Chapter 40: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

August 18, 2000, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I woke on Friday morning amused by the dream I’d had...

Fortunately, the crazy dream hadn’t led to a mess in the bed, though I suspected it had been a very close thing, and that only the four orgasms I’d had with Suzanne had prevented it. I used the treadmill in the exercise room, showered, dressed, and met Suzanne at the diner. She greeted me with a kiss and the hostess seated us.

“I had an interesting dream last night,” I said after we’d ordered.

“Oh?”

“When I returned to my room, a very pretty young girl from housekeeping was there changing the sheets on the bed. She flirted, or it certainly felt that way, but I didn’t do anything about what I felt was a clear opening. Anyway, I fell asleep then dreamed that I’d actually taken her up on her offer and she came back at 1:00am, at which time I took all three of her cherries and screwed her silly before we fell asleep.”

“Should I be insulted?” Suzanne asked sillily.

“No! But it is the first dream like that I’ve had in a long, long time, or at least one I remembered.”

“Do you think it’s because you’re feeling off center? And that you need what your wives told me Elyse prescribed for your mental health?”

“I’d say there’s a real chance that the dream was a result of the off-center feeling, and if you paid THAT close attention in Chicago, then I’m even more sure that you’re the right girl than I was before, and I was damned sure before!”

“So, you need a horny young virgin to get you back on kilter, is that it?”

I chuckled, “That would be the prescription Elyse would give, yes. But to be honest, I don’t think that’s it. I think what I need is just to get used to the changes, which arrived in a cluster.”

“I would think you’ve had some pretty big changes in your life in the past, how did you deal with them?”

“Self-medication along the lines you suggested, but I don’t feel the same way I used to. I think it’s because my bipolar disorder is reasonably under control, and that what I’m feeling is the normal reaction to stress most people have, rather than my enhanced reaction. I had a couple of really calm years when my condition was controlled, and now I’m having a bit of stress. We haven’t mentioned the lawsuit I told you about, either.”

“I thought your sister and Liz were handling that.”

“They are, but I still stress about it, not to mention the plaintiffs are a group of assholes who stole our software a decade ago.”

“That sounds like it’s enough to put anyone on edge. Perhaps you ARE centered and balanced, and this is just normal stress?”

“That’s possible, obviously.”

“Then let’s eat and I can provide some excellent stress relief!”

“That and a sauna would be good right about now, but I can do the sauna tonight at home.”

“How long does it take to get from your house to Loyola?”

“If you take the CTA, a little over an hour, including walking time. Driving, if you took LSD, would be about forty-five minutes door to door. That’s what I would suggest because it gives you more flexibility.”

“LSD?”

“Sorry. That’s ‘Lake Shore Drive’. I think a disc jockey coined the term ‘LSD’, but it could also be from the song Lake Shore Drive by the Chicago-based rock group Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah. I never actually looked into it. It’s actually a pretty easy drive, especially after a couple of reconstruction projects in the last ten years. If you avoid rush hour, the trip can be even faster.”

“I can handle that. Living with you will be WAY better than living in the dorms, especially if I spend a lot of time at the house, which I think we both want.”

“I agree, but remember, you need to complete your undergrad degree and law school, and those have to be priorities.”

“You’re close to UofC, right?”

“Easy walking distance,” I said.

“And they have one of the top law schools in the country, right?”

“Yes. And it’s extremely difficult to get in.”

“For mere mortals, perhaps! And Dad can afford it. I’m sure you at least had a hint of the compensation at his firm.”

I chuckled, “Yeah, Eduardo told me. Associates make about $250K their first year, and it goes up from there, with partners making at least a million bucks. I’ll say he can afford it!”

“Then I’m going to apply to UofC for undergrad as well. I’ll still apply to Loyola and Northwestern as planned.”

“Then your ‘commute’ is about fifteen minutes by foot, if you have to go to the far side of the campus. Parking is a bit of a pain, but you’ll be able to use the dojo parking lot which is about five minutes away. Winter has a reserved spot there, which you’ll be able to take over.”

“Won’t she still need to drive to the house?”

“Yes, but I was more concerned about overnight parking. The only time the dojo lot is really used is in the evening or on Saturday morning. The noon class is mostly UofC students, who walk. The afterschool class is mostly neighborhood kids who also walk. We walk, even on the coldest winter days. And you know Kara and I walk to get Jess nearly every Saturday and Sunday, unless it’s so cold she elects to drive or it’s pouring rain.”

