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Blending Families

By: julybear7



He got the widow, her daughter, and his step-daughter in his bed. 

More a romance than a stroke story. It takes a while for the characters to 'hook up,' but there's romantic sex, spanking, first time sex, foreplay, post play, and incest-in-spirit if not. Many thanks to OneSilky for her assistance in editing.

*

"Dad, can you pick us up?" It was his daughter, Tara, sounding a little angry, a little scared, a lot flustered. "Mr. Freeman was supposed to, but he's way late, and isn't answering his cell phone."

"That's not like Tod. Something must have happened. What time is it? Hmm, quarter of four. Yeah, I'll be at the bus loop in ten or fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Thank you."

Senge MacMillan (Mac to his friends, SaintGeorge to those who read his birth certificate and weren't aware of the custom, 'Sin-gee' to those who were), buzzed his secretary and told her he was leaving a little early, explaining there was some sort of emergency with his daughter. Sarah, who had been with him since he joined the agency some ten years ago, just smiled and said, "Mmhmm. Convenient for a Friday. Have a good weekend." 

"Kiss my rosy cheeks, Sarah. You have a good one, too." Sarah's laughter followed him to the parking lot, into the late September day. Ten minutes later he was pulling into the bus loop at his daughter's high school. Cindy Freeman, neighbor, best friend and confidante, was with her. Coincidentally, the girls shared their birthdays, and had turned eighteen just before Labor Day. As they did everything else, they hopped into the back seat together.

"Thank you, Mr. Mac. I don't know what happened to my dad. He took the day off to work on that old van he's restoring. Maybe he had to go into the city for some parts. Mom's at a three day conference this weekend, and gave us strict instructions not to call her except for real, like life and death, emergencies. She's supposed to give some kind of presentation tomorrow to introduce her to the owners of her new account."

"It's okay, Cindy. It got me out of work early, and gave me a chance to tease my secretary. How's school going for you this year?"

"So far so good, we've just been reviewing last year in science, math and Spanish. Thank goodness, I'm done with history and Civics."

Shortly after that exchange, Mac turned onto their street. He could see Tod's car still parked in their driveway. He pulled into his own drive, almost directly across the street. Instincts from his career enforcement causing an uneasy feeling, he instructed the girls to go into his house and wait while he checked around back of the Freeman's. He crossed the street and walked up the drive and around the garage. 

Just ahead of the rear wheel of the minibus he had been restoring, Tod Freeman lay crumpled on the ground. It appeared that death had been instantaneous. When Mac checked, the body was cold, in rigor.

He called 911, reported the accident, requested an ambulance and asked for a silent approach since there was no hope of resuscitation. In less than five minutes a police car pulled into the driveway. Mac greeted the officer and led her back to the body. Following a brief interrogation, and examination of the scene, she released Mac and suggested he go home. She said she'd handle the ambulance team. Mac told her he would tell the daughter and notify the wife. The officer reminded him that an adult, preferably a family member, would need to identify the body as soon as practicable. 

When Mac walked into his house, he was immediately pounced on by the two girls who wanted to know why the police were there. He pulled Cindy into the family room, away from the front of the house and, as gently as he could, told her what had happened. When she asked if she could see her dad, he replied. "It would be a whole lot better if you waited. You don't want to remember him like I just saw him, Cindy, believe me. It'll be a whole lot better if you can wait." 

When she nodded, he continued, "I need to call your mom. Do you have her cell phone on your speed dial?"

"Yeah." She went into the living room where she had left her purse and books. While she searched through her purse, she glanced out the window and saw the ambulance had arrived. The young police officer was coming across the street, carrying a small plastic bag. "Mr. Mac, the policewoman is coming over here."

Mac met the woman at the door. She told him the ambulance team was done, "I emptied his pockets. The MO didn't see any need to keep his possessions for the autopsy, so I thought I'd ask you to see they get to the family."

"Of course, be happy, or rather unhappy to. This is Mr. Freeman's daughter, Cindy, Officer...?"

"Santiago. I'm very sorry for your loss, Miss. They were about ready to load him into the ambulance. Would you like a chance to say good-bye?"

Cindy looked at Mac, questioning him with her eyes. He nodded, saying "I'm sure it'll be okay now, Cindy." 

"Have you contacted the wife yet, sir?" the young officer asked

"I was just about to call her office. She's at a conference, here in town, but supposedly unavailable. I'm pretty sure, though, I'll be able to get through."

"Okay. If you have any problem, let me know. I know I'll be able to get through."

Mac nodded and looked at Cindy's cell phone display of speed dials. He found her mother's number, highlighted it and pressed Send. At the fourth ring, a very exasperated voice answered, "I thought I told you not to call me unless there was an emergency."

"Polly, it's Mac. There is a problem. Can you get away?"

"Mac? What's wrong? Is somebody hurt? Who?" Concern and worry were plain in her voice.

"It's Tod. Can you get away? Tell me where you are. I'll come drive you."

"We're at the Highlander on route 35. Mac, what's happened?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Wait for me in the lobby."

***** Waiting for a stop light, Mac glanced at the weeping woman by his side, well aware his actions at the motel might have cost her her job. After he had broken the news to her, he had accompanied her to the conference room where she had gathered her belongings. She had simply told her boss that there was a family emergency and she had to leave. 

As they left the room, her boss had followed her and tried to call her back, telling her that her job was on the line. Mac had stopped and, placing his hand on the man's chest, explained she had just lost her husband.

"Well, if the guy's dead, there's nothing she can do for him. We need her here tonight and tomorrow."

Mac glanced around the room. Five men, all past fifty, waiting for Polly to return, a sideboard full of cheese, crackers and champagne. "Just what did you need Polly for?" Mac asked. At six foot four, he towered over the older man by at least six inches. A guilty look flashed across the businessman's face.

"Y'know," Mac said, "there are three kinds of assholes, dumb ones, uptight ones, and just plain stupid ones. Which are you? Don't answer, I already know. Polly'll be back to work when she can handle it." 

"Damn you, Tod Freeman!" The explosion of sound from his passenger called Mac back from the replay of the conversation with Polly's boss. "Damn you! What the hell were you doing, working under that freakin' bus alone? Why...why...why?" The sobs came harder now.

Mac reached over and took one of Polly's hands. "Polly, I'm here for you, for anything you might need. With arrangements, meals, babysitting, relative sitting, a night away or out. You don't need to ask, just tell me what you want done."

"Thanks, Mac. I appreciate that." Her voice was rough with emotion, but the sobbing was done for now. "I'll probably be leaning on you a bit for the next week or so. And if you know of any, I'll probably need a new job. 

"You know I've been in charge of customer support for a couple of years. I was offered a chance to become an account manager, and was to lead the client's annual review. This was supposed to be my make or break meeting. If the company didn't approve of my presentation, the promotion was out the window. No presentation, no promotion and no job."

"You can thank me later. You know, you were being set up for blackmail."

"What? What do you mean?" Uncertain that she had heard him correctly, Polly was still astonished, and it showed in her voice and face.

"I'm willing to bet, if there were a way to prove it, I could predict what was going to happen in that conference room tonight and tomorrow. Do you know who had the rooms on either side of you in the motel?"

"Yes, my boss and his supervisor."

"With connecting doors to both rooms, right. And I'll bet your client had or was about to cancel the meeting for some vague reason."

"Not exactly, but we did get a message that they were only sending one individual instead of the five who were scheduled." She looked at him, confusion on her face.

"So, six men and you, and a case of champagne, with only cheese and crackers to eat. Did anyone bring a video camera?"

"As a matter of fact, my boss, Harry Pieters, brought one to tape my presentation, so he could give me feedback." Her look now was plainly one of confusion and disbelief.

"How many other women hold jobs like the one you were trying for in your company?"

"I'm not sure, two or three. They don't come around much."

"Do you know the last one who got promoted?" "Yes, Joan Nero. I was hired to replace her. Why?"

"Call her, invite her to lunch someplace out of the way. Ask her not to tell anyone." He made the turn onto their street, now quiet. "Why don't you and Cindy join Tara and me for dinner? We can order something, go get it, or eat out, my treat." He pulled into his drive and shut off the engine, waiting for her reply.

Polly's expression had changed to one of anger. "You really think those bastards were going to get me drunk and rape me, then try to use a video to blackmail me into more sex? Could they really be that frikking stupid?" 

"I'm pretty sure they have done it before. That's why I suggested you call..what'd you say her name was, Joan?...and ask her over lunch what happened to her. Describe the set up and ask, promising secrecy or help, which ever she wants. If she's married, or in a relationship, she'll probably want secrecy. That's their hold on her."

A shudder passed through her body, finishing with a mild head shake. "How did you figure it out so fast? I was with those guys all day, and didn't suspect a damn thing."

"I've been in this town since I was eighteen. I go to the country club, the gym, the barbershop, men's bars, places where men talk without thinking they might be overheard. If you listen, you hear rumors. I've heard this one for a few years; never with names, though. Plus, you were focused on the promotion you deserved."

He paused, considering what he had done and its implications. "If Joan agrees to meet with you, I'll go along and keep out of sight unless one of them shows up with her." He turned off the ignition and opened his door. "Come on, let's get the kids."

Over dinner, Mac had led the discussion to funeral arrangements, necessary family notifications, flowers, and such. Two of the factors which had drawn Polly and Tod together were that they were both only children, and had both lost their parents shortly after graduating college. Neither had kept in contact with the few distant cousins they had.

Cindy was given the job of writing her dad's obituary for the newspaper. 

It was late, and dark when they returned from supper. Standing in the driveway, looking across the street at the empty, foreboding house, Mac felt Polly, standing next to him, shiver. "Would you like to use my guest room tonight? It might be easier to return with the sun shining."

"Thank you, Mac. I told you I was going to lean on you a bit, probably more than a bit. What do you say, Cindy? Want to sleep over with Tara?"

"That'd be nice, Mom. Can we?"

Polly took Mac's arm. "That's settled, then. Did you ever hear anything from Janice?"

"Nothing from her since she left. Nothing about her for a couple of years." He heaved a huge sigh. "I got off the job after I got hurt so she wouldn't worry. I thought she'd be happy. Then I come home one day and find a note on the kitchen counter, telling me she needed some space for a while. Five years is quite a while. The only clue I have that she's still alive is that someone is still paying money into her Social Security account, according to the annual statement they send. There's no proof it's her, but it's all we have, and no way to get any more information from the government."

