Chapter 7

"So," I asked Kathy in bed later on in bed, "tell me about your urge to find an erotic skill that you could compete with Trixie at!"

"It wasn't even my idea! Really!" She laughed. "And it had nothing to do with out-slutting Trixie either, as if that sort of thing were even possible! I had a friend at work, not a girl friend, who worked as a drive-up teller and she mostly sat all day long and wanted to tone up her body for her then boyfriend. There was a dance studio just down the road from our bank that featured pole dancing aerobics and she asked me to come along with her after work, since she wasn't brave enough to go by herself the first time. So we went and both liked it. Amy got to be even better at it than I was, and she really could have gone competitive! She could do an upside down walking routine that made it look like she was defying gravity! It's serious aerobics fitness exercise these days and not just for twirling for tips at strip clubs anymore. There are professional pole dancing associations now, conventions and competitions too. Big money even, and not just from perverts and punters sticking dollar bills into your G-string."

"So why did you two quit going?"

"Amy was really only doing it for her boyfriend, and when they broke up she stopped going. I kept going for a few more weeks but it was no fun without her. I still miss going, it was the toughest upper body and abdomen workout that I've ever had. It wasn't very expensive for classes either, so I can afford it out of my pocket, if you'd let me go."

"Does your friend still work at the bank and have you talked to her lately? Maybe you can talk her into going again with you, gym partners once more ... just so that you can refresh your skills so that you can now entertain your boyfriend."

"She might go for that," Kathy laughed, "especially if I play up the guilt angle, she's a sucker for that. No, she's been transferred to another bank now, but I can get her number and call her. I haven't talked to her in six months anyway and it would be good to stay in touch, even if you are a pig!"

"Me? You're the one that has a shameless slut for an alter-ego! Besides, I'm still feeling very proprietary at the moment and I wouldn't let Garry fuck you last night."

"But you let me blow him." She countered, not unreasonably.

"Well I had to, with the tent you made in our shorts during that long slow grinding pole dance it would have been cruel for you not to take care of us. Besides, I've warned you about being a tease and it's not like Trixie hasn't already willingly offered him every orifice she had! You do give nice blowjobs but your ass and cunt still belong to me! You know we're both now going to expect you to get a lot more exercise on that pole, God knows what Garry paid for it, plus the installation costs."

"I think he's already gotten his money's worth. Besides, you just want me to learn some even sluttier dancing routines for showing me off to your friends ... and probably want bring Amy over as well, so that she can dance for you too! You're such a swine, making me suck and fuck your friends and then have me bring mine over so that you can debauch them as well!"

"Well... if you're offering?" I hinted suggestively as Kathy snuggled into my chest to sleep. Actually I hadn't the slightest intention of offering up Kathy for general entertainment the next time most of our old college friends showed up for a party, but on the other hand if Trixie the Slut just happened to be around ... well, that was a different matter entirely. That was a problem I didn't even want to think about.

As I fell asleep I began to wonder if I could just get the women different wigs to wear, one for 'Kathy', another for 'Trixie' and maybe even one with ponytails for little 'Katie' too! Nasty, but it would make keeping track of my lover's alter-egos much, much easier.

We enjoyed a fairly quiet Sunday and for the most part just puttered about, rested and watched silly movies on TV. Last night's exercise had reduced the sexual tension in the house to a very tolerable level and no one was in the mood to start anything exotic. Rest was indeed the byword for the day ... and we needed it, because the moment I returned from dropping Kathy off at work on Monday morning, our nicely quietly lives returned to shit once more.

Jason had found the note attached to my front door early that morning when he had arrived with his work crew, and the gang message was succinctly clear:

"Final Offer - $350,000 - Or Else!"

The 'or else' part didn't need to be much clearer as the message had been pinned to the door with a large bloody knife! A phone number, probably to a burn phone was added at the bottom so that we could make our intentions clear. Just as soon as I completely considered all of the future ramifications.

"What do you think Jason? I'm pretty much out of ideas for dealing with these clowns. Is their spy still here? Then they should know that there isn't shit left here. Isn't the tear out almost complete? Just where the fuck do they think the treasure is hidden?"

