{end-note}
If you read this story in it's first publishing, you were probably appalled at the poor punctuation, grammar and spelling. This is essentially a re-write of that first offering!
I am humbly indebted to the proofreading skills of my friend Turbo, without whom this would still be an appalling mess. His patience and (mostly) gentle hand has helped me to re-create this as the truly readable story I wanted it to be.
Any errors in punctuation, grammar or spelling are truly mine and mine alone!!
Also, a quiet thank you to Orb for his kind words of ecouragement and pointing me in the right direction!! (He'll know) ...
There are others out there in "ether land" that I owe a debt of thanks to as well. I'm afraid to start a list for fear I'll forget someone, but you know who you are!
Therefore, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to present once again ..."These Girls Can Play!!" pj
{/end-note}
Prologue
Bob was bored to tears. There wasn't a lot to do for a professional bass
player that has spent 10 years on the road and in the studio with two
bands. Though his reputation was excellent, he's considered one of
the very best in the business, there wasn't a whole lot going on that
he was interested in pursuing. The music industry is like that.
He certainly didn't need money, he had more geetus than he could use in
10 lifetimes. He just hated sitting on his ass being a TV vegetable
day after day. Two hundred and fifty channels and there's nothing on.
Oh, Bob did some exercising, he walked sometimes for miles, rode his
bicycle, worked out his Nordic Trak, worked out in his gym, but there
wasn't a whole lot going on to stimulate his mind.
He'd built a studio to continue playing and recording. He would pull out
his bass, every day, to practice two to five hours, just because
there was nothing else to do. His prowess with the bass didn't
diminish without a band, but Bob was drifting along listlessly and
just hanging out wasn't his style.
His home and studio were in northern California, near a small town named
Willits. Willits is one of the marijuana growing capitals of the
world, but Bob wasn't a user nor a cultivator on any of his 675
acres. He'd bought the spread because he loved the area, wanted peace
and quiet for a change and had a propensity to commune with nature,
clothes optional. The $13 million dollar price was nearly
"petty cash" and he'd spent an additional $2.5 million to build the
house and studio.
The studio was 2000 square feet of emptiness. The only thing Bob had
installed thus far was his amplifiers and his multitudes of guitars.
He just wasn't all that sure he wanted to continue involvement in the
music industry. It was too cut throat, so political that he was just
plain sick of it.
He'd started a naive fourteen-year-old phenom, and made an instant splash.
There wasn't anyone that could play as well as he could, and he had
no place to go but up. He had the innovation of John Entwistle, the
smooth of Donald (Duck) Dunn, and the drive of Tony Levin all in one
package.
Then came the politics, the ass kissing, the back stabbing assholes that
would lie, cheat, and connive to stroke either their own or someone
else's ego to make a few extra dollars. Bob just wanted to play his
music. He really didn't care about all the underlying bullshit that
seemed to go along with fame and fortune. Shouldn't you be judged by
how you play? What's with all the kiss asses, ego strokers, and dick
suckers?
After ten years and two bands he'd just said, "Fuck it",
and retreated to his spread. Twenty-four and already burned out.
Fried like an egg, sunny side up, and it wasn't from drugs. Bob had smoked
a little weed once in a while, but not in the past few years. Didn't
take him where he wanted to go and it seemed like only the music could get
him there. Does "stir crazy" ring any bells?
In Willits there were no politics, there were no ass kissers, well
except for the greedheads that always tried to see if they could fish
Bob out of some of his money. Most were rank amateurs compared to the sharks and thieves he was used to.
When the second band fell apart because of the politics surrounding their
recording contracts, Bob was acclaimed as one of the best bass
players in the business. He'd had plenty of offers to continue on,
but there wasn't anything that really interested him. No offer on the
table pulled his chain enough to be willing to deal with egos, greedheads
and the bullshit again.
One sunny afternoon, life changed in ways that Bob could never have
predicted or expected for that matter. To say he was knocked over by
the proverbial feather would be an understatement. There may be
something worth the bullshit after all, but he was going to be
cautious, as hard as it was going to be considering the opportunity
that had presented itself.
While recording an album a few years ago, he'd worked with some young women
down in the LA area. He'd been introduced to the group by one of the
girls aunts', who Bob had known for quite a few years. They were just
in 9th, or 10th grade at the time, except for Heather, who was a
senior in high school, taking college classes at the same time. She
could play the guitar at 17 like she'd been playing for 40 years.
After hearing the four of them together he had made some observations and
some suggestions on how they could improve, but also rained praise on
them for the talent they already displayed. They reminded him of when
he was their age and breaking into the music industry. They were
extremely talented young ladies and with some work, direction, and
tenacity could probably make a go of it.
As it turns out, he wasn't to be disappointed.
Thankfully they weren't all guitarists, excepting Heather and Maryanne, but being 17 at the time, Heather hadn't been playing that long and
Maryanne at 15 had spent most of her music life playing the violin.
It was fairly easy to steer each towards their natural talents, and
they had a full spectrum of talents, drums, bass, keyboards, and
guitar. Being the eldest, Heather did a fantastic job of nurturing
the other three girls and letting them be the best they could be for
their age and experience.
Heather could do everything, Clapton, Gilmore, Townsend, Page, you name the guitarist and she could play their "stuff" note for note.
What had come out of the experience then was four young women that could play their instruments like nobody else. It was rough, but the raw talent was there and Bob recognized it! He'd rallied Heather, and had round tables with all of the girls talking about music, focus and
direction.
Well maybe I should tell you how Bob got re-involved with the girls three years later. He didn't just pop in one day and say, "Here I
am."
Bob was very good friends with a young lady named Sara in another part of California, and had met her niece, Michelle at a few family parties
when Sara's sister Judy brought her along. Then again when he worked
with the four young women, Michelle was one of them because she had
hooked up the others.
Michelle had introduced him to Heather and then the others.
Chelly was a fledgling piano player taking lessons in classical music. Mom wanted her to have something to do, so she insisted Michelle take the piano lessons. She had a natural ear for piano, and quickly excelled through all of the classical bullshit. You know, the recitals and the like that teachers push, and parents swoon over.
Recognizing her natural talent on piano, she bought a keyboard and synthesizer, and on the side Michelle was working on Rock and Roll. Keith Emerson, Leon Russell, Dr. John, you name any well-known keyboard artist, she
was playing their music, rapidly learning rock music much to mom's
distress. Judy thought it was talent wasted, but to her credit, she
didn't discourage Michelle from learning any genre of music.
Michelle knew the other 3 ladies from junior high school. Though Heather was a few
years older, she and Michelle were closer than most sisters, in fact
it had been Chelly's older sister Maggie that had introduced them, music being the common interest.
With Heathers help Chelly had talked each of the others into picking up
their instruments just for fun so they could play together on the
weekends just for something to do. All were in the band or orchestra
at school, but all were bored with the style of music they were
"compelled" to play.
Well, by doing that for a few years, each developed as a musician in her
own right, to become very proficient at her particular part. It's
really a tribute to Heathers tenacity that all four of them gelled
with each other without any of the typical ego problems. The four of
them were as close as siblings and didn't have any competition
issues.
I'll describe all the girls more fully when I get further into the story,
this is only a teaser. Suffice it to say at this point that they were
all, knock down, stone foxes. Each in her own way would turn heads
everywhere they went, both male and female.
Here's a brief introduction.
Janell Miller can play the drums. Your typical southern California surfer
girl, long, straight, sandy blonde hair, impeccably tanned from her other hobby, surfing, and has powder blue eyes that would melt titanium with no effort.
Jan is no Neil Pert or Buddy Rich...yet, but she was only 15 at the time, give me a break. Now at 18 the girl could whip any set of drums into submission.
Heather McArthur, at 17, could play the guitar. Heather is a fairly tall
woman at 5'9". Her entire body is perfectly proportional to that
height. Matching her powder blue eyes, she has long, flowing, wavy
blonde hair that reaches down to her butt giving her the appearance of a
"wild woman" when she left it down, but was perfect for
both her look and personality. She is every rock guitarist Bob had
ever heard or worked with, in a gorgeous female package. That was 3
years ago, he could only imagine how good she truly is now at age 20.
He'd heard a little sample, but wanted to check it for real.
Maryanne Ellis is a jack-of-all-trades. Another tall girl at about
5'8" with a body to die for. Her hair was jet black which was perfect for her
complexion and eyes like a chameleon. Basically hazel but
changed with what she was wearing.
Maryanne could pick up just about any instrument and play it after a very short time. Trained in classical violin, she was comfortable with strings, percussion, brass, some reed, as well as keyboards.
Of all the young women, she was probably the most
versatile, and the most overall talented musician. She was playing the bass
for the group, so her real all around talents were not being
developed though Michelle could synthesize the bass at times so that
Maryanne could pick up something else.
Michelle Tejano, as mentioned before, is an incredible keyboard artist.
Michelle is another tall woman at about 5'9" and probably
weighed in at 120 lbs. She had naturally red hair about shoulder length, and
blazing green eyes. Her complexion, like most red heads, was very
light and you were most likely to find Michelle in the shade of an
umbrella when hanging out at the pool with the rest of the girls. She
has mastered every keyboard instrument that Bob could think of along
with all of the synthesizers, which she can make into a complete symphony
orchestra, just an incredibly talented young woman.
They can each play instruments other than that which they excel, but it
was "Annie" that glued the rest of it together with
her multiple talents. They just needed to find a bass player that was at least as good as she is.
Not only could they each play their chosen instruments exceptionally
well, they all had excellent voices. Their vocal work was as
exceptional as their instrumental work. If you looked up
"perfect harmony" in the encyclopedia, their pictures would be there
as a prime example.
Sara had told Bob that Judy mentioned that Michelle and the gang were kind
of listlessly playing away each weekend in a garage. What they really needed was someone to pull it all together, motivate them and give them some
direction. She sent him a sample tape that Judy had recorded at one of their
latest garage jam sessions.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
And that's how life changed for Bob, into something just this side of
fantasy.
Chapter 1 -- Discovery - Finding the Gems
Once Bob had listened to the demo tape that Judy had sent to Sara, he had
to contact Judy directly. The quality of the recording left a lot to be
desired, but what do you expect on a home cassette recorder. She probably
used the kind with the built in microphone that would pick up just about
anything including traffic passing by. Even with the crappy
recording, it didn't hide the quality of the music that was being played.
If possible, there was no way Bob was going to let these
young women get away, not that they were planning on going anywhere. They were just having fun, but it sounded like they had put a lot of effort and work into their learning after his sessions three years ago. This could be the path he'd been looking for. Leading him directly away from boredom.
While Bob talked with Judy on the telephone he got a feel for what was happening, and what
they were all doing. He was hoping to get a first hand view of things,
and asked if it was ok to shoot down the next day to sit in
that weekends session. Judy wasn't sure there was one scheduled,
but figured there would be as they played for hours just about every
week. She also said she'd rather them make noise in the garage than
have to fight off boys their age. None of the girls were all that interested
in any kind of relationships and were willing to wait it out.
While they were having their chat, Michelle apparently popped in so Judy took the opportunity to ask her about their plans for the weekend session and if it was ok to invite someone to listen in.
Bob could tell that there was a little resistance on Michelle's part,
probably due to a lack of confidence. From what he'd heard she didn't need
to have any lack of confidence. It became obvious that Michelle
asked who it was, and when she heard it was Bob, he could clearly hear the
squeal in the background.
"Only a teenage girl could make that sound," he thought to himself with a growing grin.
Judy came back on the phone and said, "I guess that's a yes Bobby.
Come on down."
He heard some other excited voices in the background so he assumed that
one or more of the other girls were there with Michelle.
"Bob, I think you're going to be a hit," Judy intimated with a chuckle. "Heather and Janell are here and when Michelle told them what was going on, their eyes got really large and I heard a 'Wow. Far out' from one of them."
"Cool," he said. "Don't tell them, but I'll bring a couple of my bass guitars
and an amp or two. Perhaps I'll join them for the session and we can all have some fun. It'll be nice to play with some quality musicians, talent that hasn't been jaded or tainted by the real world yet. We'll see what we can make happen."
"That would be fantastic. They keep talking about trying to find a bass
player because Maryanne wants to play the other things but she continues to
play the bass. I guess they're either too picky, or there just isn't anyone that can play as well as Maryanne."
"Ok," said Bob. "That gives me some ideas. I'll have to make a few
phone calls to see what I can scare up, so I guess I'll see you all
tomorrow, probably in the evening. I'll give you a call if I'm going to
be too late. Depending, I may have to go to downtown for a while before I
make it back up to your area."
"Don't worry about a place to stay Bob, you're welcome to stay with Michelle
and me. There's nobody in Maggie's old room these days. Besides, the
session for this weekend is here at the house, so you won't have to
drag your instruments all over town."
"That's not a big deal Judy, hell I'm used to dragging them all over the world," he chuckled. "I thought your girlfriend was staying in Mag's old room."
"Not anymore," she said forlornly.
"Oh?" he said raising one eyebrow. "Problems on the home front?"
"Nothing for you to worry about sweetie, I just don't have a significant other at the moment."
"I'm sorry to hear that Judy. I'm sure it will all work out for the better
in the long run. Most of those things usually do."
"Yeah. You're probably right. Bottom line was drugs. We caught her stealing
stuff from the kids rooms to feed the habit, so she really had to
go. I suppose I could have called the sheriff but that wouldn't have solved the underlying issue. She needs help, but she won't get it until
she accepts she has a problem and asks for help.
I can't believe I didn't pick up on it a lot sooner."
"Hear ya," Bob commented. "Can't tell you how many people I saw destroyed
while on the road. It's no wonder the road kills. All the temptations are
there for the taking because someone's trying to kiss your ass. Well,
anyway..."
"I'll let you go Bob. I'm sure Michelle will be looking forward to seeing
you." Judy told him. Then thinking laughingly, "You have no
idea what kind of crush she has on you, but you'll find out while
you're here if she has anything to say about it. I just don't want
her to be hurt."
"See ya Judy, and hey, thanks!!"
After making a few phone calls to selected friends to see if he could find a few new tools, Bob started getting his instruments together for a
road trip. He had to take along enough clothes to last for a while.
If things worked out as he hoped they would, he'd be gone more than
just this weekend. There were a lot of variables so that remained to be seen.
He got immediate answers to all of his telephone inquiries.
As he was pulling the truck and trailer out of his driveway heading south, he just smiled to himself thinking, "This is going to be fun."
Little did he know.
Chapter 2 -- The Girls Meet Bob
After what seemed to be forever, he finally got into the LA area. As usual,
the traffic on the freeways was more like a parking lot than a roadway. He navigated around as best he could considering he was in a fairly large truck
and a long trailer.
He made a few stops to pick up a few things that he needed before he
concentrated on making his way to Judy's place. Back out into
traffic, it didn't seem to matter what time you hit the LA freeways,
they were always bumper to bumper, barely moving, pollution
generators. If you wanted to get from point A to point B in any
semblance of reasonable time you have to drive like a complete
asshole. Don't signal that lane change because that's just telling
someone to fill in that gap you were looking at, then flipping you
off just because.
Once he had picked up the things he'd detoured for, he headed back out
with "Samantha" giving him the directions. Sam was his
Garmin navigator. He plugged in addresses and after a few minutes of
calculating Samantha started giving him instructions. Since he
subscribed to a traffic advisory service, the navigator would steer
him clear of the worst of the standstill by giving him lesser clogged alternates.
In LA?? Yeah right!
When he finally arrived at Judy's, he was pleasantly surprised to find the
driveway was clear. He made his wide turn in front of the house and
backed the trailer in, making sure that he was as close to the door
as he could get without knocking it down or putting a trailer sized hole in it.
Michelle burst out of the front door on a dead run, squealing like only a
teenage girl can do. She met him as soon as he'd managed to get the door
to the truck open and a foot put down on the driveway. If the seat hadn't
been behind him she'd have probably knocked him down.
"Bobby," she squealed loudly, "I'm so happy you came to listen to us
play. I got so excited I almost peed my pants."
He gave her a wry smile, "Well you wouldn't want to do that
sweetheart, it's not becoming a beautiful young woman to have a wet
spot in her pants. Especially there!"
As his feet hit the ground, her arms wrapped around his neck and she
pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn't the kind of kiss you'd give to
a friend. She put a full on lover's lip lock on him and wouldn't let
go. Her mouth opened slightly and she hesitantly poked her tongue out
to lick his upper lip. He had no problem returning the kiss and the
tongue invasion in kind. This is a gorgeous young woman.
"Chelly, leave the poor man alone, he's been on the road all day," came from the direction of the house.
"He's barely got out of his truck. Good god girlie, you need to
get a room."
She pulled her face back breaking the kiss and looking over her shoulder
retorted, "I don't think you'd approve of what would be happening in
the room mom."
Then turning around, looked lovingly into his eyes, and kissed him again.
"I've really been looking forward to seeing you
Bobby," she cooed softly in his ear.
She still hadn't released her grip on his neck while Judy was approaching
the two of them, shaking her head with a huge grin. Chelly was still
hugging him tightly when her mother came up and slapped her loudly on
the butt.
"Owww, Mom. What's with that?" She turned around with a hurt look on
her face.
"I told you to leave the man alone honey. At least let him get into the
house and a little relaxed before you start your all out attack."
"Oh fudge, you're no fun at all," she said throwing out her lower
lip in a pout.
"I'm your mother sweetheart, I'm not supposed to be fun. Remember?" she
chortled with a big grin.
Bob looked at the both of them shaking his head, laughing, "You two
are something else. It's gotta be why I love you both so much. Maggie
too."
"You don't love me," Judy insisted with mock indignation. He didn't
need any reminders that she liked girls. It was no big deal to Bob,
she was still a very beautiful woman.
"I most certainly do," he replied. "I know your persuasion,
but that doesn't mean I can't love you."
Judy didn't feel very comfortable with guys anymore. She had some pretty bad
experiences in her life, and had gone to the "dark side" as some say. The bad
experiences were totally "self induced" by her apparent inability to choose
a "good man". She always seemed to go for the "users and abusers".
She just needed to find a man who would treat her like a good woman deserves
to be treated, but she wouldn't even look, so the chances of finding
him were pretty slim. She had a steady girlfriend for a long time,
but he figured from their conversation that relationship had recently
ended badly. Another loser. Unfortunately Judy's record was intact. At
least this time it was female.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Judy asked. "I have just
about anything you'd like." Then added with a grin, "I even
went out and got some of your favorite lemonade."
He gave her a big smile and asked for lemonade with plenty of ice.
After some rattling around in the kitchen, she set a full glass on a coaster in front of him then moved to sit in one of the empty chairs.
"Thank you mama," he said quietly.
Michelle had seated herself next to Bob nearly attaching her body to his. Bob
had a smirk growing on his face and his eyes were dancing as he looked across the table. Judy just chuckled shaking her head.
"I'm eighteen now. I'm legal, I can do anything I want," Michelle
said defensively.
"That's very true honey, but you need to learn some couth, a little subtlety.
You're demonstrating the tact of a Yak in heat."
Michelle's mouth hung open hearing that description, and laughing Bob observed, "Careful young lady, you'll catch some flies, and you know flies eat shit."
Her head snapped around to look at him, and when her eyes met his the
look she saw started her laughing hysterically.
Judy had a look of amusement on her face looking at the two of them. She
shook her head calmly, and took another sip of her drink. She knew what Chelly wanted, and so did he. Truth be told, she was in
heat, and had been since she found out Bob was coming down. Judy also
knew her daughter, she'd end up getting what she wanted.
Bob needed some information so he began softly interrogating Michelle. "Ok,
Chelly there are four of you that play on the
weekends, correct?" He already knew the answer but asked anyway.
"Yeah. We actually have a pretty complete band, except Maryanne doesn't want
to keep playing the bass. She likes the other instruments and when
she can do the other things she's so good at our play list is ten times longer. It's not that she doesn't like
the bass, it's just that she has so many other things she can do. Having
to play the bass is limiting her."
"Well, I can tell you that even from the demo tape I heard, she's pretty
damned good at it."
"Bobby, Maryanne's good at any instrument she picks up. She did violin in the
orchestra for middle school and most of high school, but when she was
a freshman, she started picking up all kinds of other stuff. Drums,
congas, keyboards, even a sax and flute for a while, but she can fill in any
instrument that we don't have when she's not doing the bass."
"It sounds to me like every one of you is very accomplished at your
chosen instruments. Your keyboards are damned fine work young lady."
Michelle lowered her head blushing brightly, whispering, "Thank you
Bobby. Coming from a musician that has played with 'everybody', I
take that as high complements."
"I don't know who it is playing the drums, but that girl is a wizard," he
commented shaking his head wistfully.
"That's Janell. Yeah, she started drumming to take out her family
frustrations on something other than her brother. When you talked to
us three years ago, she decided to get serious and take them up
passionately. Her biggest problem is being able to afford a really
decent set. She does the best she can with the set she has."
"Well, we'll see what we can do about that," he smiled. "What time are the girls scheduled to show up tomorrow?" he wondered out loud.
"Janell is usually the first one here, but Heather and Maryanne won't be that
far behind. Probably around eight, then it takes about an hour or so
to set up, tune, and warm up. Then we do some stretches, so we'll be ready
to go by nine or nine thirty."
Bob nodded his acknowledgement, he was surprised. He kind of expected to go into the garage and find everything already set up for the weekend sessions.
"Set up? So you don't leave your instruments set up somewhere?"
"No sir, we practice stuff on our own too ya know. We don't just play on
the weekends. It's only on the weekends that we join together as a band.
None of us can afford more instruments to leave laying around"
"Ok...Identify them for me? I remember working with them a few years ago, but names escape me. I'm good at faces, but trying to put a name with a face is a challenge."
Then with a big smile, "I do remember one very tall blonde girl with "wild woman" hair and beautiful eyes."
Judy chuckled at the look on Michelle's face and said, "That would
be Heather." The chuckle turned to laughter when Chelly looked
at her with a big frown that she couldn't hold from turning into a grin.
"And then there was a thinish blonde girl with long straight hair who also had beautiful eyes."
"That would be Janell," said Michelle quickly, "But don't get any ideas with
that one, she's gay."
"Hmm. Umm...too bad, but..."
"Ok..." Michelle started. "Janell plays the drums and has a so-so set,
but can't afford to upgrade. Heather plays lead guitar and has 3 that she
uses all the time. Maryanne brings a chest full of stuff plus the congas. She has a sax, every shade of harmonica, wood blocks, cow bells, a good sized xylophone, a couple violins, a cello, all kinds of things that she'll pull out if she needs it for a track."
Bob nodded his head. Judy and Michelle could tell that he was
"thinking".
"Thanks for the rundown sweetie," he said after a moment.
"Now, please call Janell and let her know she can leave her drums
at home tomorrow if she wants."
To the strange look Michelle gave him, he chuckled, "What do you suppose
is in that trailer I backed up to the garage? Horse feed?"
"Drums? Hell, I don't know," she replied with an exasperated look. "I just
figured it was some of your stuff."
"Well...it is and it isn't, he said coyly. We'll worry about the isn't part after tomorrows
jam."
Then Bob added, "Chelly, why don't you call all of them and see if they can
come over tonight with their stuff, except for Janell. When she sees
what I've got she can bring any of her stuff she wants. Oh, and you can
also tell Maryanne she doesn't need to drag her bass with her, just
her chest of goodies."
Michelle nodded with a frown and mumbled under her breath, "Yeah. Wait until you see her "chest" of goodies," and she wasn't referring to instruments. She knew that Maryanne was the one of them with the biggest boobs and figured Bob would be distracted away from her.
Jealousy?? Maybe a little, but these four girls were a little different than most. She also didn't know anything about what Bob preferred in women, and didn't give herself enough credit for being a knock-out herself, but that's a natural insecurity that is born of being a teenage woman.
"Ok. But what if they're out on date or something?" she asked in a huff.
"Well. I would guess that means she's preoccupied, and being preoccupied,
she won't be able to make it over this evening. It's not a big deal Chelly, the world won't come crashing down around us," he said with a grin.
Then with a wry smile, "Besides, I'd love to see them all again.
It's been a few years you know, and they were just 'little girls'."
"Ha. I'll bet you do, you dirty old man," Chelly snorted! "They're not
little girls anymore. You better behave yourself mister." Her meaning was
clear!
Bob looked at her with an interesting pair of eyes, "You're not a little
girl anymore either Chelly. You are a very beautiful young woman." Chelly
blushed brightly, while Judy just chuckled nervously.
Judy was also sitting back enjoying the interaction. Her grin was high and
wide, because she thought she'd figured out what Bob had done.
She couldn't guess the total extent of it, but she had a pretty fair idea of what was in the trailer.
"After you've given them all a call, I'll need your assistance in the
garage sweetie, if it's ok with your mom." he said looking at Judy.
"It's fine with me. Anything you need. The garage is always cleaned out
these days because they use it every 3rd weekend or so. I can't put
anything in there without it being in the way. Then I get a lecture about how
much space I'm using in MY garage," she laughed. "Those girls take up
some space when they get going, and the garage isn't really all that
big."
"You want to give us a hand Judy?" Bob asked with a smile.
"Well under normal circumstances I'd probably say no, but I think I have
an idea of what's in the trailer. I'm curious as hell, and I think everyone, including me, is going to be shocked. At least if I know you as well as I think I know you."
Bob smiled with a sparkle in his eyes, and pushed back his chair to get
the show on the road. He picked up his lemonade, and with a
bow, and pointing at the back door, he let Judy know she could lead on.
Michelle was working the phone like it was alive. She was calling all of the
others to see if they could come over tonight with all of their
musical stuff. Bob was here and it sounded like he wanted to have things
set up so they could start in the morning without having to take the
time to set up. She didn't say anything about the trailer and it's possible contents.
Bob and Judy started the process by opening the garage door, and
unlocking the back of the twenty-foot trailer that he'd backed into
the driveway. He turned and smiled at her while he unlatched the
doors and swung them open.
He heard her gasp when she saw what was there. Bob pulled down a ramp
and started by pulling out a very large roll of what looked like
carpet, which plopped down on the floor of the garage. He began by
rolling it out, and it was, in fact, one very large, plush, carpet with a
thick soft padding already attached. It nearly
covered the entire garage floor. He went back to the trailer and
rolled out a large, almost flat piece of electronics. It had what looked like
thousands of knobs, buttons, dials and meters. He wheeled it
over to one side, then stood and looked around the garage, visualizing where he wanted to place things.
He followed that with a very large wooden box on movers "dollies" which he pushed
to the very back corner of the garage and removed the wheels letting it set squarely on the carpet. It was the pedestal that Jan would be setting her drums on, but Judy didn't know that yet.
By this time Michelle had finished her phone marathon and came skipping
into the garage with a huge smile saying, "They'll all be here
in about 30 minutes."
Bob looked up at her with a questioning look.
"What?" she asked.
"If I remember those girls, they are all stone foxes Chelly. You too missy. You mean to tell me that none of them have dates on a Friday night? What's with that?"
She laughed, "They're like me Bobby. There aren't any guys around that
are worth spending the time with. All they want to do is squeeze your
tits and put their hands, or more, in your panties. It's not worth the
energy ... Now, if YOU were to squeeze my ..."
"Chelly," Judy hollered, quickly interrupting her daughter! She knew
where that conversation was going, but so did Bob. He not only smiled at
Chelly, but felt a familiar stirring in his pants.
"What?" Michelle asked with an evil smile. She also was looking at Bob
with eyes hooded and glassy with lust. He let his eyes meet hers momentarily
and noted a whole lot of things in hers. Want. Passion. Love.
The stirring was growing a little more than he was going to be comfortable with in a few minutes so he needed to concentrate on other things.
Then giggling, she looked around at what was already pulled out of the
trailer as well as what was left. At least what of it she could see through
the back of the trailer. Her eyes got as big as saucers. She let out a
very loud gasp, with a quiet, "Ohmigod," as her eyes moved slowly
through the contents.
"What the hell is all that stuff?" she gasped.
He just smiled brightly and told her, "Help me unload sweetie. We
need to unbox a lot of it before we can set it up."
"Unbox?" she questioned. "Some of it is new?"
"Most of it is brand new sweets, I want to hear how you guys sound
using first class tools."
She was flabbergasted, but stepped up to move some of the boxes out of
the trailer into the garage.
"Those long thin boxes will go over there to the right sweetie. Let's just get out the boxes, and by the time the others get here we can start unpacking
and setting it all up. It's going to take hours to get this all set up for tomorrow. It'll be way too late to play any tonight, but it'll all be ready for us in the morning."
Michelle and Judy began carrying boxes with logos on them that Michelle
recognized, but couldn't believe she was seeing. Korg, Roland, Fender,
Yamaha, Marshall...
By the time the other 3 young women made it to the house, they had most
of the boxes out and placed. Some of it wasn't even in boxes. When
the three walked up to the garage, their reaction was very similar to
Michelle's.
Gasps, open mouths, and bruised jaws from rapidly opening mouths that
bounced off the floor. "Whaaa..." came out of more than one mouth.
Bob turned to look at them with a smile, "Good evening ladies. It's very nice to see you again. You're just in time to help with unboxing, unpacking, and
setting up this stuff."
Maryanne noticed the big board immediately and asked meekly, "You're going to
mix and record the session?"
Bob didn't have a clue which one had asked, but he answered, "Maybe.
I brought the board just in case I wanted to make another demo."
"Another demo?" the tall, gorgeous "wild woman" blonde asked. Her hair was
down and all natural tonight.
"Yeah. Judy made a tape of you guys during one of your recent sessions
and sent it to me. When I heard it, I couldn't believe that what I
was hearing was 18-year-old girls." Seeing the looks that came to their faces, he added with a grin, "Before you get your panties in a wad, I wouldn't have believed 25 year old boys could play as well as you four either. I was shocked, pleased, intrigued, and couldn't wait to come down here and listen for myself."
They all looked at Michelle and Judy with one of those, "Who the fuck
is this guy?" looks. They all knew who Bob was. They were just very
surprised.
Make no mistake they recognized him. They remembered the sessions he
had them do three years ago, but had more or less forgotten 'who' he was.
Heather and Janell knew already because they'd been with Chelly when
it was decided he'd be down. He's the one that had driven Heather so seriously into putting the "band" together in the first place. It had actually worked out very well. They were all very close friends, and with similar feelings about "guys" had dedicated themselves to their music.
Michelle decided to make the introductions anyway and when they heard the
name, Maryanne gasped, "That's right," causing the other two to look at her.
"I'd forgotten."
"You remember him?" asked Heather with a grin. She did too.
"Shit yeah," Maryanne threw out emphatically. "I can't believe you
don't recognize him Heather. Three years ago? He made YOU put this
whole thing together because he'd heard we were 'ok' but needed some
practice. He's one of the best bass players around, but he up and disappeared
after his last band split up. Everyone has wondered what happened to him."
Heather chuckled, "I know who he is Maryanne. How could I forget? He
drove me into the ground after Chelly introduced us. I gave him a quick
demo and he was all over me to work on it!"
Maryanne added, "I thought I recognized him when we came in, but I
just couldn't place it. I'm soooo bad with names. I knew the face!" she said brightly.
Bob nodded his head with a grin. "It's nice to be recognized once in
a while. Now 'you' know what happened to me. Thank you for the
compliments Maryanne. Coming from a musician of your quality, it means
even more to an 'old dude'."
"You're not old," Michelle popped in immediately.
"Well, I'm older than you!!" he retorted with a grin. It was true, but
not by very much. Bob was barely 25 at the time, even after 10 years
on the road. He'd started young.
Michelle finished with the introductions so Bob would know who was who. He'd
figured Maryanne already, but both Heather and Janell are blondes and
fairly close in height, and they both had powder blue eyes to die for. The
real difference was Janell's hair was long, thick and straight. Heather's
was just as long, and looked twice as thick because of natural waves.
He smiled at each, looking them in the eyes, and shook their hands while each pulled him down for a quick kiss on the cheek.
Judy just stood there with a huge grin on her face seeing how uncomfortable
Bob was with four outrageously beautiful women all over him. She chuckled
to herself but loud enough that everyone heard her. "He's shy. I don't believe it."
All four of the girls looked around at her, then looked at Bob's blushing face and giggled.
She took a chair and sat down, ready for the entertainment to come.
Chapter 3 -- New Tools
It was Janell that really put things into words for them, "I
don't know how we can ever thank you for putting us together. I know for
me, it's been three years of kick ass fun and I've really learned to
play my drums rather than just beating on them."
"Yes you have young lady," Bob smiled. "If you'll look
over there, behind my amps, you'll find the drums you'll play tomorrow. Sorry, but you'll have to set them all up and tune them to your liking."
Janell moved around him slightly and looked behind the huge stack of
Marshal amplifiers. Her mouth came open and her eyes found Bob's shining
orbs watching, and loving her surprise.
"I told Chelly already, but I really want to hear you all play on top
notch, best there is, equipment," he said looking at each shocked face
with a grin.
"Now. Let's hit it. We have a lot of work to do before sunrise!"
Unpacking and setup took well over 4 hours, so when they were all finished with their particular pile of new toys they stood back to admire their
handy work. In front of them was a complete, and I mean complete,
setup that would make any professional band drool. The garage was
really over stuffed this time.
Michelle had two new Korgs and a new Roland. There was be more to come.
Maryanne had a few additions, but most of her stuff was her own, only because
Bob didn't know what to equip her with. He pulled her aside and let
her know that if she wanted, on Sunday, they'd go for a shopping trip
to upgrade some of her instruments, and that he already had some ideas.
Janell had a shiny new, bright yellow, set of the best drums that Yamaha
produced. Not only that but there were about four times what she was
used to, with Zildjian cymbals of every size and tone you could think of. She
was totally speechless when she started to set up the new drums. She
was crying softly as she moved them around. Her tears didn't go unnoticed.
Bob walked over to her and gently put his arm around her shoulders.
Making eye contact he asked softly, "You ok sweetie?"
Janell looked up at him with bleary teary eyes and just nodded her head. She
was totally overwhelmed at having the opportunity to play a set of
drums that there is no way in the world she could have ever afforded.
Stopping her for a moment and making sure there was still good eye contact, Bob expressed softly, "If you play this set tomorrow with the
same fervor and quality that I heard on that demo tape, I'll be very proud to
present this set to you. Someone that plays as well as you do
deserves to work with the best tools available."
Her eyes grew to double their size. Janell put her arms around Bob's neck
and hugged him tightly, whispering softly, "Thank you so much Bob. I
promise, I'll do the very best I can."
She moved back to looking in his eyes.
Looking back with a smile he quietly assured her, "I know you will dahlin', and I can't wait to hear it!"
"How can I ever repay you for this," she whispered searching his face?
"Play them sweetheart, just play them," he said softly with a
loving smile. "That will more than repay my faith in your ability."
He let her go so that she could continue to set up the drums to her
liking. She had a lot more to think about because they had to be in
the right order, for the right sound, at the right time, with the least
movement for the smoothest strokes, and she just wasn't used to having
this many drums to hit, or cymbals for that matter.
It would take Janell some time and continuous movement before she had
them placed where she really wanted them. They had time! After her brief
talk with Bob, her whole demeanor changed. She was cheery, animated and
continually talking to herself while she finished her work.
For Heather it was a bit more interesting because most accomplished guitar
players prefer to play an instrument they know, but when she saw the
two Stratocasters and the Gibsons in electric along with the Washburn and
Taylor acoustics, she fingered the necks grinning like a Cheshire cat.
One of the Strat's was a custom "Eric Clapton" signature model in black
and white. For a minute it looked like she was going to make love to the
guitar. She shook her head and blushing, looked around the room
to see if anyone had been watching. Her eyes met with Bob's, he was nodding
to her and grinning knowingly. She turned a couple more shades of
red.
All of the girls had smiles as big as the universe, and each made sure
she came to Bob and not only thanked him profusely but gave him a strong hug
and a soft grateful kiss. He was flabbergasted when Janell came over and hugged him for a long time, then kissed him very sensuously. This girl is gay?
While the girls were unpacking Bob had been setting up all the microphones,
the mixing board, and the new fangled digital recorder so when it was time they would have a dual 32-track, stereo recording to mix from. He'd already contacted a close friend who just happened to be a sound engineer and producer. He wanted Bill to hear them to see if there was any interest on his part. Bob hoped that Bill would hear the same potential he had and agree to produce for him. Bill was already more involved than anyone knew but that's because Bill and Bob had worked together many times in the past. There was a lot of mutual respect between the two. Besides, Bob had a big checkbook. Anything else was up to Billy.
Oh. Did I mention the Marshall concert amps for all of the guitars? Maybe I did, because that's where all the drums were "hidden" when the girls arrived. Bob figured since that was what he'd used in so many live performances that he couldn't settle for any less than that for the girls. It was truly
difficult to get all of the equipment into the garage and set up.
Bob's setup alone was four 4x10 speaker cabinets, with a custom built 2500W
head with tubes. He'd left the concert sub-woofer at the ranch, it would literally break windows in the neighborhood. Every piece of equipment that he could find which was tube technology rather than transistors, he picked it up. It was usually about 2x the cost, but it was 10x the sound quality.
They were going to be shakin' enough walls tomorrow, well later today. He
figured that broken windows wouldn't go over all that well. The neighbors were very tolerant of the music, but breaking their windows might sour the mood.
He continued to look around and watched with a contented smile as the girls ran their hands over the new instruments that they couldn't play until later
in the morning. Since it was already late, rather early, it wasn't fair
to rattle the neighbors windows, and even at the lowest volume it wouldn't
be very quiet. Heather was jamming quietly with Maryanne. Heather had picked
up the Washburn acoustic and Maryanne was picking on the Taylor. Bob sat in
awe as the two played a few numbers. When either Maryanne or Heather started to sing along with the guitars, Janell and Chelly would join in the vocals, in perfect harmony. All Bob could do was sit and shake his head thinking to himself, "My god these girls have talent."
Janell could keep everyone awake all by herself, even with the silencing
pads that had been in one of the boxes. She was placing, tapping,
moving, tapping again, until she thought it was right. Then she'd
move on to the next drum doing the same thing. A few times Bob noticed
that she'd just throw herself back on to the throne with a pout and utter an
almost silent "godamnit", then move one or more a quarter of an inch, and go
through the whole routine again. She not only played the drums masterfully, but she was a total perfectionist as well. Bob smiled and nodded to himself.
She looked up at Chelly and Judy and asked if they had four pillows that
she could use for the session. She apologized and said that she'd bring
hers the next time, but Chelly had told her to leave her stuff at home.
Judy went into the house and in a few minutes came out with a pile of
pillows for Jan. There were more than the four she'd asked for, but Judy
had known what they were for so brought some extras.
Jan climbed off the throne and walked around to the front of her setup
and picked up a couple of the pillows stuffing them into the front of
one of the bass drums, then repeated the process with the other. The
pillows would serve to dampen the reverberations from those two drums.
In a garage setting they would be far too loud without the pillows. She
could tune them by adding or removing pillows, but that would have to
wait for later in the day.
The only one that really had a large curve to overcome was Michelle. She
had one full Roland Keyboard and 3 of the highest quality Korg
synthesizers made that she was going to have to program and play.
There were already a lot of effects in the can, and she already knew
some of the sound programming, so she was a bit ahead of the curve,
but not that far. She also knew what did what, and what things would
sound like when she did them, but she knew she'd be able to do nearly
anything with these three units.
Bob thought about it for a while, and kicked himself for not picking up
at least one other synth and a straight keyboard for Maryanne. There were going to be some times where Michelle was going to need three hands anyway,
so while she was making the full symphony orchestra happen, Maryanne
could provide other keyboard pieces.
Moody Blues music came
immediately to mind. He had already heard Chelly do very nicely with
some of the orchestration on the older synth equipment that she already had. She was going to be able to do amazing things with the newer equipment and just needed a little time and plenty of encouragement.
Bob thought to himself, "Maybe a couple units by Moog. Bob Moog was a fucking genius and there's nothing to really compare with those old analog synth units. The Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue Edition is only like $3500 and that's peanuts compared to the music it will make. Hell, maybe a theremin for Maryanne. Another call to Mr. Bill." He chuckled out loud when he thought about the girls reaction to more new goodies.
He just wanted to avoid having anything "pre-recorded" like all of the specials "The Who" had on the "Who's Next" album and tour. They had put a tape deck on the stage and fed all the keyboards and synth's into the "system" while they played the bass, drums and lead parts on their usual instruments. Come on, it was "The Who", you can't tell me they couldn't afford to hire a keyboard player to do it live? Granted, Pete Townsend had done all the synth work in the studio, but it wasn't rocket science. Hire a keyboard player.
When he mentioned to them that there were a few things he'd forgotten,
they agreed but told him that it was no big thing. He'd done plenty
already. Bob just gave them a knowing smile. He had some other tricks up
his sleeve. Time to give Mr. Bill a call.
When they started to really look around to see everything that was there,
chuckling at Janell for still being in "set up" mode, it dawned on them,
this was some of the finest musical equipment that could be had.
This was a lot of money that Bob had tied up so they could play
top-notch instruments.
It was Michelle that broached the subject. She must have figured she
knew him best, so it was most appropriate for her to query. "Bobby,"
she said, waiting for him to acknowledge he was listening, "I
don't mean to rain on anything, but this is some expensive stuff. How
much did you have to front out to do all of this?"
He looked to her and said softly, "Chelly, that's not
important, it's only money. What's important is that you four are
some of the finest young musicians that I've ever had the pleasure to
listen to -- even if it was a fairly crappy recording on cassette tape. You
can't imagine how much I'm looking forward to playing with the four
of you tomorrow."
All of their faces went to the large round eyes of shock, but looked past
him and finally noticed that he'd set up a complete concert complement for
playing the bass. What he had just said started to sink in.
Maryanne spoke quietly, "Is that why you said I didn't need to bring my
bass?"
Bob smiled and said, "Yes ma'am. It will be my distinct pleasure to
join you four in the morning for a little fun."
Judy finally decided to put in her two cents worth as well.
"Girls, I asked Bob to listen to your tape because I honestly thought you
were becoming very accomplished musically, but you're just kind of
drifting without any real direction or organization. You get together
regularly and you all practice constantly and you are all very good at
everything you do, but where are you taking it? I hoped that
Bob could come down, listen to you and come up with a direction for you to
pursue. I had no idea that he was going to do all of this. Believe me,
I'm as shocked as you are."
Bob started closing and locking the trailer, and then lowered
the garage door while shooing all the women towards the house.
Judy offered and then brought everyone drinks while they had a
chat in the living room.
Bob figured he should probably fill them in on where his head was.
He'd obviously tied up a lot of money in instruments, and they were a
"garage band" so where was this trail leading?
"Ok ladies. I'm sure that by now you're all wondering, 'Why'," which got highly
animated nods from everyone.
He chuckled, "To be totally honest, I was really glad to receive
the demo that Judy sent. I was sitting around on my ass, getting fat,
feeling sorry for myself with nothing to do." He looked around the room
and continued, "God knows, I don't need money. I just love playing and making
music. I hate sitting around on my ass trying to find something on the TV to
keep my interest for more than a few minutes," then with a loud chuckle, "I'm sure you all are aware that Television is a vast wasteland of nothingness."
He saw nodding heads and heard loud laughter with his observation.
"I was playing with myself but, trust me on this, there was not a lot of
cerebral stimulation, if you know what I mean." again receiving nods and grins from all the girls who had obviously chosen to ignore the innuendos in
his statement.
"When I heard you playing on that low quality tape and sounding so damned
good, I wanted to hear a recording that was done professionally, but
not only that, I wanted to hear you all play on the best equipment
that I could find on the spur of the moment. Don't take that wrong. What
I brought is top notch equipment, but it is all I could find in a few hours.
We'll upgrade as we can. Some stuff I'll have to special order."
They looked shocked, but he was on a roll. "Since someone asked about money, it's not as important to me as you four excelling in your musical development. All of the 'stuff' in the garage is on loan to me for now, so if I think it makes you all sound the way I think it will, I'll happily pay
the man, and it will be yours, or perhaps I might say ours.
There were loud gasps from all of them and disbelieving eyes. There was a
low murmur as they each looked at the other saying something that Bob
couldn't make out, but he figured it was good. They weren't yelling or
telling him he was out of his mind.
"Now then, you all are going to have to talk about this amongst
yourselves and if you can all agree, what I have in the back of
my mind, if I can pull it off, is to start a professional band."
Adding, "I'm pretty sure I can pull it off. I still have some great
connections."
Once again Bob was viewing the backs of throats as their mouths hung open
not believing what they had just heard. There were six different conversations going on at the same time. Some of what Bob heard was a lack of confidence, insecurity and fear.
He let the conversations diminish to a dull roar. Looking around the room at
each of the girls, stopped at Janell and asked, "What? You don't think you're
good enough?" He gave out a short cackle, "Listen up ladies, in my opinion, you are much better than 85% of those out there making the big bucks playing music."
They looked around at each other again but all nodded tentatively.
They knew they were good at their instruments, but never dreamed of
becoming a real band. Well, they may have dreamed it, but that's as
far as it had ever gone. They'd never had any kind of promotion or
any idea how they would get it. Now, here it was being offered up on a
silver platter. They figured they'd always be, like so many others,
a "garage band", having fun when they could get together.
"Look. If you guys sound as good or I guess I should say if we sound as good
as I think we will, the recording I'll make tomorrow could launch a
new sound. I have a friend that will take a listen and do a mix
to see what he can do with a raw recording. That's another reason I
wanted to get the best equipment I could."
"You guys pretty much only do other peoples music. The unique aspect of your
renditions is that you play the music note for note. Listen, the bands that
did the original recordings couldn't do what you do on a bet, that's why live
performances usually sound as crappy as they do. What you hear on a
CD or an LP is studio magic lashed together by very talented engineers.
"Don't get me wrong! There's nothing wrong with playing others music, I mean, Sha-na-na made careers of doing other peoples music," he continued.
"The real musicians out there will know how good you really
are because they know it's a lot more difficult to learn
and do what you four have done than it is just coming up with
"new stuff" or playing something your own way. You've learned,
note for note, some extremely complex music, done by some of the
greatest musicians in the business. I'm going to have to really
get my shit together to be able to play along with you."
They all turned and looked at him with surprised faces. Janell
commented softly, "Oh Bob, Come on. You're one of the very best.
You think you'll really have a problem doing what we do?"
He smiled nodding his head, "It'll be a problem at first Janell, because most of "us" don't play things note for note as perfectly as you four do. You've also been playing together for three years so I have to come up to your speed. I also have the reputation of playing "too many notes". I play my bass like it was a lead part a lot of the time, and it sounds really good,
but that's not the way 95% of bass players do it. A lot of lead
players don't like having someone be able to match them, it bruises
their tender little egos. To most lead guitarists, the bass and the drums are just kind of there, heard but not seen. Everything is about them."
"Wow. Heather's not like that at all," observed Janell.
Nodding to acknowledge what Jan had said, "Like I said, most bands
don't even try to do on stage what they've done in
the studio. You'll learn that doing music in the studio is very
error tolerant. If you blow something, you just re-do that part and
the engineer makes it right. We'll deal with all of that when it
comes up.
As an afterthought, "I think you guys are going to love getting
into this stuff. I also believe you will all excel at it. It's
not rocket science, but it's not easy either! Sometimes I think
I should have studied rockets."
Getting back on subject, "You, young lady," looking at
Heather, "played that solo in "Stairway to Heaven" so perfectly, I'd
bet Jimmy Page wouldn't be able to tell if it was him or you."
He paused at her skeptical face, "I'm serious!
Then pausing again for a moment, "Ladies, trust me on this;
what you four do is not easy! Many people in the music
industry will recognize that! At any rate, the ones that matter
will, there will always be nay-sayers. You learn to ignore them!"
Then shifting gears a little, "We'll need to figure out whose
music we can use professionally, you know, get their permissions and probably
offer to pay a royalty for its use. Once they hear the demo I think
I can talk just about any of them into letting us do their stuff
without paying them a royalty unless we decide to do some records or
CD's. It's pretty much free advertising for them by putting their
work back into the public ear. Some of the music you do hasn't been heard
for a lot of years."
He definitely had their interest. Looking around the room, they were all
silently riveted.
"I also don't expect you guys to sound as good on tomorrow's recording as
you will in a few months as you really master these new instruments."
Looking directly at Michelle, "Especially you Chelly. You have a very
steep learning curve to get the most out of your equipment. It's not
nuclear physics, and you already know most of the programming, so it's
just a matter of expanding and refining what you already know and
incorporating it into the hottest synthesizers available. I have no
doubts that you'll be able to do that." With a short pause,
"None!"
Then with an eye to Janell, "Jan, you have a curve as well. You're
not used to having that many choices," he chuckled, "If
there's anything you feel you're missing, let me know. You're also going to
have to get comfortable with the double bass. I got two different styles of
pedal's for you to try, so work them out and see which sets you like
the best. You'll also need to get used to having two pedals on the
right side, assuming you're right footed, the right pedal is a roll
pedal and the left is a single. I think you'll like the roll pedal,
but it can be confusing to get used to. If you like it, we can try a roll pedal on each bass drum." Then with a cackle, "High speed bass drum rolls."
Janell nodded with a grin, "I've only played a double twice and I liked it a
lot, but it wasn't with a roll pedal. I've heard about them, so it'll be
interesting having two pedals so close together. I can't believe how
many mounted toms there are, I've only ever had two. The only thing
I've heard and isn't there is one of those quad mounted bongo sets, but I
don't know where I'd put them."
Bob got a chuckle from her exuberance, but made a mental note,
"Yeah. And every one of them has a different tone quality. That's something
else that's going to challenge you, tuning. There should be at least
6 keys with the set, so if any get lost, or you get down to where you
can only find two, we'll get more. There's also a CD with the set that
will give you a base tune for each. It's just a place to start, but
I've always found that the factory tone settings work pretty well."
She nodded acknowledgment, then with a heavy sigh, "I've got a
lot to learn."
There were a couple loud chuckles in the room while Bob moved on to
Maryanne.
"Maryanne, we need to talk. I picked up a few things based on what Chelly said, but now that I see your toy box, I had a couple other thoughts, so we need to work on your 'stash'."
"Ok," she acknowledged, "I don't want you to think I'm greedy
though."
"Don't worry about that sweetheart," he replied sincerely.
"I want you to have whatever you need to make this work. There are very few
musicians that have successfully done what you do. A few have tried,
but most have failed, so if you need something, just say the word."
Then looking around, "That goes for all of you!"
Maryanne whispered a soft 'Ok', while Bob moved his focus to their lead
guitarist.
"Oh. Since you're next Heather," looking to where Heather had planted
herself. "You, Maryanne, and I have a custom tuning box.
I'll go over it with you guys in the morning. Essentially it's a spectrum analyzer that will show you a wave form. You just click the string/note
you're going to tune and match your guitar strings wave form to the
one the machine puts up. When yours matches the "canned" wave form it's
tuned as perfectly as it will ever get. We can also use it to tune off
key when we need to, but we'll get instruments for the specific off tune
so we won't have to use one of our main instruments. We'll deal with
that when it comes up."
Then after finishing the tuning information, "Heather you're going to
have to get a feel for the new guitars, but from what I heard on the
tape and seen here this evening, it may take you all of 30 seconds or
so. An axe is an axe." Then added, "By the way, I heard you tuning a while ago, you have an
incredible ear young lady!"
He got a blush and a big smile from Heather, "I can't believe I'm
going to have the opportunity to play those guitars. It'll take more
than 30 seconds, but I'll be playing all of them well in a couple
weeks. Can I take one home?"
"You can take all of them home if you want. I want you to get the
feel of every neck, I want you to learn the feel of every fret,
I want you to become one with your guitars."
Thoughtfully he finished, "I have to say, quite honestly, that you are a
very very exceptional guitarist. You already play like the guitar is part
of your body."
She blushed a bit, and biting her lower lip slightly, "Thank you
Bob, I appreciate that. I won't let you down, I can promise you
that."
All the girls were nodding enthusiastically agreeing with Heather's
assurance. Bob looked around the room, and told them, "I don't
think any of you could let me down if you wanted to. All you have to
do is play the music, and do it the best you know how."
Switching up the subject again, he noted, "We all need to get some rest
to be on top of our game, are any of you expected home tonight?"
All three shook their heads, and Michelle asked Judy, "They can stay
can't they mom?"
Judy just nodded, "If it's ok with their parents, it's ok with me.
All of you know you are welcome here any time. I know you're all at
least 18 now, but until you are not at home, you really should check
in with your folks. I know it's after 1am, but if they're like me,
they're waiting to hear you come in the door. I know Chelly worries
me some of the time, but she does eventually check in. Heather, any
time."
Janell and Maryanne made quick phone calls, and came back saying it was no
problem. Maryanne said her mom sleepily thanked her for checking in.
Judy gave her a wink and a whispered, "See?"
With a gleam in her eye and a mischievous smile, Chelly looked at all the
girls and asked, "Who's sleeping where?"
Judy quickly spoke up, "Bob was promised the guest room honey."
"I know, but there's a king bed in there, so theoretically we can get
three on that one. One can sleep with me, and one can sleep with
you."
Judy looked shocked. "You expect Bob to sleep with 2 women he doesn't
know? Chelly, that's so rude."
The girls were all laughing, but Heather said, "It's no big deal
Judy, I don't think I'd feel unsafe sleeping with him, if he can
stand my snoring."
Bob spoke up, "Well anyone sleeping with me will have to put up with
'Darth Vader'."
"Huh?" from Michelle. "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
"I have sleep apnea Chelly and I sleep with a machine to keep my airway
open, and sometimes it can be pretty loud for someone not used to it.
I always carry earplugs with me."
Heather said it would be no problem with her, and Michelle volunteered for
the other side. Judy looked at her sideways, but didn't say anything.
Looking at Bob, "She's a big girl Bob, so if you think I'm going to
object or deny you're wrong. I doubt there's going to be any hanky
panky tonight anyway, but if there is," she said turning to look
directly at her daughter, "It better be quiet hanky panky. Got it?"
"Yes mom. I wouldn't rule out any hanky panky, but probably not tonight.
We have a lot of work to do in the morning!"
"That's the spirit," said Bob with a chuckle, complimenting her on her
single mindedness.
Then Judy looked around the room, knowing the answer but asking anyway, "Ok.
Who's with me?"
With a deep blush and what to him looked like a lusty look in her eye,
Janell said softly, "I'll go with you Judy."
Judy undoubtedly saw that look as well because she smiled and offered
Janell her hand. Both of the women headed towards the back of the
house and Judy's bedroom, while Maryanne was odd girl out and got
Michelle's room all to herself.
Michelle looked at Maryanne and asked her if it was ok or if she
would prefer that she slept in her own bed with her. Maryanne nodded
her head, so Michelle turned to Heather and Bob saying, "it's you
two tonight." Then with a grin, but forgetting what she had said to all the
girls, "I'll get my turn."
Bob thought all of them were of the same mind, and went to their assigned
sleeping rooms to retire for the night.
There was a lot of work in the morning.
Chapter 4 -- Sweet Saturday Jam
Not having planned for an overnighter, none of the girls had any change
of clothes. It really didn't matter except in the guest room.
"Uh Bob," Heather said softly. "I don't have any night clothes
to wear, would you have an extra T-shirt with you? A big one?"
Bob looked at her with a smile and said, "You don't need any night
clothes Heather. I'm willing to go the nude route if you are? That's what
I'm used to."
Cocking her head to one side, Heather looked with an evil grin, "Later
big fella."
"There is a certain girl in the group that has let it be known she wants you
first, so I think the rest of us owe her the courtesy. If she hadn't
said anything, we'd be naked in the bed already," she finished
with a heavy sigh.
Bob smiled, "You gonna tell me which girl it is?" As if he
didn't already know.
"Ha. In your dreams, you'll know soon enough," turning to look
him in the eyes, hers were sparkling brightly. "Got a shirt?"
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I was distracted," he said digging through his suitcase. He had packed a few T-Shirts, but wasn't sure of the sizes. If he'd had a small that's what he'd have given her, but all he had was XXL's. He wasn't that big
but liked really loose T-shirts. He figured he'd mess with her anyway.
"I see a small here," he chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at her.
She smiled at him sweetly and asked sarcastically, "So, who did you bring
the small for? The little guy?"
"Oooo. Low blow," he laughed.
"No. The only low blow is you offering me a small shirt," she
said laughing. "If our certain girl friend hadn't said anything I'd
have happily worn the small, but it's not fair to you for me
to be that 'tempting'."
"Oh. Hurt me, hurt me," he retorted quickly.
"I can do that," she said with gusto.
"Yeah. I'll bet," he chuckled. Then throwing her a XXL T-Shirt said, "Here's
your shirt sweetheart."
"Thank you sir."
So they climbed into the king sized bed together, shutting off the
light. Bob was settling in keeping his back turned to Heater by
design. Heather on the other hand, slid over and put her arm around
him pressing her lithe body against his in a classic spoon.
"Heather?"
"Uh huhmm."
"What about the other girl?"
"Nobody said anything about cuddles. I thought you wore a mask?"
"I do, but haven't put it on yet. Believe me, you'll know when I do."
He started to turn towards her and got to his back when she stopped his
progress throwing a leg over his and moving her head into a position
to kiss him.
The moon was shining in the window enough that he could see her movements
and was ready when she lowered her lips to his. Hers were warm, soft
and parted allowing her tongue to dart out to lick on his upper lip.
He met her thrusts with his own causing her to moan quietly and press
herself into him even more tightly.
When the kiss broke Bob whispered, "Heather. If there is someone else
with a claim perhaps she should come in tonight and trade with you,
or we need to stop what we're doing before something unplanned
happens."
"You're right," she whispered with a heavy sigh. "We need
to stop. She can't trade with me tonight. It wouldn't look right. It will happen soon, you can count on that because she's, shall we say, very horny
for you?"
"Ok. I just thought I'd be fair. I won't do anything with any of you
unless it's your idea. It also needs to be what you really want, and
you can convince me. Everything needs to be right. I'm a guy, but I
try to maintain some semblance of courtesy."
"Well, I haven't known you very long, but from my initial
assessment," she giggled, "I really want to, but things aren't right,
so...later. I'm sure I'll get my chances, and I'm not one that would worry about sharing. I don't have any problem doing that with the right guy, and the right girls."
Bob took all of that in with interest. "Let's get our music together
before we start trying to deal with emotions. Honestly, I don't want
anything to get in the way of your development. All four of you are
hella talented, and that talent needs to be nurtured."
Then added, "Between you and me, I hope to get some good recording
done during a few sessions before I spring it on all of you, but with
proper releases from original artists we can all go on a tour playing
for real audiences."
"I think with my connections and you girl's talents we can pretty much
bypass the "club" scene, which is a real grind.
"Mmhummmm," she sighed.
"Sweetheart, I've been looking for something to do since the band split. I've
needed something to focus on and it sounds like it's kind of the same
for you four. This may be a perfect opportunity for all of us. We'll
find out more in the morning, but I'm very optimistic."
Heather had been laying with him just caressing his chest softly as he was
talking. "That's awfully ambitious. I mean, none of us has ever
played in front of people before. Well Maryanne and Chelly have while
they were doing lessons and in the band, but recitals and school band
are different than "concerts". It kind of scares me to think about it."
"Those would be valid fears if you four weren't so damned talented. I
hate to keep harping on that, but musically you four are already
excellent. In the garage are five sets of top-notch musical equipments
to work with. Stage fright is common when you first start, but it's
usually born of self-confidence issues.
"Heather you have no reason to lack self-confidence. You can play that guitar
better than 90 percent of all the current musicians I know of."
"Shit. I still get nervous before a show and I've done three or four hundred
of them. You just go out and play your music. You really don't even
think about the audience being there, well you can't ignore them," with a smile she couldn't see but heard in his voice. "They usually make too much noise, but you learn not to think about it. Once you start playing, it's just doing what comes naturally."
