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Message-ID: <40607asstr$1043644205@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "MikeC" <MikeC@NoSpam.nspace.net>
Subject: {ASSM} (new) Kelly14 (A JamesWorld story from NightHawk)
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:10:05 -0500
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
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January 26, 2003

Kelly
A (not so) short story by Night Hawk
(NH@nighthawk.sytes.net)
Archived at <http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MikeC/James>

Inspired by Mike C, based on characters in his novel: "James"
Characters and situations copyright by Mike C, 2002-2003



Chapter 14


Vanetta heard the phone ringing.

"Oh no," she thought to herself, "Not now Kelly!"

"Shouldn't you answer that?" asked Bobby lifting his head from her damp
curls.

"Damn it Robert!" she said swinging her leg over his head.  "I was so
close!"

Still nude she padded across the office floor, reached across her desk and
picked up the private line.  "Yes Kelly?" she asked.

Kelly laughed on the other end of the line.  "Did I call at a bad time?"

"More than you'll ever know," said Vanetta starting to smile.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Because Todd never calls on this line," Vanetta said, "and I don't think
Laura knows this number yet."

"I'm sorry about that," said Kelly, "I'll let you go back and try to finish
what you started.  I just wanted to let you know that we'll be back before
noon tomorrow."

"Okay," said Vanetta.  "I'm sure that Bobby won't mind starting over.  By
the way, that special shipment you were expecting arrived Friday afternoon."

"Great!" said Kelly, "say hi to Robert for me, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Vanetta laughed.  "Right!  Let him know that you know he's here.  I doubt
it!"

"Have a good night Vanetta," said Kelly warmly.

Vanetta hung up the phone and walked back to the studio couch.  She had
turned on lights in Todd's apartment earlier to give the appearance he was
home, but downstairs in the studio, a dozen coconut-scented candles provided
the only light.

A large cream-colored satin sheet covered the couch where she and her
boyfriend had been making out.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Robert Payne had been her boyfriend for nearly a year.  She had met him two
years ago at the university when he was a TA for one of her business
courses.  He had shown an interest in her from the start, but Vanetta had
been leery of his attentions.  During her few years in North Carolina, she
had twice dated white boys only to find their interests no deeper than the
allure of her coffee colored skin.  It brought back disturbing memories of
the rich men who visited Jamaica to rent the young dark girls.

Her mother had warned her about dating outside of the still visible color
bar, but for some reason that bar had never excluded Todd and Kelly.  It was
through Kelly's help that her mother had managed to secure landed immigrant
status, allow Vanetta and Delton to follow shortly afterwards.  With the
help of Todd, Vanetta had been accepted to UNC and Delton had been able to
start his own business.

Todd and Kelly, what a combination.  Not once in all the time she had known
them or worked for them had she felt or seen any signs of being different.
Todd had never once suggested anything sexual towards her, though she knew
she was not unattractive.  Actually, Vanetta was very attractive, but Todd
treated her more like a sister than an employee or even a co-worker, and
Kelly had always been just like a sister to Vanetta.

Vanetta remembered fondly the "family" trip Todd and Kelly had taken them
all on to visit "The Home of the Rat," the first year they had been in
Charlotte.  Before Vanetta had taken on such a heavy course load at UNC, she
had gone with Kelly on trips to Canada, New York and even California.

Perhaps it was the fact that Robert reminded her of Todd that, after a year
of excuses, she finally accepted a date with him.  Robert had picked her up
at the door of her mother's house and taken her to a movie followed by a
pizza.  He had been fun to talk to and after the date officially ended, he
had walked her back to her door and hesitantly placed a small kiss on her
cheek.

Vanetta couldn't understand why Robert had persisted in asking her out when
he could have his choice of women.  Two years older, he was over six feet
tall and weighed in at all of 145 pounds.  He had thick dark hair, which he
kept fashionably short, and a neatly trimmed beard.  Like her, he was an
honor student bent on doing his best, and had a thirst for knowledge.  He
was in his final year at the University and planned on teaching high school
business after he graduated, but for the time being worked part time for a
realty firm.

They had dated all of six times over a two-month period of time, and he had
never tried to go further than the kiss on the cheek at the end of each
date.  After the third month he had brought her home to meet his parents for
a holiday meal.  His mother was a teacher and his father an editor for the
North Carolina Nation.  After a few more visits with his parents and seeing
no sign of being anything other than a girl whom their son was seriously
pursuing, Vanetta eased her guard.

Vanetta had expressed her concerns to Kelly who had really listened.  Kelly
had said, "You can't love if you're afraid of being hurt."  Two weeks later
after another movie, Vanetta had slid closer to Robert and instead of a
pizza they had gone parking.  He gave and received a lot more than a kiss on
the cheek that night and afterwards they had both laughed about how they
were acting like teenagers necking in a car.

Though it was obvious both intended and hoped to take their physical
relationship farther, they had still taken their time.  Robert was fun to be
with and the two of them spent many hours just talking and laughing.

In the month that followed their first serious necking session, Robert had
moved slowly and carefully.  His first foray had been to slip his hand on to
her hard and flat stomach stroking it slowly and had lovingly played with
her belly button which had given her the giggles.  On their next date he
dared to venture his hand up farther and had cupped her breast in his hand
over top of her bra.  Vanetta had taken the initiative that night and undid
her bra to give him free access to her 36 C cup breasts.  Her nipples had
been the size of hard pencil erasers and puckered with desire.  She had
gently pressed on his head letting him know she wanted them suckled.

Things had heated up from that point, and they started to date weekly
sometimes skipping the movie all together.  As each date progressed, Vanetta
had allowed Robert to go farther and the night he finally slipped his hand
inside of her jeans and panties it took very little manual stimulation from
him to bring her to a climax.  That was the night she first undid his jeans
and let his rock hard cock spring forth to her gaze.  It looked so needy,
all pink and with a ruby red head that she took it in her hand and gently
stroked it.  She was not prepared for how quickly he ejaculated or how
strongly.  Some landed on her blouse and some on his shirt, before she tried
to stop the flow by placing her palm over the top of it feeling more spurts
hitting her hand.  As he slowly breathed back to a semblance of
consciousness he started to apologize, but she hushed him with a kiss.  She
looked at her dark hand holding his baby pink cock and laughed at the cum
seeping out over and through her fingers.  Cream to go with her coffee
colored skin.

Robert had confessed that night to Vanetta that she was the first girl to
ever have seen or touched his penis.  "I had once promised myself I would be
a virgin on my wedding night Netta."

She had smiled at him.  "I understand Bobby.  You're the first man who has
ever touched my boobs much less down there!  I wasn't saving it for
marriage, but I promised myself that my first time would be with someone who
loved me and who I loved."

"And I do love you Netta," he had said.

They continued the weekly visits to their private lovers lane for another
month, necking and petting, masturbating each other to the point of climax.
They were comfortable with each other at this point in their sexual
discovery, and often had multiple climaxes in an evening. The time in
between was spent snuggling and hugging and making sweet love talk.

While they had both been total virgins, they were not culturally isolated
and knew what the next step would be.  Nearly nine months after their first
date, Robert asked if she would consider spending the night with him at a
Holiday Inn.

The virginity she had protected for so long she surrendered to Bobby that
night.  It had been special night for both of them.  He had taken her out to
a fancy restaurant and then gone dancing at a club they both favored.
Shortly before midnight they checked into the room he had reserved for them.

Standing inside the doorway they kissed for a long time, neither of them
wanting to rush the moment.  Robert slowly undid her top kissing every inch
of exposed skin as it came into view.  He helped her out of her shoes and
nylons leaving her clad in just her black bra and panties.  Vanetta pressed
him back towards the bed undoing his shirt buttons and then his pants,
throwing both to the side as he stepped out of his shoes.  She had pressed
him back on the bed and pulled his socks off, and then reached forward to
pull his shorts off.  He actually blushed.

