Chapter 23

As they walked down the hall, Jeff still wearing his rig, Evie rounded the corner. Stopping as they approached, she put her hands on her hips, "Well, hi there cowboy," she brightly said, smiling from ear to ear.

Jeff glared at her and turned toward their suite.

"Oops," Evie said as she half giggled, then stifled it with her hand. Turning to Laura and Diana, she said, "I guess I said the wrong thing, huh?"

"Yeah," Diana sarcastically said, "He's just trounced a couple of world records with a single action revolver, and he's pissed."

"Oh," Evie said with a grin. "I guess that would piss anybody off," she laughed, stretching out the word.

"Jeff just came face to face with his Alpha Male self, and they're not getting along too well right now," Laura added, a grin starting on her face from just being around Evie's good mood.

"Well, that certainly clears everything up, nicely," Evie laughed. "Uh, other than that, how are the wedding preparations going? I'm free to help now."

"Come on," Diana broke in, "Lets go sit down. I'm still tired from the flight back. I was going to take a nap, but I haven't made it yet, and it doesn't look like there's time now."

They, seemingly, automatically turned into the kitchen, where they discovered that someone had just put on two fresh pots of coffee. They got cups and waited a moment for the maker to finish. When it did, Evie grabbed a carafe and poured for all of them. They sat at the table as Diana reached for the phone.

"I've got to make sure that the caterer is still..."

"Whoa, girl," Evie said, motioning for Diana to wait a minute. "You don't have to do a thing. Margaret took over one of the offices near their suite. She took your plans and numbers, and has everything going just like you started. I talked to her a few minutes ago, and she just got off the phone with the caterers and the flower people that you lined up. The flowers will be here by five, and she even made sure that they sent the same people as last time so they wouldn't have any trouble finding us. The woman is a house afire. She even has Frank stepping and fetching," she grinned.

"Since you're using the same caterers that Mr. Wainwright recommended, she knows them, and they know her. She told me to tell you she wasn't trying to take over or change any of the plans that you made, she was just going to make sure things came together so you could rest, if you needed to."

Laura and Diana looked at each other and laughed. Turning back to Evie, Diana said, "I got on the phone and confirmed with the caterers and the flower people as soon as we got home this morning. They're probably getting tired of people calling by now," she laughed, "but they surely can't say they weren't reminded."

Margaret walked in, got a cup of coffee and sat with them. Fixing her coffee while everyone chatted, she said, looking at Diana and Laura. "Please don't be mad at me, but I just talked to the services. I know you already did earlier today, but since we recommended them, I was a little worried that they would..."

Diana put her hand on Margaret's. "Chill out. I'm not mad. Evie already told us. I appreciate it. The stress of the last thirty-six hours, plus two nights of sleep on an airplane have about worn us out. My husband is stretched tight as a drum, and this is his wedding night..."

Margaret smiled a little as she interrupted, "Somehow, that sounds odd, even though I know what you mean. I guess I still can't believe that you condone your husband marrying other women. I would cut Frank's balls off if he suggested bringing another woman to our bed, and we're not even married."

Diana looked amused for a second. "A couple of months ago, I would have felt the same way. We're going to have to have a long girl talk, soon. Believe it or not, I'm not pimping my husband." As Margaret started to object, Diana touched her hand. "I know. I know. I didn't mean it like that. I guess it's been my day to start my mouth running, then disengage my brain.

"In addition to stressing my husband about a possible pregnancy tonight, I just had to stress him over something else," she sarcastically said. "But damnit, he just keeps on insisting that he's just your average Joe, and it's time he woke up to the fact that he really is an Alpha Male."

At Margaret's blank look, Laura broke in. "The short of it is that Helen isn't on birth control. She has an appointment with a doctor, but that's of no practical use to her right now. She's just finished her period, so tonight should be all right; however, Arlene brought up another concern. How long does an Alpha Male's sperm live?"

Margaret put it together. "Oh," she said, then "Oh... You've got a problem. But can't you use... ?"

