Langley Circle Beginning Ch. 21

"They certainly did that last night"--Beth chuckled--"and this morning in the shower too."

Nicky grinned and turned to Dean. "As for you and Bella, if you had asked me a few weeks ago I would have thought the whole thing was a bit icky, in fact I said as much to Bella, but I have changed my mind. It was beautiful and sexy and it made Bella so happy, and that is one of the most important things for me. If it continues to make her happy, and it hurts nobody else"--she shrugged--"then fine by me."

A flutter of excitement went through Beth as she noticed Bella and Dean exchange a furtive look; somehow, it was exciting to watch her husband flirting with the younger woman.

"Mum, what about you?"

Beth jolted from her thoughts and realised that all eyes were on her again. "I really want my family to be happy; that includes you too Bella. I could not wish for a better friend for Nicky, and I consider you just as much a part of this family as her."

Bella beamed a radiant smile. "Can I call you mummy?"

Dean guffawed loudly with laughter.

"Umm, maybe not," Beth said with a chuckle, but was disturbed by the dampness that had suddenly begun to form between her legs.

Dean abruptly stopped laughing and frowned.

Beth paused to see if he was going to say something, but after a few moments of silence, she continued. "My family being happy is extremely important to me, and you all look very happy this morning. I have some complicated feelings about what we did Nicky, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be with you again. I think it's just going to take some time for me to work through these feelings."

"As for you two..." She looked between Bella and Dean, who both instantly looked worried. "I am quite looking forward to being a part of that little triangle. I think we will have to discuss some rules and boundaries, but in general I am cool with the situation as long as I am most very definitely your number one Dean." Uncertainty and anxiety surged up as she vocalized the thoughts she hadn't realised were lurking there.

Dean was instantly kneeling at her side; he took her hands in his. "Beth, you will always be my number one. I said that to you the day I proposed and it's still true now."

Her heart lurched and tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. "Good," she said, not trusting herself with more words.

"Aww, you two are too cute," Bella said.

Beth shared a soft smile with Dean. She could see the colour in his cheeks, and knew it was the same as the heat she felt in her own. She kissed him and smiled warmly, nodding for him to sit back down.

She blew her cheeks out, trying to regain her train of thought. As Dean retook his seat, she turned to Bella. "Truth is, I found it a big turn on watching you two together." The heat in her face intensified as she saw Dean smirk at her while Bella fizzed with excitement.

"Oh my god, you three are gonna be fucking nonstop, I just know it," Nicky said shaking her head with a laugh.

Bella grinned and nodded. "And when we aren't, the three of us will be." She motioned to Nicky and Beth.

"Or all four of us," Dean said with a chuckle, as everyone else went quiet. There was an awkward few seconds of silence, before finally nervous laughs and tentative smiles broke out around the table.

Beth quickly interjected, not wanting the laughter to detract from what she was about to say. "I have one more thing to add, and it's crucial that you understand how important it is to me." She waited while the others settled down, only continuing when she had their full attention. "Like I said yesterday, Dean and I have recently become involved with another woman, Megan; I believe you have seen her already Nicky."

Nicky blushed, looking guiltily over to Dean. "Again, sorry about that." Dean smiled and waved the matter away.

"Megan is a lovely person, kind, witty, really sexy and well just all-round wonderful. You two seem to have a triangle thing going with Josh, and likewise, Megan is part of our triangle, if you want to put it like that. I am not sure how those triangles are going to mix and match, if they ever will, but Megan is very special to me, and I will not tolerate her being disrespected or the subject of any nastiness or weirdness."

Dean leaned forward. "I think what your mum"--Bella grinned with joy--"er, I mean Beth, is trying to say is that she has a very soft spot for Megan, and if you want my opinion, that's putting it mildly. Nicky, you said you saw the changes to your relationship with your mum as transient, fully understanding that it will ebb and flow over time?"

Nicky nodded. "Uh-huh."

"I think Beth sees her relationship with Megan in a different way. Although we haven't really discussed it, I can sense that the bond between them is very strong and developing at a deep level. I get the feeling that Megan may become a much closer part of this family over time."

Beth's heart lurched into her mouth. When had he picked up on this? She hadn't really even allowed herself to admit it yet, but it was true. A great surge of emotion welled up within her; she dove into Dean's arms, kissing him repeatedly on the face and neck. "I hadn't even dared to think about that yet, but the fact that you have, makes me so happy." The tears came now, streaming down her cheeks. "I bloody love you Dean Parker."