"You're going to blush now?" she had asked in surprise.  "I've seen him in
all his glory and he sure is in his glory right now!" she said as she looked
at his obvious excitement.

Vanetta sat down next to him on the bed and after a few more deep soul
kisses she moved back and gently nibbled her way down his chest.  "I know
guys are supposed to really like this," she had said as she raised her head
over his throbbing cock, "but while I have an understanding of what I'm
supposed to do, you'll have to let me know if I'm doing this right."  With
that she lowered her lips to his cock which twitched wildly in response.

"Oh God Netta," he moaned.  "This is my first and I don't know what it's
supposed to feel like but whatever you're doing, it feels so good!"

Vanetta had heard enough talk from the girls in her classes to know she
should wet her lips and suck and slide on his shaft and swirl her tongue
around the head.  All this she did to please him.

"Oh Jesus Netta... I can't hold back," and no sooner were the words out of
his mouth when he shot off into her mouth.

The first splash of his thick hot cum nearly gagged her but as she
instinctively swallowed she found that aside from tasting a bit salty, she
didn't mind it at all and continued to suck on his cock until it softened in
her mouth.

Bobby clasped her to him and kissed her deeply mumbling over and over how
much he adored her and would do anything for her.  They laid together for a
while letting Bobby get his bearings back and then he undid her bra and slid
off her panties looking at her nude for the first time ever with the lights
on.  He was transfixed on the darkness of her nipples on her skin and they
were puckered with desire.  Her crinkly pubic hair fascinated him as well as
he kissed his way from her firm breasts to her navel until he changed
position and was facing her vagina for the first time ever.  Gingerly he
brushed at her pubic hair and gently spread the wet lips that lay beneath.
He could smell her musky arousal and it just fired him up even more.
Determined that he would give her the same pleasure she had given him, he
slowly moved his face and more importantly his tongue down to where he knew
she liked to be touched by his fingers.

His first lick across her clit nearly drove her off the bed!  It was so much
better than his fingers.  And then he did it again and again!
Vanetta was bucking her hips off the bed to meet the flat of his tongue as
he slid it from her vagina across her clit in steady long strokes, until
finally she could take it no more and grabbing his head ground her pelvis
against him until she saw fireworks!

All this served to do was to bring back his erection with an even more blood
engorged tip and seeing this Vanetta pulled him on top of her and said, "Do
it now Bobby, take the last of my virginity away while I'm so hot and wet.
Just tell me you really love me first."

With his cock just nestled in her cunt, Bobby said, "I love you Vanetta,"
and then in a single stroke bore down and they both felt her hymen snap.  It
hurt for just a minute but the pain was soon replaced by pleasure as Bobby
pumped long and deep into her.  Having cum earlier from her oral attention,
Bobby's next climax was slow in building but for Vanetta, her first from his
tongue had only heightened her arousal and as the pain ebbed away, she
slammed back into him on each stroke matching his lust and love.  She felt
herself building to another climax and grasped his head kissing it all over.
As she crossed the threshold once more she slipped her tongue into his ear
and discovered it made his cock swell up inside her and increased the
raggedness of his breathing.  She continued to slide her tongue in and
around his ear while whispering how good it felt to be a woman now and how
good he made her feel until his pumping became erratic and he soon shot his
seed deep inside of her as she ground back against him reaching yet another
climax.

They lay panting on the bed afterwards.  Vanetta had her legs wrapped around
his butt still pulling him into her, and they remained that way making sweet
talk until his cock softened to the point where it slipped out.

Thinking quickly, Bobby pulled a handful of tissues out of the box at the
side of the bed to mop up and absorb what was flowing out of Vanetta.  His
touch on her clit made her jump.

They made love twice more that night before they were both too exhausted to
try any more and went to sleep cuddled against each other.

That night had confirmed their true feelings for each other and they dated
as frequently as possible.  While making love was not always possible, they
did it every opportunity they had.  They sat in the library at the
university, sitting on the floor in the back rows looking at sex guides and
manuals, making mental notes of what they wanted to try next.  They still
went to the movies and had their pizza nights, but money was not in
abundance for either of them and it had been Vanetta who had suggested Bobby
come by the studio on those nights when Todd and Kelly were out of town.
While he left at an appropriate hour, Vanetta still remained the night,
sleeping on the couch where they had made love earlier.

Tonight had been the first night the phone had ever rung.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Anything important?" Bobby asked as Vanetta slid back on the satin sheet.

"Just Kelly letting me know that they'll be back around noon.  That means
you can spend the night if you like," she added shyly.

Bobby smiled at her.  She was stunning.  Her skin was flawless and looked
darker and richer on the cream colored satin.  "I'd love that Sweetheart,"
he said as he bent over her to suckle on her firm breasts and large puckered
nipples.

She gently pressed on his head reminding him where he had been when the
phone had interrupted them.  Licking his way down her flat stomach he soon
slid back between her spread legs and deftly parted her labia exposing the
pink tender flesh inside.  He loved the taste of her and eagerly worked his
way into her with his tongue.  Soon she was gasping for breath as Bobby took
her over the edge twice.

Vanetta was kissing Bobby, tasting herself on his tongue.  "I love you
Bobby," she said.

"And I love you Vanetta," he said with the tenderness that comes with
sincerity.

Since they no longer had to worry about Bobby leaving, they took the time to
fix something to eat from the studio kitchen, listened to some music and
cuddled.  They had time, and the tender and loving words and gestures and
touching stoked their fires again.

Vanetta gently pressed on Bobby's chest until he was reclined on the couch.
Kneeling between his legs, Vanetta took his semi stiff cock in her hands.
The pale skin of his cock contrasted with the dark skin of her hands.  As
she gently played with his prick it began to swell and Vanetta slipped it
into her mouth.  She loved to feel it grow and brushed the tender glans with
her tongue, sucking as much of him into her mouth as she could before he was
fully hard.

Her hands moved down to stroke and caress his scrotum and thighs as his cock
became fully rigid.  Allowing her teeth to gently scrape his engorged member
she alternated between wrapping her lips around and sucking as she slowly
bobbed her head, and teasing him with the scraping of her teeth, swirling
her tongue around his glans.

Vanetta could feel his balls tighten and she knew he was close to coming.
Gently cupping both his balls with one hand she wrapped the other around his
pulsing shaft and slowly pumped it up and down while her mouth sucked on him
with wet sloppy motions.  She had learned it was his favorite way.  Soon he
was moaning out his love for her and his total devotion as his hips bucked
and he let loose with a torrent of cum that she greedily swallowed.

As Bobby lay there panting in the afterglow of his climax, Vanetta continued
to pump his prick with one hand as she moved closer to him.  Taking the head
of his cock she rubbed it against her wiry pubic hair.  She knew that he
especially liked that and his cock quickly rose to the occasion.

Vanetta continued to stroke his cock against her cunt with one hand making
sure that she brushed it across her clit as well.  Moving forward she
slipped his new erection right inside of her hot vagina and she rode him
until she climaxed, falling forward on him and planting kisses all over his
face and neck, and of course nibbling on his ears.

Bobby loved the feeling of Vanetta's tongue in his ear and it brought him
close to another orgasm.  Wrapping his arms around her he thrust up with a
manic pace as his breath became ragged.  Vanetta herself was rapidly
approaching another climax as well and ground her cunt against him on every
stroke until both of them crossed the point of no return.