"I think by the time it can happen, all four of you will be so
comfortable that it won't matter if there's 10 people listening or
10,000 people listening. Just play the guitar. We'll talk about that
when the time comes, but just keep it in the back of your mind, in
ten years you and the other three ladies can have lots of
millions in the bank. Just for playing your music, something you all love.
It's not easy, I'll be honest, but it's not something to get overly
stressed about either."
"Let's get some sleep honey, we have a lot of work to do."
He leaned over to grab the mask that he uses to sleep with, and put it
on his face. Breathing turned the CPAP machine on automatically, and Heather
chuckled when it first fired up, but continued holding her arm over
him cuddling closely.
Soon they were off to slumber land.
In Judy's room, the hanky panky was winding down, and it had been quiet
hanky panky. It's not the first time Janell and Judy have enjoyed
each others bedtime company.
There were similar activities going on in Chelly's room as well. Between
Maryanne and Michelle there was some quiet hanky panky going on for a
short time. They've apparently enjoyed each other's company in the
past as well.
Michelle had totally forgotten her conversations earlier which prevented Heather from having any kind of hanky panky that night. It wasn't fair, but Heather honored her best friends request.
-----
The morning came fairly late considering the level of excitement that was
floating around when they went to bed. Bob was actually the first one
up and about, and when he was up Heather got up with him. They
showered together and dressed before going down to the kitchen to see
if they could scare up some coffee. That done, and the coffee
started, Bob went out to the garage to begin turning everything on so
that by the time they went to play it would all be warmed up. Because
of the sound qualities he wanted, some of the amplifier equipment
he'd chosen was tube technology and took some time to reach optimum
performance.
By the time he was finished with the power switches and board set up,
the coffee was ready and Heather had poured two cups. She also set
four more out on the counter next to the pot.
When Judy and Janell came into the kitchen, Janell walked over to the pot
and poured a couple cups and set one in front of her lover. Judy looked up
with a smile and said, "Thank you Sweetie."
Janell returned the smile and whispered, "You're welcome."
Bob and Heather had been chatting quietly, so when they got their coffee,
Judy and Janell joined in. It was at least another twenty minutes before
Michelle and Maryanne sleepily wandered into the kitchen. It seems they
had a bit more fun than they'd planned.
All were sitting around the table engaging in the usual banter between
teenage girls after a "sleepover". Bob and Judy
just sat back taking it all in with widening grins. "Ah, to be young again!!"
Judy offered to make some breakfast for the gang so they could down some
nourishment before they went out to get started. There were nods and
thanks around the table with offers of help, so with everyone pitching in, about twenty
minutes later there were eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage and orange juice
in front of everyone.
Bob hadn't had a "spread" like this since his last trip
to Denny's for a super grande grand slam breakfast, and this one was a whole
lot more tasty.
After they finished eating, everyone helped with the dishes and kitchen
cleanup before heading out to start the days fun.
The neighbors were already used to the weekend disturbances, and some actually came by to listen for a short time, but nobody was prepared for the
level of sound that came out of the garage that day. They all had
their amplifiers turned down to well less than 50% output but it still
rattled things around. Well, think about it. The amplification
equipment that Bob was using was the same kind of equipment he would
use in a concert hall. They were in a garage!
When each had found their place and new instruments, Bob picked up his
Fender Jazz Bass and got all of their attention. "Ladies,
ladies, please", he had to talk loudly to be heard over the
clamor. The girls looked up and could see the humor on his face.
"Let's take an hour or so to familiarize with the new toys before we try to
do anything like a tune. Is that a reasonable idea?"
He got serious nods from Janell and Michelle as they sat wide eyed
behind their new drums and keyboards. Maryanne just emptied her chest to set up the things she'd brought. Heather was already feeling at home with
her new guitars. She was really starting to whip the Clapton Strat
into shape, and it was very apparent that she really liked the Taylor
acoustic. It had been set up with internal sound pickups and all the
instruments were wireless. The only cables running around were the
microphones around the drums, congas and other non electronic gear.
Nobody could say that Bob didn't know how to equip a band for optimum sound.
Bob excused himself for a minute and walked into the driveway to make a
quick phone call. When he was finished, he walked back in with a big
grin on his face. The girls were too involved in their
familiarization to have noticed, but when he picked up his bass and
started his warm up, that got their attention.
He was facing his amplifier working on getting the volume and tone
settings where he wanted them before he started playing with the
multitudes of foot switches he had laid out at the base of his
microphone.
Heather also had a wide selection of foot switches that she was working
through finding out what each did, and moved a few of them around
based on their function. She had a few of her own, but nothing like
the array that Bob had provided. Once she got them in the order she
wanted, they would all be mounted to a plank in the proper order so that all that would need to be done is pull out the board and hook up the cables.
When he was warmed up, which took all of 10 minutes, Bob just sat on a
stool in front of his amp, instrument on his lap. He was watching each of
the girls and listening to their learning, especially Michelle as she
worked through the intricacies of her new synthesizers. It sounded
like she had already programmed one for some orchestration, and
another for just plain keyboard. She knew how to do it from the
others she'd used, but these were 10x better with 100x more options,
voices etc.
Heather began to lay down a lead that was technically very difficult,
but she sounded masterful. Bob stood up, and turned on his guitar and
began to play along with her. It got Heather's attention immediately
as she turned to face him but continued to play. The look on her face
was priceless as Bob matched her note for note on his bass. They both
finished together like they'd been rehearsing for months, both
laughing hysterically at what they had just done.
"That was great," Heather said almost shouting. Bob just nodded his
head and with a big grin on his face sat back down on his stool to
continue his observations.
Maryanne looked at Michelle and mouthed "Wow" silently. Michelle
just nodded her head and whispered, "Yeah. Any wonder why
he's considered the best?" Maryanne just shook her head.
A "delivery" truck pulled up in front of the house
and two guys got out, unloaded more than a few boxes from the rear and proceeded to bring them up the driveway on a very large cart.
As he noticed, Bob turned and smiled at the older of the two and they
shook hands, while telling him to set all the boxes close to where Maryanne
was working with her usual things. She looked up at Bob with a
questioning look, but he just winked at her and nodded his head.
He walked slowly over and began to help unpack some of the things
the truck had brought.
As an afterthought he just asked Maryanne to set up the things and start
learning what they did and how to make it all happen. He looked at her
with a big smile when she looked at him with some exasperation. Bob
reached out to her and hugged her whispering in her ear, "Be mellow
sweetie. This is just the beginning. I can't wait to hear you working
all this stuff, and when you figure it out you can teach me!"
She pulled back a little and shot him a shocked look, "You're
kidding. Right? You want me to teach you?"
"Well yeah. How can I help you out if I don't know how to do it? I'm a
bass player sweetheart. I can bang on the drums, and I can play a six
string, but you've mastered all of this. If we need more,
we'll figure it out and you'll get it."
She raised her eyebrows giving him a strained look, then let out a
very heavy sigh. Then she moved over to start unpacking one of the
boxes that had been delivered.
He walked over to the two men that had just finished unloading and
looked like they were getting ready to leave. They'd distributed the
boxes to the most logical persons, and were in the process of wrapping things up, grab assing with the girls as they could. The girls could hold their own and bantered back without any hesitation.
Watching the interactions Bob couldn't help wonder what the hell everyone was talking about in that the girls didn't "like" guys. Even Janell was bantering with George, the younger of the delivery fellows, and Maryanne was occupied with the elder, the one Bob had called Bill. He wondered if anyone else noticed that Maryanne got a little goo-goo eyed during the conversations.
He just sat back and watched for a while. He wanted to chat with Bill for a moment anyway before he managed to escape.
Bob finally addressed the older of the two men, "Stick around Bill. You gotta
hear this. You're not going to fucking believe how this girl plays."
He flipped on the recorder attached to the mixer, and set the pots for
a neutral recording, pretty much centered. Then he strapped on the Jazz bass,
stepped up to his amp, flipped a switch, and turned a couple knobs. Then he checked to make sure everything was set up the way he wanted it for what he had in mind.
He looked over to Heather who was still playing with the multitude of floor
switches she had in front of her. When he got her attention, Bob asked her
to play the little section they'd done together earlier.
She looked at him with a strange look, but he said, "Just play it for me
sweetie. Let's do it to it," using one of her phrases.
Before either could start, Janell started playing the drum part of the piece
they were going to play. When she got to the appropriate place, both Bob and
Heather started to play the section again, this time with drums accompanying.
They certainly didn't detract from the two guitarists.
Once again when the end came all three of them stopped simultaneously as
though they had been playing it together forever. Heather and Jan looked at
each other and began to laugh. "That was great Jan, thanks." Janell just
nodded her head and went back to her location exercises. It had been a good
exercise for her as well because she found that everything was placed pretty
well and she was pretty happy with the overall setup.
Everyone, including Bill and Bob, had noticed that while she played, there was no hesitation or missed drums in the piece. Janell had already put the whole thing together in her mind, so now it was just time to pound on them. She knew where they were.
Bob, with a huge grin said, "Thank you sweetheart," to Heather,
then looked over to the two men standing in the corner of the garage
with their mouths hanging open. Bob looked at Bill with sparkles in his
eyes. He could see that Bill was, shall we say, impressed?"
"Well?" Bob laughingly queried.
Bill looked at Bob with eyes that said amazing things and just said one word, "Dude."
"Yeah. I know," Bob acknowledged.
With a rolling chuckle Bob said to him, "Check's in the mail
Billy-boy! Just send me the invoice. We'll need more."
"Yeah right," Bill said skeptically. "We can do better if you need. This is just what I had around."
"Then let's upgrade it. I want the very top of the line for these four. By the way, are you doing me at cost or are you making a buck," Bob asked with a wry smile?
"Pretty much cost man. I have to put in a couple percent for shipping and
administration, but trust me, I won't be getting rich selling shit to you,"
he chuckled!
Then he asked, "She's 20?"
"Yeah," chuckled Bob.
Billy just looked at Heather, who noticed the look on his face.
He shook his head as he turned around to leave and was heard uttering a long
drawn out, "Fuuuuck."
Bob just laughed out loud then danced a quick little jig with an even louder giggle. He turned around to ten wide eyes staring at him with some seriously questioning looks. He glanced around the room stopping at each of the girls in turn, then to Judy. He started to laugh hysterically bringing more interesting looks from the assembled peanut gallery.
"I suppose you're all wondering what that was about," he chuckled
when he regained his composure.
He saw five women nodding their heads quite vigorously.
He took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. It wasn't like anything
was going to change. If anything it would be getting much better.
Apparently Billy could get better equipment than that he'd given
Bob over the last couple days. This stuff was what he had on hand, or could put his hands on in the timeframe Bob had given him. When he looked at the
ladies again he almost started laughing again, but thought that's not
what they really needed at this moment.
With a huge grin he started, "Well ... All of this equipment that you
are now working with is his, and from what he just heard, it's going
to belong to you very soon. He'll send me the invoice."
Then with a chuckle he added, "Don't get too attached to it though.
We'll use it to learn with, but apparently there are better instruments
out there that we can get. Bill said this was just the stuff he could
put his hands on in the one day timeframe I gave him."
The girls mouths fell open in disbelief, then he continued, "Bill is
also a very longtime friend, and I consider him to be the premier music
producer in the business right now. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one that I would say is as innovative, and that's Alan Parsons." Adding, "Maybe Phil Spector, but he's pretty whacked." Then thoughtfully, "His former partner in crime, Jilly, is probably pretty close to as good."
Seeing lack of knowing who he was talking about, he clarified. "Alan Parsons?
You know, Pink Floyd, The Alan Parsons Project? That's a couple."
Then turning to Heather with a gleam in his eyes, "You, young missy, just
blew his fucking socks off!!"
Then turning to Janell, "That was perfect timing. I hadn't planned or
expected that, but it was perfect Janell. Thank you!"
Janell blushed, and giving him a warm smile, "You're welcome."
Then perking up she noted, "They brought me a set of quad bongos
Bob. You didn't have to do that!"
He just smile at her and said, "Ask, and ye shall receive. Use
them well my dear," causing Janell to blush a little more. Then
he added, "There should be another set over there somewhere for Maryanne."
A quick "thank you" from Maryanne and Janell was slightly interrupted by Michelle, who had been looking at some of the new boxes and asked, "What's a Moog?"
Bob laughed, but his dancing eyes gave him away. "It's a different kind of synth sweetie. Bob Moog developed the first viable synthesizer back in the '50's, and this is just an updated version. It's totally analog, and can make wholly different sounds than the digital Rolands or Korgs. Just play with it; I think you're going to grow to love it!"
She looked at him with exasperation, "More stuff to learn?"
Bob nodded and said softly, "Chelly, you're going to love the Moog. Trust me!"
She nodded her acknowledgement with a smile. "Thank you Bobby," she said.
He gave them all a big smile, then, "I can guarantee you that you have
not seen the last of Mr. Bill."
Then looking back at Janell he scrunched his face a little and asked,
"What's with the get up?"
"Huh," from Janell with a strange look.
"The way you're dressed. What's with that," he asked again.
That brought laughs from everyone else in the room, while Jan just turned
a brighter shade of pink.
Jan was dressed in a pair of men's very large gym shorts which hung down
past her knees like basketball shorts. With that she had pulled on
a very tight, hot pink sports bra which squished her poor little boobies
almost flat, and over that a very large men's tie dyed tank top which didn't
cover the sports bra much at all. On her head she wore a tie dyed, thick,
wide terry cloth headband over which she had installed the set of Sennheiser
headphones that was to become her standard appendage. Her hair was pulled up
some but where it came out of the top of the headband it was tied in
total disarray.
"This is the way I dress to play Bobby," she said with some
mock indignation. "I sweat like a damn pig when I play,
and I want to be comfortable." Then quickly, "Oh. Excuse me, I forgot. Women don't sweat, we perspire. I perspire like swine when I play, and I must maintain a 'presentable' aura."
With all of them laughing loudly, including Bob, he pushed up both hands, palms out while backing away a couple steps.
He had a huge smile on his face and just said, "Hey Jan.
It's ok. I just wondered if I needed to invest in some new "gig
duds". They look damned comfy to me!! Is that going to be our standard
stage uniform?"
With that, everyone else shook their heads vigorously. They totally cracked
up looking at Janell. She just looked around at everyone and laughingly
said, "Aw. Phooey on all of you." Reaching down for a bottle of Gatorade,
she unscrewed the top and took a huge drink, and giggling once again, looked at
everyone saying, "I'm a quart low, so I need to add a little
before I overheat."
Now everyone was laughing hysterically and the vibe in the garage was
light and fun. Perfect for playing some music.
Truth be told, they were all in gym shorts, even Bob. The others just
didn't tie themselves up so tightly. It was understandable with Jan
because when she played she moved A LOT! She was literally all over
the place behind those drums, so tied up tight she wouldn't be
stretching those wonderfully delicate tissues. Very smart girl that Janell!
Maryanne was blown away as well. In all those boxes were two keyboards so that while Michelle is trying to do the three hand on the synth equipment,
Maryanne could help out with the keyboard pieces. She had a match for
one of Chelly's Korgs as well as the Roland, so if necessary they could
also do some additional synth work. Also in the boxes were three different
saxophones, a couple flutes, a complete set of 4 conga drums, the quad set
of bongos, as well as a set of electric drums to do background percussion
when Janell needed a third and fourth hand.
"How do you guys feel about getting started on some tracks," he asked
looking around the room.
"You all warmed up?" walking over to the mixing board. He needed
to set everything the way he wanted it for inputting to the recorder.
The only hesitation was Michelle, but he'd expected that. It was too much
to learn in a short period of time and she definitely had the tallest
learning curve of them all. He knew she was up to the challenge,
acknowledged her concern telling her to just do the best she could
for now, and continue to work on things.
"Honey. It will take you years to learn those boxes fully, so just take your
time, play with things, make them do the things you want and we need
right now. As time goes on, you can experiment with some of those other
things you want to add eventually. I have the utmost confidence
that you will master those things in a short time, and continue to
learn new things every time you touch them. Remember, you're going to get more and better equipment as soon as Billy can get it in."
She looked at him with a little skepticism, but he just smiled and blew
her a kiss which caused her to blush slightly. She smiled widely then
returned the kiss. That didn't escape Bob's notice.
"Ok. I've got the board set up to mix everything pretty loosely, so when
it goes on the recorder, it'll be at a generic level. Each of the
microphones have a separate input channel, each of the instruments
have their own channels, and if you notice there are about 10 or 15
microphones surrounding poor Janell besides the one she uses for
vocals. Each of those has a separate channel as well. Do any of you
know how everything is mixed together to come out with a master for a
CD or in the old days an LP?"
Looking at each and getting shakes indicating they had no idea, he decided to
give them a quick rundown before the playing started. He wanted them all
to be comfortable with all the equipment they'd be working with.
"Gather around the mixer 'O students O mine', and I'll give you a
quick and dirty lesson on how this stuff works."
All of the girls moved in behind him so they could see all the knobs,
switches and meters.
"You see all of those meters?" he started. "Each channel has an input and meters to monitor the sound levels. It's split in two, one for the right channel and one for the left. The sound level and some other tweaks are set with these knobs along each channels 'path' under the meter, but the actual 'master' level for the channel is set with this slider at the bottom. If you notice I have all the sliders in a middle position. A sound engineer like Bill would have them all over the place based on how he expected to mix it later. Ok so far?"
Each of them nodded, so he continued. Hitting a couple buttons he started
again, "Let's listen to the raw recording of our earlier demonstration."
He pushed a button on the side and out of the speakers below the board
came Janell starting the drums, then both Heather and Bob joining in
at the perfect time, then all of them stopping together. It actually
sounded pretty darn good.
"Ok. You heard the total composite of all three of us at the same time.
Now, here's what it sounded like without Heather and I."
Bob set it to channel playback and lowered the sliders associated with
his bass and Heathers guitar leaving only Janell's part. Everyone
listened with interest to hear Janell's playing the new drums
absolutely perfectly. She didn't miss a beat, a drum or hit a rim.
Bob then reset it back and by moving a few of the sliders around began to
replay just Janell's part again. This time there was only the upper
tom-toms, some cymbals and the snare. No bass drum or the floor tom. That was met
with surprised looks.
Bob then reset everything once more and only left one slider in the middle of the range and started again. This time the only thing that was heard was
Heather's guitar playing every note without any slip or error. It was
perfect. Then he set it once again and left only one slider up and
pushed the play button once again. This time the only thing heard was
his bass which he played like a lead part hitting note for note with
Heathers lead.
As he listened to himself playing, he started to get a big smile on his face.
When his part had finished playing, he looked back at the girls
and said, "Damn I'm good!"
They all started laughing while Bob put on a crushed, hurt face, but
couldn't hold it, so laughed along with them.
"Ok. Here's what we do in the studio control booth."
He reset all the sliders to the middle position again, then as the
instruments began to play he moved one slider down just a little and
raised another just a little. The sum of the movements put the lead
part Heather was playing slightly into the foreground and put the
bass part slightly into the background where it would normally be. It
didn't even sound the same. Bob had just been showing off,
but he had shown the rest of them that his reputation wasn't trumped
up or inflated. He was capable of playing along with anyone.
After it was finished he reversed the sliders and the bass was accented and
the lead part was in the background. He looked around the group
seeing total attention to what he was doing, how, and the effect it
had on the output.
"Got it?"
All of them nodded their heads with smiles and began moving back to
their instruments. Maryanne whispered, "That's totally cool!"
"Yeah. We just play it and someone adjusts it," Michelle commented.
Bob heard the comment and wanted to clarify, "The 'someone' is adjusting
for an overall output level that will sound good on normal stereo
equipment you'd find in a home. When you play it and when you play it on
a stage, he can adjust it as well, but when you do things live, it's just
that. Live. One of the things I heard on that tape was that you played
it live like someone would mix it down, so you're already a leg up. Don't
get lazy thinking a producer will "fix" your errors. He can do that, but
that's not the way to play, especially if you know you can do better. Ok?"
Both Chelly and Maryanne blushed a little and nodded their acknowledgment.
Then Heather asked, "Hey Bob," getting his attention,
"If we blow a piece, can we just re-record it and the guy
that mixes everything puts that in instead of the bad part?"
"Yes ma'am. That's one of its prime uses. By the by, the 'guy that
mixes everything' is the engineer/producer. If I get my way, Billy
will be doing our producing.
He returned the sliders to where he wanted for the raw input, then moved
over to take his bass in hand.
"Let's rock and roll," he said emphatically. "What are we going to
start with?"
"Bob, you haven't played with us before or really know what we play. Will
you be able to keep it together?"
Heather chuckled, "Don't worry about him Maryanne," then looking
right at Bob, "I don't think he's going to have a problem
keeping up with us." Then added, "You get to start adding your stuff where it
should have been all along, except you had to do the bass. I think
it's going to sound even better than before."
Bob just smiled at Maryanne thinking, "Oh ye of little faith."
"Let's start with "Dream Weaver", then seg right into "Walk this
way". We can stop and see how we all feel after those two warm
ups," Heather suggested, obviously the leader of the gang. It was obvious
that Janell took over control once the music started. Bob
figured he'd leave it that way because there was no reason to change
it.
"Uh. Guys," Bob noted looking at them, "Gary Wright didn't use a bass for that
number. Or anything else on that album for that matter."
Maryanne looked at him in shock, "You mean I busted my ass learning all
of those double notes and he did it with a synth?"
Smiling, Bob nodded his head, "Yes he did, and if you mastered all of
that bass part you are an exceptional bass player my dear. Let's see if
I can even play it."
You could see Maryanne glow with pride knowing that a master of the
instrument had praised her efforts, as well as her ability.
They were all excellent musicians but they were still teenage girls with all the "built in" insecurities that go along with that. Someone giving praise like that was serious for them because it validated them not only as musicians but as people. They're still searching for who they are. Yeah, I know, but that's the way teenagers are. Boys too!
They played for about four hours doing tune after tune from the past, the
girls marveling at Bob playing each of the tunes perfectly without
having heard most of them in many years. He was right though, he did
like to add extra notes. It certainly didn't detract from the music,
in fact it added a little spark to it, but it varied from the recorded
version. Given time and freedom to play like she wanted, Maryanne could
become as good as Bob, or as he always said, "she'd be better."
They decided to just let Bob play it his way.
When they went back to listen to the "Dream Weaver" effort, he
put all but the bass part into the background and cringed as he listened to himself
miss more than a couple notes in the doubling that was done with
quick fingers on a keyboard. He looked at them and said, "I'm
embarrassed. That was terrible."
Just for fun Bob asked Maryanne to play the bass on another run through of
the same tune. They all walked back to their instruments, and
Maryanne strapped on Bob's Jazz with a huge smile. She'd never played
a Jazz, and they're "the best". She blasted through a few exercises
to make sure she could deal with size of the neck, they're all different, but
it was no big thing. At least to her.
After hearing himself being less than perfect, they did the same with the
version that Maryanne had just played. As they
listened, Bob closed his eyes and bobbed his head along with the
part. She didn't miss a note. Not a beat. Played it
absolutely as perfectly as it had been done with the synth on the
studio release.
Bob just looked at her shaking his head, "Damn girl. You are good!
No you're better than good. If you weren't so fucking talented with
everything else, I'd have to tell these girls to keep you playing the
bass and I'd just pack up and go home or sit on my ass and watch."
Then as an afterthought, "We may do that anyway. I can play some of
the stuff you do, but I'm not nearly as good at it as you are." Then added with a facetious grin, "But with practice, I might get almost as good."
Once again, Maryanne was beaming at the comments when Heather spoke up,
"Bob, I think you are finding what the rest of us noticed a long
time ago. Maryanne is probably the most talented musician of all of
us."
She blushed when Heather gave her the same kind of praise that Bob had
laid on her, but Bob noted everyone else in the room nodding their heads.
Heather continued, "In fact, Annie, go and pick up my guitar, any one
you want."
Bob looked at Heather with a questioning look, but didn't say a word.
Maryanne went over and picked up one of the Fender Strats, then picked up one
of the Gibsons. She smiled and put the strap of that guitar over her
head, adjusted the pickup knobs to her liking, then looked at
Heather.
"Play that piece that Bob and I played this morning."
Maryanne started to complain, "Heather, you know..."
"Play it," Heather interrupted gently but with her command voice.
Maryanne frowned, but then strummed a few times seemingly trying to put the
notes in her head before they went to her fingers. Tentatively she started to
pick at the strings like she was checking the tune.
She looked up at everyone watching, then to Heather, "Heather, I ca..."
"Play it sweetie. You know you can, we've done it together," Heather said in a soft loving voice.
Suddenly Maryanne's fingers started dancing on the fret board, the pick flying,
carefully choosing strings, and she started playing the same lead part that
Heather had played so well before the first session.
Bob's mouth dropped opened and his eyes almost bugged out. He could
hardly believe what he was seeing and hearing. Maryanne wasn't quite as
smooth as Heather, but she also didn't miss a note.
When she was finished, she blushed brightly and looked over to the group
that had been sitting there listening. Every one of them began to clap
their hands, including Bob. Bob may have been the loudest. Like Heather
had blown Bill's socks off, Maryanne had just done the same to Bob.
"Oh my god Maryanne. That was incredible. If you put in the same kind
of time that Heather has, you'd give her a good run for her money."
"She'd be better than me Bob," Heather quietly sighed. "A lot
better."
Bob thought to himself, "this was going to be a lot of
fun." He also knew that he might end up breaking up the
group because he would be pushing each individual to excel on her
own, and noting that if some producers and/or bands came in need of a
player, he would not hesitate to recommend any one of these young
women.
It might not be forever, but he was going to ride this tide as long as
he could. Most of all, more than anything, he wanted them all to succeed,
so he'd happily write the check to provide all of the instruments and the
upgrades that Bill came up with. That and more.
For him, it was pocket change. Petty Cash.
Chapter 5 -- The First Pass Through the Studio
Following the Saturday session and a short review of some of the recording, Bob let the girls know they could pack up the gear and take it to the
next practice garage if they wanted, but that he was going to look
for some place where they could spread out like on a stage and
practice that way. They could also leave things set up so that when
they went to practice they wouldn't have to spend time doing that and
could get right down to business.
As the girls were packing their things, he and Judy were standing there
watching the progress.
"I owe you a big thanks Bob," she said looking him in the eyes. "I
didn't expect all of the equipment you provided. I only expected some
direction. Now they have that and more."
"Judy I think it's me that owes you!! I'd still be sitting on my ass
wondering what to do with myself if you hadn't sent Sara that demo.
Sweetie, I heard a ton of their potential in that recording. Wait
until I dump this recording at the studio and Bill works it over."
Judy's eyes grew as she heard what he said, "Studio? Bob, what are you
telling me?"
With a sly smile he answered, "What I'm telling you is with their
approvals, I have plans for these girls. In three to five years I
would expect them to be multimillionaires, in ten, multi-multi.
They're that good sweetie. I wouldn't even consider these girls to be
diamonds in the rough. These four are very highly polished stones. They
may not have a final finish yet, but give them 6 months with me
and we'll be touring around the country, and maybe even around the
world. My intention would be to limit the tours. I don't want them
doing the kind of tours that I've been on in the past. They should
do short tours more often than long tours every now and then."
Judy just stood there aghast. She couldn't believe what Bob was
proposing to do.
"My biggest challenge is to help them overcome their stage fright.
I can see a few CD's as well. These girls will do very well!"
"Touring? Bob, isn't that a little much for their age?"
"Are you kidding? Heather is already years older than many band members
who started touring. They were fifteen, sixteen and touring the
world, let alone the country. Hell Judy, I was still fourteen when I
started my first real tour, but because of the way we did things, I
burned out. I'm twenty five years old Judy, and I'm fried from the road.
I want to help the girls avoid that, and there will be some greedheads
out there that will try to convince them they can make a boatload of money
if they go with them. I don't want these 4 to burn out. I want them to
stop when they're ready to stop, not because they have to in order to
save their sanity and their health."
"But you're a man Bob," Judy said.
"Huh? What fucking difference does that make?" Bob asked
incredulously. "Janell drums better than 90% of all the 'boys' I know.
Michelle is far better than a majority of the 'guys' that play keyboards. Heather is far and above 99% of all the "premier guitarists" of any sex,
and Maryanne? Shit. What can you say about Maryanne? I don't know ONE
guy that can do what she can do. Being a man or a woman has nothing
to do with it Judy. Not a god damned thing!!"
"Ok. Ok...Sorry," said Judy meekly, holding her hands up in surrender!
"Your daughter is going to be a fairly wealthy woman very soon Judy. She'll
work for it, believe me. But she'll be doing something she loves to
do, and it doesn't get any better than that honey. We just can't let it
go to their heads. I know Chelly the best, and I think she's got a damned
good head on her shoulders Judy. You have done an incredible job of
raising her. Maggie too, I'm sure. I sense that the other three are of
like minds, so it's just a matter of keeping them away from the dark side."
She just looked at him with "deer in the headlights"
eyes while she was thinking about the ramifications of what Bob had just said. She's losing her daughter? No, not really, she just won't be at home all the time anymore. She's eighteen so that eventuality is going to be
reality soon enough anyway. This way she can make something out of all that
practice and hard work. All of them have worked incredibly hard to become
as good as they are. The money wasn't an issue in Judy's mind, she
was more concerned about her daughters sanity. Judy was a very torn woman
at this moment.
Bob could see the internal conflict on her face, but it really wasn't his
place to say anything more at this point. Michelle could essentially do
anything she wanted without parental consent being required. He
didn't want any ill feelings however, but this really was Chelly's
future that they were talking about.
When she was finished packing, Michelle came over to sit with Bob and her mother. She had worked up quite a sweat helping everyone get their stuff into
cases, ready to load and move.
She recognized that there was a little tension
between Bob and her mom. That was very strange to Chelly, but she decided
she didn't need to say anything about it for the moment. She's sure she'd find out what it was sooner or later.
"Let's leave all that stuff here for a couple days sweetie, I'm going to see
if I can find a larger place to set it all up. If I can pull that off
it can be left set up and we won't have to spend time setting up then tearing
down, we'll be able to get right into the session."
She nodded an ok as she was taking a big drink of iced tea.
Judy looked at her daughter and said, "Bob's talking about you girls maybe
going on a tour sweetie. How do you feel about that?"
Michelle looked at Bob, surprise registering, "Cool."
Judy nearly deflated hearing that her daughter liked the idea.
"Don't you think it's a bit soon to think about that honey?"
Chelly looked at Bob, "How long do you think it will take us
to be ready?"
"Probably six months, maybe a little more," he replied thoughtfully.
"There are a lot of variables to work through, but I believe
we can do it in that timeframe."
Michelle looked at her mother with her answer. "No. I don't think it's
too soon to think about it. I love the idea. It scares me a little, but
I agree with Bob. I think we can do it."
"Honey, I think..."
"I'm too young? Mom, I'm eighteen, for gods sake. I'm going to move out soon anyway, what's your point?"
Now it looked like Judy had been hit with a 2x4. "Soon? You've never
said anything about moving out before."
"We've all been talking about it for a couple months. Well at least
since Maryanne turned eighteen. Heather is already looking for a 4
bedroom place with a 2 to 3 car garage, but just hasn't found the
right place yet."
"Oh," Judy sighed, sounding and looking a little sad. She looked
at Chelly with undying affection, but was wondering what life would
be like around the house without her there. First Maggie moved, now
it'll be Chelly. She guessed that it was something all parents had
to deal with. Janell and Maryanne's parents would have to deal with
it as well.
Bob marked housing in his head, with a mental note to talk to
Heather about it. There may be something he could do to help the
process. He didn't say anything because Judy was already bothered
that Michelle would even consider moving, but it's really an
inevitability that she's going to have to face sooner or later.
It sounded like Chelly was solidly in the sooner corner.
"Listen, I'll let you two talk for a bit, I'm going to go chat with the others," Bob said taking the opportunity to both allow Judy and Michelle the
opportunity to discuss the issue and give him a shot at talking to
Heather about the housing she's looking for. This could work out to
everybody's liking, and it would be damned convenient to boot.
The three of them were sitting on some of the instrument cases
talking, when Bob sauntered up and with a smile sat down with them.
After waiting for them to wind down the subject they were discussing when
he arrived, in a low voice so that Judy couldn't hear Bob asked,
"Heather, Chell says you're looking for a place so that you can
all move in together."
Heather nodded, "Yeah. I've been looking for a couple months. Well ever
since Maryanne turned eighteen and we all thought it was possible."
"Yeah. That's what Michelle said. Her mom isn't particularly thrilled with the idea."
Heather looked over at the two talking between themselves apparently
oblivious to the conversation going on at the front of the garage.
"I'm not all that surprised," Heather said. "Michelle is the one
that suggested we all could live together. She really wants to get out of
the house. There aren't any big problems other than she feels like
Judy is clinging, and Chelly feels like she's ready to spread her
wings some. It's scary for all three of them, but I'll be there to
give them shit and kick their asses. I've been on my own for a couple years now."
Janell and Maryanne chuckled at her comment, but nodded their heads.
"Ok. I hear you. I'll have to tread lightly at this point, but I mentioned
to Judy that I felt you four will be polished enough to tour in six
months or so."
Two of three jaws dropped and eyes enlarged significantly.
"What?" asked Janell.
"Well, I think with some serious effort, you four will be polished enough to
do a concert tour relatively soon. There are things that have to fall into
place, but I really don't see any serious impediments. I do think the first
one should be short and probably west coast only, but I honestly believe you
are all that good."
"Are you talking about getting on a stage in front of people?" asked Maryanne.
Heather was being unusually quiet, as they had already talked shortly about
the subject. She figured to let the other two come to grips with the
idea on their own for the most part. Everyone was going to need to be part
of the decision, and she didn't want to influence their thinking with her own
opinion. Not yet anyway.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about Maryanne. I understand the issue of
stage fright. I still get it before any show I play and I've been
doing it for quite a while."
Heather nodded with a smile. She'd changed her mind a little and joined
in, "I think Bob's right. We can do it if we set our minds to it. It
scares the shit out of me to think about playing in front of people,
but if we want our music to be more a part of us, sharing is the next
logical progression." She had decided to just throw that out as food
for thought. They would all sit down, without Bob, and discuss it
and come to a conclusion, of that she had no doubt.
Bob was nodding his head. Heather had obviously thought about it after
their talk and was coming to grips with the reality.
"But Heather, we can't..."
"Yes we can Maryanne. I was thinking about it earlier, and thought about
one of my public speaking classes. The professor said one really good
way to get over the fear of being in front of an audience is to
imagine them all naked."
All of them chuckled with that comment.
"I'll have to think about that and maybe give it a try next time I'm on
stage," Bob commented with a grin.
"You really think we can do it Bob?"
"Yes, I really think you can," he said softly. His face told them
he was serious.
"Now I have a question about your looking for housing? Do you care where
the place is located, and how much can you afford?"
"Well, I've been looking fairly local, but that's only because of
familiarity and school," Heather indicated. "I can go to school
anywhere there's a community college, but if I'm practicing my
music all the time, I may have to postpone school until we find
out if we can do this for a living. The other three can't really
afford much at this point, so we talked about maybe $1200 a month
so that it would be $300 each, then utilities and expenses, but
I can front some money for a while if I need to. These are
my sisters, so I'll help them all I can."
"How about subsidized housing about 400 miles away?" Bob asked with a
serious tone.
"What do you mean subsidized, and where are you talking about?"
Heather asked.
"Well, quite honestly, I'll have to think about it. The place is just north
of Ukiah, north of a small community called Willits."
"I've heard of that place," said Maryanne brightly. "It's well known for
growing some of the best pot in the world."
With a huge smile on his face, "Yes that is true Maryanne, but not
all of us grow weed."
"Us?" noted Heather. Nothing got by this lady!
"Yes, us Heather," he sighed facetiously. "I have a very
large home up there with a fully built studio. I've never put any of the studios equipment together because I wasn't sure I was going to do music that
seriously anymore. With all your stuff and the mixing board it's
a great start on a full blown recording studio. Billy can bring the
rest when he comes to give us the demo. I can probably talk Billy into
moving eventually. He hates LA." None of them noticed the look that
came to Maryanne's face.
The three of them looked at him like he'd grown a third eye in the middle
of his forehead. Bob noticed it and chuckled, "By subsidized
housing I mean that you don't pay rent as long as you continue to
play music and practice every day. That's the only way you are going
to get polished enough to tour. We can continually make recordings of
our sessions to go over with a critical ear. I can keep sending them down here to be worked on, at least until I can talk Billy into moving up to Willits. I'll need to use a few contacts to see if we can get permissions from all the artists and bands that did the original music."
"Permissions?" asked Janell. "What's that about?"
"Permissions, yeah. Someone owns the rights to the music you play.
You generally have to pay royalty money to use their 'intellectual property'
in a commercial way, and that's precisely what we're talking about doing.
Now with that said, some of the stuff you play is old enough to be in what's
called the public domain. If it's in the public domain, you don't have to
pay the royalties - unless someone has bought the rights, which more or
less resets the clock. It can be pretty complicated."
"Oh," said Heather. "Do you think you can get the permissions we'll need?"
"We'll have to see honey. We may have to change some of the music we do if
we can't get clearances, but I think if they know it's me, and I've
got something going, it could work out. We'll eventually have to pay
something, but to get started they may allow us to play their work
without charging a royalty fee. It's to their advantage as much as
it is to ours."
Bob paused for a moment as Michelle and Judy joined the discussion.
Michelle was smiling so perhaps she had made headway with Judy. Convincing her that it was only sensible to let her do whatever it is she wants to do, because she'll probably do it anyway. Perhaps the prospective income has
something to do with it, but moving her 400 miles was going to be a
challenge since Heather has been looking locally.
"I think I've convinced mom that moving and working on music isn't all
that foreign an idea. I'd planned on moving soon anyway, so this is
just a gravy opportunity that we can all take advantage."
"We may have a place Chelly," commented Heather softly.
There was surprise on Judy's and Michelle's faces because neither had
expected a move to be that imminent.
"What you talkin' 'bout Willis?" Chelly asked in the voice.
"What I'm 'talkin' 'bout' is we may have a place to move. The landlord is
thinking about it knowing that we play music."
"Oh. That's cool. Where is it?" asked Michelle.
"It's a good distance from here, but it sounds like it'll be perfect for
what we need," Heather mumbled a litte at the end.
Judy asked suspiciously, "What's a good distance Heather?"
"About four hundred miles," Heather answered with a touch of a wince.
Judy looked at Bob but there was no anger on her face. She
actually started to get a wry grin and then she giggled, which
caused Michelle to look at her sideways.
"Mom?" Michelle queried.
Looking straight at Michelle she said, "I think I know the landlord as
well honey, and I'd bet the place 400 miles away is in a town called
Willits."
"Willits?" questioned Michelle. "What the hell is a Willits?"
Then looking directly at Bob, Judy responded, "It's in northern
California sweetie. It's a quaint little town out in the middle of
nowhere, north of San Francisco, very peaceful."
Bob couldn't help but crack his face. The smile had to come. She'd
already figured it out, and it was her that he was going to talk to
when he said he'd think about it, so if she was already kind of on
board it was a done deal. He'd make the offer.
"And?" asked Bob.
"And, I think considering what you all are talking about, it's a pretty
fair idea. It's a bit further than I'd expected, considering, but
knowing the landlord, I know I won't have to worry about my daughters
safety," she said grinning. Then added with a chuckle, "Only her virginity."
Michelle, being totally confused and apparently oblivious to her mothers
comments, looked at Bob and asked, "Do you know what the hell
she's talking about?"
Bob just nodded at her, with a huge grin on his face.
"Well ... Anyone want to clue little ole Chelly in on the big secret?"
Michelle said with mock indignation. Then looking directly at Judy,
"What makes you think I'm still a virgin?" She had obviously been paying more attention than anyone thought.
Judy's mouth just fell open and her eyes grew as big as saucers.
"Chelly," Heather said with a chuckle, "Willits is where Bob lives."
Now it was Michelle's eyes that grew to the size of saucers and without
straining any neck muscles she looked at Bob.
Heather continued, "He's offered to subsidize our housing, but that
practicing every day is part of the deal."
Bob nodded his head at Michelle when she looked over to him. This was
working out better than she ever thought. She's had her sights on Bob
for quite some time and this could be her shot. She also knew that
the other three, well at least two of them, would want some too, which
was no big deal, she's willing to share. There was also something else niggling at her at the same time but she really didn't want to deal with it now even though she knew she had to.
Inside of herself she also sensed something else going on as well, and felt
that she was going to have to make a decision about something she
really didn't want to think about right now. She had already mentioned it to
Judy while they were talking about the move and Judy had been very sympathetic as well as very supportive. It may turn out to be one of the
most difficult, but important decisions she would ever make in her life. It was occupying the back of her mind, so when she looked somewhat
distracted, Bob noticed Judy was looking at her daughter with some
uneasiness. He decided to let it go for now, it probably had to do with
the move talk.
"Subsidize your housing?" asked Judy having recovered somewhat from her
shock.
"I told the other three that I would not be charging them any rent as
long as they would practice every day. The house is paid for, and I don't
need the income to have to claim on my taxes." Then thinking momentarily he added with a chuckle, "If it all works out they could actually become and expense on taxes." Adding, "It's
9500 square feet, 9 large bedrooms 6 large bathrooms on 675 acres just north of Willits. It also has a full studio built but no equipment installed.
I'd like to install all of the 'stuff' that is in the garage as a
start."
"If everything works out the way I hope, it will eventually be
a full blown recording studio similar to what the Beatles had at Apple Records. It's something I've always dreamed of doing, and with you girls help, I may be able to make that part of my dream come true."
They all looked at him with amazement. He was, in a way, asking them to help
him make one of his dreams come true, while he was making theirs happen.
Judy looked around the room at all the girls. "Well. I guess I'd have to
say that if you four don't take Bob up on his offer, if it turns into an
offer, you're fucking nuts," laughed Judy blushing brightly at her use of "their language".
"It's an offer," said Bob. "Judy, the thing that I had to 'think about' is
needing to talk with you about your feelings. It sounds like you've been
able to reconcile them enough that my making the offer won't cause any
undue stress."
"Ok," said Bob looking at the group. "I know all of you are of
legal age to just up and move, but you owe it to your families to let them know what's going on. Heather, I know you're in a bit different
situation, but Janell, you and Maryanne should discuss the move with
your parents and let them know of the opportunity. If there are any
questions, let them know that I'll be happy to talk with them and
confirm what I'm offering. They may be understandably skeptical, though
I'm sure they are all aware of your abilities."
"They can talk to me as well," said Judy looking at all the girls.
"They don't know you Bob, but they all know me." Then with a chuckle,
"And they all know how I am about Chelly, so if I'm willing to let her
do it, then it's got to be ok."
Heather looked at Bob with a grin, "I have to give my landlord a 30 day
notice. Should I give it to him today?"
"I'd like you to be there sooner than 30 days, but I also understand the
contractual commitment you made. Just because you've paid the rent,
doesn't mean you're living there. I'll reimburse you the month's rent.
So yes, you can give notice if you're sure you want to move.
What about school?"
"The last quarter is done and there's another month before the next one starts. I haven't even registered for my classes yet, so moving isn't a real
issue. I can transfer my units anywhere in the state, or really to any four
year college outside the state as well; all the classes I've taken
are transferable. Is there a community college around Willits?"
"No. I don't think so. It's a pretty good distance from anywhere really.
Remember the house is in the middle of nowhere, so it'll be peaceful
and quiet for us to practice.
Then his face brightened. "Ya know what?" he said with a surprise. "There may be a Community College in Ukiah, and that's within a reasonable distance. I think it's called 'Mendocino College' or something like that, but it's part of the California community college system."
Heather looked at him thoughtfully, "Ok. I can postpone school for a
year to see where this idea goes. If I'm making a living doing music,
I can adjust my educational plans.
She began to get tears in her eyes. "I have to finish school," she quietly
choked out, "I promised my parents that I would get a degree so I have to do it."
She didn't realize that Bob still didn't know about the loss of her parents.
"Heather, I also want you to continue and finish at some point. Even if we all have to temporarily move somewhere near a school for you. I'm proud of you that you honor your commitments."
Then looking around the room, "That goes for the rest of you as well.
I'd like to see you all continue your education. Even if it's a music
major, it's still something you can fall back on if you need to.
Bands don't go on forever, but honestly, I don't believe that after
the first tour you four will ever have to worry about money again,
just boredom when you decide to stop. But you may want to teach. You'll
have to get a degree for that, and I think later in life you would all
make excellent music teachers."
"I'd like to do some recording. I'd like to be able to recommend you girls to studios to play for big names as part of a studio band. There are a lot of
avenues available to you. You're good enough now to play a lot of
those roles, but in 6 months of practicing every day, you'll be that much better. I'll admit to you, I can be a real slave driver because I'm very serious about my music. I also want to consult with Billy after
he's had time to review the recording we just made.
"Chelly, you'll have the opportunity and the time to get to learn all of that
Korg and Roland stuff." With a grin, "The Moog too!" Then looking across the room, "you too Maryanne."
There is going to be more, and better
equipment installed at the studio. We'll be able to make just
about any kind of sound we want. It'll just be a matter of figuring
out how to do it."
The girls looked at each other in shock. It was Janell who voiced it
softly for everyone, "Do you believe this is happening to us?"
They all shook their heads, moved over to give Bob a group hug, and
together voiced a very sincere "Thank you" to Bob. The group hug would become a mainstay tradition in the group.
"Ok. We'll get back together in a couple days, unless you need more time.
We need to talk about logistics. I'll schedule moving agents to visit each
of your homes, to look at what it will take to pack your things for the move.
After packing, they'll load your things in a truck and drive it up to Willits. Keep out enough clean clothes and toiletries to last at least a week or so. I have a washing machine and dryer so you can always do laundry at the house."
"If you want to bring any instruments bring acoustics, and de-tune them
before they go on the plane.
"De-tune?" asked Heather.
Bob looked at her smiling, "Yup, de-tune. Make all the strings
loose so the change in pressure doesn't warp the neck. The airlines don't
usually pressurize the baggage compartments. Also be sure to have
hard cases, otherwise the baggage gorillas may damage your instruments.
They may damage them anyway, but at least in a hard case they have a
fighting chance for survival."
"Will two days be enough for you guys, Maryanne, Janell? I'm really
serious about talking to your folks about the move."
Janell nodded and spoke first, "I don't think I'll have a big problem
to be honest. My mom just got a new boyfriend, so she'll be more
interested in her own life as long as she knows I'll be somewhere safe. She
certainly doesn't worry about my virginity," smiling at Judy.
"She's accepted that I'm supposedly an 'adult' now and she
lets me make my own decisions. I also know, because of her, there are always
going to be some kind of consequences for decisions, so I've been
pretty careful. This one is a no brainer!"
"I think mom and dad will be happy for me," commented Maryanne. "I
already told them that the four of us were looking for a place to
live where we could practice without having to set stuff up all the
time. They've always been very supportive of my music development
even though mom is disappointed that I don't have any desire to be a
concert violinist. I'm sure I can still play the fiddle in our
music."
Bob laughed at her reference to the instrument that began her musical
development. "Make sure you always refer to it as a violin at
home sweetheart. If your folks wanted you to be in an orchestra,
referring to it as a fiddle may not go over very well."
"It's ok," she giggled, "I already call it a fiddle at
home. My folks support any musical direction I want to go in. Sometimes me and my brother sit down and play 'hillbilly music', as my dad calls it. I do fiddle and banjo both. They're rockers from way back, so my playing rock or retro rock is totally acceptable. I'll talk to them later today and
tomorrow. Give me your cell number and I'll call you when I've
cleared it with them."
Bob gave them all his cell number and let them know that he'd be staying
in the guest room for a few more days, but would be traveling
downtown to listen to what is being done with the session recording
he'll take over.
Things are starting to get interesting!
Chapter 6 -- Heather
The girls all scattered to the four winds to talk to their parents about
the impending move and what it would mean for their future careers.
Their parents had always been extremely supportive of their daughters
musical endeavors so there was very little chance that any of the
parents would object to the move.
They did try to quell some of the enthusiasm by giving them some sobering
statistics about success vs. failure in the music industry. They let
them know it would take a lot of hard work and practice, which is
something Bob had already impressed on them. The "elders" were a bit surprised but very pleased that he hadn't sugar coated anything. He
gave them the real poop and they were going to have to decide for themselves if it was worth the effort. Bob was not overtly pushing any of them to do anything, though, truth be told, he'd be very disappointed if it didn't work because of "adult reservations".
Heather on the other hand, was in the world all by herself. She and
her parents had been extremely close. A drunk driver killed both of
her parents shortly after her high school graduation, and she was
an only child. The insurance monies and all that dad or mom had invested
in left Heather very well set for the rest of her life, but she,
like Bob, couldn't handle just sitting around.
Two years later she still grievously mourned their loss, and missed them terribly. Living in their house was a constant reminder that she was now alone, so she moved into a much smaller place, hiring a reputable property
management company to rent the house that she had grown up in. She
didn't want to dispose of it, but couldn't live in it at this point.
Of course, Bob didn't know any of this yet, but it is one reason Heather
had been so quick to cuddle with Bob that first night. She didn't
date much and this was the first time in a long time that she'd been
that close to a man in a bed. She didn't feel any reservations about
Bob, and truth be told, she felt very close to him that night.
However, she had felt "honor bound" to give Michelle her
request, but somehow felt deep inside that she wanted, no, needed to get
close to this man.
Michelle, on the other hand, recognized immediately the instant vibe between
the two older members. She had already decided what she needed to do.
As hard as it was going to be, she was going release Heather from her
"restriction" so that she and Bob could "get to know each other". She just
couldn't deny Heather the chance.
Chelly was Heather's best friend and having had many long, somber
conversations, she knew how much Heather was still hurting deeply and really
needed someone to be close. Bob could possibly fill that void and
Michelle, to her credit, recognized that need in her friend. She also
knew what she was going to be giving up.
When she was much younger, Michelle had met Bob on a number of occasions,
at family parties. She was enamored with him from the start, but
because of age and location wasn't able to act on that base emotional
attachment. Now that a real opportunity presented itself, there was a
best friend, a sister, who had a need far greater than her own
personal lust. Michelle, though pained, faced it admirably and maturely.
She picked up her phone and called Heather.
Judy looked at her daughter with a smile and understanding what Chelly had
just done, whispered "You'll never know how proud I am of you at
this moment honey. That selflessness will come back to reward you
someday."
Michelle looked at her mother with tears forming in her eyes. She whispered to her mother, "She needs him more than I ever will mom. If the
same thing happened in my life, and I lost you, I would at least have Maggie.
Heather is all alone in the world mom, what else can I do?"
"Nothing baby. That's why I'm so proud of you. Heather will never forget it
and neither will Bob for that matter." Then with a wry
smile, "I'm sure, knowing Heather, you'll still get your
opportunities."
"I couldn't do that to her mom. Not unless there was mutual agreement
and no emotional issues being fostered. Even though Bob hides his very well,
they're both very lonely people, so hopefully they'll be good for each other."
Judy just looked at her daughter with a soft smile and nodded her head.
Michelle could see the pride her mother felt in her eyes, which made
Chelly swell a little in her own pride. It was to be noble and she
had sensed it.
Bob, having been in the back room, hadn't heard a word. When he came back
into the room it was obvious that Chelly had been crying, and was
about to say something when Judy put her finger to her lips telling
him to keep quiet.
He raised his eyebrows in question but she just shook her head almost
imperceptibly. Michelle looked up at him with a strained smile as he
grabbed a chair and joined them at the table.
Heather had just pulled back into the driveway and parked her car next to
Bob's truck and trailer. With the big smile that was usually on her
face, she jumped out, walked through the garage and knocked on the
door. Two knocks and a turn of the handle, she was in the kitchen where
Judy and Michelle were waiting for her. Bob, not having heard
anything and being a guy, was essentially clueless.
"Hey Chell, you said you needed to talk to me, so I turned around. What's
up?" she asked, then grabbed the chair next to Bob and sat down.
Neither she nor Bob had any idea about what was going to transpire
in the next few minutes. They looked at each other with an instant
smile then turned their attention to the others.
Michelle looked at her mother, and gulped, then looked at Heather with a look
that told her something important was up. She began to get a little
nervous about whatever it was, wondering if Michelle had decided not
to participate after all, but Judy was all smiles, so ...
"Bob, it was me that put up the restriction on any 'activities' that may
have happened last night," she choked out softly.
"It was a little selfish on my part, no, it was a lot selfish, but you have
been my 'fantasy' for a lot of years," she continued with some difficulty.
She looked at both of them and had to giggle because they both had that
deer in the headlights look on their faces. Judy just looked at them
and laughed.
Chelly looked at her best friend, "Heather, I noticed the instant
attraction between the two of you, and I feel really guilty knowing
that you have an honest need in your life that I'll never have."
Then looking at Bob, "You can possibly fill that need for her Bobby.
The restriction I put up was before you got here, and before I saw
you two together, it was really nothing overt on either of your
parts, it's just a chemistry that I noticed immediately."
Then with a slightly pained smile, "I guess it's a woman
thing."
Bob and Heather looked at each other with questioning looks, then back to
Michelle, Bob raising an eyebrow.
Bob was first, "I don't get it Chelly. What the hell are you talking about?"
Michelle looked at both of them, and laughed. "I guess blunt is the best
attack, so I'll stop beating around whatever bush I've been beating
around." Looking directly at Bob, "I would like for you to
go home with Heather and stay with her until you go back home with us. I
want to see you and all the other members of the group, but Heather
really needs someone, and from what I could see last night when we setup
and the practice session today, you could be it!"
Heather looked at her and started to cry softly, "Chelly you don't have
to do this. It's been your dream for so long, I'd feel so guilty stepping
in the middle."
"Heather," she said very softly, "I'm not alone. I have my family, but you lost yours and I know that you are still grieving a lot. I'll never have
to face in my life what you have had to face. All I'm saying is that
I recognize that you do need someone in your life and Bob may be a
good someone for you. I don't want to selfishly deny either of you
that possibility."
Typical of a guy, Bob just sat there with a dumb look on his face trying to
figure out what was really going on between the two girls.
Recognizing the look, Judy had to laugh. Still laughing she stood up, and
wagged her finger at Bob telling him to follow her, which he did immediately.
Judy saw the looks from the girls and before they could say anything, just
whispered one word to them both, "Relax."
When they got into the next room, away from ears that could eavesdrop,
Judy turned to Bob with a grin, "You have no clue do you?"
He just shook his head.
"Sweetheart, Michelle has had a crush on you for years and it has nothing to do with your fame or fortune. Unfortunately, from my perspective, it's
been far more than a schoolgirl fantasy for a long time.
She loves you a lot Bobby and it's not 'puppy love'. Whether or not it's a
love that would go anywhere, who knows," she said shrugging her shoulders.
"Today, and last night she noticed that there was some chemistry between you and Heather that just clicked. She has known for a long time that Heather
needs someone, we've talked about it at great length. Chelly sees that someone could be you Bob, and she's letting Heather know that she is setting
aside her lustful fantasy so that you and Heather can explore the
possibilities. If you want my real opinion, I think Chelly was only interested in getting laid because, at this point in her life, I don't think she recognizes her own desires beyond that. I could be wrong." Then with a grin, "It has happened once or twice before."
Bob nodded, and asked softly, "Heather needs someone? I don't get
it."
Judy looked at him with surprise, "You don't know about her parents?"
"Uh. No. I know she's by herself, but ..."
"Oh hell Bob, I thought you already knew. Heather lost both of her parents to a drunk driver close to two years ago. She has no brothers or sisters. She has no known relatives. Bob, she is all alone in this ugly world at 20, well, since she was 18. Chelly is willing to give up her deepest fantasy, you, for her friend. Heather truly needs someone in her life. It will help her to continue her recovery, and you both have a common interest in music. Chell also sees that you are also a lonely person. I believe that is a very accurate assessment. Saying all of that, don't think that Chelly still doesn't want a piece of you," she grinned, "But she says that will be up to Heather and you."
Getting a little tear, she continued, "She wants both of you to be happy Bobby, and she doesn't want to be in the way of that happening if it can work with you and Heather. I think she's right and you two might be very good for each other, but that's her mother's prejudiced opinion. The two of you need the opportunity to explore those possibilities. That's what Chelly is trying to give you both tonight, and quite honestly, I couldn't be more proud of her."
Then gently putting her hands on his face, "Please, Bob, let Heather
take you home with her and let nature take whatever course it will. She
may not be ready for any true intimacy, but you can be there for
her."
"Well, if last night's sleep fest was any indication, she seems ready for
intimacy, but that may have been some kind of bravado because she
knew of 'the restriction'. It'll be totally up to Heather. I am certainly
willing."
Judy chuckled, "I'll bet you are, you dirty old man."
Bob looked at her with a shocked face, "Who? Me?" Then
laughed, "Guilty as charged."
Then more seriously, "Judy, She's only 5 years younger than I am
you know."
"I know sweetie," Judy chuckled. "I was giving you a
hard time."
Grinning, arm in arm the two of them returned to the kitchen where it was
obvious that another discussion was being held. Both girls looked up
when Bob and Judy entered the room, each looking both happy and very
nervous.
Bob walked over to Michelle and put his hands out asking her to stand up.
When she stood, he wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to
kiss her. It started out to be a soft, gentle kiss, but proceeded to
become a very sensual, loving, sexual meeting. When the kiss broke
Bob looked her directly in her bright green eyes and whispered to her softly,
"I love you Michelle, more than you will ever know."
She looked him directly in the eyes and tearfully whispered back, "I
love you too Bobby, so much, and I love Heather too, which is why I have to do this."
"I know honey," Bob whispered with a wry grin, "I'm sure
you'll get your chances."
He backed away from her, and smiling went over to the other side of the
table and sat down in his former seat next to Heather.
He looked at her and asked softly, "So... how do you feel about all
of this?"
Nervously looking into his eyes, she replied, "I don't know. It's so
overwhelming at the moment, I'm not sure what to think."
"Do you want some time alone to think about it?"
Without any hesitation Heather shook her head, and nervously
replied, "I don't think so. No. Not really. I've been alone for a
long time already."
"So..."
"Will you come home with me Bobby?"
"If that's what you want, yes I will."
"That's what I want," sighed Heather taking one of his hands in hers.
Then looking at her best friend said softly, "Chelly, I don't really know
what to say."
"You don't need to say anything Hey. I'm good with it, and I'm happily
hoping for both of you ... Really sweetie. No bullshit."
That's the first time Bob had heard anyone use Heather's nickname, Hey.
Then with a forced smile, "Now, why don't you two get out of here and
go get to know each other a little better."
Heather and Bob slowly stood and hugged Judy and Chelly, then hand
in hand headed for the back door.
When it closed and she was sure they were truly on their way, Michelle
finally broke down and sobbed openly. She moved over to her mother for
comfort.
"I know that was hard baby, but it was the right thing
to do. I'm so proud of you..."
"I know mom, and I'll 'get my turn' with him, but I have such mixed
emotions at the moment I don't know what to think."
"Then don't think anything honey. You'll end up over thinking the whole
thing and drive yourself batty."
Michelle got a strained smile at that description and just nodded her
head knowing her mother was right.
"It still feels like I just lost a best friend, but I know that's not
EVEN the case. If anything, my bestest friend will be even more
bestest," she said with a strained smile.
Judy smiled and put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and they went
into the living area to sit and ignore the TV babble and continue their
conversation.
A short time later, Michelle's older sister, Maggie, popped in the door
to say hello.
"Holy shit. What's wrong with you Chell?" Maggie noticed immediately
plopping down next to her on the couch.
"She just gave up her fondest dream to someone who needed him more,"
Judy said softly.
"Wow. Chell, I'm really sorry."
"No, don't be sorry Mag, it's ok. It hurts right now, but Hey needs Bob a
lot more than I do at the moment, and once we're all living together,
I'll have time with him. It's just that I've wanted him for such a long
time, I'm really not all that sure I wanted anything more than a 'fling' or
three. Shit. It's only been my fantasy, not my dream. Hey needs
someone solid."
