Chapter 17

Quietly entering the bedroom, he put the healer on a dresser. Not wanting to wake anyone, he got his running things out of the closet and quietly dressed — the gray outfit this time, since Diana had thrown the blood soaked running shorts away. Checking his pistol and inside holster, he noted that someone had given both a thorough cleaning. He also saw his watch laying on the dresser. Someone had cleaned the blood off it as well. As he finished tying his shoes, he felt the healer.

Turning to look at her sitting where he had just put her, he wondered if he really had felt anything. He could feel her mental touch if she were touching him, or very near, but she was all the way across a large room.

{{{? }}}

Faint, but it was there. He quickly walked over and picked her up, placing her on his shoulder again.

{{{?? }}} Louder this time.

Suddenly, for a moment, there was a clear, intense contact. {{{ I wish to go with you on your exercise excursion, }}} she sent in picture/emotion/concepts.

Now what? Why would she want to go with me? She's a healer. Why should she want to go on a run? Surely, she can't see what's going on?

When he got only jumbled response, frustrated, he stretched out on the bed on his back, careful to not wake his wives, and freed his mind. Sleep or the trance-like state she helped him enter, engulfed him.

{{{ Suddenly, his mind was inundated with images and concepts that he eventually interpreted as: I wish to examine more of my immediate environment. I will go with you on your exercise excursion. I do not see as you do. My senses encompass far more than yours. In addition, I can use the input from your eyes to more readily understand your environment the way you sense it. I have been assimilating the interchanges between your mates and yourself while I have been restoring your body. If there are more of those "bears," I need to eliminate them. }}}

Uh, Little One, bears are somewhat protected. They can be hunted, I think, under limited conditions. You have to have a permit, and do the hunting at a certain time of the year, in certain places. Things like that. I'm not familiar with the hunting laws here yet, since I'm not a hunter, but unless we're attacked, we can't just go out and "eliminate" the bears. Jeff repeated himself, while trying to send images with his mind.

{{{ Intense emotions and images: Frustration — non logic. If one comes near, I will eliminate it! Logic! }}}

Little One, bears do not normally attack humans. My running by it probably triggered some sort of chase reflex. It saw me as prey since, in its mind, I was running from it. If things had happened differently, I would have had time to stand my ground, make noise, maybe even fire my gun into the ground to show the bear I wasn't prey. Then again, this could have been an aggressive bear that was just plain going to kill me. He sure was past the reasoning stage when I saw him charging me.

Jeff didn't know how much the healer understood, but he repeatedly sent the concepts until: {{{ Vivid, explicit images: Bears need to be eliminated! }}} it insisted.

Jeff willed himself to full consciousness and sat up. He pulled his tee-shirt up and placed the healer on his shoulders, where she quickly spread out, then stopped communicating. He grinned a little as he quietly left the suite, realizing that the healer's "logical" decision was very close to that of his wives, who now wanted to get a rifle an escort him every time he even mentioned leaving the house. As far as they were concerned, a good bear was a dead bear, because one had almost killed their husband. Simple — no bears, no threat.

Jeff stopped by the kitchen to leave a note for Wainwright, Margaret, Evie and Dave, got a drink of water, and went out the back door. Despite his admonishments to the healer, he felt some apprehension as he walked down the drive and left the glow of the outside lights behind him. The sky was overcast, and the moon either had gone down, or was in a dark phase, since there was little ambient light.

No stars, no moon, overcast. I shouldn't be able to see without a flashlight, but I can make out the road very well, and a little of the surrounding area. Only a couple of months ago, I used to run with the flashlight on, unless it was a clear night and the moon was up. Have you done something to my eyes, Little One? There was no answer. Mentally shrugging, he increased his walking pace.

I feel just fine. No reason I can't jog a little. My arm isn't all the way back, strength-wise yet, but the rest of my body feels strong this morning. Almost without thought, he changed to a jog. Five minutes later, his body almost crying out to be unleashed, he increased his pace to half his usual running speed.

