The Love Shack

Something was up, I could feel it. You don't live with someone for decades and not pick up on their vibes. Both my girls were walking around sharing secret little smiles, making obscure references to something I knew nothing about.

Naked hot tub had become pretty much standard, and Jules was getting bolder, and Bonny seemed to encourage her. It all kind of came to a head when Jules came out and showed me her vibrator. Bonny, who had stroked me to erection, grabbed it and placed it beside my dick. "Yep, I was right, almost exactly the same size."

We had been hitting the wine a little hard, and I was a little buzzed and slow on the uptake. Jules sat on the edge of the hot tub in front of me and began plunging the vibrator in and out, moaning, getting louder. I remembered she was pretty vocal. It got interesting when she started chanting.

"Give it to me, give it to me , give it to me. Fuck me, Grunt!" She exploded, and slid boneless into the tub. Bonny had been stroking me the whole time, and I was about to explode, when she hopped up on the side, and spread her legs, grabbing my head. She had always liked oral, and sometimes I would eat her for what seemed like hours before she would sigh and push me away. We hardly ever had regular sex after that, but she always had a talented tongue, and years of practice would have me spewing in no time. Bonny actually liked to swallow, saying she didn't go to all that work just to watch it spray into the air, although about twice a year or so she'd have me squirt on her breasts, sighing as she rubbed the hot moisture in, making her nipples stand straight up.

Bonny was keening softly, panting, giving me the notice that she was getting close. I was really working her when I felt a firm pair of boobs push up against my back. It felt nice, but Bonny firmly had me pushed in to her, so I couldn't respond. Then I felt Jules shift slightly, and a hand snaked around, grabbed my straining erection, and started stoking, getting faster as Bonny got closer. Bonny peaked, screamed, and slumped back. I raised my head, trying to get air, when a tongue slipped into my mouth, a set of lips planted firmly on mine. The tongue, the lips, her hand stroking me caused me to lose it, grunting through my climax because I couldn't yell.

Jules giggled and slid down beside me, still with her hand on my dick, slowly stroking. Bonny sat up, looked at us and grinned, before sliding in to the tub, reaching out to touch Jules' hand, eyes widening before she added her hand, both of them caressing my equipment, which at this point had stopped deflating and started growing.

Finally, I pushed them both off, getting out of the tub and pacing, my erection waving back and forth. They just watched and giggled, waiting.

"All right, spill it. What's going on here? I know you're sending some kind of message, so take pity on a dense man and spill it."

They looked at each other, the smiles slipping. Bonny started, but Jules stopped her.

"Grunt, honey, come back in, get comfortable, and we'll tell you our thoughts. Just promise us you will listen."

I finally eased back in the tub, and they snuggled against me, keeping their hands above the waterline. "Honey, how long has Jules lived with us over the years? Don't answer, it's been a lot. Almost two years, this time."

She paused, looking at Jules, before continuing. "The reason she hasn't moved out is because she's home. She loves us, and we love her. But honey, she's a mature woman, a woman with needs. Every man she's had in the past just never quite measured up, and you were the yardstick she was using. We've talked about it for a while now."

"The resolution we've come up with is, one, she stays right here, and two, it's as your second wife, with all the benefits and duties of a wife. I can share you because I know you would never betray me, and we'll be together for the rest of our lives. Jules has always loved you, and you've always loved her. This is a win-win for everyone."

Wow. Did not see that coming. I just stared at them until they dropped their eyes, fidgeting in their nervousness.

"So, then, you've thought this out. Well, you've missed a few things. One, Bonny, I've had a few Jimmy Carter moments, lusting in my heart, especially for Jules, but I've never even considered straying from our vows. Also, with all the extra benefits comes all the extra responsibilities. Now I'll have two women giving me shit, pointing out my shortcomings, directing my life without my input. Kind of like you're doing now. I know you figured two hot women in bed for the rest of my life would be distracting, but I'm at the age now where not all my blood flows away from my brain. I'll think about it, but if, and that's a big if, I do this, Jules, I'll consider you as much a wife as Bonny, and Bonny, you will have to accept the fact that you no longer have my undivided love or attention. There will be someone else, permanently. I'll think I'll go for a drive now, just to clear my head."

