Chapter 23: Midway Point

At the discussion group at the start of August, several important things happened besides the expected debriefing on internships and the ongoing discussion on leadership and innovation. First, Joe raised Katie’s idea about siblings and relatives of existing students possibly being included in the next cohort of Residential MBA Program candidates – and by implication the loving and sexual atmosphere in Colburn House.

Second, Mark and Carlos decided that there should be a ‘Halfway Party’ on August fifteenth. That date was chosen since it was a Saturday, the weather was supposed to be good in the center of the month, and it was over a week before the start of the fall semester so there’d be time to recover from the event.

Joe waved his hand as a blessing to the event. He asked, “What do we do that’s different from our usual orgy?”

There was a long silence.

Dane said, “We could bring dates, at least to the beginning of the evening.”

Carlos laughed diabolically, “And we can see whether we can seduce them into the Colburn House lifestyle.” Several people applauded. Several said, ‘Great idea.’

Gail said, “Where do we get dates? I kind of have Mike.”

Mark insisted, “None of us can bring our steady girlfriends or boyfriends. We have to split up.”

Lauren said, “Well, there are two more weeks of undergraduate and graduate classes in the second summer term, so there are both kinds of students on campus. Most of them are commuters or live nearby, as you probably know. We’re unique here in Colburn.”

Joe shrugged.

Mike said, “Fine by me. Depending on who’s here, I’ll have to decide my level of participation.”

Joe pointed out, “Two more weeks and Dennis and you will probably be living in your apartment in the basement of the house. You and whoever can sneak away down there and do whatever.”

Katie put her head on Dennis’ shoulder, “I’m all in favor of ‘whatever’ all the time, providing I’m one of the ‘whoevers’.”

Alisha said, “Do we just walk up to someone and ask them?”

Mark said, “You’re in the leadership class. Don’t you get turned on by at least a couple of the guys in the class bests the rest of us here? Just ask, but don’t make a big deal about it. We’ll call it a ‘Halfway Pool Party’ – wear your monokini, pleeeaaassseee.” He was laughing by the time he finished. Alisha did look particularly gorgeous in a monokini with her brown skin and even darker nipples and areolas.

Alisha laughed and flipped him the bird. He rushed over to her, kissed her, knelt, and begged for forgiveness.

Joe pointed out, “If any of you pick undergrads, please have them be over twenty-one because we’ll have our usual open bar. Also, a few seniors might be fodder for next year’s MBA program. Maybe we treat this even like a fraternity or sorority rush party. If you have relatives that might be interested, bring them.”

The group laughed, but saw some value in the idea.

Katie announced, “Well, Seth and Noah will be coming that weekend, so they’ll be my dates. I want to see who Dennis comes up with.” She poked him.

Joe knew from talking with Dennis that Katie and he’d had a talk and agreed to be fairly serious lovers, yet be nonexclusive. They both routinely made love with everyone else in Colburn House. Katie had even confessed to him her sexual attraction for her two sons, and how it had blossomed over the previous Thanksgiving and several visits back and forth since. Mike and Gail were in a similar state of being non-exclusive but serious lovers.

The whole idea of a house party took root, and fired up everyone in the house. Each day one or two members of the house told of getting a ‘date’ with someone they thought would fit in with everyone and who’d enjoy a pool party.

Of course, with the asking, there were also frequent discussions about just how much to reveal or hint at to one’s date, how far to nudge them towards our sexual mores once they were at the party, and how to explain what was going on if and when some of the sexual shenanigans started to unfold on party night. Many times when Joe walked through the living room, he heard some such discussion going on between some of the students and even Mike and Dennis.

Over the two weeks of party planning, the final touches were being made to the construction of the new apartments and rooms in the lower level of Colburn House. Dennis and Mike had asked that everyone refer to it as the ‘lower level’ and not the basement or cellar. Final light fixtures, paint, and punch list items were being attacked on a daily basis. Some furniture made an appearance. Emphasis to complete was put on the two apartments so that Mike and Dennis could be moved in by the day of the party.

The week before the party some of the internships ended, so those students were around more than they’d usually been. Morgan was one of those – the Queen of the Monokini. She visited the construction operations sans bathing suit bra frequently during the day and was a favorite diversion. Everyone knew she was teasing and so they teased back.

A week before the event, Joe met Ellen Swansong, Jason’s date for the party, and a senior at Harbridge College. Carlos also brought his date by, a pretty Latino named Olga Padilla. The next day, Morgan showed off Roger Mayer, a senior hoping to get in the regular MBA program in a year. At cocktails, Alisha introduced a handsome young man – another senior named Lucas Washington. The two had spent most of the afternoon behind closed doors in her studio apartment, accompanied by orgasmic moans and male gasps of delight. They’d obviously come up for air.

