Chapter 53: Duo

December 30, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Birgit

“Are you crazy?” Tiffany asked. “Seriously, Birgit, I’d sleep in the shed in your backyard to have parents like yours!”

“And don’t EVEN get me started on my mom!” Rachel sighed in exasperation. “She says I can’t come to the ‘young adult’ party at Amber’s house because it’s next door to yours!”

“Jesus,” Tiffany replied, shaking her head. “That’s a whole new level of crazy! What happened?”

“She opened a letter addressed to me from the school and found out I applied for early graduation. She called and told them she didn’t agree, but there isn’t anything she can actually do about it, because I’m not taking any classes that would require permission slips for anything. School District policy doesn’t let her interfere with my class selections. And even if she invokes ‘parental authority’, all that might do is delay them issuing my diploma until January 10th, but they’ll send my transcript to UofC showing I’ve completed all the courses necessary for graduation no matter what Mom does.”

“She’s mentally ill,” Tiffany observed. “Birgit, you have NO room to complain.”

“Will ANYONE let me complain?” I groused.

“NO!” Tiffany and Rachel responded in tandem.

“So what will you do, Rache?” I asked.

“Well, if I really wanted to piss her off, I’d invite two or three guys over on my birthday and have them triple-team me! And then tell mom all about it! I’ll be seventeen, so there’s nothing she could do! I mean, what’s she going to do? Kick me out? You know your dad or Amber’s parents would take me in immediately!”

“You really do need to stop complaining about your mom, Birg,” Tiffany said.

“Ugh!” I groaned.

“So what about tomorrow night?” Tiffany asked.

“I guess I just have to stay home,” Rachel replied.

“That sucks.”

“I know,” Rachel sighed.

I hated that things were so bad for Rachel, but there wasn’t anything I could really do about it. Even talking to Dad wouldn’t do any good because until Rachel turned eighteen, her mom could cause all kinds of trouble. And I hated to admit that compared to Rachel, I didn’t have any real problems, because that would waste a good snit!

[Cincinnati, Ohio] 🎤 Matthew

“I’m sorry I was in a bad mood yesterday,” Chelsea said as we walked around her neighborhood after lunch.

“It’s OK,” I said. “I just wish you had told me right away. You have nothing to worry about with me. Nothing.”

“I know,” Chelsea sighed. “It just scared me when I found out Zach had slept with three cheerleaders while he and Brenda were supposedly a couple.”

“Cheating is one of the lowest things you can do,” I replied. “You have to keep your word, and that promise - to be a couple - is probably the most important one.”

“Not marriage?”

“But isn’t it almost the same thing? You promise to only be with that person. I mean, sure, you can break up, but you can also get divorced.”

“I like how you think, minus the idea of divorce!”

“I never said I’d get one! Just that there are parallels.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yes. Well, I wish you lived in Chicago already, but June isn’t TOO far away. In six months, we’ll basically be living together, though I know you’ll sleep in the dorms four nights a week.”

“If your mom and Eduardo lived in the city, we could sleep together every night!”

“You know, I’m an idiot!”

“Well, you are male, so it kind of goes with the territory!”

“Ha-ha! But Eduardo has a condo in the city which is really close to Loyola. You could save a ton of money if you lived there. I’d have to ask, of course, but Mom and Eduardo don’t use it all that often and it has two bedrooms.”

“Could you go to school in the city?”

“Probably, but I don’t know of a better drama program anywhere, and all my friends are in the suburbs. Three nights a week, every break, and on holidays is WAY better than what we have now!”

“True.”

“Are YOU happy?”

“Yes, but like you, I don’t want to be apart! And June can’t arrive soon enough.”

“Is everything set with Loyola?”

“Yes. I sent back the acceptance form, as I told you, a dorm room is reserved, and I have the partial scholarship from Saint Andrew’s I told you about. And most importantly, I can move in with you as soon as I graduate from High School!”

“You know, I never asked, but how is Colin doing at UC with all the partying you say he does?”

“A’s and B’s which makes Mom and Dad happy, so I guess sex, drugs, and booze aren’t interfering.”

“They really have sex with random people?”

“Well, only people they invite to their parties.”

“How do you know it’s true?”

“My friend Riva is part of their group. She graduated last year, and there’s no way she’d lie to me about it. She lost her virginity at one of those parties, and had sex with three guys that night.”

“That’s crazy! I sure hope they’re all tested and using rubbers.”

“She said the guys all used rubbers, but I don’t know about testing.”

“They all need to be tested. You read Aunt Bethany’s book!”

“I’ll remind her. The book suggested that couples who are exclusive and don’t have exposure to blood don’t need to be tested regularly.”

“True, but she advised having the tests done at your annual exam, along with the complete blood chemistry, lipid, and glucose panels which doctors don’t routinely do. Aunt Jessica and Doctor Alejandra and Doctor Sofia all agree that those tests show early signs of problems and everyone should have them.”

“I discussed that with my doctor and she felt it was excessive, but Mom listened to your Aunts and insisted.”

“Good. Your friends aren’t going to try to play any games like that? I don’t mean going that far, but even regular ‘Spin the Bottle’?”