Moaning softly, Vanetta let her legs splay out keeping him trapped in her
hot box, her tits mashed against his chest.  Wrapped against each other in
this fashion was how they fell asleep.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd woke up early Monday morning and quietly slipped out of bed leaving
Kelly and Laura clutched in an embrace.

After relieving his bladder, he packed up the last of his camera equipment
and with what the girls had packed the night before, moved it all to the
door.  They were leaving with considerably more than they had arrived with,
most of it Star Trek T's.  Laura had refused to pack the dolphin he had
bought for her, insisting that she wanted to see it through the night.  He
smiled at the thought of how easily she was pleased with small things.  At
least those things that reminded her of special events.

Todd brushed his teeth and took stock of the suite.  No visible damage, but
he left a sizable tip for the housecleaning staff, much larger than the day
before.  The Hampton had been good to them and he intended to spend more
time there in the future, especially if this deal with Al went through.

Satisfied that he could do no more, he returned to the balcony and just
leaned over looking at the island.  It was still early, but he could see the
golfers heading out for an early morning start.  Unlike the previous night,
Todd had slipped on a pair of scrub pants and one of the new t-shirts.  All
the dirty laundry was in a bag waiting for the last items that Kelly or
Laura might add.

Though he didn't want to go, Todd knew that IC depended on him to deliver
and he would deliver.  He was anxious himself to see how the shots turned
out, but his thoughts drifted to what he had said to Kelly.  He had the love
of two beautiful women and this last month had been the happiest he had been
his entire life.

"Hey sailor! Looking for a good time?"

Todd laughed as Kelly joined him on the balcony.  He gave her a kiss.
"Nope, sorry lady," he said.  "It can't get any better than what I have now!
This is as good as it gets!"

Kelly smiled at him.  Like Todd, she had cleaned up, brushed her teeth and
for the first time since they had arrived at the Hampton she was on the
balcony dressed.  Barely.

"I could get used to this," she said to him.  "I'm thinking of asking Al
about buying a cottage out here if we land the job.  What do you think?"

"I think the chances of getting a cottage here is going to be somewhere
between none and not a chance in hell!" he laughed.  "But it wouldn't hurt
to ask him.  Maybe if we suggest opening an office down here the chances
would improve though."

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Not really," he said.  "But it would be a nice place to come to when we
want an escape."

"Yeah, it never hurts to dream does it?  I see you left a nice tip for the
staff, and all the packed stuff is by the door.  Are you getting psyched to
start printing?"

"Yeah, I guess," he said.  "I've got a lot of film to process, from Regan's
to the bubble bath pictures.  Might as well run it all through at once, it
won't take much extra time."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Kelly said.  "When I was talking to Vanetta she
said our Canadian beer had arrived."  She took out a cigarette and lit it.
"Just in time too.  I was nearly out of my favorite vice supply."

"What time is the plane going to be here?" Todd asked.

"In about an hour.  I figured I'd let Laura sleep a bit longer and then if
she hasn't woken up on her own, I'll have to help her."  Kelly smiled.
"She's a real sweetheart isn't she?  I can't remember ever being so happy."

"That's funny," said Todd, "I was thinking the same thing before you came
out.  I can't remember being so at peace with myself."

"Are you guys talking about me behind my back in front of my face?" came a
sleepy voice from behind.

"You bet," said Kelly as she gave Laura a good morning kiss.

"We were just saying how lucky we are that you came into our lives," said
Todd as he kissed her.

"Luck?  Or Kismet?"

"Maybe a little of both," said Kelly.  "Are you nearly ready to take another
flight?"

"Yep.  Got all my stuff ready to go.  You think the pilot will do what Chris
did for me on Friday?"

"If he does," said Kelly, "he'll never father any more children!  Speaking
of which, I better take a Gravol now."

Laura looked out to the pier hoping to catch sight of the dolphins once more
before they left but it was a bit late in the morning.

"Don't worry Sweetheart," said Todd reading her expression, "next time we
come, we can get up really early and go down and visit your friends."

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Half an hour later, a bellhop came up and carried their bags down to a
waiting golf cart.  Kelly settled the bill for the room and asked the
manager about the availability of rooms should they land the contract to do
the new brochures.

"Well, we always keep a few rooms open all the time just in case," said the
manager.  "Like when Mr. Regan called.  Some people you never want to turn
away.  I'll be sure to add your name to the list."

Kelly thanked him and left a few business cards for him.

She saw Todd and Laura waiting in the cart wearing the cowboy hats Laura had
bought them and remembered to slip her own on.  "Might as well go in style,"
she thought.

Kelly recognized the pilot who had come for them as the same one who had
taken them to Laurel Canyon to visit the Prevans.  He gave a friendly smile
and wave as they pulled up, and helped Todd stow all the luggage on board.

"I've just got to top up the tanks," he said, "So we should be ready to take
off in about 15 minutes."

Laura went with him, fascinated by the bigger plane.  Kelly moved off the
runway and parked herself in the grass lighting up her last before she would
be airborne.

The flight proved to be uneventful and with fair weather they arrived in
Charlotte just after 10:00 o'clock.

While Laura fetched her car from the parking lot, Kelly went to talk to
Chris about another round trip to Laurel Canyon on Wednesday for Laura to
pick up the two girls.

Laura parked the car close to the office and Todd shifted the baggage from
the plane to the Honda.  Laura dashed in long enough to once again thank
Chris for the fantastic flight he had given her on Friday, and then the
three of them drove back to the studio.

Vanetta was waiting for them.  Bobby had left before 8.  She had arranged
for fresh fruit and vegetables that morning and Delton had picked them up
for her and dropped it off.

While Todd unpacked his camera and carried the film into the darkroom, Kelly
and Vanetta set about making a large pitcher of juice.  Laura had some
personal needs to attend to and a phone call to her mother letting her know
she was back safe and sound.

"So the weekend was successful?" Vanetta asked.

"Very," said Kelly, "Probably as good as last night was for you!"

Vanetta ducked her head slightly.  "Hush now Kelly.  That's supposed to be a
secret."

Kelly laughed.  "Don't you worry, your secret's safe with me."

Laura came back in time to help clean fruit for a midmorning snack.  "I've
got all the dirty clothes in a bag," she said to Kelly, "can we wash them at
your place?"

"Of course," said Kelly.  "I've just got a few things to take care of here
and then we can head out.  I'm sure Vanetta's anxious to get home," she said
with a smile.  "Nothing else is planned for today, and Todd's going to be in
the darkroom for quite a while.  We'll stop and get you a cell phone of your
own, and come back after supper to make sure that Todd has something to
eat."

Todd came back out after 15 minutes, just in time to join the three girls
for a morning juice break.  Laura got the vitamins and the go-juice out and
the four of them discussed the day's activities.

"I've got about 100 negatives to develop," Todd said, "so if Vanetta is
heading out, could you forward the calls to your phone Kell?"

"No problem.  Laura and I are going to stop off and get her a cell of her
own, and then we figured on doing the laundry.  How long do you think before
you'll be able to come out and eat?"

"Hmm, fresh soup, developing time, drying time... give me about two hours
okay?"

"It might take a bit longer than that before we can make it back," said
Kelly, "but if you print the contact sheets, we should be back in time to
feed you and to take a look at the master's work!"

Todd laughed.  "I can only hope I got a few decent shots out of the whole
weekend."

"Now you're just being humble," said Kelly.  "I'm looking forward to seeing
the ones you did of Anna and Laura."

After drinking a double serving of the fresh juice, and downing the vitamins
chased back by cold fresh fruit, Todd gave his two lovers a kiss.  "See you
guys around 2 then."

"I should get running too," said Vanetta, "I might make it in time for
afternoon classes."

"You go then girl!" said Kelly.  "I can tell you all the sordid details of
Todd's strip dance tomorrow."

