Chapter 54

Billy Ray excused himself, saying he needed to call his wife to get a babysitter lined up for the evening. I called Cindy over to where I was standing at my office door and told her we needed to change our reservations from a party of six to a party of ten. She said she'd take care of it, so I went back in my office to phone Kyle's wife to invite her to Fleming's personally.

I still remembered that she had gone out of her way to phone me, thanking me for promoting Kyle, then apologizing for the fact that he'd just quit along with all the others. I thought that had been a display of real class, and I wanted to meet her again when Laura wasn't around to stir things up.

It took some persuading to get Trudy to agree to join us for dinner. I explained that it was mostly a dinner to introduce my mother and aunt and uncle to my key people. She wanted to know who else from the company would be there.

"Cindy and me, you and Kyle, Billy Ray and Maravelle. My wife, Joyce will be there, representing the home office."

"Your wife works for the company too?"

"She's my boss, both at home and with the company. You have to meet her."

"You're having Cindy and your wife at the same dinner party?" Her voice sounded hoarse, like she was strangling or something. I was absolutely sure that everyone in the Macklinson family already knew every piece of my personal business as it pertained to my domestic arrangement. She was being duplicitous with me.

"We've shared beds together, Trudy. I don't think sitting down to dinner will be a strain on either one of them." She laughed, delightedly.

"I wondered if you'd admit to it. There are a lot of us in the family that have questions about Cindy's uhh, sincerity. She has seemed much more comfortable with girls in the past. Her business, but we've all been worried. We don't want anything to happen to sour you on our family."

I didn't know which way to take that, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"You needn't worry about that. Cindy has disclosed her past background to all of us. I'm already well on the way to changing her opinion about men. All it took was finding a man competent to satisfy her needs."

"That would be you?"

"I like to think so. If you had heard her last night, you'd find all of this much easier to believe, I promise you. You'll see her tonight, so you can ask her."

"I couldn't. Girls don't say those kinds of things to other girls. Not when they're part of the same family."

"I've got seven wives now, and they're all girls, and all part of my family. I can tell you, from personal experience, that none of them have the least bit of hesitancy about saying those kinds of things, and a whole lot more, that you'd consider even worse."

"I'm sure all of your women are ladies. I think you exaggerate." There was a tone of excitement in Trudy's voice. I wondered about it. It was almost as if she were baiting me to say something more lurid.

"Well, if I wasn't afraid it would offend you, I'd give you an example of last night's conversation. This was a conversation that took place when the three of us were showering together. It was conversation between Cindy and Joyce, and it would certainly prove my point."

"Words by themselves would never offend me. I'm no prude, and neither is Kyle. If anything, we've been far too adventurous for the rest of the family's tastes. I promise not to be offended if you tell me." Yes, she was definitely getting turned on by our conversation. I didn't want to do anything to offend Kyle, but she was offering up a challenge.

"I'll take you at your word then. As I said, the three of us were showering after a vigorous three way lovemaking session. Joyce made the comment that she wouldn't hesitate to perform Cindy's role in the living room tonight, in front of my mother. She was explaining that she wasn't worried about what my mother would think of her. She was correct. My mother might leave the room, to afford us some privacy, but she wouldn't ever be offended by our actions."

"You mean the three of you doing sex together, at the same time? In front of your mother?"

"Yes. In spite of what we did, and what Joyce said about her willingness to perform the same act in my mother's presence, you are correct in saying that all of my wives are ladies. Not necessarily virginal angels, but definitely angels."

"I'm not sure you aren't making all of that up, but I don't doubt the part about three of you showering together or what happened before that. I hope you are the man who will prove himself competent to satisfy Cindy. She hasn't had it easy with trying to make up for her past performances around other girls. I don't know why she keeps trying to please Gene and Lee. Nothing will ever be enough, not unless she produces a baby."

"We're all hoping that Lee will be more content when your baby is born. Grandchildren have a way of changing people."

"Not with me as the mother. I'm not from a good enough family to matter to her. I'll always be trash in her eyes, and any children Kyle and I have together will be too." She had gone from gay to somber so quickly. I didn't want to end the phone call on that note.

"We'll just have to change her mind about that. To my mind, you're the epitome of a gracious Southern Belle."

