"With all due respect, do we have any idea how ridiculous we look?" I stepped over the long picnic bench next to the community dining table as I stood to speak. My rear end protested.

After several long hours of note taking, my fanny was in no mood for a new session. My flat ass had a bad case of meeting butt. My hand was cramped, and after a day of biking thru the mountains, I hurt in places the sun didn't shine.

"This does not bode well," I said as I closed my notepad and set it to one side, no point of recording a train-wreck.

"We're supposed to be the new day crew," I smiled and tapped the rounded point of my number two pencil on my half-filled pad of paper. Lead and cedar were my tools for taking minutes. I liked the effortless feel of graphite sliding across the yellow legal pad.

"Our mission,” I said, “is to figure out how to survive this disaster and we can't even agree on something easy like what to call ourselves," I rubbed my forehead as I stretched and tried to return circulation to my restless legs.

"Sheila has a sick sense of humor," I said with a grin as I examined my scribbles.

"She calls for to be the..." I cleared my throat and suppressed a chuckle and did air-quotes with my fingers, "...the Sisterhood's Holistic Intelligence Team, or SHIT for short. Seriously?" I burst out laughing and shook my head as the commander answered my remarks with a smirk and a shrug.

"You're no fun. I didn't intend for you to spell it out," she said in a playful stage-whisper.

"Belinda prefers we be called the Crisis Management Committee, and Darlene wishes us to remain nameless," I scanned my notes before continuing.

"Our quartermaster does not have an opinion and Alice wants us to be some sort of tribal council with a Cherokee name I can't even begin to pronounce," I scratched my head. I shouldn't have skipped the post-mission shower.

"We don't need a fancy name. We're just a group of folks doing the best we can. Let's keep it simple. Okay?" I returned to my seat and prepared to write.

"Group it is. It's as good a name as any. Are there any objections?" Sheila paused for a moment and waited for the silent sisters to speak.

"Fine, hearing no opposition, I so affirm. We are the GROUP!" Sheila declared with a tap of her gavel.

"It's been a long day, we should start fresh in the morning, zero-seven-thirty. Is there a motion to adjourn?" The Chief said with a wave of invitation.

"Thank God!" I groaned under my breath as I checked my watch and slashed a line across the page and scribbled '22:17-all' beneath it; my shorthand for adjournment by unanimous vote.

"Bedtime for Bonzo, I need sleep," I groaned to Sheila with a yawn as I gathered my rough draft.

"Sky, we've gotta talk, there's been a change in sleeping arrangements, honey," Darlene said as she rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Join us in your quarters, we'll explain over brandy. Or weed if you wish," Seraina added as she placed her hand on my other shoulder.

"Both," I replied with a shiver as I reached for my pack of cigarettes.

"Little rest for the weary and none for the wicked," I said with a humorless laugh as I lit up and followed my two lovers to my bedroom. It was my grandmother's favorite saying when duty demanded more than she was able to give.

=^.^=

"It's good to be back home," Darlene sighed as she spread her arms and flopped down on her back in the bed we had shared since our arrival.

"Oh, crap! There are cobwebs in the corners and dust bunnies on the ceiling. Didn't you clean anything while I was gone?" my companion complained as she wrinkled her nose.

"Sorry, I was too busy missing you to mind the mess. By the way, I did the laundry. Your stuff is in the closet," I smiled and tried to kept my voice neutral and soothing. Something besides sloppy housekeeping was stroking her anger.

"What's on your mind?" I studied Darlene's troubled eyes as we sat together on our bed.

"You guys mentioned something about sleeping arrangements," I said to Seraina as she set an antique silver serving tray on the nightstand.

"Care to elaborate?" I licked my lips and tried to ignore the uneasy feeling growing in my gut.

"Brandy?" Seraina asked as she tilted the ancient crystal flask and filled my glass with amber spirits, The bouquet smelled like the sweet memories of yesterday.

"My darling Sky, tonight I'll be sharing my bed with Alice. I'm not ready to be that way with you, not for a while. Please give me space," Darlene searched my eyes for understanding.

"I love you," she kissed my cheek in a sad whisper.

