Chapter 89

Marge, Anne, Marc and Don followed the real estate agent into the garage of the mansion Jerry had convinced them to look at. The garage was wide enough for four vehicles and deeper than most garages. At the back of the garage were two doors; one on the left side and another located in the back wall. The agent, Cynthia Morgan, opened the door at the back and led the group up a stairway. Jerry, Bob, Sam and their wives followed them up the steps.

"This is the apartment for the help," Cynthia said. "It has two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen with a breakfast nook and a living room. The nook overlooks the backyard and has a view of the canal.

"There is an entrance on the side as well as the one through the garage. We had the apartment cleaned up and painted before we started to show the property."

"How many people have looked at it?" Marge asked.

Cynthia opened one of the closets in a bedroom so they could see the size and replied, "You folks are the first. Jerry's office called and told us to hold off on the listing. As you can see, the walk-in closets are very large and well laid out."

The group spent a few minutes looking around the apartment and then Cynthia asked if there were any questions. When no one spoke up, she led the group downstairs and back into the garage. Cynthia opened the door to the main house and held it for the group. Once inside, they walked past the first floor laundry, a room with a commercial freezer and a walk-in refrigerator and pantry shelves. From there, they went into the large kitchen.

"As you can see, this house was designed for entertaining. The stove has eight burners and two ovens. The built in refrigerator-freezer is only a year old. The sink has a disposal and there are two dishwashers, one in the counter and another in the island work area.

"The breakfast nook will accommodate a table that will seat twelve. Through here we have the formal dinning room." Cynthia opened the double doors and walked ahead of the group.

Like the breakfast nook, the dining room had a view of the backyard and the canal. There was a large rectangular chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The group followed the agent into the huge great room. With the exception of the French doors leading to the patio, the wall facing the back of the house was windows.

Looking up, Cynthia pointed to the balcony overlooking the room. "The bedrooms are on the second floor. There are two masters, one on each end and five guest rooms between them. All the rooms have private baths, but the baths in the master bedrooms are something to see."

"I thought you said this house had six bedrooms, Jerry," Anne said.

Jerry shrugged his shoulders. "I was wrong."

The group left the living room and went into a large game room, complete with a wet bar. Like the mansion they were staying at, this house was U shaped with the game room forming one of the legs. A set of double doors led out to the patio. Cynthia told the group there was more than enough room for a pool table as well as couches and chairs. On one wall was a screen and the agent told the group it was for the mini theater.

The rest of the main floor contained two half baths, an office and another room that could be used as a library.

Cynthia led the group upstairs and into one of the master bedrooms. "The two master bedrooms are exact copies. The owners were partners and they had the rooms designed to prevent arguments."

"This is a nice room," Marge said. "You could really divide it into two bedrooms."

The agent led them into the large bath and showed them the whirlpool tub. The tub looked like it would hold six people and was in an alcove with bay windows overlooking the yard. Anne and Marge looked at the tub and then at one another. As Marge ran her hand over the marble enclosure, the two women smiled at each other.

Marge picked up a spray head attached to a flexible metal hose. "This is a good idea, you don't have to walk to the shower to rinse off."

A door led into a dressing room and past that there was the rest of the bathroom. A large glass enclosed shower was separated from the toilet and bidet. Opposite the shower was a long counter with three sinks and a number of drawers below it. Like the tub area, the bathroom was all done in white marble.

After leaving the master bedroom, Cynthia showed them the guest rooms. Each of the rooms was the same size with a bathroom. In the bathroom, there was a shower and whirlpool bathtub. While the whirlpool tubs weren't as big as the ones in the masters, they would easily accommodate two adults. The bedrooms had walk in closets and built in dressers.

They went through the other master bedroom and then back downstairs. Cynthia led them out into the backyard and showed them the patio, the pool and the cabana. They walked to the canal and along the new concrete seawall. Don noted the large pilings and the pedestal for electric and water.

Cynthia led them to the guesthouse and showed them around. There was one master bedroom, three smaller bedrooms and three baths, including the one in the master bedroom. In the kitchen, the agent pointed out the new appliances and other amenities. The balance of the house was a living room, a dining room and a den.

