Loosening Up: Major Events - Book 5

by Robert Wolf

©Copyright 2018 Robert Wolf

Chapter 1 - New Arrangements

Nancy stood beside Dave’s desk holding her iPad so Dave could see the display. She pointed at a dark green crescent of heavy rain in the southern Gulf of Mexico flecked with red and orange showing strong cells, “It’s called Tropical Storm Bebe. It formed last night from a strong tropical depression just off the Yucatán peninsula. The track has it headed right for New Orleans, but the way she’s wandering around, she could make a straight-line right for us.”

“Still strengthening?”

“The fine print says that NOAA doesn’t think it’ll make it to hurricane status. I agree; for mid June it’s still early for things to intensify in the Gulf. We know it can still do a lot of damage, plus there’s always flooding and storm surge wherever it comes ashore.”

Dave said, “All right, let’s follow the procedures you and I set up in January.”

“Where do you want to marshal the crews?”

Dave looked at the map and the cone of uncertainty. “I think I’d put them up around Lake City in the state. What do you think?”

Nancy grinned, “I already booked all the hotel rooms there.” She chuckled at her own audacity. She looked around to be sure no one was at Dave’s office door and then gave him a quick kiss. “I love you and we think so much alike.”

Dave laughed and waved her away from his desk. “Give me a report at noon about the storm or after NOAA updates the forecast again.”

Dave reached behind his desk and pulled out the thick and tattered notebook filled with emergency preparedness checklists, notes, agreements, and mandates. He called the state emergency coordinator, Steve Gibson, and told him about the deployments they were already making. From his office window, he could see about ten of the line trucks preparing to caravan up to Lake City as soon as the last of them had the recommended storm repair equipment onboard and half of them with augers were pulling trailers with utility poles on them. Dave sent an FYI email to the executive team of the utility.

By five o’clock all the crews from Sarasota and Tampa had been dispersed to Lake City. The storm had moved significantly, and started to turn towards the west, aiming more for Houston, Texas, than New Orleans, Louisiana or points east. The mutual support pacts the various utilities had executed with one another, covered a wide area, and so some of his crews would indeed see action at the rate things were happening. Landfall was expected the next morning. Given the speed of the storm, major flooding might be avoided although landfall did strange things to storms like this.

Dave said, “We’ll watch it tonight and see if there’s any changes that need our attention.”

“Let’s go home,” Nancy said. She reached for Dave’s hand and pulled him from his comfortable desk chair. He threw a few things in his backpack and they left for the Circle. He noted it was Thursday and that tomorrow morning he’d have to make a potentially costly decision about putting the crews on overtime as they waited for the storm to do its damage.

As usual, upon arriving at the Circle, Dave dropped Nancy off at her townhouse so she could change and walk over to the core, and he went home to change into shorts and a tee, and then tend bar for those interested in any liquid refreshment.

As Dave reached the patio, he found the bar staffed by Jake Randall and Murph, who he’d learned donned the real name of Angus Murphy, a peculiar mix of ethnicities. They waved to him as he arrived. “We just thought we’d open early for you.” They looked worried that they’d overstepped some rule.

“No, you guys keep doing that if you like. I do it because it’s kind of fun, plus I get to see most of the Circle. You should be doing that if you plan on hanging out around here for any length of time.”

Murph nodded. “That’s what we were thinking. We want to get known as the nice and helpful guys that we are; Phil and Ron, too.” Big smiles. “We also want to meet all the others we never got to see at the graduation party. The girls seem to have a better time of it just by showing up; they’ve met everybody. We have to work at socializing.”

Karen Simon strolled out onto the patio barefoot and wearing short shorts and a see-through top. Murph’s eyes about fell out of his head. Dave said, “Ah, my sister-in-law.” He stood and went and greeted her with a large kiss and hug.

Dave asked, “Everything all right?”

Karen said, “I think so. Wait until Alice and Julie join us and then I’ll tell you about the past couple of weeks. I’ve been a busy beaver in so many ways since I left you. I did talk to Julie on the phone so I know a little about the aftermath of the graduation party.” She uncharacteristically giggled at the thought.

Dave introduced Karen to Murph and Ron. There was some snickering and laughter on both sides. Karen explained, “I think we kind of met the night of the graduation party. Actually, we did more than meet - a lot more.”

Both of the young men came out from behind the bar and gave Karen a solid hug and some kisses. There was some real affection there much to Dave’s surprise. He surmised that the two men had been two of the four men Karen had sex with before she connected with him.

Alice showed up in a monokini. She waved and said, “Before I talk to anybody, I need to have a dip in the pool. I’m hot and I need to be refreshed.”

Dave chuckled when he heard Murph say to Jake, “I’d like to help refresh her.”

He turned and said, “And she probably wants you to do just that. Hang around for dinner and then see what happens afterwards.”

The two men looked at each other and bumped fists.

Lisa arrived on the patio with Grace following. She joined the men and gave out kisses and hugs. He saw that the men also knew her. She was wearing scrubs, but Grace had changed into some shorts and a thin scoop neck top.

She kissed everybody, even the young men, or as Dave continued to watch he changed his observation to ‘especially’ the young men. They obviously liked Lisa and the kisses she freely distributed.

Alice came up to the group dripping but drying off with one of the pool towels. “Hi everybody. Hi sis. When you’d get in?”

Karen said, “Only a half hour ago. Where’s Julie?”

Alice laughed, “She’s up in the bedroom with Phil and Ron helping them take the edge off the day. I think they’re taking showers, so she’ll be down shortly.”

Murph and Jake looked at each other in dismay. Jake said loudly, “Well, we opted to tend bar. I didn’t know that there were other options.” Those standing around laughed at their shortfall.

The guys took orders and prepared drinks for everybody. In Dave’s opinion they were doing a pretty credible job. He noted that when they were unsure of someone’s name, they asked in a friendly way. Often, they were asked for their names as well, so they were getting some integration in the Circle. He heard their twenty-five word ‘elevator speech’ introductions several times.

About ten minutes later, Julie, Ron, and Phil strolled out on the patio. Everyone had wet hair, and Julie was in a sexy microkini that she’d just bought online. Dave noted there wasn’t much in the way of skin that didn’t show, even in her nether region.

Lisa looked at Julie and declared, “Oh, if only I was younger again.”

Grace encouraged her friend, “Around here you know you could try it. We all love nudity, so you could just skip the suit completely.” As an afterthought she said, “Why are you still wearing your scrubs? Take those off.”

Lisa blushed, “I don’t have much on underneath.”

“More than Julie?” Grace teased.

“Well, yes, barely; but …”

Grace leaned over and helped Lisa peel the top half of the light blue scrubs from her body. The functional bra went next revealing a nice set of mature tits, and then Lisa slid out of the pants to the scrubs, leaving her in a small light green bikini-style set of panties. She ditched her shoes, too.

Lisa’s blush disappeared after about five minutes. Nobody gawked or made a big fuss. A second glass of wine helped, too. Lisa did notice that the two young men at the bar carried erections in their pants, apparently over the increasing amount of skin available for viewing.

Alice said, “All right, Karen, tell us what happened.” She pulled her sister off to the side. Dave and Julie followed.

Karen said, “I want Cricket here, too. Is she coming? She had such good ideas.”

Dave nodded. She should be here any sec … oh, there she is.”

Cricket bounded across the patio from Dave’s house. “Hi everybody. Karen! You’re back.”

“Come join us. I was just about to tell about the past two weeks.”

“Oh, goody,” Cricket said as she boosted her small body up on a picnic table to listen to Karen and crossed her sexy legs. She was wearing one of Dave’s shirts unbuttoned and a thong of some kind. She was sexy and when she turned, she often-revealed significant breast. Murph and Jake noted that feature immediately.

Karen started, “First off, I had to confirm what I was pretty sure was happening. Before I left, I called a local company somewhat like Dale’s - a private investigator. A woman runs it, and she has about six people working for her. They got pictures, a recording, a video, and everything about what was going on. Yes, Daryl is cheating with Candy Hotchkiss - solid fact.

“Based on what they found out, I went and paid Candy a visit one evening. She was shocked to say the least, and thought I’d come to shoot her. I assured her I hadn’t and that I was trying to figure out what to do. She asked whether I was considering divorce, but I told her no. I dropped the bomb on her that if she and I liked each other that I was thinking of adding her to the family - making us a threesome. She could be with Daryl all the time, sleep with us, but she had to share and be open about the relationship. The cheating would be forgiven. I thought Candy might faint after I laid it all out for her. She was speechless at first, but then kept coming up with questions.

“Cricket, I’m so glad you and I talked. You raised all the points she asked about, and I gradually won her over. I don’t think she thought I was serious at first. We hadn’t thought of that possibility.

“I was trying to be as friendly as I could, and I kept reassuring her that I wasn’t there to hurt her, had no plans to do so, didn’t want to hurt Daryl, but that we had the kids to worry about. I told her I’d found a place full of unconventional relationships and that I’d had a chance to evaluate and participate in a few. I didn’t go into details but I made her wonder - at least on that visit. I told her that’s where the threesome idea came from.”

Alice prodded her sister, “So, did she express interest?”

“Ultimately, yes. We talked and I went into detail about why I didn’t like any of the negative and disruptive options. I told her this was a harmonious solution, and Cricket I used so many of your words and phrases. Thank you. After we’d talked for almost two hours, I asked that she think about it before I talked to Daryl about it. I told her, if she wanted, she could be there at the same time and we’d talk as a threesome. I think that made her feel better about it all; I didn’t want any more secrets between any of us. I explained that this was how we’d ultimately make family decisions and that she’d get an equal vote. We got together again two days later, and Candy said she’d try the arrangement, but might want to opt out if things got weird. I thought that was great.

“She wasn’t expecting it, but I hugged and kissed Candy. She kisses nice. I asked whether she’d be interested in a sexual relationship with me. She said she kind of assumed that sometimes we’d interact, but not all that much or often. I told her a little more about the Circle, including how the women interacted with each other. I offered a free trial - that was a laugh, but Candy took it seriously and said she wanted to do that, but not that night because she was tired.

