Back to Reality

As Tom buckled his belt he heard a buzzing behind him. He looked to the counter and saw a cell phone, with a message on the screen. "Call me as soon as you get this. Plz" He picked up the phone and walked it back to the room, in case it was a real emergency. If not, they could just ignore it and sleep, if it was, he'd be glad he intruded.

"Hey." He whispered as he sat on the bed behind Greg, touching his arm gently. Greg rolled over to his back and took the phone from Tom's outstretched hand with a questioning look. "One of your phone's got a text. It looked like it could be important, so I wanted to bring it to you."

Greg looked down and rolled his eyes. "Thanks. At least they managed to let us have a few hours off." Tom gave him a questioning look. "Kids. I love them, but they never cease to amaze me with their sex interrupting superpowers. They ignore you for hours when you need to mow the lawn or do dishes, but try to get ten minutes alone with Mommy and they suddenly need you right now. By the time I get them off to college, I'm going to be too old for great sex."

Tom laughed at that, remembering all too well. "Ours are just hitting their teens. Now the problem is they never think they need you, unless they need money. On top of that, they know what you are doing when you try to sneak off with with their mother, so you get to try to focus with them making barf noises from the next room or heckling loudly about how you are traumatising them, that parents aren't supposed to have sex. If they had a clue what we do for a living..."

Greg was amused and intrigued. "What do they think you do?"

Tom looking at him, wondering why he didn't know, but then again Allison had set everything up, so maybe Greg never asked. "Well, we run a travel agency that specialises in exotic vacations for couples. So they think we are normal travel agents."

Allison rolled over and stretched out, joining in on the conversation "Yeah, I was looking for a trip when I stumbled on the 'other services.'"

Greg laughed at that. Now it all made more sense. It had been killing him, wondering just what had caused her to dream up this encounter for them.

"Along with setting up vacations, we help match couples who want to swing with other couples and help add a layer of safety with screening and background checking. Some couples want a higher degree of privacy and more of a guarantee the sex will be good, that's where our professionals come in. We have about five sets of escorts who are either married, or might as well be, who work in 'sexual counseling'. That is the 'seedy underbelly' of the business." Tom winked.

Greg was generally impressed with the slick ways high end prostitutes modeled their services to make them legitimate. He always felt they got a bad rap from the world at large. He found many were smart talented people and he would hire them for their other services just as quickly as for sex and was rarely disappointed.

In fact, they still used one of his former hookers as a piano tuner and they set up weekly in-home massages years ago with a male and female hooker because they were far better at it then real massage therapists he had used. Allison, though a little put off by the idea at first, didn't really put up a fuss because she knew it was part of the package deal of a relationship with 'House.' After she got used to the idea, she had to admit that he was right, as usual.

"Here," Greg handed Allison the phone. "Call your nephew and see what couldn't wait. Maybe they're using their superpowers on him and his flavor of the month again."

"God, so help me, if I have to deal with the 'naked wrestling' discussion again, I'm going to kill that kid. You'd think all the babysitting would act as a sex deterrent, or at least get him to remember to lock his damned door first." Allison grumbled as she found his contact and dialed.

"While you do that I'm going to order a pizza," Greg announced happily. The weed combined with the workout of their sex fest had him hungry already.

Tom stood, to make way for Greg to stand. Allison was connected to her nephew as Greg moved from the bed. "Hey Tommy, what couldn't wait 'til morning?" She asked, figuring if it were a real emergency, he would have called and not texted.

On the other end Tommy explained, "I'm really sorry to bother you guys. I put 'em to bed, then James had a nightmare, and that woke up Adria, and now neither of them will go back to bed without talkin' to you guys first."

"Put James on," she told him as she admired Greg's naked ass walking out of the room.

As she talked, Greg went in search of his boxers. Finding them, he slipped them on as Tom and Lana worked to finish dressing and pack up all their things. He was always overly friendly with the working girls he'd hired for sex and plenty of them he hired for things other than sex, just because he always seemed to get along with them better than other people. He was never displeased with their work ethic or their propensity to just want to have fun.

"Hey, I know our time's up and you probably have someplace you'd rather be, but if you guys are hungry, I'm getting ready to order pizza — that isn't a euphemism, I swear. If you wanted to hang out and eat something other than us or each other before you head out, we wouldn't mind. I mean after putting out like that, buying you dinner is the least I can do." He winked, pretending as if they hadn't already been paid well for services rendered.

