
THE MEASURE OF MAN
 
An Epic by Gil Gamesh
 
Chapter Twenty-Seven
 
 
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CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Kieran Stuart, 43; Siobhan Stuart, 42; Kavan Stuart, 16; Arial Stuart, 14 (and ½)
Kerry Stuart, 11 (almost 12)

Kathryn Jenssen, 17; Lauren Andersen, 51
 
TELLING THE STORY
Kieran Stuart, Arial Stuart, Lauren Andersen

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(KIERAN)

Monday afternoon when I came in from work, Lauren was on the telephone. I asked Siobhan what was going on and she said Lauren had been on the phone with different people since mid-afternoon. She’d already talked to the lawyer and the real estate agent I’d recommended and they’d agreed to start work for her immediately. She said she didn’t know what Lauren had told them but she was very insistent and persuasive. She’d called Stuart and talked to him for a while. Now she was back talking with the real estate agent again.

Siobhan and Arial were in the kitchen preparing dinner. I asked if I had time for a quick shower and was told to be back in ten minutes. I washed off the day’s sweat and worries and was back in less than ten. Lauren was still on the phone. I made an eating motion with my hand toward my mouth and she held up a finger and mouthed the words, “One minute.”

The table was set in the dining room, not the kitchen, and they’d put out our good china so I knew this was some sort of special occasion. The kids knew that the rule for dinner was quiet conversation - no school problems, no work problems, and especially no real world problems. Just family things like what they’d read that day, what they’d done, or whom they’d seen. They showed they could use good manners when they wanted to. The rule came off as soon as we started cleaning up after dinner. Siobhan had a German chocolate cake for dessert. I begged off and asked for mine later with a cup of decaf coffee.

The torrent of questions began when we started taking the dishes to the kitchen. I had as many as the kids did. Lauren just kept smiling and telling us what her plans were. I was more than a little amazed. I remembered that Siobhan was supposed to call Luke and Rachael. When I asked, she said she had.

“Luke called me back this afternoon and said he could be off all of next week. They’re going to leave early on Saturday morning and, if the traffic’s no problem, they should be at the cabin about noon. Luke’s offered to bring something you’ll like.”

“What’s that?”

“Fifty pounds of shrimp. He knows a shrimp-boat captain who usually comes in about six in the morning. He wants to do a big Carolina shrimp boil on Saturday night for everybody. Only problem is, the shrimp will be so fresh they’ll still be heads-on. We’ll have to de-head them before we boil them.”

The kids had enjoyed the previous time he’d brought shrimp when they came for a visit. But those had already been de-headed. I looked around and saw that they were all listening.

“You hear that, kids, all the fresh shrimp you can eat. But you’ve got to help de-head them. Any volunteers?”

Kavan’s and Kerry’s arms were in the air before I finished speaking. Kathryn reluctantly raised hers. Arial raised her hand slowly and said, “Yuk.”

I looked at Siobhan and then at Lauren. I ended up with six volunteers and one conscript.

 Later we went out on the deck for dessert and coffee. Since it was decaf, I let the kids have it if they wanted it. Arial and Kerry wanted milk instead. The kids were still asking Lauren and me questions and we were both giving answers that provoked more questions. About eight, Siobhan came over and whispered in my ear. She and Lauren went down the hallway to our bedroom. I waited a few minutes as if I’d been instructed and then told the kids that Lauren was sleeping with us tonight. I got the responses I expected.

“Just don’t let’em keep you up all night, Dad.” “Get a good night’s sleep, Dad, so you can don’t have to work hard tomorrow.” “Don’t let’em give you a hard time, Dad.” “Remember Dad, if you can’t beat’em, eat’em.” The last one was from Kathryn; it was the first time she’d called me Dad.

Siobhan and Lauren had the Jacuzzi ready. The bathroom was warm and lit by candles. I knew it was a romantic cliché but I always enjoyed it. They made me get in at the narrow end and they sat side-by-side on the wide end. It felt strange to have four feet on me, one on each side and two in the middle. The two in the middle made me hard as usual. I tried to find a place for each of my big toes and kept getting pushed away. It was nice to soak in the tub with one woman, even better with two.

Lauren and Siobhan leaned back at their end of the tub with their eyes closed. I leaned back at my end and looked at the head of my dick sticking up and four breasts floating just under the surface of the water.

“Siobhan, did Kieran tell you I jerked him off while I was nursing our first baby?” Lauren asked. “He had on white tennis shorts and white briefs. That was the first time he came that afternoon.”

“No, did you really? The first time? How many times did he come?” 

She was lying. I had told her.

“Four. The second time he screwed me on the couch. He took that big uncircumcised cock of his and filled up my cunt.”

“No! Filled you up? To overflowing?”

I smiled and decided to let them tease all they wanted to.

“Yeah, but it was only half full the first time.”

“Did he do it again?”

“Twice more. The fourth time, he screwed me on the bed. He filled my cunt the rest of the way up with his semen. I had a full tank when I sent him home.”

“You skipped the third time.”

“The third time, I sucked him off in the bathroom. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I made him come in my mouth and swallowed it. Third time, I didn’t think he’d have much come. I was wrong. He almost gagged me. I was so damn hot I could have swallowed his balls.”

I remembered. It had felt like she was going to swallow my balls.

“Just don’t try to suck his balls dry, Lauren. It won’t work. I know. I’ve tried it.”

“Could I suck him off again tonight, Siobhan? It’s been a long time since I’ve had his big dick in my mouth.”

“You can if you’ll let me help.”

“How will we know when he’s going to come? I want to be the one who gets his load.”

