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Castle In The Sand [91-95]
Copyright 1996 by D. J. Pedersen
By: "thaumaturge" (Deana Johns) <Deana.Johns@softcom.net>
(M/f, ff, MF)

All rights reserved. Limited permission to post is granted providing
this header remains intact. May not be posted to any pay sites. May be
offered as part of a collection, also provided this header remains
intact. Permission to archive is also granted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 91

Judy hadn't told Cindy that they had company at the silo. When the
helicopter came in for a landing there was an OD green Hum-vee parked
by the silo. An armed soldier came out at the sound of the helicopter
setting down. At first Judy and the other two were concerned. They had
the pilot wait while Judy went to check it out. The man produced his ID
for her.

"Mr. Howdy thought it was best that the Silo be guarded while you folks
were away," the soldier explained.

"Thank you. I was a little concerned. I didn't expect anybody to be
here," Judy said.

"Looks like you've got quite a load. Let me help you carry that stuff
in," he offered.

"Thanks. That would be nice," Judy said. She thanked the pilot of the
helicopter and he joined in helping the women cart their packages into
the silo. He was awed by the luxury that met him inside.

"I had no idea," the pilot said.

"That's the idea," Judy chuckled.

"I think it was a fine thing you folks did for your country," the pilot
said, before climbing into the helicopter.

"Thank you. We didn't do all that much. Just let people follow us
around. Now John and Kevin, they were the real heroes," she said.

"I think you all did a great thing, but I look forward to shaking their
hands when they come back from their honeymoons," the pilot said.

"Thank you. And thanks for a nice flight in," Judy said.

"You're quite welcome for that. It's seldom I get passengers as lovely
as you three.... Just when I get a call to come here," he chuckled.

"Thank you. Have a safe flight back," Judy told him. The pilot began
his pre-flight check. He fired up the turbine and the rotor began to
spin up. Suddenly there was an odd grinding noise and the pilot swore
and shut down the engine. The rotor slowly came to a stop again.

"Trouble?" Judy asked, returning to the pad.

"Yeah, looks like I lost a bearing on my rotor pitch control. I'd
better have a look at it," he said, climbing out. He climbed up on top
of the helicopter and examined the central rotor. He moved some arms as
he bent his head to examine the area. Finally he climbed down. He
climbed back into the cockpit and put on his headset, trying to call
in. He got a hold of his base and talked to his mechanic. Finally he
climbed back down and turned to Judy.

"They have to fly me out a part to fix it. But they won't be able to
get one until tomorrow now. Looks like I'm stuck here. I'm sorry about
that. Do you mind if I sleep in the chopper tonight?" he asked.

"No need to do that. We've got plenty of unused beds inside. You're
most welcome to come inside," Judy said.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't want to impose," said the pilot.

"No imposition at all. We can use the company," Judy said.

"You can keep me company, if you have a bedroll. I'm set up in the
first room when you go in. My relief will be here around midnight,"
said the solder.

"You both shall have a soft bed and a good meal. Don't be silly," Judy
said, leading them inside.

"Thanks. I could use a good meal. Mr. Howdy didn't want to be an
imposition on your privacy, so I've been on field rations for a week,"
said the soldier.

"That we can fix. You'll find Amy and Alice to be excellent cooks,"
Judy said, leading them to the kitchen.

"This is mighty nice of you, Ma'am," said the pilot.

"It's Miss. My name is Judy," she said.

"Yes, I know. I saw you on TV. Nice to meet you Judy, I'm Steve," said
the pilot.

"Jim, yes nice to meet you, Judy," the soldier said. Judy found the
younger women in the kitchen already working on dinner. They had
already changed into some terry shorts and tube tops that had become
the standard uniform of the Silo when dressed at all. Judy was grateful
that the matched pair was dressed at all.

"Two more guests for dinner, ladies. This is Steve, our pilot and Jim,
our protector," Judy said. "Steve had a little trouble with his
helicopter so he'll be spending the night with us."

"Nice to meet you," the two triplets said in unison.

"I'm Amy, this is Alice," Amy said. The men shook hands all around with
the women. Judy could tell that there was an immediate attraction
between the men and the matched pair. She excused herself to go change,
taking a long hot shower in the process. Returned similarly clad to the
twin pair. She wasn't a bit surprised to find them sitting on the men's
laps.

"Dinner's almost ready," Alice said, looking up at her.

"I see that you two didn't waste any time making our guests feel
welcome," Judy smirked.

"They're real nice men," Amy said.

"Let me guess. They just came up and sat on your laps and said 'Hi',"
Judy chuckled.

"How'd you know?" asked Steve.

"I just know my girls," Judy said, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Your girls?" Jim asked in alarm.

"Relax, a term of endearment," Judy chuckled, sliding into a chair.

"I'll bet it's nice to be home again," Jim said.

"Yes, it does feel very nice. Although I must admit the White House
wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Judy chuckled.

"Yes, the girls were telling us all about it," Jim said. Judy looked to
the girls and relaxed a bit from what she saw, they wouldn't knowingly
reveal anything they shouldn't, but they were *very* trusting.

"I'm glad they've been keeping you amused. What's for dinner?" she
asked.

"A big salad and baked chicken breasts. We've got tomatoes coming out
of our ears in the hydroponics room," Amy said.

"Yes, after a week I can imagine. We can slice them up and dry them
tomorrow," Judy said.

"This is some setup you have here," Steve said.

"Yes, not mine. It belongs to John. He did most the work himself. Cindy
and Theresa helped quite a bit. I just stay here sometimes," Judy said.

"We helped too," Alice beamed.

"Yes, you did several floors, if I recall," Judy said.

"It must be wonderful living here like this. I quite enjoyed the stars
at night. Kind of like back home," Jim said.

"Where's that?" Judy asked.

"He's from Tennessee," Alice said.

"How long have you been in the Army, Jim?" Judy asked.

"Six years. I'm just on the last of my tour. I wouldn't have missed it
for the world, but I'm ready to get out now," Jim said.

"Six years, and still got to be a Ranger?" Judy asked.

"Yes Ma'am.. I mean Judy. Kind of surprised you recognized the patch,"
Jim said.

"I may not know that much about men, but that patch is respected all
over the world," Judy said, smiling.

"Yes ma..... I mean Judy. Kind of feels awkward. I'm so used to calling
women Ma'am back home," Jim said.

"I don't mind so much. It just kind of makes me feel a bit old," Judy
said.

"You're not old. You're barely thirty if that," Steve said.

"That's old compared to these two," Judy said.

"Oh, you're not old... John's much older than you, and he's not old. He
just thinks he is," Amy said.

"Thank you, Amy. Maybe I just *think* I am too," Judy said.

"I think the breasts are done," Alice said. The two men sort of
snickered at each other. Judy kind of rolled her eyes. Why were men so
damn predictable?

* * *

Back East, Sheila finished her walk-through of the guest house with
Sally and Jean trailing behind Catarina and Bianca. Shannon was at her
side.

"It's just perfect. I wish there were some men at the Silo. I could get
started setting the machines up if we could get them shipped," Sheila
said.

"Why not give Judy a call? She's pretty resourceful. I'll bet her and
the other triplets could get them up to the pad. We do have the winch
motor, you know. In fact they are already in the maintenance room. They
just need to be jig poled up to the pad. Or maybe the chopper could
lift them right out of the maintenance room," Sally suggested.

"Maybe it's worth a try. I'd hate to see them get hurt though. Out
there all alone by themselves. John would never forgive me," Sheila
said.

"You're a phony," Shannon giggled.

"Why do you say that?" Sheila asked.

"We're talking about three grown women here. Not kids. I think they can
handle it just fine. If not, then they will be bright enough to realize
it. All that woman's independence thing you've been fighting all your
life and you act like this. That's why I say you're a phony. I think
you've bought the male sexes line of crap," Shannon teased. This was
enough to get Sheila to pull out her cellular phone, she grinned at
Shannon as she hit the speed dial to the Silo. They were just finishing
up dinner when the phone rang. Judy answered it.

"Judy? This is Sheila. Listen, I hate to ask, but would you take a look
at the crates up in the maintenance room? We sure could use them here,
now. I hate to have to wait until we get some men back to the Silo. If
you could figure a way to get them up on the pad so the helicopter
could pick them up, or find out from them if they can lift right out of
the maintenance room, it would be a big help. Don't go getting
yourselves hurt though. If you can't figure a safe way to do it, don't
try. Alright?"

"Hold on. I have just the right man for the job right here," Judy said.

"Man?" Sheila asked into a silent line, as Judy was already in motion.

"Come on Steve, time to earn your keep. I need an opinion from you,"
Judy said.

"Anything. Glad to help. What do you need?" Steve asked.

"Follow me. Amy why don't you talk to Sheila and find out if she needs
anything else. Alice, entertain our other guest... better yet, you'd
better come along too, Jim. We might need you," Judy said. She led them
up to the maintenance floor and showed Steve the crates. "We need to
get these shipped to New York as soon as possible. Can you hook on them
down here, or do they need to be lifted to the pad?" Judy asked.

"Down here?" Steve asked puzzled. Judy grinned and flipped the control
on the roof. It rolled back, despite the weight of the large helicopter
on it. Steve and Jim were in awe. But it made sense. It was a silo
after all, Steve thought. He looked at the crates. John and Kevin had
built them strong, with integral lift rings. He looked up at the pad
above. Gauging the opening and the crates.

"Normally, I could hook on to them down here, if the wind was calm. The
trouble is that I'd need someone to hook up, you could do that, that's
not hard, but I don't have a portable radio so you could direct me. It
would be a bitch getting lined up without one," Steve said. Alice had
tagged along.

"John used to talk to Kevin in his helicopter on his snowmobile helmet
radio," she suggested.

"That was a military helicopter. It might have a different radio," Judy
said.

"Could you get that radio? Maybe I can tune it," Steve asked. Alice
left and returned with the helmet and radio a short time later. Steve
looked at the radio. "Sure, I can tune this. If Jim could direct me and
you could hook up then we could lift right out of here, tomorrow, as
soon as the part arrives. In fact they can bring in a portable radio
with them and a big enough machine that we can take several at once,"
Steve said.

"So if the wind's calm then, you can do it. What if it's not?" Judy
asked. Steve looked over at the winch motor and the jig pole mount that
John had fashioned.

"We can still do it. We'll just jig pole them to the surface. That
would be a lot safer anyway," he said.

"Well why don't we do that tonight, then tomorrow we can ship them for
sure. Would you two mind? I don't really know how to run that thing,"
Judy said.

"Be glad to. What's in the crates?" Steve asked.

"Scanners for Second Skin. We're setting up another salon back east.
Everyday they are here is a day when they could be making money for us.
I'm sure you'd be well compensated for your efforts," Judy said.

"No problem there, glad to do it. It ensures us the shipping contract,"
Steve chuckled.

"Don't you get all our shipping?" Judy asked.

"I think John divides it up between us and the other service. I don't
mind that. He gives us both more service than we used to see," Steve
said.

"Well, thank you anyway. You're a life saver. I wouldn't have a clue
how to run that thing," Judy said, heading back towards the kitchen.
Amy was talking to Sheila when she got back to the kitchen. She handed
Judy the phone when she reached for it.

"Sheila? Can do. We can have them on their way to you by tomorrow
sometime," she said.

"Great. Safely?" Sheila asked.

"Yup. Two strapping men here to help," Judy said.

"Amy didn't tell me much. Just how the hell did you find two men so
quick? We just left you a few hours ago," Sheila asked.

"Steve -our helicopter pilot- had a breakdown when he went to leave.
He's stuck here for the night. Jim's a soldier that Bill assigned to
guard the Silo while we were away," Judy said.

"Are they cute?" Sheila asked.

"As a button. The girls have already staked claims," Judy said.

"They may share. They always were generous with their loving," Sheila
chuckled.

"I don't think I'm up to that yet. I was just warming up to the idea of
Kevin and Bill. I'm not ready for a novice flight yet," Judy said.

"Well... keep an open mind. And have fun," Sheila said.

"So I ship to Second Skin in New York?" Judy asked.

"No, ship them right to Shannon's place. The address is on John's
computer in the Com room. Ship them air freight to La Guardia, and then
arrange a truck shipment from there to her estate. Make certain that
you tell them that you need them loaded and unloaded. Those union
truckers back here won't do shit if it isn't on the work order. Ship
them priority. The price is worth it. We can make up the cost in an
hour once they're running," Sheila said.

"Will do. If I can I'll get them moving tonight," Judy said.

"That would be great. If not, tomorrow is fine. I just couldn't see us
losing two weeks while John and Bill are on their honeymoon," Sheila
said.

"Do you think that Bill will be coming back here?" Judy asked.

"Oh, there is that. He may get sidetracked with this homeless thing. I
think I know your concern," Sheila chuckled.

"Yes, I was thinking that I'd like to try him first. He's well used to
multiple company with the triplets," Judy chuckled.

"Well, I'd better get off or it will cost us another hour's production
to pay for this call. I'm on my cellular," Sheila said.

"Okay, have fun back there. I'll get these going as fast as possible. I
love you all," Judy said.

"I ... and *we* love you too. Bye," Sheila said. Judy hung up the
phone. Amy was standing by.

"What do you mean we staked a claim? We wouldn't leave you out," she
said, pulling Judy into her arms.

"No, love. You two go ahead. I'm not quite up to unknown men yet," Judy
said, hugging and then kissing the young woman. "Well, if you change
your mind. Then just join us. Okay?" Amy asked, kissing her again.

"Okay, thanks," Judy said. When they got back to the maintenance room,
Steve and Jim already had the Jig pole mounted and rigged. Steve was
studying the controls John had interfaced with the winch.

"Nice set up he has here. Real good gearing and control. Custom job,
John's work?" Steve asked.

"I wouldn't know. Probably. What can I do?" Judy asked.

"Enjoy the show. Maybe you could go topside with Jim. He may need a
hand pulling the crate onto the pad and moving them aside so we can
lift another one," Steve said. He fired up the winch and played out
enough cable to hook up to a crate. The integral rings made it easier.
Jim hooked up the cable to the crate and then headed topside with Judy
in his wake.

Steve worked the wireless controls and slowly lifted the heavy crate,
guiding it with his hands. Jim had hooked a small guide rope that he
tossed up onto the pad. He showed his face at the edge and took up
slack as the crate raised. When it was high enough, he used the rope to
pull it towards the pad. Judy pulling too as Steve slowly played out
cable again.

They repeated the operation six times. The girls went topside and
helped slide the heavy crates aside to make room for the others.
Finally they were done. Jim came down and with the girls' help they
dismounted and lay the heavy jig pole back down. Then Steve closed the
roof.

"I can't thank you enough," Judy said, kissing both Steve and Jim on
the cheek, "I just wish that there was some way to get them shipped
tonight."

"It's important?" Steve asked.

"Yes, whatever it cost would be worth it. We could make up the extra
shipping costs in an hour of operation once they get set up. They're
just burning money sitting there," she replied.

"I have an idea. Can I use your phone?" Steve asked.

"Certainly," Judy said, leading them back to the kitchen. They all
stopped off to wash their hands. The cable was greasy. Steve looked in
his wallet for a number, then dialed it.

"Charley, you old horse thief. This is Steve.... Oh, pretty good.
Listen, have you still got that big Sikorski sky crane in the
neighborhood? You do? Great. How'd you like a quick easy haul? Oh, six
crates about five hundred a piece. We'd like to get them on a plane
tonight, but my unit's down. ... Ring bearing on the main pitch... I
know you did, you were right. Anyway, how fast can you lift? Two hours?
What's her name? Your *wife*? That's not like you. Just tell her it's
business. Alright, if your dinner's that important. Where... let's see,
call my dispatch for exact long-lat. When you get in the neighborhood,
give my cellular a call and I'll turn on the lights. Don't go setting
down on my baby. You'd squash her like a bug. Yeah, thanks, Charley.
Oh, you can bill through my service, I trust these folks to make good
on it. Great, see you then. See ya," Steve said.

"Okay, he's going to lift in about an hour. It will take him about
another to get here so he'll be here in about two. He's big enough to
handle them all at once. I got to warn you that this will set you back
about three grand," Steve told Judy.

"Outstanding!" Judy said, launching herself at him and hugging him
tightly.

"Easy, darling. What about the money?" Steve chuckled.

"We can make that up in less than an hour," Judy said, just inches from
his face. She suddenly realized how intimate it had become and slowly
untangled herself. "I'm sorry, I was just excited," she said.

"No need to apologize to me. I'll have to think of more ways to get you
excited... Make it up in an hour huh? No wonder you're in such a hurry
to get these things going," Steve said, grinning.

"Now all I have to do is arrange air freight and trucking on the other
end," Judy said.

"Where they going?" Steve asked.

"Long Island, New York," Judy said.

"Through La Guardia? They could end up in Timbuktu if you shipped
through Kennedy," Steve asked.

"Yeah, Sheila said to ship through La Guardia," Judy said.

"Your best bet is Travis Air Freight, they have a regular ten-thirty
flight into La Guardia," Steve said.

"Ten-thirty. Could we make that on time?" Judy asked. Steve looked at
his watch and winced a bit. Then took out his wallet again and
consulted his phone list. He picked up the phone.

"Ben Travis please, Steve Collier calling," he said, "Then get him at
home. Yes, I'll wait....... Ben? Steve Collier here. Could you hold
your ten-thirty to La Guardia for six crates.... About like coffins...
Five hundred a piece.... Charley will be flying them inbound in about
two hours.. figure three to get to you. You will, great... Listen,
could you have your man arrange for truck transport on the other end?
This is hot cargo and they don't need the hassle of lost weigh bills
those union guys are famous for.... Yeah and they need load and unload
too... You'll make the call yourself? Great. How's the wife... *again?*
I would have thought she'd take the scissors to your tubes by now....
Well congratulations... yeah, I know. I did that once, remember?. ....
Okay, I'll call you back with the exact address.. out on Long Island
somewhere... Second Skin... I'll see what I can do... Okay, thanks. See
ya," Steve said, breaking the connection.

"All set. He'll have trucks waiting when they set down. They should be
able to load up and arrive in Long Island by around four A.M. Eastern.
They'll unload the crates on that end for you," Steve said.

"You are a miracle worker," Judy said, kissing him on the cheek and
hugging him again.

"I'm just trying to figure what else I could do to get you excited
again," Steve chuckled. Judy looked at him again. She realized that she
was in his arms once more.

"I seem to be making a habit of this.... Maybe there's a reason," she
said.

"I was hoping..." Steve said.

"Let's find out," Judy said, lifting her head to his. He bent and
softly kissed her. She found herself quivering a bit in the middle of
it. She deepened the kiss herself. After a time she finally pulled
back. "Yup, there's a reason," she said, softly.

"I think so too... Uh, I guess we'd better get your crates labeled and
get that address for the shipping... then maybe we can pursue it once
we get your cargo on the way," Steve said.

"Yes... I think I'd like that. What do we need for the labels?" Judy
asked, still in his arms.

"I find a roll of duct tape and a magic marker or a Sharpie works
best... and the address of course," Steve said.

"I think we have all those.... I guess we'd better get started...." she
said, making no move to leave his arms.

"Yes... we should..." he said, pulling her back to him. Eventually they
got the crates labeled and the address forwarded to Travis Air Freight.
A short time later Steve's cellular rang with Charley inbound. Judy
showed him how to manually turn on the lights on the pad. Steve used
the radio in his chopper to direct the line over the load, then had
Judy direct him on station while he took a second cable off the lift
cable and looped it several times around the crates and then through
the lift rings. He reconnected the cable and then took the mike himself
to direct the lifting to avoid any damage to his own helicopter or -
more importantly- Judy.

"Okay, that's good. You're on your own. Travis Air is holding their
ten-thirty to La Guardia for you, so make haste... Yes, she's easily as
pretty as she sounds... Prettier... Yeah, same to ya. Thanks Charley, I
owe you big time for this. Yes, yes, send it to my office... thanks
bud, Good Flying," Steve finished.

"As pretty as I sound, am I?" Judy chuckled.

"Easily.. Prettier, You have a lovely voice. Usually women who sound
that nice look like blimps in person," Steve said. Judy chuckled.

"Thanks..... Now where were we?" she asked, moving against him. The sun
was now down and the stars above were in their full glory as they
kissed in the red glow of the pad lights. Sometime later they found the
twins with Jim in the massive hot tub. Judy didn't think a thing about
it as she stripped off her clothes and climbed in. Steve shrugged and
did the same. Poor Jim looked like a basket case already. Judy didn't
know if he had a chance to last the night.

"Changed your mind, huh?" Amy chuckled from Jim's lap. Alice was
snuggled to his side.

"Kind of. I kept finding myself in his arms.. we finally discovered
there was a reason," Judy said, leading Steve by the hand to a built in
chair and then moving onto his lap.

"Who am I to complain? I was ready to sleep in the back of my
helicopter," Steve chuckled.

"You certain you're interested in me?" Judy asked, softly.

"*Quite* certain, darling," Steve said, kissing her softly.

"Then there's something I think you should know about me before this
goes any further," Judy said.

"What's that?" he asked. Judy turned to the girls.

"Come here please, Alice," she said, beckoning her with her arms. Alice
stood and moved toward her.

"Boy, are *you* in for a surprise," Jim giggled.

"Hush! This is *serious*," Amy said. She insured his silence by
covering his lips with her own. Alice reached Judy and she took her
into her arms and kissed her deeply, not too far away from Steve's
shocked expression. She could feel his reaction underneath her.

"Thank you dear, now you can go back and join your sister, so Steve and
I can have a little talk," Judy said, squeezing Alice's cute buns
before releasing her.

"Let me know if I can be of any further assistance," Alice chuckled as
she moved away. Judy turned to Steve.

"Well, I know what your body thinks of it... how about your mind? Still
interested?" she asked. Steve looked at her and nodded. "There's
something else," she said.

"What's that?" he asked, ready for just about anything after what he'd
just seen.

"Just that until two weeks ago I had never been with a man before.
*Ever*.. Now I've only been with one. That was John," Judy said.

"I'll be as gentle as a lamb with you, I promise... John, the John now
on his honeymoon?" he asked.

"Yes, and you need not worry about being so gentle. John is an
*excellent* teacher," Judy said, chuckling at her memories.

"Yes, I can see that. I was just wondering about him being on his
honeymoon after being with you," Steve said.

"Well, you see, we all love *each other* around here. Not the guys...
But I don't think that would bother me. But basically there are now
thirteen... no, make it *fourteen* women who are flat assed in love
with John *and* each other. Two of them have now married other men, but
they understand that the women expect to continue their relationships
with each of us. In fact most the women -except me- have bedded the
other two guys. I expect to in the future. We are one big happy
*family*. We wouldn't want anything or anybody to change that. So if
you can't handle that then maybe we'd better not get any more
involved," Judy said. Steve thought about things for a bit.

"No, I'm still interested. It's you that I'm interested in. Not the
others. But I don't mind that you feel that way. It just seems kind of
odd that I should become exposed to this sort of thing.... You see, a
few years ago my wife left me -divorced me- I didn't know why until I
found out she was living with another woman. It made me think long and
hard about things. Fact is that I wouldn't have minded her seeing the
other woman if she'd just stayed married to me. I even told her that
later, but she didn't seem to be much interested in me anymore.

"Anyway... I went out and *tested* myself. I spent lots of time hanging
around places known to cater to lesbians. Most weren't the slightest
bit interested in me, but I did manage to convince one couple to come
home with me. I found that I actually enjoyed it very much... not just
what they did to me, but what they did to each other. I found it
incredibly sexy.

"They weren't much interested in a long term relationship. I wasn't
much interested in a short term one, so we parted company. But ever
since then I've had the desire with me. It's stayed. That's why I find
it kind of ironic. When I found myself becoming interested in you, I
had no clue that you had those inclinations. Now that I know you do,
I'm thrilled to death," he said, pulling her into a passionate kiss.
Judy lifted her head and smiled at him, then turned to the other side
of the pool.

"Amy, do you think you could spare your sister for a night? Jim looks
like he's almost done for anyway. I think I could use that assistance
you offered, Alice," Judy said.

"Sure, no problem," Amy said. She caught Alice and kissed her tenderly
before patting her rump in Judy's direction. "Have a good time, Sis,"
she said. Alice was halfway across the pool when suddenly her and Amy
kind of smiled and shuddered.

"Are you girls *still* feeling each others orgasms?" Judy asked,
chuckling. Alice kind of smiled and nodded, moving to their side.

"No kidding? You can feel each other's orgasms?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, sometimes. If we forget to shut off," Alice said.

"So how's Bill doing?" Judy asked, pulling Alice onto her lap while
still on Steve's.

"Oh, he's keeping up his end of things," Alice chuckled.

"Where are they?" Steve asked.

"Camp David," Judy answered, her lips descending on Alice's. Steve was
going to be excited about the concept of telepathy over such a distance
when he was suddenly distracted by the sight before his eyes. His
questions vaporized as Alice turned her head and kissed him deeply,
Judy's hands exploring her young, firm body. When they broke out in a
sweat, they used the cool plunge. Judy and Alice helping Amy with an
overdone Jim. The cool water helped revive him enough that some of his
enthusiasm returned. Amy drug him off to her room to use it up.

Judy guided a *very* happy and noticeably excited Steve to her bedroom
with Alice hanging on his other side. He wasn't the slightest bit
disappointed. Neither was Judy. Alice *always* seemed to enjoy herself.
Judy enjoyed herself so much that it sort of bothered her. She wasn't
prepared for the feelings she was experiencing. That's when she left a
blissfully sleeping Steve and Alice and made her way to the kitchen.
She had just brewed a cup of tea when Cindy called.

After the phone call she found that she was less bothered herself by
what she was feeling. She eagerly slipped back into bed with the
sleeping couple. Her motion stirred Steve awake and he pulled her into
his arms. Their lovemaking was slow and passionate. Alice hardly seemed
to notice as she slept blissfully at her side. Occasionally she would
shudder a bit and smile in her sleep. Either Bill was doing *very*
well, or Jim had found his second wind.

Shannon and Sheila were baffled and then shocked when the buzzer on
Shannon's gate sounded. At first she thought it was kids playing a
prank, but over the intercom they determined that it was a delivery
from the Silo. Shannon directed them where to go and triggered the
electric gate mechanism. Then her and Sheila pulled on some clothes and
found some slippers.

"What's going on?" a groggy Sally asked them as they passed down the
hallway.

"Judy's a flipping miracle worker. The crates are here," Sheila said.

"You're kidding? It's not eight hours since you talked to her, that's
impossible," Sally said, waking up.

"Maybe they entered a time-warp tomorrow afternoon and came back to
now, but put on some clothes and come see for yourself," Shannon said,
heading for he guest house. Jean stirred and found Sally dressing.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Sheila says the crates are here," Sally replied.

"Huh? I thought... it's not possible," Jean said, looking at the clock
and sitting up. Sally sat on the bed to pull on her shoes, instead she
turned and kissed Jean and caressed her bare breasts.

"That's what I thought. Let's go find out. If not I can think of
something else worth doing at this hour," Sally chuckled, circling
Jean's nipples with her fingertips.

"You always *were* a morning person. Alright, let's go see," Jean said,
getting up. A few minutes later they found that it was indeed true. Not
only that, but the men were cheerfully unloading them and putting them
exactly where Sheila was directing them to. There were four strong men,
even so they had to carry over a hundred pounds apiece on each crate.
They didn't bat an eye when Sheila directed them up a flight of stairs
for two of the crates. They refused the assistance of the women.
Perhaps it was the sight of four lovely women so early in the morning
that gave them the strength they needed to muscle the crates up the
stairs and into a large bedroom.

Sheila had them open the crates while she inspected the machines. They
were all in good shape. So were the computer monitors and such, which
were probably the most fragile. The men opened all the crates for them
and positioned the heavy machines exactly where they wanted them. They
seemed downright cheerful about it.

"You seem awful cheerful for this time of the morning," Shannon
commented.

"Not often we get to meet an academy award winning actress and three
intriguing heroines, stunning beauties every one of you," one of the
men replied.

"Hell, we'd be happy to do it if you were ugly. You done this country a
great service. It's the least we can do," said another.

"Well, let me get my purse, so I can tip you properly," Sheila said.

"No, Ma'am. We don't want anything. That wouldn't *feel* right," said
one. The men all nodded.

"Well, you've done us a great service here. We'd like to thank you some
way," Shannon said.

"What you done for this country is all the thanks we need," said one.

"Maybe, but you won't leave here un-rewarded," Shannon said. She
stepped up to one and kissed him full on the lips. Sheila, Sally and
Jean took their cue and moved to the others. Then they rotated. They
didn't stop until each had kissed each of the startled men.

"God, my wife finds out I'm dead meat... but I wouldn't have missed
that for the world. You've made my week for me, Ma'am," said one,
humbly. Catarina and Bianca came in on the tail end of it. Sheila
explained to them and each man got kissed twice more before they got
out the door.

"Best damn tip I ever got. Academy award winning actress.. who woulda
believed it," said one.

"Nobody back on the docks, that's for sure," said another. The truck
pulled out and Shannon closed the gate. Sheila and the girls set about
setting up the machines. Shannon woke her staff and ordered breakfast
sent to the guest house for all. Afterwards it was just late enough for
her to start calling. By nine o-clock they had their first customers.
Shannon stayed on the phone and by the end of the day they were booked
through the end of the week. The rest would follow suit once word got
out. About two in the afternoon, Sheila took a break from the endless
parade of stunning nude actresses and relaxed with a glass of wine
while she called the Silo. She got Amy on the phone.

"Hi dumpling, this is Sheila, let me talk to Judy," she asked.

"Oh, she's not up yet. She had a pretty late night, according to
Alice," Amy giggled.

"Well see if you can rouse her anyway, she managed to get us up at
*four* this morning, I want to know how," Sheila said.

"Okay, I've got to wake them anyway, the man's here to fix Steve's
helicopter. Hang on," Amy said. After a time a slightly groggy Judy
came onto the phone.

"Just one question; How?" Sheila asked.

"How what?" Judy asked.

"How the hell did you get six, five-hundred pound crates across the
country, in less than eight hours after I talked to you?" Sheila asked.

"Oh... I tapped into something called the old-boy network. Steve's been
explaining it to me. It's how this country really runs. He got a part
for his helicopter from Atlanta overnight too," Judy said.

"And how was the *old-boy?*" Sheila giggled.

"Not so old, and certainly no boy.. and absolutely wonderful," Judy
said.

"Sound's serious," Sheila said.

"Could be. The mere sight of women kissing turns him into a raging
bull," Judy chuckled.

"What's he like?" Sheila asked.

"A genuine hunk of a man. Bright, witty, educated, successful and a
tender wonderful lover," Judy mused.

"With all that, still want me around?" Sheila asked.

"That's the *silliest* damn question you ever asked. You *know* I love
you," Judy said.

"Yes, love. And you know I love you. I'm thrilled for you," Sheila
said.

"Hell, *I'm* thrilled for me," Judy said.

"Hope you remembered to wear your galoshes," Sheila said.

"No need. Clipped tubes like John," Judy said.

"You trust he's clean too?" Sheila asked, concerned.

"Yup, checked recently. Clean bill of health," Judy said.

"Still not positive, but good as a girl can usually get," Sheila said.

"Oh, fairly positive. He hasn't been too active for a while. Had
himself checked because he had a little t�te-�-t�te with some women he
was a little worried about, about a year ago," Judy said.

"Good enough... You sure you know what you're doing?" Sheila asked.

"No, but it feels right enough. I'm as sure as I've ever been... but
you've known me to change my mind about things before," Judy chuckled.

"Yeah, when you change your mind you do it in a *big* way... Well, kiss
the girls for me. I love you all," Sheila said.

"I will...by the way, that shipping is going to set you back about four
or five grand. Total," Judy said.

"Peanuts and well worth it. We'll clear sixty-five in profit today.
With Shannon's cut that still makes forty grand free and clear. Not a
bad day at all," Sheila said.

"No shit. Well, you take care. I think I'm gonna go find an *old-boy*
and *thank* him again," Judy said.

"Okay, have fun... Oh, how did the girls' Soldier boy turn out?" Sheila
asked.

"Oh, okay, Amy was quite taken with him, but I don't think he's up to
our crowd," Judy said.

"Out of shape?" Sheila asked.

"Not hardly, an Army Ranger. But perhaps not up to the triplets'
stamina," Judy chuckled.

"Well. Time will tell, huh?" Sheila said.

"Yeah," Judy said.

"Well, see you, lover. I'll save a special kiss for you," Sheila said.

"As I will for you. Bye, love," Judy said. Sheila was barely off the
phone when it rang again, she answered it as Shannon was tied up with
Bianca's afternoon treatment.

"Hi darling, didn't expect you to answer," Mae's voice said.

"Hi love, how's work?" Sheila asked.

"Don't have a clue. Was running smooth when I last checked in, but I
haven't been near the place," Mae said.

"Really, that's surprising. Not like you at all. Think there are too
many reporters around?" Sheila asked.

"Hadn't thought about it much," Mae giggled.

"All right, love. I know you *too* well, I know you're busting to tell
me something. What is it?" Sheila asked.

"Oh... not much. Got engaged this morning..... Candice did too," Mae
giggled.

"*WHAT?*" Sheila gasped. Mae chuckled.

"I got engaged this morning, Candice did too," she repeated.

"To each other?" Sheila asked.

"Well, no. Not specifically, but that was understood," Mae said.

"Listen, darling. I left you yesterday afternoon, the only men in sight
were the flight stewards, they weren't your type. Now could you explain
a little better what the hell you are saying?" Sheila asked.

"The flight stewards weren't, but the co-pilot was," Mae said.

"O-kay, I never saw him. But that sort of explains one. What about
Candice?" Sheila asked.

"The pilot," Mae giggled.

"Candice fell for the pilot?" Sheila asked.

"Like several tons of bricks. A real charming country boy. A fighter
jockey from the Vietnam war. Swept her off her feet in seconds flat. I
think I took hours myself... okay, it was several minutes at least,"
Mae giggled.

"And they *both* asked you two to marry them this morning, and you both
accepted?" Sheila asked.

"My, you're quick.. Yup," Mae said.

"And you're serious?" Sheila asked.

"Never been more serious in my life," Mae said.

"Well... congratulations... I guess," Sheila said.

"You don't sound too enthusiastic," Mae said.

"I'm still in a state of utter shock. I leave three of my lovers
yesterday afternoon and within the last ten minutes I learn that
they've fallen madly in love with charming men," Sheila said.

"Three?" Mae asked.

"Judy and her chopper pilot. Head over heels. The jury's still out over
Amy and her soldier boy," Sheila said.

"You're kidding?" Mae asked.

"Nope. Sounded as serious as you do," Sheila said.

"I've got to call her," Mae said.

"I'd wait a bit, you'd be likely to catch her *mid-flagranto* if you
called now," Sheila said.

"Well, I guess stranger things have happened," Mae said.

"Yeah, I only got to believe six impossible things before breakfast,
but nine before lunch," Sheila said.

"What were the six?" Mae asked.

"Crates. I called Judy last night and asked if it was possible for them
to ship us the three machines for here before John returned to the
Silo. Less than eight hours later they were on the doorstep here,"
Sheila said.

"You're kidding? That's phenomenal!" Mae said.

"Seems to be the day for it. Well, take care, love. I can't wait to
meet these mystery men, all of them," Sheila said.

"Yeah, I'll try to hold mine back for a while, he's been talking about
a quick trip to Reno. But after Cindy's, Theresa's and Andrea's
wedding, I'm holding out for more," Mae chuckled.

"Okay love. See you when we get back. Kiss Candice for me," Sheila
said.

"My pleasure. Kiss the girls there for me and her. I love you, bye,"
Mae said.

"I love you too. Bye," Sheila said, hanging up the phone. Sally stepped
out of the guest house and stretched and inhaled deeply. "Careful,
there's something in the air," Sheila mused.

"What?" Sally asked.

"I don't have a clue, but in the past twenty-four hours three of our
lovelies have met men and fallen madly in love. The jury's still out on
a fourth," Sheila said.

"Who?" Sally asked.

"Candice and Mae are flat engaged. Judy's head over heels and close on
their tails. Amy's the iffy one," Sheila said.

"How the hell did that happen, we only left them yesterday?" Sally
asked.

"Three pilots and a soldier that Bill had guarding the Silo..
respectively," Sheila said.

"There was only two pilots on the plane, I saw the back of their heads
when I boarded," Sally said.

"That's Candice and Mae. They are flat engaged. Judy's was the chopper
pilot who flew them to the Silo. He had a breakdown and had to spend
the night. Apparently he spent it with Judy and she's all ga-ga over
him today," Sheila said.

"We almost lost Jean too. She's still talking about one of those
delivery men from this morning," Sally mused.

"Well, I personally am going to avoid all contact with men until I'm
certain that the plague has passed," Sheila said, heading inside. She
walked in the door and almost ran into a stunning nude actress that she
had been frothing over for years. "Oh, excuse me," Sheila said.

"That's okay, you didn't see me. You're Sheila, right?" said the
actress.

"Yes... I've admired your films for years," Sheila said, enthralled.

"Thank you. I've been wanting to meet you since I saw you on
television," she said, making serious eye contact with Sheila.

"Thank you.. Nice to meet you. Really. Ah, listen, I'm a little tired
right now, we've been up since four setting this up. Perhaps we'll meet
again sometime," Sheila said.

"Count on it," said the actress, holding Sheila's hand in both of hers.
Sheila felt herself sinking into the actress's gaze. It scared the hell
out of her and she pulled away and excused herself. She made her way
shakily into the main house and into her room, closing the door behind
her. She lay on the bed and tried not to breathe too deeply. The
actress spotted Shannon as she was dressing again.

"I thought you said Sheila was interested in me?" she commented.

"I'd be very surprised if she wasn't," Shannon replied.

"Well, she sure didn't seem like it," replied the actress.

"That's not like her at all... but we have been up a long time,"
Shannon said.

"Maybe so.. that's the excuse she used," said the actress.

"Excuse?" Shannon asked.

"That's what it seemed like to me," replied the actress.

"I'll see what I can find out," Shannon said, excusing herself. She
found Sally out on the deck. Relaxing in a chair. "Know what's up with
Sheila?" Shannon asked her.

"Possibly. Why, what did she do?" Sally asked.

"I've been trying to line her up with a particular actress she's been
frothing at the mouth over for years, apparently she blew it off,"
Shannon said.

"I think she's in shock. She just found out that Mae and Candice got
engaged this morning and Judy's going steady. Also, Amy's got a hot
prospect," Sally replied.

"How is that possible? We just left them yesterday about this time,"
Shannon asked.

"To quote Sheila: '*Three pilots and a soldier Bill assigned to guard
the Silo while we were away, respectively*," Sally said.

"Three pilots?" Shannon asked.

"The copter pilot to the Silo. Judy's new beaux," Sally said.

"I can see why Sheila would be rattled by that news. A month ago Judy
was a *devout* lesbian. Mae was a strong supporter. If not for John I
didn't think that either of them would have had anything to do with
men," Shannon said.

"Well, apparently all of them are big beau-hunks and utterly charming,"
Sally said.

"They'd have to be," Shannon said.

