Starting From Scratch Ch 12

Chapter 12- Resolutions

Christmas morning was every bit as dramatic as Thomas had feared it would be. Lionel and Bianca, and Mary June and George blamed Rhea and Thomas for their children's incestuous fornication the night before. It didn't matter that all of the kids had been having sex while their parents were still there, or the fact that all of the kids had hidden themselves away so well that no one had found them with the exception of the older kids who Beth had found. That story had been told in such a manner that the parents were led to believe that they had stopped once Beth caught them. So, Beth was now the hero to a limited degree.

After Lionel and Mary June finished screaming at Thomas and Rhea they left. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Henrietta took their leave as well, then Daniel and Beth. That left Rhea, Anna, and Emma; Annalee, Damien, and Scot; and Gretchen and Jeremy along with their children.

"What a Christmas," Gretchen sighed disappointedly.

"Yeah," Rhea replied with her own sigh.

"Did you all see Mom," Anna said suddenly as her eyes took on a far-off look, "Mom was the one that told me that if I ever had sex with Thomas she would disown me. That's why I never acted on my love for him sooner. But, when everything came out about all the grandkids fucking, she just sat there!"

"I think she was in shock," Rhea said, "I know that if I wasn't in a relationship with you and Thomas, Anna, then I probably would have been a mess."

"So you're not mad at us," Damien asked while gesturing at himself and Scot.

Rhea laughed derisively, "I'm furious!"

"About what?" Annalee asked scornfully, "You're fucking your own son and your sister!"

"Yes, I am," Rhea growled at her youngest daughter, "But, I was at least discreet about it. You three acted out your lusts on Christmas Eve at your brother's house. Who, did you think was going to catch hell for your actions?!"

Everyone was silent until Rhea released another aggravated sigh before adding, "All I'm saying is you could have been more discreet about it."

"Yes, Mom," Scot mumbled apologetically, "Sorry, Thomas."

Thomas let out a resigned sigh and shook his head before leaning forward and taking Anna's hand in his. Standing up he led her around until he was standing in front of his family and said, "I'm just glad you are being honest with each other and yourselves. I wasn't and look at where that got me with Heather. If I had been honest with myself, well, Anna and I probably wouldn't be married, but at least we would be committed to each other."

"Amen," Anna whispered in fierce agreement.

Rhea stood up then and came to Thomas and took his other hand, as she confessed, "I don't know how I would have reacted if you and Anna had moved in together. I always knew how you felt. I'm sorry for my part in dissuading you from pursuing your relationship. However, I would like to think that my feelings for you Thomas would have been realized sooner too."

"I for one am glad things worked out the way they did," Emma purred from her seat on the couch, "If you hadn't married Heather then most likely we would never have met."

"True," Thomas conceded, "Actually many good things have come from my marriage to Heather. For one thing, I absolutely know what I don't want, and secondly, I never would have met you, Emma."

"You know you guys are seriously fucked up, right," Jeremy intoned from Gretchen's side.

"Hey," Annalee said defensively, "At least we're fucking together!"

There were several chuckles at Annalee's turn of phrase, but then Thomas cleared his throat for attention before saying, "Jeremy, Gretchen, if you look under the tree you'll find a card. You guys are doing so well that I had to really think hard of what I could do for you. So, my present to you is that Melody and Harmony now have fully funded college/wedding trusts."

"Thank you, Thomas," Jeremy gasped in awed thankfulness while Gretchen jumped to her feet and rushed over to hug her brother.

"Thank you so much," She whispered as she kissed him on the cheek, "Everything helps, and not having to worry about college and weddings is such a relief!"

"You're welcome, Sis," Thomas whispered, "Anything to help the non-fucked up one of us in the family."

"I'm no different than you," Gretchen whispered into his ear before giving him another peck on the cheek. Thomas was surprised by her confession but was wise enough not to show it. As she pulled away she mumbled, "It all worked out though, maybe it was for the best."

"Maybe it was," Thomas mumbled, "You're happily married to a man that loves you and you have two beautiful daughters."

"Yeah," Gretchen agreed then left to join her husband.

Once she was settled, Thomas turned to look at Damien, Scot, and Annalee before saying, "You three have proved that ready or not you're going to make adult decisions. To that end, I am making this house available for Damien and Annalee to live in if you so wish. You're closer to college if you choose to go, or you're closer to viable employment. Scot, obviously, once you're eighteen you can move in too if you want. And, obviously, mom has the last say as well..."

