Island Cultural Center

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I said, “You! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  She grinned and said, “Would you like one? I can arrange that if that’s what you’d want.”

  I suddenly grabbed the sides of Charlotte’s head and pulled her face close so that I could whisper in her ear.

  I hissed, “Charlotte, telling me a fantasy story is fine. Playing a game is fine. Lying when we all know that you are lying as a game is fine. But do not ever lie to me or the girls in a way that leaves room for us believing it. You are my wife and we both know it and anything else would be a cruel lie. If you want honesty from me, be honest with me.”

  Charlotte gasped and pulled back slightly and stared at me.

  When she asked, “Just like that?” it was sincere.

  I said, “Yes. Just like that.”

  She said, “Right now?”

  I said, “Right now.”

  Pulling my ear to her lips, she whispered, “Ronny, I may have to look at my schedule. I have to buy some clothes, then I have to take you running on the beach, then I have to make up the suite. I need to make reservations for dinner and lay in the sun for a while. So, let me see. I can put you on the schedule for climbing into your bed and getting frisky and naked, let’s see, maybe eight PM? Will that work for you, Sir?”

  I groaned, but smiled. This was clearly a game and I had told her that was OK.

  There was no hint of humor as she said next, “But, Sir, it’s not up to me. I chose to take this assignment. I serve at your pleasure. And my own. I will arrange my schedule to fit yours.”

  I stood up, and without a word, gathered her into my arms and kissed her. This time it wasn’t her kissing me on the cheek. This was the two of us kissing like lovers

  Lisa said quietly, “Where did that come from?”

  Brenda said, “You were at work.”

  Charlotte whispered, “Ronny, I was lying again, I’m so sorry. I may not be able to wait until eight. Ronny, I’m yours and always will be.”

  Lisa said, “Oh. So, Charlotte’s um, one of our wives now, too?”

  Brenda said, “I’m not sure that there was ever any doubt.”

  Lisa said, “I wish someone had told me. This changes things.”

  Charlotte overheard what was being said and broke our kiss and turned to Lisa.

  Lisa said, “If I’d known, I would have planned for some bridal lingerie. We have to go to a whole different store now. We’ll go down the street to the big resort at this end of the island. They have a lot of honeymooners and a nice selection of bridal accessories. I just wish I’d known. We need jewelry. It looks like Charlotte’s ring has a pink stone. That’s perfect. Mine is blue and Brenda’s is green. Girls, I say we get our ears pierced. I’m thinking one extra hole, right next to where we’d wear earrings now, and we each get a small stud with the color of our rings. Wait! No! With matching Opals that match Ronny’s ring!”

  Charlotte said, “That sounds great. But Lisa, I’ll do anything you tell me.”

  Brenda said, “And you know that I always do, too.”

  Charlotte said, “Actually, Ronny’s ring is a synthetic stone that just looks like an Opal. Real Opals are too soft to wear every day. They scratch too easily. Earrings will be fine though.”

  Lisa said, “Good. But I want bracelets, too. If we were younger I’d go for a navel piercing or something like that, but not now.”

  Arrangements were made and the girls sat for their piercing. When they were done, all three had identical opal studs in one ear. They chose matching bracelets and a few more items, and I insisted that I pay for these from my own pockets.

  As we left the store, Charlotte and I held hands and she fell behind the others for a second.

  She whispered, “Sir, feel my butt.”

  I said, “Char, you don’t need to call me Sir.”

  She said, “I like to. Feel my butt.”

  I reached behind her surreptitiously and cupped her ass. It was round and very firm. It was small and fit my hand wonderfully.

  I whispered, “You aren’t wearing panties.”

  She said, “Nope,” and we caught up to the others.

  Shopping for Charlotte took about an hour and a half. Afterward, Robby and I were told to go find a place to sit while the girls ran over to the lingerie shop at the hotel nearby.

  Robby said, “Girls, keep in mind that Flower will be sending a gift for the ladies very soon. Only let Lisa buy what she needs for the next few days. Flower won’t be happy if you buy things that she wants to have made for them.”

