Chapter 20

"Knowing you, Mom, I predict you have a plan to get Joe and Nora together?" Darla said. "Tell us about it."

"No plan," Carol said. "Being the manipulative bitch I am, I did have a plan, or rather the bare bones of a plan, but..." Carol shrugged. "What can I say? I love him. I won't be a party to any plot to get Joe and Nora together."

Darla looked surprised. "Are you saying because you love him you don't want him to have sex with anyone but you?"

"Not at all. Joe and Darla love each other, and from all indications they want each other. If they tossed the incest-taboo baby out with the bath water, I wouldn't be upset at all. I'm saying manipulating Joe on this issue doesn't feel right to me."

Lost in thought, Darla gazed off into the distance. Finally she turned to her mother and smiled. "Yep, you love him. What happens if he reacts like Steve?"

"Then he isn't the man for me. It's my guess he won't react like Steve. He loves me, too. I could be wrong, but I think he'll say the past is the past. He might expect me to change my ways, though." She fixed her eyes on David's and then moved them to her daughter. "I've already told David. Now I'm telling you, Darla. If Joe wants me to be monogamous, I will."

She'll do it, too, Darla thought. She won't be like me. "Fair enough," Darla said. "What about Nora, David?"

He blushed. "If I look guilty, it's because that's how I feel. I planned to suggest an elaborate plan that would ensure Joe and Nora join our incestuous clan, but Mother's right. Manipulating them would be wrong."

"How will Nora react?" Darla asked.

"She suspects everything, Darla. A while back Nora told her father she'd cut and run if I was still having sex with either of you."

"Then she won't be completely surprised when you tell all," Darla commented.

"No, but unlike Mother with Joe, I can't predict Nora's reaction. I do know she won't be vindictive. If she runs like a rabbit, she certainly won't run to Steve and offer her services as a witness to take little George from you."

"What if Steve goes to her and asks for her help?" Darla asked.

"She'll support her father regardless," Carol stated. "She knows how strongly Joe feels about Arabian Downs, and with Steve out of the picture, you'll be his only partner."

"All right," Darla said. "I'm convinced. When do you plan to expose your dirty, little secrets?"

"They're neither dirty nor little," David said. He pushed his chair back, rose to his feet and started to pace. "I feel responsible for your troubles, Darla, and if Joe rejects you outright, I'll be responsible for your unhappiness, too, Mom."

"That's silly, son. I..."

"Let me finish," David said. "Without my freaky ability, I'm convinced our family would be normal. My flights of consciousness changed the dynamics, changed how we interacted with each other as family members, and our incestuous relationship resulted. This relationship destroyed your marriage, Darla, and could very well destroy your future happiness, Mom. If it were possible, I'd tell you to keep your mouth shut about our past, help you change your ways and mine, and tell you to take the trip down the aisle with Joe, but living a lie doesn't work. Steve and Darla's failed marriage proved that point."

He returned to his seat, took a deep breath and continued, "I've been selfish, even manipulative. I broke my promise to you, Darla, and shattered your marriage in the process. Mom, after you fell in love with Joe, even after you suggested we should change our ways, instead of understanding and cooperating, I dragged you into bed with me again."

Tears stung his eyes. "Never again. If your confession turns out badly, Mom, I'm backing away." He turned to his sister. "From you, too, sis. You're young, rich and beautiful. The love of your life is out there waiting for you. Both of you deserve a life of your own without me and my freaky flights fucking everything up."

The silence around the table became heavy.

Darla spoke first. "Horseshit."

"Well said, Darla," Carol added. "I walked into our incestuous relationship with my eyes and legs wide open. I was the adult when all this started. If anyone's responsible, I'm the culprit."

"Horseshit again," Darla said. "Get off your high horse, Mom. You, too, David. I'm the only person responsible for my shattered marriage. Steve was right. I deceived him. I was afraid if he knew the real me, he wouldn't love me, which turned out to be accurate. Regardless, I should have told him everything before I let him marry me, like the two of you plan to do with Nora and Joe. I agree with you about one thing, David. Someday, I'll meet the love of my life, and he'll love the real me, warts and all, including my incestuous past and future. And yes, I'll have an incestuous future with both of you. It's my nature. I know myself better now than I did when I married Steve."

"You won't have an incestuous future with me," Carol stated, "not if Joe demands monogamy."

Darla nodded. "That's up to you, Mom, and of course, I'll respect any decision you make, but the next man I marry will know I won't hesitate if you ever change your mind. I feel the same way about you, David." She sighed. "I've learned a tough lesson the hard way. I'll ask again. When will you two show Nora and Joe your incestuous warts?"

"Sometime this weekend while we're all together," Carol said.

David nodded agreement.

"Hello, cowboy," Carol said on the telephone.

"Howdy. How's Darla doing?"

"She's hurting but starting to realize Steve doesn't deserve her."

Joe swallowed a nervous laugh.

"She's also decided to complete the purchase of Arabian Downs. Steve promised to relinquish any of his rights to the farm, so the trip to Texarkana is still on. Can you and Nora drive here after she gets home from work? We'll all drive to the Scottsdale Airpark together."

"No problem. I'll call Nora now and let her know the trip is still on. Tell Darla, she's correct. If Steve can't handle David's ghost, he doesn't deserve her." It surprised Joe when he suddenly realized he felt much closer to Darla than Steve. His relationship with Steve was okay, sort of a boss/employee association. With Darla, he felt a real kinship, more like the partner she and Steve said he was. He also wondered if Steve had ever truly loved his wife. To Joe, Steve acted like Darla was a more a possession than a partner in life. After chatting with Carol for a few minutes, he hung up and dialed Nora's cell phone number.

"David?" Nora whispered when she answered the call.

