Mike & Karen Ch. 31

An adult stories – Mike & Karen Ch. 31 by BiscuitHammer,BiscuitHammer Morning…

They were all walking back as a group from Jordan’s cottage, laughing and chatting happily. They’d been served breakfast in the quaint old place, and the three women could not begin to express how awed they were by the transformation. All they remembered was a dingy stone building that had been used to store random equipment for decades, even before they’d come to Blackwell Manor.

“It’s like something out of a Thomas Kinkade painting,” Lisa gushed, almost dancing over the grass while walking with her friends. She’d gotten her phone call to Donna out of the way early, making sure it wouldn’t interfere with the rest of her day, or (hopefully) her mood. “It’s just some enchanted little cottage, I can’t wait to go back!”

“In due course, my dear,” Jordan assured her, walking along beside her as she held his arm. Janet and Mona were walking just behind them, and Jenny and Millie were bringing up the rear. Percy had been registered as a daycare visitor over at Kerkyon, and he seemed content enough with that. The adults were boring anyway. “You’ll be welcome over whenever suits you.”

“Pity Mongo, Princess, and our little boy couldn’t join us, but that would’ve been a crowded table, for sure,” Mona said, holding Janet’s hand as they walked. Jenny smirked as she saw them from behind. Michael had told her all about how close Janet and Mona were, but somehow never managed to become lovers, not unless he was in the picture. The minute he was out of it, they got all awkward, even three decades later. They could kiss, caress, fondle, and cuddle naked, but lovemaking was off the table for some absurd reason.

“Six is the most people I have hosted as yet,” Jordan admitted. “I am grateful that Miss Trilby agreed to stay behind and clean up.”

“What is her last name, anyway?” Janet queried. “Y’said you hired her, so you must know it.”

“Miss Trilby is not fond of her last name, she requested that we not use it, or tell it to people. I am fairly certain that only myself, Tatyana, and the lord and lady of the manor know it, in fact.”

“Oh, sure, make me respect someone’s wishes,” Janet pretended to grumble, making the others laugh as they entered the manor, heading for one of the staircases. “So where’re we off to, anyway? More relaxing and pampering in a lounge?”

“Is it still early enough for mimosas to be legit?” Mona asked while they went up to the third floor. She could’ve rationalized that it was always mimosa time somewhere on the planet.

“We are indeed off to the Dunsany,” Jordan confirmed, while Jenny smiled and bit her lip, her grip on Millie’s hand a little firmer. “Your hosts are waiting for us there, I believe.”

They continued to the third floor and made their way to the Dunsany Lounge, which was a favourite of all of them, because it was so comfortable, old, and ornate. It was apparently modeled on a room from over at Heatherly, Jenny and Millie’s ancestral home. They went through the door into the lounge, and indeed Mike, Karen, and Alex were there waiting for them.

They turned their heads and nodded in welcome, but they also had someone else with them, sitting between Mike and Karen.

Lisa, Janet, and Mona all paused once they were in the door, while Jordan, Millie, and Jenny moved off to the sides. The three women wondered who this newcomer was, they hadn’t met her yet.

Was this Alex’s mysterious girlfriend?

The inhumanly beautiful blonde girl in the long white dress stood now, looking at them as she slowly walked forward, almost like she was floating. Her sapphire eyes were shining, utterly enchanting.

“Hello, aunties,” she said finally in a quiet but melodious voice. She was now standing in front of them. “I can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve been waiting to see you again…”

Mike & Karen

Disclaimer: All characters are 18 years of age or older while actively engaging in sexual activity. This story is a prequel/sequel (sprequel?) to my other work, Alex & Alexa. As always, many thanks and gratuitous panty shots from Freja and Jeanie to my long-suffering editor and beta-reader for their assistance in polishing up and improving this work. Reviews are welcome; flames will be snickered at and deleted with extreme prejudice. Enjoy!

Please Note: There are incest themes with a secondary couple in this story. Just a forewarning.

Chapter XXXI- A Long-Awaited Reunion

Lisa, Janet, and Mona were standing there silently, struck dumb. The girl seemed to be doing her best to hold still, although it was clearly an effort and her eyes were shining. She kept her hands folded in front of herself, waiting. None of them had any idea how much time passed, before Mona slowly reached up a hand and placed it on the beautiful young woman’s cheek.

“A… Alexandra?” Mona whispered, her eyes conveying disbelief.

The girl bit her lip and nodded. “It’s me.”

“Alli…” Janet breathed, rather more pale than normal, feeling her heart racing suddenly, thundering in her chest. “Is… is it really?”

Lisa seemed beyond words, because she was starting to hyperventilate, shifting back and forth from foot to foot and trying hard not to flap her hands. Her eyes stung before they were streaming, and then she flung herself forward, grappling onto the ethereal blonde.

“ALLI!!!” she cried loudly, followed by Janet and Mona, and Alexa burst into tears with them. They clamped onto one another tightly, sobbing as they tried to process this moment. There were no words, only sobs and cleansing tears of amazement and joy. Everyone else watched on silently, Karen with her fingers pressed to her lips and her eyes stinging, a single, crystalline tear on her cheek.

Lisa was still hyperventilating, even while she was crying, and Mona was almost choking as she tried to compose herself, looking at Alexa now, her face wet with tears. It was Janet who found her words finally, two minutes into the hug. Her face was red, her eyes bleary. No wonder Princess had hinted the day before at a ‘no make-up’ day, at least for the morning. Janet had just assumed they were getting facials, or some other pampering.

“Alli,” she gasped, her hands on Alexa’s cheeks now, making sure she was real. “I… you’re back? Really back?”

“Yes, auntie,” Alexa rasped, her own face wet with her tears, eyes glistening, her heart thumping in her chest. “I’m back, now and forever.”

“Where’s… where’s your mom, baby?” Mona asked now. “Where’s Miranda?”

This was painful for Alexa to answer, almost physically, but she managed. “I’m sorry, she passed away just about two years ago when we were living in Cardiff. After… after that had happened, I decided it was time to come home.”

More crying, also now because none of them would see Miranda again. They’d all loved her so much. It had devastated them when Miranda and Alli had simply vanished one night.

“I think you ladies had better sit,” Mike suggested from a chesterfield nearby. “None of you look too steady on your pins, after all.”

The small knot of women, all still sniffling and even crying, made their way to the large chesterfield and began to sit down. Alexa was in the middle, with Mona on her left and Janet on her right, hugging her. Lisa had knelt at Alexa’s feet and broken down crying again, her face in her arms, which were resting on Alexa’s lap.

“So many questions,” Mona gasped, her forehead pressed to Alexa’s cheek. “Oh my God, baby… so many questions…”

“Let me…” Alexa choked, trying to compose herself. “Let me answer the big one, then… No, I don’t know why we left. Mom never told me, or even hinted at it. But… she gave me the most amazing life, I promise you. So if you’re happy with who I am, y’get to thank mom for that.”

Janet and Mona broke down crying again. Mike couldn’t help thinking that Alli’s white dress was going to be completely soaked through by the time the waterworks ended. It was a pretty dress, but thankfully not expensive. It served its purpose, letting Janet, Lisa, and Mona meet the angel in white. How long this emotional moment lasted remained to be seen. Not that they were in a rush, mind. These tapestries, so essential to life, were due all the time they needed. He would have it no other way.

“She’s with dad now,” Alexa sniffled, her arms around Mona and Janet. “And here with us in the ways that count. She told me so much about all of you, and then Kar filled in so many details. I… mom didn’t make it away with much, but I have pictures of you all in my photo albums, I hope we can all look at them later.”

“K-Kar,” Lisa wept, turning her head to look at Karen now, eyes bleary and red, although the tears weren’t all sad. She’d always been the most sensitive of the four of the friends. “Y-y’gotta stop with the surprises, I dunno how much more my heart can take!”

Karen wiped at the corner of her eye as she watched. “If there are any more, I promise you that they’re not of that gut-wrenching magnitude.”

Lisa paused in her crying and looked up at her friend suspiciously. “Your dad’s still dead, right? He’s not gonna come waltzing in here and-”

“Lisa!” Janet exclaimed, for once the one looking shocked and horrified while Alex, Mike, and Jenny all laughed. “Don’t say that, you silly box! I was at his funeral, and I Skyped you two in, remember?”

“I know,” Lisa sighed, wiping her eyes again. “Just been one surprise after another yesterday an’ today, y’know? All of ’em good, yeah, but I’m gonna crumble up into dust if I cry much more.”

“I’ll go get cold water for everyone, ma’am,” Tatyana stated efficiently from nearby the door before turning and heading out. Jenny and Millie walked over to join Jordan on one of the chesterfields, watching intently. Alex stood out of the way nearby, just observing. This was all playing out pretty much as he had expected.

Lisa had composed herself enough to sort of kneel up, her hands clasping Alexa’s in her lap now, and looking up into those beautiful blue eyes. She knew her own were a mess, but under the circumstances, she was pretty sure everyone would give her a pass. “Alli, how… how long’ve you been back?”

Alexa hesitated before answering. “Since last June.”

Mona, Janet, and Lisa all slowly turned their heads to look at Mike and Karen now. “June?” Janet asked quietly. “Y’haven’t told us in nearly a year that our little girl was back?”

Mike fielded the question. “We wanted to surprise you, of course. For the record, my family doesn’t know yet either, they’ll find out at the housewarming when they come down. It has been a crazy year, to say the least, and it takes some explaining. But Kar and I wanted you to have this reunion moment, ladies.”

“I did too,” Alexa sniffled, smiling. “I wanted to surprise you, I’ve… I’ve been waiting for so long to be with you all again. I know you all so well, I spent my life growing up hearing about you all. You, Kar, Mike, Jordan… the only one I didn’t know about was Alex, in fact.”

“The little boy we all agreed should be named after you,” Lisa choked, tearing up again. “We all hurt so bad when you were suddenly gone. And nobody knew why on this end, either. And the only people who could tell us are both gone.”

Alexa nodded rather sorrowfully, even though she was still smiling. “Mom never stopped loving dad. I was there when she died, and his name was practically the last word she said when she passed. I… whatever happened, it made me who I am today, so I guess I’m thankful, in a weird sense. It was a great life in Europe.”

“Baby, are you ready for a billion, billion questions?” Mona asked, her forehead on Alexa’s cheek again, her eyes closed.

Another smile. “Of course, auntie. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. There probably isn’t a question you can ask that I haven’t thought of already.”

She looked down at Lisa now, a hint of a smirk on her lovely face. “Except for asking if my dad was back from the dead, of course. I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Gnnnnnn,” Lisa groaned, her face in Alexa’s lap now while everyone else laughed. “I just got you back in my life and I’ve already asked the stupidest question imaginable. Farvas redn ikh shtendik eyder ikh trakhtn?”

“Just part of your charm, Heyman,” Mike replied to her question, making Karen, Jenny, and Millie snicker.

Alexa sniffled and caressed her graceful hand through Lisa’s kinky red hair. She’d waited so long to do that. She wanted to do the same to Mona as well. The pictures she’d grown up with meant so much to her. How could she make these women understand how much they’d meant to her?

“You guys were part of the pantheon I grew up with,” she sighed, hoping she’d convey her thoughts adequately as this (rather admittedly) emotional moment. “Kar, Mike, my aunties… I’d heard so much, and when I finally meet you, you’re all every bit as amazing as you seemed to me when my mom told stories about you.”

“Well, y’shouldn’t believe everything you get told,” Janet said, smiling wanly. “I’m not that promiscuous.”

Alexa smirked. “Auntie, I saw you and aunt Mona in the spare bedroom with Mike yesterday. Well, somewhat.”

Mona and Janet’s eyes snapped wide at the statement. “WHAT?!” they both almost shouted.

“Lemme field this one, Alexa,” Alex said from where he was standing nearby. He stood up straight and approached now. The three older women all looked over, remembering he was there now. Under the circumstances, nobody could blame them for forgetting anyone else present, could they?

“We had a lot to unload on you this visit, it’s true,” he explained. “Jordan, Aunt Jen, Alexa… so we spaced them out, to give you time to adapt. The thing was, that meant Alexa was hiding downtown with friends at their condo overnight, and as much as she wanted to surprise you, she was really not likin’ the sound of missing everything either.”

He sat down gently on the arm of the ornate, sturdy chesterfield, continuing. “So we came up with the idea of mom, dad, Jordan and I wearing little cams to catch all the action, from different angles and perspectives. It gets recorded and stored for memories.”

“I admit, I stopped watching when you two pulled Mike into a room,” Alexa said gently, smiling. “I mean, not like I didn’t know about you all to begin with, but I didn’t need to see it.”

Mona looked over at Karen and Mike now. “You got everything so far this visit on camera?”

“Most things, I imagine,” Mike said with a shrug. “Go ahead and tell me that doesn’t suit you.”

The black woman blushed a little. “Well, no, I didn’t say that. We’re being recorded even now, aren’t we?”