  Robby’s wives agreed to give Lisa some guidance about what she shouldn’t buy yet and the six women left Robby and me to entertain ourselves for a while.

  Walking toward a Bar and Grill where we could relax, he said, “They won’t be gone long. Now that Flower is involved, all of their clothing will come from her. Lisa and the ladies will have a shopping site online to go to where they will have everything custom made in Flower’s design house. Let’s get some tea. I don’t drink much alcohol.”

  We found seats outside and the waitress brought us iced tea. As we talked, I learned that Robby, like Tom, had seven women in his family. The car and the artificial intelligence that controlled it was something of his own design. He didn’t plan to productize it yet. He was waiting for it to be truly needed before he released it upon the world. We discussed synchronicity and how both he and Tom had been pulled quickly into their relationships as if they were entirely predestined. He wouldn’t say much about his work, only that he owned a fairly large business empire that encompassed several industries, a significant portion of it involved with resort properties.

  He said, “Roland, because you are family, your resort privileges extend to all of our properties. Show up, tell them who you are, and stay as long as you like. Our lifestyle demands a certain amount of well, privacy, and for that reason, Charlotte will arrange things and she and the others will handle your own housekeeping. The resort will provide whatever she asks for, but Charlotte will handle the cleaning, laundry, and so on. I find it best if regular staff never enter our rooms. You don’t have too be to secretive outside the rooms though. Don’t worry about people wondering about your relationships. You’ll all have the same names and no one will really care. You don’t need to lie about anything. And when you go to the desk to get your keys or whatever, just all march up together and get four keys.”

  I said, “About all having the same name, I didn’t talk about that with Charlotte. I forgot.”

  He grinned and said, “You mean that you forgot to tell her that she was changing her name? Roland, I saw how that worked. And she didn’t really chafe at it, except to tease you. But I see that if you tell her, or any of the others, to do something, they know that they don’t really have to and will tell you to change your mind about what you think you want. It’s kind of beautiful. And it’s so easy. Otherwise it would be ‘hey, what do you think of this?’ ‘Oh, I don’t know, what do you think?’ Well, how would you feel about changing your name? Is that something that you’d like to do?’ ‘I kind of would if that’s OK.’ And all kinds of stuff like that. But what I heard made it sound like you guys have a communication pattern that just says, ‘Charlotte, your name is Jackson now.’ ‘Just like that?’ ‘Yep.’ Or it could go, ‘Your name is Jackson now.’ ‘Nope, it’s Smith.’ ‘OK.’ I bet it leaves more time for playing. Has the sex been good so far?”

  I said, “With Charlotte? We haven’t done anything yet. With Lisa and Brenda, oh boy! I’ve had more time with Brenda because Lisa has been working, but it has been wonderful.”

  He said, “Good. Good sex is important. If you don’t mind me saying so, Brenda is an uncommonly voluptuous woman. Kind of a feminine archetype, like my Buttercup. You’re a lucky man. Listen, it’s going to take you guys some time to adjust to everything. We’ll get Lisa working at the shop just an hour a day, starting tomorrow. And if some days it isn’t convenient, just have her call in and tell her staff that she won’t make i
t. Maybe she only needs to make a phone call and not go in at all pretty soon. She’ll be free by the end of next week, I promise. Take your honeymoon and we’ll work out any other employment details later. People need valuable work to feel valuable. That’s all I’m offering you. You and Lisa. Brenda and Charlotte have jobs.”

  I said, “What?”

  Robby said, “Taking care of your family. Ask them. It’s what they want.”

  I said, “You can just tell?”

  He said, “No, I was told. By Buttercup. She is a highly intuitive woman.”

  I said, “I get that. Charlotte knows what I need or want before I do.”

  Robby said, “Good. So, we have the resort here, one outside Portland, one in Fiji, one in San Diego, and a bunch more. Charlotte will know how to find out where they are.”

  I said, “Are you really saying that I could just be on vacation, all expenses paid for the next five years?”

  Robby said, “Yes. With a few conditions. First, five years is a minimum. Second, I do need you to keep your eye out for projects. Tom told you about that, right? Good.”

