New Man Pt. 05

"No, but-"

"Then I'm hanging up, Morgan. Because I appreciate you calling and helping him with his temper and checking up on him, but you do not get to dictate what happens with my love life. Not when we're not a couple."

One final pause. "What... does that mean?"

"You know what it means."

"I..." A sharp intake of breath. "I... you can't... Douglas..."

"Talk to you later, Morgan. Tonight I think I'll sleep with Yvonne. Oh, and by the way? Might be sleeping with twins, too. Twins."

"You-"

I hung up. And then I nearly ran into the bushes of the nearest house, my guts rising up. I'd nearly said the words I wanted to.

I almost told Morgan I loved her.

* * *

Oh, you thought that was the end of this chapter? I said this was the start of the tradition of the five dinners, motherfucker. We aren't even halfway there yet, and we're not ending this one on a downer. Far, far from it.

The Ayers offered up breakfast, and the smell of the peppery gravy Christy was cooking was too rich to ignore. I kept myself to one plate, but after the last couple nights, I was ravenous. While we finished up, they gave me a laundry list of kids, teenagers, and college students they knew who babysat, though they wouldn't let slip the name of their own preferred one.

"Sorry, dude," Garth said, sliding a slice of bacon through the gravy left on his plate. "Parental safeguarding one-oh-one. We're not giving up our date nights in case you hire her out from underneath us."

"I get it completely. Had a girl once whose name I wouldn't have given out for the world. She actually cooked for Isaac. If we had a last-minute thing? No problem for her. I swear, I think she was an alien."

Back home, I got in a workout with Isaac. His continued silent determination to become more of a guy's guy still amused me, but he was going to genuinely hurt himself if he wasn't careful around my weights. So I showed him some basics with the lightest ones. Keeping the focus on him meant it wasn't much of a workout, but that was okay. Anything he wanted to learn that I could teach him, I was happy to try. We finished up a half an hour later, and I joined him upstairs for a quick video game session before I remembered to call Yvonne.

When she picked up, she sounded amused. "Hey stud. I hear you've been busy spelunking some new depths. Am I next?"

I chuckled and sprawled out on the couch, pleasantly exhausted. "I sure didn't mean to make you feel like you're third in line, if that's what you're implying."

"Nah. Wouldn't have been the best time for me anyways, if you know what I mean."

"I do. All clear now?"

"Oh yes."

"Good. I was thinking I'd make you dinner tonight," I said.

"Is that Yvonne?" Isaac asked, pausing his game. I nodded and he grinned. "What about bowling?"

I gave him a thumbs-up. "Hey, scratch that. Isaac just had a great idea. How about the three of us go bowling? I'll try to arrange for a sitter afterwards so you and I can have some alone time."

"I want to hang out too," Isaac said.

I held up a finger and he pouted. Yvonne said, "That sounds great, actually. Had a couple I thought was on the line for sure with a condo, and they backed off at the last minute. I need to throw heavy things at lighter things and maybe drink a beer or ten."

We talked for a few minutes more, then I hung up. Isaac looked on the verge of a full-blown meltdown, no doubt brought on by a late night of video games. I patted the couch, but no dice.

"Remember what we talked about? With me getting back out and dating? This is me trying, Isaac. There's going to be a night or two each week when I might not be around. I know that sucks and you want to get to know my friends too. I promise you, the good ones, you will. So can you keep on keeping on?"

His stormy expression didn't exactly dissipate, but he at least agreed, and settled back in to play his game. I began the yawn-inducing babysitter crawl through the list of names, and finally came up with one, a college junior who charged an arm and a leg with this short notice, but who also provided me with an email listing her references. I called up a few of the parents just to make sure she was decent, and all of them had nothing but glowing praise, apart from one mom who called her mostly "okay" with a sniff. When I tried to press for more, she said, "Your wife had just better look out, that's all."

Now that was interesting, but I was too tired to ponder it. I had a thought, and after I hung up with the irate mother, I called London. Immediately I winced. Did college kids even answer the phone? Was she in class? Was I obsessing too much and this was likely to go to voicemail?

But no, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, London? This is Lionel. Ah, from down the block."

A short, throaty chuckle. "I know who you are. We've been hoping you'd call."

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure. Just got done with class. Sitting out on the stoop, liking the rain."

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I told myself. Then again, I didn't exactly think I had to fish hard for these two, given that they'd been the ones to come onto me. "First off, I've been doing a round of date nights this week."