"Anyway, Sheila said she thought there was some kind of plague in the
air and that she was going to avoid men and try not to breath too
deeply until it was known safe. I think she's taking a nap," Sally
said.

"Thanks.. How are you holding up?" Shannon asked.

"I'm okay. Catarina's a fast learner. She's running one machine. Jean's
running a second. Bianca offered to spell me on the third, but it's in
the midst of casting anyway. I just came out to get a breath of air. We
need to add some ventilation I think. Maybe some vacuum tubes right on
the casting tables. I noticed you have a built in vacuum system, think
it would take full time operation?" Sally asked.

"If not then it could be adapted to. That's a good idea. I'll contact
my maintenance man," Shannon said.

"That Bianca's a real trouper. I think she's doing much better," Sally
commented.

"Yeah, so do I. I think she does it for enjoyment as much as for her
addiction now," Shannon chuckled.

"Can't fault her for that!" Sally giggled.

"Yeah, I can't either. I guess I'll go give Jean a break. She's a
trouper too, but I'm sure she could use a break," Shannon said.

"That's very kind of you. May I thank you with a kiss?" Sally asked.

"You most certainly may," Shannon said, moving to collect her reward.

"You know, you really don't need to be doing this. The offer of the
location was generous enough without you doing the work too," Sally
said, once she released Shannon.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm having a ball," Shannon said.

"Okay.. but if it stops being fun, feel free to duck out," Sally said.

"Maybe I will later. Maybe go join Sheila for a nap," Shannon said.

"Do it, if you feel like it. We can handle things," Sally said.

"Thanks, well. See you this evening," Shannon said, slipping away. A
short time later Jean stepped out onto the deck. She spotted Sally and
moved to her side. Sally kissed her and then told her all the news from
the West.

"Most unusual," Jean commented, moving a lock of hair from Sally's
forehead.

"Yes, I thought so. Perhaps John's marriage just made them more open to
things," Sally mused, "I was a bit worried about you, over those
delivery men."

"Oh, I wasn't really interested in them. I think I was just missing the
feel of John and I was a bit vulnerable. I kind of got turned on when
we kissed them," Jean said.

"Yes.. I miss him too. I don't think I'll ever get over him," Sally
said.

"Why would you try? I mean... he's asked each of us to marry him. If we
actually get a chance, I intend to take him up on it," Jean said.

"I probably will too. It's just that.... I kind of long for a less
global relationship," Sally said.

"Like waking up next to the same person every morning?" Jean teased.

"You fill that role quite nicely. If I didn't enjoy the feeling of a
man inside me, I'd be quite content living alone with you for the rest
of my life," Sally said, softly.

"Yes, I quite agree. On both counts. Seems kind of selfish of us,
desiring a man all to ourselves," Jean said.

"Oh, maybe not so selfish. Most the world lives that way. I think the
thing that separates us, is that we are willing to give up that sole
proprietorship in exchange for sharing time with an exemplary man.
We're not willing to settle for less," Sally said.

"I think there's more to it. Theresa and Andrea could have that sole
proprietorship, but they choose to remain involved with the rest of us.
I think it's the feeling of *family* that we all share. None of us have
strong family ties elsewhere, if we have family at all. These people
are *our* family," Jean said.

"You may be right about that. I certainly feel no desire to contact my
parents now. Not that they gave me so raw a deal, not at all like
Theresa and Cindy, but we just don't have much in common anymore. I
think they just stay together out of habit. They'd miss each other as
sparring partners," Sally said.

"Yeah, myself I don't have the option. You know my folks have both
passed away. I have a brother in Jersey, but he's all wrapped up in his
wife and three kids. A barbecue in the suburbs with a few drinking
buddies is the high point of his life," Jean said.

"Nothing wrong with that, unless it becomes the context of your whole
life," Sally said.

"It is, with him. He's in hog heaven," Jean said.

"I can see why you're not closer. Well, guess I'd better go spell
Catarina. Don't forget to thank Shannon. She's being a real dear
today," Sally said.

"Every day, near as I've been able to tell. We wouldn't have any of
this business if it wasn't for her. Stunning women, every one of them.
I'm so damn horny I could bust," Jean said.

"Perils of the job. I'll be happy to cure that once we shut down for
the day. Maybe we can administer Bianca's next treatment," Sally said.

"She's already got two dates for the night," Jean chuckled.

"I heard you turn down that many yourself," Sally said, standing.

"As I did you," Jean said.

"Well... perhaps later. So many on the first day just made me feel like
a cheap date," Sally said, bending back to collect a kiss.

"Just like when I used to get offers as a waitress," Jean chuckled.

"Yeah, see you in a bit," Sally said, excusing herself. She stepped in
and found Catarina doing her best to deal with an attractive, but
belligerent patron. Probably one of the administrators wives that
Shannon had to schedule to *grease the machinery*.

"I'll take over if you'd like to take a break, Catarina. Now, what
seems to be the problem, Ma'am?" Sally said smoothly. Catarina looked
eternally grateful as she slipped away.

"As I was trying to tell that bubble headed foreigner, I want a
particular piece of art on my outfit. She kept saying she couldn't do
it," the woman said.

"That *bubble headed foreigner*, as you refer to her, was awarded the
*Legion of Merit* award by the President just over a week ago, for
exemplary services rendered to this country. This is her *first* day
training in this position. But she was correct in her assertion. We
can't put a specific piece of artwork on an outfit because of the
copyright laws. If you can produce legal proof of copyright ownership,
a valid release of copyright or evidence of royalties paid to the
copyright owner for the *specific* purpose of producing an outfit, then
we will be happy to oblige you. However, there are a great many pieces
of famous artwork which are considered to be in the public domain now.
I would be most happy to show them to you," Sally said, keeping her
temper and smiling.

"Well, I expected better service than this for what you're charging,"
said the woman.

"We are charging that particular rate, because of accelerated bookings.
If you dealt with our normal salons you couldn't get an appointment for
six months. But that has nothing to do with the fact that we must
operate within the laws and regulations of a particular jurisdiction.
The copyright laws are federal laws, and in most cases are covered by
international treaty. So there are few places on earth that you could
go to legally obtain what you are asking for. We certainly cannot
provide it if we wish to continue in operation. Which we do. If you
wish you could commission a custom piece of artwork and return at a
later time with it. Otherwise, may I show you what we *can* do for
you?" Sally said.

"Well, I guess while I'm here... What have you got?" the woman asked.

"In these catalogs we have a listing of all the artwork that we have on
file. There is a print of each work with a reference number. If you
would care to select one then I can call it into the computer and show
you how it would look," Sally said, offering the woman a thick catalog.

"Wouldn't it be quicker to view them on the computer?" asked the woman.

"No, Ma'am. You can view eight works on one page at a glance. It takes
several seconds to call in each image on the computer, *after* the
proper CD is inserted," Sally explained.

"I would have thought that you would have better computers," said the
woman.

"Ma'am. These are the fastest computer workstations available that we
know of. If you know of a faster one then we would be *very* interested
in knowing about them," Sally said, smoothly. Finding no edge for a
fight, the woman consoled herself looking through the catalog. Sally
glanced at the order sheet. The piece of artwork that the woman wanted
would have looked absolutely dreadful on her.

Sally knew of another work within the same style and period that would
work out very well, she consulted her own catalog and pulled up the
image. She mapped it over the image and turned to the woman.

"Ma'am, I've selected a work that I think would suit you very well,
what do you think of this?" she asked. The woman looked up, prepared to
do battle and was instantly entranced by the image on the screen.

"Oh, that's *just* what I wanted!" exclaimed the woman.

"Yes, Ma'am. Would you like to view it from other angles? It's best to
know how it looks from any direction. A particular image may look great
from one direction and downright embarrassing from another," Sally
said, turning the image.

Catarina met Jean out on the deck and chose a chair beside her. She
rubbed her eyes.

"God, that woman would not listen to me. She acted like her husband's
position as a minor local dignitary entitled her to ignore the law,"
she said.

"Yeah, kind of like when I'd get an adamant customer at the diner.
They'd demand roast beef when we were out of it. Like their desires
should automatically produce what they wanted," Jean chuckled.

"I am not so sure that I am up to working with the public," Catarina
said.

"You'll do fine. Actually, you will find that -for the most part- the
public is very easy to work with. The problems arise when you have to
deal with a person who *thinks* they are important, whether they are or
not. In fact, the ones who actually *are* important are easy to work
with too, because they usually got to be important by understanding how
things work," Jean chuckled.

"And you learned such great wisdom working at a diner?" Catarina asked.

"A place of amazing diversity," Jean chuckled.

"Perhaps that is where I should start," Catarina said.

"No, that is *not* the best place to learn. Watch Sally. She's very
good with the customers. Observe how she deals with them, how she tries
to turn bad things into opportunities to make the customer happy. See,
all the customer wants, is to be happy. Sometimes you have to show them
what happy is. Just keep in mind that the whole point is to satisfy the
customer's needs. That's why they come to us. Do whatever you can to
make them happy. If you can't do one thing because of legal restraints,
explain that to them, *briefly*, then offer them an alternative.
Arguing over what you can't do doesn't solve a thing. If they are
insistent, explain to them that we must operate within the constraints
of the law and that they are welcome to pursue their desires anywhere
they please, but that we will not violate the law. If they aren't happy
with that answer, so be it. We have enough customers who are willing to
be reasonable about their requests," Jean explained.

"Thank you, I will observe and learn," Catarina said, squeezing Jean's
hand.

"You'll do fine. Well, I'd better go relieve Shannon. I don't want to
take advantage of her generosity," Jean said, sliding off the seat. She
paused to kiss Catarina on the cheek. Catarina smiled at her and pulled
her back into a brief warm kiss. Jean smiled at her and slipped away.
Shannon found Sheila in her bedroom.

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Of course. Anytime," Sheila said, warmly.

"I was thinking that perhaps you needed a little stress relief,"
Shannon said, moving to her side.

"Perhaps I could use some. I don't know... I just got a little scared.
Several people that I know and love suddenly getting involved with
others.... And then there was this stunning nude woman who was giving
me signals that were pulling me in that direction... It scared me just
a bit," Sheila said.

"Yes, she was quite puzzled over your reaction. I guess we all get
scared from time to time. *You* scare *me* a bit," Shannon said.

"Why's that? I wouldn't have thought that I could scare a fly away,"
Sheila said.

"I think that you are a more dynamic woman than you give yourself
credit for. You are stunningly beautiful, you are smart and charming
and you make me melt in my shoes by your very touch. That's scary,"
Shannon said, softly caressing Sheila's cheek.

"I wouldn't have thought an actress of your standing would suffer from
insecurity," Sheila said.

"Fame doesn't eliminate insecurities. In some cases it amplifies them.
Sometimes you get a whole new set of insecurities; Will I retain my
looks long enough to make an adequate pension? What if the public takes
a dislike to the roles I've been typecast into? What if the public
takes a dislike to a particular trait of a character I've played and
attributes that trait to myself? I was lucky. I just happened to get a
part in a movie that was a big success. That led to other roles in
movies that became successful. Eventually my name became synonymous
with successful movies, not because they were necessarily better or my
acting was superior, but just because it was *perceived* that way by
those who made and attended them. Now I'm well off enough that it
doesn't matter. This Second Skin venture will help insure that
considerably, if today is any indicator," Shannon said.

"We're more than pleased by the joint venture. You brought in all that
business with your contacts. It's only right that you should be well
rewarded. I think you'll clear twenty thousand for the day," Sheila
said.

"You're kidding!" Shannon gasped.

"Not a bit," Sheila chuckled.

"Twenty thousand a day!?" Shannon asked.

"Yup, and if you can keep the same flow rate up, every day. We'll milk
it for as long as it lasts. Oh, we should take Sundays off, I guess.
Mainly to give the women a rest," Sheila chuckled.

"So you're talking a hundred and twenty thousand dollars a week?"
Shannon asked.

"Roughly. It may settle back to a hundred or so," Sheila said.

"Good god...... You know. I find making money like this incredibly
sexy," Shannon said, laying next to Sheila.

"No doubt, with the parade of stunning nudes that have passed through
today. I found myself literally salivating several times. They seem to
be a lot more comfortable about it than I thought they would be,"
Sheila said, opening her arms to Shannon.

"Perhaps that's from all the times they've had to spend hours nude, in
front of a full crew doing retakes, to get a scene right," Shannon
said, working the fasteners on Sheila's outfit. Sheila's fingers were
busy themselves. The conversation lapsed and was replaced by very
pleasing non-verbal communication. Later, as they softly stroked each
other's bodies, they slipped into a well deserved nap.

"I wonder how the others are getting along?" Cindy asked, lounging nude
around Heather's pool, watching her lithe nude sliding through the
water as she swam laps.

"Probably swimming laps in Shannon's pool or relaxing wherever they
are," John said from a nearby chaise, his eyes closed to the sun
glistening off his nude body.

"Yeah, I imagine Mae and Candice are the busiest of them. She wanted to
get back to work in the worst way," Cindy mused. The phone rang and
Heather stuck her head up.

"Would you be a dear and catch that for me, Cindy?" she asked.

"Glad to," Cindy said, picking up the cordless phone. "Hello."

"Cindy? I'm not disturbing you am I?" Sally's voice asked.

"No, we're just laying out by the pool. Heather's swimming laps. What's
up?" Cindy asked.

"I just wondered if you had heard from Mae or the silo?" Sally asked.

"Not a word. I suspect they didn't want to disturb us either. But
mankind does not live on love alone," Cindy chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm just taking a short break. I thought I'd better give you the
news if you hadn't heard," Sally said.

"A break from what? Laying out by Shannon's pool? And what news are you
talking about?" Cindy asked.

"One: a break from making you an even richer lady. Sheila called Judy
at the Silo last night and somehow Judy got all three machines shipped
and here in eight hours. We had our first customer here at nine o-clock
this morning and we will probably net forty grand today, our cut.
Second: The news is that Mae and Candice both got engaged this morning,
apparently to the pilots of the plane we were flying on. Also, Judy is
love struck over the helicopter pilot that flew her and the girls into
the Silo. Apparently he had a mechanical problem when he went to leave
and had to spend the night. Seemingly with Judy, cause she's all ga-ga
over him today. Lastly, Bill assigned a soldier to guard the Silo while
we were away. Amy was quite taken with him but not quite as serious as
the others," Sally finished breathlessly. Cindy sat with her mouth
gaping like a fish out of water, not knowing which question to ask
first.

"Are you still there?" Sally asked.

"Yes, I just don't know which question to ask first," Cindy said.

"Well, I don't know any further information about the women and their
new loves, so ask any you have about the business," Sally giggled.

"Okay.. How the hell did Judy get the crates shipped across the country
in eight hours?" Cindy asked.

"Haven't a clue. Something called the *old-boy network*, whatever that
is," Sally replied.

"Okay, how are Catarina and Bianca doing?" Cindy asked.

"They're doing well. Catarina's learning the perils of dealing with the
public. We had a snooty bitch that was the wife of some minor dignitary
who was insisting that we put a particular copyrighted image on her
outfit. I stepped in and handled that one. Otherwise she's doing very
well. Bianca is doing great. She seems to be doing much better as far
as her addiction is doing. Shannon and I think she's keeping the level
of treatment up because she enjoys it as much as she needs it. That's
fine. We won't even try to start weaning her for two more weeks at
least," Sally said.

"And you say we'll clear forty thousand today?" Cindy asked.

"Our cut. Shannon gets a third of profit and the shipping set you back
about five grand. It was worth it. They both are. We wouldn't have this
much business at a new location near this quick. I expect we'll do
sixty-five net for the day, maybe up to seventy before we collapse. I'm
the horniest woman on the planet right now. You wouldn't *believe* the
parade of stunning nude actresses that I've witnessed today. I think
Sheila and Shannon are off raping each other as we speak. Sheila was a
bit shook about the news from out West," Sally concluded.

"Well, keep up the good work. You've got me all hot just talking about
it. I'll call and find out the specifics myself about the girls. I
expect that you will cure your affliction at the first possible
opportunity. I like to keep my employees happy. Love ya," Cindy said.

"I love you too. Kiss that hunk of a man and that adorable woman for
me. Bye," Sally said.

"I will, right now. Kiss them all for me. Bye," Cindy said. Cindy let
the phone dangle in her hand for a moment while she watched Heather
swim by, then set it down and moved to John's side. Leaning to kiss
him.

"Mmm... what was that for?" he asked, his hands sliding up over her
breasts.

"That was from Sally. This one's from me," she said, descending once
more. Heather climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel, drying
herself as she walked over by them. Cindy held out her arm and Heather
moved to her. Cindy taking the towel and drying her off. Heather
smiling down at her as Cindy held her arm draped around her waist. She
daubed the drops off her and then turned her around and completed the
back.

"Thanks," Heather said, turning once more. Cindy pulled her down into a
warm kiss.

"That was from Sally, this one's from me," Cindy said, repeating the
gesture.

"Mmmm, I'm torn over who the better kisser is," Heather chuckled. "Who
was on the phone... oh, Sally I guess." She sat on an adjoining chaise
and lay back. Cindy admiring her perfect body. "So what's up? How are
they doing?" Heather asked.

"Well, John made about three thousand dollars today from our newest
location alone. We'll net about sixty-five to seventy for the day in
the new salon on Shannon's estate. She gets about twenty thousand of
that. Somehow Judy managed to ship six five-hundred pound crates all
the way across the country in eight hours using something called the
*old-boy* network," Cindy said. John chuckled. "You know what that is?"
Cindy asked.

"Yes, dear," he said, "That's where somebody who has been in a
particular business for years gets on the phone with others he knows
who have been in the same business for years. They all know exactly how
the system works and how to make it run like greased lightning," he
chuckled.

"Apparently. I never heard of such a record time for shipping before,"
Cindy said.

"They probably could have done it in half the time if they'd really
been trying," John said.

"So, any other news?" Heather asked.

"Yes.. Apparently since we left them yesterday afternoon, Mae and
Candice got engaged to the pilots who were flying us and Judy's close
with the chopper pilot who dropped her and the two triplets off at the
Silo. Oh, and Amy's quite taken with a soldier that Bill left guarding
the Silo while we were away, but not as seriously as the rest," Cindy
said.

"When the cat's away... Wonder how Alice escaped unscathed?" John
mused.

"You don't seem surprised or concerned," Heather said.

"Nope. I could even tell you which pilot got which and what Judy's
connection to the old-boy network was," John chuckled.

"Okay, which pilot got which?" Cindy asked, smugly.

"Candice is enthralled with a big old country boy named Jimbo. I think
the other one's name was Scott. He'd get along well with Mae. Judy's
new beaux is named Steve. I've flown with him lots before. He's a good
guy and Judy's connection for the lightning fast shipment. I haven't
got a clue about Amy's new beaux," John said.

"Is he always so perceptive?" Heather asked.

"Always. He figured out that Theresa and I were making love in a shack
at the end of the road by the way the phone rang once," Cindy chuckled.

"He was correct?" Heather asked.

"Dead on," Cindy replied, tracing her fingers across his chest.

"Why were you making love in a shack?" Heather asked, amused.

"'Cause they were pissed off at me. I have the whole Silo wired for
audio and visual recording. It was wired that way when I bought it. I
just started using it. A fact which I *neglected* to inform Cindy and
Theresa of. This bright girl here figured it out by the sound of a VCR
starting up. I suspect that she told Theresa about it and then Theresa
balked at making love in the Silo. Cindy -being her resourceful self-
carted her down the road to a shack I had built to hold a vehicle by
the main road, so we would have transportation in the winter. The
reason they went there, was because it was heated," John said.

"Sometimes it's like living with Sherlock Holmes," Cindy chuckled.

"Last time you said that, it was 'Like living with *fucking* Sherlock
Holmes'," John chuckled.

"Well, I was a bit pissed off at the time," Cindy said, kissing him on
the cheek.

"You have the whole Silo wired? You record everything?" Heather asked.

"Yes, the tapes have never been watched though," John said.

"Not exactly correct. While you were in mid-debauch with Judy I played
one for Catarina, Bianca and Shannon. The one with our conversation
about the Russians on it. When we figured out they were watching us and
your plan for the ruse," Cindy said.

"Why'd you do that?" John asked.

"Because I had sworn that I would not tell anybody the information. The
tape was recorded before any of us took that oath. A little legal
loophole that Bill wasn't thrilled about, but didn't interfere with,"
Cindy said.

"Oh, makes sense," John said.

"So how long have you been doing this recording?" Heather asked.

"Since the night Cindy first arrived...... That's kind of what started
it all. She represented a threat to my relationship with Theresa. When
I started snooping and saw them making love that first night, I kind of
flipped out. That's when I started recording everything. I don't know
what I intended to do with the tapes, but it turned into a habit. I
just kept it up out of inertia. Now there's over two years history on
them. I was intending to give them to Cindy and Theresa for after when
I was gone. I guess that the tapes have just about outlived their
usefulness. I'll have to stop it all when the President and First Lady
come to visit," John said.

"The *President* is coming to stay with you?" Heather gasped.

"Aw, now you've gone and spoiled my surprise," Cindy moped.

"Sorry, love. I didn't know it was a secret," John said. Heather's eyes
suddenly got real big.

"MW.... Muriel Wilson," she said, softly.

"Shhhhh. That's not for public information," Cindy said.

"No, of course not.... In the White House? *You didn't?*" Heather
gasped.

"No, we didn't. The invitation was made from both directions. Clearly
made. But there was no impropriety on the First couple's part while we
were there," Cindy said.

"If you don't count getting Frenched and receiving a beaver shot from
the First Lady," John chuckled.

"Just the *rumor* of that would be enough to ruin him politically,"
Heather said.

"True, but the news media won't be learning it from us," John said.

"Nor me," Heather said.

"We know that. That's why we're here. That same sort of rumor could
ruin *your* career. You know about being discrete," John said.

"Yes, the only reason I said anything to you, was that you put the
monogram from my panties last night together with John saying the First
couple were going to visit us. Otherwise you wouldn't have known a
thing unless you became *personally* involved in it," Cindy said.

"Yes, I trust you two implicitly," Heather said.

"Good. We trust you too. Not that there's the same degree of danger for
us as for you," Cindy said.

"No... Anyway, back to the tapes. Is the quality good?" Heather asked.

"Not bad, not network quality for sure, but pretty good," John said.

"The one we watched was clear enough," Cindy chuckled.

"Do you have any idea how much they are worth?" Heather asked.

"Nothing, except esoterically to the people on them," John said.

"You'd be wrong about that. From what I understand, pretty much the
whole story of the Russian spy incident is recorded on them. That's a
movie people would love to make," Heather said.

"Way too much editing would be required. There is way too much
intensely private information on those tapes for me to ever allow an
outsider to view them. And I personally am not interested in spending
several years editing out those things. Which is what it would take,"
John said.

"Yeah, I can see that. I wish there was a way," Heather said.

"What about your logs, John? Don't they list what's on each tape?"
Cindy asked.

"Only what room at what time on what tape," John said.

"You have logs!" Heather gasped.

"Yes, I had to track things somehow. I just had the computer log which
camera was recording on what machine at what time. That's the only way
I could have tracked it," John said.

"So couldn't you use a computer to select a particular room and have it
move the tapes to that section and dupe off just that one part?" Cindy
asked.

"Sure, it could be done. It would still have to be watched closely.
There's not a place in the Silo that wouldn't contain some pretty racy
footage at one time or another," John said.

"But you could eliminate a lot. Like bathrooms or bedrooms," Cindy
said.

"Mostly. One of the problems, is that I started using split screen.
Putting more than one view on a tape at a time," John said.

"Yeah, there was some pretty racy footage of Theresa with Amy and
Andrea right next to our conversation about the Russian's. I made it a
little better by panning the sound balance over to only one channel,
but Theresa and the other two almost glowed in the dark from the
footage that was shown while Shannon and the others were watching our
part," Cindy said.

"Do you have pictures of the Silo, I mean of how it was when you first
bought it and how construction progressed?" Heather asked.

"Some, not many. I'm kind of sorry about that part. The kitchen, guest
room, pool and all the floors were in by the time I started recording,"
John said.

"Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll gladly pay ten million
dollars for the screen play," Heather said.

"You're kidding?" John said.

"Not a bit. I'd make ten times that at least," she said.

"Well, I'll give it some thought. You just want the screenplay? Who
said what, at what time and what room they were in and such? You don't
need actual images?" John asked.

"Some, just to know how to set up a scene. Character positions and
such. That makes it so much easier to shoot," Heather said.

"I'll think about it," John said.

"Do that. Well... I'm feeling a bit amorous... would either or both of
you care to join me for a little loving? Since you *are* on your
honeymoon?" Heather asked.

"I don't know, what do you think, John? Have we any room in our busy
schedule for this gorgeous creature?" Cindy chuckled.

"I think we could fit her in... Say in about the time it takes us to
walk into the house? Or would you like to make love right here?" John
asked.

"Here would be fine.... except I'm a bit skittish about the outdoors
since Cindy told me about the spy satellites. I was thinking of that
huge water bed I had custom built for your visit," Heather said,
drawing her fingers over Cindy's body.

"Is that where that came from? I was wondering where you found one that
big," Cindy chuckled, standing and taking Heather's hand to help her
up.

"The water bed it is...Work, work, work... it's a tough life," John
said, getting up.

"You don't *have* to come along. I'm certain that Heather and I can
amuse ourselves without you," Cindy said.

"Whichever you would prefer," John said, stalling.

"Don't go getting silly on me. Come on. You know very well what I
prefer," Cindy said.

"And I," Heather said, reaching her hand out to John.

"Your wish is my command," John said, as the two women helped him up.
They walked arm in arm up to the house. Their hands got a head start on
things. It was a good thing they chose inside; a short time later a
news helicopter flew over the estate in search of candid photographs.

"Sometimes I wish we could shoot them down," Heather moaned, not
entirely from the sound of the intrusion.

"I fear we are the cause of that," Cindy said, breathlessly.

"Mmph," John said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 92

It was late evening by the time Cindy made her calls to the Silo and
the West coast. She got Judy on the phone first. Steve was still there.
Even so she managed to extract most the story from her. Later she
managed to get Candice on the phone. Once filled in on the details she
wished all the women well and sent her and John's love. Once off the
phone she filled John and Heather in on the details.

"You were right... as usual," Cindy told John, referring to who got
whom.

"Don't you ever get tired of him being correct?" Heather asked.

"No, actually. I'm quite proud of my man's powers of perception... I
think that's what makes him such a good lover," Cindy giggled.

"No argument there. The best I've ever known. You both are," Heather
said, kissing Cindy on the neck.

Bill was reading a book when Andrea came and plunked down in his lap.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello, love," he said.

"I'm bored," she said.

"I'm sorry. There's much to do around here. Watch TV, or read a book or
play on the computer," Bill offered.

"We could make love again," Andrea giggled.

"We could, if you'd like. But there is more to life than making love,
even on a honeymoon," Bill said.

"Sorry you married me?" Andrea asked.

"Not a bit. You sorry you married me?" Bill asked.

"Nope, I'm just bored," Andrea said. Bill sighed and set down his book.

"Come on, let's go take a walk," he said.

"Why?" Andrea asked.

"That's a silly question for a country girl. For the experience. To
listen to the birds and watch the squirrels and see the sunlight
filtering through the trees," he said.

"It's getting dark," Andrea said.

"Then to see the stars," Bill said.

"I guess," Andrea said.

"What else would you like to do?" Bill asked.

"I don't know, I'm bored," Andrea said.

"You said that already," Bill said.

"I know... so let's do something," Andrea said.

"What?" Bill asked, again.

"I don't know!" Andrea said, angrily. Bill sighed heavily.

"Look, Andrea. I love you dearly. And I know you miss your sisters and
having people around you. But if we're going to be married for the rest
of our lives then I think we need to get something straight," Bill
said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Number one, when you get bored, that's *you* who got bored. It's not
my fault that you are bored. It's not my responsibility to make you
unbored. It's not my job to keep you *entertained*. I don't ever get
bored. I know how to entertain myself. That's what I was doing when you
came up and sat on my lap and told me how bored you were. I was reading
a book. Now you don't have to read a book, you don't have to watch TV,
you don't have to play on the computer, and you don't have to go for a
walk with me. Those were just my suggestions to you for you to become
unbored.

"Having made them, my job is done. You need to decide what *you* want
to do. Now I think the main problem -besides missing your sisters - is
that you just got so used to having so many people around you twenty-
four hours a day. Actually I am quite enjoying the solitude. Compared
to what I've been through in the past month, this is heaven," Bill
said. Andrea leaned against his shoulder and thought about what he had
said.

"I'm sorry... you're right. I do miss my sisters... and it's not your
fault that I'm bored," Andrea said.

"So what would *you* like to do about it?" Bill asked.

"My first choice would be making love... My second would be that walk
you talked about," she said.

"Tell you what. You reverse the order and we'll do both, okay?" Bill
asked.

"Deal," Andrea said. They grabbed light Second Skin jackets and headed
down the path. There was still plenty of light to see the wild life
that abounded with the protection of the closed environment. A short
way down the path they encountered Theresa and Kevin walking slowly arm
in arm.

"Isn't it gorgeous!" Theresa exclaimed.

"Yes, I think so," Bill chuckled.

"You're not bored?" Andrea asked.

"Good heavens no. I'm having a great time. We made love about five
times today, then we read for a while. Kevin suggested that we take a
walk together. We've been out for almost an hour now. We were just
starting back to cook dinner together," Theresa replied.

"I guess I'm just not used to being alone," Andrea said.

"But you're not alone. You've got a charming, interesting man with you.
Your new husband. Talk to him. Find out where he went to school and who
the first girl he kissed was. Ask him about how he got to where he is
in his job. He's your husband. Find out who he is," Theresa said.

"Talk. That never occurred to me," Andrea said.

"Well, he's your husband. I'd think you'd want to know him," Theresa
giggled. "Well, see ya. I think we're going to go start on dinner so we
can get to bed... if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I think so," Andrea said. Theresa kissed them both and Andrea
kissed Kevin before they parted. They walked on.

"So, where *did* you go to school?" Andrea asked. Once they got to
talking, Bill and Andrea's relationship got stronger daily. It was
Andrea who suggested they go out for a walk, earlier the next evening.
They met Theresa an Kevin on the trail again. This time Andrea was more
enthusiastic.

"I want to thank you, Theresa," she said.

"For what?"

"For reminding me that I was a married woman and didn't yet know who I
was married to," Andrea said.

"No great revelation there. I'm just beginning to know Kevin, and we
talk all the time," Theresa said.

"Well, thank you anyway," Andrea said, pulling her into a warm kiss.

"You are quite welcome," Theresa said.

"Will you come over for dinner tomorrow night?" Andrea invited.

"I'd like that. Maybe we can play some cards or monopoly afterwards,"
Theresa giggled.

"That would be fun. See you then," Andrea said, kissing her and Kevin
once more.

"You're becoming very domestic," Kevin remarked when they got down the
path.

"Not hardly. I'm just letting Andrea know what she's in for. Most the
world lives like that. If they end up living around Washington D.C.
that's exactly what she has to look forward to for a social life,"
Theresa said.

"You sure it's wise to spoil her illusion?" Kevin asked.

"Yes. Because it will be a much harder fall later if she doesn't learn
it now," Theresa said, "You saw them last night. Bill was trying to
enjoy himself and she was downright miserable. It was making it hard
for Bill to smile. Now at least they're talking."

"So, dear heart. Cards again tonight?" Kevin teased.

"Yeah, strip gin," Theresa said.

"How's the scoring work?" Kevin asked.

"One article of clothing per point. If you run out of articles you get
to deduct from the other person," Theresa said.

"So basically one hand," Kevin chuckled.

"Yup," Theresa replied, mischievously. The dinner went well. Andrea
pulled out all the stops and dug deep into the well equipped kitchen.
She found a nice roast in the freezer and thawed it earlier in the day.
She sliced carrots and potatoes in with an onion and let it simmer
until tender. It was great. Afterwards they sat around and talked a
bit. Andrea asked about a card game.

"Actually, I was sort of teasing you, Andrea. I was letting you know
what your social life might be like if you folks had to live by
Washington D.C.," Theresa said.

"Bill explained that to me. So if that's what I'm going to have to live
with, then I'd better learn, hadn't I?" Andrea asked.

"If you really want to. Hearts or Gin?" Theresa asked.

"I don't know either," Andrea answered.

"Then we'll teach you both," Theresa said.

"Careful, she's a demon at gin," Kevin mused. Theresa smiled at him.
Several hours later Andrea was into it. She was genuinely disappointed
when Kevin and Theresa thanked them for a wonderful evening and said
their good-nights. Afterwards Bill pulled Andrea into his lap.

"So, little wife of mine. How do you think you'll be able to handle the
social life around D.C.?" Bill asked.

"Bring them on! I'm ready for them," Andrea chuckled.

"Well, it may not be as bad as all that, but it might. I think that's
what Theresa was trying to tell you. That the important thing is that
we have each other. No matter where we go or live. You can be happy at
the North pole all by yourself, or miserable at the most glamorous
party on earth, surrounded by the cream of the social world. The
difference is attitude," Bill said.

"At this point, I think I'd prefer the North pole with you," Andrea
said.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Certain... at least I am now," she said.

"Race you to bed," Bill said.

"I'd rather you carried me," Andrea said, kissing him softly. Bill
stood during the kiss and carried her into the bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 93

The men complained that they needed to do some shopping, as they needed
to buy some slacks. A change of shirt, socks and shorts wasn't
sufficient for the environment they suddenly found themselves in.

"About time you learned what we do," Mae said. She drug them down to
her salon. "I need some time on one of the machines," she told an
attendant.

"Not much problem on the scanners, but the spinners are booked solid,"
she said.

"We'll make time for this. My fianc� needs clothes," Mae said.

"Fianc�?" asked the attendant, shocked to her core.

"Yup. Candice's too," Mae replied.

"Stranger things have happened, but not in my lifetime," replied the
attendant.

"So can you fit us in?" Mae asked.

"Yeah, take number three. She's late. I'll just tell her we thought she
wouldn't show. After you get your designs done, we'll just stick them
into the task stack at the bottom. A few hours won't matter much to
these folks," said the attendant.

"Okay guys, step into my parlor...." Mae said, guiding them to the
scanning room. It didn't take too long for the scanning with the new
equipment. When the men complained Candice told them about the
prototype. They shut up. They next moved to Mae's office and designed
the clothes for them. As they would be flying, Mae called in Theresa's
uniform designs she'd done for Kevin and adapted them to the flight
uniforms. She also specified thermal weave on each item. Next she
designed them shirts and underwear. Her and Candice had a ball with
that. Jimbo insisted on something that he could wear to a plane crash
without starting bad rumors about his past.

Candice relented, but made some very racy ones anyway. The socks they
would buy, but in fact the thermal weave worked excellent for them. Mae
just didn't want to tie the machines up too long. She transferred her
order to the task stack over her LAN with priority instructions.

"Now what?" Scott asked.

"Now we go to lunch. Your things should be ready for dinner," Mae said,
looking at the task stack. The weavers would be busy all night. Her
staff had realized what she hadn't. That you could scan people and then
be scanning another while one staffer designed outfits for the first.
The orders got put on a task stack. When they were done, the customer
just came in and picked them up. There was no fitting involved, but her
staff went through the formality anyway. It didn't take too long to
convince the customers that they fit. Mae picked up the phone and
called Shannon's. She got Sheila on the line and told her of her
staff's innovations.

"I figure we can keep three spinners busy for each scanner. If we run
the spinners all night we can almost offer overnight service. That will
help immensely with our work load. In fact, almost triple our
throughput," Mae explained.

"No kidding. The problem is getting more spinners with John and Kevin
out," Sheila said.

"Well, how about getting a head start on them? Do you know the
suppliers? Order the parts in so that they will be at the Silo when
John gets back," Mae suggested.

"I have a better idea. You're just up the road from Silicon Valley. Why
don't you look around for a company that can assemble them for us. We
have the designs. John's broken the assembly down pretty good. We have
the suppliers ship to the assembler and he turns out machines as we
need them," Sheila suggested.

"Can do. Uh.. in a few days? ..Please," Mae asked.

"Okay," Sheila chuckled. "Who am I to thwart true love.... it is still
true love, isn't it?"

"Truer every day," Mae said.

"Okay, but first chance you get. Maybe you could make some phone calls
to start things?" Sheila asked.

"You got it. That I can do. In fact I'll draft a staff member to start
a pre-select on the manufactures in the area so all I have to do is
check out the finalists," Mae said.

"Good idea. I'll get the suppliers geared up for at least another
spinner for each salon. Better yet, two. We can afford them," Sheila
said.

"I'm certain that they'd pay for themselves," Mae said.

"Okay.. gotta go. Love you both. Wear your galoshes," Sheila said.

"You know we both went on the pill last month," Mae chuckled.

"Yeah, I forgot. See you," Sheila said.

"Kiss the girls for me. Love you too. Bye," Mae said, breaking the
connection.

"So that's what you do for a living. Figure out ways to spend money,"
Scott chuckled.

"That particular expenditure might just triple our volume. Double it at
least," Mae said.

"You're joking," Scott said.

"Not a bit," Mae said.

"You'll find she jokes very little where work is concerned," Candice
chuckled.

"And how much do you get per outfit?" Scott asked.

"Between seven-hundred and fifteen thousand. Depending on the
complexity of the outfit. Accessories are much cheaper though. A set of
custom stockings to go with a thousand dollar outfit only cost a
hundred dollars. It all depends on how much set up is required for an
outfit. It's no problem to do a set of gloves when you're already doing
a body suit. If you want custom panty hose, then the body suit has to
come off or be pulled out of the way before you can make the panty
hose. Then there's dresses. Some have to have stitching done to connect
a broad skirt to a body suit foundation. That stuff really costs. To do
wedding dresses like Cindy's, Theresa's and Andrea's would cost you
fifteen thousand," Mae said.

"Quite the tycoon you've hitched your wagon to, Scotty my boy," Jimbo
commented.

"Oh, I think you'll find that Candice holds her own in that respect.
She basically runs things for me. If you guys weren't here I'd have her
buried to her eyebrows in things that need to be done," Mae said.

"So who's doing them in the mean time?" Jimbo asked.

"My staff, on some of them. The others are put on hold," Mae said.

"We didn't mean to be pulling you away from important work," Jimbo
said.

"Jimbo, it's not every day that a woman gets engaged. Everybody's
entitled to a vacation," Mae said.

"Well... I don't like keeping you from making money. If you're going to
support me in a manner in which I wish to become accustomed," Jimbo
teased.

"I'm sure that as a pilot for the government you do quite well. Better
than an airline pilot I should hope," Mae said.

"Ah, just barely. Uncle Sugar's a tight old goat," Jimbo mused.

"Well, when Sheila finally realizes that they need a corporate jet,
then I know where the pilots will come from," Mae chuckled.

"I've got two years to go for my pension," Jimbo said.

"We'd cover that," Mae said simply.

"You don't know what you're saying. I get seventy percent of my wages
for the rest of my life," Jimbo said.

