After breakfast, we signed up together and were told to get swimwear, shorts, t-shirts, and deck shoes for the trip. They said that if the winds were not favorable, we might be out all night. If the winds were favorable, we would get back around eleven this evening.
We were down at the docks by nine o'clock, watching the lines being disconnected. The big sailboat had to use its motor to get us out of the harbor into the open sea before raising the sail.
This was a two-masted schooner that I was told was only sixty-five feet long but it seemed huge, much bigger than that. The Captain had a two-person crew, both female that helped with the lines and rigging during cast off then assisted at the helm and acted as cooks for our meals.
The three-man crew acted as if they loved what they were doing, and it showed as the mood was light and happy for the entire cruise.
All throughout the day, the Captain kept pointing out landmarks and various homes of famous people and famous resorts. We had to go far offshore in one area, as the Captain said the area was secure as submarines traveled in that area going to and from their base. He told us that most of the time the subs arrive and depart on the surface, but some missions called for them to depart underwater especially at night.
The winds had been very favorable until we hit the far side of the island. There the wind just died. It's funny to see the sails so slack, when just minutes before, all of the canvas was stretched with the wind.
The Captain asked us, "Do you want to use the engines or just wait it out? You guys can go swimming, try to fish, get some sun, or just play cards if you want to wait."
Bob, Tim, and I all agreed that we should just wait for the winds. This was a sailing cruise so why not enjoy the cruise as it should be. We did try to fish but didn't get any bites. The girls were up on the bow of the boat, stripped nude, getting sun while we guys were having an ice-cold beer. The Captain said, "I'll bet my crew is up there getting some sun right now too. I don't blame them though, it's nice out today. Not terribly hot, perfect day for sailing and sunbathing.
All four of us decided we wanted to check out the new flesh. Funny how three guys who were nudists would want to go check out a couple of girls they had not seen before. The Captain had as good a time as we did checking out the curves of our three ladies. Zena was on her back with feet facing toward us, ever the tease, she was up on her elbows watching our reaction. She casually smiled at us and reached down to scratch her fluffies, then used a finger to make a big swipe up her pussy lips. With another smile, she stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked.
Bob whispered, "She is bad, really bad." Meanwhile, the Captain was trying to cover himself.
Tim said, "If we don't get some wind soon, I'm for initiating an onboard orgy."
Bob said softly, "Oh yeah!"
The Captain said, "I wish I could participate, but my lovely wife would not understand or approve. However, you three are welcome to include my lusty crew in your adventures if you wish."
I recommended, "How about the three of us go sit on those deck chairs and just view the goodies and see what happens."
We sat on the deck chairs for a few minutes, then I went into the main deck lounge and made a bunch of margaritas for all of us. The icy sweet drink hit the spot and had the girls smiling. Toni was as adventurous as Zena and was playing with one of the crew's nipples while the other crewmember was getting something going with Karen. Zena joined Toni in tormenting the one girl, then switched to the other as Karen had gotten into the spirit of the fun.
Bob and Tim were shedding their shorts and T-shirts as the girls upped the sensual meter with the crewmembers. Bob was helping Karen and Zena tantalize the one girl until she was spread out, welcoming Bob into her. Tim was being held in place by Toni as she used his dick to whip back and forth across the clit of the other girl.
Watching the five play was exciting enough for me right then, but Zena had other thoughts as she stood and walked seductively toward me. "You have too many clothes on, Husband. I think I need you to help put my fire out and you may need to help Tim and Bob with their hot ladies."
I was soon bare, with Zena straddling my legs, seated on me, rotating her bottom, and getting three hundred and sixty degrees of stimulation. As Zena orgasmed and lay back on me, we watched the other couples swap around having a good time.
Zena asked, "Don't you want to sample those two luscious ladies?"
"Why have samples when I have the real thing right here. You're all that I could ever want."
"You sweet talker," Zena said. "You know we're going to have to find another lady for us to love. I love my women too much to give them up, but I want someone that will want you as much as me."
"We do have a lot of friends at home that all enjoy loving you," I said thinking of the couples at the park. "You also have your three girlfriends that enjoy making you happy too."
Zena smiled, "I have been thinking about asking Joanie if she might want to stay out with us a week or so. I love the little imp so much, but sometimes she acts so juvenile. You've been a good influence on her, but she still seems so innocent some times."
Thinking of Joanie I said, "Perhaps we should have her spend a week or so with Veronica and Andrea. I get the impression she enjoys being told what to do and could easily become similar to Andrea."
Zena spun on my lap, keeping me in her. "You know, you're right. She is like Andrea. All she wants to do is please. I really don't want that kind of lover, but she would be a bonus to have around."
I hugged Zena to me and whispered into her ear, "Just keep your eyes and ears open and Bee will send someone to us. If we need someone, we'll find her."
We kissed for several minutes until we heard, "Wind, the wind is picking up."
The two girls disentangled themselves from Toni, Tim, Bob, and Karen and dove over the side into the water. They came up quickly then slid into their shorts, T-shirts, socks, and deck shoes, hurrying to help the Captain get the boat back under sail.
Toni and Karen were both lying back, having their men snack on their pleasure centers while they chatted. The picture was almost funny. The two guys being held in place as the girls talked of mundane things interspersed with an "Ah" and "more" and "right there."
Zena said, "I need to wash up a little, then we probably should all dress if we're going to be sailing in public view."
Around nine that night, we anchored in a small inlet and ate a wonderful meal prepared by the two girl crew. After some drinks and chat, we all bedded down to enjoy the rocking of the boat in the cabins with the portholes open.
The Captain was ringing the ship's bell at six-thirty getting everyone up so we could proceed on our cruise. We were fed a very nice breakfast, then we all assisted in the more mundane things needed to be done on board a sailing vessel. The crew showed us how to scrub the decks, then we polished the chrome and brass.
Lunch time was some hot fresh fish sandwiches that went great with beer, and we all watched as the resort came into view as we rounded a big rock formation that guarded the cove the resort was in.
After we were tied up on the dock and had thanked the Captain and crew for a great cruise, we went up to our cabanas for a quick shower and to shuck our clothes. Zena and I thought we might like a nap, but decided to see what else might be going on.
Up around the pool, we found the other three couples who had disappeared on us after our late night beach party. Charlie explained that the three couples shared so much in common, that they had taken an overnight scuba cruise to enjoy diving and each other.
Tonight was to be a beach luau at the resort for all the guests. There were folks down on the beach cooking the food in sand pits as we spoke. In anticipation of the party, all of us began drinking some of the fruit drinks laced with spiced rum, vodka, and tequila. The drinks were good, but dangerous.
Our group was definitely divided into two entities. Charlie, Tom, and Dan, along with their respective wives, Sandy, Brenda, and Jeanie, all seemed to bond because of the guys' enjoyment of each other as well as their enjoyment of the women. We other three couples were pure hereto as far as we guys were concerned, even though our wives enjoyed playing with each other.
It really didn't matter, since we were coming up on our last day at the resort. Our week in luxury was about over.
The luau was fun. Native men and women served us while we were sitting on giant grass mats. The whole time we were eating, native musicians and dancers entertained us. All of the music was soft, melodic, and flowed gently. After a creamy fruit dessert, the music picked up a beat and we were entertained by some pairs of dancers that teased us with their gyrations by sliding together and apart, doing everything but actually fucking. These dances were called wedding dances, as they were designed to inflame the wedding couple into a wild coupling. Whether that was real, true, or not, who knows, but it was exciting and it did accomplish what they said. Zena and I could hardly wait to get to our cabana to once again fulfill our vows.
In the morning, we packed up our few clothes and toiletries and checked out to head for home. We said goodbye to our new friends and promised to write and call so we could stay in touch.
Zena and I enjoyed our trip home better than the trip out as we were not as tired. The long flight to the mainland, then the two flights to finally reach home, were a very long twenty hours, but we felt refreshed when we got off the plane and felt the intense humid heat of central Florida.
