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From: Nick Scipio <nick_scipio@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} "Summer Camp - Book 3" by Nick Scipio - Ch 29 (MF, teen, oral, voy, exhib)
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Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 18:10:04 -0400
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Author: Nick Scipio
Title: Summer Camp - Book 3: Kendall
Part: Chapter 29
Universe: Summer Camp
Summary: Coming-of-age story about a teenager whose family spends 
their summer vacations at a nudist camp.
Keywords: MF, teen, oral, voy, exhib
Revision: 1.01
Word Count: 16,233
Web Site: http://www.nickscipio.com/summercamp/book3/
FTP Site: ftp://ftp.nickscipio.com/summercamp/book3/
Discussion Forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Scipio_Forum/

*****************************************************************
                       STANDARD DISCLAIMER

This story is intended as ADULT entertainment. It contains 
material of an adult, explicit, SEXUAL nature. If you are 
offended by sexually explicit content or language, please DO NOT 
read any further.

This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events 
portrayed in it are fictional, and any resemblance to real people 
or incidents is purely coincidental. The author does not 
necessarily condone or endorse any of the activities described.

This story may not be reproduced in any form for profit without 
the written permission of the author, Nick Scipio 
(nick_scipio@yahoo.com). It may be freely distributed with this 
disclaimer attached.

Copyright (c) 2005 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.

*****************************************************************

Summer Camp - Book 3: Kendall
by Nick Scipio

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Spring quarter began like the previous two: I stood in line and 
paid a lot of money for the privilege. I still hadn't mastered 
the ho-hum attitude of the upperclassmen, but I definitely wasn't 
as nervous as I'd been before, either.

On the first day of classes, a group of us got together for 
breakfast, and when seven forty-five rolled around, we grumbled 
good-naturedly but said our goodbyes and headed out. Wren, 
Christy, and I walked toward the A&A building, bound for Dr. 
Bertrand's Art History class.

"So, what did _you_ do on Spring Break?" I asked Christy, who had 
returned to campus with chapped lips and the beginnings of a 
golden tan.

She smiled girlishly. "Danny was in town and we went surfing. He 
was on a det in Yuma and managed to get a few days leave at the 
end of it."

"I bet it doesn't hurt that his father's an admiral," I said, 
chuckling.

"Oh, my dad didn't have anything to do with it. He's still on 
cruise with the Connie. He won't be back till May. But you're 
probably right; Danny's CO knows who his father is."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Wren said, "but what's a 'det'?"

Christy glanced at me. When she saw that I knew what the phrase 
meant, she waited for me to answer.

"It means his squadron--or part of it, at least--was on 
_detachment_," I said. "They just call it 'a det' for short. 
Yuma's got a big bombing and gunnery range, and squadrons send 
pilots there to practice." I smiled at a sudden memory. "My dad 
actually got his callsign there."

Christy looked a question at me.

I explained for Wren's benefit. "Military pilots have callsigns--
nicknames, really."

"_All_ of them?" Wren asked.

"All the ones I know, at least," I said.

Christy nodded in confirmation.

"Anyway," I said, continuing my story, "my dad got his callsign 
at Yuma. He normally doesn't talk about his time in the Navy, but 
sometimes, especially if he's had a little too much to drink, 
he'll tell stories."

"So what's his callsign?" Christy asked, warming to my tale.

"Zuniac," I said with a chuckle. "His friends just called him 
'Zuni' for short, though."

"What kind of nickname is _that?_" Wren asked.

"My dad was training at Yuma right after he joined his first 
squadron. He screwed up a firing run with rockets--_Zuni_ 
rockets--and ended up launching a bunch of them at once... all over 
the place." I laughed at the imagined look on my father's face 
when he realized what he'd done. "So the guys in his squadron 
gave him a new callsign: Zuniac."

"I don't get it," Wren said.

"'Zuni' and 'maniac'?" I prompted.

Wren understood, but obviously didn't appreciate the humor of my 
father's mistake.

Judging by Christy's grin, she did. "Military pilots tease each 
other a lot," she said. "My dad's callsign is Clara."

Wren shook her head in bafflement.

Christy glanced at me, but I didn't understand the callsign any 
more than Wren did.

"It has to do with landing on a carrier," Christy said, more to 
Wren than me (to cushion the blow to my ego, no doubt). "The 
pilots use this set of lights to line up their landing, and if 
they don't see them, they call 'clara' over the radio. One time, 
on my dad's first cruise, he couldn't see them. _He_ says they 
were broken, but the landing signal officer started calling him 
Clara, and the name stuck."

Wren merely shook her head in bemusement. "Pilots are nuts."

"Yeah, I guess," I said, proud of my father despite her 
pronouncement.

"No, they're not nuts," Christy said, a little more vehemently 
than I think she intended. "They just live in a different world. 
They might get _killed_, even if they do everything right--"

Wren and I exchanged alarmed looks.

"--so they have a different sense of humor," Christy continued 
defensively. "They laugh at the things that might kill them. 
What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing's wrong with it," Wren said hastily. "I just think it's 
odd, that's all."

I decided to aim for the heart of Christy's distress, on the 
theory that talking about it would lessen its impact. "What was 
Laurence's callsign?"

Wren's eyes widened in shock, but I silenced her with a 
headshake.

To our surprise, Christy laughed. "Happy," she said, smiling at 
the memory.

"'Happy'?"

"Happy," she repeated. "He _hated_ it too, but I think that's why 
the other guys picked it."

"Why Happy?" I asked.

"Because he was always happy," she said simply. "Nothing ever got 
Laurence down. He wanted to be a 'rough and ready leatherneck.' 
Ha! He used to tell me how he wanted a callsign like 'Cool Hand' 
or 'Slick' or something like that. But he was always Happy."

"What about Harry?" I asked immediately, shifting the 
conversation while she was smiling with nostalgia.

"Hmm? Oh. Harry's callsign is Tergon."

"This one's gonna take another explanation," Wren said with a 
faux-sour grin.

"After class," I said as we reached Dr. Bertrand's classroom.

Christy smiled up at me, and I thought I detected a hint of 
gratitude in her eyes.

-----

"So how _did_ Harry get his callsign?" I asked after class.

"I'd _love_ to hear this," Wren said with only a trace of 
sarcasm, "but I don't understand you Navy kids in the first 
place. Besides, I've got to head to Humanities."

We exchanged goodbyes and then Christy turned to me. "Where're 
you headed?"

"I've got an hour before my Design class. You?"

"I've got an hour before Art of Japan. Convenient, huh?"

"Do you want to--?"

"I'd love to."

We went to our usual spot, a bench at the end of one of the 
balconies.

"Okay, so how did Harry get his callsign?" I asked.

"Kinda like your dad did."

I looked a question at her.

"There's this thing called a TER. I don't remember exactly how it 
works, but it carries bombs, I think."

"A Triple Ejection Rack?"

"Yeah, that's it! When Harry was in training, he accidentally 
dropped his TERs when he should've just dropped his bombs. So the 
instructors started calling him 'TER Gone.'"

"And that got shortened to Tergon," I finished with a laugh. 
"Sounds like he and my dad have a lot in common."

She smiled.

"How about James?" I asked.

"Dobie."

"Like Dobie Gillis?"

"Mmm hmm. The guys in his squadron thought he looked like the 
actor from the TV show."

"Ha! How about Danny."

"Surfer," she said. "Danny loves to surf, and he looks the part. 
He and I are the only blondes in the family--besides our mom, I 
mean--and he tans like I do. One afternoon in the sun and we're 
golden brown."

"My mother and sister are like that," I grumbled good-naturedly. 
At that, I suddenly realized that Christy _looked_ like Mom and 
Erin. She was smaller than either of them--quite a bit smaller 
through the chest--but she had the same blonde hair and blue 
eyes, and many of the same expressions. And if she tanned like 
they did... I imagined her at camp, nude and bronze and bejeweled 
with water from the lake, her nipples hard from the cold--

"What're you thinking?" she asked with a sly smile, intruding 
upon my fantasy.

"Huh? What?"

"Just now... what were you thinking?"

My face must've been scarlet. "Um... nothing," I said, flustered. 
"So, what's Rich's callsign?"

She smiled, her eyes sparkling in amusement. "Rich doesn't _have_ 
a callsign," she said patiently.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Um... remember? He's not a pilot...."

Chagrinned, I'm sure I turned a darker shade, if that were 
possible.

Christy laughed, musical and bright.

"I forgot," I said, trying to salvage my dignity.

She merely nodded, her eyes still glinting with the remnants of a 
smile.

"So," I said, grasping for anything to divert her attention, 
"what'd you do on Spring Break?"

"Well, since Danny was in town," she began, with barely a hint of 
a smirk, "we went to La Jolla. There's an incredible shore break 
at Windansea Beach, and...."

With a palpable wave of relief, I suppressed my treacherous 
imagination and simply listened.

But I could've sworn she was smiling at me when I wasn't looking.

-----

After the chaos of the first days of the quarter, my life settled 
into a routine. A group of us ate breakfast together every 
morning before heading to our various classes. Christy and I met 
for lunch and hung out afterward, drawing or just talking. After 
the day's classes, a group of us (anywhere from four to a dozen 
people) met for dinner. We usually ate at one of the campus 
dining halls, but sometimes we cooked at Kendall's apartment or 
went out for pizza.

I still tried to watch my weight, but Christy was steadily 
changing my diet with a combination of non-lecture lectures and 
healthy afternoon snacks. Kendall was more than happy to let her, 
too, since she was convinced that I didn't eat enough in the 
first place.

My classes themselves were mostly an extension of the previous 
quarter, especially since I had four of the same professors: 
Joska, Ledbetter, Feller, and Bertrand. The new professors were 
Ken Liang and Maninder Patel, an Indian, whose English was only 
_slightly_ better than Professor Vajpayee's.

The assignments were more or less what I was used to as well. 
Professor Ledbetter handed me a suspiciously Joska-inspired list 
of extra credit, while Professor Joska outlined a slew of 
projects and design reviews involving the World's Fair, which was 
due to open in May. Unlike the previous semesters' Introduction 
to Architecture classes, though, Professor Liang's Visual Design 
Theory covered entirely new material, and I quickly realized that 
half of my classes would take up the majority of my time.

Professor Feller's class would be interesting, though, since our 
reading list was drawn from the latter half of the Twentieth 
Century. Dr. Bertrand's syllabus looked enjoyable as well; it was 
full of Dutch masters, French Impressionists, and more. And 
Calculus was Calculus, so I ignored Professor Patel's not-quite-
English lectures and immersed myself in the textbook.

I kept up my flying lessons with Earl Walker, but without 
wrestling and snow skiing, I had a lot more time to devote to 
architecture. Trip and I still worked out together, using the 
time to talk about everything from our Design projects to 
whatever new band he was excited about.