“We got together the next night again. I laughed a lot inside, because Daryl was at home taking care of the kids and his wife and girlfriend were eating each other’s pussies and doing everything they could to deliver multiple orgasms to the other. We were very successful, I might add. Candy said she’d really looked forward to spending a lot of intimate time with me. I told her it’d be even hotter when Daryl was watching the two of us and stroking his cock. She loved that thought.”

“Did you then talk to Daryl?”

“No. I asked Candy for a couple of more days so I could talk to my older kids. I thought this was a little too advanced for the nine-year-old, and marginal for the twelve-year-old. Bridget is our seventeen-year-old. I took her out to dinner for a ‘Bonding with Mom’ night, and I gave her the whole ball of wax to consider. She, too, was blown away even though she’s quite mature.

“First, she was royally pissed that her father had cheated on me - on the family. I calmed her down and told her that I wasn’t, and that I should be the most aggrieved party if at all. I had to explain about the real world to her, and how rife it was with cheating and lying. It was rude awakening. I then told her about talking to Candy and how nice she is. I explained about how I was thinking that she would fit nicely into the family, and that we’d form a polyamorous relationship with her. That was a long discussion, but it went well and she considered it.

“I had to tell Bridget that she didn’t have to like Candy, but she had to tolerate her presence if the threesome came to pass. I asked whether she thought she could do that, and she basically said that if I could, then she could.”

Alice said, “What about Sean?”

Karen said, “I enlisted Bridget, and so the next day we talked to my son together. I just said we were thinking of adding another adult as a family member, a very nice woman. He asked whether he’d then have two mothers to bug him. I said that I didn’t think she’d bug him, but that if she did, he could come to me and we’d fix it. In the end he agreed to try it. Bridget explained to him that the three of us would be sleeping and making love together, and that we were all fine with that. Christiana we just told we might add another friend to our family, and that was fine with her. She’s often on a different planet anyway.”

Julie said, “And then you talked to Daryl?”

Karen laughed, “Yes. I prepared dinner for three and told him we were having a special guest. I got mom and dad to take the kids because we had a guest coming. I didn’t explain further, and fortunately they didn’t ask. I think he thought it was someone from the church.

“Daryl got home from work and I made him shower and clean up. He had no idea who was coming and I told him it was a surprise. When Candy came in, we both thought he’d have a heart attack and we’d have to call the EMTs. He was struck speechless. He kept looking between the two of us with fear and tremendous anxiety. By that time we were obviously great friends. Heck, we’d seen each other a couple more times and made love, so Candy and I were very comfortable together. When we gave each other passionate kisses of welcome, he about shit his pants.”

“He recovered?”

“Slowly,” Karen laughed. “Candy comforted and kissed him in front of me. I watched and smiled in compersion. His first words were finally, ‘You know?’ He meant about his affair with Candy. Candy nodded. I told him I’d known for a long time, been thinking about all the options and their ramifications, and that we were going to talk about what the future would be like. I’m sure he thought divorce was on the table and that this was where he got handed off to Candy. It wasn’t.”

“Was he standing or sitting?” Julie asked.

Karen laughed, “By then he was sitting with his whole body shaking at the dining room table. We’d served him a nice meal, but he’d kind of lost his appetite. He did break out some wine. Anyway, I said, ‘I don’t know whether you still love me, but if you do we have a proposal.’ He interrupted and told me that he loved me dearly and always would, that he was weak, and that Candy was so nice and warm and he just fell for her, too. I made him stop before he said something he’d regret.

“I said to Daryl, ‘OUR proposal - mine and Candy’s - is that you live with both of us. Candy would move into the house with us. We sleep together, make love together, and enjoy family life together.’”

“And he said?” Alice probed.

“He went mute again. This wasn’t what he expected. We’d scrambled his brain. Candy told him while he was thinking, ‘I’m all for this. Karen and I have made love together, and we want to continue in the future. We like each other a lot and I think over time we’ll fall deeper in love.’ Well, if his mind wasn’t blown before, it sure was then. His girlfriend had just told him that she and his wife had had sex together and liked it, AND that we wanted more, AND they were falling in love. His head was moving back and forth between the two of us like he was at a rapid tennis match. He was comical, and both Candy and I had to resist laughing at him.

“I finally told him to think about it while we ate. He didn’t say a word, but he did start to eat. He kept looking from Candy to me and back. I’d made his favorite meal of bourbon flavored beef brisket; plus the rich gravy and mashed potatoes he loves. In the meanwhile, Candy and I ate and just chatted about our jobs, and what the kids were doing in school. Daryl hadn’t mentioned the kids, but Candy genuinely cares about them. Turns out she loves children and teens.

“At the end of dinner, I served some ice cream. I then asked Daryl whether he’d had enough time to reach a decision. He froze up again. I asked him whether he’d be willing to try it. I even spilled the beans early and told him that I’d talked to the kids and that they were onboard for a trial. He caved in at that point and said he’d try the threesome arrangement. I thought he’d cry.

Candy and I then took him by the hand and led him upstairs to our bedroom. We stripped him down and started to give him a two-girl blowjob. He got harder than a rock. Candy and I took turns undressing each other and then making out in front of him and rubbing our naked bodies together. I then urged Daryl to fuck Candy, only I said make love. He was very careful, but she knew to expect this as well as what I was going to say and do because we’d talked about it.

“I ate Candy for a little to get her primed up, and then brought his cock to her pussy. I urged him inside as I held his cock. After he fucking her, I explained and asked for his forgiveness because I told him that on my last trip her to Florida to see my sisters, I’d had sex with several men including my brother-in-law. I talked about how Dave had given me this colossal orgasm, that made me pass out from so much pleasure, and that I intended to keep in touch with him and with the other men in your social Circle because you were all so special and loving and supportive. I didn’t ask if that was all right; I just more or less informed him about the way things would be. I emphasized that he’d always have Candy if he got frustrated with me. He just kept nodding and saying ‘Fine’ and nodding as he pumped into his girlfriend.”

Alice and Julie were laughing. Dave was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Cricket was smiling, too. This was a great set of circumstances that she appreciated as highly unusual.

Karen finished up, “Daryl never said anything about my travels or coming here, or my revelations to him about having had sex with other men - my revenge fucks. He did apologize for doing something in secret, and said he was glad it had come out in the open. I told him I was feeling much the same with my transgressions, but that I liked them so much that I had no intention of stopping much as he didn’t want to give up Candy.

“I told Daryl I was heading down here for five or six days, and that he and Candy had to be nice to the kids and keep them out of trouble. He was very contrite and said that he’d talk to the kids, apologize to them, and everything. He did kind of grin when I told him that Candy would fuck his lights out in his own bed while I was away. We had another round of sex where Daryl made love to me and I had Candy sit on my face so I could eat his cum from her pussy. I don’t think Daryl has ever come so hard or so much as he did inside me that night. He couldn’t believe that Candy and I had sex with each other and liked it, and that I ate his cum out of her pussy.

“Candy brought her bag and slept over with us. We did actually go to sleep, although I don’t think that Daryl slept much. I woke up in the middle of the night and urged him to make love to Candy again, and so he did. This time she gave me some tongue and I came from her efforts, and then we slept again. In the morning we dressed and went to work just like it was all very normal. Candy moved in the next evening and met the kids; they seemed to get along well, but we’ll see how long that lasts. We had five days together as a ‘new’ family before I left and things were getting better. Bridget was very suspicious at first, but I tried to build some bridges between her and Candy. Heck, they’re close to the same age!”

Cricket said, “What about your parents?”

“We’ll be all right so long as they don’t stop over unannounced. I told Daryl we’d figure out what to do about that when I returned. They’re playing house with three kids together while I’m here.” She grinned, “And you know how nice and accommodating a seventeen-year-old girl can be, right?”

Everyone laughed.

Dave said, “Before it gets too late, I was thinking all of us could go down to Ruby Tuesdays or someplace like that for dinner since Bobbie is still on her honeymoon trip to France.”

Cricket said, “Oh, no; don’t leave. My friends and I have made dinner for everybody in the Circle and our guests. It’ll be ready shortly, I’m sure. I think we could feed an army so long as they like burgers.”

Dave expressed surprise, “What! Who did what?”

Cricket explained, “Sharon, Cindy, Jake, Ron, and I did the dinner. It’s kind of simple; just burgers with all the trimmings of cheese, bacon, and so on, plus French fries, coleslaw, and salads. I’m sure they have enough to feed an army back there.” She gestured towards the kitchen.

“Why’d they do that?” Dave asked.

Cricket shook her head at the short-sighted comment, “Because they all love you and want to belong to the Circle, dummy. We all do. I’m doing cleanup, too, and we have other volunteers, but we’re using paper plates and plastic ware so it shouldn’t be too onerous. Besides we don’t know how to use all the wash up equipment in the kitchen yet, and there was no cleanup crew slated to work tonight. We made our own to compensate.”

About then, Cindy came out on the patio and got everyone’s attention, announcing that dinner was being served buffet style on the kitchen counter. Everyone moved and started to migrate into a dinner line.

Karen looked around the patio, taking in the entire scene. “This place is fabulous, and Dave, you are, too; but before they leave, I’d like to have a little alone time with Murph and Jake. I’ll come find you later after we’re through.”

---

Ty, Dave, and Jack were coming back from their Friday afternoon walk-through of the Townhouse 2 project. The siding had been finished, a lot of the rough plumbing started, and the rough electrical work looked finished. The HVAC seemed to be up and working in each unit, too, although there was still tinkering going on to fine tune the systems.

As they reached the Circle, Cricket came bouncing up to the three men as she was prone to do. She didn’t seem to walk slowly anywhere, and her fast walk with a bounce in her step that made her long hair fly out behind her made the word ‘bounce’ seem to best describe her arrival.

