Probe

by Douglas E Roff

  Noki wanted to meet a good guy, be romanced, fall in love, and get married. She wanted adventure too but realized one day the danger and fun would’ve to give way to more maternal pursuits. In the meantime, she didn’t mind watching other people engage in all manner of extreme conduct so long as she was just a spectator.

  This “date” with Adam didn’t fit squarely in her conception of herself, what she considered appropriate conduct or even good taste. The four women at the Residence had all recently engaged in sexual relations with one man, who was himself only recently married. His wife not only was aware of these activities, but both arranged and approved of his dalliances.

  Could it get any stranger? Apparently yes, as she was just about to have her own date with him. He could do this thing, this strange mental trick that she would never have believed possible were it not for the fact that her boss had confirmed that it was quite real. Plus, all the women agreed it was an experience worth having. Against her better judgement, but well within her immense level of curiosity, Noki had plunged into the moment and asked if she could experience Adam too. But that was a day or so ago, and she was now hours away from getting naked with a man she hardly knew looking for an experience that wasn’t even supposed to be possible. Perhaps she had gotten caught up in the moment, been rash and should reconsider.

  Misti was seated on the couch with Hannah talking about nothing in particular when Noki entered through the connecting door to her adjoining apartment. Vera and Alana were in the kitchen area, canoodling, flirting, and pretending to be interested in preparing lunch. They were not, and neither were Hannah and Misti.

  Within minutes Alana and Vera disappeared into the master bedroom, meaning that Hannah and Misti would soon be exploring each other either on the couch or in the spare bedroom, depending upon the level of privacy they cared to consider. Misti neither needed nor sought privacy because she was at her core a voyeur, a narcissist, and an exhibitionist. She was far from modest and didn’t mind being watched and admired.

  Both Hannah and Misti recognized however, that Noki wasn’t a member of this club and she had something on her mind.

  Noki asked if Misti was absolutely certain she was fine with the proposed activities for the evening and had she reconsidered? Misti explained she had no reservations and that if Noki wished to have the experience, Noki was welcome to borrow her husband. However, she warned he needed to be returned in good working condition, normal wear and tear excluded.

  Misti explained that normally men didn’t normally capture her attention and, excepting only for Adam, had no interest in the male gender. Adam was a different story and his presence in her life was an anomaly she had coveted since her childhood. But, with Adam’s acquiescence, she wouldn’t ignore her own tastes and preferences; she would, therefore, see to it that Adam’s needs and more narrowly focused preferences were satisfied whenever possible. As Adam was both exclusively heterosexual and monogamous in his preferences, it was up to Misti to channel Adam’s exploration of his own libido in a safe and acceptable, albeit mostly conventional, manner.

  Misti explained that while she was happy that her husband was comfortable with limited extramarital experiences, they would still need to be arranged by her. Since Adam wasn’t interested in seeking out female companionship on his own, Misti would give him those experiences as a gift. Otherwise Adam was content to be with Misti and with Misti alone.

  Misti explained that their pansexual leanings and behaviors were a departure from the norm, but that, in their lives, it was both comfortable and normal. And it was completely consistent with the uniqueness of rest of their lives.

  “Adam is a mess at times and lost in an external world that he has a great deal of difficulty understanding. He needs an explanation that helps him cope and a structure that comes from of place of love and understanding. Moral judgements unconnected to his core beliefs hold little sway in his life. We decided when we got together that we would create our own rules, within broad constraints, and that’s what we have done.

  “Besides he’s very smitten with you, and I know he wants you to have a wonderful experience. I believe he will satisfy you tonight because he really, really wants to. So please, relax and enjoy this. But no worries if you decide not to explore. Adam will be supportive of that too.”

  Noki thought for a moment, and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather have this experience in private. I wouldn’t be comfortable with an audience and I’m already feeling guilty about fooling around with your husband.”

  “Not an issue,” Misti said. Misti had turned her attention to Hannah and was stroking her inner thigh. It was time for Noki to leave.

  Having resolved what she needed to resolve, Noki departed leaving the ladies to pursue their own proclivities in peace.

  She retreated to her apartment to await Adam’s arrival. It still seemed wrong, dreadfully immoral yet still her curiosity wouldn’t abate.

  ***

  Adam arrived back late in the afternoon and joined the ladies for dinner.

  “I’m sure that Misti and Alana have shared their news with you ladies about their talk with my Dad. They spoke to Edward a few days ago, and he has apparently approved the proposed arrangement.”

  Vera and Hannah looked puzzled, as Misti and Alana had said absolutely nothing to them. Misti said, “No, this time we thought we wouldn’t spoil your surprise, whatever it is, and we would save our surprise for later tonight.”

  Adam looked at his wife and said, “Then, if you wouldn’t mind, why don’t you go first as my surprise is related.”

  Misti said, “I don’t want to be presumptuous, but it seemed like we were all getting along so well, and we barely have had time to explore our new friendships. So, I decided to talk to Edward about our working relationships, given everything that has taken place with all of us. Hannah and I have had a connection to Adam as an intimate romantic relationship. Alana and Vera have had an intimate but not precisely romantic experience recently, and both have expressed a desire to have Adam remain somewhere in the general vicinity of their daily lives. This we cannot do if we are in Barrows Bay and you are all here in London.”