Diana put her cup down. "That isn't an option, and neither is the next thing you're going to suggest. We'll tell you why tomorrow, but it's a private thing right now. After tomorrow morning, provided there is a wedding tonight, we'll give you the details why we don't want to use either of those two methods, or anything else, as far as that is concerned."

"And if there is a pregnancy... ?"

"There is going to be a problem," Laura answered. "We haven't ironed out who is going to be first to have Jeff's child, but it is going to be planned. We don't want it to be an accident. We all want to be there and know that our husband is impregnating our sister-wife at that moment. We want to be as close to her as we possibly can be, both physically and mentally, for that very, very special time.

"We all get along really well; our Alpha Male would not have it any other way. We don't want to let him down, but... we haven't decided this, yet. We have decided — all of us — that it's too soon to start dropping babies. Plus we want the threat to be behind us before we complicate our lives any more than they already are."

"So, are they not going to consummate their marriage tonight?"

"We don't know," Diana and Laura said in unison, then after eye contact to see who would talk, Diana continued, "Jeff is going to try to communicate with the healer that we want her to keep Helen from getting pregnant tonight. I need to go talk with her and see if she has any more thoughts on the subject. She was berating herself earlier for not having thought of this thing about Jeff's sperm, herself. I guess it's embarrassing for a genius to have a sixteen-year-old girl think of something like this first," she finished with a chuckle.

Margaret leaned back in the chair, a musing tone in her voice, "Well, I guess there isn't exactly a book on Alpha Males where you can look up things like this."

Standing, Diana said, "No, but I wish there were. I'm going to talk to Helen. I don't know how long Jeff will be. He told us he would have to be nearly asleep to converse with the healer in detail. They have learned to communicate on some things with her just on his shoulder, but more involved or detailed things require him to do something else. Exactly what, I don't really know. Although he said that he has carried her running with him, and after a few miles, he can 'hear' her thoughts better than he can at other times, except when he's nearly asleep."

Margaret stood as well. "When are you going to start decorating? We're all ready to help."

Diana paused on the way out the door. "We've got everything ready. Let's just wait for the flowers to arrive, and the delivery people can just put them in the living room, and the few others in the small dining room. We'll get the men to move the furniture away from the window. All the other stuff is in the closet nearest the living room. It won't take long. We're modest with the decorating."

As she turned and started out the door, she noticed the pilots turning into the living room. Margaret having obviously noticed them as well, said to Laura and Diana, "You guys go on and be with Helen. Those two look like they have been ridden hard and put up wet. I'll get some coffee and food into them. Frank and I will take care of the visitors; just do whatever you have to do for your wedding. We'll have dinner for everyone else in one of the conference rooms."

Evie broke in with, "Why not just feed everyone in our apartment, then we'll all be out of the Matthew's hair. Is that all right with you Diana?"

Diana laughed. "Have at it girl. That way we won't be bumping into each other in the kitchen when the caterers come. We would really appreciate it," she finished, looking at Laura, who nodded her approval.

Relief on her face, Diana said, "Thanks you two. Oh, and please tell everybody, in case I've screwed up and forgotten to tell some of them, that we will have a private meal for Jeff and Helen at seven, served by all the wives in the small dining room. Then we will all walk together to the living room at eight where we will say our vows in front of everyone.

"Also, in the morning at eight, everyone can watch Jeff bring her from the honeymoon suite to the kitchen in his arms. But we have a short... uh, ceremony in the kitchen, that is private. After that, Jeff will carry her to the hot tub. All the women are then welcome to be with us there. The men are welcome to visit with Jeff in the kitchen and eat breakfast with him while we're in the hot tub, if they like. Trust me, he will be hungry, and we will leave one of the wives there to cook for them," she finished.

Diana and Laura took off down the hall, but just before they reached the corner, Jeff rounded the corner behind everyone. Diana and Laura stopped as if they had dropped anchor. Spinning around, they looked back past Evie and Margaret at Jeff, who had the healer sitting on his shoulder. Jeff raised his right hand, thumb and index finger together to form the high sign as he grinned at them. "Everything is fine," he said in a voice that should not have carried that far, but obviously Diana and Laura understood him.

