Chapter 1

Working as an international land use consultant often brought me back to places where lots of things were tied up together: past memories, lost opportunities, or opportunities yet to happen.

It was the last when I found myself in Austin, Texas doing seminars for a major corporation there: effective management (I was always good at that), dynamics of leadership (had some points in that arena as well), and having fun in the workplace (another of my specialties). Amazing how much money one could earn doing what came naturally, as long as it was wrapped up in appropriate pedagogy.

Also in places across the country, including Austin, were old friends, even some that felt like family; people I'd met over the years, through my work, circumstance or past lovers, kept in touch with and liked to visit, when I was in the area and had the chance. I never mailed Christmas greetings, but always sent Valentine's Day cards to those folks and families I wanted to keep in touch with, for whatever reason.

This particular reason in Austin included someone's wife and her daughter. Danielle, the wife/mother, had been a college buddy of one of my former lovers, Maggie. Maggie had babysat Danielle's kids from time to time while they were both at college, and they had become good friends and confidants.

We had had a great visit together when Maggie and I had spent some time together in northern California, near Mt. Shasta. I had a sweet place outside of town, a rustic hand-built home created by a hippie craftsman back in the 70's with a great view of the mountain, hot tub on the deck, and all redwood interior.

Maggie I had met while teaching a workshop in Ashland, Oregon, on holistic approaches to community development. She was fresh out of UC Berkeley with a degree in land use planning, and was taking the summer to "learn outside the box," though I hardly thought of UC Berkeley as being "inside the box." I was 30 at the time, having carved out quite a swathe of "miracle" turnarounds of seemingly dead-end community land-use conflicts, brokered some pretty contentious situations into "win-win" solutions, and was generally regarded as the "go-to" guy when the BLM or the Forest Service found themselves headed into a blackhole with environmentalists, which happened often, considering what blockheads the feds could be at times.

My father was a politician, and I grew up learning "the art of compromise," and that all politics was a matter of reaching middle ground that both sides could live with. My mother was a cultural critic, and she taught me to always judge: what was the person trying to do, did they do it well, and was it worth doing? Combining these viewpoints, and my cultural anthropology studies (always view a culture from their perspective, not your own), I worked my way into being trusted as someone who would help all sides air out their views, put them all on the table, help get them sorted out and put into a pattern that made sense to all involved.

Given those credentials and my track record, I was now designing and teaching my own programs that attracted students from far and wide, including a lot of BLM and Forest Service career folk. That's what I did for several weeks each summer, in conjunction with a local college and a regional land use institute. The rest of the year I either taught short courses or consulted around the United States and Canada.

Maggie was just 22, but in the course of the week-long program she signed up for that summer, we quickly learned that whether it was inside or outside the box, our thinking and feelings were along the same lines: and I got to know her box very well. After the workshop, she followed me back to my little paradise outside Mt. Shasta and we continued learning all we could about boxes and paradigms and especially those paradigm shifts, which she especially loved.

Danielle and her son and daughter, Mark and Laurie, had driven up from the Bay Area where they lived to visit with Maggie, and meet me.

Danielle and her kids pulled up late one Friday afternoon in August, as Maggie and I were lounging on the deck, both deliciously naked, soaking up the rays. They had called from Dunsmuir, so we knew their approximate arrival time, and hearing their car coming up the long drive from the highway we donned our shorts, and her top, and went to greet them. Though Maggie had filled me in a bit on the family I wasn't sure what to expect. Danielle's husband, John, was a programming genius kinda guy and wrapped up in a current project, so didn't make the trip.

As they piled out of their Volvo, I was most pleased. Danielle was about my age, having gone back to college after her kids were in school, and was a pretty good looking package. Laurie was 12, and Mark was ten, and both kids were handsome as all getout. Laurie had almost platinum blond hair down to her waist, which was a bit chubby, but she sported the cutest face and smile I had seen in some time. She was wearing sweats and a shirt that appeared two sizes too big, hanging over her and revealing nothing.

