Loosening Up Bk. 04 Ch. 01-05

Joan rushed as she jumped out of bed, deliciously nude. She pulled on a bathrobe she'd left draped over a bedroom chair. "How far apart are her contractions? Did her water break?"

Owen shrugged, "Can't say on either count. I don't think her water broke."

From the stairway the three of them heard, "Oh, shit. My water just broke. I've made a mess. I need towels – about five large ones."

Dale raced out of bed, past the linen closet when he took an armload of towels, and then he leapt down the stairs. "I'm coming. I'm coming."

Joan and Owen followed. Owen picked up the jeans that Dale had probably been wearing when he went to bed with Joan.

Susan had felt something start to happen and had stood, so she didn't ruin the nice chair she'd been in. Around her on the tile floor was a six-foot diameter puddle of amniotic fluid. Susan was holding her robe up around her hips to keep it from dragging in the puddle. She was on display but smiling.

"Hi Susan," Joan said as she went to Susan. "This is all very normal. Do you want me to get Grace? Do you think you're ready for the trip to the hospital?"

"Grace? Yes, please!" Grace was an RN that worked in the obstetrics unit at the local hospital. Joan left to get help as Owen and Dale mopped the floor. Dale got a rubber sheet they'd procured for just this situation, and got Susan seated again. She seemed to have a labor pang every few minutes.

Owen asked, "Do you have a 'Go bag'?"

Dale nodded, "It's by the front door."

Joan returned with Grace in tow. Grace was wearing hastily put on clothes. She went straight to Susan and felt her pulse, felt her bump, and then produced a sphygmomanometer to take her blood pressure. In the meanwhile she talked calmly to the woman, remind her about breathing exercises and how normal all this was. She comforted her as another contraction occurred, and then put on a rubber glove from her pocket and did a pelvic exam.

Grace smiled, "Well, Mrs. Hedrick, I'd say you're about an hour away from having a baby. I suggest that you get your sweet ass down to the hospital. I'll follow you in my car just to be sure nothing happens en route, but you're about five or six centimeters dilated, and given the short time since you've felt something, I'd say you're going to have a quickie birth. Can you walk?"

Susan got nervous, "Yes, I can walk. What happens if the baby arrives in the car? Oh, dear."

Grace laughed, "I've delivered about a half-dozen babies in cars in front of the hospital. They waited too long to leave home. I've done dozens in the delivery room when the doctor wasn't prompt, so I have lots of experience. All that is why I'll follow you. Dale, if anything starts to happen you just pull over and I'll be right there. We'll call 9-1-1, but I can handle whatever happens."

Grace supported Susan as they made it to the front door and down the steps to Dale's car. He'd raced ahead and opened the car door. Susan sat, and Grace reclined the seat slightly and put the seatbelt on her being careful about its placement relative to the baby.

Grace said to Dale, "Just slowly drive around the Circle to our house. I need to get my wallet and keys in the kitchen and then I'll follow you. If for any reason she feels she needs to start pushing, tell her to try to hold back. Only stop if you feel that it's really time."

Dale nodded, "We went through all that in the birthing class."

Owen commented, "I'll close up your house. Go and be a great husband and great daddy."

Dale got in the driver's seat as Grace cut between two of the homes to cut across the core to go home. As Owen got back to his bedroom, he looked out just in time to see the two cars heading out of the Circle property to go to the hospital.

A feminine voice surprised him from his bed, "Just so you know, I hate to sleep alone. I also had an idea of doing something slightly nasty in the middle of the night that got frustrated by the recent events."

Owen smiled, "Joan, I think I can conjure up something nasty we could share. I'm so glad you came over."

Their nude bodies merged in the middle of his large bed, and as the moans began so did the words of love between the couple.

Chapter 2 – My Kid. New Jobs

Dev usually was the earliest riser among the Circle, even on days when he wasn't going to a job site. As he went into the core kitchen to fix himself his usual bowl of cereal, he found Dale.

Dale was grinning from ear to ear. He had six baby blue balloons he was placing around the dining area, and a large hand-lettered sign that read, 'Mark Harnett, 7 lbs 10 ozs. 22" 3:33 a.m. Everyone healthy.' He had a few pictures of Susan and the baby that he'd taken with his cell phone and hastily printed at home.