"Mm, we heard." Lower, she murmured, "We're all part of a group chat, and you're the focus pretty often, you know."

"I... didn't. Flattered, though. So. Ah, if you'd like, I'd love to take you out to dinner sometime. Tomorrow, maybe, or the night after?"

"Is that a me or both of us?"

"If it's all the same to you," I said, "I'd love to take you out one by one. Get to know you a bit."

"Huh. Most guys would have thrown in a line to get the both of us. Not that we'd say no, but classy move, Lionel. All right, absolutely. I have a play tomorrow night, and Dakota has a game the night after. So how about her tomorrow night, and me the night after?"

"Here's an idea," I said. "I'd like for my son to be there, and I don't think he's ever seen a live play. Want to be my date to your sister's game, and she could be my date to your play?"

"Ooh, now there's an idea. I like it. Maybe dinner or drinks another time."

"Perfect. Text me the details on the times and we'll work it out," I said. "But I had one more question for you. I'm trying to find a babysitter for tonight and I was given a name. Jessica Nakamura?"

"Jessica!" London said with real delight. "Did you get the name from Christy?"

"And Garth, yeah."

"Aw, we set them up with Jessie once upon a time. Yes, hire her. Are you going to sleep with her too?"

"I... hadn't given it any thought. I haven't even met her. Or seen her picture. Or... well, anything, really."

"Oh, yup, yup yup yup. You are going to sleep with Jessica. She's... oooh, Lionel. Wait till you see her."

"She can't be half as beautiful as you and your sister."

"Aw... but hey, I need to get going. Cannot wait to see you. Mm, the things the other girls on the block told us... yum."

I chuckled. "See you on stage tomorrow. Break a leg, right?"

"That's it. Byeeee!"

I hung up, and stared at the phone. Great. Another potential hook-up to add to the list. My dance card wasn't just filling up. It was overflowing.

* * *

Bowling was great. It's a universally great date night activity because good or bad, you're having fun. Gone too was the stress of worrying about how Isaac and my date were going to get on, because he and Yvonne knew each other well by that point. Watching them together made me realize right now, Yvonne was far and away the most natural pick to be in his life. Jenna obviously had issues with potential motherhood, and was stilted around Isaac, even if they got on okay. Sarah was good with him, but Isaac was more than a little timid around her, even if -- or probably because -- he had a crush on her.

But Yvonne and him got on like old friends. She warned us she was awful, and she was, but it led to a lot of ribbing. When Isaac rolled an occasional gutter ball, she gave it right back, crowing and strutting as he grinned and played it off. We'd talked some about dinner afterwards but when Isaac saw the menu at the attached bar and grill, he wanted nachos, and Yvonne was more than game. They split a big order between them while I watched, amused and falling just the tiniest bit in love like I had the last two nights with Jenna and Sarah. And like both the nights before, it was a great night. A date for the record books.

That thought left me even more confused, in a dazed, pleasant way. I was going to need to do more research. More dating. I thought after this week I'd have a better idea as to who would be my pick for a long-term girlfriend but they were all solid. The thought of making this a habit, a few dates a week with Isaac around, began to form. Add to that maybe a night or two every week when I hired a sitter for some grown-up time with one or two of my beautiful neighbors, and I felt pretty good about the potential of doing this long-term, if everyone was interested.

We finished up bowling, and on the way home, I gave the babysitter for the night a call. She was ready to go, and would meet us back at my place. Yvonne came in with us, and we settled in for a few minutes while Isaac started up a game. He wanted Yvonne to play with her, but the sitter arrived right about then and I hopped up to answer the door.

Jesus, but London was right. Given half a chance, I was going to bury my dick in Jessica Nakamura.

Half-Japanese, she had this sort of delicate cross between beauty and sexiness I craved immediately. An oval face leading to a dainty chin. Long, dark lashes that drew all the attention to her equally dark eyes. Silky long black hair I wanted to grip while she was giving me a blowjob. She was as short as Sarah, but where Sarah's proportions were almost absurd, Jessica had almost no butt to speak of, but plentiful breasts that gave her a little extra wow factor.

She was dressed in simple jeans, a white tee, and a tan cardigan, a simple, playful look I liked immensely. I welcomed her in, and called for Isaac. He set aside his controller and bounced to his feet. Yvonne came out too, and wrapped an arm around me while we introduced ourselves. Now that was interesting. Yvonne seemed like she was staking her claim. Hm.

