Chapter 35

Randi slipped into the bedroom very early in the morning. She smiled at what she saw before her. Her lovers were locked together. Meredith had her leg thrown across Brock's waist and her hand resting on his shoulder. She could see the moisture of Brock's spend glistening between Meredith's thighs.

Brock had one hand resting on Merie's hip and the other holding her breast. Randi knew that on any other night the hand that rested on Meredith's tit would have been resting on Randi's hip as she snuggled in as close as she could to him.

She had tried to fight the feelings she knew were developing inside her. She had always believed it was impossible to love two people. She had always thought it was wrong to love another woman. She had always believed that loving another woman's man would lead to disaster. But it hadn't.

The first night she made love to Brock was among the best memories of her life. The night that she and Meredith had joined in making love to him was an epiphany to her. But it was days later – the first time that all three of them had made love to one another – that she found what she had looked for her entire sexual life.

Meredith later had confessed that one of her greatest pleasures was to have Brock inside her while she tongued Randi's pussy. Randi had to admit that she enjoyed that scenario very much – in every combination. But Randi's favorite position was to have Brock behind her and Meredith splayed forth in front of her. Every time Brock would drive into her it would push Randi's mouth a little more firmly onto Meredith's clit.

She smiled when she recalled the first time that Brock and Meredith had gone down on her. It had been awkward at first but they soon found a rhythm that drove Randi crazy. That had turned into a game for them. Randi and Brock had done the same thing to Meredith with explosive results. The feeling of two tongues licking her button had sent Meredith into spasms of pleasure. But the best was when Randi and Meredith had both gone down on Brock. They would alternate taking him into their mouths. Their tongues would duel as they licked the sensitive tip. When Brock came, the look on his face as Meredith and Randi shared a kiss with it in their mouths was absolutely priceless.

But it was more than about sex. She loved to sit out back with one or both of them and just talk about life or the future or the past. Well, their pasts. Brock and Meredith had been very free with information about who they used to be and how they became who they are.

Randi had not been as forthcoming. She was past that stage of her life and she didn't want to revisit it. Still, she knew if anyone would understand – could help her make sense of it – it would be the two people she loved.

She had no idea of how things could possibly work. One, or possibly two, of them might have to change careers. Randi had thought about that a lot. She enjoyed performing but it wasn't her life. She could be happy as a record company executive – or as a housewife – so long as she got to share her love and her life with the two people before her in bed.

She fought the urge to undress and join them in their slumber. She knew exactly what would happen. Brock would come awake slightly when he felt her weight on the bed. He would smile at her and open an arm to welcome her. When she awoke in a few hours, she would find Meredith looking at her lovingly from only a few inches away, her hand intertwined with Randi's no matter what.

Meredith would smile wonderfully and mouth the words "I love you." The world would be right for one more day. But it couldn't be that way this morning. There was another ritual that needed to be addressed. It was "Black Friday" and Randi and her mother had been hitting stores and boutiques with the rest of the insane shoppers since Randi was old enough to walk. Today, Meredith was joining them, the first of many traditions she would share or create with Meredith Van Landingham and Brock Miller, Randi was certain.

Randi would have been content to leave Meredith in slumber. The redhead was always a bit grouchy in the morning. But then again, Meredith had obviously been attended to the night before. While Randi's future stepbrothers had tried to sneak glimpses up her shorts, Meredith had been having a night of carnal bliss with Brock. Randi had smelled the aroma of sex as soon as she entered the house. It got stronger as she opened the bedroom door to peer inside. She recognized it immediately – arousal.

Tomorrow morning, it would be Brock who woke up alone. Randi and Meredith planned to spend the night at Randi's house next door. Darla would be with her boyfriend at his house in Malibu, leaving the two lovers a private moment they had anticipated for several months. On Sunday, Meredith would awaken at her father's house as Brock and Randi spent the night together. But Sunday night was Randi's favorite night. On Sunday night she would be back where she belonged, nestled up tightly with one lover while holding the hand of another as she drifted off to sleep.

