A Friend in Need

Heathen 57

 

 

Chapter 24

 

 

The summer turned unusually hot during the next couple weeks.  Traci and Mandy spent most of the day out by the pool or sitting in the cool of the shade that overlapped the deck.  More often than not, they were clothed only in the smallest bikinis they could find and sometimes, nothing at all.

 

Greg had stepped up his training since being chosen for the National Karate team.  He would get up before the sun had risen and go for a four to five mile run.  Then it was to the gym at the college to train with the coach for a few hours before he came home to join the two ladies.

 

The afternoons when Greg would get home and find his lovers lounging naked would often turn into outdoor lovemaking sessions.  One afternoon, he came home and found Traci on the deck enjoying a book while Mandy was enjoying the coolness of the pool.  He dropped his clothes on the deck and after a kiss and playful fondle of Traci’s luscious body, he joined Mandy in the cool water.

 

Since her morning sickness had passed, Mandy had been feeling very horny.  When Greg came up and kissed her, she returned the kiss with enough passion to let him know that she wanted more than just a little tenderness.

 

Greg reacted immediately and as soon as he was fully hard he started to probe her cleft with the head of his cock.  He soon found a wetness that wasn’t caused by the surrounding water.

 

“Ohhh.  I have been thinking about this all morning.”, Mandy moaned out as Greg started to slide into her.  She had her arms resting on the side of the pool and the buoyancy of the water allowed her lower half to line up with Greg’s cock.  Slowed by the resistance of the water, Greg’s thrusting caused her to start to climb toward her release quickly.  He reached under her body to support her as she started to climax and lose her grip on the side of the pool.

 

The contrast of the cool water on his balls and the heat that Mandy was generating on his cock was building the pressure in Greg as well.  He stared down at the sight of Mandy’s body floating in the water, her breasts breaking the surface as she started to thrash around in her climax became too much for him.  He gave one final thrust into her as his own orgasm washed over him. The feel of his cock pulsating in her tunnel caused Mandy to go over a second time as well.

 

As Greg pulled out of his lover, there were blobs of semen that floated to the surface to gather in the sparse pubic hair around Mandy’s pussy.  He had just enough strength left to move them both into the shallow end of the pool so he could let go of her and collapse onto his knees.  Mandy joined him there and gave him a passionate kiss to thank him for the wonderful sex they had just shared.

 

Traci had been watching from the deck and when they were done called down to them.  “I just might want to try that one tomorrow!”  Then she gave a laugh at the two lovers as she got up to answer the noise of Jenni getting up from her nap.

 

That set a trend where Greg knew if he came home and found them naked, he would find either one or both of them were ‘in the mood’ and he would soon be enjoying some of the best sex he could wish for.  Mandy’s constant state of excitement rubbed off on Traci so they both wanted sex frequently.  When Greg wasn’t home, they would often bring each other off while Jenni was sleeping.

 

The whole fracas with what had happened on their flight to Italy had hopefully died down.  Greg had been interviewed by the local paper a couple of times and then a follow-up on national television.  They had even been asked to return to New York for a spot on one of the daytime talk shows.  Greg had been of the mind to turn that down but Mandy said that she would be able to get some business done with Mr. Arborough while they were there.  After talking it over, they called the person in charge of booking and said they would do the show.

 

Plans were made to be in New York the next week for the taping.  All three of them were to be on the show together and arrangements were made to take Jenni with them.  She could be a handful since she was now walking and talking, but Mandy just couldn’t leave her and be so far away.  Especially not so soon after the abortive attempt by her father to take the child away from her.

 

True to his word, Nick insisted that they fly on one of the corporate jets.  It was waiting on the tarmac when they arrived in the cab.  It was a different pilot than prior trips but the flight was smooth and without any incident.  Even Traci was relaxed enough to enjoy the flight, especially when she had some of the excellent wine that was chilled and waiting.

 

There was one of the corporation’s executives already on board when they came into the cabin.  He explained that he had to go to New York anyway so he just grabbed the opportunity.  He introduced himself as William Hanson and soon after takeoff, they were all chatting like old friends.