  Vera and Hannah looked at each other, a glimmer of what was about to be announced beginning to form in their minds. They smiled and held hands.

  “To that end, Alana and I spoke to Edward and told him we cannot do our jobs, and neither can Adam for that matter, if we are so far away from Team Hannah. Given the totality of the circumstances and given that Rod and Cindy will be gone so often from Barrows Bay, we decided to make some alternate arrangements. Edward agreed.”

  Hannah said, “All right, don’t be cruel. What did you do? What are you going to do?”

  “We’re all moving to London. Effective immediately. Adam, Alana, and I are moving in to the Loft until we make other arrangements. We’ll figure out the arrangements on either two or three, but we’ll need adjoining rooms.”

  Vera said, “You could stay with us. We have plenty of room and you’d be a lot more comfortable here.”

  Hannah, who had said nothing, agreed. “It makes no sense for you to be anywhere else but here. I insist you move in with us right away. Today.”

  Alana was looking at Vera, already contemplating the warm nights ahead. Hannah and Misti smiled at each other, in knowing approval for the new arrangement. Their tryst earlier in the day had been deeply satisfying, and each knew they had only scratched the surface of what they wanted to know about the other.

  Adam said, “Hello? I suppose I get the couch?”

  “Hardly,” said Misti. “We’ll find room at the Inn for you, don’t you worry about that. We have plans for you, mister. We all want a chance to tend the garden; the garden being you.”

  Alana and Vera smiled at Adam, and Alana said, “We’ll take you in any time if they ignore you and we’ll be more than happy to cook up something for you. Dinner too.” The girls giggled their conspiracy.

  Vera smiled
her brightest smile and added, “Plus if you ever feel left out, come to the Hotel Vera where the bed is always warm and room service is open 24/7. And I do mean open.”

  “So,” Misti said, “That is our big surprise. What’s your surprise, Adam?”

  “Well, so before I give you the news I will preface this by saying this is just an idea and you guys may think it’s too much. But there is a lot to what I’m thinking, so maybe you can all think about this before you say whether you like the idea or not.”

  “OK.”

  “Before we left Barrows Bay, Cindy asked if I would inquire into a small matter when we arrived in London. Apparently when Dad and some of his cronies bought a small British tech company that was in serious financial trouble, they acquired a small English estate in the bargain. Not sure how the estate got into the company, but it did. Dad bought the company for the patents it owned, so he dissolved the company and transferred the patents to other of his holdings and sold off the remaining assets. He kept the estate for the family. Our family. Not sure why.

  “The property is located about an hour or so outside of London and was called Tillbury Manor by the former owners. They fixed it up and used it for company retreats and as guest lodging for important clients. I think some of the principals may have lived there too.

  “Cindy was doing her annual audit of the Family Trust when she came across the estate and thought it might be a good idea to unload the thing as it produces no income. Worse, to her way of thinking, it requires a great deal of expensive maintenance and incurs some fairly hefty property taxes. She asked me to have a look at it and give her an idea of what to do with it.

  “I went to have a look today. Then I emailed Cindy and told her I wanted to buy the place and what did she want for it. We agreed on a price and I’ll be the new owner of an English country estate in about a month.”

  The girls were all smiling, now beginning to see where Adam was going.

  “I thought we could fix the place up some more, add some new modern and less drafty residential space, add a Tech Centre and …”

  “And?”

  “And it could be our new home. For all of us. Maybe not right away, but I have some plans I think are doable.”

  The girls all jumped up at the same time and hugged Adam, squealing in delight.

  “So, you think…”

  “Yes, we think. It’s perfect, Adam! We can work here in town, here when we need to and stay here at the Residence if we want to be in central London for any reason. But we can have our own place for all of us the rest of the time. It’s perfect! It’ll be our very own home. We can all be together.”

  Adam said, “I have plans for the place and I think it’s much better if we have a safe place away from here in central London. A place that can be defended properly where nobody knows who we are. The estate itself is over two hundred acres and is bisected by a charming little stream called Willow Creek. The Manor House sits about fifty yards away from the stream. The Manor building was updated and somewhat modernized with a decent retrofit maybe six or seven years ago. But it has been vacant and unoccupied for at least three years, so we need to get it fixed up. The estate agent I spoke with said he can get the place right as rain in about a month. Needs to check the plumbing, electrical and the like. Then we can begin using it if we need to right away.”

  Vera asked, “Are there ghosts? Creepy things that go bump in the night? What if I get scared? And need male protection? In your bed.”

  “Well, there are fifteen bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a formal dining room, servants’ quarters and … well you get the drift. But, sadly, no ghosts reported yet. It’s an eighteenth-century manor house, so the place is built to last, but not necessarily for comfort. I’ll make sure to map all bedrooms potentially in need of “male protection”.

  “Male protection aside, what is the state of rural comfort?”