Vanetta raised her eyebrows at Todd who just sighed.

"You might not have time tomorrow," said Vanetta.  "There's a note on your
desk about a big shipment of equipment coming tomorrow afternoon along with
four burly men to unload it all and set it up.  I guess it's pretty heavy."

"Perfect timing," said Kelly.  "Thanks Vanetta."

"Oh, and I filled the fridge with beer, the rest is in the backroom along
with your cigarettes."

"What a wonderful way to start out a new week," said Kelly.  "I'll have to
take a couple of cartons home with me!"

"Well, on the subject of good news, Delton left a package for you as well
Todd.  It's in the crisper in your fridge upstairs."

Todd gave her a big smile.  "Be sure to thank him for me if I don't see him
in the next few days."  With that he turned and headed back to the darkroom.

"Did I leave enough money for the Canadian delivery?" Kelly asked.

"More than enough," said Vanetta.  "Remember their dollar is only 62 cents
US."

"And you made sure his trip was worthwhile?" Kelly asked.

"He was more than happy," said Vanetta.  "I asked him to stay for lunch and
I cooked him up one of those thick steaks from the freezer."

"Was that a smart idea?" asked Kelly.  "Being alone with him in the studio?"

"No worries mother dear," laughed Vanetta.  "He called ahead to make sure
that somebody would be here so I had Delton stop by.  As I was cooking up
lunch, Delton helped him unload the truck.  After he finished eating he
stuck around a while to chat.  He said it was nice not to have had to run
down empty.  Said his next stop was to pick up a trailer full of oranges.
Would you believe he gets seventeen dollars wholesale on a ten pound bag?"

Kelly laughed.  "Yeah, 17 Canadian!"

"Still, it's a worthwhile trip for him," she said.  "But, I have to run.
See you tomorrow!"

"Have a good day Vanetta," Kelly said.

Laura said goodbye to Vanetta as well and silence descended in the studio.

"I've just got to check my email," said Kelly, "and then we can head out
ourselves."

"Okay," said Laura.  "I'm going to put my dolphin in the bedroom upstairs
and I'll be ready."

Kelly quickly skimmed through her mail and email, entered the numbers from
the last few days on who had been where and the feedback.  There were no
complaints and more than a few compliments towards clients from the models.
Kelly brought her database up to date and then shut off the computer.

Setting the studio phone to forward calls to her cell, she and Laura left
the studio locking the door behind them.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Kelly, I need to stop at a drugstore as well," said Laura as she eased her
car out of the parking lot.

"I should stock up as well," said Kelly.  "I shouldn't need them for another
week or so, but it's not like they'll go to waste.  There's a good store
near my place so we can stop there on the way home.  First let's head into
town and get you a phone."

Laura found a parking spot near the corner of South and Euclid.  Locking the
doors, and dropping money in the meter the girls entered the At-Comm store
that serviced TKO's cell needs.

"Hiya Kelly!"

Kelly turned to see Benny coming out of the back office.

"Hi Benny," she said.  "We need to get a third cell on our plan for Laura
here," introducing Laura to the manager.

"Okay, something small and compact?"

"Preferably."

"Well we have a special on right now on this Sony Ericsson T68i with a
camera attachment for only $199.99," he said lifting a small palm size phone
from the display stand.  "The T68 is a triple band phone with a full color
screen and is packed with features.  It has GPRS, Bluetooth and EMS and the
T68 has advanced calendar and contacts features that you can synchronize
data with your PC.   It comes complete with a hands free earbud, an in-car
charger and a belt clip."

Kelly laughed.  "Now don't try too hard to sell us on it Benny!"

"But Kelly, this is a great phone!  Color display with voice activated
dialing, voice recording and voice command.  The Lithium Ion batteries will
let Laura talk for up to six hours without recharging or stay on in stand-by
mode for 144 hours!  It's even got a 500-name phone book and an additional
250 on the included SIM card."

It was Laura's turn to laugh.  "I don't even know 100 people!"

"My dear girl, someone as pretty as you will soon need all 750 slots!"

Kelly sighed.  Benny was really into the latest electronic gear.

"You've not only got text messaging, but predictive text input!  An internal
antenna, an alarm clock with a snooze button, a silent vibe mode, but best
of all, it weighs only three ounces."

"Okay, enough already," Kelly laughed.  "How long will it take Laura to
learn all the features?"

"About an hour, if she's half as smart as she is good looking, just to get
the basics, and then the other features will come quickly as she needs
them."

"Do you like it Laura?" Kelly asked.

"It's beautiful," said Laura.  "I've never seen anything like it."

"Okay Benny, we'll want a message center for her and call waiting as well.
Can you set it up so we can walk out of here in the next half hour?"

"For you Kelly, I can walk on water.  Let me get right to it.  And you want
this as part of the TKO plan?"

"Yep."

"Give me 15 minutes, and I'll have it all set to go."

"That's great Benny, we'll be back shortly then.  We're going to grab
something to drink from the deli across the road."

As they headed out of the store, Laura asked about the silent vibe.

"You use that when you're someplace where you don't want the ringing of a
phone to interfere with whatever is going on around you.  It's quite a
powerful vibrating unit too!"

"Maybe I should slip it into my panties and have you call me a few times,"
sighed Laura.

Kelly laughed.  "Don't you have a regular vibrator for those special times?"

Laura looked dejected.  "I bought one of those 'pocket rockets' that were
all the rage two years ago, but it irritated me more than it ever gave me
pleasure."

"Ah, I know the one you're talking about.  Trust me, if you want to enjoy a
vibrator, you are better off with one that will guarantee results!"

"And do they come with a written guarantee?" joked Laura.

"Not quite," said Kelly, "but Carol Queen endorses the one I use as does Dr.
Betty Dobson, author of  'Sex For One:  The Art Of Self Loving' and you
can't get higher endorsements than from those two ladies!"

"I'm surprised you use one Kelly."

"Before you Sweetheart, I didn't have much fulfillment from my partners.  I
read Betty's book and learned that I could and should take matters into my
own hands if I didn't want to settle for being a frustrated sexual being."

"Well, who's this Carol Queen you mentioned?"

"Ah, she's one of the founding members of 'Good Vibrations', a minority and
women owned company that specializes in the sale of aids for females.  They
also give lectures.  I had the good fortune to meet both Betty and Carol
over the years attending their seminars.  It looks like we'll have to get
you the Cadillac of personal fulfillment for those times when you want to
just have a solo session or when neither Todd or I are around to fill your
needs."

They entered the deli and ordered a Hero which they split, and two iced
French vanilla cappuccinos.

"It's the 'Hitachi Magic Wand' and I just happen to know a store downtown
that stocks them!" Kelly said as she sat down.

"Kelly, I can't walk into a adult store here in Charlotte!  Somebody might
recognize me and tell my dad!"

"Don't you worry Babe.  It's a special lingerie shop that just happens to
carry toys for grown ups!"

"But if it's so good, why do you want a partner?" Laura whispered.

"Oh Laura... As good as the results are, and let me tell you they are really
good, there's nothing that beats sharing sex with someone you love."

"Yeah, I can understand that.  One of the things that made the last few
nights so special was being able to cuddle next to my lovers."

Kelly smiled.

They finished their drinks and sandwich and headed back to At-Comm.  Benny
had the phone programmed and had even entered some quick dial numbers for
TKO for Laura.

"Do you want that wrapped or are you going to start carrying it now?" Benny
asked.

"I might as well get used to keeping it on me," said Laura as she clipped it
to her waistband.

"I thought as much.  I've got all the instructions in the bag with the
warranty."  To Kelly he gave a few cards that had Laura's new number written
on them.

