Chapter 63

I was playing with the kids Saturday afternoon when the announcement was made that what had been done to Donna and I was 'a cautionary tale.' I'd known that -- it's what Manny told me -- but having it put out on the public address system was a surprise, to say the least! I went over my feelings in the matter and, well, the whole area was kind of numb after three or four days, to tell the truth. Donna was gone and we were broken as a family -- but I had the kids, and Manny WASN'T a bastard and Belle seemed to appreciate my efforts; I CERTAINLY appreciated HERS! There were some... issues... hanging out there, but I was moving forward and not looking back -- because I had to, basically. Anita and Teddy needed me; their mother had basically dropped them like a hot rock and I was in charge of fixing things, so I couldn't wander around broken...

The sleeping arrangements we'd settled into were... odd, maybe. It started Monday night; I wore myself out on Belle and crashed -- and woke up with a nipple in my mouth but Manny's brawny arm draped over me and his cock in the crack of my ass. I got up VERY carefully and went to piss, then came back and stood there, unable to decide what to do. Manny opened one eye and said, "Come back to bed," so I inserted myself basically where I'd been and Manny put his arm back. I was nervous for about ten minutes, then Belle rolled toward me and basically buried my face between her big titties and the smell of her and that amazing texture relaxed me and I drifted back off again. Since that night, it really hasn't been a problem; I find that I feel... protected... in that sandwich. Tuesday night, I woke up around two and Manny was fucking Belle -- and I couldn't help but be excited, watching... We don't talk about it, but when they fuck, I want to be in there, somewhere, included. I really don't know how to tell either one of them...

The intervening days had been quiet, healing. Manny would go off to work and Belle and I would get the kids off to school and then maybe we would have a little quality time and maybe we wouldn't -- it was generally a mutual agreement thing. The kids would return in the afternoon, and Manny would return when his watch was over and I would help the kids with homework (although the AI tended to have to help ME) and we would have dinner and do something for entertainment, then go to bed -- Belle and I first, usually, with Manny following later and maybe taking sloppy seconds from Belle. I didn't expect that last part to go on for long -- Manny WAS Master, here, and he didn't owe me THAT much...

Saturday evening rolled around and we were relaxing after dinner and the AI announced that we had visitors. Belle and I both flicked glances at Manny, who shrugged, so I went to the door -- which opened to reveal Cooper, LaRue, and Donna! I nearly pissed myself!

Manny was up out of his chair instantly. "Jeezus! It's Saturday? Fuck!" He collected me and led me back into the living room. "Belle, get the guys something to drink, willya? I didn't expect this -- and I KNOW Ed didn't!" He sat me down and apologized, "Ed, I'm real sorry! Coop and LaRue and I generally play cards on Saturday night -- I didn't even think..."

"Cards?" I croaked.

"Yeah. Poker. Money ain't something we use, so we had, um, other payoffs. I'm betting that Coop and LaRue were pleased because they had Donna..." Manny went on to explain that generally the wagers involved 'personal services'; Cooper and LaRue being bisexual, they could settle between themselves, and Belle tended to pay Manny's debts -- which got Coop and LaRue an occasional shot of pussy... "You're not on the table, Man," Manny told me. "I forgot; frankly, I figured that with them doing Donna, they wouldn't be coming by. Things have changed, you know? I'll send them off..."

I gathered myself. "No, I can do this. If you guys want to play cards, I can go watch TV or something..." The ship had a massive media library, updated some way, regularly -- something about drones.

"I don't want you upset," Manny replied. "I owe you. THEY owe you. You were just settling down. This was just fucking stupid..."

"It'll be okay," I told him, trying to tame the butterflies in my stomach. "You can't make me Master here, just because... These are your friends -- I can't avoid them forever -- and I can't ask you to, either."

"Awright." He clapped me on the shoulder. "You know, there ain't nothing small about you. Nothing." He headed out and I sat there, willing myself to stop acting like a pussy. Belle came in and sat next to me and held my hand, wordless.

"I used to like poker," I muttered.

"You any good?" Belle asked.

"I used to be able to pull in a pot or two."

"They be godawful, from what I can see," Belle opined. "Manny usually loses to LaRue -- and so does Coop -- so LaRue gets a suck and a fuck out of it -- or maybe two fucks, if Coop gets in deep enough." She snickered. "Or three or four... I think Coop gets a lot of Anaconda time. But LaRue usually wins because he's crazy, not because he's any good. He's unpredictable and he bluffs a lot."