Trip wanted to form an intramural softball team, but Jeff lobbied 
hard for soccer. Since he rarely made requests, we decided to 
oblige him. Luke signed up for the team, of course, along with 
T.J. and Glen. Through enthusiasm and persistence alone, Jeff 
managed to recruit four other guys from our floor, as well as his 
roommate, Hector.

Aside from Jeff, Hector, and one other guy, none of us had ever 
played soccer before, but we were all willing to give it a shot. 
Jeff's previous attempts at intramural sports had been just shy 
of embarrassing, though. He'd been lightning fast on the football 
field, but prone to fumbles. On the basketball court, his shots 
often missed even the backboard. Consequently, none of us really 
expected more from him when it came to soccer.

"Holy shit!" T.J. exclaimed at our first practice. "Look at Four-
eyes!"

"T.J....," Trip started to warn. Then he turned to look at Jeff, 
and the rebuke died unspoken.

Jeff was bouncing one of the soccer balls in the air. He bounced 
it off his feet. He bounced it off his thighs. He bounced it off 
his chest. He even bounced it off his head. With almost casual 
ease, he kept it airborne for several minutes. The rest of us 
stood awestruck. Finally, he kicked the ball into the air, higher 
than before. It didn't even hit the ground before he sent it 
flying toward the goal. When it hit the net, we erupted with wild 
cheers.

"How'd you _do_ that?!" T.J. asked after the din died down.

"Do what?" Jeff wondered, a bit embarrassed.

"That... that _thing_ you were doing," T.J. tried to explain. 
"Bouncing the ball."

"You mean juggling?"

"Yeah, that!"

Jeff shrugged, his cheeks turning pinker still.

"Looks like _you're_ gonna be taking lessons from _Jeff_ this 
time," Trip said to T.J. with a grin.

"No shit," T.J. agreed without rancor. "And you need a new 
nickname, Four-eyes."

Trip stiffened but didn't say anything.

"How about White Pele?" T.J. mused.

Jeff's blush merely deepened. "I'm not _that_ good."

"You coulda fooled me," T.J. said. "Now, show me how to do that 
thing with the ball."

A little tentatively at first, but with growing confidence, Jeff 
taught us the basics of soccer. We practiced for more than an 
hour, Jeff's awkwardness at football and basketball all but 
forgotten.

"How come you couldn't do that on the football field?" T.J. asked 
him as we left the practice field.

Jeff merely shrugged and pushed up his glasses.

"Or on the basketball court?" T.J. continued. "I mean, you tossed 
more bricks than anyone I ever saw. But damn, Pele, you can 
_play_ soccer."

"I guess I don't have to use my hands," Jeff said diffidently. 
"I'm not real coordinated--"

"No shit," T.J. said. Then he darted a glance at Trip. "Um... just 
kidding."

"Besides, I've been playing soccer since I was six," Jeff added. 
He shrugged again. "I guess I've just got a knack for it."

"Well, I'm stickin' with my man Pele," T.J. said to the group at 
large. Then he slapped Jeff on the back. "With you on our team, 
we'll win every game."

Trip and I hung back from the rest of the guys as we walked 
toward the dorm.

Luke noticed, and joined us. "Who knew Jeff could play soccer?" 
he asked no one in particular.

"You didn't know?" Trip asked, genuinely surprised.

"_Alors pas._ I mean, after the hard time we gave him about 
football and basketball...? If y'all had given me that much shit, 
I'd've passed a slap and said 'wait till we play soccer, _then_ 
you'll see.' But he just kept his mouth shut and kept coming back 
for more."

Trip chuckled.

"_Mais_, I had no idea," Luke said, shaking his head. Then he 
grinned at us. "The guy _had_ to be good at something. Who knew 
it was soccer?" With a wider grin, he ran to catch up with the 
rest of the group. "Hey, Jeff! Wait up, man!"

"There's a lesson here," Trip said to me, quietly.

I looked a question at him.

"_Everyone_ has a talent. The trick is finding it."

I nodded.

"I should've known better," he said, more to himself than to me. 
"I didn't give Jeff a hard time, not like T.J. did, but in my 
head...." He trailed off meaningfully. Then he braced himself. 
"There's another lesson here."

"Which is?"

"Always treat a guy with respect, 'cause you might not know what 
his talent is until you need it."

"Words to live by," I said, teasing him a little gravely.

"I'm serious," he said. "I should've known better." After several 
moments, he chuckled ironically. "Well, I won't make _that_ 
mistake again."

-----

Kendall and I tried to find some time alone together, but we were 
in a quandary. Her roommates' classes were diabolically contrived 
to keep the apartment occupied. We decided to use my dorm room 
instead, even though we'd have to deal with Carrick's visitation 
rules. I didn't want to come right out and ask Billy to let us 
have the room to ourselves once in a while, but he was a lot 
shrewder than I gave him credit for.

"We're doing a musical this quarter,_ 1776_," he said one 
afternoon. "Jamie got the part of John Adams. I actually got a 
part too. It's not a big one, but it's my first on-stage role."

"Congratulations," I said absently, my nose buried in a book.

"So I'll have to go to rehearsals now too. I'm still doing the 
set and costumes, though."

"Ah."

"I'll be at rehearsal Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons, 
from two till four. And I'll spend the weekends working on the 
set, of course."

"Cool."

"If anyone needs me," he emphasized, "they can find me at the 
theater on _Wednesday_, _Thursday_, and _Friday_, from _two_ till 
_four_ o'clock."

His words finally registered, and I looked up.

"Two till four," he said deliberately. "Wednesday, Thursday, and 
Friday," he repeated. "And I'll probably hang around afterward to 
go to supper with the cast. You know... in case you need to know 
where I am." He gave me a meaningful look.

"Okay," I said, trying not to sound exasperated. A moment later, 
I Got It, and my mood changed dramatically. "Oh! Thanks for 
letting me know, Billy."

He shrugged. "I just thought... in case... you know... um...."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," I said, relieving him of the burden of 
telling me that he'd overheard Kendall and me talking about where 
to find some privacy.

He sighed gratefully.

"And you know," I mused, "we'll probably come see your play. I 
mean, I haven't been to a single one, and since you're _acting_ 
in this one...."

His expression lit with a smile.

"When's opening night?" I asked.

"You mean you'll come?!"

"Sure."

He gave me the dates of the play's run, and I wrote them down.

"Will you really come?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure, Billy, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He flashed me a shy smile, his cheeks flushed.

"But I'd better get back to _Invisible Man_," I said genially, 
nodding at my book. "Thanks for letting me know about your 
rehearsal schedule, though."

-----

A couple of weeks into the quarter, Kendall and I made plans to 
go to South Carolina for Susan's birthday. I wanted to fly--it 
was a two-hour trip by air--but I knew Kendall would balk, so I 
didn't even bring it up. Instead, I resigned myself to driving 
more than six hours, _each way_.

A couple of days before we left, the phone rang.

"Hey, Paul," T.J. tentatively called into my room, "it's Gina."

"Gina?" I wondered aloud, pushing back from my desk.

He nodded and held out the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Paul. It's Gina."

_As if I wouldn't recognize her voice!_

"How are you?"

We talked for a couple of minutes, but the conversation was 
awkward. Finally, _thankfully_, she got to the purpose of her 
call.

"Are you going to Susan's birthday party?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course. Are you?" I cursed myself for sounding so 
boyishly hopeful.

"I can't. I've got to work at the hospital, and besides...." Her 
pause lengthened, meaningful and final.

"Yeah, I understand." She couldn't go because of _me_, and I 
silently admitted that she was probably right.

"I'm sorry, Paul," she said softly. "I'm just not ready."

"That's okay. I understand. You're probably right."

"Thank you."

I nodded, and I knew she'd understand my silence for the 
acceptance it was.

"But you could do me a favor," she said, brightening.

"Sure."

"Would you mind taking my present with you when you fly over?"

"We're not flying," I said, a little more resentfully than I 
intended. "Let's leave it at that."

"That's-- Sorry, never mind." She paused. "Do you have a few 
minutes? I could meet you now."

"Yeah, I guess."

She paused guiltily. "I... I'm sorry, Paul. I _want_ to go, but...."

"I understand."

"I've already called Susan, and she understands. I talked to my 
mom too."

"We're going to have to get over this sooner or later," I said, 
sounding more determined than petulant. "I mean, our families are 
still friends."

"I know," she said. "But there's no reason to torture ourselves 
for their sake. They understand." She laughed, bitter and short. 
"Well, maybe not Leah."

"Leah? What about her?"

"I guess she's more of a Gina partisan than I thought."

"Huh?"

In a rush: "She's only heard things from _my_ side, and she 
doesn't understand that it takes _two_--"

"You mean she's pissed off at _me?_"

"A little," Gina said, obviously chagrinned. "I tried to tell her 
that we're adults, and we're both to blame, but...." I could almost 
hear her shrug.

I laughed, the sound full of irony. "Well, I guess I won't have 
to worry about fighting her off."

"You might," Gina said with an ironic laugh of her own. "I think 
she mentioned wanting to slap some sense into you. Don't worry 
about her, though. My mom's got the situation under control. Leah 
might _talk_ big, but she's not going to actually do anything. So 
you're right, you don't have to worry about fighting her off."

"Well, that'll make Kendall happy."

"So, do you want to meet me in the courtyard?" Gina asked 
abruptly.

"Sure. When?"

"Five minutes?"

"Okay," I said. "I'll see you in a few."

Gina met me downstairs, and she was alone for a change. "Give 
Susan a hug for me," she said, handing over a small present. "And 
tell her I love her."

"Will do," I said.

As the silence drew out, her dark eyes turned soulful and 
lingering. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but 
she didn't. Instead, she smiled sadly, nodded to herself, and 
turned to go.

-----

On Friday, Kendall and I packed up and headed toward South 
Carolina. With pit stops and traffic, the trip took almost 
_seven_ hours, and we arrived a little before midnight.

Instead of driving straight to Susan's house, we stopped at the 
lighted clubhouse first. Gunny Kershaw met us at the door. After 
a warm greeting he told us that Doug and Olivia had arrived 
earlier in the day, and that Kirk had called unexpectedly to say 
he'd arrive on Saturday.

"Since Susan will have a full house, we thought you might like to 
stay in one of the cabins," he finished. "I made one up for you. 
I hope you don't mind."

"Thank you very much, Gunny," I said.

With that, we climbed into the Cruiser and headed back up the 
hill. During the short drive, Gunny told us that Susan had 
already gone to bed, but that she wanted us to come down for 
breakfast. Then he directed us to the cabin next to the one where 
my family usually stayed. I pulled to a stop beside the little 
building and turned off the engine.

