Chapter 9

Now that I had a lot of photographs, I went home and tried to sort out ones that were worth anything. I would have to take more pictures of the patio. That place is unbelievable. I made up a packet and sent it, along with a note, to my folks, my sister, my sister in law, and my brother 'in the sand' as he calls it. I was going to take a shower, but that seemed to be something that was being done with others lately, and there was no one available now. I chuckled about how terrible this situation was. Between the ladies and the children, there were plenty of opportunities to get into some mischief, if not jail.

I showered and afterward I went to the patio to see if they had any snacks. They did, as someone was cooking wings. Kathy was punching holes in the wings with a toothpick, and soaking them in a sauce. Mercy came bouncing out and told Tiny, who was cooking, "Make me some and make them killer. I'm going to have to go play magician soon."

Kathy looked over at me as I pulled a beer, "Do you like your wings hot, just sort of hot, or mild?"

"Kathy," I said, after taking a drink of beer, "I'm a real Texan. I may not be able to eat a Jamaican pepper raw, but I grew up on jalapenos. We grow some bell peppers that will hurt you. I'll have my mom send some. I'll take some hot ones after you feed Mercy."

"You may have to wait a long while if she's hungry. Between the two of us and Chuck, we can put away about five pounds of very hot wings. I keep buying more every week, but it never seems to be enough."

I helped Tiny for a while, but he seemed to be having too much fun messing with the wings and drinking beer. They had the big screen TV on some car races. I walked into the house and recognized a bunch of women that seemed to hang out together. All of them appeared to have babies. I began trying to learn all of the ladies' names, and was sitting on a coffee table when an older looking lady that looked a lot like Mercy quickly walked through the living room. No big deal, except she had a towel around her waist, one on her head, and a bare chest.

She stopped directly in front of me and just stared. "You're that new guy. Sorry, I can't find my dress."

That was strange, but she had a nice top for a lady her age. It was strange though, as she seemed to be looking inside me, or at least into my brain.

I went back out to the patio and saw Mercy sitting at the bar, eating wings and drinking beer, with tears running down her cheek. She would eat a whole wing, say, "So good," take a drink of beer, and reach for another wing. She saw me watching and put a wing on a napkin and handed it to me. Between mouthfuls, she said, "Watch your fingers. Your fingertips will tingle for a while."

The wing was good, but it wasn't the hottest I've eaten. Mercy and Kathy were both watching me. Kathy said, "Aren't you going to have some beer with that?"

"Oh yeah, I left my mug inside. I think it was your mother, Mercy that came through without all her clothes on, so I thought I should come back out here."

"Typical of Mom, she's always trying to give someone the shock treatment. I think she likes to show off and tease."

I went for the mug and found that the women had finished it for me. I asked if anyone wanted one, and the girl named 'Frieda' told me, "It's more fun to drink someone else's. Bring one in, pretend it's yours, and leave."

That was worth a laugh. I filled my mug and sipped it. Tiny put some more wings on a paper plate for me, and I scarfed them down as fast as Mercy and Kathy. I saw Kathy nudge Mercy, "We have another Chuck on our hands. We'll never get our fill of hot wings if this keeps up."

I knew right then I would have to get some of my sister-in-law's sauce. Her stuff was downright dangerous. I loved it, but it hurt sometimes. I'll bet these folks would never believe watching my five foot two sister-in-law, casually eating those wings as if they were candy.

Tiny was flipping wings and chatting. "I'll be putting some brisket on in a while. We'll have brisket, wings, chicken, and some ribs, if there are any left from last night. There should be, as we ordered almost double so that we would have some extra. The only thing we make hot like that are the wings for you masochistic souls, and some really zinger hot sauce for dunking or putting on ribs."

Tiny looked around and told me, "Go into the fridge, look down the right side, and see if there are big trays of raw veggies. Pour some of the ranch dressing dip from the container in the door into the bowl and bring it out. No sense in us being out here without any of the veggies."