“We’ll watch his balls. When they draw up tight, you’ll know he’s close. When he starts trying to shove it down your throat, you’d better get ready.”

Who was I to argue?

They made me stand up in the Jacuzzi. I had to be careful where I put my feet in the hot sudsy water to keep from stepping on them. I finally ended up with one foot between Siobhan’s legs and the other between Lauren’s. If they’d sucked half as much as they giggled, I’d have come sooner. I shut my eyes and stood there with one hand on each head as they had their way with me. Two mouths, four hands - I couldn’t tell which one was doing what. I didn’t care. I tried to hold out, to enjoy it as long as I could.

Somebody’s hand was stroking my cock up and down just the way I liked it, pulling down until the underside of the foreskin was tight and the tension made any contact almost unbearable. Somebody’s mouth was trying to suck the head of my cock off my body. Somebody’s hand had a couple of fingers pressing up against me, just behind my balls. I could withstand it all. I was determined. Somebody’s soapy finger pressed against my asshole. It was all too much. I shot. Once, twice, and somebody took their mouth off. Another mouth replaced it in time to get three, four, and a few dribbles. I looked down and they were both giggling between swallows. I was still as hot as a sixteen-year-old kid. 

We finally drained the Jacuzzi and rinsed off under the shower. Tits against my chest; tits against my back; it was heaven. I played grab-ass; they played grab-dick. Is that what the kids call it? My cock was hot and heavy but it wasn’t quite ready to raise its head. When I turned 0ff the hot water, the screams were loud enough to wake up the kids. I wondered if they were awake. They probably were since their summer bedtime was around ten and I guessed it was about nine. Oh, well, I could tell them what we were doing tomorrow.

They put me in the middle of our king-size bed. I didn’t object. We pulled up the light blanket and they curled up on each side of me. I didn’t care whether I could get it up again tonight. Two in one bed and I didn’t care whether I got a fuck from either of them. Who would have ever thought it? I knew I wasn’t through with them. I thought of a little undercover work I wanted to do.

“Lauren,” I asked, “are you going to finish telling us what’s going on with the lawyers? Are you looking at the property tomorrow and thinking of starting a company here?”

“I’m not just thinking, Kieran. I’m doing it. I just hadn’t expected to do it this quickly.”

“But what kind of company is it? And why here? Now?”

“It’s a security company. I told you Paul and some other men had a company flying helicopters for all sorts of jobs. Paul and I were both partners. He was one of the pilots and I was the general manager. Some of those jobs required a high level of security. They formed another company to take care of all security aspects. They made me the CEO of that one. I made it take off by expanding it to security in other areas.”

Siobhan was still as confused as I was. “If it was successful, why’d you leave it? Why’re you thinking of moving here?”

“I didn’t leave it.” Lauren answered. “The partners’ insurance was outdated. It paid to a partner’s spouse only if the spouse signed a ‘no-compete’ agreement. They didn’t anticipate that a spouse might be one of the officers. If I stayed, I got paid but I couldn’t compete. If I moved over 500 miles away, I got paid and I could compete. Since I wanted to run my own company, I had to move. I decided if I had to move that far from Oregon, I’d just move back here where I was raised. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“So you’re going to start a company providing security? Who has security problems around here?” I asked.

“You’d be amazed. I did my research. This is an under-served area. When I do what I want, there’ll be no serious competition for me within a hundred miles. I can do what I damn well want to with the company. If I’d provided security for that concert at the University last year, they probably wouldn’t be in a lawsuit now.”

“Is that where the property comes in? You’re going to use that in the company?”

“In part. If it turns out as Kerry describes it, I’ll build the office complex and training buildings down on some of the flat bottomland. I’ll let the Freelofts stay in their house and provide care for them as part of the purchase. I want to see the old house. Kerry says it’s on top of a hill. It sounds too old to live in. I might gut it and convert it into nothing but bedrooms. I may build a modern addition on the side overlooking the river. Our house in Oregon was mainly glass and redwood. I’d like to get the architect who designed it to come look at the stone house and see what he could add on to it.”

Siobhan and I were staring at Lauren with disbelief and amazement on our faces.

“How are you doing all this?” I asked. “It sounds like you’re going to be spending a lot of money. Can you afford all this?”

She looked at us with a smile on her face and waited for a while.

“I’ve got lots of money, Kieran. Somewhere between ten and twenty million. You must have known that. Didn’t you do any research on me before you invited me here?”

I shook my head and lied. “It never occurred to me.”

“I’ve got a lawyer handling everything for me in Oregon. And a real estate agent. The agent’s selling all of the property Paul and I had, including our house. I’ve had offers on the house already. I’m asking one point two million and they’re close. Our other property will sell for between ten and fifteen million. With the partnership settlement, I’ll probably move something around twenty million here. That’s why I need a financial advisor, a CFP. That’s what I want Siobhan to do for me.”

“How’d you know what she does?” I asked. “Most people don’t even know what a Certified Financial Planner is.”

She gave me a condescending smile. “I told you, Kieran. I did my research before I decided to move here. I’ve got a strong recommendation from her agency. They wouldn’t disclose her clients but they passed on my request for information about her. I got nothing but positive evaluations from a bunch of her clients. I know her qualifications. She can do what I have in mind for her.”

I gave her a big grin. “I guess we should have investigated you. We invite you for a visit and you come in and turn our lives upside down.” 

Siobhan said, “Well, I guess we could let him do a little undercover work now, couldn’t we?”