"I've had the water heater on for a couple of hours," Gunny said 
as he opened the cabin door, "so the water should be hot. And I 
put sheets on the bed and towels in the bathroom. They're nothing 
fancy, but they'll do."

"Thanks, Gunny," I said.

"Can I get you anything else?" he asked deferentially.

I shook my head and glanced at Kendall.

She turned to him and smiled warmly. "Thank you for all you've 
done."
 
"My pleasure, Miss Kendall," he said, his cheeks coloring. After 
a diffident pause: "Well, since everything's squared away here, I 
think I'll head home and turn in."

"I'll give you a ride," I offered.

When I returned to the cabin, the porch light glowed warmly. 
Spring had come to South Carolina, but the night air still held a 
chill, and I was looking forward to a soft, warm bed after the 
long day on the road.

"I'm sorry I made you drive," Kendall said as I shut the cabin 
door behind me.

I shrugged.

"I just don't want to fly. I... I can't explain it, but... it scares 
me."

"That's all right. I understand." I _didn't_, but I didn't want 
to dwell on it and make her uncomfortable.

"Can I make it up to you?" she asked softly.

"Maybe later. Right now, I just wanna go to bed."

When we crawled into bed and pulled the covers over us, she 
gently stroked my chest. Her hand drifted suggestively lower, but 
I touched her wrist lightly and shook my head.

"Maybe in the morning," I said. "I'm exhausted."

"Oh... okay."

With that, I pulled her close and my eyes drooped shut. I knew 
her well enough to realize that she was disappointed, but after a 
full day of classes, followed by a seven-hour drive, I simply 
didn't have the energy.

-----

The next morning, we showered together until the water turned 
cold. Much to my amusement, I found that I actually _missed_ the 
dorm, especially the endless supply of hot water.

After we dried off, we fooled around in the comfort of the steamy 
bathroom. I wanted to make up for the night before, so I kissed 
my way from her earlobes to her neck and then continued down to 
her chest. My lips trailed between her breasts and over her soft 
stomach until I nuzzled her pussy. She gasped when I pressed my 
chin to her thighs and darted my tongue between her smooth labia. 
Then she relaxed, and didn't resist when I spread her legs 
further.

I gently licked and sucked her pussy, building her up. She gasped 
when I held her hips in place and my tongue went into overdrive. 
I swirled it around her clit, teasing the little bead on each 
pass. Then I began wagging my tongue through her folds and 
sucking her inner lips.

Finally, I drove her over the edge and she gripped my hair to 
hold herself steady. I continued licking as her orgasm washed 
over her. She held rigidly still, and when she grew too 
sensitive, I pulled back before she had to push me away.

With a smile, I gazed up her body and kissed her smooth mons. She 
rewarded me with a deep sigh in response. I began kissing up her 
stomach to her breasts, and sucked her nipples for several 
moments. When I straightened, my erection brushed her thigh.

She gripped my shaft with a sultry smile. She held my eyes for a 
moment and then sank to her knees. Her supple lips caressed my 
shaft, quickly working me to the point of no return. She sensed 
it and began pumping the base of my cock as she teased my balls 
with the other hand. A moment later I rewarded her efforts, 
filling her mouth with spurt after spurt.

She smiled up at me as my dick slowly softened. With an answering 
smile, I helped her to her feet and pulled her close. After a few 
moments of silent intimacy, we finished getting ready. When we 
were done, she dithered over whether or not to wear bikini 
bottoms. Since we didn't know how Doug or Olivia would react, she 
decided to play it safe.

Outside, the morning sunlight filtered through the pine trees, 
but the shade was decidedly chilly. The sunny road through camp 
was pleasantly warm, though, and by the time we reached Susan's 
house, the exertion of walking down the hill had done wonders.

Doug opened the kitchen door when we knocked. With a smile, he 
invited us into the house and introduced us to his girlfriend, 
Olivia. She was an attractive brunette with full breasts and a 
friendly smile. She reminded me of a young Susan. When Kendall 
glanced at me, I realized that she was thinking the same thing. 
She also had to suppress a grin, since Olivia was wearing bikini 
bottoms.

Before I could do more than raise my eyebrows, Susan entered the 
kitchen, drawn by the sound of our voices. She gave Kendall a hug 
and then turned to me. I was mildly surprised that she _wasn't_ 
wearing her bottoms, but I guess I shouldn't have been. I pulled 
her close and returned her hug. When we separated, she neatly 
stepped to my side, her arm still around my waist.

"Why the modesty, ladies?" she asked. "I don't think anyone here 
is going to be offended by a bare beaver."

"Well, I didn't know if Paul and Kendall...," Olivia ventured 
uncertainly.

"And I didn't know if...," Kendall echoed. Then she shrugged.

"Aw, heck," Olivia said, glancing at Kendall, "I will if you 
will."

Kendall nodded, and with that, the girls removed their bottoms.

"So," Susan asked, defusing the momentary tension as Doug and I 
tried not to ogle each other's girlfriend, "what do we want for 
breakfast? Bacon and eggs? Pancakes and sausage? Waffles?"

"Oh, no, Susan," Olivia said, glad for the distraction, "Kendall 
and I can cook. You just relax. After all, it's your birthday."

"If you think I'm going to argue, you're wrong," Susan said with 
a grin.

The two girls shared a laugh and donned aprons as they surveyed 
the contents of the refrigerator.

"So, Paul," Doug said as we sat at the kitchen table, "how do you 
like the architecture program at Tennessee?"

"A lot. _UT_ has a fantastic design program--"

He grinned good-naturedly at my deliberate emphasis.

"--and I've got a couple of really good professors." For a 
moment, I stopped, shocked at what I'd just said. _Do I _really_ 
think Joska's a good professor?_ I wondered._ Holy shit! I _do_!_ 
With that, I laughed, a bit self-consciously. But for the next 
few minutes, I was amazed by the words coming from my mouth; 
words like "unrelenting perfectionist" and "good judge of 
design."

Even Kendall turned from the stove, surprised to hear me describe 
Joska that way.

"So you have a different professor than your first quarter?" 
Susan asked.

Chagrinned, I felt my face heating. "No, it's the same guy."

She laughed, genuine and teasing at the same time.

"Okay, so maybe he's not as bad as I first thought," I grudgingly 
admitted. "He's still an absolute slave driver, and he's _never_ 
satisfied with my work, but yeah, maybe there's a method to his 
madness."

Susan and Kendall shared a grin.

"Oh, quit smirking," I said, without heat.

Even Doug laughed. "I have an integrated circuits professor like 
that at UT."

"You mean Texas," I said absently.

"Right, at UT," he repeated, grinning. "But as I was saying, I 
have an integrated circuits professor like that, and he's 
_always_...."

-----

A little before lunch, Susan drove to the airport to pick up 
Chris and Elizabeth (and Erin and Leah), who'd flown over in our 
families' Cessna. Since my father was on a trip to New Jersey, he 
and my mom planned to rent a plane and fly over when he returned 
to Atlanta, the next day.

Leah gave me a hard-eyed glare when she saw me, and refused to 
even say hello. After a sharp look from her mother, however, she 
greeted me mechanically. Not surprisingly, Kendall got the same 
cool treatment. Erin merely rolled her eyes at her friend's 
sullen hostility, and gave each of us a hug. Chris and Elizabeth 
greeted us warmly as well (it was the first time we'd seen each 
other since the break-up).

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Gina," Elizabeth 
said quietly, when we found ourselves alone. "She loves you very 
much, though."

I nodded. "I love her too, but...." I shrugged. "I guess I pretty 
much screwed things up."

"It takes two to make a relationship work," Elizabeth said, her 
British accent gentle and full of experience. "But at least 
you're both being mature about it."

I shrugged again. I didn't know if I could really call my actions 
_mature_, but...

"And Leah should forgive you when she realizes you're not Shiva."

I looked a question at her.

She laughed, low and sweet. "You need to take some comparative 
religion courses."

Before I could answer, Chris practically tugged me away.

"Sorry, dear," he said to his wife, "Susan's got a new grill, and 
we need to give it an inspection."

Elizabeth merely shook her head and chuckled, gesturing for us to 
go.

Not surprisingly, Chris offered to cook lunch on the grill. As we 
lingered over the remains of the meal, the phone rang. It was 
Kirk, calling from Columbia to tell Susan that he and his 
girlfriend were driving up in a rental car.

"Girlfriend?" Doug asked when Susan relayed the news. "He didn't 
mention anything about a girlfriend before. Did he say anything 
to you, Mom?"

Susan shook her head.

"And he's bringing her _here?_" Doug wondered. "Wow, that's a big 
step."

"Oh," Olivia assured him, "the prospect of being a nudist isn't 
as daunting as you might think." She shared a grin with Kendall. 
"Especially if the guys are studs."

"What time did he say he'd be here?" Doug asked, trying to cover 
his blush.

Susan glanced at her watch. "Not for a couple of hours. Why?"

"I kinda want to see him before...." He reached for Olivia's hand 
and then turned back to his mother. "I want to take Livvy to the 
quarry, so I thought we'd hike up there this afternoon. Do you 
still have my camping gear?"

"It's in the garage," Susan said. "Why?"

"Well... I thought we might spend the night up there."

"It'll get awfully cold," she said.

Doug and Olivia simply grinned at each other.

"Which I don't think will be a problem," Susan continued 
smoothly. "I'll show you and Paul where it is."

After I helped Doug retrieve his old camping gear, we hung 
everything on the clothesline to air out. Then we decided to head 
down to the lake to enjoy the afternoon sun. The water was still 
far, _far_ colder than I was willing to brave--my testicles 
silently thanked me--but the sunshine felt good on my bare skin. 
Kendall and I had brought reading for class, and we quickly 
settled onto lounge chairs next to each other, our noses buried 
in our books.

Kirk and his girlfriend arrived later in the afternoon. Susan, 
Doug, and Olivia went up the hill to meet them, and the five of 
them came down a little later. Beside me, Kendall stiffened 
momentarily when she saw Kirk. She tried to hide her reaction, 
but I knew her too well. From somewhere deep in the recesses of 
my memory, I recalled that she'd had a girlhood crush on him. 
Evidently, she hadn't completely outgrown it.

With a silent chuckle, I shook his hand and then tried to hide a 
smirk as Kendall's breathing quickened when she greeted him. Then 
I turned to Kirk's girlfriend, who was _nothing_ like I expected. 
She was blonde, lithe, and pretty, but nearly flat-chested. She 
had a bubbly personality, though, and I easily understood Kirk's 
attraction.

"Hi," she said immediately, "I'm Dawn."