“How’s the townhouse project?”

Dave filled her in on their conclusions from the walk-through. He teased, “Why are you waiting to buy one of the units?”

“Oh, no. I’m just curious about everything the Circle is doing. When I move in, I want to move in with you. I want to become Cricket Prentiss.”

Dave shook his head, “Cricket, I already have four wives. You’d have to get an enthusiastic invitation from each one of them before you could move in. Also, I worry that you have unrealistic expectations about our marriage and the Circle.”

“What about your vote?” she asked without any sense of involvement.

“You know you have my vote.”

“Good. Just so you know I think I have very realistic expectations. I’ve talked to people to be sure I’m in line with what they’re thinking. I’ll move in tomorrow if it’s okay with you. It’s the last day I can stay over in the dorms anyway.”

“Huh?” Dave said.

“I’ve had long talks with Alice, Julie, Pam, and Heather, and then all of them together. We love and understand each other. Of course, I’m closest in age to Heather, but we’re cool with the sex and everything. Heather and I had already had some fun times together, even before I met you.”

“Cricket, what will your aunt and uncle say about this. They were very nice people, and they seemed very concerned at your graduation about you becoming the fifth wife in my crazy family even though I indicated to them I’m willing.”

Cricket laughed as the others listened to their chat without commenting, “Oh, I told them about your Red Room and the canes, whips, and chains, and I said that I really wanted to do all that stuff. I explained that I am unbelievably kinky and have nymphomaniac tendencies, and so this was the place for me. I promised them I’d be a great submissive slut for you to dominate.”

Dave rolled his eyes.

“Okay. Actually, I explained to them that I was a mature young lady who’d made her mind up about this phase of her life experience. I did have to tell them that I didn’t mind the sapphic interplay between wives. That got to them a bit. I did not talk about all the swapping around the Circle does. I don’t know whether they figured that out or not. They told me I always had a safety net in the two of them, and I have their blessing. So, as I said, I’ll move in tomorrow. Oh, this is so exciting.”

“And you don’t mind the crazy Circle lifestyle - the open sex, the exhibitionism and voyeurism, the fact that most of our members have made adult videos and the females have performed at the Club Ecstasy down to doing nude dancing and lap dances for the crowd. You don’t mind all the men coming onto you.”

Cricket grinned, “That sounds like so much fun, I can hardly wait. I know Cindy and Meggie did porn videos for Mike. I don’t know about Sharon, but I’ll do at least one. I’m not that good a dancer, but I suppose if I practice I could do it. I saw the stripper pole in the corner of the core living room. I’ll practice an act of some kind.”

Dave said, “What are you going to do with your days? Do you even have a job?”

Cricket seemed impatient, “I told you I’m writing novels. I have three in process, and one of those is pretty well finished. Julie agreed to act as my beta reader and first line of outside editing.”

Dave said, “That was her long suit in school, too.”

“I have book proposals out to ten publishers with sample chapters. They went out last week. Let’s see what comes of that. If worse comes to worse, I’ll go flip burgers at McD’s; after all, I have a bachelor’s degree in English.” She proudly stood tall and pushed her chest out, and gave a little mock salute. Dave couldn’t help noticing how erect her nipples were.

Chapter 2 - Lisa and Friends

Dave was lying naked on his bed with his small and bosomy new friend asleep atop his body. He held her and occasionally kissed her, unaware of whether she was aware of his kisses and the love he exuded to her. He could feel the remnants of their lovemaking on his thigh. Alice and Julie slept beside him wrapped up in each other’s arms. Pam was just beyond them. He knew that Heather had wanted to make love with Jake before he left. He wondered whether Lisa had gotten her turn with virile young man.

A whisper from beside him alerted him of a visitor to his bedroom. There was enough light from the night lite that he could see it was Lisa when he opened his eyes. Lisa smiled at him and leaned in for a kiss. She also kissed Cricket’s bare shoulder before withdrawing.

Lisa whispered, “Can we be together or are you done for the night? You said to come and get you. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Before Dave could answer Cricket whispered, “You didn’t wake us. We were cuddling. Dave, go be with Lisa, but come back and hold me for the night, please.”

Dave kissed Cricket as she slid off his body and he rose from the bed. Cricket snuggled up to the naked Alice who didn’t seem to wake up at all.

Dave led Lisa to his living room. It was dark, but there was lots of incidental light from various appliances and from the exterior lighting coming in the windows. He found Lisa’s mature and naked body sexy as it moved through the various shafts and textures of light. She stopped and turned into his arms. They kissed and then kissed some more.

Lisa admitted, “I am so worked up I don’t need much in the way of foreplay unless you want the activity. I confess to being a slut tonight - again. Each of the young men did me - four of them. I’m a little bit drippy down below.

Dave teased, “There are certain expectations for the men and women of the Circle. Of course, they’re not all uniform, but let me give you a unique example. You could pass this on and see whether you can stimulate those fine young men to pick up where I will leave off so we can make love. Actually, all of this is making love.”

He placed Lisa on one of the sofas with a soft couch cover over the cushions. She lay back, brimming with curiosity about what he intended to do. Dave moved between her legs and knelt. He pushed her legs apart and then pushed his mouth into her pussy - the pussy that was leaking the cum from four other men who had recently erupted inside her thirsty body.

Lisa was shocked, “Oh, my God. David. That’s … that’s … the sexiest, funkiest, rawest, and most shocking thing I’ve ever had done to me. You are definitely the sexiest man alive.”

The fingers got added to help extract the cum from inside her. Dave had learned years earlier that eating cum and ingesting it was no big deal. The stuff was almost tasteless, and brushing teeth later was sufficient to remove any after taste. Since men were usually squirrelly about eating cum, let alone someone else’s, this act put him in a category all by himself - a place he relished. Julie had helped him overcome any aversion to the act; she was the cum slut of the entire Circle, often showing up to do exactly what he was doing to Lisa. He’d love to see the look on the other men’s faces when Lisa told them what she wanted them to do. He’d schooled himself in the same endeavor to be unique.

As Dave rose and mounted her so they could enjoy intercourse together, Lisa lapped at the complex mixture of juices on his chin and cheeks. He French kissed with her, too.

Dave scolded, “You said you wanted to join the Circle. You’re supposed to get to know the other men in the Circle, not those thinking about the prospect of joining.”

Lisa pushed her cunt upward into his down thrusts. “I think I have. Well, I haven’t done Martin, but he lives up in Ohio and isn’t here all that much.”

“You did my brother?”

“Yes, Aaron. The same night we fucked, I also did Dale, Paul, Doug, and Pete. The next night was Saturday. I enjoyed Jason, Dev, Ty, Owen, and Roy, and I hope they enjoyed me. So that was nine new men in two days. I think I deserve some kind of slut medal. I really like all of them.”

“I’ll have one prepared for you when you finish meeting all the men. Are you just fucking them or are you building relationships?”

“Oh, I got the others the week before. I went about this systematically. I’ve been with about half the women, too. If I say so myself, the men are more fun. I am developing an affection for licking pussy juice from the source, however. I can see that I have to work on my cleanup skills after what you just did to me. I know Julie does that, too.” She savored several strokes, “You are so enjoyable. Part of it is physical, but I get your emotional vibes about me. Thank you. I love you, too.

“As for the building relationship question, you’ll have to ask the others. I am exposing myself to everyone - no secrets, no hidden emotions or viewpoints, no games, or anything like that. You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been here for most of the dinners, and yes, I gave Julie a few checks to help defray my cost on the food budget. I’ve also been helping out, often on cleanup after the meals.”

The pair took it slow and easy, almost having a relaxing chat as they made love. What made it unique was that Lisa liked dirty talk, and loved to describe what was happening, or what had happened earlier with the other men that especially turned her on.

Lisa said, “Right after dinner I found Jake and Murph. I asked them to make love to me and they were very accommodating. Jake led us to the gazebo, and they stripped my clothes away. I took turns sucking on both men as they stood beside me. God, they were as hard as granite. They each fucked me in about a dozen different positions and blasted gallons of cum in me. When I thought they were done Ron and Phil showed up and took over; and now I have my favorite lover of all of them - YOU. Fuck me. Love me.”

She told the story about how she lost her virginity, and then about what a hot fuck she was in nursing school, especially at some of the fraternity parties. The Circle was not her first group sex rodeo. No doubt about it, she was experienced, but still things were pretty linear and she’d avoided most of the kinky side of the sport.

They finished up with Lisa riding Dave in a cowgirl. Her orgasm was emotional and deeply physical for her. Dave held her afterwards as she lay exhausted on his chest, and it took almost ten minutes for her heart rate to come down and her body to stop the spasms associated with her cum. She’d also flooded the area with her girl juice. Dave was glad he’d put a blanket down, although the sofa did seem to get routinely christened in some way every week.

Lisa muttered, “Can I sleep here?”

“The bed is kind of full, but yes.”

“No. No. I mean right here on this sofa. I’ll just wrap myself in this couch cover and use one of the throw pillows. After what you just did for me, and the other men, I can barely move. Thank you; that was lovely - very satisfying, in so many dimensions. I love you. Go back to your little friend; she’s such a darling girl. I love Cricket.”

Dave kissed her goodnight, tucked her in and then went back to his own bed. As he got into bed and got comfortable, Cricket squirmed over next to him and cuddled her naked body against his.

---

There were some interesting liaisons that developed through the month of June. Bjorn, Tan, and Nathan successfully moved their company, InDrex, to Sarasota, taking up residency in the Sarasota Center Office Park, a couple of miles east of the Interstate off Fruitville Road. The three of them rented a house halfway between their work and the Circle, and continued their courtship with everyone, although no one had any doubt about their eventual integration into the Circle. One thing became even more obvious, and that was how perpetually horny the three of them were around each other. Tan admitted that serving the two horny men was ‘just right’ for her.

