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From: Magi <baner1@earthlink.net>
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Subject: {ASSM} "Pete" A Young Man's Story  Chapter 72
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Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 17:10:01 -0500
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CHAPTER 72

My alarm had just gone off and I was trying to talk myself into
getting up, when the phone rang. It was Alice, sounding better that
anyone should at this time of the morning. 
"Hey lazy-bones, are you awake?!"
"Just barely. What are you doing up so early?"
"New York time. We've been up for hours, we just got back from our
morning run."
"When did you get in?"
"Yesterday afternoon around five o'clock. We have an appointment
today, but we should be through by the time you get out of school. Can
we meet later?"
It was strange knowing that the appointment was probably with Mom, but
I asked, "Is the appointment something Important?"
"It could be. We've been trying to get on with a new agent for quite
some time, and all of a sudden their office called and they want to
meet with us."
"It sounds great, what time will you be finished?"
"I think we'll be through about four. Right now, we're looking for a
beauty parlor, so we can be presentable. The one in the hotel is
booked up, so Molly is trying to get an appointment at a place Kristen
told us about, but she's not having much luck trying to contact them."
"What kind of place is it?"
"Oh, you probably never heard of it. It's called 'Wretched Excess".

I nearly laughed out loud at the set of circumstances surrounding what
was going on. The girls were trying to make themselves presentable, so
they could convince someone to work for them, when I knew that the
'someone' was actually Amy, and that she was more anxious than they
were to take them on as clients. Secondly, they didn't know it but
they were meeting today with my mother, and she was going to tell them
that the 'owner' was at a meeting, when she was actually attending the
high-school they used to go to, and that she was younger than either
one of them. 
Alice interrupted my thoughts with, "Pete, are you there?"
"Yes, I was just thinking, would you like me put to in a word for you
at WE?"
"Sure, big-shot. Pull a few strings for us."
I knew she was kidding, but it sounded like it might be fun to see if
I could do something about it, so I looked over at the nightstand
where I had written her cell phone number, and before she had a chance
to say anything, I said, "Call you right back," and I hung up. I
called Tammy at the number of her apartment over WE, and her voice was
businesslike when she answered, "Tammy Coombs." 
"Hi, it's Pete. I didn't wake you did I?"
"Heck no, I've been up since six. What's up?"
"How are you and Marla getting along?"
"Marla is great. She and I have become good friends. We talked
yesterday, and she told me what a great time you and she had. I think
I'm jealous."
There was a smile in her voice when she said it, so I teased her with,
"Well, you had your chance, but you settled for an older guy with
money, so I guess I'll just have to sit around and mourn for you."
She laughed out loud, then she said, "Ha! That'll be the day when you
mourn for a girl. But that's not the reason you called, right?"
"Right. Some friends of mine are in town and they want to get prettied
up for an interview. They said they called this morning, and aren't
having any luck contacting your place."
"Of course they aren't, we don't answer the phones till Nine o'clock.
Who are they?"
"They're some girls I used to go to school with. They moved to New
York to start careers, and they're in town on business. One is a model
and the other is an actress. Actually, Kristen told them to call you."
"But you want to take credit for getting them into WE, right?"
"Yup!"
"You sir, are a Cad, and I suspect you have an ulterior motive."
Feigning shock, I replied, "Why miss Coombs! How can you say such a
thing?"
We both had a laugh, then she told me to have them call her direct,
and she would get them in. I wanted to talk more, but it was time to
get ready for school, so I called Alice back and gave her Tammy's
number. 
After the initial shock, she said that they wanted to take me to
dinner tonight, and that she would call me at home around six. 
When I went in for breakfast, Mom and Amy were sitting with Dad,
talking. He looked at his watch, then he got up and said that he had a
flight. He called for Erin to come in, and when she did, he kissed us
all and said he'd be back on Friday. It was interesting watching him
kiss Amy. He didn't spend any more or less time on the kiss with her
then with any of us. It was as though she was a natural part of the
family. She's IS a regular part of us now, and it made me feel good. 