"Take all the time you need," I took a sip from the glass and mirrored her gaze with a slight bow of my head.

"I can sleep on the floor," I pointed to the black bear rug at the foot of the bed.

"Or I can go downstairs by the fireplace if you two need privacy," I took another sip and raised my glass, "What is your pleasure?"

"That is unnecessary my love, you can rest in my bed. My daughter and I have separate rooms," Seraina smiled apologetically as she kissed my lips in a strange blend of affection and distance.

"What does StarShine think of that arrangement?" I asked.

"It was her idea," she replied.

=^.^=

"Come on in Wolfie," I've been expecting you," Seraina's daughter said as she pulled open the door and beckoned me to enter the smoky, dim candlelit quarters she shared with her mother.

"Mom's room is over there," she pointed, "and mine is over here," she said with a flourish of her arm. For a moment I was stunned as the folds of her translucent silk garment parted to reveal a fleeting glimpse of her bare chest. For the ladies of Liberty, nudity was normal and not usually naughty, nothing personal. Star's nakedness filled the darkened room with unspoken desire.

"Do you like it Wolfie?" she giggled and blushed from beneath a sheer mist of rainbow fabric.

"No," I lied and tried not to smile as I set my kit by the entrance to Seraina's slumber chamber.

"You're not my type," I said in a stern voice as I looked into her eyes.

"And if you were," I paused to allow my gaze to follow the contours of her body from her nose to her toes.

"I would expect you to wear something, er, less, you know? uhh, provocative." I averted my stare and searched instead for cobwebs on the ceiling.

"We were naked when we played in the shower," Star reminded me with a twinkle in her eye as she kissed my cheek and took my arm.

"Thank you for helping my mother to get back home. You were quite brave," she whispered as she guided me to an old fashion style leather wingback reading chair by the flickering fireplace. Whatever modesty remained in her clothing vanished as she passed between me and the flame.

"No I wasn't and you're welcome. I'm glad they're back," I said as I settled into the leather seat and sighed with relief. The old chair was wise to the ways of people and its cushions conformed to the contours of comfort.

"Danger Will Robinson," I warned myself, "Be careful what you wish for."

"Care for a drink?" Star asked as reached her hands behind her head and undid the braids in her waist-length hair.

"Yes, please," I replied, not out of thirst but out of a desire to gain some space, regain control, and establish some boundaries.

"I'll be right back," she turned and headed into her bedroom with streamers of blond hair flowing behind her like a gossamer cloak. Almost but not quite hiding the round cheeks of her pantieless bottom from view.

"Much more comfortable. Don't you agree?" StarShine smiled as she returned from her quest, crystal goblets in one hand and a dark green ceramic brandy flask n the other. Although she had shed her cloak of visibility in favor of air and woodsmoke, sheets of blond hair and several shadows partially obscured her naked torso. She was stunning. I avoided my eyes and reached for a smoke.

"May I?" she snickered as she leaned over and took the lighter from my hands and held the blaze before me.

"Thanks," I blushed and inhaled, "But, don't you think you should put on some clothes?"

"Nope. My house. My rules. It's what mom always says," she sat on my lap and wiggled her bottom.

"Nope. My lap, my rules," I spread my legs and allowed gravity to slide her to the floor.

The change in altitude failed the change her attitude. From her new position on the hardwood, she sat eye level with my zipper.

She turned to face me and smiled, "Am I arousing you?" she asked as her index finger traced the bulging outline beneath my cargo pants.

"Yes you are and no you're not," I twitched as I moved her hands to the safety of my knees.

"Star, my dear, truthfully, you're too young and I'm too old. I'm in a relationship with your mother, such things aren't proper," I said with all the kindness I could muster.

"You know that is not true," she said as her hands reached for my trousers.

"I know you enjoyed yourself when you gave me a handful of sperm," her fingers fumbled with my zipper.

"That was then and this is now. We're not going there again," I said as once more I placed her hands on my knees.