There were multiple trays of raw veggies. I found the dressing, filled the dipping bowl in the middle of the tray, and took it out to the bar. Kathy was still stuffing herself with wings and smiling. She reached for a piece of celery, and began alternating between a bite of wing and a bite of celery.

Mercy had finished her wings and was rubbing her belly. She took a piece of broccoli and a drink of beer, and then happily sat there enjoying her vegetable. I had not been paying any attention to her when she reached over toward me and said, "We have to watch about getting hair in the food most of the time, but since daddy came, these darn scarves are showing up all the time."

She pulled a scarf from what must have looked like my mouth, turned to Kathy and I swear a scarf came from her mouth. "Watch out for those, Sal, you could choke on one."

Mercy went into the house, presumably to get ready to go entertain with her mom and dad. Sue came out and picked up a wing from a dish that was marked mild. She had Tiny pour her a Diet Coke from the fountain nozzle.

Sue asked me, "Where are the women who want to stake a claim on you?"

The answer was easy; "They are probably still shopping. If they are like my mom and sister when they get out like that, they forget to look at a watch."

"We do that too when we go together. It's even worse now that the girls are getting older and interested in clothes. They can be a mess. A sweet mess though."

Steve came out, looking as if he might have been having a nap. He pulled a beer and sat with me. "Learning your way around yet? I saw you wandering around taking pictures."

"My mom, dad, sister, and brother will want to see where I'm living. I have to thank you for the really nice place. It's everything I could ask for."

"Good," Steve said, between sips, "That means there is less distraction for you to do your magic. Did Dennis show you your new office or shop?"

"That is awesome, Steve. I wanted to begin unpacking boxes, but Dennis said there were a few things that needed to get done before I start playing. Oh, thank you for putting broadband in my house. I sent my folks a DVD of the patio, last night's introductions, and some music. Elmer even put that rescue clip on it. My dad will get a kick out of it, as he's always said that I was part fish. I love to swim."

"You'll have to use the pools here in the park, Sal. They are long enough to do laps. I try to swim a few laps after our workout everyday. You're welcome to come with us in the afternoon if you want."

"Thanks, but I think I'll go early in the morning. It will give me more energy to tackle my projects. I'm planning on doing some running in the evening. I don't go crazy, but about twenty to thirty minutes out on the street always feels good."

"You'll have to run through the park by the sports complex, Sal. There is plenty of grass to run on and we have a three mile track around the park. It weaves in and out a lot to go around trees and brush, but it is a fun run – or walk."

The beautiful Latin lady came out of the house with hair that was almost a bed head. She kissed Steve and softly said so that I couldn't hear, "Thank you, I needed that."

She asked for and received a rum and Coke, before kissing Steve again and going back inside the house. A minute later, the shorter girl who had a baby in her arms came out of the house. I think her name was Mickey, or something like that, from when I met her before. She had messy hair too and her blouse was buttoned unevenly. She gave Steve a nice kiss and also whispered, "That was a good one, Lover. Giovanna and Juanita are devils. I'm sure glad to be off restriction."

This was something interesting. I was going to pay attention to this. Mickey got a Coke and then disappeared, as one of the Italian girls came out. This must be Giovanna. Steve asked her, "How do you feel, you haven't done that in a while. Everything feel like its okay?"

The lady definitely had a just fucked look, and really gave Steve an incentive to carry her back inside. She told Steve, "I'm fine. No, I'm better than fine. I can't wait until later. Rest up, Husband, I want more of you with the others."

I was getting uncomfortable, and Steve sensed it. "How about I tell you a neat story about my women, Sal? It's about my crazy family."