"YES!" they yelled, then took off toward the honeymoon suite trying to run, laugh and hold each other at the same time.

Margaret and Evie looked at each other. "I guess we're goin' to have a weddin'," Margaret said in her best fake Texas drawl.

"I'm going to take a nap," Jeff announced to no one in particular, as he turned back toward the suite.

Margaret looked at Evie, both of them grinning from ear to ear. "Let's get some coffee and a snack into those pilots, and find out where the girls put Fred to bed for his nap."

"Okay, then we can fix a bunch of burgers, and a few side dishes, put it all on the table, let everyone help themselves, and eat in my living room while we watch TV, or something. I'll call the honeymoon suite and tell them to let us know when they're ready to decorate."

"Sounds like a plan," Margaret answered turning back into the kitchen for the coffee and snacks.

Jeff awakened as Diana sucked hard on his dick. When she realized that he was awake and looking at her, she pulled her mouth back and licked the head with slow, gentle swipes of her tongue. Eventually, she winked at him and slid up to kiss him, then did her usual to get the pressure relieved in her breasts. When the orgasms were over, Diana, still lying on his chest, said, "Time to get ready to marry your resident genius."

He gently kissed her, then looking into her eyes, said, "Helen might score a little higher on an IQ test than you, My Lovely, but none of us are fooled about who is the smart one in this house. Scores on tests, and wisdom, aren't necessarily the same thing."

"Oh, sure," she sarcastically said, "I showed just how much 'wisdom' I had when I couldn't even derail Jack..."

"Hush, Beautiful," Jeff said, "Jack simply, or not so simply, was lucky enough to exploit a weakness, and in doing so," he said, gently tweaking her left nipple, "he wound up showing us what you needed." He kissed her again, running his tongue along her lips as he gently pulled and manipulated her nipple with his fingers. As he knew she would, her eyes lost focus, her breathing changed, she shivered, and came, hard.

A few moments later as they helped each other to their feet, Jeff said, "What, no shake tonight?"

Diana followed him as he walked into the shower area. "We thought about it, but since you haven't had any type of sex for the last two nights, we were a little afraid to get you even more stirred up with one of those shakes. I suspect that poor Helen is going to be walking stiff-legged for several days as it is."

Jeff stopped and looked at Diana. "You know that I'm not going to hurt her. That remark almost hurts my feelings. I had to be very gentle with the girls, but..."

"... But you're putty in their hands. Look what you let Arlene talk you into. I thought we were surely going to have to use the healer on her, and probably should have. And if you think for one minute that our resident genius is going to lie there and fake death on her wedding night, you're wrong. Since she's around those girls all the time, I'm afraid that she's going to push you on her wedding night just like they did. And Helen is probably smaller inside than any of us. At least that's the impression I got when you made love to her in her apartment."

Jeff, becoming exasperated, said, "Hey, you were the one that was trying to get your pussy swollen even beyond Arlene's..."

"I know. I know, Jeff. But we expounded on our sore pussy routine to her, and she's becoming so close to the girls, and with her intelligence, there is no telling what she has planned for you. Oh, I don't know. I just want everything to be..."

Jeff grabbed her and kissed her — hard. "Hush, my wife," he quietly said, kissing her eyes. "I'm just as uptight as you, but probably for other reasons. It isn't reasonable for Helen to fall so in love with me and want to become wife number seven — especially, in just a few weeks.

"With what just happened on that range, and the other things, well, I just don't know. I feel the same. Well, maybe I have felt a little different in the last couple of years, and there's no use denying that I've grown a couple of inches in height. I lift more than I ever have, and realizing that I'm faster than those other people that have practiced for years... I don't know why this is happening to me. It... bothers me.

"I guess the old adage about not looking a gift horse in the mouth applies. I should just go with it and not worry about anything else, but..."

