Chapter 22

Author’s Note: There are some big things – changes, challenges, and fun – coming down the pipeline. But after the intensity of Chapter 21, I wanted to get back to our roots here a bit. John and his girls need some time to reconnect. So here it is. Please enjoy.

As promised, Jess returned to Houston two days later. And that made me feel like we were finally complete. I had missed her. She flew into town like a tornado, a bundle of excitement and energy. The two additional Daydream Pictures shoots had been a smashing success, she said. The first scene would go up on the website the following Friday. They would post one scene for three consecutive Fridays, leading up to the release of the first full-length feature from the studio a month later. It was a tight timeline, but the script and talent were in place.

But the cherry on top of Jess’s return was that she surprised us by bringing Juliet and Melanie with her. Kat and Rita, in particular, were ecstatic to be reunited with our California family.

“We need to have a dinner party!” Kat suggested. “John, we can cook together. We have to celebrate!”

We had all gravitated toward the kitchen after Jess and the California crew arrived. Kat stood close to me, her body warm by my side. I envisioned the river of cum pooling in the crotch of her panties beneath the short tennis skirt she wore. Ten minutes earlier, she had been bent over our bathroom vanity as I finished inside her after a hard, quick fuck. We had needed it badly, and I craved being close to her and Rita. We’d spent too much time apart with me going back and forth to LA recently.

“I’ve got an idea,” I suggested. “Why don’t we just do one of those massive charcuterie and cheese boards? Lay it all out, and we can all graze and catch up at our leisure. Super casual. Nothing formal.”

“I love that idea,” Juliet said.

“Me, too,” Jess agreed. “Super easy. We can focus on visiting.”

“Hopefully more than just visiting,” Rita said with a naughty grin.

We swung into action. I helped Juliet and Melanie get settled into the guest house. I took Jess’s luggage to our bedroom. Kat and Rita went to procure supplies for our meat-and-cheese board dinner. I texted Crystal and Jason and was glad to hear they were free to join us that evening, along with Bianka. I was beginning to feel properly reconnected to the Houston scene again.

“What can I do?” Katie asked tentatively.

She asked that a lot over the previous couple days. After her intervention and detox, we had insisted that she stay in the main house with us. She felt guilty, as if she were mooching off of us, but none of us would hear it.

“Do you want to open some Champagne?” I asked. “Or is that too tempting?”

“Champagne is always tempting,” Katie said and let a genuine, excited smile cross her face. “I don’t think a little bubbly is going to hurt me.”

“Good,” I said and smiled back at her.

Even in only a few days, Katie looked healthier. She was eating well. She had slept a lot. And Kat and Rita roped her into playing tennis with them. I loved seeing her full, natural breasts poking her nipples through the white fabric of her shirt, with the short, almost cheerleader-like skirt creeping up her thighs. She looked happy and healthier. It was a start.

Katie and Rita went to shower, leaving me to work in the kitchen. I made sure we had plenty of good wine queued up for the evening. I took out plates and wine glasses and napkins and dutifully lined up everything I could for our light bites meal. I contemplated making a quiche when I saw leftover slices of ham and some gruyere in the fridge but decided against it. Instead, I opted to pop a bottle of Champagne, turn on some music, and wait for the festivities to begin.

As I scrolled through my phone, trying to decide on a playlist, I heard the frantic, panting cries of Katie as she thudded down the stairs from her room.

“John! John!” she yelled.

I started laughing. She was naked. Gloriously naked. Just the couple pounds she had added in a few days – probably water weight, mostly – helped return Katie to her natural, bombshell state. I drank in her breasts, still the most tempting natural pair I had ever encountered, and saw the genuine, Katie-of-old smile on her face.

“Guess what?” she said.

“What?” I said.

“My lawyer just called,” she said. “They’re going to let me plead down to possession of drug paraphernalia. I’ll pay a fine and that’s it!”

“Oh my god,” I said. “Really?”

“Really!” she said excitedly. “We can take care of it on Monday!”

“Katie,” I said, beaming at her. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you, thank you!” she said. “If it weren’t for your lawyer, I don’t know what I would have done. It could have been such a mess!”

In the heat of the moment, she flung herself against me and pressed her tits against my chest. She hugged me tightly, and I tried to keep my arms wrapped around her back without reaching for her ass. She stepped back momentarily and smiled at me again. Then, as if struck by lightning, she bunched up her feet to stand on her tiptoes and kissed me. We melted together, and the room felt like it was spinning.

“Did you mean it?” Katie said, breaking our embrace. “What you said the other night?”

