Chapter 22: Pledge Class

Monday evening in the core turned out to be busier than Dave expected. He was co-teaching this class with Ross Buchman. As the two men looked out at the group, they saw the largest group of pledges the Circle had ever had.

Dave went around the room and had everybody introduce themselves and give their personal ‘elevator speech’ – the twenty to thirty second speech they could give to someone while the doors of some mystical elevator opened to admit or disgorge passengers who’d asked some basic question about them, such as ‘Who are you?’.

“I’m Dave Prentiss, a founder of the Circle. I love my ten wives and all the Circle women, plus all of you pledges. I run a company that makes unique batteries named EneRG with offices here and manufacturing plants around the world. I’m also a jet rated pilot and love to fly.” He gestured to Ross.

“I’m Ross Buchman, a tenured professor of religious and spiritual studies at the university, and also the spiritual guru for the Circle. I’ve been in academia since I started college and in the Circle for six years mainly thanks to Cricket. I’ve written about ten books on spirituality, the most recent entitled Spiritual Skills. My main hobby and how I stay in shape is bicycling.”

Ross gestured to Paris who spoke next, “I’m Paris Sexton and I’m an oddball because although I’m a woman I love manufacturing operations that make something that end customers consume and that makes them happy. I’m thirty so I’m still a work in progress. My hobby is running weekend races, like 5K and 10Ks that support some charity. I’m a great reader, too, plus I skydive.”

“I’m Jenn Whitaker, and currently unemployed. I have a nine-year-old girl. I was a marketing lead for a dotcom company that sold furniture online, and then my own company that specialized in do-it-yourself special flooring that could give a home a unique look. My hobby is interior decorating, and any TV near me is often tuned to the home and garden channel. I also like to run and bike, but I’m not up to race caliber like Paris and Ross.”

“I’m Jim Hotch, a detective for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department. I’ve always been interested in criminology and got my college degree in it as well as a ton of other special courses. I like aerobic exercise, so often swim long distances. I swam around Key West about three months ago – that’s about eight miles, an all-day non-stop venture at my speed. My hobby has been Mandy, but she tells me I have to broaden out.” There was a titter of laughter.

Mandy was next to him and laughed, “I’m Mandy Grafton. I work in the crime lab out off Jenkins Road, where the city police and sheriff’s department send their ‘clues’ to be processed and analyzed. I’m a chemist by training. I’m also a cyclist, but not much of a swimmer. I’m kind of OCD about my diet and keeping in shape, so I’m a gym rat.”

Dave realized he’d never known what Mandy did for a living. He was impressed with her revealing top and recalled how willingly she’d shed her blouse a week or two earlier during one of her visits to the Circle. She had damn near perfect breasts that he had registered great lust for.

The rest of the class also spoke. As they did Dave put their name on a large flip charts together with one or two of their salient points.

Dave Prentiss – Mr. Circle. ‘10’ wives. Pilot

Ross Buchman – Spiritual guru. Cycling

Paris Sexton – EneRG customers/mfgg. Runner/reader/skydive

Jenn Whitaker - Interior decorator. Athletic. Mom

Jim Hotch – Detective. Swimmer

Mandy Grafton – Crime lab. Jim’s SO. Cyclist/Athletic

Val Wojcik – Insurance adjuster. Visiting from Atlanta

Darcie Hetman – weather girl for CNN. Val’s wife. Visiting from ATL.

Millie Shoberger – Circle Concierge. Grace Ander’s sister. Semi-ret.

Helen Ursinger – TV series producer. Cyclist

Al Berker – TV series producer/investor. Oil painting/photographer

Kellie Sawyer – Sophomore in Comp Sci. PT Dancer at Club Ecstasy

Ma Su – Assoc Prof Chinese Studies. Languages

Jace Golden – Assoc Prof Law. Criminology and cycling

Barbara Nelson – Ph.D. candidate anthropology. The Circle

Lincoln Kiekert – Fin’l analyst at Worthington Ind. Short story writing

Lane Wente – Nurse at DH. Exercise nut

Katya Boyko – housewife awaiting green card. ESL. Reading

Brayden Couture – Insurance. Katya’s husband. Home repair

Ben Forrester – Prof’l nerd. Network management - techy

Amy Stulling – university comp. sci. dept. secty.

Danica Turner – HS Student

Toby Fuller – Student

Matt Prentiss – Student

Rose Prentiss – Student

Kyle Hanks – Talent Manager for Ashley Steerman. Reader (member)

Marissa Martinez – Student at Univ. in Chemistry (member)

Grayson Francisco – Import agent. (member)

Scarlett Johansson – Actress. Reading and disguises (member)

Haley Keva – Web design. Indian studies (member)

“Thank you all for your introductions. I think they’re important, especially at this stage as you each try to meet and befriend as many people in the Circle as you can. It goes without saying that includes the other pledges as well. I’m glad a few other members are also here. I urge them to speak up and participate just as I do all pledges and guests.”

Scarlett spoke, “Just so you know, even though some members are here, we either joined before this class began to be held or we were away so much of the time that we missed many of the sessions. The latter is my case. I’m on the road a lot, so over time I hope to get the equivalent of this entire class but it’s taking years. I love this place and everybody in it. I’m sure I’ll love all of you.”

