Chapter 3

The next morning at four, Jeff's internal alarm woke him. Diana was lying with her head on his left shoulder, her leg thrown over his. Ann was snuggled similarly on his right side. Gently unwinding Diana, who appeared to be soundly sleeping, he then started to move Ann. In the dim light of the room, it took him a moment to realize her eyes were open.

"I need to get up for my run," he whispered in her ear.

Instead of moving away, she crawled onto his chest, her groin pushing against his morning hard-on. "Un uh, husband. I have a use for this before you go."

"But Baby, we..."

Ann lined the head of his cock with her entrance and pushed, forcing his disk into her tight tube. After several attempts, he was as deep as she could take him, his cock pushing hard against her uterus. Sitting up, she began an undulating motion that felt wonderful to him. Every now and then she would pull her hips back until his cock was almost out of her channel, then push back down, causing his dick to rub against her g-spot. After a few minutes, she got tired of slow and quiet, and went for fast and loud. That woke everybody up.

A little after six-thirty Doctor Boswell had just started the coffee maker going when the kitchen door opened and the girls filed through in animated conversation. Ann was saying: "Well, he made love to all of us last night, but he only came in every other one. When I woke up, he was nice and ready, and I decided to get my share. I was going to be quiet, but things just didn't work out that way..." Ann voice trailed off as she saw their teacher.

Diana was behind everybody else and didn't immediately see Boswell. "Nobody could sleep through that. You're almost as loud as Arlene. I don't think Jeff ever did get to pee."

"Oops!" Diana exclaimed when she saw Helen. Then laughing, "Ah, the heck with it, she's one of us. Good morning Helen."

When Helen responded, Diana nodded to Laura. "If you will take care of the steak, I'll get the eggs and potatoes. Melissa, how about starting the other coffee maker. Ann, get the juice and glasses. Arlene set the table. Jennie, why don't you get the sheets off the bed and into the washer — and leave Jeff alone, I think the poor man has lost five pounds since last night."

Everybody laughed, including Boswell, as Jennie made a moue and left, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

The production line kicked into gear. They were in a good mood, laughing, teasing and cutting up.

A little later, Boswell noticed all the women suddenly glance toward the door. A couple of seconds later, Jeff bumped it with his hand and walked through. That couldn't have been rehearsed. They knew he was going to be at that door, and they all knew it at exactly the same time. Then again, Diana was just starting to pour his cup of coffee, she looked up at the same time they all did, but I wonder if she knew a few seconds earlier. No matter. They all knew! And you certainly can't hear anyone walking in that hallway. How do they know?

Despite having just made love to all of them, as soon as he was seated and had taken a sip of coffee, he made time for each of them to sit in his lap, kiss and snuggle for a moment.

When things settled down a little, Jeff set his cup back on the table. "You're up early Helen."

"Yes, and I heard you were, too," she instantly responded.

Ann put a large platter of country-style potatoes on the table. "He certainly was."

Jeff desperately tried not to blush. I'm too damn old to blush. No one to blame but me. I set myself up for that one, but Boswell sure didn't hesitate. Maybe she will fit in around here.

Laura put his steak down. "Poor baby. Are they picking on you again?" she teased.

Jeff doused his steak liberally with sauce. "Yeah, I sometimes lead a hard life." He could see Boswell trying to hold back a grin.

Boswell raked a pile of potatoes onto her plate, and passed the platter on. "I've been ravenous since I woke up yesterday. I was back in here in the middle of the night raiding the refrigerator. I think I ate more yesterday than I usually do in a week."

"Well, you missed several meals while you were asleep. Also, you body needs to resupply the energy it used while you were healing. I was the same way after I..." Jeff suddenly stopped. After a couple of seconds, he cut another piece of steak and went on eating, saying nothing, his face expressionless.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a little while, and then everyone started talking at the same time. Boswell glanced at Diana, who nodded almost imperceptibly.

Helen, remembering what Diana and Laura told her about Jeff's conditioning, caught Laura's eye, changing the subject. "What kind of computers are we going to get today?" she asked, although she and Laura had already had a discussion about the systems.