"Damn, this place is almost as nice as our house, Sam," Joanne said.

Don laughed and said, "What's the matter, Sam; don't Marc and I pay you enough?"

"You guys pay me plenty, Don. I'm just saving my money for now." Sam put his arm around Joanne's waist. "Someday my sweetie and I will have something nicer."

"Well, do it while you're young and can enjoy it," Marge said.

"We're only in our twenties," Joanne said. "Sam is twenty nine and I'm twenty seven."

"All the same, don't wait too long," Marge said. "Do you two plan on having children?"

"We've been trying for a few months, but no luck yet," Joanne said.

"Maybe you two aren't trying hard enough," Liz said.

Joanne smiled at Liz and said softly, "Maybe you're right, Liz." She leaned against Sam. "I think we'll have to do something about that."

Sam cleared his throat, drawing laughter from the rest of the group. They went outside and back to the patio. Cynthia made herself scarce so the group could talk.

"Well, Marge, what do you and Anne think about the place?" Marc asked his sister and wife.

"It's very nice, Marc. Big, but nice," Anne replied. "How about you, Marge, what do you think?"

"It's like this, Anne. It's December thirty first and I'm sitting outside in a dress. If we were back home, we'd be freezing or inside. I think I could get used to spending my winters here," Marge replied.

"If you girls want it, we'll buy the place," Don said. "Like Sam and Jerry say, we can always use the write off. If the kids decide to get the yacht, it would be a good place to keep it."

Marc chuckled and said, "Do you think they are going to say no, Don?"

"No, I don't. In fact, if I was to have to guess, they are already making plans for the yacht. Marc and I talked to Jeri and she agreed to be the captain if the kids ask her to," Don said.

"Should we make an offer?" Jerry asked.

Don, Marc, Marge and Anne moved away from the rest of the group and talked among them selves for a few minutes. Once they all agreed, they went back to the others.

"Make the offer, Jerry," Don said. "If we can work it out, we'll soon be the proud owners of Florida property."

Jerry went to find Cynthia and brought her back to the patio. He pulled out a chair and invited her to sit down with Don, Marc, Marge and Anne. Jerry pulled another chair to the table and joined the group.

"Okay, Cynthia, what's the best you think we can do on this place?" Jerry asked.

"The owner would like two million, Jerry," Cynthia said.

"My clients will pay one point two, but only if we can strike a deal today. We're leaving for Michigan in a couple days and they want things taken care of before they leave," Jerry said.

"Give me a moment, Jerry." Cynthia took her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and dialed a number. She got up and walked away while she talked to someone. After five minutes, she covered the phone and came back to the table. "One point six million."

"One million, four hundred thousand is as far as we'll go. If the owner accepts the deal, he'll have the money in less than thirty days," Jerry said. "By the way, all of the appliances and the theater stay."

Cynthia walked away again and put the phone to her ear.

"I know the owner has to pay the IRS in thirty days or face very stiff penalties," Jerry said. "I also know he can use the one point four million."

When she came back to the table, Cynthia nodded and sat down. She opened her portfolio and took out a purchase agreement. Placing the multi copy form on the table, she began asking questions and filling out the form. Jerry provided all the information necessary. Once she was finished, she showed the form to Jerry and he began to read it.

"Everything looks good so far," Jerry said. He took Cynthia's pen and filled in the line that asked for the amount of the down payment and handed the form back to her.

"When will I get the check, Jerry?" Cynthia asked.

"Right now. Marge, do you have your checkbook?" Jerry said.

"Yes, how much do you need?" Marge replied as she took her checkbook out of her purse.

"One hundred fifty thousand," Jerry said and then he told her who to make it out to.

Jerry handed the check to Cynthia and then Don and Marc signed the form. While they were signing the paperwork, Marge turned to Anne.

"You owe me seventy thousand, Anne," Marge said and then laughed.

"I'm sorry, I don't have that kind of money with me, will you consider taking it out in trade? You can have Marc," Anne said.

