Chapter 5 (2008 - 2009)

Inter arma enim silent leges

[In times of war, the law falls silent.]

AN INVISIBLE EMPIRE

You can see us, but you do not know where we are.

You can hear us, but you do not know what we are.

You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are.

We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world.

PREVIOUSLY:

Stanley relives the years between 2001 and 2007. Now a young father, he lives with his wives in San Francisco, and further masters his gifts until they approach the level of his mentor Tseng. Despite this improvement, he still achieves many of his goals through subversive and covert means. When Stanley's family is threatened by Shawn's father, he metes out swift and harsh retribution while maintaining a facade of wholesomeness.

While Stanley does his best to inure his wives and children to the rigors of a rapidly changing world, reality wears at his idealism. Seeking an outlet, he beings to build a very private, and unique, residence in the San Francisco Bay. However, that project is not enough to stave off more immediate temptation. He carries on an illicit affair with one of his own university students, Rosalind Chae. As the year 2008 begins, he arranges to keep her as an on-going mistress separate from his household.

GIRLS NEXT DOOR

As I had accurately guessed the year prior, 2008 immediately got busy. Apart from cleaning up the remnants of the ricin and anthrax operations, the agency sent me, Ghost Light, Mirage, and Masquerade out on a retrieval mission in Montana. The asset sent in to infiltrate a local organization had gotten the information we wanted, but he was now suspected as an infiltrator.

So, we had to get him out before things went bad. Normally, Masquerade didn't accompany us on field-ops, but she was called in due to this particular emergency extraction. She was to maintain the asset's cover while we got him out. Bethany did that with great skill, perfectly mimicking our agent so Ghost Light could warp him outta there.

To cover Masquerade's escape, Mirage caused a significant distraction while I guided Bethany out using enhanced mind-sight and an ear-bud to disguise my true potential. If she suspected my powers had grown, she definitely verified it when I pinged her a few times to forewarn her of impending danger. I trusted Bethany though; Tseng had given her a quick version of the empire's story, though I got the feeling that she suspected there was something more to it.

Initially, there were complications in the operation. While the others fit right in, I had to play the part of supervisory agent in charge. Dapper Chinese gentlemen generally didn't hang around militia-infested Montana. Regardless, the four of us completed our task and left without further incident. More importantly, there was no bloodshed. The body count was for the FBI and ATF to rack-up once we left.

Because I had some time left of my leave of absence from the firm, I called up Rosalind to see if she was available. Our arrangement wasn't without the occasional exchange of body fluid. As much pussy I had at home, I didn't mind porking Rosalind when I handed over her monthly allowance. True to our agreement, Rosalind maintained a fairly high grade point average (around 3.9).

Not having to worry about money freed her to focus on school work. I made little demand on her time. Since she lived just across the bay, it was easy to meet and arrange a casual encounter. Usually, it was a quick meet at a hotel. Hence, I was surprised when Rosalind greeted me with some strange demands.

"Oh hey, Stan," the Korean cutie chirped over the phone, "Where are you?"

"An airport." I was vague; I never revealed too much to Rosalind. "I'm going to be in later tonight. I was wondering if you'd be free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Rosalind sniffed and I heard the clickety-clack of her Blackberry. "Oh yeah, fer sure! But um, can I bring some company?"

I paused, a little surprised. "Sure I guess. Wait. Is it anyone I know?"

I had said I wasn't there to control her life, and being permissive with certain things was part of my nature. In fact, if Rosalind was bringing along some people she found interesting, that was fine too. I only wanted to bone her for about an hour or so a month. What she did the rest of the time was her business.

"Just some friends of mine. You bumped into one of 'em last time, remember?" Rosalind lowered her voice before going on, "Um, Stan? Can you do four thousand this time?"

"Sure." I found my interest suddenly piqued. "But why?"

"Uh--huh," Rosalind responded obliquely, "Yeah. My friends wanna party. So, like it'll be a grand each okay?"

I sensed her thoughts despite being a thousand miles away. Rosalind's friends were in the room with her and partially listening in. Interesting. She's either setting me up, or she just arranged an orgy for me. I grew mildly suspicious, but played along, not wanting to wreck what plans she made.

"Sure. No problem. The usual place?"

"Um, let's try the coffee place near Wurster Hall," Rosalind suggested.