“Memories for Alli, and ourselves,” Karen confirmed. “Once this little meeting is over, we can no doubt dispense with the cameras, then it’s up to us all to make our own memories.”

The three women just hugged Alexa again, their crying finally having slowed somewhat. She sighed, finally feeling relieved, her anxiety gone with her tears. “I have so much to tell you about the past twenty years, but at least we have all the time in the world now. And I admit, once I catch my breath, I’m excited to do it.”

“I’m glad to hear that, because there’s zillions of questions,” Janet agreed before looking at Mike and Karen. “Have you just been planting little surprise bombs around the manor, Princess? Every time we turn around, there’s some new thing we didn’t expect.”

Karen tilted her head at her husband. “It was actually more Michael’s idea than mine, you know what a penchant for theatrics he has.”

“Oh, right, the guy who stepped into some ion contraption and beat it into producing Colossal-Yowie Manifolds to prove they existed,” Janet grunted, giving him a look. “If you beat on me that way, I’d produce them too if it got you to stop, you big lug.”

“No wonder I lost Kat to you,” Jenny said, looking at Mike and winking. “Who could say no to that kind of derring-do?”

Mona, Janet, and Lisa all put up their hands before they began laughing, as the others looked on. Alexa smiled and laughed prettily as well.

“I can’t believe how beautiful you are,” Mona said, looking at Alexa again and caressing her hair through her long, voluminous golden locks. “I mean, we knew you would be when you were a baby, but… God, girl, you’re every bit as stunning as your sister, and you look like a Blackwell.”

“Thanks, I think,” Alexa sniffle-laughed.

“You’ll let me do portraits of you, right, baby?” Mona asked.

“I’ve waited my whole life to hear you ask that, auntie,” Alexa confessed, tearing up again. “Yes, as many as you want, however you want them.”

“We might need to get ‘er a new dress, though,” Lisa mentioned, holding some of the white fabric of Alexa’s dress between two of her fingers. “We soaked this one pretty good.”

“I bought this dress just to meet you all in,” the blonde girl said, smiling. “I may just never wear it again and keep it this way, with all our tears on it.”

“Annnnnd there’s the dramatic streak that proves she’s related to Princess,” Janet said rather dryly, making everyone else laugh. She shook her head. “If your big sister hasn’t already, make sure she tells you about the progesterone and the cough syrup.”

“That was a wild weekend,” Lisa giggled, and the other two women snickered in agreement.

“No, can’t say as I know about that one yet,” Alexa said, shaking her head. “But I’ve heard about the Beijing Scam, that was some of your finest work.”

“Ugh, I can feel that old creeper’s mitts on my legs and butt just remembering the incident,” Mona said with a shudder.

“We’ve reminisced about so many old memories here in this lounge,” Lisa sighed, looking around now. “And we’re gonna have so many new things to find out in here now.”

“We’ll let you have some alone time with Alli,” Karen said, standing up now, assisted by her husband. “Take whatever time you need, ladies. Miss Prospero will keep you furnished with drinks, and we will call you when it is time for lunch.”

Lisa, Janet, and Mona hugged everyone before returning to sitting with Alexa, hugging her quiet questions, which she began to answer readily. Mike closed the door as he, Karen, Alex, Jordan, Jenny, and Millie left the room.

“That went well, all things considered,” Karen said airily, holding her husband’s arm. Alex followed just behind, escorting Jenny, while Millie escorted Jordan. “Lisa didn’t completely flood us out with tears.”

“She won’t tell them about her and Alex, will she?” Millie asked.

“No,” her sister replied, shaking her head. “I don’t see that happening. That is one final surprise left for them today, right, Alex?”

“I’m lookin’ forward to that,” he agreed, smiling as he thought about the rest of the day.

***

A car heading north out of downtown…

“Man, the DVP sucks this time of day,” Jeanie sighed from behind the wheel, despairing of ever getting to their destination. “By the time we reach the manor, Alex and Lexi will’ve been married for a decade. I thought the traffic would be light late morning on a weekend.”

“I ams guessing not,” Freja said with a shrug. Predictably, traffic reports had not been terribly helpful about the jams if you tried to head north. They’d already been on the road for forty minutes, and they weren’t that far from the condo. “Worry not, yndling, let us try getting off on Eglinton instead of Lawrence, to see if that helps our cause.”

It didn’t. Freja shook her head and texted Alex, letting him know they’d hopefully make it for lunch.

***

Back in the Dunsany Lounge…

The three women were doing their best to not bombard Alexa with questions, taking their time with a patience they didn’t feel. Mostly, they were asking about her now that she was back. The individual details of her life could wait for endless later conversations.

“What can I say, it’s a dream,” she sighed, smiling. “Back here with everyone, the people I’ve heard my whole life about… watching you all yesterday from downtown, it was… nerve-wracking. I wanted to be here, but with Jenny and Jordan around, we all agreed it was best if I just waited, you know?”

“We understand,” Janet sniffled, caressing Alexa’s incredible golden hair. “I hope we don’t drive you crazy with questions.”

“You couldn’t,” Alexa said readily, shaking her head. “But if I don’t answer directly, that means Kar asked me not to.”

“Meanin’ more surprises,” Lisa muttered, pinching her eyes. “What does that woman think I’m made of, dammit?”

“Any surprises are a good thing,” Alexa assured her, smiling. “I made it through last night, so anything is possible.”

“Who’re your friends you stayed with?” Mona asked now.

Alexa almost smirked. “Their names are Freja and Jeanie. Plot twist, Fre was my girlfriend for a long time when mom and I lived in Denmark; we were in love and we’re still soulmates. But she came for a visit last summer, and she and Jeanie fell in love at first sight. They got married not long after, and now they live downtown and Fre is becoming a Canadian citizen.”

“Ooh, harsh, baby,” Mona said, making a slightly pained face. “Were you okay with Freja doing that?”

“More than,” Alexa assured her again. “Fre broke up with me when we were in our mid-teens, she knew she wasn’t my intended. She said I was too big and grand for her.”

“Shades of you and Mongo, J,” Lisa teased, nudging Janet. The brunette shook her head.

“But she and Jeanie are a great couple, they’re nuts,” Alexa continued. “We’re all very close.”

“Close,” Janet said, smirking. “Close like your aunt Mona and me are close with Mike, or your aunt Jen is with him and Kar?”

Alexa nodded simply, checking the natural impulse to mention Alex. “Oh yes, that’s a very happy arrangement for all of us.”

“Are you gay, Alli, or bi?” Lisa asked, curious. She knew it wasn’t a taboo question.

“I’m decidedly bi, but most of my life it’s been boys for fun, and girls for relationships,” their surrogate niece said readily.

“Hopefully you’ll find your perfect person soon, darling,” Janet said cheerfully. “And you’re goin’ to uni and taking the same language and music courses as Alex, so what do you think of the kid they named after you?”

Alexa took a breath. “I’ve come to the conclusion that one DeBourne-Blackwell hybrid is about all this world can possibly endure at any one time.”

Her aunts burst out laughing at the statement.

“Oh, a hundo p, so true,” Mona gasped, shaking her head. “Alex is more than even Mike and Kar can handle on occasion, and they raised him to be easy to deal with.”

“Who can forget the Great Oobleck Jihad of 2008?” Janet cackled.

“Gnnnn, not me,” Lisa murmured, shuddering and rubbing her hands on her arms at the memory. “So clammy…”

There was a knock, and Valentina opened the door, pushing in a cart, on which was sitting tea and coffee. “Just some refreshments, courtesy of the kitchen,” she said cheerfully before curtsying and making her exit.

“Aunties, please,” Alexa said, looking at them all earnestly. “Please let me serve you coffee and tea, I’ve always dreamed of doing it. I mean, I may not have taken all those courtesan courses like Kar and aunt Jen did, but I had etiquette training and so on.”

“Please do then, Alli,” Mona said, settling back on the couch. “If you were watching yesterday, you saw how I take my coffee now, but let’s see you serve tea instead.”

“Sounds good,” Alexa said, getting up elegantly and walking over to the cart, suppressing her eagerness. She wanted to get this right. “That’s tea for all three of you?”

They nodded and just watched, entranced, as this unreal girl began serving them. They’d never expected this to happen, and it felt as much like a dream for them as it did for Alexa.

Thank God any surprises Mike and Karen had left weren’t quite this dramatic, apparently.

***

East wing, the master suite…

“Methinks we have just made Lisa’s life harder,” Karen mused as she sat in her comfy chair while Mike sat on a small, sturdy ottoman and had his wife’s feet in her lap, caressing and massaging them. It was all Karen could do to stay conscious and not drift off to a realm of complete bliss. Heaven help her little sister if Alex ever became as skilled at foot massages as his father. “She was already conflicted about the need to head back so quickly.”

“To be fair, we didn’t know she was on such a strict timeline,” Mike pointed out, working each of her toes individually and making her melt. Karen Gordon-DeBourne’s entire body was an erogenous zone, frankly, and turning her into a puddle of bliss was the simplest thing on earth if one knew what to do. And he was the expert on that subject. “And Heaven only knows when Janet and Mona will leave now.”

“I’m not the least bit surprised that you caught them trying to make out in the hall yesterday,” she giggled lazily. “Do you think they’ll ever complete without you?”

“They might not want to, they can rationalize it this way,” the titan blond man said with a shrug. “If it’s just weird but ain’t broke…”

In the guest suite next door…

“What I don’t rightly understand is how we ended up naked and cuddling in your bed, when we will no doubt have to get dressed and go do something else before long,” Millie mumbled as she snuggled into her sister’s side, her arms around Jen. The stacked blonde was simply smirking at the ceiling.

“Is that a protest or complaint?” the older sister asked, turning her head to look at Millie and give her a peck on the nose. “It sounded rather spurious, really.”

“Well, no,” the brunette allowed. “I admit, though, at least fifty percent of these ‘naked sisters’ incidents happen without my knowing exactly what just happened.”

“You started getting undressed, I assumed you wanted to cuddle,” Jenny said simply, shrugging. “Was I wrong?”

“I was simply getting out of my early morning attire, and before I knew what was happening, you were starkers and lying on the bed,” Millie seemed to grouse, even if she didn’t mean it. “Next thing I know, I’m being pulled into this plush bed of yours and I’ve got tits all over me.”

“Mmmm, a tough life indeed, Lady Chudleigh,” Jenny cooed, turning now to face into Millie, their foreheads pressed. “Admit it, this is very comfortable.”

“Methinks I am merely a substitute for the fact that you cannot get railed next door by our hosts,” Millie observed somewhat dryly, making her sister giggle. “I lack the appropriate appendages for most of that operation, Greymoor.”

“Well, maybe I just love and miss the feeling of my favourite oopsie all snuggled up with me,” Jenny cooed, smiling charmingly and wiggling her ample tits against her sister’s smaller ones.

“Gnnnn, you bitch,” the younger woman sighed, surrendering to the intimacy. She’d half-expected Jen to do this anyway, and had still gotten undressed. Maybe she didn’t object as much as she was letting on. “Well, how do you plan to make it up to me for disgracing and inconveniencing me in this matter, hm?”

“Says the girl who once got drunk and fell asleep with her face in my crotch,” Jenny teased, making Millie remember the incident. “But did I take advantage, no matter how turned on I became?”

“And my face was still stickier than the floor of the treacle factory in Slough when I woke up in the morning, even if you didn’t happen to get off,” Millie sighed, shaking her head. “Well, I guess some caresses and Penrose kisses might atone for your misdeeds to my august person.”

“As the Lady of Sheppey wishes,” Jenny purred, pulling her sister in to a loving kiss, their bodies melting together. They’d never made love, of course, but they were fairly certain next to nobody out there would understand the bond between the Penrose sisters. They also didn’t care what anyone else thought, mind.

Frankly, it was a drop in the bucket beside all the unusual goings-on around here.

***

Downstairs, the informal dining room…

“God, you should’ve seen it,” Val sighed as she told everyone about what had happened so far this morning. Only she and Tatyana had seen any of it. The entire staff was sitting around the table, almost hanging onto her every word. Even the normally reserved Dave seemed intrigued. “They cried, Lexi looked like an absolute angel, and they were so stunned and happy to see her. I mean, happy doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

“I concur with Miss Prospero,” the seneschal agreed, nodding. “Their being reunited with Lady Greymoor yesterday wasn’t a patch on this. I find it quite stunning what these people all mean to one another.”

“I guess we’re all just used to it by now,” Glenda reasoned with a shrug. “Still, we’ll always be ready to fill in however you need us to, boss.”

“Yes, but don’t wait on my instructions, either,” Tatyana said. “These people are going to be very emotional these next few days. I am fairly certain the only ones we can rely on to be consistent are the gentlemen, nothing seems to faze them. Even the lady of the manor might be somewhat off. Her life has come back together recently in ways we can’t really understand, so give her room to be somewhat erratic.”

They all nodded. They were becoming accustomed to how things worked around here, so minor adjustments shouldn’t be a big deal. Tatyana looked at Ari now. “How are the ladies’ phones?”

