Loosening Up Bk. 04 Ch. 06-10

As the meal ended and the cleanup crew moved to collect the dishes and implements, Dave made his way to Bobbie. "Why don't you meet me at the Jacuzzi in a half-hour. We can talk ... and I assure you that it's nothing bad."

Bobbie nodded and looked hopeful. He knew that some of the cleanup had already taken place in the kitchen, where many of the preparation pots and pans had already gone through the cleaning process to the drying racks. He listened to the usual clatter of glassware and silverware as they went into the racks and were started through the industrial wash cycles.

Dave helped straighten a few things on the patio as people scattered, mostly to their homes. Since it was a weeknight, there would be little if any sexual mingling in the public spaces. If one couple started things, a few others might follow, unlike a Friday or Saturday night. He noted that having so many babies had changed the tenor of the Circle and other than Matthew, none were at an age of cognizance about such things as sexual couplings and relationships.

Dave toyed with the chemical balance of the water in the Jacuzzi, made sure the various jets and bubblers worked, and then waited a few minutes. Bobbie arrived in a two-piece bikini and looked expectantly at Dave. "Hi," she said with a tremble in her voice.

Dave nodded to her and stepped out of his t-shirt and gym shorts. Nude, he descended into the large tub of hot water. He smiled up at Bobbie.

Bobbie mumbled, "When in Rome," and stripped off her bikini.

He couldn't help but notice how gorgeous she was. She was thin, and had small breasts – A- or B-cup at best. She had pronounced nipples. She'd eliminated her pubic hair except for a landing strip as he called it that ran up her mons a short distance. She gracefully stepped into the Jacuzzi, and sat a third of the way around the tub from Dave.

Dave said, "Come and sit next to me. You want me to make love to you, and I can't even start if you're way over there." He paused and added, "And tonight, mostly we're just going to talk so don't get your knickers in a twist or be disappointed."

Bobbie came over next to Dave and sat so that their thighs and hips touched. He put an arm around her more to allow the closeness than to draw her in.

"Bobbie, I figure I needed to talk to you about some of the precepts about the Circle that probably got glossed over as you got inducted as our chef and head nutritionist. Is that all right?"

"Please," Bobbie said. Her voice had a slight tremble.

"I'm just gong to talk about the Circle and what's important to us and how it reflects in our behaviors. What you need to do is measure whether what I say agrees with your own value set and your sensibilities. As you already know, we are not your normal neighborhood."

She nodded and he continued.

"You have spiritual leanings, so some of what I say I'll couch in those terms; if you don't understand please stop me. To start with, the Circle – all of us here that you interact with – is based on love. We live in a way that proves we can love more than one person, in fact, we can love many people simultaneously, and I include all the dimensions of mind, body, and spirit in that description. Our fundamental assumption is that love is not something you lose if I also give my love to someone else. Instead we find that the love available multiples and grows to meet far more than we need with each other. We need to only allow for that to happen by not blocking that flow of love with artificial rules or strictures.

"Because of that principle we find no need for monogamy or exclusivity. We realized that those also imply possessiveness, and we don't abide by that. We treat ourselves as adults and thus we can't possess another person. There is no ownership. We shun institutions that propagate that, especially those that subjugate the female to the male. In our country, our laws and tax code, religions, and schools all act to perpetuate that subjugation through their rules, regulations, tenets, and what they teach.

"As adults, we believe that consenting adults can do whatever they want about sex. As a group there are some things we don't gravitate to, such as bondage or S&M, but that doesn't mean that if some of our members wanted to play around with that stuff that we wouldn't tolerate it. We would. As you will find out if you haven't already, we have several situations of incest in our Circle, but it's between consenting adults. No one is taking advantage of anybody.

"We honor each other by remaining sexually safe. No one is forbidden from having a relationship outside the Circle, but if they do they have pledged to prove to us again that they are safe with some routine STD tests. When someone new comes to us, they start their interactions with us on that basis.