I left them in the tub, walked inside and slipped on a pair of shorts, trainers, and a tee shirt, hopped in my truck, and just drove.

I was gone three hours, and they had called at least ten times, all of which I'd ignored.

....................................

They were a pretty subdued pair when I returned.

"Living room, now!"

I didn't even look to see if they were following. They sat of the sofa, patting the spot in the middle. I sat in a chair across from them.

"What brought this on?"

Jules looked sad and sighed. "You have any idea how many losers there are out there in our age group? A lot. Most have gone through at least one messy divorce, some have kids who decide to make your life hell for taking Daddy, some are just plain perverts. If there are any good ones out there, they're gobbled up pretty quick. I'm tired of dating guys who wonder how well off I am and how kinky I can get. There's a disproportion of men to women and I can't help believing polygamy will be the next breakthrough. Don't believe me? Did you ever think you'd live to see men marrying men and women marrying women without too many people getting bent out of shape about it?"

She had a point.

"That's all well and good, but this is still uncharted territory. If I accept, do we tell the kids? Our friends? Bonny, does this mean somewhere down the road you'll be considering trying out a second husband?"

Jules looked shocked, and Bonny blushed and lowered her eyes. I got a real bad feeling all of a sudden, like this polygamy thing might spread out. No. Not only no, but hell no. I decided to attack on the flank instead of going for a direct confrontation. If she was considering others, especially if she had one picked out, our marriage was pretty much over.

"Do you see what a can of worms this could open? If I'm free to have sex with both of you, shouldn't you have the same privilege? If this is where the bus is going, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get off."

They both started to talk and I held up my hand. "Not a word. Not now. I'm afraid if we start it will escalate into life altering decisions. I give you my word we'll revisit it later, but for now, let it lie."

I went out to the workshop. Something about handling power tools that could maim you if you weren't careful would be good for me right now. It would force me to concentrate and not worry over what had transpired. I had some black walnut I'd harvested five years ago, and it was aged enough to work with. Our daughter was having her first child soon, a girl. She was due in two months and I was making her an old-fashioned cradle. The black walnut was accented with cherry and holly wood, the red and white banding really setting the piece off. I even make one runner of the cradle extra-long, just like the originals. Women would sit in rockers and sew or do other tasks, their foot on the long rocker of the cradle. Every time the rocker would go forward the woman's foot would press down on the cradle, making it rock in time. Joy was very excited and ticked at me because I wouldn't let her see it until she had the baby.

I smiled as I worked. Joy was very excited about the baby, and her husband, a good man, was over the moon. He was an only child and his one demand in their marriage was they have at least three. Joy grinned when he told her. "Really? You're going to wuss out at three? I thought I was marrying a real man."

They already had names picked out for four.

...............................

I finally stopped, admiring the cradle as it sat in clamps, waiting for the glue to dry. I was tidying up when I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was after 10! Why hadn't the girls called me? Then I remembered why I went into the workshop to start with.

Walking back up to the house, I wondered what my life would be like in a year. The girls were very quiet. Bonny timidly told me my dinner was in the microwave. I heated the leftovers and ate, rinsing my utensils and loading the dishwasher when I was done.

Going back into the living room I was aware of the hushed discussion that had suddenly stopped. I surprised Bonny by pulling her up and kissing her, then doing the same for Jules. "I love you girls, no matter what. Going up to shower now and go to bed. Goodnight."

I showered, half expecting the door to open any minute. It didn't, and surprisingly no one joined me in bed. I figured I'd toss and turn but was asleep in minutes. I woke when Bonny came to bed but drifted off again as she snuggled to me.

Things were a little strained for the rest of the weekend. Monday morning rolled around and off we went, Bonny and I to our construction office, and Jules to the real estate firm.

A few weeks went by and I pretty much put the discussion behind me. Jules and Bonny ramped up the flirting, and naked breakfast became a pretty normal thing. We still snuggled in the hot tub but there was no repeat of what happened before.