"I think it's a good idea for Lee and Damien," Rhea agreed, "But Scot needs to graduate first."

"There you have it," Thomas said.

Later in the day, Gretchen and Jeremy left and went home. Rhea also reluctantly took it as a sign that it was time for her to go home and take Annalee, Damien, and Scot with her. By that evening it was just Thomas, Anna, and Emma.

----(!)----

Over the next week, Thomas, Anna, and Emma moved to Rhea's home about an hour's drive away. Conversely, after Christmas Eve's shenanigans Thelma, Amanda, and Benjamin asked if they too could move in with Annalee and Damien.

Thomas gave his go-ahead, and so, as Thomas and his group moved out, Damien and his group moved in.

The living arrangements for the four-bedroom beach house were thus; Damien and Annalee moved into the master bedroom. When Amanda saw this she took Anna's old room for her clothes only so that she could have hers separate from Annalee's. Thelma took Emma's old room, and Benjamin took the Batcave.

Thomas left all of the furniture so the house was fully furnished.

New Year's Eve arrived and Thomas, Rhea, Anna, and Emma drove to the beach house one last time. The party was set to begin at six o'clock, so they arrived at noon and with the kids' help made sure the house was clean and staged.

Promptly at six Thomas's guests started arriving, the first being fifty-year-old Janette Smith who smiled predatorily at Thomas as she approached. Janette wrapped her arms around Thomas's waist and kissed him passionately for several seconds as Rhea, Anna, and Emma watched. Their kissing continued until Emma started laughing, then Janette stepped back and squared off in front of Rhea as they sized each other up.

Rhea wore a silver plunging neck cocktail dress that also plunged down her back below her Rhombus of Michaelis exposing the tops of her buttocks and revealing that she wore nothing else. No bra or panties. In the front, the dress descended nearly to her navel bearing a beautiful expanse of décolletage, great mountainous swells of her I-cup bosom, and the ponderous depths of her perfect cleavage. Her skin was a lovely pale white with pink and blue undertones. Her copper-red hair was a wild and curly flame piled on top of her head, and her hazel green and copper eyes flashed with mischief as she smirked at Janette.

Janette was not a woman to be outdone in anything. Janette and Rhea were almost the same height as she stepped in close enough that their breasts were touching. Janette's skin was flawless ivory, her eyes were as black as onyx, and her hair was raven black. Her lips were thick and pouty. Her top lip was a smidge plumper than her bottom lip, and they were fire engine red. Rhea's breasts were incredible I-cups, but Janette's enormous G's were just as impressive. They were helped by the fact that Janette wore a black, skin-tight, bodycon dress with a plunging neck and backless all the way to the small of her back, and it was sheer enough to see that she wore nothing underneath.

"I'm Janette," The confident older woman purred in a low husky voice, "Who are you?"

"Rhea," Rhea replied just as cooly.

"You're beautiful," Janette said as she blatantly ogled Rhea's mouth, eyes, and hair, "Thomas and I are--" She paused as if she were searching for just the right word then her eyes lit up and her lips curled into a smirk as she continued, "--very intimate friends. I take it you are as well?"

"Yes," Rhea answered.

Janette cut her eyes to ogle Anna then turned back to Rhea and purred, "Who is she, your daughter?"

"Something like that," Rhea lied.

"Maybe we can be friends," Janette mused.

"Maybe," Rhea replied.

Janette smirked as if she knew something Rhea did not, then she leaned in and kissed Rhea fully on the mouth. When she finally withdrew, she saw Damien, Annalee, Thelma, Amanda, and Benjamin and verily purred as she moved into the house to introduce herself.

The kids' reactions were humorous and somewhat expected. Damien and Benjamin's eyebrows raised as Janette started flirting with them. Being eighteen and Janette fifty, for them it was like being hit on by their mothers or grandmother. However, as Janette made none-too-subtle allusions to what she would do to them, Damien and Ben adopted considering grins as they openly ogled the woman.

Annalee and Amanda responded immediately and differently by becoming jealous and possessive. Janette, however, wasn't bothered at all. She just pivoted and flirted with Annalee, Amanda, and Thelma just as provocatively as she had with the boys. The result was that the wind was taken right out of the girl's sails and very quickly all five young people were chatting very quietly and very intimately with Janette.