“They’re all behind the firewall,” he said with a shrug. “Because Mrs. Heyman-Blefary’s phone is such a relic that I imagine it’s pretty much unhackable to begin with. I don’t know how a little thing like her manages to carry it around, it weighs more than Kach’s wrench.”

They all laughed while Andrea made a show of spinning her giant wrench between her fingers and then holstering it again on her leather work belt like a gunslinger. Tatyana looked at Theresa now.

“I’m all set for their dietary needs, such as they are,” the chef said readily. “We’ve got lactose-free milk, so Mrs. Heyman-Blefary’s requirements are seen to, and I’ve stocked up on spun sugar for Miss Bresciani’s coffee.”

“The addition of these new names is a mouthful, I admit,” Tatyana said, pulling up her Rubus now and summoning a document. “With that in mind, the lord of the manor has given me code names for our new guests that we can refer to them as between one another, just as we do for everyone else. And they are as follows…”

She cleared her throat for a moment and began reading while everyone else took it down in notes or keyed it into their own Rubus. “Mrs. Heyman-Blefary is ‘Red Storm’.”

This brought a round of snickers from several staff members. They were all familiar with Lisa’s very strong activist and borderline communist nature thanks to anecdotes from Mike and Karen. Thanks to the shock of red hair, it was funnier still.

“Miss Bresciani will be ‘Mousseaux’, and Miss Remington will be ‘Skittles’.”

“Okay, I don’t get those last two at all,” Trilby confessed, shaking her head. “Sure, calling the redhead a commie makes sense, but… what?”

“Mr. DeBourne explained it to me,” Tatyana said, putting down her Rubus now. “Mousseaux means ‘fizzy’ or ‘bubbly’ in French, and Miss Bresciani is very partial to champagne. Be ready for that, whatever bottle she wishes. Skittles was the nickname of Catherine Walters, one of the most successful prostitutes in London in the nineteenth century, and apparently Miss Remington, despite her status as a high-powered lawyer, is or at least was known for her promiscuity, hence Skittles. Not that we shall ever remark on it, of course.”

“Hey, if she’s gettin’ it in regularly, good on her, she’s one up on me,” Andrea said with a shrug. “Why should Prospero have all the fun?”

Several people laughed, while Valentina made a show of scowling and sticking her tongue out at her co-worker. Tatyana just shook her head. Just about everyone in the household had a nickname the staff worked with to keep things tight and orderly. Most of the guests’ nicknames had come from Alex, who had something of a flair for inventing them.

Jenny was, ironically, ‘Saint Joan’. Her younger sister was ‘Mokey’. Percy had recently been dubbed ‘Lanford’, since it was Millie who had brought him over. Jeanie was ‘Flopsy’, and Freja was ‘Mopsy’. And since both Rebecca Fischer and her friend Nanu were likely to start being around, they were now ‘Danger Girl’, and ‘Tiny Evil’.

Jordan was ‘Methuselah’.

Alexa was ‘Pandora’, while Alex was ‘Rampage’. Karen got the mostly respectful code name of ‘Princess’.

Thanks to his son, Mike got stuck with ‘Lion-O’. It could have been ‘Mongo’ or ‘Gojira’, so he was counting his blessings.

“How is lunch looking, Theresa?” Tatyana asked.

“Heavy on beverages that replenish electrolytes, I guarantee,” the chef said with a smirk. “After all that crying, they’ll need them. I kept the fare light, with rare roast beef, and salads with quinoa and hemp hearts.”

“If they had a protein deficiency before, they won’t after that lunch,” Dave mused, making everyone laugh.

“Dinner will be in the large dining room, of course, and I imagine they will expect those of us who are available to join them,” the seneschal said now. “No need to dress up, but don’t show up in your work clothes, either. Ari, you’re the exception, since you always look the same.”

“Hey, now,” the young gay man protested while everyone else laughed. They would all be ready for a fun night.

Jobs didn’t get much better than this.

***

The grand foyer…

“Get in here, you two,” Alex said as he held the door open for Freja and Jeanie, who came in looking excited. Freja grabbed his hands, her hazel eyes glinting eagerly.

“Did it go well?” she asked, almost bouncing on the spot. She’d been hearing about Mona, Janet, and Lisa for a great deal of her life too, and meeting them was very important to her.

Alex nodded. “Perfectly, really. Lots of tears, lots of astonishment, and more than a bit of laughter.”

“And they are not knowings about you and Alexandra yet?”

He shook his head this time. “Saving that for later, letting them get adjusted. And we all agreed you two should be here for that, you were such a big part of it.”

“I’m already planning on blowin’ you, big man, no need to try so hard for a reward,” Jeanie teased, patting his yummy butt in those yummy jeans. She was looking forward to all of this too, she loved it when everyone was happy.

The three of them hugged tightly, hearing an ‘Awwwwww!’ from Valentina as she walked by. The hug ended, and Alex grinned at them. “So whaddya wanna do until it’s time for them to meet you? We could play some games in the arcade. Dad and I got a few new titles installed. I just hope Alexa doesn’t take them on a tour.”

“D’you think the staff’d mind if we hung out in their lounge?” Jeanie asked. “We’re not likely to get spotted there, right?”

Alex pondered the suggestion and then bipped his smartwatch before talking to it. “Hey, Tatyana?”

“Yes, Alex?” came her reply.

“Fre and Jeanie are here now, and I wanna deposit them somewhere they’re unlikely to be seen. Can we put ’em in the staff lounge for a bit until it’s time?”

“As long as they can keep their clothes on, I don’t see any problem,” the seneschal said readily. “Some of the staff members may be in and out, but those two are welcome, of course. I do believe that Lady Chudleigh is up there right now, playing cards with Ari and Marie.”

“As long as she isn’t playing against Glenda, she’ll lose her baronetcy three hands in,” Alex laughed. “Thanks, Tatyana.”

“My pleasure, as always.”

He smiled at them both. “You heard the lady, we’re puttin’ you on ice in the staff lounge, let’s go…”

He took them up one of the side sets of stairs in the west wing, where he figured there was the least chance of running into anyone. This proved a sound idea on Alex’s part, since they’d only just reached the landing halfway up the stairs to the second floor before Freja and Jeanie stopped and pushed him back against the wall, kneeling and pulling down his pants and boxers to suck on his cock together. He had a raging erection quickly, but he made them stop before he came.

“At ease, you two,” he chuckled, somehow pulling their mouths off his prong. “I wanna save up, in case I need to be ready to go for some reason. You’ll somehow survive for a while without my jizz in your mouths.”

“Gnnnn, I hate delayed gratification!” Jeanie whined as she stood up, pulling down her shirt. She and Freja had been groping one another’s tits while they blew him. She hadn’t even worn a bra, just in case, so the girls were swinging free. “Why not be gratified now and then just gratified again later?”

“I’m sure you’ll have an answer one day, Lady Aretino,” Alex quipped, waiting while they pulled his pants back up and reassembled him. They both looked at his erection longingly as it disappeared beneath his clothes. “C’mon, you’ve got a poker game to break in on.”

“Bet it won’t even be strip poker…” Jeanie grumbled as they headed upstairs.

***

East wing, grand suite…

“How is it exactly that you ended up in here?” Karen queried while she was resting back on her hands and propping herself up in a crab stance. She was decidedly naked, as was Jenny, who was in a similar stance opposite her. They were pressed as close as possible, the only barrier between them being Mike’s massive cock as he lay below them, his erection enveloped by their slippery pussylips. They were both squirming up and down, massaging him in this most erotic of ways while holding the conversation. “Weren’t you in your room with your sister?”

“Alas, apparently cuddling naked in bed makes my dear little sister horny, and she needed to escape, lest she do anything unthinkable to me,” Jenny sighed for dramatic effect. Mike just lay still with his hands behind his head, listening to this banter between oldest and dearest friends. “So she excused herself and seems to have gone to the staff lounge, to play cards or some such thing.”

“Hopefully she isn’t playing against Glenda, or you’ll need to find her a whole new baronetcy three hands in,” Karen mused, pushing harder and shivering as she felt her pussy grinding both against her husband’s cock and Jenny’s womanhood at once. It was the most wonderful sensation. Their clits kissed just above the large head of his tool before they both slid down his shaft together, a steady rhythm built.

“How long do you think they’ll be in the Dunsany?” the countess asked, closing her eyes and reveling in the delicious sensations that tingled through her.

“I know Alli will make coffee and tea for them, she has been eager to,” Karen replied, squirming away. She’d been in this position so often before, over Michael and writhing against another girl around his manhood. It would be a tiring position for almost anyone else, but she had conditioned her arms, her shoulders, and her core to be able to do this exact thing for extended periods. Not only because it felt wonderful for her, but because of what it felt like for her husband. And nothing was more important to her than pleasuring him every way she could. “Go ahead, Jen.”

“Thank you, Kat,” Jenny said, pushing forward a little more and then moaning as she sank down onto Mike’s cock in one slow, fluid motion. He bottomed out in her and she groaned shamelessly. Karen wiggled in now and pressed her pussy tightly against Jen’s. The countess began to move up and down slowly, impaling herself on the huge member inside her, and also slithering against Kat’s gooey slit. Clits dueled, lips mingled, and they both murmured in delight. Mike stayed still, letting them do their thing.

“I imagine that tea and conversation will keep them going for maybe an hour before Lisa’s bladder announces itself,” Karen continued. “After that, they’ll want to leave the lounge and get on with their day, even if they are glued to her side constantly to make sure she doesn’t just vanish into thin air.”

“And their last surprise soon after that?” Jenny asked breathily, her brown eyes rather glazed with pleasure. She pulled up and off now, allowing Karen to push herself down on her husband’s cock, feeling her and making her sigh. Her held fell back and her eyes closed. She picked up where Jenny left off, squeezing herself against Michael as she moved up and down, while Jenny squirmed her pussy against the two of them. Few pleasures on earth rivalled this.

Karen just nodded, not feeling the need to speak just yet. They switched places again, doing whatever they could to make Mike lose control. But he stayed firm (so to speak) and resolute, determined to let each woman climax at least once before he joined them. Jenny wasn’t quite as conditioned as Karen, though, and her arms began to tire. They ended up switching positions now, with Karen lying on top of her husband, facing the ceiling with his cock plunged deep inside her from below. Jenny was straddling them now, squatting over Karen’s pussy and grinding down hard on it while Mike fucked his wife.

“How is that, lovey?” Jenny panted, looking down at them while she squirmed her hips and ran her fingers through her blonde hair. “Is this magnificent beast going to make you cum, Kat?”

“You both are,” Karen managed to say, her body reaching a sensory overload point. They would all need to shower after this, certainly. “You know how good this is, Jen.”

“Yes I do,” Jenny agreed, her eyes almost blazing now as she felt Karen’s hands on her tits, fondling, squeezing and groping, pinching her nipples between her fingers. “And I want him to cum deep inside you, Kat, so that I may have the pleasure of cleaning you both. I crave it, I am a slave to your pleasure.”

Jenny ground down harder now at the same time that Mike began pushing up deeper and more strongly inside his wife. Karen gasped and began writhing, losing control. She was surrendering to the pleasure, knowing that Jen and Michael would be cum with her. Her pussy was squeezing and contracting around him, her clit a tingling fire against Jenny’s.

Before she broke and shrieked loud enough to alert the entire neighbourhood, Jenny had lunged down and crammed her mouth against Karen’s kissing her deeply. Karen wailed as the dam broke, and Jenny shuddered along with her. With her cunt crushed up against Kat’s like this, she could feel Mike’s cock throbbing, and she knew he was releasing his molten cum inside her beloved friend. Mike’s massive arms were wrapped around both women while they kissed, quieting one another from making too much noise.

Karen could feel her pussy gripping and squeezing her husband’s cock fiendishly, milking him for everything he had as if her very existence depended on it. Her breasts were squashed against Jenny’s as they tongues dueled, both women moaning in rapture.

The shared climax finally ended, and they were panting tiredly. Mike caressed them both gently, letting them come down from the heights they’d reached. Karen was still squeezing around him, her pussy greedily getting every last drop. The two women were kissing deeply, bodies slick from their exertions. Seconds later, Jenny pushed herself up into a kneeling position between Mike’s legs and pulled Karen with her. They kissed again before Jenny began to rearrange her lovers, ready to get her due.

Karen shuddered and gasped as Mike popped out of her and Jenny plunged her mouth down over his cock, bobbing up and down, sucking greedily. She could taste the cum of all three of them and shivered through another little orgasm along the way. Her fingers were pressed to the opening of Karen’s gooey pussy, keeping anything from leaking out before she could get to it.

Once Michael was seen to (for now, since he was still somehow erect, damn the man!), she had Karen turned over to settle on all fours over her husband, her exquisite ass and her womanhood perfectly presented to her. She latched her mouth on to Karen’s netherlips readily, tonguing and sucking. Karen sighed and groaned in bliss, squirming as her friend coaxed her husband’s cum out of her. Jenny made her cum again while she kissed Michael, lost in sensation.