"Okay, let's see, at five bucks a throw, it will take about..." Marge began to say, but Anne cut her off.

"Five bucks, that's almost twice what he's worth," Anne said with a grin.

"I know, but I'm in a good mood today," Marge said.

The women began to laugh. Liz and Dianne joined their laughter while Joanne stared in awe.

"You guys aren't being serious, are you?" Joanne asked.

"Of course not, Joanne," Marge said. "Marc is worth at least ten bucks a fuck."

The level of laughter rose until Don finally told the women to move to another table so he and Marc could finish their business. The four women got up and walked away, still laughing and joking.

Joanne pulled Liz aside and asked if they were kidding about what they were saying and Liz just laughed.

"Yes, Joanne, they're kidding. I know for a fact Marc is worth much more than ten dollars a fuck." Liz grinned at Joanne. "A lot more!"

Joanne shook her head. "I just can't believe you're talking like this, Liz."

Liz shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sorry if I'm upsetting you, Jo. I've changed and that's that. Like I told you before, I don't really care what anyone thinks, not anymore. I do what I want to and the rest be dammed."

Joanne though for a moment and then asked, "What's it like, Liz? How does it feel to do it with another man?"

Dianne came over to where Joanne and Liz were talking. She stood near Liz, waiting to hear what the two women were talking about. Joanne looked at Liz, wondering if she would answer her question or change the subject.

"It's fun and exciting, Jo. When we fool around, it's always for fun. Nobody is trying to take anyone away from anyone else. We suck and fuck and then go to bed with our spouses. No jealousy, no hard feelings, no baggage. We all know where we stand and we all get along."

Joanne blushed and Dianne nodded. Dianne realized that the women were talking about sex and joined the conversation.

Dianne reached out and put her hand on Joanne's arm. "Haven't you ever thought about being with another man or a woman? Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?"

Joanne shook her head, but she wasn't being truthful. She had thought about it, she had thought about another woman and what it would be like. While she had nothing to compare it to until the night before, Joanne secretly thought about the feeling of a mouth between her legs. When she allowed Sam to go down on her, she began to wonder why she had been so opposed to it in the past.

Looking around to be sure no one could hear her, Joanne confessed to Liz and Dianne. "To be honest, I have thought about another woman." Joanne chuckled. "It's funny, I had no idea what I would do or what another woman would do to me, but I have fantasized about it."

Liz smiled and squeezed Joanne's arm. "If you ever decide to make your fantasy come true, call me."

"Oh no, I could never..."

"Joanne, you have no idea what you're capable of until you try. Try to think about this, what have you got to lose? If you try something and don't like it, don't do it anymore." Liz smiled.

"You have to just let go and have fun, Joanne." Dianne moved her hand to Joanne's firm breast and squeezed it. She rubbed the shocked woman's nipple through the material of her top and bra before removing her hand. "You'll never know unless you give it a try. Personally, I love the feeling of another woman touching me-and me touching her. There is just something about it, the tenderness and the softness. I love a good stiff prick, but a woman's touch or mouth really get me going."

Joanne froze when she felt Dianne's hand on her breast. She didn't expect it, or the way she felt. Joanne was surprised that she wasn't repulsed by the other woman's touch. Twenty-four hours ago, Joanne was looking forward to getting some sun and relaxing with her husband. Now, she found herself surrounded by people that displayed a sexual attitude she'd only read about in paperback novels. She had always wondered if the stories she read were based on fact, or only the decadent thoughts of the author. As her education continued, she realized that the steamy scenes might really happen with real people, people she knew.

"Are you okay, Jo?" Liz asked. "You're as white as a ghost!"

"I don't know; I wasn't expecting that. Are you always so bold, Dianne?" Joanne asked.

Dianne laughed and shook her head. "No, I'm not. I just couldn't resist though. Joanne, you have lovely breasts, at least they feel lovely."

Liz chuckled and grinned. "You are so bad, Dianne. You just can't keep your hands off other people, can you?"

"Some I can, but others-well you know how it is." Dianne accented her statement by running her hand over Liz's breast. "We'd better get going, I think Don and Marc are finished with their business."