"Yeah I know. Or three?" Maggie chuckled. "Why did
Heather ask you?"
"She didn't. When we finished our weekend practice sessions Hey just left
like normal. I got to thinking that she's going home to an empty
house and will be alone. She has nobody left in the whole world Mag, and
I've at least got you and Mom, so I told her to come back and we all talked
about it for a while. Heather was blown away and I'm sure when they sleep
together tonight something will happen, but you never know. They
slept together last night."
"Yeah, but you'd put some ridiculous restriction on all the girls Chelly,
and to her credit Heather honored your request. You did the right thing baby,
and even though you're hurting right now, you know it was the right thing."
"I know mom. Somewhere the Karma Gods are smiling and it will come back
to me, but even knowing that doesn't make it hurt any less."
Maggie moved around and put her arms around to give her sister a hug.
"Thanks Mag. I really need it right now," Michelle whispered to her
sister.
Maggie looked in Chelly's eyes, and moved her face towards her putting her
lips softly onto her younger sisters and both kissed very tenderly.
Judy just stared, her mouth agape. This is obviously not the first
time they have done that.
When the kiss broke Michelle put her head on Maggie's shoulder and holding
her tight let out a big sigh. Judy wasn't really sure how she felt about
this "incestuous relationship", but she knew it was not a bad thing. Besides
they were both old enough to make up their own minds about those kinds of
things.
They sat and talked for a couple hours before it got late enough that
they all wandered off to bed. Judy noted that her two daughters
retired to Chelly's room and a wry grin appeared on her face. She
knew in her heart that Chelly had done the right thing, and she knew
that Chelly knew it too, but it didn't help that lost feeling. She
smiled inwardly knowing Maggie would help to take care of some of
that for her sister.
-----
Outside the garage, Bob and Heather got into her car for the short trip
home. The ride was very quiet, both of them being engrossed
in their own thoughts.
Heather was completely overwhelmed by Michelle's gesture. Somehow, even with
her "false front", Chelly had seen her loneliness. Then she
thought, "Well, Chelly knows me better than anyone else in the world, so I
guess it's not that surprising." She wondered if Chelly saw the same
loneliness in Bob that she had sensed last night. Maybe it was because
of her own feeling of being alone that helped her see that Bob was a
very lonely soul as well.
She was also overwhelmed with other emotions. This meant that there was
the possibility that she wouldn't be alone anymore, and she
wasn't sure how she would handle that. She's been so lonely for so
long now she wasn't sure about anything. She recognized the
opportunity that Chelly had provided her and would be forever
grateful. She just hoped, deep in her heart, that it worked out.
Heather also understood the sacrifice Chell had made for her. In her mind
Bob would be free to "play" with Michelle if he wanted to. There would
be no jealousy, or ill feelings. If Michelle could give up her
deepest fantasy for her, then she could certainly share him. She knew Chelly
wouldn't try to stab her in the back over anything so there was some
security in that. Really, none of the other three would stab her, so ... Oh
hell, we'll see.
It may also turn out that she and Bob aren't compatible on a personal
level, but they'd never know unless they tried. She knows she likes
him, a lot, and without that goofy "restriction" she'd have let him
fuck her silly last night. She smiled to herself and let out a heavy
sigh. Maybe tonight?
Bob on the other hand was completely blown away. He now knew of Heather's
pain, though he couldn't truly relate having never had that kind of
experience. He could certainly relate to the loneliness. He would be
happy to do anything he could to help with her continued recovery.
He also understood the sacrifice that Michelle had made
for her friend, and knew that there would be conversations. He was
also blown away because Heather was a knock 'em down, stone assed
walking wet dream. What would a 20 year old fox want with an "old
geezer" like him?
Geezer ... Right. He's 25. She's 20. Could it be more perfect?"
Granted, in less than a month all 5 of them would be cohabitating and
collaborating but he didn't want any personality issues to get in the
way of the music. He'd seen that in the past and knew how volatile
that kind of situation could become.
He had to admit though, that when Fleetwood Mac was imploding they created their absolute best work on the album "Rumors". That is the exception though, not the rule and it is only a tribute to their tenacity, talent, and belief in the music that allowed the personality issues to actually enhance the emotionally driven outcome.
It only took a few minutes to get to Heather's abode. She had purposely
found a place close to the others, especially Chelly, instead of moving
away. The music has always been a very large part of her healing. The biggest
reason she was such an exceptional musician is because she didn't do
anything else. She didn't have to work, she didn't date though she had
plenty of offers. Essentially she didn't have a life outside of the music. She still hadn't figured out how to move on from her tragedy, but "las tres amigas" had helped incredibly.
They both walked up to the front door hand in hand then stopped. Bob took
her in his arms, looked into her eyes and asked again, "Are you
really sure you want this Heather? I won't think any less of you if
you change your mind."
"No. I won't change my mind. It's hard to explain, but Chelly knows
me. She's my best best friend. I love all the girls, but I'm closest
to Chell. She went through my agony with me, she put up with me in my
darkest time, and that's something I'll never, ever, forget. In the
end, she stuck it out and we've become even closer than sisters. Now
she has given up her most secret of desires, and she did it for me," she said beginning to show tears welling up in those gorgeous blue eyes.
"I'm very overwhelmed. I certainly didn't expect this. I know that I like
you. I like you a lot," she smiled meekly. "It may seem weird
since we've only known each other for 36 hours or so, but there's something
"here" that is stronger than I am, maybe even stronger than you.
Chelly could sense it ... She's good at that."
They hugged tightly for a few minutes just feeling each other before she
opened the door to welcome him into her world.
They had some time to chat, and sat in Heather's living area with a bottle of
really good wine and some munchies. They talked into the night, but
fatigue caught up and the excitement adrenalin finally burned itself
out for the moment, and both were obviously tired.
"Heather, I don't object to your guest room," giving her another chance
for an out.
She looked at him with an evil grin and said, "No way Jose. We
shared a bed last night and we can share one again tonight. It
doesn't mean we have to do any more than we did, but now the
eventuality exists.
Then with a big smile she added, "I'm not in any big rush,
I'm just horny."
Bob laughed and nodded as they made their way to her bedroom. It was what
you would call a typical girls room, Soft, very neat, and quite
comfortable. It had a huge California king sized bed against one
wall, neat clothes storage and an acoustic guitar sitting in a stand
in the corner.
Bob walked over to the stand and gently picked up the instrument and took a
quick look at it, then looked at Heather with a smile.
"This is a Golden Era Sunburst isn't it?"
Heather nodded showing a bit of surprise he would recognize the classical
Martin guitar.
"I sometimes sit here and play it before I can sleep. I got it for
graduation. It was the last gift I ever got from my parents,"
tears forming in her eyes.
Bob looked at her tenderly and said softly, "Your parents had
exceptional taste honey. May I?"
She got a big smile and nodded to him, "Please do."
Bob sat on the chair that was set there for playing, and checked the tune
which was perfect, like he would have expected anything less. He
proceeded to play and sing for her the single version of the Everly
Brothers tune, "Let it be me".
Then to lighten up the mood, played "Wake up Little Suzy", which
had been done by the same group.
As he sang the second song, Heather joined in with perfect harmony.
Bob's heart sang along with them as he noticed the joy in Heather's eyes.
He would do everything he could to ensure many more examples of that look for
her.
"Wow. We might have to add those to the play lists when we plan them."
Heather just smiled at him nodding, "We already know both of them and
a couple more that the Everly Brothers did."
"How many songs do you guys know?"
She looked at him seriously, "About twelve hundred."
"Holy Shit. How did you learn that many?"
"We listened to the records, then played them. Usually we would sit down
to listen when we got together on the weekends, and then we'd play
it. All of us have a pretty good ear so we would pick it up and
usually it only took a couple plays before we had it down and moved on
to the next one. We probably learned thirty or forty a weekend like that.
We also passed music around all week so by the weekend we had
already heard a bunch we could try together. When we learned them, we'd
add them to the list of tunes we did the next weekend along with the ones
we would try to learn. We'd try to play them the following couple weekends
which reinforced the music, then it was just there to put on a playlist
if we wanted to."
Then laughing, "We learned too many and couldn't play them all so we'd select
a bunch and play them. Usually if we learned the song, and played it the next
week or two, we could put it on the list three or four months later and we just played it. Nobody had to listen to it again, it was on the list, so we played it. "
Bob just shook his head and grinned at her. "Do you know how
crazy this is?"
Displaying a melancholy smile, she lamented, "Yeah. I do, but it's what's
kept me sane after I lost mom and dad. It's been really hard for me to
adjust, and I'm still haunted by the whole thing."
Bob found her eyes, and said softly, "We'll work on that together
Heather. Maybe I can help you to deal with it, but it'll only be
when you're ready. I'd like you to think about it, don't dwell on it,
but just think about it and when you're ready we can talk. I have a
fairly simple view on the whole subject, and I also have some books
that you may be interested in looking at, so let me know."
Heather looked at Bob curiously, "You can tell me Bob. I'm
haunted, but I've had to deal with it. I will accept your help,
but I guess we'll have to figure out what that'll be. What's your
view?"
Bob looked at her with wistful eyes and took her hands in his.
"Hey, I don't believe that the people we've lost are truly gone."
Curiosity took over her eyes. She was really wondering now.
"As long as you have your memories and can still see all the good times,
then they're still 'living'. In your case, since you are the only
one left, your folks won't truly die until you join them. They live
in you Heather, in your heart, in your memories, and they always will.
They're not gone, they're just not here."
With a sad, contemplative look she nodded her head. "Thank you.
That gives me a lot of food for thought and it is an interesting
philosophy."
His eyes were sad, but his face was bright. He nodded his head then
gently set the guitar back in the stand and locked it in so it couldn't
fall. He stood and holding both of Heather's hands again, pulled her to him
for a soft tender kiss. He could feel the moisture of her tears on
his cheeks, but just held the kiss longer letting her feel that she was
"safe" in his arms.
She pulled her face from his, and moving her hands from his, wiped the
tears from her face. Then she took him by the hand, led him to the bed
and pulled back the sheets. She looked him in the eyes, and raised her
face once again for another soft, tender kiss. There were no tears this
time, only a relieved sigh when her body relaxed in his arms.
When she stepped back, he saw the shy smile when she began to unbutton the
shirt she had been wearing.
When she got down to nothing but her panties and Bob down to his boxers,
she noticed him looking her up and down lustfully, not hiding the
fact he was looking at her body. She began to blush shyly knowing a
man was raking her body with his eyes, but she unconsciously did the
same, which didn't go unnoticed.
He found her dancing eyes, and with a smile on his face, asked if she
wanted to join him in a quick shower.
She simply nodded her head.
Once again, her hand in his, they walked through the door to the master
bath. The first thing he noticed was that it had an unusually large shower.
While he turned the water handles to start warming the water, she moved to
a small closet taking three towels out and setting them on the sink next
to the shower.
Bob looked in her eyes without allowing them to drop to the rest of her
body. Blushing brightly but with a shy smile, she slipped her fingers
under the elastic of her panties and pushed them down her thighs
letting them fall the rest of the way. She stepped out as soon as
they hit the floor moving her long legs apart slightly showing him a quick partial view of
the tight labia on her vulva and the shaved mons he already knew
was bare from their cuddling the night before.
She looked at him nervously, like most young women not knowing how her
naked body would be accepted by her partner.
Seeing those nerves, Bob thought to himself, it's so sad that in our
society women seem to have such a low view of their bodies unless
they look like a Barbie doll or a Playboy Bunny. Subconsciously
they've been conditioned to believe that men won't find them
attractive unless they look like the photos that Hefner puts out
every month.
Looking her in the eyes, Bob whispered, "You are an absolutely beautiful
young woman Heather. It was dark last night, but now that I see you in
the light, Wow!!"
She gave him a blushing shy smile as she turned to check on the water.
While she was doing the honors, he pushed down his boxers, and
stepped out as they hit the floor. She turned around and looked at
him letting her eyes move down to his now hard penis. She gasped at
the sight and whispered, "It's beautiful."
He smiled, moving closer to put his arms firmly around her pecking her
lips softly. His tongue darted to hers momentarily, but it was over
before she could meet his invitation.
Quickly they both stepped into the shower and began washing each other
slowly. There was the usual level of grab ass between two lovers
while soaping, scrubbing, and rinsing, but nothing that was overtly
pushing any envelopes. Bob was a very patient man, and he didn't
want Heather to feel rushed in any way.
Typical of many guys, Bob didn't catch the hints she was blatantly giving
him. Heather was hot to go.
As she was washing him down, she maneuvered him into a corner to begin a session of touchy, feely. She had his hardness in her hands giving it loving strokes, while gazing lustfully into his eyes. She lifted her face to his putting her soft lips on his, her tongue darting out to play.
He responded in kind, and even being in a corner reached up to cup her breasts gently. He began to play with her nipples rubbing the palm of his hand over each while caressing the mound. He moved one hand to her mons massaging gently those areas that most guys don't know about or choose to ignore. She was moaning fairly loudly by the time his fingers found her "go button".
He moved his fingers through her labia picking up her oils making the work on her clit much more comfortable. He continued to circle the sentry, teasing gently by moving the tip around in circles never touching the nubbin.
Her hand squeezed a little tighter when he began to push a little harder to finally bring her off. She plunged over the edge heading down into the valley, both hands moving quickly around his neck to hold him close.
When he felt her hands move and the orgasm start, he put an arm around her to hold her noting that her knees were getting shaky. He could feel her abs pulsing in spasm while she shouted her pleasure. He softly gave her vulva one lighter squeeze and put that arm around her as well.
They held each other closely while she came down from her visit to the valley of "O". He caressed her back and butt while whispering sweet, suggestive things into her ear giving her neck and shoulders an occasional nip with his teeth or lips. Her shuddering was slowing and her breathing was becoming more paced.
Heather managed to reach down again and grab hold of his stiff cock pulling her face away from his an inch or two to gaze into his eyes with an almost evil, "I want you to fuck me" look.
Is it any wonder that Bob was already hard as a rock? When they were finally
finished playing in the shower, both took a soft fluffy towel and
dried off. She took his hand in hers and once again, re-entered the bedroom. Sliding up to the bed Heather turned and put her arms around Bob's neck to kiss him again, and as she did, began to "fall" backwards towards the mattress pulling him down with her.
The way they landed on the bed, her legs were wrapped around him. It forced
him to land on his knees between those gorgeous legs giving him a birds eye view of the most beautiful pussy he'd ever seen. Imagine that!
She pulled him down, crushing her chest with his, and locking their lips
together for a very serious game of tongue tag. When she finally let
the kiss break their noses rubbed softly. Their eyes were only
two inches apart and visually speaking loudly to the other.
With her legs still wrapped tightly around his waist, her arms around his
neck and shoulders, he knee walked slowly towards the middle of the
bed. Each was feeling the warm skin contact being pressed on the other,
her nipples hard and poking into his chest. Her hips began thrusting up
vigorously towards his causing the bottom of his stiff rod to slide intensely
between her slippery labia. When she reached the top of her stroke she would
moan loudly, her little sentry, though protecting gallantly, felt the quake of activity surrounding it and ultimately succumbed to it's ferocity.
She wasn't a virgin by any means, but had only had sex with one boy, and
only did it with him twice before realizing that he wasn't worth a hill of
beans to her, either in the bedroom, or in her life. Typically of guys
in that younger age group, he left her high and dry wondering, "Is
this all there is?". Even with her lack of practical experience she was educated enough to know that it couldn't be.
While holding Bob tightly, she was already sensing this man was worth
his weight in gold. Lowering his head down to softly take one of her
nipples into his mouth, both sucking and licking, causing her entire body
to arch up to press his. He could feel the twitching in her belly and the
stiffening as her body fell quickly over the edge once more. The moan
was loud and long, soon becoming loud purring as Heather rolled into her second orgasm of the evening. Bobbing his head slowly between her stiff nipples, he made sure that each received its proper attention. With a grin, he waited for her to recover a little from her second visit to the magical land of "O".
Contemplating making his move south for a taste of the essence
living at the center of her sex, she gently pulled on his ears moving his face up to hers again. She wanted to plant a very soft appreciative kiss on his lips to thank him for her latest excursion. Finishing her kiss, she gazed hungrily into his eyes showing him the appetite she was feeling deep in her belly.
Moving her hips more slowly and deliberately in longer strokes, her arms grasped more tightly around his neck, her legs around his thighs. Heather's sparkling eyes danced wildly to meet with his.
She murmured fearlessly, softly but with intensity, "Make love to me Bobby.
I want to feel you inside me, now baby." Then with a heavy sigh, "We can
play more later," adding breathlessly, "I've only done this twice before,
I want to know how a real man feels deep in me, how a real man loves his woman."
"Only twice?" he asked, shocked.
Piercing him with her eyes, she gasped, "Yeah. It was a huge mistake. The
only positive was that I didn't get pregnant, thank God."
She rendered a heavy sigh, "It's a long, ugly story. Right now,
I need you to make love to me honey, gently, slowly, and softly.
Please baby, do me now."
She maneuvered her hips around to the point where she could move his
cock so it was aimed directly at her vagina, gently pushing into her
soft outer labia. Both felt the soaked, wet lips, move aside, allowing
his member to push through to the retreating interior labia, so it could
enter the very tight velvet tunnel.
Slowly, with smallest amount of pressure possible, he pushed his cock
firmly at her entrance. With a solid "snap" and a mutual loud groan, he
had pushed through the tight muscles surrounding her entrance. When he
first felt them close around the bulbous head of his phallus, he held himself
still, not moving at all, for a few moments while she adjusted to his
intrusion.
As he gazed into them, her eyes enlarged when she felt his entry,
showing him the "whites of her eyes".
"Oh god Bobby, That's sooo gooooood."
After a few moments, with a slightly strained grin,
she whispered, "More please."
In response, Bob pushed gently and slowly while Heather pushed up slightly
with her hips. Very quickly, much more quickly than he had anticipated,
he was buried to the bone pushing firmly against the little nubbin that
had patiently awaited that final plunge.
She wiggled in a frenzy and quietly whimpering, purred loudly. His pubic bone, having been properly introduced, mashed against her little clitty causing her body to twitch uncontrollably, jerk almost violently, and then arch up against him as she galloped hastily a little deeper into valley of "O" for the third time.
Heather was in heaven, or at least she felt like it was heaven. This is the
first time since the death of her parents that she was feeling anything
resembling complete. It felt like something that had been sorely missing, was
retrieved from somewhere and replaced into it's rightful position.
She hadn't planned on this happening, but she wasn't going to complain
to anyone either.
"Unghhhh...Aahhhhhh...Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigodddd...Ooooooo fuuucccckkkkkkk,"
she started a prolonged moan while the newly awakened muscles lining her vagina began milking Bob's cock without mercy.
He couldn't hold out, gasping, "Honey, I'm about to blow, do I need to pull out?"
Heather quickly smiled at him shaking her head, "Noooo. Goddd don't you dare.
I want to feel you shoot in me. I want every drop of you tonight."
He was beyond the ability to hold out any longer. As nature dictates he
pushed down into her as far as was possible and started spurting his copious
offering through the tiny opening in her cervix and into her welcoming womb. If a fertile egg had been waiting, it wouldn't have stood a chance against
the millions of powerful swimmers that had been unleashed, but fortunately
for all, there was no life to be created this night. That would be left
for a later time, in another place.
"Shiitttt. Bobbbbbbyyy. Awwww ffucckkkkk," Heather screamed, another
powerful orgasm enveloping her young body. This one was holding on to
her with a vengeance.
Bob could feel her trembling wildly just before collapsing into an unmistakable state of total relaxation. When she was finally able to open her eyes to look into his, there was a satiated woman. Her breathing was being pulled and pushed in desperate gasps as she twitched against his body. She started to laugh quietly.
"I can't believe we just did that," she gasped through her laughter. "I'm so
grateful to Chelly for you, I can't express what this means to me."
Then the laughter turned to tears as she began to sob softly against
his chest, "I don't feel so lost now, so alone. I feel so complete
right at this moment, I wish I was in my fertile time. I would love to carry and give you our baby. I know that doesn't fit with our immediate plans,
but it's just the way I feel right now."
"Honey, we will make babies. Lots of them if you want. You've just shown
me again, your focus and maturity. Now isn't the best time to consider
that option. I don't think either of us would regret it happening, but
realistically it wouldn't be fair to the other three girls."
She smiled at him through her tears, and whispered, "I know Bobby,
but a girl can have her dreams."
"I so look forward to making babies with you, but for now we'll just
have to be satisfied practicing," she added softly with an mischievous grin.
He nodded chuckling, "Practice makes perfect!"
They both rolled to their sides to cuddle for a while before Bob reached
for his mask and turned out the light. In a very short time both Heather
and Darth Vader were nodding off to make a visit into slumber land.
-----
A few miles away, Maggie and Michelle were cuddling closely, kissing
each other tenderly and talking quietly.
Sweet, beautiful Maggie. Margaret Tejano is a brown haired, brown eyed, C plus breasted copy of Michelle.
They had been mistaken for twins on more than one occasion, even though
Maggie was two years older than Chelly. Mag was also tall, perfectly
proportioned, and had a look of elegance about her that seemed to elude
Chelly, which isn't to say that Chelly is lacking, but it was just one of
those things.
Neither girl was lesbian, but both liked loving with girls. I guess they both
observed in their mother that loving another woman was not a bad thing.
Truth be told, every one of the girls were bi-sexual. All had made love with Janell, and each other at one time or other, but the other three
preferred men, they just wouldn't turn down a good woman if there wasn't an
acceptable male around. Very seldom did they find an acceptable male.
Chelly always told Maggie that she was the lucky one to get the tits.
Maggie didn't feel that lucky, but it was as it was, and there was
realistically nothing she was willing to do about it. Most guys drifted
naturally to Maggie while some tried to drift in Chelly's direction.
Maggie was much more open to "playing with the boys" than was
Chell, so in time, word of mouth had boys lined up for Mag.
Saying all of that may leave a false impression that Maggie was some
kind of "slut". Not in the least. Though Maggie was out with the boys
all the time, there were very few that ever got into her panties despite
what some bragged about in their private circles. If Maggie heard about it,
and she usually did eventually, the guy was not only cut off from Maggie,
but she made sure that he would have a difficult time finding anyone
to play.
She wasn't a prick teaser, or at least that's her reputation. She just earned
the respect of most of the guys she dated, and she was known as a girl who knew how to have a good time. Of course there were those that disappeared once they found out she wasn't an easy mark and they "wasn't gettin' no pussy". The "real men", as she saw them, would eventually get some of what she didn't give to very many.
Word is that once Maggie decided to "put it out", it was only the "real men"
that could hold on for the whole ride. She was a very active and demanding lover, but would give back for what she got. It paid off to "make love" with Maggie, not just fuck her. In very quiet circles she got the nickname "Hoover". She did enjoy her sex.
Maggie's kisses began moving down Chelly's lithe body, starting with her neck, shoulders and slowly to her breasts. Her tongue was at least as active
as her lips letting Chelly know that she was loved and not alone.
"Ohhhh Mag, that's soooo nice. Ahhhhh..."
Each girl was touching the other, feeling their bodies with tender caresses,
each moaning softly while moving closer to climax. Chelly could feel
her pussy getting very moist. Maggie was moving very slowly down
Chelly's body with her tongue and lips. Chell was trying to return
the favor but her tugs against Mag's body went unanswered.
"Mag," she said softly, "Move your butt over and sit on my face sweetie.
I want to taste you while you eat me."
Maggie moved her body closer to Michelle's, straddling her head placing her
pussy in range of the younger girls tongue. Now they were both caressing
the others breasts, licking and kissing wherever they could reach.
Michelle moved her mouth and tongue upwards and licked Maggie's
soaking slit from the bottom until she felt the hard little nubbin
at the top. Chelly rolled her tongue lightly around in a tight circle.
Maggie squealed an extended cry letting Chell know "she'd found the
spot."
Maggie responded in kind slowly moving her tongue into and out of Michelle's
vagina, tongue fucking the youngster while her thumb circled and worked over her clit.
When Chelly inserted her fingers into her sisters opening and began
to move them in and out, the older girl stopped what she was doing,
threw her head back, groaned loudly, her body stiffening and beginning
to twitch in uncontrollable spasm, vibrate and freeze up.
While Maggie was entering her orgasm, Michelle crept lightly into
one of her own.
When Maggie collapsed on top of Chell, her face went right between
her legs so she began slowly licking on her sister's vulva again. It took
a few minutes for her to recover from her visit to the magical land,
but she wanted to make sure her little sister made a similar trek.
Maggie was finally able to raise her body up a bit and concentrate on
Michelle's dripping pussy, tonguing it with abandon. Her "victim" moved
her hands up starting to tweak her breasts and nipples. She was
moaning loudly to let her sister know she was making her approach and to continue what she was doing. Mag plunged two fingers into Michelle and started working them in and out slowly, hooking them upwards putting some pressure on the fabled "G" spot causing her body to lurch violently in spasm.
The second pass caused Michelle to arch her back and push her pussy up
into Maggie's face with some force, clamping her thighs on Maggie's
head holding it firmly in place.
Michelle let out quite a powerful moan. "Oh god yes, Mag, right there.
Shiiiit. Aghhhhh. Oh fuccckkkkkkk meeeeee!"
Maggie smiled to herself knowing she'd given Michelle some much needed
release from the emotions of the evening. As soon as her sister finally
collapsed back on to the bed trying to catch her breath, Maggie lightly
moved her tongue very slowly over Chelly's dripping pussy keeping the
orgasm going for a while longer. Chelly's entire body was shaking intensely as all her muscles seemed to be in spasm.
Chelly's legs flopped open and to the side releasing Maggie's face from it's
captivity. Once released, she quickly reversed her position putting her face
directly above. Lowering slowly, she kissed Chelly's lips softly.
When Chell felt her sisters probing tongue making soft, gentle pushes into
her mouth, she opened up and took Maggie's tongue into her mouth and
began to suck it like it was a cock. Both girls were wrapped in
each others arms tightly holding on. It had been a long time since
they had made love to each other like this, but in each of their minds,
they made notes that they needed to get together more often.
In another room, now rubbing herself more forcefully, Judy had a very big
smile on her face listening to her daughters love each other. She was
rapidly reaching the "promised land" herself and was debating joining them
for an all girls threesome. It's not like they haven't done it before,
but Judy thought that it was best to let the sisters love tonight. There
would be other opportunities to get the three of them together.
Judy reached her peak stifling her moan so she didn't "disturb" the girls
in the other room. After slowly coming down from her self induced high, Judy
just let herself drift into sleep. It had been an interesting day.
As the time moved forward, Maggie suddenly had something that was said earlier blast back into her head, startling her momentarily.
Sensing her sisters start, and pulling her face back, "What,"
whispered Chelly?
"What did you mean when you said you'd all be living together? It just
dawned on me what you said."
With a smile in her voice Michelle filled her sister in on the last few
day's activities, and the prospects for the future.
Maggie hugged her tightly and Michelle could feel wet drops falling against
her face.
"What Mag? Why are your eyes leaking?"
"Oh Chelly. I'm going to miss you so badly, but I'm so happy for you that
all of your hard work may finally pay off. I know people have always
told all of you that you needed to "get a job" or concentrate on
something serious, but I knew you four would find something good
sooner or later."
"Bob is so right. You guys are incredibly talented. I hope it all works
for all of you, but you're my baby sister, I love you, and I'm going to miss you terribly!!"
Michelle tightened her grip on her sisters body, hugging her more closely
and whispering, "Thanks Mag. I hope you're right. I'm going to miss you too,
but it sounds like Bobby's place is pretty big so you can come visit any time
you want. I'm sure Janell, Hey, or Maryanne won't complain if you were to make an appearance. If you wanted, you might even get a shot or three at Bob, who knows. Since I won't have Bob all the time, I'm going to want more of this Maggie -- often!"
"With a smile, "Chelly, you guys are going to be working. I don't want to
interrupt."
"We'll worry about it when the time comes. I don't think you hanging around
will affect our focus any. Bob is going to have us working some long
hours every day because he wants to tour. You visiting may be just
the excuse we need to take some time off. Besides, you can sit in the
booth and listen while we do our thing. Maybe when Bill's there he'll teach
you some sound engineering. If you do good maybe he'll give you a job."
"I don't know about that Chell, I don't have the ear that you guys do. It
would be fun to learn. But as a job? I don't think I could ever get good
enough."
"Don't sell yourself short Mag. You can do anything you set your mind to.
I've seen you do it! Your 'I'll try anything' attitude is one of the things
that allowed me to think about this whole thing with Bob seriously. I just
figured, shit, what's the worst that'll happen? It won't work. Then I'll
just pick myself up and figure out something else. With Bob leading, I don't
think there's that much chance of total failure. He seems pretty confident."
"I'd be confident with you four too. You know his rep, so if he thinks it'll
fly, you guys better polish your wings," Maggie commented with a warm smile.
"Anyway, Billy is going to be reviewing the recording of today's practice and I guess he's going to make some kind of recommendations to Bobby about direction. They seem pretty tight and I know Bob has a lot of respect for
Bill. They've worked together in the past, and it seems like they're on the
same page of the book. So we'll see."
Silently each withdrew into her own thoughts and in a short time both were
sleeping comfortably in each other's arms.
Life would be getting even more interesting very soon!
Chapter 7 -- The Band
Each of the girls had their own thoughts and concerns, but all were
totally excited about the prospects and in the meeting they had two
days later they all committed to each other to do anything and
everything they could to make the endeavor successful.
As they had predicted, Maryanne and Janell's parents offered to help
them pack if they needed it. It wasn't that their parents wanted to get rid
of them, they were just so enthused with the prospects that their
daughter's musical talents and the hard work they've been doing may
ultimately pay off. None of the parents, including Judy, had ever
seriously considered that rock and roll would be where their classically
trained children would aim their talents. Heather was the only
one of them that didn't have formal classical training and Jan
didn't have much.
Bob sat at the table and just listened to the two girls describe their
parent's reaction, and that the support they had always received didn't
waiver even a little. They let him know that one of the big "selling
points" was the fact that he hadn't sugar coated anything and they
already had a handle on the prospects of failure and that it was going
to be a lot of hard work to be successful. He smiled as they all became more
and more excited about the prospects of "maybe being able to be
real musicians."
"Whoa, whoa , whoa! Ladies, you already are real musicians.
Trust me, there are a lot of highly paid people that are already
in the business today that could only wish they had your talent."
Then with a wry grin, "Don't let that go to your pretty little
heads though, because we still have a lot of hard work to do before we
can market ourselves. There's a big difference between having
the talent and the marketability of that talent! We're talking about entertainment here and you four have never had that experience. It's a whole lot more than just standing on the stage and playing your music. You have to have some polish, pizzazz, and some showmanship. That's part of what I'm going to drill into you every day while we practice. Stage presence is very important."
They looked at him with nodding smiles all around. They were all ready to begin
their grand adventure. They couldn't wait.
Part of the discussion was timing, when they would all be ready to move.
They talked about the music, and Bob let them know he'd already put out
feelers the day before while he was at the studio listening to the
master recording of the weekend jam session. He also told them that
the sound that was coming forward was nearly studio quality, and that
Billy had already mixed some down to a "final cut", which says a lot about
their abilities to play their music live. It wasn't planned that way, but they played it that way. Billy said that he probably won't even need any fill-in pieces, so it should be good to go.
"So, you guys want to take a quick trip north to check out the place? I
was planning on leaving in 2 days," and with a lustful grin,
"I think Heather has volunteered to keep me company, but I'd love to
have the rest of you keeping me company as well."
Heather raised her hand like she was in a classroom and shyly asked, "Bob. Can I say something?"
"The floor's yours sweetie."
Looking around at each of them, "I just want to say to everyone how much
I appreciate your tolerance of me attaching myself to Bob."
"You don't have to say anything to us Hey. It's been what, a day and a half
and we can already sense a difference in your outlook on life," Michelle
interrupted with a smile. "You seem like you're so alive now. There's a bounce in your step that wasn't there yesterday, even your smile is different. Maybe nobody else notices the little stuff, but I sure do. I still feel your grief, but I sense a path to reconciliation. You have hope now that wasn't there Saturday morning."
After a short pause, Chelly continued, "No sweetie, you don't have to say a word. You latching on to Bob is not a big thing to the rest of us. We know it's a big thing to you, but it's nothing you have to worry about."
The others we nodding their heads in agreement with what Chelly had said.
They all had big smiles on their faces as well, so it was obvious to
Heather that there wouldn't be any "problems". She hadn't expected any
from this group, but she wanted the air clear.
"I know Chelly, but I just want you to know that I love you so much
and appreciate what you did personally. I know it had to be really
hard for you, and I feel you Chelly."
"I appreciate everyone else too," she said looking at each of the girls.
"I want you all to know that it's my intention to share at some point
because I know we all love each other and that it won't cause any problems.
I also know that none of you would stab me in the back, you're just not that
way."
All the girls' eyes got as big as saucers and there were multiple gasps
all around as they looked at each other. While making eye contact with
everyone, Chelly and Heather both noticed that Janell was blushing brightly.
"It's only if you want," added Heather. "Nobody will be bothered, or think
you're weird if you choose not to. Jan, I know this may be making you a little uncomfortable, and I'm sorry. I just want it on the table."
"It's ok Hey," Janell said softly. "Shit. You never know do you?" That caused
a few eyebrows to raise around the room. Jan just giggled.
"Hey, that's a cool thought," then looking at Bob, "At
some point all of us may want to take a turn, at least once," Chelly chuckled. "But Hey, your need is what's paramount in our minds. We've never been alone in our lives the way you have, so I don't think any of us can truly appreciate what you have been going through."
All the others nodded in agreement. They've all been able to sense the
difference in Heathers attitude or demeanor or whatever it is that
has changed for the positive in the two days she and Bob have been
together. It was subtle, but they could all see it, even if she didn't yet.
Bob got their attention again, "Heather and I have discussed her
offer, and I'll tell you quite honestly it is one hundred percent her
idea. I wouldn't have even thought to suggest it. I'm generally a very
monogamous kind of guy, especially when I love someone the way I've fallen
for Heather. It's never happened to me before, so even though I wouldn't
have suggested it, I'm willing to support her in any way I can, so if that's
her feeling, I'm good with it."
Then looking around the room, "None of you ever have to worry about
offending me whatever it is you decide. You are all very beautiful
young women and I'd be a liar if I said I wouldn't want a roll in the
hay with all of you, but you have to understand that I'm head over
heels for Heather."
"When the time comes," he continued looking at each of the women,
"It will be totally up to you individually, and I don't want any bullshit
going on. I don't expect that you will play those kinds of games with each
other, because you all love each other very much. I just wanted to make
it clear."
"There won't be any bullshit Bobby," Michelle stated with all the
others nodding.
"Just to let you know, there really is a hay barn down on the south
forty and it has, I think, Five tons of fresh hay in it to roll around
in," Bob said with a big grin.
They all just shook their heads, but laughed. A roll in the hay?? Maybe.
Heather looked around the room then added emotionally, "I really need him guys. I guess I didn't realize that I needed someone that badly until I actually had him the first night before the jam. Nothing happened, but it made me realize just how empty I've been since the accident," then turning to Michelle, "And Chelly, I'm so grateful to you that you were able to see that."
Michelle smiled, but Heather continued, "I feel so much more complete now and
I felt it that first night we were at my house. I know you all love
me and I love all of you, but somehow Bob made me feel loved in a
very special, very different, very complete way."
The girls chuckled and Maryanne quipped, "Yeah. I'll bet," which brought
big laughs from everyone. It caused Heather to turn a bright shade of red,
that was accentuated by her beautiful blonde hair. She was doing the wild woman look today so it was down and flowing.
Bob decided to come to the rescue, "Ok guys, enough of giving Heather a
hard time ..."
Janell laughed, "We figured you'd be giving her the hard time Bob."
That brought even more laughs, and caused Heather to turn an even darker
and brighter shade of red.
"Sheesh... I can see that you need a fucking thick skin to hang around with you four," Bob observed shaking his head.
"Ok...Damnit. Who wants to take the trip north with me and Heather?"
All hands went in the air, so Bob reiterated, "We leave day after
tomorrow. Since you all want to go, maybe we should fly up to San
Francisco, and either rent a car, or I can have one of my friends
bring a helicopter down and leave it there for us."
"You have a helicopter?" asked Maryanne.
"Uh. Yeah. I actually have four helicopters and two airplanes." Then
as kind of a second thought he mumbled to himself, "If we're
going to tour, it might be a good idea to lease or buy a jet. Flying
commercial is such a cluster fuck, and I never want to be late for
a gig."
The girls all looked at each other with surprise.
"Is that so hard to believe," he asked looking around the room?
"No. It's just that you've never mentioned it before."
"Well, the subject never came up before and now that there is a need for
transportation, it's on the table with everything else. This table is
getting a little crowded," he added dryly.
"By the by, if you want, we can plan on staying for a few weeks or so. We can stay longer if you want, but you should get back home to let your folks know all is well, you're there safe and sound, and make sure the movers got everything you need. We need to set up all the equipment that was put on a truck yesterday and should be at the house being unloaded as we speak."
"Can we play a few jams while were there Bob," asked Janell?
"Absolutely. If you guys want to do that we can get things set up in a few hours because I already told my contractor what was up and asked him to do
a cursory set up of the equipment when it gets there. The only thing
he won't place is your drums Janell, but he will take them all out of
the travel cases, set them on stands and the drum carpet for you."
Janell nodded, "That's ok Bob, it'll only take me an hour or so to set
things up the way I want them, and it'll be really nice to not have
to dismantle them each time we're done."
"Oh that's another thing, I'll have two additional sets of equipment for
touring plus spares by the time we're ready. What I'm going to want
you all to do is break it all in so that it's just as familiar to you
as your 'studio equipment' is going to be. I don't want to have to
break down the studio when we head out. That equipment will be
strictly for studio work."
Then looking at Heather, "That doesn't include guitars Hey. We'll carry our every day axes with us, but there will be spares that we'll need to break in. When I toured the last time with the band, I had eight Fender Jazz bass guitars with me at all times. I actually had to use one once, so it was nice to have it handy." Then with a smile, "They were all different colors so I could tell them apart."
After the chuckles died down a little he continued, "We're going to sit down and come up with about ten different play lists
that we can work with. What I was thinking about touring is that when
we do a show it should be a minimum of three, forty minute segments,
with maybe ten to twenty minute breaks between sets. During the
breaks the background music will be some of the same things we're
playing so the audience can get a feel for how good you four really
are. Bill will be in control of that so all he needs is our play list and he'll make sure he sets up the house music appropriately."
"Don't exclude yourself Bob," Maryanne pointed out smiling.
Bob looked at her seriously, "Maryanne, realistically, with the
exception of all the multitudes of things that you bring to the band,
this group doesn't need me. You are a very accomplished bassist in
your own right. Which reminds me ..."
They all looked to see what he was thinking, so far they were liking
everything he was talking about.
"Something I thought of to demonstrate your individual versatility."
They looked quizzically but were listening attentively.
"During one of the sets, without losing a beat or playing around on the
stage, I want us to be changing positions and instruments while we
continue playing."
"Huh? How do we do that?" asked Janell.
"Well it's going to be an interesting logistic Jan. Let me run this by you to
see what you think. If you have any suggestions let me know, but we
won't be working on this for a few months, and may not do it on the
first tour or two until we get it down to a science. It is going to
take a lot of practice, and I mean a lot. It may not be something we
can pull off, but it will be so bitchen if we can!"
"What I have in mind is that we'll start a medley and we'll all be playing
our normal instruments, or not," he said with a big smile. "I'm thinking
about maybe a six or seven song medley where we don't stop. Just segue
from one to the next, so we'll have to choose the tunes for the best
transition as well as things that won't be over complicated for any
of us to learn other instruments. I don't want it to be a burden or
a big hassle, but a demonstration that any of us can play any of the
instruments on the stage, well, within reason."
He definitely had their interest but he saw confused looks as well.
"Ok. So during the first number, about half way through, Maryanne, because
you're really the pivot point on the moves, you'll pick up a bass and
begin playing along with the tune, note for note with me but once
I stop you can change it up any way you like."
"Once you're playing, I'll set my bass down and move back to a second set of
drums, which I'll start to play right along with Janell. Once I've
got that going, then Janell, can move to either keyboards or Guitar,
whichever is more comfortable. Say Janell starts on the
keyboards, so that when she's picked that up Chelly can pick up a
guitar and begin to play along with Heather. Once that is matched up,
then Hey can put down her guitar and pick up a bass or perhaps move
back to Janell's set of drums. Probably bass would work best on the
first switch around, so Heather picks up a bass and begins to play along
with Maryanne. When that's matched, Maryanne can slide back and take
the other drums, then I can move to keyboards or Chelly's guitar, and
basically rotate instruments until we've each had a shot at one of
the other instruments all the while keeping up with the music and the
vocals. By the end of the last tune in the medley we're all back where we
belong."
Chelly spoke first, "Bobby I don't play the guitar, or the bass or the
drums. I've spent my whole life behind a keyboard."
"Honey, you're an extremely talented musician. There's a simple solution
to that problem you know."
Michelle's eyes grew as she realized he was suggesting that everyone learn to do everyone else's parts, at least for that medley. Learning certain
parts for a specific medley makes it a lot easier because each one
doesn't have to learn how to be an expert at the other instrument,
but only needs to learn one small part. It's a difficult process, but
it can be done, and these girls are so talented, Bob has no doubt
they can eventually pull it off. Maybe not well enough to do it
during a show, but it'll be fun to do in the studio if nothing else.
He had four faces showing him "deer in the headlights", puppy dog
eyes, including Heather. He tried to stifle the laugh, but failed
miserably.
"Can you play all the instruments Bob?" asked Maryanne knowing that
she would have no trouble doing what he's suggesting. She could already
play every instrument on the stage.
Bob smiled at her and replied honestly, "No I can't Maryanne, and
I'm guessing that you are the only one that could pull it off today.
I'm going to count on Chelly to teach me some keyboards, I've done
guitars and drums, but I've never done some of the multitudes of
things you play, so I'm going to lean on you to teach me to play the
saxophone and perhaps some of the other things you do."
The deer in the headlights turned into surprise and respect. Here is a
professional musician, who is one of the premier players of his chosen
instrument, and he's talking about learning the rest of the bands parts
so that he can help accentuate THEIR talents. "The World"
already knows and saw his talent when he was only fourteen.
"I also had another switcho-chango idea," he said with a smile.
The girls all gave out mock groans, but were paying attention to what Bob
was saying.
"Ok...We play Dueling Banjos yes?" and getting nods continued,
"Ok. Maryanne starts out with the banjo, or guitar and we can swap that
around too because I know you both can play the whole thing. Hey, you
are on the other instrument call it the Guitar for the first run
through. When you're a little more than half way through, when the
audience can see you both wildly playing each instrument to perfection, I'll
jump in and say something like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it, hold it," and
you guys will slowly stop playing and look at me like I'm crazy, and hell
maybe I am for thinking up this shit."
They all chuckled at his self deprivation, but he continued,
"Once you both stop, I'll say something like, 'You have it backwards. What are you doing?' Again you'll look at me like I'm crazy, but each will
walk to the middle of the stage, and Maryanne you hand Hey the banjo
and Hey you hand Maryanne the guitar. Then you walk back to your
spots, maybe even a couple of chairs front and center, shaking your
heads in disbelief then as soon as you signal you're ready Jan will
tap the cadence as usual and you'll start the number all over
again -- each with a different axe than you started with."
They looked at him like he was crazy, but Maryanne said, "That one
is doable. Hey and I can play both instruments on that song, so it might
be fun."
Heather was nodding her head, agreeing, "We can probably do that in
shows immediately unlike that mess you described first."
"I have the same kind of idea for that Mason Williams number also,
what's it called, Uhhh yeah, "Classical Gas". One of
you starts, and somehow it's not the right one, then you hand the guitar to the other and walk away while she starts playing. Hell, I can even play
that tune, so we could do a three-way. Maybe I could start it, then one
of you taps me on the shoulder and shakes your head making me stop. Then
you say something like, 'gimme that thing'. Then you sit down and
start to play it, then the other does exactly the same thing."
They were shaking their heads, but laughing. They all agreed that those
two scenarios were workable without a whole lot of extra effort. They'd just need to practice the transitions and Bob would have to work on his six string finger picking.
"I also want to accentuate Maryanne's violin. There are a couple numbers
that we can do that have good fiddle playing. 'The Devil goes down to Georgia' is one that comes immediately to mind. If we really want to do it up, we can have Chelly do the violin part of the Devil on the synth."
He looked around the room at astonished faces. They knew that left on their own they wouldn't ever have thought of these kinds of routines, and it is the kind of thing that would cause audiences to go crazy. It's called showmanship!
"I'm sure there are other instances we can find. Oh, Yanni's 'Within
Attraction' would be a really good one. Maryanne can probably do both of
the lead parts while Chelly does the rest of the orchestra. At the
"Acropolis Live" concert Karen Briggs played the main lead, and Shardad Rohani who was
conducting the orchestra as well, did the battling part. It was awesome."
The girls mouths were all hanging open by this time. He was full of big surprises, but they were excited about learning to do all the different things Bob was talking about.
Then with a big smile he finished with, "I've even given a bit of
thought to a name we can call the band," he said looking at each
girl.
"Oh brother," said Heather hesitatingly with a chuckle, "After all of
those ideas, I'm almost afraid to ask."
"Oh come on now, do you think I'd come up with something outlandish?
Oh ye of little faith," he laughed.
Seeing nods from all four of the girls he put a mock hurt look on his face
while everyone else started laughing.
"Ok Bobby, lay it on us," winced Michelle with humorous trepidation.
"Let me tell you how I came up with it first," he said to focused faces.
Now that he had their undivided attention, "I was sitting in the
mastering booth with Billy, while he was mixing your jam
session into a CD quality master."
They all looked at him with surprise. It was just a usual Saturday play
session, it was no big thing. It wasn't even that well organized. Each
weekend one of the group was assigned to come up with that weekends
playlists. Last weekend it was Maryanne's turn to come up with the playlists,
so that's all they had done. It certainly wasn't anything that they would
have considered that special.
"Yes ladies. That jam session was good enough that he made a CD quality
mix on some of the tracks we played. There are others that he
only needs one or two of you to re-play a part so he can mix it in.
He said he can live without it, but since we're going to be in the
studio, we could do it and send it down. Or just do it and wait for
him to make the trek up. He gave me a list, so one of the things we
can do while were "home" is a few fill-ins."
To the blank looks he added, "A fill in is a part that
'could be done better' so you just play that part a few times. Then you send it to the producer and he mixes the improved part into the original and voilà, perfect sound. Not to worry, I'll show you how we do it when we get there."
The girls all nodded, but still had strange looks on their faces. Bob
would get very used to those looks over the next few years as he
continually introduced the girls to new concepts. Things they would
have never thought of on their own.
Then looking at each of the girls he said, "Billy thinks that if
we put out an album now, we'll get a lot of name recognition and
the quality of the live music will be known before the tours instead of vice
versa. He's convinced that if we put the cart in front of the horse
it will work to our advantage. The horse'll be really pissed off because he's pushin' instead of pullin', but that's the way it goes sometimes. He thinks that with proper promotion, your tours can be like a sharks feeding frenzy.
Best of all, he's willing to take on that whole thing, leaving the rest of us
to just play music."
All four of the girls were looking at him with wide eyes and dropped
jaws. An album? They hadn't even thought that far ahead yet. They were
still trying to get used to the idea they now had the best instruments
they had ever played. They would soon all be living together so that they
could concentrate on their music, they were going to start working
in a "real studio" and take on live tours. Now Bob and Bill are talking
about doing an album? A CD of "real Music"? What would be next?
They'd find out "what's next" during their second show, but that's
jumping ahead a little. We wouldn't want to do that now would we?
"He's already got signed releases from most of the artists that we need.
The two holdouts are assholes and one is a freaking greedhead. We'll
just cut them out of the frenzy. It'll be their loss and I guarantee you
they're going to come back on their knees trying to jump on the bandwagon
once it's no longer tied to the hitching post." [did someone mention
"The Allman Brothers Band?"]
Bob continued, "The royalty will be one percent of what we make
on a CD or a tour to be divided by all of them rather than one percent each.
They will get some money even if we don't use their music on a CD or a show.
It's giving us license to use it if we want instead of having to go out each
time we want to include something and get a specific release. That's a good
thing for us. That's a very good thing!"
"I don't know how he pulled that one off, but after hearing the demo Billy mixed, I guess they all realized that you give them the possibility
of making a lot of residual dollars, while putting
their music into the ears of a whole new generation. Those are things they never considered."
With a smile, "That's a good thing! AND, you may be able to do a
few cameos doing shows with them on their 'comeback tours'. Many of
the groups don't have all of the original members around anymore
for various reasons." Then as an afterthought, "We may even invite some
of them to join us on the stage for their music to give it some real
originality. We won't be matching vocals because we can't, but if we
can get someone that did the vintage music to join us on their tunes, that's
just another feather in our caps and theirs. Ha. Plus they still get paid because we used it."
"Anyway, while we were sitting there listening to one of the final mixes,
Billy looked over at me and said, 'Shit Bob, these girls can play'."
"So that's the name, "These Girls Can Play"?"
He got blank looks so he said again, "These Girls Can Play.
Tee-Gee-Cee-Pee can be the logo and identifier."
"I think it'll have to grow on us," commented Heather.
Looking at the others skeptically, "We're going to have to come
up with something better if we don't want that one."
They all nodded and laughed. "Actually it doesn't sound that bad,"
Janell observed. "The logo is catchy, and the name points to us,
but it leaves you out Bob."
"Yeah. I did that purposely Jan. This whole effort is to illuminate the
talents of you four women. I want to continually push the qualities of
you four. I've had my fifteen minutes of fame. I'm just there to fill in
on bass, and as I've said before, and now that I think of it,
we may do a set with me sitting on my ass doing nothing or playing
something else while Maryanne plays the bass. She's going to have to
teach me how to play some of those things for the switcharoo medley, so
it can just carry over."
Looking around at all of them, "She's that good you guys. If I could find
someone to replace her at doing what she does, I'd move out and have
her play my parts, remember the Gary Wright number? In many ways,
she's even a better bassist than me! In all of my music experience I can't think of anyone that can match what Maryanne can do. No one."
They all looked to her with a smile while she blushed a nice shade of
pink, and whispered, "Thank you Bobby. I appreciate that."
"It's the truth sweetheart, but I'm kind of glad I don't know of anyone,
because I'm going to enjoy the hell out of playing with all of you.
For me, it'll be an honor to be on the same stage as you four. This
whole deal is all about you, not me!!"
"Now let's get some rest and be ready to take out of here."
Chapter 8 -- San Francisco
Everyone dispersed to their usual sleeping locations. They used the following
day to get together all of the things they needed for a couple weeks "on
the road". It's something they had better get used to if they were
going to live the gypsy lifestyle of professional touring musicians.
Bob had a limo pick them up at the various addresses and shove in all the
baggage the girls had packed as necessities. Well, not to be a total
sexist pig, but you know how women pack!!! The plan was for maybe 2 weeks
and it looked like they were packed for six months. In reality, I guess we could say they were planning ahead, because it was a few months before they actuallly did return home.
Just less to move later, Right? Oh well, it was all good, but Bob couldn't
help laughing when he saw all of it. It looked like they were already moving
in.
When their flight finally arrived at SFO they were met by a young
woman that had all the baggage packed into a small truck for the trip
to Willits. It's a good thing Bob traveled light, there was barely
enough room in the truck for all the baggage. He gave her the
"room assignments" so when the baggage got to the other end the crew
there would know what to do with it.
He had told the girls to pack 3 days worth of skivvies in their
backpacks in case they didn't make it to the main complex for a
couple days. He had some plans for this trip.
Having never been to San Francisco, all of the girls asked if they
could get a short tour and since it was lunchtime, perhaps a meal
in China Town? Absolutely!!
Rather than renting a car, he enlisted a limo to take them around the city.
It was a lot cheaper than cab fare, was much more convenient, and they wouldn't have to try to find parking. If you've never been to San Francisco, parking can be a nightmare, and if you do find a spot, prepare to mortgage your house.
The first thing they did was stop off at pier 39 and Fisherman's wharf to
check out all the seafood and other San Francisco treats
(no...not Rice-a-Roni). They rode the cable cars and ended up in
China Town for dinner having quelled their immediate afternoon
munchies down on the waterfront. The limo would meet them there
later.
The Golden Dragon was the eatery of choice. Hopefully the Tong wars
were over, so the five of them had a Chinese dinner that couldn't be
beat. By the time they were finished with their touring and eating
it was far too late to fly up to Willits. Bob could have done that, but
there was a tour of the bay area by air involved in that trip, so he just
called the Mark Hopkins and asked if there were a couple of adjacent suites
for 5 persons available for that evening. Since it was a Thursday there
was no problem. He had the limo drop them off downtown and let the driver
know that they'd need a pick up sometime the next morning. It might turn
into a long distance job, so be prepared.
Walking into the lobby, then eventually up to the suite that had 2 bedrooms
and could sleep 8, the girls were in awe of the
ambiance of the place. Bob had figured they'd never seen a place like
the Hopkins, and after checking into the room, told them to get ready
to take a hike. In San Francisco, a leisurely walk around town can turn
into a grueling hike.
They wandered around the city for a few hours before making it back to the
hotel for the night. Back in the room, the girls were splitting things up
since there were plenty of bed spaces available.
Heather and Michelle were in an animated clandestine conversation. It was
apparent from the looks on the faces of the other girls, they knew
what the conversation was about. Michelle was shaking her head but
Heather put her hands on her shoulders and said something which caused
her to collapse against Heather. Hey hugged her tightly and was
giving small kisses to her neck, and cheeks while Chelly buried her
face in her shoulder.
Bob hadn't seen much of the activity because he was preoccupied looking around the place. When he wandered back, two of the girls had already retreated to the second suite leaving Michelle and Heather to continue their argument about whatever it was they were discussing. It wasn't a heated discussion so Bob wasn't going to worry about it. They never fought anyway. None of them did. If there was something, it was talked about like Chelly and Heather were doing right now.
Bob moved to one of the beds and sat down undoing his shoes while
starting to get undressed. He looked up at the two women who seemed
to be observing his activities with some interest. He got down to his
boxers and pulled down the sheet and blanket in preparation to lay
down and maybe crash for the night.
Both of the girls came over to the bed and sat on either side of him
beginning to hug him in both directions. Heather pulled him towards
her a little and gave him big juicy kiss. When she pulled her face
away she had a sparkle in her eyes and a grin on her face. She pulled
him over putting her head next to his and licked one of his ears
just before she nipped it softly with her teeth.
With a quiet giggle, she whispered quietly in his ear, "Tonight's for
Chelly Bob," causing his eyes to widen but she held him firmly when
he tried to move to look at her.
"Stop," she whispered, "Listen to me!"
"Sweetie, I'm going to go into the other suite with Maryanne and Janell and
close the door behind me. Please, for me, for her, make her dream
come true tonight."
Bob didn't know what to say, so he just kept his mouth shut while she
released her grip and moved to make total eye contact. She smiled
big, and raising her eyebrows a little, gave a little nod of her
head, telling him she meant what she said.
He turned to look at Michelle as Heather went over to give her a hug, and a
warm lovers kiss. She put her face on the side of Chelly's head away
from Bob, and again whispered quietly, "Enjoy him Chell. There will be more
times, but just live your dream tonight. Tell him. Tell him what you
want, and he'll do it for you. I promise!"
Chelly started to move her head to say something, but Heather held firm and
just finished, "Have your fantasy Chelly, I want this for
you!!!"
When she'd finished, she moved to give Michelle one last peck on the lips
and gave her one of the "Toodleoo" waves with her fingers and smiling widely
walked through and closed the door to the adjacent suite joining her two "girlfriends".
Bob looked over at Michelle and saw raw nervousness in her eyes, and on her
face. He gave her a tender smile, and asked, "Did you know anything about
this?"
Her eyes got really round with surprise. She shook her head no and told
him, "No. She didn't tell me anything until we got back from
our walk. What are we going to do, Bob?"
"What do you want to do Michelle," he whispered putting his hand on
her arm softly.
"Fuck. I don't know ... well I do, but I don't. I'm very confused at the
moment." She was fidgeting with what seemed like air. It was obvious
that she hadn't had any time to prepare for Heather's decision. She looked
up at Bob again, and he saw that there was a very nervous young woman
sitting next to him.
"Tell you what," he said softly. "Why don't we go take a quick
shower and talk about it. Ok?"
She looked up at him with the corners of her mouth turning up, so he knew
it was a good suggestion. He stood up and offered her his hands. She
pulled herself up to him, put her arms slowly around his neck and
pulled his face down to hers. Their kiss was soft, loving, and
telling. When she pulled her face away to head towards the shower
he could see that there were tears forming in those nervous eyes.
She went ahead and turned on the water to let it warm a little while she
started to remove her clothes. When she only had her panties left,
she looked at him nervously and quipped, "You just wanted to
see me naked, didn't you?"
"Well. I have to admit, the thought did cross my mind at some point,"
he responded with a chuckle.
Through half closed smoky eyes, she looked him right in the eyes. Moving her
eyebrows up and down a couple times, Groucho Marx style, she snaked
her fingers under the elastic on her panties and lowered them to the
floor. She didn't know what to think when his eyes stayed locked on
hers. Wasn't he supposed to be drooling uncontrollably by this time?
Am I that deformed? What's wrong with me?
Very nervously she put her arms out like she was modeling a dress
and did a quick spin around for him. She was looking all kinds of
nervous when she had finished the 360 and was facing him again. The
anxiousness that came into her eyes said run, but she stood there
looking at him.
Bob smiled warmly. "Chelly, you are a very beautiful woman," he
said to her softly.
Her body instantly relaxed when she heard him, she hadn't been at all
sure how he would react.
He dropped his boxers to the floor and as he stepped out, he heard her
gasp quietly, then look him in the eyes again. Michelle was embarrassed that
he'd caught her looking. She was smiling brightly, so he figured that
was a good sign.
"Chell, I expect you to look at me. It's nature. It's the same thing
that makes me look at you. There's no reason to be embarrassed,"
he said quietly.
Her eyes met his as she nodded. Some of the nervousness had relaxed.
"Ok Bobby," she whispered.
Bob put out both of his hands to her and when she put hers into his
he gently pulled her towards the shower. She moved with him without
any resistance and both stepped in under the water.
They scrubbed each other up and down and of course
partook of the "obligatory" gropes, feels and squeezes. It was
Michelle who had initiated the grope fest, he was just following her lead.
That's his story, and he's sticking to it.
Once they were squeaky clean, out of the shower and dry, he took her
hand and led her over to the bed where he'd pulled the sheets back making
it ready for occupancy. He looked at her very seriously, "Chelly, there's
another bed in here. You don't have to do anything you aren't ready to do,"
when she dropped her face a little he reached over with two fingers under
her chin and pulled it gently up to look into her eyes, "JuUnna-stan?"
"I Unna-stan," she chuckled softly, admitting to him that she had dreamed
of sleeping with him for a lot of years so she was emotionally in tune for
that to happen. Heather had just pushed the envelope a bit more quickly than she'd expected. She really hadn't expected anything like this for months. She said that Heather had told her what they'd talked about that first night, that she had told Heather she wished that they had traded.
"I already sensed the vibe between you and Heather Bob. I saw it almost
immediately. I think in the back of my mind I was already preparing myself
for giving you up. If she'd have traded, I'd have let you fuck me silly that
night, just like she really wanted you to do with her. I'm sure that would have made what I knew
I had to do a little easier. I've never regretted it Bob. It hurt, a lot, but
I would do anything for Heather.
Bob nodded his head knowing she truly meant that exactly as she had said it.
He knew that Heather felt the same about Chelly.
"Don't get me wrong Bob, I want you. I want you physically very badly,
I just wasn't expecting it quite this soon," she lamented with a deep sigh.