Laura took a sip of coffee. "I called a couple of people I used to work with in Atlanta. One of them has a friend that is an IT manager for a fairly large company in Denver. So to make a long story short, I got in touch with this guy, and he gave me the name of two companies that he recommends that build computer systems. I had rather stay away from the big name, preassembled systems. Too often you buy a supposedly great system, only to later discover that they have used cheap no name components. Then when you call customer service to complain, you wind up talking, if you can call it that, with someone in India who can't understand what you are talking about, or refuses to do so, or else they promise you the moon, but you never get anything. When you call back, of course, you can't talk to that same person again, but get someone different, and the merry-go-round starts all over. It will cost a little more up front this way, but I can get the motherboards, processors, and other internal parts that I know will produce a good system.

"What I will guarantee, Helen, is that you will be very pleased. Jeff has told me to get top of the line systems, and I'm going to have a ball with his money." She winked at Jeff as she finished.

"It's your money too, Love. We're all married now."

Laura smiled at him. "Then we're going to spend a lot of our money today," she teased.

Jeff sat thinking, a bite of steak just speared with his fork. "Seven systems will take up a lot of room; we'll take the truck and the Escalade. I bought a canvas cover while we were at Wal-Mart the other day, plus some tie downs. I've also got some twine that I picked up out of the yard. The construction crew had used it while bringing up some of their materials. We'll stack the pickup as best we can, and put the cover over the computers. Hopefully there will be enough room in the Escalade for the rest. If not, two trips, or have the rest delivered. But I really think everything will go in the truck."

"Are you sure they will build them today? Helen asked."

Laura grinned at Helen. "For seven systems, and all the network stuff, they will build them today, particularly for a school. If they won't, we'll go to the other place. It really doesn't take long to put a system together, especially for someone who does it all the time."

A little later, Jeff had unhooked from the snowplow and taken the salt spreader off the new truck. Helen walked up to Jeff. "Who is riding with whom?"

"I haven't a clue. They always figure that out, and I have no idea what their system is."

Ann and Jennie climbed into the rear seat of the truck, nonchalantly chatting with each other.

"Well," Jeff said, chuckling as he helped Boswell into the high seat. "I guess now we know."

As they started off, following the Escalade, Boswell turned to the girls. "How did you decide who rode where?"

Alternating, they said:

"We just"

"decided to"

"ride with"

Then in unison, "our husband."

Laughing, Boswell asked, "Do you do that much?"

Before the girls could answer, Jeff said, "All the time, any two of them. Sometimes, all of them."

Jennie winked at Helen as she turned back toward Jeff.

Helen caught herself fighting a giggle. "Jeff, I think I've laughed, giggled, been amazed, and generally had more fun since I met your family than I have for the last year, maybe longer. Of course, I nearly died, also."

"Well, we'll have to make sure that doesn't happen again. But we've enjoyed your being with us, and hope you will stay for a long, long time."

Before Helen could comment further, they rounded the first curve below the house and she got a beautiful view of the abyss. The guardrail along the side of the driveway didn't look nearly tall enough to her. Why couldn't they live on a hill somewhere instead of a mountain? I'm not going to drive down this thing when it snows. I'm not going to ride down this thing when it snows.

She felt them turn onto the county road a few minutes later, and opened her eyes. She could see the smirk on Jeff's face.

"I don't like heights," she said. "I don't like heights. But I love that hotel you call a house. And once you get up that so-called driveway that has been cut out of the side of that vertical cliff, the property is absolutely breathtaking."

"It didn't take us long to fall in love with the place. And the cliff isn't quite vertical," he teased.

Jeff reached over and took a small portable radio out of a holder on the dash. "We mail-ordered these things a few days ago, and while we have played with them a little around the house, we haven't tried them in the vehicles yet. The cell phones don't work much in the mountains, as I'm sure you're aware, and these radios are supposed to have a range of five miles. It's frustrating when you can see the person in the other vehicle, but you can't talk to them on the cell."

Winking at Helen, he affected a voice something like a disk jockey on steroids, "Unit one to unit two."

After a few seconds Laura answered, laughing, "Go ahead unit one."

Jeff dropped the disk jockey voice. "Hey, these things sound pretty good."

Diana came back. "Hey Big Boy, wanna go out tonight?"

