CHAPTER 7

When I came downstairs, still dressing in my usual "summer casual" of T-shirt and shorts, I found Mindy and Cindy milling about in the kitchen, putting the final touches on dinner.

I walked up to Mindy and gave her a loving kiss on the lips.

She didn't speak, but purred happily. When the kiss ended, she held my head in place and gave me a longer and even more passionate one.

Then, when I was freed, I went to Cindy and French kissed her too. The result was similar, and I ended up necking with her longer than I'd expected.

I must say I was tickled pink that I could make out with both of them, and not only did they not mind, they would have been upset to have it any other way. Due to Cindy's age being similar to mine, I kind of thought of her as my second wife. I got practically giddy thinking of having both of them as my wives for decades to come, even just in terms of little things like kisses in the kitchen before dinner.

Once I was finally free, I stood in the middle of the kitchen and asked, "So, what's cooking, ladies? Can I help?"

Mindy said, "To answer your first question, homemade enchiladas. As to your second question, you snooze, you win. Meaning, while you were napping, we finished everything. However, you can help set the table."

Cindy appeared concerned about this. "Um, Min, should he really be doing that? He is our master, after all. I'd feel better if I do that instead. It's unseemly to have the head of our harem perform such mundane tasks."

Mindy brushed that concern aside with ease. "Nonsense. I need you here to put the final touches on the meal. Besides, yes, we're part of a harem now, but not the conventional kind. True, Dan dominates us all, but most of the time he wants to stay grounded as an 'ordinary, average guy,' and I agree... for the most part." She looked right at me and gave me a smirky smile.

Then she resumed, "So I think it's healthy if he continues to chip in with the chores and such." She turned to me to see my reaction. "What do you think, Honey?"

I was already collecting the silverware to put on the table. "Absolutely. I wouldn't have it any other way. Cin, I've been doing some research in recent days on traditional harems. In short, they suck. They had lots of viciousness and in-fighting and very little love. We need to forge our own way. Let's not pretend I'm a divinely blessed sultan or demigod or whatever. Yes, I love dominating my cock slaves, and you all love being dominated, but I still put my pants on one leg at a time, like any other guy."

Cindy nodded. I couldn't tell how she felt though, because her face didn't show any strong emotion.

Mindy joked, "Let's not go THAT far. You definitely don't put your pants on like any other guy. First, you have to take the tree-trunk-sized King and flop it over your shoulder so it doesn't get in the way. Then... Oh, hi girls." I was sure she was going to go off on an absurd account ending with my dick being larger than a truck, but she interrupted herself because Michelle and Ruby came into the room.

The Gruesome Twosome had just come down from the second floor. They looked glum and listless, and they were dressed in surprisingly normal clothes, which were even less revealing than the "normal" clothes I'd forced them to put on a little while ago. They just stood by the counter, as if needing someone to tell them what to do.

I walked past them with glasses and silverware for the table. As I set the table, I heard Mindy ask them

from the kitchen, "So, girls, did you just finish chatting with Nicky?" "Yeah," Michelle said in a voice sounding as listless as she looked.

Mindy asked, "Did you have a good chat?"

There was a long pause before Michelle said, "I guess." She and Ruby then drifted over to the dining table and took their usual seats. Strangely, they hardly seemed to notice me.

I could tell something was up with their attitude. I knew them well enough to sense that they were even more upset than they were letting on, but they were trying their best to act normally. However, they were both such emotional people that they couldn't hide their true feelings very well.

(In retrospect, I must have been extremely clueless not to notice their overwhelmingly powerful lust for me during their "Dark Years". But then again, I am notoriously slow on the uptake.)

Mindy and Cindy brought out the food and drink, with my help, and then we all sat down.

The meal proceeded as one would have expected. Mindy got the discussion rolling by asking me about how things had gone with Sonia at Mama Mia's. I gave an account of everything that happened, though I kept my account of my sexual adventure with Sue Ellen in the "Pussymobile" to a minimum to prevent an outbreak of horniness.

