JC: Ed Biggers Part 6: Doyen Chapter 20 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 The family lounged around the pool after having played in it for the past hour. Naked and wet from the water, Ed was happy at having his wives and husband alone with him while Betsy was at the park with Mary Gold and her daughter. He could tell the wives had something on their mind and were waiting for the right moment to initiate a discussion. After sharing looks with her other two wives, it was Linda who broached the subject they had been avoiding all morning when she asked, "What do you think of bringing Chuck into the family?" Shrugging his shoulders, Ed frowned before he answered, "Not much." Surprised by his answer, Ling asked, "What? You don't think Chuck is good husband material?" Ed and Leroy exchanged glances before Ed said, "He doesn't appreciate life or the beauty of the world around him." "I agree," said Leroy despite knowing the wives thought Chuck was perfect husband material. Even as he stated his objection, Leroy felt a little guilty since he had once suffered the same problem. He had put his career ahead of family for too many years. "He's totally career oriented." "What do you mean?" asked Kelly surprised at how the two men agreed in their assessment of Chuck without a prior chance to discuss the topic. Leroy looked at each of his wives in turn and said, "He never complimented any of you on your appearance beyond what is required of polite conversation. It wasn't because he was afraid to say anything about your beauty, it was that he didn't notice it." The announcement stunned the three women, in part, because none of them had noticed it and, in part, because the two men had noticed it. The fact was that Chuck had been charming and attentive over the meal, but he had exhibited a business charm rather than a personal charm. Ling nodded slowly while she thought about what Leroy had said. Deciding to address the topic of a new husband more directly, she asked, "So whom would you like to have as a husband?" Simultaneously, Ed and Leroy answered, "Dan Biggerstaff." The women stared at the two men while Ed and Leroy looked at each other surprised by their agreement on the subject. No one spoke for several minutes as they each considered Dan as a possible husband. Finally, Ling asked, "What about Claire?" "She'd make a good wife," answered Kelly, much to the surprise of Ed and Leroy. Her comment earned a sharp look from Ling. Silenced descended upon the room for several minutes while everyone considered what had just been discussed. The idea of bringing Dan into the marriage had been considered by each in turn and then dismissed for one reason -- none of them thought Claire would be interested. Ling had considered it, but dismissed it out of hand. Nathan chose that moment to enter the room. He looked around at the family members sitting quietly. After deciding that nothing of any significance was going on, he asked, "Ed, could I talk to you for a minute?" Curious about what Nathan could want from him, Ed nodded and stood to accompany him out of the room. When he reached the door, Ed turned back to face his family and said, "It would still leave us short a husband." Nodding her agreement, Kelly replied, "Yes, it would." Linda said, "So what?" On that note, Ed followed Nathan out of the room. Realizing he had interrupted a family discussion, Nathan apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were busy." Smiling, Ed said, "Don't worry. It was a timely interruption." Knowing Ed wouldn't lie allowed Nathan to relax a little despite the reason for his interruption. Taking a deep breath, Nathan said, "I asked Mona to marry me and she agreed to it." "Congratulations. You should have announced that to all of us. I'm sure everyone will be pleased to hear the news," said Ed pleased to learn that both Nathan and Mona had healed to the point where they could commit to another. He'd had his concerns when Nathan and Mona had first connected, but since that day Mona only had eyes for Nathan. Nathan was silent for a moment and then said, "You haven't been making many demands on my time since we moved out here to Arizona. With Cathy and Mary here, you don't need a personal assistant in the same way you did when you were at the college." It was a realistic observation and Ed nodded his agreement with the conclusion that his need for Nathan had significantly diminished over the previous six months. Having finished the first draft of his book the previous day, Ed knew that his schedule was going to be much more relaxed for the next few months. Seeing that Ed wasn't going to make a verbal response, Nathan continued, "Well, I called up General Grey and I can get a position at the CIA." Surprised by the change of heart towards General Grey and the CIA, Ed asked, "You did what?" "I called up General Grey and he told me that I could get a position at the CIA," answered Nathan understanding Ed's surprise. The initial purpose of his call had been to ask if there was any chance of returning to active duty. The general had suggested that the time spent working for Ed made Nathan even more valuable to the intelligence community. After hearing the General's reasoning, Nathan agreed with the assertion. "Interesting," remarked Ed still finding it a little difficult