"I love you too Beth," he said smiling warmly. "We'll talk more later, yeah?"

She nodded happily as she wiped away the tears.

"Aww," Bella said, "that's just so beautiful."

"Heh, I kind of have to agree," Nicky said. "Cynical and sarcastic as I can be, that even brought a lump to my throat." She stood and wrapped her arms around Beth and Dean. "I understand mum; I'll try to be mindful. Hopefully we will all get along, and our triangles might even be able to swap sides from time to time."

Dean chuckled. "Heh, I am gonna have to draw a Venn diagram to keep on top of this."

Beth and Nicky detached from Dean, falling into a hug of their own. "So when can we meet Megan?" Nicky asked. "The sooner we can all get to know each other, the better."

"How about we have a barbecue later," Beth said as they sat back down. "We were planning to see Megan sometime over the weekend anyway."

"Good idea," Dean said. "Let's invite Josh along too; I'd kind of like to meet the guy that is umm..." He looked back and forth between Nicky and Bella, who giggled.

"Keeping us satisfied?" Bella said with a smirk.

Dean chuckled nervously. "Well er, yes."

As Dean turned to Beth, There was a buzzing sound, and Bella began distractedly tapping on her phone. "I might invite Dave too, if that's ok; he was very helpful last night with the fence and I'd like to say a proper thank you."

"I don't have a problem with that," Beth said, shrugging. "Although, I wonder if it might prevent us from speaking openly?"

"I think everyone should just get to know each other, before we start having those kinds of discussions. Otherwise it might freak Megan out, or Josh for that matter."

"Good point," Beth said, as she saw Bella's eyes suddenly grow wide. As Beth watched, Bella silently passed the phone to Nicky, who instantly gasped, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Everything OK?"

A series of quiet expressive looks were traded between Nicky and Bella, until finally Bella sighed. "Cards on the table?"

"Yep, that's what we agreed."

"Well, there might be another person--" Nicky coughed and looked at her pointedly. "Or maybe two people actually, who might somehow factor into things. We're not entirely sure yet, but we're just putting it out there."

"OK," Beth said. Where the hell was this going?

Dean's eyes bulged. "Two more? Never mind the Venn diagram, I'm gonna need a bloody spreadsheet."

"The first is Trudy, Josh's step-mum. It turns out he has a massive crush on her. She's been his step-mum for about ten years I think, and for the last five since his dad died, it's just been the two of them." She licked her lips, hesitating before continuing. "It seems that Trudy has some similar feelings, or at least an interest in exploring things in return. She's a lovely woman with just the most wonderful personality, not to mention a body that can stop traffic."

Beth probably should have been horrified, but the way things had been going, the revelation did little more than prompt her to raise an eyebrow. She glanced at Dean who was frozen in shock. She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Breathe honey. Don't forget to breathe."

Nicky giggled, before picking up from Bella. "Nothing has happened yet, except for a lot of flirting, but we were all planning to get together and umm, see what happened this weekend. You see, Bella and I are a bit sweet on her too, which also seems to be of interest to Trudy."

Beth blinked a few times, but considering her own situation, somehow the news that Nicky's boyfriend and his step-mum may be sexually attracted to each other didn't really faze her. After all, technically a step relationship was less incestuous than an adoptive one, neither involved blood relations. She smiled and shrugged. "Invite her along to the barbecue."

"What?" Dean said, frowning at her. "How on earth do we explain that?"

"Relax honey. At the end of the day, our daughter is going out with her son; it's natural for us to want to meet."

"Hmm, Trudy. That name seems familiar. What's their surname?"

"Dickinson," Nicky replied.

Beth's eyes bulged. "Oh my."

"What?" Dean asked. "What is it?"

"You've met her?" Bella asked.

Beth nodded. "Yeah, a handful of times I think."

Nicky and Bella exchanged a grin, and Beth felt her own smile broadening.

"Great, now I am the only one who doesn't get the joke," Dean said.

"I've run into Trudy a few times through the PTA. I wouldn't say we were friends, but we have always exchanged pleasantries whenever we have met."

"Right?" Dean said, drawing the word out.

Beth giggled as she held onto the pertinent information for just a little longer. "Well, Bella is right; she is a very attractive woman, with a very eye catching figure."

Dean stared blankly at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I would say she has a comparable figure to Hazel; she's a little older, but I'd be willing to bet that, unlike Hazel, everything Trudy has is natural."