"Fine," I said, "See you tomorrow, say noon-ish?"

"See ya at noon," she replied and hung up.

I was curious as I reached out and pinged Rosalind's mind. By the time my plane took off from Logan International Airport, I had gathered enough to know what was going on. Upon meeting my Korean cupcake the day after, I was confirmed my suspicions. Rosalind had three friends who shared her apartment; one of them I had bumped into on my way out the last time I visited. Rose's roommates had seen her mood go from stressed out to sanguine in the short span of three months. The questions were light-hearted at first. Then genuine jealousy set in when the other girls got hints of her secret.

Rosalind couldn't give away the whole story without seriously revealing how much she was getting. But with Spring Break coming up, Rosalind grew soft-hearted and decided to split her March payment in a hair-brained scheme that would've given Melanie a run for her money. Her friends were three nineteen year old college girls named Sasha Goodwin, Kimberly Brewer, and Alexia Lambedakis.

All were fairly pretty, and most guys would earnestly give up their left nut for a single night with any one of them (let alone all at once). In my case, I just splashed a wad of money and wondered how the hell I got into this mess.

To be truthful, I wasn't all that much into the partying scene anymore -- not with worrying about the kids at home. Besides, if I was screwing around, I didn't want to think about what my darlings would do on their own time. As Viktoriya's stunt in Italy had reminded me, I could've easily been the cuckolded husband in a nest of harpies.

Still, there was a quartet of slutty college whores who were willing to sell it if the price was right, and I was an eager buyer. At a grand a night per pussy, it was something amicable to everyone involved. Rosalind and her three buddies were waiting for me at a coffee house on the corner of College and Bancroft. It was a great place for design students when they needed a caffeine pick-me-up.

"Oh hiya!" Rosalind waved as I came into sight.

I waved back as I approached the group, studying each of the new faces and minds as quickly as I could. My former student was dressed in a loose orange top and a pair of denim shorts. It was far less than what she wore when we first met, but a spring heat wave had hit Berkeley early that year. I could see her cute little feet and her painted toes from the sandals she was wearing, her olive tan skin begging for a man's touch. Her other three friends were just as enticingly dressed.

Sasha was an exotic looker, much like Viktoriya. She even sat as primly as my Russian darling. She possessed gorgeous brown hair done in two loose pig-tails. She had sharp features, and her cheeks and jaw were chiseled in a way that gave her strong Slavic features -- all which only enhanced her fierce beauty. The girl wore a striped top that lifted her B-cups to form some cleavage and which easily showed off her navel piercing. Her sandal-wrapped feet peeked out past her black jeans, giving her an approachable, if coquettish, air.

Kimberly appeared more traditional "American" with brownish red curls and a simple peach-tan top and white shorts. A pair of sunglasses were stuck into her hair. Her inquisitive green-grey eyes flicked between the text messages on her mobile phone and me. The tall girl appeared to be the biggest of the bunch, her face having that "wideness" that was apparent when one looked at her dead on. However, she had a pretty athletic body which practically demanded attention.

Alexia was a mix of between something Asian and (I guessed from her last name) Greco-Macedonian. It didn't matter, for she was a definite hottie. She wore a loose frilly shirt which she didn't bother tucking into her faded blue jeans. Unlike the others who wore sandals or open toed shoes for spring, the brunette had donned a pair of tan suede or leather boots. Her below-shoulder length hair dangled behind her as she sat precariously without a care at the cafe.

So, it was in the midst of this quartet of young women, I made my introduction and sat. We ordered and chatted. I was talkative, but only when it came to asking them about the girls' lives and feigning interest in their activities and hobbies. By now, I was used to steering and cajoling the conversation with a quick smile and a little light mind-reading.

Of course, I only spent as much time remembering what facts I needed to successfully bed each of of those hussies. I knew one of them had troubles with an on-and-off boyfriend, while another was experimenting with Ecstasy. The third was into seriously hardcore vibrator usage. All of them though, were struggling and nervous; none of them had prostituted themselves before.

After lunch, Rosalind led the way towards her apartment. As I walked with the four girls through the campus, I noticed our little group turned heads. I also wondered if (and how) Rosalind had prepared this time. If she was as loopy-headed as the last couple times, it would mean I have to do some groundwork. When we were near the campus' South Gate, I told them I'd be back in a bit after I drop by the Walgreens on Shattuck.

