Chapter 29

On Christmas Eve morning, Kirstin did not get up for a hot tub session with Eric. When she awoke, she was flabbergasted to find herself alone in the bed. She checked to make sure her kids were still asleep, then used the toilet. Coming back to the bed, she sprawled on her back on top of the covers, spread her arms and legs as wide as she could, and threw her head back. The feeling of wantonness collided with the feeling of freedom, and she admitted to herself that she loved both feelings.

In just three days, Kirstin had done things she just did not believe. It almost felt like someone else had taken over her mind. She was fat! Nobody would want to see her naked! Yet, she had spent more time naked in three days than in the previous three years. And nobody cared! Or if they cared, like Eric, it was in a good way. She felt a strong urge to be naked more and more, just to be sure no one was disgusted. Was Gary wrong? Was her body not really repulsive?

It must have been several minutes that Kirstin lay there, reveling in the feeling of the air on her inner labia which had been exposed by her stretching. Her eyes were closed and her arms were now extended above her head when she detected someone in the room. Instinctively trying to close her legs, she felt them restrained, and looked up to see Dex gently holding both ankles.

"Dex, I, uh..."

"It's OK, Kirstin. Were you enjoying the feeling?"

"Yeah, but..."

"I'm going to let go, but I want you to stay just like you were." When he took his hands away, she flinched, but when he put them softly back on her shins, she somehow managed to keep her legs spread. "Now, stretch your arms back up like they were, too."

Morgan was with Dex, but had been silent until now. She asked Kirstin "Not to bring up a bad subject, but did Gary ever see you like this?"

"Oh, no! He didn't want to see me naked at all."

"How about when you were first married?"

"No, he never asked me to show myself, uh... , I mean this is really, um... lewd?"

"So, you never exposed yourself on your own to tease him or excite him?"

"No, I... I guess I was afraid to."

"Hmmm. You seem to like being naked, though."

"When I was little, Mom was always after me to get my clothes on. Maybe I never outgrew that. Um, this is embarrassing, you know."

"That's not all it is."

"Huh?"

Dex spoke up now "Your nipples. And your pussy lips. It's arousing, too, isn't it." Kirstin's only response was a moan.

"Kirstin," Morgan jumped in, "In just a few days you have impressed us so much with your intuition, your intelligence, and your compassion. You don't realize how strong a person you can really be. For a long time, you have been preoccupied with hiding what you or your husband think are your shortcomings."

"The fact that you're now spending so much time naked shows me that you desperately want to be proud of yourself - to be seen but not ridiculed or rejected. Well, we're seeing every bit of you now. Are we rejecting you?"

Kirstin looked over at Dex and noticed a bulge in the exercise shorts he still wore. "No, I guess not," she answered through a giggle.

"Kirstin, I think we should drop the 'Gary-free zone' and talk about your marriage a little," Dex told her. "You seem to have stronger hopes than you admit about getting back with him. Are you willing to talk about it?"

"I... I guess it would be good for me, wouldn't it."

"Well, if we're going to talk, I want to be comfortable," Morgan said as she undressed. She then yanked down Dex's shorts, pushed him into a chair, and plopped on his lap.

"Hey, I'm all sweaty and smelly from working out," Dex protested.

"And you know how much that turns me off, don't you?" Morgan quipped.

With a resigned sigh, Dex addressed Kirstin. "Kirstin, you have absolutely world-class tits. Doesn't Gary just love to get lost in them. I could never leave them alone if I were him."

"Oh, thank you, Dex. No, he, uh, just never seemed to be that interested in them. Oh, I know he loved how they looked, at least until I got fat, but he never touched them that much. For sure not as much as I wished he would."

"Any idea why?"

"Maybe 'cause of Jaba."

"Jaba?" Dex asked as both he and Morgan laughed.

"You know, from Star Wars? That's my private name for his mother."

"What does Jaba have to do with Gary and your tits?"

"Well, she has those enormous 72 double Qs or whatever, and I think they may have turned him off on big tits."

"I take it she's not exactly a nice person."

"God, no. Witch, queen-bitch, battle-axe - there aren't enough bad words to describe her. She sits there just like Jaba and bosses everything in her world."

