Chapter 14

Marge was working six days a week at the hospital, so when she agreed to a dinner date during her one free night, I was relieved. She seemed to find it amusing that I had wanted it to only be just the two of us, and that the restaurant I chose was a rather expensive, romantic one. In truth, I'd had two choices: I could have gone with a crowded place, where the noise in the background would obscure what we were talking about, or with a quiet place, where there were not too many ears around to hear us. I did some research, and I found a restaurant whose cuisine was such that it did not tend to have many repeat customers. It was doubtful that the place would survive more than a few more months, but for that moment it served its purpose.

I was required to have my learners permit six months prior to attempting to pass my driver's license test, so the CYA had included one in the dossier that I had received. Marge was kind enough to let me drive to the restaurant, and she even commented that I was an excellent driver. I thanked her, not betraying that I had learned to drive just about every wheeled vehicle possible, from the East German Trabant to a Russian T-80. I was a novice compared to the agents who trained as a 'driver'. If it moved, they could operate it, and they could perform maneuvers that wet dreams were made of. The only restriction that the CYA had imposed on their training was that actual flying of high-speed jets be restricted until the agents had reached sixteen. Something about the damage to their growth from the g-forces was the explanation that had been given. However, the 'drivers' still trained on the flight simulators, just in case the situation arose where they were forced to commandeer a military jet. Though, if an agent had to resort to stealing military vehicles, then the mission they were on was truly FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Repair).

After we had finished our appetizers, Marge looked me directly in the eyes and wanted to know what was up. I tried to give her a surprised look, but she saw right through my weak charade.

"Chad, the first time we talked alone, you told me your attentions of having sex with my daughter. Then, you instruct my other daughter to confess her desires of being dominated. You always have something going on in your head, and I can't wait to hear this one!" A faint smile played on the corners of her lips as she said that.

I sighed, and I knew I should have approached it differently. I wanted to confront Marge when she was relaxed, and I had thought that doing it on her day off would be enough. I had failed, and already she had her guard up. I decided to forge ahead with my plan.

"Mrs. Caspar, both your daughters..."

I stopped because she let out a snort. I raised my eyebrow, and she replied to my silent question, "Whenever you call me Mrs. Caspar, I know it's going to be a doozy. Sorry, please continue."

I let out another sigh. Had I been out of practice so much that I forgot to predict how people would react to what I said? I renewed my resolve, and said, "Marge, the girls are worried about you. They tell me that you are working so much that they hardly get to see you. Lori even told me that, a few months before I moved next door, you had mentioned about all of you moving to Phoenix or Texas, because it would be cheaper."

Marge frowned and said, "I know I said that, but I don't want to move until the girls have completed high school. Don't worry, Chad, your girlfriend won't be moving away. We might have to end up moving to a different neighborhood, maybe someplace where the average house was below a million dollars, but Traci and Lori would still be attending Central High."

"Funny you should mention moving, because that is exactly what I had in mind. Please hear me out completely and think about it before you say no. What I suggest is that everybody could move in with me. By not having to worry about paying your mortgage, you can work less; and, right now, the housing market is on an upswing, so by selling the house, you should be able to pay off John's medical bills and school loans."

I paused briefly but, Marge kept silent, gauging what I had said, so I continued. "Also, there is the matter of Rose. Right now, there have not been any problems with Rose staying with me but, if anything did occur, I doubt anybody would view her living with me very highly. I know being emancipated means that I'm legally treated like an adult, but I doubt Social Services would factor that in. Finally, I want to take a trip with you, your daughters, and Rose and, with you always having to work, it would be near impossible."

Traci must have inherited her curiosity from her father because, instead of asking about the trip, Marge said, "You seem to have given this a great deal of thought."

I nodded, but our food arrived just then, cutting off anything more either of us might have added.

We ate in silence while Marge thought about what I had said. After a little bit, she said, "I am going to have to sleep on it, but it sounds like you are trying to do what Traci says is a common theme in those cartoons you watch."

She chuckled at the puzzled look on my face and said, "You know: make a harem, have a bunch of girls living around you, fawning all over you."

I rolled my eyes at that to reassure her. "I think I can say that that is the furthest thought from my mind." Well, I can say it, I mused, but I wish I were more certain about that myself.

Marge was cutting her meat when she mildly said, "Well, Traci had better fuck you soon; that way Lori and I can get our shot at you."

Diet soda was never created to pass through one's nostrils. It took me a moment to compose myself after she had said that. I wondered if she had planned to tell me that right when I was taking a drink from my glass? Once I had gathered my wits, I decided to match her volley. Paraphrasing a movie I had seen a few weeks prior, I arched my eyebrow and asked, "Mrs. Caspar, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Trust me, Chad; if we end up moving in together, I will," she replied with a wink.