 

When Greg asked what Mr. Hanson was flying to New York for, he said that he had a proposal to finalize with the government of a small European country.

 

“Is that the Holland project?” Greg asked.

 

“Well, uh... Yes it is.  How did you know about that one?” was Hanson’s startled reply.

 

“My Grandfather asked for my input on that one.” answered Greg.  “He said the government was hesitant about the cost, but when I pointed out that if the Corporation opted for ten percent of the residual profit for the next twenty-five years, the net profit coming in would be half again as much as what he needed to drop the cost by.”

 

Mr. Hanson’s mouth hung slack for a moment as he listened to Greg.  “You mean you were the one who convinced the old man to try that?  Then you should know that their government agreed.  We all thought that this was one we would have lost, without that idea coming through.  And the projected figures are showing that we will make over twice what the project would have brought in.  I for one am glad that you came up with that idea.  The Old Man didn’t say where it came from.  Nice to meet the brains behind it.”

 

Greg felt proud that one of the things he and his grandfather had talked about had worked out for the corporation.  His grandfather had said he liked the idea, but he had heard nothing more about it.  Imagine, one of his ideas really put into play and was going to be worth millions, if not billions by the time it was done!  That made him feel really good.

 

When they landed, Mr. Hanson shook everyone’s hand before he departed.  “If you have any more good ideas like that, be sure to let Nicholas or even me know.”  He handed Greg his business card.  Greg promised to do just that but inside, he knew that he wasn’t in the inner circle of the business unless he happened to be at the villa.

 

The show had a limo waiting for them on the tarmac.  The driver jokingly told them that this was the first time he had been instructed to await a guest at the private jet area.  It sure saved him time standing in the main terminal holding up a sign and waiting for the people to come out.

 

He took them to the Regency where the show had a room reserved for them.  Actually, there were two rooms that were adjoining.  Whoever had made the arrangements must not have known that Traci was part of Mandy and Greg’s bed.  They didn’t say anything to anyone but set it up to have Jenni sleep in the bed that was supposed to be Traci’s.  She was used to having her own room and this made it work out well.

 

After showering and changing, they all went down for a late dinner in the dining room at the hotel.  None of them were interested in going out for the evening.  The trip had tired them out with the exception of Jenni who had slept through most of the flight.

 

Back up in the rooms, they watched a little television while Jenni ran between ‘her’ room and the room her parents were in.  It took a little while but she finally tired out and they got her and then themselves to bed.  They were too tired to break in the new bed but instead fell asleep with Traci in the middle.

 

They were awakened by a bright-eyed Jenni who had come bounding in and pulling on her mother’s arm, wanting to watch the morning cartoons.  She had a favorite character on a PBS show that she watched every chance she got.  At home, she knew how to turn the set on and Mandy always made sure to leave it on the right channel for her.  This morning however, she didn’t know where the remote was.

 

Mandy slid out of bed and took her back to her room and got the television all set up just like it was at home.  Then, she came back in and snuggled back up against Traci planning to sleep until the alarm went off and they would have to start getting ready for the taping.

 

When she awoke the second time, it was to turn off the alarm.  She could hear the television through the open door to the next room, so she rolled over and gently shook Traci awake.  As soon as she was sure that Traci was coming around and working on waking Greg, she went to the phone and ordered some coffee and Danish from Room Service.  Then, she headed to the shower.

 

Traci wasn’t having much luck getting Greg awake, so she decided a morning blowjob might do the trick.  She could tell from how hard he was already that he must have been having some good dreams.  After listening to know how much longer Jenni would be engrossed in watching the television, she slid under the covers.  Greg was now on his back and his legs slightly spread.  Traci started by letting her long red hair tickle the fine hairs on his scrotum.  When that brought a moan from her lover, she advanced her attack by running her tongue up along the underside and caressing the glans.  As he started to come around, she lifted his cock with her fingers and covered the head with her mouth.  She started bobbing her head and sucking, while she ran her tongue all along the flesh.