Diana tightly hugged him, then looked up into his face. "You were always this way Jeff. You just refused to compete, except in the competition shooting with the cops. Even then, you only shot good enough for your team to win. I think you always knew that you were different. But this is a discussion for another time.

"Now, back to tonight. Just be careful with her. Although she's deeply in love with you, she was deeply in love with Martha and John. This wedding can't help but bring memories back. She has to have a near photographic memory with her intelligence. Those deaths may not be as remote for her with that memory as they would be for some people.

"I'm just worried about her. My beautiful Alpha Male, his pheromones and whatever else he uses to call his females to him have overwhelmed her. Don't forget about what happened in the living room when you were hurt. We couldn't leave you, not to say anything about when the bear attacked you. So just be extra careful with her, please."

Diana kissed him, stroked his rigid cock a couple of times, knelt to kiss the head for a moment, then standing, she said, "I love you my darling. Make me proud, Husband." Turning, shoulders back, she walked regally toward the door.

"I love you two," he said to her retreating back.

She grinned over her shoulder and winked at him. Then was gone.

Jeff turned the shower on and tried to concentrate on mundane things, hoping his dick would go down enough for him to pee.

A little later, his shower and shave finished, he walked into the bedroom expecting to find Arlene waiting for him. His clothes were laid out on the bed as he expected, but instead of one person there, there were four. Arlene, Ann, Jennie and Melissa "helped" him dress with the result that his dick was now hard as a rock again.

When they were done with their teasing, the three filed out leaving him alone with Arlene. He tied his tie and turned for her inspection. She grinned at him and stepped close. After inspecting to see that none of them had left any lipstick, she slid his hand inside the front of the dress to cup her braless breast. "Make her walk funny, Dad," she whispered, then leaned up to gently touch her lips to his. Taking his arm, smiling, her chest out, she walked with him out of the suite into the hallway.

As they made the last turn, he stopped and looked at his bride standing, alone, at the other end of the hall. She, as they all had done, was carrying a small bouquet of flowers. Even from here, he could see the smile on her face. Arlene nudged him. As they got closer, he critically looked at Helen's face and thought, Maybe it is because the healer was used so much on her, but I've noticed, almost daily, that she looks younger. At most, I would guess her to be thirty-five. And she's even more beautiful than when we saw her the first time in that restaurant. Why would a genius want to marry me?

As they stopped, Arlene squeezed his arm, and he took the last two steps alone. "Would you accompany me to dinner, My Lady?"

"Certainly," Helen said, taking his arm, then added with an almost teasing tone to her voice, "My Alpha Male."

Melissa served the wine this time. As she left, Helen took a sip, put the glass down and asked, "Jeff, where did you get this wine?"

"Uh, we don't know a lot about wine. Well, actually, I know nothing. I've looked in the wine cellar once since we've been here, just exploring. There are hundreds of bottles in there, and many different kinds. I assume Diana, or Laura, chose. Is it okay?"

Helen had an odd look on her face. "John, Martha and I drank a little wine when we could afford a really nice restaurant, usually about once a month. We read about, and to some small extent explored a few wines, but we could never afford something like this," she said, taking another sip.

Jeff took another sip as well, and looked at his newest wife-to-be. "I like the taste, but, as I said, I have absolutely no knowledge of wines. Are you saying this is expensive?"

Helen laughed. "Jeff, if a real wine connoisseur could hear us, they would probably have a stroke. If I remember correctly," she said, turning the bottle to read the label again, "this sells for more than eight hundred dollars a bottle, probably nearer a thousand. I can't believe Mr. Wainwright would leave his stocked wine cellar when he sold you this place. Didn't he even mention it?"

"Nope," Jeff said. "Things got to moving pretty fast there at the end, and they just added the conference center to their price at the last moment. I suspect he forgot all about the wine, and probably when he did remember later, he just wouldn't mention it. I'll be sure to tell him to take his wine with him. Heck, it makes me feel bad just to think about wasting it on the rest of us. We'll ask him, and I'm sure he'll let us keep some for you, of course, then have him take the rest."

They chatted, were served many courses, each serving small and elegantly presented, and not just by the beautiful servers.