"Bosses her husband? Bossed Gary?"

"For sure!"

"How about your mother?"

"Is this where the standard 'do you love your mother' question comes in?" Morgan laughed at that, but Kirstin went on. "My mother is definitely the boss, too. She's not mean like Jaba, though, and about half the size. Mom is basically a kind and considerate person. She just knows how things should be, and isn't afraid to tell people."

"How about your Dad?"

"Ever hear someone called a 'taciturn Swede?' That's Daddy. Big, strong as a bull, gentle as a lamb, and has a fifty word per day limit."

"Kirstin, you're giving me a side-ache!" complained Morgan through her laughter. "I can't believe how you joke about these things. They must be serious to you."

"Well, if I didn't joke, I might cry, and what good would that do?"

Morgan got control of her laughter, and commented "You're not like your mother. You don't rule your house, do you?"

"No. I made up my mind long ago that I wouldn't be like her. At least not that part of her."

"So Gary has to be in control, right?"

"Yeah, that's the way it should be."

"Is he good at it?"

"Ahhhhh!" This question stopped Kirstin dead, and she was silent for a while. She continued in a thoughtful tone. "Is this what you're getting at? I'm expecting Gary to be the strong, aggressive one about everything in our marriage. He's been the bossee all his life, and he's not comfortable taking charge. He get's frustrated and takes it out on me."

"Hmmm. So, you're taking psyche courses in night school, right?" Kirstin giggled at this, and Morgan continued. "You're right on, Honey. Of course, nothing's ever just that simple, but I think you've nailed one of the big problems."

"So what do I do about it."

"Here's what surprises me, Honey. The last couple of days, I've seen a strong, 'take charge' side of you. You must have been purposely suppressing that at home all these years. So, we've got a man who's expected to be the aggressive one, but he's not comfortable in the role. We've got a wife who's purposely not being all she could be because she doesn't want to be her mother. There's no reason that marriage should have any problems, is there?"

Kirstin let out a kind of a gurgling groan, and protested "But I DON'T want to be my mother. I mean, poor Daddy hardly gets a word in."

"So your Dad is a very frustrated, henpecked husband who looks miserable all the time, right? And their house is like a battle zone all the time, right."

"Well, no. Sometimes, it's embarrassing. She flirts with him and he paws at her and she giggles and he gets this baseball bat in the front of his pants, and... what are you getting at, Morgan?"

"There's this theory that men marry their mothers and women marry their fathers. Let me guess: Gary really likes your mother, right?"

"Yes. Until things went sour, they were real friendly. In fact, sometimes I think her flirted with her more than with me."

"Aha! So Gary saw your mother as a much better version of his own mother, but still what he needed. So, he married your mother, but didn't get her because you didn't want to be her."

Dex let out a groan when Morgan said this, and she thumped him on the chest. "I've never been more glad I was single," he exclaimed, gaining him another, stronger thump.

Kirstin asked "So I should be more like my mother? That's what Gary really wants?"

"What he needs! See, you didn't want to be your mother because you thought their marriage was dysfunctional and it was her fault. But, it works for them, and they're happy. You married your Dad, and he's frustrated because you're not your mother." This time, Dex's groan was a lot louder, and Morgan didn't bother to thump him.

"Well, I got a good start," Kirstin said sarcastically. "I already look like my mother, dammit!"

"We need to talk more about this, Kirstin, but I think you've been bottling up the perfect woman for Gary."

"Ahem!" Dex interjected. "I want to get back to the subject of those awesome tits."

"You men and your fixation on tits!"

"Both of you should give thanks every morning for that fixation. Anyway, why isn't Gary worshipping them like a puppy dog?"

"I'll bet I know," said Kirstin. When Gary's Dad does what Jaba wants, she hugs his face right into those monsters. I'll bet she's done that to Gary, and it turns him off. How the Hell do I get him over that?"

Dex answered her. "If you squash his face into tit Heaven enough times, then fuck his brains out right afterward, his phobia should disappear in a hurry."