"What did you tell Tara?" She paused, looking away. "What do I tell Cindy?"

"Cindy knows; she was there, watching, when they put Tod in the ambulance, while I was calling you."

"Not that he's gone, but why. Tod always promised her he would support her no matter what she did, that he would always be there for her, to do whatever she needed from him. How can you explain to a teenager when an adult breaks a promise like that, no matter how unrealistic?"

"Give her some credit, Polly. She's more grown up than you realize. And she grew up quite a bit today. Our daughters are really pretty savvy young women. I know if I were a junior or senior in high school, I'd be banging on their door every night."

"Why Senge MacMillan! Remind me to lock my daughter up at night, with you in the neighborhood." Both laughed, the first time since Mac found Tod's body.

***** "Did you hear what my dad said to your mom?" whispered Tara to her friend later that night, when they were in bed.

"What?"

"He said we were really pretty, and if he were in high school, he'd be banging on our doors every night."

"Well, if he were banging on my door, pretty soon he'd be bangin' something else. Your dad is hot."

"Mmm. I know; if he weren't my dad, I'd do him, too." Silently, she added, "I might, anyway."

***** The next day, Mac drove Polly to the coroner's, to identify Tod's body. He then accompanied her and Cindy to a few funeral homes, to find one with which she felt comfortable. He stayed with her and Cindy while they struggled with the decision between sentiment and practicality. When they proved unable to come to a decision both were happy with, he suggested cremation, either keeping the ashes in a container in the home, or scattering them somewhere where Tod always seemed happy. 

Cindy immediately suggested the lake near their cabin. Polly smiled and agreed. During the summer, Tod had always arranged to have Friday afternoons and Monday mornings off to give him two full days of fishing. Both of the women hugged Mac in thanks for his suggestion, and his help in making the difficult decision. 

After finalizing the arrangements, and giving the funeral director Cindy's draft of the obituary, Mac drove the women home. He went in the house, now closed up for a day and a half, with yesterday's dirty dishes and breakfast remains still on the counter. With practiced skill, born of necessity, Mac cleared the counter, throwing out the spoiled milk and dried toast with a minimum of fuss or bother. Before either of the house's residents was aware of what he had done, the dishes were in the dish washer, the garbage was outside, and the windows were open to air the house out. 

Before he left, he noted that it was still warm enough to fire up the charcoal grill and invited the mother and daughter to join him and his for burgers and salad. When Polly hesitated, Cindy didn't. "Can we, Mom? I'm not ready to be here just yet."

"Okay. Thank you, Mac. God, how many times have I said that the last two days? I'll see if I can scare up something for dessert. Maybe something for ice cream sundaes, would that do?"

"Perfect. It's five now, dinner around seven?"

"Fine, we'll see you then."

When the two women were alone, Cindy spoke. "Mom, would it be horribly disrespectful of Daddy if I said I envy Tara her father, but I'm glad I'm not her."

"No, sweetie, I understand why, especially now, why you might envy Tara. But why are you glad you're not her?"

"Can I ask you a personal question, Mom, woman to woman, kind of?"

Polly smiled. "You can ask. If it's too personal, I might not answer."

"Do you think Mr. Mac is hot?"

"Is that why you don't want to be Tara? You have your eyes on Mac?" She smiled and pulled the youngster down on the couch beside her.

"Sort of. You didn't answer my question," Cindy pointed out.

"Hmm. Do I think Mac is hot? Do you remember when we were talking about masturbation, and I told you that sometimes it helped to think about a certain person you wanted to have touch you?" Cindy nodded, a puzzled look on her face. "Well, sometimes, when you're actually making love, it's helpful to have similar fantasies, and Mac has been a frequent fantasy of mine. And that fact never passes your lips, understand?" Polly said, smiling, standing up.

Cindy nodded, smiling. "What?" asked her mom, seeing the smile.

"Girl talk," Cindy replied, laughing. "Our first time."

***** Tod Freeman had been a well respected member of his community, and the members of his family were well liked. His memorial service was attended by his co-workers, Polly's co-workers, Cindy's friends, and the family's neighbors, several of whom came up to Mac and said how good it was of him to reach out to Polly and Cindy, to help them through this crisis. Polly was able to pull Joan Nero aside and talk briefly with her.

When Polly returned to work two weeks later, she found she had a new boss, Joan Nero, who called Polly into her office as soon as she was settled in. Joan was standing, looking down at her desk. "I've been made regional manager, thanks to your encouraging me to come forward. The home office wasn't too pleased that those... Chet and his friends had been able to get away with their shit for so long without Richards even becoming suspicious. I know you're nowhere near ready to think about it, but I doubt if you'll be single very long." Joan straightened her back. "Have you thought about whether you want to continue working here, or even continue working?"

"Depending on what the job is, I would like to continue here. With those five jerks gone, the atmosphere should improve, and I like the rest of the people."

"I have three possible positions for you, given your background and training. Account director, account manager, or business/office manager. You know what the first two are, and how much travel would be required. 

"As the office/business manager, you would be in charge of the day to day business of keeping the office open; that includes the secretarial pool, all necessary supplies, all maintenance contracts, snowplowing, janitorial services, you name it. If it impacts the everyday functioning of the office, you're in charge; as well, the new supervisor of customer service will report to you. It's a giant headache, but it is primarily a 9 to 5 job, Monday to Friday. 

"As for pay, the traveling jobs are strictly performance based; commission varies from twenty to thirty percent of the value of the first annual contract, spread over twelve months. The office job is salaried, and would come with a 25 percent raise immediately, to be reviewed in six months with an eye to a similar increase. You get the front corner office, plus the ability to choose your own secretary; and, as senior level administration, there are some increased benefits, including another two weeks vacation each year."

Polly plopped down in a chair. "I...I...I don't know what to say. I don't see that I did anything to merit such a promotion. If you are serious, I'll take the office job. I couldn't leave Cindy alone for any lengthy time right now."

"That's what I thought your answer would be. While we've been talking, I had your stuff moved into your new office. Welcome back. Take some time to review our present contracts for building services, and our lease. Home office would like to see us presenting a better face to our clientele when they visit. Either redecorate or move. Put together some figures and we'll talk about it next week."


Blending Families



Sitting in her new office, Polly felt like her head was spinning as she dialed Mac's phone number. She couldn't explain the warm feeling that washed over her when he answered.

"Mac, it's Polly. Is there any way you can meet me for lunch? If I have to hold in what's happened today, I will absolutely bust."

She heard his chuckle. "How about Mario's, around 12:30. A friend and I used to have a standing appointment there and we had a permanent reservation. Just ask Mario for my table. If I'm not there, I will be shortly." 

"Thank you. I really appreciate this. This and everything else you've done. How can I ever repay you?"

"How about a dinner date, just us, no girls?" He held his breath. It had been just over a month since he found Tod dead next to the minibus. Was it too soon?

"That would be nice. We can talk about it over lunch. Okay?"

"I'm looking forward to it. See you soon, Polly."

Polly spent the remainder of the morning reviewing the lease and building services contracts. On her way out to lunch, she stuck her head in Joan's office and announced, "As soon as we can, we're moving. I'll have places for you to look at next week." Joan looked up at her, mouth agape, but Polly was gone.

***** Mac arrived early. He wanted to be there when she walked in, partly so she wouldn't have to wait for him, alone; partly, to watch her as she entered the dining room oblivious to the reaction of the men around her. Tall, at five ten, she was thin enough to earn the descriptor sylph-like, or willowy, but not skinny or even thin. With sylph-like comes the impression of bustlessness. She nearly qualified, with a generous A-sized bust, but with anything larger, she would have seemed top-heavy.

Her crow -wing black hair set off her pale complexion. Her wide cheek bones and slightly almond shaped blue eyes hinted at a Slavic presence in her ancestry. The overall impression was one of approachable beauty.

He rose to greet her and was rewarded with a hug, more than the A-frame usually given by friends' wives, less than the full body hug given by family members and lovers. It lasted a beat or two longer than convention suggested. When they broke, he gave her a brief kiss on the cheek and was rewarded with a dazzling smile.

"It's good to see you again. Was your trip successful?" Polly asked. Mac had been called out of town on business a couple of days after Tod's funeral. He had returned late yesterday afternoon and had not yet had a chance to say more than hello.

"You could say that. I got the listing for a warehouse complex in the city, and a factory building in Murrayville, signed the seller to a five-year lease with option to buy, and sold them a 20 acre parcel already zoned commercial. The combined commission puts me over the 500 K mark for the third year in a row. Enough bragging. What's happening with you?"

"My talk with Joan caused some upheaval at the office. Besides the five jerks, the regional manager was let go, and Joan was given his job." Her smile got wider. "And I have been promoted to office slash business manager, with a huge raise. Joan told me if it impacts keeping the office functioning, its my responsibility, including finding new quarters.

"You've seen our office space. Based on what you know of the local market, what should we be paying?"

He looked at her, quizzically, then scrunched up his forehead. "You got what, 3,000 to 3,500 square feet, with parking, interior and exterior services, in that part of the city? Level three rent, $3.50 a foot, 10,12K a month, tops."

"I have a feeling you just got me another raise. Would you believe we have been paying more than twice that, plus plowing and janitor service are extras, as is after hours security." She reached out and took his hand. "What kind of space could you find us for that kind of money?"

"Hell, for that kind of money, I can put you on the top floor of Central Tower, downtown. And that would include parking underground. For a lot less than that, there's a new office complex opening up on the east side. Brand new buildings, configured to your specs, with all latest electronics already built in, including free WiFi, so you could be hooked into the internet for business as soon as you turn on your computers. Live security 24/7, after hours janitor service, per your instructions, plowing in winter when ever it snows two inches or more, and lanes are kept clear during the day. All for six bucks a foot, guaranteed for three years. For another half buck a foot, they'll give you the top floor. Depending on the decor you choose, and the configuration, you can move in three or four months."

"That sounds ideal. Can you arrange for Joan and me to see it next week?"

"No problem. I'll have the listing agent set up the site visit and give you a call."

"We won't be dealing with you?"

"Not on this property. Betty, our agent, got the property owner, a relative of hers, to agree to an exclusive listing with her, not the agency. He won't even schedule a telephone discussion unless she's on the line. You could commission me as a tenant's agent, to find and negotiate a lease for you. I don't charge much, a weekend away when the lease is signed."