Dianne, Liz and Joanne caught up with the other women and stood near them. After listening for a moment, they realized they were talking about shopping and joined the conversation.

"We're going to have the guys stop in town and go shopping," Marge said. "I understand they have some very nice shops on the strip."

"Sounds good to me. I need something to wear tonight," Joanne said. "I didn't realize we were going to a club and didn't bring a thing."

The women continued to talk until Don called for them. Marge came over to Don and asked if everything was set.

"Yes, in a few weeks, we'll close on this place and it will be ours; you, me, Marc and Anne. I hope you and Anne will take care of the decorating," Don said.

"You bet we will, Honey. I already have some ideas. What would you think of doing some kind of retro thing?" Marge said.

"I don't really care as long as we have a good bed to sleep in," Don said.

Marge laughed and said, "Sleep? Are you sure that's all you want a good bed for?"

"Well, maybe we could use it for something else too," Don said as he put his arm around Marge's waist and pulled her to him. They kissed and then Don chuckled. "Would you have ever imagined owning a home like this in Florida?"

"No, not in my wildest dreams. It's almost like a fairytale, a fairytale that is going to end. Less than a year ago we were wondering how to make ends meet and today, we're buying million dollar homes and yachts."

"Yes, and loving it," Anne said. "Not only that, but we're helping others. We've given Bob and Dianne an opportunity to succeed with a new business. We're going to have the kids working in the charter business and learning about how things are in the real world, at least to some degree. I don't feel the least bit guilty about what we're doing."

The group walked through the house to the van and got in. Joanne and Sam sat in the seat in the rear of the van, along with Liz. Joanne was aware of Liz's leg pressing against hers and her husbands on the other side. As Don pulled away from the mansion, Joanne leaned her head back and let her thoughts wander.

It wasn't until Don parked the van on the street and Sam nudged her that Joanne cleared her head and realized they were stopped. The group got out of the van and began walking down Worth Street, looking into the windows of the exclusive shops. When the women found a woman's store, they went in, leaving the men on the sidewalk out front.

Don, Marc and the other men found a coffee shop and sat at one of the sidewalk tables. They ordered sodas and began to talk about the home Don and Marc had just agreed to buy.

"You two are going to have to invite us down during the winter," Jerry said. "You certainly have enough room."

"You guys are always welcome to use the house," Marc said. "It would be a shame to let it go unused. I don't know if we'll spend our winters down here, but we probably will."

"Thanks, Marc," Sam said. "I think Jo would enjoy coming here."

"Is everything okay between you and Joanne, Sam?" Jerry asked. "I hope we're not upsetting her or making her uncomfortable."

"Jo will be fine. Thanks for your concern. The way you folks act has shocked her a bit," Sam said and then he smiled. "Jo and I had the best sex we've ever had last night. I don't know what's changing, but I'm not about to do anything to stop it."

"I think our wives have been talking to her, Sam. I know Dianne can be very forward and a bit brash. Joanne will either learn to accept it, or she'll never let you hang around with us again," Bob said. "The lifestyle we enjoy isn't for everyone."

"Jo thinks you guys are swingers, you know, swapping and all," Sam said quietly. "I told her she was probable imagining it."

Don chuckled. "She isn't imagining anything, Sam."

"Really? I suspected you might, but I wasn't sure. I guess I didn't want to believe it," Sam said.

Marc leaned forward and said, "Look, Sam. What we do is between us. We're all consenting adults and comfortable with our activities. We don't try to recruit anyone or push our ideals on other people. If the truth were known, it's our wives that are the biggest instigators. The women are the ones that get us all worked up."

"That's something I'll never have to worry about," Sam replied with a chuckle.

"Have you ever made love when someone else was there?" Jerry asked.

Sam laughed and shook his head. "Are you kidding? Last night was the first time I can remember making love with the lights on."

"What do you do during the day?" Don asked. "Close the drapes?"

"We don't do anything, Don. The only time Jo and I did anything during the day was on our honeymoon-and we were drunk when we did," Sam said and then took a deep breath. "Last night was the first time Jo allowed me to go down on her."

