Chapter 18

Darla had already been going through the recorded video data. We found that there was a hard line between the TV in the bedroom and the recording system in the secret room. That meant it was possible to safely display recorded video from the system on that TV without ever broadcasting it, making the connection very secure.

Whatever his other faults Tony realized that security of his private porn library was very important. Cynthia, the only one outside of the three of us to know that the thing existed, was conflicted about whether we should destroy it or not. I think it also appealed to an exhibitionist streak that she had buried pretty deep until now. I knew that eventually I’d be taking her out on our balcony. It was just a matter of time. A dangerous act for a potential judge. I expected her to go off like a bomb when it happened.

Meanwhile I started to transfer videos from the dailies to the curated folders. I seemed destined to follow in my father’s footsteps. Fortunately I did not have a sister.

I created a folder for Emily under ‘E’ and Darla under ‘D’. For good measure I made one for Irena under ‘I’. For sentimental reasons I put a copy of Martin and Irena’s engagement video in that subfolder in case they ever needed another copy.

It was not necessary for me to watch each video as it was transferred, so I did not. I had no doubt we would be watching some of them. Indeed Darla insisted on seeing Emily in the Burger sandwich and my tryst with Irena. Naturally both viewing resulted in mind blowing threeway sex between the three of us.

Along the way I found that several couples had availed themselves of my spare bedroom during the introduction party. None of them were married, at least not to each other. Conversely at least one couple had invited the man’s wife along, which was par for Lesserton. Most of those women already had a place in Tony’s directory structure so I just added those videos to the existing subdirectories. These included the few new ones I had of Cynthia.

I was so busy with other things that the workshop became more the domain of Emily than of me. Between trying to get up to speed on local politics and the running of the town and meeting with Martin’s architect and finding a contractor I had very little time to play in the tool wonderland that was the workshop. That did not prevent Emily from taking on commissions and she was now down there working almost every day. She was still weeks away from showing and we had not yet announced our pending parenthood.

Darla was more likely to be in the loft than out these days. The firehouse had been her last big sale. Elsie had taken the other major sale of the last month, the purchase of a farm by a poly family from Wisconsin who had found out about Lesserton from a friend. Darla was filling her time with research for Cynthia and nooner sex with either myself or Emily, though I also understood she made the occasional trip to the BB&S partners lounge.

Like Emily’s news we were about to have another vector changing event happen in our lives.

“I heard from mother today,” Darla said.

“What did Miranda want?” I asked.

Darla’s mother and I had never gotten along. They say that if you want to know what your wife will look like when she ages look at her mother. In that case I had nothing to worry about. Miranda Sparks was gorgeous. At forty-six she was a real sex bomb cougar. Probably the reason we did not get along initially. At twenty-one I was not prepared for my girlfriend’s mother to make a pass at me. Miranda was recently widowed at the time and notably promiscuous. I rebuffed her and she responded by calling me St. Daniel thereafter. I summarily avoided her as much as possible. She had been involved, I would say over-involved, in our wedding, but afterward we had managed to keep our contacts to once or twice a year.

“She wants to come down and see us.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“Why? You’re not ashamed of our lifestyle are you? Of Emily?”

“No. Of course not. I’m just not looking forward to her assessment of our changed relationship.”

“You’re not looking forward to her response to your expanding sex life. Afraid she’ll proposition you again?”

“You know about that?”

“Of course. This apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Not that I’m interested, you understand, but how do you feel about that?”

“Now you sound like Maggie. ‘How do you feel about that, Darla?’” Her expression became hard to read. “My mother and I have a complex relationship. Maybe it’s about time to talk about that, but not yet.”

“So when is she coming?”

“Day after tomorrow. She’s driving down.”

“I guess we better warn Emily.”

“Isn’t this going to be kind of a shock to her?” Emily said. “I mean, we’re use to Lesserton. Once I started looking I realized that a bunch of families in Lesserton are just like ours. Chet and Cynthia have a daughter named Cerulean, even though she’s legally married to David. David actually can’t have kids. So I guess he’s off the list.”

“Mother is very forward thinking, Emily. She’ll love you.”

“If you say so.”