  Adam smiled, “No worries ladies. We will be fully modern very quickly. And let me show you what else I have planned.”

  Adam took out a sheet of paper. “The manor house sits here, with a big rectangle of gravelled space in front for parking and whatnot. I intend to put in two new residences in the same style and size at right angles to the manor house, facing each other along each side of the parking area. The space will be capped on the opposite end from the manor house with another smaller building, but again, same style. That will be our new work area and Tech Centre. About eighty percent of the gravelled parking area will be dug up for the new gardens I would like to put in.”

  Adam paused for a moment. Then said to Misti, “I’m thinking of asking Mark and Julia to come out and stay with us and turn the garden project over to Julia. Cindy wants the girls to come out with them and stay with us. Rod and Cindy will stay with us too when they’re in town.”

  Misti asked, “Why would Cindy want that?”

  “Barrows Bay now has CSIS and FBI all over the place to mind Edmund and the rest of the family. She doesn’t think the place will be safe until this whole family project is over. She’d prefer the girls to be safe with her parents and she doesn’t want her parents anywhere near Barrows Bay. She wants them with us here in London.”

  Misti said, “I love you, mister. This is the best surprise I could ever have.” She came over to Adam and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

  Then she said to the gals, “Is it any wonder why I married this man and why he’s the only man I’ll ever love. Look at this face.” Misti scrunched his face and kissed his forehead.

  “Me too,” said Hannah.

  Alana and Vera were whispering to each other, back and forth. Vera said, “We got first dibs on Adam when Noki is done with him. You guys hog him enough as it is. And we need to show Adam some proper appreciation for his thoughtfulness. Proper British appreciation, that is.”

  Misti said, “I wholeheartedly approve, ladies. And I think Hannah and I will want to appropriately express our appreciation a little later too. Maybe tomorrow.”

  Misti said, “But right now you have a date with Ms. Nocera Lee, who has been very patient and is very nervous about this whole thing. Take good care of her tonight Adam and come back to us when you’re ready.”

  Noki took Adam by the hands and pulled him toward the door to her apartment. She was no longer apprehensive; she was eager to experience Adam. What was this guy all about that he could have four beautiful, talented, and sophisticated women so deeply enthralled with him?

  She would solve this mystery right away. Propriety be damned; she wanted Adam St. James, and she wanted him now.

  Chapter 29

  Adam and Noki entered the tasteful apartment, candles strategically placed around the living room and in the single bedroom. A large four poster bed from another century was center stage, a matching dresser and two end tables. The style was heavy dark colored Old English and hardly seemed to match Noki. But she assured Adam that it reflected her taste – old, reliable, and solid.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m a virgin or anything but I’m not exactly, you know, incredibly experienced either. Never had a long-term boyfriend, and I don’t sleep around. I just thought you should know that in case I seem a little boring and maybe a little awkward. Just don’t make fun of me. I might cry. Then I will hit you. Hard”

  She continued, “Sometimes it’s hard for me to … relax, and I’m … extremely cautious with this sort of thing. Maybe a bit too cautious, I’m told. But this isn’t something I take lightly. I don’t want you to think that while I may talk a good game it necessarily means I have a good game. So…”

  “So, I promise I’ll take it easy on your mind. Maybe we should do a little warm up just to put you at ease. Go slow.”

  “But I thought we had to, you know, be connected and all. We’d have to…”

  “Nope. You don’t even have to be undressed. Your modesty is intact, and you won’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. Scouts honor.”

  “You were a
scout?”

  “No, but I am a gentleman. Of the old school. Plus, if you must know, I’m mostly Canadian. I’m very polite and extremely trustworthy.”

  “Mostly? What’s the other part?”

  “Pure scoundrel. That’s my American side.”

  Noki looked down, as if Adam had said something she wasn’t expecting. It was something she didn’t exactly want to hear, notwithstanding her expressed protestations.

  She said, “But if I wanted to, you know, do more. Would that be OK too?”

  “Of course, Noki. Now, given that I will never kiss and tell, what would you like to do? This is your night and I promised you the thrill ride of a lifetime. How can I please you?”

  Noki was happy to know she had options, but still had a tiny reservation. “Can we keep our, you know experience just between us. In mean it’s going to be strictly private, isn’t it?”

  “Lips are sealed, throw away the key. I can even forget you were ever here if that’s what you want.”

  “Better not. Then I would cry.”

  “Quit stalling missy. Like I said, how can I please you? First.”

  Noki brightened up perceptibly and lost the disquiet in her mind. “First, I’d like a sexy kiss mister, then I want to go for that ride you promised. But first…”

  Noki dropped her robe and was perfectly at ease as Adam took his time to appreciate the beauty of this young woman, offering herself to him so sweetly. He came to her, enveloping her in his arms, looking down at her and allowing his lips to meet hers. She began to undress him, cautiously at first, then hungrily as she felt herself swept up in the warmth of his embrace. The flood gates of desire opened for them both as Noki abandoned all pretense of propriety and gave in to the desire she suddenly felt for a man who wasn’t hers to possess.