"Lastly, unless you have questions, we are not wed to the status quo. We do not believe that the future has to look like the past or the present. I personally like to find ways to break the rules. Often, we've gotten to where we are today without regard for the trip or the implications about the future. If we can break that linkage maybe we can make great things happen for us. I don't think that the devil I know is better than the one I don't. If you have a suggestion or want to try something, I'd urge you try it or find partners to help you try it.

"Now, to your questions."

Bobbie was quiet for a long time. Dave looked at her. Her face was sweaty from the hot water and steam, and her hair was wet. She kept her eyes closed but obviously was thinking."

Bobbie said, "You all have sex with each other."

Dave smiled. She bore right into the issue bothering her. "No, we make love. You've seen me making love to women in the Circle who I love. Yes, it's sex, but first and foremost it's making love. I know each of those women with a sense of intimacy that transcends the sex, and most of the time that intimacy was there before we made love to complete the relationship we'd formed."

"Does everybody 'do' everybody else?"

"The men don't make love per se, but we do love each other. The stigma of male-male sex is a little too great for most of us to overcome, even in this permissive environment. The women do interact, and of course the couples do. Does that mean that I try to do every woman every week or something? No, but if I become aware that I haven't been close to someone I love, I go out of my way to rebuilt that relationship linkage. That may or may not involve sexual relations. In other cases, someone I love may feel the need for an especially close and intimate relationship with me for a while. I try to honor that, but still leave room to be with others. The other men think the same way."

Dave paused and added, "I just gave you Dave Prentiss' view of the Circle. You should get a female's view. If you're feeling shy, I can aim Alice or Pam at you."

"No. No. I'll talk to one of them ... and thank you so much. I got bit and pieces of what you just said, but I didn't get it all linked together in a coherent description. I can now see how what you said relates to the behaviors I see at dinner, and around the core. I also have some homework to do if I want to fit in."

"Homework?" Dave asked.

"I need a clean test to share. I also need to develop my friendships with each of you more than I have been. I know what I want and need, but I've had a one-sided approach to this."

Dave teased, "In the meanwhile, maybe we should stay out of the gazebo? I could put the word out."

Bobbie reeled to the side and looked back at him. She laughed, "Don't you dare. That's my entire sex life you're playing with if you do that."

Chapter 8 - Guilty

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict in each of the charges?" Judge Hernandez already knew the answer to the question, but it was matter of protocol to have the foreman's answer made in public. She stated the first charge, "On the charge of spousal abuse, referencing Florida statutes section 741.28-741.31 and section 784.046, how do you find?"

The male foreman of the jury stood with a half-page of paper in his hands. "We the jury find the defendant guilty as charged."

A low-level buzz of conversation ran through the courtroom. The judge chose to ignore the background noise.

Judge Hernandez waited for the noise to die down and said, "On the charge of aggravated stalking and attempted murder by way of aggravated stalking, referencing Florida statutes section 775.082, 775.083, and 775.084, how do you find?"

The foreman spoke again, "We find the defendant guilty as charged." He continued to stand to await further questions. The judge had none.

The judge looked across the jury and they were all nodding and in accord with the verdicts as read by the foreman. She said, "The State of Florida wishes to thank the jury for their time and careful consideration of the elements of this case and the struggle we know you went through to arrive at these verdicts. You are hereby excused from further service. Thank you."

The judge looked to the rest of the courtroom, specifically at Brian Coswell, the defendant. "Sentencing in this case will be rendered two weeks from today. In the meanwhile, Mr. Coswell is remanded in the custody of the Sarasota County sheriff's department until that time. Court is adjourned." She immediately stood and exited through the door guarded by the armed bailiff.

Joan turned to Dave and dissolved into tears against his suit jacket. He held her close as she sobbed, "The bastard ... the fucking bastard ... the fucking fucking bastard. I hope he rots in hell."

Dave patted her back in a sympathetic gesture as she tried to gain control of herself. Others in the courtroom frequently glanced in her direction. Dave whispered to her, "None of us had any doubt, and we know that the jury didn't either. I suspect sentencing will be harsh, but we'll find out in two weeks."

