12 - Growth

Chapter 9 -- Serious Consideration

Since Matthew was due back in the afternoon to swim at the pool and be with Heather, the Circle cleaned up their act for the afternoon. Cleaning up our their meant no public sex, men wearing swim trunks or athletic shorts or other pants, and women wearing at least a monokini. Heather had schooled Matthew to understand that we were a unique group of people, and so the partial nudity of the women among the men was 'normal'.

Dave got out of the pool from a swim with Donna, Julie, Owen, and Sean. One by one they followed and slipped on the necessary clothing. Just as Dave sat down the chime sounded announcing a visitor waiting at the main gate. Since Dave was closest to the intercom to the front gate, he got up and went inside to see who was visiting.

Dave pushed the button on the intercom; "Welcome to the Circle. Who are you and who are you here to see?" He tried to sound friendly as he as the questions. He thought it might be the caterers or party planners returning for some of their gear.

"Hi Dave. It's Erin. I'm here to see you and everybody. I hope this is a good time. I had the afternoon off and thought I'd drop by. If it's not, just say so."

Dave thought to the discussion he'd had with her about twelve hours earlier after she all but propositioned him. He'd told her that he wanted to have some kind of intimacy of the nonsexual kind with a woman before they made love. He speculated that Erin was here to start on that process.

"I'm buzzing you in. The gate will open. You've been to the house, so just follow the winding lane up to Circle Drive. Park in front of my home and then come around either side to the core patio. Most of us are out here."

"See you in five," Erin replied.

Dave gave fair warning to everybody that Erin Steckler would soon be visiting. Erin appeared shortly thereafter looking perky and friendly. She was wearing shorts, flats, and a colorful top. She also carried a huge purse that could hide a small army.

Erin was friendly, happy, and effused about the party the night before as Dave brought her to sit with the others. She waited to see the dynamics of the conversation before starting to join in. Dave thought it interesting that Erin didn't seem to be the least intimidated chatting with Owen Bennett, the way some of the other guests had the night before.

Dave called that point to her attention. "I'm pleased that you treat Owen on the same basis as the rest of us."

Erin smiled slightly, "It's the only way I know how to be. I would pay proper respect to the Queen, or a pauper, or someone from a foreign culture where I was expected to bow -- slightly, but I figured he has to put his pants on one leg at a time the way the rest of us do."

Owen laughed. "Thank you. Yes, my levitation skills are severely limited despite all those lessons. I do fly, but I need the cooperation of a single-engine plane to do it."

"Oh, what fun," Erin said. "You have a pilot's license. I remember you talked about that last night."

"Yes, but Alice and Pam surpassed my skill level. Once in a while on long flights I'll get to sit in the copilot's seat on my jet, but I'm nowhere near that qualified. At the rate they're going, one of the women will be flying me around."

"That wouldn't bother you?" Erin asked. "Putting your life into the hands of a woman."

"Hardly. We all probably do it everyday. I'm very egalitarian. I wouldn't be allowed in this Circle if I were any other way."

"You could buy your way in, couldn't you?" Erin teased.

Owen laughed, "Not this group. We share an inviolable philosophy about equality, and I've been told on no uncertain terms to not even offer to help on anything other than an equitable basis with everybody else in the Circle. Money has nothing to do with it. There are a few other expectations, too; as I'm sure you might expect."

Erin nodded, "Can you share some?"

Owen went on, "Being non-judgmental, at least within the Circle. I think we're also each striving to improve ourselves in many ways, even as we have fun doing it. The willingness to be in each other's extended family is very important -- the social aspect of the cohousing project. We're a democracy, although so far we haven't had any close votes on any of the issues that came before our governing body.

"That reminds me of another, and that is participation. Everybody carries part of the weight for the Circle and the cohousing project. We have monthly or special duties that are assigned. I'm on clean up at most meals with a few others. Dave cooks, as he did this morning. There's also the presumption in all cases about inclusion."

Erin asked, "Inclusion?"

"We are to assume that everybody in the Circle wants to be included on any project, party, event, or gathering, unless notified otherwise."

"What about your intimate gatherings?"