All of the women partook in part of the serving, each wearing their black dresses with the plunging neckline, the style not far off from Helen's wedding dress. When the meal was finally over, and the pictures were taken, Diana leaned over and whispered into her husband's ear. "All your other wives have changed, and I will only need a moment. Give us five minutes then bring Helen into the hallway. We'll be waiting for you."

Obeying, like a good little husband, he waited precisely five minutes, then took Helen's arm and walked into the hallway with her. All his wives were waiting, now dressed in their wedding dresses, all identical.

Evie and Dave were also in the hallway, each with a camera. Numerous flashes later, they left for the living room.

As Evie softly played the piano, all except Helen entered the living room. Jeff walked alone with each of his six wives following in pairs — each of the wives carrying a small bouquet. The furniture had been cleared from the long glass wall and moved to the side, but the room was so large that nothing was crowded. Flowers tastefully graced the sides of their path, as well as the area where they were to stand. Everyone stood as they entered, and Jeff distinctly heard a sigh from the audience. He knew that the sigh was for the six beautiful women in their elegant wedding dresses. He noticed the video cameras on tripods, plus Dave had a handheld camera, as well.

He reached the glass wall, turned and faced his wives who had formed a broken half-circle facing him, the space in the middle left vacant. As the music transcended into the wedding march, the audience turned to the doorway, the six wives turning as one to watch, as well.

Helen, carrying a small bouquet of red roses, gracefully walked through the doorway and down the isle, which was covered in rose pedals. A smile graced her elegant face, and with sure steps she neared the vacant place in the half circle. Just as she made her last step, the women all turned again as one, the half circle, complete, the wedding march ending just as Helen assumed her place — all the women now facing Jeff.

As the audience seated themselves, Diana, from the right end of the half-circle, stepped up with Jeff and turned to the audience as the sun's last rays cast the fall colors in intense hues behind the original couple.

"I have been chosen to welcome you to our wedding. Tonight, we add Helen, our trusted mentor, to our marriage. Until now, each marriage has been private, but our respect and love for you has prompted us to ask you, our friends and family, here tonight to share in our joy as Helen becomes one of us.

"Although a large percentage of marriages — conventional marriages, do not last — this one will. It will last because of our love and respect for each other, and because of the bonds to our Alpha Male. Those bonds are not one way, not just us tied to him, for he is bound just as strongly to us. And in addition, those bonds are just as strong between each of us to all the others. This is not conjecture, or something wished for, but fact. We have only just begun to explore some of the aspects of the bonding.

"Although we, his present wives, have said our vows to our husband, we will reinitiate them tonight, for the vows are not just to him, but to each other as well — and tonight they will include Helen. We will not have a long ceremony, but that will not lessen the commitment. Helen will receive our ring from Jeff, and she will push ours a little farther onto his finger.

"As soon as the wedding ceremony is over, we will move to the conference room next door that Evie has set up as her photo studio. After the pictures are taken, Jeff will take his bride to the wedding suite. To remind you, tomorrow morning at eight, Jeff will walk with his bride in his arms to the kitchen where we will have a private, short ceremony. After Jeff has carried his bride to the hot tub — there were amused chuckles from the small audience — the women are welcome to join us there. The men are invited to eat breakfast with the groom."

Diana turned to her husband and gently kissed him. Turning back to the wives, she asked, "Who gives this woman away to this man?"

In perfect synchronization, including Diana, the wives all said, "We all do."

As Diana stepped back to her place, Laura took Helen's hand and stepped the two paces forward to bring them to Jeff, placing Helen's hand in Jeff's. Laura returned to her place, then the women all moved, the half circle changing into a full circle with Jeff a part of it, and Helen standing before him, the wives all now surrounding her.

Jeff brought Helen's hand up and touched his lips to her fingers, then said, "My Love, our first meeting seemed to be destiny. We were thrilled with the elegant lady we saw in the restaurant that night. The vote to ask you to become our teacher only took seconds, and was, of course, unanimous. That night, you survived my daughter's teasing, and our infamous driveway."