Tan told Dave, “We fuck at work, too. I invite it. Both Bjorn and Nathan have offices that no one can see into. I go into one of them, lock the door, and have one of them fuck me right on their desk. It’s sexy as all hell. I love it.”

Ron Wonder, one of the new electrical engineering graduates who was also courting the Circle, became their first hire in the Sarasota area. He had an apartment he shared with Phil Layburn about three blocks from the campus, and they kept the apartment as they looked for other space they liked better. Tan explained that she had extended the fucking at work privilege to Ron, and he was an easy convert to the illicit act.

Phil, a mechanical engineer, took a job with Knightsbridge Manufacturing. Alice had encouraged him to apply, and then got Dori, Abby, and Ron working him until he accepted. Alice thought she was the most persuasive since most of her recruitment pitch was made while he was balls deep in her pussy. Dori and Abby helped seal the deal with similar recruiting pitches, and the promise of lots more to cum, so to speak.

Meggie left in tears for New York. She wanted to stay and join the Circle, but all her friends in and out of the Circle promised they’d remember her and bring her to any events when she was back in Sarasota. She planned to come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so would be missing everyone for almost six months.

Cindy took a job with the Retail Software Company or RSC, a software company not too far from InDrex’s new building that wrote and maintained point of sale software for retail chains, especially those with a large number of stores that traded inventory around between sites. She traveled up to Dayton to get totally immersed in the physical terminals and hardware she was writing software for.

Murph also went to work for Retail Software, but as a summer job. He was going to go full-time to the university, similar to Sharon, to get his MBA along with her. They’d known each other but weren’t an event until their becoming friends, lovers, and compatriots at the graduation party and beyond in their quest to join the Circle. Dave sensed some competitive spirit between the two.

Sharon Hall had been accepted in the university’s graduate program for business, leading to an MBA. She was officially ‘off’ over the summer, but had already lined up several dozen of the case studies she expected in the first year of the MBA program so she could get a jump on things. She announced that she’d also like to hang around the Circle until someone told her to get lost. Nobody did. She deserved the ‘cute’ rating in Dave’s opinion, and she was vivacious. She also gave Julie a check to help pay for her meals that she was scrounging from the group and for her frequent use of the pool and other facilities. She also made it well-known that she was available anytime during her time at the Circle for extracurricular activities.

Sharon developed a great attachment for ‘bad boy’ Dev and Wendy, and the feelings apparently were mutual. She started to live with them and became like a second wife to Dev and sister-wife to Wendy. They kept declaring that they were experimenting, and often looked at Dave, Alice, and the other sister-wives to see how they navigated around each other or problem solved.

Without Dave’s knowing it until he had started work, Jake Randall took a job in the engineering department at the utility. He was another EE, but planned to go to the university part time and work towards his M.S. degree. Jake had been a total nerd and virgin until his senior year, so his social side was just catching up with the rest of his development. Donna took him under her wing ... and between her legs, as she liked to joke. He adored the older woman and they hung out together many evenings, just cuddling together on a chaise as she schooled him in the art of relationships.

Lisa brought her friend Jim Danforth by the Circle for lunch one Saturday, and introduced him around to the men and women that showed up. Danforth was in his mid forties, divorced with older kids, still had some kind of comfortable and loving relationship with his ex-wife, and looked in phenomenal shape. He had a ruddy complexion and had been outdoors a lot, because he displayed a tan that even the best sun worshippers might only dream of.

Danforth was handsome, and Dave could see Alice and the other women perk up in his presence. He had sex appeal, just as Lisa had predicted. Dave found humor in comparing him to the young men who had just started to hang around the Circle. What they had in muscle tone and innocence, Danforth had in the smoothness of his approach and the underlying confidence and sense of self-worth.

Dave asked what he did.

Jim smiled and said, “I’ve just bought into an establishment down the Trail. I retired out of the military after a twenty-year stint. I went in as a pretty raw recruit, and came out as an instructor in the Rangers. I was one for most of my time in service.

Dave said in a serious tone, “So, you’re kind of dangerous?”

“Only if you happen to be one of the bad guys.” He laughed.

Dave pointed, “Across the patio in the blue bathing suit is Dale Harnett. I think he was a spook, although he won’t admit to anything. He’s running a private investigation and security service now. The young woman with him, Amanda, started working for him a couple of months ago and is training in handguns and karate. With your skill bank you might moonlight or whatever with him, if you’re interested.”

Jim’s eyebrows rose. “Thanks for the idea. I’ll compare notes with Dale.”

Jim’s eyebrows rose even higher when Alice and Pam came out of the house wearing only monokinis. Heather was right behind them with Matthew in tow. He came over and high-fived Dave, and then went in the pool. He announced that he was going to swim as a ‘career’. Jim later told him about the Navy Seals and their aquatic underpinnings. Matthew was fascinated with the whole concept of being a frogman.

Joan appeared, too, pushing a baby stroller and also half-nude. Donna came right behind her with a bikini bottoms on and a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Jake was right behind her watching her ass as she swung her assets around for him. She had that freshly fucked look about her.

Jim soaked in the views of the pretty breasts around the patio. The younger men ogled quite a bit, too, and even developed obvious lumps in their trunks, but even those faded after constant exposure without accompanying stimulation.

Jim said, “Things seem pretty casual around here.”

Dave nodded and Lisa laughed as she removed her bathing suit bra. Dave said, “Most of us grew up associating nudity and sex. They are different, and we take advantage of that. On an afternoon like this a couple of years ago, we would all have been naked and probably involved in some kind of sex with one or two others. With Matthew around, we have to curb our more rudimentary desires.”

“He doesn’t notice the women?”

“He’s seven. He knows a lot about the birds and the bees, and he’s pretty sure that kissing has something to do with it, too. We’ve taught him that we’re all family, and it’s all right for family to be naked around each other so long as they’re well-behaved. He knows we’re all family, including our guests, and he hasn’t figured out or asked what ‘well-behaved’ means just yet. He knows that outside of our own land, everybody has to conform to more restrictive dress and social norms that insist that a woman cover her breasts unless she’s in special places, such as at the right beach somewhere. Unfortunately, those are disappearing as the fundamentalists takeover the universe. Sorry, if I tread on your toes.”

“Not mine. I love pretty scenery as much as anybody. Lisa has always been pretty company for me when I get to see her.” He paused and said, “From the looks between you and a few of the others, I gather she’s started to hang out around here a lot. I guess your Circle and the various privileges that go along with it hold great attraction for her. I’m glad she had a widening circle of friends … and lovers.”

“And she’s a pleasure to have around. I don’t know whether she told you, she works with one of our neighbors at the hospital - Grace Anders.”

“Yes, I met Grace one day when I picked up Lisa after work.”

Lisa said, “And here she is now.”

Grace swayed onto the patio from the house next door to Dave’s in somewhat of a grand entrance, partly thanks to the breeze. She spotted Lisa, Jim, Dave and the others, and immediately came over to say hello. Grace was also half nude, but wore a diaphanous sarong around her waist that added some allure to her already pretty body and that the breeze made into a magnificent flourish behind her as she walked.

Grace leaned down and gave Dave a long, passionate kiss. She said in a husky tone, “Hi, neighbor.” Dave kissed back and gave her a loving smile. “You look lovely.”

She turned to Jim whose tongue was almost hanging out and then kissed him in a similar fashion. She added a few pecks, and then some tongue to enhance the kisses. She pulled away and said, “Hi Jim. We don’t see enough of you. You should hang out around here more. Lisa thinks you’d like this group and I think you’d fit in.” She snickered, “Yes, you’d ‘fit’ right in.” The sexual innuendo of her remark wasn’t lost on anyone.

After recovering from being sudden speechless he said, “I think I might just do that.”

Alice and Pam came and kissed everybody, including Jim. Alice announced, “Any friend of Lisa’s is a friend of ours. Welcome to the neighborhood.” She waved her hand around at the homes and pool, and her breasts shimmied in a seductive manner.

Jim said with some humor in his tone, “Thank you. Lisa told me this was a VERY welcoming place and that she’d been accepted with open arms … and a lot more.”

The whole group laughed and everyone looked at Dave. Jim’s gaze shifted.

Jim said, “Is there something I’m missing?”

Lisa casually said, “I’ll tell you later, and, yes, it involves some mind-blowing sex, just to set your mind at ease.”

Jim shook his head, “I might have known. What is Dave, something like a sex god or something?”

Lisa grinned, “Exactly.”

---

Friday evening, while Ty, Dave, and Jack were doing their weekly walk-through of the Townhouse 2 project, they paused and watched Owen’s streamlined corporate jet approach and land at the Circle airport. Dave always felt a thrill when he saw anything having to do with aviation. His father used to joke about how if man had been meant to fly, God would have given him wings. Now, he knew that was exactly the case. Man had been given the smarts and technology, and made his wings and they were beautiful, sleek, and expensive. Dave had learned that Owen’s Gulfstream jet had cost seventy million dollars.

Dave strolled down to the hangars as the other two men walked back to the Circle. Just as he got to the gate, Owen was coming from the hangar in one of the golf carts. He stopped and picked up the hitchhiker.

“Where you coming from?”

“Chicago. I have a couple of deals underway up there.”

“Legitimate stuff?” Dave asked. “I thought you couldn’t swing a dead cat up there without hitting a crooked politician, builder, or businessman.”

“Seems to be. We’re in due diligence on one of the projects, so we’ll know more in a couple of weeks.” Dave knew better than to ask for details.

Owen said, “Hey, I want to go to the Club Ecstasy tonight. A friend of mine bought it, but let me buy into it, too, along with a third guy who also bought into it and he’s going to run the place for us.”

“Sounds like fun. Just guys, or do you want a crowd?”

“The more the merrier,” Owen said with a grin. “Maybe we can get the girls to go onstage again. I think tonight is their amateur night.”

“Let’s spring this on folks at dinner.”

“Hey, why aren’t you tending bar? I thought Friday and Saturday nights was your night to serve all of us.” He acted put out, but was teasing.