"I know where the place is," I said, "I'll be right back."

"But I got everything." Rosalind paused. "Or I think I did."

"You think?" Kimberly elbowed the little Korean girl, "Are you sure?"

"It's better to be safe than sorry." I gave them a shrewd grin and suggested, "Why don't you head back and relax? I'll be back in a flash."

Perhaps it was just to make sure I came back to go through with the whole thing, but pretty pig-tailed Sasha tagged along. She and I made quite the cute couple as we walked down sun-drenched Shattuck to the pharmacy. Without batting an eye, I headed straight to the contraceptives section; Sasha toyed gingerly with a stack of hairclips as I swept past the shelf.

I grabbed a box of the correct-sized condoms and the largest container of lubricant I could find, then headed for the checkout. The pimply-faced clerk of course, had his eyes on Sasha's tight petite ass as she followed me outside the pharmacy. I caught his fleeting thoughts as we went out of sight; none of them were wholesome enough to remember or repeat here.

Back at Rosalind's, I handed over my "donation" (essentially, the payment) to the girls and they were seriously blown away by the dough I was spending. From the thoughts I was grabbing, I determined that Rosalind had twisted the truth a bit about the stipend she was getting to her so-called friends. I had fully prepared and sorted four thousand dollars into four separate security envelopes earlier.

In addition, I carried my allowance of petty cash in small and large bills in case things got more interesting. Lucky for me, the girls were satisfied with what I had to offer; I needn't spend more.

From Rosalind's lies, the other three girls thought I was paying her a mere grand to fuck her brains out once a month. This of course, didn't jive with reality. I was actually giving her a lot more dough and I wasn't actually banging her whenever I felt like it. I could have, but I definitely wasn't. Rosalind decided to be a bit generous and share her fortune this one time so I could have one heckuva orgy. It was her way of "gifting" me something special in her twisted way, and I was all right with it.

Things got busy quick after I hit the shower. The Slavic girl, Sasha took the plunge first by hopping in with me and sucking me off. I rammed her face a few times but held off and refused to spunk. I wrapped my cock with a condom, picked up the slight college freshman, and porked her silly. Sasha's arms and legs were wrapped around me as I slammed her in the bathroom.

However, I grew tired of how things were going, and decided to take things further. I carried Sasha right into the living room where the other three girls were lounging. Amidst their shocked and surprised gasps and stares, I plopped Sasha on the floor and pummelled her right before their very eyes. The show had an amusing effect on the girls as they cheered (or jeered) my fuck-toy as she lost control over her body and orgasmed like she never had before. I TK-rolled her G-spot a few more times, timing it with my own thrusts to wipe her out.

Emboldened, I pulled out of a shivering Sasha, put on a new condom, and selected the next girl. Sensing her arousal, I grabbed Rosalind roughly by the wrist. She gasped as I pushed her down on all fours and rammed right into her without any pretense of foreplay. While this had the danger of being harmful, I had enough control over telekinesis to ease myself in without physically harming her.

To Rosalind, it felt like a very slick, very lubricated, very warm, and very massive dick had been shoved into her body and throbbed against her vaginal walls. She cried out loudly as the other girls watched transfixed as their friend turned into a wailing banshee. I drilled my extramarital fuck-nugget until I lost count how many times she juiced over my fuck baton.

When I finished with Rosalind, I grabbed the next convenient girl, Kimberly, and pushed her onto the sofa. She uttered a wild screech as I split her pussy with a mix of telekinesis and my freshly protected Chinaman's dick. From my scans, I knew this girl enjoyed some light abuse. I lightly slapped her face a few times while I porked her silly.

Kimberly initially snarled, but it was a "happy" kind of snarl. I sensed she wanted more so I decided to up it a notch. I squeezed out a large gob of goopy lube and worked it over her puckered asshole. Having thrown both her legs to one side, I was able to work a condom covered finger into her tight little shitter. Soon, her ass was begging to be wrecked by anything longer than four inches and thicker than an American dime.

The frazzled hair beauty's eyes grew wide with fear and anticipation as I pulled out of her cooch and mounted an Asian invasion on her tight, puckered asshole. Her howl of, "Goddamn!!" drew the awe of her friends while I slammed her like a well-oiled steam engine. My fingers left slight welts on her hips and thighs as I rammed her over and over again.