Just as Randi expected, Brock's eyes opened as soon as he felt the bed shift with additional weight. He saw her in the dim light and smiled. Then he opened his arms to her as he always did. She regretfully shook her head. Instead, she touched Meredith gently on the shoulder as Brock looked on in confusion.

"What?" she asked gruffly.

"It's time to get up, Beautiful," Randi said in a gentle voice. "We're going to be heading out in about 40 minutes."

"No," Meredith replied. Randi's smile could be seen clearly even in slight light. Meredith had told Randi the day before that no matter what she said; Randi was to make sure she got up.

"Come on," Randi said. "You told me to make sure you got up this morning."

"That's before Brock and I spent all night naked," Meredith grumbled.

"We always sleep naked," Randi jibed.

"Fine, I spent all night riding Brock's hard cock," Meredith growled. "In fact, I can feel his cum on my thighs right now."

"I saw it," Randi said. "It looks really sexy. I thought about waking you up by licking it off you but I knew where that would lead. Now come on. Wake up so Brock can get back to sleep."

"Promise you'll lick my thighs later?" Meredith asked.

"I'll do yours if you do mine," Randi said sweetly.

"OK," Meredith said. "I'm up. I'm horny again but I'm up. Want to shower with me?"

"I showered before I came over," Randi said. "I knew where that would lead, too."

Meredith leaned over and kissed Brock softly on the shoulder.

"Wanna quickie before I get dragged off shopping?"

Randi put her hand firmly on Brock's shoulder to keep him from rolling atop Meredith.

"Guess not," Meredith said. "Fucking sex police over there."

She rolled out of bed and padded naked to the bathroom. Randi chuckled when Meredith scratched her butt. She had seen something similar in reruns of a sketch comedy show from the 1970s. Somehow watching Carol Burnett do it wasn't as enticing as watching Meredith Van Landingham.

"You're going shopping?" Brock asked. "It's still dark out."

"Black Friday," Randi remarked. "It's a family tradition. Us women folk get up and hit the stores for all the best bargains."

"I thought that was exclusively for the peasant class," Brock joked.

Randi leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"You forget, I was once a peasant," she said. "That's when this tradition started. I was just a little girl. My Grandma, my Mom and me would head out to the Wal-Mart or the Target. If we were feeling rich, we might hit J.C. Penney or the Bon-Ton."

"Now, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills," Brock said. "Will I see you later?"

"For a little while, maybe," she said. "It depends on how long Mom and Merie want to stay out."

"Well, give me a hug then," Brock said.

Randi complied. She gave him a warm kiss in spite of his morning breath. She could smell Meredith's familiar scent on his skin. She wondered idly if she had time to slip her panties off beneath her skirt and work on her 69 skills. She decided it would either leave both of them frustrated all day or lead to an all-day romp. Neither was workable.

"I love you," she said instead.

"Love you, too," Brock replied.

"I think we should stagger our days alone," Randi concluded. "I don't like not waking up without you two mornings in a row."

"I was thinking the same thing," Brock replied. "I guess its best that you're going to be gone all day. It seemed strange to spend all day with you yesterday and then not have you here at night."

"I know," Randi told him. "I thought the same thing. I'm going to let you go back to sleep. I'll start coffee for Meredith."

"I'll get up," Brock said.

"Stay where you are," Randi urged. "If you get up, I'll never want to leave and Meredith will wind up either staying here with us or shopping alone with my Mom."

"OK, give me one second though before you wander off," Brock said. He slipped across the hall to a second bathroom where he relieved his bladder and brushed his teeth. Then he corralled Randi and gave her an enthusiastic "Good Morning/I Missed You Last Night" kiss. With great reluctance, Randi pulled away. She was seconds away from having Meredith walk out of the shower to find Randi riding Brock. The fact that his limp cock had become fully erect just from kissing and holding her made Randi feel warm.

"I've got to get out of here," Randi said softly. "I'll carry that kiss with me all day."

"Me, too," Brock said.

"You'll have wet panties to remind you?" Randi joked.