Just then the doorbell rang. Darla reached over to the device on the island and keyed the doorbell camera. I could not see the screen but Darla pressed the mike button and said, “Straight up the stairs, Mother.”

One of the things about the stairway at the loft is that because of its open construction someone can stand in the great room and the visitor, particularly a female visitor, will rise out of the floor allowing the viewer a chance to take in the person from the top of their head to feet. In the case of a beautiful woman you see first their hair, then their eyes, their full face, their shoulders, breast, waist, and finally their legs and feet. It can be a very erotic experience for the watcher, without being totally obvious to the visitor, until they themselves see someone else ascend the stairway.

Miranda, Darla’s mother had the same straight black hair as her daughter. Her eyes also were reflections of Darla’s, although in truth it was probably the opposite. She had few wrinkles to highlight her age, not quite double my twenty-eight year old wife. When her shoulders came into view I could see that she now had her hair cut so that it just hung a little below them. Her breasts, like Darla’s, were magnificent globes the size of small cantaloupes. Her waist was trim, evidence of a regular workout regiment. She was wearing a dress and the hem was just above her knees, revealing the rest of her well formed legs. I doubt she had driven all day in the three inch heels she was now wearing. They made her slightly taller than Darla.

“Mother,” Darla said rushing to the woman and hugging her.

Miranda hugged her back and then held her away examining her from head to waist at least before saying, “I’m surprised you look so good. I would not have thought small town life would agree with you.”

“I’m quite happy here,” Darla said, perhaps a little sharply.

At this moment Miranda released her daughter and deigned to notice me.

“Danny. I see you’ve not changed much.”

“You’re looking very nice too, Miranda.”

The woman smiled, but their was no joy in it. She then looked over at Emily, but said nothing.

“Mother, this is Emily. She lives with us.”

“Please to meet you Mrs. Sparks,” Emily said, showing better behavior than I should have expected.

“Oh call me Miranda, please dear. Aren’t you lovely?” At that point she dismissed Emily from her mind and turned back to Darla. “Is there somewhere I can freshen up. The drive out here was grueling?”

“Yes. Let me show you to your room.”

“She’s a bit of a bitch,” Emily said to me as soon as Darla and her mother disappeared down the hall.

“Yes she is,” I agreed.

“I’m going down to the workshop,” she said kissing me on the cheek.

Just as she disappeared down the stairs the two women came back.

“Danny would you be a dear and get my things?” Miranda said. “The car is unlocked.”

I found the car parked in front of the bakery. It was obviously hers due to the out of state plates. She had three large suitcases, which I guessed indicated that she intended to stay a while. I carried two of them up to the second guest room. When I arrive with the third Miranda was unpacking one of the first two. She wordlessly indicated I should set the last one down and proceeded to ignore me.

I went back to the great room and saw Darla had poured herself a drink.
“A little early in the day,” I said.

“I actually started too late.”

“Excellent,” I heard Miranda’s voice say. “Can you pour me one of those too?”

When she had her glass the woman turned to me.

“Danny I had heard that you had moved to some Podunk town in Virginia. When I talked to Darla she told me it was true. I was quite surprised to find she followed you.”

“She is my wife, Miranda.”

“I heard there was some problem between you. I guess I was mistaken.”

Darla downed her glass. “Diplomatic as always Mother.” She slammed down her glass and walked out.

Miranda sipped at her glass. “She always was one for melodrama. So St. Daniel, have you finally decided to doff that halo?” She shimmied her torso so that her breasts shook.

I gave her a scornful look and followed Darla.

“She is insufferable,” I said entering the bedroom. Darla was next to the bed playing with her phone.

“Yes she can be,” Darla said. “I need to tell her to behave.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“I don’t know, but it’s that or tell her to leave.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that,” I said.

“I guess I need to go face her,” Darla said. She set her phone down on the bedside table and hugged me. Her lips mashed on mine and she exited the bedroom closing the door behind herself.

“Now maybe we can have a word,” I heard from the phone. Darla had left it on and the house camera app was opened. She obviously set it up before leaving the room.

I looked at the screen. Miranda was standing behind the island in the kitchen. I saw Darla enter there from the great room.

“So St. Daniel left the city and months later you follow him. What happened?”

“Danny caught me at one of my assignations. I got sloppy and took a lover in our bed.”