Loosening Up Bk. 02 Ch. 21-24

Dave held her hands in his as he faced her. "Am I going to see you again? I sense some kind of a permanent goodbye going on here."

Jenn crushed herself against his chest. She cried and sobbed. "I don't know. I can't decide what I want to do. I know you won't change. I know you have all these people depending on you to be a part of their lives – they all love you and you love them. You could no more hurt them than fly to the moon. I certainly wouldn't want to have you change to accommodate me, either. I love you for who you are, not what I want you to be with me.

"I, on the other hand, have embedded ideas about monogamy and relationships. I have to come to grips with all the tapes that play inside my head about what I should do and shouldn't do. If I can get past those, I'll be back. If not, I think it'll be less pain for everyone if I go back to my simpler life."

Dave kissed the tears on her cheeks, tasting the salt water as he did. "Jenn, I love you. I would hate to lose touch with you, so please don't disappear completely. I'm certain our paths will cross again, maybe with different fences surrounding our value set.

"You're right about the Circle. This is a very complex environment for relationships. We each try to balance our own happiness with over twenty other people that we love and care about. A man and woman each just have to worry about one other person. I was there with Alice, and then we grew and grew the base of those we love.

"This is not a simple lifestyle. Looking in from the outside, people would see us as a bunch of swingers who fuck each other senseless as often as we can. They'd record that hedonism is our highest priority. There are days I wish that were true. Instead, I find myself thinking that if I've ignored Rachel too much, and I hope she's not angry with me because I didn't sit next to her at dinner, or that Christie will be patient with me about getting down to the club to see her newest dance routine, or that Dev won't mind too much that I monopolized his wife Wendy for an entire evening, or Roy won't be miffed because I couldn't play golf with him this weekend.

"There are twenty three of us in the Circle when we're all here. I recall in engineering we had a problem with that many nodes in an electronic network – the analog for our social network. I worked it out one day; there are 253 different connections in the Circle, and I worry every one of them. There is no end to the complexities that we create among ourselves.

"If you need simplicity, this is not the place for you. Holly is rapidly learning how to navigate this large intentional family. The one positive thing I can say is that we all want her and everybody else to succeed, and to do it well. Consequently, we're all helpful, tolerant, and loving in how we interact.

"I'll be here and so will the rest of us if you're ever ready to give all this another crack. I know this lifestyle isn't for everybody. Jenn, I love you. Travel easy surrounded in that love, even if we never talk or see each other again." He leaned in and kissed her. Jenn kissed back with great passion, and then just squeezed him in a huge hug. He felt her chest jerk a few times in muffled sobs.

Jenn released Dave again, studied his smile at her for a full minute, and then ran into the house. He thought about following her, but decided that her peace of mind would be better served if he let her depart on her own terms.

When Grace brought her sister out on the patio to introduce her to her friends, Dave glanced out at the street. He saw Jenn's car was gone. He said a silent prayer for her, and even blew a kiss in her direction.

Chapter 24 – New Hobby. Sexy Visitors

Ken Toomey stood about six feet tall, and weighed around one-seventy. His arms were muscular and sported two small tattoos of the Chinese symbols for wisdom and spirituality on his forearm. He had close-cropped brown hair, looked to be in his mid thirties, and had deep brown eyes with a square jaw that gave him a similar look to Dev. He could be a model. He also had a dazzling smile he flashed at everybody he met. He was Mr. Congeniality.

Alice and Pam had brought him up from the hangar in the golf cart after their first flying lessons to meet their friends, neighbors, and lovers. They hadn't told him they were all the same people.

Dave asked as they stood there, "How long have you been flying?"

Ken smiled that dazzling smile, "I got my first rating when I turned eighteen. I went into the Air Force, and flew Lockheed F-35s most of the time. I mustered out about two years ago, kicked around, and then decided I wanted into the airlines. I'm on various waiting lists for serious interviews, so Sky Ranch gave me a job as an instructor and charter pilot. I figured this was a good job, since even when I get an airline job, I can still teach for them. I like instructing. I did that my last year in Air Force, too."

"How many hours do you have?"