They all piled out of the car, giving Maggie big hugs, while I held back and took it all in. I'm not sure what Maggie had told them about me, but they were mostly all friendly upon their arrival. Mark held back, but Danielle and Laurie were obviously appreciative of being invited.

Maggie showed them to the spare bedrooms while I started to make dinner. Over our early evening meal, our visitors ooh'ed and aah'ed over my place, as the sun started bathing Mt. Shasta in a rich orange sunset hue. Danielle questioned me about what I did and how I had met Maggie (though I was sure she already knew, based on the several phone conversations they had had since Maggie had stopped by and stayed a month, before). Laurie was a bit more quiet, but chimed in from time to time asking about what it was like to live in the "wilderness," whether there were bears and mountain lions around, how safe it was, and other things one would think rather odd without remembering she had grown up in the Bay Area and had no clue about the country.

While the adults talked, Mark fiddled with his food and was pretty quiet, but Laurie stayed right with us, listening intently, piping up now and then with a question or comment and, I noticed, keeping an eye on me quite a lot.

As we cleared away the dinner dishes, Maggie suggested we all "take a tub." I said I needed to check my e-mail and for them to go on ahead. Mark perked up when I mentioned a computer and asked if he could see my setup. I was delighted to see something besides boredom in him, so I gave him my wholehearted welcome to join my in my den. I noticed Danielle giving me a whispered "thank you" as Mark and I headed down the hall to my "place of business."

The house was laid out in three sections, with two wings angled off the center, which contained the kitchen/dining area and living room. One wing held my bedroom and bath, while the other wing had two guestrooms and my office at the end. You could look across the deck from my office to my bedroom, and the living area opened onto the center of the deck. On the deck off toward my bedroom was the hot tub, sunk into the deck. It was a good-sized tub, capable of seating eight comfortably. I don't know what the previous owner had in mind with a tub that size in a house this modest, but I can imagine there may have been some pretty good parties in there. The entire composition faced east toward Mt. Shasta, looking across the valley at the small town of Mt. Shasta, with Black Butte and Weed toward the north.

Mark and I entered the den, which had large glass panels facing the deck and the south of the valley. Along the west wall was my library, with rows and rows of books. My desk abutted the southern glass panels with a magnificent view, which was, at some times my distraction, and at others my inspiration. I could either sit there for hours gazing out, or write like a madman possessed. I could also look to my left at the deck and if Maggie was out there sunbathing I was definitely distracted. And those times I got little work done, well at least, work-work.

I booted up the computer and asked Mark what he knew about them. He brightened up considerably and started telling me all about what his father did, and how he had learned computers from him, what he knew about systems (which was far more than I knew), and about games he played, and the Internet. As we were exchanging pieces of information (he giving me far more than I was), we both noticed the ladies coming out on the deck to "take the tub."

Danielle was in a slim two-piece, and showing off a far better woman than one would expect of a two-child parent. Her good-sized breasts filled out her suit nicely, and her stomach and thighs were firm and a sight worth viewing.

Maggie was wearing barely a thong, her normal wear when company was around (otherwise she wore nothing, with which I wholeheartedly concurred!). Her buttcheeks were strong and solid, attached to legs that seem to connect to Mother Earth herself. Her full chest was barely contained by the flimsy cloth tied around her chest.

Laurie was who made my breath catch in my throat. Who I had thought might be a bit chubby was anything but. She had on a two-piece somewhere in between Daneille's and Maggie's. What I had gleaned from her earlier wear as a flat chest was showing gathering swells of delightful promise, giving a sweet rise to her chest, tucked into the modest but revealing triangles tied to her neck and back. Her lower garment covered her back and front quite well, but rose high on her hips into a single tie on each side. That girl had hips, and thighs! Her rear swelled out gently to fill the bottoms very well, thank you so very much. And she was 12? I hoped I could see her when she was 15!