 

“Wha...” mumbled Greg as he raised the covers to see the top of his lover’s head as she took his cock into her mouth until it was at the edge of her throat.  He whispered to her that he was about to come, so she slid him out until just the head of his cock was encased in her warm, wet mouth.  When she ran her tongue around the head, he couldn’t hold back any longer and shot into her waiting mouth.  He could feel her swallow as he continued to pump his semen.  When he was finally done, she pulled off of his softening member making a loud ‘pop’ as he finally came loose.

 

“Good Morning!”  She smiled at him showing the remains of his seed on her lips.

 

“And what a way to get woke up”, he replied as he returned the smile.  She stretched up and gave him a kiss.  He could taste the remains of himself on her lips, but since that always turned her on for him to kiss her after, he didn’t really mind.

 

There was a knock on the door and Traci slipped on a short robe to go answer it.  The young man pushed a cart into the room and almost dropped his teeth when he saw Traci.  When she went to get a tip from her purse, she bent over and the poor guy almost passed out when the robe rose up to show the bottom of her buttocks.  When she turned to hand the money to him he was totally red in the face and when she stole a glance down she saw a large bulge in the front of his dress pants.  She just smiled, and told him to have a nice day.

 

“It already is.” was the young man’s reply.

 

Greg had been watching the show from the bed, started laughing as soon as the door was shut.  “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?  You are quite the exhibitionist.”

 

“It wasn’t intentional to begin with.  I just didn’t think about it.  But after what we had just done, I guess I had been feeling a little frisky, and when I heard him gasp at my legs, I decided to give him something to think about for the rest of the day.”

 

Mandy was just coming out of the shower when she heard them both laughing.  After they told her what it was all about, she joined in.  “If it is the same guy tomorrow, I’ll give him a show too.  Then by the last morning, those guys will be fighting to get to be the one delivering here.”

 

Traci was next for the shower while Greg had a cup of coffee.  He told Mandy about the way Traci had woke him up and she promised to make sure she had the chance the next morning.  “Better yet, why don’t you wake her up that way tomorrow?  I’ll make sure you are the second one awake and you can return the favor.”

 

Then it was Greg’s turn to get ready.  Mandy fed Jenni and gave her a quick bath before she put her in a nice dress that they had bought for this occasion.  They were waiting when the front desk call up that their limo was waiting.

 

At the studio, they were taken in and given a quick tour of the set, taken to makeup and then to the Green Room.  The stars of the show came in and met with them to see how they were doing under the pressure.  An assistant came in with the releases for them all to sign.  Jenni would be in the care of one of the assistants just off the set but Mandy went ahead and signed a release for her as well in case she happened to be wanted on the set.  Then, it was time to wait.

 

The show’s format was four women who were just supposed to be talking around a table or in a couch setting.  They would all discuss the events of the day or something that interested them for the first segment.  Greg and his family were to be on the next segment.

 

As the director cut for a commercial, Greg and the others were brought out and set on the large couch.  He was put in the middle with Mandy on his right and Traci on the left.  The hosts, Jane, Martha, Max, and Stacy came over and took their seats, two on each side of them.

 

When the cue came, the camera was on Jane, who would open the segment.  “A few weeks back, there was an attempted hijacking of an airliner that was foiled by the courage of three men.  All three have stated in the press that they felt they didn’t do anything especially heroic, but the rest of the country disagreed with them.  Here is a little clip of one of the men.”  On the monitors, the trio saw Greg telling the press that he didn’t think about what he was doing, it was just instinct that caused him to take the man down.  The clip finished and Jane continued.  “We have that man here with us today as well as his family.  Please make welcome Mr. Greg Tolkin and his fiancé’ Mandy Carson, along with their housemate who was with them on the trip, Traci Broomfield.”

 

The second camera focused on the trio while the applause died down.  Jane started the interview.  “So you really didn’t think you did something terribly dangerous or courageous at the time?”