"Take yours off and I will," Brock rejoined. Randi's eyes glinted as she reached beneath her skirt to slip her silk panties down her thighs and handed them over. She could put on a fresh pair at home.

Brock laughed and tried to hand them back but Randi refused.

"I don't want you to miss me too much," she said. "You can put Merie's panties on one side and mine on the other. That way you can smell us tonight and have pleasant dreams."

Brock's smile told her that he might just do that.

Brock hadn't yet drifted back to sleep when he heard Meredith emerge from the bathroom. He opened his eyes to see her standing in the doorway, nude, gazing at him and smiling softly. She didn't appear to notice that he was returning her gaze.

Meredith was the only woman Brock had ever known to have the exact same color hair between her legs as she did on her head. The dark red locks on top were identical in coloration to the curlier ones down below. Despite her blonde hair, Randi's pubic mound was covered in brown fur. The same was true for the other blondes Brock had seen disrobed. Even Melanie, whose hair was a rich brown, had darker hair beneath her panties.

Brock had no idea why those thoughts crossed his mind as he watched Meredith standing there but they did. Perhaps it was because the back-lighting accentuated her sexy frame. Perhaps he had been reliving the previous night. Either way, he knew he enjoyed seeing her. With a barely audible sigh, Meredith turned to head out of the room to get dressed. Although the threesome shared the bathroom, the girls kept their clothing in a separate room where more storage space was available.

"Hey," Brock said softly. "Aren't you forgetting something? I got up to brush my teeth for a reason, you know."

Meredith turned slowly to face him, her curves silhouetted against the white wall behind her.

"Mister, if I get back in that bed to kiss you dressed like I am there is no way I'm leaving the house today," Meredith said in a voice that was huskier than her normal tone.

"OK," Brock replied with a smile and a shrug.

"You know I made a commitment," Meredith said. She was warring with herself about calling down to Randi and telling her to go without her.

"I know," Brock said. "But I still expect a goodbye kiss."

"After I'm dressed," Meredith told him. "That way I think I can get to the stores without being molested first."

Brock laughed aloud.

"Merie, do you really think the simple fact that you're wearing clothes will keep me from wanting to molest you?" he asked. "You are just as sexy in your clothing as you are out of them."

"You always say the sweetest things," Meredith said with a wide smile. "I guess it's closer to the truth that it might keep me from molesting you. You know what will happen if I get into bed with you naked. I know what will happen, too, because I'll make sure it does."

"Fine," Brock said, feigning a pout.

Meredith saw Randi's white silk panties resting on a pillow as she crawled across her boyfriend to kiss him good morning and goodbye. She recognized them and gave him a smile before lowering her lips to his. Brock did his best to keep his hands in neutral places but as Meredith's enthusiasm increased, he found them grasping her butt.

Meredith didn't mind in the slightest. With reluctance, she pulled away.

"Last night was really special to me," she said.

"Me too," Brock replied. He waited for her to continue and, when she didn't, he spoke for her. "But there was something missing."

"Not missing," Meredith interjected quickly. "It was just ... I don't know if I can explain. It wasn't while we were together. It was later, when we were snuggling."

"I know," Brock admitted. "I felt it, too. We'll take some time on Sunday to talk this through. We'll also discuss the housing situation if you're sure this is something you want to try."

"You're the one who needs to be sure," Merie replied. "Now unhand me so I can go and find you a wonderful Christmas gift."

"You and Randi, naked, with bows around your waists?" Brock asked helpfully.

"That's more of an everyday present," Meredith replied. "I love you and I'll miss you today."

Brock returned the sentiments and closed his eyes. He would hate to come to bed tonight. In only four days, his two lovers had made his bed lonesome when he was in it by himself.

Brock hadn't dropped off to a deep sleep when he felt someone enter the bed with him. The door had been reclosed so it was too dark to see who it was, only a general form. He extended his arm to let his bedmate get close to him, which she immediately did.

"Change your mind?" he asked.

"Not about what you think," a voice he didn't expect told him. It caused him to sit up straight in bed.