Polly laughed, then blushed. "Be careful. I might just take you up on that. The problem would be that my boss might want to pay your fee. And right now, the only thing keeping me from saying yes, is what the neighbors might say."

"Screw the neighbors!"

Polly's face broke into a grin, her eyes laughing, "I intend to, soon!" She squeezed the hand she had not let go of while they were talking. "I just can't promise you when. Know that when I'm ready, you'll be the one I call."

He lifted their hands to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. "What if I book a motel room for us on the other side of the city, for the night we go to dinner? We could get in the bed and talk, and see where it takes us."

"That's even more tempting than the weekend away. When were you thinking of?"

"I hadn't really thought. Is this weekend too soon?"

"Oh!" she replied, the disappointment clear in her voice. "Cindy and I were going to the cabin to scatter Tod's ashes. If we wait much longer, there's a real danger of getting snowed in. Could you drive us in your four by four? Tara could come, and we could spend the night, sort of a closing celebration. There are some things I have to do to close it up for the winter."

"Be glad to. Like I told you, anything you need, just say so and it'll get done. Anything." He picked up her hand again and looked at her intently.

"Polly, I know you and Tod were having some problems. And I know why. I think maybe you should know, now that Tod is gone. I told you I used to meet a friend here at this time every week. That friend was Tod. 

"He told me he had decided that, when Cindy had graduated from high school, he was going to ask you for a divorce. He'd give you whatever you asked for in terms of support, and he was going to pay for Cindy's college. He loved you both, he just didn't think he could be a husband to you, not the kind he thought you deserved. 

"Tod told me he had been experimenting with alternative life styles. That was his term. When I asked what that meant, he said he had discovered that he was at least bi-sexual, quite possibly homosexual. The next to last time we met here, two weeks before his heart attack, he told me he hadn't approached you for sex in nearly three months. I think you deserve to know why." Tears were forming in Polly's eyes. She was alternately nodding and shaking her head, not looking as devastated as he had feared.

"I knew something was going on," she said, "but I didn't expect..."

"I understand. There's no way someone would know Tod and suspect he was gay. He didn't fit any part of any stereotype. But, you have to understand he loved you. That is why he didn't ask you to make love with him those last several weeks. He had learned that one of the sex partners of someone he had been with had tested positive for AIDS and other STDs. He was waiting for his own test results to come back."

"Wow," Polly said, wiping away her tears, "you sure know how to make a girl feel good."

"I'm sorry, Polly. I've been debating since...since that day, whether or not to tell you. I finally decided to because I didn't think you should beat yourself up for failing Tod, or for being unfaithful to a faulty memory." He paused. "Does that make any sense to you?"

"I know what you're trying to say, and thank you for caring." She reached up and stroked his cheek, then glanced at her watch. "I have to get back. Walk me to my car?"

"Give you a piggyback, if you want," he grinned.

"Don't tempt me." As they walked out, she slipped her arm in his, so they were walking together, side to side, touching. In a low voice, so only he could hear, she asked, "Why don't you make reservations for 'dinner' some night next week, during the week?" The accent on dinner told him all he needed to know. At her car, he claimed a low intensity kiss. 

***** "Hey, Dad? Can you explain this to me?" Tara was walking into his home office, carrying what looked like a letter.

"What's that?"

"For my driver's license, I needed a copy of my birth certificate, so I wrote to the county office of vital statistics, and they say I don't have one on file any place in the state. Was I born someplace else?"

Mac winced and made a face like he was tasting something vile. "What name did you use, sweetheart?"

"Mine, of course, duh. Whose name should I use, Cindy Freeman's? C'mon, Dad."

"Well, technically, your last name isn't really MacMillan. Your mother wouldn't let me adopt you."

"Oh, shit! Oops, sorry, Dad," she blushed at the obscenity. "I forgot you weren't my real...damn it, you know..."

Mac laughed. "I know, sweetie. Sometimes, I forget it, too. I have a copy of your birth certificate if you need one." 

(Author's note: although there is no legal or biological relationship between Mac and Tara, since he still considers her his daughter, so will we.) 

"How'd you meet Mom, anyway?"

"I was on the job, but off duty, on my way home. I was stopped at a red light, when this cute girl jumped in my car and offered her services."

"Mom was a prostitute when you met her?" Tara asked in a shocked voice.

"Not quite. I didn't tell her who or what I was, and she directed me to her room. She was put up in some seedy motel, and she had left you there while she went out and raised some money to pay the bill. The guy she had been traveling with, who she said was your father, had bailed, taking all their money. 

"When I saw the conditions you two were living in, I id'd myself as a sheriff. She just collapsed, in tears and from hunger. She said it was her first attempt at selling herself, and she had to go and pick-up a cop. I helped her move into an efficiency and had a friend give her a job waiting on counter in a diner, then helped her find daycare for you. I'd stop by the diner every couple of days, and pretty soon it got to be every day. I guess the fact that a deputy sheriff was interested in her kept anyone else from hitting on her, because one day she walked me to my patrol car and said I either had to move on her or stop coming around because she was getting so damn horny she couldn't stand it. My next day off, you all moved into my apartment. A couple of weeks later, we got married."

Tara giggled. "Boy, nothing subtle about Mom, was there? Did she ever hear from my biological father?"

"From him? No. A few years after we got married, she saw an article in the paper about a killer being convicted on a manslaughter charge instead of murder two. The picture was fuzzy, but the name was right and she said the picture could have been him. As far as I know, that was the last time she heard anything about him." He turned back to his work, then looked up.

"Oh, before I forget again. Polly and Cindy are going up to their cabin this weekend, to scatter Tod's ashes. They invited us to go along, to spend the night. I think Polly wants some help closing up for the winter."

"Okay. That'll be fun. I haven't seen much of Cindy since the funeral service. She's been keeping to herself. I can understand why. She really loved her Dad, and must miss him. Maybe I'll tell her she can borrow you once in awhile. Is that okay? I feel like we're sisters, sometimes. Twins, since we were born on the same day."

"Sure. That's just what I need. Another female teenager around the house." But his smile said, "of course." ***** The two hour drive to the cabin was without incident. Because of the efficient heater in the Jeep, Mac and the three women were unaware of the dropping temperature. Not until they stepped out of the Jeep at the cabin did they realize it had dropped fifteen degrees, to near freezing, from when they left home. 

Polly and Cindy quickly carried out the brief ceremony they had planned, scattering the cremains at the water's edge, watching as the lake's motion carried the floating ashes away from the shore. When they were done they quickly repaired to the cabin where Mac had fresh coffee waiting.

As they sipped on the welcome beverage, they discussed what needed to be done to close the cabin for the season. That led into a discussion about Tod and some of his foibles, resulting in a long laugh fest.

The task of unloading the food and luggage from the jeep was assigned to the girls. When they left for their first load, Polly asked, "Mac, can I ask a personal question?" He met her gaze and nodded. "Is Tara your daughter? Cindy looks enough like me to be my sister, but there are definite traces of Tod in her face and body build. But when I look at you and Tara together, I don't see any of you in her."

"No, she was Janice's daughter, abandoned with her mother in a town in the southern part of the state. I had been sent down on a combination of training and temporary duty assignment. One night, on my way home from patrol, out of uniform, she tried to pick me up. It was her first attempt at prostitution. When I saw the conditions she was living in, I helped her find a job and a better place to live. 

"I kept an eye on her for a couple of months, when she told me to either state my intentions or disappear. Apparently my interest was keeping several possible young men from making a move on her. I had her move in with me, and we went through a marriage ceremony, which I suspect was invalid. The night we met, she was wearing a wedding ring, which wasn't there the next time I saw her. 

"Tara has always known I'm not her biological father, but I just told her that Janice wouldn't let me adopt her. I suppose, if push had come to shove, the state could have taken her away from me." He stood up and stretched. "I'll go close and lock the shutters, except for the living room and kitchen. They'll just take a minute tomorrow. What about the emergency generator? Do you drain the gas?"

"No, it runs on natural gas. We'll set the thermostat to 38 or 40 degrees. If there's a power failure, the generator will kick in automatically to keep the furnace on. That way we don't need to drain the toilet and hot water tank, which we will have to turn off. Tomorrow. I don't fancy a cold shower in the morning."

They got to work and completed shutting down all the non-essentials by suppertime. After a picnic style dinner of burgers, potato salad, and apple pie, they cleaned the kitchen and bagged up all the food which would not last over the winter, to carry it to a waste collection site in a nearby village. When clean-up was done, they spent an hour or so playing euchre, adults against the teens. 

After the girls retired to bed, the adults spent some time sitting together on the couch, Polly with her legs curled under her, leaning into Mac's side. "I'm looking forward to our dinner date," she whispered to him. "If the girls weren't here..."

"I understand," Mac interrupted. "And I agree. They are worldly enough for their age, maybe too worldly. They don't need any examples of intimate behavior from us, they get enough on TV."

Polly laughed. "Is that the over protective Papa Bear I hear?"

"No," he growled softly. "It's Horny Bear, justifying to himself why he doesn't pick you up and carry you to the bedroom, to ravish you," he continued, kissing her warmly on the lips.

"Ohhh," she moaned. "Promise me you'll do that soon." She pulled back. "I am sorry you have to spend the night out here on this old couch." After another quick kiss, she pulled back again, saying, "I better go, or the girls will get their live lesson in the sights and sounds of sex."

A couple of hours later, a peculiar grinding sound woke Mac. It took him a couple of moments to recognize the emergency generator trying to kick in. He slipped his pants and shoes back on, and pulled a sweater over his head. 

He was back inside in ten minutes. His sense of organization differed slightly, but frustratingly from Tod's. It had taken some time to locate a flashlight and then find and adjust the inlet valve. Enough time so he felt frozen to his core.

Polly was waiting for him by the back door when he came in. "Jeezus, you must be frozen. Come with me. I'll get the blanket from your bed. You can cuddle up against me to get warm." Shivering, teeth chattering, Mac didn't question her.

He woke to find a warm female body wrapped up in his arms, his morning wood firmly planted between her thighs. Involuntarily, his body stretched, pulling his staff away from its nesting place, which attempted to follow it. "I didn't realize how much I had missed this," Polly said, reaching between them to take hold of his hardness. Maintaining her grip, she turned over to face him. "Good morning. Are you better now?"

"Warm again, anyhow. Thank you for the rescue. I owe you one."

