Loosening Up Bk. 04 Ch. 01-05

The defense attorney was ready to object, but the evil eye of the judge rested upon him and he shut up. The judge asked, "Are you through with this witness?"

"For the time being, Your Honor."

"Court is dismissed for the day. We will reconvene at ten a.m. tomorrow."

Brad James descended on Joan Paige like a hurricane. "Diary? You kept a diary? Why didn't you say something?"

Joan looked surprised, "Because it was just my own stuff, my own feelings and emotions about what was going on."

"I want that diary in my hands right now. That'll be a huge help. Just so you know the defense is NOT finished with you. They've barely started, probably, but you've given me new hope."

* * * * *

Dave, Jack, and Ty walked through the back passageway in the core building. Two spacious studio apartments had been created, and were ready for furnishing and décor.

Dave commented, "Both women will want opaque window shades before they move in. Neither one seems inclined to join up with our crazy band of misfits. We shouldn't pressure them."

Jack made note of it. "I have a curtain and blind company coming out this afternoon. I think you can call both women and tell them we're ready for their stuff."

Saturday about eleven in the morning a small truck entered the Circle compound. Dave met the truck and the car that followed showing Bobbie Wyatt where to park and how to best move her few possessions to her apartment. Bobbie had been over the previous two days with carloads of clothes and boxes of more fragile things that she didn't want to trust with the movers.

That day was a little different. Instead of the blue jeans that she'd worn on the other days, she was in shorts – very short and very tight shorts that clung to her lower body like the kisses that each man wanted to leave there. A slight camel toe was visible.

Instead of the normal tops she'd worn, she was wearing a crop top made of thin t-shirt material, and she was braless. She wasn't particularly endowed, unlike some of the other women in the Circle, but against her svelte body, the tips stood out in invitation.

Bobbie also wore little pink tennis shoes. She was all female, all the way, all day.

Dave and Dale stood beside each other drooling. Dori came up behind them and watched for a few seconds. She whispered, "I'd like some of that, too. Go get her guys. Reel her in. We need that pussy in our clan."

By noon, Bobbie was moved into the two-room studio apartment. She came out about two o'clock and reported that all the important stuff had been unpacked and put in the right places, more or less. She was looking for a place to put the emptied cardboard boxes.

She stood in front of Dave, saluted, and said, "Reporting for duty, Sir!"

Dave gulped. This woman was beautiful. He'd known that after he and the others had interviewed her, but this was different. Here she was, in their midst, and clearly on display. He said, "Welcome to your new home."

For the mid April, the weather was unseasonably warm after more than three months of chilly temperatures. Circle members were taking advantage of the warmer sun and lying about on tanning beds or sitting in groups at various patio tables. No one was inside in the living room.

Bobbie looked around. "OH!" she uttered.

Dave laughed harder. I tried to tell you, but I guess you have to see it to take in what I said."

"Oh, this is very European. I lived and worked in France for three years and went to the Riviera a lot. Partial nudity is routine there. I just didn't expect it here."

"I'm told that most of the Sarasota beaches used to have a clothing optional section until about ten or fifteen years ago. Ashamed to cover up all that beautiful skin." Dave gestured to the women on the patio.

Bobbie nodded. "And if I want to tan like your wife is doing, that won't upset anybody?"

Dave chuckled, "Oh, you may upset many people, particularly the males, but no one will be at all angry or irritated by that. Quite the opposite, especially in your case."

Bobbie shot him a teasing glance. "Well, right now, I have my first dinner to prepare. What time do my helpers arrive?"

"You'll have four of them show up around four-thirty to five o'clock. You can do with them what you want or dismiss them if you don't need that much help. As I told you earlier we kind of shoot for dinner around seven or seven-thirty on the weekend. During the week, you'll only have two or three helpers depending on travel schedules. Remember, there's a separate crew for cleanup. I'm on that one, so I'll see you for sure after dinner. Again, you direct and manage and divide the labor as you see fit. We'll all be your minions."

Bobbie went off to the kitchen. She started, as Dave had suggested, by checking the large white board at one of the entrances to the core building. People updated the board with their plans to be present or not for meals, and also got

their work assignments. She noticed that she'd have two men and two women to help with prep: Aaron Prentiss, Christie Lee, Nancy Mason, and Dale Harnett. For cleanup, she'd get assistance from Dave Prentiss, more or less her boss, Wendy Connor, Heather Prentiss, and Jack Anders.

The evening meal that had been planned was Chicken Marsala, with roasted potatoes, vegetables, salad, and various hors d'oeuvres as appropriate to a Saturday cocktail hour.

Bobbie went off to the various refrigerators and pantries to get a sense of order as to where things were kept and how they were arranged. She moved things to her staging area, and started in on a gourmet dinner for thirty. This was going to be a breeze.

* * * * *

Maddy Granger appeared at the gated door to the media room. She had a baby in each arm: Johnny Prentiss in one, and Willow Connor in the other. She was making a gentle rocking motion with her body hoping to lull the two back to sleep after getting a bottle of warm breast milk that had been left fresh by the moms in the morning, and then diaper changes. Both babies stared up at her as she sang a little bit of nonsense to them.

She watched out the door of the media room, across the living room, and to the patio. On a yoga mat, just outside the door, the new chef, Bobby Wyatt, sat in an erect position with her eyes closed. She was just in the shade and was meditating. Maddy had never tried that; she wondered if it did any good and to what end.

When she was sure the babies had both stopped fussing, she took them back to the media room, and put them in their cribs. She took a deep breath, and then picked up little Jimmy Marbury and took him to the changing table for a change, wash and dry.