"Sorry," Joe said with a chuckle. "It's me."

"Pops! You rarely call me on my cell phone."

"I wanted to make certain I caught you. The trip is on. Darla is buying Arabian Downs without Steve. They're separated. Steve wants a divorce."

"Really?"

"Yep. Great news, huh? I mean... dammit that sounded terrible. I meant great news about Arabian Downs, not Darla and Steve's separation."

"The greatest, Pops. I'm really happy for you. This changes the dynamics for the trip, though. Without Steve along, we'll need to alter my plan."

"Uh-uh. No plan. I'm in no mood to be Machiavellian. We'll just ask them outright."

"What if we're wrong?"

"Then we're wrong. It's time for all of us to stop playing games and show our cards."

"You'll be betting the pot. Arabian Downs is your dream, Pops."

"It's in third place to Carol and you. No more games, Nora."

"Okay. Father knows best."

After stroking fifty laps, David pulled himself up out of the swimming pool and used a large towel to dry off. He glanced toward his mother who was in the shallow end of the pool playing with Gorgy-Porgy. The baby loved the water and was splashing with his hands and kicking his little legs a mile a minute. His grandmother was grinning ear to ear, having the time of her life. Darla was lying on a lounge chair and looked like she was woolgathering, staring off into the distance. Everyone was naked. David had initiated full security measures for the compound, including the mountainside behind his property, the only vantage point overlooking the pool area.

"A penny for your thoughts," David said as he settled on a lounge chair next to his sister.

"Just wondering," she said with a lazy smile.

"Wondering what?" David asked.

"Mom plans to tell Joe she loves us more than she's supposed to. Joe will either say shame on you and cut and run, or he'll say, okay, I understand, but you gotta stop having sex with anybody but me, at which point Mom cuts us off. Correct, Mom?"

"Correct. This boy is a water baby like you were at his age, David."

"I assume a similar scenario will play out between you and Nora, David. Correct?" Darla asked, ignoring her mother's comment.

"Similar but not identical," he said.

"Assuming both Joe and Nora choose the latter course of action, I'm cut adrift without a sex partner. Correct?"

"Correct," Carol said.

"No," David commented.

"No?" Darla and Carol enquired at the same time.

"Mom stated she'd accept and comply with a demand for monogamy. I've never said how I'd react to a like demand." David took his sister's hand in his, brought it to his lips and kissed her palm. "Besides, you left out some other possible scenarios," he added.

"Yeah, I did," Darla said with a mischievous grin. "And that's what I was wondering about."

"Oh, oh, Gorgy-Porgy," Carol said. "My kids are plotting again." She walked out of the pool, wrapped the baby in a towel, and sat at the patio table, dripping pool water onto the cool deck. "Okay, Darla, spit it out. Where has your devious mind been wandering and wondering?"

Darla shrugged and squeezed her brother's hands before pulling it over and placing it on her belly. "I'm still a little spongy, aren't I?"

David kneaded her abdominal muscles. "A little. A week or two in my gym will fix the problem."

Darla groaned. "Exercise. Bah humbug." She exhaled a deep sigh and pushed David's hand down over her mound. "You're right, though. I'll start as soon as we return from Texas. Will you share your personal trainer with me, Mom?"

"Of course. What possible scenarios were you wondering about, Darla?"

"Well, Joe could say okay, I understand, period. Then what?"

Carol's eyes widened momentarily, and then she grinned wickedly. "I see what you mean."

"He could also say, fine with me, but demand reciprocity," Darla added and spread her legs a little. She felt David's fingers dance over her vulva. Nice.

"What kind of reciprocity?" Carol asked as she dried the fine hair on little George's head with a towel.

"Well, I'm not exactly ugly," Darla said. "I've felt your cowboy's eyes on me quite a few times. He could say, fine, you can have sex with Darla, but if your daughter's willing, I want to join you. What happens then?" David's fingers split her crease and dipped to her center for some moisture. He'd find some, too, all they'd need, plus a little more.

"Depends," Carol said as she noticed for the first time that her son was playing with her daughter's pussy.

Darla pulled her knees up and splayed her legs. "You have the most amazing touch, David. Depends on what, Mom?" she asked as David pushed a long finger inside her.

"Would you be willing?"

"I've watched Joe's hands gentle a wild horse. How do they feel on you?"

"Amazing, especially the rubdown after a climax. You didn't answer my question."

"That's because you didn't answer mine. Assuming I'd be willing, what would you say? We shared Denise. We shared David. Would you be willing to share Joe with me?"

Carol grinned. "In a heartbeat."

"What about you, David? Would you share Nora with Mother and me?"

"Sounds fun," he said as Darla wrapped her hand around his quickly growing erection.

Carol's pussy clenched. The images flashing through her mind didn't include Darla or Nora. "I've always wanted to try..." For some reason, she couldn't complete her wish out loud. Silly.

"Two men at the same time," Darla said, finishing her mother's dangling sentence.

"Yeah," Carol gushed. "Especially David and Joe, the two men I love. Whew! I'm hot!"

"Me, too, and me first," Darla said as she rolled off the lounge and straddled David's hips. After swiping the bulbous head of his shaft through her wet crease, she settled down around his length with a heartfelt moan. "Oh, David, I've missed you inside me so much. Almost three years! I haven't had the real you inside me for almost three years."

David reached and rolled his palms over her breasts, expecting to feel her nipples stiffen and lengthen, but they were already as hard and long as they could be. His sister's cunt felt familiar around him, but it was different, too, and not just from their three-year hiatus. The interior membranes caressed his length, as always, but the caress was more... he couldn't decide. Mature and loving were the only words he could come up with to describe the differences, and mature didn't really fit.