Sisters, Friends, and Lovers Ch. 31

Jane spent an extra day in Boston since nothing was flying, and the train service was spotty at best. For two days driving was a no-no from Washington to Maine and beyond. We didn't leave Jane's house until the next morning, Wednesday. The Cambridge crew was likewise marooned together. Fran explained the surreptitious plan to wear out Ned, thus he had reached a point where his physiology just refused to function. Matt had paced himself a little better, but he too declared a timeout for recovery.

Wednesday, the sun came out, and life seemed more normal except for some huge snowdrifts where the plows had piled up the snow. We all went to our work and had a more normal work day than slipping in a few hours on the computer here and there the day before.

Flights started up again, and to my surprise Wednesday afternoon Jane strolled into my conference room about three o'clock. She gave me a peck on the lips, and explained about her travel travails. She also informed me that I was hers for the night; others were welcome to join us but she wanted me next to her from eight to eight, as she put it. I told her that sounded pretty good to me too.

Pam headed home and picked up Kristen on the way. They'd be with Bob and Pete, who'd gotten out of the city and home about midnight on Tuesday. Zoey texted and asked if they could join me at Jane's again. I checked with Jane and she said, "Oh, Yes, have her come, I really like her," so I texted back some instructions regarding dinner I knew she wouldn't mind fulfilling.

Those decisions resulted in me being in Jane's large bed with two horny women after dinner. I showed Jane special preference, but I don't think anyone noticed because she got rather turned on by Zoey, and so the two women enjoyed some sapphic loving as I took turns with each of them. We slept together in the large bed. I surrounded Jane with my love as she spooned Zoey.

In the morning, Zoey left me with Jane for a bit, so we made love before showering and getting ready to go off to TCI. We kissed Zoey goodbye. She was heading off to Washington by train to meet with some congressmen about some cause she wanted their sponsorship for.

Amazingly, the temperatures had risen to almost sixty degrees, so the snowmelt was taking place at a phenomenal rate. At TCI, I didn't see Jane the rest of the day until about six o'clock when she showed up in my conference room again. She suggested a romantic dinner, and I welcomed the opportunity.

Before we left, she thrust a single page into my hands. It was an official announcement of her promotion that was released to the press at four o'clock. This would be on the front page of even the Wall Street Journal because the succession was such a major event, and TCI was such a major influence on some of the financial markets.

Many people were still at work when we walked down the halls heading towards the underground parking garage. Person after person made it a point to come up to Jane and congratulate her. Word sure traveled fast.

We ate at a small but busy bistro in Madison, and while there, no fewer than a dozen men and women Jane knew came up and congratulated her. The words were kind and laudatory. Jane was humble, saying things like 'I've just been doing my job,' but everyone knew she excelled at what she did and put in more time and brainpower to her work than any other executive in the company. Given her position and age, she might become the first female head of TCI, and one of the very few women CEOs who ran a multibillion-dollar corporation.

Back at Jane's house we made tender and sweet love all night. She also talked about the pleasures she enjoyed at the Cambridge condo, and thanked me for the hospitality. I explained that she was a 'sister' and had full rights to be there anytime she wanted so thanking me was unnecessary as it was her home too. She knew that, and also knew that she'd be a major part of the commitment ceremony at my wedding to Fran on St. Maartens in April.

I asked her about being in the wedding, our unconventional service and plans for a weeklong orgy, and wondered given her new executive status if she could spare the time and if she got seen what it would do to her reputation.

Jane smiled, and said in a sincere tone, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a shit." She laughed at the parody on the words fromGone With The Wind. She added, "I am going to be there for the whole thing. If I get seen and photographed and roasted for being a loving and sexual human being then fuck them. I will have nothing to apologize for, and I will gladly give up whatever the Board wants me to give up to be with my new family."

I hoped she meant what she said, because I thought there might indeed be some spies about who would want to discredit her. That realization made me think of some restrictions I wanted to put on the event, or some other measures to preserve not only Jane's sanctity, but also that of some of the other guests. Jane wouldn't be the only person at the wedding holding an important public position. I made a note to talk to Fran about what my thinking meant in terms of the wedding and following party. I was getting more protective of the people I loved.

