Crystal Clear Ch. 27

When I stayed with Jed for a few days during my famous road trip, I'd connected with Sally and four other women who had since moved on from Jed's program. Not only were they worldly and poised, they had lovemaking skills that far surpassed anything most of us might find. I eagerly awaited their visit and knew the others in my circle would enjoy themselves.

Saturday had been scheduled as a non-working day by the film crews along with Sunday, so I took the rack railway down the mountain, got a hire car, and went to the Berne Airport. The airport was a modest little one-runway airport, exceptionally clean that catered to small jets and turboprop planes, both scheduled and charters. A few private aircraft dotted the other side of the airfield.

Jed's plane touched down at ten-forty in the morning, taxied back to the gate, lowered its walkway, and the fifty or so passengers on the plane disembarked. I saw Jed in the middle of the crowd, carefully shepherding three of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. I noticed that people on the airplane turned back to catch an additional glimpse of the women, particularly the men.

I waved, Jed saw me, and in seconds he'd cleared through the airport security and we were warmly greeting one another. Close behind him came the three women. In earlier days, I would have called them 'Babes,' but Crystal told me that objectified women and not to use the term. The three were 'Babes.' They were all tens on a ten-point scale; Bo Derek eat your heart out, you might have only been a six or seven at best on their scale.

Jed introduced me to Janice, Lea, and Samantha. I couldn't help but stare at each woman, trying to soak up their radiance and beauty in some way so that I'd never forget how they looked. Janice extended her hand with a friendly smile. She was blond, but with darker eyebrows; had dimples on each side of her gorgeous smile as well as a small dimple in the middle of her chin. She was about Crystal's height, and had a homespun air about her.

Lea had light brown hair, a lot of it, but her most outstanding feature was her eyes. They were the bluest of blues and slightly larger than normal, so you stared into her soul each time you looked at her, and she looked deeply into your inner most being. Lea was trim, short, and busty. Her neck had an angularly quality to it that highlighted her face. Did I mention she was busty?

Samantha was the tallest of the three with dark brown hair that hung down below her waist. Her nose turned up slightly; her lips looked succulent; and her eyes were dark and deep, the kind that draw you into her. Sam, as she told me to call her, was the shapeliest of the three, but that's not to take anything away from the others.

Each of the three wore spike heels, nylons, either a pretty dress or skirt-blouse combination, and a tasteful winter coat. Various scarves and gloves served to highlight their appearance, and I could guess that each had been carefully chosen to blend with their skin tone. Each girl's makeup had been meticulously applied so it brought forth salient features without even suggesting it had been over used.

Janice and Sam took my arms, and we followed Jed and Lea to the luggage carousel to reclaim their suitcases.

After they'd picked up a modest size suitcase each, I asked, "Where is your ski paraphernalia and the rest of your clothing?"

Janice laughed, "We shipped it by express mail. We hope it's already at the hotel. If not, we'll have to ski in our pajamas."

Lea commented in an alluring tone, "You know I don't wear pajamas!"

Sam said in a husky voice with a side glances at me, "Me neither. I sleep nude."

Jed shook his head in mock dismay, and then broke into a contented grin.

We walked out to my hire car, loaded up, and clamored aboard. Jed sat in front with the driver, and I ended in the backseat with the three women. Lea sat in my lap, and I know I hardened beneath her, so much I knew she could feel my arousal. We were polite and didn't mention my predicament; but the more we rode, the more I thought about each of them naked, and the harder I got. Less than an hour later, we loaded the suitcases onto the rack railway car, and twenty minutes later disembarked in the winter wonderland of Wengen.

I helped get everyone to the inn using a borrowed sled for the suitcases. I got them up to our floor where their suite was. As I did, Jed pulled me aside and told me he wanted a brief talk with me without the girls. After dropping off the luggage, I told him I'd meet him downstairs in the inn's living room.

Jed joined me in five minutes. "Jim, when you visited with Sally and me a couple of years ago, you 'joined' with each of the women in my growth program during your stay." I recalled a fascinating and erotic sex-filled week with the five women, and they learned so much from you. You didn't even know that you were teaching anything most of the time.