"Just bill it all to our account okay Benny?"

"Will do Kelly.  If you need anything else, you know where to find me!"

"Thanks Benny." Kelly said as the girls left the store.

"Since we're downtown anyway, let's drive over to the lingerie shop before
we head home."

"I'm going to feel so weird shopping for a vibrator," said Laura.

"Relax Sweetie, you'll see real quick that they treat this very seriously,
and nobody is going to give you a second glance."

Twenty minutes later they were driving back to Kelly's, Laura still blushing
from the experience, but she had a Hitachi Magic Wand of her own.

They stopped at the drugstore in the strip mall where Kelly bought her
supplies and after stocking up on some essentials and a couple of boxes of
panty liners and four boxes of Tampax Compak Multipax, the ones that fit
discreetly in the palm of the hand, the girls returned to Kelly's.

"I like the multipax," said Kelly.  "I don't have to bother buying separate
boxes for heavy days or light days or for through the night."

"I'm just glad we both use regular absorbency," said Laura.  "Otherwise we
would have had to get two stashes and we wouldn't be able to help each other
out."

Kelly and Laura tossed the dirty clothes into the washing machine and then
retired to the kitchen with a bottle of mineral water.

"What should we fix Todd for lunch?" Laura asked.

"Hmm... He'll probably end up snacking all night on it so how about we make
him some chicken fingers on a bun and leave him enough chicken so he can
snack when the urge hits him?"

"That sounds good," said Laura.

The buzzer went off on the washing machine and Laura went to transfer the
clothes to the dryer.  Kelly had taken a few cartons of her Cameo's from the
studio and packed them away in her closet after taking a couple packs out
for her immediate use.

The girls sat and waited for the dryer to finish and then folded the clothes
and sorted them.  Most of what Laura had gotten she packed with Todd's
clothes to take back to the studio but left a supply at Kelly's as well
knowing she was going to be spending a lot of time with Kelly.  She also
left her Magic Wand in the other nightstand beside Kelly's bed.

Kelly and Laura stopped at the supermarket where Kelly did her grocery
shopping and picked up a large package of fresh boneless, skinless chicken
breasts and a bag of Kaiser buns before they headed back to the studio.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd had processed the film and the negatives had looked promising.  He set
up his large trays for printing and ran off contact sheets of all the rolls
of film he had shot.  He knew that Kelly would like to see them when she and
Laura came back.

While the contacts were drying Todd got on the phone.  He had done a shoot
for a diamond wholesaler a year back and had been fascinated with the entire
process of the cutting and polishing.  He had absorbed enough information
about the four C's of diamond quality that he could speak about them with
some knowledge.  He called the president of the company and laid out his
request.

"That's an unusual request Todd," said Johan.  "We've never tried mounting
three hearts on a ring before.  If the stones are too small, you won't be
able to see the cut, and if you make them large enough to see that they're
hearts, you'll be looking at a mighty big ring.  I like the way you think
though."

"Damn," said Todd.  "I really want something that says 'I love you' but not
garden variety."

"Ah, I must have misunderstood you when you first said what you wanted.  I
could have sworn you said two engagement rings, identical."

Todd laughed.  "That's what I did say Johan."

"And do you plan on marrying two girls?"

"I'm not planning it Johan, I'm going to do it!"

Johan laughed at the other end of the line.  "Then might I suggest you get a
set of three rings?"

"I only need two," said Todd.

"No my friend," said Johan laughing.  "I meant two sets of three rings.  One
engagement ring with two interlocking wedding bands.  I could design you a
custom set that would have a large heart on the engagement ring with small
stones on the sides and for the two wedding bands we could put a smaller
heart on each of them with say a cascading cluster of stones falling away
from them.  That way, when your 'brides' are wearing all three rings you
would have a diagonal line of hearts."

"That would work!" said Todd.  "How long would it take you to make that up?"

"We could probably make them in about a week depending on the size of the
stones.  We can mount them here and I can give you the name of a good
jeweler who can size them for you in Charlotte or you can send me the sizes
and I will have them made right to size here.  What kind of band were you
looking at?  Did you want to go with the platinum?  It's quite popular right
now."

"No, I think I would prefer to stick to 18 karat gold bands," said Todd.
"Platinum is nice, but I want something a bit more traditional."

"You want traditional?  And you plan on marrying two women?"

"Yeah, I know, so I'm an oxymoron in the flesh," laughed Todd.

"And how large would you like the main diamond?"

"What size would you recommend Johan?  You're the expert."

"Yes, I suppose I am," he sighed.  "For a heart shape I think you will have
to go at least one carat to show the stone off properly.  But you realize
this is an expensive cut."

"How about bigger?" Todd asked.

"If we go much bigger, they won't be practical to wear Todd."

"Okay, you got the idea of what I want.  I'll get their sizes here and let
you know by the end of the week if that's okay."

"That will be fine.  Just out of curiosity, if you don't mind me asking, is
one of the brides to be Kelly?"

Todd laughed again.  "I'm sorry Johan, but I am taking her off the open
market!"

"Congratulations Todd.  I'll send you over a copy of the design once I have
it drawn up.  Then you can tell me if you like it or want to change it in
anyway."

"That would be great Johan.  Do you want the number of my bank?"

"Todd, I know you, that's good enough for me."

"Thanks Johan.  I'll look forward to the artwork and I'll get those sizes to
you this week."

After he hung up the phone, Todd was humming to himself as he slid the
negative of Chuck into the enlarger.  Seeing it in full size, Todd knew he
had really captured the real essence of Chuck.  He maneuvered the sliding
table around until he had a cropped image he felt would do the most justice
and still humming turned off the lights and pulled out a 8 x 10 matte finish
sheet of paper.  As he looked at the picture of Chuck caught unawares with
that thoughtful gaze, Todd remembered the man who last Friday had said he
would be proud to call Todd his son.  Todd slid the exposed print into the
developing solution and reached for his special 11 x 14 stock.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Oh Todd!  She's gorgeous!" said Kelly.

"Wow... look at her eyes," said Laura, "they totally dominate the picture!"

Todd was smiling.  Taking a drink from his mineral water he asked, "What
feeling do you get when you look at her?"  By "her" he was referring to
Anna.  He had finished the pictures of Chuck and Anna first.  He wasn't sure
why he wanted to do these first, but it seemed more important to him than
InterCoastal's paying job.

Kelly and Laura had arrived back at the studio a bit later than they had
expected.  Their two-hour trip had turned into a four-hour excursion, but
Kelly knew that Todd would not be waiting to eat.  He was more than capable
of finding something to snack on if he got hungry, but she also knew that he
probably would continue working in the darkroom till they got back.  And he
had.

Todd had printed 8 x 10's of Chuck and Anna and also 11 x 14's on his
special stock.  He hadn't even bothered to start printing any other pictures
until he had the 11 x 14's mounted on a foam core back.

"I'm not sure," said Laura.  "I feel like I'm looking at a beautiful young
girl, but those eyes... they're haunting.  It's like she knows something I
don't and she's telling me with her eyes."

Kelly rubbed Todd's shoulders as he took another bite of the chicken breast
bun.  "I feel a bit sad," she said.  "Maybe sad isn't the right word but
solemn, serious.  What ever did you say to that girl to get that
expression?"

Todd was smiling from ear to ear.  When he took a picture that could evoke
such emotion, he knew he was in his groove.  He pointed to the one of Chuck,
making sure his fingers didn't touch any of the finished prints.  After he
had heard Kelly calling him to come eat, he had finished off the Cuddy shots
and hung them up to dry, covered his chemicals and come out of the darkroom
carrying the finished pictures between two hands, touching only the sides
and stood them up on the display case in the reception area of the office
where the lights were set for best exposure.