After introductions all around, she and Kirk pulled over two 
lounge chairs and spread their towels. While Susan and her sons 
talked, I turned back to _The Catcher in the Rye_. Next to me, 
Kendall surreptitiously glanced at Kirk again. Then she 
deliberately focused on her Organic Chemistry book.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her fight a losing battle 
to keep her eyes from drifting to Kirk. It didn't bother me, 
though, since I knew who she was going to bed with at the end of 
the day--me. Besides, if I could look at other girls, I could 
hardly begrudge her the same opportunity with other guys. In the 
end, my biggest problem was trying not to chuckle.

-----

Around five o'clock, Doug and Olivia packed their gear and food. 
We gathered to see them off, and after waves all around, they 
headed across the dam. Kendall slipped her hand into mine as we 
watched them go.

"I like Olivia," she said quietly.

"She and Doug seem like a happy couple." I grinned mischievously. 
"But Olivia's not the only one you like."

Kendall looked at me in alarm.

"I saw how you were looking at Kirk." Her eyes widened and she 
started to deny it, but I cut her off with a gesture and a 
chuckle. "It doesn't bother me."

"It doesn't?"

"I know you used to have a crush on him... still _do_, if only a 
little--"

Her guilty blush was answer enough.

"--and that's okay. I mean, I look at other girls, but that 
doesn't mean I'm going to have sex with them. So I can't really 
object if you look at guys, can I?"

"No, you can't," she said, regaining a bit of her composure. Then 
she turned sheepish. "Was I that obvious?"

"Sort of, but not really. I just know you. Besides, you took 
thirty minutes to read two pages."

She laughed ruefully. "I'm going to have to reread the whole 
section."

I squeezed her hand.

"You really don't mind if I look at other guys?" she asked. "Not 
that I need to ask your permission...."

I chuckled and shook my head, part answer, part amusement.

-----

Susan asked Chris to grill steaks for dinner ("Great, _huge_ 
hunks of dead cow!" Elizabeth teased), and Gunny and Lenore 
joined us with a cooler full of beer. While the women fixed side 
dishes in the kitchen, the men clustered around the grill, beers 
in hand. In reality, the night had turned nippy, and the warmth 
pouring from the grill felt good.

Dinner was thoroughly enjoyable, with several bottles of wine and 
good conversation. By suspicious coincidence, Kendall and I ended 
up sitting next to Kirk and Dawn. I glanced at Kendall sidelong, 
but she affected innocence, so I smiled to myself and turned my 
attention back to the conversation.

Kirk had recently finished advanced flight training, and had just 
been assigned to a Fleet Readiness Squadron to learn to fly a new 
plane, the A-7 Corsair II. When I asked, he described the 
differences between the A-4 and the A-7, but then Dawn 
unobtrusively put her hand on his.

He took the cue and changed the subject--to _me_. Susan had told 
him all about my dreams of becoming an architect, and he seemed 
genuinely interested in my summer plans. When I grew self-
consciously silent, Dawn smoothly turned the conversation to 
Kendall, who talked about becoming a psychiatrist.

"And what do you do?" Kendall asked Dawn a few minutes later.

"I'm a financial advisor," she said. "That's how Kirk and I met."

"Oh?"

"Mmm hmm," Dawn said. "One of my partners manages his assets." 
She leaned forward, in an aside. "It nearly killed me when I 
realized what kind of portfolio he had."

"Is that what Kirk calls it?" Kendall quipped.

Dawn laughed brightly. "No, he doesn't have a name for his 
equipment." She smiled at him. "Do you honey?"

Kirk grimaced affably.

"But I thought I'd never get to see his equipment in the first 
place," Dawn said with feigned petulance.

"Oh?" Kendall said.

"He never asked me out," Dawn said. "I've got a strict 'no dating 
the clients' policy, but since he wasn't _my_ client...." She 
shrugged. "So I took matters into my own hands."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I did what any woman would."

"You were underhanded and sneaky," Kirk said.

"It _worked_, didn't it?" Dawn shot back with a grin.

"She had her secretary call me to set up a meeting with Tom, my 
advisor," Kirk said. "When I got to the office,_ _he'd already 
left for the day." He turned lightheartedly rueful. "I should've 
been suspicious about a five thirty meeting."

Dawn grinned devilishly.

"Dawn was conveniently working late, though," Kirk said.

"So I offered to buy him a drink," she finished smugly.

I felt my eyebrows shoot up involuntarily. "You mean _you_ asked 
_Kirk_ out?"

"And why shouldn't she?" Kendall said, her tone a cross between 
indignant and teasing.

I held up my hands in surrender.

Kirk merely grinned at my predicament.

"We're living in the Eighties," Kendall continued, "not the 
Fifties."

"More wine, sweetheart?" I offered by way of apology.

She relented with a smile (especially since I'd called her 
"sweetheart").

After I filled her glass, I topped off Kirk's and Dawn's as well.

"How did you become a financial advisor?" I asked Dawn.

"Not the easy way, that's for sure," she said. "It's still a 
business with a good ol' boy network, but word got around that I 
was actually making money for my clients. Good money, too. And 
with the stagnation in the market, that was no mean feat. 
Fortunately, things are looking better." She leaned forward 
confidentially. "Between you and me, I wouldn't be surprised if 
we see a bull market by July, August at the latest. I see signs 
of...."

Dawn was energetic, smart, and very ambitious, and the four of us 
talked until well after the dishes had been cleared and everyone 
else had adjourned to the living room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Susan said from the doorway, "but I 
thought I'd go for a walk with Chris and Elizabeth." She looked 
at her watch.

I looked at mine as well, and received a shock: we'd been talking 
for more than _two hours_.

"We should be back in an hour or so," Susan continued. "Erin and 
Leah have gone up to the Coulters' cabin, and Jeremiah and Lenore 
are headed home as well, so you'll have the house to yourselves 
for a while."

"Thanks for letting us know, Mom," Kirk said.

"I'm sorry we monopolized Kirk and Dawn," Kendall said.

Susan waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. We'll have 
lots of time. In the meantime, the hot tub is warm, if you want 
to use it."

"Thank you very much, Susan," Dawn said.

Susan smiled graciously and turned to Kirk. "There are plastic 
wine glasses in the cupboard. Please use them if you take a 
bottle out to the tub. And you know where the wine is, if I 
recall."

He grinned guiltily and nodded.

With that, Susan joined Chris and Elizabeth in the kitchen, where 
they donned jackets and shoes to ward off the spring chill in the 
air. Then they lingered as Gunny and Lenore came to say 
goodnight. After hugs and handshakes (and an affectionate salute 
for Kirk), the grizzled Marine extended his arm to Lenore and 
they headed out, with Susan and the Coulters close behind.

"'You know where the wine is'?" Dawn said to Kirk.

He laughed.

"Do tell."

"When I was sixteen," he said at last, "I had a party with a 
couple of... um... 'friends.'"

"Girls?" Dawn asked archly. Then she grinned sidelong at Kendall.

"Anyway," Kirk pressed on, "we raided the wine for our little 
party."

"Oh, really?" Dawn said, her eyes twinkling with laughter.

"But I'm an officer and a gentleman," Kirk said, "so I won't go 
into further details."

"Fascinating," Dawn teased. "I'd love to cadge the rest of the 
story out of you, but let's grab some more wine--I believe you 
know where it is--and head to the hot tub."

A minute later we settled into the bubbling water. Kirk opened 
the bottle and poured four glasses. I was beginning to feel the 
effects from all I'd drunk during dinner, so I decided to switch 
to Coke once I finished my current glass.

"Do you all mind if I get drunk?" Dawn suddenly asked.

Kendall and I blinked. "No, not at all," I said at last.

"I'm not a sloppy drunk or anything," Dawn added, "but I don't 
get the chance very often, so...."

"I think I'll join you," Kendall said. Then she glanced at me 
with a half-sheepish expression.

"Fine by me," I said. "I won't take advantage of you... _much_."

Dawn giggled, but Kendall merely flashed her eyes at me and 
smiled a secret little smile.

For the next half-hour, the conversation was brisk and wide-
ranging, with all of us drinking and enjoying ourselves. When I 
finished my wine, I decided to abide by my decision to switch to 
Coke.

"I'm going to cool off for a minute and get something else to 
drink," I said. "Does anyone want anything while I'm up?"

"Get me a Coke, if you don't mind," Kirk said, his thoughts 
obviously running parallel to mine. Then he emptied the remaining 
wine into the girls' glasses.

I nodded at the empty bottle. "Another?"

He glanced at Dawn and Kendall, who quickly nodded.

I returned a few minutes later with two Cokes and a bottle of 
wine. Kirk opened it and poured while I slipped into the water.

"Thanks for letting me get drunk," Kendall whispered in my ear, 
her speech deliberate. "I'll make it up to you. Just don't let me 
get _too_ drunk. I have plans...."

I merely arched an eyebrow in challenge.

"_Big_ plans," she said, her fingers seeking my flaccid manhood. 
"And getting bigger by the minute," she added as I began to 
swell.

"No whispering!" Dawn called across the tub, obviously tipsy. 
"Share with the group."
 
"I just thanked him for letting me get drunk," Kendall said. "And 
then I told him I'd make it up to him. I've got plans for him... 
_big_ plans."

Dawn cooed, her interest piqued.

"And getting bigger by the minute," Kendall repeated boldly.

My jaw dropped.

"What an excellent idea," Dawn gushed.

I chuckled as Kirk's eyes widened. She must have grabbed his 
dick, and her smirk confirmed my suspicions.

"That's the problem with dating liberated women," Kirk said 
wryly. "They know what they want and they're not afraid to go for 
it."

"I'll show you 'go for it,'" Dawn said, drunkenly playful. After 
trying to tickle Kirk and being defeated, she settled down. Then 
she turned mischievous, and her glance slid to Kendall. "I hope 
you don't mind me saying so, but you've got the most amazing 
tits."

Kendall blushed.

"I mean it," Dawn continued. "They're fantastic." She looked down 
at her own nearly nonexistent breasts. "I wish mine were bigger... 
'stead of just mosquito bites."

Kirk and Kendall spoke at once: "I like 'em." "They're bigger 
than _that_."

"Seriously," Kirk repeated, "I think they're fine."

"Yeah, well, you're not interested in my tits in the first 
place," Dawn said to him. Then she took a sip of wine and looked 
at Kendall. "I've got a magic pussy," she said matter-of-factly.

We all laughed.

"I _do_," Dawn said. "Just ask Kirk."

Kirk chuckled, but nodded.

"And speaking of magic pussies," Dawn continued, her eyes fixed 
on Kendall, "what's up with the lack of pubic hair around here? I 
mean, I haven't seen so many hairless pussies since I was at Girl 
Scout camp."

"Paul likes me to shave," Kendall said.

"Yeah, but what about Olivia?" Dawn asked.