A little later, he came to the area where the bear had attacked. Slowing to a jog, he glanced over the side of the road, knowing from the smell that the bear carcass was near. Seeing the mound at the bottom of the slope, he realized that his memory hadn't exaggerated the size of the bear. Regaining his pace, he continued. Realizing that FFA had already kicked in, he unconsciously increased his pace again. Hearing the slap, slap, slap of his shoes, he concentrated on putting his feet down properly, quieting the sound and smoothing out his pace.

After a while, his internal clock kicked in, and he glanced at his watch. Thirty minutes; time to turn. I promised Diana I would be out only an hour. As he turned and started back, the feeling of well-being intensified, and he brought his pace up, yet again.

Thank you, Little One. I love to do this, and when that bear hit me with his claws, I thought I would never be out here again. And I wouldn't be, without you. Even if I had somehow survived, I would have been a cripple. No arm, or an arm mangled so badly it would never move again. I owe my life to you. Thank you.

{{{ Uninterpretable thoughts and feelings. Your mates are the reason you are alive. I did what I was meant to do, }}} he clearly received.

Why can I understand her now — well at least part of what she said? The last was very clear. Then suddenly, it hit him. FFA. His body had shifted into FFA (Free Fatty Acid metabolism. (A runner's high, where a runner's mind free associated much easier). Well, I guess that's progress. Now all I have to do is run down the road for fifteen minutes whenever I need to talk to her. He laughed out loud at his own weak joke.

{{{ Amusement! }}}

Jeff was halfway up the drive before he forced himself to walk down. Entering the house, he went into the kitchen and started the coffee makers, then headed for the shower. As he walked by the bed, he leaned over an blew a raspberry right on Arlene's clit while she was still sound asleep, her pretty mouth slightly open. That started things off, and he soon had four girls chasing him into the shower, where he wanted them, anyway.

Withing minutes, Arlene was hanging onto one of the handholds on the shower wall while he serviced her pussy from behind.

Oh, shit, Dad that's sore. Oh, go easy. But she kept slamming her hips back at him, in contradiction to her admonishments. With a wail, she came for the third time, and her legs lost their strength. Jeff was forced to hold her until Jennie could assist. Then Melissa pushed her ass up to him, and it continued.

After the shower was finally finished, and they were dressed and halfway to the kitchen, Melissa suddenly grabbed her pussy and stopped. "Uh oh," she proclaimed, and took off for the suite.

"Use a tampon like I did," Ann called after her, laughing.

Later, Jeff, looking a little shell-shocked, walked into the kitchen, still surrounded by giggling girls. Evie and Dave were seated at the table eating breakfast, while the others stood around drinking coffee and chatting. Jeff and the girls greeted everyone, then Jeff sat at his usual place at the table while Doctor Boswell, walking stiff legged, brought coffee to him. Putting it down, she motioned for Jeff to slide his chair back. As soon as he had complied, she sat down and snuggled her breasts to him, curling up in his lap.

Jeff hugged her and kissed the top of her head, as Evie, Dave, Frank and Margaret stopped what they were doing and looked. Helen, ignoring them, rose up, took Jeff by the neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. A full half-minute later, she pulled back from his lips and said, "Thank you."

Frank, remembering the demanding doctor that had lectured him on Saturday, snapped his hanging mouth shut. Evie and Margaret both had flushed faces, but they were grinning from ear to ear. Dave just grinned.

Diana, after gaining eye contact with each of the wives, called Helen's name. When she looked around at them, they all said in unison, "Welcome to the harem."

Shortly, there was not a dry eye among the women, and Dave and Frank suddenly decided that they had to get up and refresh their coffee, but they didn't fool anybody.

Arlene looked over at Doctor Boswell, "Wow, you mean you got by without the hot tub and the... uh..."

There was a moment of stillness until everybody figured out what she meant, then they were all laughing. Helen, whose face turned even redder than it usually was when she was embarrassed, said, "No, we got up early, and I sat in the hot tub for almost an hour. And I've done the other as well," she finished.

After a moment, Jeff interjected. "Well, I'm famished. What say we adjourn to Winter Park and get a big breakfast?"