I turned my head slightly to see Mark staring as well, but I don't think he was as entranced with his mother or sister as he was by my current lover. Maggie was a knockout, but to someone like Mark she must have been an hallucination. His mouth was open and his eyes were as big as saucers. I nudged him with my elbow and asked, "Computers or hot tub?"

Mark appeared to choke. "Hot tub," he mumbled, then turned toward me with a little wry grin on his face. I grinned back and said "Good choice." He grinned even wider.

I shut down the system and suggested we change into more appropriate wear. He went to his bedroom to change, and I wandered over to the master suite to find my best Speedos.

Mark and I came onto the deck about the same time and slipped into the tub with these three gorgeous women. I noticed Mark's suit already had a subtly pronounced profile in the front as he entered the water. Mine were quite pronounced, which apparently didn't go unnoticed by Danielle or Maggie. Laurie, either, though she showed no overt indication, but did glance my way and it wasn't toward my face.

Danielle and Maggie made small talk in the tub, Mark tried not to remain fixated on Maggie's chest but wasn't as subtle as I was in not looking directly at Laurie or Danielle. Not that I didn't look. There was lots to look at, that's for sure.

What I wasn't sure about was whether either Danielle or Laurie were noticing how much I was noticing, which was a lot. While Danielle and Maggie were chatting away, Laurie would occasionally rise out of the tub to sit on the side, hands on the edge, and lean toward the tub, which had the obvious effect of showcasing that delightful display tucked under her top. Then, having cooled for awhile, she would slip back into the tub, and I don't think it was my imagination that she spread her thighs just a bit more than necessary in doing so.

Maggie, too, would lift out occasionally, and given her thong, there wasn't much left unrevealed when she did so. Mark was across the tub from her, and I swear that little fellow was drooling every time she did. I was just off to the side of her but could still see her pussy lips split by that thong. As for her chest, she could have just as well been nude, her breasts showed so clearly.

When Danielle would lift out of the heat for a little cooling off, her outfit covered all that should be covered but it was rather sheer, and the wetness clearly showed off her nipples and the outline of her pussy lips.

Finally, Danielle said how tired she was from the long drive, and excused herself to get ready for bed, telling her kids not to stay in the tub too long or they'd turn into a prune. Mark and Laurie jumped up to head off with their mom, and we wished them a good sleep and sweet dreams.

After they had gone into the house, Maggie slipped across the tub to me and sat on my lap, thanking me for welcoming her friends into my home and how much they were enjoying their stay. She said she and Danielle had had a little time to talk, and Danielle had shared how good it was for them to get away from the Bay Area for awhile and have a chance to relax.

"Danielle told me she found out John's been cheating on her. It kind of blew her out of the water and she needed to get away for awhile, so this is especially meaningful for her to be here," Maggie said.

"Wow," I softly exclaimed. "Why would anyone want to cheat on a babe like that?" I exclaimed.

"The lady in question is one of the programmers he works with," Maggie said. "I'd guess it is the combination of all those long hours, being away from home so much, coming home tired, Danielle taking care of the kids all the time, and then there's that thrill of a little strange pussy after so long being married," she mused.

"And what would you know about a little "strange" after so long?" I mused back at her.

"Oh, it's all pretty fresh to me," she smiled wickedly. "After all, I'm such a young thing, how could I know about "so long?" She winked. I had no idea what to make of that remark. So I just winked back.

"Speaking of 'fresh, ' and 'how long, ' how about a little not-so-strange pussy?" Maggie slid my Speedos down, her thong to the side, and slid right on to my dick. I glanced back over my shoulder to assure myself our guests were tucked in and out of sight, and seeing no strained faces at the glass doors, proceeded to slide ourselves to a great satisfaction. Only the aggressive lapping of waves in the hot tub gave witness to our juicy union.