“I’ve been displaced by some of the younger guys. They’re trying to earn brownie points so we let them in the Circle. I think they really want the endless supply of quality pussy that we provide, but they claim there are other more noble motives.”

Owen laughed, “The pussy argument wins me over every time.”

“Me, too.” The golf cart pulled into one of the parking slots where they could leave it and walk between a couple of homes onto the core patio. The scene was the usual Friday evening conclave of Circle members and a few guests. Dave noted that Phil and Murph were tending bar, and being very animated about it. He noted that only a few from the Circle were present, so more would be arriving soon. He also noted that a larger, longer bar was needed.

Several women greeted Dave and Owen with hugs and kisses. He got a few handshakes and fist bumps with the guys. A small bundle of brunette energy was then hanging from his body plastering his face with one kiss after another and telling him how much she’d missed him and how she hoped he had the best day at work ever and how she loved him more than the sky and sun. Cricket had found Dave. Owen looked on with humorous interest.

Owen said, “Well, we know you have at least one fan in this popular place.”

Cricket unattached from Dave, and pulled Owen’s head down until she could kiss him at well. “I love you, too, Mr. Owen. You’re just as dashing and handsome.”

As Cricket followed Dave around, and he put the word out that the group was going to the Club Ecstasy after dinner. He also let it be known that it was amateur night and he hoped that some of the gals would become part of the entertainment.

Elise came up to her son and asked, “Do you think I’m too old to be a stripper?”

Dave couldn’t contain his laughter. “Only at the nursing home out on Bahia Vista Road. Leave the stripping to the younger set, mom. I love you, but you do have some cellulite and sag in critical places.”

Elise kissed him, “At least thank you for being honest. I really wasn’t considering it; I just wanted to leave the impression on your brain of me on stage in a strip club dancing around naked.”

“Whew!” Dave said vocally as he walked on. She slapped his ass.

Cricket asked, “Would you want me to strip on stage or give lap dances? I practiced a little when you mentioned it a few days ago.”

Dave looked at the small package of feminine sexual energy. “THAT is entirely up to you. If I say no, and you think it’s fun then you’ll feel I’m holding you back. If I say yes, and you do it, and you’re mortally embarrassed with negative emotions that will haunt you to the end of time, then you’ll blame me for putting you in harm’s way. The choice is yours. I will tell you that most of the women younger than my mom have danced there, and they’ve had fun doing it. Talk to Alice or Kat; they went back multiple times. Christie works there as you know, but she’s usually not here this time of day since she starts dancing for the guys that go in there after work to get some T&A entertainment.”

Cricket bounced off to find Alice or Kat.

The newly graduated men and women who were not Circle members were still serving dinner since Bobbie and Maddy were winding up their honeymoon trip in France. They were having fun at it, too. Sharon and Cindy enlisted Rachel, Clarisse, and Ashley to help that night. They’d made beef bourguignon that evening, and it was very appetizing. They served buffet style with some of the salad and side dishes served family style on the table.

The group had also used YouTube to figure out how to use all the equipment in the kitchen, so dinner was served on the usual plates and silverware.

Dave made sure they got invitations to join the group that night at the club. He had the feeling that quite a large group would show up.

A number of people helped in the cleanup effort after the meal, so things were restored to their pristine readiness for the next day in record time. Most of the women scurried away to get ready to go out to the nightclub. This would be fun.

Dave changed into jeans and a dress shirt, plus loafers with no socks. This was his preferred ‘going out to have fun’ dress code. By some standards, he’d be over dressed for the Club Ecstasy as some nights they seemed dominated by men from the construction industry right as they came off the job, and they seemed to be a coarser crowd. Dave hadn’t replaced his steel-toed shoes when he’d worn them out as he got promoted about the same time.

A caravan of cars wended its way to the Tamiami Trail and then southward to the club. There was plenty of parking so there was no problem. After entering, each car full of people seemed to take over one or two of the tables.

Christie was waitressing and saw everyone arriving and gave everyone hugs and kisses of welcome. She was scantily dressed, but promised even more revelations later. As she left Dave’s group, she said, “Hey, we have a new manager. He’s cool - the type of guy we should recruit for the Circle. I’ll bring him around later.”

Owen sat with Dave and a few others. He gave him a little background. “The sole owner I was telling you about earlier was Mark Worthington. We might even see him in here tonight. He’s worth about a hundred billion, and this club is his new play toy. He’s got his own polyamorous family, by the way. From the pictures on his desk, they’re all hot women.”

Dave laughed, “Bring him over for a visit. If he can tolerate our philosophy, he’ll love the Circle.”

“I might just do that. He’s become a good friend. A couple of those deals I mentioned in Chicago are joint efforts with him, but don’t mention that around just yet.”

Cricket sat down between the two men. Even though she wore a long skirt she intentionally flashed Dave and Owen a day-glow green thong. She pulled her skirt down. “Gentlemen aren’t supposed to notice a woman’s panties,” she teased in a coy, little girl voice.

“These were signaling me to pay attention because of their luminosity,” Owen protested in a mock tone. “Besides, I like what they were covering.”

Dave said, “The green was signaling me to go, go, go.”

Cricket rolled her eyes and sat up with a feigned prim and proper look with her hands folded in her lap and knees tightly held together.

About that time, the first show started. A fleshy young girl with augmented tits shimmied onto the stage and started her bump and grind, slowly peeling off layers of clothing. She couldn’t keep time to the music, and some of her moves were jerky and awkward. Dave could see why Christie was so popular; she knew her steps, rehearsed regularly even using the pole in the core living room, and was great at improvisation, especially the kind that spiced up the act for the audience. He felt embarrassed for the girl, since some of the construction guys right beside the stage got up and left after finishing their beers.

When the number ended, Dave was surprised to see Christie leading Lisa through the crowd over towards his table. Lisa paused in mid step and looked at everybody from the Circle. She laughed as she moved into the throng.

Christie got to Dave and turned around to wait for Lisa. She said, “This is the new boss’ girlfriend, Lisa. She’s hot and ought to belong to the Circle, too.”

Lisa and Dave laughed and both kissed in a passionate way. Christie looked surprised. “You two know each other?”

Dave said, “Lisa is already in contention to become a Circle member. She’s been hanging out with us a lot, but I guess with your flakey schedule your paths haven’t crossed while she’s been at the compound.”

“Wow.” She looked over Dave’s shoulder, and said, “Well, here’s my new boss - the one I think ought to be in the Circle. Dave meet Jim Danforth.”

Jim said, “Hi, Dave,” as he walked up to the group. He gave a small wave at everyone and the two men bumped fists over Cricket’s head.

“Hi, Jim.”

“You bring everybody?”

“Just about, plus some non-Circle members.”

Christie had started to laugh. Everyone knew Lisa and Jim, and she was the odd one out.

Jim paused and looked around at everybody. “As you know, Lisa told me ALL about the Circle, and her involvement. More importantly, she talked about the philosophy about love, friendship, sharing, and living together that you all have. I’d like to talk to you more about all of that but from the get-go you should know that I am in resonance with all of it. So is Lisa. We want to be considered, or whatever we have to say.”

Dave gave his standard reply, “Come hang out with us. Get to know all of us. The better you get to know us, the more likely we’ll want you around ALL the time.” He laughed.

Jim smiled, “I think you might get tired of seeing us, but Lisa told me that was the plan.”

Chapter 3 - Celebrity

She’d disappeared for a long time after Christie’s first performance of the night. The club had gone wild about Christie - they always did. She had all the moves and was sophisticated about her strip. Further, she had those sexy tattoos and piercings that she knew how to use to advantage by flexing some of them in some patron’s face or pulling on them to do something really sexy. Sometimes she even wore a chain between the rings on each nipple.

Dave thought back several years. Alice and he had met Christie at the Club Ecstasy when Alice had been challenged to strip on amateur night. She had come to him a few weeks later as part of an early ‘wife’ swap challenge to the small group of people that then made up what became the Circle. She’d brought Heather with her, and Heather had stayed and become one of his wives. Christie was too independent to consider the ‘wife’ title; she admitted that she’d feel tied down.

The lights in the Club Ecstasy flashed a couple of times indicating to patrons that the next act was soon to start. A few people cheered. Waitresses hurried about delivering the last of the drinks on their trays before the lights dimmed.

A loud male stentorian voice sounded from the large speakers at the back of the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is amateur night here at the Club Ecstasy. Several of you have decided to take the plunge and see how entertaining you can be. I urge the audience to be kind and encouraging. All the money you reward to them for their performance goes straight to the performer. For some of the women who join us on amateur night it takes a huge amount of courage and even a little liquid courage to inspire them to display their lovely bodies for our enjoyment; please keep that in mind as you open your wallets. BUT NOW, without further ado, joining us from right here in our own small city, is one of the youngest and prettiest amateur performers we’ve probably ever had; please welcome CRICKET.”

Dave’s jaw dropped open and he whirled around to the stage. All the lights dimmed except for a couple of spotlights highlighting the stage. Some fairly simple music started, but it was nothing like the bump and grind music usually associated with strip clubs. The Club Ecstasy wasn’t always like that anyway.

From the back of the stage, Cricket strolled out like she was going to class. She even carried a few books against her chest. She stopped in the middle of the stage and looked around, ignoring the audience, but sensing them. She pretended to be alone - finally.

Cricket was dressed as a parochial school girl: short plaid skirt, white knee socks with tiny bows on them, Mary Jane shoes, a white button shirt, school tie, matching plaid vest, and her blonde hair done in two pigtails. She looked as though she was twelve or thirteen, but maybe a little older. Dave heard several people that didn’t know Cricket do a sharp intake of their breath. Could the club put an underage performer on the stage to strip? Heavens! Many of the men leaned forward; she had their instant attention.

Cricket looked around and saw a simple chair near the back of the stage. She went and moved the chair to the center, and set her books on it. She dusted her hands off, as though saying she was through with her subjects for the day. She again looked around to confirm she was ‘alone’.