When the laughter died down, Kirstin lamented "Hey guys, I hate to end on a bummer note, but we're talking like my marriage can be fixed. Right now, it's over, and I can't make the first move to fix it."

Morgan was about to say more, but just then Kirstin's eight-year-old son Sean wandered out of the office where the kids slept, rubbing his eyes as he trudged toward the bathroom. Kirstin gave a huge gasp and started to get off the bed in a panic. Morgan had stood up, and now restrained Kirstin, saying "Why don't you give him a nice 'good morning' cuddle? He really is a sweet kid, you know."

"But I'm naked!"

"Yeah, I think we were talking about that?"

"But, but..." Sean, apparently the fastest pee in the west, came back into the bedroom area, now fully aware of his surroundings. There was no way for Kirstin to escape or cover up. She looked frantically at Morgan for a moment, then called out "M... m... mornin' Sweetie. C... can Mommy h... have a hug." The boy seemed uncertain for a moment, then sprinted toward his mother. Morgan hauled Dex to his feet and they headed toward the bathroom to give mother and son some privacy and to take their delayed shower.

While showering, they felt a drop in the water temperature, and Morgan said "Courtney" to Dex, who was soaping her back at the time. When they came out of the bathroom, they saw Kirstin sitting against the headboard with her legs extended. Sean sat beside her playing with her fingers and jabbering away. Courtney had apparently decided this was the girls turn to be naked, and she was happily cuddled in her mother's lap with her head on one pillowy breast.

Noticing their entry, Kirstin looked up with a teary smile and said "They don't care!"

"About what, Honey?"

"About the fat."

"Nobody does, Honey. You've got to remember that."

"Uh, Gary does."

"His loss."

They chatted for a few minutes while Morgan dressed. Kirstin reluctantly got up and pulled on just a T-shirt. With a smirk, she turned her back to Dex and bent over, showing that her ass cheeks barely winked out under the oversized shirt. Courtney walked up to Dex with a very serious demeanor and asked him "Mr. Dex, are you going to be my new Daddy?"

"No, Courtney. You're just staying with me for a while."

"Well, can I have a hug, anyway?" This made Morgan gasp, for it was a gigantic turnaround from Sunday. Dex picked up the little girl and shared a warm hug. The feeling of a naked little girl against his own naked skin was not entirely new to him. Years ago, after considerable discussion, Jenny and Chris had brought their kids to the Saturday brunches. Their daughter Amy had early on glommed onto 'Uncle Dex' as her favorite, and the mere absence of clothes could not stop her from leaping into his arms in greeting.

Once everyone was at least minimally clad, they trooped off to what was sure to be a most interesting breakfast.

Eric came in to breakfast arm in arm with a completely different Sandra than had been seen before. Jeanette knew immediately what had happened between them, and as a credit to her more open attitude, she was not at all judgmental. Instead, she took Sandra's hand and pulled her toward the family room.

"I guess I don't have to ask if it was wonderful, do I?" Jeanette said with a warm hug.

"Jeanette, thank you! I was concerned you would be upset. I knew you would guess right away. I could probably light the whole house right now. I know it's supposed to be wrong, but, dammit, I haven't felt this good in fifteen years."

"Sandra, Honey, in three days, I have seen and done so many things that I always thought were wrong, that I just quit judging. I'm more concerned about all of you women getting better and getting on with your lives."

"You know, Jeanette, yesterday morning I watched you almost as much as I watched that hunky husband of yours. I tried to read what you were feeling from your expression. Now, I know just what you were feeling. I think I could burst with pride. For my sake, I wish he was still naked, but I know how tough it was for him." With another hug, they went back into the kitchen just as Teri came up the stairs.

Teri carried her baby boy, Matthew, and was dressed in a robe purchased the night before. Morgan had strongly encouraged all the women to come to breakfast in their nightclothes, as a way of building a feeling of home. Kendra came up alone, also in one of the robes. She went right to a place at the table without saying anything, although she looked around to see where everyone was.

Carol came in and made a point of greeting the new women. "I'm not sure if Sonja will come out here," Carol told the group. "Jessica is back there with her now, but she had a terrible night."

"Should we go ahead without them?" Patrick asked.