Steve drew us both a beer and set them down on little tables next to a couple of loungers. "When I left an out of the country job on a vacation, I ended up starting the beginning of the businesses I now have. Kathy was the first lady in my life at the time, but she moved away back then. I met Sue and we were instantly an item together. We got married. A little later, when Sue was already pregnant, we met Mercy, and it was love at first sight for Mercy and Sue. Now don't think I didn't go for Mercy too, because I did. We brought Mercy back here from San Francisco. Our lives were perfect; that is, until the girls decided they wanted Juanita to be part of our family. To be honest, the girls would have other women stay over, and Mickey was one of them. She had a girlfriend, Samantha, who later moved to New York for her work. She's a very talented photographer. Mickey is a Deputy Sheriff in forensics and wouldn't leave, so she stayed.

"Meanwhile, Kathy gets invited to come down and visit, and we found that she and I still had a hell of a spark, plus another reason why she should stay with us. Well, she stayed. A while ago, the ladies convinced me to have Mickey become a part of our life, and finally, when we were on a sailing adventure with Chuck and another friend of mine a year ago, we met Giovanna, and her sister, Gina. You see, Chuck has the same problem I do with his women wanting to bring more women home. That's how I now have six women who consider themselves as my wives. I'm married to Sue, and all the rest belong to Sue. We all love each other, and I've been blessed by a lot of kids. Sue gave me four that includes twins; Mercy gave me four that includes triplets. Kathy had four by her husband before he was killed in Iraq, she has given me two more, and Mickey has now given me one. Giovanna has two by her deceased husband, who was from Italy, and now has given me another boy. You can see how I have so many children, and as for the women, who would I have gotten rid of? I love all of them dearly."

I could tell Steve was waiting for me to say something, but I could only think of how sweet that story was.

"I'm glad you don't seem to be concerned about my happiness and the form it has taken. I hope you understand."

I nodded, "I understand. I've not witnessed anything like that, but you and your family are obviously happy."

I paused a second, "Steve, you are probably the best person that I could talk to about something that has come up."

"Shoot, Sal."

"I've not had a lot of experience with women, and on the way here, I got lucky, as some would say. The first lady wanted something special from me, and I guess I gave it to her. She is a professional gambler, a card player. We both lucked out and won a bunch of money because of a crooked tournament dealer.
Actually, it is partly you, or your company's fault, that I won so much. I was going to enter for a hundred, but the people there said I was entered for a thousand. That's a big difference, and I was concerned. I'm a decent card player, and the lady and I figured out the scam and alerted a tournament official. They couldn't let us continue because we had already been cheated. They could do nothing but pay us off with the equivalent of the tournament prize for our entrance amount. "I won a lot of money, Steve, or at least I was given a lot of money. Anyway, the lady and I did the deed. That was a first for me in a long, long time.

I drove to Panama City Beach the next day and checked in there. By some crazy coincidence, I helped a couple come in to safety and people made a big deal out of it. Anyway, at supper these two young girls wanted me to sit with them and their mother. I did, and their mother and I hit if off big time. During the time we were getting to know each other, she discovered that I was coming here. She already worked here. Anyway, she is a friend of the travel lady, Jenny. Well, Rita and Jenny have a deal with Marilyn, Janet, and Suki to share a guy. They chose me. I'm not complaining, as they are all neat ladies. They have some young daughters who are sort of split fifty-fifty between being legal and jailbait that I don't think I'll have a problem with. My question is, is it nuts to go into a relationship with five women? How do you keep five women from scratching each other's eyes out?

Steve motioned for us to get more beer, and then asked, "Do you like Beefeaters?"

"Every chance I get, especially with a salad."

Steve poured us both a tall Beefeaters over ice. Back in our chairs, Steve said, "The one thing that seems to bond my women together, and with another family I know, is that the women must be or are also women oriented. I don't know about you or your women, but are you put off by women fooling with other women?"

"No, no. That's really hot, but I had never witnessed it until last night. They all profess that they do not want anything permanent because of their kids. I'm cool with that, but I'd like to be a dad. Now that I'm out of the society that looks down on guys like me that are geeks or nerds, I think that I can find that special person who will be the mother of my kids."