Cricket turned, checked in all directions, and started to awkwardly run her hands all over her body, particularly her groin. The move gave the audience plenty of opportunity to see the little white undies she was now wearing. Dave wondered what had happened to the green ones he’d seen a half-hour earlier. These were almost iridescent under the spotlights. Cricket kept checking with her eyes darting in many directions to be sure she wasn’t ‘caught’. Her hands moved to her breasts, which didn’t look as large as they normally did, probably thanks to some kind of sports bra under her blouse.

She unbuttoned the shirt, taking her time and starting to sway to the mellow music she’d chosen in a dream-like state. Her hands kept moving and fondling. The shirt opened finally allowing a peek inside at a lacy white sports bra. Dave hoped the audience would appreciate what was hidden when Cricket finally released her small melons. For a small girl, she was certainly gifted.

Cricket struggled trying to get her hands to her breasts so she could massage her tits. Finally, she slowly undid the necktie and dropped the vest and shirt as the music played, all being set on the chair. She rubbed all over her clothing some more and then pulled the bra up over her head and tossed it to the chair. Her generous breasts swung free, and the audience gasped in appreciation. She shook her assets from side to side and then started to caress them in a loving manner. She even brought the nipple on each breast to her mouth to kiss and lick - a most salacious move.

Cricket had magnificent nipples. That night they were standing erect atop their large pinkish areolas, and those at the forefront of firm, full breasts. Her narrow hips and small stature augmented their apparent size. She was ‘stacked’ and it showed.

She started rubbing again, this time clearly relishing being able to fondle her own breasts. She pulled at her nipples and obviously was stimulated in erotic ways by what she was doing. Her sexual moan could be heard across the club. Dave knew she liked breast play. Occasionally, she’d check to be sure no one was going to catch her playing with herself.

She continued to fumble beneath her short skirt to rub her pussy. That, in turn, obviously motivated her to undo the skirt, let it drop to the stage, and then she bent, shimmied her breasts in their pendulous state, and picked up the skirt to add to her pile of clothing on the chair. All the time she was dancing and keeping time to the music with a sexy swaying of her hips and body.

She slowly peeled off the knee socks, but put the Mary Jane shoes back on; the effect was interesting and heightened the speculation that she was underage to be doing this because of how she looked. Of course, she’d lasered the hair from her pussy area so almost looked prepubescent.

Cricket slowly inched the panties down her thighs revealing the day-glow green thong. The panties went on the pile. She danced some more, coming right to the edge of the stage where several guys tried to reach out and touch her. She acted oblivious to them and avoided their touches.

Eventually, she slowly pushed the thong down her legs. She walked around the edge of the stage holding the tiny garment out almost as bait. A steady flurry of paper money followed her as it got tossed on the stage by grateful patrons. Eventually, she tossed the panties to Dave who made a show of smelling the crotch so that everyone laughed. Cricket smirked slightly.

Cricket put both hands into her own nether region. Finally, completely naked except for her funky shoes she whirled around the pole, did some dips and dives, and danced in a very sexy way, using the pole as a base. She was truly beautiful. She ignored the comments and catcalls from the cruder men in the audience.

The stage filled with money being tossed up by patrons, many of whom were Circle members. Cricket ignored the money, but always moved to dance close to a contributing patron, even spreading her labia for him to show the man deep into her pink.

Cricket’s hands roamed over her body in a showy display of masturbation without really doing the act. The artistic simulation was not lost on the audience. Finally, the music she’d chosen rose to a crescendo, and as it did, Cricket made her body pause as though reaching a crest, and then she started to shudder and quake as her climax hit her. She bent over as part of her reaction to the orgasm, even holding onto the chair to steady herself. At that point there was final strong beat to the music, and the lights went out for ten seconds. When they came back on Cricket was gone.

Jim came out from backstage and led the audience in a thunderous round of applause for the newcomer to the Club Ecstasy stage. Cricket appeared with a towel wrapped around her body, and made a polite curtsey to the audience that again displayed all her assets. Jim urged the crowd to reward Cricket’s performance, and several more bills were tossed on stage. He moved around and picked up the cash, as he told people through his microphone that another ‘volunteer’ would be along in a few minutes. He did note that Cricket had said she’d do lap dances, and he reminded the horny men in the audience that the minimum rate was forty dollars - no touching, and that they could get a private and longer session for sixty.

Cricket appeared wearing her little green thong and a gossamer robe, and started to wander through the crowd. One group of young men stopped her, passed her some money that she put in a pocket of the robe, and then she approached one of the men and mounted his lower body as he layback in his chair. She writhed and squirmed around his midsection, whispering dirty talk to the man, as the music played. Her crotch was often in solid contact with the bulge in his pants.

Towards the end of the song, many in the club heard the young man say, “Fuck. You made me cum, bitch.” Cricket laughed, kissed the man, and then dismounted. There was a wet spot on his slacks right where she’d been doing most of the rubbing. She whispered a few more things to him, no doubt soothing words, and resumed her wandering of the club floor.

Eventually, she got to Dave and just mounted him without asking. Dave smiled up at her. “You were fabulous.”

Cricket said, “I am so horny I’m about to explode. Buy me. Let me take you to the back room so you can fuck my lights out.”

“Deal,” he replied.

Cricket dismounted again, took Dave by the hand as he stood, and led him off. Several in the Circle teased him and made naughty tsk-tsk sounds as he passed. Others in the club took that as permission to do the same.

The room just off the main club and stage area was small, probably meant as a storage room for the bar or for cleaning supplies. It had been painted white, some indirect lighting added, and a large, comfortable, overstuffed chair added along with a small table.

Cricket stripped off her panties and the robe, undid Dave’s pants, and then inhaled his cock - sucking on the beast until it better resembled the end of a policeman’s long baton than a flaccid cock. She pushed him back in the chair, mounted, and sunk her shaft onto him.

Cricket moaned, “Oh, God, you are sooooo nice inside me. You belong there ALL the time.”

Cricket praised Dave and his sexual equipment, as well as pledging her love to him for all of time. She told him she would do this anytime, anywhere, and anyway he wanted her to, so long as she could just love him this way. The kisses were extraordinary and over the top. He’d never seen her so worked up, and her ardor tickled his and raised it to new levels.

They were energetic lovers, extending their tryst to over fifteen minutes before they both crested together and he filled her love cavern with a gallon of his man fluid. Cricket groaned and moaned in pleasure and satisfaction, not that Dave wasn’t doing the same.

The couple took a few minutes to come down from their peaks, and for their physiologies to return to near normal before stirring from each other’s arms. They both shared words of love for the other as they cuddled. Cricket found a few towelettes in the drawer of a small table in the room and they cleaned themselves as best they could. Cricket made an absorbent pad and slipped her panties back on.

Dave asked, “Where are your clothes? What’d you wear to the club?”

Cricket laughed, “You saw me take it all off onstage.”

“I would have noticed you dressed that way in the car.”

“Oh, I had on a longer skirt I left with Alice as well as one of your dress shirts that covered up everything. I knew I was going to dance and strip. Alice and Pam told me how much fun it was to be a total exhibitionist in front of strangers. By the way, that was real orgasm I had on stage. I was - I am so worked up.”

“Let’s go find your clothes.”

The couple left the small ‘entertainment’ room, and went to a larger dressing room. Jim had brought her clothes into the room. Dave waited outside while Cricket went in and dressed since some of the other amateurs were inside looking at outfits they might wear at the start of their routines. A few minutes later she came out in her little girl, parochial student outfit. They walked through the club back to seats where Dave had been sitting. There was more applause and offers for lap dances that Cricket turned down with a smile and a touch of sweetness to the man. She had a way about her.

Jim came by the table with an envelope stuffed with cash that he presented to her. He said, “Congratulations, you made over four-hundred dollars. That’s the kind of money Christie makes. You should consider coming more often.”

Cricket blushed, “I’ll consider it. It was fun, but others need a turn.”

---

Jim Danforth and Lisa Taggart strolled onto the patio about nine-thirty Sunday morning. Dave saw them and quickly got their orders for breakfast and asked them to sit with him.

As Jim neared Dave said loudly, “Why didn’t you say you’d bought into the Club Ecstasy?”

Jim laughed, “It’s not the most reputable place in town, but it makes a lot of money. I was surprised Owen let me buy in with him.”

“Are you another billionaire?”

“Huh? Hardly. Why?”

“Oh, it’s just that the two other owners of the club are. Owen’s worth several billion, and he told me last night the other partner in the club is Mark Worthington. He’s got to be worth a hundred billion according to Owen.”

“Holy shit. No, I didn’t know that, only that a guy named Mark wanted controlling interest, so he retained fifty-one percent of the stock when the deal was cut. I had heard his last name but didn’t associate the owner of a strip club with the multi-billionaire. Owen and I split the rest. Shit, now that I know that, the transaction was pocket change to those two, but ate up most of my investment funds. I’d hung out there years ago and saw the potential for it to become even more popular. I talked to Owen about my ideas to improve and market the place about a month or so ago, right here on this patio, and suddenly I owned a quarter interest in a nightclub strip joint. I got the feeling he was well off, but nowhere near that well heeled. The same with Mark.”

Lisa said, “Enough of this talk about business. Kiss me.” She plopped down in Dave’s lap, put an arm around his neck, and reeled him in for some hot French kisses. Jim laughed.

Dave didn’t object, but when she was through, he said, “Careful, or your boyfriend will think we have something going on between us.”

“We do!” she said with a laugh. “I told him all about it - about you; about everybody. Of course, he was balls deep in my little cunny when I was doing the telling. You know I like kinky stuff like that. Heck, most of the Circle does and you’re all exhibitionists and voyeurs. He knows I love sex and have found a steady supply right here.”

Jim shook his head, “It really doesn’t bother me. I have no liens on Lisa.”

“Nor do I,” Dave assured him. “I love her and I know she loves you in a special way, and that it isn’t anything serious - or so she said.”