 

“No I didn’t, not at the time.  I have been training in martial arts for years and when that guy pointed a gun at me, I just reacted.  My training and instinct took over before my mind even thought of what I was doing.”

 

“But now, do you feel like you did something special?”

 

“Not really, Jane.  I think the other two did more, because they made the conscious decision to react to the threat.  They had time to think about it and still took the chance to save the others.”

 

Maxine asked the next question.  “What has it been like with all the publicity surrounding this?  Has it interfered with your life?”

 

“It has been a little rough at times but the press on the whole has been pretty good about leaving us alone.  I probably wouldn’t have got the press I have except for the two beautiful women who were with me.”  This caused some laughter and applause from the audience.

 

“This is directed to the two beautiful women you are talking about,” said Martha.  “How do you feel about what Greg did?  What did you think at the time?”

 

Mandy answered first.  “I really didn’t have a chance to know what was going on.  I knew Greg was up at the front of the cabin, but then I heard some guy start to yell at the flight attendant.  I looked around in time to see he had a gun and Greg come up behind him.  The guy pointed the gun at Greg and he took it away before I knew what had happened.  Then we heard the gunshots from the other cabin and all hell broke loose.  All I could think about was getting the oxygen mask over my daughter’s head.  Greg pushed one over my face so our baby I’m carrying wouldn’t be without.  We shared that mask until the attendant shoved him into the seat across the aisle.”

 

Traci chimed in then.  “I had been asleep when it started.  By the time I was aware, things were already happening.  I can just remember somebody yelling, then screaming, a couple of loud ‘booms’ and then the plane dropping down.  But after it was all over, I was a little upset that Greg had been in danger, but very proud of him protecting his family.”

 

It was Stacy’s turn then.  “Did I just hear you say that you and Greg are going to have a baby?”

 

Mandy grinned very wide.  “Yes we are.  I am just a few months along, but everything is going just like it should.”

 

“Well Congratulations.  Any plans on pushing up your marriage?”

 

“We haven’t talked about it yet.  We will if Mandy wants to do it sooner than we had planned.” was Greg’s answer.

 

Then Stacy asked, “We met your daughter, Mandy, before the show.  Is she Greg’s as well?”

 

“Not officially, at least not yet.  Jenni was conceived when I was raped.  My family threw me out and Greg took me in.  He has been with me every step of the way.  He is the only father that Jenni has ever known.  Her biological father gave up all rights when he tried to get out of paying support.  When we are married, Greg is going to adopt her legally.”

 

Maxine gave the next question and it was for Traci.  “Traci, how was it you were on the flight?  Were you going along on the trip with them?”

 

Traci wasn’t sure how to answer, but Greg spoke up for her.  “Traci is not just a housemate.  She is part of our family.  She feels like Jenni is part hers and she loves us as much as we do her.”

 

Traci found her voice.  “When I met these two, they accepted me for me.  I was very lonely at college.  Guys were always either afraid me because of my looks or they were just after one thing.  When I met Greg, he treated me like a whole person.  He never made an off-color remark or anything like that.  He still treats me the same way.  He sees me for me.”

 

“Are you ‘committed’ to the relationship, then?”

 

Sensing what Maxine was getting at, Mandy spoke up.  “Traci dates when she wants, we told her a long time ago that we want her to stay with us as long as she wants to.”

 

“But I haven’t found anyone who treats me as well as these two do.” was Traci’s addition.

 

Jane was a little uncomfortable with the way the interview was going.  “Mandy, what are your plans for the rest of your stay?”

 

“I really need to do a little business while I am here.  I have to meet with the gallery owner that handles my work here this afternoon.”

 

Jane turned to the audience.  “What many of you may not know is that Mandy here is an acclaimed, up and coming artist.  I have one of your sketches and I was wandering if you would sign it for me?”

 

“I would be happy to.” Mandy said to the applause of the audience.

 

Jane ended the segment by talking to all three.  “We want to thank all three of you for coming out to talk with us.”  The assistant who was holding Jenni set her down so she could run over to Mandy.  This brought comments from the audience on how sweet she looked.  Maxine waved to Jenni who gave her biggest grin and waved back.  The segment went to commercial with a close-up on Jenni’s beaming face as Mandy held her on her lap.

