Mom and Aunt Mindy said it was up to you. I talked to Margo, too, and she liked the idea. We love each other.”

I thought for a few dance steps as I twirled Kat around in a few spirals. When we were back together, I glanced at our table. Taylor, Mindy, and Margo were huddled together watching the two of us on the dance floor. I felt a conspiracy was afoot.

“Kat, what do you think being my wife would be like?”

“I’d be like Margo. We’d sleep together and make love a lot. I’d blend in with the others and be helpful. I even like making love with them. They have their jobs and soon a baby, and we’d all help each other out a lot. I’d babysit and stuff, too. I can cook and clean, and for a teen I’m pretty neat. I’d need a place to study, but...”

“Why?”

Kat pulled away and looked me in the eye. “Because I love you more than life itself. You are the perfect man in my eyes, and my heart beats fast whenever I think about you and that’s almost all the time. I’m the same way about Margo and Mindy, too, and even my mom. Margo’s only a few years older than I am, you know.”

“You’d want to do this through college?”

Kat shook her head, “Nope. Forever. I’m committing to you for life.” Her voice got timorous and shaky with every word she said. She froze on the dance floor and studied my face. I felt her confidence wane, but she did seem to know what she wanted.

I teased, “And if I wanted to have a child with you?”

Kat’s eyes got big. “Could I finish college first? I mean that’d be so great and wonderful ... but I’m only eighteen ... and ... I want to finish my education.”

We’d had several long talks about her schooling and choice of a major. Kat wanted computer science and technology. She had the math smarts and liked computers big time. Further, the whole Silicon Valley just invited everyone to get on board in this area.

I said, “Kat, I love you, and I hope you know that. I also wonder if there’s not some young man near your age out there just waiting for you to arrive in his life. I propose the following and you’ll note I’m not saying ‘No’ only to put your idea on hold. I propose that we get engaged-to-be-engaged. Unlike my six-week engagement to Mindy, I think we should have a nice four-year engagement, and if at the end of that time you feel the same way, then we elevate you to wife status. In the meanwhile, you partake of all of the wifely privileges and duties as you see fit.”

Kat studied me without moving for a full minute. I maintained the façade of dancing with a shuffle close to Kat. Other dancers swirled around us. She then screamed, “YES, I’LL DO IT. I’M ENGAGED.”

I glanced over and Taylor, Mindy, and Margo were all applauding us along with the other men and women. I guess the topic of our conversation was known before we went out on the dance floor.

Kat and I kissed quite passionately for a public place. A couple of my guy friends yelled out, “Get a room.” We laughed and hugged and then went back to the table.

We sat down and Kat sat in my lap and pulled my arm around her, making sure my palm ended on one of her breasts. She said, “There’s just one or two more things that I’d also like.”

I got suspicious. “Go on, what?”

Taylor came over and cuddled up next to us. She kissed me and said, “I’m so glad you accepted Kat. I can guess the condition you put on her to slow things down a bit. That said, I’d also like to apply for wife status, only I have a special situation that deserves your unique consideration.” She pulled a chair up close to us.

I felt blown away. I knew Taylor and Kat loved me, and I loved them, too. I didn’t split hairs, but I had come to feel they were in the same category as Mindy and Margo.

Taylor said, “Please don’t be mad at me, but I’m pregnant, and you’re the daddy.”

“Oh, shit,” I blurted out. “Really? This is ... wow! I’m blown away. Taylor I love you, and I’m happy to be ... your husband and baby daddy. Really?”

Taylor nodded enthusiastically and so did Kat. Mindy and Margo were smiling at us and nodding in the affirmative, too. I had that feeling that the male was always the last to know.

An old English expression came to mind from something I’d read: ‘In for penny, in for a pound.’

I had two wives and had just committed to a third after a lengthy engagement during which time Kat would live with us, a fourth woman wanted to live with me – AND bear my child. Geeze, she was already with child – my child, just the way Margo was. I had this feeling that my life was out of control.

I kissed Taylor and struggled to act cogent. “Welcome to the family. Yes. I want you as a wife, and I love you.”

Taylor started to cry tears of joy as she flung her pretty body at me, hugging her daughter in the process. “You’re making us so happy.”

“I’m going to have to get a bigger bed.”

Taylor and Kat were both kissing me. Mindy and Margo came over and joined the fray. The others were yelling over their congratulations.

Blake was sitting nearby. He blurted out during the band break, “I can’t believe you have FOUR WIVES now.”

I teased him, “And you’re the only holdout you fucked up excuse for a human being.” I shifted into high gear and decided for some reason to get on his case; “You have a woman that loves you right under your nose – a woman that is gorgeous and is ready to be your companion for the rest of time, and you sit there like a fucking bump on a log and keep your mouth shut doing nothing but being selfish.” I was getting angrier.

“Well, if you don’t turn around and ask her to marry you, you are truly much dumber than I thought you were. For months, she’s been devoted to you and you’ve been too stupid to notice and do anything about it other than have dinner and occasionally fuck her. Well, that’s not good enough for you or for the rest of us.

