Tim woke up and stretched luxuriously. He was alone in the bed and took the time to review his new situation. Kathy was probably going to move in with him and her sister Diane would probably be a frequent visitor. They both had made love to him in the past twenty-four hours and the arrangement was now probably in a three month trial period. They were both beautiful women in his judgment, reasonably intelligent, American by upbringing which meant that the three of them had manners and customs in common, and very sexy.
How the three of them would get along over time was anyone's guess but it certainly would be interesting. At this point, he hoped they could work out a long term living arrangement. The nicest part was that they loved him for himself. They didn't know about his money yet.
He finally got up and threw on a robe, then walked out into the main part of the house. He could hear voices coming from the dining room and headed in that direction.
"Good morning, ladies." He smiled as he stepped into the room. Diane and Kathy were seated at the dining room table, both of them completely naked.
"Good morning, Timmy." They said, almost in unison.
Tim walked to the table and kissed Kathy first, then Diane.
"I see everyone is smiling this morning. That's a good sign."
Kathy asked if he would like some coffee and he responded in the affirmative. Kathy got up and went into the kitchen, coming back in a few minutes with his coffee and sat down again.
"We have been talking about our arrangement" she started, "and we both agree that a three month trial is a good idea. We haven't really agreed on any details yet as we wanted to wait for you."
"I think we should probably face each situation as it comes. I think we will be making a huge mistake trying to foresee all possible events and set rules for them. One thing I think we should agree on is the way we will show ourselves to the rest of the world, like at the bowling alley."
"Tim's got a good point, Kathy. I think we should be just three really close, good friends as far as anyone else is concerned. They just won't know quite how close but anything other than that will get us in trouble at some stage, don't you think?"
"That's probably a good idea, Diane. If Tim and I were to pretend to be a couple, he would have to be very careful of how he acts around you, wouldn't he. And the reverse would be true if he was your boyfriend. I agree that three best friends gives us the easiest way to handle this. What do you think, Tim?"
"That sounds good to me although I am still a bit concerned about treating you both equally. I'm sure there will be time when I screw up, no pun intended, and we will then have to call a meeting to sort out the problem. But I guess all relationships have their problems. Ours will just be a little different than normal. The major thing is that we all have to be honest with each other, no pouting in the corner if your feelings get hurt. Communication is the only way we'll get happily through this."
He suddenly raised his coffee cup and proclaimed a toast.
"To the three musketeers! All for one and one for all!"
Kathy and Diane raised their coffee cups and repeated the toast. The arrangement had officially begun.
It was decided that a trip back to the apartment was the next order of business. While Tim had some breakfast, the girls took turns in the shower, and then he shaved and showered. Kathy had brought a change of clothes but Diane had to wear what she had on the night before, at least until they returned to her apartment. Finally, about 10 am, the trio walked out the back door and headed for the scene of the disaster.
When they arrived, Tim and Kathy went directly to Kathy's burned out flat while Diane went to her own apartment to change clothes. Most of the water had drained away during the night but the damage was more obvious in the daylight. Kathy began sorting through the clothes while Tim tackled the mess in the living room. Except for the books, the furniture in the living room was salvageable although it suffered greatly from smoke damage. The carpeting was a complete loss as well as the kitchen. Tim was tempted to just walk away from it but he knew that Kathy would want to salvage at least her personal items.
A few minutes later, Diane appeared in the doorway still dressed in yesterday's clothes, her face showing signs of recent crying.
Tim was standing in the middle of the living room when he noticed her at the door.
"How bad is it?" She asked.
"The furniture can be saved but it will need to be cleaned. The bottom shelf of books, the carpet, and the entire kitchen are a write-off. I don't know how Kathy is making out in the bedroom. What the status of your apartment? Not too good, I guess, since you haven't changed."
Diane came forward with her arms raised for a hug and tears again stream down her face. Tim grabbed her and held her tightly while she sobbed quietly into his shoulder.
"All my clothes are ruined - smoke damage. I can't even stand to stay there anymore."
"Hush, sweetheart, it's all going to be OK. Why don't you dry your tears and let's go see how Kathy is making out."
"Uh, OK, thank you, darling, I'll try to help her. This place is lots worse than mine."
Diane started towards the bedroom with Tim following behind. He almost ran into her when she stopped abruptly in the doorway.
Kathy was sitting in the middle of the bed with piles of clothes scattered all around her.
"Are you all right, Kathy?"
Kathy raised her head to look at Diane and Tim. She wore the saddest puppy-dog face with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"They're all ruined. All of my favorite clothes are ruined by that horrible smoke."
As she began to cry, Diane and Tim rushed to her side, each of them folding their arms around her tightly.
"I know, honey, all of mine are ruined too. Every last stitch I own."
"It'll be allright, girls, we can have these things cleaned and they'll be fine."
Kathy spoke up first, looking Tim straight in the eye.
