Found Pt. 06

I walk upstairs alone, take a long hot shower, had a pity party for myself, and then put on some old clothes from before I had money. It helps remind me I am just a man, nothing special. I just got lucky. It's almost an hour, I go downstairs, my coat is where I left it. Nobody is around. I put my jacket on and go outside. No car. What the hell.

I walk back inside and yell, "Bill?"

Bill answers back, "In the living room."

I walk into the living room. Sara, Bill, Don, Anthony, Daniel, Mom, and Phoebe are in one of the U sectionals. They are staring at me.

I ask, "What? Why no car?"

Bill replies, "Sara canceled that request. You did say she was in charge."

I look at Sara with wonder. Why would she do that? I am not the guy she wants. My requirements are unfair to her. She deserves better. Why won't she let me leave? Why are mom and Phoebe here?

Sara says to the group, "As I see it, I have four options. One, I could force him to accept me taking other men. We could tie him up, and then I fuck every man I can find until he accepts that."

Phoebe comes to my defense, "That would break him. He would be a shell of the man we all love. None of us would be happy."

Mom adds, "You would have to make him submissive. Take away his personality as we know it and he would be ruined. If all you want is an emotionless husk with a big cock, and all he says is yes, that's the perfect solution. No use being around at that point."

Sara continues, "I could leave things as they are, he gets a small harem, I share with Phoebe, Beth, Julia, and any others that come out of the closet. Should a wife put up with that?"

I answer for her, "No. It's not fair to you."

Mom sounds off, "What happens to him if you take away Beth, Julia, and Phoebe?"

Sara answers for Phoebe, "He goes off on a trip and never comes back. We all lose."

Sara has another point, "Option three is to send Phoebe and Beth to different cities and have Steve rotate cities."

Mom has a look of horror on her face, "He would miss so many things that Daniel does. He wouldn't be a father."

Phoebe is more concerned, "It won't work. If he isn't around, he will think you are cheating on him. Even though Jenny had no intention of screwing other men, he assumed she would. That killed their relationship. Is that what you want, Sara?" Sara is silent for a while.

Sara looks sad, "Option four is divorce."

Phoebe laughs, "Oh yeah, that will work out well for you. Personally, for me, that would be great. I would get more time with my brother. However, it would slowly eat him alive and eventually kill him. That's not an option."

We are all sitting, looking at each other. None of the options seem good.

Bill clears his throat and then says, "Sara, do you really want to fuck other men? You came here from a bad divorce. You haven't had a date and probably no sex with another man since then. Why the sudden need to have more partners? I always felt that you and the other women who have been through here leave happy. I've seen enough glowing women to know the look. Who would be better? Do you really want to give that up?"

Sara is defensive, "No, I don't want other men. I've never had a complaint. I feel lonely on nights that Steve isn't here. Now he wants to add more nights where I am lonely. He gets sex, and I get a cold bed. That not a very equitable trade."

Mom snips, "It's still better than never having him. Imagine that scenario."

Bill looks enlightened, he has an idea, "What we have here is a trade imbalance. Sara is having something taken from her, her man, and she gets nothing in return. How about we set up a bartering system? You want Steve for an evening, Sara gets something in return. You want Steve all night, Sara gets something better."

Phoebe asks, "What does Sara need from us?"

Bill answers, "Baby-sitting, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, orgasms, sharing, submission, vacation time, could be all kinds of stuff. An all-night might take two things. Maybe threesomes are free. I don't know, it's bartering. You make an offer, and either she accepts the offer or denies it."

Mom adds, "Special events don't apply. If I need a date for work, he'll do that no matter what."

Sara confirms, "Yes, I agree with that. He would help all of you out, so special social non-sexual events don't count; they're free."

Bill asks, "Anyone object?"

I object, "I do." They all look at me. "I am not a gigolo. Suppose Sara has a cousin having hard times and wants me to have sex with her. Don't I get a say? What if Sara gets mad at someone and cuts them off? Right now, Sara's awesome, and she has been fair. I like her being part of the process. She has earned that; she is my wife. Check any political system and power corrupts. How do we keep Sara in line and fair? Suppose I want a night off or don't want to sleep with someone she made a deal with?"