“We talked about it,” I said. “You know I meant it. I love you. I really, really care about you.”

“I’ve been in love with you for so long, John,” she said. “But I knew nothing could ever come of it.”

“Don’t say that,” I said.

“You have three of the most beautiful women in the world living with you,” she said. “Two of them just had your babies!”

“I don’t think of love as finite,” I said honestly. “It’s not a pie that gets sliced up. It’s a circle that grows bigger.”

“I need to go shower,” Katie said quietly.

She pecked me on the lips quickly and, on a dime, turned around and hustled back upstairs. I watched her ass jiggle as she went. And then I smiled when she reached the landing at the top of the second floor and flashed a smile at me over her shoulder.

It felt magical to have the house filled again with friends. Juliet and Melanie came up from the guest house refreshed, tanned, and relaxed. It was striking how honeyed their skin looked compared to our Houston compatriots. On the flip side, there was a warmth that washed over me when I saw Crystal and Jason arrive, with Bianka in tow. Crystal nearly sprinted right up to me and pressed her chest into mine. I had gotten over the displays of affection my best friend’s girl showed me.

“You need to stop staying away so long,” Crystal said and kissed me semi-chastely.

“What’s up, brother?” I said to Jason, breaking free of Crystal to give him a hug.

“Welcome home, man,” he said. “Let’s give you a proper celebration tonight!”

“Or maybe an improper one,” Bianka said, stepping forward and lithely sliding her body against mine.

She had grown in confidence in the last several months. She wore a floor-length skirt with vertical blue-and-white stripes, which seemed modest until you realized the material was translucent. Her white, spaghetti-strap top pushed up her tits into an inviting cleavage and stopped above her stomach. She loved to show off her smooth, firm midriff.

“It’s so good to see you, Bianka,” I said, sliding my arms around her. “Now I’m curious what you have in mind.”

“Oh, I just want to show off a few new tricks I’ve learned,” she said breezily before moving on to greet the girls.

The Champagne started flowing, and I was tickled to see how easily everyone slipped into being together again. This felt natural and good, and I wrapped myself in the warmth of being at home with close friends. Amid the buzz of conversation and laughter around the kitchen bar, we finally heard the clack of a high heel against the wooden staircase. Everyone turned around, seemingly at once.

Katie stopped as she noticed all the eyes on her. Her lightly curled blonde hair flowed down her shoulders, creating a contrast with the sweater-like black top she wore, which was secured only by the top two buttons. It created an inverted V shape, the fabric retaining just enough power to press her breasts to the side and keep them covered. Her stomach, flat and cream-colored because her recent lack of sun had allowed her normal light tan to fade, was in full view. A black-and-white checkered mini-skirt gave tantalizing glimpses of the shadowed area between her thighs. And she capped the ensemble off with knee-high black boots. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her, especially when I realized that she sported a high-beam smile, just like the Katie of old.

“Holy shit, you look good enough to eat!” Rita cried out.

And that set off a cascade of hoots, whistles, and catcalls for her as she finished her trip downstairs, the limp from her still-recovering ankle less noticeable but present. Jason and I greeted her at the final step, offering our hands to help her reach the floor.

“I’m so disappointed,” Katie said, her voice dripping with sexuality that had been missing. “I wasn’t hoping to find gentlemen at this party.”

We laughed, and the girls veritably rushed to greet Katie and shower her in hugs. There was a mixture of happiness and embarrassment on her face, and more than once I overheard her apologize. But Kat wiped away the need for apologies with a single statement.

“Sweetie, every single one of us has done stupid things that have hurt people,” she told her after they had embraced. “We’ve done stupid things. But the true test of who you really are is how you respond after you realize what you’ve done. And you’ve shown us just what a beautiful person you are.”

Kat’s kind words forced Katie to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes. And as soon as she had, she found Jess standing in front of her, and the embarrassed look on her face returned as she blushed beet red.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Jess said and hugged her tightly. “You’re so important to me, Katie. It’s not an Infinity thing. It’s a life thing. You’re like a sister.”

And then Jess brushed a tear aside just as Katie seemed to be teetering on the brink of sobs.

“Do you want some Champagne?” I interjected.

“God, yes! I’d love some,” Katie said with relief.

Jess joined us for a refill, and now the party moved along seamlessly. A rising buzz took over the house. There was so much laughter and good feeling in the air, I couldn’t help but keep a smile on my face. We had missed this level of camaraderie. LA was great, but we didn’t have the same kind of social network there. Most of the parties revolved around work, it seemed. It was nice to be among real friends, not having to worry about keeping up appearances or making any pretense at all. There was a natural easiness about it.