I had the weekend plus Monday and Tuesday back in Cambridge, and during the days at the FDC offices working on staffing and other aspects of the various projects I was overseeing, now as a new officer.

I reestablished loving contact with my six 'Cambridge wives' as Fran had started to call them. I still got some teasing from my FDC colleagues about my harem, and somehow word had gotten out about some of the out-of-town others, such as Jane, Brenda and Pam. At 'home' in Cambridge I now lived with Fran, Sheila, Ally, René, Ivy, and Loren. I thought it interesting they referred to themselves as 'sisters,' and I discovered on the TV that they had recorded and were saving every episode of the cable TV series entitled'Sister Wives.' I watched a couple of episodes and didn't see too many similarities.

The TV show did wake me up to the potential legal implications of having a de facto marriage to at least six women because the extended family on TV was having trouble with the State of Utah. I decided I needed to check with a lawyer to see if any of us were tempting the long arm of the law for living the way we were. I wondered if being married to one of them would make any difference too.

Ned and Matt had become nearly constant companions during the evening hours, plus Aidan had been coming by frequently. I did a mood check with each of the 'sisters' about how they felt about each of the men, and how I was positioned in that ranking. I ended up feeling comfortable with the whole situation. No one was being possessive or trying to cut someone out of the pack for personal attention and enjoyment.

I'd also started reading about polyamorous relationships again, delving into detail about the kinds of situations that damage the interactions between the players or even end up with the demise of the loving group. Not surprisingly, jealousy was at the top of the list. Delving deeper I found that in the type of relationship we'd formed the jealousy might show up from insecurity about fitting in the group and being loved, anxiety over losing something such as access or control, or envy at someone getting something they want.

As a result of this I made it a point over the following weeks to take a careful look at how each person in our mix interacted with the others, even trying to take an objective look at my own behavior.

Ned and Matt were struggling to establish a permanent place in the pecking order in the circle. They wanted to be in the inner circle. I went out of my way to make sure they knew I wanted to include them in our activities and that I wasn't jealous of their sexual play with the women. They both seemed to breathe easier after those talks, feeling more included.

Loren seemed to retain some of her insecurities, so I again went out of my way to include her in intimate activities and to tell her more frequently that I loved her and wanted her with me. I had several talks with her about living in a polyamorous situation, and each time she seemed to fit in more tightly with the group, coming to see herself as an integral cog in our growing family.

Ivy had a personality that seemed to want some drama in it from day to day. I coached her that creating drama in the family where none was needed was destructive to the fabric of what we were trying to do. I think my bluntness got her attention, because her behavior changed instantly to be more peace seeking. In talking to her, I realized I also needed to spend more intimate time with Ivy to pull her in closer to me and my love.

Sheila and Ally felt secure in my love for them. We'd started together, and they felt comfortable being 'founding sisters.' They each felt some responsibility for soothing over the little frictions that arose on a daily basis between us all. Sheila still wondered about how we perceived her after her stint in porn, and I assured her that as far as I could see she'd only improved her status by doing something daring. I encouraged her to do more if she wanted.

René understood all of my questions and areas of concern, but she claimed she had no issues except being able to spend more time with everyone. If she had any jealousy, it was her lack of time due to her schedule at the hospital.

Fran was my first and last consideration - my fiancée. We talked and shared a lot more feelings that came up naturally than with the others, not that I was trying to hide them, but Fran knew how to ask the right questions that got me talking about what I felt and worried about. She was fine so long as we were on track not just for the wedding, but for the longer haul as a husband and wife in an open relationship. We talked a lot about what 'open' meant and how that might change over time. We also talked about the other women I had an intimate connection with, including her mother, but no changes seemed necessary.