Maggie was a sweet piece, no doubt about it. I reveled in that lovely cunt, feeling my dick nudging her cervix on her down stroke, stroking my hands up along her ribcage, peeling her top back to gently twitch her nipples, then running my fingers along her backside down to her tasty butt and massaging her cheeks, carrying her up and down on my penis, feeling her moistness as we climbed toward our mutual climax. As we came down from our high, she kissed me deeply and we eased into a wonderful concluding embrace, still embedded.

After awhile, she took my face into her hands.

"If you can find the way, Danielle would deeply appreciate what you just did for me."

I pulled back slightly. "You want me to screw your best buddy?" I asked with some question in my voice (but not a lot).

"She needs to feel desirable. She's been through such shit with John this past year. Maybe she just wants to get back at him, in her way. She's intimated, but not said anything outright. She thinks you're pretty hot, by the way. So does Laurie."

"Laurie? What's with Laurie? Here I thought you were asking me to nail your buddy, and now you're talking about her 12 year old daughter?" I asked incredulously.

"No! I was just telling you. You're a pretty hot guy, as I well know." She smirked a bit. "Danielle's the one making not so indirect comments about a little action with you, if you were willing. I'm just telling you you're not unnoticed around here! I don't expect you to do anything about that, other than Danielle. Geeze, I would hope not. Laurie's only 12 for Pete's sake. Laurie just thinks you're like the Alpha male. She's talked about how buff you are, how smart, what a great place you have, and how lucky I am to be here with you. Frankly, I'm not surprised."

"So do you have a plan for Danielle? Have you talked with her about details?"

"No, not that far. I just know if I gave you two time to be alone you could probably get a little "strange pussy" of your own, if you're so inclined. And she'd probably enjoy it a lot, but I don't know that her mind is made up."

"Let's go to bed and let me mull on this. She's certainly worth the effort, but I don't want to do anything to mess up what we have going."

Maggie gazed at me, and hugged me closer. "I don't know how long we will be together. I know I'm loving every day I'm here, but I also know I'll be moving on soon. I'm an opportunist, and I'm loving the opportunity here with you. Danielle has an opportunity, too, so I suggest you just seize the moment, if that moment comes. We'll think of something."

I kissed her again, and suggested again we head off to bed and see what the 'morrow brings. And that we did. It was a rather passionate night before we got to sleep.

The next morning I was up early and prepared a large breakfast, for Maggie, me and our guests. Danielle and the kids came filtering out of their bedrooms as the cooking smells wandered their way through the house. Laurie had slept with her mother, and Mark had had the second guestroom to himself. I wondered if there were just a few semen stains residing on his sheets after the show the girls put on last night in the hot tub.

Over breakfast, Maggie suggested taking us down to the hot springs. Danielle thought that was a great idea, but that she'd be perfectly happy just staying put and taking sun out on the deck, as she was still tired from the drive up from the Bay Area. I noted a wink in Maggie's eye and said I had some work to do, so would be staying home too, "to keep the wolves and bears away," as I smiled at Laurie. She didn't know whether to chuckle or be concerned for our safety, so ended up with a Mona Lisa smile on her face. I offered to clean up after breakfast, so Maggie and the kids took off, I tidied up the kitchen and Danielle went back to her bedroom to change for her sunbathing.

As I was headed for my den, Danielle came out of the bedroom wearing her two-piece, and I nodded toward her: "I don't know how much work I'll be getting done with such a lovely sight outside my window."

"I don't know how much work you want to get done," she commented," and moved past me down the hall to the deck.

As I sat down at my desk, Danielle stretched onto the lounger, turning onto her stomach, then releasing her top. For the next half-hour, I casually dealt with e-mail while glancing from time to time at this lovely lady adorning my deck. I hadn't seen her put on any suntan lotion, so of course, became concerned about her potential to burn. We're at a higher altitude here, so that's always a factor to consider. I just had to be a responsible host.

I closed down my system (well, the computer) and headed toward the deck.

"Danielle, did you get some lotion on you?"

"Oh! No, I hadn't thought about that. Probably a good idea. Do you have any handy?"