"We'll be done this week, probably Wednesday, and yep their mole Gabe is still with us. I'd even like to keep the kid, he's got sharp eyes and works hard. He's even respectful and isn't stupid either. If the kid wants to learn I'm willing to take him on and train him, give him a life outside of the gang, if he's really smart enough to take it. I think he's even legal too, so I won't have any INS problems later. Want me to try and turn the kid away from the dark side, nice and slowly?"

"Give it a try, if the kid really does put out an effort. Make sure he knows that there's there's no pot of gold down here and even rub his nose into it if you think he's still got notions otherwise. But the friendly big older brother act might work so try it. I'll even talk nice to the kid too, if you think it will help, or promise him that I'll give out bonuses for good work if that might work better instead. I'd like him to feel at least a little guilty when he pulls out a gun on us later on!"

"Will do. Anyway, the tear out should be done by mid-week and then by Friday I can get the security fence company out to secure the entire property. Then next week I'll start by installing all of the new security doors and windows with a smaller select crew until I've got your go-ahead to bring in the electrical and plumbing subcontractors. Remember, I'm going to need at least $25K to get them started!"

"I remember, and that should be do-able. The sale is this coming weekend and my friend there thinks that there will be significant interest with at least a couple of my remaining goodies. Once they're sold, I'm really left with just the shit and whatever petty cash that may be coming in via eBay sales, but I'm hoping to have just enough to get the utility work done. With electrical power and running water we can rough it for awhile here if necessary, or if things go to shit. Speaking of which, are you going to have enough cash leftover for us to hire a bargain basement rent-a-cop for a few nights for onsite security?"

"Not really, not unless they're really cheap rentals and probably without a gun carry permit either, so more or less worthless. I may need the leftover cash for basic materials anyway, not that there is going to be more than few thousand left over after I pay off most of the current work crew, and remember I'm planning to keep a couple of the sharper ones, like Gabe, our resident spy."

"Ok, well ... do what you can then. Garry and I will just keep a lookout after dark with our guns, kind of like we've been doing, but maybe we can get some help soon." The on-site security issue was going to be a long term problem, especially after the monthly public HOA meeting this Wednesday evening. I had a plan for dealing with our corrupt local brown-shirt fascists, but I was also half afraid that they'd try stealing a march to circumvent our plan to restart the neighborhood watch program. We hadn't been making a secret of our goal, and by now loose lips were undoubtedly sinking ships.

I needed to start working on a Plan B, and not our other general goal of voting out all of the rascals at the July annual board election. That was about two months still and a lot could happen between now and then. Right now I needed to make my face known and my version of the facts told, before evil wagging lips told other, less factual versions.

Garry had already more or less told me about my direct nearest neighbors in our private little circular cul-de-sac, but Kathy and I hadn't actually made the official rounds of going door to door to say 'Hi neighbor!' yet. Now that we had a final ultimatum from the gang, I wasn't even entirely sure that Kathy and I wanted to continue to put up the fight. Her mental health was dodgy, and the strain of possibly more shootings, or a forceful home invasion, might be entirely too much stress for her to deal with. I knew that Kathy was more or less back in control once more, but I couldn't be assured that it would remain that way.

I'd nearly talked myself into selling, and just canceling the auction sales entirely as well when I picked her up from work that evening and gave her the bad news, direct and unvarnished.

"Fuck those gangbanging assholes! We're staying." She declared and she even meant it. For a moment there was even a hint of the elusive Katherine lurking behind the steely glare of her otherwise blue eyes.

"Then we need to start making some friends. We need to have someone at our back when the bastards, and also the HOA, come gunning for our asses. Ready to take a short neighborhood walk with us tonight to press the flesh? Garry said he'd come with us and help with the formal introductions. They all like him, or so he says, and that might help us get off on the right foot!"

"Let's do it then tonight. Press the flesh and smile and hope that the bastards don't come back again anytime soon and shoot up the entire street lead. Who knows, maybe we can recruit some new gun club or neighborhood watch members!"

That was certainly an extremely worthwhile goal!

Our local mini-tour began with Arlene, whom I'd already briefly met but it would be good to have another more formal meeting tonight. She was our resident local crazy old biddy, who spied upon all of her neighbors and was rarely ever seen without her late husband's shotgun tucked under her aged but still very expert arm. For all I knew, she'd used it upon him! It wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest.

I didn't expect to have any problems converting her to my side. She was 'old Dixie' enough to resent the idea of gangsters (especially dark-skinned ones) running around her neighborhood at night firing off guns. Hell, she was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to do some firing back at them! She was all for some law and order around here as long as she could help provide some of the order with her scattergun.