We were about to catch a cab to get home when mom and mad pulled up to the cab stand. Mom said, "Sorry we didn't get here to meet you when you got off the plane, but we were helping Dana and Jeff get moved out to one of your cabins."
Zena said, "Why didn't you just move them into the house. That would have been easier."
Mom said, "Dana wants them to have something private. Jeff said that if Dana will marry him, he will buy one of your lots and build their own home on it."
"What's Dana waiting for then?" I asked, as I had thought that's what Dana had wanted.
Dad said, "She being typical Dana, now that she's getting what she wants, she has to make you beg to get her to go along. You should know how she is, Tom. She's always been like that."
Mom added, "Your house has some visitors there anyway. You could be in for a surprise. Zena, your girlfriends were all laid off from their company because of the business downturn. They were all afraid of being homeless so they have moved into your place. They have another girl with them that has lost her job as well, so don't be shocked. You have two of the four rooms used by guests right now."
Zena said, "Well, they can stay as long as they need to. Tom and I will help them get jobs too. We'll figure it out, I'm sure. Who is this other girl they have though?"
Mom said, "Her name is Shannon. She's a tall redhead, a real good looking young lady."
Zena began laughing, "Shannon, wow, that's the bartender from The Office. Wonder what happened?"
Dad said, "I heard the bar closed because business had slowed down so much. A lot of lounge type bars have closed, but most of the neighborhood places are doing well."
I asked, "So, Mom, how do you and dad like it living out at the park now?"
"Your father and I are enjoying it very much. We have so many new friends and I've become reacquainted with many people I knew from when Pauline lived out there. Your dad is more relaxed than he's been in years and has a bunch of cronies to have a beer with in the evening, fish with, and he's even been playing a little golf."
"That's really good," I said. "It's nice you two live right down the lane from us. You know that Zena's mom and dad expressed interest in buying a lot from me as well. If Dana and Jeff get one, and Martin and Zora get one, that's all there is. The other two lots with the cypress swamp are too nice to fill in for houses."
Dad said, "I'm glad you're keeping the cypress stand. It's really the way old Florida has always been. You have to fight off the raccoons and the possums that want to get into the garbage, but it's nice to have the little paths back to the little pond in there. I'm always amazed that those peacocks Pauline got twenty years ago have thrived and multiplied. It's kind of neat the way they just wander around the park, but come back to roost in the cypress stand at night. Williams bought some wild turkeys and let them go in the swamp area, so we'll be seeing them pretty soon."
Back at the park, dad let us out in front of the house. As Zena and I got out of dad's SUV, little Joanie came running down the stairs to jump up on me, happy we were home.
We were finally able to get our stuff inside the house and get our clothes off. As soon as we were out in the living room, Margaret, Betty, and Shannon joined Zena and me with a "Can we talk" look.
Margaret said, "We should have known it was coming, but they let our entire department go the Friday before your wedding. We didn't want to tell you about it then and when we started figuring out our bills we decided we needed to take some drastic action. We thought you two might not mind if we stayed here for a bit, so we moved lock, stock, and barrel the last day of the month so we wouldn't owe any rent. The complex even gave us our deposit back because we painted the apartment so that it is ready to be moved into."
Shannon was sitting in a chair by herself and said, "And that bring this conversation to me. The bar closed the Sunday after your wedding. I was living in the apartment upstairs with the owner's daughter. She said good luck and took off, leaving me only the rest of the day to find a place. I knew you had moved out of your place, Zena, so I thought I could share a place with them. They told me their situation and offered for me to join them out here until I could get on my feet. I have some savings and could get another place, but jobs are scarce right now. Joanie likes to bunk with me, so if you don't mind, I would like to stay a while. Anyway, I love this place; it's so open and free. Everyone around has been coming by saying they were going to help us all find jobs."
Zena, assuming the position as the mistress of the house, said, "You are all welcome to stay until you have jobs and get settled. Everyone but Shannon knows how Tom and I are, and that we are not shy about showing our affection to each other whenever and wherever we are. Just relax with us and enjoy your time out here. Thank goodness it's Saturday and we have the weekend to relax before work Monday."
It was getting to be lunchtime, so we scrounged around in the fridge to find enough lunch type stuff to feed us. With six of us, it was going to take some extra food. After lunch, Zena and I took a walk down the lane to see dad's new place. We found Gerald and the swollen June out in their yard. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were on their porch and waved.
There were two big lots between them and dad's place, so I asked Zena, "Do you think your mom and dad might really come down to stay?"
Zena said, "They have been talking about it and would love to be neighbors to your mom and dad. They said there would be just enough distance between our place and theirs so we wouldn't be too close to each other. Dad said he might put in for early retirement as his company is trying to give some people early outs. He says there are opportunities down here if he wants them and needs to work."
"Well, with Dana and Jeff wanting a lot, plus your mom and dad, that's all of them. It will be nice to have our families all out here together. Too bad your brother doesn't enjoy the lifestyle."
Zena smiled, "One of these days he'll remember how nice it was when we were kids. He'll come to visit. I'm pretty disappointed he didn't come for the wedding but he said he couldn't miss work. He said his company was dumping anyone who got sick or even took vacation."
Mom was on their big front porch and waved for us to come inside. Dad was in the house, watching a car race on TV and nursing a beer. Mom got Zena and me a beer and told Dad, "Lee, why don't you turn that off and let's tell the kids about what Pauline planned."
"Oh yeah, good idea, it is time for that isn't it," my dad said, a little flustered. He shut off the TV and went to his desk and rummaged around in his file drawer until he pulled out a big file folder.
Mom took the file, opened it, and opened a letter in a separate envelope. "Tom, your aunt had always envisioned that you would live out here with her when you were out of school and before you married or settled down. She and I use to talk about how you were the one person in the family that fit this lifestyle more than any other. You were also the one who spent every summer doing the odd jobs for Pauline that she needed to have done and working on the park grounds when they needed it."
"When you got your driver's license, Pauline used to have you do repairs at her rental places all the time, plus hauling stuff around for her. You were her main guy. When you went off to school, she was lost, but you still came home every chance you got even while in school. You were still her buddy, the one person she depended on. You did well taking care of her out here and the properties she had you work on."
Dad said, "Pauline wanted you to have a special wedding present and wrote in her will that you were not to know until you were married. Loraine, let Tommy read the letter."
Mom handed me the letter, handwritten on thin onion paper.
My dearest Tommy,
Even though you're not my own son, I often feel as if you are. You've shown me the love and respect that many mothers would never receive.
I've enjoyed having you with me these many years out in the camp, now a park. You've grown to become a beautiful, responsible, man that is willing to give of himself.
I know my time is short now, but I want you to have my cabin, which you already will have when you read this. I want you to have something special when you get married, as I know you are going to be picky and won't find a mate easily. It will take a while.
You now are the owner of all my residential and commercial properties. It may take all of your time to manage these, but I'm sure you are capable. The income from these properties will have been used for upkeep, taxes, and management fees, so there won't be a lot of cash to start. This is my wedding present to you, Tommy. You are my sole heir. You are my sister's precious son and my precious nephew. If you use your gift from me wisely, you will enjoy your family around you for rest of all of your lives.
Be a good man, Tommy,
Love,
Aunt Pauline
Zena was holding my arm as I read the note with tears in my eyes. My aunt had been a special buddy to me. We did share a lot over my youth.
When I looked up, mom said, "You're going to need to take some time off to visit these properties and decide how you will manage them. Your dad and I messed with the residential properties while the market was so high. We sold all of the houses and invested the additional cash in commercial buildings that were a good deal. Most of the commercial real estate didn't jump up in value, but remained relatively constant."
Dad added, "The management company that takes care of the properties is very well known and has a great reputation. You work for it."
Zena clutched my arm, "Wow, you not only are an employee, but a valued customer. Wait till Bert hears this."