"I won't lie to you Chelly, I love Heather a lot, already. I hope she'll
return that love, but ..."
"Oh, she does Bob. You don't have to be worried about that one little bit.
She's secure enough in her feelings and what she believes your feelings
are that she'll let any of us sleep with you. She's told me that already.
She knows that you love her, and she knows that none of us are going to try
to run off with you, though I have to admit, it's damned tempting," she said
smiling wickedly. "Maryanne may be next, but I wouldn't make any bets on
Janell," she said with a grin. "Heather loves you Bob, very deeply. I can see
it and being able to see it the way I do it just reinforces my true belief
that I did the right thing."
He smiled at her nodding but didn't say anything. He could tell that she
wasn't finished with her thoughts.
"I love you so very much, but Hey needs someone. Someone that will
love her without conditions, be there for her, offer a hand to pick her up
when she's fallen down. I've been doing that for two years Bob, but she
really needs to take the next step and I can't lead her down that path.
Only a loving man can do that. I hope that you will be that loving man."
Then taking a deep breath, "I've had fantasies about you for years, but
I can't tell you that I would or could have the same kind of relationship
with you as Hey. My fantasy has always been based on lust. Oh I love you.
I love you intensely, and this is hard to admit even to myself, I know it's
not the same kind of love you'll get from Heather."
Then with a chuckle, "Mom said all I was interested in was a fuck or six. She told me more than once that all I really wanted was my pussy stuffed."
They both laughed out loud. Chelly blushed brightly when Bob said, "I can hear Judy saying that to you Chell." Then added, "She's a very pragmatic woman."
Smiling through her blushes, "I don't regret my choice at all Bobby, especially now that I've seen the change in Heather. In three days, you have done for her things I couldn't do in two years. She's alive again, my best friend is alive again. I can see it in her eyes, I can feel it in her vibe.
"I know I did the right thing, there is no doubt in my mind. Even though it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Then with a shallow chuckle, "Just that feeling of having no regrets makes me wonder if mom may have been right all along - all I ever wanted was for you to stuff my pussy."
She looked at him with some tears forming in melancholy eyes, but she
was smiling. He could tell that it had been hard for her to tell him
all of that, because she'd had to admit that her feelings for him may not
have been what she had always dreamed. He was going to do his very best
to make that dream happen for her, even if the dream was only for a
filled vagina. She'd get that as much as she wanted as long as Heather
was on board with it. He was madly in love with Heather without any
question, but he also loved this young woman very intensely.
While she was talking both had sat down and slid themselves back to the
headboard and with pillows behind them were just chatting quietly.
He put his arm around her shoulders and she moved to put her head on his
chest. She let out a heavy sigh, and moved her arms to hug him close
to her.
"Tell me about this fantasy Chelly," he said softly. "As
long as we're here, and you really want this, I'll do the best
I can to make your fantasy happen."
"I've given up the fantasy," she whispered. "I gave it up
when I made my choice. I would still like physical love from you as long as Hey knows and approves. The true emotional love that I feel for you may come
with time. What I really want and need is for someone to love me physically.
I know with you it's a lot deeper than just physical Bobby, but some of
those emotions that I had to let go of may take some time to come back. I
know they will because I truly love you so much I can't really express it
right now except physically. All we can do is love each other and see what
the future brings to us. I think if there's any future for you and me,
Heather will be a very important partner, because in my mind you are
her man." Then with a big smile, "I'm just borrowing you for a little
while."
Then as if to clarify something she'd thought she said, "I didn't
ask her for this Bob. I wouldn't ... well, maybe I would, but you two are
still getting to know each other. I wanted a "shot at you" but I thought
it would be a few months before she would be comfortable enough to consider doing this."
"She's very happy honey. Maybe you don't know how deeply your decision
affected her psyche, but then maybe you do. You two are so psychically in
tune with each other it's uncanny. It's like you both know what the
other is thinking before it's either said or even thought about. You
two are pretty damned close."
She nodded her head. "Were closer than twin sisters Bobby."
He nodded, "The only way a woman would do what she's done is if
she feels secure in her relationship. In some ways I'm happy that she did
it, because that tells me she not only loves me, but trusts me, and I
never want to do anything, EVER, to violate that trust."
"I trust you also. I know you wouldn't do anything behind her back or
mine. Maybe it's just getting my pussy stuffed, but it's not just meaningless
sex to me," she said softly. "I love you way too much for any sharing of
love with you to be meaningless."
"Not for me either sweetie, I have very deep feelings for you and have for
a very long time. Your decision has made a world of difference in
Heather. Like you, I can see the difference in Hey already, so I
know you really did the right thing. It was a very courageous thing
to do."
"I know. And I also know I'll likely find a Mr. Right sometime, but I'm
not going to go out sniffing around for him. As long as I can have
you once in a while, I'll be a happy woman," she said smiling.
Then with a huge grin, "Maybe me and Hey can come to an arrangement."
She turned her face to meet his and found his lips with hers and gently
pressed her "attack". She licked his lower lip and made room for him to
give back.
Bob wasn't going to deny Michelle anything she asked for especially with
Heather's edict to make her dream come true.
They both slid down the headboard together. Chelly moved the pillows
around to suit her comfort and rolled on to her back raising both arms to Bob
in invitation.
Holding himself up on one elbow, the other hand caressing her tummy softly,
he looked down to find sparkling eyes broadcasting her deepest desires.
"I want to make your dream happen, Chell, so you're going to have to
steer me in that direction. I'm good with anything that doesn't cause
you or me pain. I will not hurt you purposely, ever!"
"Make love to me Bobby," she whispered softly. "That's really
all I've ever wanted in my fondest dreams. I want to make love
to you at the same time. I want to feel you giving me your love
while I give you mine."
He lowered his face to hers and kissed her waiting lips softly, then
raising to look into her eyes, he whispered, "I love you
Chelly, more than you will ever know."
She smiled at him warmly and relaxed into a completely submissive
stature. He began to lick and kiss down her neck, across her
shoulders and on down to her mounds. Taking one stiff pink nipple in
his mouth he licked, sucked and nipped it gently bringing forth moans
from deep within Chelly's body. Switching off with the other to
ensure equal time, he felt her hands move to the back of his head
softly and running them through his hair.
Bob began moving his face downwards stopping at her belly button to lick
and slide his tongue around in growing circles until he was caressing
her nerve rich tummy and sides under which her ovaries and womb were hiding,
waiting to provide that warm place for an egg to be comfortable while awaiting the arrival of the little wigglers that would begin the creation of a new life someday.
She arched her twitching body upwards while he made his way to her mons
and points below. Feeling his tongue make contact with the little
sentry at the top of her split, she was feeling his tongue wash lightly around it a few times before
plunging into her depths. As soon as he touched her little nubbin
directly, her legs shot apart giving him unfettered access.
"Uhhh...uhh...Bobbbby...Yessss, baby, oh right there. Oh god yes," she moaned.
Her hands came down to grab hold of his hair this time and pulled
him tightly against her vulva while he continued to move his tongue
up and down between the soaking labia. He pushed into her opening with his
tongue bringing another loud moan from her depths.
She had already stiffened up, screamed twice, and was working on her
third pass, when she pulled on his ears moving his face away from her
dripping pussy saying, "Stop. Oh god Bobby, Stop. I can't take
anymore of that right now."
As soon as his face had moved away she let go of his ears and coaxed him
upward again, so she could give him a juicy kiss. He stopped off at
her breasts on his way causing another loud gasping moan from her.
He was there to tweak each hardened nipple just a little before making
is way upward far enough to be pierced by those stunning green eyes.
She placed a hand on each of his cheeks gently pulling him down for
a kiss, then whispered softly to him, "Now Bobby. Oh god baby, please fuck me
now. Pleeeeazze."
Bob didn't need much more of an invitation than that. This incredible young
woman wanted to give him her love unconditionally. He wanted nothing
more than to return that love in the same way. He began to move himself into
position sliding the end of his rigid penis between her soaking outer
labia, picking up some of her oils to mix with his own natural lubricant.
Those labia put up no resistance to his pressure so while making sure his eyes
were locked on hers, he pressed forward slowly, gently. They both felt
her lips give way completely, moving aside giving him full access to the small opening leading to her inner sanctum. She was moaning loudly while his
cock made its way into her further. He felt the warm wetness of her
velvet sheath begin to surround him.
Her face was a picture of intense concentration when she felt him begin to
enter her for the first time, finally fulfilling her long standing dream. She was no
virgin, but like Heather, she hadn't had many large fleshy objects
entering this particular sanctuary previously.
As he gently bottomed out inside of her depths and his pubic bone met her clit for the first time, she let out a very loud gasping moan. "Ohhhhgod...yeessss!"
He pressed himself downward into her depths wiggling some so that
her clit was gaining the maximum of stimulation. Her eyes opened wide
as her body arched up and twitching wildly, stiffened under him.
He could feel the muscles inside her working to milk him while her orgasm
flowed through her body. He held off his own climax while she recovered
from hers, but just barely. It was a close call, but between Lou Gehrig's and
Babe Ruth's lifetime batting averages he managed to quash the bubbling in his
balls. He wanted it to last much longer for her!
Her body collapsed under his, relaxing those muscles that had been so
tightly massaging him moments before. She was panting like she'd run a
marathon, the look on her face, pure joy.
It took her a few minutes to realize he hadn't come, and was still quite
hard wedged deeply inside her pussy. She'd gotten her pussy well stuffed, and the stuffing was still in place. She'd have to call her mother.
"Ohmigod Bobby, you're still hard in me. Didn't you come too," she asked with
a worried look. The other male she had any experience with had shot his
load almost immediately, so it was both pleasing and distracting that Bob
hadn't spunked her cervix quite yet.
"Nope. Not yet baby. I'm not EVEN finished with you yet," he replied with
a grin.
"Oh shit," Chelly said with a smile, "You mean we have to do that again?"
"Well. We can if you want. But no, We don't have to," he said beginning to pull himself outward slowly.
"Don't you fucking dare," she snorted at him instantly snapping her legs around his waist pulling herself upwards to ensure she remained impaled on his cock.
"Well. You sounded like you were finished," he said with a big grin
and a chuckle. "You should be more careful about how you ask a
question my love."
She re-wrapped her legs around his ass even tighter and held him there
making sure he understood she wanted him to stay right where he was.
Like he ever had any real doubt. She pulled at him to lower himself on
to her causing his weight to press her very firmly into the bed.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him lovingly giving him
small, quick kisses all over his face.
"Oh god, Bobby, that was wonderful," she whispered joyously,
"It was everything I've ever dreamed and more."
"I'm happy we were able to do that for you sweetie. I think that's
exactly what Heather had in mind."
"Well if she didn't, too bad, because you just rocked my world, big
time!! And you're going to rock it again in a few minutes aren't you?"
His head nodding slowly, he started gently moving himself around again
now that she was completely recovered from her last gasping experience.
Keeping his eyes on hers, he saw the lust return when his
cock scraped gently against her little button.
Bob just set up a steady, slow, rhythm that she matched, pushing her
hips upwards every time he pressed down. Where the first time around
was a bit more rushed and perhaps harder, this time was tender and gentle.
Gazing into each other's eyes, sharing kisses, and whispering sweet things to
each other, they truly made love to each other the second time around.
After her third or fourth orgasm this time, he finally succumbed to her
internal muscular machinations. The muscles along that soft velvet tunnel were continually doing what they were designed to do. Milk sperm from the
intruder, allowing it to find it's way into the depths of her womb, which
tonight was without a fertile egg waiting. Someday.
She felt him start to swell and pushed her hips up hard to get him inside
her as deeply as she could, so when he crammed down onto her with an
animalistic growl she could feel the warmth of his semen as it
splashed her depths.
His climax caused her to fall over the edge one more time, hard. She was
moaning loudly, and kind of screeching a bit before her body finally
relaxed back down onto the bed. Her arms out, her legs still spread wide,
she lay there panting, but at the same time she began to purr. Yeah,
she was purring like a cat in her contentment. She knew now that she
wanted more from this man than just having her pussy stuffed. She wanted
to have his baby the same as Heather. She'd have to talk to her about
that and see what they could do together.
He actually heard the doorknob before he noticed the door actually moving,
but in a moment Heather stuck her head in the room and softly asked,
"Is everything ok?"
Bob nodded his head, and as Heather started to withdraw back into the other
room, Chelly said, "C'mere Hey. Please."
Heather slowly walked into the room, closing the door quietly behind
her. She came over to stand next to the bed where two still firmly attached
naked people were trying to catch their breaths. Chelly patted the bed
telling her to sit.
Their eyes met, and Heathers face just got a huge smile on it looking down
at Michelle.
Raising her nose up and taking a few sniffs of the
air commented, "Hmmm. Smells like sex in here. What have you two been
doing?" Shaking her finger and giggling, "Naughty, naughty!
I guess I'm going to have to call Judy and tell her that her daughter
got her pussy well and truly stuffed. You have the appearance of
a well fucked woman, Miss Chelly," she giggled.
"Oh fuck Hey," gasping for air, "I am a well fucked
woman at the moment."
Then reaching up to caress the side of Heathers face, Chelly whispered
tearfully, "Thank you Hey. This really meant a lot to me."
Wiping the leaks from Chelly's cheeks, Heather whispered, "I know
sweetie, that's why I wanted it for you. I hope you know that this won't be
your only time either."
Chelly looked a bit surprised at that, but got a big smile,
"Really?"
"Really!" Heather continued, "I'm going to give Maryanne and Janell the
opportunity if they care to partake. I think Bob can handle that, and
I'm secure enough in his love for me that I know he's not going to
run off with one of you. I still can't believe how totally complete I feel
now. I'd have never guessed, but you knew didn't you?"
Chelly just silently nodded her head.
Bob gave Heather a tired look over his shoulder, "I hope to god you're
not going to send them in tonight."
"Hell no," Heather snapped at him. "They're going to get you
for the whole night just like Chelly does. Chances are you won't see Janell
come marching through the door, but stranger things have happened. I also
know that Jan is very curious, but scared to death that a man is going to
use her and abuse her then toss her aside. I hope she won't have that feeling
with you. She'll still prefer girls, but I think a gentle, understanding,
loving man, could make her see things just a little differently. Like I said,
stranger things have happened."
Chelly looked up at her best friend and whispered softly, "Hey, you
can stay now if you want. If we wake up to "do it" again, maybe you
will join us?"
Heather got a look on her face. "Ok. I can do that. Let me go tell
Maryanne and Janell they'll have the room to themselves."
"Hey," Chelly said, "Tell them to come in as well. They're my sisters too and I want to share my love with them, but only if they want to. Besides, there's two kings here side by side. We can just push them together and make one big
bed."
"You sure Chell?" Heather asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure. I mean if it's ok with you. I'm sure Bob won't object.
Shit. He'll have four beautiful women sleeping with him. He'll be in
heaven!"
Bob just nodded his head with a smile and chuckled, "As long as they're here
to sleep I'm good. I'm toast after this lady tonight Hey."
"That's a good thing," chuckled Heather. Then to Chelly, "Ok. If you're sure,
I think they'll appreciate the offer."
So Heather went over to talk to Maryanne and Janell, while Bob got up
and pushed the beds together so they had one giant double king.
When the three of them finally walked through the door Bob let out a loud gasp when he took a look at what they were wearing.
Maryanne had on a slinky Baby Doll that covered nearly nothing, and Bob could
tell she wasn't sporting any panties over her smooth naked pussy.
Janell was in a transparent Lace Baby Doll that just hung from her shoulders and she
was also sans panties. All four of these ladies had their pussies denuded.
It was not something that he would complain about at all.
They climbed in to the bed that Bob had moved, and Janell tentatively took
up the spot furthest from the "man" in the room, but there was some curiosity in her eyes.
Heather told them, "If Chelly and Bob start in again sometime during
the night, they've said we're welcome to join them if you like."
Janell's eyes got very round and "white" when Heather made that
announcement. Maryanne smiled and licked her lips.
"Jan. There's no pressure hon. We're including you because we love you
and you are part of our family. It doesn't mean you have to
participate, and if it is more than you can handle, nobody will think
badly of you if you leave and go back to the other room."
"Thanks Hey," Janell answered. "I don't think I'll ever
have to go to the other room, but I appreciate the consideration." Then with a nervous smile, "I may join in." Much to everyone's surprise.
Bob spoke up, "Jan. If we're playing, you can just grab
Maryanne or Heather and play. I know the other girls don't object and I
certainly won't."
She smiled at him, then crawling over the top of Maryanne causing a
little grab ass with her on the way, she moved over and gave Bob a very long,
deep kiss.
When she pulled back she looked into his eyes, "I don't
particularly care for guys, and I really can't say why.
I've just never been attracted until now. Bob, you and my
sisters have made me curious enough that I may make an
exception."
Bob smiled at her, "I'd be honored Jan. Any time!"
She smiled back, and nodded.
He reached over to put his arms around her. When she smiled he added,
"You don't have to worry about anything at all honey. If you choose
to make the exception, if we go someplace you don't want to go, just
say so, and we'll turn back. It goes for all of you. I would never do
anything with any of you that you didn't want to do. Like I said to Jan,
If we start going to a place you're not comfortable, all you have to
do is say the word."
With all five of them on one big bed, the predictable wrestling match
ensued. It was Bob against all 4 of the girls, and all he could think
was, "hurt me, hurt me" as four sets of young boobs, and
four sweet pussies rubbed all over his dirty old man body. The
laughter and giggles were so contagious that everyone was reduced to
"blubbering idiots" in no time.
After a good session of grab ass, they all were so beat from the days
activities, that Heather got up and hit the light switch before
jumping back into the bed with all the others.
With cuddles, hugs and kisses all around, the group was soon off to
slumber land. Bob ended up sandwiched between Janell and Michelle, with
Heather and Maryanne on the back of each of them. Chelly told Jan
that if she wanted to, she could snuggle up to the front of Bob, and she'd
snuggle his back. Jan looked at her thoughtfully, and whispered, "Thank
you Chelly. I think I'd like that."
Bob made sure he let Janell initiate all the contact, but she didn't seem
shy at all. She snuggled right up to him, kissing him more than a few times,
and moving her legs so that they were intertwined with his pushing his penis
against her naked mound. Bob was in heaven. The woman he loved deeply was
snuggled behind the "gay" woman who was snuggling very closely to a man.
Soon there were sounds of the steady breathing of sleep, with
Darth Vader present as usual.
Life was good, but getting better all the time!
Chapter 9 -- The Ranch
Heather and Bob awoke early, so they gently exited the bed without
disturbing the others, showered quietly and got dressed. They left
a short note telling the others where to find them once they got up
and dressed. Then they went out for coffee. The other three girls
slept on.
In the elevator on the way down, Heather took Bob's arm and put her
head close to his shoulder. She looked up at him with a big smile
and let out a heavy sigh.
They stepped out of the elevator and headed towards the restaurant.
Heather, still attached to Bob's arm whispered, "Thank you honey."
"Uhh ... You're welcome Heather", with a questioning look on his face.
She giggled quietly at his lack of understanding. "Thank you for
making Chelly's dream happen baby. She was so happy last night when
I came in. I'm really sorry I disturbed you, but she was making some
weird sounds."
"Yeah. She's a noisy one," Bob laughed. "I don't have a problem with
the invasion sweetie. I know you were only looking after one of your little sisters."
Heather smiled, and nodded her head. "I know you'd never hurt any of us
on purpose, it just sounded strange."
They found a bench seat right outside the door so that if any of the
others showed up they'd see them before they got to the restaurant. The
conversation continued. "She hadn't expected you to give her the
opportunity quite so soon Hey. She figured it would be a few months
before you were comfortable with our relationship."
Heather chuckled, "Yeah. It was supposed to be a surprise. Spontaneity makes
the experience just that much better. I know she wanted you badly Bob.
We talked about it at great length over the last couple years."
"She said that it might have been nothing but lust or as Judy said,
'she just wanted her pussy stuffed'."
Heather's head snapped around with a huge grin, "She told you that?"
Bob nodded with a light chuckle, "Yeah. She was telling me how
she knew what she did was the right thing."
"That's so funny. I remember when Judy said that to her. I thought
Chelly was going to shit her pants, but later when we talked about it
she admitted that 'mom might be right'."
"Well. It doesn't matter anymore honey. She got stuffed
last night," Bob said laughing.
Heather looked at him with warm sexy eyes, "That's what I wanted you
to do," she said smiling, "I'm secure enough with you that I don't have
any worries about you loving any of the four of us."
"Hey, You know that you are the woman that I want," Bob said.
"Oh yeah. I don't doubt your love for me honey. I hope you don't doubt
my love for you," she said noting that he shook his head. No doubt in his
mind.
"I hope Janell will truly consider my offer. I know she'll always want
to be with girls, but I also know she is very curious about the feelings
we all get for a man because she says that since you have been here
she gets similar feelings to what we describe. Like she gets when she's
looking at a prospective lover. Unlike most lesbians I've ever met, she is not revolted by the thought of a penis filling her. She's even expressed
a strong desire to have at least one baby."
Bob was shocked, "You're kidding?"
"No. I'm not kidding. Like most women, she has this inner desire to
reproduce and has said to me that she won't feel truly complete until she
gives birth. I also know she doesn't want the baby conceived
artificially, which means she's going to have to fuck a man sooner
or later."
"Yeah. I suppose you're right, but like I said last night, it has to
be her choice. I don't want anyone pressuring her, or any of you, for
that matter, to do something she's not ready for or doesn't really
want to do, but will do it because she feels obligated."
"None of us would do that to her Bob. We love Janell and we respect
and accept her sexuality. We know that you do too."
Bob nodded and said, "Yeah. Her sexuality has nothing to do with
how she beats those drums into submission. I'm a typical male though,
and when I look at her I just think, 'what a waste'. It's not and that's
really a sexist statement, but my god Hey, Jan is an incredibly
beautiful young woman."
"Ha. She is, isn't she? Trust me baby, I see it too."
"Without a doubt!"
"She's already said that she feels safe around you, that you won't
try to force or coerce her into anything," Heather conveyed to him softly.
"I really think part of her aversion to guys is that she has seen so
many of 'us' are used, abused, then tossed aside by men. I think she is
terrified of making any kind of commitment to a man, then being
dumped and left alone."
"Yup. Men are pigs, and every woman needs to know that," Bob said.
Laughing, Heather responded, "You are soooo right about that! Jan saw both
me and Chelly give up our virginities to someone we thought we were in
love with only to be nothing more than a conquest. Both of our 'guys'
dropped us within a week of us giving it up. That's why I said I'd only
done it twice and that it was a big mistake. I'm not sure, but Chelly
may have only done it once before last night with you. But yeah. Men
are definitely pigs."
Bob nodded to her, then seriously added, "We're born that way sweetie.
A man's wiring is totally different than a woman's. Someday everyone
will figure that out."
Heather looked at him with interest, "So true."
"A man's wiring," Bob continued, "It's very primitive, very primal. Get it up,
stick it in, shoot it off, roll over and go to sleep. Period. Women need
to understand that when the guy is done and rolls over to go to sleep it's
not a personal rejection of her needs, he's just not programmed to take care
of a woman's needs, only to breed. I think he's lacking consideration, but
again, it's essentially primal."
Heather nodded quietly.
"Some men, you're welcome, have been 'trained' and rewired, but it takes a
patient woman to do it. A guy isn't going to rewire on his own. He doesn't really know how. It's up to 'his' woman to teach him what she needs and wants, and then don't let him get away with the primal shit anymore. My basic rule, for me, is that 'my woman' has to come at least once and hopefully more before I can even consider it. I can totally understand bi-sexual women like you four. Most prefer girls because the only way to get the kind of intimacy they want or need with a lover is for that lover to be a female. I certainly recognize that, and I've worked really hard to change my wiring."
"You can say that again," Heather murmured.
"To be completely honest with you, I get as much pleasure out of making a
woman come as I do coming myself. It's a different pleasure, but it's still
a complete pleasure none the less. I actually had a very beautiful lesbian
teach me to make love to a woman without intercourse. Granted her SO, who was bi, would usually be there to take care of me, but sometimes Terese and I would just cuddle with each other. I was very satisfied with ensuring that she was satisfied. I have an old friend that was in a very similar situation and feels the same way."
Heather looked at him with some skepticism, "You certainly do satisfy a woman, and maybe it's because I'm a woman, but it's hard for me to fathom a man making love to a woman without screwing her."
Bob chuckled at her comment, "It's not a natural thing for a man. I'll give you that, Hey. Interestingly, to make up for not allowing intercourse, Terese learned to give a blowjob. She found that she actually enjoyed it even though it was a male appendage, and in enjoying it she certainly excelled."
Heather began to laugh, "Did she let you come in her mouth?"
"Actually, yes. She loved the taste. Wouldn't consider it in her pussy under
any circumstances, but would gobble it up when she could."
They both laughed, and started to get ready to go into the restaurant. "Heather, if Jan talks to you, tell her about what I just told you. As long as you're good with us bedding together, I will happily make love to her without intercourse."
"Oh no, Bob. She's going to want the whole salami. Remember, she wants to have a baby at some point so you're liable to be a daddy for her. I don't think you have to be concerned about that, but I will bring it up if she wants to talk about it."
"I also want Chelly to know that I'm very willing to share you with her, pretty much
equally."
"Huh?" Bob gasped.
"Yeah. I've thought a lot about it since she did what she did Bob, it was so selfless, so Karmic. I trust in your love, as I hope you trust in mine. I could not ever be jealous of Chelly, quite the contrary. I would encourage her to share with me. I love you Bob, very intensely. You are my man. What I'm saying is that if Chelly wants you to be her man too, I'm good with that. Trust me, it doesn't mean I would love you any less. You're stuck with me big fella, and if I have anything to say about it, it's going to be for life!"
Bob smiled at her and whispered, "I think I'd like that Hey. You know how I feel about Chelly and that will never diminish. My love for you will never diminish either, and to be able to love both of you in the same way would be incredible to me. If push ever came to shove though, YOU are my woman! That
will never change."
They stood up, stretched and walked into the restaurant, Heather
changing up the subject and with a big smile, said out of the
blue, "I like the name. It fits. It's catchy. The logo will work
masterfully, and we can call the studios something like
'The Girls Playground'."
Bob looked at her with a smile, "I like that!!! If the others
agree then I'll have a special sign made to put over the entrance.
Instead of studio #1 we can call it 'girls playroom #1',
or maybe just 'playroom #1'."
Heather smiled as they walked into the eatery and waited to be seated. Bob
let the hostess know that there would be 3 more joining us at some
point, so we'd need space for them as well, then ordered coffee for
both he and Heather.
About 20 minutes later they were casually chatting away when the other
three girls bounced up to the table to join them.
"G'mornin' ladies," Bob said with a smile, "Coffee?"
All three nodded their heads. The waitress was on top of things and
was already right there behind them having noticed the others come in.
"Three more coffees, and I'll bring the pot for a refill on the first
two," she said with a smile. She made eye contact with Bob wondering what
the hell was going on, but didn't say anything.
With a huge grin Chelly asked, "Did you see the way she looked at you Bob"?
Being a guy, of course Bob hadn't seen, but three of the four girls had
so they decided to have some fun with it.
When the unsuspecting waitress was heading back to the table with cups and
coffee pot in hand, the girls went into their "routine".
Jan started it, "Oh come on Bobby, it's my turn tonight."
Then Heather, "Chelly got him last night Jan, but he's my man. You guys
will just have to wait your turn."
The look they were getting from their waitress was priceless. It was
blatantly obvious that the four foxes were with the guy, but now they're
discussing who gets him next? The tall blonde he came in with seems to be
"girlfriend", but with the actions of the other three it's hard to tell.
They were in one of those "U" shaped booths so when the others arrived, Jan
slid in next to Bob and once it was decided they were going to play "mind fuck" with the waitress, Jan slid in even closer to Bob grasping on to his arm and laying her head on his shoulder.
Heather looked over at Janell and threw out that lower lip to pout. "Jan, he's my man. When do I get a turn?" Everyone at the table somehow kept a very
straight face.
The girl almost poured coffee on the table she was so engrossed with the
conversation. She looked from one girl to the next, then at Bob while he
just sat with a dumb look on his face.
Now it was Jan's turn to pout. Damn, they were all good at that one. "Heather, he may be yours but I haven't had my turn yet."
Then came the kicker from Chelly, "Get over it Jan, we all know you prefer
girls. Heather shares him with the rest of us and now you want a piece too?"
That's when the whole charade broke down because Maryanne and Heather began to laugh.
To her credit, the very confused woman stood there after pouring all the coffee and whipped out her order pad and asked if they were all ready to order. Then with an evil grin she asked, "Where do I get in line?"
Heather chuckled, "He really does belong to me. We were just having fun
with you after the look we saw at first, like 'What the hell is all of this'."
"Ahhh. Now I get it, but what's the deal?"
"Oh, He's our bass player," injected Maryanne. Bob just nodded his head.
"Oh, ok. I couldn't figure out why four young women would be hanging around
with one guy, unless he was hung like a horse," she said giving a little of
the 'hard time' back to them.
Chelly chuckled and decided to put it to rest, "Yeah. He's our bass player,
but we all love him and Heather does share. Well, except for Jan. She really
does prefer girls, but as you can see there are three to choose from."
The waitress just shook her head and laughed while walking away with their
orders. They were sure that she was wondering what was real and what wasn't.
Bob had learned that the girls were all very good actresses and had pulled it off masterfully. He just chuckled, shaking his head, and looking at each of them around the
table. "Amazing," is all he could say.
All the girls giggled at him, but behaved themselves the rest of the time
they were there.
-----
Consuming a hearty breakfast and partaking of a long round of good conversation, they retired
back to their suites. After a mass shower, and a very good game of
grab ass, where, of course, Bob came out the winner. How could he lose? He was in the shower with four gorgeous women. When they were all finished, dried and dressed, they packed up their things and made ready to head out.
After checking out, they were met downstairs by the limo driver. Bob had
already decided that the limo would take them to Willits. He decided
to leave the chopper at the airport. It wasn't going anywhere from
there, and he didn't need this one at the ranch, so it would be
convenient when they came back to the airport in a few weeks.
He'd decided that he could take them out in one of the smaller birds
if they wanted to see the lay of the land a bit better. He had
learned to be very careful flying around the area though, because
as Maryanne had noted, this was one of the prime marijuana growing
regions in California. Most of the big plots were camouflaged and
nearly invisible from the air. They were also usually guarded by
armed "security" who didn't take kindly to over flights seeing as how that's
where most of the raids came from. In their mind, anyone that flew
over them was potentially hostile and there was more than one report
of bullet holes in airplanes or helicopters.
The law didn't pursue them all that vigorously unless forced by
the federales. The pot crop was a large part of the local
economy. When one of the growers wanted a new car, he paid cash
and bought it locally. When they needed groceries they went to the
local market and picked up what they needed, so they put a lot of
the income they were making into the economy. I guess the only
real downside to the whole economic scenario is that they weren't
paying taxes on the income. Well some were, but that was more a money laundering effort than civic minded contributions.
It's obvious that the lessons of prohibition weren't learned very
well. What happened then is happening now. Criminals are taking
advantage of the supply and demand economics the same way the bootleggers
and the Mob took care of it during the dry years. Want the crime to
lessen? The solution is obvious.
He hadn't smoked any weed for a few years. He smiled inwardly saying to himself, "Don't need it."
He did have a good internal chuckle recalling a conversation he'd had
with his father a lot of years ago about LSD. Of course the old man was trying to tell Bob that he didn't need drugs to get high, "Just get high on life," he'd said.
Uh huh. Bob's response was, "I do get high on life dad, but I've gone to
places on that drug that you can't get to on life!!" The old man gave
up, but he didn't stop drinking. High on life indeed.
Once in the limo they made a quick stop at Fisherman's wharf to pick
up some fresh fish, sourdough bread, a lot of crab and some shrimp. That was going to be dinner and maybe lunch for the next few days. You can't get seafood any fresher than at the wharf! Bob had long had the habit of sending someone down to the city at least once a week for fresh seafood and bread.
The air tour of the bay area would just have to wait for another day.
The pleasant drive was about two and a half or three hours up highway 101
from the hotel. The girls marveled at the beautiful scenery in Northern
California. Quite a change from the asphalt jungle and concrete strips
they were used to in the LA area. Up here you can actually see stars
in the night sky.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean celestial stars.
They couldn't believe the driveway they had to drive up to get
to the huge wooden gate. Bob had already ordered a large redwood sign for over the studio that announced to people they were entering "The Girls Playground", which after a very short discussion the girls all said they liked. The sign was presently hanging at the entry gate.
They also bought off on the name for the band at the same time. There
wasn't much debate, so it was apparent that they had thought about it
and talked overnight.
Eventually the sign over the gate would adorn the studios. But for now
it looked good at the entrance. That would soon have another large sign
proclaiming you were entering "The Ranch" as the girls affectionately named it. When they pulled up to the house, all four of the girls gasped at the size and layout they could see from outside. It was like a huge Lincoln
log castle. They already loved it!
I'll save you the description of the place for the most part. Some will be
described in brief as things transpire. Suffice it to say, it was a 9 bedroom
6 bathroom, very large, very nice, not overly ornate or auspicious, 9500 square foot log cabin in the middle of a redwood forest.
The bedroom layout easily met the girls approval. They were all
practically connected to each other, and the master was huge. Each
had a shared bathroom between them. The bath and shower areas were
huge! Each shower was six foot by eight foot, slate tiles, bench seats, and multiple
shower heads, including a couple of large rain heads in the ceiling.
The way Bob had figured it Chelly and Janell would share a bathroom.
Maryanne and Heather would be the other pairing, but Bob hoped that
Heather would share the master with him. Since Janell's and Maryanne's
rooms had adjacent doors Maryanne could walk through Janell's room
to share the shower with her and Chelly. Later, Maryanne would change
that a little, but that's getting ahead of things.
When Heather walked in to look, Bob asked, "Would you like to stay
in here with me sweetie?"
"Will there be room for Chelly to join us?"
"Chelly will always have room with us baby."
Heather looked around at him and with a few tears starting to run down her
face, answered, "Yes. Then I would like that very much."
Bob smiled at her and said, "Great!! I'll have the staff move most of
your things into this room."
Heather looked at him with a questioning look, "Huh?"
Now with a serious look Bob replied, "I didn't presume anything
Heather. You have a separate room just like everyone else, but I'm elated
you'll join me in this room."
Heather looked at him with a smile, "Well I suppose that's going to
be a good idea when the others want to partake of your loving. Unless I'm
specifically invited, I'll need a room. I'm certainly not a voyeur."
Then with a giggle, "I certainly won't be jealous either."
Looking at him noting a questioning look, she reiterated, "I know you
love me Bob. Even after such a short time, I'm very secure in that.
Maybe it's because I've needed someone to latch on to since my folks
died, but the way you have treated me makes my heart sing joyfully."
Bob whispered to her, "You deserve nothing less Hey. I've never
felt this way about anyone, and in my mind I've found my 'Soul Mate'. I'm
so in love with you it seems crazy sometimes when I think about it, I
truly love you with all my heart."
"I know," she replied, "And I'm secure in that so if you want to love the
others, I have no problem with it. I know that having sex with
them isn't going to change your feelings for me, any more than it would
diminish my love for you, so it's all good!"
She added softly, "I also believe that when you do love the others, you will
love them the same way you love me. I wouldn't want any less for any of them.
I know they will all do everything they can to please you in the bed too Bobby,
so you have to let them."
He nodded, "I don't know any other way Hey."
"I also know that it would not be just 'meaningless sex' for any of you,
especially Janell. I have a feeling that Janell is going to surprise us all when she decides to "try a man". It certainly won't be meaningless for her!"
"It won't be meaningless for me either Heather," he said softly. "Jan is a
very beautiful woman Hey, and deserves to be treated that way. Don't take it the wrong way, but besides you, she's the one that intrigues me the most sexually. Maybe it's the 'unattainable' factor, but as deeply as I love you and Chelly, I could also seriously love Janell if she will let me."
Then he added, "I don't know how you feel about "meaningless sex", you know
just a fuck with no real feeling in it. A quick orgasm or two, take a shower, get dressed and leave probably never doing anything with that person again."
She nodded with a laugh, "That sounds pretty accurate to me!"
He chuckled then finished, "That kind of sex, sex just for sex's sake, is
really nothing more than overly complex masturbation. It's really less
trouble to take matters in your own hands...literally!"
Heather laughed out loud, "I'll have to remember that one, overly
complex masturbation. So true!"
"Bobby, when I asked you about room for Chelly, did you understand what
I was really asking?"
"Umm. I don't know Hey. There will always be room for Chelly. I have
no issues with that."
Heather looked into Bob's eyes so she knew he was paying attention to
what she was going to say. "Bobby, I meant will there always be room in
our bed and bedroom for Chelly? I was serious when I said I would share
you with her. I think you have enough love to take care of both of us."
"Hey, are you saying that you want Chelly to move in to the room with us?"
"If she wants, yes."
"Oh. Ok. I guess I really don't have any issue with that. You know I
love Chelly very much, so if you are comfortable with that, I'm good. Just
remember what I said though, if push ever came to shove, YOU are my
woman."
"I understand Bob, but I don't think it would ever come to that. Chelly
and I respect and love each other too much to let something like that
happen. I would never want you to have to make that choice."
"Me neither," agreed Bob. "So, do you want to tell Chelly that she
can move into the master with us?"
"I think so," Heather said thoughtfully. "It will have less questions
surrounding it if I do it. If you did, she'd wonder if I was ok with it,
and I want her to know that up front. I think it's also a very good idea
to keep our separate rooms."
"I agree, he said nodding. "Should we rearrange Maryanne and Jan to be
next to each other?"
"No. I think there is something going on with Annie. It's just a sixth
sense kind of thing. I think the cat will be out of the bag sooner
rather than later."
"You want to clue me in?
"Nope", she chuckled. "You'll know soon enough. I do think we should
move Jan next to us. I know Chelly will like to be with her and I enjoy
making love with Jan as well. I also want Jan to have full access to you
whenever she wants. I'm not sure if it will be all that often, but I have a
feeling that our sexy lezzie Jan is going to enjoy the only man she's ever loved."
"She loves me?" Bob asked incredulously.
"Yes she does baby, and you need to love her back. I'm going to tell you
that you have a lot of responsibility with her. I think she wants to love
a man, but you're the only one. She's still going to go after girls Bob,
so don't think you're going to start a harem here," Heather said laughing.
Bob chuckled with her.
"I do feel like once she starts, and I know you'll do it for her right, so
she'll have a wonderful experience, but once she starts, I think you'll see
Miss Jan in your bed on a regular basis. Not like Chell and Me, but often enough."
"You're not kidding are you?" Bob queried.
"No I'm not honey. I want Jan to enjoy you, and I know you love Jan very
much so you will enjoy her. She'll let you know when she's ready, so just
watch for the signs. When it happens, Chell and me will probably already
know, so don't worry about the two of us. I think I can speak for Chelly
in saying that we really want you to love Janell baby, and love her with
your heart like you do us."
"Ok sweetie, but you know she's going to have to instigate everything?"
"I'll tell her that she's going to have to show you what she wants, and
let you know if you do something she's not comfortable with. You already told
her that, but I'll reiterate," Heather said smiling. "Oh, and Bob. Don't be
overly surprised if the first encounter is very soon."
He looked at her with a dropped jaw, but nodded his head. This was getting
very interesting.
The girls spent the rest of the day wandering around the complex checking
out where everything was. Together they all walked around the grounds
while Bob pointed out some of the "amenities" available. The indoor/outdoor
hot tub, the indoor pool with the retractable roof, the complete exercise
gym and finally, up the hill just a little, the studio.
When they entered, they were totally in awe of what a recording studio
was, even mostly empty. To say the girls were "Blown Away" would be understating
their reaction. The girls eyes were like those of an infant in a papoose
going through a grocery store, that look of complete wonderment.
Besides the 3 rooms that would contain all of the mixing equipment,
recorders and the like, there were four complete recording rooms, one of which was partitioned off so that one or all the girls could play a part
without the sound bouncing off of walls or ceilings etc. There was
also a small room in between that studio and the largest of them where
there was nothing but sound walls. Bob explained that was to record
vocals. They noted that the mixing equipment that Bob had down at
Chelly's was now installed in the third engineering room which was
connected to the largest room by a window.
The girls looked around and noticed that their instruments were sitting
in the big room, but that identical sets were already in each of the
other rooms. Janell would have to place her drums where they were
comfortable for her, Chelly would have to place her instruments in
the order she liked and cable them, but other than that it was, "Flip the
switch, tune up and begin to play".
Bob hadn't planned any studio time for this first day, but the girls just
walked through the door and began to turn things on while Janell
began her set up.
"I hadn't planned on you guys having to play today," Bob said
quietly.
All four girls looked up at him with big smiles. It was Maryanne that
said, "We haven't played in ... like ... a week Bob, and we love
to play. You don't have to play or record anything, we just want to play
for a little while."
Bob nodded his head then turned around to set up the board and the
recorders for what was going to be an improv jam session, duration unknown.
When he had all of that set up, he went into the room with the girls and
picked up his guitar and made sure it was in tune. Then one at a
time, he tuned all of the other bass guitars that he used. His axe of
choice was always his Fender Jazz Bass, but he had a Washburn with 5
strings, a Ricky with 6 strings, and a Hoffner violin style for
softer tones.
He chuckled to himself when he picked up the Hoffner to give it a tune up. He'd broken a few of these guitars by playing them too hard. They were
fairly fragile compared to other bass' so you couldn't really
"slam" the strings like you would on a Jazz or the Ricky, but the
tones you could get from the Hoffner made it a "must have".
Oh. What's a Hoffner violin style? Think of Paul McCartney when the
Beatles first started out. Bob was even left handed.
Each of the girls were absorbed in their own little worlds as they set up,
tuned and played a few riff's while waiting for Janell to finish
setting up.
Heather was helping Jan with the setup, and it looked like
they were having a good conversation. Heads were shaking, heads were
nodding and there was much laughter, but with Hey's help Janell got
things together in short order.
Bob just figured that Heather was talking to Jan about some of the
conversations they'd had earlier to let her know that he was good
with whatever happened, and so was she. Who knows. Jan is a very
beautiful girl.
They all knew that once she had the drums set up the way she wanted that
she would do about five to ten minutes of stretching exercises to get
limbered up. The others, over time, learned that it was a
good practice allowing them to center, focus and be ready to play, so
they usually joined her. It was a lot like an abbreviated session of
Tai Chi.
Bob sat on his stool listening to the random notes being bantered around
the room watching Janell finishing her set up. It did take her about an
hour, even with Heather's help, to get things to her liking. He made a
mental note to have the staff look at the setup she used and set up
the other three sets as closely as they could. It would save Janell a
lot of time when they went to work in the other rooms.
She played a short time making sure everything was to her liking then
stood up and walked to the front of her instruments. The other girls
knew that meant it was time for the stretching session. Bob
watched with interest as the other three put down their instruments and
moved over so that they formed a square facing
each other and began their practiced routine.
About ten minutes or so later, they all came together for a group hug, and
he heard Heather say, "Let's do it to it."
Somehow he had missed this process in the Garage, but he was
also very sure that they had done it at some point.
All four moved to their instruments, then looking at Bob, asked him if he
was ready.
He nodded his head and slid his butt off the stool while Maryanne walked
over and taped a piece of paper on his amp, Heathers amp, Michelle's
keyboard, and one of Janell's taller cymbal stands.
Bob looked at the paper and smiled. It was a play list for this session.
When he turned around he was met with four smiling faces, then Janell looked around and asked, "Ready?" Getting nods all around she started tapping her sticks in rhythm. Any musician knows that's the signal and tempo of the start, so when she got to the fourth tap, all of them were in synch and began playing the first song on the list.
There were about 40 tunes on the list and by the time they'd played for a
couple hours they'd gone through about half of it. Of all the music they
played that afternoon, they only felt the need to repeat something twice.
Much to his chagrin, it was his part that they repeated for. He'd just not
played it to their satisfaction, told him what they wanted. As soon
as they were finished explaining it to him and he'd nodded his understanding,
without delay, Janell was tapping her sticks to start it up.
Bob smiled. This was a tough group, they didn't accept anything less
than perfection ... from anyone! He liked that!
He did notice an interesting dynamic with them. It was apparent that
everyone looked to Heather for leadership and final decisions if there
was any "argument". Once the stretching exercises had started it was
quite obvious that Janell was now in total control.
They also didn't waste any time between numbers either. Bob liked that as well.
It was a good sign of their absolute professionalism. They would stop
every fifth or sixth song and discuss what they had done.
That's usually when Bob found out he'd messed one up.
Something else he had noticed. When they were playing their music, they
were playing their music. There were no side discussions or anything else
that didn't pertain to the task at hand. That was also a sign of their
professionalism, but it was also a sign that they needed to lighten up
with themselves. Bob would have to figure out some way to present that to
them. He was just as serious about his music, but he was also serious
about having fun while playing and "fun" was clearly not part of the
girls sessions.
They all smiled at each other then looking at Bob, started setting their
instruments down telling him it was break time and they'd come back
either later today or tomorrow to finish the list and would probably
add another 40 songs to the list. It was Chelly's turn to come up with
the next playlists.
Bob just shook his head in disbelief. This was already working better
than he could have hoped.
These Girls were very dedicated to their music.
Chapter 10 -- Billy and the Recordings
Everyone was up by 8am, coffee'd out, had eaten breakfast and introduced
themselves to the gym for a good morning workout.
This would actually be the routine they'd
follow while they were at "The Ranch", as they began to refer to it. The girls have always been early risers. Bob's time was dependent on the night before. The girls would soon learn that
sometimes the music took them into the next morning -- after
the sun had come up.
Billy arrived fairly early the morning after the others arrived and had
gotten things set up. Well, it was like 10am which for Billy is very
early.
He's generally a night owl like most musicians or people that deal with
them. All of them will get into that mode after a few weeks then have
to acclimate back to somewhat normal hours for the tours. With the
studio they didn't have to worry about disturbing any neighbors, so
if they wanted to play at 4am there were no issues with them doing just
that. They did on more than one occasion.
The girls hadn't known that Bob recorded their session the day before,
but as is their usual habit, played like it was "for
real" so the recording was probably pretty good. He mentioned it to Billy when he got there much to the surprise of the girls.
"You recorded our practice last night?" asked Maryanne.
"That's pretty sneaky bucko," Michelle commented.
Heather just sat there with a grin on her face, and Janell just shrugged her
shoulders.
"I want to get some raw sound while you guys don't know it's happening.
When you know a recorder is on, you will tend to play a little more
reserved. At least most people do."
"We only know how to play one way Bob," Janell finally decided to say
something. "Honestly, I don't care if there's a recorder going or not,
I'm not going to change how I play."
Bob got nods from around the table and Billy chuckled, "Well, let
me go up and see what you got. If it's anything like the last set, it'll be
worth mixing."
Bob nodded, "You know where it is. The recording should be in
number 3 and I left the pots where I recorded so you'll know the input levels. You can move the disk over to number one if you want, and re-set
number three for recording. I think we're going to work on a longer session
today. You may have to do some initial set up in number one because the mastering stuff just got put in yesterday after we got here. You know the crew. They'll do the best they can but it's up to "us" to make it the way we want."
Billy nodded enthusiastically and asked, "Have you given much thought to doing the album before touring? Depending on what is on yesterday's recording, I may have enough to put a double together already. I will need Heather and Janell for a couple really short fill ins, but other than that, it's show quality."
All the girls mouths dropped in surprise but Bob asked seriously, "What
about releases? Have you been able to work them all out?"
"Yep. Except the two assholes we talked about the other day, so just drop
their stuff from your repertoire. Realistically, you don't need it
and they're the ones who will regret it later, especially when they
try to jump on the wagon and we tell them it's already left the
station!"
Bob just chuckled, "The one bunch are mostly jerks anyway, but
the other one surprises me. I've played with some of them, and figured
they'd go for it."
"It was their business manager. He wasn't having any part of a shared
royalty, so I just told him that's the way it was going to be, take
it or leave it. He decided to leave it. I just picked up my offer
sheets, and walked."
"That's too bad, I'd have liked to promote some of their stuff, but yeah,
we'll just drop their stuff. I think it only amounts to three or four
numbers, and it'll be no big loss. How about the others?"
"Carte Blanche. You can do anything they've ever done at the shared one
percent we talked about. Oh. I sweetened the pie just a tick by
offering them a flat, no share, tenth of a cent per CD sale.
They all figure that's where they'll really make out. Most everyone
was pretty jazzed when they heard the prelim that I played for them."
"Excellent," Bob said quietly. Then looking at the girls, "It looks like
most of the music you already play is a go, so other than the stuff those two
negatives put out, we're in like Flynn."
To that he got smiles all around, while Billy did an about face and
headed up to the studio. Nobody but Heather noticed where Maryanne's
eyes were. She smiled knowingly because she'd already figured out there
might be something happening there.
"We'll be up in about an hour Bill, is that enough time?"
"How long is the recording?" he asked looking back.
"About two hours maybe a little more. Like I said, just transfer it over to
number one where the mastering stuff is installed and you can work on
it there without being disturbed. We're going to use number three
again. If you need any replays let us know and we can teach them how
we do fill ins."
By the time Bob had finished, Billy was already well on his way up the
hill.
"What was all that about?" asked Michelle.
"Hmmm?," Bob was already lost in thought. "What do you mean?"
"Doing replays or fill in or whatever. What is all of that?"
"Oh," he responded with a strange faraway look, "When Bill mixes
the stuff down for 'public consumption' he does what I showed you in the
garage. He'll listen to each of you individually and note the input
levels so that when he puts it all together he can adjust the sound
to what he wants to hear. Like I recorded at a neutral position, but
Janell may be too loud on the base recording to use, so when he mixes
it he'll just turn her down to the level that best balances the overall sound. It's the same with all of us. What we hear while were playing may sound good to us but it may sound like shit on a recording, so if there's
one part where, say, Hey misses a couple notes in a riff, she can go
into that room where all the partitions were," they all
nodded, "Billy will do a playback of the whole band except for her
part, and she'll play along with the recording while setting down another
lead track. He already let you know that he needs Heather and Janell
for some shorties."
"How can she listen and play," Maryanne wanted to know.
"Bill will play it back for her and she'll wear a set of very high quality
headphones. She'll hear all of you without her part, and she'll play
her part again as Bill mixes it in, but it's mostly for raw sound.
Bill will put it together with the part that she'll be listening to,
and when he's done, nobody will ever know that it wasn't done at the
same time."
They all smiled, as he added with a grin, "Well nobody but us, and we ain't
tellin'."
"Which reminds me," he said looking at Janell. "You will
probably be in headphones pretty much all of the time Jan. That way
you'll hear what's going on. It sometimes helps in keeping the beat.
Give it a whirl, and if it doesn't work for you, that's fine."
Janell nodded, "There are times when I can't hear what's going on
with everyone so it is hard for me to tell if I've messed up the timing. I
try to keep it with Maryanne's bass so if the bass messes up, so will
I."
"Ha ... and sometimes nobody notices," chuckled Bob while Janell nodded
her head with a big smile.
"Oh no. Trust me, they all notice," she said with a grin. Looking around all of the girls were nodding their heads. She finished, "Just like they caught you yesterday, they do the same to me, so don't feel like we're 'pickin' on the new guy'."
They all got a good chuckle out of that comment, but they all agreed.
So they sat at the table and went over the playlists again, scratching the
tunes that they couldn't get clearance for. Of the 1200 songs on the
master sheet they chose 200 to work with. The others could be used for
filling in if the mood struck them.
Bob couldn't help dwelling on the two that didn't get on board. He knew
that if he talked to the band members, they would overrule the business
manager, but that could cause political problems for everyone. He'd
mention it in passing if he could, but it's just the way it is in
this business. They would regret their decisions when the first album
came out, and the girls were on their way.
They took the hike up to the studio to get on with that day's practice
session and to "bug" Bill working in the mastering
room. He looked up with a smile and a quick wave but was dancing around the
studio with a set of headphones covering his ears.
Everyone continued on past to studio number 3 and did a few minutes of turn on and warm up before joining Janell in front of the drums for their
stretching exercises. They chided Bob trying to get him to join in,
but he had avoided the routine thus far. He was sure he'd end up
joining them at some point, but for now he figured he was limber
enough. Besides, he'd done his morning workout in the gym, but so had
they.
When they took their lunch break, all wandered down to the house to see
what they could scare up to eat. Bill joined them as well. Unnoticed
was the animated conversation between Heather and Janell. They
weren't arguing about anything but it was a lively discussion out of
the earshot of the others. The others were used to seeing Hey and
Janell talking. Heather was kind of the "boss", and
Janell was the keeper of the beat, so they conferred a lot.
It wasn't an unusual thing.
When they were all assembled in the kitchen and munching, Bill got
everyone's attention by tapping his glass with his spoon. Everyone
looked up meeting Bills grin with smiles of their own.
Bills grin got even wider as he looked over at Bob and said, "So ... you fucked up a couple yesterday, aye big fella?"
Bob's jaw dropped and he blushed. The girls laughed because it was the
first time they'd ever seen Bob really blush. "Uh...Yeah. I didn't think so
but they insisted we do them again."
"Well 'they' have good ears my friend. Both errors were REALLY hard to pick up, even on the recording. I had to go back and really listen a couple times before I really heard what they were telling you, but they were correct," he chuckled looking at Bob.
"We're used to Maryanne," Chelly interjected. "It just didn't sound right to me." It was Chelly that had caught both of the errors.
Billy nodded, "You have an incredible ear young lady. You may want to consider doing some sound engineering and producing somewhere down the line. If you have any interest, I'll be happy to spend the time to show you the ropes."
Then turning back to the rest, "When I heard them explain it to you and you
argued the first time I went back to listen, sure enough, there it was. I probably would have let it slide in a mix, because I figure if I can't hear it, nobody else will either. I think these girls are going to bust my ass too." Bill looked around and chuckled at the looks he saw on the girls faces.
"But what I really wanted to tell you all is that
we've got enough good recording to do a double CD set as the first offering."
The girls let out small gasps, but Bob just said, "Cool," with a big smile.
"Yeah. This afternoon I want to do a couple fill ins. I may not use them,
but I'd like to take a couple runs at them. The initial cut is
excellent, I just want to see if Heather and Janell can do it again,
maybe a little different. I'll explain when we go to do it."
"Great idea Billy. I think while you're doing the fill ins the others
can observe for a little while so they all learn what it is and how
it's done."
Then looking at the girls, "It doesn't mean that you did something
wrong or badly. The producer hears certain things that we probably don't
and his thought process is, 'Hmm. I wonder if they could do it this
way.' It won't deviate from the original music that much, if at all, because the
goal of this group is to match studio recordings, but there may be a
note here or a bar there which will enhance the finished product."
He looked around the room noting that everyone was paying close
attention. "Like Bill said, it doesn't mean that something is
wrong, only that he wants to hear something a different way and may
not use it because what he's thinking may not work in the end."
They all nodded. Heather observed, "So we just sit in the little
cubie thingie with a pair of headphones and play our piece to the rest of
the recording?"
Bill answered, "That's about right Heather. What I do is run the
music through your headphones minus your part from the original. What
you'll hear is what you are playing right then, mixed in with
everything else. I won't be actually doing the mix at that point, but
just getting a raw recording of your piece, maybe a couple of
different ways, then I'll listen to all the composites I make and
choose what I think is the best."
Heather nodded her head, "Ok. I think I get the idea. You say that
you want it done a couple different ways. What do you mean by that?
I usually only play a song one way."
"That's going to be your challenge Heather. I'm going to suggest you do
something a little different, and it's up to you to figure out how to
work it. You're the expert with the guitar, not me. I just want to hear
something and I'll do the best I can to explain it to you, but in the end
you're the one that's going to have to come up with it. The thing I
don't want is for you to get frustrated with me
for asking you to do it over and over and over. You may get it out
the first run through, and you may take ten, so you just have to bear
with me. I may ask Maryanne or Bob to come in and play it the way I
want it, but I doubt I'd ultimately mix that in."
"So you're saying I may not be able to do it the way you want to hear
it?"
"Yeah I guess so. You are so used to playing something one way it may not
'feel right' for you to do it 'my way'. It's like the forest for the
trees thing. It's not your fault."
She nodded her head to him. "Ok."
"One frustration point for you guys," he said looking around the
table, "And Bob is already familiar with this one, is that after all
the shit I put you through, we may not use it."
Bob just chuckled, "I did a couple fill ins on the last album
with the band and Bill ran me through the same thing for two days straight.
Then when we were all done, he said he liked the original the
best."
The girls mouths just dropped and Janell gasped, "Two whole days,
and then it wasn't used?"
Bob nodded slowly.
"I think that would piss me off," noted Janell.
Bill looked at her, "Jan. That's exactly what I mean. I don't want
you getting pissed off. That's why were discussing this so you'll know
how it works. Live performances are different and so are studio runs,
but fill ins can be really a pain in the ass. Not just for you!"
She nodded her head and smiled, "It just seems like a lot of time
for nothing."
"Sometimes it is, but it's how we strive for absolute perfection, and I
know you all can relate to that. It shows in your music."
"Oh. One more quick thing," Bill threw out. "In the next
couple sessions if you could run through the Beach Boys Medley once or twice
with added or removed tunes it would be really cool. I think the tempo of
the way you have it set up is really great, but the Boys did a lot of
music that's really good, and you guys don't play it. If I like it," he said
with a grin, "We might put it in as a bonus disc just for fun. We'll see."
They nodded and said they'd work on it.
The rest of the lunch break was pretty much silent. The girls
contemplating the afternoon session, Bob thinking about some of the
business angles and Bill mentally coming up with a fill in plan that
wouldn't frustrate the musicians.
When break time was over and they all wandered back to the studio there
was a little apprehension in the air, but between Bill and Bob they
put it to rest fairly quickly with a little humor. They also were
totally up front with the young women so they totally understood what
was going on. There were no hidden processes, nothing that they were
going to try to slide in on the girls or anything like that. It was all straight up.
They all gathered in the mastering room where Bill ran them through the
process. He played the existing composite, then he played it the way
Heather would hear it in her headphones. After a couple of runs
through that part, he played the original part by itself and stopped
to replay the piece he wanted to hear differently.
When he explained it, Heather just nodded her head and said, "I
can do that ... I think."
When he was done with Heathers part of the fill in, he did the same with
Janell's part in the same sequence. When he explained to her what he
wanted, he played the section as it was.
Janell nodded slowly saying, " I think I hear what you want Bill. I
may have to run through it a couple times to get the sequences right, but
I hear what you're asking."
"Muy Buenas chicas," said Bill. "You four seem like you are going to
be a joy to work with. I know it's painful being a perfectionist, but that
makes six of us striving for the same goal. When everyone is on the
same page, it makes it a whole lot easier."
Bob interjected, "Don't think it's always going to be this easy
or straight forward. You guys are all very mellow, tolerant women, but
you are also human, subject to human emotions. Just understand that
when you're being asked to re-do something that you feel is already
as perfect as it's going to get, that it's not personal. Neither Bill
nor I will ever demean anything you ever do. As far as we're
concerned, and we've talked about it, you four are already the best
of the best. The diamonds just need a little buffing."
They all nodded, and whispered "Thank you's" were heard
from all corners. There were very serious faces in the mastering studio at the moment.
"Ok," said Bill, breaking the mood. "Heather. You want to get
started?"
She looked up at him and nodded with a smile.
"Good. Grab your guitar out of studio three, the one you were playing
yesterday afternoon and the one you played in the garage
session."
"They're the same Billy," Heather told him with a grin.
"Cool. Down that short hall you'll find a door with "Fill"
on it. Go into that room, move all the way forward..."
"I'll show her Bill, Bob interrupted. "I'll get them set up for their first runs and then
vacate."
"That works," said Bill.
"Janell, why don't you come with us. You can do a final setup adjustment
on the drums in the fill room while I'm getting Hey ready."
Janell nodded, "Do I need to move them from the play room?"