Sara offers, "How about I give Steve veto power. Don, Anthony, and Bill can be arbitrators. If that fails, we can have a family meeting and discuss any issues that come up. We'll make that part of the deal as well, the ability to call a meeting to solve a loophole or significant dispute."

I smile, "I like that idea. For the record, if we ever do run into someone that needs help and the answer is sleeping with me, I won't automatically say no. However, there better be a very good reason. If one of you is requesting it, my guess is it will be. I want to protect Sara; she is my wife and should get me often. Beth and Phoebe are more open and have more options. If those options are used, and a condom is not used, I need to know, so I use one until they have test results showing they're clean. Sara should never catch anything because I give attention to Phoebe and Beth.

Bill tries again, "Now, are we all ok with this deal?"

Around the room, he pointed at every person. Everyone said yes.

Sara asks, "What about Beth, does she get a say in this."

I answer, "No. She is new to this house and is the cause of this. Since all of us agree I can't see why she'd object. We are good. I think it is a fair and equitable solution. Besides, who wants to wait eight weeks for her to talk?"

Phoebe, "Good point, let's set it in stone. The fucking family commandments."

I groan, "That is wrong on so many levels."

Chapter 24 -- Let's Make a Deal

The next morning, I go back to the hospital. Sara isn't so keen on seeing my old girlfriend. Frank and Ginger look like crap. There was a scare with the baby last night, the worry and fatigue are evident in their faces. I grab them by the hand and lead them to the waiting room.

I introduce them to Anthony, "This is Anthony, my head of security. You two look dreadful. He'll take you home and show you to a room. You are confined to that room for at least eight hours of sleep. When you finish, my staff will feed you regardless of the time. They'll bring you back here when you are ready. We will continue this pattern until Beth is released. Then she can stay with me or go home with you. She's not going home to her husband. Are we clear?"

Ginger hugs me, "Thank you for all you have done. We will follow directions. They are wise, and I suspect we have no choice."

Anthony spoke for me, "You would be correct." He did not smile.

I chat with the nurses and get the low down on her condition. Beth gave them permission to share with me, and I am an emergency contact.

I go in to see Beth, and she seems more responsive and in a good mood.

I ask, "You seem to be doing better today."

She writes, "I have a clear head and my parents are gone."

I chuckle, "Be nice to them, your dad has seen the light and is depressed. He is having difficulty with the shame of his actions. Bill is going to talk to him one on one this afternoon, he came to me with similar issues and is an expert on the subject now. He will help tremendously. How about you? Thought about divorce, keeping the baby vs. adoption, where you plan to live, or is it too early?"

Beth writes, "No divorce, I'm a widow, he was in a car accident. Served him right. Keeping baby. I can't live with my parents."

I inform her, "Phoebe and mom live in a nearby apartment building that I purchased. There's a vacancy. I have rooms available at home, but you will be living under Sara's rule. She is the of the most honest and decent people I know. She's my wife. She comes first in my life. Nothing will change that. Sara still cooks, we have that position to fill still. You have a good degree, you will probably want to pursue something in that line. Your time with me will be limited, we implemented a bartering system to get Sara more time.

"As you might guess, she's not thrilled with my harem. We devised a system where you barter for time with me at night. You may not want anything from me for a while or ever. I'm certainly not going to force anything on you. Even with the way things went, I still have feelings for you."

I realize now what a mess my life is and how unfair this is to Sara.

Beth writes, "Why the sad face."

I answer, "Why the sad face? Well, I just realized how selfish I am. I must be the world's biggest asshole. This isn't fair to her. We're married, and she is forced to share me with two girlfriends. Who does that? I'm the worst husband in the world."

I put my head down and start to cry. I feel shame and disappointment in myself.

I ask out loud, "What am I going to do?"

I hear writing.

I hear Sara reading, "Get rid of Phoebe and me, Sara is more important."

I look up in surprise.

Sara says to me, "You forgot your phone at home. I brought it to you."

Sara sits on the bed and looks at Beth and says, "That was a lovely thing to say. Only someone that genuinely loves him would sacrifice their love for his. I suspect Phoebe would have written the same thing. I think you are wrong, though, that won't make him feel better. Sure, it would make me feel better. You forget he is flawed. His capacity to love is endless. He loves The Twenty very much. You and Jenny stood out; you were more in love with him.