There was a chuckle from the audience and a grin from Helen as Jeff continued, "Within days, we averted a tragedy with all of us working together. By the time it was over, we were already beginning to feel that our beautiful teacher had woven herself, inextricably into our lives. I felt your love for us, and it was obvious that my wives felt that love as well. That love grew as, daily, our respect for you increased.

"Undeniable bonds had formed that we all could feel. When I was attacked, the evidence of those bonds was manifest in you, the same way that it was with my wives. Tonight, before our trusted friends, we formalize those bonds forever.

"I, Jeff Matthews, promise before God, my wives, my family, and my closest friends, to take you as my wife, to love, and cherish you all the days of my life, to honor you as my wife and mate for as long as I shall live. And to each of my present wives, I promise before God, my wives, my family, and my closest friends, to continue to love, and cherish you all the days of my life, to continue to honor you as my wife and mate for as long as I shall live. "

Helen kissed Jeff's hand, still holding it as she said, "I came, unwilling, to our first meeting. I had lost my husband and lover, and had little use for life any longer. Within a short time, you my beloved, and my beloved, soon-to-be sister-wives, not only saved my life, but also gave me full reason to live, and to again enjoy life.

"I. Helen Boswell, take you to be my beloved husband. And to you, Diana, Arlene, Laura, Ann, Jennie and Melissa, I take you as my beloved sister-wives. To each, and to all I promise to welcome you with my body, to adore you with my mind and to cherish you with my heart. I promise to be faithful and to keep myself only unto you for as long as we each shall live. If you, Jeff, should choose to add to our marriage, then these vows will be expanded to include those as well.

"Before the sight of the Almighty, the giver of all love, and my sister-wives, I solemnly declare my love and adoration of you, Jeff. I declare my marital vows freely from a heart overflowing with love and desire for you and my sister-waves. To you and my sister-wives, I am yours forever."

And in unison, uncanny, so perfectly in sync that they sounded as one clear, precise voice: "We now take you, Helen, as our sister-wife, to love and cherish, to give and receive freely of our bodies and our love, to share equally with you the joys of our husband in our marriage as in everything else. To love and cherish you forever. And to our husband, we reaffirm our vows and lasting love, giving freely our bodies and our hearts to you forever."

Jeff, with his thumb, had maneuvered his wedding ring over his knuckle. As he pushed Helen's ring onto her finger, she pushed his wedding ring back into place.

In a clear voice, full of emotion, Diana said, "Jeff, our darling, would you kiss your new wife, Helen."

Although Helen had thought of this moment for days, sometimes suspecting that she thought of little else, the truth and gravity of the moment descended on her with force. Barely able to raise her mouth to her new husband, the room swirled around her. She could feel him tighten his hold on her. She trembled as her emotions flowed over. She brought her hand behind his neck to pull herself to him. She felt complete. At last, I am home, she thought as she opened her eyes to see sparkling brown eyes staring down at hers.

"Hello, Wife," he said, his lips only inches from hers.

"Hello, Husband, " she choked out past the lump of joy in her throat. They kissed again, this one lasting until they had to break for breath past stopped up noses and the tears that neither had even noticed.

All the wives descended on Helen for prolonged, loving kisses, and then with their husband. Almost before Helen realized what was happening, Jeff swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and stood silent.

Diana placed her hand on her husband's shoulder as the other wives formed up beside them. "May I present to you our new wife, Helen with our husband, Jeff."

Evie hit the recessional with flair, and Jeff, carrying his new wife, walked quickly down the isle and out into the corridor flanked by the rest of his wives in pairs just as they had entered.

As Evie finished the music, and everyone rushed out to congratulate the bride and groom before Evie started the pictures, Frank and Margaret remained and stood to the side. Turning to her, he said, "Damn, I wonder how many times they practiced that? I've never seen a wedding without some sort of bobble. And the women were so precisely together that it was almost scary... When they moved into the circle to leave Helen standing in front of Jeff, it was like they had done it a million times."