Then came the day my world changed once again. The girls had gone all out with dinner, grilled steaks and all the trimmings with homemade ice cream for dessert. They waited until after we had cleaned up to hit me with their idea.

"Jules and I went out to the Love Shack today. Boy did that bring back a lot of memories. It's a shame to let that fine old building go to waste and we were thinking about remodeling and updating it a bit. We thought we might turn it into a little private club and rent it out for events. We could landscape a few acres around it for outdoor events, put in picnic tables and a small bandstand. It could be used for outdoor weddings if we fix it up right. The interior is pretty big, so we could open a few walls, update the plumbing and put in separate bathrooms. We could rent it out for retreats, private meetings, even put a small bar in. What do you think?"

"I think you've put a lot of thought in to it. I assume you have hard numbers and plans for the permits necessary? Who would run this?"

Jules spoke. "We've got most of the preliminary work done, including the zoning necessary. It shouldn't be hard, it's still mostly farmland around there anyway. I'm sure the commissioners would be happy to add to the tax base. I still have to work out the insurance required for that type of operation and I'm betting it could be pretty high, but we'll want as much coverage as we can get."

Bonny jumped in. "Our crews will do the work, I don't like the idea of using strangers, and we'll have to bring in an architect. We have to make sure the remodel will include loadbearing walls and that sort of thing."

"Why are you trying to sell this so hard?"

"Because the place is in your name. Earl left it to you, not us. Anything we do will have to be with your written permission."

I told them I'd think about it. Their disappointment was obvious. I think they expected me to nod and say "Anything you want, Honey."

Two weeks later they presented their plans to me. With a little remodeling and perhaps a small expansion it would make a very nice venue for things like weddings, class reunions, that sort of thing. There was still going to be a small bar, but on the advice of the insurance agent it was only for the guests to have a place to stock their alcohol. That way, if someone wrecked or killed someone else after leaving the venue, the responsibility would be on the organizers of the event and not us. They would be required to file a party permit with the local ABC office to bring the alcohol in and it would only be good for the day specified.

I had an independent I used sometimes for a second opinion on some of the projects I was thinking about getting into and his advice had been spot on. Once he saved me a lot of money by advising against a limited partnership with another builder. When I passed, he found someone else, promptly took the money and ran. His partner was out almost a million dollars.

He came back to me in a week with his seal of approval. "There's plenty of big venues, but small spaces are pretty slim around here. Basically, all you have is the VFW hall and it's pretty shabby. It stays busy though because there's no competition. I estimate the place will be making money as soon as it opens."

I went home and signed the lease agreement, renewable every two years. I was charging them ten dollars a year and 25% of the profits. The percentage was to pay back the expense of remodeling the place. At my insistence, they had formed a partnership and my participation, with the exception of being a landlord, was nonexistent. This was their baby.

....................................

It took almost seven months to remodel and landscape. Since it was in my name, I footed the bills through a separate company my accountant and lawyer set up. I ended up sinking almost half a million into it. It put our cash reserves at the lowest they had been in a very long time but we were still making good money, so I wasn't overly concerned.

The place looked great. It had a fire rating of 240 occupants. The crews had built things in modular units, like the bandstand, that could easily be taken down and stored in a utility building, along with the tables and chairs necessary for a big event when not in use. The place sported hardwood floors, really nice chandeliers, it even had a fireplace. The bathrooms were state of the art and very elegant. The bar was small and understated, but large enough for the biggest crowd.

The outside had been landscaped, arbors and picnic tables placed to complement each other, and there was even a playground for the children that were part of any crowd. The whole thing was fenced in for privacy. The last thing we needed was some kid getting hurt on our equipment when there was no one around.

They had found a sign in a barn owned by Earl's uncle, the original to the store, and had it restored. They placed it over the front entrance under a spotlight. "Abernathy's Mercantile and Farm Supplies" in three-foot letters. They took it for the name of the venue in Earl's honor.