Great minds think alike. I pulled the blanket up and they held it while I crawled underneath. I tried to figure out how to do it. I finally ended up with them side by side, touching. Siobhan’s left leg was extended and straight, as was Lauren’s right. The other leg for each was bent upright and splayed to one side. I straddled the adjacent legs in the middle and made a test run. I could do it. With their help, I could do it, if I just didn’t break my neck trying. I got a middle finger in each of them and finger-fucked them for a minute or two. Lauren had said she was in menopause but she was still lubricating well enough. Siobhan was more than wet enough as usual.

After I’d stirred up their honey, I decided to try to gather it. That’s when I ran into the first trouble. With both hands in use, I couldn’t pull the pubic hair out of the way. Siobhan’s was trimmed as usual but Lauren’s was a little bushy. Oh, hell, I decided, if cats can eat hair, so can I. I didn’t eat enough to get a hairball. At first, their taste was different. I think Siobhan’s was sweeter but maybe that was just because I was used to it. After a while, the tastes blended. I tried to keep my finger working while my tongue was at play but it was difficult to concentrate. My neck and back were aching and I wanted to straighten up. I had a hard-on again and it was throbbing. My dick wanted some attention too. I tried my usual trick – curled finger while sucking on clit – and it worked. I didn’t know which one because I’d forgotten which one was where by then. I gave the one that was coming a good licking until she quieted down. I kept a finger in and gave the other one a good licking until she came too. I still didn’t know which one came first.

I straightened up, still on my knees, and flipped the blanket off and down behind me. I was dripping wet with sweat. It was running down my forehead and down my chest. My cock was dripping too. I knew I’d left pecker tracks down on the sheet. They were both looking at me, looking down at my cock.

“Who’s that one for?” Siobhan asked. I didn’t say anything.

“I think it’s yours,” Lauren whispered. “I think a wife should always come first, don’t you?”

They started to get the giggles again. Just like teen-age girls. I shut my eyes and waited.

“I just came,” Siobhan giggled. “You can have it for now.”

“I just came too,” Lauren giggled back. “I don’t want it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, maybe just a little quickie wouldn’t hurt.”

“It’s not so little and it just might hurt. I don’t want it.”

I’d had enough. “Well, if neither of you wants it, I’m going to go in the bathroom and jerk off in the commode.” I started to get out of the bed. “Shit, what does a man have to do to get a good fuck around here?” I crawled out, went in the bathroom, and shut the door.

I did not intend to jerk off. I looked down at my dick. It was still standing up and drooling. I used one finger to smear the drool around on the head. Damn, that felt good. I wrapped my hand around it and stroked it a couple of times. Maybe jacking off wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. I moved over the commode and stood with my legs on each side. I started slowly stroking my dick.

I heard the door open. Siobhan and Lauren came in and sat down on the side of the Jacuzzi, watching me. I knew it was a stalemate. I decided to give in and beg.

“Would one of you two ladies please take pity on a horny old man? I’d like to give one of you a good fuck. Maybe both of you but I can’t promise that.”

Siobhan took pity on me.

“Come back to bed, Kieran. We’d made a decision before you even came in the bedroom. In fact, we made it yesterday. I knew you’d be horny thinking of Kerry with Lauren last night and Kavan getting his with Kathryn. That’s why I made you give me such a good old-fashioned fuck last night. You know what I mean. That’s what you’re going to give Lauren. It’s her turn tonight.”

I knew what she meant. We used the term for one of our favorites. Me on top, buried to the balls, her legs around my ass or my waist or sometimes around my neck. Just a slow deliberate fuck trying to make it last as long as possible until I came, hopefully after she came. I smiled at the two of them. I could do that tonight. I’d be only too happy to give Lauren an old-fashioned fuck.

I let them lead me back into the bedroom. They straightened the blanket and the sheets and put the pillows back at the head of the bed. Siobhan got on one side and Lauren on the other. I stood watching. Siobhan saw that I was hesitating.

“Siobhan, what are you going to do while I’m with Lauren?”

“I’m going to watch, Kieran. I’m going to get down there where I can see what it really looks like. I’ve never seen that big cock of yours in action close up. I’m going to watch and use a couple of fingers on my clit. I may not be able to jerk off but I can sure as hell rub off.”

She wanted a show, huh? Damn, who would have ever thought it? I looked at Lauren and raised my eyebrows in question. She smiled and held out her arms to me.

“Come on, Kieran, play with us. Don’t be such a, what’s that teen word, a wuss, whatever that is.”

I knew when I’d been beaten. I crawled up on the bed and on top of Lauren. She wrapped her arms around me and opened her mouth to mine. I couldn’t believe it’d been so long, so many years, since I’d kissed her like that. Almost sixteen and I didn’t know how to kiss, except for what I’d learned with Allison. I sure as hell learned a lot from Lauren then. My dick felt as hard as it had that afternoon. I wished I could use it four times and give them both a couple. I knew I couldn’t.

Lauren lifted her legs up and wrapped them around my thighs. I pulled back away from her a little and she dropped one hand down and found my dick. It was still drooling and she was still, whatever it is women do, dripping, exuding, honeying, that’s it, honeying. She rubbed the head of my dick up and down in her honey-cunt. I could feel her inner lips opening and separating for me. She held it still in just that spot. How do they always know where that spot is, where it goes in? I’ve been married almost twenty years and sometimes I still have to hunt to find it.

I pushed just enough for the head to slide in. Damn, it was good. As good this time as it was the first time. Never gets old. Couldn’t get any better. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of this part, when my dick’s first sliding into a cunt. The rest of the fuck’s always great but this was the best, except maybe for the last. My stomach was against hers and I could feel the soft mounds of her breasts against my chest.