As she worked on the Marbury child, Holly came into the room. "Hi, Maddy. Need help? I thought I'd come and nurse Zoey, and then help out."

Maddy smiled. Everyone was so friendly and helpful here; unlike any other job she'd ever had or even known about. Further, they accepted her as she was. No one had questioned the weird piercings of her ears and lobes, or the tattoo on her neck. She'd even seen a couple of other tats on some of the other women and a magnificent dragon on Willow's father that made her envious she hadn't been more aggressive in choosing something like that.

Maddy said, "Lots of babies here. I just put Willow and Johnny down, so they should be good for a while. Everybody else probably needs a cycle of food and new diapers."

Holly asked, "It's such a nice day. Have you managed to get outside at all? If you want to take some time and lie in the sun, I can take the watch for a while. I'm at a good breaking point in my work."

Maddy smiled, "I'd love that. Thank you. Let me go put on my suit."

Holly laughed, "Nah. In this crowd, just strip down to your thong and lie out there for a half-hour. No one will even notice."

"Really?"

"Look out there now. Besides Bobby, who's new, what do you see?"

A few half nude women, and a couple of guys working on laptops. Won't I upset the men?"

"You're female. You're supposed to upset men. Go with just the thong. It'll be fine. At worst, you'll get hit on, but in very polite ways."

With tentative steps, Maddy stripped down to her thong, and then took a towel and went out to a lounger. She had what Holly thought of as an athletic body. It was thin and graceful, like Bobbie's, it was slightly muscular and curvy. Holly guessed she might be twenty pounds overweight, but it was distributed evenly and not in her paunch or butt.

Holly took one of the baby monitors and carried it with her as Zoey sucked down a meal, first from one teat and then from the other. She sat in the doorway out to the patio, but all in the nursery was quiet.

Mike waved at Holly. He went over to Maddy and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Mike. I don't think we've met."

"Maddy Granger, the new nanny."

"I kind of guessed. You're pretty."

"You're blind. You live over there, right?"

"Mike pointed, "Right there, sort of behind where your apartment is."

"You don't have any children, right?"

Mike teased, "Actually, I probably do. You're taking care of him. Jimmy Marbury."

Maddy sputtered, "But ... but ... I thought he belonged to Kat and Sean."

"Oh, he does, but I'm most likely his father ... or the sperm donor if you want to put it on that basis. Kat and I work together a lot. We also kind of do things together a lot."

"You two are having an affair?"

Mike chuckled, "No. An affair is secret and destructive to the relationships involved. Kat and I are both in committed relationships with other people. We love each other, and so we make love. Our partners know. Heck, they make love together sometimes. Everybody here does."

Maddy sat up and studied Mike. "You're not putting me on, are you?"

"No. Why would I do that? Everybody in the Circle makes love with everybody else. Well, almost. Didn't they tell you when you interviewed? The guys don't play together at all. I think the strictures on gay behavior are harder to overcome. We're very tolerant of each other, but don't make love with each other. We're all just great buddies. The women are different."

"Lesbians?" Maddy said, with a touch of awe in her voice.

"Too limiting," Mike said. "Bisexual might be a better term. They're as happy with each other as with the men, or both."

Maddy didn't know what to say. Finally, she said, "You're a photographer?"

"And videographer. We do all sorts of things, but adult videos are our specialty. That's where the real money is."

"You do ..."

"Yes, porn. If you're ever interested in watching some of my stuff, just ask. Even better, if you want to make some extra money, ask, and I'll show you how good we can make you look in front of a camera."

Maddy flatly said, "Thanks. I'll think about it." This was her polite brush off. She lay back and shut her eyes. Mike got the message and departed after saying goodbye.

A few minutes later, Maddy went back to the nursery. Holly was just changing baby Mark's diaper. He was being a giggly baby, and actually making cute gurgling noises as Holly gave him little raspberries on his tummy.

Maddy said to her, "Mike met me. He makes pornography."

Holly nodded, "Yep. It's not a secret. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"He said he was little James' father, or thought he was."

Holly said, "Yes. Kat and Mike worked together. She edits his films. They get so horny working on the stuff, that they're fucking nearly all the time. We were all surprised she didn't get pregnant long before she did. As for the paternity, most of the people in the Circle don't worry about it. We plan to live together for a long time, thus the fathers, although different from the daddies, will be around to help in the growing up experience. On the other hand, Alice and Pam both limited access during their fertile periods, and so they're sure they're having Dave's babies."

"Oh. This is a very unique place."

"We know that and we love it. This place is based on love and harmony. We struggle with the outside world here and there, and many of us have to work in it, but we get by just fine."

"What do you tell your parents about this place?"

"I slowly let out one fact about this place after another until they finally understood the Circle. They consider me an adult and a sane one, so they didn't say much. Some parents have gone truly ballistic, such as Shelby's mother. Alice and Julie can't even talk to their parents anymore. James' grandparents are still getting over the shock that Sean may not be the father."

Holly cuddled little Mark to her body and rocked him gently. His eyes slammed shut; a good sign since he was one of those hard to get to sleep. Holly gently laid him back in his crib.

Holly said, "I've got to get back to work for a bit. I'll be in the shade down by the gazebo is you need me. Just wave or yell or send out the cavalry."

Maddy watched the young professional woman stroll across the living room and out the door to the patio. She'd left her laptop and cellphone on one of the tables, and she sat down and started to sort through some of her work materials and then open her MacBook.

Maddy felt conflicted. Everyone in the Circle was so nice and helpful and friendly, yet the behind the scenes lifestyle was apparently off the grid, it was so different from anything she'd grown up knowing about. She felt better about it when she could talk to someone like Holly and get some of her questions answered.