Owen, Sean, and Dave laughed. Dave teased, "You get right to the nub of the matter, don't you?"

Erin blushed. "I'm sorry. That was an improper question, wasn't it? I withdraw that. My own curiosity and lustiness prompted that. I didn't mean to slip into nosy reporter mode."

Dave gave Owen a little nod and gesture.

Owen said, "The presumption between all of us is that the others want to make love with us, and that we want to be with them. To my knowledge, no one has ever been disappointed in that assumption."

"That's bold," Erin said firmly but with a smile.

"Now, say what you just did and be non-judgmental about it."

"Oh ... I ... should keep my mouth shut. I just wish non Circle members were included."

Owen asked, "Who says they're not?"

"Dave." All eyes turned to him, including Donna, who'd been mostly silent.

Dave forced a large smile. "I stand by what I said, and I would like to emphasize what Owen said. He used the expression 'make love,' not have sex or fuck. We each want there to be a sufficient basis between two people who choose to have sex so that they can agree that they are making love. Sure, lust often drives our unions, but overall we want more than sexual intimacy."

Dave turned to Donna. "Don't you agree?"

"God, yes" she blurted out. "I feel the best I have in years -- maybe ever."

Erin cocked her head to one side. "I'm not sure I understand ... because you had sex?"

"Yes, but it was so much more than that. It wasn't just sex. I had every molecule in my soul romanced and made love to. I feel that I know for sure what heaven is going to be like because I've been there over the past twelve hours. I'm sitting in the middle of it now."

Erin slowly nodded. "I have a lot to learn."

Dave smirked, "Not as much as you think. Just be open to what comes your way."

Dave turned and watched Matthew come racing onto the patio from home. "DAD! Hi, everybody." Dave caught the five year old and gave him a bear hug.

"I WANNA SWIM," Matthew announced loudly.

Dave stood and carried the squirming youngster to the edge of the pool. With a mighty heave he tossed the screaming youth, a small mass of wiggling arms and legs, into the pool. Everybody watched and laughed. Matt went deep under water, and then bobbed to the surface laughing and screaming as the fun of the situation swept over him. He liked a little rough play from time to time.

Dave peeled off his t-shirt and tossed it on a chair, and then jumped in next to Matthew. The two splashed and played together for a few minutes.

Dave looked back at the group he'd been with, "Come on in. The water's fine."

Donna said, "No bathing suit."

"Just wear your undies. No one will care. We can throw them in the dryer later."

Donna stood and shed the opaque cover she'd been wearing, really one of Dave's dress shirts with long tails that came to mid-thigh on the shorter woman. She was left in the microscopic thong she'd arrived at the party wearing the night before. The men's eyes all flared with lust as she walked over to the edge of the pool. Despite being in her early forties, Donna was stunning.

Donna muttered, "Here goes nothing." She jumped into the pool, her long brunette hair streaming out behind her as she surfaced. "Oh, this is really pleasant. Someday, I want to be where I can do this several times a day."

Owen and Sean teased Erin. She finally stood and peeled off her colorful top. She was already wearing the bottom half of a bikini showing some advance planning. The absence of the bikini bra showed some advance hopefulness as well. The shirt got left in her chair, and she made a sexy walk to the pool's edge and dove in.

The two men followed her into the pool. While the opportunity to play a little grab ass with either Donna or Erin was obvious, both men restrained themselves. These were guests and not prone to like the playfulness the way some of the Circle women did.

Dave got Matthew up on his shoulders, and that led to Owen getting Donna on his, and then Sean got Erin atop his. The three then started a game of dunk the losers. Sean and Erin succumbed to Donna and Owen, amid great laughter, and then Dave and Matthew toppled over in the pool, leaving both of them sputtering for air when the surfaced. Everyone was laughing, especially Matthew who thought that was a great game.

Dave taught Matthew how to climb and stand on his shoulders and then dive into the water. This worked well for the small lad, but when Donna tried it, she could never achieve a standing position long enough to even wave her arms around for balance.

After some laps, the adults got out. Heather joined the group, but sat nearest to the pool to keep an eye on her son. Dave also sat at the ready.

