Chapter 7

We had two more concerts before the break, one in Donegal and the last in Londonderry. I had thought the girls would be nervous and a bit out of sorts but they really weren't. However the same could not be said for their security team. Wired and hot were how we looked and felt. I won't say we may have been a little bit trigger happy but our patience and restraint with assholes and obnoxious fans were nonexistent. When we were outside, Magaoidh and Caoimh walked with their hands under their coats while Mac and Faolain's elbows and knees were sharp and devastating. There was still the normal signing of autographs and vids and such but it was a lot more orderly than it had been in the past.

Security has got to be the most nerve-wracking detail you can possibly get. No, I mean it! Sure you go out on patrol or are making a big push through the lines it's bullets, bombs, blood and guts everywhere but you know that going in and when it's done it's done. Security, on the other hand, is never done. You never know when you're going to get hit because you're working on the other guy's timetable and not your own. You have to be a hundred percent all the time and that's a hell of a lot harder than you think and if you do it right it takes a lot out of you. It didn't help we'd already had an incident and were wired tight and since they'd got away clean (I don't count the corpse they took with them; that was their problem) we still had no idea who, what, where or when.

The girls were really good about it not getting to them. It was like they were saying this was a man's problem and they weren't going to be bothered by it. That isn't to say they didn't do what we told them or ignored security or anything like that, not at all. In fact they were perfect little angels doing just what we asked when we asked it. It's just that they did it with bright cheery smiles and a bounce in their steps like they didn't have a care in the world. Even Rachael; although I privately believe that was partly because Mac and Faolain kept her so thoroughly fucked a cosmetic surgeon couldn't have removed the smile from her face. If I'd had known that was all it took I'd have ordered a couple more guys and vetted them for the size of their dicks rather than their service records! Anyway the three of them seemed to work it out although it was confusing as hell to me but I really do believe the old saying that if something ain't broke don't fix it. I did make the mistake of mentioning the fact that I wouldn't have been able to do it to my girls and caught shit about it like you wouldn't believe!

"Why Martin Leforge, ya puritanical old biddy," Leanne scolded me. "Are yer telling me ya don't approve of three in a bed at the same time?"

"No, that's not what I meant at all," I protested. "I just don't think I could do it."

"Ya never had two women at the same time?" Niamh scoffed. "You'll be pulling me leg ah believe."

"Well, once or twice," I admitted. "But that was different."

"And just how was that different?" Shauna added to the pile. "Ya big hypocrite!"

"No, no!" I stammered. "I just don't think I could with another man, that's all."

"Are you afraid you may be attracted to another man, Martin?" Eimile asked me with disappointment. "I thought you were more mature than that." I looked at her like my last friend had just turned on me.

"No, and if the four of you will let me speak I can explain myself," I said firmly. "It may not be what you want to hear and may not be logical to you but it's what I feel so there's damn little I can do about it. Are you willing to listen?" The four of them sat there with crossed arms as if saying, "Fine, let's get on with the silly trial so we can get right to the sentencing." Hanging judges, all of them! Finally they nodded at least agreeing to hear me out.

"Okay, to begin with," I pointed at Eimile, "I'm not afraid to be naked in bed with a man. I'm not afraid of suddenly finding out I have homosexual tendencies; I'm pretty sure I don't. Male homosexuality doesn't bother me, it confuses me. I find nothing sexy or attractive about men and I have trouble understanding why anyone would. As far as I'm concerned you and Shauna are the only ones with a lick of sense. How anyone could choose a man to snuggle up to over a pretty girl baffles me." Eimile smiled, blushed, lowered her hands to her lap and dropped her eyes so she didn't have to look at me.

"I have no idea why an incredible woman like Leanne would consent to sleep with me and while I appreciate it more than you know, I don't understand it." The smile I got from Leanne wasn't demure at all, in fact it was smoldering hot!

"No, the reason I couldn't be with two guys and a girl isn't because I'm afraid I'd accidently rub up against his naked leg or anything like that, it's much worse," I sighed. That got their attention. Their eyes locked on me like I was the last piece of red meat in the lion cage and the lady lions were hungry. "The problem is if I had any real feeling for the lady in question and I'll get to that point later — if I had any feeling for her I'd be far too possessive and jealous to share her with another man. It's a character flaw of mine, I know, but its part of me and I seriously doubt I'll ever correct it.

"Leanne and I have talked about this," I continued staring straight at her as she stared right back at me just as intently. "She is a free woman in all respects. She can go where she wants, do what she wants and even be with whomever she wants to be with, but not with me at the same time. If she wants to be with me I demand absolute fidelity at all times: no compromise, no backsliding, no meaningless flings, ever. If she decides she would rather be with another man that's up to her but we would never be together again.