  After a moment, he said, “Oh, and that includes first-class airfare, chartered jets, and the use of a yacht when you want it. Tom almost killed me by marrying both my private jet crew and my yacht crew. He nearly sank the yacht. He claimed it was storms and pirates. Oh well. We’re building a replacement. The old one still works fine, but he’s designing something new. He’s planning his own navy, I think.”

  I liked Robby. I liked Tom, too. Robby was very much a regular guy. Admittedly a normal guy with what seemed to be unlimited resources, but he was easy to talk to.

  I wondered how he could be out and about without bodyguards and such. Wasn’t he afraid of kidnappings and extortion and being robbed? Robby laughed and said that he had bodyguards with him almost all the time. Even today. He considered Lily the best bodyguard a man could have.

  Finally, he said, “Roland, can you do this? I need to know. I need to know that I can trust people. If you can’t do this, tell me now. We’ll work something else out.”

  I said, “Do what exactly?”

  He said, “Take a long vacation and let me pay for all of it. Not everyone could do that. You are family. Two of your wives are my wive’s mothers. And then there’s Brenda and Buttercup. If you are going to feel like you need to not accept my gift, tell me. If you do accept it, it has to be wholeheartedly. You take my mothers on a long vacation and relax and let me pay for all of it. All of it. The only thing I don’t cover is gambling, but you aren’t a gambler. I’ll tell you the same thing that I told Tom. If you screw me somehow, or mistreat my family, nothing happens. And by that, I mean that I disappear and you never hear from me again. And if necessary, my relatives disappear and you never see them again. And you go about what life you have left without my interference in any way.”

  I said, “Robby, that’s a powerful threat.”

  He said, “And I have to have my privacy and certain secrets about my business and my home. Lily can protect me personally, but my professional life depends on absolute discretion on the part of my associates and employees. You can’t tell people about Car. You get to use Car. You get to enjoy Car. But you don’t show people Car and you don’t brag about Car and you don’t ever let anyone examine Car or hurt Car in any way.”

  I said, “Sure. I understand that. I’m in a magical land and I live by the rules. You are the king of this kingdom and if I act against the interests of the kingdom I get banished and exiled.”

  Robby smiled and said, “And otherwise, you live like a prince.”

  I said, “I get what you mean by asking if I can do it. Yeah, I’m not used to having things handed to me, and like most men, my inclination is to refuse generosity. But I’m seeing how this could work. I almost said, if you want it to. But if you didn’t want it to work this way, you wouldn’t have offered. I’m learning to really like honesty. You want to provide this for me, and for your mothers who are married to me, and I feel like I get the benefit of all of it.”

  Robby said, “Roland, look at it this way. You have a rich son and it’s time for you to retire and just work for the family foundation. That’s really what’s going on. Billionaires do that all the time. They get their dads to rest and do charitable work. I hadn’t really thought about it like that before. My own parents are gone. Now’s my chance to have my dad take advantage of my good fortune.”

  I said, “Wow. Robby, I get that. It’s all in how we frame it, isn’t it? That’s what you are saying, right? That from now on I take care of Mom and any grandkids and you pay all the bills?”

  Robby smiled and said, “Every last one of them. This makes me feel happy. This is so close to home. Roland, I think that Tom and I need you. I wasn’t sure about this before, but I think you and ‘Mom’ will have more access to the family compound here than I had planned on. For now, stay at the resorts and I’ll meet you away from the house like we did today. Yeah, let’s let that go for now, but we’ll see what happens.”

  He got a faraway look in his eye and said, “Roland, once you come to Neverland, things change forever and there’s no going back.”

  He went quiet and after a few minutes of just sitting and drinking tea, I said, “Robby, what’s a Poppet? Tom said that he couldn’t give me a Poppet but he could loan me Car.”

  Robby laughed, “A Poppet? No, we can’t give you a Poppet yet. Well, or can we? No. Better not. Not yet.”

  I grinned and said, “Are you saying that I can’t handle a Poppet, whatever it is?”