"I am so glad to hear you feel that way, " she grinned, kissing him and pushing him over onto his back. "Just don't make any noise," she continued as she straddled and mounted him, moaning with him as she slid down his shaft.

It is rumored that there are some couples who, after years of training together, can screw on a water bed and not cause any ripples. Polly and Mac were not one of them. And, like most cabin furniture, the bed was old, and had been well used. Springs squeaked, joints creaked, and in certain situations, the headboard banged against the wall. The cabin was sturdily built, but the interior was broken up by modular partitions, which did little to muffle any sound louder than a hobo's fart. The partitions were eight feet tall, as were the cabin walls, but the roof peaked at twelve feet, resulting in a significant gap between walls and ceiling, a gap which did nothing to muffle the banging of the headboard against the cabin wall. Nor the moans and squeals the couple made. 

Tara was woken by the rhythmic knocking sound. As she became oriented to her strange surroundings, she heard the human sounds and realized what must be happening. She rolled over to wake her friend and found her wide awake, her hand over her mouth, holding her laughter in. "D'you suppose that's what I think it is?" she whispered to Cindy. "Dunno," Cindy answered, "What do you think it is?" Her eyes alight with amusement and excitement.

"I used to hear that sound when Mom was still home, and the next day she was always in a good mood. I think our parents are screwing. You?"

Cindy nodded. "I used to hear my Mom and Dad, too, but it's been a long time, since before he died, I mean. I should be mad because he hasn't been gone that long and she's replacing him already, but I'm glad for her. I know how horny I can get, and I've never done it. 

"We should go in when they're done and let them know we think it's okay. You do, don't you?" She looked at Tara.

Tara nodded, "Mostly. I feel a little jealous, too. Of your Mom."




Blending Families



"Tara!" Cindy shouted, whispering. "You got the hots for your Dad?"

"Yeah, but he's not my real father, not even my step dad. My Mom wouldn't let him adopt me for some reason."

"Mmm. We'll have to find a way to get him alone and then we can both do him. Orrrr," she drew it out thinking, "we're eighteen and Christmas is coming. We could ask Mac to take our cherries as our present. The worst that could happen is he, or Mom, says no." She cocked an ear to the wall banging. "Sounds like they're getting ready to come. Still want to go let them know we're cool with them being together? Besides, it'll embarrass the hell out of them." They giggled and slipped out of bed.

They paused outside the door of the second bedroom, waiting. As soon as she heard Mac groan, Cindy rapidly counted to ten, knocked on the door, and walked in, without waiting for an answer. When Tara saw her start to open the door, she cried out, "Cindy, wait!" But she was too late.

Cindy stopped inside the door, the sight on the bed freezing her in her tracks. Both adults were stark naked. Mac lay on his back, Polly bent over him, his cock engulfed in her mouth. At the sound of the door opening, they both sat up and saw Cindy, frozen in place, her mouth open, Tara behind her, still in the hallway.

Mac whispered something to Polly, who simply nodded, not taking her eyes from the girls. "Come on in, girls. That was your obvious intention." The two stunned teens shuffled into the room. "Was there something you wanted, or something you wanted to see?" Both girls blushed flaming red. "Ah, were you hoping to catch us in an embarrassing situation. You sort of did, but it looks like most of the embarrassment happened to you."

Mac looked at the two girls standing in the doorway in their night gowns. Like her mother, Cindy was tall and lithe, with a small bust. With the same coloring as Polly, she still had the high cheekbones, but she had inherited her fathers squarish jaw, giving her a more oval face. She had also inherited his broad shoulders, which helped minimize her bust, and wider hips, which accented her narrow waist.

Tara was not as tall as Cindy, but carried a bit more weight, reflected in a more voluptuous figure. Her breasts were a generous B-cup set above a waist slightly fuller than Cindy's, and a cute bubble butt. Her cinnamon colored hair was complimented by her fair complexion, which emphasized her brown eyes.

"Tara, what's the rule about entering a room with a closed door?" he asked, glaring at his teen.

"Knock, then wait for an answer. Then knock again, if there isn't an answer, twice."

"Why is that the rule?"

"So what just happened, doesn't happen."

"And what are the consequences for not following the rule?"

"The last time I didn't wait, I got spanked on my bare bottom." Cindy looked at her, her mouth open. She then looked at Mac, and started to back out of the room.

"Cindy, come here!" His tone didn't allow for any other action. She slowly approached the bed. "You barged in and found us naked. So, you and Tara need to get naked, too."

Cindy shook her head and looked to her mother for help. Polly simply said, "Mac's in charge. Do as he says." Cindy looked to her friend for support, only to find she had already shed her nightgown and was removing her panties. Cindy slowly pushed the straps of her nightie off her shoulder, keeping them from slipping by holding her elbows out. 

"M...mr. M..mac, I'm sorry. W...w..we were just coming in to..."

"Be quiet , Cindy. Let your gown drop, and remove your bottoms. You and Tara will both get a spanking. Then you can talk."

"B..b..but we're to old to spank. We..we..we're eighteen."

"Which means you're too old not to understand you don't barge into a bedroom without waiting for permission. After today, I don't think you will, unless you want to be spanked." 

"But Tara..." she started as she pushed her panties down her legs.

"Tara knew, and failed to stop you. I heard her try, so she won't be spanked as much, but she will take her licking, just like you." He reached out and grabbed her wrist, then dragged her across his lap, wrapping his right leg around hers to hold her down. With a wink to Polly, he asked the teen's mother, "How many do you think, 25, 50, on each side?"

Cindy squealed, "Nooo! Please, I won't ever do it again!" The first smack landed on her upturned rump. "Owww. No more, please."

"They don't start to count until you do," said Mac, delivering the second one, along side and just below the first. "And no back counting."

"One," gasped out Cindy, who had never suffered a spanking or such an intentional embarrassment as this was. The next blow was delivered in a stinging flick of Mac's fingers on the inside of Cindy's left butt cheek, close to hitting her exposed labia. "Two," she nearly screamed. The next smack was delivered to the same area, the same way. "Aarrgh. Three," she sobbed.

The next two came in rapid succession on the fleshy part of her left cheek. She was sobbing so hard she was unable to count, partly from the pain, mostly from embarrassment. 

Mac turned to Polly and asked if she had any lotion. When she shook her head, Tara quickly ran to her bedroom and retrieved a bottle from her suitcase. Mac looked at her questioningly, then smiled as he took the bottle and poured a few drops on Cindy's ass. He then rubbed it into the abused area, smearing some over the exposed parts of her vulva, sending shock waves of sensation throughout the young girl's body.

As soon as she felt his leg loosen on hers, she stood up and backed away from him, rubbing her bottom. Mac looked at his daughter, who came over and laid across his lap. He looked down at her exposed butt. He hadn't had to do this since her mother left, but he knew she knew the rules.

"You ran out of the room before you were punished. You know what that means."

"Yes, Dad. Twice as much, twice as hard."

"Mac..." Polly started. He held up his hand, stopping her.

"Why did you do that?" Mac asked Tara, softly.

"You needed some lotion for Cindy, to help take away the sting."

"You were concerned for your friend?" She nodded. "Ready to count?" She nodded again, and he felt her brace for the expected blow. Mac's hand came down on her butt, a firm non-stinging pat. "Okay, kitten. Consider yourself spanked. But, if there is a next time..."

Tara turned over and sat on Mac's lap, her arms around his neck, her face in his shoulder. "Thank you, Daddy. I'm sorry. We just wanted to let you and Mrs. Freeman know that we were glad you two found each other. "

Mac looked at Cindy, silent tears streaming down her face, then at Polly. He reached out to both, pulling them to him and Tara for a group hug. After a few minutes of closeness, during which he became very aware of the six breasts and three pussies enclosing him, Mac released the women and slid Tara off his lap. "If you lovely ladies will excuse me, nature is calling. Cindy, are you okay? I didn't mean to cause any permanent damage." With as sexy a grin as he had ever seen, Cindy turned her back to him and stuck out her bottom. "Maybe you could kiss it and make it better, Mr. Mac," she said, giving it a little shake.

"Cindy Freeman!" her mother exclaimed. Mac laughed and left the room.

As soon as Mac left the room, Cindy rushed to her mother. "Mom, we need your help."

"You know if there's anything I can do, Cindy, I will. What kind of help?"

"Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought. Thinking and planning on what to say, I was able just to blurt it out. But you weren't lovers then."

"What are you trying to say, sweetie? And one time doesn't make Mac and me lovers, at least not yet." She lifted Cindy's face to look her in the eye. "That's who you meant, wasn't it?"

Cindy nodded. "We want you to ask Mac to take our cherries for Christmas. I mean, that would be his present to us." She turned beet red, as her mother's jaw dropped.

Polly snapped her mouth shut, with a small smile forming. "You want me to ask Mac if he'll...you, too, Tara? I know Mac isn't your father, but he is the only one you've known. You don't think that might be, feel strange?" 

Tara nodded, then said, "I've wanted to make love to him since Mom left. When I...you know, he's the person I think about, the only person who can make me climax."

The sound of the toilet flushing forecast Mac's imminent entrance. "Well," said Polly, "he'll be right back. We can ask him what he thinks."

"Mother! No! Not while we're here! That would be ---- mortifying," exclaimed Cindy. 

"What's mortifying?" asked Mac, walking into the room.

"The girls wanted me to ask you..."

"Mother! Mrs Freeman!" the two girls shouted simultaneously.

She paused, looking at them with a very sly smile. "About a very special Christmas present. We'll talk about it over dinner some night this week. When we're alone."

Polly's statements about dinner alone were not lost on the girls, who simultaneously broke into big, knowing grins, directed at each other. "Girl talk," they shouted together, running from the room.

What was all that?" asked Mac.

With a sigh and a smile, Polly replied, "I'm not sure you want to know."

***** Once they got onto paved road, the drive back to the city was uneventful. On the dirt road leading to the cabin, there had been some icy spots requiring both hands on the wheel, but no tense moments, still it was a relief when they got onto the macadam surface. When Polly reached out to him, Mac took her hand, holding it all the way to her driveway. The girls noticed, and smiled broadly at each other, but made no comments.

When the teens took the luggage into the house, Mac asked if Thursday would be a good evening for their dinner. Polly looked up at him, smiling. "Any evening you choose. As long as you're ready for our dessert."

Mac smiled and growled, "I'm ready for that now. Let me see if I can move some appointments around. I'll call you if I can, otherwise, I'm afraid we'll have to wait."