"Harsh I know and even unreasonable some would say," I nodded. "But it's what I demand. Of course it's not a one-way street. In return I promise my absolute fidelity to her for as long as we're together even if it's the rest of our lives. Many things in a relationship are negotiable; for me this isn't one of them." The hungry look of theirs had gone right up to starvation; I swear I could almost see the drool on their chins. Leanne stood up and with her eyes still locked on mine sauntered — no, more like oozed — over to me and sat down in my lap. She grabbed my ears — really tightly — and gave me a kiss that if we had been alone would have led to ripped clothes and sex that could have left one or both of us seriously hurt. When she broke it off, we were both panting and she buried her face in my neck growling.

"Oh, shit," I mumbled still dazed. "What the fuck were we talking about?"

The other three started laughing which brought me a little way out of my stupor. Leanne just turned her head liquidly and looked at them with a smugness that if she had been a cat she would have had feathers sticking out of her mouth and cream dripping off her chin.

"Oh no ya don't," Shauna scolded even as she laughed. "Ya don't get out of it that easily, me man. We need to hear about the times ya had two women in yer bed and how exactly that's different."

"Well, I don't know about different but it's certainly changed," I replied. "I'm not ashamed of it but when it happened it was back during the war. You see during the few times we were pulled back from the lines and actually got some R&R, things had a tendency to get pretty wild. Both times I happened to hook up with a couple of female pilots and I will admit it got a bit crazy. The difference is I wouldn't do that now even if I didn't have Leanne.

"I'd like to think I wouldn't sleep with just anyone now that I'm older and there aren't the pressures of war," I continued shaking my head. "There have to be some feelings there or it's just not worth it. With those four there were no feelings. It was just sex and blowing off steam. I doubt they ever even gave me a second thought after the nights we were together."

"So I'll not have to be worried that a couple of yer old bedmates are going to come to claim ya?" Leanne teased.

"Wouldn't happen anyway, darling," I kissed her forehead. "They all died in the war and as for the few I've been with after — let's just say they didn't believe me when I said I had to be the only one. Even if they had an inkling of getting back together with me it wouldn't happen."

"Sorry," she sniffed and buried her face in my neck again.

"Nothing to be sorry about," I assured her as I rubbed her back. "That's life; it happens.

"So you see, it has nothing to do with the numbers actually," I continued. "It has more to do with the feelings. Hypothetically, could I have two women in my bed at the same time? I suppose so if I had feelings for both of them. But then I'd be worried about whether or not one thought I was giving the other more attention or if they would be jealous of each other ... You see that's what I would be thinking if it were the two guys scenario. I just don't see how it would work." I shook my head sadly.

"They would have to very comfortable with each other and ya be understanding them very well," Niamh nodded.

"I suppose," I shrugged. "Not much of a concern to me right now."

"Ah want to know why ya said Leanne canna be with another man specifically," Shauna interrupted with a malicious grin. "Does that mean she can have another woman as a lover?"

"You are a troublemaker!" I growled.

"Then ya can spank me for it later. Oof!" she grinned as Eimile gave her an elbow in the ribs.

"You just want me to admit I'm a hypocrite," I accused. "Fine, I'm a hypocrite. The thought of another woman making love to Leanne does not bother me anywhere near as much as it would if it were a man. But it still couldn't be some meaningless skank she picked up off the street. If it were say, Valeria..."

I got hmms from all four of them as I had planned. " ... and the feelings were mutual among the three of us then I could ― hypothetically speaking, of course ― see something like that as being possible.

"But this is all just silly speculation," I said. "I'm not looking for it and as far as I know Leanne isn't overly attracted to women..."

She looked up at me apprehensively. "Ah have before, a couple of times."

"Really?" I asked surprised then grinned down at her. "Maybe we can work that into our fantasy playtime, sometime. You know, tell me about it and just change the names or something like that."

"Ah think that can be arranged," she smirked sounding relieved.

"Leanne Marie, you've been with a woman?" Niamh gasped.

"And do ya think something is wrong with that?" Shauna demanded.

"No," Niamh answered slowly, "ah just never thought of it. Ah'm just surprised is all."

"Don't knock it till ya tried it," Shauna sniffed and Eimile gave her a dirty look.

"Ah suppose so," Niamh giggled. "Ah haven't done so well with men, now have ah?"

"Niamh," I said and she looked at me, "it really doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman that you're with as long as they make you happy."

"Ah'll keep that," she smiled.

Anyway it was finally decided that while I was a worrisome old biddy and a hypocrite (although the kind of hypocrite they approved of) the situation with Rachael, Mac and Faolain was more for the good than the bad so long as her attention didn't wander and the two boys could keep from killing each other. The consensus, four to one, was that my understanding was neither needed nor important. The fact that I was the boys' supervisor and directly responsible for any fallout if/when any explosion might occur was immaterial. Showed me pretty much where I stood: right on whatever spot they placed me.