"Nope. It's a whole separate set."
Her eyes grew, "There's another set?"
"Sweetie, there are four sets right now, and there will be at least five before we're done."
"The crew looked at your setup in studio three yesterday evening after we
were done, so with any luck you'll only have some minor adjustments
to make on the other sets. When we go on the road, there will be a
roadie or two assigned to you. You'll need to train him or her to set
you up exactly as you like it. When you get to a sound check there
should only be some minor adjustments you'll have to make. After a
few shows, you won't have to make any adjustments because they'll have
it done for you."
"Really? Wow, that's totally cool," Janell said.
Bob gave her a grin, "Sweetheart, you're in the big leagues now.
People will take good care of you if you let them. Some musicians get some
ego attitude and push it out to the roadies and they don't appreciate
it."
"Well, yeah. I don't blame them."
"The people we'll hire to go on the road with us will be professionals.
They'll know the stage setup inside and out. All we need to do is
stay out of their way, then be there for the sound check and the show.
When we're done they'll dismantle, pack, and load all of the equipment
we need for the next performance. We just need to show up and make small tweaks. They'll even tune the instruments if we ask them to."
"Make sure you tell Hey about them tuning Bobby. She can get a little possessive of her guitars and likes to take care of them herself."
"Thanks for that heads up Jan. I'll be sure to go over it with Heather before
we hit the road. If you figure out the tune you like on your drums,
you can ask your roadies to check and adjust. I'm going to try to
make sure we get the same team every time we go out, so we'll make
those relationships. They'll know us, and we'll know them. We'll also
take very good care of them."
Janell looked at Bob with a new respect. He said he'd take care of them, and
that's exactly what he is doing. She threw her arms around his neck
and pulled him down for a kiss. Her kiss was hot, juicy and soft. It was
pretty damned close to a "fuck me" kind of kiss, but wasn't quite there.
When their kiss ended, Bob looked at her with surprise making her giggle.
Her eyes met his with a shy smoky look.
"Damn Jan, that was hot."
She lowered her head but allowed his fingers to pull it back up so he
could make eye contact again. "Jan. It was great. I just
never expected a kiss like that from you. That's my bad!"
She smiled at him and whispered, "S'okay!"
They walked into the "Fill" room and found Heather
already working on setting up for her short session. She looked
up and seeing the look on Janell's face, smiled brightly.
While Bob was distracted she made a sneak attack. Putting her arms around
him and giving one ear a quick lick, she whispered softly, "Honey,
if Jan gives you the "signs", make it very special for her."
Bob, with widening eyes, looked at Heather, "You're kidding me.
Right?"
Shaking her head she continued her whisper, "We've talked about it
for the last couple days and even though she's never been with a man, she is
curious. She's not really attracted to men, but she says she sometimes gets
that little itchy feeling inside when she sees you or thinks of you in a
sexual way. It may only be an experiment on her part. Only she'll know.
She trusts you Bob. You need to keep that in mind. Make it extra special."
"You're really good with this?"
"Hell yes. I don't see Janell as competition. I love her like a sister,
she'd never do anything to hurt either one of us.
"She's curious Bob, and she's never felt comfortable with a guy. You're
somehow different in her eyes, she loves you very much, so you need to
be very careful not to let her down."
He looked into Heather's eyes and nodded his head with a serious look.
"Don't take it that way baby. Just be yourself. You'll know if she's
willing, and she knows you won't do anything that will make her
uncomfortable. I will tell you she's a little apprehensive about
intercourse and may not be willing to go that distance. She is
technically still a virgin," Heather expressed to him softly.
Bill called her over the intercom letting her know he was ready, so she
gave Bob a quick kiss and walked over to the cubicle where she'd set
up her guitar.
Bob followed her in and before she put the headset on asked, "You
all good sweetie?"
"Oh yeah. I figure I'll just do what Billy tells me to do and we'll work
at it until he either likes the old one or one of the new
ones the best."
Bob smiled, and over the intercom Bill said, "I like that
attitude Heather!" He was giving her a thumbs up and smiling at them through the glass that
separated the mix room from the studio.
Bob gave Bill a quick thumbs up in return and turned around to leave. On his way he
grabbed Janell so they left together making sure there was no other
sound in the room except Heather and her guitar.
By the time the two of them got back into the mastering room, Bill had
Heather all set up and was going over what he needed, and how she
could give it to him. Bob and Janell just stood in the background so
they didn't interrupt.
"Ok Heather," said Bill calmly, "You hear the whole
thing?"
Heather nodded her head. Bill moved a couple knobs and one of the sliders,
then asked again, "Now you hear it without your lead part
correct?"
Again Heather nodded her head.
"Super. Now I'm going to start it at the beginning. I want you to play your
part like the others are in there with you. If you need to close
your eyes or if it would be easier for you with the lights more dim,
just say the word, Ok?
Again Heather nodded her head with a big smile. She was obviously getting
into the process.
"We already talked about what I'm looking for so as you come to that
section, try to think it a little differently and play it like I
asked."
"Got it," came from the studio, "Let's give it a
shot."
Bill pushed a couple buttons and through the monitor speakers Bob and
Janell could also hear what was being done. The first thing they
heard was Janell's clicking the sticks giving cadence, and right on
"cue", all of the music started, even with Heather.
Janell watched intently because she was next. Watching Heather play all by
herself was a little strange, but she was playing it like all the
rest of them were right there playing with her.
When the run through was finished, Bill got back on the intercom and told
her, "That was great Heather, now let's just do the section
we talked about."
Heather acknowledged his request. Bill then asked, "Is fifteen
seconds enough for you to synch or do you want it a bit longer for the lead
in?"
"Let's try fifteen seconds Billy. I can wave you off, Right?"
"Absolutely sweetheart. If you're not comfortable with anything just stop and say something. It's not a big deal, we'll just do it however you're
comfortable."
"Ok. Here it comes Heather. Just begin playing along whenever you feel
it."
He'd started it about thirty seconds from the end of the tune, and after
it had played for maybe five seconds, she was synched up and playing
her part. When it came to the part she was supposed to try
differently, she played it exactly as Bill had requested without
hesitation.
Bill looked at Bob with a huge grin. "She's a dream Bobby. We're
done." Then looking at Janell, "You're up sweetheart. Let me know
when you have yourself set and we'll run it through exactly the same way as we just did with Heather."
Janell nodded, took a deep breath, and turned to go, Bob in tow. As the door
was closing they heard Bill talking to Heather, "That's it
Heather. We're done. Janell is on her way in. Thanks sweetie, that was
perfect."
Heather gave him a big smile through the glass and picked up her instrument,
unplugged the cord then made her way back to the drums. She found
Janell and Bob in the final adjustment phase. Bob was being a mother
hen, making sure Janell was comfortable with what she was going to
do.
"It's gravy Jan," Heather said to her. "Just think of it like
we're all in here with you and play normally. The way Billy gives it to you on the headphones makes it easy."
Jan looked up at her with a grin, "You made it look really easy
Hey. I was a little nervous before, but I'm good now."
"You'll do fine sweetie." Then Heather turned and left the studio to Bob
and Janell.
It only took another few minutes for Jan to have her drums set the way
she wanted them. It was really nice having the staff do a preliminary
set up. She only had to move a couple of them, and really could have
played them the way they had been set, but she was finicky.
She grabbed a set of sticks and sat up on her throne. She played around
the horn listening to each drum, then smiled at Bob. "All
set."
Bob smiled, Jan put on her headphones and things were ready for Jan's
fill in.
Bill gave her the same kind of instructions that he'd given to Heather,
letting her know what he was asking for. They did it the same way,
where Bill started it at the beginning so she could play the entire
song, then picked a couple spots where he had an idea for a little
change.
Since the drums were at the rear of the room in a big cubicle, they
couldn't see each other through the glass, so it was all done
verbally.
"Ready?" asked Bill.
"Ready," answered Janell.
The next thing everyone heard was the recording of her clicking the
cadence then everything started just as it had with Heather. Jan
played it all the way through without any problems putting in the
two changes that Bill had asked for.
"Super job," said Bill in his calming voice.
"We can try fifteen seconds on the sectional lead ins Billy, I think I
can do that," Janell said before he could suggest it.
Bill looked at Bob in the booth and smiled. "Fifteen seconds it is
darlin'. You got what I'm asking for?"
"Yeah, I think so Billy. I tried to put them in on the full run, so
you'll have to listen to see if it's what you wanted. Are we going
to do it twice since there's two places you want the same thing,
or just once?"
"We'll do it twice Jan. Even though it's the same ditty, each will sound a
little different because it's in a different place in the tune and it
should sound a bit differently."
"Ok," she responded. "I'm ready any time you are."
"Ok sweetheart, here we go...fifteen seconds."
Bill started the playback where he wanted her to pick it up which she did
flawlessly and when it came to the place she needed to change it up a
little, she did it, then stopped suddenly moaning.
"I fucked it up Billy. Let's do it again, Ok?"
"You're the boss sweetheart, here we go, three, two, one ..."
The second run through she did it to her satisfaction, and Bills. They
took care of the second place in one take, then Bill just said to
her, "We're done Jan. You can just hang the headset on one of
the stands and leave everything exactly like it is."
She joined the others in the booth with a huge grin on her face. She had
obviously enjoyed the exercise.
Heather looked at her with a smile, "Toleya."
Janell gave her a mock sock to the shoulder and laughing said, "Yeah
ya did."
Then looking at Bob and Bill, "That was totally cool. I can't wait
to hear what it's all going to sound like."
"Weell leetle derlin'," drawled Bill, "If'n ya kin gimme another ten
seconds or so, I mite kin make dat happen fer ya..."
Janell and Heather both laughed and waited patiently for Bill to do what he
was going to do. When he turned to them with a grin, they knew it had
to be good.
"This is the original you guys did all together in the studio," he
said pushing a button to begin the playback. The girls knew to listen for
the areas they had modified, though it wouldn't be in this run.
When it had played through, Bill pushed another couple buttons, and just
before pressing "Play", he said, "This is the "new and improved" version
that you two just made.
They listened with practiced ears while the song played, both hearing the
changes Billy had mixed in. They looked at each other with wide eyes,
then turned to Bill and Bob who were standing at the board looking at them with
Cheshire grins.
"Well?" Bob asked. "What do you think?"
Heather answered first, "I think that's fucking amazing."
"Yeah," said Janell. "I'd have never thought that two minor beat
changes or in your case Hey, a note or two, would make that much of a
difference."
Bob chuckled, "That's why Bill get's the big bucks."
With huge smiles, they all made their way to studio number three where
Maryanne and Michelle had been working on some programming issues
with the Rolands. It was a little different from the Korgs, so they
just had to figure out how to tell the synth what they wanted in the
language it would understand.
They looked up when the others came in the door. Both noticed the happy
looks on their friends faces, and gave them questioning looks.
"It was great, man." Janell said, "We just did a couple
runs and you should hear the difference."
"Can't wait," chuckled Maryanne.
Then looking at Bob, "I think we can try "Nights in
White Satin" now. Chelly figured out the sequence and we just
finished setting up the programming."
Bob smiled widely, "Great. We can start with that if you all
want. It's a great tune. Don't forget, we need to run through
the Beach Boys stuff a couple times as a medley. It's on record
so Billy will be able to work his magic if he wants. You might
expect a few fill-in's on that one."
The session was almost four hours this time. It took them three runs with
the Moody Blues tune before they got comfortable with it. Chelly had
the synths programmed perfectly and while she played the entire
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maryanne filled in the other keyboards.
Billy couldn't believe what he was hearing and made them do it again
later in the session just so he could record it "his way".
When they finished it was past dinner time, so they scared up some chow
and all sat around the table trying to come down from the music high
they were all on. Adrenalin can be a wonderful thing.
They adjourned to the play room for a while and all migrated around the
couch and chairs. Chelly followed a few minutes later with a tray
full of glasses.
She placed a glass in front of everyone then without any fanfare, began
pouring some excellent Napa Cabernet into the glasses. She smiled at
Heather and Janell who had closely surrounded Bob, but gave Hey a
special look that only she noticed.
Maryanne and Bill were in deep conversation about something musical. He was
explaining to her what the fills were and how he'd worked them in.
After about fifteen minutes, they excused themselves and headed up to
the studio so that Bill could play the example.
Chelly looked at Heather knowingly, and they both did a Vulcan mind meld,
and through the ether floated the phrase, "Yeah Right. Goin' to play
the music. I believe you. Uh huh!"
Both giggled together and Michelle plopped down on the couch hip to hip
with Heather who turned to kiss Chelly warmly. They separated themselves
a little from Bob and Janell giving the two of them some space.
Michelle knew from chatting with Heather earlier what was in the works
and neither wanted to do anything to make Jan uncomfortable.
Jan had intertwined her arm with Bob holding him closely. She was shyly
staring into his eyes then would lower her head looking away.
Michelle and Heather were noticing the interaction and chuckled to themselves
watching Janell's nervous actions. They knew what she wanted, but also that
she really didn't know how to make that happen because she'd never
anticipated any kind of activity with a male.
They had both told her, separately and together, that all she needs to do is think of Bob as a woman with a penis. Heather told her that Bob will make love to her much the same as any woman would with the exception that he'll have something stiff to fill her with at the end if she wants. Chelly's version was a bit more base than that, but essentially said the same thing.
Jan could do it, she was just unsure of herself. She didn't want to disappoint Bob or do anything wrong. She'd been told short of biting his dick off she really couldn't do much wrong. Jan wanted it all, but wasn't sure how to get it.
In her eyes, Bob saw a very unsure, very nervous young woman. She didn't
loosen her grip on his arm so she wasn't shying away from physical contact.
He decided a direct approach would probably be best in this case.
Looking at her sympathetically he whispered softly, "Jan, Heather told me about what's going on in your mind."
Her return look showed him a desperate fear of rejection. She didn't know how to deal with him knowing what she was thinking. She quickly lowered her face shyly so he couldn't see what was going on in her eyes. It was too late.
While her face dropped Bob quickly moved a couple of his fingers up
under her chin lifting gently so that both were once again making positive
eye contact.
To the panic in her eyes, "I love you very much Janell. I will never do anything that you do not ask for, and if by some chance we get to a place where you are not comfortable, please, say so. We'll stop whatever it is and retreat back to something that is comfortable."
She whispered, "Thank you." After a short pause she continued, "I'm really
not sure what I want, well, I guess I am, but ... I'm confused and curious
at the same time."
"I've never had any kind of feelings for a man until you came into our
lives. I know that you and Heather are 'attached at the
hip'," she grinned shyly, "but Hey has said it's ok for me and you
to ... well, you know."
"Yes she has Jan, but we don't have to do anything at all if that's what
happens. It won't change my love for you or how I feel about you in any way, so don't think you'll be causing some kind of disappointment or angst for me if you suddenly get cold feet. It will not be an issue."
"Heather and I are very trusting in our love for each other. How Chelly saw
that in the both of us, I'll never know, but I will be eternally
grateful. Heather has told me she wants to share me with Chell. I don't know
how that's going to work, but I'm certainly willing." Bob smiled wryly and
continued, "She also wants to add you to our love." To the shocked look he
assured her, "Jan, she knows you will always prefer women, but wants to leave
the door open for you to have a loving relationship with me if you desire. It
will always be totally up to you, but understand that you are welcomed by
all three of us."
Janell smiled at him, "Wow. That's really loving of Hey."
Taking a deep breath and letting out a very heavy sigh Jan continued, "I don't know how it
has happened but I love you a lot Bobby. I've never, ever, felt this way about
any man, so I have to go with those feelings. I'm not sure how it will work out because honestly, I'm very scared, but those things I'm really afraid of don't raise their head with you. I believe Hey, you, and Chelly will love me no matter what. Maryanne too."
Then she observed, "Chelly wanted you bad for a long time."
"I know she did, and I have the same feelings towards her." he said softly.
Jan looked surprised, "But how can you ..."
"Chelly and I understand our love Jan. She knows I love her very deeply, but
she also recognized that Hey needed someone in her life. She just
decided that Heather needed me more than she did."
"Yeah. That's the way I understand it too." Then with a big chuckle, "Something about lust and getting her pussy stuffed."
They both chuckled heartily, stealing a quick glance at Chelly and Heather.
She turned her face up to his moving forward to meet his lips softly.
They kissed tenderly for a long time and when finished kept their
faces close together rubbing noses. Jan giggled a little when they
began, but quickly found the sensuality in that activity.
Heather and Michelle were in a strong embrace on the other end of the couch,
and noting the activity, stood up and said their good nights, giving
both Jan and Bob a hug and a kiss.
Heather put her lips right at Janell's ear and whispered very quietly,
"Enjoy him sweetie. He'll take very good care of you, but you need to let
him." Then she pulled her face away a little and met Jan's
eyes with hers seeing a nervous smile in them. She gave her a knowing
smile, pecked her on the lips, and quietly said, "G'night
you two."
If Janell felt that she was on the spot, she didn't show it to Bob.
After Chelly and Heather had moved on towards the bedrooms, Jan stood up
and took the wine glasses that had been left to the kitchen and set
them on the counter.
She thought to herself, "What the hell am I thinking? Why do I want
to be with this man? I can't believe I'm doing this. I know what I
want, but can I go through with it? Would he really stop if I asked
him to? I'm so damned confused."
Jan was a tight bundle of nerves. She knew what she wanted to do but hadn't
convinced herself that she could do it yet. She had tried to tell Heather
but her excuses were pretty lame. She knew that for some reason she
loved Bob, a lot. It was partly that internal conflict that made her
so nervous. She had never had any feelings for a male until Bob. Both
Heather and Chelly told her that he was a fantastic lover and was so gentle
that he was like another woman, but had something that a woman couldn't
give. She wanted to feel that, but she was a little frightened about the
act itself. She didn't have a hymen, that had been taken care of years
ago. She had put things inside of her that were as big as the average
man was supposed to be, so she really wasn't worried about that.
Screaming silently to herself, she asked, "What am I afraid of? Am I afraid
that I'll start liking guys? Not going to happen because this is the
only man I trust, or have ever trusted."
Taking a deep breath, she walked back out and returned to Bob in the play room.
With a nervous smile, she held out her arms inviting him to stand with her
and when he did she wrapped herself around him tightly. Bob held her
to his chest gently, knowing that this was the "moment of truth" for her,
whatever she was considering.
She put her arms around his neck and pulled his face to hers kissing him
softly. She allowed the kiss to become much more intense the longer
she held it. When she pulled back from him, she put her hands on the
sides of his face, looked into his eyes, and whispered, "Take
me to bed Bobby. Please?"
"If that's what you want Janell, it will be my honor," he
whispered in return.
She just nodded her head and started pulling him towards the master suite
that he and Heather usually shared.
Bob closed the door behind them which was the "Do Not
Disturb" signal. He turned and with a warm smile he faced her. She was
looking at him with doe's eyes, and the doe looked like she was in
fight or flight mode. He held out his arms inviting her to a hug.
She ran to him throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in
his chest, but she didn't run away. She held him tightly until her
breathing returned to normal. This breathing was stress induced, and
he could tell.
Bob moved is face towards the side of her head that was not plastered
against his chest and began to give her little butterfly kisses
everywhere he could reach. After a few minutes she let out a very
heavy sigh and her body seemed to relax around him.
It was at that moment Janell knew, as nervous as she was,
she was going to go through with this thing. She knew Bob wouldn't
do anything to hurt her, nor would he do anything if she wanted to
stop even though she thought that there would come a point when
stopping wouldn't be fair to him.
She felt a warmth deep in her belly and for the first time in her
life, her pussy itched for a man. She could tell that her pussy was getting
wet already and that her nipples were standing at attention demanding
some.
What did she feel? She wasn't sure. Fear? Maybe a little. Nervous? Oh yeah.
Ready? Yes, she was very ready. Willing? Yes, she was willing. Excited? Extremely. All of these things were zipping around Janell's brain like it was running six or seven sprint races at the same time.
She wasn't sure how she was going to reconcile this feeling with her
sexuality. She did want women. She was curious about this man, but it's
the first time she's ever felt this kind of desire.
Technically she was still a virgin, but she'd already had all kinds of
implements inside her vagina. She had no worry about any pain,
she knew what it felt like when she put those rubber things in,
and knew it was at times uncomfortable for a short time. Chelly
had one of those long double headed things and when they were doing
it with each other it was incredible. It was a wonderful feeling.
Was this going to be as wonderful?
Then she chuckled to herself as she brought up a picture of a woman
with a strap on. If you're going to do that just fuck a guy for
christs sake. It would be interesting with Bob because men aren't
supposed to know a lot of those special spots on a woman's body, but
both Chelly and Heather have told her that he not only knows them, but
uses them very well. She was looking forward to that.
When she really got down to the bottom line, what she really wanted
to feel is a real cock. Unlike other lesbians, she didn't find that thought
revolting. She found it exciting. Was she not a real lesbian?
She'd never considered the difference between bi-sexual and lesbian, but
now she was meeting it head on, face to face, cock to pussy. Would it
be ok to "not be a lesbian?" It's all she's ever known. I guess she wouldn't
know until it happened, but she knew if she let it happen then by
"definition" she wasn't a real lesbian anymore. Could she live with
bi-sexual? She thought to herself, "I'm about to find out, and
bi-sexual doesn't mean she doesn't like girls anymore, only that
she has tried and perhaps wants a man, this man, again."
She laughed out loud, and looking into Bob's eyes longingly said,
"I'm so confused."
"We'll work through it sweetie. If nothing happens tonight, there's always
some other opportunity. I've already told you that stopping will not affect
how I feel about you in any way. I'm truly honored that you would choose
me, and you can bet that I will do everything I can not to let you down!"
"I know Bob. My brain is in a whirl of conflicts and confusion. The only
things that I know for sure, without any doubt at all, is that I love you
very much and I want to get into the bed with you naked." Then with a
grin, "What happens after that is kind of in the gray area at the moment,
so I guess you'll have to bring out the color."
"Sweetie, you can count on me doing the very best I can for you! I recognize
your sexuality and the fact that this may be nothing more than experimentation for you, but that is quite all right."
She looked at him and with a serious look and tone, "This is about love Bobby. I wouldn't 'experiment' with someone else's emotions or feelings. I want to express to you my love, and I want to feel you express your love for me. I've never felt love for a man before you, but I know that I love you. There's no doubt in my mind."
With a grin, "How far that will go is anyone's guess at the moment."
He nodded with a smile then asked her softly, "I need a shower sweetheart.
Would you like to join me?"
Janell looked at him and with a chuckle, "You need a shower? I've
been beating those drums all day, I need a shower!"
They both laughed at that and moved through the door to the shower room.
Bob turned on the water, then looking at Janell asked, "How
do you like it? Hot? Warm?" With a smile, "I ain't doin'
cold!"
"Hot side of warm would be ok with me," she said as she began to
shyly unbutton her shirt.
He adjusted the knobs then turned to face her as the shirt was dropped
to the floor. He began by pulling the shirt over his head under the
careful scrutiny of Janell's beautiful blue eyes.
They both dropped their pants at the same time kicking them into the pile
in the corner. He approached her slowly and lowered his head and
softly kissed her.
Gazing into her eyes he dropped his boxers to the floor and kicked them away
to join the others. While he was eliminating his undies, she pulled
the sports bra she wears while playing over her head releasing her breasts
which caused her nipples to instantly extend as if to shout,
"Free!! We're free!"
Bob checked the temperature of the water finding it perfect. He looked to
Janell who, with a fearful shy look on her face, pushed her fingers
into the elastic holding her pale yellow panties in place and began
lowering them.
The two of them didn't lose eye contact during the whole time so when
they hit the floor and she kicked them away, she smiled at him.
Waiting.
Bob let his eyes move on her body and as they did his smile became more
bright, and when their eyes met again, he saw a very nervous young
woman in front of him. He took the two steps that separated them and
placed his hands on her hips, and still maintaining eye contact
whispered, "You're an extremely beautiful young woman Janell."
Her look immediately relaxed and her smile widened. Her eyes still showed
a shy young lady, but she raised her arms wrapping them around his
neck and moved her face upwards to meet his. While their kiss
progressed she began moving her body towards his, immediately running
into his erect penis. She broke the kiss abruptly and let out a
quick, "Eek", then covered her mouth with a hand while she began to
blush hotly.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"For what honey?" he asked.
"I didn't mean to be so surprised. I've never felt a live one before and
it startled me," she said with a grin.
"It's ok Jan. Take things at your own speed. If you want me to do anything
just let me know."
Still looking him in the eyes, she let out a quick chuckle, "I finally
saw a real live one for the first time just a minute ago."
"Ha. That's ok sweetie. I figured we'd expose ourselves getting in the
shower unless we decided to do our laundry at the same time."
She shyly looked at him with a smile and commented, "One of
the reasons I love you so much is you don't make a big deal out of 'things' like most guys would. With most guys that I've heard about, they'd
already be groping me trying to stick that thing between my legs."
"You haven't told me it's ok to do that Jan. I don't presume that you want
that, so ..."
"That's what I mean Bobby," she interrupted softly. "You don't assume
just because we're naked the next logical step is doin' the 'wild thing'.
It's one of the things that makes me love you and WANT to do
that 'wild thing', the horizontal bop, with you," she added with a big smile. "I think it still scares me, but not like it would have a few months ago."
He gave her a warm peck on the lips and said, "We'll just play
it by ear honey. If we're going to do that, it'll happen eventually and I'm
not in any rush. There's a whole lot of things I want to do before we
even get close to having to decide about 'the wild thing'."
She giggled at him, and holding his hand, pulled him gently into the
shower.
She took the soap in her hands after a spinning first rinse, and looking
him in the eyes, asked, "May I?"
"Absolutely my dear. Scrub away. Lord knows, I need it!"
With a chuckle she started to soap at his shoulders, working her way
down to his feet avoiding his rigid rod and the bag of sperm filled
balls below it. She spun him around and worked up the back side and
when she reached his shoulders and neck she spun him around again.
Once again making eye contact, she slowly dropped to her knees in front of
him and began gently washing the rod in front of her face. She moved
it up, she moved it down and she moved it side to side taking in
every silly millimeter. Gently holding his balls in one hand,
seemingly weighing the contents, she stroked his penis very slowly.
"Oh, Janell," gasped Bob.
She moved her hands away quickly bringing another moan, but the second
was a moan of frustration.
"Did I hurt you Bobby? God, I'm sorry," she quickly said finding
eye contact again.
"Oh no, baby. I was enjoying the feeling," he said softly,
meeting her eyes with a smile.
"Oh. Ok. Can I do it some more?" she asked.
"By all means. Please do."
Then carefully taking hold again, she began her exploration.
"You can hold it a little harder Jan, but you were perfect on my balls.
You don't want to squeeze them too tight."
She looked up at him again, and finding a smile and short nods she
continued with what she was doing.
She had taken a good hold this time and was slowly jacking Bob towards a
great spurt, but thought he'd warn her first.
"Hon. If you keep that up like you're doing I'm going to come."
"Really?" she asked with some excitement. "Wow. Should I do
that?"
"That depends sweetie. If I come now, it will take me a bit longer to do
that again next time."
Releasing her hands gently, she noted, "Maybe I should save it for
later."
Before she stood back up, she looked at his cock one more time than pursed
her lips and kissed the very end gently and said smiling, "I'll see
you a little later."
Bob let out a groan when her lips touched him, then he heard her talking
before she slowly made her way back up his body, kissing his chest
and breasts on the way. When she was fully upright she raised her
face to his and with her arms around his neck and her hands gently finger
combing his hair, pulled him down for a
long, soft, tender, kiss that, without any doubt, said very clearly,
"fuck me".
When she pulled away from the kiss, she backed away slightly and handed
Bob the soap saying, "Your turn."
She stood kind of stiffly with her arms at her side, her nervous eyes
watching him as he soaped his hands and brought them to her shoulders
to begin exploring her body in the guise of washing.
When his hands didn't go immediately to her breasts or between her
legs, she relaxed noticeably and brought her hands up to his hips
and gently held him while he worked on her neck, shoulders and down
her arms. There was almost disappointment in her eyes when he soaped
down her sides and abdomen but avoided her waiting mounds.
The water was rinsing her as fast as he could wash, so as he moved his
hands down her sides and over her ovaries he leaned down and kissed
her neck and shoulders lightly. With the touch of his lips she pulled
his hips to hers causing his stiffness to wedge itself between her
legs, the top rubbing softly on her vulva and making some preliminary
contact with her clitoris.
When his cock made contact with the little sentry, she let out a loud
moan, and shuddered in his hands. He wrapped his arms around the back
of her washing the backside as he went.
He felt her hips begin a very slight back and forth motion moving the
hard little nubbin along the top of his stiff penis. She was looking him in
the eyes and he could see the smoky desire coming with her panting.
He pushed away gently, allowing her moan of frustration, and began to
lower himself to his knees where he would wash her lower body. Starting with the tops of her thighs he ran his hands softly down to her feet washing
her toes, then back upwards over her calves and the back of her
thighs. Once he'd finished with her legs and thighs, he gently stroked her ass, softly
caressing her pert buns bringing a moan while her hands moved back to his hair.
As he washed her butt, she had pushed his head gently against her nude mound,
again making slight movements back and forth. Now it was his nose
that was making contact with the guard, who was peeking out from
his post to see what it was causing such pleasurable sensations.
Her moans became a little more pronounced when he wiggled his face. It also
caused her to move her feet apart giving him more access to her
smooth vulva. He reveled in her arousal and gently moved his tongue from
as far in the rear as he could reach to the front just stopping at
her clit, circling with the tip ever so softly.
Her hands were getting much more insistent the more he used his tongue on
her, and her feet got further apart while she bent her knees slightly
to increase the area he could reach.
"Oh god Bob, that's the spot. Oh yes ... please touch me there."
He pulled with his hands to push his face into her sex, moving his
tongue to the top of her button and licking side to side. It was the
side to side motion that pushed Janell over the precipice and into
her first orgasm of the evening. Bob planned on her having many more.
He held her firmly when her body started to collapse a little. Her knees
were letting her down, so he made sure that he held her upright while continuing
his licking motions.
He kept his tongue darting in time with her breathing, causing Jan's
climax to extend for quite some time before she pushed his face away
gasping, "Stop. Please. It's too sensitive right now."
As he had promised, he immediately stopped with his tongue and kissed
around the edges of her mound and upward towards the dual mounds he
had avoided washing on the way down.
She was holding on to his shoulders to maintain her balance as he moved
upwards to bring his face close to hers kissing her softly. She
took it to the extreme pressing her lips against his forcefully and
darting her tongue into his mouth in an attempt to coax his out. Once
in position, she began to suck on his tongue like it was a little
cock, all the while moaning and pressing her body against his with as
much pressure as she could muster. His hands never left her hips
helping her to maintain a standing position.
When she released her kiss, she put her head on his chest still gasping
trying to get her breathing back to normal. "Oh god. I've
never come like that before. What did you do to me?"
He pushed her face away momentarily and making solid eye contact
whispered, "Nothing I don't do with every woman honey. I
plan on doing that some more a little later," causing her eyes to
grow in surprise, "Baby. I love eating a woman, and you, my dear, are
delicious."
She shuddered a little but her breathing was returning to where it
normally was, so when she put her arms around his neck he released
her hips gently to make sure she could stand, then he pulled back
just a little to soap up his hands moving them to her breastbone
sliding them down to the twin peaks he had avoided during his
initial pass.
He very gently took her breasts in his hands, softly caressing all
around them, top and bottom. He moved his hands over the tops
catching her nipples in between two fingers and rubbing each up and
down a few times bringing her hands down from his hair to around his
neck again. She let out a loud moan, her body stiffening, twitching
uncontrollably, while she pulled herself to him firmly and with a
shudder began a fairly loud jump over the edge to a second orgasm.
He held her tightly while she shook through, once again pressing her
mound against his hardened rod using the top to massage her clit. As
she came down from this climax, her breathing began to make the
sounds of purring.
Patiently waiting for her to "return", he held her tight giving
light kisses and whispering in to her ear how much he loved her
and how good she felt in his arms.
When her breathing returned to almost normal, he made sure there was
enough of a space between them that any soap still on the skin would
be rinsed off. Her eyes met his with a desire that was hard to
fathom. She reached over to turn off the water, keeping one arm
around him for balance. They stepped out and took towels to softly
dry each other.
He allowed her to pull him in the direction she wanted, and both fell on
to the bed side by side. He turned over to one side so that he could
look at her, and found her gazing at him with that shy smile. She had
rolled on to her back in anticipation, but he didn't just crawl all
over her to press on.
She was a little taken aback by the patience of this man. Everything she'd
ever heard from other women was that "the guy" was always hot to trot and
would just jump on and ride as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Some of the women spoke of slowing him down to get some level of pleasure
out of it herself before he just shot his wad and went to sleep. It' didn't
sound like a whole lot of fun to her, so when Bob patiently only rolled up
onto his side, put his arm across her tummy and didn't immediately begin groping and poking, she wasn't quite sure what to think.
He continued to gaze into her beautiful blue eyes lowering his face to hers
every so often to give her a soft loving kiss. The hand he'd thrown over her
abdomen was lightly caressing the skin in those areas that men aren't
supposed to know about. He watched her eyes waiting for some of the
"nervous" to go away. He knew she was going to be nervous the entire time
but he wanted to reduce it to a "dull roar" so that she could enjoy
feeling what he was doing with her body.
"I don't know what to do," she said quietly. "I've
never been in bed with a man like this."
"Well sweetheart, this is all about you, and I want you to come away from
this with a good feeling, so why don't you start by telling me what
float's your boat."
She looked at him with a quizzical twist, "Floats my boat? What
do you m... Ahhh. Ok. I get it."
Janell thought to herself, "How do you tell a man how to do something that only a woman can
really comprehend? What he's doing feels absolutely wonderful and
that orgasm in the shower was incredibly intense, but ..."
"Well, Probably what floats every girls boat," she said softly.
"Baby, you have been making love with women," he noted which caused
her to blush brightly. "Jan, there is no possible way that I can
give you the same as another woman. Many men don't seem to get that. All
we can do is the best we can, and what we're told by our lover."
She gave him a loving smile and let out another heavy sigh.
"You tell me what you want, and where you want to go, and we'll work on
that. Ok?"
She nodded, then shyly asked, "Kiss me."
Bob leaned over to her face and gently put his lips on hers, starting a
soft kiss. She returned his kiss, hungrily licking his lower lip and
searching for his tongue. When she found it there emitted a short but
sweet moan from Janell's throat.
Her arms wrapped around him tightly while she devoured his lips and
tongue. When she released him and let her head fall back on to the
bed, she met his eyes with a hunger that hadn't been there earlier.
"Love me," she murmured faintly. "Love me like you would love any other woman. I want to understand
the feelings of a man, and the differences."
"I think I want to feel the fullness of you, but I'm still a little frightened," she whispered to him softly. "Just Love me Bob."
He lowered his lips to hers to give her a momentary kiss, then looking
into her eyes softly said, "I will do that Jan. Without hesitation or
reservation, but you need to stop me if I go too far too fast."
Janell turned and raised up onto her knees and leaned in to begin
caressing him softly. Her eyes were darting everywhere, his eyes,
his chest, the headboard above his head. She wasn't sure she
understood the emotions that were being hormonally driven through
her body. She's never been attracted to a man, until this one,
and it was a love for him, a curious attraction more than anything
else, but a deepening love, so she just decided to go with it.
Bob watched her face while she was moving around him. There were so many
mixed emotions he wasn't sure what was the most intense. He would
allow her to take things as far as she wanted, but he wasn't going to
push anything.
Her hands continued to softly touch and caress him. He closed his eyes
and just felt what her hands were doing. It felt so good to be explored
by this beautiful young woman.
Her hands came up to the top of his head and gently moved down the side
of his face to his shoulders, arms then on to his breasts. She
stopped for a moment, tweaking his nipples tenderly.
She whispered, "I didn't know a man's nipples would do the same as
mine until the shower." Then she lowered her face to take one in
her mouth, licking, kissing, sucking. He heard a soft,
"Mmmmmmmm," from her while she switched back and forth between them.
Her hands began to move again, downwards over his abdomen skirting his
pubic hair while gently feeling the tops and insides of his thighs.
Her exploration went all the way to his toes, then began a return.
He could hear her breathing become more rapid the closer her hands came
to his stiff penis. He could almost see the look of curiosity on her
face, then decided to open his eyes and watch for himself.
Her hands were circling the base of his cock, and when he opened his
eyes, they were met by hers. He let his pair smile at hers, and as he
did, once again she moved her hand slowly up the shaft to the top of
his raging hardon. Her eyes left his to look at what her hands were
doing.
"I'm not hurting you am I Bobby?" she asked again, afraid being
dry would cause discomfort.
"No Jan. You have very soft and light hands. Are you exploring me the
same you would another woman?"
Blushing she nodded her head, and said, "Yeah. I like to feel my
lovers skin. I enjoy when they do the same."
"Am I doing alright?"
"You're doing just fine sweetie, explore till your heart's content. I'm very
much looking forward to exploring you."
She gently stroked him, blushing at his desire to explore her body, but
was looking forward to the feel of his hands. Both Heather and Michelle
had told her that he was very soft and gentle, so she had fairly
high expectations.
She continued to gently caress his body for more than thirty minutes,
going over most areas at least twice. She seemed especially
fascinated by his balls and penis handling both once again, very
gently and lovingly.
She lowered her lips to his hard penis and kissed it gently once more.
She looked at it curiously, then lowered her head again and while
kissing him began to use her tongue around the tip licking softly.
She looked upwards to make eye contact with him to see if he was ok
with what she was doing.
He noted the sparkle in her eyes and let out a soft moan letting her
know she was doing just fine, thank you very much.
Looking into his eyes, she opened her mouth a little letting him slide in
while moving her tongue around gently. When she had the entire
bulbous end of his cock in her mouth she began to turn her head back
and forth, moving her tongue with it, then began bobbing her head
taking about an inch into her mouth at a time.
Still looking up at him, she pulled his cock out of her mouth with a light
"pop" and with a grin asked, "Am I doing it right Bobby? I've heard girls
talk about doing this with a man and I couldn't imagine it, but seeing it
here so stiff and all, I couldn't help it." Then blushing brightly admitted, "I watched Hey and Chelly do this to you one night and it looked...I don't know...I guess, kind of cool. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right so I don't hurt you."
"You're doing great Jan. It feels wonderful," Bob gasped out.
"If you keep it up though, I'm going to shoot in your mouth, and you might
not appreciate that."
She looked at him curiously and whispered, "I know. The girls I
heard said they let the guy come in her mouth and then swallowed
it. I saw Hey and Chelly do that too."
Then blushing a little, "Hey said you tasted good. Chelly did too
so I'm kind of not sure."
"That's ok sweetie. I'll tell you what, when I'm about to do that, I'll warn
you and you can decide what you want to do. Does that sound
ok?"
"Yeah. I think that's ok."
"Remember, if I come in your mouth it'll take a lot longer for me to come again later if you want to go the distance."
She gave him an evil smile, "Yeah. I thought about that too. Both
Hey and Chell said it's really nice when you last a long time inside
them. I want to do it Bobby, but I'm still a little scared."
"That's ok baby. Just like me coming in your mouth, we'll worry about that
when we get there, and if you have reservations or hesitations, we
just won't do it. Okay?"
She let go of a heavy sigh, and nodded her head with a huge smile. She
knew she wanted to do the whole megillah, but wasn't sure if she would
chicken out or not, but he was willing to let her decide while he was
"foaming at the mouth", she thought with a slight chuckle. Guys just
didn't think like that.
She continued to look into his eyes with deep love, lowering her mouth to
his cock once again. Taking the head in once again and moving her
tongue constantly she put her hand down below her face to control how
much she would take into her mouth, but she started moving it up and
down at the same time not knowing that it would cause the explosion
he had described earlier.
Her head bobbed up and down while she licked around and jacked him up and
down causing that itchy feeling in Bob's balls telling him that
movement was imminent. He looked down at her working on his dick like
she had done it a hundred times and looked like she was really
enjoying it as well.
"Honey, I'm about to blow," he gasped his warning.
Without taking his cock out of her mouth she nodded and said,
"Ohkhahyhhthhannku", but began a smile. Her eyes were sparkling brightly while she
continued to bob her head up and down and moving her hand more
quickly.
She felt him swell a little in her mouth, but not having
any experience didn't know that it was the signal.
As the first spurt left his cock, he moaned loudly and watched her eyes
get really big as she took the first blast and swallowed like a pro.
She continued to suck and move her head up and down milking all five
spurts from him without losing a drop. When he was finished, she
continued to lick and suck, cleaning him fastidiously.
She let his softening dick drop from her mouth and with a huge grin,
"I don't believe I did that." Then with a vigorous giggle, "Hey and
Chell were right. It's really cool when you come, and you don't taste
bad at all."
Then with a louder chuckle, "That was fun. I want to do that again."
She moved her face over his, lowering her lips to his, kissing him gently
for a few minutes. She was a little surprised that he kissed her, but
after what the other two women had told her she expected it.
"I can't believe you'll kiss me after doing that," she whispered.
"Why?" he asked softly. "It's just a bodily fluid, same as when I
eat you. You kiss me after that don't you?" She nodded gently.
"And it doesn't taste bad. In fact you are delicious Jan."
She blushed and looked at him shyly, but nodded her head to acknowledge
what he'd said.
"I know you're not into men honey, but if you ever do that to a man and
he won't kiss you because he thinks it's gross or something, you need
to find another man. He's not worth the trouble."
She chuckled a little, "I doubt I'll ever do that with anyone but
you Bobby. I hope Hey will let me."
Looking through half closed eyelids and a smoky set of eyes, glassy with lust, she leaned down and kissed him again. This time a long, deep,
sexy kiss that had "fuck me please" all over it.
When she raised her head up, she whispered softly, "I'm
ready."
He looked up at her with a smile, while she continued almost
imperceptibly, "You can explore me now lover. I'm
ready."
As he raised his body up on one elbow in preparation, she let herself
roll back on to her back, looking a little nervously up at him in
anticipation.
"Have you ever done any of this with a man before Jan?"
She shook her head and whispered, "No. This is my first
time." Then quickly added, "I really like what you've done to me so
far."
Bob smiled and leaned down once more for a loving kiss before his
exploratory activities. When he lifted his face from hers, he still
saw some nervousness in her eyes, but this time it was tempered
by a slight change to deep desire.
Softly, with his lips and tongue, he began to move down her chin, neck and
shoulders. He whispered to her, "Just feel me Jan. Let yourself feel what
I'm doing."
She moved her hands to behind his head and ran her fingers softly through his
hair. She didn't seem uncomfortable with anything yet. He decided the
first pass would be just tender kisses, licks and nibbles over most
of her body. He'd bypassed both breasts previously so he decided to
give them some attention straight away this time.
He softly moved his mouth and tongue around her breasts instead of
cupping them with his hands. He allowed his hands to explore her
sides and abdomen, while his lips explored the mounds with the
hard little tips.
She was moaning already, and her breathing was becoming fast and somewhat
strained. His mouth surrounded one of her hard pink nipples and
sucked it gently while his tongue flipped at it rapidly.
He lifted his face to a soft whimper of frustration and moved to the other wanting breast. He repeated his actions causing her to begin twitching once again. She was on her way to another visit into the mystical land of "O".
Her hands pulled him into the nipple he was presently working on while
her body arched up getting very stiff while she let out a loud moan.
Her gasps were nearly sounding tortured while she was making an
"uh...uhh...uh...ahhh...uhh...uh" sound in time
with the body twitches he was feeling. He flicked his tongue on
the tip of the hard nipple in time with each undulation and gasp.
He let her recover from this latest foray and as her hands relaxed he
was able to move his face back up to hers and kissed her softly all
around her beautiful face. She opened her eyes to meet his only a
couple inches away.
She gasped out, "Ohmigod...Ohmigod. Ohhhh shiitt."
Bob whispered very tenderly into her ear, "I love you very much Janell Miller."
The eyes that met his were sparkling brightly, but she wasn't able to
really say anything yet. He just held her with a smile waiting to continue
with his exploration.
She took a deep breath and let out a loud heavy sigh, and said to him,
"I think I'm ready for you to continue now." She gave him a
tired grin, and relaxed so he could continue with his caresses.
He moved slowly down her torso to work on her thighs, she moaned in
frustration when he was so close but didn't press into her sex.
When he started to move his face to the inside of her thighs, her legs
parted slowly allowing him easier access. It seemed like she was a
little nervous in opening herself completely, but he'd work on that
hesitation. She'd enjoyed it in the shower, so it was just a matter
of giving those feelings back to her now.
He wasn't going to push anything. He would only accept what she was willing
to give, but no more.
She moaned constantly while he was moving around her body. He allowed his
hands to softly caress her breasts, while proceeding slowly but
deliberately around the upper regions of her inner thighs.
He could understand now why the girls all said she was the most quiet while
making love. The moans she was letting out were very soft but deeply felt. It
was almost like she was moaning for herself rather than her lover.
It was borne of her younger days making love to girlfriends during sleepovers. All the participants had learned to keep their moans at a low key so that "mothers" didn't wake up wondering what the moaning was all about, knowing full well what those kinds of moans were from. Some adults can be such pinheads when it comes to sexual awakening and experimentation. It's like they've forgotten their own curious youth.
He moved back up again. A strong gasp escaped her when he again took a nipple
in his mouth to suck and lick. Bob moved back and forth between each,
while her body reacted positively to his actions. Her body began to
twitch somewhat erratically again but this time he continued back up
her neck to kiss her lips tenderly again.
"You ok?" he whispered.
She nodded her head making sure she didn't lose eye contact with him,
"I'm doing great Bobby. It feels wonderful." Moving her hands to his
face to gently hold him she whispered, "I never knew ..."
"Shhhh. It's ok baby. You know now and that's what matters. I want you
to feel me loving you. I want you to know without any doubt, that this
man loves you intensely and hope's you'll allow him to do this again
sometime."
She nodded her head with a contented smile, "If Hey will let me..."
They traded smiles and he began his travels again, slowly moving down her
body gently tracing his tongue over her skin. Paying special
attention once again to those small areas just above her reproductive
system. She moaned loudly when he moved through and around that area.
Centering his face he did a few light rounds of her belly button
forcing a light giggle from her and a gentle push on his head to
continue down. He figured not to play with the gold bar that was
piercing the skin.
He moved into the place her soft patch of hair would be if it hadn't
been removed. He noticed her pubis was unusually smooth to his tongue when it passed over the places just above the very top of her slit. Heather and Michelle had the same smooth, no stubble mons'. He'd have to ask about that. He could feel that hard little bump just under top edge again, and as he moved his mouth over and past her
legs shot apart giving him full access to her virgin sex. It was the
first time he had noticed the tiny butterfly tattooed right on the
labia where it was guarding her entrance.
"Beautiful butterfly on a beautiful pussy," he whispered.
She put her hands gently on either side of his face and lifted gently
so she could make eye contact. Then she whispered, "You are the only
man who will ever see that butterfly Bobby. It was put on by a lady
friend of Judy's. I did it in secret so the others wouldn't think
they had to get one too. Tattoo's are a very personal thing, and
shouldn't be done without care and thought. That butterfly will go
with me to my grave."
"It's very pretty Jan. Very nicely done," he said softly lowering his
face to lick the butterfly gently.
"Mmmm," he hummed. Then he reiterated to her, "You taste delicious
baby."
"Uh...uh, ahh. Gawd that feels soooo good," she moaned loudly. Well, loudly
for her.
He moved his tongue from the bottom to the top of her soaking vulva
stopping only at the very top to pay homage to the little soldier
poking its head just above the surrounding castle walls.
Her body jumped suddenly when his tongue made light contact with her
clit. He moved around the nubbin gently, barely touching the surrounding
areas. He was trying to stimulate without causing the sensitivity that
halted his fun earlier. His fingers were moving her tight labia apart
slightly while his finger tip made an entrance.
"OhhhGooddddddd...Shiiitt," she emitted a subdued but powerful moan.
Her whole body got spasmodic with the slight entrance of his finger.
While she was going through the second orgasm that he was giving to
her orally, the intensity of emotions she was feeling were
catching up to the reality of what she was physically experiencing
between her legs.
Her hands lovingly stroked through his hair exerting slight pressure. She
wasn't pulling his head in forcefully, but just letting her hands
display her pleasure in what she was feeling. Her moans were
constant, and the spasms of her muscles were non-stop. The twitching
in her abdomen felt like she was shaking and couldn't stop.
Each time she reached her climax, he would lighten the touches, slow his
movement so it wouldn't become too sensitive for her, knowing that
sooner or later it wouldn't matter, she'd push him away.
While her fourth was overtaking her, Jan's body stiffened like it hadn't
before and she completely arched up wiggling her ass around in his
hands. He put his mouth on the inside of her thighs and began lightly
caressing that tender flesh just below the junction that formed her
vulva, kissing her butterfly. He switched from side to side, licking
softly while she was making all kinds of mewling noises.
Janell pushed his face away turning her body to the side and scrunching up
into a fetal position while her body continued to twitch and shake.
She moaned loudly.
"Stop. Oh god stop. I can't take any more baby, please stop," she
groaned out. He not only stopped kissing her vulva tenderly, but moved
quickly up to take her in his arms.
When his arms wrapped around her, she threw hers around his shoulders,
and her head snapped up to look him in the eyes. She maintained the
fetal position she'd moved in to, and she was panting like she'd just
run at least one marathon. Her darting eyes showed disbelief,
surprise, contentment, and some abject fear.
Her body shaking she was moaning softly, "Ohmigod. Ohmigod.
Ohmigod. What did you do to me? Ohmigod."
Bob whispered tenderly to her, "I love you Janell. I just showed
you how much I loved you. You'll be fine honey, can I get anything for
you?"
"N.n.nooo...I've never come like that in my life. I'm not sure I'll ever be back. Ohmigod, ohmigod ..."
"You'll be fine honey," he assured her again, "I'm here
with you. I won't let anything happen to you baby, just try to relax and enjoy the feelings."
"Oh. Trust me. I'm enjoying them Bob. Don't worry about that, but they're
all still so intense...ohmigod."
Kissing her face softly, he whispered, "I've got you sweetie. We're
not going anywhere."
After about fifteen minutes of her body shaking and throwing in a hard
twitch every so often her body finally relaxed and her fetal scrunch
loosened greatly. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, and she was
holding him with her head on his chest.
"Oh lord," she gasped softly, "I've never said this to
a man before and meant it like I do right this moment, but, I love you so
much."
He gave her a knowing smile, and whispered to her, "I love you
too Jan. More than you know!"
"It's not like I'll give up girls Bobby, but I'll never feel the same
about a man again. At least not this man!"
"That makes me very happy princess."
"We're not all boorish cads," he said in his best bad British accent.
She giggled, "No. I guess not." Then holding him closer
to her, "I almost feel released. I don't have to be stiff and uncaring with
men."
"Well, if you want my opinion honey, you still need to be very wary. Not all
men will treat a woman the way you deserve to be treated. I just had
very good teachers."
She smiled brightly at him, "My compliments to the teachers."
They held each other caressing, nipping each other for at least thirty
minutes before, looking him in the eyes, and wiggling to put herself
onto her back.
With a nervous smile, she bent her knees upward then opened them slowly
exposing her center to him. She whispered, "I guess I have to ..."
"You don't have to do anything Janell," he quickly interrupted.
"But, You ..."
"No buts. You owe nothing baby. It was my pleasure to do that with you,
but you don't have to feel like you "HAVE" to do something in return.
Your smiles are enough return to make me happy. The only
expectation I've ever had is for you to enjoy what we're doing. I
want you to feel honestly loved by a man Janell. I do love you
very much."
She looked at him through half open eyes, and said quietly, "I
love you too baby, but Bobby, we haven't finished yet."
"I want to feel you honey; I want you inside me. I've never ever felt this
way before. I need for us to finish what we've started."
"Jan, it'll only happen if it's what you truly want. I don't want you to
feel like you owe me something, or that you're less than a woman
because we didn't have intercourse."
She smiled at him warmly, "I want to do it honey. Honest. I
really do. Even though it's never happened before, I need to feel you. I want
to feel your sperm shoot into me.
Holding his face in her hands, with her eyes locked firmly on his she
continued, "I want that feeling of being unsure. I'm not
fertile yet this cycle, at least I don't believe I am, but with you, I'm
willing to take that chance. I know it doesn't fit right now, and I
seriously doubt it will happen, but you have to know I won't be devastated if it does.
Ok?"
She let it soak in a little while, then with a pair of very smoky eyes,
and a lustful look, she lovingly whispered, "Please, Bobby.
Make love to me. Give me your love and accept mine."
She pulled his face towards hers raising up to meet his lips with hers.
It was a soft, tender, loving kiss that intensified as she pulled at
him letting him know she wanted him on top of her.
He paused momentarily and asked, "Do you want to be on top this
first time baby? It will give you control over how much you want."
"Thank you, but no sweetie. I want it all, and I know you will be gentle
with me. I also want the feel that you are taking what I'm
giving."
Bob felt her hand gently reach between them and grasp his hard penis,
rubbing it up and down her slit. She stopped each time at her clit
and let the tip of him push and give her added stimulation, but she
was soaked. There was going to be no lack of lubrication for the act.
He still needed to take it very slowly.
She slotted the end between the protecting lips so that they could both
feel them part, and while holding him softly whispered, "Push
baby. Put it inside me."
Bob increased the pressure just slightly and felt her entrance begin to
relax and part to allow him passage. With a quick "pop" she accepted
the bulbous end with a surprised look on her face and a small, "Ooooo.
That's different."
He just held his position until she was relaxed and ready for a little
bit more. After a minute, he felt her hips start to wiggle around
trying to see what feelings movement would bring.
Their eyes met again and she whispered, "More. Push more in me honey,
I'm ready."
He moved slowly in a tight circle while increasing pressure allowing his
cock to slide gently into her very tight velvet sheath. He watched her face
to see when it was time to stop and let her get used to the
intrusion. She took another three inches before letting him know to
pause for a moment.
"God. I feel so stuffed. It feels delicious, and I can't wait to get the
rest, but thank you Bobby, for going slow and easy with me."
"It's the only way I know how kitten. The last thing I ever want to do is
cause a woman to feel pain with such a pleasurable experience. I know
there's discomfort at some level, but I guess that's the way we're
built."
She gave him a wide smile and pulled herself up to kiss him warmly again.
It was a kiss that told him she was totally into what was happening,
and was enjoying her first experience with a real penis rather than
the rubber or plastic facsimiles she was used to.
"More honey," she whispered.
He increased the pressure just a little and the next thing they both
knew their pubic bones had been formally introduced. When he felt the
"bottom" he started a slow pressure in a small circle making sure that her
clit was being pushed.
She gasped, and he could feel the muscles inside of her begin to undulate
slowly as she once again fell over the edge into the magical valley of
"O". The look in her eyes was priceless.
She was showing him a sign of ecstasy that he'd not seen before. This
woman was really feeling everything that was happening in her body
and was enjoying what was there.
It was really difficult for Bob to hold off the first milking he got
from her pussy even having come earlier, but he managed to baseball
score around it while waiting for her to recover and be ready for
more.
It wasn't long before he felt her whole body relax. He took that as a
signal to begin the slow rhythm of that age old process of in'n'out. He
pushed in gently, and pulled out slowly trying to prolong her
experience as long as he could. She was obviously enjoying giving her
love, in what to her was a totally foreign way, and to someone who would
accept it without any conditions.
Janell was a very sensuous woman and came twice more before the milking
machine had its designed effect on Bob. She could feel his build up
and wrapped her legs around him tightly, and with sparkling eyes
began whispering, "Do it baby. Come in me. Let's make a baby
honey, our baby. I want to feel a man come inside me for the first time. Let
it go," and as he began to blast her womb with his offering,
"Oh yes. I can feel your warmth. Oh god, how can I not love this?
How can I not want more?"
Then thinking to herself, "I do love this, and I do want more. A lot
more. God, I hope Heather will let me."
He felt like he put a quart or two inside her welcoming pussy, but knew
better. There was enough to do whatever damage was going to be done,
but she had somewhat planned this encounter for a time she believed
she was safe. She'd thought about it, and admitted to herself, that
if she did get pregnant with Bob's baby, she would not be unhappy. It
wasn't on her "list of things to do right now", but it wasn't
something she'd reject out of hand. Maybe some other time!
He collapsed on her for a moment before he raised himself up on his
elbows to look into her eyes. She held him tightly and let him know
she wanted his weight on her for a little while.
She kept her legs wrapped tightly around his hips and her arms around his
neck, while she nibbled on his neck and ear, whispering sweet
nothings to him. Telling him how much she loved him for giving her his love
so tenderly and accepting hers.
Keeping her wrapped firmly around him, he rolled over to their sides. They
shared the pillow holding their faces together. Both were close
enough that he began to rub noses bringing a soft giggle from her.
"I see why Eskimo's do this," she whispered, "It is totally sexy."
Their lips were meeting each others for quick pecks and some long drawn out
loving. Bob couldn't believe the passion in this woman. He felt very
honored to have been able to give her an experience that she never
thought she'd want. He hoped that he had given her a feel that men
aren't necessarily evil beings, but that there are a few, that may
be worth a second look.
After a time he asked her softly, "You ok baby?"
She smiled widely, and nodded, "I'm wonderful Bobby."
Giving out a heavy sigh, she continued, "I never thought I'd ever
do that with a man, but I'm glad I did. It was a wonderful experience,
and I hope Hey will let me do it again."
Bob gave her a shocked look causing her to laugh, "I'm still gay
Bob. I guess it's officially bi-sexual," she said gaily.
"I've just broadened my horizons. You did things for me that no woman has ever done, but I know how to 'point her in the right
direction'. I never dreamed that a man's penis would feel like it did."
Then with a shiver, and pulling him closer, "Thank you so much,
Bobby. I love you for the love you gave me."
She paused a little letting him know she was finished with her thought.
"Jan. I don't know what to say. I am so honored that you allowed me to show
you my love. We don't ever have to do this again for me to be happy
and content, but I am elated to hear you say you'd like a
repeat." He smiled at her, "You are an extremely good lover sweetie. Your
body let me know what it wanted, so you didn't have to think about it
detracting from what you were feeling."
She grinned at him feeling that he was beginning to harden inside of her
again. She was ready for more, a feeling she couldn't believe of
herself, but wasn't going to argue with. She decided that she really
loved being loved by this man.
He could feel it growing as well, so when her upper leg wrapped itself
tightly and the two lower legs were intertwining, he knew she was
willing for more.
"Shall I turn off the lights sweetie, so we can just drift out when we're
ready? I'll have to put on my mask at some point, but I want to give you
as much of my love as you will accept.
She nodded with a smile, "I'll accept as much of your love as Heather will
let me honey, as long as you will accept mine."
Giving him a very sensual smile she whispered, "I'd like it
if you would come inside me again sweetie. I can't believe
what that feels like. It sets me on fire and makes me want
to make babies."
Reaching the switch, and dousing the lights, he wrapped his arms around her a
little tighter and whispered, "I think I can do that for you
baby, but it may take a while."
She wiggled herself closer to him moving his cock deeper inside of
her and responded, "Take your time hon, we have all night."
-----
Everyone met as usual, in the kitchen, the next morning. Bob and Janell were
the last to arrive and when they walked into the room hand in hand
there was more than one surprised look.
"G'mornin'," Jan said cheerfully to everyone. She walked over to the counter and filled the two cups that were left there and brought coffee to her
lover.
She set it down in front of him, then leaned in to give him a quick kiss
and a whispered, "Thank you." Then moving around
the other side of him, kissed Heather a bit more meaningfully, and whispered
to her, "Thank you Hey. It was wonderful."
Heather smiled at her putting a hand to her back and giving a light
"rub" letting her know she felt good about things.
Jan moved around the table giving everyone a quick peck, then settled in
the chair between Maryanne and Michelle. A distant look appeared on
her face while she slowly sipped on her coffee.