“No. It’s almost all couples, and Marcie made sure that for the few ‘single’ people there’s an equal number of boys and girls. And none of the couples are interested in swapping.”

I was tempted to say ‘bummer’ to tease Chelsea, but given what had happened with Brenda, I decided that was a bad idea.

“Is Brenda invited?”

“Yes. Marcie talked to her about who acceptable single guys would be.”

“Smart.”

[Chicago, Illinois] 🎤 Steve

“Not so mighty today!” I said to Jesse as we walked out of the skybox at the United Center.

“I can’t believe we only got a single goal, and that was on a powerplay with about thirty seconds left in the game.”

“By a Swede! The Hawks weren’t that much better - two third-period goals. And Shields and Thibault aren’t great goalies. Nobody had a stick today.”

“The Penguins are as bad as the Ducks this year.”

“Don’t remind me! They basically had to trade away their expensive talent, and don’t get me started on Jágr going to the fucking Capitals! The other thing that I have a real problem with is that Lemieux is missing games so he can play for Canada in the Olympics. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Not so Super Mario?”

“I totally get wanting to play in the Olympics, but if you sign up for the NHL, you need to play.”

“I agree. I’m going to ride with Coach to Bacino’s. We have two tables reserved.”

“Sounds good. Is Albert going with you?”

“Yes. And we’re all going for ice cream, then Mia and Jerry are coming over to hang out, and Albert is going to Doctor Al’s house.”

“OK.”

That meant I had no companion for the ride home, which was fine, so I signed for the food and drinks, then headed down the private elevator and out to the parking lot. I was in no rush because even with the VIP parking pass, there would still be a line to get out of the lot. I made my way to the car, got in, but didn’t start it, as I couldn’t go anywhere. I sat for about five minutes, then started the car to pull into the line, and three minutes later pulled out onto Jackson. I followed it to LSD, then took LSD south to Kenwood, navigated the streets, and parked in the driveway.

I got out of my car, checked my watch, saw that I had about an hour before Dayna and Stefania arrived. I went into the house, greeted Kara, then went upstairs to shower with Kara tagging along.

“How was the game?”

“The Hawks won 2-1. The Ducks are playing just as badly as the Pens are this year.”

“So not the year for waterfowl in the NHL?”

“So it would seem!”

“You’re still shaving?” she asked as I took the razor from the shower rack.

“I figured I would until I hang up my skates in about thirty hours.”

“What about Estrella? She has her results.”

“I assumed, and I’ll speak to her, probably on Tuesday. Given the circumstances, I’ll let her decide how long it lasts, though the longer it goes, the more trouble it might cause with Liz. And I’ll explain that to Estrella.”

“Liz is the gatekeeper?”

“At NIKA. She laid down the law, and you know I agree with her in general. I disagree that I was wrong to be with Aisyah, though Liz pushed back hard. Aisyah will be here tomorrow night, by the way. I’m sure Liz will mention it, but with Bob not coming to our parties, it won’t be a big deal. Nobody else cares about friendships.”

“Birgit told me that Carla won’t allow Rachel to attend the ‘young adult’ party Jesse, Birgit, and Amber are hosting because Penny’s house is next door to ours.”

“Oh, for the love of Loki! Carla gets crazier by the minute!”

“That’s not the worst of it. Carla called the High School to see if she could prevent Rachel from graduating early, but was told she couldn’t prevent Rachel from signing up for classes which didn’t need permission slips.”

“She’s gone completely around the bend like Carol Corday!”

“Birgit said that Rachel half-seriously threatened to celebrate her birthday by being triple-teamed by three guys from the hockey team.”

“An idle threat, but Carla doesn’t know that.”

“Because Rachel plans to move into the house and doesn’t want to do anything that might mess things up with you, right?”

“Yes. And the problem is, I can’t even have a conversation with Rachel about that, or about the changes I’m making, because even talking to Rachel will set Carla off. She could STILL call the cops and swear out a complaint. I’d be arrested immediately, even if Rachel denied everything. I’d bond out, of course, and the case would go no place because everyone would deny it happened.”

“Doesn’t Rachel keep a diary?”

“Yes, and those pages are locked in Samantha’s safe in her office. Rachel uses a small loose-leaf binder and just removed those pages and replaced them with a generic description of her birthday, and nothing for the other day because she doesn’t write in it every day. The coupon was destroyed long ago. I made sure the files were properly scrubbed from Birgit’s computer as well.”

“You’re not worried about Angelina?”

I shook my head, “No. Her parents know nothing and I trust the girls not to talk, or I wouldn’t have been with them. The exceptions to the rule of eighteen-or-older will be very, very limited, if they even happen after Kristin. And they’ll be discussed in detail with you, Jessica, and Suzanne. ANY concerns or misgivings, and they’ll have to wait until they’re eighteen. Period.”

“And the triplets?” Kara asked with a smirk as I finished shaving everything but my face.

I laughed, “First of all, I’m not sure April really meant it. Second, the girls would have to want it. Third, I’d have to be convinced she hadn’t pressured them. And fourth, I’d have to be absolutely sure, beyond ANY doubt that nobody would talk. And it’s not happening when they’re fourteen, if it ever happens. I’ll make that clear to April.”