“I’m not the easiest guy to get along with. I seem to have a problem with change. I did all right in the military; I just followed orders. Once I got out it seemed my ex always wanted to change something, mostly me. It drove me crazy. The club is kind of my rebellion. The idea of it drives her crazy now.” He smiled diabolically.

Dave chuckled, “And so going into business with a nightclub won’t have any changes? I think you may be in for a rude awakening.”

“What do you think will change?”

“YOU’LL need to change your advertising, meal menus, décor, employees, dance routines, employees, personnel practices, your accounting, how you treat your employees, customers and VIPs, music, the bouncers, and about everything else I didn’t mention. You’ll want to reinvest, but your co-owners will want dividends and profits to share. You will have to constantly do things to pump up attendance. Business is all about change and getting a share of your customers’ minds.”

“But some of that stuff is outside my control. That may frustrate me, but I can cope. It’s when someone else is trying to change ME - how I dress, my values, the way I speak, or what I do for fun. If I’M the one making the changes, that’s okay.” He chuckled at that bit of wisdom.

Lisa said, “He’s not as bad as he makes himself out to be. He thinks he’s one of these guys whose motto at work will be ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves’ but he’s calm, cool, collected, and takes time to work out problems and solutions with everybody I’ve seen, especially his employees. He’s also generous. Ask your little girlfriend Christie; I know she’s in love with Jim.”

Dave smiled and said to Jim, “Lots of things change in the Circle, but in a way, they are contained. Hang around with us and see what you think of this environment. I don’t think anyone here will try to change you too much.”

Lisa said, “Total change of subject, if I may. I have two other nurse friends that I think might enjoy the Circle. One is about my age and the other is around thirty-two. Their names are Melanie - but everyone calls her Mel, and Stephanie or Steph. Can I bring them around? Don’t you think some more nurses would be welcome in the Circle? Do you think they’d like it?”

Dave shrugged, “I can’t predict anything about what they’ll think about us. My suggestion is to first see what they think about sex. You know how central that is to our lifestyle. If they’re skittish about that - especially group sex and exhibitionism, they probably wouldn’t fit in well here. Another thing to sense is how possessive they are about someone they like; do they want exclusivity and absolute fidelity, or do they see those as optional traits they might apply in a larger scheme with lots more people involved.”

“Good idea,” Lisa said. “Anything else?”

Dave said, “They’d have to not be too judgmental about anybody’s lifestyle or what they do - AND they can’t try to change Jim.” He poked at his new friend. “One way to sense that is whether they’re prone to gossip about the scandals in someone else’s life - an affair with a doctor, trouble at home, or that sort of thing. Another is how empathic and compassionate they are. Lastly, this is a very social environment. We’re all in the Circle because we like to socialize with each other in many ways. Yes, we have a few introverts, but with their friends they’re more open and trusting. Roy is a good example of that.”

Jim said, “I’m glad I’m hearing this discussion. It kind of puts me on notice about whether any of those things are important to me or not. So far, so good.”

---

The first Wednesday in July, Nancy stuck her head in Dave’s office just after lunch. He nodded and she said, “We got a big one brewing off the west coast of Africa. NOAA thinks the conditions are right for a major hurricane to develop, and for it to make it into the Gulf of Mexico in about ten days. It’s a slow mover. They’ve been looking at all the prevailing winds and other weather systems that would bump it in some other direction, but they’re projecting a long straight shot west into the Gulf.

“Does it have a name?” Dave asked.

“Not yet. A number, and it’s only a tropical depression, but it’s slowly moving west over a very warm ocean.”

Dave thought and said, “Well, we’ll keep an eye on it. Not much we can do today.”

“We did well on the tropical storm,” Nancy observed.

“Fortunately, it wasn’t all that much of a wallop, plus it was fast moving so there wasn’t much flooding. We barely got any work orders out of it from the Texas utilities. It was a good rehearsal for something more powerful, however.”

Nancy waved and went back to work.

---

Owen sat down next to Dave and set a fresh bottle of beer in front of him. As Dave picked his up, the two men clinked their bottles together in greeting and thanks. Dave had heard his medium-size corporate jet arrive about forty-five minutes earlier.

“How goes the world of the rich and famous?” Dave teased as Owen sat.

“Pretty good. I have an interesting request for you from someone you met a few months ago. A very pretty woman, I might add.”

Dave snorted, “I’m all ears and all willingness to help out. Who?”

“Scarlett Johansson. I was in L.A. this past week and went to a cocktail party she was also at. She just finished up a movie, and wanted a unique vacation. She remembered the Circle and Sarasota, and decided that this is what she wants for a week or two. She’s social. I’m afraid we got to talking at length. She pried a lot out of me about the Circle and you specifically.”

“Surely, you jest,” Dave said in disbelief. “You told her more about the Circle and about our lifestyle and philosophy and she still wanted to visit? From her point of view, I bet we’re pretty mundane or way too uninhibited to be of interest. Plus, why she’d be interested in me defies definition.”

“She said that the two of you talked for over almost an hour when she was here at Halloween, and that every word you said piqued her interest in the Circle and this way of life - and you. She is genuinely infatuated with you, too. The two of us ended up talking about this place and you for almost two hours at a Hollywood party - between many interruptions, of course.”

“Two hours! You must have been hard up for things to talk about. Say, I don’t think I ever mentioned the sex other than by oblique reference and talking about how we’re nonexclusive, although I did tell her I had four wives and had ‘intimate’ relationships with other women that lived in the Circle; no details though. I tried to gloss over anything like that, but still tell the truth. I would think our open sexuality would blow her off the planet when she finds out. She seemed like a pretty straight arrow. She’ll want to go home after learning about that.”

“She’s more liberal and easier going than you think,” Owen smirked. “I did get kind of explicit with her so that while she’s here our activities and behavior wouldn’t be a surprise or an embarrassment. Give me a break; I know not to spring this place on someone with the wrong mindset. I was pretty blunt - very blunt, in fact. Without using names I happened to tell her how you pranked Karen when you led that group orgy in the gazebo right outside her bedroom window. I eventually told her about our Friday and Saturday night group sex sessions.” He laughed.

“What about our requirement about new people arriving with a fresh test? How would we communicate that to her? We all abide by that.” Dave laughed, “I can see it now. Oh, yes, Scarlett, there’s one more requirement before you come through our gates again to visit; you have to get tested for STDs because WE might want to make love to YOU. Yeah, that’d go over really well, especially the use of the plural pronoun. Fat chance anything like that happening.”

Owen smirked, “She’s not as stupid as you’re implying. She figured out a lot about the Circle just by observing your behavior and reading between the lines of what you told her. She said something about understanding the way things were here as much from what you said as what you didn’t say but skirted around. She asked questions that showed me she’d figured out a lot.”

“If she’s serious, I guess I should talk to her before she comes.”

A feminine voice from behind Dave said, “I’m serious, and what would you say to me? I hope it’s not ‘Don’t come’; it’s too late for that - I’m here - hiding out. Would you tell her that she should have a fresh STD test so she didn’t bring any Hollywood cooties to your Circle?” There was feminine laughter.

Dave slowly turned to see who was talking, and there stood Scarlett Johansson holding out a piece of paper to him and smiling. The paper clearly indicated it had come from a lab in Santa Monica. She laughed at him as his head bobbed between the paper and her grinning face.

Scarlett teased, “Come on, what else would you say to me? That the rampant sex will be too much for me and that I’ll run from your gates screaming about how deviant you all are?” She laughed, “Give me a fucking break. I’m not that insensitive or unaware about what you bunch of nymphomaniacs and horny men do in your spare time. I even did some research based on what I pried out of Owen. He can become quite talkative when I turn on my charms and he’s had two or three glasses of champagne. I kind of like the idea of polyamory, at least the way you seem to practice it. I like the idea of love without ownership.”

Dave muttered but started to smile, “I’d tell her that we make time for people that are genuine and that want to be our friend. I’d explain that we aren’t pretentious; that a person’s star power might blind us temporarily, but that we come around and start looking at the authentic person quite quickly and that the stardom would be quickly forgotten. I’d tell her that she’s more than welcome to stay, but that she’ll have to use either a local hotel or one of my guest rooms, because we don’t have any presidential suites available for her entourage.”

Scarlett came around the men so she was standing between Owen and Dave who had stood when she’d first spoken. She sat in an open chair facing Dave who then sat. “I’m here. Owen volunteered your guest room. The only entourage I have is my four-year old daughter Rose who is parked in your media room watching the Cartoon Channel. I need a vacation without any possibility of the paparazzi finding me. If I get started on some romantic entanglements so much the better. If it happened to be with you, assuming your wives tolerate me, that’d be the best. Owen told me the whole story of the Circle, each of the members, and especially you.” She smiled.

“But … you … you’re … we are …” Dave was increasingly smitten by the beautiful woman.

Scarlett looked around, “So, besides the beach and sex, what else do you do to have fun around here? Personally, I’m ready for either one.” She fixed Dave in her stare. If there was ever an invitation, this was it. “I think I prefer the latter about now. Also, at the beach someone is probably going to recognize me, so your pool seems a much better deal. Am I allowed to stay?”

Dave studied the gorgeous movie star and thought about what was happening. He made a point of pinching his thigh to ensure this was really happening. It was.

Dave bowed slightly to her, “Please stay and accept our hospitality. Do NOT feel you have to do anything you don’t want to do. We are very egalitarian, sharing, non-possessive, non-exclusive, and not at all monogamous. We don’t get jealous. We love each other a lot. We’re also exhibitionists and voyeurs, and we don’t discriminate on any basis.

“If you want to avoid our seamier side, my recommendation is to retire early and not pay attention to what goes on in the core living room, the patio, or the gazebo.”

Just then Holly came out from inside the core with Matthew and a young girl about four years old. Matthew and the girl were holding hands. Holly and Matthew were wearing bathing suits. Well, Holly wore a monokini.