Donna sidled in about that time -- something ELSE I could have done without. "I, uh, thought I'd see the kids..." she mumbled.

I cocked my head. "I heard a rumor that they were your past -- like me -- and therefore my problem." I don't know where that came from -- hurt? Anger? Betrayal? It wasn't the response I'd have envisioned giving. "They're not in bed yet." I nodded in the direction of their rooms. Donna padded out, head down, and in a moment, I heard, "Mommy!" The kids were happy, so I swallowed my tension.

Belle rubbed my back. "It's gonna be okay, Baby."

"I just... can't have her looking down on me..."

"She's all fucked up, Baby. I didn't tell you this, but I called her Tuesday and gave her a rash of shit..." Belle grinned from ear to ear.

"Like what?"

"I told her how happy I was that she left me Moby Dick to keep all by myself..." Belle reached into my lap and started stroking.

"Moby Dick?"

"Yeah. You like? Everybody ELSE around here has a name for his dick..." Belle grinned at me.

"Yeah, well... It wasn't like this, before..."

"Are you sure, Baby? You know, they fucked with your head something awful that night -- and Donna's, too. I pointed that out to her when she said that while I was showing her video of me makin' it all happy..."

I snorted a chuckle. "You didn't!"

"I sure did!" She was virtually beside herself with glee. "You know, they sized up the boys for that show -- and reversed it, after. Donna's probably wondering where all that dick went... Coop might not have argued about the Anaconda, but there was NO WAY LaRue was gonna take the Beer Can the way it was sized for Donna that night..."

"So..."

"So they're smaller and you're bigger and Donna is wondering... Serves her right!" Belle declared.

I frowned. "What's the truth?"

"The AI knows," Belle replied, "But if I was it, I wouldn't tell you. This is your dick now -- and it is SWEET!" She leaned over and rolled her lips over my glans.

"Jeez..." I couldn't pull her off, and didn't really want to. "Donna's in one room and Coop and LaRue are in another!"

"And you're all tense!" Belle insisted. "Mama fix..." She started sucking again.

I let it happen. Belle was right; I was beside myself with one thing or another. I needed something to take my mind off things, so I closed my eyes and zoned out and let Belle worship my cock. Who gave a shit what its original size was, anyway? I KNOW it wasn't small -- it was average, anyway...

"Good God! Where did you get that thing?" My eyes flew open and I grabbed Belle's head -- and she went "Glurk!" because I pulled her in on a downstroke. Donna was standing there, bug-eyed.

I let go of poor Belle and muttered "Sorry!" then rounded on Donna, "It's always been there..."

"I don't remember it..." Donna sidled closer, tilting her head, making eyeball measurements.

Knowing what was going on, I couldn't resist. "You don't remember a lot of things, apparently."

Belle popped up from her work, still clutching my cock by the base. "Go the fuck away! Next you'll want me to give you a snowball of his stuff to taste to see if you remember IT!"

Donna backed off. "Sorry!"

I waved it off. "Forget about it. What's done is done."

"Yeah." Donna stood there, her eyes hooded. "Thanks for letting me see the kids."

"They're yours, too. If you don't want me around when you see them, let me know." I wasn't taking any shit off her, one way or the other.

"No, I can come here. I'll behave myself."

"Damned straight, Honey!" Belle growled. I shushed her and played with her hair and she went back to sucking. Donna sidled out.

The episode did wonders for my ego; of course, Donna could have popped my balloon at just about any point, but she hadn't. A couple of minutes later, I was hunched over Belle's head, pouring juice into her mouth. Belle backed off with a mouthful of goo, "Wat bme to take her thome?"

I chuckled -- and underestimated Belle! "Do what you want..." She hopped up and dashed off and in a moment a familiar feminine voice let out a squawk; I put my head in my hands and chuckled to myself. Belle came back to the room and stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, all proud of herself. "You're BAAAAD!" I accused.

"It be fun, too!" Belle grinned. "Come on, Baby. Let's watch 'em play!"

"Eh, I dunno..."

"It's entertainment," she pointed out. "I watch so I know who I'm fuckin'. You might as well, too, so you'll know why I ain't in bed..."

"What if...?"