In the few months that I had known Marge, our flirting and teasing with each other had gotten bolder each time. I had just chalked it up to merely getting close my neighbor and girlfriend's mother. The problem with teasing, though, is that there is usually an ounce or two of truth behind it. From the look I was receiving, I think it had moved up to a pound.

Not knowing how to respond to her statement, I deliberately took a bite from my steak and changed the subject.

Since I had trained myself to wake up before the alarm, I was not used to loud noises jarring me from my sleep. I muttered a French profanity that roughly translated to 'Your mother smells of elderberry wine' and picked up the phone. I hoped that whoever was calling had not disturbed Rose.

"Chad, Mom wants you to come over this morning!" an excited Traci practically shouted in my ear.

"Okay, I'll be over there after my first cigarette," I replied, which earned a raspberry through the phone.

After telling Traci I loved her, I rolled over and lit up a Camel Wide. I had wised up and started keeping a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table, for the weekends. After a few quick drags, I got out of bed and did a quick morning routine, chain-smoking while I did it. I was on my third cigarette when I reached next door.

Traci opened the door before I had a chance to knock and gave me a look of disgust. I took a couple more puffs before snuffing out the cigarette. There was still a third left, so I set it down next to the doorstep. Traci moved to smash it with her foot, but she must have caught the look I gave her, because she quickly aborted her plan. After making sure the butt was safe, I went in the house with her.

Marge and Lori were in the living room, so I followed Traci in there and sat in an empty seat. Traci started to crawl into my lap, but then changed her mind, saying that I still smelled like cigarette smoke. I shrugged and turned my attention to Marge.

"I told the girls your plan, but I had a couple of questions before making up my mind. Have you talked to your parents about this?"

I nodded and added, "Actually, they thought it was a great idea. An adult around would keep me out of trouble. They also added that the house was in my name and that I could do whatever I wanted with it. Heck, they haven't even seen the house, they let one of their lawyers buy the place. My parents need to stay abroad, something about tax reasons, so they don't even have a room in the house. I should mention that, right now, I plan on selling the house and returning the money to them in five years. Even if I stick around in the area, I want to use my own money instead of theirs."

The nagging feeling of me lying to somebody I knew was present. It was not as strong as it was when I did it to Traci, but it was stronger than when I had lied to Marge in the past. The CYA did tell me I could do whatever I wanted when it came to living on my own, but I doubted they had planned on me having so many people move in with me. If I ever had to 'disappear', it would be more complicated with housemates.

"What about food and utilities? You can't expect us to move in with you and have you pay for all of us."

"Okay, how about we split the grocery bill," I suggested.

"And the utilities," stated Marge.

"I'll pay for the gas, and you can pay for the electric. As for television, I have satellite, so it might be easier to have cable for your rooms, instead of having to buy additional satellite receivers. You can pay for that and I'll continue paying for the satellite."

"What about the phone?" Marge asked.

I glanced over at Traci and said, "We might as well transfer your line to my house. I don't think I have enough money to cover Traci's phone bill."

"Hey! I might use the phone a lot, but it's all local," protested Traci.

"Honey, he was just teasing you. I think you're right. No, not about how much you use the phone," Marge added after seeing her daughter's look, "though, you do talk a lot on the phone, but I won't have to go through and tell everybody my new number."

"Okay, I think we covered everything. Anything else, we will deal with it when the situation arises."

I knew I had won a small victory with the gas and electric bill, since Marge was gong to freak out when she saw that I actually got a credit on the electricity. I had five one-kilowatt fuel cells, three on the outside of the house and two in the basement. They took the natural gas and converted it into electricity, and any excess power was fed into the electric grid. With three more people moving in, I doubted I would still get a credit, but the electric bill would be minuscule compared to the gas one. Another advantage to the fuel cells was that a by-product of their use was hot water. I knew that four females under one roof could have resulted in cold showers for me, the lone guy who would be forced to shower last, but unless they planned on taking thirty-minute showers each, I should have plenty of hot water.

Marge glanced at her watch and said, "Well, I need to be heading into work. I don't see why the girls couldn't start packing today."

When Marge stood up, her daughters rushed in and hugged her. I choose that opportunity to slip outside and finish my cigarette. It was not as satisfying as a fresh one, but I was running very low on my supply. The next time I saw Jean, maybe I could talk her into buying me a carton. I heard the door open, and I saw Marge coming out.

"I don't know how long it will take to sell the house, but I'll try to look into it while I am at work. You know, when you and Traci have a fight, it will be tougher when you two are under the same roof."

I smiled and said, "I love Traci, and I doubt we will fight."