Erin posed, "I don't suppose anybody would like to tell me how all this got started, would they? I got the sterilized two minute version weeks ago when I first met Ty and Dave in a formal interview about the cohousing project."

Dave winked at Sean, and gave a gesture with his head for him to respond.

Sean said, "I think you know some of this. Four of the core couples were all neighbors a few miles from here. We were all pretty tight and traditional, but wanted something to spice up our marriages and to get us more into a more modern way of thinking. Dave and Alice had the furthest to go to get to where they are today. One wife, Dori, started to give them challenges to help move them along -- especially Alice."

Erin asked, "So, all of this just started on a whim by Dori?"

Everybody laughed. Dave said, "Not quite. Alice caught Dori fucking one of her company's salesmen in his car one morning in the parking lot at work. The shock and subsequent discussions and revelations about how Dori and her husband lived was what started things."

Sean continued, "We all called it 'Loosening Up.' While Dave and Alice were the primary targets by Dori, the rest of us were doing similar things or certainly having the relevant discussions about our relationships, sex, involving others, and what we wanted our marriages to look like.

"At one critical juncture, Dave brought one of the consultants to his company home -- Pam. She's the one in the bright orange monokini on the other side of the pool talking with Dev and Wendy. They fell in love with her and annexed her into their family. Dave suddenly had two wives.

"Near the same time, Alice got some tattoos from Owen -- one of his ancillary skills. Those led to a couple of sexy sessions, and then eventually sex and a deep romantic relationship that persists today.

"AND while all that was going on, the four couples from the neighborhood were moving towards having sex with each other. My wife Kat made love with Dave, and so did Wendy." He gestured across the pool. "Alice was the last to have extramarital sex of the original group. That put us all on the road to wanting to be with each other all the time, and in an environment where we could easily interact with each other sexually or any other way we chose. Others got added along the way, and here we are today."

Erin looked serious, "How does one get 'added'?" Dave could tell by the sound of her voice that she wanted admission.

Dave picked up the lead. "I kind of indicated that to you last night, but I was being a little cryptic because I didn't want to insult your sensibilities or force you to be judgmental about us. I think I tried to deflect your questions by saying that you needed to develop a deep friendship with me. The real answer goes much further.

"You need to discover that you need not live in the memes you were raised to believe were the only way to be. Those memes include monogamy, exclusivity, ability to love more than one person, sexual freedom, promiscuity, friendship, and more."

The discussion that followed gave Erin a lot to think about as she asked questions about each of the terms or phrases Dave had presented her with. Those turned into questions about herself that only she could answer.

Could she really love more than one person, even a large group of people? Could she grant herself the sexual freedom to be open and available to a large group of men -- and women? Could she have sex openly and in a public setting, even to the extent where the rest of society would brand her a promiscuous slut? Were monogamy and exclusivity in relationships important to her? Could she truly be polyamorous? How far out of the box could she let herself live?

Holly came up to the group and pulled Erin away from the table where she'd been mute for over fifteen minutes. "Come with me. Let's take a walk. I'm Holly, in case you forgot meeting me last night." Holly wore only a monokini and large sunglasses.

"I'm half nude," Erin balked as they started to walk off the patio between two houses.

"That's all right. We're going to be nearby. No one will care in our neighborhood. They'll barely notice."

The two women strolled between the houses out to Circle Drive and the encircling covered sidewalk. As they started to walk around Circle Drive past the ten houses, Holly said, "Pretty daunting isn't it?"

"Very. How did you know?"

"I went through it a few months back. It seems like a lifetime ago. I had to confront ALL my basic beliefs about myself and about relationships and my role in them."

"And you came through it. You live here."

"I did. A friend of Dave's and mine came shortly after I'd transitioned. She didn't make it. She couldn't change, and that's all right. That is really what I wanted to tell you. This lifestyle is hardly for everyone and that it's just fine to reject this. You can be friends with all of us, but just not a Circle member."

"What's it like living here?" Erin asked. She gestured to the homes and core buildings on her right.