* * * * *

I sat in an aisle seat in coach on a crowded airplane the week before Christmas. To my right sat a three year old, and a young mother nursing a very cute two-month-old baby. She wasn't shy about sharing her teat with the baby in public, and the two of us talked about her family as we flew across the country. I felt so paternal.

Then the older child got itchy, I volunteered to read some kiddy books to her. Without prompting, she climbed across the seat into my lap and presented me four books from the seat pocket in front of her. She looked up at me and said, "Read, please," and gave me a megawatt smile that only a precocious child could muster.

Rachel, the mother, started to protest and pull her daughter back into her seat, but I waved her off and told her I'd enjoy reading to the tot. Rachel looked skeptical, but I opened the first book, and started to read, point at pictures, and pose questions that the tot answered.

I felt wave after wave of love for this little child sweep over me. I actually got tears in my eyes at one point as I thought about having a family of my own soon. This was what I wanted right now. I wanted Fran and I wanted children around.

After a while, the tot fell asleep in my arms, her small body sprawled out across my lap. Rachel again moved to retrieve the kid, but I waved her off, closed my own eyes, and dozed while holding the child so she didn't fall off.

When the child awoke, I also came to, read another story, and then settled her back into the middle seat.

Rachel spoke to me, "You're a natural. You must have kids of your own?"

"Not yet. I'm just getting married in April, although I may have fathered one that'll be born about then too."

Rachel studied me and absorbed my off the cuff comment. "I'm sure there's an interesting story there. You marrying the mother?"

"Oh, no. She's married to a good friend."

Rachel's eyebrows went up, "So this baby is the result of an affair?"

I made a face, "No, not at all. We share ourselves with each other, but the baby might be mine or not. There are others in our circle that also love her."

Rachel was quiet for about five minutes. I glanced over at her and she was deep in thought. Finally, she said, "I feel a lot of love from you. I hope we meet some time again so you can tell me all about it. In the meantime, you are good with kids. Make sure you become a daddy if this one's not yours."

I nodded at the child, who now was doing a game on an iPad. I said, "Interacting with you two today has made me feel remorse for not starting a family five or ten years ago. I do want kids, and no doubt in the next year or two, things like this will start to occur in my life too." I gestured to the baby and tot.

After we landed, I helped Rachel get all her kiddies and diaper bags off of the plane. A handsome young man met the trio just outside airport security.

By the time I got home, I really did want to make someone pregnant, but I knew that'd have to wait at least six months or more.

* * * * *

The Christmas holidays flew by. I spent a small fortune on Christmas gifts because I had so many beautiful women to provide for. Because of Fran's standing asprimus inter pares, I had to do something really special for her, so in addition to a few things on her wish list, I also got her a complete spa treatment. Much to my surprise, Aidan, Matt, and Ned also got each woman something too, although I seemed to go overboard compared to the other men. The day after Christmas several of us talked about doing a Secret Santa routine the following year rather than breaking the bank all around.

To accommodate our visiting guests we rented six extra double beds; three fit into the master with a little jamming, two in the guest bedroom, and one ended in a corner of the dining room. Somehow, they all seemed to get used, plus there were always backpacks or small suitcases scattered around by the visitors.

Jane flew back from Denver and spent the holidays with us. Marge had gone home to New Jersey to be with Malcomb and Marion over the holidays, but she told me she much preferred to be wherever I was. Zoey and Kristen both went home to see their respective parents, but the day after Christmas they each flew up to Boston to join our extended family through New Year's Eve. Pam brought Bob and Pete up from Jersey too. TJ flew out a day later from Denver to join the fray. Also from Denver, Edie flew back solo to see her parents in Connecticut, but she came up to Cambridge for two nights just to be with us and to meet everybody.

Ivy's parents flew in from Michigan to see her and to meet me. I think they were not only shocked, but also astounded by the idea of the 'sisters' or 'sister wives,' our living arrangements and the then crowded conditions at the condo during their short visit. The two hours they were there were pure chaos, the people coming and going every few minutes, a constant preparation of meals in the kitchen, and often a closed bedroom door indicating that someone had decided it was time to make love to someone else. Despite that, the place was neat, everyone civil, and we made a good impression.