"Manny bets you? He won't, Baby. He knows better. Come on..." she cajoled.

"All right..." I followed her in and perched myself on a stool next to her on the fourth side of the table with Manny on my left and Coop facing me and Larue on my right. Donna was on a similar stool between Coop and LaRue. I'd have probably slunk in, except for Donna being there; I didn't want to undermine the work Belle had done on her. Donna was surreptitiously wiping her mouth; I pretended that I didn't know why.

Belle was right -- they were TERRIBLE. They weren't playing Texas Hold'em -- they were calling the games, dealer's choice -- five card stud, five card draw, seven card draw... LaRue liked Mexican Sweat. I managed to relax while watching the deal circle the table twice -- then Coop managed to win a hand with two pair and I snorted, having watched Manny throw away the makings of a flush... Manny looked up, "You play?"

I was instantly locked up tight under those three sets of eyes. "Some," I admitted. "Sorry..."

"It's cool," Manny muttered. "Wanna sit in? Belle will cover you -- won't you, Belle?"

Belle cackled. "I won't have to pay nothin', I bet."

LaRue cocked his head. "No shit? You seen him play?"

"I seen YOU play, LaRue -- and you shouldn't be winnin'!" Belle retorted.

"That won't keep you from dating the Anaconda!" LaRue laughed. "Woulda, shoulda, coulda! It's what REALLY happens that counts!"

"I'm not a..." I sputtered.

"Sponsor?" Coop finished, looking up from his cards. "You're a man, though..." There was a moment of silence while he arranged cards. "I'm not any too proud of the other night -- but you oughta be. I couldn't have done it. You paid a heavy price for them kids of yours."

Donna made some kind of a noise -- and LaRue and Coop both turned their heads slowly to regard her with eyes like lasers. "Come here, Slut," Coop hissed, and Donna leaned forward on her stool so he could whisper in her ear. I don't know what he said to her, but she turned white. She sat back, clearly chastised, and Coop resumed his calm expression. "Women get sorry-assed if you don't put the thumb on 'em, sometimes. Where was I? Oh, yeah -- if you think you can joggle LaRue's elbow, I'm happy to see you sit in."

Manny looked at LaRue, who grunted, "Next hand." They played it out; LaRue's hand wasn't THAT good, but his recklessness paid off. Manny pulled in the cards and shuffled them, then dropped the deck on the table in front of me. "Cut."

It was do or die; I climbed down off the stool, settled into the chair and cut the deck. I was damned if I'd justify any noises Donna made about me! "Belle covers Ed." Manny announced, and started to deal. "Five card draw, Deuces and Jokers wild."

So we played cards. You couldn't run out of chips -- in Manny's and my case, it just meant that Belle graduated from supporting a $50 blowjob to a $100 fuck to a $150 anal sex session... Donna was on for the same things, as pertained to Manny, at least; Coop and LaRue seemed to be drawing from their own resources for each other. I was perfectly positioned to keep LaRue from playing cowboy -- three hands out of four, he had to put one over on me to win. I wouldn't let him bluff -- and that hurt him, badly. After a dozen hands, he wasn't out in front anymore; I wasn't, either, but things were more even. Then the going got tough...

Coop started getting some confidence and pushing LaRue; somehow, knowing that it might end with LaRue taking the Beer Can up his ass made the idea entertaining for me. LaRue started to sweat; his usual tactic was to take risks and win big, but with me behind him when the bets went around the table, he couldn't get any elbow room. Manny started to enjoy himself, too -- and not having to jump high or stay at home all the time, he could tailor his bets. If I let LaRue get away with something, it was usually because I believed that one of us was going to embarrass him -- and it happened, regularly. Manny and Coop stopped chickening out and LaRue kept getting desperate -- and burnt.

Manny's problem was that I'd seen him play. He made mistakes when he called for more cards, calculating the odds of a particular hand incorrectly, apparently. Where I could, I capitalized on it.

That left Coop -- who tended to be conservative -- and that doesn't always work. But he stood a lot better chance of accomplishing something if LaRue wasn't going hog wild...

Somewhere in there I relaxed and began to enjoy the game. Midnight came and went -- and I was told that the reason they played on Saturday night was because they were off-shift on Sunday. Donna and Belle both fell asleep, one time or another; all they had to do was get drinks occasionally and pay up at the end, so they weren't missing anything. Finally, two a.m. rolled around and Manny announced, "Nobody is gonna make a killing tonight -- let's look at the numbers."