I thought of the situation a few minutes then said, "This doesn't really have any effect on our day to day lives. It's something that is there. It's something that we have but we don't need to do anything with right now. I think I'll do just that. I'll leave it be until I can learn more about the property and what it's going to take to handle it."
Dad said, "That's a smart decision, Tom. Your aunt would be proud of you. Take your time, gather the information you need to make a decision, then decide."
I asked, "Do I need to do anything with lawyers and such?"
Mom said, "No, I've already given the attorney a copy of your marriage license so he has already done everything necessary. He might call you in to sign checks for things, but other than that, there is nothing to do."
I stood up and said, "Thanks, Mom and Dad. I think I'd like to take a little walk. This has been a busy day so far."
Zena and I walked down to the lake and made our way back to the little bench next to the plaque under the big oak tree. We sat on it a few minutes, holding hands and thinking of our lost friend.
Zena said, "Your aunt has been gone a long time and she's still talking to you. I guess it's only reasonable that Bee still talks to us too. Today is like a defining point. Something, or lots of things, have happened that are going to change our lives in some way. I can almost see Bee smiling at us with that smug look. It always looked like, 'I know what's going to happen, enjoy.'"
We got up, went into the house, and were surrounded by our friends. Maggie said, "How about we go swimming, then we'll come back for dinner. I have a big pot roast in the oven for later."
Joanie said, "Come on, let's go swimming, I want to show you how well I'm swimming after all the lessons I've been taking."
As we walked down to the pool, Shannon walked hip to hip with Zena, as if drawn to her like a magnet.
We splashed and played in the water with a bunch of kids. We played keep away with a ball for a while, then we batted the ball around in a form of water beach ball or oversized softball. When we were finally winded, we all took a shower and dried naturally as we walked back to the house.
Hair brushes came out and I did Zena's while she did Shannon's. Joanie was next as she wanted me to do her hair. After all hair was combed out, we began on some drinks Joanie made. Shannon and Joanie were the two experienced bartenders among us, so they were able to make just about anything. Shannon promised to make us all some special shot drinks after we made a liquor store run.
Betsy came in to talk with me about the bed and breakfast rooms. She said that she was going to need another person to help her, as the rooms were beginning to be completely full. She said that Mrs. Peterson, who was doing the breakfasts, would probably need help too as most of the cabin families wanted to eat with us as well.
Betsy was first, "How about all of us help Maggie do the housekeeping for the B&B rooms and the cabins, then we can help with breakfast and lunch. We'll still have plenty of time to interview for jobs and if we have a morning appointment, someone will take up the slack."
The girls were all for it. Maggie suggested, "Pay us what you pay Betty and Mrs. Peterson, and we'll pay you rent. That ought to even it out. I don't want to sponge off you out here, so it will make me feel better."'
Joanie said, "I think I have a job at a little bar up the road. They needed a barmaid from six in the evening till around three in the morning. They pay forty dollars a shift plus tips. The bar isn't bad, just a bunch of locals. The owner said that he hasn't had any problems that required cops in over five years."
Shannon said, "Working beer bars is brutal. Lots of smelly men that get silly as the evening gets on. Are you going to be able to handle that, Joanie?"
"Sure, I've done it before. I'm a pretty tough little girl when I need to be. Besides, every guy wants to treat me like their little girl or little sister."
We made Joanie promise that if she didn't like it she would just stay home with us until office jobs opened up.
Betsy and Maggie had a plan to go back to school to become registered nurses. They felt they could finish within a year with the hours they already had. Betsy said, "You know Joanie has her degree in education, but she doesn't want to teach unless it's either in elementary or high school."
Joanie said, "Teaching would be fun, but they keep trying to put me in junior high school and those kids are a pain in the ass. Because I'm small they think they can walk all over me. The school prohibits me from disciplining the kids, so I'd rather not teach at all if that's where I have to be."
Shannon said to the girls, "I feel like a sleaze. I took a secretarial class to learn to be a legal secretary but the first interview was with some guy that was trying to get me to have a drink with him after work. That's not what I wanted, so I took the job at The Office instead."
I asked, "So what's the deal with The Office. Did they file bankruptcy or reorganization or what?"
"No, Rita, the owner said she was going to dump the whole thing for the price of the license and inventory," Shannon answered. "She didn't want to try to make ends meet anymore."
The Office was a great after work bar. It was always a joke that some guys could use the excuse that he was at The Office. I knew the bar well as I went there most evenings for a beer or two before heading home. I had stayed till almost eight once, but that was because a bunch of guys were celebrating a promotion. Thinking about the bar held my interest, but only related to the afternoon and early evening, and gave me an idea.
I asked, "Do you think the place could open at one or two in the afternoon, then stay open till seven or eight in the evening and make it? The business is from all the downtown and business park businesses. No one just drinks for lunch and most people are gone by seven or eight."
Shannon sat up saying, "You're right, Tom. The place was a ghost town after eight. Everyone came in for an after work drink, listen to some music, ogle the girls, then go home to momma and the kids. The younger crowd would leave early too, as they had things to do and places to go."
I gave my opinion, "If the place was only open five days a week instead of seven, and was only open from like two to eight, then you would need only one shift of workers. You could mess with the time a little for workers and open hours, so the bar workers could clean up to be ready for the next day's business before going home. If you cut the hours and payroll down, I'll bet the place would do better than breakeven. They used to have a kitchen, so they should be able to serve some hot snacks. That would bring in some good revenue as well."
Zena asked me, ""What do you want to do, go into the bar business? Do you have enough saved to do that?"
"I don't know, but it would be worth checking out. Shannon, can you get me together with Rita to talk about it? The other thing is, if this looks like a workable deal would you run the bar for me and still be the bartender?"
Shannon frowned, "You want me to run the bar? What do I know about running a bar?"
"I'd bet a lot. The biggest deal is to keep the proper amount of inventory and to keep honest employees. The rest should be easy, a bunch of bookkeeping, that we'd have an outside company do."
Betsy said, "Over my deflated tits, an outside company. I'm a damned good bookkeeper with damn near an accounting degree. I'll take care of your books and I do know about bars, as I was in the department where we worked on all the bars and lounges."
I looked at Zena and said, "Well, we want to get everyone employed, I guess we'll get it done by going through the back door. Everyone will work here and in the bar. We should be able to handle it."
Shannon got up and used the phone in the kitchen, then waved at me to come to the phone. She held her hand over the mouthpiece and said, "This is Rita, I gave her the idea that you might want to try the bar business but didn't want to spend a lot to get into it. Negotiate."
"Hi, this Tom, is this Rita?"
"Hi Tom, My name is Rita Meyers."
"I understand that you wish to get rid of The Office."
"That's a crude way to put it, but in a way you're right. It hasn't been that profitable for me for about four or five months now. We never did have that much early or late business and it seems the costs to stay open are just too much."
"Do you have a long term lease on the building?"
"That's why I'm pulling the plug. The lease is coming up for renewal and the owner is making noise like he wants more money. The place might even be worth more, but I can't afford it."
"If I were interested, Rita, what kind of numbers are you thinking of?"
"Tom, the value is the liquor license and the inventory. There's not much there, but there's probably still four to five grand of inventory when we closed. Here's my deal, I think the license is worth around a hundred grand down in that area. The liquor is worth what it's worth at wholesale. The state won't let me sell partial bottles, so you get that free. The beer inventory is worth only bottles. If you don't open the place back up right away, the draft will spoil and have to be replaced, so there's no value there. Give me a hundred for the license and whatever the inventory is worth and I'll give you the keys. You'll have to get your insurance and make your own deal with the building owner."
"Sounds fair, but I need to run this by my attorney first. Can I get back to you early tomorrow?"
"Sure, call this number, it's my cell phone and the only phone I have. Oh yeah, the bar has a phone but that's pretty much paid for by the pay phones. Surprisingly, people still use pay phones at bars."