Brad James, the prosecutor and ADA on the case came over to Joan who had pulled herself together and was blotting her eyes with a tissue. He greeted her with a warm handshake. He said, "I hope we did you justice. I think he'll draw the maximum sentence and then get time off for good behavior. He'll end up in prison, probably up in Hardee County since they service this part of Sarasota County in abuse cases. I'll see you here, I suppose, in two weeks."

Joan held both his hands, "thank you for everything you did, especially for believing in me. I still have moments when I question my self-worth, and you never waivered in considering me a whole person and in believing my story. That was very important to me."

Brad James squeezed her hands and then went back to collect various papers and his iPad at the prosecutor's table.

Joan turned and Amanda Tyler was standing in the aisle waiting for her to exit. She was crying and indicating to Joan that she wanted a word with her by holding up one finger to ask for a minute of her time.

As Joan drew close, Amanda said, "Mrs. Coswell, I mean Joan ... Paige, I need to apologize to you. I was such a fool, a huge fool and I got played, but that was my fault. I just didn't look at or question what was really going on. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the role I had in all of this." She waved at the rest of the courtroom as tears flooded down her cheeks.

Joan shook her head. "Amanda, we all got taken in by a very unethical man. I wonder where my head was when I met and then married him. I guess the signs were there, and I missed them, too. Don't beat yourself up too badly. Heal and try to build some positive relationships. You're young and hopefully resilient. Thank you for your apology. I know that seeing and speaking to me wasn't easy for you."

Amanda said in a shaky voice, "I would be here saying the same thing even if he'd won. He's such a loser. I never had another interaction with him other than to kick him out of my life after you had him served divorce papers at my apartment months ago. I put his clothing in plastic bags and left it on my porch that night. It was gone the next day. I changed the locks, too. He's such a loser. God, I am too for falling for his line. He seemed so nice at the time. I can tell you that all this has scarred me for life. I hate to think what it did to you. I hope you can heal completely from all of this."

Joan reached out and took Amanda's hand. "Honey, you reacted at the time based on the information you were presented. If Brian had been honest, you wouldn't have taken the bait. As for recovering, let me tell you to surround yourself with people that love you, and the scars will heal very quickly. I've been fortunate to find that love, and with a lot more than just one person, too."

Joan studied Amanda through an awkward moment of silence. Back in the main court area, Brian was being handcuffed, put in leg irons, and led away by two of the sheriff's deputies. He looked over to see his ex-wife and ex-lover talking but remained expressionless.

Joan said, "Amanda, come with us. I want to show you something. I want you to see my recovery plan. Maybe it'll help you understand what I just said to you."

Amanda looked uncertain, but started to follow the group. Dave escorted Joan and Amanda out of the courtroom and into the courthouse hallway. Erin met them in the hallway and said, "There's a small cadre of press and TV in front of the building that want a statement from Joan – and maybe from you Amanda, probably as the 'other' woman. I didn't tell them I'd warn you off, but if you don't want to see them, I can show you the back way out of here. I have my car there."

Joan shook her head, "I want to avoid the media. I'm not a side show."

Erin passed a car key to Dave. "It's my blue Ford Focus straight out from the door I'll show you, about a hundred feet in the public lot. No one else was there when I came in." Dave gave Erin his car key and told her where he'd parked in front of the building on the street. "See you at home."

As they parted, Joan yelled out, "Thanks, Erin. I love you."

Dave, Dale, Emily, Amanda, and Joan hustled out the back door to the judicial center across the back alley and into the parking lot. Dave found the car; they piled in, and were on the way home in seconds. There was little talk in the car. After coming through the gates, Dave parked Erin's car by her townhouse and the five of them walked to the Circle core, cutting between two houses.

As they walked, Joan took Amanda's arm in hers so they were close. "Honey, you are in a place we call the Circle. About thirty-five people live here; more women than men right now. There are ten homes and eight townhouses. Dave, there, has the largest home because he has the largest family."

Amanda tried to be conversational despite her bleak mood. She said to Dave, "Oh, you have a lot of children?"