“Well now,” Jenny said finally, kneeling up again and looking pleased with herself. “Next time, sir, I believe I shall avail myself of your rammer and get it in my bum, if you are amenable to the idea. That sounds like a right good time, what? Maybe some anal roulette, if Kat is game?”

“I like the sound of that,” Karen agreed readily. “For all we know, we might have two other bedmates when Janet and Mona find out. It would be nice to find a way to exhaust this man, after all.”

Jenny giggled and snuggled in behind Karen now, pulling her up into a sitting position, Mike’s cock wedged between Jenny’s pussy and Karen’s ass. The countess fondled her friend’s large, lovely breasts while they shared a kiss, the taste of their cum in their mouths.

It almost frightened Jenny to think it could get better than this.

***

The staff lounge, one level down…

“Lort!” Freja hissed as she got caught by a stupid pink ghost while rounding a corner. She’d gotten greedy going for one of the large power pellets, and now she watched her little yellow man invert and die. “These oldsome games, they are so fun, but they can be very frustrating. Who thought only three lives was a good idea?”

“Iono,” Jeanie said with a shrug, sitting not far away at the large table with Millie, Ari, and Marie, playing cards. “I mean, I think your Pac-Man game was around in the eighties, but I have no idea when poker was invented.”

“Somewhere around the mid-nineteenth century, if memory serves,” Millie said, looking at and arranging her hand. “During my radio spots back home, I sometimes give my audience little trivia details, and I recall poker becoming a thing in the eighteen-thirties or so.”

“Wow, I dunno anyone who was around back then,” the younger brunette mused, frowning at her cards. “Maybe that’s why I’m not good at this game.”

“You’ll get better, Jeanie, it just takes practice,” Ari said, smiling at her. After Glenda, he was probably neck-and-neck with Dave for second best at these types of card games. “Keep at it and one day you’ll do fine.”

“I guess,” Jeanie sighed, shaking her head. “I mean, you guys’ve probs got all the different sets by now, and my entire lineup here is just the stupid red diamond and sequential numbers. Boring, right? Boring never wins.”

“Bugger,” Millie muttered, putting down her hand while Ari sighed and just tossed his cards carelessly on the table. Marie shook her head and folded her cards neatly on the table and took a sip of her wine spritzer. “Out of the mouths of babes…”

“Aw, thanks, Lady Chugley,” Jeanie said cheerfully, beaming a smile. “I think you’re cute too.”

“Is getting drunk on the job a thing in this place?” Ari asked. “Sometimes I feel like it oughta be.”

“Gnnnn, kraftedeme!” Freja hissed as her Pac-Man died again. “Hvorfor er du ikke hurtigere, dumme gule mand?”

“What she said,” Ari agreed, deciding it was time to throw in the towel before Jeanie accidentally cost him all his clothes somehow and stole his future boyfriend. “I’d better get back to the office.”

He got up and left, while Marie finished her wine spritzer and excused herself. That left Millie with Jeanie and Freja in the lounge, none of them employees of Blackwell Manor. Freja had quit torturing and killing Pac-Man, trudging over to the table to join her wife and the baronetess. They all sat quietly for a moment before Jeanie looked hopeful.

“So, um…” she began. “Anyone wanna teach me how to play strip poker? I wouldn’t mind losin’ at that…”

***

The formal dining room, some time later…

Everyone was laughing as they sat around the table, enjoying the lunch Theresa had made. As was customary, Mike and Karen were sitting at the ends, while Jenny and Millie sat together, with Percy between them to make sure he behaved. The food was clearly good enough that he felt no need to get out of line.

Mona, Janet, and Lisa were all sitting together as well, with Alexa between them. Jordan sat opposite Jenny on the other corner from Karen. That meant Alex was sitting with Freja and Jeanie, whom his aunts had met only a short time ago, as everyone gathered for lunch. Questions were currently being directed toward the two girls, especially Freja. She was somewhat intimidated, but also enjoying the chance to make her best friend and soulmate, Alexa, squirm.

“So you were her girlfriend when you two lived in Denmark?” Janet asked, pausing in eating her salad. It was some chicken with cranberry and Roquefort thing in a raspberry vinaigrette, and she was loving it, even if she normally didn’t go in for blue cheese. Theresa was an amazing chef, no doubt.

“Yes,” Freja confirmed, nodding. “We met when we were nine, I am thinking, and we were inseparating.”

“Inseparable,” Alexa explained, smirking. “Fre’s relationship with English is best described as a restraining order.”

“I ams not as bad as all that,” Freja protested. “My English, it is getting better.”

“Unless you have to say ‘squirrel’,” Alexa quipped, winking at her friend, who just rolled her eyes. “Fre also has a speech impediment, she can’t say ‘no’.”

“She takes after you, J,” Lisa teased, poking Janet with her elbow while Mona giggled. “You influenced her and she was a whole continent away.”

“I heard so much about all of you when I was growing up,” Freja continued, moving past the matter of her promiscuity. “From Alexandra, and from her mother. Miranda loved you all very much.”

“We miss her too, Fre,” Mona said gently, smiling. “It’s gonna take a long time to accept that she’s really gone.”

Alexa squeezed her aunt’s hand. Maybe she was the only person who’d had a chance to adjust to it yet. Had even her sister or Mike, truly?

“And your shenaninganings,” the Danish girl added, very pleased that these women were all who she had been told they were. It made life easier, certainly. “I heard about so many of them.”

“Most of them were Mongo’s fault,” Lisa said, tilting her head at Mike. “King of shenanigans, right over there.”

“I think what Little Miss Amnesia meant to say was that I was involuntarily involved in most of the shenanigans, because they all got into them and somehow it was up to me to solve the crisis on their behalf.”

Lisa looked comically offended. “Okay, the exploding yacht was my fault, and Beijing was Princess’. But what about the runaway amusement park train?”

“All you,” Mike said simply.

“Pretty sure DeBourne’s at fault for the Fluffernutter setback,” Mona said.

“In what universe, woman?” Mike countered. “You pulled that lever after I told you roughly eighty times not to.”

“Ugh, my sinuses were clogged for weeks with that goop,” Janet grimaced. “I blame you both.”

“Not gonna lie, I thought anyone else was an amateur for these kinda things next to Fre, but you guys sure were pullin’ even,” Alexa quipped, smirking.

“You are not guiltyless,” Freja groused. “What about the Bulgarian porn ring?”

“Fre,” Alexa said tightly, trying to not show her teeth. “Ikke foran mine tanter og min mand, din tøs!”

“Oh, your husband already knows and doesn’t care,” Freja said dismissively in Danish. “We have shown him all of the videos, haven’t we? Every single one. You made sure you did.”

“Wow, you two speak in Danish when you’re discussing naughty stuff?” Mona laughed. “Tryin’ to make sure that you don’t corrupt your nephew, Alli?”

“Something like that,” the blonde sighed, shaking her head. Freja may have been the queen of noodle incidents, but Alexa herself was hardly a stranger to them. “Who’s up for another tour after lunch?”

Everyone assented to Alexa’s suggestion readily enough. Glenda had taken Percy to the daycare at Kerkyon, much to the relief of the Penrose sisters. While he would be back for dinner, even a few hours respite was welcome. The little cavalcade headed outdoors, since there were yet more features for the new arrivals to see.

It was a mild mid-April day, and the stroll through the back lot was pleasant and punctuated by laughter and excitement. Mike and Karen pointed out where the onsen, the tea house, and the warrior garden complex were going, and Mona seemed very excited, even if nobody was surprised that it had been Mike’s idea.

They visited the area where the outdoor pool was situated, waiting to be used again. The round pool, big enough for maybe twenty people to sit in, was meant to be fitted with whatever style or design of coping stones fit the whimsy of the owners. Alex said next year the theme would be the symbols that were spaced around a Stargate mechanism.

“What about this year?” Lisa asked.

Karen made a face. “Black coping with gilded writing in Elvish letters. Michael and Alex swear that it will have nothing to do with the One Ring, nor the fact that I’m becoming head of the family this year…”

More laughing as they headed to the back of the property, where the snaking swards of free space between the giant lots awaited. Several stone pedestals, roughly a meter in height, were waiting for the apiaries to be set in place, allowing the bees that would live in them to take advantage of the endless wildflowers. The honey would be a welcome addition to Theresa’s kitchen, and Mike and Alex were looking forward to making mead with it as well.

The white marble pavilion was still wrapped up against the weather, but would start to see use soon. Large enough for a sextet to play in and entertain people, it was also used for High Tea among as many as four intimate friends. Janet laughed, saying she always felt so fancy when she used it.

They walked along the little stream, coming across the tiny arched wooden bridge that gave people access to Jordan’s property and cottage. The guests had all had tea with him there this morning, and they couldn’t wait to see the trellis over the bridge covered in flowers soon. Janet, Lisa, and Mona were still leading Alexa around, laughing and forming something of a phalanx around her.

“All the blonde hair is amazing, Alli,” Mona remarked, running her hand from Alexa’s scalp and down her back. Her hand only went half the length of the flowing locks, since they reached Alexa’s knees. “And it’s the most wonderful colour.”

“Thanks, I work hard to make sure it competes for attention with my boobs,” Alexa laughed.

“What Bresc meant is that you have the whole ‘Village of the Damned’ thing going on that your father’s family had,” Janet quipped. “But holy Hell, girl, aside from your sister, nobody’s built like you. Alli, your tits go on for days! When was the last time you saw your feet, woman?”

Alexa blinked. “I have feet?”

They all laughed and Lisa hugged Alexa tightly now as they walked. “Allie doesn’t need feet, she just floats around like an angel.”

“You might reconsider when you see how flexible I am,” Alexa teased as they passed the formal Chinese garden, some topiary, and the Victorian gardens that were also being readied for display. “Mom told me that Kar could stand on her hands, bend her spine over and use a bow and arrow with her toes, getting a bullseye. I wanted to be that flexible, even if it didn’t involve weaponry.”

“We’ve watched your big sister do it, so yeah, true story,” Lisa agreed as they came back into the house. “How do you manage all that hair, Alli? It mean, it’s almost at your knees, and it’s really thick!”

“I guess I’m just used to having it, for one thing,” the blonde replied. “Pretty much my whole life, barring one period of shorter hair or two, it’s always been down to at least my butt. Mom loved my long hair, she’d brush it for hours when I let her. She lamented that Kar insisted on keeping hers rather short since she was out of the cradle.”

“Does it interfere with the crippling millennial obsession with taking selfies?” Mona teased.

Alexa giggled. “Not so much with the selfies, but since other people are always taking pics of me, I’ve had to learn how to move it and throw it around gracefully and stylishly. If someone’s taking a pic of my butt, I’ve figured out how to move it over my shoulders for effect. Same for profile pictures, get the hair outta the way, but be sexy doing it.”

“Yup, you’re defo your sister’s sister, Alli!” Lisa laughed.

Then went up the grand staircase to the second floor, greeting any staff members who were on break. Janet, Lisa, and Mona loved the staff lounge, and were thrilled to receive invites to come and play cards or just hang out.

“Ooh, and a games room too,” Mona said, walking around the billiards and air hockey tables. “Li, you still owe me a rematch, y’know.”

“You still sore over losin’ to me all those years ago?” Lisa laughed.

“Just never lose a bet in this room, since the penalty is an eight-ball to the garage at Mach Two,” Jenny mentioned, making Alex laugh.

A few of the staff personal rooms were open, and they stopped in front of Valentina’s. She happened to be exiting her quarters and didn’t at all mind if they looked in.

Val had done all the decorating herself recently, and it was rather pink and frilly. One of the lamps was even heart-shaped.

“Y’like?” she asked eagerly.

“Oh, yeah, it’s great,” Janet replied, making a wry face. “Can the Beaver come out and play?”

“Remington!” Karen scolded while everyone else burst out laughing. Val just stuck her tongue out at Janet. They continued their tour before heading up to the third floor. Alexa hoped nobody noticed her getting somewhat antsy.

“Just about the only room we haven’t been in now is our little man’s,” Mona pointed out, reaching over and squeezing the back of Alex’s neck. “And I don’t care if it’s private, you owe us a tour, now that you’re master of the suite.”

“Fine by me,” Alex said, moving to the front of and leading the way. They headed down the hall to the west wing when Janet looked at Alexa.

“Alli, which of the big suites is yours?” she queried. “We haven’t seen your room, either.”

“Oh, gosh,” Lisa interrupted, thinking of something as they reached the master suite and Alex opened the door. “I just remembered… in all the kerfuffle and emotion this morning, we completely forgot about Alex’s mystery girlfriend! We’re halfway through the day and we haven’t met her yet!”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly, Aunt Li…” Alex said casually as he led the way into the room, followed by his aunts and then everyone else. They seemed confused by his statement, but he gave them a smile and then gestured up to the wall over the huge bed. They all turned to see what he was indicating.

What they saw gave them all pause.