He can't live without you, Phoebe and me, he needs us. I suspect you need him just as much. You discovered his self-destructive vacations. You lead the group out here to save him. You sacrificed your love by getting Jenny back with him because it was good for him. You've suffered enough in this life. You'll recuperate at the house. You'll stay at our home until you find a new boyfriend."

Beth writes again.

Sara reads, "She wrote, 'Never again, I found the man I love.'"

Sara chuckles then says, "You're a wise woman. I see now how much you love him. You aren't just a girlfriend, you would have married him."

Beth starts to cry. Sara begins to cry. I stop crying. Sara gingerly hugs Beth.

Sara looks at me, "I understand now. You are a flawed bad man; however, her ex-husband is the world's worst husband."

I add, "Sorry, he lost that title. He died in an auto accident."

Sara adds, "I know."

Beth writes, "How?"

I take that one, "How about we discuss that at home with Anthony.

Beth writes, "Subject closed. Thank you."

In the next four hours, Sara explains how a basement and bedroom were transformed for newborns and toddlers. Then she spills the beans on the night in Miami with Julia. Nurses come and go almost constantly. Food came and went at least twice. Next thing we know, Beth's parents are there. They look a whole lot better. Ginger hugs me.

Ginger says, "Your staff are excellent and have been wonderful to us. I almost want to stay, but work will force us to leave in two days. With you here, I know she'll behave and be well cared for."

Ginger hugs Sara next, "You are one lucky woman. The house staff loves you very much."

Frank says shyly, "Bill is an interesting guy and has an interesting story. He has and will help me a bunch. I'm so glad you took the chance and hired him all those years ago. Amazing man."

Sara explains to Beth, "It seems Steve hired people nobody else wanted, including me. He believed in us, and it's worked out remarkably well. I have known him for many years, been married for close to two years, and I'm still just getting to know this man. We both look forward to you coming home soon."

Too many people in the room, we leave Beth with her parents.

+++++

The following day we have breakfast and then get ready to go to the hospital.

Sara stops me at the door, "I think you need to stay home today. I have a lot I want to know, and I won't get honest answers if you're around. Entertain her parents today and spend time with Daniel, he hasn't seen much of you the last few days.

I ask, "You trust me with him alone?"

Sara laughs at me, "Of course not, Phoebe and your mom will be here to watch the two of you. Well, no, just you. I trust Daniel more."

She kisses me and then runs off to the car laughing. She is in way too good of a mood today. I yell out to Sara, "Don, did you spike Sara's coffee today?" She pretended like she didn't hear me.

I go downstairs and find Phoebe crawling around on the floor with Daniel. He crawls quickly to me. I fall to the floor with him. I lay still, and he crawls over to me and pats his hand on my chest. As he beats me, he yawns. Phoebe picks him up and declares it nap time. She hands him off to mom. She is in a rocker and accepts him greedily. Mom is beaming with pride. So much different than after dad died.

I sit in my rocker, and Phoebe sits in Sara's rocker.

Phoebe starts the conversation, "It's time."

I have no idea what she means.

I look at Phoebe, "I give up, I'm too stressed to guess. What are you talking about? What time is it?"

She replies, "I want to have a child."

I'm excited, "Congratulations. You will be a wonderful mother. You have a boyfriend?" She shakes her head, no. "Ok, Sara and I can take you to bars, they will hit on you like flies in a barn." She shakes her head, no. "Oh, a lab, pick a genetically superior donor." She shakes her head, no.

It finally sinks in, "No, no, no. I can't. The chances are too great. No. I won't do that to you."

Phoebe laughs at me, "First of all, I checked our DNA, and we don't have the bad signs, we are clear. Second, I already bought and paid for my pregnancy sessions. Sara was very reasonable. Our cycles are complete opposites. While she is on, I am off. That makes it easy to tell who gets the first load." My face goes white. "Darn, you figured it out. She wants her second at the same time.

"Did you know Beth is a certified Elementary school teacher? Sara is working out a long-term deal to get Beth working on homeschooling our children. Beth and mom will work together as daycare and then teachers when the kids get older. We need to change your diet. It will help your sperm count, make them more powerful and likely to impregnate us. We start tonight. Your homework is to develop a role play threesome for us, as in you, me, and Sara. It better be good. I'm also moving back into the house when I near delivery. It's hard being a single parent living on your own. Sara suggested this, so I can avoid the distress of depression and fatigue. Until they sleep through the night, mom will assist at night with all three children."