Holly came up to the group, “Hi, I’m Holly. I was helping out with the babies but they’re all asleep now and this pretty young thing was watching television, but Matthew came along and sold her on the idea of going swimming. I guess you’re her mom; would it be all right? I taught Matthew how to swim. Maybe I could give Rose a lesson or two while we all play in the pool. She told me that was her name.”

Rose begged Scarlett to let her swim.

Scarlett said, “I’m Scarlett. I didn’t bring a bathing suit for Rose, then again, she probably doesn’t need one at her age if that’s all right with everybody.”

Holly said, “Great. No problem around this place. Come on Rose, let’s get you all set up and you can tell me about how much you can swim. Let’s see what we can do.”

Scarlett watched Holly and Rose go over to a chaise near the edge of the pool near the steps at the shallow end. Holly picked up some towels. Matthew executed a perfect swan dive into the pool from the diving platform that Dev had built for him to use. He wasn’t that interested in a naked Rose.

Holly coaxed Rose into the pool by way of the steps and then started to teach her about holding her breath and her natural ability to float after she had lungs full of air. Scarlett watched her daughter very carefully.

Dave said, “Holly has a baby in the nursery - Zoe Faith. I’m probably the daddy.”

She laughed, “Yes, Owen said that you seem to have little swimmers that understand what they’re supposed to do once they start swimming.”

Owen laughed and looked at Dave, “I think those are the exact words I used. Your name does seem to be associated with a lot of the births and pregnancies occurring around the Circle.”

Owen turned to Scarlett, “When you mate with this man, you might want to be sure your prescription is up to date and you’ve been taking them as you’re supposed to.”

Scarlett laughed, “Oh, no problem, although it has been a while since I was with anybody. If I even look sideways at a man some publication will have some huge story about the two of us in some deep, dark, romantic entanglement with a thousand complications.”

Dave asked, “How’d you sneak out of Hollywood, or dare I not ask?”

Scarlett looked at Owen. “My assistant helped. Rose and I were smuggled out of my home when she left at the end of the day yesterday. I’d already talked to Owen. She whisked me to the nearby general aviation airport where Owen had his plane, and I rushed onboard with Rose and our luggage. No one followed us or saw me at the airport, I guess. A red-eye flight right to your little airport and here we are. We even slept on the plane. I suspect Rose’s internal clock is a little crazy, but she did sleep most of the time last night.”

Owen went over to the bar and came back with several more bottles of Summer Ale. The group sat and talked, and watched Holly showing Rose what she wanted her to do. Rose was doing it, often yelling at her mom what she’d just accomplished.

After about twenty minutes, Rose demonstrated to everyone a perfectly acceptable dog paddle, even more amazing because she wasn’t wearing any water wings or anything for that matter. She swam from one side of the pool to the other. Holly looked very pleased with herself, too.

Scarlett marveled, “I never would have guessed that she’d learn that so quickly. We don’t have a pool at our home in L.A., so the opportunity just hasn’t been there for her to swim. I’m so pleased she’s learning this life skill.”

She turned to Dave and said, “Owen showed me to your guest room. I hope that’s all right. He explained about the pilot and his girlfriend also living with you temporarily in the other guest bedroom. Maybe that’s what I need to do, live with you temporarily. I also saw your immense bed. I love it. I think I’d love to be made love to in it, too. Maybe you could show me later. Owen says you have some special skills that women just love.”

Dave blushed. “They’re nothing that special.” He remained incredulous that this A-list movie star had shown up and wanted a physical relationship with him. He wasn’t sure he’d be up to the task to please her or make her happy during her vacation with them. He felt sure he’d wake up from his dream any second.

“We’ll see, I hope.” She smiled at him and gave a wink.

Chapter 4 - Comfort Zone?

About five o’clock Cricket came bounding across the patio and launched herself into Dave’s arms. She smothered him with kisses, and glowed with love as he kissed her back.

As they parted, Dave said, “Cricket, please meet my new good friend, Scarlett.”

Cricket smiled at the movie star. “Hi. I thought you looked familiar. Welcome to the Circle.” The movie star didn’t at all intimidate her. Scarlett could have been one of the neighbors from just outside the gate.

“Cricket is a cute name.”

“I hop around a lot. The name stuck from when I was a quite young. I’ve never used my real first name, or even my last name all that much. I sign my checks, credit card slips, and driver’s license Cricket, too.”

Dave explained, “Scarlett is going to stay with us for a couple of weeks.”

Cricket speculated to her, “Escaping the paparazzi?”

Scarlett laughed, “Exactly. Do I need to buy your silence?”

“Nope. Nobody here will say a word. We’re very good at keeping confidences, and I’ve only been here about six weeks. I’m not a member yet.”

Scarlett looked between Owen and Dave. “Oh, there are members? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this was private or a club. Owen just dragged me along once I expressed my hopes to visit here. He did call you collectively the Circle repeatedly; I should have guessed.”

Dave smirked, “More like a cult as some see it. Being a member means you probably have some intention of moving in here, although we have some distant members who visit frequently including my mother and a family on the east coast of the state.”

“What does it take to become a member?” She sounded interested.

Dave checked his watch. “Come with me while I tend bar for my friends. You’ll get to meet everybody, too. The answer to your question is to get to know everybody and have everybody know you, in a loving and friendly way.”

Cricket followed along, “This is the best place in the whole world. It’s a spiritual oasis, but not like going to an ashram or something like that. Plus, Dave is so special as a man. If you make love with him, you’ll find out.”

“You’ve done that?” Scarlett asked as they walked a few paces behind Dave.

Cricket smiled broadly. “It’s the highlight of my life, of my day, and certainly of my night. I love him with all my heart, and I want to be his fifth wife. I also love the other men and women in the Circle.”

“Wow, you seem to have it all planned out.”

“I’m writing a book right now - three actually. They’re novels and each is in different stages. Living here in the Circle has given me hundreds of ideas. I’m getting ready to send the first one off. I’ve sent book proposals out to various companies and agents, and now I have a draft of my first book. It’s entitled Crystal Clear.”

Scarlett said, “Let’s talk later. I may be able to help you. Let me ask, have you ever written a screen play?”

“No. I sense there’s a big difference, but we can talk about that later - maybe over dinner. Oh, here’s your daughter.”

“Mommy, I had to get out of the pool. Holly told me I was turning into a prune. What’s a prune?”

Scarlett cuddled her naked daughter wrapped in a towel and went to help her get back into her play togs. Dave heard something said about big raisins.

At the bar a few minutes later, Dave and Owen helped introduce everyone to Scarlett. Dave watched the reactions to the movie star more than the star herself. Everyone was very accepting, and held back on the more obvious questions. She’d met many of the Circle at the Halloween party, but couldn’t remember many of the names. Dave made a bet with himself that at the end of two weeks, she’d know everybody intimately. She was warm and outgoing, and obviously gave of herself as she inspired others to do the same to her. She also inspired laughter and happiness with whomever she talked.

Cricket and Scarlett talked about the membership criteria and the Circle philosophy and tenets. Scarlett knew a lot of what was said from her talk with Owen a week earlier. Dave didn’t have anything to add when Cricket turned to him and asked what she’d forgotten to say. He gave her a wink.

Bobbie and Maddy had been back a couple of weeks from their honeymoon in France. The Friday meal was a gourmet feast, yet healthy and light. The influence of French cooking could be tasted by all especially in the sauces and dressings. Bobbie got a round of applause as she came out with her own dinner in hand after most of the others had been served.

Scarlett said, “Do you eat like this every night?”

“Pretty much. There are always a few folks absent as there are tonight, but then we almost always have visitors such as you and Rose. Cricket is new and lives with my wives and me. Lisa, who you met a few minutes ago with her boyfriend Jim, is new but also not a member. He’ll disappear right after dinner since he runs a nightclub down the trail. They normally don’t get cranked up until after nine.”

“Do you think I might get to see his club during my visit?”

“Sure. You know the risks of being seen as well as I do - probably better. We’re good at disguises, especially Alice, my wife.”

“Point out your wives again, please.”

Dave gestured around at the three tables to the four women. Alice and Pam were both holding their child in their laps as they ate doing coo-chooing sounds and such to keep them awake and interested. Pam was occasionally nursing and the bare boob was out and ready to provide to little Bobby.

Scarlett got into a discussion with Dev about his construction business. That in turn led to Dave getting a verbal update from Jack and Ty about the progress on the Townhouse 2 project on the road to the Circle’s airport.

Scarlett allowed, “Building and homes and decorating fascinate me. I watch HGTV - Home and Garden TV - all the time when I can fit it in.”

Cricket allowed, “We have cable, so you can watch it just about any TV set you can find. It’s channel 665. I especially like the show Flip or Flop.”

As Dave listened in, he realized that Cricket was intentionally keeping the conversation from becoming an interrogation of Scarlett - the movie star. She involved her in talking about Rose, what her home was like, and then got others talking around her about topics she knew everyone was interested in. Scarlett didn’t mind in the least, and he thought might be appreciating the diversion of attention.

After dinner, Dave was on cleanup, so disappeared for a while. Scarlett came into the kitchen as he was packaging the leftovers to put in the small refrigerator in case someone wanted a late meal, snack, or lunch tomorrow. She started to help him package up the food, much to his surprise.

Bobbie came in and made a few suggestions. Some pots and pans were put in the industrial dishwashing unit, which fascinated Scarlett. She said, “This is all so efficient. It’s a restaurant only everybody works here sooner or later; well, except for Bobbie, and I guess you work here all the time.”

Dave threw a little test at Scarlett without her knowing it. “Bobbie just got back from her honeymoon a couple of weeks ago.”

“Really? That’s great. Dave said you live in the first townhouse project. Is your husband part of the Circle?”

Bobbie laughed. She’d no doubt already encountered this situation. “Sorry, don’t have one of those. My wife is part of the Circle. She cares for all the babies in the nursery - Maddy. She was four down from you at the table with two of the babes.”