Above the bed was a huge picture, a photograph that was the size of a very large portrait. In it, they could see Alexa flinging herself into Alex’s arms, her feet leaving the ground as he caught her. Their faces were almost touching as they looked into one another’s eyes, the bright laser blue of his, and the dancing sapphire of hers. Crystalline tears could be seen in the air behind Alexa, and the rest of the photograph had been artfully faded out, leaving the focus solely on the young couple.

It was a perfect, one-in-a-million picture of two people desperately in love, by a very skilled and lucky photographer.

Mona, Janet, and Lisa all slowly turned to look back at Alex, and were greeted by a stunning sight- Alexa had snuggled herself in front of him facing out, one of his hands around her waist, while the other hand held hers. Her free hand came up to caress his cheek, her eyes closed as she reveled in the feel of him holding her.

The three women all looked over at Mike and Karen now, who simply nodded. Janet turned and walked away for a moment, rubbing her face with her hands. Mona moved up to the young couple and gave them a hug, whispering to them lovingly.

Lisa’s eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted, only barely caught in time by Jenny and Millie, before she hit the floor.

“Come now, lovey,” Jenny said gently, helping to right the stricken woman, taking her by the cheeks and patting Lisa gently. “I didn’t bring any smelling salts, after all.”

“Bwuh?” Lisa said somewhat dazedly, looking around before shaking her head and then focusing her attention on the scene in front of her. Mona had seemingly finished hugging Alex and Alexa for a moment and was asking them to face each other and hold hands, so that she could see what she wanted to illustrate in a portrait she was now determined to do.

The two were holding hands and looking into one another’s eyes, their faces so very close. Mona was almost in tears.

Lisa looked at Jenny, who smiled and nodded. “It is the most wonderful thing you will ever see, my dear.”

Freja and Jeanie were standing nearby with Jordan, watching quietly and letting the scene play out. There would be plenty of time for questions, after all.

“Ummmmm… can I have a word with you two for a minute?” Janet called to Mike and Karen from the door of the little study just off the bedroom. She was giving them a look that indicated she wanted to talk, seriously. They’d already expected this, and they walked over to the study, leaving the rest of the little group behind. Lisa had joined Mona in congratulating Alex and Alexa, and her tears were once again flowing freely.

Janet had her arms crossed as she waited for them to join her, tapping her foot. Once they were with her, she almost flung her arm out in the direction of Alex and Alexa, her tone bordering on exasperated. “And you planned to tell me about this when, exactly?”

Karen looked up at Michael, and he shrugged. “Right about now.”

Janet seemed irked. “And when were you going to ask me to spearhead this case for you to get the laws about avunculate marriage changed?”

Mike looked at his watch and then nodded at her.

“Tell me I was your first choice,” she said levelly, arms folded again.

“You were our only choice, my love,” Karen said simply. “This was never a question.”

Janet looked over at Alex and Alexa in the middle of the room, still in a group hug with Lisa and Mona while Jenny, Millie, and Jordan looked on. She pointed in their direction again. “Those two deserve absolutely the best representation available, you know. This isn’t a lighthearted romp through the courts, this is serious legal and possibly constitutional shit, guys.”

Mike and Karen both nodded. “We’ve been waiting for you to arrive so that we could submit the paperwork. We wouldn’t dream of doing this without you, you know.”

Janet thought about what they said for several seconds. “I’ll need to take a hiatus from my firm in Calgary.”

“Janet, we’d buy your whole damn firm to make sure you could take this case,” Mike pointed out. “What do you need?”

Janet lapsed into thought again. “I can’t have you bumping me into a new tax bracket just before the deadline,” she murmured, her eyes searching the ground before looking at the two of them finally, nodding her head. “Donate to a charity of my choice. Let me stay here with you until the case is won. And since Alex is officially off the menu…”

She pointed at the bulge in Mike’s jeans. “Access to the brain destroyer here when I’m stressed out.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Remington, but you have a deal,” Karen laughed, hugging Janet to her in relief. Janet refrained from crying. “But just so you’re aware, you always access to Michael as often as you want, even if you couldn’t take the case.”

“Silly bitch,” Janet sniffled, hugging Karen tight and giving her an affectionate kiss on the lips. “Nothing can stop me from doing this, best believe it.”

“I mean,” she said, taking Karen by the hand and returning to the hugfest still unfolding in the bedroom. “Look at how in love and happy they are. Reminds me of you two, y’know?”

“Trust me, we do,” Mike said in his deep voice as they walked back to the group. “That’s why we wanted you here, even if it was a surprise.”

“Yeah, about that,” Lisa said, pulling back from the hug to scowl at the room in general. “Are we done with all the surprises? They’re really wipin’ me out emotionally. Any more? Anything?”

Everyone was silent.

“Anything?” she pressed.

Jordan finally raised a finger. “I bought my little cottage out back for a dollar…”

***

The conversation had moved back to the Dunsany lounge now, where the topic was Alex and Alexa’s upcoming wedding in Versailles, and the move to change avunculate marriage laws in Canada. Everyone was talking animatedly, going over what needed to happen.

“I mean, okay, Janet’s the lawyer spearheading everything, taking instructions from you two,” Mona said, kneeling in front of Alex and Alexa now, holding their hands, her dark eyes glinting excitedly. “You’re the ones this is for, after all.”

Alex smiled his infectious smile. “I know what you mean, but we’re following mom and dad’s lead, of course. They’re the ones with the experience, the connections, and the money.”

“I guess I’ll be spending a lot of time down at Osgood and at the uni,” Janet mused, her chin on her hand as she thought this through. “It’ll be good to visit my old stomping grounds, mind.”

“I’ve already told the powers that be to expect you,” Karen remarked, smiling. “It seemed important.”

She turned to look at the other two now, who will still sighing dreamily at the sight of Alex and Alexa sitting together, holding hands while kneeling with them. “What role do you two see yourselves playing?”

“Gee, I dunno, Kar,” Mona said with a shrug. “I’m a million percent behind this, but J’s the legal beagle. Where would my skill set fall in?”

“Michael and I have been thinking about that, in fact,” the bronze-haired goddess said easily. “You three all have star power on campus.”

“Pfft, c’mon, Princess,” Lisa almost snorted. “Yeah, we’re alumni and all, but we’re not you and Gargantua here. Okay, we all even graduated with honours in our respective fields, but it’s not a patch on you two, Mr. and Mrs. Twin Summa Cum Laude.”

“P’raps, but you still have celebrity status,” Karen pointed out. “Most of the campus is very much in Alex and Alli’s corner, but what they lack is organization to become an effective and positive force for this endeavour.”

“Ooh, I see what you’re getting at,” Mona breathed, turning to look at her friend now. “I can handle the visual arts, and Li can get the kiddies on the campus organized, turn them into a movement.”

“I mean, I guess,” Lisa allowed, considering. “I’m just… y’know I’m not sure how long I can stay, though.”

“But if we all start soon, then you can get the ball rolling, Li,” Janet pointed out, clearly excited by this idea. “That’ll be child’s play for you. You’ve done much more complicated things. Remember the big protest in Hamilton?”

“Not to mention the demonstration in Ottawa,” Mike added.

“Just don’t remind her about the one in Punkeydoodles Corners,” Mona snickered. “We all got so faced that night. I think I still have that sign I stole in a drawer somewhere.”

“Nooooo, don’t bring up the Doodles,” Lisa moaned, looking at the ceiling in despair. Would that incident never stop haunting her? “Okay, if y’think it’ll help, I’m in. I mean, I’ve got at least two weeks to get the ball rolling, right?”

“Indeed, lovey,” Jenny said with a nod. “I’ve become something of a celebrity myself down there on the campus.”

“Duh…” Lisa said, rolling her eyes.

“And I have been pushing this matter quite hard in my own way,” the countess continued. “But I certainly lack your know-how for organisational skills when it comes to the kind of activism that Kat and Michael are looking for in this case. If Janet has the legal end of this covered, it only makes sense that you are handling this more social aspect, what?”

A pause from Lisa. “I mean… how hard could it possibly be to get these kids organized, right? Do the groundwork, find some people to take over when I’m leaving, and you’ve got legions of enthusiastic followers, right?”

“That’s the spirit, Li!” Janet said readily. “With the three of us on the job, this’ll be a cinch! It’ll feel like the good ol’ days, totally!”

“Nothing could ever stop the five of us as a team, and now we’re so many more than that,” Mona breathed, looking around the room and seeming excited. “I can do any assignments I’m working on remotely now, or have them delivered, not a big deal.”

“Well, you’re kinda in demand, Bresc, so we get it,” Janet laughed. Mike looked over at Valentina, who was standing in the corner, and nodded subtly to her. She nodded back and slipped out of the lounge quietly. Everyone was still talking excitedly.

“So do we get to be great-aunts and grand-godmothers down the road?” Lisa asked, trying to hug Alex and Alexa from behind.

“That’s my plan,” Alex confirmed, nodding. “But mom warned Alexa about the size of my head when I was born, so hopefully she doesn’t get scared off.”

“I have seen what Alexandra will put inside herself, so a baby’s head will not be an issue for her,” Freja said, smirking at her best friend. Everyone else burst out laughing while Alexa gave the Danish girl a withering stare. Freja didn’t mind, she wasn’t the one on the spot here, after all. It felt good.

“There is a lot to do, of course, but Michael and I have already started on the basics,” Karen said, getting everyone’s attention before looking at her three friends. “The university knows to expect you to be around, and as long as we’re not using university resources to start smear campaigns, then they’ll be good with letting us do as we please. Michael and I do have some pull, after all.”

“Mild understatement, mom,” Alex replied. “You and dad have pull down at campus the way Putin has pull in Russia.”

“Quiet, you,” Karen chided while several people snickered. It was true, Mike and Karen probably had more influence on the students than the Board of Governors did, even if the boggies wielded executive powers. “In any event, some of the conceptual work is done, and the vast majority of students and staff are in our corner, or at least not in opposition, which amounts to the same thing in our case.”

“Gonna be a busy two weeks for you and Mongo, Kar, since you’re tackling this and getting ready for the housewarmings,” Mona pointed out.

“Most of the legwork Michael and I need to do is done on both counts,” Karen answered. “Tatyana has everything firmly in hand, with her instructions from Michael and myself. And there is plenty to pass off to you ladies concerning the marriage, if you’re amenable.”

“There can’t be any doubt there, Princess,” Janet said firmly. “We don’t stop until this is all won.”

“I am glad to hear you all say that,” the matriarch declared as the staff started entering the room, with Valentina and Trilby pushing in carts that held bottles of champagne on ice and many crystal flutes. “Because from this moment on, we are one big team with one goal, and everyone has a part to play.”

Mike, Alex, and Jordan opened the champagne bottles and poured a glass for everyone. They stood in a circle, facing each other, and Mike held up his glass, leading the toast.

“To Alex and Alli,” he said in a deep, powerful voice that commanded respect. “And the magnificent future they have together.”

“Alex and Alli,” everyone chorused, toasting the young couple before drinking.

Alex had always been confident, but he felt a real surge of excitement at this moment. Just about everyone he loved and relied on was here, and with them helping out, he couldn’t see this failing.

Watch out, world…

***

Some time later…

There had been a lot of catching up, with Mona, Janet, and Lisa asking Alexa almost endless questions about her life before coming home. She answered them all gracefully, having trained for this almost her whole life, to tell these women she revered all about herself. She only held back the most HR-inappropriate moments, and probably only because Jordan was there and some of the staff kept shuffling in and out. Not to mention Percy was due back from the Kerkyon daycare program soon.

“So the last year or so before your mom died, you were living in Wales?” Lisa asked, wanting to keep the timeline straight. Alexa had lived so many places, often multiple times, that it could get confusing. England, Wales, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Holland, France…

Alexa nodded. “Yeah, just outside Caerphilly in a little cottage she’d purchased. I think she knew that was the final place she would live, and she intended for me to sell it after, if that was my desire. It was worth a pretty pence when I did.”

Alexa looked around the lounge they were all sitting in and sighed. Then she smiled. “She loved this lounge, she told me so much about it, and the things you all did in here. She’d play guitar with you guys and sing, dad often on the piano… I can picture it in my mind’s eye so clearly now that I’m here. Mom played and sang to me a lot. And I did the same for her. She loved it when I serenaded her on the piano, the harp, with my flute or guitar.”

“It meant a lot to her, hm?” Janet said warmly, sitting with Lisa and Mona on a chesterfield. Mike and Karen were sitting on the chesterfield next to them, while Millie and Jenny were sitting with Jordan. Alex sat beside Alexa, who was kneeling on the floor, with Freja and Jeanie nearby. Val had been running beverages in and out.

“It really did,” the blonde beauty said, nodding. “I think it was a connection to our past, to back here for her. She taught me all sorts of songs that were performed here in the lounges for people. When she was finally bedridden and her vision was going, she kept her hearing. So me playing and singing was kind of our thing.”

Mona sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. “Really cruel that life took her from you so early, Alli. I guess I feel like she was taken from all of us, even though I’m understanding now that she… she couldn’t come home, even after your dad died. It would be too hard.”