Lauren pulled her legs up higher and locked them around my waist. My mouth was still fastened on hers. I began to give it to her in slow measured strokes. Just easing in until our pubic hair met and my balls were against her ass cheeks. Out until just the tip was still inside her. No hurry. No slamming it in and jerking it out. Just long, slow strokes. I rose up over her a little, leaving a little room between our bodies, supporting myself on my elbows.

Lauren wasn’t finished. She brought her legs up higher, bending herself almost in half. I rose up higher, supporting myself on straight arms now. I moved my arms, first one, then the other, so her legs were inside, her ankles wrapped around my neck. I looked down at where my cock was just halfway in her. I saw Siobhan there beside us watching where my cock was going. She had two fingers in her cunt. I looked down at Lauren’s face and saw she had her eyes open, looking up into mine. 

I wanted to be slow, to give her a chance to come first, knew she’d know by now what she had to do to get hers while I was getting mine. I quit worrying about her. I shut my eyes. Held myself straight from knees to head, started doing what I wanted to do, just shove it in and out, in and out, keep on until I was slamming it in so hard my balls bounced off her buns. I could feel her hands on my ass cheeks, fingernails digging in to hold on. Damn, why always fingernails? I could feel everything inside me drawing up tight, getting ready to let go. I didn’t care. I didn’t try to stop it. When it happened, I let it. The best part. Every thing in me poured out of my balls through my dick and into her cunt up against the entrance to her womb.

Like Samson after Delilah cut his hair - I had no strength in my arms. I dropped down on Lauren and buried my face in her hair. We were both gasping for breath.

When I finally looked up, Siobhan was stretched out on the other side of the bed, propped up on the pillows. Her legs were straight, crossed at the ankles. Her hands were resting on her stomach. I raised my eyebrows at her in what she knew was a question. She nodded and I knew she’d got hers.

I looked down at Lauren. “Do I have to ask whether it was good for you? Did you come? I didn’t feel you.”

She laughed. “You’re going to have to hide your butt from the kids tomorrow, Kieran. That is, if you don’t want them to see the fingernail marks on your ass cheeks. I think I started when you started slamming into me. I didn’t quit until after you did.”

“Damn,” I said, “why do you women always want to dig in with your fingernails?”

“For the same reason we like to give you hickeys on your throat and shoulders. Just putting our mark on you.”

I stayed on top of her, not wanting to take it out. It was so damn good, even going soft, just to be in her, in her hot wet cunt. 

Siobhan got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She brought back warm wet washcloths for all of us and a couple of small towels. I rolled over on my back and held out my hand for her to give me one. I was pleasantly surprised when she used the cloth to wipe me off and then milked out the last drools of come that always oozed out and wiped that away. Lauren watched her while she did it and then held her hand out for a cloth too. Siobhan surprised her too. She wiped her clean too and then pressed a towel between her legs.

The three of us were quiet. I suppose we were all in that stage just before going to sleep. I had to ask Lauren another question.

"Lauren, are you really OK with what we’re doing? Maybe the boys and I shouldn’t have got at you the way we did Saturday night. The kids have just recently decided they like to play that way. You seemed OK with it, as if you were having a good time playing with us. Then last night, Kerry wanted to have sex with you. Tonight it’s me. Is it Kavan tomorrow night? Now you know what my family is like, what're you going to tell Stuart?"

“The same thing you do, Kieran. If he asks, he gets told the truth. Stuart can handle it. I think he got in the panties of half the girls in his high school and then came home and told me about it. He’d even ask my advice and tell me in detail what he did. He’s a rather unconventional man too, Kieran. He has a lot of the same attitudes about love and sex that you do. You knew Paul; you can probably guess how he and I were in raising our kids. They learned about sex like your kids did except that we never really played with them the way you two do with your kids."

"Siobhan and I've been trying to decide what the right thing to do is. I still don't know. Help us decide how to handle this. Should we drop the family nudity habit and maybe clean up the way we are about sex while they're here, at least until they get to know us?"

"Kieran, the right thing to do is really very simple,” Lauren answered. “Call Stuart and talk to him again. Just him this time, without agonizing over it. He's easy to talk to. I do it all the time, about everything, with him and his wife. Tell him how your family is about nudity and sex. And don't say clean up anything; there's nothing dirty that needs cleaning up. Tell them what we did Saturday night. And last night, and tonight and tomorrow night. I'm going to."

"I just don't want to mess up his life. I don't want him to be ashamed of me, that I'm his father."

Siobhan had evidently listened to me long enough.

"Kieran, for gosh sakes, they had a sauna. Paul used to play grab-ass with Lauren and their kids in the sauna when they were growing up. They even did it with Stuart and Joanne after they got married. Now, will you shut up and go to sleep?"

How did she know that? What else did they tell each other in all those long telephone conversations?

 
(ARIAL)
 
Tuesday morning, I got up when I heard Mom in the kitchen. She and Lauren were getting breakfast ready so Dad and Kavan and Kathryn could go to work. They were laughing and talking and giggling like teenage girls. I guessed they were talking about what happened with Dad last night. I decided to help too so they’d talk to me about it. Lauren said something to Mom about the Jacuzzi and I wondered what happened so I asked. Mom looked at Lauren and then gave me this weird look, like she had a question mark on her face.
 
“Honey, we were talking about what we did with your father last night. I know you’re almost a woman but are you sure you want to know?”
 
“Mom, you and Dad always said you’d be honest with us if we asked questions. You said we should never be ashamed of anything we did if it was just sex. Are you ashamed of something? Are you going to give me honest answers?”
 