Min and Cin were very interested, and asked various questions to find out more.

The Gruesome Twosome, by contrast, were almost eerily quiet. They listened carefully enough, but they remained glum and listless.

Eventually, I finished the account of my "battle" with Sonia. I couldn't resist asking, "Okay, girls, what's wrong?"

Michelle looked down at her plate and mumbled, "Nothing's wrong." She was pushing pieces of her enchilada around, but she'd hardly eaten any, although the rest of us had mostly finished.

Mindy made an annoyed face. "Oh, come on. I don't know who you're trying to fool, but it's not working. You're clearly upset about something, so let's talk about it. Need I remind you that your dad is your master, and cock slaves are not allowed to lie to their masters?"

I could see the struggle on Michelle's face in response to that. She finally said, "Okay, fine! Sheesh. I'm a little pissed off at Nicky right now, okay? Let's just drop it. It's an issue between her and me."

I pointed out, "And evidently it's an issue between her and Ruby, since she also looks like she's been sucking on lemon, and she hasn't eaten much of her food, just like you. If I could hazard a guess, I'd say it's obvious Nicky told you about Matt, didn't she?"

Both Hellions clenched their teeth and their fists from my mention of Matt's name. It looked like they were on the verge of having some sort of emotional outburst.

I pressed, "Well?"

Michelle took the lead answering, as usual. "No comment!" After another painful pause, she clarified, "Daddy, you said we need to be on our best behavior in order to bring the sex boycott to an end. Look how hard we're trying. We even dressed up in these ridiculous clothes!" She waved a hand over her incredible curvaceous body.

Ruby was like a pressure cooker ready to burst. She looked down in disgust at her clothes, and couldn't resist, "I HATE it! I feel so, so... normal! UGH! I feel like I'm a stupid character in some stupid sitcom, like Full House or Friends or something. This is NOT how a cock slave should dress around her master, ever! It's an outrage!"

Surprisingly, Michelle was more restrained. "Ruby, I hear you, but keep those feelings in check. This is what our master wants, so this is what he gets. We can't help it if he's a stubborn Dr. Buzzkill sometimes."

Ruby reluctantly nodded, but the two of them were still tensed up and clenching their fists.

I knew it wouldn't take much for them to lose their cool, but I couldn't resist saying, "I can see you're not happy about the clothes, but that's not what's REALLY bugging you, is it? This issue with Matt-"

I couldn't say more, because Michelle glared at me through narrow eyes as she interrupted, "Daddy, don't even go there! You don't want to stir up a whole hornet's nest. Let's just say we're not exactly happy with our supposedly 'older and wiser' sister right now."

Ruby added, "Yeah! We're not going to say anything because we are trying to be on our best behavior. We know that you have some kind of foolish, misguided, and downright insane resistance to turning Nicky into another one of your cock slaves, and we're trying to respect that. So we're determined to just stay quiet and choke down our bile, and our disgust at her, her..." She gesticulated in frustration at being unable to find the right words.

Michelle filled in, "Her total betrayal! Betrayal of us, our family, and most especially our daddy master! Who does she think she is, despoiling and degrading her body by letting a stinky, filthy boy touch her where only Daddy should be touching her?!" She dramatically pushed her plate of food away. "I'm sorry; just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach!"

Ruby similarly pushed her plate away. "Same here. I can't eat! I promised myself I wasn't going to say anything about Stinky Matt, but how can I stay quiet any longer in the face of this utter travesty?! Even as we speak, he could be kissing her, or pawing at her massive breasts, or worse! It makes me so upset that I'm going to be physically ill!" She suddenly stood up and rushed out of the room.

Michelle did the same. It was unusual to see her following Ruby instead of the other way around.

I watched with concern as they hurried out of sight. At least I was comforted by the fact that they went up the stairs. Had they gone to the first floor bathroom, that would have suggested they really were in danger of getting physically sick. But it seemed this was more a case of being psychologically upset.