"For me, it's the most wonderful thing that's every happened in my life. Can I tell my parents about it and all the details? Not only, no, but hell no. About all I've told them is that I rent a room with kitchen and living room privileges in a cohousing project where the residents share duties and help each other. I painted a picture kind of like a commune circa 1960s, and you can bet I left out the free love part. Some day, though, I'll have to figure out a way to soften them up about that part."

"What about that?"

"I feel loved every second of every minute of every hour of every day. It's the best feeling you can imagine. I am loved intellectually, spiritually, and sexually; and yes, I have sex with everybody -- and I mean EVERYBODY -- men and women. I love it and I assure you there is no one I avoid or that I don't welcome into my arms with love.

"I didn't know I was bisexual until I met Dave, and then some of the other Circle members. I'd never thought of having sex with multiple people at the same time, and certainly never out in the open where others could watch. I could go on. Two things are important. First, if you choose this lifestyle, you do get used to it and the sense of shame and embarrassment that you bring from old teachings and the outside world disappears. Second, if you choose not to adopt how we interact, no one is the wiser and you remain in touch with the you that you've grown up with and are comfortable with. Think of this as just a different comfort zone to adapt to."

"Why did you stick at it?" Erin asked. "It sounds like you felt just like I do now, and maybe as that other person you mentioned did."

"I had fallen in love with Dave. If he was embroiled in doing these things I wanted to be as well. If he expected me to love the others, I could as if I did -- and I happily did, and you know what? After a very short time period I really did love them ... every last Circle member and I knew they loved me. Everyday there are a hundred little things we each do for each other that scream love, and I don't mean sex -- although that's become really nice. I never thought I had a high libido until it surfaced here."

The two women, half naked, walked around the Circle a second and then third time as they talked. Although it was hot and the sun had heated up the roadway, the covered sidewalks were cool to walk upon thanks to Jack's forethought to have them poured as something called 'Coolcrete' that didn't hold and conduct the heat like regular cement.

"What do you do for a job?" Erin asked. "Doesn't all this affect your work?"

Holly laughed. "It does and doesn't. I work for a venture capital firm in Chicago. We invest in promising startups and companies that are pre-IPO or initial public offering. We invest, take a share of the company, and reap the profits if we're right. I spend a lot of time on the Internet doing research and networking, and then travel to visit companies and decide whether and how much to invest. It's a lot of responsibility for someone my age. I'm also on a couple of boards, and I got Dave on a couple, too."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty eight. How about you?"

"Twenty seven."

"Even if you decide not to do the Circle, you would have plenty of time to change your mind again. The oldest woman to join us was fifty when she decided. Of course, she's married and has a college-age daughter that also joined us."

"Is there any way to kind of just put my foot in the water and try things without going full out and having sex with everybody? I feel like I have to swallow the whole enchilada or nothing at all."

"Sure. For now, I'd keep doing what you started to do. Come and visit, get to know more people than just Dave or the few you've met, and let the sex take care of itself in good time. My dad had an expression that might fit: 'Sex is never an emergency.' Most of the time that's the case here, and we want to know someone more than superficially before we interact with them that way. There are exceptions here and there. We talk a good line until we're faced with a willing partner, and the next thing he's balls deep inside you fucking you blind. It's wonderful when it happens that way, too." She laughed.

Holly and Erin cut between a couple of houses and walked into the core at the far end of the pool by the gazebo. They joined the conversation group they'd left, this time with Holly also pulling up a chair. Dave, Owen, Donna, and Sean welcomed them back. Holly gave Dave a wink to let him know all was well.

Dave was applying sunscreen to Donna's nearly nude body. She leaned forward in her chair and he did her back, and then as she partially reclined, he rubbed the lotion all over her front, from her tiny G-string to her neck, paying particular homage at first to her breasts, and then to her clit as he rubbed lower on her body and slipped his hands under the lacy fabric of her thong. Donna moaned, and then obviously orgasmed in front of the group.

Holly watched Donna's eyes slowly reopen with a smile on her face, appreciating what Dave had done for his work friend. Dave leaned down and gave her a very tender kiss.

Holly hoped Donna would join the Circle. She was a stunning woman and oozed personality she liked. She thought about how Donna would be a good role model for her. Donna oozed competence in many areas, but also appeared to know when and how to let her hair down.