"Thank you for your time, and I will call you tomorrow morning."
"Bye"
I hung up and noticed that all the girls had migrated around the phone in the kitchen. They all looked at me as if to say "well?"
"Rita offered me the place for the price of the license and the inventory. If we can reopen quickly then we can use the draft beer, but we'll have to do it quickly. Zena, do you think Bert knows much about bars?"
Maggie said, "Doesn't make any difference, I know a lady that knows more about the bar business than anybody in town. Sandra Mahoney owns a couple of bars and restaurants, and she also owns the P-club. Let me call her and see if you can come down to talk to her."
Maggie used the phone for a couple of minutes and was grinning when she turned around, "Okay, she says she'll allow a swinging dick in her place this evening, but you have to stand the bar a round while you're there. Shouldn't be too bad, but it is Saturday night. Let's go before it gets late and the mean bitches start coming in. The leather ladies that wander in there late are tough and hard to handle."
We all dressed and piled into the truck and drove to the P-club. When we entered, the girls all crowded around me keeping me in the middle of all of them. Several of the women around the bar didn't look happy to see a guy, but stayed put in their seats.
A tough looking lady in her late forties came around the bar and waved us to a back corner table. I offered my hand to the lady who looked at it disdainfully, then smiled and shook my hand. I said, "I'm Tom Parks and I've come to you for some knowledge."
"I'm Mahoney, and I'm dumber than a box of rocks, so good luck on what you want to know."
"Ms. Mahoney, I have a chance or opportunity to buy an existing bar that just closed. My idea is to operate it fewer hours per day and definitely fewer days per week. If what I think is correct, the place could make a profit if I only opened during the peak trade hours."
"You'd be saving payroll, that's for sure. You would save some electricity but not much. What bar is this?"
I didn't know whether to tell her as she could swipe the thing right out from under me, but then so what, I wasn't in the business yet anyway. "It's The Office at the downtown business park."
"Oh yeah, I heard Rita might close. You're right though, the place only does business in the early evenings on week nights. What did you need to ask me?"
"Since you've been in the business a long time, you would know what her liquor license would be worth. I have no idea, so I need to get advice from people who know."
She looked at me as if evaluating me and said, "Call me Sandy for right now. Let me think about that. I have a restaurant not far from there, and I know what that license is worth, but I have a package store in the back that does a drive through business. If you bought the license for seventy-five you would be stealing it. If you paid any over a hundred, you'd be a chump. You should buy it for about ninety, give or take a grand or so. You gotta pay retail for the inventory?"
"Rita said she would sell the inventory for wholesale."
"What kind of lease terms do you get?"
"No clue, Sandy, the lease is due for renewal and Rita says the landlord is making noise that he wants more."
"He can make all the noise in the world, but if you bug out, the man has an empty building that will probably be empty a couple of years from now. He'll deal. Anybody who owns property right now will deal." Sandy sat back in her chair and said, "If not, lease another place next door and move real quick. It'll cost you forty or fifty to outfit a place but it would pay if the rent's too high."
"You see the books yet?"
"No Ma'am, I didn't even ask because of the way I would do business."
"Fuck, I ain't no ma'am. I'm Sandy or Mahoney. If my dad's around, you call me Ms. Mahoney and genuflect." She laughed then said, "You can kiss his ring too if you want to suck up."
When I looked confused, Maggie said, "Mr. Mahoney has several lucrative businesses around town with no competition. You know like taxis, ambulance services, and tow trucks."
I still must have looked confused, because Sandy said, "He's a bent nosed Irishman that has more Italian and Sicilian blood in him than the guys in Brooklyn. He stays clean, but you don't fuck with my old man. You deal straight with him and he'll stuff a cigar in your mouth and slap you on the back. Fuck with him and, well, ah, do you to go fishing?"
"Okay, I get it. Well, I'm just looking for knowledge and advice. You've given me the answer I was looking for though. Oh, who would I buy insurance for the bar from?"
Sandy smiled big, "The Mahoney agency of course. Best rates in town. My uncle writes most of the bar business around. You need a juke box, you need pool tables, games, call me. I got an uncle or cousin that can fix you up. I can also get you the best wholesale prices on liquor in town. They will help a new owner get started and everything."
I was dry and said, "How about I buy that round for the bar now. I could use a beer, and I'm sure the ladies with me could use one as well."
Sandy turned in her chair, stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled loud enough that it hurt my ears even over the country and western music playing. When the barmaid turned to see Sandy, Sandy yelled, a round for everybody. We've got a swingin' dick here that's feelin' generous. Bring us a beer over here first, though."
The rowdy ladies in the bar all began hollering and yelling. A couple came over to check me out and looked at the girls with me. One of the women said, "Maggie? You know this dude?"
Maggie said, "Sure do, he's my guy when I'm not sucking pussy. Bad thing though is that I have to share him with these others sluts."
Another lady said, "I know you, Zena, when did you turn dick crazy?"
Zena smiled and said while holding up her left hand, "A while back, but I got him by the balls now."
Another girl said, "Holy shit, Zena got married, and Maggie is claiming him too."
Sandy said, "You can probably stick around, Tom. The rest of these lezzies are gonna want to know what you got. Listen, stay in touch, especially if you go into the bar business. If you have some questions, I'll try to steer you right."
Sandy pointed at Joanie then wiggled her finger at her. Joanie came over and Sandy asked, "Heard you were going to work for Cowboy out in the country. You should have asked me, I would have hired you for here."
Joanie said proudly, "The place is just down the road from where I live. It will be convenient for me."
"I thought you lived with these girls out at the apartments?"
"I did, Sandy, or I should say we did, until we were laid off. We moved out with Tom and Zena until we could get good jobs again."
Sandy looked at me and asked, "Where is your place?"
"You know the Natural Naturist park in north Hillsborough County?"
She nodded.
When I didn't say anything, she said, "So where is it from there?"
"It's there, I live inside the park."
Sandy sat up straight and said, "You live in a nudist camp?"
"I live in a naturist park. There are over two hundred permanent residents."
Sandy looked at the other girls, "You all live out there in a nudist or naturist park?"
Maggie said, "You should see it, Sandy, Tom has this rustic cabin that he's expanded to be a real nice house. He kept the outside rustic looking and added eight bed and breakfast rooms, complete with a kitchen and sitting area and even an atrium behind the main house. He also has a bunch of cabins for families to rent in the back of the property."
Sandy looked at me with squinty eyes and commented, "You're more than you seem, Tom Parks."
A waitress came over to the table with a tab and I paid her, plus I gave her a twenty for a tip, telling her to split it with the bartender. She smiled.
Sandy offered another beer, but I told her, "Zena and I just got back from our honeymoon this morning and I'm beat. It's time for us, or at least me, to get. Nice to meet you, Sandy, I'll be back in touch Monday for insurance and stuff."
Sandy said, "If you get squirrelly and figure out how to close this deal over the weekend, I can get you covered even on Sunday, so you could open on Monday. Like I said, I'll be happy to help get you started."
We left with the girls talking excitedly about the possibility of opening The Office ourselves. At home, Shannon wanted to talk to me alone, but I said that Zena would be a part of it as she was my wife now.
Shannon asked, "I don't want to rehire all of the girls we used to
have there. I think we only need two right away, and if we need
another, I'll hire someone I can trust. The other two girls weren't
turning in their money right and I know they didn't share their tips
with the bar back or me. If we need another bartender, I'll steal
Joanie. She's good, just little. As soon as you get over that she's
tiny, you realize she's a good worker."
We chatted for a few minutes then she said, "Rita is a night owl. If you wanted to try to make a deal with her right now you could. She's probably trying to figure out how to get the game guys to let her out of her contract, and then there's the jukebox people. They are from Sandy's people. They can be tough."
I was really tired but it was my fault, I had started this ball rolling. We called and Rita answered after the first ring.