Marge laughed and said, "Dear, those are the toughest fights of all, having a fight with somebody that you love."

I pondered that, and walked Marge to her car. She gave me a brief hug, and she told me that she would see me in the evening. I nodded, and told her to drive safely. Deciding that I had better head back and let Rose know about the current living arrangements, I returned home.

It turned out that I had not needed not to bother, since Rose was in the living room, rolling her eyes, and was only being allowed to give monosyllabic responses.

I took the phone from her and said into the receiver, "Traci, if you want to talk to Rose, come over in person. I need to fill her in on what is going on."

After being called a spoilsport, she ended her call quickly -- most likely to call the next victim on her list. I hoped for their sakes that they were out; otherwise it would be an hour of their lives wasted listening to Traci go on and on.

Rose smiled and said that Traci had already told her the basic details.

I laughed, "I bet, by the time I got over here, she'd informed you on the minor ones, as well. Anyhow, the Caspars will be moving in with us. Maybe I should have discussed it with you first, but I chose to run my plan by Marge first. Sorry."

Rose shrugged and said, "Hey, I think it will be cool with them living here. I mean, we see each other practically all the time anyways." She grinned and added, "Maybe I should ask for a raise."

I knew she was kidding, but I had already factored that in. She started protesting when she saw me reach for my wallet, but I shot her a glance that silenced her for the time being. I took out the Amazon Visa, which already had her name on it, and gave it to her. It took her a moment to spot her name, and she gave me a puzzled look.

"That card is to be used for groceries and other household purchases. You'll keep getting the hundred a week, but all of it is yours. You will have to deal with cleaning up after three more people and, the way you girls like to change outfits at a drop of a hat, mountains of laundry."

She rolled her eyes at my last comment, and only gave a weak protest about her salary. I think it was because we were so close to Christmas and she wanted to buy some gifts for her friends that she gave in easily. I suggested she might want to give Pollyanna a call to warn her not to answer the phone anytime soon.

Rose agreed, but ended up getting a busy signal, being too late to give her girlfriend a heads-up on Traci's excitement. As we headed into the kitchen to make a light breakfast, I pointed out that Traci could have just told everybody at lunch today and Rose laughed, saying that when Traci has something to tell, she tells it right away.

We had just finished cleaning up breakfast and started the prep work for lunch with Traci came over carrying a box of her stuff. After I took the box from her and set it down, I gave her a kiss, which she recoiled from. I silently swore a Russian profanity over my glaring mistake. I had forgotten to brush my teeth this morning. In addition, I had just finished my seventh cigarette of the day just before Traci arrived. Rose at least did not give me grief about smoking inside, since she correctly pointed out that it was my house.

Traci picked up her stuff and headed towards the master bedroom. I stopped her, and asked where she thought she was going.

"I'm going to put my stuff in our room," she replied.

I shook my head and said, "No, honey, you're not going to put your stuff in my room. You need to pick another room."

She gave me a sour look and asked, "Why can't I stay in your room?"

I had been giving what Marge and I talked about before she left for work a great deal of thought. I said to Traci, "I think it would be best if you pick a room for yourself. There might be times when you want to be alone and not want to have to deal with my ugly mug. Also, you snore and I don't want you keeping me awake all night. Then, what about when Fran comes over? I mean I don't mind you being in there, but she can be rather shy."

Either my shoulder was getting weaker or Traci's punches stronger, but I swore I was going to end up with a bruise from the punch I received. Even holding her box with one hand, she was still able to pack quite a wallop. By the look in Traci's eyes, I swore she was getting behavior lessons from Rose.

"Chad Johnson, you might one day be able to convince me into considering letting you 'play' with my friends, my sister, and heck, I could even maybe see you with my mother, but it will be a cold day in Hell that you will EVER think I will let you sleep with Fran!"

I wondered how much of the conversation that Marge and I had the previous night was explained to Traci, or if she threw out her mom just because she figured it would be the last person she could imagine me with, but I was a little surprised when she mentioned her. Still, not being able to figure out what Traci thought Fran had possessed that would cause me to leave her for the blonde Amazon, I said, "Fran will never enter my bedroom."

I waited a few heartbeats to add, "I'll just use my sister's room, instead."

I heard just about every single English profanity then and even a couple of foreign ones that I had used around Traci. Rose saved me from the assault by suggesting, "Fran and Chad could just use my room if you don't want them using his sister's room."

I was briefly tempted to see if the glare my darling gave her friend could light one of my cigarettes.

Lori chose that moment to come into the house and asked "What room is mine?"

I pointed and said to her, "The one straight back, at the end of the hall."

Lori caught Traci's reaction, grinned, and started walking towards the master bedroom.