"Well, you look like you've had a good time Miss Janell," said Chelly
with a smile.
Jan just turned and nodded to her with a smile. Everyone knew to just let
her revel in what she was feeling. All the girls were happy for her.
All but Maryanne had experienced Bob by now, so both Heather and Chelly knew
exactly how Jan was feeling this morning, but because it was totally new to her they knew her feelings right now were hyper intense. Heather and Chelly just smiled at each other knowingly, while Jan just drifted further into space sipping her coffee.
Maryanne and Bill just looked at each other with a smile. It was apparent they had also had a good time "in the studio", ahemm, listening to music. Uh huh.
There was the usual bantering around the table between everyone. Bob and
Heather got up and started to invade the cupboards, and refrigerator
for some breakfast fixings which they put on the stove, in the oven
and worked at preparing together.
They were hip to hip at the stove when Heather looked over her shoulder to
see if anyone was paying attention to them and seeing everyone
involved whispered to Bob with a wry smile, "So...??"
"She's a very passionate lover Hey," he said softly with a smile.
"She could make a man very happy."
"A man, huh?" she retorted quietly with a grin. "How
about you?"
He gave her a serious look, "Yes Heather. She could make me a very
happy man, but I'm already spoken for by a woman that I am deeply
in love with, and Jan doesn't feel the desire to totally give up girls."
Heather, understanding what she had just heard, squeezed his arm a little and
kissed him tenderly. She needed to let Janell know that she was
welcome to Bob when she felt the want, and that she wouldn't object
to joining them. Telling Heather that Jan was a passionate lover wasn't
news.
They sat around waking up and eating their morning meal before heading off
to work.
That's what Bob called it, but the girls considered it fun. How could life
be better? They were looking at making a living doing something they
truly loved. It was just a matter of getting the revenue stream
started, and Bill had that clearly under control.
They wandered up to the studio about an hour later, each noticing there
was a new, permanent sign installed prominently over the entry door.
Smiling brightly, they all looked at Bob nodding their heads in
approval.
"The Girls Playground" was now the official name of their studios.
It was also going to be the name of their recording company. They were
all beaming with pride. Bob just smiled.
"Ok ladies," Bob said in a mock commanding voice, "It's
time to go to work." He made the sound of a cracking whip which they all
giggled at.
There was never a problem getting the girls to practice. They loved their
music and could immerse themselves in it every day without getting
tired of it. Knowing 1200 songs they wouldn't repeat that many, but for now they were working on the 200 they had chosen for the first tour. In their opinion the music was never "perfect" so it needed to be worked on, even after Bill came and said it was perfect then played the final mix for them.
Maryanne was extending her already incredible talents to engineering and production. Bill had taken her under his wing ... yeah, yeah ... showing her how production and mixing is done. After a few sessions with Maryanne, Michelle joined them to learn some production skills.
Right away Billy knew he was going to have a problem with Michelle, but it was the kind of problem he wished was common instead of so rare. Her ear was much too good. She heard little things that really make no difference in the final outcome, so he was going to have to teach her "discretion" or she'd end up driving musicians up a tree. Most of those things her ear picked up, Bill could hear eventually, but he really had to listen closely. But it was all good!!
The recordings got better and better, and Bill held back the finals until
he had about 6 weeks' worth of "practices". Every now and then he'd come into room three and sit watching. Then when they took a break he'd ask one or more of the girls to come down to the "Fill" room for a quick re-run. It was usually very quick, and the girls didn't mind doing it, even if Bill didn't use it in the end. They heard and understood the results of their efforts.
Michelle was also quickly mastering her incredible array of new synthesizers. Maryanne had mastered all of her new things and during some downtime taught
Bob to play the saxophone and started working on the flutes. Janell
asked for and received a couple extra "special"
tom-tom's and a wood block xylophone to do a few of the numbers on the list. She'd also added 4 sets of bongo's to the mix having a custom stand built
for all 5 sets. She played them with sticks giving them a popping
sound that was unique. Maryanne also had the quad bongos, but she beat them
with her hands giving them a different sound than Jan's. When they
played them together it made for a very unique sound that they actually
worked into some of their Santana music.
When any equipment was enhanced, it was done 5 times. Two sets that would
go on the road with them. One set in Playroom number two, one set in
Playroom number three and at minimum the drums in Playroom number
one which was the fill in studio. Playroom number one also contained
identical synthesizers as well as most of Maryanne's instruments. The
only instruments that were usually carried into Playroom one were the guitars
that Heather and Bob played.
Finally the unveiling was going to be done. Six weeks after the girls moved
to Bob's, Bill had enough music to make their introductory album a
double CD set. Twenty-six tunes played and mixed perfectly. There was
going to be a bonus CD with the set which consisted of a twenty-five
minute medley of old Beach Boys music. Of course, surfer girl Janell
loved retro surf music, and really, so did everyone else but had
never considered putting the medley on an album.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here, but as it happened, the Beach Boys
medley was one of the most popular sets they ever did and had to play at
least part of it at almost every show. It turns out there are a whole lot
of people who like retro surf music.
Billy already had a test CD of the set which he brought to the house one
afternoon. The "gang" was in practice mode working
on the instrument pass off medley. It was a bit strange, but they were
getting it little by little.
Bill hit the button on the intercom making the red light flash in the
studio so everyone knew the intercom was live.
Since Janell was facing the booth window directly, she saw Billy and the
flashing red light so she stopped playing, making everyone else look at
her.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Bob asked quickly.
"Intercom and Mr. Bill," she grinned, pointing a stick at the window.
Bob knew what it was that Bill wanted, so he just waved to let him know
to go down to the house and set everything up. They'd be down in
about 10 minutes.
Well that practice session was duly over. Bob filled the room with high
praises on the progress they were all making on the switch-a-roo they
were working on.
Michelle was having problems with the guitar parts, but she was doing great
with everything else, so Bob was contemplating changing the routine
to where Chelly didn't have to do any guitar.
He mentioned it while they were coming down from their session, and
everyone nodded their heads saying it might be a good idea, then all
looked at Chelly who was tearing by this time feeling like she was
letting everyone down.
It was Heather that walked over to her and wrapped her arms around Chell and
whispered something into her ear. Chelly looked up at her with
surprise on her face then started to laugh hysterically looking at the whole
group. We'll never know what it was Heather said, because neither of them
would say, but it broke the tension that Chelly had put on herself.
"Chell, you're not letting anyone down," Heather said aloud taking her leader roll. "I know that's what you're feeling, but get that out or your crazy little head. We can all see that you are making an honest effort trying to learn the guitar. It's just not working for you yet. One of these days you'll pick the thing up and it'll all fall into place. Don't worry about it."
Michelle looked at everyone with anxious eyes, but received nothing but warmth, love, and respect for her effort.
"Chelly there is nobody in this room, including Maryanne, that can play those
keyboards like you do. You are a master of those things. You think it's been
simple for me to try to play those damned ivories? I've spent my life with
a guitar in my hand. It's frustrating, I know!! I know that sooner or later
I'll get the keyboards down, but I'm having the same problem with your
instrument as you're having with mine!"
"Yeah, but everyone else is learning everything else, but ..."
"Don't worry about it. We can change the medley routing so that you don't
have to do guitar until you are comfortable with your ability. I
think we all want you to keep trying. I'm happy to work with you and
so are Bob and Maryanne. Just keep trying sweetie, you'll get it.
You'll never hear criticism from any of us as long as you're trying."
Michelle looked at everyone smiling at her, and said very softly,
"Sorry guys."
"Nothing to be sorry for honey," Bob interjected. "Let's go
listen to some music!"
Janell put her arm around Michelle and when Chelly looked to her, put a
soft, loving kiss on her lips and when the kiss was broken, they were
both smiling and looking at each other lovingly.
Bob had the distinct feeling that Janell had a bed partner for the night.
With the exception of Bob, Janell still seemed to be more comfortable with
girls. It wasn't anything the others worried about. It's part of what love
is all about.
When they got into the house they migrated quickly to the "music
room" which Bob had set up for listening. It was just acoustically neutral
so the sounds coming out of his vintage McIntosh stereo equipment was as pure
as possible.
Bill had everything set up with fine wine for everyone already poured and
placed. He smiled at everyone as they entered, and just asked,
"Is everybody ready for this?"
Everyone nodded their heads, so Bill sat down with the remote for the CD
player and waited for everyone else to find a seat and a glass of
wine.
Everybody had been noticing over the weeks of work that Bill and Maryanne
seemed to be "sweet" on each other so it was no
surprise to anyone when Maryanne practically sat in his lap.
The other girls chuckled, and Bob just ignored it as Heather had done
nearly the same to him.
Maryanne looked around the room and defensively asked,
"What?"
"Don't worry about it Annie. We're all happy for you and hope that whatever
it is, works out," said Michelle. Then looking at Billy
finished, "For both of you."
Both blushed brightly at being "caught" but they looked
at each other and smiled.
Bill hit the play button on the remote and the test CD started to play.
About half way through the first song, the girls mouths were all
hanging down and their eyes were darting around to each other like
they didn't believe what they were hearing. Billy was a fucking genius!
Bob just nodded his head and smiled. This is what he had heard on that
crappy demo tape that Sara had passed on to him a few months ago. He
heard this potential on that tape, and now some of that potential was
being realized.
"Shit," he thought. "These Girls Can Play"
Chapter 11 -- Getting ready to tour
The album was released three weeks later and jumped to the top of the
Billboard top 100 album list in less than a month. Word of mouth got
around and many of the progressive radio stations were featuring
their music every day. They all seemed to play the Beach Boys medley
at least once a day. It was some of the most popular music the girls
did.
Music lovers everywhere were scooping up the album in droves. Much of the music hadn't been heard in a lot of years, and it was refreshing to hear the new vocals with the original music. In some cases even the original artists were lauding how good it all sounded and that some were even better than the originals.
The company that Billy and Bob had formed to manage and release the CD,
"The Girls Playground Music Inc.", featuring "These Girls Can Play",
struggled to manufacture enough copies to meet the demand. They had
to farm out most of the manufacturing and got to where they were
shipping 75,000 or 100,000 a week for a short time.
Worldwide acclaim was "demanding" the girls do a world tour
at some point. Bob had to seriously consider that prospect, as outside of the USA they had sold 12 million copies to add to the 8 million in the
states.
That was the first month and a half. The CD's were flying off the shelves
as fast as the shops could put them out. Nothing had ever sold like this
in the history of recorded music.
Once the CD was on the market, it was very apparent that a tour was going
to be well received, even by the pissy assed critics. They were
always waiting to rip up a new group, but there was nothing to rip,
and their credibility would have gone into the toilet if they'd have
started bad mouthing the girls.
A couple had tried to pan the album, but with the public acclaim, and
all the positive reviews the band was getting, the naysayers
promptly changed their tune. It was reported that one even got death
threats.
When the girls heard about that, they made public statements about this
being a free country and the critics could say anything they wanted
and shouldn't be threatened just because their opinion was different
than someone else's. Of course they were wrong, but still entitled to their
opinion.
Chelly and Janell really fronted the free speech effort. Heather was
too worked up and pissed off about the whole thing and let Chell and Jan
know that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for her to go out and talk
to the press.
At one conference that the two had attended they really said what they
wanted, and let the assembled masses know that it would be the last
words they would speak about the incident.
"We've said it before and we'll say it again one last time," said a frustrated Chelly. "Everyone, including the critics are entitled to their opinion. This is supposed to be a free country that allows diversity of opinion. You, we, or anyone else may not agree with the opinion, but they are entitled to it."
"We don't expect everyone to love us," Janell added. "It's music and some
people don't like the style of music that we do. That's fine. Actually,
both Michelle and Maryanne are trained classical musicians, and on
occasion we do play some classical music privately. They've both taught
Heather and me some of the finer points. Do I personally like classical
music? It's not my favorite, but that doesn't give me the right to
threaten someone who does. That's just plain ludicrous."
"Nobody is forcing anyone to listen to our music," Chelly said. "If
you don't like what we do, change the fucking channel for god's sake,
and please, don't come to our performances."
"We're sorry if you don't like our music, but it's who we are and what
we enjoy doing, so we're not going to change just because someone doesn't
like us."
Janell looked at Chelly and started to laugh. Chelly looked at her
and said, "What?"
Janell stuck out her tongue at her and said, "I don't like you. Nyah, nyah."
With that they both about fell over laughing at each other, but they'd made their point.
Jan looked at the crowd of reporters and tried to put it in some perspective for them. "Folks," she said. "It's purely economics. If you weren't buying our albums, or coming to our upcoming performances, which are already sold out by the way, then we couldn't afford to continue doing what we love and sharing it with all of you. Crap. We'd all have to go out and get real jobs. How depressing is that?"
Which started everyone laughing. Then Janell put the final touches on it by saying, "Bottom line really is you can't go around threatening someone just because they don't like us. I mean, come on, grow up!!"
With that the conference was over. The two of them turned around and left.
They'd said what they had come to say, plus a little more, but they'd left
everything on an up tone. When they got back to the ranch, Heather came up
and hugged both Chelly and Jan thanking them for taking care of things.
"No problem Hey," said Chelly. "We just went out and told them like it is.
Nobody is forcing anyone to like us. We really don't give a shit. Well, we
didn't say it quite like that, but you get the picture."
"Yeah. Maybe you should have said it that way," Heather laughed.
"Naw. No reason to cause other issues while trying to bury a different
one," Jan added with a smile.
-----
Bob came in one afternoon with a big grin on his face, and all the girls
noticed immediately. It wasn't unusual for Bob to have a smile on his
face, but this one looked like he'd just swallowed a canary.
"What," asked Chelly?
"Yea. What," echoed Janell and Heather together?
Bob looked at them and laughed. They couldn't figure out what was funny,
but they knew to just sit and patiently wait for him to spill out whatever
it was that he was eating canaries over. So they just calmly made good
eye contact with him without saying a word or showing anything on their
faces.
"You guys are no damned fun at all," he chirped.
With an even voice and a totally straight face Heather shot back, "That's not
what you said last night, bucko."
All the straight faces disappeared into laughter which got even more hearty
when they looked at Bob to see the look on his face.
Looking around the room with a smile while they stopped laughing, he said,
"I'm glad you're all seated," he started taking a chair himself.
"I just got the sales numbers that were almost up to date two weeks ago,
and I just wanted to tell you that each of your bank accounts has
increased by about four million dollars in the last six weeks so far.
There's a lot more to come because that only covered the first three weeks
and the next three will at least double that."
Bruised jaws were the order of the day. All four of the girls were
flabbergasted with the news.
"Sixteen million Bobby?" Maryanne choked out.
"No. Actually it's twenty-two million Maryanne. Four million
got put into my account, and two into Bill's," he said with a grin.
"And I don't really need the money!"
Laughing hysterically Michelle managed to squeak out, "Well in that
case, you can put an extra million in each of our accounts."
With a serious look on his face Bob said, "I may just do that
Chelly. It'll be easier at tax time."
"I was kidding Bob," Michelle retorted.
It was Janell that caught the discrepancy in the numbers asking,
"Bobby, how come Billy only got two and we all got four?"
He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders saying, "I dunno.
That's usually the cut for the producer. He gets more from other
sources because he's part owner of the record company too."
"But isn't he doing as much work as everybody else?" Jan continued.
"Yeah. I'd have to say that's a fair observation. He's the one that's taking
everything and making it sound professional. But it's you guys that are
playing the instruments. Bill knows what his cut is and he has no problem
with it. Like you four and me, he loves his job and as you have found, he
does it very well."
Then looking around the room and seeing a level of approval in the others
eyes, she said, "Don't you think we should be giving Bill an equal share?"
Bob looked at her with a blank stare, but nodded saying, "If
that's what you all want to do, that's what we will do. I agree with what
you are saying, but what we did was what they refer to as
'Industry Standard'."
"I don't give a shit about industry standard Bobby," Michelle
vehemently retorted.
Hearing agreement from around the room, Bob held up his hands and asked them
directly, "Is that what you want to do? Give Bill an equal share?"
They all looked at each other, then nodded to Bob with smiles.
"Ok. It's a done deal. I'm sure Mr. Bill will be very appreciative of your
generosity!"
"Now here's something else. Billy and I are making oodles of money running
the studio and the recording company. Thus far you guys haven't seen
a penny of that. Should Bill and I consider including a share for you
in the "business side" of things? You are an important part of the overall
business. Like, without you four, we'd be back where we were sitting around
looking for something to do."
Maryanne, who had been quiet previously because of her relationship with Bill, said quietly, "I think that's up to you and Bill Bobby, just like it was up to us to change what we thought is fair to pay him. I'm not unhappy with what you said our banks look like, and I'm certainly not greedy. It's more money that I ever dreamed I'd ever have, and I also realize it's only the first check."
He looked around the room noting each face, then said, "I'll
talk to Bill about it. I think you are right. We wouldn't be doing what we're
doing without you four, so it only seems fair ..."
Then as an afterthought, "Hell. Maryanne, when was the last time
you saw him?"
Maryanne blushed but frowned saying, "It's been at least two weeks now since he said he needed to go to LA for some monitoring of something or other."
Her face immediately brightened significantly though. She told them, "I
did hear from him last evening, and he said he'd be here sometime
today."
"Good. I need to talk with him," noted Bob.
"Can we take today off Bobby?" Maryanne asked with a wry smile. "We've
been working really hard."
"I think that's probably a good idea Maryanne. We've all been
concentrating so much on our rehearsals we've neglected the rest of
our lives," he commented looking right at Heather, who returned his
gaze with a grin.
It didn't go unnoticed by the others, as they started with the
"noise." Maryanne didn't participate to loudly because she knew Billy was
going to be there and she just wanted to drag him off to her room for
a bit of a romp. Does the word horny ring any bells?
-----
Let's talk about the girls for a few minutes. I've already said that all four of the girls are absolute foxes, but I've really only described Heather in some detail.
This may be some repeat information, but let me give another brief
description of the other three women that make up the band.
First will be Janell, beautiful Janell. Your typical southern California
surfer girl. Long, straight, sandy blonde hair, dark tan, with powder blue eyes that would melt titanium with little effort.
Not overly chesty, Janell probably has large B breasts over which she
rarely wore a bra under the usual T-Shirt while at home. Because
of the activity behind the drums, she always wore a fairly tight sports
bra, usually in hot pink, when practicing or playing. Actually, her "uniform"
while playing was kind of the band "joke", but she didn't care. She
played her heart out and it showed.
She was the shortest of the girls, at 5'6" with a perfect body
just like the others. I'd guess she weighed maybe 110 lbs, and
had an incredibly pert bubble butt, Bob's favorite. Her legs were
fairly long which served her well behind the drums.
She was also in incredible physical condition and had an arm and hand
strength that was at least the equal of many men. Playing like she
does, I'm sure her cardio conditioning is also excellent. She plays a two
hour set and isn't even breathing hard at the end, and let me tell you,
she is extremely active while playing, so while not panting, she's soaked.
In a standard 3 set show, she normally drains about a gallon of Gatorade, and
at least the same in bottled water, probably more.
Sadly, at least from a man's standpoint, Janell is a gay woman. Well technically she's bi-sexual now but still prefers girls. She says she hasn't found any men in her life that she wanted to have that kind of relationship with. Bob was an exception, but with his hooking up with Heather she just
accepted that "it wasn't going to happen." She was very surprised when
Heather came to her and offered Bob. She'd never thought of the "sharing"
aspect that Heather and Chelly had already worked out. Technically she was still a virgin until Bob rocked her world, and she continues to make regular visits to Bob's bed. Not as regular as Heather and Chelly, but more than you might expect from a seriously gay woman.
Michelle Tejano, is the girl that really started the whole thing. Well her mother did anyway, but Michelle was, like Heather, a tall woman at about
5'9' and probably weighed in at 120 lbs.
She had naturally red hair about shoulder length, and blazing green eyes.
Her complexion, like most red heads, was very light and you were most
likely to find Michelle in the shade of an umbrella when hanging out
at the pool with the rest of the girls. She used SPF 10,000 when she
was in the sun, but rarely spent a lot of time. She actually would
tan eventually but strangely, unlike the other girls, a tan looked
out of place on Chelly. I guess it was the red hair.
Like Janell, Chelly wasn't real chesty. Her breasts were probably in the
range of small B's, and her ass, like the others, was to die for.
Chelly and Heather shared Bob most of the time.
When either needed some physical attention all she had to do was
say something to the other, and Bob would find one of them in the bed that
evening. The other would just enjoy the pleasures of Janell and/or her SO
most of the time. Both spent many nights together with Bob and contrary
to what most would think, the sharing never caused any issues at all,
even when Janell became a regular part of the mix.
Saying Janell is "gay" is kind of a misnomer. All four of
the girls were bi-sexual. The other three preferred men, but wouldn't turn down a woman. Michelle will tell you that Janell is the best, and the others
just nod their heads in agreement. While nobody takes that admission
as an affront, it's obvious they have all had a close sexual
relationship for many years.
Now let me expound a little on Maryanne since she's going to be very naked very soon.
Maryanne Ellis. Annie to the girls, but no one else. If anyone else referred
to her as Annie, they got a dark dirty look. Both Bob and Bill could get away with it but rarely pushed that button. They knew of her feeling about someone other than the girls using the name and chose not to.
Another tall girl at about 5'8" with a body to die for. I wouldn't even try to guess her weight other than to say it has to be perfect. The rest of her was very proportional to her height and weight.
Her breasts were at least C's and most probably a D cup and she was one
that had them tied up in a bra every day. Very rarely did you ever
see Maryanne without her "over shoulder boulder holder". She always
said, "I don't want them bouncing off my knees when I'm older, so I'll
take good care of them now."
And she did. Billy was happy!
Her legs were perfectly shaped and long, very long. She didn't have a
long torso like some women, and her ass, like the others was to die
for.
Her long hair was jet black which was perfect for her complexion and eyes. Her eyes were like a chameleon. They changed color with what she was
wearing, but I'd say the base was a very light hazel almost looking
white around the edges. They took on green hues when she wore a green
outfit. Like all the girls, she had an incredible smile that always
seemed to be present.
Being an ass man, all of these girls tended to get Bob's testosterone level
elevated, and they all seemed to love teasing him by running around
the place practically naked, even Janell.
Well, except for Maryanne, but she was pretty "attached"
now. She did show off that kick ass body of hers but not to the extent of the
other three. Any of the four of them would be considered a
"walking wet dream".
Bob was in heaven.
All four of the girls were always smiling and happy. They were doing what
they loved. Playing music. The three that had families, had all
received visits from their folks, who always included Heather in
their activities. It's just something they'd always seemed to have
done, and though it served as a small reminder to Heather, she truly
enjoyed spending the time with the other girls parents.
-----
When Bill finally showed up a couple hours later, Bob took him aside to
discuss what they were going to do for the first tour shows to make
sure that Bill brought the appropriate equipment. It was going to be
Bills responsibility to do the sound engineering for all the shows so
he had to make sure he had enough capacity. Bill was also going to
coordinate the video companies for a planned Tape/DVD made of their first
tour. Bob and Bill didn't miss a trick.
Bob also mentioned to him that the girls had "voted"
him an equal share of the money. He was a bit taken aback, but smiled.
"Did you tell them about the so called standards?" Bill queried.
"I did. And to more or less quote them, 'Fuck the standards, Bill should
get an equal share.'"
Bill chuckled, "Ya know, I knew there was a reason I liked those
girls!"
Bob looked at him and said, "I told them that we would talk about
shares of the business side. They know they're not getting any of
that and it doesn't bother them, but honestly I think it's only
fair that we put them in the loop."
"Yeah, where would we be without them?" lamented Bill.
"My thoughts exactly Billy-boy. Think on it for a bit and let me know
what you think. I've got my own ideas, but I want to hear what you
come up with before I spill mine. I don't want to influence your
thinking."
"Ok. That's fair. Fucking money's not going anywhere anytime soon anyway.
There's too much of it," Bill said with a grin. "Did you turn the girls on
to Jerrad?"
"Yes I did. He came by about a week ago to talk with them and review their
options. They know that he's been taking care of my investments for about
8 years and that I trust him to take good care of all of us."
"Ok. Yeah, he certainly hasn't done any harm to my accounts. I think one
of the things I like about him is that he works fee and not commission."
"When we first talked he worked commission so I asked him what it would take
to just give him a salary to take care of business/ We worked it out and
that's why he offered the same to you and now the girls. He's being well paid
and I don't want a broker or manager making sales of assets just to
make sure he gets enough money for his Mercedes Benz payment that month."
Then added quickly, "Here. I'll just buy you the fucking car. Just take good care of my money.
Ok?"
"Ha. Yeah, exactly," laughed Bill.
"For sure!! Now, are we done with business Billy-boy?"
They went on with a couple small side issues for another ten or fifteen
minutes but didn't come to any real resolutions. Because of their mutual
respect, they worked very well together, a very complimentary team. Rarely
were they ever not on the same page. When they weren't, they sat down,
discussed their differences rationally and always came to a consensus
that they could both live with. Like I said, they're a complimentary team.
When they were finished with their planning session, Bob grinned at Bill
and told him, "You have a very hot, horny woman waiting for
you my friend. They conned me into giving them the day off today, so you
might just find her in her room."
Bill's face lit up.
That's precisely where he found Maryanne. She was sitting at the window
working on a doudouk.
If you've never heard of a doudouk it's not all that surprising. It is
an Armenian flute with a double reed. It is extremely difficult to
learn, but once learned is fairly straight forward to play; gotta
have a powerful set of lungs, and as mentioned above, Maryanne had
a good set of lungs.
An example in the music world would be the opening tune, "The
Feeling Begins", on Peter Gabriel's album,
"Passion" -- The soundtrack to the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ".
The doudouk, being played by Lévon Minassian, is the wailing
flute that opens the music. It's a very distinctive and beautiful sound.
Minassian is one of the few in the world that has mastered the
instrument, but give Maryanne a little time. She's already got it
wired, but she would tell you there's a lot more work to be done.
Billy stood in awe listening to her working the instrument. This woman was
an incredibly talented musician. He'd never run into another musician
anywhere that was as versatile. She could literally play any
instrument you gave to her and given enough time, she'd master it so she would be able to work it in the show. She was doing the doudouk so that the
band could play "The Feeling Begins" to open some shows. Bob and the other girls loved the sound which gave Maryanne all the incentive she needed to work at it.
As far as Bill could tell, she had it down pretty well already, and was
playing a random tune to nature as she gazed out of the open window.
Sensing someone was behind her Maryanne turned and saw Bill standing in the
room listening.
Her face lit up and she gently set the instrument on the table next to her. She squealed, "Billy," running to him, nearly knocking him down when she wrapped herself firmly around his neck smashing his lips with hers.
After the original press, her kiss became very soft and loving which he
matched so they could engage in a gentle game of tongue tag. She
pulled away from his face for a moment and looking lovingly into his eyes
said, "I missed you baby. I'm so glad you're back."
"Me too sweetie, that was a long trip, but everything will work out and
there are no stumbling blocks anymore. We're free," he softly
told her.
He smiled brightly asking, "What's that instrument you were
playing? It sure makes some strangely beautiful music."
Maryanne got a serious look on her face answering, "It's an Armenian
flute. It's called a doudouk and it is a mother fletcher to play. Well, it
was a bitch to learn and it always seemed to want to sound like a
wounded duck." Then chuckling, "The reeds would actually make a
fair duck call."
"Well it sounded like you have it down pretty well," he observed
giving her positive praise where it was deserved.
"Yeah. I've been working on it for about a week in the spare time Bob, the
slave driver, gives us," she said with a huge grin. Bill knew
they loved their music and they loved Bob so it was all in fun. If
anything it was the girls driving him.
"Once I got it to make the sounds it's supposed to, it's just been a matter
of figuring out which holes make which notes and what combinations to
use. It's a double reed instrument, if the reeds are too dry, they
won't work. If they're too wet, they won't work. There's a
delicate balance, but I think I've finally got it down. If we're
going to use it for the show, and I really want to do that Peter
Gabriel tune, I'm going to have to start sucking on the reeds before
we start."
Bill nodded his head acknowledging what she was saying. Peter Gabriel was one that Bill had the utmost respect for. Extremely innovative.
"I'd love to open all of our shows with 'The Feeling
Begins'. Wait. I'll play it for you so you'll know what I mean."
Maryanne walked over to the player on the entertainment shelf, picked up the
remote, and pushed the play button. It started with the wailing of
Minassian's doudouk then the drums which Janell, and Bob were working on.
Michelle was working on programming the synth to do the scratching
sounds in the background.
She plopped herself down on his lap when they moved to sit in the easy
chair to listen. Her arms went around his neck and her head to his
chest taking one hand to caress him gently.
The tune played out and Bill nodded his head saying, "Very nice.
Do you think you'll have it down for the first show?"
She clicked the remote so that the player turned off, and tentatively
answered, "I'm pretty sure we'll be able to do it, but we
have to practice it together. Janell has been working with Bob to get the
drumming sequences right. She could probably play the whole thing
herself, but Bob can just do the pace and let Janell do the complex
stuff. We might play it together tomorrow for the first time to see
what it sounds like."
"I think it would be a super opening to each show as long as it doesn't
segue right into the Beach Boys Medley," he chuckled.
Maryanne laughed, then with a mock serious look on her face told Bill,
"Go close the door. I plan to fuck you silly mister!"
Bill's eyes got big and round but he did as ordered and with a grin made his
way back to the chair to rejoin Maryanne.
She began pecking kisses on his chest and neck while her fingers worked
the buttons on his shirt. This woman was definitely hot to go!
Bill caressed her body while she was methodically removing his clothes
working her lips and tongue on all of his skin as it was exposed to
her. She stood up and put out her hands letting him know she wanted
him to stand. As he did his pants slid down his legs while she moved
to make sure they disappeared without him tripping.
Looking him directly in the eyes, she smiled and pulled her shirt over her
head exposing her breasts to him. He noticed that her nipples were
already erect and leaned down to take one in his mouth gently while
she dropped her pants and let out a huge moan.
"Oh god. I needed this," she gasped in between moans. He was
switching up the nipples, giving each equal time.
Maryanne moved to the bed pulling him with her and as she
"fell" backwards pulled him down on top of her wrapping her arms
and legs around his body. Their kiss was long and deep, catching
up on two weeks of deprivation.
She could feel his hard cock against her smooth mound while wiggling in
an attempt to get it slotted into the correct attitude for insertion,
but Bill was having none of that. He was going to savor this and was
in no rush to finish. He was going to be home for quite a while this time.
"Oh Billy, please..." Maryanne pleaded.
"Patience baby, I want to enjoy you. Just relax and feel, knowing that I'll
fill you soon. I've been thinking of this since the day I left."
"Fuck," she almost spit out. "Since when does a man have any patience when
there's a wet, willing, and spread pussy in front of him. Oh gawd Bill.
I want you so bad."
Bill just chuckled, "I want you too kitten, but I want it to last."
While this short conversation was going on, his hands had been moving
around her gorgeous body touching lightly all of those places that
had large collections of nerve endings which all aimed right into her
soaking snatch. He lightly touched her vulva sliding his hand and
fingers up, barely engaging the stiff little nubbin that was
demanding immediate attention.
As his hand progressed, Maryanne arched her body up and let out a huge
moan, wrapping her arms and pulling him into her mouth for another passionate
kiss.
Bill began a slow descent into the nether world of Maryanne's sexual
being. Her scent was maddening, letting him know that his woman was
in heat and was waiting anxiously to breed. His lips and tongue made
pause near her belly button, moving from one side to the other
stimulating special places above her ovaries and uterus,
causing miniscule vibrations deep inside her womb, while it prepared
to accept the offering that would be made. This time there was no
fertile egg waiting because it wasn't ready to drop yet, but it would
be soon.
All the girls, including Janell were going to be starting on Birth
Control in the next week. In fact they all had appointments with the
same doctor on the same day, one right after the other. They all
opted for the 6 month injection rather than have to worry about
pills, especially on the road. There was a yearlong injection in the
works, but it hadn't been approved for use in humans yet. Mice, rabbits ok.
Humans, no way. Typical!
He moved his face down through the pubic area where her hair would be if
she hadn't had it removed, and found a very wet orifice between her
widely open thighs.
She began a mewling sound, sounding much like gurgling while his tongue
made a few light sweeps from the bottom of her split to the top,
stopping each time for a short moment to give her clitoris its due
attention. Each time his tongue got close she let out a loud moan
telling him he'd found the spot.
He licked and sucked Maryanne through three good long orgasms before she
grabbed his ears and pushed him away.
"Enough. Ohmigod, enough Billy. I can't take any more right now. Holy
shit ..." she said looking down her torso at his wet smiling face.
It was a satisfied grin, he kept while moving upwards towards the ample
twin peaks, pausing once again at those nerve rich spots just above
her hips. His machinations were causing Maryanne to squirm and wiggle
her twitching body giving Bill positive sense that what he was doing
was definitely "floating her boat".
Grinning with purpose now, he approached her breasts with determination,
opening his mouth and taking first one then the other into his mouth,
sucking and licking gently. Where Bob was an ass man, Bill loved tits.
Soft, warm, big boobies, with small hard nipples. Maryanne was made to order.
Her hands came up behind his head holding him to the soft mounds, her
moaning response mostly in time with his movement between them.
He continued upwards to lick and kiss her shoulders and neck. While he
moved up to the center of her chin and lower lip, he could feel her
legs wrapping around his hips opening the intended destination even
further. While acting like a wiggle worm, her hips pushed upwards
trying to find and notch the hardened penis she so anxiously wanted
to take into her dripping, hot, impatient vagina.
Lifting his face just above hers, he planted a soft, sensual kiss on her
lips while meeting her longing eyes. They were showing the passion,
desire and love each was feeling for the other. The bottom of Bills
erect member slid easily through her sex, parting the soaking labia
giving her sensitive bud good vibrations with each slow stroke.
Feeling that fulfillment was only moments away, her entire body relaxed with
a long heavy sigh. Maryanne's eyes still met his gaze with wanton
desire.
Allowing herself to be totally submissive, she raised her thighs to his hips
once again, throwing her knees outward as far as possible, opening
her sex to him completely.
Her beautiful hazel eyes softened, while her hands gently caressed his
head and neck running her fingers through his hair.
"Now baby," she whispered, "Please, take me now."
Hearing those words, Bill dropped the head of his phallus into her slot
allowing her to wiggle it into place. He began to push in to her
gently. He could feel the outer lips move aside allowing access to
her inner sanctum.
Pushing ever so gently, he entered her slowly but firmly watching the ecstasy
in her eyes. Accepting the intrusion she gave out a long, loud
guttural moan coming from deep within her body.
Maryanne gasped, "Ohh, Yeeessssss. That's what I need baby.
OhhhGoddddd."
When their pubic bones had re-introduced themselves, her body arched, and
her muscles began to twitch wildly as she found herself entering the
mystical land of "O" once again. It was a massive visit, releasing all
of the pent up desires she had accumulated over the past couple weeks
waiting for Bill to return.
While her body was reacting to her latest orgasm, her pussy was doing what
it was designed to do, milking Bill's invader for everything it was worth.
His pent up energies were released in a minor explosion as his cock began
to spurt its offering deep inside her.
As he started to come against her cervix, Maryanne started having
another orgasm along with him, sealing the small entrance to her womb
forcing all of Bill's fertile sperm directly where it would one day
find a waiting, anxious, fertile egg. After what seemed like an
eternity her milking muscles had wrung him dry and he collapsed over
her catching his upper body with his elbows so he didn't crush her
completely.
While recovering, he placed light, tender butterfly kisses all over her
face telling her how much he loved her.
Her eyes opened to look into his through half closed lids. "Oh
Billy. I so needed that. I love you so much."
He returned her smile nodding his head, "Me too baby. I really
missed you."
"I missed you too honey," she whispered. Then noted with
surprise, "You're still hard in me."
Bill smiled at her and began the primal movement of love made that much
more slippery having been injected with so much of his spooge.
Slowly pulling his hardness out a little, then pushing it back into
her depths causing her to moan softly, never letting her eyes leave
his. It was a long, slow, tender, and loving session of love making
between them.
In the end, she had at least three more orgasms while he tried
controlling himself through her attempts at milking him again. On the
third time around however, he met her with his own explosion
unloading his balls once again into the depths of Maryanne's sex.
She held on to him tightly pulling him down on top of her, crushing her
body with his. He was afraid he was hurting her and tried to push up,
but she held fast.
"Nooo Billy," she gasped between breaths, "I want to feel
you."
He let himself relax a little recovering from his climax, while she
reveled in the after effects and warmth of orgasmic delight. She kept
her legs wrapped around him to hold him firmly in place, at least for
the moment.
He rolled off the top of her, holding tight and pulling her with him so
they ended up on their sides lovingly gazing into each other's eyes.
The eyes were saying it all, there was no need for words. In a short time
they were both dozing off wrapped in each other's arms.
A few hours later, both awoke slowly and after loving and caressing
each other, they got up and headed into the shower for a quick clean
up. They scrubbed each other gently and played a little, but since it
was getting late, they were both hungry. There would be plenty of time to
play more later, but for now there would hopefully be
some kind of food in the kitchen.
Hand in hand, they both entered the kitchen/dining area where the rest of
the residents were hanging out talking. They all looked up when
Maryanne entered with Bill in tow.
"God Annie, we need to put up sound walls in your room," Michelle
commented with a sly smile and chuckle.
Maryanne turned bright red but recovered quickly. Then with mock disgust
retorted, "You're not so quiet yourself Chelly. At least all
I do is moan a lot. If I'm not mistaken, you're what I think they refer
to as a screamer."
Now it was Chelly's turn to be red faced. She was, in fact, very audibly
exuberant during her love making. It didn't hurt that Bob found and
pushed all of her "hot buttons" when they were playing. Heather just looked
at them and giggled.
"Hey Janell ..."
"Don't even say it Chelly. You make a lot of noise in my room too,"
laughed Janell.
Heather, continuing to act like the guys weren't in the room, giggled again
and commented, "I think Janell is the quietest of us all, and
on stage she's the one that makes the most noise. Well, maybe except for
Bob."
Maryanne chuckled and added, "I think that would be close to a push
Hey, but if Bob really turned up his amp, we'd all be looking for hearing aids after the blood dried."
These were the kinds of conversations that went on amongst the group. The
fact that there was someone of the opposite sex in the same room
didn't affect any bantering in the least, and none of it ever caused
any contention or consternation on the part of the ladies. They were
just having girlie fun. Bob, and sometimes Bill, just sat back and
enjoyed the show, carefully popping in their own barbs where the
opportunity presented itself. The boys had to be careful however,
because if it were Bob alone it was four against one, and if he had Billy
there it was still two to one odds. They learned quickly to tread lightly in this company. These women could be brutal!
Maryanne glanced around the room while everyone was coming down from the
latest foray of laughter. "Hey ya'll," having to
add the "ya'll" to differentiate addressing Heather, "I think I'm ready to
try 'The Feeling Begins' now. You want to practice it tomorrow and if we can
pull it together put it at the opening of our shows?"
Janell, speaking for the others answered, "I think the three of us
are ready, receiving nods from Bob and Michelle, "so let's give it a try.
It's such a great piece, and it is so "open the show" material ..."
"Yeah. It's really perfect to open a night," commented Chelly.
"Let's give it a shot, I heard Bob and Janell coordinating their parts and
I've got the synth doing what I want. I also heard Maryanne this
afternoon, before Billy got home," she looked at the two of
them with a grin and mock disgust, "and she was really playing it well. The sound
is so ... I guess you'd say eerie and remote that the drums and other sounds
that come with it will be really a great opening number."
Bob looked over at Heather and asked, "I probably don't even need to
ask, but do you have your part ready Hey?"
She nodded her head with a smile, "Yeah. I'll just poke along
on Annie's keyboard until you get back to your place, then Janell can
click us and we'll break into the next number. You and I don't need to be in
any specific spot to play since we're all wireless, so as soon as you've
got your bass in hand, Jan can give us the clickety-click, and off we go.
It should sound good, but I propose we rethink parts of our opening sets
if we're going to use that music. We'll want to make a good transition."
They were all nodding their heads in agreement when there was a knock on
the door.
Maryanne looked up with a questioning look.
"We ordered pizza delivery. Nobody felt like cooking tonight, but
it's take and bake, so we'll have to put them in the oven.
That's the only way we'll ever get hot pizza out here," Bob
laughed as he got up to answer the door.
When Bob was out of the room Bill interjected, "And we all know that
pizza isn't good unless the cheese blisters the roof of your mouth
on the first bite." Everyone in the room laughed at that nodding
their heads."
"Ain't that the truth." quipped Jan.
There were actually four pizza's ordered, one for each taste. After
firing up the oven, and cooking fresh pizza, about thirty minutes
later they were all sitting around uncomfortably stuffed with blisters
on the roofs of their mouths. Pizza is like that!
Things were pretty hectic at the ranch those last few weeks before packing
up and heading out for the first run. Rehearsals were a daily
occurrence with the girls driving the pace not Bob. They were all
insanely skittish and nervous about playing in front of an audience.
Bob knew they were ready. There was nothing more they could improve.
They even had the instrument swap medley down, but wouldn't
perform it on the first tour.
The first tour was going to be six weeks, a dozen shows in five west
coast venues.
They would start and finish in San Francisco. After the first shows in San
Francisco, they would be going to Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and
San Diego.
All the venue's had been booked, all the promoters had been briefed on
requirements, and every ticket for every show had been sold. There
was nothing to do but wait the few weeks until the first show.
A few days before leaving for the first shows, Bob looked at each of the
girls and asked, "How are you guys feeling about the tour?"
"Nervous," Janell said immediately. "Even so, I'm really looking forward
to sharing the music with an audience. It's really what we've been
working so hard for." Getting nods for the other three continued, "I'll
just have to make sure that I pack my special glasses."
"Special glasses?" Bob queried.
"Yeah," said Heather wryly, "You know the ones, they make the audience
naked."
Everyone laughed heartily. Heather said to Janell, "I hope you got a
case of those glasses missy, because I'm going to need a pair or two
myself."
"Don't worry about it," Bob chuckled. "I'll be just as
nervous as you guys when the time comes to go on stage. I always feel
like I'm going to pee my pants."
They all looked at him with surprise in their eyes. Maryanne quipped,
"You're kidding?"
"Nope. Until we play the first note I'm shaking in my boots, but once we
start to play it's just the music. When you hear the crowd appreciate
what you're doing it makes you feel ten feet tall, but you don't
really notice that they're there. Well you do, but ... it's hard to
explain. You'll know what I mean when we're done with the first set."
Bill would be leaving a day or two ahead of the first show to make sure
all the cables and wires were run and plugged properly. After all of
the wires got put into place, he had to test each one and fix or
correct anything that wasn't right.
-----
Judy came up for a visit just before they were going to leave for tour
number one, stayed for a week or so enjoying everyone's company, and
sitting in the studio every day with Billy while he recorded some of
the sessions before leaving for the city.
Bob caught up with her one afternoon and they both took a long walk into
the forest around the property.
"What are you thinking about," asked Bob softly?
"I don't know Bob. I can't get over how much she's matured in, what, six
months or so. Being away from home is definitely agreeing with
her."
Bob nodded but remained silent so she could collect her thoughts.
"She calls me three or four times a week and we talk for what seems like
hours. It's almost like she's sitting across the table from me, but
she's not there."
With a loud guffaw, she said "I'm thinking about getting a
cardboard cutout to put in the chair across the table. When
Maggie stops by we can just put it away."
They walked a bit more then stopped to sit on a log on the side of the
trail. Bob could tell that Judy was missing her
"baby". Maggie leaving home was one thing, but Chelly is her
baby girl, and he could tell it was hard for her.
"So, how's she doing," Judy asked with a sigh, looking into Bob's
eyes.
"She's doing fantastically Judy. She's nearly mastered all of the new
synthesizers and with only about week or so before the first tour,
she's got them down for when we hit the road."
As an afterthought, "Oh, like all the girls, she's got about eighteen million in the bank so far."
He thought Judy's eyes were going to bug out.
Then he asked, "Are you planning on coming to any of the
shows?"
Having recovered from the shock, Judy smiled and answered, "I'd like
to come to all of them, but I don't think that's possible, and I don't
think Chelly needs a clinging mother bugging her while she's trying
to concentrate on a naked audience."
Bob laughed. Chelly had obviously told her what Heather's professor had
said, and that all four girls are going to be seeing a lot of naked
people. Judy laughed along with him, picturing a stadium or concert
hall full of fifteen thousand plus naked people.
"Judy, you're welcome at any of our shows. You just need to let us know at
least a day ahead so that we can arrange a band pass for you. I think
Janell's mom and brother are going to come to one of the LA shows, and
Maryanne's folks to San Diego. The plan is to do two shows at each stop,
and we'll be making 2 stops in San Francisco this first tour.
Tentatively Bill's working on Vancouver, Calgary, one show in
Edmonton, then Boise, Salt Lake City, and Denver for the second
tour. We haven't thought much beyond that yet."
"Are you going to go overseas?" Judy asked anxiously.
"I don't see how we can avoid it. Half our sales are in Europe and
Japan. If it were up to me, and it sort of is, other than I've turned
that part over to Billy and his staff, I would do Cabo or Cancun, maybe
both, Rio, London, maybe Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Perth,
Sydney, Brisbane, maybe Ho Chi Minh City, that used to be Saigon, Hong Kong, and then to Tokyo to finish the international part. On the way back we
can hit Hilo, then Honolulu for a few shows and do a couple three
weeks R&R at the beach on Maui."
"That's pretty ambitious, don't you think?"
"Yes." After a short pause, "Yes it is, but we may only do one international tour like that, so
I'd like to bill it as These Girls Around the World Tour, and then
book them around the world, literally. It will probably be the
longest tour we'll ever do."
"Yeah. That will turn into a few months on the road."
"Yeah. More than a few months, I like having lots of time between
the shows. I don't want the girls to burn out the way I did when
I first started out with 260 shows in a row in 14 months. That's
insane, but we did it. Fortunately with the girls the scenery
will always be changing, so it certainly won't get totally boring,
and I've been to most of those venues, so I have a fair idea of the
downsides. We'll just try to avoid them."
Judy asked with a chuckle, "Do you need any roadies for that
tour?"
"We can always use roadies sweetheart, but it's not an easy life!"
"I'm kidding. That's all Chelly would need. Though it might be fun to fly
out to Sydney," she lamented. "Maybe I'll see if Janell's mom and Maryanne's
folks want to spend some time in Hawaii. I'm sure we could all find something
to do that wouldn't interrupt anything.
"Well, Hawaii is going to be R&R for the most part. As long as we're
there I'd like to do a show or two in Hilo, and a couple in Honolulu
before heading to Maui to relax for a few weeks."
"If you end up with that schedule pass it along Bob. I'll let the
families know it's in the works and that as soon as it's scheduled we
can decide if we can fit any of it in."
"You'll know at least a year in advance I would think," said Bob.
"An international tour takes a lot of coordination, what with, visas,
passports, customs for all the instruments. Sometimes it can be a
fucking nightmare. The big positive is that we'll be in our own jet
so we won't be subject to the commercial nightmare."
Then he added, "We're purposely avoiding the Middle East. I don't
want to expose the girls to that insanity. It's just not worth the stress
involved in safety and security. Maybe once they can all get along,
if it's before were feeble and using walkers, we can reconsider, but for
now, no way."
"Yeah. I understand completely," Judy commented. "You
remember those two young violinists that were touring the world and actually
canceled a show or two scheduled in Saudi Arabia I think it was." *
Bob nodded, and she continued, "I think they made the right
choice. They were there to play music not to play politics. Since the powers
that be couldn't seem to separate the two...I really think they did
the right thing."
Bob nodded again, "Yeah. Those two were phenomenal artists. I
hope our four can handle the bullshit as well as those two
youngsters did."
Then thoughtfully adding, "I'll tell you Judy, sometimes this
business really sucks. Just let us perform without all the assholes and kiss
asses we have to deal with along the way."
"Very few of the promoters are worth more than a cold bucket of shit, and I
really get tired of dealing with all of their two-bit lackey's. That's
one reason I turned the business side over to Bill, he loves that
crap. He makes it a big game and he rarely loses. I just get pissed
off and want to hit someone."
"Don't EVEN get me started on the media," he said with disdain. "You
want to talk media and attitude? Go mention it to Heather."
Judy laughed, and nodded her head. "The media wasn't very kind to
those two young girls, but it seems like they managed."
"Yeah, but they had to leave the country to do it," Bob said with
some disgust. "And it was over bullshit. Personal shit that is
nobody's damned business, but the fucking press just hounds and hounds and
hounds. I think they get a tooth in and just won't let go. They're worse
than a Pitt Bull. Well, except the dog usually has some conscience.
I sure hope we can all deal with it. Like I said, I just feel like I want
to hit some of those jerks."
Then added, "I think I read somewhere that they're back but not
doing any more live performances. It's too bad. I saw one of their shows in
LA and the vibe was absolutely electric. Man, they were good."
They walked back to the compound and were met by Bill and Maryanne just
hanging out in a gazebo. They sat down and talked with them for a
while. It wasn't long before the rest of the girls had joined them
for a lively banter session.
Michelle came in and immediately sat next to her mom. Bob could see that Judy
was pleased. Chelly was well aware of her moms mixed feelings.
"You coming to any shows mom?" Chelly asked.
"Bob and I were just talking about that honey. I think I might make some
of them, but you don't need your mother hanging around."
"I know it's been hard mom, but you have to know you are welcome to come
to the shows. We just need to know so we can get you a stage
pass."
Judy smiled warmly at her daughter and nodded her head. Bob looked on
knowing there were some very mixed emotions on Judy's part. She heard
what her daughter said, but knew also that she would be in the way
and really needed to let go of the empty feeling she's had since
Chelly left.
Maggie stops by far more often now, which isn't to say
that she was avoiding Michelle. Quite the contrary, they both love
each other very much, but Maggie also has a feel for what her mom is
going through and tries to be there for her.
After a short time, Chelly stood up and asked Judy if she wanted to take a
walk, the universal signal for "I have some private stuff for
you". Judy stood up and they excused themselves and started down a different
trail than Bob and Judy had just used.
"How many trails are here?" Judy asked.
"I haven't got a clue. We've been here six months and I don't think
we've found half of them yet. Bob's got a pretty good layout, and you
really can't see other trails from the one you're on."
"Amazing."
"Mom. How are you doing, really?" asked Chelly quite seriously.
"I'm doing ok honey. I miss you bad some times, but I also know that part
of life is raising your kids and then letting them fly with their own
wings. I think it's hardest for me because you're my baby."
Chelly just acknowledged what her mother had said, and they sat on one of
the logs that had been carved out to make a seat along the side of
the trail.
"Maggie comes over every couple days now, so that's really a good thing. I
was getting the feeling that I drove her out and that's why she
wasn't coming home that often, but I guess it was just that she knew
you were there to keep me company and didn't want to infringe on
our time."
"How are you doing with work and stuff?" Chelly asked.
"Oh, it's so-so. The bastards want to cut our hours again telling us that
we're not making enough money, but remember I work in finance.
They're not hurting for money. They're just fucking greedy. They end
up laying off a few and just putting all the extra work on everyone
else and expect everyone to just take it on. Honestly, I'm getting
tired of it!"
"When was the last time you looked at your bank statement?" Chelly
asked slyly. She knew Judy rarely looked at the bank information because
it was always too depressing for her.
Judy worked hard for what seemed like very little
and both of her daughters understood the sacrifices they'd all made being
by themselves. They had a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs and
warm clothes to wear, but there weren't a lot of frills. The girls never really lacked anything they needed. When Judy sent Chelly to music
lessons, it was a little strain, but it needed to be done. She was thankful
now that she'd done it, though rock and roll wasn't her chosen path.
They weren't poor by any stretch, but they certainly weren't wealthy.
"Why honey?" Judy looked at her concerned. "Is there
something wrong with it?"
Then thinking about it asked, "Besides. How the hell would you
know?"
Chelly looked at her mom with a smile, "I don't know mom. I just
wondered."
Seeing the look on Michelle's face she queried, "Chelly. What have you done?"
Chell cackled softly and said, "If you haven't looked, I haven't
done anything."
"Michelle Maria Tejano," Judy was getting a little exasperated. Mom was coming out.
"Mom. Don't worry about it ok? I just made a small deposit for you."
"WHAT?? How? Can you do that?"
"Yeah. You'd be surprised how easy it is to put money in someone's account
even though you have no access to get it back out."
"Chelly. What the hell have you done?"
"I told you Mom," she said mysteriously. "I made a
small deposit in your account. You'll see it the next time you really LOOK at your bank statement."
"I can't believe you Chelly. You don't need to be doing things like
that."
Chelly smiled warmly at her mother, put her arms around Judy and said,
"It's the least I can do for the woman who raised me. Honestly. Caring.
Loving. Strict ... sometimes too damned strict," she chuckled, "but I understand now. Do I need to say any more?"
Judy looked at Chelly through big tears getting all emotional knowing that
her youngest daughter now understood at least a little of what she
had put her mother through growing up. Normal stuff!
"Chelly," Judy choked through her sobs, "What is a 'small deposit' to
you?"
"Let's just say you won't be bouncing any checks any time soon, and if you
want to pay off your credit cards and quit your job, you have the
option," Chelly said with a grin.
"Chelly. You can't do that!"
"Too late," Chell said with a grin!
"Oh my god. Ship her off to make a few dollars and she's giving it away.
What am I going to do with you?"
"You're going to keep loving me mom. Like Bob said that first night at the
house, 'It's only Money'. Mom, it's only been six months, and I already
have more money in the bank than I will probably ever use for myself.
You sacrificed a lot of your life for me. For Maggie. You brought us
up right, and this is my opportunity to give back to you. Mom, I can
never repay you for my life. I could give you every cent I have and it
wouldn't be enough. Just humor me, ok?"
Chelly reached out to hug her mother more tightly and they both held
each other tightly both sobbing openly.
Bob and Heather came rapidly up the trail and spotting the two women,
slowed their pace to make sure they had either heard or seen them.
"We heard crying," Heather said quickly.
"Is everything alright?" asked Bob.
Judy looked up at them with bleary eyes and nodded, "Yes.
Everything is fine." Then looking at Chelly said, "I think it may
be too fine."
Chelly giggled and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her
shirt and watched both Bob and Heather's looks turn to a "Huh" look.
Chelly looked up at them and said, "I just told mom that I made a
small deposit into her bank account so she could pay some bills and other
stuff."
"She said I won't bounce any checks, I can pay off my credit cards, and
believe me she knows the balance of those damned things, and
that," looking up at the two with renewed sobs, "she said I can quit
my job."
Heather just sat down next to Judy and brought her face up so that she could
look her in the eyes. She started crying herself and said to her,
"Judy. I'd give up every penny I have to have my parents
back, even if only for one day, so that I could let them know how much I loved
them."
Now everyone was in tears because everyone knew Heathers pain, and that
she truly meant exactly what she had said. But Judy also knew that
the McArthur's knew how much Heather loved them. They'd said so many
times at get togethers.
Judy placed her hands on either side of Heathers face and looking deeply
into her eyes told her, "Your mom and dad knew how much you
loved them sweetie. Believe me, they knew, and I also know how much they
loved you. Please Heather. Never doubt their love or their knowledge
of yours."
Heather wrapped her arms around Judy and both cried for a long time with Bob
and Chelly on either side giving support. It wasn't long before Bill
and Maryanne showed on the trail wondering what all the fuss was
about. Bob saw them and just signaled that everything was ok, and to
just leave them all to themselves for now.
Bill gave him a thumbs up and it looked like he had to nearly drag
Maryanne away whispering to her. She looked back over her shoulder
but Bob gave her the thumbs up and waved them away.
After a few more tears things quieted down a little and they were just
talking quietly amongst themselves. Everyone was lightening
up a bit and things were getting less somber. There were even some
chuckles over a few of the things they talked about.
Suddenly Heather seemed to remember something, and pulled Judy over
towards her and put her face away from Bob and Chelly so that she
could whisper softly into Judy's ear without the others hearing.
"Judy," Heather whispered very quietly, "I have to tell you,
Chelly finally got her pussy stuffed."
Judy's head snapped back with shocked surprise and looked in Heathers
eyes. She started to laugh hysterically. She was laughing so hard her
sides ached. She looked over at Chelly and laughed even harder.
Of course Chelly was wondering what the hell was so funny, so
asked, "What? It has to be funny, so share!!"
Judy looked at Heather and they were both rolling they were
laughing so hard. This had definitely broken any residual tension
that may have been floating around them. Judy looked at Chelly
like she was going to say something and as soon as she saw Chelly's
face, started laughing hysterically again. She was losing control!
They finally all got up and began to walk back down towards the house, Bob
with his arm around Heather, Judy, and Chelly holding hands. Chelly
giving her mother sideways glances, but each time she did and got
caught, Judy would just start laughing again...
Bob looked at Heather with a queried look. She looked back and smiled
brightly with a smug look on her face. He whispered to her, "Well, are
you going to tell me?"
Heather looked at him and began to laugh again, but shook her head, "Nope."
So, laughing, they got back to the house and caught up with Bill and
Maryanne who gave them all really strange looks when they bounced in
laughing so hard. The last time they'd seen everyone they were crying.
"What's that about," Maryanne threw out to nobody in particular.
Heather looked at Judy and both started to laugh again, but she
managed to choke out, "I just told Judy about something that I'd
remembered, and it's pretty funny."
When Chelly heard that she looked at Heather and gasped, "You
didn't ... Did you?" Chelly's eyes conveyed extreme shock and got
huge when she was addressing Heather.
Heather just nodded her head and began to laugh hysterically
again.
"Heather ... Shit ... I don't believe you would tell my mother THAT,"
Chelly said incredulously. She started to blush brightly, then looking at Judy
started to giggle and chuckle herself.
Maryanne, clueless, looked at Heather, and exasperated asked, "Good
god, what did you tell her Heather?"
Judy looked at Chelly, who now knew what she was laughing at,
and said to Maryanne, "Heather told my mother, Maryanne, that I'd
had my pussy stuffed."
This caused both Judy and Heather to start all over again.
Maryanne's jaw dropped, and now Bob was laughing too.
Once they had all recovered a little, they sat around the
table in the kitchen and everyone heard the story about
Michelle and Judy's prediction about Chelly getting stuffed.
-----
A couple days later Judy headed for home and the group went back to
their routines. Bob was only doing practice every other day by this
time. He'd told them that they didn't need the practice because they
already had everything down. There was something called "too
sharp".
"We'll do a couple concentrated sessions before we leave," he told them.
"I think it'll be a good idea to play at least the first three sets all
the way through before we hit San Francisco. That's the same as doing the
first show, it'll give you a better feel for the cadence we'll try for
on the stage."
Bob handed out sheets to show everyone the first three sets and the encore
that they figured to do the first night. After taking a look at the schedule
they sat and discussed the list and their options.
The first show was to have the standard three sets and an encore. This is
the list for the first show.
Show 1 Set 1 36:59
The Feeling Begins - Peter Gabriel
Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Sunset Grille - Don Henley
Devil Inside - INXS
Compared to what - Les McCann/Eddie Harris
A kind of Magic - Queen
Walking towards paradise - Robert Plant
So you want to be a rock and roll star - The Byrds
Show 1 Set 2 - 43:37
Beach Boys Medley 22:37
Be True To Your School
Dance, Dance, Dance
Catch a Wave
Little Deuce Coupe
Fun, Fun, Fun
Shut Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfin' USA
Surfer Girl
In My Room
California Girls
Shoot out at the fantasy factory - Traffic
Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon
My heads in Mississippi - ZZ Top
Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Show 1 Set 3 43:21
Classical Gas - Mason Williams --- Done by Bob, Maryanne, finished by Heather
Black Velvet - Alannnah Myles
Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics
Wake up little Susie - The Everly Brothers
Hole Hearted - Extreme
Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac
Freedom 90 - George Michael
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Spring - Leah West
The Heart of Rock and Roll - Huey Lewis & the News
Encore - (1) 10:16
Hot for Teacher - Van Halen
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Where Have all the Flowers Gone - The Kingston Trio
Find the Cost of Freedom - Crosby, Stills, & Nash (Acoustic) --- Vocals a Capella
They reviewed the first shows offering and made some adjustments to
add additional continuity, but for the most part they were all happy
with the choices of music. They were going to script ten of them, so this
was just the first.