"Oh, you're famished are you?" Margaret teased. That started the laughter again. Jeff looked startled for a second, then laughed along with the rest.

"I meant from my run this morning," he said, laughing, then hugged Helen to him again. Looking over Doctor Boswell's shoulder, he continued, talking to Dave and Evie. "I also meant for you two to come with us. Didn't I put that on the note?" he asked, eyeing their plates.

"We would love to, Jeff" Dave said, still chuckling. "But Evie and I have a ton of things to get done this morning, so we just went ahead and fixed breakfast for ourselves."

Diana turned toward them. "Okay, we'll let you slide, this time. But remember that forty-hour workweek. And last week you went way over, so you need to take a day off during the middle of the week, or take a long weekend to make up for it. Nothing we're doing has to be done instantly." Then looking at Evie, Diana continued, "Evie, I mean it. Make sure he takes time off," she said nodding at Dave. "Surely your crew bosses can get by for a day without you."

Dave looked uncomfortable, glanced at Jeff, who suddenly became intently interested in talking to Helen, who was still sitting on his lap. Looking back at Diana, the kitchen growing quiet, the girls grinning, Dave said, "Uh, Diana. I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but Evie and I just took a new job. I've got to get everything squared away with Korey..."

Diana walked around the table and motioned for Dave to slide his chair back. When he did, a questioning look on his face, Diana shocked him by sitting in his lap. Dave looked almost petrified, glancing furtively at Jeff, who studiously ignored what was happening, continuing to talk quietly with Helen.

"Dave," Diana sweetly said, fighting not to grin. "I'm boss bitch around here. Now, as long as the boss bitch is happy, well... everyone else is happy. Now, how am I going to be happy, when by your own admission," she said, stretching a point, "you've already worked yourself almost to death." (Referring to his heart problems — now nonexistent.) "You two helped keep my husband alive. You're family now, like it or not. Plus, you feel like family. I don't work my family to death. We've had to work all of our lives. I'm not telling you to shirk your new job, just to take a day off for all the extra work you did last week, and all the stress that was piled on, as well. Since you're family, you had better start acting like it. Okay?" she finished, smiling as she hugged first Dave then standing, hugged Evie as well.

"Better give up, Dave," Jeff said as he and Doctor Boswell stood. "It's easier in the long run. Besides, she's right a disgusting amount of the time," he chided, winking at Diana, who smirked at him.

As they walked out the back door, Laura said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Jeff, we don't want to have to speak to you about making love to the waitress this time."

Jeff in the lead, kept walking, but the back of his neck turned red. Laura continued, "If you pick up where you left off, she'll be on her hands and knees with her butt in the air in about five minutes."

Frank turned to Margaret and quietly asked, "Do you know what she's teasing him about?"

"Not a clue. Why don't you ask?" Margaret responded with a grin.

"Nope. One woman is enough for me. I'm not going to get that herd down on my ass again," he answered, holding the rear door of the Expedition open for her.

"Chicken!"

"Damn straight," he answered, absolutely serious as he closed the door and walked around to the other side to get in.

As everyone filed into the hotel restaurant, Margaret whispered to Frank, "Notice the shoulder purses? They're all so similar. I can't imagine why they would do that?"

Frank, glad to be up on something ahead of Margaret, answered, "Well, I was leaning on the kitchen counter a little while ago, and moved Ann's purse over a little to get it out of the way. I realized that the purse was a hell of a lot heavier than it had any right to be, so I peeked. There's a holster built right in the center of the purse. You just push the gun in from the end, and the purse closes up right over the weapon. Every damn one of these women is armed, and I'll bet it wouldn't take a heartbeat for all of them to have those Glocks of theirs in their hands. This Cheetwood, or whatever the fuck his name is, is going to wind up dead if he messes with any of them. Count on it."

The greeter was talking to a customer for a couple of seconds as the group walked up. Turning around, his standard spiel ready on his lips, he froze. The harem was in battle dress this morning, all in heels, Laura and Diana with theirs a little taller, skirts a couple of inches above the knee, all elegantly and obviously expensively dressed, not to mention so many beautiful women in one place. He couldn't seem to count how many of them there were.