When Isaac asked Jessica shyly if she liked Fortnite, Jessica's grin widened. "Oh yes," she said. "It's huge on campus. I gotta warn you, I'm gonna show you up."

"No way," Isaac said, already tugging her along behind him. Jessica gave us a wide grin.

"We'll be fine," she called behind her. "See you two soon."

Outside, as we loaded up, I stared at the house, and Yvonne said, "You know, if you want to just go back in there and bend her over the bed, I could watch Isaac for a while."

I thought she was angry, but when I glanced at her, she was grinning. "Don't think I didn't notice your little territorial grab."

"Whaaat?" she asked. "I didn't. I would never." She reached over and groped my cock through my jeans. "My dick."

We agreed this date I'd pick where we went, and Yvonne wanted it to be a surprise. I had been wanting to check out a mile-long popular stretch of a walking trail next to the city's river. A few food trucks and vendors set up shop at the parking lot, so we could walk, eat, and talk all at once. And just as the forecaster predicted, the rain let off, leaving to a pleasantly cool evening.

Yvonne nibbled on a bag of kettle corn while I went for crème-filled donut bites, powdered in sugar. "This was a good choice," she said as we walked. She had a wistful smile on her face as we looked out over the water. "My first date was here."

"Yeah?" I asked. "How old were you?"

"Oh... young," she said. "He was eighteen, I was fifteen. My parents hated him, so of course I was madly in love." She chuckled. "Back then, there were no food trucks or vendors, and the chemical plants were still up and running. It stunk. Every so often he'd apologize until I finally told him to shut up and kiss me."

I held out one of my donut bites and she took it with her lips, eyeing me with that twinkle in her eyes I loved so much. She bit down and moaned emphatically. I shivered and we kept on.

"What was your first date?" she asked me.

I thought about that. "Hm. Took a girl to a movie when I was... twelve? Thirteen? I didn't know how much cologne to use so I sprayed myself down. I reeked so bad my mom took me outside and hosed me off."

That drew a laugh out of her and we shared stories like that for a while, keeping the mood light, until finally I asked, "Yvonne."

"Hm?"

"Jenna and Sarah told me something. Something I wanted to ask you about."

"Sure."

I stopped her and she stared up at me, the good humor in her eyes gone. I leaned down and kissed her gently, my fingers at her chin. She sighed softly against my mouth, and when we pulled apart, she whispered, "Your fingers are all covered in sugar."

"Sorry."

She took them, and as I watched, her lips parted. She sucked down my digits, bathing them with her tongue, I stiffened immediately, and glanced around. No one was close, but there were people in the distance. Slowly she let me go, and we linked arms.

Yvonne said quietly, "You want to know why I quit dating other guys when I met you."

"You knew?"

She nodded. "The five of us, we really do share everything, Lionel. You should know that. We're tired of jerks and boys and all the other garbage floating in the dating river. We're happy to share you, so long as we're all playing by the same rules."

"And you not dating anyone..."

"I care for you." She glanced up at me. "We all do. The twins will too."

"Then I need to be honest with you. Jenna probably told you about Morgan."

Yvonne drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, finally nodding. "Yes. And if it comes down to it, we won't stop you."

"She's married and five states away."

Yvonne drew closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder. "I don't think you know how magnetic you are. It's not just the sex. You're a force of nature and I don't know why."

"She's just... when I think of Isaac with anyone, it's her," I said. "I hope that comes to mean all of you too, but I've known Morgan for so long."

"I understand. There are roots there."

"Roots I'm trying to build with all of you. Even Jenna. But I know she's... temporary at least for me and Isaac. I won't push her."

Yvonne nodded. "I respect her in a lot of ways. She knows who she is better than most people I've ever met."

"Mm. In any case, I was thinking earlier we make these date nights a regular thing, as regular as we can with such a big group. Four, five nights a week, one of you, me, and Isaac do dinner or lunch, or just go for a walk or something. He has to be my priority in this, and I can't have a dating life pretending he's not. I want him to be comfortable. And I know that's going to mean some nights when I just can't break away for some intimacy with any of you. I hope you're okay with that. All of you."

"We get it," Yvonne said. "It's part of what makes you so attractive."

We started walking again. "But tonight isn't just about me," I said. "I want to know everything about you."

"Everything, huh?" Yvonne asked.