 

After the show was over, the stars came back into the green room to congratulate them all on how well their part of the show had gone.  Jane also brought the sketch from her office for Mandy to sign.  Once that was taken care of, everyone just chatted. 

 

Maxine was still curious about their relationship though.  “Since this is off the record, I am really curious to know: Are you three lovers?”

 

Mandy was the one who answered.  “Yes we are.  It isn’t something that we are ashamed of, but we just feel like that part of our life is private, so we wouldn’t say anything about it on the air.  But we all three are in love with each other.  Traci does date once in a while, but she just seems never to find the right match.  And like we said, she is welcome to stay with us as long as she wants.”

 

“And that is getting to where I am thinking more and more it will be a permanent thing.” Traci put in.

 

Max was gracious about it.  “It would probably never work for me, but you three seem to be very much in love.  If it is what you want, more power to you.”

 

With that, they left the studio and the limo returned them to the hotel where they would enjoy another two days at the expense of the show.

 

Mandy’s meeting with Mr. Arborough went well.  She signed many of the prints they had in stock and set up a contract for a new series that she was doing.  Mr. Harrington back home would handle the final details and of course, get a cut of the profits.

 

The next morning, Greg fulfilled his promise to wake Traci up in the same manner she had used on him the day before.  He gently slid the covers off of her and slowly positioned her legs without waking her.  Since Jenni was still asleep, Mandy decided to help him along so while he started to lick her upper thighs, she started to lick and nibble on the other woman’s breasts.  Traci started stirring and was coming awake about the time that Greg started to run his tongue up her slit and then around her clit.

 

Traci gave out a low groan and put a hand on both her lovers’ heads.  She was starting to become very moist from Greg’s talented tongue, so he slipped two fingers deep inside and curled them to find her G-spot.  He started pushing up firmly against it while pushing down against the base of her clit with his tongue.  Between the work Greg was doing on her lower body and the caresses and licks from Mandy on her upper torso, there was no way that Traci could hold off her orgasm.  When Greg gently sucked her clit into his mouth, she felt the rush starting.  She grabbed Mandy’s face with both hands and pulled her down for a very passionate kiss just as she went over.  Mandy continued to kiss her best friend while not neglecting her breasts.  Greg felt the tightening of her tunnel around his fingers, and continued to work furiously on her as her orgasm progressed.

 

When she finally came down from the experience, Traci was like a limp rag.  Mandy straddled her body, giving Greg a good look at her own sexual center.  Taking her cue, he lined up his cock and slid into her in one long stroke.  Both were very excited from what they had accomplished with Traci, so they were not into being gentle this time.  Greg was thrusting rapidly into his lover while she was matching his strokes by pushing back against him in rhythm.

 

They didn’t last long.  Greg came first with Mandy close behind.  As she collapsed from her orgasm, Mandy moved forward until Greg’s cock slid out and then turned to fall beside Traci who was starting to recover.

 

“That had to be the best wake up ever,” Traci said in a low voice.  “I don’t think I could stand it every day though.  I’d never be able to get out of bed.”

 

The other two laughingly agreed with her.  Greg was closest to the phone so he called down to room service for the same order as yesterday.  This time, Mandy planned ahead and quickly put her purse up on a shelf.

 

The same young man brought the tray in and from the bulge in his pants, he was hoping for a display from Traci once again.  However, he certainly wasn’t disappointed when Mandy walked out in the same short robe to greet him.  It hung a little lower on Mandy but not enough to make a difference.  The guy’s eyes were glued to her backside where the robe was just past the curve of her buttocks as she turned around and stretched up to reach her strategically placed purse to get him a tip.  As she stretched, the lower half of her ass came into view and the muscles in her abdomen tightened.  That forced her vagina to contract and some of Greg’s seed came out to land on her upper thigh.