Mom looked at Lauren again. “You tell her about the Jacuzzi. I’ll tell her about the undercover work.”
 
Lauren told me – a Jacuzzi blowjob. Mom told me - Dad had all he could eat. Then they both told me – an old-fashioned for Lauren. I laughed and giggled on the outside; I felt like crying on the inside. I wanted Luke so I could give him a blowjob and let him have all he could eat and we could have an old-fashioned. I couldn’t let them see how I really felt but I couldn’t fool Mom. She heard me sniff. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me up against her. I shut my eyes and buried my face in her hair.
 
“Honey, your turn will come. You’re already a woman. You’ve just got to find the man you want to have sex with. You talk to me and I’ll help you get ready. Just be patient a little while longer.”
 
 I couldn’t tell her – I already knew the man I wanted but I couldn’t have him. Rachael already had him. I went out on the deck by myself to think. Maybe I could tell her. Maybe Lauren would talk to me. But they were so busy with each other they didn’t have time for me. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I couldn’t just do nothing. I knew I couldn’t have Luke forever. He and Rachael had made a marriage for themselves. They even had little Adrianna now. She seemed like a niece to me. Dad treated her like a grandchild. I knew I couldn’t have him forever but why couldn’t I have him for my first? Mom was his first and he didn’t hurt their marriage. Why couldn’t he be my first without hurting his marriage to Rachael? I went back in the kitchen.
 
I blurted it all out without stopping for breath. “Mom, Lauren, I want Luke to be my first. I want you two to help me if it can be done without hurting their marriage. And I want you to help me decide what sort of contraception we’ll use.”
 
Mom looked at me like she wanted to cry. All she said was, “We’ll talk about it as soon as the others have had breakfast and left.”
 
Dad and Kavan and Kathryn came in and had breakfast and left in a hurry as usual. Kerry ate and then asked Mom if he could go fishing down at the creek with a friend. She let him. I was ready to eat so I got me half a bagel with cream cheese and a banana. I fixed me a cup of half coffee and half milk. Mom and Lauren fixed themselves another cup of coffee and sat down to eat with me.
 
We talked for a while about whether I was really ready to start having sex and whether I knew what it was going to be like when I started doing it. They listened to me and treated me like a woman. I tried to act like one. They both finally agreed to help.
 
Then we had to talk about whether it would hurt Luke’s and Rachael’s marriage. All I had to do was ask one question: “Mom, you and Dad have a good marriage; did Luke hurt it?”
 
That left just the problem of contraception. I knew Mom and Rachael were on the pill and they both said it didn’t cause them any real problems. But there wasn’t time for me to get started on it if I was going to try to get Luke to do it at the cabin. Mom and Lauren started talking about other ways and asking me questions. I’d done my homework on contraception because I knew I’d have to worry about it some day. I was ready. We finally decided it had to be either condoms or a spermicidal sponge or suppository. 
 
“Arial, you’ve read enough about using contraception but you need some real experience. When Lauren and I go out today, I’m going to go by the drugstore and get some condoms and sponges. Your father’s used condoms and I’ve used sponges when I couldn’t be on the pill. I want you to practice putting a sponge in and talking it out. I want to watch while you do it. Maybe Lauren might help us so you do it right. Would you be OK letting us watch while you do it?”
 
I couldn’t think of any reason why I wouldn’t be OK. After living naked with my family all my life, it wouldn’t embarrass me. I told her I’d be OK.
 
“You need some experience putting a condom on a man too,” Mom said. “I know they can do it. But they like it when a woman does it. Do you think Kavan would let you practice on him?”
 
I turned so I could make sure she was looking directly at my face. I sniffed a couple of times, pretended I was crying, and blinked my eyes real fast like I do when I want to squeeze out a few tears. I knew I’d be red around the eyes like I was really crying.
 
“Mom, I think I can convince him. I’ll bet Kerry would let me practice on him too.” I sniffed some more. “If I put on this face for Dad, do you think he’ll let me practice on him?”
 
After they stopped laughing, I went in the family room to think. I got my new digital camera and downloaded some pictures to the computer so I could work on them. I had a series of five of Kavan and I wanted him exactly centered in each one. I wanted a rectangle of 800 x 600 pixels with him centered at 400 pixels. The first was a head shot, showing his red hair all tangled up like he’d been sleeping and that crooked grin of his. I got his nose right in the middle with a little cropping on one side. The second was a chest shot showing his chest down to his belly button. That one was easy. Next was a shot from belly button part way down his thighs. He was wearing low-cut jeans and you could see his dick and balls bulging on one side. The next one was the same area but with his jeans off. His red pubic hair filled that shot with color and his dick was swollen but still hanging down. The last was from mid-thigh down to mid-calf. As far as I could tell, I’d managed to keep his body proportions the same in all five, relative to the others.
 
I wasn’t aware that Lauren had come in until she put her hands on my shoulders.
 
“Those are beautiful, Arial. Do you have some more you could show me?”

I showed her a series of Kathryn. The first was a head shot and you could almost see her head in motion, flipping her dark hair around. She had that mischievous sweet smile that had got her Kavan. The second was a straight-on shot of nothing but her breasts. The next one I had her sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs together, her hands on the bed on each side of her, a serious look on her face. The fourth was a shot of her stretched out on the bed, supporting her head with her elbow on the bed and her leg curled forward so all you could see was the beginning of her pubic hair. I thought that was the best one. The last was a side shot showing her sitting on the bed, knees bent and up in the air. She had both arms raised and was brushing her hair. 
 
“Do you have any of Kerry?”
 
“Yeah, but I don’t think I want to show them yet. Maybe I should just erase them.”
 