"Hi Rita, this is Tom Parks again. I was able to talk to a bar and restaurant owner about the deal and he felt pretty positive other than agreeing that I could be profitable where you couldn't."
"So what kind of deal can we make?"
"Okay, I will be willing to take over your game, jukebox, and any other genuine rental contracts you have. I'll pay you wholesale for your inventory, but not any unpaid balances. I'll buy all my own insurance and make sure they will indemnify you from our contract date on. I will not be responsible for any previous employee problems or salaries owed. And last, the most important to you probably, I was told that I should be able to buy the license for right at eighty-five."
"Damn, only eighty-five? Who told you the value?"
"Does the name Mahoney mean anything to you?"
"Damn, damn, damn. If Mahoney said it's only worth eighty-five then I'll take eighty-five. When can we do the transfer? I want to book from this town ASAP. You know, take my money and run. You're getting a good deal, and I guess I'm getting a fair deal, so let's get it done."
"How about we do inventory tomorrow morning about eight. I'll bring an attorney to make a legal contract and some people to do the inventory. If you have to have cash, that's going to be a struggle, but I can give you a check that will be good by Monday noon."
"I'd rather have cash, but it is Saturday night. Okay, if the checks not good Monday noon, then we write in the contract, no deal or a dollar penalty amount or something."
"The check will be good. See you at eight in the morning."
When I hung up, the girls were all staring at me, then Shannon let out a whoop that started all of them hollering. Joanie was the first to say something, "If you need another bartender or waitress, can I work there. I'd love those hours."
Shannon said, "Ah, I have a special request. If you will have me out here for a while, I'd rather not live upstairs there if I don't have to. That place is scary at night."
"You live here as of right now, Shannon, we're all in this together. You are going to be the manager so let's make a plan on how many we need to do inventory."
I handed my cell phone to Zena and asked her, "Call Gerald first to see if he can go with us tomorrow morning. He knows about bar law and liquor licenses. He'll be good at what we need. Then call Bert and approach him on a short term loan for a hundred grand. I should be able to get the money, but it won't be fast enough. With my aunt's property I should be way over."
I called Sandy Mahoney and told her that we were doing the deal in the morning and that I would need coverage starting then. She laughed, "You didn't let any grass grow under your feet did you. I thought you were tired."
"I am, but this is important for some of the people who live with me right now."
"You're a good guy, Tom. I'll help you and make sure Sean Mahoney is at The Office by nine in the morning. He'll do a binder on a bad check for me. Just tell him that I'll cover the check if necessary. I'll send over the game guys and the juke box folks too. They'll all be there before noon. I might even drop by so you can give me some idea of what else you're planning."
Zena was talking to her uncle and handed me the cell. "Is this too much, Bert? I want to do the deal and it has to be fast."
"Not a problem, Tommy. I can get you cash if you want but your idea of Monday by noon is better. What I wanted to talk to you about is your aunt's property. You own enough property that you can get a loan against that for ten times that amount. I've been working with your aunt for years. When she passed away, I thought I would lose all of that business but I didn't, and now I know why. They were waiting until you got married. What a small world isn't it? Anyway, just write your check and I'll get money into your account by phone over the weekend. Call me in the morning to give me your bank numbers. Good luck on this, Tom, if you need help working a lease, let me help. I know the guy who owns that building. He can be worked. Call me."
Bert hung up and I sat back in my chair. "Okay guys, those who are going to help with the bed and breakfast, you're committed, the rest of you, please join us at The Office to do inventory and get ready to reopen Monday."
Joanie and Shannon suggested a nightcap, so they made up some kind of sweet drink that you knew was killer when you took a sip. It was dessert with a punch.
The girls all migrated toward bed except for Shannon, Zena, and me. I said that I was going to brush my teeth and lay down to hopefully soon be joined by Zena. She smiled and gave me a kiss. Shannon almost acted like I should kiss her goodnight, but I didn't know her well enough to try that.
I lay down and was out instantly. I remember some commotion and Zena coming to bed, but that's all I remember.
I woke slowly, feeling groggy, but wanting to get up. I checked the clock and saw it was passing five thirty. I knew I needed to get up for something, but it eluded me for a minute.
"What?"
When I looked at the clock there was head on the other side of Zena, a redhead. That had to be Shannon, but why?
I slowly moved from the bed to use the bathroom and go start coffee. When I came out of the bathroom, I felt eyes on me and saw Shannon's eyes following me. I said softly, "I'm going to make coffee if you want some."
She smiled as her freckled face lit up the morning. It was a genuine smile.
I walked into the kitchen and began making coffee. Little Joanie walked in and wrapped her arms around me to get a hug. She is so short, it's like hugging a ten year old. Some ten-year-olds were probably taller.
Betsy came in and got a hug, gave me a great big good morning kiss, and took hold of my swelling dick saying, "Too bad there's so much to do this morning. I could use a little of this."
Shannon came in to find Betsy holding my stiffening dick and asked, "Am I interrupting something?"
Betsy said, "Nope, I was just saying I could use a little loving from Tom, but there too much to do this morning."
While Shannon was standing there still wondering about the forwardness of Betsy, Margaret came in and gave me a bone crushing hug with a kiss that suggested "let's get to bed." Maggie leaned back and said, "I feel that thing banging on me. Why don'tcha just bend me over the table and give me a good one, Tommy. It'd sure help."
At that second, Zena said, "It sure would. But if you do one of us, you'll have to do us all. I know you can do it but we don't have the time. Hold that thought Maggie, and let's make some breakfast and get ready to go."
Shannon asked, "Is that how I'm supposed to greet or say good morning to the master of the house?"
Joanie said, "Nope, it's not required, we just all like to tease, Tommy. He can't help himself in the morning and he gets hard for us. He's embarrassed and we're satisfied that we've still got what it takes to turn him on."
Zena gave Shannon a hug and said, "We are all friends in this house. If you're not a friend, why are you here? Relax, enjoy us, and yourself. Tommy isn't going to attack you. Just ask Maggie sometime."
We fixed a bunch of bacon and eggs with toast, then showered and dressed to go to The Office. Just about time to leave, Gerald said he was ready and was bringing June. He said she could help do inventory, especially of the partially open bottles, so we had an estimate to start a business day.
We parked my truck and Gerald's Mustang in front of The Office and checked the door. It wasn't open yet, so we waited a couple of minutes until Rita came roaring up in an old pickup truck.
She opened the door, letting us all in and started turning on lights. She looked at Shannon and said, "You know how to inventory. Use the sheets from the office and do all the unopened stock. If you want to do the partials, get the sheets for those too and remember to number the bottles. When you get inventory sheets done, use the cost figures in the book to figure the value."
"Okay, Tom, is this your attorney?"
"This is Gerald Smithing. He does a lot of work for bar and restaurant owners. I think you will accept his work."
"Hey, as long as I get my check, I'll be happy. Tomorrow noon, right?"
"Yes, Rita, the check will be good no later than that but you might want to check it in the morning. It could be good when the bank opens."
"That would be nice. Let's make this deal."
Gerald used a table and began pulling preprinted sheets from his briefcase. He filled everything out with very neat handwriting as if it were script. As he made entries, he explained each entry to both Rita and me. When we were through with all the forms, he called June over and said, "We need you to witness these signatures and I will notarize all of them. Rita do you have any identification with you? We'll also need the liquor license so we can enter the registration number for the release."
Rita asked, "How are they going to operate under the license before they are approved?"
Gerald said, "As an officer of the court, I have to hold the license until Tom's approval, but he can operate with my supervision until then. If you'll look at this form, this is where I am the officer of the court to supervise the license."
We signed everything, then Gerald said, "Now, Tom, you need to write Rita the check for the license."
By the time this was complete, the girls were done with the inventory. Shannon came up with the sheets and Gerald asked, "Have the counts been verified by at least one additional person?"
Shannon said, "I counted them first and entered my number on the first sheet, then June counted them second, and then Joanie counted. We have three counts that agree. This is the adding machine tape that I made when totaling the sheets."