Erin left for Kelly's, and Mom and Amy sat down and started talking. I
got some cereal and when I joined them I mentioned that I had just
spoken to Alice. They both smiled and said that was what they were
discussing. So I told them what happened with WE, and they both
cracked up laughing. 
Amy and I left for school at the same time, and as we walked out the
door she mentioned that Jake had called her last night.
	I asked, "Are you going to go out with him?"
"I guess so. Why?"
"I don't know. I just uhh.."
She was laughing and shaking her head as she got into her car.
I wondered why.

I thought about Alice and Molly all day, and I hurried home after
school. I parked the car, but instead of going to my room, I went to
the front house. Mom was on the phone talking to Kate, so I grabbed a
pencil and wrote, "I won't be home for dinner," on a scrap of paper,
and I slid it next to her. Then I went to my room and showered. I was
waiting by the phone when mom came in. She sat down and looked at me
for a minute, then she said, "We signed both Alice and her sister,
today."
"That's great! Were you the one that did it?"
"Yes, Amy filled me in with what I needed to know, and it went
smoothly. Those are interesting girls. They're both beautiful,
especially Monique."
"Monique?"
"Yes. I think you call her Molly, but now she goes by Monique." 
"Oh yeah, now I remember. Alice told me she started using it a while
ago." 
"After they left, I talked with that friend of Tomaso's, and he's very
serious about getting Alice to read for the part in his movie. He's
flying out tomorrow to talk with her. This could be a very big thing
for both her and the agency."
Mom stopped talking for a minute, and stared at me, so I asked, "Mom,
what's wrong. This all sounds like a good thing?"
"Yes, it could be. But I did a background check, and some odd things
showed up. How well do you know these girls?"
"I only knew them for a short time. They were at school for part of a
semester, but they left quite a while ago. Why do you ask?"
"We did a background check on them, and something called 'Delight'
came up. I checked on it and their license reads adult entertainment.
Do you know anything about them?"
I don't lie to mom, and my stomach suddenly tightened. But I guess it
had to come up sooner or later, so I said, "Yes Mom, I do."
"Are you involved with that place?"
"Not any more."
She sat quietly for a long time before she said, "I hate asking you
about it, but I think I must. Did these girls talk you into anything?"
I said, "No Mom, they are good girls. They got caught in a situation
and I helped them out." 
Mom gave me a look that indicated a lot more needed to be said and I
didn't want her to think badly about the girls, so I decided to try to
explain some of what happened. I began by telling her about standing
in for the guy with Molly at the no-touch filming. And as I finished
relating the story I noticed she was getting upset, and I blurted out,
"Don't be angry mom, it was all for the camera. Nothing actually
happened between Molly and me. As a matter of fact, both of the girls
were virgins!"
Her eyes got big, "Virgins! At their age? Humph! How do you know? Is
that where you got the three thousand dollars?"
"Uhh no, that was from something that happened later."
She waited a minute, then she said, "Well, are you going to tell me
about it?"
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. Three thousand dollars is a lot of money. I'd like to know what
you did to get it."
"Molly and I were, uhh, sort-of in a movie."
"What kind of movie?"
It was obvious that I was in pretty deep already, so I told her the
whole story. When I finished, she sat back shaking her head, then she
asked, "And Alice filmed the whole thing?"
"Uh-huh."
"How do you know that Molly was a virgin?"
"I know Mom, really I do."
"You actually saw her hymen?"
"No, but I was there when Alice photographed it, and I felt it tear
when we made love."
"And she filmed you while you were doing all this?"
"Yes, Mom, but you wouldn't have recognized me. You saw the suntan
they gave me, plus I had brown hair and I even had brown eyes."
Mom was staring at me. Her eyebrows were arched and she was slowly
shaking her head. Finally she said, "Unbelievable."
I asked, "Is this going to effect their careers?"
"No, I don't think so. I talked to Amy about it, and we both talked
with Tomaso. He told us not to worry about it. He said we would be
surprised at some of the things the stars did when they were starting
out."
"Good. Are you, umm, disappointed in me?"
She sighed, then she came to me and put her arms around me. After a
minute she stood back and commented, "No, I'm not disappointed, just
concerned is all. So when did you discover that Alice was also a
virgin?"