to believe Nathan would actually want to work for the CIA despite what his truth sense was telling him. Unsure, he asked, "May I ask what changed your mind about General Grey?" "Let's just say that I've made my share of mistakes working for you and understand a little better the fallibility of people even when it comes to something as important as creating plans that have life and death consequences." "Good," replied Ed satisfied that Nathan had become a whole person once again. "Mona has an open offer to work in a Washington restaurant," said Nathan looking down at the ground. Smiling, Ed said, "Works out well, doesn't it. She has a job in Washington D.C. and you have a job right across the river in Virginia." "Yeah, well…" "I suppose someone needs to inform Marguerite," commented Ed. Since Marguerite was in complete charge of the kitchen, Mona worked for her rather the Carter Clan. It would be up to Marguerite to search for a suitable replacement for Mona. "Mona is telling Marguerite even as we speak," said Nathan with a smile giving testimony to the fact they had anticipated the request. "Oh, good," replied Ed, "I'm happy for you." "Well, I'd like to thank you for all you've done for Mona and me. We're both better people for knowing you," said Nathan staring off towards the plants in the atrium. Giving and receiving thanks were difficult for him, but he knew he owed Ed a debt of gratitude that words could never express. He promised himself that some day he'd find a way to help Ed when he needed it. "I'd like to suggest we take everyone to Maria's Cantina for a celebratory dinner," said Ed, his mood buoyed by the good news about their engagement despite the fact it would increase the pressures on him to find a suitable husband for the family. "That would be nice. I'll let Mary Gold know," said Nathan. Ed grinned and said, "I bet she's already has made reservations." Nathan laughed and said, "Well, you are rather predictable." While Nathan ran off to confirm plans with Mary, Ed muttered to himself, "When did I become steady Eddie?" There was no one to answer his question. Rather than answer it himself, he headed to his room to get dressed in a desire to get out of the house and think about his family situation. He knew the family needed another husband. Once dressed, he decided to go to Shirley's bar. He knew Shirley wouldn't be there, but felt that the walk there and back along with the time spent drinking a soft drink or two would give him a chance to organize his thoughts. Stepping out of the house, he looked down the street toward the center of town. The houses lining the street comforted him with their Saturday morning familiarity. Women were out in the yards, children were playing before it got too hot, and men were taking care of the houses. None of them were strangers to Ed; he knew each and every one of them by name, history, and potential. His plans for an introspective walk dissipated as friends came over to greet him. While Ed talked to one of the newer neighbors, Dan pulled up in his car and greeted everyone. Hoping to have a chance to talk with Ed alone, he asked, "Going down to Shirley's?" "Yes." "Mind if I join you?" asked Dan afraid that by asking his question he was effectively forcing himself upon Ed. Thinking about it, Ed realized that he could discuss his thoughts with Dan. Dan would be an impartial audience, at least, until Dan understood that he was the subject of his thoughts. He replied, "No, I don't mind. I'll meet you down there." "Great, I'll see you down there in about thirty minutes," said Dan before driving his car to his house. Ed finished his discussion with the neighbor and headed on down the street. Maria and Rosa took a few minutes to chat with him explaining that their husband was in the house recovering from an early morning threesome. Ed understood that only too well having been worn out by his wives on more than one occasion. Reaching Shirley's Bar, Ed entered and allowed his eyes to get accustomed to the dark. He was surprised to find Sherry seated at one of the tables and waving at him. "Ed, come over here." Ed made his way over to where she sat and took a seat at the table after looking around for Don. Taking a moment, he examined her and noticed that she'd lost some more weight. It was a good sign since she usually lost weight when happy and gained weight when things in life were bad. He knew that he had been one of the bad things in her life for years. He smiled when she kissed the air in his direction. "It's good to see you. I'm expecting Dan to show up any minute." "I know." Surprised by her reply, Ed asked, "You know?" "Yeah. I talked to your wives. They said you were on your way down here and that you needed someone to talk with. I volunteered. They asked Dan to give you a little time before coming down here," answered Sherry with a grin. Poor Ed didn't stand a chance when the women in his life started to make arrangements for him. "Have I become that predictable?" asked Ed with a sigh. "Not really. It's just that there are a lot of people who know you very well." Ed looked over at the door for a second while he thought about it. In a quiet voice, he said, "Familiarity breeds contempt." "Not in your case. Usually with you I find that familiarity leads to orgasm, but that is just me." The large