"Give her a couple of minutes," Carol replied.

Sure enough, in just a few minutes, Jessica came down the hall, practically towing a frightened looking Sonja. When Sonja saw the men, she seemed to relax, and walked the rest of the way under her own power. Morgan surmised that from Jessica's comment in the hot tub, Sonja had expected the men to be naked. The degree to which that terrified her told Morgan something of the challenge she faced with the girl.

It took several minutes, but Sonja did end up eating quite eagerly. Teri entered into the conversation, but Kendra said almost nothing. It appeared to be quite painful for her to chew, but she put away a decent amount of food.

While he was eating his own meal, Dex mused on how different the atmosphere was this morning. The previous two days, it had felt more like a congenial family gathering, if a rather large family. Perhaps because the original women were all sharing a first-of-its-kind experience with Dex taking them in there was a special closeness. For the newcomers, it was more like coming in as the most recent guests in an established operation. There wasn't the same sense of relief, gratitude, or whatever it was. Oh, the new women were all nice people, it was just... different. Morgan had been right to have them keep their pants on.

As the meal wound down, Teri announced that she needed to go down and feed her baby. Jeanette asked if she breast fed, and Teri answered yes. Patrick looked like he was about to say something more, but thought better of it.

While the men cleaned up after breakfast, the women launched a decorating frenzy. There seemed to be cartons, ornaments, wreaths, and lights strewn everywhere. Everyone seemed to be in on it, even Sonja, and in a surprisingly short time, the house definitely looked like Christmas, and the clutter was gone. The next item on the agenda was gifts for the newcomers, and Jeanette and Morgan took on that task, while Dex went to his office for the scheduled conference call.

"I'm guessing all of you have some news for me, right?" Carl, Randy, and Dex's hacker buddies all responded enthusiastically that they had a lot of good stuff.

"Before you tell me any of that, let me give you my perspective, and my hopes for an outcome."

Dex listed objective number one as Megan's long-term safety and freedom from any threat from Craig. His second objective was for Megan to have some compensation to help her get a good start on a new life. His third objective was the 're-direction' of Craig's suspected hidden assets for charitable use and appropriate compensation for the team. His fourth objective was some positive results for the DA as a thank you for their assistance.

In order to achieve objective number one, there were two essential requirements. First, Craig had to be removed from the scene. Second, no one must suspect any link to Megan for whatever happened to Craig.

"Define 'removed from the scene, '" Carl asked.

"In a cell for good, or in a box," Dex replied. "The box sounds good to me."

"Uh, that's not really on our price list," Carl objected.

"The only way Craig would be killed would be by his associates, or in some kind of shootout with the cops. None of us will cross that line, I assure you."

"What would keep the DA happy?"

"Kolchek in a cell or in a box. Now, let me hear some news. First, who, exactly, is Alex Kolchek, and who is he connected to?"

Dex was informed that Alex was the top local boss in the big-time mob. That made the secrecy of anything they did that much more critical.

"What does Craig do for the mob?"

As a developer and broker, Craig used real estate deals to launder mob money. Various parts of the organization bought and sold properties from each other at hugely inflated prices, using dirty money to cover the amount over true market value. Craig benefited handsomely from his normal percentage on a very large number of inflated transactions.

One of the hackers added a key new piece of information he had just uncovered. "The idiot is skimming from the mob! He's dirty on dirty."

"Megan said he has been getting more irritable and less rational for the last year. Maybe that's why," Dex opined.

"I sure would be if I was taking that kind of risk. He started about a year ago. Can you imagine anyone so greedy and down-right stupid?"

They all agreed that disclosure of Craig's skimming should buy him a bullet. At that point, they did not have a good way for the mob to 'discover' his perfidy.

If they indeed had Craig's death warrant in hand, the question was when to exercise it to best achieve the first two objectives: Megan's safety and compensation.

"What are Craig's up-front assets?" Dex asked.

"Almost nothing. His house is mortgaged to the hilt, and his car is leased. His bank accounts are nearly empty, and he has no reported portfolio."

"That means Megan would get the minimum from the proposed settlement. How about the hidden stuff?"