“Want to hear my predictions, just between you and me, and not to be discussed?”

“I’d say it’s against my better judgment, but I’m actually curious.”

“Tiffany, Amber, and Katherine. I doubt any of the others would seriously consider it.”

“You don’t think Amber will decide Jesse is a better choice?”

“I don’t think Jesse is actually interested. Amber has been after him for years, and he’s never shown a bit of interest. Granted, she’s three years younger, but even so, I don’t get that vibe. And I think he’s going to be VERY busy entertaining young ladies closer to his age!”

“He and Libby more or less called it off,” I said. “But given she’s his Bethany, I suspect they may revisit things from time to time, and you never know what will happen, though my money is still on a Russian girl!”

“All the smart money is! Though I wouldn’t discount Swedish girls.”

“Not Marta. I can’t go into it, but that’s going exactly nowhere.”

“Interesting.”

“Do you have some kind of master plan for the evening?” I asked.

“Dayna, Stefania, and I agreed on what they would do, and there’s nothing that you haven’t done before. And, so you aren’t surprised, they’re going to engage in sapphic play.”

I chuckled, “So a complete fulfillment - watching me deflower a girl together with another girl! And a double, at that! I do have to ask - your idea or theirs?”

“Mattie’s, though they didn’t need any encouragement. I told Mattie exactly what I wanted and she delivered!”

“I’m going to owe her some kind of massive favor, I’m sure.”

“Actually, I will. It’s my favor to repay.”

“Anything you need,” I said. “This is your once-in-a-lifetime fantasy fulfillment.”

I finished my shower and Kara handed me a towel with which to dry myself.

“Just put on your silk robe,” Kara said. “There’s no need to dress.”

I nodded and went to the walk-in closet and put on my black silk robe with purple cuffs and lapels, and with my initials stitched on the breast, which Kara had given me for our first Christmas in 1981. I’d given Kara a complementary garment, a short purple silk robe that would just barely cover her butt. The purple matched the cuffs and lapels of my robe, and had her initials stitched on the breast. We’d given one to Jessica when we’d married her.

“I’ve had this twenty years,” I said.

Kara smiled, “I remember!”

She handed me a small box and when I opened it, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Cherry lube, just like that Christmas Eve in 1981!”

“You might need it tomorrow depending on what your cheerleaders have in mind!”

“Girls are getting less adventurous,” I said. “Well, High School girls, anyway.”

“Not Mattie’s friends! Anyway, you wait here, please. I’ll call you when the girls arrive.”

“OK.”

“Would you be OK with me wearing my robe?”

“Planning to ring the devil’s doorbell?” I teased.

Kara laughed, “That James Dobson parody!”

“And?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Perhaps,” Kara said primly. “Is that OK?”

“Anything which doesn’t violate your agreement with Jessica about tonight is fine. I committed to fulfilling your fantasy.”

Kara smiled, quickly disrobed, then put on her robe. She gave me a quick kiss, then left the bedroom. I knew I’d be operating short of sleep because of the events planned for the next thirty hours, so I got into bed and closed my eyes, hoping I could nap.

I obviously did, as the doorbell roused me from a very light sleep. I got out of bed, used the bathroom, washed my hands and face, brushed my teeth, then went to sit on the love seat to wait for Kara to come back to the bedroom. She arrived about ten minutes later.

“Ready?” she asked.

“I am,” I confirmed.

She took my hand and led me from the bedroom, down the staircase, through the kitchen, and into the hall to the nanny room. She locked the door behind us, then led me into the bedroom where Dayna and Stefania were waiting, both clad in short pink silk robes similar to Kara’s.

“Hi!” Dayna and Stefania exclaimed.

“Hi,” I replied.

“Stef and I are here to have sex with you,” Dayna said.

“And we agree Kara can watch and ask us to do things with you and each other,” Stefania added.

“Steve,” Kara instructed, “French kiss Stef, then Dayna. Softly, and only for a few seconds.”

I nodded and stepped in front of Stef, and followed Kara’s direction, and simply kissed Stef, softly, our tongues swirling gently around each other. She was wearing green apple lip gloss, a throwback to when I was in High School, something I suspected Kara had arranged. After about fifteen seconds, I kissed Dayna, who had applied watermelon lip gloss, the same way. After the kisses, I stepped back.

“Stef, Dayna, kiss the same way, please,” Kara requested.

The girls unhesitatingly exchanged a soft French kiss, then turned to face me.

“Steve, take off your robe and lay it across the back of the chair,” Kara directed.

I did as she asked, returning to the spot a few feet in front of the girls, both of whom looked appreciatively up and down my body.

“Stef, Dayna, your turn,” Kara said.

The girls removed their robes, revealing their firm, toned bodies, with very similar features - small breasts, shapely butts, and flat stomachs. The blonde Dayna had light brown nipples and very neatly trimmed pubic hair, while the redheaded Stefania had bright pink nipples and a much fuller bush. That sight alone was more than enough to cause blood to begin flowing and I was quickly erect.

“French kisses again, in the same order,” Kara requested, “but this time with a hug.”