Chapter 63

Ed Evans:

I was playing with the kids Saturday afternoon when the announcement was made that what had been done to Donna and I was 'a cautionary tale.' I'd known that -- it's what Manny told me -- but having it put out on the public address system was a surprise, to say the least! I went over my feelings in the matter and, well, the whole area was kind of numb after three or four days, to tell the truth. Donna was gone and we were broken as a family -- but I had the kids, and Manny WASN'T a bastard and Belle seemed to appreciate my efforts; I CERTAINLY appreciated HERS! There were some ... issues ... hanging out there, but I was moving forward and not looking back -- because I had to, basically. Anita and Teddy needed me; their mother had basically dropped them like a hot rock and I was in charge of fixing things, so I couldn't wander around broken...

The sleeping arrangements we'd settled into were ... odd, maybe. It started Monday night; I wore myself out on Belle and crashed -- and woke up with a nipple in my mouth but Manny's brawny arm draped over me and his cock in the crack of my ass. I got up VERY carefully and went to piss, then came back and stood there, unable to decide what to do. Manny opened one eye and said, "Come back to bed," so I inserted myself basically where I'd been and Manny put his arm back. I was nervous for about ten minutes, then Belle rolled toward me and basically buried my face between her big titties and the smell of her and that amazing texture relaxed me and I drifted back off again. Since that night, it really hasn't been a problem; I find that I feel ... protected ... in that sandwich. Tuesday night, I woke up around two and Manny was fucking Belle -- and I couldn't help but be excited, watching ... We don't talk about it, but when they fuck, I want to be in there, somewhere, included. I really don't know how to tell either one of them...

The intervening days had been quiet, healing. Manny would go off to work and Belle and I would get the kids off to school and then maybe we would have a little quality time and maybe we wouldn't -- it was generally a mutual agreement thing. The kids would return in the afternoon, and Manny would return when his watch was over and I would help the kids with homework (although the AI tended to have to help ME) and we would have dinner and do something for entertainment, then go to bed -- Belle and I first, usually, with Manny following later and maybe taking sloppy seconds from Belle. I didn't expect that last part to go on for long -- Manny WAS Master, here, and he didn't owe me THAT much...

Saturday evening rolled around and we were relaxing after dinner and the AI announced that we had visitors. Belle and I both flicked glances at Manny, who shrugged, so I went to the door -- which opened to reveal Cooper, LaRue, and Donna! I nearly pissed myself!

Manny was up out of his chair instantly. "Jeezus! It's Saturday? Fuck!" He collected me and led me back into the living room. "Belle, get the guys something to drink, willya? I didn't expect this -- and I KNOW Ed didn't!" He sat me down and apologized, "Ed, I'm real sorry! Coop and LaRue and I generally play cards on Saturday night -- I didn't even think..."

"Cards?" I croaked.

"Yeah. Poker. Money ain't something we use, so we had, um, other payoffs. I'm betting that Coop and LaRue were pleased because they had Donna..." Manny went on to explain that generally the wagers involved 'personal services'; Cooper and LaRue being bisexual, they could settle between themselves, and Belle tended to pay Manny's debts -- which got Coop and LaRue an occasional shot of pussy... "You're not on the table, Man," Manny told me. "I forgot; frankly, I figured that with them doing Donna, they wouldn't be coming by. Things have changed, you know? I'll send them off..."

I gathered myself. "No, I can do this. If you guys want to play cards, I can go watch TV or something..." The ship had a massive media library, updated some way, regularly -- something about drones.

"I don't want you upset," Manny replied. "I owe you. THEY owe you. You were just settling down. This was just fucking stupid..."

"It'll be okay," I told him, trying to tame the butterflies in my stomach. "You can't make me Master here, just because ... These are your friends -- I can't avoid them forever -- and I can't ask you to, either."

"Awright." He clapped me on the shoulder. "You know, there ain't nothing small about you. Nothing." He headed out and I sat there, willing myself to stop acting like a pussy. Belle came in and sat next to me and held my hand, wordless.

"I used to like poker," I muttered.

"You any good?" Belle asked.

"I used to be able to pull in a pot or two."

"They be godawful, from what I can see," Belle opined. "Manny usually loses to LaRue -- and so does Coop -- so LaRue gets a suck and a fuck out of it -- or maybe two fucks, if Coop gets in deep enough." She snickered. "Or three or four ... I think Coop gets a lot of Anaconda time. But LaRue usually wins because he's crazy, not because he's any good. He's unpredictable and he bluffs a lot."

Donna sidled in about that time -- something ELSE I could have done without. "I, uh, thought I'd see the kids..." she mumbled.

I cocked my head. "I heard a rumor that they were your past -- like me -- and therefore my problem." I don't know where that came from -- hurt? Anger? Betrayal? It wasn't the response I'd have envisioned giving. "They're not in bed yet." I nodded in the direction of their rooms. Donna padded out, head down, and in a moment, I heard, "Mommy!" The kids were happy, so I swallowed my tension.

