by T. S. Hill
“Okay, Tagg.”, she said beginning to dry up her tears. She looked up at me with her pretty green tinted eyes, sniffling, and as we made eye contact, she smiled.
“The bigger problem with this Tagg, is I liked it. I liked what I saw. I really liked it. I’ve wanted more for myself for a while now, like what you guys were having. But you know Aug. He’s a what you see is what you get, one woman, one man, kind of guy. I love him Tagg. I really, really, love him. There’ll never be another man for me but Aug, but… I’ve also always had other needs Tagg, and I don’t know even how to think about talking to him about it.”
“I don’t want to lose him Tagg! I’m afraid that if I brought this kind of thing up to him at all, that he would just freak out. You know him better than I do Tagg. You’ve known him almost his whole life. I don’t know what to do. Do I just hide my wants and needs in the closet? How do I talk to him? Tell me what to do Tagg! He’s a wonderful man and I can’t live without him. I just don’t know what the fuck to do anymore!”
Her hands were trembling and she was almost hysterical.
“Sal! Everything’s going to be okay. Believe me! It just seems like you’ve hit a brick wall that there’s no way through, but please, believe me, there’s always a way around it! You’ll work this out with Aug. I know you will.”
“I can’t talk to him about this Aug! What if he freaks and leaves me?”
“Sal, Aug’s not going to leave you! He loves you more than his own life!”
“But what if I disappoint him, Tagg? What then? If I break his heart and break his spirit, what then? I can’t do it!”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to talk to him about it!”
“Oh, please don’t tell him Tagg!”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not! But I don’t like keeping secrets from you or Aug. You’re going to have to address this Sal, or it’s just going to keep eating at you, and your relationship with Aug.”
“I don’t know what to do Tagg.” I thought for a minute, and Sally stayed silent, once again, looking down into her lap.
“Why don’t you start with a talk with Sasha, and Lori, and if they think so, maybe even Rosita.”, I suggested.
“Sasha and Lori? Who? I mean, the girl in the shower with you and Rosita?”
“Here’s the short of it Sal. And, listen carefully! Two weeks ago; actually, less than two weeks ago, I was a single guy, on the run from the law, and on the run from some very powerful gangsters. This morning, after you caught me in the shower, I went to Lafayette to pick up the third woman that’s found a place in my life. Have you seen the news this morning, coming out of Lafayette Sal?”
“The cowboy hero? Shit! That was you Tagg?”
“You trusted me with your secret, now you’ve got one of mine, and you have to sit on it Sal!”
“Tagg you know that you’ve always been able to trust me. I promise! Not a word. Holy shit Tagg! They’re calling you a hero!”
“Well you know how the news people get everything bassackward! A hero, I‘m not! Anyway, the girl, the third woman to find a place in my life, she’s back here with me also, and these three women, even though the jury is still out on the totality of their relationships to each other, is let’s just say, intersexual? All of this came about because Lori, the girl in the shower with me and Rosita, met me, fell in love, met Sasha who opened the whole can of worms about Lori being bi, and me being attracted to more than one woman at once.”
“We all three came to agreement that there wasn’t anything wrong with us, it was the narrow minds of other people who might want to judge, that had the problem. Anyway, I’m not sure just yet how Sasha and Rosita are going to fit, or Sasha with me for sure, but Lori and Sasha are really into each other, and Sasha is also into me. Me and Rosita, had this unrequited thing between us, for quite some time, so that was a no brainer. She and Lori really have the hots for each other too though, so that works.”
“Sal, what I’m saying is, that none of us saw this working out, what, eleven, twelve days ago? I hadn’t even met Lori or Sasha. But now, here we are, all making each other happy, and we’re happy about it, and these women have helped me submit evidence to clear myself, and I’m within striking distance of shutting down the gangsters that are trying to kill me, and make a fortune in the process.”