 

The poor waiter gave a groan, and when Mandy turned to hand him the money she noticed that there was a wet spot growing on the front of his pants.  She smiled at him and gave a very sweet ‘thank you’..  He took the tip and still very red in the face, he practically ran out the door.

 

All three were laughing by the time that Mandy finished telling the tale.  They had started eating, when Jenni came out from ‘her’ room looking all sleepy.  She crawled up on the first available lap and shared sips of orange juice and toast from Traci.  Then, they took turns in the shower and started to get ready to leave.

 

Even though they had another night’s lodging paid for, there was going to be a company jet at the airport that afternoon and they didn’t want to waste the ride.  After getting packed, they strolled down the street and window-shopped.  Traci bought several of the gossip rags from one of the newsvendors.  When Greg asked about it, she said that she thought it would be fun to laugh at all the ridiculous articles that were in them.  Mandy went into a shop where she bought a very cute rabbit for Jenni who latched onto it so quickly that they almost couldn’t scan the price tag.  She named it “Abbit” and then tried to show it to anyone who happened to look her way on the street.

 

Mid-afternoon, the doorman hailed them a cab and they headed to the airport.  It took some convincing to get the driver to take them to the private terminal but they were there before the plane was ready.  The pilot was going over the checklist and the fuel truck was still connected when they boarded with their luggage.  That gave them time to sit back and get comfortable before the flight began.  The cabin had just been cleaned and the bar restocked so Greg poured them all a glass of wine.

 

The pilot asked them to hold on to their glasses as he started down the runway for takeoff.  They were soon in the air and once again able to move around.  Mandy had a book on the famous Masters in the art world that she was looking through.  Greg was watching a video with Jenni who would laugh and clap at the antics of the cartoon characters and Traci had her gossip magazines.

 

Suddenly, the others heard Traci gasp and then mumble, “Oh my God!”

 

Mandy was first to come over to her and after a second or two put her hand over her mouth with her eyes very wide.  Greg set Jenni into the seat next to him and came over to Traci to see what the problem was.

 

Inside the Weekly Tattler was a spread of pictures that someone had taken of Mandy and Traci sunbathing at their house naked.  The headline read: “The NAKED truth about the Hero of Flight 742”.  Below that the article went on to say that Greg lived in a house with two women and was reported to be intimate with both, that they held orgies in the house and that Greg had a whole troop of coeds that catered to his every sexual need.

 

But the pictures were the worst part.  They had caught Mandy and Traci relaxing naked on the deck holding hands, Greg kissing them both and still others of them in the pool. He was furious!  He had never wanted this damned ‘hero’ crap.  Now the people he loved the most were the unwilling victims of some perverted reporter just getting his kicks.

 

“How could they print such things about us!?”  Mandy was almost in tears about it.  Greg reached over to pull her closer to him as he reached out to Traci to complete the hug.

 

“I am so sorry you two got caught up in this,” Greg told them both.  “It’s my fault because I stopped that guy.”

 

Traci shot him an angry look.  “You have no reason to be sorry.  You did what you had to do.  It isn’t your fault that these perverts are taking pictures of us.  Besides, my body as well as yours is hanging in some very swanky homes.  If I was that worried about it, I wouldn’t have posed in the buff for Mandy to paint me.  What pisses me off about this is that they didn’t even ask for permission.  That was invading our privacy.  Hell, we could have posed for them and they could have got better shots than they did.  And we don’t even get a cut of the profits.”

 

Her irritation over them taking pictures without asking brought the other two around.  They started then to talk about it more than just being shocked.

 

One thing that Greg noticed was that they were all shots from a road about a quarter mile away, so none of their neighbors were involved.  That made them feel better.  The supposed ‘unnamed source’ was something else that Greg planned to find out about as soon as they got home.