Mindy, Cindy, and I just sat there in stunned silence. Once the girls were gone for good, Mindy said, "Phew! Well, that was... interesting. And that was them fighting with all their might to restrain themselves. Imagine if they let their feelings fly!"

I nodded. "Yes. Those two are so passionate that it's downright scary sometimes. I should have realized that Nicky would mention her new relationship with Matt to them and that they wouldn't react well."

Cindy said, "Yeah, but what can you do about it? They're young and in love... with you. I remember being that age. Everything seems extra intense, especially if it involves sex or love."

I nodded again. "That's the big question, what to do about it. This issue about Nicky is probably going to be a major test of my sex boycott. It could be the key sticking point. It so happens that they love sex with me, and I love sex with them, so we're in agreement most of the time. But when we're not, that's when it becomes clear that I'm a 'master' who has very little control over my supposed 'slaves.' They call me stubborn, but once they get an idea in their head, like their notion that I need to get intimate with Nicky, they're relentless about it."

Mindy said, "True, but what's happening is good, relatively speaking. After you went to have your nap, Nicky told me all about her promising fling with Matt. With her safely in Hawaii, the Gruesome Twosome can't do a thing to hijack that. They can rant and rave all they want, but they'll just have to get used to it. With two weeks to think about it, maybe they'll come to see that she's too 'spoiled' from

'stinky boy' interaction to be 'worthy' of you, or something like that."

"I see what you mean," I said. "Let's hope it works out that way. But all Hellion tantrums aside, what do you think of this Matt character? Did Nicky tell you that she considers him a smooth player?"

Mindy replied, "Yes, she did. And normally that would raise red flags for me, but given the overall situation, maybe that's exactly what she needs. It's good to go through a 'rebound guy' for her to get Steve all the way out of her system, and it's good for her to get some dating practice to build up her self-confidence and so forth."

I said, "I'm glad to hear you feel that way. I was worried you might side with the girls, that Nicky needs to sexually save herself for me or something like that. At times, you've been as bad as them about Nicky, and at other times you've sided with me. Your cucquean ways are a total mystery to me."

Mindy seemed forthright when she said, "To be honest, they're a mystery to me too. I'll freely admit that I can be like Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde about it. Luckily, since Nicky is off in Hawaii, I can deal with this rationally and not let my lust rule my brain. But... Honey, I have to be completely honest, since we're soul mates and so much more... If she was sitting naked in your lap right now, I'm pretty sure some flip would switch in my brain and I'd go all in with my cucquean lust. It's good that we all are aware of that and you can keep me from getting carried away by not putting me in insanely arousing situations."

Cindy chimed in to say, "It's good you put it that way, because I feel the same. I think back to our hot tub incidents during Nicky's visit. I kind of lost my mind to lust too. But hearing about Nicky and Matt in Hawaii, it doesn't bother me. I completely concur that that's a good and healthy development. As long as we're mindful of our weaknesses, we should be okay. Right?" She looked to me for approval.

I nodded. But I thought, Easier said than done. All I have to do is prevent a horny mood from developing around Nicky, but she's so sexy lately that everything about her is too arousing!

Cindy asked, "What about you, Master? Do you think she can handle herself with this 'player?'"

I carefully considered that. "I must admit... I am somewhat concerned, if only because she has so very little experience dating, period. I don't count her time with Steve, because once a couple is going steady, it's very different. Prior to Steve, she didn't really date at all. She's never been 'played' by a 'player.' I suppose nothing really terrible is likely to happen to her in Hawaii, but I don't like to see her get emotionally hurt."

I continued, "A lot depends on the mysterious 'Aussie twins,' Kara and Kendall. Cin, do you know about them?"

Cindy explained, "I guess you didn't realize it because you were napping, but I sat with Mindy all through her chat with Nicky, so I think I'm fully up to date on everything. And yeah, she raved a lot about the Aussie twins. They seem too good to be true."

