“I'm sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s just that it’s weird having to take care of the kids and being so busy with them.”

  “It’s what you wanted,” he told her coolly as he slid the door shut.

  She pushed it open. “Are you saying that you didn't want them?” she demanded, ignoring the fact that the water was getting on her skin.

  *****

  “Don’t put words in my mouth.” His dark grey eyes slid over her nipples which were pushing against the material. She'd started exercising aggressively and had gotten back her figure. Except for the thin mark at the base of her stomach it was as if she hadn't carried four children inside her.

  “Then what are you saying Walter?”

  “Just drop it.” He dunked his head beneath the water and kept it there. He had his eyes closed so he didn't realize that she had taken off her clothes and had come into the bath with him until he felt her touch on his back.

  His eyes flew open and he turned to look at her. “What are you doing?”

  “Giving my husband some attention.”

  “I don’t need your pity.”

  “Shut up,” she told him mildly as she went on her knees in front of him. “Hmm,” she trailed one finger over his rising penis. “I see that I was missed.”

  “Carole—” he broke off with a groan as her tongue snaked out and touched the tip of him before swirling around the head. Her tongue forced its way into the tiny slit and had his hands clenching into tight fists. He sagged against the cool marble tiles when she took him deep inside her mouth, her teeth grazing him lightly as she pulled on him. By this time he was fully engorged, his body shuddering from the terrific desire that raced through his helpless body. He reached down to haul her up into his arms, his face tense, and his eyes almost black with need. “You witch!” he whispered raggedly. He lifted her up and stared at the puckered nipples that he'd watched suckling his children. With a feral groan he bent his head and latched onto one, pulling it into his mouth roughly, his hands around her waist holding her steady as he devoured her and slaked his thirst.

  *********

  “You look ravishing,” Walter murmured as she turned to face him. They had settled their differences a couple of nights ago after they had made love and had talked way into the night. They had both gotten up when two of the children had started crying and gone to see to their needs. The four children still shared a room and they were planning on putting them in their own rooms when they were a little older. Cynthia kept an ear out for them and usually woke up to go and see to them when they cried.

  “Thank you,” Carole ran her hands over the rich sapphire blue of her dress. Her hair had grown thicker and curlier with the pregnancy and birth of the children and she had only pulled the sides back. It gave her face a very interesting and attractive look. Long sapphire earrings dangled from her lobes and around her neck. Walter had given her a series of jewelries as soon she had given birth to the children and she was wearing a set of them now. She walked over to adjust his tie. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she murmured as she stared up at him. “I'm trying Walter.”

  He tilted her chin up and stared at her flawless face. She was wearing cranberry crush lipstick which looked very good against her skin. Her full bottom lip always had the power to make him weak at the knees. “I know. Ready?”

  She nodded. “Can we check on the kids first?”

  “I would have it no other way.”

  *****

  “I'm still struggling to get rid of my baby fat and look at you!” Savannah complained as she hugged Carole as soon as they arrived at the function. “And you were carrying four babies.”

  “I had to work my ass off to get rid of the weight,” Carole said with a laugh. “But what are you saying girl? You look very good.” She admired the black and white dress Savannah was wearing and the big chunky necklace and earrings.

  “I drag Gavin out of bed in the very early hours of the morning to get our sweat on!” Savannah linked her hand through Carole's arm as they made their way across the room and through the crowd. “He's not very appreciative of me right now.” She looked over to where her husband was talking to some other men.

  “I'm sure he understands.”

  “He'd better! He's the one who wanted a family and more than one child. I would have been satisfied with just one.”

  “So you're back at work?”

  “I am.”

  Carole chatted a few more minutes and then went to find her husband.

  “How about a dance, Mrs. Bingham?” he asked her softly.

  “I wouldn't say no to that,” she told him with a smile as he led her onto the dance floor. “I was thinking of hiring those nannies you were talking about,” she added casually.

  He looked down at her sharply. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “You were right. I need help taking care of the children and as much as I love them to bits I cannot take time away from you. I was thinking that we could go away next weekend?”

  “Paris?” he asked her softly.

  “Or Jamaica.” She wrapped her hands around his neck. “I have this idea of making love on the sand.”

  Chapter 6

  “Ear infection,” Savannah finished her examination and turned to them. The crying had started very early in the morning and had scared them all when it wouldn't to stop. So they had decided to take her to the same hospital where Savannah was working. Carole had called her friend first before they head out. “An acute one by the looks of it.” She looked down at the baby in the cot. “Don’t worry Brianna honey, we are going to give you something to clear it up right away.” She scribbled something on her pad and handed it to the nurse.

  “Dr. Miller told us that we should expect things like this because they were born a little prematurely but this is the first time something like this is happening.” Carole rubbed her daughter’s stomach lightly. She'd been given something in the meantime to take away the pain and was actually very quiet now. The children were six months old now and people kept telling them that they were fortunate not to be having the many complications that usually face multiples who were born prematurely.