Dean's eyes shot wide, sending his brows racing up his forehead. "Oh!"

"Hazel?" Bella asked. "Who is Hazel?"

"Dean's new personal assistant. She has-- oh hang on." Beth retrieved her phone, swiped through to the picture of Hazel that Dean had taken, and passed it to Bella.

The petite blonde's jaw dropped, and Nicky crowded in to get a look too. "Holy moly! You have to work with her, dad?"

Dean nodded. "It's very distracting."

"I bet," Bella said indignantly. "Those are definitely fake, not to mention she looks like a right trollop." She scowled and passed the phone back.

Beth burst out laughing. "Oh sweet Bella. Are you jealous?"

Bella blushed and buried her face in her hands. Dean leaned over to her and coaxed her out with a kiss to the cheek. "You're very sweet Bella."

Bella emerged looking flushed, but giggled at her own behaviour. "Maybe we should invite Hazel to the barbecue."

Beth looked at Dean and they both chorused a resounding, "No!" There was a brief pause, before they both began chuckling. "Not this time," Beth said. "Anyway, she works with Dean; that's a no no."

"Good rule," Nicky said. "We have one too; we don't get involved with people who are already in other relationships, unless it's consensual with everyone. That's what we told Sal."

Beth almost choked on her tea. "Sal? Your friend Sally? You mean she..." She pointed between Nicky and Bella, hesitated, then on a whim lifted her finger up at an angle to the invisible point of an equilateral triangle. Realising it would no longer be a triangle with Josh as well, she jerked her finger to the side in line with the floor, before returning to her starting point aiming at Nicky. "A rhombus?"

"Well maybe," Nicky said staring at Beth's finger in confusion. "She is very interested in turning our triangle into a square." Beth mentally straightened up her rhombus. "But we told her, not while she is in a relationship with someone. Especially not Greg, he's a cheating scumbag."

"Actually, he's an ex cheating scumbag," Bella said. "I forgot to tell you, I got a text from Sally this morning saying Greg was history; she dumped his arse last night."

"Good for her. It's about time too; that guy always creeped me out."

"Should we invite Sally to the barbecue?" Dean asked, and Beth flicked her gaze to him, narrowing her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. I just meant because Sally is their friend."

Beth Held the scowl for a moment longer before letting it slip; she giggled at the way he was squirming. "Fine by me. That takes us up to ten, a respectable number for a barbecue. I suppose we better get cracking, lots to do."

"Hang on mum, Dad needs to have his say first."

"Thank you honey, At least someone is interested in what I have to say," Dean said, and shot a sidelong glance at Beth.

"Sorry darling, please go ahead," Beth said politely, and then threw a piece of toast at him for being a cheeky git.

He caught the toast and took a bite. "Hmm, you forgot the butter," he said in a deadpan voice, making Nicky laugh. "OK, here's my two pence worth. With regards you two." He gestured at Beth and Nicky with his toast. "I said it all last night. I don't fully understand it, and it may take some getting used to. Especially seeing a lot more of you Nicky, that was a little uncomfortable, but I think mainly that is me getting in my own way. I support you two in whatever you decide, but I do have one question for you Nicky." She looked at him expectantly. "How do you feel about me? I mean like you know..."

Nicky blushed, and Beth cringed inside, but she had to respect Dean for wanting to ask the question, better to get it out in the open.

"Er, well to look at I guess you are um, nice?"

"Nice?" Bella said. "He is panty wetting hot!"

"Yes, thank you Bella for your impartial opinion," Nicky said, rolling her eyes. "But, yeah I guess you are kind of buff. Let's just say that watching you and mum having sex yesterday was very um, exciting. I dunno, I guess there is still something deeper psychologically, like a barrier between us. Does that make any sense?"

"Perfect sense," Dean said. "I had to work very hard to put those walls up when you first came to us. You were very young, pretty and very affectionate, and I had some unwelcome feelings that I needed to suppress. I did, but I guess that has created this barrier between us. I'm ok with that, if you see what I mean."

"Yeah I get it. I guess we just see where it goes. I'm not quite sure about anything really; I'm trying to remain open-minded, but I'm not like miss yo-yo knickers here, who will jump you the minute your back is turned."

Beth barked out a laugh and then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Hey, I'm very selective. It's just when I have selected, then I tend to be a bit--"

"Slutty?" Nicky offered.