I acknowledged that I'd been happy to participate with them.

He went on, "Well, these three newbies in the program need the same treatment you gave them. I'm hoping you are willing, although if you're not I'll understand. I know situations change."

"Oh, I'm willing. They're each a gorgeous woman, and I can sense their inner spirit and affection just by looking in their eyes. You are one lucky guy."

Jed said, "Thank you, I do consider myself lucky. This 'class' of mine is the best yet and will be hard to top. I've taught them a lot so far, but you are a master at sex and lovemaking. You can take them to the Ph.D. level, whereas I might have gotten them a high school diploma."

"You're laying it on kick of thick," I suggested with a smile.

"No, I mean it. After you left Iowa on your road trip, the five women and I talked, and your consummate skills in lovemaking put you head and shoulders about anything any of the women then had experienced, and several of those women have since told me that no one they've been with since then even came close to measuring up to you. I'm not slinging the bull at you on this; you are a uniquely skilled individual."

I suggested, "Some of their feeling about this must be because of my celebrity status. I do have young women their age throwing themselves at me at every concert. You can only imagine some of the places I've been asked to autograph, and even with Crystal standing right next to me some gorgeous girl will ask if I'd fuck her; it's amazing."

Jed confirmed, "Well, there's that too. I want these women to feel at ease with anyone from a motorcycle gang member to a celebrity. Crystal and your interaction with them are a bit of validation of what we've talked about in terms of how they reveal themselves and their personalities, even around powerful or famous people. Maybe you noticed, they didn't go all gooey over you at the airport or in the car."

"I did notice. I appreciated the lack of a fuss, although I did think I was being studied for a while."

Jed chuckled, "That's because they were seeing how you would interact with them; I think they were confident in how they were interacting with you. Two of the three came to me with low self-worth, and they're struggling with that issue even a year later."

"Which ones?"

Jed pondered the question, "I won't tell you now, so see whether you can guess as you interact with them. I have them acting 'as if' they had all the self-confidence in the world; if that ploy works it'll help them through rough spots. They've come a long way, so I'm not sure it shows any longer. I'm reprogramming them is another way to say what I'm doing. It's part of some research I've done at the University with neuro-linguistic programming or NLP."

Terry, Crystal, Claire, and Ellen came in from their morning ski runs about then. I introduced them to Jed, and I felt proud of how each one of them interacted with him. He'd been evaluating women for so long; I knew he'd have some thoughts about them later.

The three women went to change out of their ski clothing, and agreed to meet us for lunch. Jed explained to them about his companions as well. I got the attendant at the inn desk to arrange for a large table for us at a nearby restaurant.

Lunch was a great meal that took almost three hours because of all the conversations going on simultaneously. Mark Ang had joined us, along with the head of the cinematography, Larry Lazenby. Periodically, during lunch, we'd change seats to better pursue a conversation with someone instead of yelling across the table.

The beauty and poise of Janice, Lea, and Sam didn't go unnoticed by Crystal, Ellen, and Claire. The latter three got the others talking about Jed's 'growth program,' and how it worked. Jed's students were open and trusting in their interactions. I could watch how each of them relaxed and felt more at ease with each of us as the meal, and our lingering coffee time continued.

Flirting seemed to be the order of the afternoon. With six women and five men, there was no shortage of humorous repartee taking place. I found myself joining in with enthusiasm with Jed's companions.

In talking with Janice, Lea, or Sam, each would make solid eye contact, smile to encourage you to talk, and often touch you in some way – a hand on an arm or shoulder, for instance. The moves were seductive and suggestive, but innocent. Although their dress varied, each of them displayed superb taste in clothing, even in the casual setting. Each piece of clothing looked new and chosen to highlight their curves and their femininity. Their jewelry complemented their outfits; each wore beautiful earrings, a necklace, and bracelets of some kind. Hairstyles had been done not out of convenience, but to bring out the best features of their face.

As we walked back to our room, Crystal grabbed my arm. "Those women are so nice, and I just learned so much from them about dressing, makeup, and all. For a while, I felt like chopped liver because they are so pretty and not at all arrogant."