Next, working around clockwise around our street, was Donna & Douglass Thomas who were early forty-something professionals. Garry had gently suggested into our fragile and innocent ears that he suspected that while this couple acted the part of 'God-Fearing' bible-thumping Christians during the light of day, but at night they released the bound devils within and became rather enthusiastic swingers. Garry hinted that his suspicions came from some prior practical experience but he wouldn't elaborate and give us the sordid tale. Douglass seemed nice enough, even if his eyes rarely rose above the level of Kathy's tits. She was still wearing her business suit and wasn't all dolled up for display, but he gawked away anyway.

His pleasantly plump wife Donna invited us in for iced tea and rather suggestively and not quite 'accidentally' ran her hand across my butt as I helped her carry the glasses from the kitchen. At one point Kathy was sitting sandwiched between them while they both rested a hand on the upper parts of her thigh while suggesting none too subtly that they'd like to see a lot more of us in the near future. It was all rather very awkward in a sordid Jim and Tammy-Faye Bakker sort of way, as they alternated staid bible discussions with rather unapologetic leering and sexual innuendos. We politely smiled and skedaddled the moment it became remotely feasible. We did have several other houses to visit tonight!

"Out with it, Garry ... just what kind of wild and crazy swingers are they? They were doing their best to feel up Kathy and I wouldn't dare let Trixie anywhere near them!"

"Nope, they're even a bit too seedy and tacky even for her to want to play with. They're also both very bi. Once I went over feeling a bit horny and lonely right after I moved in next door and less than ten minutes later he was trying to get me to pork him in the butt while he fucked his own wife's ass. He let me do her alright and enjoyed watching, but he mostly had his eyes on my butt and cock the entire time. No thanks ... but just between you and me and this lamppost, I've seen Jason sidle over there a few times after dark ... and staying for a few hours. Does that surprise you?"

"Not a bit. He even turned down a go at Trixie. He always did like his women much older anyway. I don't care anyway ... whatever two or more consenting adults want to do behind closed doors is fine with me."

The next houses on the block were Garry's and then mine. The very next house to my right was also currently empty with a For Sale or Lease sign out in front. It had been there long enough to grow weeds and rust ... and a newly acquired bullet hole in the middle of the living room window. At the time I'd worried that someone might have gotten hurt, but I was assured that the house was, and remained, empty.

The following house was leased by Teresa & Courtney Shaw, a lovely mother & daughter pair of matching blondes. Under proper lighting, the two could be mistaken for nearly identical sisters. Teresa was the classical definition of a MILF. Although perhaps in her early forties, she could still (and apparently did) wear her daughter's fashions, with lots of low cut cleavage and short skirts or shorts. The daughter Courtney looked to be of legal banging age and she appeared to mentally be comparable to Trixie the Slut, complete with the constant oral fixation of fiddling with her fingers and hair into her mouth and her incessant giggling. I had the very clear impression that the mother-daughter combo were extremely close and probably shared their toys, both male and battery powered ones.

Neither appeared particularly bisexual and other than engaging Kathy in polite conversation they didn't particularly undress her with their eyes, unlike the very direct looks they gave Garry and myself. The thought of two warm-blooded virile males in the house seemed to give both of them erotic notions of pouncing upon us and thoroughly ravishing us! Even with Kathy there right by our side, the hints were clear that the pair of women would greatly appreciate our further future attention. As we left, Teresa gave the front on my pants a casual but firm grope as she gave me a hug goodbye, whispering rather directly that she'd love for me to pay them a private visit soon, and I was amused enough by the offer that I didn't rule it out. Kathy gave the back of my head a slap after we left, but otherwise she didn't scold me too much.

"I'll behave love, but only as long as you and Trixie stay good! If Trixie bursts insanely out of her closet again then she's going to get strung right back up on that hook, and Garry and I are going to get some revenge with our lovely and rather neglected looking neighbors! She was saying something about having some plumbing she'd like me to take a look at."