Jeff came to his rescue: "Ten, nonsmoking. I called ahead; there should be a conference room waiting for us."

Tearing his eyes away from the women to focus on Jeff, he got it together well enough to say, "Uh, yes sir. Right this way sir," then stumbled over his feet as he led the way to the room.

"Must be a bitch trying to walk and look over your shoulder at the same time," Wainwright sarcastically said out of the corner of his mouth to Margaret, as the greeter almost walked into a waitress. Chuckling in response, she bumped his side with her elbow.

Doctor Boswell saw people she knew, and she and Diana peeled off the group to talk to Boswell's friends. "Just order the breakfast bar for us, Jeff," Diana called as everyone else continued on down the hall.

By the time Helen and Diana were through talking to Helen's friends, most of the group had already gotten their food and were sitting at the big table, the door to the room closed for privacy. Melissa and Jeff had been kidding back and forth, and the kidding had turned into flirting.

When Helen and Diana walked in, Melissa's face was flushed, she was sitting up straight, her breasts pushed out, and the rest of the women weren't far behind, including Margaret.

Diana, feeling the pheromones, and maybe something else, hit her as she entered the room, walked over to Jeff where he sat at the head of the table. Putting her hand on his back, just below his neck, she felt the healer under his shirt. Quietly in Jeff's ear, she asked, "Is that the healer I feel stretched across your shoulders?"

"Yeah, she wanted to come," Jeff answered.

"Hmmm, that's interesting. But you need to cut down on the pheromones before those waitresses get back to refresh our drinks. Plus, look at Margaret," she whispered in his ear, nodding discretely to where Margaret sat, almost on display, just as the girls were.

"Right now," Diana continued, still looking at Margaret, "she's teasing Frank, but if you don't cut it down, I'm afraid she'll make it obvious who she's preening for."

Jeff looked around at the women. "Are you sure, Baby? We were just having fun. I don't think I had anything to do with it. Heck, they're my wives."

"Jeff, would you just shut up, and do what Diana says before those waitresses get back," Laura whispered in the other ear. "I left the door open when we came in, but the greeter closed it just after that. If you keep on with this, we'll all be lying on the table with our skirts around our waists. Just trust Diana on this."

Jeff, for the first time since entering the room and getting his food, really looked at the women. Shit! They all look like they're in heat. Did I do that? It can't be, he wondered.

"Get up and go to the bathroom for five minutes, Baby," Diana hissed at him. "And don't flirt with anyone when you get back. I'll see if I can't keep the damn door open long enough to clear this place out. And get sex off your mind if you don't want a scene with a waitress, or Margaret," she admonished as he got up to leave, but squeezed his shoulder for a second, realizing her words were harsher than she had meant them to be.

"What's all the whispering?" Wainwright teased. "Don't tell me you have another big secret you're keeping from us," he said, half serious.

Diana laughed at him as she and Laura turned to head for the breakfast bar. "No, we've already told you our biggest secret. Then again, maybe it wasn't our biggest secret," she laughed, following Helen out the door.

Wainwright had noticed the girls flirting with Jeff of course, but was a little amazed that Margaret was doing almost the same thing with him. Damn, he laughed to himself, we spent half the night fucking. Now she's rubbing my leg under the table. I'm going to have to get the recipe for those shakes. My dick hasn't gotten up that many times in one night since I was twenty-five. But if she doesn't quit with the hidden hand routine, I'm going to have a hard-on and not be able to get up to go get a plate of fruit to go with my food. Crap, what's happened to her? She never does anything in public.

A few minutes later Jeff came back, and immediately started talking to Frank about the fortress. Everyone enjoyed the meal, bantering back and forth, but there were no more sexual innuendoes, or flirting from Jeff. Both waitresses managed to touch him, but made it look like just accidental brushing up against him.