"There's plenty - at least $20 million worth. There are several properties owned by a blind corporation, and one large offshore cash account."

"Offshore where?"

"The Cayman's, fortunately."

"Why do you say that?"

"Siphoning a Swiss account is virtually impossible. With most of the Cayman banks, though, a really good hacker has reasonable access."

"And the best hackers?"

"Practically like having a passbook." This was greeted with chuckles.

"So, we could get the money out on short notice?"

"I couldn't do it tomorrow, but I should be ready in a week or two. What would help most is for him to make a withdrawal."

"The divorce settlement could force that, couldn't it? How about the properties? Could we steal ownership of them?"

"Absolutely. Craig is the only stockholder and only executive of the dummy corporation. We could falsify the ownership records to make our own dummy the owner of record. We would have to sell the properties quickly, in case someone started sniffing."

"Well, let's get the dummy set up."

"Already done."

"Who owns that?"

"Dead buddy of mine."

"As we're talking, it appears the only safe thing for Megan is for Craig to sign the divorce agreement. Agreed?" There were no dissenters. "How likely is that?" Carl played the tape of Craig's tirade from Monday. "Sounds like we're moving in the right direction."

They talked a while longer, then Dex wrapped up the call. "Our priorities now are anything we can do to hasten the divorce, making sure we can steal Craig's hidden assets, and figuring out how to expose his skimming to the mob. Let's talk Friday. Great work, guys, and Merry Christmas!"

As usual, Dex let Morgan do the talking on anything of importance. He was pretty sure it was no longer a concern to the original group, but he decided to continue the practice for the sake of the newcomers. After a long talk with Dex, Morgan pulled the group together.

"When you came to the reception center, Elise got names and numbers of people you wanted notified of your situation. She is very good about following up, so I don't think there are any relatives that think you are missing. This is Christmas eve, though, and it would be a great time to talk to them personally."

"When you came here, we told you not to make phone calls for fear of being traced. We want you all to start calling loved ones now. We will use an 800 access number normally used for long distance calls. It shows only 'Unavailable' for the caller ID. It's not that we don't trust your loved ones. It is really for their benefit to truthfully say they don't know where you are."

"There is another reason for calling. Every year on the Saturday between Christmas and New Years, Dex has a big party here with dancing and everything. He was thinking of canceling with the house so full, but he decided to go ahead with it and expand the invitation list to your parents or other special people." This brought a murmur of reaction from all the women.

"In order to maintain security here for as long as possible, your guests will be picked up at two or three sites and brought here in limos with the windows covered. Again, this is not done to insult them, but to free them from needing to lie about your whereabouts. When you talk to them today, just give the invitation, and describe the arrangements. You will call back tomorrow to see if they are coming."

"My guess is you are worrying about what you have to wear to a dressy party. Let me just say that you should forget about that until tomorrow. Now, Dex and I want to talk to you to find out who you are going to call, and who you are going to invite, so see us when you are ready."

Teri practically ran to Morgan when she stopped talking. The only person she wanted to talk to and invite was her father, and she got on the phone right away.

Carol and Jessica were next in line. Carol wanted her parents, and Jessica wanted to invite her best friend and neighbor. Morgan and Dex debated for a moment about bringing in another teenager, but all of the kids from the Ferguson clan would be there, so they saw no harm. They had to wait quite a while for Teri to finish on the phone.

Sandra had no relatives in town. Morgan asked if her parents might be able to come in for Saturday night, but she didn't think so. Eric had decided that seeing his two or three close friends in school Monday would be soon enough.

Kirstin wanted her parents and her sister, who lived with her parents.

Morgan sought out Sonja, who said there was no one she wanted to know where she was. She was so adamant in her answer that Morgan just told her to let them know if she changed her mind, then walked away.

After Morgan explained the calls and the party, Kendra had gone downstairs to feed her baby daughter. When she came up later with the baby, Morgan brought her to a corner of the family room where she and Dex could talk to her.

"Kendra, we know next to nothing about you, and that is OK. We will try not to pry, but is there anyone you want to call or invite to the party?" Kendra shook her head to the question. "Not even your parents?"