"What's changed?" she pulled her arm away and rested her hand on the tent in my shorts. "You're as hard now as you were then. Don't you like me anymore?" she asked in dismay. I had compassion, I had suffered through puberty. I remember the heartbreak of misplaced desire. Trust and believe, nothing hurts like a broken crush.

"Slow down, give me a second," I cursed myself for not having the will to live my values; men don't have sex with the daughters of lovers. Brandy was blunting the few inhibitions I had left and I allowed her fingers a few moments to explore. Cannabis came to the rescue as the blunt I had before arrival kicked into high gear, no pun intended.

"I'll strive to be truthful and kind," I said as I held her hand and stopped her forward advance.

"Since you pleasured me like that, your mother and I have become sexually involved," I looked into her eyes.

"I know. You two are lovers. So what? You're not my father," she said as her hand continued its northward journey along my pant legs. I tensed against anticipation as I fought the desire to surrender to lust.

"I like the feelings I get when I touch you. I've never felt that way before," she cooed as she slipped her hand past mine and unzipped my fly and her fingers found Harvey, the camel's nose was in the tent. I shivered, it felt wonderful and wrong. I gathered the last of my reserve and said, "NO!" like I meant it and pulled her wandering hands away from my private parts.

"My relationship with your mother makes me your de-facto father, or step-dad, or something. Fathers don't have sex with daughters.”

"Woody Allen did," she said with a curious grin. Star had a memory like her mother and a mind filled with Wikipedia articles. Fifteen years of homeschooling, the sisterhood, and the internet had given her an encyclopedia of knowledge without experience.

"Yeah, he did. But, I'm not Woody. I don't have his money or his morals. I have my own and it's wrong. Period." I dotted the 'i' in the air with my finger as I drew a line in the sand. Time to walk the walk. I gently pushed her away and pulled my zipper closed.

"I know you liked it. You really liked it," she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Yes I did honey, but it's not the point," I took her in my arms and gave her a hug of fatherly affection. I felt awful, the poor teen had no interest in women. None. Zip.

"StarShine, my darling, you are very beautiful and alluring," I stroked her hair to calm her sobs and tried to think.

She was an apex heterosexual with no desire for her gender. Females didn't fan her fancy. Puberty and fate had placed her in a prison with no way to explore her desires. With me being the only man in her world, it was little wonder I had her attention. Hormones can be hell. How the on earth do nudist dads and naked daughters deal with this shit?

"Star, sweetheart, I can not, correction," I coughed and cleared my throat, "I will not have sex with you. I can love you and guide you. I can be your pretend father. We will never be lovers," my hug ended in a cringe. 'Pretend Father?' where the fuck did that come from?

"I would like that," my new daughter's voice whispered with a sniffle from beneath a shroud of blond hair.

"Would you teach me about sex?" she asked as she lifted her head and looked into my face, "I mean like a real father," she quickly added as my eyes widened in alarm. The shine in Star's eyes made me doubt her sincerity, but it was a starting place. She needed a dad more than a boyfriend. It might as well be me. Damn it.

"Wolfie, can I call you daddy?" she asked slyly with a silly sideways smile as she climbed to her feet, "I need to blow my nose," she sneezed into her hands and went to her room to find a hanky.

"No!" I chuckled after her, "Call me pa, as in WolfPaw."

"I prefer WolfPaw better. Okay?"

"Whatever is your pleasure," I replied with an appreciative smile.

"Thanks, Dad," she laughed and disappeared into her room.

I took her departure as an opportunity to regroup and reorganize. I stood and lit a cigarette and tossed a fresh log on the embers and watched the flames rising from the wood like a ring of fire.

"We certainly live in interesting times," I sighed aloud and blushed. It's okay to talk to yourself as long as you know who's speaking. I grabbed my kit and headed for the community shower, I wanted to sleep in clean skin.

The citadel of cleanliness was clear of people and I had the place to myself. I stripped and selected the back corner, turned on the water and stepped into a falling river of relief. After several minutes of delightful bliss beneath the steam, Sheil's voice echoed from the tiles, "Sky? Are you there? I'm sorry, but the group needs you at the center, pronto. We've established shortwave communications, you gotta hear for yourself."

Like I said, no rest for the wicked.