“Let me see them. If I don’t think they’re good, I’ll tell you and then you can erase them.
 
I showed her Kerry. The first was his face. His blond hair looked like gold from being in the sun. His freckles stood out across his nose and cheeks. He had that smile, the one Mom calls his infectious smile. The next one was Kerry’s cute little butt. I’d gotten a close-up so nothing else showed, just like with Kathryn’s breasts. The last three I didn’t want her to see but I showed them anyway. They showed Kerry’s dick with a hard on. I’d done a left view, center shot, and then a right view. She didn’t say anything about the last three.
 
“You’ve got a lot of talent in photography, Arial. Have you taken any classes?”
 
“No, I just got this a couple of months ago. Mom and Dad gave me a good book on digital photography when they bought me the camera. I’ve worked my way through it.”
 
“Why don’t you see if you could find a course to take to teach you more? I’ll pay for it. Maybe I could use you as a photographer for my company. I’ve got to pay somebody to do it. It might as well be you. Would you like that?”
 
“Sure.” I sort of figured she was just doing it because she knew I was unhappy about not having somebody to love me yet. I didn’t care. I really did like learning about photography. I wanted to take a course. It’d be fun to have a job doing it for her.
 
“Do you like landscapes?” I asked. “I’ve got about sixty already in the computer. Some are from the Freeloft property. Kerry took me down there the last time he went with the other boys.”
 
She looked. She liked them. She studied the Freeloft ones for a long time.
 
“Arial, can you bring your camera and take pictures like this for me this afternoon. I think you’ve already got yourself a part-time job.”
 
<><><>
 
Kerry came in just before noon with a small-mouth bass. Mom said she’d cook it if he’d clean it. He went out in the back yard and came back with two nice fillets. He asked if any one else wanted some because it was too much for him. Lauren wanted some.
 
Kavan and Kathryn came in starving and dirty as usual. They went in the laundry room and stripped off. Mom and Lauren fed them. Kerry and Lauren ate the fish. He offered me a bite and I took it so I wouldn’t hurt his feelings. I felt sorry for the poor little fish but it did taste good.

<><><>
 
(LAUREN ANDERSEN)
 
Kavan and Kathryn came in from work about twelve-thirty - dirty, sweaty, and hungry again. Siobhan and I fed them sandwiches. Kerry and I ate the fish. I was amazed at the way Kavan put away the food. Kathryn didn’t compete but she was no slacker. Arial picked at a little bit of everything. She and Kerry cleaned up while Kathryn and Kavan rested. I asked if they all were ready to take me on a tour of the Freeloft property. Or were they too tired?
 
“We’re not tired,” Kavan answered. “We’ll leave off the shower since we’re all going to be dirty and sweaty before we get back. We need to be there by two. I’ve already called Mrs. Freeloft. They’re expecting us. I figure we can take an hour with them, then an hour around the top of the hill and the old stone house. Thirty minutes should be enough for the bottomland; its all flat and the same. We can walk some of the trail around the riverbank last. It’s easy except around the cliffs and the cave. We can be back to the car by five thirty and home in time to shower before dinner. Is Mom coming with us?”
 
I looked at Siobhan.
 
“I’ve got some work to do. I’ll have dinner ready when you get back. I’m ordering Chinese, so mark your menu choices before you leave. Don’t mark the Szechwan Chicken and Eggplant because that’s what I’m ordering. If you’re going to walk the riverbank trail, you’ve all got to spray for chiggers and ticks and then wear jeans. And shower as soon as you get back. Kieran should be in by then.”

Siobhan made us assemble on the deck so she could spray us before we got dressed. We lined up, five naked butts all in a row, and got sprayed from mid-thigh down to toes. She insisted I wear a pair of her jeans. They were a very close fit, just a little loose in the hips. When she saw my sneakers, she insisted I try on her hiking boots. With thick socks, they were perfect. By the time I was dressed the kids had on their jeans and sneakers and were ready.
 
<><><>
 
We were back shortly before six. Kavan drove around to the rear of the house. We all undressed in the basement and Arial piled all our clothes in one basket. Kavan carried it up to the top of the basement stairs and Siobhan took it.
 
Kerry explained. “We have to be careful about ticks and chiggers if we go through the woods along the riverbank. Mom’ll throw everything in the washer and run it on hot. That’ll take care of the little devils if they’re on our clothes.”
 
“Ticks are that much of a problem on the property?" I asked.
 
“No more a problem there than anywhere in the woods around here,” Kavan said. “You just don’t want to let one stay on you. If he gets bored in, he’ll get full of your blood and his head’s hard to get out of your skin. That’s why we’ve got to shower now and check each other carefully.”
 
I enjoyed the shower with the four kids, especially when Kerry insisted on giving me a shampoo. Kavan scrubbed my back. The girls washed my front. I felt more alive than I had in years.
 
When we were dried off, we helped each other inspect to make sure we’d gotten rid of any ticks we might have picked up. Kathryn and Arial gave Kavan and Kerry a thorough inspection and insisted I double-check them. It was easy except that both dicks were almost standing at attention and that was a little distracting. Kerry didn’t have enough hair for anything to hide in. Kavan did but I didn’t think black ticks could hide in red hair. I felt like a naughty kid again.
 
When we trouped upstairs, Kieran was home and already nude. The kitchen table was already set. Siobhan had two big pitchers of tea - sweetened and unsweetened. I loved Chinese food and I was starved. Two weeks ago, I would never have believed I would be sitting at a table with six other people, nude, eating Chinese food, and at ease with it. Siobhan and Kieran and the kids chased me out while they cleaned the kitchen.
 