woman, with a wicked look on her face, was rubbing her nipple through the top of her dress even as she gave her reply. The gesture reminded Ed of the times they'd had in bed in the past and the enthusiasm with which she responded to her lovers. Her comment caused him to burst out in laughter and eliminated a lot of the tension he had been feeling. "It's been too long." "Sure has lover boy, but that's not your problem now. Your wives are looking for a husband and you're feeling bad because you feel like you're holding them back." Sherry watched Ed as she fed him her assessment of his situation. "Right," replied Ed as the bartender brought over a soft drink for him. He hadn't ordered it and realized that it was just another example of his predictability. Sherry looked down at her hands and took in the liver spots that were developing. They were just one of the signs of age that couldn't be ignored. "Did you ever think the problem might be that you're getting older and your circle of contacts has shrunk over the years?" "I'm not old." "Ed, you're the same age I am and we are getting old." Sitting back in his chair, Ed studied Sherry for a minute as he considered what she said. It was true that she was looking a little older. Gravity had taken hold of her body and she sagged far more than ever. He looked down at his hands, noticing that his skin had turned to leather from years in the sun. There were wrinkles around his eyes and his hair had turned gray. "Okay, so I'm now an old fart. Are you telling me that we can't attract someone because I'm old?" "No. You're established and that means you are surrounded by the same people day in and day out. There isn't much of a chance for you to meet new people any more and those you do meet are likely to be your own age." Ed nodded as he thought about what she said. She was right that his circle of friends included mainly people his own age. He didn't meet many new people at the IRS. The only area of his life where he met a lot of new people every year was at the university and the professor-student relationship was not the proper one to exploit for finding a husband. Thinking about it, he realized that Chuck was one of the few new people he had met in the past six months. "Oh." "Let's look at what you and your wives are looking for in a husband. He needs to be in his late twenties so that the family continues beyond the current generation. He has to be intelligent and honest. Ambitious, but with an ambition that is tempered by compassion since your family controls huge amounts of money. Am I right?" Ed hadn't really thought about the age that much, but she was right. There was about a fifteen years difference between him and Leroy. They needed someone about fifteen years younger than Leroy. The spread in age among the wives didn't work out quite that evenly, but it was close. Kelly was older than Ling and Ling was older than Linda. The other criteria were obvious to Ed. He valued the character of the person more than the physical. He said, "Don't forget that he needs to be bisexual." "Yeah and that's a tough condition." Shirley studied Ed for a moment. She asked, "So do you have any candidates that meet all those criteria?" "Sure, Dan Biggerstaff. Well, except for the fact that I don't know if he's bisexual." "So ask him." "What about Claire?" "Ask her too." Ed shook his head and said, "That still leaves us short a husband." "It also gives you two people the right age to find one. Their sphere of influence is growing and they are meeting lots of new people." Ed studied the glass of cola as he thought about what Sherry had said. The scraping of a chair at their table grabbed Ed's attention. He looked up in time to see Leroy taking a seat. Leroy asked, "Are you talking about Dan?" "Yes, we are." Sherry looked over Leroy for a second before a smile came to her face. Winking at Ed, she said, "You know, we've never done the horizontal tango. Interested?" The comment provoked laughter from around the table as intended. Settling back in his chair, Leroy, without missing a beat, said, "Here? Now? You bet." Sherry laughed and said, "You're a keeper, Leroy." "Thanks, I think." After taking a sip of her drink, she said, "Getting back to the subject of Dan, I'm going to suggest that you ask him to join your family. I really don't see any problems with it. I know your wives are in favor of it. You've got enough room in that house for five more spouses and enough love in your hearts for ten." Frowning, Ed replied, "Well. He or Claire might not be interested." "You mean the bisexual stuff? I wouldn't worry about that. I've talked to him and I'd say that he loves your whole family from the way he talks about them." Leroy nodded and said, "I'd say that he loves us, but there's a huge difference between caring about another man and having sex with him." "There's a big difference between sex and love," added Ed. "It wasn't a strong desire for some man to man sex that got either one of you two sucking cock." Sherry looked from one man to the other with a steady gaze. The two men looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Neither one of them could argue with her on that point. Ed tried to recall Dan's reaction when they discussed sex between men on the trip out to the desert. He didn't remember Dan being negative about