Our first event was held for free. Annette's youngest daughter was getting married. Her finances were tight, and she refused to let Jason help even though he offered. Bethany, the daughter, finally put her foot down. "You have to let him help, Mom. Let him be part of the day. I've already asked him to walk me down the aisle and he'll be in all the family pictures. Get over your anger at my sperm donor and let him in."

Jason offered to pay us, but we turned him down. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal for future events. The girl is practically a niece to us and a daughter to you. Consider this a family deal."

The venue was almost at capacity. Flowers decorated the hall, the lights muted, the excellent sound system working perfectly. Bonny held one hand while Jules held the other as we watched the service. I felt a warm and fuzzy glow, remembering my own wedding. Then I looked at Jules and the tears in her eyes. I knew she was thinking about both her failed marriages. I squeezed her hand a little tighter and she gave me a wan smile.

As soon as the service was over the crew whisked in, moving the chairs out of line and around small tables set up on the fringe of the dance floor. The arbor was replaced with a small band. In the middle of the second set, Jason stepped up to the mike with just his acoustic guitar. He sang a song he wrote for Bethany, simply called "Daughter." There wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time the last chords died. After that day, whenever someone would see her wedding photos, she would point to the one of Annette and Jason, saying it was her Mom and Dad.

The service was being filmed by practically everyone with a cell phone, and the song went viral in days. Four or five agents contacted him wanting him to sell the song or let them place it with one of their artists. Instead, he gave it free of charge to a local singer who was making a name in country music. He engineered and produced the song, which led to him producing the whole album. It included two more songs he co-wrote with the singer. "Daughter" reached number three on the Country charts and six on the Pop charts. The other two made it to the top ten in Country.

Suddenly he was in high demand and came out of retirement. He told Annette that if she didn't have his ring on her finger in three months, he was going to ask her to move out. It was the wakeup call she needed and again we were hosting a wedding free of charge.

The popularity of the song had an unexpected benefit. People saw how nice the venue was and soon we were booked solid for months out. We did a lot of weddings, family reunions held mostly on the picnic grounds and that often included full catering, corporate retreats, and private parties. It was the 'it' venue for class reunions.

In fact, we held our own twenty-fifth high school reunion there. It was nice to see old friends, some that we hadn't seen in years. Jason was there with Annette, Will showed up with wife number four and stayed as far away from Annette as he could. Booger showed up, and in a surprise so did Gordie and his husband. We all sort of promised to see each other more regularly but I knew it was mostly nostalgia and alcohol talking.

The old crowd could not get over how the place had been changed. Will grinned, looking at the dance floor. "It seems like yesterday when we were all naked and sliding around on the floor covered in oil."

I grinned back. "It's hard for me not to picture it every time I'm in here. Wild times, huh?"

"Yeah, wonder what it'd be like now? Bonny and Jules look even better now than they did in high school, and Annette is still a fox. I don't usually tell people this, but Grace and I enjoy a pretty open lifestyle. It sure would be nice to slide down memory lane."

I laughed and said I'd bring it up with the girls. I thought they'd think it was funny as I did. I didn't know Bonny had walked up behind me and that conversation changed the course of our marriage.

...........................................

A few months went by. Jules had given up on me and was seeing what I thought was a pretty standup guy. She seemed comfortable with him and stayed with him almost every weekend and some weekdays. I figured it would be a matter of time before she moved out again. She met him when she showed him a house. He'd gone through a messy divorce a few years before and when he had the opportunity he moved.

Bonny was Bonny, warm and loving, but I got to catching her staring into space more and more often. She was spending a lot of nights at the venue with Jules.

Will and his current wife were part of our social circle now. He and Annette had made a peace of sorts, but their daughter refused to acknowledge him, calling Jason 'Dad' every chance she got when Will was around.

It was Jason and Annette's turn to host our weekend social. Things were going great, the food was good, the company excellent, the booze flowing. I'm not sure how it happened but someone said we should get into the hot tub. The trouble was no one had brought suits. Jules grinned and slid her top off, standing in her shorts and peach bra. She did a little turn while her boyfriend laughed, and slid into the tub. He dropped his shorts and shirt, getting in in tighty-whities. Who wore those anymore?