"And this one of Chuck, the profile, it's something else all together.  When
did you take that one?" Kelly asked.

"While you and Brenda were making supper Thursday night.  Chuck and I were
just making conversation, talking about Brenda and the rest of the 'James
Gang' and I was just cleaning my camera.  Amanda was kind of cuddled up to
him and he was just sitting there, calm and serene, just as you see him.
Something we were talking about, times changing or something and he got that
look of a man deep in thought.  Actually he was so deep in thought, he
didn't even see me raise the camera or focus in!  I doubt I could get a look
like that if he knew a camera was around."

"Well, I think we should pack them up proper and ship them down to him with
a personal letter of thanks for his hospitality and kindness," said Kelly.

"That's what I was thinking as well Sweetheart."  Todd finished his second
chicken bun and headed over to his workbench where he had the contact sheets
of all the film he had exposed that weekend.  He washed his hands and picked
up the red wax pencil he used to write on the 16 x 20 thin glossy sheets.
Using the larger sheets he could put a roll of film on each sheet and after
he was done with them, they would get stored along with the negatives in a
fireproof cabinet.  After a year, they would be transferred to an old fur
storage vault he and Kelly had bought.  With fur being out of politically
correct season, they had really lucked into the purchase and it was located
in a warehouse they had bought outright.  The space they didn't need they
rented to out to Steve who had bought an old very large safe and placed it
in the building to house his important legal documents, and through Steve
they had rented out more of the space to other legal firms that wanted to
keep important papers like wills or in some extreme cases valuables that
belonged to clients.  The other renters paid for the elaborate security
system and Steve and TKO split the profits.

Todd picked up the sheet of the two girls in the bathtub from their Friday
night romp.  He had already circled four shots that he thought were
exceptionally good, but none of them would ever be seen by outsiders.  They
were just a bit too revealing.  Kelly and Laura looked over the sheet with
the large, round, lighted magnifier mounted to the bench and finally decided
on one that would be appropriate for Ray from the T-shirt shop.

"That's another one to mail out," said Kelly.  "Laura's going to sign her
first autograph!"

"Here's some that Laura hasn't seen," said Todd pulling another sheet out.
It was the pictures Todd had shot from the balcony of their suite of Laura
and the dolphins.  The water, though a beautiful array of blues and greens,
seemed transparent and glistened from the early morning sunlight.  The sun
also picked up the golden highlights in Laura's hair.  They were beautiful
shots and innocent, the model not even knowing she was being watched.  Todd
had selected a few that would be good for stock photos and ones to add to
Laura's portfolio.  Her expression told an entire volume of stories.

Next they looked at the pictures of Laura taken at "Reliving History."  They
agreed with Todd's choice of pictures, one of which was a fabulous one of
Laura in a confederate soldier's uniform complete with rifle in hand
standing slightly sideways with the rifle butt on the ground.

"But what about the ones for Peter?" Kelly asked.  "That's what I thought
you would get to first!"

Todd had purposely left this one turned upside down on the table and with a
smile turned it over.  Because of the set up time for each shot he had only
shot off one roll of film Sunday, but of the shots he had taken, all were
good, but there were four that really stood out.  The first was a close up
of the wing as it cut through the wake the tug had generated, the silver
gleaming in the sunlight.  The second one Todd had circled was of the wing
exposed but the bulk of the hull out of the water, but it was the third that
made the girls laugh.  It looked like Sara had been skating with the boat
and at the last moment turned her blade to send a cascade of ice slivers
flying.  Except in this case it was a side view of the Cuddy as it skidded
towards them and the wing, the hull and the screws were exposed through a
sheet of water that was crystal clear in the focus.  Individual drops seemed
to blast out of the picture towards the viewer and the girls remembered
Peter and Al's response to Sara's little stunt.

As they laughed with the memory, Todd pointed to the one he thought was the
best of the bunch.  It had been Sara's last run and with the power opened up
on the Cuddy, after the tug had totally churned the water, the Cuddy was
captured in all its glory with the entire hull out of the water as well as
the wing and screws.  The water could be seen running off the side of the
hull and from the wing.  The boat was literally flying much like a dolphin
breaking surface on the run.

"That's a great shot Todd," said Kelly.  "Peter should be real happy with
any of these, but I think this one is the one they'll use."

"Am I missing something?" Laura asked.  "You don't seem as excited by these
pictures as you do about the ones of Chuck and Anna."

Todd gave her a sad smile.  "This is my work Honey, I liked the ones I did
for Regan's more because they didn't put the pressure on me like Peter did.
 From the beginning when Peter called, this was a production shoot with
deadlines and lots of pressure.  The ones I took of Anna and Chuck, that's
my life.  When we were at Chuck's, the first time, it was also a paying job,
just catalog work, but Chuck left me alone and didn't ask for anything
special.  Then when I got the shot of Sara, it was unique and special and
made it all worthwhile.  And Chuck was as thrilled with it as I was.  I
can't impress Peter because he expects more than the best, and specifies
exactly how it should look.  It doesn't leave much room to be creative."

Laura thought about that for a minute and slowly nodded her understanding.

"Anyway," he said, "I've printed these four on good stock so you can call
Peter and tell him that they're ready."

Kelly looked at the time.  It was only four o'clock.  "If they're dry, I
might be able to get them to him with UPS or Fed-Ex overnight.  Let me call
him and see where he wants them sent."

Laura and Todd went back to the kitchen to clean up the remnants of their
late lunch.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly lit up a cigarette as she sat down at her desk.  She dialed in Peter's
cell number and waited for an answer.

"Hi Peter," she said when he answered.  "How did the press shoot go today?"

"Poorly," he said.  "We'll get the headlines for setting a new speed record,
but they were more intent on shooting the boat as it broke the speed record.
It doesn't show the modifications of the boat, so for all intents and
purposes it just looks like a boat in the water.  I was watching the
photographers and if not for the headlines, it could have been going 50 and
nobody would know the difference.  I'm really starting to appreciate Todd's
vision.  Dare I ask how things are coming on your end?"

Kelly took a deep drag and said, "You not only may dare, but I'm pleased to
tell you that Todd was so thrilled about our vacation courtesy of IC that he
went right at it and he has them done.  I was just calling to see where we
should deliver them?"

"They're done already?  Damn Kelly, if I can get my hands on them now, I can
get them digitized and sent to the papers.  How do they look?"

"Better than even you could have hoped for Peter.  Todd got four really
excellent shots out of the day, and if you want them digitized, we have the
equipment for that here."

"Well I was just getting ready to fly out myself and head back to Rhode
Island but I'll need to catch a local flight to get to a major airport.  Any
chance I can fly to Charlotte and send the digitized images out from your
end and pick up the finished prints?"

Kelly looked over at Todd who was smiling talking to Laura.  "I think that
would be safe Peter.  We'll get them digitized so all you have to do is
contact the various papers and send it out from here.  Call me when you land
and I'll come and pick you up at the airport."

"Thanks Kelly!"

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"So his newspaper photographers didn't quite deliver on what he wanted to
sell eh?" Todd smiled smugly.

"They didn't know anything about the boat or the wing Todd.  They thought
they were just looking at a boat that went faster.  Can we get the negs
scanned in Tiff format so he can sent them to the papers from here?"

"Are we going go get the credit for the photographs?"

"I'll insist on it," Kelly said.

"Sure.  I can fire up the Nikon transparency scanner and give him high
resolution images." Todd said.  "You know, as much as he pissed me off, I
wouldn't want his job.  I promise I'll be nice to him!"

Kelly laughed.  "And spoil your reputation now?"