Belle rubbed my back. "It's gonna be okay, Baby."

"I just ... can't have her looking down on me..."

"She's all fucked up, Baby. I didn't tell you this, but I called her Tuesday and gave her a rash of shit..." Belle grinned from ear to ear.

"Like what?"

"I told her how happy I was that she left me Moby Dick to keep all by myself..." Belle reached into my lap and started stroking.

"Moby Dick?"

"Yeah. You like? Everybody ELSE around here has a name for his dick..." Belle grinned at me.

"Yeah, well ... It wasn't like this, before..."

"Are you sure, Baby? You know, they fucked with your head something awful that night -- and Donna's, too. I pointed that out to her when she said that while I was showing her video of me makin' it all happy..."

I snorted a chuckle. "You didn't!"

"I sure did!" She was virtually beside herself with glee. "You know, they sized up the boys for that show -- and reversed it, after. Donna's probably wondering where all that dick went ... Coop might not have argued about the Anaconda, but there was NO WAY LaRue was gonna take the Beer Can the way it was sized for Donna that night..."

"So..."

"So they're smaller and you're bigger and Donna is wondering ... Serves her right!" Belle declared.

I frowned. "What's the truth?"

"The AI knows," Belle replied, "But if I was it, I wouldn't tell you. This is your dick now -- and it is SWEET!" She leaned over and rolled her lips over my glans.

"Jeez..." I couldn't pull her off, and didn't really want to. "Donna's in one room and Coop and LaRue are in another!"

"And you're all tense!" Belle insisted. "Mama fix..." She started sucking again.

I let it happen. Belle was right; I was beside myself with one thing or another. I needed something to take my mind off things, so I closed my eyes and zoned out and let Belle worship my cock. Who gave a shit what its original size was, anyway? I KNOW it wasn't small -- it was average, anyway...

"Good God! Where did you get that thing?" My eyes flew open and I grabbed Belle's head -- and she went "Glurk!" because I pulled her in on a downstroke. Donna was standing there, bug-eyed.

I let go of poor Belle and muttered "Sorry!" then rounded on Donna, "It's always been there..."

"I don't remember it..." Donna sidled closer, tilting her head, making eyeball measurements.

Knowing what was going on, I couldn't resist. "You don't remember a lot of things, apparently."

Belle popped up from her work, still clutching my cock by the base. "Go the fuck away! Next you'll want me to give you a snowball of his stuff to taste to see if you remember IT!"

Donna backed off. "Sorry!"

I waved it off. "Forget about it. What's done is done."

"Yeah." Donna stood there, her eyes hooded. "Thanks for letting me see the kids."

"They're yours, too. If you don't want me around when you see them, let me know." I wasn't taking any shit off her, one way or the other.

"No, I can come here. I'll behave myself."

"Damned straight, Honey!" Belle growled. I shushed her and played with her hair and she went back to sucking. Donna sidled out.

The episode did wonders for my ego; of course, Donna could have popped my balloon at just about any point, but she hadn't. A couple of minutes later, I was hunched over Belle's head, pouring juice into her mouth. Belle backed off with a mouthful of goo, "Wat bme to take her thome?"

I chuckled -- and underestimated Belle! "Do what you want..." She hopped up and dashed off and in a moment a familiar feminine voice let out a squawk; I put my head in my hands and chuckled to myself. Belle came back to the room and stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, all proud of herself. "You're BAAAAD!" I accused.

"It be fun, too!" Belle grinned. "Come on, Baby. Let's watch 'em play!"

"Eh, I dunno..."

"It's entertainment," she pointed out. "I watch so I know who I'm fuckin'. You might as well, too, so you'll know why I ain't in bed..."

"What if... ?"

"Manny bets you? He won't, Baby. He knows better. Come on..." she cajoled.

"All right..." I followed her in and perched myself on a stool next to her on the fourth side of the table with Manny on my left and Coop facing me and Larue on my right. Donna was on a similar stool between Coop and LaRue. I'd have probably slunk in, except for Donna being there; I didn't want to undermine the work Belle had done on her. Donna was surreptitiously wiping her mouth; I pretended that I didn't know why.

Belle was right -- they were TERRIBLE. They weren't playing Texas Hold'em -- they were calling the games, dealer's choice -- five card stud, five card draw, seven card draw ... LaRue liked Mexican Sweat. I managed to relax while watching the deal circle the table twice -- then Coop managed to win a hand with two pair and I snorted, having watched Manny throw away the makings of a flush ... Manny looked up, "You play?"

I was instantly locked up tight under those three sets of eyes. "Some," I admitted. "Sorry..."

"It's cool," Manny muttered. "Wanna sit in? Belle will cover you -- won't you, Belle?"

Belle cackled. "I won't have to pay nothin', I bet."

LaRue cocked his head. "No shit? You seen him play?"

"I seen YOU play, LaRue -- and you shouldn't be winnin'!" Belle retorted.