She nodded, then reached up to kiss him, with a lingering kiss. The look of puzzlement and delight on Mac's face caused her to smile. "Just staking your claim. Some of our erstwhile neighbors attempted some not very subtle gropes at Tod's funeral. I was just letting it be known that I'm not in the market, or on the market. Do you mind?"

He pulled her back to him, his arms around her waist, his hands clasped behind her back. "I told you, anything you need, anything you want, just ask. If it's within my power, it's done. Even taking you off the market, for pretend, or for real." Polly's smile dimmed. Then she grew serious. "For real, Mac. Every expert I know of would caution me to take it easy, to go slow, as far as emotional entanglements are concerned right now. Tod told you about his side of our problems. He wasn't the only source of problems, I contributed my share. I could never understand why Janice left. If I had known about Tod, I would have crossed the street the day after she walked out. I've been trying to get the courage to do that since she left. I've loved you at least that long, probably longer. I don't know how we're going to make it work, but if you do mean 'anything,' I want to be yours."

Mac smiled. "That's within my power. I'll call my lawyer tomorrow to see what can be done about Janice. When Tod told me he was planning to leave, I made plans, too. Involving you and me, and blending families."

Polly's smile gleamed in the fading light.

That evening, as the Freeman household was preparing for bed, Polly mentioned that she was going out with Mac, probably Thursday, and wasn't sure when she'd be home, that if Cindy wanted to, she could spend the night at Tara's or have Tara sleep over. Cindy grinned at her mother. "Almost TMI, Mom. You two don't need to go out. Just choose which house you want, and Tara and I will sleep in the other one. Save you some money, and inconvenience of traveling."

"After this morning, I didn't think there would be such a thing as TMI. And you just want a chance to sneak in and hear what Mac says about your Christmas present." 

"Mother! I would not, at least not now when I know you'd expect it." She smiled. "Can we have some more girl talk?"

"I'm not sure. What do you want to know this time?" Although Polly was trying to frown, Cindy saw and heard the smile.

"Well," she started and hesitated. "Uh, Tara and I were talking while we were packing. We, uh, saw Mac's, uh, thing. Mom, it looked huge! I've given a couple of guys hand jobs, to keep them from going further, and Tara says she's had to do that, too. But none of the guys were anywhere near as big as Mac looked. Were our guys small, or is Mac a lot bigger than average? When Tara and I talked, we weren't sure he'd fit in us." Polly hesitated, then cleared her throat. "Talk about TMI. How old were you and Tara when you provided your dates with hand jobs, and how old were they?"

"It was the beginning of school last year. They were seniors, so 17 or 18, I guess. When it got around that was as far as we'd go, the guys stopped asking us out."

"That explains part of the comparison. Most men don't reach their full size in that area until their early twenties. I, uh, wasn't a virgin when your Dad and I first made love. There weren't a lot of guys, but my girlfriends had been with some of them, too. In some of our 'girl talks' in the dorm, and at the sorority house, we talked about them--size, technique, how willing they were to do oral, how good they were at oral. But, yes, Mac is a bit bigger than average. Somebody his size, if they didn't know what they were doing, would definitely hurt a woman her first time. But he's big enough to feel good, once you're open."

"How did you get all of him in your mouth? It looked like you had swallowed all of him down to his balls."

"I'm almost afraid to ask. You've never done that?" Cindy shook her head.

"Neither has Tara. We were afraid to try. We heard that one of the football players gave a girl a black eye because she kept biting him when he pushed into her mouth."

"Hmm. He probably deserved it, and she didn't know how to control him. Okay. You and Tara meet me in the rec room after supper tomorrow night. I'll show you how to practice on bananas."

"Oh, good. Thank you, Mom." She hesitated, obviously reluctant to ask a question she wanted very badly to ask.

"What?" pushed Polly.

"What do you think Mac will say?"

"About taking your cherries?" She laughed. "I know exactly what he's going to say. He's going to ask if I'm out of my fucking mind." ***** Mac called Polly at her office around ten the next morning to arrange a visit to see the office space he had mentioned. While they were on the phone, she told him they should just plan on Thursday. She also mentioned Cindy's suggestion about staying home. Mac declined. He still felt a little self conscious about having sex with the girls around.

Thursday evening, the parents went out as planned. After a light dinner and some equally light conversation, catching up on each other's week, and letting Mac know they were going to lease the office space he had recommended, they found themselves in an upscale motel room. It was dominated by a California king sized bed, with a small sitting area near the door to the en suite. Mac looked at the bed, and gave a short, dry laugh. "I'd better keep hold of you when we get into bed. If we get separated, it might take all night to reconnect."

Polly laughed. "Don't worry, after last weekend, I could find you, blindfolded, at O'Hare airport."

He turned to face her, his arms loose around her waist. "You could, huh. You won't have to. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I don't plan on being any further away from you than this, at least at bedtime. 

"Uhm, I do have to admit, I'm more than a little nervous right now. I haven't done this with anyone important to me since Janice left. Last weekend was great, but it all happened so fast...and with the girls barging in...we didn't really have time to think about what was going on. I want my first time making love with you to be something special to remember, to show you how much I love you."

Polly smiled and kissed him. "I love you, too, Mac. We're already more than half way to where you want to be. Tonight will be special because it's us, here together." Her smile broadened as she shifted her weight so one hip was jutted out to the side, and in a Hollywood tough broad voice, she said, "So, buster, you gonna stand there all night, or you gonna undress me?"

Mac laughed and pulled her to him for a passionate kiss while he reached for the zipper in the back of her dress. She loosened his tie and pulled it free, then started on the buttons of his shirt. As soon as Mac started pulling the zipper down, he discovered Polly was braless. When the zipper reached bottom, he learned that her bra was not the only piece of underwear she had left off. Meanwhile, Polly had reached the bottom button and was struggling to get his shirt off while he tried to push her dress from her shoulders. Soon, they were laughing at their haste and frustration. "That half way point you mentioned, I think it's back ahead of us and getting further and further away," Mac said, clearly amused, faintly frustrated.

Polly reached out and unbuckled his belt. "It reminds me of the story my dorm roommate my freshman year told about her first attempt. They were at her boy friend's after school, and spent so much time struggling to get undressed, his parents got home before they could do anything. She said after that day, until she lost her cherry, she gave up wearing panties." As she let his slacks drop, she reached up and whispered in his ear, "Did you notice my panties, or rather, the absence of my panties? I didn't want us to get all tangled up."

Mac stepped out of his pants, slipping off the loafers he had worn that evening. He watched as Polly pushed her dress off her shoulders, revealing her small, beautiful, pert, nipple-erect breasts; the gradual slope to her waist line, and the flare to her hips; the coal black nest surrounding her labia, full but neatly trimmed all over to three quarters of an inch; and finally, her lovely tapered thighs. "My god, you are absolutely gorgeous. I have seen some lovely women, in and out of clothing, but no one even comes close to you. I swear, you would make the Pope rethink celibacy."

Beaming, blushing, Polly said, "Enough with the sweet talk, buster, drop 'em. It's not nice to keep your pants on in the presence of a naked lady, Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" 

In response, Mac pushed his jockeys down and off, falling to his knees. He reached for Polly and pulled her to him, burying his face in her crotch, sliding his tongue down her labial crease.

Polly, startled, gasped, "Mac, what...n..ohmigod, I'm gonna... oh! oh! oh! oh! Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" Still spasming from her sudden orgasm, Polly slumped forward, over Mac's shoulder. Bracing himself against the bed, he stood up, lifting her inert form and carried her to the bedside. Gently, he placed her on the bed, then crawled over her, moving sideways, his body parallel to hers. When both his knees were inside hers, Polly wrapped her legs around him and drew him into her. Mac rolled them onto their side, maintaining full penetration. In that position, he began a gentle thrusting motion until she had recovered. 

Polly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her for a kiss. Mac reached up with his upper hand and gently stroked her breast, occasionally pinching and rolling the nipple. The pair remained in this position until the need for one or the other to increase the speed of thrusting caused them to roll back into the missionary position until climax was achieved, then the side position and gentle thrusts were resumed. 




Blending Families



The three orgasms Polly experienced this way were gentle, fulfilling and satisfying. Mac had come twice, the last time with her, leaving both filled with that sense of tenderness and wonderment that only real mutual love can induce. Still joined, Polly broke from their current kiss. She shifted her free leg so that her foot was flat on the bed, behind Mac's butt.

"At the cabin, the girls asked me to relay a request to you for a very unique, very special Christmas present."

"I was wondering about that, been puzzling on it all week, wondering what the hell they couldn't ask for themselves."

"They were quite adamant about it. Both of them, which surprised me. They want you to deflower them."

"Want me to what?"

"Deflower them, take their cherries, make them women. Claim their virginity, open their coochies..."

"Okay, I get the picture. You're joking, right? This is some kind of test , just because I said I found our girls pretty, right?" Mac started to pull away from her.

"Wrong," she said, tightening her leg's grip around his waist. "Cindy's exact words were 'ask Mac to take our cherries for Christmas. I mean, that would be his present to us.' And Tara said she's thought about it since her mom left, five years ago."

"That is fucking ridiculous. Christ, I've raised Tara since she was two; and Cindy, hell, she's at our house almost more than she's at yours. I feel like she's my daughter as much as she was Tod's." He looked Polly in the eye. "Does the fact you passed on the request indicate you're alright with it, or do you see some humor in it that I'm missing?"

"Oh, there's definitely humor there. Cindy put the question to me shortly after you gave her the spanking, even saying she felt awkward since we were lovers. I can understand your feelings, about seeing the girls as daughters. But remember, they're not. It's not even close to incest, which is what you are worried about, isn't it?" He nodded. 

"As far as Tara is concerned, you may be, may have been a de facto guardian, but no court ever said so, and she's now of age, able to make her own decisions about her relationships. She is free to choose whether, and with whom, to have sex. As is Cindy. Whether or not I approve, she has stated her desire for her first time to be with you. 

"Do I approve? I have been thinking about it all week. As a parent, it makes me cringe, thinking of my teenage daughter having sex, especially with a man old enough to be her father. On the other hand, I know that sooner probably more than later, she's going to open her thighs to some man. I have the same concerns for Tara. 

"Personally, for each of them, I would prefer their first experiences be with someone as concerned about them as he is about whether or not he comes. Somebody who cares about the girls, who won't exploit them, who will make their first time a loving experience. The only man I know who fits that description is you.