"That same day. After the filming, Molly was tired, so she went home.
I was helping Alice put things away, and, umm, one thing led to
another."
Mom turned away from me, and her shoulders started to shake. 
I thought for a minute she was crying, so I grabbed her and turned her
around. She was laughing and shaking her head.
Finally she put her arms back around me and hugged me, then she said,
"I love you, son."
"I love you too, mom. "

It was just after five when Alice called. We agreed to meet at a
restaurant not far from my house at six o'clock. I had just hung up
when my phone rang, and Tammy said, "Hi, have you talked to either
Marla or Monique tonight?"
No, I'm on the way to have dinner with them, and I was going to call
Marla later. Why, what's going on?"
"Pete, I need a favor. Would you try to find out what Monique's
schedule is like."
"I, uhh, don't understand. What schedule are you talking about?"
"Her work schedule. Why are they in town, and what does she have
planned?"
"They're in town to sign with an agent. Didn't she tell you?"
"No, they rushed out of here before we had a chance to talk. But Tony
stopped by as they were leaving, and he was blown away by Monique. He
wants to put together an advertising program using her as the
spokesperson for WE. When you see her tonight, would you have her
contact us?"
It took me a second to realize what she said, and I immediately
thought of what might happen. If they hired Molly, she would be
staying in town, and the thought of her suddenly filled my head.
Beautiful, exciting Molly (Or Monique, as she's called now) would
actually be here in town. A vision of her lying naked on the bed that
day in the hotel, flooded through my head, and I had to catch my
breath. Then something else occurred to me, and I said, "Tammy, are
you at the store?"
"Yes, why?"
"Will you be there for a while?"
"Yes, I'll be here all evening. What's going on?"
"I'll call you back in a few minutes. Stay by the phone."
I hung up and went to the front house. Mom and Amy were fixing dinner,
and I started telling them about the conversation with Tammy. When I
finished, Mom looked at Amy and they both grinned and shook their
heads. Then Mom said to Amy, "Well dear, what do you want to do?"
Amy replied, "It's Tammy. She's family. Business or not, we tell her
the truth. Let's call her now."
They went to Amy's room to call, and as they stepped in, Amy turned to
me, "Please don't talk to the girls about anything. We're going to
have to let them know what's going on, but let mom and I handle it.
Okay?"
"No problem. This is kind of weird. Tammy is going to be blown away
when she finds out who their new 'agent' is, and if it all comes
together, the girls will be surprised to find that we're all
connected."
"Amy replied, "You're right," and she turned to leave, then she
stopped and turned to me, handed me her cell phone and said, 
"Hang on to this, we may try to contact you later."

I was excited as I drove to meet the girls. I thought about the last
time I saw them, and I remembered how disappointed I was when I
knocked on their door and found out they were gone. Alice was the
first really smart girl my age, I had ever met, and it was amazing to
be around her. I tried to compare her with Amy, and I wondered what
they would be like if they put their heads together on the same
project. Then I thought about Molly. 
Thinking about her brought to mind the other girls my age I'd been
with. 
Della was the first really beautiful girl I ever spent time with. She
was lithe and strong, and once she warmed to you, she was wonderful to
be with. But I was always a little in awe of her, and a set of
circumstances kept us apart.
Part of those circumstances was Sam. Sam was an extremely pretty girl,
in a down-to-earth way. She was fresh and eager about things, and I
always felt that she would be the one to count-on if things went
wrong. Whenever I thought of her, I regretted the way I'd treated her.
I wonder what her life is like now.
Kristen was like a shooting star. Her dark skin, her silky black hair,
and those dark, piercing eyes, made a package that was spectacular.
But being with her was a roller coaster. When she was at my house
helping dry the dishes, she was someone I thought I would like to be
with forever. When she was on stage, or hanging with her famous
friends, it was like she was a whole different person, and she scared
and confused me. I never felt adequate around her. In some ways, she
made me feel like a kid, and I never understand how someone like her
would want to be with me.
Karen was wonderful. She isn't as spectacular as these others, but she
was everything a guy could want in a girl. She was actually too good.