"That won't keep you from dating the Anaconda!" LaRue laughed. "Woulda, shoulda, coulda! It's what REALLY happens that counts!"

"I'm not a..." I sputtered.

"Sponsor?" Coop finished, looking up from his cards. "You're a man, though..." There was a moment of silence while he arranged cards. "I'm not any too proud of the other night -- but you oughta be. I couldn't have done it. You paid a heavy price for them kids of yours."

Donna made some kind of a noise -- and LaRue and Coop both turned their heads slowly to regard her with eyes like lasers. "Come here, Slut," Coop hissed, and Donna leaned forward on her stool so he could whisper in her ear. I don't know what he said to her, but she turned white. She sat back, clearly chastised, and Coop resumed his calm expression. "Women get sorry-assed if you don't put the thumb on 'em, sometimes. Where was I? Oh, yeah -- if you think you can joggle LaRue's elbow, I'm happy to see you sit in."

Manny looked at LaRue, who grunted, "Next hand." They played it out; LaRue's hand wasn't THAT good, but his recklessness paid off. Manny pulled in the cards and shuffled them, then dropped the deck on the table in front of me. "Cut."

It was do or die; I climbed down off the stool, settled into the chair and cut the deck. I was damned if I'd justify any noises Donna made about me! "Belle covers Ed." Manny announced, and started to deal. "Five card draw, Deuces and Jokers wild."

So we played cards. You couldn't run out of chips -- in Manny's and my case, it just meant that Belle graduated from supporting a $50 blowjob to a $100 fuck to a $150 anal sex session ... Donna was on for the same things, as pertained to Manny, at least; Coop and LaRue seemed to be drawing from their own resources for each other. I was perfectly positioned to keep LaRue from playing cowboy -- three hands out of four, he had to put one over on me to win. I wouldn't let him bluff -- and that hurt him, badly. After a dozen hands, he wasn't out in front anymore; I wasn't, either, but things were more even. Then the going got tough...

Coop started getting some confidence and pushing LaRue; somehow, knowing that it might end with LaRue taking the Beer Can up his ass made the idea entertaining for me. LaRue started to sweat; his usual tactic was to take risks and win big, but with me behind him when the bets went around the table, he couldn't get any elbow room. Manny started to enjoy himself, too -- and not having to jump high or stay at home all the time, he could tailor his bets. If I let LaRue get away with something, it was usually because I believed that one of us was going to embarrass him -- and it happened, regularly. Manny and Coop stopped chickening out and LaRue kept getting desperate -- and burnt.

Manny's problem was that I'd seen him play. He made mistakes when he called for more cards, calculating the odds of a particular hand incorrectly, apparently. Where I could, I capitalized on it.

That left Coop -- who tended to be conservative -- and that doesn't always work. But he stood a lot better chance of accomplishing something if LaRue wasn't going hog wild...

Somewhere in there I relaxed and began to enjoy the game. Midnight came and went -- and I was told that the reason they played on Saturday night was because they were off-shift on Sunday. Donna and Belle both fell asleep, one time or another; all they had to do was get drinks occasionally and pay up at the end, so they weren't missing anything. Finally, two a.m. rolled around and Manny announced, "Nobody is gonna make a killing tonight -- let's look at the numbers."

LaRue wasn't ready, so we agreed to an additional half-hour -- during which it became REALLY CLEAR who the big loser was going to be. At two-thirty, Manny eyed him and said, "Now?"

"Yeah, okay. How are we gonna do things?" LaRue asked. Usually, among the three of them, the big loser paid the big winner and the middle guy walked away; now, however, there were four of us -- and two sources of payoffs.

"I'm thinking big loser pays big winner and the other two handle their differences," Manny replied. "Coop?"

"Yeah, sounds fair," Cooper nodded.

"Ed?" Manny turned to me.

"I'm just a concubine. You guys figure it out," I waved it off.

"Let's just do it," LaRue grunted.

So we started counting. LaRue was screwed; Cooper had sixty five dollars more and Manny had a hundred fifteen -- and I had a hundred twenty!

"Okay, so, Donna gets it," Manny grunted. Eyeing me, he said, "Want to double up on her? You get her ass..."

I was really starting to warm up to the idea when LaRue grunted, "Nah, I don't think so. Silly bitch needs to pull her fucking head out -- and to do that, she needs to see what she's gotten into. I fucked up, so I get fucked. Bring us that dick of yours, Ed -- the real one."

I sat there, frozen in my chair, shocked. I wanted to say, "I can't do this..." but I couldn't even get the words out! They were kidding, right?

"Let's go in the other room and be comfortable," Belle announced and dragged me out of the chair. As she led me to the bedroom, she whispered, "You can't fuck around and blow this in front of Donna, Baby! You need to do it! If you don't, you can forget ever getting any respect from her!"

Manny, who was following, caught up and agreed with her. "She's right. Put the little bitch in her place! Besides, LaRue likes that shit -- and it will fuck with her head even more..."

Well, I could try... "Never done that," I muttered.