“This is the best night I can remember in a long time,” Kat said to me with adoring eyes as I refilled her glass. “I meant it when I said you need to stop leaving me. I miss you so much it aches.”

“I love you, Kitty Kat,” I said and kissed her softly.

“Daddy, you’re everything to me,” she said. “Tonight feels so good.”

“As good as this morning?” I said, referring to our earlier sex.

“Almost,” she said and then bit her lower lip. “But, daddy, you only make me want more. I need your dick again. My pussy has been soaked all day.”

I was about to respond when Crystal tapped Kat on the shoulder, flashing a naughty smile.

“Hey, do you wanna come,” she said and simulated the motion of putting a spoon under her nose and snorting.

“Hell yes, babe,” Kat said. “Be right back, daddy.”

I smiled and took a swig of Champagne. The bubbly hit my tongue, cold and refreshing. I saw Katie standing next to Juliet and Melanie. They were engrossed in conversation, and then Juliet gave Katie a lingering hug. Katie looked up and caught my eye, so I walked over to her.

“I was just telling Katie how much I admire what a strong person she is,” Juliet said. “I mean, I don’t want you to think we’re gossips. But I knew what was going on because of John and Jess, obviously, and we all really care about you. It makes me so happy to see that you’re doing well.”

“That’s so sweet of you to say,” Katie said.

“It’s hard to find a more down-to-earth and genuine person than Juilet,” Melanie said.

Seeing the way Melanie looked at her, it’s the moment when I realized that they were truly in love. I didn’t process it fully until later, but there was no question that their relationship had blossomed into something truly special.

“John, do you mind pouring us a refill?” Juliet asked. “I have such a hard time with those big bottles.”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll be right there.”

Juliet and Melanie sauntered over to the bar, but I stayed behind briefly.

“How are you doing?” I asked Katie.

“So good,” she said, fingering the stem on her glass. “I’m sort of overcome by happiness and grief at the same time. I feel ashamed.”

“You’re among friends,” I said. “You don’t have to be ashamed at all.”

“I mean, everyone is so nice, they’re not even doing coke out in the open,” Katie said.

“So I noticed,” I said.

“Like, isn’t that the sweetest thing?” she continued. “They don’t have to do that. I’ve never had a problem with coke, and it doesn’t bother me at all. But it’s just the gesture is so kind.”

“That’s how it is when you’re around people who care about you,” I said.

“The only thing that scares me,” Katie said, briefly pausing to drain the last of her Champagne, “is how close I came to throwing it all away.”

“Come on, let me get you a refill,” I said. “We’re here to lift each other up. It takes a village.”

“Of whores,” Katie said playfully with a vivacious laugh.

I laughed with her and put my hand on the small of her back as we walked to meet Juliet and Melanie at the bar.

The party carried on in the best of spirits until after 10 p.m. Then Katie excused herself to go to bed. She had been a trooper, but she needed plenty of rest to get her stamina back. Rita and I helped her upstairs. Before she closed her door, she kissed me. I felt Rita looking on and didn’t let it last too long. We told her goodnight, and walked back to the stairs. Rita slipped her hand in mind, signaling me to stop before going down.

“Is our circle getting bigger, John?” she asked.

I looked at her, searching her face for a sign of approval or disapproval. She smiled wryly, and her eyes sparkled. She had laid off the coke that night, too.

“Maybe,” I said and raised my eyebrows.

“We should talk about it,” she said and then took a step down. Then she whipped her head around to add, “But I don’t think you’ll find much pushback from us.”

I couldn’t help the smile that cracked on my face as I rejoined the party. With Katie in bed, it wound down into a more low-key affair, not that it had been too wild. Crystal sat on Jason’s lap, while Juliet and Melanie were so close together it was difficult to tell where one began and the other ended. Sinatra played low and rhythmic in the background. This had a very adult, dinner party feel to it. We could have played board games. Were we growing up?

Not entirely. Crystal began to make more urgent murmurs to Jason, kissing him and rubbing herself on him before finally declaring herself so desperately horny that he had to take her home and fuck her brains out.

“One more drink,” Jason suggested.

Crystal made a pouty face before dazzling us with her dimple-filled smile.

“It’ll make you want it more,” he added.

“Okay,” she said, her voice a mixture of tipsy and wired.

“Well, let me be a good influence and top you up then,” I said.

I pulled two bottles of Champagne from an ice bucket on the bar and refilled everyone’s glasses. I set one empty on the bar and the half-full second bottle in the bucket again. When I turned around, I was startled to see Bianka standing behind me, an impish grin on her face.