Jerry laughed. "I'll bet it won't be the last, Sam. It seems once they do, they can't get enough. At least that was the way it was with Liz."

The women came out of the shop and walked down the street. Each of them had a bag in hand and they were all laughing. When they got to the sidewalk café, they stopped and talked to their husbands before heading to a lingerie shop one of the saleswomen told then about.

"Wait until you see the dress your wife bought, Sam. You are going to be very pleased with her," Liz said.

"Really? Can I see it?" Sam replied.

"No, not until tonight, Sam. We're going to go to another store, we'll be back in a little while," Liz said as she and the other women walked away.

The men talked about golf and the house for an hour. When their wives returned, they got up and the group went to the van. They drove to the boatyard and the women talked about their shopping trip.

"I'm going to love coming here," Marge said. "They have some of the nicest shops I've ever shopped in. I can't believe the selection in that little lingerie shop. I could go broke in there."

Sam glanced at his wife and asked, "Did we go broke?"

"I don't think so, Sam. Not unless a few hundred dollars will put us in the poor house," Joanne replied.

"No, I don't think so. What did you buy?" Sam said.

Joanne gripped her bags and shook her head. "I'm not telling you. You'll just have to wait until I'm wearing it."

Marc pulled into the boatyard and parked the truck near the shed that the yacht was in. The group got out of the van and made their way to the building. Don opened the door and held it for the rest of them. When they were in the shed, Marge and Anne both gasped.

"This is the yacht the kids want to buy?" Anne said. "It's so big!"

Don chuckled and nodded. "Yup, this is it. Come on, let's go aboard and see how the sea trials went."

Don led the group up the ramp and onto the yacht. They went into the salon and found their children sitting on the settees.

"Hi, Dad, hi everybody," Kim said as she jumped up. "Welcome aboard."

Marge, Anne and the rest of the adults stood and gazed around the salon. Kim went over to her mom and took her hand.

"Come with me, I'll give you guys a tour of the yacht," Kim said.

Don told her to hold on a moment and turned to Jack and Tom. "Well, how did the trials go, boys?"

Sally giggled and said, "We're trying to think of a name for the yacht."

"I guess that answers that," Don said.

The teens laughed and nodded. Kim told Sally to come with her as she showed their moms and the rest of the adults the yacht. Once the group was on their way to the galley, Don and Marc called their sons to come outside with them.

Once they were near the bow, Don turned around and said, "Are you boys sure about this?"

"Yes, Dad, we're sure. We've all talked about it and we're ready to take on the responsibilities of owning and operating the yacht. We want to offer Jeri the captain's job, if that's okay with you two," Jack replied.

"It's your company, Jack. You, your sister, Tom and Sally are the ones that have to make those decisions. If you're asking for my advice, I think you're making a wise choice." Don glanced at Marc. "By the way, we bought a house in West Palm Beach today. It has a seawall that is big enough to dock the yacht."

"Wow, we're going to live in Florida?" Tom said.

"No, we're keeping the houses in Michigan too. At least one of them," Marc said. "We're talking about selling our house and moving in with Uncle Don and Aunt Marge for the summers. It seems silly to own so many big homes."

"When can we see the new house, Dad?" Tom asked.

"In a couple days. We'll go over there before we leave for Michigan. The main house has seven bedrooms. There is an apartment over the garage and a four-bedroom guesthouse. It's laid out a lot like the house we're staying in, "Marc said.

"Does it have a pool?" Jack asked.

"Yes, and a cabana," Don replied.

"If the apartment is nice, maybe we should offer it to Jeri and April. It would be nice to have them close to the yacht," Tom said.

"That's a good idea, Tom. It would be better if someone was living at the house too," Don said.

"I think we should put off asking Jeri until we know a bit more about what's happening. There are still quite a few legalities to be dealt with before we own the yacht or the house," Marc said.

"Okay, we'll keep it quiet for now," Jack said. "Can we talk about the idea with our sisters?"

"Of course you can, Jack. The four of you shouldn't keep anything from one another," Marc replied.