LaRue wasn't ready, so we agreed to an additional half-hour -- during which it became REALLY CLEAR who the big loser was going to be. At two-thirty, Manny eyed him and said, "Now?"

"Yeah, okay. How are we gonna do things?" LaRue asked. Usually, among the three of them, the big loser paid the big winner and the middle guy walked away; now, however, there were four of us -- and two sources of payoffs.

"I'm thinking big loser pays big winner and the other two handle their differences," Manny replied. "Coop?"

"Yeah, sounds fair," Cooper nodded.

"Ed?" Manny turned to me.

"I'm just a concubine. You guys figure it out," I waved it off.

"Let's just do it," LaRue grunted.

So we started counting. LaRue was screwed; Cooper had sixty five dollars more and Manny had a hundred fifteen -- and I had a hundred twenty!

"Okay, so, Donna gets it," Manny grunted. Eyeing me, he said, "Want to double up on her? You get her ass..."

I was really starting to warm up to the idea when LaRue grunted, "Nah, I don't think so. Silly bitch needs to pull her fucking head out -- and to do that, she needs to see what she's gotten into. I fucked up, so I get fucked. Bring us that dick of yours, Ed -- the real one."

I sat there, frozen in my chair, shocked. I wanted to say, "I can't do this..." but I couldn't even get the words out! They were kidding, right?

"Let's go in the other room and be comfortable," Belle announced and dragged me out of the chair. As she led me to the bedroom, she whispered, "You can't fuck around and blow this in front of Donna, Baby! You need to do it! If you don't, you can forget ever getting any respect from her!"

Manny, who was following, caught up and agreed with her. "She's right. Put the little bitch in her place! Besides, LaRue likes that shit -- and it will fuck with her head even more..."

Well, I could try... "Never done that," I muttered.

"Well, you've been on the receiving end," Manny argued. "LaRue owes you a ride -- the Anaconda got his..."

Meanwhile LaRue arrived and got out of his uniform -- in nothing flat, it seemed like. I stood there, flustered, while he got up on the bed on all fours. "Get up here, Slut," he directed Donna, "and stick your tongue as far up my ass as it will go! Coop, make sure she gets it all in!" Donna, looking mortified, got up on the bed; when she didn't seem to be moving fast enough, Coop grabbed her by the hair and stuck her face in LaRue's ass.

"How am I gonna get...?" I mumbled.

"Hard?" Belle asked. "You're gonna get hard for ME, Baby!" She knelt and took me in her mouth -- and, yeah, I firmed right up... Watching Donna with her tongue up LaRue's ass didn't hurt, either, as it turned out...

After a couple of minutes, LaRue yelled, "Okay, Ed! Do me! Slut, go around front and try to swallow the Anaconda -- but make sure you can see that long hard white dick going in and out of my ass! Dumb cunt..."

Belle helped, not letting go until the last second -- and she stuck a finger up MY ass to convince me to stay hard... Once I managed to push into LaRue's ass, it was enough like pussy that my cock got the idea and stayed firm. LaRue said, "AHH! Thank God it's you, Ed -- the fuckin' Beer Can HURTS! Now, fuck me with that thing! You gettin' an eyeful, there, Slut? Don't answer -- just keep sucking! Ed's found my prostate already..."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but my dick was telling me that the hole I was in was fuckable so I closed my eyes and pumped away. Belle was up beside me, whispering, "Ass is ass, Baby! It could be mine -- or Donna's! Just do it!" I tried to put away the implications and kept my mind blank and held onto LaRue's hips and hammered away...

It was hard to stay disassociated, though, because LaRue was talking about it. "Yeah... Good... Shit... I like a... dick... every once... in a while... but... that fucker... of Coop's... damn near... kills me!"

Cooper chuckled behind me. "It's not MY fault you got a tight little asshole, LaRue! The Anaconda is long, but it's easier to take -- and I like the bottom better than he does, anyway."