“I think we have a plan,” Suzanne said with a big smile. “I have to thank whichever god arranged for me to have the seat next to you on that flight back from Chicago.”

“Thank him, her, it, or them for me as well!”

“If there IS a god, it has to be a guy, and probably a committee of guys,” Suzanne smirked. “Would a woman mess the world up this badly?”

“If it was my mom? Yes! Changing subjects back to Chicago, do you know when you’ll be in town at Christmas?”

“I fly out on the afternoon of the 23rd and I’ll be there through New Year’s day afternoon.”

“You’re welcome at the house whenever you can reasonably be away from your dad, step-mom, and step-sister.”

“I have to be at my dad’s house Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but otherwise I’m free.”

“Cool. We have a New Year’s Eve party at the house, and you’re obviously invited. Our extended family Christmas celebration is on the 25th. On Boxing Day all the grandparents usually show up, so it’s a complete zoo.”

“Circus,” she corrected.

I chuckled, “Usually I’m the one who corrects people when they get it wrong.”

“NIKA is the zoo; home is Cirque du Steve, though it should be Cirque DE Steve if you want the French to be correct.”

“You’re the second person to tell me that in the last couple of weeks. The thing is, the ‘du’ was coined by my friend Jorge who died several years ago at the hands of a drunk driver, and the moniker has stuck.”

“Then Cirque du Steve it is.”

The waitress brought our food and we began eating. Given our desire to get back to the hotel, we ate quickly and didn’t talk much, and once we finished eating, I paid the check and we hurried across the street to spend four hours in bed.

August 18, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“What did you think, Jesse?” Cynthia asked as she snuggled close after we’d done it ‘doggie style’.

“It was OK, but I like it better either with me on top or you on top facing me.”

“Me, too, though I liked it better when you were sitting up than when you were lying down when I was on top. But I think we have a dozen more positions to try, so maybe one of them will be better.”

“Do you like ‘sixty-nine’?”

“Oh God, yes! I came really hard when you had your tongue in me and your cum squirted into my mouth! You liked it, right?”

“Do I LOOK dumb?” I asked with a grin.

“Seriously, though.”

“Yes. I like licking you, a lot. And I absolutely like you sucking me!”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“What would you think about tying each other up? Do you want to try? At least once? Just to see what it’s like?”

“We could, I guess. You want to?”

“I want to try it. Could you find something we could use that wouldn’t hurt?”

“Maybe I could borrow some karate belts from my sister. Those would work, I think.”

“So you’ll try it?”

“Sure,” I replied, though I was a bit uncomfortable with the idea.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Now I’m afraid!”

Cynthia laughed, “It’s nothing terrible! Do you know Libby Carmichael?”

“Sure. She’s in our class.”

“What do you think about her?”

“I don’t know. I’ve seen her with you a few times, but otherwise she mostly hangs out with Sarah and Keisha. Why?”

“Would you try a threesome with her?”

“Oh, right, she’s just going to get into bed with us,” I said, shaking my head. “I barely know her!”

“She wants to,” Cynthia said.

“And how do you know that?!” I demanded, sitting up.

“Because she told me!”

“And how does she know we’re having sex?” I asked crossly.

“She’s the only person I told! But I needed to tell SOMEONE! She won’t say anything. She was jealous and said she wished she could do it with you. I said I’d ask, but we’d have to all do it together.”

“You shouldn’t have done that without talking to me first” I declared, trying to keep my voice calm despite the fact that I was supremely annoyed.

“Sorry,” Cynthia said meekly. “You’re right. But she wants to. And Jesse, she’s a virgin so you’d get her cherry.”

I almost laughed, because that WAS an enticement. As dumb as it sounded, I liked the idea of teaching a girl about sex. Dad had once said that he liked that, and for some odd reason, I did, too. I liked experimenting with Cynthia, but I was still worried about things getting out of control, and having a threesome sure seemed like a surefire way for that to happen. But I also was curious.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “And before I even think about it, she’d have to have a test and be on birth control.”

“I’m sure she would. I promise that I won’t talk to anyone else, but I wanted to try it. And I don’t think inviting another guy is smart, because I totally trust you, but I’m not sure about some other guy.”