Another nod from Alexa. “I think she was ill and hiding it from me for a while, because once she found out dad was gone, it… she started declining more quickly. I guess she felt it was time. To go and straighten things out with him, if you will.”

“Those last few days must’ve been so hard for you, baby,” Janet said now, smiling.

“Every bit as hard as when I thought I’d screwed everything up with Alex and ran away,” Alexa confirmed, nodding. “But at least I was bracing myself for mom, even if I wasn’t truly ready…”

***

A little hospice outside Caerphilly, almost three years earlier…

She sat quietly, holding her mother’s hand. She was fairly certain that this was the day they parted. Miranda was barely speaking now, and when she did, her voice was little more than a whisper. If Alexa had thought she was ready for this, that she’d prepared herself, then she wasn’t nearly as ready as she needed to be. She hadn’t proven the exception to the rule.

Maybe Kar wouldn’t have either.

“Is all your homework done, my love?” her mother asked from the bed she sat next to. Sun was shining into the room, right onto Miranda’s bed. The door was wide open, but the staff had instructions to leave the mother and daughter alone, since this might very well be their final day together. Everyone was keeping the lovely woman comfortable, and they all knew about the ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ order.

“Yes, mom,” Alexa said gently, smiling. She knew Miranda could still feel her daughter holding her hand, because she gave it a little squeeze. Her mother’s hand was cooler than she was used to, even now. “You know me, I always get it out of the way first thing.”

A tiny smile as Miranda turned her head. “I can just barely see you, my love, but I can hear you, that beautiful voice. Even now, it makes my heart sing, because I am so proud of you and love you so much. You’ve grown up to be even more than I’d hoped for, Alexandra.”

Another tiny squeeze of the hand. “Everyone is proud of you.”

“That’s all I ever wanted mom,” Alexa said softly, thankful Miranda could still hear her. Her mother’s eyes were glassy, she was almost blind. “And I promise I won’t stop making you proud.”

“The thought… never crossed my mind, not once in your entire life…” Miranda sighed. “Never once…”

Alexa sat quietly, just listening to her mother as the dying woman mumbled in tiny voice, and she couldn’t understand what she was saying. It didn’t matter. She was here with her mother, and that was how things should be.

“It’s time for me to go find your father, my love,” Miranda said finally. “It’s time…”

“What can I do, mom?” Alexa asked, hoping the choking tightness in her throat didn’t show in her voice.

“Could you… play and sing for me, one last time?” the older woman sighed.

“Of course, mom,” Alexa said, happy for something to do. “But I promise, this is nowhere close to the last time I’ll sing for you.”

Miranda smiled and allowed her daughter to reach over and pick up her acoustic guitar. Once she had it set in place, Alexa put her mother’s hand on her closest forearm. Taking a moment, she looked over at her mother. Miranda’s eyes were closed, and she seemed to be listening. Alexa knew exactly what to play and sing. Her eyes stung, and she closed them as she strummed out a few initial notes before she began to sing.

“Hush now, mo stóirín

Close your eyes and sleep

Waltzing the waves

Diving in the deep

Stars are shining bright

The wind is on the rise

Whispering words

Of long lost lullabies

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the moon is made of gold

And in the morning sun

We’ll be sailing

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the ocean meets the sky

And as the clouds roll by

We’ll sing the song of the sea.”

She kept playing and singing, but she could hear her mother, who seemed to be whispering and mumbling, as if calling out. Alexa could hear names.

Michael… Ekaterina…

Jonathon…

“I had a dream last night

And heard the sweetest sound

I saw a great white light

And dancers in the round

Castles in the sand

Cradles in the trees

Don’t cry, I’ll see you by and by

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the moon is made of gold

And in the morning sun

We’ll be sailing

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the ocean meets the sky

And as the clouds roll by

We’ll sing the song of the sea.”

There were tears on the cheeks of the beautiful young blonde woman now, but there was a smile on her face as she sang for her mother, one last time they’d be together like this.

“Rolling

Rolling

Rolling

Rolling

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the moon is made of gold

And in the morning sun

We’ll be sailing free.”

Oh won’t you come with me

Where the ocean meets the sky

And as the clouds roll by

We’ll sing the song of the sea.

Grá go deo.”

The song had ended and her mother was silent. Alexa felt her mother’s hand still on her forearm, but she knew that Miranda was elsewhere now. She kept control of her hands as she removed the guitar and gently set it aside. She knelt beside the bed and kissed her mother’s hand reverently, feeling her tears trickle down onto the cool skin.

Still holding the hand, she stood up and put it on her mother’s chest, along with her other one. Her mother seemed so very… at peace.

“Goodbye for now, mom,” she said softly, as if she didn’t want to disturb the stillness of the room at this moment. “Say hi to dad for me, tell him I love him. I… guess I’ve got some decisions to make now, don’t I? But I think we both know what I’m going to do.”

She leaned in now and kissed her mother on the forehead.

“Rwy’n dy garu di, mam…” she whispered, telling her she loved her.

For nineteen years, this woman had been everything to her. Miranda had given her daughter the most splendid life, making sure she became a lovely and glorious person, everything she was meant to be. And now that phase was over, and it was time for Alexa to make good on it all.

Just watch, mom. You and dad both. I’ll keep making you proud…

She stood tall and then went to find the nurse on duty.

***

Blackwell Manor, the present…

Alexa laid aside her guitar now, her eyes closed and tears on her cheeks. That song never got easier to sing, and she’d done it a few times now since her return. For Alex, Kar, and Mike, and then for Jordan and Jenny.

Alex hugged her, kneeling behind, and she kept her head bowed and clasped her hands on his arms. She heard her aunts sniffling and crying, but they knew now that Miranda, the woman they’d treasured so much, had passed peacefully, on her terms, loved and with a heart full of love. Lisa came down to the rug and knelt in, hugging Alexa close as she cried. She’d always been the most emotional of her three aunts, Alexa had been told by her mother.

Karen was sitting quietly next to her husband, pressing two fingers to her mouth as she watched. Her eyes glittered with tears. After all, who, aside from Alli, felt this loss more acutely than she did? Her other hand got squeezed by Michael’s. She felt herself calm.

“Alli, you’re so strong,” Janet sniffled as she came down and hugged Alexa too. “So much like your sister.”

“Nothing in the world I like hearing more than that, for real,” Alexa rasped, feeling very flushed, her throat dry. “One of my life goals, y’know?”

“You don’t need to be anybody but you, Alli,” Mona said, her eyes shining. “Miranda saw to that. You’re more than everything any of us could’ve hoped for.

Alexa smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Alex says I remind him of Vana and Nessa, two of the Valar gals from Tolkien. Vána, the mistress of Spring, and Nessa, the mistress of Celebration.”

“The little nerd’s right,” Janet laughed, winking at her godson. “I can’t wait to party with you, Alli. And you won’t try to make us learn stately baroque dances, like your sister does.”

“Excuse you, Remington,” Karen said while Alexa giggled. “That sarabande helped you catch your first husband, I remind you.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks for nothing, Princess,” the lawyer snorted. “At least I still get alimony.”

“Right, like you need it,” Mona quipped.

“What, you think I paid for that Boxster outside from out of my own pocket?” Janet pointed out.

“I love hearing the banter,” Alexa sighed, smiling. Her eyes were still glassy, but the smile was so warm, it filled all three women with bliss. “It’s just like mom said it was. You all mean so much to one another, and have for over thirty years.”

“I guess that’s true,” Janet allowed, smirking at Lisa, Karen, Mona, and Mike. “I mean, I guess I’m not worse for knowin’ ’em all.”

“Ignore her, Alli, she’s delusional,” Mona scoffed, pinching Janet’s elbow. “Let’s face it, you’re well on your way to having a crazy crew as well, seemingly.”

“Well, I dunno if I’m crazy,” Jeanie said, sounding uncertain. “Just kinda derpy, really. A ‘leaky brain pan’, I’m told.”

The three godmothers all turned their heads and looked directly at Alex, seemingly unimpressed.

“But don’t be too hard on him,” Jeanie added, not wanting to get Alex in trouble. “I mean, I just about cum my tits off when he-”

“Perhaps this timing is not so goodly, my love, to bring that up?” Freja mentioned, smiling wanly as Lisa, Janet, and Mona broke down snickering.

“Alex,” Mike interjected, getting everyone’s attention. “Why don’t you take the girls and occupy yourselves until dinner? I would like to discuss some things about the next few days with your aunts, and that will be difficult if they’re going goo-goo over Alli the whole time.”

“I’m not going goo-goo,” Lisa protesting, looking offended. “I just… okay, totally going goo-goo, y’got me, Mongo. And yeah, there’s lots to discuss, but this is just so… so…”

“Auntie,” Alexa chimed, kneeling in front of Lisa, clasping her hands and giving them a squeeze while she smiled. “I promise, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll certainly see you at dinner, and I’ll be here when you get up in the morning. It’s okay to let me out of your sight for a few hours. Don’t you think I worry about you all disappearing suddenly? This is my home, I’m the one who’s stuck here.”

“She’s got a point, Li,” Mona giggled. “Let’s get this done, it’s important, after all.”

The three women gave Alex and Alexa hugs and kisses before Alex led his aunt, Freja, and Jeanie out of the room, leaving the adults to their discussions. They walked down the hallway together, heading toward the West Master Suite by default.

“So whaddya wanna do?” Jeanie asked, walking hand-in-hand with her wife. “I mean, aside from blowing Alex for thirty seconds in the stairwell, I haven’t really gotten any today, so I’m up for some action.”

“That sounds pretty good, actually,” Alexa agreed. “Today’s been so emotional, I could stand to burn off some steam, y’know? I’m having the time of my life, and loving every moment of it, but an orgasm or twelve would not be unwelcome.”

“You’re just trying to kill me with sex so you can inherit all my stuff,” Alex laughed.

“What stuff?” Alexa snorted. “A bunch of ancient arcade consoles, your Warhammer books, and Blong? Pass. I’m in it for the dick, so no dying, please.”

“What’s wrong with Blong?” Alex protested.

“You’ll save us all time by asking us to list what isn’t wrong with Blong,” his aunt-wife pointed out. “In any event, no dying until you can’t get it up, big man. Now let’s get some of this sugar in my bowl.”

“So, like, are we gonna go fuck in a place where your aunts will catch us? That kinda seems to be the MO about here, y’know?” Jeanie asked. Audiences never bothered her. Unless it was congregation members showing up in the basement of the church unannounced when they should’ve been upstairs singing. Those were awkward questions.

Alexa giggled. “Probs shouldn’t traumatize them just yet, babe.”

“The countess, she did the walking in on us while we fucked,” Freja mentioned.

“Yeah, but that’s Aunt Jen, and she outpervs even Aunt Janet and rivals you two,” Alex laughed. “Not sure I wanna think about what we’d have to do to horrify her.”

“Reaching for the sky is what we do, so we’ll figure it out one day,” Alexa said cheerfully as she reached down and squeezed Alex’s dick through his pants while they walked along.

***

“Y’know what’s weird?” Mona mentioned, looking around the small circle of friends now. Jordan had excused himself to go see Theresa about some herbs he wanted for his kitchen terrarium, so the group had compacted itself onto two long chesterfields now. “We’ve been here over twenty-four hours, and I haven’t dipped a toe in a single hot tub yet. Not gonna lie, this needs rectifying.”

“A hot tub party, is it?” Jenny lilted, looking pleased. She looked at her sister, sitting on the other side of Mike. Karen was sitting with Mona, Janet, and Lisa. “You’ll love this, Mill, I promise.”

“Is there a hot tub big enough for, well, all of us?” the younger Penrose asked rather skeptically, looking Mike up and down.

“The one in the solarium on the bel étage is what your sister is referring to,” Karen mentioned now while Mona started to look excited. “For three decades, it has hosted many of our little parties, and it is indeed big enough for my husband and six or seven normal-sized humans.”

“I love the jacuzzi parties,” Lisa sighed, looking forlorn. “But is anyone gonna hate me if I give it a skip?”

“Well we need you there, since you’re the campus action coordinator,” Mona protested, not at all willing to accept the notion of Lisa not being present. “I mean, okay, you’re married, would it help if we all wore swimsuits? Even Mongo?”

Lisa thought about that, making a wry face as she stared at the floor. “I…”

“Sweetheart, if you’re not comfortable sitting in the tub with us all, we will simply hold the planning meeting here or in some other room of your choice,” Karen assured the redhead. “Mona will survive not planning my son and baby sister’s future from within a hot tub.”

Lisa gave the matter some thought and then grunted. “Hey, I can wear a swimsuit. This is important, right?”

“We’ll all wear them, then,” Mike said.

“Bugger,” both Millie and Jenny muttered under their breath.