“Less than two weeks Sal! Everything can change! But, you’ve got to be moving toward something, not running from it. As long as I was on the run, things only got worse! Then I met Lori, and we turned it around, and went after the gangsters, and the evidence to clear me, and look what’s happening! You’ve got to take forward action Sal! You can’t run, and you can’t sit still. Take my advice! Move forward!”
“Come over tomorrow. Things are kinda hectic this evening, but come over tomorrow, and talk all of this over with Lori and Sasha. You will be amazed at the wisdom and strength in those beautiful, little women! If they think Rosita may have something to offer also, then talk with her too. You probably should talk with Rosita. It’s just her English, sometimes.
Anyway! I wouldn’t have a problem discussing anything with any of these women. But on this subject, they’re experts! Get Sasha to tell you about the sex fairy! That will be a great starting place.”
“Listen, I’ve got to get back, Lori will be worried about me. Aug was over at the crack of dawn this morning to invite me over here to eat, but I told him that you guys would come eat with us tomorrow night. Rosita, is cooking so you know it will be special! Tell Aug that I came by to invite you, because I was afraid that he would forget. You see, Rosita stumbled into the kitchen naked while he was there, and he got all upset. So, he might just forget! I’ll let the girls tell you all about that.”
Sally was actually smiling and shaking her head, at how Aug reacted to a naked Rosita.
“I can only imagine Tagg!”, she said with a slight giggle.
“Listen to me very carefully, Sal! These women are very supportive of each other, and I would think, especially so of a like-minded sister. Just come talk to them tomorrow morning, after Aug leaves for work. Then you guys come for dinner tomorrow night. Everything is going to work out! I guarantee it! You are a beautiful, wonderful, woman, that Aug will never let go of, for any reason!” I stood, leaned across the table, and kissed her on the top of her head.
“Thanks, Tagg! I still feel overwrought, but nothing like I did before you showed up. I’ll be there in the morning. You know Aug leaves early! What time you guys get up?”
“Tomorrow Sal, you come as early as you want. The girls are all going to the spa late this afternoon for waxes, so I figure things will be quiet at least for tonight, if you get my drift.”
“Ouch! Yeah, I get your drift, Tagg. It’s the same for me when I get my eyebrows done. I understand!”
“Bye Sal! See you in the morning!”
“Bye Tagg! And thanks so much! Not a word! Right?
“Right! Oh, and congrats on the kid!”, I called back to her, as the door closed behind me.
On the path through the woods back to the tree house, I was thinking on what I had narrated to Sally, and feeling very grateful for being exactly where I was right then, as compared to where I was two weeks ago, or two months, or two years ago, for that matter.
Somewhere in talking with Sally, and thinking about the changes that had come to me, and the women, and how it all came about, I began to see clearly, why I was struggling about fully embracing Sasha. It was mainly because I could sense so clearly that she needed my protection. Maybe that was why she was so drawn to me also.
I secretly believed that what she was telling us, of preferring a couple first, and then a woman second, and a man third, was a bit of a farce to stay on the softer side of Lori. I thought that she was saying, that she wanted to put a relationship with a couple first, so that she would have me in the mix. Why would a man alone be third if a couple was first? It made no sense. I thought that she really needed me, and also needed my protection.
If Sasha pr
eferred a woman over a man, she would have asked Lori to help squeeze her boobs into her blouse this morning, instead of me. I felt positive that I was right, and was okay with it. But, I felt that she and Lori and I, all three of us, needed to be on the same honest page. I made my mind up to address my suspicions with her and Lori as soon as an opportunity arose. There were just so many irons in the fire now, that the issue would have to wait in line.
While I felt strongly about protecting Lori and Rosita, I also instinctively knew that they weren’t nearly as vulnerable, and in dire need of my protection, as I sensed that Sasha was. I needed to approach this carefully, and not upset her, or especially Lori. I figured that Rosita would likely take in stride, ever how things were revealed, or came out. She made no bones about her primary affection, and attraction for me, even to Lori for that matter. But, Sasha was a different soul than Rosita or Lori. Time alone would tell, just how we all would eventually relate to each other. All I could do was hope, and work, for the best.