"I guess Doug likes the bald look too," Kirk said.

"And your mother?" Dawn said.

Kirk shrugged. "She's been like that as long as I can remember." 
With that, he laughed.

"What?" Dawn asked, looking suspicious.

"I remember when I started paying attention to women--"

"Prob'ly when you were ten," she interjected.

"Close," Kirk said. "But for a while, I thought they looked weird 
with pubic hair."

"Then how come you don't want me to shave?" Dawn asked.

"'Cause you've got a 'magic pussy,'" he demurred.

That seemed to satisfy Dawn, who suddenly wrapped herself around 
him and kissed him. She turned and grinned over her shoulder at 
us. "Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to interrupt." Then, 
incongruously: "Is there any more wine?"

Kirk smiled and filled her glass. As she resumed her seat, he 
reached across the tub to fill Kendall's outstretched glass as 
well.

"You really do have fantastic tits," Dawn said again.

When Kendall moved to sit back down, I guided her to my lap 
instead. My erection slid between her thighs as she half turned 
and looked a question at me.

"I thought you should sit up," I said, grinning whimsically, "so 
we can talk about your tits. We couldn't really see 'em before."

"'Zactly," Dawn said. Then she turned to Kirk. "What d'you think 
of 'em, honey?"

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at me.

I inclined my head minutely.

"Seriously," Dawn prodded, "what do you think of Kendall's tits?"

Kendall put her arm over my shoulder and held her breath. The 
tits in question shone with water, full and round, her nipples 
puckered in the cool air.

"I think they're fantastic," Kirk said at last.

Kendall's face lit with delight, and I made a mental note to 
tease her about it. Then I grew bold: I reached up and cupped her 
breast, startling her.

"I think they're fantastic too," I said.

"Is it getting hot in here?" Dawn asked, only half joking.

"I think it is," Kendall said.

Without warning, Dawn hoisted herself out of the water and sat on 
the edge of the tub, her body steaming in the cool air. When 
Kendall saw that Kirk was looking at her, she followed suit, her 
breasts swaying as she settled herself.

"Aren't you hot, guys?" Dawn asked suggestively.

Kirk and I looked at each other, both of us undoubtedly thinking 
the same thing: _what about my hard-on?_

"Oh, come on," Kendall said, as if reading my mind, "I'm sure 
Dawn won't mind."

"Mind what?" Dawn asked, feigning innocence. A moment later she 
and Kendall broke into giggles. "Poor guys," she said at last. 
"Are you hard? Hmm?"

Kirk shrugged. "What'd you expect? We've got two hot women 
flirting with us...."

"And playing with your dicks," Kendall said, slurring a little.

"And playing with your dicks," Dawn echoed. With a grin: "Big 
plans... and getting bigger by the minute."

"Oh, I think it's as big as it's gonna get," Kirk said 
sardonically.

"Then show us," Kendall demanded. She glanced at me nervously, 
but then held her chin high, defiant in case I objected.

"Yeah, c'mon, guys," Dawn said, "show us your cocks."

"Show your cocks!" Kendall cried.

With a half-stifled giggle, the girls began chanting "Show your 
cocks!" over and over.

Kirk and I exchanged a sober look, both of us marveling at our 
decidedly _un_-sober girlfriends.

"What the hell," he said at last.

I shrugged in agreement.

With that, we lifted ourselves out of the water at the same time. 
I couldn't help glancing at his dick; it was at least as long as 
mine, and just as thick. At the sight of it, Kendall stiffened 
and took a quick sip of wine to cover her reaction.

"Nice," Dawn said, unabashedly looking at my jutting dick.

Kirk and I shared another semi-incredulous look and shook our 
heads in wonder.

"What's the matter?" Kendall asked, recovering her composure. 
"Can't women look at men's dicks? You look at our tits."

"And our pussies!" Dawn cried.

"And our pussies," Kendall agreed with a nod. "So why can't we 
look at your dicks?"

"Their _cocks_," Dawn said. "We like looking at their _cocks_."

Kendall gazed at Kirk, an eyebrow arched in challenge.

"Be my guest," he said, returning her gaze.

Incredibly, Kendall's eyes lowered and she looked directly at 
Kirk's manhood.

"Now that we've got _that_ settled," Dawn said, oblivious, "I 
want some more cock... er, _wine_." She and Kendall giggled 
girlishly.

With a smirk, Kirk filled the girls' glasses.

The conversation picked up again, with all of us trying not to be 
obvious about staring at each other. But we were definitely 
staring, and I caught Dawn looking at my dick more than once. 
Kirk was fighting a losing battle not to stare at Kendall's 
breasts, and for her part, Kendall's eyes kept flicking to his 
erection.

"I love your waist chain," Dawn said to Kendall during a lull in 
the conversation.

Kendall glanced at it and then smiled.

In amazement, I watched her uncross her legs and spread them 
slightly. Then she splayed her fingers over her stomach, mere 
inches from her smooth slit. She quickly glanced at Kirk to make 
sure he was watching. He was, so she spread her legs a bit more.

"Where'd you get it?" Dawn asked, drawing my attention from 
Kendall's little show.

"Paul gave it to me," she said, smiling fondly.

"I like how the pendant thing points toward your pussy," Dawn 
said. Then she looked thoughtful. "Does Paul go down on you more 
since you're shaved?"

I nearly blew Coke through my nose. When I finally recovered, 
everyone was looking at me with a mixture of concern and 
amusement.

"Are you okay?" Kirk asked.

I wiped my chin and nodded. "I guess I just didn't expect...." I 
gestured vaguely.

"That's my girl," he said. "Full of go-for-the-throat questions."

"Well, I wanted to know," Dawn said, semi-defensively. "I mean, 
we're all friends here, right?"

"Right," Kendall said immediately, lifting her glass.

"So, does Paul go down on you more since you shave?" Dawn 
repeated with drunken earnestness.

Kendall smiled and glanced at me. Her eyes barely lingered on 
Kirk as she turned back to Dawn. "I don't think it's because I 
shave," she said diplomatically.

I felt my face heating, but my dick throbbed sadistically, as if 
it might get harder still.

"No, seriously," Dawn pressed. "Most guys get really excited when 
we talk about our pussies. Why do you think I say I've got a 
'magic pussy'?"

"Oh," Kendall said, "I understand." After a moment's 
consideration, she glanced at me and then shook her head. "Maybe 
he gives me a _little_ more attention, but I end up going down on 
him a lot more than he does me."

I tried not to inhale my Coke a second time.

"Oh, I do," Kendall teased me gently. "I give you head a lot more 
than you go down on me."

"I went down on you this morning," I said, trying not to sound 
defensive, heedless of the other couple.

"I know, and I returned the favor," she said. "But how many times 
have I gone down on you when you _haven't_ returned the favor?"

"I don't know. I mean, you're usually begging me to fuck you, 
so...." I made a helpless sound of frustration.

She smiled soothingly. "I know, and that's the way I like it."

"But you said...."

"I didn't say I felt _slighted_. I'm very happy with the way we 
do things. I _like_ giving head. And I really like feeling you 
inside me. I like when you go down on me, too, but I like the 
other things more."

At that point, both of us grew conscious of the other couple, and 
Kendall's cheeks colored from more than the wine.

"I know what you mean," Dawn said in the ensuing silence. "Kirk 
does this incredible thing with his tongue, and I just love 
running my fingers through his hair. But I'm like you; I like 
fucking and sucking more, especially since he's so well-hung."

It was Kirk's turn to look abashed. Kendall stiffened, and I had 
to hide a grin as her cheeks flushed deeper still.

"Paul's pretty well-hung, too," Dawn said, her eyes playful, "so 
we're both lucky."

Kendall took a sip of wine, but nodded in agreement.

"I mean, I've got a girlfriend who's dating a guy who's on the 
small side," Dawn continued. "According to her, he's not even 
that good at giving head. So I told her she should dump him and 
let Kirk do his thing for a couple of hours."

Kendall nodded attentively, but I could see the effort it took 
for her not to look at Kirk's hard-on. For the next few minutes, 
the girls talked about Kirk's and my sexual techniques. He seemed 
just as dumbfounded as I was, and we exchanged several 
incredulous looks as our girlfriends shared intimate details in 
their drunken camaraderie.

Fortunately, the spring air cooled the conversation as it cooled 
our skin, and the girls slipped back into the warmth of the 
water. Kirk and I followed suit, and Kendall's fingers quickly 
found my erection.

"Ask for some more wine," I whispered to her. "But when you sit 
back down, I want you to sit on my lap." I paused for effect. "On 
my _dick_."

She stiffened as the implications of what I'd said worked their 
way through the fog of alcohol. Then she breathed a soft moan of 
anticipation.

"Ready? Go," I said softly.

She paused a moment, mustering her courage. Then she drained the 
remainder of her wine--_liquid_ courage--in one swallow. Kirk 
saw, and reached for the bottle before she could ask. When he 
finished pouring, she nervously looked back at me.

With a secret grin, I watched her left shoulder shift as she 
thrust her arm between her legs. I guided her hips back and felt 
her fingers wrap around my shaft. She set the tip at her opening 
and eased back. Halfway down, she stopped, her pussy tight around 
my manhood. When Dawn saw her expression, she grew concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"What? Huh? Yes, I'm fine," Kendall stammered.

I pulled her down a little more, my thick cock spreading her 
open. At my gentle insistence, she turned her shoulders and put 
her arm around my neck. Her breast was distractingly close to my 
face, but at least her body wasn't blocking my view of the other 
couple. Finally, she settled onto my lap, my cock filling her 
completely.

"Oh, yes," she groaned without thinking.

Dawn was drunk, but hardly stupid; her eyes lit up, and they 
flicked from me to Kendall and back again. She arched a 
questioning eyebrow, but I merely gazed back at her with all the 
equanimity I could muster.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kendall?" Dawn asked.

"What?" Kendall said, a little dazed. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I guess 
the wine went to my head. This'd better be my last glass."

"Do you want me to get you a Coke?" Kirk asked.

"More like a _cock_," I whispered.

"No, thanks, I'm fine," Kendall said, her face flushed from a 
combination of the comment, the wine, and my dick.

Conversation resumed a few moments later. Dawn obviously knew 
what we were up to, but if Kirk did, he didn't show it. He _did_ 
look relaxed and happy (especially with Kendall's generous 
breasts in full view). And judging by the angle of Dawn's arm 
across his chest, he had another reason to look like he was 
enjoying himself.

With a grin, I turned back to my _own_ reason to enjoy myself. 
Even though Kendall was impaled on my cock, she didn't squeeze me 
with her internal muscles; she'd drunk enough that she couldn't 
muster the concentration.