Lana looked to Tom. "We do have a long drive back, and the pot did give me the munchies."

"Oh, hell yeah, it did," Greg teased, hoping they weren't going to turn uptight now that they had finished the job.

She shook her head at him, in a good natured way. Tom turned to Greg. "It's not really something we normally do. But, we have your credit card on file, if you suddenly need a cream filled dessert." He winked back. It wasn't good to mix business with pleasure normally, but there was something so charismatic about Greg, neither of them could resist getting to know him a little more.

Greg took their order and called it in. As he hung up, Allison entered the living room, still talking on her phone. "It's ok, James. Tommy can stay in your room until you fall asleep and he'll protect you just like Daddy does… I love you too, baby. You want to talk to Daddy… Okay, here he is."

She held out the phone out and Greg took it, hitting the mute. "I ordered pizza for the munchies. I asked Tom and Lana to hang out and eat with us." He leaned in and kissed her, and she gave him a funny look. She wasn't mad at him, in fact she wasn't even surprised. The only class of people he seemed to be able to be himself around with no effort had always been hookers. She was more surprised they'd agreed to stay than anything, but was fine with it. She'd enjoyed her screening and setup phone conversations with Lana immensely and Tom seemed nice.

Greg took a look at Lana, who had put her formal dress back on. "Lana, if you want to ditch the frock to eat, you are welcome to one of my tee shirts, or Allison probably has something you can borrow." She nodded and Allison, who was still naked lead the way to the bedroom to get changed.

Letting out a sigh at the sight of the woman going back to the bedroom, he let his mind wonder to images of what he wished would happen again, before remembering the phone in his hand. Shaking off the thought, he put his brain back in daddy mode. "Hey kiddo. What's up."

"Tommy let us watch Saw and I had a nightmare and I'm scared to sleep. Then Adria called me a 'girl' even though she's a girl."

"Well, nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing you watched on the T.V. is going to jump out and end up in your bedroom. It's just your brain is processing all those scary images and your body's normal fight or flight response kicking in. Mom's right, Tommy will stay with you until you feel safe and fall asleep. He's just as strong as me and he loves you and wouldn't let anything hurt you. Uncle Gabe and Aunt Mariana will be home soon too."

"Okay Daddy. I love you. I'm sorry I interrupted your special night with Mommy."

"It's okay. Don't ever feel like you can't talk to us, kid. We love you. Now put Adria on the phone."

Tom was smiling as he sat at the dining room table, dressed in his suit pants and untucked tux shirt, listening in on Greg's half of the conversation. He missed his daughters being little, even though he was proud that they were turning into fine young women; independence came with a price.

"Adria," Greg said firmly, trying to hide his amusement.

"Yes Daddy," she confirmed she was on the line.

"What did Mommy tell you about calling your brother a girl?" It amused him to no end that she was so much like him, but Allison would have his head if he let this one go; it was one of her pet-peeves. James was no more hurt than anything; both kids had thick skins when it came to name calling (Greg was their father, afterall). James just wanted to get his little sister in some hot water, because that's what siblings do.

"That I shouldn't use my gender as an insult, because it implies that girls are weak or bad,"Adria quoted expertly with a sigh and Greg could feel her eyes roll.

"That's right."

"You called Uncle Chase a girl," she reminded him as a defense, all too aware that he didn't share Allison's opinion on the matter.

He suppressed a snicker, as he leaned back against the table. "I know. But what else has Mommy told you?"

Laughing she answered him, dancing the dance, she knew she had him. "That Daddy is a bad influence on my vocabulary."

"That's right. Daddy is an idiot when it comes to saying the right things. You are much smarter than he is, right?"

She giggled at his self abasement, and called him on his true reason for his talk with her, confirming that she was, indeed, very smart. "I'll try not to call James a girl so that you don't get in trouble with Mommy. Will you sing me the song so I can sleep?"

"Sure baby. Are you in bed?"

"Yep."

"Okay. Put the phone on speaker so James can listen too."

"'Kay, it's on," she informed him a couple of seconds later and he could hear the difference in tone confirming the change.

Taking a deep breath he begins singing a lesser known ballad by The Rolling Stones, a song about an affair that somehow seemed to also seem fitting to Greg during late nights while pacing the room with crying babies, trying to lull them back to sleep. Both kids now requested it any time they had trouble falling asleep.