"Will that affect our relationship? If anything, because it would demonstrate your concern for my daughter, I think it would draw us closer." She leaned back to look at him. "Especially if we were a threesome or foursome, at times," she added with a seductive smile..

"Three or foursome, huh? You know, we are both out of our fucking minds," Mac said, shaking his head. Polly's brow wrinkled, showing her bewilderment. "You, for passing on such a fucking crazy suggestion. Me, for considering saying no," he laughed. Polly slapped at him, in mock anger, joining his laughter. "But let me tell them, my way."

***** Tara pulled her father's Liberty 4x4 into their driveway. His Mercedes was parked in front of the two car garage. Tara looked at her friend, who had grown quiet when she saw the German roadster. Neither spoke as they exited the car and walked to the side door of the house. Polly was the first parent they saw. Her expression turned from smile to sadness when she saw the teens. The girls hearts sank.

"Did I hear the girls come in?" came Mac's voice from the living room. In a second, his large frame filled the kitchen door. His stern visage disheartened the girls even more. "Tara, Cindy, come with me, please." 

They followed Mac into the living room, where he was just sitting down on an armless side chair. He looked at the two girls, plainly upset.

"Now, tell the truth, whose idea was it to ask me to take your virginities?"

Tara answered, "We both thought of it, Daddy, sort of together."

"Is that true, Cindy?" She nodded, blushing. "And whose idea was it to have Polly carry the message?"

"Th...th...that was me, Mr. Mac." stammered Cindy.

"Do you realize the danger you put her in? She could be arrested for pimping you out, for pandering, offering the sexual services of a child. You were plain thoughtless, again. Drop your jeans, Cindy. You, too, Tara. Time for another spanking."

"Mac, are you sure you have to do that? They didn't know what they were asking was against the law." Polly asked. It was good she was behind them, so the girls couldn't see her laughing eyes. 

"All the more reason. They need to learn to consider consequences of their actions. Okay, Cindy, shirt and panties, too. Come here and assume the position." Cindy shed her clothes and slowly walked to Mac. As she approached him, he noted the trimmed dark bush hiding her crease, and the chocolate colored nipples topping her pert breasts. She laid herself across his lap. This time he didn't hold her with his leg. She felt him grip her outer ass cheek, and pat it firmly. He moved his hand to the closer cheek and moved down closer to her leg, to grip the flesh firmly, shaking it slightly. "Ready to count, five on each cheek?" Just as she nodded, Cindy felt Mac's finger invade her vagina, and begin to stroke in and out, slowly.

"Wh...what are you...oh god oh god oh god! Momma! He'ssss...oh! O! Oh shit, I'm coooommmmmmmmiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnng!!" Just as she began to shake with her orgasm, Mac pushed his thumb into her asshole. "Aaaeeennnnnhhh!! What....owwww.....oh no againnnnnnn!" She came again, shaking from head to toe. When the shaking stopped, Mac pulled his fingers and thumb from the young woman, who continued to lay on his lap, in a faint. He moved her gently to the floor.

"Okay, Tara, your turn." He looked at his daughter, into her smiling face and eyes. She threw herself on his lap, straddling him, her naked chest against his, her arms around his neck, their lips joined in their first tongue wrestling match. 

"Thank you, Daddy. Thank you. I've wanted you to do this to me for such a long time." She kissed him again. "Only, instead of your fingers, can you use your mouth on me? Please?" She squirmed on his lap, pushing her bare pussy into his obvious hard on. "And I'll return the favor." 

When Mac nodded, Tara stood up, backing off to give him room to stand. She pulled down the sweat pants he was wearing, and laid on the floor, her legs spread. 

When she saw Mac assume the 69 position, Polly grinned. Her daughter's friend was going to get more than she realized. Polly and Mac had spent the day in Mac's bed, exploring each other's bodies, likes, dislikes, and sensitivities. She was sure Mac's dick had a thick coating of her juices dried on it.

Given her inexperience with tasting cock, Tara couldn't tell. She knew it felt better than the bananas she had been practicing on all week. And the tongue, busy lapping at her opening and at her clit certainly felt better than any fingers which might have found their way to them. She felt the pleasure building, turning to tension and pressure. Her body snapped into rigor, and barely two seconds later it seemed as if every pleasure nerve in her body decided to fire at once. Her thighs drew up and closed on Mac's head, while she tried to assume the fetal position, her head drawing up close to Mac's ass. She swallowed his cock, squealing around it; her nose up tight against his puckered hole.

When Mac felt her rigor, he pulled her clit into his mouth and started lashing at it with his tongue. When she curled up and began to shake, he couldn't move, then felt the pressure of her nose against his asshole. He realized, when he felt the vibrations of her squeal, that his cock was buried in his little girl's virgin throat. It pushed his climax to the tipping point and he spewed his first blast directly into her stomach, causing her to change from squeal to humming, stimulating another spasm of cum. He rolled to his side, pulling his cock from Tara's mouth. Lying there, catching his breath, he felt Polly spoon in beside them.

"You have a helluva way of announcing your decisions, mister, you know that?" She whispered. "They are both out like lights. I hope you hadn't planned on completing your mission tonight."

"My only plan was to finger them to a climax. I didn't expect Cindy to have two and pass out. And I never even thought about using oral sex until Tara asked for it. God, when did she learn to suck cock like that? I don't think she's ever had more than four or five dates."

"When we got back from the cabin, Cindy was asking me a lot of questions about sex, including oral, complaining of her and Tara's lack of experience, so I showed them the oral basics and they've been practicing on bananas all week. So, you were my first student's first try. How'd she do? Should I take up teaching cocksucking as a career? I could have group parties, like Avon and Tupperware," she whispered to him, tonguing his ear.

Mac laughed, and winced. He was just about worn out. "She was great, nearly as good as her teacher. But let's keep your teaching within the family. We're going to be breaking enough conventions as it is."

The parents covered the young women with afghans from the sofa and placed pillows under their heads, then went to shower. After the shower, on their way to Mac's bedroom to dress, they heard the girls in Tara's room. Mac knocked, and waited for a reply before entering. The teens were sitting cross legged, in their panties, on Tara's bed, facing the door when he stuck his head in. "Any questions?" he asked.

"When..." started Cindy.

"No," interrupted Tara, "at least none that can't wait a few minutes. Cindy and I need to check a few things."

"Okay, get cleaned up and dressed, then come down and we can talk over a glass of wine and dinner."

Tara and Cindy arrived in the kitchen just in time to see Polly slide a meatloaf into the oven. Mac was peeling potatoes. An open bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau was breathing on the counter. Mac asked Tara to grab some glasses from the bar and pour them each a glass. Cindy was pointed to the makings for a salad at the end of the kitchen counter. She pitched in and started tearing up lettuce. 

By the time the meatloaf was ready to come out, the table was set, the salad dressed and served, the potatoes mashed, seasoned, and set out. Another bottle of wine had been opened and was waiting at the table. Conversation had been limited to questions and directions about the meal. When they were seated at the table and dishes were being passed, Mac asked, "Any questions, now?"

"Are we correct in assuming your answer to our request about our Christmas present is yes," ventured Cindy, a little hesitatingly. Mac and Polly both smiled and nodded. Cindy's smile as she jumped up and down in her chair could have illuminated a small city. "When?" she asked.

"Well," shrugged Mac, "Christmas is about seven weeks from now."

"Noooo!!" groaned the two girls together.

"There are also some details to be checked on and decided. Are you on birth control, Cindy? I know Tara is on the implants, per the advice of her mother." He caught the puzzled look on Polly's face. "Tara was just entering puberty when Janice left. A few months before she took off, we were talking about what it meant. She was adamant about implants vs the pill because of some side effects she had experienced on the pill, plus not needing to remember to take them at the same time every day. Cindy?"

"Yes, I'm on the pill. Should I change, Mom?" "Are you taking it at a time of day when it's hard to forget, or skip, or are you experiencing any side effects which you can't live with?"

"I take it at breakfast, and the only side effect seems to be that my boobs are really tender during my period."

Mac cleared his throat, and muttered something about TMI. The women just looked at him, with varying degrees of pity and exasperation on their face. "Well, Daddy, you asked." 

"No, dear, I don't see any reason to change. The implants might be more convenient, but that's a personal choice for you to make."

Cindy looked at Tara. "How often do they need to be replaced? Does it hurt?"

"Every six months. Dr. Carol does it at my yearly exam, then six months later, I go in and Maxine, her nurse practitioner replaces them. No hurt involved. They use, mmm, oh yeah, lidocaine to numb the skin. Three or four little pricks and it's all done."

Cindy turned back to Mac. "What else, Mr. Mac?"

"While I think it should be private for each of you, it's up to you--individually or together?"

"Individually," said Tara.

"Together," said Cindy simultaneously. She looked at her friend, surprised. They had done and agreed on everything important together until now.

Tara looked back, a touch of sadness in her eyes, at disappointing her friend. She reached for her friend's hand. "Cindy, don't be mad at me, but I think our first times should be alone with Dad. Remember how, when the other girls talked about it, how they said there was an emptiness when they were left alone. I don't want that; or the feeling of jealousy when Dad leaves me for you. I know the one who has to wait will still feel a little jealous, but it will be different, tied to anticipation. They'll know their time is coming. But if we do it together, the jealousy will be tied to a feeling of being left alone, and that will hurt." "Tara's right, honey," interjected Polly. "And after, it's hard for a threesome to cuddle up lovingly. Someone always feels left out, a little."

"And," said Mac, "doing it one to one, you always have the experience of threesomes and moresomes to look forward to."

"Okay! Okay! You convinced me. But do we have to wait until Christmas? I know I said as our Christmas present, but can't we have this present early?" 

"How early?" asked Mac. "This weekend is promised to some one else." The girls looked at Polly, who blushed in response to their unasked question. "And next weekend is Thanksgiving. I suppose that might work, yeah, that would work very well." he said, clearly considering something as he spoke. "Who's first."

"I think it should be Tara," responded Cindy, quickly. "She's known you the longest."

"Are you sure, Cindy? We could flip coins or draw straws, or something?" Cindy blushed a bit and pulled Tara in to whisper to her. Tara smiled and replied, in a loud whisper, "You're sure you'll be done by Saturday?"

"Shh. I should be. If not, then I'll have to wait, hard as that will be."