"I'm just glad I'm out of their reach here!"

Morgan and Dex could tell from Kendra's expression afterward that she had not wanted to say anything, so Morgan took Kendra's hand and just held it for a moment. "Kendra, let me just suggest something for you to think about. You could be completely in control if you invite your parents here. It might be a good thing for you. They would not be able to make you leave or do anything you did not want to do. If you said the word, we would escort them out and drive them back to their car. If you want, we will make sure you are never alone with them."

"You would do that?"

"Absolutely. Wouldn't they like to to see their granddaughter?"

Kendra gave out a cross between a snort and a laugh, and said "Of course not, she's just a girl." With that she hugged the baby tightly and rocked back and forth a little.

After sharing a long look with Dex, Morgan told the young mother "Kendra, I think we're pretty good listeners, and I think you know we wouldn't do anything to hurt you. You really need to tell someone all about it. Let me or Dex or both of us know if we can help, OK?" With that they both stood to walk away.

"No. Wait. You're right. I need to talk."

"Shall I leave you two?" Dex asked.

"No, both of you stay. I'm sorry if I seemed like a grump today. It's hard for me to believe I can really trust anyone right now. I talked to some of the other women while we were decorating, and I know I can trust you." With that, Kendra spent the next thirty minutes spilling her tale.

Kendra's parents were extremely wealthy, both coming from old money. When she said their name, Dex instantly recognized them as at the top of the local social ladder. They had essentially arranged her marriage to a man of similar social stature who just happened to be a total jerk and a misogynist. None of his shortcomings mattered to her parents, as long as the union produced a male heir for her husband's family. The two families were extremely close, even somewhat related.

Kendra was beautiful, intelligent, and well-schooled, but her personality was too pliable to stand up to her parents or her husband. She was desperately afraid of what would happen when she left Dex's place. Her own money had all kinds of restrictions and prohibitions tied to it, and she feared she could never get a divorce. Her parents considered the very idea of divorce the worst social calamity of the decade. With all the wealth and power surrounding her, Kendra felt helpless.

"Do you know who Jenny Ballard, the singer, is?" Dex asked.

"Oh, of course! My parents hate country music, but I have read everything I can about her. I identify with her because of her parents and her rapist's family in France and what they tried to do." Dex could not help but stiffen as her comment brought back memories of one of the darkest times of his life.

"Jenny is my cousin's wife. She will be at the party, and I'm sure she would love to talk to you." Kendra's eyes took on the look of an adoring teenaged fan for a moment. "Excuse me for a moment. I need to make a call." Dex said as he slipped away.

Dex was back shortly, and asked Kendra. "Why did you say that about your parents and your daughter."

"She's not the male heir I was supposed to have, and she's not perfect."

"What do you mean?"

"She has a lot of problems. They had to take her early and do back surgery right away. One arm may never be right, and there are some other risks. The doctor admitted it was because my husband beat me when I was pregnant."

"Oh God!" Morgan exclaimed, and dashed toward the bathroom with her hand over her mouth. She returned in a few minutes looking very pale, and apologized to Kendra. Dex pulled her onto his lap. Several others had witnessed the scene and were moving toward them, but Dex waved them away and addressed Kendra.

"Kendra, I have a Sergeant friend standing by to take a complaint against your husband. I recommend you do it. I have some very good lawyer friends, and some very good friends in the press. We can get you free, but you need to take this first step."

"Do it please, Kendra," Morgan begged. "If I could do the stuff Dex does, I would find that bastard and kill him!"

"I... I'm just afraid..." Kendra almost whimpered.

"Listen," Dex reassured her, "I promise you can stay here until you are comfortable leaving. We will get that doctor's report and testimony, and threaten to go to the press with it. That's all it will take, I'm sure. You will be free of your husband and your parents, and you will have a nice nest egg. Will you do it?"

Kendra agreed, and Susan Plonsky, who was off-duty, came and took the statement and the evidence pictures. Dex decided Kendra should have no contact with her parents. He called Marty, his lawyer, and as soon as Kendra was officially Marty's client, had Marty inform the parents of what was happening. Of course, they would hear anyway when the husband was arrested.