Dave guffawed, "Actually, I have two-and-a-half children right now, Matthew and John and a question mark, just yet. The house is large because I happen to have more wives than children – Alice, Julie, Heather, and Pam. Pam is the pregnant one. Heather is Matthew's mother; he's about to turn six. Alice is John's mother as of a few months ago."

Amanda digested all that as she studied the man. He was setting up a grouping of chairs for them to sit in as a group. Dale helped.

"You're serious? You really have four wives and two-plus children?" Amanda asked after they were seated.

"I do," Dave smiled at her. "Alice, my first wife, came to a few of the courtroom sessions. You were there, so I'm sure you've seen her."

Emily volunteered, "He says he has four, but in reality every woman you see here except for yourself is madly in love with him, including me. He's a stupendous lover, the nicest man you'll ever meet, and he loves to cuddle after making love besides all that." She giggled and that helped lighten the somber mood.

Amanda turned back to Dave, "Well, that's a pretty sterling endorsement." Her voice had a touch of sarcasm to it, displaying continuing disbelief. Dave figured this wasn't a surprise since Brian had burned her rather badly pretending to be available and even promising her a longer-term relationship once the non-existent divorce was completed – something that probably would never have actually happened.

Joan surprised Amanda, "I agree with everything Emily just said about Dave. He's also one of the reasons I was able to get back on my feet so fast after being so destroyed by my ex-husband. He knows just the right thing to say to build you up and make you feel good about yourself. He's made me feel so good about myself that I wanted to have a child by him despite my advanced age. I made a conscious decision, so I'll be nurturing a teenager well into my fifties."

Amanda gawked at Joan, "You're pregnant?"

Joan teased, "Only a little bit." She chuckled, "Yes, about two months now. I really did want kids all along. Fortunately, Dave and the other men in the Circle love children. I guess that's a good thing since this place is about to be overrun with them."

"But ... you took a risk ... the trial. Brian ... your job ..."

"There's nothing that I'm not prepared to face. I have the love and support of at least thirty-six people behind me, especially Dave. I do try not to rely on him totally. That's what makes the Circle so special. There are more sources to boost you up instead of someone feeling like they're leaning on one other person too much."

"When are you due?"

"Around Thanksgiving. It's sometimes hard to tell with women my age. The kids don't always want to stick around inside that long, so they develop a little faster and then exit early." She chortled. "There's a theory that they mature faster, too."

Amanda seemed kind of awed by the people around her. For one, they'd accepted her and seemed to hold no grudge or enmity towards her even though she had been the 'other woman' in the whole scandal about Brian Coswell. She liked these people and hoped that was an accurate assessment. Time would tell."

Amanda asked, "Is there a restroom nearby?"

Joan stood, "Yes, follow me." The two women headed into the core with Joan in the lead and talking over her shoulder. "This'll give me a chance to show you a little of our cohousing project. We're all very proud of what we have here."

A few minutes later, the two women came back onto the patio. They each had a baby in their arms that they were feeding from a bottle. Joan had Johnny, and Amanda was carrying Willow. The babies would drink a little formula and then coo to their benefactors. Some burping took place in between.

Joan said, "We stopped by the nursery and these two were wide awake. Maddy was just about to feed them so we took them off her hands. Do you want to feed your son?" she said to Dave.

"No, it looks like you're doing fine. Was Maddy doing all right?"

"She was. She said that Kat had spent part of the day with her, so she wasn't flapped out. She got a couple of breaks, too."

"Good, I don't want her to leave. She might be our most valuable asset right at the moment."

"How's that?" Amanda asked.

Dave chuckled, "She's taking care of six babies right now: Johnny, Willow, Linda Jean, Mark, Zoey, and James, AND she knows that Pam will give birth soon, Joan around Thanksgiving, AND she's not at all flapped out."

Dale said, "I asked her whether she was feeling stressed, and she no, except when all of them decide they're too wet and too hungry at once, a rare event apparently. They pretty much sleep through each other waking up and crying."

Emily snorted, "And to think how I used to tiptoe around worried about waking my baby when he was that age."

Dave excused himself and checked in with Chef Bobbie. "Good afternoon. I am wondering whether we have enough to fit another person into the mix this evening?"