"You bet, Baby. Just to remind you, Helen and I are going to stop by the bank. I talked with the branch manager yesterday. He's supposed to have another account set up and ready for Helen to sign. Also he's ready for Laura's signature for our accounts. We'll meet you at the computer place as soon as we get out of the bank."

Laura came back on and agreed.

"I assume this is the school account you're talking about?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, I had rather write a check on the school account, to simplify the accounting. The school name won't be on the checks yet, but the computer dealer should be able to verify that the check is good, even with the starter checks. Heck, the local grocery store does that. Otherwise, we'll just use a debit card on our account, or a credit card, until the school checks are printed, and you get your cards and checks."

Jeff glanced at Helen as he slowed for a curve nearing the bottom of the mountain. "Does it bother you that I asked Laura to choose the systems? I just wanted the best, but I realize that you might not see it that way."

"Well, I guess it did, a little, when you first mentioned it. I'm certainly not computer illiterate, and I have lusted after a really nice computer or two for my classes — we always had to get by on outdated systems that were barely more than junk. But when you started talking about wanting everything top of the line, I saw your point. Also, Laura talked with me and got my input on what I wanted. After she upgraded everything I mentioned, I decided that I would be foolish to do anything other than sit back and watch. I will need software though. And I do have some strong opinions on that."

"Well, I think I can appease your wounded ego a little," he laughed. "Seriously, we'll stop by the computer place and see how things are going, after we get out of the bank. Then I'm going to take you to one of the big computer outlets, and let you loose in the software department. I expect you to spend some major money there. No 'get by' attitude; buy everything you can think of that you might need. If they don't have it, we'll order it off the net. I would like for all my wives to be at least functional with all of the major software on the market."

"Wow. Do you realize you just said?" Helen asked, looking hard at Jeff.

Melissa waved at them from the backseat of the Escalade. Jeff and Helen waved back. Jeff glanced in the mirror and noted that Ann and Jennie had put on earphones and were watching a movie on the DVD. Feeling confident that the girls couldn't hear him, he continued. "Yes, I do. When Diana suggested that I hire Laura for my assistant, I was a bit dubious. But the more I though about it, the more I realized that there was no rush. She doesn't have some of the skills that I need right now, but if she and Diana get back into school, well, one day soon she — they — will have those skills. And it doesn't have to stop there. The girls can have a technical education as well. They are all enthusiastic about it now. I don't know whether they will change their minds later or not, but I'm certainly going to give them every chance I can. And yeah, I know how much even one copy of the best CAD program costs, let alone license for seven — plus all the other software. But let's do it right."

"I think I've died and gone to Heaven," Helen sighed.

"Hey, Baby, you ain't seen nothin' yet," he teased in his best hillbilly accent. "We're going to the office supply place Tuesday — the bed is going to be delivered Monday. You are going to have a bigger, better desk than any college dean I have ever seen. And your students aren't going to be so very far behind you. We've got plenty of room — we might as well use some of it. By the way, the contractor and I doubled your classroom and office size."

"Jeff, I... don't even know what to say. This is a teacher's dream. That in itself is an understatement. But I don't need all this money spent on me. Buy the desks for the girls, but I don't need anything extravagant."

Jeff winked at Boswell as he followed Diana onto the state road. "Just think, a few weeks from now, you can invite Doctor Adams to drop by and check out your new school. I'll bet there are some other people you would like to show off to as well. You can mention the advanced classes the girls are in, and maybe show some of your software. With my having turned Laura loose in the candy store, so to speak, you can bet your system will be the envy of any IT manager who hears of it.

"I'm sure you've already worked on classes for the girls. Most of what you will be teaching them will be up to you and your judgement, of course. But obviously, I hope for a push toward the technical side."

Helen glanced in the back. "I know what you're hinting at, Jeff. From just being around the girls, I'm totally amazed that Ann and Arlene are still in high school. The other two are a year older, and the same goes for them. Surely they could have tested out by now. Someone in their old school system wasn't doing their job. The first thing I'm going to do is give all of them a battery of tests to see just where they are. I've already arranged to have their records faxed, but I suspect that they were bored with spoon-fed classes, and were just coasting. From what I've gathered from them, they all did their homework in class, and seldom brought any home."