So it was a relatively easy week; other than I was seeing bogeymen around every corner and waiting for the Rachael debacle to explode at any moment.

Oh, I forgot to mention I'd been contacted by the brigadier finally. I'd called a couple of times but he was never available so I left messages. Well, he finally called me back. It was in the early evening on one of our moving days; Leanne and Niamh were messing around with some song or other while Shauna and Eimile scrunched up against my side while we watched some old thriller on the holo.

I'd told Leanne about my needing to see the brigadier; hell, it wasn't a secret mission and I wasn't a spy but mostly since we were now together she ought to know why I needed to go somewhere, maybe London, for a few days during the break. She was quite adamant about the fact that she would be going with me which sounded okay to me so I told her we'd work it out somehow.

Anyway the call paused the movie and piqued the curiosity of every female in the room.

"Martin old boy! So good to hear from you! It's been simply ages," he said in that loud bombastic voice I think is issued to all British general officers. "So sorry I haven't been able to get back to you before now, politics and such. Such a bore."

I introduced him to all the ladies and both he and they were suitably impressed. Clemson had always been my favorite general officer although there were few enough I actually liked so maybe that wasn't such high praise. He was definitely a no-nonsense, get-it-done type of guy and cool as ice under fire. I know that for a fact. During the fucking goat-rope of an attack on his HQ, the same one I received my nomination for the VC, he was sitting not ten meters from where I was fighting for mine and everybody else's lives, calmly giving orders to the rest of his regiment coordinating a front wide full attack. Just so you know, relief of his own HQ wasn't part of those orders, we would sink or swim on our own because everything else he could beg, borrow or steal was pressing in on one of the last jihadist strongholds. We did get a little help when an American company breezed by us on their way to the front but by then it was mostly mop-up work.

So after the suitable introductions and mutual platitudes I asked if it were possible to meet with him sometime during our break.

"Certainly, Martin!" he bellowed. Before I could even ask where would be convenient for him he continued, "Would you be able to see me up around Leanamore? I have a hunting lodge up thereabouts and was hoping to come to Londonderry for a little time off." Leanne leaned over and whispered to me that was about twenty or twenty-five klicks from where their family lived. The whole Geallaigh clan made their homes on an island called An Inis about thirty klicks out of Londonderry which was one of the reasons that particular concert was scheduled to finish the first half of the tour.

I went ahead and invited him to the concert. What the fuck ― if I couldn't get him in then what was being the head of security worth anyway?

"Oh, jolly good!" he beamed. "Do you think you'd be able to squeeze in four or five of my fellows if they come along?"

"Not a problem. I think I can even get you backstage," I winked. So that was all set up.

Sleeping was weird I will admit especially considering the conversation the five of us had. I said the girls seemed relatively unaffected by the aborted abduction and for the most part that was true. At night it was a little different story. They appeared very reluctant to head back to their own rooms when it was time for bed claiming they didn't want to be alone. No I didn't bother to point out that Niamh would have been the only one who was technically alone; if they were apprehensive I certainly wasn't going to be the one kicking them out. Sure I figured it would put a crimp on my love life for a few nights but I wasn't looking for a short term deal here so a few nights were doable.

Well you can mark that up in the column of wrong ideas I've had over the years. The couch folded out into a bed and some nights Niamh and the twins would sleep there cuddled up like a bunch of puppies. Other nights Leanne and I would have visitors. Mostly it was Niamh and while I was spooned up with Leanne she would snuggle up against my back. Pretty nice I thought even if I wasn't getting laid. Or so I thought.

On the third night Leanne attacked me. All in all she was fairly quiet about it, I suppose. She sort of pushed me on my back and laid her head down on my chest and before I knew it she was on top of me rubbing her bare body all over and doing her best to stick her tongue down my throat. Sure I was a bit nervous and not comfortable making out with my girlfriend with another woman in the bed with us. It sounds nice in a fantasy but when it's really you it's happening to, it's a little bit different.

Uncomfortable yes but I could handle it; besides Leanne body and tongue was taking up most of my attention anyway. That was until the sneaky little vixen, and I'm still not sure how she did this, pulled her legs up and hooked her toes in the waistband of the shorts I was wearing because we had guests and pushed them down all at once. Yes I gasped! Not that it did me any good; she had one arm around my neck holding me tightly against her lips while the other was moving further down. She wiggled her hips and two seconds later I was buried about twenty centimeters in very warm and very wet woman.

She broke our kiss and lifted herself up just a little as she pushed herself back and down onto me. We didn't have the lights on but I could see her face in the moonlight coming in through the window. She had the biggest shit eating grin I think I have ever seen.