"Just try it, Bubba!" She threatened, but not with very much sincerity. I think she was a tad disappointed that neither woman probably wanted to play with her, at least in a girl-girl sort of way. This certainly planted the seed of thought in my head that since Trixie could do other men, then perhaps in return I might be allowed some extra-curricular poon of my own. Since the mother and daughter were alike enough to be reasonably confused as sisters, probably even naked together in bed, this certainly presented an entirely new sort of erotic experience, potentially anyway. Knowing Kathy, I was sure she'd find a way to adapt this situation into some sort of suitable role-playing experience.

The next house on our route was owned by a young widow, Anne-Marie Montoya, a pretty but mousey looking dark haired brunette in her mid-thirties, who had two rather delightful children, a late teenage daughter in high school called Kristin, and a son a few years younger named James. I'd seen both of the youngsters out and about several times and James in particular had shown an interest in the work that we were having done to our house and I laughingly told him that he had my permission to lurk behind Jason's shoulder and watch, if he could stay enough out of the way to avoid getting hurt in an accident.

The lovely widow was quiet and dressed conservatively and didn't appear to wear the slightest bit of makeup. Still, I thought that with a little personal self-care that she could become an extremely attractive woman again. There was no mention of any boyfriends, casual or otherwise, nor did she mention her late husband. She worked as a pharmacy technician at the local Costco and went straight home every night to tend to her kids. Frankly I wished more mothers would put in even half of this sort of effort to spend time with their kids, instead of letting them grow up in front of an X-Box or running free-range all over the neighborhood. She was shy and quiet of speech but her eyes were both animated and intelligent, as she seemed to regard us with both some confusion and yet interest.

Kathy seemed especially taken by the youngsters and spent most of an hour with them engaging them in conversation. There was something now of the younger Katie in her eyes, as if she now felt the similarity of being a shy overly quiet girl with a younger but protective brother.

The last house on our street at the far right belonged to an elderly retired science teacher by the name of Larry Collins, and for the next hour he regaled with his struggles to genetically produce the fastest growing high-protein crop of duckweed plant available, although it was not quite yet ready to be on the commercial market! It would revolutionize poultry and fish feeding, he insisted, showing us his backyard in-ground swimming pool covered with the viscous green marsh weed, and the two other small above ground tanks for testing different strains of the plant. He claimed that it also could be dried and used to make vegetarian protein bars for people, and even raw and fresh it could be eaten much like lettuce. Not bad I suppose for a noxious swamp filling weed that's prone to choking all of the oxygen from fishing lakes! I supposed our gregarious but slightly nutty professor knew what he was doing! The idea of growing your fish in your backyard and harvesting them ultra-fresh for dinner was certainly an interesting one!

I was delighted to find that all of our neighbors quite agreed with my plans for trimming the wings of our local HOA, and they were especially supportive of our plans to restart the neighborhood watch program. I was also able to comfort most of their concerns about the recent gang activity concerning our house, namely that with the addition of an active citizens patrol campaign, we hoped to also reduce the overall rising crime rate in the area ... and also drive our out-of-town gangsters away for good. Nearly everyone had remembered or heard stories of the time DD had owned the house and the rumors of a lost but not forgotten treasure still waiting to be discovered. I assured everyone that the house had now been stripped down to its very foundations and that nothing of the sort had been found or ever likely would be. That suited everybody, especially me I assured them, just fine.

It was nice now knowing that I had some minimal support for changing the leadership of our HOA, and they didn't disappoint us at all by completely trying to change the rules on us at the Wednesday night meeting! Fortunately, I'd brought my pet lawyer along to watch the fun and he was absolutely laughing while filling up his notebook with the minutes from the meeting.

"Ok, explain this all again to me in small, slowly spoken words." I asked Jefferson Howe, my former divorce attorney and now my resident expert in all things dodgy and HOA related.

"They know they can't win any votes in a public meeting so they're abusing the 'minority voting' clause so that they can privately decide all HOA business, claiming that the three officers alone constitute a legal quorum for voting association rules, which legally it does not. Then they can further claim that since the measure in question has already been legally voted upon, that it cannot be overturned without another vote of the officers (also in private) for a minimum of six months later in the future."

"So they can make any rule they want in private, vote on it secretly and claim that it's the legal law of the entire HOA and none of this requires any further membership debate or public discussion?"

"Exactly. Now they've gotten wind of your scheme to start a neighborhood watch program and they've tried to nip it in the bud by claiming the HOA has already voted against forming one, and this measure cannot be brought before the association again for another vote for a minimum of another six months, assuming it ever is allowed to find its way again onto the agenda."