"Jen!" he said in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"Snuggling with my bed buddy," she said. Brock could see her smile in the dim light. "Chris is going with them today so I rode over with him. I was just going to nap on the couch but Meredith told me to come and curl up with you if I wanted. I decided I wanted to."

"Oh, OK," Brock said, reclining again and letting Jen resume her spot on his shoulder. She didn't care that he was naked. He apparently didn't either. "So, you spent the night with Chris?"

"Last night and the night before," Jen admitted. "He's a really special guy."

"He is," Brock told her. "And you're a really special woman. I hope things work out for you."

"We're going to date when I get back out here," Jen said. "I already like him a lot. I mean, well, you know what I mean."

"It's not just about sex," Brock replied.

"Yeah," Jen admitted. "We've spent most of the week together. Mel was working Tuesday and Wednesday. Tara and Susan were both busy. I knew you were getting laid at a remarkable pace. So Chris showed me around. We went to dinner and he took me to the museum of modern art. Did you know he has an art degree?"

"Explains why he's working as a body guard," Brock said with a laugh. "That would have to be right up there with general studies in the "Degrees That Will Not Get You a Job" category."

"He said it's as worthless as a history degree," Jen joked. "He... , crap. This sounds really messed up. But he reminds me of you. I hate to leave Sunday. I wish I was already out here for good."

"I do, too," Brock told her. "You know, I figure the day I saw your little blonde head pop over the fence might have been the luckiest day of my life. I've never really taken the time to thank you for all you've meant to me."

"You?" Jen asked. "It might have been a good day for you but I have no doubt my life got so much better that afternoon."

"You'd have been fine," Brock said. "You were ready to break out of your shackles and start living whether you met me or not. I was ready to stop living, Jen. In just a few minutes of visiting with you, I understood what I would be missing if cut people out of my life. You? You'd have been fine. If not in Corbly then when you got off to college, your personality would have shown through."

"Yeah," Jen said. "And what a personality it would have been. I am the person I've become because you were a part of my life. I still have times when I think and act like my mother used to act. But more and more I find myself thinking and acting like you."

"Which is probably not a good thing," Brock said. "I mean, what sort of doctoral candidate eats cereal for supper?"

"So we can stop our mutual admiration for a while?" Jen asked with a laugh. She knew Brock's joke, although not particularly funny, was meant to move the conversation past the point of each telling the other how much they cared.

"I was thinking after the shrine was built, but sure," Brock said. "Have you found a place to live out here, yet?"

"I'm going to crash with Mel for a while," Jen said. "I thought about asking you but I don't want to cut into your time with Meredith."

"I was thinking about something else," Brock said, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, I've always tried to treat you guys equally."

"OK," Jen agreed. "And I think you know that we've always appreciated it. Who am I kidding? No we didn't."

Brock laughed.

"I have been approached recently with an investment idea," Brock said. "Have you seen the houses behind here?"

"The ones that aren't done?" Jen asked.

"They're done but they just need some landscaping," Brock answered. "So, uh, well, I'm thinking of buying this place from J.C. I'm also thinking about offering to finance five years of mortgages on those houses for you and the rest. I think it will be better in the long run than paying rent for an apartment for you."

"Brock, that's something I want to talk to you about," Jen said. "When you agreed to help with college, I was happy. I never expected it to continue to graduate school and I sure don't expect it to continue through my Ph.D."

"Too bad," Brock said firmly. "You earned scholarships to fund your tuition since you were a sophomore. I paid Tara and Susan's tuition throughout. Helping you with housing is only making up the difference."

"It's not fair," Jen said. "I mean it's not fair to the others."

"They're not upset with the situation," Brock pointed out. "I've made sure to help them in other ways. That's why I want to help with their mortgages. The properties are going to sell cheaply. It's not that the houses are cheaply built. I don't think that's the case at all. It's a matter that the investment firm that bought them was able to acquire them for next to nothing. I figured five years of subsidized mortgages will allow all of you to get your feet on the ground. It's as much for the rest of them as it is for you. I want them to have the chance to build a nest egg and I want you to be able to pursue your doctorate without going into debt or taking a job. In five years, we'll see where we are and decide if the subsidies should continue."