Gerald looked them over and showed the total to Rita. "Does this look accurate to you?"
"Actually, it looks like a lot more than I thought I had. I'm good with the number," Rita said.
Gerald said to me, "Tom, write Rita a check for the inventory."
I wrote the check. Gerald had Rita get her sales tax logs so we could take care of any taxes or fees due. He went right down a checklist and when he came to rentals, games, and jukeboxes, Rita had the agreements ready. She showed everything to us and we wrote and agreement to assume. Rita had a service contract on the bar point of sale system, which was good, and an agreement for the coolers and ice machine.
Lastly, Gerald had her show us her lease with the building owner. He wrote the lease assumption for the four months remaining, noting that we had to give ninety days notice before canceling the lease. The good part was if we did not renew the lease, we went month to month with only a three percent increase per year.
Gerald had two neat stacks of paper and pushed one stack toward Rita saying, "That's it. You've unburdened yourself of the bar and saddled my good friend with what I hope is not an albatross."
Rita said, "Me too. I wish you luck. You'll need it with all the layoffs down in this area. Hopefully, you can entice some of the middle manager types to come in. Well, I'm going to get out of Dodge. I've just about finished packing and as soon as I can convert these checks to American Express checks, I'm out of here. See you, Shannon, you were a good employee. Thanks for helping me sell the place. Good luck, Tom, I hope you know what you're doing."
As soon as Rita left, June came up with the partial sheet inventory. She pointed out that there was about three grand in drinks within the bottles that were already open. They checked the draft beer and we had several full kegs so we would be able to operate for a day or so easily.
"Hey you slobs, the doors are wide open. Anybody can just walk in."
It was Sandy Mahoney. I yelled back, "You're right, just anybody and anything can walk in."
Sandy spied Gerald and said, "Hey, Gerry, what are you doing here?"
"I'm acting as Tom's lawyer and helped with the contracts," Gerald said.
Sandy said, "Tommy, Gerald is the best. He knows the bar and restaurant business backward and forwards. Hell, you don't need me with him around. But I gotta know, how much did you have to give for the license?"
I looked at Gerald to see if I should say and he just shrugged his shoulders. I said quietly, "Eighty-five."
"Holy shit, you thief, I told you ninety to ninety-five and you got it for eighty-five. Good going. You might make a bar owner yet. Let's take a look at what you have."
We looked over the cold storage room where the kegs and back stock of bottle beer was kept, and then we looked at the kitchen that had been closed for a month. I mentioned that I wanted to be able to sell some hot snacks, but nothing too elaborate. That's when Sandy opened the freezer. The freezer was jammed with just what I wanted to sell. Appetizers of all types ready to be cooked and served. I asked Shannon if she knew what was in the freezer. She went to the office and brought an inventory sheet that was less than a week old. She said that Rita had ordered a bunch of inventory just when she had decided to stop cooking. Rita had asked for a new inventory in order to get a return on what she had.
Sandy said, "Make up a temporary menu, using what you have. I'll give you some suggestions when you get your freezer emptied out a little. If nothing else, take something like these little egg rolls that you have so many of, and give them away. Soak 'em in Soy sauce so they will be salty and require more beer. You need to give away salty popcorn or peanuts too. Anything that a drinker can snack on and get thirsty at the same time."
She looked around and said, "Does the redhead come with the bar or what?"
I smiled and said loud enough for Shannon to hear, "I wish, but she is going to work as the manager of the place. Ask her a question and she usually has an answer."
Sandy asked Shannon, "You have bowls for popcorn or peanuts?"
Shannon said, "Sure, we have a bunch of various sizes of wooden or plastic bowls that look like wood. What do you think, Ms. Mahoney, should we use big bowls for popcorn?"
"Any size, Honey, just keep them full and make sure the popcorn is fresh and salty." Sandy looked around then went back out to the lounge area. Some guys that looked like they were out of an old gangster movie were standing waiting for us.
Sandy smiled and said, "Sal, when are you going to learn how to dress like a Florida guy. You're not in Brooklyn anymore."
"Sorry, Ms. Sandy. I went to church and haven't changed from my suit."
"That's fine, Sal, tell me about the contracts you have for this place."
Sal had some papers that he referred to, "They only have three bar game machines and the four electronic games in the back. They have four dart games and no pool tables. They don't bring in much money and we could probably pull the dart games without anyone noticing. They do have a top of the line music box with good speakers and a remote control. The music and bar games are paying and two of the electronics are paying."
Sandy said, "Okay, pull two of the dart games and swap out the two electronics that aren't paying. Bring in something nerdy. This bar gets a lot of office computer people trade. Make sure you keep the music fresh and do a test of music types. Now, this bar is going to be a limited hours place. They're going to open about two and close by seven or eight. That means your risk is a lot less, so the bar's take should be higher and you can use this place to test out new games and music if you want. I'm sure they won't give you a hassle to experiment a little."
Sandy asked, "Got anything for cubicle rats that's exciting?"
"No Ma'am, not right now, but I'll check to see what we can get and make some trades."
"These people need a first rate popcorn machine. Bring in one of those big ones you couldn't sell last year and give it to them. Give them fifty pounds of popcorn and a bunch of oil. Make sure they know how to use it and make them order a fill in and keep them current. Oh yeah, find a new outfit for peanuts. The one's we've been getting aren't salty enough and they're not cooked right. Check that out, okay?"
"Yes Ma'am. We can do that. We'll deliver the popcorn machine and do the game swaps Monday morning if we can."
Sandy saw her cousin and told him to come write some insurance. I pointed him at Gerald and told him that the only thing he needed me for was a check. He smiled and went away with Gerald.
There was a slick looking guy with a fancy briefcase that was waiting his turn. Sandy said, "This guy is Ralph Bennett from the liquor distributors. Can I see your inventory sheet to see whether he can beat your prices?"
Shannon gave Sandy a copy and took a sheet from Ralph and checked them down the line. "Not bad prices here. Ralph, you're going to have to get a sharper pencil or I'm going to change vendors. Fix the prices Ralph and bring them to me next week. Right now, Tom can use his regular delivery guy until you get sharper."
Ralph began to grumble saying, "Your dad said you were supposed to always buy from us, no matter what."
"Bullshit, Ralph, my dad is in business to make money, not to make you fat. Sell to us at the best price and you get my business. If you're higher, I'll buy from whoever is cheaper. If Dad finds out you're screwing us, I'd hate to be in your shoes."
That shut the guy up and he said, "I'll get better prices and see you by Tuesday."
"Make it by Monday, tomorrow, and make your prices at least three to five percent less than this sheet. Now go get it done."
Sandy turned to me and said, "Stick with me, Tommy, and I'll show you how to deal with these guys. They're all family but they have to give us a good deal. We make money the hard way, we all have to earn it."
We sat down at the bar together and Sandy said, "Well, Tommy, I think you're ready for business. Just get the word out Monday to as many buildings in the area as you can. Go to Staples and have some flyers printed up and hang them everywhere. Don't change the name yet, because this is how people know you. Say something like free snacks and drink specials from three to seven. Serve the specials the whole time so you don't get confused on prices, but make them cheap so they buy more."
Shannon was showing the girls a new uniform that she had when Sandy saw it. "Do you wear sexy stuff here?"
Shannon nodded yes. And Sandy said, "Good idea. Say on the flyer new, sexier uniforms. That will bring in the guys and even the girls from my place. At least you're not going to be open late. I'll get 'em after they leave here."
Shannon said she could only get hold of one of the girls that were waitresses before, and she was thinking we might be busy if we handed out flyers. She asked if Joanie could come to work, then it dawned on her, "Oh, can Betsy come, wow, she will destroy guys wearing the new outfit. She'll make a fortune. I have the bar back coming early. I can have him take flyers to buildings around a four block square. The last time we used flyers, we gave them to the mail room guys and they put them in break rooms and around the water cooler."
