Chapter 9

Jill looked so desolate that I finally told her she could come too, but had to follow us at a distance until we had talked things out. That meant she dawdled fifty yards behind us as Lynne and I walked down the driveway to her house and then along the road. I mean a decision had to be made, and Jill would find out about it one way or another, so making her wait back at the house would have just been mean.

I was proud of myself for being able to think in a rational manner in this kind of bizarre, freaky situation. And believe me, I knew it was bizarre and freaky.

"If I didn't know better I'd think this was all some kind of setup," I said.

"I did not intend to fall into bed with you, Bob MacAllister!" snapped Lynne.

"I believe that," I said. "Because while I dreamed about it, I didn't plan to try to GET you in bed."

"You dreamed about it?" her voice was a lot lighter in tone. Then she frowned. "Jill says that sometimes you looked at her the same way you looked at me. It made her feel ... good."

It was way past time to try to hide anything any more. So I got it all out in one long speech.

"When I came here," I started, "I was hurting. You were too. We helped each other. I liked it here. I liked you and I liked Jill. I wasn't looking for anything romantic, and this was the perfect place for me. I don't think I could have lucked into a better place to get my head straight." I took a breath. She wasn't frowning any more. "OK, so here I am ... on this ranch with two interesting women, who I get closer to than just about anybody else I ever knew. We work together and live together and I see Jill grow up, and I see you every day. Both of you are beautiful women, Lynne. It was inevitable that I'd see that some day ... pay ATTENTION to that ... once I was healed of the hurt. I didn't PLAN to start looking at you as women. It just happened. And when Jill started asking questions I thought about things. It's been a long time for me since I thought about love, and sex and all those things. And when I started thinking about them again ... I mean you two were right there ... and I love you both ... and it was just impossible for me not to think about you that way. I'm a MAN, Lynne. We can't HELP how we think sometimes!" I shrugged helplessly. "But I didn't think anything was actually going to happen."

"But something DID happen," she said, somewhat needlessly.

"Yes," I said. But it wasn't planned. It was just coincidence that it was prom night and that you had some brandy and..."

"I've had a crush on you for a long time too, Bob," she interrupted. "What's coincidence is that last night you were talking about being able to love two women, and that this morning there are two women who are interested in being loved by you."

"Really?" I know I sounded a little breathy.

"I don't just haul any old man into my bed, Bob," she said. She blinked. "I didn't mean that like it sounded," she said. "I don't think of you as old. What I meant was..."

"I know what you meant," I said. "That's one reason I was pretty sure I'd never be there myself."

"And," she said softly, "While last night didn't happen the way I might have envisioned it in a fantasy ... let's just say I felt very optimistic ... until she caught us."

"I didn't have time to do much thinking," I admitted. "But I know I'm not sorry. You might not know it from the way I acted - I mean things were kind of crazy - but I really do care about you."

"I know that," she said. "That's why that happened. It wasn't the booze, Bob. You had a chance to take advantage of me and you didn't. It just confirmed in my mind what I've known for years - you're a good man and I like you a lot, Bob."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

She walked on for a few steps, silently. "What you said the other day ... about loving more than one person at the same time ... keeps running through my mind. I love my daughter. And I also know what it feels like to be in love with a man. I didn't think I'd ever feel it again, but you're banging down the door, Bob. I have VERY strong feelings for you. As a woman myself, I fully understand how my daughter can have wants and needs, but as a mother I care a great deal about who she explores them with." She stopped.

"I get all that," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Maybe if you gave her a little of what she thinks she wants, she could work through this crush she has on you."

I looked at her. "You know you're completely insane," I said. "No mother arranges for her daughter to become sexually involved with the man her mother is sexually involved with."

"I know," she sighed. "But I DO love both of you. And you already said you love both of us."

"That's not quite how I meant it," I said.

She looked at me. "You said you've fantasized about me."

"Yes."

"Have you fantasized about her too, Bob?"

How do you answer a question like that? You try not to, that's how.

"That's different," I said.

"Oh? And how is that different? Did you ever think about being in bed with me, naked, before last night?"

"Yes!" I said.

"And did you ever think about being in bed with Jill? Naked? Doing what we did?"

"Damn," I moaned.

"Just tell the truth, Bob."

"OK. You KNOW I did, or you wouldn't be asking the question."

"So both of us want to make love with you ... and you want to make love with both of us."

"That's just not normal," I said. "I mean every man, at some time in his life, would have to say yes to wanting that scenario ... but it just doesn't happen! It's not normal!"

"I care about my daughter. I care about who she experiments with. I also care about you, and I obviously care about me," said Lynne. "Believe me, I've been in agony, because it looked for all the world like I had to choose between you and Jill. I don't WANT to choose between you and Jill. And I don't care if it's normal or not, but this solution means I don't HAVE to choose between you and Jill."

"Man!" I said, explosively. I didn't know how to feel. Men lust after multiple women all the time, but nobody ever gives them permission to. It's just a weird place to find yourself in.

"I'm amazed," said Lynne, "that you're so intelligent that you could reduce the sum of all women's problems to just one word." She smiled wanly at me, and then turned around. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called to her daughter, who was fifty yards behind us: "He agreed!"

Jill looked like her favorite football team had just won the Super Bowl as she ran, jumping and leaping and screaming toward us. She hopped up on me, hanging and trying to kiss me.

"Don't hurt him!" yelled Lynne.

Jill let herself down and managed to find my lips with hers. It was a frenzied and hurried kiss, but she tasted good, like strawberries or something.

"Don't get too excited!" snapped Lynne. "The agreement is that, WHEN YOU'RE EIGHTEEN, he will do what you ask."

"But mom!" Jill sounded tragic. "That's two whole months away!"

"When you're eighteen!" said Lynne sharply. "I will not let you put him in a position where he could get in trouble with the law. That wouldn't help anybody."

"Oh all right!" said Jill, stamping her foot.

The period of my life that I call "the funhouse years" started then and there, as we walked back to the house. I held hands with both women as we strolled along.

The day before I had no women in my life, sexually.

Today I had two, at least in theory.

The male in me wanted to howl to the winds ... to let all the other males know that these two were mine ... that I had the beginnings of my harem.

Now, I know what some of you out there are thinking. That would be the men, because I rarely, if ever know what a woman is thinking. Anyway, the men out there are thinking something like this: "Sweeeeet! TWO chicks and ONE guy! Oh man, it's pussy nirvana. Things could NOT be better."