Kimberly grimaced like she was in pain, but she was clearly enjoying herself -- her ass clamped down on my meat shaft with each stroke. I finally spread her legs apart, and flicked her clit until she seized up and came in one huge extended orgasm.

"Rose, get me a paper towel." I pointed with my chin.

Rosalind hopped to the kitchen and came back with a roll of towels. I took a square and pulled out of Kimberly's asshole. She grabbed a few squares and excused herself to the washroom. That was fine. That was also why Janet didn't mind condoms when anal sex was involved. I quickly changed yet another condom and pounced on Alexia.

Despite her fiery appearance, this girl wasn't into the rough stuff. So, I slowed my pace to make her comfortable. I spread her legs wide, letting her shapely calves press against my chest as I entered her tight little hole. As it turned out, Alexia was the circle's closet masturbator. She moaned softly as I plowed her slowly and gently.

"Shit -- I want that!" Sasha exclaimed quietly behind me.

I turned around to see Sasha fingering herself; her digits slick and glossy from her body fluids. Nearby, Kimberly had showered herself clean and was bumping butts with Rosalind. I saw they were sharing a double-ended dildo that was as glossy-wet as Sasha's fingers. Feeling adventuresome, I tugged Sasha towards me and kissed her full on. She responded eagerly by pressing herself against me. As I continued my thrusting, Sasha glanced at her chum lying on the floor.

"Hey Lexi." Sasha let out a drunk giggle. "Wanna eat me out?"

Alexia blinked; she seemed apprehensive as her gaze shifted to me for my opinion.

I only managed a wry grin. "You'll never know if you don't try."

The Greco-Asiatic brunette smiled shyly and nodded. Sasha straddled the other girl's face and tongue-fucked my mouth while I stuck her friend, who in turn, lapped up Sasha's dripping puss. By now, I had denied myself the chance to shoot my spunk several times. I wanted release, but the feeling I got from the four girls in the apartment were that they weren't yet satisfied. I glanced at the clock in Rosalind's apartment and saw it was only a few minutes past 3 P.M. local time. I had been fucking these girls for less than an hour.

"Hey pull out just a sec," Sasha said.

I glanced down and saw that the doe-eyed girl with the pig-tails was leaning over, and appeared to be sixty-nine-ing Alexia. She wasn't though. Instead, Sasha was alternately licking her friend's clit and panting with her mouth wide open, practically inviting me to shove my dick right in. Man, I thought wryly, the guy who was going to date this nympho was in for a treat.

I pulled out of Alexia and shoved my covered cock into Sasha's eager, waiting mouth. She let her jaws slacken as I poled her slowly (and carefully; I didn't want to knock her teeth out). My dick ached for release, but I denied myself the pleasure. Slick with spit, spermicide, and lubricant, I pulled out and slid back into Alexia with ease. I felt the busty Greek girl's pussy pulse quickly as she came three times in quick succession.

I slammed her a few more times before I left Sasha and Alexia alone. By now, I was like a man following his basest desires as I got up and gingerly pulled Kimberly on top of me. She gasped in surprise when I took her. Rosalind tongue wrestled me while my hips bucked gently upward against Kimberly's baby-kettle.

"Like it huh?" Rosalind asked after I drew back for some breath.

"Y--yeah." I panted.

"Cool, glad you do." She bent in close and kissed my neck. I gritted my teeth and fought the urge to cum.

"Can we join in?" Sasha and Alexia were kneeling just beside me.

"In--na--min--net," Kimberly's face contorted as she uttered a soft cry and climaxed again. The frazzled-haired girl let out a satisfied breath, leaned over to kiss me, and got off the Miracle-Fuck that was my modest little dick.

"Me next!"

Sasha quickly impaled herself before anyone could contest her. And on and on this went until it started getting dark. By now, I had maintained and erection for nearly three hours. I wasn't using anything except a little mental exercise to keep myself hard. The girls in the apartment were saddle-sore, dehydrated, and more than a little irked that I still hadn't shot my load.

"You know, I didn't believe you at first," Alexia said to Rosalind, "But your boyfriend's dick is like solid granite or sum'thin'."

I grinned more at the "boyfriend" tag than Alexia's compliment. Rosalind giggled shyly as she bent down to kiss me.