Todd fetched the dried prints and the corresponding negatives and started to
scan them into files.  Kelly and Laura took the clean laundry upstairs and
put everything away.

They were going to sit and watch TV while Todd finished his printing when
Kelly thought of something and headed downstairs again.

"Todd, when you finish scanning the prints of the boat can you scan the ones
of Anna and Chuck for me?  I told Jules I'd send her copies of the Cuddy but
I think they'd like to see what you did for Chuck and Anna as well."

"Sure, once this workhorse starts going, it's no problem doing a few more
scans."

"And I might as well get the ones of Chuck and Anna packed up now and call
for a pick up.  There's still time to get them out today."

Kelly sat at her desk and wrote a nice personal note to Chuck thanking him
and offering these pictures as a way of friendship.  She prepared the
shipping box and inserted the pictures in so they wouldn't be damaged and
then called Fed-Ex to come and pick them up.

Laura who was starting to miss Kelly's company came downstairs and offered
to watch for the courier if Kelly was called to the airport.

Todd returned to the darkroom to print out the one for Ray and another of
Laura with the dolphins that he would send to Al.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Peter hadn't called yet, when Todd emerged once again from the darkroom.  He
had the picture of the girls in the tub for Ray and the one of Laura's early
morning close encounter.

Kelly and Laura both laughed as Laura practiced signing her name on
photographs with a special pen.  When she finally had it right she and Kelly
signed the one to Ray with "Love and Kisses".  Todd scribbled underneath
their signatures, "Live Long and Prosper!"

Kelly got out another shipping envelope and wrote a note to Al regarding the
picture of Laura and asked him to deliver the bubble bath print to Ray.  She
simply addressed the envelope to the Mayor of Brookhaven.

The envelope had just been sealed when the phone rang.  Peter had arrived.

"I can pick him up," volunteered Laura.  "I'm getting to like that airport!"

"That would be great Laura.  That way I can write up a contract for him to
sign regarding our vacation."

Laura had just pulled out of the driveway when the Fed-Ex truck pulled in.
Kelly signed off on the shipment and for a moment there was silence in the
studio.

"What have you got left to do Honey?" Kelly asked Todd.

"Just the ones of Laura from 'Reliving History,' but you know Kell, all of a
sudden I'm just beat."

"I know Sweetheart.  You push yourself too hard.  Look... there's only the
three prints you want, you've got the chemicals out now, why not run them
off and then pack it all away?  I'll even give you a hand."

"Thanks Kell, but you've got to write up a contract for that vacation
remember?"  Todd smiled.  "I guess that's incentive enough for me right
now!"

Todd went back to the darkroom once more.

Kelly returned to her computer and pulled up one of the standard contracts
Steve had created for them, changed the fee from dollars to "two week
vacation in Jamaica via boat large enough for seven passengers, all
inclusive."  She added a line regarding time and with proper notice because
she had promised Peter.  Satisfied this would more than cover their needs,
she printed off three copies, one for Peter, one for their own records and
one for Steve.

Laura still wasn't back from the airport so Kelly took the time to convert
the Tiff files Todd had scanned in and converted them to smaller Jpegs.
Then she sent an email to JulieAnn.

     Dear JulieAnn,
          As promised, here are the pictures that Todd got of the Cuddy with
the wing.  I'm sure you and the rest of the gang will be as excited with
these shots as Todd and I were.
          I've also attached two pictures that Todd took while we were at
Chucks.  These are two of Todd's best shots in the last year.  I know you
guys are pretty involved with Chuck, so I thought you would like to see
them.  We've already sent the originals to Regan's.
I hope that now the speed trials are over, you can relax a little bit, but
knowing the "James Gang" I'll bet you are already working on another
project.
          Best of luck and much success in your ventures.

     Hugs to all!

     Kelly

Kelly had just pressed the send key when Laura pulled in with Peter.  It
would be cutting it close, but if Peter called the papers first and told
them he was sending the files, they should be able to replace the pictures
to go with the story.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Hi Peter," Kelly said as he entered the studio.  "Care for a drink before
you get on the phone?"

Laura smiled.  All Peter had talked about on the drive over was the
pictures.  He so badly wanted to get something that would boost interest in
the boat, and had been disappointed in the news photographers who were more
interested in the speed than in the stability.  Though Laura had been there,
she really didn't understand the reason for his concern, but she did realize
this was an important thing for Peter.  She had tried to assure him saying
how impressed she was with the pictures, but Peter wanted to see for
himself.

"Please Kelly," he begged, "Let me see at least one picture that will show
the wing.  It's the most important part of the boat and what allows it to
utilize the full power of the monster motor we put into it."

Todd picked that moment to re-emerge from the dark room, having cleaned up
his chemicals and washed and put away his trays.  The last pictures he had
developed were in the dryer.

"Hi Peter," he said, "Want a beer?  It's the good stuff."

"No thanks Todd, all I really want is to see a picture that will capture the
boating worlds imagination, then I can catch the next flight out and report
with good news to the board."

Todd laughed as he pulled one of the Molson bottles out of the fridge for
himself, asked Kelly and Laura if they wanted one, which the declined, and
said to Kelly, "Why not give him his package Honey?"

With a smile Kelly handed Peter the protective shipping envelope.  Peter
opened it with shaking hands.  His hands steadied, as did his breathing, as
he saw the first picture.  By the time he had all four spread out on the
desk he was beaming from ear to ear.

"Thanks Todd," he said.  "You've saved what was nearly a disaster.  And you
have these scanned already?"

"They're all set on the computer," said Kelly.  "All you need to do is call
the papers that were there this morning and get their email addresses and
you can send them out right from here."

"Maybe I will have that beer after all," said Peter.  As Laura went to get
him one, Peter got on the phone and started to call the big daily papers
that had shown up at Brookhaven that morning.

Before he could get through to the first paper, Kelly slid him the three
contracts for the vacation as well as a note stating that Todd would receive
the credit for the photos.  Peter signed the contracts with pleasure, and
with each of the papers he got through to; he made it perfectly clear that
the photos be credited to Todd Ayres.

Kelly helped him enter the various newspaper emails and they sent one
different picture to each of them.  Most would run similar pictures, but
this way all four pictures would show up in different papers.

As he sat back, finally satisfied that only good pictures would be shown in
the papers, he took a long swig of his beer and leaned back in the chair.
"So," he finally asked, "When did you guys buy in?"

Kelly laughed, said it had been Todd's idea, and told Peter of the Friday
morning decision.

It was Peter's turn to laugh.  "Al was a bit pissed that he didn't get his
buy order in until just before the market closed Friday.  I'll bet he paid a
lot more for his shares than you did.  I'm nearly certain that between last
Friday morning and this Friday, the value will double.  That Cuddy was
nearly a white elephant until JamPC fixed the problem.  We couldn't do a
thing with it, and we had some of the best engineers working on it."

"They are an amazing group," Todd said.  "They seem to brainstorm as one and
find alternate solutions to conventional problems.  I wish they were a
public company!"

"You and me both!" said Peter.  "Thanks for getting this done for me so fast
Todd.  I'm really sorry for being so callous back at the island.  Sometimes
I let my mouth operate before my brain.  I hope you understand that I have a
board to answer to."

"It's okay Peter," said Todd.  "Kelly helped me to see what kind of bind you
were in.  I only have to answer to these two women.  I'd hate to have to
answer to a board!"

"And speaking of the Board," Peter said, "I'd love to stick around for a
while but I have a meeting with them first thing tomorrow morning.  I better
get on a plane."

"We'll drive you back to the airport." Kelly said.

"No thanks Kelly, if you can call me a cab, that will do just fine.  I'm not
in panic mode now, so I can relax and fly home."