Bob looked around the room and decided to discuss some of the observations
he'd made over the months. Things that could enhance the overall feel and
look of the band on the stage. The girls listened with great interest.
"Something I've noticed in practices, is that once the music starts and
the "show's going", Janell takes control of determining the pace. I've
also observed that Heather is, more or less, the 'boss' and you all look to
her for that leadership, but Heather always defers that leadership role
to Jan to set the pace once the music starts. Jan, you're excellent at doing that and you keep us all on track."
"That said," with a smirk, "I like to screw around a little because it keeps the fun in what
we're doing. I've impressed on you that we should just tick off the
tunes and be professional in all that we do, but we still have to
have fun. Trust me, by the third or fourth show, you're going to
want some levity. Understand, there is more to doing a show than
just the music. The music is important, but so is how it's presented."
Then looking directly at Janell, "I love the way you click the numbers off
and keep us on pace Jan, but we also need to have some fun. It doesn't mean
we dick around, we just need to be light with ourselves."
Bob looked around the room to see how these observations were being received.
So far, so good. "I think we are all anal about our music, but sometimes we
can be too anal. Do you remember what Billy said in the booth that day when we were getting you guys ready for the first fill ins?" Looking around seeing blank faces he continued, "When Jan said she'd get pissed off if she spent hours doing a fill in and it wasn't used? It's part of how we get to perfection, and that there were six of us striving for the same goal."
They looked around at each other and nodded letting Bob know that they
remembered the conversation.
"So we need to mess with each other, maybe even tell a few jokes, just to keep things light, but like everything else we do on the stage, Jan should be in charge of the timing. Like between a set of tunes, instead of clicking off immediately, you can say something, maybe like a "yeah", which tells the rest of us we can have a few seconds to give something different to our audience. Then when that "time" is up, you just say something like "ok" which is like the 10 second mark, and in 10 seconds you click us into the next number. Or if what's going on needs more than an additional 10 seconds, the "ok" signal can let whoever is "screwing around" that once they're done, everyone will hear the clicks. Jan is extremely proficient at managing the pace. I think you all have made an excellent choice in our stage leader." Bob looked at Jan with a smile and nodded his head reinforcing what he'd just said. Jan blushed a little, but smiled back.
"We can even mess around a little while we're doing a song. Like Chelly and
Maryanne or Hey and me, or any combination just messing with each other.
Not to mess up the music but to give the audience the impression that we
are having a lot of fun entertaining them. As serious as we are, we do
find it fun to do what we do! We need for the audience to sense that as well. It's called showmanship. We're entertainers not just musicians."
"If we're too serious, we'll appear stiff, and the audience will sense that
stiffness. It may even detract from their enjoyment. We need to
interact with them - maybe even do a few sing-along tunes. Hell. Our
audiences will probably know every tune we do, so a sing along isn't
out of the question. Lola is a prime example."
Then chuckling, "Shit. One thing we can do for some laughs is just have Jan
stand up so everyone can see her get-up. One of us can make a comment about
it to draw attention to her appearance."
Then after a thoughtful second or two, "It could be one of the times she swaps headbands and takes a big swig of water. Something that the audience will be able to see that we're having fun with it too."
Everyone laughed loudly at that, even Jan, but she did scrunch up her face and give Bob a mock dirty look.
"Another thing we can do, is Jan can do her 'stand up' during the first set,
and when we all come out for the second set, we can all have changed into
something similar to what Jan is wearing."
Then looking at the smirks all around, "No, I will NOT put on a hot
pink sports bra!" They all laughed at that, but got Bob's point.
Then with a huge grin added, "Although, now that I think about it, I could
put on a hot pink something to make it look like that's what I'm wearing.
That should be worth some laughs and comments from you guys; let them fly.
Then we get into playing, and every so often during that set you can make
more comments about 'Bob's hot pink whatever it is'. The audience will get
into the whole thing."
"We'll get laughs with those kinds of antics, and it will keep the show
light and interesting. It's all to enhance the enjoyment of the music. We're
not comedians, so it's just a little short side shit, but think about it. It doesn't have to be rehearsed either, just ad-lib. You can also work with each other to come up with some routines that the rest of us don't know, so it's spontaneous. If it is spontaneous, it will feel spontaneous."
Again everyone laughed, and nodded their heads. Chelly picked up looking at
Jan and with a giggle, "Jan will have to tell us where she gets her wardrobe."
Jan looked at Chelly with a bright sparkle in her eyes, and stuck her tongue out
at her.
"Careful honey, I'll give you something to do with that," Bob said before
he could call it back. He hadn't meant to let that one fly, but it was
too late now.
"Ok," Jan said with a gleam in her eye. "Your room or mine?"
Everyone's jaws dropped, and they all looked at Jan like she'd grown a
third eye, but Jan just giggled, "I can't help it. I liked it."
Bob knew what she was referring to, but didn't think anyone else did
until Maryanne quipped with a grin, "Tasty Jan? You little devil you!
And all this time ..."
"Annie," Jan whined blushing brightly, knowing everyone now
knew she had very much enjoyed her oral experience.
"Does that make sense to you all?" he asked trying to change the
subject. "Any other ideas or suggestions?"
Once they were refocused, consensus was that it was a good idea
but that they'd have to work on how to accomplish it since it
wasn't a "natural" thing for them to do while playing. They
needed to become "natural" things in their routine, and there
was nothing that said that some of them couldn't be rehearsed.
Heather chuckled about being the "boss", but understood what Bob was saying
and Jan acknowledged that she was pretty anal about the timing which is
why the group looked to her for the timing. Besides, she had the
sticks and they were more unobtrusive than one of the others saying,
"One, two, three..."
Maryanne spoke for the rest of them when she said, "I think those are very
accurate observations Bob. I think we all look to Heather for leadership
in what we do." Everyone nodded their heads agreeing with Annie. "I
don't think it has to do with the fact she's the oldest, at least that's
not it for me. For me it's because she is so good at keeping us on track, learning new music and things like focus. She's also the one that drove us to
excel, and she's really the biggest reason we've become as good as we are."
Heather blushed, but didn't say anything. She knew the girls all had that
kind of respect for her, and she returned that respect in kind.
Chelly picked things up, "Totally, Maryanne. I think we look to Jan for
pace because she's always done that. Once we start to play someone has to
be in control of how we play, and Jan has always been who we look to. That's
how the clicking of the drumsticks started. We all have our roles in how
we do things, and Bob you've added a new dimension to that. I think you're
totally right in that we need to loosen up a little. There are times when
we are just too fucking serious about stuff. I think in that light, we'll
have to look to you for getting loose. I know we all have great senses of
humor, but we don't bring it to the music."
"Well, the Dueling Banjos swap, the Classical Gas thing ... it's all fun. Yes,
it does show off your abilities, but it's fun to do that kind of thing, and if we ham it up, so much the better. We should come up with some more things like that. Think about it, and we can practice some of it when we do our show run through."
They all thought that was a good idea, so as the time ticked down
they were occupied with all of the last minute preparations to be gone for 6
weeks. Clothes, toiletries, books, music, anything they could think
of.
It all went into road chests to be loaded on the trucks and airplanes.
All of the personal stuff went into three of the chests, Bob and Bill
using one and the girls the other two. Those chests, with the
addition of the roadie's things would follow them to the hotels, while
the other crates went to the concert halls.
They also trained the road crew that would be accompanying them to each
venue. They were all professionals and were a really good example of how
a group could be professional but have a lot of fun at the same time. Over
the tour they would show the band that even though there was a lot of grab ass going on during set up and tear down, that when they came to the stage, everything would be exactly as they wanted it - every time!
Janell taught a couple of them how she wanted the drums set
up, so that she didn't have to spend much time re-adjusting. She got lucky
because the guy assigned to her was a drummer himself, so he had a feel
for what she wanted, and when she told him something he could relate easily.
The lady that was assigned to her was just as good, but didn't play herself.
Jerry would continue teaching her the ropes so that in time she could set Jan
up the same way he could. Jan watched the interaction with interest, because Jerry treated her as an absolute equal, explaining the why and the how so that she would be just as aware as he was. There was no ego tripping at all.
Bob had done that on purpose. While reviewing the resumes he noted that
Jerry was a drummer so it only made sense. It was to prove to be a masterful
decision.
Michelle showed her "assignees" what order to put the
keyboards onto the stands for both her and Maryanne. Also where they all plugged in. She had color coded and numbered all of her connectors because there were a lot of wires. The boxes were all electronically tied together somehow, and she had pre-programmed some of paths so that she could be playing two of them simultaneously with one keyboard. It also connected Maryanne's keyboard and synth directly to hers. That would play out later when the two of them came up with ways to have some fun.
The last couple days were pretty interesting. They had done their
show run through twice, even putting in the switches they had talked
about. They worked really well, and would provide some break up of
the usual routine. They even worked on a "speech" that Heather would do
only at the first show following the opening number.
Things were really getting crazy around the ranch. Bob had been through
all of this before, but it didn't calm his nerves all that much. He just
understood that it was going to be that way and that he just had to deal with
it. The girls hadn't gotten to the "deal with it" stage yet, so they were
bouncing off the walls, stressing over everything.
"Relax ladies," Bob told them numerous times, "Everything is already gone. It's all on the trucks and on the way to San Francisco. There's nothing to do now except enjoy the buildup."
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Maryanne.
"Yeah Bob, you've been down this road before and you said you still wanted
to pee your pants, so how do you think we feel?" added Chelly.
Janell and Heather were unusually calm. They had climbed into themselves and
found a calm before the storm. They both just looked at Maryanne and
Michelle with smiles.
"How the fuck can you be so calm," snapped Chelly to no one in
particular.
Heather quietly answered, "You have to realize Chell, that there's
no longer anything you can do. The train is on the track and the engine
has pulled out of the station. Anything from here until we play the
first note is totally out of our control. If it's out of your
control, worrying about it will only give you heartburn."
She shrugged her shoulders and gave Chelly and Maryanne that
"what can you do" look.
Chelly mumbled, "You've been reading Bob's Zen books again."
"So you're trying to say you're not nervous," Maryanne growled?
"No," she answered firmly. "I'm scared out of my pants. I know
what Bobby is saying when he says he wants to piss his pants. I'm
right there with him. But again Annie, there's nothing I can do
anymore but try to get mentally ready to do the show. I keep
playing the first set in my mind over and over and over again.
I know we'll each have a play list so we'll know what's
next. Hell. Billy's even set up a teleprompter that will give us the
right order in a little box at the front of the stage. We all know
it's going to be on total autopilot, but it still scares the shit
out of me."
Then added softly, "Yes Chelly. I've been reading those books on Zen and
Buddhism. When you accept that 'it is what it is' and you decide to
'go with the flow' you can find an inner peace, and that will carry you
through dealing with the inner turmoil. It's deeper than that, but
when things are no longer in your control, why try to keep
controlling them? There are better things to spend your time and energy on.
Control those things you can, and let go of those you can't."
Bob smiled and nodded his head.
Chelly got a stormy look on her face, but didn't say anything negative.
She'd talk to Heather about it later.
Maryanne just looked at all of them, then put her hands behind her head and
laid down on the couch. She closed her eyes and started to do what
looked like breathing exercises.
Janell, like Heather, was just calmly sitting in an easy chair trying to remain calm. It was a good front on the outside, but like all of them, she
was a tornado of emotions on the inside.
It got very quiet in the room as everyone realized that in 24 hours
they'd be playing in front of 25,000 people. They'd played all of
this music hundreds of times, but Heather was right, when the clock
strikes "start" they will all switch to autopilot. They all knew that,
but it didn't manage to calm their nerves any.
Bob walked into the kitchen and pulled out two bottles of the fine Napa
wine, and took six glasses out of the cupboard and walked carefully
back into the "utility space" they used for "hanging out".
He poured each of the girls a full glass then filled his glass as well.
Bill didn't want any wine, so he went to help himself to a glass of
lemonade. Bill had done this so many times he was already on
autopilot, but Bill didn't face the audience directly.
Bill had read the books too. He'd already been to the hall, set up
and tested everything so instead of staying in the city alone, he
shot back up to spend the time with Maryanne and everyone else. He'd
also reported that everything was set. The roadie's had already set
up all the gear and it was just waiting for tomorrow's sound check.
When Bill returned to the room, Bob looked around at everyone and got a
huge smile on his face. He raised his glass to propose a toast,
"To a kick ass tour ladies. May all the audiences be gentle and may the negative
bastards in the media rot in hell."
"Here here," said Bill.
The girls all started to grin but remained silent, all nodding
their acceptance. Nobody drank the full glass, but sipped it slowly
while the conversation touched on any subject other than the
upcoming tour.
Between Bob, Heather and Bill it continued to touch on the philosophical, using Zen as a starting place. It was enough of a diversion that Chelly and
Maryanne relaxed a little without really sensing it right away. Bill
ran them through some basic breathing exercises and worked on
"blanking the mind" so they could let their minds flow freely.
Each found and worked with their own mantra and by the end of the evening
all were feeling a little better, though all remembering what Heather had
said about being calm and peaceful but still scared shitless.
Having read the books as well, Janell was a leg up on Chell and Annie, but
like any of them, didn't "rub it in". She just calmly sat and provided an
example for the others.
When it was time to turn in, Bob knew that none of them would get any
sleep. While they were gathering their things he said to them
knowingly, "Listen ladies. I know it's going to be a rough
night sleep-wise, for me too. Just try to relax and let yourself drift,
even if you don't get a lot of actual sleep you'll relax and get some
rest. Chances are you'll sleep anyway, but you won't think you did."
They all looked at him and tried to smile, then as they turned to head
towards the bedrooms, he said to them softly, "Everything
will be fine. Trust me. You ARE the best of the best."
Bill added, "Try your breathing exercises. Don't think about
anything else, just breathing in the good, exhaling the used. If you can only
concentrate on that basic bodily function, chances are you will be
asleep before you know it has happened."
Chelly and Maryanne looked at him skeptically, but in the end Maryanne would
lay calmly with Bill and Chelly would gain a calm from Janell and Heather.
When they got down the hall, Heather put her arms around Bob's neck and
kissed him very passionately.
When their eyes met she whispered, "Bobby, I'm going to bed in
with Janell and Chelly tonight if it's ok. I think Chell needs the moral
support. I'll see if Jan wants to come over to be with you."
Bob smiled at her, "Baby, you know it's ok. Enjoy, but get some
rest. Ok? If you three want, you can come in and join me. Don't
put any undue pressure on Jan. Just make it a soft suggestion and
drop it. She can use it as food for thought and decide what she
wants to do."
Then added with a smile, "I doubt seriously that I would molest her
tonight anyway. Shit. I'm in the same boat as all the rest of you, but
having been there before, I've just learned to deal with it."
"Yeah. Makes total sense. We may join you hon, thanks. I think we may
probably sleep better than any of you. I really meant what I said.
It's no longer in my control."
"That's a great attitude Hey. If not before, I'll see you in the
morning!"
Interestingly, by morning three of the four of them were in Bob's bed together, fast asleep, in each others arms. Togetherness.
Maryanne and Bill did a sneak and laid down on the second bed in the master,
so in the end all six of them were in the same room, peacefully
sleeping.
-----
At 9am Friday morning the limo pulled up to pick them up.
First stop was the hall where they'd do a sound check, make sure their
instruments were tuned and in their proper places.
Things had calmed down a bit with all the girls withdrawn into their own
thoughts. This was a good thing, it made them more aware of what was
happening, so when the limo pulled up to the curb they tumbled out
and immediately looked up at the marquee.
"Wow," said Janell. "It's really happening."
Then after a short pause, she looked at the other three girls and Bob,
"I am sooo looking forward to this show. I'm as nervous as a cat in a
room full of Dobermans, but I have no doubts. We are good musicians
and we'll prove it to everyone tonight!"
Bob just smiled and nodded his head. The girls looked at her with far
away looks on their faces like they hadn't heard a word. Maybe they
hadn't.
They walked through the door to be greeted by the promoter and some of his
cronies, who immediately began attempting to kiss their asses. They showed
them to the "dressing rooms", then on out to the stage where, just like Bill
had said, their instruments had already been unpacked, assembled and
tuned by the road crew.
Bob noted to the promoter that they would prefer one "dressing
room" since there would be no dressing. He told him that they all lived
together so that they were all used to various stages of undress and
didn't need to hide from each other. They'd feel a lot better in one
room anyway.
Bob got a wide eyed look, and chuckled as he walked away to join the
ladies on the stage.
Janell was heaping praises on Jerry, the roadie that had been assigned to
set up her drums. He was blushing brightly because this beautiful
woman was telling him how great he was.
All of them already knew that
Janell was gay, Maryanne and Heather taken and Michelle not
interested, so any attempted shenanigans were nipped in the bud. They
were all going to be together for the next 6 weeks so friction isn't
something anyone wanted. Besides, all of that the roadies knew how
well they were being taken care of.
Most dragged their girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses or SO's with them on
this tour since it was going to be all west coast and would be done
on a bus, at least for the roadies. Because of all the promotional
bullshit involved in doing a rock'n'roll tour, the girls and Bob
would have to fly.
It was this promotional bullshit that cemented Heather's feeling towards the press. With the exception of the first show, they were booked into local radio stations, TV stations, had "on the street" interviews with some of the National Outlets, the gamete. Actually Heather didn't mind the national crews as much as the "local yokels," as she referred to them. All of them got really tired of the promotional piece, but it was part of the whole picture. They had to be in the next venue quickly after the last show, so they flew while the roadies meandered in busses. The girls envied the roadies in their serenity.
Bob was only waiting for the paperwork to be completed on a lease for a
private jet for them to use on tours. He'd learned a lot of years ago
that charters, or private leases was the only way to ensure that you
and your equipment got from point A to point B with any assurance.
Commercial flying was, as he called it, a cluster fuck. Lost baggage,
lost instruments, damaged instruments, flight delays, you name it. He
couldn't believe that some of the airlines could remain in business. Over the
next 20 years many wouldn't.
Chelly had already turned on her equipment and was checking to ensure that
all the connections had been made and that all the boxes were
"talking" to each other. They were, and she heaped praise on the two young
women that had been assigned to both her and Maryanne.
Maryanne took stock to make sure all of the things she needed were there
including the doudouk. She would keep all 30 of the reeds with her in a
case most of the time. She had to start wetting at least one set about thirty
minutes before the show to make sure they were the right dampness to
play. She had also enlisted Jan and Heather to suck on two others just in
case.
Heather had her amps turned on and all the foot switches in their proper
place. She was looking over the different instruments picking each
up, checking the tune, and ensuring that it was operable. The last
thing she wanted was to pick up a guitar and have it be dead. It
wouldn't be a show stopper, but in her mind it wouldn't be cool. Each
had a specific property and sound that she used on different tunes.
The Strats were hard and sharp, where the Gibsons, with their hollow bodies
were mellow and a little softer.
Bob just sat on his stool watching the girls prepare. He'd checked out
the 3 bass guitars that he was carrying this tour. All were in tune.
He'd learned to trust the roadies a long time ago, so unlike Heather,
he just picked up his guitar and hit each string and was done with
it. He expected it to be right. They were all working just fine,
so he just sat with the Jazz on his lap waiting for the girls to
finish their nervous fidgeting so they could get down to the sound
check.
They had to wait for Bill to get in place and turn up his
multitudes of equipment. He'd give them the thumbs up when he was
ready, and over the monitor speakers talk to each of the musicians
individually to check the instrument levels, then when that was
completed, they'd step up to the mics for the vocals to check the
levels on them.
Because Jan had so many drums to play, Bill had an entire board just for the
drums. Thirty two channels for 23 mics, but damn, it sounded so good
when she played it was worth the extra hassles.
After all the levels were where he wanted them to start, the band would
begin to play some of the music they'd planned for the evenings show
so he could preset some of it. He had to use the headphones because
in an empty hall the acoustics would be totally different than when
the hall was full of people. It was his experience that allowed him
to set things up in an empty hall in such a way he needed very few
adjustments after the hall was full.
Once the hall was full he could use the background canned music to give
him a basic feel for how his settings would work. He rarely had to
make many changes, but that's what experience gives you, and Bill
had been doing this for almost eight years.
The sound check went without any issues, a testament to the roadies
thorough attention to detail. Bob had chosen them for their
experience as well as attentiveness. These guys and gals were some of
the best equipment people in the business. Most would work every show
the girls did, turning down offers from other band managers, many for
more money. Despite what everyone thinks, it's not necessarily "all about
the money."
Bill knew what was happening in the background, and made sure that they
were all well taken care of. They didn't stay in dives, they stayed
in the same hotels the band did. He usually would have the whole
floor leased so that they could come and go as they pleased and not
disturb other guests. They ate at the same restaurants as the girls
instead of being relegated to fast food hell. Word got around and there was a
list of professional roadies that would fill any vacancies immediately.
They went back to the dressing rooms and looking around, found one that
was big enough for all of them so they just moved in. They all looked
at each other smiling. They were ready.
"How's everybody doing?" asked Bob hesitantly.
Each of the girls said they were fine. Nervous but looking forward to this
evenings performance. The sound check had let them mentally prepare
for the size of the hall, and a hundred or so people being there listening
released some of the tension they had been feeling. Twenty-five thousand
people could fit in here? That's how many tickets they'd sold in the space
of four hours, and every ticket had a seat.
"We've got four hours to kill," said Bob. "What do you
want to do for now? Maybe get something to eat?"
"How can you eat," asked Heather? "My stomach is so tied
up in knots I'd probably puke."
The others nodded in agreement, but he insisted, "You need to
take in nourishment. You are going to literally work your asses off tonight,
and I mean both physically and mentally. It's not like working out in the studio. When this show is done, you will be sooooo fucking exhausted, trust me on that one. Been there, done that, and I've got a whole closet full of T-shirts.
Janell looked at them and said, "He's right you know. I have to make
sure there's at least a dozen large bottles of water available. Jerry said
he'd keep an eye on the water and Gatorade to make sure I didn't run
out. We only played for about 45 minutes just now, and I drank three bottles
of water. I'm sweating like a pig. It'll be worse tonight when the lights
are all on."
Michelle mockingly started sniffing the air, "Phew Jan, you need a
shower already."
"Ok," she said with a sly smile. "Wanna join me?"
Everybody laughed loudly releasing a lot of the pent up tension. They stood up and walked out in search of nourishment.
When they got to the restaurant and sat down, they ordered and started
drinking their water. Heather looked at Jan making eye contact, then
said, "That's pretty fucking nervous Jan."
Jan was stuffing a piece of bread into her mouth, but managed to
garble out, "Yeah Hey. It is."
After looking around the table seeing all the looks saying, "what the hell
are you talking about," Heather just shook her head and laughing out loud
said, "Yup. Being as nervous as a cat in a room full of Dobermans is really
nervous."
Heather had caught Jan's little speech, but it didn't seem like anyone else
had. They looked at the two of them like they were crazy.
The girls were totally animated at the restaurant each cleaning her plate
once the feeding frenzy started. The nerves, though still strained,
were calming somewhat as the time grew closer. They each knew inside
themselves, that as soon as they started to play, everything would be
just fine.
They just needed to survive until then.
Chapter 12 -- First Show of the First Tour - No More Cherries
They got back to the hall with about an hour to go until show time, so they
just sat in the dressing room talking like it was any other day sitting
around the house.
Janell changed into her "performance uniform" while
everyone made light and chuckled at each piece she put on. Tonight it was a pair of men's boxer briefs rather than commando under the huge pair of men's gym shorts, you never know who's looking and what they may see. She put on little shorty socks and her custom made light-weight shoes that looked like the kind of shoes a race driver would wear. Very thin, but robust. She said they were great because she could feel the pedals like she was barefoot.
She also stripped off her top to which everyone in the room gave a round
of applause causing Jan to blush bright red. It wasn't like everyone
there hadn't seen her tits at some point in time. She pulled on a hot
pink, very tight sports bra to hold her boobs in place while she
bounced around on her throne. Over that was a large men's tank top
that was tie dyed with a peace sign in the middle.
She then slipped on the first heavy terry cloth headband she would use
that night. She had close to 100 of them in her stash and generally
went through eight or ten of them in a show. It didn't take long
for them to be soaked with sweat and be of no more use to her until
washed and dried.
As a joke, which ended up relieving a lot of pent up tension, she put on
a pair of those glasses that had the sparkly spirals on each lens. They
used to sell them in comic books as "X-Ray" glasses.
She looked around the room and said, "Ok. I'm ready!"
Everyone laughed out loud while Jan handed out a pair of the glasses to each
band member.
The light man, Hector, came in to explain to them what he was going to be
doing with the lights. He about fell over when he looked around the
room and saw all the goofy glasses they were all wearing. He laughed
hysterically.
Janell looked at him and said with all seriousness, "These are our
special naked glasses. It makes the whole audience naked so we won't be quite
as nervous when we play."
He just laughed roundly again, but said he had to get down to business. They
all removed their glasses so that he wouldn't have to look around the
room laughing while he was trying to explain what he was going to be
doing.
Bob had requested a dark stage for them to walk on to so they'd get used
to the naked audience before the lights came up.
Hector said that as Bob introduced each of the girls a spot would hit them
and stay on until the music started. He noted there were red dots on
the floor where he would like them to be standing for the introductions.
He was going to spotlight Maryanne at the very start because of the music,
then the general stage lighting would come up gradually as the drums
and other instruments started. He said he'd be playing with them as
the girls worked trying to keep synch with the tempo.
Then just before he left he looked at each of the girls seeing that he
had very nervous eyes looking back at him. With a warm smile he said to them softly, "Listen. If you all are a quarter as good on the stage tonight as you
are on your CD's, you'll do just fine. Honestly, I'm really looking
forward to listening to you guys work. I've heard so much ... and I'd
be willing to bet a paycheck that it's all true!"
With big smiles and thank you from the girls he turned and left just as
the stage manager came to give them the ten minute warning.
In ten minutes time it would be all over except the music and they could
all relax. Strange as it may sound, as soon as they started to play
all the tension would subside and they'd just do what they do.
Play music!
The knock came letting them know it was five minutes until curtain call.
Bob stood up and looked at four nervous faces. He smiled and then putting
on his glasses, gave them the pep talk though softly. "This is it guys. This
is why you have been working your asses off every day. This is why you have
endured sore fingers, feet, and worn voice boxes. You're going to be
just fine. Lets just go out there and have some fun."
Then with a huge grin on his face, "Where's the damned toilet. I
gotta pee."
Which broke up the room. Donning their glasses and laughing they made
their way to the curtain in preparation to take the stage.
"Oh by the way, you all look stunning naked," he said as they stood waiting.
Once again they just cracked up laughing and a little more of the tension was
released.
When it was time, they all looked at each other nervously, and in a circle
did a group hug and a high five, which would become a
"tradition" with the band as time moved on.
Heather looked at them all and with a big smile said to them what she
had said to them before damned near every practice or weekend session
they had ever done. "Let's do it to it!"
Then, with each taking a deep breath, they stepped out on to the stage and
into the history books.
-----
"Good evening," Bob said into the microphone
shading his eyes from the spotlight, then had to wait for the crowd to quiet a bit. He had his bass strapped over his shoulder and was holding the
two padded drumsticks he would use for the opening.
"Good evening and welcome to the first show on the first tour for the
group. Umm ... they're pretty nervous, so please, be gentle with
them." Bringing a huge laugh from the crowd as well as the girls.
"I'm sure you all know who I am, so I'll just take a few seconds to make
some introductions, then we'll start the show."
Cheers, and loud applause.
"I'll start at the back of the stage, Keeping the beat and keeping the rest of us honest, please welcome Janell Miller playing drums for you tonight. Neil Pert, eat your heart out!"
The audience couldn't see all of the girls yet, but none of the girls had taken off her glasses, so when Bob started to make the introductions he looked back at Janell and as the spot hit her, there she was smiling with those goofy looking glasses on her face.
Bob about fell over laughing along with the crowd, but kept it together to do
the rest of the intro's figuring that each of the girls was going to have
those damned glasses on until the music started.
He wasn't to be disappointed!
More rousing applause, and when Bob looked back again she was bright red, but
smiling broadly with those damned glasses on. She tapped the roll pedal once putting out a "ta-dump". She raised one hand and waved a stick to acknowledge the crowd.
Bob just continued on with the introductions ignoring the glasses each of the
girls still had on her face.
"Next to Janell, on my left, playing a mountain of keyboards that she has
magically transformed into philharmonic orchestras among all kinds of
other sounds, making it possible for us to do music originally
recorded by the Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and others,
please welcome Michelle Tejano."
Again, rousing applause for a young woman, wearing goofy glasses,
turning bright red but giving a small wave.
"Next to Michelle, over there on the far side, hiding behind a mound of
different instruments, is probably the most talented of us all,
playing everything that nobody else is playing including, violin, saxophone,
flute, harmonicas, drums, and keyboards to help Michelle when she needs 3 or 4
arms, and a whole collection of other toys, please welcome Maryanne
Ellis."
Another round of raucous hollering and clapping amongst the laughter from the audience. Maryanne took the reed from her mouth and put it into the instrument that was going to blow people's minds. As she stepped up to the microphone she'd play into, she removed the glasses and put them in her back pocket probably for later. Then she stood and waited patiently.
"Last, but certainly not least, is one of the most accomplished guitarists
I've ever had the pleasure of playing with. On lead guitar, please
welcome the incomparable Heather McArthur."
Again a rousing round of applause which Heather acknowledged with a wave
while she removed her glasses.
"We're going to open with something a little different tonight and if it
works we'll probably do it to open most all of our shows. It's that cool!"
Then pausing for a moment, "I mentioned that Maryanne was probably
the most talented person on the stage tonight, and she's proven it to the
rest of us over the last few months mastering an instrument that very
few people in the world play. We understand your excitement and your
desire to clap and make noise to make us feel welcome, but this opening
number sounds best in a fairly quiet room, so we'll give it a try for you.
After the applause died down a little and the room surprisingly started to
get quiet, Bob looked around at each of them, then turned to Janell
who would click her sticks bringing on the first number in the show.
Once the music started, Jan was in control and always did an excellent job.
He nodded at her so she knew he was going to start the final
countdown and all the other girls noted it as well. Michelle knew
that she had to start her part when Bob nodded because it was very
low and in the background, building as Maryanne began to play her doudouk. Both Janell and Bob could hear her start which was the signal for Janell
to do her thing.
Bob turned sideways to the microphone, noting that Maryanne, Janell and
Michelle were at the ready, maneuvered the sticks he would use to play
the opening, and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen," at
which time Janell very quietly for this tune, started her cadence, and on the
first click Bob finished, "These Girls Can Play".
In perfect timing, because they had practiced it for what seemed like
hours, as soon as Bob said the band's name, Maryanne started playing
to obvious gasps from the audience.
As I'm sure you had already figured out, they had, in fact, decided to start the shows with Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins", and it was apparent that many in the audience not only recognized the music, but understood the doudouk was a very difficult instrument to play.
When the music started the room got so quiet you could hear a mouse
munching on a piece of popcorn. Of course Maryanne played the tune
perfectly as did everyone else. Janell sounded like she had at least
a third arm while Bob kept his rolling beat throughout. It was really
Maryanne, Janell and Michelle that carried the whole number.
The decision to use that music to open all the shows was masterful. Bob
only wished he'd thought of it instead of Maryanne, he thought, laughing at himself. She always loved a challenge, and when the other girls heard the tune for the first time, they all fell in love with it immediately.
Heather and Jan had looked at Chelly asking her, "Are you going to be able to do all of that Chell?"
Chelly looked at them with a grin and said, "Nope. Annie's going to play the
lead part on a doudouk."
"A what?" Janell asked.
Maryanne picked it up, "It's a doudouk. It's an Armenian double-reeded flute.
There's not a whole lot of people in the world that play it, so I figured I'd
give it a shot."
Heather looked at her with a smile, "Shit Annie, If anybody can learn to play it, you can!"
Maryanne just looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "We'll see," she had said softly.
It was now quite apparent to everyone that Maryanne did play the doudouk!
One of the things that they had all practiced almost to a fault was the
segue's between songs. They didn't want to sound like some tinny High
School Rock Band that screwed around in between each song, fidgeting
and checking the tune of their instruments, killing some time before
the next number, as well as effectively killing the mood in the room.
They had also talked about having some fun so while they would click
off their repertoire without too much messing around, they had decided
to put in some fun bits to keep things light.
Even though this was their first show, they were going to sound like the
commensurate professional band. No fucking around, just playing
music and having fun, but for this first show, there was to be one
short exception that they had all laughed about, but thought it would
add to the fun.
So when "The Feeling Begins" did it's abrupt ending,
where they would usually just seg into the next song, Heather stepped up to her microphone and after the crowd settled a bit from the amazing sounds
they had just heard, announced to the gathered masses, "We
just want all of you to know, like Bob said, that his is our very
first time playing in front of people, we're scared shitless." When
the laughter died down she put on her glasses and finished, "But
fortunately for us, you all came to the show naked."
At the last part of her little speech, Janell started clicking off the
cadence again to start the second song of that night which was
ironically, "Helplessly Hoping" by Crosby, Stills,
and Nash. It wasn't overtly planned, but it just happened that way. They hadn't noticed until Bob pointed it out when they were discussing Heathers
little speech.
The irony you ask? If you remember Woodstock and the CSN performance,
they had said almost the same words to the crowd in New York as
Heather had spoken tonight in San Francisco, except that it was their
second time.
They clicked off songs with nary any hesitation, and played each one
flawlessly, though Billy would give them the verdict later. They even
slipped in the threesome for "Classical Gas", which the audience
appreciated.
Oh. Didn't Bob mention? Each show was going to be recorded so that
when the tour was finished, they might be able to eek out a "Live"
album or two. Imagine our surprise! There were also concert videos in the works, but Bill had thought it would be too distracting for the first show
given the girls nerves.
Billy and Bob didn't miss a trick, and as before, the girls had no idea
that Billy was recording them. They assumed he was doing the sound
engineering for the venue as he would for every show they ever
performed. In a sense, he was, but he was also recording everything
that came to the board, including the crowd noise. It's not that they
wanted to hide it from the girls, it's just that they didn't want
that on their minds along with everything else.
After this first tour the cat would be out of the bag anyway and they'd
know what Billy was up to, but hey, by that time they'd be stage
veterans promoting a couple of live records and maybe another
studio album and a video.
It was going to be really tough to hide all the camera crew for the live
show video's. Bill and Bob figured they'd do a couple dry runs
starting with the second show, tomorrow night. They had
"camera" people walking around, darting in and out, getting close
ups etc. while the girls were playing. They would be real cameras, and there would be real video, but it wasn't in the plan to use it. Time would tell...
The girls thought it was a cool idea.
And so the first show of the first tour went. The crowd went absolutely
wild when the third set was over. They finished up with Huey Lewis'
"The Heart of Rock and Roll" and each left the
stage slowly as Janell was pounding the bass drum like it was a heartbeat. The light that had been focused on her gradually dimmed and went dark when the heartbeat faded to a stop.
The first show was nearly over.
The crowd went berserk. That's the only way to describe it. Since it was
the girls first show, they didn't know if there was to be an encore
or not, so the girls let them wind down a little. The house
lights hadn't come on which is usually telling the crowd, "It
ain't over yet, just make more appreciative noise."
So when the girls, followed by Bob, came out and went to their
instruments, once again, the crowd continued to go wild. As they
quieted down to a dull roar, Janell clicked off the cadence, and off
they went on a four tune encore.
I know I'll probably say it again, but the encore was almost always the
same. The only thing that the girls ever changed was the first song,
which tonight for the first show was Van Halen's "Hot for
Teacher".
The only thing the critics could apparently find fault with was the
encore. Then, all they could say is that it wasn't upbeat like everything else. "The show ended on a downer," they'd written.
Well realistically, everything else wasn't all upbeat. The girls wanted to
leave each show on a "thoughtful note". Their last tune was
always, without deviation, Steven Stills, "Find the Cost of
Freedom" as done by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
After the first show, they were hounded by the press; why had they ended
the show with such a somber song? What was the meaning behind it?
What were the girls trying to say?
"Is that all you people can come up with?" Michelle asked them
incredulously at the first press conference. It was the first show
and they were already sick of the press.
Heather calmly answered for all of them, "We do that song as a
tribute. It's supposed to be somber and we all hope that it will provoke
thought amongst the audience."
Looking around at the assembled media, "If one person truly listens,
thinks about the words to the song, what they truly
mean, and then says 'thank you' appropriately, our purpose in doing the number has been fulfilled."
And she left it at that.
Tribute? Tribute to whom? Tribute to what? What's it all about? The girls just smiled sweetly at them all. Ignoring the predictable clamor, they
turned and left the room leaving the press with their mouths hanging
open wondering what had just happened.
There will be more said towards the end about their feelings for ending
the show with that particular song.
It was really the way they played it. All five of them, with Bob in the
middle, were standing at the front of the stage with acoustic guitars
in their hands. Yes, Michelle too, she strummed chords until she had
finger picking down. It really wasn't that long. After playing
the musical intro, each playing her own interpretation, but in synch
with the others, it really was an incredible sound. Five acoustic guitars
playing very differently, the same piece of music.
Then holding hands, sang the song a Capella in absolutely perfect harmony,
something the girls would become very well known for. When the song
was finished, after a couple seconds Bob always whispered loudly into
the microphone, "Goodnight". Then, still hand in
hand, they all did their bows before walking, running or skipping off the stage, always hand in hand, Bob in the middle.
When they disappeared into the back, the house lights came up letting the crowd know it was time to go home. The planned two hour show had gone for a
little over three and the girls were so high there was no way they
were going to get any sleep tonight. At least not until the adrenalin wore
off and some fine wine to relax was administered.
Knowing how it was going to be, Bob already had the wine and champagne on ice
back in their suite, again at the Mark Hopkins downtown. They had
another show tomorrow night before they moved on to Seattle, but if
the crowd response to this show was any indication of how the rest of
the tour would go, it was going to be both amazing and one hell of a
lot of fun.
The girls couldn't stop talking. They were so pumped, they just walked
around backstage, making all of the local stage hands drool all over
themselves, but the girls didn't even notice. The nerves had
released, and now that the music was done for the night, they could
relax and truly appreciate what they had accomplished.
The first show was finished!
Chapter 13 -- The Videos - Show 2 - Cameras, Cameras, Everywhere
As announced earlier there was going to be some videos shot during
the concert tour. It was going to be one more product that Bill
could add to the business. "The Girls Playground Music Inc." would
be doing more than just music. The first release would be on tape
but as soon as the DVD format gelled, Bill was already planning on
that medium as well.
They all sat down before the second show which was the first to have
cameras on the stage. The girls were a little concerned about the camera
people getting in the way, but Kenny, the video producer, assured them
that the camera people doing the handheld work would be away from them as
much as possible doing close in shots using a telephoto type lens. The
"trainees" would not be doing any close in work. He told them if there was
an issue during these preliminary tests, to point them out so that it
could be fixed for the later "live" runs.
After the video briefing the band all sat down to review the play list for
the second show to make sure it was adequate for a video run. For videos
they wanted to make sure that they played some relatively difficult music
showing what they could do. After about a two hour discussion they came up
with the following list that they were all happy with.
Show 2 Set 1 41:18
The Feeling Begins - Peter Gabriel
Strange Brew - Cream
Lady - Beck, Bogart & Apice
Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees
Heart of Glass - Blondie
The House is Rockin' - Brian Setzer -- Big Band version
For What it's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Forty Thousand Headmen - Traffic
Jamie's Cryin' - Van Halen
Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung
Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
My Future's So Bright... - Timbuk3
Low Rider - War
Show 2 Set 2 41:24
Freedom '90 - George Michael
Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
Lola - Kinks --- Sing along
Playin' with the Boys - Kenny Loggins
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' - Journey
Whatever gets you through the night - John Lennon
Forbidden Fruit - Leah West
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Show 2 Set 3 42:45
Fanfare for the common man - ELP
Timothy Leary - Moody Blues
Dance Sister Dance - Santana
Dueling Banjos - From Deliverance - Done by Heather and Maryanne/switching once
Beach Boys Medley 22:37
Be True To Your School
Dance, Dance, Dance
Catch a Wave
Little Deuce Coupe
Fun, Fun, Fun
Shut Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfin' USA
Surfer Girl
In My Room
California Girls
Encore - (2) 13:08
Walking towards Paradise - Robert Plant
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Where Have all the Flowers Gone - Kingston Trio
Find the Cost of Freedom - CSN (Acoustic) -- Vocals a Capella
In choosing that list their level of difficulty went up tenfold from the
first show the night before. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Moody Blues, Big Band music, Stairway to Heaven, Won't get Fooled Again were all very intense pieces. Chelly would be spotlighted on much of it because ELP was orchestrated with synth, Moody Blues would have to be synth for the orchestra, she'd have to play the orchestral part of the
Big Band selection. Then Heather would be featured in Stairway to Heaven. Chell was also going to play the simple synth routine in "Won't Get Fooled Again" which the Who couldn't seem to do without a tape player on the stage. Everybody was going to be highlighted on that piece.
Show number two in San Francisco was upping the ante by a lot, but the girls
were excited about the program. They knew the music cold and it was challenging which really brought out the best and made them shine the brightest. Those lucky enough to have been able to get tickets for both shows were going to be stunned by the second show. If they thought they were impressed Friday night, wait until things play out on Saturday night.
Videos would introduce the girls to people that couldn't get to a
concert or afford tickets. As quickly as the shows were selling out
there was a demand that live shows couldn't meet. At least on a
schedule that Bob was willing to put the girls on.
Bob was being very careful to make sure Bill didn't over schedule the girls live performances. Bill being on the tour with them helped him keep his perspective. Bob knows how easy it is to get "burned out" on
the road. The last band had taken on a fourteen month two hundred
eighty show tour which almost had them in a different city
every night. It's one of the things that caused the band to split up.
That tour had been so grueling that by the end all the members were
at each other's throats. The petty bickering wore them down more
than anything else for the last few months of the tour. Oh, they
made a LOT of money, but at what cost?
There was no way Bob was going to allow that to happen this time
for any amount of money. Bill and Bob didn't really need any more money.
The girls were quite happy with the income
they were already getting from their talents. There was no reason
to burn them out with overly ambitious tours. The prospect of the
international "Around the World" tour was daunting enough, and he
knew the weeks they were going to schedule in Hawaii would be badly
needed by the time that tour was over. He had warned the girls
about over extending, and they took it to heart, so when Bill scheduled
Four short tours a year, they were not unhappy. Each tour was between two
and eight weeks and had eighteen to twenty five shows. The girls still made a lot of money but held on to their sanity. Some will argue, but money can't
buy your sanity back, and if it could, what's it worth?
So to meet the demand of the public, bring on Videos.
They started acclimating the girls to a camera crew at the second show.
There were a hand full of roadies that didn't have any activities
once they had set up their assigned equipment, so they were given
instruction on doing camera work. There would be at least 18
cameras shooting the highest quality video that was possible.
Eighteen cameras you ask? Yes eighteen. They wanted to capture everything they could get so that the producer would have a multitude of shots to cut
with. There were three cameras in front of the stage, one on the
right, one on the left and one in the center. Those cameras were duplicated
further back in the venue, usually much higher up and into the balcony of the hall. Those six cameras were on remotely controlled X-Y-Z axis mounts so that
the video "producer" could sit in the booth, move and focus each individually
with a joystick and a knob.
There were to be another three cameras that were on the X-Y-Z axis mounts
that were to either side and slightly behind and above Janell to be able to
catch all of her drum action as well as other activities on the stage.
There was also one on the same kind of mount directly behind and way above
Janell that could pan the entire stage and audience.
Something Jan never compromised or really thought about until the first
video came out and she could see herself performing, was what she wore to
work. There were a few chuckles, but about the middle of the second set it
was very obvious that Jan was soaking in sweat. It was also noticed that
she was constantly drinking from the water bottles or Gatorade. It gave
everyone an additional appreciation of Jan's abilities and physical
condition. The young woman worked her ass off every performance.
And afterwards she was as "bouncy" and energized after two and a half hours
of playing as she was during the first few numbers they did.
The other nine or ten cameras were hand held. Five were in the control of
"professional camera people" and the other four
would be handled by the newly trained roadies.
Each hand held would be "steered" by the producer using
a small radio link to each individual. When he wanted a particular
shot, he'd call the camera that he'd staged for that area of the
stage and tell them what he wanted. That camera would do what was
requested until the producer confirmed it was in the right place
and to hold the shot for now. These kinds of shots were handled
by the inexperienced road crew personnel, but by the fourth show,
they were also veterans of camera work and it showed in the video
quality obtained. They certainly weren't pros yet, but their work
improved at each show, and by the end of the tour Kenny
alluded to being able to use them for other camera work.
Those four roadies were filming every concert. The rest of the crew didn't
always come to all the shows and what the four roadies did was fill
work. Similar to an audio fill-in, video works the same way. The
overall producer would give them a list of things he'd like for them
to capture so that at the end of the tour it could all be mixed into
a cohesive film. The fixed 10 cameras were also at each show, and
Billy would manipulate them at times to focus in on something that
was happening so that the producer would have that to look at and
use if he wanted to. It turned out that Bill was pretty good at
video as well as audio.
One of the problems the video crews and producer had was
that the girls didn't play the same music or sequence at each show.
The exceptions were the encore and the Beach Boys Medley. Some of the
tunes they did were repeated in those thirty scripted sets, but not
very many, so if the producer needed a fill in for a specific song he'd
ask the girls to play it at some point in the show. They would always
insert it somewhere so the cameras could get the shots.
Individual close ups were done by the 5 professional camera operators.
They were familiar with how to get close in shots of each musician without
disturbing or distracting them.
It was interesting to watch the girls reactions to having cameras that
first time. Bob thought Maryanne was going to falter during the
opening because the camera was nearly in her face to catch her
playing of the doudouk, but she managed to ignore the distraction and
carried it off perfectly. She did mention it after the show.
After each show the entire crew would meet and discuss the methods, what
worked, what didn't, and this was the opportunity for the girls to
express their feelings about having a camera that close while she was
playing. Adjustments were made, so that some of the close ups were
done with telephoto equipment so the operator could stand back away
allowing the subject to play without having to worry about running
into a camera.
That made a big difference in the process of filming, so when all the raw
video was reviewed and the music mixed with it no one would know that
the camera was fifteen feet away when it showed a close up of one of
the girls faces during a tune. There were times when the camera had to be close to get the effect, but the girls knew ahead that the cameraman was going to move in close so were ready for the intrusion. It all worked very well.
You would think that the girls were professional actresses the way they
handled the camera crews after about the third or fourth go around.
They seemed oblivious to the filming going on and just did their
"act" the way they would if there wasn't a film crew crawling all over the stage. If you asked them, they would tell you that they just ignored the cameras. Their comment was, "even when they were "in our face", we were
busy doing something, so it was fairly easy to just "pretend" that they
weren't there."
Other than Jan, none of them was particularly over active while playing, I mean, Heather didn't jump around like Pete Townsend. Chelly and Maryanne were a bit more animated, but they had varying things to do. Bob? Ever see John Entwistle? For the most part that's about all the action you got from Bob. Like anything there were exceptions but it seemed it was part of the "fun" act they did because they'd all dance around together.
They also played to each other as much as they played for the audience. I think it was very obvious that the entire band really enjoyed what they were doing. Bob sang songs to each of the girls at some point. Everly Brothers, "Let It Be Me", Jefferson Airplane, "Today", and a multitude of others. The girls would sing to him as well.
They talked about filming the instrument swap medley
just to see what it looked like. They would bring the film crew into
their "Playground" to do the filming on the medley. Playroom three was
large enough that the camera crew could work it like a stage. The fixed
cameras were no problem either, so there was some consistency in the look.
That session could be used as an extra on a tape, but when DVD's were
out they could put all kinds of things on a disk. It would have to be a
two tape set, but that's alright, it would bring more income.
It was during the second night of the fourth stop, in Los Angeles. Janell's
mom had come to this show with Judy. They tried a couple of the things they
had been working on. This was the "first" live video that was supposed to
be recorded for release. All the other stuff was practice to get the girls
used to cameras.
Most of that practice video wasn't usable but there were a couple numbers
they did in Seattle that were priceless and would either make the
"show" video or be one of the out take bonus extras.
One was an interchange between Michelle and Maryanne. They were both
doing the keyboards, Michelle working the synth while Maryanne played
it straight. Bob didn't know that they had practiced this so it was a
total surprise. Bob and Heather were both blown away by the routine, and Janell, unflappable Janell, just played right with it like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
While Chelly was playing a section, Maryanne switched her Korg into synth
mode. Chelly had made sure that hers and Annie's were set up exactly
the same and when they started their fun they got precisely the
reaction from Heather and Bob they had expected.
When Maryanne had switched her Korg into synth mode she began to play
"Battle of the Synth's" with Michelle. The body language between them
was priceless as each tried to one up the other, but the whole thing
was totally scripted by the two of them.
When Bob heard the "conflict" happening he looked over
to see the two of them playing at each other drawing Heather's eyes to the pair as well.
In disbelief both Bob and Heather stopped playing they were so shocked.
As soon as they had both stopped to stare, Maryanne picked up the
bass and lead guitar on the synth while Chelly continued the battle
of the synths by herself playing both parts. It had worked exactly as
they had figured it would and both were laughing hysterically by the
time the number ended.
Heather just joined the laughter along with Janell. "What the fuck was that?"
was definitely heard over a mic and it was obvious to the crowd that
the girls were having a blast. For that routine they got a 5 minute standing
ovation from the appreciative crowd.
Bob had told them to have fun!
Bob stood there shaking his head, and when the crowd noise dimmed down he
spoke into his microphone to the two. "What the hell was that
ladies?" he asked.
Both Michelle and Maryanne just shrugged their shoulders with huge
grins on their faces. They'd pulled it off and it had worked perfectly.
They were really proud of themselves.
As soon as the two girls behind the keyboards had shrugged their
shoulders at Bob, "Admiral Janell", as always, took control again. She put
her head around her vocals mic and said so everyone on stage could hear,
"Ready." She gave them about two seconds to let it sink in then
started clicking the next song on the list. The show continued flawlessly
without any further incidents."
When they got to the dressing room, all laughing like usual, Bob looked
around the room then at Chelly and Maryanne and asked again,
"What the fuck was that, you two?"
"Oh. Just something Chelly and I worked up to try."
Then after a brief pause for the chuckles, "Well. You told us
we needed to have more fun. That was hilariously fun!!"
Chelly nodded her head, "It worked perfectly. You guys are so
predictable, it wasn't even a challenge."
Bob looked at Janell since she had just kept playing along and asked,
"Did you know anything about this?"
"Nope. I heard music in my headphones and just kept playing. Sorry, but
I think it was brilliant!!" She laughed as she looked at the
two perpetrators.
Heather popped in, "I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was so out of character for what we normally do, it
distracted me enough that I had to stop, and Bob stopping at about
the same time just happened."
She looked at Bob with a grin, "Jan's right honey. They did pull
it off brilliantly. When Maryanne started playing the bass and lead part on
the synth, I thought my jaw was going to fall off my face."
Then looking right at Maryanne, "Shit Annie, I don't think there's
anyone in the world that could have pulled that off as seamlessly as
you did, and Chelly picking up both parts of your "battle" was
fucking insane!"
Bob looked around the room at all of them and said, "Ok. You got
us fair and square and it worked. I'll agree with the brilliantly word
as well."
Then with a big grin asked, "Do you smart asses
have any other tricks like that up your sleeves?"
Chelly looked at Maryanne and they both giggled. Then Chelly looked at Bob
and just said, "Oh yeah."
Bob just groaned shaking his head. "What have I gotten myself in
to?"
That was one piece of video that would probably make a final cut.
They had all worked the swap in "Dueling Banjo's" from the
Movie "Deliverance" in the second show ... You remember don't
you? Squeal like a piggie!!
The way it happened was that Maryanne with a banjo and Heather with an acoustic guitar sat in a couple of chairs front and center. They began the
routine, with Hey's guitar and Annie's banjo answering. When it got
really into the play, Bob came in and spoke into the microphone,
"Whoa. Whoa, wait, hold it. What's going on?"
Of course both of the girls slowly stopped and looked at him.
With a big grin, "You have it backwards girls. That's not how we
practiced it."
Maryanne and Heather looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, then
swapped instruments.
Looking at the crowd once more they both shrugged and shook their heads,
looked at Bob then began to play the song again.
When it finished, the crowd went wild. They marveled at what they'd just
seen. Two young women equally proficient at either instrument,
swapping them around without any problems. The part that was focused
on was the fact that Maryanne didn't normally play the guitar. She was
doing keyboards, or congas, or sax, or something else. Doing this number
the way they did just showed that she was adept at the stringed instruments
too. Just wait until she picks up the violin later.
It took about ten seconds for both Maryanne and Heather to put the
instruments down, and pick up what they needed for the next number,
while two of the roadies jetted out to grab the instruments and chairs.
As soon as the crowd settled a little, Janell gave them the usual
clickety-click and they went on to play the rest of the show.
One piece that nobody could believe was their version of Yanni's
"Within Attraction". When Yanni did the number he had a full orchestra
and a couple of the best violinists anywhere. If you ever saw the
Yanni concert at the Acropolis, Karen Briggs was the "premier" violinist
and Shardad Rohani who was conducting the orchestra picked up the "battle"
part on a violin. Briggs may have been the premier, but he was no slouch!
When the girls did the number, Chelly did the entire orchestra on the
synth, and Maryanne did both battling parts on the violin. That was when
the "world" learned that Maryanne was classically trained on violin, and
she could play it!
The critics went overboard heaping accolades on the band.
It was almost as if they could walk on water, and by the
time they returned to San Francisco for the last two shows,
the girls true talents were being recognized in much the way Bob
had hoped.
These diamonds were now well polished and shining brightly!
-----
The rest of the tour went off like clockwork just like the first show.
The band was getting more acclaim from everyone than they could have
expected in 100 years. After the LA shows even the curmudgeons had come
around and were smiling and saying nice things.
When the last show was over, there was a kick-ass thank you party for the
entire staff of roadies that had traveled with them to move and set
up the equipment for each show. They took the whole floor at the Mark
Hopkins and partied pretty much all night.
Janell was extremely pleased that her drums were set up exactly the
way she liked, which was done without error for every show. Jerry got
a huge hug and kiss from Janell which I'm sure blew him away, but
she wanted him to know that she was very pleased with how well he had
done his job.
As the kiss went on they both heard a loud, "Ahemmm".
Breaking it, Janell looked at a very disturbed "Jerry's
girlfriend", but she took the bull by the horns and rushed over
to hug the girl which took her aback totally.
"Ginny. Oh my god. Jerry was perfect! He took such good care of me."
Innocently not realizing what that had sounded like, she continued,
"I didn't have to worry about anything. When I came to the stage
everything was absolutely perfect. I didn't have to do anything but
play. He even kept my water bottles full for me.
Then with a giggle, "But it's over for now so until the next tour he's
all yours again." Then kissed her softly on the cheek, turned around to
say "Thank you" to Jerry once more, then skipped off disappearing
into the crowd.
Jerry looked into Ginny's eyes and with a chuckle said, "You don't
have to worry about Janell making a play on me sweetie. She likes girls
so you might want to talk to her," he said with a big grin.
Ginny looked at him with surprised eyes and chuckled.
He leaned in and gave her a very tender kiss. Then Jerry took Ginny by the
hand, and they also walked off into the crowd to enjoy the end
of the tour party.
As it turned out, Jerry, "Janell's roadie" stayed with
the band, as did most of the original staff, for the entire six year
run. Once they were trained, it was always a pleasure to work with a
good crew, and these guys and gals knew how to take care of a band.
By the same token, Bob and Bill made sure that they were very well taken care
of also. They were paid extra because the tours were so short. Bill
knew that longer tours would make them more money, but he just sweetened
the pie as much as he could. They were making about 85% of what
they'd make with other tours, but were only working two to eight
weeks every three months. They also stayed in "class" rooms, and ate great food so they knew which side of the bread the butter was on. Money isn't everything!!
Speaking of Janell, at the party after the last show, it was decided that
Jan's SO, Terri, would begin to accompany the band on their tours. Terri and Jan had gotten together seriously just before the first tour started. Janell had been fairly distracted, and Terri understood so stayed pretty much in the background until the party after the tour was over. The reason she was being invited on the tours is covered in a little while, but let's just say Bob was thrilled!!
Like Janell, Terri was a very pretty girl. Not in the same way as Janell,
but they made a really cute couple. She was also bi, but like Jan preferred girls and rarely ever entertained a man. It would be interesting to see if she had the same draw to Bob as Janell.
It also didn't prevent Janell from seeing Bob regularly, but she
was still solidly in the "girl" corner. Terri didn't seem to have
any problem with the fact that Janell would spend a night or two
with Bob. Usually either Heather or Michelle, sometimes both, would
make sure that she was "taken care of". She just became part of
the family.
Heather, Michelle and Bob managed to keep their relationship out of
the press until after the last tour was over. They all thought it
would be better that way, but it also added to the paparazzi frenzy
because it was known that Heather and Michelle were "taken", but
there was never a man. What's with that? You have to know it was
driving the editors absolutely mad. Every time they thought they had
something, it turned out to be a red herring. It also turns out that
Bob is very good at spreading fish.
When they weren't touring they hung out at the ranch most of the
time, practicing or rehearsing for the next tour. Heather had enrolled
in Mendicino College and was well on her way to a music degree.
She ended up dragging Chelly with her, so Chelly was also well
on her way. It's just another example of how close Chelly and Heather
really are.
When they enrolled they had talked to the chancellor about having
some level of anonymity so they could do their studies without
causing problems for either themselves or for others. They didn't want
to be a disruptive force, to which the faculty agreed.
So both were registered under assumed names known only to the
chancellor. Not even the faculty knew who they were. They wore wigs or colored their hair to disguise
their appearance. Heathers hair was so long and thick that it was
impossible to put it up under a wig so she dyed hers black and
straightened it, then had to go back to blonde and kinky when they went on a tour. Chelly just became a blonde and had three or four wigs to choose from.
Having short hair had its advantages. I'm sure that those blazing green eyes turned more than a few heads on campus!
Changing hair colors and using some really gaudy makeup disguised
them well. Of course all the others laughed like hell when they
left for school. Terri, Janell and Maryanne had a sign made up
for the doors to their room that said, "These Girls are Clowns".
Both Heather and Chell took it all in stride, laughed with the rest of
them and went to school every day. They also left the signs on the doors.
Bob was thrilled that the both of them were pursuing their
education. Maryanne and Janell had personal things going on that
distracted them from school, but soon Janell joined Heather and Chelly, and
Maryanne worked with them doing correspondence courses. Terri
already had a Masters in finance and business so, as will be mentioned
later, Bob gave her a job.
Once they all had their two year AA degrees, they'd wait for a few years to
see how things played out then they would all go to the same four year
school together. The overall goal was for all of them to obtain
at least a Masters level in music.
But they protected their identities fanatically. Personal lives
were nobody's damned business, and the girls were religious about
protecting that aspect of their lives. Nobody, and I mean nobody
could ever do an Enquirer story on any one of them. A few tried to
their peril, but that was the exception not the rule.
Bob was fair game, but he didn't care. The girls knew that it was all
bullshit anyway, so he just let the paparazzi chase him around and
write anything they wanted. At one report he was shown as an alien which,
according to Heather and Michelle, may not have been all that far from the truth.
In another he was secretly a woman, so he donned a wig and a dress, but
didn't shave the beard or mustache. He ran around like that for a few hours
so that they could get their "photos" while chasing him around town.