"Now now Nicky, that's not--"

"No Dean, she's right. I can go full on slut at the drop of a hat; it's a weakness, but like I said only when I am emotionally involved."

Dean blinked. "Good to know."

Beth erupted in another fit of giggles. "Oh my god, this is just all too funny."

Dean grinned, and continued after the laughter had subsided. "As for you and me Bella? Well that was super fun, and seriously hot, and with Beth's consent I am keen to repeat it. Not to mention, the idea of both you and my wife together is extremely distracting indeed, if that small taster this morning was anything to go by."

Nicky frowned; Bella turned to her. "Tell you later."

"To sum up, there is a lot of crazy shit happening right now, and although some of it scares the crap out of me, I am all for embracing it, and seeing where the crazy ride takes me."

"Here here," Bella said, moving to Dean's side. "You say it so well Dean, so much better than I could have."

Beth turned to Nicky and in perfect unison, they both rolled their eyes.

"Despite your blatant ego fluffing Bella, I too tend to agree with Dean's conclusion," Beth said.

"Me too," Nicky added.

"Rules," Dean said, and all three women groaned; Bella slumped back into her seat. "I'll keep it brief. Consent is imperative, and no sneaking around. NO secrets. If you two want to hook up," he said looking to Beth and Nicky," that's fine, but I'd like to know, preferably beforehand."

"You want to know every time I fancy a kiss?" Nicky asked, frowning.

"OK, maybe not to that degree, but if things progress to hot and heavy then respect is deserved to the partner. I am sure the same will go for me and Bella, Beth?"

"Yep that seems fair, at least for now. This is new for everyone, so we still can't be sure how we are going to react in actual situations."

"Anything else?" Nicky asked.

"Discretion is also very important. Other than that, there is just the matter of what you call us, well me anyway."

"You don't want me to call you dad?" Nicky said, looking crestfallen.

"I love you calling me dad, and am happy for you to continue, except maybe if things are er, happening."

"Happening?"

"Oh I get it," Bella said. "Nix, he doesn't want you to call him dad if I am sucking him off or something."

"Well quite," Dean said and grinned nervously.

Nicky nodded and turned to Beth. "Mum?"

"I tend to agree. Probably best to call me Beth at certain times."

"So," Bella said, chipping in again. "Avoid saying for example, 'mum I'm horny, can I lick your clitty.'"

Dean coughed into his mug, sending drops of tea showering onto the table.

Nicky giggled. "OK, I get it; I'll try and remember."

Beth frowned as she recalled Megan's fetish. "Um, one minor contradiction you might notice that I just realised. Megan has a little kink; she sometimes likes to act like a child and treat Dean and me like her parents. It's not been an overtly sexual thing as yet, and it's still a bit strange for us, but I thought I should mention it."

Bella's eyes widened. "She's a little?"

"Um, I guess so; I'm not really sure what that is. I was planning to chat with her more about it this weekend."

"That's so cool. I'm really looking forward to meeting her now. I've read about littles, and am fascinated."

Nicky narrowed her eyes. "You know about the oddest things Bel."

"Nicky, there's this thing called the Internet--"

"Yeah yeah, funny funny. You need new material."

Beth stepped in. "OK, is there anything else? If not, there's a lot to do. The house and garden will need tidying, and a supermarket run is on the cards too."

"Bel and I can shop, if you give us a list."

"I'll handle the garden and drag out the barbecue," Dean said. "I'll talk to Dave too."

"We'll contact Sally and Josh," Bella said, bouncing up and down excitedly. "This is going to be so much fun. Come on Nix, let's get going."

"Anyone check the weather?" Beth asked; they all froze.

Nicky quickly tapped on her phone. "Looks good. Warm and sunny, no rain, not too hot."

A collective sigh went up, and everyone rose at the same time. Nicky and Bella deposited there plates in the sink and dashed out of the kitchen, and Dean began clearing the table as Beth went to check the contents of the fridge. "I'll give Megan a ring in a bit."

As she bent to check the freezer, she squealed as hands slid onto her hips. She craned her head around to see Dean grinning back down at her. He pressed up against her, the bulge in his trousers obvious against her bum. She grinned and gave a little wiggle. "Well, that all went quite well didn't it?"

"Very," Dean said, gently grinding against her.

"Er honey, I'm kind of busy here; nice as it is to feel your excitement." He seemed to be constantly horny these days. It was contagious too; a tingle of arousal buzzed in her chest.