Louise nodded, thinking about it. "Are they bitches?"
"Well, this Teela — the Goth chick — is kind of prickly, but I think I’d have to say no," Toby guessed.
"Well, if she’s doing the Goth thing, it’s to get attention," Louise advised. "If Rick is giving her attention, she may get a whole lot less prickly." She mused for a moment. "Most times, you’re not gonna find out about a swing group unless you’re looking for one — hard. Groups tend to be made up of couples — or whatever — who are at least generally in agreement about what they’re doing. Outsiders tend to be male — they’re a lot less picky about how they’re getting sex, and more likely to do whatever it takes to get in." She pulled a face. "Women tend to be a whole lot bitchier over the whole thing — they’re more territorial."
Toby grimaced. "That’s where I get worried. These girls don’t have to like what’s going on — and they won’t want to play. It just seems … dangerous."
Louise nodded. "It is, Baby — but maybe Rick and Lon are playing it right. They seemed to have picked girls who have a lot to gain by doing whatever it takes to keep 'em, you know? If they do things just right…"
"You’re saying that Sally and Teela might put up with the group because making a fuss would be stupid?"
Louise nodded. "They’d be cutting off their noses to spite their faces, you know? Especially this Sally — Lon’s an important character, isn’t he? If she tossed Lon because he’s been sleeping with a bunch of old broads, she’s kind of throwing out the baby with the bath water."
"Well, if she disapproves…" Toby countered.
"On high-moral grounds?" Louise raised an eyebrow. "It sounds to me like she can’t afford it. Frankly, Baby, a LOT of girls can’t, whether they let you believe otherwise, or not…" She smiled. "If Lonnie plays his card right, this Sally will end up spreading for YOU to keep her man…"
Toby rolled his eyes. "I’ve got enough problems … What about this Teela?"
"She’s a hurt puppy, I’ll bet," Louise replied. "If Rick is giving her what she needs, I’d bet it is a case of anything goes; on the other hand, if he dumps on her, she could be a problem. But if she’s as wild as you say, people aren’t gonna spend a whole lot of time believing anything she says about someone she’s pissed off at."
"Still, they’re a vulnerability," Toby grunted. "Two out of how many? Your husband, for instance…" It was time to put things back on track. "He’d freak, I bet."
"Yeah," Louise agreed. "There is a little bit of bitch in him — he’s territorial. He also wants to look like a big man, so it’s okay for him to put horns on me, but NOT okay for me to put them on HIM."
"How did that work when you were swinging?" Toby asked.
"Well, it didn’t, sometimes," Louise replied. "You need to be a grown-up to swing — and a lot of people aren’t. A lot of people can’t distinguish between love and sex — we’ve talked about that, haven’t we, Baby? Anyway, he had that down, maybe, but he’s got ego issues — and sometimes that kind of thing doesn’t work, either."
"What kinds of things did the groups participate in?" Toby asked.
"Depends on the group," Louise answered. "Some groups, it’s just wife-swapping, period. You take her man and she takes yours and you go off and try each other out. Others are three or four to a bed, everybody getting a charge out of watching others. Some are REALLY open — everybody does whatever and whoever, and there are no lines…"
"Bi stuff?" Toby prompted.
"Been there, done that," Louise replied.
"Does it bother you? What about your husband — Fred?" Toby asked.
"Me? No. Fred? Fred never let himself get caught on the bottom. He didn’t like getting seen doing anything that wasn’t macho," Louise replied.
"Do you think he did it, anyway?"
"I think so, maybe," Louise drawled. "What are you up to, here?"
"Well, what if he still is? Hidden, but it’s happening? It would be a pretty good piece of blackmail…"
"Do you know something?" Louise asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Not that," Toby replied. "I’m guessing."
"Well, you didn’t get there on your own," Louise guessed. Was Toby into bi-sex?
"What about Terence and Damian?" Toby asked. "Would you freak if they were doing bi stuff?"
"Spill, Baby. Get it out…" Louise prompted.
"I … stumbled onto it," Toby said cautiously. "They don’t know. They were with Mama and, well, Terence was 'way too interested in deep throat. And enemas." He paused. "Mama would rather die than tell anyone; she didn’t tell me. But I discovered it."
"So, what are they doing?" Louise asked.
"Have I started something?" Toby wanted to know.
"Meaning am I gonna throw a conniption?" Louise retorted. "No. But it doesn’t sound like they’re covering their asses…"
"I’ve said nothing anywhere else," Toby declared. "And I don’t intend to. But as far as I’m concerned, we don’t need blackmail pics of you to cover the guys, now…"
Louise rubbed her face. "You’d be right — especially with Terence."
Toby nodded. "That’s sort of where I started drawing parallels. Terence is a lot like his dad, isn’t he?" Louise nodded. "Well, he’s the one that’s the furthest down the road. The way I get it, Damian may have started it, and he’s been upping the ante — but it’s because he figures eventually he’ll be on top…"
Louise grimaced. "I probably gave him some ammunition the other day, too — told him his Pa might be in the closet … Did you hear that, too?"
"Yeah. A lot of stuff came out. I probably shouldn’t have been peeping — but if I’d joined them, it would have killed their fun — and I couldn’t walk away…" Toby admitted.
"So what are they doing?"
"Giving head, basically. Damian’s been slowly dragging Terence along — but Terence is into it, more or less." He grinned. "Mama’s teaching him deep throat." He shrugged. "I gather that they’re doing some equal time thing — or were. Part of the argument was the fact that Damian didn’t want to learn deep throat."
Louise nodded. "And that made Terence look a little more queer…"
"Uh huh." Toby nodded. "When it came out that Damian wanted anal, eventually — preferably without giving any up — that bent Terence all out of shape…"
"Speaking of Terence…" Behind Toby, the door banged. "Come here, Boy!" Louise called.
"Mama?" Terence stuck his head in the door.
"Where’s your brother?"
"With Candace," Terence grinned.
"How’d he manage that?" Louise gave her son the fish-eye.
"We, uh, tricked her some," Terence said carefully. "She thought she was gettin' me."
"That isn’t nice, Boy — and it might cut into your fun in the future!" Louise admonished.
"They was okay!" Terence retorted defensively. "She just needed to know she couldn’t duck him, is all!"
"Well, she probably won’t believe you, next time!" Louise pointed out.
"I got Beth," Terence replied indifferently.
"She owns Beth’s holes, too, Boy! Wake up and smell the coffee!"
"Oh," Terence grunted. "Shit."
"You fucked up!" Louise declared. "Now if you can’t wheedle pussy off of Jean, you’re gonna have to settle for getting your dick sucked…" Her eyes popped and she covered her mouth.
Toby watched Terence turn an interesting shade of dark, pinkish grey while his eyes traveled from his mother to Toby and back. 'Uh oh, ' Toby thought, watching Terence try on different scenarios…
Louise, realizing that it was up to her, leaped into the breach, supplying the official answer, "You think I don’t know what you two been doin', Boy? Just because I didn’t say anything … Besides, it ain’t the end of the world — you like pussy, right?"