On the positive side, Ivy's parents expressly told me they were impressed with my maturity and ability to 'pull off' loving multiple women yet make sure that romance thrived and that jealousy was not a destructive devil in our midst. They also liked that this didn't seem to be an ego trip for me, although I had to admit to myself that on some days, it was indeed a heady experience to realize I had so many women at my beck and call. I know they held back on other comments and either bit their tongue or shared only with Ivy.

The comments gave me pause for thought. I wondered how I'd feel if my mid-twenties daughter was living in a polyamorous relationship with a few other men, and many other women. The implications that Ivy had multiple bisexual partners were obvious and inescapable. All in all, I thought they handled their visit well. I knew Ivy would tell me any other comments later.

Thinking about a mythical twenty-five year old daughter got me thinking about having a family. I was now thirty-five. Gale might be carrying my child, but it didn't matter, that was for her and Chip to raise with my additional love and support. Gale would 'hatch' in May - only five short months. If Fran got pregnant right away, something we'd talked about, I'd be thirty-six when the baby came, and sixty-one when that potential daughter turned twenty-five. Jeeze, that sounded so long from now, and I'd be so old. Maybe I needed to rethink the whole 'how soon I want to have children thing.'

René's sister came in from North Carolina for a two-day visit, and like the others, she wanted to check up on how her sister was living and probably report back to their parents. Sophie was a near clone of René, so it was hard to resist not coming on to her, but I did. She, however, did not resist coming onto me once she understood the dynamics of the whole group. I think her second night with us, she did succeed in seducing Ned, but he was a gentleman and never talked about what happened in the living room after we went to bed. Sophie supposedly slept on one of the rental beds, and Ned was going to use the sofa, but when we went to bed she had her tongue deep in his mouth trying to explore his insides.

For New Years, we walked down to the Charles River waterfront and watched the fireworks display and listened to the ringing of the church bells throughout the city as the 1812 Overture got played across the esplanade. Only a million of our closest friends attended, and I was glad we walked because some of the cars that had parked near the event would still be trying to leave two hours later.

We brought in the New Year with a bang - a big bang in the master bedroom with everyone fucking everyone else, and having a ball doing it. We were unusually wanton in how indiscriminate we were in our sexual behavior. The whole post-midnight romp was just how many cocks could get into how many cunts, and how much cum (girl's or boy's) could be spread around or shared or smeared or lapped or whatever. We slept in until ten-thirty the next morning, and then were a little more romantic about our couplings.

* * * * *

After New Year's, we all seemed to get deeply involved in two activities: our jobs, and planning for the wedding.

I was back on the road focusing on the TCI projects we had underway. I oversaw the successful complete of six of the systems jobs that winter, and worked with my colleagues at FDC to redeploy the staff to other meaningful work without a hiatus in their employment. I continued to spend a lot of time in Denver, but now missed having Jane and Marge there, since they'd both relocated to Boston.

Marge too had moved into the condo with Jane, and all the others. The fortunate part of our expansion was that we were able to rent a furnished unit in the same building. When I was home, I often was 'commuting' up or down two floors between the other unit to see my friends, and to keep everyone happy. This wasnot a permanent arrangement.

Zoey had also staked out a berth in the new quarters. She decided she liked Boston, the proximity to northern ski areas, and she could still go back to the headquarters for her family's foundation for a day or so whenever needed. Kristen's work was mostly in New Jersey, so she remained there and at Jane's suggestion, moved into her home as a renter. I was there frequently, and we developed more of a loving relationship. Pam, Bob, and Pete would often come by too, whether I was there or not, so Kristen maintained an active 'social' life.

Sheila disappeared to the west coast for a month to make some more porn films. We missed her, and when she returned we had a little party for her at which she previewed one of the new films - 'Island Desire.' She kept one of the films hidden and told us she wanted to preview it when we were at the wedding so everybody could see it all at once. This showing would be her big 'coming out' where she'd go public beyond our inner circle about her acting career.