I was almost glad when she left, because I could see myself settling
down with her, and I don't think I want to do that yet.
These thoughts were going through my head when I pulled into the
restaurant, and I was walking inside when suddenly, Amy popped into my
mind. Immediately I was confused. What did Amy really mean to me?
I was trying to decide, when a voice called out, "Hey Pete!"

I wasn't prepared for the two people sitting there. These weren't the
girls I'd been with a few months ago. I guess it was partly because
they had been at WE earlier, but they both looked older, and much more
mature. If possible, Molly looked even more spectacular than I
remembered. Her hair was lighter colored and still long, but it was
cut in the ragged style that's so popular now, and it hung in that
sort of careless but deliberate way that framed her face and
accentuated her beautiful features. 
I went to their table, and when they stood up to greet me, I noticed
every head in the place turn their way.
Molly was wearing one of those low-cut handkerchief dresses that clung
to her, and reminded me what a perfect body she has. The whole effect
was startling. She was so perfect she almost didn't look real.
But the biggest change was with Alice. Everything about her was
different. She was at least fifteen pounds lighter, and she had lost
it in the right places. Her breasts were large before, and they looked
even bigger now, because her waist was so small. Even her hair and
eyes were different than I remembered. She was a strawberry blond now,
and her brown eyes were now a brilliant blue. Her skin was also
different. Her complexion was flawless, and there wasn't a wrinkle or
line anywhere. The total look was amazing.
After many hugs and kisses I sat down, and both girls sat looking at
me for a minute. Then Alice said, "Well, it looks like life has been
treating you pretty well."
"What do you mean?"
"You're taller, and a lot more buff than you used to be. You've been
working out, haven't you?"
"Uhh, yeah, I guess so."
And we've seen you on the cover of several tabloids. We thought you
actually married Kristen, until she told us what happened."
"You saw her, huh?"
"Yes, we caught her show at a club in New York, and had dinner with
her a couple times. She's quite a girl."
"A club? I didn't know Tomaso worked clubs."
"He wasn't with her. He only works the big venues. But this was a big
club, and according to her, Tomaso wants her to work clubs for a while
for the experience."
"So she was there alone?"
"No, she was the headliner, but there were other people performing.
Beside, she had her gorilla with her."
"A gorilla! Who's he?"
"Some older guy. He didn't say much, but he drove her around, and he
always kept an eye on her. I heard her call him Rocky. Why, are you
worried about her?"
"Well, I just want to make sure she's okay."
"She's fine. That girl has a great future ahead of her. Her only
problem is, she's in love with some dork, and that's all she can talk
about."
I hadn't really thought that much about Kristen for a while, but the
thought of her being in love with someone else was a shock, and I
stuttered, "She's w-what! Who's she in love with?"
Alice smiled at Molly and answered, "I don't know, I think it's some
dumb high-school kid in California."
It caught me unaware, and I blurted, "Who?" Then, realizing who they
meant, I guess I blushed, because they both started laughing. I was
trying to think of a wise-crack to cover my embarrassment when the
waiter showed up. 
After we ordered dinner, Molly asked, "Okay Pete, tell us how you got
us into 'WE' today. Everybody we met there says it's impossible to get
in unless you 'know someone'. How do you know this Tammy person?"
"Tammy is a friend of the family. She's almost like a sister to me."
"Really! She didn't talk about you like she was your sister."
They were still grinning, so I grinned back and said, "Okay you guys,
quit busting my balls, and tell me what you're doing in town."
Alice answered, "It's kind of strange. I've been handling both of our
bookings for a while, but I've been busy with the show lately, so
we've been looking for an agent. When we mentioned it to Kristen, she
told us about the Stone agency. So we called them and they told us
they weren't taking on new clients. Then, last week they contacted us
and asked us to come in. Kristen may have had something to do with it,
but I couldn't reach her to ask her."
"But, you guys work in New York, isn't LA a long way to go for an
agent?"
"Not really. We go where the work is. Besides, an agent's work is done
on the telephone, and having an agent out here may even get us some
West Coast work."
"Aren't you both doing well back there?"