"And you said Uncle Sugar was tight.... I suspect that we'd still cover
it. But it may be that long before Sheila realizes that we need a
corporate jet. We'd probably start small, a Gulf Stream or Lear Fan.
But the first time Sheila can't get where she needs to go and loses a
million dollars because of it, then things will happen fast. And I know
for a fact that you're a good pilot. I'm not as naive as I look. I know
what that landing took the other night. I saw where we ended up. I felt
how much you had to fight your little darling to keep her straight.
Good pilots aren't easy to find. When we need one your name will be on
the list, both of you," Mae said.

"Ah, by then darling it would be nepotism. A clear conflict of
interest," Jimbo said.

"Nope, you'd be in a different position from me and Candice entirely.
Neither of us would be directing your actions, or you directing ours.
You'd be working for Cindy and Theresa, as owners, under direction of
Sheila, as CEO," Mae said.

"Who am I to turn down a good offer when I hear one?" Jimbo said.

"The offer isn't made yet... but I think it's a safe bet. Don't quit
your day job yet," Mae chuckled. "Now, how about that lunch?" Mae made
the error of taking them to the restaurant where she had first taken
Candice and Alice when Sheila had made the Second Skin offer to her.
About halfway through lunch they had their pictures snapped. By evening
they were all over the national press. Mae took pity on a reporter she
knew would treat her fairly. She told him of her and Candice's
engagements. This accompanied the photos. When asked if there was any
connection with the fact they had caught the bouquets, Mae replied that
it hadn't occurred to her. Sheila read the article that evening.

"I'm not normally a superstitious person, but remind me never to catch
a bouquet," she mentioned to Sally.

"Not even to catch John?" Sally asked.

"Where's the nearest wedding?" Sheila chuckled.

"You really have to go?" Judy asked, Steve.

"Got a business to run, darling. Don't worry. You'll be seeing enough
of me," he said.

"I doubt that. I don't think I *could* see enough of you," she said.

"Well, you could always *marry me*," Steve said. Judy looked at him
startled.

"Are you asking?" she said.

"Yes," he said.

"Okay," she replied, "Assuming you pass muster with the family, of
course. I don't think that's a problem. You've already won Amy's and
Alice's hearts... and mine." Steven pulled her into his arms and kissed
her deeply.

"I guess that my business can wait a bit longer," he said.

"Oh, no. If you're going to support a wife you're going to *need* that
money," Judy teased.

"Actually, I don't have a flight scheduled till morning," he said.

"Then we can consummate our engagement, but you'll be leaving early,"
Judy chuckled.

"Already a nag," Steven said, kissing her again. He actually did make
his morning flight, well fed on the twin's biscuits. They all turned
out to see him off. He was floating as high as his helicopter as he
flew back. Cindy read the article about Mae and Candice the next
morning.

"Handsome fellows," she commented.

"I'll say," Heather said, reading over her shoulder. One of the
luxuries at Camp David was a selection of morning papers. Kevin stepped
out of his cabin and picked them up. He glanced at the article.

"Oh, my," he said, carrying the stack into the cabin.

"Oh my what?" Theresa asked. Kevin dropped the stack before her. "*Oh
my god*!" Theresa gasped, "I've got to call them!"

"Later, it's four in the morning out there," Kevin chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," she said, reading the article.

"My god, they must have gotten engaged the morning after we left them,"
she said.

"It would seem so. They were the pilots I saw boarding their plane at
the base," Kevin mused. Andrea's reactions were much the same. Bill was
just as philosophical.

"Aren't you excited for them?" Andrea asked.

"Oh, not really excited. More interested in the men. Two more guys I'll
be sharing my wife with if the family holds true to form," Bill
chuckled.

"At the same time you'll be sharing their wives," Andrea chuckled.

"There is that," Bill mused, "I wonder how many more will be involved
in this? If each of you women find other guys that would make ....
what? Twenty eight of us?"

"Twenty-six," Andrea said.

"I was thinking about Cindy's flame in Minnesota. From the way she
talked I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her," Bill said.

"Would you mind?" Andrea asked.

"No, I came to that realization a long time ago. Before I asked you to
marry me," he said.

"Had enough biscuits?" Andrea asked.

"Yes, I'm stuffed," he said.

"There's more here, care to go work up an appetite to make room for
them?" she demurred.

"I think that would be a swell idea. I'd better get my fill before the
demands for your time go up," Bill chuckled.

"Oh, think I'll be that popular?" Andrea asked, opening her robe and
sliding onto his lap.

"I have no doubt," Bill said, caressing a breast as he bent to kiss
her. Later in the day Sheila called Judy at the Silo.

"Ready to go to work yet?" she asked.

"Sure... he's gone for now. We consummated our engagement last night,"
Judy said.

"*I'll be dipped in a bucket of shit!* I never thought I'd hear those
words come out of your mouth!" Sheila said.

"My, you're eloquent today," Judy chuckled.

"I'm just shocked to the core. I told Sally to remind me never to catch
a bouquet," Sheila said.

"One out of three isn't bad odds," Judy said.

"Haven't you talked to Mae lately?" Sheila asked.

"No, not since we got off the plane," Judy said.

"Well, darling. Gird your lovely loins for this one; try three out of
three!" Sheila said.

"Huh?" Judy asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you read the papers? ..of course not. No delivery to the Silo.
Candice and Mae both got engaged the morning after our flight. To our
pilots," Sheila told her.

"*Oh my god!*..... They must have worked fast between Salt Lake and San
Francisco. I didn't see any sign of them before we got off the plane,"
Judy said.

"Well, you'd better give her a call... later. I've got some things I'd
like you to do," Sheila said.

"Sure.. oh, yeah, work. What do you need?" Judy asked, grabbing a note
pad and pen.

"I need you to call all the suppliers for our machines. I need parts
for two more spinners for each salon we've got open. Better schedule
for two more each for each of the ones we've got *scheduled* to open
also. Then get on the line to our personnel agency. I need at least one
more operator for each salon, better make it two. But one for swing and
one for graveyard. They don't need to operate the scanners, just baby-
sit the spinners. We're going twenty-four hours a day on production.
Mae brought it to my attention that her staff had figured out that one
scanner could keep three spinners busy. So what we'll do is scan a
customer and design their clothes separately. So we need another
computer work station for each scanner in service. You getting this?"
Sheila asked.

"Yes, but hold on, let me grab my laptop," Judy said. It was close by.
She opened it and called in a notepad. "Okay, continue," Judy said.

"Okay... Mae's doing research on a manufacturer to assemble the
scanners down in Silicon Valley. Get with her to co-ordinate where to
ship components. Get with our Realtor and tell them to search out
candidate properties in Dallas, Atlanta, L.A... make that Beverly
Hills, Seattle, Denver and Miami. Also a second location in Beverly
Hills and San Francisco for another accelerated high end salon in each
location. Anything you can think of?" Sheila asked.

"Yes, several things. One, this is going to cost a shit-load of money,
and two if you really think we're ready to ramp up like this, then we
should include Kansas City, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake, Las Vegas,
Sacramento, San Diego, Honolulu, and Reno. I think we should have the
personnel agency start gathering candidates for each new location. Also
I think that you should establish Mae on the West coast and Sally on
the East coast as training locations. Maybe set up a second salon in
each location for training," Judy said.

"I knew there was a reason I hired you. Tell you what. Find a map. Any
population center over a million people that we aren't in yet, get it
started to get us there. Standard salon to start with, with contingency
plans to ramp it up to twenty-four hour production once business
warrants in each location," Sheila said.

"You really think we're ready for this big a ramp up?" Judy asked,
"This could blow up in our faces and leave us penniless if the public
takes a sudden disliking to us."

"That's the chance we'll have to take. Now is the time. We rolled
seventy thousand in one day at Shannon's place. We could have done a
hundred if we'd been using Mae's methods. That's one location. That's
too damn much money to be missing out on," Sheila said.

"Bill Gates, move over, Sheila, Cindy and Theresa are moving in," Judy
chuckled.

"I'd really like to get him into one of our salons. He still dresses
like a nerd," Sheila said.

"Speaking of which, when do you want to start up our men's salons?"
Judy asked.

"Not for a while yet. Let's stick where the money is. When that starts
to slow up, then we'll do something different. Oh, yeah. See if you can
locate another supplier for our chemicals. Especially the stuff we use
for the thermal outfits. We're selling more and more of them all the
time. See if you can locate several suppliers and talk bulk rates.
Maybe get a bidding war going. Look at our usage by salon on
pigmentation and work out a flow rate for each color. Extrapolate that
to the new locations in your estimates. Follow the growth patterns of
our established salons. Work out an average growth pattern and don't
forget to factor in financial conditions in each location," Sheila
said.

"My god. Cindy and Theresa sure picked the right person for your job,"
Judy chuckled.

"John chose me.. actually his lawyers. But he made the selection. I
have no doubt that he had other candidates. They just weren't as
pretty," Sheila chuckled.

"Or as modest," Judy chuckled.

"Well love, that should keep you busy for a while. Congratulations on
the new beaux. I'm still shocked. See if you can get this done before I
lose you on honeymoon. I love you. Bye," Sheila said.

"I love you too, kiss the girls for me," Judy said.

"I will, now I get to call Cindy and tell her I just spent all her
money," Sheila chuckled.

"Good luck. Bye," Judy said, hanging up. She completed her notes,
adding her hand written to the list and then added comments on each
one. She broke the list down into tasks and prioritized it. Then she
headed for the Com room. She was elbow deep in printouts when the twins
found her a few hours later.

"What's all this?" Amy asked.

"Sheila called. Seems we're making our move into the big time," Judy
said.

"Care for a swim?" Alice asked.

"I'd love one, but I've got *way* to much to do," Judy said.

"Can we help?" Amy asked. Judy looked up at her.

"You really want to?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. We want to pull our weight too," Alice said.

"Okay, sure. I doubt you have much accounting experience, but here.
Fire up those two computers. I'll show you what to call in and what to
do with the information. Keep in mind that you have to be accurate. A
slipped decimal point could cost us millions down the road," Judy said.

"Okay... Millions? Really?" Alice asked.

"Yes love, don't worry. You'll do fine," Judy said. She directed the
girls transferring data from each store onto a spread sheet. She showed
them how to import figures, which saved them manually entering the
figures and reduced the chance of errors. They got the hang of it
pretty fast and helped Judy out considerably.

She checked the resultant figures for consistency and only when she
felt secure that the numbers were correct did she factor them into her
calculations. Next she had them run the supply lists for each location
to run an average for the pigmentations and other chemicals. A slipped
decimal point almost got by.

"Ouch. That's exactly what I was talking about earlier. That would have
cost us a hundred thousand dollars and left us with a mountain of yucky
green pigment," Judy said.

"I'm sorry," Alice said, visibly upset.

"I am too. Don't worry love. We caught it. You've been a great help.
 From here on out I can handle it anyway. You've saved me several days
worth of work. Why don't you two take a break," Judy said.

"Not unless you do. It's almost midnight. We haven't even eaten dinner
yet. Sheila doesn't expect you to work all night and I know it. Let us
make you some dinner and then you can get a start on it again early in
the morning. We'll wake you up," Amy said.

"My god, you're right. My eyeballs do feel like onions. Yes, tomorrow
it is," Judy said, shutting down for the night. She rolled her neck and
rubbed it.

"Tell you what, why don't you go climb in the hot tub? Amy can keep you
company. I'll make us a snack and bring it down," Alice volunteered.
Judy pulled her into her arms and kissed her tenderly.

"Thanks, love. That would be great," Judy told her.

"Amy, don't let her fall asleep until she's eaten," Alice called back,
after she slipped out of Judy's arms.

"I think I can think of ways to keep her awake," Amy mused. It turned
out tougher than Amy thought. After ten minutes in the hot tub Judy was
turning to mush. Amy pulled her out and into the cool plunge. A few
minutes later Alice brought down a tray of roast beef sandwiches with
some chips and soda's.

"Thanks, dear heart," Judy said, groggily, despite the chill water. Amy
helped her out to a patio table that John had added. They sat around on
resin chairs as they ate the meal. "You girls really were a great
help," Judy said.

"We like to help. I'm sorry about the mistake," Alice said.

"That's really okay. I should have seen it myself. We were all just too
tired," Judy said.

"Do you think that we could learn accounting?" Alice asked.

"I don't see why not. Does it really interest you?" Judy asked.

"Some. Business interests us. We don't get to do much lately. Not since
that fashion show," Amy said.

"That is an oversight that I'm sure we can remedy. You girls are
valuable to us all. As friends as well as lovers. I guess we all just
get caught up in our own little worlds and we forget. Especially with
all the hubbub with John and those spies. You enjoyed modeling, didn't
you?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, it was okay, what little we got to do," Alice said.

"Well, we'll be opening a bunch of new salons. How about I schedule you
to go out and open each new location? You'd probably meet with local
celebrities and news media. You'd be modeling new outfits and flying to
a new location almost every few days," Judy suggested.

"That sounds like fun, but... do you really need us?" Alice asked.

"In those figures tonight was all the evidence you need of that. If you
look at the growth rate of each salon compared to the advertising done
then you would see a direct correlation of over a thousand to one ratio
of return to investment. I think it would help the business a lot. So
the answer is yes, we need you," Judy said.

"Then we'll do it," Amy said. Alice nodded. They were through with
their meal. Judy was nodding off. The twins helped her to her feet and
put her to bed. Then they snuggled to her. She was asleep moments
later. Alice motioned to Amy and they slipped away.

"You think they really need us or that she's just being nice?" Alice
asked.

"I remember those figures. She was telling the truth about the
advertising," Amy said.

"Okay.. then we do it, but I want to go to school too. I want to be
able to read those figures like she does and make sense of them," Alice
said.

"I do too. I think we might end up kind of alone. I think that Andrea
is going to end up living with Bill on the East coast. We don't have a
husband yet. We'd better prepare ourselves in case we need to support
ourselves," Amy said.

"I think you're right. Well, we'd better get back to bed.. wanna make
love?" Alice asked.

"Sure, but we gotta get up to get Judy up. There's something big going
on in the company. I've never seen Judy working so hard. She was tense
as a badger when she first got into the hot tub," Amy said.

"Okay, just once then. Double or single?" Alice asked, pulling Amy by
the hand to their bedroom.

"Why not both? We'll get up in plenty of time, we always do," Amy
chuckled. They pulled off each other's clothes and fell together nude
on the bed, an instant later they were locked in a deep kiss.

Andrea stirred in her sleep next to her husband. She realized why and
snuggled to him, smiling to herself as her sisters pleased each other
several times. Then she slipped blissfully back to sleep snuggled to
Bill's side.

"Breakfast is ready," Amy said, softly kissing Judy's cheek.

"Mmm. Thank you," Judy said, not opening her eyes.

"Come on. Here's a cup of coffee. You said you needed to get up," Amy
said, swinging the tray around and placing a mug of coffee on it. Judy
opened her eyes and groaned a bit.

"Okay, I'm awake," she said, sitting up. She reached out and Amy guided
her hand to the coffee.

"Careful, it's hot," she said.

"Okay, what time is it?" Judy asked, carefully taking a sip of coffee.

"Almost seven," Amy said.

"Mmm... That's about right, I guess," she said, taking another sip and
then putting the mug down, she slipped out to the bathroom. She was
gone for a while. When Amy heard the shower start she carried the mug
into the bathroom. Judy was just about to step in. Amy handed her the
cup and Judy smiled and took another sip before she set it down and
stepped into the shower. Amy slipped out of her clothes and joined her.

"I'm quite alright. You don't need to do this," Judy said, kissing the
younger woman on the cheek.

"I want to, unless you don't want company," Amy said.

"No, Love. You're quite welcome to shower with me anytime," Judy said,
pulling her to her. Amy soaped her body for her and then used her own
like a scrub brush, sliding against her and squirming. Judy used her
finger on her teeth and rinsed on the shower head before she turned her
head to find Amy's lips.

Amy kept it mostly business as she washed Judy's whole body. Then she
washed her hair for her. The shampoo seeming slicker as it coated
Judy's breasts; a natural invitation to squirm together more. Judy
returned the favor and then they rinsed. Stepping out, they toweled
each other dry. Judy moved to brush her teeth as Amy finished toweling
her hair. It had grown quite a bit longer since her arrival at the
Silo.

She let Judy have precedence with the blow dryer. But then Judy pulled
her against her and dried her hair for her, treating it with anti-
tangle spray and brushing it out as she worked. Amy did the back of
Judy's hair as she sipped the last of her coffee.

"Quite a pleasant way to wake up. Not a devastating orgasm, just enough
loving to get the blood boiling," Judy mused.

"You are quite welcome to whichever you'd like... anytime you'd like.
But I figured you'd want a clear head this morning," Amy said,
finishing up with Judy's hair.

"Thank you. Where's Alice, cooking?" Judy asked.

"No, breakfast is all ready. She's going over the figures she input
last night," Amy said.

"Maybe I'd better check on her first," Judy said, finding some shorts
and a tube top.

"Nope. She said not to let you near the office till you had some food
in you. She's alright, honest. We wouldn't spoil your work," Amy said,
pulling her shorts and tube top back on.

"Wouldn't you rather put on clean clothes?" Judy asked.

"Clean this morning, so was I. Alice and I showered together before we
dressed. We do every morning. I just did that for you," Amy said. Judy
pulled her into her arms and kissed her tenderly.

"Thank you, that was nice of you," Judy said.

"My pleasure. I enjoyed it myself. I always enjoyed rubbing up against
you. I'm gonna miss you something fierce when you get married," Amy
said, hugging Judy.

"I don't think I'll be going far, and you'll be seeing lots of me. I'll
probably be traveling with you to the salon openings, so we can keep
each other company every night if you wish," Judy said, leading Amy
toward the kitchen.

"I wish," Amy chuckled. After a large tasty breakfast they joined Alice
in the office.

"I found some more errors. I got to wondering how I made that one
'cause I was importing the data like you showed me. These figures were
in the wrong place. Look, if you add this up then it don't work. But if
you shift this whole column then it all fits. There's a whole bunch
like that," Alice said.

"My god, you're right. I would have never spotted that. I wonder why
that happened," Judy said.

"I pulled the form that the girls use to make their reports. You have
to skip this section and go down to this. They probably just went along
copying figures and not paying attention to the skip. This whole group
of figures ends up in the wrong column," Alice said.

"Yes, I can see that. We'll have to change the form. Put this other
section off by itself. You just saved us several million dollars and
got yourself another job," Judy said, hugging Alice and kissing her
warmly. Alice beamed brightly.

"Me too?" Amy asked.

"You too, love. You are both going to be my assistants from now on,"
Judy said, pulling Amy into a kiss.

"Wow, assistant to the assistant to the CEO. That puts us third from
the top!" Alice said.

"Yes, it does. And with that discovery, you deserve it. I'll talk to
Sheila about getting you a bonus for finding that," Judy said, turning
to the figures.

"Oh, that's not necessary. I just got bothered that I made a mistake
and tried to find out why," Alice said.

"Which is exactly what makes you perfect for the job and deserving of a
bonus," Judy said, lifting the phone. She dialed Sheila's cellular.

"Hello," Sheila answered.

"Good morning. Have you got a monthly inventory report sheet handy? And
a general monthly sheet?" Judy asked.

"Yeah, just a sec," Sheila said. A minute later she was back, "What
about them?"

"Put them side by side and scan down to the pigmentation section. Think
about moving figures from one to the other," Judy said.

"Yeah.... Oh my, that could be a problem. Yes, I see it. That explains
some of the odd material orders we've had. I'll bet that we've got
excess pigmentation stored at a lot of salons. Good eye," Sheila said.

"Not mine, Alice's. I just hired the two of them as my assistants. They
were helping me last night and I got on Alice's case because I thought
she made an error. She was importing the data to the spread sheet, so
she couldn't have. It bugged her and this morning she went back over
all the salons and found that. I figure that's about two million over
the past year and deserving of a fat bonus," Judy said.

"I'll say, approved. Both things. Give her a three percent bonus on the
total saved. I hadn't thought about it but I'll bet they were feeling
kind of left out anyway. We haven't utilized them since the New York
show. I hadn't thought about you needing any help either, but I'll bet
your work load is huge by now. Yes, hire them. If Alice found that,
then she's just the kind of help we want on our staff. Now the trick is
figuring out where our overages are," Sheila said.

"Just a sec," Judy said, "Alice, did you keep a record of which salons
had the error?" Alice held up a carefully hand printed sheet of paper.
Judy smiled and kissed her cheek. "Done, Alice tracked her work. I can
go back and trace just exactly where the overages are. I'll redesign
the form and have a memo out to all the salons before the next
monthly," Judy said into the phone.

"Great. Good work. Give her a big kiss for me. Anything else, how's
that list I gave you yesterday going? I hope you didn't stay up all
night working on it like you're prone to do?" Sheila asked. Judy
chuckled.

"No, the girls dragged me into the hot tub about midnight and then put
me to bed. With their help last night I made good progress on building
a growth profile. We'll have to go back and correct it now that Alice
found that error, but that's nothing. I got the orders for the scanner
components placed. I'll get on the phone today to our Realtor and
personnel agency and start looking into chemical suppliers," she said.

"Great. Okay, I gotta go. We're busy as hell here," Sheila said.

"Okay, take a break every now and then yourself," Judy said.

"Yeah, I'm scheduled for Bianca's next treatment in about an hour. Bye
love," Sheila said.

"Bye, darling," Judy said, breaking the connection.

"Well, darlings. You are both officially hired. And you get a fat bonus
to start off with. How do you want to divide it?" Judy asked Alice.

"Oh, it was Alice that found it. I didn't see it," Amy said.

"Nonsense. You helped me figure it out this morning. You should get
half," Alice said.

"It was mostly you. I don't want any," Amy said.

"Tell you what. How about a third to Amy and two thirds to you, Alice?"
Judy asked.

"That sounds fair," Alice said.

"But she found it!" Amy protested.

"Hush up, I love you," Alice said.

"Okay it's settled, About twenty thousand to Amy and forty to Alice,"
Judy said, making a notation in her laptop.

"Forty thousand dollars! Are you joking?" Alice exclaimed.

"Nope, Sheila said to give you three percent of the savings. It will
work out a bit less than that, but roughly three percent of two million
dollars is sixty-thousand. Two thirds of that is forty, one third is
twenty," Judy said.

"Gosh, this work stuff is cool," Amy mused. Judy chuckled.

"Okay, what I'd like you each to do, is to go over each of the salons
that had the error and figure out the difference in the numbers between
before and after the error. Can you do that?" Judy asked.

"Sure, I figured you'd want that. That's why I wrote them down," Alice
said.

"Good. Now if you can do that I can get a bunch of other things done.
Great to be working with you," Judy said.

"How much do we get for being your assistants?" Amy asked.

"Mmm... let's see.. I think that twenty-five thousand a year to start
is about right, with a raise to thirty when you come up to speed,
probably in six to nine months. Maybe sooner the way you're going,"
Judy said.

"Wow, we'll be rich women. We can go to school too," Alice exclaimed.

"Not rich, but comfortable. Talk to John and Cindy about how to invest
it when they get back," Judy said.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Amy said.

"As far as school is concerned, I want you to take some accounting
classes. We'll pay for them. I'd like to see you get your CPA's. Okay,
let's go to work," Judy said.

"What's a CPA?" Alice asked.

"Someone who looks for problems like you found this morning, but gets
paid a whole bunch more," Judy chuckled, turning to her task list.

* * *

"This is the most comfortable uniform I ever had on," Jimbo mused.

"Mine too," Scott added.

"Our pleasure, nothing but the best for our men," Candice giggled.

"Just remember, gentle wash, drip dry, if you must use the dryer, then
low heat. Don't dry clean them," Mae said.

"That will save me a bundle right there. Wish I had two of them, I'm
gonna hate wearing that other one while this dries," Jimbo said.

"It should dry overnight, but I'll slip another outfit for each of you
into the task stack. You deserve them. I wouldn't have noticed how much
we could save if I hadn't been making them for you. That's going to
make us millions," Mae said.

"Wish we didn't have to go," Jimbo said.

"I wish you didn't too. But we all have work to do," Candice said.

"Well, you know that we'll be back. I'll ask to get assigned to Pacific
sector so that I can live here. Could we stop at a Liquor Barn on the
way to the airport?" Jimbo asked.

"Sure, but you've got that bottle I gave you." Mae said.

"Ah, that one's mine. Besides, I want to get a case for that guy,"
Jimbo said.

"Jimbo! That's almost a thousand dollars!" Candice gasped.

"Are you telling me that you're not worth that?" Jimbo asked. Candice
beamed at him and pulled him into a kiss. The man at the airport was
overwhelmed, but Jimbo wouldn't take no for an answer. The man read the
papers so he understood why. There was a tearful farewell between the
men and their brides to be. Then Jimbo and Scott inspected their craft.
It sported a new set of tires and four new engines. The inspection had
shown bearing wear on the other three. The delay was well justified.
They also had new brakes all around and a new hydraulic pump and three
new hoses that had shown wear. The airplane was also shiny clean. Jimbo
carried a sack with him as he boarded. He handed it to the steward.

"My lunch, roast beef. They should be thawed just about lunch time. If
you could just add some lettuce and mayonnaise?" Jimbo asked.

"We just got restocked. I've got some fresh," replied the steward.

"I want those. You can make me up some fresh to take when we land back
East," Jimbo said.

"I understand. Congratulations on your engagement," chuckled the
steward.

"Thank you. We'll be taking off in about ten minutes," Jimbo said.

"Maybe, we've got a senior senator and his staff to haul back with us.
I haven't seen any sign of them yet," said the steward.

"Then make me a cup of coffee and one of those fresh sandwiches if you
would. Back to the grind," Jimbo said. It was forty-five minutes later
that they lifted off. Mae and Candice waited and watched the plane take
off, feeling their hearts go with it.

* * *

"Come on, darling. We've got work to do," Mae said to Candice, taking
her arm.

"Feels good having four new power plants," Scott said.

"Yeah, keep your eye on those gauges. I don't trust new overhauls, too
easy to leave out an O-ring," Jimbo said. Scott nodded and complied.
One engine showed abnormally high oil flow. An inspection when they
landed revealed a missing O-ring.

"Noted and logged, skipper," Scott commented. The next little while
passed like lightning. As the trip in was at the government's request,
they scheduled to fly the Silo residents back. The couples from Camp
David boarded the plane and then it made its way to New York to pick up
Sheila. A hop to Minneapolis and John and Cindy joined the flight with
Heather. During the flight to Salt Lake Jimbo and Scott each came back
separately and got aquatinted with the Silo crowd. Jimbo warmly shook
John's hand as he sized him up. John was doing the same.

"Pleased to meet you, Jimbo. Welcome to the family," John said.

"Thank you. It's an honor, Sir," Jimbo said.

"You may change your mind about that," John chuckled. The other men
shook Jimbo's and hand but the women all welcomed him more warmly. He
was very surprised when more than one tongue found it's way between his
lips. Scott got similar treatment. Steve met them with a large
helicopter in Salt Lake. The women made him feel very welcome too.
Unfortunately, Jimbo and Scott had to fly on. The women's farewells
were as warm as their welcome.

"Looks like I'm gonna need a bigger helicopter if I'm going to serve
you folks. I had to borrow this one," Steve mused to John on the flight
to the Silo.

"Don't spend your money just yet. It's not too often so many of us
travel at the same time," John said.

"Thanks. That just saved me a bundle," Steve said. At the Silo the
women poured out to greet them. Judy leapt into Steve's arms when he
got out.

"Whoa, darling. So you missed me?" he chuckled.

"Like air," Judy said, melting into a kiss.

"Yeah, now I believe it," Sheila smirked from the side. Judy opened her
arm to her and Sheila moved into a warm embrace. They kissed deeply
just inches from Steve's face. Cindy and Theresa noting his reaction
carefully from the sidelines.

"Yup, he'll fit in nicely with the family," Cindy chuckled, over the
bulge that showed in Steve's pants.

"I do believe you're right," Theresa said. Amy and Alice were all over
Andrea and Bill. The greetings continued as the crowd worked their way
inside with their luggage. Judy had helped Amy and Alice prepare lunch
for the crowd. They sat around the table talking. Judy sat in Steve's
lap until he had to leave. After seeing him off, along with the other
women, she slipped onto John's lap.

"Seems you found a replacement while I was gone," John mused.

"I have you to thank for that. If it hadn't been for your outstanding
indoctrination, I wouldn't have been open to it. And he's not a
replacement, he's an addition to my life," Judy said, pulling him into
a warm kiss.

"Ah.. it's good to be home," John mused, when she let up. After lunch
Sheila called a meeting between the Second Skin hierarchy to explain
the changes she'd ordered. Judy quoted figures for them, consulting her
notes. Amy and Alice took notes off to the side.

"You realize that this could blow up in our faces if the public takes a
disliking to us?" Cindy said.

"Yup. That's the gamble, of course. But I think the time is right. We
did almost half a million at Shannon's in the first week, and it's
booked solid for the next month and a half," Sheila explained.

"What about capital? Will we have enough, or will we have to borrow?"
Cindy asked.

"That's the good part. Our business is so good right now that we can
finance the whole expansion internally and still have working capital,"
Sheila said.

"Okay, in for a penny, in for a pound. Let's do it. Assuming you
concur, Theresa?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, of course. I trust Sheila's and your judgment. Besides, I've got
a decorated officer to support me if we belly up," she chuckled.

"Then it's settled. Now about my pay cut. We were supposed to
renegotiate a long time ago," Sheila said.

"What are you getting now?" Cindy asked.

"Five percent of gross. That's way too much," Sheila said.

"Nope. Sounds right to me. Why don't you stay right where you are?"
Cindy said.

"Oh god, Cindy. That's millions of dollars we're talking about!" Sheila
said.

"I know. You're well worth it. Theresa and I would be nowhere near
where we are if it wasn't for you," Cindy said.

"But you two just put all you've got on the line," Sheila said.

"That's our choice," Cindy said.

"Nope. I won't take it," Sheila said.

"Yes, you will. I insist," Cindy said, evenly.

"Tell you what I will accept then. Throttle my wages back to the one
percent that we previously agreed upon, I'll take the rest in stock. If
you're going to put your cute asses and assets on the line on my
recommendation, then I'm going to too," Sheila said.

"That's agreeable. Judy, how much are you paying Amy and Alice?" Cindy
asked.

"I started them at twenty-five, but I think that they should be moved
up to thirty. They've proved invaluable to me since I put them on,"
Judy said.

"Do it. And I want one percent stock transferred to everybody that's
been in this from the start," Cindy said.

"God, that's millions of dollars," Judy gasped.

"Not if this expansion bombs. Then it will be so much wallpaper. If it
takes off like I think it will, then we can well afford it. Do you
concur, Theresa?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, of course. They deserve it, all of them. They've been working
their asses off. I think we should do something for our salon managers
too," Theresa said.

"I agree. I don't want to do stock with them though, we could lose
control if we give too much of that away. Judy, figure a one percent
bonus on sales per individual salon to be divided between the staffs on
a sliding scale. See that the managers get half of it and split the
rest between the employees. And half again for Mae's group for their
innovations. Do you concur, Sheila?" Cindy asked.

"No, and I'll tell you why. One, it's way too generous, even for you.
Second, it would put a crimp in our cash flow, it wouldn't leave us
enough head room to deal with things like a sudden increase in chemical
prices. I figured the expansion pretty close looking at the figures. I
think the bonus should be based upon net, not gross, which retains the
incentive for the salons to be cost conscious and efficient. Also I
think it should be given to those who have been with us for a year, as
a one time bonus. If and when the new salons do well, then we can
reconsider making it a standing policy. Also: yours and Theresa's worth
is now based solely on stock value or net worth. I think that you
should take a salary at least equal to mine. Right now you couldn't buy
anything without selling some of your stock. You've been working your
butt's off too right along with the rest of us," Sheila said.

"But isn't that actually more than I said? If that would hurt us,
wouldn't what you suggest hurt us even more?" Cindy asked.

"No, because I want my salary based on net, not gross. I said an equal
salary to my own. Also, because the bonuses are based on net, it deals
with overhead shifts automatically. And it spreads the outflow over a
period of time based upon when employees started with us. That also
retains the incentive for our employees to remain loyal to us," Sheila
said.

"Alright... if you insist. Do you concur, Theresa?" Cindy asked.

"Sure," she said.

"Okay, done. So, any other new business?" Cindy asked.

"No, not much anyway. Candice and Mae have located us a manufacture to
assemble the spinners and scanners. We go twenty-four hour production
on the existing salons while retaining the current scanning schedule or
stepping it up even. The new salons go twenty-four hour when each
warrants it. All we need is your okay to start things rolling," Sheila
said.

"Go," said Cindy.

"Looks like we're going to be busy little beavers the next little
while, we've got seventeen cities to look at real estate in to start
with. Oh, I specified lease with option to buy," Sheila said.

"Sounds like a lot of work. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get away
for a while, with the President coming in and then our trip to Europe
with Catarina and Bianca," Cindy said.

"I was hoping that would be a business trip, with you scoping locations
for salons. I think that Judy and the girls and I can handle the real
estate visits. I'd like to draft Mae to do the West coast and Sally to
check out the Eastern locations. Judy and I will take the heartland,"
Sheila said.

"With the exception that the triplets all need to be here for the
presidential visit. I think you and Judy should too as well as Mae and
Sally. Use the time for strategy meetings and to work out training
protocol," Cindy said.

"Okay, no argument there. But I might get a jump on things and visit
some locations before the President comes in," Sheila said.

"Okay, that's good. Any more business?" Cindy asked. Shakes of heads
around the table. "Good, let's go to work," Cindy said.

"The President's coming here?" Alice asked, in awe.

"Yes dear, and he specifically wants to see you three," Cindy said.
Judy and Sheila got on the phones and started things rolling. Within
the week, components were arriving at the assembly plant. Within days
completed units were heading out to the salons. Judy got onto the phone
to Steve who hooked her up to Travis freight. This sped up the process
considerably. Within a week and a half several of the salons went to
twenty-four hour production. This increased throughput considerably.
They were well on their way to the half-billion mark that Sheila has
set as their goal. It would come and go like a blink of an eye as they
passed it on their way up.

The secret service arrived two days before the President and did their
best to stick their noses into every nook and cranny of the Silo. John
tolerated it for a day. When they began talking about taking over the
new Com room as a command center with full access to the video system,
John put his foot down.

"Nope. I know for a fact that the President wants you restricted to the
first floor. The video system is getting locked out. You can watch me
solder hard shorts on every line and then put your seal on the panel.
Then you can set up in the old Com room on the first floor," John said.
They started to argue. "Take it up with your boss," John told them.
"Now you've checked the Silo from top to bottom. You know it's clean,
so clear out."

"But there are weapons in the arsenal!" said the agent in charge of the
detail.

"You can alarm it from the inside. Then put your seal on the outside.
I'll put my Python in there too. Then you can search the Silo one last
time from bottom to top, but after that you're restricted to the first
floor unless the alarm goes off," John said. The agent in charge
grudgingly agreed. John walked away. When he found an agent taking food
samples from the freezers and hydroponics tanks, he blew up again.

"We are going to be eating the exact same food as they are. They will
have their choice of plates. You can make this option clear to them. We
won't be poisoning them without poisoning ourselves," John said.

"Just doing my job, sir," protested the agent.

"No, you're over-doing your job. The President is coming here because
he trusts us. I realize it's your job to be paranoid, but if you don't
get out of my pantry right now I will get him on the phone in about
three minutes!" John said. The agent retreated, taking the samples he
already had with him. John sighed.

Candice and Mae flew in from the West and Sally, Jean and Shannon flew
in from the East. Catarina and Bianca were left running the salon on
Shannon's estate with several lovely guests in residence seeing to
Bianca's treatments. Sheila, Judy and the triplets flew in just before
the President arrived. Steve landed off to the side on a newly paved
section of the compound. The place looked much more hospitable, with
several large trees transplanted off the side of the compound and a new
dirt berm surrounding the compound like the one around the housing
project, just far enough out that it didn't obscure the view of the
mountains. The berm was green and spotted with transplanted foliage. An
automatic sprinkler system kicked on whenever ground sensors detected
too dry of conditions for the foliage. The estate was beginning to
resemble the millionaire's retreat that it was.

Air Force One set down at Hill Field to avoid reporters. A large
executive helicopter that was flown in the day before awaited the
President and First Lady. Jimbo and Scott were given the honor of back-
up crew on the 747. The flight time would be logged on their record. It
had been the First Lady's idea that they be given some time with their
brides to be. They accompanied the First couple in the executive
helicopter.

"I tell you Scotty my boy, I never expected to be riding with the
boss," Jimbo commented on the flight to the Silo.

"Yes, quite a star we hitched our wagons to. Who 'woulda 'thunk it."
Scott said.

"That's what we get for losing our senses and getting engaged," Jimbo
chuckled.

"Would you rather you weren't?" Muriel Wilson asked, coming to sit by
them.

"Oh no, Ma'am. I love Candice with all my being," Jimbo said.

"Well good. Because I think quite highly of them two. I would take it
*personal* if anyone hurt them," the First Lady said.

"We would take it quite personal ourselves. No need to worry about us,"
Scott said.

"Good. When the time comes, how would you feel about a White House
wedding?" Muriel asked.

"Really, Ma'am? We would be quite honored by that," Jimbo said.

"Yes really. I've decided that these folks are going to be our friends,
our *good* friends. I know that they can well afford any wedding that
they'd wish, but I'd like to do whatever I can for them while I'm in a
position to," Muriel said.

"Uh, excuse me Ma'am, but I'm not sure you realize exactly what you're
saying," Jimbo said.

"Jimbo, I'm not blind, and I'm not stupid either. I well know exactly
what I'm getting into, so does the President. I assume you are
referring to certain *inclinations*?" the First Lady asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Jimbo said, startled.

"I'm well aware of them. I think I was before you two were. We know
what we're doing. I trust you will be discrete about this?" she asked.

"Oh yes, Ma'am. Both of us," Scott replied.

"Good. I'm glad we had this little chat. See you in the hot tub,"
Muriel said, returning to the President's side. Jimbo and Scott just
looked at each other speechless. Neither could think of a thing to say.
The secret service were thick as flies around the compound. A bunch of
them patrolled the dirt berm keeping a watchful eye outward while
numerous others patrolled within. John had given them access to the
road and personnel sensors. They would be well aware of it if anyone
approached the Silo within three miles cross country or thirty miles by
road. A helicopter gun ship patrolled the perimeter of the outer fenced
property.

Troops patrolled the whole fence line in OD green Humvee's. All in all
it was one of safest locations the President had ever visited. If you
didn't count that it had once been targeted for a nuclear missile by
several nations and may still be on more than one list. Several gun
ships came in first and scanned the area, holding station while the
executive helicopter set down on the Silo roof.

John stepped up and welcomed the President and First lady with Cindy at
his side. The others waited a respectful distance back. Candice and Mae
were flabbergasted when Jimbo and Scott stepped off the helicopter.
They ran to jump into their men's arms, much to the discomfort of the
secret service who had their guns half out by the time they realized
that their target wasn't the President.

Jimbo caught Candice on the fly and spun her around, settling into a
massive kiss before her feet hit the ground again. Mae's approach was
slightly more reserved, but not much. She lip locked Scott for a long
time. The President and First Lady chuckled along with John and Cindy.
John ushered them all indoors.