A frown crossed Jeff's face. "Yeah. I've had to go to the school several times over the years, and I know Diana has several other times while I was traveling. Every time, it was a teacher complaining that Arlene didn't pay any attention in class. One of the teachers was furious that Arlene was doing homework from another class in her class. I can see the teacher's point, but Arlene made a hundred on every test in the lady's class. The teacher threatened to give Arlene an 'F' anyway, if she didn't, essentially, sit and look at her. I had to go to the principal on that one. Arlene said the teacher taught straight out of the book, and she had 'already read the book.' The principal backed the teacher until I threatened to call my lawyer. The teacher didn't even pretend to be civil to her the rest of the year."

Boswell sighed. "Unfortunately, that sort of thing happens all too often. And what is even worse, is that gifted students sometimes tire of the plodding pace, and refuse to do anything. More than one has flunked out of high school, taken the GED and then excelled in college. I guess teaching is just like any other field. There are a few really good teachers, a few really bad teachers, and a whole lot in between.

"I won't force the girls, at least not past a reasonable point, but I will challenge them. With the small class, I will be able to give help when it is needed, and direct them when that's needed. A teacher with twenty or thirty students in a class just doesn't have the time to do that. With a truly gifted student, that direction might well be at a tangent to their regular study materials. Unless I've truly misjudged, the girls are going to learn more in the next year than they have learned in several years, because they are going to have the opportunity to do so."

Jeff picked up the radio again. "Hey, Sweet Thing, I haven't had any coffee for at least thirty minutes," he joked. "How about stopping at the diner and getting a cup to go?"

There was a click, then a chorus of "Which Sweet Thing?"

Boswell looked over at Jeff. "That's a great way to get into trouble."

"Oh, well. I was always pretty good at sticking my foot in my mouth."

When Diana turned into the diner lot, Jeff parked beside her and cut the switch. "Hey," Jennie said as the power to the DVD shut down and she and Ann pulled their earphones off. "He had just dropped his pants."

Helen looked startled for a second, then her years of teaching kicked in. With a smirk on her face, "Maybe I need to confiscate your DVD and watch it tonight myself."

Both girls giggled and ran to catch up with the others, Jeff said, "You know they were just jerking your chain, there's nothing..."

"Jeff, I know. Remember I've been around teenagers for twenty-five years. Besides, if they weren't kidding, the movie might just be going back to my apartment tonight," she said, laughing and taking Jeff's arm as they walked toward the entrance.

Jeff couldn't decide whether Boswell was kidding of not.

A few minutes later, as they started to get back into the vehicles, Diana quipped, "Don't burn anything with that, Big Boy," referring to Jeff's large cup of coffee in the go-cup.

Jeff laughed, set the cup down, and helped Helen into the truck.

Jeff picked his cup up and got in, his long legs making the step up look easy, "What was that about?" Helen asked as the girls piled in and started the DVD.

Jeff backed out of the parking space, balancing the cup precariously as he eased the selector into drive.

"Here, let me hold that until you get back on the highway."

A few moments later, the truck was back up to speed. Jeff retrieved his coffee and took a sip. "Diana was referring to a coffee bath I took a few years ago. We had pulled through a Burger King takeout window. I got a large Styrofoam cup of coffee with a lid on it. I was going to pull over in the parking lot and put some creamer in the coffee, so I just set the cup between my legs. Someone came flying past and I had to stop hard. I felt a little wet in my lap, and I guess I thought the cup was going to turn over or something, so I unconsciously, squeezed a little harder with my legs. This squeezed more coffee out of the top of the cup. By the time I could get past the idiot that had just about run over us, I had a lap full — well, a groin full — of some of the hottest coffee on the face of this earth. Well, it certainly felt like it was. Of course, Diana's rolling in the floorboard didn't add a thing to the situation, as far as I was concerned. I swear, I can't get into a car with a cup of coffee that I don't remember that Burger King lot. I guess my pulling my pants down right there to look, might have had something to do with Diana's laughing, though."

"My shorts were soaked, and I was already bright red, like a bad sunburn. Then I had to try to figure out how to get my wet shorts off and my pants back on without going to jail. Diana took her jacket off and put it across my lap while I did a striptease in the driver's seat."

Helen was trying, none too successfully, not to laugh. "Did it peel?" she said, almost choking.