"Mo has been working pretty steadily and I've been a regular on the
soap, but this is a slow time for her, and my show hasn't been picked
up for next year yet, so we need to look for other things."
"Mo? Who's Mo?"
Molly grinned, "It's me. I've been going by Monique for a while, but
Alice keeps forgetting, and calling me Molly. So just between the two
of us, we settled on Mo. But I like the name Monique, and I've been
using it lately. I even used it on my last poster."
"You have posters?"
"Uh huh, the last one is titled 'Monique on the beach'. We shot it in
Saint Thomas. I have one in the car if you'd like it."
The food showed up so we were quiet for a while, and I had time to
think about the latest developments. Knowing what I did about both of
the girls, it was difficult for me not to tell them that very soon,
things would probably be changing for the better. And as I watched
them, I remembered how disturbed I'd been when they left without
telling me. It would be interesting to have them around again. 
Then I thought about their having talked with Kristen. It's hard for
me to think about her without something nagging at me, and I began to
miss her. It was good to know that Rocky was along. I knew he would
look after her.
There was some small-talk through dinner, and I noticed that Molly
kept glancing at me. When we finished, she asked, "So Pete, aside from
hanging with the rich and famous, what else have you been up to?"
"Well, I'm working hard in school, and actually I'm doing pretty well.
"We hear that the girl you were going with, left town. Are you dating
anyone new?"
"Not really. How about you guys?"
Molly glanced at Alice, and Alice nodded, then she said, "Well, I've
been too busy, but Alice has been seeing someone."
I turned to Alice and asked, "So, tell me about him. Is it serious?"
She shrugged, "Not really. He's the supervising producer on our show,
and he's going through a divorce. I think he would like there to be
more between us, but I don't know if I want to be involved with a guy
with kids."
"Kids! How old is he?"
"Well, he's umm, forty."
"Forty! Are you nuts? He's twice as.. Wait a minute, I'm sorry. It's
none of my business. I guess you're old enough to know what you're
doing." 
"Pete, I may be only nineteen, but I've been on my own for a long
time. I can take care of myself."
The words, "Bullshit!" Flew from Molly, and when I looked at her she
was scowling at Alice. She said, "I don't trust him! He's been telling
you how important he is, and promising you roles in all kinds of TV
shows, but so far, none of it has happened. And I don't think he's
really going to leave his wife."
Alice's eyes flashed, and she was about to say something, but she
stopped and looked down at the table. She was quiet for a minute, and
then she said, "I don't know. Maybe you're right."
Molly put her hand on Alice's arm and what passed between them was
very tender. The look on Alice's face showed that what Molly said was
probably true.
The waiter showed up with desert and we were quiet for a while. Then
Amy's phone rang. I answered, and Mom asked, "Are the girls with you?"
"Uh huh."
"Give the phone to Alice."
When I handed it to her, and said, "Here, it's for you," her eyes got
big before she answered.
What followed was a lot of, "Sure', 'of course', and 'okay, fine',"
then she handed the phone back and said, "She wants to talk to you." 
Mom said, "Kate's having bad cramps. I'm going over there, stay by the
phone in case we need you.

 Alice was staring at me when Molly asked what the call was about, and
she answered, "We have to be at the Stone agency at nine in the
morning, day after tomorrow."
Molly asked, "What for?"
"She wouldn't say, but she promised it would be for something we both
will like."
"Who is 'she', and how come she called on Pete's phone?"
"She told me not to ask him, she said it would all be explained
tomorrow."
We sat looking at each other, and I guess I must have grinned or
looked smug, because Molly said, "You knew about this, didn't you?"
I answered, "Yup, and I promise you're going to like it."
She was about to say something when the phone rang again. I answered
it, and an excited Erin said, "Pete! Kate just went into labor!"
"Already! I thought it wasn't going to happen for another couple of
weeks."
"She's a little early, we're all going to the hospital!"
"Okay, I'll see you there."
I told the girls I had to run because a friend of the family was
having a baby, and when they asked why I needed to be there, I had to
think for a minute. It was difficult to explain how much Kate means to
me, so I just said that I needed to pick up my sister. I told them I'd
talk to them tomorrow, and I drove to the hospital.