  “My children were born within the timeline and they've been in the emergency room several times,” Savannah reassured her. “It happens.”

  “Oh look! She's sleeping,” Carole exclaimed.

  “After keeping us up, she's now sleeping.” Walter looked down at his daughter indulgently.

  “You'll be able to take her home in a few hours,” Savannah assured her.

  ******

  “Would you consider being the children’s pediatrician?” Carole asked Savannah later that afternoon. Brianna was home and was crawling all over the place as if she hadn't scared them early that morning. Her husband had brought them home and had gone to work. She'd been thinking about it and had decided to make the call. The hospital where Savannah practiced was several miles away but the woman was a friend and also a member of the society she was a part of.

  “I thought you already had a pediatrician.”

  “Not yet. Dr. Miller told us the other day that we need to get one. He recommended several but I would feel more comfortable with you.” Carole walked around the nursery, picking up the articles of clothing that had been left lying around the otherwise tidy room. It was now October and they were planning on moving the children into their own rooms at the beginning of November.

  “Okay honey if that's what you want. I make the occasional home visits if that’s better for you.”

  “That’s great.”

  “How is Brianna?”

  “You would never believe that she'd been in pain earlier. When we brought her home she joined the others on the floor and started playing. She's asleep now.”

  “Children are resilient darling, that’s the beauty of them. Look ,I have to go but we'll talk more about it later.”

  “Thanks Savannah.”

  Carole left the room and walked towards the passageway to go and look in the rooms that had been decorated for the children. She'd promised her husband that she would be hiring nannies and she'd called the agency and had gotten names. Now she just had to sit down and make some calls. She had read up on them and made a list of ten so far that she intended to call. Carole sat on one of the lounge chairs in the room that would belong to Brianna and leaned her head back as she looked around. They had taken walks with the children around the neighborhood in the summer but there had been so much that they'd had to restrict their walks to the perimeter of the grounds. She'd started framing photos of the children and putting them in their rooms as well as several placed on the high bookshelves in their rooms. She smiled as she looked at one with the all four of them lying on the floor and looking up at the camera. She'd taken that one herself one afternoon after they had taken their naps. The two girls were bigger than the boys but she had a feeling that they would shoot up in a few years. Brianna and Arianna had black curls that seemed to grow an inch every day but Jordan and Jayden had straighter hair. Walter was right. Even with Sara and her mother the work was still a lot.

  ******

  “I see you have a degree in child psychology,” Carole murmured as she looked at the woman sitting across from her. It was now three days since she had begun the weeding out process and she was on the verge of giving up. Walter had told her with a hint of impatience that she was too picky and he had no intention of getting involved.

  “They are your children too!”

  He had looked at her with an unreadable expression on his handsome face and had responded, “I made several suggestions and you ignored them. I'm done.”

  So it was left up to her.

  “I do and I also spent two years teaching at the kindergarten level,” Lola Higgins was a cheerful-looking woman with flaming red hair and bright green eyes. She was the fifth person being interviewed and Carole felt herself being drawn to her.

  “Why did you stop teaching?”

  “I had to take care of my mother. She passed away a year ago.”

  “I'm sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled and revealed very deep dimples. “I know you want the best person for your children Mrs. Bingham—”

  “Please, call me Carole.”

  “Carole,” she smiled again. “I'm not saying that I am the best there is. I have never worked on an individual basis with a child before but I can assure you that I will not only take care of the child’s physical needs but I am here to instruct as well.”

  “Thank you for that but they're still a little young to be thinking about training the mind,” Carole said with a smile. “I like your enthusiasm.”

  “Does that mean I am hired?”

  “It means I'm thinking about it.” Carole put aside the folder she'd been looking at. “I've read a lot of horror stories of nannies being physically abusive towards the children in their care and I am more than a little afraid. I wanted to be a mother more than anything in the world and I deliberately wanted to be the mother of quadruplets. These children are my life and I want you to know that.”

  “I can imagine,” Lola said quietly. “I'll do my best to live up to what your expectations.”

  “No one can!” Carole said with a laugh. “But you come close.” She got to her feet. “Let’s introduce you to your charge.”

  As they made their way through the maze of rooms, Lola looked around with interest.

  “What a beautiful place,” she breathed.

  “Don’t worry, when I first saw it I was bowled over too.” Carole pushed the door of the playroom open and saw the children sitting around a number of toys and playing with them. Both Cynthia and Sara were sitting in chairs with their eyes on them.

  “Ladies, I would like you to meet Lola Higgins. Lola this is my mom Cynthia and our housekeeper, Sara. I have decided to hire her.”

  Both women got to their feet. “I take care of Brianna,” Cynthia told her with a proprietary air.