Phoebe looks at me hard, "What changed? Sara is totally different now and more willing to share. She was good before, but last night we had a long conversation, and she was different. More confident, willing to more openly share, and I can't quite place it ... happy. Yeah, she seemed happier."

I reply with a coy smile, "I went to see Beth yesterday, alone. She isn't much into conversations, so I explained about our new deal, the apartment building. I explained that she should make no mistake, Sara is number one. Beth needs to keep her happy. I explained how I still have deep feelings for Beth, but Sara has changed me, and she may not like me anymore. I wasn't going to force anything on her. If she isn't ready for sex now or ever, I understand."

I take a deep breath, "While there, it hit me how unfair this is to Sara. I marry a woman yet ask her to allow you two into my bedroom. No normal guy does that. Why did I do that to her? I melt to pieces in the chair and can't even look at Beth. I had left my cell phone at home. Sara came to the hospital to give it to me and had been listening for a while. I hear Beth write something, and then Sara, who I didn't know was there, read it. Beth wrote, 'Toss Phoebe and me away, Sara is more important.' Beth loved me so much, she was willing to let me go so I could remain happy with Sara.

"I guess that affected Sara deeply. Maybe it was my admission to being so selfish. I don't know. Based on your story and knowing Beth, she will agree to just about anything Sara asks of her. I wonder how far Sara will go, she is in a strong negotiating position."

Phoebe says, "I would guess a deal like mine. I get one exclusive night with you a week. I get one shared night with you and Sara a week. If we add Beth or another woman, one of those shared nights per month will be all four of us together. It cost me moving back to the house. I also owe her childcare services during the weekends, and I go to work during the day. Finally, she gets me as a willing slave for two hours a week. Those two hours are just us and not during work hours. She can do anything but share me with other men. I doubt she adds the slave part for Beth."

I chuckle, "You never know."

It isn't long before Beth's parents come home. They seem to be in good spirits and wanting to talk. I guide them to my study, where we can have some privacy and enjoy my fireplace. I place three chairs in front of the fire as its hot red embers heat the room.

Ginger is first, "We talked with Beth and Sara today. Sara had an interesting offer, and Beth accepted it. I can't say I like it, but I understand. You have proved beyond doubt that she will be well cared for. That is our primary concern. Our number two concern is the baby. It's not yours, will you force her to put it up for adoption? We must know."

I understand her concern. It's not my kid. I could kill it, sell it, or put it up for adoption. Her ex-husband would have done that.

I ease their fears, "I will raise him or her as one of my own. I won't lie and say that it won't be Beth that does most of that. You know my past, I believe children are shaped by their parents for the good or the bad. The child may have lost in life with the sperm donor, but they hit it big with the egg donor and the loving family that will raise him or her. I'll be involved as will my mom, Phoebe, Sara, and of course, Beth.

"I expect you to visit often, you have no excuses. You need to help spoil the baby. My entire relationship with women is very unusual. We all know that. I'm flawed, no doubt about it, I am very protective, almost to a fault. Sara has made me a better person. I've changed since Beth last knew me. We still don't know if she loves me or not. She loves that man I used to be, maybe I have changed too much. Either way, she and her child are welcome here and will be cared for until she doesn't want to be here. I'm attaching no strings or conditions on her."

I smirk, "I hear that Sara and Phoebe want to get pregnant ASAP. It sure is going to get noisy around here. I may come to visit you."

Frank laughs, "Not a chance in hell, boy. You have work to do around here. In a few years, you won't have enough bedrooms. You, Beth, Phoebe, us, four children, I count eight bedrooms if one guest bedroom is enough. It won't be. Your mom won't want to be on the second floor in a few years. You're going to need a home theatre and more room to play when it's cold and nasty outside. Yup, you are going to be busy building or expanding this house."

We continue with some small talk, and they go to sleep.

An hour later, Ginger came back down in just her nightgown. She searched the house until she found me talking to my financial adviser. She timidly sat down in a chair by the fire. The bright light basically turned her gown invisible, and I can clearly see she has great big breasts and she doesn't shave.