Although most of the shops and outfitters catered to winter ski wear, they did manage to find enough jeans and sport clothes to tide Frank and Margaret over until they could get to Denver or Boulder. On the way back home, they stopped at a small western wear store about ten miles out of Winter Park. In addition to clothing, they had a large selection of boots, from ultra fancy to work-style.

The owner, realizing that she was shooting over a baited field, dragged out catalogues with other items that she could order, but didn't have room to keep in stock.

Two hours later, the Expedition and the Escalade were stuffed with packages. Everyone had bought an assortment of items, even Jeff. The store owner had their address, and told them she would have the ordered items delivered.

Standing in the doorway, waving as the vehicles left, she realized that she had just sold more than she normally would sell in two weeks time, and that didn't even include all the ordered items. Yeah, she thought, I'll see that your stuff is delivered. Guaranteed. Because I'm going to deliver it myself. Fred is just going to have to get off his butt and keep the store for a few hours. These folks are going to get the personal touch. I want them to come back, and maybe bring some of their rich friends with them.

Starting back inside, she headed for the phone to call her suppliers. She was going to get everything in here in the next two days or she was going to raise some hell.

After they parked in the back, the women and girls, giggling, headed into the house to try on their new clothes. Jeff caught up with Frank and Margaret, both laughing, as they headed for their suite. "If you guys are ready, put on one of your new outfits and meet me in the conference room I showed you earlier," he said. "I've got it set up for shooting class. We'll spend some time on safety, and dry firing, then get you out on the range. We can spend a couple of hours this morning, then have another class late this afternoon. That should bring you up to speed enough to get you in the same class as the girls tomorrow morning, if it doesn't rain."

"Sounds like a winner," Frank said, grinning. "We're looking forward to this. We'll be back as soon as we can get changed."

About thirty-five minutes later, Jeff looked up from the computer where he had been playing on the internet, as the door opened. Frank and Margaret walked in, Frank looking a little sheepish, but Margaret was smiling with that special look on her face.

Jeff stared for a second, then leaned back in his chair and guffawed, continuing until there were tears rolling down his cheeks. "Hell, I thought you guys were trying on clothes," he managed to gasp out.

"Well, it's not that funny," Wainwright groused.

"Laura is going to have to patent those shakes," Margaret laughing, joined Jeff, not embarrassed at all. "And I want to be her first customer," she added, flopping down in a chair and pulling Frank down beside her.

Jeff knew that the healer had a bit to do with their increased sexual desire, since their bodies were now healthier. He picked up the phone and punched in the number for the living room. Arlene answered with, "Jeff's harem. We spread um, he plugs um."

Trying not to laugh, he admonished, "Baby, the call could have been some of the construction people upstairs. I..."

"Oh, don't be silly, Daddy. I knew it was you."

Hesitating a second, realizing that she probably did know it was him, he continued, "Sorry, Baby. I guess you did know it was me. Could we..."

"Mamma is making it now. She'll be there with it in a few. Love you, Dad," she giggled, hanging up.

Sometimes I think I'm about three steps behind them, no matter what I do. Turning back to Margaret and Frank, he continued aloud, "We've got coffee coming. Now let's get you two familiar with the way the Glock works, and breaks down. Then we'll start on safety, dry firing, and range rules."

Both of them were looking at him very strangely. "What?" he said, drawing the word out, realization dawning.

Margaret and Frank glanced at each other. "Do you know how odd your end of that conversation sounded?" Margaret asked, a slight grin on her face.

"Yeah, I guess it did sound a little weird," he tried to laugh it off, knowing where the conversation was headed.

"And do you know that Frank and I came back to this conference room last night around two in the morning? Frank stayed in the hallway, and I came inside, closed the door and yelled. He couldn't hear me. We swapped places. When he was the loudest, and I had my ear pressed to the door, I could barely make out some sound — but not enough to understand him. Then we tested the intercom, although, since Frank designed the system, we knew it, at least originally, could not be turned on remotely. It still can't, except to receive announcements. There was, as Doctor Boswell stated, no way that Laura and Diana could have heard Boswell when she became pissed at Frank. Yet they knew she was pissed.