Being in bed with another guy would be more than a bit weird, and I wasn’t sure I’d do that, though a second girl might be OK.

“Maybe,” I said. “Can I think about it?”

“Sure. I’ll tell her to go to the clinic, but I won’t promise anything will happen. And it would be over a month away, anyway, because of how long you have to take the Pill. That gives us time to try the other positions and experiment with tying each other up.”

“OK, so long as you make no promises.”

“No promises. Ready to fuck my brains out?”

“Yes!”

“DAD!” Birgit squealed as I came in the door.

She jumped into my arms and I hugged her tightly, and exchanged a kiss on her forehead for a kiss on my cheek. The greetings from her siblings were a bit more subdued, and Jessica and I exchanged a soft kiss before going upstairs so I could shower and change into comfortable clothes.

“How was Colorado?” Jessica asked as I got into the shower.

“Just fine,” I replied, smiling as Jessica stepped into the shower with me. “Miss me?”

“I have one last night with you to myself and I’m not going to waste a single second of it!”

“Our daughters might have something to say about that,” I replied.

“I suppose they can have their cuddles,” Jessica said grudgingly as she soaped my body. “How is Suzanne?”

“Good. We had a couple of really good talks, and I offered her Winter’s room.”

“She’s planning on Loyola or Northwestern, right?”

“UofC, if she’s going to live here. Her dad will be OK with that.”

“The school or her living here?”

“She intended to explain everything to him in December. She seems to think he’s mellow enough to handle it.”

“As if there is a dad on this planet who would be mellow enough for his daughter to become a «cortigiana onesta»!”

“Me,” I replied. “You know I can’t be hypocritical about that, given my arrangements with Maria Cristina and now with Suzanne.”

“OK, besides you!”

“We’ll see. She’ll be eighteen in November, so in one sense it’s not up to him. But obviously a strained relationship is not a good thing. But I have to leave it up to her. By the way, I do want some time in the sauna tonight.”

“You say that like you need it.”

“I do. I think I’m suffering from a bit of stress due to all the changes. When I was talking to Suzanne this morning, I wondered aloud if maybe I was feeling what ‘normal’ people feel when they experience stress.”

“No signs of mania?”

I shook my head, “No. I even joked with Suzanne about Elyse’s prescription, but to be honest, I don’t feel the way I did in the past. Honestly, everything seems fine, except I feel a bit stressed.”

“I think the bigger concern is that it’s a year before we have our new ‘third’ here, if that’s what Suzanne is going to be.”

“I’d say, based on everything she and I talked about, and everything that happened, I’m even more confident that she’s the right one.”

“How do we reduce your stress?”

“Part of it, and please don’t take this the wrong way, will be Kara coming home.”

“I miss her too, Tiger. Don’t take me enjoying having you to myself for wanting that as a permanent situation. I need Kara just as much as you do, and maybe more.”

“It’s three-way,” I replied “We all need each other and none of us is complete without the other two. That was the issue when we were estranged, and it’s affecting us now, even if you enjoy having me to yourself. Well, and sharing me with three little girls!”

“Sauna after they go to bed?”

“Yes. And I promise to do anything you want, any way you want, anywhere you want, if you let me have my thirty minutes of relaxation in the sauna.”

“Deal!” she exclaimed gleefully.

After Cynthia left, I washed my sheets and cleaned my room. Mom Two got home from work just before I had to leave for my date with Kelly.

“What are you guys doing tonight, Jesse?” Mom Two asked.

“Dinner at the diner by the hospital, and then a movie at UofC.”

“What’s playing?”

“They’re showing U.S. Marshals. It wasn’t as good as The Fugitive, but it was still good. Kelly hasn’t seen it.”

“What time will you be home?”

“About 10:00pm. I have to walk Kelly home.”

“See you then.”

I hugged Mom Two and left the house. Mom One was just pulling into the driveway, to I stopped to hug her and let her know where I was going, then walked down the alley to Kelly’s house. She answered the door, called ‘goodbye’ to her mom, and then she and I headed towards the diner by the ER.

“You’re spending an awful lot of time with Cynthia,” Kelly said as we walked south on Woodlawn Avenue.

“She likes to play video games,” I replied carefully. “My two brothers aren’t around except on weekends, so I need someone to play with. Mikey lives too far away, and Nicholas spends lots of time with my little sister or with Albert and Uncle Dave’s kids because they’re all in Scouts.”