It was too much information, frankly; I thought I was going to lose my erection. But Belle started kissing my neck and playing with my balls and I got organized again. Other things helped; LaRue had a smooth, hairless ass, for instance. I don't think I could have held it together if he'd been hairy. For the next couple of minutes, I moved slowly up the slope, working hard to make LaRue's, "Uh... Uh... Uh..." that accompanied my strokes sound female in my head. Then La Rue howled, "SUCK, you little bitch! I'm gonna blow! Fuck me! YAAAH!!" The sphincter around my cock started rhythmically clutching it and I got there, pulled along by LaRue's excitement; I grunted a couple of times, but LaRue made the announcement to the room, "YAAAHH! Shoot that juice in me! FUUUUCK!"

It was... okay... I guess. Now that I was over the hump, I might be able to do it again. But I wasn't sure I wanted to. Belle was right there with a rag for the mess as I settled back on my haunches. I looked down and there was Donna, looking puzzled and confused. Well, good -- I wanted her brain scrambled. Fuck her, anyway! Belle finished washing my shrinking dick and hissed, "Stick it in her mouth!" Riding the wave of insanity present, I leaned up and rubbed it on her lips.

"Open the fuck up!" I snarled -- and she did it, and I saw the flicker of distaste as she got a little residual taste of LaRue's shit.

LaRue crawled forward off Donna and grunted, "Yeah, give him what he wants. You owe him, big time, Slut! He took a lot of shit for you while you were having your little fucking fantasy!"

"Get up on your hands and knees," Manny growled at her, "I want mine -- and I want to watch Ed fuck your face while I get it!" Donna disengaged and rolled up onto her hands and knees and I plugged my half-hard length into her mouth. Manny took no prisoners; he went straight in to the hilt in her and started pounding, holding her shoulders so she didn't jounce too much to be able to handle me. "Go for the throat, Ed!" he grunted.

I surprised myself! Fresh out of LaRue's ass, I got hard in Donna's mouth! "Get yours," Manny gasped, pounding away. "She's fuck meat -- use her! Fuckin' slut!" I held her head and did something I'd never done when we were married; I fucked her throat! She gasped and choked and gurgled, but I was off somewhere and my usual connection to concern for such things was disconnected, somehow, and watching drool pour over her chin made me hotter instead of turning me off. The animal in me had apparently come out to play...

If someone would have said something about how ugly it all was, I'd have been instantly ashamed -- but everyone was rooting for us to tear Donna's ass up. Instead, I was poking her throat, grunting, "Take it! Take it!"

Belle leaned in and caroled, "Look at her fucking eyes!" I did -- and it set me off! Donna was out there, totally gone! She was enjoying the shit she was taking! I'd seen that glazed look before -- but I'd spent a lot of that particular evening distracted by what was happening to me... I roared and shuddered and shot spunk straight down her throat -- a big load, too! Then I settled back on my haunches and slapped her, still venting my pent-up anger -- and she threw an orgasm, right then and there! Belle cackled. "You poor bitch! You poor fucking bitch!"

Manny howled, "YAAAH! FUCK! I shoulda done your ass!" and ground himself against her, obviously emptying his balls. Belle, anxious to get in on things somewhere, crawled around and took him into her mouth as he pulled out of Donna. "Awright, you guys," Manny grunted, "It's three in the fucking morning. Hit the bricks -- and take that stupid fucking collection of fuck holes with you!" Coop laughed and they high-fived one another.

Turning to me, Coop said, "I don't know how you did it, but now that you broke LaRue's winning streak, poker might be fun again!" He threw me a little salute.

"He cheats!" LaRue accused -- but he was grinning.

The AI missed the cue, I guess -- as usual. "On the contrary -- the concubine Ed is the superior player. If you would care to see the analysis..."

"Jeezus!" LaRue rasped. "Shut the fuck up, willya?" He waved and took up the rear of the procession as it left, Coop in the lead, dragging Donna by a wrist.

"That is one fucked-up slut," Manny mused, watching them leave. "She's a total fucking masochist, it looks like." Turning to me, he asked, "How you doin'?"

"Tomorrow, I'll probably be amazed," I sighed. "Tonight, I'm just drained."

"Let's go to bed," Manny offered, clapping me on the shoulder. "I'll try to keep my dick out of you."

I didn't even flinch; I was too tired...

It was nearly noon when I woke up; Belle was riding Manny's pole, grunting quietly, her fingers interlaced with his, her expression beatific. I lay there watching as she stopped rising and falling and ground herself against Manny, shaking and moaning her way through an orgasm, then took up the stroke again, leaning down to kiss him. When she came back up, she noticed that my eyes were open. "THERE'S my wild man!" she puffed.