Back at the tree house, I was feeling refreshed from gaining an updated perspective of my circumstances, unloading the anxieties and stresses of the last few days, and enjoying the calm that always comes from a walk in the woods. At that moment, the only real anxiety that I felt was about whether or not Sally could ever get stubborn Aug, to widen his horizons from his narrow view.
Somehow Sal was going to have to kill off Aug’s sex fairy, without leaving him emotionally injured. I hoped that my women could give her some guidance. They had all done quite a job on me, and I didn’t miss the sex fairy one bit, nor the tooth fairy. Now Santa Clause? Yeah, I still hold nostalgia for that old elf. But, who doesn’t?
As I had predicted to Sally, Lori had been worried about me. I assured her that I was fine, and that the walk through the woods to Aug’s and back, had relieved a great deal of anxiety and stress that I had been feeling. And, I expressed that I was totally fucking thrilled about the Lafayette cop being alive and expected to recover. I think Lori and Sasha were almost as excited as I was, about the cop’s outcome and outlook.
“You’re a fucking hero, Stan!”, Sasha had yelled at me.
“A true American hero!”, Lori added.
“What is he?”, Lori yelled at Sasha.
Then together they shouted, “A fucking, true, American, hero!”.
“You girls, planned that didn’t you?”
“So, what?”, Lori quipped back.
“Yeah, so fucking what?”, Sasha chimed in.
I took a deep breath and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, where they had been waiting for Rosita to arrive.
“I wouldn’t be anything without you girls. There wasn’t a damn thing that went down in Lafayette, that would have gone right without you two doing what you did, and backing me up. That incident, and some of the others that you and I have been through Lori, have taken a toll on me. That walk to Aug and Sally’s has helped me put a lot back into perspective.”
“You know, a lot of the trouble wouldn’t have happened, but for my fuckups, short sightedness, and inattention. I promise you both, I will do all that I can to trim the flow of Tagg Hill fuckups.”
“You’re still my fucking hero, Stan!”, Sasha said.
“And, you’ve always been my hero, Cowboy!”, Lori added, looking into my eyes with deep admiration.
“We’re going to talk about that later, but right now, I need to share something with you two. And I need you both sworn to secrecy, even from Aug!”
“Who’s Aug?”, Sasha asked.
“You’ll meet him tomorrow night, if not before.”, I answered. “Meanwhile, Sally, Aug’s wife, will be here tomorrow morning, probably real early, maybe sevenish. She needs to talk to you two, and get some advice. Let’s just say that I’m too close to Aug to be of any help to her in this. And, she’s been like my sister for the last ten years, since they met and got married.
Sally needs some advice, and she needs some guidance, and maybe a lot of sympathetic soothing. Anyway, you two are just the people to do this. After you talk with her, if you feel like Rosita has anything else to offer, you can invite her to the table.
But, what’s said and done with Sally, stays completely confidential between you two, and if necessary, Rosita. I don’t want you to even talk to me about it, except to maybe let me know that you talked, and it was ok, or whatever. Can you both agree to this?”
“Sure cowboy!”, Lori answered, sensing my seriousness.
“On my heart, I promise Stan! I wouldn’t ever let you down!”, Sasha added.
“What’s this about Cowboy?”, Lori asked.
“Here’s the short of it. Aug is a straight and narrow stick in the mud; even more of one than I ever was! He and Sally, love each other to death. But Sally has some other desires, I’m guessing, similarly to you ladies. She’s afraid to talk to Aug about it, and I can completely understand that.”
“Why did she feel okay to talk to you Cowboy, instead of her husband?”, Lori asked.
“She saw the strange truck here this morning, along with Rosita’s car and came over with her pistol to see if Rosita was okay. She heard pain noises in the shower, and came into the bathroom, and pulled the shower door open, and saw you and Rosita, and me.”
“Ohhh!”, Lori said, looking surprised. Sasha’s eyes were widening also.
“This sounds interesting.”, Sasha said.
“That’s why the shower door was wide open. We didn’t bump into it. Sally opened it.”