  Robby laughed and said, “I can’t handle Poppet. Tom can’t handle his Poppet. I don’t think that anyone can really handle a Poppet. Well, maybe Charlotte. I’ll give it some thought.”

  I said, “But what is it?”

  Robby said, “A Poppet is like a Tigger on caffeine. You know, Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh? Tops made out of rubber and bottoms made out of springs and all that? Bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun?”

  I said, “I’m familiar with the concept, yes.”

  Robby said, “The wonderful thing about Poppets are that Poppets are wonderful things. But they bounce. And they bounce hard. And like Eeyore, if you get bounced, you know it. But that’s enough about Poppets for now. I’ll give it some thought.”

  Not much later the girls came back, happy and laughing. Mine each kissed me and Robby’s each kissed him, and then mine all kissed Robby on the cheek.

  Robby explained his plan for me to be retired and work for his foundation with the ladies’ help where they wanted to. Charlotte would take a big part in guiding me and in getting things done. He told her the parameters of our access and privileges that we could stay at any of the properties that she considered appropriate. The girls were thrilled that we would be keeping Car.

  We sat for another hour or so.

  Charlotte suddenly exclaimed, “Damn it! My nipples are like stones! Ronny, feel my tit!”

  I laughed and hissed, “Charlotte!”

  Lily, Charlotte’s daughter, smiled and said, “Come on, Dad. Mom says she hasn’t had a man touch her since before I was born. Help her out. None of us mind. Feel Mom’s tit.”

  I looked around and Buttercup said sweetly, “Ronny, we don’t mind. In fact, we want to know what our parents love each other. And real love causes attraction and attraction leads to desire and desire should be rewarded with great sex. None of us are ever going to say, ‘ew, gross, Mom and Dad love each other!’ No, we’re going to say, ‘Hey, Mom and Dad are making love and playing naked hide and seek, so if you see them don’t be shocked. They’ve been going at it all day and it’s pretty wonderful.’ Knowing that our parents still get tingly will make all of us feel loved. And if it’s OK to kiss Mom in the kitchen, it’s OK with us for you to fondle her just as much.”

  I gave another look around the table and was met with nothing but sincere smiles. There was no one around to really see us, so when Charlotte pushed her chest out encouragingly,
I reached my hand around her back and into the side of her backless sundress. Sliding around to her breast, I cupped her gently and then moved up over the top to feel her nipple against my palm. Yep, she was firm. Her breast was rounded and full, and the bump at the pinnacle reminded me very much of plump ripe berry.

  I said quietly, “Charlotte, you are being very bold. I’m surprised. You always say what you mean, but…”

  She leaned against my side, making it easier for me to reach her and said, “Like Lily said, I haven’t been touched since before she was born and the past few days have had me simmering and steamy. And this morning! You and Brenda going at it like that and me helping you dress afterward. I have a ring on my finger and I’ve been shopping for lingerie for the past hour and I’m all warmed up and ready. So, what do you think?”

  Instead of answering her, I squeezed her lightly and started to play with her berry.

  Charlotte gasped and said, “Oh, oh, oh! Stop, stop! No, stop!”

  I pulled my hand away from the inside of her dress quickly but left my arm around her waist.

  Before I could speak, she said, “Sweetie, that was almost too much. I don’t think that I’ve ever felt that way before. Not when it wasn’t a fantasy alone in bed or in my bathtub, anyway.”

  Buttercup smiled and said, “Dear, do you take time to enjoy a nice relaxing time sexually by yourself now and then? I’m glad to hear it.”

  Charlotte said, “Not until very, very recently. But the past 48 hours have been a time of exploration of undiscovered countries. I’ve kind of been acclimating myself for what I wished was going to be a new tropical climate where things are wetter and hotter and sweatier than what I’m used to.”

  Chapter 18 - Acclimatizing

  Lily smiled and said, “Mom, that’s wonderful. I mean that you get that excited by, well, by Dad, I guess. Hi, Dad. Wow, I like that a lot. Um, can I get a hug from my new dad? Just to see what it’s like?”