I gesticulated emphatically, "That's exactly what I said!" I calmed down a bit, and continued, "We'll see. There are a lot of wonderful people out there, and maybe they really are the bee's knees. She said she feels they have her back and they'll be on guard about Matt. Maybe they will, and it's all good. I don't know if she mentioned this to you, but she wants me to meet Kara and Kendall through the video chat the day after tomorrow."

Mindy said, "She told us that too. I'm thinking that Cindy, you, and me can chat with them at the same time, 'cos they probably don't want to have separate but similar conversations with us. That is, if you don't mind Cindy being there too."

I rubbed my chin as I considered that issue. "Hmmm... That's a tough one. Normally, I'd say 'Of course

you should be there, Cin. How could you not be?' But we don't know what the Aussies know about our unique lifestyle. Do they believe, like Nicky does, that you're my official mistress? And if they do, are they okay with that? Do you know if any of that come up at all during your chat?"

Cindy said, "As a matter of fact, it did. Nicky asked me some questions about how things were developing between you and me, as well as between you and Sue Ellen."

"What did you say?" I asked guardedly.

"That everything is proceeding wonderfully, of course." Cindy flashed me a big smile. "Of course, I was very strategic with what I did or didn't say, and Mindy was right there to make sure I didn't screw up. I particularly emphasized how you and Sue Ellen are getting increasingly intimate, so she'll continue to gradually warm up to that idea."

I said, "Uh-oh. Just how graphic were you?"

"Not very. I think getting somewhat graphic is good, to kind of shock her into accepting this is really happening. But we didn't really go into details because we were running out of time, what with the Gruesome Twosome wanting their own chat time with her, but we probably will get into it more during some later chat."

I grumbled, "Oh, great." But I could see that talking about such things in greater detail could help push Nicky into accepting them as the new reality.

Cindy went on, "Anyway, when she told us about you making plans to chat with the Aussies next time, we said we wanted in on that, and the issue of what they know came up. It turns out she told them about the 'official mistress' situation with me, but she hasn't said anything about Sue Ellen or your 'open marriage' situation in general, at least not yet. She probably doesn't want to freak them out with too much weirdness."

I said, "That's prudent and understandable. So that settles it, then. It should be the three of us talking to Kara and Kendall in the next chat. You two are more emotionally tuned in than I am about this kind of thing. It would be good if you put your heads together and figure out in advance what to ask them to determine if they're for real and they actually have Nicky's best interests at heart, or if they're the stab- you-in-the-back kind of so-called friend."

Mindy nodded. She was in a surprisingly serious mood, maybe because of the way the Hellions had cast a pall over the whole meal with their sour attitude. She said, "Agreed. We'll do that, for sure. And you're right, us ladies have a kind of special radar about that sort of thing. But I think Nicky is a good judge of character, and at this point I'm assuming she has fallen in with a good bunch of people, including the Aussies. That's not so hard to believe, is it?"

"No, I suppose not," I said. Like Mindy, I trusted Nicky's judgment of character, but I was being a protective, worrying parent anyway.

After a pause, Mindy asked me, "What about you and your jealousy? I know you, and I know you felt sexually tempted by Nicky during her visit. Plus, fathers are notorious about having trouble with their daughters dating guys in general. How are YOU feeling about Matt? Be honest?"

I let out a long exhale. "Phew! Sweetheart, you don't shy from the tough questions, do you? I'm loathe to admit it, but yes, I am feeling considerable sexual desire for her. I'm trying hard to keep those feelings in check, but I can't deny that they're there. That's why I don't need you or the Hellions or anyone else to fan those flames. I'm having a hard enough time as it is. Especially with her insisting on chatting with me topless! Good grief! What's up with that?!"