The only other non-crew person to step out of the helicopter, was the
officer carrying the *football*. The helicopter pilots stepped out
last. They looked over at Steve's helicopter in question. Steve
separated himself from the crowd after he'd been introduced to and
congratulated by the President and hugged by the First Lady. With Judy
at his side he showed the executive pilots his baby. They *acted*
impressed.

The President stopped inside and directed the officer carrying the
*football* and the Secret Service not to descend below the first floor
unless there was a national emergency. Everybody protested, but the
President was adamant. He walked with John to the elevator. Cindy and
the First Lady accompanied them in the first trip. The others either
took the stairs or waited for the elevator to return. John first
directed them to the kitchen.

"What a lovely, functional kitchen," the First Lady commented.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Cindy replied.

"Oh no, none of that. I'm Muriel for the duration of our visit," Muriel
said.

"And I don't want to hear *Mr. President* once while I'm here. As far
as anybody is concerned, it's Tom and Muriel for four days," Tom said.

"You got it Tom, better repeat that for the others when they get here.
Scotch?" John asked.

"A bit early for that. A beer would be nice if you have one. I so
seldom get to drink it," Tom said.

"Beck's light or Dark, Corona or Bud Light?" John asked.

"Beck's light. Now that nobody's looking," Tom replied.

"Muriel? What for you?" John asked.

"A glass of white wine if you have it," she replied.

"Certainly, ah good, the others are here. Amy, would you please run
down to the wine cellar and snag a bottle of Mirasou Mendicino County
Chablis for Muriel?" John asked.

"I'll get it, she hasn't been hugged yet. What year?" Cindy
volunteered.

"'82, I think that's the only year of the Mendicino County we have,"
John said. The others filed in as Cindy went out.

"I just told John that I don't want to hear *Mr. President* once while
I'm here. We are Tom and Muriel, and that's all," Tom said.

"Does that mean that we can hug you?" Amy asked.

"Yes Amy, and kiss him too. Right after me," Muriel said, taking Amy
into her arms. Steve, Scott and Jimbo exchanged surprised glances, as
the kiss wasn't just a friendly one.

"We're hoping that we get to spend the first night with you three,"
Muriel said.

"Fine by us.... Muriel," Amy said, shakily as she moved to Tom. Alice
moved into Muriel's arms followed by Andrea. Theresa and the rest
formed a line behind her. When the women were through, Muriel made a
point of making the rounds between the men. By that time Jimbo wasn't
surprised when it wasn't just a friendly kiss.

"Please, sit down, make yourself at home," John said, placing a frosted
mug and the beer before a place at the table.

"That's your spot and I know it," Tom said, sitting in the next one
over.

"Jimbo, Scott, Steve, help yourself to the bar. The rest of you are
home so you know the rules," John directed, carrying his beer to the
table. Cindy returned and opened the wine, pouring Muriel and herself a
glass. Theresa got a wine cooler. Sheila and Mae selected the wine. The
triplets chose coolers. John was drinking his beer from the bottle. Tom
looked envious.

"Do I have to use a glass? I so seldom get to drink out of the bottle,"
he chuckled.

"You can do as you'd like, but peel the foil from around the top. It
makes the beer taste metallic," John replied. Muriel accepted the glass
from Cindy and then pulled her into her lap. She kissed her sincerely.
Cindy returned the kiss just as sincerely. Jimbo sat down with a beer,
a little hard..

"This is a lot to digest all at once. I never thought I'd be kissing
the First Lady," he mused.

"You didn't. You kissed Muriel Wilson, private citizen. The First Lady
would be shocked and totally denies the accusation," Muriel said.

"Yes, Ma'am," Jimbo said.

"No, it's Muriel. I mean that," Muriel said.

"Okay Muriel, if you say so," Jimbo said.

"I do. Speaking of which, have you told your fianc�es yet?" Muriel
asked.

"No.. Muriel. Haven't had time," Jimbo replied, awkwardly.

"Candice, Mae, Judy, I would be honored if you would let us host a
White House wedding when you decide a date to get hitched. Just let me
know when you'd like to do it. Give me a little time as those things
take some planning," Muriel said.

"Oh thank you!" said Candice, launching herself at Muriel. Cindy
slipped out of the way just in time. She bent and welcomed Tom to her
house while Candice was lip locking Muriel. Mae and Judy were next in
line, Candice settled in Jimbo's lap.

"Yup, quite the star I've hitched my wagon to," Jimbo mused, bending to
kiss Candice. Cindy settled in Tom's lap and Sheila took the
opportunity to sit on John's.

"So, what first, Tom?" John asked.

"Actually, I'm quite enjoying this. I haven't felt this relaxed in
years," Tom said, kissing Cindy on the cheek.

"Tell you what. After lunch I'll give you and Muriel the tour. Jimbo
and Scott haven't seen the place either. After that you are on your
own. Do or go anywhere you'd like. I think that you'll find many
options to keep yourselves amused," John said.

"Sounds wonderful," Tom said. Cindy kissed him on the cheek and then
moved to Heather.

"You were included when John said the rest of you were home. Help
yourself to the bar," she said, kissing her softly.

"You certainly live up to your promises of an entertaining time,"
Heather said, pulling Cindy back into a longer kiss. Amy, Alice and
Andrea set about making lunch. Candice kissed Jimbo and joined them.
Lunch was simple but good. Breast of turkey sandwiches with alfalfa
sprouts and Roast beef with lettuce and tomato, accompanied with lots
of Campbell's Low-fat Cream of Mushroom soup.

"I promised the secret service that you'd have first pick of the food,
so we couldn't poison you," John told Tom and Muriel.

"That's silly," Tom said, offering the plate to John first. John chose
one at random and Tom made a point of choosing last. The lunch was
casual and relaxed. Muriel asked about Second Skin and Sheila explained
their expansion plans.

"Wish there was some way that I could own a piece of it," Muriel mused.

"I know, there's no way we could legally do that, but you're very
welcome to join us after Tom's terms are up. We can always use good
managers," Sheila said.

"*If* we get re-elected," Muriel mused.

"We might just spoil that for you, you know," Cindy said.

"If that's the case, then so be it. Muriel and I talked about that. If
the press turns on you folks, I'll back you up any way that I can," Tom
said.

"My god, you mean that, Tom?" John asked.

"Yes. Muriel reminded me what it meant to be the President, and in no
uncertain terms. You folks represent exactly the kind of citizens that
this nation should be very proud of. That's what I believe, that's what
I'm going to say," Tom said.

"Well, lets just hope that if it happens, that it's *after* the
election then," John said.

"I'll drink to that!" said Tom, raising his bottle of beer. The others
around the table toasted and clinked glasses and bottles. All drank to
the toast.

"So how do you like your uniform, now that you've gotten used to it?"
Candice asked Jimbo.

"I'll tell you darling, it's the most comfortable uniform I ever wore.
I don't feel like a wet dishrag after an eight hour flight anymore. I
love how it regulates temperature. I feel comfortable enough and it
looks good enough that I can go out to dinner on the other end without
changing. The other pilots are all jealous as hell," Jimbo said.

"I thought they looked very good on you two. Are those of Second Skin
manufacture?" Muriel asked.

"Yes, Muriel. Candice and Mae drug us into their salon in San Francisco
and made them for us," Jimbo replied.

"Could you do the same for our pilots on Air Force One?" asked the
President.

"Sure, just let us know which salon you want to use. We'll arrange it
ahead of time so they can get in and out quick. In fact, with the new
system they only have to go in for the scanning. Anybody can come pick
them up the next day," Sheila said.

"I'd like to make them standard issue for the entire government pilot's
list," Tom said.

"Just a minute, Tom. I think we're getting into conflict of interest
here. Sheila offered Muriel a manager's job for after your terms of
office. A contract that size would be of benefit to Second Skin.
Instead, why don't you let me contribute the uniforms myself? Better
than a campaign contribution which might come back on you," John said.

"That's mighty nice of you John, but I don't think that's a problem.
Jimbo, you guys have a pilots union. Just make the suggestion through
your union. I'll see that it's approved," Tom said.

"I'm sorry, Tom. But that would definitely be conflict of interest.
See, I'm engaged to Candice, a Second Skin officer," Jimbo said.

"Damnit. I hate all this lawyer shit. All I want to do is get
comfortable uniforms for my pilots," Tom said.

"Tell you what. We'll donate the first uniform to all the pilots. After
that they can vote on whether or not they want to adopt them as
standard issue. That removes conflict of interest all around," Sheila
said.

"That will work, that's a great idea," Tom said.

"That's why we hired her," Cindy beamed from Heather's lap.

"Yes, I can guarantee that will work. Once the other pilots try one of
these on they won't go back to the old ones for anything," Jimbo said.

"Now that that's settled, how about that tour, John? I can't wait to
see this *Castle in the Sand* that you've built," Tom said. Tom and
Muriel were more than a little impressed with the Silo. Jimbo and Scott
were virtually speechless. After the tour Candice led Jimbo off to her
room and Mae led Scott to hers, Judy led Steve to hers.

"You're on your own, Tom. Whatever you'd like to do is fine by me. Make
yourselves at home and pick a corner... I suspect that you'll need all
the room you can get tonight with the triplets, so count on the master
bedroom as home base," John said.

"I don't want to put you out of your bed," Tom said.

"You won't be. Around here that's variable. I spend my nights in one of
the women's rooms as often as I do here. Whoever has the largest party
gets the big bed, but for tomorrow night we've been saving a little
surprise for you. If you'll just come this way," John said. He guided
them up to the guest room above the family room. In it was a replica of
the four poster from the Lincoln bedroom in the White House.

"Complete with creaks. Cindy and I tested it real hard," John said.

"Thank you. That's a lovely gesture," Muriel said, kissing him in
thanks.

"So what are you going to do now, John?" Tom asked.

"Well, it's the start of football season. I was going to sit back with
a beer and watch a football game," John said.

"That sounds absolutely delightful, may I join you?" Tom asked.

"Certainly. Come on," John said.

"Who's playing?" Tom asked.

"The Bear's and the Lions," John answered.

"I've got five on the Lions," Tom said.

"You're on," John said. Muriel caught her husband and kissed him
deeply.

"Have a good time, dear," she said.

"You too, love. I love you," he said.

"And I love you, now scoot," she said. The men left and Muriel caught
Cindy's hand. Cindy held back as John and Tom headed down the stairs.

"A question, Muriel?" Cindy asked. Muriel sat back on the bed, still
holding Cindy's hand.

"Before you left he White House there were certain invitations made.
Were they sincere?" Muriel asked. Cindy smiled at her and pulled off
her top. She let Muriel remove the rest.

"Care for more company?" Cindy asked, unbuttoning Muriel's blouse.

"No, not for my first time," Muriel said.

"I'm honored," Cindy said.

"Not too much, I hope," Muriel said, pulling her down into a kiss as
her hands found Cindy's firm breasts. Somehow one each of the triplets
found their way into Candice's, Mae's and Judy's bedrooms. Sheila and
Heather snuck off together with Shannon. Sally and Jean came by the
family room with a big bowl of popcorn.

"Who's ahead?" asked Sally, settling back against John.

"The Lions," Tom beamed, helping himself to the popcorn. Jean was more
reluctant, but Sally pulled her down onto the cushion in front of Tom.
She quivered a bit as she lay back against Tom.

"Easy, darling. No need to be so worried. I don't bite," Tom said,
sipping his beer.

"I'll bet he's a great nibbler though," Sally chuckled.

"You two here to watch football, or gab?" John teased.

"Football," Sally said. Nods all around.

"Okay then," John said, turning up the sound a bit. After a time Jean
got into the game and forgot about the fact that she was leaning back
against the President. When his beer ran out she dutifully snagged him
another and a round for the rest. She settled back into her previous
spot and Tom kissed her in thanks. After that she relaxed a bit more.
It felt natural when a hand softly caressed her body. John couldn't
help but caress Sally's. But the groping took second place to the game.
The Bear's won it with a last minute field goal. Tom fished in his
pocket for a five dollar bill.

"I'd be honored if you'd sign that, Tom," John said.

"Sure," Tom said. He signed it: "*To my friend John Stevens, Thomas J.
Wilson, Bear's by one!*"

"Thanks, something for the office wall," John said.

"You're quite welcome," Tom said. John whispered something in Sally's
ear and she giggled and nodded.

"Have fun, we're gonna go take a little nap," John said.

"Sure," Tom said. John and Sally slipped out.

"Perhaps you'd care to take a little nap too, Tom?" Jean asked.

"Yes, that would be nice. Where?" he asked.

"My bedroom? Or another?" she asked.

"Yours please," he said. She smiled and led him away. Nobody was
watching TV when Cindy passed through a short time later wearing a
light robe. She turned it off and then continued on her errand,
returning a short time later with her toy. She ascended the stairs back
up to Muriel. A short time after that, a serious amount of moaning
could have been heard drifting down the stairs, if anybody had been
there to hear it.

A couple of hours later Cindy and Muriel found Tom and Jean in the hot
tub. Muriel came up and kissed them both, then settled back into
Cindy's lap. A short time later Candice, Jimbo and Amy came in. Jimbo
seemed hesitant, but Candice and Amy dropped their robes without
thought and climbed in. Jimbo felt a bit self conscious but did the
same. Amy settled in his lap after kissing Tom and Jean. Mae, Scott and
Alice came in, followed by Steve, Judy and Andrea. They all dropped
their robes and climbed in.

"Has anybody seen my husband?" Andrea asked.

"I think he's with Theresa. Kevin got shanghaied by Sheila, Shannon and
Heather," Judy said. Just then Bill and Theresa made their way in
followed by the rest. They all dropped their robes and moved into the
hot tub.

"I can see why you made the tub so large, John," Tom said, as John
settled in, with Heather on his lap.

"Yeah, the last one got a little crowded when Candice and the triplets
arrived," John said.

"Did you really rescue them from a blizzard?" Muriel asked.

"He sure did," Alice said, launching into the story.

"I'm much obliged to you for saving my darling," Jimbo told John, at
the conclusion of the story. Hearing it from another source just
confirmed what Candice had told him.

"Quite welcome, Jimbo. They've been reward enough for me. Way more than
enough," John said. Alice moved to him and kissed him anyway. Various
folk started to cycle into the cool plunge and to the chaises.

"Our turn to cook, Theresa," Cindy said.

"Coming, love," she said, sliding off Kevin's lap after kissing him.

"I'll help," Jean said, kissing Tom and then slipping out.

"Me too," Sheila said, sliding off Shannon's lap.

"I think I'll take a swim before dinner," John said.

"I'll join you. You know I'm a water baby," Heather said. Tom and
Muriel lay in a double chaise after the cold plunge. He kissed her
softly.

"Great idea you had coming here," he told her.

"One of my better ones," she said, returning his kiss.

"So you had a good time?" he asked.

"Yes, very nice, and you?" she asked.

"Yes, very nice as well. I love you," he said.

"And I love you too," she said, pulling him back into a kiss.

"Mind if we join you?" Candice asked, pulling Jimbo to an adjoining
chaise.

"Not at all. We're the guests. You're at home. I quite envy you for
that," Muriel said.

"Oh, I think you folks are becoming family fast enough," Candice said.

"You know, that's just what it feels like. A big happy family," Tom
said.

"That's because it is," Candice chuckled, snuggling to Jimbo's side.

"I'm slowly learning that," Jimbo said.

"The only difference between us and a real family, is that we're free
to make love to each other," Candice said.

"I quite understand Jimbo's reticence. That's not easy to get used to,"
Tom said.

"I told you I'd see you in the hot tub, Jimbo," Muriel giggled.

"That you did, Muriel, that you did," Jimbo said. Shannon and Andrea
joined them on the chaises.

"How long did it take for you to feel like family, Shannon?" Muriel
asked.

"Oh, I was sort of brought into it slowly. First there was Sally and
Jean and John at my estate. John spent the first night with me alone.
Then Sally and Jean joined us the second night. By the time I got here,
I just felt like part of the family. But even that was a little
overwhelming at first. They were fairly understanding about it. They
each took me off one at a time and made love with me. By the time they
were through I'd hardly notice if six or eight people were making love
in the same room. Not that that happens very often," Shannon replied.
Andrea came and sat cross legged on the bottom of Tom's and Muriel's
chaise.

"Hi," she said, simply.

"Hello, which one are you, no let me guess... Andrea?" Muriel asked.

"Yup," she said.

"Careful, that's how they started with me," Shannon giggled. Neither
Tom nor Muriel could take their eyes off the enchanting view before
them.

"So, we get to spend the first night with you?" Andrea asked.

"Yes, if you want to. We'd be delighted," Muriel said.

"Okay, yeah, I'd like that too," Andrea said. Bill kind of rolled his
eyes from the cold plunge. Alice came over and stood by them. First she
bent and kissed Candice and Jimbo, which put her shapely behind in
front of Tom's face. His eyes got a shade big. Muriel's view was even
better. The young woman then turned to Tom and asked, "Can you swim?"

"Not bad," Tom replied.

"Good, then you can teach me some," she said, taking his hand.

"I think I'm going swimming, love," Tom said, kissing Muriel.

"Have a nice time, dear. Maybe, we'll join you later," Muriel said,
taking Andrea's hand.

"I think that I'll take a swim myself," Jimbo said.

"Coming, love," Candice said, stopping to kiss Andrea and Muriel.
Andrea moved up on the chaise and snuggled to Muriel's side. Bill and
Sally came over and moved onto the adjoining chaise.

"Kind of different, huh?" Sally asked.

"Yes, very different. How do you feel about it, Bill? Do you mind your
wife spending the night with us?" Muriel asked.

"Not at all. I kind of figured that out before we left the White
House," Bill said.

"You didn't quite answer my question, how do you *feel* about it?"
Muriel asked.

"Muriel, I had to ask myself that question the first night I came here.
When I found that the triplets made love with each other. They spent
that night with me and it was one of the most enjoyable nights of my
life. John told me before hand that their inclinations extended to each
other. He said that they'd had little enough honest love in their life,
and that he didn't want to spoil it for them. I came to realize what he
was talking about later that night. It was the most natural honest love
I ever encountered. The taboo against same sex incest is just a carry
over from thousands of years of social pressure.

"The taboo against incest had a solid foundation in that it made
deformed children. But the global taboo against all forms of it has no
such solid foundation where there is no possibility of offspring. In
reality the most damage that could be done from it, is the social
stigma that has been placed upon it. Okay, that took care of them
making love with each other, as far as I was concerned. From there it
was an easy extension for me when they made love with one of the other
Silo residents. Everybody loved each other. *Really* loved each other.
I knew that up front before I ever got involved with any of them.

"Now I *understand*. I *really* love all of them. I understand each of
their attractions to each other. Every person here contributes their
unique personality, their talents and charm to the whole family. I'm
thrilled to death to be a part of that. So in answer to your question.
I don't mind it at all. I admire her taste in women and men. You are
quite an attractive woman yourself. Besides that, it's what *she*
wants. It's part of her, part of *all* that I love. She wouldn't be the
same person without the affection she gives to and receives from other
people. So it would be silly of me not to want her to do that, because
that would be trying to make her into something other than what I love.
Besides, I think I have my date for the night," he said, drawing his
fingers over Sally's breasts. She giggled and nodded.

"Kind of cute, isn't he?" Andrea said, letting her fingers trace over
Muriel's breasts.

"Yes, he's adorable," Muriel said, responding to the young woman's
touch.

"Nicely put, Bill, may I join you too?" Shannon asked.

"Yes, that would be very nice," he said.

"Shall we join the others in the pool, or would you like to get a head
start on the evening?" Sally asked Muriel.

"What I would like very much, would be if I could kiss every one of
you," Muriel said.

"Oh, we can do that," Andrea said, becoming the first. Sally and
Shannon came next, Muriel standing to embrace and caress them. When
Bill moved into her arms she trembled a bit. Andrea moved herself
against her backside and rubbed up against her. Sally and Shannon
smiled at each other and slipped off to the pool Andrea's hands softly
cupped Muriel's breasts from behind as Bill kissed her. Muriel's hands
found Bill's manhood and softly touched it. When he pulled back Muriel
looked around, they were alone. Even so, Bill led her to one of the
bedrooms. Andrea snagged their robes and followed behind.

Sally and Shannon joined the crowd at the pool It actually was fairly
crowded. They dove in and each swam several laps then climbed out and
toweled off. Tom was sitting alone on one of the chaises. Alice was
frolicking in the pool.

"She wore me out. She's a much better swimmer than I. Where's Muriel?"
he asked.

"Getting a lesson in family. Would you like one?" Sally asked,
extending her hand to him.

"Yes, I think I'd like that. You'll save enough of me for the triplets
later?" he asked, being led by Sally and Shannon.

"Oh, we make no such promise. But I think you'll find that they are
more persuasive than you think," Shannon said. Jimbo watched from the
pool, a strange expression on his face.

"I was thinking of the curious occurrence of the dog in the night,"
John said.

"But the dog did nothing in the night," Scott said, setting him up.

"My point exactly," John finished. Jimbo looked at the two of them.

"He's a human being, Jimbo. We all are. The only difference between us
and others is that we're not afraid to share our love with more than
one person," John said.

"Yes, I'm slowly learning. I understand that well enough for myself. I
just didn't expect it in... others," Jimbo said.

"Does it bother you that I've been with your woman?" John asked.

"No, of course not," Jimbo replied.

"Does it bother you that I may be again?" John asked.

"No, I don't think so," Jimbo said, less sure.

"Good, because it doesn't bother me that you've been with one or
several of *my* women," John said.

"Point taken," Jimbo said.

"Is it? Because there isn't any jealousy around here, Jimbo. That's the
one thing that could tear this all apart. There isn't any room for it
because we're all too busy being in love. You see, jealousy is rooted
in insecurity. And you have no need of that. I know that Candice loves
you with all her heart," John said.

"He speaks true, Jimbo. I do love you with all my heart. But we was all
*his* women first. We all love him and each other. Much as I love you I
never want to give this up. I owe these folks my life, but more than
that. I *want* to love them. I didn't know what happiness was before I
came here. I discovered the other half when I met you. I don't want to
give up either now that I'm whole," Candice said.

"You don't need to worry, there'll be no trouble from me," Jimbo said.

"It's more than that Jimbo. You see, I like you. I know that Candice
loves you. I want her happiness as much as you do. I want her to have
you. I want you to be a part of this family. I'm just trying to explain
to you what that entails. The other part of that is that we don't judge
each others actions. We can't. For one thing we're all guilty of most
things that others would be inclined to judge us for. But I don't feel
the least bit guilty. I give my love freely where I feel it. I don't
try to tell those who I love who they can or can't love. Because that
isn't love, it's control. And we don't control anybody around here, but
ourselves. Do you understand what I'm saying?" John asked.

"Yes, I think so," Jimbo said.

"I hope so," John said.

"I understand you," Heather said, swimming up and crawling onto his
lap.

"Do you now? What would your mother think?" John asked, chuckling.

"She'd be absolutely scandalized," Heather said, melting into a kiss.

"I understand too," Alice said, swimming up to Jimbo and climbing into
his lap. She pulled Jimbo into a deep kiss. Halfway through it he
realized that this was one of *John's* women that he was kissing.
Candice by his side was another. When Alice lifted her head Candice
moved in and kissed both of them alternately. He looked over and Amy
was kissing Scott and Mae. Not too long before she'd been with him and
Candice in her bed. Then he understood better.

"I'm thinking that you are a wise man, John Stevens. And I will be
quite honored to be part of your family," Jimbo said.

"I don't know about how wise I am, but you are quite welcome here,
Jimbo," John said.

"Thank you. And thank you for sharing your women with me," Jimbo said.

"That's the easy part. You see, they aren't mine like property. They're
mine in my heart. I want what each of them wants to make them happy. If
you are part of that, then that's just fine with me," John said.

"Then I thank you for your understanding," Jimbo said.

"You are quite welcome, Jimbo. Quite welcome," John replied.

"You guys talk too much sometimes," Heather said, pulling John into
another kiss.

"If they didn't, we'd have nothing to tease them about," Mae chuckled.
Heather was persistent enough that John got an erection. She shifted
position to take advantage of it. Mae and Amy had Scott in readiness.
Mae guided Amy over his hips. Kissing him from the side. Jimbo didn't
have a chance, especially when Alice practiced her diving lessons.
Candice finally guided her former co-wife over her new man, joyful at
their union. There was very little talking for some time. After Heather
cried out and fell back into the water, Mae swam over to support and
caress her back to consciousness. Candice crawled up onto John's lap
and whispered in his ear. He nodded and touched the spot the triplets
had taught him. A short time later Candice impaled herself.

Jimbo passed the test with flying colors. What could he have done
otherwise, with John's woman riding his hips. Afterwards they all sort
of floated about, relaxing and cooling off again. A short time later
Cindy announced dinner over the intercom.

"One more thing is that we dress for dinner around here. How much
clothing is optional at the other meals, but always at least a robe.
It's not that we mind the sight of unclothed bodies when we eat, but
it's too big a distraction and the meals last too long," John chuckled.
Tom and Muriel were likewise informed of the clothing rules.

"Where *are* our clothes?" Muriel asked.

"You're booked for the master bedroom tonight, so probably in there,"
Andrea answered.

"Thanks... and thank you, both of you," Muriel said.

"You are quite welcome, Muriel," Bill said.

"Yes, it was nice," Andrea said.

"Nice... well maybe you can teach me about *great* later," Muriel said.

"Don't be silly. This isn't a contest! It's the sharing of pleasure. It
takes time to learn that. I'd be more than happy to show you anything I
know, anytime. I think you'll find any number of willing teachers
around here," Andrea said.

"Yes, I'd like to learn. Thank you, Andrea," Muriel said.

"You are quite welcome, now you'd better go dress for dinner," Andrea
said. Tom also found his way to the master bedroom. He was just
starting to dress when Muriel walked in.

"Hello, love. Have a nice time?" he asked.

"Yes.. And You?" she asked, moving to his side.

"Quite nice. I'm beginning to feel like one of the family," Tom said,
pulling her to him. He kissed her softly and she quivered a bit in his
arms. Despite all the loving she'd experienced during the day, she
found herself being more attracted to him than she ever had. She kissed
him back, hard.

"My, what brought *that* on?" he asked.

"I just suddenly realized how much I love you," she said.

"I'm quite in love with you as well. Odd, that we should each realize
how much after we've been with others," he said.

"I'm not so sure it is odd. I think I've learned more about love -both
physically and mentally- today then I ever understood before. And I
think that we've just scratched the surface," she said.

"Well, we'd better dress. If it was anybody else I'd leave them wait
while we proved it to each other. With these folks I'm content to wait
for later," Tom said, kissing her once more and releasing her. She
selected a sexy evening gown. One that she couldn't wear to most balls.
She pulled it over a foundation of soft and sexy underwear.

"I ought to take you out more often, you look stunning," he said, love
in his eyes.

"You don't look so bad yourself, in that tuxedo. I just wish that my
hair wasn't so tangled," she said.

"Knock, knock," a voice said from outside the door.

"Yes, please, come in," Muriel said.

"I thought you might need a hand with your hair," Sally said, stepping
in.

"Hello Sally," Tom said warmly.

"Hello, Tom," she said in return.

"You are a lifesaver," Muriel said.

"We shall see. Let's go into the bathroom and see what we can do,"
Sally said.

"I'll just step out," Tom said.

"No please stay. I want to walk in on your arm," Muriel said.

"Okay. Glad to," Tom said. Sally led her into the bathroom and seated
her before a mirror. She pulled out some hair brushes and a bottle of
anti-tangle.

"Baby conditioner?" Muriel asked, examining the bottle.

"Best stuff I've found. Almost too good, it robs a bit of body," Sally
said.

"Only from your *hair*, I can see," Muriel said, looking at Sally's
body in the mirror.

"You are such a *flirt!*... I love it. Yours is quite lovely too,"
Sally chuckled, spraying Muriel's hair and then working a brush through
it.

"Do you really think so?" Muriel asked, comparing hers visually to
Sally's.

"Yes, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. That guy out there does
too," Sally said.

"He told you that?" Muriel asked, surprised.

"Oh, not in words. In the way he looks at you... and calls your name at
*certain* moments," Sally chuckled.

"You're kidding." Muriel said.

"Nope. Shannon is my witness," Sally said, working the hair with the
brush.

"I wouldn't have thought he would have had a thought about me while
with you two stunning women," Muriel said, sadly.

"Oh, don't put yourself down. You're prettier than you know. If there's
one thing that I've learned, it's that each of us is stunning at
certain moments to somebody. A simple smile from John can make me feel
like the queen of Sheba. A misread look can make me feel like the
ugliest scag on the planet. That man out there loves you. Maybe more
than you realize. If a man tells you, you look nice, then you look
okay. If he tells you, you look stunning, he really means it," Sally
said.

"You heard that?" Muriel asked.

"Heard what?" Sally said, concentrating on her hair.

"When he said I look stunning just before you knocked?" Muriel said.

"No, but it doesn't surprise me a bit that he said it, you do," Sally
said.

"So do you," Muriel said.

"Thank you. Now hold still," Sally said, tossing hair left over right.

"So how was he?" Muriel asked.

"Don't you know?" Sally chuckled.

"Yes, I know how he is with me," Muriel said.

"Well, it's not a question I really consider. I enjoyed myself, he did
too. Does that bother you?" Sally asked.

"No, once it would have. Not now," Muriel said.

"Well, why there is a difference between those times is a question for
you to answer yourself. I wouldn't have been with him unless I thought
it was okay with you. I took your actions with Bill and Andrea as a
fair indicator of that. Also your actions with myself. You see, I don't
make a differentiation between making love to a man or a woman. It may
in fact feel differently and the mechanics might be different. But
ethically it's the same thing. As such there is no difference between
you making love to a man or woman and Tom making love to me," Sally
said, finishing Muriel's hair.

"That's the best I can do on short notice," Sally said, stepping back
and bending a mirror behind to give her a view..

"It's lovely. I've never been able to do a French braid like that,"
Muriel said, looking at herself in the mirrors. She stood and pulled
Sally into her arms. "You are lovely and wise. Perhaps we can get
together, tomorrow?" Muriel said.

"Yes, I'd like that," Sally said, moving to kiss her. Muriel deepened
the kiss and held it. Finally she disengaged herself.

"Thank you, and you're right, I am a flirt. But I get so little chance
to practice," Muriel said.

"I can understand that. Well, there's a man out there who loves you and
you look like a million bucks. Why don't you go let him spend some of
that?" Sally chuckled.

"Thanks, for everything," Muriel said, squeezing her hand.

"That's what friends are for," Sally said. Muriel smiled and nodded and
moved out to see her man. Tom stood as she entered and a smile came to
his face.

"You look stupendous," he said. Muriel beamed and kissed him. Then they
headed off to dinner. Sally saved time by climbing on one of the inside
elevators. It pushed aside trap doors as it ascended. Sometimes it was
fun. She surfaced into a startled group of nubile nude women just
dressing in the triplet's common area. Sally chuckled and continued her
ride.

"We should put a bell around her neck," Amy giggled.

"She's no more of a prankster than Alice," Andrea said.

"Sorry, ladies," Sally called back down.

"We don't mind, you just startled us," Amy called after her. Sally
arrived in the kitchen ahead of Tom and Muriel. Most everybody else was
there except the triplets. Jimbo about choked on his drink when the
floor beside the sofa suddenly lifted up and parted and Sally came into
view.

"Easy darling, it's just an elevator," Candice chuckled.

"I was standing there not three minutes ago," Jimbo said.

"Yes, and if you'd been standing there just now, it would have gently
pushed you aside. You were in no danger of falling. John's a good
engineer," Candice said.

"Yes, I can see that," Jimbo said, looking at the small cage next to
him. Tom and Muriel stepped into the kitchen.

"What a handsome couple," Cindy said, looking up from the stove.

"You look gorgeous, Muriel," Theresa said.

"Thank you, all due to Sally's handiwork. She was right behind us, I
fear we lost her somewhere," Muriel said.

"I only take credit for the hair. The rest is all her doing," Sally
said from the bar.

"Just how did you beat us up here? Sprint up the stairs?" Tom asked,
startled.

"She took the dumb waiter," Jimbo said.

"No, that's over there. See, you can program it to stop on any floor,"
Candice said.

"I took one of the small elevators. We actually have four -small ones-,
but John's now converted one into the dumb waiter," Sally said.

"They came with the Silo, I just adapted them and made them a little
safer. You both look very nice. My compliments on that gown Muriel, you
look ravishing in it," John said.

"I think he looks quite handsome too," Alice said, entering with the
other triplets.

"My my, where have you been hiding those outfits?" Sheila asked.

"Like them?" Amy said twirling around, "Judy helped us with them last
week."

"Yes, very alluring," John said.

"What a good word. Yes, quite alluring, all of you," Tom said.

"Why don't you all be seated," Cindy said. John had done some
calculations the previous week and performed surgery upon the massive
trestle table. It was now three feet longer. Additional chairs had been
added to fill the gap. Enough that everybody could comfortably sit
around it, there was quite a crowd. Candice and Jimbo, Mae and Scott,
Judy and Steve, Theresa and Kevin, Bill and Andrea, Amy and Alice,
Cindy and Heather, Sally and Jean, Sheila and Shannon, Tom and Muriel
and John.

The table looked lovely. There were fresh wild flowers in a vase in the
middle. Low enough to see over. The china was some that John had
spotted in San Francisco. Kind of a frosted pastel glass. The table
cloth was simple white linen. Each place held an embroidered place mat
from India. The silverware was real silver and sparkled. There were
earthenware wine coolers on each end of the table, the wine open and
breathing.. Cindy and Theresa set salads in front of each person before
John and Kevin seated them.

"You certainly set a lovely table," Muriel mused.

"Thank you. Jean and Sheila set it," Cindy said.

"Tuna casserole again?" John teased.

"The thing he hates most on the planet," Cindy said, "We have; fresh
vegetable salad with Bulgar wheat, followed by Gazpacho, Judy's recipe.
For the main course, we have Parmesan stuffed skinless chicken breasts
with wild rice and baby carrots. And no John, I didn't stuff them with
tuna."

"Please, dig in," John said.

"Ain't he eloquent," Cindy chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"This salad is great!" Tom said.

"Nothing fancy, got the recipe off the Bulgur wheat box. We just
happened to have the fresh vegetables in our hydroponics garden," Cindy
said.

"It's terrific. I'll have to ask the chef about it when we get back
home," Muriel said.

"Looking around this table, I don't ever recall seeing so many
devastatingly low necklines," John chuckled.

"We wanted to look nice for you," Cindy said, beaming.

"That you certainly do. You ought to come by more often, Tom. I usually
get T-shirts or tube tops for dinner," John said.

"Really? How long do they cook them?" Tom asked. John guffawed. There
was polite titter around the rest of the table.

"Don't let it bug you, Tom. I thought it was funny. They don't like my
sense of humor either, and what I think is funny, *really is*," John
said.

"Yeah, what was that one; *How dost I cast dispersions upon your
character*?" Cindy chuckled.

"I remember that one, that was the morning after Sally sent him back
from New York looking like a zombie," Theresa said.

"Why did he look like a zombie?" Muriel asked. John winced and waited.

"He made love to her thirty times in thirty-four hours," Theresa said
simply. Several people at the table stopped eating and looked up
startled.

"By my soul, he did," Sally said.

"I saw her a few days later, she still looked badly dazed," Jean said.

"I didn't think that was possible," Muriel said, looking to John
curiously.

"He broke that record with Judy. *Averaged* once an hour for three
days. Recovered for a day and a half and still managed to fulfill my
wishes in the Lincoln Bedroom," Cindy chuckled.

"I wasn't the only one there for all of that. Sally still holds the
record for exclusivity," Judy said.

"I'm not so sure this is proper dinner conversation," John said.

"Oh, I think it's fascinating. Maybe I should have given you a medal
for prowess, if we had one. It sounds like you were a good candidate
for a purple heart of your own," Tom chuckled.

"May I ask what prompted you to this level of performance?" Muriel
asked. John looked to both Sally and Judy, they both nodded their
assent.

"They were both virgins. I wanted their first time to be memorable,"
John said.

"It certainly was all of that," Sally said. Judy nodded vigorously, as
she had a mouthful of salad. Steve looked at her in chagrin,
remembering how he said he'd be gentle with her.

"You've never done this sort of thing with the others though?" Muriel
asked.

"I've offered Cindy several times, but she's turned me down flat," John
said.

"He put in quite a respectable showing when they were staying with me,
but nothing like that," Heather said.

"He made love to fourteen of us one day," Alice added.

"There weren't fourteen of us then, that was fourteen times among eight
of us," Theresa said.

"That was about four days after he got back from New York," Amy said.

"Yes, well, we don't need to go into the details of that," John said,
heading off any conversation that really wasn't fit for the dinner
table.

"So beside Sally's and Judy's records, what's the most times he's made
love to any of you others?" Muriel asked.

"I guess that would be the fifteen times in one night split between
Sheila and I," Cindy mused.

"You called me a beast," John said.

"Not me, all I could say was '*Uh...'* It was Sheila who called you a
beast," Cindy chuckled.

"I remember that, you kept saying he was possessed," Bill said.

"I think he was," Sheila said, "At least he acted like it. The worst
part was that it hardly fazed him. Poor Cindy and I were zombies. He
came down and talked to you folks like he'd just had a week's rest."

"You are indeed quite a remarkable man, John," Jimbo said, raising his
glass.

"Hear, hear," Tom said, raising his and clinking Jimbo's. This led to
everybody clinking glasses and drinking to John. Cindy sat back in awe.

"I do believe he's blushing," she said, "I've never seen that before."

"Sure you have, that allergic reaction he gets to vinegar," Theresa
chuckled.

"Speaking of which, I forgot round two," Cindy said, jumping to her
feet. Theresa and Sheila helped her clear the salad plates and serve
the Gazpacho.

"What's Gazpacho?" Alice asked.

"A delightful cold vegetable soup," Sheila said.

"*Cold* soup?" Amy asked.

"You'll love it," Judy told her. Indeed, it was wonderful. It went very
fast and snubbed much of the conversation, much to John's relief. This
time Cindy noticed when it was time to change the courses. John got up
and helped her with the serving platters. The parmesan stuffed chicken
breasts were exceptional. The wild rice and carrots cooked to
perfection.

"You're turning into a very good cook. Want a job?" John asked Cindy.

"Got one," Cindy replied.

"Wanna get married then?" he asked.

"We did," Cindy replied.

"Oh... I've run out of offers," John said.

"*That* I doubt," Cindy chuckled.

"So what's next for you, John?" Tom asked.

"Oh, I've got a trip to Europe next week with Cindy, Catarina and
Bianca. After that, who knows. I just bought a little spot outside of
Salt Lake not far from a reservoir with horribly bad fishing. If Bill
ever gets another week or two off I'd like him to teach me fly fishing
and I need to find a director for my homeless program. That might take
a while," John replied.

"You wouldn't consider public service?" Tom asked.

"Not a chance on earth," John replied.

"Speaking of Catarina and Bianca, where are they?" Muriel asked.