***

The solarium, inside a foaming, churning hot tub…

“What sort of resources, if any, do you think you three will need?” Mike asked, sitting with Karen on one side of him and Jenny on the other. Next to Jenny was Millie, and then spaced around the rest of the tub were Lisa, Janet, and Mona. Everyone had their adult beverage of choice. Mike had his scotch and rocks, Karen had her Death In The Afternoon, and Jenny was sipping a White Lady. Millie was drinking a lovely wine from the Jura region. Lisa had a nice red wine she was pretending was kosher, Janet was knocking back a bottle of local craft beer, and Mona, predictably, had her champagne. Everyone was wearing a modest swimsuit, although Jenny and especially Karen looked rather immodest in theirs because of how they were built.

Predictably, Mike and Karen happened to have swimsuits in the right sizes that fit everyone, which rather irked Lisa. She couldn’t help feeling that they knew ahead of time that this was going to be an issue and were prepared for it. It shouldn’t have bothered her, because they were all being respectful, but she still felt like this was all her fault, since she made breaking their nude hot tub session tradition necessary.

“Hard to say as yet, but just a quiet office to research in,” Janet mused. “I brought my business laptop, it’s plenty powerful for what I need, and that whiz kid of yours, Ari, already has me set up behind the firewall, so it’s nice and safe.”

Mona shrugged. “If you’re wanting me to handle the visual aspect of the campaign, I guess just assign me a li’l room I can use as a studio to create, right? Access to a desktop can’t be a bad thing.”

Lisa shook her head. “I shouldn’t needny more space than I have. I’ve got the room next to where we sleep, so I can do my stuff in there, make calls and coordinate and so on. I s’pose if you’ve got a laptop and stuff I can borrow, that’d be cool.”

Mike nodded. Karen was more than happy to let him handle the coordinating and strategizing about this. Not only was he perhaps better at it than she was, she also had her mind elsewhere much of the time, thinking about the upcoming ceremonies at the housewarming, and taking over as matriarch of her family’s elder line, the first one in history to do so.

Mike continued while she listened. They’d already planned most of this out before their friends had even arrived. This had been ready for weeks now. “We have three small offices next to the main office in the west wing, you can work out of there. Normally, I’d just say take some rooms on the second floor, but those are likely to be housing people one way or another until May.”

It was true, there was likely to be guests about until after the housewarming, and taking up large suites on the third floor for mere offices was simply absurd. All three women agreed readily.

Jenny watched the coordination process with keen interest, fascinated by the dynamic. She reflected on the fact that even back when she’d visited in the spring of eighty-seven, this was already a rather established quintet. Four best friends, and then this giant man who kept them all orbiting, even Kat, and only inadvertently. He was as important as any of them in how things worked.

If she’d only known him back then, how would she have seen things differently?

Still, things had worked out the Almighty had intended, and she was happy for it. She was sitting with Millie, her arm around her younger sister’s shoulder. The water was up to their collarbones, and nobody could see her groping Millie’s tit beneath the churning, foaming surface. The younger Penrose sister bit her lip and frowned, but did nothing to stop it. She almost never did.

Jenny thought about what fun they might have, especially with Michael thrown into the mix now. Since her arrival, she’d been told about the countless times they’d had fun together over the decades. Mike would have sex with Kat, Mona, and Janet, while Kat also made love to Lisa. The sex piles were absurd in many ways, but they worked for everyone. Lisa never had sex with Mike, but she clearly treated him like a jungle gym, even lying on top of him while she had sex with his wife.

She smiled and felt a tingle as she thought of fucking Mike and Kat at the same time that Janet and Mona were. The bed in the master suite was more than large enough for them all. The only problem was that Lisa was left out entirely. It hardly seemed fair. First, she was essential, as much as any of them. Secondly, no one would feel like they could have the fun they wanted because she was excluded, so they might just opt not to do anything at all.

She doubted even Michael could find a solution to that quandary, or make Lisa feel better about it.

Her thoughts turned to her sister now, and including her. True, Millie complained about not getting fucked on Sheppey, but being in Michael’s presence was clearly giving the younger Penrose tingles as well. She stood somewhat closer to him than Jenny was used to seeing her normally aloof sister stand to men, although it was hardly noticeable to anyone who wasn’t Millie’s sibling.

She restrained a giggle and settled for a smirk at the thought of Millie seeing Michael’s cock up close for the first time. Jenny would need to have smelling salts handy in case that happened.

Somehow, she’d have to fuck Michael and Kat along with Janet and Mona, even if it meant distracting her sister and Lisa. Right now, though, they were planning. And that was important.

She winked at Valentina, who stood near the door to the solarium, smiling and waiting patiently in her scandalous little outfit, refilling glasses as necessary. The benefit to all the waiting around the little Italian girl did was that she was the first to know just about everything, and had the best gossip. Val smiled warmly and winked back.

Whatever plans were being made had finally wound down, and people got out of the tub while Valentina collected the glasses. She dried the countess and the baronetess off with large, plush towels and helped them slip into their robes. The sisters nodded to the others and stepped out, heading to Jenny’s room.

“Bollocks,” Jenny breathed as they headed up the stairs. “If only we could’ve been naked.”

“You’re running on the assumption that I want to watch you fuck your former girlfriend and her current husband in a hot tub at close quarters, I feel compelled to point out,” Millie said.

“Are you saying you didn’t want to?” the older sister asked with a smirk.

“I didn’t say that either,” Millie sniffed. “How many times have I watched you get fucked, Greymoor?”

“A lot more than I’ve ever watched you get it in,” the countess quipped, making Millie roll her eyes. “I can readily think only of the once, when I walked in on you and that Indian boy with the lazy eye.”

“How many times have I asked you to not bring up Pradeep?” Millie groused, while Jenny giggled and reached down to caress her sister’s bum underneath her robe as they reached the landing of the third floor. They turned and went into Jenny’s suite, shedding their robes and sitting down side-by-side on the bed.

“Dinner is in, what, two hours?” Millie asked.

“And Percy is due back in one,” Jenny sighed, not looking forward to his return. He’d become quite the prat recently. She’d have to have a word with her son about her grandson’s behaviour.

“Well, I could go back to my room on the second floor and simply wait for him, but I already know you’re going to suggest that we just lie here in your disgustingly comfortable bed and roll around in one another’s tits until the last moment,” the brunette sighed. “It might serve as some small substitute for watching my sister get railed by the cock she refuses to stop raving about.”

“I thought you’d see reason,” Jenny cooed, easing Millie down onto the bed and rolling on top of her so that their breasts squashed together while she gave her a loving kiss.

***

Down the hallway, in a room full of pillows…

“I’m sorry, guys,” Lisa said as she shed her bathing suit and tossed it in a hamper. Apparently Val or Trilby would be by during dinner to take any laundry they had. “Not just about the swimsuits in the tub, but makin’ things awkward in general.”

“Honey, you’re not,” Mona insisted, turning and looking at her friend now. She had taken off her swimsuit too, and was standing naked. Lisa had her back turned to them as she began getting into her clothes. It felt weird after over thirty years of being so free and easy around each other. “We’re being respectful, that’s all.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one who screwed up the tradition by going and getting married,” Lisa almost whined. She’d slipped into a bra and panties by now before turning to look at Mona and Janet, who were still naked. “I mean, go ahead and tell me you two wouldn’t been spiked on Mongo in that tub if I wasn’t married.”

Neither woman could answer immediately.

“And I’ll even bet you’re not considering going over to Mike and Kar’s room and having a big ol’ sex pile like we always used to, because I can’t be part of it,” the redhead challenged now. “As long as we’re here, you’re gonna find excuses to keep not doin’ it, right?”

Janet fumbled for an answer. “I…”

“Hey, at least you two managed to get it in yesterday while I was out with Kar,” Lisa sighed again, knowing that her friends were not to be blamed here. Was anyone, really? Circumstances changed all the time. She was just upset that for the first time in thirty years, the dynamic between them all had changed. Even when Janet was married, she still kept fucking Mike. Not that either of her marriages had lasted that long.

“I will not be responsible for everyone walking around on eggshells because of me, and I’m sure as Hell not gonna be the reason you two aren’t getting laid by Mongo,” Lisa announced, her hands on her hips and giving them a firm look. “So you two make sure you’re getting it in like you always did. I… I don’t know who I’ll tattle on you to, since Mike’s involved, but I’ll think of someone.”

“Okay, Li,” Mona laughed now, having forgotten to start getting dressed as yet. It actually relieved Lisa a little bit that they could forget and not remember to cover up immediately. “Remington and I will absolutely take that burden on, we promise. Just not while you’re with us.”

“I guess that’s a start,” Lisa sniffed as she pulled on a light green dress. “I guess I’d better go give Donna a call, it’s about that time. I’ll see you down on the main floor, ladies.”

She trotted out of the room and closed the door, leaving Mona and Janet alone. They were standing together, still holding their panties. Silence reigned for a few moments before Janet spoke.

“We don’t have time to go and get fucked, do we?” she asked.

Mona shook her head. “Wanna lie down in the cushions, and roll around in each other’s tits and fail at making out?”

“You know I do, slut!” Janet said as she grabbed a cackling Mona and fell into the pillows with her, naked and beginning to kiss her.

***

Master Suite East…

“Poor Lisa,” Karen said as she laid back against her husband’s vast frame, naked on their bed. She was just sitting there, letting him run his powerful fingers through her hair, which relaxed her completely every time he did it. Nobody, anywhere, could relax Karen or bring her calm the way Michael did. It was like he was put on this earth specifically to do it. “She felt so bad about the swimsuits. I imagine she’ll assume that she’s interfering mightily with our little group scenes as well, and that we simply won’t have them because she can’t be included.”

“That does sound like a conundrum Red would come up with for herself,” Mike agreed simply. “This particular visit is likely to proving challenging for each of the ladies.”

“Even Mona?” Karen queried. “She is normally so adaptable and laid-back.”

“She’ll have a hard time convincing herself she’s an essential part of this crusade we’re embarking on,” he pointed out, stroking his huge thumbs up the back of her neck and making her sigh in languid pleasure. “Janet’s role is so very clear, and even Lisa’s is. Mona will be worried that her own part is simply just a make-work position so that everyone feels included. And that won’t sit with her, not deep down.”

“And the next two seasons for Janet are going to be so very busy,” Karen mused, her eyes still closed. She wished they had time to make love, she could use it. He’d already made her climax at least four times today, but addiction was a scary thing. They needed to be downstairs, though. “Please take good care of her, Michael. She’ll need it.”

“Well, only because you asked nice and because I like you, Gordon,” he replied, making her giggle. “You have your own little issue to resolve with her after all these decades in any event.”

“I know,” she sighed, relaxing more. She wouldn’t be able to leave the bed at this rate. “She no doubt wishes I’d quit bringing it up, mind.”

“It means more to you than it does to her, certainly,” Mike allowed. “She has plenty to worry about already, and she’s no doubt begun angsting about Lisa and her situation.”

“Lisa will tell them not to curb their activities with us simply because of her, and she’ll even try to mean it,” the bronze-haired goddess murmured, shivering as her mighty husband changed the pressure and pace of her scalp and neck massage, making her even more gooey. “And you just changed the massage to a type I’m even less resistant to, meaning you’re up to something and destroying my ability to say no to whatever you have in mind.”

“It’s like you know me or something,” he chuckled. “I might have a compromise Lisa can live with, let’s just let everyone get settled in first, shall we?”

“Whatever you want, Michael…” Karen slurred, almost falling asleep on a wave of pleasure as her nerves went to mush.

***

A limo coming back from Kerkyon…

“So, did you have a nice time at the daycare?” Glenda asked as she drove, looking into her rear-view mirror. She’d gone downtown with Dave earlier and bought a child’s car seat for the occasion. Dave had insisted on the most expensive one allowable in the budget, especially if the straps were more like restraints. To his distress, no model came with a muzzle.

“The other kids are stupid,” Percy groused, not pleased about being made to sit in the car seat, but also knowing he had no choice. If he disobeyed, his mimi had threatened to feed him to the giant man. So he was behaving. “At least the food tastes good.”

“I think your grandma and aunt told them what kind of foods you like,” the chauffeuse mentioned, glad that Percy was being docile for the moment. When the inevitable rampage happened, she wanted backup back at the Manor. He happened to like pistachios, apparently, and Karen had a large quantity of pistachio-laden treats shipped to the kitchen at Kerkyon. Glenda found out later that pistachios were high in melatonin and any binge on them made Percy drowsy. Good to know. “Do you want me to put on music?”

“Mimi and Tima read to me,” Percy almost sneered. “Reading is for smart people. D’you know what reading is?”

“I doubt they read to you while they’re driving, your lordship, but how about a compromise?” Glenda offered. “Sit quiet and I’ll put on an audio book for you, okay?”

Percy shrugged. It might be as good as it got. At least he had a juice box and a few pistachios.

Glenda smiled and hit the Play button.

“She’d only ever met one young man she’d consider truly ‘noble’,” the narrator began in a pleasant voice, soothing but intriguing, and easy to understand. “And he was now far away from her, beholden to a family legacy, just as she was, and from which she yearned to be free.”