While we talked, I mercilessly teased Kendall's clit. Dawn's arm 
moved almost imperceptibly, and Kirk spoke less and less. Kendall 
didn't say much either, so Dawn and I did most of the talking. 
Our conversation was laced with sexual innuendo, but it was 
mostly lighthearted, since both of us were paying attention to 
our partners.

Dawn's eyes twinkled mischievously and she kept glancing at Kirk 
to judge his reaction. He was trying to act nonchalant, but he 
was having a tough time. Kendall was squirming with pent-up 
ecstasy, though, so she didn't notice.

Finally, Dawn smiled triumphantly and Kirk stiffened. He didn't 
make a sound as she stroked him to completion. When his orgasm 
subsided, his head lolled for a moment, but then his eyes snapped 
open.

"Why'd everyone stop talking?" he asked.

Dawn chuckled.

Kendall laughed too, but hers was simply an automatic reaction.

I smiled at Dawn and inclined my head in admiration. Even drunk, 
her expression held a playful eagerness. For a moment or two, I 
imagined having a foursome with her and Kirk. I was usually 
attracted to women with bigger breasts, but Dawn had a certain 
indefinable _something_ which made her incredibly attractive.

I closed my eyes and pictured her beneath me, her expression 
urging me on as I pumped into her, my cock filling her 
completely. I'd just begun to wonder how I could ask them if they 
were into swinging when Dawn spoke up.

"Time to take me to bed," she said. "I need some of that 
attention we've been talking about."

My eyes snapped open and I started to reply. Then I realized how 
ridiculous that would seem, so I shut my mouth abruptly.

Dawn looked at me and grinned with drunken misunderstanding.

I smiled wryly, as much amused by my own reaction as by her 
expression.

"Huh?" Kirk said.

"It's time to give my magic pussy a little attention," Dawn said 
to him.

He merely grinned at her.

Kendall looked at me, her eyes unfocused. "What's going on?" she 
whispered.

Belatedly, I realized that I was still playing with her clit. I 
jerked my fingers from the sensitive bud.

She frowned blankly.

"I guess it looks like we're gonna head to bed," Kirk said.

"Ooooh, goody," Dawn said, clapping her hands with girlish 
enthusiasm. "Happy pussy!"

Kirk glanced at her and merely shook his head in amusement, his 
cheeks coloring slightly.

As the other couple stood, I gently lifted Kendall off my shaft.

"Are you two gonna stay in the tub," Kirk asked, "or head up to 
your cabin?"

"We'll probably head up to the cabin," I said. "I'm getting a 
little waterlogged." That was true, but I also wanted to fuck 
Kendall. When I glanced at her, she nodded, her eyes shining with 
lust.

"Then let's put the cover on the tub," Kirk said.

With that, we climbed out of the water. After Kirk's orgasm, his 
dick hung limp, while I still had a raging hard-on that we all 
pretended to ignore. Well, _Kirk and I_ ignored it; I noticed 
both girls casting surreptitious glances my way.

As I turned off the hot tub's jets, Kirk tugged the unwieldy 
cover into place. After we seated it properly, Kendall handed me 
a towel. When I finished drying myself, I wrapped it around my 
waist, but my hard-on made a noticeable bulge. Kendall had also 
wrapped her towel around her waist, leaving her breasts in full 
view. Dawn followed suit, and for a surreal moment, we all looked 
at each other, no one sure what to say.

Kirk and I broke the tension by diffidently shaking hands; a 
half-second later, the girls hugged each other. Then Kendall gave 
Kirk a hug, her breasts flattening against his chest. That left 
Dawn and me in an awkward position. To follow Kendall's lead, 
Dawn would have to dodge my towel-covered erection as she hugged 
me. But if she merely shook my hand, she'd appear standoffish.

I watched those same thoughts flicker across her expression, but 
then she moved to hug me. My erection pressed into her stomach 
and I felt her lips near my ear.

"You're so wicked," she whispered.

I merely grinned as she pulled back.

After another round of goodnights, the other couple waved as 
Kendall and I headed out. We didn't make it out of sight of the 
lights of the house before I tugged her towel loose. She squawked 
at the unexpected assault, but I quickly silenced her with my 
lips. Then I pulled her close, my tongue invading her mouth as I 
pawed at my own towel. A moment later it joined hers, my erection 
bobbing free.

Without words, I turned her to face a pine tree and she braced 
herself against it, arms outstretched as she watched me over her 
shoulder. I entered her from behind, her pussy molten around my 
cock. Then I gripped her hips and began pumping into her, the 
slapping sounds of our sex filling the quiet pine forest.

As I thrust, I reached forward and cupped her swinging breasts, 
squeezing gently, enjoying how the pliant flesh moved under my 
strong fingers. Then I slid my left hand to her pussy, teasing 
the hidden pearl of her clit with my fingertips.

Since we were both so worked up, we didn't last long. I buried 
myself inside her and unleashed a torrent of semen, filling her 
with white-hot blasts. Then, still panting, I bent over her back, 
my fingers busy at her clit. I felt the first twinges of her 
orgasm a moment later, her pussy clamping around my softening 
dick.

A flood of warmth surrounded my cock, both my own fluids and 
hers. I tugged on her nipple with one hand while the other moved 
in small circles over the hard bead of her clit. My cock was 
still buried inside her, so I rocked my hips, moving my semi-hard 
shaft against her inner ridges.

She gasped and then grew silent, her pussy spasming in quick 
waves. Finally, she sagged against the tree, her back heaving as 
she panted. I cupped her breasts and pulled her toward me, 
straightening as I did. My breath warmed her ear as I kissed her 
gently, our bodies still joined.

We enjoyed the tingling post-orgasmic sensations until the night 
air penetrated our bliss. We found our discarded towels, but they 
were damp and freezing, so we ran the rest of the way to the 
cabin.

Once inside, we immediately hopped into the shower, the water as 
hot as we could stand it. Our ardor had cooled with the frigid 
run up the hill, but after a few minutes under the spray, it 
returned full force. I pulled Kendall against me, my tongue 
invading her mouth. 

"Oh my goodness," she panted between kisses, "you make me so 
hot."

"Kirk makes you hot too," I said without reproach.

"Dawn's so lucky," she said. Then her eyes snapped open and she 
studied my reaction.

I merely smiled and waggled my eyebrows at her.

"You don't mind?"

"I really don't mind," I said. "As a matter of fact, I was trying 
to figure out how to invite them to join us, but...."

Kendall's eyes fairly blazed with lust. "You were?"

"Yeah. Dawn's cute, and I know you'd love to have sex with Kirk--
"

"In a heartbeat," she said, the wine removing all traces of 
inhibition. "I'd spread my legs for him in a heartbeat." She 
covered her mouth in surprise when she realized what she'd said.

I felt a pang of jealousy, but only a small one, and I banished 
it with a chuckle.

"Oh, Paul, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that--"

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I think it's sexy when you talk 
about spreading your legs."

As if to assuage my bruised ego, she kissed me, her hand dropping 
to my erection. I pulled her close, her breasts flattening 
between us. The shower chose that moment to turn tepid and then 
cold. With rueful looks, we separated and I turned off the water.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked a moment later, as we dried 
off.

"Did I really mean what?"

"Do you think it's sexy when I talk like that?"

"Like what?"

"When I talk dirty."

I shrugged. "I guess. Why?"

"'Cause sometimes I feel like talking dirty to you, but I don't 
want to seem like a slut."

"You're not a slut," I said with a chuckle. "Besides, even if you 
were, you'd be _my_ slut, so that's okay."

She grinned and kissed me again. "I love being dirty for you," 
she said when we broke the kiss. "I love shaving my pussy. I love 
when you come on my face. I love when you fuck me in front of 
another couple. I love all the things you make me do--the things 
I _want_ to do, but don't have the courage to do without you."

She kissed me again, and as our kisses heated up, we groped our 
way to the bed. We fell onto it in a tangled heap, but I didn't 
care. It felt good not having to worry about roommates, 
visitation hours, or any other distractions of campus life.

We kissed for a long time, our hands roaming, teasing, and 
caressing with familiar intensity. We weren't in a hurry, and we 
took turns pleasuring each other. She sucked me for a while, but 
then I rolled her to her back and climbed between her legs, my 
face parting her inner thighs.

I spent several long, languorous minutes nuzzling her pussy, but 
then climbed up her body, kissing as I went. When I rolled to my 
back, I pulled her with me and she kissed my chest, her hands 
gliding over the muscles of my sides.

We kissed for a little longer, but I could tell that she wasn't 
in the mood to have sex again. Not immediately, at least. I was 
hard, but it was a pleasant feeling, not urgent. So her mood 
suited mine perfectly

"Wow," she said softly as she settled against me, our legs 
entwined. After a few moments, she lifted her head and gazed down 
at me, the embers of lust still burning in her eyes. "Were you 
really thinking about inviting Kirk and Dawn to join us?"

I nodded.

"That would be so sexy. Kirk's got such a gorgeous dick. Not as 
gorgeous as yours," she added quickly, "but I'd love to have you 
and him fuck me at the same time. I've never actually had two 
guys at once."

"I thought you had," I said, thinking back.

"Well, sort of," she said. "Your dad went down on me while I gave 
Dennis Raeford a blowjob, but that's it. I've never had two guys 
fuck me at the same time."

I arched an eyebrow.

"You've had two women, so why can't I have two men? You've had 
_more_ than two women at once. I should get equal time."

At first, I thought she was overreacting for effect, but with a 
start, I realized that she was serious.

"Yes, I'm serious," she said, reading me perfectly. "I like sex 
as much as you do. So what's the matter if I want two guys to 
fuck me at once? What about three? Heck, I've got hands too; I 
could jerk off two guys while the rest fucked me."

"Do you _really_ want to have sex with five guys at once?" I 
asked, a little incredulous.

She turned sheepish. "No, not really," she said at last. "I guess 
that's just a fantasy. But two would be nice: you and Kirk."

"And what about Dawn?" I asked, only a touch facetiously.

"I'll go down on her when I'm done with you and Kirk!"

"Ha!"

"You don't think I would?!"

"I know you would," I said, placating her, my expression sincere. 
Then I chuckled.

"What?" she asked, her feminist dander still up.

"Nothing," I said, unsuccessfully smothering the chuckles.

"What?!"

"I guess I was just laughing because you're pretty worked up 
about Kirk."

"So? Why shouldn't I be? The whole time we were in the hot tub, I 
kept thinking about what his dick would feel like. And then it 
felt so good when he got hard as I hugged him. So why sh--"

"He got hard?"

She looked at me blankly for a moment, repeating her words in her 
head. Then her cheeks turned rosy.

I merely arched an eyebrow.

"He's a man," she said defensively. "What's he supposed to do 
when a half-naked woman hugs him? Besides, it's not _my_ fault he 
likes my tits."