Dev congratulated Dale on the birth, wished them well, and commented about how his time was coming with Wendy. She wasn't due until late March, but a lot would happen until then.

As others arrived, Dale regaled them with the complete and detailed description of the birthing process that he'd watched. Dale then went off and started to make telephone calls to various relatives to share the news with them.

Because it was only a few days after Christmas, many in the Circle were taking the week off. People didn't rush off, and thus they hung around to talk to Dale and celebrate his parenthood with him.

Although it hadn't been planned, an impromptu team of cooks decided to do a midweek brunch since so many of the Circle were around. Dave led the foray into the pantry and then organized the other chefs as they started on the large breakfast. Rachel went from house to house, and through the townhouses, to let people know about the breakfast.

Some visiting parents and sibs were in attendance as well, staying at the homes of particular Circle members. About thirty were there for breakfast when Dave took count. He was thankful that the nutritionists and shopping team had over stocked the pantries and larder, because the Circle was running through bread, bacon, and eggs at an outlandish rate.

As Dave cooked and joked with the others, he found himself wishing he were on the other side of the counter to participate more with his neighbors and friends. He came to think that his co-cooks felt the same way. He made another mental note about suggesting something more official someday.

The breakfast-brunch came to an end around ten-thirty as people drifted away to other activities. About eight Circle members swept over the tables and kitchen restoring the place to pristine shape as an ad hoc cleanup committee.

Dale came and saw Dave. "He bro, I'm going to head back to the hospital. Do you want to join me and see your kid?"

"My kid?"

"Oh, you know, as in a definite maybe. Susan thought you had some strong input around the right time of month when she was fertile. You know, I hope, that we don't care, but we do joke about it."

Dave thought a moment and said, "Yes, I'll go, but I'll follow you over. I figure that you and Susan have a lot to talk about. I'll just say hello, see baby Mark, and then disappear."

Twenty minutes later the two men walked into the maternity ward. Dale led them to Susan's room, where they each leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Grace was sitting on the edge of the bed talking to Susan. The two women smiled up at the men and she got kisses, too.

Two nurses were also in the room, and greeted the men. One of them said, "Is one of you the father?" She gave a flirty smile.

Both men pointed at each other and simultaneously said, "He is."

Everybody but the nurses laughed.

A third nurse walked in with the baby in a moment later. She glanced at the two men with uncertainty, "Does the new daddy want to hold his son?"

Both men took a step forward and put their arms out to hold the baby. Then there were three nurses confused.

Dave was slightly closer and ended up with the baby in his arms.

Susan was laughing but restraining herself. She told the nurses, "I'll explain later. I live in a very complicated situation."

One nurse smiled and teased, "With multiple husbands?"

Susan adopted a serious tone and said, "Yes, fourteen of them, but I'm only married to that one." She pointed at Dale. She added, "But he might be the daddy," and pointed at Dave and the baby.

"FOURTEEN!" One nurse squealed.

Dave teased, "When we're all in town at the same time."

Susan said, "It's okay because I have a lot of sisters – about twenty or so. Of course, he has four wives but I'm not one of them." She was still indicating Dave.

The nurses' heads were swirling around.

Grace, who was well-known by everybody on the obstetrics floor smiled at her colleagues, "It's all right, really. I'm one of Susan's sisters, so to speak, and so is my daughter. She's right; our life is kind of complicated to explain to someone else. Someday, I'll draw you a map."

Dave passed the baby to Dale, who nuzzled the child. "This is the greatest feeling in the world – fatherhood, I mean. I hope I'm a good dad."

Dave said, "Just keep that thought in your head and you will be."

Grace smiled at Dale and he brought the baby over to her. She said, "Oh, you keep holding him. I'll have plenty of time over the next few months, along with all the other babies."

"Other babies?" the youngest nurse asked.

"Oh, yes," Grace said. "You are about to see a parade of women through here, and we more or less all live together in a tight little polyamorous neighborhood. Not every woman, mind you, is pregnant, but by my count five more will be in here over the next few months, and by then another group will be expecting as well. We think there's something in the water."