My wife said, "Thanks for being honest about that. It's nothing we didn't notice already, but it's good if

we can speak about it openly. As far as the topless thing goes, I think she really is benefitting from that. You saw how she started to blossom during her last visit. There was a dramatic change in her shyness from when she arrived to when she left. I don't think you can deny that, can you?"

I could only sigh with exasperation. "No, I suppose not."

"Right. Anyhow, maybe she gets a little thrill from showing off her body to you. As she should, by the way - she's got a great body and she should be thrilled and proud to have it. But mainly she's in the middle of a crash course in getting over her body issues. For instance, if she's brave enough to be topless for you, that'll give her a huge boost in wearing a bikini for Matt. You see what I mean?"

I grumbled, "I suppose so. What do you think, Cin? I mean, things got more than a little weird during Nicky's visit, and I'm trying to bring things back to normal. How can I de-sexualize things if she's basically naked every time I chat with her?"

Cindy replied, "I know it's not easy for you, Master, but I would say just hang in there. Grin and bear it. Yes, you're working at cross purposes to some extent, but the top priority is getting her to loosen up so she'll have success with Matt. Imagine if she was being her usual prudish self, totally covering up even in the Hawaiian sun."

Mindy said, "I completely agree. That's the first priority. Besides, Honey, you promised to be her guinea pig. That wasn't just an idle promise you made, was it?"

"No... I suppose not."

Mindy went on, "Good. We need to put her on the path of finding a good replacement for Steve back in Berkeley. Matt is just a stepping stone along the way, but an important one. I'm sure she'll date some more when she's living with us the rest of the summer. Our goal is to have her go back to Berkeley a fully confident and self-assured woman, especially when it comes to her sexuality and physical appeal. Along the way, there may be times when you're put in a tough spot, and you'll find yourself more than a little turned on."

Her eyes seemed to light up as she continued, "Considering how she's filled out, and especially where, there'd have to be something wrong with you to NOT be turned on by her, at least a little. Besides, all daughters practice the feminine wiles on their daddies before trying them out on other guys. But the key is that as a father there's a line you won't cross with her, and that the proper outlet and release for all of that is to instead redirect whatever sexual energies you have onto, and into, the rest of us, rather than in her direction!"

She appeared to reconsidered that, and said, "Well, okay, maybe a few ropes of cum on her face or chest, but that's it."

I was not amused, and ignored her attempt at humor altogether. I narrowed my gaze suspiciously. "What you're saying sounds disturbingly similar to the whole 'reasonable bounds' idea from weeks back. We know how that worked out, with the boundaries continually shifting until they pretty much fell apart. Now you're talking about not crossing a line. But what is that line, and what if it starts shifting too?"

My wife placatingly spread her hands. "Admittedly, that's a danger. And the brutal truth is that you're mostly going to be on your own when it comes to holding that line. Michelle and Ruby can barely contain their desire for you to get intimate with Nicky, and I've been proven to be unreliable support on that, since I can slide into one of my cucquean moods at any time. Cindy is in a similar boat as me, especially if we're together. Sue Ellen might be able to help you some, but it mostly falls on your shoulders."

There was a longer silence as I pondered all that. I sighed sadly. "You're right. It does fall on me. At least I have the benefit of experience. I've slid down the slippery slope once, and I'm not going to let that happen again. I've gotta put aside my concerns about Matt and root for her and him to have a serious fling. The more she gets involved with boyfriends, the more my worries about inappropriate sexual feelings will fade in importance. Things need to take their natural course, with her finding a good boyfriend. I just wish she'd pick a nice 'boy next door' type instead of a smooth player."

Cindy said, "Don't think that way. Think of Matt as some kind of human sex doll. She's just practicing on him. The worst outcome would be for her to come across some really great guy and start to fall in love with him, only to have them sent back to very distant towns once their two weeks in Hawaii is over."

Mindy added, "That's why Matt being a smooth operator is actually a very good thing. He's so obvious about it that she can't have any illusions about him. And he'll be aggressive, which will help push her out of her shyness zone."