Laura called a cab for Peter and fifteen minutes later he was gone with the
pictures and the contract Kelly had drawn up.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Anybody hungry?" Todd asked.  "I'm beat and I thought we could order
something in and go sit on the roof and pretend we're still at the island."

"Miss it already Sweetheart?" Kelly asked.

"I think it's all the fresh air I miss," laughed Todd.  "I've been in the
darkroom since we got back this morning!"

"This is shaping up to be a busy week," Kelly said.  "The gym equipment will
be coming tomorrow, and I have to clean up my guest room for Cara and Ami."

"I'll be glad to give you a hand with that Kelly, if you can wait until
after my morning classes.  God, I'm going to have to really study now!"

Kelly laughed.  "It's okay Laura, you just take your time and get as many
hours in as you can.  Gloria will be there to give me a hand, and I don't
have that much to move."

"No kidding," said Todd.  "I think half of your stuff is here anyways."

Kelly pouted.  "Just my sports equipment."

"Are you guys sure you don't need me tomorrow?" Laura asked.

"Baby, we want you," said Kelly, "but we think your studies should come
first."

Kelly placed an order for a bucket of chicken wings and a large pizza, which
she went out to pick up.  While she was gone, Todd rolled a couple of joints
and then with Laura's help, wiped down the patio furniture on his roof.

There was a fire escape that ran along the back of the building that ended
on a flat top roof.  An access route to the fire escape was a doorway at the
end of the hall from Todd's bedroom.  It had been a large window before Todd
had remodeled the upstairs into his personal living quarters and he had
placed a solid steel cased door there.  Over the years he had built a
small-enclosed sundeck with screening to keep the mosquitoes at bay.  It was
sparsely furnished with comfortable patio furniture, though he hardly used
it.  On those occasions where he had wanted to enjoy the outdoors he had
mostly gone to Kelly's house where the back yard had been transformed at the
hands of G and Delton.

Kelly returned with the chicken wings and pizza.  She knew that Todd wanted
to light up and mellow out, which is why she had ordered the chicken wings.
Laura helped her carry the food up to the roof and Todd brought along an
Eskimo chest filled with cold beer on ice.

Todd opened the beers and passed them around and then proceeded to light the
first joint.  After taking a deep hit of the potent grass, Todd said, "This
would have been good in Brookhaven!"

"Yes it would have been Todd, but we have our own rules to follow." Kelly
gently reminded him as she took the joint from his hands and took a deep hit
herself.  Rather than exhale she moved to Laura and with an open mouthed
kiss exhaled into Laura's lungs.

"Wow! That's a turn on by itself!" said Laura after she exhaled.

They passed the doobie around and around until there was nothing left but a
small roach that Kelly shoved into the end of one of her cigarettes.  Then
they dug into the pizza.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

By the time the pizza was demolished they were feeling a nice buzz and Todd
opened another beer for them.

They nursed the second beer as they watched the stars brighten the crisp,
clear North Carolina sky.  They talked of life and love and the important
things that lovers often do.  An hour passed and Todd lit the second joint.
By the time the roach had found its way into another of Kelly's cigarettes,
they were all pleasantly buzzed and soon the munchies hit.

Between chicken wings, Todd mentioned how quiet and peaceful it was.  Even
though it was a weekday, the industrial park was pretty well deserted this
time of night.  Regretfully, they all had early morning schedules and
decided it would be smarter to call it an early night.

Cleaning up was done quickly and without effort.  Todd locked the sundeck
and the door to the fire escape making sure to turn the alarm back on, while
the girls disposed of the garbage and put the empty bottles away.

They had a communal shower that night, all three of them trying to fit into
the shower at the same time.  After the other two promised not to look,
Laura pulled out her tampon and quickly wrapped it in toilet paper and
tossed it into the wastebasket.

Though space was at a premium, they managed to soap each other up and Kelly
and Laura managed to have a mutual climax through their locked legs.  Todd's
erection was at full mast, and shyly, Laura invited him to slip his hard
cock into her wet and very juicy cunt.  As they were all still nicely
stoned, Todd was able to hold back on his own orgasm and lifting Laura so
that her legs encircled him drove her over the crest again and yet once
more.  His stamina was flagging though and he let her down gently on
quivering legs.  It had been the first time she had been loved while on her
period.  Both Kelly and Laura noticed that Todd was still hard.

Turning Todd into the water, Kelly washed off his prick and then sat on the
side of the tub to suck him to a well-deserved climax.  He was a good man.

Todd was the first to dry off after stepping out of the shower and after he
left the bathroom, Laura inserted a fresh tampon and slipped on a pair of
panties.  Not wanting Kelly to be left out, Laura led her to the bedroom and
proceeded to give Kelly a wicked tongue-lashing that left Kelly writhing and
clasping at the sheets.  A few more minutes of kissing and the fatigue that
had followed them all day took its toll and soon all three were fast asleep,
the two girls cuddled to Todd.  It was just 10:00 o'clock.

          ~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The alarm went off at 8 the next morning and after they brushed their teeth,
dressed and had their vitamins, go-juice and a simple, very healthy
breakfast of raw vegetables and mineral water, Laura offered Kelly a ride
back to her house.

"I can walk Sweetheart," Kelly had protested, but Laura had been adamant.
"Nonsense.  I know you can walk it and usually do, but you have work you
want to do and I have to leave anyway or I will be late for class.  You said
yourself there was little to do right now, so why not let Todd get his
equipment set up?"

Kelly relented.  Though she had slept well, she was still a bit tired and a
ride sounded real good.

Laura made sure her new phone was turned on and attached to her waistband.
She grabbed her books and after she and Kelly had given Todd lots of kisses
to last him the day, they took off.

Todd settled back in Kelly's office chair and waited for the delivery van to
bring the equipment.  He was glad there were professionals coming with the
delivery to set it all up as he was not quite caught up on his rest.

Laura dropped Kelly off at her house and they shared a few quiet moments
necking in the driveway before, with a deep sigh, Laura said, "I love you
Kelly."

"I love you too Laura," said Kelly.  "Try to get done what you can because
you'll be off flying again tomorrow."

"I will Kelly, I promise.  I haven't forgotten that this is my chance."

Kelly rewarded her with a big smile.  "I know you haven't forgotten Honey, I
just think that we sometimes expect too much from you."

Laura's eyes misted quickly.  "You could never ask too much of me Kelly.
Love has no limits."

Laura backed carefully out of the driveway and Kelly waved at her as she
drove away.


To be continued...


============================

A personal note of thanks to the readers:

So, here it is.  Chapter 14 in what was supposed to be a one-chapter
addition to Mike C's fantastic "James" series.

How did it turn into 14 chapters?  And still growing?

Part of it was Mike's persuasive ways, but in the end, I think you, the
readers, have spurred both Mike and myself on.  Your loyalty, (over a year
now for James!), and those letters of encouragement have helped us push the
boundaries, and break records in collaborate writing.

I especially want to thank my proofreaders and editors.  I owe you guys a
far greater debt than I can ever hope to repay.

These stories are as grammatically correct as any you would find in a
published novel.  It is a source of pride that we can write believable
erotica without mixing tenses or blatant spelling errors.

Some of you have written with questions about the technical material
presented in the stories and we are also quite proud of the research we put
into every single chapter.

As for Kelly, in February, I hope to have chapters 1 - 10 available in PDF,
HTML and in Doc format available for download.  Quite a bit of rewriting has
gone into the first ten chapters and you might enjoy seeing the story the
way it was written instead of the plain text format.  We will keep you
posted.

Thanks again to all of you!

Peace
Night Hawk
(NH@nighthawk.sytes.net)
Archived at <http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/MikeC/James>

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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