  “And Master Jayden belongs to me,” Sara told her.

  “You'll be taking care of Arianna, Lola.” Carole went and scooped her daughter up and took her to the girl.

  “She is so beautiful!” Lola exclaimed. “May I?” she reached for the little girl whose large dark eyes were examining the strange woman.

  “Of course,” Carole handed her the infant and immediately Arianna reached for a lock of the bright red hair.

  “I think she likes you,” Cynthia suggested.

  “It’s the hair.” Lola smiled at the little girl.

  “I'll leave you to get acquainted. I have several more people to see.”

  In the end she hired a stocky African American woman by the name of Maude McKenzie to take care of Jordan. Both women insisted on starting immediately and Carole watched from the doorway of the playroom as they each latched onto the children they were responsible for. To her relief she realized that her mother and Sara were seeing to it that they were comfortable. She had told them that in the morning the first thing they had to do was to move the kids into their own rooms. With a satisfied smile she left them and went to call her husband to let him know that the selection had been completed.

  *****

  “We cannot see each other anymore.” Barbara pulled the robe over her naked body as soon as she climbed off the bed.

  “Why not?” Calvin demanded as he climbed off the bed to stand before her, naked. Barbara stared at his very impressive and versatile penis with regret and wondered if she should reconsider.

  “It’s for the best darling. I have grandchildren to think about and very soon they'll be coming here to spend time with me. I want to make a good example.”

  “What if I only come when it's convenient?” his voice was persuasive as he came towards her. He was very young and innovative and he was wearing her out. She couldn't keep up with him. He'd taken her several times during the night and had woken up that morning with a hard-on that refused to be satisfied. She needed to take a break.

  “Darling, I'm sorry.” She turned away from him and went to look out the window. She had gone to see her grandchildren the other day and realized how big they were growing and how much she was missing out. She had quickly put aside her resentment of her daughter-in-law so that it wouldn't affect her relationship with the children. They were so beautiful! She turned back to him. “I promise that I'll still help you out financially.”

  “But I love you!” he insisted as he grabbed her arms and brought her closer to him. “I can’t stop seeing you.”

  “You need someone your own age and so do I,” she moaned a little as she felt his erection pressing against her.

  He didn't answer but pushed the robe off her and lifting her up he entered her roughly.

  ******

  “I need something to do,” Carole muttered as she put away the monitor. It was almost ten p.m. but she was far from being sleepy. It was a Friday night and she and Walter were planning on going away the next day.

  He looked up from where he was propped up on the pillows. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged off her robe and climbed in next to him. “I don’t want to go back to selling houses—”

  “Out of the question.” He interrupted her.

  She gave him a wry look. “I know baby. Walter Bingham’s wife is not supposed to stoop so low.”

  “I never said that.”

  “You implied it.”

  “What’s the problem Carole?” he asked her impatiently.

  “Now that the children have adjusted to their nannies, I have nothing to do.”

  “Call Leesa or one of the others and I'm sure they'll suggest numerous causes you can become a part of,” he said carelessly.

  “Thanks for your help,” she said sarcastically.

  He put away the document he had been perusing and gave her his full attention. “What do you want me to say?”

  “I want you to make a suggestion. I want you to be my husband and support me in this. I am bored most of the time Walter, and I need to do something.”

  “I made a suggestion but apparently you're not interested. Would you like to come and work for me?”

  “No.” she told him immediately. “I want my own thing.”

  “I'm sure you’ll think of something.” He went back to the document.

  She took it out of his hands and put it on the table next to the bed. “I am not finished.”

  “Obviously you're spoiling for a fight and I am not sure I want to participate. You have money to do anything you put your mind to Carole so I suggest you try and think of something you would like to do. Personally I would prefer it if you didn't work but who am I to say that?” There was an edge to his voice and she knew that he was getting riled.

  “I told myself that I would be content to be a stay-at-home mother and here I am, the children are not quite seven months old and now I'm thinking of moving on to something else. What’s wrong with me?” she asked in frustration.

  His expression softened as he looked at her. “Nothing's wrong with you. You're not used to inactivity and that's the problem.” He pulled her into his arms. “You'll think of something.”

  ******

  “They're getting so big!” Barbara exclaimed as she lifted Arianna into her arms and nuzzled the little girl’s cheek. She was wearing a pink and white sweater with a pink bow in her black curls and she looked bigger than seven months old. Barbara had come by for a visit and found the children along with the four women in the playroom. She was planning on asking Walter and Carole if the children could visit with her on Saturday and stay overnight. But she wasn't sure she could manage all four and she didn't want to break up the four of them.

  “Teething is a problem where they're concerned.” Cynthia said with a smile as she fed Brianna her fruits. “Here you go baby girl. That’s a good girl.”

  “Do you mind if I feed Arianna?” she asked Lola.

 

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