Sandy asked me, "Do you mind if your waitresses are gay? I have some hardcore babes that look nice and are out of work. They're respectful, but won't go home with a customer."
I said, "That would be even better. If they're a tease, guys will keep coming back to watch them and keep trying. The better teases they are, the more attention we'll get, they could be just like Shannon."
Shannon smiled, proud of her ability to string guys along for months.
Sandy used her cell phone and then told Shannon, "They will be here in fifteen minutes. I know both of these two and they are honest. They will help keep customers, but they won't go home with them. They might pick up a female customer, but they'll probably just meet them at the P-club."
Not thinking, I grabbed Sandy and picked her up giving her a big hug and a nice kiss on the forehead. When I put her down she said, "You're only the second guy to ever do that. The other is my Dad. You're alright. It was an honest hug. You know, Sonny, that I like women, not hairy guys with things between their legs."
Joanie heard her and said, "You would, Sandy, if you had this guy love you up. He's just wonderful."
Zena rolled her eyes so only Sandy could see her. Sandy said to Joanie, "I'm sure he is, sweet thing, but I do prefer pussy, probably as much as he does."
Sandy said, "My work is done here. Good luck Monday, tomorrow. Let me know how you did and whether you had to kick people out at seven or eight."
Sandy left about the time two very attractive ladies came in. They asked for Shannon and were introduced around. They looked at me and asked, "Do I work for you or do I work for Shannon?"
I smiled and said, "You will work for Shannon. I'm just a flunky."
Shannon laughed and said, "He's the smart flunky that just bought the place. He already has me convinced we're going to make this place work."
When they finished the hiring interview and had them try on uniforms, we did one last swipe to dust and shine the floors. The place looked ready. I said to all of the people there, "How about I serve the first drink in the new place. Anything I can't make, I'll get help." I looked at one of the two new girls and asked, "What'll you have, Ma'am?"
She smiled real big and said, "How about a Bud Light draft." Amazingly everyone had either a Bud Light or Bud from the ice cold coolers. I mentioned that we needed to make sure we kept the temperature right where it was, just a degree short of freezing.
Shannon distributed keys to me and to Zena then put the rest into her desk drawer. She had everything for tomorrow in stacks, along with a handwritten list of things to do and that were supposed to happen. She smiled and looked up at me. "Thank you for having the confidence in me to make this place work. I'll do it. You may have to help sometimes, but I can do it."
We locked up and turned on the alarm and headed home. We were tired from being so excited. It was still early, only two in the afternoon. We decided to make a grocery store run so Zena began making up meal plans for us for the week. Once in the store, the girls were worse than a bunch of kids with their 'I wants.' We filled two big baskets and checked out, having to use my debit card to pay for all of it. Having four extra women at the house will be expensive, I thought to myself.
At home, we talked to Maggie and Betsy who we had left behind to help with the bed and breakfast. They had just finished the housekeeping and were sitting in the kitchen, drinking a beer. We all had a beer together then filled in the two about everything that had taken place. When Shannon told Betsy that she was going to be a waitress, Betsy squealed saying, "Oh boy, that's a license to tease. I'm going to have so much fun."
Little Joanie said, "I get to wear one of the neat uniforms too. We have to take it up tonight though so it will fit."
I suggested we go ask mom if she could fix it for Joanie. Because I suggested it, we had to instantly go down to mom's and dad's to ask. Mom had a good time fixing it up so that it made Joanie have some cleavage. She was just too little. Joanie said in a soft voice, "I've just about saved up enough to get tits and then I get laid off. Just a couple more hundred and I'll have enough. I'll bet with tits, guys and girls won't ignore me."
Mom gave Joanie a big hug and told her she was precious just the way she was. Joanie smiled big, enjoying the attention. On the way back to the house, Joanie said, "You know, my folks were never loving or gentle. They were either yelling or beating us kids. I was the runt, so I took more of the shit. You don't know how glad I was to leave. When I tried to see them at Christmas when I was away from home, they told me to just stay away. That's when Zena found me. She took me to the apartment and introduced me to Maggie. They both loved me up, then Betsy came home and I thought she would just eat me alive. We've been together since. That is except Zena, now that she's married."
I said, "Well you four are back together again and it looks like you even have another."
"Shannon's cool," Joanie said. "She thinks she's pure lez, but she's just like Maggie. She looks at you and feels how we all feel about you and she's confused. I don't know about her, though. I think something bad happened to her. Find out what it was and you may have an answer about her."
The house was full. My sister and Jeff were there along with some of the neighborhood couples. Shannon was serving everyone drinks, telling them about how The Office was reopening tomorrow afternoon. Several people, including Jeff, promised to stop in for a drink. Dana said she would join him as she had not been in there before.
I counted noses then declared, "Who wants a porterhouse. I think we have exactly enough." There were loud cheers and a bustle of activity as the girls began preparing stuff to go with the steaks. We guys got the steaks ready to cook and the grille going.
Funny how, even with the extenders and all ten chairs, there wasn't enough room at the table. We should have eaten out in the bed and breakfast dining area, but then we would have had to feed the guests too. Somehow, everyone got a steak with a baked potato, and some fresh greens done in a little light bacon grease and a dab of chicken broth.
June made the comment, "You learned to cook that from my mom, didn't you?"
When I agreed, she told Gerald, "Tommy and I were almost the first mixed couple in the area. We used to go to all of the park's teen functions together. My mom and his aunt were the best of buddies. When we weren't at my house, we here at his aunt's."
Zena asked, "Did you and Tommy take part in the pre-teen and teen experimenting Tommy said went on?"
As I turned a little red, June said, "We were checking each other out when we were little and it continued right through high school. When was it, Tommy, the summer we were sixteen, when we got each other's cherries? As soon as we learned how much fun it was to screw, we went nuts. That I didn't get pregnant was a miracle. I know that summer we managed to do the deed at least twice a day."
I was kind of embarrassed for Gerald, but he seemed to be taking it all right.
June continued, "One time my mom caught us right when we were both coming like crazy. We couldn't have quit if we had to. When we were laying there all sweaty and gooey, she started applauding, then gave us hell for not taking precautions. She marched us over to Tommy's aunt's and told Pauline all about her find. I don't think mom told dad about us being caught, but she said we were being disciplined for not minding. Funny way to discipline us though, they wouldn't let us go to any of the teen functions for a couple of weeks, but let us get together at either my house or his. We never missed a day. Our big love affair dissolved when I went to Florida and Tommy went to Georgia Tech. I found Gerald, but Tommy didn't find a partner till you, Zena."
Gerald said, "I got the better deal out of it. When June and I met, we clicked and we were in her room making love within minutes of us meeting. It was lust at first sight that has really turned out great. Now it's love all night."
Shannon asked me, "If you two had stayed close do you think you would have gotten together?"
Before I could answer, June did it for us. "We talked about running off to California together and all kinds of other crazy schemes. We knew that if we went off to different schools we would probably lose touch with each other. Our last night together, we agreed that we were free to be ourselves in college with no strings or guilt attached. How did you feel, Tommy, you never did tell me?"
"I knew we would have trouble keeping up a long distance relationship. It was sort of destined though, because you and I could be a couple here, but not outside the gates of the park back then. Remember the time we went to the movies and I had to kick that kid's butt. Then the time we went to Steak and Shake was the worse. None of the waitresses would wait on us, so the manager finally was the one to take our order and tend to us. I think you and I knew it wouldn't work then. When you left for school, I was in a funk for a few days, but do you remember Janet, the girl from Oklahoma?"
June said, "Sure, we were friends that whole last summer."
I continued, "Well, Janet hung out with me and we ended up fooling around. She had a boyfriend here but we played nearly every day. She said she was trying to help me get over you and take up where you left off. She left the next week, and then I left for Georgia Tech."
