Loosening Up Bk. 09 Ch. 26-30

Julie nodded, "He's serious girls. I do suggest your favorite toothbrush, but other than that, you won't need much. I know just where to take us on the Champs-Élysées and the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris to get us started." She grinned broadly.

Elaine said cautiously to Owen, "Are you buying us?"

Owen shook his head. "No. I hope I'm showing in some small way how much I want you. It won't always be like the trip I propose, but I thought we might get back on an even keel this way. I expect that we're going to talk a lot on the trip about what the future will be like between all of us and everyone in the Circle."

Elaine said, "I wish I'd read Cricket's book as soon as we got it. I understand a lot more about you and the Circle after reading it. I'll bring it with me to do a second pass and maybe get some questions answered."

Owen's Gulfstream 650LR departed for Paris from the Circle Airport on Saturday evening. Despite the designation 'LR' for Long Range, the pilots were going to stop in Bangor and refuel before heading over Newfoundland, Greenland, the ocean, and Ireland, enroute to Paris. Owen had wanted to treat Sunday as a decompression day from crossing all the time zones and from taking the red-eye flight. Monday would really begin the shopping and tourist part of the trip, together with more of the romance part Owen had plotted out.

Dave was there to see them off, kissing each of the women and wishing them a wonderful trip.

Alice was excited because at least for part of the trip, she was going to assume the pilot-in-command role on the Gulfstream. Her copilot would also be serving as her check pilot so he could sign off on her currency-in-type for the aircraft. The regular copilot for the flight would use the jump seat until Alice went to the back of the plane to try to get a couple of hours of sleep as they crossed the Atlantic.

Rose found Dave a little later on Saturday night after the departure of the sleek jet for Paris and Rome. She didn't say much, other than to curl up her small body in his lap on one of the chaises. She asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Dave smiled, "An event about thirteen years ago or so. It's in Cricket's book."

"You mean when the initial group of people forming the Circle all swapped wives or girlfriends for a week, and Owen took Alice to Paris and Rome?"

"Precisely," Dave said.

Rose speculated, "And this time you're nowhere near as concerned as you were back then."

"Think about why," Dave suggested. "I think there's a lesson there for you, Matt, and everybody."

Rose said, "Well, it's not that you don't care. If anything, it's that you and Alice have another thirteen years of mileage on your marriage and you know that she'll always be yours."

"Think further," Dave said.

"Ah, she and her sister married Owen. You've all learned to share."

"What could happen that would devastate me?"

"Alice would go off with Owen?" Rose wasn't so certain.

Dave chuckled, "She's already done that and I still love her. I can't think of anything that could happen that hasn't already happened. Since those days, she's made love with a hundred other men, married Owen, had our children, made love to most of the women, and we've shared some wild fantasies and made most of them happen. All of that, and we still love each other."

"Trust is at the core," Rose ventured.

"It is. We've never been anything but honest with each other. There was never a hidden agenda in our marriage. We didn't try to maneuver or manipulate the other so that we could do something we thought the other wouldn't like. We brought it up, talked about it, and then made the decision about whether to do it or not. Hint: usually we did it because it helped us to loosen up further."

"Did you start to talk about her having sex with each man in the Circle or each pledge?"

Dave shook his head. "Nope. That was too short-term; we wanted something at a higher level to address all situations. We set up some higher order principles. When we followed those, we knew we'd keep our relationship on track.

"We agreed we wouldn't do something with someone else that would threaten our marriage or later in Alice's case, her marriage to Owen. Julie, too. We agreed that while we might have some fun sex, even loving sex, that we'd want that sex to be with someone we'd want to have as a Circle member."

Rose said, "So, when you got involved with Tina and Elaine, how did that play out?"

"I didn't consider either woman a threat to our marriage, even when they didn't know I was married. They weren't looking for husbands. They were looking for great relationships, but they were obviously willing to share with each other by how they'd spent the weekend with Owen and Greg.

"When I took them, I could be romantic, but there was no expectation that there'd be anything further except a strengthening of our friendship. The sex was fun, and at their instigation we switched around a lot.

"Owen had already decided he wanted them to pledge the Circle, including his old tattoo-partner buddy. He sold that idea, but there had been some miscommunication that needed to be resolved before things could move forward. Everyone will talk on the trip, and I'm sure we'll have three new pledges when they come home."

Rose said, "I have ... a situation. I briefly mentioned it to Matt. He suggested I talk to you."

"You met somebody?"

"Damn. Yes, how did you know? He's really nice. He's in my physics class and in my book he's smart and 'hot'. He fits in the tall, dark, and handsome category, so physically he's kind of dreamboat. He's also well read, and he gives off kind and gentle signals when we talk. He sat with me to explain some concepts I didn't catch onto right away. He was very patient. He's a little shy, but I think he'd make a great partner."

"Does he know about Matt?"

"No. I don't know how to tell him without scaring him off."

"If you went on a date with him, what would Matt think, say, or do?"

Rose shrugged, "I kind of got the impression from him that he wouldn't mind. As I said, when I told him what I just told you, he suggested I talk to you."

"Has Matt dated anybody else?"

"Just Danica or a couple of the new student women."

"How did you feel?"

Rose thought for a full silent minute. "I feel like you do about Alice going off with Owen, Greg, and the others. You know she'll come home to you."

"Does Matt feel the same way? Don't attribute an answer to him you aren't sure of."

"I guess I need to talk to him about the longevity of 'Matt and Rose', don't I?"

"Sounds good to me. Where is he now?"

Rose snickered, "He's with two cougars -- Merry's mother Clee and her sex-fiend buddy Colleen. They're in their townhouse and he's no doubt balls deep in one and then the other. They like that he can keep fucking all-evening long until they're pulsating piles of orgasming mush full of his juice."

Dave laughed. "When he starts to lose his edge, have him come and talk to me. I studied how to extend that period of my life with some success compared to the average male. Even at that, age will take its toll."

"Well, daddy, I was hoping you could kind of ravage my little teenage pussy several times tonight until I achieved something akin to being a pulsating pile of orgasming mush full of your juice."

Dave kissed her. "I just cannot say 'No' to you, for some reason. I guess we should just find a good place to make love. Any suggestions?"

"How about right here where the others can watch us?"

Dave nodded and then began sucking on one of her sweet teenage breasts.