Bob loved a good game of "Mind Fuck" and he played at a masters level.
He actually made a game out of it most of the time and more often than not,
he'd lose them somehow so they had no idea where he was. If the group had
pulled it off right, the paparazzi didn't even find out where they stayed
until after they were gone.
The Secret Service has nothing on this bunch. They could probably take
a few lessons.
Chapter 14 -- Back to the Ranch
So when the party was over, and everything was packed into the truck and
on its way back to Willits, the seven of them got into a limo and
rode the few hours to the ranch. The ride was a bit more subdued than
the party and it seemed like there was a big letdown now that they
didn't have any place to go, or a show to play for a couple months.
When they got back to the ranch, it was 3am and the adrenalin had worn off
hours ago. They all dragged themselves into the house, and went to
their respective rooms.
Janell with Terri, Billy and Maryanne with Michelle joining Heather
and Bob as usual. Michelle had sort of found a man, but wasn't ready
to make any kind of commitment. She wasn't sure she wanted to
subject anyone to the bullshit that would surround them by having
a relationship with one of "These Girls Can Play". Her "woman's intuition" was also raising a lot of red flags with him. She wasn't all
that sure about him and as it turned out, it was just as well
because the guy turned out to be a gold digger and really wasn't
interested in Chelly.
She really didn't mind sharing with Heather. There was a lot of love
shared by the three of them. Chelly and Heather got in some fun times of
their own, so it was all good. Neither girl felt threatened by the
other, and even later on Bob usually had one on each arm.
That night the house was mostly silent. This was the first time that
Terri had been to the ranch but she really wouldn't see it until the
morning, or afternoon, whenever it was they woke up. The relationship with Jan had bloomed on Terri's home ground shortly after all of them had moved up
from LA. She didn't identify Jan with the girls until Jan had said something about having to go on tour so she'd be gone for about six weeks.
From everything that Jan had said to the others, Terri was totally blown away
when she found out who it was she'd been "playing with" or dating or whatever
you wanted to call it. It had developed into a very loving relationship before that, which was smart on Jan's part. There wasn't any grass growing under Miss Janell's feet!!
There are so many gold diggers out there, trying to
scam someone that has money, it's easier just to play the pauper. None of the girls were opulent, so it would be hard for an outsider to tell they were anything more than what they appeared. Four teenage girls having fun.
As dedicated to their music as they were
it was actually quite rare that they wandered out. Jan was the exception to the wandering but nobody ever doubted her dedication to task. It was just that some nights she would disappear and not show back up until the next morning in plenty of time for breakfast - showered, alert and ready for the days workout!
Soon, in Janell's room, she and Terri were at it hot and heavy. When they had walked into the room, Janell turned to face her mate and planted a "fuck me" kiss on her lips, which Terri promptly honored.
Very slowly she stripped Janell of her T-shirt and jeans both of which, as
usual after a show, had nothing under them, and while Janell was returning the favor, they both made their way to one of the beds in the room.
Before they fell on the inviting mattress, Jan whispered, "Shower! I beat those drums all night, I need a shower bad!!"
Both women changed direction and headed straight for the shower room that Jan shared with Bob, Michelle, and Heather. They almost mindlessly showered, washing each other softly partaking of the smallest of groping, before drying each other tenderly and retracing the steps back to the bed.
Both clean and naked, they knelt together pressing their bodies into each other. Terri feeling the hardness of Janell's stiff nipples pressing into her chest while Terri's were stabbing Janell. Both moaned when the hard tips were
pressed into their flattened breasts, each turning back and forth minutely
to create some friction.
Pressed together, both Janell and Terri found their mounds being stimulated
by the other. Each slipped a thigh in between the others legs pushing against
the naked mound it found. With their arms wrapped tightly around each other, they both wiggled their bodies trying to find some quick release.
Their tender loving kisses went on for a long time as they both began to move
their hands lovingly over the other, touching and probing very softly.
Terri moved one hand down to Janell's mound, squeezing down and moving her own thigh from her press to give her fingers access to Jan's slit. When she
began to rub around the little soldier standing guard at the high post of
Janell's sex, Jan moaned softly into her mouth while moving her knees further
apart allowing Terri easier access. She ran her fingers lightly around the
soldiers post but not touching directly bringing on a gasping moan of frustration.
Breaking their long kiss, Terri looked into Jan's dancing eyes with
a smile saying, "Your first kiss said 'fuck me' sweetie, and that's
exactly what I intend to do."
Janell again softly moaned while Terri explored her soaking vulva still keeping her fingers away from Jan's clit. She began to allow Terri to push her on to her back knowing that Terri would soon bring her pleasures no man could ever match. By the same token, now she also knew pleasures that no woman could ever give to her. Tonight was Jan's turn, but Terri knew her turn would come very soon. Then Terri would experience that hot passion that Bob had told Heather about.
While Janell's back settled on to the bed with Terri laying on top of her, she spread her legs out wide. Terri now fully engaged Jan's clit rubbing it
softly with her own mons. Terri knew exactly what floated Janell's boat so she set out to put it in the water. Jan was giving out soft moans while she
wiggled around under Terri's knowing body.
Moving her mound around on Jan's, Terri continued to softly press her lips
to Janell's allowing her tongue to lightly lick her upper lip and play
tenderly with the tongue that came to meet the intruder.
Terri began moving her hands and mouth touching Jan lightly in some
places, more firmly in others, stimulating her in ways most men don't
even know how to do, in special places most men wouldn't be familiar
with.
Janell had already experienced two small orgasms before Terri's mouth
made it to the stiff protrusions on her mound. Licking softly and
suckling lightly, Janell felt the burning lightning bolts run from
her breasts all the way to her vagina causing it to drip some of
her sweet nectar.
Terri could read Jan like a book and as soon as Jan's pussy had made it's
offering, she moved quickly down between Jan's legs and lapped up the
nectar before it could get away. Never let a drop escape!
"As long as I'm down here," thought Terri. She started slowly and
softly moving her tongue up the middle of Janell's split pausing at
the very top to knock on the door the little sentry was behind. Her
tongue slowly moved around Jan's clit softly, so soft that Jan could
barely feel it consciously, but her clit knew. It was sending messages
to the brain telling it to cause the rest of the body to arch, muscles
to tighten, and begin to spasm until further notice.
That's precisely what Janell's body did. While Terri increased the pressure
with her tongue, Jan gave a low gasping moan while her body jumped,
arched upward and twitched strongly. Terri knew that Jan could have some
powerfully intense orgasms and this was the beginning of one, so she
continued to move her tongue gently through the soaking cleft in front of
her.
Putting more pressure on the hard little knob at the top, she took Janell
over the ledge into a massive orgasm by quickly pushing two fingers
through her entrance and beginning to finger fuck her quickly.
Jan let out a loud, groan and "Ah ah ah ah ahah...nghnn" from deep
within her body. Terri hung on for dear life, her head firmly
trapped between two squeezing thighs.
She let her tongue dart out softly in rhythm to Jan's writhing while
turning the fingers she'd inserted in her pussy, extending the orgasm
for a longer time. Janell finally reached down to push the
attacking face away, a face that was grinning widely knowing that she
had just given her lover an ultimate in physical ecstasy. She slowly
began kissing her way upwards towards Janell's face where
she softly lowered her lips giving her tender, loving kisses. She began
moving her lips around Jan's face touching so lightly that it was
like the pressure a butterfly would cause by flapping it's wings.
After a time, Janell's breathing finally started to come back to normal.
Her eyes opened and still being somewhat out of focus, searched out
the eyes of this wonderful woman that had just given her an
incredibly powerful orgasm. Through all of those feelings, Jan felt
somehow empty. Completely fulfilled and satisfied, but empty.
Their eyes meeting, Terri's were smiling and Janell's were recovering. They
began to exchange soft, loving kisses in a way only two women can.
Wrapped in each other's arms, both fell quietly into slumber land, their
breathing becoming shallow and regular.
While all of that was going on in Janell's room, in Bob's room Heather and
Michelle had attacked full force, nearly tackling him as they
stripped his clothes off. Bob was too tired to fight so he readily
submitted to his loving attackers.
First stop, quick shower. The three of them managed to get into and out of the shower before Janell and Terri came in. Not that it would have mattered, Terri was the only unknown, but Jan knew she wouldn't have a problem with "a man" in the shower.
Getting out and drying off, Bob had revived a little but was still far to tired to fight off his attackers and passively awaited his fate. He thought to himself, "Hurt me, hurt me," as they pushed him towards the bed.
Heather had him high, Michelle had him low, pushing him on to the bed face
up. The two girls gave each other a mischievous smile, both standing
and preparing their plan of attack. One on either side of him,
Bob just tried to keep his eyes open enough to appreciate the
gorgeous women that were about to have their way with him.
He watched as over the top of him both girls embraced and kissed
tenderly before looking down to him. Then with evil grins, Heather
laid down beside him with her face covering his, dropping to press
her lips to his, initiating the latest version of gentle tongue
tag while softly caressing his chest, arms and tummy.
When he felt a warm soft wetness on his stiff cock he let out a
low moan, whispering, "Oh god that's good."
Michelle smiled at his comment while she began to move her head around his
cock licking and sucking everywhere she could. She felt something
invading her pussy and looking up saw Heather's hand snaked in between
her legs, which she moved apart swiftly giving her less restricted
access to her sex.
Heather moved her breasts to hang over Bob's face dropping one into his
mouth, alternating while he appreciatively licked and sucked on the stiff
nipple that he found in front of his face.
"Chelly," Heather whispered, "climb up sweetie, take him inside
you."
Michelle looked up at her partner with a questioning look causing Heather to
chuckle then repeat her suggestion. "Take him inside you Chell, let
him give your pussy a sperm bath."
This is the first time they had attacked Bob like this. They both had made
love with Bob separately, but this time they were doubling up on him.
They'd all slept together many times, but sex had been a more private
thing. Tonight would not only be breaking that ice but providing
precedent for future encounters. Heather enjoyed being able to share
Bob with both Chelly and Jan.
She wasn't all that sure at this point, but didn't think Terri would
be all that interested. She seemed like she was pretty much a woman's
woman. No issues, but she wanted to make sure that Terri knew that the
possibility was available if she desired, all she had to do was say
the word. Heather thought she'd bring it up with Jan and let her decide if
and how to present the offer to Terri.
Chelly started to raise herself up to straddle Bob, while Heather did the
same causing Bob to moan in frustration that both the mouth that had
been working on his cock and the breasts that were inserting
themselves in his mouth had suddenly disappeared. He felt one
straddling his hips and moving forward just a little taking his
cock in hand. He felt the parting of two tight lips as his stiff
member was slowly inserted into a very wet, very warm, tight, smooth
velvet tunnel while Chelly gently impaled herself on him.
Opening his eyes to see what was making him feel so good, he was faced with a
dripping pussy right in front of his face. Heather had moved to straddle him
and was now in place so that he could give her a little tongue action, which he promptly accommodated.
Both women were moaning softly feeling their pussies being well
attended to. Chelly was just moving her hips around, back, and forth
scraping her clit against Bob bringing her a very quick orgasm,
while Heather leaned forward and took Chelly's nipples, one at a time, into
her mouth licking and sucking softly. The feel of her mouth sent
Chelly over the precipice once again and Bob felt her very tight
vagina begin to squeeze him without mercy with pulses that have only
one purpose, to milk sperm out of the invader to making it splash inside the
welcoming womb. He was too tired to fight it, but wondered why
he'd ever want to do that.
"Oh god Chelly, Hey I'm going to...Ahhgggg, Ohyeessssss."
He exploded inside Michelle's welcoming pussy. The tip of the hose had
been pressed hard against the small opening at the back letting little
escape from within.
When Bob started to spray the inside of Chelly's womb, she went plunging
over the edge again, which in turn made Heather smash her pussy down on
to Bob's face. He continued his licking in earnest while she joined them
both in her own pleasant soft orgasm.
Heather and Chelly were literally holding each other up with their arms around each other, heads on each other's shoulders. Bob was already beginning
to lick Heathers sex again causing her to moan into Chelly's shoulder.
Chelly's pussy was still milking on Bob's cock keeping him deep inside her.
The action going on inside of her vagina began to make Bob stiff again.
Moaning, she started her hips moving again stimulating her sensitive clit
again but at the same time making Bob's cock harder inside her. She
continued her short back and forth movements keeping Bob firmly
planted deep inside.
"Hey," she whispered with a grin, "Do you want some of
this?"
Heather looked at her with question written on her face.
Chelly chuckled and said, "He's hard again Hey, you can
have his second shot if you want."
Smiling broadly Heather gasped to her partner in crime,
"For sure Chell, I'll take some of that. It's for you
tonight, but if you want to share, I'm certainly not
going to turn you down."
Chelly looked at Heather, "I'm not greedy Hey, he's your man and I
appreciate you sharing."
Looking her deeply in the eyes, "Chelly," Heather said to her softly,
"He's our man!!"
Chelly smiled at her best friend mouthing "Thank you", then saying, "This has
been so fucking sexy, we have to double up on him like this more often."
Both nodded to each other with wicked eyes, while Chelly slowly withdrew
his stiff cock from her pussy slowly moving to lay next to him
on the bed.
While Chelly was moving off, Heather moved from his face to over his cock,
reaching down to insert it into her own welcoming tunnel giving an appreciative groan when it had penetrated her to the bone.
She worked him the same way Michelle had, just moving her hips back and
forth putting the maximum stimulation on her clit. She began moaning
immediately as she began a series of small orgasms that consumed her
for the moment.
Michelle moved in next to Bob throwing her arm over his chest and moved her
face, kissing him smoothly, allowing her tongue to lightly lick is
lips. He responded with his own tongue, but didn't press the kiss. He
was enjoying the light kisses immensely. These kisses are a lot more
sensual than the usual "pressurized" lip lock. He'd have to remember to
mention it to both women when his brain was fully in gear.
Chelly turned her head to look at Heather who had her eyes closed just
feeling the sensation of a hard cock deeply inside of her.
"I love you Heather," she spoke softly with a wry smile on her face.
Heather opened her eyes and with a big smile, looked down at her loving
partner and softly affirmed, "I love you too Chelly, more
than I can ever express with words."
Michelle knew what she was referring to. She turned to look at Bob who was now looking right into her eyes having heard the exchange between them.
Beaming at him, she softly pressed her lips to his and looking
directly into his eyes, whispered into his mouth, "I love you
so much Bob."
Bob was overcome with emotion. He first looked at Chelly with tenderness,
and whispered back, "I love you too Chelly." Then moved his lips to hers
and softly kissed her in the same sensual way she had been kissing him,
licking her lip lightly.
With a warm look she let out a heavy sigh and put her head down on his
shoulder, while Heather continued to enjoy the stiffness that was
filling her.
She was having almost continuous small orgasms now, not being able to
tell if it was a lot of little visits, or one long never ending
orgasm.
Both Heather and Bob's eyes met expressing the deep love they felt for
each other, both enjoying the love making they were presently sharing
knowing that it would continue to be like this on a more regular basis.
Of course both had different definitions of what the "it" was that
would continue.
In Bob's mind, remember he's a guy, the sharing of love making would be
with this beautiful woman who was presently impaled on is cock.
To Heather on the other hand, the sharing would be with Chelly. She was
thoroughly enjoying this threesome and wanted it to be repeated. Regularly!
The energy level was waning rapidly. Heather was slowing down and leaned
down putting her hands on Bob's chest letting her head droop. She was
running out of steam, but still enjoying the feeling she was getting.
Bob, noticing the fatigue, lifted her face so that they could look at each
other and said, "Hey, if you want to climb down it's
ok..."
"But you didn't come baby," she almost whined.
"Yes I did honey, and you feel incredible surrounding me, but you're about
to fall down and you don't need to kill yourself. There will be many
many more nights for all of us, I promise."
Heather managed to give him a very tired smile and leaving his stiffness
buried deep inside of her, let herself lay down. Still on top kissing
him tenderly, she leaned over to kiss Michelle. Not surprisingly she found that Chelly was already fast asleep, so put a soft kiss on her cheek.
She looked back at Bob with tired eyes and lowered her head to his chest,
put one arm around Michelle, and was asleep before her body had completely
collapsed on top of him.
Bob reached up and turned off the light, and looked at the clock on the
bed stand. It was four forty five in the morning, and it had been a
very long, very big day, but there was nothing to do in the morning,
or all the next week for that matter. He smiled to himself thinking
back on the tour, knowing that his dream for the girls was beginning
to happen very rapidly.
Letting out a satisfied heavy sigh, he joined his two lovers in slumber.
-----
The media was having a field day, or at least they were trying to.
Four stone foxes and they're all single? They're in the music lifestyle
and they're not out fucking every swinging dick in town to "get ahead"?
The tabloid editors were berating the reporters and photographers for
"dereliction of duty" because they couldn't seem to get any photos
or a story that they could sensationalize out of proportion like they
did with every other celebrity they covered.
They wanted dirt. Anything. It was desperation time, and some outlets had
actually made stuff up just to fill column space. All of them eventually
had to print retractions, front page, large headlines, when they'd been
found out, but that was for the lawyers to deal with. When they were caught in lies and distortions, Bob wanted to embarrass them to the max. He had no
sympathy for their, "they had a job to do" line of BS, so he would go out
of his way to rub shit in their faces. Not real good for the Karma
points, but Bob really didn't care about that. It had already gone around, so
now they were getting what was comin' around.
As Bob and Bill had both predicted the two groups that had poo-poo'd
letting the girls do some of their tunes came crawling back to see if
they could jump on the bandwagon. They were both told no. They had blown
their chance, and the girls no longer even practiced with their music,
and didn't need their material anyway.
One of the two tried to publicly smear the girls obviously hoping, that
Bill, to take the "heat" off the whole group, would capitulate and play
their tunes. When it happened Bill looked at Bob and the girls and said,
"Dey don't know me vewy welw!"
They all laughed at his imitation of Elmer Fudd.
It completely backfired on them when the whole of the music industry saw
through what was going on. Bob and Billy sent out notices that got to each
and every distribution point in the industry. In the notice they described
the situation, what had happened and why. Having been caught with their fingers in the cookie jar, that group never worked again. They couldn't even book a local bar.
Blackballing is illegal of sorts, but not hiring someone or finding an out in a breach of contract isn't. There was only one person in that
particular group that was responsible, which was recognized, but none
of the musicians that were in the group worked very much in the industry
again. All had been tainted by the greed of one slime-ball. They didn't need
money and two of the members did private fund raisers when they could. Both
had come to Bob and Bill to apologize for the indiscretion. Bob let them both
know that it wasn't a personal thing except for the one dickhead. They smiled
and said that they totally understood.
The gods of Karma had spoken. If you're going to shit in your kitchen, be
sure you're comfortable eating shit.
The other group took their rejection for what it was. A business
decision, and moved on. It was too bad they hadn't seen the
possibilities when Billy approached them in the first place, but
that's twenty-twenty hindsight. Their manager just hadn't had the balls
to take a chance and wanted more money. That's business! Greed!
They did a couple comeback tours before finally retiring. The girls agreed
to play at some of their final tour gigs, but only because they were
actually pretty nice people, their manager had just made a bad business
decision.
The person who had made the decision was no longer with them either, he'd left for "greener pastures" that ended up brown and dry. What goes
around, comes around. He got what he deserved in the long run. That's the kind of attitude you need in the music business. Cut throat, back
stabbing, sneaking thief...Hmmm. Sounds like politicians. I suppose you could
make an argument for the similarity, but that's beyond the scope here.
They had made a lot of money on their final tour thanks to the girls
participation. In the end, the girls didn't even take any money from
them for the work.
They just told the boys in the band that they'd enjoyed working with them,
and came home. Bob wasn't a bit surprised, and was proud of their
decisions. He had played with two members of the group at one point in
his career. He both respected and liked them both. The girls
certainly didn't need the money, but realistically neither did they.
And so it went. "These Girls Can Play" toured the
world. They averaged four six week tours per year, and tried to stretch them out
so it wasn't a drag on their energy. The world tour, as predicted,
was significantly longer than their usual run, but the two months
they spent in Hawaii at the end more than made up for stress.
Any one of them could have afforded it, but by mutual agreement they all
pitched in some money and bought a huge spread on Maui. It was actually
put in Maggie's name so there wasn't an obvious tie to the girls. With all
agreeing, they also asked Maggie if she would move in and be the caretaker
while there was no one else there. What do you think??
They had six acres and a 7200 square foot house that had its own
"private beach". The two months they were there were so relaxing the
girls tried to talk Bob and Bill into moving the ranch. They knew
they couldn't do that, but now they had a place to hide when ever
they wanted to rest for a while. They spent a few weeks after every
tour, but went back to the ranch and practiced and worked until the
next scheduled tour.
The girls did a couple benefit shows while they were in Hawaii, both
at the HIC arena in Honolulu. Both shows sold out and for name recognition,
call it "free advertising", a couple music outlets loaned the equipment the
girls needed. It certainly wasn't the top quality that they were used to
playing, but it all worked.
Heather bought two of the guitars, both acoustic, and Janell bought both sets
of drums that were loaned which she donated to two schools for
underprivileged kids, one on Oahu and one on Maui. Jan also went to the
school on Maui and occasionally gave the kids lessons.
The girls would all show up with acoustic instruments, and some wood blocks
to pass around and do sing-along's with the kids. Heather, Chelly, Annie, and Bob played the guitars while Jan and the kids beat on the wood blocks.
Every penny of the two Hawaiian shows went to
charity. The girls had even shamed the promoter into donating his
"cut" too. It was good for him, and he certainly didn't need the money! I'm
sure he thanked them on April 15th.
All of the girls did little things like that throughout the entire time
they performed, and then continued to help where they could once that
part of their career was finished. Small acts of kindness went a long
way and the girls were always up for "small acts of kindness".
One of the girls would have a cause, or a thing to do and all of the
others would join in to help. They tried to do everything as a group,
and Bob was always included even though every time they did a thing with kids
they would always ask him how come he was the only guy with all the girls.
He'd always say with a big smile, "I'm just lucky I guess." Everyone
would laugh and typical of kids, that was a good enough answer to
satisfy the curiosity.
With their instant draw, it was pretty easy for them to name their terms and
the promoters would sign on the dotted line. Billy would make his usual
presentation, and they'd stand in line to sign up. No promoter ever lost
money on the girls. Not one penny!
They had started to add some of their own music to the mix just for fun.
Maryanne and Janell were the lyric writers, while Heather and
Michelle were extremely adept at putting music to the words. They all
wrote, and they all composed, but it was the two combinations that
seemed to really click well. Some of the biggest laughs that were ever
heard at the ranch came from some of the writing sessions. When the
four of them collaborated in that way, just like the rest of their
music, it was magic.
Their music was maturing.
Chapter 15 -- Last show of the last tour
By the end of the fifth year of touring it was becoming obvious that
when not actually performing the girls weren't having a lot of fun
anymore except in the studio. They played every concert with the same
energy as they played their very first show five years ago, but it just
wasn't the same anymore. They hadn't become jaded, just worn out. The
road can do that to you. Bob had warned them and even though spaced out
the road was wearing them down. They still had their spirit and their sanity
but their energy was just being worn too thin.
Being on the road, though it sounds romantic, is absolute drudgery once the
novelty wears off. That only takes about four or five shows. Everyone
wants a piece of you. You have friends you never knew you had. People
want free tickets, backstage passes or whatever else they think a
band member can acquire for them. The ass kissers and the dick
suckers come out of the woodwork like termites running from a fire.
The money can steer you to cliffs overlooking an abyss with no bottom.
Like they said in the 60's, sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll. It was a trap
that was very hard to avoid because the vices where everywhere and it's easy
to become extremely jaded in a very short time. It's also easy to either
need or want that numbed brain so it doesn't have to deal with the reality
of what is surrounding them. Do you really think that Janis, or Jimmy or Jim
really wanted to die that way? Or at that time? Not likely.
To the girls credit, they maintained their optimistic view of life and
all were very happy in their own personal worlds. They recognized and
avoided all of the usual pitfalls that plague groups of traveling
minstrels. In that regard, Bob and his previous experiences gave them
a base of knowledge that young bands rarely get. When they had any
kind of question about anything, "Uncle Bob" was there with an answer
for them. They maintained the straight and narrow for the entire five
years, which realistically is an awesome accomplishment in itself. It
was actually six years, because their "farewell" took over a year.
The five of them were closer today, after 5 years on the road, than they
were when the whole party started. Bob found that hard to comprehend
knowing them for the entire time, but he would tell you that the
girls were closer than siblings. The girls would tell you that
Bob was more loving, understanding and compassionate than most
parents. No they didn't see Bob as a parent, he was their partner,
their lover, and most of all their friend!
To put it in very short terms, they were a tight knit family, and
each treasured that in their own way. For Heather it was even more
so having lost her parents at a young age forcing her into life only
partially prepared.
Michelle's recognition of Heathers need for someone in her life and overcoming her fondest fantasy had turned out to give Heather the stability that she truly needed. Heather after a time was able to let go of her grief and began to live her life for herself and the others instead of dwelling
on her loss. Bob's understanding, and compassion had a lot to do with
that because when she would get into a funk, he would sit with her
for days if necessary, just talking. Her study of Zen didn't hurt any either.
She came to understand how her dwelling on the negative was detrimental
to her living life to its fullest. Bob, being a Buddhist, calmly,
patiently, and softly worked Heather through her grief until she finally
let it go. It was not an easy task, and both will tell you they suffered
greatly from some of the realizations. In the end they were so close that
the other girls told her that she'd grown a male appendage that
seemed to be permanently attached. When one of the others said something about having a male appendage Heather would always look down and say, "Ohmigod. Have I grown a dick?" leaving everyone in tears from laughing so hard.
Heather had decided that she could share Bob with Chelly without any
reservations, and they did. Both slept with him, joined on occasion
by Janell, but by some unspoken rule when one of them wanted Bob alone
sexually, the other would join Jan and Terri unless invited to join
in. Heather and Chelly did a lot of doubling on poor Bob. They even had a few
foursomes when Janell wanted something inside her. Terri never did
partake, but it was always her choice, and she knew that the offer was
on the table at any time. Jan said she just smiled and declined, but
that obviously she didn't have a problem with Janell making regular visits
to Bob. She knew it wasn't a personal thing, and loved Jan as much
as Jan loved her back.
The girls never fought about anything. If there was any kind of conflict
it was generally very superficial and dealt with immediately as a group.
Every time there was a "mediation session" everyone left laughing and grab
assing like they were still Junior High School girls. If there was
one word to describe "These Girls Can Play" it would be "Love".
They all truly loved each other unconditionally, and that included
Bob.
All four now had degrees in music and had shamed Bob into going
back to school himself. Heather and Chelly had Masters already, and
Janell was working on it. Maryanne seemed to be satisfied with a
Bachelors but continued to take classes. The other girls told her
that since she's taking classes anyway, just do what she needed for
the Masters program. With all of that, both Heather and Chelly were
considering doing a PhD program. They had really gotten into the
education thing.
Because they weren't there, Bob stood in for Heather's folks making sure
she knew that they would be proud of her. She'd kept her promise to them
even when she didn't have to. When he said that, she looked at him and told
him that she was obligated. She HAD to do it. When she received her Masters
all of them went with Heather to the cemetery. They sat with her as she sat
talking to her parents, letting them know how she was doing, that she
had been very successful, that she had kept her word to them by
finishing school and getting a degree. Not only that, she was thinking
about becoming a doctorate.
There were tears, yes, but they weren't the kind of tears Heather had
shed years ago. There was sadness, but there was also joy. Heather had
learned to celebrate her parents lives rather than grieve for their
loss. When they left, Heather had a smile on her face, yet tears in
her eyes, but with the strong arms of her "family" supporting her.
Through all of that though, the time had come!
-----
Bob had told them this time would come and that they'd have to make a
very difficult decision about what they wanted to do. The road has
killed many musicians. If they felt it was time to bail, there's no
time like the present, but they all expressed that they didn't want
to just go out quietly, just fade away. They wanted to do a typical
farewell tour, thanking all the fans for their support and their kind
words. They also realized that it would undoubtedly be the longest,
hardest tour, they had ever done and that they may be a year or more
on the road.
Bob looked at the four of them and asked the obvious question.
"Knowing the time frames, do you really want to do a farewell run like
that?"
All four without hesitation answered in the affirmative noting that if it
was their last round on the road, they could handle it because after
each show there would be a light getting brighter at the end of the
long tunnel. They had Maui to keep them in line as well.
They also knew that it would be an emotional roller coaster, but were
willing and prepared to deal with that. Five years on the road had
given them a lot of wisdom. Bob was sure they had talked about this
kind of tour at great length before they brought it up to him. They knew exactly what they were facing and were going to do it smiling.
"Ok," said Bob. "I'll get Billy working on it. Any limitations?"
He got no indication from them of any. They did insist however, that the
final performance had to be in San Francisco, where it had all begun
what seemed like so many years ago.
When they started to really think about a final run, they were all in
tears knowing that it would be over, but knowing that it would just
be retiring from the road. They would still continue their studio
work, probably forever. They were in love with the music as much as
they were in love with each other which made the chemistry between
them that much more intense.
The Hawaiian benefit gigs had also given them food for thought. They all
felt that it was worthwhile to use their abilities to make it
better for others. There would always be room for helping.
So with all of that, they took 6 months for rehearsals, planning the
logistics, booking the venues, only two of which, London and Tokyo
were to be offshore. Their farewell tour would be 140 shows in 75
halls throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico. It would take them
14 months of continuous travel, with only one stretch of 2 weeks, about
half way through, where they could come home to the ranch and relax for
a short time. It wasn't even worth the time to spend it in Maui.
They wouldn't have wanted to leave.
They took the whole idea and ran with it, beginning the tour in San
Francisco just like their first show, with the scheduled ending in the
same hall fourteen months later.
Each show had its own melancholy feel as everyone understood that this was
the last time they'd see the girls performing live. Their
performances were known worldwide for their high energy and extremely
high quality. Very few performers displayed the kind of energy that
"These Girls Can Play" showed in each and every show.
They never had a "down" night doing a performance. They may
have had downer days that they would all rally around, circle the
wagons and solve whatever needed to be solved. By the time they
hit the stage it was always high energy, laughing and smiling.
They always gave one hundred ten percent when on stage.
But it was winding down. There were three shows left and the girls were
exhausted. It never showed while they were on stage, and it never
caused any friction between any of them. They were just plain worn
out. Bob had tried to tell them, but they had to do it for their
"public", and they did. They understood what they had gotten themselves
into, and though exhausted, they enjoyed every second of it.
When they arrived in San Francisco for their last concert, it seemed like
the whole world was there. Remember the frenzy when the Beatles showed up
anywhere? Not to compare the girls with the Beatles, but it was
exactly the atmosphere in the city when they got off the chartered
jet, got into the limo and headed to the hall.
Like zombies, they went through the sound checks, made sure everything was
ready to go. They knew Billy would be recording the audio and this
would be the third video recording that was made of one of their
concert tours, so they were ready for that as well. This video would
only be released on DVD, and it would be the entire show. Start to
finish.
The only thing that finally caught up with them emotionally, and
thankfully Bob was ready for it, was that "this was
it". The last time. They were all in tears thinking about it.
Bob just sat with them, commiserated, and let them know that life would
go on. He'd already been through this and used himself as a perfect
example. They would still be making music. They would still be
putting out albums. They would still be all together. They just
wouldn't be killing themselves on the road anymore.
"Think about how you feel tonight," he said to them quietly.
"Not the emotions, but the physical drain."
He paused for a moment, tears coming to his eyes, he choked out, "You
are alive. You have your sanity. You have avoided every pitfall in the
musical world. You can be nothing but proud of yourselves for how you
have carried your careers on the road. No other band can compare with
your energy, passion, or dedication to task."
When the tears began running down his face all four of them gathered
around him in a group hug, all crying it out and letting the emotions run
things for a while. They would miss it, but by the same token, they
would not miss it at all. They now saw what the
"road" was all about, and what Bob had been protecting them
from by making all of their tours very short. They'd done their time and
in the end were very glad it was going to be over.
They all composed themselves and chatted quietly until the 5 minute knock
came on the door.
They looked at each other with fiery eyes, you could feel the energy rise and with huge smiles began to head for the door. That miraculous transition in attitude had already taken place.
It was Bob that brought them to a temporary halt.
"Ladies," he said with a serious grin, "Let's go out
there and kick some ass tonight."
They jumped him, hugged him, and made their way to the stage ready to do
their "final" live performance.
As would be expected the crowd was absolutely insane. They all tried to
get them to settle a bit and just enjoy the show, and for the most
part they did. The girls had that kind of effect on audiences.
"Please, people. We want to entertain you, but if we can't hear ourselves then you certainly can't hear us. If you can't hear us, we're failing to
entertain you," Janell said more than once standing behind her drums
with that goofy looking "uniform" that everyone on the planet was very
familiar with by now. The crowd would laugh, then be quiet for
a while.
The show began with the standard introductions from Bob, like he had done
at every show they'd done. When he had finished introducing Heather,
and the crowd settled a bit knowing what was coming, he did his usual, "Ladies and Gentlemen", "These Girls Can Play", which started Maryanne's doudouk wailing, the drums beating and the last show was underway.
They had planned a three and a half hour, five set show with the encore,
perfect for a three or four disk DVD set. But it ended up stretching to
six and a half hours, nine sets before the standard encore, and it was
well on to 2am before "curfew" essentially put an end to the performance.
It was like they didn't want to stop because they knew it was the end
and that once the music stopped it would be over.
The DVD set would be six or seven, maybe even eight disks to get everything
they had planned on it, which included individual specials with each of the
girls, the instrument swap medley which they performed one last time, and other "specials" that Bill and Bob had conjured up.
The fifth set was essentially a solo by Janell doing the Iron Butterfly number, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, then segueing into Neil Pert's solo from the 30th anniversary concert in Frankfurt Germany. It was noted that after almost 30 minutes of drum solo, Jan, though sweating like a faucet, was just as chipper as she was at the beginning of the show.
When the others came back out from their "break", Jan played the 6th set without a rest. She just donned a fresh headband, took a huge amount of Gatorade, then did her usual clickity-click and they were off and running for another 40 minute set. The girl was phenomenal.
The pre-orders were already over two million copies, and it would be at least six months or more until it was released.
When they came out for the encore this night, each of the girls said a
short piece thanking all the fans, the supporters, the people who
came to their shows and you could hear the emotion in their voices,
but it was Bob that tore everyone up.
Looking around the stage with a smile, he walked to each of the girls
giving her a long loving hug. Bob with big tears in his eyes addressed the crowd.
"This may well be our last live performance, but we're not going anywhere.
The decision to stop touring was both extremely difficult, and
extremely easy. Any musicians will tell you that touring is a real
ball buster," causing some laughter in the crowd.
Heather lightened it up just a bit, "Bob honey," looking down, "I don't have any
balls to bust."
His head snapped around while he laughed with the audience. That was 100%
ad-lib. The mood had been set.
"From the bottom of our hearts ... Shit ... This is hard ... Thank you all ever so
much, and Goodbye."
Janell clicked the cadence with her sticks and their final encore began.
When it came time to do the last song, "Find the Cost of
Freedom", Heather stepped up to the microphone and spoke softly, "This last
song has been our close for every show we've ever done, even at our
international stops."
"After the first show, some idiot in the press asked what it was all about,
obviously never having listened to the words," which caused a
dull roar, but quieted quickly as everyone wanted to hear what Heather had to
say. "I told them at the time we do it as a tribute, and they all freaked out because they couldn't figure out "a tribute to what"."
"Please. Listen to our song. Hear the words that Steven Stills wrote so long
ago. Understand. Then thank every veteran or soldier you know. They
all truly understand and have all, in some way, paid the Cost of
Freedom."
The five acoustic guitars began with her final words, and they played the
introduction through three times before they began singing, as
always, a Capella in absolute perfect harmony.
When the song finished, as was tradition in the band, Bob whispered,
"Goodnight", tonight adding, "and Goodbye", at which time they all did
their tearful bows, then hand in hand slowly walked off the stage
for the last time.
The last show was over ...
Chapter 16 -- The Next Chapter -- The Last Hurrah's
Time moved along for everyone. They decided to spend another couple months
on Maui to relax off the final tour. The girls now knew the fatigue
of real touring. Bob had tried to tell them, but "they were
young". Bob had been through it twice in two other bands, and was well aware
of what they were taking on right from the beginning.
It ended happily, as it should. Now it was time for studio work and the
personal lives that had been put on hold and so badly neglected by
the focus on performing.
The video of their "Farewell Tour" came out on DVD and turned out
to be eight disks plus a bonus, and literally jumped off the shelves. After all the expenses and production costs were figured in, the band and Billy
banked $304 Million in the first four months after its release. That
didn't even include the six disk CD set of their final tour which they
named, same as the DVD, "It's All Over But the Shouting".
That had put another few hundred million each in the bank and the girls all
reiterated that Billy deserved an equal cut because it was really all
his work that made the albums happen.
The girls took on some individual gigs playing studios for some
bands that had made requests, but they only did it when it suited
them. If the other peoples schedule didn't fit into theirs, they
just politely declined. It wasn't arrogance or a power or control trip, they
just had their lives to live now and if some "side work" could be worked
into their already full schedule, fine. If not, they said so. Simple
as that.
Most people asking, knew the girls, and never took it personally and more
often than not changed their studio schedule to accommodate them. If that
happened, the girls always bent over backwards to make sure their
contribution to that particular album was exemplary.
For some of them, there was always an open invitation to come up to
"The Girls Playground" to do their studio work. Billy had hired
three other engineers, including his long time friend and associate Jilly, to produce and all were exceptional at production
mastering. That business grew requiring the studio to grow, so Bob
added eight recording rooms as well as associated mastering
facilities.
The larger facility was built a good distance from the
house. Bob figured that since there would be "strangers" coming
to work that if they wanted to maintain their privacy, they'd have
to move the studio. The original flat was still there for the girls
private work.
The girls continued to work on their own music and over time learned
production from Bill so that they became top notch producers in their
own right. Now and then one of the girls would bring in an indie to
do some recording, mix it, and provide a master to press from. If necessary
she would ask the other girls if they had the time to play some background
for them. The other's always either had the time, or would make the time
for their sisters effort.
Sometimes it was for a small fee, sometimes it was for donated
residuals, it really depended on the artist. The girls certainly
didn't need the money and they enjoyed helping those up and coming young
musicians to perhaps, realize their own dreams.
They'd never forgotten how someone had picked them up by
the bootstraps and given them the opportunity, and the confidence to
realize the possibilities of doing something they absolutely loved.
They'd spent 6 years on the road sharing their love of the music with
everyone that could come to a concert.
They earned more money than any of them ever had been able to dream,
doing something they thoroughly enjoyed.
Life doesn't get any better than that!
-----
One of the big named bands, which will remain nameless, was looking for a
temporary replacement for their lead guitar player who would be in
forced re-hab for a few months. They had a grueling tour coming
up, so Bob raised his hand offering Heather. It would only be
temporary, and of course Heather was already known as one of the best
guitarists anywhere. Knowing it was only temporary she reluctantly
agreed to give it a try. She didn't relish touring with anyone except
the girls. Studio work was one thing, but the road was a killer, or
as Bob had described it, "A ball buster".
A couple days later, Heather and the band got together in one of the many studios in LA to put down a few tracks and see about compatibility.
After a little warm up time, they started to play one of their
"hits" with Heather playing the lead part flawlessly as
Bob would have expected.
About half way through the number, the drummer pulled up and stopped,
shaking his head. "Chicky-poo, you have to play it a bit
brighter, more feeling. Put some energy into it honey." Chicky-poo was bad enough but the tone of the word "honey" made the hair on the back of Bob's neck stand up.
"Oh shit. Here it comes," thought Bob sitting in his chair
quietly seeing Heathers eyes.
Heather slowly turned around to look at the guy, and you could already see
the fire in her eyes. Mr. Drummer apparently had missed that.
"Excuse me? I think I was doing it a little better than Dicky did on the last
studio track you guys put out. Maybe he was a little incapacitated?"
Mr. Drummer looked at her with a look that bordered on contempt saying,
"Not even close baby cakes. You missed a half dozen notes and your timing is
way off. It's making me crazy."
Bob continued to sit without making a sound. It was difficult to keep
the smirk off his face and had to put his hand in front of his mouth so
it wouldn't be noticed. Heather was quite capable of taking care of herself,
but he was there if needed. He doubted very much that any intervention on
his part would be necessary. Bob knew that for her, this would be a battle
of wits with an unarmed opponent, and he knew very well what was coming.
Heather looked at Mr. Drummer incredulously, then at each of the band members
in turn, noting that the others were just rolling their eyes and
shaking their heads. Apparently this wasn't a unique situation with
this particular band member.
Heather never had any problem saying exactly what was on her mind and she
didn't give a shit what anyone else thought. Her "speech" about tribute
would give glowing evidence of that.
After a few contemplative moments, Heather, turned to face him directly,
and while beginning to unstrap and put away her guitar, in a very
calm voice simply laid into him, "Who the fuck do you think
you are?"
Then to his wide surprised eyes, "Listen Bonzo, let's play the
track back from the booth. You tell me where I missed any notes and I'll
point out your total lack of timing and the beats you totally fucked
up. I'm making you crazy? Puleeezzzzeeee!"
She paused for a moment to let what she had already said sink in, Mr.
Drummer's face was already turning a very bright shade of scarlet. Was
it embarrassment or anger? We'll never know because Heather continued,
"I can assure you, 'little man', that 'my drummer' played better than you
do when she was in grammar school. Other than your pushy, egotistical asshole
attitude, I fail to understand how you've managed to keep this job as long as
you have. You're far less than amateur quality."
Then as the 'coup de grace', "If you auditioned for me, I'd laugh in
your face. Then tell you to go practice for a few years before trying
to pass yourself off as a drummer. In two words dude, you suck."
Bob laughed out loud. He couldn't help it. He thought the guy was going
to have a coronary. He certainly wasn't used to being talked to like that,
and was literally sputtering and choking trying to get a few words of
rebuttal out. He didn't make it.
Heather looked at Bob and said, "Let's go sweetie. If this two-bit
drummer wannabe wants to play ego games with someone, he can play
them without me. Life's too short to put up with his kind of
infantile bullshit."
Then looking to the rest of the band, "I'm really sorry guys, but you really
need to find yourself a drummer. One that can keep a beat. Even if he
wasn't such a prick, I wouldn't last ten minutes playing with his
drumming." She paused for a moment then continued, "Come up to 'The Girls Playground' in Willits and listen to Janell just once and you'll know what I'm saying."
Then after a short pause, "Better yet, I'll send you one of our
DVD's. We did three of them, but the 'Final Tour' is by far the best.
There are 'specials' on each copy, one with each of us 'just showing off',"
she chuckled. "Take a look-see at Janell's special section, or the 5th set during the concert itself. I think it's actually disk 5, but you can look it up."
Then looking directly at Mr. Drummer, "You'll see and hear a real
drummer."
The whole time she was addressing the band she had finished packing her
guitar and other things into their cases. She picked them up and
without looking back, started to walk out of the studio with Bob.
Bob turned and gave them a "What me Worry" shrug with a big smile.
If he'd been missing a tooth he'd have looked like Alfred E. Neuman.
The door was closing behind them, but Bob grabbed it before it closed
completely, so they heard quite clearly, one of the other band
members yelling at Mr. Drummer, "John. Your miss-placed ego and
your stupid mouth just cost us another premier musician. I think the
rest of us are of the same mind dude, but I'm done with this charade.
Personally, I'm tired of your shit. You're just a fucking asshole, and
she's right you know, you are a shitty drummer, and it only took her
half a track to figure it out. What's that tell you? I'm outta here!"
Heather and Bob just looked at each other with uncontrollable giggles, got
into the car and headed for the airport. They needed to get back to the
ranch so they could put down some additional tracks on the new CD they were
all working on.
It was all original music, and it was going to literally rock the world.
-----
When they walked in, the other girls were noticeably relieved that Heather was with Bob. They had been very worried.
They totally cracked up when Bob told them what happened blow by blow,
word for word. Heather just sat there looking at them with a wry
grin. They knew her well enough to know Bob wasn't exaggerating
anything. He didn't need to.
"Totally," Janell laughed looking at Heather. "I heard them do a show
once and it was hard to listen to them because he kept losing the rhythm. I
played better than that in junior high school."
"I told him grammar school," quipped Heather.
Maryanne nodded, "Yeah. I had the same experience. I don't know how
they do records."
Billy chuckled and said, "Multiple takes honey. He plays the same thing
over and over then the producer pieces it together as best she can. You can pretty much do anything with 100 fill ins. It's like the stuff you guys play once, maybe twice in the fill in room. He does that for hours! I'm sure it drives Jilly bonkers. She's very good, and I can't figure out why she agreed to hook up with that bunch."
Then laughing, "It's just some sound engineering hocus-pocus that Jilly
manages to piece together, but when you do things live, you can't hide
that kind of ineptitude. Jilly doesn't do them live like I do for you. She's
too smart for that. I'm trying to hire her away from LA by the way."
Then as an afterthought, "It's part of what makes you girls so
damned good and easy to listen to live. You play 'studio quality' every
time you pick up your instruments. It's that simple."
Heather told them what they'd heard on the way out and suggested that they
probably wouldn't be doing any more recording as a "band" and the upcoming tour would probably be canceled. She also told them that before she dressed him down she'd looked at all the other guys and they were all rolling their eyes, so she just took that as a sign.
"I mean ... shit ... you know me. I'm going to call it like I see it, so I
did. Oh. Billy, it might be a good time to approach your friend Jilly!"
Sitting around the table, sipping on whatever they were drinking, they all
laughed hysterically. They knew Heather didn't mince words. They'd
heard her lay into the media at so-called press conferences. They'd
ask a "stupid question" and Heather would give them the
answer they deserved. It pissed off a lot of media people, but they knew better than to take her on. It's one of the advantages of being squeaky
clean. Well, mostly.
After a long silent pause Heather looked at Bob thoughtfully, "I know you want to promote us for other work honey, but honestly I'd prefer to just stay with this group and play my music. I don't need or really want all the notoriety that you've been working for. I have all the notoriety that I could ever want. I recognize your efforts, and I'm sure we all appreciate it, but it just comes with too much baggage. I'm really sorry baby."
Bob looked at her nodding his head, trying to suppress a grin, letting
her know that he was listening. He also noted nods of agreement from the others in the room.
"I'm happy just working with the six of us, and being back here to do
studio work with my family. I don't need all of the other bullshit
that comes with "fame". Bob, you've gone through it already, you know
what I'm saying!"
Bob nodded knowingly, "Yes I do honey, yes I do." Then
slowly and softly, "To move at the higher levels you have to put up with
monster egos, and you just ran into one who thinks he can play.
Because he's such an asshole, nobody has had the balls to tell him up
front ... and it took a woman, with big balls, to do it.
Heather just looked at him with a grin and said, "Bobby. I don't have
any balls ... Ok. Neither does he."
"Anyway honey, most of them really can play. I think you handled it pretty well, though in the "big time world" you'd have just put
up with it because of the name recognition that went along with it."
He looked around at all of them, "You are all in the 'big time
world', but you've done it without compromising your integrity. That's pretty
damned rare and it's something you should all be extremely proud of."
Heather picked it up, "I'm not putting up with any of that shit honey.
If that's what it takes to be deep into the "big time world", I don't want
to be in the "big time world". Maybe it will work for Chelly,
Janell or Maryanne, but it's not what I want for me," Heather noted
emotionally.
The other girls were very contemplative as they listened to both of them
discuss what had gone on, while Heather expressed her feelings, which
pretty much mirrored all of theirs. They had all gone off at one point
in time, and played with others in a studio situation, but these guys
had wanted Heather to tour with them as a "guest guitarist".
She was already very well known in the industry as one of the
premier guitar players, so she really didn't need any name
recognition or ego boost. Anyone who mattered already knew who she
was.
It was apparent that the rest of them weren't all that sure how they
felt about it at the moment. They had been very fearful that Heather
would leave the band for those "greener pastures"
Bob always seemed to be trying to steer them all towards.
What she had just said gave them some assurance that it wasn't going to
happen, at least not any time soon. Each in her own way was very
relieved. They all loved Heather, and knew it wouldn't be the same if
she wasn't there. In their mind it would have signaled the end.
Bob looked around the room and found four girls very deep in thought. He
knew what was going through their heads, and didn't blame them one
little bit. They had been together doing this since junior high
school, and the thought of one leaving, maybe permanently, wasn't
something any of them really wanted to deal with.
Billy also recognized the dynamic that was being played out and just
"sat in the corner" with his mouth zipped. He'd seen it before. He
had confidence, however, that with this bunch it would all work out for
the better.
"Penny for your thoughts," Bob finally threw out to the room after a long
silence.
They all looked at him seriously, but it was Maryanne that really
verbalized what she felt the rest were thinking, "We have
plenty of money Bob. Shit. We have more money than we could spend in a
couple lifetimes. We're known throughout the world. We still have our
sanity, which I've come to learn is a rare commodity in the music
industry," bringing chuckles from everyone including Bob and
Bill.
She continued, "For me? I'm happy just being one of
"These Girls Can Play". I don't need to be anywhere else."
All the others were nodding in agreement. Chelly added, "I don't
think that means we won't play with other people, or we won't do any studio
work with others if they need or want us to, but as far as touring or
being a part of another band, not me. I'm very happy and quite satisfied
right where I am."
Heather looked around the room and tears started dripping from her eyes.
Having to choke it out, she told them, "I couldn't leave this group
guys." Looking at each, "You are my family. You are all I have in
the world and that's far too precious to mess up. You guys are my
world."
The others jumped up to hug Heather and they were all crying by then. They
all understood how difficult it had been for her to cope with her
parents death. Bob had helped immensely, but other than the four of them
Billy and Terri, she really didn't have any family.
Heather continued, "I can honestly tell you, that as far as I'm
concerned I will never permanently leave this group. Without you guys, I'm
nothing. You are my center. You are what I live for."
Bob stood up and looked at all four of them with a very satisfied smile.
He'd wanted them all to branch out and excel with their respective
talents, and they had really done that. They did it without
compromising their personal integrity or losing sight of who they
are deep inside. That's a very rare commodity in this business
where it's so easy to sell your soul.
They have never forgotten from whence they came, always there when anyone
in the "community" needed something, trying to help with whatever they could.
Yes. They had lots of money, but they all gave some of it away. They had
started the TGCP Foundation to handle contributions to the needy.
They also insisted that the foundation support young musicians
everywhere. It was well on its way to being self supporting and all 6
had only put in $20 Million each of their own cash.
Their families were in want of nothing, and never asked for anything, their
daughters just took care of things. Sometimes Judy was embarrassed
that Chelly would make deposits into her bank account, just because.
Oh, just for the record, that small deposit that Chelly had made in
Judy's bank account was $750,000.00, and it was only the first.
Janell and Maryanne's families were well taken care of as well.
They'd done it all, becoming, without question, the best of the best. They just didn't feel the need to do it with anyone else. They wanted to stay
who they were and that was fine. In all honesty, it wasn't the way he
had pictured it turning out, but he was very satisfied, very pleased with their decision.
He turned to find four very worried faces looking at him. They weren't
sure what he was thinking, after all they'd just rejected everything
he'd been working for all these years.
He smiled at them lovingly, "I think you are making a wise
choice. It may not be what I had pictured originally, but it's the right
decision for you. You have never, ever compromised who you are, and that is
a rare thing in any business. Money hasn't jaded you. You're
still the same four sweet young women I began to work with over six
years ago. You've taken care of your families, and you donate all
kinds of money to charities through the Foundation. I'm so proud of
you four, and I love you all so much I have no way to express
it," he said.
Heavy sighs of relief were heard in the room. Now that things were
settling a bit, Bill moved in from his corner to put his arms
around Maryanne.
Bob continued to brightening faces, "To get into the 'big time world'
takes a very thick skin, and a back stabbing attitude as Hey found
out. It's not real pretty much of the time, and you four got there
without any of that. Well, I suppose you all have developed thick
skins by now, but you're certainly not back-stabbers, sneaks or
cheats."
He got giggles from all of them.
Bob looked around continuing, "I'm very satisfied and very happy with your
choices. I think Chelly said it best though. You don't have to limit your
experience to just this studio, but be very choosey when asked to
participate elsewhere. You have the talent, experience, and reputation
to pick and choose. You're not hungry for being noticed. Trust me,
the whole of the industry knows who you are. Shit. The whole fucking
world knows who you are."
Having said all of that and seeing their faces he added, "If I were
to make any suggestion to you though, in your shoes, I would choose only
those opportunities where you can all play together, and always
remember, you don't need me. Realistically, you've never needed me.
Maryanne was fully capable of playing the bass for this band a whole
lot better than I ever have. She just needed to be freed up to practice
and display all the other talents that she has. You are all extremely accomplished musicians on your own and I'd put you up against anyone, anywhere, anytime, but man, when you four play together, it's magic."
With a big smile he said softly, "I couldn't be more proud of all
of you, nor can I think of any musicians I've ever worked with that
could make me feel more complete as a musician myself. You four are
not only exceptional musicians, but you are exceptional women. I'm so
honored that you have let me be part of your world."
They all gathered around for a big group hug. It wasn't ending here as they may have feared, it was just moving in a different direction, and it was good.
"Now," Bob said enthusiastically, "Let's go up to the Playground and
finish up with this damned album so we can get to Maui for a while.
The
End
* Reference to the young violinists from
Lubrican's story, "Fiddling around with Uncle Bob"
Epilogue and some Rehash
"These Girls Can Play" toured for six years after the release of
that first album. Bob and Billy decided that the best way to get name
recognition for concert tours would be to put out a CD of
"one show" prior to the tour. It was done to excite a prospective
audience, and succeeded far beyond their wildest expectations.
Every show, on every tour sold out the first day tickets were put on sale,
and a number of times, when there was enough slack time between close
venues, the girls would add a show or two in some of the larger arenas in
an attempt to satisfy demand. They love their job. Their shows
generally consisted of a minimum of three, forty minute sets, usually
more and longer depending on the audience response.
The four song encore always ended with the same Three songs, "Dust in the Wind" as recorded by Kansas, "Where have all the Flowers Gone" as done by the Kingston Trio, and "Find the Cost of Freedom" as recorded by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. There was a lot of criticism regarding those last three numbers alluding to a completely downbeat ending to a very upbeat show.
The girls felt that music made an important statement, after all, it is a universal
language. They wanted to end the show with thoughtful music, making people
think about the state of things in the world around them.
Ask the question of yourself, "Where have all the flowers gone ..."?
They did "Find the Cost of Freedom" as a tribute to all
the veterans that have assured America's freedoms since the Revolution;
their attempt at reminding people that Freedom isn't free. It was done by
all five members playing acoustic guitars together, then sung a
Capella with harmony that was usually perfect. If you have never
heard the song, you can find it with a YouTube search -- Play
the version with David Gilmore, David Crosby, and Graham Nash.
The group scripted ten, three set shows and played them pretty much as
scripted with some minor variations. The Beach Boys Medley was played
in nearly every show, but the play order and the number of tunes was
sometimes changed.
The "Change instruments" medley was only played at a
few selected shows, and it was never deviated from for obvious reasons. It was done for the last concert, in the fourth set, so that it would be filmed for the final tour DVD.
Michelle obviously learned to play the guitar and after a couple years became a fairly accomplished guitarist, as did Janell. Not the same as Heather or Maryanne, but that was not their goal.
Today, the girls all wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, still live and
make music with Bob in "The Girls Playground" at "The Ranch" in Willits. You
can also find them on Maui every chance they get. Maggie, her husband and their kids are the caretakers and the place is always immaculate and ready whenever they decide to fly over.
Since Maggie is there, Judy spends a lot of time visiting, but doesn't want
to get in the way, though she is a doting Grandma. She took some of Chelly's 'small deposits' and bought a small home on Maui an appropriate distance from the girls place. Judy also found a significant other to love and they both occupy the home. All the girls like Rachel very much, and well, Judy shares too.
Bob, Heather, and Michelle were "married" three months
after the last tour finished, having been successful in hiding their relationship from the paparazzi for over six years. Bob didn't want Heather or Chelly to be subjected to the bullshit. Especially with a shared relationship, you can only imagine the "Star" or the "Enquirer" stories. Although when Bob thinks about it and talks to the girls about it, that whole scenario could have been a kick in the ass. It would have taken "Mind Fuck" to a whole new level.
Their relationships could be a story all by itself, but that would have to
include Janell. Maybe someday it will be written.
Michelle obviously stopped looking for and never found "Mr.
Right" but she and Heather always have shared Bob equally. Truth
be told, she never once regretted giving up her fantasy for Heather. It made her realize her true love for Bob, which as it turns out, was far beyond just getting her pussy stuffed.
Heathers unconditional love for both Bob and Chelly allows her to share "our
man" with Michelle in a "married" relationship and there has
never, ever, been an issue between any of the three. Chelly and Heather will always share a love for each other that is closer than twin sisters.
Billy and Maryanne had married a few years earlier in secret. Well those
in the band knew, but nobody else.
Janell and Terri are inseparable. The press got a hold of the idea that
Janell was gay and of course, tried to make it into a big deal, but
she always played it perfectly. When asked about being gay, she would just respond, "It's none of your fucking business, and what difference
would that make in how I play my drums? Next question."
If anyone tried to pursue it any further than that, they would all just
turn and walk away. The "Press Conference" was over! The rest of the
girls handled it pretty much the same if asked. They just told them to
ask Janell.
Terri ended up coming on every tour with the group after the first one,
and being a CPA, Bob actually gave her a job doing the paperwork for the
shows, keeping track of payments, expenses and all the things that an accountant would normally do for a "company". Essentially she was the CFO of "The Girls Playground Enterprise Inc." as it was now known.
She made sure that all the permits and licensing was complete and in
order. She was the person responsible for keeping track of the music
that was played so that royalties could be accurately paid. Bob was a
real stickler on "Intellectual Property Rights", but he'd been burned in
the past, so was always right on top of it with Terri's help. They were
always squeaky clean!
If you were to visit the ranch today, you would find the four girls, Bill and
Bob in the studio, doing more recording. They
continue to put out a new CD about every 18 months or so, always
their own music now. Lennon-McCartney have nothing on Miller, McArthur,
Ellis and Tejano. And unlike many others, there is never any bickering about
who did what. They do everything together as a team.
You would also note that each of the four girls is with child.
Janell, with Heathers enthusiastic approval and encouragement, continued
sleeping with Bob on many occasions and especially during her fertile times
for a few months before she became happily pregnant with "their baby".
Janell also learned that all men aren't "pigs", and that one particular
man had many redeeming features. She would find another man she could trust
but that's in another story. Heather and Chelly usually took those
opportunities to have some fun with Terri.
The girls decided to do a few benefit shows each year, playing some of
their own music along with the list of "other's"
music that they had played for so many years. None have any desire to
start a new tour regimen and are very happy to do no more than studio
work. They don't rule it out, but it's nowhere near the top of
anyone's list, if it's on the list at all...
You'll note that throughout this story I've referred to most all the women as
"girls", especially those in the band. I know some women out there, especially the libbers, will take offense at that.
They referred to themselves as "the girls", so if you're offended, tough shit. Take it up with them.
Believe me, each of these girls is all woman. Every one of them is an extremely strong woman in her own right. They know it and really don't give a
rats ass what anyone else thinks about it.
{end-note}
The entire playlist collection - show 1 thru 10 with encores will be posted
somewhere. SOL Blog, ASSTR, somewhere. The author did a complete set and it
came to 22.2 hours of music in MP3 format.
Soon there will be a listing of all the sets they did during their final show.
There is also a move afoot to put
the mixes up on a jukebox that cannot be recorded. Watch the authors Blog on SOL
for more information.
Please, If you do put your own mixes together, honor the intellectual
property rights of those who worked so hard to provide you with that
entertainment. Buy the music and enjoy it.