_Although you definitely know how to use 'em,_ I thought glibly. 
I tried not to smirk, but she knew me too well

"What's that look supposed to mean?" she asked, genuinely piqued.

I decided to stop teasing her. In a flash, I rolled her to her 
back and straddled her thighs. "It means," I said deliberately, 
"that I love you. I love that you've got big tits, and that you 
know how to use them. I love that you want to have sex with two 
guys at once, and that you're willing to _tell_ me about it.

"I love that you shave your pussy," I continued. "I love that you 
like me to come on your face. I love that you like me to fuck you 
in front of other people. And I love that you do all those things 
I 'make' you do. In short, Kendall Lynn Payton, I love everything 
about you. So there," I finished with a grin, "_that's_ what that 
look's supposed to mean."

Abashed, she merely blinked for a moment. Then her expression 
softened. "Really?"

"Mmm hmm," I said with a nod. Then I kissed her, long and 
lingering and full of heat.

"Oh, my," she muttered when I pulled back.

The next thing I knew, she was kissing me, hard. She groaned into 
my mouth, the taste of wine on her breath as her tongue sparred 
with mine.

"Make love to me, Paul," she said when we finally broke the kiss.

I nudged her thighs apart and climbed between them in a flash, my 
erection bumping her mons as I settled into place. With practiced 
ease, I adjusted my angle and felt the tip of my cock slide down 
her slit. Her dusky eyelids fluttered shut when I entered her, 
and by the time I ground my hips against hers, her face was a 
mask of ecstasy.

We made love a long time, moving together effortlessly, our 
bodies synchronized. By the time I filled her with my seed, she'd 
already come once, and was working on number two. When I stopped 
moving, she slid her hand between us and began playing with her 
clit.

I could feel her labia moving around the base of my semi-hard 
shaft as she worked herself toward climax. I bent to suck her 
nipples, and a minute later, she stiffened, her pussy spasming 
around my shaft.

She looked into my eyes when her orgasm subsided and she returned 
to her senses. She didn't need to say "I love you." I felt it in 
my heart, and in my loins, and in every other body part that came 
into contact with hers.

-----

I awoke with a start the next morning. Kendall was snuggled close 
for a change, her leg thrown over mine. The blankets were all in 
place and I wasn't cold. Early morning sun filtered through the 
cracks in the shutters, but a quick look at my watch confirmed 
that it was barely past six o'clock.

Then I realized what had woken me: a soft knock on the door.

I gingerly rolled out from under Kendall's warm body and ran my 
fingers through my hair. Then I padded across the cold wood of 
the floor toward the door. When I opened it the sunlight nearly 
blinded me.

"Good morning," Susan said, entirely too chipper. "I was in the 
neighborhood, and I decided to stop by. Is it too early?"

"No, not at all," I said automatically. "C'mon in." One look at 
Kendall's nearly comatose form made me regret my answer.

Susan took a half-step inside and came to the same conclusion. 
"Maybe it _is_ too early."

I grimaced in apology.

"Perhaps I should go. I'll see you at breakfast," she said 
diplomatically.

"No!" I blurted. Then, calmer: "I mean, you don't have to go. Um... 
why don't we step onto the porch."

She grinned affectionately.

"Sorry," I said without preamble, easing the door shut behind me. 
"I guess we had a late night."

Susan nodded.

"Did you come up here to... um...?"

"To do what?" she asked. When I stammered in reply, she took pity 
on me. "Yes, I thought you and Kendall might be up, and I wanted 
to spend some time with you."

"Spend some time with us?" I asked rhetorically, arching an 
eyebrow at the euphemism.

"Oh, all right," she said at last, smiling in self-deprecation, 
"I came up here hoping to get laid. I was horny, and I wanted to 
see you. There. Are you happy?"

I grinned.

"Oh, don't be smug," she said, feigning irritation.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't call me ma'am."

"No, ma'am."

"Who taught you to be so self-possessed in the first place?" she 
quipped. "I'll have to talk to whoever it was."

I chuckled softly. "I'm really not all that self-possessed," I 
said at last. "You just inspire hidden talents."

"Is one of your hidden talents taking pity on a horny woman?"

"I could probably do that." Grinning: "I've never _done_ it 
before, but it shouldn't be too hard."

She rolled her eyes but then stepped close when I offered her a 
hug. "Oh, I forget how much I enjoy being with you," she said 
softly. Then she kissed my chest before stepping neatly to my 
side.

For a few minutes, we simply stood arm in arm and watched the 
stately progression of the sunbeams through the trees.

"I miss having a man in my life," she said quietly.

I looked a question at her.

"Having the boys home--and having you here--reminds me how much I 
miss having a man around. For a long time I didn't," she said, 
her voice still soft, but without remorse. "I didn't _allow_ 
myself to. I lived in the world of my sons, raising them to be 
men. But now, I realize there's something missing in my life. And 
I don't mean sex, although that's what I came up here looking 
for," she continued. "I have my toys, and I occasionally get 
together with close friends, but that's not the same. It's not 
the same as someone to share my life with."

"No, it's not."

"I've really only loved three men in my life," she mused. "The 
first is beyond my reach, lost to time and distance and too much 
bitterness to overcome. The second is beyond my reach even more 
than the first, long-dead and buried."

"And the third?" I asked, knowing the answer even as I finished 
asking the question.

"Also beyond my reach," she said, a touch wistfully, "through 
youth and having his own life."

I wordlessly hugged her. "I'll always be a part of your life," I 
said softly.

"I know you will, but I can't _share_ your life. Nor can I share 
mine with _you_. We'll always be friends, and I hope we'll always 
be lovers, physically or not, but we can't be partners."

My first urge was childish: to deny it. But then I started 
thinking rationally, and I kept my mouth shut. Even though I 
didn't speak, Susan sensed the agreement in my silence.

"Do you think I'll find someone to share my life with?" she asked 
in a rare display of uncertainty.

"Absolutely," I said without hesitation.

"I hope you're right."

"I am."

She nodded and rested her head on my chest as I enfolded her in 
my embrace.

"You'll find someone," I assured her softly.

From within my arms, she laughed. Then she stepped back half a 
pace and smiled up at my confused look. "I'd better find someone 
_soon_, though," she said, smiling with brimming eyes. "I'm still 
horny."

I laughed.

"I _am_," she said, her tone full of self-mocking defensiveness.

I started to offer to take care of her, or to wake Kendall and 
ask her to join us, but I didn't. Even though I was also horny (I 
was horny _every_ morning), I didn't feel right about having sex 
with Susan without Kendall's knowledge, or rousing Kendall from a 
hung-over sleep. The little head certainly wanted me to, but the 
big head was firmly in control for a change.

"I know," Susan said, as if sensing my mood.

"It wouldn't seem right," I said softly, knowing she'd 
understand.

"You made the right decision."

I laughed, a bit ruefully.

"Yes?"

"I can't believe I just turned down sex with a beautiful woman."

"You're maturing."

I grimaced. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay, I won't," she said with a laugh. Then she turned 
thoughtful. "You still think I'm attractive? After all, I just 
turned forty-two."

I tilted her chin and looked into her deep blue eyes. "I said I 
think you're _beautiful_," I corrected. "Women like Dawn are 
attractive. Even though she's smart and sexy and ambitious, she 
doesn't have the grace and poise of a forty-two-year-old. She 
doesn't have your _inner_ beauty, not yet at least. I think she 
will, eventually... but for now, she doesn't. So yes, I think 
you're attractive. But I also think you're beautiful."

"You say the nicest things," she said, smiling with unshed tears.

I pulled her close and wrapped her in my arms. "That's because I 
love you."

-----

Later, I had breakfast with Susan and Kirk. Dawn was still fast 
asleep, and Kirk didn't need to ask where Kendall was. Afterward, 
I scrounged some aspirin and headed back up to the cabin.

Kendall stirred but then pulled the covers over her head, so I 
roused her with the aspirin and a glass of water. She ended up 
drinking two more glasses before I could coax her into the 
shower. Her headache eventually dulled, and her stomach settled, 
but she was still feeling very delicate as we walked down the 
hill to meet the others at the lake. Dawn looked nearly as bad, 
and smiled in commiseration when she saw Kendall.

Around mid-morning, Erin and I drove to the airport to pick up 
our parents. When we returned, everyone was clustered in a group 
by the lake.

"What's going on?" I asked Kendall.

"Doug asked Olivia to marry him," she said, her hangover all but 
forgotten. Then she slipped her arm around my waist, her breast 
pressing against my side as she kissed my cheek. "She accepted, 
of course."

"Well, good for Doug," my dad said.

While the women clustered around Olivia, commenting on the ring 
and the details of the proposal, the guys congratulated Doug.

"You just had to do something first, didn't you Dougie," Kirk 
said, full of big-brotherly pride.

Doug merely grinned, still a bit bewildered by the enormity of it 
all.

The party later that day was a double celebration: part birthday 
party, part engagement party. Gunny and Lenore were there, of 
course, as well as the rest of the camp's permanent residents. 
Most of them had watched Doug grow up, and they were happy for 
him.

To my surprise, Jason and Stacy were there as well. When Stacy 
saw Kendall and me, she smiled and said a quiet word to Jason. 
Then they headed toward us. I tried not to be obvious about it, 
but I studied her as she walked, her body as lithe and sexy as I 
remembered it.

"Susan didn't tell me you'd be here," she said. Then she leveled 
an accusing glare at the older woman, who had just joined us.

"She didn't tell us you'd be here either," I said, grimacing for 
effect. "I think someone wanted to see the surprise on our 
faces."

"So sue me," Susan said, smiling mischievously.

"Well, you could've told us, Susan," Stacy said. Then she turned 
to indicate her fiance. "Paul, you remember Jason?"

I nodded and shook his hand.

"And it's good to see you too, Kendall. You both look great," 
Stacy said. The two girls hugged in greeting, smiling as they 
pulled back.

As Stacy settled comfortably under Jason's arm, I realized that 
she looked better than I'd ever seen her: polished, self-assured, 
and happy. She was a far cry from the emotionally battered girl 
whom Susan and I had met in a Winn-Dixie checkout lane. She was 
still the girl who'd been my friend and lover, but she had 
blossomed into a confident woman, and I marveled at the 
transformation.

"It seems I'm not the only one who's still got a crush on someone 
from the past," Kendall whispered when we had a moment alone.

I felt my face heating.

"But since you were so understanding about Kirk, I guess I should 
return the favor."

I arched an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, I've always thought Stacy was attractive. And Jason...."

"All right," I said, feigning exasperation, "don't go crazy with 
the whole 'it's okay to look at other guys' thing."

She laughed. "Okay," she said after a moment. "Jason's not really 
my type, though. He's too... soft. I like a leaner guy. Not _too_ 
lean, though," she cautioned.