that. It did remind him of one other issue. "Dan isn't all that comfortable around William." Leroy barked an explosive laugh. "Who is?" The discussion ended when Dan walked into the bar and looked around for Ed. A slight frown came to his face when he saw that Ed wasn't alone, but he quickly hid it while he made his way to the table. Nodding to everyone at the table, he said, "Hello, Ed, Leroy. Hi, Sherry." The three at the table returned greetings. Ed pointed to the empty chair and gestured for him to take a seat. While pulling out the chair to sit down, Dan asked, "So what's up?" Ed glanced at Leroy and, in a off-hand manner, answered, "Oh, we were just talking about proposing to you and Claire." Not really paying attention to the reply, Dan sat down and said, "That's nice." Sherry grinned at Ed and Leroy, winked, and then announced that she had some errands to run. Ed rose and kissed her in a very intimate manner; an act that surprised Dan. Leroy waved as she left the table. When she reached the door, Leroy called out, "Call me when you're ready to dance." "Sure thing," replied Sherry with a grin. Once she had left the bar, Leroy turned to Dan and said, "Yes, we were discussing proposing to you and Claire. Basically, we were trying to decide if the two of you would be interested in joining our family and vice versa." While Leroy was talking to Dan, Ed gestured for the bartender to bring over a soft drink for Dan. He turned back in time to see the effect of Leroy's words on Dan. The poor young man was staring at Leroy with an open mouth, unable to believe what he had heard and unsure if they were teasing him. The idea of joining the Carter family had never occurred to him despite the fact that his feelings for the family members were very deep. Ed said, "I suppose the only way to know would be to invite you and Claire over for dinner to discuss it. I mean, these kinds of things shouldn't be done in a rush." The whole purpose of talking with Ed fled from his mind as Dan tried to work out what the two men were saying. He had wanted to talk to Ed about Claire's insistence that they move into the house where she worked so that she wouldn't be absent should something happen. Now he didn't know what to think and sat there looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Stammering, he tried to find some way to disengage from this conversation and said, "I think I need to talk to Claire." "Probably a good idea," commented Leroy even as Dan stood to flee the room. As Dan hurried out the door, Ed turned to Leroy and said, "That went well." "You think?" "Not really," answered Ed with a grin. He could understand how their proposition had surprised Dan since it had come out of the blue as far as the younger man was concerned. It would be interesting to see how Dan and Claire would react. "I agree." Leroy slumped in his seat and wondered if they had blown any chance of Dan joining the family. "I don't know of any better way to break the news of what we were considering." "Lots of things we could have done and I'm sure the wives will let us know each and every one of them." The bartender arrived with the drink that Ed had requested for Dan and set it on the table. Ed looked at the drink and pushed it over to Leroy. His husband grinned and took a sip from the cup after raising it in a toast. Claire relaxed in her tastefully decorated apartment considering Dan's reaction to her demand that they remain in the Carter household after marrying. Although the reason she had given was her job, she knew that she didn't want to leave the house for more personal reasons. She had found total acceptance by the family and reveled in it. No one had ever accepted her skills with such ease or allowed her to explore all of her limits. Her feelings for the family had grown beyond employee/employer. Practicing the martial arts in the nude with Ling had made her very aware that she even entertained ideas of having sex with all of them. She sighed when she considered that her feelings were interfering with her relationship with Dan. A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and she rose to answer it. Opening the door, she wasn't concerned if the visitor saw her in her sheer white baby doll nightgown. Dan's face lit up when he saw her in that outfit. He loved it when she wore that particular nightgown since the white semi-transparent fabric contrasted so nicely with her dark skin. He stepped forward and kissed her as if he was going to lose her and wanted to fix forever in his mind this moment. When he broke off the kiss, Claire grinned and asked, "What was that for?" "Just …" Dan realized he didn't know how to answer her question. After struggling for several seconds to come up with an explanation, he said, "I'm confused." Taking his hand, Claire pulled him into the room and over to the couch. Sitting down next to him, she put his arm around her shoulder and snuggled next to him. She knew this position allowed him to feel more secure. Once his arm relaxed and molded itself to her, she said, "Tell me all about it." "Well, I went to talk to Ed about the fact that you want to live here after we're married rather than in my house." Dan shifted nervously since he didn't know how Claire would react to him going behind her back. Claire tensed and then relaxed once she decided