I fretted, "I know, I've been thinking all that too, but what if he's TOO aggressive? For instance, what if he expects her to put out on one of their first dates together, and she doesn't? Maybe he'll end up date raping her!"

My wife put a comforting hand on mine. "That kind of thing is always a worry. That's the world we live in. But I feel better that Nicky has allies with the Aussie Twins, and her other new friends. Matt has become part of that group. If he does something terrible to Nicky, he'll become a pariah and the rest of his Hawaiian vacation could be ruined. Certainly he must know that. And the Aussies apparently are very protective of Nicky. From what I hear, I don't think they're going to let her get into a situation where that could happen in the first place."

I sighed heavily. "God, I hope you're right!"

After a significant pause that indicated the discussion had run its course, Mindy stood up. "Does anyone want some dessert?"

"What have we got?" I asked.

"Not much, unfortunately. I do have some yummy cookies, or cake. But I was thinking we could make some homemade ice cream. We have all the ingredients for some kind of fruity sorbet that isn't so fattening."

I said, "That sounds great. It's been a while since we've used our ice cream maker machine. However, it's going to take too long. To be perfectly honest, I'd like to get out of here before the Gruesome Twosome come around again and make more trouble. Besides, I've been thinking it would be nice to have some special one-on-one time with Cin here back at her house." I gave Cindy a warm look and reached across the table to hold her hand.

Her face lit up like a neon sign, and she squeezed my hand firmly. She practically whispered, "I would love that!"

Mindy was not pleased, and if she was trying to hide her feelings, she didn't do a good job of it. Not only did she sigh, but she put her hands on her hips. After a pause, she said, "This is where it gets tough, isn't it? Honey, it wasn't easy for me sleeping without you last night. Right now, I'd love nothing better than to just hold you and talk and have fun until bedtime... and maybe have a little sexy fun time at some point... but that's not going to happen, is it?"

I stood up and gave her a hug. "Unfortunately, no. Especially the 'sexy fun time' part. There is a sex boycott going on, and while I think spending some time together is okay, if we spend a lot of time

together, it'll just make the lack of sex that much more difficult. Besides, I'm looking for a silver lining, and I figure this is a good time for me to get to know my other women better."

Mindy just silently nodded as she continued to hold me tight. "I understand. And you're right. I've done you wrong and I haven't been as supportive as a good wife should. This is where I start to pay the price. You're right that if we're around each other a lot, that'll just prolong the boycott and make things more difficult on everybody. It's best that you go now. Don't even stick around for dessert. It's like getting into a cool pool. You could take forever slowly getting in, or just jump in and get it over with fast. Go! Now!"

To my great surprise, she suddenly pushed me away, as if she wanted me to race out of the room. However, instead of moving I held her head and kissed her lips.

She actually tried to resist at first, which surprised the heck out of me. But within seconds she melted into me and kissed with a rare intensity.

I was surprised again, but I quickly recovered and kissed back with just as much passion.

After a minute or two of hot necking, I was surprised yet again to feel wetness on my cheeks. I pulled back and discovered that tears were flowing from her eyes.

She suddenly jerked her head and tried to wriggle free from my hug. "Don't look! I don't want you to see that I'm crying!"

I kept a firm hold on her, and asked, "Why not?"

She resolutely kept her head tilted so I couldn't see her reddened eyes. "Because... I don't know. I should be stronger. I don't want you to worry about me. Gaawwwd! The boycott has only been going for 24 hours, and I'm already like this!"

I held her chin and forced her to resume eye contact with me. "Sweetheart, listen. This is going to be tough on both of us. Probably, it'll be a lot tougher on you because I've got Cindy and Sue Ellen to help me. But it's tough, and it's only going to get worse. Probably a hell of a lot worse. But never doubt my love for you. This is just like one of those 'purge' or 'cleansing' diets people go on, except we have to do some emotional purging. But we'll make it though, I have no doubt."