"Well, one, someone had to run the salon at Shannon's place. We didn't
have anybody else available, and second, I didn't think the secret
service would allow you much privacy with a confessed foreign agent on
premise," John replied.

"There is that. But Catarina's alright, so is Bianca," Tom said.

"I believe that to be the case myself, but convincing the rest of the
government might be a different thing entirely," John said.

"In all honesty, we wanted them to complete their training before they
left for Europe. With Catarina's language skills, she's a natural for
the position of European director for our salons there when we go
international," Sheila explained.

"How's Bianca doing?" Muriel asked.

"Quite well, actually. Sally and I think that she indulges in her
treatments as much from enjoyment now as from her addiction," Shannon
chuckled.

"I was kind of looking forward to being part of her cure," Muriel
giggled.

"Why Muriel Wilson, what a scandalous thing to say. Dessert?" Cindy
said.

"Ooh, what have you got?" Muriel asked.

"*Pure* decadence; Chocolate mousse in white chocolate ravioli topped
with a white chocolate Frangelico sauce and topped with shaved hazel
nuts," Cindy said.

"You might have to twist my arm a fraction of an inch.. Okay," Muriel
said.

"Tom?" Cindy asked.

"Too rich for me," he said.

"Okay, show of hands for the rest of you for desert," Cindy said. Most
hands went up.

"I'll help," Jean volunteered.

"Me too," Muriel said, standing.

"You are a guest," Cindy said.

"Please?" Muriel asked.

"Sure, why not," Cindy said. Muriel moved along one side collecting
dishes and carting them over to the counter, Jean along the other doing
the same. Cindy dished out the desserts and passed them around.
"Coffee?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, I'll get it, love," John said, standing.

"How many?" Cindy asked. Most the men and a couple of the women raised
their hands.

"No coffee, Tom?" John asked.

"Not this late in the day," he replied.

"You should try this. Decaffeinated French roast," John chuckled.

"In that case, sure," Tom said. When the coffee and desserts were
passed around, most the women seemed in ecstasy. The men were slightly
more reserved in their reactions. John alternated small bites with
coffee. It really was rich.

"I've died and gone to heaven," Judy said.

"Where did you get this recipe?" Sheila asked.

"Saw it on a cooking show one day," Cindy replied, quite enjoying her
handiwork.

"I must have the recipe for our chef," Muriel said.

"Simple really. I'm certain that he can make chocolate mousse. Just
soften and roll out the white chocolate and place it in ravioli forms.
Fill it with mousse and top, seal and trim. The sauce is just the
trimmings melted with Frangelico Liqueur added. Use a double broiler so
you don't singe the chocolate. Refrigerate the ravioli's while you make
the sauce. I guess they were in the fridge longer than that, as I made
them yesterday," Cindy said.

"Tastiest dessert I ever had," Jimbo said.

"You said I was," Candice chuckled.

"That you are, my darling," Jimbo said.

"Care for a cognac and a look at the stars, Tom? Maybe a cigar?" John
asked, after the deserts were consumed.

"Cognac sounds nice. I'd love a cigar, they won't let me smoke them in
the White House anymore," Tom said.

"Well, they won't let me smoke them around here except in the solarium.
And it's my place," John chuckled.

"Stinky old things," Theresa shivered. Jimbo bit his tongue. John
poured two snifters of cognac and handed one to Tom.

"I'm sorry, how sexist of me. Muriel, would you like a cognac and or a
cigar?" John asked.

"No, thank you, John. I feel perfectly content," Muriel replied. Cindy
looked longingly at John, Sheila caught it.

"You go ahead, Cindy. We'll be happy to clean up," she said.

"You sure?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, you've done quite enough preparing that lovely meal," Sheila
said.

"Yes, it was quite lovely. Excellent in fact," Muriel said.

"I concur," Tom said.

"Ditto," Amy said, "I even liked the cold soup." There were many thanks
and appreciative remarks from the rest of the table.

"Best Tuna Casserole I ever ate," John said, offering his arm to Cindy.

"One of these days I'm going to make you a tuna casserole," Cindy said,
taking his arm. John shivered. "Will you join us, Muriel?" Cindy asked.

"Yes, that sounds nice," Muriel said.

"Mind if I tag along?" Heather asked, "I'm quite intrigued over this
solarium of yours."

"No, not at all. Anybody else? I figured the rest of you as residents
who could fend for themselves," John said. The others declined. They
rode the elevator to the top floor. A secret service agent was
immediately present.

"Relax. Just going to look at the stars in the solarium," said Tom.

"Are you alright, Mr. President?" asked the agent, looking at the
cognac.

"Yes, now disappear," said the President.

"Yes, Mr. President," said the agent and disappeared, talking into his
lapel.

"*Hacker on first base. Back away from opening and watch out for
rolling roof*." *Hacker* was the secret service name for the President.
Referring to his not so good golf game, rather than any connection to
computers. John stepped into the solarium and switched on the red
lights. Then he tripped the control to roll back the roof. The large
helicopter presented no problem to the winches. The weight was all
vertical. Once the inertia of the thirty ton roof was overcome, the
addition of a five ton helicopter was nothing. Cindy handed an afghan
to Muriel and Heather, donning one herself. Their low cut dresses left
their shoulders bare. Inducing a chill from the autumn air. The women
thanked her.

John dug out a box of cigars and offered one to Tom and then cut the
end for him with a cutter he kept in the box. The box was actually a
small humidor. Plain stick matches were kept close by as the best way
to light a cigar. John gave several to Tom along with a small flat
stone for striking on. Muriel settled onto a double chaise and Tom sat
by her, but lower on the end. Laying his hand affectionately on her
leg. She smiled at her husband. John offered a cigar to the women, but
they declined.

"I may have a puff or two on yours," Heather said. John trimmed and lit
his cigar, tripping a small exhaust fan off to the side. It hummed
quietly. Cindy and Heather settled into a triple wide chaise that John
had built. John sat at their feet like Tom did with Muriel.

"This is an excellent cigar," said Tom.

"Yes, I lucked out on those. A friend went to Mexico years ago. I asked
him to get me a box of cigars. He came back with a box full of Cubans.
Havana Clubs they're called," John said. Tom puffed on it
affectionately.

"May I?" Heather asked John. He handed her his cigar and she tried a
puff or two.

"No loving for you two until you brush your teeth again," Cindy
chuckled quietly.

"Just part of loving a man," Muriel mused, rubbing her husband's back
affectionately. Tom leaned back into her touch and gazed up through the
transparent roof. The autumn desert sky was glorious.

"The sky is gorgeous," Tom said.

"Yes, people tend to forget that in the cities. That was one of the
selling points for me," John said.

"You've done a marvelous job on the place. I wouldn't mind owning one
myself. A little retreat away from the city," Tom said.

"I'm afraid I lucked out in that regard. I may have the only trouble
free Silo in existence. There's some real problems sinking a hole a
hundred-seventy-five feet into the earth. The biggest is the water
table. Which in this case is down a hundred-fifty feet. That means that
the bottom twenty-five feet is actually *under* water. The concrete
must be incredible and they must have sealed the outside as well. I'm
real lucky that it doesn't leak. But a single earthquake could crack
it, and I would lose the bottom two floors. I'm real lucky I didn't
crack it myself when I started heating it. I saw a report on *Sixty-
Minutes* about some other people who were trying to make a home out of
another silo. They had to pump constantly. If the water table was
higher here, the hydraulic pressure would probably cause seepage
anyway. Basically I lucked out," John said.

"I would say that it was a safe assertion to say that you were a very
lucky guy. Winning the lottery, meeting all these stunning women," Tom
said.

"I wouldn't have thought so five years ago. I wasn't poverty struck,
but I certainly wasn't well to do either. My social life was non-
existent," John said.

"You think that the turn in your social life came as a result of the
money?" Muriel asked.

"I have little doubt of that. If nothing else it gave me options.
Options to do things. Like the scanner. Also helping Sally. I wouldn't
have been in a position to do that -or even have been there- if I
hadn't won the lottery. I also wouldn't have been in a position to help
Theresa and Cindy, nor do I think they would have had their initial
attraction to me. Not that Theresa and Cindy were gold diggers. They're
not. At least they never were with me. They hardly ever asked for
anything, really. They just wanted a safe haven," John said.

"Oh, it didn't *hurt* that you had fourteen-million dollars. I might
not have been attracted to you otherwise. I remember when I first
arrived, I just thought of you as old. Not that you were, but as young
as I was, twenty-five would have seemed old. But I think the fact that
you had money made me look a little closer. Then I was done for," Cindy
said, caressing John's back.

"I think the isolation had a great deal to do with that as well. I was
the only game in town. I'm not so sure that you would have fallen for
me given a few options," John chuckled.

"Maybe not, but I have. And the money certainly isn't a factor in that
now. I have much more than you, now," Cindy giggled.

"So do I, and I've quite fallen for you as well," Heather said.

"Yes, but what about when I get too old to satisfy you?" John asked.

"Your satisfying us isn't totally connected to that thing between your
legs. That's just a bonus. We satisfy each other quite well without
one," Cindy said.

"Yes, I must say that I've never known a more loving group of people in
my whole life," Muriel mused. A slow moving dot passed among the star
field. Cindy pointed it out.

"I wonder if that's our friends from Russia," she giggled. Tom looked
up at it and flashed it the bird. A curious secret service agent chose
that moment to stick his head over the edge of the roof. He found
himself facing his commander and chief flipping him the bird. He
hastily retreated. Everybody in the solarium broke out in side
splitting laughter.

"That's right! I remember you telling me that you and John were looking
at the stars when you figured out that the Russians were watching you,"
Heather said, suddenly.

"That was quite a fancy piece of reasoning," said Tom, admiringly.

"Oh, I don't recall it being that tough, and it certainly wasn't all
me. Cindy and I played off each other's speculations. Both Sally and
Sheila had highly suspicious stalkers. They didn't *act* like stalkers
at all. They were being *watched*! Connected with the fact that I lived
in a location that was undoubtedly being watched at one time, it wasn't
hard to realize it might still have been. Then I thought about how the
work I'd done here would look from a spy satellite. I undoubtedly
scared the pants off them when I used an arc welder while I was hanging
floors. It would have triggered a launch warning," John said.

"Didn't Catarina say it had?" Cindy reminded him.

"Yeah, I forgot about that," John said.

"Perhaps you *are* getting old," Cindy giggled.

"Age had nothing to do with that. There have been so many events
happening in my life that it tends to merge into a blur," John said.

"Well, I still think it was a marvelous piece of reasoning," Tom said.

"Thank you, Tom. Nice of you to say so," John said. The ash on Tom's
cigar had grown long, John retrieved an ash tray for him and himself.
Then he walked over to his telescope and panned it around to find
Jupiter.

"A lovely sight of four of Jupiter's moons," he said, offering the
eyepiece to anyone. Both Tom and Muriel came and looked through the
eyepiece. They were suitably impressed.

"Can you see Saturn with this?" Muriel asked, looking at the moons.

"Yes, but it's not very impressive. The rings are edge on. It just
looks like a fuzzy elongated dot," John said. He used a small red
penlight and consulted an ephemeris. Checking on several items. "Too
early for the Orion Nebula. That's my favorite. How about the ring
nebula? That's quite impressive," John asked.

"Certainly. Anything," Muriel said.

"Anybody else for Jupiter's moons first?" John asked Cindy and Heather.

"I've seen them often enough. I'm content to relax here," Cindy said.

"I'd like to see them," Heather said, standing. She looked through the
eye piece and was quite surprised. "Yes, four small dots, obviously
moons," she said.

"Either that or my lens is dirty again," John chuckled.

"Dust would be dark," Heather said, absently, continuing to look.
Afterward John swung the telescope around to the coordinates of the
Ring Nebula. He searched in the eyepiece and got the image centered.
Giving Muriel the first look.

"OH! That's lovely!" she gasped.

"Yes, it is quite," John mused. Muriel pulled from the eyepiece and Tom
moved in. Muriel spun and hugged John. Then she leaned to kiss him.
John returned the kiss, but kept it reserved. Even so Muriel found
herself quivering a bit. There was a strange power about John. The fact
that he held an attraction for so many women not the least of it.
Muriel turned to her husband when he pulled back from the telescope and
pulled him into a soft and tender kiss. She quivered even more. John
moved back to sit down by Cindy's feet.

"Hey you. Can I have a kiss?" she asked.

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet," he teased.

"You won't have any if you don't get over here," she giggled. John
leaned to her and she kissed him tenderly. She forgot all about the
taste of tobacco in a few seconds. Searching his mouth with her tongue.
The kiss ended softly, their lips just barely touching. "Thank you,"
Cindy said.

"Most welcome. Have we met?" John said. She held up her ring finger.

"Oh, you're married? More's the pity. Such a lovely woman too," John
said.

"This is incredible!" Heather exclaimed from the eyepiece. Four people
hardly heard her, as they were gazing into their lover's eyes. Tom and
Muriel made their way back to the chaise. Muriel sat back against the
raised back and pulled Tom sitting against her. Then she handed him his
cigar. Seeing this Cindy did the same with John. Heather continued to
gaze into the eyepiece, a heavenly body herself. She was bent low and
her cleavage was quite pronounced. Cindy noticed it and giggled.

"What?" John queried.

"Oh, just admiring another heavenly body," Cindy said. The others
followed her eyes and chuckled. Heather looked up and could have
blushed a bit, if the red light would have revealed it.

"What?" she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"We were just admiring your heavenly body. My adorable little minx.
Won't you join us?" Cindy invited. Heather smiled radiantly and moved
to sit by Cindy's side.

"She is quite adorable. Could we get one of them?" Muriel asked.

"Not until I'm out of office," Tom mused.

"Yes, or now. That would put you out of office," Muriel giggled.

"You want me out of office?" Tom asked.

"Oh, not really. Just sometimes the lack of privacy and the way we have
to act bugs me. I've quite enjoyed the freedom we've had here today,"
Muriel said.

"Yes, it's been one of the most enjoyable days we've spent in a long,
long time. And it's not just the loving, although that was quite nice.
It was the freedom to be Tom and Muriel again," Tom said.

"Yes, despite the other loving I think that we've grown closer today.
Or maybe that has a bit to do with it. Everybody likes to know that
they're still attractive to others. But there's noting like the sight
of another with your mate to make you realize how much you care for
them," Muriel mused.

"Well, you folks are quite welcome. You're welcome to come anytime that
you can. I realize that will probably be quite seldom with your
position, Tom. But you are quite welcome here. Think of that as a
standing invitation," John said.

"Yes. I quite enjoy the company of both of you," Cindy said.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you. I realize what a hassle it can be
with the secret service and all. We'd love to come again sometime if we
can. But logistics might make that tough," Tom said.

"Well, you're welcome to come spend a month or a night. Whenever you
can. You don't have to show up together either. If your schedules
allows one of you to come, but not the other, feel free. But I must
warn you that after the first time, it's self serve. You have to line
up at the feeding trough with the rest of us," John said.

"Oh, you! He doesn't mean that," Cindy said, slugging him softly.

"No, actually that's the way we'd like it. We don't want special
treatment. In fact what we most crave is *normal* treatment. Like
tonight Cindy, when you let me help clear the dishes. I felt like one
of the family. That meant a lot to me. I quite appreciate what you
offer, John. Thank you," Muriel said.

"You *are* one of the family, Muriel. You both are," Cindy said. Muriel
got a bit misty eyed. Tom kissed her on the cheek and squoze her hand.

"Thank you. That means a lot," Muriel said. John took a last puff on
the cigar and let it lay in the ashtray to die out. Then took a last
swig of the cognac out of the snifter and shivered a bit. Sucking his
breath in through a constricted "O" shape as the liqueur warmed his
insides. His hands reached down and felt a warm soft thigh.

"Ah, The finer things in life," he mused, "Life is good." For a time
they just lay back looking at the stars and enjoying each other's
company. Finally John stood and offered his hands to Cindy and Heather.
"Shall we join the others?" he asked. They all stood. John collected
the snifters and made certain that the ashtrays were placed safely. He
didn't empty them. He tripped the control to roll the roof closed. They
made their way back past the secret service and back down to the
kitchen.

The agent spoke into his lapel, "*Hacker back into the pit*." After
they left a secret service agent entered the solarium. He took samples
of the cigar ash and the clippings from the ends, then exited again.
They would be tested for traces of drugs along with the food samples
they had obtained before John chased them out. Cindy collected the
afghans from the women and set them aside.

"Some coffee, something to drink?" John asked, Tom and Muriel.

"No, nothing thanks. We've been pampered and well fed. I feel more
content than I have in years," Muriel replied. Alice came up and
wiggled between them.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello.... Alice is it?" Muriel asked, putting her arm around her.

"Boy they get names quick. Nobody's ever figured out our names this
fast," Alice said.

"Well we may not always get them right. I was just lucky.... I guess
you want to go to bed, huh?" Muriel asked.

"Not really... Well, sorta. I just wanted to tell you that you can
anytime you'd like. If we get sleepy, we'll just go down and climb in.
You folks can climb in anytime. Just nudge us when you're ready," Alice
said.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to wake you up," Muriel said.

"Oh.. Why not? Sleep's just sleep. Making love with someone special is
*way* more important than that. I can sleep when I'm old," Alice said.

"Actually, I think it's time we turned in anyway," Tom said, grinning.

"Yes, we'll come down with you," Muriel said, smiling at her husband.

"Thank you folks, for a wonderful day and a lovely dinner," Tom said.

"Yes, it was wonderful. And the dinner was great. Good night to you
all," Muriel said.

"You'll find that it's not that easy getting to bed at night around
here," Cindy said, stepping up and pulling Tom into a hug. He hugged
her back and she kissed him warmly saying goodnight. Muriel moved to
John and the rounds began. They didn't get out the kitchen door until
they'd been kissed by all in Muriel's and the triplets case, and kissed
by all the women in Tom's case. Going down the elevator, they had a
triplet between them and one on each arm.

"This seems to work out well," Tom mused about the configuration.

"Makes it hard to go through doors," Amy mused. John took off his coat
and loosened his bow tie. He hated all ties anyway. He poured a cup of
coffee and sat down on the sofa in the kitchen, leaning back against
Cindy. He kicked off his shoes and took a sip of coffee.

"Where are we sleeping?" he asked, rubbing his eyes a bit.

"I think we're in the Lincoln bed. Heather would quite like to join
us," Cindy said, kissing his cheek and caressing his chest.

"I have no objection to that. Is that okay with the others? I think
I've been neglecting some of the others," John said.

"Sally and Shannon are with Bill, acting proxy for Andrea. Candice is
with Jimbo, Judy with Steve, Mae and Jean with Scott, the triplets with
Tom and Muriel and Heather with us. That leaves Sheila, whom I believe
is still deciding between Candice and Judy. I think Judy's going to win
that one, but she's quite taken with Jimbo. We all are a bit," Cindy
said.

"How did it all get so complicated?" John asked.

"Oh, don't feed me that crap. A few minutes ago you were musing about
the good life," Cindy chuckled. John kissed her cheek and then turned
back.

"It is good. I was just wondering how it got complicated," he said.

"It was all that charm of yours. I seriously doubt that Theresa and I
could have attracted all these people. But I break it down into groups
and it makes it easier to understand. First Theresa and I, Then Sheila.
Mae and Judy sort of came with her, Steve with Judy, Scott with Mae.
Then you rescued Candice and the triplets. Bill for the triplets and
Jimbo for Candice. Then you met Sally. Jean and Shannon came with her.
Heather also, as a friend of Shannon's. Then you went and became a
hero, enter Catarina and Bianca and Tom and Muriel. That brings us up
to date. Oh, I forgot Kevin with Theresa -by way of Bill- and Me with
you," Cindy finished.

"That last part particularly interests me. What say we go make the bed
creak," John said.

"Sweet talker. I'll snag Heather, you start on the goodnights," Cindy
said. John grabbed his shoes and jacket and made his way around wishing
everyone goodnight. Cindy and Heather followed behind kissing
everybody. On a whim John kissed Jimbo on the cheek. Jimbo stiffened
and his eyes got real big and scared.

"It was a joke, Jimbo. I'd *know* by now," John chuckled. The others
laughed. Finally Jimbo busted out himself. John shook his hand and
Cindy and Heather kissed him good night. Then they headed out arm in
arm. When they entered the bedroom, Cindy got a wild look in her eyes.
She stripped off Heather's clothes without prelude. She literally
ripped her own off and climbed onto the bed pulling Heather with her.
She leaned back against the headboard, holding Heather before her,
squeezing her large breasts and teasing John. She pulled Heather around
into a passionate kiss as John pulled off his clothes.

"I want to watch you enter this gorgeous creature, then I want to lick
it!" Cindy said.

"What was that about no loving till we had brushed our teeth?" John
chuckled.

"You keep asking to lose them," Cindy said, returning to her kiss.
There was obviously no trepidation on her tasting tobacco. As John was
already erect, there was no difficulty in fulfilling her request. He
licked Heather several times to make entry easier and then inserted
himself. Heather moaning softly and kissing Cindy harder.

Cindy pulled back and watched her man stroking inside the gorgeous
blonde actress. She played with her breasts and kissed her on the neck.
The motion driving Heather's tail bone up against Cindy's erect
clitoris. Between their combined assault, it didn't take long to work
Heather into a frenzied orgasm. She barely stopped shaking before John
withdrew and Cindy crawled out from beneath her. John stood on his
knees as Cindy sucked him into her warm mouth.

Heather recovered enough that she moved between Cindy's shapely thighs
and licked upwards. Cindy moaning in response and sucking John down her
throat. After she had thoroughly cleaned him he moved around behind
her. Cindy dipped her head between Heather's thighs and dove in as John
entered her from behind. Cindy began to orgasm at once from the double
assault upon her nether regions. Heather soon followed her again, both
from Cindy's actions and the view above her of John stroking into her
tight vagina.

John kept stroking. He leaned over and cupped Cindy's breasts, playing
his fingers around her nipples. Cindy cried out suddenly and lunged
forward, pulling John out of her. She spun around and sucked him into
her mouth again, sucking her juices from him. Then she descended into a
deep kiss with Heather. She began to grind her hips into Heather's.
John moved around again behind Cindy. When she got this way he knew of
only one way to satisfy her. He positioned himself against her
backside.

Cindy began to lengthen her strokes, grinding downwards against
Heather's vulva with her own and then upwards, back into John. Pushing
him farther into her with each stroke. John lowered himself upon her so
that it drove deeper while Cindy still maintained contact with the
stunning blonde beneath her. Cindy's breath became a frenzied gasp. She
was kissing Heather and playing with her breasts. Her own riding over
the large set beneath her.

John was now seated fully inside Cindy. He lay his weight atop her,
driving her hips downward forcing them to grind harder into Heather's.
Heather began to convulse, which triggered another wave of convulsion
from Cindy. John waited. Cindy's hip movements became frenzied and
sporadic. She was going wild from the stimulus she felt. Any direction
she moved her hips brought a new pleasurable sensation. When John as
moving freely inside her, he began to stroke himself, timing her hip
movements with his own. each time she lifted up, he stroked downwards.

Tears began to roll down Cindy's cheeks. She became like a wild animal
bucking between them. John controlled things so she didn't hurt
herself. When she cried out and her hips began bucking violently, John
pushed then down harder into Heather. Heather's response was instant as
her hips began to buck upwards violently to match Cindy's spasming
response.

John began to stroke in earnest. Taking long slow strokes. Almost
leaving her before he thrust downwards all the way. Each time bringing
his full weight down on Cindy, causing her to grind into Heather. Then
he picked up the pace, driving down hard. Each collision of her
backside against his hips causing a second collision between the women.
When he heard a guttural cry building in both women's lungs he let
himself go. Stroking for all he was worth. The tingle in the base of
his neck signaling the start of his own orgasm. He stroked another two
dozen furious stokes downwards. As the cry escaped their lips, so did
the one from John. He spurted his warm inert seed into Cindy's backside
as their cry ended.

Cindy's hips continued to spasm between them. Goose bumps ran in random
sheets over her body. Her breath a gasping inwards cry. Her sweat
mingling with the gorgeous blonde woman beneath her. Tears from her
eyes dripping onto the angelic face. John slowly withdrew and Cindy
winced and moaned. Her body spasmed once more and became motionless
except for the labored breathing. John rolled off to the side and Cindy
moved half atop him. They all passed out in this position.

John felt a warmth on his member. He lifted his head to find Cindy
tenderly wiping him with a wash cloth. He had responded to the action
in his sleep and he was fully erect. Cindy finished up and cast the
cloth aside. She moved over him and kissed him tenderly. Guiding him
inside her. John held her to him, feeling her breasts rub against his
chest. Their strokes were slow and easy, their eyes locked together.
Their orgasm when it came was mutual and gentle. Cindy descended to
softly kiss him.

"I shall love you forever," she said, and lay her head upon his
shoulder. John pulled the covers over them and they slept that way, him
still inside her.

Muriel crawled over a sleeping body and snuggled to her husband's side.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too. Seems an odd comment after what you just witnessed me
doing," Tom said.

"You were magnificent," Muriel chuckled.

"Not up to John's standards, I fear," Tom mused.

"Oh pooh. As Andrea said to me earlier; '*Don't be silly. This isn't a
contest! It's the sharing of pleasure. It takes time to learn *that*,"
Muriel quoted.

"Very philosophical. I should know by now," Tom said.

"Darling, you know as well as I that we are but babes in the woods
compared to these people. We've both experimented with each other and a
few other people in our whole life. These people have spent the past
several years perfecting the act of pleasing another to a fine art.
With open, free communication between each other about what does and
doesn't work. These lovely young women sleeping peacefully around us
aren't even twenty yet and they know more about lovemaking than I ever
dreamed existed. God, I never had so many orgasms in my life. And I
paid very careful attention to what they did to you too. Every time you
thought you were done for, they managed to convince you otherwise. They
knew just exactly how to make you last longer too. Even when they were
helping with me.

"They managed to give me six orgasms while keeping you on the edge and
going. No, we never had the opportunity to know what these folks do. We
could learn a lot from them if we don't let our egos and our pride get
in the way," she said.

"I take it that you want to," Tom said.

"Yes, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. But I don't want to lose you in the process," Tom
said, pulling her close.

"That's not going to happen, *ever!*. I think that's another very
valuable lesson we can learn from them. These people *care* very deeply
for each other, much more deeply than any of the so called happy
couples that we've ever known. *Including ourselves*. I want to learn
that. I want to love you *that* deeply. I want you to love me that
deeply. And it's clear that monogamy has nothing to do with that depth
of feeling that they share.

"Right now I love you as deeply as I know how. I know you feel the same
about me. If we don't learn that further depth of feeling, fine. I love
you enough right now that I will always be with you. But I think we
have the opportunity to feel so much more, and I want to try," Muriel
said, tears flowing down her cheeks. Tom kissed at them tenderly.
Something he had never done before. He realized exactly what Muriel was
talking about.

"Okay. I want to know that too," he said, pulling her mouth into a
gentle kiss. Despite all the loving they had experienced during the day
and that night, Tom began to respond. He pulled her over him and guided
her onto him. Then he held her close as they slowly moved to the
deepest orgasm of their married life. Their eyes open and locked to
each other's. Later they caressed each other to sleep.

"You seem distracted, Jimbo," Candice said, snuggled atop him.

"Oh, just a whole lot to digest in a single day," he replied, gently
caressing her soft skin with his fingertips.

"Not a single day, Mae and I tried to give you a sample of what you
were in for that first morning," Candice said.

"Yes you did. And I enjoyed every second of it. But it hardly prepared
me for what I witnessed today," Jimbo said.

"You're thinking about Tom and Muriel, aren't you?" Candice said.

"Yes, I was thinking about the President and the First Lady," Jimbo
said.

"Well, there's half your problem. They may be the President and First
Lady, Jimbo. But first and always, they are Tom and Muriel. The office
didn't take that away. They are just people like you and I. They feel
things like you and I. They take a crap in the morning, just like you
and I. The office didn't change that a bit. I like them very much. They
are nice people," Candice said.

"A President shouldn't act like that," Jimbo said.

"Why not? What did he do that was wrong? Or better yet, what did he do
that was any different than what *you* did today? Do you feel wrong
about what you did?" Candice asked.

"No, I don't. I did nothing wrong. I made love to the woman I love. I
shared my love with another that she loves. I watched her share her
love with one she loves. But Tom's different," Jimbo said.

"How so? Didn't he make love to the woman he loves? Didn't he share his
love with others? Didn't Muriel share her love with others? It's *not*
any different. The only thing that's different, is what that could do
to him outside here. Away from the family. Those are the people who are
different. They are the ones who want to tell us how we should act.
They are the ones who would tell me that I couldn't make love to you
until we are married, when I love you now. They are the ones who would
tell me I could *never* make love to Amy or Alice or Andrea or any
other woman. I don't buy that crap, and I thought you didn't either. I
thought you enjoyed the sight of two women making love. -at least your
body does, 'cause you get harder than a rock whenever you see it.-. But
my whole point is that Tom and Muriel are *human beings*. They need
love and affection just like you and I. They enjoy pleasure, just like
us.

"If anybody needed worry about what they did today, it was them. It was
what it could do to them as a couple, based upon those rules from
outside. But I didn't see that. What I saw was a couple who loved each
other enough that they weren't afraid to share their love with other
people.

"Can't you see the incredible trust they have in us? How hard it must
be for them? If a single one of us were to blab about what went on
here, it would be the end of Tom's career. The end of their public
life. The press would crucify them. What they *need* from us in return
for that trust, is the freedom to be just Tom and Muriel. They need
that desperately. Didn't you see it in their eyes?

"Tonight when Muriel asked to help clear the dishes. She was *pleading*
with Cindy to let her. To let her be *just* Muriel again, not the First
Lady. That's what both of them want from us, and I think they deserve
it," Candice finished.

"Guess I never looked at it that way before... I guess you're right. It
just takes some getting used to," Jimbo said.

"I know. It took me some getting used to, also. I remember catching
myself when Theresa was making a mannequin of Alice. She put a heater
inside of it in case John should want to be reminded what she felt
like. I caught myself thinking that was sick. When I had in fact
mounted his own mannequin and enjoyed myself quite allot. Theresa
reminded me of that fact. And told me that the only time John had ever
mounted one of the mannequins, was at her request.

"She also told me that they don't judge each other's actions around
here. She meant it. They accept you for what you are. They will accept
you Jimbo, for what you are. As they accepted me for what I was. In the
process I got to be a whole lot more than I used to be. I used to be
ignorant and a backward bigot. Not over the color of ones skin -but I
guess I was a little of that too- but over how people lived their
lives. If they didn't live their lives the way I did mine, then they
were somehow lesser people than I was. But the fact was that my life
was shit. A living hell that I was willing to risk a blizzard to escape
from. Then I met these people. They saved me from that blizzard and
that life. Eventually they saved me from that attitude. I'm a much
happier person. I know joy. I feel love and I feel loved. And it's all
because of John and the rest of them. And now you," Candice finished.

"You've convinced me, darling. I'd be grateful if you'd help me along
in my learning," Jimbo said.

"Well, let's work on joy first," Candice said, bending to kiss him as
her hand reached downwards.

"Do you think John was a little tough on Jimbo today in the pool?"
Scott asked. Mae was snuggled to his side. Jean was sleeping very
peacefully on his other side.

"No. I think he was a little easy. And not because I think badly of
Jimbo, you know I don't. John's got an awful lot he needs to protect.
It's easy to forget how much he has to lose. Or how much Tom has to
lose. Fact is that we were *all* his women before you and Jimbo
arrived. In fact Sheila was *my* woman before *he* arrived. But instead
of losing her, I gained him, and a whole lot more. Candice for one. You
for another. Because I wouldn't have been on that plane if it hadn't
been for him.

"I caught that look in Jimbo's eyes. He was disgusted with the fact
that Tom was going off with Sally and Shannon. But Tom's no different
from Jimbo or yourself or John or Bill or Kevin. He's a man. He just
happens to be in a very visible public office. That doesn't mean that
he's not entitled to feel like a man. In fact it *should* entitle him
to feel *more* of one. At the same time Muriel was off with Bill and
Andrea. That's not a justification, he doesn't need one as far as I'm
concerned.

"See, I don't see any difference between making love to a woman or a
man. It's the same thing. It's sharing pleasure between two people.
That's all that Tom and Muriel were doing. Sharing pleasure with other
people. I think they deserve that. They probably get little enough of
that in their lives.

"The other thing that they deserve, is the freedom just to be Tom and
Muriel, not the President and First lady. No matter what the press
thinks about it or the moral majority, which is neither moral nor the
majority. All John was telling Jimbo were the facts of life as we live
them in this family, 'cause that's what we are. *A family*. We support
and see to each others need. We share equally our successes and our
failures. We cry on each others shoulders and offer our shoulders to
cry upon. We love each other unconditionally. In the process we've all
prospered from it.

"If Jimbo wants Candice to go off and live separately as man and wife,
that's one thing. But Candice would not be the same person he loves if
he did that. If on the other hand he wants to join with her and the
family, then he needs to understand what that means. *Exactly* what
that means. He not only has to *accept* that, but he has to *want*
that. Because he has to give himself back into that. That's the way it
works, it's the *only* way it works.

"I'm explaining all this because I want you to understand that. I
*need* you to understand all that. Because you're one of the few things
I've ever really wanted to have in my life. But if I had to choose
between you and the family, I'd have to choose the family. That's no
reflection upon you. I've known and loved many of these people years
before I ever met you. It would hurt me dearly to have to make that
choice. I don't want to have to," Mae said, tears running from her
eyes.

"You don't need to. Myself, I'm all for the family. For one thing I
love you enough to realize you wouldn't be the same without the family
either. Just as Candice wouldn't. As none of you would be. You are more
than the sum of your parts. I love you just exactly as you are. Not
that I'm trying to limit you to that either. Everybody changes with
time. But the direction of your changes please me greatly. From what I
understand, you would not have been open to a relationship with me
before you encountered the family," Scott said.

"Oh, I still saw men. But I treated and thought of them more as *toys*.
It wasn't until I was around John and saw the respect and love that the
others had for him that I learned *that* respect and love myself," Mae
said.

"Well, I for one am glad you did. Because I would have little tolerance
for a woman who treated me like a toy. I don't treat women that way, I
never have.... well, maybe a few," he chuckled.

"You big phony. I love you," Mae said.

"I love you too. Now where were we?" Scott said.

"Playing with each other," Mae said, giggling.

Steve lay with Judy on one side and Sheila on the other. He had just
experienced the most incredible lovemaking session of his life. He was
floating blissfully on the edge of sleep. His mind wandered about,
thinking how much his life had changed in such a short period of time.
A few years previously he had been a broken man. His wife's rejection
of him had shaken him to his core. He neglected his business, even his
personal appearance. He drank a lot. Due to the cause of his divorce,
he found himself drawn to bars that catered to lesbians. For a long
time all he could do was observe and wonder. Then two of them had taken
pity on him. -Or he had been the last open option of the night when
they were in the mood to *cross the street*. He didn't question that
too closely-. He enjoyed himself immensely. Something snapped back
inside him. The two women could have cared less. He did.

He cleaned himself and his life up. He paid more attention to his
business and his hard work was rewarded by relative prosperity. In
truth the Stevens account had gone a long way to help that. He'd talked
to the owner of the other helicopter service that Stevens used. He'd
told him a story of a large happy adopted family. Steve had listened,
wondering at the man's naivet�. He didn't know what was going on out at
the Silo, but he had a fair hunch it wasn't the story he'd heard. In
fact it didn't matter to him. Everyone he met from the Silo was
cheerful and seemingly very happy. Including the younger members.

John was always friendly and courteous to him. He also seemed to
understand logistics fairly well. Steve never had to worry about having
to deal with dangerous weather conditions or absurd requests to fly up
narrow canyons. Whatever was going on out at the Silo, nobody was being
hurt by it. He minded his own business and did his best to service the
account as well as he could. When he had flown the two younger women
and Judy into the Silo, he had been strangely attracted to Judy from
the first moment he'd met her.

It wasn't any natural charm that had kicked in. He'd wasn't really
trying to hustle Judy, just make a good impression that he could work
on in the future. When the twin girls came and sat on his and Jim's
lap, his latent desire had kicked in and distracted him. But his eyes
kept drifting back to Judy. When she had first kissed him on the cheek,
his heart lurched. When she had hugged him, something else stirred.
When she had really kissed him, his destiny was set.

He had no idea that she had leanings in the direction that so excited
him. It didn't matter, she excited him sufficiently all on her own.
Then in the hot tub he had gotten the shock of his life. His response
was instant and honest. He felt he'd died and gone to heaven. Judy
gently stirred next to him.

"You awake?" she asked softly. He nodded and pulled her to him. She
came into his arms and warmly kissed him. Sheila's presence next to
them was not a factor in what followed, except to remind him that his
dreams had come true.

Longtime habit woke Tom Wilson early. He seldom had the opportunity to
sleep in anyway. In fact he may have awakened as much from the fact
that someone wasn't knocking on his door as from his longtime early
habits. Muriel was snuggled lovingly to his side. Also a somewhat
unusual but not unheard of condition. They were alone in the bed. Tom
pondered this. Had he offended or disappointed them in some manner? He
decided the answer was probably no. Even if he had that wouldn't have
accounted for the triplet's absence, they just weren't that way.

In fact he hardly noticed their absence. Muriel felt as good as she
ever had, even in her earlier days when he had met her in college. Tom
had been a rookie congressman at the time, speaking at the college. She
had been quite taken by him. He was quite excited by her. Her body
young and tight, but sporting ample assets. After a torrid week of
loving -during which time he discovered that she had a brain- he had
asked her to marry him. She accepted on the condition that she finish
college. He didn't mind too much, it was only another year. They
carried on a long distance relationship that was much enhanced by his
usage of free long distance phone calls. He talked to her almost every
night for half an hour. They talked of life and love and their
grandiose plans for the future. How they were going to shape America
together.

When she graduated, Tom sat brimming with pride in the audience. Also
in the audience were her parents. Muriel introduced him to her folks.
Her mother a staunch Catholic. Her father resigned to his life. After
their third child, he had secretly slipped out and had a vasectomy. He
never told his wife, covering his recovery with a business trip. He was
sufficiently horny on his return that she felt secure that he'd been
faithful to her. Their sex life wasn't such that she would ever have
noticed the small scar on his scrotum.

Muriel's mother had grilled Tom mercilessly before Muriel had stepped
in and saved him. She announced their long term engagement, the term
being up. A very serious row with her mother had ensued. The upshot of
which was that Tom and Muriel eloped and then she traveled back to
Washington D.C. with him as his wife. They had a nice medium sized
house in Silver Springs, Maryland. They had no children. Visits to the
doctors had discovered that this was due to a combination of both of
them. He had a very low sperm count, her internal workings proved to be
a fairly non-conducive environment for fertilization. They were given
the option of in vitro fertilization or adoption. They talked about it
and decided against it. Political life wasn't a very wholesome
atmosphere for raising children anyway. Over the years they had tested
their condition fairly thoroughly. They enjoyed unprotected sex
regularly with no resultant offspring.

