Pepin smiled and began clapping, which was picked up by most of the others. There were still a few skeptics, but Ben wasn’t going to try to enlighten the non-believers.
“I would love to meet Gabriella. She sounds very wise in the ways of love,” Pepin said.
Ben nodded with a smile. “Tina called her the Goddess of Love, and I sincerely believe that to be true.”
“She’s not a participant in this lifestyle, though?” Pepin asked.
He smiled and shook his head. “No, she’s not.”
“I’m sure this question is going through the minds of most of our members. How do you deal with jealousy?” she asked.
Ben nodded. “Personally, I’ve struggled to feel worthy of their love, but I gratefully accept the miracle that they do love me. If you believe you’re owed something and fear that someone else is getting what belongs to you, you’re deluding yourself and doing a tremendous disservice to those you claim to love. Trust that their love for you is not diminished by their ability to love another. Remember, love is inclusive.”
He smiled back at the ladies and saw Liliya was smiling too, though her eyes continued to pan over the group before them. Tatiana was watching him with a frown. She looked away when she felt his gaze lock on her.
Pepin opened the floor to the others, and most of the questions were polite. Ben just ignored the belligerent ones with a simple next question.
The questions quickly tapered off, and Ben had a closing thought. “While I may be in a successful relationship with multiple intelligent and beautiful women, I don’t consider myself an expert in that either. Something I do know is that you must nurture every relationship. Communicate openly and ask yourself the hard questions. Perhaps ask yourself why you’re looking for a polyamorous relationship and be critical of your answer. Perhaps the one you’re with isn’t fulfilling a need, but exactly how realistic and reasonable is that need. Is that need fed by ego or love? Ego is, by its nature, selfish, so be cautious of that. Love can be obsessive, so that needs to be watched for as well. I wish you good luck… and better love.” He smiled self-consciously as he was still uncomfortable talking to strangers about something so personal.
This time the applause was a little more universal. The group began to go their separate ways, and he knew the evening was done for the club.
He looked to Pepin, smiling at him with gratitude, so he gave her a nod. He looked to Tina and held out his hand as he thought it was time for them to go as well.
She rose to her feet and skipped closer to him to take his hand. She tilted her face up to him, catching him unprepared, but he dipped down to kiss her tenderly. When he pulled back, she smiled and moved to the side as Lucy was before him with a cheeky smile on her lips. Behind her were the twins and Rain. He’d been set up. He gave each of them a sweet kiss, and Rain was practically giggling with delight at the flush on Ben’s cheek when it was her turn.
After she enjoyed his kiss, she smiled at him. “This experience has been fascinating! The dancing was delightful, and studying the dynamics of the relationships on display from the inside has been thought-provoking! I must admit, yours is the most interesting, but I’m obviously biased.”
He nodded to her. “I’m biased toward it myself,” he said quietly with a self-conscious smile. He looked to Liliya and gave her a nod to indicate they were leaving. She nodded and signaled Tatiana.
Ben and the ladies made their way to the door. They handed in the rings, and Tatiana ducked outside. After a moment, Liliya nodded to Ben, and he led everyone out. Evelyn pulled up to the curb in his truck. He turned to the twins who’d driven in their own car.
Before he could speak, Lisa touched his lips with a finger. “Tina asked us to be with you tonight.”
Ben’s eyebrows rose, and he glanced at Tina’s smiling face. “Oh, she did?” Tina giggled. “Right. See you back at our place, then?”
The Twins nodded with excited grins on their faces.
Rain moved closer. “I’ll be getting a lift home with them, so I’ll get my kiss goodnight now.”
He picked her up in his arms as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her kiss was deep and sensual, and she sighed when they separated. “That will give me delicious dreams tonight,” she purred.
“Thanks for charging him up,” Lori said with a grin.
Ben shook his head as he set the woman back on her feet.
He glanced at Tatiana, who was fidgeting badly. “Can you see them to their car?”
She gave him a terse nod then the four women walked away as Ben opened the door for Tina and Lucy.