I defended her, "Hey, you have nothing to apologize or feel badly about. You, Ellen, and Claire are also beauties with loads of charisma, so don't get your nose out of joint."

"Oh, I'm not. In fact, they offered to do a critique on us after we have a chance to do something other than do a rushed transition between skiing and meeting up for lunch."

I asked, "So, you're going to meet and go through one of their critiques? Be prepared for bluntness. I've been through a couple of them."

Crystal said, "Well, I hope you'll come to this one. We start in half an hour."

Half an hour later, the ten of us sat around our small suite on beds and every available chair, including some we brought in from Jed's room. Janice kicked things off, "Well, I hope you're ready for some frank talk – this is how we do it. We also start with hugs and reassurances that this is to help us be better people, to stand out in the best way possible, and to be pleasing to both mind and eye. This is not done with malice or anger. We end with hugs too, and kisses are invited." She smiled at us, and we each made sure we hugged everyone in the room.

Janice then said, "Just so you get a feel of it, I'll start the ball rolling." She turned and put herself on display. As she did, she spoke, "You should be seeing how you feel about my hairstyle, my makeup, my jewelry, my clothing, my shoes, and my demeanor – everything you can see or sense." She spoke slowly, so each of us could review the items she mentioned and see how we felt about it.

Sam stepped in, "I'll start the critique. The red sweater doesn't go with your skin tone. A rust or something towards brown would go better with your complexion and hair color."

She no sooner finished, than Jed spoke. "Just so you all know; we are allowed to disagree with each other, although it sends confusing messages. In this case, I like the red. It's a pleasant contrast for me. What bothers me more is the greenish color of your slacks. You look too 'Christmas' for my taste – green pants white top, or red top and black pants would be better for me."

Lea remarked, "I agree with Jed. Further, the Ugg's on your feet, while fashionable in this setting, detract from the beautiful effect of your rear and shapely legs. The draw everyone's eyes to your boots, and not to some of your better assets. Also, I liked the hairstyle you had last week, where your hair turned under instead of today where your hair flips outward. I hadn't thought about it until now, but the under style framed your face better; the outer flip somehow sent a message of 'I don't care about anything.'"

Jed and I made a few comments, somewhat blunt about how her sweater hid her upper assets, her well-done makeup, and favorable comments about her leadership style when she first met us. Our comments were positive or suggestions for improvement. Crystal, Ellen, and Claire didn't comment, stating that their observations had already been covered, and they were still learning the process.

Janice made careful notes of our comments on a small piece of paper. I recalled the other women I'd met at Jed's home also took notes so they could remember all the constructive comments from their reviewers.

After the analysis was complete, each person who had commented stood and went to Janice and gave her a hug and kiss. These were moves of reassurance that clearly stated: 'Despite our comments, we still love and care about you.' Jed had emphasized how important this 'dulling of the sharp knife' was in their growth activities.

Claire volunteered to go next, although I could tell her volunteering came from a feeling that one from 'our camp' should be next. She commented as she stood and turned so we could all of her about going through something like this earlier in her life for an important man and his daughter. I knew she referred to Joe Mansard and his daughter Beth. Beth had led Claire to a higher level of appearance through her careful and conscientious reviews to make sure her father would be pleased when they went on a date. Eventually, Claire had progressed to a point where Beth no longer screened her, and even told Claire she'd started making better decisions then she Beth could make for her.

Claire's comment made me realize that she had not forgotten about Joe's proposal of marriage, nor of Joe and his daughter's romance with my beautiful friend and lover. She had set the stage for courtship that continued since our time in the Galapagos a few months earlier. Despite Joe's intense schedule as a mogul and billionaire, he had managed to connect with Claire several times since then. Beth was never far from his side, even in the bedroom with Claire.

As the comments came from Jed and the others, Claire also took notes of their critique. Afterwards, Claire gratefully accepted the hugs and kisses from those in the group who had commented. I even French kissed with her in front of the group when my turn to love her came. We laughed at my effrontery.