 

“Look, guys.  What’s done is done.  What we are going to have to do is decide how we are going to handle any repercussions that come from this.”  Traci was once again being the one who understood things.  “Do we want to just hope it all blows over or do we even want to acknowledge these damned pictures and the article at all?  I mean that it is already known that we are lovers, but I can’t see that this will be anybody’s business but our own”  She gave a digusted snort.  “As far as I am concerned, they can all speculate until they are blue in the face.  We know how we feel about one another and if they can’t handle that, then it’s their problem, not ours.”  Greg was surprised at her, not so much the vehemence that  she stated her opinion, but the certainty that she showed to becoming completely committed to their three-way lifestyle.

 

Mandy preferred they hunt the photographer down and perform a slow and painful castration.  That comment further broke the tension.  Greg had been thinking about what Traci had said and after he had started a new video for Jenni, he came back to his lovers.

 

“In my experience, trying to lie your way out of a situation usually doesn’t work.”  The other two nodded their heads in agreement.  “What I think is that we try and ignore it as much as we can, and then if the situation gets worse, then break their lies with the truth.  The only problem with that is that you two may end up getting some crap and it puts Traci here in the situation of not having too many dates.”

 

Traci grinned at him.  “If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t dated much anyway.  I have pretty well decided that I am always the happiest when I am with you two.  So I guess as long as you want me, I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Mandy had been worried that her friend had been torn about their arrangements gave Traci a big smile.  “You will always have a place with us.  You know that I don’t mind sharing Greg with you as well as my own body and heart.”

 

Traci gave her a kiss.  Then she turned to Greg.  “I still want to know about the harem of Coeds that the paper talked about.”

 

Greg answered by putting his arms around the shoulders of both women.  “I believe that I have all I could ever want with you two.”  The women accepted his answer by giving him a kiss that showed that they felt the same.

 

They had a couple of days of rest before any more was said.  Some of their college friends called to tell them that the paper was being passed around the campus.  Since it was still the summer sessions, the population of the college wasn’t what it normally was, but it was enough to cause some interest.  The girls were spared most of the comments since they had taken the summer off.  Greg, however, caught a ribbing from the martial arts team, and looks, as he would go across campus going home.

 

It wasn’t until the next week’s edition came out that things started to come to a head.  There were a few more pictures taken at the same time as the others, and another article that accused both girls of running a club where coeds were paired with rich men so they could have a sugar daddy while still going to school.  There were other things that were said, but those were also fabricated.

 

Greg’s grandfather called a couple of days later to talk about another idea that Greg had worked on in Italy..  When Mandy answered the phone, she told him what had been happening.

 

“That is really horrible, sweety.  Those rags are just picking on you guys because you ladies are so sexy.  I know someone who is in that business, a rival to that bunch of bottom feeders.  Let me see what I can do.”

 

Greg then took the receiver and talked to his grandfather.  Nick told him just what he had told Mandy, and to expect a call from his publisher friend.  They concluded their business, and Greg hung up the phone before he turned to his lovers.  “Nick says he will get these fools off of our back.  When his friend’s paper calls we should tell them what all we feel we can.  They are going to want to bring down the Tattler by publishing an exclusive interview with us.  We need to hurry and figure out just what we want to say.”

 

Between the time that Nick let them know what he was going to do, and the time the reporter called for an interview, they had decided to settle on telling the truth and not to hide anything.  They felt that their relationship was, while not the norm, was nothing to be ashamed about. They were adults and their decisions were not up for public vote.  Even so, they were not going to bring up their personal lives unless needed.

 

Zach Thomas from Time/Warner called and set up the appointment for Monday.  The weekend was spent cleaning up the house and planning what needed to be said.  Mandy was still the most nervous, but Traci had taken on a much more militant attitude.  She didn’t give a damn what people said about her, but she was still pretty upset about the way her lovers were being portrayed.

 

Mr. Thomas, (call me Zach) arrived with a photographer and a tape recorder.  Highly professional, he started by giving his credentials as a war correspondent, and features reporter for the last ten years.

 

“If there is anything, any subject, that you feel you don’t want to talk about, we will try and stay away from it.  If I press on a subject, I want you to know that I feel that it will really be important to the story, and we can negotiate.  Now you all ready to get started?”