"Hey Stan," she whispered, "It's been great, but we got mid-terms next week y'know?"

"Ungh--yeah," I groaned as Sasha rode my fuck-shaft for the umpteenth time now. I watched the petite dark haired girl shiver as she orgasmed yet another time. She fell back, exhausted and breathless.

"But you haven't cum yet!?" Kimberly glanced at me astonished. "We're fuckin' the Man O'Steel here."

"Ha-hah," Sasha giggled deliriously, "Supa'man! I fucked Superman!!"

We all laughed a bit, but Rosalind got serious.

"No c'mon guys," she said, "He paid us a lotta money. He's gotta cum, y'know?"

"What'd you suggest?" Kimberly asked.

"I've got an idea," I said and the four of them looked at me. "I've been holding back 'cause I didn't want to leave anyone out, but why don't the four of you try sucking me off? Just another five minutes or so. I'll watch and if I can't get off, we can try next time."

"Sounds like a challenge" Rosalind said as she wore saucy smile. "C'mon! Show your teeth and TEAR it up!!"

The girls laughed as much as I did. If they only knew how fast Shawn and Jamie made me blow my load, they'd be put to shame. Sasha placed herself of over one of my legs and Kimberly the other, while Alexia and Rosalind lay prone beside me. I found I could reach and grab Alexia's and Rosalind's cute butt-cheeks as the four girls began licking, biting, and sucking my dick, balls, and groin in earnest.

Holy shit, it felt great! I shuddered and nearly came. Thankfully, I inured myself against such stimulation and kept my erection. By now, Sasha and Alexia would alternate being suckling the top of my prick while biting the length of my shaft. Kimberly, wanting to find her own space, found that I groaned softly when she took my balls into her mouth.

"Oh yeah, that's good," I said through gritted my teeth as to encourage them. "The balls, the tip, the whole thing -- ungh."

The girls got the gist of it as they continued licking and mouth-fucking me. I tugged Rosalind and guided her to suck on my erect nipples.

"Feels good?" she mumbled as she kissed my nips.

"Bite." I shivered with eager anticipation. "Just a bit."

Rosalind grinned and bit me -- hard. Coupled with the sweet oral I was getting from three other girls, my body tensed up and I blew my top. Alexia squealed as my hand tightened over her lovely ass. Her squeal of delight quickly became a cry of annoyance when she found most of my scuzz flew into her hair.

"Hole--lee--fuck!!"

Sasha laughed as Alexia sat up. The Greco-Asian girl sat with a frown on her face as she tried to untangle the soggy mess in her beautiful black hair. Kimberly in the mean time, seemed like she was getting a second wind. I watched her press her face tight against my scrotum and deeply inhale my man scent.

"Fuck that was awesome!" Kimberly murmured, "Hey, if you don't mind Rosie, can I --?"

"God, you're such a slut!!" Rosalind scowled at her friend then turned to me. "Do you think you can? What'd you think?"

As inviting as it was, I didn't want to jeapordize their academic careers.

"I'd say hit the books," I said as I sat up, "But if you're in the mood, ten more minutes?"

"Thanks!" Kimberly nodded and scrambled for a new condom while the others dispersed, grabbing their clothes, stretching, and yawning. In the meantime, the tall Caucasian girl clawed my neck lightly as she settled her ass over my still stiff dick.

"I aim to please." I grinned at her and she smiled shyly back. I didn't know I had it in me, but I found I could still walk after all that activity. By the time I was dressed and ready to leave, it was dusk. Kimberly found the shower was still occupied by Alexia (she was still scrubbing her hair clean of my cum) so she and Sasha stepped out to grab some take-out. With the bathroom occupied and Rosalind changing, I didn't want any more fanfare and I quietly made for the door.

"Hey!" It was my Korean honey. She had just stepped out from her room, cute as a button. Rosalind was dressed in an oversized T-shirt, white socks and panties. It made her look sweeter and younger than her age. The lil' Korean spinner ran up and threw her arms around me. I sagged back a bit and returned her embrace.

"You're leaving without saying goodbye?" Rosalind looked at me.

"Sorry." I rubbed her back gently. "I thought you were studying."

"Well it only takes a sec to say g'bye!" She didn't relinquish her hold.

"Sorry Rose." I gave her a gentle hug. "G'night. And let those friends of yours know I had plenty of fun."