that Ed was probably the right person for Dan to talk with about his problems even if they involved her. She urged him to continue his story. "So what did Ed say?" "We didn't get a chance to talk about that. He was with Leroy and Sherry when I got to the bar. After Sherry left, Leroy said they were talking about proposing to us," answered Dan wondering if he had understood the conversation correctly. Claire sat up and turned to face Dan with a frown on her face. Disbelieving him and thinking that the joke was in poor taste, she asked, "Are you kidding?" "No, I'm not." Claire took a deep breath and let it out slowly while she considered what Dan told her. She knew her feelings for the Carter Clan bordered on love, but she wasn't sure how Dan felt about them. She had no idea what he would say if he knew how much she cared about them. Trying to compose her thoughts, she leaned against Dan before asking, "So what did you say?" "I said that I needed to talk to you." Dan thought about the conversation at the bar and realized he should have asked a few questions just to make sure that he understood what was being suggested. In hindsight, he even wondered if what they were proposing was marriage. They had mentioned something about her and him joining the family. The couple was silent as each considered the matter. Neither had any clue as to how the other felt about the idea and both were afraid of asking the other. Claire liked the idea and was trying to imagine what it would be like becoming a member of the family. Dan was intrigued with the idea and was trying to imagine what it would be like to have sex with two wives at the same time. Claire broke the silence. "What do you think of the idea?" "I don't know," answered Dan taking the coward's way out. "What do you think of the idea?" "I don't know," replied Claire not wanting to hurt his feelings. The pair sat together on the couch for another five minutes without saying a word. Claire considered some of the problems that would be involved in the marriage. After a while, she said, "If we were to marry them, you'd have to have sex with Ed and Leroy." "Yeah, I know. You'd have to have sex with Ling, Linda, and Kelly." "Yeah, I know." The idea didn't bother Claire as much as she thought it would. The thought of Dan having sex with the men kind of turned her on, particularly the idea of watching them. Her nipples tented her nightgown. Dan's hand chose that moment to wander and encountered her stiffened nipple. Surprised, he said, "The idea excites you." Knowing he assumed it was the idea of having sex with the women that excited her, she said, "Uh, I was thinking about something else." "What? Having sex with Ed and Leroy?" asked Dan wondering if she lusted after the two men. "Not exactly," answered Claire with a nervous clearing of her throat. Knowing that he would be wondering what caused her excitement, she explained, "I was thinking about watching you have sex with them." "Oh," he said softly and then a moment later, in a louder voice, said, "Oh." Claire blushed and wished she could see the expression on his face. Barely loud enough to be heard, she said, "Yeah." "I guess I'll be having sex with Ed regardless of what we decide," replied Dan after a moment of reflection. He wasn't thinking about what he would be doing. His thoughts focused on how Claire would react to whatever he did. Claire could not feel any sense of excitement radiating from Dan during the course of his statement and that puzzled her. She sat up and turned to look at Dan. He gave her a hesitant smile. She asked, "Why?" "I couldn't deny you anything that excites you," answered Dan tracing her chin with his finger. 'He would do it too,' thought Claire overwhelmed by his statement. She realized that he would do anything for her. Her chin trembled as she looked into his eyes and saw the love for her shining forth from them. Overwhelmed, she replied, "I'd never ask you to do anything that you didn't want to do." Dan leaned forward and kissed her gently. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him tighter to her. After thirty seconds, she released her hold on him and he backed off. Dan smiled and said, "You'll never have to ask." "I want the truth," said Claire. "Sure." "Are you interested in marrying into the Carter Clan?" Dan was silent as he considered the question. Outside of spending his time with Claire, Dan enjoyed nothing more than watching sunsets with Ed and Leroy. As he thought about it, he realized that he looked forward to any time spent with Ed as much as spending time with Claire. All three of the wives were gorgeous and he cared for them almost as much as Claire. Kelly had literally saved him from a life of paralysis. Ling had saved him from a life of loneliness. After a full minute of silence, he answered, "Yes. How about you?" "Yes," answered Claire knowing that with her affirmation, she was committing them to accept a proposal if one was offered to them. Claire tried to remember how many times her classmates in the police academy had called her a lesbian. They had driven any thoughts of sex with a woman out of her mind as a result of her treatment. Now she was actually considering it. She thought about making love to the women and wondered if she could go through with it. "So if they ask, we say yes?" "Yes."