The group that was touring the yacht came over to where Jack, Tom and their dads were standing. Marge and Anne began telling their husbands about what they saw and the men laughed. Don reminded the women he and Marc had already seen the yacht.

After a few minutes for chatter, the group decided to head back to the house and have dinner.

The adults climbed into one of the vans and the teens into the other. Tom followed his dad as Marc drove out of the boatyard and onto the highway. Kim, Sally, Megan and Lisa talked about the yacht, discussing how to finish the décor. Tom and Jack sat up front and made plans to come back to Florida to oversee the yacht's completion.

In the other van, Joanne and Liz talked to Marge, Dianne and Anne about the kids and the responsibility of owning a yacht. Joanne wondered if the teens would be able to handle all the work involved.

"Not right now, but they will be," Marge said. "Our children are very level headed and will ask for help before they get into something they can't handle."

"What are the kids going to do tonight while we're out?" Joanne asked.

Marge, Liz, Anne and Dianne all laughed. "I'm sure they will find something to do," Anne replied.

Dianne nodded and said, "My guess is they'll be bopping one another at the stroke of twelve."

Joanne shook her head. "I still find it hard to accept the fact you are so causal about your children and their sex lives."

"What are we going to do? Get a sitter for them?" Dianne said. "They are going to fool around if they want to and there is nothing we can do about it."

Joanne was still miffed by the women's attitude. She smiled and looked out the window as the van moved along the road. Liz asked Jerry about the club they were going to and listened as he tried to tell her, and the others, what he knew.

"From what I understand, the club is one of the trendiest in South Beach. We have a VIP room for the night. A limousine will pick us up at eight and then bring us home when were ready," Jerry said. "One of the partners in our Miami office arranged everything."

"It's been a long time since we've gone out on New Year's Eve," Joanne said, joining the conversation. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"I think it will be fun," Anne said. "In the past, it was always dinner and cards at Marge and Don's or our house. We were never able to afford to go out."

Don pulled into the driveway and parked the van. The group got out and went into the house. The teens pulled in right behind them and also went into the house.

Rosa was setting the table in the dinning room and singing in Spanish. Marge asked about dinner and Rosa told her she was fixing a roast. She asked if there was anything special they wanted and Marge assured Rosa everything would be fine the way she planned it.

While they waited for dinner, Joanne and Sam went to their room. Joanne put her new things on a chair and again refused to show them to her husband. Sitting on the bed, she watched Sam look through the closet for something to wear.

"You should wear the navy blue slacks and your pullover sweater tonight, Sam. I've always liked the way that outfit looked on you," Joanne said.

"Okay, then that's what I'll wear."

"Sam, are you happy with our marriage?" Joanne looked down. "Are you happy with me?"

"Yes, Honey. I love you. What would make you ask something like that?"

Joanne looked up at Sam. "I don't know, I guess I'm just feeling a little insecure, that's all. After listening to Liz and the other women..."

Sam went to the bed and sat down next to his wife. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her to him and stroked her hair with his other hand.

"Jo, stop! I'm happy and that's all there is to it."

Joanne looked up and smiled. Sam dipped his head and kissed her softly on the lips. When Joanne began to respond to his kiss, he pushed his tongue into her mouth. After a few moments, they broke the kiss and looked into one another's eyes.

"Sam, Dianne touched my breast today. We were talking and she just reached out and squeezed me. Did you know they all are swingers? Did you know they have sex with each other? Liz told me the women even do it together."

Sam just nodded.

"How did you know? Why didn't you tell me, Sam?"

"Hold on, Jo. I just learned about it today. The other guys told me while you were shopping."

"How do you feel about it? Is it something you would want to do?"

"No, I don't think so, Jo. It isn't something I've ever considered."

Joanne nodded, feeling relieved her husband didn't want to have sex with another woman. She cuddled against him, feeling his strong arms tighten their grip around her.

"Joanne, about last night. Why?"

"What do you mean, Sam?" Joanne knew what he meant, but she was afraid to ask. She was afraid he would think she was nasty or something.

"Why, after all this time, did you allow me to go down on you? Why didn't you ever let me do it before?"