Jen sighed. This would alleviate one of the biggest problems she was facing: how to afford housing in Los Angeles without racking up $100,000 in student loans she would struggle to pay back. Still, Jen firmly believed she owed every good thing in her life to Brock Miller. She wasn't sure she should go into his debt further.

"Talk it over with the others," Brock said. "I'm going to offer to help Zoe, too. That'll be five of the eight houses back there. Plus it will let us keep the gates up. As it is, those will have to come down if one of the residents back there requests it."

"I'll think about it," Jen promised. "Now at least get some pants on or I'm going to start playing. You know I can't be around a hard cock without wanting to do something with it."

"I'm not hard," Brock said, shifting to find his boxer briefs at the side of the bed.

"Oh, I can fix that I'll bet," Jen joked. "But I won't since you're being such a good boy."

As Meredith, Randi and Darla – along with their bodyguard, Chris – made their way from store to store, laughing and giggling (although Chris' giggle was noticeable by its absence), Jen and Brock slumbered until almost 10 a.m.

After they showered and ate, the duo took a walk up the cul de sac that had once ended at Randi's house but now extended further out to where four additional smaller houses sat on each side. The one nearest the circular turn was unfinished but the others appeared habitable. Brock probably could have called Sam and gotten the keys to them but for now he and Jen were content to cup their hands and gaze through the windows.

"Pretty sweet set up," she said. "Have the others seen them?"

"Not yet," Brock admitted. "You were the one I always had trouble convincing to take money from me."

Jen tilted her head and crossed her arms.

"I know you didn't want to feel like I was buying your friendship," Brock continued when he saw the look on her face.

"Partly," Jen admitted. "Mostly I didn't want you to feel like you had to spend money to be my friend. I wanted you to know that even if we live side-by-side in cardboard boxes, I'd still be a friend to you."

"So you'll be a friend if I can arrange it so we live almost side-by-side here?" Brock asked.

"How much money are we talking?" Jen asked. She didn't want Brock to spend millions of dollars on a place for her to live.

"That's sort of the thing," Brock said with a rueful look. "The seller is going to let them go for less than they're worth if we buy them in bulk, so to speak. He doesn't want to have the hassle of trying to sell them individually, you know, dealing with a Realtor and paying out a commission, having someone take care of the upkeep while the sale is pending. He bought them to help out the bank."

"Which makes sense," Jen said.

"What I would prefer to do is to give you a large down payment," Brock told her. "Otherwise, even at four percent, you're going to pay more in interest than the principle over 30 years."

At this point, Jen started to shake her head.

"Hear me out," Brock protested. "I have reasons for wanting to do it this way."

"I won't take a 30-year mortgage," Jen insisted. "You wind up killing yourself on interest. It makes more sense to pay a little more toward the principle over 15 years."

"Which is why I want to make the down payment," Brock said. "I figure that you're going to wind up playing close to $120,000 in interest even over 15 years."

Jen closed her eyes for a moment.

"So you're saying he wants between $250,000 and $300,000 each?" she asked. "These are worth more than that."

"It's a little more than what he paid for them so I think he'll be flexible," Brock told her. "Like I said, he just did it so the bank could get it off its books before declaring dividends. He's not out to make a killing."

Jen narrowed her eyes.

"Do you own these, Brock?" she asked.

"No!" Brock insisted. "But I know who does and he won't gouge you. He wants what he paid for them plus the taxes he picked up – according to my very reliable source. He is the one who actually thought of you guys wanting to live close by."

"Sam," Jen stated, her analytical mind going to work. "Or maybe Al and Esmi."

"I'm not saying anything until I get it cleared," Brock said. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to know his plans. He might be planning to make them a gift..."

Jen was shaking her head again, this time with more authority.

"Which I know you would refuse," Brock continued. "So what I would like to do is to give each of you $200,000. We'd do it the same way we talked about in college. You're still officers in my charitable foundation. I added Zoe to the group last month. I'll give each of you a bonus that lets you have enough to drop the mortgages to about $550 a month. That should include the insurance and taxes. You'll be on your own for utilities and maintenance."