"Why the Hell does Lori get to sleep in your room?" demanded Traci.

Lori saved me the trouble of answering the obvious. "Dear sis, where else does a slave sleep but at the foot of her master's bed?" Lori had overcome her fear of her desires and had started to joke about them, like the rest of us.

Traci spun on her and said, "He should keep his slut slave chained up in his Dungeon that he refuses any of us to see!"

Rose blushed slightly, and it was a good thing Traci had been focused on her older sister, or she might have caught Rose's look of embarrassment. I had not told anyone how to get into the basement, but one day last month Rose had discovered the secret passage while retrieving the vacuum cleaner from the closet under the stairs. I had not done too much down there, since I was limited to ordering my supplies online.

Deciding that we'd had enough fun at Traci's expense, I explained to the two Caspar girls that the house had seven bedrooms and three of them were off limits: my sister's, Rose's, and mine. They were free to pick any of the empty ones.

Rose, however, decided to have a little fun and added, "I don't mind if Traci wants to share a bed with me," and as she said that in a seductive voice, she reached around Traci from behind and fondled my girlfriend's breasts.

I think Traci would have jumped five feet high if it was not for the box she was holding, weighing her down. She spun around and started backpedaling from her friend, saying to her, "There is no way I'm going to be rooming with a carpet muncher!"

Rose took it in stride and gave Lori a look. Lori shrugged, and the two of them started walking towards the stairs.

"Don't you think Pollyanna might get jealous?" I asked Rose.

Rose shot back, "Pollyanna is not jealous of you, so she should not get jealous over your slave."

I do not know who the first to start laughing was, but it was not long until all of us were. Finally, when we had all composed ourselves, I suggested, "Lori, you might want to take one of the rooms that was closest to the top of the stairs, since those two rooms share a bathroom, and your mom could take the other."

I turned to Traci and said, "You can put your stuff in the bedroom across from my sister's since it is next to the master bedroom." I then added, "You can also put your clothes in the empty walk-in closet that's attached to the master bathroom, but I do not want any of your silly 'girly stuff' in my room."

The girls decided what I had said made sense (choosing to ignore my machoism) and took their stuff to their new rooms. Grabbing the opportunity, I hurried to the backyard and lit up. I was halfway through smoking the cigarette when Traci came back out, looking for me. She saw what I was doing, gave me a dirty look, and stormed back inside the house. I presumed she was going back to her house to retrieve more stuff. I had just lit up my second backyard cigarette when Lori came out to join me.

"Is the plan still on for Christmas, or has it changed since we are moving in?" Lori asked, keeping one eye out for Traci.

"It's still on. Don't worry; you won't be my slave anytime soon."

Lori smiled at my answer. A couple weeks ago, I had approached Lori and her mom about an idea I had for Christmas night. They had agreed to my plan and had even helped with the initial legwork.

I chatted with Lori about some mundane stuff while I finished my cancer stick. After I snuffed it out, I said, "I should really brush my teeth so I could greet Traci properly."

She grinned and reminded me, "When you become my master, you could always feel free to kiss me without having to worry about my breath"

I leaned in, kissed her cheek, and said, "Thank you."

Traci was passing through the master bathroom to take clothes to her closet when I finished brushing my teeth. I grabbed her arm, spun her around, and gave her a proper kiss. She held on to her clothes for about ten seconds before dropping them on the floor and hugging me tight. When she finally broke our kiss, she announced it was much better than before. I helped her retrieve her clothes from the bathroom floor, and put them away in her walk-in.

I ended up being the pack mule for the Caspar girls and, when Pollyanna and Michelle showed up, they ended up assisting us after Rose assured everybody she could handle lunch on her own. I was amused when Traci let out a shriek when I started to put her underwear away in the bedroom dresser. She seemed to be perfectly okay with me going down on her, and she had no trouble telling her friends, in detailed account, about it; but having her boyfriend handle her undergarments was taboo. It must have been extremely important to her, because she suggested that I go outside and have a cigarette while she took care of her underwear.

Not passing up that golden opportunity, I quickly hurried outside to do what my girlfriend instructed me to. Rose stepped out to inform me lunch would be ready in a few more minutes, so I only was able to have one coffin nail. I swung by the half-bathroom next to the laundry room to use some mouthwash before joining the girls at the dining room table.

After lunch was over and the dishes taken care of, Rose joined in with the moving project. After some bickering about what to bring over, I decided to step in. "I think it would be best to wait on some of the larger furniture until Marge gets back. As for where it goes, I don't really care how the house is decorated, but I would like to leave the study alone, for now. I have plans for it in the future, but every place else -- excluding the master bedroom and my sister's bedroom -- is free game."