Tears were still running down her cheeks as she said, "I don't doubt either. But that doesn't make it much easier. We've always been so very, very close! Not just emotionally, but in terms of physically staying close, epecially every night. I could handle no sex or sleeping apart if there was a normal reason, like one of us being hurt or sick or on the road, but to have both of us perfectly healthy but sleeping in different beds in different houses…" she heaved a great big sobbing breath before blurting out, "it feels like a divorce!" She resolutely turned her head aside so she wouldn't be looking at Cindy

I noticed Cindy out of the corner of my eye and she appeared to be very distraught, to say the least. I'm sure she didn't want to be seen as "the other woman."

"Don't say that!" I told Mindy from my heart. "This is the exact opposite. It's going to make our relationship stronger, the harem stronger. We can't have everyone being willful and going their own way and still live a harem lifestyle. Some 'tough love' is necessary. You can see that, can't you?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. I'm just lamenting that it's hard."

"Would it make it easier on you if Cindy and Sue Ellen stay here with you? I don't want you feeling like you're being replaced."

Her eyes opened wide with alarm. "Oh, no! Dear God, NO! Please, sleep with them and FUCK them. A lot! That makes it a lot easier on me. To think of you being all alone and sexually unsatisfied would

make this twice as hard on me!"

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "How? I don't understand that. If the shoe were on the other foot and you were sleeping with another guy..."

She spoke forcefully. "Forget about that comparison, because it's totally different! I'm a cucquean, okay? It emotionally satisfies me knowing that a great woman like Cindy or Sue Ellen is keeping you happy. So go, now, and fuck her hard and long! Make her take every last inch of the King! And when Sue Ellen gets home from work, fuck her too! If you promise me you'll do that, I'll sleep a lot better tonight."

I furrowed my brow. I don't understand that reasoning at all. But then again, that's nothing new. This cucquean stuff remains a total mystery to me. But the main thing is that I trust she's sincere.

I forced a smile, and told her, "Okay. That's what I'll do. It's strange what we're doing, but somehow I have a gut feeling that this is necessary. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, I do. Like I said, I'm not trying to talk you out of the sex boycott at all. I just wish it was over already. So, please, go. I've got Michelle and Ruby upstairs. I'll go talk to them and I'll be okay."

Cindy had been standing by, trying not to get in the way, but she deemed it right to step forward and wrap her arms around both of us. After she did so, she said, "Min, have no fear. We're a team. I'll take good care of our man. Before long, our harem will be healed and whole again. We're friends for life, all of us, and family now. There's no way this can't work out, because we love each other so much."

Mindy grunted, "UGH! Why'd you have to go and say that, especially the 'L' word? Now I'm crying again!"

Sure enough, my wife was sobbing in my arms (and Cindy's). We just held each other for another minute or two, until her tears stopped flowing.

Mindy was the one who eventually elected to break the hug. As she wiped her cheeks, she said, "Okay, I feel better. I needed to do a little hugging and crying, it seems. Thank you, both of you. Now, go! For real this time!"

After a little more small talk, some heartfelt good-byes, and more kissing and hugging near the front door, Cindy and I finally did leave together.

I took Cindy's hand as we walked the short distance from my house to her house. I commented, "Boy, this isn't going to be easy, is it? I meant it when I said it's going to get a lot worse."

She said, "I know. We all know. Things have to reach a breaking point for them to have a meaningful emotional change. She's not close to that yet, and neither are the Hellions. But everyone understands this needs to be done. Even the girls, although they'll complain until their voices get hoarse, on some deeper level they understand that it's time for you to take full control of the harem. Stay strong, Master, and I promise I'll help you any way I can."

I briefly turned her way and smiled. I squeezed her hand. "Thanks."

I stared ahead. We were walking down the middle of the street, since it was completely deserted. God, how fucking odd. Here we are in the middle of suburbia, talking about harems and masters. But this is my life. This is no joke. It's time to get tough. This next week is going to be brutal!