"Okay, then. Me, first. Anything else, Daddy?"

"Are you both sure you want this?" He looked both of them in the eye, glancing back and forth, holding each one's gaze for a couple of seconds each time. Both nodded. "Okay." He hesitated, thinking. "Do either of you have any questions, for me or for Polly?"

The girls looked at Polly. "Does it hurt the first time as bad as they say?" asked Tara.

"It can hurt a bit, but it usually goes away in a few minutes. One of the reasons I agreed to ask Mac is that I thought it would be better for you to have an experienced lover your first time than someone who wouldn't know how to minimize that pain. There isn't anyway to eliminate it, but there are ways to avoid making it traumatic." "Where do you think we should do it, Mr. Mac?"

"Hmm. Back seat of the Jeep? That always seemed a popular spot when I was your age."

"Mac! Be serious. No girl plans to lose her virginity in a back seat. That is the boy's choice, only because it's handy and usually doesn't require any planning. It should be someplace the girls feel comfortable, unstressed, without pressure."

"Home, then?"

"Girls? Would that be okay with you? Or so you need something more romantic?"

Tara answered first, "Okay for me."

"Me, too."

"Okay, then. You girls clean up from dinner, while Mac and I discuss a few things. Living room, Mac?"

Out of earshot of the girls, the adults sat on the sofa, close enough so there wasn't room for a Kleenex between them. "So, you going to do them this weekend?"

He nodded. "Tara tonight. Cindy, tomorrow afternoon?"

Polly nodded. "Send Tara over when you're ready, then I'll find an excuse to send Cindy to you. Are you up for this?"

"I'd better be, otherwise nothing's gonna happen."

***** The girls had finished the clean-up, and walked into the living room to find the adults sitting on the sofa, arms around each other, Polly's head on Mac's shoulder, dozing. Cindy shook her mom. "Mom, are we spending the night?"

"Hmm! Mmm. What? Uh, no, sweetheart, much as I'd like to. Under the circumstances, we'd best not give the neighbors anything to talk about. We'd better be going. Thank you, Mac, for a lovely time last night, and for agreeing to the girls' request. Will we see you tomorrow?"

"I'm sure. Dinner?" He slipped his arm around her waist as he walked her to the door. There, he pulled her to him for a deep kiss, his hand sliding up her side to settle over her breast. She gave a small moan of approval and pressed closer to him.

" Tease," she smiled, breaking away.

As Cindy started to walk past him, out the door, he stopped her and pulled her around to face him, then bent down and captured her mouth, sliding his tongue in as his hands slid around her waist and down her back to grab her ass cheeks, pulling her against him.

"Mmmph!" was her first sound, in surprise, quickly turning into "mmm," in approval, soon followed by another one when she felt his hand close on her breast. "Mom's right, you are a tease," she laughed when they broke the kiss. "Are you sure we have to wait?"

Mac just smiled.

When Polly and Cindy had cleared the driveway, Mac closed the door and turned to see Tara beaming at him, totally nude. He just stood there, taking in the sight of her--medium height, around 5 feet 7 inches tall, a generous B-cup bosom, narrow waist and hips, reflecting her 130 pound weight, her cinnamon colored trimmed full bush nestled between her still tanned thighs. In spite of his activity with Polly earlier in the day, the sight of the beauty before him had its predictable effect, easily seen by the sexy cause of it.

"Oh, good! I was afraid, when I saw you and Polly asleep, you might not be able to make love to me tonight."

"Next weekend, kitten."

"Bullshit, pardon my french, Daddy, I know you better than that. You might have fooled Cindy, but I've lived with you for sixteen years, five as the lady of the house, if not your bed. I can tell when you're lying, when you're joking, and when you mean what you say. All that bull about possibly getting Polly in trouble was just that--bull. You just wanted an excuse to get us naked while you told us your decision."

"When in hell did you get so smart? My bedroom or yours?"

"Yours. If we do it in mine, I'll have dreams about sex every night. More dreams, that is."

Mac had closed the space between them as they talked. He put his arms around her waist, and pulled her to him. Tara put her arms around his neck and raised up on her toes to meet his kiss. As their tongues dueled, one of Mac's hands explored her ass while the other sought her breast. Her moan of pleasure stirred his shaft to flex against her belly, eliciting another murmur of pleasure. "You better get me upstairs or your question will be answered by the floor," she moaned.

Mac carried the horny teen to his room, then stripped and joined her in his bed. Laying down beside her, he resumed the kissing they had started in the living room, his hands exploring her body. "Oh, Daddy," she groaned, "fuck me now. I'm already so wet it feels like I peed myself."




Blending Families



"So I've noticed, kitten." He slipped his two middle fingers into her opening, stroking in and out, while pushing outward on the walls of her vagina. "But for this time, it's not just about being aroused. I have to be sure you're opening up enough to let me in, so I'm going to be stretching your vagina to open it up. That'll also stretch the hymen, making it easier to tear. 

"Besides," he said, kissing her lips, "I want to take the time to enjoy this. The way you and Cindy tend to share everything, this may be the only time we're together alone. I love you, kitten. I want this to be extra special for both of us." 

"Don't worry, Daddy. I'll make sure we're alone. And tonight is already so special I'll remember it everyday for all of my life. I love you so much."

Suddenly her back arched. "Omigod! What did you just do? It was like an electric shock of pleasure." Mac moved his fingers inside her sheath, sending another jolt of pleasure through his daughter. "Oh, shit, Daddy, that feels so fucking good. Don't stop yet, please."

As he continued the stretching of her vagina, Mac leaned down and began nibbling at her pencil eraser sized nipples, causing her to arch her back again, pushing them into his face. In a few seconds, he felt her tense up, then heard a squeal as the air was forced from her lungs by her orgasm. He ceased stimulating her, leaving his fingers inside her, marveling at the pressure her tunnel walls were able to generate. 

When she had recovered sufficiently, he pulled her over on top of him, and pushed her into a kneeling position, her pussy right over his cock. He reached down and helped her line him up, then instructed her to lower herself onto his rod. When he was in about three inches, she winced, but continued until she had engulfed all of his prick. He pulled her down on his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "You okay, kitten?"

"Mmhmm. It hurt a little, like a pinch or needle prick. I was expecting some thing a lot worse."

"A lot of the time, it is. You may have torn your hymen in gym or cheerleading; or you might have been born with only a partial one. Do you feel ready?" At her nod, he rolled them over, not losing an inch of penetration.

"Oh, god, Daddy," she mewed, "this feels so good. Even better than it felt before." He pushed her knees up so her thighs were resting on her stomach. "Unnh, oh shit! It feels like you just drove in another mile. Now, Daddy! Do me now!" 

***** Mac woke in the morning to the wonderful feel of a warm, moist mouth surrounding the head of his erect cock. His moan told Tara he was awake and conscious. "Mrmmimmg," she hummed in greeting, sending shivers from the head of his erection to his balls and up his spine.

"O god o shit, Tara, I'm gonna cum." She sucked harder, pulling him deeper into her throat, then began to hum the 'Good Morning" song, pushing him to the point of ejaculation. His first blast went straight down her gullet. She pulled back slightly for the next two and caught them in her mouth. The next two or three could hardly be called blasts or eruptions, they were so small. After all, he had made love with Polly several times during the last forty-eight hours, plus he had come with Tara three times last night. Not too shabby for a man in his early forties.

After milking his prick for the last drops of seminal fluid, Tara pulled her mouth off him with a loud pop. "Morning, Daddy. Was that good?"

"Christ, kitten, I'm not sure I'll recover today. How'd you learn to do that?"

"When Polly was showing us how to give blow jobs, she said she and Mom used to talk about you and Mr. Freeman. She said Mom told her how she'd wake you up on weekends, so you'd be ready to go." She licked his still erect cock. "Looks like it still works." She smiled, horn hunger written all over her face. "You ready Daddy?"

"I would be, baby, but don't you think I should save some for Cindy?"

"She has to wait 'til next weekend. She's a bit out of sorts since her period is due in a couple of days. Even on the pill, she has a lot of premenstrual problems." She straddled Mac, and lowered herself. "Mmhmm; god, Daddy, you feel so good in me. I can see how a girl could become a slut, always wanting to feel this." She began the up and down motion, bouncing her breasts. Mac moaned in pleasure.

After they showered together, which seemed to take longer than if they had showered separately, and dressed, he sent Tara over to Polly, who asked Cindy to take Mac some of the muffins she had just taken from the oven. When she arrived, Mac was in his kitchen, in his jockeys, making coffee. In spite of her PMS, Cindy felt herself moisten when she saw the bulge in his shorts. Mac didn't say a word; he simply pulled her to him and kissed her lightly on the lips, one hand on her ass, the other lightly rubbing the nipple of her left breast.

"M...m...mac," she stammered, "a..are you going to...oh, yessss," she hissed as his mouth closed on her neck, just over the pulse point. She felt him start to pull up her tee shirt and reached to help him. When she felt him shake his head no, her hands dropped to her waist band, where she opened the button and started to unzip her jeans. 

In less than a minute, she was standing in the middle of the kitchen in only her panties. Mac swept her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom, placing her in the center of the bed. He took several seconds to admire her youthful body, highlighted by the black bush nestled between her thighs. Starting with her mouth, he laid down a path of kisses along the center of her body, headed for her labial crease, with interesting and fun side trips to her mini-mammas and the firm cherry colored points topping them. 

She reached her first orgasm of the day when his tongue first brushed her clitoris. The second was on his fingers as he prepared her for her coital debut. Like he had done with Tara, the actual deflowering was done in the cowgirl position, giving Cindy control of the pressure and force to break through the fragile membrane. 

Fear of the pain was keeping her from making the necessary thrust. Mac had her raise up an inch or so when she felt the contact within her sheath. "Now, when I tell you to, just settle back down gently. Okay?" he instructed her. She nodded. "Ready, now, down." And, as she settled down, searching for the contact point, Mac thrust upwards, through her barrier, causing a loud yelp of pain. With all her wetness, Mac's shaft was well lubricated, and once the blockade was gone, she continued to sink until their pubes were tte--tte.. 

Cindy's look of surprise gave way to one of pleasure as she accommodated to Mac's size and presence. Soon she started moving slightly up and down his pleasure rod. When he started moving with her, she first smiled, then groaned as the feelings began to overtake her. "Omigod, Mac, this is so fucking good. O! God! Don't! Stop! Do it more! Faster! Harder! More more more more!!" She started bouncing on him, nearly out of control. He pulled her down onto his chest and began increasing the tempo of his thrusting along with the force. Her orgasm caught them both by surprise. Had there been anyone in the basement of the colonial style house, they would have heard her joyous scream.