* * * * *

New Year's Eve was like many of the Saturday night gatherings for the Circle, except it was on a weekday. There were several rounds of partner switching that the group enjoyed. Near midnight, everyone stood around, mostly nude, and watched New York City celebrate on the large TV screen in the media room, and then most people paired up and went to bed.

Dave held Alice, Pam, Heather, and Julie to him as they celebrated with kisses, and then a further round of love making in their immense bed. Earlier in the evening, Joan and Emily had sought out Dave for lovemaking, and then he'd had a surprise guest slip in beside him at around ten-thirty.

"I have an itch that I think only you can scratch, mister," the mature voice said.

"Abby, how nice."

"I always like to be with you, but Derek nudged me in your direction, in part to say 'thank you' for all that you did for him the past year. I agree and add my own thanks to that."

Dave looked surprised, "He wants to thank ME? I have every reason in the world to thank him, including bringing you into my life. He urged Emily to be in the Circle, too; and then, finally, the two of you joined."

Abby chuckled as she fondled the business end of Dave's anatomy, "You would have had to keep me out with an armed guard after I learned what this place is like. As for Emily, do you think it's a bit strange that Derek is now here with his wife and mistress?"

Dave chuckled as he stroked several of her erogenous zones. "Not a bit. Do you think it's strange that you're lying here with a married man who has a wife and three other mistresses?"

Abby kissed him and threw a leg over his supine body, she took hold of his cock, rubbed it along her slit, and then slowly lowered herself onto his shaft, "I guess not."

"Are you still Derek's mistress?"

Abby thought a moment as she rose and sank carefully on the hardness sliding out and into her beautiful body. "I guess I'm the mistress to fourteen men. That makes me a super slut by most definitions."

"Do you feel like we're all taking advantage of you?"

"Hardly. My only regret is when I have to sleep and stop making love with the others. I'll have you know that I had sexual relations with Nancy and Julie earlier. God, Nancy can do that A-spot thing that you do. I passed out again from the stimulation. You really discovered something in that little ploy."

Dave rolled them over so he was in a modified missionary position with Abby, moving slowly in and out of her body. He could feel the twitches and other aftershocks from the experience that Nancy had given her.

Abby said, "After that, Julie ate my pussy to three more orgasms. I had to stop, at least being on the receiving end. I did Julie and Nancy for a while, side-by-side as they made out. This sure is a sexual place. Has the level of sex diminished since your original group started?"

Dave actually laughed, "Diminished? No, you're going in the wrong direction. We have more sex than ever. A greater percentage is extra-marital, but I haven't heard anybody complain except a few of the parents when they learned that the man they expected did not father their grandchild. Other than that things motor on just the way they always have."

"I always knew I had a high libido and was over-sexed. Derek came along in my life at just the right time to help me scratch that itch on a regular basis, but this – the Circle – is beyond my wildest fantasies. I love this." She pumped her pussy up to meets Dave's down thrusts into her body. She pulled him down and they French kissed, their hands roaming wildly over the other's body.

* * * * *

Susan was home from the hospital on New Years Eve day, and her mother was arriving the next morning from Long Island. She speculated that she'd come unglued at the seams if she had to contend with the open sexuality practiced by the Circle. Susan didn't participate or even go into the core area that evening, but she did have a steady stream of visitors until Dale put a sign up that indicated the mother and baby were trying to sleep.

Dale was doing yeoman's service as the new father in caring for the baby as Susan regained her strength from the birthing process. Several women gave Dale what they teasingly called 'pity fucks' to make up for his wife being out of service and healing.

After New Years, Dave went over one night and also helped play daddy with the new baby, in part so Dale could get a good night's sleep without the interruptions every ninety minutes. He was able to help Susan get more sleep, too, as he and her mother did diapers, bottles, and other baby administration as he called it. The new grandmother and Dave had what might be called a 'strained' relationship.

The Club Ecstasy had a huge New Year's Eve celebration. Christie was listed as the star attraction, and she'd practiced a new act and dance at the pole in the core living room, adding in some really sexy maneuvers that displayed her wares in just the right way she wanted.