Muriel had stayed with him through thick and thin. She had supported
him and stood by his side. Working diligently on his campaigns. Smiling
for hours by his side or behind him on podiums while he was giving
speeches. When he would become tense from a bill he was working on, or
from an election that he seemed to be losing, she was there, doing her
best to make him un-tense. After he made Senator, their life changed a
bit. He got to see less and less of her as his schedule became more
hectic. Certain lobbyists arranged to keep him happy and in their
pocket. Muriel didn't seem to notice when the nights got later and his
hunger less when he was there. An older Senator had taken him aside and
explained the repercussions of his behavior, both ethically, and
politically (The two *not* actually having much connection.)

The turning point for Tom had been an important vote on a delicate
issue. The lobbyists reminded Tom of his behavior, threatening him with
exposure. Tom had asked himself what he believed in. He consulted with
the older Senator and told him of the lobbyist threats.

"*Vote your conscience, Tom. The threat is empty. If the lobbyists ever
used that kind of information or let it slip out, then they'd never
find another ear in the Washington. Even if they did, you still have to
live with *yourself*," the Senator told him.

Tom voted his conscience. He also quit accepting favors. He began
spending more time with Muriel and their marriage had grown stronger.
Tom didn't think that Muriel had known. He felt no compulsion to
confess. He let it lay. Muriel had loyally stayed with him all the way
to the White House. Doing civic duties that she actually had no
interest in just because of the image it would present of them to the
public when the election came. She was with him the night of the
election. They had celebrated later by making love twice, then once
again in the morning.

Tom thought the improprieties of his past were buried there. Until
Muriel's statement in connection with the Silo group. He didn't mind
that, he had just been surprised that she had known and had stayed with
him. He felt a great wave of affection for the woman laying snuggled to
him. She stirred and he pulled her close and softly kissed her good
morning.

"And a lovely good morning to you too, sir," she said, snuggling to his
neck and kissing it softly.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Mmm.. like a baby," she said, "Where's our company?"

"I don't know. They were gone when I awoke," he said.

"How long ago was that?" she asked.

"Oh, ten minutes or so. I was just enjoying the feel of you snuggled to
my side," Tom said.

"Mmm... that's nice," she said, kissing his cheek. Along one wall, a
small elevator descended and stopped. On it were several trays
containing coffee, Champagne orange juice (which looked like regular
orange juice) and several plates of food. They were just about to get
up when the triplets appeared through the door and headed for the
dumbwaiter.

"Good Morning. Sleep well?" Alice asked, bending to kiss them each on
the cheek.

"Yes, very well. And you? I didn't feel you slip out," Tom said.

"Very well indeed. We always get up and make breakfast. Sit up," Amy
said. They sat up and moved back against the headboard. Alice and Amy
swung the folding trays up and locked. Andrea loaded each up with food,
coffee and Orange juice. Then they swung the trays in where Tom and
Muriel could reach them.

"Breakfast in bed? We didn't want special treatment. You don't have to
do this," Muriel said.

"Not because of who you are. It's a long tradition now for anybody's
first morning here. Tomorrow you can join the rest of us for
breakfast," Andrea said.

"In that case. Thank you very much. Fresh biscuits!" Tom said.

"Yeah. We always make them. Everybody loves them. I hope you like your
eggs over easy," Alice said.

"Perfect," Muriel said.

"A feast. Not approved by the Surgeon General. I love it," Tom said.

"Oh, not as bad as you'd think. That's Turkey Sausage and Lean
Breakfast strips. You can work it off later in the gym if you'd like,"
Amy said.

"Mmmm. What's this?" Muriel asked, taking a sip from a glass.

"Champagne Orange Juice, I think they're called Mimosas," Andrea said.

"It's wonderful!" Tom said, after he tried it. Although the triplets
were dressed, Tom and Muriel felt no discomfort over the fact that they
were nude. Muriel's breasts hung invitingly before her. "Excuse me a
moment," Tom said, slipping out to the bathroom. After he returned
Muriel made a trip of her own. On her return she pulled each of the
triplets into a warm kiss good morning.

"Thank you for breakfast and a wonderful night last night," Muriel told
them, hugging all three simultaneously.

"Our pleasure. We enjoyed ourselves very much," Alice said.

"I hope so. I fear I wasn't up to what you're used to," Tom said.

"You did very well. Very well indeed. You made love four times and I
have a pretty good idea that you did it four more times yesterday. So
you did great," Amy said.

"You *know* I made love four times yesterday. I'm sure," Tom giggled.

"Not at all. What you did with the others was between you and them. We
don't usually talk about such things between one another," Andrea said.

"Even with your husband?" Muriel asked.

"No, I'm sure he's pretty sure that both of you made love with me last
night. But he wouldn't ask and I wouldn't tell. Not that it would
matter. I know he doesn't mind. Just like I don't mind that he was with
Sally and Shannon last night. I'm just glad he had company. I like to
keep him happy," Andrea said.

"You have a very understanding relationship," Muriel said.

"We both knew that's the way it would be long before we ever got
married. We both took for granted that both Amy and Alice would be
sharing our bed. The others too," Andrea said.

"I was quite looking forward to the view of your lovely bodies this
morning. But I will always have the memory of last night," Muriel
mused. The triplets were sitting on the foot of the bed. They looked at
each other and grinned. They stepped off the bed and stripped off their
tube tops and shorts and then climbed back and sat cross legged on the
foot again, facing the startled couple.

"How's that?" Amy asked.

"Lovely," Tom said.

"Yes, quite lovely. You seem very open about your bodies," Muriel said.

"We didn't used to be, when we was married to Nick. We tried to keep
covered up so he wouldn't want more. But since we've been here, it's
different. People here like looking at bodies. And not just to make
love to, although I wouldn't call what Nick did making love," Amy said.

"I noticed in the hot tub that all the women and even some of the men
are either trimmed or shaved totally. Doesn't that itch?" Tom asked.

"A little, at first. That's why we just trim the front. You get used to
keeping the rest shaved. We do each other. The first little while it's
also exciting as hell. The first time you feel skin to skin contact
there," Alice said.

"I'll bet. I wouldn't mind trying that myself," Muriel said.

"We'd be happy to show you how. You have to be careful you don't nick
yourself. *That* hurts," Amy said.

"I just may take you up on that. You wouldn't mind, would you, dear?"
Muriel asked Tom.

"Not a bit. It sounds very sexy. I might even agree to a trim myself,"
Tom said, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Ah.. I noticed last night that all three of you have some kind of
white marking between your legs. If you don't mind my asking, is that
some sort of birthmark?" Muriel asked. All three sort of dropped their
eyes.

"No, we don't mind too much. That's where Nick put his mark on us when
we was younger. He tattooed us using a needle and ink. After John got
our freedom for us, we wanted it off. We didn't feel comfortable with a
strange doctor looking at us there, so John read up in some medical
books and used a laser to remove it. He said it would leave a white
mark, but it's better than what it was," Andrea said.

"This Nick sounds like a real asshole. How old were you when he did
that?" Tom said.

"Yeah, that pretty much describes him. We was not quite thirteen. We
just got our first periods," Alice said.

"You know that's not proper discussion during a meal," Amy chided.

"That's okay. I don't mind," Tom said, "Thirteen... or almost? He was
an asshole. How did you happen to get married so young?"

"He traded a tractor for us. We was orphans. Our Ma died when we was
born. Our Pa lit out a little while later, we never knew him. We was
just passed around from family to family. I guess we was more trouble
than we was worth. We got to be pretty wild. We was living with an old
couple and I guess we was too much for them. That's when Nick traded
the tractor for us," Andrea said.

"That's horrible! Trading humans like cattle!" Muriel gasped.

"Not the first time that's happened. Especially out in the country.
People used to trade for brides all the time," Amy said.

"You say that John got your freedom for you... After he rescued you
from the blizzard, I guess. How did he do that?" Tom asked.

"He traded a snowmobile, a sports car, a truck and a new tractor for
us. Nick tried to back out of the deal and John put a gun up his nose.
John says that he doesn't own us, that no human should ever own
another. But he's always going to own our hearts," Alice said.

"I can understand that. John's a very special man. You say he put a gun
up Nick's nose?" Muriel said.

"So we hear. We wasn't there, Cindy was. But I understand that when he
went back the next day to drop off the snowmobile, that Nick was drunk
and moved to shoot John with his rifle. Cindy said that John had his
pistol out and pointing between Nick's eyes before Nick could blink.
Then he shot a hole between the tangs of a horse shoe out on the barn,
about thirty yards away, just to show Nick what he could do," Amy
answered.

"That's quite a remarkable story," Muriel said, "I can see why you love
John so much."

"Oh, we would anyway. He was the first man we enjoyed sex with. We kind
of feel like he made us women for real. He wasn't like Nick at all. He
was tender and loving. We didn't have a clue that we *could* actually
enjoy sex until we was here," Alice said.

"I notice that your speech has changed. You sound more like country
girls," Tom said.

"That happens for some reason when we talk about the old days. We
didn't have much learning. We couldn't read or write when we first came
here. John insisted that we get good educations. Everybody has been
good about that. Sheila started off giving us reading lessons right
away. Everybody's helped us. We passed our GED's last year. More
coffee?" Andrea asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you, Andrea," Muriel said. Andrea filled their cups
and then returned to her alluring position at the end of the bed.

"I wish we had more citizens like John and the others here. I was
shocked when I saw the statistics on illiteracy," Tom said, finishing
up his last bite of biscuit. Muriel daubed her mouth with a napkin and
then placed it on her plate. Taking her coffee, she snuggled to Tom's
side, enjoying the view at their feet.

"Had enough? There's more biscuits," Alice asked.

"No, thank you. I'm quite full. It was marvelous," Muriel said.

"How about you, Tom?" Amy asked.

"No, thank you. I'm quite stuffed myself. Best breakfast I've had in
years," Tom replied. Amy and Alice moved to cart their plates back to
the dumb waiter and fold down the trays. Tom and Muriel retained their
coffee mugs. The young women then climbed onto the bed next to them and
Andrea scooched up between them.

"We know you had plenty of loving last night and yesterday, but we'd be
happy to shower with you," Alice said.

"That's very kind of you to offer. But I haven't really used the
bathroom yet," Tom said, blushing a bit.

"So go do that now. We'll be happy to keep Muriel company. John made
the fan in there just noisy enough to give you some privacy," Andrea
said.

"Thank you. I think I'll take you up on your offer," Tom said. He
kissed Muriel deeply. She returned the kiss warmly.

"That's nice. You sure are a loving couple. You seem to fit together
very well," Andrea said.

"We weren't always so loving. I think we've grown much closer since
we've met you folks," Muriel said, kissing Tom once more.

"Yes and I *quite* like that fact. Have fun. I love you," Tom said,
stealing another kiss before he slipped out, taking his coffee mug with
him. Two of the triplets moved in to snuggle to Muriel's side. The
other crawled up and snuggled against her breasts.

"I'm quite pleased with that fact myself, and I could get quite used to
this sort of treatment," Muriel said, caressing Andrea's shoulder.

"You have a good husband. Not like our first one at all. He's more like
John. You're lucky," Andrea said.

"You have a good husband yourself. I guess that you others are a little
jealous of that," Muriel said.

"Not at all. She's quite generous in sharing him. Besides, I'm working
on my own. We still need to find one for Alice though... I mean,
besides John," Amy said.

"Besides John?" Muriel asked, confused.

"Yes, John said he'd marry all of us. Something called a line
marriage," Amy answered.

"Oh, I didn't know that. I guess it fits with the family's life style.
Who's this one you're working on, Amy?" Muriel asked.

"His name is Jim. He's in the Army. Bill had him assigned to guard the
Silo while we were at your house. I met him when I got back, but he got
reassigned. We write letters by E-mail," Amy said.

"Really. I guess that's the modern way. I know what a long distance
relationship can be like. Tom and I went together for a year before we
were married. We used to talk on the phone every night. So what does..
Jim do in the Army?" Muriel asked.

"He's a Ranger. But he's about to get out. He wants to go to college,"
Amy said.

"A Ranger. My, that's some catch. I'll bet he's quite a man," Muriel
said.

"He's pretty good. He needs some lessons in stamina though," Amy said.
Muriel busted out laughing. "What?" Amy asked.

"Oh, just the idea that an Army Ranger would need lessons in stamina. I
suspected you women were taking it easy on us last night," Muriel
chuckled.

"We didn't want to embarrass Tom. He did pretty good, but it takes time
to learn things. We know that. We didn't know ourselves at one time.
We've built up what we can do over time. There's no shame in what
either of you did. You were both pretty good," Amy said.

"Well, I want to be great. If you'll teach me?" Muriel asked.

"No time like the present," Andrea said, setting Muriel's coffee mug
aside. She kissed her deeply and then began to move down as the other
two moved in from the sides. When Tom returned, he found his wife in
the throes of her third orgasm. He sat down on the end of the bed to
watch, but Amy grabbed his hand and drug him up and gave him a lesson
in how to please his wife. Tom was eager to learn. He learned a lot in
the next little while. More than he'd ever guessed could be done.
Afterwards he practiced on the triplets while Muriel slipped out to
deal with her bathroom needs. Then they all showered together.

"John said you should dress comfortably," Alice said, selecting clothes
for them out of the wardrobe while the others toweled them dry and did
Muriel's hair. Muriel got packaged in some silver spandex shorts and a
tube top. She looked -and felt- terrific. Tom got dressed in a sweat
shirt and some shorts. Terry topped slippers completed their wardrobe.

"When you're up to it, we can scan you both for some real clothes," Amy
said.

"That's right. I remember from the tour that you have a scanner here,"
Tom said.

"Yeah, the prototype. It's a lot more fun than the new machines.
Sometimes we scan each other just for fun. It makes you really horny,"
Alice giggled.

"I can see why you say when we're up to it," Muriel said, still a
little dazed.

"Oh, you folks are doing great, for only your second day here," Andrea
said.

"Shall we join the others?" Amy asked.

"Yes, I'm quite sure they wonder where we are," Tom said.

"Oh, I think they understand. John said to let you sleep as long as you
wanted, but you were up pretty early anyway, compared to some. We tend
to keep pretty late nights around here. Some folks don't get up till
afternoon sometimes," Alice said. They headed upstairs. Indeed, some
were just entering the kitchen for breakfast. Others still hadn't made
an appearance.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" John asked, kissing Muriel good morning.

"Yes, quite well indeed," Muriel replied.

"Surprisingly well," Tom said, receiving a warm kiss from Cindy.

"Not too surprising I'll bet. I know them three better than that,"
Cindy chuckled. Tom blushed a bit and nodded, grinning.

"I'm glad you had a nice time," Cindy said, stealing another kiss. She
then moved to Muriel and treated her the same. Andrea moved onto Bill's
lap and kissed him good morning. Sally and Shannon kissed Tom on the
way out.

"We're just going for a morning workout, care to join us, Muriel?"
Sally asked.

"Yes, that sounds nice. -If I can still walk-," Muriel said. She kissed
her husband warmly before she slipped out.

"I guess I'd better go get my morning briefing. I'll bet they're
chewing nails topside," Tom said. "Mind if I use the solarium as a
temporary office?"

"*Mi casa, Tu casa*. My home is your home," John said, "Don't let them
spoil a good night's rest."

"I won't," Tom said, taking his leave. He snagged another cup of coffee
and rode the elevator up. The secret service was a little surprised by
his attire. He ignored them as he flagged his national security advisor
who had been waiting for him. He settled back on a chaise with his
coffee while he listened to the events of the world over the past day
and night. The burden of the Presidency descended once more on his
shoulders.

The world had been incredibly kind to him overnight. There were some
minor squabbles in Latin America, as usual. A minor uprising in Sri
Lanka over religious differences, a flood in China and an earthquake in
Azerbaijan. He ordered aid sent to both the latter and an eye kept on
the previous. Overtures of a new friendship had been made from the
Russians in the wake of the espionage fiasco that the Silo residents
had facilitated. He ordered SecState to fly over and meet with them to
see how serious they were. He signed some minor legislation, vetoed one
poorly written bill and was free a mere two hours after he went
topside. He was tense as a rock when he descended once again. He
carried his coffee cup with him, much to the amusement of the secret
service who couldn't fathom a President bussing his own dishes. He sat
down at the table and rubbed his eyes a bit.

Candice and Jimbo were there along with Mae, Judy and their men and
Sheila. Candice came around and rubbed Tom's shoulders.

"You're as tense as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking
chairs," Candice said, rubbing the kinks out of his shoulders. Tom
moaned slightly and chuckled.

"Part of the job, I fear," Tom said, wearily. Jimbo was studying him,
realizing the truth of Candice's words from the night before.

"Perhaps a good hot tub would be best for him, love," Jimbo said.
Candice smiled broadly at her man.

"Yes, I think you're right. It's the hot tub for you, Tom," Candice
said, pulling him to his feet.

"I think I'll join you," Mae said.

"You go ahead. Steve and I are having a nice chat about flying," Scott
said.

"I never realized what it must be like to hold that office. The change
in him between earlier and just now," Jimbo said, after they left.

"It must be hell," Scott said.

"I'm sorry I was begrudging of him a little recreation yesterday,"
Jimbo said.

"It took us all a little time to get used to things here, Jimbo,"
Sheila said.

"Thank you. I'm learning... slowly," Jimbo said, hanging his eyes.

"I think you could use a little recreation yourself. Care to join me?"
Sheila offered. Jimbo looked up at her and then around the table. Steve
and Scott weren't paying the slightest attention to him, or seeming not
to. Judy smiled at him and jerked her head towards Sheila in
encouragement.

"Yes, I'd like that," Jimbo said. Sheila led him off for a lesson in
family. Judy kissed Steve deeply and followed behind.

Sally walked on the treadmill listening to the grunts behind her. She
was grinning to herself. She'd used the view of someone on the
treadmill many times to inspire her to further feats of strength and a
few more repetitions on the weight machines. She had quite a sweat
going for herself. Muriel was spellbound at the sight before her.
Sally's shapely backside striding purposefully nowhere. The thin
spandex shorts hugged her buns like a second skin. In fact they were
spun to her exact measurements. Muriel pushed again at the weight
machine. Sally decided to give her a break.

"That's plenty. You don't want to make yourself too stiff," she said,
stopping the treadmill and stepping off. Muriel pushed for one more
lift on the machine and then lay back panting. Sally came up and
lovingly daubed the sweat from her forehead and face.

"I guess I was inspired," Muriel said, breathlessly. Sally chuckled.

"That's why I stopped. You've had enough. I've used that sight many
times myself as inspiration. I find it quite flattering that you were
inspired so," Sally said. Muriel blushed a bit.

"You have one of the loveliest backsides on the planet. The front side
is most appealing as well," Muriel said.

"Thank you. You are quite appealing yourself. Both from the front and
back. Shannon and I were quite enjoying the view while you were on the
treadmill," Sally giggled.

"I have nothing to compare with you two," Muriel said.

"I don't think she realizes just how lovely she is," Shannon said.

"No, I don't think she does. I think we should shower and show her,"
Sally said, kissing a drop of perspiration from Muriel's forehead.

"I think you are both just being kind," Muriel said.

"She really doesn't have a clue! To hell with the shower," Sally said,
lifting her top off. She moved over Muriel on the weight machine and
lifted her top over her breasts. Then lay to merge her own with them.

"Oh, I'm all sweaty," Muriel protested.

"This is good clean sweat, not unwashed body sweat. It's sexy," Sally
said, bending to kiss Muriel deeply. Muriel found she didn't have a
shred of resistance in her. Her arms moved first around Sally's neck
and then her hands found her lovely breasts. Shannon stripped off her
outfit and then came and tugged both their shorts off. She spread
several large towels out on a large mat and guided the pair to them.
Then joined in herself. Indeed Muriel found the sweat wasn't the
slightest distraction. In fact it added a bit of spice to her
enjoyment. She tried applying some of the lessons she had learned from
the triplets and Cindy. She was amply rewarded. Later she lay caressing
the stunning redheads breasts. She leaned over and softly licked a
nipple. It responded to her attention and she found herself pleased
over the response.

"You are either a very fast learner, or a born natural," Sally said.

"I fear I am neither, but I'm most eager to learn," Muriel said.

"What do you think, Shannon? Ready for phase two lessons?" Sally said,
pulling Muriel up against her body.

"Yes. I think she's quite ready. Start in the shower?" Shannon
responded, caressing Muriel's backside.

"Yes, I think so," Sally said, kissing Muriel deeply.

"I'm your willing pupil," Muriel said. Sally and Shannon helped her up
and guided her into the shower. There they washed her body lovingly
with their own and gave her a *cat bath* too. Not missing a spot.
Muriel was wobbly as they guided her to a bedroom, caressing her as
they walked.

There were several wide shelves under the water in the hot tub that
John had designed with the express purpose of holding two people, one
in front of the other. Candice sat behind Tom and rested him back
against her breasts while she rubbed his shoulders. Judy massaged his
legs, arms and chest. Rubbing her own ample assets up against him. The
bubbling water buffeted the tenseness from his body.

"Wish I could take you two and this tub back with me, you've got me
feeling quite human again," Tom said, his eyes closed.

"I'll say," Judy giggled, running her hands over his erection.

"That part I find quite amazing. I've made love eight times in the past
twenty-four hours," Tom mused.

"Awe, poor baby, is that all?" Judy chuckled, moving to straddle his
lap.

"I fear I'm not up to your normal standards around here," Tom mused,
groaning a bit as Judy impaled herself.

"I was teasing. Eight times is quite admirable for a novice," Judy
said, moaning a bit herself. She moved slowly. She was tight enough
that it helped keep the water from rinsing away her natural lubricants.
Even so it was a hindrance.

"I know I'm a novice. But I'm learning," Tom said. Judy kissed Candice
deeply over Tom's shoulder before responding.

"That's what we're here to cure," she said, guiding him out of the
water and over to a chaise. Candice followed along. They lay him down
and toweled him off. Candice keeping him in readiness with her warm
mouth. Judy rubbed baby oil on him and then on herself. Candice helping
her with the latter while maintaining her focus on Tom. When both were
well oiled, Judy moved over him again. After impaling herself once
more, she rubbed her body all over him while Candice rubbed oil on her
back and her own front. Then she used her body to rub Judy's back as
she moved between them.

They carefully guided Tom to the edge again and again. Not letting him
slip over. Tom caressed their slick bodies with his hands as they
moved. After a time Judy sat up and guided Candice around over Tom's
head. He applied the lessons he had learned that morning to pleasing
Candice. Again and again they brought him to the edge, holding him
there mercilessly. In the process each woman experienced several deep
orgasms. Then they changed places.

They moved together rubbing their slick breasts over each other's as
they kissed and bounced above Tom. After they had experienced several
more orgasms apiece, Judy moved aside and let Candice and him move
freely, moving behind Candice and cupping her breasts as she bounced
away on his hips. She brought him to the edge once more and held him
there awhile. Then she let him slip back just a bit before heading into
the home stretch. Judy letting Candice have the honor as she had
started on the pill the month before. Judy still concerned about
pregnancy herself.

Their orgasm was deep and mutually satisfying. Candice laying forward
atop him and rubbing her breasts on his chest as they both cooled down.
Afterwards the women guided Tom to the large communal shower and used
their bodies to wash the oil from his body. Tom got another erection,
but they left him unmolested... almost. Each taking a last turn sucking
him into their warm mouths. They left it at that. The women each kissed
him deeply after toweling him and themselves off.

"I trust you are feeling less tense?" Candice chuckled.

"Much. Thank you, both of you," Tom said. The triplets announced lunch
over the intercom. Candice and Judy went off in search of different
outfits, as they had led Tom into the water before disrobing. Tom
encountered Muriel in the elevator. He swept her into his arms and
kissed her passionately.

"My, such passion... I can taste why," Muriel giggled.

"As can I," Tom said, descending for a second taste. Afterwards he
hugged her tightly to him. She found herself hugging back just as hard.
"I love you," he said softly in her ear.

"And I love you, dear. I wish we had been able to feel this way years
ago," Muriel said, quivering in his arms.

"I'm just glad we're learning it now," Tom said, kissing her tenderly
again. The kiss was as soft and tender as either had known. It grew in
depth and then ended softly once more.

"I'm quite pleased with that myself," Muriel said, hugging herself to
him. They walked into the kitchen arm in arm, smiling broadly.

"My, there's a happy couple," Theresa mused.

"How was your morning?" Cindy asked.

"Outstanding," both replied, together. They broke into laughter with
the rest of the crowd. They seated for lunch.

"The triplets thought something different for lunch might be nice. They
have an invention called *Taco Salad* and some wonderful enchiladas,"
John said.

"Sounds great," Tom said, "We both love Mexican food."

"Well, with so many tastes around here, we usually make it mild and
then let everybody spice to their own tolerance levels. Beware that
green sauce," Cindy chuckled.

"Care for a Zantac first?" John asked.

"Thanks, yes," Tom said. John handed an unopened package to Tom, who
tore it open and selected one without concern. John ate one himself and
passed the package around the table.

"Corona or soda?" John asked.

"Corona sounds nice," Tom said.

"I also have an excellent beer from Mazatlan called Pacifico if you're
feeling adventurous," John said.

"It really is good," Sheila said, "One of those for me, please."

"Yes, me too, please," Cindy said.

"Yes, I'll try one," Tom said.

"Me too, please," Muriel said. John loaded up with a six pack of each
and set them on the table, opening those orders already placed and a
Pacifico for himself.

"Who's for coolers?" Theresa asked. The triplets raised their hands.
"Sodas?" she asked.

"Pepsi", "Diet Coke," "Diet Dr. Pepper," came in response.

"Anything else?" Theresa asked.

"Is there any of that wine left?" Mae asked.

"Um... some Beringer White Zin," Theresa replied.

"That'll do fine, I'll come over, you've got load enough," Mae replied.
Theresa carted a four pack of coolers to the table along with the
sodas.

"Two please, if there's enough, Mae," Judy said, coming in on the tail
end of things.

"Sure, what to drink, Candice?" Mae asked.

"Is there enough wine for three? If not I'll have a beer," Candice
replied.

"Just, yes," Mae said, pouring two more glasses and twisting the bottle
like she was wringing it out. Tom and Muriel chuckled over the gesture.
The others had seen it before, except Jimbo, who laughed.

"This is such a wonderful family. Just like Thanksgivings when I was a
girl. I'm having a marvelous time," Muriel said.

"We're quite enjoying your company too, Muriel. Both of you," Cindy
said. The triplets carried plates two at a time to the table, with two
enchilada's and a pile of Taco Salad on each.

"Oh, my. That's a lot," Muriel said.

"Eat what you like. We feed John the scraps," Alice joked.

"Did you leave any in my bowl?" John asked.

"No, maybe next meal you'll get lucky," Amy said, placing a plate
before him and scratching behind his ear..

"Thank you, love. If the Zantac's got a good enough head start, please
pass the green stuff," John said. Muriel realized she was closest and
beamed happily as she passed the hot sauce. Jimbo caught it and smiled.
Then smiled broadly at Candice sitting next to him. She squoze his hand
and kissed his cheek.

"This is great," Tom said, trying the Taco salad.

"Thanks. Easy to make too; just dice up some lettuce and tomatoes, add
shredded cheese, ground beef, Nacho Cheese chips and toss with thousand
island dressing," Amy said.

"I'm not sure the chefs know how to cook ground beef, and I'm sure they
never heard of Nacho cheese chips, but I'm sure they'll learn when I
tell them Tom and I like it. I seldom hear that kind of response from
him," Muriel chuckled.

"So what's on for this afternoon, John?" Tom asked.

"Well, I think the Second Skin ladies have a powwow scheduled. I was
going to go over the housing project plans with Bill. You're welcome to
sit in on either. Or I think there's another game on today if you'd
like. Oh Steve, could I commission your helicopter for later? I've
given Andrea and Bill a piece of land out by the mountains as a wedding
present. Kevin and Theresa too, for that matter, but Andrea and Bill
haven't picked theirs yet. You and Judy, Jimbo and Candice and Mae and
Scott need to pick out a spot too. After the Second Skin meeting?" John
asked.

"Sure. Be glad to. No need to commission it to give me a piece of
land," Steve said.

"No, we've cost you quite enough time. You'd be hauling paying loads if
it wasn't for us. Better take it as I know Judy has expensive tastes,"
John chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind trying my hand on a stick again. Just to make sure I
haven't lost it," Kevin said.

"That's right. I forgot you were a chopper pilot. Sure. I don't mind.
I'm sure you're okay as a pilot," Steve said.

"Excellent. Over six thousand hours non-fixed wing. I made the error of
telling him to scare the ants once. I think it was a toss up between
the ants and myself who was more scared," Bill said.

"Hell, I could use a good pilot like you right now," Steve said.

"Unfortunately, Uncle Sugar hold my ticket for a while," Kevin said.

"I'd take the job if I was you, seeing as how project SFB is officially
over with. You're due to be mustered out. With full retirement, of
course," Bill said.

"What's SFB stand for?" Muriel asked.

"Shit For Brains," Tom chuckled.

"A term I stole from Sheila. She applied it to a comely lass that
served us the night I met her," John said.

"Is that where you got that from?" Sheila asked, "I remember that quite
clearly. Yes, she was lovely, and *brainless*," she giggled.

"I thought it applied quite nicely to the folks who were stupid enough
to be watching *us*," John chuckled.

"Well, as a result of that, the Russians are making overtures for a new
level of friendship. SecState should be landing there in a few hours,"
Tom said.

"That's nice. I hope it turns out well," John said.

"I think it will. They could use a bunch of help over there. They're
having a hard time of things. No infrastructure for commerce. They
don't have the shipping facilities to support free trade," Tom said.

"You ought to link them up with the old-boy network. Judy got six five-
hundred pound crates shipped across the county to Shannon's estate in
eight hours. I was floored," Sheila said.

"Old-boy network?" Tom asked.

"Why don't you explain it, Steve? As I'm certain that you linked Judy
into it," John said.

"It was nothing really. I knew Charley Shields had a Sikorski Sky crane
in the area setting new ski lift towers at one of the resorts outside
Salt Lake City. I got him on the phone for the pickup. Then I got Ben
Travis of Travis Air freight on the phone and had him hold his ten-
thirty flight to La Guardia. I knew he'd know the best trucking company
to deal with back east, so I asked him to arrange for shipping and
unload on the other end," Steve said.

"Yes, they were marvelous. They put the crates right where we wanted
them and unpacked them for us. Then positioned the machines where we
wanted them," Shannon said.

"And that's how America really runs, Tom. Steve got a part for his
helicopter from Atlanta overnight on that same night. I have no doubt
that every day, in a thousand different professions, that men who have
been in the business for years pick up a phone and call somebody else
they know have been in the business for years and get things done
quickly. Every time that things need to be done in a hurry," John said.

"Yes, I can see that. How did you get your part overnight from
Atlanta?" Tom asked.

"I just told my Mechanic I needed it. He got on the phone and called
around till he found one. He found one with a friend of his in Atlanta.
He had him put it on a flight to Salt Lake City. It was a commercial
flight. He gave the Pilot a bottle of scotch to carry the part on board
as carry on. The pilot actually collected another bottle of scotch from
us when he dropped it off to my mechanic," Steve said. Candice and Mae
giggled, looking at Jimbo.

"I think Scotch may well fuel our economy," Jimbo mused.

"Tell me Steve, could you put together a list of names of people you
know in the shipping business? Good companies. People you know can get
things done," Tom asked.

"Sure, glad to. Ben Travis would be high on that list. So would Charley
Shields. Why, may I ask?" Steve asked.

"Because I want to put together a business commission. Not stuffy
industry analysts who haven't gotten their hands dirty in years, but
people who actually know how to get things done. I want to help the
Russians with their problem. Because the more stable we can make their
economy, the more stable and secure the world will be," Tom said.

"That's a good idea. May I suggest something?" John asked.

"Certainly," Tom replied.

"That you include the lumber, steel, copper, aluminum, oil, plastics,
chemical, construction, pipe fitting, utilities, electronics, heavy
equipment and banking industries," John said.

"Go for their whole infrastructure? What about automotive?" Tom asked.

"No, I don't think so. That industry is heavily unionized and stagnant.
You won't find many innovations there. But you might take a look at up
and coming retailers. Stay away from the old stagnant ones," John said.

"Why don't you tell me your thoughts on the matter? Just say what just
went through your mind," Tom invited.

"Okay... Well, their whole problem is that they don't have a clue how
to deal with capitalism. They're paying off their workers in aircraft
parts and toasters. One; they need a total overhaul of the banking
system. Establish it from the ground up. Start with a central bank
backed by real value, such as precious metals. Then establish branches
to support each industrial area. Then work on suppliers of raw
materials, the shipping to get them to manufacturers, the manufacturing
industries, the shipping to get them to their distributors, and the end
users. The end users is one of the harder parts, but a solid banking
industry that people have faith in will help that a lot.

"In the meantime, the manufacturers sell their goods on the
international market. This brings money into the country. The *real*
banking industry also attracts outside investment. Currently they have
no rate of exchange. That's a good start. But don't do it based upon
the current money. Nobody has any faith in that. Let the new banking
system issue its own currency. You can establish sliding rates of
exchange between that and the old system, but limit the size of the
transactions so the new bank doesn't get stuck with a bunch of
worthless capital.

"Essentially you're starting a parallel economic system. As the country
begins to recover, the new industries are based upon the new economic
system. You can refer to some distant discontinuance of the old system,
but keep it distant, refer to it in terms of decades, plural. If you
set a solid date there would be a run on the banks the would spoil the
whole system. When you establish the banking system, don't bring in
economists. They haven't got a clue. Bring in real banking and
securities people and international bankers. Talk to the people from
the commodity's market too.

"As their economy begins to prosper, their local demand for their own
product will grow. That's where the retailers come in. I suspect that
there's a real hunger for good commodities there now, but it won't work
based upon their current banking system," John said.

"What about food?" Tom asked.

"Get suggestions from people in the business here. Deal with the
farmers co-ops, the food warehouse distributors and the large grocery
chains. Better yet, the associated food companies. They have
independently owned markets that they supply as part of their
association. There again you're back to your shipping companies.

"One of the problems is going to be their shortage of skilled truckers
and such. For that I recommend their military. They have quite a number
of skilled heavy equipment operators. That's probably also a good
source for the heavy construction industries. But don't just draft them
for their current government pay. Base their pay on the new banking
system and judge their performance just like we do ours. Either they do
the job right, or they're back into the military or at least out of a
job. In order to make the new banking system an attractive alternative,
put a retail outlet next to each bank branch. Stock it with real goods
and only accept new bank currency. Once people get the idea that there
are real goods available only for the new bank currency, they'll go out
of their way to get onto the new system, e.g. get a job with the new
industries," John said.

"You sound like you've given this a lot of thought," Tom said,
finishing his enchiladas.

"Some. I've sort of been thinking about it since *peristroika*. Or
however you say that. At one time I would have loved to go there and
help with their electronics industry. I was once connected with a used
test equipment outfit that used to ship them a lot of Silicon valley
surplus.

"Funny, I talked to a guy from Argentina once in the San Francisco
airport while I was connected with them. When I told him what I did, he
asked me about buying all manner of equipment. Turned out he was some
sort of minister in charge of procurement. I told him we would be happy
to supply him with whatever he needed as long as it was on the state
department list of approved exports. I never heard back from him. What
he wanted was the stuff not on the list," John said.

"Any number of people would have taken the bait. You probably could
have made a large amount of money," Tom said.

"Not and lived with myself. I figured the world situation was unstable
enough without contributing to it. There's usually one area that
requires that level of technology, that's defense electronics. At least
that's the biggest area. But I think it's silly to restrict technology
that is freely available from other countries. For example that old
oscilloscope I have down on my bench. It was made in nineteen-sixty-
four. But it's fast enough that I still couldn't sell it out of the
country. But you can buy an equivalent piece of equipment from the
French, the Germans or the Japanese. That only hurts our economy while
not helping to restrict the technology at all," John said.

"I'd sure like to have you as an advisor. Would you consider a spot on
the commission I want to put together?" Tom asked.

"Only in an advisory capacity. Not as a seat on the commission," John
said.

"No way I can draft you?" Tom asked.

"I'm *5-A*. I've done my time," John chuckled. Tom sighed and took a
last sip of his beer.

"Really is quite a good beer," he commented.

"Yeah, I discovered it when I went down to see the Total eclipse back
in '91," John said.

"I'll bet that was fun," Muriel said.

"It was. I wouldn't recommend Mazatlan in July to anybody, it was a
hundred degrees and the humidity was just a few points lower. But I
wouldn't have missed it for the world. I knew about the eclipse years
before, and I wanted to be in La Paz. But somehow the time flew by and
next thing I knew it was a month away. They were all booked up. I was
talking to an old astronomer friend and he had a deal where we caught a
train out of Nogales and traveled by rail down the coast to Mazatlan.
It was only two-hundred bucks, which included two nights' accommodation
in Mazatlan. I said to sign me up.

"We rode in his motor home down to Tucson and left it at the house of a
friend of his, who joined us with his wife. We all took a greyhound
down to Nogales. I guess there was about a dozen of us. The train was
about five hours late pulling out of Nogales. I smoked at the time. I
spent most my time out in the vestibule. Mostly because inside the car
was horrid. They had been nice enough to steam clean the cars in
Nogales. All that humidity just added to the heat. The windows wouldn't
open. The air conditioners didn't work. The bathrooms were hardly more
than an elbow pipe hanging under the cars. There was no water in them.
You could buy beer or sodas cheap enough from the conductors. I think
they ran it as a side business.

"Several times during the night, the train slowed to dead crawl. The
next day I found out why. I happened to be out in the vestibule during
one of the slowdowns. I looked out the window and found the train going
over a washout. About six to eight feet of track, unsupported with no
ties between them. It would have been easy to derail the train at any
one of them. I'll give them this, though. They seemed to know where
every one of them were.

"The conductors would go around with trash bags gathering empty cans
and Styrofoam containers from the lunch they served. Then they would
walk to the vestibule and dump them out the window. The whole rail line
was one long garbage dump all the way to Mazatlan. The room was okay.
Better than I expected. They wouldn't take our Telescopes or camera's
into the hotel safe, too big. So I ended up stuffing mine under my bed.
I don't think anybody lost anything from theft. I didn't mind the
lizards on the wall after I turned the bathroom light on the first
night. They were there to eat... La cooka rocha.... Which is more than
need be said about that.

"Bartering for everything was fun. I bought a silver necklace that got
to be less silver colored every time I took a shower. I also bought a
tourist hat and a Pacifico Tank top. I needed it in that heat. The
eclipse itself was incredible. It got dark enough the outside lights at
the hotel kicked on. That burned a few folks. But it was incredible.
There was a three-hundred-sixty degree sunset. Everywhere you looked
was red sky. I mis-loaded the camera I had on the telescope, so the
only picture I have of the actual eclipse was one I snapped with a 50mm
lens when I was heading for the shore to take a picture of the sunset
out over the bay.

"The meals were pretty good, all in all. I didn't get sick at all. We
found a little place for breakfast run by an American girl who was
living there. They also served incredible fruit drinks. I tempted fate
with those. For dinner we took her recommendations. I wasn't in much of
a mood for far traveling. Two days stuck on the train with my shoes on
and no place to put my feet up had caused my ankles to swell up giant
sized.