“Making plans for me?” Ben asked Tina quietly.
She nodded with a smile. “We get the lion’s share of your time at night, so they deserve some time as well.”
Ben had to accept Tina’s logic. He nodded to her as she got into the truck.
Moments later, Tatiana joined them, and Evelyn got them heading home.
Ben looked over at their driver. “Sorry for the boring evening for you.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Ben, it’s part of my job to remain vigilant for signs of danger. It’s all training. Tracking the coming and going of the people around the hotel and club was a good exercise. I saw an ambulance take someone away.” She glanced at him.
“Yeah, someone got belligerent and needed their hands removed from my jacket. I stopped at spraining his wrists,” he admitted.
She nodded with a small smile on her lips.
They got home in good time, and Liliya ducked inside the house to collect her daughter. Tatiana marched away without so much as a glance back.
The twin’s dropped Rain off, then pulled into his driveway.
Tina and Lucy guided the twins inside and gave Ashley hugs for babysitting.
“You had fun dancing?” the woman asked, and all four ladies nodded and smiled.
Ben caught Tina’s eye. “I’m going to walk Ashley home. I’ll be right back.”
“Oh, Ben, you don’t need–” Ashley began.
“We need to finish planning our day tomorrow,” he insisted with a smile.
He led her outside and offered an elbow for her arm. She smiled at his genteel manners.
They walked arm in arm down his driveway leisurely, enjoying each other’s company. “What time should I pick you up tomorrow, and who will be joining us? Tina and Lucy can look after Joshua.”
“That would be lovely. Just my girls then and ten-thirty?” she suggested.
“Sure, sounds good. We can catch lunch after eighteen holes?” he asked with a grin, and she nodded.
He could see she was steeling herself to ask something, and he had a suspicion of what it might be.
“I’ll be flying overseas Sunday night. I was hoping you might have a moment to trim up my hair before I went, so I could look my best. Perhaps the girls could hang out at my place while you did that?” he asked.
Her smile was wide and delighted, and he felt her tremble at his side. “Yes! Yes, I could do that for you tomorrow when we get back.”
They reached her door, and he pulled her into his embrace as he kissed her tenderly. She melted in his arms, then clung to him as his hand slid down her back to her hip.
She pulled back, and her eyes flared with excitement.
“Until tomorrow?” he said, and she nodded.
The door opened, and Savannah stood there with a fake stern expression. “Do you know what time it is, young lady?” she asked.
Ashley giggled and kissed her daughter’s forehead as she stepped into the house.
Ben pointed a finger at the girl. “Tomorrow. Mini Putt. It’s on!” he said in challenge.
The girl’s excited smile instantly shed years from her, and she squealed as Madison joined them, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, sending her sister a puzzled look.
“Mini putt!” Savannah gasped to her sister, who was instantly awake and happily jumping up against her mom’s side.
“Goodnight, Ben!” Ashley said, hugging her kids.
“Goodnight!” he called back as he headed back down the driveway. He realized the only time he was allowed to be by himself was here in his neighborhood. That was a little depressing. He tried to think of an alternate plan. He used his cell to bang out a quick text to Liliya, Tatiana, and Evelyn to ask them to work out how he, Ashley, and her daughters might have a little space when they went to the mini putt place tomorrow.
He let himself inside his house and locked up. Walking back to the bedroom, he saw the guest bedroom door was closed. He knocked gently, and a moment later it opened, and Tina smiled up at him with Lucy right behind her.
“I need my goodnight kiss,” Ben said and slipped his fingers into the hair on the back of Tina’s head. He closed his grip, and she gasped before Ben stroked her lips with his and took a kiss from her mouth. Lucy got similar treatment, and he left them both smiling dreamily at him as he closed their door. He saw Lucy reaching for Tina before the door blocked his sight, so he imagined the ladies would find joy in each other’s arms tonight.
He opened his bedroom door and walked in to see two exquisite naked beauties stretched across his bed, leaning on their elbows as they watched him enter. He closed the door behind himself and smiled.