I set my laptop up on the coffee table in the family room and connected it. I started checking my e-mail and reading the progress reports from my real estate agent and my lawyer in Oregon and from Stuart and Joanne. Everything was going well and it appeared my house was going to sell for almost the listed price. I asked Arial if she could put the old pictures of the Freeloft property on my laptop, as well as the new ones she took today. In ten minutes she had the software installed, the pictures loaded, and I was looking at them. 
 
As I looked at the pictures, I could hear Siobhan talking with Kieran. They were talking about Luke, Rachael and Adrianna and how they were about the same age as Stuart, Joanne, and little Paul. It seemed like there was a lot of happiness in their conversation, as though they were both talking about people who were already members of their family. Kieran asked Siobhan about Adrianna as if she were his own grandchild.
 
Arial came in with headphones on and I tried to figure out where she was carrying whatever was playing the music. Her slim naked body didn’t leave any room to hide any music player. She started moving, slowly at first, frowning a little, and perhaps trying to synchronize herself to the rhythm she was hearing. When she got in sync, she smiled and started dancing on her toes. Her hands and hips were moving to music that, I guessed, had to be from some Latin origin. She saw I had with a puzzled look on her face. I reached up to my ear and she understood. “They’re wireless. I play the music in my room and use these and I can hear it anywhere I go in the house.” I thought she was going to be one to break more than a few boys’ hearts.
 
Kerry came in too. He walked up behind me, slid his hands down to my breasts, and put his chin on top of my head while he looked at what I had on my laptop screen. I guess he decided it didn’t concern him because he moved on to a chair and turned on the TV. He’d turned on my nipples too. I pitied the poor girls in his school when he turned his attentions on them. But then, on second thought, I envied them.
 
Kavan and Kathryn came in and sprawled out on the carpet in front of the TV. They stayed so close to each other they were almost like conjoined twins. Kathryn seemed determined to keep Kavan’s dick half hard most of the time. 
 
Kieran and Siobhan came in last. Siobhan was carrying a stack of folders.
 
I had an audience I didn’t really want but I had to find out what Siobhan had been able to accomplish while we were gone. She had four folders of different thicknesses waiting for me, one at least a half-inch thick.
 
“Do I need to make a formal announcement or do you already know my decision. I want to buy the Freeloft property. It’s perfect. I want to build the company complex down on the bottomland. I want to build me a new home on the hill where the old stone house is.”
 
Kavan misunderstood what I was saying.
 
“Aaww, Lauren, I was hoping you wouldn’t have to tear it down. It’s beautiful.”
 
“I agree and I’m glad you see its beauty. I’m not tearing it down, Kavan. I’m going to bring it back to life. The old stone walls look sound. Most of the woodwork inside is like a work of art. It’s going to become mostly bedrooms. The new part, my addition, is going to be modern, stone and old wood and lots of glass. I’d like to use stone that looks like the old house. Do you have any idea where they got it?”
 
“Sure,” Kavan said, “you saw it today. They quarried it on the property. That’s where Kerry showed you about the different rock layers. It’s just so overgrown now you can’t tell it was ever a quarry.”
 
I looked around at the Stuart family. “You all amaze me. I came for a visit with nothing but questions. In just a few days, you give me all the answers.”
 
Kavan tried imitating John Wayne, I think. “Aw, shucks, Ma’am, it weren’t nothin’.”
 
I turned to Siobhan. It was time to get down to business. “Did you manage to get started on anything on such short notice?” I asked. It looked like she had done more than start.
 
“Is it OK if the kids stay and listen or should we talk in private?”
 
I looked around at four beautiful young kids. Kerry turned off the TV. Arial took off her headphones. They knew something important was going to be discussed. My business head told me to ask them to leave; my woman’s heart told me to let them stay. My heart won. 
 
“You kids can stay,” I said, “but remember you can’t reveal anything I discuss with her. I’ll fire her if she does. I could probably get her CFP and CFA certificates revoked. I could ruin her career. You’ve got to keep your mouths shut about everything we talk about today and for as long as she’s my employee.”
 
“Mom’s your employee?” Kavan asked. “I didn’t know you’d hired her. I thought she was an agent for that big bank downtown.”
 
“You’re an employee, too, dummy. Arial and I are too. Mom’s salaried and we’re hourly employees.” Kerry looked a little smug.
 
“Since when?” Arial asked. “Mom already has a part-time job.”
 
I thought I’d better explain. “I hired your Mom yesterday afternoon. Kerry too. I hired Arial this morning to take pictures for me. As of this afternoon, Kavan’s hired too. And after the way Kathryn helped me with the Freelofts and with climbing over those rocks near the river, she’s an hourly employee too. Keep up with your time. As soon as we can, we’ll work out your pay rate and payday.”

I didn’t know what I’d do with all four of them but their smiles let me know I’d find something. I knew they’d be a lot of help and great company in learning about the big Freeloft property.
 
I explained everything to the kids, in even more detail than I’d told Kieran and Siobhan last night. When I started talking about money, I saw four faces full of astonishment. Finally, I turned to Siobhan. She was ready.
 
“The legal-sized folder’s full of information about the property. Your agent and your lawyer worked on it this morning and sent it over just after you left. First time they’ve ever worked for a client they’ve never met. I’ve been through it. The only parts you need to read now are the top ten pages. The rest you can read next month.”
 