"Why don't you just finance them for us?" Jen asked. "You'd have to declare the interest dividend as taxable income but that shouldn't hurt too badly."

"Mostly because I don't want to be the one to report your payments to the credit bureaus," Brock admitted. "I asked my accountant and he doesn't do that. The other guy has an investment group that would handle that for him if he held the notes."

"So we don't report it to the bureaus," Jen said. In her element, Jen was brilliant. Outside of her element, she was naïve, Brock decided.

"You'll want it reported if you decide to move later," Brock told her. "You'll want a record of your on-time payments if you ever have to go to a bank for a mortgage or a car loan or a personal loan. A history of good credit will make it easier to get credit in the future."

"So when I want to buy a car, I'll just bat my eyelashes at you and wear a pair of skimpy shorts before I ask you for a loan," Jen said with a laugh. "It's worked for me in the past."

"It worked for you the first time," Brock said, also smiling. "The second time, it was purely for my benefit. I decided to give you a loan for your computer because you had paid off your car – even though I told you it wasn't necessary."

"And yet you made me debase myself," Jen said. "Jesus, to think the lengths I was willing to go for that computer."

"I would hasten to point out that you frequently went to those lengths even after you had secured your computer," Brock said, putting his arm around Jen's shoulder. "So I think you were just looking for reasons to crawl naked into my bed. The purchase had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, fine," Jen said, sliding her arm around his waist. "You'll notice this morning I was clothed when I crawled into your bed."

"My loss," Brock joked, "Chris' gain."

"I rocked that poor boy's world," Jen stated as they headed back down the street to Brock's house. "He didn't know what hit him the next morning."

Brock didn't speak but he was certain Jennifer Miles was speaking the truth.

It was almost five p.m. when Meredith dialed Brock's cell phone to see if he and Jen wanted to meet the shopping group for supper.

"Will we need to dress?" Brock asked. He went for the purposeful double entendre to keep Meredith on her toes.

"You will, Jen can come as she is," Meredith replied. "Particularly if she's wearing little or nothing right now."

"I meant are you planning to dine in Beverly Hills or somewhere that I'll need a jacket or Jen will need a dress," Brock corrected when Meredith didn't rise to the bait.

"We're casual," Meredith told him. "You saw how we were dressed this morning. Chris is in a sweater and jeans. Jen can wear what she had on this morning – unless it got wrinkled when she undressed to get into bed."

"She did not get undressed to get into bed!" Brock said louder than he meant to.

Meredith giggled.

"Love, it wouldn't have mattered if she had," she said in a soft voice. "You've told me those days were over. She could have spent the whole day naked at the house and I know you wouldn't have done anything. I'm the one who told her to go upstairs and curl up with you. I know she always loved to have you next to her and I know you sleep better when you have someone beside you. It was win-win, once I asked to see if it would bother Chris. He said not until they were engaged. What do you think of that?"

"She said she rocked his world this week," Brock said with a chuckle. "But he might hold off on the ring until she comes back for good."

"I'm sure he will," Meredith said. "You know, I'm really glad for her. She looked so happy this morning. I hope they all find someone they can love. I really do. I used to feel bad about taking you away from them. I used to wonder if they would ever find someone to take your place in their lives. Now I realize that I don't want anyone to take your place in their lives – just in their beds and in their hearts. So, will you meet us?"

Brock agreed after a short discussion with Jen. Jen wanted to know more if Chris would be there rather than what she should wear.

"We took a walk to the houses this afternoon," Brock told Meredith.

"Really?" Meredith asked eagerly. "Does that mean you're really considering what we talked about last night?"

"Strongly considering it," Brock said. "We'll talk about it Sunday when we're all together."

"I love you," Meredith stated firmly. "Where we live won't affect that one bit. I want you to know that how I feel isn't contingent upon staying where we are. Randi says the same thing. If we have to move, we have to move. If it's to Minneapolis, it's to Minneapolis. Prince put together quite a recording studio out of there. We'll do what we have to do to stay together."