 

What followed was about four hours of constant questioning with answers from all of them.  Then the photographer got pictures of them together on the couch, a few of the interior of the house, and still more of them individually.  He laughed when Mandy said that with all those pictures, he would have enough to fill a book.  “We will probably only use three or four, but this gives us plenty to choose from.”

 

A week later they received an advance copy from Zach.  What surprised them was that they were featured on the cover of a major news magazine.  A picture of all three of them sitting together looking serious with a caption below saying “How Low is Too Low for the Media?”  Zach had expanded the report to include stories about the runaway bride, the coverage of celebrities and the problems of paparazzi.

 

Greg read to the others the excerpts of their part of the article:

 

When is enough is enough?  This family, who, while not the typical couple with 2.1 children and 2.3 pets, are normal enough not to warrant undue and unwanted attention.  But that is what they are getting.

 

Greg Tolkin was thrust into the public eye when he helped to foil a hijacking of a TWS airliner.  He has said in the past that he just reacted to danger and he doesn’t consider himself a hero of any sort.  But because of that incident that saved the lives of his two hundred fellow passengers, he and his family have been harassed by the dregs of the publishing industry who when they don’t have any facts, they make them up.

 

“They claimed that we were having orgies at our house and that I had coeds doing my sexual bidding.  All of that is patently false and hurtful.”  Mr. Tolkin told us during the interview.  “The pictures that they printed were an invasion of privacy and hurt all of us terribly.”

 

In fact, this reporter found that the three of them all were very normal in their activities.  They all attend the university in their town; they are involved in community activities, and spend what little free time they have taking care of Amanda’s daughter.  Even the child is very typical, watching cartoons and playing with the toys any two-year old would be doing.  There are no sex rings, no naked romps in the pool, and no signs of orgies.  The only coeds that came over were there to ask for help on schoolwork or to just hang out as friends.

 

It is a terrible tribute to the state of journalism when a nice, quiet family such as this one is harassed and persecuted by the gossip rags for no other reason than the titillation of their readers.  Common sense is missing from all forms of our media today and this is just a shinning example of the depths of depravity that we have allowed to happen.

 

There were 6 pages worth and much more about them.  In all it was a condemnation of the gossip media at large.  Greg called his grandfather to thank him for the influence that he had used to get the ball rolling on this.

 

“Just remember Greg that it is to you and your company’s advantage to maintain a relationship with people in high places.  I didn’t pressure the publisher to do that article, rather I told him about the problems you were having and suggested that it might possibly be a good subject for one of his magazines to explore.  It was really his idea; all I did was to plant the seed. 

 

“Develop contacts in all industries and use them sparingly and wisely.  I have given these guys breaks on stories about my business workings in other countries and have helped them to get information that they wouldn’t have on their own.  We sort of work together for each other’s advantage.”

 

This made a lot of sense to Greg.  Lately he had been wondering just what he was going to do as a career.  After he had been helping his grandfather for a while, he had about decided that working for his corporation might just be the way to go.

 

When the time came to finalize his classes for the next few semesters, he was going to declare a major in international business relations with a minor in world politics.  He would also take classes to work for an MBA.  He discussed this change with his lovers and found that they weren’t really surprised.  “You have been headed that way since we went to Italy for the Holidays.” was Mandy’s response.  “Nick asked if you might be interested, but I told him you would make up your own mind.”

 

“Well, I can’t think of another career where I would be better suited.  And with today’s communications we can live wherever we want.  Traci can still teach if she wishes, and your art can be done from anywhere you can find inspiration.  And I really don’t have to go full time for them.  I can be a consultant and still be involved in what I want.”

 

Nick understood Greg’s desire for maintaining independence, even though he would rather have him as an employee rather than just under contract as a consultant.  But all that was in the future.  For now they all had to worry about surviving the next year of college and Mandy’s pregnancy.  With her libido in high gear, Greg was worried about keeping up with her desires.

 

Then came the first ever Gay Pride Day and the return of Nicholas Wilson.  This time he was expanding beyond Operation Rescue and was about to involve the trio.

 

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