Forty-four-year-old Beth Johnson, forty-nine-year-old Elisha Franklin, and forty-six-year-old Elizabeth Bellard all arrived in one car and made up the rest of Janette's group of curvaceously beautiful masquerade mummies. Thomas, Rhea, Anna, and Emma greeted them with hugs and very sensual kisses before the three older women sashayed into the house and joined Janette.

Martin Green showed up next. He shook Thomas's hand while Emma kissed him on the cheek.

"I see you're doing well," He said as he spied the attractive older women jockeying for position around Damien and Benjamin, "And, I see you're leading the next generation into the Cougar's Den."

Thomas laughed, "Well, I guess, and you too, it appears!"

"Whatever!" Emma remarked sarcastically, "All we're doing is making introductions. What you, or they, do with it--" She gestured toward Janette and her cohorts and Damien and his cohorts as she finished, "--is up to you."

"We'll see," Martin chuckled as he shook his head and moved into the house, "We'll see."

Thomas watched Martin as he left, but then, a few seconds later, Kinsae O'shay and Victoria Danish arrived.

Kinsae was a twenty-eight-year-old redhead of stunning beauty with large F-cup breasts, an athletically tight waist, broad hips, and thick round ass cheeks. Her legs were long and her thighs were thickly muscled from weight lifting. Kinsae was anyone's ideal image of what Red Sonya would actually look like in real life. Also, very noticeably, her previously four-pack belly was thicker and had a softening roundness to it that wasn't there when Thomas first met her. He shared a startled look with Rhea and Anna as Emma greeted Kinsae with a warm smile, a hug, and a kiss.

Victoria Danish was twenty-five and the youngest of the Masquerade divorcees that Thomas, until Thanksgiving, had been fucking every week since Halloween. Victoria was a short, very hot blonde with athletically sleek breasts, a small waist, wide hips, and a thick ass. She still made a perfect Spider-Gwen.

Thomas kissed them and gave each a hug before both ladies proceeded inside.

The last two ladies to arrive were thirty-three years old Deborah Lionus, and

thirty-five-year-old Jessica Horns. They masqueraded as Wonder Woman and a blue-skinned Na'vi female in a small beaded loincloth and breastplate that hid nothing, from the movie Avatar.

Deborah was taller than Thomas, standing close to six feet two inches tall. She was an extremely busty woman with an athletic hourglass body. She had bright blue eyes, olive skin, and jet-black hair. She was the real-life personification of Wonder Woman. Only, she had a slight pooch to her otherwise beautiful sculpted belly that bespoke her pregnant state.

Jessica Horns was completely different. Out of blue paint, she appeared to be a mix of Asian, Caucasian, and African-American. She had light creamy mocha skin, dazzling eyes, and bone-straight black hair. She was above average in height. She was slim with small sleek breasts, a seemingly abnormally long, sensually sinuous waist, hips that weren't too broad, an ass that was perfectly shaped while not being too thick, and long curvy legs. And Jessica also sported a small pregnancy bump too.

Deborah and Jessica both approached Thomas and gave him long penetrating kisses that challenged his resolve. When they pulled away Deborah purred, "Well, hello daddy!"

"How's the baby daddy?" Jessica whispered.

"Oh my god," Thomas gasped.

"Don't worry baby," Deborah purred as she caressed his cheek, "We don't want anything. You already gave us what we wanted."

Jessica gave Thomas a confirming nod and then both women walked into the house and joined their girlfriends.

"Fuck!" Emma mumbled as she looked at Thomas in amazement, "Didn't you use a condom with any of them?"

"I..." Thomas started to say then hesitated before continuing, "thought they were on birth control. They never said a thing."

"Why would they say something," Emma asked, then said, "You're super rich. You're the perfect mark."

"You think that's what I was to them," He asked.

"No," Emma replied as she shook her head, "I think every one of them loves you in her own way, they love to fuck, and some of them probably wanted kids."

"You're sure," Thomas asked.

"No," Emma chuckled as she led him back into the house.

They walked into the living room and Emma turned to him and asked, "So, Thomas, what are you going to do?"

She left him there to think over his answer. She returned a few seconds later with a tray filled with glasses of wine or cranberry juice. Everyone received a glass. Emma set the tray down then moved to stand beside Thomas.

Raising his glass Thomas toasted, "To friends, family, and lovers!"

"Here here!" Everyone answered in unison.