Ty had suggested that we hold the Circle celebration at the club, but Christie urged us not to take up so many seats. "This is a huge money maker and marketing event for the club. We've got about every seat sold at this point, so even if you wanted, even I can't get you all in."

"We just want to support you," he said; others standing around nodded.

"I love you all," she said, "but don't worry. I'll make more that night than I do the rest of the month. Christmas was slow, but this will make up for it. January will start out slow until more of the horny snow birds arrive."

The following Monday, most of the Circle trooped off to their normal jobs to start the New Year.

Derek, who Dave had seen only the day before at the Sunday brunch, was waiting in Dave's office as he arrived with Nancy and Donna. He was smiling broadly, so he knew things were good, but he wondered what was up that hadn't been discussed twelve hours earlier.

Derek pulled them all together in Dave's office and made his formal announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that the acting positions that Nancy and David have been filling are abolished; you are hereby confirmed as full scale promotions with all attendant perquisites. Henceforth, you no longer are to use the term 'Acting' when describing you title to anybody. This will be confirmed to the rest of the staff later today in a blanket email from the president of the company, along with several other similar announcements."

Dave said, "But what if Brian comes back?"

Derek grimaced, "If he's smart he'll stay away, but he wasn't smart. If that happens we are only obligated to find him an equivalent position after this length of time. I've talked to HR about this and they're in agreement with all of this. As for you two – Nancy and Dave – you needn't worry. HR will be up to see each of you later today and talk to you about all the benefits and perquisites. Enjoy them.

"Donna, could you arrange for a small champagne toast to our two new executives, maybe about three o'clock in my office?"

Donna beamed, "Oh, yes. This is such a joy to do." She went and kissed Nancy, lingering slightly longer than necessary just to tease the men, and then kissed David. Before he could react, she also kissed Derek. She whispered, "I love you, too."

Derek and Donna disappeared. Dave immediately called Alice and caught her just as she was sitting down at her desk at Knightsbridge Manufacturing. He told her about what had just happened.

That evening when Donna, Nancy, and Dave got home, there was a large sheet cake congratulating Dave and Nancy on their 'official' promotions. Dave noted that one of the happiest in the group was Joan. He had completely taken over the position her ex-husband had held and now directly reported to Derek. Of course, he often slept with Brian's ex-wife, as well. Nancy had moved into Dave's old position, helping to break apart the glass ceiling at the utility a little further. Together, they were grooming another person so that Nancy could move up further without leaving a huge void.

* * * * *

The ides of January brought special news for one Circle member. Ken came into the cocktail hour after getting home and retrieving his mail. As he walked into the core living room, he had a smile from ear-to-ear that defied description.

Alice intercepted her flight instructor and lover, and asked what had happened. He passed her a letter he'd been carrying. Alice read it aloud as a crowd of Circle members gathered around.

Dear Mr. Toomey,

Atlantic Airlines is pleased to offer you a permanent position in their cadre of pilots. We have reviewed your excellent credentials with the USAF and since then the part of your career as a flight instructor and charter pilot. You are the kind of person we need, want, and thus this offer of employment.

You will start as a second officer, but we believe with your background you will become first officer within six months of starting. This period will give you time to familiarize yourself with the routes and inner workings of Atlantic Airlines, our policies and procedures, as well as our aircraft.

The base salary for this position is $92,000, with additions based on flight hours and company profits. Full health care, matching retirement account, and an ESOP are also available as part of this offer. The information package accompanying this letter details those and other benefits.

We urge you to contact Dan Raymond, Chief Pilot, at XXX-XXX-XXXX at your earliest convenience to discuss this offer and arrange a start date.

We look forward to having you on the AA Team.

Sincerely,

Bradley Thomaston

Executive Vice President

A cheer went up from about twenty people and Ken started to find himself the subject of constant backslapping and congratulatory hugs and kisses. Everybody knew he'd been waiting for one of the airlines to offer him a pilot's position. He'd even turned down one offer with a smaller carrier because the routes were all short haul. Atlantic was a large operation with many trans-continental and several overseas routes. Moreover, the company had a great reputation and was one of the more stable carriers in the transportation business. Ken beamed all night long. This was his dream, his biggest wish, and his passion.