"You say the strangest things, Kenny. Thank you. I know you can't really take my side against Gene and Lee's, but I appreciate the kind words. Do we need to get really dressed up tonight? I've never eaten at Fleming's, but I've driven by there."

"Just a party dress for you and a tie and jacket for Kyle. A sport coat would be fine. Nothing fancy."

"Would it be all right if I wore a maternity top and a loose skirt? I'm starting to get too big to be seen out in public."

"It will be fine. As far as being too big, I saw you only a short time ago and I didn't even notice you were expecting."

"I've grown since then. My boobs are huge, which we like, but my ankles are just as big, which I hate. Everything seems swollen, and all pushed out of place."

"Well, I've got twelve children, and all my wives recovered their figures. I'm sure you'll manage."

"If you don't mind me asking, why is Billy Ray coming tonight?"

"Billy Ray is fast becoming my right hand man. He frees up so much time for me I feel guilty about depositing my pay check. People are in for a big surprise about Billy Ray. He might not ever get as high up as Kyle will, but I'm almost certain he'll get higher than the rest of the boys."

"If you can work those kind of miracles with Billy Ray, then I'm almost willing to believe you about changing Lee's mind about me and my baby. Only almost though. In three years, I think I've heard no more than ten flattering words from her, and that was comments about my cooking at family barbecues we both went to."

"If you want some advice, you should start treating her the same way she treats you. If she gets snide about your family or background, remind her that you're still married to your husband. I notice that no one but Gene ever talks back to her or holds her accountable for what she says. Compared to my family, hers are dirt poor. She has no business treating you as less than her."

"Kyle would have a stroke if I did that. He acts as if she's perfect in every way. I hate it."

"Remind Kyle about who it is that lets him do things to make him a daddy. You control that part of things, and Kyle needs to decide which is more important."

"You're terrible! I'm so happy that we're going to be friends. You've got Kyle running all over, taking responsibility for things. I swear I've never seen him happier or more excited."

"We're all just as excited about him. We're putting a heavy load on his shoulders, but if he manages to come through for us he'll be pulling down six figures a year. That kind of income goes a long way to lifting you up in the eyes of any community. We all know it's the woman behind the man who makes him successful. You take care of Kyle, and he'll lead you to the promised land."

"I better get off the phone in case Kyle calls me. If you see him before I do, tell him to come home early so he can shower before we go out."

I got off the phone with a slightly revised opinion of Kyle and Trudy. A better opinion, because it sounded like they were both less rigid in their personal beliefs. I got the impression that the only reason I hadn't been tarred and feathered around this area of Birmingham was because there were too many jobs dependent on them not doing that to me. I didn't think anyone approved of my lifestyle. I didn't mind, not as long as they left me and mine alone to do what we had chosen to do. I sensed that Kyle and Trudy were from a different mold.

Billy Ray had returned from his break and was finishing up the last of the reconciliations for me. I walked over behind him and waited for him to print out the daily synopsis sheet.

He had almost finished the printing when Danielle came in to tell me Joyce was on the phone.

"Hi sweets. Did you get everyone settled in yet?"

"Sure. Mama likes the house, but she wants to buy a bigger one for all of us. She thinks we're going to be spending more time here than you were thinking. She doesn't like feeling cramped, and she hates it that Hans and Gerta needed to stay at a hotel instead of with us. That wasn't why I called though. Doctor Gardinier's office called, and he says Friday is the soonest he can fit all the tests together for you. He says you'll need to be there for eight to ten hours at least. He wants you all checked in and ready for lab work no later than seven o'clock."

"We were going home on Friday. See if we can change it to either Monday or Tuesday of next week. I don't want to spend all day in the hospital when I could be home with the kids. Reschedule."

"I told him you'd be there at seven, ready for all your tests, and you will be. Mama agrees, and so does Gerta. This is too important to be put off. We'll do it on Friday."

"You can be a royal pain in the ass, Joyce. Which reminds me, speaking of ass pain. Tonight is your turn, like I told you. You better hide the thick one if you don't want to get hurt. I think Cindy's planning on being loaded up with the biggest dildo she can find." Billy Ray's head snapped around to look at me before turning, just as quickly, back to what he was supposed to be doing. "I forgot that Billy Ray was here in the office with me. Now he knows all our secrets."