“Hell, I’d take her on as a fifth wife, if you don’t want her and she was willing. She’s one of the prettiest, smartest, most congenial, sensitive, and loving women on the planet, and yet you ignore most of that stuff and shoot for self-gratification all the time.”

I wound up tighter, “Get over yourself. Park your fucking ego at the side of the road. Lose your inhibitions and all the luggage you seem to be carrying about relationships and do something everyone else in your circle of friends seems to have found easy to do. Blake, get a real life. Find a life partner. COMMIT!”

My temper had risen as I leveled everything I had at my friend. My frustration with him and the way he treated certain women bubbled to the surface. I truly loved Dana, and yet Blake stubbornly just seemed to use her when convenient.

Kyle jumped into the conversation from the other side of Blake making his head jerk around. “Luke’s right, Blake. You are not only mistreating one of the women we all love, but you’re mistreating yourself. You are setting yourself up for a lifetime of loneliness and regret as you get older because gradually no one will want to be with you – at least all of us. We’ll all be happily married and socializing; we’ll have less and less in common with some aging bachelor who could never get his act together. Seriously, your isolation and bachelorhood is rapidly becoming a huge liability to you, not an asset.”

Doug stepped in front of Blake in a confrontational way, “I’m only a few weeks into my engagement with Beth, but let me tell you that I have never been happier and more content with my life. I don’t think you really understand the feeling of rapture and completeness you can have about yourself because another person unconditionally loves you as you love them. Luke and Kyle are right, you’ve become a first class asshole in our eyes because you won’t commit. Maybe you need counseling or something to get over yourself.”

Kent went and stood next to Doug, looking down on Blake, “I double everything the guys have said. Don’t let this moment pass you by. You made Luke a bet and he did it. The rest of us have followed suit and learned about love and commitment. What are you, super privileged? Being alone isn’t a privilege; it’s a burden that will weigh you down more and more every day as you get older. You’re the holdout. I guess you can’t even comprehend what you’re missing.”

Blake had turned pale as each of his best friends spoke. Wade was shaking his head at Blake, showing his distain for the position he’d taken. Phil and Bill were watching, and whispering about their own happy existences with Kim and Connie. Phil said to Blake, “Making the commitment to Kim was the best thing I ever did in my life. Everything else I’ve done pales by comparison.”

The women had just started to listen in to what was happening at our tables. Everyone could tell we were putting Blake on the spot about something really serious. The overtones of our anger with him had carried to the tables around us. Dana quickly figured what was happening and blushing badly, embarrassed for her erstwhile boyfriend who we’d all just picked on.

Blake looked at me and said in a plaintive tone, “What should I do?”

I shook my head. “For you to ask that question, suggests that you are FUCKING HOPELESS. You KNOW what to do. You’ve known what to do since the night you made the bet with me about proposing to Mindy. You thought I was a sacrificial goat; well, guess what? That night has turned me into the happiest man on the planet. Thank you, Blake.” I paused at studied the strapping man.

“BLAKE,” I said in a raised voice to him, “DO THE RIGHT THING. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO FIX THIS – TO FIX YOURSELF.”

Blake started to choke up. His eyes got glassy. He said in a low voice that only Kyle and I could hear, “I’m scared.”

“DO IT!” I screamed at him.

Blake stood. He shuffled through the maze of chairs to the girl farthest from where he’d been sitting – to Dana. The walk over that distance was almost symbolic.

He went down on both knees in front of Dana Barnes and bent his down almost putting his head into her lap. He started talking but we couldn’t hear well because of the din of the music and crowd in the place.

Dana bent forward both to listen to Blake and also to put her arms around the man – stroking his bent back. He was at his most vulnerable and she knew it. From the motions of his back, neck, and head I knew he was crying as he talked to her.

Dana got down on her knees with him and wrapped her arms around him until their heads were together on each other’s shoulders. She was crying, too, but nodding and obviously agreeing with whatever he’d was saying to her.

Mindy knelt beside Blake and whispered a short question in his ear. I saw him nod, and then Mindy took off her engagement ring and handed it to Blake. We were all speechless as we watched Blake turn to Dana and ask the magic question.

Dana sobbed, “Yes.”

Blake said something and then slipped the ring on Dana’s ring finger as Mindy returned to her chair. She shot me a happy look at smile about what had just happened.

Blake and Dana turned back to the two of us and she held up her left hand with the engagement ring sparkling in the festive lights of the club. The two of them held onto each other and they were crying. The tears were obviously tears of joy as they both grinned sheepishly at the rest of the clan and wiped their eyes frantically.

We all applauded and cheered.

One Year Later

I lay in our extra large bed surrounded by four nude females. I was spent, wiped out, decrepit, and in a state of ruin. I’d made love to four women, completing the act with Mindy as I filled her insatiable body with my seed. She lay on top of me with our loins still connected from our coitus.

Next to us, Margo also lay, propped up on a couple of pillows. She cradled our baby, Dakota Penner – a healthy baby girl, to one breast as the eager six month old fed on one teat. Dakota was the beginning of the major change in our polyamorous family.