"Yes, dear," I said laconically.

With that, she smiled and fell quiet, hugging herself to my arm 
as we watched the other party guests.

A little while later, Stacy and I found ourselves in a pocket of 
silence. Kendall and Dawn were admiring Olivia's ring (again!), 
and Jason was talking to Gunny.

"You and Kendall look happy," Stacy said.

"We are. You and Jason look pretty happy too."

She practically beamed. A moment later she sobered. "Susan told 
me about you and Gina."

I took a deep breath in an effort to control my emotions.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out."

"Me too," I said simply.

"I always thought Kendall was more your type, though."

I looked a question at her.

She shrugged. "I don't know... I can't really explain it."

"That's okay," I said.

After a suitable silence, she turned and looked at me 
expectantly. "I want to ask you something, but you don't have to 
give me an answer right away. Okay?"

I nodded.

"You know Jason and I are getting married in October, right?"

"I didn't know you'd set a date."

"October 9th. So, now you know. But that's not what I want to 
ask."

I looked at her expectantly.

"I want you to be in the wedding party."

My eyebrows shot up.

"You know I don't have any family," she said by way of 
explanation, "and you're the closest thing I've got to a brother. 
So I thought you should be one of Jason's groomsman. If you want 
to, that is. And I want Kendall to be one of my bridesmaids, of 
course."

"Wow," I said. "Thank you very much."

"I don't need an answer right away, so talk it over with 
Kendall."

I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. "Who's going to give you 
away?"

"Jeremiah."

I smiled at her girlish affection. "Of course I'll be a 
groomsman," I said at last. "And I'm sure Kendall would love to 
be a bridesmaid, but you're right, I need to talk to her first."

"I knew you would," Stacy said, nodding.

"It's that whole communication thing," I said affably. Then my 
mind drifted to Gina, and how I'd screwed up "that whole 
communication thing" with her. Maybe Susan was right, maybe I 
_was_ learning from my mistakes. I chuckled to myself in mild 
astonishment.

"What're you smiling about?" Stacy asked.

"Something Susan said."

"I find myself doing that a lot. Uncanny, isn't it?"

"No kidding."

"Well, we should probably get back to the party," she said after 
a companionable pause. "I don't want Kendall to think I'm trying 
to steal you away or something."

I shook my head, grinning.

Before we moved, however, she stopped, lost in thought. When she 
turned, she looked pensive.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, I'm all right," she said. "I... I just don't know how to say 
this, and I don't want to hurt your feelings." After a moment to 
gather her thoughts, she continued. "I think meeting you and 
Susan was one of the best things that ever happened to me, short 
of Randy taking off, that is."

I frowned at the mention of her abusive husband.

"And don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you and I never 
got more serious than we did. I really enjoyed our time together, 
but...."

"But?"

"But I've got something with Jason that I don't think you and I 
ever would've had."

I felt my brow furrow.

"It's hard to explain," she said vaguely. "He and I... we're... 
comfortable. Don't get me wrong, I still get tingles all over 
when I think about him, but I don't have to worry about what he 
thinks about me. Do you understand?"

"Not really," I admitted after a moment.

"I guess I always worried what you thought of me. Was I good 
enough? Was I smart enough? Was I respectable enough?"

"Of _course_ you were respectable enough," I said immediately.

"Well, I'm glad _you_ thought so," she said, "but I wasn't so 
sure. Now I am. Does that make sense? I _know_ I'm good enough 
for Jason. He knows about my past, and he's never judged me. Oh, 
don't get me wrong, I don't think you ever judged me either, 
but...." She shrugged. "It's hard to explain."

"I think I understand," I said.

"I'm happy with Jason. I've come to grips with my past, and I 
guess I'm happy being me."

"Good," I said.

"I'm glad you understand." She shook her head. "It never would've 
worked between us. And now I know why."

I nodded, happy for her in spite of my uncertainty.

"But I wouldn't trade our time together for anything in the 
world," she said, her brown eyes full of love--_friendly_ love.

"Me either," I said, firmly grasping one of the few things she'd 
said that I understood completely. Then, heedless of what anyone 
else might think, I put my arm around her and pulled her close.

She returned my hug, her body warm against mine.

When we separated, we exchanged bashful grins.

"Oh, my," she said, "is it warm in here?"

-----

As the party wound down, I sought out Susan.

"Kendall and I need to go soon," I said. "We've still got a long 
drive back to Knoxville."

Susan nodded.

"Happy birthday," I said. "I'm sorry Kendall and I couldn't get 
you a better present, but...." I shrugged. "We're on college 
students' budgets."

"Simply being here was the best present of all," she said. "And 
thank you for bringing Gina's present."

"I wish she could've been here...," I said, trailing off.

Susan stepped close and I put my arm around her, hers sliding 
around my waist. "That's okay," she said. "She called, and we had 
a long talk about it. It's the thought that counts, more than 
anything."

We lapsed into a companionable silence for a few moments. Then I 
looked down at her to judge her reaction. "I'm sorry about this 
morning," I said hesitantly. "About... you know."

"Love is about more than sex. Remember?"

I nodded, relieved.

"Besides," she added with a grin, "I managed to slip away with 
your parents before the party started."

I barked a laugh.

"I'm wily in my old age."

"You're _not_ old," I said immediately.

She paused for a moment and then nodded. "You know, you're right. 
I don't feel old at all. Maybe I can't do everything I did when I 
was twenty-two, but I'm a lot better at the things I _can_ do."

"I'll say," I playfully muttered under my breath.

"You had your chance," she teased.

"I know, and I'm glad you understand why I couldn't...."

She nodded.

"I _wanted_ to, but...."

"I understand," she said, reassuring me. "Maybe some other time."

I nodded gratefully.

"Thank you again for coming," she said. "The camp is always so 
empty in the off-season, and it's good to have people here."

"Yeah, it's nice. I'm going to miss it this summer, though."

"Will you be working the whole summer?"

"I may get to spend a few days here, but...." I shrugged 
meaningfully. Then I told her about Trip's schedule. "So we'll be 
busy until about a week before school starts. _If_ we're lucky, 
that is. Trip says something unexpected always happens, so we 
might be working until the last minute. I hope not, but...." I 
shrugged again, unconcerned. "I want to be an architect more than 
I've ever wanted anything, and if this is what I have to do...."

She nodded, her arm tightening around my waist in a supportive 
hug.

"I might fly in for the weekend every once in a while, but I 
don't know. I mean, if things go wrong, we'll be _working_ on the 
weekends."

She nodded, and her expression turned businesslike. "How much do 
you expect to make?"

"Trip says fifteen to twenty percent. So we should make about ten 
thousand dollars each."

"That's worth working weekends," she said. Then she grinned.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"I was thinking that I'll have to hire you two to come renovate 
some of the buildings here. Then I'd be able to spend time with 
you during the summer." Another grin. "Not to mention the 
construction crews. All those handsome young men... hard muscles... 
even harder...." She trailed off with a laugh.

"Are you serious?" I said. "I mean, I don't know if you really 
want construction workers here in the summer. What about--"

"Oh, I'm kidding. Mostly," she amended. "I do need some 
renovations around here, but I'll probably have the work done in 
the off-season. But still... it'd be nice to have some strapping 
young men at my beck and call."

"You're incorrigible," I said. "And probably horny, too," I added 
in a more circumspect tone.

"Can you blame me?" She grinned, irrepressible and playful. "Now, 
where's your father when I need him?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're impossible," I said, unconsciously 
mimicking Wren. "Simply impossible."

"True. But I'm _your_ impossible."

At her words, so much like Gina's, I sobered.

Susan sensed my mood and immediately grew quiet. "Was it 
something I said?" she finally asked.

I shook my head, a polite lie. "I was just thinking about Gina." 
After a moment, I snorted softly in regret. "Boy, did I screw 
up."

"Yes, you did," Susan said without reproach. "But you had help."

I looked a question at her.

"Gina and Kendall," she said simply. "Relationships don't usually 
fall apart because of one person."

"Yeah, I know, but still...." After a moment of silent 
contemplation, I forced a smile. "But I've got Kendall, and a 
summer job, and I'm doing well in school. Hell, I'm even starting 
to think Professor Joska might be good for me." I grimaced. 
"Although the jury's still out on that one. That man can drive me 
crazy faster than anyone I've ever met."

Susan laughed.

"But he makes me think... I'll give him that. And I guess maybe I 
haven't been thinking enough for the past couple of months. I've 
just been plodding along, letting life happen to me, instead of 
taking it by the reins." I laughed, short and sharp. "Life would 
be pretty boring if I were perfect."

"That's the spirit," she said.

I nodded. "I may have a lot to learn, but at least I _realize_ 
it. That's better than most people, right?" Hesitantly, I looked 
to her for confirmation.

"A lot better," she said. Then she turned to smile at me fondly.

We shared a few unspoken words--more silent reassurance than 
anything else--and I hugged her tight.

-----

Kendall and I packed our things and said our goodbyes about an 
hour later. The drive home was long, but I actually enjoyed it. 
Kendall was in a good mood, and we talked about all sorts of 
things, from everyday stuff to our relationship, from Stacy's 
wedding to Kirk and Dawn.

By the time we got home, a little before midnight, I was tired, 
but not exhausted. Unfortunately, I was sunburned. Where Kendall 
had a faint tan, I had turned pink, and my shoulders and back had 
begun to itch. It wasn't a _bad_ sunburn, but it would definitely 
be unpleasant for a couple of days.

The benefit of having a sunburn was that Kendall felt responsible 
(in reality, _neither_ of us had remembered sunblock), and she 
offered to put lotion on my shoulders and back. One thing led to 
another, and she ended up riding me, her breasts swaying gently 
as she worked herself toward release. When she came, she 
shuddered quietly, my fingers busy on her nipples. Then she 
collapsed forward and I hugged her tight. As I began moving 
within her, she quietly told me how much she loved me, punctuated 
by kisses along my neck and ear.

I finally tensed up, my back arching as I spurted into her 
deepest recesses. When I finally came to my senses, I relaxed, my 
hips sinking to the bed.

"Wow," Kendall said.

"No kidding."

"Thank you for this weekend," she said after a moment. "I had 
fun, especially in the hot tub. And thank you for being confident 
enough to let me look at other guys. I know I don't need your 
permission in the first place," she added, "but it makes me love 
you even more."

I caressed her back in silent agreement.

"Oh, Paul," she said softly, breathily, "I'm glad you're part of 
my life."

With that, I caressed her again. As we drifted off to sleep, I 
thought about my life. For the first time in a long time, I was 
genuinely happy.

-----

Copyright (c) 2005 Nick Scipio. All rights reserved.

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