"I'll bet." Rosalind's eyes sparkled as she asked, "You wanna do'em again huh?"

"Well, sure." I rubbed her cheek gently. "If they're up for it."

"Let's wait and see if my Pell Grant comes through," she lowered her voice to a bare whisper, "Then I can afford it to let you fuck my friends."

"You're a wild one." I gave her a kiss on the nose. "Don't you get into trouble now. Understand, sweetheart?"

"I won't 'daddy'." Rosalind tip-toed and kissed me on lips. "I'll be good, 'kay?"

We usually stuck with our monosyllable names when possible. However, the age difference and how we saw each other nearly made it seem like we were father and daughter (almost -- although I'm sure Janet would've gone nuts if she got pregnant at age 18). I didn't let any of that faze me as I kissed her deeply. The petite little K-gal cooed with pleasure and clutched me ever tighter as my tongue slipped past her sweet lips and into her eager mouth. I finally had to draw back for some air.

"Be a good girl 'till I get back, 'kay?"

"Yes'um." She kissed me passionately once more on the lips before I finally left.

HOME FRONT

Now you might think that a man would be wiped out after having balled four college girls who were young enough to be his daughters. Not a chance. Instead of taking the underground train, I found a secluded corner of the the apartment block and flew up straight into the air. Using the small gyrocompass on my hiking watch and the lights in the distance, I pointed myself towards San Francisco.

My telekinesis was still not as potent as Viktoriya's, but I had honed what I had to a level of proficiency I wouldn't have dreamed of when I was younger. I "pushed" on the soles of my shoes to achieve the height I needed and maintained my balance by "jerking" the dress belt I wore.

By doing this, I was able to safely "fly" without risk breaking something on my body and I zipped towards the City by the Bay just a few feet over the chilly water. I managed to land back home unseen and unnoticed after a short, soundless flight.

My building was quite impressive at night. Garden lamps lit up the front yard with low wattage solar-powered LEDs. The lights gave the place an eerie luminosity at night. Janet's house next door was similarly illuminated. I saw one of her lights was on and I reflexively pinged. A-ha. A slow grin crept across my face.

Janet had taken Michael, Milhail, and little Frederick to stay at her house for a little while. Despite our "no one under six" rule, my First bent it for her son after I installed child-proof locks on the sliding doors. We also carefully instructed both the older boys they were to NEVER go into the backyard without an adult (Jillian, of course, didn't count and she could come and go as she pleased with Janet's and Jamie's permission).

I headed into my unit and glanced at my watch. It was nearly 9 o'clock. I reheated and ate a pork bun, showered, brushed, donned some dress slacks, shirt and jacket, grabbed a bottle of chardonnay, and ran back outside to my First's residence. I rang her doorbell once and waited. I sensed Janet's confusion as I felt her presence approach the front door. She spied me through the peephole and greeted me in genuine surprise.

"Stanley? What're you doing here? I thought tonight was your 'off-night'."

"I got lonely." I flashed her my trademark smile.

"You mean you got horny," Janet said dourly, "Is this a booty call?"

"Maybe." I pouted and rubbed a shoe behind the other like a shy kid. "Aren't you going to let your poor husband in?"

Janet knitted her brow and glared with her arms folded across her chest.

"Pretty please?" I leaned close and kissed her. "Ngoi-gwaju lei-a Ling-Ling." [Cantonese: I missed you Ling-Ling.]

My First reluctantly took my bottle of two-buck Chuck and stepped aside to let me in.

"Where're the boys?"

"Probably asleep until you rang the bell." Janet shut the door behind me. "For the record, you're too late to dine me."

"So I'll just wine you. I'll think about the sixty-nining part."

"Charming as always." She sniffed and walked past me with her head held high.

"Don't be uppity Jan." I grabbed her and spun her into my arms.

"What's gotten into you?! You've been acting all weird recently."

"Mid-life crisis." I leered. "Does it matter? You're getting some tonight."

"It does to me," she said peevishly, "You sure you're not taking something?"

"Hmm, maybe. Does lady-juice count?"

"Eww." Janet wrinkled her nose. "Fuck no!"

"Oooh! Mom said a bad word!!"

My First gasped as she and I looked up to see the oldest boys on the stairs. Mikey and Milhail both registered shock on their faces that their mother had said a curse word.