"Anyway, there were several small places nearby where you could get a
giant prawn dinner for about ten or twelve bucks. I think the nicest
place in town only charged fifteen. The shrimp were huge. After the
eclipse we went by this one hotel where one of the couples was staying.
It was a high rise. Each room had a narrow balcony with no handrail.
The only rail was a cement ledge about a foot tall. They were on the
fifteenth floor. It would have been *very* easy to fall. I took quite a
few photos of fishing boats out in the bay from the balcony using my
telescope. Those turned out great. I took a look at the beaches, but
there was so much garbage and crap along the shore that I had no desire
to go in.

"Anyway, after the eclipse Mazatlan thinned out quick. We caught a
Volkswagen taxi back to the train station. I remember there were
soldiers at the station carrying M-16's. It reminded me of when we were
on the way into Nogales. I said to everybody in the travel agent's van
that our civil rights had just *vaporized* as we crossed the border.

"The train ride back was mostly without incident. Except the bathrooms
got backed up. Just outside of Nogales they stopped the train and
Federales surrounded it. Mexican DEA agents got on board and looked for
drugs. I remember them feeling up my friend's girlfriend. I don't know
why they chose her. There was this hippie jerk on the train making
comments about the *Gestapo*. I remember thinking how stupid he was,
looking over at this agent that had a *cocked* 9mm automatic pistol in
the back of his pants. These folks were serious! I was afraid that he'd
blow his own ass off and the guys outside would open up on the train.

"Funny, after the raid this jeep pulled up and all the Federales put
their guns in it and then rode away on bicycles. I was glad when we got
back to the border. We took a cab to the crossing. There was a sign
that said to state your name and place of birth and what you had to
declare. I remember walking in and proudly stating USA as my place of
birth. The agent didn't even ask to look at my ID, but asked to look in
the big duffel bag I had my telescope in. I had two tank tops, my hat
and my pseudo silver necklace to declare. We were passed through and
had lunch at a McDonalds where I spent the last of my Pesos.

"Once we were on the greyhound going out of town, people were standing
in the aisles. The border patrol stopped it just short of the city
limit and pulled a dozen or so folks off. This one agent asked me where
I was from. I told him Utah. I guess I drawled right, 'cause he moved
on. Once back in Tucson, we picked up the motor home and headed back.
This put us in Phoenix the next afternoon when it was a hundred and
eight degrees. I was glad I wasn't driving. I just lay in the back and
sweated.

"We made a stop in Flagstaff and got a private tour of the Kitt Peak
observatory, as one of the people with us had landed a job there. That
was kind of fun. Anyway, we drove on back up to Salt Lake City, with
Glen Canyon Dam being the only other notable item. That's my whole
trip. I didn't mean to run on like that," John said.

"No, not at all. I found the whole thing fascinating," Muriel said.

"Yes. Quite so. Hard to believe that such conditions exist just south
of our border," Tom said.

"I thought about that. My friend was talking about the abject poverty
that he saw. I told him that I saw *object* poverty instead. Meaning
objectively, not material objects. Of the kids I saw, none were
malnourished, although I'm sure there were some, but that's true in
America. What I saw mostly was people hustling to make a living any way
they could. I mean, in the towns along the train, people would line up
when the train pulled in and sell their goods to the passengers on the
train. There were little food stands set up at every stop selling tacos
and stuff. You'd look over at a shabby old building with a cantina
sign, and there would be a satellite dish along side it. An old Desoto
wagon became a large private taxicab. But in Mazatlan itself, they were
almost all Volkswagen *Things*.

"It was an educational trip. I remember thinking that I could
revolutionize their whole rail system with a handful of PC's. They were
taking tickets by hand. Their seating charts didn't match the tickets
at all. I got separated from my friends and put in a separate car on
the way back. All because they had double booked my seat and the guy
they put in it wore a suit and I didn't. I figured he was paying his
own price," John mused.

"I find the whole story quite entertaining. I never heard it before.
It's quite interesting hearing tales from your *poorer days*," Cindy
said.

"Seconds? There's plenty more," Alice asked. Jimbo took seconds, so did
John -mainly to encourage others to do so- and Steve.

"I might have a bit more of that Taco Salad, if I may," Tom said.

"Certainly," beamed Alice. "Told you it was good, Cindy."

"Yes, Alice. It's delightful. I'll have a bit more of it myself," Cindy
said. John smiled at her, thinking how she became a bit more maternal
towards the younger women almost daily.

"So. Any other interesting things you did or saw? From your *poorer
days*?" Muriel asked, smirking a bit.

"Oh, a couple. I was in a few places few other people get to see. Once
a long time ago I did a stint as a broadcasting engineer at a top 40
radio station. One day the Sr. engineer and I were wondering about the
local power plant. We called up and told them who we were and asked if
they gave tours. They told us to come on down. Instead of the public
tour, we had a personally guided tour from their public relations
director. He gave us the standard tour and then we asked about the
control room. He got permission and we found ourselves in the main grid
room for the whole Western states. The grid was laid out on a giant
wall display that wrapped around the room. Three guys sat at computer
terminals controlling the whole thing. They were a little nervous that
we were there. They were controlling about fifteen *billion* watts of
electricity from those three terminals. I was quite impressed by that.

"Another time I was working in Silicon Valley. A friend of mine from
Salt Lake called me and told me that the astronomical society had
booked time on the big telescope at Lick observatory. It took them two
years to get an appointment. They had a last minute cancellation. He
asked me if I wanted to go up and look through the big telescope *that
night*. I said the same answer I have for every silly question like
that; *sure*.

"It was awesome. That's where I first saw that ring nebula that I
showed you last night. My little scope does nothing for it, believe me.
Up there the eyepiece I was looking in had an aperture of an inch and a
half in diameter. Then we looked at the Trapezium in the Orion Nebula,
which was outstanding. I can barely image a large fuzzy dot in mine.

"But the thing that blew my socks off, was a globular cluster. A
billion razor sharp points of light on a jet black background in the
eyepiece. It was the most incredible thing I ever saw. The operator
gave us a private tour of the installation. It's quite incredible. He
told us of how an airplane out of Moffit Field had hit the building in
bad weather during W.W.II. He said you could still smell the aircraft
fuel in the dirt beneath the building if you dug a bit.

"Other than that, not many places. Oh, a few transmitting facilities in
several states that the public isn't allowed into. But they aren't very
interesting unless you're into technology," John said.

"It sounds like you've led a very diverse and satisfying life," Tom
said.

"It's certainly been diverse," John chuckled. "As for satisfying, not
that much until I won that lottery and then met the girls."

"Girls?" Muriel asked.

"Sorry, now women. I was referring to Theresa and Cindy," John said.

"How old were they when you met?" Muriel asked.

"Theresa was just a month shy of sixteen. Cindy, when she came, was
just sixteen," John said, squeezing Cindy's hand and smiling at
Theresa.

"Well they've certainly grown into remarkable young women," Muriel
said.

"Yes they have. I'm quite proud of both of them. In fact I'm very proud
of all of them. Not a bad heart in the bunch," John said, a bit misty
eyed.

"Starting with your own," Muriel said.

"Oh, I don't know how true that is. I've had my moments. But I've tried
to do what I thought was best for them. Thank god they didn't listen to
me sometimes," John said.

"Yes, well. I suspect this is getting mushier than John feels
comfortable with. Us ladies have some planning to do, so if you will
excuse us," Cindy said.

"Certainly, love. Thank you," John said, squeezing her hand before
releasing it.

"Yes, certainly. Thank you for a very tasty and entertaining lunch,"
Tom said.

"Muriel, Heather and Shannon have volunteered to hold your hand while
Andrea runs the scanner if you'd like to get a start on your wardrobe,"
Cindy said.

"Yes, that sounds... interesting," Muriel said.

"Oh, don't let them scare you. It's funner than they make it sound,"
Cindy giggled. There were knowing nods and giggles from the women
around the table.

"Yes, to my knowledge Sheila's the only one who actually orgasmed while
being scanned," Theresa said.

"I'm not so sure that's encouraging, Theresa," Cindy giggled. She bent
and kissed John deeply then turned and did the same to Muriel and Tom.
Others came by and did the same. Amy and Alice started clearing the
dishes. Nobody said a word when Muriel jumped up and helped. A quick
scrape and rinse then into the dishwasher. Amy and Alice each pulled
Muriel into an embrace and thanked her with a kiss.

All the Second Skin women headed off to their powwow, for which Cindy
had chosen the recreation room. Amy and Alice among them as Judy's
assistants. John and Bill headed off to review the housing project
plans. Tom tagged along. As quite a few women were taking the elevator,
John chose the stairs. They ended up in his office not far down the
hall from the women. Several new items were displayed on John's office
wall. One, his Medal of Freedom, the other, the five dollar bill from
Tom. Tom chuckled.

"Scotch?" John asked. Bill nodded.

"I shouldn't, but a short one," Tom said. John poured three scotches
and added a couple of cubes of ice to each from a small refrigerator.
He handed them out as Bill spread the plans out on John's large oak
desk. He'd added some matching oak filing cabinets and built a large
oak credenza for behind him. A short wing between them held a state of
the art computer. Along the credenza were a flat bed scanner and a
laser printer. John sat in his chair behind his desk and motioned the
others to chairs as he studied the blueprint.

"How's the sewage treatment and recycle plant coming? Did we get in
under the wire on that?" John asked.

Bill looked a bit uncomfortable, but replied simply, "It's covered."

"Perhaps I don't want to be here," Tom mused.

"Nobody here but us chickens. We'll keep it non-specific enough that
you can feign ignorance in good conscience if anybody should ask," John
said, not looking up. Tom smiled.

"So basically, the utilities are in place and the global landscaping is
done. The entire perimeter of the property is fenced and the streets
are in. All that's lacking is the buildings themselves?" John asked.

"Basically yes, some curb and gutter to finish, but the storm sewer is
in place to keep the streets drained. The foundation for the large
common building -the civic center- is in place. Also the landscaping
for the parks and playground. The park's been planted and the
irrigation system is in place," Bill replied.

"So I have a complete community without any buildings," John said,
sitting back and taking a sip of scotch.

"Yup. That's the picture," Bill said.

"Good. Any suggestions?" John asked.

"Not really. I don't know what you have in mind for housing. You were
talking pretty bleak in reference to the city units," Bill said.

"I think it's needed there. But I'd like this a little better. Not
another *projects* fiasco like they had in Chicago. Make them too bleak
and people won't take care of them. I expect these folks to be here
long enough for job training. I'd like them to have some housing they
want to return to in the evening," John said.

"What sort of job training do you have in mind?" Tom asked.

"Well, I'd like to offer associate of science level of computer and
electronics. But I may consider other options. In computers, I think I
want to concentrate on network and LAN management and repair, rather
than data entry. I need to talk to some local universities about
accreditation. I might even convince them to supply some instructors,
if I can convince them that these are motivated people who want to
change their lives. The other area, is employees for Second Skin. Cindy
said she'd be happy to hire some people for that, but we're going to
have to be highly selective about that. The first employee that draws
her fingers uninvited over a bare ass is going to draw a law suit and
drive away a lot of business," John said.

"I can see that. How are you handling that now?" Tom asked.

"One, rigorous pre-screening. Then driving the idea into their heads
that it's a termination offense, first time. Most of Cindy's employees
have been pretty good about that, as they're making a fair amount of
money. I understand they had to let one woman go for making lewd
remarks to customers though. Cindy personally contacted every person
that employee had waited on and informed them of her termination and
apologized. She also threw in a free outfit," John said.

"You say Cindy's employees, I thought Theresa was listed as half
owner?" Tom said.

"Oh, Theresa's always taken a fairly passive role. Cindy likes what
she's doing. At this point neither of them needs to do it for the
money. That's what we hired Sheila for. We weren't wrong about that. I
think this new expansion is going to put them past the half billion a
year mark. Not bad at all for two years from their first salon," John
said.

"No, not bad at all," Tom said, "So how much of that do you get?"

"Five percent. I wanted three, but they wouldn't hear of it," John
said.

"So if they meet that half billion mark, then you get roughly twenty-
five million a year in royalties on the patent?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, roughly," John said.

"I remember when you said you'd have the money to do this housing
project. I was dubious. You'll have that and then some, per year," Bill
chuckled.

"Yeah, that was our first meeting. I guess I probably came off pretty
egotistical," John chuckled.

"A bit. But you convinced me. Nothing wrong with ego if you can back it
up. You did that, with *style*," Bill chuckled.

"I admit you sounded a bit crazy to me when Bill came to me with the
plan. But it was a relatively small investment for such a big potential
return. And as Bill said, you came through with style," Tom said.

"I'm not so sure about the style part. But overall I'm pleased with how
things turned out. I get my housing project. We got Bianca safely away
and put a nasty mother-fucker in jail, hopefully for a long time. I
care less about the other agents. Without someone like Sergei directing
them, they're just loose wheels without an engine," John said.

"Why John, I never heard you use such language," Bill chuckled, looking
at Tom.

"Doesn't mean I don't know it. In some cases only certain terms fit.
That's one of them. I didn't think I would be offending anyone calling
a spade a spade," John said.

"Not me, I well know those terms myself. I think most adults and
probably *every* adolescent knows them too. But I have noticed a
surprising lack of them in the general speech patterns of... the family
here," Tom said.

"I honestly believe a saying I heard from one of my co-workers -a
friend- in California; That '*profanity is the illiterate person's
means of being emphatic*'. I purposefully never use it around the
triplets. They were open minds when they arrived. I think an open mind
is like a sponge. It sucks up everything around it. If you expose kids
to profanity, they will use it. Not that the triplets are kids. But
they were barely beyond when they arrived," John said.

"I appreciate that, and I thank you for that concerning my wife. It's
hard for me to believe that she was illiterate when she arrived here.
Sometimes she can be quite eloquent now," Bill said.

"Yes, you've done a marvelous job educating them. -And not just their
book learning-. That's a good saying about profanity... and it makes
sense. I never thought of it in that manner before," Tom said.

"I try to remain philosophic about words. Words have the meanings we
assign to them. If you believe a word to be offensive, it will be,
every time you hear it. If you take a term, say; grunt-knucker -which I
just made up- and use it in a certain context it will be interpreted as
obscene. e.g. You dirty grunt-knucker. In another context it would have
no such interpretation. e.g. Hand me that grunt-knucker.

"At one time I looked into the origins of the word *fuck*, thinking it
had derived from 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge', but that turned out
not to be the case. According to Webster's it was related to the Dutch
word *fokken*, which meant 'to breed (cattle)', or from Middle Dutch;
to push, thrust or copulate, or possibly to the Swedish word *fock*,
meaning penis. It was first noted in print around the 1680's, but my
point is that it's lost most connections to its origins or taken on
different meanings. You couldn't say; *What the penis do you want from
me?* It wouldn't make sense. Nor could you say; *What the copulate do
you want from me?* That wouldn't make sense either. You could say; *Do
you want to copulate?* So it has retained some connection in that
usage, but I think it's taken on entirely new meanings as it's used in
normal street vernacular," John said.

"My, an etymologist as well. Quite a Renaissance man," Tom mused.

"I'm certainly no *Erasmus*. But I do like to keep myself well
rounded," John chuckled, "Anyway, back to the housing project, the
treatment plant is fully completed? or just ... covered?"

"Virtually completed. They're were just finishing up the last of the
machinery installation. You still need to add activating agents and
personnel. The recycle side is fairly automated. You feed random
garbage in one end and get aluminum, steel, glass, plastic and raw
paper out the other end. The organics cycle into the sewage treatment
side. There was a question on the best way to handle the plastics. The
Japanese have a new technique that uses high heat to break them down
and turn them into fuel oil -a concept that I found amusing- but it's
still in its infancy, too many nasty byproducts. Seems when they tried
this before they ended up with a fuel that was too caustic.

"Some bright boy got the idea of throwing in a bucket of lime, which
took care of that. But it's still too new. I want to know how many two
headed kids show up in the neighborhood before I'd go for it. Instead
we used a combination of optics, stretch and shatter characteristics to
separate the different types. The nice part of that, is that you can
help streamline the separation by logging any products you carry in the
*company store* into the recycle system. Each product will have unique
optical characteristics. By pre-scanning the product the computers just
look for known signatures and separate accordingly. The rest goes
through the more exotic testing route," Bill said.

"How do you separate the metals?" John asked.

"Several ways. Variable reluctance to magnetic flux, for one. If it's
conductive, it's probably metal, if it's magnetic, it's probably
ferrous based, most likely steel. You might end up with some new
ceramic magnets that are both magnetic and conductive in with your
steel, but I don't see that as a factor. Only so many people are going
to be throwing exotic headphones away in a given year. The majority of
the process starts by running a magnetic belt over the incoming
garbage. Anything steel is attracted to it and is carried off to the
side.

"Then comes the variable reluctance detectors, pulsing a magnetic field
though the garbage. They had some trouble initially with that. It would
read wet chicken bones as a metal because of the electrical conductive
properties of the marrow inside. It's inductive. But they learned it
had a unique signature so they were able to scan for it and ignore it.
The hardest part is separating the paper from the organics. If it's
hard and doesn't match the optical characteristics of plastic, then
it's maybe glass. There again we use optics. Glass is fairly easy to
spot," Bill said.

"Funny about the chicken bones," John chuckled.

"Yeah, thought you'd get a kick out of that," Bill said.

"So tell me -if I want to know- how long would it take this plant to
pay for itself?" Tom asked.

"Way too long. Well beyond the life of the machinery. But that wasn't
the point. It was a research prototype. The lessons learned building it
will be spread from one end of this country to the other. They'll be
applied where it *does* matter, like where you have to deal with the
garbage of a whole city. That was the point," Bill answered.

"I can see that. Lord knows we need to deal with our garbage and we're
not doing a very good job of it," Tom said.

"Mainly it eliminated a garbage dump here. There was a real problem, in
that the water supply was local ground water," Bill said.

"Speaking of which, are my wells capable of flowing that much water?"
John asked.

"Funny time to ask, no! But the two *new* ones will. We drilled down
three hundred feet and then set off a shape charge to bust the strata,"
Bill said.

"Damn good thing you didn't crack my concrete in the process," John
said.

"I think you'll find your concrete tougher than you take it for," Bill
chuckled.

"I have a *very* good idea how tough it is. I drilled every mounting
point for every bolt holding every girder on every floor. I also
enlarged every opening on every floor and drilled a bunch of holes into
the ventilation shafts. I'll wager they will find a goodly amount of
the stuff in my lungs when they autopsy me, should I die mysteriously.
But it's still concrete and it will still crack. The crack doesn't have
to be a linear path for water seepage," John said.

"Actually, these wells will probably eliminate that problem. They will
lower the water table surrounding the Silo, then it won't matter if it
cracks. Your current wells are two-hundred thirty foot, according to
original construction records. That means that the water table would
have to drop over eighty feet to make them ineffective for your use
here, but then you could just tap into the other system. However, if it
drops twenty-five feet, then the Silo is clear of it," Bill said.

"You are forgiven," John said.

"Thanks, I didn't feel guilty," Bill chuckled.

"Well, I guess we've just about covered things then. You've done a
marvelous job, Bill. I'll be sorry to lose you back to Uncle Sugar,"
John said.

"I'm quite pleased to be gaining him for the homeless program," Tom
said.

"You should be. Pardon me for telling you how to feel," John said,
reigning himself in.

"Not at all. I quite understand his value. He *did* work for me when
this all started, you know," Tom chuckled.

"Yes, I know. But I'm not so certain that chasing spooks was his
strongest attribute, although he was very good at that," John said.

"So what do you consider his strongest attribute?" Tom asked.

"His administrative skills. Much as he likes to bitch about that stuff.
He can walk into a given task and see intuitively what needs to be
done, plan how to do it and then direct the actions to get it done,"
John said.

"As long as the task doesn't involve women. There I'm lost," Bill said.

"Spoken like a married man," John chuckled.

"My point exactly. Theresa probably saved my marriage at Camp David.
Andrea got bored, I mean *seriously* bored. I didn't have a clue how to
deal with it. I mean you can only make love so many times in one day -
at least *I* can only do it so many times in one day. The more things I
tried to suggest to entertain her, the more she got pissed off at me
that she was bored. I finally got her to agree to take a walk. We met
Kevin and Theresa on the trail and Theresa simply said; *talk to him.
He's your husband, find out who he is.* Once we got to talking, things
smoothed right out. She even learned to play Hearts and Gin, and
*liked* it," Bill said.

"You didn't talk before?" John asked.

"Not like this. We talked about things in general, I guess, but nothing
serious," Bill said.

"And now you do?" John asked.

"Yup. In depth. Once she got started it was Annie bar the doors," Bill
chuckled.

"So I guess we're basically done here then," John said.

"What now?" Tom asked.

"Well, I'd like to go view the project, but I don't think the secret
service would like it," John said.

"They'll probably shit sideways, but I want to see it too. If you don't
mind too much, it's a good photo-op too, no, scratch that. I'm not
about to put on a suit and tie till I have to," Tom chuckled.

"I doubt they'd let us take Cindy's land cruiser. I guess it's
helicopter," John said.

"We'll take the land cruiser, they can deploy by helicopter if they
feel the urge. Which they undoubtedly will," Tom chuckled.

"Great, I get to show you Cindy's toy. I had it done for myself, but I
promised one each to her and Theresa for getting their GED's...
speaking of which, I guess I owe one to each of the triplets. Hadn't
thought of that," John said.

"I guess I get to show Andrea how to drive. I'm not looking forward to
that," Bill said, rolling his eyes.

"Probably won't be as bad as you think. They were used to tractors and
stuff from the farm. They should deal with a clutch very well," John
said. They headed down the hall to the recreation room. John stepped in
and asked Cindy if he could borrow her cruiser.

"Of course. Where you going?" she asked.

"Out to look at my little community and check out the sewage treatment
plant.. Care to come?" John asked.

"Naw, definitely sounds like a *guy thing* if I ever heard of one,"
Cindy said, chuckling.

"Where's your keys?" John asked.

"On the rack in the kitchen, where they belong," Cindy chuckled.

"Thanks love, we won't be too long," John said, kissing her cheek.

"You're welcome, have fun. Now where was I? *I guess that covers the
training curriculum. Sally, do you feel comfortable with Moore running
the New York Salon or do you think Jean should stay and ride herd...*?"
Cindy said, turning back to the women. John led Bill and Tom up to the
surface. The secret service alert and waiting when the elevator opened.
John wondered if they watched every movement of the elevator. Of course
they would.

"Pete," Tom said to a secret service agent.

"Yes, Mr. President?" Pete responded before Tom could utter another
word.

"We're going to take a little ride out to John's housing project. You
can ride along with us to put your mind at ease. You can send a squad
ahead to check things out, but it's just open space surrounded by miles
of guarded terrain. The only building is the sewage treatment and
recycle facility, which we will be viewing, so you can check that out
before we get there. I don't want agents crawling all over us while
we're out there," Tom finished.

"Yes, Mr. President. We'll be taking the helicopter?" Pete asked.

"No, we'll be riding in the land cruiser outside here," Tom replied.

"Do you think that's a good idea, Mr. President? It hasn't been checked
out yet," Pete said.

"Lighten up, Pete. I'm having a marvelous relaxing time here. If John
wanted to harm me, then there's much better ways of doing it than
blowing up a vehicle he's riding in," Tom chuckled.

"Yes, Mr. President," Pete said, dejected.

"You can run one of those dogs you've got around it once if you hurry,"
Tom said.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Pete said, talking into his lapel. John led
the way out, much to Pete's discomfort. It was a brisk autumn day. John
backed up and snagged them some Second Skin wind breakers off the coat
rack. Handing one to Tom and Bill. Pete would have to fend for himself.
They walked across the compound and John opened up the storage shack.
He busied himself disconnecting the trickle charger and removing the
dipstick heater while the secret service ran a dog around the vehicle.
Not so much as a *whiff*.

"Would you like to take the wheel, Mr. President? I suspect you don't
get much chance to drive. Especially a vehicle as nice as this," John
asked.

"I'd love to. But you call me Mr. President again while I'm here, and
I'll kick you," Tom chuckled.

"Okay, Tom. Just keeping protocol while we were around others," John
said.

"They work for me -although sometimes it seems the other way- you're my
friend. That applies to you as well while we're here, Bill," Tom said.

"Thanks, Tom," Bill replied. Pete looked uncomfortable.

"There's no room for your Military Liaison, Mr. President," Pete
commented.

"If he must come along, put him in the helicopter with your people. He
can get to me soon enough it he needs," Tom said.

"Yes, Mr. President," Pete said, talking into his lapel again.

"Why do you do that? I know your microphone's in your ear piece like
everybody else's," Tom asked.

"Habit, Mr. President. I've been doing this a while," Pete chuckled,
loosening up a bit.

"Yeah, and knowing you, as a diversion in case we all get kidnapped.
Maybe they'd take your coat and leave your ear piece," Tom chuckled.

"Not a bad idea, Mr. President," Pete said seriously.

"If I suddenly see everybody talking in their lapels, then you'll be
chasing copy machine counterfeiters for the rest of your career," Tom
said.

"Yes, Mr. President," Pete moped. They climbed into the land cruiser
and Tom fired it up. The dual mufflers making a pleasing tone. He
carefully backed out of the shack and then turned towards the gate. The
officer with the *football* ran out and jumped into a helicopter and it
lifted and tipped away, preceding them. John tripped the gate opener as
they approached it. It didn't work.

"I'm sorry, Mr. President. We disabled it," Pete said from the back.

"Why?" Tom asked.

"So we could control any entry, Mr. President," Pete said.

"Well, get it open," Tom said, annoyed.

"Yes, Mr. President." Pete said, talking into his lapel again. Two
agents ran out and unchained the gate and pushed it open. Tom proceeded
through. He gained speed slowly, going through the gears. The Chevy
small block responding to his commands.

"Only thing I don't like about the fuel injection, is the stall in idle
back. I guess they put that in for emission control. A lot of pollution
used to get created when the throttle would slam back between shifts.
Now it idles back slowly. But the result is jerky shifting to those of
us who learned back in the old days and mostly shift subconsciously
now," John commented.

"Thanks, I thought I'd lost my touch," Tom chuckled.

"Took me long enough to figure it out. I thought there was a problem. I
still get jerky shifts myself sometimes. I found it helps if you train
yourself to only lift your accelerator foot up half way," John said.

"Thanks. Other than that, it's really quite a nice vehicle," Tom mused.

"Open it up if you'd like," John said. Tom grinned and put his foot
down. The small block responded and the cruiser sailed up the road. He
took the crest of the small knoll doing seventy. Then backed off a bit
and settled into a very safe sixty-five.

"Right there's the spot where we found Candice and the triplets," John
said.

"How'd you know they were out here?" Tom asked.

"Same way the agents back at the Silo know exactly where we are; road
sensors. There was suddenly a hunk of metal on my road. If they'd hit a
rock off to the side, I would have never known they were here," John
replied.

"So you went out into a blizzard to check out a road sensor reading?"
Tom asked.

"If it had been just one, I might have blown it off, attributing it to
a short caused by the storm. But the adjacent sensors read a little
high too, by just the right amount for it to be a real reading," John
said.

"Excuse me, Sir. But how did you know that? If I may ask? Isn't each
sensor just a trip?" Pete asked.

"I'm an instrumentation specialist. Measurement was my specialty.
Specifically the interaction between instrumentation systems. You can
limit each sensor to just a trip, but that discards a large portion of
the information it's capable of supplying. A trip is a threshold that
you can set when so much of a certain type of information is exceeded.
I looked at the actual linear information using an impedance bridge,"
John replied.

"Which you just happened to have?" Tom asked.

"Yes, a very handy piece of equipment," John said.

"It sounds to me that those women are very lucky to be alive. Had they
not ended up at the location they did, and had it not been someone with
your expertise, understanding, equipment and compassion, then they
would have probably been icicles you discovered in the spring thaw.
Yes, very lucky indeed," Tom mused.

"Kind of makes you want to believe in destiny, doesn't it?" John mused.

"You don't?" Tom asked.

"Not really. I believe in cause and effect. I just realize that in a
very complex system -which the earth and people certainly qualify as-
that statistical improbabilities will arise. In fact must arise by
definition. Somebody has to be involved in them. It was just random
chance that it was me and them. It could just as easily been somebody
else in either case, or not happened at all," John said.

"Well, I for one am grateful that that particular set of conditions
existed at that time. I wouldn't have a wife otherwise," Bill said.

"Yes, I'm also quite pleased about it. The triplets and Candice are
good people," John said.

"I quite agree with that," Tom mused.

"The turn is just up here, Tom," John said, trying to distract him from
further comment while the secret service agent was present. Tom glanced
at him and smiled. In fact the turn was a bit farther. They passed the
distance in silence, then Tom slowed and turned onto the offshoot. A
dirt berm similar to the one surrounding the Silo compound but much
bigger around surrounded the project. The road wound around through the
gap. Inside it was a web of roadways that spoked off a central area.
The area had been terra formed to give it variety and planted with
trees, shrubs and grasses. The roadway led outwards from the other
side, a dirt berm obscuring the sewage and recycle plant. A helicopter
rested atop the berm, its rotor still spinning.

A park surrounded the area, another wrapping itself around a central
civics area. In between, the area was formed like the imprint of two
large concentric donuts. A ring of green in between. The parks had been
seeded with boulders and small hillocks to give them character.

"Nice job, Bill," Tom said, driving slowly through the community.

"Yes, a very nice job," John said.

"Thank you, I had fun," Bill chuckled.

"Fun huh?" Tom chuckled.

"Yeah, I did. See the whole point was to make it look like a massive
housing project to a satellite. It also had to be convincing like a
place that you could attract research scientists to live and work at.
That accounts for the landscaping, layout and greenery. The other thing
was I saw a golden opportunity to road test some new technologies. Any
real bio-research community would have to be pretty much self
sufficient. You couldn't keep a community secret while hauling out
truckloads of garbage or calling in trucks to pump out septic tanks or
fill heating fuel tanks. So I put my heart into designing and building
just such a community.

"The reason that the sewage and recycle facility is completed before
the housing, is because that's the way it would have to be for real.
You'd have to have that in place first before anybody came to live
here. The same holds true for all the utilities and plumbing. We could
have saved a bit on the ruse by laying mock utilities, but not much.
And why not make it a real usable community to serve the homeless.
First off, that was the agreement with John, that we build a real
community. In all truth I expected to complete it. I didn't expect
things to come to a head as fast as they did. I'm a little sad that
they did, because I want to see that this is completed. I believe in
this project," Bill said.

"Well, I can guarantee that it will be completed. Assuming of course
that the Second Skin expansion doesn't blow up in our faces and leave
me with my lottery winnings. I don't think they would be sufficient to
build a whole community very fast. But even if that happens, I intend
to go on. I'll build one house at a time if I have to," John said.

"That's very noble of you, John. But if that happened I think I could
convince congress to fund the project. I believe in it too," Tom said.

"Thank you. Shall we look at this wonder plant?" John asked.

"Sure, how do I get there?" Tom asked.

"Just follow the road around and out the other side," Bill said. Tom
followed his directions and after a few winding turns through the dirt
berms, came upon a large attractive building that sort of blended into
the landscape. Off to one side, a swampy area sat. Now just mud, water
and sparse vegetation, but stretching for quite a distance back towards
the silo.

"Why the swamp?" Tom asked.

"That's not swamp, that's a wetland. It serves the duel purpose of
being the final stage in the sewage treatment process and making an
attractive environment for waterfowl and such. Once the plant starts
pumping nutrients into that area, it will grow like gang busters. When
the water reaches the other end it will be as pure or purer than the
water coming out of the ground and will in fact go back into the ground
to replenish the aquifer," Bill explained.

"How are you maintaining it now? Why doesn't it just drain straight
back into the ground?" John asked.

"One, the whole area was scooped out and lined with a fine grained
clay. Once it's wet it would swell and seal the channel to counteract
that very action. The other, is pumping. The system automatically
maintains a certain level of water in the wetlands. Because the clay is
so efficient a seal, not much is needed to keep it up. It costs you
about ten dollars a day in power to maintain the wetlands. That won't
change much as the community fills up, as the water will just take a
different route but the volume will remain fairly constant. Actually,
right now it's much less than that. The clay trough has a bowl shape to
it to maintain a minimum level in the wetlands. As cool as it is it
costs you about a dollar a day to maintain that minimum. In full summer
that will go up due to evaporation though. In either case, that's a
minimal price to maintain a wetland environment," Bill said.

"Excellent. That will attract migratory birds along the Canadian
flyway," John said.

"It already has attracted some. Not many because it's not a rich
ecosystem yet. It needs the nutrients from the sewage plant to feed it.
We seeded it with some nutrients to get it started, but we didn't want
to import too much alien flora and bio-organisms into the area. That's
usually a bad idea. Just take a look at *Kudzu*. It was initially
imported for highway foliage but it's eating the South. Nothing to
control it. We felt it was better to let the system develop on its own.
What seeding we did was from wet areas from around here. Which I might
add are sparse enough. We couldn't do much without hurting them. We
just took seeding material," Bill explained.

"Again, excellent," John said, as Tom pulled up to the facility.
Several secret service agents were milling around, trying to look busy.
In fact they had already swept the entire facility for bombs,
terrorists and hidden traps. There was an area for a garbage truck to
back into and dump its load. There was a pile of full trash sacks
sitting in the hopper.

"What's that?" John asked, pointing to the garbage.

"To test the system. Real garbage snagged from a sanitary land fill
outside of town. I thought you might like to see the system in action,"
Bill said.

"What about the sacks?" John asked.

"Not a problem," Bill said.

"Let's see the inside," John said. Bill led them on a tour of the
plant.

* * *

Muriel lay panting and on the sofa in the scanning room, her hair moist
with perspiration. Around her lay three other women in similar
conditions.

"You weren't kidding about that machine. I trust that the production
units are nowhere near as stimulating," she said.

"No, nowhere near as stimulating. A little bit though. It still has the
rough resolving wheels, but the fine scan has been converted to
ultrasonic imaging. A pity, but they couldn't have their customers
raping each other in their lobbies," Andrea mused.

"Yes, I can see that. I can't wait to get Tom onto that scanner,"
Muriel chuckled.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't have quite the same effect upon men.
Different erogenous zones I guess. And not much call for the *advanced*
scan that you wanted," Andrea said.

"Yes, I can see that. Not without Gay men around," Muriel said.

"Bill still got pretty excited, but there were a bunch of us around
him. I think part of that was the bondage part. We teased him pretty
badly. I understand from Cindy and Theresa that John got fairly excited
too. But all in all it's not the same thing for men," Andrea said.

"I'll say this, you certainly are learning fast," Heather moaned.

"I've had excellent teachers," Muriel replied, softly running her
fingertips over the stunning actresses body.

"Hard to believe that you were new to loving women when you came here,"
Shannon commented.

"Not completely new to it. Tom doesn't know, but I had some experience
back in college. Nothing like this though. We were just experimenting,"
Muriel said.

"A roommate?" Shannon asked.

"Yes, a couple of them. I still talk to one of them from time to time,
we're still sorta friends. The other got killed in a car crash in her
senior year," Muriel said, sadly.

"I'm sorry. That's a shame," Heather said.

"Yes, but that's life. We lose friends. She was living a little too
wildly. She got drunk and decided she could drive. She wrapped her car
around a power pole. Luckily she only killed herself," Muriel said.

"Yes, John's lectured us on drunk driving. He says that if he'd been
just the slightest bit tipsy that he would have killed Theresa instead
of just bumping her into a ditch," Andrea said.

"John hit Theresa with a car?" Muriel asked.

"Yes, kind of a romantic story. I think she should tell it to you,"
Shannon said.

"I'd love to hear it," Muriel replied.

"Well, I'll get the casting started," Andrea said.

"That will take a while. If you're sufficiently recovered, you're
welcome to join Heather and I in the shower. Then we can come back and
make you some clothes," Shannon said.

"That sounds nice," Muriel said, sitting up.

"Why don't you get that started, Andrea, then come join us," Shannon
said.

"What about Heather's mannequin?" Andrea asked.

"We can cast hers up anytime. We only have Muriel for a short visit. So
we can leave her cast right in the spinner and get a start on her
outfits," Shannon said.

"What cast style? I would assume the headless camouflaged variety?"
Andrea asked.

"Up to you, Muriel," Shannon said.

"I don't understand," Muriel replied.

"Well, you see how real we can make them from that row of stunning
bodies hanging over there. You'll even find one of me there. But in our
salons, we usually cast up a headless mannequin which has sharp
geometric patterns on it that makes it useless for photography. That
way no compromising *pictures* of celebrities show up in the tabloids.
Which style would you like us to make?" Shannon asked. She looked over
at the row of mannequins.

"I see one of every family member there, except Heather. I would be
honored to reside among them," Muriel replied.

"Ditto," Heather replied.

"Okay, full casts, or just exterior?" Andrea asked.

"Full casts?" Muriel asked.

"Complete with the internal scans you wanted made. In fact on most we
put a little heater inside to make it feel more real should one of the
men take a fancy to indulge himself. Usually not, as the real thing is
around," Andrea answered.

"Oh, I see. Yes, full cast please," Muriel said.

"Very trusting of you, Muriel," Shannon commented.

"Isn't that what this is all about?" Muriel asked.

"Yes. That's true," Shannon replied.

"A full cast of me as well. I know Cindy would want one around,"
Heather chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind having a full cast of you around myself. I get to see
you so seldom," Shannon chuckled.

"Take a copy of the disks back with you," Heather said, pulling her
into a kiss.

"Yes, you can take a copy of mine too," Muriel offered.

"I thank you both for your trust, but I don't think that's a good idea.
I'm not always around. I have a staff that I trust, but not *that*
much. There are such things as burglaries too. I think that we should
restrict the copies of both of you to the ones here. I know that they
will be safe," Shannon said.

"Okay, anymore questions?" Cindy asked. There were none. "In that case,
we are adjourned. Looks like were all going to be busy little beavers
for a the next little while," Cindy said.

"Except those going to Europe," Sally giggled.

"No, I'm going to be scoping out locations and such where we can open
salons there. I expect a mountain of paperwork for each location,"
Cindy replied.

"Just kidding, love. Sheila told me you were going to be doing that.
I'm still a bit envious though," Sally said.

"Well then I'll keep you in mind when we open our London salon," Cindy
said.

"That's nice. Paris would be nicer," Sally giggled.

"It would be, but you don't speak French," Cindy chuckled.

"I do, a bit," Jean said.

"I think we need more than just a bit to operate a salon there, but I
see no reason why we couldn't all spend a little time in each
location," Cindy said.

"I'm up for it. *Je t'aime, mon petite*," Mae said.

"Meaning?" Cindy asked.

"Meaning: *I love you and you are my friend, my little one*," Mae
replied.

"You are fluent in French?" Cindy asked.

"*Oui*. Fairly so," Mae replied.

"I'll keep that in mind," Cindy said.

"Wonder how Muriel's and Heather's scanning went?" Sheila mused.