We talked for a good hour, just back and forth banter and getting to know you stuff that really hadn't come up yet. She talked some about her family in Agramonte, and growing up in the city. About too leaving it for North Dakota, of all places.

"I wanted to be as far away from the world as I could for a year or two," she said. "And that seemed like the place. But it was lonely, and the dating scene was less than ideal. My boyfriend dealt meth, something he kinda forgot to mention to me until one day he was calling me crying from jail asking for bail money." She poked me in the ribs. "You're not a crackhead, are you?"

"Me, no. Isaac, can't keep him away from the cocaine."

Yvonne laughed and tugged my arm to a stop. She leaned up and kissed my chin. "Take me home," she whispered. "I can't stand waiting any longer."

So I did. And good timing, too. The rain started up again, soft this time, a nice mellow background to lovemaking. I'd never actually been to Yvonne's big Country-styled house, with its wraparound porch and gorgeous columns. It was to become my favorite of all our houses, even mine. But that night, I didn't really get a good look at it. I was too busy chasing Yvonne inside as she laughed and yelped at me pinching her ass or squeezing a boob. We barely made it inside before we were pulling our clothes free. She grabbed my hand and took me up a flight of stairs to a master bedroom, walking backwards, watching my eyes on her perky breasts.

I feasted on those first when we crashed onto the bed, my hands all over her while I sucked and licked her nipples. Her hands slipped between her thighs in seconds and she teased herself for me, moaning. My lips traced her skin lower and lower until I was between her legs, lapping at her pussy while she still played. She writhed above me, already responding to my every breath, my every lick, my every caress. Her hand flicked away only for a minute to rummage through a nightstand for an assortment of things she spilled on the bed -- lube, a finger vibe, a small dildo.

"I really hope that's for you and not me," I said.

She burst out laughing. "I like to be, mm, double penetrated when I've got it in the butt," she said, blushing.

"However you like it, I'm happy to help," I said, and resumed eating her out. The toys on the bed gave me some ideas, though, and soon I had her on her hands and knees while I grabbed the finger vibe. Yvonne glanced over her shoulder at me as I slipped it onto my pinky and turned it on. I dipped my mouth against her pussy again but this time I brought my hand around.

"Oh... that's the best idea," she moaned as my pinky slid across her clit. "Holy fuck, that's going to make me come so hard."

"Good," I said against her pussy. I was on the clock. In another forty-five minutes I had to be home to see to Isaac and the babysitter. But give a man like me forty-five minutes, and I can do a hell of a lot. I didn't waste time teasing Yvonne. I wanted her coming and coming and coming. The trick was to not apply too much pressure to her clit or she'd just grow numb to the pleasure. Same with too much of a rhythm. So I tried to keep my tongue and my pinky independent of each other, teasing her folds while errantly tapping or brushing her clit with the finger vibe. Her mound and her thighs were super sensitive too, so I made sure to tease those areas plenty as well.

In minutes, I had Yvonne rocking back at me, trying to get more of my tongue in her pussy. She barely noticed as I grabbed the lube. She wanted double penetration? How about three sensations all at once? I lubed up two of my fingers, and without much warning, I slid them around the rim of her asshole. She went fucking insane for it.

"NEeerugh, puss... ass... fuck... LIONEL!" she gasped. I'd barely begun to tease her asshole and already she was coming. I had to have her. I didn't want to wait any longer.

I rose up and wiped my mouth clean of her. In seconds I had the lube in hand again and I stroked my dick until it gleamed with it. She glanced over her shoulder at me as I pressed my tip to her bud, and she grabbed at the dildo. The angle was all wrong and Yvonne lost her balance, crashing onto her side. I decided to roll with it and hurried up the bed behind her, wrapping my hand with the vibe underneath one side while I put my cock back at herc left. On our sides, spooning, I slid my dick into Yvonne's terrifically tight ass, and her leg rose and kicked backwards, ending up twining by mine.

"Nnngh, fuck, oh fuck, so tight in me, so tight, slow, baby, slow," she whined.

"I'll be careful with you, I promise," I said, and kissed her shoulder. In fact, I barely went deeper than that. She said she liked to be double stuffed so that's what I focused on. My hand was still plenty slick from the lube so I grabbed the dildo by its head and coated its tip before bringing it to her pussy. She thrashed with pleasure as I slid it in, driving it far deeper than my cock in her ass. I brought the vibe back to her clit and began to rock the dildo in and out of her.