Joanie asked, "Why Georgia Tech, with Florida, Florida State, Miami, and USF so close, why Georgia Tech."
"Two reasons, Joan, first Georgia Tech has a great school of architecture and second, they gave me a full academic scholarship including housing, books, and fees. None of the Florida schools offered much, but an out of state school hooked me and reeled me in."
June added, "Tommy was second in our high school graduating class. You would think that Florida would have snapped him up. Tell them how you finished at Georgia, Tommy."
I was a little embarrassed to say but I said softly, "Someone made a mistake and said I was third in our graduating class, but first in the school of Architecture."
Gerald said, "June used to tell me all the time about your grades, Tommy. It seemed like she knew more of how you were doing than she did of how I was doing. I almost had a jealous fit the week before mid-terms in our second year. June dragged me to the library daily and made me study as she said I needed the grades. I realized then that she paid a lot of attention to what I was doing. Since then, Tommy, I've not been jealous. Watching the way you two interact with each other is a pleasure. You two are truly great friends."
Shannon remarked, "You're pretty open minded, Tommy, unusual for Florida guys."
After supper and doing the dishes, the guests all vanished to prepare for a new workweek. Our group was gathered around the big table talking about what Monday would bring.
Zena said she had some important client contacts the coming week and that Bert would want to go over Pauline's properties to see how they were doing. I had to go to the attorney's office to finalize the transfer of bank accounts and sign whatever papers would need signing. Mom and dad had made an appointment for me early Monday morning.
The girls decided together that Maggie would stay out at the park to help with the bed and breakfast. Mom was overseeing the housekeeping of the back cabins and she had two ladies helping her take care of them. It was decided that the bed and breakfast needed two housekeepers and two cooks. We would continue to serve breakfast and lunch to those who wanted to eat with us. The cabin people could opt in for meals or not. So far, about fifty percent of the cabin folks wanted the food option.
Shannon said she should be fine with Joanie as the second bartender and alternate waitress, plus the one girl who was coming back, Betsy, and of course, the two girls that Sandy called in to go to work. She said that the bar back was coming in early and she would have him chase flyers all over the neighborhood. She would need to be at the bar early to receive the popcorn machine and learn how to work it. She said she was surprised that Sandy was able to just tell the game vendor what to do. I told Shannon I would get her a signature card for the bar bank account so she could pay bills and pay for the liquor as it came in the door.
We all were sipping some nice white wine while we made our final plans for the next day.
Maggie said, "Now that you and Zena are back from your trip, Tommy, you need to take us canoeing again. I really enjoyed that." She looked at Shannon and said, "You'll really like how quiet and peaceful it is to just glide along in the canoe. It's really relaxing."
"How come everything centers around Tommy?" Shannon challenged the girls. "Don't you girls do things on your own?"
Betsy said, "We do a lot on our own, but it's fun to do stuff with Tommy. There's more to him than a dick. As a matter of fact, I haven't had any dick for far too long. Zena's been busy with him, and of course they were gone on their trip. But this is Tommy's house. He let us just move in and stay here while we find jobs, and now he's even found us jobs. Zena was our lover who found Tommy and fell for him. She's shared him with us from the beginning and has made love to us with him. It's kind of nice to have a guy like Tommy to make love to you while a girl like Zena is making love to you as well."
Shannon still looked a little upset about my relationship with all the ladies. "Tommy, you don't expect me to just let you fuck me do you?"
"I couldn't just fuck you, Shannon. It wouldn't be much fun for either of us. If we were better acquainted and were hot for each other, I would enjoy making love to you, but it would have to be a mutual desire, not one-sided."
"But you've let me move in, you've made me manager of your bar, and you didn't even say anything when Zena and I fooled around or when I slept next to Zena last night."
I laughed, "So, Shannon, because you get some free housing for a bit and because I gave you a job, and because I let you fool around with Zena, I now have the right to demand you give me a blowjob or a good fuck?"
Shannon's eyes got real big, then she shrugged her shoulders, "You probably do have the right to ask that of me. That's life."
I got up and went over to Shannon and made her stand up. I took her into my arms and gave her as gentle a hug as I could. "Shannon, you and I may never be intimate, and that is perfectly fine with me. But, I want you and me to be great friends, outside of our business relationship. You and Zena can have your own personal relationship without including me. If you are going to be around though, I do want to be pals, friends, buddies."
Shannon shrugged saying, "Not fuck buddies, huh?"
"No, not fuck buddies."
Joanie came dancing up to us and held her arms up for me to pick her up. She said, "I want to be fuck buddies with him, do you mind, do I still get to work for you, Shannon?"
Shannon said, "I don't understand this house very well yet, but yes, you still have a job even if you like this guy to be around."
I announced, "Ladies, I'm bushed, it's my bedtime. Goodnight."
All the ladies except Shannon, gave me a kiss with Zena saying she would be in very shortly and to not go to sleep.
I was brushing my teeth when Zena joined me to do the same. She had a strained look on her face, so I waited until we were in bed to ask her what was up.
"Honey, something's wrong. Talk to me about it, okay? Whatever it is, we will work it out."
Zena clung to me then said, "I really like Shannon and want to make love to her often. But I want us both to make love to her and I want you and her to love each other. She has some hang up about guys that she's not telling me about and she tries to separate you and me. Just now, when I was coming in, she asked me to come in with her and Joan so we could play. That would be fine, but I want to make love with my husband. I want our kisses and I want us to swim in our juices. When we're satisfied, I want us to go to sleep, connected. When I tell her what I want, she gets pissed and that hurts my feelings and makes me angry."
"Well, Love, you know I won't get between you and some fun with a lady, but I do want my time with you. I want to make love to you as often as possible and I always want you to be my first and last."
That earned me a good kiss. Zena became playful and soon we were reversed, giving each other some serious oral pleasures. We kept on until Zena was sitting on me, slowly fucking me while on top. I could feel her pleasure as she quivered and shuddered each time she came.
Zena's head did a double take, so I glanced the same direction to see Shannon with Joanie standing at the door. Joanie asked, "Can we come closer to watch. I just love to watch you two make love. It is the sexiest thing ever to watch."
Zena looked at me and I nodded. The two came over and sat cross-legged on the bed watching. Joanie leaned down and kissed me, then gave Zena a very nice kiss. Shannon gave Zena a kiss but didn't even look me in the eyes.
Zena and I continued to make love until she said, "I want you on top, I want to feel you deep in me and your weight on me. Love me, Lover, make me yours."
We made love a long time. The voyeurs distracted me somewhat keeping me from coming too fast. Zena then said, "Now I want you the way we began, so we can sleep connected the way I love."
Zena got on her hands and knees while I used some slippery stuff and lubed her up then slicked up my dick. Ever so slowly, I entered Zena then gradually embedded myself completely in her. She moaned, "Oh Tommy, that feels so good, so full, make me come, fill me please."
It doesn't take much effort to make Zena orgasm and I was able to send her to dreamland quickly by slowly stroking into her while using a hand to tease her clit. The squeezing of her bottom was all that was needed to release a huge load into her. I could feel Zena relax and she coaxed me to lay down with us still connected. We kissed, saying loving things to each other and becoming quiet. Joanie was hugging Shannon and said, "Wasn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"
Joanie got up and pulled Shannon with her towards the door. Shannon continued to just stare at Zena and me as she was pulled from the room. Zena said, "I'll get her to talk to me about what's bothering her. She wants to be with us but she's afraid, really afraid of us together and perhaps you as a guy. I'll find out though and we'll get her to relax with us."
About two in the morning, I felt the bed move around a little, then a body snuggled up to Zena, spooning with her putting her back to Zena's front. As she snuggled into Zena, the newcomer took my hand and held it over a very full breast. This had to be Shannon. I could feel her heart beating rapidly as I gently squeezed the nice breast I held. The heart beat gradually slowed and I could tell from her breathing that she was asleep. I was too sleepy to try to figure her out, so I went back to sleep.