"Undoubtedly like all of ours did. That's one reason why I wanted both
Shannon and Heather there. The other reason was to make Andrea feel
useful. I think she was feeling a bit left out," Cindy said.

"Speaking of which, I think we should put her in charge of the D.C.
salon when we get it open. I think she's ready. It will give her
something to do while Bill's involved during the day," Sheila said.

"Good idea. Not actually in D.C. though, is it?" Cindy asked.

"Heaven's no. One, that would cost too much, two... I wouldn't feel
safe about that. DC's a rough place at night. No, the locations we're
looking at are over in Silver Springs, Maryland. Where all the high end
folks reside," Sheila said.

"Good," said Cindy.

"Wonder how the guy's are getting along?" Candice pondered.

"They were watching football when I passed through to get those notes.
John and the others aren't back yet," Judy replied.

"I have no idea what could be so fascinating about a sewage treatment
and recycle plant," Theresa said.

"Obviously a guy thing," Cindy chuckled.

* * *

Bill switched on the mechanism and the bags started their trek into the
plant. First they were shredded by wire whips, which also separated the
garbage wide along the conveyor belt. Fans blew scraps of paper off to
the side and along another path. The conveyor passed under another
belt, where the steel cans were picked out magnetically. John and Tom
watched the process in fascination. Even Pete the secret service agent
found himself interested. It didn't take very long to reduce the bags
of garbage to piles of recyclable goods in bins. Along the way all was
washed and partially reduced in size. The remaining organics got finely
ground and entered the sewage treatment side. The men viewed the
results. Everything was where it belonged.

"Outstanding!" Tom remarked.

"Yes, excellent. But I think we should leave now," John said, breathing
shallowly.

"Yes, a bit aromatic, I guess. I forgot to turn on the fans. I expected
much worse; those bags have been sitting there for a month. This is as
bad as I expect it to get," Bill said.

"What about keeping the smell away from the community?" John asked.

"Those dirt berms we drove through. We did a study of the prevailing
winds in the area first. Those berms oppose wind flow from the facility
into the community when it blows from this direction. When it blows
from the other, it will actually pull air from the community into this
direction," Bill said.

"That's a neat trick," Tom said.

"Yes, and one we can apply elsewhere. Shall we go?" Bill asked.

"Yes, a good idea," John said. Bill hit the fans on the way out. "You
going to leave them run?" John asked.

"No, they'll kick off automatically in a little while. I figured that
this plant would run at minimal capacity, even when the community is
full. As such there are a lot of automatics. In fact this side can be
set into motion by the arrival of a truck outside dumping a load. As
you can see one operator could easily run the whole thing, and all he
needs do it keep an eye on things. I was thinking that you could
contract recycling services to the surrounding communities for a while.
They truck in their garbage and then haul out recyclable goods. In the
process you get the organics to start feeding your wetlands. There's a
road that runs around so they don't have to truck through the
community," Bill said.

"Good idea. What's the capacity of this plant?" John asked.

"A fair sized community. It would probably support almost fifty
thousand people running full capacity. The nice part is that it's
easily scaled upwards for larger communities. From what we learned
making this, I figure that you could build one large enough to support
a community of half a million for not much more," Bill said.

"How much was this?" Tom asked.

"A sum of money," Bill said, cryptically. Tom nodded.

"Why don't you take the wheel, John. I bet you don't get to drive much
either. From what I understand, you enjoy it too," Tom said.

"Thanks. If I remember how," John said, climbing into the driver's
seat. Bill and Pete climbed in the back, Tom into the shotgun seat. On
the way back he surveyed the landscape. "Nice place for a golf course,"
he commented.

"We don't have quite *that* much water. And I didn't think that the
government would look too favorably towards financing that. However,
there is a section of land off to the side of the wetlands that could
be planted with lawn and would make a nice little course. Drainage
would flow back into the system," Bill chuckled.

"What about landscaping?" John asked.

"*Surprisingly* similar to a golf course, right now it's set up as a
recreational camping area for the community with bike trails. But
someone *could* seed a portion of it for a nice little course," Bill
said.

"I'll have to keep your hidden talents in mind once I get you back to
Washington," Tom chuckled. They arrived back at the compound, shadowed
by the secret service helicopter, and mostly unnoticed, several gun
ships. John caught sight of one in his side mirror.

"Listen, Pete. A bunch of the silo residents are going to be taking a
helicopter ride out by the mountains to look at some property. You
might notify your people. I'd rather they didn't get shot down," John
said.

"I'd like one of our agents to go along," Pete said.

"That, you *won't* be doing. I see no need for it," Tom said.

"Mr. President. They could pick up weapons from a secret cache," Pete
said.

"Lighten up, Pete. These folks are my friends and *I* trust them
implicitly. They might carry a small picnic basket with them that you
can take a look at when they return, *if* you're nice about it," Tom
said.

"I must protest, Mr. President," Pete said.

"Protest all you want. But I won't have these people harassed. That
means no surveillance on them while they're out too," Tom said.

"Yes, Mr. President," Pete said moodily.

"Pete, they're likely to be wearing Second Skin clothing that it would
be *very* difficult concealing any weapons in and not walk funny. I'll
see to it that they let you examine the picnic basket when they return.
Bill's going to be with them anyway. I'm certain that he will vouch for
their behavior," John said.

"Unquestionably," Bill said.

"Yes Sir, thank you Sirs. I'm just trying to do my job," Pete said.

"Well get used to it, 'cause I might be coming back here several times
a year. I'm quite enjoying myself. So is Muriel," Tom said.

"Yes, Mr. President," the agent said. The trip out to the foothills was
a very pleasant outing for those who went along. The other two triplets
tagged along for the ride to help Andrea pick out her piece of
property. This left John, Cindy, Sheila, Shannon, Sally, Jean, Heather,
Tom and Muriel behind. Shannon, Sally and Jean volunteered to make
dinner. Cindy tagged Heather and they slipped off with Tom. Sheila and
John slipped off with Muriel.

"You really are a very talented man," Muriel said, her body glistening
beside him.

"Isn't he, though? I'm quite in love with the fellow," Sheila mused,
her condition not unlike Muriel's.

"I can quite imagine. I understand why all of you are. I'm quite taken
with him myself," Muriel said.

"Yes. We're all quite taken with you and Tom too. I think that you will
find that John can be quite addictive," Sheila said, kissing John's
cheek.

"Awe shucks, it twern't 'nothin," John said.

"The most incredible sexual experience of my life and you say it
*twern't nothing*? I can't even imagine what it was like for Sally and
Judy," Muriel chuckled.

"I did have some very talented help, you know," John said, softly
caressing Muriel as he leaned to kiss Sheila.

"Yes, I thank both of you. I'm grateful to all of you here. Tom and I
have never been closer," Muriel said.

"Glad to be of service. A swim before dinner?" John asked, slipping
from between them and opening the trap door.

"I wouldn't miss the chance to use that," Muriel said, kissing Sheila
before following him.

"Coming, as soon as I can move again," Sheila giggled. John pulled her
by the feet off the bed. She laughed and moved into his arms. Her
giggles faded away as he kissed her softly. Muriel looked on from the
side, but the couple pulled her into their embrace. John guided them to
the trap and they dropped together into the pool. A short time later
Tom, Cindy and Heather joined them in the pool. Tom and Muriel moved
together and hugged each other fiercely. Cindy moved to John and kissed
him tenderly.

"Warms the heart, doesn't it?" Cindy remarked.

"Yes, quite. Have a nice time?" John asked, pulling her onto his lap in
a floating chair.

"Yes, quite nice. He's learning very well," Cindy said, snuggling to
his chest.

"I love you," John said. It took Cindy by surprise. Tears formed in her
eyes as she lifted her head to his lips.

"I will love you forever," she replied. The next two days went like
lightning. Tom and Muriel got much better aquatinted with everybody
they had missed so far. Even Jimbo changed his whole attitude about
things. He and Candice slipped off with Muriel the next afternoon.
Jimbo did his very best to please her. Tom and Muriel's night in the
Lincoln bed was one of the most intimate of their married life. They
spent it alone, together. Trying out the talents they had learned on
each other. They fell in love with each other all over again. But it
was more than that. Now they shared a depth of feeling neither had ever
known before.

When it was time for them to leave, the farewells were tearful. Tom
felt much more relaxed than he had in years on the return trip. Muriel
carried along a complete new wardrobe, a large portion of it bullet
proof. Tom had several new suits that he would come to cherish in the
years to come, also several bullet proof body suits, lighter and much
more comfortable than a standard vest.

The flight back found Jimbo and Scott silently reflecting on the turn
in their lives. Muriel had made a point of saying farewell to each of
them properly before they left the silo. When they arrived back East,
Muriel hugged each of them and whispered; "See you in the hot tub,"
into their ears, then shook their hands.

There were more tearful farewells at the silo after the secret service
departed. The silo residents leaving for the far corners of the country
on various business. Amy and Alice hugged and kissed Andrea tearfully
before her and Bill departed for D.C. The two triplets themselves
departed with Judy. Mae and Candice left for the West coast, Sally,
Jean, Shannon and Heather for the East. Heather going to spend some
time with Shannon at her estate. All that remained at the silo were
John, Cindy, Theresa and Kevin.

They had an intimate dinner between them on the one evening that they
had together. The silo seemed almost deserted. Later Cindy spent the
night with Kevin while John had a session with Theresa in the Lincoln
bedroom, as it would henceforth be called. The next day they departed
for New York where they picked up Catarina and Bianca. They all boarded
a flight for Austria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 94

While Catarina and Bianca retained their Austrian citizenship, they
traveled on a special class U.S. Diplomatic passport as a result of
their political asylum. This insured their unhastled reentry into the
United States on their return. John and Cindy traveled under normal
U.S. passports. Cindy's showing a slight shift from her actual date of
birth.

When they landed they were greeted by the Vice-Chancellor and the U.S.
Ambassador. They accepted the hospitality of each for one night
respectively. The Austrian government desiring to monopolize their time
as Catarina and Bianca had become celebrities in their absence. Their
faces had become were well known to the slightly over eight million
residents of the small country. John and Cindy had become just as well
known.

After a night in a castle -which Cindy adored, and dared not tell Sally
about- and a night in the Ambassador's mansion, they managed to obtain
their freedom. Traveling by train to the largely tourist community of
Innsbruck in the state of Tyrol. On the train, total strangers walked
up to them and thanked John for saving Catarina's life. Both Catarina
and Bianca acting as interpreters, as John's high school German was
woefully inadequate. Most of the strangers would shift to broken
English when they learned of John's illiteracy of their language. A
fact that made John feel deficient. He did his best to answer them back
in their own language. This yielded many amusing moments for both the
strangers and Catarina and Bianca. Catarina took pity on him and began
tutoring him in German.

The ride to Innsbruck didn't take very long, as the whole country was
slightly smaller than the state of Maine. The longest part of the
journey was due to the mountainous terrain. Once in Innsbruck, Catarina
and Bianca came alive, acting as tourist guides for John and Cindy.
They took them to many lovely places. Cindy felt like they were still
on their honeymoon. John greatly encouraged this feeling, as he was
attentive and affectionate. They checked into the nicest hotel in town.
John putting both the adjoining rooms on his credit card.

After another stroll around town, during which John purchased a
magnifying glass, a jewelers loupe and some hand tools, Catarina led
them to the warehouse where her things were stored. They spent half an
hour or so, unstacking and unpacking boxes until Catarina discovered
the box containing the Cuckoo Clock her father had given her. They
repacked and restacked the rest of the items and then returned to the
hotel with the clock. John spread out a newspaper on an old coffee
table to protect the finish. He sat on the floor and began examining
the clock.

"This must be hundreds of years old," he commented to Catarina.

"Yes, when I had it appraised, that is what they told me, but they
could not give me an exact date," she replied.

"Well, I have no doubt that it's from at least the eighteenth century,
possibly the seventeenth. I don't know the history of Cuckoo Clocks, so
I couldn't really say. But it's definitely old," John said.

"So that is it's value?" Catarina asked. "It was only appraised for
seven hundred dollars, American."

"Oh, only partially. Do you mind if I take the back off?" John asked.

"No. But please be careful. It is one of my few memento's from my
parents," Catarina replied.

"I shall be as gentle as I can," John replied. Catarina nodded. John
carefully examined the back. There were small wooden pins that held it
in place. Using the tools he purchased, he carefully removed them one
at a time, placing them in a small dish. Once all were removed, he
carefully removed the back, revealing the intricate mechanism. John
examined the back with the magnifying glass and then set it aside,
turning his interest to the inside. He carefully lay it face down on
the paper. Using a penlight he continued his investigation.

"This looks like Russian or Cyrillic. Catarina, do you know these
characters?" John asked, using a small screwdriver as a pointer.
Catarina took the magnifier and examined the area he indicated. John
held a penlight to illuminate the area.

"It appears to be a date, some initials and many numbers. Then one
word," she said.

"What is the date?" John asked.

"Nineteen-fifteen. Perhaps it is not as old as we thought," she mused.

"Maybe. And the initials?" John asked.

"G... E....R," she replied.

"G.E.R?" John said, sitting back, pondering. Slowly a grin spread on
his face.

"You know who this refers to?" Catarina asked.

"Possibly. I think, it refers to: *Gregory Efimovitch Rasputin*. The
date and type of letters would seem to partially confirm that. Also
Sergei's extreme interest," John said.

"Rasputin? The mystic who hung around the Romanoffs?" Catarina asked.
John grinned and nodded.

"What could his possible interest be in a Cuckoo Clock?" Cindy asked.

"Not in the clock itself, in what's in it," John said.

"And what is that?" Cindy asked.

"I'm not certain... yet," John replied. He got a note pad and had
Catarina transcribe the entire inscription. In order it read: *1915 GER
197791-791197*. John took the magnifier and the penlight and continued
his inspection of the interior of the clock. Once, taking the Jeweler's
loupe and examining some small scratches on a gear. Then he carefully
replaced the back and reinserted the wooden pins. He then placed the
clock back in its packing box and replaced the lid. He took the paper
with the inscription on it and put it in his pocket.

"Shall we go have some lunch, before we go see how rich you are?" John
asked.

"Rich?" Catarina asked.

"Yes, if it's what I think it is," John replied, "*Quite* rich."

"What do you think it is?" Cindy asked, dying with curiosity.

"Please allow me a little *Mysticism*," John chuckled, cryptically.

"Okay, play your game," Cindy said. She knew he was up to something.
Something big. She knew him too well. John had Catarina direct them to
the best restaurant in town. There -with Catarina's assistance- he
ordered them an outstanding gourmet meal, adding a *very* expensive
bottle of Champagne.

"Are you going to tell us what this is about?" Cindy chided.

"Nope. Not till after lunch," John replied.

"Let him have his fun. I am content to enjoy your company while I have
it," Catarina said. John toasted her and Bianca with the champagne.
They drank to their good fortune. When the check arrived, John hardly
noticed it, except to add a worthy gratuity for the excellent meal. He
put the whole thing on one of his platinum credit cards.

"And now what?" Cindy asked, once they were outside.

"Now, I would like Catarina and Bianca to direct me to the bank where
their father worked," John said. The women both winced a bit.

"It is important?" Catarina asked.

"I believe so. Yes, very important," John replied.

"We have not set foot in the bank since our parents died," Catarina
said, sadly.

"I know this must be painful for you. But I believe it will be well
worth it," John said, taking her hand.

"Yes. I can see you are serious. Perhaps it is time to face our past
once more," she said, bravely. She guided them to a very old building
in an older part of town. Her and Bianca seemed to be lost in memories
when they entered. With Catarina's assistance, John requested to see
the manager. After a time they were directed into a large office. A
very stoic man in a very conservative suit sat behind a large desk.

"Do you speak English, Sir?" John asked.

"A little. Not very well," the man replied.

"This is Catarina and Bianca Rothschild, whom you may have knowledge
of. Their father used to work for this establishment," John said.

"Yes, I knew him well. A very fine and devoted employee. His death was
a most tragic event. I remember you as little girls. You have my
deepest condolences over your parents death. And you, Sir?" asked the
man.

"I am a friend of theirs. My name is John Stevens, this is my wife
Cindy," John said.

"Very nice to meet you both. My name is Franz Klestil. How may I be of
service to you?" he asked.

"I believe, Sir, that we have the necessary information to access a
very old numbered account," John said.

"I see. May I ask how this information was obtained?" Mr. Klestil
asked.

"It was written inside of an antique," John replied.

"And how was this antique obtained?" the manager asked.

"Is that important?" John asked.

"Perhaps. Mr. Rothschild *was* an employee of this bank," he explained.

"I was told my father purchased the.....antique on a trip to Hungary,
before I was born. Some thirty-five years ago," Catarina replied.

"If the item was legally purchased, which I do not doubt, and could be
authenticated in some manner, then the claim will probably be valid. If
the rest of the information is correct," said the manager.

"As it happens, I do have the receipt. I did not understand why my
father should retain such an item for such a long period of time. But I
did not dispose of it. I have it in storage with his papers," Catarina
replied.

"If you would like to designate an independent scientific laboratory
which could verify the authenticity of the old writing, then I am sure
we would agree to have it analyzed," John added, looking to Catarina.
She nodded.

"If she could produce the receipt of purchase, and the writing could be
observed, then I see no problem. Let us first determine if there is the
need for this. The account may be nonexistent or barren," said the
manager.

"What do you need to know?" John asked.

"On the older numbered accounts, certain safeguards were established.
To protect the identity of the depositor and the account itself from
intrusion. The account therefore had four references. First an account
number, second; a date of deposit -or last deposit-, third; a
verification number and lastly three initials -not necessarily those of
the depositor-. If you have the first, then we may determine the rest,"
said the manager.

John consulted the paper and said, "197791" The manager stood and moved
to an old safe. He opened it and pulled out a file drawer containing
index cards. He thumbed through the cards and found one. He returned to
his desk, and spoke something in German into his intercom. A short time
later three men entered, carrying small metal file trays, with locking
tops. They sat down at an adjacent table and the manager handed the
first the index card. The man unlocked his file and thumbed down to the
number. He looked up and asked something in German.

"He's asking for a confirmation number," Catarina replied.

"791197," John replied. The manager translated. The man wrote a number
on a slip of paper and passed it to the second man. He unlocked his
file and thumbed through it till he located the reference the first had
given him. He looked up and asked something in German.

"The date?" Catarina asked.

"1915," John replied. The manager looked a bit disturbed, but
translated. Catarina nodded over his translation. The man wrote a
reference on a slip of paper and handed it to the third man. He
unlocked his box and thumbed through his file. He looked up and asked a
question in German.

"The initials?" Catarina replied.

"GER... in English," John replied. The manager translated. The third
man looked disturbed.

"Originally they were written in Russian, Whatever the Russian
equivalent is," John said. The manager spoke to the third man, relaying
the information. The third man nodded and wrote down a reference
number. He handed it to the manager and the manager spoke softly into
his intercom. The men sat back and waited.

"It would appear that it is a valid account, and that the access
information is correct. I have called for the file," said the manager.
Catarina and Bianca looked to John, hopefully. Cindy beamed at him. A
man entered the room and walked to the third man, He handed him a large
envelope, yellow with age. The third man examined the markings and
compared it with his reference. He nodded, turned the envelope over and
examined the seal. He showed the seal to the other two men and they
both nodded. The third man then moved and handed the envelope to the
manager. Then the three men stood and left, having locked their boxes
once more. The last man to enter remained. The manager broke the seal
on the envelope under the observation of the last man. He removed some
documents and began to read. He sat back quite suddenly. He passed the
paper to the other man, who read it. He shakily reached for a chair and
sat down.

"I fear, that we shall have to verify the authenticity of the receipt
and have the inscription examined, as there is a considerable amount of
money involved. Also, I am afraid that the account must be handled by
our parent company in Vienna," said the manager, shakily.

"May I ask the particulars of the account?" John asked. The manager
consulted the document and then pulled out a Hewlett Packard-12C
finical calculator. He punched in some figures, he was even more shaky
by the answers. He did some conversions then looked up.

"It appears, that between 1910 and 1915 that approximately *twenty-
million* dollars American was deposited in gold to the account," he
began. Catarina and Bianca both gasped. Catarina jumped up and threw
her arms around John and hugged him. John remained stoic.

"At what rate of interest was it deposited?" he asked.

"Three percent," replied the manager. John broke out in a giant grin.

"How does it feel to be a *Billionairess?*" he asked, Catarina.

"*Billionairess?* I thought he said Twenty-*Million?*" Catarina said.

"Interest. Mr. Klestil, why don't you tell her what the total of your
calculations came to?" John said, grinning.

"Figuring simple interest, over 1.7 billion American dollars. It will
be much more than that once the compound interest is computed," Mr.
Klestil said. Catarina sat down hard. Both Bianca's and Cindy's mouths
hung wide open. John chuckled. For the rest of the afternoon, there was
a constant stream of officials and dignitaries through the office. The
local police were called in and accompanied a *very* shaky Catarina
back to the hotel where she retrieved the Cuckoo Clock. This was
returned to the bank and a team of scientific experts were called in,
under the watchful eye of the local equivalent of a banking
commissioner and Attorney General.

John directed the scientific experts to where the information was
written. They very carefully removed the back of the clock and examined
the writing. A scanner of some sort was brought in and the area
subjected to Positron emissions. The writing was verified to have come
from the period in question.

The police then accompanied the party back to Catarina's storage area.
The police watched carefully as box after box was removed and examined.
Finally Catarina found the correct box. Her hands were shaking more
than just a little as she sorted through the box. Suddenly she stopped.
She sat down on the floor and pulled the receipt out of the box,
breaking into tears. John gently removed the receipt from her fingers
and handed it to the officer in charge. Then he sat down by Catarina
and pulled her to him. She sobbed against him for a long time.

The receipt was subjected to a battery of tests by the scientific
experts. The approximate date supported the stated facts. A phone call
was made and the receipt was faxed to Hungary. The shop was still in
existence, but now run by descendants of the original owner. They faxed
back verification that the handwriting was indeed that of their father.

Duplicates of the documentation were collected by the bank
commissioner, a representative of the home office and the attorney
general, along with the identification information from Catarina and
Bianca's passports. The money belonged to Catarina and Bianca.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 95

Catarina quivered in John's arms. She hadn't stopped shaking all day.
Bianca was in no better condition. Cindy was being a trouper, but was
more than a little shaken herself.

"How did you know?" Cindy asked, Bianca snuggled to her side.

"Sergei had a very profound interest in both Catarina and Bianca. As
much as he abused them, he was protecting them for some reason. The
evidence pointed to Catarina's father having the key to a very old
fortune," John replied.

"Where did the money come from to start with?" Catarina asked, still
dazed.

"The Romanoffs. Rasputin was a mystic who ingratiated himself with
Alexandria, the wife of Nicolas II, the czar of Russia in the early
part of this century. He probably stashed away gifts given to him -or
extorted by him- from her. He probably put the money away as his little
nest egg," John said.

"Why didn't he take it back out?" Cindy asked.

"Because he was killed in 1916. The Clock was probably among his
possessions. When the czar fell in 1917, and then was shot in 1918, the
clock became part of the possessions of the royal household that got
distributed among the people. Somehow it found its way to Hungary, and
Catarina's father purchased it in the 1960's. I think he took the back
off of it. Funny, probably nobody else but him would have recognized
what the information inside represented," John said.

"You recognized it," Catarina said.

"No, I already suspected it was there. If I had bought the clock
myself, and stumbled upon the information, then I probably would have
taken it for a date of manufacture, or repair. It is quite common for a
clock repairman to inscribe his initials and a date onto a mechanism
that he has worked on. The other numbers I would have mistaken for an
oddly coincidental serial number, or an identifier for a parts
assembly," John said.

"Oddly coincidental?" Cindy asked.

"197791-791197, the last three digits of the first number are a mirror
of the first three. The second number is turned inside out from the
middle. Both the numbers are symmetrical. Just the sort of mumbo jumbo
a mystic like old Rasputin would go for. Numerology was big back in
those days," John said.

"But what do they mean, in numerology?" Cindy asked.

"I don't have a clue about that. Maybe his mother's birthday or some
such tripe. Maybe the number of whiskers on his chin or the number of
fleas in it. Who knows," John chuckled.

"Well, I guess that we've lost a European director," Cindy chuckled.
Catarina looked at her.

"No. Unless you do not want me," she said. Cindy looked flabbergasted.

"You can do anything you want to now. You are rich beyond *anybody's*
wildest dreams!" Cindy said.

"Since I can do anything I wish to, then I wish to do something that I
enjoy. From the time my parents died, I have known no happiness until I
first encountered you people. You brought me and my sister back to
life. You saved us from a life of misery. You have given us great joy.
I would be the biggest fool on earth to turn my back upon that joy
because of money," Catarina said, tears flowing from her eyes.

"That goes for me as well," Bianca said. "Were it not for the love of
your *family*, I would be still be in the throes of drug addiction. If
I were alive at all. I owe you my life and I owe you my love for as
long as I live."

"Neither of you *owes* us anything. Love is not like money. It cannot
be owed. It must be freely given or it loses all the value it
possesses," John said.

"Then since I am a free woman to do as I choose, I choose to give you
my love," Catarina said.

"Ditto," Bianca said, chuckling.

"Bianca, how are you feeling? Is it not time for another treatment?"
Catarina asked, mischievously.

"No........ I am cured. I need no further treatments. Now........ it is
time...... for *love*," she replied, turning to kiss Cindy. Catarina
had tears in her eyes as she turned to do the same to John.

"So tell me about this *Rasputin* guy," Cindy said, much later as she
lay nestled between Bianca and John. Catarina lay sleeping peacefully
on John's other side. Bianca was also sleeping very peacefully. Their
session had been one of the most passionate that any of them had ever
experienced. Seemingly every trick any of them had ever learned had
come into play.

Cindy lay half atop John, her breasts split between his chest and side.
His hand traced idly across her shoulder and back. Cindy was star
struck in love. Her head tilted upwards to observe his face. The touch
of his fingers raising goose bumps on her skin wherever they touched.

"Oh, he was kind of an interesting character. He was born in the
1870's. He lived most of his life in the little village where he was
born. He had no formal education of any type. When he was in his early
thirties, he began traveling around the country as a monk. But he had
an interesting line of bullshit that you wouldn't have expected from
most monks. He purported that one had to sin in order to be forgiven.
As such he traveled around *saving* people by inducing them into all
manner of debauchery. Sometimes in mass by instigating large orgies.

"He had a magnetic personality and was able to weave an air of
mysticism about himself. Somehow he caught the eye of the Czarina. She
brought him into the royal court as an adviser. His presence there
probably contributed greatly to the demise of the Romanoffs, but in
truth, Nicolas himself -the Czar- was never very fond of the guy. He
only tolerated him because of his wife. He turned a blind eye to such
things as the gifts that the Czarina was giving him. He must have
realized something was going on from the sheer volume of the stuff.
Twenty million dollars was a whole shit-load of money back then. It's
still a lot now, but back then that much would have put you up amongst
the Rockefellers. But the Romanov's *owned* Russia, so it's not out of
the question that monetarily they could easily survive the outlay. Just
goes to show how much influence Rasputin really had over the Czarina.

"Not that you could get anybody to admit it, but I strongly suspect
that the orgies continued after old *Raspy* got to court. This probably
pissed the peasants off to no end, 'cause the royalty were having more
fun than them. Rasputin certainly wasn't well liked by everyone. The
manner of his death can attest to that. He was poisoned, shot and then
thrown into a frozen lake. I think it was the Grand Duke Dmitri
Pavlovitch who shot him. At least it was at one of his parties. He was
probably pissed off that Rasputin wasn't dying from the poison they fed
him. He certainly didn't die easily. An autopsy performed on his body
discovered water in his lungs. He died of drowning," John said.

"So basically, he was a con man and a letch?" Cindy asked.

"Yup. In a nutshell," John chuckled.

"Well, darling. You've done it again," Cindy said.

"What? What have I done?" John asked, easily.

"You've made somebody else's dreams come true. You've taken a tragic
situation and turned it into a good thing," Cindy said, kissing his
cheek. She lay her head on his chest, idly playing her fingers through
his sparse chest hair.

"I was just having fun solving a puzzle," John replied.

"Yes, I know. But now what?" she asked.

"I don't understand," John said.

"The problem now, is that you're going to have one hell of a time
topping this," Cindy chuckled. John busted out laughing. He pulled
Cindy atop him and kissed her hard. The sound and their motion stirred
the sleeping women beside them and they were off again into wonderland.

John made inquiries for Catarina and Bianca and obtained the name of
the best, most trustworthy financial law firm in Austria. The women
retained the firm and they began negotiations with the bank for
collection of the account. The reason there were any negotiations, was
because the banking commission was not happy with the fact that the
bank wanted to retain the original three percent interest rate
throughout the entire period of deposit. This by itself would have
resulted in an amount of over two-point-three billion dollars. The
banking commission wanted the bank to pay the equivalent of Austria's
prime interest rate over the duration of the deposit. The lawyers
negotiated around this mark. They negotiated quite well, as John had
insisted that their fee be based upon a percentage of the amount of
increase over the three percent rate. If they didn't get more, they
didn't get a dime. They got seven percent of the gross increase above
that value. Seventy million dollars for each billion obtained.

The lawyers finally got the bank to agree to half a percentage point
behind the prime rate. This still netted the sisters well over eight
billion dollars *after* the lawyers took their fees. Then came the tax
negotiation. (The true reason government had been so enthusiastic over
the sisters obtaining a *fair* interest percentage ) Once again John
insisted that the lawyers fees be based upon a percentage of the
savings, above 50% of the gross. For each woman this worked out to a
little over a billion a piece in taxes. An extremely favorable rate for
a socialistic country. The bottom line for each woman was just over
three billion dollars.

Three *billion* dollars tax free was *way* more than any person could
conceivably spend in a lifetime. Even if one were to make a concerted
effort to squander the fortune. Catarina and Bianca had no such
desires. Once the money was free and clear, her largest single purchase
was to buy back her dress salon... along with the rest of the block. In
fact, the sisters were at a total loss to know what to do with their
money.

At Catarina's request, John made a suggestion. Because the funds had
originally come from Russia, as a measure of good will to the people of
Russia, each woman pledged two billion dollars a piece as the
foundation for a new banking system. This was backed up by matching
funds from the United States, the European Economic Community, The OAS
and to most everybody's surprise, the Japanese. This gave the new
banking system a relatively solid foundation of ten billion dollars.
Not enough to replace the current finical system, but a nice healthy
shot in the arm for the Russian economy. In fact the funds were on
loan. Perhaps at a reduced interest rate, but fairly secure.

In reality, this side stepped the legal question of ownership of the
funds. The Russians could have tied the funds up for years in legal
battles, arguing that they had come from the Romanov's holdings and
therefore belonged rightfully to the people of Russia. The legal
battles may well have squandered the fortune in attorney's fees and
resulted in Catarina and Bianca not getting a thing, or worse yet,
being liable for taxes in Austria over funds they didn't receive. John
pointed all this out to the sisters, so they were quite happy to make
the magnanimous gesture.

Next John suggested that the sisters invest in prime Real estate in the
hearts of London, Paris, Rome, New York and the Monterey Peninsula.
Catarina purchased herself a castle on *Seventeen Mile Drive*, just off
the Pebble Beach Golf course. They had minor holdings in Barbados and
Maui. Next John suggested that they purchase certain valuable works of
art. These became the wards of the most reputable art gallery's around
the world, but on semi-permanent loan, with full ownership retained.
Two-hundred million dollars got spread around the financial markets of
the world. Invested in commodities, stocks, bonds and T-bills. This
left each woman with a paltry hundred million dollars apiece for
spending cash. This resided in high interest accounts in banks spread
over three continents. Not even a world wide depression could have hurt
the sisters after their investments were dispersed. Certainly no single
event could even slightly faze them. In fact as a result of their
investments, within a year their net worth almost doubled.

Bianca made a point of testing herself. She went without sex for a
whole week. She got a little grumpy, but suffered no ill effects from
her addiction. She was indeed fully cured. Afterwards she celebrated
her freedom in an extended session with John, Cindy and Catarina.
Catarina threw herself into the role of European director of Second
Skin Inc. Bianca chose to return to New York and act as manager for the
salon at Shannon's estate. But quite often she was traveling in Europe
assisting her sister in negotiations with governments for establishing
Second Skin salons in the multitudinous nations of Europe.

Mae made inroads in the other direction. Establishing salons in Tokyo,
Singapore, Bangkok, Penang (Malaya), Hong Kong and Rangoon. Judy worked
south. Having a workable Spanish vocabulary. She established salons in
Mexico City, Panama City, Caracas, Bogota, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro,
Buenos Aires, Santiago and Lima.

As part of the Russian new economy, Catarina traveled to Moscow as an
honored guest of the government, to establish a Second Skin salon
there. She was very reticent to return to the country. John and Cindy
accompanied her along with Sheila. In a gesture of good will the
Russian President led them to a hill overlooking Sergie's estate.
Catarina watched with tears flowing from her eyes as bulldozers leveled
the buildings and erased all traces of the landscaping. Afterwards they
began terraforming the area into a new housing community based upon
plans of the community on John's estate. Catarina had declined the
offer of the property for the Second Skin salon, instead making the
suggestion for the housing community.

John's community became a model for welfare reform world wide. Selected
motivated family's and individuals stayed for up to a year and a half
while they attended classes at the University extension. On weekends
the family's biked and camped in the park along the wetlands, or played
golf on the small challenging golf course. Kevin and Theresa built a
very nice house along the foothills not far from the silo. For
immediate neighbors they had Judy and Steve, Candice and Jimbo, Bill
and Andrea and Mae and Scott. After a few years Amy and Jim joined
them. All had White House Weddings.

Tom Wilson was re-elected by a landslide. Because of his actions
concerning both the nation's internal problems, and his foreign affairs
relationships. Russia had become a grateful friend. Trade goods flowed
freely in both directions. Benefiting both economy's. The innovations
pioneered at the housing project waste and recycle facility came into
usage first nationwide, and then world wide. Establishing many new
wetland areas around the globe while dealing with the mountains of
recyclable materials that had previously been squandered into land
fills. Indeed, several plants were established on the edge of existing
land fills and began recycling raw materials back into usage.

Nation wide, the Second Skin empire shot past the half billion mark
like a speeding bullet. It began to level off somewhere over the
billion and a half mark. With salons in operation in all fifty states.
Many with multiple salons. They began to branch out into Men's wear and
the middle class market. World wide, they became established in every
major capitol of the free world.

Theresa, Cindy and Sheila began to quietly buy up newspaper and network
stock. By the time anybody noticed, it was too late. They had control
over a large portion of the news media. Few reporters were inclined to
write scandalous articles about their bosses. Over time they instigated
reports over the ethics of polygamy, polyandry and other forms of
marriage. The Family members contributed heavily to court tests of
existing laws. Within five years time legal reforms were being drafted.
Local governments everywhere in the country began scrambling to deal
with the ramifications of unusual relationships. Insurance companies
had to develop whole new strategies for dealing with dependant
coverage.

The *moral majority* found itself *out financed* in legal battles over
the new laws. Without the backing of the national press, their concerns
fell on dead ears. Eventually even the most conservative states
witnessed major legal reforms over plural marriages and same sex
relationships. Surprisingly, this resulted in a lessening of the crimes
of prostitution, incest and rape. The divorce rate also saw a decline,
but the marriage rate increased.

Largely because of a well run government program, the homeless problem
reversed itself, showing a steady decline. The long term welfare
families found themselves in the uncomfortable positions of having to
go to work to support themselves. Government day care helped free the
parents of large families for work.

All the problems of a nation did not go away. But many were greatly
reduced to manageable levels. There was still the problem of dealing
with the people who could not support themselves. The physically
handicapped and the mentally ill. Second Skin established research
facilities that worked on artificial prosthetics. Combining robotics
technology with computer advances and new plastics technology. They
made custom prosthetics for handicapped people at no charge. John and
Kevin worked on developing a Second Skin arm that could produce a
realistic handshake.

Kevin also prospered as a helicopter pilot for Steve. With all the
commerce that sprung up around the research park that grew on the silo
estate, the helicopter business was good. Even with all the new
construction that took place on the estate, John had no difficulty
maintaining the 50% of natural habitat that he had agreed to when the
land was deeded to him. Indeed, many species of animals saw a comeback
within the boundaries of the silo estate. Mainly because they were
protected from hunting and overgrazing so prevalent elsewhere.

It was after the wave of legal reforms concerning plural marriages that
the silo residents gathered together in a large party at the foothills
of the silo estate. In a ceremony presided over by the Attorney General
of their state and attended by Tom and Muriel Wilson, many high ranking
members of the House and Senate and a surprising number of movie
celebrities, John Stevens repeated his vows to fifteen women. Theresa,
Cindy, Sheila, Candice, Alice, Amy, Andrea, Catarina, Bianca, Sally,
Jean, Shannon, Mae, Judy, and Heather all tearfully and proudly stood
at his side and then kissed him deeply. This was followed by repeat
ceremonies for Bill, Kevin, Scott, Jimbo and Steve. This then was
followed by individual ceremonies between the women.

It took virtually the entire afternoon and into the evening. The
attorney general was hoarse and exhausted by the end of the ordeal.
Even considering the extended duration of the ceremonies, their was no
lack of interest in the guests as each member of the family was married
to each other one. With the exception that the men did not repeat vows
between each other. At the conclusion, each man had fifteen wives. Each
woman had six husbands and fourteen wives.

Afterwards, the party began. There was Champagne, shrimp and lobster
for everybody. There was roast beef -much to Jimbo's delight- smoked
salmon and bass, kalimari, prime rib, roast chicken, roast pork, roast
turkey, baked potatoes, fried tomatoes, parmesan dipped zucchini,
eggplant, yams, sweet potato pie, Taco Salad -at Alice's suggestion-
potato salad, green salad, fruit salad, macaroni seafood salad and
bulgar wheat & tomato salad - at Muriel's suggestion. There was fresh
baked biscuits, sour dough bread, corn bread, whole wheat bread, multi-
grain bread, thyme bread, Rye bread, several varieties of bagels,
unleavened bread and pumpernickel bread. There were six varieties of
coffee, every variety of beer that was palatable, wine from Europe,
California, Southern Utah and Idaho, every soft drink available, every
designer water and black and green tea. Beside this was the best
stocked bar on the planet with a computerized database of every known
mixed drink and a staff that was large enough and well paid enough they
didn't mind making the most exotic requests.

The wedding party lasted for a solid week. During which time the grooms
and all the brides slipped off and consummated the marriage. John did
them all proud the first night. The other men took a bit longer, but
completed the task with style. Each of the women slipped off and
consummated their marriage to each of the other brides as well.

During the party, John slipped off with each of the brides a second
time and informed them of a little secret that instigated a second
session with all of them. Even if all of them didn't accept the offer.
When John had gotten his vasectomy years before, he had first made
several deposits into a jar beforehand.. It had been shipped to a
special laboratory in California in a Dewar's flask of body temperature
saline. There, it had been carefully separated and preserved in liquid
nitrogen ever since. Any of the brides who wished to could be
inseminated with John's seed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Continued in chapters 96-end.

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

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