"Good question. The answer is somewhere around twenty-thousand. Of course, the airlines want you prequalified in whatever it is they're flying, such as 757s, 777s, 737s, Airbus 320s, and so on, but people like me show up and we've been dealing with fighters, trainers, or old and clunky military transports. The transport guys get jobs faster than us jet jockeys. I think the execs are afraid we'll try to buzz the tower upside down in a 737."

"How did Alice and Pam do?"

"They're both naturals. I think they'll do just fine. They both soaked up the lesson like sponges. If they apply themselves they'll have their licenses in six to nine months." He paused and asked, "You planning to buy a plane for your wife?"

Dave decided to tease and reveal a little, "Wives, actually. That'll be up to them."

"Huh? Wives? Alice is married to you, but who's Pam married to?"

"Me. So are Heather, who's over there with Matthew at the wading pool, and Julie, the pretty brunette on the lounger improving her tan."

"Wives? Four of them? But ..."

"Oh, Alice is the only legal one. The others and I made the same commitments to one another ... and they also committed to each other. We're a happy family."

Holly walked behind Dave, pausing as she went by to turn him slightly for a short kiss. Holly was topless, with her young breasts high and pointy, and wearing a nearly invisible bikini bottom that happened to fold into a camel toe. She'd fluffed out her hair to a kind of rat's nest, too; so she was a force to be reckoned with. Ken's eyes bulged out of his head.

Ken said as she walked away, "And ... her?"

"Oh, that's Holly. She's a friend. A very good friend."

"God, this place is like heaven."

"Well, anytime you're flying in the neighborhood, especially with Pam or Alice, please take the time to come up and visit."

Alice came and dragged Ken off to meet Jack, Grace, and Rachel. Rachel was dressed like Holly, and looked even more appealing because of her youth. Dave watched from a distance as she blatantly flirted with the cute flight instructor. He laughed.

Grace was wearing a full and normal bikini. She thought because of her age that she wasn't as appealing to the men if she appeared nude or semi-nude. She was wrong; she was just as appealing. Despite being twice the age of some of the younger women, her breasts and physique had retained most of their shape and vitality, and her skin had remained smooth and unwrinkled. Most of the men were forever telling her to lose the bra when they were in the normal dress mode on the patio.

Pam came up to Dave. "I have a new mission in life?"

"Fucking Ken or to be a pilot?" Dave teased.

"Two missions in life then," Pam replied smoothly. "Yes, to both."

"Is your new boyfriend staying tonight?"

"No. We'd fry his brain at this point. We have to get him used to things."

A little later, Dave saw Alice driving the golf cart down towards the hangar with Ken holding on for dear life.

Alice didn't come back right away, so Dave figured she was getting some private ground school instruction. When she did show up, she looked a little hot and bothered.

Alice came up to Dave and Pam, "Wow, can he kiss? He's got a Ph.D. in the subject."

Pam teased, "Did you do anything further?"

Alice said, "I only got him to feel my tits outside my t-shirt. We've got a long road to getting our private pilot's license; this is going to be a lot of fun."

Dave rolled his eyes and strolled away.

Over dinner that evening, Grace told everybody about her older sister's impressions about the Circle. "For one, the she commented on 'How European' you all were, the women sunning with only a bikini bottom, and the men more or less un-aroused with the display of all that boob flesh."

Ty threw out, "I guess I was an exception. I had a hard-on all afternoon."

Dori quickly added, "You always have a hard-on all afternoon."

Grace ignored the interruption. "My sister Milly tried to wheedle out of me whether there was anything sexual going on between some of you. I think indirectly she thought I might be involved. I have to admit I just shrugged and said, 'If there is, it's no big deal. Everyone in our Circle is so friendly, it wouldn't matter.' That kind of set her on her ear. She read between the lines. After that she made a special point of figuring out who went with who, but her batting average was on the low side."

Grace looked down the table, "Holly, you were spectacular. You were going around and kissing everybody at one point, and doing it very romantically. She had you 'belonging' to just about every male here. When she finally saw you lie down with Dave and the two of you make out for a while, she said, 'Oh, she's Dave's wife.' I said to her, 'Oh, no. He already has four wives. She is one of his girlfriends, though.' Milly couldn't even talk for five minutes after that, and that's a huge concession."