Thomas lowered his wine glass and looked at Kinsae, Deborah, and Jessica. They smiled at him and raised their glasses of cranberry juice. The three women seemed to glow with the first months of their pregnancies. Then, he continued, "It is a new year, and with it comes new resolutions. Yours and mine. Maybe we can take a moment and share ours before we continue with the evening. I will start."

There was a long pause as Thomas gathered his thoughts before he continued, "Almost a year ago now I caught my wife fucking my supposed best friend in our marriage bed. I was lost for a long time, but then I was found. This year has been filled with much happiness and heartache. Since then, I have received much love and consideration from everyone in this room. That is why you are all here. I wanted all of you to meet each other. However, now, I feel healed enough to move on with my life."

Thomas locked eyes meaningfully with Janette, Beth, Elisha, Elizabeth, Kinsae, Deborah, Victoria, and Jessica. They all had a smile or smirk for him and either gave a slight shake, or nod, of their heads.

Jannette, Beth, Elisha, and Elizabeth stood near Benjamin. Janette already had an arm intertwined in his arm while he grinned jubilantly. As the oldest of the divorcées, she shook her head almost imperceptibly while cutting her eyes toward Ben and then Damien before returning to Thomas and winking.

Thomas got it. They didn't want committed relationships. They enjoyed their independent cougar status too much to give it up now for a single guy. He completely understood, though it still sent a spike of pain into his heart to know that they were choosing their lifestyle over him.

Victoria apparently already found that there was chemistry between her and Martin. She stepped in closer to him and gave Thomas an abashed look as she shook her head.

That left Kinsae, Deborah, and Jessica. All three were pregnant though they were barely showing, but still, it was noticeable to him. Nodding his head, Thomas continued on as he focused on the pregnant women, "So, this is my New Year's resolution. This year I am going to commit to those of you who wish to commit to me. This means that I won't be casually hooking up anymore."

There was a long silence as everyone absorbed Thomas's announcement, then Rhea held up her wine glass and was next. She was followed by Anna, and then Emma while Thomas listened intently.

Martin broke the rhythm of feminine resolutions with his own to get a gym membership and lose fifteen pounds, and find love. That last was delivered as an aside to Victoria who smiled adoringly.

After Martin, Jannette raised her glass and shared her resolution. Hers was to make new friends and to spend as many days possible fucking beautiful young men and women. Elisha, Elizabeth, and Beth followed Janette. None of them accepted Thomas's call for commitment. Many of their resolutions were frivolous, either of getting into shape or maintaining their beauty or centered around their lust to fuck.

Once the older women were done Damien raised his glass. His resolution was to take advantage of Thomas's gifted home while he figured out what he wanted to do with his life. Annalee resolved to stick by her brother through thick or thin. Amanda's resolution was to stay with Damien and Annalee and announced her unwavering loyalty to them both.

Thelma raised her glass and made her resolution while keeping her eyes fixed on Kinsae, Deborah, Victoria, and Jessica. In a firm voice she announced her resolve to expand her experiences and make new friends.

Ben was another matter completely. His resolution was to fuck every woman in the house and many many

more over the coming year.

"With the exception of Rhea, Anna, and Emma," He purred though by the way he ogled them it was obvious he would not turn down a liaison should any of them make an offer.

Finally, it was Kinsae, Deborah, Victoria, and Jessica's turns. Victoria led with a sly side-eyed glance at Martin before saying, "My resolution is to find the right man to fall in love with and marry him!"

Realizing that Thomas's feelings might be hurt she cut her eyes back to him and explained, "Sorry Thomas, you're a great guy and I've had a ton of fun, but if you're talking about commitment, well, you just have too many women who want you. When it comes to commitment I'm looking for one guy that only wants me."

"Completely understand," Thomas said as he raised his glass to Victoria, "You deserve every happiness in your life!"

Victoria returned his smile and lifted her glass in thanks then fell back to whisper to Martin. Thomas looked a question at Deborah, Kinsae, and Jessica for their resolutions. For some reason he thought he saw relief on their faces, then Deborah quickly raised her glass signaling her wish to share her New Year's resolution.

Rubbing her belly she took a deep breath before staring, "My mom, bless her soul, died last year of cancer. My dad, well, I don't know who the fuck he is. He was gone long before I was even born. I don't think anyone here knows this, but I am a model. I've partied and I've traveled. I've been around the world a couple of times, though, I never did hit it 'Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition' big. I met a lot of guys. I fucked a lot of them and many of the ladies too..."