"You are so bad," I gasped in a whisper. "Naughty-naughty!" She didn't say a word but just started moving up and down slowly but firmly that grin still plastered on her face.

Now you're saying sure, the big strong man could have stopped his itsy-bitsy girlfriend ... Right, and Santa Claus is making book with the Easter Bunny over the Toothfairy's haul for the night! If you think you could have stopped her than you're a better man than I am.

Unnerving as it was, it got worse when I felt a hand touch my side and travel down to where it met Leanne's leg splayed out alongside my hip. There wasn't much doubt whose hand it was and there wasn't any doubt from the noise we were making and the motion of Leanne's body that the owner of that hand knew exactly what was going on. I was mortified. Well, that hand's owner gave a little surprised "Oh!" giggled and then turned over in the bed. So of course Leanne stopped in embarrassment ... Yeah, right! What she did was take that as silent approval and proceeded to double her bouncing up and down on my stick while letting all those moans trapped inside out to play.

From her squeaks and squeals I could tell she was getting close and I knew I was too, so to punish her for her audacity I rolled the both of us over until she was below me with her legs wrapped around my waist and I began to pound into her with everything I had. I'm not sure just how much of a punishment it was although I suppose the moans she emitted could have been from pain and the wails from fear but they sounded suspiciously like ecstasy to me at the time. By then, though, it really didn't matter since I was close and so was she. One more hard thrust and I grunted and emptied myself into her waiting body as she screamed and sunk her fingernails in my sides.

I collapsed and was just able to keep up on my elbows and not crush her as we kissed very tenderly. After a minute or two we released our lip-lock and just rubbed noses as I minutely shook my head back and forth. She just grinned up at me without a bit of remorse. That's when we heard the other sounds in the room. There was moaning coming from the other side of the bed and little muffled squeals from over where the couch was. After another minute or two we heard a loud "Ahhhh!" from the the bed followed by little sharp yip further away. I chuckled and Leanne giggled. I rolled off of her and pulled her into my side. A minute or so later Niamh scrunched up against my back, sniffed and whispered, "You two smell like ya been rutting fer a week in a whorehouse."

"And just how would you be knowing what a whorehouse is smelling like?" Leanne giggled. Then she stretched and groaned. "We'll be needing to get ya some of that soon for sure, my dear cuz."

"What? A good fucking?" Niamh snorted.

"No," Leanne drawled languidly. "Ah man who will hold you down and love ya like yer the only thing in his universe."

I'm not sure what Leanne was going for but I'm pretty sure she didn't get it. Niamh sniffed a couple of times and then I felt her whole body tremble as she tried to control her sobs. I let go of Leanne and twisted around quickly. I reached out for Niamh and she tried to pull away but I wouldn't let her. I held her close and tight with her face in my neck as she cried and I whispered little soothing things in her ear. Leanne was crying on me as she reached over and stroked Niamh's hair, arm and shoulder saying, "Ah'm sorry, ah'm sorry!"

Soon there was a presence next to the bed and someone worriedly asked, "Is Niamh all right?"

I continued my shushing sounds and reached out. Without thinking my hand hit one very soft, silky thigh. I moved my hand up along her side, over a breast, up the neck until I could tap my finger on her lips hopefully telling whoever it was this was not the time for talk. I will say she sure didn't back away from my hand any and she bit my finger, softly thank goodness.

"Niamh is fine," I whispered. "We can talk about it in the morning but not tonight." By now Niamh was just sniffing into my neck and her hand was kneading my side.

"All right, if ya say so." I was pretty sure it was Shauna. "But just look who's the troublemaker now," she harrumphed. It was Shauna all right. Niamh started to giggle and snort into my neck while pressing herself even closer if that was possible. I continued to hold her tightly and rub her back as Leanne stroked her hair. We fell asleep like that after a little while.

I awoke flat on my back with two soft bodies pressed up against either side, not a bad way to wake up, if you ask me. I looked down and saw two heads of hair, one black and another red, laying on my chest. I was thinking that couldn't be comfortable; funny the odd thoughts you have at times. Something must have changed letting them know I was awake because they both turned their heads and looked up at me.

"Good morning, my beauties! Are we feeling better?" I asked. The two smiles I received could have lit up the room.

"Ah feel wonderful!" Leanne exclaimed.

"And ah feel a fool," Niamh sighed. "Crying like a babby at the drop of a pin."

"It's just emotions, Niamh. You're allowed to have them," I said giving her a squeeze.

"We talked about it," Leanne added. They did? When? I'm usually a pretty light sleeper and I sure didn't hear them although I will admit I'd been a little worn out from that night's exercise. "It's all roses now."

"That so?" I looked down at Niamh.

"Ah think it be," she smiled a little sadly.