“Was she upset by what she saw?”, Lori asked.
“Actually, she was upset at herself, and apologizing to me endlessly, because she sat on the toilet, watched, and masturbated, before slipping back home.”
“When I showed up, she thought that I knew that she was here, and just fell apart in shame. That’s it! That’s all of it, except that I told her to come over in the morning and talk to you two, about how she should approach Aug with her other feelings”
“Do you girls mind having a chat with her? Oh, and I told her to ask Sasha about the sex fairy. I thought that perspective helped me put things in a better light.”
“I’m glad that I helped, Stan! I’ll be happy to talk to her.”, Sasha exclaimed exuberantly.
“I hope that I can help!”, Lori commented. “I’m not sure exactly what I have to offer.”
“Tons!”, Sasha and I said simultaneously.
“Holy fuck!”, Sasha exclaimed. “Now we’re doing it too! That is so fucking cool! Is that not fucking cool Lori?”
“It’s fucking cool, Sasha!”, Lori said laughing.
“If Rosita starts that too, we’ll all be talking at the same time.”, I quipped.
“Si”, Sasha and Lori said, together. We all three giggled and chuckled. Just then I heard a car coming down the sand and gravel drive.
“That’s probably Rosita, you guys better get going.”, I told them, heading to the stairway foyer to look out.
“They were heading down the steps when I spotted Rosita’s green Toyota coming around the curve just above the cut for Aug’s drive. Even though I knew she saw Lori and Sasha coming down the steps, she laid down on the horn. I stepped out on the top step and waved to her, as Lori and Sasha were running to the car. Rosita energetically waved back, grinning the whole time.
I was glad for them to get a girls’ outing, that would give them a chance to bond. I was really looking forward to this ménage de quatre. Only, due to Lori’s beef with French, we would all have to be a household of four, or as Rosita would say, casa de cuatro. As high as my hopes were for them to all bond and get along, I had no expectation of what I got back from the solon, only a few hours later.
This would be my last credit card use, so I headed into, the soon to be second bedroom, to get online and order replacements for them all. But first, I felt like a nice scotch would be in order. This had been maybe the second damnedest day of my life!
Lori had just thought that our evening in Waco was wild. It didn’t include a three-way in the s
hower, maybe saving a cop’s life (depending on whose version you wanted to believe), the arrival of Sasha, and Sally being the voyeur with sexual issues. If this wasn’t the damnedest, it definitely was running a close second, and the day wasn’t over yet!
Instead of a scotch, I found three scotches, all before the women returned. Instead of ordering new credit cards for my shell corps, through scotch eyes, I became a temporary, news junky. I watched every recycle of the news with anticipation, until the Lafayette story played again.
The only story on the channel that changed before the women returned was the weather forecast. The partly cloudy skies forecast for that night, in one hour, had become a severe thunder storm watch. An hour later, it had mutated into a severe thunderstorm warning, with a tornado watch in effect until midnight.
About two and a half hours after the girls had left, I heard Rosita’s trademark gravel slinging turn in the curve, just above Aug’s drive. I was relieved that they had made it back before the impending storm moved in. Rosita dropped Lori and Sasha off at the foot of the stairs and then headed home.
As they came in the door chattering excitedly to each other, they paused long enough for Lori to call out to me.
“Cowboy! We’re back!”
“Great!”, I answered back. “I’m glad! There’s a ferocious storm on the way! I’m in the den, or new office, watching the news and weather, and drinking too much scotch!”
“We brought food too, Cowboy! Come eat!”
“Great! I hadn’t thought about it, but I’m fucking starving! What did you get?”
“Fried shrimp!” Sasha called out. “And they smell fucking wonderful!
“Lori, please teach Sasha some new adjectives and adverbs!”, I yelled back. Sasha cackled laughing.
“Lori, playing off of my crack at Sasha, added to Sasha’s report, “and fucking fries, fucking hushpuppies, and fucking Cole slaw!”
“C’mon, before it gets fucking cold!”, Sasha added to their play.