Dave said, "So, you kind of spilled the beans to her?"

Grace laughed and teased, "No, only on you. She asked who your wives were, so I pointed out Heather – along with Matthew, Julie – without tying her to Alice, and Pam. Alice was up taking her flight lesson at that point, and I explained about the absence. Milly watched the four of you like a hawk the rest of her visit. After Alice returned with Ken to introduce him around, she included her. She was surprised at how she hung on Ken's arm, obviously rubbing her braless breasts against his arm."

Alice said, "Ken was also surprised. He got a hard-on. I wonder if your sister saw that?"

Holly asked, "Did you feel him?"

"Just before we stopped making out I rubbed against him quite intentionally. I'm sure I sent him home with blue balls, or at least leanings in that direction."

Dave asked, "When's your next lesson?"

Alice said, "Wednesday late afternoon if the weather is all right. Pam will have late Thursday afternoons unless she can't make it home from her travels. If that happens, I'll take her slot and get two lessons that week. We'll both do Sunday afternoons, like we did today."

Over the next couple of weeks, Dave noticed the preponderance of aviation-related material on the living room coffee table in their home. Additionally, both Pam and Alice were sharing materials they downloaded to help them learn what they needed to know in order to be safe, effective, and efficient pilots: weather, rules, the physics of flight and aircraft, and map reading.

Dave's division secretary came into his office late Tuesday morning, "There's a Dale Harnett on the phone. He'd like to speak to you. He said to remind you that you two met in Sedona."

Dave picked up the call, "Dale. Hello. What a pleasant surprise. What can I do you for?"

Dale gave a hearty greeting. Dave tried to recall what job he'd had or even what the company was, but came up blank. Dale quickly put that to rest, "Dave, the reason I'm calling has nothing to do with work or my job. More importantly, at least for me, it has to do with my marriage. I've thought a great deal about what I learned about you in Sedona. Moreover, you gave me some off the cuff advice that I've religiously followed. I need more, and wanted to talk to you about that."

Dave indicated for him to continue in a noncommittal manner.

Dale said, "I remember you were the guy that had four wives at home, and you lived in an open marriage, even within some vague larger group. One of the women confided to me that you appeared to be swingers but you weren't, because you had a high degree of real intimacy with the other people in your group. I don't even know how large it is, just that the people in it were nonexclusive.

"I also recall that in short order at our seminar you had every female attendee following you around hoping for some private time with you, and then, to cap it off, the female instructor for the class, Professor Valerie Lord, joined the contingent.

"While we were in Sedona, I asked whether you'd accept a visit from me and my wife Susan. I want her to hear the philosophy of your group, and to see how you all function together. I feel this is the direction we should be going with our marriage, and she agreed to humor me and see what you guys were like. We've talked about it, about what it might be like. She even told me she might agree to a transition to this kind of lifestyle. You said you were up for it, and that's why I'm calling."

Dave thought for a moment and said, "Come. When? And are you sure? I recall telling you to get your wife started on the journey to loosen up in various ways. Did you?"

"I did start, but she's reached a kind of plateau because she has no role models and knows of no one else that has done what I want her to do – us to do. I don't want to just become a swinger and have her jump beds with other men; I want to build meaningful relationships with other people – couples mostly, so that we share what I think you're doing and feeling. I think she agrees with me. We want a boatload of genuinely intimate relationships where sex is only one part of our being together.

"As for when, I was hoping we might be able to visit the third weekend in March. If you recommend a motel, let me know the name of it. I do have your business address but not your home address from the card you gave me."

Dave laughed and shared the information. He also said, "As for the hotel, come and stay with us. We have a home next door almost that we have been using as a temporary guesthouse. You can be there or in our guest room. I'll have to see about arrangements, but the price is right – free. There might be one or two other people also sleeping in the guesthouse, but each bedroom has an ensuite, so it shouldn't be much different than a motel. Our place is ... well, our place, with five of us but a lot of coming and going, at all times of the day and night.

"Just to give you fair warning. We are a pretty laid-back group on the weekend. Partial and full nudity are often the norm, at least around the pool. Sometimes there's open love making, although we tend to cool that during the day, especially when we have visitors. At night, all bets are off."