Honey, is there any place that you would like to eat?

I know a coffee shop down on Fifty-Second Street

And I don't need no fancy food and I don't need no fancy wine

And I sure don't need the tears you cry

Till the next time we say goodbye

Till the next time we say goodbye

Till the next time we say goodbye

I'll be thinking of you

I'll be thinking of you

Yeah, a movie house on Forty-Second Street

Ain't a very likely place for you and I to meet

Watching the snow swirl around your hair and around your feet

And I'm thinking to myself she surely looks a treat

Till the next time we say goodbye

Till the next time we say goodbye

Till the next time that we kiss goodnight

I'll be thinking of you

I'll be thinking of you

Greg ended the song there. He never sang the last verse as part of the lullaby. "I love you guys, now give the phone back to Tommy and go to sleep."

A moment later, Tommy's voice was speaking. "Thanks, Uncle Greg. Sorry for screwing up your date night. I didn't think that…"

"Yeah, you didn't think. Seriously, Saw?! I know they don't act like normal 5 and 6 year olds, but they are. Maybe I need to take back our house key so you can't borrow the spare bedroom for your afternoon sexipades."

"Look, I said I was sorry," Tommy voiced with remorse.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'll see you tomorrow night." Greg hung up and set the phone on the table.

"You sing well; that was very nice," Lana told Greg as she and Allison walked back into the great room. Lana in shorts and one of Greg's t-shirts and Allison in yoga pants and a camisole. Allison brought a t-shirt and pajama pants for Greg and kissed him as she handed them off.

"Another of his many talents. He also plays piano and guitar," Allison bragged.

The couples spent the next couple of hours laughing and talking as if they were old friends. The pizza came and was consumed. Stories of all kinds were exchanged and Greg even diagnosed an illness in Lana's mother based on clues in a random story the other couple were telling. Even offered to have a look at her, but then found out she lived too far away.

As the night drifted into the AM, Tom and Lana began to gather their things once more and prepared to say their final goodbyes. Greg glanced and the suitcase and wished they would have had time to use everything. Of course he was all for there being a next time, and what fun would it be if they didn't have new things to try? He wondered if Allison felt the same, but that was a discussion to be had in private. For now, he was more than contented with their adventure.

They stood at the door for a final goodbye. Greg shook Tom's hand and Allison and Lana kissed each other's cheeks. Then the men gave the opposite women a chaste peck on the lips. "Until we meet again," Tom said, truly hoping there would be a next time but experienced enough to know not to put the other couple on the spot by asking outright. The subtle hint was all that was needed to convey the willingness on their part for a repeat performance.

With that, Lana and Tom left the room, closed the door behind them, walking hand in hand back to their car, satisfied that they were able to work with what seemed to be a very special couple.

Allison and Greg headed back to the bedroom, stripped and climbed into the bed, with Greg spooning behind Allison. "Thank you. I love you," he whispered into her ear just before they drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow night they'd be back to their normal life, but for now they were content getting to sleep a night with sated bodies wrapped naked in each other's arms.

A/N:

And so we've come to the end of my little story. I hope folks had a fun time, and please feel free to drop me a line and let me know (I don't need the details on just how much fun you had, but if you want to share them, then by all means. :P).

Let me know if you'd be interested in my every getting this foursome back together. They had lots of unexplored options, since only so much can be done in the time purchased, and really hot and above board escorts are not cheep (I totally looked it up). I probably won't write anything in the next couple of months, but smut writing seems to help with bad writer's block. Since sometime I really don't just want my other stories to be 10 chapters in a row of smut (yeah, I know) little side stories like these are a good way to right the ship.

Thanks to everyone who read, followed, favorited, reviewed, and lurked and, as always, my betas were wonderful. If I had to pay them by the comma, I'd be in the poor house. Luckily they work for the love of it. Hugs and kisses ladies! (lol Funny story: My mother had this electronic box once that muted curse words from TV shows and replaced them with alternate 'good' words via the closed captions. On the strongest setting it replaced the phrase 'have sex' with 'give hugs and kisses.' So after I typed that, my dirty mind laughed because I suddenly felt like I was offering you sex. So a lot of good my mother's 'cuss box' did for me. It just made my mind even dirtier.)

I'm back to working on 'Becoming Us,' so if you were worried, be reassured. It still may be an every other week thing for a while, because of lots of reasons, but I am carving out time.