"Maybe not so wild this morning," I replied ruefully. "Did I really do that stuff last night?"

"Yeah, you really did," Manny chuckled. "I'm proud of you, Man. You let it all hang out!"

"I couldn't have done it without Belle pushing me," I objected.

"And... Donna... pulling!" Belle puffed. She was seriously pounding herself onto Manny's probe, several parts of her juddering under the impacts.

"Yeah, that, too," Manny grinned. "Funny how that stupid cunt brings out the best in you, one way or another. If you hadn't had her there, waiting for you to fuck up..."

"Yeah. I had the carrot AND the stick," I admitted. "It took both."

"One sec -- we got business..." Manny started throwing himself upward to meet Belle's thrusts and in just a few seconds they BOTH got off. "Yeah, fuck, that's it," Manny grunted, subsiding. "Boy or girl, that kid's gonna be a cocksucker -- it's been bathed in cum all though it's first nine months!" Belle snorted and swatted him on the shoulder. Rubbing Belle's thighs, he turned to me, "Where did you learn to play poker?"

"Penny-ante games in college," I replied, "before Texas Hold'em became popular."

"That game is bullshit, anyway," Manny opined. "How you feelin'?"

"Okay." Actually, I wasn't really sure. "I can't believe what I did..."

"Fucking LaRue?" Manny guessed. "You did him a favor. He gets the urge every once in a while, despite the fact that he's generally a top. The Beer Can is a lot to take if you don't do it all the time." He paused. "Coop's gonna be looking for ya."

"Jeezus! Why?"

"Coop's a bottom. LaRue had a good time. That makes you a good fuck."

"Oh." I flicked a glance at Belle, embarrassed, before admitting, "In that range, I think I'm a bottom." I remembered that night -- vividly.

"Yeah, well, based on last night, you can handle both ends," Manny opined. "I bet it wouldn't be as hard the second time."

"I dunno. Maybe not," I mused. "If LaRue had had a hairy ass, I'd have lost interest."

"Lucky for you, most black guys don't," Manny chuckled. "How is the basic black thing?"

"Better," I admitted. "It's more a case of me having black friends..." I shook my head to clear it. "Given who they are, that's a weird comment, huh?"

Manny laughed. "Just a little." Then he got serious. "Ed, you ought to test again -- but I don't want to lose you and the kids."

I thought about it. "I won't make it -- I'm still damaged goods. Besides, I'm getting used to this." Belle leaned over and rubbed my chest, smiling.

"We'll keep things as they are, then," Manny replied. "Up, Woman! I have to piss!" Belle leaned forward and draped herself on me while Manny got up, kissing my neck and dribbling Manny's cum on my thigh.

The kids had been up for hours, I discovered; Belle had handled things, feeding them and seeing to it that they were entertained. We ordered brunch in, instead of going to mess. We were just finishing when the door alert sounded (it isn't what I'd call a doorbell -- it's the AI announcing that you have visitors -- but more or less as a sound byte...) Manny got up and released the door -- and there was Donna, knelt up between LaRue and Coop. LaRue had her on a leash. "What the fuck?" Manny blurted -- then he held up his hand, looking behind him at us -- and beyond. Teddy and Anita weren't visible. "AI, soundproof between us and the kids," Manny directed.

"Acknowledged."

Manny turned back to the door. "NOW, what the fuck?"

LaRue nudged Donna. "Tell him."

Donna hung her head. "I want to come home."

"What? You ARE home! Coop and LaRue are home! You want it your way? What the fuck do you think this is? Burger King?" Manny ranted. He eyed LaRue. "What the fuck?"

"I think it's that whine Coop makes when the Anaconda is digging in him," LaRue chuckled. "It gets on her nerves. Coop was all horny when we left last night..."

"What about you guys? Ain't her pussy any good?" Manny rasped.

"Yeah, it's fine, but you know and I know she ain't happy unless she's getting the shit kicked out of her," Coop replied. "She needs a bigger audience. Besides, there's the kids..."

"And there's Ed, who she's pissed on." Manny stepped forward and slapped Donna. "You skank! You've got a lot of nerve thinking you can just waddle back in here!" He looked up at LaRue and Coop. "What are you thinking, here? What's the plan? I don't want to give up my second concubine for THIS cunt!"