"I'm sure you will, but are these women still of childbearing age? If so, one or more of them, might give you a baby."

"There it is, Steve. Can I really have more than one and love them equally? I don't know."

"Well, Sal, do this. Right this minute, enjoy the liaison with the women, and see how they react with you and as friends together. Find out how much they enjoy each other's attention. If you need more bad advice, talk to me. I'll get you together with Chuck. He really has a bunch."

"He does? Does he have one that is his wife like you have, Sue?"

Steve shook his head, "No, but Lisa and my niece, Tina, are his closest. I think Lisa is first, and then I think Tina is first, but Sue gave me the answer, the two girls love each other very deeply. They also each love Chuck, so it is a trilogy without jealousy."

"But you said he has more, like 'Brandy' right?"

"Yep, Sal, Brandy is one, but she is part of a group of five who have given him six babies. There is a set of twins in there. Then there are his two Chinese women, who have each given him a baby, and a really sweet Latin girl who has given him one. Gina, Giovanna's sister, has given him one, and I think that's all, although he also has an older female friend who has become part of his family. You see, they all enjoy other women, and are constantly trying to get Chuck to have more women. Really something, isn't it?"

"You know what, Steve? I'm just going to treat this like an unknown bronc and just ride it out to see how I do. They don't want any strings other than fidelity, and I'm good with that. I suppose that if they were to pick up other women who are as good and nice looking as they are, who am I to complain? Thanks for the story, Steve. Your disclosure of your 'wives' and Chuck's women make a lot more sense now."

Sue came out and sat on Steve's lap. "So you're telling family secrets huh?"

I looked at her as if she was a mind reader.

"Not me, Mercy. She was getting all kinds of love vibes from Steve, and checked out what he was thinking. You see, Mercy and her mom really are clairvoyant, mind readers, and have enhanced ESP. If you want to be around a really strange lady either of those two will do it for you. I won't tell you who else, as you'll never believe it. I only believe it because I've been with Mercy for so long."

"This place is really a change of pace from my stodgy world in academia. I'm so happy you found me. I love all of you people, and promise to contribute to this group." My thought track was interrupted when I saw my women, so I simply told Steve and Sue, "I see some ladies I know coming in the door."

Sue said, "That's what Mercy told me when she called. You are some kind of new stud, or a toy, for those five. Watch a couple of their girls. Some of them are jailbait, and out of sight strange for the others."

"Now, Sue, girls like Grenaline are not strange. You have to give her credit for not being a tease. She tells guys to take a hike and doesn't tease them much. She's enough of a tease just being Grenaline."

I left the couple with a spinning head. Hopefully, the girls will be in a good mood and we'll have a good time tonight.

The girls were milling around at the door. Janet asked me, "Can you take me to my place real quick? I want to put my stuff in the house so that it doesn't get wrinkled."

Knowing Janet's feeling about guys, I thought she was displaying a new level of trust.

As we rode to her place, which was also near mine, on the other side of Jenny, Janet said something funny as she hugged my arm, "I'm so nervous."

She said it so softly that I thought she might be saying it to herself. She looked at me as I drove and said to me, "I want what the others have had. I want what made Suki want you. I want what made Jenny and Rita so happy. Marilyn's been talking big forever, but I'll bet she was just as nervous as I am. Sal, can you love me on demand like this? Can you hear my plea and know that I'm needy?"

I was pulling up to her home when I looked down at her and said, "We don't have to do anything right now. There's no time limit set for us to do anything. How about we have a neat evening, then come back to your place or mine and talk a while. If we want to do something then, we can. There is no reason to be nervous or feel like you have to do anything."

Janet buried her face in my shirt, "But the others have already enjoyed you. I want that. I want to feel you between my legs, and not slapping me as you pound me. I want to feel your kisses and not be getting bitten. Sal, I want you to make love to me, not just fuck me."