She confirmed that the second try was better than the first, and the third, just before they joined Tara and Polly for supper, when Mac came with her, was even better. That evening, they had their first foursome, nowhere near the last. 

 (Author's note 2: I was strongly tempted to end this tale here, but a number of readers, in public and private communications, have complained about my 'lady or the tiger' endings (as I refer to them). You all by now pretty well know what is going to happen next, and where the relationship with Polly is going, and what the relationship between parents and girls is going to be like. Threesomes and foursomes galore, if it needs to be spelled out. But then it occurred to me there was a loose end which needed tying up. So, as Paul Harvey used to say, "Here's the rest of the story.") 

Early Sunday afternoon, following Thanksgiving. Mac untangled himself from the three women and went to look at his cell phone. While he had been fucking Polly he had heard it vibrate on top of the dresser. After several seconds, the vibrating stopped, and a minute later the phone emitted its annoying voice mail alert.

Around ten that morning, Polly and Tara had walked in on him and Cindy while Cindy was demonstrating her version of a wake up blowjob. A one man orgy ensued, during which he had truly wondered if he was going to live through the experience, then prayed that all the rumors he had heard about plentiful sex extending a man's life were true.

He keyed in his pin number and played back the voicemail message. "Senge MacMillan, this is Eric Howell, Sheriff of Albany County. Please call me at your earliest convenience. This is in regard to an apparent murder suicide which occurred here earlier this morning." The message went on to give an 800 number for him to call.

Mac returned the call immediately. "Sheriff Howell, this is Senge MacMillan. How can I help you?"

"Mac, you may not remember me, but we rode together on patrol several years ago. You were my training officer. It was just before you left and got married."

"Eric Howell? Tall, blonde guy, built like a linebacker, looked like you just woke up in a hay wagon."

The sheriff laughed. "You got a good memory. I'm sorry to call you on a Sunday with bad news. There was an accident down here this morning which looks like it may have been intentional. A woman who was involved had you listed as her emergency contact. Name Janice DeMarco mean anything to you?"

"Yeah, we were married for a while, then she left to find herself. Haven't heard from her for five years or so."

"She and a lowlife named Harry DeMarco were the victims in the accident. Would it be possible for you to come down and identify her body? There don't appear to be any other relatives, and we're not able to find any of DeMarco's associates to identify him. Right now, we're going on drivers' licenses for identification. As soon as we get them, we'll run prints and stuff."

"I understand. Yes, I can be there early tomorrow afternoon. Will that do?"

"That's fine. We have a new headquarters, just north of town on route 51. That the way you coming down?"

"Unless there's a shorter way." The two men laughed together.

"Entrance is in the back. Ask for me at the reception desk. And thanks, Mac. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mac sat across the desk from Sheriff Howell, listening. "According to the story the occupants of a car following them tell, they appeared to be physically fighting while driving north on the four-lane; they said it looked like he hit her with his elbow, knocking her across the seat toward the passenger door, then she sat up and the car suddenly veered off the road and down the bank toward the river. We had received a number of 911 calls about a car driving erratically on route 55 and had a patrol car in the vicinity on the scene in less than five minutes. 

"When the officer got to the car, the driver was dead, and the woman, all but. When he attempted to assist her, she said 'Tell Senge I'm sorry. I tried,' then died, her hands grasping the steering wheel." The Sheriff opened the center drawer of his desk and withdrew a legal sized envelope which he passed to Mac. Mac glanced at the envelope, and when he saw it was stamped and addressed to him in Janice's handwriting, he looked up at the Sheriff. "It was in her purse. If there's anything pertinent to what happened, I'd appreciate knowing ASAP."

Mac nodded, and opened the envelope. He extracted a blank piece of paper with a key taped to it. A logo stamped on the key identified it as belonging to the Albany County Credit Union. On the back side of the head of the key were stamped the numbers 504. Mac looked at the Sheriff, a question in his eyes. "Safe deposit box?" he asked, passing the key to the Sheriff.

"Looks like. The Credit Union is on South Main, just past the light at the Four Corners, where Dave's Diner used to be. Isn't that where you met her? Hmph! Funny coincidence."

Mac stood up, promised to keep the Sheriff apprised if he found anything which would shed light on the accident. A quarter of an hour later he was walking into the Credit Union. When he presented the key and asked to see the deposit box, he was directed to a private room. A few moments later, one of the customer service reps entered the room with a medium sized deposit box. 

She asked to see his driver's license, which she compared with some documents fastened to the top of the box. When she was satisfied, she explained that the original renter had restricted access to the box to themselves and to SaintGeorge MacMillan; anyone else would need a court order to open it, even with the key. She then left Mac alone with the container, closing the door behind her.

Inside the box were two large manilla envelopes, one with forty, the other, sixty, certificates of deposit, each worth fifty thousand dollars. Each CD in the smaller envelope was made out to Janice DeMarco and Tara DeMarco, as joint owners, with rights of survivorship. The CDs in the larger envelope were similarly designated, with Mac as the co-owner.

In a legal sized envelope, lying on top, was a handwritten note addressed to Mac:

Mac, if you are reading this, I am probably dead. When I jumped into your car that night so long ago, I had no idea how much it would change my life. Harry DeMarco was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks in my small hometown. He seemed decent enough in school and I dated him a couple of times. After we graduated, he got involved in some small scrapes with the law. One night he stole a car for a joy ride. Unfortunately, when he was pulled over by the local cop, I was in the car with him. The cop knew my Dad and insisted on driving me home after Harry returned the car. A few weeks later, when I told my parents Tara was on her way, they threw me out, saying my outlaw boyfriend could take care of me. 

When I showed up at Harry's, he seemed cool with the idea of me living with him, even with the baby. He tried to find a job, but with his reputation, nobody was willing to trust him, so we moved to Albany. He got a job, it even had medical insurance with it. Unfortunately, it didn't cover my pregnancy, and when Tara was born, the cost was too much. I couldn't work any regular job because there was nobody to take care of her, so Harry had to look for a second job. I thought he had found one, because suddenly there was more than enough money. To secure his 'job,' he told me, I had to sleep with his gang leader and their boss. I wasn't happy, but Harry made it clear it was that or leave, with nowhere to go and no way to get there.

His job was lookout for a bunch of guys who were robbing stores and warehouses, then fencing their hauls out of state. A few weeks before I jumped into your car, they were almost caught, close enough so the patrolman was able to identify one of the other guys. They were all told to get out of state. Harry came home, told me what had happened and said he'd be in touch in a couple of days. He left me with $75 and said he'd send more when he could. You know how that went.

The next time I heard about Harry was when I saw that picture in the paper. Then, about a year before I left you, I got a phone call from the leader of Harry's gang, telling me Harry wanted to talk to me, in person. That was when I made up the story about my aunt needing to see me. I am so sorry, Mac, but if I refused, they threatened to hurt you and Tara badly. They knew so much about our lives, where you worked, when you left for work, where you had lunch, even your lunches with Tod.

Harry told me when he was being released and wanted me waiting for him. I told him I was going to need a long lead time to prepare you and Tara for my leaving. I'm afraid I didn't do a real good job of that, but Tara and I had some good talks about what it means to be grown up. A few weeks after he was released, Harry came and got me. He threatened you and Tara if I didn't go with him. Before he went to prison, he wasn't exactly polished, but now he is even coarser, and more cruel than before.

For some reason, they thought they could both control and trust me, and they put me in charge of hiding their money. Over the past five years, don't ask how, I have managed to skim the money represented by the CDs in the envelopes in this box. Use Tara's money for her college and her wedding. Whatever is left, she can use as she wants. The rest of the money is yours. These bastards, if they are still alive, will never miss it.

Harry recently saw a picture of Tara in her cheerleading uniform. He knows she just turned eighteen and is planning a visit to identify himself as her father, and to force her into an entry level job in his organization. He won't tell her, but I know that means turning tricks, starting with his pig of a boss. And she won't have any choice, he will find a way to force her to join him even if he has to kidnap her and turn her over to his gang to break her in. If I have to, I'll kill Harry and his boss to keep that from happening.

I love you both. Goodbye. J.

Mac wiped the tears from his eyes. He wondered, realizing he would probably never know, what hold Harry had over Janice. She knew Mac still had friends enforcement who would have been able to send Harry and his cohorts back to prison for threatening her and her family. Her letter went a long way toward explaining the wreck and the fight the witnesses had seen. He gathered up the two envelopes and the letter, then left the credit union.

On his way out of town, he stopped at the Sheriff's office and showed him the letter. After reading it, the Sheriff made a copy. He told Mac he would mark the investigation closed and ascribe driver's inattention as the cause of the accident. When Mac asked if he had any ideas who the boss she had referred to was, Sheriff Howell nodded, and told him he needn't worry, that body had been found in the river last week. 

Mac asked him to send Janice's body to the funeral home which had handled Tod's memorial service and provided the address.

On the way home, he called Tara when he stopped for supper and let her know he'd be home around nine, and he would explain everything to her then. He also called Polly to let her know everything was okay and made a date to see her the next evening.

Tara was waiting for him in the living room, a bottle of Riesling chilled and open, waiting with her. He walked to her, and taking her hands, pulled her up, out of her seat and into his arms. "Let's talk in bed," he suggested and received a smile in return. After quietly making love, he told her about her mother's note to him, and about what the witnesses to the accident had seen.

"You think she caused the accident to stop my father from forcing me to work for him as a prostitute?" There was a note of uncertainty in her voice.

Mac nodded. "It fits and explains everything. She had anticipated what it would cost her. Along with her note, she left you a small legacy she said should be used to pay for your college and wedding, with a little bit left over to help you furnish your first house."

"Jeez, after college and a wedding, how much could be left? She couldn't have put together an awful lot in five years."

"Well, after college and a medium sized wedding, you should have a bit over a million dollars left to play with."

"Uh huh," she said derisively, " You can tell me in the morning over breakfast. I'm just glad we finally know what happened to her. I'm sorry she's gone, and I appreciate what she did for me, but what I feel mostly is relief, not having to wonder about where she is and if she's going to pop up someday and want her place with you back. That would be so awkward now."