I could see that a person needed to have at least some self-confidence to go through this personal review; otherwise, you might consider it devastating. When Claire had rebuilt herself, leaving the porn and escort businesses, she had found a rod of steel in her back that daily helped her move forward and tolerate such a critique.

I took a turn in the barrel next, standing and turning so everyone could assess my dress and demeanor. I generated many laughs about my makeup (none), my tasteful shoes (old western boots with the heels worn down), and my high-end fashion clothing (tattered jeans, and a couple of shirts too tattered even to donate to charity). At least, I got highly praised for my demeanor and singing voice.

Since everyone had thrown out crazy comments about my clothing, haircut, lack of a shave that morning, and mock surly attitude, I got hugs and kisses from everyone. I paid special attention to Janice, Lea, and Sam, extending our kisses and enjoying a little tongue with the last two. My actions produced only more laughter and lightened the mood.

We constantly rearranged seating as the reviews went on for both men and women. I resolved to shave before dinner, to get a haircut when I could get near a barber, and to dump my old boots for more stylish boots. Terry resolved to never wear baggy jeans again. Crystal learned she should not do side curls that hung down to frame her face, and that green was not her color. Ellen learned that she'd look better with even longer hair. Mark Ang pledged to get rid of his plaid flannel shirt collection. Jed decided he would retire his twenty-year old winter jacket, hoping to even find something in the local shops he could start wearing immediately; he asked for Ellen to accompany him in search of just the right one. She looked pleased with his personal attention, an outgrowth of some mutual flirting over lunch.

There were fewer comments about Janice, Lea, and Samantha, partly because they'd been through reviews like this a couple of times a week over the past year, so they already had made some major improvement in their dress, style, and demeanor. As they had stood in our reviews, I had trouble finding anything to say about them and so did the others.

We split apart to take walks around the small town, agreeing to meet for dinner. Crystal gave me a wink, and went to engage Mark as her partner. Lea and Janice came and claimed me. Terry went off with Sam and Claire. Ellen and Jed headed off to see whether they could find a sporting goods store that carried winter jackets.

Janice, Lea, and I held hands as we walked from the inn. The sun remained aloft, and the air turned warm, so we could move about outside without the usual bulky jackets. We hadn't gone a hundred feet before the two of them nestled into my side and brought my arms around their shoulders.

Lea asked carefully, "Will Crystal mind if we get ... get cozy with you?"

I assured her that anything that happened would be just fine with Crystal – anything! They got the message. I felt sure that Jed had talked with them about our open and polyamorous life style. We walked up a sledding trail to an open space that faced the Eiger and that had a couple of benches. After clearing the snow from a bench, we sat.

My response to Lea made me revisit the open relationship agreement that Crystal and I had forged over the past several years. We constantly vocalized how each of us was the other's 'primary' relationship, and yet we were open to others around us and the sharing of our love with them. I guess we had a tacit agreement to not let anything happen that would jeopardize our own relationship. So far, little had happened to challenge that assumption.

Janice said, "Jed told us not to think of you as anything special. I'm having a hard time doing that."

I leaned over and kissed her on the lips. I asked, "Is it because I am such a good kisser. I do have that reputation in some quarters, you know."

Janice laughed, "No. You know why."

I turned and kissed Lea. "Is it because I understand how to make a woman's body sing when I make love to it?"

Lea looked mildly shocked, but broke into a huge smile in anticipation.

Janice chortled, "Silly, it's because you're a movie star and A-list singer."

I feigned surprise. "Oh, those things. They aren't as important as the things I just mentioned to you, at least to me or to any of my close friends."

Lea said more seriously, "Could you explain that, please."

I said, "Sure. Up until three years ago I was a computer nerd, writing code to make websites sing. I was married, starting to think about a family beyond just my wife and me, and figuring that I'd never do much else with my life but more of the same. We had a small circle of friends and relatives we saw occasionally."

I paused and went on, "All that changed in February three years ago. My wife Karen started to feel weak, went to the doctor, got diagnosed with a strange autoimmune disease, went into the hospital a couple of days later for treatment, and by the end of the month she'd died and my life turned upside down."