LaRue looked at Coop, who said reasonably, "You don't. They were a couple, so you get 'em for free, right?"

"Sponsors headed to that colony get that deal -- we don't! We're crew!" Manny pointed out. "We get the usual -- and I get two. I plan to pick something Ed and I can enjoy and not worry about."

"If we split her three ways..." Coop muttered.

"But I got to house her, right? Somebody in the chain of command has got to bless this. Besides, there's Ed..." He turned to me. "You want this skank around?"

This was a place I did NOT want to be! I rubbed my forehead. "I was married to her. She's the mother of my children. On the other hand, this isn't the version of her I married..."

"I'm sorry!" Donna burst out. "I'll be good -- I promise!"

"You're DAMNED RIGHT you'll be good!" Manny growled. "IF this stupid idea even works, I'd better never hear you say a cross word to Ed! Ed, is there anything special about her pussy compared to, say, Belle's?"

"Uh, no..." Frankly, Belle was a better fuck -- maybe because she was into it. Donna hadn't been that into it with me in a while, although she seemed to be fine with Manny, Coop, and LaRue...

"Good. Do her ass or her mouth -- but use her, regularly. She doesn't throw any more of your kids -- she doesn't deserve to. Fuck her when she's pregnant, if you want. Her kids will all be nappy-headed little black motherfuckers." He turned to look at Donna, "But you'll like that, anyway, won't you?" Donna hung her head and Manny rolled his eyes. "AI, who do I have to talk to about this? I'm not doing it if it's gonna cost me a concubine."

"This will have to go through command channels," the AI replied. "However, there are indications that some latitude should be granted in their placement due to the circumstances of the training incident."

'So THAT's the euphemism!' I thought, 'The 'training incident.' Sounds like somebody accidentally got run over or shot...'

"Well, this will take a while, I imagine," Manny grunted. "I suppose you want to leave the cunt..."

Before either Coop or LaRue could speak, the AI said, "Actually, this is moving rapidly. Your section chief recommended that Crewmen Cooper and LaRue lose a concubine slot between them, but the Purser vacated the requirement."

"No shit?" Manny looked dumbfounded. "It takes a week to process a leave request on this tub, but they can dump useless twats on you in minutes..."

"The records are flagged, Crewman Harris. Actions deemed to be in the couple's best interest are assigned a priority." The AI paused. "Request granted. Ownership of the concubine Donna Evans is shared between the three crewmen present. Quarters allocations are available both here and in Crewmen LaRue and Cooper's quarters. No one is to receive any concubine headcount reductions. Authorizations are by verbal orders of the Captain, logged thirteen seconds ago."

Manny eyed Donna. "Somebody wanted shut of you, bad!"

"Crewmen..." the AI interjected.

"Yes?" Manny answered.

"The concubine Donna Evans is considered to be damaged goods. Disposal is pre-authorized. This does not apply, however, to the concubine Ed Evans. It is also one reason that the allocation was so swift."

Manny looked at Donna. "You are fucked! Did you hear that? Piss one of us off, and we frog-march you to the nearest airlock and nobody will say shit! Gimme her leash!" LaRue released it and Manny tugged it. "Look up at me, cunt! You are the lowest of the low! If I decide to pimp you out to a squad of Marines, you'd better SMILE while they check you to see if you're airtight! You do what I say -- you do what Belle says -- and you DAMNED SURE better do what ED says! For the kids' sake, I'll think about taking it easy on you in their presence -- but DON'T TEST ME! As for Coop and LaRue, I hope they use your mouth to clean up in after every butt-fuck! Now go to your kids and pretend you're a half-assed decent mother!" He managed to kick her in the ass as she skittered off. "Damn, Ed -- I dunno," he said quietly. "That silly bitch brings out the worst in me."

"Maybe it's left over from the other night," I opined.

"I'm serious about this, Ed. Don't give her a damned thing but a hard dick," Manny insisted. "And if she even LOOKS at you cross-eyed, slap the shit out of her. You're not married and she doesn't deserve you!" He paused for a moment. "Besides, you KNOW she likes it that way, don't you?"

I thought about it, remembering the previous night. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Manny turned to Coop and LaRue. "Come on in, boys. We'll think of something to do. If we're gonna play cards, maybe we'd better stick to Spades..."