Percy seemed to be listening, and Glenda sighed with relief. It wasn’t all that far to ‘Blackshack’ from Kerkyon Clinic, but Percy in a mood could make it seem forty times longer than it was. She allowed herself to listen as well, marvelling at how these stories seemed so familiar to her now.

It was almost as if she knew the author, and what moved their mind and heart when they wrote.

***

Dinner…

The meal was very lively, with everyone laughing and holding conversations, laughing at one another’s anecdotes. Percy had been fed by Dave and Theresa in the informal dining room just prior and was now playing video games in his assigned bedroom. Jenny assured everyone he was well-occupied. He would probably pass out asleep with the controller in his hand if they left him to it.

“So Alli,” Janet said, looking across the table at her goddaughter, and making a casual poking motion with her fork tines. Karen managed to not react beyond squeezing her eyes shut for a split second. Janet knew it drove her crazy and was no doubt doing it on purpose. At least she could be counted on to not do anything like that during the formal housewarming dinner. Janet had eaten with both Canadian and foreign politicians, and the Governor-General, so she knew the drill when it counted. “Plans for tonight?”

“I was hoping to spend it with you three, honestly,” Alexa replied, sounding hopeful. “I mean, normally, I’d be dragging Alex off to our room, but since he’s got his penance to fulfill and all, I-”

“Penance?” Mona interrupted, raising an eyebrow and then looking at Alex. “Boy, what did you do now?”

Alex just groaned and hung his head, knowing what was coming.

“Oh, let me tell you,” Jenny said eagerly, her brown eyes dancing with delight. “Kat and Michael had arranged for the bishop to come and discuss the intended marriage…”

Five minutes later…

Mona, Janet, and Lisa were almost howling with laughter as Jenny brought the story to a conclusion. The countess had a touch of the comical bard, and could probably make the Great Plague sound like a whimsical romp. She was not unlike Mike that way, or even Alex. Everyone around the long table was smirking, with the exception of Alex himself, who just sat there silently, playing his part by looking abashed.

“So our little boy is stuck converting decades of all our homemade porn to make amends for trolling Fred?” Janet almost cackled, clearly delighted and enjoying his discomfiture. “Oh my God, that is perfect! Bless that evil brain of yours, Mongo!”

Mike nodded simply, but it somehow had the quality of a grand bow in a major concert hall. There were two things he was the undisputed master of- the perfect gift, and the perfect punishment. Even Alex admitted that this penance was awful, and he had been the most frequent recipient of his dad’s tender mercies in this regard over the years.

“So we’ll get to see, right?” Mona asked eagerly, forgetting her coq au vin for a moment. “I wanna see the process in action.”

“I cannot think of a reason you shouldn’t,” Karen replied, nodding. “You’re involved in so many of those videos after all.”

“Mom,” Alex protested, almost a whine. “Bad enough that you, Alexa, and aunt Jen are always down there, but now I-”

“Ah, not a peep out of you, child,” Karen corrected, holding up a finger. “If this was such a big issue for you, then you never would have committed the offense to begin with, oui? If there is one person in this room whose opinion does not matter, Alex, it is yours. You brought this on yourself, young man. You’re lucky I let your father handle the situation. As long as I am producing estrogen, I can always disappear you and make another one. Consider yourself fungible.”

Alex lapsed back into a sullen silence. Clearly, this was his lot for now.

“Oh, I’ve gotta see,” Janet said, her eyes glinting with amusement. “I hope he hasn’t seen that little romp in the Fergus in the hayloft, I wanna be there for that.”

“That was a good one, wasn’t it?” Karen agreed while the other women all giggled. “No, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t edited that one yet.”

“Oh, jeezy-petes,” Lisa mumbled, blushing. “Y’mean Alex has seen me… y’know… doing things?”

Karen looked at her son, smirking. “Alex, have you seen your aunt Lisa doing naughty things?”

“Yes, Aunt Lisa,” Alex sighed, his eyes closed and shaking his head in despair. “Pretty sure I know you biblically now. Blame mom and dad.”

“I mean, I guess it’s not that bad,” the redhead reasoned, trying to find rationale. “He’s family, after all, which is better than havin’ it seen by a bunch of strangers, right?”

“That’s the spirit, Li,” Janet said cheerfully. “I mean, it’s not like he never spied on us when we were younger, right?”

“There’s no such thing as spying on you, Remington,” Mona almost snorted. “You were naked most of the time anyway. The trick’d be for Alex to anti-spy on you somehow and not get exposed to your gratuitous nudity.”

“Aw, c’mon, it was a good education for our little man,” Janet cooed, making kissy faces at Alex while Alexa burst out laughing. “We wouldn’t him to grow up not knowin’ what a girl looked like, right?”

“Pretty certain Fatima made sure he knew,” Lisa quipped, smiling evilly at Janet. Now it was Janet’s turn to make a show of pouting. “So, Alex, y’got a favourite scene yet?”

“Aunt Lisa!” Alex groaned, looking at the ceiling while everyone else at the table laughed again.

***

A little later, on the second floor…

“Poor Alex,” Millie mused as she kept the sleeping eight-year-old upright while his grandmother fixed his pajamas in place. They’d finally managed to pry the controller from his hand and turn off the television and gaming system. They only had a small bedside lamp on, to make sure the little bugger stayed in slumberland during this operation. “This is a lot of grief for him, I imagine.”

“He’s fine, Mill,” Jenny assured her younger sister. “That is the most self-possessed boy you’ll ever meet. Him pouting is him just playing his part in all the banter happening. He knew before his aunts got here that they would no doubt be visiting his penance room.”

“They’re an unusual family, the DeBournes, aren’t they?” Millie pointed out, standing up while Jenny shifted Percy down onto the bed and began tucking him under the covers.

“In a sense, I suppose,” the blonde allowed, making sure her grandson was comfortable. He’d been fed salmon for supper, followed by pistachio ice cream for dessert, and he’d consumed three glasses of tart cherry juice. With that much melatonin in his system, she hoped he’d be out like a light until the morning. “None of them can stand awkward and uncomfortable moments, Mill, so they have a dynamic they’ve maintained for years now. Mona, Janet, and Lisa are all in on it, and it’s fair to say I had one with Kat while we were younger.”

“Let me guess,” Millie said with a smirk. “You were the spirited brat and Kat suffered the indignities with unsurpassed dignity.”

“Just so,” Jenny confirmed readily. “Alex may have doomed himself when he got the bishop’s dander up, but now that it’s happened and his punishment set, he knows his part in all this. Complaining and being genuinely reticent is not who he was raised to be.”

“They’re creating memories for everyone with this absurdity,” Millie concluded.

“Just make sure you have your own part and memories in all this,” Jenny said as she leaned over Percy and gently kissed his forehead. “You were invited for memories, after all.”

“I think I can do that, Jen,” the younger Penrose sister said pleasantly as she took Jenny’s hand and led her out of the room, turning off the light on the way by.

***

The basement…

Alex was sighing as he sat at the computer while two of the women behind him were cackling in delight. Alexa was snickering while Lisa had her hands clamped over her mouth, her eyes wide and her face almost as red as her hair.

“Omigosh,” she said in a muffled voice behind her palms. “‘m so lucky Donna doesn’t know these exist or that I’m seein’ this.”

“Ooh, look, babe,” Mona said, nudging Janet pointing at the screen. “That’s a great shot of your starfish, post-wrecking.”

“And I’ve still got it goin’ on back there,” Janet said proudly, enjoying the grimace on Alex’s face. He hadn’t even been born when this video was taken, and here he was curating it. At least it wasn’t videos of his mom and aunt Jen this time. He wasn’t sure, but he might have finished all of those by now. He’d just have to wait and see. “She can still take a pounding.”

“No lie,” Mona laughed. “Y’proved that yesterday.”

“What about you, Alli?” Janet asked, looking at Alexa and winking. “Do you let Alex do those things to you?”

“Until he’s absolutely drained, auntie,” Alexa said readily. “Fre, Jeanie and I keep him busy, for sure, and there’s other girls he’s on loan to once in a while.”

“Ooh, like your own flex to lesser mortals, hm?” Mona laughed. “Yeah, Kar does that with Mike. Sharing her treasures with the mortals and dirty peasants, just to show them who’s in charge.”

“What about you, big man?” Janet asked, standing behind Alex and leaning down to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a hug before giving his ear a nip. “Y’ever loan your wife out to other guys to show off?”

“Haven’t yet,” Alex replied, trying to concentrate on his work, which his aunts weren’t making easy. Then again, that was the point. He’d just watched his dad fuck aunt Janet’s ass for what must have been the thirtieth time. He was getting used to it. “She’s messed around with girls, and I couldn’t care less about that. But she’s never asked to boff another guy.”

“Well, given what you’re hiding in these jeans, who can blame her?” Janet purred, caressing her hands down his muscular chest and abs to rest on his belt buckle, making the other woman laugh again, Alexa hardest of all. “You really are your father’s son.”

“Eep!” Lisa squeak, covering her eyes in alarm as a scene with her came up on the screen. The other women burst out laughing again at the sight. Mike was lying on his back, with Karen lying atop him, also facing up, and his giant cock sawing in and out of her from below. Lisa was straddling Karen’s hips and grinding her pussy against her lover’s as Mike fucked his wife. It was no secret that Lisa used Mike like a jungle-gym during sex.

“Not your most embarrassing one with Mongo, Li,” Mona gasped, trying to get her breath back. Her eyes were stinging with tears of mirth. “He’s been closer to inside you than that.”

“Lucky for you, he’s got supreme self-control,” Janet added. Lisa was slowly turning back to look at the screen between her fingers, her eyes wide still. “Remember that time in Algonquin Park when-”

“Yes, I remember,” groused the redhead, rolling her eyes. Clearly there was no sympathy for her plight here. “I was loopy with hypothermia, okay?”

“Drinks for everyone!” Valentina chimed as she wheeled a cart into the room, not at all reacting to the scene unfolding in front of her. “Nightcaps courtesy of the lord and lady of the manor.”

Val was humming while she doled out the beverages. A tranya for Alex, a bijou for Alexa, champagne for Mona, faux-kosher wine for Lisa, and a Sazerac for Janet. Karen had trained her well, she wasn’t so crass as to have a simple beer for a nightcap. Not here at the manor.

“Y’seen this before, Val?” Janet asked, pointing at the screen with her glass. “Y’don’t seem fazed by it.”

“Oh, I’m not,” the housekeeper and maidservant replied. Lisa didn’t mind having Val around, since the Italian girl was even shorter than her, just with much larger boobs. Val’s boobs were larger than even Janet’s or Mona’s, almost on par with Jenny’s. Talk about unfair! “I’ve kept Alex company while he’s been doing this, telling him not to give up in despair and so on.”

“Y’gotta wonder about a young man who considers watching thousands of hours of porn a punishment,” Mona laughed.

“Yeah, especially when it’s homemade porn of your mom and your five aunts,” Alex mumbled, making them all snicker. “Some of this stuff is so illegal.”

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, Alex,” Alexa quipped. “But yeah, Val’s been down here a lot keepin’ him company when I can’t. Y’know, just in case he gets horny lookin’ at all this glistening female flesh.”

Mona, Janet, and Lisa all turned their heads and looked at Val silently. She just shrugged. “It’s true. I’ve helped take the edge off him under the table one or two times. I just consider it part of my unofficial job description, y’know?”

“God, I love this place,” Mona breathed while Janet snickered. Lisa just shook her head and sipped her wine again. “C’mon, ladies, let’s leave Walter Murch to his duties. Alli, ready for another billion questions before bed?”

“Only my whole life!” Alexa gushed, absolutely giddy at the prospect of letting these women know more about her life. They all exited in a giggling gaggle, leaving Alex sitting at the desk looking at the screens with Val standing nearby.

“Y’need anything, Alex?” Val queried. “I know it’s been a long day for everyone, even you.”

“I’m good, Val, but thanks,” he said amiably, smiling even while he made some edits to colours and clarity with this old VHS tape. “I shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“You’re a good man and husband, Alex,” she said gently as she leaned down beside him and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek. Well, it would have been chaste if she hadn’t needed to squish her tits into his arm and shoulder to accomplish it. That was just the way she was built. “If I don’t see you again, have a grea night.”

“You too,” he said, still editing as she took her cart and trundled it out of the room, leaving the door open, humming to herself as she headed to the elevator. He kept editing, remembering to take a drink every now and then. Theresa and Val were getting better at making the tranya cocktail, for sure. This one was pretty darn good.

He paused and took a deep breath, stretching his arms over his head. It had certainly been an eventful day. He doubted the excitement would abate any time in the next few weeks. The fact that his aunts had Alexa back in their lives now…

Alex picked up his phone and keyed in a message to his wife…

***

The Master Suite sauna…

“I must say, you two certainly know how to keep things interesting,” Millie said as casually as possible, sitting beside her sister on the cedar bench and across from their hosts. They were all naked, but Mike had begun the steam function, which was now thick enough to at least partially obscure everyone. Not that Millie was being prudish, but he had the good sense and decency to ease her into the casual nudity around the place. “Even Jen doesn’t seem bored.”