Chapter 15

After two weeks Brenda went back to work. I hired a nanny to watch Adam while she worked and she made a suggestion that we build a day care center for the paving company employees like we had done for our other company. I was in no position to refuse so I told her to work out the details and I would start the plan work and then start construction.

Brenda started work on the day care center and left a lot of her work to Paula to do. Paula had been with the paving company for about a year and she was an excellent worker and was growing in the job. She was always seeking more responsibility.

Paula was a very beautiful girl. She had a nice build but she seemed to always want to hide so that no one would see her. She seemed to be afraid of everyone. Brenda said that Paula never went out or even talked about a boyfriend. Every time I went to the paving company office Paula would take pains to avoid having to talk to me. I began to think that she either didn't like me or she was afraid of me.

I asked Brenda about Paula one night at dinner. Brenda didn't know what was wrong; she had noticed that Paula seemed afraid of everyone. She mentioned that she thought that Paula might have been abused as a child. Peggy told Brenda to invite Paula over for a cookout the next weekend and they could question her and find out if she had, in fact been abused.

At first Paula made apologies about the hundreds of things that she had to do on the weekend but Brenda kept hammering at her until Paula accepted her invitation. Brenda told us that Paula had asked several times if we really wanted her to come to the house. Paula began to drive Brenda nuts asking what she should wear and what she should bring. Brenda told her to just bring herself and be ready to swim. She told Paula that anytime after nine in the morning would be fine.

My parents agreed to take care of the kids for the weekend so that we could have some free time to ourselves. I'm sure that my parents know what's going on with Peggy, Brenda and me but they've never brought it up. I think that they are so happy to have grandchildren to spoil that they take them and not ask questions.

About eleven o'clock on Saturday morning Paula pulled into our long driveway in her old Hyundai. The smoke was pouring out of the tail pipe so much that I was afraid that she'd need oil to get back to Phoenix. When she got out of the car and hesitated I was afraid that she'd jump back in and rush back to Phoenix.

Peggy and Brenda came out to greet her and took her into the house with them to begin preparing the food and drinks for the cookout. She cast a quick glance at me and you could see the wheels turning... two women living in the same house with one man.

I found out later that Peggy and Brenda had put her to work preparing the vegetables for the salad tray. Paula asked about the living arraignments almost at once. Peggy and Brenda told her that it had been their idea, not mine, and that everyone was very comfortable with the arrangement. Paula worked on fixing the vegetables and didn't say much after that.

We all decided to go swimming for a while before starting the grill and Peggy suggested that Paula go to the bedroom so that she could change. Paula demurred that she didn't bring a bathing suit. Peggy wasn't having any of it and she got one of her's and insisted that Paula put it on. Peggy left while Paula put on the bathing suit.

Now, as I said, Peggy has a figure that most women would kill for. When Paula walked out of the bedroom we saw that Paula had a fabulous figure too. Her figure was always hidden by the bulky clothes that she wore at work. I whistled at her as she walked out onto the patio and she paled. I told her that I was sorry but she was so pretty that I couldn't help myself. Peggy and Brenda were already in the pool.

Paula sat in a chair next to the pool and resisted Brenda and Peggy's urging to get in the pool. After several minutes of coaxing they got out of the pool and sat down next to their guest. It wasn't until they started to get out of the pool that Paula realized that they were both swimming naked. She hurriedly turned her head to avoid looking at them. I watched from the house as they teased her for being so modest. Peggy told her that they rarely wore clothes in the hot tub or pool.

"What about Damon? Doesn't he... won't he... ?"

"If he says anything about it, we'll drag him into bed and fuck his brains out," Brenda laughed, "Seriously, he loves watching the two of us. I swear that man has a perpetual hard-on."

Paula was quiet for a long time. Brenda tried to engage her in conversation but it's hard having a conversation with someone that gives a one-word answer to everything you say.

I brought out a very large pitcher of screwdrivers with an extra splash of vodka and sat it on the table next to the chairs. Paula watched me as I talked for a minute with my wives. You could almost see the wheels turning in her head. I went back inside to fix the deviled eggs.

When I was out of ear-shot Paula turned to the women, "Damon, is he... I mean... does he... ?"

She couldn't bring herself to ask it so Peggy answered anyway, "We're both his wives. It was our decision not his. If he hadn't gone along with it we would have cut his balls off."

Paula was silent and just stared out at nothing. She turned to speak a couple of times but either couldn't get it out or she was afraid to ask it. She excused herself to use the bathroom. On her way to the bathroom she passed by me, in the kitchen, very quickly without looking at me. When she came back into the kitchen she hurried past me and went out to sit by the pool.

"Does our living situation make you uncomfortable?" Peggy asked.

It was a while before Paula answered, "No, not really; if you are the ones that decided that is. I was raised in a polygamist community in northern Arizona so I'm fine with it as long as you weren't forced."