“One folder’s an outline of your plan to acquire the property and to set up a trust for the Freelofts. Mrs. Freeloft called me this afternoon just after you left her house. I went over the general plan for the trust and she’s overwhelmed. The big folder has an appraisal of the property value. I told her they could expect about ninety percent of that in addition to the trust. I gave her the name of a lawyer to call to represent her. She’s removing the property from the market and will sell it to you as soon as her lawyer reviews everything. He’ll know, with the trust, it’s the most generous offer she could possibly get. You’ll have no problem acquiring the property.”
 
“The next folder contains a plan to handle your estate and real estate proceeds as you receive them. I’ve been talking to the bank and I’ve got all the documents ready for your signature. You need to read them carefully to make sure it’s what you want. As soon as you sign, I’ll fax them to the bank and get everything started. I’ll take the originals the next time I go downtown. I need your permission to make temporary investments for you until we develop a long-range plan.”
 
I picked up a pen, opened the folder, and started signing beside all the little yellow arrows. When I looked up at Siobhan, she gave me a smile. I looked at Kieran and he was smiling too; he was enjoying this.
 
“You do like to move fast, don’t you?” Siobhan said. “I did something you didn’t ask for but it’s something you need. I’ve been talking to an accounting firm and to a tax accountant. You may not think you need both but I do. You need the accounting firm to double-check everything I recommend to you, to keep your books, handle your payroll, and stuff like that. When you get your company formed, they know you may keep them or get your own accounting staff. That’ll keep them watching out for you. The tax accountant’s a friend but she’s also the best tax person I know. You’re going to have to structure everything carefully if you want to keep your money and not give it to the IRS. Your tax person needs to be separate from your accountant. It’ll cost a little more to pay both but you’ll save a lot more this way. You’ve got the information you need about them in the next folder. There’re also some documents giving me authority to act on your behalf in dealing with them. When you’ve read and signed them, I can start working for you.”
 
I picked up the pen and signed beside the little red arrows.
 
I looked up at her and waited for her to tell me what was next.
 
“I’ve got four appointments for you and me tomorrow, starting with the real estate agent at one o’clock. I’ve allowed forty-five minutes for each and fifteen for us to go pee or to go to the next one.”
 
“What’s the last folder?” I asked.
 
“It’s my employment contract and also contracts for the boys. They’re for three-month terms. I filled in a salary for me and an hourly rate for the boys. You can change the amounts; if you do, initial the changes and then sign at the bottom. As soon as we sign, we’re all hired. I’ll do ones for the girls tomorrow. I didn’t anticipate you going on a hiring spree. I’ve made up timesheets for Kavan and Kerry. I’ll keep up with them and give them to your payroll accountant as soon as you get one.”
 
I checked the amounts on the contracts. I don’t think she really understood what I was going to expect out of them. I raised the amounts, signed them at the bottom, and handed them to her, Kavan, and Kerry. The boys looked at her in bewilderment and then looked at Kieran. “Just sign above where your name is printed,” he said.”
 
I leaned back in the chair and tucked my feet up under me. It suddenly struck me how much my life had changed in less than a month. I’d been a lonely widow wondering what to do with the rest of my life. Now I was back at something I loved to do. I was also naked with six other naked people, in a position that probably showed more of me than anybody had seen in years. I’d had sex for three nights in a row and I knew I was going to have more tonight. I could read all the documents tomorrow morning.
 
I looked around at all of them. “Kieran, do you think you could get us a bottle or two of wine. I think we need to have a little toast. After that Kavan and Kathryn and I want to go to bed early. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
 
“I’ve got a couple of bottles of champagne in the fridge in the basement,” he answered. “I’ll get them if somebody’ll get us some glasses. Get the nice ones, no plastic this time.”
 
He came back and was opening the champagne when Kerry asked him a question.
 
“Dad, are you mad ‘cause Lauren didn’t hire you too? She’s hired the rest of us.”
 
He emptied one bottle into seven glasses and then offered a simple toast: “To Lauren’s Company.” He kept smiling at me and I wondered how much he knew.
 
“Kieran, don’t you think you should tell them why you’ve been keeping a secret from them?” I asked.
 
“What secret?”
 
“That you knew most of my plans before I ever came here for a visit. You couldn’t know about the Freeloft property. That only happened when I read the newspaper ad aloud and Kerry recognized what it meant. But you knew pretty much everything about my estate and my plans, didn’t you?”
 
“Most of it,” he admitted. “I knew how well off you were. I knew about the partnership agreement and that you had wanted to keep running the company but couldn’t. I knew you were going to relocate here. I checked on the potential for a business like yours here and I saw we were an underserved area. From all that, I thought I knew some of your plan and I guessed the rest.”
 
“How could you know that?” Siobhan asked. “She just told us yesterday?”
 
“He checked me out too, Siobhan,” I said. “And very well, I might add. I knew that making a quiet little investigation of people was one of the things he did. And he usually does it very well. He only missed one thing with me. And I’m not going to tell him what it was. He can figure it out if he’s good enough to run a security company.”
 
That brought stunned silence. I looked at Siobhan and then at the kids. “You didn’t think I was going to run it, did you? I’m just going to be the principal shareholder. I’m going to be Chairman of the Board. Make that Chairwoman. Kieran’s going to be the Chief Executive Officer if he wants the job.” I looked directly at him. “Do you want the job?”
 
“I’ll have to think about it,” he answered. He opened the other bottle of champagne, refilled our glasses, and offered a toast. The same one – or was it?  “To Lauren’s company.”
 
As soon as the seven of us had emptied our glasses, he turned his attention back to me. “We’ve got a lot of talking to do. I’m going to take a day off on Thursday. We can sit on the deck if everybody will just leave us alone. You’ll have your answer before Stuart and Joanne get here on Thursday night.”
 

TO BE CONTINUED:
