Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Shopping Around
Part: 5 of 6
Universe: The Swarm
Summary: A side jaunt before a pickup nets a Confederacy Marine a hidden jewel

Keywords: MF M+F Mf oral anal noncon reluc exhib ScFi

Chapter 5

	Mickey went back to Bettina.  "Betty," she said carefully, "I know you
don't want to have anything to do with this alien thing -- but it might be
good for Tyler..."

	"What?"  Betty blinked.

	"Well, suppose I took Tyler with me and took care of him for a
while..." Mickey suggested.

	"When would you be back?" Betty asked.

	"Well, I don't know, exactly..." Mickey hedged.  "I know that you
think of this as slavery and you don't think it is necessary -- but children
are well treated in the colonies by all accounts.  If you're wrong, Tyler will
be safer with me -- and if you're right, he'll still be okay..."

	Betty's eyes got glassy as she turned over the concept in her head.
Not having to go home to Tyler -- not having him screaming and yelling and
getting into things -- peace and quiet...  "You would do this?  That's...
really nice of you, Mickey..."

	"Why don't you call David and discuss it with him?" Mickey prompted.

	"Yes..."  Betty fished out her telephone in a daze.  "Hello, David?
No, it's not about the babysitter.  Look, David, um, one of those things is
happening -- Mickey and I stopped at the bakery café and some of those Marines
came in...  No, I'm not going anywhere, but Mickey is.  David, Honey, she has
this idea about Tyler..."  There was an extended pause, then Betty said
quietly, "I'll let her explain it."  She handed Mickey the phone.

	"David?"

	"This is Mickey, right?  The lady she does exercise classes with at
the gym?" David asked.

	"Yes."

	"Can you tell me what's going on?  Betty isn't always..."

	"Rational?" Mickey filled in.

	David's voice became guarded.  "Ever since Tyler was born..."

	"David, I saw her CAP card.  I think I understand.  I'm seriously
worried about both of them..." Mickey replied.

	"Betty said..."

	"There is a pickup going on, David.  I've been selected.  I'll be
taking my children, too.  The man who selected me is quite nice, and when he
saw Betty's scores and the notations on her card, well..."  Mickey paused for
a moment.  "Look, I know it is none of my business, and you can tell me to go
jump in a lake or something, but I was thinking that it might be better if
Tyler got raised elsewhere."

	"What are you saying?" David asked.

	"I would like to take him with me to care for him," Mickey replied.
"We're afraid that, well, Betty is a danger to him..."

	"Betty is a danger to herself, these days," David admitted.  "And
Tyler makes things worse -- MUCH worse.  I'm working two jobs so she can pay
for babysitters -- but SHE needs one worse than HE does!  You don't know what
you've done for us already..."  He sighed.  "And now she's fallen for the
drivel of some religious crackpot..."

	"Hold on a second..." Mitch walked up, and Mickey asked, "Well?"

	"The Marine wants written permission from both parents."

	"I think we can get that," Mickey replied.  Returning to the phone, se
said, "David, are you at all interested in what I'm offering?"

	"What exactly ARE you offering?" David asked.

	"I would take Tyler and he would emigrate to the colonies with me,"
Mickey replied.  "I think this would relieve Betty of a lot of her stress..."

	"I would never see him again!" David exclaimed.

	"Yes, but he would be safe," Mickey argued.  "There are ways to
communicate back and forth, I would think..."

	"Why would you do this?" David demanded.

	"Because it is the right thing to do," Mickey replied.  "David, she
could do... horrible things..."

	David subsided.  "I know."  He sighed.  "What would you need from me?"

	"A paper -- basically permission to take him.  The more official it
looks, the better.  A legal guardianship is what we're trying to sell to the
Marines," Mickey explained.

	"How soon?" David asked.

	"The sooner the better -- try to have something in place later today,
if you can.  A handwritten note is probably something we can argue with, but
if you know a lawyer..."  She glanced at Mitch.  "It's probably best if it is
at least notarized."

	"I'm leaving work right now," David told her.  "I will do my best --
and, if possible, I want to be there, when...  Whose names do I put on the
paper?"

	"My name is Michelle Rawlins," she told him.  The man is..."  She
glanced at Mitch.

	"Mitchell Franke -- with an 'e' on the end," he told her.

	"Did you get that?" Mickey asked.

	"Franke, with an 'e'," David replied, scribbling busily.  "Thank you.
I know this has been an uneven conversation, but I AM grateful..."

	"I'm glad," Mickey replied.  "We'll get Betty to sign something here."

	"Good," David replied.  "Let me talk to her."

	Mickey handed Betty the phone.  Betty said "Yes," and "Uh huh,"
several times in the next few minutes, then hung up.  "David says you want me
to sign a paper so Tyler will be safe?"

	"Yes, Honey.  Give us a few minutes -- we'll be right back..."  Mickey
turned to Vickie.  "Can you keep an eye on her?"  Vickie nodded.

	Mitch looked over at the group of selected women clustered in one
corner.  "That woman has a laptop..."

	Mickey nodded and went off to see if she could collect pen and paper.

                         --------------------

	Rachana got slowly up from the table and carefully put her feet on the
floor.  Anne stood by, watching.  "I'm sorry, Rachana -- really."

	"I did this -- you did not," Rachana replied.  "What do you know of
this other woman?"  A woman knelt at Sanket's feet, sucking busily on his
erection.

	"Nothing, I'm afraid," Anne replied.  If anything, she was as
concerned as Rachana -- being replaced by a younger model was a definite
possibility.  She couldn't fathom what Sanket saw in her -- and that scared
her.  She put her arm around Rachana's shoulder and the pair went off to see
their master.

	When they arrived, Rachana went immediately to her knees, bowing her
head.  "My Master, this humble slut begs to serve your pleasure."  She'd been
practicing this little speech for several minutes in her head, hoping it set
the proper tone to please the man she loved.

	Sanket was mightily pleased -- but could not appear to show it.  "This
is your sister in bondage, Donna.  Beg this boon from her."

	"Donna..."

	Donna didn't let her get any further; she backed off.  "I should
probably finish, to prove that I can be pleasing -- but maybe we could share?"

	"Can everybody share?" a plaintive voice sounded behind them.

	"This is Anne," Rachana made the introduction.  "She is also our...
sister."

	"Hi."  Donna took the older woman's arm and pulled her down between
them.  "Let's see what we can do..."

	Sanket began to realize just how busy his future was going to be...

                         --------------------

	Leah gave Tamara about a half-second warning, whipping around, her
eyes popping.  Before Tamara could turn, a voice said, "You really shouldn't
bend over like that -- it gives guys ideas," and a hand settled onto her hip.

	"Yeah, I noticed," Tamara got out through a dry throat, turning to eye
the latest intruder.  There was a VERY young, bleached-blonde girl standing
beside the guy, grinning...

	Mike Fisher grinned back.  "One of the Marines said you were
interested, but busy."

	"Ummm, yeah..." Tamara agreed.  "Who is the girl?  Isn't she kind of
young?"

	"Yeah, well, she's over the limit and she volunteered," Mike replied.
"What's your name, Sweetie?"

	Tamara wasn't impressed.  She'd glimpsed him getting a blowjob from
her earlier and he didn't even know her name...  In some ways, it was very
exciting, but in others...  Her gaze swept to Leah and she made her decision.
"I'm sorry -- not interested."

	"Why not?" Mike asked, stung.

	"Wrong vibe, I guess," Tamara muttered.

	"Well good luck!" Mike rasped, turning away.  "Things are getting
short around here -- maybe you ought to pull off your panties for the next
guy!"

	The girl, trailing him as he stomped off, said, "Nikki.  My name's
Nikki!"  Tamara wondered if he heard her...

	"Mom!" Leah burst out.

	"What?"

	"That's twice!  We're gonna be here when the Swarm arrives -- and
it'll be ALL YOUR FAULT!"

	"If it's a choice between that and turning some dirty old man loose on
you...!" Tamara retorted hotly.

	"Yeah, I know -- but jeez!"  Leah's hand stole under her skirt -- and
Tamara let it slide.  The remark about pulling her panties off had been a
jibe, but the crotch of hers was swamped...

	"Leah, keep an eye on your sister -- I'll be back."  Tamara just
couldn't stand the feel of her swampy panties.  She headed for the Ladies
Room, moving quickly.

	There were three women cowering in the Ladies Room -- well, one was
actively cowering, and the other two were arguing.  "Are they gone?" an older,
heavyset woman asked.

	"Not yet," Tamara told her.  "But things have settled down.  There are
probably only a few slots left.  You're safe if you want to be."

	The other two were Latino -- maybe Puerto Rican -- and Tamara wasn't
sure how she got in due to the way they were blocking the door.  "I'm going
out there, Mama!" the younger one -- in her twenties, Tamara figured --
declared.

	"No, Isobel, please!  What they are doing -- it's not what I want for
you!  Find a man -- marry!  Don't do this!"

	The younger one flounced and stamped her foot.  "Mama!  This may be
our only chance!"

	"For what?  Slavery?" the older one countered.  "To be totally at the
will of some man for sex for the rest of our lives?"

	"Sounds like marriage," Tamara chuckled.

	The older woman turned on her.  "This is different -- you know that!"

	Tamara eyed her.  "Probably not that much, to a good Catholic girl.
Besides, would you rather have her off somewhere making babies, or being
ground up for hamburger to feed something that looks like an animated
toadstool and acts like something between a lizard and an army ant?"

	"That won't happen," the woman said staunchly.

	"I hear a lot of that," Tamara replied.  "But if you talk to those two
guys out there, you hear something in their voices...  It's real, all right."

	"Then why have you not been selected?" the woman asked, cocking an
eyebrow.

	Tamara sighed.  "Like you, I'm a mother -- and I was more concerned
about what my little girls might see than their long-term welfare.  That's
about to change.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a stall."

	"To hide in?" the older woman scoffed.

	"No, to pull off my panties and adjust my halter so the next guy to
get a look sees the good parts!" Tamara retorted.  "If you're so worried about
her, maybe you should go with her!"  She hit the stall and started working on
her alterations.  Outside the stall, the argument got more strident and
shifted totally to Spanish; then, from the sound of things, it moved out
through the door...

	The panties were a quick fix -- she just left them on the floor of the
stall.  The halter top required some work to defeat the integral bra panel.
She discovered that the panel fabric was just the same fabric as the main body
of the halter, just folded back up inside and tacked back in; she had to cut
it away, raggedly, at the bottom seam -- with cuticle scissors, which was all
she had..  Ah, well...  The alterations took three precious minutes; she hoped
that it wasn't too long...  A quick glance at the mirror on the way out and
she was headed back to her daughters.  "What happened while I was gone?" she
asked Leah.

	"That guy came back -- the first one.  The Marine," Leah related.  "I
think he wants to make sure we go..."

	Tamara nodded.  "I do, too, and it means that I'm going to have to do
some things..."  She turned to Latoya.  "Sweetie, Momma is going to do some
things that are very private and kind of nasty -- but all in a good cause.  Do
you understand?"

	"Sex isn't nasty," a voice behind her declaimed.

	Tamara glanced behind her -- it was the Marine.  "It is to a ten-year-
old," she answered.  "So are a lot of other things that technically aren't."

	"I get your point," Rick chuckled, thinking, 'Damn -- there was a
panty line under that skirt, before...'

	"What's left?" Tamara asked.

	"The Indian guys are down to one apiece," Rick replied, "then there's
the guy you blew off and one other -- but he's already saddled himself with a
couple or three kids.  My partner has some open slots, but he's slow to
collect -- he made a lot of mistakes on the first pass.  I figure he's gonna
want to honeymoon with the sweet bitch he collected earlier today..."  He
paused.  "Why did you blow off that guy?"

	"He had a little girl trailing him -- I know he made her blow him --
and he didn't even know her name," Tamara replied.  "How long would it be
before he got interested in Leah?"  She nodded at her daughter.

	Rick and Leah eyed one another in mutual understanding.  "How long
before she got interested in him?" Rick countered.

	"That's disgusting!" Tamara erupted.

	"It's the reality," Rick replied, gazing at Tamara's ass.  "Isn't it,
Leah?" he added, without looking up.

	"Uh huh," Leah nodded.

	"Leah!" Tamara erupted, scandalized.

	"Momma, we've got DAY CARE at my school!  Do you think girls my age
don't play with those things?" Leah retorted.  "Pam Hawkins is five months
pregnant and gets to skip gym!"

	"God..." Tamara rubbed her face.

	"Well, it wasn't a guess," Rick chuckled.  "She's been staring at my
zipper for five minutes."

	Tamara looked behind her at the Marine; his pants had a significant
bulge at the crotch and he was staring fixedly at her barely covered ass.  "No
wonder," she muttered, adding, "Go ahead."  She watched him, felt him put his
hand gently on her ass.  "Keep going."

	The hand slid over her ass, down to her thigh -- then back up,
underneath the skirt.  "Sweeet..." Rick breathed.

	It felt wonderful, and the hungry look in his eyes fueled the heat in
her.  "Go ahead -- I could use a little."  She spread her stance, granting him
further access.

	"Shit, that's nice!" Rick breathed, folding her jean skirt up out of
the way.  Then his hands were everywhere, stroking, tracing her split lips...
Remembering her thing about names, he asked, "What's your name, Honey?"

	"Tamara.  Tamara Jackson."  She lifted her head, turning to face
front.  She could feel him, now -- she didn't have to see him.  "Go on," she
husked, "I want it.  I've been watching other women fuck all morning."
Belatedly, probably due to the realization that she'd said 'fuck', she turned
to her younger daughter.  "Latoya..." she whirled a finger, telling the girl
to look away.  One look at Leah told her it was a waste of breath; there was
the sound of a zipper behind her and Leah's eyes were glued...

	Rick was trying to muscle a three-quarters erect cock out through his
zipper one-handed, being unwilling to stop rubbing on the sweet pussy in front
of him.  Belatedly, the younger daughter's name penetrated, causing him to
chuckle.  "Latoya Jackson, huh?"

	"Nnnnyeah," Tamara purred; his thumb had found her clit and was
rubbing in circles over the hardening nub.  "We couldn't resist..."

	He glanced over at Leah, who was watching the procedure, bug-eyed; she
glanced up at him and their eyes locked, then she scrambled forward.

	"Leah!" Tamara erupted, catching the movement.

	"Awww, Mom!" Leah retorted -- but she didn't stop what she was doing
-- which was reaching into Rick's open fly!  Tamara assumed she had, which was
the point of the outburst; Leah assumed -- correctly -- that her mother was
distracted enough not to follow up if she made it sound convincing.  Rick let
her dig; going beyond that wasn't going to happen, but he needed the assist...

	There was a moment there when Rick thought the girl was going to break
his cock in half, but it popped free, leaving her holding it, looking
triumphant.  Rick gently took control of it from her and nosed it between her
mother's pussy lips.  Tamara let out a moan and it began sinking into her
depths, slowly.  Leah crawled up, put a hand on each of her mother's ass
cheeks, and watched the procedure from all of six inches away...

	Tamara had missed this -- the pleasure of being plowed by a big cock
had been one of the big reasons why she'd dropped out of college to marry
Randy.  Unfortunately, it had been too easy for Randy to find other sources of
supply.  After the cycle of him cheating and her catching him had gone one
cycle too many, she'd given up on him -- and this, since the demands of
supporting he girls came first.  Now as the Marine set up a rhythm, she
luxuriated in the feel of his cock shouldering aside her inner folds and a
man's hands on her hips and...  She glanced over her shoulder, "Leah!"

	"Wow, Mom!  Am I that deep?  He's BIG and it goes right in!"

	"No, you're not.  Sweetie, can't I just enjoy this?"

	"I'm not DOING anything!  I'm just watching!"

	"Yeah, I know, but..."  It was hard to think; what WAS so bad about
it?  "Ummm, it's embarrassing!" Tamara finished lamely.

	"It's HOT!" Leah replied.

	"It'll be... okay," Rick puffed.  MAN this was good!

	Pete came over.  "Rick, what are you doing?"

	"Advertising," Rick puffed.  "This REALLY ought to ship..."

	"Uh... huh..."  Pete looked dubious.

	"Man, I'm telling you this is good!"

	"Well, I'm sure it is, but YOUR stable is full, and we're getting
close..." Pete pointed out.

	"Have the Indian guys filled their slots?" Rick puffed.

	"They're down to one apiece."

	"What's left?"

	"Mike Fisher needs one -- and Mitch Franke needs two..."  There was a
disturbance.  "Hang on a sec."  Pete went off.  Some little Latino girl was
talking to Kiran -- and an older one was trying to drag her off...

	"No, Baby, PLEASE!" the older woman was sniffling and holding the
younger one's arm.

	"Whoa, whoa!  What's up?" Pete asked, descending upon the scene.

	"I don't want my Isobel doing this!" the older woman announced, eyes
snapping.

	One look at Isobel said that she was over fourteen.  "Let me see your
card, Girl," Pete directed.  Isobel -- who had it out to give to Kiran --
turned and handed it to him.

	She was eighteen -- and had a four point seven.  "You don't get a
vote," he told the older woman.  "What are you, her mama?"

	"Yes!  What do you mean?" the woman asked.

	"Simple," Pete replied.  "She has a card, and she's over fourteen --
her future is in HER hands, not yours."  Turning to Isobel, he asked, "Do you
want me to stun her?"

	Isobel looked flustered.  "No, but..." She snatched her card from Pete
and handed it to Kiran.

	Kiran eyed the card; things had been pretty quiet since he'd abused
the blonde bitch.  This one was cute...  "Can I see you?"

	Isobel glanced around; two thirds of the room was naked...  "Yes."
She started removing her spaghetti-strap top.

	"No, God!  Don't leave me!" her mother wailed.  "Please!"

	"I don't suppose that it has occurred to you that you could go too,"
Pete muttered.

	"What?"

	"That man," Pete nodded at Sanket, "needs one more woman.  That man
over there," he added, nodding toward Mike, "needs one also, and that one,"
nodding toward Mitch, "needs two."

	"I am... older.  I am not the sweet-looking thing I was as a girl..."

	"You'll be twenty-five again in a couple of weeks," Pete replied.
"Didn't you know that we can reverse aging somewhat?"

	Sanket, who had moved his harem closer to discover what the flap was
about said, "What?"

	"Nanobots and gene therapy," Pete amplified.  "We can rebuld them --
sort of like the old Bionic Woman thing, except it's all natural.  Nanobots
clean things up, repair systems under attack by aging.  You want forty pounds
of fat gone?  No problem -- and she won't eat enough to replace it, afterward,
either -- they'll shrink her stomach and curb her appetite."

	The woman eyed Sanket.  "If I go with you, will I be able to see her?"

	Sanket shrugged.  "That is up to Kiran.  I don't expect him to be
unreasonable, as long as you don't make trouble for either of us."

	"What would I be?  A puta?"

	"What is that?" Sanket asked.

	"A...  whore."

	"Your job would be to assist these women in making me happy -- and
supplying me with children.  Sex is involved, obviously," Sanket eyed her.
"Whether that is a puta is for you to decide.  What is your name?  Do you have
a card?"

	"Inez.  My name is Inez."  She dug in her purse.  "Here."  Inez
proffered her CAP card.

	Sanket eyed the scores -- not incredible, but the sub-scores for
maternal instincts were higher than average.  "How many children do you have,
Inez?"  He could read it, but he wanted to hear it from her.

	"Four -- but they are all too old."

	"Perhaps you should have several more to keep you busy..." Sanket
suggested.

	Inez cocked her head.  "How many?"

	Sanket shrugged.  "More than one, certainly.  Perhaps another four.
None of these women have ever known motherhood; they will need your advice,
counsel, and assistance."  Now that he thought about it, he needed an
auntie...  "What do you think of sex?"

	"It is for procreation!" Inez announced staunchly, then hung her head.
"Okay, there is a lot more to it, but the Pope says..."

	"The Pope's opinion is moot -- but I assume that he will not complain
if we procreate," Sanket said smoothly.  "Shall we?"  He held out a hand.

	Isobel, who had stopped dead while all of this went on, turned to
Kiran.  "If Mama is going, it is very important that I go..."

	"Finish what you are doing," Kiran told her.  "My women go nude."

	Isobel nodded and started getting out of her tube skirt.

                         --------------------

	Tamara's tunnel vision was fixed upon her younger daughter, who had
turned around at some point and was watching her.  "Your boobies are going all
over the place," Latoya accused.

	Tamara couldn't respond -- she was too far gone.  Orgasm hovered
close, and nothing else could be allowed to get in the way.  She acknowledged
her daughter's jibe with a grunt and a nod, but was unable to force herself to
respond further.  It was up to Leah to say, "Hush, Sissy, Momma is busy!"
Then the world exploded in sparks and Tamara gave vent to an urgent howl that
she didn't even realize she was making.

	"Wow!  Momma got a big one, didn't she?" Leah asked Rick.

	"Uh...huh..." Rick gritted.  He wasn't going to last...
"UUUUHHHHH!!!!"  He hunched forward, almost banging into Leah, while his cock
belched seed.  "Damn!"

	"While you were fooling around," a voice sounded in his ear, "two more
slots have been filled."

	"Yah, okay."  He glanced around.  "Who is left?"

	"Mike and Mitch."

	"What about you?"

	"No offense, but I want to generate my own kids," Pete replied.

	"Mitch, then..."  Rick withdrew and turned to his left.  "Mitch?"

	"Well..."  Mitch who had been sitting two booths over with Mickey and
Vickie, had seen this whole thing go down.  He turned to Mickey.

	"I think it's a good idea," Mickey said, nodding.  "Vickie?"

	"Sure!"

	"I don't know -- I heard she wasn't too happy about Mike and Vickie's
friend..." Mitch noted.

	"That's because he seemed not to care," Rick defended Tamara.

	"Saw you," Tamara forced out past her post-orgasmic lassitude.
"Different.  Caring."

	"Would you join us?" Mitch waved her over.  Mickey popped up and slid
in next to him.

	Tamara lurched up, stumbled over, and collapsed into the seat.
"Sorry.  I get loopy after good sex.  I'll get better in a minute."

	"Relax."  Mickey smiled.  "Do you have more children?"

	"No, just the two," Tamara replied.

	"I have two younger girls -- and we're expecting a boy," Mickey
explained, then made the sally, "Leah seems to be a handful."

	Tamara shook her head.  "I don't know what got into her.  I certainly
didn't want her crawling all over..."

	Mitch pursed his lips.  "Controlled a bit, it's probably a healthy
attitude.  I don't know how much privacy we're going to have in the near term.
I'd rather her be curious rather than horrified."

	Tamara evaluated the response -- tolerant, yet cautious.  "I seem to
have missed a bunch of opportunities -- but I don't know if there is really
better here..." she ventured.

	"I don't think so," Mickey beamed, clutching Mitch's arm.  Mitch
looked embarrassed.

	"I don't normally act like that..."  Tamara waved behind her.

	"These are special circumstances," Mitch replied, watching two heads
pop up behind Tamara.  "I don't think this is normal for anyone."  He grinned
and wrinkled his nose at Latoya, who giggled.

	"I don't know what you want to see..." Tamara muttered.

	"Well, we've already had a performance demonstration," Mitch grinned.

	"Umm, actually, it would have been nice to have done more," Tamara
muttered, looking at the tabletop.  "I've been doing without for a while."

	"We'll get around to it," Mitch told her.  "Right now, I'm still short
-- and I think I'm the only one!"

	"Mike's still struggling," Rick replied.  "but we're running out of
time."  Pete had drawn him off to brief him; the resentment among the male
patrons, which had been blunted somewhat by the availability of Rachana and
Cathy, was on the upswing.  Selected concubines were beginning to have second
thoughts, too -- basically, time was against them.  The process had gone too
slowly, there had been a bit too much vengeance, and Rick hadn't helped things
by absenting himself -- now, Mitch and Mike were in danger of being unable to
do anything further.  Mitch wasn't unhappy -- three women and five children
was massive growth in responsibility -- but Mike wasn't pleased.

	Mike had suffered multiple rebuffs, lowered his standards, and then
taken more hits -- nobody seemed interested.  "What the fuck is the problem?"
he asked, walking what was left of the line.  "There are a couple of real
bastards over there -- and they're having no problems -- but I can't fill one
slot..."

	"Why did you gravitate to her?" a woman demanded.  "She's... young!
Too young!  I don't know about the others, but I'm just not comfortable with
that mindset..."

	"So if I ditched Nikki, you'd be interested?" Mike rasped.  "What
would THAT say about me?"  The woman looked away; that complication made
things more difficult, certainly.  "See?" he demanded.  "I made commitments!
She has a girlfriend..."  He blinked.  "Ummm, Nikki...  Come with me."

                         --------------------

	"Mitch, I need a favor," Mike announced.

	"Like what?"  Mitch eyed his friend.

	"I'm not getting anywhere because of Nikki, " Mike related.  "Women
think I'm a child-molester."  He eyed Tamara.  "Picking her up was a spur of
the moment thing -- and doesn't really make sense -- but I've made a
commitment to her."

	"Yeah?  And?"  The fact that Mitch had covered him with Vickie hung
between them.

	"Look, you've collected a couple of nice women, here, in spite of
taking on Vickie -- but I think she and Nikki would both be happier if they
were together..."

	"So..."  'He wants Vickie?' Mitch guessed.

	"You've still got a slot, right?  You've got a family going here --
wouldn't Nikki be better off there?" Mike asked.

	Mitch was floored!  "You want to give me Nikki?"

	"Well, yeah.  I think I can fill fairly quickly if they're not all
wrapped around the axle over her -- and you've already got Vickie AND these
other ladies..."

	Mitch was nonplussed.  "What does Nikki think of this?"

	Nikki was standing there, looking shocky -- but Vickie jumped in with,
"I think it's COOL!"

	Nikki was obviously confused.  "So I'd be with Vickie?"

	"Uh huh," Mike nodded, beaming.

	"Well..." Nikki eyed Mitch.  "That'd be cool..."

	Mitch glanced dubiously at Mickey -- but she was apparently seriously
considering it.  "The original intent was for the girls to manage to be
together, at least part of the time, wasn't it?  I think it will help them to
be together...  What do you think?" she asked Tamara.

	"They aren't much more than kids," Tamara replied, "but that's the
best reason for keeping them together..."

	"Do I get a vote?" Mitch asked sarcastically.

	Mickey subsided immediately into obsequiousness.  "Yours is the ONLY
vote..."

	"You're damned right!" Mitch grunted, then mumbled, "Like I have a
choice."  Looking up at Nikki, he asked, "What do YOU think of this?  You were
all set to go with Mike..."

	Nikki looked up at Mike.  "Well, it's not like I KNOW him...  Vickie
seems cool with you..."

	Mitch rolled his eyes.  "Fine..."

	"Yay!" Vickie squealed.

	"Thanks, Man," Mike murmured.

	"You may owe me," Mitch retorted.  "I'll let you know."

	"I can't imagine what I'll have that you'll want," Mike retorted,
heading back to the meat market.

	On arrival, he strode up to the woman who had spoken before and said,
"So, are you willing to put your pussy where your mouth is?"