Dave spoke again, “This is a bumper crop of pledges, perhaps our largest pledge class ever. There is no special timeframe for becoming a member, in fact, we’d like you to get rid of the notion that there’s an ‘end’ to your learning about the Circle and each other. There’s not. Because of that the board doesn’t even schedule the votes for membership the way we used to do. They just happen almost at the spur of the moment. You’ll never know one is coming. Someday somebody will just inform you that, ‘Oh, yeah, you’re a member’. The journey is more important than the destination – just like your regular membership in the Circle. This is a journey through life with partners you choose. Some call this their intentional family. With that in mind, let’s take another step on life’s journey.” He gestured to Ross.

Ross came up with a smile. “These ‘classes’ are really rap sessions with some steering from one or two of us. I thought we’d start tonight with a discussion about Kindness. What does it take to be kind to someone else?”

Several hands instantly went up and the discussion was off and running. Dave took a seat next to Scarlett and held her hand. After a second they shared a brief kiss and each moved closer to the other like some of the other couples.

The discussion really got rolling with Ross challenging some of the sweeping statements as too broad or too narrow in perspective. Occasionally, he’d pose, “That’s all?” “Nothing more?” “But what if... ?”

Later in the evening, Dave led the Q&A session. As usual, everyone was timid about posing some risqué question. To get the ball rolling, he’d arranged with Darcie Hetman to ask her about the sex in the Atlanta Group. After a minute of silence as everybody looked at everyone else, Dave said, “Darcie, let me ask you a question about the Atlanta Group – what twenty-one or twenty-two of you? How much sex do you all have with each other?”

Darcie said in a straight tone before laughing, “Not enough.”

The whole room laughed.

Darcie went on, “According to our visitors from this Circle, especially some of your founders, we’re where you were about nine or ten years ago. We really can’t get enough time to make love with the people we hold dear – and that includes all of you. We tend to spend all weekend together at someone’s house, and usually in bed or one of the adult playrooms we’ve created with wall-to-wall mattresses if we’re not on the pool patio talking. Of course, we take breaks. We golf, swim, dine out, talk about books we’ve read, do show n’ tell about our hobbies, and more. We also love to be naked together, even without any sex taking place.

“I guess like most of you, we like being in each other’s presence. The initial pangs of jealousy we had watching a spouse or partner with someone else have disappeared. We even tease each other in that regard. You know, asking something like, ‘Do you like watching so and so’s large you know what disappearing into my little pussy?’ or similar taunts. We laugh now, but it was more serious when we started.

“I confess to really liking the group sex – exhibitionist sex. Having other couples around you who are also making love is supremely arousing. I swear that I get wetter and come more often when those are the conditions.” Heads nodded around the group.

Dave pushed, “You have a couple of incestuous situations in your group; how do those play out?”

Darcie grinned, “I’m guilty. My sister is Brittany, another of our members. We have been intimate since we were in middle school. It was never a big deal for us, just a way for us to blow off some steam. Now, we share husbands, boyfriends, and anything else with each other. We also like to double team one of the other men – to give the ‘sisters’ experience to someone. We’re working on perfecting that experience. I can tell you that Val doesn’t mind in the least. I think he gets more of a charge out of fucking her than he does fucking me.” She turned and looked at her husband who was grinning at her.

Millie spoke up, “Grace and I were like that. We’ve always shared as well as been each other’s intimate friend. We tried to go straight when she found Jack and married him, but now we’re making up for lost time.” She giggled.

Darcie asked, “What other types of situations like that do you have in the Circle?”

Dave smiled, “Just about every combination you can think of. Ashley Steerman, nee Steckler, is intimate with her sister Erin as well as her parents; they’re all Circle members. The same can be said for Rachel Anders with Jack and Grace, and her aunt Millie. Bridget loves her father along with all the other men including me her uncle; Nikky and her parents share. The twins Savannah and Samantha have a long-standing relationship, but not with their parents who kind of frown on the openness of the Circle in this area.”

Before he could change the subject, Rose said, “You have a lot in your own family, and some yet to occur.”

Dave tried to duck what she’d said, “Oh, yeah. I forgot about Alice and Julie, my wives and Owen’s wives, and also their sister Karen. My brother and his wife are also Circle members whom we meet with frequently – Aaron and Shelby. My mother Elise is a member in good standing.”

Rose was insistent but laughing at Dave’s avoidance. She said boldly, “And soon, your step-daughter, Rose.” Dave noted that Matthew beside her was also laughing along with the slightly older Danica and Toby. Rose had tipped them off about her comment.

The room tittered at the obvious tease and no one was obviously upset.

Teaching the Circle 101 class, even co-teaching the class, kept Dave on his feet for most of the two hours walking around the room talking to the pledges and drawing out their true feelings on issues such as monogamy, equality of the sexes, fluid relationships, jealousy, and exclusivity.

Dave and Ross had flowed together and managed the class like two cylinders in a highly tuned engine. Just as one finished generating a great learning moment for the class, the other was able to step in and repeat with another point.

Dave sat with a large sigh on one of the bar stools at the relocated patio bar. The mortar round that hit the kitchen and cabana hadn’t damaged the bar, but it had been in the way of the construction crews so had been moved to the other side of the pool. One result was longer trips from the storeroom, plus extension cords to power the refrigerators and ice maker under the bar.