Dale laughed, "This is better than I expected. This is exactly the environment I want to bring Susan into. I want us o see what this lifestyle is like. I'm assuming our presence won't thwart normal activities too much?"

"Unlikely," Dave chuckled. "Just be warned. My recommendation is to alert her ahead of time so this place isn't a complete shock to her. You might get walking papers if you don't. If you think you might participate, you also might want to get tested."

Dale's voice got serious, "If we don't change, we won't make it as a couple. This is a very important trip for us. I'll shoot for March 24 arrival and email you our plans. Thanks so much for doing this."

Nancy had come into Dave's office while he'd been on the phone, so she'd heard most of Dave's remarks. "Sounds like the Circle is going to be giving a tour in two weeks."

"Yeah," Dave said thoughtfully. "I think there's some kind of trouble in his marriage and he's trying to fix it by using us as an example. He didn't say it that way, but there were a few hints."

"What's the couple like?"

"I don't know her at all – Susan. They live outside of D.C. and he works on the Beltway in some think tank. Since he hasn't talked about his job much, I suspect he's wrapped up in some top secret stuff. He's handsome; about thirty-five. Go-getter. Upwardly mobile. Just got a promotion. Can't tell you too much more. I'm surprised I remember that much about him. Holly knows him from Sedona."

Nancy smiled, "We'll make it fun for them, and do some show 'n tell. Shock therapy might be just what they need."

Dave escorted Dale and Susan into the house Saturday mid-morning, welcoming them and introducing them to Alice. They got a quick tour, and then the offer of something to drink. Dale accepted a coffee, and Susan some iced tea. The two couples sat down together.

Dave got the ball rolling. "I know very little about Dale's job but have figured out that he can't talk about it, but Susan you are an unknown, in part because Dale and I didn't get to hang out a lot in Sedona."

Susan smiled and almost laughed. "Dale said that was because you mesmerized all of the women at the seminar and had them eating out of your hand."

Dave shot Dale a nasty look. Dale shrugged. "You said to tell her everything. I'm not holding back anything."

Susan said, "As for me, I'm a paralegal with a firm in our hometown – a suburb of Atlanta. I specialize in complex real estate contracts, and more recently in a couple of cohousing projects. The Circle interests me in that regard alone, beside all the other facets I can hardly wait to hear more about or confirm."

Dale stepped in and talked to his wife, "I indicated to Dave that I want to change the marriage contract with you ... well ... more to something like what Dave has established." He turned to Dave, "There are complicating factors."

Susan spoke up in a matter of fact tone, "I'm not sure I can have children. Consequently, we are questing after some elusive extended family situation, the likes of which neither of us have a clear vision about. We can talk openly about it, but there are a billion options. We aren't sure what we want the future to look like. I was badly injured as a child and was told not to expect to ever bare my own births. We've been married for ten years and Dale knew about my condition before we even dated too much. Yes, we've thought about adoption and variations on that theme, but decided not to go that route. We haven't used birth control and nothing has happened all these years, so I'm guessing I'm a little broken."

Dale said, "You mentioned that you have a four-year-old with one of your wives."

Dave said, "Heather came into our 'marriage' with him. He's not mine, but I'm his Dad, such as I am. He's also about to turn five very soon."

Alice spoke, "Matthew adores David, and the feeling is mutual. Someday soon we'll have our own, as will the other women in our marriage. David may also father some other children in the Circle since not all the men and women are as mindful of paternity as we are."

Susan took that in. "So, in your family, Dave will be the donor, so to speak, but in others that paternity requirement is more open to chance?" She'd read the situation perfectly.

"Precisely."

"I'm getting more insight into your group just from that comment. What you said reveals a huge block about the thinking within your Circle."

Alice said, "Do you want to come and meet the others in the Circle. Most everyone is here today. We hold our weekends dear, since some us travel for work and miss out being around during the week."

"Yes," Susan said with an enthusiastic air to her voice. She looked at her shorts and blouse. "Am I overdressed? Based on what you told Dale, I might think so." She chuckled but looked for validation.