Michael Sanders was born at just past midnight. He was a couple of
weeks early, but everyone said he was perfect. I had never been in a
hospital before, so the whole thing was really unusual, and very much
different than I expected. They let us be in the room with her right
up to the time the baby was born. I was expecting cries of pain, but
they had given her something called an epidural, and she seemed fine.
She was hooked to a monitor that showed a lot of things, including the
'spikes' that showed her heart rate. There was a nurse there,
explaining that when the spikes got bigger she was having a
contraction. But Kate was in no pain at all, and when they happened,
she just stared at the monitor with the rest of us.
Ben was sitting next to her holding her hand, and every time the
spikes showed on the monitor, his face got a pained expression as
though it was hurting him!
Then the large spikes started to happen more often, and the nurse said
everyone but mom and Ben would have to leave, so we all kissed Kate,
and as we got ready to leave, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it so
hard it hurt. It was less than forty-five minutes later when Mom came
out and said that everything had gone fine, and about an hour after
that, we went back in and saw the baby for the first time. I had only
seen pictures of new babies, so the red, wrinkled little thing lying
there looked like something from another planet. But the girls all
said he was beautiful, so I guess he was okay.
Erin, Amy and I didn't get home from the hospital until almost two, so
mom said we could stay home from school. 
It was after ten when I woke up and I noticed that, on my table, was
Amy's cell phone sitting in it's charger. Next to it was a note that
said to call her office. So I called, and the secretary answered. He
said that Amy and Mom were in a meeting, and they said that if I
called, he was to tell me I was to keep Amy's phone with me at all
times.
So I stuck it in my pocket and went into the front house to make some
breakfast. I was whipping up some scrambled eggs when Erin came in
rubbing her eyes. She was wearing an old, baggy, almost transparent
shorty nightdress that was too small for her, and when she raised her
arms to rub her eyes, the front hung open and her breasts were clearly
visible. They had grown since I last saw them and even though we'd
been seeing each other naked our whole lives, it was kind of a shock.
Then she raised her arms above her head, and she yawned and stretched.
When she did, the bottom of the nightgown pulled up far enough to see
her panties, and I could see the bulge of a sanitary napkin. It
suddenly occurred to me that my little sister was no longer around,
and a beautiful, full-formed young woman was standing here instead.
For some reason I felt a sense of loss. Although she hadn't been that
way for a long time, I missed the noisy, dirty-faced tomboy that was
always in the way, and I went to her and put my hands on her
shoulders. 
Startled, she looked up at me, and as I looked into her eyes, I could
see that despite her maturing body, there was still a lot of little
girl here, and I pulled her close and said, "I love you, Sis."
She hugged me and asked, "Is there something wrong Petey?"
"No, it's just that we haven't spent much time together lately, and I
miss you. Your birthday's coming up pretty soon isn't it?"
"Uh huh, April seventeenth."
"And you're going to be twelve, right?"
She hit me on the arm and squealed, "No Dummy, I'm gonna be fifteen!"
Pretending surprise, I put my hand on top of her head and said,
"Fifteen! That's impossible! Just last week you were eleven. Besides,
fifteen year old girls are taller than you are. I think you're gonna
be twelve."
Realizing that I was kidding, she stood up straight and replied,
"Look, smart ass, not only am I the tallest girl in our class, but one
of the guys told me I have the cutest butt."
I grinned and said, "Okay, maybe he's right. But tell him for me, that
the next time he comments on your butt, I'm gonna make sure he walks
with a limp for a while."
She stuck her tongue out at me just as her phone rang, so she went in
to get it. A minute later she called out, "Pete, come here." 
I went to her room, and she handed me the phone and said, "Mom wants
to talk to you." Erin went into the bathroom, and when I answered the
phone, mom said, "As soon as you finish eating, both you and your
sister clean yourselves up, put on some nice clothes and come down to
Amy's office. I want you here by one o'clock."
"Okay, what's going on?"
"I'll tell you when you get here. Don't be late." 

What happened that afternoon changed the course of our entire lives?


   

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