"You can't fool me, Kenny. You'd never speak like that if anyone was around to hear you."

"Billy Ray, pick up the phone and tell my wife what you heard." I could see Billy Ray's neck redden. "Just pick up the phone then and say hello to Joyce. You'll be speaking to her quite a bit, and You'll meet her tonight." Billy Ray picked up the phone and mumbled a quick hello.

"Kenny! I'm going to pay you back for this. I can't believe you did that."

"You take too much for granted with me, Joyce. I'm not my father. Billy Ray is going to be working closely with me, helping me with the grain brokerage and the trading. He'll be around all the time. I'm not going to censor myself whenever he's in the office with me. He's a big boy, and he has two kids of his own. He already knows about sex. He may not know about a strap on or dildos yet though, so I better explain it to him so he doesn't get lost following our conversations. I did promise to educate him, but this isn't what I was referring to."

Billy Ray got up, threw the synopsis on my desk and hurried out of the office. It was four thirty. His quickest finish yet, and it had been a heavy trading day. He was improving all the time. I hoped I hadn't gone too far with him, but I also knew I wasn't going to be uncomfortable in my own office.

"Did he leave, Kenny?"

"He just now finished his work and left. I think I might have embarrassed him. He's coming to dinner with us tonight, along with his wife, Vellie, short for Maravelle. Kyle and Trudy are coming too. These are two of the best of the Macklinson children."

"I think Cindy is the best. Best tasting." Joyce giggled. I could tell she was getting a little turned on by my naughty conversation.

"I don't think you know what Kyle tastes like, or Jerry either, her other brother. For all we know, Gene is the best tasting of the bunch, or Laura."

"Only one way to know for certain." Joyce laughed again. She was maddening. I knew she wasn't just bluffing either. I'd known it for awhile. Joyce reined herself in, only because she worried about what I'd say, think, or do if she didn't. I knew she was willing to do far more than we'd done, but I didn't want to get into that with her at this point. Eventually, I knew it would be brought up by her. I didn't want her to miss out on something she really wanted to try. I hoped to put it off for some time later. Hopefully, a lot later.

"You'll have to let that remain a mystery. I don't think any of them are ready for a taste test from you."

"I thought you said you weren't like your father. I took that to mean you were becoming more adventurous."

"I have seven wives and twelve children. It doesn't get any more adventurous than that."

"Shirley and I both want you to get more adventurous, and not with a strap on. I've been thinking about it for awhile. Shirley has too. Not all the time, but we're both real curious."

"I'd be very unhappy if either of you ever acted on that without me saying it was all right first. We talked about that before. We agreed."

"I wouldn't, and Shirley is a lot less adventurous than I am. Besides, I'd want you there too. I want to see your eyes if it ever happens."

"Did Shirley tell you about what I told her on Friday night?"

"Shirley tells me everything. I almost came when she told me. I had to make myself come right after she finished telling me. It's your fault for bringing it up again with her. One of these days, you're going to have to deliver. If you do, I want to be in on it. I can wait, Kenny, but there's no way I'm going to let Shirley get fucked by two dicks, and me not get the same thing too. Do you really have someone in mind?"

"No, I was exhausted and I wanted to make sure Shirley went out. That seems to always do it, so I said it to her."

"You aren't even really thinking about it?" Joyce had a pleading tone to her voice. A little girl asking for another cookie before supper.

"I didn't say I wasn't thinking about it. I put a small personal ad in the paper, in Chickasaw, trying to get in touch with Big Luther. You remember Big Luther, don't you? As soon as I find him, he and I are going to split you wide open together. That will teach you to be such a horny little girl. I can't believe I've got five absolutely perfect children from a girl that spends most of her time dreaming about being unfaithful to me."

"I've never been unfaithful to you, Kenny. And I won't ever be. It would only be exciting if you were there, and you were doing me too."

"If I did it, I'd be the one in your pussy, and it would only be because I love you and thought you needed it to make you happy."

"Then it won't ever happen. I'm already happy, and I don't need anything else to be as happy as I can be."