Katie’s two sons arrived on Wednesday afternoon before the party. Officially, they were using one of the new studio apartments in the lower level. Unofficially, they toted one of the queen-size mattresses up to Katie’s room and made the place just about a wall-to-wall love nest. They also spent a few hours together with their mother behind closed doors.

To everyone’s surprise, Ryan brought a stunning older twenties woman by the House for cocktails on Tuesday – Mona Cartwright. She was a colleague of Valentine’s at her agency, and had been carefully selected for her husband based on her likelihood of ‘fitting in’ with the rest of the crowd, a point that Ryan thought meant that she was a sure thing.

Valentine brought her ‘date’ by the next evening. A mortgage broker who apparently had made more money than God in the short time he’d been in the business. He wasn’t even thirty yet. If there had ever been a stud, Greg was it. She commented to Joe that he’d wanted to get into her pants for months, so she thought she’d give him a try and see if he was any good. He also, like the others, and had a recent health checkup.

Joe and Marjorie talked and they each decided that they would do what the others had done and also get ‘dates’. Marjorie invited a recently divorced man she liked who’d just bought one of her mega-mansions – Ron Downey. He was about her age, and was also a black belt karate expert, a pilot of his own small jet that he used for business of some kind, and had the physique of a twenty-year-old gym rat.

Joe had flirted for years with the cute secretary of the graduate school – Tiffany Brook. The long-haired and busty brunette kept getting engaged and then disengaged, and that summer she’d was between fiancés. Since the teasing had often gotten full of sexual innuendo and racy, Joe took a chance. “Hey, Tiffany, are you ready to put up or shut up about all the teasing we’ve done with each other all these years?”

She responded, “What do you mean?”

“We’re having a very risqué pool party and barbecue on Saturday in mid-month; might you be interested in being my date?”

“What about Marjorie?” Tiffany knew the status and all the dirt on every professor and student in the college, or she thought she did. She didn’t know the inner-workings of Colburn House, however.”

Joe smirked, “She has her own date. We’re not always exclusive, if you know what I mean?”

“Really? You’re not? Hell, yes, I’d love to be your date.” There wasn’t a second’s hesitation when she realized the access door to Joe was open. “Errr, really – you’re available?”

“Yes, but there are two requirements,” Joe teased. “You need a bikini that removes easily, and a very recent STD test just in case it does fall off. I guess there’s a third requirement, and that is a promise that whatever you see or engage in or witness at Colburn House is forgotten by the end of the party. I’m quite serious about all of those.”

Tiffany looked deep into Joe’s eyes to be sure he wasn’t kidding. “I’ll have the test by Friday; I have the bikini – or is a Wicked Weasel too much? I also know how to keep my mouth shut. If I want to share something, I’ll talk to you beforehand about it, I promise.” She raised her hand in her oath.

In all their teasing, Joe had detected that Tiffany really had a great attraction to him. Moreover, until recently there had been few secrets between them. He’d helped her weather the disengagement process from errant fiancés several times.

Joe laughed, “There’ll be other bathing suits from that designer, I’m sure. Good on the other points.” He filled her in on the others he knew would be there. She was pleased to hear that Mike and Dennis were going to be there. She was shocked when Joe explained that as of that afternoon, the two men were living at Colburn House most of the time. Tiffany was good about reading between the lines, so she’d figure out what was going on very soon.

Tiffany asked tentatively, “We’ve teased a lot, and I don’t want to take anything for granted, but ... well, when you say risqué ... I guess ... well ... will there be a chance for you and me to ... you know ... hook-up in some way?” Her voice was a near whisper, and he could tell she was both serious and hopeful.

Joe nonchalantly walked around her desk and kissed the top of her head in an affectionate way. He whispered, “Yes.” He added, “I’m really looking forward to it; I hope you are.”

Tiffany swooned, grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest in a return gesture of approval. Joe stepped back to keep the propriety of the department head’s office, and then waved over his shoulder as he exited. “I’ll talk to you before then about how to pick you up.”

A half-hour later, Joe read an email from Tiffany that included a map and directions to her apartment. She ended the email with many X’s and O’s. He replied with a laugh, “Saturday, five p.m. OK to wear your bikini all night ... or just toss it aside as the others will.” He also used some X’s and O’s.

Among the others getting dates that brought them by to see the house, pool, Jacuzzi, and so on, were Lauren – with another senior named Carter James; Megan with a regular MBA student Porter Reese or ‘Po’ for short; Mike with a local artist named Jade; and Dennis with a divorced townie named Grace that looked shy but curious.

Joe and Marjorie’s daughter Emma told them she was bringing an old friend from high school – Andy Mince. She’d lined Stacy up with another old guy friend – Paul Cooper. Jason and Mark had enticed their brothers Jake and Carl to come, and they’d be dates for Gail and Beth, so that things evened out.

Thursday before the party when Joe came back from some errands on campus, he found a large flip chart posted over a picture in the living room showing the Colburn House resident (or friend) and their date: