Author's Note: There are some big things -- changes, challenges, and fun -- coming down the pipeline. But after the intensity of Chapter 21, I wanted to get back to our roots here a bit. John and his girls need some time to reconnect. So here it is. Please enjoy.
* * *
As promised, Jess returned to Houston two days later. And that made me feel like we were finally complete. I had missed her. She flew into town like a tornado, a bundle of excitement and energy. The two additional Daydream Pictures shoots had been a smashing success, she said. The first scene would go up on the website the following Friday. They would post one scene for three consecutive Fridays, leading up to the release of the first full-length feature from the studio a month later. It was a tight timeline, but the script and talent were in place.
But the cherry on top of Jess's return was that she surprised us by bringing Juliet and Melanie with her. Kat and Rita, in particular, were ecstatic to be reunited with our California family.
"We need to have a dinner party!" Kat suggested. "John, we can cook together. We have to celebrate!"
We had all gravitated toward the kitchen after Jess and the California crew arrived. Kat stood close to me, her body warm by my side. I envisioned the river of cum pooling in the crotch of her panties beneath the short tennis skirt she wore. Ten minutes earlier, she had been bent over our bathroom vanity as I finished inside her after a hard, quick fuck. We had needed it badly, and I craved being close to her and Rita. We'd spent too much time apart with me going back and forth to LA recently.
"I've got an idea," I suggested. "Why don't we just do one of those massive charcuterie and cheese boards? Lay it all out, and we can all graze and catch up at our leisure. Super casual. Nothing formal."
"I love that idea," Juliet said.
"Me, too," Jess agreed. "Super easy. We can focus on visiting."
"Hopefully more than just visiting," Rita said with a naughty grin.
We swung into action. I helped Juliet and Melanie get settled into the guest house. I took Jess's luggage to our bedroom. Kat and Rita went to procure supplies for our meat-and-cheese board dinner. I texted Crystal and Jason and was glad to hear they were free to join us that evening, along with Bianka. I was beginning to feel properly reconnected to the Houston scene again.
"What can I do?" Katie asked tentatively.
She asked that a lot over the previous couple days. After her intervention and detox, we had insisted that she stay in the main house with us. She felt guilty, as if she were mooching off of us, but none of us would hear it.
"Do you want to open some Champagne?" I asked. "Or is that too tempting?"
"Champagne is always tempting," Katie said and let a genuine, excited smile cross her face. "I don't think a little bubbly is going to hurt me."
"Good," I said and smiled back at her.
Even in only a few days, Katie looked healthier. She was eating well. She had slept a lot. And Kat and Rita roped her into playing tennis with them. I loved seeing her full, natural breasts poking her nipples through the white fabric of her shirt, with the short, almost cheerleader-like skirt creeping up her thighs. She looked happy and healthier. It was a start.
Katie and Rita went to shower, leaving me to work in the kitchen. I made sure we had plenty of good wine queued up for the evening. I took out plates and wine glasses and napkins and dutifully lined up everything I could for our light bites meal. I contemplated making a quiche when I saw leftover slices of ham and some gruyere in the fridge but decided against it. Instead, I opted to pop a bottle of Champagne, turn on some music, and wait for the festivities to begin.
As I scrolled through my phone, trying to decide on a playlist, I heard the frantic, panting cries of Katie as she thudded down the stairs from her room.
"John! John!" she yelled.
I started laughing. She was naked. Gloriously naked. Just the couple pounds she had added in a few days -- probably water weight, mostly -- helped return Katie to her natural, bombshell state. I drank in her breasts, still the most tempting natural pair I had ever encountered, and saw the genuine, Katie-of-old smile on her face.
"Guess what?" she said.
"What?" I said.
"My lawyer just called," she said. "They're going to let me plead down to possession of drug paraphernalia. I'll pay a fine and that's it!"
"Oh my god," I said. "Really?"
"Really!" she said excitedly. "We can take care of it on Monday!"
"Katie," I said, beaming at her. "I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, thank you!" she said. "If it weren't for your lawyer, I don't know what I would have done. It could have been such a mess!"
In the heat of the moment, she flung herself against me and pressed her tits against my chest. She hugged me tightly, and I tried to keep my arms wrapped around her back without reaching for her ass. She stepped back momentarily and smiled at me again. Then, as if struck by lightning, she bunched up her feet to stand on her tiptoes and kissed me. We melted together, and the room felt like it was spinning.
"Did you mean it?" Katie said, breaking our embrace. "What you said the other night?"
"We talked about it," I said. "You know I meant it. I love you. I really, really care about you."
"I've been in love with you for so long, John," she said. "But I knew nothing could ever come of it."
"Don't say that," I said.
"You have three of the most beautiful women in the world living with you," she said. "Two of them just had your babies!"
"I don't think of love as finite," I said honestly. "It's not a pie that gets sliced up. It's a circle that grows bigger."
"I need to go shower," Katie said quietly.
She pecked me on the lips quickly and, on a dime, turned around and hustled back upstairs. I watched her ass jiggle as she went. And then I smiled when she reached the landing at the top of the second floor and flashed a smile at me over her shoulder.
* * *
It felt magical to have the house filled again with friends. Juliet and Melanie came up from the guest house refreshed, tanned, and relaxed. It was striking how honeyed their skin looked compared to our Houston compatriots. On the flip side, there was a warmth that washed over me when I saw Crystal and Jason arrive, with Bianka in tow. Crystal nearly sprinted right up to me and pressed her chest into mine. I had gotten over the displays of affection my best friend's girl showed me.
"You need to stop staying away so long," Crystal said and kissed me semi-chastely.
"What's up, brother?" I said to Jason, breaking free of Crystal to give him a hug.
"Welcome home, man," he said. "Let's give you a proper celebration tonight!"
"Or maybe an improper one," Bianka said, stepping forward and lithely sliding her body against mine.
